DuvetBunny

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“Oh Cobrinha~” his mother called her eyes flicking side to side across the greenery, the shadow colored monster slithered amongst the ground. Her four eyes flicking up and down, trying to find her son hiding. “Where are you my little cobrinha, I caught some monkeys for your birthday dinner!”

The small monster sniffled wiping his face, his tendrils preparing to launch him right at his mother.

"Me pega, mamãe!"

He chattered letting the element of surprise fall away, his mother’s youthful arms caught a handful of her young son as he laughed and hooted like a primate.

“There’s my son! You almost got me there!” She let a clawed hand curl around her son as she carried him slithering back towards their den entrance. Her tendrils busy surrounding herself form any dangers near by.

“Já estou ficando grande o suficiente para ir caçar com os adultos, né, mamãe?”

He asked tendrils wrapping around his mother securing himself to her, she let her hands fall away now that she knew her son was attached.

They passed another clan member and they side eyed his mother and him. She scoffed tilting her curly head, green eyes cutting daggers at the wall.

His mother’s young face twitched with anger.

After a while they turned in the tunnel and found the divet in the ground where the pile of his siblings slept.

“Ay Cobrinha, let’s not wake your siblings okay?” She carded a hand through his similar heart curls but still seemed distracted.

“Caso contrário, vou ter que dividir a minha comida!” He grumbled agreeing, she set down the still warm blooded food, he launched forward out of her arms and started chomping down. His jaw unhinging as he did! He wouldn’t need to eat for a week with this meal! His little face covered in gore, she chuckled smiling indulgently.

“Mamãe, você pode cantar para mim?" He wanted to hear her sing, her voice enraptured any prey she could get her hands on, her mixed monster genus the cause.

Oh how the birds came in mass if she sang right! The monsters eating in mass the crunchy snacks.

She chuckled lifting a finger before swallowing her own monkey down. “Eu te ouço, minha pequena Cobrinha — depois que eu comer.” Her words changing as she rubbed a hand through her hair.

He wanted her to say his name, she always avoided that. His birthday should be the exception right? She cared enough to remember right? His tendrils shook waving like an upset plant.

“Mamãe, quando você cantar, não me chame de cobrinha, cante o meu nome, ele é tão lindo!” He demanded tendrils now tugging at her tail.

Her short claws tugging at her hair again, “Okay um Almeida?” His heart sank, “Não, tente de novo, mamãe.”

She hummed tapping her shorter claws against the stone wall, “Cida?” She asked again, her expression unclouded only curious and a little focused.

He shook his head again. She squinted her glowing green eyes into slits thinking really hard.

“Fer? Kika? Nunes?!” She rapid fired only a third through his den full of siblings. The monkey sat heavy in his stomach…

Sitting beside the answer to his problem was unexpectedly weird. The helicopter ride next to a sniffling girl hadn't ever been a problem for him before. Because this was his first time…

She'd murmured about someone named Emily for five minutes. He could guess based off what Gideon had mentioned off offhandedly that Emily was actually a mimicked clone to follow after Grace. Gideon gave him pictures as well of what him and the connections had been cooking up.

But none came close to Grace. The perfect original.

He itched to talk to her but for what he didn't know. He could just wait until they all got to Raccoon City.

She had likely no clue what she was considering all her mumbled questions had been about why they were going to raccoon city. And crying about Emily, that was another puzzling thing for him. How to comfort and why he even wanted to?

He hadn't cried for anyone ever, how did it feel? Of course in the old labs he knew tears. And he knew the brush of knuckles against his face better.

He was a weapon and weapons weren't supposed to feel anything but what their creators/employers ordered. And despite the fact that he now worked alongside the Connections, he still followed their orders.

He didn't do anything like clear his throat or anything. He just simply started talking.

"Grace, many of your questions will be answered when we get to Raccoon City but us there anything I can do to- he paused what could he say?

How could he console her? He knew answers to questions helped fill that empty void inside him. maybe some answers might help?

Right? It did him surely it could help her.

"Settle your nerves?"

She wiped her nose with her sleeve and Zeno grimaced that would be gross and tacky later.

although she was in a bloody bandage and ruined t shirt. Snot was the least of her wardrobe malfunctions.

…He had no spares on him except for a change or two of his suit tops and a singular change of pants if they grew too messy. He hated messes but maybe he could make an exception for offering her a suit top?

He couldn't imagine that'd be pleasing to move around in. And he needed her in good condition for Elpis anyway.

Inhaling slightly past the taste of smoke in his mouth, something heavily fresh and sweetish bitter tickled underneath her scent of sulfur fear and the iron tangy smell of blood.

A overwhelming mint if you searched hard enough. He'd barely been touched by her when she stumbled into the helicopter and his hand radiated mint. A bitter twang curled in it.

He wasn't overly sure much about dynamics in action. All the connections wore scent blockers and took heat/rut blockers to an overwhelming amount. They were all addicts to it at this point.

They all got twitchy when any scent pervaded their work stations if anyone forgot or was struck by a surprise one.

It’s a rough draft but I hc Columbina was kinda an insect like monster and hex’s theories of course oh oh and a little nod towards my wip for Carol and TT fic.

@hexserath @feral-soup-lives @flysoji