private follow me to the chateau // jitterbug

[sunshinespot]

It worries him; Doepath's behavior earlier in the day rings in his mind as he snaps the stem of another lingering bloom. She said her stomach was in knots... and with the change of seasons, he cannot help but wonder if she's growing sick. He knows Gentlestorm will fix whatever's going on with her, but a new itch beneath his pelt blooms - this is yet another thing he cannot chase away. Another foul beast that haunts her, that his skills fall flat before...

His paws carry him mindlessly to the thunderpath just as the sun begins to set. The routine he's followed every few days for a couple weeks now. It feels a bit awkward to do so today, the pout on his face being replaced with a frown as he presses forth. He promised Doepath that he's all hers... but does that mean he has to end his friendships with others? She doesn't grow irritated when he talks with Braveheart or her sisters. But... she doesn't know about Jitterbug. She still hasn't asked where he gets the flowers.

The sun dips as he pulls from the undergrowth, looking across the way and seeing the familiar dark coat of his friend. His frown morphs to a smile. I'll figure this out later, he thinks as he fearlessly steps onto the thunderpath, his tail dusting away the leaves as he pauses half away across. "Howdy," he greets with his lazy grin.
​

 

[jitterbug]

Jitterbug's ear flicks as ey spots Sunshinespot approaching, eyes narrowing just a bit in suspicion. As usual, something about the thunderpath makes em restless—maybe it's the hum in the air or the way the ground beneath vibrates from time to time—but ey stands tall, fighting the twitch that's threatening to ripple through eir body. Eir neck jerks, a tic that is always uncomfortable. Ey frowns, but it's momentary. Sunshinespot's lazy grin pulls at eir attention, and ey rolls eir shoulders to shake off the agitation. "Howdy," ey repeats. "Howdy, how're'y'doin', Sunshine?" Jitterbug asks, the words flowing quickly, one after another like the words can't fall out quick enough. But that's just how ey always is, half-buzzed, like there's too much energy trapped inside. As Sunshinespot steps onto the thunderpath, Jitterbug's tail flicks behind em, brushing the ground in short, agitated, jerky swipes.

Still, a half-smile pulls at Jitterbug's lips. Seeing him always feels like a jolt of excitement. Even so, ey can't shake the anxiety that seems to run under eir skin today. A series of quick jerks pull at their muscles and their whiskers twitch. Jitterbug lets out a low hum, followed by another quick repetition of the other's greeting. "Howdy, how-howdy." Ey gives a quick shake of eir head. Eir tics have been more annoying than usual today, but ey doesn't want to focus on that. Ey can do eir best to push them down so ey can spend some time with Sunshinespot. For a moment, they glance down at the blackened stretch between them, paws fidgeting at the thought of crossing. It feels... dangerous, even though they've done it before. Monsters roar through this place sometimes, and while Sunshinespot might look calm, Jitterbug can't shake the twitchy feeling that today could always be different. With a snort of frustration at eir own hesitation, ey shoots him a sharp look. "Dunno why y'insist on being right in the middle," ey mutters, tone irritated but laced with concern.

Jitterbug flicks an ear, the tic coming again, making their head jerk slightly. A sharp intake of breath follows, quick and shallow. They once more try to gold back the sensation, trying to repress it. They don't want to come off as too rattled—Sunshinespot doesn't need that. With a deep breath and a mental shake, ey steps forward cautiously, each step calculated, paws twitching as ey finally places them on the thunderpath. Ey can't help but flinch slightly as a gust of wind pulls a stray leaf across the black stone, but ey presses on. "So what's got ya out here again, huh?" they call out, voice tight as they approach him, keeping their body slightly lowered as if ey can somehow hide from the open expanse around them. "Y'got a death wish today, or jus' lookin' for company?" The warmth of Sunshinespot's smile calms them a bit as they finally make it to the middle, but Jitterbug's tail twitches sharply behind them, betraying eir nerves. "Y'better be grateful," ey mutters, glancing around warily, "'cause 'm never gonna like the thunderpath. No amount o'flowers is worth ending up flattened by a monster. Just... come to my side, 'r somethin'." But despite the edge in eir tone, ey give Sunshinespot a small, crooked grin, clearly more relaxed standing there with him.​

 

[sunshinespot]

His grin cracks a twinge more sincere as the other pitches the greeting back at him. Sunshine, whilst no doubt simply his name comes through a thread of endearment. Jitterbug twitches and surfs eir gaze over the tough ground of the thunderpath, where Sunshinespot sits waiting. It's been like this several times now, testing the limits of their instincts and pressing forth despite the wailing in their ears. Sunshinespot finds it easy to ignore the fear that jumps his heart, but Jitterbug still stumbles with it.

The smoke and cream tom stifles a laugh as Jitterbug complains. "Y'know as well as I do, it'd be dumb of me to get yer scent all in my fur..." The thunderpath clogs the remnants that come after their encounters. He usually gets odd looks, still, smelling of gravel and asphalt, but he's never been the smartest tom. Most ThunderClanners likely figure that he fell asleep in the most dangerous spot of the territory, if anything. Still, the invitation (though unspoken) is tantalizing. Before he can act on it, Jitterbug makes eir way over.

"Mmm, no, no death wish," he leans closer to the charcoal tabby, briefly pressing their cheeks together before looping a fall colored bloom behind their flicking ear. "Jus' another trade. My mate -" it slips off of his tongue with ease, no flinching, no fearing recourse of his words. Happiness, if anything, beams from within the mottled tom, "- has gotten sick. Some... stomach bug, I dunno. I figured gettin' her some more of them flowers would help 'er feel better, y'know?"

"Y'better be grateful..." ey say. And then moments later, "Just... come to my side..." And Sunshinespot almost melts with the invite. He can't help it - with Doe, he's the pillar, the support. They hold one another fast but he's simply there for her to thrive... which isn't to say he dislikes their dynamic. He adores being wanted and needed, especially after such a life drowned in failure and loss. It's simply nice to have the other side.

Before he has the chance to decide for himself, a distant rumbling sounds.

Sunshinespot's gaze moves quickly, this time, as he looks down the path. Before he can react in full, bright suns beam at them, black paws barreling down the path. The ThunderClan warrior spurs to his paws, the remaining flowers being discarded behind him, and he lunges towards em. With not-often swift action, Sunshinespot tackles his friend to the ground, away from the monster that hunts them. They tumble to the edge of the thunderpath and hopefully with Jitterbug to eir paws, they make their way to the undergrowth on ShadowClan's side.

The monster prowls on with insane quickness, as if it never scented them, their fear.

"... Sorry, 'bout that," Sunshinespot murmurs. He noses spots on Jitterbug's pelt, "I didn' hurt you, did I?"
​

 

[jitterbug]

Sunshinespot's grin feels as warm as the sun itself, and Jitterbug can't help but feel that warmth tangle up eir insides like a nettle. Though ey's done this plenty, skirting the edge of the thunderpath with the gravel crunching underpaw, Jitterbug never quite manages to shut off the prickling in eir nerves. It's like every instinct is pulling em back, away from that wide black path, warning em to turn tail and flee. Sunshinespot, on the other paw, carries himself as if the roaring path's just a stream to hop over. And, really, though ey would never admit it, seeing him so steady, so undeterred, makes em itch with something close to admiration—or maybe just annoyance that he can handle it so easily. As the tom teases, his words brush past Jitterbug, tugging an eye roll from em, though ey's secretly glad he keeps showing up for these odd little exchanges. With his flower-carrying ear twitching, Jitterbug finally sits at Sunshinespot's side, feeling the weight of the unspoken trust settle heavy between them. When he mentions his mate, Jitterbug's gaze narrows, but ey doesn't mention it. Ey watches him like a puzzle ey might want to solve or discard. And yet, something about the way his voice softens makes eir irritation falter.

Then comes the rumbling—a dark blur barreling towards them, glowing eyes locked onto them. Jitterbug's heart lurches as eir paws freeze for half a heartbeat, muscles locking in instinctive terror. Before ey can even gather eir wits, Sunshinespot slams into em, a sharp force that pulls them both from the thunderpath and tumbling to safety. Eir fur bristles as ey realizes how close ey came to becoming a speck on the dark path, eaten up by the monster's maw. Ey pulls emself up, breathing hard as the monster roars past, never even slowing. Jitterbug feels eir pulse pound as the sun-like glare from the oncoming monster streaks past, leaving em with an echo of its rumbling growl as it fades into the distance. Ey blinks, eyes darting down the thunderpath and then back to Sunshinespot, who hovers over em, voice a mix of worry and relief as he inspects eir pelt. Ey lets out a breath ey didn't even know ey'd been holding. It's not that Jitterbug's afraid of much, really, but something about those screeching monsters with their disregard for anything living keeps eir instincts on edge.

"'m alright. Thanks f'the save, Sunshine," ey mutters, shaking emself free from his nosing but letting him get his check in. The closeness still catches em off guard; it's more personal than ey's used to with anyone, even with the quiet understanding they seem to share in these risky meet-ups. Sunshinespot, with that easy warmth and all his soft gestures, makes Jitterbug feel strange—a kind of tugging between the thrill of mystery and the unexpected comfort of familiarity. Jitterbug lets eir gaze land on Sunshinespot's face, and ey pulls emself together, forcing emself to brush off the terror that had seized em a moment ago. "Doubt y'would'a ever heard th'end of it if that monster got me," ey says with a quick grin, "I'd have'ta haunt you from StarClan." The weight of Sunshinespot's leap into action, his fast-moving form shoving em out of the path of danger, hangs in the air. Ey wonders to emself if maybe this means something, this kind of fierce protectiveness that he seems to pour out effortlessly, like it's just a part of him. But hearing him say 'my mate' before, like it's no big deal—Jitterbug can't deny the pang of envy twisting at eir chest, and it's a feeling ey quickly bats away. Finally ey pushes emself up to eir paws, brushing off the last tendrils of alarm and adopting a stance of relaxed nonchalance as ey does so. The thunderpath might scare em, but Jitterbug's not about to let that fear show for long and ruin their meeting. "Next time," ey says, "I'll be th'one savin' you."​