Swallow Your Affection

L'Mind Ouch

It's been a few hours since everyone left the house.

Since you hugged Techno and sent him on his way.

Since you awkwardly stood in front of a personal conversation.

Everyone was gone.

Ranboo, Techno and Tommy, all traipsing off to who knows where, while you were perfectly content to keep watch of the fire. It was a long day, and you calmed yourself by doing the menial task of chopping wood, and adding it to the fire.

However, after being away from... home... for so long, your mind eventually drifts to the sub task you always did to keep yourself occupied. Which has you standing from your warm spot in excitement.

How could you forget??

You begin moving around, gathering hats and gloves, putting on the cloak. Your cloak.

The one Techno gave you, and made with care you doubt he'd ever say aloud.

You have a mission.

A very important mission to complete today.

You've been away from... home for a good while- and today you haven't had time to do the thing you always did while you were here.

Harass Carl.

With that notion, you start rummaging through the chest to search for a spare golden carrot.

Which isn't hard to find. You dig around, you find a massive amount of them, you grab three of them, and then you head for the door.

When you step outside, it's just as blistering cold as it always is, wind and snow alike pushing against your figure. Thankfully it's not actually snowing. Merely wind pushing up loose snow and blowing it elsewhere.

The stairs are slippery, but you manage, pausing to look at your hands- three gold carrots in one, the other empty.

Heat was seeping off of you by the second.

Now you remember one of the reasons why you despised it out here.

Focus.

Your mission.

Trotting out into the open, you begin looking around the area for Carl, who you spot in the middle of the yard.

He was a good 20 feet from the house?

Give or take-

Doing what horses do, which in this case was digging at the snow and snorting hot breath as he played.

Funny guy.

Playing with snow.

You started your way towards him, making a soft clicking noise to let him know you were approaching.

His ears flick up in alarm, head turning to you, and a nervous neigh jittering from him.

You pause.

You're only halfway there.

But you still hold your hand out, armed with a golden carrot and a dream-

He snorts. Familiar with this. You've done it before.

You do it a lot.

So when he anxiously begins his trot over to you- hooves dull against the snow, tail partially flagging in alarm- you stand completely still.

"Hey bud-" you softly say, "Got your favorite treat-"

He huffs, inching closer and closer, nose finally hovering at your hand to inquisitively puff at the carrot you're holding out.