Elly woke to the whimpering cries of her beloved as he shivered, naked except for his underwear yet sweating heavily. He was curled up in front of her, a starved little spoon that craved affection and physical contact. She'd wrapped herself around him and purred him into a deep, restful sleep last night but he'd woken disoriented and in a panic.
Chest heaving, heart pounding, Bruno's green eyes glowed brightly the moment upon opening and he woke up to an involuntarily vision. It shook him even though after it faded he couldn't remember what he had Seen. He rolled over to face Elly and buried his head between her breasts, weeping with both mental and physical pain.
"This hurts... it <i>hurts</i>," he moaned. "Huh - hold me, hold me <i>por favor</i>, please, my brain is on fire."
They lay there quietly while she held him, stroked his hair and traced lazy, circling patterns over his closed eyelids. He relaxed gradually, his brow smoothing out and the tension flowing out of him as she cuddled him. After a quarter of an hour or so he grasped the front of his shirt she was wearing and tugged her close for a tender kiss.
"Good morning, my heart," she greeted him quietly. "How's your head now?"
"It's much better," he mumbled, still groggy. "Thanks."
"Does that happen often?" She stretched her arms over her head and yawned.
He groaned very softly as he picked himself up, scratching at his chest. "Sometimes it does in the middle of the night, too. I can't control it as much as I used to be able to."
"Maybe I can help, somehow."
"You already did." Bruno sniffed and rubbed his tired eyes with the heels of his hands, then yawned hugely. "I've always wanted someone to hold me like that when it gets bad."
Elly smiled at him and walked over to a window, uncovering the heavy drapes so the light shined in. "Your tower has so many stairs," she murmured, peering out.
"Yeah, well... it helps to keep people out. The platform works for the ones I want to let in. I like it."
"So do I, love. You can see all around from up here."
He kissed her affectionately on the neck. "I'll make coffee. We can get dressed and wake up before we tackle the family." He paused, then added, "Oh, and don't let the rats help. They lick the sugar cubes."
Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Ew."
"It's only if you ask them to get you sugar."
"You sure?"
He scratched his mass of unruly hair, his expression clearly showing he'd never thought too hard about this before. "Oh, um... actually, let's get coffee downstairs."
They showered and changed into fresh clothing. And while Elly didn't have a wardrobe besides the one purple outfit, he knew he had something suitable. Eventually, he found a dress he'd purchased as a gift a long while ago he hadn't had a chance to give to his sister before his self-imposed exile. It fit well enough, so they rode the lift back down and entered the main house.
The family were already seated at the dining room table, so they had privacy all the way there. Bruno took a deep, cleansing breath and stuck his head out from behind the corner of the wall. "Uhhhh, I need to talk to you guys."
"Bruno!"
"C'mon, uncle! Your coffee is getting cold."
An extra chair rolled up on a wave of flooring and settled beside Bruno's. As they watched, confused, a cup of coffee joined his as well.
"Casita? What are you doing?" Mirabel cocked her head to the side. "Why did you set another place?"
Bruno walked out with his head low, anxiety showing in his every movement. "I know why."
They looked over at him expectedly. His arm was outstretched toward the hall but it started to move as Elly, holding his hand tight, joined him.
She stayed close to his side with her ears folded into her hair and her tail curled around her legs. "Hello."
Julieta paused after setting a platter of food on the table. "Oh, company!"
"This is Elly. We knew each other when we were younger but we lost each other during the - you know, all the stuff that went on."
The family broke out in smiles and friendly hellos.
"She's my fiancée," Bruno added.
A shocked silence fell over the table like a thick blanket. His sisters' eyes lit up, their husbands faces grew pensive as they tried to figure out how the gangly, scruffy man had won over such a beauty. The rest of the family just sat there with their mouths open.
Elly squirmed uncomfortably, tucking a strand of hair back and creeping even closer to him. He drew her chair out and she sat, relinquishing his hand only for the amount of time it took him to sit as well. Blushing, he took it in his again in full view of the table.
"Oooooh!" Félix broke the silence with a loud whistle. "My man, Bruno! Way to go!"
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