(This story contains scenes of hypnosis and mind control. It is wholly consensual, though this consent is not explicitly portrayed within the confines of the stories text. It was granted previously.)
Relationships were about give and take. Something Greg knew all too well. For example, he got home from work before his girlfriend, so he would tidy up and start dinner. And his girlfriend - because she was an elf - had a typically elven vegetarian diet (actually it was conditionally vegetarian based on effort, but sense neither of them was going to go out and manually hunt and kill an Elk it was essentially vegetarian). This meant he had to prep his chicken in a smaller portion off to the side.
That was the give. The take was - well, the take was that he got to have a girlfriend, if he was being honest. Also, he got to live in her house, which was a thing. Plus she was sweet and gorgeous and loved him for who he was, despite the fact that she was an elf and he was a human. Interracial relationships weren't that uncommon these days, but it was still intimidating to think she was probably three times his age and made way, way more money than him. Not to mention their kind of relationship tended to get... fetishized less than favorably in the media. You know - hurr hurr hurr, elves are slaves to the BHC. Can't win against the BHC. It made him uncomfortable, and he worried if that kind of thing bothered her. Whenever he asked, she just laughed and kissed him and told him not to think about it.
That kind of response worried him a little too if he was being honest. Elves were famous for their enchantment skills, and Maeve was no slouch. She could do some, ahah, interesting things in the bedroom, and he sure as hell wasn't complaining about that. He tried not to think about whether how chill he was with it was real or manufactured. Greg had trust and anxiety issues if you hadn't caught on yet. An admitted flaw, fortunately it never seemed to phase Maeve.
He was slicing radishes for the salad when he heard the front door open as Maeve got home from her office job. There was an audible thump as she dropped her briefcase in the vestibule, followed by two smaller thumps as she kicked off her shoes and bounced him off the wall. Greg chuckled and wiped his hands on a towel before turning to welcome her. Everyone thought of Elves as these graceful, ethereal beings, but having lived with one for several months he knew that was just 90% hype.
Maeve came practically skipping into the kitchen, eyes lighting up when she saw him. She was shorter than him, maybe 5'7", with bright green eyes and long black hair woven up into a French braid she was currently dismantling with hurried fingers. A dusting of freckles was cast over her face. Like any elf, she was beautiful in a way that was hard to define. Something about the symmetry of her features, the smoothness of her complexion, the poised feline way she had of moving. It helped that he had a raging office lady fetish, and she came home every day dressed in expertly tailored silk blouses and pencil skirts that hugged her figure and left him staring. She shook her tresses out of their braiding and ran up to him, throwing her arms around his waist and kissing him. "Hey babe," she said with a smile as she pressed her lips against his, leaning against him as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Miss me?" she asked, her ears twitching with excitement as she nuzzled his cheek affectionately.
Greg chuckled and hugged her back, rubbing his nose against hers in little eskimo kisses. "Every day. How was work?" He asked, slipping her arms off him and smiling when she gave a little pout. He had to finish dinner before letting her get too handsy or it'd never get done.
"Fiinne," she huffed, not really being clear whether she was answering his question or pouting about his rebuff. Maeve sighed and reluctantly let him go, giving a little twirl and a step towards one of the kitchen seats, dragging it out and sliding her bottom into the chair in one smooth motion. Another elf thing - whenever she moved, it was always some sort of gracefully flamboyant exaggeration, or something so subtle he barely noticed. Almost no in between. He loved to just watch her, but forced himself to turn back to dinner prep, scraping the radishes he'd been slicing off the cutting board into the salad bowl.
"Just fine hmm?" he asked with a chuckle, slicing up his pan seared chicken pieces to set to the side. He could respect Maeve's dietary choices but hadn't been able to give up meat completely. Fortunately, she didn't mind, so long as he kept it separate from her food. Elven cultural diet demanded you only eat what you kill and kill what you eat. Plants weren't technically considered 'alive' the same way animals were so fruits, veggies, and plant products got a pass. But unless they started keeping a coop of chickens or maybe some cows and Greg went out and dispatched them himself, meat was off the table for her. He'd even considered actually getting the chickens, but Maeve had told him no way - she'd just start treating them like pets and force him to keep them alive anyway.
"Mhmm, you know, same old same old. Old being old men scared of making money, of course," she mused, resting her chin in her hands and watching him like a lioness staring at a zebra across the river, contemplating how to rush over and grab it before it could bolt. It sounded like work had left her frustrated again, and that usually meant one thing. Greg hurried up, knowing if he kept her waiting things would get messy. Pleasant, but literally messy - and he didn't want to spend the night cleaning up the kitchen.
They ate together at the kitchen table, chatting about their days, catching up with each other. He knew Maeve's mind was elsewhere though - partially because of how distracted she seemed to be, and partially because she had slipped off her shoes and started running her stocking clad foot up and down his leg less than halfway through their meal. He gave her the side eye and she just bit her lip and fluttered her lashes innocently, ears wiggling in that cute way they did when she was up to something. Greg made sure to clean his plate and drink plenty of water, whispering a silent prayer - he knew he was in for it tonight.