Let it Happen

*‘Anyway . . . it’s my turn to have a bit of a meltdown so you get to bro-hold me and then bro-tell me it’s going to be okay and then bro-not-get-mad at me.’ - Kadek*

***Let it Happen*** is a *Fae Tales Verse AU*, and part 4 of *Spoils*. This is a side-fic that is set during *Falling Falling Stars* after chapter 120, Penance. It follows a quick phone conversation between Kadek and Arden, about Kadek accidentally using 'the dom voice' around Arden's boyfriend Efnisien.

## Summary

Kadek calls Arden after accidentally (and non-sexually) dominating his boyfriend, and they talk about it.

## Character Bios

#### Arden Mercury

Arden is Kadek's friend and Efnisien's boyfriend. Kadek demanded to know why Arden wasn't doing 'more' for Efnisien in terms of improving Efnisien's living space. Arden said it was a matter of pride on Efnisien's part, that they've talked about it, but agreed that maybe they should talk about it again.

#### Efnisien ap Wledig

Efnisien is Arden's boyfriend and Kadek's friend. Kadek noted that Efnisien was bony.

#### Kadek

Kadek is the protagonist. Kadek's doctor noted that Kadek might have anxiety and high blood pressure, the latter of which Kadek takes medication for.

#### Michelle

Michelle seems to be one of Kadek's play partners,

## Locations

#### Efnisien's apartment

Kadek noted that Efnisien's apartment 'was as clean as it possibly could be for the dump it was. Kadek had placed his hands down on that lumpy mattress, he’d felt how thin the sheets were, he knew there were holes and threadbare patches.' Kadek pointed out that besides the books Efnisien had, there was no evidence of Arden in Efnisien's life in the apartment.

#### Kadek's house

The driveway was 'shaded with large, healthy jacarandas. The grass was immaculate. The amount of clean, shiny glass at the front of the house was insane.' The path up to Kadek's house has 'steps lined with healthy, tropical-looking plants in huge black shiny ceramic pots. The double doors were large and black, the frame was black, and there was a tiny sticker of a pride rainbow in the shape of a figure eight – like the infinity symbol – on a transparent backing, clinging to the top right corner of the frosted glass that bordered either door.' Inside the doors is a long corridor. 'A lot of art hung on the walls. Photos of landscapes and art maybe from whatever part of Asia that was part of Kadek’s heritage. There were heavy spicy and fragrant scents in the air – the smells of cooking . . . The house was huge. There was a large sunken lounge they passed which was filled with gorgeous black leather furniture, and expensive looking rugs, and a huge fireplace. There was a grand piano in a corner and rumpled sheet music still on it, which meant it was being used instead of there for show. . . . At the back of the house was a huge open-plan kitchen that led into another sunken lounge that was clearly more for relaxing and watching TV.'

In the first sunken lounge, there was a lot of 'really nice black leather furniture. The room smelled familiar, like Kadek or his cleaner' used the cleaner that was used at the An Fnwy mansion. The cabinets held 'large plastic figurines that looked well-made, from television shows [Efnisien had] never seen.' There was also a piano.

'Kadek had a really nice broad undercover deck area. The pot plants were everywhere, some of them two or three metres tall. He definitely had a gardener. The garden was large and had huge trees in it, and camellias . . . The deck itself was dark wood and there were huge heavy wind-chimes that gently knocked into each other, some made of metal, others made of wood, none of the chimes shorter than a metre in length. There was a huge stone buddha at the other end of the deck, surrounded by ferns, and it wasn’t the kind that Efnisien was used to seeing. The buddha had a weird kind of bobbly hat on. . . . There was some kind of vegetable-greenhouse situation going on right at the back. A huge lap pool and spa running along one fence, surrounded by the leafy green fronds of palms and tree ferns.'

## Quotations

* 'The last two weeks had been hell for Arden, and for Efnisien, and apparently Kadek was stealing a tiny bit of that inferno for himself as well.'
* Arden to Kadek, about Efnisien: '‘You like him, don’t you?’
* Kadek to Arden, about Efnisien: ‘In that moment, it just felt like he was crying out for it. Someone to…not just tell him that he didn’t have to live his life that way, but to tell him he’s *not* going to live his life that way anymore.'
* To Kadek about Efnisien: ‘I think you might have a bit of a crush,’ Arden said. ‘This is kind of embarrassing for you.’
* Kadek about Efnisien: ‘Arden, there’s three things going on here. I’m annoyed at myself for having more feelings for him than I expected to. I’m mad at him for living the way he does, and I’m mad at you for letting that go on for months. Push harder.'
* To Arden: ‘You can be jealous of me,’ Kadek said, almost laughing. ‘It’s okay, you can admit it.’

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 not\_poignant. "Let it Happen." *Spoils. Archive of Our Own,* 14 May 2022. https://archiveofourown.org/works/38981967.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 not\_poignant. "Falling Falling Stars." *Spoils. Archive of Our Own,* 26 January 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401025/chapters/71175363. Chapter 44: Liar.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 not\_poignant. "Falling Falling Stars." *Spoils. Archive of Our Own,* 8 February 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401025/chapters/71918397. Chapter 46: Giving.
4. ↑ not\_poignant. "Falling Falling Stars." *Spoils. Archive of Our Own,* 28 January 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/works/25401025/chapters/71283174. Chapter 45: Maturity.