After James' little comment, Niles began watching Ashton more closely, trying to figure out what James had meant. And the more time Niles spent with Ashton, the more he started to realize that James was... right. There was something special about the way Ashton looked at him. 

Ashton's face, despite its harsh features, was quite animated, his expressions rapidly shifting from curiosity to interest to excitement, depending on the situation. But it was his eyes that really gave things away. 

Ashton had beautiful eyes: hazel and cat-like, they were a mesmerizing mix of greens and golds that swirled around each other like dappled sunlight playing in spring leaves. Niles had always admired them, but since James' comment, he paid special attention. And he began to notice how Ashton's eyes always seemed to linger on him, how they lit up when he entered a room, how they fell when he left.

Niles had attributed this clinginess to a sense of security and familiarity; he thought that Ashton merely felt relieved to see him since being a human was still so new to the faerie. 

But it had been a month and a half since Ashton's return, and Niles knew there were several activities the faerie was familiar and comfortable with doing on his own. Yet he still insisted that they do them together, eyes full of longing if Niles couldn't join him. 

It was becoming increasingly obvious that Ashton might have feelings for him. And if that was the case... the faerie probably wanted to become hoklas, the woodlands version of soulmates. After all, Niles couldn't imagine a woodlands abandoning their clan to pursue a romantic connection for anything less than the hokla bond. 

The whole situation made Niles' head spin with overthinking. If his hunch was correct, then... that was a... lot. A lot of pressure, a lot of commitment, a lot of things to consider that he had never thought of before. Niles liked Ashton a lot, but romantically? As a life partner? He had never even considered it. 

Finally, Niles decided to discuss things with Lucy. Mara had been called away on clan business, so Lucy was staying in the house with him and Ashton for the week while she waited for her hokla to return.

He met her at the kitchen table, where she was sitting at a faerie sized desk to review some draft notes for a potential ELCoF bill, little nose scrunched in concentration.

"Luce, sorry to interrupt, but can I run something by you?" Niles asked, sitting down in front of her.

She squinted up at him. "Yes, that shirt looks hideous with those pants."

Caught off guard, Niles looked down at himself before he realized Lucy was just being a brat, like usual.

"Haha," he brushed her off. "Anyway, can you be serious for a minute? I have something important I need to ask you about."

Lucy straightened up at that, looking interested, as Niles knew she would. She loved being consulted on serious matters. "Shoot," she said.

Niles took a deep breath, deciding to just dive right in. "Has Ashton... maybe... said anything to you about why he became human?"

She shrugged and tucked her wings in. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just... something isn't adding up. He... acts pretty... weird... around me, and I... can't figure out why."

Lucy propped her little chin on her hands. "Weird?" she echoed, tiny teeth flashing as she talked. "Weird how?"

"Uh, he just... follows me everywhere?" Niles tried to explain. "And he wants to be with me 24/7. Even if I suggest he do things that he likes instead of just tagging along, he always shakes his head and follows me around."

Niles glanced out the window. "The only reason he's not here now is because I told him to go on a run. He was climbing the walls earlier from being cooped up for too long."

Niles sighed. "Anyway, if he was really just here to learn how to be a true human... I can't help but think... he'd try to be a bit more independent? To learn and try as much as he can? Not to be joined at the hip with me like this."

Lucy's red eyes gleamed. "If you don't think his main motivation is to learn how to be human, then why do you think he came back to find you?"

Niles hesitated. Lucy's gleeful expression was spooking him. She looked like she had a secret he was on the cusp of discovering

"Ok, just... don't laugh, ok?" he began hesitantly.

Lucy smirked. "No promises."

Niles rolled his eyes but took a deep breath anyway, trying to get ready to reveal his theory. "Umm... I think... he wants... to be with me?"

She raised her eyebrows, still smiling.

"He's already with you," she pointed out, and Niles huffed in exasperation.

"No, I mean, like... romantically?"

Her eyes lit up. "Romantically!" she echoed, clapping her hands once. "Now, that's more like it! That would be fun. You haven't been with someone romantically in years!"

At Niles' frown, she just doubled down. "So, are you going to date him? Marry him? Hokla him up?" she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Niles was scandalized. "No, wait, slow down! Like I said, it's just a... a guess. I'm not even sure if what he wants is a romantic relationship."

Lucy looked at him like he was stupid.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked incredulously. "Have you seen the man? All he does is stare at you. And he can't keep his hands off you."

"I... umm... well..." but Niles couldn't refute that. It had been something else he had noticed about Ashton. No matter where they were or what they were doing, Ashton always found some way to touch Niles.

If Niles was working at his computer, Ashton would suddenly be leaning over his shoulder to ask him about it. If they were watching a movie on the couch, Ashton's knee was pressed against his. If they were playing soccer, Ashtons arm would be slung over his shoulders by the end of the match just so he could tell Niles what a bad soccer player he was.

Niles had always thought it was just because Ashton was a touchy person, recalling how clingy he had been as a patient, but now...

"I... I'm not going to assume anything," Niles said faintly.

"There's nothing to assume. It's fairly obvious," Lucy said bluntly.

"No, stop it!" Niles exclaimed, frowning at her. "You shouldn't assume either!"

Lucy threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Well, then just freaking ask him so we don't have to mope around "assuming" things anymore."

"But..." Niles protested.

Lucy cut him off before he could continue. "Yes, that's the solution, and yes, I am a genius. Now, go away. I have work to do."

***

Niles waffled on confronting Ashton for another few days, but eventually, he gave in.

"Ashton," Niles began hesitantly. He took a seat beside the faerie on the couch and fiddled with the locket on his neck, sliding the small pendant along its chain. "Is now a good time to talk? I... just want to clarify something with you."

Ashton, who had been distracted by the pictures in the book Niles had published on garden pixies, turned to look at him expectantly.

"So, you've been here for a little over a month, yes?" Niles continued.

Ashton nodded. "And I can't help but think that there's something... more to you being here," Niles said.

Ashton studied him thoughtfully, and Niles winced, still trying to find a way to dance around the subject. He was embarrassed to even be talking about this.

How do you ask someone if they're in love with you? Niles wondered. And what if I misread this entire thing, and Ashton doesn't see me that way? I know I'll just die of embarrassment. How egotistical will Ashton think I am if he knows I assumed he wanted me to be his hokla, the most important person to any woodlands? 

Niles' thoughts continued spiraling. But then again, what if Ashton confirms my suspicions? What am I supposed to do if Ashton really did come here to make me his hokla? How am I supposed to answer him? Should I even ask this question? Do I even want to know the answer?

Niles sighed in frustration, finally giving up. He just needed to be candid here.

"Look, I'm sorry if this is an awkward or invasive question, but I still find it odd that you would become human without a more... concrete reason than finding yourself." He took a deep breath before jumping in. "Do you... perhaps... want something more from me?"

Ashton's eyes twinkled, and he tilted his head to the side. "Like what?" he asked innocently.

Niles' mouth dropped open. Is Ashton teasing me? he wondered in disbelief. Somehow, it seemed like Ashton knew exactly what he was asking, and he was enjoying how flustered Niles was in trying to explain his question. This rankled Niles, and his annoyance gave him his voice.

"Like... do you want... me?" he said. And then he realized what he had said and started blushing, trying to backtrack. "No... that's... I mean... I meant to say, do you want me to be more than just a friend to you?"

Ashton nodded at that, seemingly done with making Niles spell things out for him. "Yes, I want you to be my hokla," he explained.

Niles had been more or less expecting that, but it still sent a shock through him to hear it stated so explicitly.

"Is that... the real reason you became human?" Niles asked faintly. "To be with me?"

"I wasn't lying about the other bit," Ashton said, voice soft. "I really couldn't go back to my old life. But you're right. The main reason was to come back to you."

Niles buried his face in his hands. Knowing the truth was so much more overwhelming than just guessing it. He took a deep breath and looked back up.

"How could you even make such a reckless decision without being sure if I'd say yes?" Niles demanded, upset by Ashton's seemingly careless choice. "You would've thrown away your life for nothing!"

Ashton shook his head. "You're not nothing, Niles," he argued.

Niles opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words. Ashton seemed to be missing the point entirely.

"That's not it... I..." he stopped, unsure of what to say to make Ashton understand why he shouldn't have given up everything for a slim chance at being with him. 

Finally, Niles just sighed. It was too late to lecture Ashton on why he shouldn't have made a wish to be human just to pursue him. All he could do was focus on the present and... what his decision would be in response to Ashton's.

"Ashton... I don't know what to tell you," he said slowly. "This is... a lot."

"Yeah, I know," Ashton agreed. "That's why I didn't tell you right away. I figured it would be better to wait."

Niles gripped his locket and looked down at the floor, trying to think of what to say. His first inclination was to turn Ashton down. This was too much and too complicated. And he had never thought about Ashton that way, either.

Ashton tapped his free hand, and Niles looked up, startled. He hadn't realized that he was zoning out.

"I know this is a lot, so, give me five months," Ashton said. His pretty hazel eyes were earnest and soft, and Niles found that he couldn't look away. 

Niles caught his breath. "What?"

"Give me five months," the faerie repeated. "And then make a decision about what you want to do with me."

"Give you five months... to do what, exactly?" Niles asked. 

Ashton smiled. "To win you over."

"I..." Niles was speechless. Should I encourage Ashton like this? he thought. Is it wrong to let him entertain the idea that I might say yes?

He furrowed his brows, a vague memory resurfacing. And wasn't that the same amount of time that I once suggested to Ashton to help him get more used to me?

Niles opened his mouth to tell Ashton all this, but all that came out was a quiet, "Alright."

"Great." Ashton patted Niles' hand, who was just sitting there, confused as his brain started to catch up with his mouth.

"Do you have any rules?" Ashton asked next.

Niles blinked back into focus. "Rules?" he repeated, furrowing his eyebrows.

"You know, things that you aren't comfortable with me doing." Ashton held up Niles' hand and pointed to their clasped fingers. "Like this. Is this ok?"

Niles felt like his brain was short-circuiting. He had no idea what was happening or what he had gotten himself into. "Yes?" he said hesitantly.

Ashton beamed. "Alright. Let me know if you change your mind, though." He paused to study Niles' bewildered face and chuckled to himself.

He planted a light kiss on the back of Niles knuckles and stood up. Niles followed him with his eyes, still too stunned to speak. This was not how he imagined this to go at all.

***

Ashton walked outside, hands in his pockets and lost in thought. Given Niles' hesitancy during the conversation, he hadn't expected his human to actually agree to his plan. That had gone better than he thought it would.

Lucy was out in the garden replenishing her magic, and that's where he headed. He found her by a patch of buttercups, the yellow petals painting a bright picture against her pink wings.

Ashton sat down quietly, waiting for her to finish her meditation. It was weird seeing the hyper pixie so still. Finally, she cracked open an eye and grinned at him.

"I smell drama," she stated gleefully, and Ashton gave her a rueful grin. 

She hopped up and flew up to his lap, daintily taking a seat on his leg. 

"Soooo, how'd it go?" Lucy asked, reclining on his knee. "Did you talk to him? I figured he was going to ask you about your feelings sooner or later. Judging by your face, it happened sooner."

Ashton sighed and rubbed his eyes. "He was surprised. And uncertain. He agreed to consider things over the next five months, but he looked so confused. I don't think he really knew what he was saying." His voice lowered. "I didn't mean to upset him."

"Oh, please," Lucy said dismissively. "Niles can stand a little discomfort. You're fine. He'll come around."

_________________________________________________________

A/N: Lucy loves to meddle. She especially loves when she holds all the cards so she can play both sides. Truly an evil genius. 

Also, Niles is a smart guy. He's assertive and knowledgeable and open-minded, but as soon as a potential relationship enters the chat, he's just left a floundering mess. Relatable icon.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment! See you in the next part as we watch the courtship between a very committed and very confused person unfold.