Kebab, Pressure and Wolf

A fair amount of time passed before their hug finally came apart. Neither of them really wanted to separate, but Joash’s stomach chose that moment to announce its hunger with the world’s best whale-call imitation, loud enough for all living beings to hear. Foebe burst out laughing.

“Your stomach sounds like a weira.”

He blushed, assuming weiras were something like whales.

“Sorry…”

Then it hit him - they had nothing to eat.

“What are we going to-”

Foebe suddenly pulled a parchment from a pocket in her dress. Before he could ask what it was, Neko-chan let out a pitiful meow. Joash turned to see the massive ngeru sprawled on the ground, tail lazily flopping from side to side.

When he turned back, Foebe was holding out a skewer of food.

At first glance, he thought it was a kebab - but it was unlike any he’d seen before. The stick itself looked edible, and the meat was wrapped in a sticky vegetable he couldn’t begin to name, the outside coated in tiny seeds. Between each chunk of meat was a thin, coin-like disc of bread, and the whole thing was drizzled in a sauce that smelled faintly of raisins.

He blinked.

“This is…”

She smiled, offering it to him.

“Try it. It’s delicious.”

He trusted her - and was immediately rewarded for it. The meat burst with flavor, the bread soaked up the sauce perfectly, and the vegetable added a fresh contrast. He hummed in delight.

“Thish’ish good.”

Foebe giggled before taking a bite of her own. They made quick work of the food, and before long they were sitting in the grass, backs resting against Neko-chan’s warm flank, letting the meal settle in. Foebe sighed contentedly.

“This is the life.”

He chuckled.

“Resting against a ngeru, waiting for the sun to disappear after eating a fulfilling meal?”

She nodded without hesitation.

“Yep.”

She glanced sideways at him.

“Tell me something interesting.”

He blinked.

“Like what?”

She shrugged.

“I don’t know… you said you were an author, right? What did you write about?”

He let out a small laugh.

“It’s embarrassing…”

She nudged his arm.

“But I’m your wife.”

He chuckled.

“That’s fair. Alright.”

He exhaled.

“To put it simply, I used to write romance stories. Lots of them.”

“Romance?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Do you not know what that is?”

She nodded.

“I know what it is. I’m just surprised.”

“Why’s that?”

She lowered her gaze.

“Oh… you just don’t seem like the type who’d do something like that.”

He frowned.

“Why ever not?”

She shrugged.

“Most romance authors here are old men writing about their experiences. But you clearly haven’t experienced anything before.”

He snorted softly.

“Well, that’s a little mean. But… yeah. You’re right.”

He sighed.

“I used to write about things I wanted to happen. I’d mix those desires with a storyline to make it interesting.”

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

“I didn’t live long enough to find out if they were any good.”

She rested a hand over his, closing the space between them.

“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready-”

He shook his head.

“No. I’ll get it out now.”

He smiled weakly.

“I want to show you that I trust you.”

She held his hand as he continued.

“My body in my old world wasn’t very good. I was weak. Sick. So I spent my days in bed, writing. I did that nonstop until I died yesterday.”

He let out a bitter chuckle.

“Or… I think it was yesterday. I don’t know how much time passed in the in-between.”

Then he smiled again, softer this time.

“And when I opened my eyes, I saw you.”

The sadness in her eyes made him regret ever opening his mouth.

“I’m sorry…”

She shook her head quickly.

“No, don’t apologize. I’m glad you told me.”

She leaned sideways until she was resting against him.

“So that’s why you’re so young…”

Carefully, he slid an arm through Neko-chan’s thick fur and around her shoulders.

“I’d hate myself if I were older.”

She chuckled.

“Not a fan of age gaps?”

“Not really.”

She let her head rest on his shoulder, her ears brushing his cheek.

“I promise I’ll tell you about myself soon.”

He tilted his head gently against hers, careful not to hurt her ears.

“Don’t feel pressured to.”

“I won’t.”

He sighed. He didn’t want to say what came next, but he knew he had to.

“Foebe?”

“Yeah?”

“I think… I think you were a little harsh on Volya.”

She stiffened.

“Was I?”

“Yeah. And…”

He exhaled.

“I love that you spoke up for me. I really, really do. But… it wasn’t true. I don’t think that was a bad start.”

She blinked.

“You don’t?”

He nodded.

“I loved it. Even though it was chaos. The thing is, I don’t count that event as the start.”

He glanced at her, meeting her gaze.

“I think our date was the best start I could’ve hoped for.”

Her lips trembled.

“Do… do you hate me for saying what I did…?”

He stared at her, startled.

“Foebe! Of course not!”

She squeezed his hand.

“Then-”

He didn’t let her finish.

“It was excessive, sure. And I have no idea how you figured out that I hate crowds. But I felt so loved in that moment. Embarrassed, yeah, but seen. Cared for. Of course I don’t hate you.”

She chuckled softly, resting her head against his shoulder again.

“I’m glad…”

They leaned into each other, letting the moment settle. Everything that needed to be said had been said - for now. He knew it wouldn’t be the last conversation like this, but he also knew that no matter what they faced, they’d find a way through it together.

He noticed then that the sun had disappeared, the sky deepening as stars slowly emerged. He whispered,

“Are you tired?”

She nodded. He smiled.

“Is the grass comfortable enough?”

Another nod.

He groaned as he shuffled down until he was lying on his back, hair brushing against Neko-chan’s fur. Foebe followed suit, settling beside him. The night air was warm.

“Goodnight, Foebe.”

She smiled.

“Goodnight, love.”

He grinned.

“Nicknames already?”

She nodded.

“It felt right.”

His smile, she thought, was beautiful.

“Then let me try again.”

He cleared his throat.

“Goodnight, honey.”

She chuckled, then shuffled closer until her head rested on his chest. His heart immediately began to race. Sleep would come slowly - her listening to his pounding heartbeat, him trying to calm it - but he didn’t regret a single thing.