The Tailors on Baker Street (Part 2)

Using your horrible ex-spouse’s money for a good cause had only been logical and natural. There were many people in situations where they needed aid but didn’t know where to go, and you wanted to offer a space where they could get good counsel at the very least, if not an outright way out, be it bad relationships or debt.

You hadn’t been alone in creating the charity house Daisy Chain either, your friend Jane had been a massive help, as had been Julius and Milly. Their eyes had briefly lit up sunshine-gold when you had asked if you could use that particular name, and you’d never forget the way they looked at you afterwards.

The way Milly had cupped your face ever so gently in her palms, thumbs smoothing over your cheeks, and her smile had been as sweet as honey as she had looked at you. Julius had taken your hand afterwards, touch soft and careful, and he had lifted it to press a light kiss to your knuckles, gaze holding yours.

"Let us know if there is anyone who could use our particular kind of help," he had murmured, his soft lips brushing your skin, and his gaze downright captivating, the color of his eyes turning a dark, smoldering gold. "We’d love to take care of such cases."

You could admit to yourself then, as they had stood close to you, brimming with some kind of unnatural energy while still handling you with near intense softness, that you had started to fall in love with them. With these wonderful, strange, kind, and lovely people who made you laugh until you were breathless, something you hadn’t done for quite some time before you had met them.

You did not care that their eyes held a golden shine, something human eyes should not have. That they sometimes whisked people into their backroom.

You could never prove anything, but you had slowly pieced some things together by asking careful questions in the following days. Whenever they spoke with someone, at least a week or two later, a spouse or family member or acquaintance died.

It would have scared you in the past, before your marriage to a human monster, and it would probably scare others if they ever found out the truth, but you were mostly just...glad.

That people who had no one else, who lived in darkness and fear as you had, as you still sometimes did when shadows in the shape of your deceased spouse followed at your heels, could turn to someone.

That someone would listen and do something when no one else would. If your fellow humans and the law and even the faith were of no aid, there was still someone else out there willing to offer a hand.

You loved them for that, too. A part of you loved Milly and Julius for caring, for seeing evil and destroying it. For extending warmth and safety to those who needed it.

That feeling of being safe around them never disappeared, either. To this day, whenever you saw them, when you visited their shop, or they dropped by your place in the evening, you still felt it. Warm and gentle and yet as steady and present as the sun and moon, as the tides that flowed around the world. They were safe, and you were safe with them.

Tonight was the opening night for Daisy Chain, and many of your former spouse’s friends and acquaintances had shown up, commending you on your bravery to keep moving forward in these trying times, as well as your altruistic, good heart.

Being widowed helped more than you had expected, though you weren’t grieving at all, of course. It felt like people donated more out of pity than anything else, but you were willing to take what you could get. Especially if it ended up helping others.

Your downright decadent evening garb, made by Milly and Julius, seemed to get compliments from every single person that greeted you, and even you could admit that you hadn’t been dressed so finely even when your spouse had been alive.

Your spouse had always wanted to look impeccable in the public eye and to be the envy of everyone who laid eyes upon them. Dressing you up prettily like a decorative piece had simply been part of that.

Milly and Julius, on the other hand, had hand-sewn you something so beautiful and fitting that just putting it on had given you more confidence. The second you had looked into the mirror, you had felt as though you were looking at a fairy tale version of yourself. There was a shine to you that you had never seen before.

Jane, your best friend who had been a steady source of support and cheer no matter what, had given you a very knowing grin when she had arrived with her beau.

Milly and Julius had shown up a little while ago as well, mingling with the rich gentry, looking gorgeous and mysterious, and they fit in seamlessly. Sometimes though, you saw their smiles gain the faintest edge, their eyes tracking someone who you had heard unpleasant rumors about.

You regretfully didn’t speak much with them; you were too busy socializing, and they seemed to be doing their own little thing as well, but every so often, your gazes met. Every time, you felt your heart soar at the smiles they gave you. They looked proud and encouraging and so very lovely.

As the evening wound down, you found yourself glad to send your guests home, some more drunk than others. Jane was the one who ushered the last straggler out and into a waiting carriage. She waved at you with a grin, and you waved back, mouthing a heartfelt "thank you" at her.

She sketched a playful bow and mouthed "always" back at you, before taking her beau’s hand and letting him help her into their own carriage. She waved one last time as they drove away, looking tired but happy.

And then, finally, the stressful and yet very successful and exciting evening was over.

The only reason you heard Milly and Julius approach from behind was because they wanted you to hear them, shoes clacking quietly against the floor.

Their steps still threaded more softly than a human's would, and you knew from experience that they could walk utterly soundlessly. You looked over your shoulder at them, finding yourself relaxing fully.

"You did amazing work, darling," Milly said, voice quiet in the empty entrance hall of the Daisy Chain’s building, and her eyes held a soft, warm-golden shimmer in the candlelight. "You truly are beautiful inside and out."

"With a soul as bright as your spirit," Julius added. "Thank you for honoring us with an invite. For letting us see you shine tonight."

This was another thing they did. They made you just a little speechless with the way they spoke with you, their easy-as-breathing compliments and sweet words and endearments. The way they looked at you. You hadn’t had a desire to be close to someone in a romantic way after you had gotten married, but those two...

Within a year they had awoken many of your quiet, sweet little dreams about what love could be. You had buried those dreams upon your marriage, and you had thought them dead and gone until these two had lifted your hopes back into the light.

You never wanted to marry again, but if it was them, if they would ever want you the way you had grown to want them, you’d be willing to offer up your heart one more time. To trust someone else with yourself, even if a part of you found the thought of such vulnerability rather terrifying.

"Tonight was quite the success," Milly said as she joined you by the window, the embroidery of her gorgeous dress shimmering in the candlelight, "though you seem quite thoughtful now."

You might be biased, but in your opinion, she had been the most beautiful woman at the party tonight. She had easily charmed all of the other guests, and no one had noticed her sharp gaze that missed nothing.

Julius joined her at your other side, elegant and tall and, in your opinion, among all the other gentlemen present tonight, he had cut the most impressive figure. He had gotten everyone around him to relax, smiling and joking and casting him the occasional, admiring look.

You were the only one aware of the fact that people always said more than they meant to around both tailors. That they revealed things they hadn’t intended to, especially when alcohol joined the mix. You had caught one or two startled faces as someone hastily excused themselves from a conversation or quickly changed the subject.

"You’re both on my mind," you answered honestly, allowing yourself to be a little daring, riding the feeling of such an successful evening, this joy that seemed to lend wings to your heart and soul. "Did you learn anything useful tonight?"

"Oh, plenty," Julius reassured you with a charming smile, one that had enough of an earnest, genuine edge to let you know it wasn’t one of those empty, charming smiles he offered to polite society. "Don’t worry, we got everything we wanted and more."

"Even if had we gained nothing we would have greatly enjoyed ourselves," Milly added, drifting an elegant step closer to you, her decadent dress brushing up a little against you. "We came here for you, first and foremost after all."

While that was true, you were glad that they would be able to help more people going forward. It was strangely reassuring to know that dangerous, nasty folk in positions of power had predators going after them. That, even if the law didn’t do anything to protect their victims, someone would still come for them at the end of the day.

"We will always be there if you want us to be," Julius added, voice dropping to something quieter as he reached out, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear, his fingertips warm and slightly calloused as they brushed your skin, causing a pleasant little shiver to travel down your back. "You have become quite dear to us."

"Very much so," Milly agreed, and both of their gazes felt warm and heavy on you. "Which is why, if you are not too tired yet, we’d like to speak with you."

You were still riding the euphoric relief and joy of a successful evening, and while you knew the exhaustion would hit hard later, for now, you felt wide awake.

"I have time," you reassured her, glancing between them curiously. "Is there something I can help you with?" You’d do everything you could to be of aid to them, that was for sure.

"This is not about business," Milly said and grew more serious, her faintly golden eyes drawing you in with their intensity. "I want to say, first, that one word from you, and we will never speak of this again, nor do we want you to feel like you have to say yes."

"No matter your answer, you will remain our cherished friend, and you can always count on our aid," Julius added, just as solemn and serious and intense, his gaze capturing and holding yours when you glanced at him.

A thread of nervousness wove through your gut and around your heart then, but it was far smaller than it would have been had anyone else approached you. Because Milly and Julius were safe. They might be dangerous for others, might be downright deadly if they chose to be, but they were protectors at heart.

Even now, as they stood close to you, that feeling of safety was there, the candlelight around you illuminating everything softly and warmly. It felt cozy and private and comfortable, and it calmed every one of your anxieties. It soothed the part of your heart and soul that still carried deep bruises from your previous marriage.

"Alright," you said, carefully lacing your fingers together to keep from fiddling with anything.

You had no idea where this was going, but as you looked at them, at the way they watched you, a quiet hope you didn’t dare voice began to rise within you. It unfolded weightless wings that seemed to fill your entire chest, and before you knew it, you had taken a small step towards them.

They didn’t miss that. Of course they didn’t. You felt fingertips brush your hands, and you easily unlaced your fingers to reach back. Hands that were quite different from each other, one slender and the other big, but both warm and calloused, held yours as though they were made of spun glass.

"We never expected you to become such an integral part of our lives when we met you," Milly said, voice growing softer, and her smile was sweet and so very hopeful it made your breath catch and your heart flutter. "But the more we got to know you, the more you became the person you wanted to be, the more we enjoyed your company."

"We’ve both found ourselves looking forward to your visits, counting down the hours until we could close the shop and head over to your place," Julius said, and when he reached out with his free hand, seemingly unable to help himself from cupping your cheek, you couldn’t help but lean your head a little into the touch.

His hand was never anything but gentle and safe, and he was solid and grounding.

"We talked about this at length," Milly said, her slender, strong fingers interlacing with yours in that same gentle and safe manner and giving you a reassuring little squeeze. "If we should even say anything, if our affections wouldn’t be entirely misplaced."

"They aren’t," you whispered, and your heart seemed to fill with so much bubbling hope you wouldn’t have been surprised to see it spill out to stain your skin that same, beautiful golden glow that you saw in the eyes of your tailors.

"Then let us to be blunt," Julius said, and his small smile was hopeful. "We found ourselves caring deeply for you, and we hope that you might allow us to love you."

"We know you know we’re not human," Milly added quietly. "But if you want us, we will gift you our hearts as surely as we gave them to each other. As you have welcomed us into your life, we’d welcome you into ours."

You didn’t even have to think about the answer. Not when all your quiet yearnings and hopes and soft feelings and your longing for love wove into one big strand that tugged you towards them.

"You shall have my heart in return," you answered, your grip tightening on their hands. "For as long as you want me, it is yours."

"Forever then," Julius said quietly, smoothing his thumb over your cheek before he used the hand that cupped the side of your face to guide you a little closer. "Sweet one, let me steal a kiss."

You’d let him steal that and so much more if he wanted to. You closed your eyes and leaned up, his lips brushing yours with the same love and care he had shown you in all other regards.

"We’ll take you out tomorrow," he whispered as he pulled back. He smelled faintly of champagne and something that reminded you of sunshine dancing on cool water, the sort of smell you wouldn’t have found on a human partner.

"We might have been planning a couple of dates, in case this conversation went well," Milly added, and you turned towards her. She was smiling so happily it filled your heart with even more joy in return. "We’d love to court you properly."

"You don’t have to," you said as Julius’s hand on your cheek slipped away, and Milly took a step forward, her slender, elegant hand settling on your other cheek. Her touch felt just as steady and grounding.

"We value you too much to not show our appreciation," she said, leaning in, and you turned towards her like a flower to light, and her soft lips brushed your cheek, then the corner of your mouth, and you turned your head just enough to meet her next kiss.

She too smelled like champagne and sunshine on water, and her kiss pressed a little deeper than her husband's, and you allowed yourself to get lost in it, in her, until she pulled back.

"I might have some plans myself," you admitted, thinking of all the times you had daydreamed about asking them out and them saying yes. Of showing them beautiful gardens and hidden little spots in nature outside the city. Of inviting them to art galleries and theaters and festivals.

"We look forward to them," Julius said, leaning in to press a kiss to your temple, while his wife smiled and kissed your cheek again. "Will you let us take you home tonight?"

"Yes," you answered with a smile. Tonight and any other night.

You could put everything you were into their hold and know, down to the marrow of your bones, that you would be welcomed and treated with care. That they had grown to love you as much as you loved them, and despite the shadows lingering, the bruises left on your mind and soul, you could entrust your heart to them as surely as they had offered theirs to you.