#fae bf

He grips your hand a little tighter. And like he did earlier, he takes you quickly through the meadow towards the monolithic rock formation like you’re fast forwarding through a movie. He uses the stone as a staircase, but his feet keep stepping even though he runs off the top of it. Despite not being able to see any of the crystal-clear steps, Pollux does not stumble, and neither do you. 

Only when you’re a couple stories up do the steps level out onto a platform. Pollux slows down and looks at you with bright, shining eyes.

“Now remember,” he taunts with a shit-eating grin. “Be on your best behavior! Don’t want any Fae to get mad at you….Trust me.”

You don’t respond.

“Alright, let’s go!” He says cheerfully, turning you around so he’s behind you. He plants a hand on your back and pushes you forward.

It’s like walking in the air, except the treetops poke through the crystalline floor. Soft, fluffy pink clouds furnish the space, billowing in giant mounds and spanning across the ground. Tree branches poke up out of the ground like flowers.

Everything was dusted with sparkles...or at least that was how everything looked.

Pollux pushes you towards the middle of two rows of booths, each with its own sets of fairies talking amongst each other in this little marketplace.

But the romantic air of the environment starts dropping in pieces as each group of Fae realize that you are there.

Then they all just stare. With their big gemstone eyes.

They would be beautiful if you weren’t completely angry or terrified.

You see now where Pollux is taking you—a giant stone obelisk stands proud at the end of the marketplace in a large clearing, and at the bottom of it is an extremely tall Fae with a crown on his head giving instruction to two smaller Fae.

“Pollux, Pollux!” you murmur urgently to him.

He ignores you.

“Ohhhh Aubergine!” Pollux yells in a sing-song fashion. “Guess what I found!”

He gives you a hard push and this time you fall to your knees. The tall Fae pinches the bridge of his nose before turning to actually look at Pollux. His gaze then falls upon you and your stomach knots with anxiety; he is breathtakingly beautiful. His ice blue eyes are accentuated by his dark purple skin, and his hair is a beautiful silvery white. You scramble to stand under his intimidating gaze, but his countenance shows no emotion.

He looks back at Pollux, cool demeanor turning icy: “What have you done?”

“Saving this poor human from the woods, obviously,” he replies, unfazed by Aubergine’s chastising.

“You know the consequences of interfering with the mortal realm, and yet you refuse to take heed of the warnings.”

Pollux rolls his eyes: “Don’t be so dramatic. I found this one alone, miles from society.”

“I don’t care for your attitude, Pollux. You have stolen a human from their home to which they can no longer return. Have you no sympathy?”

Pollux’s wings flutter angrily: “You’re just jealous that I caught one.”

“I have no need for jealousy—I just want you to understand the gravity of your actions.”

Aubergine turns to you: “On behalf of the Fae realm, I apologize for the actions of Pollux and what it has led to.”

Before you can say anything, Pollux grabs your arm and starts dragging you away from the Fae, muttering angrily under his breath.

“I’ll show him…”

“Ouch, Pollux,” you say, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. “You’re hurting me.”

Pollux halts and lets go of you: “I’m sorry....he just really gets under my skin.”

“Who is he?”

“Prince Aubergine of the Fae realm. He basically just makes sure everything runs smoothly...and that rules are followed absolutely.”

“Oh, yeah I noticed his crown.”

He looks at you with a smirk: “He’s pretty handsome, isn’t he?”

You feel your cheeks get red: “I mean sure but it’s like...whatever!”

Pollux pinches your cheek: “I’m just playing with ya, don’t worry. Come on, I’m gonna show you my place.”

You follow him to a facade of white marble columns draped in luminescent fabrics. You take the large marble stairs up to a wall of drapes. Pollux parts the wall and gestures you inside with a highfalutin smile.

The inside is a large room with white marble flooring, gossamer fabrics billowing in the breeze at the outer borders. Some expensive-looking sofas sit near the middle of the room as what could be an elegant area for hosting, and a large bed waits at the very back, dressed in red linens. It was a bedroom fit for a king; and you get the strongest feeling that you don’t belong here.

Pollux is looking at you with a searching expression, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

You go up to a sofa almost in a trance and lay your hand on it, feeling the smoothness.

“Wow,” you whisper.

“What was that?” Pollux says, appearing suddenly behind you and making you jump.

You put a hand on your chest to slow your heart: “It’s amazing—what else do you want me to say?”

Pollux puts his hands on your hips and moves in close: “My bed’s pretty great too.”

Your heart jumps to your throat and you instinctively put your hands up between you two: “I’m sure it is, but it’s a no from me.”

Pollux sighs and releases you: “One day, pretty thing. One day.”

“I highly doubt that,” you mutter.

Pollux then flies over the seating area to plop down onto his bed. He stretches loudly and then turns to you.

“Very well, very well. Fetch me some food then.”

You feel your body engaging under his control but are confused: “Where do I even get food?”

“The booths near the entrance, darling. Someone will help you—oh! But first,” he says flying to the cabinets behind the sofas. “Let’s get you out of those clothes!”

He pulls out a pair of pants with an elastic-like waistband and leg cuffs: “These should fit you well.”

“I don’t need to change my clothes—”

“It’ll be fine; it’ll help you fit in better.”

“I doubt that,” you mutter under your breath.

He gives you a stack of clothes and crosses his arms, looking at you expectantly.

“Fine, I’ll wear them, but you can’t watch,” you demand.

“Alright, alright,” he says holding up his hands appeasingly. “I’ll go...here.”

He then goes to his bed and throws the covers over his head so there’s only his feet showing.

“Is this alright with you?” He asks, voice muffled from the sheets.

You don’t answer him and instead just start getting dressed. You pause for a breath because you don’t know what to do about your binder, but in the end you just decide to leave it on. 

You look over at the lump of sheets where Pollux is hiding and shake your head confusedly. For a Fae who could do anything he wanted with you, he certainly doesn’t as much as he could. And for a second, you are almost grateful.

“Okay,” you tell him, rolling your eyes. “I’m done.”

He sits up, sheets ruffling up his hair: “Well now, you look fantastic.”

Standing there, clutching yourself self-consciously while dressed in foreign clothes, you most certainly do not feel that way.

“Now, go get me some food, and be snappy!” He commands lightly.

You straighten up and leave the room without another word, wandering the path where you had been dragged by Pollux—and notice someone coming towards you.

Prince Aubergine.

Heat rises in your cheeks and you clutch your arms in reaction.

Just relax it’s fine, you’ve done nothing wrong…………….right?

You wonder whether to ignore him or give him a nod in deference and decide to go with the latter.

He watches you with icy, unrevealing eyes, but passes by you without saying anything.

You feel your blood pumping to your ears and let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

Alright, it’s over….now where do I get food?

Reaching the clearing where the booths were located, you are again met with stares.

“Uh—um. Pollux requested food. Is this where I can get some?”

After a beat, a kind fairy with dark skin and bright yellow eyes fetches a plate full of various fruits from one of the booths.

“This’ll do fine, hun. Pollux isn’t picky when it comes to food,” she says warmly.

“Th-thank you very much!” you sputter, taking the extravagant tray of food. You look around quickly and then do a quick bow as you rush away with your quarry.

On the way back you have more time to inspect the plate in all its glory: fruits with lustre and golden skin adorned the plate like a display fit for royalty. You are tempted to eat one, just to see what it would be like, but you remember the tales and decide against it.

I guess the Fae really do live in luxury. 

As you approach the front with the plate, you hear two voices speaking in a repressed passion.

“I knew you couldn’t stand being away from me,” says Pollux.

“Of course I care about you, how could I not?” says the second.

“You only care about getting some, and I’d be okay with that if you didn’t treat me like I’m a fool when we’re not being intimate.”

“There are rules to be followed and you treat that as if they’re mere suggestions!”

“See, just admit you love controlling me more than you love me and get it over with.”

You trip.

On one of the curtains.

Fruit goes everywhere.

But you see.

Pollux.

And...Prince Aubergine.

Looking up from where you are on the ground, you scramble up, sputtering apologies.

Pollux storms over to you, face unreadable. He takes you…….and dips you, pressing a kiss on your lips. Pulling you back up on your feet and leaving you bewildered.

But the look.

On the Prince’s face.

It barely cracked the surface, but you saw it.

Heat.

Heat in those icy blue eyes.

What does it mean?

Pollux picks up a glittering pear that lay on the ground next to his feet, he brushes it off on his clothes, and takes a bite, juice dripping down his chin.

“Still tastes good to me,” he says cheerfully, laying an elbow on your shoulder as if the whole interaction never happened.

The Prince sighs, shaking his head, and leaves, stepping around the scattered fruit. Pollux eyes him the whole way, not even trying to be clandestine.

He sat cross-legged on a large stump, preoccupied with a bouquet he held in his hands. The natural light through the treetops cast his profile in a silhouette, yet his iridescent wings and fiery red hair lit up with colorful splendor.

You stopped as soon as you saw him, the first time you stopped walking in hours. As soon as you do, the fae makes eye contact with you. He looks at you curiously for a while, and then turns to face you, setting down the bundle of flowers he held in his lap.

“It’s certainly been a while since we’ve had humans walking through these parts...practically ages,” he says to you with an air of mischief. “How’d you find yourself all the way out here? Are you lost?”

“No,” you say reflexively. “Sorry to bother you, I’m just passing through.”

“Maybe I can help,” he says, pushing off the stump and walking toward you, getting a little too close for comfort. “What’s your name?”

A chill runs down your neck. You’ve heard the myths about fae and names: you never give them your name. That’s how powerful names were: they owned you.

You sigh and mutter your dead-name.

He smirks like he’s in on a joke.

“What?”

“Mmm...nothing,” he quips. “How can I help?”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt what you were doing, I’ll just go back the way I came.”

“Nonsense,” he says, fluttering around you. “It has been far too long since we have had any company. Please...let me take care of you.”

He reaches out to grab your hand but you pull back quick.

“I’m not supposed to accept help from strangers,” you tell him. “And I don’t even know your name.”

He flutters down to you so his face is close to yours: “Well it’s...”

He says your name.

Your name.

Your heart stops.

He smiles knowingly, and you know he noticed your reaction.

“Humans are so skittish...” he says, plopping down on the grass, laughing heartily. “Just like the tales...”

You don’t hear what he says after, as you bitterly walk back in the direction you had been walking for so long, muttering under your breath: “Can’t believe I walked all the way to the middle of nowhere and still am not being taken seriously, just fuckin’ great.”

The fae flutters up besides you: “Going so soon?”

“I want to be alone.”

“And what do you actually want?”

“Why am I so interesting to you?” you ask curtly, stopping to peer at this stranger. “What do you really want?”

“I just want to...play!”

He suddenly takes your hand and begins pulling you effortlessly through the forest, weaving through the trees with ease. Your steps feel lighter, and there is no traction as you try to resist. Suddenly you are being pulled alongside a herd of deer bounding through the brush. You are right beside them—you could touch them if you wanted—and they seem not to mind your presence, even the one that you think made eye contact with you. You are then pulled away again, dashing through what feels like and endless forest into an open field. Making a serious effort to see where he is leading you, you see a large rock jutting out in the middle of the meadow and your heart skips again, remembering the legends. This time, when you dig your heels into the ground, the earth responds, and the fae stops and turns to you with confusion.

“What’re you doing? Aren’t you having fun!?”

“You kinda just KIDNAPPED ME. So NO, sorry.”

He waves a hand in front of his face dismissively: “That’s so dramatic.”

You tug your wrist away from his grip: “Either you don’t listen or you don’t care, but I came out here to get away from people exactly like you!”

“Oh, really?” He says, crossing his arms and raising a brow.

“Why do I even try—“ you stop, being interrupted by something in your pocket: your phone. Seeing the screen light up with missed texts and calls from the people you’d been trying to get away from causes a rage that fills your cheeks and burns your eyes as you pelt your phone at the rock formation, your phone shattering on impact.

“I’ve cut ties with people that don’t care about me, and I’m not stopping, even if that includes a fae that will curse the fuck out of me if I don’t play nice!”

His countenance remains amused: “How are you feeling?”

You don’t respond; you turn around and walk in the other direction, the tall grasses brushing against your legs as hot tears begin to roll down your cheeks.

“Shit,” you say, wiping your face with your arm. “Fucking...”

At the edge of the forest you put a hand against a tree to steady yourself. Quickly turning around to check if that fae was still following you, all you see is an empty meadow and thunderclouds beginning to cover the sky in dark gray. Instead you slump against the tree, hugging your knees to your chest.

“You are loveable,” you whisper to yourself like trying to commit a flash card to memory. “You are loveable.”

After a moment of trying to calm yourself down, you scoff at yourself.

“Why did I come out here, really?” you ask aloud. “Did I really think anything would be different just because I ran away?”

There is a silence for a while as you try to quell your tears.

But then he addresses you:

“Do you know what they say...about humans?”

You can hear your heart thumping in your ears as he flutters upside-down, circling you.

“That they’re soft, weak, and...easily fooled...”

He’s just playing games.

“That they are stuck on the material plane...and therefore immutable...”

Don’t let him get in your head.

“So change as you might, you remain the same...”

You launch out of your crouch and knock your fist back, ready to swing: “Stop it!”

“But it’s not true, is it?”

You lower your fist as he drops down in front of you, standing sheepishly with one arm clutching the other.

“Humans are the only ones who change.”

“Well I don’t know if we’re the only ones...you seem different now than when I ran into you.”

The fae looks away, almost as if he was blushing.

“Let’s start again,” he says, eyes locking with yours once again. “My name...”

He extends a hand: “Pollux.”

You extend yours and take his hand. It’s soft as snow.

You tell him your real name confidently this time.

Pollux then yanks your arm so you’re standing face to face, a wicked grin glowing in his eyes.