"There's nothing like staying staying at home for real comfort" -Jane Austen

(I got lazy picking this quote, ngl)

Cloudy With A Chance Of Fuck Up's

3 September 2019

Tuesday 06:30

Humphrey's P.O.V.

I jump out of my bed to the deafening siren called an alarm clock. Something next to me yeets out of the bed as well, startling the living hell out of me. "Holy crap! Is your alarm always this loud?" Lilly asks. I totally forgot she slept over for the night. "Good morning and yeah, it is." That's when my brain had finally rendered the situation.

I promptly get out of bed, immediately distancing myself from Lilly. "Why so jumpy all of a sudden, we barely had three hours of sleep." She says whilst rubbing the grime off her eyes. 'How is she so casual after we shared a bed last night?' I gulp then avert my eyes from her. "Fuck, how should I say this... I'm not used to sharing beds with girls, you know... that came out weirder than I thought it would. This is gonna sound selfish of me but I kinda wanted my first time to be with a girl I had feelings towards. (That's SO much worse, I sounded like a true, proper virgin)" Lilly frowns at my response. I feel like she still took much better than I thought she would. "Oh... I'm sorry. If knew, I wouldn't have asked." She apologizes.

"It's okay, doesn't really matter." I quickly attempt to dismiss the bed sharing topic. Lilly saw through what I was trying to do and shook her head at me. "Man, I feel so sorry for your future girlfriend." Lilly mutters but not quiet enough. "I heard that." I say in a loud and extended groan. "Yeah, I was counting on it." She says back. I had nothing to say back so I just shut my mouth. Lilly smiles at her small victory then walks over to the window. "Looks like it's gonna be a rainy morning, can't we stay in for the day." She asks while staring through the window.

"For today, sure but I'm gonna go tomorrow though, even if it's still raining. I don't want to miss too many days of school in a row or else teachers and student council stiffs will be on my ass again." I say, reminding Lilly of the time I took a whole week off from school just to play games and be stupid with the boys during the previous school year.

"Hmhm, fine. I should probably head back home today anyway." She frowns softly as she says this. "Or... maybe I could get Kate to come over tonight and see just how close I can get you two..." Her smile reappears as she schemes out loud. "Ha, unlikely. We both saw her with Garth after school not to mention he brought her home in a fucking Camaro. I can't compete with that." I state. Saying this somehow reminded me to clean the garage some time soon.

"You make it sound like that car is every girl's wet dream." Lilly says sarcastically. "I mean... isn't it?" I ask as a joke as she steps away from the window, intentionally pissing her off. Lilly deadpans at my sarcastic question. "...wow." She storms out of the room in a playful fit. "C'mon- I was joking."

"I know!" I hear her yell from the stairs. "Damn, no need to tell at six in the morning..." I say outloud, knowing Lilly wasn't close enough to hear me.

Kate's P.O.V.

'CEO's found dead with bullet wounds...' That was the scariest thing I read in my life. Who would cause a fire throughout an entire city plaza just to get two people? It was way too elaborate only to put a couple of bullet holes in my parents. I rarely got to see my parent's workplace in person, if that doesn't say anything about how serious that tech company was then I don't know what will. Humphrey always talked about how suspect CS is recently and I'm now starting to think that what he was saying could've actually been true.

"I'm over thinking this..." Another one of Humphrey's habits. I sluggishly reposition myself to sit in an upright position as I wipe my damp face. My eyes felt like they'd pop out of my skull if I cried any longer.

I finally get myself out of bed and walk to the bathroom to clean myself up. The house was dead quiet now that my parents are gone and Lilly stayed the night at Humphrey's. I guess he feels this way every morning he wakes up too. I wonder how Lilly's dealing with her morning now that she has someone as fun as him. I'm not gonna hide the fact that I'm envious of her right now...

Humphrey's P.O.V.

"Here's a random fact for you." Lilly states while she helps stir milk into the flapjack batter. "Bet, hit me." I already had a feeling what the so called 'random' fact was going to be about anyway. "Not all turtles are tortoises, but all tortoises are turtles." I sigh as I pour some of the batter into a frying pan. "It's not really a 'random' fact because I already expected it to be about turtles, you know." It was hard not to guess that it was gonna be about turtles. Lilly has a strange obsession about these shelled animals for some reason. They're slow, they're heavy, some of them snap you. What's to like about them?

"Whatever, turtles are fascinating animals." Here we go again... "Imagine being able to live life for over 100 years, 120 years at most..." Lilly continues. "Sounds like hell."

"Sounds like a gift." Lilly counters."'Gift' my ass, you want to live long enough to witness World War 3? You're braver than I thought, hahaha." I chuckle at Lilly's optimistic view about living over a century long. "Ha-ha." She laughs sarcastically. "Just wait until I create anti-aging compounds a decade from now... FROM turtle cells." She continues defending her obsession with these things.

"Wow, a decade? Aren't you pushing it just a bit? I don't know what science-y research institution your going to after we're done with high school but that's just, how do I put it... unrealistic." I tell her. "Right..." She rolls her eyes. I take the batter and start pouring it into a frying pan. "Anyway, how are you holding up?" I ask Lilly. "I'm doing well actually. I can't imagine how I'd be feeling this morning if I didn't spend the night." She answers. "Kate's the one we should be worrying about right now." She tells me. "I could say that you cured my depression in one night, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel empty after last night."

"Ah, oh well. Hopefully that hole will fill up over time." I respond as I flip the frying batter. "Maybe..." She mutters.

15 Minutes Later

Kate's P.O.V.

I skip breakfast after cleaning myself up and picking a tracksuit outfit. I had to check up on my sister before I did anything else. I guess I'm just stupid in that sense. I could call Humphrey but I'd rather go to his house myself.

I leave the house and lock the door behind me. It starts to drizzle but it wasn't too bad yet. I jog down the street in the wet weather. As I jogged down the street I start to think about how Humphrey might've felt taking Lilly in for the night. She can be a bit like a pup at times but that's also why she gets along so well with Humphrey. I thought of Humphrey as a really close friend but now I see him as a fun brother after the first two years that I've known him. "That playful nature... that damned playful nature." I say as I start feeling a smile form on my face.

I got distracted by my own thoughts and didn't pay attention to my surroundings. The drizzle turned into light rain in less than a minute. I curse my luck and keep running down the street up to the the first intersection. Humphrey's house was just four streets away but it felt like a cross country race in the rain. I hear a sports car around the area and wish I was lucky enough to have ANY kind of car right now. I stumble at the sight of lightning but find my balance right before the thunder boomed.

The car sounds much closer now. I turn around and see a black Corvette sports car pulling up next to me. The driver rolls down the over tinted windows. "Isn't it a bit too wet to be out for early morning cardio?" An ash black furred wolf asks. I wasn't expecting the Corvette driver to be female, not to mention have a taste in 80's music. My dad loved listening to New Order's Blue Monday, God this made me tear up. Thankfully, the rain hid my tears. "I'm actually on my way to friend's place." I say to the wolf. She shakes her head. "I'm sure it can't be too far from here, I'll give you a lift." She says. "But-" I try turning down her gesture but she insists on it. "It wasn't an offer, I'm choosing to help you out."

I give up and let the stranger open the passenger door. I cautiously enter the vehicle, worried about my damp tracksuit wetting the seat of this car. "Don't worry, I'll dry the seat later." She says. "Now where does your friend stay?"

"444th Ventura Street, not far from here." I state. "Sorry, I'm gonna need directions. I haven't been to this side of town until recently." The driver replies sounding s bit embarrassed of herself. "No problem." She says and continues driving.

Humphrey's P.O.V.

"Ever feel like Netflix can get a bit boring after you've watched it for too long?" Lilly asks out of nowhere as she munches on her last flapjack. "Depends on what you're binging... in my opinion, of course." I reply, without looking away from the TV. She hums in agreement.

I hear a soft roar of a C7 Corvette parking outside. "Could it be the same one we saw on our way home yesterday?" Lilly asks me. "Probably...?"

Someone rings the doorbell not long after the C7 leaves. I get up from the seat and walk out of the living room. I get to the door and unlock it before checking who it is through the peephole. "Hi Humphrey." Kate greets after I open the door. I was so suprised and glad that it's her. "Hey Kate." I greet back with a tiny and hopefully unnoticeable smile. "Did you walk all the way here in the rain?" I ask her just after noticing how wet Kate's track outfit was. "I jogged on my here for a bit but someone in a slick 'Vette was kind enough to offer me a lift... well, more like insisted."

Lilly dashes up to the front door in a white flash. "Is that Kate?" She asks me. I unlock the gate and let Kate inside. Lilly hugs Kate, not giving a damn if her clothes get wet. "Did she behave?" Kate asks, getting a laugh out Lilly and I. "Yeah, mostly..." I say, earning myself a jab to the side from Lilly. "Mm-hm. I can see you've been treating this snowball well. Hopefully she'll remember to come home."

"Can you not treat me like I'm your kid at a neighbor's house? I'm just about the same age as both of you." Lilly facepalms. "Right, sorry. I guess I gotta... adjust to all this." Kate says with noticable pain her words. "Mm. I was thinking more that you should see family about this. Y'know?" I suggest to her.

"Uh... I dunno Humph. The closest relative we got here is our uncle- from my mother's side and he wasn't too friendly with us the last time he visited. He works in one of CSE lodges, don't know which. Tsk, for all we know he could be laughing his head off at our parents' deaths." Kate clenches her fists following her last sentence. Seems this topic might escalate real fast. Best to drop it before it gets too hot. "Humphrey, you always said CS was a shady company. Do you think-"

"Kate, we should let this go for now." As soon as I said this, I could feel that something in Kate snap and I wanted to retract my words. "Let it go?! My parents were murdered just last night and you want me to let this go?!"

"Wait-wait-wait, that's not what I meant-" I try defending myself but the damage was done, sadly.

"You know what, I made a mistake coming here so soon." Kate says. "Obviously this hasn't sunk in for you yet." She scoffs then walks to the door. I haven't seen Kate so angry before, especially at me. "Kate..." Lilly says. "I need time alone Lil's. You can stay with him if you want." Kate responds without turning to face her sister. I could tell she was tearing up through her voice. She exits the house and closes the door softly. Both Lilly and I stayed frozen in the same spot for a full minute, at a complete loss for words.

"Humphrey." Lilly speaks first. "I'm an asshole... I know." I say as I cover my face in shame. "I shouldn't have said what I said in the first place."

"Humphrey." She repeats. "You have every right to hate me." I say, turning my back on her. "I'd understand if you don't want to stay." I mumble and start walking back to the lounge. "Humphrey..." She says once again. "I deserve to be alone-" I get smacked by two soft hands on both sides of my face before I could finish speaking. "Snap back to reality, Humphrey. I'm not mad at you and I'm sure Kate isn't too. She just needs some time alone.. like she said." Lilly says to me with her hands still cupped on my face. I want to believe what she's saying but Kate genuinely sounded angry at me back there.

"Kate still needs all the support she can get right now too. You already helped me last night, but not in the way you or Kate think." Lilly tells me. "Huh?" I sound real intelligent in my response with her hands on my face. "Humph, I might not look it to others at first glance but I'm still an omega. I never really saw myself as a dominant wolf or a leader in any way. You being yourself and cheering me up with your meme attitude last night got rid of quite a bit of emotional my emotional stress at the time."

"Mean to say that omega's, using our playful nature, should have eachother's backs when one of us is feeling under the weather, right? It's not the first time I heard this, y'know. I still don't understand how that shit makes sense" I tell her. "Right. I'm sure you can tell Kate is an alpha, well most of the SBC is made up of alpha wolves anyway and the rest, beta's. My point is that Kate saying she needs to be alone actually means that she needs to be with someone more like her and not with 'us'." Lilly explains. "You lost me..." I scratch my head as I say this. Lilly sighs before responding. "When you look at Garth, what do you see?"

"What? An alpha?" I guess. Lilly nods her head so I guess I'm on the right track. "Okay, now do you see what I'm getting at or do I have to spell things out?" She asks. "Sure, I totally know what you mean uh, but tell me anyway so I know I'm on the same page."

"You're such a goofball but anyway, act more like an alpha so Kate won't be so mad at you for saying what you said earlier. She just lost her biological parents and she thinks you're taking it as a joke, don't try to look like a bigger asshole."

"Sorry, couldn't pick the right words." I mumble. I start to feel really uncomfortable at this point since I've been talking with hands pressed against my face. "So... you know you've had your hands on my face for almost three minutes now, right?" Lilly dosen't respond but instead looks away. "Wow, my cheeks can't be that soft." I chuckle, trying to tease the shy wolf. "Don't make this any worse than it already is. I know it's an embarrassing screw up." She covers her mouth with her hands, obviously hiding a smile. This sent chills down my spine, I wasn't if it was in a good or bad way. If Lilly really did a crush on me, she probably would've said something by now so this is sending mixed signals.

Narrative P.O.V.

Half an hour ago...

"I'm Kate." The amber furred wolf in a red tracksuit introduces herself. "Iris." The ash black wolf responds. "Iris, thanks again for giving a lift." Kate says to the newly acquainted wolf. "No problem." Iris says with a smile then unlocks the doors. "See you around-" Kate is cut off by Iris before she exits the car.

"You have a really familiar face come to think of it." Iris says to her. "Huh, I don't think we've met until four minutes ago. I probably have one of those faces." Kate says to the dark wolf but she wasn't buying it. "Out of curiosity, what's your last name?" She asks as she rests her arms on the steering wheel. Kate hesitates on giving Iris an answer. "... Quinn." She answers cautiously. Iris widens her eyes at the the answer. "Oh God, I had the weird feeling you were their daughter. Condolences Kate." Iris says to Kate with respect. "Thanks." The amber wolf responds with a small, emotionless smile.

She exits the car and says goodbye to Iris. The ash black wolf waves goodbye instead of saying so verbally. Kate closes the door of Iris's Corvette then crosses the road in the pouring rain.

"Kate Quinn... huh." Iris says her name inquisitively. "Kinda strange to head over to a friend's house just the day after getting wind of you parents death on television. I got a hunch she might know something's off about their deaths. Kate might actually be here to gossip to this friend of her's if they haven't noticed it already." Iris monologues while tapping her index fingers on the steering wheel. "Great, another wolf of interest to keep an eye on."