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"No. It's more of an invasive species than anything else."
Mychael glared down at the ring of mushrooms below you. You followed his gaze. Were they really that bad? You had so many questions...
"They are? ..Should we- uh.. do something about it?"
He blinked for a moment, pausing, leaving an uncomfortable silence.
"Uh, n-no. No," he repeated, "Sorry. Just uh.. a thought that slipped out." Mychael sighed wearily, obviously annoyed by the subject. You didn't seem to catch on.
"Just.. don't touch them, okay? They make me.. uncomfortable."
That didn't make sense. His entire being was all about mushrooms!
"Why? I thought you liked mushrooms."
"Not these ones," he quickly snapped. His expression made you flinch. You were never a fan of conflict, but your curiosity kept demanding more.
"Do they have a name?"
"..Them?" He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the mushroom ring, an unamused, possibly disgusted look on his face.
"Yeah. Like, uh.. the species. Do you know?"
"Oh. Um. No, they're not.. that important."
"You sure are making it seem like they are.."
You could feel him growing more irritated. The thought of him being even slightly angry at you developed a pit in your stomach. Maybe you shouldn't have said that...
"Just- Just stay away from them, alright? I don't want you near them."
"Alright.." you conformed, still unsure about the whole situation. This didn't feel.. right.
"I guess I just don't get how they can be invasive, is all," you admitted.
"... I consider it invasive when they come on my property."
Mychael was now fully glaring at the mushrooms. As if they were a pest. Something disgusting- something that needed to be gone. Something to get rid of.
The anxiety gnawed at your stomach. You didn't know what was happening, but these mushrooms felt important. More important than he let on. You didn't want to upset him- that was the last thing you wanted to do, but...
Your curiosity pushed forward. Like it always does.
"It just feels like.. there's more to this. You're being kind of.. weird about this, Mychael."
His fists clenched. You made a mistake. You swallowed.
"Firefly, I know I ask a lot from you but please. Just leave them alone, okay?"
You could've sworn you heard something like a low growl coming from him.
Your curiosity pushed forward. More and more, forward and forward, and it wouldn't stop until-
"Wh-Why? There's something you're not telling m--"
"LOOK, CAN WE JUST-!"
...
You flinched, taking a few steps back. The way you backed away from him.. he didn't want you to be scared of him, nonono he just-
"I'm sorry."
"..Wh- What? Firefl-"
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to, I-I didn't-"
"Firefly.."
Your voice began to tremble, your breath hitching in your stomach, "I- I didn't mean to make you mad- o-or upset! I just- I shouldn't have pushed you, and I-"
" Firefly. "
"I- I won't do it again! I promise, I'll be- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to, I didn't mean t-"
" Firefly! "
You gasped, opening your eyes that were previously clenched shut.
Mychael was cradling your face in his palms. You hadn't even noticed you were crying until he brushed away your tears with his thumb.
"Firefly.. it's okay," he whispered softly, a light frown on his face. "You're okay."
You hiccuped, feeling the heat rise up to your cheeks. God, you felt pathetic, crying in front of him. You probably looked pathetic as well..
"I'm sorr-"
"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
You felt your lip quiver. Your legs wobbled, and you collapsed into his arms, embracing him. You didn't care if you looked pathetic. Your body was seeking the comfort, and apparently that comfort was meant to be found in Mychael.
Mychael froze, tensing up at your touch. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around you as well, letting one of his hands run through your hair.
"Shh, it's okay," he lowered his voice.
" I'm not mad at you. "
Those words made you melt in his embrace. You cried into his shoulder, clutching the back of his jacket tightly.
Mychael felt a pang of sympathy ring through his chest. He held you closer. A light purring sound came from his chest, soothing you even further.
...
You could've sworn the two of you stayed in that position forever. Just holding each other close. You're confident you could've stayed there forever, but..
Mychael slowly let go when he knew you were ready and fully calm. You took a moment to glance over his features.
He held a wobbly smile as he looked at you with his half-lidded eyes. His face and ears were almost entirely blue, but he seemed... comfortable.
"Let's get you home, firefly.."
"..Right," you rubbed your eyes, smiling, "Let's get me home."