Not proof-read
Rody sat by the small, crackling fireplace in his cozy cottage, staring blankly at the wooden ceiling. The sound of chirping crickets from the nearby forest filled the cool evening air, but the noise inside his home was anything but peaceful.
"Rody, I made you some tea!" Vincent's soft voice called out from the kitchen.
Rody didn't even need to look. He could feel the fluttering of tiny wings near his ear as the pixie hovered beside him, holding up a thimble-sized teacup with an exaggeratedly proud grin. Vincent, one of the two minuscule intruders who had claimed Rody's life for themselves, beamed up at him with his usual affection.
"I added honey this time. You like honey, don't you?" Vincent asked, his black eyes shimmering with anticipation.
Before Rody could even answer, a frustrated huff sounded from across the room. "Oh please, like he'd drink that," Manon's voice came next, sharp and full of disdain. She was perched on the edge of Rody's bookshelf, arms crossed, her little brown wings flicking irritably. Her long, chestnut hair shimmered in the firelight, her glare aimed solely at Vincent. "What he really needs is proper food, not whatever concoction you're making."
Vincent turned to her with a scowl. "It's tea, not a concoction! And Rody likes it!"
"I like it fine," Rody mumbled, trying to keep the peace, though he honestly couldn't care less about the tea. He wasn't even sure if pixies knew how human taste buds worked.
Vincent gave him a warm, adoring smile and darted closer, his wings buzzing as he hovered in front of Rody's face. "See? He likes it. Don't listen to her, Rody. She doesn't understand you the way I do."
"Oh, shut it, Vincent," Manon snapped, flying off the shelf and zipping over to Rody's other side, her wings giving a loud buzz as she circled his head like an angry wasp. "I understand him better than you ever will. You're just a delusional little pest!"
"And you're so much better?" Vincent shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "He only tolerates you because you've been here longer."
"Tolerates?" Manon gasped, incredulous. "I'm his first love. He was mine long before you even knew he existed!"
"That's not how it works!" Vincent practically shrieked, his pale face turning red as he flew up to meet her in the air, the two of them squaring off as their wings beat furiously.
Rody, meanwhile, sighed deeply and sank further into his chair, rubbing his temples. This had become his daily life. The once-peaceful solitude of his cottage had been shattered the moment these two decided he was their personal object of affection. He couldn't remember exactly how it had started-one day, he was just living his quiet life, tending to his garden and chopping firewood, and the next, they appeared one after the other. Two tiny, annoying, lovestruck pixies who had somehow gotten it into their heads that he was their perfect mate.
"Guys," Rody said, but his voice went unheard over their escalating argument.
"I've known Rody since he was a child!" Manon yelled, fists clenched. "I watched him grow up! I protected him!"
"Oh, yes, great job," Vincent sneered, his tone biting. "You protected him so well he didn't even know you were there!"
"That's the point, you idiot! We're supposed to be invisible to humans!"
"Well, guess what? I'm not invisible anymore, and he likes me!" Vincent's wings flared out, making him seem as intimidating as a two-inch-tall pixie could possibly be.
Rody groaned and leaned his head back against the chair. "Can you two please stop fighting for five minutes?" he muttered, though he knew it was a hopeless request. They never listened.
