Popee x Reader - Running From Scars

Chapter 14

Popee had drifted off somewhere, saying something about shooing his dad away. I was back in our tent, sitting on the mattress on the ground, staring at the ring Popee gave me with both admiration and pride. The ring was a shiny lustrous band with a bright (Favorite Light Color) diamond in the middle of a diamond-studded heart. Looking at it screamed romantic. 

Popee had a band as well, his just being silver, but on the inside, it had my name engraved inside (my ring having his name inside). He had also given me a(n) (F/C) silicone band for training, him having a white one for himself. 

Even though starring at the ring is enchanting, it happens to get boring after a while, so I decided to look for Popee. I stood up and began to walk out of the tent, just for Popee to run straight into me. 

"Sorry!" Popee said quickly in a worried voice, "Gotcha'!" He said, catching me, then picking me up. "Where were you going?" He asked, a proud smile on his face. "To see you," I smiled back, "I didn't expect to see you that quick and close, though." I laughed. "Well, I was coming to see you too. I would like to tell you about my plan." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, God, here we go." I rolled my eyes. "Shush, and listen," Popee said and stood me back on my feet.

"So, Dad's probably coming to see how the circus looks and how well I'm doing performance-wise. He'll probably pressure you to do some tricks, but you, of course, don't have to if you're not comfortable. I'll take care of him if he gets pushy," Popee said, grabbing my hand as we started to walk. "I also cleaned up the place so-" I quickly cut him off.

"Popee, I could've helped if you would've told me what you were going to do," I said, looking up at him. "I didn't say anything 'cause I knew you would've wanted to help. I wanted you to sit down for a while, plus I was doing some work.". I sighed, "Alight, carry on."

He smiled at me, about to start speaking before a loud horn rang throughout the circus. Keda seemed to pop of nowhere and gave Popee a look I couldn't read, but Popee could and returned it. They both nodded and faces turned to a smile. If this is Papi, he must be pretty serious. I couldn't help but get a little nervous myself.

I noticed a circus car of sorts, an elephant head on the front, blocking the view of whoever was inside, but my inference was that it was Papi. Popee wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him. "It's okay," he chuckled in a low tone.

The car stopped and the door opened slowly as if the person inside knew he wanted his entrance to be dramatic. I looked at Popee, he looked super pissed, but still had a fake smile plastered across his face. Before I even realized it, Papi had fully exited the vehicle.

"Hello there!" Papi yelled out. I looked over and gasped. "OH MY GOD!" I whisper-shouted and tried to hold in my laughter, but some couldn't help but escape. Yeah, his aura was all around creepy, but hilarious all the same. Keeping in my laughter made my knees weak, so I held onto Popee. I could tell he felt proud of himself for me holding onto him, thinking I was scared still and he was my savior, so I let him enjoy the moment.

"Oh dear, it seems there's a new face around here, hm?" Papi began, starting to walk over to where the three of us were standing. "Kedamono! Tip-top shape, stronger than when I first found you, how nice!" He smiled and ruffled Keda's fur, Keda's mask turning to a shaky smile. "Next we have a new but slightly familiar girl, how interesting and appealing. You seem very fit for circus work as well, seem flexible at most," Papi said, eyeing my up and down, then laughing when he saw Popee holding on to me. "And lastly Popee. Hello!" Popee gave him a sarcastic smile and rolled his eyes. "Yeah," Popee said, sliding his arm down to my waist and giving Papi a glare.

"Well, I must check out the circus, why don't you come with me," Papi laughed, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards him quick, making Popee loose grip and causing me to stumble. "You seem flexible, but flexibility is simply no good without balance, dear." He chuckled. "ACTUALLY," Popee, yelled out with a growl, "We've done some rearranging, so it would be best for me to show you around," Popee said, a fake joyful tone over his voice and he pulled my away from Papi and lightly pushed me over to Keda. Keda caught me and gave me a smile, nodding his head over to the left. I smiled and mouth an 'Okay' as he grabbed my hand in his paw and pulled me away as I heard Popee speak to Papi.

We headed inside a tent I guessed to be Keda's from the purple and orange decor inside. It seemed to be a lot cleaner and put together than Popee's. "He's a little strange," I said and laughed. Keda smiled at me and nodded. "Yeah, I really don't like him, not for the same reason as Popee though. I think both of us dislike him for justified reasons. Papi neglected Popee, and he took me away from my mother," he sighed.

"I miss when I and Popee were still more like friends. Though, that was probably about seven years ago," Keda said as we both sat down on his mattress. I crossed my legs and showed him I was listening. "After the incident with you, the circus shut down, it wasn't their first accident like that, it was the third, and they were all caused by Popee messing up. Then your family filed a report to sue the family, basically causing us to go bankrupt and lose our home. Papi and Lolly, that was Popee's mother's circus name and all I knew her by, were already struggling with their marriage so that was the breaking point, considering Papi was much more concerned about starting a new circus." Keda let out a long sigh.

"Before the incident, I was kinda like a normal dog to Popee, at least I think. I just had the advantage of being able to talk to Popee and be in the circus with him. Because we traveled so much, Popee wasn't really able to go to school and make friends. It was just me, Popee, and Marifa. We were the only friends we knew, and Popee thought of everyone else as less than us because he knew he couldn't get to know them.".

"When Papi and Lolly split, and Marifa was gone, Popee told me he felt like things were missing. We slowly got more distant, every day just got worse and worse until Popee decided it was my fault he never got to make friends and started to try to push me away.".

Keda looked at me with a wide smile across his mask. "Then one day, he said he was going to town, wanting to pick up a phone, saying the first person he meets online or in real life will be his best friend and he'll finally have want he needs to be happy. Then he came home with you. I think you make him happy. You gave him what he's wanted for years. It may not seem like it, but he's been better to me. He had a full conversation with me while you weren't with him." Keda then started to laugh, "Don't tell him I said this but, he asked me to act scared of him when he acts mean to me with you around so he looks braver." I laughed with Keda.

"Really? I tell Popee to be nice to you, makes me a little upset when he's not." I gave him a sad smile. "You're too nice, don't worry about me! Plus, my friend is back. The elephant on Papi's car, her name is Paula. She can't talk or anything, but she's the only nice thing Papi brings. She can give a ride sometime while she's here." Keda smiled, looking away from me. "I'll consider it. I didn't even know it- she was alive. That's interesting but still weird."

"Welcome to Wolf Zircus then, there's nothing not weird here.".