(This one is a bit horrorbox-ish, but not really for anything fluffy related.)
Brian and Gavin spent that night cuddling until they fell asleep. Days and nights went by. They didn’t notice the beat-up, black pickup truck passing by their house each day.
Apple began to fatten up and gain strength, his ribs no longer showing. His fur started to practically gleam after the many baths and brushings he got. He opened up as well, beginning to speak. He surprised Brian and Gavin when they realized he referred to himself as “I” and “me” instead of his name. Brian’s heart melted when Apple finally started to call him “Dada”.
Dusk was still an asshole, they were working on it. Dusk had been made to exercise and go for walks every day, as he had gotten overweight from eating Apple’s food when they lived in the abusive household. Slowly, they were both getting healthier.
Brian was lying in bed, enjoying the feeling of having just woken up and being able to go back to sleep immediately. He was just starting to doze off when he heard his door quietly creak open.
“Sniffle Dada…” Brian heard a small, sad croak next to him. His eyes cracked open and he groggily blinked down at the small green alicorn at the side of his bed.
“What’s up, Apple? You okay?” Brian asked quietly as he could. Apple shook his head. “What’s wrong?” He asked.
Apple retched a little bit. …Shit.
“I don’ feew too good, dada.” The alicorn whimpered. “My tummy feews bad. An’ I’m cowd! I think I’m gon’ make sicky wawas.” A scared tear slipped down Apple’s cheek as the poor alicorn shivered and shook.
“Okay, uhhhh” Brian’s thought process stalled. He shook his head to get it clear. “Let’s get you into the bathroom, okay? I’ll help you feel better the best I can.” He gently scooped up Apple, trying to put as little pressure on his belly as possible.
Right as he was about to leave the room, Gavin rolled over. Dammit, Brian had woken him up. “Mmmh, what’s wrong hon?” Gavin asked.
“Apple’s feeling sick and might throw up. I’m takin’ him into the bathroom just in case he does.” Brian sighed, leaving the room. Right before Brian was able to step into the tiled bathroom floor, Apple barfed. Right on the carpet and his leg. Dammit.
Brian sighed. “Better out than in, huh?” He tried to soothe the unhappy alicorn. He stepped into the bathroom anyway so the vomit on his leg wouldn’t drip onto the carpet. He almost slipped.
“Huu, huu, nu feew pwetty!” Apple sobbed. Then he perked up again. “Dada? I’m hungwy. Can I hab nummies?”
Brian almost smiled at the very sudden mood change. Some good food can perk a fluffy right up if it’s feeling down. “Sure buddy, lemme clean this up first.” He said, motioning to the barf on the floor.
“Huu, am sowwy Dada, I nu mean to make sicky wawas on da fwoow!” Apple apologized, looking guilty.
“It’s okay, it can be cleaned up. As I said, better out than in.” He said. “Stay in here by the trash can just in case there’s any more you need to get out, ok?”
“…Otay. Dada suwe yoo nu wan’ make me cwean it up?” Apple reluctantly asked. Brian grimaced. He knew that his old owner would force him to clean up after Dusk, no matter what the mess was. Poor Apple was getting healthier, but wasn’t used to normal meals yet. The alicorn had eaten too much the previous night and Brian would have to give Apple a bit less for breakfast this morning.
Brian changed his clothes and threw them directly into the washing machine. He scrubbed the carpet til it was nice and clean again, then washed his hands. He made sure Apple’s fur was clean of barf, then helped brush the fluffy’s teeth. He didn’t want any leftover stomach acid rotting his poor alicorn’s teeth. Apple happily whinnied afterwards and trotted around, feeling better already.
After that, Brian fed the fluffies, woke Gavin and they went out to buy medicine and more fluffy supplies. The fluffies stayed home. Anti-nausea tablets, fluffy-safe cold medicine, fluffy flu meds, and baby aspirin. They also bought something called a “sorry bar”, which was like a whole bar of soap, except it was solidified sorry spray. It would bubble and lather like soap, but was nontoxic and safe to ingest. It was “Hot habanero pepper” flavored.
Soon enough, they noticed the black pickup truck that kept creeping by them. At least once every 5 minutes, if they were in sight of the parking lot, the truck would drive by and slow down when passing by them. Gavin shuddered, and Brian gave him a kiss on the cheek to soothe him.
“It’s okay. If they try anything, we’ll get away. There’s good security here.” Brian quietly spoke. Gavin nodded.
“Shit, there they are again.” Gavin hissed at Brian while they walked down the middle of the shopping district. Brian whipped his head to the right and saw the beat-up pickup truck creeping by them yet again. He glared. This was the third time that truck had driven past them in the span of 10 minutes. Whoever this was, they were a damned creep.
Brian gave the truck a good hard stare as it passed and finally sped up when it was a few feet ahead of them. This was bad news, and made alarm bells sound in Brian’s mind. “Honey, I think we should head home. This is getting creepy.” Brian held Gavin’s hand.
Gavin nodded, a little pale. “Mhmm. We got enough first aid and medicine for the fluffies anyway. Let’s go home.” They piled their shopping bags in the trunk and started up the car. Brian put the stick shift in reverse and started to back up.
The truck seemed to come out of nowhere and stopped right behind their car. Brian swore, slammed on the brakes so he wouldn’t hit the truck and leaned on the horn. He was getting freaked out. Whoever this was was clearly targeting them.
After a few seconds, the truck slowly pulled away again. Brian shot out of the parking space and sped off. Gavin gulped and put his seatbelt on. Brian was driving a bit erratically, though it was understandable considering they were being followed.
Brian looked in the rear-view mirror a few minutes later and swore. A few car-lengths back, the truck was following them. Brian went down one street, then another. They were still being followed. Brian passed their apartment complex and Gavin yelped “What are you doing?!”
“My parents may have been assholes but they taught me one good thing; When you’re being followed, never, ever go home. If they follow you home, they know where you live. Gavin, we are not going home until this fucker gets off our bumper.” Brian answered, glaring at the rear-view mirror. He sped up, heading towards a freeway onramp. He entered the freeway and promptly floored it.
As they sped along, they went over bumps, switched lanes, and nearly crashed multiple times. The truck still followed, despite their car going about 80 now. Over 10 miles over the speed limit. If Brian got pulled over, he’d have to pay a ticket but it would at least get this fucking stalker away from Brian and his boyfriend. There’s no way this creep would take on a cop.
After about 15 minutes of driving, one of the grocery bags fell from the seat and landed just behind the passenger seat. They both heard the telltale POP of one of the medicine bottles they’d gotten. Then they smelled the acrid scent of the meds. The lid had broken. The strong smell burned their eyes, and Brian nearly swerved off the road from the stench that made his eyes water heavily.
“Shit!” Brian snapped. “Of course this has to happen now!” He kept speeding along, and he realized the pickup truck was farther back now by several car lengths. Good. Maybe they were finally losing whoever this was. “Gavin!”
“Yeah?”
“Try and get the medicine to stop spilling, would ya?” Brian asked, pressing on the gas harder and speeding past other cars.
“Okay!” Gavin reached back to try and grab the bag. He got a hold on it and lifted it up, without the medicine. “Dammit.” He felt for the bottle, but all he felt was the puddle of medicine the container had left. “Goddammit! I can’t reach it!” He got back in the passenger seat and wiped his medicine-covered hand on his jeans.
“MOTHERFUCK- Okay, new plan.” Brian said. “We keep getting away from this guy, that’s our top priority. We can try to do some home remedies once we get back. Once we’re back, we are not leaving the house for a few days, just to make sure this asshole doesn’t see us driving around in case he retraces his steps.”
Soon, the pickup was off their tail. But Brian still drove in the same direction for a good half hour, winding this way and that. Afterwards, they took strange, backwoods roads to stay out of sight. It took over an hour to get back, and by then both of them were sick of the medicine smell. They pulled into the garage, got into the house as fast as possible, then set about making sure all the curtains and blinds were closed and doors were locked.
“Wha’ Bwian doin’? Somefing wong?” Cherry asked.
“All I’ll say is if someone comes to the door, don’t answer it unless it’s us. Don’t even make the person aware of your presence. Don’t yell that someone’s at the door, don’t ask who it is, nothing. Stay silent. If you need us to come to the door, run to get us but be quiet.”
Cherry gulped, taking that as a “yes, something’s wrong”. The fluffies followed their owners around as they locked up the house. Then, Dusk went about sniffing the entryways to the house to make sure no unfamiliar smells were there.
He growled when he smelled the acrid stench of medicine mixed with fear from the garage where the car was kept. Whatever was threatening his dummeh humans, he didn’t like it. “Dis am Dusk’s housie!” Dusk snarled under his breath. “Am fo’ hewd an nubody ewse!” Subconsciously, he promised to protect this house with his life.
First chapter: Cherry And Brian, Chapter 0: Cherry's Backstory (Star-The-Alicorn)
Previous chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 10: Confessions (Star-The-Alicorn)
Optional bonus chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 11.5: Grief (Star-The-Alicorn)
Next chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 12: A Lucky Encounter (Star-The-Alicorn) (Art by Mlgbunnyiscool)