(Old) Unexpected Union | Umbreon X Sylveon

Chapter 7

19/3/24: exactly the same as chapter 5, and 6; seriously, how the fuck did I miss so many? (Thanks to Potati174 for finding all of these) (also finally removed his splint)

Keir nuzzled his new mate, causing her to stir from her sleep. "Keir, what is it?" Elswyth grumbled; he gestured outside before speaking. "It's midday, Els."

She settled back down again. "Don't care, let me sleep more." She moaned groggily. Keir chuckled softly. "C'mon, we've got to eat." He stated before standing, he was halted by ribbons wrapping around him and trying to pull him back down.

"Ow! Ow! Elsy, my leg!" He winced, snapping Elswyth out of her drowsy trance. "Shit! I'm so, so sorry! Please don't be upset!" She panicked, hugging him tightly.

"It's fine, Els; I'll be fine. It feels mostly healed now anyway; it was just the splint forcing me to keep my leg straight that hurt." He whispered soothingly, kissing her softly on her forehead.

Elswyth looked up into his eyes. Tears had started to form in her eyes. "Oh, don't cry, hun; you did nothing wrong." He said in the same soothing tone as he wiped the tears away with the back of his paw.

"O-okay... if you say so." She stammered.

"C'mon, let's go get some food." He smiled warmly before beginning to hobble over to the side room.

"Hold on," Elswyth called out, "let me take your splint first; I doubt you actually need it now anyway, it's been, like, what, a month and a half since you've been wearing it? Give or take a few days, plus, it'll stop this from ever happening again." She proposed.

Keir nodded, and shuffled back over to her as she gently disassembled the splint she had made for him when they had first met. A time where—presumably—she was just as miserable as he was, overtaken by this new arc in their metaphorical story.

When she was done, she allowed Keir to walk over to the side room to get food for the pair of them. Admittedly, it was a little weird putting more weight on a leg that had been mostly inactive for a long while; but that would pass over time.

This was his first time going in there since he had begun living with Elswyth, although he found it a little jarring not having to wake up at the crack of dawn anymore; that habit would be hard to shake off.

The side room was relatively small, but it had a large stone work surface in the middle of it. Shelfs towered high above him; a majority of them were empty, but around a third of them were still full.

Keir looked behind him and saw a cabinet with a picture frame placed face down. He slowly went over to get a closer look at it.

He flipped upright to look at it. There was a Leafeon and a smiling Eevee, he could only assume that this was a picture of Elswyth and her mother.

"Hey, you okay? You didn't fall, did y- oh.." The suddenness of Elsy's voice made him panic, putting the picture down swiftly, but delicately.

"Y'know, that's the last photo we ever took together." Elswyth murmured, she smiled meekly at him, trying to hide her sadness. She began walking slowly towards Keir; her silent march towards him made him feel a little uneasy.

"I-I'm sorry for snooping around; I was just curious about the picture and-" Keir said quickly before Elsy shushed him. "It's ok, Keir; you would've found it eventually anyway." She soothed him, hugging him softly.

"A-are you mad at me?" He asked timidly, she just smiled softly at him. "Of course not; it's just a picture. I'd have to be insane to get mad at you for that." She tittered quietly before letting go of Keir and looking over his shoulder towards the immortalised memory. She stayed quiet for a few moments, as did Keir, out of respect.