章 35: Chapter 35 - Picnic pt2 - you look like a fox
"Is it just me or does Faun look different?" Isla noted when they were settled on the picnic blanket at the clearing in the woods.
Her words attracted everyone's attention, three pairs of eyes fixed on Faun at the same time.
Faun froze up, his building panic made it hard to swallow.
Had he gotten distracted and let his ears out?
His worried eyes found Declan who stared back with amusement twinkling in his eyes, his hand supporting his jaw.
"What do you mean?" Lou was the one to ask, inching closer with curiosity in her eyes.
"Yeah, Isla, what are you talking about?" Declan drawled, his languid reaction doing nothing to hide the burning curiosity in his eyes.
From Declan's reaction and the fact that neither Isla nor Lou were screaming their heads off, Faun could finally take a deep breath. Of course, he hadn't been that careless.
Now, what were they going on about?
Isla looked slightly nervous from being put on the spot. "I-It's nothing serious." She quickly said, not wanting them to get their hopes up. "It's just that he looks kind of… kind of…" She stuttered slightly, trying to figure out the right words to use.
Even though he looked chubbier than the last time they met, his features hadn't softened; if anything, it was the opposite.
His eyes were slanted which made his eyes look less bigger and the rest of his features were more feline? No, foxy? Foxy was the word.
It felt odd that she was using such words to describe him but they were the only things that came to mind.
Plus, it was such a noticeable difference from the last time that they met, and if she hadn't pointed it out, it would have bugged her for a long time.
"Did you forget you were talking?" Lou dragged her out of her thoughts.
"No, sorry, it… it's just like Faun reminds me of a fox now." She managed to say, scratching her head nervously. "His eyes are more slanted now and don't his overall features just remind you of a fox?"
And just like that his panic was back; Faun shared a glance with Declan who looked just as stunned as he was.
"Ah, forget it, I'm just rambling…" Isla tried to dissipate the tense air that her words had caused.
"No, wait." Lou cut her off, leaning forward to cup Faun's face.
She wasn't the type to be so forward so her actions caught Faun off guard but they weren't talking about him not being human, he thinks? So it was fine.
"I see it." Lou agreed. "Declan, what are you feeding him?" She found a way to drag him into it, naturally. "Because I want to get in on it, he looks so good."
Faun was coming to learn that Lou just seemed cold and forbidding at first but she was just as mushy and touchy-feely as Isla was.
As someone who had been touch-starved his whole life, it was very welcome.
Faun tried hard not to heat up when Declan reluctantly scooched closer to get a better look; the last thing he wanted was for Isla and Lou to catch him blushing because Declan was staring at his face.
He wondered what they all saw, he looked at his reflection in the mirror every other time and he couldn't catch even one difference.
Declan was staring at him now, with that look in his eyes where you couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Declan had vaguely noticed something that morning but it was different for them because they hadn't seen him in a while and he saw his face every single day.
Now that it was pointed out to him, he couldn't unsee it. If it were left to him, he would say that Faun looked more mature, that he looked his age now but Isla had nailed it on the head.
Ever perceptive for all the wrong things.
Maybe it was because he had seen him with his eyes and tail out so often that he didn't notice the obvious changes.
"Fine, he's better looking than you lot, why are you making such a big fuss about it?" Declan drawled, returning back to his spot to lie down on the big blanket, his arms cushioning his head.
Faun blushed this time, unable to help the heat crawling up his face. Fortunately, Isla's and Lou's attention were taken up by Declan. The two of them were rounding on him.
Faun let out a sigh of relief at this, a smile stretching out his lips. Declan thought he looked good.
Somehow Declan's indirect compliment affected him more than Isla and Lou gushing over him.
They made their way back to the cottage when the sun started to go down, Isla and Lou saying their goodbyes.
Isla was suggesting that it become routine that every Saturday they would all go on a picnic.
Declan's refusal was expected and Faun preferred it this way; as much as he liked Isla and Lou's presence, it also meant that he would have to share Declan's attention.
His possessiveness was a bit too obvious but he never had a favourite person to be possessive over before, he would allow it this time.
As soon as they were alone again, Faun immediately rushed to his room to stare at himself in the mirror, trying hard to pick out the differences that everyone but him seemed to see.
"It's fine if you don't see it." Declan's familiar voice breached his ears, making him whip around with a guilty expression on his face like had had been caught doing something else.
"What you look like doesn't change who you are after all, now come outside and keep me company." He added with a huff, sweeping outside.
Faun laughed softly at this; at first Declan had sounded very cool and at the end, he also sounded cool.
He gave up trying to find the new him in the mirror, his ears popping out as he made his way out of his room, the sun slowly setting behind him.
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