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 Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:07 pm
The visits that the Asteroids made to the HQ were getting shorter and shorter. It was only logical in all honesty, considering how much effort went into masking all the energies in the designated "safe zone." Something had to give. The tailless Mauvian wouldn't give up, but that didn't mean that Iris' suspicions weren't logical.
The Asteroids of the Mainstay had gotten an assignment, which meant they would be shipping out shortly for their new mission. Iris tended to the supplies with the other senshi, which left ********* a brief moment between her own shifts to check up with her partner.
The manx was a shadow of her former figure, slimming out quite a bit over the recent years, but that didn't make her a shadow of her former self. The Asteroids did not leave much space for themselves in the camp, but every so often a tent or two would pop up. For their short stay, such a tent seemed to pop up.
Sliding into the flap, the manx made her way to a familiar dark Mauvian form.
In a quiet sing-song tone, she asked "...Theeeetis... are you awaaake?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:40 am
Time seemed like such a fickle thing. One minute you were in the past and the next minute you're looking to change what happened from the future. He couldn't change this though, no matter how hard he wished it so. Every day he'd look upon the city in the distance and remember how it used to be. The city was but a shadow of its former self, and sometimes he wondered if he was too.
No longer the pampered housecat that couldn't bear getting a little mud on his paws, he wondered when the last time he washed his paws in a warm bath was. In the beginning he tired of the cold baths that awaited him, complaining from the moment he put one paw in until several hours after the fact. However, as time passed by he found himself complaining less and less until he no longer even inquired about a hot bath. It became trivial. The bath was now an action to simply to clean the blood and dirt out of his fur, no longer an enjoyable luxury of the past.
Psyche still brushed his fur, one of the only reasons he hadn't turned into one giant mat of fur, but he stopped caring too much about his appearance. Or at least that's what he said on the outside. He frequently avoided looking into reflective surfaces, still not able to properly cope with reality. The fact he seen looking back at him was the face he always dreamed of but it was still hard for him to really connect. His face was tattered and worn, putting the guard in a guardian cat as part of his new role. Despite his feelings, he wore scars with pride as he fought along side of Psyche, swearing on his life to not allow her to die before him. He knew with absolute certainty that if she died, it would be because he was long since dead and unable to save her.
He kept a close watch on Psyche but there were some things even a battle worn gentlemen should turn an eye from. This meant only Thetis was currently in the tent, sitting up straight on Psyche's pack as if he was full of glorious purpose. His posture sunk a bit when he watched ********* sneak into the tent, his hardened eyes softening as he seen her smaller form slip in.
He was bigger than her these days but he couldn't help but turn away a little so the more notable scar on his face was less visible.
"Good evening, *********," he said in a rusty voice. There was clearly some vocal chord damage there.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 6:10 pm
As her partner spoke up, the tailless feline perked up. "Oh good, you are awake!" Her lithe form trotted over to the pack where Thetis was perched and sat herself down at the proper angle from him. He had a scar, and though she knew this fact for a while, it didn't make Thetis any less self-conscious of it. She was respectful of his pride and was willing to sit at an angle that wouldn't show off the scar.
"How are you holding up, Thetis? ...How are our girls holding up?" There was something about her tone which revealed a sort of deep concern for the whole group. A sort of desperation for updates which she couldn't personally obtain first hand. She lifted a paw as she leaned closer to him, as if encouraging him to spill the beans.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:16 pm
Thetis was more than happy to see *********. In fact, he didn't see her nearly as much as he would like to. The truth was, simply being around her made him feel like everything would be all right. She was his other half, even if she wasn't aware of his feelings. He would die for Psyche, and he would die for her too. It was hard though. Psyche seemed to prefer him the way he was now but Thetis didn't know how ********* felt.
Would he die not knowing?
His body shrugged down a little, scrunching on his glorious purpose until he sat up tall again. He wiggled carefully upon the bag, feeling the weight of a blade's width under him. He knew what it was, and even he couldn't argue the use of it in such pressing times. She had nearly died, and he had nearly died. Magic wasn't enough, not when their heads were wanted on a post.
"Our girls... they're strong. Stronger than me," he replied, answering both questions. "Don't worry, *********," he said, nuzzling his head down against the top of her head.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:33 pm
With his nuzzling down upon her, ********* instinctively pressed up against him, closing her eyes as if to savor this feeling.
"I don't doubt the strength of our girls... I know they are all strong. I just... I rarely get to see them... to see Iris..."
As her eyes opened, it almost seemed as if they were welling up with water, but she blinked away the tears.
"...she's changed so much... I just hate seeing her suffer... and... not being able to do a damned thing about it..." The manx seemed to wilt a bit underneath her partner's nuzzles, shrinking down in size to the size she actually felt.
"...this is not how it was supposed to be..."
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:44 pm
Thetis was stronger than he was in the past but even now he doubted his ability to do things correctly. He doubted he could make ********* happy, and with the way things were, he didn't think he'd ever be able to. He hated seeing her like this, and he hated knowing there was nothing he could do to help her. He didn't like ********* being absent so much, at least 50% because he was hopelessly in love, and he wished she'd be around more. He might have hoped in the past for ********* to get sparse so Psyche would have a chance to love him instead of her but this hadn't been what he wanted.
Thetis didn't agree with what Iris was doing to *********. It wasn't like it was her fault for the events that had happened. Maybe Thetis didn't know everything or maybe he didn't want to admit fault there but Thetis didn't blame Iris for what almost happened to Psyche or what did happen to him. Maybe he was biased but his body couldn't help but slink into ********* as a means to comfort her.
"We've all changed but we're not without hope. We can't give up now," he whispered, his body following her down as she shrunk lower. He couldn't promise things would ever get better. He could never promise that Iris would ever accept ********* back to any extent but he could promise her one thing.
"*********," he whispered, nudging her with his face. "Listen to me. I can't change things but no matter what happens, I promise I'll be here for you. I'll do anything for you."
It might not have been a confession but it was a start. He meant it, his entire face turning to the smaller guardian cat even though it meant he was displaying his face to her in full.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:18 pm
She hadn't wanted to start crying. In reality, nobody wanted to start crying. Yet, as Thetis' curly fur was pressed up against her body, flecks of water easily found their way into the dark hair. She sniffled lightly as she considered her partner's words.
"I... I won't give up... it's just.... really hard..."
Thetis' fur made excellent tissues for her to wipe her eyes on. It was embarrassing she was reduced to such a state, and the manx attempted to cover up her tears with a faint smile.
His reassurance did not fall upon deaf ears. "Thetis... I know you'll be there... I am grateful for your kindness..." With another faint sniffle, the manx lifted up a paw to rub at her eyes.
"...I don't know why... but with everything that's been going on... I am glad that I have someone I can be honest with... that I don't have to bottle my emotions with... not everyone has a person they can talk to like this... Maybe I am just lucky like that..."
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:32 am
********* was so strong. Thetis could have counted on one paw how many times he'd ever witnessed ********* crying, and the thought broke his heart every time. He couldn't bear the thought and all he wanted to do was make it better. She was trying so hard to mask her sorrows, and her tears, but his whiskers twitched in acknowledgement of her emotion. She was so close, and every small sound echoed through his sensitive cat ears.
Honesty.
Thetis cringed a little before his body resisted against his own insecurities and pulled back up.
"*********... ********* there's something I need to tell you..."
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 2:33 pm
Her motions to wipe her eyes soon enough seemed to spread into an action more akin to her grooming. She might have been an intelligent feline-shaped alien, but some instincts did not vanish so readily.
She paused in the repetitive motion, looking at Thetis with a pair of blinking green eyes.
"...you know you can tell me anything, Thetis! I mean, with as much as I have been dumping on you lately, it's only fair that I do my share of listening, yes?" Her bout with sadness seemed to momentarily be stifled as she settled in, preparing to listen to her curlier haired partner.
"Now... what is it you need to tell me?" She smiled as best as she could as her haunches nuzzled the ground.
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 1:27 pm
This wasn't the situation he'd always imagined would lead up to this. He was a romantic, or was deep down under his wounds. He imagined spending the day leading up to it baking the most scrumptious treats he possibly could, playing the piano as she skittered inside, and wearing his best ribbon. His fur would have been groomed, and he wouldn't worry about hiding his face from her.
This wasn't ideal, but as each day passed by, Thetis realized this could be his last day. Chaos was winning. No one wanted to admit it but it was the truth. Any day, either of them could die in the lie of duty. If he ever planned to do it, now was the time to do so. He had to do it before it was too late. Not being able to, well, that'd simply be worse than a rejection.
"*********... this isn't ever how I wanted to say this," he said, his face pressing against her own and rubbing the tears away.
" But... I love you. I... I have for a long time now."
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:53 pm
As Thetis pressed his face against hers, the manx closed her eyes, truly listening to his words. She could practically feel his breath upon her fur, warming up her cheeks as he uttered the words to her.
"...I love you..."
It wasn't necessarily the words she was expecting, but truth be told, she wasn't expecting anything in particular with his words. A smile formed upon her maw, gentle curves which had been more common in the days of old.
Her whiskers fanned out as she opened her eyes, looking her partner in the eyes, eyes dilated as she seemed to consider his words and how to respond. It wasn't hard to notice the purr escaping her chest.
"...you know I love you..."
It was no secret that ********* loved her team: the girls, the boys, and her partner. She continually gave her whole self to them whenever the need arose. Her life was for all of them.
She paused, taking in a breath before she added "...but... I also love you too..."
Kisses as a feline weren't exactly the epitome of romantic. They were scratchy things that were typically used for grooming. So rather than start licking his face like he suddenly had dirt all over it, the feline sat up on her haunches, reaching out her forepaws, and hugged onto the curly haired Mauvian in front of her. ********* eyes closed again as she seemed to cling onto his form, purring the whole time.
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Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 2:21 pm
Thetis thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest after he'd confessed. He didn't know how she'd respond, and he feared the worst. What would he do if she rejected him? How would they work together? These were fears that had haunted him over the years, stopping him from ever confessing before. Now that he had taken the leap, all the fears had come back to him until his breath seemed to disappear from his lungs.
"...you know I love you..."
It was the response he dreaded. She didn't feel the same way. She loved him like she loved the team. His body immediately began to sink and he wished he could disappear into the bag he guarded with glorious purpose. Was it because of how he looked? Maybe he was simply not attractive anymore? That was a reality he always feared, and often avoided, but his mind couldn't help but focus in on it.
"...but... I also love you too..."
It didn't hit him immediately. He wasn't sure he even heard her right. His mind tried to process the words but he was stunned. Did that mean...? Did that mean she loved him as more than simply part of the team? He could feel her body move away from him and when his eyes moved to see, he found her up and wrapping her paws around him in a hug.
She clinged to him.
She purred.
He could feel his breath come back to his lungs, and soon he begun to purr too as he rubbed into her. No more words were necessary. This was all he needed now.
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 9:32 pm
Thetis' fur was so warm. It was almost like a blanket of curly black hair. As nice as it would have been to remain hugging like this forever and ignore the war, the manx did eventually grow tired of sitting on her hind legs and pulled away briefly to lay herself out on the ground in a more relaxed pose. Her purring never ceased.
The tailless feline was still content, but reality was a terrible thing. It might have been an ominous question to ask, but eventually her voice thoughtfully asked "...now what?"
It was well known that ********* couldn't come along with Thetis, and the manx would never ask him to separate from his charge. Responsibility and duty would never allow them the chance to fully nurture their feelings for one another.
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