Please let me hold you

by Gifts

Summary:

MCSM Wingfic AU

Jesse is experiencing some pretty bad back pains and Lukas finds them almost withering in pain, after nearly giving Jesse a heart attack he offers to let them stay at his place while they inform Radar that the leader of Beacon Town is taking some needed time off.

Lukas returns home to find Jesse in a questionable and shocking state.
Mild gay panic, angst and fluff follows.

Takes place a few years after the ending of S2.

Chapter 1

Notes:

To note:

Jesse identifies as NB
Lukas is FTM

Everyone else identifies as they do in canon.
This takes place a few years after the end of S2

Jesse drew a deep, drowsy breath. The smell of fresh air filling his lungs. They slowly exhaled, the sound of Beacon Town and all its people bustling around the little house they’d learned to call home after all these years. Their eyes fluttered open, landing on the window across the room which was slightly cracked open to avoid their room getting all stuffy.

A new day - new responsibilities awaited.

Jesse began dragging themselves out of the bed, their joints popping after a rather uncomfortable night’s sleep, thinking back it had been a long while since they had gotten a proper night's sleep… Following The Witherstorm good sleep was hard to come by - and after the run in with the horrible Admin, Romeo, sleeping had almost become an entirely impossible task to accomplish, especially with the searing back pains that plagued the poor human as of late.

Jesse had successfully made their way to the tiny kitchen, kettle in hand. They fumbled for the tap, eyes still adjusting to the sun pouring in through the kitchen window, it was a great deal brighter than their room they had emerged from moments prior. Once satisfied with the amount of water in the tea kettle it went onto the blazing hot stove.

It was a neat thing Olivia had invented and gifted to Jesse, of course fireplaces, stoves and similar were old news but this one was… Refined, used less space and was far safer than the other alternatives. Something about using micro redstone she’d said, whatever that meant…

Jesse let their mind drift to their friends and acquaintances that had been present during the major moments of their life. Axel and Olivia, his two human friends, who had been with them since a young age. It had been a while since they’d met up in person due to various reasons, the main one being neither of them felt quite safe leaving their precious towns - homes. Especially not with Founders day for Beacon town coming up.

Such a wonderful day meant for joy was now dreaded and dubbed ‘The day of destruction’ ever since the event that transpired a few years back. While the powers of all admins had seemingly been sealed away forever at RNG-Knows-Where and the chances of an Admin coming back were, well, practically non existent it would take time for both their friends and citizens of all villages to feel secure enough to celebrate it again, Jesse knew as much.

Jesse’s mind did a 180 turn, they hadn’t seen Petra, one of their dearest friends (and fox hybrid) in a long time. Jesse did occasionally receive letters with little treasures attached from Petra from seemingly all over the world. She had decided that travelling after the Admin showdown was the thing that felt right. Of course there was no way Jesse would try to convince her against going, not when her heart yearned for adventure and self discovery. She’d set out with Jack a few years back, so they didn’t doubt she was safe - that they were both safe.

Lastly, Lukas… Lukas Jesse had seen more frequently than the others as of the past year. The charming blonde ocelot hybrid had decided to move closer to Beacon town, in fact, he’d decided to settle down in the woods not too far outside of Beacon town. Jesse had tried coaxing him into moving into the town, that he’d be able to set up his own home wherever he wanted. Lukas on the other hand had kindly turned down the offer, saying he’d rather live outside the walls where he could be at peace without the intense sounds a town would bring.

Jesse could accept that, town life wasn’t for everyone and when you had increased hearing and a better sense of smell they supposed town life could be rough. They had caught themselves staring at the almost perfectly round and fluffy ears atop of Lukas head more times than they’d ever admit… An the way Lukas tail puffed up when he got spooked was rather adorable, or when-

Timid knocking on the door shocked Jesse out of their daydreaming, cursing under their breath. Not even the whistling of the tea kettle indicating the water was boiling had been enough to snap them out of their daydreams.

Jesse quickly got the kettle off the stove, putting it on the counter and quickly pushing some strands of hair out of their face. More confident knocking sounded on the door “Jesse?” A muffled voice sounded “U-Um… Coming!” Jesse shouted, throwing a frantic glance down at their clothes. They were still dressed in their lazy blue sleeping gear “Just a minute!” Jesse hollored, quickly dashing into their room to change into their trusty everyday clothes which still consisted of a white shirt, suspenders and jeans.

Jesse just about managed to catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror, it really looked like they hadn’t had a wink of proper sleep since before the first The order of the Stone had been formed. In a pathetic attempt to feel more awake and look alive they slapped their cheeks and shook their head along with a very quick pep talk (if you could even call it that) “You can do this, Jesse”

Jesse quickly bolted to the front door, swinging it open with enough might to almost knock over poor Radar who was patiently waiting outside “O-Oh jeez, you spooked me, Jesse!” Radar quickly exclaimed with a slightly forced laugh, giving his glasses a light nudge and tucking the clipboard close to his chest.

“Oh, uh… Sorry about that, Radar” Jesse offered the other one an apologetic smile which Radar returned. The smile however fell from the former one’s face and was replaced with a look of concern “By the aether, jeez, um…” Radar seemed to trial off for a moment, Jesse patiently waiting “I really mean this with no ill intent but Jesse are you doing okay? It looks like you haven’t slept since…”

“Thank you for the concern, Radar,” Jesse offered him a small smile, skipping down the (very short) steps leading to their house “Just had a hard time getting comfortable tonight, I’m having the worst back pains”

“O-Oh, I see! Well, maybe you should see someone for it? Get a health potion?” Radar softly suggested. Jesse didn’t have the heart to tell him that they’d already tried that on multiple occasions the past week so they just nodded, making it seem like a good idea “So what’s the rush about this morning?”

“Right!” Radar quickly straightened his back, looking down at the clipboard in his hands “Well, most urgently I suppose is that Stella was here earlier this morning”. Jesse couldn’t help but to roll their eyes, ever since offering the leader of Champion City help to rebuild after the admin tore the city apart Stella seemed to take the liberty of asking Beacon town for resources and supplies whenever necessary and would throw a hissy fit if they declined. At least Lluna didn’t live there anymore.

“-And they also want to re-open the mines” Radar finished, only then Jesse realised they hadn’t been paying attention. For a moment they felt like - and looked like a deer in headlights. Radar seemed to notice this but didn’t read into the actual context and chuckled loudly “I know! I told her I’d bring it up with you despite me technically also running this town!” Radar gestured towards the street behind them both that was bustling with people.

“I said it was such a crazy idea to even consider, especially with founding day pretty much right around the corner. It was mostly to get her to leave though and maybe leave it alone until at least the festivities are over”

All Jesse could do was really hum and nod their head, hoping they weren’t agreeing to sell their soul to the crazed neighboring city they’d ended up with “There’s also another few things I’d like to go over with you, Jesse!” Radar chimed up, once again snapping Jesse back to reality.

This was going to be one hell of a day, that’s for sure.

By the time the two were done talking and going over the plans, concerns and feedback from the townsfolk it was quite a bit past noon, the sun slowly tipping over the middle point of the sky as it began to descend slowly but surely.

Jesse was spent.

Not being able to drink their tea this morning and working on an empty stomach seemed to take its toll. Jesse had found some moments of precious peace, laying back on the grassy hills outside of Beacon town, well, maybe not laying back on their back since it still hurt like searing hellfire. While Jesse did treasure their town greatly, probably more than any treasure brought back from their adventures it was nice getting a break from managing it.

Jesse laid face down in the grass, their cheek smoshed against one of their forearms as the sunlight warmed their back. The slight wind was gently swaying the grass around them and by the heavens Jesse felt they might actually be able to doze off right here in the open. They hadn’t felt this at peace in months, last time must’ve been when Lukas spent the night after Jesse had opened up about some of his anxieties and insecurities after drinking a bit too much.

Jesse groaned at the vague memory of that night. They did only recall bits and pieces of it, most being of the ugly sobs they’d made when talking about how terrified they’d been about facing The Wither Storm and Lukas strong arms around them, the feeling of the blonde one’s bushy but oh heavens soft tail sweeping around them.

The memory of his blue eyes piercing their soul, golden soft hair under the lanterns glow, his perfectly shaped face and body crossed Jesse’s mind.

It was enough to send Jesse groaning and face planting the soft grass beneath them, their cheeks were ablaze and they suddenly felt a whole lot warmer than before. Hell, they’d almost drunkenly confessed those feelings and laid them bare for Lukas back then and there, the sheer mental willpower and fear of rejection stopping them before they did. Jesse was aware Lukas had his own share of problems to deal with and it would be unfair to have unloaded something that emotionally charged on the poor hybrid.

Jesse’s mind slowly crept back to their previous thoughts about how drop dead gorgeous Lukas had looked that night, they’d seriously do anything re-live that one moment for even just a second longer-

“Wow, you look exhausted” A voice chimed from next to Jesse who practically flew up to their knees, head snapping towards the source of the voice. Almost as if on cue their back groaned in pain which caused Jesse to yelp loudly and double over before being able to see who had snuck up on them - and cue the shivering and mild hyperventilation.

“Woah, hey, hey, calm down” A gentle hand found its way onto Jesse’s back, rubbing soft circles onto it. Claws - or rather nails gently caught the tunic’s fabric as well which was a dead giveaway of who it was “I’m sorry for scaring you Jesse, I really thought you heard me coming” Lukas gentle voice spoke from their side. Jesse’s frantic breathing seemed to calm a bit, the shivers remained. Partrically because their body was working overdrive to get adrenaline pumping but also from the sheer pain of their back being touched.

Lukas must’ve knelt down next to Jesse at some point because the next thing Jesse knew a hand had found its way to their cheek, gently tugging their chin up “Look at me, Jesse” It was a soft demand which they were in no power to decline, they would’ve gladly taken any chance to look and marvel over Lukas features even if they weren’t busy stopping the creeping panic from clawing at them.

Jesse’s green eyes met Lukas' pools of bright blue, oh how easy it would be to get lost in those eyes of his… His eyes looked so much like the bright blue sky above them and the golden hair of his reminded him of the beach and gold.

The pair remained like that for what felt like hours, eons even but it must’ve only been a few minutes at most. Jesse really tried burning the image of Lukas like this into their mind, his golden hair swaying gently in the wind and his eyes staring into their own so intensely they might drown in his gaze.

Jesse wanted to stash away this memory and treasure it forever.

Lukas offered Jesse a toothy smile, his sharp fangs gleaming in the sunlight. Seemingly satisfied, Lukas pulled back, letting his hand drop to his side as he plopped himself down to get more comfy. As quickly as the moment had sprung into action it had vanished, leaving Jesse yearning for more.

They couldn’t stop staring at the hybrid, if they would’ve been a wolf their tail would be wagging like crazy for sure.

“I am seriously sorry about scaring you, Jesse” “I-I- It’s no problem-” Jesse struggled with founding words again, having been stunned into silence earlier “It’s no big deal, I’m just happy it was you and not some armoured zombie sneaking up on me” Jesse flashed Lukas a smile as they slowly, with great care made themselves comfortable on the grass. They were careful to not turn their back - or neck for that matter too much.

Of course it was impossible to hide the stiff movements from Lukas keen eyes “You holding up alright?” He softly prompted, his blue eyes shifting to concentrate on Jesse rather than the line of trees in the distance “Yeah- Yeah for the most part. You know, just taking a moment off from running Beacon town” Jesse gestured towards the tow to the left of them. Lukas hummed loudly in approval.

“I am going to be blunt but it looks like you haven’t slept well in a hot minute” Lukas prompted, nodding towards Jesse who quickly seemed to busy themselves with doing anything but answering. “Though if you do nod off in the same position as out here I’m not surprised” He added

“Just… Been having a hard time getting decent sleep” Jesse muttered ‘I haven’t slept well since you stayed the night’ They almost added, but instead opted for “My back is about killing me, I must be getting old”

The two friends barked a laugh at this which Jesse ended up regretting and almost doubled over in pain which Lukas caught on to rather quickly, his aura shifting to a more serious one. “I going to ask if you’d like to grab lunch with me at the Bake’n Go Bakery but seeing your condition is this serious makes me reconsider”

Jesse felt a pang of sadness explode from their chest, they struggled to find the proper words before Lukas carried on, seemingly going full protection mode “Seriously! Radar did not notice you were this unwell?” Lukas gestured towards the entirety of Jesse who seemed to shrink in on themself “It is painfully obvious something is amiss, heavens Jesse you shouldn’t be working like this” Jesse felt inclined to disagree, while it did hinder their performance by quite a chunk sitting around never did anyone any good “Lukas, it's a bit of back pain it isn’t-”

“Jesse with all respect it sounds like a lot more than ‘a bit of back pains’ as you call it” Lukas cut in, bouncing to his feet in a freakish way that screamed flexible hybrid “You are going to take a break at my cabin, it’s the only place I can make sure you’re actually resting” Lukas said in a matter of fact way, when Jesse tried arguing that they still had a lot of work to be done in Beacon Town Lukas shut them down with “I will tell Radar you’re taking a well needed break and will be back when you’ve gotten some rest”

And that was that.

Jesse honestly did not have the energy to argue with their friend as they were slowly led towards the forest in the distance where Lukas’ cabin was. They also knew it was hardly worth it since Lukas was not the type to budge easily, especially when it came to their friends' health and wellbeing.

Lukas had kept a close watchful eye on Jesse the whole way to his humble home. Upon reaching the cabin Jesse came to find that Lukas had made the whole place feel just like home - it had similar vibes to what their old treehouse had. A little wheat farm was scattered to the right of the house, to the left of it ran a creek that seemed to be filled to the brim with fish. Next to the little wheat farm was a chicken coop and a pen with an inky black horse in it.

“You’ve made this place really pretty, Lukas” Jesse softly commented as they were led up the staircase to the deck and front door. Lukas gave Jesse a proud smile, getting their hard work validated felt lovely, especially coming from someone so… Precious to him. “I am glad you like it, it took a lot of time to capture the essence I wanted for it”

With that exchange being over Lukas opened the cabin door, to Jesse’s surprise it had been left unlocked. Jesse was greeted with a surprisingly open floor plan. The kitchen and living room seemed to be connected, bookshelves, paintings and item frames coated the walls making it feel very cozy and home-like. A door in the far back of the living room was left ajar and it must’ve led to what Jesse assumed was Lukas bedroom…

...Come think of it Jesse hadn’t been at Lukas place before. Sure, they’d seen it when it was a work in progress but never found the time to go out here to visit. Lukas had said he understood and would happily visit Jesse’s place in Beacon town but… The thought that Jesse had never come here since the cabin was completed made them deeply upset.

“Ooohkay,” Lukas sighed from their side, Jesse shifting his eyes up to meet the taller ones “So, uh, the guest bedroom isn’t quite done yet because I did not anticipate I’d be having a guest over this soon” Lukas slowly started, heading into the living room - kitchen mix. Upon closer inspection a counter island was the only thing separating the two rooms.

“I will mix together a cup of health potion and pain-killing brew” Lukas headed into the kitchen and began looking through his medicine cabinet. He threw a quick look over his shoulder to see Jesse standing around confused where he’d left them. A warm smile bloomed on their face alongside with a feeling of warm, loving awe in his chest almost threatening to make the ocelot hybrid choke “Please take your shoes off and make yourself at home, take a seat on the couch, I’ll be with you soon”

Jesse slowly nodded at this, struggling to bend down to untie their shoes. Once they were off they absentmindedly headed into the house. It was not only cozier but also bigger and more welcoming than their little sorry excuse of a home in Beacon town - of course Jesse was quite pleased with their home but nothing could beat the sheer bliss Lukas home brought them.

Jesse sunk down on the couch, the material so much softer than their bed and anything they’d recently sat on. They wanted nothing more but to lean back into it and fall asleep. Of course Jesse knew that’d be a bad idea considering it felt like their back might burst open at any moment and they were trying their absolute hardest to not let it show.

In hopes that occupying their mind with something else they let their eyes scan the coffee table in front of them. Books, paper, ink and more were messily strewn about on the table. This must be Lukas' writing corner, huh?

As if on cue Lukas chimed in “Please don’t mind the mess” as he was approaching Jesse and the couch. “It’s all ideas for my next book I’m writing” Jesse raised a brow, writing… Oh right! Lukas had written multiple books - and novels featuring their friend groups adventures together. Jesse had even read a few of them, they’d never been a huge fan of books but it was… Flattering getting to read about themself and their friends. Also knowing Lukas was the one who had put it together really helped make the whole reading experience better.

“What’s your newest great tale about?” Jesse softly tried as they accepted the cup of hot brew from Lukas who gestured towards the drink “It might be bitter but it does help with pain” Jesse nodded, taking a sip from the steaming cup. It WAS Bitter. They couldn’t help but to scrunch up their nose and give Lukas a look that said they were second guessing his intentions.

Their reaction earned a chuckle from Lukas alongside with a grin “Well, I’m currently drafting a new story. It’s not really a whole lot yet but I am planning on writing about the gauntlet and… Admin” Lukas softly spoke as Jesse stayed quiet, taking another sip from their cup “I figured it was about time, It has always felt too fresh to write about but now? I think I’m ready”

Jesse only hummed again, busy forcing themselves to drink and keep down the drink they’d been handed “We can talk more about it later if you’d like, for now I think you should get some rest” Lukas gave Jesse a heart-mealing smile that almost made them choke.

“I should inform Radar about where you are as I promised to avoid causing a panic” And with that Lukas headed for the door, stepping into his own shoes and tying the laces. “You better have finished that drink when I get back” Lukas jokingly threatened, giving the quiet Jesse a warm smile again.

Slight awkward silence fell between them and Lukas’ tail swished back and forth a few times “Well… I’ll be uh, heading out” “Yeah, um, you probably should” Jesse quickly agreed with a nod. Lukas turned to leave but looked over his shoulder last minute to see Jesse giving the health-painkiller mix liquid a deathglare. He wouldn’t be surprised if Jesse poured it down the sink the second he was out of the house, he had tried it himself and wasn’t a big fan of the taste either even if it did help “If you’d like to change into something more comfortable I have spare clothes in my room?”

Jesse seemed to freeze up at this as their mind tried to catch up with what Lukas had just said. By the time they were about to question what on earth the hybrid had suggested he’d sneaked out the door and was far gone by now. Jesse scoffed, rolling their eyes, they supposed that was one of the perks of being a cat - specifically Ocelot hybrid. Sneaking up on people or away from situations had always been something Lukas had been exceptionally good at. He had always been good at blending into the background when he wanted.

Jesse sighed deeply “Alright, brew,” They muttered, staring down at the cup in their hands so intensely it would’ve scared most people turn heel and bolt the other way “Just you and me now so bottoms up!”

With every single ounce of willpower Jesse could muster up they turned the cup upside down and chugged the remainder of the drink. It burned on the way down their throat and they ended up almost choking on it. This might’ve been a slightly bad idea.

Almost instantly they broke down into a coughing fit which did not help with their back pains. By the time they had managed to calm down enough to breathe properly tears were streaming down their face from the sheer agony the back pain had wrecked upon them. Not even getting flung around like a ragdoll by the Admin had hurt this much. A loud sob wrecked through Jesse who was desperately trying to master their breathing again. They could only imagine how Lukas - or someone else would’ve reacted if they’d see them in such a poor state. What a champion they were, huh.

Another heart wrenching sob sounded from Jesse as they tried wiping their tears away, to their dismay the tears didn’t stop falling and they decided to give up, hugging themself tightly instead. Oh how they wished Lukas was here to comfort them, maybe it was a foolish thought but Lukas always seemed to be able to make their pain go away by just being there, distracting them from it.

Just as Jesse thought it couldn’t get any worse the pain spiked, reaching an all time new high which sent them screaming in pure agony, they could feel something moving around in their back, they were unable to dwell on that for even a few seconds as a sickening ripping noise followed the sensation. Jesse could feel their back (and white tunic) rapidly becoming warm and sticky.

Jesse stopped breathing for a moment, despite the fact they were trembling and sweating one of their hands just about managed to reach for their lower back, patting the tunic only to feel their fingers becoming sticky from what they assumed was blood. Upon withdrawing the hand they came to find it was coated with red, sticky blood that shimmered under the afternoon sunlight.

They were trembling so hard and hyperventilating like they were in the middle of a panic attack - and they might as well be. Jesse’s mind was struggling to keep up but a thought crossed their mind just as the corners of their eyes began to feel fuzzy and darken ‘Is this how I die?’

The last thing they remember was the feeling of falling forwards, just about managing to avoid having their head split open against Lukas coffee table.

Then darkness.

Chapter 2

Summary:

Lukas finds an unconscious Jesse and panics

Notes:

Small note (you'll understand later):
If you've seen She-ra just imagine Lukas running like Catra does.

Also WHOOPS Accidentally making this a 3 part series instead of 2 because I wrote too much.

Lukas had cursed at himself inwardly after stopping what was currently the 5th citizen to inquire about Radar’s whereabouts, just like the other four before them they had no idea and said he was probably around somewhere not too far off. Maybe even getting dinner, even.

Lukas had needed to take a moment, rub his temples and sigh deeply in annoyance. He had no hatred for Beacon town or any occupants but it was absolutely impossible to track down anyone based on scent alone in there with so many smells floating around the streets. Baked goods, flowers, perfume and just people in general made it difficult. Not to mention it was impossible to know exactly where Radar was even supposed to be now. The only one who had a vague idea of where he might be would be Jesse but he couldn’t go back home and ask them about it. He’d more or less promised Jesse he’d deal with this on his own.

Lukas swept his eyes over the town square again, a lot of people were out for it being well into the afternoon now, though most people were probably just getting out of work for the day and going home so it wasn’t surprising. He groaned, turning heel and aiming for the gates leading out of Beacon town. He might as well call it a day, give up for now, let Radar panic mildly and return in the evening when he knew the black haired nerd would be home to inform him about Jesse’s whereabouts.

Lukas had made it halfway to the big gates now, he decided to look back one last time and saw someone familiar in the distance! An unmistakable green coat topped off with that… Questionable hairstyle only one human he knew had.

Radar! Finally!

Lukas decided to pounce, throwing himself through the crowd and skillfully avoiding people along with some quick apologies to the ones he skittered by. Lukas noted the younger man seemed to be crossing something out on his clipboard, a smug smile accompanied the gesture. He was seemingly satisfied with his progress for the day.

“Radar!” Lukas voice cut through the crowd causing the mentioned one to flinch and swirl around. His eyes landed on the Ocelot hybrid who was almost next to him now and a big smile beamed across his face “Lukas! L-Long time no see!” Radar exclaimed, raising his hand for a fist bump which Lukas returned, the hybrid flashing him a toothy grin “Yeah, It’s been quite a while huh?”

“For sure! What brings you to Beacon town?” There was a brief pause as Radar seemed to remember who they were talking to. While Radar was on good terms with everyone and deemed a worthy hero by Jesse after their run-in with multiple of the Admin’s creations it was clear Radar still held the New Order of the Stone to high standards “O-Oh! If you’re looking for Jesse I’m not quite sure where they are,” He tapped the quill against his clipboard, gears quickly turning as he recalled the day so far “Oh! Last I heard they were going to try and grab some lunch from the bakery at the main square but that was…” Radar glanced towards the trusty clock on his arm “A few hours ago”

Lukas ears twitched slightly, his gaze briefly cutting towards the exit of Beacon town. Hearing someone else say their name only reminded Lukas of how badly they’d been hurting pretty badly when he had left… Better hurry back. Lukas gaze cut back towards Radar who was now waiting patiently for Lukas to speak up “Yeah, that’s why I’m here -um, Jesse...” Lukas scratched his chin as he thought about how he should word this “Isn’t feeling too well-” “OH My heavens, are they alright?! Are they hurt? Where are they?” Radar cut in, earning a quick glare from Lukas. It must’ve come off harsher than he’d intended because Radar visibly shrank back.

“They are alright but will be taking the rest of the day off, probably tomorrow as well. So, Radar” Lukas straightened his back out, putting on that oh so serious voice reserved for serious situations. Radar seemed to catch on rather quickly and tucked away the clipboard into his inventory “This means I am officially leaving you to tend for Beacon town until Jesse’s return.” A smile began to spread across Radar's face and the slight fear shown earlier was gone. He had complete trust in what Lukas was saying for sure, Lukas could tell as much from one glance. While he did think it was noble to be able to just… Trust that easily he had admittedly been deeply affected by what the Admin had done to them, to his Jesse.

Ever since Lukas had found it… Difficult to be trusting of others and it deeply annoyed as well as saddened him everyone was able to jump back into trusting others that easily. Lukas cursed inwardly, he didn’t particularly like putting all this on Radars shoulders. Especially not when he could’ve stepped up himself and taken the lead. Lukas shook off the lingering bad thoughts. He needed to get back to Jesse “Moreover since you were recently promoted to Jesse’s second paw- hand” Lukas corrected himself “This would be a good opportunity to give running Beacon town a spin, see how everything feels”

“Yes… Yes you are right!” Radar piped up “I promise I will do my best to run Beacon town and keep everything going smoothly until Jesse’s return. You can count on me!” Radar exclaimed, a big confident grin on his face. Said grin however slowly vanished from Radars face and was replaced with a puzzled look. Lukas took this as the cue to wrap this up as quickly as possible “Though… Is Jesse really alright? Why exactly did they send you to tell me?”

“Jesse will fill you in when they’re back! It’s nothing serious, I can assure you of that much” Lukas patted Radars back “Now you’ve got this, okay?” Lukas began to take a few careful steps back to distance himself from the situation, waving goodbye to Radar “If you need help you know where to find me!”

And with that Lukas turned heel before Radar could ask any more questions or prod further. Lukas began heading towards the exit of Beacon town for good this time. Concerns and questions about Jesse began blooming at the back of his mind the second he was alone. It was nothing new, his mind did tend to wander if not preoccupied with something. Had Jesse had a bad fall and injured their back? It was possible, though they were usually rather cautious…

Beacon town’s exit came into view and Lukas could feel himself speed up, the air swooshing uncomfortably in his sensitive ears, he should’ve brought along a hat to prevent it but knew he’d quickly adjust.

Perhaps they’d gotten jumped by a spider? Those things could cause nasty damage… Not to mention with the mutating spiders around. While they were still few and very rare no one could tell exactly what would happen to the victim if bitten. Some had said their friends had just poofed out of existence, others had grown delirious and insane… Others had suffered memory loss or similar so everything was possible.

Lukas was outside of Beacon town now and made a beeline for the woods, throwing one quick look back at the town’s gates. Seemingly no one was around which was a blessing this one time. Within seconds Lukas was on all four, sprinting faster than any human could’ve dreamed about. A hybrid utilising their abilities they had been blessed with was generally frowned upon by humans unless it benefited them. An avian using their wings to soar, a fox hybrid zoning in on prey using their excellent hearing, feline and canine hybrids using their claws and fangs to fight rather than using swords or shields - all terrible according to a lot of humans. Of course they’d gotten more accepting and the two different groups were able to co-exist sometimes things could still get… Rough sometimes.

It only took him a few seconds to reach freakish ocelot speed only ocelot hybrids possesed, the speed doubled two fold when running an all four.

Lukas mind chimed up again - maybe an outsider still didn’t believe the Admin was defeated and thought Jesse wasn’t Jesse, there were still people like that left in this world who would attack and ask questions later because of what that dirty thief had done.. Lukas could feel his blood boil at the thought.

Lukas entered the forest, wind was dramatically making his fair blond hair whip around like crazy and was tearing at his clothes. As the cabin - his cabin. His home came into view; he began slowing down to not spook Jesse by barging in like a feral madlad. They had enough troubles on their back, literally. Another jumpscare was the last thing they needed. Lukas had slowed enough to stand up straight on his legs again, brushing dust off of his clothes and palms as he kept walking briskly towards the cabin.

Lukas' mind was still fumbling for a way to help Jesse manage the pain and possible reasons as to why they were hurting, he was too familiar with pain himself, maybe not this degree of pain but he had still had his fair share in life. The hybrid sniffed the air and came to a quick halt, dust swirling around them stil. A faint metallic smell lingered in the air. Lukas couldn’t help but to reach for his bow as if on instinct, eyes scanning the little clearing his home was located in. If something was bleeding there must’ve been a predator around to cause the wound, the question was what could’ve done that though…

Maybe one of his chickens had gotten snatched by a fox?

Lukas threw a quick glare at the coop and found the fence around it intact, no traces of blood. He had seen his horse on the way in and they’d looked fine - maybe a bit scared of him zooming by like a feral animal but fine regardless.

He felt his stomach drop, head whipping towards the cabin and his heart began racing. ‘ It didn’t smell like chicken blood anyways’ Lukas’ mind chimed ‘Jesse might be hurt.’ Before he could fully register what was happening he was already across the yard, yanking his front door open in frantic panic. His heartbeat thundered in his ears “Jesse?!” Lukas called into the house. Silence answered him. The smell of semi-fresh blood was hitting him full force, making him gag and cover his nose.


Lukas pushed the door closed using his hip and began venturing into the house. He didn’t bother kicking his shoes off. “Jesse!” He called, throwing a quick glance into the kitchen to find it empty, his hopes that maybe the other one had just… Broken a glass and cut their hands were quickly shattered. Lukas turned his whole body towards the living room area “I-Jesse, if this is a- Oh my g- JESSE”

The hybrid dashed for his dear friend who was laying face down next to the coffee table, sickly red blood coated the back of their white tunic and even more blood had been soaked into the carpet “Oh what the fuck” Lukas hissed, throwing a quick glare at the window behind the chouch. It wasn’t shattered which meant a skeleton had in fact not shot Jesse in the back, not to mention there was no arrow anyways “I should’ve never left you alone” Lukas hissed, dropping to his knees next to Jesse, hovering over them silently. It seemed like something was poking out from their back under the tunic, in two places just around the shoulder blade area… However it was impossible to make out what- wait a minute.

He drew a deep breath, nose wrinkling at the intense smell of blood. Both his ears were pinned forwards now and he listened closely. Surely a full minute passed before Lukas felt slightly more at peace. ‘At least they’re breathing,’ Lukas noted, panic hitting him once more. Just because they were breathing didn’t need to mean their heart was beating regularly. Lukas hand inched its way to Jesse’s neck to check for a pulse. He struggled with finding the vein at first, the awkward angle and his claws did not help the situation. Upon determining that Jesse was in fact alive, had a good pulse and was breathing Lukas let himself calm down a notch for a moment.

However the calm did not last long, it wasn’t replaced with panic but rather… Curiosity? ‘Curiosity killed the cat!’ Lukas mind chimed in warning but he suspiciously eyed Jesse’s back where their tunic was awkwardly tented up in two places. He had to get the tunic off to assess the wound and… Find out what had caused it. If there even would be a wound left, that is. Jesse did drink at least half the health potion cocktail he had made them, even if they had poured out the rest of it the second he had left it should’ve still done its job. Lukas threw a quick look down at his jacket, taking it off and folding it neatly, not wanting to get blood on it. He gently lifted Jesse’s head and nudged the jacket between their face and the ground in hopes it would provide some comfort.

Lukas drew a deep breath, flexing his hands a few times, eyes shifting to the back of the tunic. Jesse was not gonna like their favourite tunic being shredded to bits but Lukas couldn’t give a shit now. He slowly reached for the collar of the tunic, his sharp claws grazing it. Applying more pressure Lukas began to cut down the middle of it using the claw on his pointer finger.

 

Lukas took great care to make sure he did not nick the skin of his friend, it had happened before which was… Rather heartbreaking and terrifying. Once all tension was removed from the tunic and it fell aside a pair of wings were revealed. Lukas visibly tensed up, quickly withdrawing his hand to not bring harm upon the fragile wings. It was hard to make out the color and pattern as they were caked with blood that was starting to dry up - but they seemed to have a… Brown color to them? And they were definitely feathered wings... Lukas was honestly stunned silent, his eyes locked onto the wings like they were treasures that the world had never seen before.

All and all they were about half the length of Jesse’s back he noted, not super big but still decently sized for just having sprouted. Lukas reached out a hand for them, gently running it across the feathers as if to assure himself this was really happening. Upon determining that he was in fact not dreaming, Lukas shrank back slightly, his back hitting the side of the sofa as he deflated, ears pinned back as he was thinking, muttering under his breath “Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back”

Having grown up partially in the Jungle as a kit- kid, he had seen his fair share of specifically parrot hybrids. Hybrids usually started showing traits of their other half at a very young age - or were even created with the features. Though he had yet to see any brown parrots… Not to mention the wings looked somewhat too bushy to be parrot wings…

Lukas scratched the side of his head, hand eventually reaching one of his ears which he gently tugged on as he thought, a habit he’d had since he was young and seemed impossible to break . His mind began reeling for any info he could recall about growing wings that he’d overheard growing up. In youngsters wings usually grew with them but also at a slightly faster speed which meant when they were fully functionable just before the hybrid themselves were fully mature, it was a good way to tell when someone was ready to leave the nest.

But a full grown person sprouting wings? Maybe they’d never fully…

Lukas didn’t let himself finish that thought. Having wings but never being able to use them seemed like a nightmare. Another piece of information was dragged from the depths of Lukas mind. While Jesse’s wings were coated in blood it was important to get circulation going so they wouldn’t die and rot off, looking at Jesse’s wings they did seem rather crammed together which was enough to make Lukas act, there was no telling when Jesse would wake up to move them anyways.

As gently as Lukas could he placed his clawed hands around the alular area of the left wing. One hand remained there, slowly following the fragile bone structure of the wing as his other hand began pulling on the wing to stretch it out. The sound joints popping upon being moved after being dormant for so long sent Lukas shuddeling, tail curling up around him tightly. When the wing was fully extended it was about as long as Jesse’s whole back. Alarmingly small compared to the size of Jesse.

Lukas had to scold himself inwardly, Jesse was not a hatchling so of course the wings would be small compared to the size of them. On the other hand if Jesse would’ve been a hatchling it would’ve been a rather impressive wingspan for a youngling - if the child would’ve even survived sprouting them. It was not too uncommon for avian hybrids to die from blood loss if they sprouted too big wings unfortunately.

Lukas decided to shake the thought, Jesse had survived. As he began to work on the other wing Jesse stirred, said wing flying out and smacking Lukas in the face who cried out in surprise and stumbled back, falling flat on his butt. At least Jesse retained full function in that wing.

A groan sounded from Jesse who was still on the floor, snapping Lukas out of his daze. The ocelot hybrid was up and moving in an instant, kneeling down in front of the human- or… Rather hybrid?

“Jesse?” A groan sounded in response. Lukas felt a wave of relief wash over his soul, it was almost enough to make him break down then and there to weep from joy. Now that the initial adrenaline had started to wear down he felt rather faint.

“Lukas..?”

“I’m here Jesse,” Lukas reached one of his free hands to touch one of Jesse’s, his claws gently grazing the other one’s skin. Jesse moved said hand, grasping at Lukas hand and pulling it close to their face. Lukas felt tears begin to well up in his eyes and light trembles shook through his body. He was so glad Jesse was alive.

Quiet purring sounded from Lukas for a brief moment before he caught himself, abruptly stopping. He growled at himself inwardly. Yet another thing he’d needed to suppress upon moving into the human lands, but still… Those few moments that had felt like eons when he believed Jesse was genuinely dead had been the worst thing he’d ever experienced. He wanted to protect Jesse with his life.

Protect.

Protect.

Prote-

Jesse squeezed Lukas hand tightly, tilting their head to the side in order to look up at the taller one hovering above him. Jesse looked so incredibly exhausted and it made Lukas' heart squeeze up. The poor thing had really been through a lot and deserved rest.

As much as Lukas wanted to tuck them into bed and let them rest they needed to wash that blood off and give their wings a proper soak.

“Let me help you up” Lukas offered his other hand to Jesse who seemed to need a moment to register what was happening, gears turning in their head. They nodded softly, reached out and grabbed Lukas' other hand. He slowly helped them sit up. Jesse still seemed rather dazed and was obviously struggling with catching up with, well, everything.

It took everything in Lukas to not sneak a glance of Jesse’s bare chest, just the thought of seeing Jesse shirtless in the past had made his face light up like a firework so seeing them shirtless in person would probably make him pass out. In order to avoid having that happen Lukas kept his eyes glued on the floor as his tail swished back n forth behind him

“Fuck that hurt” Jesse grumbled as they rubbed the side of their head that had smacked into the ground upon fainting. Lukas cleared his throat, his eyes flitting to Jesse’s face  “I-It… I would’ve guessed it did, looked like a nasty fall! Are you… Feeling alright, Jesse?”

Jesse hummed quietly, their eyes finally catching the blood soaked carpet beneath them and the brain fog quickly began clearing. Mild panic punched Jesse in the gut “Oh shit, that’s a lot of blood!” Their eyes frantically grazed over the table, to their surprise it did not look like they’d banged their head or other limbs into it, then where did the blood…

“Jesse” They perked up at their name being said and found themselves staring at Lukas. Dried blood coated their face, hands and- oh god Jesse’s entire torso was coated in blood. What the hell had happened while they were out?

Lukas seemed to notice their utter confusion and fear, he realised Jesse was probably freaking out internally. He reached a hand out to Jesse’s face, gently cupping their cheek like he had on the field just about an or two hour ago. This was going to be one of those hard moments he’d rather not be responsible for explaining but alas. It would be cruel to leave Jesse to discover this on their own “Look at me, please?”

They obliged.

Lukas wasn’t sure how to go about this, he knew that the longer he waited the worse it would get. He settled for being direct about it rather than beating around the bush, rip off the bandaid as quickly as poeeible. Hell, if he’d be in Jesse’s position that is what he’d prefer at least. “How do you feel about… Hybrids?” 

 

Jesse seemed to be a bit caught off guard by the question. They fumbled for an answer “Good? Um… Okay no, that’s a terrible answer” Jesse groaned loudly “You know how I feel about hybrids, I do not mind them at all. They’re great and some of the most skilled and brave people I know are hybrids” They briefly paused “You’re a hybrid, Petra is a hybrid… Hell, even Ivor is one!” Jesse barked a laugh, a smile on their face.  “I know a lot of other humans are… Iffy about hybrids but I genuinely couldn’t care less- What’s with the question?”

“Okaay…” Lukas sighed loudly in that typical ‘ I don’t want to talk about this’ way that Jesse has learned to spot from miles away at this point “Why? Someone’s been rude about it while you went to see Radar?” Lukas shook their head quickly, ears bobbing slightly “Don’t freak out now but I think I know why you were hurting”. Jesse lifted an eyebrow as if to tell Lukas to go on. Lukas wordlessly let his hand slip from Jesse’s cheek and reach over their shoulder. He gently grasped for one of the splayed out wings and gently tugged it upwards which made Jesse flinch big time “HEY, That’s not-” “Look” Lukas urged and Jesse turned their head as far as they could only to be met with… Something brown that looked very feathery.

Lukas withdrew his hand, letting Jesse’s wing sag back down. Jesse in question seemed to be stunned silent, their back muscles straining and trying to adjust to the new additional weight. With some struggling Jesse managed to make both wings slowly rise from the ground.

“I’m not entirely sure why your wings sprouted this late…” Lukas spoke mostly to himself since Jesse seemed to be preoccupied with making their wings splay out in total awe “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an avian hybrid sprouting wings this late into their life” Lukas tail tapped against the floor and he scratched his chin.

“I know sprouting can be delayed a few months - sometimes a year at most if they’re not in their element or if there’s potential threats around but, no, I’ve never heard of someone sprouting this late into their life” Lukas concluded, letting his eyes study the wings poking above Jesse’s shoulders.

There was a painfully long moment of silence, so much that Lukas thought that maybe he should speak up but just as he was about to he heard Jesse speak, their voice barely more than a whisper, their voice laced with uncertainty “I’m a… Hybrid?”

Lukas could feel his heart breaking and he wanted to make all Jesse’s uncertainty go away - or at least distract them from the majority of it and tackle it together with them piece by piece. Lukas decided he’d do just that, rising to his feet and offering both his hands to Jesse “Even if you might not like it, yes Jesse, you are a hybrid. Always were apparently-” “I don’t… Dislike them” Jesse cut in, taking note of what Lukas was probably thinking. Taking both of Lukas hands in their own and getting up, wings slouching behind them and them. Their primary feathers were still off the ground but they’d need to learn how to carry them properly with time, it was a dishonor to the avian kind to let their feathers touch the floor, carry them with pride they’d said.

“It just… Came as a surprise?” Jesse tried, searching for comfort from Lukas who nodded. While he could understand how Jesse felt he’d never be able to put himself in their shoes. “Though not entirely as well if you get what I’m saying?” They added, earning a puzzled look from Lukas which was enough to send them into an explanation “I-I Know you weren’t there to see it but back when the Admin was in control of Beacon town I wore Elytras and used fireworks to get up to the control… Panel thingy” Jesse made their wings flare out a little bit “I know I was barely in the air for more than a minute  but it was such a good feeling and I was willing to give anything to fly again, even for just a second because I knew that was where I… Belonged?”

Silence fell between them, Lukas seemingly considering what Jesse was saying. He had heard tales of Jesse using the elytras but they’d never gone into such detail about what they’d felt using them besides from ‘It was kinda cool’ “Well, Jesse! Glad you felt like you belonged because officially part of the cool kids hybrid gang!” Lukas declared with a toothy grin, Jesse returned the gesture with a smaller smile.

“Though before you’re welcome into the hybrid gang officially we gotta get your wings… Uh… No offence but the entirety of you clean” Lukas gestured towards Jesse who took a peek down at themselves, their eyes scanning their torso. A frown flashed across their face as they noted all the blood but Jesse nodded in agreement “Lukas, look I’m… Sorry about your carpet?” Jesse gestured towards the dried blood coating it and Lukas found himself wincing at the sight of it “It’s alright Jesse, I’ll have it replaced. I was considering getting a new one at-” “Let me replace it!” Jesse quickly cut in, their eyes sparkling with determination in that utterly adorable way they did when they were set on doing something “Please? I can have one be custom made for you!”

“Don’t feel obliged to, Jesse, it's not like you decided to spill blood on it” Lukas chirped softly but Jesse seemed to already be sizing up the carpet and taking note of the decor in Lukas home to find a fitting replacement that would fit with the vibes the ocelot hybrid was going for.

Lukas lips were drawn into a thin line, eying the (formerly) white tunic discarded on the floor “Also I’m… Sorry about your tunic?” “What about my tunic? I’m…” Only then did Jesse realise they were in fact not wearing it and saw it shredded on the ground, an uneven jagged cut down the middle “What was that good for!?” Jesse gestured towards it.

“That was my favourite tunic!” “I know!” Lukas hissed, nodding towards Jesse “In my defence you were gushing blood out of your back and I wasn’t about to roll you over and gently take it off if you were actually seriously injured” Lukas picked the article of clothing from the ground “Besides it’s doused in blood! There was no way you’d be able to restore it even if I did take it off carefully”

“Well, I could’ve…” Jesse paused, playfully crossing their arms over their chest which made Lukas realise they weren’t actually mad over the shredded tunic but rather playing into it. Sure, maybe they were a bit sad but Lukas couldn’t actually tell “I could’ve made it a pink tunic instead!” “Pink is hardly your color” Lukas playfully rolled his eyes “Besides, you don’t have any clothes that’d go well with pink”

Jesse faked being hurt, placing a hand on their chest with an over-exaggerated gasp “My feelings are hurt, I’m the most fashionable one in the gang by far!” This earned a snicker from Lukas “Well, I beg to differ, I clearly am!”

The two of them broke down laughing, the sound of Jesse’s laugh was like sweet honey to Lukas and he found himself staring at the other one absolutely star struck like he’d just seen an angel. My god he wanted to keep Jesse around forever.

“Alright, alright” Jesse wiped tears from their eyes, a big smile on their face “Now where do you keep the shower of yours? I could really use one now”

Lukas shifted on their feet slightly uncomfortably, fidgeting with the necklace around his neck “Okay, so, the thing is I don’t really have a shower set up yet...” He said, eyeing the door that led to the soon-to-be-finished bathroom. “I didn’t have enough iron to finish putting it together, and not quite enough saved up to go buy some, so… To the river we go?”

“The river?” Jesse stared at the cat boy in slight disbelief. Last time they’d bathed in a river was when they had lived back in the treehouse. Ever since they’d moved into Beacon town it had been fancy, well, semi-fancy showers but at least warm ones with proper soap. Their mind shifted back to the winter times when the river had frozen over and they had to dramatically throw themselves in and bolt back to the treehouse freezing their butt off.

Lukas cleared his throat loudly, snapping Jesse back to reality. He’d realised Jesse didn’t have anything to bathe in which made his mind do a 180 degree turn to… Lewder thoughts. He usually went skinny dipping in the river since he was alone and didn’t need to bother wearing fancy swimming gear but the thought of going skinny dipping with Jesse was… Something that made his entire body heat up. The thought of seeing Jesse naked in the gleaming calm river, late afternoon sun hitting them skin and making them glow made Lukas’ tail poof up and face turn red like an apple. These thoughts definitely belonged in the bedroom.

“T-Towels!” Lukas quickly exclaimed, turning heel and heading for his room, “A-And some bathing shorts! I’ll uh… Go fetch you some you can borrow! And a shirt!” With that the ocelot hybrid vanished into his room, leaving Jesse alone and confused. Lukas seemed to be in quite a rush, which was fair, they guessed. Getting dried blood out of hair was quite a challenge and Jesse had never cleaned a pair of wings before, though they could only imagine it would be as hard if not harder to clean than hair.

They weren’t left alone for long though as Lukas soon enough emerged again, two towels in their arms along with the promised bathing shorts and a red flannel for Jesse.  “I wasn’t sure which color you’d prefer so I got you two pairs to pick from!” He announced, reaching the two pairs of bathing shorts towards Jesse who fumbled, taking them from Lukas. They had been handed a black pair as well as a green pair.

They hadn’t noticed Lukas had moved until his voice chirped from behind them, causing Jesse to spin around “I’ll leave your towel and the flannel here. Feel free to change in private, I’ll wait for you outside” Lukas had placed them on the armrest of the couch “The river isn’t that far away from here so might as well change, it’s literally just a short walk into the woods”

“U-Uh yeah! Thank you, Lukas” Jesse offered Lukas a warm smile - the other one returned the gesture with a nod “I’ll see you in a minute, then!”

And with that Lukas was out the door, giving Jesse some privacy.

Chapter 3

Summary:

They go for a swim in a river

Notes:

Tw//Referenced Self harm. Not very graphic and very briefly mentioned.
Final chapter!! I've re-written this one like three times.

Jesse stood in the living room, having changed into the black swimming trunks and put their pants back on. They had the red flannel in their hands, inspecting the tag stitched to the collar. After some squinting at the mostly washed away ink they came to the conclusion it was probably two sizes too big for them, probably . It was a bit hard to tell thanks to the wear n tear. Jesse could see from just looking at it that this was a loved flannel - or maybe it was just old and retailed? Regardless it had been through many washes at least.

Jesse decided against putting it on for now, they didn’t want to get crusty blood on it - not to mention they weren’t entirely sure how they’d fit it on with wings now donning their back. The thought made Jesse groan loudly, they’d need to do a complete wardrobe change once they got home. Their usual everyday clothes were tunics, maybe they still owned that ugly christmas sweater they’d been given ages ago by Olivia… And how on earth were they supposed to wear armour like this?!

...What did bird hybrids even wear?

A heavy sigh escaped Jesse who threw a glance out the window, spotting Lukas by his chicken coop. He had started shooing the hens into the coop and Jesse couldn’t help but to smile to themselves. Lukas had been surprisingly nice and understanding this whole time despite them more or less barging in and passing out on his floor, ruining his carpet in the process and probably scaring him half to death. Lukas had been so kind to them, would it be rude to ask him if he had any idea about what types of clothes Avians usually wore?

Lukas did seem to know a great deal about them... Another moment passed, they decided they'd dwelled on things for too long and headed for the door, bringing the towel and flannel with themselves. Jesse stepped into their shoes with ease and pushed down the handle, opening the door.

Lukas was shutting the lil hatch on the side of the coop as Jesse stepped onto the small deck, closing the door behind themselves. Lukas did a double take after closing the coop door, he couldn’t help but stare at Jesse as they strolled up to him, the afternoon sun catching their hair perfectly and almost making it look like a smoldering fire. Not to mention Jesse did pack some muscles. Of course not as much as when they’d been in their prime adventuring but they were still… Defined.

They had more muscles than Lukas had for sure.

 

“So which way to the river?” Jesse was now by the fence of the coop, glancing around the area “Doesn’t seem to be one nearby” “Um, right! It’s this way - let me just…” Lukas placed his hands on the fence, heaving himself over it with great accuracy and landing on his feet. He picked up his towel from the ground, shaking some leaves off of it.

Jesse’s eye followed Lukas as he began heading for the woodline, gesturing with his free hand into the woods “It’s this way, promise it’s not far away” Jesse hummed as a response, quickly catching up to Lukas. There was a dirt path leading into the woods, lanterns scattered around it to light it up. The leaves hanging overhead and trees being so close to the path did make it a bit dark even if it wasn’t that late yet. The two of them walked in silence (admittedly comfortable silence).

Before too long the quiet splashing of water was audible and soon enough they were by the river. Their side of the river was open, free from trees and shrubs - a little clearing Jesse assumed Lukas had cleared out himself. A table was plopped down not too far away, one chair by it and another lantern was placed on top of it. A little bit away from the table a pile of oak logs were neatly lined up accompanied by what seemed like a fireplace - of course it wasn’t lit up but it seemed like it was frequently used and had been there for a decent time. 

 

Jesse’s eyes shifted, the other side of the river was covered in bushes, tall grass and trees towering over the water which only confirmed their suspicions, Lukas had cleared out this place himself. The river itself seemed rather calm, some lilypads lazily bobbing up and down on the water.

A smile crept onto Jesse’s face, they stepped further into the little clearing and looked around in awe. They could only imagine how pretty this place must look at night, to spend a late summer night here with Lukas would be… Quite lovely. Wonderful, even.

They dared look over to the ocelot hybrid who had crossed their mind - he busied himself with sweeping some fallen leaves off the table, placing his towel on it once satisfied. Lukas didn’t seem to have any swimming gear with him - maybe he’d take the opportunity to change back at the cabin and simply wore them underneath his clothes?

 

Lukas didn’t seem to notice - or care that he was being stared down from behind as he confidently grabbed his sweater by the collar and skillfully tugged it off himself, his golden hair getting messy in the process. Jesse’s heart skipped a beat, beholding the sight of Lukas’ bareback. They could see multiple scars coating Lukas’ back, the most notable one started at his right hip and dipped down beneath the pants he still wore. Some tints of golden- more like saffron colored fur peeked out from said pants.

Lukas shifted on his feet, kicking off the boots he’d been wearing. Jesse took this as a cue to stop staring and quickly turned their eyes elsewhere, pretending to still be taking in the sight of the clearing “You’ve got this whole place to yourself, huh?” They glanced over to Lukas who had now turned around, towel lazily hanging over both his shoulders. He gave Jesse a lazy smile “You jelly?”

Jesse seemed to think for a moment, their eyes dipping down to spot two parallel scars coating Lukas chest. Images of them helping Lukas recover from surgery - top surgery just weeks before the whole Wither Storm freakshow flashed through their mind and a small smile made its way onto their face. They glanced up to meet Lukas’ eyes briefly before scanning the clearing again “Nah, not really” Jesse shrugged, Lukas gave them an entirely not convinced look with a raised eyebrow “Alright, alright! I’m not ‘jelly’” Jesse threw their arms into the air, making air quotation marks with their fingers “But I am a bit jealous. It reminds me of simpler times, I guess”

 

“I kinda get it” Lukas let his piercing blue eyes gaze over the river, nodding his head for Jesse to follow along which they did “I don’t really remember where I grew up but I have a feeling it was probably in a Jungle - considering, yannow, Ocelot” Lukas gestured towards himself “And I remember a lot of green and being in an environment with a whole bunch of water - and Avians” Lukas sat down in the grass right by the river, rolling up the legs of the pants he was still wearing. He tossed the towel back, letting it fall into the grass behind him and dipping his feet into the water.

“It’s actually a quite comfortable temperature” Lukas noted aloud, splashing his feet in the water “I usually come here after the sun has set, being busy with the cabin and writing books I don’t really have to time to during the day a lot of times” Lukas stretched his arms over his head, letting a big sigh out “It usually gets pretty cold once the sun sets. I haven’t followed the river all the way upstream but it reaches towards the mountains in the horizon by the look of it,” Lukas gestured upstream “Which would explain why it’s freezing cold, quite cool and I might venture there one day to see it for myself-… Jesse?”

 

Lukas looked at Jesse who was silently staring at him. He cursed inwardly and quickly tried to recall the past few minutes, had he said something weird or… Something along those lines? Jesse kneeled next to Lukas, their eyes focused entirely on Lukas’ arms. He followed Jesse’s gaze and- oh. Fuck.

“Lukas- when..?” They gently reached a hand towards the cat boy’s arm, gently taking his hand and pulling it closer to their own chest to extend his arm. Gnarly scars covered Lukas’ arm - starting from the shoulder joint running all the way down to his wrists. The scars almost glistened in the sunlight, they were tinted pink. These were recent.

Jesse could feel nausea clawing at them, making their head spin. They looked like claw marks from something. Whoever had done this to Lukas hadn’t been about to let him down a health potion and get it healed up nicely for sure. Someone sick must’ve captured him, inflicted this pain upon him and-

Jesse’s eyes fluttered down to Lukas’ hand, noting the claw like nails donning each finger. Their mind came to a halt, they glanced at the scars again. How had they not noticed this sooner? It suddenly made sense as of why Lukas had insisted on sweaters, choking it up to being chilly.

Something else clicked in Jesse’s mind, their eyes meeting Lukas’ eyes. The ocelot hybrid had gone utterly still, the only sign of movement was his hair getting tugged at by the gentle wind “Lukas, did you-” “Fight a freakishly big wolf trynna eat my chickens, Yeah!” “Lukas-” Said person yanked his arm back, crossing his arms over his chest and clearing his throat loudly “You should’ve seen it, it was almost the size of not one but two zombies from paws to ears!”

Lukas used both his arms to make a big gesture “Big fella was out for blood! Was lucky he didn’t go after my horse, I’d have no way of defending him myself” Lukas nodded along with his make-believe story as if it’d make it more convincing, Jesse being stunned silent. Despite Lukas putting on such a front there was just a tint of uncertainty in his voice “Chickens can scatter, they flee foxes all the time in the wild, but a horse has, uh… Trouble scattering, it’s one enetity after all.” Lukas offered Jesse a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes “I lost a few of them but managed to beat the beast. Got mildly injured in the process, I’ve had worse happen though”

‘Lukas clearly don’t want to talk about it’ Jesse thought, head tilting to the side and brows furrowing. Part of them felt betrayed, lost and confused as of why Lukas didn’t feel safe talking about it, but… There was no use pushing. Not now. When Lukas felt ready Jesse could bet he’d come around.

 

“Sounds like quite the beast, huh? Could easily be a horror story you’d tell children to make sure they go to bed before sunset” Jesse offered Lukas a genuine smile which seemed to calm him down a great deal, causing him to slump over slightly in relief. Jesse got a grateful, tired but grateful smile in return.

“It does, doesn’t it? Maybe I should write a book about it” “Yeah, call it ‘The big bad Wolf’ or something scary. Write something along the lines of ‘If you’re up past dawn you can still hear it howl as it prowls through the streets looking for children to whisk away’. Sounds scary enough, yeah?” Lukas barked a laugh, patting Jesse’s shoulder “You should write that yourself, you’ve got talent!”

 

The two of them shared a laugh, Lukas almost doubled over from laughing so hard and Jesse couldn’t help but to feel themselves choke up at the sound of his wonderful laugh. Lukas flashed them a grin “Thank you, Jesse.” Lukas nodded towards the water, splashing it around with his feet still dipped in it “Now strip and get in! Daylight is burning, we’ve got wings to clean! Trust me you do not want to spend time in the water past sunset”

Jesse took his word for it, they did not want to freeze to death. Their mind skittered back a tad, fully realising what Lukas had said. ‘Strip and get in, huh?’ They could feel their mind burn at the idea of… Less than safe for work suitable scenarios of them together in the water. To spend such a moment together with Lukas, here by the river… The thought made their face take on a reddish hue. Jesse frantically shook their head as if to clear away the thoughts.

They stood up and kicked off their trousers, leaving them in just the swimming gear Lukas had lent them. They took a few steps towards the river, stepping in and the water instantly reached their knees. it was deeper than it looked . Instantly their wings puffed up to the best of their ability as if to try and protect them from the cold “You call THIS Warm!?” They yelped, head snapping to Lukas who was clearly trying his hardest to not laugh at their reaction “Yeah? Look, it’s warmer than when I’m usually taking a dip at night”

Jesse glared them up and down, noting Lukas was still wearing his trousers. They tilted their head “You’re not getting in?” “Oh, no, Heavens no! I just need to wash my hands and face” Lukas gestured towards his blood stained face “No way I’m getting in-” “Kitty scared of the water?” Jesse taunted, placing their hands on their hips in a playfully taunting manner. Lukas playfully sneered at them “Nah, the stereotype holds up though, this cat doesn’t like water”

Jesse huffed, rolling their eyes. They never knew Lukas was such a scaredy cat (literally) since they’d seen him in water plenty of times before, though that was usually to save someone from drowning or dying. Jesse puffed up their cheeks, gesturing towards their wings as they spoke “Alright - how do I… Clean the wings?”

Lukas hummed, gesturing for Jesse to step closer which they did “You’re not gonna like this but you gotta actually get into the water to clean your wings”. Jesse groaned, arms slumping at their sides “Of course, don’t you have a… Bucket or something you could just pour over me instead?”

Lukas’ head quirked to the side, an incredibly feline smile crossing his lips “Bold, I like it - would you prefer that?~” He purred, tail twitching behind him “U-Um… Actually no! This is just fine!” Jesse quickly turned, their back now facing Lukas. They needed a moment to compile themselves because holy heavens they had forgotten Lukas could purr like that and is was incredibly hot

“Alright, here goes nothing!” Jesse exclaimed, dunking themselves into the water which splashed everywhere. They could hear Lukas hissing loudly before they were completely submerged in the lukewarm water. The cold shock was enough to make them drop the questionably lewd thoughts from earlier and Jesse resurfaced a few seconds later, shaking their head to get water out of their hair. They pushed their soaking hair out of their face, a big grin on their face. Their eyes landed on Lukas who has curled together, their tail and ears poofy like a scared kitten.

They barked a laugh which only caused Lukas to groan, glaring Jesse down from the shore “Hey, it’s actually not that cold!” “Well you better get used to it!” Lukas hissed, baring his fangs. Lukas used his hands to pat down his poofy tail, once done he ran his hands through his hair to get it out of his face “I’m gonna take my sweet time helping you preen your wings! Don’t come crying later when you’re freezing your ass off because it ain’t gonna be my fault”

Jesse winced at Lukas’ comment, it’s true it would probably get chilly later but… “Eh, worth it” Jesse pushed through the water to get closer to Lukas, sinking down into the river until they were sitting on their knees in the water in front of him. Their wings were spread out half underwater and half above. Some blood was already washing off them. “Help teach me how to do it, please?”

Lukas reached his hands for Jesse’s wings, gently but still firmly gripping the right one “Alright, I haven’t… Done this in a while, if I, uh… Ever did it before?” Lukas could feel Jesse tense up a bit so he quickly scrambled to reassure them “I do remember how to though! I remember seeing other hybrids do it to one another but please tell me if I’m being too rough, don’t wanna hurt you”

 

And with that silence fell over the little clearing, the only sound being the one of gently rushing water and Jesse occasionally wincing when Lukas was a bit too rough with the preening. The sun was slowly dipping over the treeline as well which made Jesse wish they’d taken Lukas’ words more seriously.

The river did go cold quickly when the sun was gone - not to mention the air was cold as well. The only source of warmth was Lukas’ hands on their wings.

“Alright, you’re all cleaned up now!” Lukas finally announced, those words might’ve been the best ones Jesse had heard all year and they bolted out of the water, grabbing ahold of their towel that had been discarded in the grass and wrapped it around themselves. They could feel their teeth clattering and they were chilled to the bone.

Lukas didn’t seem to be as affected by the weather, his tail was however rather poofy looking and he was now taking his sweet time to wash the blood off his hands and arms. One of his ears twitched, Jesse could practically hear the teasing smile in his voice as he spoke “Regretting splashing me now?” “N-No, not a single bit!”

A chuckle escaped Lukas who quickly dipped his face into the water, scrubbing away the blood splashed across it finally. When he was satisfied he grabbed the towel from the ground, standing up and scrubbing his face dry with it. Jesse squinted their eyes in Lukas direction, just about being able to make out his figure “It’s dark as hell here, those lanterns aren’t doing a whole lot”

Lukas hummed, swinging his towel over his shoulder and snatching Jesse’s trousers off the ground. He was now heading for the table to grab the rest of his stuff “I’ll consider adding more to the clearing itself, never really thought I’d be showing anyone this place and I don’t really need the extra light” The ocelot hybrid shook his sweater out, pulling it over his head and flattening it down. He picked up everything else and began heading for the lit up pathway they’d taken to get to said river “Come on, let’s go home”

Jesse was more than thankful for it and sprinted over to Lukas, catching up with him easily. Jesse tugged the half soaked towel cover to their body, groaning loudly when they weren’t able to dry their back due to the wings “Having wings is such a pain! How am I supposed to dry my back, wear clothes or armour?”

Lukas huffed a laugh, the cabin being visible in the distance now through the trees “You’re in for a treat, they’ll only grow bigger from here. I’ll help you pick out some new clothes to wear” He glanced over to see Jesse’s reaction to find them staring at him in disbelief. Their eyes caught for a moment and all Lukas could focus on was how the light from the lanterns danced on their skin.

Their eyes… Their eyes were so incredibly beautiful. They looked like molten chocolate and one look into them made it feel like he was floating on a cloud high up in the sky. He drank up Jesse’s beauty, the shape of their face, cheeks, jawline and… Lips. Oh god their lips looked so soft. Lukas could only wonder what they’d taste like, feel like on his own lips. For a lack of better words Lukas felt like a lost puppy under Jesse’s gaze.

The pair had come to a slow halt, eventually stopping just before entering Lukas’ yard. The ocelot hybrid hadn’t really noticed, he was too busy being lovestruck by Jesse whose hand had slowly been making its way to Lukas’ cheek. The physical touch seemed to snap Lukas back to reality, his eyes quickly locking onto Jesse’s which were shimmering with what could only be described as newfound love and appreciation.

The two of them locked eyes for a moment, Jesse silently raising an eyebrow as if to ask if they were both okay with what was happening.

Lukas heart was racing thousands miles an hour at this point, oh god this was really happening. He gave the smallest nod ever, gently leaning into Jesse’s touch. Quiet purring sounded from Lukas which made Jesse grin, slowly leaning in to close the gap. Lukas could feel their breath tickling his face now, a tiny smile spreading onto his lips.

Jesse seemed to hesitate briefly, their lips were so close to touching. Lukas, in a moment of bravery, pushed closer, connecting their lips in a gentle kiss. Lukas felt his heart melt at the sensation, his breath hitching, temporarily halting his purring. As soon as the kiss started it was over.

 

The two of them could only look at each other in complete silence, well, purring aside it was pure silence. Lukas moved one of his hands, gently cupping Jesse’s hand still resting on his cheek. He let his eyes close, enjoying the warmth from the other one’s hand.

“Wow” Jesse breathed out, running their free hand through their still mostly soaking hair. Lukas eyes slid open, his pools of blue meeting Jesse’s eyes. He offered them a genuine smile “Hmm, wow indeed” Lukas affectionately nuzzled his cheek into Jesse’s hand. His eyes dropping Jesse’s gaze and focusing on the other one’s lips “We should do that, like, more”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah”

Jesse felt bold for sure, they hadn’t even dared doing that drunk before. “What’s with the wait, then?” The comment earned a soft chuckle from Lukas as Jesse leaned in, just as their lips were about to connect with Lukas again the Ocelot pulled back, throwing a glance into the forest, leaving Jesse confused. Hurt sweeping through their chest. Lukas glanced back at Jesse again, scolding himself quietly for interrupting such a vulnerable moment. 

 

He leaned in, pressing a whisper of a kiss on the other one’s cheek as if to reassure them they did nothing wrong “There’s a storm rolling in, a big one. We should get inside” He murmured. Jesse glanced towards the starry sky peaking through the trees “How can you tell?”

Lukas chuckled, taking a few steps ahead and tugging Jesse along “I’ll teach you once this storm is over and gone, not sure how avians do it but it can’t be that hard and different from how I do it” The two of them had made their way to the cabin door now “I have a feeling I’ll be hearing you saying that a lot”

“You’ve got a lot to learn, hatchling” With that Lukas pushed open the door and was greeted by the strong, putrid smell of dried blood. It took everything in Lukas to not puke then and there, quickly going ahead to cover their nose. How had they forgotten about the damned carpet?!

 

“Yup that smells really bad” Jesse chimed in, covering their nose with the towel still wrapped around themselves. “Um… I’ll - deal with the carpet, can you please open the windows to get some fresh air in?” Lukas didn’t wait for them to answer, already having stepped into the house and flicking a light switch by the door to get the redstone lamps hanging from the ceiling to light up.

Lukas quickly placed his towel and their other belongings on the kitchen island, making a beeline for the living room to move the table off the carpet. Jesse had busied themselves with opening every window in sight to let fresh air in. After some struggling Lukas had managed to move the table without tipping it over and was now struggling with dragging the carpet to the front door. To his relief the wool carpet had soaked up all the blood and not ruined their oak flooring. While oak wasn’t hard to get ahold of it would’ve still been a pain to replace.

“You doing alright?” Jesse’s voice chimed from across the room, they had slowly been making their way over . Lukas flashed them a grin, having been too busy trying to move the carpet to notice they were in fact done with their assigned task already “Um, what’s it look like? Not really!” Lukas quipped playfully, nodding towards the carpet. “Lend me a hand, would you? The quicker we can get this outside they quicker I can make supper”

That was seemingly enough convincing and Jesse moved over to aid him, their hands grabbing onto the opposite end of the carpet and pulling it up. Lukas stumbled, having been thrown off balance when the carpet was promptly lifted.

The two of them dragged the carpet towards the front door, it was a bit of a pain trying to fit it through though as it was not neatly rolled up like it had been according to Lukas when he’d purchased it from a traveling merchant a few weeks back.

They had eventually managed to get it through the door and dumped it on Lukas’ front lawn, smacking some cobble on it to make sure it wasn’t blown away by the storm Lukas had mentioned earlier. The wind had started picking up a bit...

 

Jesse glanced over to Lukas who in question was slightly hunched over, panting from the slight workout. Odd, Jesse had seen him do far more adventurous and taxing stuff before, for him to already be tired out... “You sure it’ll be okay leaving it out here?”

The ocelot hybrid swallowed loudly, nodding his head. Jesse couldn’t help but to frown slightly, if anything that just Lukas really hadn’t been keeping active, as much was obvious. Even if it was reasonable considering they hadn’t embarked on any epic adventures as of late it was still… alarming “Yeah,” Lukas waved his hand through the air, turning heel and heading towards the cabin again “Worst case I’ll have to track it down in the forest tomorrow morning”

Jesse quickly fell into step with him.

The two hybrids were soon enough back inside, having locked up behind them for the night. Jesse had taken on the responsibility to close up all the windows again for the night. Getting a tad of fresh air in was good but there was no use leaving them open during an actual storm. That’d do more harm than good. Jesse had found themself hanging around the kitchen island once they were done, trying to put on borrowed red flannel while Lukas rummaged through the chests n barrels he kept stashed away in the kitchen.

After some struggling and groaning Jesse had finally managed to get both of their arms into the sleeves, wings awkwardly poking against the fabric. Thanks to the fact the flannel was in fact two sizes too big did help and was probably the only reason they’d been able to fit it on. “Red really suits you” Lukas chimed from the other side of the kitchen, his arms being full with empty bowls, bread and mushrooms.

“You think?” “Yeah! It’s, um…” A slight pause “A bit weird seeing you in any other color but white though?” Lukas placed the bread and mushroom on the counter next to the sink. He could feel Jesse’s gaze on him which made him tense up slightly “Uh-huh?”

“You wear the color a lot, you can’t blame me for not being used to seeing you wear something that colorful!” Lukas threw a playful grin in Jesse’s direction, to his relief the other one returned it. He grabbed a pot from under the sink, filling it with water and then smacking it on the stove.

Lukas seemed to think for a bit, eventually deciding on starting with the brown mushrooms piled on the counter. He began picking them out from the little pile of mixed shrooms, inspecting each one to make sure they were still in prime condition. The ones that were deemed unworthy were placed in the pile of shame away from the other unsorted ones. The brown mushrooms that were given the all go were tossed into the pot on the stove.

Jesse found themselves curious of what Lukas was doing, creeping up behind him. They could tell he was very much aware they were there without even needing to turn and check, the way his ears flicked had given it away. Jesse peered over his shoulder, watching Lukas work. They’d heard there were different ways to prepare food besides from crafting it at a crafting table but actually never tried it themselves.

Lukas leaned back, the back of his head gently bonking against Jesse’s shoulder who froze up, only really then realising how close they were to one another now. Despite the tinge of uncertainty clawing at them they felt… Safe, content being this close to the other one “You wanna try?” “U-Um… I don’t know how, don’t want to mess anything up” Jesse tried which earned a heartwarming chuckle from Lukas “We’d have supper on the table quicker if you’d lend me a hand”

It was true Jesse was hungry and they still felt bad about all the trouble they’d caused Lukas. They did feel inclined to help out but wouldn’t want to cause any more trouble by doing something wrong. It was almost as if Lukas could sense what Jesse was thinking “I’ll show you how,” Lukas picked up one of the red mushrooms, already having finished with the brown ones “This is a home-made recipe, it’s very hard to mess up since it’s so basic.” Lukas leaned further into Jesse’s warmth, feeling one of Jesse’s hands brushing against his hip, pulling him slightly closer “All you have to do is separate the iffy shrooms from the good ones, like this”

Lukas picked up another one of the mushrooms to show it to Jesse, this one had gotten nicked in some places and honestly didn’t look like something Jesse would ever consider using for a stew “This one is bad, you just gotta put it aside with the other bad ones,” Which Lukas did “Then the good ones go straight into the pot. See? Simple!” He beamed a warm smile which made Jesse’s whole world spin, they felt intoxicated and like they could pass out then and there, completely drunk on love for Lukas.

God they’d actually kissed back in the woods - this had to mean Lukas felt the same way they did, right?

Said ocelot hybrid didn’t seem to notice as they carried on “And if you’re on the fence about one just put it in the bad pile. I’ll feed it to the chickens in the morning, they're crazy about these shrooms” Lukas glanced towards the pot, the water had been brought to a boil and they slid out of Jesse’s light embrace, quickly sobering them up but also making them yearn for the touch of Lukas’ skin under their hands.

Lukas dug through one of the chests nearby for a soup ladle, finding one rather quickly. “They’re hand picked from the snowy tundra up north past Beacon Town.” Lukas hummed, glancing over to Jesse who was slowly learning how to function again “I think I have to make a supply run up there soon, kinda running low on food items” They nodded quietly, watching as Lukas used said soup ladle to stir the soup.

Jesse looked at the pile of red mushrooms laid out in front of themselves. Lukas was counting on them to help out. They reached towards the mushrooms, picking one out of the pile. They inspected the mushroom closely, making sure to not miss a single inch of it. After staring at it for a minute they determined it was, in fact, a good quality mushroom. They slowly reached it towards the pot, throwing a quick look towards Lukas who nodded with a smile. The approval from him made their heart soar and they quickly got to assessing  the other mushrooms. 

 

After a few minutes the pile was gone and the soup (stew?) was practically done. Lukas was adding some of the last few spices trying to balance the taste properly. He wanted it to be a bit soft to the taste but also firm which proved a challenge with the limited spices he currently owned. Jesse was standing next to him, watching closely and making mental notes about what Lukas was adding and about how much of it which did not make Lukas' job any easier.

“Alright, it’s done!” Lukas declared, reaching a hand for the wooden bowls on the counter. He filled both of them to the brim with soup, reaching one to Jesse who gratefully accepted it. Only then did they realise how truly hungry they were and they couldn’t wait to dig in. The soup - well, rather stew smelled absolutely wonderful and they could only bet it would taste just as good if not better.

“Alright, go take a seat,” Lukas nodded towards the kitchen island, only then did Jesse notice the chairs standing by it. No wonder they’d initially failed to notice them though, they were on the kitchen side of it rather than the living room side. “I’ll grab spoons''

Jesse went ahead and took a seat, carefully placing the bowl on the island to not spill anything considering the generous amount of stew in the bowl. Lukas soon enough joined them, handing them a spoon and placing slices of bread in a little basket in the middle of the kitchen island.

“Alright, time to dig in” And as if on command Jesse did eat, quickly shoveling the food into their mouth and MAN Did it taste good. Of course it tasted somewhat like regular mushroom stew but this one was… Softer and way more rich of flavour compared to the ones you’d craft at a crafting table. They had to try making some themself in the future.

Jesse almost started weeping then and there, it might actually just be the best thing they’d ever eaten! They never knew Lukas was such a sharp shark in the kitchen. It left them wondering if there was anything Lukas was bad at. They’d seen his green thumb, read the books he had written - Lukas had a way with animals and people. They’d seen him flawlessly fight in battles and apparently he was one hell of a chef as well.

Before Jesse knew it their bowl was empty and they were busy licking every little scrap of stew from their spoon. Only then had they realised they had practically inhaled their food at the speed of light. They sheepishly turned to face Lukas who was only about halfway through his bowl, dipping some of the soft bread into it and then chomping it down.

Lukas seemed to snap out of whatever they’d been thinking about when Jesse’s chair creaked, glancing over to the other one, a tired, lazy smile on his face “You gotta admit this is better than quick crafted stew” Jesse slowly nodded, their gaze shifting to the empty bowl in front of them. They felt somewhat bad about just gobbling everything down like a starving wolf, they should’ve really held back and- A loud yawn put a sudden halt to Jesse’s train of thought, their eyes landing on the source of the sound.

They found Lukas fighting back a second yawn, rubbing one of their eyes with the back of his hand. The ocelot hybrid suddenly looked so tired- “Man I’m spent” -and sounded absolutely exhausted as well. Lukas had really crashed and done so quickly, another thing that was a bit concerning added onto the list.

Lukas glared at his half empty bowl for a few moments, seemingly contemplating what he was gonna do with the leftover stew. He picked up the bowl and reached for Jesse’s empty one, however the Avian had other plans. They parroted Lukas’ movements but stood up instead, reaching a hand out towards Lukas’ bowl. The ocelot hybrid gave Jesse a puzzled look “Please let me to the dishes, you’ve already done so much for me today”

“Jesse-”

“Besides,” They snatched the bowl out of Lukas’ hand, heading for the kitchen sink “I don’t really trust you to not fall asleep while doing them” Jesse did prove a fair point, Lukas thought. He did feel rather tired but if he would’ve been home alone now he’d just… Have dumped it in the sink and done the dishes tomorrow morning.

Jesse had already gotten the tap running and busied themself with cleaning the bowls. A warm fuzzy feeling spread through Lukas’ chest. He really appreciated Jesse being here and took a moment to reflect back on how today had been. For starters he did not think anything like this would’ve gone down. His plans had been to wake up, do some chores around the house and yard, grab lunch with Jesse, go back home and write on his new book into the late hours of the night with a cup of tea.

Instead his day - and Jesse’s day had been emotionally charged and physically taxing. Lukas let his eyes drop to his sweaters’ sleeves, a deep sigh escaping him. His eyes found their way back to Jesse who was now cleaning their set of spoons.

Lukas found himself dragging himself towards Jesse, upon reaching the taller one he slid his arms around Jesse’s waist which made them freeze up and eyes snapped towards Lukas who was hugging them from their side. “I didn’t know cats were this clingy” Jesse chuckled loudly, putting the clean spoons aside on the counter on a cloth to dry next to the bowls. Lukas hummed loudly, his eyes closed as he nuzzled closer to Jesse.

They remained like that for a little while, Jesse taking in the sight of their beautiful… Friend? Partner? Lover?? Where on earth did the two of them stand now?!

The thought of being in an active relationship with Lukas was something they truly desired, they’d realised. Especially after the day's events. But did Lukas really feel the same? Or did he just string Jesse along because it was convenient and the easier thing to do? That thought made their heart ache in pain, especially after sharing and showing such a personal, vulnerable side to them.

Lukas peered up at them, his tired blue eyes piercing their soul and completely breaking that train of thought. Tonight was not a good time to have doubts like that. Jesse stashed those thoughts away for later, tomorrow perhaps.

Damn it, even if Lukas was stringing them along then so be it. Jesse would treasure these moments forever and ever no matter what, that much was certain “Alright, let’s get you into bed, mister ‘I’m not tired’” Lukas only hummed loudly and Jesse took it upon themself to lead Lukas over to his room.

Upon entering said room there was already a lantern glowing on the nightstand, somewhat illuminating the room. Jesse could make out bookshelves coating one of the walls, windows covering the other two that did not connect with the rest of the house. Under one of the windows there was a desk with empty mugs scattered around it, books and bundles of paper covering it as well. A few flowers were plopped down on the windowsill.

For looking neat himself Lukas was a rather messy person Jesse concluded. They weren’t any better themselves though so they couldn’t judge.

Jesse slowly began leading Lukas towards the bed, who was practically half asleep by now. They slowly removed Lukas from their side and sat him down on the edge of the bed. A smile crossed Jesse’s face. As if on instinct they reached out, gently petting the top of Lukas’ head which resulted in tired purring “You gonna be alright?”

 

“Yeah-” Lukas yawned again, stretching his arms above his head. He both looked and sounded drowsy, Jesse had been joking that he might fall asleep doing the dishes earlier but now they were certain Lukas would’ve most likely actually done just that. Lukas yawned again and Jesse took this as their cue to stop lingering and go to bed themself. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. Goodnight, Lukas” Jesse offered the ocelot hybrid a small smile, turning to head back out to the living room” The couch is calling my name”

A clawed hand grasped at Jesse’s wrist before they could move, tugging them closer to the bed. Jesse glanced down at Lukas’ hand, then Lukas himself. Lukas was looking up at Jesse with pleading eyes, gently tugging on Jesse’s wrist “Please... Stay with me for a while?”

“Lukas-” “Please?”

Jesse ran their free hand through their hair. They supposed staying for a few more minutes to make sure Lukas did actually fall asleep would be alright “Okay, but only for a few minutes”. This made Lukas beam a tired smile as he scooted over to make room for Jesse to sit down, patting the empty space on the bed now.

Jesse slowly sat on the bed and the moment they were seated Lukas plopped their head down on their lap facing away from Jesse, causing their heart to skip a beat. Lukas however did not seem to care - probably because he was utterly exhausted or because he was feeling bold. Perhaps a mix of both, even.

 

Jesse found themself curiously reaching a hand for Lukas’ soft golden hair and gently began playing with it, they felt a little bit unsure but that was quickly washed away when Lukas began purring softly. Jesse decided to carry on, even going as far as gently scratching Lukas’ fluffy ears which the other one really seemed to enjoy, leaning into their touch.

“I love you” Lukas drew a deep breath, cracking one of his eyes open and peering up at Jesse who had gone very still. He shifted on Jesse’s lap so the back of his head was resting against Jesse’s thighs. He reached a hand up and gently touched Jesse’s face “I’m… Sorry if that’s weird” Lukas’ gaze shifted away from the other ones face,the slightest tint of shame in their voice “I know I’ve been kinda bold and selfish-”

Jesse wasn’t about to let Lukas finish that sentence and scooped him into their arms which earned a surprised squeak from him. “Don’t you dare finish that thought” Jesse mumbled, squeezing Lukas even closer.

“Because I love you too”

Notes:

BOOM Bestie that's the end of this fic. If you liked It I'd love to hear your thoughts! Might turn this into a series and this will be part one. The other parts would happen after this one with minor time skips between them but still on the fence about it, Regardless I really hope you enjoyed!!

Also pogchamp this is the first fanfic I've ever finished, feeling good B)

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of MCSM Fics