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“I feel as if you’ve been avoiding me.”
Solomon didn’t seem upset, more confused. Perhaps a little worried. It wasn’t often you kept anything from each other, and since you’d become his apprentice, the two of you had become close in many other ways.
He tried to be discreet in front of the others, but when you were in private, he often began his conversations with you with some kind of contact, even if it were just a touch. You knew he thought you were angry because here you were, around a corner, away from the Halloween Horror Parade crowds, and there was at least a foot of space between you. So you reached out and stroked his arm, and he visibly relaxed.
“Honestly, it’s nothing you did in real life. I’m just a little on edge because of something you said in the dream I had while I was knocked out.”
He lifted one eyebrow, curious. “Are you asking me to apologize for something I didn’t do?”
Your laughter helped to lighten the mood. “Of course not - even though it was your cookies that knocked us all out, my darling.”
He threw up his hands. He’d sworn before that he’d done nothing to the cookies to cause this.
“I just can’t get over the anxiety I got from the dream. I’m not blaming you, it just, I dunno, has me on edge. I just need to process it some and get over it.”
Solomon thought for a moment, holding his chin between thumb and forefinger as he often did when pondering something, then asked, “Would it help if you told me about it?”
“I’m not sure if it would.”
He leaned in closer and locked eyes with you. “It would help me if I knew what I’d done that bothered you.”
“Fair enough,” you thought to yourself, then hung your head and sighed, sorting out how to start. Might as well go in chronological order…
“So there was this whole weird prank contest going on to see where I’d live for the next year, and I was supposed to judge who did the best pranks, and I couldn’t, so everyone decided I had to judge a costume contest instead and went off to get changed, and everyone was now trying to get me to live with just them instead of in the same house with everyone, and you were wearing an animal onesie and threatened to, and I quote, ‘gobble you up.’”
“That’s what’s made you so nervous around me tonight?”
“The whole dream was stressful, and even though you talked like you were joking when you said it, you looked really…hungry. I can’t really describe it, but…look, it’s really disturbing when you dream about someone you love wanting to hurt you!”
His expression grew soft, and he caressed your cheek with the back of bent fingers.
“I’ve had dreams like that. I’m sorry for being dismissive. You know I would never hurt you in real life, don’t you?”
You clasped his hand and drew it to your lips, kissing each knuckle in turn.
“I do, my darling. I guess that’s why it’s my biggest fear in my dreams.”
You couldn’t leave him hanging, not while he was looking so unhappy and concerned, so you threaded your fingers through his hair and drew him towards you for a kiss. His response grew in enthusiasm as you went on, and you found yourself backed up against a building with him pressing his length against you, your name dripping like honey from his lips as he told you over and over how deeply he loved you.
He continued until the sounds you were making assured him that you were feeling…much less anxious.
“You know, if I were actually going to eat you, I’d do it in the way I know you like…”
Your breath caught in your throat as you felt the visceral need his words aroused in you. He appeared quite pleased to see it, and ground himself against you slowly but thoroughly.
It took a few moments before you could growl out, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Solomon.”
“Who said I wouldn’t keep them, my love?”
He was happy that you seemed to have overcome your trepidation.
“Let me just text Simeon and let him know you’ll be staying with me tonight. He’ll pass it on.” He made short work of sending the message. He took your hands in his and whispered one last thing before leading you back with him to Purgatory Hall. “I do think we should discuss that thing in your dream about living together, too. After the gobbling up is done.”