A small shudder rippled through Faun, he leaned back out of Declan's reach and smacked his hand away. "Don't touch." He scolded sharply, snatching back his tail as well. "Enough of this too, I need to go prepare lunch."
Declan's eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze had caught Faun's reaction and his curiosity only burned hotter but he decided to let go this time, watching Faun quickly put some distance between them.
He would bide his time, he had the time to after all.
Dinner was a quiet affair as lunch had been, Faun bringing out the new books that Declan had bought for him on their trip to the store earlier.
He wanted to be able to fit in better, maybe if he seemed human enough, Declan would let him stay? Or he could even live by himself…
He shook himself out of wistful notions like that, he wasn't human, he would never be, it was exactly the reason why his species were being hunted to extinction.
Declan went into the town the next day to buy a phone for Faun, leaving the hybrid bustling in the kitchen.
He had barely spared Declan a glance, much more interested in poring through the cook books spread out on the kitchen island.
Declan made a face but said nothing about it.
He bumped into Lou in town, it was starting to happen so frequently that he didn't question it.
He could ignore her this time though, it wasn't like he mistakenly walked into her store again because he was thinking about a particular red haired fox.
Lou was the one to approach him this time. "Isla's alive." She stated bluntly, not one to beat around the bush.
One of the many reasons he tolerated the tall lady; she was dressed in all black today as usual, her big boots tapping the ground lightly as she talked to him, purple hair and blue eyes a startling pale shade.
"How disappointing." Declan muttered without hesitation, not missing Lou's quiet chuckle.
"She's been on my neck about wanting to check up on you, so do you mind if we come over on the weekend? For a simple picnic if you will." She explained patiently. "I'll make sure she leaves right after."
Declan thought over it briefly, he wasn't sure he wanted to thrust Faun right in the middle of two humans but then again Lou's presence might ease things along.
The hybrid had handled their going into the town fairly well, this shouldn't pose a problem to him either.
"Sure." He agreed after a brief silence.
With nothing more to say, they parted ways and Declan could only sigh at how dense Isla had to be to not notice Lou's intentions.
But he wasn't a matchmaker, the last thing he wanted was getting in the middle of whatever they had going on.
He bought what he came down to town for and left quickly for the cottage, coming back with good news.
There was a passing fair, he had overheard quite a number of people talking about it.
He would take Faun to see it.
He had been concerned about what they could do in town, they couldn't just keep going to restaurants or stores or just wander around all the time.
If the fair stayed long in Oakwood, they could even go more than once, there was the movies… Declan caught himself.
Here he was acting like he was meticulously planning out dates for his girlfriend.
Maybe Isla was right in trying to get him into a relationship.
The warm and inviting scent of fresh baking washed over him and he immediately scrapped the idea of getting a girlfriend, he doubted anyone would be able to cook as good as Faun.
And he already had Faun, so why bother?
Faun's head peeked out of the kitchen when he clicked the front door shut behind him.
"Oh, you're back." He simply said but Declan's mood improved further.
Nothing beats coming back home to someone after all. The main problem was finding the right person.
"What are you making?" Declan asked curiously, placing the small package he had come back with on the centre table.
Faun's soft green eyes fell on it but he asked no questions, he could always inquire later.
"Muffins." Faun replied shortly, a tinge of pride in his voice as he marched inside the kitchen.
Declan followed behind him, catching sight of his swinging, bushy tail and felt the urge to touch it.
Which was strange, because Declan despised body contact with every and all persons and avoided it as much as he could but he found himself reaching for Faun at every chance he got.
Faun had been talking the entire time but he was distracted by his thoughts.
"... just put them in the oven but they already smell so good."
"Of course." Declan supported in that distracted tone of his, ruffling Faun's red gold hair before heading to the fridge to get something refreshing to drink. "You made it."
The tone of finality in Declan's voice coupled with the physical show of support made Faun tuck his head between his shoulders, rubbing the tip of his furry ear.
"What did you buy?" He blurted out to break the awkward atmosphere, heading for the living room.
Declan followed him once more, a glass of the cold water that he had settled for in his hold. "A phone, it's convenient to have." He said shortly.
Faun opened up the package and stared at the device with wide curious eyes, his ears twitching.
He had seen Declan play with something similar now and again.
Declan spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Faun how to use his new cellphone, making sure that they both had each other's contact.
As a matter of fact, Faun didn't need any other contact so it would be only his, as it should be.
Faun caught on quickly, his eyes going dark with concentration as he tapped away at the screen of his new phone, wanting to try out everything.
The chocolate chip muffins had turned out perfect which was honestly no surprise, Declan didn't eat a lot though, he wasn't exactly a sweets person.
But Faun was, and he could bake good too which meant that he had everything at his disposal to feed his sweet tooth.
And as someone who had never gotten the chance to before, Declan let him have a field day, all day, everyday.