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W e made sure he and his friends were well taken care of all night. They didn’t stay very long, so the wait outside wasn’t too bad, and we wondered whether we should maybe go back, make sure we were totally presentable.

But we wanted to be close to the gleaming one. If Coral had not limited us to being two inside the Dazzle, we would have walked inside and sat at his table, told him while his friends were there.

While waiting and always checking on them, we wondered about why they needed to work. We hadn’t even considered the issue of money. It had always mattered, and yet it had never really been important to us.

But that was before, and a human, our human, might need more attention, more things. Money was the thing that made all of that possible.

“We could work elsewhere,” we mumbled outside the Dazzle where we stood opposite the entrance and watched the people walking by. “We can provide for him and make him happy. We just have to make sure he never finds us.” We nodded. We’d make it work.

***

They broke up their gathering at around one in the morning, and while they figured out the bill, we overheard the gleaming one’s name. Leo. We liked it. It was pretty even if he looked nothing at all like a lion.

“Is it okay to take off? For one of us?” we asked Coral just before he turned on his blender.

He looked at us with raised brows, the sparkling makeup emphasizing the expression.

“I only hired one person. I’m only paying you like I would one person. Or do you mean both of you are going to leave?”

We needed a few seconds to figure that out, then said, “We’ll stay, but we’ll leave. Of course we’d not run off in the middle of a shift, Coral.”

“Alrighty then.” The blender ended the conversation, and we left while also making sure to thank Leo and his group for the tip.

Leo was the last one leaving, struggling to zip his bag back up. They’d had two drinks and were slightly tipsy. We made sure to remember it as their limit.

“Here,” we said and zipped the bag for them—him.

“Uh, thanks. Great service. I mean, really. You’re so nice.”

“Yes, we—yes. We would like to speak with you outside if you don’t mind.”

They—he blinked at us. “Did I do anything wrong or something?”

“Oh, no. Not at all.”

The other human looked back over their shoulder. “Leo, you coming? How long does it take to exchange phone numbers, huh?”

Leo blushed. “Coming! And sure, we can talk. Are you still on the clock?”

We considered how to phrase it. “Yes. But we—outside. We will meet you outside.”

Leo looked confused, but then he shrugged, grabbed his bag, and followed the human and the oceanic.

We watched the oceanic and the other human exit the Dazzle first while we cleared up the table Leo and the others had occupied, picking up the empty glass he’d left behind with unintentional reverence.

Outside, the other two saw us. The oceanic was not surprised, but the human was, staring with the unabashed openness we’d gotten used to ever since working at a place that served good liquor, and a lot of it.

Then Leo exited. “Hey, what’re you guys standing around for? Keep moving.”

We crossed the railwalk before the other human could respond, but by that time, Leo had walked around his companions.

“Hello,” we said.

“Wow, they’re a choir,” said the other human.

“Dude.” Leo blinked a few times.

The oceanic cleared his throat. “Okay, I’m not sure what this is, hive, but I offered to guide these two humans to the sacred underground tonight, and it’s my responsibility to ensure they return to the above unharmed.”

We glared at them, not something we were used to doing. “We would never harm them—him. We would never harm Leo. How dare you suggest such a thing?”

“Uh…” The oceanic was taken aback and took a step to the side. It put him in front of the other human like a protective shield.

“You understand us.” We nodded at the other human. “We must talk with Leo. We will see him home safely.” We looked at Leo. “Unless you would prefer they stay? We’re not sure whether humans would rather be told as a singular or with others.”

Leo looked at us as if we were speaking in a different language. “Huh? Told what?”

The oceanic looked at him. “Ah, Leo, I think—”

“We don’t know what you will understand, but it is as if someone has found their mate. We knew when you came into the Dazzle, but we were working. And we didn’t want to interrupt your time with friends.”

Leo narrowed his eyes at us, then slowly turned his head until he was staring the oceanic dead in the eye. “Are you fucking hazing me? Not cool. I never thought St. Auguste would do that. Or is this a stranger danger type thing, like a test? Well, please let Instructor Arick know that I know not to refuse a supernatural’s mating instinct and will be considerate with their feelings while carefully establishing boundaries. And I will check in with Hawthorne and my case worker and legal liaison there.”

We were relieved to hear it. The oceanic was aghast. “No one’s hazing you. This is happening, I guess? Hives don’t normally, uh, I mean, apologies, hive, but it’s rare for you to grow so attached to a human as far as I know.”

“Not rare. Although it happens only ever once for us, so perhaps it is rare. Should we find another place to talk?” We considered whether to invite them to our home, but the lot of them would make it very cramped, and we weren’t yet certain that Leo was fine with that. We knew that claustrophobia was common among humans, such a strange affliction.

“Begging fucking pardon?” Leo said.

The other human peeked out from behind the oceanic’s back. “Leo, I think this is not a test. Ez, if this is a test or if you’re trying to pull Leo’s leg, I’m done baking for you. D-O-N-E. So fess up now.”

The oceanic shook his head while we tried to keep ourselves from fidgeting. In the Dazzle, we had to ask another customer to repeat their order while giving a nod of thanks to Coral for allowing us to step outside during our shift.

“I swear by the fucking tides, Tate. You think I’d plan this? I don’t even know this hive, and no hive would agree to play on anyone’s feelings like that.”

“Very true.” Some of the people walking past or around us to get into the Dazzle began staring. “Leo, would you like for us to take you back above ground?”

In all honesty, the prospect scared us but there was nothing to do about that. Leo was a human, and he didn’t live here. We’d need to get used to spending time among humans again, and we’d have to work on fitting in. If we understood what Leo had said correctly, he was not yet very used to us supernaturals.

“Guys, I don’t know what’s happening right now,” he said to the other two. “Is now the time where I seek shelter at the Moonlight Diner?”

We beamed. “That would be the perfect place to talk.”