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Their garden was absolutely beautiful. Planted near the baldur nest because it was the most fertile soil without actually being within Greenpath, their crops grew wonderfully.
Ogrim wandered about it, thinking about what he wanted to eat for supper. It was his turn to pick from what they got on their hunt. Mato had found a good amount of tiktik and Oro brought over mushrooms on his last visit.
They were still working through that!
With a small basket in his claws, Ogrim observed their ripening tomatoes. A few of them were still on their way, but a fair share were bright red and healthy.
“Yesss…grow strong, precious fruit. Grow strong and make us stronger.” He adjusted one so he could see it better before using both claws to pluck it off the stem.
“You will be the best ingredient in all of our dishes. Because you are made by us. I promise it.” He laughed at himself, putting it in his basket.
The wind blows a rare gentle, it makes him glad he’s not wearing his helmet anymore. It’s been staying in his burrow with all of the trinkets of his past.
He kept a little smile to himself as he sorted through the food. A solid couple of tomatoes later, he was alerted by small little pip noises.
Curious, Ogrim walked into the cave to investigate, holding his basket close so he wouldn't drop it in the nest.
“Ohhhh…!!” Ogrim tried to quiet his voice fast as he looked down at a new brood of baldurs. He observed them silently, eyes wide with glee as they crawled about.
They were obviously recently hatched, not even rolling around as their elders watched over them. They were so cute, Ogrim could hardly contain himself!
He couldn’t believe it was already brooding time for their favorite baldurs. The last time he saw newborns from this nest, it was when he and Mato were…walking home…from their wedding…
That amazing, momentous occasion that Ogrim still thought of while holding him and doing their dailies. He still remembered how drunk they got on old wine and how long they slept.
It was a very good event for them.
Ogrim’s head perked up and he turned and rushed back to the garden. He knelt by the bright green stalks and noticed.
“When nothing but the land wets these crops, then that marks the Observance of the Season of Dew.” He had that explained to him many times. Dung Beetle seasons were different but hard to gleam outside of Dungbellows.
It’s the Season of Dew… it’s the Season of Dew…
It was the Season of Dew when Ogrim and Mato got married. It’s been a full season cycle since they’ve been married.
“Oh my gods!!” Ogrim gasped, a blush turning his cheeks deep blue in an instant. He quickly gathered his things and made for the hut as fast as he could.
He had to plan something!!
---
Ogrim walked into the hut, and called, “Mato?? Are you home, my dear sweet beloved?” For once, he was extra delighted to get no answer.
He put down his stuff and clapped his claws, hyping himself to get started.
He bustled about, washing the tomatoes. While letting them soak for a moment, he spun around and just…looked at the hut.
This hut that had been his home for so long now. It was once just Mato’s, a place he built to challenge himself in this endless waste.
Now it was theirs, and the challenges they face are much healthier. They lived here, they loved here. They knew it was all true.
It was home. Despite its drafty ceiling, cold floors they always had to pile blankets atop of, and the giant skeleton collection that kept on growing…it was the best home Ogrim could ask for.
Because it housed a piece of his heart he can’t imagine himself without.
He searched about their kitchen nook. He grabbed vegetables and cooking ingredients. As he searched, he noticed some old bottles.
He had forgotten they kept the bottles from their wedding! Oh my, he was glad Mato didn’t let him accidentally break them trying to get them open! Though, his technique was flawless.
Mato, in their shared hangover, also nearly broke it trying to look at him like it was a spyglass.
“Eye Spy, a very cute beetle!” Ogrim remembered him snorting that out, barely able to talk through a giggle.
He loved him so much.
If the bottles were here, Ogrim knew what he needed. Right by the bottles, was a picnic basket. Ogrim grabbed it and opened it up.
Inside was the box.
That single, pastel water-colored pink, blue and purple box with a heart carved into it that once carried his engagement charm. Inside its basket in which Mato packed for a date.
The date he proposed on.
Ogrim took the box out of the basket and hugged it to his chest for a moment. He could cry at the nostalgia that was pumping his heart full of love but he had to hold off and move swiftly.
He dusted out the basket and wiped it off with a washcloth. Then he dried the tomatoes.
He had some cooking to do.
---
“Ogrim! I’m home!” Mato called into the hut, taking his nail off his back as he walked in. He huffed a tired sigh.
He had walked to the Stag Nest to speak with Ole Stag about how he had been handling carrying Hollow to the cliffs and if he could tell them what to expect when they planned to get them used to taking that route instead of the longer one.
The long route always left them so fatigued, Mato wanted to fix it as soon as possible but the issue was that Hollow just hates riding the stag…they always said they felt bad because they’re large, but they weren’t nearly that heavy.
“Stag said we just have to coax Hollow into feeling better, and that he’s carried heavier! So we can get them on that new path soon-”
Mato yelped when Ogrim grabbed his hand and pulled him fast into a hug. “Oh!” Mato enjoyed the squeeze but was confused at its vigor.
“Is something the matter or are you just happy to see me?”
Ogrim leaned out the hug and gave Mato a kiss. When they pulled apart, from the smile on Ogrim’s face Mato could tell, “Oh, you’re just happy, hehe. I’m glad."
Mato tried to let go and walk more into the hut, conversing lightly, "How was the garden?”
Ogrim didn't let Mato step too much farther into the house because he knew he’d begin to get comfortable for the evening.
“I packed us a picnic, actually! It’s so great outside this eve so...you know!”
“A picnic? For right now?” Mato already had his hand on his cloak, ready to take it off.
“Yep! Right now!” Ogrim went to the kitchen nook and grabbed the basket. His beaming made Mato so happy but he was also quite physically tired.
“This is very last minute, I was hoping to get a rest before going back out again.”
Mato leaned by him and tried to peek in the basket. “Is this something that won’t perish if I sit for a moment and drink a glass of water before we head off?”
Ogrim pulled it away, giving Mato a small tut-tut, “It’s a surprise, but yes, you can have a glass of water! I’m just very hungry and would like us to go as soon as possible.”
Mato chuckled. “Oh you. Okay, my gooby boofly, I’ll be swift.” Ogrim all but squealed, sitting down with Mato as he poured the glass and sat down. Mato took a deep breath and started to take a sip.
Ogrim just happily looked at him, borderline staring. He did nothing but look at him, but for some reason…
“Pff-!!” Mato nearly spit out the water, beginning to laugh.
“What?!” Ogrim laughed out as well, and Mato just chuckled, putting his hand over his mouth. “You’re so excited and cute!”
“Ohh ho ho!!” Oh, how he loved that sound! The two bubbled and giggled while Mato tried to just drink and regain his energy.
It was hard not to have it with Ogrim around in a good mood!
---
After the major struggle of “drink a glass of water without laughing at your husband’s dorky face” was settled, Ogrim and Mato left the hut hand in claw.
Ogrim took the lead, pulling Mato about.
“So where do you wish to have this picnic?” Mato asked, looking around until he saw the lumaflies scatter about them.
“Don’t you recognize it?” Ogrim asked as the view processed to Mato.
The abandoned lumafly lamps still glowing bright, even now. Mato quietly took it in and looked at Ogrim with an expression that read “What are you up to?”
“Ohh…I see.” Mato smiled a bit as Ogrim put down the picnic basket and pulled out their old picnic blanket.
They set it up together, Mato helped weigh it down and Ogrim made sure it was smooth so they could comfortably sit.
The winds were mellow, with a coolness they both enjoyed. The weather was perfect.
Mato patted his legs. “So, what kind of spread did you pack? Did you find that berry jam we still have? The one Hornet made, she’s better at jam-making than I am.”
Ogrim held the basket gingerly and looked down. He hadn't pulled out any of the food yet. “...Mato, do you know what time it is?”
“It’s quite difficult to see that right now…Last I checked while we were in the hut, it was past half-burned on the candle, but…”
“No no, dear.” Ogrim paused his ramblings. “Not the time on the candle, the time in the seasons.”
“Ah…uhm…our crops had just pulled through the dry season. So I guess it’s the Season of Dew now?”
“You’re correct!” Ogrim smiled. “It’s cycled. I want to know if you too know what this means.”
Mato went quiet, thinking of it. What exactly about the Season of Dew would make his dear husband so excited and giddy and extra adorable?
He cared for him deeply but he was really running a blank. Season of Dew…making his husband very excited.
Season of Dew…Husband…
Season of Dew…Husband…
Husband…
Bells blared in his mind and he stared at Ogrim with big eyes. Ogrim smiled widely as he could tell Mato put the two and two together.
“When you allowed me…of all people…to have your hand in marriage. Gods, simply you asking! My heart exploded and I had no idea life could be that good.” Ogrim started, making Mato begin to blush without even saying much.
“You being in my life was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Almost every time I wake up, I get to think…Wow, I get to roll out of my burrow and spend my time with the kindest man in the world. That has always kept me waking and I will always love you for that. For everything you’ve done for me as well.”
Ogrim opened the picnic basket, stunning Mato to silence. “There's not a lot I can do to show you how big this love is…”
He pulled out a large bowl and placed it in the middle of the blanket. “...So to thank you for all the love you've given to me as long as we've known eachother...I made a tomato salad and tiktik bits to eat on bread. I hope it’s enough to show how much I will care for you forever.”
Mato looked between the food and Ogrim as he set out a spoon to serve the salad, and the rest of the utensils to eat it with. When it was all out, Ogrim just smiled at him...so so sweetly...
Tears filled his eyes and he shook his head. “Ohhh Ogrim!! You are always enough!! My gods, come here!!”
Mato waved his arm and pulled him into another hug, a very tight one in which they rocked to and fro.
Ogrim held him close and rubbed Mato's back. He felt warm tears drip onto the fluff of his neck. That was such a rare sight. It was an emotional day, though, so he could understand it! He almost cried too and he may still soon.
“You’ve made me happier than I ever thought I could be…I love you so much.” Ogrim hugged him tighter and kissed his temple. He was so happy to hear that from Mato, as bittersweet as that was.
He really was happiness to him.
Mato pulled out the hug with a small happy gasp. “Oh, what am I doing! You said you were hungry and you made us such a lovely looking meal! Eat, eat!”
Ogrim just laughed and said, “Beloved, your love could sustain me through the harshest of droughts!”
“I’m going to cry again because of how sweet you are but do eat, I’d hate for you to feel gross at such a special time for us.”
Ogrim smiled, nodding. “Can you believe it though?” He asked while grabbing his bowl, Mato scooping him a portion of salad. “A full season cycle. Married. The two of us?”
Mato chuckled, still blushing. “It feels like it’s been a lot longer!”
"I feel like it's only been a moment. I can still see you with that cake smeared all over your face..." Ogrim wiped at his cheek and gave it a push.
Mato just laughed. "I was so peeved but I did it back to you! It was very funny."
Mato grabbed a tomato slice from his salad and bit into it. The juice ran down his fingers back into his bowl.
“Mmm! You picked them well! Perfectly ripe and delicious!”
Ogrim smiled, scooting closer as he started taking bites too. “I stopped pretty fast when I was out there. There might be some more ripe ones, but I got swiftly distracted planning this. Oh, guess what I saw! Guess, Guess!”
Ogrim nudged Mato’s arm as he finished his bite.
“What?”
Ogrim’s eyes glew with joy and he flapped a claw when he said, “A new brood of baldurs! They were so small!!”
“Ohhhh!!” Mato’s glee matched Ogrim’s immediately. “How old? Were they rolling again? Oh my, tell me how little they were!!”
“They looked like they hatched as we slept! Barely bigger than the tomatoes themselves, I swear it.”
“Aaahhh!!” Mato got so excited, wanting to see them soon!
Ogrim held up a tomato slice and moved it around. “Pip pip pip, I’m a little baby baldur!” He put it towards Mato’s face.
“Take me home, Mato! Take me home!!” Mato snorted, holding his stomach at that laugh.
Ogrim almost squashed the tomato in Mato’s face, making him take it out of his claw with his mouth and eat it.
“You’re ridiculous but I will admit I have thought about stealing one on more than one occasion.” Mato did admit, and Ogrim nodded. “As have I…They’d be so cute to have as a pet if they didn’t grow so large.”
“Exactly.” Mato grabbed a piece of bread and put some tiktik bits on it. “Is that the next step of our relationship? Getting a pet?”
Ogrim kept eating his tomatoes, thinking about it. “What pet would we get? We’re still very active so it’d need to match us…”
“Hm…”
The two of them went quiet, trying to conjure the image of a pet that would run with them on hunts and snuggle with them in harsh windy storms.
“We could capture a tiktik and keep it,” Mato suggested, but that sat horribly with Ogrim. “We eat it too much for that. They die too fast.”
Mato took a bite of his tiktik toast and nodded.
“We’d have to think about it more when we can better compare availability, lifespan, and the like!” Ogrim said. He’d want a pet to have a sizable lifespan for good reason.
“We can do that. We can talk to Sheo about it! Greenpath has a much larger selection of both prey and fauna we can admire.”
Ogrim smiled as Mato made him a portion of toast as well. “I’d like that! A greenpath pet excursion for our next step!”
Mato looked at his food, and stated quite plainly, “Well…The “next step” is subjective now that I think of it. Our steps feel like a bundle rather than actually…stepping away from something, you know?”
Ogrim folded the bread in half and bit into it like a sandwich. “When we were friends, we got so close so fast it was practically like we were together in the first place. So I can see what you mean.”
Mato took a bite, and turned more to Ogrim instead of snuggling next to him. “Well, it’s like. We were like…”
Mato tried to think of what he wanted to say, but it faded from his mind faster than he thought it. “Gods, I’m losing it- Hold on let me think.”
Mato put his hand to his head to think, and Ogrim simply put his claw against his headband and moved it down.
"You don’t need to recontextualize our relationship with a big speech, beloved. I know what we are because I get to live it.”
Ogrim hugged him again. “We never needed anything big, nor a major change in dynamic to make things work for us. We just added more and more love to an already very caring environment we made. That you made in the first place with that big sweet heart of yours and I came in and got the blessing of experiencing it.”
He kissed Mato’s burning cheek. “Thank you, Mato. Just…thank you.”
Mato flopped his head onto Ogrim’s shoulder, making him chuckle softly. He always flustered easily and would no matter how long they've dated or been wed.
“Thank you for saying yes…” He mumbled.
“I’d say yes again.” Ogrim tried to whisper, but it wasn’t much of one. “I’d say it a thousand times.”
“Ohhhh…you hold my heart so tightly, I’ll never tire of it.” Mato laughed softly and leaned shoulder to shoulder as they continued eating.
Every now and then, Mato would kiss Ogrim’s cheek, always loving his change to stop wearing his helmet. Ogrim would kiss back, just as sweetly eager.
They spoke about their days, and what they wished to do with their further days. Apart and together.
Where they wanted to go from here.
They already had all they could ever want or need. Love, someone to hold, a family with beautiful children.
They were happy. Content. They didn't have to be scared of loss because if all went well, they would see all the pain life could throw at them together.
Loneliness won't sneak up on them when the other was a walk away.
Mato still had moments where he was stuck in his head, worried he wasn't enough for those he cared for.
Ogrim still had moments where he would lose his breath in a panic over how the past was handled and how stuff like it could harm him again.
Through it all, they kept each other grounded. They kept each other safe. And they kept each other warm.
Because no matter how bad a day it might get, they found ways to smile. To laugh. Or just to be present. For now, they were content to just be alive.
Finding new things to do, new corners to go to within their bubble. Finding their own way in the world. Being free.
Free to forever be themselves and loved for being just that: nothing more nothing less.
Their future would have its challenges, but they were looking forward to whatever it may hold.
Because it would be fine.
They knew it. They always knew it'd all be fine. They smiled and shared more bright kisses as they packed up their finished picnic and walked to continue their life knowing one thing very well.
Under the light they followed, they would never be alone.