Page 34 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams

The two stayed up admiring the tree for hours. Jake wasn’t in the mood for proper food, which was fine with Doren, so they ate pie and listened to Jake’s Christmas music playlist.

It leaned toward the classics of the 1940s and 50s, which Doren preferred. The last time Doren had spent a significant amount of time on the surface had been in the 50s, when Linwood Falls was much smaller. They’d made friends with a lobsterman and his lover.

Norman had entered the trade so that he could live away from most folks, so that no one would harass him and Henri. They’d been an adorable couple. Doren had loved spending time with them.

After some years, Doren had been forced to taper off their visits, making up a lie about moving. Norman probably would have been oblivious, but Henri had noticed Doren wasn’t aging.

Doren would check on them from time to time, peering into their little shack from afar. Eventually, the two had moved to Florida in the 80s. They’d lived a frugal life, and Norman had saved enough for them to retire even though they were both still in their fifth decade.

Doren hated the warmer water down south, and Doren’s parents had said it was better to let the couple go. After all, they were getting up there in years. Did Doren want to watch their friends age and succumb over the course of the next two or three decades? That was a significant amount of time in a human life, but a blink of an eye for Doren.

The loneliness had been crippling after Norman and Henri left. Doren had vowed not to get close to a human who would get old and die. They’d kept their interactions with surface people superficial.

Until Jake.

They’d taken a chance, using one of their tentacles during sex, but Jake’s eyes had been closed—the risk had been minimal. He was too lost to pleasure even to question it. Doren was glad they’d done it, considering the sounds Jake had made when Doren’s tentacle entered him. The only things more beautiful than Jake’s looks were his noises when he came apart.

The two of them dozed off while sitting on the couch. Or rather, Jake had dozed off, and Doren covered the handsome guy up with a sturdy afghan. Jake had slept a lot the night before, but he seemed exhausted, and Doren needed to take care of him. To give him the support he deserved.

Doren snuggled into Jake’s side as he snored. They weren’t tired, but being next to Jake as he slept wasright. Eventually, they themself slipped off into slumber.

Bang! Bang!

The knock on the door was so loud Doren nearly shifted from fright. It took every bit of effort to stop their skin from changing color and their tentacles from appearing.

“What’s happening?” Jake asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was morning, but barely. The first rays of the sun were peeking over the horizon, and through the bay window, the ocean glittered with reflected light.

Past the glass on the front door, though, a darker sight loomed. A muscular person with red hair and a scowl on their face.

Bard.

Doren jumped up from the couch, gesturing to Jake that he should stay put. Thankfully, Jake was still groggy enough that he obeyed without questioning.

Doren pulled the door open a crack, not allowing Bard to enter. “What are you doing here?” they asked in a gruff, hoarse tone, upset that Bard had shown themself at Jake’s home.

“Is that any way to greet your sib?” Bard asked. At first, Doren thought it was mere sarcasm, but after a moment, they noticed the hurt in Bard’s eyes.

“What vexes you, Bard?” Doren’s voice was softer, now that the shock of being awakened had worn off. They didn’t want their sibling to be angry. Bard had always been supportive, even if they could be a pain, and Doren treasured their relationship.

“Doren, you haven’t returned home to Mom and Dad indays. They are worried about you. And I’m tired of being sent to the surface to track you down. I don’t know how I ended up as your keeper, but I’m not a fan.”

Doren let out a deep sigh and reached out to grasp Bard’s shoulder, but they shook Doren off, walking further into the house, stumbling a little. Doren’s nose twitched with the scent of something like…turpentine?

“I explained to them. I’m an adult now. They can’t control my whereabouts. And what’s…Have you been drinking?”

Bard spun around, glaring at Doren. “So what if I have? There’s nothing else to do in this Godforsaken town while I’m waiting for you to get donefucking your humanso I can be our parents’ little messenger monkey.”

“What’s going on?” Jake was fully awake now. He stood and approached Bard, although he kept a few feet of distancebetween them. That was probably smart. Doren didn’t think Bard would everhurtJake, but their sibling was acting strange, not like themself at all.

“It’s none of your business, human.” Bard waved dismissively at Jake.

Doren took a step forward. They wouldn’t allow Jake to be treated poorly by anyone. “Bard?—”

“You’re standing drunk in the middle ofmybeach house, so you’ve made it my business.”

Bard’s face turned beet red at Jake’s words. They glared at Doren before turning back to him. “Oh, is it yours? Did you buy it? Do you live here now?”

Jake’s demeanor immediately dropped from confident to self-conscious. “Well, no. But I’m here until May…”