Hi! Sorry, I know I am a week overdue, so thank you for your patience. Work has been hectic and the dialog in this chapter was tricky to get right, I have re-written some parts more times than I care to count. As always I hope you enjoy it =) Sep.10.2016: Fixed some spelling and grammar, no plot or dialogue changes.
Chapter 9: Farmers Market
The farmer's market was held every Saturday from early spring until late autumn in time for the last harvest. Several small wooden booths and stands, together with tents and small carts, stood in neat rows over the open grass-plain at the end of Main Street. It marked the end of the town and the beginning of the farms; golden fields of wheat, barley and corn stretching out as patchwork, and beyond that one could make out the green leafs of carrots and cabbage.
Once a month the council brought out the bouncing castle and old Sid brought his cotton candy machine to the market. Even though eight years retired, he still came once a month like clockwork; he had been the highlight of the market for decades.
Mary's heart was fluttering in her chest as she walked through the marketplace towards where Gideon's booth should be. Noticing the familiar pink and white striped tablecloth he used in his booth, she quickly made her way towards it, before remembering she had to act casual. It would probably look better if she bought her vegetables first; then came over to the pies.
She passed Gideon's booth just as he handed two bunnies their change. She shot him a quick smile, nodding to her basket to signal that she was going to do some shopping first. He quickly nodded back at her, to a passer-by it would not look like more than a polite greeting between acquaintances.
She knew it was not going to be much, just buying a pie, maybe talking a little if there was no one standing too close. But she looked forward to it anyway, and either way she would see him again tomorrow with the whole bakery to themselves. She was not sure if she was excited or nervous or a mix of both.
As Mary made her way between the various stands with fresh produce, pickles and jams, she noticed an elegant looking wolf in a dark grey coat perfectly complimenting her light, almost white, fur. She was holding her purse at her shoulder, the graceful predator looking somewhat out of place in the relaxed atmosphere of the farmers market. Holding her hand was Benjamin, searching the crowd nervously. Other mammals eyed them with suspicious curiousness as they passed them, more or less discreetly whispering among themselves.
Resolutely straightening her cardigan, Mary walked up to them, putting on her most friendly smile.
"Hi! You must be Benjamin's mother" she greeted, reaching out her hoof. "I'm Mary Fields, I have your son in math" she quickly sent the nervous wolf cub a reassuring smile. As usual when greeting larger mammals, the handshake was rather awkward; Benjamin's mother had to bend down considerably.
"Hi, yes, Eva Wolfskinsky" she replied with a soft voice, though it seemed a little unsteady.
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Wolfskinsky" Mary smiled, noting the wedding ring on her finger.
"Just Eva, please" she prompted, unconsciously turning the ring around with her thumb.
"Well then, please call me Mary"
Mary was growing increasingly uncomfortable; she could feel everyone's eyes on them. The small-town-curiosity, but at the same time weariness of strangers, was very much present in Bunnyburrow. Mary did not want to leave them alone to be stared at, but at the same time she felt a growing need to blend back in with the crowd. She blamed it on the 'stick-with-the-herd' instinct buried somewhere in her brain.
Then, as if on que, she heard a friendly voice that made her heart jump in her chest.
"Welcome to Bunnyburrow" Gideon smiled widely, holding out two warm chocolate chip cookies wrapped in parchment paper. He was back in his pink-striped apron, rather than the plainer blue one he used in the bakery, his blue plaid shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"Thank you" Eva said surprised as he handed her the cookie. "What do we say Ben?"
"Thanks" Benjamin said, eying the fox curiously as he got the other.
"This is Gideon Grey" Mary introduced. "The best baker in the Tri-Burrows"
"At's a very unofficial title" Gideon chuckled, giving Mary a warm sideways glance.
Mary was acutely aware of how close he was standing, his paw almost brushing against her arm as he reached it out to shake Eva's paw.
Even though Gideon was quite large for a fox, he still only reached up to the middle of Eva's chest.
"Nice to meet you both" he smiled down at Benjamin who was devouring his cookie.
"So where you all from?"
Gideon decided to bury his paws in his pockets as he had a strong urge to put his arm around Mary's shoulder as he spoke.
"Zootopia, we used to live in Tundratown" Benjamin said matter of factly, the fur on his face full of cookie crumbles.
"That's some change, from Tundratown to Bunnyburrow" Gideon remarked, amused at the cub's grown up tone of voice. Benjamin nodded, starting to like this friendly fox.
"Yea, but we had to move 'cause.."
"Because I lost my job" his mother quickly interrupted, putting a firm paw on his shoulder.
"I got a new position at the Tri-Burrow hospital, as a nurse, so we moved here"
Mary and Gideon shared a brief concerned glance, both noticing the dark look on Benjamin's face.
"Well, I hope you are adjusting to the small town life alright" Mary said. "I know it can be tough, moving to e new place where you don't know anyone" she added, smiling down at Benjamin. He just nodded, his mother's paw still on his shoulder.
"Benjamin! You came!" an excited Ellie exclaimed as she dragged her mother towards the small group. Benjamin's face lit up at the sight of the small bunny.
"Hi Benjamin's Ma!" she beamed, holding out her paw to the wolf towering over her.
"I'm Elise Hopps, but everyone calls me Ellie"
"N-nice to meet you" Eva said, a little taken aback by the young bunny's unchecked enthusiasm.
"Sarah Hopps" her mother said in an apologetic tone, forcing the wolf to bend down again to shake her paw. "I believe our kids are in the same class" Sarah continued in a conversational manner.
"Yes" Eva said gripping her purse nervously, about to try to continue the small talk when another voice cut into the group.
"Mary, how nice to see you here" Claudia joined the group with her husband, their six-year old cub between them.
"Eva" the cheetah nodded friendly to the wolf, having already met her at the beginning of the school year.
"Mrs. Eva" Ellie's voice piped up through the grown-ups boring chatter.
"Can Benjamin come to the bouncing castle? My mom will be watching us all the time, right mom?"
"I'll keep an eye on the kids" Sarah smiled reassuringly at Eva.
"So you can stay here and talk with other adults and drink coffee" Ellie assured.
"Ellie" her mother huffed, shooting her a stern look.
Mary had to hide a smile behind hoof, recognising her own words from the geometry lesson.
"Can I go too?" Kelly, Claudia's daughter chimed in hopefully.
Claudia shot Sarah a questioning look.
"Oh, one more makes no difference to me" she chuckled, thinking of her 236 children.
"Alright honey" Claudia crouched down in front of her daughter. "Remember what we say?" she asked, holding up her paws in front of her, making her daughter mimic the gesture.
"Keep your claws in your paws!" Kelly eagerly repeated after her mother, before running after Ellie and Benjamin, already on their way.
"Interesting rhyme" Eva noted.
"Yea" Oscar, Claudia's husband said. "Had to come up with something for her to remember, we were going through four kiddie- pools each summer" he chuckled, putting his arm around his wife's shoulder. Gideon felt a tinge of envy as he did, and wondered if he ever would be allowed to do the same.
"I know the problem" Eva smiled, finally seeming to grow more comfortable.
"Say, how about coffee?" Oscar asked her. "We were going to get a bite to eat anyway, your free to join us" he offered. Eva seemed to hesitate a second before she accepted, the three predator parents leaving Mary and Gideon alone in the middle of the marketplace.
Gideon took a cautious step away from her, knowing very well him standing so close could not be excused now that the others had left.
"That was really nice of you" Mary said softly. "The cookies"
"Aw, you know" Gideon shrugged, smiling modestly. "Just trying to be welcoming"
Gideon quickly glanced around them, making sure no one was paying them any extra mind before lowering his voice to near a whisper.
"I know I'm seeing you tomorrow n'all, but if-if you have time later…" Mary quickly nodded, trying not to be too obvious.
"I'll have to stay a while after the market…" he continued.
"I'll come by" she promised in a hurried whisper, failing to hide her smile.
In the whim of the moment, Gideon quickly winked at her before walking back to his pie-booth, leaving Mary to hide her blushing nose.
"Something wrong, you need a break?" Ellie asked concerned. Benjamin had seemed all happy at first, but now he had almost stopped jumping, his grey eyes looking gloomy. Jumping their way out of the brightly coloured castle, Ellie gestured to her mother that they were going for cotton candy.
"Stay within the market place!" her mother ordered as Ellie led Benjamin towards old Sid's cotton candy machine.
"I don't really feel like cotton candy" Benjamin said carefully as they made their way towards the line.
"Oh.." Ellie said, furrowing her brow. "What do you feel like then?"
Benjamin fell silent, seemingly conflicted about something.
"Are you going to be sic? You wanna sit down?" Ellie asked, wrinkling her nose as she remember how she had very nearly thrown up in the bouncing castle herself once, but that was after eating too much cotton candy. When Benjamin nodded, Ellie resolutely took his paw, leading him to a log she knew lay a little out of the way, so he would not be embarrassed if he had to throw up.
"It's ok" she reassured him as they sat down. "I've seen my siblings throw up loads of times"
"I'm not gonna throw up" Benjamin sighed, slumping as he sat on the log.
"Ok..? Ellie said questioningly, but thankfully did not push the subject any further, opting for quiet for once.
"Hey Ellie?" Benjamin said after a while, making her ears angle towards him. "We're friends right?"
"Of course we are" she smiled at him, still a little concerned.
"So can I tell you a secret?" he asked, nervously fiddling with the claw on his index finger. "And you promise not to tell anyone?"
"Sure, I promise not to tell" Ellie said solemnly, scooting a little closer to the young wolf on the log. Benjamin nodded, taking a deep breath while looking down on the ground between his knees.
"My dad is dead"
"Oh, I'm so sorry" Ellie whispered, putting her paw on his shoulder, though not understanding why that had to be secret.
"He died just before we moved" Benjamin dried his cheek with the back of his paw, trying not to make it obvious. "Or, we moved because he died" he added.
"I'm sorry…" Ellie still did not understand why he had to keep it secret. Benjamin noticed her questioning look, pressing his lips together he tried to think of an easy way to explain.
"We had to move because when my dad d-died" he had to stop to dry his nose. "When he died, we weren't safe anymore"
"What do you mean, not safe?"
"I'm not sure exactly, my mom won't tell me, but I think my uncle has something to do with it" he made grimace. "He's real scary"
"You think he'll do something bad?" Ellie sent a grateful thought to her not even remotely scary uncle Stu.
"He's done a lot of bad things already" Benjamin said deep in thought.
Even though she was curious, Ellie decided against asking about what kind of bad things he had done. She reckoned they had to be very bad for Benjamin's mom to move them all the way from Zootopia.
"I promise not to tell" she reassured him again.
"Tanks" Benjamin gave her a grateful glance.
"I think I'd like some cotton candy now" he added with a small smile, making Ellie light up like a Christmas candle.
"I promise, it's the best cotton candy in the world" Ellie assured him, the enthusiasm back in her voice as they walked back out amongst the market stands and tents.
Gideon loaded another crate of apples into his van, the pie racks removed for the transport back to the bakery. He had bought two dozen crates from the Sweeny's, but now he realised he would probably have to do two trips to get them all back. There was still ten crates at the back of his pie- booth, and the van was already loaded to full capacity.
Deciding to take a breather, he sat down on one of the crates, leaning his head against the thin back wall of his booth. It was a nice spot; shielded by the stacked crates on both sides, all he could see was the golden fields stretching out behind the market place. The latter starting to fall silent as mammals were making their way home for supper, content with the day's shopping and socialising.
His ears twitched up as he heard soft footsteps on the grass behind the crates. He knew who it was even before Mary turned the corner, making a warm smile spread across his face.
"Hi" she smiled, suddenly feeling shy, although she knew she had no reason to be.
"Afternoon" Gideon replied, moving over a little on the crate, making room for her to sit beside him.
Mary happily walked over, carefully sitting down next to him on the crate. Her hoofs dangling over the grass as she smoothed out her skirt.
Gideon was still leaning against the wall, looking down at her sitting on the edge of the crate, her hoofs neatly folded in her lap.
Drawing and releasing a breath, he finally gave in to the yearning he had had all day and put his right arm around her. Mary tensed for just a second, before relaxing, letting herself lean against him, resting her head on his chest. Gideon buried his nose in her wool, inhaling deeply a couple of times, revelling in her scent. This was something else; holding her close, feeling her breath against his shirt, it was incredibly calming and exciting at the same time.
"You make my head spin" Mary could hear the smile in his voice as his breath tickled her skin. She closed her eyes against his shirt, sighing contently as she felt his right paw coming to rest comfortably in her hip.
"This is crazy" she whispered, still able to hear a few mammals strolling past in front of the booth.
"But it's nice" she concluded, nuzzling her nose against his shirt as Gideon's thumb carefully stroked the fabric of her dress. A soft murmur, almost like a purr, vibrating in his chest.
They sat in silence until the sound of the last lingering mammals disappeared from the market place, leaving only the rustling wind and the sweet fresh smell of apples behind.
Mary tilted her head back, glancing up at Gideon who were looking at her under heavy eyelids. There was no need to say anything; they had been waiting for the same thing. Shifting a little in her seat, Mary reached up, carefully touching her lips to his.
Gideon sighed as the tingling rush of hot and cold made his fur stand up at the contact, before a blissful warmth spread from his chest and all the way out to his fingertips. His left paw slid up to the back of Mary's head, supporting her as she reached up to him. His other paw still on her hip, pressing her against him.
As the kiss deepened, Mary shifted again to lean more comfortably against his side, bringing her right knee up to rest on his thigh. Gideon groaned softly as his grip on her tightened, making her smile against his lips.
There was no Travis to interrupt them, no stupid pigs walking by; they were shielded from the rest of the world by the booth and apple-crates, empty fields stretching out in front of them as far as the eye could see.
Mary clutched a fistful of his shirt as their tongues touched, a rush of heat making her limbs feel heavy.
Something changed in Gideon, the blissful warmth gradually growing hot and impatient, his palm beginning to burn on her hip. It happened so slowly that he did not notice at first, not before he became aware that his paw was no longer on Mary's hip, but had travelled down her thigh, resting on her knee while his fingertips brushed longingly against the wool just under the hem of her skirt.
Drawing a sharp breath, he broke away from the kiss, bringing his paw back up around her waist.
Mary was breathing heavily against the fur on his neck, the trail his paw had travelled still burning on her thigh.
"Darn Mary, I-I didn't mean to do that" he breathed apologetically.
"It's fine" Mary smiled up at him. "I don't mind" she felt herself blush as she said it, making Gideon smile hesitantly back at her.
He gave her forehead a quick kiss before leaning back against the wall, keeping both his arms around her as she placed her head back on his chest.
Closing his eyes, Gideon took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down but at the same time enjoy the feeling of Mary's warm body resting against him.
The light was changing into a warm glow as the sun started to set on the horizon, bathing the fields in an orange gleam. Mary sighed as she reluctantly sat back up, missing his arms around her already.
"I have to get going" she explained, "I'm meeting the twins".
Gideon made a grimace, prompting Mary to giggle.
"I love when you laugh" he said warmly, spontaneously placing a quick kiss on her nose. "And when you blush" he added as her nose turned dark pink.
"Well, you're the main reason I do both" she smiled shyly, before carefully sliding down from the crate.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked. "About five?"
"Yeah" Gideon smiled, standing up as well. Suddenly feeling a little nervous about having to make dinner. "At's perfect"
Mary nodded, smiling up at him with big blue eyes, making his knees go weak again. He carefully bent down, placing his knuckle under her chin as he gave her a soft kiss.
"See you at five"
"Five" Mary repeated in a whisper, a light blush still on her nose.
As she snuck back out from behind the booth, she could hear Gideon beginning to whistle, making her smile grow even wider.
The clock hanging on the wall above the door in the bakery kitchen showed five past four, and Gideon was beginning to panic. He opened a window wide to get most of the smoke from the burned sauce out before it set off the fire alarm. He was beginning to run out of options if he was going to have anything else than pie and cookies to serve for dinner. Picking up his phone, Gideon realised he needed help.
"Gideon! What a nice surprise" Vera greeted warmly as she answered the phone.
"Hi Ma, can-can I as you a favour" Gideon said as he sat down on the worn wooden chair by the stove
"Of course honey"
"You remember that pasta-pot you used to make on Sunday's before?"
"Oh sure, I still make it sometimes" he could hear the clattering of dishes as she spoke.
"Can I get the recipe? I tried making it from memory, but" he glanced over at the red and brown burnt mess on stove. "It ain't going to well"
"Hold on a minute honey, I need my glasses" he heard the shuffle of his mother's feet as she got her glasses and a heavy thump as she got out her big recipe book.
"So" she said as she picked the pone back up. Gideon held his breath, knowing what was coming. "You cooking for two?" it may have sounded nonchalant to others, but he easily recognised the hopefulness in her voice. He suddenly wished he could tell her everything, because he could use her advice on more than just the cooking.
"Yea" he said on an exhale.
"Oh, Gideon!" Vera was trying to suppress her motherly curiosity, but failed. "What is she like? Do I know her?"
"No, she's from outa town" which was not a complete lie, since Mary had just moved back from college. Picking up on her son's hesitation, Vera was quick to add:
"I don't mean to pry honey, no need to tell me anything if you don't want to"
"I know" he said, before continuing in a lowered voice "She's lovely Ma, she's real nice, and smart"
"You like her?" his mother asked softly.
"A lot" he said, knowing full well he was in much deeper than that by this point.
"Then that's all that really matters to me honey" his mother assured him.
Gideon wondered if she would say the same if she knew who Mary was.
"Now, you got a pen?" he could hear the turning of pages in his mother worn recipe book. "And if you're having a lady over, you should serve some nice wine with this"
Gideon was not much of a drinker, save the odd beer with Travis, thought he thought he might have a bottle of something in the storage room. A Christmas present from a customer from years ago.
With his mother's instructions carefully jotted down, Gideon got back to work. He had already made the pasta; he only needed to boil it. Thankfully, he had bought enough ingredients to have another go at the sauce. Chopping onions and tomatoes, he nervously glanced up checking the time, hoping that Mary did not show up early.
Knocking on the back door, Mary cast a cautious glance around the alley, not wanting anyone to see her. She wondered what looked more suspicious; knocking on the back door, obviously trying to hide, or knocking on the front door, in full view of everyone passing by.
Her thought process was cut short as Gideon opened the door with a nervous smile, his bangs in a ruffle on his head as if he had run his paws through them one too many times. She had to smile at his uneven shirtsleeves and apron, stained with what looked like tomato sauce. He made her feel overdressed in her cornflower-blue dress and white cardigan.
"You look lovely" he blurted out as soon as he saw her.
"Thank you" she smiled, smoothing her hooves over her dress. "You look like you've been busy" she could not help but chuckle, holding a hoof over her mouth as Gideon looked down himself.
"Ah, shoot" he muttered, realising he had forgotten to change. "I'll just be a minute" he assured her, before darting past her and up the narrow staircase in the alley leading up to his small apartment on the second floor.
Mary stepped into the narrow hallway running along the back of the bakery. To her right the door leading into the kitchen was open and she could hear something puttering away on the stove, a rich aroma seeping into the hallway. Right in front of her was a door she assumed had to be a storage room, and to her left a thin curtain separating the hallway from the bakery. Pulling the curtain aside, she stepped over the black and white checkered tiles into the bakery, her eyes widening as she looked around.
She barely recognised the room.
The blinds where down on all the windows and the door, making it impossible to peek in from outside. The lights where dimmed, and there was a candle lit on every table in the bakery, including a row of small lanterns along the counter and on top of the glass display counter, bathing everything in a soft warm light.
In the middle of the room stood a round table, the only one with a tablecloth. It was beautifully set for two with a bottle of wine already opened to breathe.
Mary stood for a while just taking it all in, moved by the fact that this was just for her and nobody else.
Walking over to the set table she ran her hoof over the white tablecloth, imagining Gideon so focused on getting everything ready that he forgot to change.
"Is it too much?"
She turned around, finding Gideon standing in the kitchen door behind the counter, nervously waiting for her judgement. He had changed into a clean blue and white checkered cotton shirt, neatly tucked into his dark- washed jeans.
"No, no it's perfect Gideon" Mary smiled widely, her eyes flickering with the candles as she looked around the room. "Absolutely perfect"
Gideon breathed out a relieved sigh before disappearing into the kitchen, coming back with a dark red cast iron pot. Whatever was in it smelled delicious and heartening, reminding Mary that she had not eaten since lunch.
Gideon skilfully readied two plates, setting the pot aside on another table before pouring the whine.
"Now be honest" he said nervously as he sat down opposite her. "I ain't no cook, and you don't have to eat it if you don't like it, just to be polite"
Mary smiled reassuringly as she twisted the spaghetti around her fork, holding it in place with her spoon. She was not sure where she had picked that up, but she was glad she had. It made eating spaghetti less messy, and she was very self-conscious about that right now as Gideon watched her intently to gauge her reaction.
He had not needed to worry as Mary let out a spontaneous mhmm after closing her mouth around the fork.
"It's delicious, really Gideon, it is" she assured him as he held his eyes on her face to make sure she was not feigning the praise. Only when he was convinced did he start on his own plate.
The conversation started out platonic; Mary talked about school and tests, the twins and other teachers. Gideon shared his plans for the winter season, the cookies he had planned to add to the Christmas menu, and the improvements he wanted to make on his pumpkin pie. They had emptied their plates and almost gone through their second glass of wine, when Mary spoke again.
"Gideon, can ask you something?" Gideon nodded, careful to dry of his mouth with the napkin as he chewed his last mouthful.
"Why did you drop out of high school?" Mary asked, twirling the remaining of her wine around in her glass. Gideon laid the napkin back on the table, apprehensively rubbing the back of his neck.
"That's a big 'ol can of worms, you sure wanna hear all that?"
"Yea" she nodded, putting her elbows on the table as she leaned closer to him. Gideon sighed, taking a big gulp of wine.
"It's not just one reason I guess. Like for one I never had a head for school, and feelin' stupid all the time didn't help on my temper" he sent her an apologetic glance before continuing.
"And the others weren't as scared of me as they used to, so I had to do worse every time. It got real bad. Detention didn't work on me, I got suspended once, then twice" he crossed one arm over his chest, resting it in the crook of his elbow as he kept the wineglass by his snout.
Mary thought back to the first year of high school, trying to remember anything about Gideon from back then. She remembered avoiding him in the hallways, as everyone did, maybe a few stark remarks in class if he showed up, which was not often, and others talking about him fighting a lot…
"I think I remember you always having a bruise or more"
"Yea" he scoffed. "Got just as many as I gave out I recon, more if you count them from my Pa" Gideon did not seem bitter to her, only melancholy and regretful as he averted his eyes, keeping them on his empty plate.
"Anyway, Travis wasn't having any more of it. I came back after my third suspension, and he had new friends. We had a real fight 'bout it, almost wrecked a classroom. I didn't see the point of going back after that, so I didn't, and everyone was happy" Gideon emptied what was left in his glass, running his fingers along the stem as he put it down on the table.
Seeing him sitting slumped over his empty glass, lost in thought, filled Mary with pity. She could not remember anyone who had missed him after he dropped out.
"I'm sorry" she said, her eyes sincerely on his. Gideon barked out a laugh.
"Don't be, no ones fault but my own" he wanted to pour himself another glass, but decided against it.
Mary reached over the table, taking his paw in her hoof, giving it a warm squeeze. Gideon absentmindedly started making circles in her palm with his thumb as he spoke.
"Was home for a couple of weeks. Pa figured I should begin taking over the farm. Don't need no diploma for that- he said. I didn't want to, never liked farming much, but at the time I didn't know what I wanted, so I went with it for a while"
Gideon started running the tip of his finger over her three-cloven hoof, slowly going from tip to bottom on each one.
"Money's always been tight at home, so getting a job on the side seemed like the right thing to do. Why Badgy hired a high school- dropout is still beyond me, but I'm grateful he did- turned my life around"
"I bet he saw potential" Mary smiled warmly at him.
"Maybe" Gideon went back to drawing circles in her palm. It was incredibly calming, paired with the slight buzz from the wine it made Mary completely at ease, her mind feeling a little sluggish.
"I think I got lucky mostly" Gideon continued thoughtfully. "Honestly, for a long while I just wanted to leave, but I'm glad I didn't" he sent her a meaningful glance, making her nose turn just a hint more pink.
"Pa's never forgiven me though, for giving up on the farm"
"Yea" Mary nodded in understanding. "I'm lucky Gareth wants to take over. I think I would have been miserable growing wheat and barley for the rest of my life"
"But would your parents stop talking to you if you didn't?"
"Didn't take over?" Mary chuckled. "They would probably not be able to stop talking to me about it. They can be quite persistent"
There was a pungent silence as their eyes met, both understanding what had to be asked next.
"And if-if they found out about…"
"Us?" Mary finished for him, making a tender warmth spread in his chest. He had been going to say me.
"I don't know" Mary said honestly. "Dad wouldn't like it, that's for sure" she muttered, emptying her wineglass.
"Mom would probably say something silly in the lines of: It's not natural, or something"
She reached her other hoof over to hold his paw in both hoofs, wanting him to know she did not believe the same. Gideon kept his eyes down, looking at her small dark hoofs in stark contrast to his rust-coloured paws.
"And Gareth… He's become so much like dad" she sighed. "What about your parents?" she asked carefully. Gideon was still looking down at her hoofs, running the fingers of his free paw over them.
"Won't know the difference with Pa" he huffed. "He never liked me much anyway. Ma on the other hand…" he fell silent as he remembered how happy she had sounded earlier, finding out he had a date. He wanted to believe that she would not care what species Mary was.
Searching his mind, he tried to remember if his mother had ever said anything negative about prey. His father he could think of plenty of times, but not his mother. Though he could not be completely sure, he could not imagine his mother as anything else than mild and loving.
"I think she'd like you" he finally concluded.
"So that's one on the maybe-list" Mary smiled humourlessly. "That just leaves everyone else"
"Well, there's always Travis" Gideon shrugged, making Mary burst out laughing.
"Yea, there's Travis" she managed between laughs.
Gideon loved the way her eyes lit up when she laughed, his own eyes almost half shut as he studied her, slightly sedated by the wine.
"What?" she asked, the laugh still in her voice as she caught him staring at her.
"Nothin'" he said with a small smirk, leaning back in his chair. "You want dessert? You can have anything you feel like" he gestured to the bakery kitchen behind him, giving her the pick of the whole menu.
"Have any apple and pecan pie?" Mary ventured, making a knowing smile spread across his face.
With that, well a week overdue, Mary could sit down for pie with Gideon.
Time is a funny thing. An hour at the dentist or at work can seem like the longest time. While an hour with someone special can seem like no time at all.
While sharing what was left of the wine, they talked about everything and nothing, all the small things that had happened in their lives since high school, everyday routines that suddenly seemed important to share with the other.
Mary could see the clock on the wall over Gideon's shoulder slowly creeping towards midnight, but she did not want to leave, and he showed no indication of being tired, so she tried to keep her sleepy eyes awake and suppress her yawns. Eventually though, one escaped, making Gideon turn in his chair to glance at the time.
"At's the time already? You should've said" he raised one eyebrow at her; the same expression that had once been mocking was now benign. A quirk that was part of what made him who he was.
"I-I don't want to go" she admitted with an apologetic smile. "It's nice talking to you without worrying about someone seeing or hearing it"
"Yea, we'll have to be careful 'bout that"
Yesterday behind his pie booth had seemed careful at the time, but he realised now it had probably been more risky than their faithful kiss in the alley. Anywhere even remotely public was a bad idea, but it had been so very sweet. His mouth went dry as he remembered her body pressing up against him on the apple-crate.
"Can I meet you here?" he had not offered, but Mary decided to be bold and ask anyway. "After closing up?"
"Yea, that'll work" Gideon swallowed, trying not to think too much about being alone with her on a regular basis. The wine still making his mind imagine the kiss behind his pie booth going further than just his paw on her knee.
"Elliot usually gets off around seven, we'd have a few hours"
"Maybe not every day? That would be suspicious, if someone saw me…"
"At's prolly best, yea"
The precautions they were discussing suddenly seemed so unfair; it was not something meant to be a subject on a first date. But he was no idiot, even though he sometimes felt he acted like one.
Mary noticed his expression, recognising her own feelings mirrored on his face. In a way, it was a relief, knowing they felt the same, but also being able to read him so easily already.
Wanting to show him that she understood, and frankly growing tired of the barrier the table was creating, Mary got up from her chair.
Standing beside the seated fox, she almost reached his shoulder. Gideon sat up in surprise as Mary snuggled her face against his chest right under his left arm, her own arms reaching around his chest, not quite able to meet around his broad torso.
Mary felt his snout bury into the wool on her head as his big paw came to her waist, returning the hug as he took a few deep breaths, tickling her scalp.
"This is so unfair" she muttered, her voice muffled by Gideon's shirt. He could feel how her breathing warmed his fur through the cotton.
"Mmmhm" he nodded in agreement into her wool, hungrily absorbing every sensation. "But I'll take what I can get"
Mary pulled away a few inches to be able to tilt her head up to look at him. His bangs were falling into his light blue eyes, making her want to reach up and brush them out of the way. Gideon beat her to it, instead cupping her cheek, running his thumb over the dark and incredibly fine hairs covering her face.
Mary let her eyes glide shut, her lips parting slightly as she prepared for the kiss she knew was coming. Gideon's clawed fingers instantaneously buried into the wool on the back of her head, urging her to stand on the tips of her hoofs as his mouth came down hot on hers.
Their previous kisses had always started out soft and testing, this time their tongues met right from the start.
A sound between a moan and a sigh escape from Mary as she used her grip on the back of his shirt to pull herself closer.
She could feel the muscles in his back and arms tighten and loosen as if he was considering pulling her up into his lap.
She was about to make that decision for him when he unexpectedly begun slowing down the kiss, his lips gradually coming to a stop before carefully pulling away, still keeping his arms around her. His expression was soft as he looked down on her again, though his pupils were dilated to the point that they very nearly cancelled out the blue in his eyes.
Mary felt a hot rush through her veins, and she could not help but let out shaky breath as his paw slipped back to her cheek, this time running his thumb over her lips.
"It's past midnight…" he begun, his voice a little unsteady.
"I-I should be going home" she agreed, though neither of them moved.
There was a moment were the pull between them seemed to become stronger, as if giving a final tug, almost bringing them helplessly clashing together again. Somehow, they managed to resist it. Gideon instead stood up, smiling softly he offered her his arm as if they were taking a stroll down the street.
The unexpected gesture made Mary chuckle nervously, but she accepted, doing a small silly curtsy before slipping her hoof into the nook of his arm. They walked arm in arm through the bakery and out to the dark alley, coming to a halt just short of turning the corner and becoming visible from the street.
"I guess this is good night then" Mary said, unwilling to let go of his arm.
"Yea" Gideon breathed, just as reluctant to let go. "Until tomorrow?"
Mary nodded, smiling as she bit down on her lower lip, glancing up at him through her lashes. The sight made whatever pull he had managed to resist inside come back with full force.
"Oh, darn it" Gideon whispered as he captured her lips again, coming down on one knee as he pulled her into a warm embrace. This time he lingered on her lips, trying to memorise how she moulded against him, feeling her smile against his lips as he let his paw press on the small of her back, bringing her even closer.
The autumn night was quite cold, though it did not seem to bother them much as they held the kiss until Gideon's knee started to hurt from supporting his weight on the uneven asphalt. Pulling away, Mary looked up at him with bright but sleepy eyes, her lips slightly swollen from the recent activity.
"You should go home" he said silently, though not one single part of him wanted her to leave. Mary nodded in agreement, her hooves stroking the lengths of his shirtsleeves as he rose.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"I'll see you tomorrow" he repeated back to her, keeping himself from pulling her into another embrace as she smiled that sweet smile of hers up at him again.
Gideon waited in the alley until he could no longer hear the light tapping of her hoofs against the pavement. Walking back inside, he knew he would probably not get much sleep tonight, as he had to erase any evidence of the date having taken place. However he did not mind, if every other evening in the following weeks were going to be like this one, he did not mind if he never slept again.
