The Lout's Pet Squirrel (og alcale)

Part 10

"...that weird thief never retrieved his payment... what the hell did he want in the end...?"

Alver stirred from his spot in Cale's lap as he heard the absentminded musing. He chittered curiously, half asleep.

Cale caressed Alver's cheek gently to settle down the intrigued critter. His skilled hands effortlessly stripped Alver of all his concerns and nearly settled the squirrel back to sleep.

"He was kinda hot."

Alver jerked awake and this time he properly registered the topic.

Had he ever felt quite this flustered before? Alver's fur stood on end and he had a strange urge to run around in circles that he couldn't quite explain. And the reaction itself made him feel even more flustered. What did he have to react so startled for?

It was surprising to be described that way by Cale but it wasn't surprising to be described that way. Alver knew better than most that he was attractive. It would make less sense if Cale didn't find him even a little bit attractive.

Yet for whatever reason he was moving around Cale's lap, his fur fussed up, his face warm, and his thoughts an absolute mess.

Cale chuckled and lifted him up. "Jealous?

Now Alver was properly upset because how could be jealous of himself and for what possible reason? He chittered discontentedly at Cale and received a kiss on the nose for his troubles.

Alver's brain stopped functioning for just a moment.

It wasn't the first kiss that Cale had given his beloved pet. Alver thought that he'd more or less grown accustomed to the random pecks of affection. It was strange and pleasant and familiar and unfamiliar all at once but he'd gotten used to it. People kissed pets and babies and children. There wasn't anything behind it other than a platonic show of affection.

Yet with the strange feeling that had stirred in his gut and the kiss, Alver's tail fluffed up and he jumped onto Cale's head to hide in his hair, his heart doing strange things in his chest.

Cale laughed again and left him there.

"I do need to look into that thief though..." Cale said. "He didn't take anything and he didn't get paid. I assumed what he was because I was worried about you but... hmm..."

Alver settled in Cale's hair and frowned. He still felt distractedly flustered but the feeling of foolishness was drowning it out.

Of course Cale would find it suspicious. Alver didn't collect the payment and he didn't make any other appearances.

A mysterious man appears on your balcony, does not deny allegations of being a thief, but then does an act of charity without even accepting a reward? It wasn't that Alver didn't know how it would look but he'd hoped that Cale wouldn't. A silly notion. He already knew that Cale wasn't as stupid as he acted and even a particularly dim person would have noticed how strange it was. One would have to be naive in the extreme to think otherwise.

Alver was the one who acted naive in this situation.

He was growing too lax. After spending his entire life in the palace desperately defending his secrets because his life depended upon it, he should have been better prepared than anyone to deceive and misdirect.

Yet... he just didn't want to.

He didn't like the idea of deceiving Cale. More than he had to at least. He didn't want to play his normal games of subterfuge. He felt at peace in a way he'd never felt before and he wanted to linger in that feeling.

And then there was just the lazy depression that made it hard for him to do anything at all. What was the point when all his dreams were already destroyed?

Cale's voice pulled him out of his self flagellation and he once more simply didn't know what to do about what Cale was saying.

"I should hunt him down."

Alver chittered in alarm. His imagination provided him with an image of Cale earnestly hunting a squirrel.

Cale plucked Alver out of his hair and placed him down on a pillow before lying down beside him. "If he's dangerous, it's better to deal with him soon. If he's not..."

Alver poked Cale's cheek with his paw. Prompting him to continue. Cale had a queer expression on his face.

Cale smiled at him and held his paw gently, giving a tiny digit a tiny kiss. "...that's unlikely though."

Alver really hated this about Cale. Cale had this habit of thinking out loud, which was beneficial to a squirrel who couldn't actually ask for information, but he always talked in scattered pieces. Keeping the meat of his thoughts hidden away and Alver couldn't help but have moments when he wanted to just shake the rest of the information out of him.

As it was, he held his kissed paw with a flustered feeling creeping back up inside of him and lied down with a huff.

"You really don't like this topic, huh?" Cale teased.

I'd like if you'd stop doing strange things that make me feel confused.

Although... Cale hunting down information about a man of Alver's description could lead to trouble in the long run. His tiny solace in the Henituse county could come to an abrupt and violent end.

Alver sighed and stole a glance at Cale, who appeared lost in his own thoughts.

Cale was a frustrating conundrum.

Alver hated him sometimes and yet, he always found himself drawn in closer. What the hell was it about Cale that made him feel like this? It was silly.

"Where'd you go yesterday anyway?"

Alver chittered the squirrel version of I was spending time with your brother and decided to offer no further explanation. If Cale couldn't understand squirrel language, that was his problem.

Cale scratched under his chin. "Not so scared of Ron anymore?"

That was inaccurate. Alver was still quite intimidated by the servant. But yesterday he'd just felt strange about sticking so close to Cale and so he'd chosen to slip away. It was awkward to face Cale as a pet so soon after seeing him as a person.

Even now he felt strange about it but he still remained.

...what is wrong with me, really? Am I just going crazy?

"You really are gloomy for a squirrel." Cale teased, kissed the top of his head, and settled into bed.

Soft.

The moments with Cale were soft.

Stolen but soft and precious.

Alver leaned into Cale's warmth, trying and failing to understand himself.