The Grumpy Thistle Fairy

by Hart, Delmire

  Did that mean he wasn’t a fairy anymore?

  Concentrating was difficult but he tried to focus on his wings, something that had been almost instinctual previously, but now it didn’t feel the same. There was nothing, no sense of an extra limb between his shoulder blades. He held out his hands in front of him and was startled to find them larger and less delicate before. Felix carefully helped him sit up and Ellis took stock of his appearance.

  Instead of smooth skin, his chest and stomach was lined with muscle definition and even his arms seemed bulkier than before. He pulled away the blanket that covered him from the waist down and sure enough, he had one of the odd human appendages between his thighs. It was larger than Felix’s but he assumed that would be fine.

  His assessment of his new appendage was interrupted by a strangled noise and Felix quickly pulled up the blanket to cover him from the waist down again. He looked rather flushed and cleared his throat before speaking.

  “I’m not sure what happened but you’re human now and I’m…I’m okay. I remember getting a-attacked.” Felix’s voice shook and he seemed to be holding back tears. “But I don’t remember anything after that. I woke up completely healed, lying in the forest with all the forest animals around, and you were lying naked beside me as a human. Your wolf friend helped me carry you back. I knew it was you because of how concerned all the animals were but also…you have scars on your back where your wings used to be.”

  He looked at Ellis with such obviously torn feelings, his wide green eyes misted over. Gratefulness warred with sorrow across his delicate features and Ellis couldn’t help but reach out his hand to gently wipe away the few tears that fell down his cheeks. He took a moment to marvel at the size of his new body; his hand easily cupped the side of Felix’s face.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Ellis cocked his head at Felix in confusion. “Why?” His voice came out deeper and rougher than he expected and he blinked in surprise.

  Felix stared at him for a long moment before removing his hand from his face and exclaiming, “You can talk!”

  He looked back at the other man with a blank expression. Of course he could talk, he’s always been able to talk. It was only Felix that could not understand him. He didn’t deign to reply and instead moved to get up out of bed. Felix flushed bright red and hastily pushed Ellis back down, covering him with the sheet again after it slipped off his form.

  “Ah, hang on! I need to find you something to wear!”

  Ellis watched in amusement as Felix dashed around his little house frantically. He stopped after a while and ran his hands through his hair before peeking to look at him.

  “I don’t have anything that will fit you,” he confessed, looking a little pink still. “And I’m not sure how to explain you to anyone at the village.” He paused and looked at the ground before continuing in a softer voice, “I don’t know if I want to even go back there yet.”

  Removing the sheet, Ellis stood, which earned him a squeak and an increased blush from the odd human. He didn’t understand just what caused the reaction, but it was similar to how Felix acted after those times where Ellis had caught him pleasuring himself and helped.

  Perhaps that meant that he liked how Ellis looked as a human? The thought that his appearance was pleasing to the eye was gratifying, and he smirked at Felix which caused even more of a reaction. He did not understand why Felix was so embarrassed over his pleasure. Why try to deny how he felt?

  The sheet was once again thrust at him and this time they managed to wrap it around him much like a robe.

  “Okay.” Felix took a deep breath before continuing, “You need to stay here while I go into the village and see if I can trade for some clothes that will fit you.”

  “No.”

  “What?”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Oh no. You are staying right here. You cannot go out wearing that.”

  Ellis just strode past Felix and moved towards the door. His entire perspective had shifted and he had a little trouble getting his bearings but this house was small enough to not cause a problem. Walking was still the same, it was only that his size that had changed. The smaller man followed after him in equal parts alarm and concern.

  “You’re not—”

  “You’re not going alone.” Ellis spoke over him and put as much force as he could manage into his new voice. He opened the door and stepped outside. Stopping in his tracks, Ellis took in the different perspective of the garden. It was odd to see it this way, it seemed so small.

  The garden seemed to freeze for a moment, all sound stopping before an explosion of noise hit. Birds flew over to land on him, many landing on the surrounding tree branches and the roof of the house. The trusty crow landed on his shoulder, dwarfing all the other birds and forcing the little sparrows to land elsewhere. The grizzled alpha wolf sat up from his spot under the windowsill, beside his old thistle home, to look at him with mixed relief and curiosity.

  “I’m fine,” he said by way of assurance as the concerned voices of his now smaller friends bombarded him.

  “Can you…can you still understand them?” Felix said as he stepped out behind Ellis.

  “Yes.” A thought suddenly occurred to him and he brought his hand up in front of himself and wiggled his fingers. Sure enough, sparkling gold dust floated from his hands to the ground.

  “Fairy dust!” Felix exclaimed. “So that means you’re not completely human. You just appear so.”

  Ellis hummed in response and reached out to ruffle the wolf’s ears carefully. “Thank you, friend.” The wolf huffed at him but still accepted the small affection.

  “So um…what do I call you?” Felix asked hesitantly.

  “Ellis.”

  “Oh, but that’s a…” He coughed suddenly and Ellis cocked his head, waiting for him to continue. “Humans have two names, why don’t we make that your last name? We’ll have to think of something for your first name. Uh, what about your friends, do they have names too?”

  Ellis titled his head as he thought how to translate the names of the animals into human tongue. The wolf caught his attention and he nodded as he gave more details about what had happened.

  “This is Summit,” he said, gesturing to the alpha wolf. “Named for the place of his birth. He has passed leadership of his pack over to a younger wolf and would like to stay here and offer his protection in exchange. The long treks with the pack are wearing on him as moving is becoming painful with age. The crow is Black Foot.” Ellis felt the crow shift on his shoulder and from the corner of his eye he could just make out the crow offering his foot in illustration for the reason behind his name. One brown foot, one black. “The rest won’t linger enough for you to know them.”

  Felix nodded before giving a little bow and formally introducing himself. Both the crow and wolf bowed back and it seemed to fluster the little human. After staring wide eyed for a moment, he cleared his throat nervously.

  “So, I need to go into the village for some clothes for you and you need to stay here.” He raised his chin in defiance but Ellis just looked at Summit who gave him a wolfy smirk before turning to lead him down the path. “Hey!” Felix yelped as he chased after them.

  Black Foot chirped in his ear. “Is there a particular person you wanted to visit first?” Ellis said over his shoulder to Felix.

  “The old lady Mizuno.”

  The crow cawed before talking off to land on a branch further ahead before moving to one further up ahead, slowly leading them the correct way.

  “Hey! Wait! You need to stay here!” Felix grabbed his arm and tried to tug him back.

  Ellis just kept walking, marvelling at the ease of which he could drag the smaller man behind him. “Why?”

  “Why?! Because you're just wearing a sheet?! Because you're not fully human? You don't even know how to act like a human!”

  After Ellis didn't respond, Felix finally gave up and took over leading the way, although Black Foot kept flying ahead anyw
ay.

  Chapter Seven

  They skirted around the edge of the village, both Felix and the crow seeming to agree on that, and they soon stood in front of a small house. It was reminiscent of Felix's, lots of plants out front all haphazardly organised but clearly well looked after. His small human stepped nervously up to the door and knocked.

  “Come in, don't make me move these old bones to come open the door.”

  Felix paused before opening the door and glancing over his shoulder to Ellis before he stepped inside. Ellis followed, stepping into a warm house filled with clutter. Summit and Black Foot stayed outside to keep watch, and he closed the door after him at the smaller man’s gesture. They moved into the house proper and he caught sight of a stooped, wrinkled old human sitting in a worn wooden chair by the hearth. Her body was frail but her eyes were sharp and they narrowed upon seeing Ellis.

  “Come here.” She waved her hand imperiously and Ellis strode forward, bending down when she put her hands out. “Fae. Felix, why do you have a Fae with you?”

  “H-how did you know?” Felix replied, seeming to stumble over his words in his surprise.

  “No human has violet eyes, especially not ones so iridescent. Who is he?”

  “He, uh…he was a thistle fairy that lived in my garden. We've been living together for weeks now. He…he saved me. He was a fairy and then I nearly died. Next thing I know I'm fine and he's beside me as a human. He even has the scars from his wings on his back.” Felix's eyes welled up with tears.

  Ellis stood back up with a frown. He wanted to take those tears away, but didn't know how. His hands itched to reach out but he didn't know what happened after. Did he just wipe the tears away? Was there something else that humans did to comfort another?

  “What happened?” The woman's voice was sharp and demanding, a command not a question. Felix looked away and didn't reply. “It was that bastard Atteberry wasn't it?” The flinch at the name was answer enough and the woman growled. “That man deserves to rot in hell ten times over!”

  Felix still refused to look up and Ellis reached out to him but dropped his hand partway, unsure what to do.

  “Humans hug to comfort another when they are upset.” Ellis turned to look at the woman in surprise. She watched him closely and seemed to weigh him up. She nodded to herself, apparently satisfied with the results of her observation. “What is your name?”

  “Ellis.”

  “I thought we could make it his surname considering it's a bit girly but I haven't had a chance to think of a first name.”

  She hummed and beckoned the young man closer before pushing him into Ellis after he shuffled forward. “He is human now for you, because of you. You need to teach him how to be human.”

  Ellis automatically put his arms around Felix's waist to steady him, gripping tighter when the human squeaked and tried to escape. The woman nodded in satisfaction before slowly standing.

  “You will need clothes. My late husband’s should fit you. Come, come.”

  She shuffled further into the house, leading them into a separate bedroom. Ellis kept a firm hold of Felix, letting him away enough to be able to walk but pulled him back against his chest once they entered the room. He manoeuvred them closer to the bed and gently reached out to stroke the soft head of an old cat that sat on the end of the bed. She greeted him softly and Ellis frowned, she was in pain in her old age, joints stiff and swollen.

  “These clothes you can keep, I have no need for them anymore. Don't worry about payment,” She said, firmly cutting off Felix's protests.

  Moving his hand up, Ellis gently wiggled his fingers letting glittering gold dust float down to cover the cat. She stretched and stood, reaching up to nuzzle his hand in thanks. The fairy dust would reduce the swelling in her joints enough so she would see out her final days in minimal pain.

  “A trade,” Ellis said softly. That was how he always operated after all. Felix wiggled in his arms but he just clutched him tighter, nosing into his soft honey coloured hair. It was nice holding him close like this. Felix hadn't shed anymore tears either, he was too distracted with trying to escape.

  The old woman stared for a long moment before inclining her head, she looked as though she wanted to say something but kept quiet. She laid out a number of clothing items on the bed then moved to walk past them.

  “You'll have to help him dress, I doubt he's familiar with human clothes.” Just a hint of amusement laced her tone and Felix flushed red.

  They both stood there for a moment, Ellis waiting for the other man to move but he didn't move. Felix finally looked up and his blush spread to the tips of his ears.

  “Uh…so…” He fidgeted a little, peeking up at Ellis under his honey-coloured hair. It was a rather endearing action. Without further ado, Ellis pulled the sheet that wrapped around his body off and let it drop to the floor without ceremony.

  He watched with interest as Felix's eyes flew wide then slowly traced down the hard lines of his body. The gaze lingered slightly between his legs, which he found interesting. Just going off the increased blush and roaming gaze, it seemed like his little human found Ellis's new form pleasing to the eye. He smirked as Felix tore his eyes away with a strangled noise. Tentative hands picked up articles of clothing and helped Ellis dress. Felix's touch lingered just as much as his gaze had, soft brushes of skin against skin.

  “Why are you so embarrassed? My body is the same as yours now.”

  Felix shook his head violently. “It's not the same,” he whispered but didn't elaborate as to why not and Ellis resolved to dig more into it later. He wanted to get more cute reactions from his little human and hopefully more touches as well. His hands had felt nice moving across his skin, even just those brief brushes. No doubt those small hands running purposefully across his skin would feel even better.

  With Ellis now fully dressed in fitting human clothes, they went back to the main room where the old lady sat in her chair with the cat curled up on her lap.

  “You can take the rest of the clothes with you, it's nothing compared to the gift I have been given in return. But Felix, you must teach him how to be human. He got a human form because of you, after all. This means answering any questions honestly and completely.” She gave Felix a stern look. “No leaving anything out.”

  Felix nodded slowly, cheeks still pink. The first thing Ellis was going to ask about once they were back to their little house was what happened that night.

  Once that was out of the way, he was going to spend some time exploring this new body and his new ability to touch Felix properly. He looked forward to the exploration of his little human in particular.

  Chapter Eight

  Old lady Mizuno proved to be an excellent help in figuring out exactly what had happened to Felix. She insisted that they stay for tea while they started Ellis’s education into becoming human. So while he learned how to pour tea correctly, she painstakingly extracted the entire story from his little human. A human male called Atteberry had been terrorising Felix for years and was the reason he had moved out from the village after his parents died from sickness. The man was mated to a woman he beat and when she wasn’t enough, he turned his sights on Ellis’s human.

  Mizuno explained to Ellis that relationships between were males frowned upon but usually ignored as long as people were discreet. However, this one human was very loudly prejudiced. The worst kind of hypocrite according to Mizuno. He didn’t understand all that they talked about but even he could see the lines of unhappiness in Felix’s face. Rape, as he now understood, was a terrible act of cruelty and terror. A twisted form of an act that was supposed to bring love and joy between two people. Instead, it only hurt and wounded someone, not only physically but also deep in their soul.

  Human limbs were very similar to those of fairies but with the added height and weight, they were far less graceful and more difficult to manoeuvre. It took him some time to sit in such a way that he could pull his indignant little human onto his lap and hold him tig
ht. Felix squawked and tried to pull away but Ellis was having none of it. Physical touch was a comfort to humans and Felix was his human, he was going to look after him. He stayed with his arms wrapped around his middle and chin resting on his soft hair. Eventually the young human stopped trying to wiggle out of his grip and slumped in his lap instead. Mizuno smiled as she watched them.

  “I thought of a good name for your new fae lover,” she said with a small chuckle as she petted her cat’s ears. She sat on an old rocking chair with her old cat curled up peacefully on her lap, having already thanked Ellis for the gift.

  “Lover?!” Felix said with a squeak of surprise.

  “A fae sacrificed themselves for you. He’s human now because of you and humans have needs. I doubt he would be holding you so tightly if he didn’t like you like that. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened, not the last either. We wouldn’t have so many legends about love between fae and humans if there wasn’t a grain of truth in there.”

  “But…”

  “Drake,” she said, carrying on without mind to Felix’s spluttering. “It was my grandfather’s name. It means dragon. Instead of a pile of gold, he has you. Drake Ellis.” It sounded like she was tasting it on her tongue. The old woman nodded decisively. “A strong, fitting name.”

  Ellis himself rolled it around his head and found that he liked the sound of it. He didn’t mind being compared to a dragon, not at all. There had been one that had lived in the mountains when he was young. It was a majestic beast, glittering dark red scales and glowing eyes. It had moved some time ago, needing to find a bigger cave for all its treasure. But he still remembered seeing it soaring overhead, large wings beating against the wind to keep it in the air. Ellis himself had no need for gold or jewels, his little human was treasure enough. He had just one question, however.

  “What is a lover?” Curiosity ate at him. Why had Felix been so embarrassed at the word?