Chapter 69 - Sixty-Seven (1/2)

As I keep walking I can see the house coming to view, the beautiful structure with sharp yet curvy roofs, and the gorgeous way it intertwined with the nature around it as the sun shined bright over it all.

I get closer only to see Leo standing beside the wall, his back on it with his legs stretched out and arms curved in front of him.

I approach, hesitant, thinking if he was mad at me for being impulsive and almost fighting for real with Isa, if he was about to scowl me, making me a little guilty inside, even though Isa provoked me, I should not have exploded that way.

All was for naught, I soon realize, as I get close to him, Shu by my feet, only to see that Leo's eyes were closed and his breath even.

Wait, what? He, did he fell asleep standing like this. Has he been… waiting for me?

The same sensation that I had this morning after seeing him waking up returned, the image of his serene relaxed expression, with his head slightly turned, his blond hair falling sideways, his strong jaw, his eyelashes, thin lips, pointy ears.

I wanted to touch it, touch it all, to engrave it in my memory, had almost the urge to do it, I realized gulping down, and with a frown I realized, why should I not cave in? We were a couple now, so I did, hesitantly at first; started with the tip of the finger over his eyes, still slowly as not to wake him up, then to his lips, pushing slightly and feeling the plumps parts of it.

He shudders awake when I reach for his pointy ear, staring at me as I, caught by surprise, take my hand off and hide it behind me, stuttering an answer:

”T-there as a l-leaf there, y-yeah, hi.”

He gives me a crooked smile. ”Hi.”

”So, uhm… What were you doing out here?”

”Saving your breakfast from the hungry beasts inside.” He says, taking a packaged out from his bag on the ground and giving it to me. I look at it, stunned for a second. I-is not like that makes me happy or anything you know…”Though it should be cold now, at least I have some warm tea with me. How about eating here, outside?”

”Oh, s-sure.” I said, hiding my smile and grabbing the food, unaware of my tail wiggling behind me and the blush creeping over my cheeks.

We don't go far, following a stone path over a calmer part of the garden, overlooking an open green area with a bamboo fountain on the side, hitting down rhythmically as it got filled with water over and over again, giving the place a rather calming ambiance.

We ate in silence as the morning went by, enjoying the moment only until Leo has to stand to go to the bathroom, leaving me alone to watch out the greenery.

I quickly got bored though. I lay back, watching the clouds pass by as I see my brother, in his hound form, hopping and jumping over the grass and hunting some insects and butterflies, but not catching any as they pass right in front of his snout, making him bite air.

Haha, silly him.

Shu, who had gone inside, came back out and immediately saw Hunthor, raising his little butt and jumping on him, just forgetting how tiny he was as he simply head-butts him, falling back down with his belly up and wiggling up his paws, looking like a turtle trying to raise.

My brother poked him, helping him out, and was very happy to have a new playmate, enjoying the sunny day by barking and playing with the little white-green fluffy thing. I was watching them on the shadow of a tree by now, grabbing a book to read from my Shadow Dimension, something talking about the bringers of magic, on how they were all woman, and how that affected the ideology of perfection being the image of a woman, on how many contradictory understandings rouse, and blab bla bla.

Just a bunch of people fighting for something that happened so long ago that nobody knows what really happened anymore. Geez, what's the point in that?

The interesting part was talking about the creatures they fought back in the day, that no physical attack could harm them, only magic, especially elemental. Well, these types of creatures would bring hell on earth to those unable to use magic uhm…

As I was getting very into the reading and enjoying the so hard to get yet so worthy rest when both hounds start to roll around the grass and jump on muddy water puddles.

Wait.

”Oi, you two! You will dirty the place all up! And I'm not going to clean it up for you you hear me?!”

”Oh, come on brother, don't be such a dork, come play with us too!” He says, lowering his front and wiggling his tail high in the air in a playful manner.

”Humf, as if, I'm not a kid any-aght!”

My brother comes closer with his muddy filled body and starts to shake like a wet dog, almost dirtying my book!

”Goddamnit it almost went to my mouth!” He laughs, hopping back. ”You little…”

I secure my book in my Shadow Dimension only to quickly change to my hound form and run towards both as my brother speeds up and Shu trips, falling behind, making me jump up on him and nuzzle his neck, having him squeak and wiggle his way out of my embrace.

We play like that for a while until Shu is kidnaped by Leo to take a bath as he yawned on his arms, blinking slowly and sleepily.

That was the cue I needed to speed run at my brother, bringing dirt and grass up with the strength of my paws while we tired ourselves in a playful manner like in the old days, pulling each other's tail only to run in the other direction, rolling on the grass and paw pawing each other, bumping together and only stopping to drink some water from the pond.

Tired, with our tongues hanging out, we go back to the house and towards the shadow that it provided only to find Leo and Aeglos chatting while watching us play.

My brother trots to Aeglos and rubs his head on his side, bringing their attention back to us as Aeglos chuckles and strokes my brother's ears and face, making him lay his head down on his lap.

I scowl and look away only for my eyes to fall on a pair of golden orbs, making me raise my chin and say:

”What?”

He smirks then, moving a little only to pet his lap.

”Come here.”

”Pff, dream on brat.”

”Back with the brat I see… I wonder for how long you can keep that facade on…” I snort at that, my tail slightly wiggling behind me.

I go up towards them only to find that Shu was sleeping on Leo's lap, so tiny that I almost could not see him over Leo's strong big thighs. Oww, he looked so cute sleeping, his little pinky nose twitching on his sleep as he curved his paws in front of his body.

”Keep looking too much at my crotch that I may think you are interested in it.”

”I'm not looking at your crotch!”

He chuckles, knowingly teasing me back for the brat I said before. In the end I simply lay down beside him, no before he asking if I need him to bath me too, earning him a tongue out as now I was really feeling the amount of exercise taking their toll on my body, making me tired as well as heaving down my muscles.

We end up just like that for the rest of the day, nothing going on as we were only waiting for time to pass by so we could leave this place; what sounded like a great idea back when I wasn't stuck in this place with nothing to do.

Beyond the boredom, and the task of searching something useful to do; or just anything really; the foxy Leo used every opportunity he had to do just what he promised he would, to make me easy up around him, something that at first did not occur to me as being his touch.

So every opportunity he had he would come close to me, lingering his finger over my hand, brushing pass too close to me in the halls, probably doing this as his own way to get rid of the boredom that this place brought forward, definitely having a lot of time in his hands to plan his next attack.

I roll my eyes at that, though I won't deny that the attention was… welcomed with a fuzzy warm sensation in my chest.