Virgil tugged the carrot out of the ground, looking at it with a face of disgust before tossing it into the basket. He sat back with a sigh and wiped sweat off of his brow, looking at the rest of the field.
He smiled at the cool relief as a breeze blew by, making the leaves around him rustle. He kept his eyes closed as he felt his hair and feathers blow gently, pretending not to sense the animal behind him.
Paws took off from the ground and Virgil finally turned around, letting the fox jump onto him and push him to the ground with a laugh.
"Aw! You got me!" he said, giving Darrell a bunch of scratches.
The fox jumped off of him and yipped loudly.
"You did too, I'm laying in the dirt, aren't I?"
Darrell huffed, sitting down with a pout.
Virgil smiled even bigger at the laugh that came above him, since he still hasn't gotten out of the dirt yet. He held his arms out and felt warm hands grab his, pulling him up.
"Well it looks like you brought me an angel today, Darrell," Roman teased. "What are you doing out here so early, busy bee?"
"Just getting a bit of work done before you wake up," Virgil answered.
The witch looked down at the basket on the ground, wrinkling his nose. "Yuck, carrots."
"They bring in good money."
"You mean money we don't need with all the compensation gold the king gave our town and you?"
"I don't like that pity money." Virgil let go of Roman's hands and cleaned the dirt off of his wings. The dark purple feathers were big and full, completely healed.
"Yes well, it's been five years now and we still have plenty of it." Roman helped him, cleaning Virgil's other wing.
"Even after we spent so much of it on these pretty jewels." The fairy raised his hand to show the wedding band on his finger. Three jewels, a purple one, a red one, and a giant magenta one all on a silver ring. Roman had a matching one, though his ring was gold.
"You're going to lose that by working out here with it on."
"Good thing I had infused it with my magic so I can't lose it. The same with yours."
"Even though I don't see the point, since with our bond we'll never lose each other."
Virgil grabbed Roman by the hips, pulling him closer and making his face red. "No, never again." He gave him a small peck on his lips. "I just felt like it was tradition. And hey, if we ever get a kid then we'll give them something with our magic infused in it too."
Roman sighed, a smile forming quickly. "You know, we kinda already do."
"Sid doesn't count, she calls us Uncles."
"Well let's go clean up and get something to eat so we can see her later today."
Virgil picked up the basket of carrots. "Okay, just let me put these away first."
Roman took the basket from him. "I'll take care of that, go clean your wings."
The fairy rolled his eyes but made his way back to the house, followed by Roman. He went over to the kitchen and pulled out a bowl, comb, and washcloth. He used his magic to make some water rise from the barrel and go into the bowl.
Darrell ran into the kitchen, circling the fairy with a small yip before Roman walked over. Virgil rolled his eyes as Roman took the comb, the fairy soaking the washcloth.
"You don't need to help me clean my wings, you know," he told the witch.
"Maybe, but I love spending time with you."
Virgil gently scrubbed some dirt out of his wings, Roman following it with a comb. They followed this same pattern until the water in the bowl was brown and the feathers were all soaked.
"How long were you out there?" Roman asked, dumping the water in the sink.
"Long enough," Virgil answered, trying to control his emotions as he grabbed some eggs.
The witch sighed at the sudden jump of emotions, having recognized Virgil's pattern long ago. "You had a nightmare last night, didn't you?"
"It's just a stupid dream." Virgil grabbed a whisk, but Roman grabbed his hand.
"And you promised to wake me whenever you have a nightmare and can't fall back asleep."
"I had enough sleep."
"You're stressed out, aren't you?"
Virgil tugged his hand out of Roman's grip, fiddling with the whisk for a moment. "I mean... It's a big meal that we've been planning for a while. I just don't want anything to go wrong."
"What could go wrong?"
"It's a potluck, a lot of people are going to be there, it's in the middle of town on the anniversary of the fight." Virgil's hand brushed over a scar on his stomach.
Roman hugged him from behind, pressing a hand over the scar. "Yes, but everyone is safe and healthy. Even Remus and Janus are coming out, and they hardly come to town. Ever since I moved in here and gave them my old house, they've stayed in the forest with Kayden. They usually only leave to take Kayden to town to see the others."
"They completely changed the look of the house," Virgil laughed. "And the forest around it."
"At least they agreed to not touch our spots. The creek and the flower patch is still ours, and only ours."
Virgil hummed, leaning into Roman some more. "Yeah... What do you want to bring to the potluck?"
"Hmm... something with potatoes?"
"We really should have thought of this before today..."
Roman laughed, "Yeah, we should have."
"Are you excited to see Patton and Logan again?"
"We see them every time we go to town."
"Maybe but it's no longer every day anymore."
That was true. Roman had moved in before they had married, he moved in after Patton had moved out since he had married Logan. Someone needed to help Virgil on the farm, especially since he was still having trouble moving his hands some days.
So much had changed in five years. The king's response to the letters they had sent wasn't immediate, but once more news of what had happened spread throughout the whole kingdom everyone was rallying around them. So of course the king and the council had to outlaw monster hunting. Several had been arrested, some executed, and soon they had faded to the shadows. They're still around, being outlaws and all. But any who are caught are swiftly taken care of. They have almost no support.
And they definitely can't get close to Matela. Not only have homes been built for the vampires and werewolves, but Remus and Janus have made the forest all around the town very scary for any monster hunters.
That doesn't mean Virgil doesn't get nervous though. If he's not awake, he's having a nightmare. And if he is awake during a panic attack, he can barely breathe and it feels like the iron is still in his system. It's terrifying to Roman when he wakes up screaming.
Dealing with the trauma has been hard on all of them, but it's also made the town grow closer. Virgil isn't the only one who deals with attacks anymore. Sometimes Patton does, Remus still deals with some pain from his leg, and anyone who came from the base they destroyed so long ago deals with it just as bad as Virgil.
Roman leaned his head on Virgil's shoulder, placing a kiss on the fairy's neck, instantly making him turn red. "We really should get something to eat," he said.
"Well I was working on that before you interrupted me," Virgil reminded him. "Now are you going to help me cook?"
"Hmm, nah." Roman took the whisk from Virgil's hand. "I'm not going to help you but I will cook for you. We both know I'm the better cook anyway."
Virgil smiled and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, jerk." He took a step back and leaned against the counter, out of Roman's way.
"I love you," the witch sang.
The fairy smiled as he watched his husband work. "I love you too."
A/N: Another book finished! And once again, much longer than the last with 69 chapters (nice) and 97,879 words! So close to 100k, and yet so far, lmao
But seriously I'm happy with this book. I do wish the ending was a bit better but I am my worse critique, haha, and I'm excited to work on my next book. I don't know how long it'll take to get the first chapter out though, we'll have to wait and see. I just hope to see you there! And if not, that's okay too! Thank you so much for reading this book! Until next time, see ya! And stay safe!