Warning: physical (domestic I think?)/verbal abuse, emotional manipulation, threats of abandonment, victim blaming
It was a little awkward being in the same space as Splendid again.
Splendont explored his home. It was very spacious. A two-story house with a large acre of land to keep a decent space away from neighbors scattered around. There were four large bedrooms with four bathrooms, a big kitchen and dining room, a big office downstairs, a living room that could house a nuclear family, and a basement. Splendont wanted to know why he had all of this room, but he was too much of a coward to ask.
They danced around each other for days as he occupied the second biggest room in Splendid's home. It was really clean. Neat. Devoid of warmth, like Splendid really didn't spend too much time here.
"Are you hungry?"
"I could eat."
He walked to the dining room and sat down. He glanced over to see Splendid going into the kitchen, pulling out different foods and items. Away from him, Splendont could see how much more relaxed Splendid was when they had space between them.
Splendont held back the sigh in his throat, not wanting to ruffle any of Splendid's feathers. Splendid used to cook for them while they bounced from place to place. His brother was a shitty cook. Splendont swallowed the bile in his throat at the reminder of his "poison food."
He would eat whatever Splendid made though. If swallowing down whatever abomination he made would make Splendid happy, he would suck it up. He could tell his brother was uncomfortable being around him. After everything that happened, he hated that he couldn't say he was surprised about this. Even though Splendid had invited him to stay, he literally kept a ten foot distance between them and hardly looked at him. They weren't able to talk to each other in the slightest except for awkward small talk when Splendid left for his civilian job.
(It didn't help the ache in his chest at the reminder that this was what he deserved for what he had done.
He wanted to forget it ever happened in the first place.)
It was the first time Splendid offered to make him something since he's been crashing here, so he would swallow the food and his pride down. If it meant they could eat together like they used to, he would do anything to show Splendid he was trying to be sensitive and understanding like his brother always wanted him to be.
Splendont pulled out his phone and scrolled through his new social media accounts to occupy his time while Splendid busied himself in the kitchen. He changed his number and threw away his old phone a day or so after he got to town. Someone had been blowing up his phone.
(It was him. Splendont didn't think he'd be so frantic to reach him. They weren't that close.
Were they close?)
He was so lost stalking some of the idiots he had deals with that when the smell of roasted chicken hit his nose, Splendont blinked and turned his head, curious as something let out a pleasant jingle. Splendid came out, going back and forth to set out dishes that looked like they were from a five-star restaurant.
Splendont's tail twitched rapidly as he set his phone down to look at what Splendid had brought out, "There's no way you made this that fast."
Splendid set a glass of water beside him before taking a seat across from him, a nervous smile on his face, "Ah, I had been marinating the chicken since yesterday actually. It's a small chicken anyways, so it didn't take that long to bake. Um, help yourself."
Splendont hummed at this, "You cut it for me then."
He grabbed his plate and held it out towards Splendid, looking at him expectantly. Splendid blinked at this, hesitating before nodding and cutting up the chicken. He split it in half, setting it on his plate. Without asking him to, Splendid piled up the baked vegetables, mashed potatoes, and set a fluffy bun on top of the potatoes, just out of reach of the juice that came from the chicken.
While he had bad experiences with Splendid's cooking before, this was leagues more appetizing than what he had ever seen presented to him by his brother. The moment he shoved a piece of the chicken in his mouth, he let out a groan.
"Damn! This is really good!"
He didn't notice the surprised expression on Splendid's face as he chowed down.
Splendont shook his head, frowning as he stared at Zappy's contact on his phone. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a migraine coming on. The memories he locked up throughout the years were coming back like little drops of dew running down the leaves of a tree. They came at random and left him feeling uncomfortable.
He hadn't gone to see Lifty again since he dropped him off. He was feeling antsy. Splendid still wasn't home, he'd be gone until tomorrow. At least that's how long he said they'd be gone. Splendont sighed and glanced at his phone again.
Lifty's face from yesterday kept him up all night. He didn't like his expression. He didn't like those tears running down his face. The way he spoke about himself also didn't sit right with him. Sure, he's sat and sort of listened to people degrade themselves and shout into the void about how they're "so pathetic" and "disappointed with their lives," but he'd never cared about another person like Lifty before.
(Oh, he was sad. He always cried when he thought Splendont wasn't around. He wanted to comfort him.
He really didn't know how.)
He clicked on Zappy's contact and sat down, rubbing his neck more. He couldn't talk to Foxy considering he was low contact at the moment. Part of him did feel bad, but she was still being weird.
(Just like him.)
"Hello?"
Splendont frowned, shooting Zappy a look, "What are you doing right now?"
Zappy looked like he was doing an intense skin-care routine, he smiled briefly at Splendont, "I have a day off today. Doing some self-care."
Splendont tilted his head at this, "Uh huh..."
"Did you need something?" He asked, grabbing his phone to sit down. "You haven't called since the "Ken" stalking."
"I've been busy." He stated simply, rubbing his neck.
Zappy was a licensed therapist. While he didn't want to lay on a couch and tell him all about how his parents didn't love him or something, Zappy was great for unbiased advice. He wasn't about to unload on him, of course. Just a few clever worded questions to figure out how to deal with the mess he made.
I don't want to make Lifty cry like that again.
"You look like you have something on your mind." Zappy said, making Splendont sigh.
He hesitated for a moment, swallowing the venom itching to be spat out, "... I need some advice."
______________
Shifty hadn't been home when Splendont had dropped him off. It was probably for the best he hadn't stayed for a while after. Things had been raw for him yesterday. While he was glad they were still boyfriends, he was still hurt by the things Splendont had said.
He charged his phone and called Nutty.
"Lifty! You remembered my number." Nutty sounded like he was winded. "Are you okay? I've been trying to call Cuddles or someone to get in contact with your brother, but he wasn't answering, and no one knows Shifty's number."
Lifty flinched away from the speaker, "No, no. I'm okay! Really!"
Nutty made a noise, "You don't have to lie for that jerk! I'm going to go find Splendid and tell him to keep his psycho brother under control—!"
"Nutty, listen to me!" He shouted, shaking his fist. "Listen, please."
Nutty seemed to stop, panting in the speaker, making a soft sound, "Lifty, I'm worried about you..."
Lifty smiled at that, willing his heart to calm down, "Come to our apartment. I'll tell you everything."
Nutty found his way to the apartment. They stayed up late into the night, chatting about everything that had happened. They ended up passing out on the couch together after all of the excitement they had been through.
"Get up!"
Lifty flinched, shooting up in fright at his brother's shout. He felt Nutty's tail smack him in the face, making him shout as well. He blinked out the sleep in his eyes to see his brother glaring at Nutty, who was sitting up groggily.
"Come on, five more minutes!" Nutty whined, rubbing his eyes.
Shifty didn't hesitate to grab him by his ponytail and yank him off the couch, dragging Lifty off as well since their legs were tangled, "Get out!"
Lifty yelped, looking up when his brain finally caught up. Shifty looked mad. He was also up and walking, he looked fine now considering yesterday he was sore and weak. He wondered where his brother had went when he came back home last night.
"Shifty—?"
"Quiet." His brother hissed, kicking at Nutty to get the other up faster. "I'll deal with you in a minute."
Lifty tensed then. Shifty always said that when he was mad at him. Lifty shook his fists slightly as Nutty turned to look at him.
"Hey, it's not a big deal. Relax. We didn't do anything—!" Nutty ducked when Shifty swung his arm at him. "Hey! Watch it!"
"Get out! Get out now before I put a bullet in your fucking head!"
Lifty jumped up, even though every part of him screamed to stay out of his brother's way. He rushed over, grabbing onto Shifty as he began to swing at Nutty in an attempt to punch him. Nutty yelped, scrambling to grab his things and leave before the situation got worse.
"Lifty, let go!"
Lifty looked up in time to make eye contact with Nutty, who looked on at him with worry, "I'll see you later, Nutty!"
Nutty frowned at this, ducking again when Shifty managed to grab Lifty's phone and chucked it hard enough to dent the wall. Nutty ran out quickly, slamming the door closed behind him. Lifty relaxed slightly only to tense back up when Shifty turned on him. He let out a cry as his brother brought his fist down hard on his head. He let go of Shifty, reaching up to cover his head as the pain set in. He blinked away tears as his brother glared at him.
"I told you to never speak to that freak again, didn't I?" He growled, getting into Lifty's space as he backed up. "Why were you with him?"
Lifty stumbled back into the couch, falling onto his butt as Shifty shoved at him. He hesitated to speak. He didn't want Shifty to be mad at him.
"W-we ran into each other while I was out yesterday." He muttered softly, his hands shaking, going up and down.
"And?" Shifty shouted, his tail puffing out behind him. "I told you the rules! I gave you specific orders to follow and you disobeyed me!"
Lifty felt tears gather in his eyes as Shifty poked his head roughly, "H-he's my friend—!"
Shifty slapped him. He yelped, blinking rapidly. His ears were ringing as Shifty shouted at him, but he couldn't hear his words. It was too much. Why was Shifty acting like this again? He thought things were going to be better here. He thought things could be different now.
A sudden chime brought him back from where he was on the ground now. Shifty was sitting on him. He doesn't remember how they ended up like this. Shifty was panting softly above him, glancing to the side where his own phone had been abandoned. Lifty hiccuped softly, bringing his arms down, wincing at the pain in his muscles.
"Huh..." Shifty brought a hand to his face, shaking his head before looking back at Lifty. "... huh..."
Lifty flinched when he reached out. His touch was gentle then as he grabbed Lifty's face. Lifty blinked out the tears in his eyes, his ears were ringing. He shook his fists at Shifty as his brother moved off of him, pulling him off of the ground. Lifty shied away when he got close, but he relaxed almost immediately when Shifty pulled him into an embrace.
"Ah, I didn't mean to do that, Lifty." His brother pet his head, moving back to grab his arm. "I don't know what came over me."
Just like Splendont.
Lifty winced as Shifty pressed his thumb into his forearm, pressing against a bruise that was already forming, "You made me do this."
Lifty flinched back, looking at Shifty, "Huh?"
Shifty gripped his arm tightly, making him whimper and push away as much as he could, "You made me do this. You made me angry. You made me hurt you."
Lifty stared at his brother, just barely looking into his emotionless eyes. Shifty always blamed him for things like this. He always agreed when Shifty did things like this. Being kind to him one moment and then cruel the next. It made his heart hurt. It made him feel worse because no matter what, he knew he deserved this.
"I-I'm sorry..." He whimpered softly, wincing in pain when Shifty tightened his grip. "I di-didn't mean to..."
"It's not fine. That isn't fine. You shouldn't be okay with me or your brother yelling at you like that."
Splendont's words echoed in his head. That was the first time someone had told him how Shifty treats him is wrong. He wanted to believe that he wasn't in the wrong. He wanted to agree with Splendont that the way Shifty gets, the way he hurts and blames him wasn't right. He had messed up big though, putting them in debt. So, he deserved it, at least from Shifty. His brother had a reason to be angry with him.
"Don't do that again then. Do not contact that idiot again. Do you understand?" Shifty said calmly, carefully petting his arm, as if it would stop the stinging pain in his arm. "I don't ever want to see you with that moron again."
Lifty clamped his mouth shut for a moment and nodded, "O-okay."
Another chime made his brother sigh before getting up, abandoning Lifty there to go grab his phone. He wiped his eyes quickly. His whole body was shaking from the pain in his arms as he struggled to recall what happened moments before. Shifty had beat him. Lifty had protected his face with his arms. He looked at the backs of his arms, seeing them red and beginning to bruise.
It hurts. Everything hurts.
He looked back over at Shifty, who was furiously typing on his phone. He accepted the punishment. He didn't understand Shifty's anger or reasoning for hating Nutty. He wanted Shifty to comfort him. He did it every now and then when he wasn't drunk after a punishment. What was more important than him this time? Why did Shifty always act like nothing had happened when he was like this?
"Fucking asshole!" Lifty flinched, bringing his hands up to cover his ears when Shifty threw his phone across the room. "Self-centered prick!"
Lifty trembled in place, glancing over at his brother. Shifty was running his hands through his hair, breathing hard, and muttering darkly to himself. Lifty didn't like that. His brother's mood was going back to how it used to be in their old apartment.
Unpredictable and violent.
"We need to find a new place to stay now."
Lifty looked up towards him, "What?"
"Dammit, Lifty!" Shifty shouted, making him wince again. "That drug-addicted freak knows where we're staying! Now we have to leave so he doesn't try to hang around!"
Lifty covered his head at that, trembling when Shifty got close. Shifty scoffed at him before walking to their room.
"Help me pack. Now."
Lifty got up on unsteady feet, following after his brother, "Nu-Nutty's not a bad person..."
Shifty turned then, shoving him so hard he fell back onto the ground, hitting his head, "I don't like him! He's a drug user! A fucking snob!"
Lifty sat up, rubbing the back of his head and holding back sobs, "Wh-what do you mean? Nutty— he's never..."
Shifty glared at him before he calmed down, the tension in his body relaxing to the point Lifty thought he would fall over. Shifty took a deep breath before sighing and turning away from him. Instead of saying something, he went into their room.
Lifty slowly got up, wincing at the pain he was in, "Shifty?"
Shifty didn't answer him, only went to the closet and began to dig around. Lifty stood there, reaching for his scarf only to make a distressed noise when it wasn't there. He had taken it off before he went to sleep last night. Shifty's phone let out another ding. Lifty wondered who was trying to contact his brother so much this early in the morning. As he went to turn around to go grab his scarf, he felt something hit the side of his head.
"Owch!"
"Shut up!"
Lifty ducked when another shoe was thrown at him. He stared at Shifty, wide eyed as his tail puffed out in alarm. Shifty was glaring at him again.
"If you're just going to stand there like a useless piece of shit, get out!" He growled. "Go somewhere that's not fucking here!"
Lifty felt his lip quivering, "But—!"
Shifty grabbed the box he had left in the closet, the one with all the pictures and little mementos from the big box Splendont had gotten back for him. Lifty scrambled to run off, but slipped on his feet. He opted to curl up and cover his head when Shifty lifted the box over his head ready to throw it at him.
He waited for something to hit him, but nothing ever did. He shook his fists, ears ringing as he looked back up towards Shifty. His brother was staring at the box. He recognized the expression on his brother's face to be confused. Lifty hit the side of his head a few times, forcing himself to breathe when the ringing wouldn't let up.
Shifty blinked then, looking down at him. Lifty looked away.
"Fuck..."
Lifty flinched when his brother moved passed him. He hesitated to look up, afraid that Shifty would snap at him again for looking. He turned his head to glance in the general direction of his brother, only to see him shoving his shoes on and grabbing the car keys.
"Ah— Shifty!" He whimpered, getting up on unsteady legs to run over. "Where—?"
"Don't fucking touch me, Lifty!" He flinched back when his brother turned, swinging his fist at him. "I'm going out. Stay here. And I swear to God if you go out without my permission, I'm going to drive you several states over and leave you at a shitty, little park! See how well you do with the homeless population."
Lifty felt the tears return as he backed away, stomping his foot, "You— you wouldn't!"
"I would!" He snapped, grabbing that same coat he had come home with nights ago and picking up his phone. "You wouldn't last a night out there! And I wouldn't come back for you!"
Lifty shook his head, stomping his feet, "You wouldn't! You liar!"
Shifty laughed, it sounded cruel and devoid of his usual humor, "I would in a heartbeat."
He's done it before.
Lifty watched his brother leave, slamming the door closed on him. He stood there for a moment, feeling tears fall down his face.
Why is he acting like this again?
He sat down slowly, feeling his body going numb from the pain and confusion. He was worried. Shifty was acting like he did back at the apartment. He didn't know why. His brother had been so happy when they reunited. They had been happy for a few days and now it felt like they were back in the old apartment. The debt was paid, they were out of that horrible apartment, they had a kitchen full of food, they weren't in the same situation they were in before.
Aren't things supposed to be good now?
Lifty sobbed quietly, hitting at his head as the realization of the situation at hand was finally starting to dawn on him.
His meds.
He hadn't seen any pill bottles anywhere in their little studio apartment or the car. Shifty had said after the debt was paid and they got away from Dreamy, he would go back to therapy and get back on his meds. Lifty went to therapy for speech, and at some point to understand his feelings since he it was hard to manage everything. He didn't know why Shifty had to go, but he was always laxer and calmer with them. In order to save more on their allowance money in the last few months, Shifty stopped getting prescriptions and going to the follow-ups in order to get the refills.
He's been without them for months.
"You want me to hurt!"
"Oh... what do I do?"
___________
"One thing I can suggest is meditation. I'm sure you've heard that some practices use it to create a center of balance by forming an idea of mindfulness." Zappy said, leaning over the chair he was on with a bottle of nail polish in his hand. "I know you struggle to regulate your temper. Well, no offense, everyone knows that. If you want to start having better control over yourself, it really is time to put in the work."
Splendont sighed irritably, "How is that supposed to help? That shit takes up so much time!"
"You need to make time for it then, Splendont. Remember what I told you about creating excuses to avoid doing things outside of your comfort zone?"
They've been talking for almost an hour now. Splendont didn't mean to just blurt out what had happened, but he had no one else who would keep their mouth shut about what he had done. He didn't need it getting back to Splendid. He told Zappy about his little stunt with Lifty. He hadn't meant to unload on him with how everything went down, it just kind of came out. Now, they were talking about himself and it irritated him. The things Zappy was suggesting were the only upside of this.
Splendont shook his head, "Fine. I'll try meditation then."
Zappy sure liked to lecture him, too. It was like he was waiting for Splendont to cave and bare his soul to the other. He barely managed to keep everything else under wraps. His main concern was yesterday, so he stuck with that and refused to talk about anything else.
"Make the effort for it, Splendont. Once you are more conscious about your reactions, it'll be easier to manage your reactions as a whole." Zappy smiled at him. "Oh, I've been meaning to tell you something."
Splendont got up, walking around the living room as he became restless, "Something good or something bad?"
"Something good." Zappy chuckled softly. "My colleague, a student I mentored years back before the whole Project Power thing, has finally finished his clinical. He's a registered psychiatrist. He's actually moving to Happy Tree Friends Town."
Jesus Christ, how old is he again?
"Alright. That's great... who is he?"
Zappy got up and began to walk around, "Benjamin Deer. He's a dear friend of mine. So, I'll be making a trip over as well when he moves to help him get settled. And also to see Flippy. I'm actually hoping Flippy will be open to switching from me to Benjamin. I think he's worried about me telling other's about "his stuff," especially since Splendid and I are getting closer. Between you and me, we haven't been making any progress."
At that Splendont perked up. Zappy was very good about keeping his mouth shut. He wasn't allowed in or near the house when Flippy had his therapy sessions. He only respected it because Splendid told him to, but he was extremely curious about what else had happened to Flippy when he was in captivity. He knew there had been experimentation and some forms of torture. He was still working on hacking into the private documentation about Operation Tiger.
It's not my business... but it directly involves Splendid. So, it's my job to make sure this affects him as little as possible.
"In any case, I'll brooch the topic with him during our next session. I'm excited for Benny."
Splendont blinked, frowning at this, "Benny. So, you two are close?"
Zappy blinked before his face turned a little red, "Anyways, I think I hear Clank calling for me. Talk to you later!"
Splendont opened his mouth to say something, but the FaceTime call abruptly ended. He stared at his phone, curious about Zappy's reaction. He wandered around a bit as he scrolled through his contacts. There were too many things he needed to do now. He had to figure out how to make things up to Lifty. Splendid was the only person he ever apologized to in the past, and over the years it became easier. He made sure to apologize and remind his brother that his reactions weren't his fault. He got him gifts as well, small stuff since he made it clear he didn't like big, expensive gifts.
Lifty was another story.
In the past, he had no need to apologize to him. With the change in their dynamic, it was different. He needed to make sure Lifty truly forgave him so they could go back to normal. He could tell the other had been nervous after he had dropped him off yesterday. He didn't want Lifty to be scared of him.
It made his head hurt thinking that Lifty would be scared of him again.
Maybe I should call him?
Splendont rubbed the back of his neck, sighing deeply.
That's not a good idea...
His phone rang, startling him. He looked at the contact and frowned. It was Foxy.
I haven't spoken to her in weeks...
He picked up the call and brought the phone up to his ear, "Hello."
"Well, now I know you're not dead." Foxy huffed, he could hear the pout in her voice. "You've been dodging my calls and texts, dude. What the fuck?"
Splendont frowned at this, "I told you I would be busy."
"Yeah, bullshit. You don't have a job like Splendid, and I know you haven't been hanging out with Silky." She snapped back and Splendont felt his tail flick at the agitation in her voice. "What's going on with you? You're being a real dong to me."
("Aren't we, at least, friends?")
Splendont shook his head. He felt an uncomfortable pit churn in his stomach. There was nothing wrong with Foxy. She was great. He did like her.
"I'm," he hesitated before sighing, "busy. Well, not so much anymore now. I just haven't thought to call back. Sorry."
Foxy huffed at this. She was silent for a moment before speaking again, "Look, I get your whole "loner persona" has you doing your own little vigilante work... but even then, I get worried. I'm your— we're friends. Even if it's just a brief call or text, it means a lot if you check in instead of me always being the one to reach out first."
Splendont blinked at that.
Did I read her wrong?
"Ah..." He rubbed the back of his neck again. "Right. You're right. I do that sometimes. I— uh, it's a bad habit of mine. I'm not used to having friends."
Foxy was quiet before she giggled softly, "That's okay. I expect you to do better. Come see me sometime, even if it's just to go have coffee or something. We don't have to fool around or anything, you know?"
Splendont stared at the ground, letting her words sink in, "... yeah. I'd like that."
He pursed his lips for a moment. Foxy is a friend. She's important to him now. He had never needed to maintain relationships before.
"I'm sorry for ghosting you." He said firmly, clenching his fists at the weird feeling that circled around in his stomach. "That was really uncool."
"It is." She agreed quickly, making him huff out a small laugh, bringing air back to his lungs when he realized he had stopped breathing for a moment. "I'm only going to remind you so much, okay? It takes two to make a relationship work, you know?"
"Relationship?"
"It applies to friendship, too. Don't look so deep into it, Red." She responded simply, making him smirk a bit at the teasing tone in her voice.
"Alright, alright. I'll work on it." He walked around a bit more, biting his lip before confessing. "I've been fooling around with someone. That's kinda what I've been busy with."
Foxy was quiet for a moment before speaking up, "Oh! I see... are they cute?"
He laughed at this, feeling a bit better about her reaction, "Yeah, he's cute. He caught my interest and I needed to have a go at him. I've also been looking into Ken and some other stuff. So, I haven't just been trying to "hit and quit it." I've been busy."
Foxy hummed at this, "So, fuck buddy and spy work?"
"Yeah. You know I don't fuck with the government. And I think you'd like the guy I've been speaking with. He's silly. A little out there, but he's not so bad once you get to know him." Splendont explained, shoving his shoes on. "We haven't really done much yet. He has sensory issues, so I can't really escalate that fast."
"Sensory issues?"
"Mhm. He's got autism spectrum disorder." He left the house and started walking. "He also used to be a petty thief here in town, so we didn't get along great at first."
"Enemies to lovers trope, mhm." She sighed. "Though the spectrum thing... are you sure that's safe?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well... from what I've heard and seen, people on the spectrum are slow in the mental department?" Foxy asked, Splendont tilted his head at that. "Well, not slow in the mental department, I worded that wrong. People with autism have trouble with social cues and the concept of consent."
Splendont frowned at this, shrugging even though she couldn't see him, "Well... I've never interacted with anyone on the spectrum up close. I've never seen anyone with obvious signs of the disorder. At least, I think I hadn't until I got close to him. I thought it was the same as Down Syndrome when I looked it up, but they're different. One's genetic, where the symptoms are the same across the percentage that has it, and the other is a spectrum that can vary from person to person. Day to day, as I recently learned."
"They're very similar, the main thing that I'm sure of is that Down Syndrome has more obvious physical signs. Autism can be masked. Depending on how well it's done, you'd probably never know unless you were told."
Splendont hummed at that and nodded, "I did the bare minimum search. At least to understand what the spectrum was anyways."
"Yeah, there's been more studies on it in the last few years. I had actually wanted to go down the licensed therapist route to work with kids with autism, to help them manage and understand it. Well, until I got sick." Foxy stated, clearing her throat as Splendont frowned at the reminder.
Zappy, Silky, and Foxy all had varying forms of terminal illness. Out of respect, and also because he had been too busy, he didn't do a background check on any of them. He hadn't felt the need to when they all got close while Splendid was taking care of Flippy. Foxy had told him, during one of their nights together, that she had several brain tumors that had become aggressively cancerous a year before she was to finish school. She had to go through chemo and multiple surgeries, but she had refused after the first two surgeries because it had been a lot on her body.
"Anyways, if you're serious about hitting it, make sure he understands exactly what he's getting into." Foxy continued, making him blink. "Oh! Think of it like BDSM. Safe words are key if you want to make sure he feels safe and comfortable."
"Noted." He hadn't really thought of that. "And I'm warming him up to it, too. Unfortunately, I can't be spontaneous with him like I am with you."
Foxy laughed at this, snorting softly, "Well, as long as you know. Go get your dick wet, Red. Come visit me sometime, okay?"
"I'll make plans for it. I promise, this time."
He hung up after saying goodbye and sighed in relief. It was nice to know he overreacted. Foxy was chill about him talking about having another partner to fool around with. They were still friends. He felt stupid for thinking she had been after something more. He should have read her signals better. It was silly to think she'd get upset over something like this.
(He always looked so unhappy when Splendont had plans with others. Splendont usually came home smelling like alcohol and perfume. He hid it well for a few minutes before breaking down about it.
Splendont couldn't understand why he was so upset. They were just roommates.)
Splendont shook his head, rubbing his neck. These unpleasant thoughts and memories kept popping up. He hated it.
He looked at his phone again and scrolled to Lifty's contact. Foxy had given him a great idea for sex stuff with Lifty going forward. Splendid should be back tomorrow as well, so he would work on talking to his brother, as well. He hated that Flippy had to bring up Splendid's questions concerns instead of Splendid doing that himself. He sent a text to Splendid earlier this morning because he hadn't been able to sleep. He wanted to see Splendid, at least speak to him before he made plans to go and see Lifty again. He wanted to shoot Lifty a text as well, but he kept hesitating.
Come on, don't be a coward.
He clicked on the contact and brought his phone to his ear again. It rung for a few times before going to voicemail. Splendont blinked at this and looked at his phone. Lifty didn't answer. The upset he felt like the other day rose up and for a moment he choked on his own breath.
Don't get mad. Don't get mad.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Meditation. Zappy said to try it out to center himself to avoid blowing up like he did yesterday. He couldn't do that again. Lifty was already so sensitive because of his brother, even justifying Shifty's actions towards him. He never wanted to hurt Lifty like that again.
The last time he had blown up like that, he was ready to kill Flippy. For good reason, but still. The time before that... well, the constant reminder that he almost killed his brother was enough to scare him out of the anger.
He opened his eyes once he let the breath out. Placebo effect must have taken over because he did feel a little better. He stared at the contact for a little before his tail flicked.
"He still has that shitty phone."
He flew up and into town quickly. He knew exactly what to get Lifty as an apology for his actions.
____________
Stay in the apartment.
Lifty clenched his fists, sitting by the couch and staring at the door almost unblinking. Shifty had been gone an hour now. Nutty hadn't come back like he hoped, considering he had "left" and popped back after a little while after hours at the boy's home they used to stay in.
Stay in the apartment.
Shifty broke his phone, so he couldn't call anyone. Not even Splendont. He was too scared to leave the apartment because of Shifty's threats. His brother had threatened it in the past but never followed through. He didn't want to test the limits of his brother when he was acting like this.
Lifty sniffed pitifully, gently pressing his palms into his eyes to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop coming out. His head hurt from all the hitting he had done to himself after Shifty left. Lifty felt a horrible pain in his chest. He didn't like feeling like he had done something wrong and he hated not knowing what he did wrong.
Stay in the apartment.
His nerves were all shot. He was exhausted and sad.
What do I do?
He thought back to Splendont.
Would he help Shifty?
Lifty hugged himself carefully, wrapping his tail around his legs.
(Would he take me back to his house?)
He shook his head softly, whining at the pounding in his temples. He felt a horrible sense of guilt for thinking he would leave Shifty. That was selfish of him. After everything Shifty has done for him, he could never abandon his brother.
"I need you, Lifty. It's you and me, always."
"You and me. Always." He murmured softly, feeling an ache in his chest.
A sudden knock on the door made him jump as the sadness started to overfill in his chest. Lifty blinked rapidly, his eyes felt itchy and puffy from all the crying. Lifty gripped the fabric of his scarf in his hands. He swallowed thickly as another few knocks echoed in the room.
He said to stay... I can still answer the door.
Lifty got up slowly and walked to the door. He checked the blinds first as he was supposed to and was surprised to see Splendont standing outside the door. He didn't hesitate to rip open the door and throw himself onto Splendont, ignoring the pain in his arms.
"Woah!"
He felt Splendont wrap an arm around him. The horrible fog he felt in his head cleared up, even if it felt like there were a few clouds still hanging around. Lifty couldn't stop the abrupt sobs that escaped him.
He was relieved Splendont had come, he didn't think he would show up today. He felt himself being pushed back into the apartment. The door closed behind them as Splendont wrapped his other arm around him, rubbing his back firmly.
"Hush, hush." He huffed, his voice surprisingly soft. "What happened? Why are you crying?"
Lifty hiccuped into his chest, gripping the back of his shirt, "... Shifty's mad at me..."
Lifty let out a soft sound as Splendont picked him up and moved them over to the couch. He only let go because Splendont had set him down and grabbed the backs of his elbows to move his arms from around him. Lifty glanced up, feeling the sting of rejection until Splendont turned them both around and sat down, dragging him into his lap. Lifty whimpered as he shifted around to sit on Splendont's lap.
"What happened?"
Splendont pushed him back a little and touched his cheek. He winced at the sting he felt from where Shifty had slapped him. Splendont pulled his face up, a frown on his face as he stared at his cheek. It was probably bruised again. Splendont grabbed Lifty's forearm, his eyes darting to look at him when Lifty let out a soft yelp. Lifty glanced up when Splendont began to pull down his sleeve. Lifty shook his free fist at Splendont, but he had already pulled down the sleeve.
"Hey," Splendont's eyes widened at the sight of bruising on his forearms, "who did this?"
Lifty shook his head at him, trying to pull away. He bit his bottom lip, feeling his eyes stinging. He was on the verge of having another breakdown. He didn't want to tell Splendont he was messing up again, making his brother angry because he couldn't follow the rules. He hated looking like a failure in front of Splendont. He was tired of feeling stupid for things out of his control.
Splendont sighed then before pulling Lifty's sleeve up, "Alright, alright. You don't have to tell me. I'm not mad."
Lifty shook his fists at Splendont before shoving his face into his shoulder. He just wanted to be held. After a few moments, Splendont wrapped his arms around Lifty once more and held him firmly.
It's nice.
They stayed like that for a little while. He almost fell asleep until Splendont tapped his back, stirring him awake. He smacked Splendont's chest softly, whining angrily.
Splendont chuckled a bit, "Hey, don't go to sleep yet. I came here for a reason."
Lifty opened his eyes, squinting at the light as he lifted his head to look up towards Splendont. Splendont sat up a little, making him sit up as well, confused as Splendont reached into his tail. Splendont pulled out an expensive-looking phone. Lifty's eyes widened slightly as Splendont held it out to him. Lifty stared at it.
"Well, go on."
"What?"
"Take the phone. It's for you."
Lifty looked up at him, making eye contact for a couple seconds before looking back down, "It's for me?"
Splendont touched his cheek, pushing the phone into his chest, "Yeah. It's already set up and everything."
Lifty felt his chest flutter, hesitating as he finally took the phone. There was a case on it that made him scrunch his nose up at the feeling of it. He pressed the button to turn on the phone, his tail flicked rapidly as it opened up.
"You can add whatever you want and personalize the phone how ever you want. I added my card on there so you can even buy games to play on." Splendont rubbed his cheek gently with his thumb. "I already saved my contact on there, too."
Lifty squeezed the phone in his hands. An overwhelming feeling of joy built up in his chest. He was still upset about everything that's been happening since yesterday, but, now, it felt like a wonderful drug had hit him in all the right places.
He does come when I need him most.
He wanted to put that thought into words. He felt his throat lock up, and he couldn't get any words out. Splendont grabbed his face, pulling him close.
"Come on, it's no big deal. Don't cry." Splendont pressed a gentle kiss onto his lips. "I'm just making it up to you for being a massive jackass."
Lifty let out a giggle, feeling air return to his lungs, "... kiss..."
Splendont leaned back, pulling him down. He rested his hands on Splendont's chest, still gripping the phone. Splendont pressed another kiss to his lips. Then another.
Lifty only trembled slightly with each kiss, not flinching back like he had in the beginning. He did his best to kiss back. He pressed roughly against Splendont's lips, not sure if he was kissing right. He was still a rack of nerves that wasn't going away just because he was a little happier now.
He felt Splendont move back as he went to kiss him again. Lifty whined at this, glancing up quickly. Splendont smirked at him, leaning back in, but preventing him from pushing up to kiss him again.
"There's no need to be so fast." Splendont kissed him, softly and for a few seconds longer, leaving him breathless when he pulled way. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Mhm..." Lifty let out soft groans as Splendont held his face in place, not allowing him to really move to kiss back.
He smacked at Splendont's chest, happy but also upset he wasn't escalating like he normally did. Splendont chuckled, smiling against Lifty's lips as he was hit. His tail flicked up and down, just like Splendont's did. He wondered if Splendont would do more.
The last time he was on his lap like this, Splendont used his thighs. He felt his face redden at the thought. It was embarrassing but incredibly thrilling. He grabbed onto Splendont's shirt.
It's okay to forget about the day.
Splendont relaxed his hold on his face. Lifty pouted, but mimicked Splendont's kissing. It was slow kissing. It still made him very happy. His heart was racing in a good way. The sadness was being replaced with a much nicer feeling as he relaxed and laid against Splendont, still just pressing gentle kisses against each other's lips.
This is nice.
He turned his head away for a moment, patting Splendont's chest softly. Splendont leaned further down, nuzzling between his neck and shoulder. He pursed his lips, nuzzling back against Splendont's shoulder. The nervous wreck he had been in earlier seemed to melt away. It felt so nice. He felt nice. Splendont felt nice.
Lifty closed his eyes. The exhaustion finally took over. He felt safe now. Whatever worries he had seemed to take a backseat as he finally felt loved and protected. The cold brought by Splendont made the uncomfortable heat go away.
Briefly, he thought of Shifty as he welcomed the sleep.
(I hope he doesn't come back.)