Gingersnap

Part 8

"Ed?!" Ginger called as she darted out of his bedroom and raced out into the living room, frantically looking around for her friend. "Ed, where are you?" Noticing that the living room was empty, the ocelot stood up on her tip-toes and curled her front paws up to her chest, sniffing at the air with her tiny pink nose. Her ears flicked up when she caught a whiff of Edward's scent - a familiar mix of auras, with the tang of machine oil from his auto-mail being the strongest - and turned toward the kitchen.

"Ed!!" Ginger called out again, louder this time.

Edward quickly abandoned the box of spaghetti noodles he had been about to open when he heard Ginger calling from the living room. "Gingersnap?" He hurried out into the next room to check on her, fearing something was wrong with the little ocelot.

Ginger immediately brightened up when she saw her friend. He was wearing most of his trademark outfit; black tank top, leather pants, and a thick brown belt. Although it all had been getting rather tight on him lately, he didn't seem to mind. "There you are!" Ginger beamed. "I was looking for you!"

Edward breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn't injured or in any kind of danger. "Oh yeah?" He walked over to stand in front of her, and Ginger felt the floor shake a bit beneath her paws. "Did you need me for something?"

Ginger's mismatched eyes slowly traveled upwards to meet the boy's golden gaze. The blonde towered over her, and she was forced to crane her neck in order to see his face. She was nearly scared right out of her skin by that fact when the two first met, but now she welcomed the feeling, as it brought her a sense of comfort and protection rather than fear.

Clasping her paws behind her back and swaying a bit on her heels, Ginger nodded once slowly in response to Edward's question.

Edward smiled. "What can I do for you?"

Ginger shifted to stand on her tip-toes again as she stretched her arms out and reached for him. "Will you hold me?" She asked, her timid voice filled with hope. She widened her eyes a bit and cast him a pleading glance for extra measure.

Edward's own eyes softened immediately. "Of course I will," He bent down on one knee and cupped his hands, carefully scooping Ginger up in his palms. He brought the girl up to his face and nuzzled her softly with the tip of his nose.

Ginger squeaked in delight as she snuggled up to the boy, enjoying his attention.

Edward hummed, smiling warmly as he cuddled the ocelot in his hands. "There. Do you feel better now?" He asked softly.

"Oh yes, much better!" Ginger nodded eagerly before she leaned forward against the bridge of Edward's nose. "I woke up from our afternoon nap and realized you had gotten up already, so I was starting to feel lonely all by myself... But I feel a whole lot better now that you're with me!" Ginger exclaimed, snuggling up against him.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad I was able to help you feel not-so-lonely." Edward chuckled.

"Yeah!!" Ginger's eyes flitted shut for a moment, her whiskers twitching up as she gave him a lively, cat-like grin.

Edward attempted to mirror her expression, then gave her a little wink.

Ginger giggled and playfully shook her head at the boy. She crossed her arms on top of him and absentmindedly kicked her hind paws in the air behind her as she lay across his nose. She lost her balance and nearly fell backwards while getting into position, but managed to catch herself in time. Ginger knew that Edward's hands were still cupped below her, ready to catch her if she really did fall.

The thought made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, and a happy purr rumbled up from the girl's throat. Ginger knew she could trust Edward, her closest friend, with her life. It was a feeling she had been missing ever since the very moment she lost her Aunt Eleanor and ran away from home forever. The gratitude she felt for Edward was unfathomable, but she couldn't help but feel like she still needed to repay him in someway. Ginger felt that one of the best way to show her appreciation was through small yet compassionate gestures, such as nuzzling, snuggling, cuddling, and...