6. Starry Night

6 / STARRY NIGHT

Fitz

After chocolate, a couple of 80’s sci-fi movies that Sage insisted on showing me, and another round of sex—the two of us ended up falling asleep right as the sun rose and then waking up as it started to go down again.

“Are you ready to fly?” I asked.

The two of us were standing outside the house. Sage looked up at the sky, clearly nervous.

“Are you sure you can carry me?” they asked.

“I’m absolutely sure,” I said.

“Are you…are you sure sure?”

“Sage,” I chuckled. “I will not drop you. I promise.”

They stood there for a moment and then nodded. “Okay. Okay, I trust you. This is crazy.”

I took a step closer to them, holding out my arms. They came to me and I swept them up, holding them like a princess. My wings spread behind me, the wind tickling my back.

We were going to meet my minotaur friend Rum and his mate, Penny. His art studio was at their house, which was outside of the city, but on the opposite side of where we were. It would take us about thirty minutes of flying to get there, thirty minutes of me getting to hold Sage close and watch the stars dance in their eyes.

“Oh gods,” they gasped.

My wings flapped and we took off. I was thankful for the night given how hot the summer was here, embracing the cooler winds that ruffled my fur.

Sage wound their arms around my neck, holding onto me for dear life.

“I’ve got you,” I whispered in their ear.

It took a few minutes for them to relax as we soared higher. Eventually the city stretched below us. Sage loosened their tight grasp enough to look down.

“Wow,” they called. “This is lovely.”

It was. I rarely flew over cities, but this one was especially nice to look at. All the lights twinkled different colors, the sounds of traffic and humanity a dull roar below.

If the two of us went back to England, I’d need to adjust my traveling methods. Often I did a combination of flying and utilizing friends that could create portals. I liked to make my trips a little longer for sight-seeing purposes, but…

I was being very presumptuous by even thinking Sage might come home with me.

I tried to push the thought away, not wanting to rush things too fast. It was hard not to want to, though. All I could imagine now was a future with them, where we were happy at the cottage with the garden. Cooking, enjoying our hobbies, making love.

That’s all I wanted, really.

Thirty minutes passed quickly and before we knew it, we came to the address I’d been given, one that I’d memorized on the phone map I’d looked at earlier.

We landed in the front yard. Rum’s house was absolutely lovely, and what I expected from the artist. I gently put Sage down, holding onto them as they found their balance.

“That was scary and thrilling,” they said. “I would do it again.”

I chuckled and drew them close, kissing them slowly.

“Hey,” they said, placing their hand on my chest. “If you keep going we’re going to end up naked on your friend’s lawn.”

I snorted. “I don’t think he would care, to be honest. Are you ready?”

“Yes,” they said.

We went up the steps to the front doors, and I raised my hand to knock. It flew open, and a massive minotaur stood in the frame.

“Fitz!” Rum exclaimed.

He threw his bulky arms around me and dragged me into a crushing hug.

“How are you, Rum?” I laughed.

He clasped my shoulders and gave me a playful shake. “I’m doing well. It has been too long, my friend. How have you been? Oh, and you've brought someone with you. Who is this? A human .”

Sage’s eyes widened. “I’m Sage. I’m…”

“They are my date,” I said smoothly. “We are going on a date after we see the painting. Is Penny around?”

“She is,” Rum said, clearly excited. His horns curled up towards the ceiling, his nose ring gleaming in the light. “Both of you come in. I can't believe you came all the way from England just to see the painting. Or did you come for other reasons too?” He wiggled his eyebrows at Sage, who blushed.

“Maybe other reasons as well,” I said cryptically. I knew that he was close with the Barista.

We stopped inside the foyer. It was large, and even with how tall I was, how bulky my wings were, and Rum’s massive size—it didn’t feel crowded.

I found my hand slipping into Sage’s as we shut the door behind us.

They gave my hand a gentle squeeze. Their presence both comforted me and made me feel happy.

Penny emerged through a doorway with a grin. “Hi Fitz,” she said. “It's been a long time.”

I gave her a short bow. “It has. You look wonderful.”

Penny was as lovely as ever. Her dark hair was drawn back into a loose bun. I took note of the paint that splotched over her skin, wondering if she had ‘helped’ with a piece of art. She wore a black dress with a slit up the side, bare feet, no make up. Rum was also dressed casually. The two of them looked so content together, I was envious.

I wished for that with Sage. The contented happiness.

“Would the two of you like a glass of wine?” Penny asked.

“Sure,” I said. “Is that okay Sage?”

“Of course,” they said. “I’d love one as well.”

The four of us moved from the foyer to the living room. Paintings covered the walls, many of them erotic in nature. As I looked around, I realized all of them were erotic. Even the portrait of Penny.

Sage’s eyes widened as they looked around. “Wow,” they said. “Who painted all of these?”

“I did,” Rum said proudly. “And as you can see, my Mistress is my muse.”

Penny winked. “Yes, I am. I’ll be back in a few moments.”

“Do you need any help?” Sage asked.

“Sure. Come with me.”

Sage gave me a soft smile and then followed Penny. I wasn’t surprised to see that the two of them were hitting it off, but it made me happy.

Rum chuckled. “How are you? Did the Barista match you and Sage?”

“Yes. Well, sort of. The Barista or Layla did,” I answered.

Rum’s brows shot up. “Little Layla? Gods, she’s growing up fast.”

“She’s already grown, my friend,” I teased. “You look well. How have things been?”

“Wonderful,” he said. “This is the new house. We worked with an architect named Beau to design it. I have a new studio and we have a dungeon. Penny loves it because it’s a short drive to the park.”

“The two of you look happy,” I said.

“We are,” he sighed. “Over twenty years and our love only grows with time. I’m lucky. I couldn’t live without her. She’s everything to me. So how is it going with Sage…”

“Our first date was yesterday morning,” I said. “Everything is moving quickly. I’ve never felt this way before. Is it always so sudden and all consuming?”

“Yes,” he breathed out. “Yes it is.”

“They already mean so much to me,” I whispered. “I worry I will scare them.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Rum said. “It’s fate.”

I felt like it was fate.

I wondered if Sage felt the same.

“Come see the painting,” he said.

I followed him through the house to a room that was full of large windows and canvases. I was honored to be standing in his studio. At the center, leaning against the wall, was the painting I’d bought for my cottage living room.

“I am speechless,” I whispered.

It was very whimsical and exactly what I’d wanted. Sexual. Erotic. Fantastic. A garden orgy between monsters and humans, fucking with abandon amidst the flowers and fireflies. Every brush stroke was immaculate, the colors vibrant. It captured the true feral abandon I’d asked for.

“This is truly stunning, Rum,” I praised. “You are a genius.”

“Isn’t it sexy?” Penny said from behind us.

I felt Sage’s presence before I turned around. Their eyes widened as they stepped into the room holding two glasses of wine. “Oh my god,” they said. “Is that the painting?”

“Yes,” I said pridefully.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. Oh my gods,” they said, looking around. “I’ve never seen art like this.”

“Rum is very talented,” Penny said, handing her minotaur mate a glass of wine.

Rum smiled as Sage walked around the room, looking at different pieces. Half-painted pieces leaned against the wall, stacks of canvas with loose sketches or the base layers of paint.

Penny winked at me. “I like your date.”

I took a sip of wine and swallowed hard. “Me too.”

Rum and Penny exchanged an all too knowing look, but didn’t press. Sage returned to us and frowned at my glass.

“You drank it all already?”

I looked down and realized I had. “Yes, indeed,” I said. “I think I’ll be done with wine for the night.”

“The last thing we need is a tipsy mothman in the sky,” Sage teased.

“The museum is ready whenever,” Rum said with a chuckle. “If you’re happy with everything, I’ll pack it up this weekend and ship it so it’ll be there when you get home.”

A shadow flickered in Sage’s gaze, but was gone as quickly. I was captivated by them for a moment before finally pulling my attention back to the present.

“That would be wonderful. It’s truly extraordinary.”

“Thank you.” Rum beamed as Penny slid her arm around him, leaning her head against his shoulder. “When will you be visiting again? Maybe we can find time to see more of each other next time.”

“Yes,” I said. “I’m not sure exactly, but I will let you know.”

Sage gravitated towards me and the four of us spent more time talking. Once they finished their glass, we slowly made our way back to the front of the house, saying our goodbyes.

We stepped outside into the humid night and Sage looked up at me with a smile. “They were nice.”

“They’re wonderful,” I said as I reached for them.

This time when I scooped them up, they didn’t squeal. Sage wound their arms around my neck, holding onto me as I took off into the sky.

The museum was a shorter flight from Rum’s house. If everything went well, we’d have the entire place to ourselves.

I owed Rum one for making this happen. But being in a museum with Sage sounded romantic.

Really, anything with Sage sounded romantic.

Wings outstretched, I descended to the building. Marble columns lined the facade with banners hanging between them. It was a museum specifically for art, and within the walls were several pieces I’d always wanted to see in person.

I landed softly in front of the door I’d been directed to and set Sage down. I knocked three times, and the door swung open. We were faced with a nice looking vampire.

“You must be Fitz,” he said.

“I am. We’re here for our date.”

He nodded and stepped aside, giving Sage and I a once over. “Don’t touch anything. Don’t break anything. If you do anything inappropriate, clean up after yourselves.”

Sage’s eyes widened, their cheeks blushing.

The vampire grinned. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

He was gone in a blink.

“What the fuck?” Sage whispered. “He’s just going to leave us?”

“They aren’t worried about us doing anything,” I chuckled.

“How in the hell did you pull this off?”

“I have friends in places ,” I teased.

I led them down the hall and then out into the main lobby, where it split in three directions.

Golden light added to the ambiance of the atmosphere. We picked a direction and wandered together, talking about everything from art styles to artists to the history of paints.

I guided Sage through the maze of paintings and statues, the two of us pausing every now and then to take one in. I watched them closely, my heart lifting every time they smiled, every time they asked a question, or anytime they lingered.

Rum had really done me a favor by contacting the museum coordinator and allowing me to have a date here. Especially one at night, where there weren’t really any security guards. It was nice to be able to walk without hiding myself, to be amongst the things I loved the most.

“This is amazing,” Sage whispered.

The painting in front of us was lovely. I appreciated every stroke, such attention to detail. It reminded me of my cottage, I realized. The forest that grew around a small cottage, the sunlight dancing through the leaves. It was whimsical, a fairytale version of real life.

“I want to live there,” they sighed.

“It looks a lot like my cottage,” I said. “You could always come live with me.”

The moment I said that, worry seized me.

They raised a brow, glancing up at me. “I could,” they said. “Do you actually want that?”

My heart felt stuck in my throat. Yes, I wanted that more than anything. But I didn’t want to scare them away or think that we were moving too quickly. And yet…

“I would love for you to,” I said. “At the very least, I would love for you to visit.”

Sage nodded, their expression serene as they looked at the painting again. “We’ll figure all that out at some point,” they murmured.

I slid my clawed hand into theirs, hoping they were right.