Not long after sitting down, side by side, at a long, wooden table, like the kind you might see at a summer camp, a servant clad in green leaves served your meals. Your cereal consisted mostly of dried fruit slices with grain seeds in a watery, amber colored substance that smelled vaguely like honey. Tulipelle’s egg looked much like the fried eggs you were used to back home while the acorns came in wedges.
“It continues to fascinate me how so very similar, yet so very different our civilizations… or rather my former one and this one; are.” You say as you take a bite of your cereal. “Hmm… tasty.”
“Yeah, as much as humans fascinate me, sometimes I wish they had our magic so they wouldn’t have to… well, let’s just say ‘push nature out of the way’.” You could tell Tulipelle was understanding of human limitations and not bitter or resentful. Come to think of it, no one ever seemed resentful or antagonistic toward you, knowing you were once human as they did; but if they knew you were human, did they also know you were male?
“The other fairies seemed quite accepting of me.” You said.
“Who wouldn’t be?” Tulipelle said. “You’re nice, understanding, courageous in the way you stood up for me…”
“A fairy, a girl.” You added.
“Huh?”
“I just wonder if they would’ve been so keen on me if I was still human, or especially male.”
Tulipelle was just about to take a bite when she put her fork down. “Irisette, I have a confession to make. I may have exaggerated when I said fairies have problems with males.”
You said nothing beyond giving her a look.
“Let me start at the beginning, when I first saw you injured in the cave, I felt pity for you being near death; but I felt something else, too. I tried to put it out of my mind, leave before anyone found me interacting with you, but that something is what drew me back to you.”
“You were crushing on me, weren’t you?”
“Uh, I recall it was you who was crushing me with your grip back there; or did you mean I have a crush ON you? As much of a human expert as I am, metaphors was never my strong suit; but, I digress. Yes, I admit I have feelings for you.”
“I knew it; I had a feeling something was up back there. So why the thing about fairies not trusting males?”
“I… kinda wanted to see what you would look like as a girl.”
You gave a more playful version of your look. “Oh, really?”
“Uh, that’s not to say I prefer you like this… or, I mean… just know that the shrinking spell alone would have caused enough of a reaction to mmfff…” you pressed your lips up against Tulipelle’s, holding it for a full five seconds, her face, surprised and her wings slowly rising up the whole time, before pulling back.
“Now you know my feelings.” You said before going back to your cereal, leaving Tulipelle with the same dumbfounded look on her face and wings still standing upright.
She slowly regained her composure and turned back to her meal as well. Neither of you said anything the rest of the time, rather you both snuck glances at each other. When you were finished, the servants bused your table as you left the kitchen holding Tulipelle’s hand. You felt something brush up against your wing, it was Tulipelle’s, and you rubbed yours up against hers, as well.