The Poet and the Thief

Ch.2 Beware of the man in Green

(!!!!!AGAIN ALL CREIDS GO TO KingOfTheOranges ON Ao3 NONE OF THIS BELONGS TO ME! ANY ENJOY!!!!!)

In Tommy's defense, he had been busy. From doing small jobs, to just plain surviving, he had been stuck in the village. Before meeting Will that would have satisfied the young boy, kept him entertained even! But now he knew of better times, of more fun places, he was so utterly bored. He wanted to see his friend Will, he wanted to see the other creatures in the forest, he wanted to live! He was sick of just surviving. It wasn't fun anymore. Sure the baker was nice enough to let him do deliveries again, sure the seamstress let him help sort fabrics after a quick wash, and of course he got to listen to the tales of the forest again before bed. But all in all it was boring, normal, regular. It was nothing like the wonder his faerie friend gave him. None of it compared to tales of another realm, of flying and falling, of people treating you with respect without a reason! It sounded like paradise, and who was to fault the boy for wanting to hear more? He was a child after all, no matter how much he claimed to be the biggest man around.

It was a good few weeks until Tommy could slip away again, back into the dark clutches of the forest whilst avoiding the eyes of his fellow villagers as he scampered away into the depths of the trees. As always the familiar echoes of birds followed him as he moved, always sounding so close no matter how far he went. Part of Tommy considered that maybe they were close, that maybe just maybe the birds were following him, but he brushed that off quickly. Birds don't follow people, they fly away. That was just how they worked. Tommy didn't have to look at where he was walking this time, simply letting the nature around him guide his path. It knew where he wanted to be, where he belonged. And to his luck, he was at the clearing within minutes. Sunlight immediately greeted him, drowning him in its warmth despite the clouds that covered the sky. Tommy breathed in deeply for what felt like the first time in forever, scanning the familiar clearing with wonder in his eyes. The grass was covered in rain drops from that morning's showers, new flowers were growing around the edges, and of course Will's ring of toadstools stood proudly in the middle. Tommy only now noticed how large it was, taking up a good portion of the otherwise empty clearing. He was amazed that he hadn't fallen over himself into it yet! The boy bounded over the edge, standing with his toes nearly touching the ring.

"Will! I'm here!" Part of Tommy felt guilty as he waited impatiently, worried that his friend would be upset with him for being gone so long. He knew realistically Will wouldn't care, that maybe he would be happy to see Tommy despite the weeks that had passed. It seemed that whilst Tommy was trying not to spiral Will had appeared, pulling him out of his thoughts with a cough.

"Hello youngling! Where have you been?" The pout on Will's face was obviously fake, the fae trying not to grin as the child's face lit up.

"You have wings!" Tommy shouted quite loudly, pointing at the translucent butterfly wings on the others back. They shimmered gold and brown in the sunlight behind him, showing off the intricate patterns etched into them. Will ignored his unanswered question, seemingly surprised at first as he glanced back before laughing quietly.

"Oh yes! I was out for a fly before you called, I suppose I forgot to tuck them away." Tommy glared at him in his childish way, arms crossing over his chest.

"You weren't gonna show me? But they're so cool!" Will shook his head as the fondness for the boy crept back in, a genuine smile growing on his face.

"No matter that! You've seen them now haven't you." The man made no move to hide the wings again, simply sitting down like he always did. Of course Tommy was quick to follow, already asking his many questions about the wings. 'Can you feel them?' 'Do they change colors?' 'Can I touch them?' That last one was met with a quick no. Not only were they fragile but that would also mean Tommy would have to cross the ring, and Will didn't want that. Not anymore. Yes his original intentions were to kidnap the boy, to trick him into a life of servitude, but now they were friends. He cared for the boy, in a way he could only describe as fondness. The realization should have scared him but all he felt was joy. This boy in front of him was the first being in a while to actually want to be with him, even his family got bored of his talking quick enough. This youngling, his sunshine, was always so open to talk and argue and joke and just exist together. It was enough to melt his golden heart. Tommy was ranting about something new by the time he tuned back into the conversation, something about the other creatures of the forest. From what Will could tell he was theorizing about what they were and how he would beat them. Overall it was a very Tommy conversation.