“Hold ye whist, Merry!” Quinn’s whisper
was fierce.
Merry’s dad barged
through the bedroom door with an angry grunt, and Quinn clamped a hand over
Merry’s mouth before he could utter a sound. He cannot see ye, Quinn thought to Merry.
Merry watched,
trembling with fright, uncertain his dad couldn’t see him, like, right there in
front of him!
His dad looked
around before turning to the milk-crate desk, clearly having seen nothing but
an empty room. He picked up the papers that lay strewn and perused them
gruffly.
They were Merry’s
notes for his world history paper, and he silently prayed he hadn’t doodled
Quinn’s name on them.
His dad turned the
paper sideways. “Where in hell is Quinn?”
Merry nearly
fainted.
“Probably some
mountain in Timbuktu,” his dad grumbled.
Relieved, Merry
closed his eyes and thanked his lucky stars that his dad thought Quinn was nothing
more than a far-off location in the world.
Sadb hovered next
to his dad’s head, arms crossed over her chest, her toe tapping the air angrily.
Merry motioned to her to move away and she looked at him defiantly. Suddenly,
she darted straight for his dad, whizzing past his ear, and dragging her tiny
hand through the hair on the side of his head.
Quinn grinned wide
and panic filled Merry’s veins.
Merry’s dad
brushed at his ear with a hand as if a mosquito had buzzed by. Sadb covered her
mouth with both hands and giggled silently.
Merry shook his
head rapidly, mouthed an adamant “no,” and motioned again for her to leave him
alone. To his utter astonishment, Quinn encouraged her with a smile and an
approving nod. Merry stared at him, incredulous.
Sadb stuck her
tongue out at Merry’s dad and flitted around his head making faces at him. She
stretched her mouth wide with her fingers bearing her pointed little teeth, her
face becoming a miniature mask of horror, before darting at him again. This
time she dragged her small feet through the hair on the top of his
head.
Merry’s dad
swatted at the top of his head and searched the air around him for the
offending creature. Finding nothing, he went back to riffling through the
papers on Merry’s desk.
Quinn gave Sadb a
thumbs-up and Merry couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips all while
he nearly died on the spot. Don’t! he thought hard.
Sadb became
indignant. Her antennas shot straight into the air, she bugged her eyes out,
and waggled her long, pink tongue at Merry’s dad.
Merry stifled a
laugh. Ohmygod, stop!
Sadb tiptoed on
the air to the back of his dad’s head and, taking a lock of hair in both hands, yanked on it. Hard.
Merry’s dad
slapped at the back of his head and turned in search of the offending creature
again. Sadb continued to annoy Merry’s dad until she had him
dancing a jig and slapping at his head with both hands.
Merry doubled over
in laughter, struggling with all his might to remain silent.
“Stupid kid,”
Merry’s dad grumbled before leaving the room and slamming the door behind
him.
Merry fell back on
the bed dying in silent laughter and Quinn joined him.
“I can’t believe
you did that!” Merry whispered, barely able to speak through his laughter.
“A gobshite in
need of a good giving out, he be!” Sadb said through a giggle.
“Bí cúramach, lest
ye find yeself in a right fine bobbery,” Quinn cautioned.
“Can my dad hear
us?”
Quinn shook his
head, still laughing.
“Oh, man, I can’t
believe you did that, Lady Sadb,” Merry said through another laugh as he sat
up. Then he remembered he hadn’t cleaned up the spilled milk in the kitchen
from the night before. “Oh, no!” He shot to his feet and then realized he
was... naked. HOLY COW! He sat quickly again and pulled the sheet
into his lap.
“Ye look shook.
What be the matter?” Quinn asked.
“Get my pajamas,
please. They’re under the pillow.”
Quinn reached
beneath the pillow and came out with his T-shirt from the day before. “Why ye
have me shirt under ye pilla?”
Merry’s cheeks
flushed rose. “Um, I-I w-was saving it for you.”
Quinn gave him a dubious
look. “Be an odd place for me shirt.”
Merry snatched it
from his hand before reaching around Quinn to dig the pajamas from beneath the
pillow and shove Quinn’s shirt back beneath it.
“Why ye put it
there?” Quinn asked in earnest.
“Where else am I
going to put it?” Merry asked lamely as he quickly put his pajama pants on.
“Where ye shirts
be?”
Merry pulled his pajama
shirt on. “In the closet.”
Quinn stood and opened the
closet door.
“What are you
doing?”
“Puttin’ me shirt
where it belong.”
A smile threatened
to form on Merry’s lips. It was kind of nice that Quinn thought his shirt
belonged in his closet with his shirts, but
he wanted it under his pillow. He went to Quinn and took it from his hand. “I
like it under my pillow,” he said as he shoved the shirt beneath it again. “I’ll
be right back.”
“Ye needn’t clean
up the milk,” Quinn said as he returned to the bed and sat.
“If I don’t, it
will only make things worse.”
Sadb clasped her
hands to her chest and nearly swooned. “We collect every precious drop!”
“What are you saying?”
“Cream be a
delicacy for we fae, Merry. The milk ye spill be enough to feed ’em for a
night. They not need to return to we mound for sustenance. Ye kitchen be spit-spot.”
“Spit what?”
Quinn reached for
Merry’s hand and pulled him down to sit on the bed next to him. “Right fine. Ye
kitchen be clean, Merry.”
“Seriously?
Everything's cleaned up?”
“Aye.”
Relief flooded
Merry. This was a dream come true. He hadn’t wanted to face his dad after last
night. His dad would act as he always did, as if nothing had happened, as if
beating up your kid was just business as usual in the McDaniel household. Which
it basically was.
“Time we dress ye
for we rade. Sadb, what have ye
in mind for me wee dote to wear?”
She tapped her
chin with a tiny finger as she thought long and hard. “Flower!” she shouted suddenly,
and Merry started.
Within seconds,
demi-fae appeared out of thin air and swarmed Merry. Ignoring the buttons on
his shirt, they deftly pulled it over his head. Lifting him into the air, they
tugged his pants down. He tugged them back up quickly. They eyed him with
consternation before ten more demi-fae joined in and jerked Merry’s pants from
his hands, and down, and off. Merry nearly lost it.
Moving at the
speed of light, they had his private parts covered in bluebells before he could
protest. With a heave-ho, they tipped him in the air, nearly upside down, and
fitted his feet with soft suede shoes. As quickly as they upended him, they
righted him and set him on his feet.
Gathering on the
air, they busied furiously, and parted to reveal a wreath of thorns adorned in
ivy. They hovered, holding the wreath steady for Quinn’s approval.
Quinn considered
it for a long moment and, suddenly, the demi-fae gasped in unison, their eyes
wide with astonishment. A silent communiqué had passed between Quinn
and the fae.
The smallest
demi-fae Merry had seen yet worked her way through the crowd and hovered,
trembling as she faced Quinn. “Not to question ye, sire, but I must. Ye be
certain of it?”
Irritated, Quinn
issued a curt, “Aye. Have it afore we proceed. Away with ye,” he ordered.
Whispers and
murmurs filled the air as the demi-fae bowed and disappeared taking the wreath
with them.
Merry turned to
find Quinn dressed in the stupid little shorts made from leaves again. His
thoughts immediately tangled, unsure if he was more relieved or disappointed.
“Be time we go,”
Quinn said as he stood and held a hand out to Merry.
The idea of
leaving the house dressed in nothing but bluebells forced Merry’s unbidden
thoughts of Quinn away. “I can’t go out dressed in... in.... Like this!”
Merry protested.
“Why not?”
“I’m, like, half
naked!”
“And?”
Merry’s cheeks
heated as his mouth gaped. “Be serious! I can’t go out like this!”
“Aye, ye can.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Ye can.”
“I can’t!”
Quinn smiled. “Ye
be a stubborn one.”
“I’m serious! I
can’t go out like this! Besides, I’ll freeze to death.”
“I keep ye warm.”
“Can I at least
put on a shirt?” Merry cringed. He sounded like a whiny little kid. Pathetic.
“Ye not need ye a
shirt. C’mon.” Quinn wagged his hand.
Merry quickly
reached under his pillow and brought out Quinn’s t-shirt. “I need this.”
“Me shirt? Why?”
“B-because it
smells like, well, you.”
Quinn’s eyes held
surprise. “Ye smell me shirt?”
Merry’s cheeks
flushed rose again. “Yeah,” he said lamely.
“Why?”
“Just wanted to.”
“Why?” Quinn
pressed.
“Why are you all
hung up on why I smelled your shirt?” Back to stupid-sounding
questions.
Quinn eyed him
with wonder. “Ye human side be a curious one.” He took the shirt from Merry and
brought it to his nose. “Ye spake true. It smell like me.”
Relieved, Merry
rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it does.” He snatched it back and pulled it on before
Quinn could object. The shirt was enormous and reached Merry’s thighs. Cool.
Quinn eyed Merry
from head to toe before sighing and shaking his head. “Ye ruin me fae vision of
ye in human cloth, me wee dote. C’mon.” He held a hand out to Merry again.
“Where are we
going?”
“Ye’ll see.”
“Wait. What do I
tell my dad?”
“Nary a word. He
sleep on ye couch for the remainder of ye day.”
Merry
smirked. Typical.
Merry’s cheek
tingled right before he and Quinn disappeared.
©Cody Kennedy. All Rights Reserved.
v.10.7.20
v.10.7.20
This story just keeps getting better with each chapter.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Damian! It's always great to see you here!
DeleteVery cool, Cody - thank you, Pamela
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pamela, and thank you for dropping by! It's always great to see you here!
DeleteI love that Merry doodled Quinn's name on his homework. Adorable! And then Quinn calling him a beauty when he was dressed in only bluebells. *happy sigh* No wonder Merry loves him! Oh, and Merry keeping Quinn's shirt under his pillow... I'm really enjoying their romance! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying the story, Dianne! Thanks for dropping by! It's great to see you here!
DeleteYou've got me hooked! I'm glad I didn't find this story earlier, at least now I got to read 16 chapters in one go. Wonderfully written.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yvonne! I'm glad you like the story and it's very nice of you to take the time to comment! It's great to see you here! Hope to see you again soon!
DeleteWhere are they going? Huh? HUH? lol I know….keep reading.
ReplyDelete