Two days passed with Niles and Ashton giving the little pixie round the clock care. Despite the severity of his injuries, he was a quiet and cooperative patient, and the swollen ant bites went down steadily.

Niles was especially worried about the pixie, and the way he fussed over the little thing reminded Ashton of the way his human used to take care of him. He tried not to feel too jealous, but he felt like Niles was really going too far today.

His human had propped Rylan up into a sitting position, keeping his hand cupped behind him for support, and was feeding him strawberries off the tip of a toothpick. He kept murmuring soft words of encouragement to the little thing, and Ashton couldn't help but feel annoyed.

Niles finally noticed Ashton lurking off to the side, and he glanced at him briefly before returning to his task. "Oh, hey, Ash," he said distractedly. "What can I do for you?"

Ashton squinted his eyes at the pixie, who had opened his little mouth obediently for the next strawberry. He was oddly quiet and docile for a pixie, and it sure hadn't taken him long to grow comfortable with Niles. Suspicious.

"How come you never feed me strawberries like that?" Ashton asked, crossing his arms over his chest, only half joking.

Niles blinked and paused long enough to actually look at Ashton. "Babe, are you jealous?" he asked incredulously.

Ashton pursed his lips and turned his head to the side. "Yes," he admitted, his voice petulant.

Niles laughed and held an eyedropper of sugar water up to the pixie's lips. Rylan sipped at it slowly, and Niles smoothed the little faerie's hair back affectionately.

"He was just stung by some ants," Ashton complained. "He can feed himself."

Rylan cocked his head at that. If his eyes had been uncovered, Ashton was sure he would have rolled them. Even Ashton knew he was being ridiculous. The pixie had almost died, after all.

"Hun, he was half buried in an anthill," Niles reminded him. "Come on. Cut him some slack."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ashton sighed. And he did. Ants were the worst. Honestly, it was a miracle the pixie was alive at all.

He crouched down so his face was level with the little faerie, who turned towards the sound of his rustling clothes expectantly.

Pixies needed to eat often, so Ashton and Niles had been taking turns feeding him. The constant handling seemed to make Rylan quite comfortable with both of them, though he had never seemed nervous to begin with.

As consistent as always, Niles usually had the pixie take a nap after feeding him, so Ashton had already gotten his bed ready.

"Are you done eating?" Ashton asked, touching Rylan's arm gently. Though he made a big show of being annoyed by Niles' attentiveness to the pixie, he actually really liked the little guy.

Rylan yawned and nodded. He made a move to stand up, but he was still unsteady, so Niles scooped him up instead.

Ashton held his hand out, and Niles placed the pixie in his waiting palm. Rylan didn't mind being passed around, so Ashton went ahead and tucked him into his little nest of pillows and blankets on Niles' desk.

He was just pulling away when Rylan grabbed his finger and held it to his face. "Don't go," he said softly. "Your hand is nice and cool."

Ashton blinked at him and glanced at Niles, who shrugged before turning back to clean up the rest of the strawberries.

"Here, I can just hold you if you want," Ashton suggested. He wrapped Rylan's sheet more tightly around him and picked him up, keeping the fingers of his free hand pressed against the pixie's little face.

Rylan sighed and nestled closer to Ashton's fingers. Ashton took a seat at the desk and looked up at Niles, raising an eyebrow. "I guess I'm stuck like this for a while, huh?" he said.

Niles just cupped his hand around the back of Ashton's neck and leaned over his shoulder to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right back," he said, heading for the door.

"Hey, no wait!" Ashton called after him. "Where are you going?"

"To get some more strawberries," Niles responded, like it should have been obvious. "That's what you wanted, right?" And with that, he winked and left.

***

By the time Niles returned, the little pixie was fast asleep. Ashton was still holding him, and Niles smiled at the sight. It reminded him of Ashton with James' niece and nephew. Ashton was a surprisingly good caretaker.

"They're hard to put down, aren't they?" he asked, and Ashton nodded, accepting the strawberry that Niles offered him.

"I never knew why humans were so fascinated by faeries," Ashton admitted. "But... and it feels patronizing to say this... they're really cute."

Niles laughed and sat down next to him. He placed his hand on Ashton's back, absentmindedly massaging the nape of his neck with his fingertips. Niles wasn't usually such a touchy person, but Ashton's clinginess had rubbed off on him sometime during the last six months they'd been together.

"I do love taking care of them," Niles agreed. "I'm beyond lucky this is my job."

"Mmm, I'd say that faeries are the lucky ones," Ashton pointed out. "You're so good with your patients. I've never met another human who was so good at getting faeries to trust them."

Niles nudged him and raised his eyebrows. "Are you including yourself in that statement?"

Ashton gave him a sharp-toothed grin. "You could say I've fallen victim to your faerie-charming ways."

Niles just rolled his eyes, and they were silent for a minute before Ashton spoke up again. 

"Why did you even choose this as your job, anyway?" he suddenly asked. "Don't get me wrong— I'm beyond lucky you did— but... why? Was it just because of growing up with Lucy?"

Niles shook his head. "Oh, no, definitely not." He paused, thinking. "Though, knowing and taking care of Lucy did put me on the path to this career."

He looked back down at the Rylan, who let out a little sigh and snuggled closer to Ashton's fingers. The pixie was practically engulfed in his blankets, and Niles smiled at him fondly. Most of his patients came through the clinic, and they usually didn't need such intensive care, so Niles always found himself getting attached to any faeries who needed him for longer.

"Faeries are just... so... small," he continued slowly. "And it feels like the whole world is against them, like it was made too big for them. If I can be a safe place for them, then that's all I want."

Ashton nodded, but Niles wasn't quite done. "And... I love that moment when they trust me," he admitted. It was a slightly selfish reason, but that moment meant a lot to him. "You know, when their shoulders relax instead of tense up when they see me. I love knowing that I can make them feel safe."

Ashton looked surprised, and he tilted his head. "Oh? Did you have that moment with me?" he asked, voice curious.

"Not exactly. It was more of a gradual process." Niles tapped his lip, thinking. "Well, actually, I think it was around the time that you started asking me to put you in my shirt pocket. That was when you started consistently looking relaxed around me."

Ashton smiled wistfully. "I remember that," he said. "Man, I miss that."

Niles was surprised. "What, being in my pocket?" he clarified.

Ashton nodded earnestly. "You have no idea how cozy it is," he insisted at Niles' skeptical look. "It's just one of those things you have to try for yourself."

Niles pointedly looked down at himself, or rather, at the sheer size of himself. Ashton just laughed. "What changed, exactly?" Niles wondered aloud, voicing something he'd been curious about for years. "I could never figure out how you finally decided to trust me."

"Oh, that's easy," Ashton answered immediately. He took Niles' hand in his free one, giving Niles that sincere look that made him melt. "You were just... so gentle with me. Always. And you always considered what I wanted. You just... felt safe."

Niles kissed Ashton's fingertips in response, being careful to avoid his talons. He was quiet for a moment. Taking care of Rylan like this made him think of Ashton, back when he was a tiny little thing, too.

Niles looked at him now. With how bright and cheerful Ashton was, Niles could only see faint traces of the person he used to be. But Ashton had been quieter the last few weeks, and Niles didn't know why.

"Ash," he began slowly, and Ashton looked at him curiously. "Are you... doing ok?"

Whatever he thought Niles was about to say, it certainly didn't seem to be that. "Huh?" Ashton said, confused. "Yeah, of course I'm ok. Why do you ask?"

"I... I don't know," Niles admitted. "I just... haven't thought to ask you recently. I mean... it's been a year since you turned human and... a year since you've seen your family and clan. I can't imagine that's easy, even if you chose this. I... just thought that maybe you'd be missing them. That's all."

Ashton's bright eyes softened. "Thanks for checking," he said. He turned to look out the window, gaze thoughtful and a bit sad.

"I'm... ok," he said slowly. "But you're right. I do miss them a lot. I just wish... there was some way to bridge my two worlds, you know?"

He laughed a little. "My whole life, I've been trying to bridge the gap between being a sprite and being a woodlands. Now, I'm suddenly trying to do the same thing between being faerie and human." He let out a tired sigh.

"Everything was so new when I first came back, you know? Trying all sorts of new things as a human, worrying if I would be able to stay with you, trying to get you to fall for me... it all kind of distracted me from the enormity of... what I'd done. But now that I'm more settled... it's a little harder to process this transition than I thought it'd be."

Oh. Niles hadn't really thought of it that way. "Can you... go back?" he asked hesitantly. "Just to visit?" He hadn't asked Ashton that before, as he was always too afraid of the answer. 

To Niles' surprise, Ashton nodded. "Yes. But... they live far... and it's a bit complicated to get there. And I don't want to accidentally draw human attention to the area, so..."

"So... you're saying I can't take you back?" Niles continued. "Even just close enough for you to make it there yourself?"

Ashton shook his head. "No. Not yet, anyway."

Not yet? Niles wondered. What does that mean?

He wanted to ask Ashton outright, but the faerie still got a bit dodgy when Niles asked him questions that tiptoed a little too closely to clan affairs. He was more than happy to share day to day antics with his immediate family and little siblings, though.

Niles changed the subject to be safe. "I know you miss your family, but do you... miss being a faerie?"

Ashton was quiet. "I miss flying," he said softly. "That won't ever change. I miss being outside all the time. I... don't miss being small, though. I don't think I will ever miss that." He suddenly smiled a bit. "Oh. But I do miss being held by you. And being in your pocket."

Niles laughed, too, remembering all the times that Ashton would sneak up to him or tug on his sleeve just to ask to be in his shirt pocket.

"Why did you even like that so much?" Niles asked. "You and Lucy both— you were always obsessed with it."

"Oh, it was just always warm and smelled like you," Ashton answered. "And I could feel your heartbeat. It just... reminded me of being alive. That you were alive. And that I... was... alive. That... helped a lot."

Ashton started getting that unfocused, distant look in his eyes, and Niles hurried to get his attention before Ashton got too overwhelmed by his memories.

"Hey," he said softly, reaching out to run his fingers through Ashton's loose curls. His hair had grown surprisingly fast in the last year, and it was already past his collarbone. "It's ok. I'm here."

Ashton refocused and smiled at him. "I'm ok," he assured Niles. "Thanks."

They both looked at Rylan again. The little pixie was snoring softly, and Niles chuckled, musing his dark brown curls with a finger. "You know, it's a really good thing that you found him," he said. He shuddered to even think what would have happened to little Rylan if no one had noticed him. What a miserable way to die. 

"I've been trying to pay more attention," Ashton said. "I... miss being of use to my clan and the sprites, but since I can't help them from here... maybe I can still help other faeries somehow. Like you and Lucy do."

Hmm. Niles thought. I didn't think about it, but of course he would miss being busy with clan affairs. Woodlands faeries are used to being resourceful and industrious. 

"Well, thank goodness for that," Niles was quick to praise him. "And you're always a big help at the clinic, you know. All the faeries there love you."

He thought that pointing out Ashton's usefulness at the clinic would help, but it backfired as Ashton unexpectedly scowled.

"Not as much as they love you, though," Ashton muttered. "Seriously, I think some of the woodlands who come into the clinic are trying to make you their hokla, too."

Niles burst out laughing, and Ashton squinted at him. This again? Niles thought, remembering how Ashton got mock annoyed at Rylan earlier. I never would have pegged him as the jealous type.

"Don't worry, you don't have any competition," Niles promised. "No one else is even in the running for that position."

Ashton tilted his head to the side. "So... you are considering me as a candidate, then?"

Ashton's tone had suddenly taken on a more serious quality. Niles fell silent at the question, but he nodded. "Yes," he said softly. "Of course I'm considering you."

Ashton's harsh face relaxed, so slight that Niles wondered if he imagined it.

Looks like missing home isn't the only thing he's been worried about, Niles realized. A wave of affection swept over him, and he squeezed Ashton's free hand. How can he be so patient with me? he wondered. After everything he's given up to be here?

"Please don't overthink it," he tried to assure Ashton. "I know you don't bring up the hokla thing for my sake, and I know that I don't talk about it either... but just know that I do love you. So much. So much more than I thought possible in such a short time." 

He looked down for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. Being someone's hokla... was a bigger deal than just agreeing to marry someone. Niles didn't want to mess that one up, no matter how much he loved Ashton. 

"I just... want to be sure of everything before making such a permanent decision," he continued. "I'm sorry that you have to wait on how slow I am."

Ashton just nodded, not a hint of disappointment or annoyance on his face. "I was slow with you once, too," he reminded Niles, his eyes soft. "It's ok. I'm happy with what we have now, and I'm not going anywhere."

***

Ashton left a little while later to go for a run, as staying cooped up drove him crazy. Niles stayed with Rylan to sit and think about their conversation.

Ashton... is homesick, he realized. Maybe not like he was before, but he clearly misses his family. And not having a clan and circle of faeries to take of... is probably very difficult for a woodlands faerie who thrives on community and purpose.

Niles sighed. I don't know how to give him that, he thought unhappily. It's just me here.

A tiny movement on his desk snapped him out of his thoughts, and Niles turned his attention to the pixie who lay there.

Rylan was just waking up, mouth opening in the tiniest, most adorable yawn Niles had ever seen. He hurried to prop the pixie up and got him an eyedropper of sugar water.

Rylan drank from it gratefully before pushing it away and leaning against Niles' fingers with a contented sigh.

Niles took the moment to study him. The ant bites were looking much better, though Niles had yet to unwrap his eyes. He wondered if not being able to see him and Ashton had played a role in how relaxed Rylan was with them.

After all, all faeries that Niles had ever interacted with tended to have some sort of fearful, distressed, or defensive reaction when confronted by humans for the first time. But not Rylan.

He really is weird for a faerie, Niles thought.

He turned his attention back to the pixie. "How are you feeling, bud?" he asked gently. "You doing ok?"

Rylan nodded, still slumped in Niles' hand. It looked like he was already drifting off to sleep again when Niles decided to break the silence.

"Rylan, you've been remarkably comfortable with us this whole time," Niles suddenly commented. "Are you used to being around humans?"

Rylan didn't react much to the question. He just shook his head. "No."

Niles was stumped. "So... why are you so calm, then? In my experience, most faeries dislike being picked up or handled by humans. But you've never seemed to have any issues with it."

The little pixie scratched at his blindfold and shrugged. "I remembered your voices," he explained. "Everything was just fiery, stinging pain, and then there was cool water everywhere, and Ashton's voice, telling me I was going to be ok."

Niles froze at the description. "Wait... were you... conscious when Ashton found you?" he asked, horrified.

Rylan nodded. "Sort of. I couldn't really see or feel anything other than the ant stings, but I could hear him talking to me. And then you were there, and you were explaining what was going on and what you were doing and putting medicine on me. That helped a lot."

The pixie paused. "Hmm, but I think I fell asleep after you put all that medicine on me. Cause the next thing I knew, I could move and sit up, and you were asking how I was feeling."

He shrugged again. "I figured that you were human, but it was hard to feel scared at that point since just hearing your voice made me feel safe."

"Oh." Niles didn't know what to say to that, so he asked another question. "How did you end up in that anthill, anyway? Where were you trying to go?"

"I was trying to find my dad," came the surprising answer. "But a bird knocked me out of the sky, and I landed in the anthill. I tried to get out, but there were too many ants crawling all over me." He shivered, remembering.

Niles brushed his hair back with his thumb to try to soothe him. "And... where is your dad? Why are you trying to find him?"

Given Rylan's age, Niles figured it had been a long time since he lived with his dad. So, Niles was surprised to hear that the little pixie was trying to track him down now. 

"I don't know." Rylan patted Niles' finger absentmindedly. He seemed to really like being held. "I just had a question for him, that's all. I haven't seen him in a while. Pretty off and on since I was... ten? Maybe? The last time I saw him was when I was fifteen, I think. He moves around a lot."

"I- I see," Niles got out. Pixie parents weren't known for being the most... present. Lucy was a prime example of this. Rylan too, apparently. "And what sort of... question... did you have for him?"

That's... it? Niles wondered in astonishment. He's trying to track down his dad just... to ask him a single question?

"Yeah, I heard he had other younglings besides me," Rylan said. "I want to ask him about that."

Niles was growing more surprised by the second. Most garden pixies didn't care about things like blood relatives. They were too independent and migratory for that. Meadow pixies might stay in semi-familial units, but garden pixies? Not a chance.

He squinted at the little pixie, at his bandaged eyes and the way his ears poked out from his mess of hair. Rylan's pointed ears had a downward droop to them, a rare trait caused by a recessive gene. "But... why?"

"I don't know," Rylan repeated. "Just because, I guess. Maybe so I can meet them someday."

Niles was starting to realize that Rylan was a bit spacey and vague. His answers just brought up more questions, so Niles decided to drop the interrogation.

"Well," Niles began, "I know you might want to go back out there and find your dad once you're better, but you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want in the meantime. We can get you a little house in the garden and everything."

Rylan visibly brightened at that, and Niles helped him settle back in his blankets.

"Sleep for now," he instructed the pixie. "We can try going into the garden tomorrow to replenish your magic."

__________________________________________________________

A/N: Friendly reminder that Ashton had, like, four years to decide he wanted Niles to be his hokla. Niles... has had significantly less time to consider that decision. Hence the slowness. 

Thanks for reading! See you in the next part!