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The blizzard had settled at some point while the pair had napped in each other's embrace. Emory hadn't moved much, but Ramonde had turned a bit more of his upper half to face the werewolf. He gently brushed some hair off Emory's face and felt his heart go weak.
Ramonde had known for some time how old Emory was. He'd always recognized that he was older, but had been shocked to know they were so close in age; the stress of the situation made him look to be in his mid thirties, instead of the early twenties that he actually was. But, now that the omega's face held a softness while he slept that hadn't been there previously, Ramonde was able to see the true image of his now partner's face before this all happened. It meant he had fully relaxed in Ramonde's home and the human couldn't be happier at the notion.
They'd had a conversation before they'd fallen asleep about Emory's updated care. He knew he could speak openly with Ramonde, especially now that they'd solidified their feelings for each other, so he'd been quite unbothered bringing it up, even if he still struggled in finding the right words. The wolf also knew that Ramonde had always been hoping Emory would speak up more for himself and his pups...dammit...OUR pups now...I still can't believe this is real...
Emory knew he couldn't push himself with the pups due any day at this point, so he was going to heed Sherwin's warning. However, he was wanting to still retain some independence, as he'd only just gotten some of it back. He was still injured, still a little malnourished, and still lacking strength. But he had been able to get around, sometimes without the aid of another person, and he hated feeling like he was going backwards. Emory's hope was for Ramonde to meet him halfway; he wouldn't do too much unnecessary walking around, but not strict bed rest. Ramonde was, hesitantly, willing to compromise, so long as Emory was actively resting more than he had been before this point. It seemed to help that there were no more reservations about cuddling so much, the physical affection seeming to make Emory more willing to lie around.
But Ramonde wasn't about to let the sleep go to waste, so he kissed Emory's nose and gingerly untangled himself from the werewolf, trying not to wake him up. Grabbing a robe on his way out of the bedroom, Ramonde smiled at the sounds outside the cottage; the temperatures had warmed up just enough to turn the blizzard into a deluge. As he passed his office, he paused to peer inside the room. Initially, it was to question if he wanted to do any computer work (he would decide to update his websites and customers later that he was on hiatus, as he knew Emory and the pups would need him). But now, a thought was brewing in his head. He just hoped it could be done in time.
Walking down the stairs, Ramonde felt relaxation would do wonders for his aching body, going for the kettle instead of the coffee pot once he got to the kitchen. His legs felt like lead having had to trudge through the snow earlier, and he considered taking a bath to help with the throbbing. While he waited for the water to boil, Ramonde tidied up the first floor a bit, knowing he wouldn't get too many more chances before Emory gave birth.
After putting the jasmine and silver needles in his infuser and waiting for the tea to steep, Ramonde went into a small closet by the bathroom to pull out some candles, incense and matches. Content with his selection, he went back to the kitchen to grab the pitcher of water from the fridge. Making his way through the living space, Kväll briefly waking up only to sleepily bury his beak back into his wing, Ramonde went to the tiny nook in the wall. Setting down the candles and incense nearby, he poured water into a cup that was on the uppermost plank. The cup was one of the few things that survived the fire from his childhood and it was his mother's favorite glass.
He quickly shuffled to put the pitcher away, grabbing his tea on the way back after removing the infuser, setting it in the sink to clean out later. Putting the mug on the coffee table momentarily, he set up the candles and incense, almost meticulous in their placement on the shelf in the nook, before striking a match and lighting them. By the time he sat down across from the flames and smoke with his drink, the bright and floral scent was filling the space.
"...mamá...I have so much to tell you..."
"...Ramonde, are you all right?" Startled, the human looked over to his left. The sight that greeted him was a big reality check as to how soon his life was going to change. He made a motion to get up and assist, but he was waved off. Ramonde sat back down, remembering his promise from that morning.
There stood Emory, having managed to get down the stairs on his own. His hair was pulled back into a hectic bun to keep the strands out of his face. He never had put his shirt back on, but had stolen Ramonde's cream cardigan again, which helped the fact that he was using both breast pumps at the moment. Given that Ramonde could see some droplets higher than where the current level was at, Emory must have pumped once or twice before coming downstairs.
"I'm fine, Emory. What made you think differently?"
"...you were so quiet..." Emory said with an embarrassed blush. "I'm not used to you not talking, so I got worried and came to look for you." Turning a bit, both his hands pressed into his bowed back, he looked at the wooden, analog clock in the kitchen. "It's also been a couple hours. Felt a little odd that you hadn't come back."
"I didn't mean to concern you," Ramonde apologized as he held up a hand to the wolf. "Just doing something that felt long overdue. Especially given the past twelve hours or so..." he added, eyes shifting to look at Emory's belly. "Wanna join me?" Emory's left ear swiveled a little before taking the human's hand with a smile. "I'll get you situated, then go make you some tea. Since you're pumping, you probably want the one for your milk supply? I know the effects aren't immediate or anything, but..."
"Yes please," Emory replied as he made the attempt to sit on the floor. "An extra large mug would be nice. I still feel so chilled to the bone..."
"You know I gotcha," Ramonde said with a kiss to Emory's cheek.
"I do," Emory replied, his eyes twinkling. Ramonde got up and bustled around the kitchen, refilling the kettle and getting it back on the stove. He decided to make another cup for himself, rinsing out the infuser, while also grabbing three tea bags of Emory's for the comically large mug he would be drinking from.
"Need anything else while I'm up?"
"Freezer bags for-"
"Your milk? Already on it." Emory moved to look and, sure as water is wet, Ramonde was already pulling a second baggie out of the box. The werewolf wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to having his needs anticipated.
Ramonde moved around a bit more, grabbing some frozen leftovers to heat up for them to share later. In doing so, he found that Emory had indeed pumped in the bedroom, seeing new bags in the freezer with January 14th written on them in green Sharpie. Putting the food container in the sink so it didn't get the counter wet as it thawed, Ramonde finished making the tea and came back out to the living room.
As Emory deeply inhaled the aroma of his drink, Ramonde grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and a throw pillow. Sitting down and surrounding both of them with the blanket, Ramonde helped Emory maneuver a bit with the pillow, using it to create a little lift for his belly and not have it pressing against the hard floor. As this happened, Kväll woke up and hopped over to them from his perch. Emory chuckled as he stroked the neck feathers with the back of his finger, the raven nibbling at the digit affectionately.
Ramonde's arms wrapped around the werewolf, trying not to accidentally hit the hardware attached to the man's chest, and pulled him against him. Emory's tail thumped a couple times, a contented whimper coming through the back of his throat. Ramonde buried his face into Emory's hair, kissing his right ear. The omega giggled at the sensation, Ramonde's heart swelling at the sound. He took in the scent of his new partner, sighing happily.
Maybe it was because Emory's pheromones were reacting to their new dynamic. Ramonde, not being a werewolf himself, wasn't going to be able to smell Emory's distinct scent very well. But he was definitely picking up something now and he was curious how that may change going forward.
Rain. The first thing he could pick out was the way it felt like the forest lulling him with the promise of a storm; this was even more comforting hearing the torrential downpour outside. There was an equally sweet and tart tang in his nose as the base scent hit, with something he couldn't quite place (butter didn't seem right). All while having an undertone of a fire long since put out. He was a little surprised, as his research told him omegas were almost always too sugary sweet in their pheromones, but he found this quite pleasant.
They cuddled for a bit, Emory acting the tiniest bit odd when Ramonde's face came too close to the side of his neck. He decided not to push it and figured they could talk about it later. The human was just enjoying the peace and serenity with someone he could finally have this with.
"What were you doing?"
"Mm?" Ramonde looked down at Emory, those lavender eyes peering up at him curiously.
"You said there was something overdue you'd been involved in before I interrupted you. I'm sorry; I hope it wasn't important."
"Oh, nono! I mean, important, but not something that got ruined because you came to see me." One hand laid on Emory's belly as the other came to point at the shelf in front of them. It was slim and delicate, with three spaces filled with different items. Photos. Intricate, paper cutouts. Cookies. Water in a fancy glass. White tealights. The wolf spied the box of incense on the table near them, the word 'marigold' in purple text. He took in all the details and stopped on one particular photo, realizing who these people were before Ramonde could say anything.
"...this is your family..." His fluffy ears drooped, seeing just how many people Ramonde lost that day in the fire...my gods...he looks like his mother...Sure enough, Ramonde even got the texture of hair that only the women seemed to have. The only things he seemed to inherit from his dad was the exact skin tone, upturned nose, and freckles. Setting a hand over Ramonde's, Emory squeezed lightly and quickly in support.
"My brothers, Lupe and Manuel. This sister," he began, pointing at the girl with the short hair and glasses, "is who Alina dated. Vivi." His finger moved to the other sister, who looked like a carbon copy of Ramonde, just with hair down to her waist. "I'm the baby of the family; even my twin Reinelle was born before me." His hand fell, placing it on the floor next to his mug, but not touching it. "...I was telling them about you..."
"Me?" Emory rushed out, his voice almost a squeak.
"Well, more us," Ramonde replied, quickly gesturing between the both of them, "but yeah." He resumed hiding his face in the mess of black hair in front of him. "It's...been a while..."
"You talk to them often?" Emory inquired, sipping his tea and settling his back against the human's body. He felt like a small child again, being told stories in his mother's lap.
"I used to. It's lessened over the years and maybe it's because I'm busier with the others being here. But I haven't made the time..." He placed a kiss on the back of Emory's head. "This felt necessary to tell them immediately. I'm sure they already knew, watching from wherever they are, but it feels better talking." There was silence for a time, Ramonde breaking it as he had a thought. "Not much survived the fire. But Sherwin, being a family friend, had some of those memories on his computer. So he printed out anything I wanted when I moved in with him.
Do you have anything of your family?" He felt stupid as he said it, but thought maybe there was a physical home Emory had old belongings at that they could go get one day. However, his heart sank as Emory shook his head.
"Werewolves have nomadic leanings, so some packs don't stay in one place forever, even if they stay for years. Sometimes we stay in abandoned towns and use the houses, and others just make due with the outdoors. Most of my life was outside, especially those last few years with my pack. So it meant I didn't have much aside from what fit in my bag. We also didn't have things like cameras, so all my memories are only what I can remember."
Ramonde ruminated on this information, then decided he wanted to know more. "Wanna talk about them?"
"Meine eltern?" His ears perked up, not having spoken much about his family at all since he arrived, but also not in many years with his pack. "My father was a beta; all turned werewolves are. His name was Ignatz. I believe his original profession before he was bitten what something you humans call a firefighter? He settled into werewolf life quickly, but didn't really make any friends for a while.
Mathilda was my mother. She was an alpha that actually wasn't originally part of the pack. Sounded like they begrudgingly took her in when she was injured and my father was the one that tasked himself with looking after her. They really only kept her when she could prove useful." Emory made a face, seemingly disgusted at the notion that people couldn't just simply help others.
"Sounds like they fell in love pretty fast?" Ramonde couldn't help but think of their own situation.
"Yes and no, depending on which parent you asked. I heard two versions growing up," he replied with a soft smile. "Maybe because time passed slower for my mother while she recovered. She had also been back on her feet for a while before they actually started courting and became mates."
"What were they like?"
"Mother was loving, yet stern. She also had a protective streak that blanketed the whole pack." He took a sip of his tea. "If she defended the entire group, she knew it included my father and myself. We'd still have a home if she did. She was also the storyteller between them, singing lullabies to me as a pup."
"Is that why you want to read more?"
"One of the few human things I wanted to experience was a library, because I knew owning books was never going to happen. I heard about them from father and wished I could go. He was more outgoing and relaxed, but talking about his previous life as a human was when he was serious.
Mother was a tall and slender woman who did not let anyone push her around. I remember her wearing a lot of reds and purples, but she didn't dress very feminine either. All things considered, I look more like my father. He wore so many browns and blacks that he didn't really stick out much. Kind eyes with a gruff looking demeanor. Sometimes you forgot he was a turned wolf, as if being bitten was an awakening for him." Emory looked into his cup, staring at his reflection in the bright maroon liquid. "I would ask if he missed being human and he always said no. That he missed helping people with his job, but that staying human would mean that he'd never meet my mother and they'd never have had me."
There was a sudden loss of warmth as Ramonde got up. Emory made a questioning whine, ears moving at the sound of him walking away. He watch Ramonde go to the small closet and just examine inside of it for a while. The omega didn't know what was inside, but it didn't take long for Ramonde to grab something, shut the door, go to the kitchen, grab something from a drawer, then come back with his items. Kneeling in front of the wolf, he placed a few things in Emory's hands once he put his tea down.
"I want you to carve an M into this," he said, motioning from the knife to the lilac, pillar candle. Emory was confused, especially with no instructions for the beige, votive candle that came in its own simple holder, the scent claiming to be Iced Cinnamon Rolls. He, however, did as he was told. The wax gave way with a bit of struggling, meaning the candle might have been quite old, the light purple curls dropping to the floor. Ramonde then gave him the matches and helped him light both.
The candles were then taken from him and set on the shelf, next to the pictures of Ramonde's parents. "What are you-"
"This is called an ofrenda," he interrupted, gesturing to the shelf. "It's something my culture uses to love and honor family members we've lost." He turned back to look at Emory, his smile a mix of emotions. "Seems there's more than enough room to share."
The meaning and weight of the gesture finally registered and tears fell down Emory's cheeks. "I still don't understand how you are so sweet and gentle. Now you're sharing your family with me?"
"I mean...regardless of how our relationship ends up working out," Ramonde replied, sitting back on the floor and holding the werewolf close to him, tucking Emory's head under his chin, "we're raising kids together. Doesn't that make us some kind of family? My parents would be grandparents, even if not by blood?"
Emory continued to weep. Surely some of it was pregnancy hormones, but he was also genuinely wondering how he was so blessed to have met this human. This man who had opened his home from day one to give him and his unborn litter a fighting chance to start fresh. Ramonde, who had shown Emory a kindness that was rarely given to him by his own species. He already knew Ramonde welcomed everything about him and understood that the healing wouldn't be easy or expeditive, but accepted Emory anyway.
He was finally home.