Coye 4.16 (Patreon)

Chapter 16 - Not Like Other Girls

The time had finally come, and Coye was as excited as he was nervous about learning more of his closest companion's personal history. He watched with immense interest as she stood in the center of his palm, wrestling with herself to figure out a place to start.

After struggling internally for some time, Shayla asked, "I've told you enough about the other Pixies in the forest for you to have a basic understanding of them, yeah?"

"I think so. You don't like them because they're too mean, and you left home because of that, right?" On top of her paradoxical fetish for the very same bigfolk she feared, but Coye kept that one to himself.

"More or less. For any of this to make sense, though, I have to explain something about Pixie society. Simply put, we don't fucking learn. We've always had these special seasons where we become hyperactive and fuck with the Humans way more than usual until something bad happens. Afterward, we all end up chilling for ten or twenty years until everyone collectively forgets whatever happened the last time they got too adventurous. I grew up during the most recent one of those seasons, which we call Midsummer."

"How long ago was that?" Coye tilted his head. He didn't want to interrupt, but he saw this as an excellent chance to answer another question about Shayla that had always been hot on his mind.

The Pixie saw through his scheme and raised an eyebrow at him. "You trying to figure out how old I am, you cheeky brat? Hold on a sec. Let me just go back and add specific times and dates to my tragic backstory. That'll make things more convenient, right?"

Coye blushed and hung his head, ashamed at being called out. "Sorry..."

His attempt ended up easing Shayla's mood a little bit, making her more comfortable after getting a chance to tease the boy. She smiled gently and said, "I'm kidding, baby. This was like... eighteen years ago, and I was seven or eight at the time? Somewhere around there."

"So... that means you're twenty-five?" He sounded almost confused.

Shayla's temper flared, and she started cracking her knuckles. "Yeah, and? You better not be about to say you thought I was a lot older than that!"

"N-No!" Coye was quick to quell that fire before it could spread. "I'm just weirdly happy to hear that we're close to the same age. You know. You're a spirit, so I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if you were a few centuries old or not."

"That's pretty rich coming from a Half-Elf," she ribbed while giving him a sarcastic stare that made him back down. "Now are you gonna let me tell my story, or what?"

"Yes, Shayla. Go ahead." Coye nodded, though the boy was obviously pleased to know Shayla could've been his older sister instead of having hundreds and hundreds of years more life experience than he did.

Shayla eased up and relaxed, and she continued when she was calm and collected enough to do so. "Last Midsummer was a pretty damn crazy one. Things were just... totally out of control. Pixies were sneaking into Cransmere left and right, pranking the shit out of Humans in all sorts of ways. Whether it was stealing sweets, scaring little kids, or swapping out human babies for Changelings, all of it was beyond fucked. I remember this one chick bragging about how she caused a fire that took out an entire caravan's worth of trading goods, even roasting a few people by accident. As fucked as that was, no one batted an eye as long as they could find something to laugh at about it."

Shayla's frustration was reaching a boiling point the more she recalled those days of her youth and the vile acts committed by her kin. Just as Coye was about to ask if she was all right, she asked him a rhetorical question. "You know who does care about that kind of thing? Humans."

"I can imagine," he frowned. "What did they do in response?"

"Nothing I don't blame them for doing," Shayla shrugged. "I... know this might make me sound cold and uncaring, but you already know I don't take great pride in being a Pixie. Those idiots back at the Fleeting Bough got what they deserve for not leaving well enough alone. The only problem was that the one Pixie in the whole damn forest who didn't deserve it ended up as a casualty."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. She was a weird one, alright. Even I used to think so when I was little. This Pixie didn't like pranks and instead used her magic to help others whenever possible. Whether that was other Pixies, injured adventurers in the forest, or animals caught in traps, it didn't matter. She just liked spreading smiles to anyone she came across. You want to guess how the rest of the Pixies felt about her?"

"They were probably pretty mean," Coye assumed. "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and all that..."

"You got that right," Shayla scoffed. "Some people thought she wasn't even a Pixie, and they treated her like an ordinary Fairy who somehow got swapped into the Bough at birth because of some prank no one took credit for. But hey, at least I was lucky enough some dipshit got dared to knock up the weird chick as a prank." She shrugged her shoulders, leaving Coye to dwell on the implications.

"Wait," he opened his mouth wider. "This girl we're talking about-"

"Yup," Shayla nodded blankly.

"Wow... no wonder you're not like all the other Pixies... if you take after her, I mean."

Shayla's expression became uncomfortable, and she looked off to the side. "I wish that was the case, but no. Mom was born that way. Me? I had to learn. I was way more into being a Pixie than I am now back when I was a kid, especially once Midsummer rolled around. Because everyone else around me was doing bad shit, I copied that behavior and made it my own. My mom was the only one who tried getting me to cool it, but I never listened to her. No one did. I just laughed at her face like everyone else, even when we started hearing whispers that Cransmere was calling in Fairy Hunters from across the Realm."

She noticed how nervous he was getting and laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, this ends just as bad as you're probably already thinking."

"Oh, no..." Coye started to whimper. He almost couldn't bear to listen to the rest, solely because he didn't like imagining Shayla's pain.

"So, get this. I had this really epic idea for the best prank ever. The funny thing about it, or sad, depending on how you look at it, is that I don't even fucking remember what it was all these years later. It was probably some stupid kid thing like launching animal shit against the town's walls or something like that. Anyway, Mom had a bad feeling about it when I told her my plan. Big surprise there, right? I didn't listen and took off without a care in the Realm. Even back then, I wasn't too shabby at avoiding all the monsters, so I made it out of the woods in no time. Just my luck, one of those Fairy Hunters was there, watching and waiting for one of us to show up..." Shayla paused, memories repeating in her head as she relived that day again like she had so many times before.

"I high-tailed it out of there, avoiding this iron net the guy threw at me, but he was even faster than I was. My wings were even smaller back then," she laughed. "Wasn't much I could do against someone who tracked fairies like me for a living. He... he grabbed me right out of the sky. Ugh, I still remember how his gloves were lined with iron... fucking sapped the strength outta me just by touching them. Before he could put me in a cage, my mom showed up. At first, I didn't even know it was her. I mean, I'd never seen her attack anyone or use her magic offensively in my life, yet here she was throwing around power like she was fucking queen of the forest or some shit!"

"Was she stronger than you are right now?" Coye leaned in, absorbed by the tale.

"Oh yeah. Big time, even though I'm still not sure how or why she was that powerful..." Shayla dismissed the thought with a sigh. "I ran away like she told me to, but... I hid and watched. Stupid, I know, but she was my mom! I couldn't just abandon her! She brought the hunter to the brink of death, but it wasn't enough. Her mana was all used up, and she couldn't even fly... she fell straight into his cage, and the last thing I remember before running away was her hand poking through the iron bars like she was trying to reach out for me to save her..."

It took some time for Coye to muster up a response. All he could do was ask, "Was that when you realized she was right about everything?"

"No," Shayla laughed cynically and sat down on Coye's palm. "That's the worst part. Sure, I was sad, but it wasn't some big wake-up call that changed my life the moment it happened. Nah. I went back to the Fleeting Bough and told everyone what went down, and they all dismissed my story like it was no big deal. It was her fault for being so careless, apparently. Besides, even if I did get caught, I'm a smart girl. Surely I could've gotten out of it on my own, they said. Fuck, my own dad said at least she wouldn't be getting in the way of our fun anymore. Do you know what I did when he said that? I fucking laughed. I... I laughed, Coye, and I said he had a good point..." her present laughter continued on, but it was hollow and rife with hurt.

"Midsummer ended after a few other similar incidents took place, but as for me, my realization didn't set in until I was a few years older. There wasn't really any one thing that made me realize I was different. It was more like... after mom was taken away, little things started clicking in my mind every now and then. Someone might've said something that made everyone around me laugh while I sat there faking it to fit in, or maybe one of my friends came up with an idea for a prank, and I turned them away because it sounded way too mean. There were all sorts of little things until I had to stop and look at my life and the people around me. All the other Pixies were obsessed with this stupid, selfish lifestyle where all they could think of was fucking over everyone else in the Realm for shits and giggles. When I thought about it, I realized that my mom was the only one who wasn't sucked into this crazy, radicalized hivemind... she thought for herself, made her own choices, and didn't care about what the others thought about her."

"And then you left?"

"Yeah... I could've stayed and pretended to be one of them. I still am more of a Pixie than my mom ever was... but... I wouldn't have ever been happy there. Haven't looked back since."

"Fuck," Coye frowned. He'd never felt so helpless before in all his life. Naïve as it was, he looked for a possible silver lining and started to ask, "Is there any chance that she's-"

"Baby, no... there's no coming back from that. I don't know what ended up happening to her, and in a lot of ways, I think that's even worse. If she was lucky they just killed her, but if she wasn't, they... Gods, the possibilities are just-"

"Shayla!" Coye leaned in to draw her attention. She was headed down a dark path and he couldn't allow that to happen, not with how bad things already were.

Thankful for his intervention, Shayla took a deep breath. "Sorry... hard not to think about it some nights, y'know?"

"I'm the one who's sorry," Coye said as he brought his Pixie to his chest and carefully wrapped his arms around her. She didn't struggle or act bashful, instead allowing him to embrace her fully and even nuzzling her face into his shirt as she hugged him back.

"Nope, ruining the night is still on me. All of this happened ages ago, and I know Suzette and Byng are trustworthy. If this wasn't pulled out of nowhere and we worked up to it, communicated better, I'm pretty sure I could've eased into it and maybe gotten comfortable with the thought of revealing myself. At least to them. But that isn't what happened, and I'm sorry for that."

Coye frowned as he lessoned the hug to look down at Shayla. "I wish you would stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault. You had your reasons, and Suzette had hers. I still think I'm the only one in this situation who deserves any blame, but nobody is mad at me, so..."

"It's because you're cute," Shayla laughed, only this time it was genuine. "Let's see an ugly guy whip out his secret Pixie girlfriend and reveal she'd been spying on all the times he had sex with the other girls in his harem. I bet you anything his story would have a pretty different ending than yours will."

"Maybe you're right about that," Coye joined her in laughter. Though Shayla's story remained at the forefront of his mind, she and Byng must have rubbed off on him because a darkly humorous thought wouldn't leave him alone.

When Shayla noticed he was sporting an inappropriate smile, she pressed him, "What's so funny, big guy?"

"N-No, I shouldn't say it..."

"Now you have to," she smirked. "You can either come clean right now, or I can get it out of you in the most embarrassing way I can think of. I know what I would choose if I were you, so what's it gonna be?"

Coye sighed, succumbing to pressure. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... I was just thinking how you got stuck with a lousy fetish after everything you went through."

Shayla raised her eyebrows, surprised and taken aback by Coye's comment. For a hot minute, he was scared he actually offended her. Soon after, that fear faded as a smile spread across her lips, and she started to laugh. "You have no idea how much I've thought about that, baby. I chalk it up to the incident leaving some kind of indecent mark on my poor, innocent psyche. It sounds weird, but you have to remember everyone deals with trauma in their own little way. Just because I'm into the bigfolk sexually doesn't mean I can't be scared of them! I mean, look at you. You were scared of girls, but it's not like you didn't still wanna fuck them deep down."

"That's..." Coye cupped his chin, considered it, and then chuckled. "Actually fair, I guess." The tension had eased considerably. At the moment, all seemed to be well.

"We've been out here for a pretty long time. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Been better, but in case you weren't listening, I've been much worse," Shayla laughed.

"So... how do you want to handle them?"

Shayla lost what little mirth she'd built up upon remembering the two girls waiting for them inside. Whether she liked it or not, her secret was out in the open with two more people. Sure, Suzette had offered that they could all pretend this never happened and go on with their lives, but that wouldn't erase their memory. Besides, even if Shayla could erase memories with her magic, something told her that wouldn't be the correct answer anyway. When she considered what she could do, the solution stared her in the face.

"I want to try this again," she told the boy, her voice wavering but ultimately firm. "Acting like a total bitch to Byng and Suzette isn't gonna endear me to them or make them want to keep me a secret. I... need to get on their good side. Not just for you, but for me."

Coye stood up off the hill's edge and turned to his home. "You sure?"

"Yup. I am not gonna be the reason you miss out on your first threesome!" Shayla teased.

"Alright, then," he nodded. He was pleased with her decision, but something kept him frozen and staring at Shayla until it bothered her enough to say something about it.

"Uh. Can I help you, big guy?"

"Sorry. I was wondering if you would tell me more about your mom sometime. She sounds like she was a really nice person."

Shayla was surprised to hear his request, but that surprise gave way to a soft smile. "...That she was, baby. Don't worry about it. I'm sure the topic will come up again sometime. For now, we got more important things on our plate!"

That was good enough for him, so Coye made his way back to the front door and gave it a couple of knocks to announce he was coming back in before doing so. Inside, Byng was still sitting on the table just where he left her, only now she looked much more bored and was habitually messing with her newly straight and shiny hair. Suzette was over on the countertop, washing the dishes with a distressed look on her face.

"Hey, short-stuff and, uh, even shorter-stuff." Byng greeted them, sitting up more politely.

"Hey, yourself," Shayla casually nodded back.

"Sorry that took a while, but everything's alright now," Coye informed them before seating himself opposite Byng. He set his hand down against the table, allowing Shayla to walk onto it. She summoned a cushion to sit on when she was there, indicating she was here to stay.

Suzette wiped up her hands with a nearby towel and joined them. "Darling. Shayla. I-"

"Nuh-uh. Don't wanna hear it." Shayla said in objection to the older woman, preemptively shaking her head. "I want to start things off here, so get comfy." After a moment's hesitation, Suzette worked past her desire to profusely apologize and had herself a seat next to Byng just as ordered.

"There you go. Before anyone starts tripping over themselves trying to say they're sorry, I want to admit I handled this really, really badly. Sure, I didn't appreciate the whole 'gotcha' stunt you tried to pull, but I'm not blameless here. I get how it looks with the whole me helping Coye out and spying on you thing-"

"I still don't actually mind that shit," Byng interrupted.

"And my discomfort pales compared to the benefits your intervention has blessed me with." Suzette agreed.

"I get it, I get it! Let me finish." Shayla scratched the back of her head and exhaled. "I'm trying to say that I've got issues, and even though it might take me a while to warm up to you both, I want to at least try and meet you halfway. If you can forgive me for what I did, I can forgive you for putting me in the spotlight. B-But don't get all mushy with your feelings about it! This is hard enough already!"

"Sounds good to me, gahaha! I'm not exactly the mushy type, anyway. Gushing, yes. Mushy? Not so much. How about you, Suz?"

"I agree, dear. I know a good deal when I see one," Byng coughed 'most of the time' under her breath as Suzette spoke. "...And those are some terms I can get behind. Thank you for your forgiveness, Shayla." She said with a bit of irritation added in Byng's direction.

"Hey, what did I just say?!" Shayla started to blush and ruffle her hair out of embarrassed frustration.

Coye was over the moon to see things turn out so smoothly. After all the tension and uncertainty at the start of this confrontation, the power of his little growing family won out in the end. He was smiling from ear to ear, but no one paid him much mind. Shayla was the star now.

"Geez, whatever... Now that we got past all that crap, I'm not sure about where we go from here. Any ideas?" She asked.

"Why not start with the beginning?" Suzette suggested. "You already know so much about the two of us. It's only fair for you to tell us more about yourself."

"You... wanna know more about me?" Shayla twiddled her thumbs and looked over her shoulder at Coye for support.

"I think that would be a good idea, Shayla," he gave her the affirmation she needed.

"Yeah! I want to hear about how you guys met," Byng pointed at the both of them, showing off her sharp smile and unending enthusiasm. "And make you don't spare any of the details, gahaha! Especially not the juicy ones!"

Coupled with the support she received from Coye, the girl's shared interest in her was all Shayla needed. Just this once, she figured that being the center of attention wasn't so bad.

With a growing grin, she started to talk more casually as she said, "You want to hear how this all started, huh? Alright. I guess it's as good a place as any to kick this off. So there I was in the Gnarled Woods. It was months, and months, and months ago by now, and what do I spy out of the corner of my eye other than the cutest piece of ass that ever wandered through the forest?"