Wings of a Feather

Chapter 11

The next day, the only thing that had Riley waking up and leaving the comfort of his bed was the prospect of getting to dress up Heather for school.

He dashed through the woods, his feet eagerly moving with inhuman speed- and he was too excited to bother being careful. His tail was loose, swinging behind him as he joyfully bounded and weaved between trees, and his ears were perked and alert. Just for the morning, he decided to put his worry on pause and just be free.

It wasn't that he particularly liked girl clothing. His mate may be a dude- which technically meant that he was gay- but that didn't mean he was a girl. He felt exactly the same as he did before he met Tristan, aside from the annoying butterflies in his stomach that seemed to show up whenever he so much as thought about his mate.

Rather than being excited about the clothes themselves, he was much more happy for Heather herself. 

Because of her species and the way she grew up, it was highly probable that she never really got the chance to dress up and really be feminine. The affection Riley felt towards her was similar to that of a parent watching their child grow up. Heather more than deserved to have a semi-normal life, even if it's just for a little bit. Anything other than constantly living in fear of being killed, just barely getting by with whatever she could get her hands on. 

So the idea of Heather being able to dress like an average teenager, go to school, and- who knows- maybe even make a few friends, was something Riley would do anything to secure for her.

She was a teenage girl, after all.

He didn't bother with knocking as he slammed into Heather's rickety old house, barely slowing as he hurried to where he knew Heather's bedroom was.

Well, it was where she slept anyways. Riley refused to even call it a bedroom. 

It pretty much consisted of a mattress on the floor. Riley had gotten her some sheets and a pillow, (knowing she wouldn't bother getting them herself), but other than that room was completely bare, aside from the wonderful clumps of dust and cobwebs. Riley had hung up all of the clothes he had bought the hybrid girl in her 'closet'. (When he had first discovered it, it had been even filthier than the sleeping room.) 

Heather was still sound asleep. Of course. Riley rolled his eyes. She would be the one who insisted on attending high school, yet overslept on her very first day.

Not wasting any time, he leaped on top of the lump hidden under the sheets. "Heatherrrrr!" He sang loudly. "Time for schoooool!"

Heather groaned, and an arm flashed out of the blankets to whack him in the face.

"Ouch!" Riley yelped, recoiling out of her reach and rubbing at the new red mark on the side of his neck. "Watch where you sling that thing!" He paused. "Wait, I take it back. That sounded way dirtier than I had imagined."

She snorted under the covers, before turning to face away from her friend. 

"Oh no you don't!" Riley jumped to snatch away her blanket, to which she covered her eyes from the sudden brightness and hissed crossly. "What are you, a vampire? Hurry up and get ready! We're going to be late for school!"

Groaning and rubbing her eyes, Heather begrudgingly sat up. "There are vampires too?" It wasn't impossible. After all, Heather hadn't believed that werewolves existed before last week.

Riley rolled his eyes. "No, vampires are just myths. The only supernatural creatures around today are hybrids."

"Good to know." Heather muttered, still adjusting to the brightness of the morning light sneaking in through her window. She leisurely stretched her arms, letting out a loud yawn.