“So when we gather the obsinthiander it’ll be in and out”
Birch looked with a dramatic expression towards Fir. Birch was a tall white fox. He wore a single feather that seemed to stretch past his face, while Fir was a short fat tiger who always wore a fur scarf that stretched on his shoulders.
“Oh that’s embarrassing” Birch said aloud
“What” Fir responded?
“No it was just in my head and I just, God now I’m making this awkward.” Birch had thought in his head how he just imagined Fir fucking his brains out. Birch could feel his member growing underneath the loincloth he wore wrapped around his crotch.
“Oh, what were you thinking of?” Fir asked endearingly?
The thing is Fir and Birch were not exactly new friends. They’d known each other for quite a time. They always left the village together going on expeditions to find various necessities. The village elder thought that they should be assigned together one day, and since then never seemed to change anything. Everyone in the village had a role. Everyone played a part in the cog that kept it running.
In the village contained huge connections of foliage that ran the villages needs. Using the foliage they could make calls to each other. The elder explained that it's all possible through the spirit of the vines. Any time you wanted to talk to someone across the enclave a device to collect sound and send it through the vines would be created. It was as simple calling on your plant. The animals provided a way for the villagers to get around. Although the flying vine-like ships were the most efficient way of travel if you wanted to get anywhere far.
In his muddied room in the urban part of the village, Birch lied awake his thoughts immediately rushing back to the night before. Fir was always on his mind. So much that it hurt to think about him. His chest would tighten up and his eyes would well up in so much pain. He couldn’t laugh lest the laugh cave in his chest. It was most likely due to longing, as far as Birch knew. When he thought about Fir it would just be akin to self-mutilation. It was too dark of a place to go. I mean they were friends. But every time Birch would think of Fir it would send him down this dark tunnel. Why couldn’t he tell him his true feelings. Every thought, every intention of being something other. Something other. That’s what he used to think. That they could be anything ‘other’ than just friends.
But its like Fir was on some other planet. Not literally but figuratively he was. Birch wanted his feelings to be requited but it seemed as if he just couldn’t get an understanding of what was going on.
***
“Gawd, I’m such an idiot!” Fir said aloud in his shack at the edge of the village. “Grab the obsinthiander and we’ll be in and out, grab the obsinthiander and we’ll be in and out” What am I a double agent?
“Fuck I am so bad with my EMOTIONS.” Fir grabbed a drink at the edge of the table and took a large swig. “I literally have nothing going for me, and somebody else that I find attractive and actually enjoy is just going to get away from me like they always do, geezus.”
Fir mulled over his thoughts. There was Conciferus with the flowers that burned in the fire, a botched date. There was Cypress who wanted nothing to do with him after he found out that he fucked his mother. Why did everything always fall to shit around him.
Try best as he may Fir couldn’t seem to express his feelings. It was something that he was actively working on and something that he had told the village elder about after first being paired on missions outside with Birch.
“I can’t be paired with Birch anymore elder. I have a crush on him…and he’s a guy”
“We’ll we’re not homophobic here, haven’t you had a crush on a guy before…?”
“That’s not the point!”
“Well if that’s truly what you desire than I can remove you two from expedition duty and have someone else do it”
“No!” Fir clammed his mouth shut lest anything else he say ruin his entire life.
“Well now you’re just confusing me Fir”
“Elder, ok I’ll try my best to explain myself”
“Ok, go ahead…”
“Birch has this way of making you feel accepted no matter what walk of life your from. He had a good family you know. His mother and father always made time for him despite the busyness of their lives. Even when it seemed like his mom had worked too hard making cloth on the loom she always greeted Birch with a smile. Me Elder…I’m just a stray. Sure my parents were smart and made sure I had everything but I never wanted that stuff. I kind of straggled about bothering other people because I guess I couldn’t get that kind of attention from my parents."
Fir paused for a moment. What was he even saying? These were things about himself he didn't know were even there. Feelings. It was definitely something. Usually the only "feelings" he actually had was tired or sleepy. If he wasn't napping then he was reading the texts of old. Historic texts from civilizations of older times. How did they engage with the world around them? And was it more efficient than the way they were doing things now?
"When i’m with Birch everything is so serene. His beautiful face sat atop his tall shoulders. His stupid feather that he always has to wear. It’s actually a family heirloom. Their great great grandfather found a Pteradon nest and brought back the feather.”
“That feather is from a Pteranadon?!”
“Elder please, I’m still talking”
“Oh I’m sorry Fir, please continue”
“Everytime I see him I feel like I’m free from myself. I don’t have to hate myself anymore I can just be myself. I don’t have to overthink anything.”
As the Elder listened on Fir’s eyes seemed to light up. Fir continued to talk about how he felt about Birch. A spark seemed to come out as the emotions seemed almost to unfurl themself in front of the Elder.