“Dante,” he says softly, and I can’t help but drop my satchel and lean up on my tiptoes to kiss him. Our tongues tangle, and I let out a soft moan at the taste of him.
Fuck, I want to peel us out of our clothes and use that toy on him again, or feel his tongue up inside of me, but it’s not fair to do that when I have a clinic appointment looming.
He needs to know.
“Wait,” I breathe, pushing against his chest. He pulls off of me reluctantly and meets my gaze.
“Dante,” he says once more, and my heartbeat triples.
“I have to tell you something, okay?”
He cocks his head, and his tail tightens around me. Fuck, I hope he still does this to me after I tell him. I’m going to be really pissed if he gets angry with me and stops touching me altogether.
“Come on. Let’s sit.” I don’t know if this is necessary, but I need somewhere to plant my ass so I don’t faint.
We head to the couch, his tail still wrapped possessively around me. I use both my hands and my voice to communicate, hoping to give him a little something of myself.
“So, I have something to tell you, and I know I can’t control how you feel…”
“Feeeel.”
“Yeah, but I would really like you to know that I don’t want to do this.”
His brow furrows, and his ears flutter nervously.
“I have to go to the clinic tomorrow. They called me.”
He stills, his tail tightening around me before suddenly loosening.
‘You don’t want to go?’ he signs.
‘I don’t want to, but I have to.’
His face falls slightly, and his ears droop. He looks so fucking upset, and I hate it. I almost wish he were angry. Then I’d have something to latch onto. This is breaking me bit by terrible bit.
“Say something.” I finally utter, and he turns his gaze away from me. “Are you angry with me?”
‘No. I feel…sad.’ The way his open hands travel down his face makes that break almost seem like a chasm.
I tap his shoulder, and he peers over at me, something not unlike hurt in his eyes.
“If I could cancel, I would, but…I have to go. It’s government-mandated. I can’t afford the fine if I miss it, and I can’t call out…I’m really sorry.”
‘Same,’ he signs, and then his tail slides away from me completely. I want to bring it back, to wrap it around me, but instead of doing that, I fold my hands in my lap and watch as Cielo stands up, his ears still drooping, the tail I want so badly around me now wrapped around him. Like he’s hugging himself.
When he turns, there’s a smile on his face. It doesn’t look real, though. It seems forced. I swallow roughly and watch as he says, “Food. I mayyyyykkkk.”
“Oh, yes. I saw!” I hop up, my voice a little too shrill. He stares at me longingly, but then turns and goes to the kitchen.
“Brohhhdeeee teeachhh.” His tongue wets his lips, and he tries again. “Coooohhk. Dante lyhhhkkk?”
I nod and step forward, wanting to reach out and touch him, but I’m afraid to upset him if I do, so I tuck my hands under my armpits and walk into the kitchen with him. There is something bubbling on the stove, and a bunch of vegetables and fruit chopped up on the counter. And I’m pretty sure that’s chocolate.
Cielo stares down into the pot, and his brow furrows.
It looks a little like sludge, but I don’t say that; just wait for him to say something else. When he doesn’t, I ask, “What is it?”
He peers over at me. “Suuuuup.”
