The First Time

Chapter 5

Fern didn't sleep, per se, but sometimes when he was still and his mind was quiet, he could zone out in a way that felt restful if a little strange upon "waking." He realized he must have done so when awareness came flooding back to him at the distant sound of Finn returning home.

Fern stiffly pushed himself up from the tabletop where he'd been resting his head.

"You're back," he greeted Finn, a little groggily, as the other boy appeared at the top of the stairs.

Finn crossed the room to join his boyfriend.

"Yeah, sorry I was gone all day," he said sheepishly.

Fern shrugged off the other boy's guilty look before reaching his arms out to signal that he wanted a hug.

The human clambered awkwardly onto his boyfriend's lap, letting the grass boy envelope him in a squoze that lasted several seconds.

"I think I have the solution to our problem, though," he added with a sly grin once Fern finally loosened his grip.

The grass demon pinched Finn's cheek, playfully tugging the grin into a goofy looking half-smile.

"Weirdly enough, I was about to tell you the same thing," he replied.

"Hawh?" the blond asked, surprised.

The question came out garbled because Fern was still tugging his mouth open. When his boyfriend finally let go Finn made a show of rubbing the spot where his face got pulled. Fern pressed big, exaggerated smooches against the injury.

"Jake came to see me earlier. Dude, did you tell him my thing was shaped like a baby goblin arm?"

"I said it was the size of a goblin arm," Finn corrected.

"And you used the word 'girth'?" Fern asked sternly.

The blond shrugged.

"It was relevant," he answered nonchalantly.

Fern rolled his eyes.

"Well, you really skeeved him out. But he explained everything to me while you were with Bonnibel. I guess she explained things to you, too?"

"Yep," Finn answered with another grin. "And she gave us this."

The human leaned over to reach underneath the kitchen table, causing the chair they were sharing to wobble precariously. When he sat back up he was holding a large, red and white candy-striped briefcase which he held out to Fern for inspection.

The grass boy eyed it suspiciously.

"What is it?" he asked, sounding a little wary.

Finn's grin only widened. Fern made a grab for the case, but the human held it away out of his reach.

"Tell you what," the blond said. "I could really use a shower. How about you make us some tea then meet me upstairs and we can both say what we found out. Then I'll show you what's in the case.

Fern glared at his boyfriend, torn between annoyance at how much fun the other boy was having keeping his little secret and appreciation for how adorable the human's obvious excitement was.

"Fine," Fern agreed after a moment.

He made another half-hearted grab for the suitcase then used the opening to wrap his arms back around Finn when the human lifted it out of reach. The blond had no choice but to hold the case aloft as the other boy kissed him.

Fern reached his arms up to help Finn guide his burden to the floor, never breaking the kiss. Once the human's hands were free, they quickly found their way underneath the grass boy's shirt to press against his chest.

It had been a while, probably since they had begun dating, since the two had spent an entire day apart. Fern was gratified to recognize the same desperation he himself felt in the way Finn was kissing him and it only made him want the other boy more. It was a few minutes before the grass boy realized how distracted they had gotten. He held firm to Finn's shoulders, as much to steady himself as the other boy.

"Shower fast," Fern whispered close to his boyfriend's lips as he broke the kiss.

Finn nodded very seriously, bumping their noses together before leaning in for another one.