“Not at all.”
“So… now what?”
For a moment, Pollux only peered at him with an inscrutable expression, then he gestured behind him. “Why don’t I give you a tour? It’s not a large home, but, well, I suppose you’ll be staying here with me for the next few days, so you should know where everything is.”
“I’d like that,” he replied.
The room they entered was a light, airy entryway with wide windows that let in the early morning sunshine. A few plants stood by the door, and the walkway opened into a sitting room with a plush-looking couch and even more plants set about. It was a much more inviting-looking home than Adrissu would have expected, considering how icy Pollux’s personality had seemed thus far. He was then led through the sitting room, where a small kitchen was visible to the right and a smaller hallway to the left.
“The bedroom and bathroom are this way,” he said, then gestured toward the kitchen. “This is, of course, the kitchen. Feel free to eat anything here.” He glanced back over at Adrissu with a frown. “You do eat, don’t you?”
Adrissu laughed. “Not as often as you need to. But yes. We got dinner together last year, remember?”
“Right,” Pollux said, glancing away with a hint of color rising in his cheeks, as if he were embarrassed at the question. His cold exterior had come apart so easily, Adrissu thought—though perhaps the year’s effort in wearing him down from afar had more to do with it than his immediate presence.
“Can I put my extra clothes in your room?” Adrissu asked, giving him an out. Pollux nodded quickly before brushing past him down the hallway. Adrissu peeked into the bathroom as they walked by: it was of a decent size, with a copper tub that looked like it would make for a very comfortable soak. The deep tub made Adrissu think of Braern, and of their time spent in Aefraya enjoying its hot springs. Elves did love their baths, he supposed.
Pollux’s room was far more practical than the rest of the house had been in comparison. It had a bed outfitted with white linen sheets, a nightstand, a lamp, and an armoire in the corner. This seemed more like the personality Adrissu would have expected—minimalist and practical—and he wondered briefly how often Pollux entertained guests for the sitting area to be so much more welcoming than his room.
But Pollux seemed unbothered, and he opened the armoire for Adrissu. “Here,” he said, gesturing, and Adrissu stifled a laugh at his no-nonsense speech. “Is something amusing to you?”
“No,” he replied, smiling. “You, perhaps.”
Adrissu could practically feel Pollux restrain himself from rolling his eyes. He did not want to push his luck so soon after arriving, so he placed his belongings in the armoire with no further fuss, then glanced back at Pollux with a smile. “Now what?”
“It’s early,” Pollux sighed, looking away irritably. “We can go to a cafe, if you’d like. Do you want to see the workshop again?”
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
“That doesn’t help me.”
“You didn’t plan anything for while I was here?”
“I…” Pollux started, then trailed off with another hint of a flush in his cheeks. “I wasn’t certain how much… free time I should allot for.”
Adrissu’s heart leapt up into his throat at that. The very idea that Pollux had been considering, well, other matters—that he had been thinking of it for days, weeks, maybe even months. He had tried not to think of it, not wanting to get his hopes up over something that would not happen; with how reticent Pollux had been to just speak with him regularly, he doubted sex was on the table this time. But knowing Pollux was imagining it, the prospect was suddenly real, and he could focus on nothing else.
“I—I see,” he stammered, sure he was sounding all at once like a lovesick fool. “In that case—I think a cafe would be a nice place to start. And the workshop. If you want to show me, of course.”
Pollux made a noncommittal noise of agreement, evidently as suddenly embarrassed about their uncertain position as Adrissu was. “Let me put on something else, then.”
He looked pointedly at Adrissu, who took the hint and stepped out of his room, heart pounding.
Pollux emerged a few minutes later wearing robes similar to the ones Adrissu saw him wear before, when they first met. Relaxed, flowy robes had come back into fashion, especially in Aefraya, though Adrissu was sure Pollux was not aware of this trend and was only wearing what was practical. He had pulled his hair into a loose, low ponytail, but a few strands still framed his face, making the angles of his chin and cheekbones even more striking.
The primal part of Adrissu very much wanted to lunge forward to smash his lips against Pollux’s and push him back into his bedroom. But it was early, he had only just arrived, and they were going to get breakfast. He could control himself, but knowing that Pollux had thought about it, too, was making it very difficult to focus on anything else. Pollux was silent as they walked, evidently just as aware of the newfound tension between them as he was, so after a little while, Adrissu offered,
“So where is it we’re going?”
“A cafe I often visit,” Pollux replied, cold as ever. “They have a wide variety of tea.”
“And you like trying new ones,” Adrissu offered, remembering Pollux had told him so in one of their letters, what felt like a lifetime ago now. Pollux glanced back at him with a tiny smile.
“Yes,” he agreed, and the tension between them seemed to ease up. They walked side-by-side where they could, but the morning was growing busier, so for the most part, Adrissu had to walk behind. It was only a few more minutes to the cafe, though; it truly must have been Pollux’s favorite, as Adrissu counted three other small cafes that they passed along the way. Finally, Pollux led him into a narrow brick building, emanating the scent of fresh bread and pastries that he could smell even from the street.
“Hello, Pollux,” a tall, half-orc woman behind the counter greeted him cheerfully, then gave a slight start as Adrissu followed him inside. “Oh—welcome in!”
“Good morning,” Pollux said to her. “Do you have anything new in today?”
