Life of a Little Red Porcupine Ch. 5
By Flaky Ciel
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Flaky just relaxed as Flippy combed through the tangled mess of spines on her body. It was too hard to do herself, and having Flippy there to help her felt wonderful. Of course, having him around her all the time felt wonderful. The bear finally put down the slightly oversized comb, content with his work. "There, now with all your quills running downwards I shouldn't stick myself when we cuddle anymore." He said, rubbing his nose on hers, making her giggle lightly.
"Thanks, Flippy, for helping m-me with that…" Flaky said.
"Of course." He smiled, making her smile back. They hugged, gently, Flippy stroking his hand down her back to test his theory, which turned out to be true. "Your hair is certainly hard to take care of." He said, jokingly.
"I know… I'm s-sorry." She said, apologetically.
"Don't be sorry. I guess it comes with being a porcupine, huh?" He asked, rhetorically. Flaky sighed, a little relieved that he wasn't bothered by it. Her self-esteem was getting better and better, and as she stood then she'd never been so comfortable with herself. The past few weeks had been very kind to her, after all. She was with her lover, and she only died once when crossing the street during that time, which was a record for her. Her fearfulness hadn't let up though, but she figured it was going to be part of her forever.
Flippy too was having a wonderful time. His years of loneliness were easing up dramatically and his dark side hadn't been around too much, as of late. Flippy figured the emotions he was feeling, love and compassion, were unsettling to his alter-ego who obviously couldn't understand them. "Say, Flaky, weren't you supposed to meet Cuddles and Toothy down at the park for a soccer game?" Flippy asked.
"Uhuh. We'd better g-get down there pretty soon…" She said, a little frightened.
"Aww, what's wrong?" He asked, noting the uncertainty in her voice.
She blushed, "W-well, I just d-don't like playing sports too much… I'm always s-scared to get hurt…"
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Flippy comforted her, "Besides, I'll be there watching you the whole time. Okay?"
She nodded, "Okay. I promised C-Cuddles I would anyway." Flaky grabbed her soccer stuff and they both hopped in Flippy's miraculously-repaired jeep and drove off. To Flaky it only seemed like a few seconds later when she was standing in front of the goal net, shaking.
"C'mon, you can do it, sweetie!" Flippy called out to her, inciting a nervous laugh from his partner. He sat back down and took a swig from his soda, watching. Cuddles kicked the ball toward her, intending to make a goal. She whimpered and hit the deck, covering her head and letting the ball soar right over her head.
"GOAL!" Cuddles shouted, caught in the moment and giving a high-five to Giggles. Toothy shook his head.
"You're supposed to BLOCK the ball!" Toothy scolded.
"S-sorry…" She said, looking down nervously. Toothy patted her on the shoulder and ran off, leaving her to her post.
"I have really got to work on her self-certainty…" Flippy noted to himself, feeling bad for her.
"You got a lot of work to do there." Sniffles snorted. Flippy knew he was only teasing but it still annoyed him. He watched Flaky fail to block a few more shots and sighed. He looked down at Sniffles again, the only other spectator, who was munching down a hot-dog slathered in ketchup. Flippy twitched a little bit, looking at the anteater's "blood" soaked face, stifling down memories. He shook his head and bolted towards the bathroom, charging in and instantly going for the faucet to splash some cold water on his face.
He looked at his reflection, hoping to see his own reflection, but instead saw his twisted doppelganger. "You certainly know how to pick 'em." It scoffed. "Why not just throw yourself into a grave while you're at it? 'Cause let me tell you she's just destroying your common sense."
Flippy sighed, frustrated. "She is not!" He defended.
"Says the man who started making out with her in the middle of the street!" It snapped. "And you risk yourself over the most spineless woman here. Jeez…"
"Flaky is a wonderful girl…" Flippy stated, sternly. "I wouldn't trade her for anyone else in the world."
"Why? 'Cause she's letting you into her pants? Erm… Figuratively." It asked, insultingly.
Flippy almost broke that mirror too before saying, "That's not the reason! Flaky's sweet, innocent, and kind…"
"Everything you covet." It pointed out.
"Everything you're NOT." Flippy's reflection laughed, finding it funny that Flippy had bothered to mention that. "Anyway, you'd better get used to the idea of her staying, because she's not going anywhere."
"Whatever." It said, a little distracted. Flippy splashed more water on his face, making the specter disappear. When he went outside, he found that he'd been in there a lot longer than he'd thought, as everyone save Flaky had left and she was just sitting on the bleachers, waiting for him. She got up and ran to him, giving him a big hug.
"You okay..?" She asked, worried.
"I'm alright. I just got a little sick is all."
"I didn't think I did THAT bad…" She said. He was about to comfort her when he realized she was joking, and they exchanged a friendly smile and went home after sharing their "I love you"s.
When they got back they watched some TV together and then started getting ready for bed, Flaky a little distracted looking herself over in the mirror. "If you want..." Flippy started, "we can pick you up some stronger shampoo at the store tomorrow. Maybe that would start clearing it up, Ruby." She smiled and blushed.
"You can still call me Flaky…" She said.
"I'll call you whatever you want."
"Flaky's fine." She smiled. Flippy noticed his reflection suddenly gesturing, menacingly in the mirror towards her. "Let's get to bed…" She said, walking past him and grabbing his hand.
"Yeah…" Flippy responded, still a little distracted. They were both pretty tired, so they just curled around each other and gave their partner a good night kiss before drifting lazily into sleep.
When Flippy came to he was back in his normal dream setting, a happy, flower-filled meadow. He sighed at the peaceful scenery and leaned backwards against a tree. "If only Flaky were here in my dreams more often." He mused, "Then they'd be even better." He tilted his beret downwards over his eyes, relaxing. He heard the unicorns and other such things off in the distance, making their general ambient sounds. He chuckled, sure it was a little girly, but it was his safe haven from reality, his peaceful patch to hide in. Until of course…
Flippy felt himself being hoisted into the air by his neck, grabbing at the wire wrapped around it. "Y-You!" He choked, realizing his other self was behind it.
"You know, I was thinking, you two have been a couple for over a month now, and it's rather rude of you not to let your better half get acquainted with your worse half! Hahahaha!" It laughed, sinisterly as it choked the life out of him. It knew that it could keep control over his body for a good hour or two if it beat him in his dream world. It wasn't often it got an opportunity like that. Flippy's body went limp, just in time.
He woke with a start, shouting a little bit. "Flippy? You okay?" Flaky asked, worried. It was past 4:00 in the morning.
"I'm just fine…" Flippy said, in his deep, gravely voice. Flaky's pupils dilated with terror and she instantly started backing up, trying to get away from him. He jumped out of bed after her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him and grabbing her in more of a death-lock than a hug. "What's the matter, sweetie? It's me, Flippy."
"You're not Flippy!" She yelled, panicking, "You're his evil side!"
"It hurts when people throw names like that around." It said, pretending to be offended. "Evil side. Pfff. Dark side, twisted side, "Flipped out". Make no mistake, I AM Flippy. In fact, this part of me is the only reason I'm even here…" He said. Flaky kept trying to wriggle out of his grip, but Flippy grabbed her again, and wrapped one arm around her as if about to start waltzing.
"Please!" She yelled, terrified.
"I'm not evil." It stated. "I just know what it takes to make us survive. You have no idea how hard it is to survive on the battlefield. The things you have to do. The things you start getting used to. The things you start… enjoying…" He paused, before chuckling to himself. He leered down at her, as if he was about to kill her, making her scream. He walked her into another room, swinging her suddenly into a glass display case and cutting up her body, terribly.
She coughed and groaned in pain, but Flippy grabbed her up again. "So if you want your lover, you're going to have to deal with both his sides… I don't think you're going to last much longer… You're not strong enough!" He laughed evilly at her. She started responding with the only reaction she could think of, and started crying. "See? Just like that. Bawling like child." He waltzed her into another room, sadistically. "Oh well. I suppose I can't really complain right now. You've just given me a new toy to play with! Hahahaha!" He tossed her down, and cracked his neck, drawing a bowie knife out of nowhere.
"N-no! P-please don't! F-Flippy!" She cried, horrified.
"How much can you take before you crack and run home, crying to your mommy? Oh, right. She's dead. Heheheheh." Flaky only buried her head, and started crying harder. Flippy continued. "So tell me… how? How shall I kill you?" She just started shaking between sobs.
Flippy grabbed her and hoisted her to her feet, pointing her in the direction of the door. "I'm giving you one chance… one chance to RUN! Make it interesting!" She only looked at the door. "Well!?"
"N-n-no…" She choked, covering her own mouth afterward. Flippy grinned. She had more backbone than he thought. He shrugged and raised his knife over his head, ready to stab her, but for some reason his arm wouldn't come down and finish the job. He gritted his teeth, feeling his other self's influence stopping him from committing the deed.
"Apparently you mean a lot to me." Flippy stated, amused. "You've got me at quite a stand-still. I'm not sure what to do, honestly." He laughed, sinisterly.
"P-please don't k-kill me…" She sobbed.
"I'll get around to that later." He said, looking over the poor girl. He was a little unsettled by the strange, but very faint feeling in his chest. He thought for a moment and then grinned. "I do have other needs, though…" He mused, staring lustfully at the horrified little porcupine before forcing her into a passionate kiss.
Inside his head, Flippy struggled to regain control of himself. He was lost in the blackness of being pushed into the sub-conscious. It seemed like hours before he saw his darker half walk out of the blackness. "What did you do to her!?" Flippy asked, swinging away at his other self.
"Lucky for you, I'm letting her live for now…" It said, in a much less playful mood than usual. Flippy looked at it, cautiously.
"Why's that?" He asked, sensing a trick.
"I'm not sure…" It responded. "But until I can get all this figured out… well, I guess we can keep her. Heheheheh."
When Flippy woke up, he and Flaky were still in bed. She was curled up in his arms, shaking badly. He looked over her cuts and a few bruises, but she looked pretty good considering who had attacked her. She woke up after him, and looked up with big watery eyes. Suddenly Flippy looked at her, scared.
"Oh, Flaky… He didn't…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"W-we just kissed…" She said, hesitantly, hugging him. Flippy breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't like his other self. He rocked her, comfortingly.
"So… he only kissed you..?" Flippy asked, just to make sure.
Flaky didn't answer at first, but suddenly Flippy realized she was tearing up, "W-well…" She said, holding back tears.
"Oh, Flaky…" He said, starting to tear up too. She nuzzled him, drying her tears on his jacket.
"It doesn't matter, Flippy… it was still technically you…" She said, forcing a smile. He smiled back at her, resting his head on hers.
"I'm sorry I let him get out…" He apologized.
"It's not your fault…" She said, smiling widely, happy to have her real love back. "And I don't care about him, as long as I get you back…" They both cried and hugged, thankfully, and once again moved on with their happy lives. They kept going, soon unhindered by the little breakdown caused by Flippy's other side, who only served a few more in the following months. She figured that it technically wasn't rape, since she was still technically with the man she loved. And soon Flippy was convinced that the dark being in his mind couldn't really break them apart, no matter how hard it tried. Their love seemed unshakable.
A few months later, Flaky stood behind the door to the small church of Happy Tree Forest. She was dressed up in a beautiful white gown, with Giggles standing by her. "Ready?" Giggles asked, and Flaky nodded, timidly. They walked though the isle of the church, Flaky shaking like a leaf the entire time as everyone stared at her. Flippy and Cuddles both waited for them, dressed up in suits, at the alter, Flippy obviously nervous and Cuddles silently heckling him for it.
Lumpy cleared his throat and took some cards out of his sleeve when Flaky reached them, a trail of flowers and dandruff following her. "Let's see…" Lumpy said aloud, squinting at his cards labeled "Priest Stuff". "Hmm… let's just get right to it." Lumpy said, looking at the bride and groom's obvious distress. "Do you, Flaky, take this bear to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Lumpy paused, waiting for an answer, but the silence of the church told him he got it wrong. "Oh, whoops." He said, chuckling nervously. "Do you, Flippy, take this porcupine to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"… I do." Flippy said, staring into Flaky's eyes.
"Okay, good. Huhuh. Flaky, do you do the same thing only with 'bear' and 'husband' in there?" Lumpy asked, inanely.
"I-I-I d-… I d-… I d-…" Flaky stuttered, crying and shaking. Lumpy looked at his watch, impatiently.
"Okay, good enough. Now if you'd exchange rings…" Lumpy said, pausing. Flippy difficultly put Flaky's ring on her shaking hand, and he just put his own on afterwards. "I now pronounce you two man and wife. Er… husband and wife… Or, bear and porcupine. Yeah, one of those. You can kiss if you want." Lumpy stated, before wandering off. Flippy and Flaky kissed each other, followed by a round of applause by their friends in the alter. They both blushed as they pulled away, and Flaky's eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted.
That night Flippy cradled his new wife, her head resting on his chest and fast asleep. He rubbed her slightly swollen tummy, two months pregnant, and started nodding off himself before he heard a familiar voice. "How sentimental." Flippy's reflection in the mirror across the room chimed. "I regret getting her knocked up. You both make me sick."
"You know, I should actually thank you." Flippy said, sleepily. His reflection cocked an eyebrow, suddenly not amused. "You helped prove that you can't destroy this relationship. Plus, I really do owe you my thanks, for saving us back in the war. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here holding her right now."
It scowled, "Whatever. This won't change anything, you know. She's still going to suffer, along with you, and no amount of love you have for her can stop me."
Flippy smiled, confidently. "I doubt that's true."
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((Notes: The end! For now :D))