#sniffky

Good thing he decided to do this at nighttime. Mrs Fillyjonk has a strict sleep schedule, and he had practically memorised it by now, so this would be easy. All he needed was a few blankets and sheets then he was gone. She would be upstairs, getting herself ready anyway. But as he reached the clothing line outside, he smelt something. It distracted him quite easily and he followed said smell to the source: a half eaten pie from that evening, in the paws of Sniff.

“What are you doing here?!” Stinky yelled in a hissed whisper, catching Sniff’s attention.

“Ah! W-What’s it to you?! Why are you here?!” Sniff responded, his yelled whisper a bit too loud. Stinky shushed him.

“Why would you do this without me? You know I’m always up for crime.”

“Why were you here without me?”

“Well why were you?”

Suddenly, the front door slammed open. It turned out Mrs Fillyjonk had forgotten something downstairs and had heard them talking. She was now there with a broom in her paw.

“THIEVES! CRIMINALS!” she screamed, and began to chase them away, waving the broom around aimlessly. Stinky yelped and Sniff grabbed him by his paw, running away with the pie in his other paw.

Eventually they escaped into the woods, as Mrs Fillyjonk was too scared to enter a forest at night. Breathing heavily, Stinky collapsed against a tree as Sniff placed the pie down on a stump.

“It’s quite the coincidence I found a place with a tree stump, isn’t it?” he asked, to which his furry friend laughed, still out of breath.

“I needed that…” Stinky sighed finally, “Really, I did…” He stood up slowly and walked up to Sniff, looking up at him as Sniff looked down back. Their height difference was something Stinky was used to, and was why the nickname “stick” just stuck. It began as something he used when he didn’t know Sniff’s name and just named him after his complexion. But after that afternoon where they hid Manhattan Dynamite together, the word stick gained a whole new meaning. Sniff was his stick, someone who was useful, someone who meant something despite looking so bland and fragile. And now, it was a petname, as the two had confessed their love a few days back.

“So, uhh,” Stinky began, taking his fuzzy’s paw into his own, more tenderly than the other had taken his earlier, “you didn’t tell me why you were stealing that pie. Were you just hungry or..?” Sniff looked to the side, clearly nervous, but he gripped onto Stinky’s paw and sighed, looking back down at him.

“I just thought… I thought maybe we could share it. You know, together? As a um… as a couple?” he admitted. Stinky’s eyes widened and his face went red. This was awkward.

“W-Well I was trying to steal some blankets so we could make a fort together!” he blurted out with a smile, laughing at his own stupidity. Sniff ended up laughing too, and Stinky, feeling a little playful, tackled him to the ground with a hug. The two of them lay there in each other’s arms, shaking with laughter and smiling the biggest smiles ever.

Eventually they relaxed and looked into each other’s eyes. Stinky liked that they had the same eye colour, it was quite nice to find someone he connected to so much. Not so much just on a personality level or a societal level, but they were so similar in other ways too. They were both brown, they both had the same colour of eyes, they were both under the transgender umbrella, him being trans masc and Sniff being non-binary with he/him pronouns, and they both loved each other, which was another similarity.

He had only now realised how much he wanted to kiss this goof. Though he wasn’t sure how to initiate it. First kisses usually come from instinct, right? So he just… went with his instincts. And it seemed Sniff did the same, as they both found themselves kissing each other after both of them moved to initiate it at the same time. Both of them stared forward in surprise, not expecting any of this. But soon enough Stinky had shut his eyes and pulled Sniff closer, and Sniff followed along after. The pie might have gone cold by then, but none of them cared, they were busy caring about each other.

*Stinky is in the forest, hiding his Manhattan Dynamite with Sniff in a tree trunk*

Sniff: *is silently sitting on a log, fiddling his fingers*

Stinky: you good, stick? You haven’t said a word in a while

Sniff: …am I a bad person?

*he stops hiding the alcohol and looks over at Sniff*

Stinky: what do you mean?

Sniff: do I need to understand people to be good? Must I be like everyone else to be good? Am I not normal…?

Stinky: *smirks at him* what even is normal to you, stick?

Sniff: …not me…

*Stinky sighs and sits down on the log with Sniff*

Stinky: alright spit it out, you’ve been acting weird all day, are you chickening out about what we’re doing or-

Sniff: n-no I’m having fun! I just think… well… oh gosh *grips his ears and closes his eyes tightly shut*

Stinky: hey hey, cool it! Need a drink or something? *he glances at the trunk in silence for a bit* …maybe not. Oh I have an idea

Sniff: *he slowly lets go of his ears* you do…?

*one idea later*

Stinky: *holding a stick over a fire, on the stick is a fish. He has a scratch on his nose* I told you it would work

Sniff: I had no idea Snufkin had claws

Stinky: *holds the stick to the side* he’s part cat, what would you expect? *he holds the stick back over the fire* now, tell me what happened?

Sniff: what happened…?

Stinky: when you heard about being normal

Sniff: well… my friends never really seem to like me I think. Most of the time they treat me like a burden… that day with the trial and those two creatures, I got a little riled up and… well… I was cursed

Stinky: cursed? How?

Sniff: …cursed to understand feelings. Forced to, well… understand people

Stinky: that’s not all, is it?

Sniff: hm?

Stinky: you weren’t just cursed to understand people, were you?

Sniff: well it was like… I was cursed to act like how everyone wanted me to be. Like someone else entirely… they actually started acting nicer towards me… it was nice but deep down I hated it. I hated that I didn’t feel like me and that I was saying things I wouldn’t say… I felt really hungry afterwards. Food comforts me. I ate a lot…

Stinky: oh my-

Sniff: Stinky, the fish!

Stinky: OH!

*the fish was on fire. He blew it out*

Stinky: it’s… a little crispy *he chuckled lightly*

Sniff: no no it’s okay, it’s the thought that counts *he takes a bite of it and his nose scrunches up* hm… a little on the charred side *he lets out a quiet laugh as he eats the lot*

Stinky: woah, you eat fast

Sniff: *throws the stick into the fire* I’m used to it I suppose. I eat a lot

Stinky: that is very troubling considering food is a comfort thing

Sniff: comfort isn’t just for stress, it’s a familiarity. It makes me happy. Like stimming, have you heard of that?

Stinky: not really?

Sniff: everyone does it! It’s like something you do when you’re feeling a certain way, like when you tap your foot when you’re waiting, your tail wags when you’re happy-

Stinky: I brush my fur with my paws when I’m nervous?

Sniff: yeah, that! I do that sometimes because my thoughts get too big

Stinky: too big for food?

Sniff: that and I can’t always find food

Stinky: ah *laughs slightly* well, it’s getting dark, you should be heading home or whatever *he stands up* I should work on hiding this-

*he stops in his tracks as a pair of arms wrap around him*

Stinky: hey, what the-!

*he looks back and sees Sniff on his knees hugging him with all his might*

Stinky: …stick?

Sniff: thank you…

Stinky: I- well… *a bit of pink shows up on his cheeks as he looks to the side* …nobody has ever thanked me for anything before…

*Sniff lets go and Stinky turns around, putting his paws on Sniff’s shoulders*

Stinky: don’t let anyone tell you how to be yourself, okay? Only you know how to do that, and you have explained that very well to me. Just… keep being the stick I know

Sniff: my name is Sniff-

Stinky: do I look like I care? You’re my stick, and sticks are useful despite how skinny and annoying they seem. A stick made you the fire you got that fish from

Sniff: *his cheeks goes pink too* I’m useful…?

*Stinky nods*

Stinky: now, go and get some sleep

*Sniff grins and presses his snout against Stinky’s nose, rubbing it a bit before standing up and running off*

Sniff: bye Stinky! See you tomorrow!

*Stinky watches him in shocked silence. He slowly places a paw on his nose*

*Sniff is waiting in the forest*

Sniff: did he get it..? I’m not even sure if I can mail things to police stations…

…

Sniff: I mean it’s not time yet. I’ll go and break him out

*at prison*

Stinky: but I’m supposed to be given that letter!

Inspector: well, someone could be trying to break you out

Stinky: with a letter?!

Inspector: …yes?

Stinky: you’re just keeping me from having fun, DAD!

Inspector: I am giving you the rightful punishment according to law

Stinky: AW COME ON!

*at night, the Inspector is asleep*

Stinky: hm… the keys are right there… damn, I can’t reach—

*the door opens. Sniff is there!*

Stinky: stick..! Oh thank god… can you get the keys?

Sniff: I was planning to *he unlocked the cage with the keys*

Stinky: yes! Freedom! *he whisper cries, running right past Sniff’s open arms and out the door*

Sniff: …oh

*they’re walking in the woods*

Sniff: did you get my letter?

Stinky: my cop dad wouldn’t let me have it. He sucks, but he’s a cool guy sometimes I guess

Sniff: oh, that explains it

Stinky: well, what did you need? More food? Crime?

Sniff: well… I actually wanted to um… talk

Stinky: *he seems scared* talk? About what? Is it bad? Did I do something wrong?

Sniff: no no you did nothing wrong… I just want to talk about us… how we’re doing

Stinky: o-oh… okay?

*they find a fallen tree and sit down*

Sniff: so… we’re friends, right?

Stinky: yeah? Of course. Though I didn’t think you’d see me that way…

Sniff: of course I do, you’re cool! But um… do you like me or do you just… tolerate me? Like everyone else?

Stinky: I… *sighs* I do like you, stick, more than I like anyone else and more than anyone else likes you. And possibly even more than you know. You’re just… really important… to me… you understand me, you know?

Sniff: *nods* I like you for the same reasons…

Stinky: well, we’re both cast out from society, right?

Sniff: right

*they sit there in silence for a while*

Sniff: …would it be weird to say that I love you?

Stinky: hm?!

Sniff: it was weird, huh?

Stinky: n-no! Not at all! Not at all…

Sniff: is something wrong…?

Stinky: usually when someone loves me they throw me away… my parents kicked me out because they loved me… the Inspector locks me up because he cares for my safety around law and stuff… what about you…? Will you throw me away too?

Sniff: n-never! Why would I do such a thing?!

Stinky: because it seems normal…

Sniff: it’s not normal, your parents were awful, and the Inspector just doesn’t know better. I will never do something like that to you

Stinky: you wouldn’t?

Sniff: not at all!

Stinky: heh… that’s good to know…

*they sit in silence once again. But this time Stinky hugs Sniff out of nowhere*

Sniff: !

Stinky: now it’s my turn to thank you, huh, stick?