Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Such a quiet day in the nostalgic rainy suburbs, someone sits near a vulnerable bombay. He’s so small compared to them, even if they’re around the same age.

“ Mr. Rainy? “

They turn their head to face him, the scrawny beat up thing, full of innocence, scarred permanently by things they didn’t want to know to dirty his squishy image.

“ Yeah..? And, it’s just Rainy. “

He scoots closer to them, resting his head against their shoulder, which is a surprise for the both of them really. They seem okay with him doing so.

“ Are we friends? “

They looked down at him for a few seconds before looking back up into the cloudy gray sky, they think, humming to a tune.

“ Well. Are we? “

The bombay didn’t answer, silent. He didn’t know if they really were friends.

“ Hm. What’s your name again? “

He perked up at the mention, that’s something he can do, he moved his hat a little and looked over into the suburbs.

“ Liles. . “

Rainy slowly puts their right paw on Liles’ shoulder, which he allowed, even if it did make him feel a little uncomfortable.

“ Well, Liles. I like to think.. “

He sat in silence waiting for them to answer, they turned to him with this dopey grin, almost delighted.

“ I like to think we are. “

BEGINNING:

You start off the day so casually, it’s just routine to you now isn’t it Liles? Get up every day with a damp face and exhausted eyes, strokes of fur dull beneath the red eyes that exhume tears, why do you cry every night? The crimson night sky above you should keep you safe, it should keep you calm, all it ends up doing is waste your time. Collapsed into a position of self pity, hugging your knees and wiping at your face like it’ll stop you from crying.


It’s nothing new, at least to him. For a brief moment he sat up from the dirty mattress stained with tears from every night before, he raised his soft paw to his face and applied pressure to his nose bridge. Once he opened them again, the sun’s beautiful yellow rays cast into his room from the opened window, nearly blinding the feline just for a few seconds. At least it’s nice, he thought, rubbing his eyes with his paws until they adjusted correctly to the light.


Looking around the room, it seems all the same from last night, clothes scattered around the floor, just another mess to clean up and make all over again the next night. Shambling over to the desk nearby, he opened the drawer and took out the bottle of Fur Hour Energy™ from the pack of Fur Hour Energy: Four Fur One Pack™ that he bought a few days ago. He tossed the bottle up once and caught it before opening it and taking the entire bottle in one swig.


Fwoom, he tossed the bottle over into a nearly overflowing garbage bin, he made a little wooo sound before looking down at his outfit. It was dirty but it looked fine.. he thought. The door to his room opened with a slight push and he walked out of his room, through the hallway and into his kitchen, opening his refrigerator and grabbing a Pupton Tea™ bottle. The sound of raindrops trickling began to quietly fade in, providing some at least calming ambience to the silent house.


Knock knock, a soft knock echoed through the home, Liles’ tail peeked up upon hearing, swerving around. It’s a surprise, a break from the normal routine, not really expecting anyone. He took a drink from the tea bottle and slowly walked over to the door, there’s a few more knocks at the door while he did so. Nervous, why are you so nervous? Scared to let someone see you like this? It’s just nerves, calm yourself. Put your paw on that doorknob and open it.

It creaked open at a pace like a slug, with hesitation pooled next to exhaustion, he finally peeked his head out. Under the porch stood a tall anthropomorphic creature with a paw in their coat’s pocket, their fur was poofy and their hair was this long light blue mess of softness, an eye devoid of a pupil and another with a white dot representing itself, they didn’t look like cat nor dog; almost indescribable as to what they were even if they looked like both at the same time.


They slowly pulled their paw out of the pocket, offering a small wave to the fragile bombay while still holding an umbrella in the other paw, the neutral expression across their face forming this subtle smile. He looked them up and down and fully opened the door, still somewhat a mess but at least he looked alive and awake now, he couldn’t be bothered to smile.


“ Oh.. u-uhm.. I w-wasn’t.. expect-expecting any visitors today.. “


They shrugged, from them, their gentle but careless and free voice cooed out from their mouth, it was like a playful caretaker with how upbeat it sounded even if it was still quiet.


“ ..You sound exhausted. “


Liles couldn’t really disagree on that point, instead, still fully clueless as to why Rainy’s here, he of course asked.


“ So.. u-um.. what brings you a-around? “


Their expression went from that small subtle smile to more of a blank stare, answering in a slightly sarcastic tone to the question.


“ ..You? “


He blinked a few times before realizing what Rainy meant, making a sort of oh, surprised and a little confused.


“ O-Oh. Ooh.. you’re h-here f-for m-me.. ”


“No, I’m here to preach religion because your house looked like an easy target, what else would I be here for Lily?”


They sneered in a sarcastic tone, adjusting their backpack with their other paw, a gentle giggle escaped from their lungs.


“ S-Sorry.. ” 


“ You are far too sensitive, Liles. ”


“ ... ”


“ C’mere. ”


They motioned for the cat to come outside, which he accordingly did, still clutching that Pupton Tea bottle like it was a stuffed animal, holding it close to his chest. They closed the umbrella and put it down, alongside putting the backpack down onto the floor. With their paws, they zipped it open and quickly began to scavenge through it.


“ ...What are y-you l-looking f-for? ”


“ Well.. I came to take you for a walk, it’d be nice. But it is freezing today. ”


He crossed his arms in a confused manner and leaned against the doorway, looking down at the indescribable figure making a mess on his porch, throwing out other stuff.


“ O-Oh- a w-walk? W-With me? ”


“ Is that so hard to believe? “


“ M-Maybe.. “


“ Hmph. You are difficult sometimes, but that’s besides the point. It is cold as hell and I don’t want you freezing up out here. So I brought you something. “


They finally found what they wanted, they pulled out a small white toque and a chetwode blue parka, presenting it to the cat. He looked it up and down, it’s different from what he usually wears.. I guess it wouldn’t be too much and it looks nice. Though he wouldn’t be able to wear his cap anymore. It was a bit new to him, especially with the routine outfit he wore everyday, at least it was new.

He took off his hat and held it in his right paw, releasing most of his hair onto his shoulders, with a glance to the right looking away from Rainy and towards the plants that lay on the porch’s railings. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of the outfit but was reluctant at first, a somewhat solemn and unsure expression across his face, still staring towards the plants.


“ I uh.. I- a-are y-you su-sure..? “


“ If I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have brought it to you, uh durr. “


Thinking about it. He’s thinking about it, it finally clicks and he accepts the outfit. I mean he’s had the hat all of his life but he never really thought about it until now, he thought, maybe it’d be nice to wear something else for once. With that, he turned around to look back into the house and tossed the hat inside, landing on the desk in the living room.


“ I uh. Thank you Rainy. “


“ No problem nerd, put it on.


He does as told, it luckily fits him completely fine, in awe he looked down at his sleeves with stardust filled eyes, sparkling like grains of sand in a black sky. He raises his paws to his chest and balls them up, a small smile creeping up on his face, Rainy raises their paw to their mouth and softly giggles watching Liles’ reaction. They end up putting all of their stuff back into their backpack, picking up their umbrella again.


“ You look great in it. “


He looked up towards them and widely smiled, almost in disbelief of what they said, beaming in positivity, his voice now more lively even if he still appears tired.


“ R-Really!? “


“ Yuh. “


Liles forms a small light blue blush across the canvas that is his face, the grin on his face was rare and it made Rainy smile just a little more.


“ I’ve never seen you this lively before. “

“ It’s cute. “

He suddenly realized how upbeat he was and immediately clears his throat, crossing his arms still with that blue blush across his face and a smile that could make anyone else smile.


“ Oh um- I- t-thank y-you- “


Rainy taps the umbrella against their shoulder and opens it, walking out into the rain.


“ It’s no problem. “


He stood there confused for a moment before Rainy gestured for him to follow, he realized oh yeah, we’re going on a walk and immediately followed. Closely following their side to them as the umbrella just had enough room to fit the two under it, they walked down the path, watching the rain begin to pick up a bit. He kept to himself until they spoke up, making conversation with the boy.


“ How’s life been treating you so far Liles? “


“ I think.. .. okay.. “


He responded with hesitation, an almost brittle and soft tone.


“ Oh c’mon, don’t lie to me bud. “


“ I’m.. I-I’m not. “


They rolled their eyes, continuing down the path, now heading on a path to a park to make him feel at more ease.


“ You sure didn’t look or sound like it. “

“ I.. I k-know.. “


“ C’mon, tell me. How has it been recently? “

He took a deep breath recounting the previous few days, pretty shitty, the only reason he has shelter is because he inherited the house from his father, who gave it to him as an apology for how shitty his childhood was. It wasn’t much but he knew Rivers meant it at least, the house had been okay, he guessed. At least it was surrounded by nature and not too close to others, he was happy he actually had a stable place to live. But he isn’t getting any happier, isolation will do that to you.


“ I uh. It’s been. I.. haven’t. It’s. “


“ Take your time Lily. “


How old is he now? 20? 22? It’s hard to really place down, time flew by so fast with no one to spend it with. He just learned to survive and at least try to make friends, he did have a few but most of them were off continuing their life, at least they made effort to keep in contact with him. Rainy on the other hand has been with him for a while now, he thought, even if life has been shitty he at least has someone who’ll be there.


“ It’s been.. rough. “


“ I could tell, I’m sorry. “


“ ..Don’t.. D-don’t say that.. n-none of it was your f-fault.. “


“ I know that dummy. It’s just meant to be nice. “


“ Oh. “


“ Yeah. “


He went silent, almost embarrassed by the situation, they let out another lighthearted chuckle to his silence, almost endearing with how they sounded.


“ So. Would you like to go to the park? “


Liles rocked his head back and forth thinking about it, still walking beside them.


“ ..Yeah- s-sure- why not.. “


They continued on the path together, making small talk here and there, the surroundings kept getting nicer and nicer; especially for the bombay. The smell of rain invaded his nose and it couldn’t help but bring him happiness, granting him the privilege of another slight smile once again, trickling kept him calm and even if it wasn’t raining he was sure Rainy could keep him calm anyways. Turning around a corner, they both spot a bench with shade, somewhat damp but at least not soaked in water. It seemed like they were at the park now, at least that’s what he thought, they walked over to the bench and slowly took a seat, patting the spot beside them for Liles; who immediately followed with a peppy demeanor. They raised their free paw and slowly patted him once, poofing his fur slightly and squishing his hair down alongside with making him blink on instinct, it almost sounded like a toy squeak. He was.. comfortable with it, he’s known Rainy for long enough to be okay with them touching him.


“ So.. Liles. “


They patted him again, with another small squeak.


“ U-Uh-Uhm- y-yeah? “


“ I was wondering. There’s this fundraiser in a few days or so- anddd..- “


They thought about it for a few seconds, adjusting the umbrella a little bit, do they really wanna ask him about it? They have to get him a suit andd.. they’re just going for free food, I mean they’re sure he wouldn’t mind going, he’s always been so eager to make them happy with any chance he got, they’re sure he wouldn’t mind going especially since they can’t just go alone.. They make an awkward smile, scratching at their neck with their free paw, turning to the side with a somewhat nervous expression.


“ And.. and what? “


“ We-Well- I.. I was wonder- I was wondering if- if you’d like.. to go with me? “


He looked confused for a few seconds, almost as if he was registering the sentence in his head over and over, a feedback loop in his little small oblivious mind. 

“ You don’t need to get anything, I can get you a suit.. all you need to do is at least clean yourself before we go. “


The blush from earlier returned but ever more vibrant than the last time, as they were basically now asking him out to something, which he has never really experienced yet. Even if he’s 20ish, he puts his paws together and begins to fiddle with them while they watch, amused by his reaction. 

“ I uh.- are you- are you sure?”


“ Again, why wouldn’t I be? I’m literally asking you. ”


Out of reflex, a few flowers sprout out from the armrest of the bench, curling up against Liles like a small child to their parent, wrapping around his arm and keeping him calm, his heartbeat grew in pace and began to sound louder and louder in his head. It was almost panic filled his body but it wasn’t exactly panic, it was something else, embarrassment? Embarrassment that they have to get a suit for him or embarrassment that they would take him somewhere so nice?

“ I uh- I uhm- but- “


“ Don’t feel pressured, okay? Just, think about it. “


“ I- I- um.. I- “


He slowly grips the vine, staring off into the distance. He thinks he has their phone number, he can think about it.. he can take his time, the rain begins to slowly die down and reduce the white noise for him to listen to. Turning, deciding to finally face them directly, with a calm voice he spoke; trying to be as kind and nice sounding as possible. The vines grew and peaked on the corners of his face.


“ C-Can I.. t-think a-about it.. a-at h-home..? “


They weren’t expecting a positive response nor were they expecting him to definitely say yes, but it was a satisfying enough response even if it was a tad bit disappointing. With a little sigh, they nodded and patted Liles again, in which he responded with a slight purr.. it was out of reflex.. definitely. Just a natural response to a natural thing.

“ You absolutely can Lily.. just tell me when you get home, you have my phone number remember? ”


They said, making a little phone gesture with their paw, smiling at him.


“ Y-Yeah.. Yeah.. t-thank you Rainy. “


He stuttered out, which they responded to by closing the umbrella and allowing a few dewdrops to drip down onto both of their heads from the tree above.


“ No problem. Text me when you get back okay? “


“ O-Oh- my- you're- l-leaving, did I d-do something wrong??”


They sat up, resting the umbrella on their right shoulder and adjusting the backpack’s strap as it was causing them discomfort, speaking to Liles in a really gentle tone.

“ I got a cafe to take care of, dingus. “

“ O-oh.. t-that’s right. “


They stuck out their tongue at him before walking off into the distance presumably to their cafe, humming along to a melody in their head, he sat still on the bench thinking about the conversation; mildly flustered. Why, why are you flustered Liles? It’s just a fundraiser, I guess, it IS the first time you’ve been offered to go somewhere in years. Just calm down, sit up, take a deep breather and walk home. Focus, your vision is going blurry again, you need to take a second to wake up fully again but by the time he’s fully awake he finds himself walking alongside the sidewalk’s path; mindlessly on his way back. 

Chapter Text

He didn’t register at first, tripping but catching himself at the last second, realizing he’s on the sidewalk near his home. Balancing his stance, turning his head and looking around at the wilting orange trees, that’s right it’s Autumn. How could you forget that? Wait, why do you even care. You need to get home. Stumbling to his house, fading in and out of consciousness, he finally opens his eyes for the last time and finds himself inside. The door wide open and the rain has started up once again, a sigh of relief and disappointment escaped from his lungs. He was home, finally.

Ah- your hat. Slowly taking off the toque, with a gentle paw he placed it down on the counter and looked at his hat. Such a tattered old thing, how long as he had this thing? 11? 12? Years? Since he was 12 at least. Representation of older times, nostalgia, though.. for once he seemed to despise the thing. There was this aura around it, almost like a stench to him, reminding him of the days that have long since passed but still affect him ‘till this day. Almost like a constant nagging voice in his head, staring at this, this lifeless object. Beckoning these thoughts, these horrible thoughts, almost like static fog surrounding his head. The sound of the rain was now void, looking down at this damned hat. Almost funny how he looked at it, like a bit.

It’s funny isn’t it? He questioned himself, the voice grew louder and he could hear it echo throughout the soundless chamber that was his mind.

“ Look at you. Such a pathetic little guy now. “

It scratched and scratched, a nerve that would never quit, that bitching tone all over again. A twisted intimidation by his own mind, to retreat back into his own hidey hole. He spoke out loud, almost trying to deny what he heard.

“ No. “

An attack on his mind came, the static fog grew louder, the campfire he sat around began to wilt away down to a candle, the foundation began to crack. The voice grew louder, even more recognizable, though he didn’t want to.

“ What a lie. “

But for once he felt the urge to speak back, to reassure himself that it would be okay, to be the comfort he never had.

“ It’s not a lie. “

It all happened so fast.

It all went dark.

He couldn’t remember what had happened, the faintest of memories almost picturing a breakdown, a recovery. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in his bed, sitting down staring at the damn hat. But something was different about it, it felt.. calming now. The appearance of it had changed, covered in this moss like overgrowth, like a reclaimed object of nature.

The nostalgia was back without that foul sense anymore, almost covered in this delightful lavender. Whatever it was, it was gone now, he didn’t know how but he had come to terms with something. He repressed it, maybe it was for the better. He felt the toque still on top of his head, though he didn’t feel the need to take it off, instead he continued to let it sit there, something new.  

“ … “

Liles really couldn’t say anything, turning to his desk, looking at his phone. Shit, that’s right. Rainy. He takes his phone off the charger and puts in his dumb passcode, scrolling through his messages before seeing a few new notifications from their phone. Ah, they’ve been worried.

He just texted back a quick response, to make sure they were gonna feel alright, he didn’t know what to think at the moment. But, the fundraiser, ugh. He would look pretty, right? He thinks.. Wait, he thought positively? Huh. That’s new, he loudly sighed and put his phone down, really thinking about the fundraiser. It was.. a wonderful idea, no, wait. A blush formed across his face again, Rainy really got to him huh? He denies it, stuffing his pillow into his face.

He knows by now that they probably texted him back but he can’t really think about it at the moment, they’re stuck in his head. It’s almost like a parasite, does he want to go with Rainy? Of course he does.. Why wouldn’t he? They’ve been his friend for a while and.. it would be nice to finally have something to do with someone. Someone special at least, something new. And all he has to do is look good.. and if it makes them happy it’s worth it isn’t it? 

..It makes him happy. He can’t admit it outloud but he knows it makes him happy too, he isn’t doing this for them.. he’s doing this for himself, to make the both of them smile. The clock in his room tick tocks like a melody in his head, he looks over to his phone on his desk and picks it back up. He’s made up his mind because he’s okay. He’s making the choices, it’s his decision, for once in his life. It’s his choice.

A suit could fit him, he thought, he wondered how they would look. They’ve always cared about appearance so they’d put as much effort as making him look great too, he’d be.. happy to look like that. Finally, he opened his phone. Scrolling to his texts, he opened them with an anxious conscience, ready to tell the fang enby he wants to go with them. He hoped they were having a good day and all.. that’s what they deserve after all.

The anxious bile built up in the back of his brain, the comments tried to whisper but for once he could ignore them. It was a time to be confident, at least, even if he can barely talk or stutter or what. It’ll be okay, they’ll both be okay. And that’s wonderful, simply wonderful.

Boop.

Well, they’re doing just fine, that’s not a real surprise to him at least. He built up the rest of the courage necessary and sent the message, wanting to spend more time with them.

Heartbeat sped up, so nervous about a simple acceptance, he hugged his phone like it was a stuffed animal, clutching to it like he did the tea bottle from earlier. He watched his ceiling for a bit, almost dozing off back into sleep but not before checking his text one last time with his weary eyes.

With that, a wide smile formed across his face, forever stuck there. Finally, his exhaustion had caught up with him but he felt safe. Almost like he was, okay. He grabbed his pillow and held it closely.

His tired weary eyes began to droop close as he began to shift into the unknown that was a dream, though for once, he knew it wouldn’t be a nightmare. Sleeping soundly for the first time in a long while.

Chapter Text

Ah, where are we? Oh, Rainy, that’s right. Slowly but surely, that anthropomorphic creature sat up from their bed, remembering to get his suit, they gotta get ready to go to Tail-Lur’s.. after a few seconds of a mile long stare at the wall in their room, they got up and made sure to at least dress fancy. They knew Liles’ measurements, luckily, so that’s convenient. Maybe he’d like a suit with flowers on it, of course he’d like that he’s Liles. They go into their bathroom and wash their face and brush their teeth, humming along to a tune inside their head. (Rises The Moon) 

They inspect their appearance and make sure it’s tip-top, pristine, even if they’re just going to get a suit tailored for him, they put on their dress shoes and adjust their coat, walking outside of their home after having a sip from a water bottle. Compared to Liles’ routine, it was a lot more clean and orderly, even if they gave off these chaotic messy vibes; it was clear they cared about appearance. Locking the door behind them, they began their venture to get that cute little boy his suit. Bringing an umbrella just in case it began to sprinkle, as the clouds above were grey and many. They walk to the Tail-Lur's with a casual sense of happiness and a sparkle in their eyes.

At the Tail-Lur’s finally, only took 25 or so minutes of walking aimlessly, what a surprise, maybe they should’ve charged their phone. They enter the store and wave to the tailor at the desk, walking up with their paws in their pockets. The Tailor, peeks their head up from the register after hearing the bell ring and waves at them. They put their paws down on the desk.

“ Ah, Skies! Welcome back.. I hope you’re not here for another atrocity like that last suit. “

They make an awkward expression and tilt their head, scratching their neck while looking around the store.

“ Well! ‘Lur, I think you’ll be happy to know I’m here for a somewhat normal suit. “

Lur scrunches up his expression, clearly he didn’t really believe Rainy’s claim before they pulled out a very rough sketch of a suit adorned with flower patterns, it honestly looked like they doodled it on the way to the place. They grabbed it and inspected it closely, making sure there were no tu-tus or fine prints or stupid shit like that, with a clear vision; Lur looked up to them and sighed.

“ Wow, look at that. A normal suit, for you? “

“ Wellllllll… “

Lur crossed his arms with a disappointed look, of course, there’s always a catch with that damn Skies. They put their paws together with a dopey smile on their face, staring directly at Lur; almost threateningly in a way.

“ I was wondering if you could make it off the measurements of another. “


He raised his right paw up and tilted his head to the right slightly, adjusting his glasses once, almost in a thinking manner, clearly trying to figure out what they meant. Of course he could always make something off just measurements of someone without seeing them but then he wouldn’t know if it’d look good on them, he needs his art to look good on the person he’s making it for.. even things like Rainy’s weird tutu suit.. it at least fits them.

“ I mean I could. It’d cost extra. Why can’t the ‘another’ come in themselves. “

They dig in their pocket for a small paper with Liles’ measurements on it, pulling it out it was scrunched up a lot and almost torn in a few places, he didn’t know how they managed to mess the paper up that badly on a simple walk to the place, still; they handed it to him with an awkward smile. He took it slowly, lowering his glasses slightly to take a look down at the paper.

“ He’s a bit on the shy side. “

“ Ah. “

“ Soooo.. Think you can do it? “

“ Of course I can, what do you take me for? “

Lur pushed his glasses back up, raising their paws and clapping, a fine trail of mist glowing a vibrant yellow begins to pick up all the items necessary for the job, normal tailoring takes weeks but magic is a fun thing ain’t it? Though people consider him a cheat for using his magic like this, Lur considers it just a brilliant use of the talent he’s been given. His pupils grow more of a pure yellow while he coos out a chuckle, he spreads out his paws and begins to make fluid motions, a glowing thread flows through the air, like a spider’s web creating an intricate design.

 Rainy just watched, annoyed by Lur’s over dramatic performance. The rough sketch and measurements levitate into the air before degrading into nothingness, the magic beginning to take a form as the threads increase in numbers, Lur continues to make gestures; eyes closed as if perfecting his creation. Really, he could just get this done without making a whole show about it but he doesn’t really care, he continues to do so for a few more seconds before a splash of yellow light bursts out from him. And poof, he’s holding Liles’ new suit; which he has affectionately nicknamed Flower’s Reclaim due to its rather lovely design.

“ There. “

They inspected the suit’s design and well, Lur did a great job at re-creating the sketch they gave him, in fact it looked almost perfect. They knew Liles would love this, even if it WAS expensive, at least they saved up some money for him; he’d look cute in this. Lur put out his paw, putting his other paw on his hip, a cheeky smile on his face; speaking with an expectant tone as they flaunted their paw.

“ That’ll be 150CA$. “

“ Ah. “

Rainy scrounges for their wallet with a nervous expression while Lur sits watching, he crosses his arms in anticipation of them not having any money for the suit; unexpectedly they actually pull out their wallet and take out 150$CA for them. With a begrudging look, they slowly and hesitantly hand over the money to Lur, who has a big smile on their face. He snatches it from their paw and hands the suit over to them, which is now covered in a plastic, out of nowhere apparently. They seemed bothered by the price but overall they’re happy with the result, very gently taking the suit by its hanger; being as careful as they could with it.

“ It’s a lovely design, make sure whomever you’re giving it to enjoys it to the fullest. “

They offer him a small smile, thankful for his help with the suit. They looked at it one last time, then back up to Lur; fully satisfied with the result. They knew that Liles would love the fang thing, their tone way more upbeat now, a cheery almost flowery like expression. 

“ I’m sure he will. “

Chapter Text

He sits alone in his house, silent, the room is orderly and things are a far call from what once was. He’s starting off the day happily, the old routine he used to go through finally has a new aspect to it, the house was free from the filth; the heavy air that weighed down on him is gone. The fur that would be dull and rough is well kept and groomed now, he smelt of lavender and roses, the mattress he slept on was clean; his clothes hung from his closet in an orderly fashion. The position he was sat in was upbeat, okay, it’s something new to him at the most. 

It appeared that the floor was now mopt and cleaned, almost sparkling with how spotless it was, his mattress was made and cleaned; almost looking like an entirely different mattress. He raised his paw to his nose bridge and took a deep breath, sitting up and making a slight clap; ready to start the day. He’s only got a few hours before the fundraiser starts, with an upbeat posture, he sat up hastily and walked over to the window; throwing the curtain wide open and letting the sun in. 

Maybe it was another rainy day, that’s what it looked like from the grey clouds approaching beneath the bright beaming sun but it didn’t matter to him, today was going to be a good day. He knew it was going to be a good day, the self pity seemingly had stopped, he walked over to the desk and opened it, taking out the box of Fur Hour Energy™ and inspecting it. He didn’t need this anymore, at least not today with the sleep he had, so he took it with him out into the kitchen; closing the door behind him once again.

Entering the kitchen, he looked at the tea kettle on the oven and thought about making himself some Catmint Tea; that would be a soothing drink. But, firstly, he turned to the garbage bin that was now empty, waiting for new trash; with a smile and not a doubt in himself, he threw away the Fur Hour Energy™ without hesitation. He turned to the tea kettle and prepared it, boiling it on the stove. He patiently waited with his catmint flavored teabag, rocking back and forth while listening to a pop punk band on his phone. (Origami Angel)

The sound of the tea kettle signaled to the bombay that his delightful drink was done! He got up and poured himself some of the Catmint Tea into a tea cup, gently putting down the kettle and taking a sip; what a relaxing taste. Truly, to him, this was paradise; a straight upgrade to the filth and depression that was a few days ago. Mostly due to Rainy’s fussy attitude towards his house and forcing him to clean up with them, Liles was finally living in a home that was adequate for life. 

Knock knock, that familiar soft knock echoed throughout the house once again, causing his ears to perk up at the noise, his tail began to sway back and forth from excitement; he rushed over to his front door with his teacup in paw. Of course it’s gonna be them, why wouldn’t it be? They wouldn’t forget, he puts his paw on the doorknob and gently turns it; opening to see them once again. Though, this time in a very different fit.

It was a very unique thing to say the least, a handsome suit and light blue tie adorned with cloudy entrails; embedded into the suit’s appearance. Instead of tight pants as a normal suit would, it was replaced by a beautifully done skirt, drooping down to their knees, almost fluffed out with how it appeared; designed to look like stars as grains of sand. Their hair was braided up, nicely kept and poofy, it smelt like blueberries and fruit. They smiled with that signature dopey attitude, holding his suit in their paw. It was his first time seeing the suit in person; even if they came to show him it a day or two ago. He really didn’t ever focus on it, rather helped them clean up. 

“ O-Oh- o-oh..“

They handed him the suit very carefully, clapping their paws together after he had grabbed it. He began to closely inspect the thing with bewildered eyes, it was a wonderful piece of work; he appreciated every little thing that was detailed on it.

“ Go get it on ya goof. “

He snapped out of the appreciative trance he was in, his expression turning to that of an embarrassed and bashful face. Instinctively, he apologized to them profusely, which they responded to with a dismissal pff; gesturing for him to get dressed up. With a slight nod, he closes the door and heads to his room to get on his suit, it took a bit longer than he expected, a little uncomfortable for him personally to have to look at his scars for a prolonged time but, looking at himself in the mirror; he realized how perfect the suit really just was for him. It was comfortable, warm, safe, he looked great in it even if it might’ve been just a little bigger than expected, slowly he put on the accompanying dress shoes they got him. The tap the shoes made against the wooden floor made him smile a little, hearing the iconic creak that dress shoes tend to make. He brushed and combed his hair, taking a look at himself in the mirror one last time while applying perfume. 

Quite honestly, he had never looked so good before, he even believed he looked fine for once. He fiddled with the suit’s cufflinks for a few seconds, absent mindlessly keeping himself occupied while he locked himself up and down. Though he thought the suit could require one more thing, he walked over to his desk and searched through the drawers, eventually after scrounging around a bit, he found a pair of white cotton gloves. They still fit him and he thought it completed the suit’s design. It was a pretty basic tailor, what was special about it was the cufflinks and details, embedded into the suit was a mint green rose on the right side of his chest, alongside vines that spread from the rose, adorned with thorns and a mint green tie; the cufflinks were a chetwode blue alongside that. After re-adjusting his gloves one last time and applying a little bit of lip gloss and black claw polish, even though no one would see it under his gloves, he walked back over to the front door and opened it, bowing to them.

“ H-How d-do I l-look? “

Rainy took a second to really believe how it looked on Liles, almost in disbelief, it looked even prettier than they thought. Within a few seconds, a wide smile formed across their face. They bowed back to him, entertaining his little state, looking up at him with a smirk.

“ You look dashing. “

Chapter Text

Ah, we’ve made it to the fundraiser, already? It feels like time skipped by so fast, even if it were only an hour, oblivious to the cycle of time. There’s so many people here, they compliment your suit here and there, it’s such a strange feeling to have kind words tossed at you after hearing such venomous monologues. You have no complaints do you, of course you don’t, it’s a new feeling. Your suit is perfect for you and you’ve realized that, in fact it’s gotten you to almost believe in yourself. Isn’t that strange, you have no one to thank but them. 

The dazzling show stealer themself, who is currently over at the table for food, shoving shrimp and other delicacies into their purse almost rather rudely; no one really noticed though. Even with that unique eye-catching suit of theirs, it was honestly a surprise that they decided to take him here. To even get him a suit,  of course he feels special, why wouldn’t he? They’re of course busy still stealing food, not batting an eye yet with their puffy blue hair-do drooping down to their waist.

 A slight giggle escaped from his mouth watching them as they shoved the last bit of food into the purse, turning back over to see him giggling and staring. They smile at him and wave, hastily speed walking over to him in their dress shoes; which make loud click clacks against the wooden tiles. They stuff a piece of food into their mouth, making sure to clean themselves with a white cloth soon after, cleaning up their appearance to make sure it was still pristine. 

“ Ah.. um, imagine you didn’t see that, okay? “

Responding with an even softer but louder giggle, he nodded quickly at their request. Forgetting that they ever stole food from that table in specific, they give him that dopey smile but different this time; caring and heartwarming. Lowering their tone of voice, they brought him into a tender hug, one of which he accepted, with a smile. They held him close.

“ Thank you for coming. “

Vibrantly, the blue blush spread across his face once more, it caused a giggle to come from them. Noticeably from the background, they began to take note of people beginning to prepare to dance, a slow waltz would be lovely for the both of them. They made sure to listen out for the sounds of music or an announcement to dance, looking back at him with a smile on their face, he grinned widely; flustered from a simple thank you. It caused a chuckle to come out of Rainy, raising their paw to their mouth before lowering it back down to pat him once again, squish squish. He accepted the pats, the most comfortable he’s ever felt in his life, to be quite honest with himself he loved the feeling. They took note of his blissful demeanor, happy to see him this happy, they couldn’t remember the last time he smiled like this. Maybe when they were both younger, when the future didn’t seem so close. Quietly, the sound of soothing music began to settle in from the speakers, the dance was nearing ever so closer. They put down their purse on a seat next to him, bowing down with their paw in an, looking up at him with a smirk.

“ Well, Liles, would you like to dance with me? “

He almost jumped out of excitement, his heartbeat felt like it was pounding out of chest like an old cartoon, his face felt like it was on fire and he couldn’t find the words. Almost out of reflex he pulled his paws back to his chest, without hesitation nodding as swiftly as possible. It got a good chuckle out of them, they slowly took one of his paws and led him over to an open space to waltz in. It was peaceful, quiet, entirely wonderful to him. He really didn’t know how to waltz that well so Rainy led while Liles sat there with a pretty flustered face, forming creases in his suit with how all over the place he was. While they led, it was an experience like none other, listening to that soothing waltz, so close to them and so happy. It’s such a far cry from the days before he felt as if he were dreaming but he wasn’t and that made him happy, so happy he couldn’t express it. Rainy continued to waltz with Liles as he got the hang of it, the smile growing wider and wider on his face, they couldn’t help but smile too. Bliss filled the air, uncontrollably, the bombay’s magic reacted from the overflowing mix of emotions, he wanted to keep this moment to himself and them; scared that others would judge them for it. So, a thick green mist began to sprout from him like roots from a tree, creating this giant curtain veil around them, others took notice of course but he didn’t notice; nor could he care. The both of them began to giggle and laugh with each other while they continued to waltz. Rainy felt this surge of enjoyment flood all over their body while Liles felt a jolt of pure bliss.

They slowly lowered Liles down, wanting to end the dance with something special for him, they very softly and slowly; bring him into a kiss. In his mind, that was the final crack to the dam that had been his emotions, causing a flood of thoughts to invade his mind. He raised his paw and it looked like he was about to push them away but, instead, he slowly laid his paw down onto Rainy’s shoulder and stood silent, happy with it. He closed his eyes and the blush was almost glowing at this point, memories began to flash into his mind, which led up to this moment. The thoughts of meeting them for the first time, the anxiety they felt trying to be the best friend he could, the fear of failing them, the calm he felt around them, the places they’ve been together. Truly, he didn’t know if he’d even be here without them, alive and walking in a world that always seemed to hate him. But he knew at least in this moment, it was the golden hour of his lifetime and he enjoyed every second of it. They pulled away, a loving caring small smile on their face, looking down at him with this very subtle blush on their face; the worries faded away. He knew he couldn’t fail them now, dazed and flustered by this entire moment, overloaded by this flood of emotions and memories he made with them. Though it didn’t last that long, the sound of a voice yelling could be heard, breaking that lovely atmosphere. 

“ HEY! THEY’VE BEEN STEALING THE FOOD! “

Rainy’s face went from that loving smile to an anxious grin, realizing they’ve been caught for their thievery. Liles couldn’t really recognize what was going on, still blurred by what just happened, the mist dissipating soon after. They stood there, looking around at the other occupants, awkwardly smiling; staring directly at the one holding their purse full of food.

“ uhhh . .   no? ”

They shrugged with this dumb smug smile, then suddenly, began to run out of the fundraiser, tightly holding Liles’ paw and pulling him out of there while he mumbled and yelled in confusion; not without yanking their purse back from the guy first of course. They continued sprinting while tightly holding his paw, eventually finding the way out of the building and they kept running, giggling and laughing. It took him a few moments but once he realized what happened, he started to laugh with them, running through the sprinkling rain. They continued down a pathway, it was beginning to grow dark in the town, they had spotted this abandoned house on a hill that Rainy suggested would be a good hiding place.

With a few grunts, they both successfully climbed a house, sitting down on top of the roof. That running took a bit out of them, they really didn’t need to climb on top of that abandoned house but Rainy insisted that they must. Well, he couldn’t complain, the view that it provided them was one to die for; looking down at the town lights brightly glow like a constellation in the sky. He looked over at them, sitting next to him and eating food out of their purse, admiring the lights alongside them. Liles couldn’t ever describe the feelings he felt for them, at least, he held in comfort knowing that it was healthy. Tired, he leaned his head against their shoulder, they didn’t notice or mind much, continuing to eat food out of their purse; the day was finally over and he could relax, no, they could relax.. together.

–

THE END