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Fluffy, black ears swiveled around to the sounds of the cardinals and blue jays outside. Lavender eyes cracked open, Emory sighing deeply as he stirred. He was about to stretch, but then registered a weight on his side that he'd forgotten about. Or, at least, thought wouldn't be there by morning.
This was not his first time sleeping next to Ramonde. He'd grown accustomed to the human's presence in his sleeping space the past few days (but still outside his nest until now), but the nature of his life meant he was always awake and starting his day well before the werewolf knew he was out of bed. But there were many new things happening, and Emory knew this day was going to be interesting.
Ramonde was snuggled against Emory's back. His arm, while a bit lazily compared to last night, was still curled around him, with his hand gently placed on the werewolf's belly. Emory's ears flicked a bit as he stared at the arm that was securing him in place, and he softly bit his lower lip in thought. Blinking slowly, he allowed himself a few moments of being carefree and rested his hand on the draped limb. While Emory silently admired the contrast of his own sepia skin against Ramonde's tan, he smiled as one of his pups moved under the human's hand.
His ears drooped briefly, as he remembered the realization he'd had during the Yule festivities last night. Moving his hand away and curling it by his own face, Emory admonished himself...maybe in another life...Sighing, he turned his head a bit to peer behind him. He wished he hadn't, as his heart skipped a beat.
The sun was peeking into the windows, illuminating Ramonde from the back and making his skin look more golden. His face was pressed into Emory's shoulder, making his left cheek squish upwards. Being so close, Emory could see all the freckles dotting the Mexican's face and neck. The werewolf smiled fondly, noticing the already unruly, chestnut hair being even more so. He was now hyper aware of Ramonde's breath against his back. Light hit the silver hoops in his ears, making them more obvious.
Emory took the time to watch him sleep, drinking in every detail and burning it to memory. Once the birds outside became louder, his face scrunched up and Ramonde's honey brown eyes fluttered open. Before he could smile sweetly at the wolf, he screwed his eyes shut again, flipping the blanket over his head with a groan.
Concerned, Emory rolled over (being mindful of his belly) and buried into his nest, finding Ramonde's face after a moment. “Are you all right? It's not like you to sleep in.”
“Been a bit since I drank so much, ugh,” Ramonde replied ruefully. Seeing the confused expression in front of him, he realized Emory probably wouldn't know the after effects from drinking heavily. “My body is not happy about last night, so I just have to take it easy today and take care of myself.”
“...can I help?” Emory asked shyly.
“I'm honestl–” Ramonde saw the sincere look on the wolf's face and decided not to finish that statement. If it wasn't anything that would put strain on Emory's injuries or pregnancy, he didn't think it would hurt. “My head is pounding, honestly. If you wanna grab the aspirin from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom? I have that cup in there too, if you could fill that with water?”
Emory stopped himself from touching the human's face to check for a fever, opting instead for a simple nod and gingerly getting out of bed. As he left the mattress, Ramonde used the omega's nest to wrap around himself, exposing only his face. He was pretty certain he looked like a pitiful, Polish grandma with his babushka of blankets. Sitting up slowly as Emory came back in with the pills and drink, Ramonde sighed contently at the soothing feeling of water going down his throat.
He noticed the wolf was watching him intently and he chuckled. “The aspirin won't work right away. But Miakoda is probably feeling worse than I am, between drinking more and sleeping on the couch.” After agreeing to both go downstairs to check on her, Emory assisted Ramonde in getting out of bed and handing him his long, cream cardigan. Ramonde didn't really need help down the stairs, but he was unable to aid Emory like he usually did. The werewolf made sure to have a harder grip on the railing and bowed his back a little more to handle his weight, as he carefully took each step one at a time.
As the human had predicted, his best friend was face down in the cushions, black hair splayed out behind her, as she made a miserable noise. Øyvind, half out of his wooden tub and water spilled everywhere, was giving her placating pats on her arm. He, and the two centaurs outside, were likely the only ones not hungover. If the two fairies weren't dead, they were likely suffering as well, wherever they were hiding.
Emory, ears drooping as he heard the kind woman he'd only met just last night, waddled to the kitchen sink, filled up the glass Ramonde has just used, and went over to the couch. Ramonde smiled gently, watching the expecting omega sit on the floor, giving the witch the glass and a dose of aspirin. Kväll, roused from the commotion, fluttered over to Emory and nibbled on his fingers with his curved, black beak.
Yew woke and sat up, feet dangling over the edge of Ramonde's ofrenda, the altar tucked into a small nook of the living room that was well hidden from view, unless you knew where to look. Stretching his arms and shaking out his wings, he flew over to where everyone was starting to gather. He knew his sister was likely the most hungover and was concealed away from all the noise; he'd check on her later.
Emory had the mermaid's help in standing and was getting some towels to help clean up the floor around his tub. However, Yew tutted him and took the towels the wolf had grabbed, so that he could mop up the mess with his magic. Wanting to find something to do, Emory grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and heated them up in the microwave. He was just short enough that it was difficult to get into the upper cabinets with his belly in the way, so he used some of the plates in the drying rack.
“Do you know how to work the coffee pot?” Ramonde asked as he sat at the kitchen table, tugging the cardigan around himself. He knew the wolf, pregnant or not, wouldn’t have made any for himself, but wasn't sure if Emory had ever paid attention to when it had been used.
However, Emory knew the human's patterns just enough in the roughly two weeks he'd been in Ramonde's care. He hadn't needed anymore context. “You should probably stick to water, if being hungover is as bad as you said.”
“It would really help me wake up. Totally fine if you don't know, because I can just make my ow–”
“Water, Ramonde.” It was a tone of finality that Ramonde had never heard from Emory. If the voice hadn't been enough to make him shrink, the way his lavender eyes were mere slits when he turned to stare back certainly was. This was scarier than all the times the wolf's claws tried (did in some cases) to take out a chunk of his flesh.
Watching and listening to the pair in the kitchen, Yew and Øyvind looked at each other with a suspicious glance, while Miakoda sipped the water like she was holding a hot cup of tea, her cerulean eyes purposely looking in a direction that was anything but at the men behind her. Emory was acting like a stubborn spouse trying to care for his equally obstinate partner. Yew, having been oblivious until last night, was no longer having any doubts. He was curious to see how things went, but he wasn't about to meddle like his sister had. In any case, Yew was just glad Emory had learned to trust Ramonde, allowing himself and his unborn pups to be cared for.
Miakoda sighed as she finished her water, eyes closed as the pounding in her skull only barely began to let up. After a few moments, she was confused as to why she was smelling food so strongly. Peering over, she saw Emory had reheated some breakfast meats and had made a plate for her. She smiled sweetly as he offered to refill the cup as well. Watching him waddle away, his tail swishing slightly, she saw he'd done the same for Ramonde. However, there appeared to be many more plates waiting in the wings to receive food. She could only guess that he was going to feed everyone, watching him give little morsels to Yew, who was sitting on the werewolf's shoulder.
“I won't make Siobhan come out, but can you find her so I can feed her, please?” Emory's expression seemed concerned. If he was only just learning about the effects of alcohol on humans, then the pixie being so small he now knew would be worse for the wear. Yew made a salute and flew off, his slightly asymmetrical wings reflecting the sunlight coming through the windows.
Ramonde sighed dreamily, watching Emory bustle about the kitchen. With his chin resting in his hand, propped up on the table by his elbow, his honey brown eyes followed the wolf and thought the scene was quite domestic, given what he already knew about Emory. However, he also knew omegas were typically the more motherly ones in a pack, so maybe this was normal for the wolf and Ramonde was only just now getting to see it.
Snapping out of his reverie, Ramonde moved to the living room to sit with Miakoda. As he ate, his gaze caught the wolf waddling his way outside, a plate in each hand, and return empty handed. The mermaid got a plate as well, followed by Emory ransacking the snack cupboard for nuts and raisins. Kväll cawed loudly, agitating the headaches of the two humans, and flew to perch on Emory's shoulder. The wolf smiled gently, filling a wooden bowl for the raven with the treats he'd found. After a couple small, affectionate strokes on the neck feathers, Kväll hopped down to the counter to eat his fill. Before Emory sat down to eat his own food, he filled up Øyvind's wooden tub with fresh water, so he wouldn't be uncomfortable from the level being only a couple inches from the bottom.
Miakoda was feeling better enough, after another dose of aspirin, the food, and a nap, that she slowly packed up to head home. The bus ride shouldn't have been too terrible anyway, so she wasn't worried. Shaking Emory's hand (she deemed it safe, since they were friendly now), she thanked him for nursing her back to health, as well as being glad she got to meet him.
“Thank you for including me,” he replied meekly, his hands sitting on top of his belly once she'd let him go. “Yesterday was fun and I'm positive I've never had that before. You didn't appear mad that I made the plans a little different at the last minute, and you treated me like everyone else.”
“Listen, a friend of Ramonde's is a friend of mine. It's obvious he cares about you.” She left it vague, though she wondered if the wolf knew without her hinting around...probably not...she mused. They shared some small talk before she headed out, trying to keep it down so they didn't wake Ramonde, who was dead asleep on the couch. As she gathered the last of her things, she watched Emory smile at him fondly and drape a blanket over him. Shutting the door behind her after putting on her coat, the witch saw the werewolf take a clawed finger to brush his knuckle tenderly over the apple of Ramonde's cheek; she'd have missed it if she blinked.