#softbones

Scooping the last bit of mac n cheese from the pot, I let the pieces fall into the bitty sized bowl on the counter, picking up the few pieces that fell to the side and plopping them in. Setting the bowl on a tray that was already laden with a plate with a tiny porkchop and a glass of grape juice, I picked up the entire ensemble and set it on the tiny table that rested on top of my own much larger one.

Sighing in satisfaction, I checked over the table to make sure everything for dinner was prepared before setting off in my mission to find my wayward softbones. Hammy had a bad habit of drifting off in extremely weird places, though I was grateful none of them were dangerous. At least his strange case of narcolepsy knew better than that.

Searching through a crate of scarves and hats, my shoe pile, and the bookcase, I found neither hide nor hair of my tiny skeleton friend. Finally, after looking around the nicknacks on my desk, I heard a low snoring coming from behind my computer tower. Huffing, I shuffle it out and to the side, finding Hammy sprawled over a small pillow he’d drug back there to sleep on.

He jerked a little as I gently cradled him in my hands, his tiny mint eyelights blinking up at me before he grinned sheepishly. “Sorry ma, it’s warm back there.”

I laughed silently, nodding that I understood before carefully getting back to my feet and heading for the kitchen.

“Supper time already?” he questioned as I set him down at the table, eyes a bit more alert as he took in the small dinner. I sat in my own seat and carefully laid a napkin over my lap before raising my hands to answer.

‘You slept through the afternoon, sillybones.’

He chuckled sheepishly, though he gave me a grateful smile as the both of us dug into our meals. I hadn’t burnt the mac n cheese this time, the sauce mixed in just right, and the porkchop was still juicy and tender. The conversation was minimal, as neither of us could say much with our mouths and hands full. Hammy seemed to enjoy the food, if the satisfied sigh he let loose as he sat back, wiping his mouth was any indication.

I grinned, picking up the dishes and depositing them in the sink for a quick wash. Hammy watched from the table, a soft smile on his face as he waited for me to finish. It didn’t take long, the smell of soap calming as I dried my hands and shut off the water. As I moved over to the table Hammy lifted his arms to be held, my hands wrapping around him tiny frame and lifting him to my chest.

“You wanna watch a movie tonight? Maybe that new Black Cheetah or whatever?” He looked up with a questioning glance, though his expression fell a little as he saw me trying not to laugh. “What? What’d I say?”

I shake my head, setting him on the back of the couch and popping in the requested movie before sitting beside him. ‘Black Panther, not cheetah, sillybones.’

He blinked, then looked away, grumbling to himself. I laughed, shoulders shaking as I lifted him up and into my arms. He settled in almost immediately, forgetting the embarrassment as the thump of your heartbeat soothed against his skull. Or so he’d told you. I started watching the movie, getting into the musical themes and the characters, when I heard a tiny snoring.