Hearthway Hollow

Kanni

Male Monster Reader x Female Human

I haven't seen my brother, Rudi, in a few years, since he took himself and his dream of candy-making to America. When we were kids, Rudi used to tell me strange stories about the town her grew up in- Hearthway Hollow. It was a sanctuary for people like us, where we could live peacefully with no worries of attack, being hunted, or suddenly having to leave. It had always been our dream to go there one day and live our lives, but dreams change.

Rudi went to culinary school, where he honed all the gifts our moms had taught him. Meanwhile, I was content to roam. I traveled a lot, settled in a lot of places, shared many beds, and enjoyed myself. I was young, and I didn't have any real goals. Without Rudi around to whip me into shape, my moms just kind of spoiled me. Being the baby, I got away with a lot of things I shouldn't have. I started earning money on the side, styling hair for the little old ladies who lived in our community. I had always done my moms' hair; both of them had different tastes, but they always let me play with it. Before I knew it, I basically had a business. It wasn't until Rudi got home from his studies he insisted that I go to cosmetology school.

From there, things just took off for me. Once I graduated and started to work in salons, I began to get noticed. Word of mouth took me a long way, and so did sharing a few more beds, but eventually, I worked my way up to having my own salon in Austria. I was so busy, I barely ever had time to look at my phone. I lost touch with my family for the longest time, and I never even realized Rudi had moved to America until I got the wedding invitation in the mail. It was a massive surprise, coming from Rudi. He had never had so much as a girlfriend our whole lives. He told me he was aesexual when we were teens, so I didn't think I'd ever have to worry about weddings with him. I was happy to see I was very wrong.

Anyway, I hopped on a plane right away. I missed him so much that I wasn't about to miss my brother's wedding for anything! I arrived in Hearthway Hollow early in the morning, in a rental car that was dropped off at the airport for me. I didn't know much about North Carolina; only that pulled pork sandwiches were a thing.

I heard about Hearthway Hollow so much as a kid that I always assumed it was this strange little fairy tale fantasy. Now that I'm here, it looks the part, with brick buildings in the downtown, cobblestone streets in the massive park, and strange little houses dotting the landscape.

Eventually, I find myself at my brother's candy shop. It is a cute little place, and already I can smell the confectionary sweetness seeping out onto the street. There are cute kids running around with massive lollipops, and sharing giant bags of gummy wolves. There is even the archetypal couple giggling and sharing a hot chocolate on a bench out front.

As I walk inside, business is booming, and it is easy to see why. Rudi had always been gifted; he's been baking he was six and went to some of the best culinary schools in the world. As I walk up to the counter, I see that the girl behind it is busy wrapping a solid chocolate wolf. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail. I can see that the ends need trimming, at the very least, and if she cut it into a bob, she would look cuter than a kitten.

She notices me and smiles. "I'm sorry! I'll help you in just a moment."

"Oh, no worries," I murmur as I gaze into the display case at the counter. Inside, I see something that instantly brings back to my childhood - a gingerbread house, but not just any gingerbread house. It's the house I shared with Rudi when we were kids, with two moms and everything.

"Hi!" The girl beams as she turns her full attention to me. "Sorry about the wait, how can I help you?"

I look up from the gingerbread house in shock.