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It was a warm night in the desert, the sand beneath her boots cool and the sky a wonderfully dark blackish-blue. The fire in front of the woman crackled as she poked it with a stick. She glanced over at the rest of her posse. Sound asleep, either in a deep void of sleep or dreaming of their deepest wishes. She smiled faintly at the anthro dragon, Scorpio, holding a messenger bag close to him. God, he was so cute he made her sick.
The sudden sound of someone’s voice made her snap out of it.
“Vetch!”
Vetra turned around and looked at the source. A light pink, anthro rabbit with dust in her fur and a lighter brown cowboy hat. Dustbunny. An old friend she was happy she got to reconcile with after a long time. Vetra’s smile widened as she gestured to the bunny to sit next to her, to which the other obliged.
Dustbunny crossed her legs, tapping her feet against the floor as she set her hands in her lap. She had a smile on her own face, yet there was something beneath it Vetra couldn’t quite place.
“What are you still doing up? I thought everyone was out cold,” Vetra chuckled out.
“Ah, just thinking. Nighttime tends to do that.” Dustbunny said, rubbing her own cheek as a warmth spread.
Deep down she knew it wasn’t from the heat of the flame. The tightness in her chest, the sick yearning in her gut. How hard it was to breathe next to the dark skinned gang leader that always looked oh so divine to her. God, she was still this deep in love after this long. She let out a heavy and shaky sigh.
Vetra tilted her head, slinging her arm over Dustbunny’s shoulder in a confident manner as she grinned in a proud yet reassuring and supportive way.
“Think’n ‘bout what?”
She really was still this deep in love.
Really just made it hurt more when she thought about how much happier Vetra was around that lunk Scorpio.
Dustbunny reached for Vetra’s hand, holding it lovingly in hers. She gazed into those emerald green eyes. Every thought she had compulsively repeated in her head earlier came back. Every longing moment, every jealous rant, every nervous inquiry. She let out her main thought-
“..Why won't you love me like you did before..?”
The smile of Vetra’s face had never faded so fast in her years of living.
…What the hell just happened?
“I- um..What?” Vetra coughed, trying to bring that smile back yet it coming off as nervous as she truly was inside.
“Y’know, Vetch. We had something all those years ago. I know you loved me then, and oh I loved you too… Do you still love me too?” Dustbunny said, taking Vetra’s hands in her paws.
Vetra pulled away. A defensive confusion crossed her features, a habit of hers to go straight to pulling her guard up so she could prepare herself for the worst. Something Dustbunny hated having to see directed at her.
“Dustbunny, I- We never were like that! We were always partners in crime, that was how it was..!” She spoke, her tone bordering harsh as she tried to keep it down on behalf of the rest of the gang sleeping.
Dustbunny’s eyes widened slightly as tears began to threaten to spill. She bared her teeth and stood up quick and sharp as her voice rose.
“No….No, I won’t believe that after 12 years we’re still at square one!” She yelled out.
“Quiet down, you’ll-” Vetra warned.
“Wake up your little boyfriend? Ha! Let him wake up! Let all of them wake up! What’s so good about him anyway? He’s an emotional, windbag dog that only follows you around because you gave him some bits a while back!”
“Watch it, coño”
“Using a curse like that, hm? If you won’t confess your love to me then just admit to my face you want a ring on that banished bastard’s finger!”
“I do not!”
“I see how you look at him! I see how you lean towards him when he speaks just so you can be closer to his voice! I see how you gravitate to him like a magnet and I feel my own heart writhe in my chest and be ripped apart like a broken contract!”
Vetra went silent, struggling for a comeback as she glanced away. Dustbunny thumped her foot. She ran her hands through the fun near her ears in frustration. Vetra growled, forcing her gaze back on Dustbunny.
“Dust, I care for you, I really do. You matter to me as much as he and Cash do. But I never wanted you like that!”
Dustbunny’s rubbing turned to her violently pulling at the fur as she ripped out a few hairs and screamed out, hands in tight, angry fists.
“Just let me love you, please just love me like you did!” She screamed.
“I can’t do that when I never loved you like that in the first place!” Vetra yelled back.
Dustbunny’s fists lessened in tension. Eyes wide in despair as the thought of Vetra never loving her hit deeper than it did before, her voice went as quiet as a child’s. So low and small it made herself sick.
“...You have to be lying…”
Vetra sighed, running a hand through her hair. She stared at the strands of fur in her friend’s hand. That was her fault. And she swore to never let anyone feel that horrible…
“...I’m sorry.”
Dustbunny did not respond. She harshly looked down and away from the eyes of her love- no. Her friend. She turned her back away and walked back to where she was sleeping before.
“It’s fine…it’s…fine..” she sighed shakingly