{"sf1_id":1345911,"sf2_id":"znJa6Xrm","title":"Up To Bat","author":"STRONG","words":4323,"posted_at":"2018-06-24T17:18:00.000Z","tags":["Bat","Love","Snuggles"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1345911-up-to-bat","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/znJa6Xrm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/e4/15/e4155c03-2d37-46fb-9eb6-e9868d0bd12e","description":"Anon wants a Bat GF! But how can he get one?\na short story","content":"\\\u003eYour computer monitor flickers lazily as you watch a documentary on bats\n\n\\\u003eNot the small insect eating buggers, but the walking 'feral' ones\n\n\\\u003eSomewhere down the line Anthros decided city life and English just wasn't for them, and took to the woods to do who knows what\n\n\\\u003eDoesn't make them any less cuter though, especially the North American ones\n\n\\\u003eSmol, plush NA bats\n\n\\\u003eNot the flying fox anthros though\n\n\\\u003eThose look like fucking ptterodactyles\n\n\\\u003eNo, you want a cute little bat Anthro to call your own\n\n\\\u003ePreferably a fruit bat one\n\n\\\u003eAnd really, who wouldn't want one?!\n\n\\\u003eYou cannot overstate how small and light they are, or how incredibly fluffy to an absurd degree\n\n\\\u003eBonus points for their ability to fly!\n\n\\\u003eImagine needing something while you're away or at work, and having her flying it to you\n\n\\\u003eAmazon should have fought harder to employ them\n\n\\\u003eMuch better than those creepy ass drones that require a gigantic 'rob me!' mat plastered all over your lawn\n\n\\\u003eNow, you could try dating\n\n\\\u003eCOULD\n\n\\\u003eBut why would you?\n\n\\\u003eYou already know you wanted a little tribal one\n\n\\\u003eOne where you could teach her about the world, and stuff\n\n\\\u003eBut how would you ever find a bat?\n\n\\\u003eAnd even then, convince her to join you after\n\n\\\u003eYour mental green fic writing is interrupted by a line a British man said in the documentary\n\n\\\u003eYou had to rewind it to hear it right\n\n\\\u003e\"Sometimes feral bat Antthros are a nuisence; destroying crops, making nests in people's attics, and being incredibly noisy at night\"\n\n\\\u003eThat's not what you're looking for\n\n\\\u003e\"...The 'Easy Peezy Teeny Screetchy Method,' which was quickly renamed, is a strategy experts use to-\"\n\n\\\u003eWell, you aren't an expert so no use in that\n\n\\\u003e\"These feral Anthros are often captured and given homes, to domesticate them into society. This is a favorable alternative to extermination\"\n\n\\\u003eYou pause the documentary right at the time where the dry narrator now has a bit standing under his petting hand\n\n\\\u003eWhich, by the looks of it, means there's a chance\n\n\\\u003eWith a few clicks and a small toll to Cablevision you look up the process for getting a little bat girl to live with you\n\n\\\u003eIt's mostly charities that pop up\n\n\\\u003eThey require a ton of paperwork and someone to dig through your closet before you can even be considered\n\n\\\u003eOthers are shelters, but with how you aren't exactly in flying puffball territory, they're a few hundred miles out in every direction\n\n\\\u003eBut one link catches your eye\n\n\\\u003e'Rakeman Enterprises: We sell rakes and raking accessories\\*'\n\n\\\u003e'\\*Only rakes'\n\n\\\u003eYou click it, and to your terrible, horrible surprise\n\n\\\u003eYou find a deal on a six prong all black leaf slayer, for $14.99\n\n\\\u003eAt least it's honest\n\n\\\u003eGoogling the words 'Rakeman enterprises'(You had too, the site didn't even have the word bat on it,) brings up a site and a bunch of hippy dippy forums complaining\n\n\\\u003e\"He captures and kills those poor defenseless ferals!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"He eats Anthros!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"good prices tho\"\n\n\\\u003eBasically a bunch of whining with zero proof\n\n\\\u003eSomething prods your thoughts, something you think you've heard awhile ago\n\n\\\u003eA small megablok snaps into place in the back of your mind at the answer\n\n\\\u003eThe raider of...wherever, is what you get out of itt\n\n\\\u003eForums you often frequented talked of a man who caught and sold feral Anthros\n\n\\\u003eHe would often call himself rakeman\n\n\\\u003eYou dive back to the boards you frequent and start asking around\n\n\\\u003eScrolling around and looking for any sign, all you get are mocking tones or a picture of that coveted ocelot you had seen before\n\n\\\u003eYou posted a few more times asking for him\n\n\\\u003eJust to get the same responses, for hours and hours on end\n\n\\\u003eHope was fading, but you have one last ace up your sleeve\n\n\\\u003e'TFW no smol bat gf :((('\n\n\\\u003e...\n\n\\\u003eJust as you were about to give up a flag pops up on your screen\n\n\\\u003e'\\\u003e\\\u003e4042015 holy shIt dude, fine: tinyurl.com/y97va626'\n\n\\\u003e'now fuck off'\n\n\\\u003eSomeone (you)'d one of your posts to a private website with a picture of a small fruitbat\n\n\\\u003eA phone number is listed on it also\n\n\\\u003eWith a shaky hand you dial in the digits quickly and wait for whoever it was to pick up\n\n\\\u003eAfter about 3 rings, someone does\n\n\\\u003e\"Rakeman enterprises,\" came a gruff voice, \"we sell rakes, only rakes\"\n\n\\\u003eYou can't believe it\n\n\\\u003eIt's him\n\n\\\u003e\"Uh hi, uh, I heard you have a bat problem you're trying to get rid of?\"\n\n\\\u003eSome sic metal plays in the background as he answers\n\n\\\u003e\"Yea, 500 bucks. More if I have to deliver her to you\"\n\n\\\u003eHoly fuck only 500 bucks!?\"\n\n\\\u003eWait, there must be a catch\n\n\\\u003e\"Whats wrong with her if she's only 500? I thought it would be a lot more\"\n\n\\\u003eThe man groans, and you can tell he's losing his patience\n\n\\\u003e\"Nothing, not many people want a bat. You gonna take her or not?\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Yes! Of course I'll take her! I've always wanted a bat\"\n\n\\\u003eYeah... you could of left out that last part\n\n\\\u003eScrew it, you're pacing around excitedly\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eHe tells you the address and you jot it down quickly\n\n\\\u003e\"When can I pick her up?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou hear the man hum and scratch away at some paper\n\n\\\u003e\"Conditioning will be done in 2 days\"\n\n\\\u003eConditioning?\n\n\\\u003e\"Don't bring any cops\"\n\n\\\u003eUh, you aren't going to ask\n\n\\\u003e\"Ok, I'll see you then\"\n\n\\\u003eHe hangs up half way through\n\n  \n\n\\\u003eYou're driving down a country road on the far outskirts of the city\n\n\\\u003eThe address the man gave you was about 100 miles from your house\n\n\\\u003eAn hour and 45 minute drive was totally worth it though\n\n\\\u003eYou drive as quickly and safely as you can, without even the radio on to distract you\n\n\\\u003eSoon you arrive at a dusty road that you begin to turn on\n\n\\\u003eA few minutes of winding through woods and you come up to large house, that looks more like a homestead\n\n\\\u003eA raven Anthro is perched on the front balcony\n\n\\\u003eHer eyes never leave you while you carefully make your way to the door\n\n\\\u003eYou give it a few knocks, and a man with piercing blue eyes opens it up\n\n\\\u003e\"You got the cash?\" he says\n\n\\\u003eYou fumble for your wallet under the uncomfortable, bored stare he's giving you\n\n\\\u003e\"Uh yeah, one sec\"\n\n\\\u003eYour hand goes to your pocket, and a shotgun cocking sounds behind you\n\n\\\u003e\"Watch the hands asshole,\" the raven caws\n\n\\\u003eYour hands shoot up, and you freeze in place\n\n\\\u003e\"Slag you dumb bitch!\" He opens the door entirely, \"He's clearly not armed, and you-\"\n\n\\\u003eHe brushes past you, wrangling the gun from 'Slag'\n\n\\\u003eRemoving the shells he throws it back at the bird who scrambles to catch it\n\n\\\u003e\"Put my damn shotgun away birdbrain!\"\n\n\\\u003e\"...Sorry boss, I don't like waiting around,\" she mumbles\n\n\\\u003eYou hear her walk off, and when you think she's around the corner you go back to fishing out your wallet\n\n\\\u003eJust, a hell of a lot shakier and slower when you\n\n\\\u003eYou grab 5 crisp Benjamins and hand them over to the still staring man\n\n\\\u003eHis arms look like he lost a fight with a wood chipper, no doubt from all the scratches and bites he must of got from his rake business\n\n\\\u003eYou aren't gonna say anything about it\n\n\\\u003eHe inspects it, then you, then behind you, and does it all again once more\n\n\\\u003eSatisfied, he walks back into the house with a hand waving you in\n\n\\\u003e\"Stand there, and ONLY there,\" he tells you, so you do\n\n\\\u003eYou also aren't about to blow this by being a rude guest, too\n\n\\\u003eThe rug you're standing on is rather nice, and it matches well with his very well decorated house\n\n\\\u003eIt's not at all what you expected\n\n\\\u003eNot from a man who has a reputation for outright brutality\n\n\\\u003eWhile you're looking around your eyes make contact on another looking around a wall\n\n\\\u003eIts- her, face is spotted and feline\n\n\\\u003e'So that's that coveted Ocelot people keep posting pictures of'\n\n\\\u003eYou give a small wave and a smale\n\n\\\u003eShe in turn disappears behind the wall again\n\n\\\u003eGuess you spooked her\n\n\\\u003eThe man told you over the phone to wear \"friendly attire,\" so you were dressed up in a button up shirt and a tie\n\n\\\u003eJeans too, because comfy is better than class\n\n\\\u003eA little later and the man returns with a bat girl in his arms\n\n\\\u003eThe second he sets her down, she's now in yours and hugging as if she's always known you\n\n\\\u003e\"Pleasepleaseplease keep me safe!\" she was squeaking into your shirt, \"don't let the bush monsters get me again!\"\n\n\\\u003eBush monsters?\n\n\\\u003eAgain, you aren't gonna ask\n\n\\\u003eYou try to not freak out over this furry blob clinging to you\n\n\\\u003eYou manage to get a few light head pats and reassure her with quiet words\n\n\\\u003eShe only snuggles up harder in kind\n\n\\\u003eYou look up at the man and smile\n\n\\\u003eHe made your dream come true, and you're forever greatful\n\n\\\u003eNot enough to keep yourself, and more importantly her, waiting\n\n\\\u003eSo you're out the door and ushering her into your SUV\n\n\\\u003eLooking back through the rearview mirror, you spot the man move the rug you were standing on and pick up a.. something\n\n\\\u003eIf you didn't know better that looks like a shaped explosive\n\n\\\u003eHuh\n\n\\\u003eDoesn't matter, as it's time to go now\n\n\\\u003eYou reach over and pet the bat one more time, and start up the car\n\n\\\u003e\"Do you have a name?\" you ask in a friendly tone while you slowly pull out of the driveway\n\n\\\u003eShe looks at you with big brown eyes\n\n\\\u003e\"My name is Mabel,\" she's quieter than before\n\n\\\u003eYour excitement, successfully restrained, allows you to beam the biggest reassuring smile at her\n\n\\\u003eOnly for a second though, this dirt road is pretty curvy and pretty root infested\n\n\\\u003e\"That's a cute name\"\n\n\\\u003eShe's bunching the seat belt around her, and she isn't looking at you either\n\n\\\u003eYou can't imagine what she went through back there, and this car for a feral must be just as confusing\n\n\\\u003eIt's a good thing you're pretty great at driving one handed, for when you move your other to her it's quickly snatched up as well\n\n\\\u003eYou let her calm down a bit, saying nothing while you drive through the woods, and when you feel your hands no longer being crushed you try to get her attention again\n\n\\\u003e\"My name is Anon,\" you slowly say\n\n\\\u003eYou can feel her brown eyes are on you again while you still keep yours on the road\n\n\\\u003e\"Just know that I'll never let anyone, or anything, hurt you ever again\"\n\n\\\u003eShe never said anything after that\n\n\\\u003eDidn't have too either\n\n\\\u003eThe feeling of fur pressing against your arm with light breaths washing over your hand is the only one you need\n\n\\\u003eYou gladly serve as her safety pillow as she sleeps through the long drive home\n\n  \n\nchapter 2\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eThe car ride home was uneventful at best\n\n\\\u003eMabel slept peacefully, holding your arm tight as you drove\n\n\\\u003eHer gentle breathing and quiet chittering was adorable\n\n\\\u003eIt was during the long straight road stretches that you were really able to get a good look at her\n\n\\\u003eShe was maybe 4 feet tall\n\n\\\u003eIt's hard to tell when she's hunched over and sitting\n\n\\\u003eHer hair and fur are black, while her tummy, muzzle and wings a light brown\n\n\\\u003eShe sure was cute too\n\n\\\u003eIt has taken you a bit longer than usual with one of your arms being used, but soon you're pulling into your parking spot, and you gently slide your arm out of her grip\n\n\\\u003eShe didn't let go until you bribed her with a few quick pets and scratches on her head to wake her up\n\n\\\u003eShaking the feeling back into your arm and unclipping the seatbelt, you hear a long high pitched yawn\n\n\\\u003eLooking over she's in full stretch mode, with one of her legs kicking out and a hand on full eye rub duty\n\n\\\u003eGroggily she sees you staring\n\n\\\u003e\"Where are we Anon?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou smile and offer her a hand\n\n\\\u003e\"Home\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYour apartment isn't in the country by a long shot, but it is in the suburbs\n\n\\\u003eIt's pretty nice that your town still decided that trees and forests were a pretty neat concept, with both dotting all around\n\n\\\u003eIt didn't help Mabel in the slightest\n\n\\\u003eShe was conflicted about leaving the safety of the metal box to be in the safety of your arms, and it was an awkward struggle to outright pry her off the door frame\n\n\\\u003eYou're carrying her like a fuzzy burlap sack, half worried that she'd bolt away or that her claws would get a good swipe in\n\n\\\u003eShamefully, you did have a plan in mind\n\n\\\u003e\"You must be hungry Mabel, let's get some food for us\"\n\n\\\u003eShe suddenly stops, going rock solid over your shoulder\n\n\\\u003e\"Food?\" her death grip on your side loosens a bit\n\n\\\u003e\"We don't have to go look for it?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou lift her off of you, holding her by the shoulders(barely) out in front of you\n\n\\\u003eHer eyes are about 90% pupiles and darting frantically as they scan your face\n\n\\\u003e\"Nope!\" you set her down, confident that she wont dart away\n\n\\\u003eYou slowly take your hand and grasp one of her own as gently as you can, and start to lightly pull her along\n\n\\\u003e\"Well, if I don't have anything you like, then all I have to do is go down to the store and pick something up\"\n\n\\\u003eIt suddenly struck you that you're leading a naked female bat Anthro by the hand\n\n\\\u003eIn the open\n\n\\\u003eYou're a bit faster in going up the stairs for her sake more than yours\n\n\\\u003eShe must not have a single thing to her name, and some clothes definitely gets added to the list of things you'd get\n\n\\\u003eThe alternative would be a real uncomfortable explanation to the neighbors\n\n\\\u003eMaking it up the stairs and to your door, you quickly open it and lead her inside\n\n\\\u003eShe takes a few steps, feels the carpet on her clawed toes and digs them in to the floor\n\n\\\u003eShe looks completely confused\n\n\\\u003e\"I...I'm used to being able to fly around everywhere,\" Mabel said, rubbernecking around the interior\n\n\\\u003eNot finding a hole or a window her wide eyes are looking at you\n\n\\\u003e\"Where can I fly?\"\n\n\\\u003eIt's still a bit hard to believe that all of your careful planning is finally rewarded\n\n\\\u003eYou bought this place to be on the top floor, with the back being totally open to the rolling hills and forests just behind the apartment complex\n\n\\\u003e\"You still can\"\n\n\\\u003eYou walk across the carpet over to some closed curtains across the other side of the room, without Mabel in hand\n\n\\\u003eShe has to be trusting enough of you, and you aren't about to force her\n\n\\\u003eThe farther you got the more fidgety she became\n\n\\\u003eHer time in that house must of really done something to her, and you can finally begin to question it in the safety of your home\n\n\\\u003eYou didn't let those thoughts ruin your encouraging smile as you pulled back the curtains, revealing a nice large balcony with no patio furniture\n\n\\\u003eIt's perfect for her to stretch her wings\n\n\\\u003e\"You can fly anytime you want Mabel,\" you say, opening the sliding door\n\n\\\u003e\"Just be sure to come back, otherwise I can't protect you\"\n\n\\\u003eShe starts shuffling towards you at the word 'protect'\n\n\\\u003e\"Go on, try it,\" you step outside\n\n\\\u003eA few hesitant steps outside and shes on the balcony in front of you\n\n\\\u003e\"I'l be right here,\" you give her a light push towards the railing\n\n\\\u003eShe gives a few more looks, and one back to you\n\n\\\u003eYou give her two thumbs up when she did\n\n\\\u003eWith that she spreads her wings and takes off\n\n\\\u003eShe's graceful in the air and beautiful to watch, turning sharply into loops or gliding down in spirals\n\n\\\u003eHer laughter on the wind is infectious\n\n\\\u003eYou can easily get used to it\n\n\\\u003eAfter a few minutes she lands, happily squeaking and talking\n\n\\\u003e\"This is perfect! I can go fly AND hide from the rain and snow!\"\n\n\\\u003eStraight up viral\n\n\\\u003e\"I'm glad you like it Mabel, now let's get some food why don't we\"\n\n\\\u003eHer large ears perk up\n\n\\\u003e\"Yes! Food!\"\n\n\\\u003eShe follows you into the kitchen a little haphazardly, almost tripping over the door frame and with her toes sometimes catching the carpet\n\n\\\u003eIt looks like shes better flying than walking\n\n\\\u003eYou dismiss the thought though, at least for your lamps and light's sake\n\n\\\u003eReaching into the fridge you pull out a wrapped spread of various cut and uncut fruits\n\n\\\u003eThe different colors of apples, oranges, bananas, and watermelon completely mesmerize her\n\n\\\u003eShe mostly stared at the strawberries with her little mouth open and her eyes unblinking\n\n\\\u003eYou peel back the plastic and start pointing at fruits\n\n\\\u003e\"Ok, I have apples, bananas, strawberries, some oranges, and a few slices of watermelon all here for you!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou made sure these were farmers market fresh, and not that nasty three month frozen crap from a Walmart\n\n\\\u003eYou also decided to shotgun the selection at the time, thinking one of them should be good enough\n\n\\\u003eShe is a fruit bat after all\n\n\\\u003eOnly problem with your infinite wisdom in fruit selection is how puzzled she's looking at you\n\n\\\u003e\"What is banana? And watermelon?\"\n\n\\\u003e'Is,' heh\n\n\\\u003eBut, right, how would she know what those are\n\n\\\u003eNo need to frustrate her though\n\n\\\u003e\"They are different kinds of fruits! I have a bunch of yummy things you can eat here!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou open a banana and take a bite out of it\n\n\\\u003e\"See? Tasty!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou hold the just bitten banana out in front of her\n\n\\\u003eYou also squeeze it really tightly\n\n\\\u003e'Shit, wait, she's not a pet.'\n\n\\\u003eYou blink\n\n\\\u003e'Or...is she?'\n\n\\\u003eEr\n\n\\\u003eTo your immediate relief she looks at the fruit and then back at you\n\n\\\u003eYou give it a little wiggle\n\n\\\u003eHesitantly, she takes a bite\n\n\\\u003eAnd according to your 1/12th chomp'd on scale before she did, you can see that an average banana is about the same height as her head\n\n\\\u003eYou see her chewing it before her face lights up\n\n\\\u003e\"OHHHH that's good Anon! What did you say they are called?\"\n\n\\\u003eWoah! Almost lost your fingers there\n\n\\\u003e\"Annnananash?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou wish you had your phone with you\n\n\\\u003eYou're praying you'l get another chance to snap pics of the pudge bat\n\n\\\u003e\"Bananas,\" you say between laughs\n\n\\\u003eSwallowing it down, she scrunches her little wing paws to her chest and does a little dance\n\n\\\u003e\"Oooh! Those are good, can I have more?!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou gesture to the bunch of bananas sitting on your kitchen counter\n\n\\\u003e\"You can have as many as you like Mabel. Just remember there are other fruits here for you too\"\n\n\\\u003eYou spend a bit more time showering her the more vanilla fruits\n\n\\\u003eShe loves em all, though the oranges and lemons cause her to scowl\n\n\\\u003eIt's adorable with how aggressive she is to fight through the pain from a large orange stuck in her teeth\n\n\\\u003eWhen you pull out the others, some of which you've never had or heard of before, it's just as much an experience for you as it was for her\n\n\\\u003eMango, blueberries, dragon fruit, and starfruit to name a few\n\n\\\u003eShe loves those just as well\n\n\\\u003eEach fruit was potential new food for her to try, and she attacked every one of them just as much as she did to the bananas\n\n\\\u003eWhen you thought about it, the only fruit she ate was scavenged berries and applies from 'the bush monster's tree\n\n\\\u003eAnd wherever else those were native\n\n\\\u003eYou distinctly remember an apple tree in front of the overly paranoid rake salesman's house\n\n\\\u003eYou mull over these thoughts and more but are brought back to reality by a very loud burp\n\n\\\u003eBlinking and looking over your shoulder, you find a very empty plate beside a very sticky bat\n\n\\\u003eAn incredibly satisfied one at that\n\n\\\u003e\"Wow! You uh, like those Mabel?\"\n\n\\\u003eShe gave a nod and a small wheeze while she leaned against the counter\n\n\\\u003eIt took a bit of effort to wrangle her to the sink at the sound of running water, but a quick wipe down of her muzzle, snout, or whatever and she was back to walking around\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eAs much as you want too, you can't really survive entirely off of plant flesh\n\n\\\u003eSo currently your mixing together some ground beef with taco seasoning and cheese\n\n\\\u003eNothing wrong with a few homemade quesadillas\n\n\\\u003eMabel has a disturbing ability to put away food\n\n\\\u003eEven after all that, she's happily munching on a piece of watermelon and casually looking around your sides\n\n\\\u003eYou'd offer some, but, well\n\n\\\u003eWould she even like it?\n\n\\\u003eHer general disinterest with it after you stopped making noises gave you a resounding no\n\n\\\u003eShe goes off and does whatever bats do in a house, and you continue to beat the meat into an edible form\n\n\\\u003eWith a few dillas in hand you make your way to the couch, and it wasn't long before Mabel joined in as well\n\n\\\u003eYou put your plate down on the small table and you dig for the remote\n\n\\\u003eThinking your sentient sofa having eaten it again, your arm travels behind cushions and under fluffy pillows\n\n\\\u003eYou hear a loud squeak after you brush against a softer than normal one\n\n\\\u003eSilly you, bats can't be pillows\n\n\\\u003e...You pretend that didn't happen and decide to check to your left\n\n\\\u003eIt's next to you\n\n\\\u003eNice\n\n\\\u003eGrabbing it with a little more flare than usual, you turn on the TV\n\n\\\u003eThe sudden click and noise causes Mabel to jump\n\n\\\u003eAnd body slam you with her fuzzy softness\n\n\\\u003eYou barely know her, with it not even being a day\n\n\\\u003eIt's a confusing mixture of warmth and ice that she already thinks of you as her guardian\n\n\\\u003eStill, a sad bat is a terrible crime\n\n\\\u003e\"It's ok, it's just the TV,\" you say, and with one hand your petting the fluff while your other quickly mutes the box\n\n\\\u003eShe's hiding her face in your shoulder, shivering nervously and not making a sound\n\n\\\u003e\"Really, it's fine\"\n\n\\\u003eYou somehow manage both Netflix and Mabel, and your choice for the night is Spirited Away\n\n\\\u003eIt starts to play with the sound very low, and with your other hand now free you can fully give safety pats\n\n\\\u003eSoon she starts to watch carefully over her shoulder, but another loud noise wraps her wings around you too\n\n\\\u003eYou don't mind this new leathery prison\n\n\\\u003eYou just don't want to get hanged for it though\n\n\\\u003eWith a little more low words of encouragement Mabel once again looks back to the screen\n\n\\\u003eThe little human girl Chihiro is quietly walking alone in a vast golden field, and once again to whats new Mabel is slowly captivated\n\n\\\u003e\"What is it all?\" she finally asks\n\n\\\u003e\"It's a made up story, animated and turned into a movie\"\n\n\\\u003eShe looks back to you, with her everything clinging to your chilled out sitting form\n\n\\\u003eShe raises an eyebrow\n\n\\\u003e\"What is animated?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou raise your own\n\n\\\u003eThen both at the same time\n\n\\\u003eAnd after that you mentally facepalm\n\n\\\u003eShe's never been exposed to this kind of stuff\n\n\\\u003e\"Think of a drawing, something you can dig in the dirt or on paper, and then a lot more of the same picture,\" you begin\n\n\\\u003eShe turns her head back to the screen while you do\n\n\\\u003e\"When you look at the next drawing, it's slightly different than the first. When you put them all together and show them in order, you get what is called animation\"\n\n\\\u003eYou see her reel back a bit when the girl falls into the water\n\n\\\u003e\"What?\" she's now twice as confused\n\n\\\u003eOk, time for a bit of improvization\n\n\\\u003eIt takes some effort, and some strategic fingers near the base of her wings, but you finally manage to remove her death hug and you grab a stack of post-it notes\n\n\\\u003eYou spend the night drawing a man constantly walking into a rake, explaining it as you talk about television and the like\n\n\\\u003eThe movie has long since ended by the time you were done, with Mabel half asleep with her head on your lap\n\n\\\u003eIt's late, really late, and the both of you feel it\n\n\\\u003eYou're sure she passed out once or twice during the slow parts, but always came back with a shriek at loud sounds\n\n\\\u003eTossing the pad to the side you give a yawn and a stretch, with Mabel doing the same\n\n\\\u003eShe's still on the couch while you take care of your business, and soon you trudge back out to the living room\n\n\\\u003e\"C'mon Mabel, let's go to sleep\"\n\n\\\u003eFollowing close behind you, you lead her to your apartment's singular bedroom\n\n\\\u003eYou're pretty tired, and without thinking you get down into your boxers while you stand next to your bed\n\n\\\u003eShe's hesitant again\n\n\\\u003eYou've possibly fucked up again\n\n\\\u003e\"Hey, no, Mabel - it's not like that,\" you slowly slide your jeans back on\n\n\\\u003eShe hasn't moved from the doorway\n\n\\\u003e\"I won't force you Mabel,\" you say, sitting on the side of the bed\n\n\\\u003e\"I just can't protect you from the...oh\"\n\n\\\u003eHer wings are wrapped around you\n\n\\\u003eThis...\n\n\\\u003eIt doesn't take you long to figure it out\n\n\\\u003eThat's what Raider meant when he talked about conditioning\n\n\\\u003eYou numbly guide her under the covers, with you yourself sliding in next to her\n\n\\\u003eThe moment youre under the covers she snuggles a bit closer\n\n\\\u003eThey aren't much, but you wrap your arms around her, pulling her close\n\n\\\u003eShe doesn't settle down, still giving a nervous fidget here or there\n\n\\\u003e\"Don't worry Mabel, nothing will ever hurt you again,\" you whisper\n\n\\\u003eShe gives a soft sigh, though of what you aren't sure\n\n\\\u003eBut you mean every word that you said\n\n\\\u003eYou solidify the promise with another fierce hug, and soon you both fall asleep\n  \n  \n\n"}