As The World Falls Down

Chapter 17

Fairy time ran on a very different calendar. When you could live for thousands and thousands of years, weeks felt more like minutes, months felt more like weeks and years became months. So really, when it came down to it, you had experienced 6 months time in what felt like a few, blissful weeks. Your affair with Jareth was still young and fresh to you both, but something about it was starting to take shape in a new way.

The first thing you noticed was he had started not only not caring when you were on his private floor, but inviting you to come with him, trading rolled herbal cigarettes over a game or just sitting on opposite couches bickering. Of course, you never really stayed on your couch for long, but how could you resist?

Leading into the next matter, which was that all of your intimate encounters (which was just about every day or two now) had become more loving, while still gaining traction in excitement. You now often found yourself face to face with him, accompanied by enough praise and pet names to rival his insults.

The overarching theme was that you were receiving more attention than you had ever thought possible of the indifferent, careless Goblin King, and you had no clue what to make of it. It was clear both of you had some abandonment issues, between your leaving of the fae and the way he behaved when Sarah left, so it was difficult to figure where exactly you stood when it was both a fun fling and something you were starting to think you didn't want to live without.

"Am I your girlfriend?"

You had been thinking about that question for weeks, and in a quiet moment in the smoking room while Jareth pored over a novel, you finally found the time to ask it.

Jareth choked on the drag he had just taken off of the joint, coughing tightly with a fist over his mouth as he stubbed it out in the gilded ashtray between you. He looked at you in genuine puzzlement, and you threw your hands out to the side as if to double down on what he said.

"What?" he managed, still coughing slightly.

"Am I?"

"Where in the world is this coming from?" he asked, his dry coughs leading into an awkward laugh, leaning on the armrest towards you.

"We've been fucking around for a while now and, you know, I thought it might be a good thing to try and clarify where we stand," you explained, trying not to fumble over your words nervously. "Because it feels a bit like we may be going farther than 'friends with benefits' or whatever."

"Y/N..." he trailed off, rubbing his chin in thought. "Can't we just enjoy what we have?"

"I'm not saying I don't enjoy it," you frowned. "I just want to know what you would classify this relationship as."

"Do you really expect me to give a name to our...relationship? Isn't it all just so much better when we stay away from titles?"

"If you really believed that, you wouldn't be called King," you retorted and he glared at you, his mouth covered by his glove now, a frustrated trait of his you had noticed.

"We don't have to put a name to anything if you don't want to," you replied and he nodded once, his head bobbing a little as he listened. "I guess I just want to know how you feel."

"Oh, please," he groveled, getting to his feet and looking down at you. "Don't tell me we're here to talk about our feelings. I'm not some schoolboy with a silly little crush on a girl in his form."

"So no part of anything we've done has included feelings?" you snapped, standing to glare up at him. "You're really gonna lie to my face like that?"

"This isn't about feelings," he hissed, his voice shaking. "You're being ridiculous and, while I'm at it, how dare you think you can insult me like that."

"So you'd be fine with me going off and fucking somebody else?"

He breathed in sharply through his nose, his face flushing and eyes flashing darkly.

"Well, since there's no feelings on your end, I should be able to go out and get railed by whoever I please, right? That wouldn't bother you? If I went out with, say, Reggie, and things got heated?" you yelled and he shook his head in disbelief, smirking in annoyance.

"That wouldn't be any of my concern," he seethed after a beat of tense quiet, and you laughed at him lying so boldly.

"Maybe I will!" you asserted and he scoffed, waving his hand dismissively at you.

"Well, if you do, you might as well not bother coming back," he replied. "If you're going to be such a pain, it would suit you to do it elsewhere."

"Sounds good to me," you smiled, reaching down to snatch the joint out of the ashtray and tucking it behind your ear. "Jareth, it's been a pleasure, but I will be taking my leave. Good day and fuck you." You stormed towards the door, practically seeing red at the same time as straining to hold in a sob.

"Hurry up, your whores are waiting for you!" he called cruelly after you, and you scoffed loudly, throwing him the middle finger before the mahogany door slammed behind you and you were alone in the cold corridor.