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idratherstayslytherin · 5 years

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Re-writing the story I once wrote, but not really

Some of you may remember my fic “The Feelings We Can’t Let Go”.

It began as a head canon, then the lovely person on tumblr wrote the more put together version of it. We decided to write the fic together. It was going well until university and UK fucked me over. During this whole madness my co-writer disappeared from tumblr and I can’t contact her. I have tried it many times. She didn’t reply. I started writing the fic myself determined to finish it, but my life is hell rn and I don’t have the time to write the two last chapters. I do have the outline and hopefully after i start earning money and start actually getting better mentally and studying and money wise, I’ll finish it. For now I went back to the first version of the headcanon I made with my co-writer and noticed A LOT OF GRAMMAR mistakes as well as some things that weren’t making sense. I wanted to re write this kind of first chapter, so I did. I added a lot of new text, fixed all the mistakes that I could see and ta da! There you have it. You have to be happy with just this until I have the time to finish this damn fic. I want it to be enjoyable, but also make sense, maybe even help people with their own problems, I want it to seem real and I want it to be a lovely love story. I’m a romantic shoot me. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it! Let me know what you think of it <3 I love reading your comments. Also if any artist wants to idk make a fanart of my work now or after I finish this damn fic and have a beta read it , then feel free to do so. Okay, I’m talking way too much, just STFU Ola, no one wants to listen to you rumble :D

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Harry felt like he should have wanted to go back to Hogwarts. Even worse, he knew he should go back there. But he just couldn’t convince himself, not even with Hermione and Ginny returning. Then again, Ron wasn’t going back either, and he didn’t even feel guilty about it, not even after Hermione talked to him about the importance of learning and getting the best possible results in their NEWTs. He got a bit of yelling too, but Hermione directed most of it at Ron, leaving Harry to deal with an angry and sad Ginny, who wanted him to go back.

But there they were on the first of September at King’s Cross station saying their goodbyes and waving after the Hogwarts Express before apparating back to Grimmauld Place. Ron had no intentions of spending the year at the Burrow, it was too far away from London, and he wanted to help George out at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes in Diagon Alley. He also admitted that he couldn’t really deal with his parents’ grief, and Harry was more than happy to offer him accommodation, not only because Ron was his best mate, but he really needed the company. Grimmauld Place might have looked a lot less gloomy since they renovated it, spending all June and most of July sorting and chucking out old furniture and artefacts, knocking down some of the walls (this being the only way of getting rid of the horrible yelling portrait of Sirius’ mother), and painting the rest in brighter shades, the house was still way too big for one person.

Soon, having turned Hogwarts down, Harry found himself obliged to decide on what he wanted to do with his life or at least the foreseeable future. Of course everyone expected him to become an auror, it seemed like the most obvious choice, but despite admittedly being interested in the job back in their fifth year, he wasn’t sure anymore if he wanted to go along with it. He might have defeated Voldemort, but was that really what he was destined to do all his life? Hunt down dark wizards?

He decided on meeting with Kingsley to discuss further possibilities. After getting detailed information about all of jobs he recommended to Harry, and spending three days straight going through the descriptions, forms and books he got, he was sure he would either want to become an Unspeakable or a Curse-breaker. He would have been happy to dive back into his books and papers to choose one of the two jobs. However Ron was already complaining about the whole house being littered with the papers; how Harry did nothing except sit on the couch, read and compare and read and compare; so Harry decided to give himself some time to consider his choice, meanwhile enjoying his freedom.

Do you seriously want to be an Unspeakable?" Ron asked, his mouth full. This was the only part of the last few days he was enjoying, the takeaway they had every evening. "You can never shut up about what you are doing. Do you really think you could go without telling anyone anything about your job?"

"Probably not." Harry shrugged, picking up another slice of pizza. "Though I guess I’ll have to, and it will be worth it.

"C’mon, Curse-breaking seems much more interesting. I’d go with that without hesitation."

"Well then why don’t you? And let me become who I want to be?" Harry snapped. He ate the last bit of pizza, and wiped his hands. " Sorry I didn’t mean that, I’m tired. " He apologised as soon as he realised Ron said nothing that should have angered him. He rubbed his eyes.

"Hardly surprising, you barley slept these past few days, mate, seriously. Just forget about this job thing for a while, it isn’t going to do you any good. Besides, it’s not like you have to start work instantly, you have enough money to live happily for the rest of your life."

"I did sleep last night." Harry protested, deciding not to comment on the money part, as what Ron said was true, he did have a vault full of money. His friend didn’t, and even though he offered to help them, they never accepted it. What he also didn’t mention was that even though he did get a bit of sleep, he kept waking up from nightmares, and if it hadn’t been for the coffee he had every two hours, he would have nodded off halfway through the day. The nightmares, and pretty much everything else connected to the war were one of those topics they avoided. It sometimes resulted in uncomfortable silences, Harry agreed that it was better this way.

"I wonder who else from our year is going back to school." Ron said, changing the topic. "I know Neville decided to do the auror training. And Seamus isn’t going back either, he said something about opening some pub in Diagon."

"I think I heard Dean was going back."

"Oh yeah I heard that too. And Padma and Parvati. I don’t know about anyone else though."

"Me neither. I only know that most of the Slytherins aren’t returning, a lot of them got house arrests with their parents and stuff like that."

"Malfoy?"

"House arrest, in France. But I think he will be taking NEWTs."

"He deserves to rot in Azkaban with his father" Ron scowled.

"He isn’t that bad. I mean he did save my life once" Harry said, though he didn’t sound too sure about it. He might not have despised him as much as he did before, but it was still Malfoy.

"Yeah, and then you saved his, so don’t get any funny ideas of owing him or anything" Ron told him, making Harry grin, Ron knew him more than anyone else. He did feel like he owed Malfoy, a bit at least, but he guessed that speaking in his favour at the trials made them equal.

"Alright" Harry laughed. He vanished the empty pizza boxes, and stood up, yawning. "I’m tired, let’s pack it in for the day."

"I second that" Ron stood up as well, and the two friends made their way upstairs to their bedrooms, Ron in one of the guest ones, Harry sleeping in Sirius’s old room.

Days passed, Harry visited Kingsley once again, then spent another day reading before eventually deciding on Curse-breaking, which seemed ideal for him except for one small thing: he needed an Exceeds Expectations in Potions. Which was impossible to say the least with his skill and knowledge. So he went to the Ministry again, and consulted with several people before agreeing to let them find him a tutor.

He ended up spending a week doing whatever he wanted, before he got any news on the matter. He visited Ron and George; he went to Muggle London; he started repainting Sirius’s old motorbike that Arthur fixed for him, leaving the finishing touches for Harry. He also sat around at home, waiting for Ginny’s face to appear in the fireplace, so she could tell him about school, and he could tell her how much he missed her. He also thought about who will be chosen as his tutor. Was it going to be some weird old Potions master like Slughorn or someone distant and cold, but really talented and intelligent like Snape, or maybe just someone of his age, who was better at the subject than him? The Ministry owl arrived on Friday, with the name and address of his tutor. But something was wrong, the address was somewhere in France. And the name was Draco Lucius Malfoy.

"Are you kidding me? Malfoy?" Ron asked horrified, when he read through the letter Harry shoved into his face as soon as he got home that evening. "Don’t tell me there isn’t anyone else in the whole wizarding world who could help you in Potions. Why did they have to choose that git?"

"I have no idea" Harry sighed. "But it’s not just that. Why France? Why can’t it be someone here in London? I don’t speak French, I don’t know anyone there, it just doesn’t make any sense."

"Can’t you ask the Ministry to find you someone else?"

"Already tried. But apparently Malfoy is the best solution, as we know each other, and we would both benefit from it."

"Both benefit from it?! How would you both benefit from it? What would Malfoy benefit from it? You are lucky to actually learn something if you don’t get killed, but how can he benefit from it?"

"Search me" Harry rolled his eyes.

"When are you leaving?"

"I have a Portkey for next Wednesday."

"Wednesday? But that’s less than a week!"

"I know, but I guess I’ll just have to do it, no matter what."

"This sucks, mate."

"I know. If I don’t get an O after this, I swear I’ll be using some Unforgivables on some people."

The next few days passed quickly, way too quickly in Harry’s opinion, and soon he found himself at the Ministry, looking at the corkscrew on the table, his belongings in his pocket, all shrunken.

"Here goes nothing" he muttered, before taking hold of the charmed corkscrew, and letting it transport him in only a few seconds to his destination: a little French town.

From what he saw on his walk to the Malfoys’ place (Kingsley thought it would be safer for him to arrive outside the town for whatever reason), he thought it could have been England, the small cottages were no different from those they had back there. The one Malfoy and Narcissa were living in was just like the others, a simple Muggle house. The Ministry told him that he would be staying there in a spare bedroom made for him with the help of the expansion charm, until he mastered the needed level of potionmaking, practising in Malfoy's lab. Apart from this, all he knew was that Narcissa had a Muggle job helping out at a clothes shop in the town, and Draco also worked a bit from home, neither of them allowed to leave the boundaries the Ministry had set, and neither of them possessing a wand.

Narcissa greeted him when he arrived, looking as pale and tired as ever, and much to Harry’s surprise wearing a simple blouse and jeans, something he never thought he’d see her in. She showed him around the house before retreating to the living room where she was sorting through some papers, telling him that Malfoy was in his room, and that he should make himself comfortable in the his bedroom. Harry thanked her, and did as she suggested, unpacking, and quickly Flooing Ron and Ginny before lying down, hoping for a decent night’s sleep, not only so he would have all the energy he needed for next day to face Malfoy, but because he would have felt extremely embarrassed if he had woken up screaming from his nightmares like he did sometimes. Then again, a simple muffliato charm should do for the latter.

Next day he woke up feeling surprisingly fresh and well-rested, that didn't mean he was ready to study Potions. With Malfoy. In France. When he could have been at home, spending time with his friends, or just enjoying his freedom.

But then he reminded himself he needed this to get the job he wanted, so gritting his teeth, he headed downstairs to where Narcissa said the lab was, where his old nemesis was already waiting for him.

"Malfoy" he greeted him, sitting down at the table looking around. The walls were filled with shelves of books and tiny bottles, each of them full of liquids of different colours, labelled neatly. The work space however, was empty except for two cauldrons and a copy of a simple Potions schoolbook. Harry's eyes shifted towards Malfoy, who looked pretty much the same as he did the last time Harry saw him, apart from his white-blonde hair being longer, the strands escaping his elegant hair. He also seemed much thinner, Harry noticed, he must have lost at least 20 pounds, it made the boy's features much sharper and angled than they were before.

"Potter." he nodded, restraining himself from scowling, sitting down opposite to Harry. "So, I’ve heard the Chosen One may not be as perfect as everyone thought so. Problems with Potions? Seriously?"

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry snapped. He wasn’t expecting any different, but it still angered him that the other boy was already getting under his skin.

"Whatever, Potter." Malfoy shrugged. "But then don’t expect to get anything better than a D." He smirked.

"Fine." Harry said angrily. "Just shut up about other things and let’s get on with it. I get it, I won’t pass the stupid exam without the help of perfect Draco Malfoy, who is the best Ministry-recommended tutor in the whole Wizarding world, but we’d make better progress if you actually started explaining things" he snarled.

For a moment Harry thought this would be the end, and Malfoy would stalk out, but after glaring at each other, the blonde broke the eye contact and opened the course book without any further ado, and started explaining everything, starting from the very basics. Harry soon found, that even though he would never admit it to anyone else, Malfoy was a good teacher. He cleared up some things Harry previously didn't understand; and apart from the snarky comments, he was almost patient. Well he did snap and start shouting and swearing when Harry messed up a potion even after trying several times, but still. He was way better than what Harry had expected.

Soon they developed a daily routine which consisted of going down to have breakfast on their own, avoiding each other; having a short, theoretical lesson in the morning; having lunch on their own; a longer practical lesson in the afternoon; spending time on their own; then having dinner on their own, except for when Narcissa insisted that they should sit together, which usually resulted in glares and uncomfortable silences.

But Harry was definitely improving at potions, and after all, that was what mattered. As two weeks passed, and October was drawing nearer, Harry found himself tired of arguing with Malfoy, and the other boy must have felt the same way, because all of a sudden the nasty remarks were gone, and they were actually capable of spending time in one room without wanting to kill one another. This definitely was an improvement. Malfoy would actually compliment him if he did something right, and Harry would smile at him. They didn’t try so hard to avoid each other in the time between the lessons, but actually greeted each other, and sometimes even stopped to have short conversations. Nothing too serious or deep, only little things, but this was already much better, Harry realised that Malfoy’s company was actually quite alright sometimes, now that they weren’t constantly arguing.

Weeks passed, and Harry was getting used to living there, and as now he felt more comfortable around the Malfoys, he decided it was time to change some things. He started going for walks around the town and the countryside. He spent a bit more time with Malfoy, they stayed in the lab every so often after the lessons and just talked. One evening Harry even asked Narcissa if he could cook something. They have been eating takeaway pretty much everyday, and Harry didn’t mind it, but after over a month, he had to admit it, it was getting a little repeatable, and he was craving a home-made meal.

Narcissa was surprised, but happy to let Harry work in the kitchen, so after making a quick supply run to the shop around the corner to get all the ingredients he needed for the curry, his favourite dish, he occupied the kitchen.

As he started heating the oil and chopping up the onions, the unmistakable smell of cooking filled his nose, he realised how much he missed it. Cooking was one of those things the Dursleys made him do, but he didn’t really mind it when he was making food for himself or his friends, and after seven years at Hogwarts without cooking, he enjoyed experimenting with all kinds of recipes that he learned from Muggle cook books.

He had started dicing the meat when he grew aware of someone watching him. As he looked up, he saw Malfoy standing in the doorway, watching him.

"You know, it’s not too polite to stare" he said, smirking at the boy. "And do try to be more secretive if you want to look at me." He added, grinning as he saw Malfoy blush, which was definitely something he hadn’t expected to see. Ever. But now that he did, he couldn't stop laughing, making the blonde boy blush even harder, his normally pale face was a deep shade of red. "You should see your face now!" he choked out, holding onto the counter as he tried to calm down, suppressing the laughter that was bubbling in his stomach. Malfoy just stood by the door, glaring at him, his face still flushed. "I’m just messing with you, no need to plan my death" he said with a shy grin as he finally stopped laughing, and went back to chopping the meat, but still keeping one eye on the other boy.

"I wasn’t. I never did. Plan your death, I mean." Malfoy said quietly. Harry looked up and saw that the boy's face was serious. Harry swallowed thickly and nodded, not knowing what to say, so he just kept staring at him, green eyes locked onto the pair of grey ones.

"So, do you want me to show you how to cook?" Harry broke the silence, moving to one side so Malfoy had his space at the counter, offering the boy a little smile. The blonde boy hesitated, running one hand through his hair, and chewing on his bottom lip, which caught Harry’s attention for some reason, he couldn’t explain, he looked away embarrassed, afraid of being caught staring. Malfoy made his way over to the counter. Harry carried on cutting up the meat, giving the other boy smaller tasks, explaining why he did things the way he did, and within half an hour the spicy scent of the simmering curry was filling the room. After tidying up, Harry sat down on one of the chairs, fanning himself with a piece of newspaper that was laying on the dining table, his gaze fluttering to the other boy, who was pouring himself a glass of water, before leaning back onto the counter, flushed, but this time from the heat of the cooking, the top two buttons of his shirt undone, his hair messy and curly from the vapour, making the lines of his face look softer. Harry didn't even know why he thought of that, shaking his head, he stood up, and started setting the table.

"So where did you learn how to cook?" Malfoy asked him, his tone genuinely curious, something Harry still wasn’t completely used to.

"The Dursleys, you know, my foster parents made me cook for them, so I had to, but I actually always enjoyed it a bit." He shrugged.

"They made you cook for them?" Malfoy asked, sounding horrified.

"That wasn’t the worst part. I had to do all the cleaning too, I could never go anywhere. I had to pretend that I didn’t exist whenever they had guests over, and I lived in the broom closet until I was eleven."

"You lived in the broom closet?!" The blonde boy echoed, his voice raised. Harry nodded. "That’s even worse than how we used to treat our house-elves. At least they had proper bedrooms."

Harry just shrugged again, and went to serve the dinner without a word, he didn’t understand why Malfoy was so shocked by how the Dursleys have treated him, or why he cared at all. Dinner passed quietly, apart from Narcissa complimenting Harry on the curry, but otherwise they ate in a silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, it was just strange. He noticed Malfoy looking at him few times, but he always looked away when Harry caught him staring. When they finished eating, Harry did the washing up by magic, not wanting to spend the rest of the evening scrubbing pans, something Draco watched almost in awe, telling Harry his wand was taken by the Ministry, and how he missed using magic, how strange doing everything manually was.

They carried on talking, and walked up the stairs together, but when they stopped on the landing, instead of parting ways, Malfoy asked Harry whether he could explain Muggle technology to him, and Harry was happy to do that, so he followed the other boy into his bedroom. He was surprised to see that the room wasn’t much different from the one he was staying in, except for having more books and other bits of things. But the walls were plain white, the bed wasn’t the posh four-poster he was expecting, and wasn’t covered in Slytherin green sheets with silver lining. It was just a simple bedroom.

"What were you expecting, Potter?" Draco smirked, and Harry realised he must have been staring in shock. "This isn’t Malfoy Manor."

"I don’t know. I just thought it would be more like you."

"More like me? And what’s that like?"

"Well definitely not this" Harry said, gesturing around the room.

"Oh and you know me so well that you are positive that I loved Malfoy Manor and now couldn’t stand living somewhere that wasn’t green and grey and silver and black and full of snake-patterns" Draco snorted.

"That’s not what I… oh never mind" Harry rolled his eyes, already feeling irritated with Malfoy, but also himself for thinking that they could actually spend time together properly, without things like this. He was on the verge of walking back to his own bedroom, when he noticed that Malfoy wasn’t glaring at him, he was smirking. Harry sighed, and flopped down onto the bed next to the boy, and started telling him how toasters and TVs and computers worked. He actually enjoyed it more than he thought he would, and he was surprised to see that Malfoy wasn’t being difficult, but genuinely curious and interested, and would listen to Harry’s explanations without interrupting, only showering him with questions afterwards, a fascinated smile spreading over his face, Harry thought that Malfoy was much nicer this way, smiling, friendly, patient and interested in almost a childlike way.

They made this a regular thing, often making breakfast or dinner together, and spending hours before going to sleep talking about Muggle things, and sometimes bringing up other topics as well, and Harry realised he was starting to enjoy Malfoy’s company.

Harry was also improving in Potions, he was now able to make quite a lot of decent ones, and Malfoy was almost proud of him. However then he accidentally burned the cauldron down, causing the blonde boy to give him silent treatment and avoid him after yelling at him about being irresponsible and hopeless.

But after a day of ignoring each other they called truce, and went back to doing things together. This was when Harry realised actually how much time they spent together, and how he talked to Ron or Hermione and Ginny less and less, calling the girls late that evening, feeling guilty. Hermione told him about the lessons, and asked him questions about potions, she was happy with his progress, reminding him again how important it was, and that he needed to carry on. She then left Harry to talk to Ginny privately. They talked about school mostly, and how they missed each other, and how Harry had to go home for Christmas, because Ginny couldn’t go any longer without talking to him properly, face to face, or kissing him, or touching him, and before saying goodbye, Ginny pulled her shirt up, teasing Harry, saying all kinds of dirty words she could think of, leaving the boy with a hard-on. He was too embarrassed to wank, being separated from Malfoy by only one thin wall.

He kept thinking about Ginny, even though he didn’t call her for some time, thinking how things would be when they both got back home. Will they get married straight away? Will they have kids? And if yes, how many? He missed her, a lot, but he had to admit, these thoughts were scaring him slightly. He knew Ron and Hermione were planning on getting married and moving in together when Hermione graduated, but Harry wasn’t sure if he could imagine himself settling down already and becoming a father.

In the end he found himself in the lab, as he did quite often for some time now, deciding it was the best time to practice, trying to make some dreamless sleep for himself, but failing, which meant he could only hope for a decent night’s sleep without nightmares, even though he knew it was unlikely.

He did seem to have less nightmares than before, but now when he did, they were the worst ever, and he would wake up screaming, and couldn’t go back to sleep properly afterwards, and would be stressed and irritable all day. He just really hoped Malfoy never heard him screaming, embarrassed even by the thought of it. One night he felt two unfamiliar firm hands shaking him awake, and a voice, unsure yet steady telling him to breathe, and how it only had been a dream, and finally when Harry was calm enough, handing him a vial of dreamless sleep, he thought he never could have been more thankful, even though he was indeed extremely embarrassed.

Malfoy gave him dreamless sleep and that was all that mattered, because he slept until 1 PM next day, and when he woke up, he feels much better than other mornings, except for the sadness and anger that lingered from the nightmare, but he was used to that. He didn’t even want to get up from bed, he wanted to just stay there and disappear, somehow slip into nonexistence. It was mostly on the days after his nightmares, but sometimes even on just ordinary days, that he thought of what it would have been like to stay dead. He knew some people would have missed him, but with the Horcrux in him destroyed, the world didn’t need him anymore. And it wasn’t bad, it didn’t hurt at all, Sirius had been right, he didn’t feel anything. It didn’t really feel like being dead. It didn’t feel like anything to be honest. But he came back, even though he wasn’t sure he should have.

He decided to go and tell Malfoy that he wasn’t in the mood to study, but he didn’t find the boy in his bedroom or the lab or anywhere else. Or at least anywhere he was expecting to find him, he realised why as he entered the kitchen, there stood Malfoy he was cooking something by the stove, it smelt amazing. The smell of cinnamon mixed with apples and something sweet filled Harry's nose.

"Hi." he said quietly, stopping in the doorway.

"Hey," Malfoy looked up to greet him. "You look like shit" he informed him. Harry snorted. He didn’t need Malfoy to tell him that. He felt like shit. "I’m making you food. Sit."

"What? Harry looked up at him, shocked, unsure if he heard him right. Malfoy was making him breakfast. Malfoy. For him. How did this even happen? And why?

"Can’t you ever do just one thing you’re asked for?" The blonde boy asked, rolling his eyes. "Are you really that much of a rebel?" He asked, as he watched Harry sit down, still dazed, he smiled. His voice was softer than the usual, and Harry couldn't understand why. He continued to stare at the blonde boy in complete shock, until the latter lets out a soft chuckle, and told him to stop staring at him with his mouth open. Harry felt his cheeks grow warm in embarrassment, and he mumbled something Malfoy couldn't quite make sense of. Harry dropped his gaze to the table, and toyed with the spoon. He runhis hand through his hair which was messier than usual, he didn’t even try to comb it as he was planning to go back to bed. He felt Malfoy's eyes on him. Harry turned his head to meet the blonde boy's gaze just as Malfoy turned away.

Malfoy sat down opposite to Harry, handing him his breakfast and a cup of coffee, he himself only drinking tea.

They sat in silence, the blonde watching Harry eat.

"We don’t have to study today" he said, breaking the silence. Harry just nodded, still confused by the boy’s kindness, and carried on eating. As he finished, he watched Malfoy sipping his tea, gazing out of the window. He looked different, Harry thought, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on the difference, the only thing he noticed was that his hair was messier than usual. That couldn’t have made such a big difference, it was more than that. It was something about his whole face, all of his features. But mostly his eyes. His eyes were definitely different, no longer cold and distant, but almost soft. Harry watched his eyes fixed on the garden outside, the shape of the window reflected in the sliver greyness. The practically white eyelashes around his eyes. His pale, porcelain-like skin. The pointiness of his nose. The pinkness of his lips, that for once weren’t frowning. His perfect jawline. The way his shoulder length hair fell onto his shoulders. Harry thought he was beautiful. He felt weird had just thought that, but as he continued to look at the boy, he couldn’t help but admit it. He also couldn't help but notice how his heart was hammering in his chest. He tore his gaze away from the boy and looked back down at the table. What was wrong with him? Why was he finding Malfoy attractive? He swallowed hard, allowing himself another glance at the boy. He noticed the longing in his eyes, the sadness on his face, and he realised, Malfoy must be missing being outdoors. Of course he must miss being outside! He had been in the house arrest for over a year.

Harry couldn't stop thinking how terrible it must be, not being able to go out, and within a minute the idea pops in his mind. He stood up abruptly and told Malfoy he’d be back in a sec. He rushed up to the bedroom and called Kingsley on the Floo, begging him to allow Malfoy leave the house with him, explaining what a great teacher he was, and telling the Minister that he trusted him. He didn’t actually realise all of this before he said it out loud, but it was true. He trusted Malfoy, especially after he gave Harry dreamless sleep and made him breakfast. He deserved something good. Harry was really pleased with himself when Kingsley permitted him to open the doors and go somewhere with Malfoy. He had to make him a promise that he’d look out for the blonde and would be careful, which Harry promised he would. He quickly packed few things and rushed back down to the kitchen.

Malfoy looked up startled as Harry re-entered the kitchen, his expression soon turning to shock, as Harry told him to get up because they were going out.

"What do you mean ‘out’?" He asked, looking at Harry in confusion.

"I talked to Kingsley" Harry shrugged, as if it was nothing, already making his way to the door, unlocking it, and casting several counter spells that would let Draco out as well. The blonde boy followed him, still shocked and surprised, but as he stepped outside and inhaled the fresh air and felt the breeze tug at his hair, he just closed his eyes and let a smile spread across his face. Gosh, how he had missed this. Harry stood looking at him, smiling, thinking how gorgeous Malfoy looked with the strands of blonde hair flowing around his face. No. He wasn’t gorgeous, Harry thought, feeling angry with himself, feeling like his thoughts were betraying him.

"There’s a beach a few miles from here" Draco spoke up.

"Are you suggesting we go there?" Harry asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"thought that was obvious" Draco smirked, and Harry grinned at him as they set off. They walked in silence, until Draco spoke again. "Thanks. For taking me out." He said quietly. Harry looked up at him. "And everything" the boy carried on. "Testifying for my mother. Saving my life in that room."

Harry didn’t say anything for a few moments. The situation was so strange, Malfoy sounded so honest and so vulnerable, and he just didn’t quite know what to say.

"I did what I thought had to be done." He said in the end. "And… I never thought you deserved Azkaban." He added after a pause, avoiding Malfoy’s eyes. "You saved me too, at the Manor."

"I should have done more" the blonde boy whispered. "I was a coward. I still am. I should have helped." The words spilled out of Draco, no louder than the wind whistling in their ears, and if Harry hadn’t seen his lips moving, he wouldn’t have believed that he heard what he heard. He watched the boy’s face, noticing the way his eyes were shining, tears flooding them. "I deserved all they planned for me at the trial. You should have left me there, but I guess you can’t stop yourself from saving people’s lives, even if you hate them." He said, a sad smile on his face, Harry found it heart wrenching. He swallowed thickly, once again lost for words. He wanted to tell him that it wasn’t true, that he didn’t deserve to be punished, that he didn’t hate him. He wanted to squeeze his hand and tell him it was okay. But he didn’t, instead he kept quiet, and carried on walking.

Neither of them said anything on the rest of the way to the beach. It was quite a long walk, they both stopped to catch their breaths as they arrived at the end of the cliff from where the carved steps led down to the beach. Harry had been going out for strolls around the area, but he felt a little exhausted after the walk, and Draco, who had been indoors for ages was clutching his side, but it was definitely worth it.

The view was beautiful, the sun was just starting to set, tainting the sky pink and orange, the warm light reflecting on the surface of the water, the white cliffs and the pale sand on the shore making the picture perfect. It was breezy, but not too much, just enough to ripple the surface of the ocean and to catch in their hair.

They made their way down to the beach, Harry spread out the blankets he brought with him, before sitting down, Malfoy following him, they sat down, watching the sky together.

"I miss Sirius." Harry suddenly blurted out, not even knowing why he said it, regretting it immediately.

"Your godfather?" Malfoy asked, not looking at him, messing around with a stick he found in the sand. Harry nodded, and lied back on the blanket.

"He and Remus were the only people who made me feel like-" He took sharp intake of breath. "-like I still had a piece of my parents with me" he sighed. He didn’t know why he was telling Malfoy this, but he couldn't stop himself. As the blonde boy seemed genuinely curious, Harry carried on talking, telling him about third year, how he met Sirius, and about Peter Pettigrew, and the Marauders Map, and about the Order of the Phoenix, and everything Sirius told him about his parents. Malfoy listened intensely, asking questions every so often, being very careful not to cross the boundaries.

"I’m sorry they aren’t around anymore." Malfoy simply said when Harry stopped talking. He tilted his head to the side, looking at Malfoy’s face, studying his expression, but he couldn't see anything except for honesty and sadness, and something slightly even like an affection. He felt like crying, but he didn't want to cry in front of the other boy. He knew he should feel angry, after all if Malfoy hadn’t let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, if his father hadn’t been there at the Department of Mysteries, Sirius and Remus could still be have been alive, but that’s too many ‘if’s. Harry thought of asking Malfoy what his intentions actually were, or something, but he chose to keep silent.

"I’m going swimming" he announced after laying around for a while, he stood up, already taking his shirt off.

"Are you crazy? It must be minus twenty down there°C!" Draco exclaimed, sitting up.

"Yeah, sure, minus two hundred." Harry chuckled. "Chill Malfoy ." Harry rolled his eyes, shucking his jeans as well, making his way to the water, ignoring the feeling of the other boy’s eyes on him.

"Come back here you prat, I don't fancy being framed for your death. It’s dark and it’s cold and you will drown. We can come back here tomorrow and then you can do whatever you want." Malfoy called after him, making Harry laugh.

"If you are so worried about me, come with me" he snorted, stepping into the water, leaning down and splashing it over his body, before carrying on walking deeper into the water. He was in knee-deep when Malfoy caught up with him, stopping at the side of the water. Harry went in even deeper, looking back and shooting a grin at Malfoy. "You better take that shirt off if you want to rescue me when I drown."

The blonde boy just stood there shaking his head as Harry carried on, the water was now up to his shoulders. He couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the fully clothed Malfoy standing on the beach, and suddenly an idea crossed his mind. What if he faked drowning? Would Malfoy really rush to rescue him? He grinned in anticipation, before going in a bit deeper, and pretending to drown, yelling for help, and sure enough, the blonde was there beside him within seconds, his hands around Harry’s waist.

"You idiot" Malfoy said angrily, letting go of Harry when the brunette burst out laughing.

"And you said I’m the one with a saving people's lives-problem." Harry choked out, still shaking from laughter, clutching his stomach with his arms.

"You’re such an imbecile! We could have both lost our footing! I thought you were really drowning." he sneered, and splashed Harry with water. The other boy splashed him back immediately, still laughing, and soon enough Draco was laughing too. They were splashing each other madly, trying to get away from one another, making their way to the beach.

"Scared?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as they reached the dry land, still breathless from laughing, clutching each other.

"You wish." Draco smirked, and chased Harry back to the blankets, ending up on top of Harry, kneeling between the boy’s legs, holding his hands down above his head. "Feeling defeated, Potter? Did I just defeat the Great Harry Potter?

"As if I’d let you." Harry said, wrapping his legs around Malfoy's waist. He knocked the boy over, straddling him, with a triumphant grin, which died down as soon as their eyes met. Until now, Harry didn’t quite realise how close they were, only a few inches between their faces. He was starting to feel uncomfortable, and dropped his gaze, but if anything, this made things worse, as he found himself staring at Malfoy’s chest, his white shirt sticking to his body, the wetness making it almost see-through, the boy’s lean muscles and his hardened nipples visible to Harry, making him blush. What was wrong with him? It was the third time that day that he found the boy extremely attractive.

"Potter…" Malfoy spoke up, sounding a little embarrassed, as he shifted underneath him. Harry didn't get it for a moment, but then he realises he had an unmistakable hardness in his pants, and it was pressing right into the blonde boy’s thigh.

"Shit, I’m sorry, I just…" he stammered, as he stood up as fast as he could.

"Stop, it’s okay. It’s a normal reaction, I guess, I mean you’ve been away from your girlfriend, and…" Malfoy trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, avoiding looking at Harry, who was also avoiding looking anywhere near the other boy. "Let’s go home. Or do you want me to go and you can just stay here, think of your lovely girlfriend, jerk off, and meet me back at the house" Draco said, picking their stuff up, his words making Harry blush even harder.

"I’m… I’ll be alright" Harry managed to say. Malfoy snorts.

"For Merlin’s sake, just stay here, and follow me back when you-" "fuck, just take care of yourself, Potter!" With that said, Malfoy was already turning his back to Harry.

"You are wet. You’ll catch a cold." Harry said desperately, not wanting to make this situation any awkward, which he probably was doing anyway.

"Well then cast a drying charm on me, will you?!" Malfoy looked angry. Why was he like that? He was sneering at Harry, Harry felt like they were back at Hogwarts and Malfoy was about to make one of his snarky comments that always boiled Harry's blood. "You are the one with a wand, you arse!" He rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed huff. "if you are so concerned about my health then do it." he snapped, and Harry obeyed. As soon as he did, the blonde haired boy turned around and left in a rush without saying another word. What was wrong with him? Why did he get so pricky about all of this?!

He left Harry there on the beach. On his own. With a bulge in his pants. Still painfully pressing to his trousers.

He tried to think of Ginny, he really did, but he couldn’t help it, his thoughts drifted back to earlier that day, Malfoy’s hair flowing in the breeze, and Harry remembered how much he wanted to run his hands through it. The closeness of the boy made his body shiver, his angular face, his soft silver eyes, his flat yet arousing chest… oh Merlin, he felt like he could melt away just thinking of him, however weird it is, and however guilty he felt about not thinking of Ginny. What the fresh hell?! Malfoy was a boy! Harry wasn't gay for crying out loud! How the hell was he getting of to the thoughts of Malfoy?

The next few days passed in their usual routine, making breakfast together, Potions theory, having lunch together, brewing, making dinner together, and talking about Muggle things until it’s time for bed. Neither of them mentioned the day at the beach, and Harry was thankful for that, but he couldn’t stop thinking back to that very day, and what it felt like to be that close to Malfoy. He kept thinking back, and would often get distracted from doing whatever he was just by looking at Malfoy, or listening the way he talked about Potions, with such enthusiasm, or the excitement on his face when he showed Harry a book on Muggle things and told him how he finally understood how something worked, and it dawned on him, that he was growing more and more attracted to him.

It wasn’t just his looks that made Harry want to press the other boy to the wall and snog him senseless, though he didn’t even try to deny how his soft platinum hair and silver eyes drove him crazy, but it was his whole personality. The way he was nice to Harry now, always, but still kept teasing him, and Harry would tease back, and sometimes it occurred him that it felt almost like they were flirting or something. Or how patient and serious he could be as a teacher. Or how clever and intelligent he was, almost like Hermione, but in a different way. Or how he enjoyed just small things, like walking out into the garden when the sun was shining, or finding a new book among his mother’s belongings that he could read, or a nice meal they made together. How honest he could be sometimes. How passionate he would get if he was talking about something that was important to him. How similar his sense of humour was to Harry’s. He felt like they could be friends, like actual friends, who would stay in contact and have fun together even when they weren’t locked up in a small cottage in France together to study Potions. But real friends. And maybe even more, because Harry wanted to touch him again, to feel his soft skin, or his silky looking hair. Malfoy was driving Harry crazy, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

After another week or so Draco told him that he was doing well enough to pass his NEWTs easily, and they decided to go down to the beach once again, before Christmas. They spent the whole day there, taking a basket of food, they swam, but only a bit because the water was much colder by now, they talked and laughed and talked even more, about school, about their childhoods, about Quidditch, anything they thought of. Harry couldn't imagine his life without the blonde boy by now. He thought of how hard it will be for him to leave this bastard. How hard will it be to say goodbye to all their memories. Forget about all that they have accomplished and of course, about the whole attraction thing. Harry didn't even know if maybe he allowed himself do what his mind, and other parts of his body, told him to do, then would he discover something about himself. He found his mind drifting off to this idea while he stared at the blonde looking up to the sky.

As the sky grew darker, covered in thousands of sparkling spots, bright and shining like diamonds, scattered all over the sheet of the night, they lay back on their blankets, and Malfoy started to point the constellations out to Harry, saving his favourite one, his own one, the dragon for last. His voice proud as he told the boy next to him which one it was, which Harry found adorable, and returned the boy’s smirk with a grin of his own. Their eyes met for longer than they have ever held each other's gaze. It was like looking at the other's soul through them, finally seeing the real version of the person they never got the chance to get to know better. Harry wanted to kiss Malfoy. He wanted to throw his arms around the boy and press their lips together. He didn't. Whether it was because he was scared of what would happen if he did or he was scared of what he would become if he made this move. Harry turned his face towards the ground. The moment was ruined.

Sometime after staying quiet for a while, they started to talk about more serious things, and Malfoy told Harry how he didn’t want to kill Dumbledore, and how he only realised then that his parents were wrong, and how all he wanted before was to make his father proud. How he did everything afterwards just so Voldemort wouldn’t kill his parents. How terrible it was to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts, but how he had no other choice if he wanted his parents to live. What it was like to live at Malfoy Manor with the Dark Lord. How he wanted to just apparate somewhere where no one knew him and there were no expectations he had to live up to, no war, no pain, no suffering. How he felt like a coward but still didn’t do anything.

Harry saw the tears shining on Malfoy's cheeks, in the moonlight, as he got to the end of his story, and without thinking, he wrapped his arm around the boy, pulling him close to himself. Malfoy instantly pulled back as if Harry's touch burned him. He mumbled something about not wanting to be pitied and knowing that he was a coward and a bad person but he wanted to change, and Harry didn’t know what to say, so he just sat there beside him.

Later they lay down on their blankets, and fell asleep next to each other under the starry sky.

When Harry woke up, to the first rays of sunshine stroking his skin, he found himself wrapped around Malfoy's arms, their bodies pressed together. He stayed in those arms for a while, enjoying the warmth that came from Draco's, not Malfoy's, body. Oh how much he wanted to stay here forever and just breath this air, go for long walks, talk to Draco, discover himself, get away from all the stress that England and people there caused him. But he couldn't do it. He felt too obligated to be the man everyone expected him to be. He couldn't just disappear and stay here with the blonde. It would be mad. Besides, he had his friends in England, his girlfriend, probably soon to be wife. He wanted to have a family and a job that he enjoyed, the job that would make him feel more human than just the Savour of Wizarding World. He had to go back home, no matter how much his heart was begging him to stay here and try losing himself in the unknown, something that didn't feel quite possible and normal, in something that was as exciting as scary. Just trying to be happy without all the shit that was going to await for him in London. Harry got up from under the blanket and Draco's arms carefully, making sure he wouldn’t wake the other boy up. He conjured a piece of parchment and a quill, with a deep sigh he started writing a letter. He knew he wasn’t the best with words, especially when they were goodbyes, and writing it all down helped, he could say all the things he could never say face to face. He could thank Draco and promise him he’d talk to Kingsley and find a way for him to come back to England. At least that's what Harry wanted. If he couldn't stay here he wanted to hold on to this unexpected friendship in any way he could. He wrote how he’d wait for Draco, and would want to see him, when he did come back to WIzarding World where Harry would be. Harry realised how much he's going to miss Draco, his smile, his snaky comments, the lessons with him, their midnight or morning walks to the beach, their inside jokes, their conversations, Draco's eyes that at some point became everything Harry could think of, just Draco Malfoy in general, still the same git, but trying to become better.

Harry rolled up his blanket and put it back into the basket along with all of the other scattered bits, and put the letter on top. He looked down at the boy below him, and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss onto his cheek, feeling the soft skin underneath his lips and smelling the scent he will never be able to get out of his mind, he didn't realise when a warm tear run down his cheek. He shook himself from the trans he was in. Before he got up to his feet and head back to Malfoy's house and then the town to take his Portkey back to London, he took one last look at Draco sleeping peacefully on the beach, Harry once again couldn't breath. If he never again got the chance to see this idiot, he didn't know if he would ever feel understood and complete as much as he did in Draco's presence. He could only hope for the best.

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Read Chapter Two HERE

#drarry #drarry fic #drarry head canon #head canon #my fic #first chapter #re writting stuf #wip #fic #ao3 #feelings we can't let go #drarry squad #harry potter #draco malfoy

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josephstoontown · 7 years

Text

Stains of Orange

A Joseph's ToonTown story.

Gotta be honest. I'm enjoying giving these supporting characters a bit more depth. It also helps paint a much more interesting picture that is ToonTown…

Word count: 7,691 – Character count: 44,407 Originally written: January 28th, 2017 Revised on: September 5th, 2017

The events of Joseph's first night in ToonTown come back in full force as he finds himself in the middle of something emotional.

Fawn Deer, Bonkers D. Bobcat, Raw Toonage, and related characters and properties created by and © The Walt Disney Company Spydor, Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys, and related characters and properties created by Monkeyshine Productions, Inc. and © Hallmark Entertainment

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If you were to tell Joseph that he would be spending the last Sunday of September driving up to Lancaster with one of his co-workers, he’d probably just nod because… as it just so happened, one of his co-workers did ask him to tag along, on a such a journey.

“I really appreciate you coming with me, on such short notice,” the driver of the small, blue, human-made sedan told her companion. “I don’t really mind,” the fox replied from his seat, curiously watching the driver work the extended pedals of the vehicle, as they drove. “But, Fawn… Why did you need someone to go with you?” “Well,” she said without taking her eyes off the road, “you can never be too safe, when visiting a prison…” “You’d think there would be plenty of security at the Cali State Prison, though…” “Plus…” The deer offered a quick smile. “I enjoy your company.” “Pfft… You barely even know me, Fawn,” he laughed. “Well, that sounds nicer than ‘you’d be the least-missed of the staff,’ doesn’t it?” His ears fell back, at that. He knew Fawn was right, since he was just a dishwasher… a part-time one, at that. Still, though… “Yeah, that does sound nicer…”

The 90-some-mile drive from ToonTown was a quiet one, only occasionally broken up by road noises or other traffic of the human world. Fawn didn’t seem in a particularly chatty mood… though, she didn’t seem in terribly low spirits, either, despite the situation. In fact, she seemed to wear a fairly consistent, neutral sort of smile on her face as they drove – the kind Joseph knew she’d always worn, when not engaged with other tasks. How can she always be so cheerful? he wondered… I sure wouldn’t be cheerful, if I had to take hours of my day to go visit someone, in prison…

When the two arrived at their destination, they had to be checked in, at the gates. Fawn offered her state-issued ID while handing over her purse. When Joseph had to hand over his wallet, cell phone, and keys, she then explained who he was, in relation to her. After a quick pat-down to the latter, the two were allowed in, escorted by one of the security guards. “So, this is prison…” Joseph thought aloud as he stayed close to Fawn. “Looks a lot bigger, on the inside.” The deer offered a patient smile as she walked behind the guard and in front of the fox. “I’ve actually never been inside one of these places, before,” he continued. “Let’s hope it stays that way,” the guard sharply interjected. Joseph took that as a sign to clam up… and, the trio continued to walk through the prison facility.

After a short walk, they’d finally arrived at a small room situated some distance from the front entrance. Joseph noticed, there seemed to be a long row of seats going from one side of that room to the other. There were also, what appeared to be, booths with telephones on either side of large, plexiglass windows. The fox immediately recognized where they were, from the various movies and cartoons he’d seen.

“Prisoner number 9528 will be along, shortly,” the guard said as he gestured to a random booth. “Please, wait.” “Thank you,” Fawn said before taking a seat. Joseph decided to keep looking around, as they waited.

It didn’t seem terribly busy, that day, with only a few people there, for a visit. He did notice, however, that there was at least one other ‘toon, in the area. A large, weepy cow with a speech impediment appeared to be blubbering into a telephone on their side. Curiosity overtook the fox and he stepped back far enough to see… what appeared to be a much smaller ‘toon chicken, on the other side… one that looked very impatient with the cow, at that.

“Mr. Lithius?” Fawn’s soft voice had caught his attention. She was giving him look of mild curiosity. “What’s up, Fawn?” he asked as he walked back to her. “Nothing.” She smiled up at him. “I was just wondering what you were doing.” “Just… killing ti–” The fox paused… then, tensed. The guards were giving him a look… “Wasting time!” he immediately corrected. “I’m just wasting time, until he pops up.” Fawn smiled a little more, at that, before giving a nod. She then turned her attention back toward the booth’s window, patiently waiting…

“You know…” The deer’s ears perked and she looked toward the fox, again. He was standing beside her. “I know this isn’t the best time but… I wanted to say… I really like your outfit.” She twittered, a little, looking down. She fidgeted with the hem of her gray, knee-length skirt for a moment, before replying. “I wanted to look nice, for him,” she explained, still staring at the floor. “The only nice clothing I have is this pink dress shirt and gray skirt. Plus, the prison has a dress code, for visitors; I wasn’t allowed to wear my usual, pink dress or even my ribbon. That’s the main reason why I asked you to wear something nice, in fact.” “What, this?” Joseph chuckled, standing there in a white, button-up shirt and black dress slacks. “This is just what I had handy, too. Didn’t know they’d confiscate my stuff, though…” “Visitation rules, I’m afraid,” the deer said, looking up with a soft smile. “No electronic devices, no loose items, no ties or ribbons, and so on.” “We, uh… do get them back when we leave, though. Right?” Fawn gave a soft giggle. “Of course we do, silly…” “Alright. But, if I’m missing any money, I swear…” She looked away with a light hum. Joseph wondered, then, if she’d lost interest… or just found his humor to be in poor taste.

“Oh! Mr. Lithius!” Fawn said with excitement a moment later. “Here he comes!” The fox looked through the plexiglass window as the door on the opposite side opened. He, then, gave a blink as he noticed a small, familiar-looking feline step through… He was wearing a two-piece prison uniform and orange slip-on shoes, all of which was a brighter shade than even his fur. He was also escorted by two armed officers… though, he didn’t appear to have any sort of restraints on. Joseph figured he probably hadn’t done anything dangerous, given that… but, the armed escort still made him wonder…

A guard on the other side said something to the bobcat and he gave a nod. He then walked toward the booth where Fawn sat, sitting down opposite the deer. Fawn was quick to grab the phone receiver, on her side. “Bonkers!” she cried. “I’m so glad you’re alright! I’ve been so worried, since you called me, last week…” The fox tilted his head. Although he couldn’t hear what the bobcat was saying, he could see the look on his face… and, it wasn’t a good one. He wore large bags under his eyes and there was a bit of a scowl on his face as he spoke slowly and clinically. Indeed, there didn’t seem to be much energy to the feline, as he spoke with Fawn… In fact, he almost looked… broken.

“What’s that? ‘Who is he?’” Fawn said before looking toward the fox. “This is Mr. Joseph Lithius. He’s a friend of mine.” The deer looked back toward Bonkers, pausing as he spoke again. “Oh! You’ve met him, before? What’s that? You ran into him and Woody, once? How funny! Both Mr. Lithius and Woody work with me at the diner, if you recall.” Her head gave a tilt. “You don’t? I could have sworn… but, oh, maybe I never told you? I’m sorry.” She hummed for a moment before smiling. “It’s so nice to see you, Bonkers… I was really scared that you’d gotten into serious trouble, when you called.” The fox gave a blink as he noticed the annoyed look on Bonkers’ face. “What’s he in for, anyway?” he found himself asking. “Oh, he tried to rob a bank, in East L.A.,” Fawn calmly explained, her hand covering the receiver’s mouthpiece and her head turned his way, for that moment. “Uh… that… sounds like ‘serious trouble’ to me.” “Oh, no, it’s okay! He had no intention of hurting anyone.” She brightly smiled. “He just wanted to get himself arrested so he would stay out of trouble!” He gave another blink. “That… doesn’t…” “What’s that, Bonkers?” Fawn’s attention returned to her boyfriend. “Oh, I was just explaining your situation to Mr. Lithius. I think you did the right thing, getting yourself jailed instead of causing more trouble for the L.A.P.D!” Joseph scratched the back of his head. He had no idea why Fawn would say that… but, it didn’t feel like she was telling him everything, either. Still, he decided to keep quiet and just let her have her conversation… That was the idea, anyway, until he’d heard her cry out.

“Bonkers, please…! Don’t say those sorts of things!” The fox’s ears perked and he looked to the pair of ‘toons. Bonkers was looking down at the booth’s table and Fawn looked really upset. She’d stood up and had her hand pressed against the plexiglass, wearing a deeply concerned look. “Please…” she continued, “don’t think that way…” The bobcat had said something else which made Fawn cringe. “Bonkers… I love you… Please don’t say that… It makes me so sad…” He shook his head… then, he looked up, pressing his hand to hers against the glass. Something he’d said made Fawn smile… but, she still looked upset. Again, Joseph didn’t ask…

Another twenty minutes went by while Fawn said encouraging things to her boyfriend, as well as telling him about her week. He didn’t seem terribly interested, his loose ear remaining folded and his tail switching back-and-forth, behind him… but, he seemed like he was listening, otherwise. Eventually, though, Fawn ran out of things to talk about.

“Please, be safe, Bonkers…” she whispered into the phone, putting her hand against the glass, again. “And, if you start thinking those gloomy thoughts, again…” He gave a nod, replying on his end and touching his hand to hers. “I love you…” Joseph could read the bobcat’s lips as he returned her affections and gave an unconvincing smile. “Be safe, my brave little kitty-cat…” Fawn then kissed her fingers before touching the receiver’s mouthpiece. It almost seemed like she’d gotten a shy reaction from the bobcat, from that sweet gesture, before they hung their respective receivers. Then, Bonkers was quietly taken out of the area. “Mr. Lithius?” Fawn said as she stood up, a moment later. The fox tilted his head as she smiled at him. “I’m ready to go, now. Thank you for waiting.” “Uh… sure thing,” was all he could say. The two then found themselves escorted out of the communication area and back through the prison.

“I have to be honest here, Fawn…” the fox said as they walked together. “When you told me you were going to visit Bonkers in jail, I was a little surprised. I was even more surprised when it turned out you were just chatting with him. I guess I kind of assumed you were going to, ya know, interact with him a little more directly. Not– not a conjugal visit, I mean! Just, like… uh… face-to-face? Like, don’t they have a ‘commons’ area, for visits?” “He didn’t want that,” Fawn calmly replied, ignoring his misspeak. “He really didn’t have much to say, either. But, it was nice of him to listen, anyway. He’s such a good listener…” “Uh…” The fox gave a blink… then shook his head. “Whatever, I guess.”

After another bit of a walk, the two were outside the prison and it wasn’t long before they’d arrived at Fawn’s blue sedan. They climbed in and were soon on their way back home. At least, that’s what Joseph had assumed. The fox gave a blink as, not ten minutes away from the prison, Fawn had turned off at a rest stop. She parked the car at a random parking spot and cut the ignition, causing him to wonder… He curiously watched as Fawn stared out through the windshield for several moments, neither of them saying a word. Eventually, though, something happened… “Wh– wh– Fawn…?” Without any warning or any indication that something was wrong, Fawn brought her hands to her face and started crying into the steering wheel! “Fawn, what’s wrong…?” he asked, frowning and worried. “Why are you crying?” But, she didn’t answer, completely focused on crying her eyes out. Joseph hesitated for a moment… then, he undid his seatbelt to reach over and rub her back. When she didn’t pull away, he continued to gently caress the deer while she had her breakdown, just wishing he could do more…

After what seemed like minutes of crying, Fawn finally sat up. Joseph couldn’t help but make a noise as he noticed the deer’s eyeliner running down her cheeks but, thankfully, she hadn’t heard him. He was quick to offer her a tissue from a thing she’d kept on the dashboard, then perked as she made the strangest, honking noises, noisily clearing her little black nose of build-up. A second tissue was then offered as he took the first and discarded it.

“I’m really sorry you had to see that, Mr. Lithius…” Fawn said in a calm, collected voice, gently dabbing the stained fur under her eyes without looking to him. “It’s been… stressful… being with Bonkers. Ever since he was let go from the L.A.P.D, he just hasn’t been okay…” “I wish I could say I understood, Fawn… but, are you alright?” “Mm-hmm,” she said with a nod and a smile. “Every once-in-a-while, I just need to let it all out.” “Crying is therapeutic,” the fox offered. “In the right doses, I mean.” She gave a soft giggle. “That’s what my psychologist says, too.” “Eh?” Joseph perked. “You see a psychologist?” “Only once-a-month,” was Fawn’s reply. “Dr. Sydney really helps me cope with everything.” “I see…” Fawn blew her nose, again, before reaching to her car keys. However, when she felt Joseph grab her hand and stop her, she gave him a curious look.

“Fawn…” he said, his ears half-folded and an uneasy look showing itself. “If you need someone to talk to… just, you know… person-to-person… I’m all-ears.” She gave a blink of her pretty, black eyes, her own face full of curiosity. After a few seconds, she softly smiled over at him. “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Lithius,” she said as she gently nudged his hand away from hers, “but, I’m okay with talking to my psychologist.” “Well, no, I didn’t mean in lieu of the psychologist. I just mean, ya know… if you want to talk, from time-to-time, or something.” “I know,” she said as she turned the ignition and started her vehicle. The smile she wore seemed a little less cheerful, then… but, still friendly, he noted. Regardless, he decided to let the topic go. And, with that, the two were back on the road and heading south.

“Can I ask you something, Fawn?” The deer perked as she drove, hearing Joseph speak up. When she didn’t respond, he went ahead and asked his question. “Why do you stay with him?” “Because, he loves me,” she answered in a way that made the fox jolt. “And, I love him.” “Okay… but…” “Do you know what it’s like to be in love?” He gave a blink, his ears flicking. “Do you know what it’s like to love someone so much that you would do anything for them? Even if it means supporting decisions they make which you don’t agree with?” “I, uh…”

“We’ve had a strained relationship for a long time, now…” Fawn said, her face turning unusually stiff, “but, we can make it through, to the end. I’m sure of it! And, when we get past this rough patch… when Bonkers finally recovers from all the badness… when things will go back to the way they were… we’ll be stronger, for it!” Joseph noticed she was gripping the steering wheel a little tighter, then… “Bonkers and I have an unbreakable bond, Mr. Lithius. Nothing can ever tear us apart. No matter what he does or how many times he ends up in prison… no matter how often he threatens to kill himself… no matter what… I will always be there for my Bonkers.” She scowled toward the open road before quietly adding… “I would do anything to help him… if I could…”

Her complexion softened as she took a turn which headed toward L.A. Still, Joseph remained at a loss for words. He knew he’d touched on a really sore topic, with Fawn… and, was rightfully chewed out for it. All things considered, he was just happy she wasn’t more direct… Still, something about what she’d said stuck with him. “Bonkers… threatened to kill himself?” “Mr. Lithius…” He winced as Fawn spoke, again. He really hadn’t meant to say that, out loud… “I appreciate your concern,” she said in a calm tone, “and, I greatly appreciate you coming with me… but, I’d like to politely request that you mind your own business, when it comes to this. You already know more than I wish you did… That’s my own fault. But, please… leave well-enough alone, when it comes to this!” There was a long, awkward pause between the two as Fawn came to a stop light. Joseph wanted to leave it alone… but, his curiosity just wouldn’t let him.

“I… thought ‘toons were indestructible…” he said aloud. “How could Bonkers… I mean, I don’t want him to… but, if he were to try…” “There are ways,” she said in a grim tone. “Let’s leave it at that, okay?” The fox gave a blink. Fawn looked genuinely upset… and, that made him wonder… “Do you regret bringing me along?” he skittishly asked. Fawn didn’t answer… and, to him, that was all the answer he needed.

The remaining 70-miles-or-so back into ToonTown felt very tense, to him… Fawn clearly had nothing to say… not that he had anything, himself, at that point. Really, he was kind of surprised she hadn’t told him to get out and walk, as soon as they got into the city limits. She’d been pretty mad, at him. Thankfully, though, she was still nice enough to drive him home. However, she drove off without a word immediately after he’d closed the passenger-side door, making him feel all-the-worse. “Well… That could have gone better,” he said to himself as he walked inside the apartment complex. “But, I suppose… it could have gone worse, too. Still… maybe I should just write the day off as one big nothing… forget it happened and such.” He sighed as he arrived at his apartment door then reached into his pocket. His ears perked as he felt around for a moment… and, then… he realized… “I… left my keys on Fawn’s dash. I’m locked out! Sonova… h-hey, Woody…!” –––––

It had been an interesting night, for Fawn. Business at Joe’s Diner had been fast-and-furious, on that balmy Monday night. Customers arrived in droves from 8 PM onward, keeping the waitress and her co-worker incredibly busy. Even as Monday turned to Tuesday, the waves of customers simply refused to stop coming. Thankfully, Fawn finally got a break from her waiting duties around 1:33 in the morning.

“Hey, babe!” called a voice from the kitchen. “How ya holdin’ up?” “I can’t complain,” Fawn said as she sat at the counter and leaned back. “The insoles in my pumps certainly are working overtime, though!” “Oh, yeah?” A ‘toon spider monkey swung through the kitchen window and hung over the counter near the deer, surprising her. “Need a foot-rub, deary-deer? I’d be more ’n happy t’ oblige ya!” “Mm… not while we’re on-the-clock, Spydor.” She warmly smiled to the cook, giving his hair a little tussle. “But, thank you.” “Sure-sure!” he replied. “In da meantime, what can I get’cha? Li’l grilled cheese, if ya please? Maybe a banana milkshake? Or, how ‘bout maybe some’a Minnie’s chocolate cake? We still got some’a dat hangin’ ‘round.” “Just the sandwich and the milkshake, please,” she said as she reached into her apron. “Nah-nah-nah, get’cher hand outta there, Fawny! Dis one’s on me!” She gave the monkey a light smirk. “You know I’m just going to sneak money into the register, the next time someone comes in to order something, right?” “Aaah, no ya won’t!” Spydor swung back toward the register. A moment later, Fawn saw him ring up her order then pay for it with money from his own pockets.

“Goodness… Why are you being so nice, Spydor?” she asked, still wearing a grin. “Nothin’!” He offered a perfectly innocent smile to the deer girl. “I jus’ think yer pretty when ya smile.” She covered her mouth in a giggle, at hearing that. “I wish you could be this sweet around me, when there are customers…” “I gotta reputation t’ uphold, Fawny!” he said with a grin of his own. “Peoples come t’ expect me t’ be rowdy ‘n rude! S’part’a my unique cha’m.” “Well, you certainly do have a unique charm to you, Spydor…” she said, smiling sweetly. “Ah, g’wan…” was his reply before he swung back into the kitchen. That caused Fawn to merrily laugh. He really is a sweet guy… she thought. I wonder why he’s so sweet on me, though? The deer mentally shrugged the thought away before reclining against the counter. A moment later, she had to sit right back up. The bell above the door had jangled, signaling the arrival of a new customer.

“Welcome to Joe’s Diner,” she said as she got to her feet. “Would you like– oh! Hello, there! I wasn’t expecting you… but, it’s nice to see you, again!” “Yeah, well…” the new customer said with a grin, “I kind of owed you a ‘thank you’ for leaving my keys here, today. Plus, I can’t sleep, so…” “Well,” she said with a smile, “you’re always welcome to Eat at Joes, Mr. Lithius!”

The fox took a seat at the rear of the eatery, Fawn following close behind. She withdrew her notepad, taking the pen out from behind her ear as she prepared to take his order. “What can I get for you?” she asked, clicking her pen. “One Jack Benny, no meat, ‘n one monkey-cow!” called Spydor as he swung in, hand-delivering the grilled cheese sandwich and milkshake on the counter. “Hold th’ phone, ain’t that– well-well-well! Long-time-no-see, fuzz-face!” “Oh, no…”

Joseph groaned as Spydor quickly swung his way toward his booth, nimbly jumping from light-to-light before finally landing on the back of the seat across from the fox. The monkey crossed his arms, giving him a smirk and swishing his long tail. “What brings ya here t’ our shift, butterfingers?” “Once!” the fox exclaimed. “I only dropped a dish once!” “An’, we ain’t about t’ let’cha forget it!” Spydor laughed. “So, what th’ heck ya wanna eat? Or, is this just a social call?” “A little bit of both, actually,” Joseph replied. “But, uh… that grilled cheese sandwich smells pretty good… Can… it be made with bacon?” “I could make it with anythin’, fuzz-face!” the monkey said with a grin. “Alright. I’ll take a grilled cheese-with-bacon and a side of french fries, please. Oh, and… what kind of milkshake, is that?” “Banana, natch.” “Okay. That’s kind of an odd choice but, ya know what?” He smiled. “I’ll give it a try.” “Ya won’t r’gret it, Joey!” With that, Spydor leaped back into the kitchen and got to work on the second order, leaving Joseph and Fawn where they were.

“Glad to see he hasn’t changed,” Joseph said as he leaned against the booth seating. “He never does…” Fawn said as she walked toward the counter, putting her pad and pen away. “He’s somewhat personable, fairly cheerful… and, a darn good cook, too.” “Personable?” the fox asked, watching her retrieve her food. “The last time I was here at this hour, you two were getting into it pretty hard.” “Everyone has an off day…” was her reply as she walked back toward the fox, her food in-hand. “Even Spydor.” “Pfft, right…” He gave a grin as she sat across from him. “I had a boxing instructor like him, once. She was argumentative, aggressive, and loved to tease me. Actually, she’d probably get along pretty well with him, thinking about it…” “Mm…”

Fawn took a dainty bite from half of her sandwich, smiling as she found herself playing “tug” with the steaming, gooey cheese. She was so interested in her food, in fact, that it took her a little while to realize that Joseph was staring at her…

“Yes?” she politely asked, curiously looking at him. “Nothing…” was his answer. “It’s just… that ribbon in your hair really suits you.” She shyly looked away at that, softly smiling. “Thank you.” “Pink really is your color, Fawn. It adds to your cuteness. It was kind of odd seeing you without it, on Sunday…” “Th… thank you,” she said before taking another nibble of her sandwich. “Then again… you did look pretty cute in those dress clothes, too.” She didn’t reply… but, rather, occupied herself with a sip of her milkshake. “I, uh…” He paused. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop.” “Oh, no, don’t mind me!” she said, immediately looking right at him with a worried smile. “I never learned how to take a compliment, is all! Much less, a bunch of them…” “Well, looking away was a pretty cute reaction…” he said before he could stop himself. That caused her to look away and busy herself a second time.

“Anyway,” he said as he decided to change the subject, “are you on a break, right now? Well, I mean… I guess you probably are, considering you’re eating something…” “We don’t really get… break-breaks?” she said after swallowing another bite of sandwich. “Since it’s usually just two of us, here, we get what Minerva calls ‘working breaks;’ we can relax a little and snack on-the-job, when it’s as slow as it is, now. Of course, anything we order still comes out of our pockets so it’s not like we’re taking money from the register!” Joseph gave a blink as Fawn giggled. “But, yes, I’m taking a break. At least, until someone comes in.” They both paused, expectantly waiting… but, neither heard the door’s bell jingle. “Why do you ask?” Fawn continued before taking another bite. “Well, like I said when I walked in… I wanted to thank you for leaving my keys here this morning,” the fox began. “Oh!” She brightly smiled. “You’re welcome!” “And, I… also wanted to–” “One Jack Benny classic ‘n anuddah monkey-cow, incomin’!”

Both the fox and the deer perked as Spydor swung into view. He wasted no time in placing the plate with its steaming cheese sandwich in front of Joseph. A second later, he placed a tall milkshake glass near that. It looked empty… but, after another second, its contents fell from above with a light sploosh. Strangely enough, not a drop had fallen on to the table…

“Ya know, you’re really good at what you do,” Joseph said as he took his wallet out of his pocket. “Well-cooked meals served with a bit of flair… Have you ever considered working at one of those places where they cook food right on the table?” “Can’t,” Spydor said as he hung overhead. “I’m allergic t’ fish.” “Eh? What do you do if someone orders a fish sandwich?” he asked as he handed the monkey a five-dollar bill. “Raw fish, fuzz-face!” Spydor inspected the money. “What’s this for?” “Compliments to the chef,” was his smiling reply. “Oh?” He looked dumbfounded. “Um… Thank– thanks! Uh, enjoy ya meal!” And, then, he quietly swung himself back into the kitchen.

“Just between you and me,” Fawn said with a smile, “I think you really made his night, with that tip. I’ve never seen him go quiet, like that, before!” “Heh, well…” “But, what were you saying before, he swung in?” “What was I saying…?” Joseph repeated, looking up from his sandwich. “You said ‘thanks’ for the keys… but, there was something else?” “Oh! Uh…” He looked down at the table, his ears folding back. “I wanted to, uh…” Fawn gave him a curious, encouraging look. “I wanted to apologize,” he eventually said. “Apologize?” The deer had picked up the other half of her sandwich… but, upon hearing that, she gently set it back down on its plate. “Whatever for, Mr. Lithius?” she politely asked, curiously looking to him. “For… getting into your business…” was his quiet response. Fawn stared at him, for a moment… then, she looked down and to the side, letting her black-tipped ears fall. “On that… I think I owe you an apology, Mr. Lithius.”

The fox jolted, at that, his own ears perking as he stared at the ‘toon girl sitting there, awkwardly looking away from him. He really couldn’t understand why she’d said that… and, so, he decided to ask her… “Why… do you owe me an apology?” She gave a sigh… then aimed a patient smile at him, looking back up as her hand slid under the table. Though he couldn’t see what she was doing, it seemed like she was fidgeting with her apron, or something… “I shouldn’t have been so short, with you,” Fawn said, her smile wavering just a little. “I should have taken the time to try and explain things, to you. After all, you didn’t exactly invite yourself along, on my errand… I asked you to come along! But…” She paused, looking back to her half-sandwich. “After the things Bonkers had told me… I was in no mood to talk.” “You mean… that one thing?” Fawn bit her bottom lip… A second later, she rose from the booth. “Spydor?” she called. The spider monkey immediately poked his head out from the top of the kitchen windowsill. “Yo?” “Mr. Lithius and I are going up on the roof. Would you mind watching the front?” Both Joseph and Spydor raised their eyebrows in surprise. “Uh… sure, sure! If we get a lotta customers, I’ll give ya a shout!” “Thanks, Spydor. Come with me, Mr. Lithius, and bring your food.”

Not sure what else to do, Joseph decided to pick up his food and follow Fawn – who had also grabbed her food – as she walked behind the counter and into the kitchen. She took a moment to gather a small, plastic container and placed both their sets of food inside. After removing her apron, she then walked out the rear of the diner.

Once they were in the alleyway behind the diner, the surprises continued as Fawn slowly scurried up a nearby ladder, stumbling slightly on the rungs, due to her heels. It didn’t take her long before she was on the roof, leaving him to hold the plastic bin full of food. “Uhm…” “Hook this on to the bin, please,” Fawn called from above. Joseph looked up just in time to see a small rope with some hooks smack him in the face. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Mr. Lithius!” she cried with a gasp. “Didn’t hurt…” the fox lied with a grin as he hooked the ropes to the container. Once Fawn had started pulling it up, he climbed the ladder, himself. Before long, he was up there. What he saw, however… “What the…?” Was a little surprising.

The sunken roof of the diner was fairly typical, for buildings of that kind. There was a bit of ductwork to the right and an air conditioning unit close to that… but, the thing that had caught his attention was the pair of lawn chairs and cooler sitting close to the front edge of the building, as well as the umbrella sitting closed and on the ground, near that.

“How long has this been up here?” Joseph asked as Fawn put their food atop the cooler. “For a while now…” she said with a smile. “Some of us like coming up here on our working breaks and just admiring the view.” Indeed, even from one story up, the view of the nearby locations was still something to behold… at least, for Joseph. He’d always liked sitting on the roof of his house, back home… even if there wasn’t much to look at. There, in ToonTown, though… he could see the lights from nearby businesses and faraway locations, like the House of Mouse… and, depending on which way he looked, he could even see some of the late-night traffic.

“Alright, so…” Fawn looked up as Joseph walked toward her. “View aside, why’d you bring me up here?” “Truthfully?” She paused, looking down. “I don’t want Spydor to worry.” He couldn’t help but laugh, at the thought… but, Fawn didn’t seem nearly as amused. “I’m serious!” she said with a pout and a stomp. “I don’t talk to him, about these sort of things. If I did… I don’t think he’d ever stop asking me how I’m doing. All he thinks, right now, is that Bonkers is a rambunctious drunk who lost his job and someone who I refuse to give up on.” “He’s… not technically wrong, though?” was his reply. “I remember last April and… I thought I had some context… but, I guess not?” “Please,” she said as she sat down on the right-handed lawn chair. “Sit with me.” He took her up, on that offer, and made himself comfortable on the opposite chair.

“So… what’s the real story, then?” he asked as he reached for what he thought was his sandwich. When he felt her hand touch his own, though, he withdrew. “Whoops…” “Oh, no, that was my fault,” she said with a smile. “I wasn’t paying attention.” Once they’d sorted their sandwiches, Fawn began to answer his question.

“You remember the story I told you back in April, right? Well, all of that is still true; Bonkers was a hero of a police officer, the first ‘toon inductee of the Toon Division, and was eventually let go, due to personal issues.” The fox tilted his head after biting into his sandwich. “After all of that had happened, he eventually left for Japan, where he was still big… but, even with a brand new show, he couldn’t get a foothold, in the animation market. Most people, both in the United States and Japan, had moved on, to other things, by then…” Joseph took a sip of his milkshake as Fawn continued. “Without his badge or his own cartoon series, poor Bonkers felt like he had nothing left and just sort of… fell apart. There just didn’t seem to be a place for him, in cartoons… so, he decided to try something drastic… something I… really didn’t approve of.” Fawn gave a deep scowl, her voice turning somewhat nervous… “There was this… sketchy director… looking for… new ‘talent…’ see… He… made… some… i-interesting movies, of sorts…” She suddenly shook her head, causing Joseph to tilt his own. “You know what? Forget I brought it up,” she quickly said. “My point is that, even after Bonkers’ brief stint under that director’s… direction… he just couldn’t stay popular enough to turn a profit. And, so… he ended up turning to the bottle, instead.

“Now, if you know anything about ‘toons and alcohol, it’s that the two generally don’t mix. A lot of accidents happen, when you get a ‘toon drunk…” “A lot of accidents happen when you get a person– er, a non-‘toon– drunk, too.” “Well… the difference there is that ‘toons are a little more… prone to chaos and, well… a little harder to stop… than non-‘toons. That being said, I was a little shocked when I saw the headline, ‘Disgraced deputy destroys downtown…’” Joseph frowned, at that. “Bonkers went on a tear through L.A?” “Green Bay, actually. In Wisconson.” “What?” The fox gave a blink. “Why was he in Green Bay?” “Probably to watch the Green Bay Packers play.” She smiled. “He really liked football.” “Oh.” “And, unfortunately… a lot of his money went toward flying around the country for that reason. The Packers just happened to lose that game, if I remember correctly, and… well…” “Bonkers got drunk and/or got angry.” “Pretty much…” The two paused from talking, for a moment, the fox taking a couple bites of his sandwich while Fawn munched on hers. Once they were satisfied, the deer continued.

“Eventually, Bonkers found his way back to ToonTown, where he’s been, ever since… but, even after going to rehab, time-and-time again, he just couldn’t seem to separate himself from alcohol… and, if he’s not drunk, he gets… depressive… and, when he gets depressive…” She swallowed hard, visibly shivering. “I don’t like to think about it.” The two took another brief snack break before Joseph cleared his throat.

“Can I ask you something, Fawn?” She looked up from poking at her milkshake with a spoon. “What’s the real reason you’re still with him?” The deer gave a blink. “What?” “What’s the real reason you’re still a couple? I mean, if this has been going on for years-and-years, why haven’t you just given up, on him? Most people would cut their losses and let others destroy themselves… but, it sounds, to me, like you just won’t… or can’t.” “‘Won’t,’” she said with a bit of a scowl. “I refuse to leave him be. He used to be one of the funniest, sweetest, most wonderful ‘toons I ever knew! Somewhere in there, I’m absolutely certain that the Bonkers D. Bobcat I love is still around… and, I want to be there, the day he finally comes back. Even if I’m the only one who is…” “But, what if he doesn’t?” “He will come back!” the deer growled, glaring at the fox. “I just have to be patient…” Joseph gave a blink… then, he deeply frowned. “Remember when I said I didn’t understand what you were going through, yesterday?” “On Sunday?” she half-corrected, her face turning curious. “Yes?” “Well… I didn’t, then…” He offered a warm smile. “But, I think I have a better idea, now. And, Fawn?” She tilted her head. “My offer still stands.” Fawn gave a blink… then, she looked down at her milkshake, poking around with her spoon a little more. That gave Joseph the idea that she really wasn’t interested in his ears… or, really, anything else he had to offer, for the time.

“Hey, Fawn?” It had been several moments since he last spoke but, as the deer looked up, again… she saw that Joseph was smiling at her. “Two things. One, thanks for telling me all of this. I really do think I have a slightly better grasp on what’s really going on now and I appreciate you letting me in on it.” She offered a smile of her own, at that. “And, two?” His smile became a grin. “I’ll accept your apology… if you accept mine.” The deer blinked… then, she brightly smiled. “That sounds like a fair compromise, to me.” “It’s a deal, then. Thank you.” “No, thank you,” she said with a smaller-but-no-less-friendly smile.

“You know, it really is pretty up here…” Joseph commented after another moment. “And, it might surprise you to know that I’m not talking about the lovely lady beside me, for a change.” Fawn smiled again… then, furrowed her brow… before ending up grinning. “Heeey…”

The two shared a bit of laughter, after that, before going quiet and just enjoying the scenery. Fawn also seemed to enjoy Joseph’s fries now-and-then… not, that he minded, of course. If there was anything he could do to make her happy, he would do it… somewhat like her with Bonkers, he surmised. Eventually, though, the food ran out and the two decided to head back inside.

“Fawn! There you are!” The duo shared a blink as Spydor appeared in the kitchen. He looked stressed! “It’s been a monkey-lovin’ nightmare out here, since you left! Customers’ve been comin’ ‘n goin’, folks kept changin’ their minds ‘bout what they ordered, people keep wantin’ sodas ‘n shakes… I can’t keep up! It’s madness, I tell yas! Madness!!” “Oh, no!!” The deer quickly grabbed her apron and rushed out the free-swinging kitchen door… only to tap her way back inside with a smirk and a dirty look – both aimed at Spydor.

“You call one person quietly reading a book in the corner ‘madness,’ huh?” “I can’t keep up!!” Spydor repeated with a wide grin. “I can see that!” the deer sarcastically replied. “I’m amazed you were able to provide that single customer with her tortilla chips and queso, with all the chaos going on right now!” “I know, right?” “Of course… I’m generally just amazed that you can keep up with orders under normal circumstances, with your disadvantage.” “Eh?” The monkey tilted his head as Fawn’s grin widened. “So, thumbs up to you, Spydor!” she cheered with the appropriate motion. “We can never accuse you of twiddling your thumbs, back here!” “Fawn… Fawn…” He gave a scowl. “That’s a low blow, babe!” “Look on the bright side!” The deer gave a grin. “At least no one can ever say that you’re all thumbs!” “Oh, get th’ heck outta here!” he groaned, waving her away. She did indeed get out, laughing all the way and leaving Joseph standing there, still holding a tray of dirty dishes. “Well?” The fox blinked at Spydor. He was giving the fox an expectant look. “Ya gonna live up to ya job title, fuzz-face? Wash dem dishes!” “What?” His ears flicked at the request. “But… it’s not my shift…” “Yer back here… so, get crackin’! An’, I mean that fih-gyur-ra-tive-lee, butterfingers!” Joseph gave a grunt… but, he did as he was told. At the very least, he figured it might save Fawn or Spydor a couple minutes…

Once he was done with those few dishes, he headed back out into the main area of the diner. Fawn was busy, making sure the lady in the corner – a brunette cartoon-human in an orange turtleneck – was having a good night… so, he waited by the counter. Once she was finished with the customer, she tapped her way back over and smiled up at Joseph. “Fun night, huh, Fawn?” he greeted. “It’s certainly been interesting, Mr. Lithius…” “Incidentally,” he said as he tilted his head, “why have you been calling me ‘Mr. Lithius,’ these last couple days? I told you ages ago, you could call me ‘Joseph,’ if you wanted.” “Oh! Well… i-it’s just how I am, I suppose.” She twittered a little. “I prefer to address some people, formally… and, I address some others, informally. I guess I… just see you as more of a ‘Mister’ than a ‘Joseph…’ I’m sorry…” “Fawn, aww… it’s okay!” He frowned. “You just call me whatever feels right, okay?” She looked up with a grin. “What if I started calling you ‘fuzz-face,’ like Spydor?” “W-well… if you really want…” He chuckled a little, causing her to giggle.

“Jinkies!”

Both Joseph and Fawn perked as they heard the customer over in the corner blurt out what sounded like a made-up word. They then noticed… she was looking… and heading… right over to Joseph.

“You might be the most interesting specimen of anthropomorphic vulpes vulpes I have ever seen!” she said, completely unprompted, as she circled the fox. “I’m a what, now?” was the only thing he could think to ask. “You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked, a moment later, looking up from her less-than-a-head-shorter height. “You sure don’t look very ‘toony…” “Uh… no, I’m not, actually.” He gave a blink, then. “Wait, you don’t think I’m a ‘toon?” “No.” She blinked from behind her square-rimmed glasses. “Why would I think that?” “Huh…” Joseph scratched the side of his cheek. “You’re the first person who hasn’t automatically assumed I was a 3D ‘toon.” “Well, that much should be obvious to anyone who really looks at you!” she said as she leaned to one side. “Yeah, but… apparently, you could tell from across the room?” “I have an eye for the odd!” she said, making the fox feel less-than-flattered. “Alright…”

“In any case, it’s nice to see some outsiders here in ToonTown! It’s not very often we get non-‘toon, non-human people, here! I’m very curious, about you! But, that can wait for some other time, perhaps. It is getting rather late.” She gave a grin. “Unless, you’re a night owl?” “No, I’m a ‘vulpes vulpes,’” he replied with a grin of his own. That made her grin more. “Oh, I like you.” “I get that, a lot.” “In any case, I hope to run into you again, sometime!” she said as she went back to her booth. “I’m here pretty regularly… That little monkey makes some of the best queso in the city!” “Thanks, bookwoim!” Spydor called from the back. “It was nice meeting you!” the lady said as she sat back down. “My name is ‘Velma,’ by the way! I think the waitress said yours was ‘Mr. Lithius?’” “That, or, ‘Joseph,’” he said with a nod. “And, it was nice meeting you, too.” Velma brightly smiled at that… then, she returned to her book.

“So… interesting night,” the fox repeated with a grin. “And, it keeps getting more-and-more interesting…” Fawn said, happily smiling as she girlishly shimmied with her hands behind her back. “I really need to come back here during late-night hours, more often…” He reached down, giving Fawn a little poke on the nose. “All the fun stuff seems to happen, then.” She giggled a bit, swatting his hand away. “But, yeah… I should head back and get some sleep. Got a day of washing dishes, to look forward to.” “Alright.” Fawn smiled again. “Thanks for coming! And remember: You’re always welcome to Eat at Joe’s!” Joseph chuckled… then, he gave a nod. And, with that, the fox was on his way home.

#fiction #commercial characters #Raw Toonage #Fawn Deer #Bonkers D. Bobcat #Captain Simian & The Space Monkeys #Spydor #Scooby-Doo Where Are You?#Velma Dinkley #original characters #Essence of Ragnarok #Joseph Lithius #drama #slice of life

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