Khell, and apparently orcs in general, ate primarily vegetables and high-protein grains and only occasionally meat. Since Theo and Natalie were both eager carnivores, I'd opted for a veggie lasagna with meatballs on the side. Khell had grabbed us a bottle of some small batch pepper moonshine from a mothman he knew. It'd been a long time since I'd had any kind of dinner party, and I was equal parts excited and nervous for tonight.

"I love to bait you, just as you love to bait me, petal," Khell answered, twisting and bending to kiss the crown of my head as I added the sautéed veggies to our lasagna and then draped over another layer of noodles. "Get this in the oven, and I'll teach you the custom."

I narrowed my eyes up at him briefly. Teaching me the custom was not explaining to me the custom, but I was too curious to argue.

"When does the job start?" I asked.

"Monday. Will I… Will you want me to…"

Khell was almost never nervous or hesitant, but I could guess the question.

"If it's easier for you to get up and go to work in the morning, I could come stay at your place tomorrow night," I offered, focusing on the food in front of me.

Khell purred at my back, his body framing mine easily as I smoothed another layer of cheese into the dish. "You won't mind trading on and off?"

"Can I do some decoration at yours for my blog?"

"You can do whatever you like, mate."

He always used that word carefully. Mates were allowed to decorate their partners homes. Mates got to sleep in and were fed breakfast by hand. Mates found their laundry dry and folded hours after they'd forgotten it in the washing machine.

Being “petal” was playful and naughty and sweet. Being “mate” was being cared for and reminded of belonging. I loved both roles.

We finished the lasagna, and Khell moved out of the way so I had room to slide it into the oven. The meatballs were simmering in the crockpot, and Natalie and Theo were bringing roasted potatoes and good bread. Everything was ready. And I was…jittery.

"Would it be bad if we broke into the moonshine before they got here?" I asked Khell as he led me by the hand out of the kitchen, through the dining room and back to the living room. "I'm too nervous to sit still for an hour."

"I have a cure for that," Khell said.

"You can't fuck me," I rushed out, mostly to convince myself. "Theo will smell it on me, and then he'll be awkward all night."

Khell grinned. I'd told him about Theo's face when he opened the door of his house the day I left the cottage, and also about the orc at the hardware store. He'd been obnoxiously proud of himself.