Freedom from Want || The Promised Neverland [NorAyshe]

Freedom from Want

Notes:

Oh man, NorAyshe week hit me so hard with the inspiration!
Finally got around to posting it here!

It's been so long since I have written such absolute
✧༺❦༻ fluff ༺❦༻✧

And tbh it makes no sense at all bc this fic was originally going to cover day 4's theme of vengeance. But then I also threw in day 3's theme of pets and it suddenly became so soft™ LOL what have I done??

Sigh. This is probably a disaster but I stand by it being one of my favorites to have written so far. I wrote this after work in one evening in an insane flow state, so please lower any standards you may have *crying in inconsistent quality* but I hope you enjoy it anyway ♡

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For Ayshe, arriving in the human world was filled with both wonder and frustration. Although she now had endless new things to learn and see, her old worries about survival began to be replaced by worries about her dogs. Being that they were now living in the big city, she realized the lack of space was becoming a big problem.

In the small but adorable 2-bedroom apartment she shared with Gilda (the only person she would even consider living with) she felt safe and mostly comfortable. But at the same time, the lack of nature quickly grew to feel stifling. And rather than being able to roam freely whenever they wanted, she and her dogs were now oppressed by the patterns of "normal" human life. Leash laws, crappy narrow sidewalks, rush hours, and the endless inquiries from passersby about petting the dogs were driving them all mad.

In a desperate attempt to avoid the crowds, Ayshe had taken to waking up in the early morning hours to take her dogs on their longer walks... and staying up late to take them out again after the city had quieted down.

It was a perfect 20-minute walk from Gilda's apartment to the office building where Norman, Ray, and Vincent operated their company. She liked going there because it was a bit different from the rest of the concrete jungle it was surrounded by. In front of its magnificent entrance was a small but beautifully kept garden with a fountain. She now often stopped here to let the dogs drink from it while she took a break to sit on the garden's singular bench nestled among the green, leafy plants.

In the relative silence of these twilight hours, her mind was filled with longing and guilt. I know I'm supposed to feel better now that we made it here... and I do feel grateful to be safe. But will my dogs and I ever be able to feel... free?

⋆     ⋆     ⋆

For Norman also, arriving in the human world wasn't all sunshine and happy days.

As he relentlessly worked to build a company that could support their search for Emma and provide a comfortable life for all the rescued cattle children... he found himself often alone.

Vincent and the Lambda team were always running around like crazy managing R&D and gaining clients. And Ray was nearly always out on leave in search of Emma, usually taking 3 or 4 of their siblings along with him to assist. So during work hours, Norman spent so much time alone in his office that he too started to go a bit mad.

It also didn't help that the Lambda headaches hadn't been cured yet.

When they'd first arrived, he'd shared a small flat with Ray. And although he loved being by Ray's side dearly, staying there quickly grew overwhelming. The city was loud — sirens wailed at all hours, car radios blared, and doors slammed as people went about their lives. The light pollution at night was also unwelcome as Norman was a terribly light sleeper, and sometimes his migraines called for absolute darkness.