Ballad of Flowers

Chapter 32

            The cold aura grew, Copper jolting awake as his heart pounded in his chest. The room was pitch black, other than two white slits staring at him from the darkness, the endless abyss pressing against him as instinctual panic, raw and unexplainable, came over him. He was shaking, a freezing grip on his heart as he got up slowly, eyes never leaving the floating white slivers staring at him. He flicked the lights on, and... nothing... Nobody was there, nothing was staring at him.

He felt a strong grip on his shoulder suddenly, letting out a little squeal. The inky black tendril instantly drew back as Pinstripe jolted away, startled by his sudden cry. She hoped that it didn't wake the couple up, forgetting about the terrified otter cowering from her. The second she finally got a good look at him, she instantly lowered her guard. "A-Are... Are you alright?" She asked, his shiny fur shifting as he lowered his arm. "I'm sorry if I startled you..." She said quietly, helping him up.

Copper eventually gathered the courage to speak, still shaking slightly. "I-I... um..." Pinstripe kneeled so she could see eye to eye with him. "Go on, I don't bite... What's your name?" This still wasn't very comforting, but at least he knew where to start. "... C-Copper..." He whimpers, shifting away slightly. She gave off an uncomfortable aura, and some ambient fear lingered in his thoughts. "Pinstripe. Pleased to meet you." She shook his hand, standing back up again. "Here..." She picked him up, levitating on her back and laying him down on her chest. "Tell me a bit about yourself..."

"W-Well... I never met my parents... I think they hated me, sending me to a shitty orphanage before I even opened my eyes... I was just everyone's little plaything... something to hurt, something to mess with, something to use, something to claim... I didn't know any better... I didn't know there was anything else to life... I met someone... Someone special..." He thought back to that time, that period where he finally had something to truly live for...

"Good boy..." He said, patting my head gently. He treated me much better than the other kids here... It's weird, feeling nice when I get to see him again... Why though? Why does he care about some stupid little otter like me? He could do whatever he wanted to me, I couldn't stop him, but... He just doesn't... I can't help but smile, my cheeks growing warm. The last few weeks he's been rather careful with me... I wish I could see him more often. He's gorgeous. His scales sway in such a calming manner, I could just be lost in them for days... I recently found out how wrong it is for the others to do this to me. It really hurts sometimes, but afterwards I'll cuddle up with him.

I always look forward to seeing him in the mornings. It's official now, he's my boyfriend! I'm so glad to be free of the others, and I get to be with him every day now... I think I might start sleeping with him instead, even if it's a bit cramped. I just feel safer around him, and I know that he cares about me, and he's just the greatest thing in the world to see him smile... Dominique, what an interesting name... I wish mine wasn't so dumb...

"And then...?" She asks quietly, Copper blushing profusely. "I-I... I don't like to think about what happened..." He whimpers, looking down shyly. "Well, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'd talk about my past, but, well... It wasn't very interesting..." She chuckled softly. "Wow... Are you playing mind games with me? I mean, I didn't even hesitate to tell you my darkest secrets, and I'm going to be honest... I don't really mind you knowing..." The otter's face is still flushed with hue, never making full eye contact with Pinstripe. "I guess you're just... really approachable??" He shrugs, tail swishing from side to side slowly. "A-Anyways..."

Dominique had a weird look; he'd been acting strangely for a while now. Is he hiding something from me? I feel like he's trying to keep something secret from me, and I can always tell from his scales. I know he doesn't like people reading him emotions like that, but I'm just so concerned. He's been sky blue for at least a week now, speckles of white fading across his chest. I didn't want to confront him about it, I'd feel terrible if I did. He hated being scolded or yelled at. He didn't like argument or confrontation, just like me. Maybe that's why we're so close? I'm sure he'll tell me soon, he's bad with keeping secrets.

It's been at least a week now, and he still hasn't told me... I hate to see him like this... We just finished lunch, and he's been squirming all day. As he sits down on our bed, I sit next to him, my paw on his hand. "Dom, what's wrong? You've been blue for so long... You know I hate to see you so sad, what aren't you telling me?" I look deeply into his eyes, watching as his irises change entirely. He grips me in a hug, sobbing quietly. I wasn't expecting this, but... I can't help but try and comfort him. "Copper, I'm so sorry... I'm so so sorry..." "W-Why are you sorry? you haven't done anything wrong..."

"I have to leave... Someone's adopting me..."

"I was devastated, I couldn't believe it. He left two days later. I don't know how long I cried for, but they just started their abuse again... I was easy prey now, and they had wanted revenge on me for so long. My tailhole ached for at least two weeks..." He sighs quietly, leaning into her embrace. "I still miss him..." She was gently stroking his back, listening silently. "After he left, I forgot what it felt like to have a stable relationship. People would force me to be their 'boyfriend', and I eventually just learned to accept it... It became the norm for me..." He just let her hold him for a bit longer, unable to hold back tears.