NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51: What Makes a House a Home
Aoife
It was late in the morning, and I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept a wink last night, and the reasons weren’t fun. After Willow shrank back down to her normal size, she dozed off in minutes, meanwhile I was left feeling restless and strange. Something was missing, and it wasn’t just the cocky minotaur I’d grown so used to cuddling up to in bed. There was an itch, a little feeling in the back of my mind that something wasn’t quite right, and it had gotten stronger with each night that passed.
Last night, without Erica’s steady presence, that absence struck me in force. I needed… something. I couldn’t say what, but it had to happen. Something had to change. Nothing did though, so I woke in the morning to find I’d only managed to sleep for an hour at most.
Willow picked up on my exhaustion fairly quickly, of course, and decided to place me under house arrest until I could actually be trusted to keep my eyes open.That meant that when she disappeared to go maintain the garden, I was stuck alone in the house with nothing to do.
I felt like I was going to pass out on my feet, but I also found myself painfully unable to actually do so. I tried reading for a bit, but I couldn’t focus on the words. I tried sleeping too, but that didn’t work any better than it had last night. With no other recourse, I instead set about trying to figure out what I was missing.
I started by going off what I knew. First was the obvious, it felt like something was missing, and until that thing was found, I wouldn’t be able to rest. Second, this sensation was new. I’d never felt like this before we moved in here, and I’d certainly never felt this before becoming a dragon, so logically, it must have to do with one of those things. Third was that I was alone in experiencing this. Willow had slept fine last night, and Erica had never had any issues either. At least, not that she’d told me, and if that was the case, then the odds of it being the house were slim.
What on earth was missing?
My draconic instincts were clearly craving something, but I had no idea what it could possibly be.
My mind began to wander as I puzzled through possible explanations, and I began to pace on autopilot through the house. At some point, I’d started chewing on some mystery monster jerky, staggering through the halls like a zombie.
There had to be some kind of key lore that I was missing, some little piece of dragon trivia that would explain all of this, but I couldn’t put my finger on what. Had I gone too long without kidnapping any princesses? I laughed idly at the thought, snatching a blanket off the sofa and wrapping it around my shoulders.
Dragons usually hoarded gold and stuff, but I didn’t think that could be it either. Call me crazy, but I actually found the color gold to be deeply unsettling. Why that was? Who could say? No. Gold definitely wouldn’t help me sleep.
I was in front of the open closet now, running my hand across the nice clothes within, blanket still over my shoulder. Whoever had lived here before the acid trip had clearly been quite well off. There was a gorgeous tailored suit made of some delectably soft material. WIthout thinking, I yanked it off its hanger and threw it on the bed.
Wait.
Something about what I did just there felt so very, deeply right. I started digging through the closet more earnestly, questing hands eventually finding a dress made from a similarly silky fabric. I tossed it onto the bed too, and that feeling of rightness swelled even further. I’d found what was missing.
With a frantic, almost manic urgency, I started searching for more and more soft and cozy fabrics, throwing two dresses and a half dozen shirts onto the bed. Everything else was too rough though, they wouldn’t make things better, they wouldn't fill the gap in my soul. Before I could begin to despair, however, I remembered there were two other beds in this house.
I dashed out into the hallway, crashing into the nearest other bedroom, stripping it of sheets, blankets, and pillows with wild abandon. The bundles of soft and squishy fluff were all unceremoniously chucked into our bedroom, and the remaining bed quickly shared the same fate. In the end, I was left with a veritable mountain of the softest, coziest things in the house, one that I quickly burrowed into.
Oh hell yes. This was what I needed. In the back of my mind, I dimly recalled that Alex’s hoard hadn’t been gold at all. He’d hoarded spices, and if what I was doing now was any indication, I had a craving that only soft, silky, smooth, and squishy fabrics could satisfy. This little dragon needed to get her some fluff, and now she finally had it. A low, hissing purr rumbled out from my throat as I plummeted quickly into the depths of sleep.
I hoped Willow wouldn’t be mad at me…
Willow
The consequences of Aoife’s confinement were a sight to behold. I’d gone to care for the garden, only intending on leaving for a half hour or so, but by the time I’d returned, the house had been completely turned on its head. It looked like a tornado had whipped through the space, picking up every blanket, towel, cloth, or article of clothing and throwing them in every direction.
What the hell happened?
I followed the trail of destruction, my concern growing with each moment that passed. Where was Aoife? Had something happened to her? She’d mentioned that something hadn’t felt right before. Was this the consequence of leaving it unaddressed? Eventually, my investigation took me to our bedroom, where the carnage reached its peak.
A massive pile of sheets, blankets, dresses, and even a few scattered bits of Erica and I’s laundry were piled up on top of our bed. Aoife was buried deep beneath them all, with only her head peeking out from underneath. Her eyes were closed, and she was hissing and purring contentedly. Quietly, I flew over to the bed, gently running my hands through her hair.
“Aoife.” I whispered soothingly to her, “Baby I need you to wake up for a second please.”
“Mrmf.” The mound of fabrics shifted slightly as Aoife curled in on herself.
“Come on, Aoife. Just for a second, ok?”
“Wha-?” Blearily, she cracked her eyes open and looked at me, a soft smile blossoming on her face as she did. “Hi preddy Willow…”
I smiled right back, chuckling under my breath. Gods she was adorable.
“Hi there, pretty Aoife.” I gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “You wanna tell me what happened while I was gone?”
“I figured it out.” Her smile grew wider, even as her eyes began to flicker closed once again. “This place feels like home now, so it needs to have a little nest or somethin’. A nest makes cute lil’ dragons feel all cozy n’ stuff.”
Aaaaaaand she was out again. Fuck, I loved this woman… we’d have to talk about making these nesting habits a little less destructive later.
Gods she was so cute right now though.
