Lovely short story from my best friend  TheConflicted


They could not speak, but that was okay.

When Adventurer lifted her mitts up, the whole of her body creaked and squeaked. That sound, along with the soft crinkling of her diaper, were her most regular noises these days.

Ranger turned from his daydreaming brooding whilst looking out over the forest, from the hill. His plastered smile hid any hints of any super deep, very important musings, but his eyes lit up at the sight of the little pink creature he called his girlfriend (and still would, if he could say the words). Though he could not clear his throat, Ranger made the motion to do so and his own fingerless mitt made rubbery sounds distinct to him as he accidentally, though lightly, mashed his fist into his face.

Adventurer bounced as if giggling, and much like the brightness in Ranger's eyes it only lasted a second or two before she was back to raising her mitts up and lightly waving them at Ranger. To further make her point, she stood on one foot and waggled harder still, bordering on flailing.

There was a shrug and a roll of eyes from Ranger, followed by a shake of head. It was not the rough shake of a "no", though, instead it was soft, gentle, disbelieving. He knew exactly what she wanted. Even if Adventurer could talk, she'd have been barely understandable as her noises would come out faster than her lizard lips could shape, not unlike the endless crinkle-creaking she was doing now as she waved and flailed and begged and pleaded. Even if Ranger could speak, he couldn't have said no.

Turning, the air-filled, vaguely ant-shaped sack of rubber turned his back to Adventurer and kneeled down to hold his digit-less hands out behind him. Immediately two little legs were sliding into Ranger's arms and sitting their owner's padded bottom on his abdomen, a little kobold-ish and very balloony tail wag-slapping into it. The small creature's joyous and constant bouncing made it a tad tricky for Ranger to stand up, but he managed.

And then, before even he realized he was doing it, Ranger's svelte legs were running them both down the hill. At that moment, their fixed smiles were not hiding a single feeling at all. In fact, as Ranger looked back at the utter delight on his little sugar rush's face, her smile seemed even bigger. His was as well, he knew, even if he couldn't see it.

They could not speak, but that was okay. They both knew exactly what the other was feeling.