Work Text
The day started as all days did with you and Howdy, he would open and run the front of his store while you went out in search of various flowers to decorate and sell. You found yourself adjusting to the abnormal life quicker than you would have imagined, If you went back and told your past self,
“Hey! Prepare to live with puppets the rest of your life!”
…You probably would have admitted
yourself
to a mental ward, the thought making you giggle as you carefully picked at a patch of babies breath you had found. The human mind worked in marvellous, but interesting ways you supposed, the thought leaving as soon as it entered though and before long you found yourself gathering your collection for the day and beginning the trek “home”.
Howdy was kind enough to offer you a home in his shop when you first arrived, and you quickly grew to like the bug even if he had his weird habits and hobbies, they charmed you.
He had expressed how he enjoyed cooking but had no one to share the food with, it being hard to eat at all as a puppet, so you took on the role of taste tester and since then had been helping Howdy at any chance you could.
With the town drawing closer as you walked, you thought about what you would both cook tonight, the thought of being able to guide Howdy as he cooked making you feel a sense of comfort you often felt when thinking of him.
The shop sign was still flipped to its usual “Open”, so as you entered you flipped it to finally say you were closed for the day, If it wasn't for you flipping that sign Howdy would never get any rest you supposed.
…
… And this only cemented itself when you saw him asleep on the counter, passed out cold.
He unlike you had no need to eat or even drink, so without thinking you went into the downstairs home you and Howdy shared to grab a blanket, ideally letting him get his much-needed rest.
After covering him with his favourite blanket, you went back downstairs to organize the Flowers you found into a neat bouquet, Howdy always loved when you made him one custom.
With a day's work completed you turned in for the night, not without of course going back upstairs to check on Howdy, giving him a light shake to tell him it was time for bed.
“Mmhg. How..?”
You knew what he was going to ask, the poor man never wanted to give himself a break,
“You’ve been asleep for a few hours now Howd’s, Dont worry I already flipped the sign,”
You expected his face to go back on the counter as it usually did, often times you had to beg him to come to the
actual
bed. …But this time his eyebrows creased with worry and his mouth dropped its usual grin,
“What time is it?!”
He used both sets of hands to push himself up and off his counter, stumbling upright, barely missing the shelf behind him with his head,
“It's about 10 o'clock at night now Howd’s, what's got you so twisted up?!”
Your voice was laced with genuine concern as Howdy just shook his head and tried to smooth down his hair, seemingly preparing himself to be seen by others,
“No! Im gonna be late for Poppys Party! I promised her I would bring a cake!”
You had moved your hand to rest on his shoulder reassuringly..
“Howdy, you are tired, im sure Poppy would understand if-”
…before he hit it off and walked swiftly to the cooler connected to the wall,
“I need to be there Y/N! Im gonna be late as it is, you might not be neighbourly enough to understand
why
I need to be there but Poppy is!”
The look he gave you struck a cold metal spike through your heart as he continued,
“Maybe you would understand better if you actually socialized with them.”
At that final remark, he left, the chimes on the door dinging loudly as his second hand pulled it shut behind him.
…You felt like you just messed up big time, even though you were just looking out for his health.
You
knew
Howdy wanted you to talk and meet the other neighbours, it was just hard. Being a human in a puppet world doesn't exactly lead to the most pleasant small talk, Howdy was the only one who understood this and made sure you didn't feel pressured to talk to them,
Until now you guessed.
Without much else to do you resigned yourself to an unrestful sleep full of tossing and turning, the space Howdy usually occupied feeling cold and empty in the dark room. Your heart ached for him to return, but as the grandfather clock strikes signifying it was now 2 am, you didn't think he was coming home anytime soon.
—--------------------------------
…Howdy had not returned the next morning either, leaving you to make breakfast alone in your pyjamas. He normally would be the one opening the shop bright and early, but seeing as he wasn't here you wondered if it was your place to do so anymore,
…Or if he even wanted you around.
The knife you were once using to chop onions sliced into your finger after you had that thought, drawing you back to reality.
You felt endlessly stupid as you ran it under the sink water, you couldn't even cook breakfast right without Howdy here. That chilling feeling of panic burrowed and stayed deep under your skin, in your free hand you picked at your nails. A habit you once kicked coming back in full swing.
You had finally made the decision to leave Howdy alone after sitting on the couch for a few minutes as the cut stopped bleeding, you didn't want to burden him after all.
With not many items to your name, it didn't take long to gather them all together in a small tote bag you found lying around, However, as you began walking up the stairs to leave, one thing caught your eye.
The bouquet you made Howdy still sat on the coffee table, untouched from the day prior. Tears gathered in your eyes as you remembered Howdy receiving the flowers you would bundle for him, he would dry them and hang them in the shared bedroom.
It was only fitting to leave them you supposed as you left, the sun rising in the sky painting it a lovely orange as you left for the forest, chills wracking through your frame as you felt tears chilling your cheeks.
Little did you know however Howdy had confided in Poppy what had happened the previous night before, with Poppy offering him a solution.
—--------------------------------
As Howdy returned home after a long night of baking with Poppy, he was shocked to see his sign wasn't flipped to its usual Opening position, he had assumed Y/N would have been up by now,
He supposed it only made the surprise all the better as he walked through and made his way down the steps.
Only to find you were nowhere to be found.
He had searched high and low for you, you weren't in the bathroom or the bedroom, or even in the kitchen, though one thing did catch his eyes.
The red stain on the cutting board with an abandoned plate of onions sitting beside it.
The red flags immediately went off in his brain, his upper set of hands clutching firmly on his antennae as he anxiously set down the cookies he baked and ran upstairs. What if you were injured and he didn't know? What if someone had come in and harmed you??
He knew he should have stayed home. You were right, and you always were when it came to his well-being.
The eye bags that were under your eyes the night he yelled at you were permanently etched into his vision. He couldn't sleep knowing he hurt you, yet he still stayed away.
He was a dumb bug and knew he didn't deserve you. As he collapsed outside of his shop it was only cemented how useless he was to you. He couldn't even protect you from himself, he had to go and mess up the one good thing he had.
—--------------------------------
Additional comfort for people who enjoy comfort after angst!
You hadn't made it far into the woods before you slipped on a particularly slippery rock in the river and scraped your knee all up to hell. The sight of the blood made you dizzy as you stood and walked out, you knew you had to head home, you had tried to escape the neighbourhood many times.
All of which led you to walk in circles, so you knew it was pointless.
The previous adrenaline and self-doubts seemed to have been washed away after you scraped your knee, your mind felt clearer than ever and ready to confront what happened with Howdy the night before,
You just hoped he was home already, you missed the big dork in the Shop.
As you approached Howdys store you couldn't help but shake the sounds of… Sobbing? Coming from the side where your flowers were located,
And it sounded awfully familiar to your favourite dork.
“Howdy?”
The crying stopped for a moment before you heard frantic shuffling and the sound of someone falling and rising again, as if they tripped on their own feet.
“Y/N! Your okay!”
You were met with Howdy gathering you up in his arms and pulling you in for the tightest hug imaginable, All four of his arms moving to support your arms and legs as he held you.
“I.. I was so worried, i didn't know where you went and i saw the blood, i don't know-”
Words tumbled out of his mouth rapidly as he held you, you found yourself saying nothing as you just held him back and consoled him,
You both were going to be alright after all.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You had finally moved into the town of your dreams, it was a small village just out of civilization and it seemed perfect for your dreams of being a gardener. As you drove down the icy highway your car felt as if it was gliding while you bobbed along to your songs, thoughts of sunshine and warmth circulating your mind as you daydreamed what your neighbours would be like.One thing you didn't notice was how your wheels seemed to take on a mind of their own. You tried desperately to correct it, your hands shaking as adrenaline took hold of your veins with its icy grip.
It did nothing to stop your car from shrieking off the road, rolling down the ditch before finally crashing into the forest, your vision fading before you could process what had happened.
It would take a miracle to save you.Your brain felt like it was underwater as you felt something firmly grasping your shoulder, your vision fading in and out repetitively, you were unable to lift your head from the wheel as you tried to piece together the passing conversation.… “Hol..i.. got.. ‘Em!..”The loud noise that proceeded after led you to mumble incoherently in protest, not realizing the sheer extent of the damage you had done to yourself.“Shh.. you… Oka…”Your head again tried to lift itself off the airbag to get a view of who was talking to you, but your head felt sticky... ‘Where am I?’
That was your last thought before you passed out cold. Finally succumbing to the darkness that wrapped a warm blanket around your self conscious.—-------------------You woke up coughing, your head lolling to the side on the pillow it rested on. Since when were you home, was it all a bad dream?
As your vision cleared, the mustard yellow walls assured you that this was not your house or even your room.You tried to elevate yourself with your elbows before collapsing again as your head pounded in protest, clearly not keen on allowing you to get up, so you opted for looking around from your spot on the bed for clues as to where you were.All you saw were framed pictures… of a bug? Or was that a man?Whatever medicine the hospital had you on where seriously making you trip absolute balls you thought as your head hit the pillow once more, letting out an exhausted sigh while you shut your eyes.
You heard footsteps approaching the door after a few minutes, and you sat up again trying to compose yourself to greet the doctor...…What you saw certainly wasn't a doctor.He was without a doubt tall, like not tall for your standards, he was tall in a way that made him definitely not human. Not to mention the second set of arms and legs accompanied by his green skin, he looked like the bug in the pictures.Then it all made sense, you were kidnapped by a bug man and most definitely going to die.You pushed yourself off of your elbows and sat up completely, pulling your legs up ready to run at a moment's notice, he raised his hands in surprise.
… At least the hands he could hold up, his second set where holding a bowl of... Soup?
“ah! Calm down, you’re alright’, I mean you no harm... Mx..?”He gestured his hand as he pondered your name, he seemed to be honest so without moving a muscle or breaking eye contact, you responded,“Y/..!”
You broke out in a fit of coughing before you could finish, however, Curling in on yourself as your lungs felt as if they were lit on fire.The bug man made a startled noise before setting the soup down on his dresser and moving to sit beside you. You made no protest as he soothingly patted your back, the final cough left you shuddering in relief as the burning went away for now.“You were saying?”“my names Y/N..”You didn't quite trust him yet. But what choice did you have? He wasn't exactly threatening even if he was tall with multiple limbs. The apron he was wearing only cemented this sentiment, it was a baby pink with the lines ‘Kiss the Luv’Bug!’ Embroidered across the hem.Needless to say, his outfit didn't exactly make him come across as threatening.His hand still rested atop your back as shudders proceeded to wrack your spine, a cold chill making you chitter your teeth softly, moving to pull the blanket back over you.
If he was going to hurt you he definitely wouldn't have made you soup or brought you to his house, so you decided to give him a pinch of your trust… for now.He offered you a warm smile as you eased back into the bed, he moved to give you space as he walked back to the soup and grasped it with his upper arms, his lower moving to unfold a bedside table as he spoke,“Pleasure to meet you Y/N, my names Howdy, Howdy Pillar owner of Howdys Goods and Services!”‘His name certainly matched’, you thought as he set the table down beside you, setting the still-warm soup on top of it.“I found ya’ a day ago, you were certainly banged up,”As he straightened up after setting down the soup, his head cocked to the side as his eyebrows made lines appear in his skin..? Or was it fabric, you didn't know the proper term anyways.“Speakin’ of which, What exactly were ya in Y/N? I aint never seen anything like it,”…Did he not know what a car was?It made sense to you, he might as well be an alien with how different he was from you, you were shocked you both even speak the same language.“Oh, that's a car, I was driving to my new house and it spun out of control,”Your hand would have raised to smooth your hair down but your arm burned as it moved, With one glance you saw you had been stitched up and all the glass was removed from your skin. The only way you could tell glass had been there were the small indents it left in its wake.“..Speaking of which where is here?”Howdys eyebrows went back to their usual relaxed expression as he spoke fondly of where you were located at the moment. From what you could gather you were in the middle of a town just not the one you were aiming for.“Ah.. Is there any way for me to get home? I spent a lot of money moving and I would hate to lose my deposit.”Not to mention your friends and family would certainly be concerned as to where you are. Your mom was supposed to meet you with the moving truck today to move the rest of your furniture in, your car could only hold so much after all.“I'll see what I can do to getcha home, for now, you need to rest, your wounds aint gonna heal themselves”Howdy was made of fabric so you didn't correct him on the fact they literally did heal themselves, focusing more on his warm expression as he handed you a spoon from his Apron pocket.You had no complaints as you ate, Howdy left to give you privacy and once you finished you collapsed back down on the bed, curling on your side and looking out of the window Howdy had in his room.
Was it always so colourful outside?—-------------------It took a lot of time to heal and settle yourself down into the routine you had adapted to. After intense research with one of the fellow townspeople named “Frank”, even after all these months, there was still no sign you could ever return home.The thought concerned you to your core, of course, you often worried about your mom and friends that were left behind. Howdy however never relented in his hospitality and always offered you a place to stay in his Shop, and who were you to decline?You've grown to be rather fond of the man after all these months, he even helped you make your garden on the side of the shop, which is where you found yourself now.You were currently occupied with a suspiciously stubborn carrot that just wanted to stay underground it seemed, the warm air practically suffocated you in the summer heat while you tugged at the carrot.
You thought you were never going to get it out until finally with a final tug it popped out!
…And hit one of your yellow neighbours right in the head.You ran over to Wally, flustered out of your mind as words of apology tumbled out of your mouth. Wally was practically the mayor of the town, so you treaded on eggshells around him to stay on his good side, not that he seemed particularly evil.“Ahahah don't fret y/n, this carrot did no damage to me,”His relaxed cat-like smile extended as he picked up the carrot and handed it gently back to you,
“Sorry again Wally! I don't know what made it so stubborn..”Once more he looked at you, if he had eyebrows you could tell he would be worried, evident by the way his normally droopy eyelids lifted up just a tad.“say y/n why don't you take a break? you seem exhausted, me and home could make you some cold lemonade!”Lemonade honestly sounded like a godsend you thought as you vigorously nodded, Wally noticed your enthusiasm and laughed along, his laugh wasn't creepy but it certainly was unique.“alright! meet me and Home in a few minutes, it will be ready soon!”With one final wave he was off, the heat must have even been getting to him because as he left he unbuttoned his top slightly and fanned at his face, you didn't even know puppets could get hot but here you were.You walked back into the Shop after gathering up what you could harvest today, Howdy as always greeted you from behind the counter, his head shooting up from under the table and hitting the corner.THUMP* “Ow…! Hey Y/N!A giggle left your lips before you could stifle it, Howdys face turned a dark blue-green as he blushed, clearly embarrassed.“So! What did ya gather today?”“Just some carrots and tomatoes, One carrot flung up and hit Wally as he walked past,”Your bashful smile returned, Howdy was very accustomed to it by now and thought it was adorable, you had the tendency to be clumsy after all.“Anyway, he offered to have me over for some lemonade so ill be back soon!”You set the basket of crops down and gave Howdy a wave as you walked out, Howdy made quick work of sorting the food with his second set of hands, his upper moving to wave you goodbye.As you walked your hands found themselves resting atop your scars from the car crash. Goosebumps travelled up and down your arms as you felt where your skin had mended itself and left a bump in its wake, you still remember Howdys amazed face as you explained how your skin healed itself.As you approached the affectionately titled “home”, something felt wrong. The eyes that normally rested in the house's windows were now gone, replaced by curtains as black ink spilled from the bottom of the sill.You paid no mind to it, however, shaking off your paranoia as you approached and walked up the steps, moving to knock at the door,Before you could though it swung open, a black window curtain taking hold of your raised arm and pulling you in.You were met with darkness surrounding you. Wally was no were in sight as well, his chair sitting empty in the center of the room, your hands desperately holding onto the arms of the chair for leverage.You tried your best to calm your breathing, frightened and scared.“Ahah... This isn't funny Wally, where are you?”You were of course met with silence as you felt something taking hold of your ankle and pulling you up, dangling you above the floor. Your sense of gravity altered as nausea made its way into your system, the feeling of acid rising in your throat very evident.All you heard was the squeaking of hinges. You knew this as a sign of home talking, Wally however was the only one who could understand the building, so you hung in confusion.“Look! I don't know what you want but put me down!”Your legs kicked as you tried to desperately free yourself, Home did what you asked though.You hadn't realized how high up you were.
—-------------------Howdy was idly restocking his shelves as you left, paying no mind to his surroundings as the methodical task of organizing took over, his antennae twitching and moving to the beat of a song he had stuck in his mind.He enjoyed having you around but even when you weren't he could manage his time well, he had a shop to still run after all.…Even if he was daydreaming of dancing with you to the beat of the song in his head…But that ‘wasn't his main task’ he reminded himself as he moved quickly around the store, placing things in their usual spots.As the sun went down he was still surprised to see you were gone, he had grown to know you a lot over the months and knew you enjoyed hanging out with people, but you enjoyed your alone time more.You had called yourself an introvert he recalled, so without much thought he flipped his sign to Closed, hung up his hat and Apron, and walked out of the store, travelling to check up on you.Howdy hadn't expected to hear the sounds of his friend's panicked yelling as he walked down the sidewalk, he took off in a sprint towards Wally's house.Wally was one of the first people he saw outside, along with Barnaby, Poppy, and Frank. “Wally?! I thought you were with Y/N?!”The smaller puppet looked up at Howdy, if he was capable of it he would be crying as he spoke, his voice wavering.“I just left to get lemons.. Home doesn't like y/n..!”Howdy felt his metaphorical blood run cold. He turned to look at home and realized what Wally meant.“Well we need to get them outta’ there! They could be hurt!”…Or worse. As Howdys mind went to the worst he realized what that could mean.You had told Howdy what could happen if a Human sustained too many injuries, Humans couldn't be stitched back together after their heart stopped.Howdy felt his fists clenching as the sounds around him stopped existing in his ears, if his friends were saying anything he didn't care.He wouldn't let you die.—-------------------Your arms popped as Home pulled you once again in the air. You had no idea how long this went on, but by now you could feel the bruises already forming on your joints.“Home.. just let me go..”You had pleaded and begged with the house for hours by now, your hands weakly grasping onto the curtains that held your wrist. You knew you couldn't escape, so you could only hope to hold out until someone noticed you were gone. If they ever did.Just as you felt the curtain loosening its grip and you braced for impact once again.
The window shattered.You were dropped on the hard floor once more. Your ankle cracked unpleasantly as you let out a scream of pain, you heard a very familiar voice shouting through the shattered window.“LET THEM GO!”It was Howdy. He had come to rescue you. Your heart fluttered with relief, your eyes opening to look out of the broken window, seeing his angered face as he fought the curtains holding his arms back from causing any more damage.You couldn't let him get hurt for your sake. You stood on shaky feet as you tried to run towards him, the curtains letting go of Howdy and refocusing their attention on you.Home tried to fling you against the wall once more, Howdy though was quicker and grabbed your hand, successfully pulling you from home's grasp and out of the window.
He tried to be as gentle as possible, trying to not strain your already damaged muscles, the sight of you almost made him burn home to the ground.Your skin was littered with bruises and scratches where you had once healed, your body had worked so hard to mend and resew itself only for home to damage you and ruin it.
If it wasn't for you desperately clinging to his shirt, begging incoherently to go home, he would have done more damage to home. But without a second thought, he picked you up from the ground and sprinted back to the shop.You and Howdy made it back to the shop, Howdy walking into the back room of the Bodega to set you on top of your shared bed, frantically moving around looking for a first aid kit.“Howdy’m alright, I just want to lie down.”Howdy stopped moving around as your voice shook, your body shaking like a leaf as you curled desperately under the blanket for warmth. You knew you were hurt, but you desperately wanted comfort.He seemed to know this too as he walked to the bed and lowered himself to lay beside you, his arms wrapping around you in a firm hug while you sobbed into his chest.
Howdy was worried for you, but if he could provide you comfort that would come first.“Y/N.. I'm so happy you're okay..”He tried his best to steady his voice as he craned his neck to look down at you, your face was flushed and tears freely ran down your face as your body shuddered with every breath.“I am too.. Thank you Howdy. Words cant even begin to describe-”Your breath went frantic again as you sobbed into his shirt, his arms wrapping tighter around you, he knew anxious humans liked pressure from you, and he tried his best to apply his knowledge to help.
He could feel your heart beating as he rested his hands on your back, it was a sign you where alive, and it made Howdy comforted.It would take a long time to recover, and Howdy knew this.But he would be there every step of the way to help you.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You rolled in your bed, trying desperately to get comfortable in your sheets before noticing the lack of your dog in the bed, Ah... So that's why you couldn't sleep.
The small Terrier always made sure you didn't oversleep, and when he wasn't in his usual spot at the edge of the bed, your body didn’t allow you any rest till he was found.
So, with a heavy sigh, you lifted yourself from your bed, your feet hitting the cold wooden floors with a subtle thump as you trudged through your house in search of your dog.
You ran a small dog grooming business for spare cash on the Weekends, and occasionally you would have repeat customers on the weekdays, it was something you enjoyed doing.
The dogs you would take in for grooming always came out loved and dressed with a fresh bandana or bow, signified by the case in your living room that held various colors and sizes of fabric.
Your Terrier always loved to make a mess of the bandanas when you weren't looking, so that was the first place you checked, however, the case was untouched and the box of treats hadn't been spilled, leaving you mildly concerned as to where he went.
It was late outside, so the possibility of him being outside was slim, but you checked the backyard anyways. You always kept the doggy door unlocked in case he had to go to the bathroom during the night, you always learned your lesson when it was left locked,
However as the crisp night air nipped at your nose, you still saw no sign of your beloved dog.
Growing increasingly worried, you went back inside and slipped on your shoes while scrambling to put on your coat...
…Just before you could open the door to begin searching the neighborhood, a polite knock sounded against the door,
Without a second thought, you opened the door, abandoning the jacket on the floor as it just refused to go on correctly,
“Hey Y/n!”
The sight before you was.. enjoyable to say the least,
Howdy held your dog with his lower hands, his upper giving you a polite wave as he gave you a closed eye smile,
“ah, sorry about him! He’s a mess…”
Your dog panted as he squirmed in Howdy's grip, Howdy gently set him on the ground as he scurried into the house, leaving muddy paws in his wake.
“…As you can see,”
You laughed as your dog made himself comfortable on the couch in your living room, before focusing your attention back on Howdy,
“Thank you for bringing him back by the way, I didn’t mean to cause you trouble’ this late at night”
“It was no problem at all! He’s quite a sweet one,”
Howdy began walking off of your porch as he waved, but not before shooting you a wink and saying,
“
But nowhere as sweet as you!”
… ‘Damn that bug’ You thought as you leaned against your now-closed door, holding your flushed face in your hands.
You had developed feelings for Howdy, it was only natural seeing as you would often pester him while he worked.
Looking at your Terrier sleeping peacefully on the couch, you decided to do the same. Not even bothering to go to your bed, you flopped onto the sofa by your dog and felt yourself drifting into a peaceful sleep.
—---------------------
You hadn't thought out the whole “sleeping on the couch” idea thoroughly enough it seemed. Your back had been hurting all morning, and it didn't help that you had a temperamental Husky scheduled for today, who already didn't like being
brushed.
And he was scheduled for a
bath.
Your head hit your kitchen table with a resounding “THUNK”, Wishing for this day to be over already. Your Terrier tried his best to offer you comfort, his tail thumping against the floor as he sat beside you, as much as you wished he could help, he couldn't fix a hurt back.
You gave him a pet on the head as you stood from your table, your knees cracking in protest. Letting out a sigh, you decided to pick up more soap before the Husky arrived, knowing you had an interesting few hours ahead of you.
The cool AC greeted you as you entered Howdys shop, he was nowhere in sight so you decided to begin gathering your items at the counter, you were a regular so he would recognize it was your products,
…I mean who else other than you would be buying
this
much dog shampoo.
As you browsed a different section of the store, you heard his Office door click open, as he walked out you warmly greeted him as his eyes softened,
“Hey Howd’s! How are you holdin’ up this morning?”
If it wasn't for you Howdy would be smothered in work, so you liked to check in with him every now and again.
“
It is what it is,”
He began to ring up your items on the counter as you walked back holding a few dog treats,
“How are you doing today Mx.Y/N? Got any dogs scheduled today?”
You let out a sigh as you rubbed your lower back now that your hands were free, hoping to relieve the tension that had formed into a knot in your back.
“You know how it is,” You shrugged your shoulders,
“Got a Huskey scheduled for today, real temperamental too,”
Howdy bagged your items and slid them across the counter, offering you a warm smile,
“Want any help? I got hands to spare!”
He held up his lower and upper sets of hands in a jazz-hand motion, making you giggle,
“Nah I couldn't take you away from your shop Howd’s, I got it!”
Howdy looked like he was going to argue, but Frank walked in so Howdy had to agree with you. He had to run the shop sadly and that's just how it was,
“At least let me fix you up a Coffee, you got eye bags bigger than the sun,”
The playful jab made you laugh, nodding lightly as you held your bagged dog supplies,
Howdy was quickly making your coffee, he vanished into the back office for what couldn't have been more than two minutes before returning with a green mug, setting it on the counter.
“Don't worry about the cup, go on an’ get ready for the day Honeybee’”
You thankfully took the warm cup of coffee, giving Howdy a friendly smile as a warm blush blossomed on your face, trying your best to not get flustered at the nickname Howdy gave you.
Leaving the Bugdega you sipped on your coffee as you peacefully walked home, it wasn’t a long walk by any means but you enjoyed the scenery around you,
Various flowers bloomed as Spring approached, highlighting where the grass and concrete path met, Julie sat not far away tending to a specific patch of daisies.
Deciding not to bother her you kept walking, seeing Wally sitting outside with Home as he sketched, you smiled at your neighbors enjoying the pleasant weather.
You wished you and Howdy could be out enjoying a picnic but alas, you, Howdy, and Eddie all had jobs to do for the good of the neighborhood.
It didn’t stop a bittersweet feeling from forming in your chest as you approached your door, jingling your keys as you fumbled with them to unlock the door.
It didnt take long for the Husky to show, his kind owner leaving you with treats and half of your pay before waving goodbye.
As you looked down at the Husky who was sitting politely beside you, you thought this may not be as bad as you thought initially.
—————
Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong.
The Husky, who you learned quickly was named Loki (
fittingly so
), thwarted you in every attempt you made to get him into the tub.
Loki ran through the house, his tail wagging excitedly as you chased him around while he left muddy paw prints in his wake.
By the time you successfully washed him, he refused to be dried. Shaking off the water directly onto you as you defend yourself from the water attack with your arms, which was all in vain seeing as you were soaking wet.
Needless to say by the end of the day, you were bone tired and just wanted to sleep despite your starved stomach begging for food.
you collapsed onto your couch, your Terrier lovingly laying on top of your chest as you idly pet him.
Before you could fall asleep fully, you heard a familiar knock on the door,
“Come in Howd’s !”
You couldn’t be bothered to get up, you knew it was Howdy anyways, you flung one of your arms over your eyes as he entered slowly.
You could hear Howdy begin to take his shoes off at the door, he was always polite like that, he would say it was because of his mothers constant nagging at him.
As Howdy walked torwards you, you moved your arm from your face to look up at him,
“Rough day huh?”
“horrible.”
You groaned as you began to sit up, both Howdy and your dog began quickly protesting.
“
Nope! you lay right back down, i’ll fix you up some dinner,”
You reluctantly slid back down on the couch, not keen on letting Howdy cook you dinner even though he was an amazing cook.
“It’s alright Howdy i’ll be fine, just need to sleep it off and bounce back tomorrow,”
Howdy already began walking to your kitchen as he spoke,
“doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a good meal, now get comfy i’ll wake you when it’s done!”
You sighed as you slid back down the couch, relaxing your tired and aching bones.
…As the sound of soup bubbling came from the kitchen and a fond smell hit your nose, you finally began to nod off to sleep.
Howdy came in to wake you for Dinner, as he saw your peaceful face he couldn’t resist walking over to give you a kiss on your forehead before leaving to fix you a bowl of soup.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You stared at the sky as a pleasant early Spring breeze made you bundle up more in your hoodie, Howdy was currently inside the Shop tidying up after an eventful day of customers and restocking.
You had moved into the Town a few years back and made yourself quite comfortable as Howdys co-worker in his shop, with him needing frequent help you being his official helper was a no-brainer.
Howdy was delighted to have company in his store, and you even found yourself often visiting him when you weren’t on shift,
As the chill picked up, you started making your way back into the shop, but not before picking a small dandelion and fidgeting with it as you entered the store,
You entered the Shop, the slight heat from the heater warming your skin almost instantly providing you with relief, and the bells chiming on the door made you smile as you walked further into the store.
“Hey howdy!”
Howdy looked up from stocking a lower shelf of Cans, he spoke with a smile as he took off his hat to smooth down his hair as he stood to greet you,
“
‘Ello Y/N! You're free to clock out whenever!”
You smiled warmly at Howdy before walking behind the counter and removing your apron to hang it on one of the various hooks before responding,
“I may hang around for a bit if that's alright..! I got nothin’ to do at home anyways,”
You shrugged as you took a seat behind the counter, already looking over the list Howdy had made for items he needed to restock the following week.
“I always appreciate your company Y/N, Stay as long as ya’ want!”
Howdy gave you a warm smile as you looked up from the list, he had moved on from restocking cans to organizing the produce. You made note of the various bruised apples scattered on the floor,
“...Did Wally come by?”
You said as you attempted to stifle a laugh,
Howdy groaned as he bent down to pick up a few of the bruised apples,
“I love em’ but he always leaves an drops em’ in a hurry,”
Howdy shook his head,
“It's as if he doesn't realize their free anyways,”
You and Howdy settled into a comforting banter as the night went on, as the sun set you began to gather your things and begin the walk home,
“I'll see ya’ tomorrow Howd’s!”
You turned to wave at the tall man before leaving the store, Howdy giving you a wave as he hung up his apron and hat for the night.
The walk home was peaceful, small fireflies danced across the skyline as the breeze made the grass sway peacefully. Your shoes crunched quietly against the gravel as you approached your house providing a comforting white noise in the peaceful night.
You lived not too far from the Town, you regretfully made your home in the woods, and you wished most days you lived closer so it was easier to get to Howdys.
But you supposed it wasn't all bad, you had a lovely creek by your house you often swam in during the hot summers, and the neighbors often visited you during the summer for that exact reason.
…Even if they needed a good two or three days to dry out afterward..
You chuckled at the fond memory as you fumbled with your keys to unlock the door and enter your home. Various paintings hung on your walls that Wally had gifted you when you first moved in.
As you entered your kitchen, you looked at the cooking equipment gifted to you by Howdy with a smile. Moving to make a bowl of soup as you grabbed the can from the cabinet.
The night was peaceful, so you opened a few windows. Allowing the cool breeze in as you warmed your soup in the microwave, leaning against the counter as you looked at a framed picture of you and the neighborhood.
…Your eyes lingered on Howdy for a minute or two longer than intended, the beeping of the microwave snapping you out of it quickly.
With flushed cheeks you quickly ate your soup, trying to push away all thoughts of Howdy for the night as your stomach filled with butterflies.
You knew one thing for certain, and that's Howdy had no romantic feelings for you. You spent many years with the man, and he told you many secrets he told no one.
One of which was his fear of romantic relationships, he knew how it could shatter a relationship in two if it went bad.
So after he told you this, you made no more advances toward him. Not that you had done many to begin with, just small gifts such as flowers.
You stared off into space as you pulled out the crumpled dandelion from earlier, you stopped giving him flowers long ago, yet you still picked them for him.
A small cough bubbled in your throat as you quickly set down the flower, placing it gently onto the counter as you set down your soup to go to the bathroom.
—------------------
The next morning you woke to a wide array of flowers in your bathroom, you sighed and began walking into your kitchen. The abandoned soup still sat on the counter, you put the bowl in the sink and began the walk to work.
You had no time to worry about the sudden feeling of sickness that grasped at your throat, you had to help Howdy with his work. The scratchiness that tugged at your throat certainly was proving to be irritating however.
You arrived to work an hour late, Howdy stood worried behind the counter as he looked at you,
“Y/N..! I was beginnin’ to send Barnaby after ya! You okay..?”
Howdy walked from behind the counter towards you, one of his hands moving to put his hand on your head, suddenly you felt sick to your stomach and hotter than before.
“Your burnin’ up Y/N! Why didn't ya’ call in sick!”
You quickly stepped back from Howdy, fanning your face to provide momentary relief at the heat that spread across your cheeks.
“M’ Fine Howd’s! Jus’ need a..-”
Before you could finish speaking you hacked into a coughing fit. Your shoulders shook as you gripped onto your arms firmly, desperately trying to catch your breath as you felt something… Soft..? Rise in your throat.
Howdy moved towards you, his face full of concern as he reached for you to lead you to the bathroom. Before he could get his hands on you, you ran to the bathroom.
You sat over the sink for a few minutes before the large Flower emerged from your throat into the sink. You stood in shock at the flower.
Gently you picked it up, the small white flowers attached to a long, slender stem. Containing multiple small flowers on one stem.
Howdy began knocking on the door, quietly speaking through the shut door,
“...Y/N..? Ya’ Alright? I can go call Frank if ya’ need!”
As you looked at the flower in bewilderment, you absentmindedly nodded, before realizing Howdy couldn't see you through the shut door.
“Uh... Yea, could you get.. Frank... I don't feel well,”
You panted as you were finally able to catch your breath after all of the coughing, as you heard Howdys footsteps leaving to go call Frank, you couldn't help but feel dread as your throat got scratchy again.
It only took a few minutes for Frank to arrive, frantic knocking coming from the door as you heard his familiar voice.
“Y/N? I gathered the proper medical supplies, let me in,”
You carefully walked away from the sink and opened the door, letting Frank step in as he took in the sight of your face.
You were pale, paler than he had ever seen, and your mouth had lines of spit leftover from your frantic coughing fit. It was easy to see you were not feeling well.
However, what caught him off guard was the sight of flowers in the sink where he expected you to have been coughing up bile. His eyes widened in shock.
“..Y/N.. Have you been coughing flowers?”
You took a minute to respond before reaching into your throat, pulling out a stray leftover flower bud from the back of your mouth.
“....Ya think?”
Frank would usually roll his eyes at your sarcasm, but he seemed genuinely scared as his face held panic. He quickly ushered you to sit down on the closed toilet, your legs beginning to shake from standing for so long.
“How long have you been coughing flowers?”
He said seriously as he looked into the sink, putting on a glove from the first aid kit he carried in and examining one of the many flowers.
They were Babys Breath.
You sighed and leaned back, your stomach doing flips as you become more and more nauseous.
“I dunno, probably a day. It started yesterday,”
You heaved as you struggled to breathe, your head positively spinning from the lack of oxygen reaching your brain as your chest grew heavy.
Frank looked at you with his panicked face, his once tidy hair now fraying in different directions as he approached you.
“I need you to answer honestly. Is there anyone you have had feelings for? And don't be an idiot. When I say feelings I mean Love, this is Urgent.”
Your head lolled off to the side as you thought, your eyes became droopy as you struggled to stay awake. You gave a simple nod as you quickly grew more and more tired, You felt Frank grab ahold of your face, making you look at him.
“Who!? This is Urgent, Do not Lie.”
Your head spun as you struggled to stay conscious, before muttering the name of someone who you knew was just outside the door.
“
Howdy.”
—---------------------
You lay in Howdys bed, unconscious. You had been like this for many days, it was only a matter of time before you stopped breathing entirely.
The day it happened Frank was the first to alert everyone, demanding for Howdy to put you in his bed for the time being, not taking the chance of leaving you to rest in your own home seeing as it was so far away.
Wally, Eddie, and Barnaby were the first to visit, gently holding onto your hand as they consoled you, not like you could hear them anyways.
Then came Poppy, Sally, and Julie. They spent hours pleading with you to wake up, but to no avail, at the most your breath only stuttered and stopped more.
Howdy was the last to visit you one-on-one to everyones shock. After Frank had explained the situation and the condition you had, he felt too guilty to even look at you after he laid you to rest.
He reserved himself to sleeping in his living room on the couch that barely fit him, it was what he deserved after all. He was the one that did this so you, if only ‘he wasn't such a coward’ he thought as he looked at you sleeping.
You struggled to breathe as he sat near you, he didn't have the heart to tell you just how much he really did love you.
He noticed every time you picked a flower, and every day he ached for you to give it to him, but you never did most days. He knew he was scared of relationships, but he wanted so badly to try with you to have a successful one.
And now he would never get the chance.
He stayed by your side for the rest of the day, gently holding onto your hand as he watched you, sometimes he would gently lay his head on your chest so he could have the momentary relief you were still breathing.
Only for it to be shattered every time you struggled to get a successful breath.
Eventually, at the end of the day, he had to tend to the shop. He missed your company on late nights like these, giving your hand one final squeeze, and placing the most gentle kiss on your forehead, he left the room.
You rolled on your side a few hours after he left, breaking into a coughing fit as you watched a large flower come out of your mouth. Not paying any mind to the ringing in your ears as you sat up.
You felt warm as you continued to cough, Howdy had heard and quickly ran into his room. Practically smothering you in a hug as he muttered incoherently.
One word you did understand, however,
“I love you.”
With one final cough you felt your lungs freed from the tight grasps of stems and flowers, Howdy gently rubbing your back as you continued to cough while he cried tears of joy.
He was so happy to have you back.
That Summer many Amaranthus bloomed in the Garden you and Howdy shared.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
You rolled out of bed with a groan as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes, your hands untangling your body from the flurry of blankets you kept on your bed.
As you moved about your house doing your daily routine, your eyes lingered on the binder you kept hanging beside your bed. You knew today was supposed to be your break day, but it couldn't hurt to wear it for a few hours could it?..
You shook your head and continued getting ready for the day. As much as you hated it, your body needed rest from binding. Your aching ribs are a reminder of that..
So with a sigh you got dressed and left your house for the day, grabbing your keys and locking the door as you exited the house. Not like you needed to anyways, you did live in the safest neighborhood around after all.
You walked through your peaceful neighborhood as you pulled out a small list of to-dos for the day, reading over it you saw the first stop was Howdys for your usual groceries. You couldn't help but smile at the prospect of seeing Howdy, you enjoyed being around him.
As you walked to Howdys your mind continued to linger on the thoughts you had earlier in the morning about your binder. Your brain practically assaulted you with thoughts about how you would never be a real man.
..It only hurt worse knowing you had a crush on Howdy, and Howdy was gay himself.
What if he never saw you as a real man? What if no one did and they were just pretending to make you happy?
Before you knew it you reached Howdys, you didn't even notice the tears that had begun to prick at the corners of your eyes.
Looking into his shop you saw him with his back turned as he restocked the shelves… You couldn't bring yourself to go in, you quickly pivoted and turned to go home.
You needed to rest. You theoretically had enough groceries to eat for the next week, and your dysphoria was too bad to be seen by anyone right now.
Especially by Howdy..
As you got home you couldn't help but lean against your door as you broke into soft crying. Normally on days like this, you would be able to push through, today however wasn't seeming like one of those days.
After a few minutes, you pushed yourself off of the door and grabbed a hoodie that you kept hanging near your bedroom door. Slipping into the comforting fabric you felt slightly better now that your chest was a bit more concealed.
You brewed some coffee to settle into your home for the day, if you were going to stay in you had to at least be productive, despite the lingering feeling of dysphoria hanging in the back of your mind.
You quickly settled into the routine of daily chores and taking care of your pets, you took extra time handling your pet corn snake Ruby. The feeling of her scales wrapping around your arm was a welcome consolation to how you felt throughout the day.
After a few minutes of holding her though you heard knocking coming from the front door. You quickly set her carefully back into her terrarium and closed the doors, walking to the front of your house as you called to tell whoever was at your door you were on the way.
As you opened the door, you hadn't expected Howdy to be there holding a few groceries in his arms.
“Y/N!.. I was gettin’ a bit worried after ya’ didn't show for your usual groceries, so I decided to deliver them to ya!..”
You couldn't help but feel yourself getting a bit flustered at the sight of the exact man you didn't want to see today. It wasn't that his company wasn't welcome, you were just anxious and feeling very bad about your appearance.
After a few moments of being stuck in your own head, you finally shook yourself out of your spiraling thoughts to talk to Howdy who was still patiently waiting for your response.
“Yeah… Sorry Howdy, I wasn't feeling my best this morning so I stayed in… Thank you for coming all this way,”
Howdy gave you his usual smile and you swore you could feel yourself practically melting for the man. You took a few of the groceries out of his hands to help him carry them inside.
“It was no trouble really!.. Sorry to hear your not feelin’ well Y/N”
As you set down a few groceries on the counter, Howdy made his way over to you and put one of his hands on your head. If you weren't blushing already you most definitely would be now.
“Hm… Ya’ don't feel like you got a fever… Do ya got a sore throat?..”
You nervously chuckled and pushed Howdys hand away, looking anywhere but at him as you occupied your hands with putting away a few produce items he brought you.
“Haha… No, no I'm not physically sick… It's more like I just don't feel like going out today.. Got a bit of body issues,”
Howdy looked at you with a worried expression, he moved to be beside you as you continued putting your groceries away.
“You can talk to me if ya’ want Y/N… I'm always happy to help ya through whatever your going through,”
You felt your hands freeze and you finally turned to look at Howdy, the anxious part of your brain didn't want to let him in. It wanted to seclude and push him away.
…The rational part however knew Howdy cared about you and how you were feeling.
Before your anxiety could flare up you moved to hug him, his multiple arms providing you with a sense of security as you could feel tears slowly make their way down your face. All the while Howdy just rubbed your back and whispered sweet condolences in your ears.
After a few minutes of crying it out, you were able to speak about what had been bothering you. You told him everything, varying from how you thought no one really saw you as a man, to how you felt about him.
The last part slipped out unexpectedly, but you couldn't find it in yourself to hold it in any longer. You cared and loved Howdy, and you couldn't keep your feelings hidden for long.
Howdy gave you one of his award-winning smiles as he carefully picked you up, and moved over to your living room. Placing you and himself down on the couch as he continued to hold you.
“No matter how you look Y/N you'll always be a man, and no matter what your brain says to you. Your important and special to me Y/N… Never forget that.”
You felt your heart warmed by Howdys sweet words and how he continued to hold you, You supposed spending the day in with Howdy wouldn't hurt…