Short stories

Flinch

The door to the couple's shared apartment slammed open harshly. Heel  clad feet followed after, pounding their way through the doorframe.

A white coat was thrown in the general direction of the coat rack and two golden heels were tosses soon after, narrowly missing the door.

"Ushi we've talked about this!" The fox girl exclaimed while practically ripping out her earring, not caring if she clipped her ears. "You can't talk to my parents like that if you want them to accept us being together!"

Earlier the two had gone to dinner with her parents which took weeks to convince them to agree to. The dinner was going well until her parents started making sly comments that angered her partner to no end. Needless to say, her parents did not approve her partner one bit.

And Alicia was furious about the set back.

Her bushy tail looked twice it's normal size due to her raging emotions and it barely fit through the small door that led into their shared bedroom. "We were doing so well and now it's like we have to start back from square one!"

Another woman walked into the apartment and kicked off her dress shoes, snorting angrily to herself. "Well what did you want me to do?!" She raged back, tearing off the blazer she was wearing. "I wasn't just going to sit back and let them insult you like that!"

The purple haired girl pushed her way passed the closed door. To look at the beauty she called her girlfriend who, at the moment, was pulling her hair out of the tight bun she put it in and was scrubbing off her makeup.

Once finished, she turned back and glared at Ushi, fiery rage built up behind her glimmering golden eyes. "I wanted you to bite your tongue! They've always been like that! If I'm willing to put up with their insults about how much of a failure I am to preserve our relationship than I will! I expected for you to do the same!"

Ushi had a hard glare of her own and she was slowly loosening her tie. "I don't care who they think they are! No one has the right to talk to you like that!"

Alicia threw her hands up, growing more indignant at the response. "Do you hear yourself right now?!" She screeched before stomping over to the dresser and pulling out some comfortable clothes to wear for bed. "You're willing to risk our whole damned relationship just because those two don't have any filter?!"

The redhead turned around, but the anger in her eyes quickly morphed into fear at what she saw.

Ushi had gone red in the face and she zipped over to Alicia as fast as she could.

Panic gripped at her heart and her mind went to a different, much darker place.

Her body reacted immediately.

Feet wheeled backwards until her back was slammed up against the dresser.

Shoulders tensed up.

Ears pinned back tightly against her head.

Arms flailing upwards to cover her face.

Eyes squeeze shut.

Her whole body was ready for impact.

Ushi immediately froze and her angered expression melted into one of hurt and confusion.

All anger was forgotten and was immediately replaced with worry.

"Alicia,"

No reply.

Only the sound of the redhead's labored breathing could be heard.

Ushi took slow steps forward, wanting to do nothing more than envelop the smaller girl into a hug, but was scared she might break her.

She looked so fragile.

Alicia took a moment before slowly opening her eyes, scanning around the room. Her shoulders lowering enough to give Ushi a green light.

The orange eyed female slowly wrapped her arms around the shaken up fox and held her close, the two slowly sinking down to the floor.

"Babe... you... you didn't think I was going to hit you... did you?"

Silence wasn't the response Ushi was looking for.

She gently pressed Alicia's head to her chest and rested her own on top of hers, being careful to avoid her ears.

She felt small hands gripping onto her dress shirt and liquid seeping through the thin material, but she didn't acknowledge it, too worried about the Fox girl who was clinging onto her for dear life.

"Alicia," She said softly, gently cupping the girl's freckled cheek. She leaned in to rest her forehead against hers and her orange eyes connected with Alicia's watery ones.

"Did someone hurt you...? Before I met you?"

The pearly white fangs that pierced her glossy pink lower lip was answer enough.

Everything started to make sense.

Why Alicia always panicked if she didn't wear something she liked.

Why she always told her where she was going at all times and when she would be back and profusely apologize if late.

Why she flinched away from her when she approached her aggressively.

Ushi felt like a fist was clamped tightly around her heart, squeezing it tighter and tighter, hoping for it to explode into a bloody mess of pain and tears.

The hand that was cupping Alicia's cheek slowly traced over each freckle as if connecting them together.

"I would never hurt you like that," she whispered. "I love you too much. You mean too much to me."

Ushi's heart swelled with joy when Alicia's fluffy tail slowly circled around the two, trapping the two of them in their embrace.

There was a hiccup before her reply.

"I... I love you t-too, Ushi."