I was intending to get this published last month, but my shortest work week in all of March was 55 hours over 6 days. I took lots of notes and played it all out in my head more times than I could count, and it helped me to get not only this chapter more fleshed out, but also helped me get the other chapters outlined and filled with not only fun moments, but a lot of the background lore that I can research in the meantime. Things will start to get more interesting from this point forward, so look forward to it!
[][][][][][][][][][][][]
Danny slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He felt warm and comfy, and he could swear he had the strangest dream last night, or at least he would have, if he hadn't heard the faun breathing deeply next to him. He lifted his head up slightly to look down towards her, and saw that she had snuggled up into his chest, her head resting on him like he was her pillow.
He reached up slowly and put his hand on her head, then slowly began to run his fingers through her wild, but now much less tangled and messy hair. His grooming had helped, but she was still absolutely covered in thick long hair, and there were still spots he hadn't managed to get. Plus their sudden and rather unexpected romp in his living room had stopped him from doing any additional work.
He thought back on what all had happened and berated himself in his head for not paying better attention to what he had been doing and getting her incredibly aroused. He wondered why she had been so aggressive all of a sudden. Up to that point, she had been docile, albeit she was easily spooked by things that were sudden or loud.
"Just like a deer" he mumbled sleepily as he continued to scratch her head absentmindedly.
"Mmmmfive more minutesssss..." said a voice from around his chest.
Danny's heart jumped for a moment, and he very nearly sat upright in shock. He felt the faun adjusting, and he froze as she rolled to her other side and put her back up against him. She groaned in her sleep, and then her breathing returned to how it had been before. He had forgotten that she could apparently speak. Though to be fair, he'd only heard her say a few words, and they had led to a very explosive orgasm on both their parts.
He lay there for a while longer, when he felt that rising pressure in his groin that told him he needed to make his way to the toilet and relieve himself. Since she had freed his arm when she had rolled over, he had no difficulty in getting up, but he still took care not to disturb her as he did. He grabbed his boxers as he got up, feeling a little shy despite everything, and made his way to the bathroom.
It wasn't much, with a tub and shower combo, a small sink, and a simple toilet. He had a tiny closet space for towels and washcloths, but otherwise it was rather normal. He flipped up the seat and waited for the stream to flow, and after a moment he felt the sweet release as his bladder emptied itself. Since it wasn't immediately after sex, he didn't have the unfortunate issue of awkward stream angles as he went, for which he was thankful.
He finished and flushed, pulled on his boxers, and turned on the sink to wash his hands, when a loud thudding sound began to emanate from the living room. He quickly jerked the door open to see what had happened, and saw the faun sitting there shaking, she snapped her head over to face him when he had opened the door, and she looked incredibly uncomfortable for some reason. He saw her glance down and then her eyes got very wide. He glanced behind himself and saw nothing but his toilet, and after a moment it dawned on him.
Danny stepped outside and held the door open for her, and she all but sprinted into the bathroom, slamming the door shut once inside. He made his way to the kitchen sink to wash up, keeping the water running and whistling to give her a little privacy. He knew some women were incredibly shy about their bathroom habits, so he didn't want her to feel like he was trying to be a creep.
He finished up and turned off the water after what he hoped was a reasonable amount of time, but not before filling a pot to put on for tea. He decided to go with a wildberry blend he liked, and grabbed a packet from the cabinet as he waited for the water to boil. He grabbed a mug, paused, and then grabbed a second one. He was almost positive that she was part human, though how was still the big question, so he figured she would probably appreciate a cup over a bowl.
He began mentally slapping himself for treating her like an animal, but how would he have known? So many questions filled his mind, but they were put to the side when he heard a flush through the sound of the still running bathroom sink. He did his best to not look that way, not wanting her to feel any more embarrassed than she already likely was. He heard the tap shut off, and then the door creaked open slowly.
He very slowly, and what he hoped was calmly, turned his head to look in that direction. She was looking at him from halfway behind the door frame, just staring. He just smiled, and turned back to his pot of water, which was starting to bubble slightly on his stove. It was gas, fueled by a propane tank a ways away from the house, primarily for safety. He had opted for it over electric just in case he ever had a power outage and needed to cook.
He kept his attention on the pot, and also the view outside of his kitchen window. Some branches had fallen and there was a good amount of debris all over the small clearing surrounding his cabin, so he would need to clean up later. He heard her step out, trying very hard to not make loud footsteps as she walked closer to him.
His heart was pounding a little, not knowing what she was thinking. After all, they barely knew anything about each other. By the time she was almost directly behind him, his water was at a solid boil, and he flicked off the burner on the stove. He poured it carefully into each cup without spilling a drop, which in itself was an art. He set the pot on the back burner, and opened the cabinet just in front of him.
He felt her very gently put her hands on his shoulders, and guessed that she was getting a look at the contents of the cabinet. He reached up and grabbed a small bear shaped bottle, and then turned ever so slightly towards her.
"Would you like some honey with your tea?" he asked her, slightly shaking the small bottle.
He felt her head press into his back, and then felt her nod slightly. He figured she was still going to be shy for a bit, so he wasn't going to try and push his luck with getting her to speak. He figured that she would choose to do so when she was ready and comfortable. He opened the top of the bottle and gave it a slight squeeze. He didn't know how much she would want, but he felt her head adjust on his back, and then he felt her poking slightly around his arm to watch.
"That's good" she said abruptly.
He had been intending to fill his mug first and let her do her own, but this also worked. He flipped the bottle back over and sat it down, then pulled open a drawer to fetch a spoon. He plopped it in the mug and gave it a few stirs, and then slid it over for her to take. He went back to his own tea, pouring in slightly more honey than she had wanted, and then grabbing his own spoon. She took the mug, holding it with both hands and breathing in the steam rising out of the cup in very deep breaths.
Once done, Danny picked up his own cup and slowly turned to head back to the makeshift bed he had in front of the fireplace. He could feel a chill from the air outside, so he wanted to put a few logs on and see if he could get the kindling to bring it back to life. With each step he took, she took one of her own. It was cute in a way, like a puppy following its owner or a child mirroring their parents.
He set his cup down by the blankets and heard her sit down, and he grabbed a few more logs to toss on. It took him a few minutes to get the kindling to take, but he managed to get the fire going again. He joins the faun back on the blankets, and she pulls them up and over them both, then scoots closer to him and curls up against his arm.
He couldn't make sense of her. One second she was shy and nervous, and the next she was right up on him. He wasn't even sure what to say to her, or ask her about herself. She was so strange to him, and not just in appearance. He thought for a long while, not sure what to say first. He had so many questions and picking just one to ask was proving difficult.
He glances over at her as he's thinking about what to say, and to his surprise she had fallen back asleep. He couldn't help but smile at her. He didn't know why, but she felt special to him. He knew it wasn't the sex, at least for him, and he hoped that she didn't base all her actions going forward off the fact that they had been intimate one time.
She slid down his arm slightly, but he caught her head before it smacked into his leg, and he gently let her down onto the blankets. He carefully stood up and covered her, making sure she was snug. He grabbed her mug and was surprised to find it completely empty, when he had barely even touched his. He guessed that she must have liked it quite a bit.
[][][][][][][][][][][][]
He had been relaxing in his chair when the faun sat bolt upright out of nowhere, startling him. She flicked her head around frantically before finally locking onto him. Once she did, she breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. He smiled at her when she looked back up, and she very shyly hid behind the blankets, just barely peeking over the top at him.
Danny went back to his book, and she sat there for several pages, which was quite a while since he read slowly to really savor his books. Eventually though, she got up and made her way over, taking each step carefully so that she wasn't making loud footfalls on the hardwood with her hooves.
As she drew closer, Danny got to a stopping point and put his bookmark in so he could come back to it later. He sat the book down as she got right next to his chair, and he looked at her as she squatted down next to him. She leaned against the arm of the chair, throwing a quick glance at his hand, and then at him, before tilting her head towards him.
Danny smiled as he reached over and ran his hands through her thick hair and massaged the scalp underneath, and she visibly relaxed as she breathed out a deep breath.
"I like it when you do this" he heard her say. He didn't stop or change his pace, and he remained quiet so she didn't feel like he was trying to rush her.
"It's so relaxing, and I can tell that you don't mean me any ill intent. I'm not really sure how, but I can just tell."
She adjusted slightly, moving her head so that he was scratching just above her right ear, and he heard her sigh in relief. They sat like that for several minutes, Danny gently scratching as she adjusted to get the right spots under his fingers. He was more than content to just let her go at her own pace right now, and he stopped when he felt her place a hand on his.
"I don't understand why you're so calm around me, or why you've been so nice."
"Should I not be?" he asked, feeling that now she wanted an actual conversation. "You looked afraid, and honestly, I was a little afraid of you at first."
She turned her head to look at him, still holding his hand in hers.
"I know. I could smell it. But now you aren't afraid of me?"
Danny shook his head.
"Not like before, no. Now I'm curious. I wasn't sure what you were. You look human, but also so animalistic that it was hard to see you as one or the other. I wanted to at least earn your trust so that I could learn about what you might be."
"You wanted to study me?" she asked, pulling away slightly.
"Yes and no. I wanted to learn. See what you could do, and I was hoping that maybe I could start trying to teach you English, given how human you appear, but I guess I don't need to worry about that now, do I?"
