Well readers, this is it! I didn't want to leave these boys behind, but here we are. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to Feldspar and Silver's story! On with the show...
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Feldspar's mouth watered as he inhaled the heavenly scent of Silver's homemade cinnamon rolls. He'd been looking forward to them for months. Living out of hotels had seriously limited the amount of homemade meals Silver had been able to make.
He glanced at the clock. Just a few more minutes and they'd be ready to come out of the oven, which meant he needed to finish prepping the frittata to go in the oven. Moving on autopilot he stirred the onions, peppers and mushrooms in the cast iron pan on the stove. Silver leaned against his back and rested his chin on Feldspar's shoulder, watching him cook.
"The eggs and cheese are ready when you're ready for them," he said. He slid a cup of coffee onto the counter next to Feldspar. "I made you an espresso with the AeroPress. The coffee maker they have here is one of those ones with the little cups and they only had lattes."
"Thanks, love. Those things taste so weird."
Silver nodded against him, his chin digging into Feldspar's shoulder with the movement. Feldspar took a sip of the piping hot espresso and closed his eyes, savoring the moment. Delicious caffeine. Delicious faery. Delicious food on the way. This was much better than another morning in another unremarkable hotel. It felt good to finally be in someone's home, if not their own home.
Years before on their way back to the Wood from Paris, he never could have imagined how life would turn out. Mal had let him and Silver into his plans for bringing the Wood out of isolation. He and Daniella had hoped to broker an alliance with the human government, one that would ensure their people were protected when their presence was made known. Feldspar, Silver, and Gneiss had all agreed it was time to step out of the shadows, but how to do it without loss of faery life had had them stumped.
As soon as Mal had brought them home from Paris they'd convened a strategy meeting. Gneiss had been detailing the fae alliances she could broker -- some less savory than others -- to ensure their military advantage against the humans, when Silver had asked a simple but profound question. Why did they all assume they had to go to war?
He had shared the way the European fae had leveraged culture and trade to ward off wars with the humans for centuries, and Feldspar gave his observations of how they continued wielding immense soft power in the modern era. Feldspar's suggestion of installing influential, charismatic faeries in American pop culture had become essential to the overall plan. He'd never expected Mal to choose him and Silver as the main faces of the charm offensive. The Lord had insisted that they were the only faeries he trusted completely in such an endeavor. He could trust Gneiss to make military strategies and alliances. He could trust Dani to broker deals with the human government. Feldspar and Silver alone, he said, could be trusted to inspire genuine love for fae folk among the humans.
It had been years now, and what had once seemed like a quixotic effort to build goodwill had become into their life. Yago, Liam, and Arnau were well-connected enough to make a few early introductions, as did the rulers of the European faeries. Before long Feldspar and Silver had charmed their way into a Met Gala invitation, and from there had become entertainment darlings known for their advocacy for fae rights in America.
They'd spent the last eight months traveling between media interviews, awards shows, reality TV sets, and televised humanitarian missions. Eight months of rubbing elbows with the biggest actors, singers, and artists. Eight months without a single one of Silver's meals. Eight months of sleeping on unfamiliar beds in unfamiliar cities, never quite adjusting to the correct time zone. It had been exhilarating and challenging and wonderful, but Feldspar was also exhausted and ready to take a pause.
He glanced up from his skillet as Silver peeked at the cinnamon rolls in the oven. Feldspar could see why humans would idolize Silver. Of course they did. He'd slipped out of bed at 4 a.m. to start the dough and had been nothing by sweet about it despite having to nurse his coffee like it was the antidote to poison he'd taken a double dose of. How could the humans not love him?
It was still a surprise to Feldspar that the humans also idolized him, and doubly so adored them together. They were at the point now of having to routinely turn down invitations and projects, and still were so busy they barely ever went home or saw their friends. It wasn't for nothing. Their popularity was measurably changing America's views on the fae. It was possible that within a few years it would be safe enough for the Wood to make its presence public, and for Daniella to secure treaties to protect their interests with reasonable chance of being honored. Someday they might even live to see laws written into the constitution to place fae and humans on equal footing. How strange to think that just by becoming approachable, well-loved public figures, he and Silver were setting the groundwork for such a different future.
"Come here," Feldspar said, sliding his pan off the heat to wait its turn to go into the oven. Silver nestled into his arms, all sleepy softness. "You didn't have to wake up so early to bake. You're exhausted. If anything you should be sleeping in to get over jet lag."
Silver snorted. "How many hints do you think you dropped over the last week about cinnamon rolls?"
Feldspar laughed and squeezed him closer. "Still... You could have made them tomorrow."
"Uh no... babe. Christmas is this morning. I had to make them today."
Feldspar sighed through his nose. "That's a human holiday and we're on vacation. You know I don't care if we have them today."
Silver drew back and kissed his cheek. "I know you don't care, but I do. I've been saving Christmas recipes since August even though I didn't think I'd have a kitchen to use. Besides, Steve and Linda will appreciate it, and Dani loves them too."
"As long as it makes you happy. Just promise me we can take a nap this afternoon."
Silver yawned extravagantly and nodded. "For sure. I just want to catch up with everyone first."
"Me too." Feldspar had fallen asleep immediately when they'd gotten in from their flight the night before, a sleep so deep that hours felt like mere minutes when it was time to get up. Their grueling schedule was only part of the reason for his sleep deprivation. The other was that he'd slept poorly the night before their flight, too excited about seeing their friends again to settle down.
Months before Mal had reached out to see if they could spare a few days around Christmas so everyone could get together. Apparently Daniella's parents had badgered her into inviting her faery friends to Christmas, and to their mutual surprise, Mal, Daniella, Gneiss, Nephrite, Silver and Feldspar's schedules all allowed for a five-day visit at her parents' home around Christmas.
Daniella was both pleased and mortified at the way her parents -- especially her mother Linda -- had practically adopted her faery friends. When her mother learned that faeries didn't have parents, she'd taken it on as her personal mission to make up for the lack of maternal nurturing in their lives, regardless of how unreceptive they were to her brand of love.
"I can't wait to see everyone when they get up, but I've been kind of enjoying this time with you," Feldspar said, pulling Silver closer to his body. "I've missed this, just being the two of us in our kitchen, cooking, eating, messing around."
"It has been a while."
"Too long. We should schedule time in the spring to go home for a while."
"That sounds good. You're right, this has been nice this morning." He laid his head on Feldspar's shoulder, lapsing into contented silence.
Feldspar slid a hand into his pocket and ran his fingers over the familiar shapes there. He wondered if this was the moment he'd been waiting for all these weeks. A perfect moment. A moment that would make Silver smile whenever he recalled it, for the rest of his life. The moment he deserved.
An alarm chirped and Silver turned away to pull a sheet of perfectly golden brown cinnamon rolls from the oven. Feldspar sighed and pulled his empty hand out of his pocket. The moment was gone. The tempting aroma wafted throughout the house and within minutes they could hear the rest of the inhabitants stirring.
"Gimme, gimme, gimme," sang out Daniella's voice from the hallway.
"And just like that, our alone time is over," Feldspar said, earning a chuckle from Silver. Daniella waltzed into the kitchen wearing fuzzy onesie pajamas and a gigantic grin. Her gaze locked onto the cinnamon rolls cooling on the counter like a falcon sizing up its prey.
"Hands off!" Silver barked, nearly spitting a mouthful of coffee as he slid protectively in front of the cinnamon rolls. "They're for Christmas morning breakfast."
"It's Christmas morning and I'm awake. Doesn't that make it breakfast time?" She feinted left and dodged halfway around Silver, reaching toward the sheet of cinnamon rolls.
The faery yelped and threw his body in front of her. "Touch them and I'll tell your parents the unspeakable things I heard Mal do to you through the wall last night!"
"God, Silver! You're so gross!" Daniella cried, starting to laugh. She held her hands up in surrender. When Silver's posture relaxed marginally she opened her arms wide and pulled him into a hug. "Missed you guys. I'm so glad you made it." She turned to Feldspar and hugged him. "Sleep okay?"
Feldspar met Silver's eyes over her shoulder, glittering with mirth. "I would have slept better if my neighbors had done fewer unspeakable things, and my lover done more."
Silver's mouth dropped open theatrically in mock offense and he threw his arms up in the air. "You needed your sleep, you maniac!" Then more quietly, "Besides, shouldn't what happened in the taxi on the way here have taken the edge off?"
Daniella barked out a shocked laugh and slapped Feldspar on the chest before pointing an accusatory finger at Silver. "I'm already regretting inviting you two to stay for Christmas."
"Technically Linda invited us," Feldspar put in.
"Ugh," she slapped him again on the chest. "Don't remind me. You're definitely my mother's favorite child. Which is why you won't embarrass her by divulging any so-called unspeakable things you may have overheard last night."
Feldspar leaned to the side so he could make eye contact with Silver. He smirked, his grey eyes full of amusement. "Don't be a cockblocker, Fel. I have a feeling we'll be relying on their discretion soon."
