Sun Mote Copse And it might get cold, I just don't care

Snow fell outside Niamh's den, and had covered up the sets of pawprints that led up to it by the time Niamh awoke, still nuzzled deep into the fur of her lover. The air felt somehow cooler, and inside her mind the constant hum and buzz had drifted off, quieting down to a mere thrum that pulsed with her heartbeat, matched by the thump she could hear inside @Phox's chest as she lay her ear against his side to listen. She snickered, lightly, when she heard a small gurgling squeal of digestion and lifted her head to gaze at him for a moment, enjoying the lingering feeling of joy that settled down between them even though her physical neediness had subsided.

She had not had him with her as much as she would have liked, over the past week- they both had obligations and families to care for, and until she felt ready to speak openly with their children, she felt it was best that they carry on- even during that week- as normal. While she didn't like the idea of sneaking around and keeping secrets, she had still felt it was best to keep their actions private and maintain a normal daily routine so that their children could get through this week without knowing (or picturing) what their parents were doing. She did feel, though, that Bronco had his assumptions- but was too busy avoiding her in order to keep from seeing something he didn't want to see- and that Nellie had suspicions too, and those would have to be addressed.

She nudged Phox to wake him up, and kissed his cheek softly. She sighed. "I think...It's prolly time we had some conversations," She said, but laughed softly. Though they were serious in nature, she was happy that she had someone to have those conversations with.

The gurgle of his stomach which had prompted Niamh to chuckle at him was most certainly the product of a rabbit he'd managed to catch earlier, delivering the second half to Fenton before meeting up with Niamh for another round of you know what. The nudge that woke him wasn't unwelcome, and Phox blinked blearily as he made sense of his surroundings. He hadn't exactly hidden his relationship with Niamh, but he hadn't gone running around telling everybody about it, either. He'd told the kids, in so many words, depending on how those threads go, and Towhee knew. He knew that Wraen knew as well, and he figured the rest of the pack would hear about it sooner or later.

It was probably a bit naive of him to assume that Niamh was now just as committed to him as he was to her... but then again, why wouldn't she be? Was there some other hot thing out there vying for her attention? Even though they hadn't spent every waking moment together over the past week, Phox didn't think either of them had time for anybody else. Surely she knew, based on their conversations had over the past months, that he intended to stick around not just for the kids, but for her, too.

When she said they needed to have more conversations, he cocked his head to one side. Go on... he said, not wanting to question the "what" of the conversation, lest it be something he didn't want to hear. Not only that, but he didn't want to ask anything that might sway her opinion one way or the other. Phox nibbled on one of her front toes, plucking off a clump of mud that had been stuck there as he listened.

"Well," She said, prompted to continue and elaborate. She knew that Phox had informed his kids- but she had yet to tell hers, despite the fact that they had likely already picked up on some clues. Even Bronco, who'd been avoiding her. She had so many points to make, but she told herself to chill out, think about what she was going to say, and take things one step at a time. 

"So there's a few things," She said, more as a warning than anything, as she knew perfectly well exactly how well she could ramble, and that it was often a bit too much. At least, having warned him, he knew what he was getting himself into, and that she could now spill her guts without feeling bad for just dumping everything on him. "I gotta tell the kids, 'cause, I mean...It's sooner rather than later," She said, knowing that the more she let time go on, the more she would definitely be hiding things from her children. "Bronco just prolly won't want to talk about it because this stuff gives him the hee-bee-jee-bees, but Nellie..." She said, and she sighed. This was issue number one. 

She lowered her voice, even though she knew Nellie wasn't within earshot. "So you remember the other day, when she was here and you came along," She prompted. "Well, I told you that yeah, it was awkward because I'd literally just finished giving her the talk" She reminded him, but there was more. It got worse from there. "But I thiiink the real reason she was so awkward and clingy might be because she maybe has a crush on you." She said. Before she could stop herself, a bunch of words tumbled out of her in a jumble. "She'd just told me she liked someone right before you got there and she said he had orange-ish eyes and I thought it might be Orr, y'know, Raven and Quixote's Orr, but then she got super sketchy and clingy and..." And she slowed down, took a breath, and shrugged. "I dunno. I think it might actually be you."

Phox hadn't even attempted to tell Niamh when to tell her kids. That was her choice, and he certainly had no business trying to critique her parenting (aloud, anyway). She spoke first of Bronco, which made Phox snort humorously. It was amusing how squeamish the kid seemed to be regarding all of this. Nellie, on the other hand, introduced a new wrench into the mix that Phox had neither suspected or expected. Phox was, to put it lightly, mortified.

He stopped where he was, halfway through smoothing over another tuft of fur on her leg, to stare at Niamh incredulously. Oh jeez, he lamented, suddenly feeling rather Bronco about the whole thing and wanting to know absolutely nothing about this. Unlike Bronco, he had to be a responsible, mature adult. Phox didn't even know what was to be done about it. Was there anything to be done about it?

Maybe... maybe we could get Towhee to talk to her about it? I think if it comes from you or me, it's gonna get real weird. If Fig or Fenn had been significantly older than Nellie, he might have suggested that, but considering they were all around the same age, he didn't want to put that burden on them. Towhee, on the other hand, didn't have any super personal connection to Nellie as far as he knew, and she'd be a mostly impartial third party.

"Yeahhh," Niamh sighed, as though to release some of her tension, but her teeth remained gritted. Now he knew, and it definitely made things more difficult. Telling Nellie that she and Phox were together was already probably going to be hard enough, considering how hurt she'd been by her father's death...Having a new man in the family would, without a doubt, cause some feelings to happen. But now she had the strong feeling that her daughter had fixed her gaze on Phox and considering Niamh's relationship with him...It made things all the more difficult. It didn't change the way she felt about him- as she didn't suspect in the least, especially given his surprise, that he'd been aware of it at all. Nor had he done anything to elicit such admiration intentionally, but...The heart couldn't stop what it wanted, when it wanted it. 

"I dunno," She said, grimacing slightly. "I don't want her to feel like I've told anyone...I'm not even sure if she knows that I know it's you...So please, I'd rather you didn't say anything, or act like you know...And getting Towhee involved...I dunno what Towhee'd say to her," She said. She tried imagining the conversation- but it would mean that Nellie would know, then, that her mother had spilled the beans to Towhee, and she knew her daughter probably wouldn't appreciate that. "I think...I think I have to tell her about us...I just...And I know she'll get over it, but...I hate that it means that my daughter's first heartbreak...Is because of me."

Phox nodded lightly. Once again, he reserved any judgment on how he would have handled the situation. Nellie wasn't his kid, and he didn't pretend to know her as well as Niamh did. He thought Towhee might have been able to weasel her way into getting the information out of Nellie, but maybe Niamh was right. Maybe it would be too obvious. In any case, it sounded like Niamh wanted to give the news herself, which was perfectly okay with Phox. Just so long as he didn't have to do it, yeesh.

At the word "heartbreak," Phox couldn't help but guffaw. Sure, he considered Nellie a friend of sorts, but he couldn't imagine that she'd be heartbroken over him. C'mon, you really think she's that wound up in a romance that's not even happening? he asked. Then again, Phox had never been the kind to pine after somebody unless they were in on it. Niamh was the perfect example of somebody he had known, liked, but hadn't entertained the thought seriously until they were both in the right place at the right time.

Phox's laugh ruffled Niamh slightly. She was being serious, and she took her daughter's feelings to be serious as well- even if it was a girlish crush, Niamh knew that even the end of a childhood crush could have dire consequences on the rest of the wolf's life. Phox likely had no idea how much of an effect her own first crush had had on her, especially when he'd turned into the monster he eventually became. She became somewhat cold, then, for a moment, but she told herself not to brood or to withold her feelings. Nor should she be so offended by Phox's idea that Nellie's crush was nothing more than a passing phase. Still...

"I do," She said, and she smiled a faint, rueful smile. "Because she's so much like me." She said. "When she gets an idea in her head, or a feeling...That's it. She commits to it." She said. After all- Nellie had had the bold idea to run away and then keep her existance a secret without thinking through the repercussions, and the effect it would have on others. "I know you prolly did nothing to make her fall for you, but...She did. I guess we have a type," She said, sobering from her seriousness long enough to give him a real smile, before she sighed. "I just feel like any eensy, teensy, tine-sy reason she can have to hate me will totally blow everything up. An' this isn't an eensy, teensy, tine-sy thing. This is gonna be big for her. An' I'm gonna be the witch that stole her first crush away." She said, knowing already that she would be the one to receive the brunt of Nellie's anguish, once she found out.

If Towhee had mentioned the whole thing about Arcturus to him, Phox probably would have been able to relate those two things together quite well. Like Towhee, it took him longer to get attached to others. Even with Camilla, their relationship had been... well, not especially close or deep. It wasn't that Phox lacked that ability, it just took him months, if not years, to stir up more intimate feelings for somebody. Still, he set his own opinions aside and tuned himself into what Niamh was saying, taking on a more serious mood.

If she's as much like you as you say she is... good luck, Phox teased with an impish grin, nipping at Niamh's ear. Do you think it'll help if I do my best to avoid her? I'm not really... sure what to do here. I've only been the object of somebody's affection a few times—that I know of—and it's never been unrequited, exactly. One might say that he could be an unrequited love of Camilla's, but he wasn't even sure if she'd loved him. At least not in the way that he thought that partners were supposed to love one another.

That, of course, got him thinking about Niamh. He knew he had feelings for her, and he knew their future children would bring them closer together... but the L-word was still much too strong for him to even consider saying aloud right now. Love was something that took time and attention to grow. A garden that needed to be tended.

"Ughhhhhh!" She groaned, leaning heavily against Phox's shoulder with the intention of just maybe squeezing a bit of air out of him in retribution for congratulating her on having a daughter just like her. He would have to get used to her dramatics pretty quickly if he hoped to survive a life living with her. She flicked her ear when it was nipped, and clicked her teeth together. "You do realize you have to put up with me, though, hey? And I'm, like, Niamh-Prime. And I create crazy little Niamh replicas- god I hope our kids are a lot like you," She said with a laugh. She leaned back so that she could lift a paw, and -boop- him on the nose. She grinned a kittenish grin, and tweeted in a sweet voice, "Otherwise Mama's gonna go insane and nobody wants to see that," Progressively widening her eyes and bobbing her head as she said so, before she dropped the antics and shook her head. 

She thought for a moment about the idea of Phox avoiding Nellie, and ended up squinting slightly, shaking her head and shrugging. She had no idea if that would be the right thing to do- or if it would make things more obvious that Niamh had spilled the beans. She wasn't sure what to prioritize- popping her daughter's love-bubble as gently as possible, or making sure that she didn't know that she'd told Phox about her crush. She wasn't sure if she could do both- nor was she sure that having Phox avoid Nellie would be the answer. Aside from that, Niamh knew her daughter. And if Nellie wanted to find Phox...She probably would. 

It then took her q couple moments to puzzle out exactly what Phox meant when he said 'never unrequited.' At first, she misinterpreted the statement (double negatives are tricky) and thought he was telling her that he hadn't loved Camilla, though he'd been her object of affection. Also- who else had fallen for him that she didn't know about? But back to the first topic...She eventually realized that he wasn't saying he hadn't loved Camilla, he was saying that he didn't have feelings for Nellie. "Ohh," Niamh said, as the realization came to her. "Sorry, brainfart," She said, and shook her head. "Well...I think I just have to talk to her, and soon. I dunno if avoiding her will help, just...I dunno, keep doin' what you're doin' and be natural?" She asked. "I don't want her to resent you too." She said. 

"BUT speaking of 'keep doing what you're doing,'" She said. "The next thing I wanted to have conversations about...?" She said, hoping he was willing to address the next topic of business before she launched into it.

Phox cackled at her comments, dodging as much of her playful punches as he could. Those he was quite used to, considering his sister was the queen of play punching... sometimes punching so hard it didn't feel so playful. He beamed when she said she hoped their kids were like him, but he assumed they'd get a little bit of this and a little bit of that, not to mention whatever quirks they picked up from their older siblings, Towhee, and the rest of the Firebirds. With all the family here, it was hard to imagine them turning out like just one of their parents.

She went quiet then, apparently having a hard time parsing what he'd said. Phox was just about to clarify when she did so herself, and he nodded to confirm what he'd meant. It sounded like there wasn't anything to be done on his part, except feign ignorance, and Phox though he could handle that. Keeping it from Towhee would probably be the hardest part, but he decided that he'd have to if he wanted to retain Niamh's trust.

Niamh, going down the list of topics, seemed ready to wrap this one up and move on to the next. You're not gonna tell me Bronco has a crush on me too, are you? he joked, sticking his tongue out at her.

Phox's joke caused Niamh's eyes to widen in surprise, and she smiled for a moment- about to make some comment, before she came up with a better idea and feigned shock. "Who told you?!" She hissed, before she once again dropped the dramatic act. She liked that their conversations could go from serious to humourous in a heartbeat; it made it possible for her to express herself as freely as she liked to, and helped to temper her stronger feelings. It also made it easier for her to address the tough topics when she knew there would be some light at the end of the tunnel, in the form of a light-hearted joke. She giggled. 

"No. But actually," She said, trying to return to the topic, "When- ahuh- when I asked Wraen," She said, finally subduing her giggles, "About us, she like...I mean she was fine with it, obvious-lay, but she kind of made it pretty clear that she'd be some mad at you if you went off and boinked someone else and got them pregnant. She has a strict no-bastards policy an' she wanted me to make sure fo-sure that you wouldn't do that. And I think she thinks that might happen- " She said, and then she inhaled deeply, and squeezed the rest out, quickly, on her next breath. "Mainly because we're not officially mates by title so either I have to threaten you with death if you make babies with someone else or we just go ahead and make it official." She said, nearly wheezing by the end. She shrugged, simply. "So there's that."

He let the joke settle, shifting into a more serious state once more. He too was glad for their back-and-forth banter. In a lot of ways, it reminded him of his relationship with Towhee (albeit in a non-sister way). It was comfortable. That was something that seemed hard to come by, and he appreciated it in a big way. Niamh spoke of her conversation with Wraen, who was still somewhat of an enigma to Phox. He knew her well enough, and he knew that they were distant cousins. She seemed to be a capable leader, and she certainly wasn't the milk toast that Quixote and Colt (RIP in pieces; thanks for your wife) had been.

It was interesting to hear that Wraen thought he had the personality that might go off and just make a bunch of kids willy-nilly. If anything, Phox would actively avoid it! Phox wanted to be actively involved in his kids' lives, and having multiple mothers seemed like a terrible way to do that. Phox snorted at the thought, finding it both humorous and also pretty unsettling to think about.

Then came the kicker, the question that he'd been anticipating. It wasn't like he was going to ask her. He just wasn't that kind of guy, but when the opportunity presented itself, he was happy to go all-in. It might be nice, he purred, nibbling the back of her ear, if we were official. Phox had already made it clear that he had nobody else in his crosshairs.

She held her breath for a moment, not knowing exactly how he would react. He had been the first to confess his feelings...And aside from showing it physically, Niamh hadn't said it back. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to summon those words just yet- though it didn't mean that she didn't have feelings. She couldn't tell him that she loved him- nor was she ready for him to say it to her. But their partnership still had formed a solid foundation, and she was ready to commit and lay the cornerstone for their relationship. It seemed, then, that becoming mates officially was that first step, and they were both in agreement. It would take time for their relationship to be built, and it would grow along with their family- but so long as they built around a solid, stable cornerstone, they would have nothing to lose. 

She felt a bit nervous when he agreed, as she realized then that he was willing to take her as his mate without ever having confessed her feelings for him. She knew she had feelings for him- and she could show them, easily, but saying them out loud was not her strong suit. She chose different love languages to express her affection and appreciation, and she could simply hope that for now, those were enough. She wouldn't have even contemplated becoming his mate if she didn't believe that they wre already on that route together. What for some was an end goal in a relationship, instead became a promise between the two of them. And she thought it was a nice place to begin. 

"Official it is. Or...Will be. I'd like to talk to the kids first, rather than just announcing it without having spoken to them." She said. "That would probably make them both run away," She said. "Is that...Alright with you? I'm not asking for their permission, I just...Want to let them know first." She said.

And just like that, Phox was no longer a single man. Well, let's be real, he hadn't been a single man since he'd gotten back and confessed that he held some attraction to Niamh. He could say all he wanted that he wasn't going to pine over her (which he hadn't), but it wasn't like he'd considered anybody else in the process. Maybe there was a fleeting moment where he'd thought of an idea of somebody else when he'd been chatting with Quellcrist, but seeing Niamh at the beach—and now, here—made it all the more solid. Besides, he couldn't imagine the thought of not being together with the mother of his children. That might fly for some wolves out there, but not for Phox. This was just a formality, as far as he was concerned.

Yeah, of course, he replied. He could keep it under wraps until she got a chance to talk to the kids. And besides, his kids probably wouldn't care about the semantics anyway. Let's assume he told them in those two ongoing threads. As for name-changing and all that... well, Phox didn't have a strong inclination one way or another. He was content with his name, and he was as much a Blackthorn as a Redhawk anyway. He wasn't going to ask Niamh to change her name just because of some old silly tradition. If she wanted to, that was up to her.

A couple of bright flashes entered his vision just then, and Phox blinked them away. When they came back a second later, he groaned. Got one of those migraines on the way. Wanna grab some water with me before I'm down for a few hours? he asked. Unless... was there anything else?

It appeared, then, that he had more patience and was willing to give her just enough room so that she could still have the time and space to guide her own branch of the family through whatever changes faced them now, and she was thankful for that. She smiled and nodded thankfully, but caught the slight flinch in his facial features, and concern caused her to tilt her head to the side. Suddenly, it seemed, he began to feel the beginnings of another headache. She couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible- as this was the second time within a short period of time that a serious conversation had led to him having a migraine, so she nodded, stood up, and prepared for them to go on their way. 

"Of course," She said quietly, knowing better than to stress him out further, and knowing enough not to talk too loud. "No, let's just go, and get you into the dark," She said, and gave his cheek a nudge hoping that if he got a drink soon and headed back into the den that he'd be able to fight it off.