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Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Pt. I
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Zivrshka
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Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Pt. II

Bits&Bobs: Meet The Kits

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Keywords male 1184588, rabbit 137582, bunny 111297, boy 79871, christmas 21776, kangaroo 15459, bunny rabbit 5901, mistletoe 2252, sven 215, yule 113, kyaw 33, kyaw bits 30, christmas party 29, sven bobs 16, romantic friendship 11, same-sex kiss 2
The Mischievous Mistletoe

Pt. II
Heartsick

*7*

1 Tabitha’s words were more prescient than anyone in The Valley would have wanted to admit. That’s not to say Tabitha was definitely clairvoyant, but it’s worth pointing out that, as fate would have it, whether by luck or insight, she was in fact right! Kyaw and Sven would meet again ... very soon indeed; in only a few days in fact, on the Winter Solstice.

2 But in the days that followed it did indeed look like there was no way they could ever see each other outside of school again. Worse yet, there was no way of knowing what would happen when Kyaw at last did see Sven again. Would he still want to be his friend? Knowing now that his secret was out? And knowing what his friendship with Kyaw might cost him?

3 Kyaw spent the following day locked away in his room. He refused to come out. He just wanted to curl into a ball and cuddle with his many plushies. In the past they had brought him much comfort. They were his only companions growing up when no other boy would have anything to do with him. Sure, he had his cousins, and he was friends with a few girls outside of his family who would accept him, but this is not what Kyaw craved. He wanted someone like him, someone he could relate to on a deeper level. Someone “like him”, as he put it. Another boy ... growing up Kyaw’s plushies were all “boys”, imaginary playmates who wouldn’t reject him, nor his affections. He often lay naked with them and found pleasure in pressing them against his bare fur. He’d hug and kiss them and snuggle with them to go to sleep. They provided him a comfort that made his loneliness bearable.

4 But now, having gotten to know Sven, having become deeply attached to him, and now feeling that it was all good and over, he could not find much comfort even as he snuggled more intensely with his plushie companions than ever before. Kyaw genuinely wondered if it might have been better to have never laid eyes on Sven in the first place because the longing it created in him was unbearable now. Maybe they should have never become friends, he thought, because deep down he knew they were different. Deep down he knew that eventually Sven would have to reject him ... that, at very least, was his deepest and most unspoken fear ...

5 Kyaw wasn’t the sort of boy to hide his emotions, he cried freely in his room and didn’t try to stifle his tears or his whimpering. He could plainly be heard throughout the house. His family very badly wanted to console him, but Kyaw himself did not wish to be consoled. He told them himself, plainly and in no uncertain terms, that he simply wished to be alone with his thoughts and feelings. He needed the privacy to fully lose himself in himself and process his grief. Unlike other boys he hadn’t been taught to bottle up his feelings and suppress them. There was nothing to do but cry and feel sorry for himself. Healing could only truly come through fully allowing the pain to wash over him.

6 Despite this, his family really did ache for their poor little Kyaw, but they reluctantly respected his wishes. They cared deeply for Kyaw, but they also knew that there was nothing for it other than for Kyaw to grieve his loss. Sometimes there isn’t anything to say to take the pain the way. Sometimes even a hug and kind word can be painful. This is how Kyaw felt. He did not wish to be made to forget. He wanted to remember, and feel all the pain he was feeling. To cherish it in a way. He felt with certainty that he was now in love with Sven. As wonderful as it had been, he couldn't help but wonder whether it was worth this heartache.

7 Now don’t get it wrong. Kyaw didn’t think that Sven hated him, that’s not why he was crying. He knew better. He knew that Sven’s older brother did not speak for him. Perhaps in the past he would have thought so, but having spent so much time with Sven he knew that it wasn’t just a matter of sympathy and pity. No, Sven really did want to be Kyaw’s friend, in spite of what everyone else thought; a real friend, not just someone there to try and "set him straight". So again, it was not for rejection from Sven that he cried. He knew that once school began again after the winter vacation he would see him again …

8 But the thought that he should be denied access to him until then, and that he was powerless to push past that, THAT is what bothered him. The acute and very real sense that there were those who desired to keep them apart.

9 Deep down he wanted nothing more than to walk over to Sven’s house right now and introduce himself. He wanted to see Sven again at any cost and he didn’t want to hide it anymore. Why should he? Why should he, or Sven for that matter, feel ashamed for how they simply felt? Why should they not be friends if they so choose, however different they might have appeared superficially to others?

10 But as bold as Kyaw could be in words, he was not quite so bold in deeds, and he knew this. Deep down the heart of a rabbit still beat within his breast. He was terrified of what Sigmund might do to him if he ever should dare to be within a five block radius of Sven’s house ever again! Kyaw was terrified to even approach it in the same way a rabbit might be afraid to enter the territory of a wolf even if it should contain a field of carrots, or a promising mate. Kyaw knew instinctively that to approach that home was tantamount to death. Whose to say Sigmund would simply let him go next time? He’d chase him down and likely brutalize him, just to ensure he never dared to step near his little brother Sven again. Sigmund couldn’t stop Sven and Kyaw from going to school together, sure, but he knew he was as sure as hell to try and drive a wedge between them at all other times, and that still hurt Kyaw.

11 But it was not just fear of Sigmund that stayed his paw. Kyaw knew even if he brazenly knocked on their front door, and somehow wasn’t accosted by Sigmund first, even if he got as far as introducing himself to his parents as Sven’s secret friend, and they invited him into their home, that it was still against Sven’s wishes. After all the whole incident had occurred precisely because Sven had told Kyaw to wait outside. If he had simply been invited inside there was no way that Sigmund could have harmed or threatened Kyaw within the home with Sven’s parents watching! But if Sven would not invite him into his life, there was nothing that Kyaw could do to change that. In fact there was nothing he should do. He could not force himself into Sven’s life! He knew that. And that’s why, despite always being told to follow his heart and fear no one and no thing, he would not dare to cross that bridge. Not because he was simply a coward, but because he would not bring himself to betray Sven, no matter how badly he wanted to be part of his life.

12 But there was an even deeper fear that stirred in his heart. One barely acknowledged for fear it might come true …

13 Deep down, Kyaw knew Sven must love him. Why else would he put himself through all this?! Kyaw was sweet and innocent, but not completely naïve. He knew that Sven was risking his reputation by being his friend and associating with him. Kyaw knew he was different. Kyaw had been rebuffed before. He had fallen for other boys, and had forced his love and affection on them before he had learned to properly control himself. And every single time the result had been the same: violent rejection. Sven was different. No matter what discomfort he should fain, he didn’t stop associating with Kyaw. No, he could see it in Sven’s eyes sometimes, a glow, unknown even to himself, a giggle or a laugh that was like the lifting of a black cloud, the real heart and soul of Sven emerging from the shadow of his invisible mask that he wasn’t even aware he was wearing. A true and unfiltered self that only Kyaw had gotten to see glimpses of. And, although it may sound selfish when put this way, it gave Kyaw a deep and insatiable hunger … to know. A strong desire to delve deeper into the heart and soul of the boy whose smile could melt the winter snow and shine with the light of a thousand suns. A desire to remove that mask and love the fur underneath, an obsession the likes of which he had never known before. He had to find out what really was deep within Sven’s heart. Even if that meant that deep down, as he feared, they could never be ...

14 That said, Kyaw also knew something else. That he couldn’t remove a mask from Sven he did not wish to remove himself. If seeing himself reflected in doe-like eyes of Kyaw was too glaring a revelation to Sven, he might chose to deny it, no matter how true it may in fact be.

15 What if … what if Sven became so afraid of being exposed by Sigmund that even when Sven and Kyaw should meet at school again, Sven himself told him that they weren’t to associate anymore. Not because he had stopped loving Kyaw, not because it’s what he really wanted, but simply because he was too afraid to live in the painful light of their truth, whatever that may be or what that might mean. Now that Sigmund essentially had the power to blackmail Sven, at any time, it could well be he would not take any more chances and their friendship truly would be over!

16 This was no trivial fear or paranoia. This was a very real and potential danger. It made the danger of Sigmund’s implied threats pale in comparison, for if Sven should himself turn against him, to simply terminate any further communication between them, then it really would genuinely and truly be over between them. This made Kyaw even more desperate to see Sven as soon as possible. Waiting to learn the answer, with the seconds ticking slowly by, was far worse than whatever could actually happen when they should meet again.

17 This deep seated fear of which side of Sven would ultimately win the day, this … is why he cried. Not because Sigmund had hurt his feelings, or made him feel any less, not really. Any such feelings were fleeting, and ultimately the words rolled off Kyaw’s mind like water off a duck’s back. Sigmund had not said anything that had not already been said to him a thousand times before. Not only had the repetition dulled the pain, but it could never really hurt him because no matter how many times he heard it, it still contained the same fatal flaw … it was never truly justified or explained … merely asserted. Asserted what was and was not meant to be, in a world far more wild and wonderous and chaotic then the tepid imagination of his peers could fathom. A world full of mysteries, gods and goddesses, nebulous spirits of good and ill will, hidden truths, unknowns, unknowables, and unknown unknowables … and truths one could only discover for oneself in one’s own heart, not taught in any school, not spoken on any lips, not even found in any sacred text extant or to ever be written. Some things could only be known by closing one's eyes, coving one's ears, ignoring the world with every thing that it has to say, and listening to the beat of the heart and the tick of the mind ...

18 As Kyaw saw it, it was not him who was crazy, but the world! The inability of the world to realize that all the rules were simply rules somefur else had made up, abstractions placed onto the world and then substituted for the real thing … that was the true madness ...

19 … the only real things were within us, unknown, unnamed, untamed, but there to be discovered by those that would simply see with eyes unclouded by one's doubts and well worn certainties … THAT was the madness of the world! A world that replaced the real with the fictional and could no longer tell the difference; the imagined and symbolic replaced for the things for which we have no words or symbols or ways of knowing by rational explication, but which we can only know in a quiet moment, in a sight, in a sound, a scent, a touch, an indescribable feeling that fills one to the brim of one's being. That we are alive and that life was meant to be free, wild, and unpredictable, and it was only fear that reduced it to the controlled and the known, and ultimately ... the false.

20 These were not thoughts Kyaw was capable of expressing quite so deeply and profoundly, but he knew them intuitively. And because he knew them, no one’s mere words could hurt him. He could sense the arbitrariness of their indignation. The inauthenticity at its heart; that these were not idea and words they had come to their own, but had simply been taught to them and tacitly accepted without thought.

21 Kyaw’s unusual upbringing, where he was given the freedom to decide who or what he was, perhaps gave him an insight that other children did not possess. It was a good thing Kyaw had such a strong and innate sense of self, for if this were not so a lesser child might have felt completely lost. But Kyaw could sense who he was even when he lack the eloquence to express it in words, even from a very young age. It’s true he had been raised as a girl, from his earliest memories. But when he had learned he was a boy, that he was physically and fundamentally different than his cousins, a fact he could scarcely be ignorant of since from his earliest memories all the children had seen each other naked and the nature and function of their bodies had been made painfully explicit to him, when he had learned and understood this, he wanted to find his own path to himself, not simply imitate his family. He wanted to find his own voice, whatever that may be. He wanted to learn what it meant to be a boy in the larger world, to others, outside the cloistered and insular world of his home life where he was treated with kid gloves and dotted upon.

22 He sensed subconsciously there was some trepidation over this wish from his family, that there was some truth that his Mother and Aunt had wished to shield him from. But ultimately they would not stand in his way, and Kyaw had to know. He had to learn the secret of what it meant to be a boy. When he had decided to stop wearing only dresses, and to begin wearing overalls like he’d seen other boys wearing, at first his mother had asked repeatedly if he was sure. But as he insisted he found that his Mother and Aunt ultimately had left it to him to choose.

23 Kyaw did not immediately feel in his element. This wasn’t about that. For Kyaw, who was on all levels a girl except physically, it was effectively cross-dressing, something many others often misunderstood, thinking that he had begun wearing dresses when he got older as a form of "rebellion", when it had actually been the exact opposite. It felt strangely transgressive and thrilling to him to wear overalls. He soon found he was treated differently. Where as before when he was very young, everyone just assumed he was a girl without a thought, now he was a “boy” in the eyes of others. Simply by changing the way he dressed! But Kyaw soon learned that to dress like a "boy" meant to be expected to be a "boy". He was instantly judged for his mannerisms and manner of speaking, something that came natural to him as he had learned all his behavior from his family. His mother tried her best to shield him from the harshness of the world, but Kyaw still felt the painful incongruence, not within himself, but the perception of incongruence that others saw in him. To Kyaw there was no difference in wearing a dress or a pair of overalls. He was still himself either way. No matter how he dressed, or how he acted, or how others treated him … he was and always would be himself, a boy who lived and loved and felt without shame or fear of what was in his heart. An innocence untouched by society, a true self before the world got a chance to impose upon it. There was no incongruence, there was only a boy trying to find himself and love himself in a world that did not wish to give him a chance to even try.

24 Kyaw couldn’t deny however, that regardless of how he might feel, clearly how one dressed and how one acted determined how one was perceived, treated, and what expectations and responsibilities were placed on oneself, and Kyaw had been acutely aware of this strange phenomena from a young age.

25 Despite his desire to learn what it was to be a boy, in the eyes of Sven, and all the little boys like Sven, still there was something that did not and could not make sense to him. It was not simply a matter of changing the way he talked, or walked, or dressed.  There was something more he sensed subconsciously. There was a requirement of compliance. In the world of boys, it was not simply a choice of whether he wished to wear a dress today, or dress in overalls the next. One could never wear a dress … and still be a “boy”, and that just didn’t make sense to Kyaw. Kyaw could not fathom why it was incumbent on males to be “men”, at all times. Even though he wanted to learn how to play and act like other little boys, that didn’t mean Kyaw wanted to completely abandon what he had learned from his cousins and his family. He didn’t see one as negating the other. Kyaw was too young to see the destiny that had been set before him, the one that had been set before him before he was even born, before he even had a sense of self or being. He could not then have understood how or why these expectations were placed upon him. All Kyaw knew was this inner truth … he wished to be free. Free to pursue any path he might choose, and he wished his identity to not be dependent on such external factors. He did not wish to be something that had to live and be a certain way for the sake of others, he wished to be able to live for and define himself.

26 Now once again these thoughts were far too sophisticated for six year old Kyaw to understand himself, but he knew these things on an intuitive and unspoken level. In time Kyaw would learn to piece these things together for himself and realize the trick that the world was trying to play on him, and to better understand the forces that drove him from within, but for now it was enough to know only that he loved Sven, and that that did not require qualification. All this talk of “love as a friend” versus “love like one loves a girl” was just words to Kyaw. They didn’t mean anything! The feeling is what was real! What one chose to call it was irrelevant! Attempting to name feelings was like trying to grasp water from a stream, or count the grains of sand in the hourglass of time, or name all the colors in the rainbow. The world was far too rich to be captured by mere words and thoughts. In the end, it could only ever be experienced, and lived, authentically, not described. To name it was to divest it of it's true power.

27 If only Kyaw could get Sven to see what he saw, to feel what he felt. But it seemed to Kyaw in this moment an unbridgeable gulf between them.

28 Kyaw thought about the way Sven fawned over girls, and he wondered about the picture he had drawn. What really did Sven feel for girls? And then Kyaw realized something, something he didn’t want to … what Sven felt for that little girl in the picture he drew was as unknown to Kyaw as the feeling behind Kyaw’s beating heart must have been to Sven. That made Kyaw very sad. He so wished to find a way for them to know each other’s hearts truly. But how could they now? There was no way to even talk to him, let alone share their true feelings. What could Kyaw do at this point?

29 Now I know what you are probably thinking. Why couldn’t Kyaw just call Sven on the phone? Well … Kyaw couldn’t actually call Sven even if he wanted to. The truth is, this wasn’t even an option because Sven had not given out his number to Kyaw, and for obvious reasons. He wanted to keep his family and Kyaw apart at all costs. He couldn't risk Kyaw calling for any reason.
 
30 So that’s it? There was no way to even call Sven? Well … Kyaw knew that he probably could get Sven’s phone number if he really wanted to. All he’d have to do is call all his girl friends and network. With enough work he could likely find out who had Sven’s number and get it from someone that knew someone that knew someone. Kyaw had thought about this while lying there on his bed quite a bit. In the end though he decided against it. See, even if he somehow managed to figure out how to get ahold of Sven’s number and call him, there was no way to guarantee that it would be Sven that would pick it up. What if Kyaw heard one of Sven’s parents on the other line instead? What would he say? How would he introduce himself? Would they start interrogating him? Or even worse, what if Sigmund himself picked up the phone? There is no way he’d hand the phone to Sven and he’d probably just tell him not to call this number again and hang up.

31 As you can see, Sigmund’s little intervention wasn’t quite the superficial problem it might at first seem to our modern sensibilities, it still being the middle of the 1980s.

32 And so, Kyaw resigned himself to the fact that there was no way to get in contact with Sven until after the Winter Vacation was over. That made Kyaw very depressed. He couldn’t enjoy the Christmas Season knowing he’d have to wait three whole weeks to even know what happened! It was so frustrating.

33 What did happen after Kyaw had scurried away? Kyaw couldn’t have known about the interaction between Sven and his brother Sigmund. For all Kyaw knew maybe Sven went outside and simply didn’t know where Kyaw had went off to. That worried Kyaw. What if Sven just thought Kyaw had left without saying anything. He might think Kyaw had been rude and it might hurt their already fragile friendship. Or worse. Maybe Sigmund told a lie. Maybe he said Kyaw never wanted to see Sven again. These and many other scenarios ran through Kyaw’s imagination as he impatiently waited for the day he could return to school and both explain to Sven what really happened and find out what had happened to Sven after Kyaw had left.

34 There was nothing to do but wait and see. But the anxiety of not knowing made Kyaw constantly unhappy and uneasy the entire time. And so this is how things carried on day after day, the vacation now becoming a miserable waiting game instead of a time to celebrate the holidays with his best friend. And that is where we shall leave Kyaw’s tale for now …

*8*

35 Meanwhile, in the Bobs household, Sven wasn’t doing too well himself. He was feeling all sorts of confusing and upsetting feelings. He felt at once like he wanted to cry but also to scream and throw a fit. But unlike Kyaw who could express himself at home, Sven knew he did not have that liberty. Any sign that Sigmund’s actions had rattled him, was like a scared prey animal squeaking in terror. It would only invite more attacking and shaming from his older brother. So he had no choice but to try and hold his emotions in. He mostly moped in his room, much like Kyaw was doing, but he would try to cry quietly, or just hold most of his emotions in, and he’d respond angrily when anyone entered his room unannounced. He had to excuse himself from the table at dinner because he couldn’t risk tearing up and being asked questions about it, so he simply excused himself by saying he was tired and wanted to go to bed.

36 He was so incredibly scared of being found out, but he also felt deeply wounded in some way he couldn’t explain. Deep down, he wanted to meet the benighted bunny boy again and apologize for whatever his older brother had done and/or said to him. He wanted to explain that this is exactly what he wanted to protect Kyaw from. He wanted to tell him how much he was looking forward to sledding together and how disappointed he was to find Kyaw nowhere in sight. He did wonder if maybe he should stop associating with the effete little boy. But then … it begged the question … why? Why did he want to stop? Was it because he really didn’t like Kyaw, or because he was afraid of what other furs thought. And the answer always came back the same: I don’t really know, but I can’t find out if I just run away because I’m afraid. Deep down Sven needed to learn something from Kyaw too.

37 Kyaw made it possible to see that there was in fact another way to live life, and it was not simply enough to denounce it, because that denouncement couldn’t explain why things were the way they were or why they couldn’t be different and what was so wrong about that. And just like Kyaw understood this intuitively without necessarily being able to verbalize it, Sven too could see beyond the veil of The Valley, however dimly, and recognize Kyaw was a question, an affront to their way of life, that could not be answered simply by reasserting it. There had to be something he was missing here that would unlock the question and bring about real answers and understanding.

38 But even more important than that was that what Sven really needed was a true friend, and he knew that this is what Kyaw needed too. There was some artifice to his other relationships he could not see or name, but something that prevented him from truly opening up. Kyaw allowed him for the first time to even know there was anything missing in his heart and life. Sven needed Kyaw, but he also felt responsible in some way. Because he knew, Kyaw needed him too. Sven was the first boy that really let him into his heart. And Sven had learned so much in even the short time they had been friends. He had learned to question so many things he had simply taken for granted to learn … Kyaw was not the lost or broken soul he thought he was! He was not the evil wrong or bad thing he had thought. Kyaw was in fact a wonderful, loving, and loyal friend, the likes of which Sven had not even known was possible! Someone he knew would always be loyal and true ... and that is truly worth something in this life. All sorts of furs can come and go, and one can get along with them and have a casual relationship with them, whether they be friends or lovers, but what is there beyond just this impersonal convention of acquaintance or courtship? Was a friend just someone to waste time with? Or could it be something more?

39 With Kyaw, it felt like they had something truly unique. Something that Sven couldn’t put into a simple category like friend or mate. Like a new category had to be invented just for them. And that … made him feel warm and special inside. It made the relationship come to life and feel real … it was their own thing … not something they were simply imitating from the world because that’s what they thought they were supposed to be.

40 But doubt crept in. Was he simply being corrupted by the boy? Slowly tempted into a life of sin and hedonism? Kyaw wasn’t Christian. Worse than that he was the worst kind of Non-Christian: his family were pagans of all things! The kind of stuff they practiced and believed, these were the things he had been warned his whole life were of the devil. Tarot cards and divination, and communing with spirits and ghosts. This was “witchcraft” as far as Sven was concerned. And look at what fruit it bore! It was clear to Sven that Kyaw’s upbringing, and the rejection of traditional gender roles, the loose and casual crossing of boundaries, it all went hand-in-hand with the rejection of "The Truth", at least as Sven understood it.

41
One day he's just gonna up and kiss you on the lips out of nowhere

42 His older brothers words kept replaying in his head, not only because he worried that his brother might in fact be right, even though Sven so desperately wanted to believe his friend was innocent of such impure thoughts for him, but because Sven had known that there were several instances where the very thought had crossed his own mind! Oh sure, he tried to pretend like he didn’t know, or that these were aberrations or just way word thoughts, but they kept happening. And the question had to be asked, even though most of his mind refused to really engage with the thought, did he genuinely want to kiss Kyaw? On the lips that is? Like let alone the why, which he couldn’t answer, but just, was it even true?

43
"Don't you understand Sven? I love you. It's that simple. I don't know why I do, or the how it is possible, but that doesn't make it any less real, or any less than the love anyone else feels for someone they love.

44 These words also had imprinted themselves on Sven’s mind. There was something eye opening about them. The idea that you could just feel something, but not have to decide what it meant or understand why it existed, or scrutinize if it should, or even what purpose it was supposed to serve. So maybe Sven couldn’t understand … why he might find Kyaw “cute” (handsome?), though he was loath to admit it even to himself, or worse, why he should want to kiss him … in those gentle moments out of time … but … did that mean it wasn’t real? Could it be there were just some things that couldn’t be understood, but just felt?

45 But that was BESIDES the point! Of course strange temptations existed! Of course sinful thoughts would enter the minds of those who did not guard their thoughts! Sven knew this! Everyone knew this! He had been taught that the furs are an abomination before The Lord their God, that the only hope they had was to reject their base animal natures and aspire to their share of humanity … and the divine. Is it no wonder such thoughts crossed Sven’s mind, when Kyaw was so very animal like, so, very in the moment, so unfiltered and unchanged by the expectations of others around him, of civilization, of everything the anthromorph's aspired to.

46 The more Sven thought about this, the more unclear things became. He was not equipped to tackle these issues, but a deep longing and fear was beginning to emerge, an awakening back to something furs had tried to suppress but was always there and could never be completely denied … they were animals. And their animal hearts were wild and free. And an unspoken question could not help but emerge ... why was the path to righteousness paved with self-denial and rejection? Why was the animal inherently inferior to the man?

47 More to the point, what was this animal-half that was being suppressed? How could one know what lies in the darkest recesses of one’s heart if one would never actually dare to even look? And how did one tell when something was truly ones wayward nature … or the temptations of the demonic? And was there actually any difference at the end of the day?

48 I wish I could say Sven was able to find himself from out of the fog, but the truth is, when one is hemmed in by fear and self doubt, when one is not equipped to truly view the world with clear and curious eyes, taught not to question but to obey, it’s very hard to see much other than what one has been presented with. And so for Sven it was not possible at this time to have anything more than feelings, impressions, doubts, and suspicions. A lot of this happened at an unconscious level he wasn’t entirely aware of. But the physiological effects were undeniable. Sven had become incredibly anxious all the time, found it difficult to sleep, and felt very depressed all the time. Worse of all, he felt like there was no one in the world he could talk to about these things, not even Kyaw. His thoughts had to be private, there was too much at stake in revealing them. For what they might say about his own character, his moral fortitude, heck, even just his status as a “proper” boy. What if he was broken? And couldn’t be fixed? He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to pick up the cross with Kyaw and partake and share in that suffering.

49 Would he have to spend his whole life living a lie? Pretending to be normal all the while knowing in truth, that he was no different than Kyaw? He was just less honest about it. That he was also strange … “queer” … or whatever that word that Sigmund used to talk about boys who had fallen short of the power and glory of boyhood and the duties and responsibilities of manhood. That word (queer) made Sven feel very very uncomfortable. Somehow it encapsulated the feeling of wrongness and feeling of “out of place”ness that he now felt.

50 “Argh!” Sven would think to himself, “Go away!” he’d say to his own thoughts. He’d respond the only way he knew how to respond to such challenges to his boyhood, his ego. He became mad. Not at others, but at himself. He wanted to kick and punch things and scream. He wanted to punch himself in the face and bang his head against the wall. Mostly he wanted to go into Sigmund’s room and pummel him for even bringing all this self-doubt and misery upon him in the first place!

51 He hadn’t been thinking about it! Just moments before he was actually beginning to truly let go … and it was … liberating. Sven felt the weight lift, he felt for a moment what it was like to live life in the moment unafraid. And now … that had been stripped from him. He had been plunged back into the deepest of despairs. One in which the agents of conformity, his brother Sigmund, and all those like him, would judge him where ever he should go or whatever he should do. How could he even begin to ask himself what he truly felt or truly wanted, when such questions were so dangerous to even contemplate? What if he should give himself away somehow? Best to not even entertain such wayward thoughts in the first place!

52 Sigmund had seen Sven … at his most depraved. That’s what made Sven feel the most exposed … the most … naked. He wanted to explain himself to Sig, to massage it somehow, spin it in some way to make it appear innocent ...

53
But wasn’t it innocent?

54 He heard himself ask. “No, No it wasn’t!” he shouted back to his own mind angrily. It had seemed so in the moment, granted, but now his eyes were opened, like the eyes of Adam and Eve had been opened after eating the forbidden fruit, Sven could not look back on his little romp back home from school the same way. It had been tainted with shame and loathing. Sven wanted to clothe his heart and hide it away from those around him, and most especially, himself. As if acting this out, Sven would cross his arms around his chest and squeeze it as if he was trying to crush it into himself and make it go away ...

55 "What the hell was he thinking?!" he'd demand of himself. How could he have allowed himself to lose his composure and prance around like that!? What in the hell was wrong with him?!

56 If Sven were a less honest boy, less self-reflective, he would have simply placed all the blame on Kyaw. It was Kyaw who had coaxed him to behave so depraved, it was Kyaw who was to blame! But he couldn’t bring himself to fall back on this easy excuse. No, he recognized some culpability in the situation. How he had allowed things to progress this far by letting himself slide, inch by inch, until he could find himself skipping in the streets with a boy with the sort of reputation that Kyaw had. Where he could actually allow himself a moment to forget the world around him and gaze upon the pretty movements of another boy. Kyaw had slowly unbuttoned the coat of his defenses to stroke the gentle fur underneath ... and all Sven could feel now was disgusted. Why had he not simply slapped Kyaw's metaphorical paw away sooner!

57 The more Sven thought about it the more ashamed he felt of everything that had transpired on that walk home. The harder it was for him to justify it to himself. Some small part of him tried to plea innocence, tried to remind him of what that moment had felt like and meant at the time, but his fear and doubt were winning now and drowned out any positive feelings he might have had about the experience.

58 In the end Sven concluded that maybe it would have been best if he never met the bubbly bunny boy to begin with. If it were not for Kyaw, he’d never even have to ask these sorts of difficult questions of himself.

59 When he thought of all the trouble Kyaw’s friendship had already caused him, to constantly have to find excuses to go see him, to hide his friendship from his friends and family, and contemplated all the potential trouble this relationship was bound to cause him in the future lest everyone should find out, he very seriously considered exactly what Kyaw had feared: that he should tell Kyaw at the nearest opportunity that they could not be friends anymore. This decision though weighed very heavily on Sven’s heart and he felt terrible at the thought of breaking Kyaw’s heart.

60 These were the thoughts that weighed heavily on Sven’s mind, lost in the labyrinthine negotiations between passion and propriety, as he sat sullenly at the family dinner table.

61 Sven played with his food absent mindedly mixing his grass into his mashies as he leaned his head into his other paw dejectedly. It was his mother who first noticed that Sven seemed very distracted … and downhearted.

62 “Hun, you’ve been nursing that plate for 15 minutes. You love grass and mashies, and you haven’t even touched your dandelions. I thought they were your favorite? Are you alright Sven?” his mother asked genuinely concerned.

63 Sven came to suddenly and tried to play it off. He hadn’t meant to be so obvious and oblivious. He scrambled to correct his carelessness.

64 “Oh … it’s nothing … I was j-just … distracted … he he ”, he said as cheerfully as he could muster, forcing a smile and beginning to try and clean his plate as fast as possible to be able to excuse himself.

65 “Oh he’s distracted alright … distracted by his pwecious wittle Kevin, amirite Svy?” said his instigating brother with a sly smile.

66 Sven looked directly at his brother, his face becoming red and scowled at him. They narrowed their eyes, exchanging glances that only they understood. As if Sven were saying to his brother, don’t you dare bring that up, and Sigmund was saying, Get over him or I’m totally outing you. The intense staring continued. Sven felt like he had to disavow any such accusation lest it look like he was more emotionally involved than he cared to admit, but he also knew any denial would just be met with Sigmund pressing down harder to get him to confess his true feelings. It looked like a no-win scenario. And so Sven’s mouth clenched shut, in a grimace that looked like it could turn into a growl, and he couldn’t think of anything to say to his accuser.

67 Thankfully his mom broke the silence but seventeen seconds later, though it felt to Sven like an eternity. “Who is this Kevin anyway? I keep hearing his name and nobody will tell me anything about him! Who is he?”, she asked out loud to anyone that would answer.

68 "That's just it...", began Sven's father, "We can't tell you anything because no one knows anything..."

69 Sven pounced at an opportunity to minimize it as much as he could, “Oh Kevin ... he's just some kid I know from my class. That's all. You wouldn’t know him or his family. He’s not from our part of town”

70 “Oh …" said his mother flatly, "... but didn’t you go trick or treating with him this year? I am pretty sure I remember you turned down your friends to go trick or treating with this Kevin.” she recalled.

71 “Oh … well, you see, that’s cuz … um …” Sven began clumsily not knowing what to say.

72 “Yeah. I drove him all the way to the outskirts of town. I saw his mother but I never even met this Kevin. You know Torvald and Helmer were very surprised you turned them down” his father said gruffly, annoyed by the secrecy but also concerned with him creating any sort of rift with his teammates.

73 Sven could see there was no way he was going to play this off. The only way to get this to die down was to attack it head-on.

74 “Okay look dad, I explained it to them and they understood. I already apologized to them and promised I would definitely be joining them next year-“, Sven tried to reason.

75 “What was so special about this Kevin that you had to turn down all your friends to go see him? Does this kid even play baseball?!” his father said cutting him off.

76 “No. Look, that doesn’t matter. It’s not about that. It’s not about sports and it’s not because they’re special. He just didn’t have anyone to go with-“ Sven began to defend.

77 “What!? He doesn’t have any siblings or something?! Friends?” said his dad growing more frustrated.

78 “No. Well sorta. Cousins. Look, Dad! Come on! Listen. That’s not important. He wanted to go with a friend. He didn’t have any friends to go with…”

79 “A kid without friends, ay? That’s never a good sign. Doesn’t he have any playmates from his team he coulda-“

80 “Dad no, I already explained, he’s not on any sports teams. Look, none of this matters, alright? I promised I would go trick or treating with him, and you and mom have always told me to keep my promises. And so I did.” Sven said at last. And that, would be the end of it … he hoped.

81 There was an awkward silence. The parents didn’t really know what to say to that as their own lesson had been turned against them and they couldn’t exactly scold him for keeping a promise.

82 Then Sven’s nasty brother Sigmund broke the silence, shouting “Pff ... GAAAAY!” at his younger brother.

83 “Sigmund, don’t say that about your younger brother. And I’ve told you not to talk like that in this house!” the mother scolded. Father wasn’t too concerned with Sigmund at the moment. That could always be dealt with later. He was far more concerned with why his son would jeopardize his long standing friendships for some lonely kid he barely knew.

84 “Sven. Why would you make a promise to a stranger like that in the first place?! You shouldn’t have made such a promise. Besides you already made a prior commitment to your friends. And you missed out on the teams Halloween party as well! Everyone was wondering why you weren’t there!” the father bellowed angrily, trying to impress a sense of responsibility on his son.

85 Sven couldn’t even look his father in the eyes anymore. He looked down at the table scowling at no one, maybe being angry at himself even.

86 “Sven answer me! Why?!” demanded his father

87 Sven let out “because … he needed me ...” underneath his breath as he looked down at his paws. The tone was passive aggressive.

88 “What did you just say!?” his father said slamming the table. Sven winced. He hadn’t intended to say that. Somehow it had slipped out before he could censor himself.

89 Sven knew he’d better back pedal it or he was in for some serious trouble. It was very dangerous to challenge his father in any way.

90 “Nothing. I’m sorry. I was just trying to be nice. Doesn’t the bible tell us to not shun anyone? To be loving to all those in need?”. The Word. Hopefully that would be a defense Sven could hide behind.

91 “blarg! Gag me with a spoon!” said Sigmund dismissively as he stuck his tongue out and stuck his finger inside his mouth.

92 “Shut up Sig!” Sven said got up from his seat and slammed both paws on the table. He’d had enough of his brother snide remarks.

93 “Sven, sit down! And Sigmund, stop teasing your brother!” mom said.

94 “Listen ... he needed a friend and no other boy in school would even talk to him. Didn’t Christ go around befriending those whom everyone else wouldn’t have anything to do with? Haven’t you and dad taught us to be kind to all furs?” Sven said, desperately hoping his appeal to piety would be the end of the issue.

95 Again there was another awkward silence. Then Sven’s father said, “That still doesn’t explain why you’d abandon your friends. If this kid needed friends so bad why didn’t you just invite him to join your other teammates? Introduce everyone to him? Maybe he could join the baseball team next year?”

96 This, at last, was something Sven could not answer. Or rather he could answer but he knew the answer would only give him away: that he was ashamed of this new friend, and that’s why he couldn’t introduce him to his other friends. But if he admitted that it would just lead to more questions and more questions until he’d be laid bare and completely humiliated. Maybe he’d even be told never to see “Kevin” again by his own parents!

97 Sven was caught now. He had to come up with something, anything to distract from this conversation. It was then he remembered the flyers that had been handed out to him and Kyaw. He didn’t have any time to think about whether this would even work as a ruse or make sense

98Next year?! Oh! That reminds me! Ms. Badger gave everyone a flyer we were supposed to give to our parents. Maybe its for the New Year’s Party?! Hehe ... uh ... let me go get it and show you!” shouted Sven as enthusiastically as he could muster. Then without waiting for their stunned response he quickly ran upstairs to go get it.

99 Once Sven  got up to his room, he breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Thankfully he had found a way to change the subject. Now he just needed to bring down the flyer and get everyone talking about that.

100 Sven opened his bookbag. He first took out the picture of the girl he had drawn and fawned over it for a bit, basking in its bittersweetness. How we wished to see her again one day. For now though he knew he couldn’t let anyone find this. So he went and hid the picture at the bottom of a draw.

101 Returning to his bag he pulled out the crumpled flyer. It read, “Yuletide Festival and Winter Solstice Celebration! Lighting of the Yule Log, Carols, songs, dancing, banquets, merriment and more! Furs of all traditions and backgrounds welcome!”. Sven couldn’t read all the words, he was only six after all, but he understood from the general imagery that it was some sort of Pre-Christmas Communal Gathering!

102 Then a chill ran down his spine! This was it! The solution to his dilemma! For the last three days he’d been thinking how he could see Kyaw again. He remembered that Ms. Badger had handed the same flyer to both of them. Suddenly with a flash of insight he realized that Kyaw would find this flyer and exactly the same thought process would occur to him: if they both attended they could see each other again! And before the vacation was over! It was the only chance they had to see each other during the winter vacation before having to return to school. All they had to do was convince their respective families to attend. It had to work!

103 Sven ran down the stairs genuinely excited, “HEY! MOM! DAD! Check this out! Can we go, can we, can we?! Please, please, please!?!”

*9*

104 Back at the Bits home, Kyaw was still despondent and refused to be cheered up. For three whole days he had done nothing but cry and daydream of Sven. But enough was enough ... Tabitha said it was time to check to see what assignments Kyaw had to complete over the Winter Vacation. The Bits knew well that Ms. Badger always gave the children assignments, even on vacation.

105 It was Flipsy who was shouldered with the unenviable task of getting Kyaw to do his homework. Tapping gently on the door she said, “Come on Kyaw, I know your teacher gave you work for the vacation. It's time to do your homework”.

106 “No! I don't have any homework! Now go away! I want to be alone!” he said, not in the mood to be bothered, least of all to do homework of all things.

107 But Flipsy was not to be so easily deterred. Sure, it would be fair to say the Bits household was indulgent towards Kyaw, but that didn’t mean they never placed any responsibility on his shoulders.

108 “Now come on Kyaw, I know you’re still upset about Sven, but you’ve done nothing but mope for three whole days now! It’s time to stop, take you’re mind off that for a little while and get some work done. Besides, it will help distract and make you feel better."

109 "I don't WANT to feel better! I want to be sad!" said Kyaw.

110 "but Kyaw ... it's probably just something you'd enjoy, like a Christmas crossword puzzle or counting up Candy Canes. I know you like that sorta thing” Flipsy tried to reason.

111 “I don’t want to. I don't feel like it! I don’t want to do anything! I wish I never met him! I wish I'd just die and become a star!”, Kyaw shouted, covering his head with his pillow. Flipsy could tell by the melodramatic tone that Kyaw was partly just trying to avoid work by looking for sympathy. That’s not to say she thought there was no truth to how Kyaw felt in that moment, but she wasn’t going to allow that to dissuade her either.

112 “Alright Kyaw I've been nice, but that's enough of that. I’m coming in whether you like it or not." she said, opening the door to see Kyaw hiding under the blankets and pillows. "Come on upstairs silly billy, we are going to find out what you need to do and do it together”. With that Flipsy entered the room grabbed Kyaw’s bookbag, fished under the blankets for Kyaw, and dragged her little cousin out gently by the arm. Kyaw half-heartedly resisted, but it was little more than dragging his feet.

113 "Come on Flipsy, let me go ... I don't want to go upstairs ..." he complained.

114 Flipsy was stern but not cruel. She patiently led her cousin up the stairs to the attic where Flipsy and Skipsy’s room was. Next she plopped him on her bed and started to look through his bookbag. Skipsy was there just rocking out to one of her tapes not paying much mind to the situation. "Skipsy!" Flipsy said to her twin sister with some irritation. "What!?" said Skipsy pulling off her headphones slightly miffed at being interrupted at the best part. "Come on, help me look for Kyaw's homework assignments" she said assuming a parental role. "Seriously, ugh ... do I have to?!" Skipsy began to complain. "Seriously Skipsy? I swear you are just as bad as Kyaw. Here!" Flipsy said, handing some notebooks and folders for Skipsy to check.

115 Kyaw just huffed, folded his arms, and looked the other way. Then he just let himself fall over on his side and continued to pout not really caring what the other two were doing. He was cross and being pushed, but mostly he was still just not willing to engage with anything other than his dilemma. Kyaw was obsessed with figuring out some way to see Sven again as soon as possible.

116 As Flipsy started to empty the contents of Kyaw’s book bag she pulled out the crumpled flyer.

117 “What’s this?” she asked half to Kyaw and half to herself, genuinely curious. Kyaw’s ears perked up, even while he continued to fain disinterest. Something in her tone told him it might be important.

118 Flipsy began to read out loud, “Yuletide Festival and Winter Solstice Celebration ... a day of revelry, feasting, dancing, merriment, and more. Yule log lighting at nightfall. Furs of all traditions and cultural backgrounds welcome. Huh, this sounds like it could be fun ...”

119 Suddenly, Kyaw realized the significance of what he just heard and he shot up and turned around. “Let me see that!” he said as he snatched the paper from Flipsy.

120 “Hey! Kyaw that was very rude!” she said.

121 "Let me see!" said Skipsy snatching it from Kyaw. "HEY! I didn't even get to look!" said Kyaw. "Oh wowie zowie! This is a big Christmas blow out! Shizzle, I bet everyone is going to be going to this shindig!" said Skipsy all excited.

122 Kyaw's ear's perked up like they had been sparked by electricity, "REALLY?!". He began bouncing up and down on the bed. He realized that Sven would also find this same flyer in his bag, and that he would probably realize that going to this event was the only way they could guarantee that they would both be in the same place at the same time! Kyaw had to go!

123 “Flipsy, Skipsy! This is something a lot of furs will be going to, right?!”. “Uh, yes, I would guess so” Flipsy said, somewhat thrown off by the question. "Uh, yeah ... duh! Why you ask kiddo?" said Skipsy.

124 Kyaw blinked, then turned around and said “Don't you guys see! Sven will be there!”. His eyes glistened and it was the first time there was a glimmer of life in his features for the last three days.

125 “Before the birth of the unconquered sun … you shall see his face illuminated by the ambers of the Yule Log ...” Flipsy murmured to herself, repeating Tabitha's prophesy. “Kyaw! Don't you see! This must be what your mother was talking about! The Winter Solstice is four days before Christmas, … you’ll see Sven in the ambers of the Yule log. Kyaw I think you are meant to meet Sven at this event!” Flipsy said excitedly.

126 “Really?!” Kyaw said, his voice squeaking with joy the way it does only after you've been in mourning for three whole days.

127 “Come on Kyaw, let’s show Auntie Agi and your mom this!” Flipsy said.

128 And so the children rushed downstairs to tell Agatha and Tabitha about it.

129 “My stars!” came Agatha. “This is just the event for us! A Winter Solstice Festival. And it says all traditions and backgrounds welcome. Well I reckon we should teach those Christ Worshippers a thing or two about our Lord Mithras. What say ye Sister?”.

130 “Oh, I think it’s a wonderful idea. It will be a great way for us to share the ancient rites and practices with our neighbors. We all know how followers of Christ have usurped and perverted the old ways. I think this would be an excellent opportunity to bring some traditional values to the holiday” said Tabitha with a wild look in her eyes.

131 “Right on sister! I couldn’t agree more!” said Agatha.

132 The children looked on curious as to what devious plans their mother's were hatching. They just shrugged and didn't concern themselves with it. They'd find out soon enough. They always did. They were always stirring up controversaries in the neighborhood. If nothing else it was always good entertainment as far as they were concerned.

133 Agatha and Tabitha never missed an opportunity to remind their Christian neighbors the pagan origins of most of their supposed “Christian” traditions. This certainly didn’t make them popular in The Valley.

134 “I 'members now. Last year they refused to have Mistletoe in their proceedings for some misguided puritanical mumbo jumbo, saying it was an ancient pagan fertility symbol and promoted lust and promiscuity. Some dumb shet like that. This year we should ensure the organizers have to include it!” mused Aunt Agi.

135 “What’s Mistletoe?” asked Kyaw inquisitively, showing enthusiasm for the first time since the run-in with Sigmund.

136 "Oh it's a wonderful tradition with a long and sorted history" began Kyaw's mother.

137 "What's going on?" inquired Naw. She had been woken up from her nap in the crib by all the excitement. She was still in her jammies as the sun had already gone down and she liked to take a nap around this time. She rubbed her eyes with one paw as she held a chipmunk plushie in her other.

138 "We're just planning a little holiday hijacking is all, hehe" said Aunt Agi, rubbing her paws together, clearly getting into the seasonal spirit.

139 "What about Mistletoe!?" said Kyaw getting impatient.

140 "Oh alright. Let me tell you the tragic tale of the Goddess Frigga, who so loved her son Baldur that she got all plants and animals to swear never to harm him. All except for the Mistletoe, which the mischievous Loki used to fashion an arrow that ultimately struck Baldur dead. Frigga's tears became the white poisonous berries of mistletoe. She vowed that the Mistletoe would forever be held in honor of her son Baldur, as a symbol of peace and good will. The Mistletoe is said to grant fertility and good health and protection from evil spirits when hung from a doorway or overhang" she explained. At this last part she pointed to a supporting beam on their roof and directed Naw to stand underneath it. She then went to go fetch some mistletoe they had been growing in order to purify the house. She held it above Naw.

141 Putting her arms around Naw and facing her towards Kyaw she further explained, "A suitor may steal one kiss from any Maiden who should find herself underneath the auspices of the Mistletoe. If the maiden should refuse she will find herself refusing the fertile blessings of Frigga herself, and might become barren! For the kiss, one berry of the Mistletoe must be plucked". At this Tabitha plucked one berry off and handed it to Agatha to be safely disposed of. "When all the berries have been plucked no kisses shall remain". Naw began to sway side to side, having a good sense where this was going.

142 "Come kiss me Kyaw" Naw said coquetishly.

143 "Do I have to?" said Kyaw, not sure he liked this.

144 "Oh come on now. You and Naw used to play so sweetly together. Don't you remember that time you both pretended you were gonna get married and kissed together. Why not give your cousin a lil kiss for ol' time sakes" encouraged Aunt Agi.

145 "... ugh ... fine ..." said Kyaw dutifully. He walked over to Naw who closed her eyes and tilted her head forward. Kyaw leaned in and gave her a quick little peck on the lips. After that he looked up and said "Like that mama?". "Yes darling. Just like that." she responded majestically.

146 "hehe" Naw giggled with glee. She missed the affection her cousin used to shower her with, that is, before Kyaw had become obsessed with boys.

147 "Come on Kyaw, take a nap with me! Like we used to?" she pleaded. "Oh no!" began Flipsy, though probably not for the reason you are thinking ... "Kyaw has homework to do!". Kyaw slumped hoping everyone had forgotten. At this point he would have preferred to do deal with Naw's clingy pawing and nuzzling than with whatever it was Ms. Badger had left him for the vacation. He sighed in resignation, but did eventually get into it once he got started. In any case, he was much more hopeful now that there was at least a chance to see Sven again very soon.

148 Over the next few days the Bits made lots of calls, arguing with the organizers and insisting that they had to include various traditions in the interest of being inclusive. They eventually finagled their way to having Mistletoe included that year.

149 As the day approached everyone packed up their things. Kyaw got a new coat for the occasion. At first his mother and aunt had tried to push him into wearing a pretty christmas dress, like he had done every year prior, but this year he insisted he wanted something boyish to wear, and they relented.

150 It was a handsome blue coat with artificial white fur around the neck and sleeves, and it kept Kyaw feeling very nice and cozy. He looked forward to showing it off to Sven.

151 The Bits got in the family van,  which had been sitting in the family garage for years. It was the same "hippie van" that they had used while in the commune, and the de-facto home of Flipsy and Skipsy growing up before Naw and Kyaw had been born. It was still covered with all the tags from that time including a few Flipsy and Skipsy had created when they were young kits. They were happy to point them out to Kyaw and Naw who were only infants when they had moved into their current home. The van didn't get used much these days. It took a little while to get it started up, but Agatha's grease monkey skills got it purring like a kitten again quickly enough.

152 With that it was off on a family 0road trip! They left a day before the event would begin because they had agreed to help the organizers set up in exchange for adding a few of their own decorations and events. Everyone was excited to introduce the old bacchanalia traditions into the festival. Boy would the furs of The Valley be surprised! Flipsy and Skipsy in particular had made their own preparations to show everyone at the event and were looking forward to it.

153 Aunt Agatha sat at the wheel while Tabitha sat in the passenger seat. They held hands and said a little prayer to the Norse Gods and Goddesses before being on their way. Flipsy and Skipsy sat in the seats next to the sliding door, and Naw and Kyaw sat in the backseat with a bunch of plushies by their side in order to take naps and snuggle together. Naw, who was six but had never grown out of her toddler phase, had her pacifier and bottle, and was wearing a one-piece Jammie.

154 Flispy and Skipsy were listening to medieval Yuletide music on Skipsy's tape, as they gossiped and discussed what they were planning to do at the festival.

155 Kyaw sat at the window in the back and stared wistfully out the window looking at the snow covered mountains as they left the cloistered confines of The Valley. "Play with me Kyaw!" pleaded Naw. She was playing with the stuff animals and trying to tell a story with them. "Their married Kyaw, make them kiss" she said. "Not now Naw, I'm thinking" Kyaw said. Naw looked disappointed. "Oh ... okay ... maybe later" she said disappointed. Then she became sleepy and she snuggled up onto her cousins lap. Kyaw was kind and didn't complain and he put his arm around her. Naw smiled and fell asleep.

156 Kyaw was anxious. What if Sven wasn't there? Would he even want to celebrate? But what if he was there? What would Sven say? What would Sven do? Would he act like he didn't even know Kyaw anymore? Would Kyaw run into Sigmund again? So many concerns, and nothing he could do but wait until tomorrow when Sven's family either would or would not arrive ... only time would tell if Frigga would look favorably upon their love or bring it to ruin ...

To Be Continued ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Pt. I
+2
Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Pt. III
Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Pt. I
+2
Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Pt. III
Bits&Bobs: The Mischievous Mistletoe Part II

Stats:
Sections: 3
Paragraphs: 156
Words: 11,315

Synopsis:

The Tale continues as Kyaw and Sven contemplate the ramifications of Sigmund's interference. It seems there is no way for the two boys to meet or contact each other over the vacation ... until both boys realize the perfect opportunity for them to see each other again ...

Featured Music:

For contemplation of the heart and the numinous ...

Obfusc - Amateur Cartography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SryXlZL7ebc
^^That feeling of waiting for something magical to happen...

The G - Starshine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Ya6HagKvg
^^The deep dangerous yet beautiful feeling of a very cold winter...

Oneohtrix Point Never - Love in the time of Lexapro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSoGph5ltEA
^^Hidden and deeper meanings, fleeting thoughts and feelings...

Commentary:

Part I was actually written about a whole year before Part II was completed. Here I wanted to explore Kyaw's and Sven's character and psychology when in isolation to each other, to add weight to the conclusion of Part I. This also gave me a chance to show each of the boys home life and also introduce the titular mistletoe to foreshadow events to come...

Keywords
male 1,184,588, rabbit 137,582, bunny 111,297, boy 79,871, christmas 21,776, kangaroo 15,459, bunny rabbit 5,901, mistletoe 2,252, sven 215, yule 113, kyaw 33, kyaw bits 30, christmas party 29, sven bobs 16, romantic friendship 11, same-sex kiss 2
Details
Type: Writing - Document
Published: 2 years ago
Rating: General

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