Anonymous Sat 19 Oct 2024 17:31:51 No.70109953 Report

Quoted By: >>70109968 >>70109972 >>70110286

part 2 of picrel

“Urgh, stupid neckrest–!”
>I struggle to unravel myself from it. I can already tell I’m gonna have to brush knots out of my hair. Whatever, that’s a later problem.
>Damien had called me thirty minutes ago. Between the shoddy reception in the storage room of the gallery and his panic, I could only make out a couple words: “PETUNIA’S WALKING”. Then, he screamed something and dropped the phone.
“Crap!”
>I almost roll my ankle in these new heels when I finally free myself from the car. Wobbling to a standing position, I run the thirty-odd feet to the front steps.
>Or, well, I try to. The heels don’t make it easy.
>I reach forward with my neck, grabbing the doorhandle with my mouth and yanking it open. It’s crude, but I don’t really care at this point. I rocket into the house, pivoting immediately into the dining room. Are they there?
“Damien!?”
>Not there.
“Over here, sunflower!”
“Mmama!”
>That was behind me. The living room, further in! I reel back out of the portal, snaking further in and to the right. Peeking inside, I’m relieved to find them.
>I can feel my heart twenty feet behind me (and approaching) soar with pride. Petunia’s standing all on her own, and Damien’s hunched over across from her, beckoning her over. Ohhhhhh, I wish Inco were here to take a picture, it’s so–
>What’s that on her head? …Is that a helmet?
>Is she okay!?
“Oh my God, what happened!?”
>Damien looks over to me, then traces my gaze to the big, round, white, ill-fitting, pockmarked helmet.
“I went into the kitchen to make her food, and then I head thumping, and then I turned around and SHE WAS WALKING, and–”
>Petunia, who had begun to teeter, falls in the middle of Damien’s explanation. It takes a few seconds for her head to hit the ground.
THUMP.
>The love of my life winces. I haven’t seen that look since Inco got in that jetski accident last year.

cont

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Anonymous Sat 19 Oct 2024 17:32:40 No.70109972 Report

Quoted By: >>70109983 >>70110286

>>70109953
“...And she kept falling, so I put a helmet on her. Y’know, to protect her.”
>...Oh thank God, she’s just having the Tumbles. I thought something bad happened. I coil more of my neck into the living room as I grope blindly for the railing at the front steps.
“Okay, but - where did the helmet come from?”
>Hubby-wubby was helping Petunia back to her feet as I asked him. He almost looked afraid to touch her, like when he helped move one of the sculptures that was gonna get sold. It’s adorable.
“Oh, that?”
>He gives a little sheepish grin, his frills picking up a bit. Petunia raised hers as soon as he saw him do it. My heels clack against the hardwood of the front hallway as Damien explains himself.
“I, uh, got into a lot of accidents when I was a kid. Y’know, like the headbutting contest?”
>I roll my eyes. God, it’s a miracle he’s still alive after all the stories I’ve heard from Sophia. He pats the retard helmet, then quickly rights Petunia as it causes her to wobble again.
“So Mom got me this thing and never threw it out once I outgrew it. When we were moving in, I figured it might be useful, so I just threw it in the boxes.”
>Finally in the living room proper, I take a seat on the couch. Petunia giggles as I reach over and nuzzle noses with her.
“Neck rides, Petunia.”
>She giggles and grabs on tight as I lift her up and crane her back to my lap. The sensation of her tiny fingers and thin neck weighing on me brings on that familiar, warm fuzziness. Damien’s gonna have to give me another one once she gets too big for this.
“She’s just having her Tumbles, love bug. We don’t need this.
>Damien looks concerned as I unstrap the helmet from flower girl’s head. Gosh, would it kill him to do some research for once?
“This happens to every brachy, Damien. She isn’t gonna develop her balance until her neck gets long enough to do hooks.”
“But her head…”

cont

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Anonymous Sat 19 Oct 2024 17:33:10 No.70109983 Report

Quoted By: >>70110286

>>70109972
“She can handle Tumbles, Damien. How would we even live this long if we couldn’t?”
>He doesn’t retort, but he’s downcast. I feel a little reflexive guilt. I hate when he feels like that.
“I went through it too, Damien. I didn’t stop falling over ‘til I was nine.”
>His face lights up as he remembers the first time we met.
“Oh, yeah! In third grade, at the carnival–”
>I grimace at the memory. That dunk tank was REALLY cold.
“Ugh, don’t remind me. Most brachys get over it by eight.”
>His smile restored at the memory, he joins us on the couch, kissing our little bundle of love on the snoot.
“Well, I thought it was fun.”
“Of course YOU did, you weren’t the one who tipped over after she threw the ball.”
>He can’t help but laugh. Petunia definitely doesn’t know what’s going on, but she can’t help but giggle. I can’t help but smile at both of them.
“...Well, since you’re home early… how about we go out to eat?”
“Didn’t Sophia just leave? I’d hate to call her back, and Jandice just upped her rate for babysitting…”
“Why not bring Petunia along?”
>She perks up at her name being mentioned. I raise my eyebrow.
“Didn’t she just eat? You know how grabby she gets when she’s at the table and doesn’t get anything.”
>There’s that sheepish grin again. What did he do?
“Yeah, uh, y’know how I said I was making her dinner when she started walking?”
“Uh huh?”
“Well, I saw her fall, and then I ran over to her, and uh… kinda… spilled all the formula…?”
…
>You know, a restaurant seems fine right about now.

fin!
>>70109968
AUGH I FORGOT IT