Leather and Lace Chapter 2 - Learning the Rules by ShadowedEmber < Submission

Keywords male 1173084, female 1063223, wolf 190494, love 23962, kissing 22219, lingerie 13042, chipmunk 12787, romance 8829, date 1951, slice of life 1652, parents 810, young love 683, highschool 601, high school 509, ice skating 88, leather and lace 8

Leather and Lace - Ch. 2
Learning the Rules
By VerbMyNoun and ShadowedEmber

January 25, 2014
Christian Shore, NH

Llyulf’s eyes widened as he stared, slack-jawed, at the massive three-story brownstone. It was definitely the address Holly gave him, but she had declined to mention she lived in a veritable mansion. The home was easily over a century old, with the back yard nestled up against the Piscataqua River. Sure, he’d figured that her family had money - not every high schooler drove brand new Subarus and listened to opera - but this was easily a million-dollar residence. He suddenly felt quite underdressed in his leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans, but he steeled his nerves and stepped through the gate onto the brick walkway. The path led him through a quaint, private courtyard in front of the house, full of once lush vegetation and ample seating, and up to an imposing wooden door flanked on both sides by gas lanterns. Before he could reach for the doorbell, however, the door swung open and an older female chipmunk greeted him with a broad, friendly smile.

“Hello,” she said warmly, “you must be Leo.” She made a sweeping gesture with her arm, beckoning him to enter. “Please, please, come in. I’m Lenora, Holly’s mother. It’s so wonderful to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Giacomo,” he replied, extending his paw. “You have a beautiful home.” She quickly wiped her paws on the bottom of her apron before she accepted his offered paw and shook it in a way that made such a simple gesture seem elegant and sophisticated. Even without making it past the foyer, Leo had already seen enough to know his words were undeniably true.

“Thank you, dear,” she said politely. “Holly’s still getting ready, so why don’t we go to the kitchen and you can take a seat while we wait?”

Glancing down at his shoes, his eyes moved about for a moment, before he posed a question of his own. “Should I, uh… should I leave my shoes somewhere? Or-”

The chipmunk matron chuckled heartily while turning to lead him deeper into the home, shaking her head as she did. “Oh, don’t you worry about that, just follow me, honey. Holly won’t be that long.”

Leo quickly wiped his sneakers on the mat a couple extra times as she moved away, before hurrying forward to fall into step behind her. He could hear her humming an unfamiliar tune as they made their way down the hall, bypassing the dining room, and stepping into easily the most expansive kitchen the wolf had ever seen.

Leo marveled at the beautifully designed space, sunlight streaming in from the tri-windowed nook directly ahead of him. To the right of the nook was a single, uninterrupted pane of glass that took up much of the wall above the counter that ran its length. The center of the kitchen was dominated by a massive rectangular island that made even the vast stainless steel sink appear undersized. Beyond the far end of the central island was a secondary island, arcing to cap the end of the kitchen with a countertop and a raised bar. Further still, along the back wall were 5 panes of connected sliding glass, exiting to the rear patio. The natural light that filled the entire space did wonders for the warm, walnut wood of the cabinets that ringed the kitchen walls and beneath the countertops; and set the metallic flecks in the granite to sparkling. Well, with the exception of one spot on the central island. The far side nearest the nook was dusted in white. Two clear bowls, sealed in plastic wrap, were filled nearly to the brim with what the wolf could only presume must be dough.

Lenora made her way around the counter, peeling back the wrap on one of the bowls to poke the mass inside with a claw. Her eyes flicked up, before waving a paw in the direction of a group of six bar stools, just barely visible over the raised bar. “Oh, I’m so sorry, feel free to take a seat at the bar, Leo. Can I get you anything to drink before I continue making a mess over here?”

He worked his way to the indicated seating, carefully lifting the stool to move it back before settling into it. “Just a glass of ice water is fine, ma’am, if it's not too much trouble. What are you working on?”

Holly’s mother shuffled around the island to the cabinet nearest the fridge. She snagged a glass, quickly filled it, and dropped it off in front of the wolf in a fluid motion before completing her circuit back where she’d started. Scooping up the uncovered bowl, she flipped out its contents onto her prepared surface with a resounding fwump. “Just a honeyed seed loaf recipe we discovered a few months back,” she said, lightly dusting the mass of dough before working her paws into it, kneading and folding it on itself. The amount of flour must have been perfect, because the dough retained its sheen, but didn’t stick to her really at all. “We all instantly fell in love with it, and I have been craving it for almost the entire week.”

Leo sipped at his drink, the ice clinking around within the glass as he watched her work, intrigued by the textured surface of the dough. “Looks like it will have a bit of crunch too, so you’ve got me curious, at least. Are you planning on baking it today? I might have to steal a slice of it to try when we get back tonight– if you don’t mind sharing, that is.” He looked out through the sliding doors, to a crisp white stone patio centered by a sizable tarp-covered pool. The river formed a pleasant backdrop, visible through the wrought iron fencing that surrounded the wide terrace. Leo couldn’t imagine what the average resident of Marblecliff would pay to have a view this peaceful to wake up to every morning.

The chipmunk woman massaged the dough, gently formed it, then set it aside and started repeating the process with the second bowl. She winked over at the wolf. “A slice? A slice won’t be enough after you take your first bite. I'm sure we can spare a loaf so you can take some home with you tonight.”

She plucked a towel from the handle of the oven door, using it to pop open one of the lower cabinets, almost disappearing but for the tips of her ears behind the counter. She popped back up a moment later with two loaf pans, hitting both with a hiss of nonstick spray and a dusting of flour, before scooping up the dough and dropping each into their respective pans with a plop.

Leo turned his head a split second too soon to see the smile Holly's mom flashed his way. His eyes were instead focused on the arched entrance to the kitchen, ears flicked forward in rapt attention with one twitching ever so slightly. His face held a silly grin, and though it was out of sight, there was a barely audible repetitive thump as his tail swished side-to-side of its own accord, lightly impacting the bar.

“Hey, mamma, che ne pensi di questo vestito?”* Holly emerged from the archway, her hair cascaded to one side, completely obscuring her face from the wolf. Her top was a rich, dark forest green, drawing out the faint green undertone in the weathering of the blue jeans that sat snugly on her hips. She worked the conditioning and luster product clinging to her paws through the waterfall of hair, from the middle to the tips in a methodical motion. She took a quick breath in before her head dipped down, only to then snap back up, flipping her hair to her back. Reaching up to run her paws along the sides of her head, tucking away what few strays had escaped, she let out an exhale with the words “Va bene, vero?”*

Lenora’s eyes flicked to her left, before alighting once more on her daughter with a smirk. “Credo che il suo volto possa rispondere a questa domanda,”* she said, tilting her head in the direction of the wolf.

“Pa-OhwowhiLeo, uh-” Holly turned, and her expression flitted at light speed from a confused frown, to a ‘munk caught in headlights, before a furious blush settled into her cheeks when she spotted the wolf rising to greet her. “S-sorry, I didn’t realize you were here yet, I didn’t see a car in the driveway…”

“Oh, I uh- I parked at the front gate, I wasn’t sure what the driveway was like coming up the hill, and I didn’t want to block anyone in or out by accident.” It was his turn to blush as he got a better look at the top she was wearing. It hugged close to her shoulders and bust, accentuating her natural curves with a modest V on her chest, while the fabric covering her midriff was light and flowy, almost like a soft skirt. “You look stunning.”

Holly closed the distance between them, surprising Llyulf by side-stepping him, popping up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek as she spun and breezed past him to circle around the counter to the sink. A tap of the back of her paw to the faucet turned it on.

“Thank you, I was hoping it would be good enough for whatever you had in mind. The only part of the plan I know is dinner with your dad tonight, and I figured we wouldn’t be getting into anything too upscale in the middle of the day.” She rinsed her paws, shaking them out, then gave her mother’s hip a bump with her own as she bypassed her to grab a towel from the stove, muttering something the wolf didn’t catch along the way. Lenora shot back a whisper as she covered the loaf pans in foil that netted her a groan from her daughter.

“Mamma, fermati!”* Holly hissed, glaring at her mom for a moment. Her cheeks still burned, though her expression softened somewhat looking over at Leo. She slipped over and hugged Lenora from behind, nuzzling her shoulder. “Ti amo, mamma.”*

“Yes, yes, of course you do. I love you, too, Holly.” The elder chipmunk rolled her eyes and chuckled, shrugging out of the embrace. She scooped up the pans, reciprocating Holly’s affection with a kiss to her forehead, then shuffled over to the stove, and punched a couple of the buttons to start the preheat cycle. “So when can we expect our daughter to be back tonight, Leo? She just mentioned dinner out?”

The question directed at him snapped his eyes off of Holly, but the grin on his face had lasting power. The little display had been adorable, if tense for the briefest of moments.

“Well, Mrs. Giacomo, dinner is the last part of the plans for the day, so right after that, really. Holly mentioned you attended morning Mass, so I didn’t intend to have her out too late tonight.” He polished off the water in his glass, rose and made for the sink, but was intercepted by Lenora, who nicked the glass from his paw and walked it the rest of the way and began washing it. “Thank you ma’am, but I-”

“Thank you, mamma,” Holly cut him off by grabbing his arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll teach him about your kitchen,” she called out behind her, leading him towards the foyer. Once they got there, she snuck her arms into his open jacket and around his waist, squeezing gently, settling her head against his chest with a contented sigh. He responded with a hum of his own, resting his chin on the crown of her head. He was happy to just hold her, until she shifted a little in his grasp.

“You’ll learn,” she said, pulling back a little to look up into his face. “That while my dad runs the roost in this house, the one domain he holds no claim in, is that kitchen. That belongs to mom, and her word is law within those walls. So if she does something, just let her go.”

“I get it. I was just raised to not expect that a host do any and everything for you. It's fine if they offer. Honestly, I just wasn't prepared for her to be in front of me that quickly. It's almost like she teleported. Perks of being in her ‘domain’, I guess. Either way, she caught me completely off guard.” He chuckled, and rolled his head around a little, eyes falling on the grandfather clock just barely visible in the sitting room nearest them. “We should probably get going soon. Didn’t you say your dad would be home too? I haven’t seen him yet.”

“He might be in the garage,” she mused, twisting out of his grip and opening the closet nearest them. She snagged her jacket from a hanger within and donned it smoothly before popping open the front door. “Let’s go check. If he’s not there, he could also be down b-” Stepping out, she paused, slowly turning to her left. “Or– he might be right here. Hey papa, we were just coming to find you.”

Following Holly out the door, it was pretty evident how Holly had located him so quickly. Nicolo Giacomo sat on the wide swing at the end of the porch, a cigar in hand, the sweet smoke wafting off of it scenting the breeze. He rose, resting the cigar in the holder on the table next to him.

As he approached, Llyulf got a much better look at him than he’d gotten from outside the car at the formal. He was broader than Leo, certainly, and roughly the same height. He walked with purpose and a confident power. Leo extended his paw, meeting and holding her father’s gaze.

“Llyulf Kalayo, sir, though most call me Leo. It’s good to meet you under slightly more favorable circumstances.”

“Slightly, hm?” Holly’s father cocked a thick, bushy eyebrow. “And all this ‘sir’ business… I am not my father. You can call me Nicolo. Mr. Giacomo if you must.”

The grip that circled Leo’s paw was tight, and her father didn’t let go. Leo’s own grip was firm, but he wasn’t going to try to make it a contest. Instead, he held his grip, and his gaze, steady. “Forgive me, Mr. Giacomo. My dad raised me to know that ‘sir’ is an honorific independent of age, a universal sign of respect.”

Nicolo was quiet for a moment, then a laugh from the father shattered the silence. He clapped his other paw to Leo’s shoulder, before pumping the handshake once and finally releasing it. “This one certainly speaks better than the other one, Holly. Hopefully he is better at following rules too.” Leo felt Nicolo refocus on him before the man continued. “Though I must thank you for standing with my daughter that night, and helping her to stay warm. That other boy- Bah!” Holly’s father threw a hand up in the air, turning away and muttering. Leo was pretty sure he caught ‘stronzo’* from the agitated stream.

“Anyway,” The chipmunk male said as he plopped back onto the swing, one arm across the back of the rest, the other paw swiping his cigar from the holder. He took a draw, letting it out before pointing to Leo, wagging the cigar in his split fingers. “You seem smarter than the last one. But still, after him, I am feeling a bit more… protective of my daughter. So I feel a curfew of sorts is in order. You will bring her back in 2 hour-"

“Daddy, it’s almost 1 o’clock on a Saturday. Be reasonable,” Holly bristled. She’d told Leo he would probably be tested, but two hours for a daytime date was ludicrous. Leo watched as she stared down her father, whose eyebrow rose, before Nicolo took another draw on the cigar.

“Fine then. We have Mass in the morning, you should be home by 5:30.” Holly’s jaw opened and closed once, but no sound came out. She tried again.

“Bu-”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Giacomo, I will have her home on time,” Llyulf cut in, his paw gently resting on Holly’s wrist before she could argue more, ignoring the confused look on her face.

The smoking chipmunk regarded Leo, looking the wolf up and down, as if appraising him anew. Holly’s father nodded as Leo stood fast under the intense inspection.

“Molto bene*, very good. Behave, have a good time, and most importantly,” Nicolo brought the cigar back to bear on the wolf. “You keep her safe.”

Leo nodded. “Always, Mr. Giacomo.” He checked his watch, internally groaning. He needed to call his dad to let him know that the plans had changed. He slipped his paw around Holly’s and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“5:30.” Llyulf directed that to her father, whose head dipped in acknowledgement, before the wolf turned to Holly. “Shall we?” She nodded, resting her other paw on his arm.

“Bye, Daddy, enjoy the rest of your day.” She followed Leo’s lead down the drive, and through the gate, and though neither of them saw it, Nicolo’s face bore a little smile.

*******

“So… why didn’t you tell my dad about the dinner plans?”

Leo had been driving for almost 20 minutes, and the ride had been a mostly quiet one thus far. He had called his father before starting the drive so his dad would have time to make alternate plans, though they were probably just going to eat in tonight. Playing in the background at low volume was the playlist Leo set up a couple nights ago, crackling slightly over the bluetooth to FM transmitter he had connected to his phone. As he slowed to a stop at the light ahead after it flicked to amber, Leo scratched at the back corner of his jawline.

“Well, we did expect him to see if I ‘felt you were worth the trouble.’ He started hard out of the gate, and you got him to back down a bit, thankfully. I don’t know if having you back in 2 hours would have given us much time for what I had planned, and I hadn’t really considered a backup plan.” A tap of the gas under a flash of green, and the chunky ‘02 Trailblazer slowly regained momentum. “Ultimately though, the answer to the question is, yes, you are worth it. If today was my last day to spend with you, I might have pushed back, asked for more time. But I fully intend to spend many more days trying to be a reason you smile. So if it takes another week or month to sit down together and have dinner with my dad, that sounds a small price to pay for earning your dad’s trust.” Holly’s paw reached out, almost of its own accord, resting on his bicep.

“That’s very sweet, Leo. I’m willing to wait to really meet Marblecliff’s most dedicated Pi lover. I was just hoping it would be tonight, is all.” She squeezed gently as she took another look out the window, but the stretch of road they currently rumbled down was almost entirely made up of warehouses, giving no hints as to their destination. “So where are we going, anyway?”

“We are almost there, don’t worry.. It's a-” He stopped abruptly as his passenger gasped, clapping her paws together.

“I know this song! Its Nu-”

“Nuvole Bianche*, yes.” The wolf grinned, quite pleased with himself. If she liked anything in his library, he’d have bet his life on this composer. “I hoped you might like it. YouTube recommended this to me, and Divenire*, which was really good too. I figured if I really liked them, and the composer is Italian, it would be a pretty safe bet to play for you until we got a chance to see where our tastes tend to overlap.”

“I don’t just like Einaudi, Leo. I absolutely adore his work,” she said excitedly, her face practically alight. “Not only is he a brilliant pianist, but he has also written and collaborated on scores for movies, and he has contributed to works for theater and opera. My dad took me and mom to see him in DC last year!” Her head swayed with the rise and fall of the notes, and Leo couldn’t bear to interrupt her bliss. Once the track ended, he paused the playlist.

“I had no idea he was so renowned, honestly. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me, if it ended up on my radar, and it's not my normal genre. I’d love to have you show me more of his stuff, sometime. But for nowww…” He drew out the word as slowed and cut the wheel, turning into the lot of a rather large building. Holly ducked her head to get a look at the tall sign they were passing under through the window.

“Ice skating? I haven’t gone skating in years,” she said thoughtfully. “I wonder if I can even stand on skates anymore…”

“We might be learning together, then, because I haven't been on ice since I was in elementary school, and I wasn’t very good at it then,” the wolf replied, chuckling as he threw the vehicle in park, and rested his paw on her knee. “I just figured since you wanted to wear your jacket, and you look so good in it, this might give you an excuse to keep rocking it a little longer. And if we both end up terrible, they have a small arcade. Oh, and there’s a mini-golf spot around the corner if this is a total bust. I’m… I’m not a very spontaneous person, so I tried to cover my bases, and well... yeah.” He grinned a little nervously, cutting himself off before he could ramble too much.

Holly disengaged her seatbelt, turning and resting a paw on his cheek, before pushing herself up on the center console to give him a chaste kiss on the corner of his lips. “I think we’ll be just fine.” She withdrew, popping open her door and sliding out of her seat.

“Oh, um- do they have any food here? I didn’t grab anything at the house before you got there, and I didn’t think to ask if you’d already eaten.”

“Oh yeah, definitely!” Leo said quickly, working his way around the SUV and taking her paw in his. “It's not the best food, but they have chicken strips, cheese sticks, corndogs and the like. Pretty sure they also had some pre-made salad bowls the last time I was here, if you prefer.” His other hand rose to rub the back of his neck, angling for the front doors. “Sorry, I didn’t think that far ahead, probably could have grabbed us something a little nicer on-” He was cut off by a soft squeeze of his paw.

“Leo, relax. You aren’t losing points with me just because we aren’t going to a fancy lunch spot. I think I could go for just about anything at this point, and ice skating sounds fun.” Leo held the door for her as she stepped inside, and he saw her shake off the outdoor chill when the wall of warmer air met her at the threshold. A quick sniff confirmed the wolf’s words. The smell of greasy fares, and the buttery aroma of popcorn lingered in the air. It was her turn to lead, and she dragged the wolf along after her toward the source. He was right, it wasn’t much, but it would suffice.

They placed their order, and it was served up without a wait, Holly’s salad from the cooler, Leo’s corn dog and fries from the heat lamp. They each snagged a bottled water on the way to an empty table, listening to the chaos of kids at the mini arcade. A soft smirk played on Holly’s face as Llyulf made sure to beat her to the table by a step to pull out her chair, and took the chair from the opposite side to place it next to hers.

Leo finished his meal first, surprising neither of them. Standing to go dump his tray, he also took her skate size, before weaving through the throng of people to the rentals desk. Holly didn’t have to wait long for his return, but it was enough time for her to finish most of the salad. She opted to toss the last bit, assuring him all that was left was just a few lettuce leaves drowning in a mediocre dressing.

*******

Making their way onto the ice had been a bigger ordeal for the wolf than the chipmunk. Once they’d gotten their skates and taken a seat on the benches, the couple made quick work of donning the skates, and getting them laced up. When the wolf stood however, Holly giggled as he wobbled and dropped right back onto the bench. Once he had re-laced the skates, significantly tighter this time, he was able to keep his feet when he stood, and offered a paw to help her up. They both were a little unsteady approaching the opening in the glass, and with one paw on the railing, Holly took a careful step onto the ice, appearing remarkably stable as she slid forward, giving a couple quick strides then leaning to loop back around. She looked a little shaky pulling out of the turn, probably having cut it a little tighter than intended, but she grinned as she beckoned for the wolf to follow. A pair of teen raccoons leapt past Leo onto the smooth surface, landing gracefully and racing off down the stretch.

“C’mon, slowpoke, if they can do it, so can you!” She teased, a giggle escaping her lips. The cold air over the ice seemed to visibly invigorate her, sharpening the look in her eyes, and the subtle twitch of her ears and whiskers made the wolf smile. Leo stepped gingerly over the raised threshold, his left skate coming down smoothly, and pushed off with his back foot. The toe of his right skate scraped roughly on the ice as it descended, and the wolf pitched forward, windmilling in an effort to reestablish a shred of stability. He wasn’t successful…

“Ow…” the wolf complained from his knees. At least he had mostly caught himself, and not landed squarely on his kneecaps. He may not remember how to pull off staying upright, but he definitely remembered the ice could be very unforgiving. He looked up as a pair of skates schlict-ed up beside him, and flashed an embarrassed grin up at Holly.

“Need some help there, hot stuff?” She asked, offering a paw to help him up. He declined, waving it off.

“No, no, I’ll get it, I don’t wanna accidentally pull you down with me.” He pressed his paw into the ice directly below his chest, swinging his feet under him into a wide squat, fighting to ignore the stinging cold on his pads. He took two quick breaths and pushed himself up to standing, squeezing his thighs to bring his feet closer together, then vigorously shaking the cold out of his paw. “I think we might be ok now.”

Holly sidled up next to him. They pushed off together, and joined the loose pack of furs. Leo stumbled more than once, and became quite adept at recovering from falls. Finally, after almost 20 more minutes of up and down, he finally seemed to have found a semblance of balance. They fell in with the rhythm of the group for a while, gliding along side by side. The pace was easy, and the buzz of chatter surrounded them. They talked too, enjoying the closeness of each other's company, and the feeling of their own private little bubble within the crowd. The exertion kept them warm, and the chilled air kept them from getting too warm.

Suddenly, without any real warning, Llyulf snared the chipmunk’s paw. “C’mon!” He sped up a little, gaining momentum, and enjoying the air flowing around them. Holly gave a small whoop, before shaking off his paw and dashing away ahead of him, cackling over her shoulder at his stunned expression, before he took off after her. After chasing her down, and scooping an arm around her hips, they laughed and coasted to the outer ring of the rink, panting. Following the wall, Leo slowed to a stop, and with a bit of fancy footwork on her part, Holly rotated smoothly around to face him. One of her skates lightly clinked blade to blade with his, and she wrapped both of her arms around his neck as his own fell into place around her waist.

He loved the feel of the soft leather underneath his palm, gently rubbing the small of her back as he held her close. He was honestly impressed at how little the cold had stiffened the material. This jacket had been an excellent choice, even outside of how well it clung to her curves.

“You know,” she said, looking up at him, after catching her breath. “I was thinking, I imagine a lot of guys might have leapt at the chance to ‘accidentally’ pull me on top of them when I offered to help you up earlier…” She trailed off, without offering anything more, leading to a soft chuckle from the wolf.

“I won’t lie to you and say I didn’t have the thought myself after the fact. But even if I had thought of it in the moment-” He paused to give her a little squeeze. “-I’d rather you end up in my lap because you want to be, not because I tricked you into it. Besides… best laid plans and all that jazz, I think your dad might kill me if I brought you home with a broken wrist or something, all for the sake of feeling frisky.” She nodded.

“Good call,” she remarked. “I wouldn’t have been mad, most likely, but I don’t think I would have particularly enjoyed it. If I was going to fall on you, there are softer places, with less sharp objects attached to our feet.” She tapped the toe of his skate with her own, and leaned into his chest. Leo took the opportunity to peek over her shoulder at his watch, frowning at its assertion that it was closer to 4:00 than it was to 3. He fought the urge to groan aloud, but he couldn’t stop the sigh.

“Everything ok?”

“Yea, it's fine, just saw the time. We have about 45 min left before we need to start heading back, and I am just wishing we had more time.”

*******

The couple had tried to rejoin the flow, but opted instead to exit the rink not long after they re-entered the pack. After standing on the side, the lactic acid in their legs had started to catch up with them. So they made their way from the ice, but not before the wolf took one last swan dive when the teeth on the front of his skate caught the ice on an admittedly lazy push. Somehow, he managed to land in the least painful way possible, some might argue gracefully even, but he slid almost all the way to the opening in the glass, much to his own chagrin, and Holly’s apparent amusement. Not that he could blame her, really. It probably was pretty funny. After they turned in their skates, they stood by the glass for a little longer, just watching all the antics of those still on the ice. Couples’ faces, epic falls, children’s races. The wolf stood behind the chipmunk, arms around her midsection, holding her as she leaned into him. He was only half watching… He was more focused on the soft giggle from Holly when a little lion cub spun like a helicopter, only to end up splayed out a moment later… or the subtle shift of her shoulders as she settled back into him. The barest scent of jasmine still floated around in the curls his chin rested in atop her head. The moment was finally brought to an abrupt halt by a buzzing from his pocket, letting him know he was out of time for this little slice of heaven…

*******

The ride back home was fun though. They traded stories. Holly, one from when she was 5, of her twin cousins-turned-sisters transforming her into a test doll for her mother’s makeup collection. When he demanded playfully that he see the picture of that one day, Holly vehemently denied that one could even exist, and expressly forbade him from ever seeking it out. After his mirth at her reaction wore off, he told a pair of embarrassing stories of his own, one of him trimming his own eyelashes with safety scissors as a pup in preschool, for which he was reasonably sure there was no evidence, and another he knew far too much evidence existed of, unfortunately, from when he’d discovered boy bands, and he’d had the bright idea to request frosted tips for his hair…

“You’d think mom or dad might have the sense to warn me that *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys were on the decline already but nooo… They did it and got a kick out of it. And made sure to collect enough blackmail to sustain them for the rest of my life in the process…”

*******

Rolling slowly up the driveway of the Giacomo residence at 5:13pm was a green 2002 Trailblazer. As it crested the hill, and parked across from the front door, Leo had the faintest of grins plastered on his face. He wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye, but at least he had two more surprises for his date. He took a deep breath, and his sigh turned into a hum as he felt a paw come to rest on his knee.

“I know it wasn’t as long as either of us wanted… but this was amazing, Leo.  It was so much fun! I know it's been in movies and all, but I don't think I ever would have thought of ice skating as a perfect date, before today.” Holly leaned over and settled her head on his shoulder, looking up at him. "Walk me to the door?--You were probably going to anyway, sure, I- I just really wanted to ask." She giggled softly. "IknowIknowitsoundssocorny, but- I've never had a chance before.

“I don't think it's corny at all, Holly. Of course I'll walk you to the door. The world is dangerous, after all,” he murmured, head dipping down to brush his lips against hers. She hummed in satisfaction, before withdrawing back to her side of the vehicle. While she scooped her jacket up from her lap, he flicked his eyes to the clock before he pulled the key from the ignition. 5:16. He heard, but did not see, the hollow sound of the door handle failing to engage on the passenger side. The corner of his lip turned upward, and he popped open his door as the sound repeated.

“Uh… Leo? I think something is wrong with the door…  I– I hope I didn’t accidentally break someth-” her voice was hushed mid-sentence by the thump of the driver’s side door. Leo rounded the front of the SUV, the grin spreading on his face with every step. He pulled the outer handle of the passenger door, offering his paw to her as it opened with a smooth bow.

“Holly, the charge I was given by your father tonight was to keep you safe. How I would have failed were you to accidentally fall from my carriage. No, I could not allow it. Especially when I still have- thirteen minutes- to return you. Allow me to beg your forgiveness for my deception.” He flicked his head up, mischievous glee dancing in his eyes before his back straightened, still holding out his paw as she stared. His other paw slid up the side of the door, and with a telltale ka-thunk, the child-lock disengaged. A wave of realization washed over the chipmunk’s face, her brow furrowing, though it contrasted with the snort she gave and the smirk that formed below. She took his paw in one of hers and slid out of the SUV, her other paw thudding into his chest lightly.

“That was awful, Llyulf Kalayo.” She stated, her voice betraying her before her eye roll did. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tightly. “But I guess I can forgive you after such a fun day.” He closed the door behind her, and slipped his paw into her hair at the base of her skull. The slightest pull, drawing her back, tilting her head, her lips parting with a gasp as her tail puffed out like a bottlebrush. He could practically feel her brain reset as their lips met, her body almost going slack before her arms found their way around his neck. His free paw slipped around the small of her back and lifted her to the tips of her toes, deepening the kiss he felt her return with vigor. When the embrace keeping her aloft eased, he felt her settle back to her heels, his ruby eyes seeking out her unfocused golden brown as they fluttered open.

“Y-yeah… I can forgive you, t-this time,” she stammered out, her face flushed almost fire-engine red.

Leo was quite sure that, had he any lighter fur, his own blush would be every bit as obvious as hers. Taking a step back, he reached into the pocket of his jacket, confirming the location of the bottle he’d stowed there.

“One more thing before we head up  to the door.” He paused, consciously taking a breath for the first time since the kiss was broken. “I picked this up for you at the mall the other day. It’s not much, but I wanted to, because it’s what told me the moment I walked into Cavallo that I was in the right place, that I had found you.” He pulled the small bottle of fragrance out, and offered it to her with a nervous smile.

“Aww, Leo…” she cooed, her recognition of the cap on the bottle evident in an instant. “Thank you!”

“I know, you probably have plent-'' he was shushed by a finger to his lips.

“I love it. That’s all that matters. Now— Why don’t we get up to the door with a couple minutes to spare?” She asked, with a small, but incredibly warm, smile.

“We both know he’s just got to be sitting at the foot of the stairs in the foyer, right?” He asked, his arm around her shoulders as he led her up to the door.

“Probably with Grandpapa Leon’s pocket watch open, counting down the seconds.”

“Oh no way,” Llyulf countered, rolling his eyes, before they took in the expression on her face. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“We’ll see, won’t we?” She quipped, sliding her key in the door, turning the handle, and pushing it in. “I’m home, papa.”

There indeed, at the base of the stairs, sat Nicolo Giacomo, wrist balanced on his knee, an intricate golden chain draped over his forearm. Leo’s eyes followed the links to a solid looking pocket-watch, covered in gold and silver filigree. It snapped shut with a click; a finality that out rang the sound itself.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Wolf. A minute early. I am impressed. I guess there does exist a young man these days that can follow the rules.”

It took a brief moment of mental recovery from being rocked by the absurdity of Holly’s prediction coming true so absolutely, but Llyulf was prepared by the time Holly’s dad approached him with an outstretched paw, meeting it with his own. Nicolo’s handshake was firm, no posturing this time, just a solid shake and release.

“Oh! Wonderful, you are back early,”  Lenora exclaimed, exchanging a glance with her husband as she entered the foyer. She hugged her daughter then surprised Leo, who found himself embraced by the chipmunk matron as well. “Will you be joining us for dinner then, Leo?” The young wolf’s jaw was slightly ajar for a second, looking over at Holly, who smiled and shrugged.

“I- uh… I wouldn't want to impos-”

“Nonsense.” She interjected. He should have known he’d never get that sentence out. “We have plenty to share, and more to send you home with! Please, we would love to have you, right Nicolo?” She shot her husband a look that Llyulf guessed meant that right now, they might as well have been in her kitchen. Holly’s father threw up his paws in mock surrender.

“Of course, of course, tesoro mio,”* he said, chuckling.

“I guess I can stay, I just need to let my dad know I’ll be home a bit later. What are you making, if you don’t mind? My dad might want to hold off on eating himself if I’m going to be bringing home something he’ll love,” Leo remarked. He was pretty sure anything that came out of that kitchen was going to be phenomenal.

“Lasagna, and it should be done in just a minute,” she responded, leading to a gasp from Holly.

“Alla Bolognese, mamma?” She said excitedly.

“Ovviamente*, Holly. As if Nona Rosa would stand for any recipe but her own to be cooked in this house. She would come all the way from Boston, and bring her own wooden spoon to whack me with for my insolence.” Holly giggled at her mother as Lenora dashed off after a ringing sounded from the kitchen. Her father followed suit, shaking his head as he went.

Holly waited patiently at the door while Llyulf made his call, then slipped her arm through his when he re-entered. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she led him on to join her parents.

*******

Leo was beyond stuffed, but even still, the smell of the lasagna filling the vehicle was mouthwatering, as he pulled into his spot in the parking garage for his building. Throwing the SUV in park, he hopped out, circling around to the passenger side. He snagged the container Mrs. Giacomo had packed for him and his dad, and set the loaf of bread she’d promised and delivered him atop it. As he pushed the door with his foot to shut it, a cold breeze cut through his t-shirt and fur, sending a shiver down his back.

Shit! He’d left his jacket on the back of his chair at Holly’s! He’d have to text her when he got upstairs, so she could grab it for him.

*******

Little did he know, she'd already found it. Holly sat alone in her room, leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed, lost to the world. On her plush bed in just her underwear, with his jacket around her bare shoulders, her nose buried in the collar, she inhaled slowly. The subtle blend of the coffee and spice fragrance he wore, his natural scent, and even still the barest hint of her own perfume… Even scantily clad as she was, the cocktail was an essence that sent tingles racing across her skin, her fur almost standing on end, and it left her anything but cold…

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