Static Reflections: Book 1 of The M... - Chapter 62: Chapter 62

Richard stared at the ceiling, lost deep in thought and feeling more alone than he had in recent times. Every minute without Nick made things a lot harder, and he felt like he wanted to cry just thinking of the last smile he had given him before they split up.
Stupid. Richard should have never suggested they cover more ground. Then again, if they were both caught by the quick-fire movie, they could both be dead.
He sighed loudly, rubbing a hand on his chest. The entire situation had been a nightmare. Nick hadn't wanted to do it from the very second they were assigned to the case, but he sucked it up. As they kept investigating, Richard could tell that Nick was hurting at all of the talks of suicide and loss deep inside. The raccoon tried to be there for him as much as possible, but he still lost the hyena to the projector, which had been what was enchanted to control all of those innocent animals—Nick included.
Richard cared about him so much. Nick made him feel unlike any animal before. All he wanted was for them to be together, yet this mission got in the way. Nick had tried to kill himself, and Richard had tried to save him, but the hyena was extremely relentless in attempting to take his own life.
Now, Richard was alone in his residence, thinking about all of this and how angry he had gotten once returning to Prostasia. He had never shouted like that at Iwai, his good friend, before. Of course, he felt terrible, but all he was thinking about was Nick.
The nights after the event were sleepless, filled with tossing and turning, sadness, and fits of anger. Richard couldn't help but think back to what had happened to Nick, and it made him feel every negative emotion. He clutched at the sheets, slammed his fist against the wall, bared his teeth, and let tears fall. Why did it have to happen to such a kind and caring animal? Nick had been innocent and never deserved any of that.
And he wasn't ready. Nick was never prepared for what his first mission turned into, and he certainly wasn't prepared for a huge one like this that involved hundreds of members. It was ridiculous! How could Catastrophe be so cruel?! Just thinking about it made anger rise within him again . . .
There was sharp knocking at his door, and the raccoon sat up, hoping it wasn't Iwai checking on him for the fourth time. He didn't want to see anyone from the Mortal Guard right now. He didn't even care that his fur probably looked messy.
Richard slipped a shirt on and stayed in his boxers, too lazy to look decent as he left his room and made his way to the front door. The raccoon opened it, and his heart ran aflutter when he saw . . .
...And Nick: "Closure"
Nick. The spotted hyena was standing there, looking right at him for the first time in days. His fur was as beautiful and golden as ever but his emerald eyes now had rings around them, giving him an almost Richard-like quality. He seemed a bit skinnier than usual, and he was wearing the white clothes from Trauma Sect.
"Nicholas." Richard let the name roll off his tongue and onto the ground.
"Hey," Nick whispered.
". . . Come in." He stepped to the side, and the quiet hyena slowly made his way inside. "So, what happened? What did they do to you?" Richard asked, shutting and locking the bland door.
Nick shook his head. "They brought me to Medical first and healed any wounds I had, then they sent me to Trauma for a while to keep a close watch on me. Looks like the effects of the movie wear off after a while. They'll give me all my stuff back when I go out on the field again."
"Ah," Richard nodded. "I see." His heart was pounding in his chest. There were a million things he wanted to say. He felt like a kid in his eagerness. But he stayed calm.
"Sorry about all of that," Nick sighed. "Something just came over me, and it's like every single negative thought in my head was pushed to the front. I have never felt that way in my life . . . I feel so shitty that I acted that way after you told me what happened to you . . . ."
"Nonsense. You couldn't help yourself," Richard told him. "It's very good that you eventually overcame it."
"Yeah . . . I guess when we continue the case, we'll have some more info to help them now."
"No," Richard snapped. "We're done with it."
"Wh-what?" Nick blinked. "Huh?"
"I made them take us off the case because of what happened to you. They didn't want to, but I was very cross with them. I have never yelled like that before . . . Anyway, the case is out of our hands now, and they're going to start paying attention to what they assign us now. It's ridiculous they had to even be convinced, though . . . ."
"So . . . you yelled at them for their shitty system just like I did?" Nick smirked.
"It is!" Richard exclaimed. "But we're good now. We can rest easy and be together."
"Yeah," Nick smiled.
". . . Should we go to the room?" Richard blushed, his chest hammering.
". . . Yeah." The hyena's cheeks turned red, and they both marched to the bedroom, Richard stepping in first and then Nick coming in behind him. The younger animal shut the door and then stood.
As if they both knew it was coming, Richard turned around and pulled him in, connecting their lips in a deep and affectionate kiss. Fireworks shot up from their bellies and exploded in their chests as their mouths brushed against each other, hot breath escaping. The taller raccoon placed a hand on Nick's right cheek while the hyena placed his right hand against Richard's chest fur.
Nothing mattered but this moment. Not the King case, not the Mortal Realm, not Adrian or Dmitri, and certainly not the Mortal Guard. Not even Boris mattered at this point in time. All that mattered were these two animals and their intense love for each other.
Nick had never been an animal searching for it, but when he met Richard, his stoic and stern demeanor gave way to a soft, gooey center that the hyena found highly charming.
Richard had been and still was recovering, but now he had this animal in his life to hold his hand and lead him along the way. When either of them fell into darkness, Richard knew the other would be there to pull them out. They would save each other no matter what.
Their lips continued to work at each other as they moaned softly, and Nick pushed him forward gently, Richard walking backward until the back of his legs hit the bed, and he sat down. Nick adjusted his head, now kissing the raccoon at a downward angle and clutching his shoulders.
Richard let his hands slide down Nick's side and grab his hips. He grabbed the white tee shirt the hyena had been wearing and pulled it up off of him, wanting to feel his soft fur. The raccoon couldn't believe he was letting these impulses control him, but he honestly felt good about taking this step in his life.
Nick obliged and pressed their chests together, bringing his knees onto the bed and pulling off his shoes and socks as they continued to make out with passion. Once they were gone, Nick grabbed Richard's head and kissed him deeper, tilting his own head in the process. Richard's hands ran from Nick's hips to his thighs, and the hyena let a tender sound escape his mouth.
Richard let himself be slowly laid on his back as Nick brought a knee on either side, leaning down and continuing to kiss him. Richard couldn't help but rub his legs, his arms, his shoulders, his back. He loved the soft, spotted fur there. "I love you," he told Nick as gently as possible. He couldn't believe he was the one saying it first.
"I love you, too." Nick smiled, coming back down so their mouths could meet again.
After minutes of the passionate reunion, Nick laid down by Richard's side, rubbing his bare chest and smiling. "You know, even though we just did that, we don't have to be together."
"No," Richard stated. "I can't believe I almost lost you. I would have lost you without ever knowing if we could have had a future together. Of course, the future is supremely uncertain, but I want to explore every dark alley of it with you. I think I'm ready now."
Nick squeezed him closer. "So . . . you really want to be together?"
"Yes. I can't imagine any other animal I'd rather be with," Richard told him. "Though, it might take me a long time to get to certain points . . . ."
"I don't care about that." Nick nuzzled his side. "I just want to be with you."
Richard smiled. "Oh, and you're not allowed to leave here for at least three days."
Nick gasped. "Whaaaat?! I have to be trapped with you for three days? Whatever shall I do?"
The raccoon blushed, stroking his mane. "You could do more of what we just did . . . ."
Nick exhaled contently, "I'd be delighted to."
"And Nick, I meant what I said when we were on that ceiling. I want to save Boris with you. If you care about it as much as you do, then so do I. I want to help you figure this out so we can save your friend. As a couple."
"Mmm . . . you're really buttering me up," Nick giggled. "You don't need to convince me to be your boyfriend. I already am!"
"W-w-well, I was just saying!" Richard whined.
"Hahaha, I know . . . ." Nick slid his hand down and found Richard's, lacing their fingers and squeezing. "Whatever happens to us because we're Patience and Diligence, or part of the King case, or whatever . . . I'm ready to take it head-on. I promise I won't let myself get that low again."
"If you do," Richard started, "I'll always catch you."
"Hmm~" Nick grinned, kissing his arm multiple times. "And we can finally go on a date and get some furniture for my residence in the Mortal Realm, right?"
Richard laughed loudly. The loudest he had ever laughed. "Certainly!"
"Good~" Nick cooed. ". . . Can I sing for you again?"
Richard nodded. "I've been dying to hear it again."
Nick put a leg over Richard's and pulled him as close as he could, resting his cheek on his arm and squeezing his hand. He opened his mouth to sing.
I've got arms for you.
I've got arms for you.
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To take the harm from you.
I may not know everything about love,
But I do know how to be enough.
And baby, that's just because
I would never want it to be rough
For you,
For you.
This place you're in is made of metal.
I'll close the windows, put on a kettle
Of tea
And I'll take off those chains so you can be free.
For you,
For you.
The world can be so wrong,
But you won't have to wait long,
Because I'm here for you.
I'm here for you.
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To dry your tears for you.
I've got arms for you.
I've got arms for you.
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To take the harm from you.
Although we don't know it yet,
I believe we'll see the sunset.
And I will become stronger, yes.
You know I'll always do my best.
Baby for you,
For you.
Just open your eyes and see the light.
The light is me and that's alright.
I'll be at your door tonight.
You don't ever have to fight.
I'll do that for you, too.
For you.
And life can be so wrong,
But you don't have to wait long,
Because I'm there for you.
I'm there for you.
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To take care of you.
I've got arms for you.
I've got arms for you.
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To take the harm from you.
And oooh, these eyes are yours.
And oooh, these sighs are yours.
And oooh, these hands are yours.
These hands, these hands, just make demands.
I'll be your man,
Do all I can.
Baby, if you need to cry,
Then I'm your guy.
I'm not going anywhere else tonight.
Close the door and be the light.
For you, ooh,
For you.
And life may be long,
But don't ever get me wrong,
Because I'll care for you.
I'll care for you.
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To be there for you.
Ooh, I'll care for you.
And I've got arms for you.
I've got arms waiting for you.
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To take the harm and hating from you.
Because there's just one reason
For all of the above.
Just one reason, babe,
And it's that I'm in love.
"Wow," Richard stated breathlessly. "I think that might have been your best song yet."
Nick looked up. "Really?"
The raccoon nodded. "I know it."
His new boyfriend sighed and moved his cheek against him. "Hey, Richard?"
"What is it?"
"I really miss Astrid." Even as he said it, vignettes rained down in his mind, but he only caught glimpses of each of them. It all happened in an instant. So many memories. "And I'm really sad that she's gone."
The raccoon pet his mane, trying to figure out the right way to respond to Nick's words. "It's okay to miss her. You had feelings for her that went deeper than attraction. She was your friend. I've never been that close to anyone but my Double and you, but I know what it's like to lose someone. It's an awful feeling. It's like an entirely different despair than anything you could know."
Nick nodded. "It really is. It's like a cave I can't seem to find my way out of. And all I see inside it are reflections of her."
"I know that cave well. I still go there often."
"I wanna go back to the Mortal Realm and do something to remember her by," Nick stated, lightly clutching Richard's brownish-gray fur in his dark hand.