Willow and her little friend

Understanding

This is a few weeks after she meets Gus in cannon.

*CRASH*

"TITAN WHY"

*SHATTER*

"DAD!"

More crashes could be heard in the other room followed by more yelling.

"...Y'know-"

"Don't Say it"

"But-"

"NO! If I tell her now she might try feeding me to her plants"

Gilbert chuckles as he watches his husband panic at the idea of telling their daughter.

"It'll help her in the long run if she understands why so she may better control it"

"But that's just it, you can't always control it. Even right now, I'm having trouble with my emotions being so high."

The chair began to creak and groan as the pressure began to amplify. A few deep breaths later and the pressure subsided. Harvey let out a sigh as he heard another yell and crash from Willow's room. He looked up as a comforting hand was placed on his shoulder. Gilbert gave a soft squeeze and smiled as Harvey stood up, mind made up.

"I'll be by the door if you two need anything"

A quick nod and kiss were exchanged before Harvey slowly opened the door to Willow's room.

Currently, she was sitting on the bed trying to keep herself wrapped tight in her sheets and away from anything throwable. He cringed as he looked at the state the room was in. There were clothes and books littered everywhere. Some pictures were knocked off the stand with some having cracked or shattered. Willow seemed to finally notice him as he approached the bed. The bed creaked at the shift in weight as he sat down next to her wrapped form. There was an awkward silence before the sound of rustling was heard under the sheets. Willow grunted as she attempted to stop whatever was under the sheets to stay under. Her father laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze as she looked up at him. After a few moments, she let out a sigh of defeat and slowly unwrapped herself from her blanket. Moments later, the source of her frustration finally moved up into view from behind her. A deep blue tail with an arrowhead point slowly made its way towards him. Willow seemed to grow nervous the closer the tail got to him. Her eyes grew wide in fear as she saw her dad reach a hand out towards it. He noticed her fear and attempted to reassure her before she did something drastic.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt me" He finished it with a smile in hopes of easing her worries. It did not work.

"How can you be so sure?" Willow asked in a nervous tone.

She flinched as she felt her tail make contact. It slowly wrapped its way around her fathers arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. The kind of squeeze one gives when looking for comfort.

"Because I know you wouldn't hurt me" He brings his own tail up and slowly wraps it around her arm, giving her arm a light squeeze as well. His tail, like willows, matched his hair being a dark brown with the same arrowhead tip as hers. She finds comfort in the action with her tail reflecting the calmness by slowly unfurling itself and resting by the bed beside her. Harvey smiles as he brings his own tail back next to him.

They sat there in silence as Harvey mulled over what to say. His thoughts ceased as he heard light sniffles coming from next to him. She was trying not to cry. She rubbed her eyes, frustrated and embarrassed to be crying in front of her dads. Gilbert sat down and gave her a hug while she cried into his shoulder. Harvey joined in the family hug soon after.

After calming down, Willow finally asked the question she wanted to ask for weeks.

"Why can't I control my tail?" She asked, her face downcast with glossy eyes.
"Our tails aren't like demon tails sweetie. They aren't something we can entirely control."

"But yours doesn't lash out like mine does. Why does mine seem so out of control" She asked, a little frustrated at this whole situation.

"Our tails respond directly to our emotions. If you get too angry it might lash out, too scared and it may try to hide." He explained gently. Truthfully, even he didn't fully understand how their tails worked. What they could and couldn't do. He only knew what his father told him and hoped that telling her what was said to him when he was younger would help alleviate some of the stress she was currently experiencing.

"Then why does mine keep breaking stuff?" She asked, glaring at the appendage as it swayed beside her.

"Well, how do you feel right now?"

"I guess I feel frustrated. Maybe angry?" At the moment, all she could think of was how frustrating it was to have her out of control tail.

Her father nodded, "That's a good start, But I don't think that's why your tail is so out of control right now."

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"Take a look around your room. Tell us what you see." Gilbert spoke up.

"I see all the broken pictures and clothes thrown everywhere?" She said questioningly.

"Right," Harvey chuckled, "Look closer at what exactly was broken, sweetie. Do you see a pattern?"

Willow was confused for a moment before looking closer at everything around, she trusted her fathers judgments. As she gazed at her surroundings, her face quickly took on a befuddled expression.

"They are all connected to school?" She asked.

Scattered around were photos of her old school and school mates. School uniforms and posters of her dream schools littered the ground. She looked at her bedside and noticed that none of her family photos had a scratch on them, with the exception of one particular photo containing Amity Blight. It laid shattered against the wall after a particularly hard hit.

"Yes, They are all in some way related to school or your old friends. Now think harder on what emotion your tail is tapped into and why it reacted in that way." Gilbert finished with a light side hug.

She thought long and hard before closing her eyes. She thought back to how she was treated in school. How her friends were no longer with her and how they now treated her since her grades started  failing. She started thinking about Gus since he was her only. Her eyes snapped open as the final piece slid into place.

"I-I'm scared. I'm scared that I might lose my only friend if I can't control my tail. I'm Scared I might hurt someone. I'm scared I might hurt him." Her voice wavered as she made her realization. I'm scared the bullying might get worse, She kept to herself.

Her Dads embraced her as she let a few tears fall. Her tail slowly wrapped around herself in an attempt to find comfort.

"I understand you're worried about hurting others. Believe me, When I first met Gil, I was terrified my tail might hurt him." He said after a while. "But you have to remember, Your tail isn't a separate being. It's an extension of you. Only under extreme circumstances will it ever harm someone you care about. And even then, It's rarer." He kissed her head as she wiped her eyes.

"Your tail will always reveal your true emotions. For better or for worse. I can teach you some tips and tricks to better handle it or hide it. But controlling it isn't possible." He gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry-'' He grunted as Willow tightened her hug around his stomach. Her tail mirrored the action on his arm.

"It's ok dad. I understand. Thank you for helping me figure it out." She released her grip on him before quickly standing from the bed. "Just watch, I'll have it under control in no time!" She loudly proclaimed. A wide smile shining on her face. Her tail shakes and wags excitedly before accidently knocking over some books from her desk.

"How about we start by getting this mess under control before starting anything" Gilbert Laughs out.

An embarrassed Willow quickly starts picking up clothes and shoes. Her tail neatly sweeping some glass into a pile as she collects her books as well. Smile still present on her round face. She loved her dad and papa.