Chapter 19: Chapter 19 - dark chocolate and red cheeks
"Also not important." Isla said with a serious expression. "I hear noises coming from the kitchen and I think 'Oh no! This is it, Declan is probably drowning in his own pool of blood, I have to save him!'"
"How heroic and brave of you." Declan applauded dryly, still making no move to step out of reach when Faun put his entire weight on his back.
A shaky breath left Faun as he put his cheek to Declan's back, finally putting himself together enough to get rid of his tail and ears.
"Of course." Isla raised her nose high in the air, placing both hands on her waist. "Wait, wait... wait, you're distracting me." She called him out with narrow eyes.
Declan just shrugged, amusement dancing in his pale grey eyes. "I'm really just trying to figure out why the fuck you're in my cottage."
Isla faltered at this, Declan never swore at her, he might be actually upset this time.
"But I swear I saw something in your kitchen, it had a tail and every… everything, you have to believe me." She said earnestly, making hand gestures. "Then can… can I see your 'guest'?" She demanded as a last ditch effort.
Declan's eyebrows dropped low on his head, his pale grey eyes piercing, but he agreed. "Sure." He said in an airy voice. "Faun, do you mind?"
Faun still didn't leave the safety of Declan's back, peeking out to wave at Isla even though his heart was thumping so loudly in his chest that he could feel the tremors against his ribcage.
"Hi." He muttered in a small voice.
"See? You just jumped my guest for no good reason." Declan immediately swooped on her, seizing her shoulders to push her out the house. "I'll make sure to report to your girlfriend about this."
"W-Wait… no, please don't, D, she won't let me come here alone again." She immediately tried to bargain.
Declan's eyes twinkled. "Oh? So you agree that Lou's your girlfriend."
Isla went as red as a beet, horror coalescing in her hazel brown eyes. "W-What, no… no, I-I'm no… not... I-I d-don't..." She stuttered badly.
Declan only enjoyed her misery, Lou not letting Isla come here alone sounded like a plus to him too.
Because as much as he didn't mind seeing Isla, she was too much of a hazard for him to handle alone.
Lou handled her beautifully, it was the only reason he didn't mind her presence as well.
"Fine, I might consider not telling Lou if you leave right no… And she's gone…" Declan muttered to himself. "I should have used that a long time ago."
Faun's snicker in the background caught his attention and he looked up, relieved that Isla hadn't scarred him for life.
"So you were making brownies?" Declan immediately beelined for him, mischief evident on his face.
Faun looked up and immediately panicked, blushing a faint red as he hurried to the kitchen and slammed the door shut on Declan.
"It's… it's not ready yet." He stuttered slightly, making sure to lock the door.
Declan chuckled to himself and went back to finish up with the laundry.
He was relieved that Isla meeting Faun hadn't been a total disaster.
She was bound to find out that Faun was in the cottage sooner or later but he could think of at least 10 other better ways that they could have both met.
But he was thinking about Isla here, she always brought disaster with her, it was one of her strong suits.
He was already pretty much done with doing the laundry so he camped up in the living room, listening to the sounds of Faun baking.
He should probably be more concerned considering that Faun hadn't had much practice with baking but it wasn't like he could provide much help.
Faun was still trying to come to terms with what had happened, the brownies were already in the oven but he made no move to leave the kitchen, needing privacy.
Declan had definitely seen his ears and tail but he had acted like it was perfectly normal, even after Isla left.
It made him take deep breaths, sighing nonstop as relief washed over him.
He always knew that Declan was different from other humans. But he hadn't been expecting him to be this different. It was to his own benefit, of course.
The least he owed him was an explanation and of course, the truth.
Faun would absolutely understand if Declan chose to kick him out after that but he still hadn't hesitated to protect him even when he didn't know what was going on, Faun would remember him for the rest of his life.
If he lived that long.
He gingerly unlocked the door when he was all done in the kitchen, peeking his head out to check for Declan.
"Looking for me?" Declan popped out behind him, catching Faun off guard.
"Eek!" Faun squealed in surprise then made a face. "Were you just hiding there waiting for me to come out?"
Declan pushed a hand through his hair, nervous now. "Well, when you put it like that…" He mumbled, trailing off. "You hijacked the kitchen and I was hungry."
Faun couldn't help the laughter that bubbled past his lips. "So what do you want to eat?" He asked, stepping out of the kitchen, the warm scent of dark chocolate wafting around him.
Declan made his way to the couch and lounged on it, putting both arms behind his head.
Faun followed gingerly behind him, looking steadfastly away from Declan, he sat down on the furthest couch from him.
"Do you mind pizza?" Declan threw him a glance, watching him.
Faun crossed his legs under him, still looking away. He wasn't going to cave so easily. "No, I don't."
"Good, cause I already ordered it." Declan said casually.
Faun whipped his head around in Declan's direction which was a huge mistake, he instantly colored up under his piercing grey eyes, trying very hard to keep his eyes on Declan's face.
"Did you wash all your shirts?" Faun grumbled, putting his hands on his face in an attempt to cool his cheeks down.
Was he sick? Because it couldn't be healthy getting this hot every time he looked at a shirtless Declan.
Declan didn't but he wasn't going to tell Faun that. "Yes." He lied through his teeth.
Faun looked over at him in surprise, not expecting to hear that answer, only to realise his mistake too late.
Declan smiled to himself when Faun looked away quickly, his face even redder.
Weekly Power Status
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