Stress Relief (Grizz x Nom Nom)

Chapter 9

"Hey, it's all right. I get it", Grizz sympathized. "You can stay here as long as you need to."

"I...I can?", Nom Nom sniffed, turning away to wipe an eye. 

"Yeah, man. I know our place isn't that big or anything. But maybe we could clear out the shed. Turn it into your own private pad", Grizz found the idea amusing and chuckled. But next to him, the koala had an image in his head based on what Grizz told him. 

Nom Nom saw himself holed up in an empty shed. In the dark, with no one around, not even Grizz. All alone. 

"No!", Grizz jumped from Nom Nom's sudden outburst. 

"Whoa, whoa. You don't have to if you don't want to", Grizz reeled back, raising his paws defensively. 

Nom Nom stopped, took a deep breath and looked up to Grizz. "..Sorry about that. It might be nice, but I don't really want to be left alone. If that makes any sense." Deep down what he really meant was that he didn't want to be there without Grizz, but he was glad that the unaware bear nodded anyways. 

"Yeah, I get it", Grizz replied, but he felt bad. He felt that he was the cause of the koala's outburst. He took this as a lesson to be more careful about what he says to the koala beforehand. 

"I'm gonna...get more leaves", Nom Nom mumbled, hopping off the couch and heading towards Grizz's bedroom. Grizz stayed put on the couch, watching the koala trudge back to the room. Even though Nom Nom said he was sorry, Grizz still felt bad about what he said. 

Behind the closed door, Nom Nom took a moment to pause. He ran his paws against his face and gave a frustrated groan. He climbed on top of the bed, hoping that it would calm him down. BUt of course it didn't. The next thing he knew, he was pacing back and forth on top of the the soft bed. All the while his chest was pounding, his was a bit scared that something may be wrong with him. Was this finally it for him? What all the stress finally catching up to take him out?

Nom Nom clutched his chest, beginning to hyperventilate and panic. He began attempting a way to calm himself down. He tried thinking of things that he liked; his mansion, his awards, and the great tree that stood in the heart of his home. But those things hardly did anything to steady himself and slow the pace of his heart. Nom Nom laid down on the bed and placed his head on the pillow, hoping that would do the trick. 

While he settled onto the pillow, Nom Nom picked up on something. It was the pillow itself. It had Grizz's strong scent all over it. For a moment Nom Nom lost awareness of his actions, when he was brought back to reality the pillow was pressed against his face and his arms were wrapped around it tight. 

Nom Nom gasped and threw the pillow back on the bed. He looked at the pillow and felt a bit disgusted and embarrassed at himself. But at the very least, he did feel a lot better. The pounding of his chest was dulled and his breathing eased. 

Nom Nom hopped off the bed and was about to head back out of the bedroom. He peeked through the slight view from the slightly open door. He watched as Grizz watched TV all alone. Even though Grizz was paying attention to the screen, it was obvious from the look on the grizzly's face that what happened earlier still bothered him. And seeing that expression made Nom Nom feel bad himself. Instead of thinking of a way to make himself feel better, Nom Nom was trying to figure out a way to make Grizz feel better instead. 

Nom Nom thought about Grizz's smile and felt that fluttery feeling deep in his stomach once again. Not only that but he felt very warm as well. Nom Nom stepped away from the bedroom door, confused and a little concerned about the things he was feeling. They were feelings that he couldn't figure out and that fact alone made him worried.