More Than Human

Chapter 73: A Budding Romance

Gaz wracked his brain for something to do with Roach. He wanted to spend more time with Gary, and he still wasn't quite sure why. He had never felt like this before, but he found himself craving the feeling that attention from Roach gave. And Roach seemed just as eager to give it.

Roach was fascinated with Gaz. Perhaps it was instinctual that he would be drawn towards the man who was made of the plants that sustained him. But it did seem to be more than that. He greatly enjoyed how he looked when he was a little flustered, and he was undeniably handsome. And then he grew some more and he managed to become even more beautiful. Roach knew he had helped him get there too, getting him nice and pollinated. And he wanted to do it more.

Either way, their mutual drive to spend time with each other brought them into the woods on the property. Gaz led Roach along one of the paths, this one was slightly overgrown. Gaz gently urged the plants aside and they eagerly listened to his command.

That was another thing that Roach found himself fascinated with, Gaz was so powerful. But it was like he didn't care about his own abilities. But the knowledge that he had so many plants at his beck and call was so... well, it was incredibly sexy.

Gaz got them to a small clearing and waved a final branch aside to reveal their destination. Roach's eyes widened at the sight.

There was an extremely large tree in the middle of the space that sported a tattered structure amongst its branches. What looked like an old unkempt treehouse stood with some rotting boards and sagging beams.

Roach gave an excited chitter and pushed past Gaz, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. There was no ladder currently set up, but that wasn't going to be an issue. Roach took a firmer hold on Gaz and felt good at the surprised sound he let out. He gave aa few strong beats of his furry wings and by the time Gaz peeked his eyes back open they were on the treehouse's deck.

"If you're going to grow wings you'll have to get used to flying!" Roach buzzed, amused.

Gaz blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Fallen out of one too many helicopters to be excited about the prospect."

"I will always catch you." Roach assured.

"W-well, anyway..." Gaz quickly changed the subject to distract himself from how his heart fluttered, "I was thinking that we could fix this up a bit. We don't have to though if it's not something you're interested in."

"Anything with you is interesting!" Roach smiled.

How in the name of all that is holy, did Roach manage to make him flustered with every buzzed, signed, or spoken sentence? Gaz truly didn't know what to do with these new feelings. He had never experienced anything quite like them.

They didn't waste time on getting to work for the day, and the day after, and the day after. It quickly became a routine. Getting up in the morning and grabbing a wheelbarrow to haul supplies down the path to the tree house. They used Gaz's abilities to get the tree to be the fix to many of the problems. He didn't like using wood planks if they weren't necessary. So they focused on clay and homemade spackle to seal cracks and leaks.

On their fourth day of repairs, it was looking much more solid and sturdy. Gaz and Roach discussed making their own stained glass fixtures for the windows. Roach was excited about the interior and filling the space with trinkets. Gaz brought some coloured bottles and small potted plants that Roach excitedly hung from the rafters. Gary was also constantly picking up interesting rocks along the path to line up on the window sills and railing of the deck. Rudy and König also collected some shells from the bottom of the lake for them to take back to the treehouse.

Once the place was stable and not at risk of crumbling down, Roach brought their little caterpillar from the greenhouse to stay in the treehouse. They had him in a little clear container with food and occasionally Roach would take it out and set him in Gaz's branches. It tickled a bit when he chewed on Kyle's leaves.

Roach had just removed their little friend from his branches and put him back into his little home on the railing of the deck and bent down slightly to look at him wiggling along a twig inside.

"Probably cocoon and change soon." He buzzed.

Gaz leaned down and looked at him, "Did you cocoon?"

"Don't remember." Roach shrugged, "I wasn't really conscious when I changed. Maybe that's why."

Gaz hummed, "What did it feel like when you woke up?"

"Sort of like waking up from surgery. Long nap." Roach looked at him curiously, "When you come back from being dormant, what does it feel like?"

Gaz swallowed, "When I'm under, it's strange. I can still hear, but only a little. Everything feels far away and muffled. I feel so lonely and I can't move and..."
Roach wrapped a wing around Gaz and gave a sympathetic warble.

Gaz huffed, "When I come back it feels like I'm getting turned inside out, stretched and twisted. It burns a little and I can't see until it's all done."

Gaz realized he was trembling slightly, but looked down and found that Roach had grabbed his hand and was rubbing the back of it slightly with his thumb. He looked back up and found Roach gazing at him with darkened bug-like eyes that glimmered in the setting light of the sun. Gaz swallowed and felt the wing wrapped around him gently tugging him forward. Roach leaned closer and his antennae wiggled back and forth. He reached a hand up and scratched at Gaz's hair behind his ear and Gaz started purring again.

Roach watched as the tips of his ears seemed to get greener and blossoms started cropping up and blooming on his antlers.

"Pretty, pretty, tree." He buzzed.

"Pretty bug." Gaz said before he could stop himself, instantly embarrassed when Roach's eyes widened, "S-sorry! I-!"

"I thought we'd find you here!" A voice called out and both men quickly pulled away from each other.

They looked toward the edge of the path into the woods and spotted two individuals standing there.

A woman and a man. A distinctly bird-like man.

Farah and Alex.