Tortoise and Fox [BL]

1.7

It would be fine if things stayed this way forever.

A few minutes passed in silence, the atmosphere indecipherable. Eventually, System 85 spoke up.

[Ah, the second male protagonist just finished talking to the main character.]

"Mm. Sleepy. Maybe I'll just go back to sleep..."

[Main character seemed to hand over a confectionary. Fruit cake I think?]

The swaying Cedric sat up ramrod straight, eyes sparkling. "Really?! She brought fruit cake?!"

System 85 was a slightly taken aback at his host's unusual amount of energy.

[She did. Are... you okay?]

Cedric was already out of the bedroom and walked directly to the kitchen, leaving System 85 mildly confused. Felix was busying himself, putting away groceries and preparing for an evening meal.

With his now sharpened senses, Felix could quickly pick up on the only other person in the apartment, rapidly approaching him from behind. Immediately after turning around, Cedric straightforwardly clasped Felix's hands into his own, his head slightly tilted up to greet the taller's eyes in earnest.

"Where's the fruitcake? What kind is it? Can I have some now?"

Cedric's burning gaze sent arrows straight into the blonde's heart. Far...far too adorable! Felix felt his confidence leave his body. He avoided Cedric's starry eyes, taking a very strong interest in the groceries still left over on the table. At the moment, he was far too flustered to wonder why his classmate knew about the cake in the first place.

He spoke, tone uncharacteristically meek. "It's in the fridge. Don't eat too much, I'm making dinner." If one looked closely, they could spy Felix's quickly reddening ears.

Cedric thanked him and threw open the fridge, grabbing the white box and setting it on the table. Cedric's excitement practically shot through the roof as he opened it, revealing an untouched white frosted cake, topped with sliced kiwi, strawberries, and blueberries.

Suddenly, Cedric disappeared, and all that was left on the floor was a pile of clothes and medium sized tortoise. Felix walked over and picked up the tortoise, who squirmed incessantly in the direction of the counter. Felix squinted his eyes, slightly confused.

He lost control and changed into a tortoise because he...got too excited?

The silver eyed youth set the shelled bearing reptile down, amusedly observing the quiet excitement radiate from the animal. As the tortoise was about peer into the confectionary box, Felix picked it up and set it back, facing animal back towards himself.

"You're going to make a mess if you eat it like that. Stay here, I'll cut a piece for you." Felix spoke rather sternly, although his narrowed eyes and gentle smile gave away his desire to indulge Cedric.

Felix neatly cut the cake and placed a slice onto a thin plate. He pushed it toward the tortoise, then proceeded to sit on a stool in front of the lamp sized shell. Felix's chin rested on his palm, as he amusedly gazed at the tortoise taking slow, methodical bites of cake. 

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, the tortoise turned around and steadily made its way toward Felix. The tortoise stopped in front of Felix looking slightly up at him, as of waiting.

Felix realized its intention and let out a soft laugh. "Are you asking for more cake?"

As if to express agreement, the shelled reptile stretched its neck rubbing against Felix's cheek gently. It felt rugged, the texture similar to sandpaper, but the skin had a slight softness and with little to no friction. It was a foreign, yet comfortable feeling.

Felix sat up straight, leaving the tortoise frozen in place. He softly poked the tip of its nose. The reptile moved its head back instinctively, sneezed, and shook its head to rid of the feeling.

"Wait until after dinner, okay? You can have some if you still want it by then." Unconsciously, Felix spoke more gently, as if placating an upset child. Cedric stared up at Felix, conflicted. 

Very gentle.

Felix understood there would be slight difficulties in interpreting any more responses from the tortoise, so he simply took the silence as a yes and proceeded to busy himself in the kitchen once more. Cedric peacefully sat on the counter, watching Felix begin to boil pasta.

Cedric's tortoise form is usually controlled, with his human form maintained. However, his tortoise form can naturally appear if Cedric is under extreme physical pain, mental pressure, or excitement. In this case, it was the latter.

The thing is, how long would Cedric have to stay a tortoise?

Ah, it didn't matter. He contentedly watched over a busy Felix. It would be fine if things stayed this way forever.