“Go wash that out.It happens, but it can really irritate your cornea, and then everyone’s going to wonder if you have pink eye.”
“Fine, fine.”
He rounded the bar only to be confronted with Cloudtree’s broad chest on the other side.
“I will show you to theemployee bathroom,” Cloudtree intoned, once more in such a way that it made Theo think he’d only just learned the words today.
The bathroom was past the break and prep rooms, and all of them were on the left after the entrance and required a keycard to enter.Cloudtree swiped his, with a satisfied little smile when the mechanism beeped and the door opened.
“This is wonderful,” he informed Theo.“Not your eye juice, of course.”
Theo cackled.“Yeah, who’d want my eye juice?”
Bunny and Jasper looked up, Bunny from doing her eyes at the break table and Jasper from scrolling on his phone next to her.
“You guys good?”Bunny asked.
Cloudtree stopped.“Theo needs his eye washed.”
“Call me Puck, please.And I’m good.Lime juice to the eye.”
Jasper cackled.“Fuck.I got dick juice to the eye the other day.My sympathies.”
Cloudtree ushered Theo into the bathroom, and he came in with him, which made it awkward, given there was just the toilet and a sink.
“You could’ve waited outside.”Theo turned on the water, collected it in his palm, and began rinsing as best he could without getting his shirt wet.It was one of his old work shirts, somewhat see-through to begin with, and probably even more so when wet.Peter had looked at it in barely contained horror, and even if he wasn’t here, Theo wasn’t going to make it worse for him.
“Yes, but…Theo—Puck—do human dicks produce juice?Like a flower does sap?”
“Nectar.Flowers make nectar.And are you really asking that?Wait, are you telling me Fae don’t, you know, come?When you…come?”
Cloudtree met his eyes in the mirror.“Oh.Well, certainly, with pleasure.Although I have only ever enjoyed my own hand.A pillow once.But it’s not juice, just seed.”
Theo turned the water off and blinked a few times.His eye looked okay.
“Whatever euphemism you like.That means different people call it different things.”
Cloudtree nodded, looking very serious.“I will remember that, although Celeste said it might be better if I try with less talking for the time being.”
“Yeah.It’s important to take it step by step.Look, we should get back, and you’re blocking the door.”
“Oh.I thought you might maybe want to relieve yourself.”
“Not with you here I don’t.And I was hoping I’d get to make at least one cocktail, so open that door.”
Cloudtree nodded.“As you say.Is a cocktail another word for a man’s—”
“No!Fuck, isn’t there a dictionary for people like you?”
“Laurette said I would pick up the colloquialisms best with exposure.”
“I bet he did.”
They walked out, waving to Jasper and Bunny, who grinned at them like two people who would enjoy gossiping about their colleagues sharing bathroom time.
When they got back out to the main room, Corvin, Mike, Will, and Basil were at the bar.No, fuck.Sage.I know the witch’s name.Corvin’s shirt readMonsterfucking 4-ever, the words framed prettily by tentacles, paws, claws, and more.He’d addedbut no Faein black pen.
Lilo pointed his chin at Theo, and the four of them all turned and started waving.Theo wasn’t sure whether it was more endearing or embarrassing.When Cloudtree decided to wave back, Theo settled on embarrassing.
