A Lovebug and a Love Bug

by XHunter

Chapter 4

Michael

As I ushered the two mysterious creatures into my house, I directed Pink to the living room sofa. When I attempted to lift Black off Pink, she emitted a snarl of protest. It took some soothing sounds from me and reassuring words from Pink to calm her down enough for me to move her.

Despite her being nearly as tall as me, Black was surprisingly light. Navigating around the coffee table in front of the sofa proved a bit challenging, but I managed to gently place her on the sofa, ensuring she was comfortable on her uninjured side.

With the ample light in the room, I could get a good look at Black. She had fur like Pink, but it was occasionally broken up by what appeared to be armor or scales. There was a prominent section of armor on her back that was bisected down the middle. The lowered ends of her legs were littered with holes, which I couldn't discern if they were scars or something else, but if they were they seemed to have healed long ago. Her horn was crooked and sharp, adding to her unique appearance.

I carefully examined the wounds that dotted Black's body. Although I lacked professional medical training, it was evident that her injuries were not severe, except for one gaping gash. Most of the wounds were superficial cuts, no deeper than a few centimeters, and while there were many, they would likely heal quickly. The gash, on the other hand, was a different story. It appeared as though someone had crudely sliced her, leaving a four-inch-wide and half-inch-deep wound. That explained why she was reluctant to move, I thought.

I headed to my bathroom and retrieved my personal medkit, a thoughtful gift from my sister who worked as a nurse. Initially, I had asked her to teach me wound care out of curiosity, but I soon realized how invaluable such knowledge would be, considering the distance between my house and the nearest hospital—nearly a thirty-minute drive.

Armed with the medkit, I made a brief detour to the kitchen and grabbed each of us a bottle of water. My new guests were probably thirsty from trekking through the forest. Pink had positioned herself at the far end of the 'L' shaped sofa, keeping her distance from Black. The two observed my every move as I placed everything on the table.

I handed a water bottle to Pink and asked, "Water." She gingerly took it into her hooves, revealing a surprising dexterity surpassing that of a typical ungulate. Was that even the right word to describe them? They both looked like horses, so it works, I rationalized in my head.

Attempting to balance the bottle on the bottom of her hoof, she struggled to maintain support, and it toppled over, much to her chagrin. Black said something to her and Pink responded with what could only be an "I know, I know," in their own language. I extended my hand to help, but Pink shook her head, refusing assistance. Instead, she gripped the bottle's cap with her teeth and, using her hooves, began to twist it open.

I was about to help Black with her water when I heard a loud crunch and a sudden squeak from Pink. Turning back to the source, Black and I couldn't help but burst into laughter at the sight. Pink had successfully opened her bottle but accidentally crushed it between her hooves, resulting in a splash that drenched her face. Half the bottle's contents now decorated her soaked fur. Somehow, I could see her blush through her fur. Pink bashfully hid her face behind a wing. I didn't like using the word, but the whole incident was undeniably 'cute.'

I stood up and retrieved a hand towel from a shelf in the main hall, intending to help Pink dry off. When I returned, I found her using a foreleg to dry herself.

"Here let me help," I offered. Pink said something in response and went to grab the towel with her forehooves. I playfully pulled the towel away. "Nope, this time I'm helping you," I teased. Moving closer, I began to gently dry her face, which caused her to gently protest. I could hear Black laughing at Pink's embarrassment in the background.

Once Pink was dry, I returned to Black and opened one of the other bottles of water. Just like Pink, she attempted to grab the bottle between her forehooves, but I swatted her away gently.

"That's a nope to you too," I told her. I held the bottle up to her mouth, hopefully, Black would get the idea. Her eyes shifted from the bottle to me a few times before widening in realization. She responded with a barrage of angry words, causing me to flinch slightly.

I wasn't going to let her pride get another part of my sofa wet, so I shook the bottle in insistence. Ironically, some of the water flew out and splashed my couch—oops. Black had also gotten sprayed on the bottom of her muzzle, catching her off guard—double oops.

She growled at me, like a legitimate growl that one might expect from a big dog. Defensive, I leaned back and muttered an apology. My submissive reaction seemed to please Black, and she responded with a few words and a smug grin.

It dawned on me that the growl was just for show since she was injured. I donned the best 'no' face I could muster and said, "Still feeding you this water, pal."

Black and I engaged in a staring contest, both unwilling to back down. That is, until Pink interjected with a few remarks. Taking a gamble that she agreed with me, I raised the water bottle within Black's and my peripheral vision. It seemed my gamble paid off as Black groaned and closed her eyes. She muttered a few things and gestured toward the bottle with her head. I lifted it to her lips, and she began to drink the water slowly as I tilted the bottle; her face growing redder by the second. By the time we finished, most of the bottle had been emptied. Her face was flush with embarrassment, both from being fed water and from hearing Pink's giggles. For only the second time in years, I found myself using the word 'cute.'

Karma had a way of going around in a circle, and with the loop complete, I decided to dish Pink a second dose of embarrassment. "Now it's your turn," I announced as I turned to Pink. However, my plan to embarrass her was thwarted. Pink had managed to hold her bottle delicately between her hooves and was drinking the water when I turned. Oblivious to my intentions, she innocently looked at me after sipping from her bottle.

The fun was over so I got to work on Black's injuries. With some poking and prodding, I found everything to be relatively clean, only having to rinse away a few bits of debris she had picked up. Although her gash was still oozing blood, a few compresses were enough to stop the bleeding. While I could cover the numerous cuts with band-aids, it was impractical due to her fur and the sheer amount of them. Instead, I decided to bandage over all the cuts.

After some testing, I determined the gash on her thigh to be too wide and uneven to use the stitches I got from my sister. It was the kind of injury that required professional help, but where the hell would I take horse-thingies to? With no better option, I cleaned and treated the gash as thoroughly as possible and applied a bandage, hoping it would heal without complications.

"Alright, that's the best I can do."-I turned to Pink-"Let's see what you got." I approached her, holding up a bandage to signal my intent. She finished her water and shook her head 'no.' Assuming she just didn't want to embarrass herself, I gave Pink a once-over anyway. No wounds covered her body which confused me.

Why was Black covered in cuts and that giant wound while Pink was untouched? Did they fight? None of Black's injuries seemed like they came from bites or Pink's horn, so that couldn't be the case. I pondered various theories, but the most plausible one was that Black sustained the injuries after separating from Pink, and Pink, fortunately, stumbled upon her wounded companion.

An infectious yawn escaped Pink's mouth, serving as a reminder of how late it had become. I glanced at my phone and realized it was nearly 2 am. I was going to dread waking up in the morning.

"Alright you two, if you're not figments of my imagination, I'll be seeing you both in the morning," I said, grabbing Pink's foreleg and gently tugging her off the couch. Understanding my intention, Pink slid off the couch and followed me as I gestured toward the main hall.

We reached the nearest empty bedroom, and I turned back to check if Pink had followed; which she did. "I gotta warn ya, these rooms don't get used, heh," I remarked, even though I knew Pink couldn't understand me. Being silent felt too awkward, so I found comfort in speaking to her, even if it was one-sided.

I opened the bedroom door, revealing its rather plain and unoccupied state. As Pink entered, she began sneezing due to the dust in the air. "Like I said…not used often," I commented, observing her reaction. Despite the sneezing, Pink seemed unperturbed as she promptly hopped onto the bed. I watched with surprise as she effortlessly snuggled under the bed sheets.

She made a sound that I interpreted as "Goodnight," which I replied to in kind. I left the door open enough for her to easily leave the room in the morning and left for Black. I was met with a black, sleeping horse-thingy on my sofa. I faced a dilemma: should I wake her up or simply lift her? Either option risked triggering another rant from her, which I genuinely didn't want to deal with now that exhaustion was catching up to me.

Saying "screw it," I moved the table back to create more clearance and carefully picked Black up. It still surprised me how light she was. Her breathing hitched slightly, hinting at an impending headache, but fortunately, fate was on my side, and she remained asleep. With Black in my arms, I carried her to the bedroom across from Pink's, carefully opening the door. I allowed a few minutes for the room to air out the accumulated dust before entering. Similar to the other room, this one was bland, with only a single bed and a dresser.

I carefully laid Black on the bed, knowing that it would be impossible to tuck her under the sheets without waking her. Instead, I retrieved one of the spare bed covers I kept at the bottom of a shelf; the same one I grabbed a hand towel from earlier. Spreading the cover wide, I guided it down onto Black, who immediately nestled herself into its warmth.

As I made my way down the hall to my own room, my mind began to process the events of the past two hours. I had welcomed two most-likely-aliens into my humble abode. I had tended to one of their injuries, provided them both with water, and now allowed the two of them to sleep in beds that had long gone unused. It all seemed too surreal, like a dream that couldn't possibly be true. Why would life drop such an extra-extra-extraordinary event on a southern hick like me?

“This is like some dumb Bollywood movie,” I muttered as I entered my room and made preparations for bed. Despite my disbelief, I did hope it was all real. If the past two hours were indeed real, it meant that something grander was on the horizon, and I didn’t care whether it was good or bad. I wanted—no—needed something bigger than myself, my house was proof of that, and now an opportunity had seemingly presented itself.

But it’ll only happen if this is real, I thought as I climbed into my bed and drifted off into sleep.

Comments

[Ralanost]

Glad to see another chapter. Looking forward to seeing this from the pony perspective.

[Scurra]

Thanks for the updates!

[Anomimo]

Thanks for the chapter!
I wonder, how will the communication problem be solved? So that they understand each other better.

[BestinDworld]

chrissie is such a tsundere

[Aiwhisper]

Really into this so far.

[Dustbringer]

11610835
I'm of the opinion that it should be a gradual thing, where both parties learn bits and pieces of each others language over time. I feel that having a spell just solve the problem is sorta cheap. However, I really like my slow burns, so if the author is going for something a bit faster paced, it would make sense to just cut that for improved pacing.

[Dat_Random_Fur]

Update When?