Chapter Text
Chapter Nine: Going On About Our Day
Dogday isn't exactly thrilled. The past week had been a bit harrowing for his small family. The faire resulted in Ollie coming back nearly traumatized by a kidnapping--and then the following day Angel having to lie to authorities and create imaginary boundaries for potential visitors. Ollie, himself, seemed... unusually wary of his new friend's father figure.
Despite all that, Angel still took Ollie and left-over supplies to do patchwork as thank-yous for the hand-me-downs given to Ollie. Dogday spent a long time putting in fence work, and eventually, wire traps. He took Kissy and Poppy to the edges where everything was and warned them, showing the clear signs of danger.
Poppy was tsking, "We have no reason to go so far out..."
"We may need to hunt over the winter..." Dogday told her, "Or forage--the roads could freeze."
"I suppose..." Poppy sighed.
Kissy scratched something on the new chalk board hanging around her neck
LIKE GARDEN TRAP?
"Not quite like them," Dogday said, then waved his hands over the ground, "I laid some pits and bear traps."
Kissy simply nodded. She took a few steps back onto the safer side.
"You can tell the difference, if need be, because of this ground cover here--" he pointed at the strange motley covering of sticks and leaves, stooping down, "Me and you will have no problem stepping over it... but Poppy, Ollie, and Angel need to be more careful."
"You don't think anyone would try to get to the cabin, do you?" Poppy asked, smoothing down pink fur as if to comfort Kissy.
Dogday stood back up, shrugging, "We can't be too careful. But... if they do, we need to decide on a plan."
Kissy quickly scribbled on her chalkboard
PRETEND 2 B TOY?
"That would work for you and Poppy..." Dogday agreed. He paused, looking down at his paw-like hands. "I'm... a little more difficult to hide in plain sight."
"Oh, Dogday," Poppy walked down Kissy's outstretched arm to hop on his shoulder. She pat his floppy ear softly, "What did Angel say about all this?"
"I want to make sure Angel doesn't worry--" he took in a breath, looking over at Poppy and gathering the small doll in his hands carefully, "--they're busy making sure no one dares to come here... the least I can do is ensure that if someone tries..."
Poppy stared at him for a moment, quiet, contemplative.
"I understand... and..." she sighed, "I think I agree with you... I don't know if Angel will, though."
Kissy calmly helped Poppy back onto her pink shoulder, and all three toys began the solemn trek back to the cabin. Dogday looked up past the browning branches of the various trees around them. The sky was turning gray with a coming storm. They would have to put out the rain barrels before bed.
"It'll be my job to make sure Angel never worries about any of that, Poppy..."
"Alright," she answered, soft, "I won't lie for you... but I won't tell either. Just... do what you feel you need to Dogday."
That was as much permission as he was going to get.
It was good enough for him.
...
Ollie and Angel were sitting at the table, going over the school approved list of supplies. Angel had a stack of bills beside the list, doing some counting. Dogday was busying himself by cleaning the mess of things Ollie brought downstairs from the depths of the closet and the massive amount of boxes Poppy had organized before.
"You wanna use my old backpack--" Angel began to say, sounding unsure.
"Yeah! It's got a cool sun on it!" Ollie pointed out, "Like Dogday's!"
Angel lets out a slight laugh, "Yeah, because I doodled that back in the day with a paint pen."
"And it's cool!" Ollie insisted.
Dogday tried to keep his excitement and happiness from showing--but unfortunately, he was already reaching over and giving the kid a ruffle of his messy hair. Ollie giggled, grabbing Dogday's hand--and Dogday lifted him up quite easily so Ollie could swing freely. Angel smiled at the scene before quickly shaking it off and going back to business.
"Right! Then, we're just gonna need a calculator, some glue sticks, a notebook with dividers, pencil case and pencils..." Angel hummed.
"Sounds about right," Dogday said, leaning over to look at the list they scribbled all over. Some things they had in the cabin already--kid-friendly scissors, ruler, and crayons to name a few. Ollie had already picked up his schoolbooks for the year, and everything he had sat in a backpack he found shoved in a corner of a shelf in his closet. Angel was mostly surprised it was in such great condition.
"Man, I forgot how much 6th graders need for school," Angel looked up at Dogday, who by now was tossing Ollie over his shoulder (Ollie, meanwhile, laughing in delight).
Dogday shrugged (Ollie letting out a happy scream as he bounced on the furry shoulder), "Better to be well prepared, I suppose."
"Yeah!" Ollie agreed, voice muffled from behind Dogday.
Angel was shaking their head fondly, "Well, I guess I don't mind spoiling ya, kiddo. The money Mary gave me should cover any expenses--and now word's getting around the town about how handy I am--and I'm not even that handy!"
"Don't say that," Dogday gently admonished (all while flipping Ollie back over so he hung upside down and was staring at Angel, giggling), "You and I have been fixing up this cabin for months! You're pretty knowledgeable about it."
"Mostly 'cause that's what my uncle taught me," Angel looked a little sheepish, "I'm really not... I can fix small stuff, but, that's about it."
Ollie wiggled about, reaching for Angel--who carefully took him and placed him back on the floor. They were fixing his hair as he said, almost in awe, "Well, you're helping people who need it... they just wanna make sure you're compensated."
"Oh?" Angel blinked down at him, before grinning, "Big word, Ollie! Have you been reading the dictionary?"
"I have!" Ollie proudly declared.
Dogday snickered, "Have we run out of books in this place already?"
"Mmmm," Ollie twiddled his fingers, "Maybe...?"
Angel nodded decisively, "Alright, we'll stop by the library on the way home--how about that?"
Ollie cheered, racing outside to find Poppy and Kissy to ask them what they wanted--Dogday snickering lightly. Angel folded up the list and began pocketing the money they made doing odd-end jobs for the people around town this past week. Dogday walked over, placing his hand on their rounded shoulders, "You alright? Tired?"
"Nah, nothing like that... just..." Angel leaned in, resting their forehead against what they could reach of his chest, sighing, "I guess I'm worried about Ollie being away for so long--about what the kids of this town might say or do... If it's too stressful, I know we can just home school but--I..."
"However you want to raise him..." Dogday wrapped his arms around Angel, comforting, "... we'll do it. We'll figure it out. He shouldn't live in fear of his past--you shouldn't worry about doing the right thing for him."
Angel let out a soft puff of air that tickled the dense fur of him, "Is this the right thing?"
"If he's happy and safe--" Dogday murmured, glancing down to see Angel stepping back to look up at him with anxious eyes, "--if you are happy and safe... that's all we'll focus on."
"Do you feel happy and safe?" they asked.
Dogday felt his heart melt, "I do, actually."
"I'm glad," Angel said, soft, eyes matching the slow smile that bloomed over their pretty face.
"Me too," Dogday murmured--just as Angel dove back in for a hug, squeezing Dogday tight--his heart nearly stopping as he carefully hugged them back.
...
Ollie was kicking his feet at the dinner table, explaining his day to Kissy with a type of fervor young children have when they experience something new for the first time. Kissy eagerly listened. Dogday was sitting on the floor, mostly, enjoying a warm bowl of soup. Poppy and Angel were already packaging up the remaining pot for lunch tomorrow.
"--and then! Kaylob said he'd teach me how to play dodge ball!" Ollie said, patting his chest, "But I said I could guess I had to dodge balls--and then he called me a smart-ass--"
Dogday let out an uncontrolled snort, putting down his bowl, "Ollie...!"
Ollie gasped, covering his mouth, "Oh no! I'm sorry!"
"Oh boy," Angel was coming out of the kitchen, hands on their hips, "This Kaylob kid has a mouth on him..."
"It's not the worst thing he could say..." Poppy pattered in after Angel, "But still, Ollie, we've talked about bad words before. Are you repeating the things your friend says?"
"Not on purpose! I swear!" he shook his head, before turning to Dogday with imploring eyes, "You believe me, right?"
Dogday sighed, shaking his head and waving Ollie over to him. Ollie quickly scrambled out of his seat to dive into Dogday. Dogday went to petting him softly on the head, "Hey, it's alright... it happens. You're still too young to use words like that--what did Angel say?"
"Angel said I can say small words once in a while--but the more offensive they are, I have to wait until I am older and understand them better," Ollie recalled.
"You're not in trouble, Ollie, don't worry," Angel said, walking over and taking a seat next to Dogday, "But, if you're gonna hang out with Kaylob more, you might have to remind him to be more careful with his own words. I don't want you getting in trouble when you start going to school."
Ollie shook his head fervently, "I'll be better!"
"Ollie," Angel sighed, "You're fine. You're a really good kid, okay?"
The boy sniffled, looking between Dogday and Angel, "Really?"
"Yeah," Dogday agreed, finding it second nature to give his constant bedhead a little bit more of a ruffle. Ollie tried not to giggle and failed. Angel was giving the both of them a soft look.
"I'm glad you're making friends, Ollie," they murmured, wiping at a few trickling tears from his clearly anxiety induced fear of disappointing anyone, "But, I'm even more proud of you for being you, no matter what."
"And I'm... a good kid?" he asked, almost shy.
"The best," Angel declared.
Dogday nodded solemnly, and Ollie launched himself into Angel's arms, holding tight.
Poppy and Kissy entered the circle, dogpiling on this hug--Angel letting out a squeak as they flopped backwards with everyone demanding love and attention. Dogday enjoyed the warmth and laughter--the way his tiny family comforted and cared for one another. He briefly met Angel's eyes--calm and peaceful--looking at him with such tenderness...
Dogday would do anything to keep not only Angel--but all of them--free from harm.
...
"Hey, Dogday?" Ollie's tiny voice rang out in the barn.
Dogday peered over from the loft, where he had been rearranging hay that looked about ready to mold. Angel and he were discussing whether any goats or cows would be a good animal to keep. The chickens and rooster so far seemed fine--eggs were a good source of protein, but if they could have diary cow, or even a goat, they might be able to get some sort of milk, cheese, butter, without having to worry about going into town so often. Still, they weren't sure, or even ready for that possibility as of yet.
"Hey, Ollie," Dogday carefully put down the pitchfork he was holding and made his way over to edge of the loft. He hopped down easy--though his midsection twinged the tiniest bit from the impact.
"Can I ask you a question?" Ollie seemed awkward in a way that Dogday was unsure he was equipped to handle delicately.
"Sure," he said anyways, trying to remain open and calm.
Ollie took in a deep breath, "It's... about my friend."
"Kaylob or Bridget?" Dogday sat down on a stack of hay, patting the spot next to him. Ollie was quick to hop over, sitting beside him as Dogday got comfortable.
"Um, it's kind of about both...?"
"Oh?" Dogday tilted his head, ears perking up, "What about them?"
"They keep fighting when we play together," Ollie sighed, "I'm doing my best to find things we all like playing--but they argue all the time! And then--when they talk about things I don't know, they refuse to explain it!"
Dogday nodded, trying not to show amusement (from what Angel had told him, it seemed this Bridget girl had a crush on Ollie--his new friend, being a boy, seemed to oppose romance, as most young boys are wont to do), "Could you give me an example?"
"Well, the last time was at--um--it was after church, and Miss Mary brought Kaylob along--and we were suppose to do this play thing--and Bridget was trying to put me in a robe and Kaylob was being mean, and then he kept talking about boys and dresses and Bridget was--" Ollie rambled for a long while, Dogday nodding but losing threads of the story, already knowing much of this was silly social conditioning... until, "--and when I said it was fine, some dresses are pretty--Kaylob got real quiet. Bridget started laughing--and then he pushed her. He said Bridget was gonna confuse me, and I said I was already confused and Kaylob said I shouldn't say that outloud and when I asked what he meant, they wouldn't tell me!"
Dogday stared for a moment, before he finally found some words, asking cautiously, "What are you confused about, Ollie?"
"Everything!" he threw up his hands in frustration, "Why do they keep fighting over this stuff?!"
"It sounds like they're..." Dogday blinked, a strange sort of comprehension dawning on him, "... maybe fighting over you."
Ollie blinked back at him. "But... you can be friends with more than one person, Dogday."
"Yeah, you can," Dogday nodded. He wondered how much he should say. This was probably a conversation Angel should be involved with as well... "But sometimes, kids... they... it sounds like they are trying to figure out who they want as... friends. Some people don't... like to share."
Ollie rolled his eyes, "That's so stupid though!"
"Ollie--"
"Angel said I can say stupid if something is stupid!" he defended himself, arms crossed.
"Did they?" Dogday challenged, not all that offended, mostly teasing him.
"It was implied!" Ollie huffed.
Dogday let out a laugh, "You are turning into a smartass...!"
"Dogday!"
Dogday went to ruffle his head, and Ollie dodged it. Dogday did not mind. He merely leaned back and looked at the pouting boy, fondness hitting him hard. After a second, he shook his head, clearing his throat, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to tease you... I just realized how much you're growing up..."
"Huh?" Ollie settled a little bit, looking at Dogday with his bright eyes.
"You were just a baby when everything happened in the factory..." Dogday couldn't help but take his small cheek in hand, looking over his slowly fattening face--he didn't look starved anymore, not dirty, not bloody. "It's a miracle you survived all that... after everything, I can't believe I am going to watch you grow up."
Ollie went quiet, looking at Dogday with slowly watering eyes.
"I did my best to make sure you had one more day... and now, you have so many days ahead of you that I--I never anticipated I would have to really talk to you about these things..." Dogday dropped his hand, a little startled by his own realization.
"What things?" Ollie asked, rubbing at his wet eyes.
"Things like friendships--growing up."
"I wanna be like Angel--" he gulped, "That's how I wanna grow up."
Dogday smiled, nodded, "I can understand that... but Angel wants you to be who you already are. You know that."
"Y-Yeah... but I don't know what that means," the boy sighed, almost despondent, "... and my friends won't tell me what they mean, either!"
"Well, because they're barely figuring out who they are, too," Dogday told him.
"Ohhh," Ollie blinked, "But they seem so sure of themselves!"
Dogday shrugged, "They may have inklings... but... it sounds like they're trying to be like their own parents, too."
"Kaylob doesn't want to be like his dad, though," Ollie looked up at the loft in thought.
"Hmmm..." Dogday kept his thoughts to himself.
"I think he likes his uncle Joey though," Ollie looked awkward again, mentioning this. He wrung his hands a little, "They're not very alike though. His uncle is... he makes fun of his uncle sometimes because his uncle... um... I think... well, I--I feel bad about him."
"About the uncle? Why?" Dogday asked.
"Well, his uncle Joey really likes Angel--" Ollie murmured, eyes dropping to the barn floor at the same time as Dogday's stomach, "--but Angel already told me they weren't gonna look for a romantic-type partner because they have to take care of me--of us."
"I-I see..." Dogday managed to say.
"And sometimes..." Ollie takes in a deep breath, "I worry about that. Books and movies make it seem really nice--and I want Angel to have nice things, too!"
Dogday nodded, "Y-Yeah, me too, kid... me too."
...
Angel's hair is wet from the shower--and its drip drying slowly with the coming cold of autumn and winter on the rise. Dogday takes a fluffy, dry towel and quickly wraps up their hair. "You're gonna get sick..."
"Yeah, but the more towels we dirty, the longer they'll take to dry...!" Angel sighed, looking up at Dogday from where they were sitting in bed, rubbing their tired muscles from a long day of manual labor in the garden.
"Well, there's no issue running the old stove so often, right?" Dogday reminded.
Angel shook their head, "No... I suppose not... but if we want more firewood, we'll have to stock up soon... keep it dry... Fuck... there's so much prep work!"
"Mmm, language, Angel," Dogday teased, light, moving the towel through their growing hair.
"Ollie's asleep," they snorted, amused, tilting their head back to catch his soft eyes, "I don't have to set a good example right now."
Dogday's heart fluttered--something deep inside him clenching hard--and his eyes widened, surprised by his own reaction to their teasing. The words were suggestive--flirtatious almost--Angel looking less divine and more... tempting... at the moment. Dogday wondered if he was going to hell for such a thought--a feeling--burning through him.
"Dogday?" Angel asked after a moment, seeming concerned.
"Uh..." he blinked, senses returning to him almost too quickly, "Sorry. I was lost in thought."
"About...?" they were hesitant.
Dogday took in a breath, not quite scrambling to find a lie, and saying, "Earlier today... I realized I'm watching Ollie grow up."
Angel's eyes grew a little misty, expression softening. They turned around now--the two of them sitting in bed together, simply staring at one another. The implication, the weight of his words making the air heavy. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I--" Dogday's gaze dropped. His hands were shaking, fisted in the damp towel now sitting between him and Angel. "What can I say? I lost hope for a while--there was no way to keep living like we were. Ollie was the last of the orphans. He... shouldn't have made it, all things considered. The only reason he did was... because of me. I locked him in that saferoom--the one only Poppy knew about. It was--I... Some days I thought I did wrong by him. That was no way for a child to grow up..."
Angel placed their hand on his--the tension slowly loosening. The towel was shredded were his claws dug into the old fabric.
"I didn't even know if... he would grow up anymore--" Dogday whispered this, ashamed, "Before you arrived, I thought... we were all running out of food. It was... I... I had to tell myself we had to--we had to."
"Dogday..." Angel didn't hesitate, wrapping their arms around him as he shook.
He closed his eyes, as if in confessional, "It was unholy--the things I did so he could survive--so I could survive... I'll never--"
"Hush," Angel tilted his face to theirs, eyes bright and fierce, "I don't want to hear whatever degrading thing you're about to say about yourself. Do you understand me?"
"A-Angel, you should know--"
"I know enough," they said, soft, fingers threading softly through his fur, cupping the side of his cheek, "Nothing will ever change my mind."
"A-About...?"
"About you, Dogday," Angel smiled at him--and he felt blessed, well and truly blessed, "I would save you again--sooner--if it were possible. I..."
"You...?" Dogday felt almost dizzy, eyes locked onto the beautiful ones before him.
"I will spend every day reminding you--if need be," Angel whispered, leaning over to leave a soft hiss on his forehead, "I love you--and Ollie--all of you. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you never experience that sort of hell again."
All Dogday could do was shudder at that intense vow. He held on tight to his guardian angel--believing every word as it washed over him.
He tried to let it be enough.
TBC...