#enter: tommy and carol as the toads

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 1

Steve's head whipped up so quick he thought he might break his neck.

"A ride?", he followed Eddie's eyes back to Honey. "On your bee?"

Honey vibrated a little like they knew they were being talked about.

"I promise it's a smooth ride." Eddie petted the fuzz on Honey and grabbed Steve's hand to do the same. "See? Honey likes you." Sweet likes sweet he supposed.

Part of Steve thought he should be cautious. That he shouldn't just go riding out into the night with someone he had just met. But also, Eddie wasn't actually a stranger at this point anymore, right? And there was a chance he could introduce him to other fairies too. And most importantly, he had the opportunity to actually get out and see the world, if only for an evening.

"One ride. And you bring me back home before sunrise."

Steve had read enough fae tales to know they could play tricks sometimes. He didn't want his mother to worry just in case Eddie was the type to take and keep.

"You have my word. I'll return you before dawn." Eddie mounted Honey and then gently patted the space behind him.

Carefully, Steve got on, not wanting to hurt the bee. For a moment he faltered on a hold and then Eddie grabbed his hands and pulled them around himself.

"You're gonna have to hold on tight. Honey can be kinda wild."

Steve was about to make a quip when Honey took off and zipped around. At first, he was just bracing himself, holding onto Eddie tightly and burying his face in his back against the wind. But as he got used to it, he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was mostly obscured by Eddie's long hair whipping around, but once he pulled it away (getting to touch the soft locks as he kept them pinned to Eddie's back) he finally got a clear look.

Trees and flowerbeds came by in a rush as they flitted through the forest. Then they were rising about the trees and Steve's home was but a small beacon of light in the dark night.

Honey slowed a bit, bobbing around and the rush of wind became a breeze.

"You get to see things like this all the time?"

"Nice view, huh?", Eddie grinned. "You can see it too, whenever you're with me."

Eddie didn't know by what grace he was able to find Steve, but now that he had him he would show him the world. He never wanted those arms to unwrap from him.

He took Steve to all of the good spots nearby. To a small stream where more than one creature caught a glimpse of the fairy prince with someone they didn't recognize. To a pumpkin patch where Eddie was so lost in adoration that he and Steve danced to music only they could hear.

To a field of flowers that was very special indeed, for it was where the first frost would happen.

"I do really like fall", Steve said when they landed on a tree stump. "My mother gets really, busy, making new dresses for the festival. But when she's done there's dancing and singing..." Steve pulled his knees up to his chest, suddenly withdrawing.

"What are you thinking about?", Eddie asked, seeing the mood change on his face.

"I'm too small to join everyone. I have to dance on a table or somewhere high up on my own. And in the crowd, no one can really hear me sing. It's still fun though, I just wish I could really be a part of it."

Eddie felt his heart movie in a hundred ways. He had so many things he wanted to say but what came out was "You sing?"

"Just the songs with the people of the town. The ones that herald in the seasons."

Steve looked up and Eddie had pulled out a lute from somewhere. Had Honey been carrying it? Eddie began to strum a familiar tune.

"Autumn will be here before you know it", Eddie said. And as if cued in, a slightly chilly breeze blew. Steve smiled and started to sing. As he did, he imagined the vivid rainbow of flowers giving way to the yellows and oranges of fallen leaves.

Maybe it was because it was the dead of night, and most everything was asleep, maybe because he was the only one making a sound, or maybe it was because he had an enraptured audience. Whatever the reason, Steve truly felt like he was being heard.

Eddie was seeing stars. Perhaps they were actually fireflies but that was just as magical. The two of them were so caught in their own world, they didn't notice a couple of toads spying on them from the bushes. They had been lured by the sound of Steve's voice.

"Can I see you again tomorrow?", Eddie asked as the song ended.

"Yes", Steve answered without hesitation. Suddenly being taken by a mysterious fae didn't seem so bad.

On the way home, Eddie asked him a bunch of questions like he couldn't get enough of him. Spring or summer? What kind of apple is your favorite? And since he knew of his mother's work now - silk or satin? Was embroidery hard?

"Alright, alright, last one", Eddie said as Honey landed on the window sill. "Something everyone likes but you hate."

Steve wrinkled his nose, having one ready. "Blue cheese."

"....Blue cheese? That's it?"

"Eddie, it's a mold. And people are just eating it."

"It's a safe mold though, right?" Eddie dismounted first and then helped Steve off and onto his feet. He probably held his hips for a little longer than was proper.

"It's mold. There are perfectly fine unmolded cheeses around."

"So, do you not eat anything even slightly fermented?"

Steve considered the question for a moment. "I like sweet pickles."

Eddie made a face and stuck out his tongue. "The sweet ones? And here I thought I was falling for you. You've got the face of an angel and the voice of a siren but your food opinions might be a deal breaker."

Steve was smiling so silly he felt like his face might break. "This coming from the fairy who didn't know the difference between a string and a thread."

"What you call a gap in knowledge I call super specific job-related expertise."

Steve was still smiling and Eddie was smiling back at him. And they probably would've spent hours just staring at each other fondly if there wasn't a voice out in the distance calling Eddie's name.

"Oh shit!", Eddie hissed before pulling Steve through the other side of the window.

"Who is that?", Steve asked, trying to get a peek. He only saw the smallest bit of glowing dust off in the distance before Eddie pulled him down.

"That would be uh, okay, first, let me tell you something. I'm...I'm actually the prince. Of the fairies...Ta-daa~"

"You're a prince? For how long?!", Steve asked.

Eddie stared at him blankly, unsure of how to answer that. "Uhh, for a while now...?"

"You're the prince", Steve began to pace around. "I just spent the night with a prince."

"And also Eddie."

That got Steve to pause. "Yeah, I did. And he still wants to see me tomorrow?", he asked, voice hopeful. As if there was any universe where Eddie didn't drop everything to come and see him.

"He does. More than anything." Eddie took both of Steve's hands and kissed his knuckles. "So am I still welcome here?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'll be waiting." Steve wanted this. He wanted more than one night.

Eddie wanted to kiss Steve and give him every night for the rest of their lives. But it was still too early for both, so he just kissed his fingertips this time, and then reluctantly pulled away.

"Tomorrow", he promised. It was only a few hours away and yet it felt like forever.

"Tomorrow", Steve echoed.

The voice shouting for Eddie sounded closer, so he got on Honey and flew away. With the magnetic pull of that whirlwind of a fairy gone, Steve fell to his knees. What a night.

What a night.

When he laid down to sleep (in a case for glasses that his mother had refurbished) he was dead to the world until morning.

Imagine his shock when he awakened only to find that the top had been closed on him, which was peculiar on its own. And then when he opened he saw not his room, but that he was on a small boat, moored on a river bank. Then he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Hey Tommy, come quick! Pretty boy's awake."

A/N: Imma need all my fellow Thumbelina fans to re-watch that scene where she meets Cornelius because he is so gone for her with the first ten seconds and is just itchin to touch her the whole time and all the little details they do with these 2 just adds to the romance.

Part 3

Tag team

@telidina