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New Years was an important holiday, a day that marked the end of the year before the next one began. For most people, this day was filled with parties, and celebration. For others, they were more relaxed for the holiday, simply counting down to the new year and spending time with their loved ones. Mococo and Nerissa leaned more towards the latter, simply spending the day together before joining their friends for the countdown. There was a little party afterwards, one that ended with most of them being completely exhausted. Even so, Nerissa had gladly offered to be the one to drive herself and her girlfriend home.
–
Stumbling through the door, Nerissa sighed, setting her keys on a small shelf next to the door, turning to both let Mococo pass and to work on getting her shoes off. However, rather than walk past her, and beeline to either the couch or their bedroom (usually depending on her energy), Mococo groaned and leaned against Nerissa, nuzzling against her. The taller woman nearly chuckled, finally kicking her shoes off and focusing on the woman behind her. She reached a hand behind her, and gently ran her fingers through Mococo’s blonde and pink hair. Immediately, she got a content hum in response, and could occasionally feel the slight brush of the other’s tail against her legs as it started to wag.
“Are you tired?” Nerissa hummed in question, waiting patiently for a response, though only felt a slight shake of Mococo’s head a few seconds too late. She sighed, amused. “Nope, you’re definitely tired. How about we head to bed?”
“But-” Mococo groaned, even her voice was dripping with sleepiness. Honestly, who did she think she was fooling? Certainly not Nerissa, as she turned around and, now face to face with Mococo, pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her cheek, and then her other cheek. Each kiss made Mococo more and more giggly, but just as she was ready for a kiss to the lips…Nerissa pulled away.
Mococo blinked, confused. Before her brows furrowed.
“Hey! Why’d you stop..!” She whined, a pout on her face as blue eyes glared at Nerissa. Maybe the hellhound thought she was being intimidating, but in reality, she just looked extra cute. It didn’t help that Mococo was still visibly and audibly exhausted. The woman brought her hand up to pat the top of Mococo’s head, gently scratching at one of her ears. Immediately, she lost her glare and just sighed, leaning against her girlfriend’s hand.
“I’ll give you a proper kiss after we lay down. How does that sound?” Nerissa offered, watching with endearment as her girlfriend tilted her head a little more as she thought about it. She waited, until Mococo sighed and begrudgingly stepped away, though grabbed Nerissa’s hand firmly as she pulled her along to their bedroom. The raven nearly stumbled, she forgets just how strong her girlfriend is..
“Finee..” The hellhound sighed, slowly walking down the hall, occasionally giving an impatient tug to Nerissa’s arm to get her to walk faster, which actually only resulted in a small laugh from the woman. Mococo groaned, but any complaint was lost as they finally got to the bedroom, the second the door closed, Mococo turned to look at Nerissa, an expectant look in her eyes. But the taller woman said nothing, simply walking over to their split wardrobe to pick out some pajamas. She heard a few footsteps follow her, a clear indication that Mococo was now following her around closely.
“Mococo, I said
after
we lay down.” The raven reminded her lover before she had the chance to complain, once again getting an impatient groan in reply. “The sooner you get ready for bed, the sooner you get your kiss.”
That seemed to do the trick, as Mococo then immediately went next to her and started looking through her clothes for something comfortable to wear to bed. Eventually, the two both got outfits picked out, and after taking a moment to change into them, they were climbing into bed. Nerissa laid down under the covers, holding the blanket up so Mococo could scoot in right next to her. There was a little bit of shuffling as the two adjusted, until Mococo was cuddled up against Nerissa’s side, her face nuzzled against her neck as she hummed contently once again.
“Hey, Mococo.” The raven called softly, her hand moving to idly play with the woman’s dual-colored hair, occasionally scratching at the base of her ears, something only she was allowed to do. Mococo glanced up, making a noise to indicate that she was listening.
“Can you look at me?” She requested, to which Mococo sighed, but slowly, she tilted her head so she was able to look up at her. Nerissa leaned down to finally press that long awaited kiss to Mococo’s lips. The hellhound was surprised, having nearly forgotten about it in her sleepiness, lazily leaning her head forward to try and kiss back. Eventually, they pulled away, with Nerissa seeming content, and Mococo looking absolutely ecstatic, with a large, toothy grin. Though her face was now nearly the same kind of pink as the pink in her hair. As the two settled again, with Nerissa wrapping an arm around Mococo and keeping her close, and the latter once again nuzzling up to her. They soon began drifting asleep…until they fully fell asleep.
–
–
BOOM!!
Nerissa’s eyes snapped open, but all that did was remind her she was currently in her bedroom. Her eyes squinted as she adjusted to the darkness, yawning as she still tried looking around. From what she could see, nothing in the room had fallen down, seeing as everything was still in its designated place. The raven glanced at the analog clock on her nightstand..1:30 AM..it couldn’t be any visitors, it’s way too late for that. She doubted it could be something like robbers, It had been made clear just who lived here, no one would dare try such a thing. The bedroom door was open, but she just assumed Mococo probably got up at some point and forgot to close it when she returned.
‘Just what was that sound…’
She pondered, until suddenly..
BOOM!!
There it was again! Now she was really confused, what on earth was going o-..Her thoughts stopped as she caught sight of some fizzling colors outside. As another boom rang out, a large firework could be seen exploding in the sky. Ohhh, that made much more sense. Still, fireworks..at one in the morning? Could these people please learn about common courtesy?!
“At least it was nothing that dangerous…” She mumbled, closing her eyes and moving her arm to try and pull Mococo closer only to realize that there was no one in her arms. Groaning, Nerissa turned over. Sometimes, Mococo will manage to get out of her grip in the middle of the night, and in response, Nerissa would turn and hold her close once more, just to keep cuddling her. However, there was no Mococo here either. Finally, she opened her eyes again, only to find that Mococo was not in bed at all, in fact, she wasn’t even in the room.
Now suddenly much more awake, Nerissa sat up, brows furrowed in concern.
“I’m awake now…might as well look for her. Besides, I can’t deny that I'm worried about her.” She muttered to herself, pulling her legs over the side of the bed and slipping on some pink fuzzy slippers. Mococo had got them for her, having said something along the lines of pink looking cute on her. Though part of Nerissa had a feeling that Mococo also found it a little funny, given how many times she’d wear them while walking around the house and hear the stifled giggles of her hellhound girlfriend. The raven stretched as she stood up, her body felt sore due to how long Mococo had been snuggling up on top of it. Though, the adorableness of the gesture was far worth the soreness Nerissa had after. On the short walk to the door, Nerissa grabbed a stray sweater, slipping it on to combat the additional chilliness that the night had brought to the house.
She groaned at the sound of another distant boom, people really went hard with their fireworks, huh? It took no time at all for Nerissa to reach the door of their bedroom, peering out into the dark hallways of their house. Still no sign of her adorable and bubbly girlfriend, who’s hair would’ve been enough to notice her even in the current dark atmosphere of the place. Wasting no time, she stepped out of the room and started looking around for the woman.
Her first thought was to check the living room, but a quick peer over the couch and a glance around the area brought no sign of Mococo. Nerissa then decided to check out the kitchen, knowing how bottomless the other’s stomach could be, perhaps she wanted to get a snack. But, once again, there was no sign of her Mococo. However, before leaving the kitchen, Nerissa made a quick stop by one of the cabinets, reaching in to grab a small bag of black licorice that had been stored inside. Much to Nerissa’s surprise, Mococo seemed to like these and even though she couldn’t really get why, she had still made an effort to always have a supply of them in the house for her sake.
It wouldn’t hurt to bring some to Mococo…whenever she found the hellhound. She briefly considered the bathroom, but one look confirmed the door was open and the lights were off. This was odd, not only had Mococo left bed at such an absurd hour, but she was absolutely nowhere to be seen. Nerissa was growing increasingly concerned…there was no way she would leave the house, right? Nono, she had no reason to, besides her shoes were still in the house, and the door was still locked.
But at this point, Nerissa had searched nearly everywhere in the house that the hellhound would reasonably hide. Worry concentrated all over her, only getting worse and worse every second that went by without her girlfriend in her line of sight. Where on Earth could she–
BOOM!
bang!
Ah, another firework, that was-
Wait…
What was that second noise?
Nerissa paused and waited, and waited…until another firework went off, and just like the last time, another bang, not as loud but it was definitely closer. Quickly, Nerissa hurried down the hall, and after a few minutes of rushed and panicky searching, she was led to their broom closet.
Ah! Of course, why didn’t she think to check here too?!
As she approached the door of the closet, Nerissa purposefully tried to make her steps louder, so her appearance would be anticipated. The last thing she wanted to do was startle Mococo if she was indeed inside here. Carefully, she grabbed a hold of the door handle, turning it at a snail pace before just as slowly opening it, listening to the soft creaks of the door.
The sight before her nearly made Nerissa’s heart shatter.
Mococo sat in the corner of the closet, curled in against herself as much as she could, with her tail draping over her lap. Her ears were pinned flat against her head, and she was very visibly shaking. Worst of all, Nerissa could swear she could see the shine off some tears on the poor hellhound’s face. Immediately, the raven walked inside, while it wasn’t the most spacious closet, it didn’t feel incredibly cramped with them both inside. Taking in Mococo’s current condition, and some other information she knew, it was easy to put two and two together.
Mococo had most likely been scared off by the fireworks, not only were they super sudden, but they were extremely loud. Considering Mococo’s increased hearing, it probably got
too
loud for her. Poor thing must’ve either gotten too startled or was too overwhelmed by the noise and sought out the quietest place in the house. Maybe even both happened one after the other!
“Mococo…” Nerissa whispered softly, kneeling down in front of the hellhound. She made a point to be as quiet as possible, the last thing she’d want to do is overwhelm her further.
Mococo still nearly flinched, though caught herself when she realized it was just Nerissa. Blue, panicky eyes scanned over the taller woman, before glancing away. Though, just looking at her was enough to make the hellhound frown. Oh, what a terrible sight that was, seeing Mococo with a sad frown and teary eyes that were seconds away from crying again.
“Oh, Nerissa…Did I wake you? Im sorry..-” She mumbled, and gods did she sound so exhausted. The raven shook her head, scooting a little closer, though kept a bit of space between the two.
“Nono, the fireworks woke me up, don’t worry.” Nerissa reassured, watching as Mococo sighed, perhaps in relief. There was silence between the two for a few agonizing minutes, with the only sound being the occasional sniffle from Mococo. Thankfully, there wasn’t many more fireworks being set off at this time, when one did go off, the hellhound would tense up before whining as the noise fizzled out. She couldn’t imagine how loud the noise was to her, even if she was held up in this closet. Briefly, Nerissa wondered if Fuwawa was having a similar issue, but considering the eldest hellhound was currently with Shiori, she assumed that she’d be okay. Perhaps she could check in with them in the morning…
Shaking her head, Nerissa focused back on Mococo. Thinking of what her best course of action would be in this situation. Eventually, she decided on holding a hand out to Mococo, moving it slowly and holding it a few inches away from the woman. The raven watched closely as her girlfriend glanced at her hand, and then up at her. It was an oddly tense moment, but the tension broke quickly the moment Mococo leaned forward to nuzzle against her hand. Her heart immediately felt overwhelmed seeing Mococo’s frown give way to her usual toothy smile, albeit a little smaller. Nerissa kept her hand there, letting Mococo relax.
Until…
BOOM!
Another one!?
Immediately, Mococo whined, and recoiled at the noise. However, Nerissa was quick to lean forward and wrap her arms around the hellhound, who seemed to allow the gesture. A moment went by before Mococo suddenly started to cling to her, shaking and pulling herself closer to snuggle up against her girlfriend, her safe space. All the while, Nerissa ran a gentle hand across her back, helping to soothe the woman. Mococo’s shaking took a while to cease, but when it did, the hellhound groaned and all but slumped against Nerissa. Poor thing must’ve been so tuckered out…She whined and nuzzled against her.
“Nerissa…” Her voice was so soft, far softer than it ever really got. But it also sounded incredibly..defeated, exhausted. She sighed contently when a careful hand started running through her hair, scratching at her scalp but making sure to avoid the ears this time.
“Yes, Mococo?” The raven asked, pressing a gentle kiss to the side of her head, feeling accomplished when the action managed to finally revive the hellhound’s tail, watching as it lazily started to wag. Never had she been so glad to see that wagging tail…it was so nice to see in this situation.
“I’m tired.” Mococo complained with a whine, which brought a light hearted chuckle from her taller girlfriend. Of course she’d be tired after all of that, but the sleepy complaint was just too adorable.
“Then we should head back to bed, hm?” Nerissa offered, getting a lazy nod in response from the hellhound. She moved to try and stand up, but paused when she remembered that Mococo was on top of her still.
“Are you going to walk…?” She questioned, keeping still as she waited for an answer. Looking down at her girlfriend, her heart ached when she saw Mococo shake her head and then glance up at her with the most adorable puppy eyes. Why did her girlfriend have to be so damn cute?!
“Mn…Can you carry me..? Pleaseeee?” Mococo pleaded, tilting her head while she rested it on Nerissa’s chest. The latter pretended to ponder while she kept petting the other’s hair, humming in fake contemplation before sighing, though was clearly still smiling.
“Fine fine, you’re lucky you’re so adorable.” The raven agreed, getting a happy giggle from Mococo in response. Carefully, Nerissa moved an arm to wrap around Mococo firmly, to help keep her close as she carefully began to stand up in the closet. She could feel arms wrap around her, but did her best to ignore the dulled claws digging into her back to keep their hold. Eventually, she managed to stand upright, once again adjusting her hold on Mococo to ensure the hellhound wouldn't fall before finally making the trek back to their bedroom. During the walk, Mococo kept nuzzling against her, humming happily as her tail started to wag a little faster.
After a slow trip, made extra slow by Nerissa’s careful walking to ensure there was no risk of accidentally dropping her dear girlfriend, the two made it back into the bedroom. Finally, at this time, there seemed to be no more fireworks going off, which would grant Mococo some peace for now. As Nerissa set Mococo down on the bed, she was stopped from walking over to her side by a hand grasping at one of her sleeves. Immediately, the raven stopped and looked at the hellhound, waiting for her to say something.
“I love you.” Is what finally came out of the hellhound’s mouth, those words making Nerissa smile. Mococo let out a series of giggles as Nerissa leaned down and pressed a few kisses to her cheeks in response. Eventually, Nerissa stopped at her lips and leaned forward, pulling her girlfriend into a proper kiss, humming in contentment. As she pulled away, she was meant with the nearly blinding smile of her girlfriend, but she was still gripping onto her sleeve. Though it didn’t take long for her to realize what else it was that Mococo wanted.
“I love you too, Mococo.” Nerissa said softly, which only made Mococo’s smile wider as she finally let go of her sleeve, allowing for the former to walk around the bed and lay down on her side. However, as soon as Nerissa properly laid down, Mococo scooted over to lay atop her, nuzzling against her neck. With an arm moving to wrap securely around her girlfriend, Nerissa finally relaxed against the bed, sighing as she got comfortable. As the two lay there, cuddled together, with Nerissa’s hand idly brushing through Mococo’s hair. As well as Mococo having both arms wrapped around Nerissa’s waist. They slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.
It was a comfortable night.
Because it was one spent together.