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The blissful feeling of sleep encapsulated Chestnut. After a long day filled with responsibilities, the feeling of rest and relaxation was a perfect ending to it all. His soft breathing pace showed signs of peacefulness as he curled around his husband who was also peacefully asleep under his wing. It felt like the perfect moment, and he didn't even truly realize it… until it was gone.
A sudden crashing noise from down the hall caused Chestnut to wake up and raise his head in alertness, looking around the room for a potential threat. After a few moments of silence, he was about to lay back down and mistake it as a dream until he heard a similar noise again. Using his horn, he dimly lit up the room with magic to try and see anything suspicious coming in through the door they left open at night for their children. At first he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, besides the clock reading about 3am, but then within a split second, he saw a huge white blur enter his room and run into their potted plant.
Chestnut felt his heart jump at the strange sight and looked directly at the potted plant the blur crashed into, but before he could register what it was, he caught a glimpse of large, dilated eyes that stared back at him, and before he knew it, it had leapt straight at him, knocking him into the headboard. Dazed and trying to catch his breath, Chestnut sat back up and looked around the room once more to see the creature had gone. He looked over at Lucky Break who was still sound asleep despite all the ruckus, and Chestnut lovingly rolled his eyes at the sight. ‘He didn't even notice anything.. of course.’ Though despite the unclear picture of the attacker, Chestnut already knew exactly who it was; their newest housemate, Despair.
It’s been a couple weeks since Hope Springs dropped off the draconequus into Chestnut and Lucky’s care. He had tried to take in and reform her himself, but with concerns from Snowy Sleuth and the addition of responsibilities they both already had, Chestnut had agreed to take her in himself. Well, more like Lucky insisted they did in the act of hope. Chestnut was hesitant since they already had kids to care for and he was worried she would potentially harm them, but with reassurance and planning with Lucky, he was soon convinced, but he would keep a close eye.
Once she was in their care, it was already clear she no longer meant any true harm, but was a long way to go from curbing her cynical attitude. She learned best and worked well with Lucky Break, who just seemed to have that magic effect on her. It was no secret he despised what she had done in the past more than most, but he was motivated by the thought of her reformation being the most hopeful thing he could contribute to. In reality though, once they warmed up to each other, he toned down her rudeness but not enough to keep them from working together on minor mischief, their main target being Chestnut. Since Lucky had been doing so well in her reformation, Chestnut mostly contributed with the actual care of her, which was no cakewalk.
The thing that Darkness Reins didn't mention until it was too late, was the fact that draconequii are extremely cat-like when out of their chaotic state. At first the statement didn't sound too bad to Chestnut, being that he’s taken care of similar pets in the past, but he soon realized how much of a difference size truly made. It was much different when the creature in question was ten times the size of a cat, especially when they took part in the more mischievous behaviors. Sometimes Chestnut would compare it to taking care of their foals, yet he would be in favor of the foals. Especially in times like right now, as he sat with his now aching body from Despair’s impact.
While he did have a basic understanding of “cat-like behaviors”, Chestnut was still left confused about the interaction he just had, so he felt forced to go to another source of draconequus knowledge. Carefully getting up without causing his husband to stir, Chestnut made his way into the living room where the phone was. He dialed the number and soon felt regret about calling at such horrible hours, yet the creature still running amok in his house served as his reminder. Not having to wait long, he heard the other line pick up.
“This is Stocking, who on earth’s calling at 3am??” Though more tired than usual, that was definitely the usual scowl from Silk Stocking. “Hey, sorry about the call so late at night, Silk.” “Ah, Chestnut. It makes much more sense why you’re awake. No matter, it seems we share our reasoning for being awake.” Chestnut quirked his brow in confusion, but before he could even ask what he meant, he heard a familiar crash from the other end of the phone.
“Wait, so this… phenomenon happens with you too?” Chestnut heard Despair come to a halt near him, and he looked over just in time to see those dilated eyes again before she ran off again. His attention was grabbed back when he heard a chuckle from Silk Stocking. “That certainly is a way to put it, I suppose. Though the answer to your question is yes, if we are both thinking the same thing, this is what we refer to as “zoomies.”" “Zoomies?” He heard another crash, but this time he couldn't tell if it came from his home or Silk’s. “Yes, the random burst of energy that causes a draconequus to run around the house in a wild frenzy late at night. That's called a zoomie. Amnesty and Eris experience it occasionally, though if it’s just Eris like tonight, Amnesty is effective at calming her down. I’m not quite as skilled in that.”
Chestnut took in the concept as he heard another voice in the background of the call. He recognized it as Silk’s wife Amnesty, and they were having a small conversation that Chestnut couldn't help but strain his ears to understand. “Who’s calling so late?” “Chestnut. He seems to be experiencing his first Zoomie with Despair.” All that followed was chuckling at which he rolled his eyes at. Then he heard Amnesty take her leave, now he took the opportunity to speak.
“Wait so, it's not all that easy to stop? What's the best thing to do then?” He felt slightly shameful in asking for help so desperately, but he understood that nowadays Silk was a lot more bearable to ask for help from. “Best thing to do is wait it out, they will tire out eventually, it doesn't take long. Some nights, you’ll be able to sleep through it, other nights it may wake you up. You may learn to deal with it, as they say.” Almost as if on cue, Chestnut heard Despair’s skittering slow down to a stop, before she climbed the cat tree in the living room where she chose to sleep. A sigh of relief escaped his sore lungs before he turned his attention back to the phone. “You're right, she seems to have relaxed now. Thanks for the help, it's all so weird.” Again he heard that familiar chuckle. “Yes, but you get used to it and find the charm in it. Get some rest, Chestnut. I know both of us want nothing more than to go back to bed right now.” “Heh, no lie in that. Thanks again, Silk. Goodnight.”
With that he put the phone down, and glanced around the room one more time. Even in the dark, he could see a few pieces of furniture knocked over or slightly out of place, but he was way too tired to deal with it now. So instead he made his way back to the bedroom, rubbing his tired eyes with his wing. Once he laid back down on the bed and stretched his wing back over his lover, he felt him stir underneath it.
“Mmm.. Chestnut? Did something happen? Feels like something happened.” Chestnut leaned down to groom Lucky’s cheek which usually calmed him down if he got stressed. “It was nothing major, darling. Just more things to learn about Despair, completely harmless.” “Ah, that's good. Better than something worse.” Lucky let out a little yawn that was contagious to Chestnut. “Let's go back to sleep then.. I’m very tired..” Lucky snuggled his way into chestnut and nuzzled into his chest. Chestnut felt the soreness pang him, but it didn't bother him. After all, he preferred no other way to cuddle his partner. With one last stretch of his wing to fully cover the adjusted Lucky Break, Chestnut laid his head back down to fall back into that blissful feeling of sleep.