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Viola and Thorn were friends, before they were lovers.
Not for lack of trying on Viola’s part, however. She had been dropping hints left and right. Talking about how she was lonely. About how she was cold. About how she was lonely and cold. About how she. Always dreamed of getting married one day, and how she hoped her future husband was just like Thorn- Seriously, Viola had been laying it on thick. Thick. And yet, here Viola was. No boyfriend, no husband- Just an irritatingly perfect best friend who she could have been holding paws with out of romance but instead just kept holding paws because Viola was ‘cold’. She liked him, was the thing. She liked him with all her heart, and she hadn’t been subtle about it. Nobody had ever, in her entire life, described Viola as subtle.
Still, Thorn was, well, Thorn.
“Thank you for the advice, Vi,” Thorn said sweetly.
“Always,” Viola said. She laid a paw on Thorn’s. “You know that you can always come to me, right?”
“I know,” Thorn said. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
Viola smiled softly, ignoring the sinking feeling in her heart. “Yeah. Friends.”
“Do you not like being friends with me?” Thorn asked.
Viola laughed. “No, of course not. I love being friends with you.”
“Then what was that sadness in your voice?” Thorn asked. “Am I a bad friend?”
“Thorn,” Viola said. “You’re a great friend!”
“Then why are you sad?” Thorn asked.
“Can I not just be sad?” Viola asked. “Just- for no reason?”
“Do you need more food?” Thorn asked. “I could get you more food. Or we could go on a walk, if that would help-“
“No,” Viola said.
“Then what?” Thorn asked. “I saw your face fall when I spoke. What was it?”
“Do you really want to know?” Viola asked, looking deeply at Thorn. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes,” Thorn said, immediately. “My dearest Viola, of course I want to know. I want to know everything about you, everything you’re feeling. Always.”
“See,” Viola said. “That’s it! You tell me things like that- call me your dearest- and then say call me your best friend!”
“So?” Thorn asked.
“So!” Viola said, nearly shouting. “I don’t want to be your best friend. I want to be- I want to be your girlfriend, Thorn. I want to be your wife, one day! And here you are- telling me that we’re friends, rubbing it in my face-“
“Rubbing it in your face?” Thorn asked. “But- I didn’t know you felt this way, Viola. At all.”
“You didn’t?” Viola asked. “I’ve been obvious about it!”
“I don’t exactly talk to many stoats, Viola,” Thorn said. “All I know is that I like talking to you. And you seem to like talking to me. And you always have the best advice, and the sweetest flowers on your fur.”
“Really?” Viola asked.
Thorn laughed, staring at Violet with bright eyes. “I mean it, my dearest Viola. You ate the sweetest flower in this forest, but the ones you wear are a close second.”
“You can say all that!” Viola exclaimed. “And yet you can’t notice that I lo- that I like you?”
“I’m not much of a noticer,” Thorn said. “I wouldn’t notice my paws, if they weren’t right in front of me.”
Viola laughed smitten. “I’ll notice everything for you, Thorn.”
“Good,” Thorn said. Then he smiled shyly. “You- you really like me, Viola?”
“Really,” Viola said. “Tula has been awful about it. She keeps teasing me about it.”
“About me?” Thorn asked. “Does- does she not like you?”
“No, no, she likes you well enough,” Viola said. She distinctly does not mention how her mother feels about him. That was- they would deal with that later. Together. Aww. “She’s just awful about it to me, because she’s my sister. And she’s all ‘aw, are you smitten? Are you going to settle down?”
“And do you want to?” Thorn asked. “Settle down, I mean.”
“I want you to marry me,” Viola said, bluntly. “Kids, maybe one day. But first I want to help you solidify yourself as the leader of the Lukura. I want to help give you all the power. Force-“
“Convince,” Thorn corrected.
“Yes,” Viola said. “I want to help you convince everyone that what you’re saying is the truth, and that you’re a good leader.”
“Really?” Thorn asked.
“Really,” Viola answered. “But most of all- I want you to kiss me.”
“Really?” Thorn asked. Again.
“Oh, just kiss me,” Viola said.
And then Thorn leaned in, and did what Viola had been wishing for for ages. He kissed her, their stoat noses pressed up against each other.
“Wait,” Thorn said, as he pulled back from Viola’s face. “Does that mean we can’t be best friends anymore?”
“No,” Viola said, unable to stop her laughter. “No, it doesn’t.”
“Oh,” Thorn said. “Good. Can I kiss you again?”
“Yes,” Viola said. “Yes.”
Thorn was always Thorn, and that was what Viola loved about him.
He wasn’t always the most observant, that much was true. He blurted out how terrified he was of her mother at the most awful times. He was sometimes a terrible uncle to Tula’s children. He didn’t have much of a head for being the leader of a new religious movement, sometimes. But he was always sweet, too sweet. He understood Viola more than anyone she had ever met before. He held her paws when she was cold, whether or not she was being coy about it. He stood up to her mother- even if he later regretted it. He tried, he really tried, with Lila and Jasohn. He made Viola have hope- hope for her family, hope for the Lukura, hope for the world itself. Hope for herself. Thorn just made her feel so hopeful. Thorn just made her feel so safe. Thorn just made her feel so loved, for all of her, the messy and the loud and the small and the- all of her. He loved absolutely all of her.
Viola and Thorn were still best friends, after they became lovers.