ROUGH DRAFT - Coye 6.16 (Patreon)

It was the least surprising thing in the world. All the signs had pointed to Coye being in love with her, especially as of late, but Dorothy never took the time to piece things together. That, or perhaps she stopped herself from reaching the obvious conclusion. Deep down, she might’ve known on some level but never had the time to explore her feelings productively until they became too big to ignore. She was happy, nervous, and overwhelmed all at the same time from his confession. Oh yeah

Dorothy started to cry softly. Looking at him was too difficult, so she focused on the bed beneath her and her tears started to fall down onto the first layer of bedding.

Coye was having trouble staying quiet. He wanted to say something or try and comfort her, but understood on some level it was probably best to just let her speak when she was ready. That moment didn’t seem like it was going to come anytime soon and his willpower was tested until it broke.

“Dorothy? Are you-“ he hesitantly raised a hand in case he needed to reach out and comfort her in someway, but she interrupted him.

“I’m fine. I promise. I’m… I’m fine…!” Dorothy slurred her words, barely managing to simper them out between sobs. “ i’ve just never felt so happy before in all my life, I don’t know how to process it other than… than crying…!”

Her words hit Coye with immense force, his heart now beating out of control despite how hard he tried to steel himself for this moment. He wondered if this was how Byng felt when she confessed to him and got the answer she was looking for. It felt nice, so he hoped it was the case. Coye stop smiling even as Dorothy‘s tears proved contagious and he started to shed a few of his own.

Shayla was glad it was finally happening. The sheer amount of love in the room was affecting her on a deep level. Her heart beat with Coye’s, she smiled with him, even cried a tiny bit though she would never admit it. Still seemed like she was weirdly in sync with him tonight, but she chalked it up to the high emotions.

“Take as long as you need,” he told her at last after wrestling his own feelings.

“I Think I’m good now…” Dorothy claimed, unconvincingly. She was still fighting the urge to cry even harder but she managed to look into Coye’s eyes and show off that she was trying her best. “ at least as good as I can be right about now, ahaha…”

“ you could be doing a lot worse,” he smiled.

“ sure doesn’t feel like that…” Dorothy wiped some tears from her eyes and giggled. “I… um… I need to say how I feel now, don’t I?”

“ in my experience, that’s usually how this goes, yeah…” Coye laughed along with her, Earning another smile from Dorothy. He didn’t mean it to be taken that way, but the fact that he had experience comforted her. It was reassuring to know that she and her emotions were in good hands.

“Ok. I can do this…” Dorothy took a deep breath, though it did absolutely nothing for her nerves. She didn’t know how anyone could confess their feelings with as much conviction as Coye just did but she knew she had to extend the same courtesy. It probably wasn’t easy for him, but that only meant there was no excuse for her.

“I… I… oh, gods… this is hard…” her first attempt went miserable. She was so sure she could handle it but couldn’t even make it past the first word without trembling and losing herself to further anxiety. No. She wasn’t going to let this happen. Her nerves be damned, she had to tell Coye how she really felt about him.

“ Coye, I…” Dorothy stared into his bright, sparkling blue eyes. In the dim light, they seemed too shimmer with shifting magic. So beautiful, and to think such a beautiful eyes were focused solely on her… watching her… waiting for her response.

“ I love you, too. I, um… I mean… I… shit-“ she started to panic. Dorothy got the first bit out, but there was more she had to say. “ let me try again,“ she pleaded. “ I wasn’t done, I didn’t mean to slip up like that! Can I do this over, or-“

Coye recognized what she was going through. He lived through it himself already and seen her like this reminded him of his experiences so far and how far he come from the stuttering mess he was when he attempted to get closer to Suzette. He was proud of himself, but even more proud of Dorothy for taking the first steps. Now that she had, he was going to support her.

He Took her hand in his, smiled, and looked her right in the eyes as he said, “ take as long as you need. I’ve waited long enough to hear that, I can wait longer for you to get on with the rest.”

Dorothy found even more courage when he did that for her and she squeeze his soft hand tightly for support. For a moment, she thought about closing her eyes and pretending he wasn’t here so that she could say these words to the void. Maybe that would’ve made it easier, but it wouldn’t have been right and she knew that. She’d do this the right way or not at all.

Her words exploded out of her and Dorothy finally said all that she needed to.

“ I mean it… I love you, too. Really. Probably not for as long as you might’ve loved me, but a lot longer than I ever realized. I don’t have any excuses for the way I never realized my feelings, but it all makes so much sense now… You were always the one I turned to for help, the only person I could rely on, and all the times you hung out with me and listen to me rant, I was too dense to notice The way you looked at me was more than friendly… and… i’m so sorry it took me this long. That It took a mental breakdown for things to slow down enough to the point where I could actually take a closer look at the things around me and process The way you felt about me, and the way I felt about you… can you ever forgive me for being so stupid, Coye?”

Now it was Coye’s turn to not know what to say. He wanted to immediately reciprocate, or to tease her and tell her she’d have to work for it, maybe even answer her without words and go in for a hug? He didn’t know. He had been waiting to hear those words for so very long and now that he had it was like he didn’t know what to do with them.

In the end, he decided to keep things simple.

“ there’s nothing to forgive you for. I Couldn’t be happier right now, Dorothy.”

“Really…?” She nervously twiddled her thumbs, daring to look at him again with a nervous smile.

“ yeah. I’m tempted to come over there and sit next to you, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea until we cover everything.” Coye briefly hesitated.

Dorothy blushed at his suggestion but appreciated the patience. “ that would make me happy, but, um… yes, there are a few other things we need to talk about before we decide where things are heading for the both of us, I think.”

“Sorry.” Coye sighed. “ I really don’t want to ruin the moment here or anything, but this is something really important…”

“ is… is it about your harem?” Dorothy stuttered. As she said the word, the gravity of it sank in. Coye already had two other lovers and if she entered the picture more formally, she would join the ranks. What a strange feeling, and certainly never one she thought she would enter into such a situation when she grew up. Regardless, she was ready for that kind of commitment.

“If it is, then you don’t need to be worried about it too much. Suzette is amazing, and so is Byng… honestly, I regret not getting closer to her sooner. After yesterday, well…”

“Byng is really different once you get to know her,” Coye smiled. “I had to learn that the hard way, so I know what do you mean.”

“ yeah. She just acted like a constant troublemaker and I could never get her to take on quests, but now? She’s so kind and…” Dorothy stopped herself short. She was getting close to comparing the two of them and how it’s no wonder Coye fell for her, but she knew that avoiding mental pitfalls like that was important. “ sorry. Lost my train of thought there for a moment…”

“You’re fine,” Coye promised. Then, he move things along. “This is kind of about my harem, but not in the way you think. It’s complicated.”

“ oh. How complicated are we talking about?”

“ reasonably,” Coye shrugged. “ this topic is a little sensitive you might say so I think it would be for the best if we cleared the air on everything else before talking about it. Is that all right with you?”

Dorothy’s curiosity started growing thanks to the mysterious way he kept talking about this. She wanted to know the truth, but she was just thankful to even get a chance to talk this intimately with him at all.

“ I think that’s fine, yes… I have some things I need to talk about with you anyway.”

Shayla was relieved. She was keeping quiet so that she didn’t ruin Coye’s big moment with his first love, but was very thankful for him treating the matter so delicately. This was her first time voluntarily revealing herself to anyone besides him and it was a very big deal for her. The longer she had to prepare for it, the better. More than that, she was grateful that even during his intimate confession moment with Dorothy he was still thinking about her in the back of his mind.

“ I think I should probably clarify how I feel about the whole harem situation in general, for one thing…” Dorothy took in a deep breath and met Coye’s gaze. “ The idea of it makes me uncomfortable, but not in the way you might think. i’m perfectly fine being in one, but… oh, goodness. I know harems are fairly common for well-off adventurers, but it’s usually a right only reserved for the wealthy merchants and the nobility… me? I’m just a poor country girl when you get down to it. I never thought I’d have the chance to be in one, so I find it a little exciting but… um… also very nerve-racking. The hard part is trying not to compare myself, but…Hopefully in time I can improve with that. I just want you to know that I am OK with it and even if I’m not your favorite, then-”

Coye surprised Dorothy by cutting her off with a small bit of childish anger. He got pouty, insisting, “I don’t wanna hear you put yourself down like that again! I don’t have a favorite. That’s not the point of a harem. At least not for me. I love everyone who I choose to be with equally, it’s not a competition, and I like Byng And Suzette for different reasons than I like you.”

“ oh, um… ahaha…” Hearing him so casually say that he liked her was going to take some adjusting to, but it certainly felt nice to hear a second time. She was extremely happy, but had to clarify some things. “I’m sorry. I appreciate that, but I don’t know how easy it will be for me to get past my self-esteem issues. They’re not something you can just turn on and off, you know?”

“ I think I know a thing or two about that, yeah,” he laughed softly again. “ but it’s OK. I’m not mad at you, I will just correct you if I see you doing it again. Hell, this is another thing I love about you. You’re One of the nicest, sweetest and most attractive women I’ve ever known but you’re still so humble that you can’t even see yourself how I do. It’s really cute, honestly.”

nicest? Sweetest? Most attractive??? Dorothy‘s glasses were fogging up and she had to fight back the urge to sweat nervously. She was breathing even heavier while shifting around in her seat.

“ I don’t know about all of that. Maybe swap humble for neurotic, ahaha…”

“ same difference.“  he shrugged.

“ would you mind if I got the most neurotic thing out of my head so that it stops eating away at me?”

“ sure. That’s what you’re here for, right?”

“ right…” Dorothy steadied herself again, hoping she wasn’t about to upset him with her following question. Even so, things wouldn’t sit well with her until she asked. “ why me? I mean, I understand why you say you like me-“

“ why I love you,” he corrected, getting her to blush even redder. Shayla thought he was just being cruel.

“Ah, yes, love… that’s… that’s right…” she laughed awkwardly, almost seeming to vibrate from stress. “ either way, I feel like I won’t really be able to process it until I hear more of your reasoning...”

“ are you sure you just don’t want attention?”  He teased, earning a rise out of her. “ because I’ll tell you why I love you as long as you want.”

“Coye…” Dorothy whined. She was close to squirming. “I’m being serious!”

‘ be nice to the poor girl!‘ shayla finally spoke up, it was to chastise him. She understood that he had trouble holding back now that they were clearing out the air, but he still needed to be good.

Realizing he might have went too far, he scratched the back of his head and looks down at the mattress below. “ sorry. If you want an honest answer without any teasing-“

“ I do,” Dorothy was firm, but in a cute and pouty way.

“ well, get comfortable because we’re gonna be here for a while. There are all sorts of reasons for my feelings for you, Dorothy. The way you get so passionate about the things you care about draws me in and makes me interested in what you have to say. The way you work hard to help as many people as possible is inspiring. Then, there’s how smart you are. You always seem to know the answer to any monster related question and you have so much to say that it’s practically bursting out of you at times-“

“W-Why did you have to say it like that…?” Dorothy hid behind her hands and blushed. “You’re making it sound like you love me because I’m annoying!”

“ you’re not annoying!” He countered, firmly so that she knew not to suggest it again. “ besides everything that I’ve already said, there’s also how you took care of me for the last two years when I didn’t have anyone else. I didn’t know at the time, but Suzette and Byng we’re both trying to make connections with me in their own ways but I didn’t have that problem with you. I never struggled to understand you the way I did with them. You were my constant, Dorothy. Whenever I came home, the first thing I thought about was how I could see your smile. It was worth more than any other reward you’ve ever given me.”

Things were Quiet for a few moments, at least until Dorothy had time to process his words. After that came a very embarrassed response. She wasn’t used to being praised, not by anyone, let alone the boy she was in love with. Sure, he stood up for her the other day, but hearing all this in person alone had such different implications. She wanted to flop backward onto the bed and collapse but nothing came of it. She simply stared at him in awkward silence.

“Is… is that all?” She asked meekly. Coye wasn’t entirely sure, but he almost thought that maybe she wanted to hear more from him. Either way, he was unable to help himself and once he started rambling he had a tendency of speaking from the heart.

“ no, there’s also how attracted I am to you… that wasn’t a huge part of it until recently, but I always thought you were-“

“ attractive?” Dorothy gulped.

“Sexy.”

“O-Oh, dear…” she really didn’t know how to take that, but it wasn’t terribly surprising given what she knew about his libido. At first Dorothy wondered if his standards were just low, but then she remembered how stunning Suzette was and how Byng was pretty hot too. Was there really a chance that he saw her as comparable to them? The possibility made her heart race.

Sensing that she had significant doubts, Coye went out of his way to lay them to rest. “I’m serious. I want you so bad. I know that’s forward of me, but if we’re being honest with each other I really, really want you. Especially now that we’re both on my bed, It’s taking a ton of self-control not to come over there and-“

‘ whoa, easy there! Don’t scare her!’ Shayla warned before he started to sound suspect.

“Er-“ Coye’s tongue was twisted, things now suddenly awkward.  More than they were, somehow. “Sorry. Not about what I said, I meant every word of that, it’s just-“

“ it’s OK…” Coye looked at her to find Dorothy wasn’t as embarrassed as he expected. Rather, her cheeks were red but she was smiling and looking at him with passion. “I might not understand why you think that about me, but I’m still a girl, you know… No one‘s ever told me I look sexy before, and, um… wow, the validation feels really nice, ahaha… I never knew that  being wanted could feel so nice…”

Coye thought she looked more beautiful than ever right then in there in that moment. It took all his self-control not to continue keeping compliments coming. he struggled with himself, Dorothy found herself questioning what he might’ve said if he didn’t stop himself short. She knew that he wanted sex, but unconsciously wondered about the specifics. What was it that he wanted to do with her? Did he fantasize about her the same way she fantasize about him?

Dorothy scooted closer, asking “that was pretty brazen of you, though. Is  that your condition talking , or something…?”

“ yes and no,” he admitted. “It makes me a lot more honest and willing to speak my mind.”

“ I almost wish you ate that mushroom a lot sooner, then…” Dorothy giggled.

‘That’s the cover story you came up with?’ Shayla tried hard to stifle a laugh.

‘ shut up. She bought it, and that’s all that matters!’ Coye defended himself.

“ so do I,” He smiled back.

“ on the topic of being honest, I… um… look, Coye, this is the happiest night of my life and nothing that happens could possibly change that, but there are two things I want to talk about before we… um… can really call this a done deal, if you know what I mean…”

“I have an idea. Go on, then. Tell me whatever it is you need to tell me so that we can make this work. I’m serious about you, Dorothy, and I’ll do anything it takes.”

His confidence made a lump form in her throat. She was much less so and it was intimidating, if a little comforting. Probably best to get the easier one out of the way, so she shook off her hesitation and looked him right in the eyes.

“ The reason I passed out the other day is a little bit more complicated than I told you. I’m sorry for not telling you the whole truth when we talked about it, but, I think you’ll understand why after I explain things…” Dorothy sighed. “ you might’ve noticed that last week I was acting very cagey toward you…”

‘ that’s one way to put it,’  Shayla laughed.

“ yeah, you’re right. I might have.“ he teased her about it in a way that made her smile.

“ I didn’t know what at the time, but when you moved out, that was the first time I realized something about our our relationship was off. I was probably stubborn and difficult to deal with, but you have to understand I… I was struggling trying to understand my feelings towards you. I’m very not proud of the way I acted. I kept denying my feelings. Rationalizing them, and even avoiding them by running away from you and avoiding you…”

Coye started to feel guilty and he hung is head in shame. “I’m sorry if something I said put you through all that. It must’ve been really rough on top of everything else. I… Fuck, I’m sorry if I was unintentionally of the cause of everything…”

“ no, please… let me finish, Coye. You weren’t why I had a breakdown. At least not in the way you might think.”

“ that’s reassuring…”

“ you’re not letting me finish,“ Dorothy pouted.

“ sorry, sorry. It’s just a heavy topic and I can’t help jumping to conclusions.“

“I understand. What I’m trying to say is that for as bad as that week was, I was really close to understanding the way I felt about you. I might’ve already known I was in love with you , Honestly… it’s just that… then my inspection happened.”

“ wait, what? How did I have anything to do with that?” He was curious but supportive. He could tell that this was getting real for Dorothy, so he scooted closer and offered her his hand which Dorothy took and squeezed it tight.

“ you came up. The inspector implied something specifically that let’s just say set me off fairly badly…” Dorothy’s breathing was getting heavier, but at least she could get through it with his help. “ you remember how a few weeks ago you were upset about my sales pitches, and you felt like I was always using you for money?”  She asked, which was still a difficult topic for her to broach.

Shayla felt really bad as Coye looked away and nodded. “ how could I forget?”

“Well… I really don’t know how to say this, but one of the specific reasons that the reviewer even showed up was to talk to me about a way to take advantage of you in particular even further…”

‘… The fuck?’  Shayla didn’t know how to take that. For as little as she knew about the AOA‘s corporate structure, she refused to believe that Coye made enough gold for anyone in a higher position to give a rats ass about him.

rather than confusion, Coye was mad. “ you need to tell me what they said. Now.“

Dorothy knew he wouldn’t like this, but there wasn’t much either of them could do about it so she just told him the truth. “For as much as you told me about your life, you never told me that your father was a platinum ranked adventurer, you know…”

‘ platinum? I don’t think you ever mentioned there was anything higher than gold!’ Shayla remarked in wonderment. She knew something was up with his dad from all his weird anecdotes about the guy and the bizarre training he put Coye through, but this sounded important.

“ A retired one, yes… where is this going, exactly?”

Dorothy knew where this was going, and she didn’t like it. Now that she was on the verge of explaining, it caught up to her and she found it a struggle to continue talking. The more she thought about it, the more she really lived that awful conversation and the way it made her feel so powerless.

She started to sniffle and then to lightly cry against her wishes, but this time, she wasn’t alone. Coye Took notice of her troubles immediately and crossed what little distance they remain between them on the bed and took the initiative, pulling Dorothy in for a hug. She suddenly stopped crying and after a moment, she leaned into it and close her eyes.

“ i’m sorry,” she whimpered. “ this is still so recent, and it’s hard to think about…”

“ it’s OK, I’m here for you…” he hug the little tighter before one of his hands reached out and started stroking her head, weaving its way down her silky black hair and her spine. “ what did the inspector say to you, Dorothy?”

“ she implied that one way I might get out of our constant financial problem as well was by… ah… getting in good with your father and trying to tempt him out of retirement. They framed it like they knew his character and they said that he would probably rush at the chance to help his… um… his daughter-in-law’s guild if need be…”

“ but he doesn’t have a daughter in law, I-“ Coye’s eyes open wide as soon as the realization hit.  He blushed at first, but then got upset and even angrier. “ fuck. They are probably right, too… if you and I really were a thing and I asked him to help, he definitely would do something… that’s just the kind of man he is, and the kind of man he raised me to be…”

‘ this is all kinds of fucked up,’  Shayla shook her head. She could already imagine what Dorothy must’ve went through when she heard all that, and it wasn’t pretty.

Pulling herself away from him, Dorothy continued to speak now feeling a few degrees more composed. “As soon as the inspector left, my breakdown happened instantly. It’s just that I couldn’t bear how after so much I’ve done for the association they would even suggest such a thing. It felt like they were tainting my feelings for you. Like I couldn’t even come to terms with my love without it being dragged into work, if you look at it a certain way it’s almost like they wanted to whore me out to you…”

Her emotions were starting to get stronger again and her tears picked up in frequency. “ I needed you to know this before we got into a relationship. I love you so much, and I don’t ever want you to think I’m using you ever again. If we got together and you found out after the fact that the inspector implied such a thing, you might believe I had ulterior motives… so that’s why I needed to say it…”

Shayla’s already considerable guilt now acted up even worse. She was crying right alongside Dorothy, unbeknownst to Coye. Not only was she wrong about Dorothy using Coye for money, But the fact that this caused her break down as hard as it did only made Shayla feel worse. It was almost as bad as the guilt she felt over what happened to her mother.

Coye was taking it better, but that’s only because he was more mad than anything else. He looked at Dorothy straight in the eyes and asked, “ and after all that you still want to work for them?”

“ it’s not like there’s any other options,“ she sighed. “ what am I going to do? Become the guild mistress of some other non-association guild? Let me know if you find one of those, because that would be just lovely…” Dorothy laughed darkly, knowing there was no such a guild thanks to the favor the association carried with the crown and the monopoly they held because of it.

“ i’m not going to argue with you over whether or not that’s the right choice, but it still worries me a lot…” Coye said. “ Who knows what else they might try and make you do one day?”

“ they won’t care as long as they get their profit from me,“  Dorothy shook her head. “It’s scummy, but that’s just how the association plays. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am today, and I don’t want to throw it all away.”

“ yeah, but at the cost of your dignity?”

“ it’s not about dignity.“ She stressed. “You were the one who helped me realize I wanted to keep trying, so please respect my decision.“

He looked at her and saw she was a measure more composed now. She wasn’t crying, she was determined. It was hard not to respect her after seeing that. She wasn’t going to let a shitty employer stop her from moving up in the world and doing what she was good at. Coye conceded the point and nodded his head.

“Alright. As long as you’re sure, then I’ll support you. Just for the record, you don’t want me to send a letter to my dad, do you?”

Dorothy looked very torn on the topic. On the one hand there was profit to be made, but no, this wasn’t worth it. “ we aren’t in any financial trouble anymore so I don’t think that’s necessary. Plus, I’m worried about how it would look to the association if I so blindly followed a suggestion like that.“

“Won’t they already think you are if we end up getting together?”

“ well, maybe,” she blushed, remembering what this was all about. “ but we aren’t exactly going to report it anytime soon… They would want to send someone here to make sure I’m not treating you with any favoritism and so on and I don’t think I can handle another inspection, ahaha…”

‘Poor thing…’  Shayla could sense the stress behind her laughter and as serious as that was, she couldn’t help feeling a little excited by the prospect of an office romance. As a pixie she wasn’t familiar with the concept, but Suzette did have a couple books on it that she flipped through that one time.

“ that’s fair,” Coye said, although he was holding back a little disappointment. He wanted everyone to know that Dorothy was his but obviously understood where she was coming from. “ what was the other thing you wanted to talk about before making this official?“  he asked.

Suddenly, the mood shifted. Shayla noticed it before he did, and it wasn’t good. Dorothy took on a significant frown and she looked away, as if knowing this was possibly a large point of contention between them.

Desperate to try and help her partner if she could, she ran through all the things Dorothy could possibly want to talk about and one of them struck out more than the others. She hoped it was wrong, but Shayla knew better. This was something they absolutely had to talk about, and the fact that Suzette and Byng started a relationship with him without talking about it was quite abnormal.

“ this one is a little bit more worrying,” Dorothy admitted. “I… I don’t know if now is really the best time to talk about it, on second thought, but-“

“ you said it stopping us from having a relationship, didn’t you? I want to clear it out of the way no matter how bad it is so that we can settle things tonight.“

“Oh,” Dorothy blushed. She wiped some sweat from her brow and looks away nervously. “Is there any special reason it has to be tonight? Were you, um… expecting anything to happen?”

Coye realized how it found it and then tried to play it down. “No, I didn’t mean it like that… I just don’t want to wait anymore. I want you to be with me and the only thing I’m impatient for is for us to clear any obstacles. That’s all.”

“… and what if it’s an obstacle you can’t clear?”

“ there’s no such thing.“ He was resolute when he started, almost inspiring confidence in her if it weren’t for the impossibility of what he was unknowingly implying.

‘Coye…’ Shayla closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. ‘ don’t push deeper on this than you have to. You’re not going to like this.‘

‘ what is that supposed to mean?‘ he asked, still not getting it. It was obvious what she wanted to talk about, but it was a subject he pushed so far out of his mind for most of his life that picking up the cues for it was hard.

Dorothy knew this was going to hurt him and she didn’t want to say it, but she had to. If she didn’t, she was the one who was going to be hurt. Maybe not anytime soon, but one day. It was a guarantee.

“ I can’t start a relationship with you unless we talk about your lifespan.“