Favours

Tatiana woke slowly, convinced she'd dreamt up the mysterious stranger in the forest and his nonsensical talk of fairies and favours. The bed beside her was warm, like she'd slept in the arms of another, but she brushed the idea out of her mind. Nothing more than wishful thinking and years of habit that she had to readjust now that she had broken up with her boyfriend.

She rose and made her way to the kitchen. She was in desperate need of a coffee, and maybe a bite of toast. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and poured herself a cup. Lifting the cup to her mouth, she took a sip. She immediately grimaced and spat it out into the sink. It tasted bitter and bland all at once. She thought about putting a fresh batch of coffee in, but as she looked at the coffee machine, she found herself put off. Instead, Tatiana put a piece of bread in the toaster and pulled the peanut butter from the cupboard.

She fed her cat as she waited, scratching behind his ginger ears and marking it off of her weekly calendar. Not that she needed to mark it off anymore. She didn't share feeding duties with anyone else anymore.

Waiting for her toast to pop, she spied the forest flower. A pale pink flower, she reached for it gingerly. She inhaled its scent, doing her best to relive her dream. Her vivid, exhilarating dream. Wicked grins and favours and fairies. The sound of the toaster beeping pulled her away from her fantasy and she set the flower down.

Lathering the toast in peanut butter, she took a bite. She set the toast down gently and forced herself to swallow what tasted like cardboard. She picked up the peanut butter jar, checking the expiration date. It didn't expire for a few more months. The bread was bought only two days ago. She frowned. Everything tasted bland, like chewing on paper. Maybe she was sick? She'd heard of people losing their sense of taste when they were sick.

"It's not as good, is it?" said a voice behind her. She jumped, dropping the jar still in her hand onto the bench. It landed with a heavy thud, though nothing broke. She whirled around, her hand reaching for the butter knife, to see the mysterious stranger from the forest leaning against her kitchen.

"How did you get in?" she asked, her blue eyes wide.

Instead, he just raised an eyebrow at the peanut butter covered knife. "What are you going to do with that?" he asked, "Are you hoping I'm allergic?"

Her cheeks flushed red, and her grip tightened.

Robin laughed at her expression, and in two short steps crossed the kitchen and disarmed her with one hand. The other reached up to her hair, placing the pale pink flower behind her ear.

"You can thank the flower I gave you for letting me in," he said, his hand brushing her cheek. She had to stop herself from closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. God, she was pathetic. She'd only just broken up, she reminded herself.

"I thought I'd dreamt you up," she whispered. She felt so small standing next to him. Oh, God. She hadn't showered since before her hike, and she was pretty certain her mascara had smeared and left her with panda eyes. She must have looked a mess, her short, mouse brown hair knotted and messy and sticking up in all sorts of directions. She tried her best to hide her internal panic as she realized just how bad her breath must be.

"You certainly dreamt of me," he chuckled, "I felt you pull me to you."

She blushed, her whole body warming with embarrassment. He was still standing close to her, his hands now resting on either side of the kitchen bench beside her, trapping her close to him.

"Are you here to claim your favour?" she whispered.

"No, I thought I'd check in to see how my new favourite mortal is doing," he said with his ever-present smile.

She swallowed nervously. "What did you do to me? All my food tastes like cardboard."

"Well of course it does, because mortal food tastes awful. Do you want me to bring you some more food and owe me more favours?" he asked playfully. He seemed so nonchalant about her accidentally indebting herself to him, it was infuriating.

Or it would be, if she weren't so utterly taken in by his gaze. She shook her head, biting her lip. She wanted to reach up and kiss him, feel his arms around her like she did in her dream. He leaned in closer to her, bringing a hand to rest on her lower back.

"Fuck, Tatiana," he murmured, "You're making it hard to resist you when you think of me that way."

"You can read my mind?" she sputtered.

Robin shook his head. "I just get the gist of what people are thinking when they think of me. And you," he paused, pulling her closer to his body so she could feel his hardness against her body, "You are certainly having some interesting thoughts."

She blushed, her face going crimson. She put her hands on his chest, to steady herself or to push him away, she wasn't quite sure yet. She was having trouble focusing and feeling how hard he was as he was pressed up against her was just making her thoughts even worse.

"If you keep thinking of me like this and doing nothing about it, I'm going to waste all my favours begging you to kiss me," Robin breathed, his other hand making its way up her back, up her neck, gently curling her hair up in his grasp.

"Stop reading my thoughts," she protested, trying to think of something else, anything else, then the million and one lusty thoughts racing through her mind. Though, if she held out long enough, using all the favours she owed to kiss him wouldn't be too bad.

"Oh please, Tatiana, for the love of God, just kiss me already," he murmured, though he didn't really wait for her to reply. He tilted her head up to meet him gently, and she reached up to meet him halfway.

She was eager to kiss him this time, her tongue slipping into his mouth, drinking him in. She hadn't realized how badly she needed him. Thoughts of morning breath and panda eyes fled her mind, and all she could think of was his wandering hands leaving trails of fire.

His hand on her lower back slipped further down her back, cupping her ass. She slipped her arms around his neck, one hand clutching at his hair. The same palpable electricity seemed to crackle through her kitchen, and she was vaguely aware of the smell of the forest getting stronger in her kitchen. His hand left her hair, joining the other hand in cupping her ass. He lifted her to him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Haphazardly, Robin carried them through the apartment, bumping and scraping against the coffee table. He carefully lowered Tatiana onto her bed, pulling her shirt up and over head eagerly. She grasped at his own unbuttoned shirt, pulling it off of his toned arms.

He had barely taken his mouth off of her to let her take her shirt off than his lips were back on her, this time caressing and biting her neck. One hand cupped her breast, pinching her nipple between his finger and thumb, feeling them stiffen under his touch. He left a trail of bitemarks and kisses down her neck, and down to her unattended breast, giving it the attention she so desperately craved. She barely registered the wildflowers spreading out from their bodies.

His spare hand tugged at her pyjama shorts, and she shifted to pull them off as quickly as she could. Her whole body was filled with the same warmth she'd felt when he'd gotten rid of her cuts and bruises, and she felt herself tingling between her legs. She ached to be touched there, ached for Robin to kiss her down there. It had been so long since she'd been touched there by anyone other than herself in the way she liked, her ex-boyfriend usually just putting in the bare minimum. But Robin was taking his damn sweet time, only just now moving across to her other breast to give it the same delicious attention he'd shown the first one.

God, she needed him more than she'd needed anything in her life. She could feel how excited she was, her whole body seemed to yearn for him and his touch. He bit her hard nipple playfully and looked up at her with her tit in her mouth. Even though he was sucking on her breast, she could still see his impish grin in his eyes. Her hand grasping his hair, she tried to guide him down to where she needed him. He chuckled, taking his time to explore her stomach, playfully swirling his tongue in her belly button. She went to swat him playfully away, and he ducked out of the way, reaching up to tweak her nipple.

"Robin, please," she begged. She could feel him chuckle into her skin as he continued to kiss his way down, skimming over her neatly trimmed pubic hair. He spread her legs with his arms and spread her lips. He ran his tongue along her slit, sending a shiver of excitement through her body. She leaned back, enjoying his touch and the occasional playful bite of her thigh. His tongue found her clit and began to tease it. He would lick it gently, building in tempo and speed until her breasts were heaving and she was on the edge, only to withdraw and bite her thighs playfully. Frustration and excitement grew inside her each time, her thighs quivering and her moans growing in volume, until she could take it no more. She grasped his shaggy brown hair in her fingers and pressed his face into her pussy. He eagerly lapped at her clit, as she felt her whole body tense, and then, release, as the orgasm rippled out through her. The electricity in the air crackled, and she was vaguely aware of the landscape of her room changing as she climaxed, her screams surely disturbing the neighbours.

Tatiana lay panting, as Robin gently pulled away from her, bringing his wet face up to hers. She kissed him eagerly, kissing his cheeks and his lips, and anywhere her juices covered him. She gently rolled him over, so that he was lying on his back on her blanket made of forest flowers. She tugged his pants down, and then carefully positioned his cock at her entrance. Straddling him, she lowered herself down, impaling herself on him. His length slid in easily, and she rode his length eagerly. Underneath her, Robin groaned each time she grinded against him, his hands on her hips to guide her up and down the length of his cock. She could feel the pressure inside her building again and she had trouble focusing on anything other than the feel of his cock inside her.

Steadying her hips with his hands, Robin began to pump his cock in and out of her, growing in tempo. Straddling him, he could feel Tatiana cum again, her moans a sweet symphony to his ears, pushing him that little bit closer to his own release. Her breasts bounced with each thrust of his cock, and her eyes were half-closed with satisfaction and desire. Her vagina was clenching around his cock as she came, and with a grunt, Robin climaxed, his cum spurting deep inside of her. His control slipped as he burst, and the room around them became a rainforest, moss covering the walls. As the last of his cum spurted out of him, she collapsed atop him, clearly spent. His strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close, his cock still buried inside her.

Tatiana wasn't entirely sure when they disentangled from each other, or when they fell to napping next to each other. She woke a few hours later, Robin holding her as tightly as he had in her dreams. She hadn't had sex that good in a long time, she mused. Sex with her ex had been all about his pleasure, she'd almost forgotten what it was like to have a man go down on her. She sighed in content, pressing herself closer into his embrace. She hadn't been worried about what she looked like either, no fears that her stomach jiggled unflatteringly, or that her breasts didn't bounce as perfectly as a porn star's. Although, sex with her ex never turned her bedroom into a forest. She cracked an eye open and surveyed her bedroom. Moss and lichen seemed to cover the walls, and a leafy tree had replaced the curtain. Her own bed seemed to be a patch of flowers and grass. She was pretty certain she was going to lose her bond. Perhaps she could get him to fix it? She certainly hoped so. She couldn't really afford for her to lose the bond at the end of her lease.

"Stop thinking of me," Robin muttered, "I'm trying to sleep."

"You seemed to be enjoying my thoughts earlier," she whispered back.

"Those were fun thoughts, you were stroking my ego," he groaned. "Now it's just distracting."

"Do the fair folk even need sleep?" she asked. "Aren't you immortal, powerful beings?"

"Of course we need sleep," he said, exasperated, burying his face in her hair. "Can you please just think about something else for a bit and let me nap?"

"How does this even work? You can't tell exactly what I'm thinking but you know the general gist of it? Do I have to be near you, or indebted to you?" Tatiana wriggled around to face him, despite his whining.

"Good grief, woman," he grunted, the possibility of sleep quickly moving beyond his reach. "I know when I'm being thought of by mortals. I get the basic, underlying emotion attached with those thoughts. Most of the time, it's very easy to ignore. Sometimes, those mortals think very hard about me and it can pull me to them, especially if we already have a bond. For example, a certain someone thought very, very hard about me in her sleep last night with a very strong emotion. The closer I am to the person, the more I know. Does that make sense?"

She nodded and opened her mouth to ask more questions. Robin groaned and flung himself dramatically onto his back.

"More questions! It's always question after question with you mortals, I never get a moment of peace," he complained. "Why can't you just accept that the world is the way it is?"

"Hey! I just wanted to know if I was always going to hate mortal food," she protested, poking him playfully in the ribs. Now that he wasn't trying to seduce her, or coerce her into a deal, he seemed goofy and melodramatic.

"Oh. Well, yes and no. You'll regain your taste for mortal foods if you stop eating fairy food in a few weeks, but it's always going to be a little duller. Fruits and vegetables will taste fine though," he answered. He turned his head to look at her with a smile. "But you don't want to go back to mortal food, do you? I can supply you with fey food any time you want."

"And keep me in endless debt to you? I'm not sure that's wise."

Robin rolled over so that he was straddling her, his mouth on her neck, kissing and nibbling her skin. "It wouldn't be so bad," he murmured in between kisses. His touch was distracting, and his mouth was trailing downwards towards her breasts. "You could come live with me in my realm and bear my children."

Tatiana tensed, and pushed Robin off of her. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked. "You spend one night with me, and you want me to come live in fairyland with you? I don't know what the hell kind of person thinks that's an acceptable favour in exchange for having a bit of stew offered under the pretences of generosity!"

Robin looked up at her, startled. "But I thought you wanted this?" he asked.

"I wanted to sleep with you, sure! I don't know why you thought that led to everything else!" She pushed him off of her, suddenly craving a shower. Tatiana scrambled off of her bed. "I'm going to go clean myself up, can you do something about all of this?" She gestured to the flowers and trees and moss in her room. She didn't wait for a response, and instead turned sharply on her heel and into her bathroom.

She scrubbed herself clean under the hot water, trying to distract herself from Robin and his stupid request. One night together, and he was asking her to come away with him? What did he think she would say? That she would gladly run away from her life to be with him because of one night? Or one morning, really. Tatiana cursed Robin. Stupid, sexy Robin, with his chiselled abs and strong arms. She immediately cursed herself as her thoughts wondered. He could probably feel what she was thinking of him right now. Tatiana rinsed herself and stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. She angrily brushed her teeth as she thought about his ridiculous request.

Except was it really that ridiculous, she wondered. Tatiana had no desire to move in with a man after one morning in bed -- no matter how much she enjoyed it. She cast her mind over everything she'd ever read or seen involving the fair folk. They did tend towards extremes, she reminded herself. He probably thought his suggestion was entirely reasonable. She sighed heavily, looking at herself in the mirror.

Why was she accepting this all so readily? Her mind should be screaming at her that it was all one giant dream. Fair folk? Favours because she ate some fucking stew? A hot man who just materialized in her apartment? Maybe she'd lost her mind and just missed the memo about it.

She opened the door slowly and peered around her bedroom. No sign of Robin, all of the moss and wildflowers gone. Though she did notice that he'd left an ivy plant on the top of her bookshelf, its leaves trailing down. Her cat was watching it with interest, probably wondering how to get up there and munch on its leaves. She got changed quickly, making her way to the kitchen to try and force down some more food.

Sitting on her kitchen bench was a small plate of food with a flower next to it and a note. The food was some sort of bread with some sort of jam, though she wasn't entirely sure what flavour jam. She picked up the note.

Sorry. Peace treaty? No favours attached.

Not going mad then, she thought to herself. She stared at the food, her stomach growling. She glanced to the loaf of bread on the counter, then back to the food left by Robin. Her mouth watered. She bit her lip, picking up a piece of the food. She inhaled its smell, and before she knew it, she had eaten the whole thing, savouring each delicious morsel.

Tatiana stretched, satisfied, and looked around her apartment. Little flowers and plants that she hadn't owned before dotted the nooks and crannies of her apartment. She smiled as she looked around. It certainly cheered the place up. Probably had the added benefit of constantly stroking Robin's ego, she mused to herself. Every time she spied a plant, she was reminded of him, surely something he had intended.

She spent the rest of the day tidying her apartment, reading and enjoying the warm sunlight lazily filtering into her apartment. Every so often her mind would idly wander to thoughts of Robin and thoughts of the forest. She found herself having trouble concentrating on her romance novel, instead thinking of those glittering green eyes, that freckled nose, the impish grin as he kissed her body. The curly hair in her fists, the feel of his long stubble on her skin as he nibbled on her affectionately. The passion that she hadn't felt in a long time, if at all. Her breathing got heavy, and she tried to shake away the thoughts of Robin. But the plants and flowers he had left were everywhere, and even when she closed her eyes to the sight of them, she could still smell them.

Tatiana sighed exasperatedly and put her book down. She was not going to be able to focus on anything except Robin, and she knew it. Instead, she changed into her shorts, grabbed her backpack and drink bottle, laced up her boots and got in her car. She drove out of her car park, out of her suburb, and towards the forest.

It was only a few short hours when she found herself lost in the twists and turns of the forest. She allowed herself to follow the road, knowing it would take her where she needed to go. And sure enough, she found herself parked at the wooden bridge, with no 'private property' sign on it.

She swallowed nervously. She wasn't entirely sure why she was there, or what she expected to find. A clear head, perhaps? Tatiana stood, and locked her car. Not that she really needed to, she knew no one else was coming this way.