Chapter 31 - Roots and Brutes

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The men walked through the halls with confident strides. "We should get you a different uniform, so you're recognised as a special type of guard," Sage said, eyeing Taro's green and golden Valet's uniform.

"Can I choose the colours?"

"No." Sage guided him to the garden shed. Luckily, Oxley wasn't hanging around, still wanting to keep an eye on him. "Right, lets repot you." He glanced at Taro, expecting him to do his impressive transformation.

"Can we just talk about this new job role for a second... so I get to follow you around now? We didn't think this through. What if I need to be in my plant form, but you're busy, and I need to be with you?"

"Well, how often do you need to be in your plant form?"

"At least for a few hours throughout the day."

Sage rubbed his chin. "Okay, that's manageable. We can figure it out. I'll just have a reading hour or a tea break or something. I don't know, we'll think of something."

"I don't want to make your life more stressful."

"You're not. It's fine, I'm happy I have a guard now." Sage looked at all the pots full of soil. "How do I do this?"

Taro moved closer. "Are you sure you're okay with all of this? You're being really tolerant, but it's okay if you are still freaked out with me being the way I am, and now this whole guard thing. It was hard enough for you to accept a Valet who doesn't think before he speaks."

Sage thought about how he felt. When he tried to decipher his feelings over the past few weeks, not a day went by that he felt the same. His emotions were everywhere. "I think I was mainly stressed about you getting caught. We're only just starting to become friends, and I like that you know that I'm- I like that you know my secret. I didn't want you to get fired and then me to feel..."

"Alone?"

Sage nodded. "So yeah, this is weird but not as weird as I thought it would be. We both have big secrets, we both put a lot of trust into each other. Yes, you have a mouth that uh..." Sage's eyes lowered to Taro's lips. "That uh, loves the sound of his own voice, but it's refreshing. I'm getting used to you, and this." He diverted his attention to the plant pots on the muddy desktop. "Shall we start repotting you?"

"Wait." Taro grabbed his arm and they faced each other. "It feels good trusting someone, doesn't it?"

Sage nodded.

Taro smiled warmly. His green eyes crinkled at the sides. "About a month ago, you would have actually fired me for standing too close to you. Now I get to embrace your bicep."

Sage softly pulled his arm away, trying not to smile. "Come on, let's get this done."

They picked a soil that Taro liked and decided on a darker shade of purple for Taro's pot. His green vine tattoos started to move. "So just gently take me out of my old pot and put me in my new one."

"Will you be able to transform straight back after you're in the new pot?"

"It might take me ten minutes. But it's fine, it's not weird for you to be in the shed. Just pretend you're busy picking another plant if anyone comes in."

"I won't actually choose another plant you know. I was just-"

"Teasing me?" Taro smirked. "One plant man in your life is enough."

Sage dug a hole in the soil. "That sounds awfully like jealousy."

"You can't blame me for wanting you all to myself." By now, Taro was leaning into him, his face close enough for Sage to feel his breath on his cheek.

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