Hello folks it's been a while since I last updated, most of that is due to a few factors, one I'm finishing my second semester of college and I'm in the middle of finals week, second I had to go to my cousin's graduation from the US Army (Congrats 2nd Platoon, Echo Company 2-19 Infantry Regiment!) and Pokémon Moon and watching Moana (go watch it It's fucking great!) So this is the final chapter, I know, I know it's been a long run, but I hope you guys enjoyed Imperfect Love. Also there are gonna be a few time skips.
Dawn was the first of the two to wake up after their first time together, it was an interesting experience to say the least. Glancing around the room, she could see the many artifacts that made up the personal space of Leodore Lionheart. Glancing to her side she could see the still form of her boyfriend, his chest rose and fell as he slept soundly. Removing the covers from her naked form, Dawn got up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a morning shower. Turning on the shower and letting the warm water run over her wool Dawn let out a content sigh.
"Hmm what to do today, it's a day off and I don't have much in the way of, I guess I could go shopping with Leo since he said he needed some more stuff." Dawn said, her mind lost in thought. Turning off the shower, Dawn stepped out and saw something that made her smile a bit; it was a pair of towels with a note on them. Walking over to the cloth she read the note which had inscribed on it.
Hey Dawn, I knew you didn't like shaking after getting out of my shower. So, I brought these, especially for you.
Love~ your awesome boyfriend Leo.
Dawn couldn't help but form a smile. Drying herself off, Dawn could hear from behind the door Leo talking on his phone no doubt. Dawn put her cloths on and stepped into the hallway she could see Leo in his morning robe, no doubt covering his naked body.
"Morning Dawn, good to see you up and about." Leo said as he gave Dawn a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Yeah, so Leo we have most of the day off, right?" Dawn asked as she looked at the time on her phone to see it was around ten in the morning, so that meant that the supermarket was open. Leo nodded and went into the bathroom, "Well I guess it's the supermarket it is then." Dawn said as she checked to see if she had any money in her purse, when she saw that she only had a few dollars she sighed.
"I hate not having cash." Dawn said in slight indignation as she put her purse down. She then heard the bathroom door open and out from it emerged a fully dressed Leodore Lionheart.
"So, Dawn what are we going to do with our free time today?" Leo asked the ewe, sitting down on his bed. Dawn turned to him and smiled.
"We…" Dawn started putting emphasis on we, "…are going grocery shopping." Dawn finished as she put her purse on her shoulder.
"Why we?" Leo asked as he got up to follow Dawn out of the apartment and to his car.
"Because I need groceries, and so do you, so we might as well go together." Dawn said as she sat down, Leo rolled his eyes and got into the driver's seat. The drive to the local supermarket would not take long.
"You know Dawn I have a question, why do you never drive?" Leo asked, Dawn gave him the quintessential sheepish look (which was not that hard since she was indeed a sheep)
"I kinda don't have a driver's license." Dawn said, upon hearing these words Leo burst out laughing. And he did this for a good five minutes before he stopped.
"How do you not have a license?" Leo asked Dawn, who simply shrugged her shoulders.
"It was never a big priority to me, I'm so used to public transit or carpooling that I never bothered to get one." Dawn replied, Leo sighed and shook his head as they finally made their way to the grocery store. The place was stocked to the brim with the things that any mammal would need, whether it be food, tech, or anything in-between.
"Hmm let's see I got protein burgers, some veggie burgers and… oh no." Dawn said as she looked at her list before dropping the parchment at the thing or rather animal she saw in the corner of her eyes. Standing a few feet away from Dawn with a grocery cart and a trio of kits with her was the one animal she did not want to see at all: Judy Hopps. And there was only one thing Dawn could do and she froze, like a deer in a headlight.
"Um Dawn are you okay." Leo asked, he then saw where Dawn was looking and immediately began to connect the dots, "Is that Judy Hopps?" Leo asked and Dawn nodded, a look of determination
"Listen Dawn I know what you're thinking, but you can't keep running away from your past, plus this is the perfect time for you to apologize." Leo said. And Dawn still panicking was trying her best to not go through with that plan.
"But what if she still hates me, I mean it's only been three years, there's no way that those scars healed." Dawn said, trying to turn around, she was subsequently turned back around by Leo.
"Dawn, do you really want to keep this up, face your demons, it's the only way you'll ever get over this." Leo said, giving Dawn a thumb up in encouragement. Dawn swallowed down a lump in her throat and walked over to where Judy was.
"No, Nathan we aren't getting that kind of cereal." Judy said to one of the kits that was tugging on her dress.
"Um hi Miss Hopps." Judy heard a voice say.
"Sorry it's Misses Wilde can I help…you…." Judy turned to look at a face she hadn't seen in three years, "Dawn?" Judy said, looking the ewe up and down with a face of disbelief.
"In the flesh… oh congrats on getting married." Dawn said, trying to not run away or explode in embarrassment or fear.
"Um…thanks I heard you got released." Judy said. She could see a few feet behind her, former Mayor Lionheart, it's like the weirdest parts of her past were coming to say hello.
"Um so I came here to apologize for…well everything. I know there's not much I can say that can really repair the damage I've done, but I just want you to know." Dawn said as she turned from Judy and went to Leo a slight smile on her face.
"I think that went well." Dawn said, feeling as though a giant weight had been lifted off her chest, meanwhile back where Judy was, Nick had just returned holding a few items.
"Hey, um you look like Fangmeyer at our last holiday party, something happen?" Nick asked his wife as he waved his paw in front of her face to see if she was okay. Snapping out of her confusion, Judy turned to Nick and shook her head.
"Nah just saw an animal I haven't seen in a long time." Judy said as she and Nick continued to browse the store. On the ride, back to Leo's apartment, Dawn could feel he wanted to talk to her about something so she spoke up.
"Is there something wrong Leo?" Dawn asked. Leo shook his head.
"Nope, just glad you got that off your chest. Dawn, I know this hasn't been an easy road, for neither of us, but to see you making progress is the best thing I could ever hope see." Leo said with a large smile on his face. Dawn shook her head in amusement, a smile emerging on her face as well. Looking at the road ahead of her, Dawn was not sure what her future held but she was ready to see it.
Time takes us to many strange places, the few months turned into a year and eventually Dawn moved into Leo's apartment.
"Is that the last of your stuff?" Leo asked as he moved one final box of items into his apartment with Dawn looking through most of them to make sure the moving company didn't damage anything.
"Yeah, that should be everything, thanks for the help Leo." Dawn said as she closed the box she was looking through, she was lifted up into the air by Leo, him holding her close to his chest.
"What problem, I mean we're moving in together, can't necessarily let my girlfriend do all the heavy lifting." Leo said as he kissed Dawn on the forehead much to her amusement. Prying herself from Leo she opened a box and began moving things.
"Well come on, we gotta put this stuff away." Dawn said. Leo followed suite, and a few days later Dawn was officially moved in. The two celebrated by going out for dinner and having a generally nice time. While moving in was a joyous occasion, it did not go unnoticed by many of their co-workers. While some were indifferent to Leo and Dawn's relationship a good bit (most of them predators) were to a degree offended, still this did not put a damper on Dawn nor Leo's mood. This year soon turned into two, and then three and so on, then one day while in Maneverse on vacation, Leo and Dawn visited the state fair that started their relationship, enjoyed the fireworks display.
In Leo's mind, he was mentally preparing himself for what he wanted to do at this moment. Digging through his pocket he pulled out a velvet black box, inside was a single ring with an emerald gem, the same color as Dawns eyes.
"Listen Dawn, I know we-" He was cut off by Dawn immediately answering.
"Yes." Dawn said, not even looking at her boyfriend, this confused Leo to a degree since he didn't even get to say what he was about to talk about.
"Um Dawn do you even know what I'm about to ask you?" Leo asked, Dawn nodded and let out a small laugh and looked Leo dead in his eyes.
"Leo, you wanna marry me am I correct?" Dawn asked, when Leo nodded she scooted closer to him placing her head on his broad chest, "Well I say yes, I just have one condition." Dawn said. Leo laughed and picked Dawn up placing her firmly in his lap.
"And what is that condition?" Leo asked as he looked at the fireworks bursting in the air.
"That you take my last name; it's mostly because Dawn Lionheart sounds less…good than Leodore Bellwether." Dawn said she heard Leo let out a large hearty laugh at this.
"Sure Dawn, I can live with that." Leo said as he placed his chin on Dawns head, closing his eyes.
Dawn had never thought she would be married in her life, well that's not true; she never thought she would marry a predator. All her life she had imagined she would probably settle down with some nice ram and settle down, have some kids etc. But here she was standing before a mirror looking at her wedding dress, about to meet her soon to be husband and be joined in union.
"You look so lovely Dawn." Tabatha said, placing a comforting paw on her friends shoulder.
"Thanks, I'm so nervous." Dawn said. This has probably been the most nervous she'd ever been in her entire forty-three years of life.
"Don't be, I was the same when I walked down the aisle, you'll be fine." Tabatha said. Dawn nodded and opened the door, standing at the foot of a floral alter, was her soon to be husband, all around her she could see friends and family, including Judy and Nick Wilde who she invited not expecting them to show up.
"You can do this Dawn." Dawn said under her breath as she walked to the alter where Leo was standing. The two joined hands as they said their I do's. And when Leo kissed her by lifting her literally off her feet, the wedding crowed readily hollered with excitement and clapping.
"I love you Dawn." Leo said as they sat down in the front porch of their new home in Maneverse. It had been a week since their wedding, the two opting to not have a honeymoon. The new house was a gift from Leo's mother and his sisters. Dawn looked at Leo a large grin on her face.
"I love you too, Leo." Dawn replied as she scooted up to her husband. Life was never perfect for Dawn, hell it was sometimes downright dreadful, but imperfect was sometimes better than perfect, it was how things were. All you could do was find people who cared for you, and loved you. And that's what Dawn found in the Lionheart family and in Tabitha, and her husband, and the other friends she had found along the way.
The End.
Well I hope you guys liked this final chapter It was a blast working on this story Thank you to my two editors Bovine Beauty and Thedankestofmemes (wherever you are.) and thank you dear readers for putting with my long lapses in writing, and constant delays Sorry if this end feels abrubt, but do not fret I plan on making a sequel in some time I just need to finish a few of my other stories first, until then if you are interested read my Pokémon Fanfic Alola My Love since that's where I'm gonna be putting most of my attention at, and remember I'll see you guys on the far side.