Little Red Robin Hood

XXII - Home Sweet Home

I blinked, looking up at the log cabin. It was two stories high, covered in snow and icicles. Inside, there was warm light. I opened the truck door, dragging my bags out with me. There were two cars in the carport, one blue and the other grey, both covered in a mixture of frost and dirt.

Cloud handed my keys back to me, and I stuffed them in my pocket.

We walked up the slippery porch, and Cloud opened the front door, letting me in first. Inside was warm and the light was surprisingly dim.

"Dexter, Sphinx, we're home," Cloud called.

"Oh, thank Grandfather!" Sphinx said from somewhere else. "So, good news, we finished the gingerbread house. Bad news, Dexter's already eaten half of it and is working on the batter for the next batch of cookies."

"I'm hungry!" It must've been Dexter.

"Well, save some for Raine," Cloud called back.

I just stood there, clutching my bags. I slowly looked around the house.

In front of me, there was a large, open living room with a blazing fire. To the right of where I stood, there was a small bathroom. On the left, there was a staircase up with bookcases and shelves under it, along with another bathroom and a small hallway down to what appeared to be a bedroom.

"Hello again, Raine!" I turned to see Sphinx emerging from the kitchen, on the other side of the living room. He pulled me into a tight hug.

"Uh, hi," I mumbled.

"We're making cookies," he said, pulling away. "We'll need some help decorating them, if you don't mind."

"Uh, maybe after I get settled?" I kicked off my snowy boots.

"Of course, whenever you're ready," he smiled and nodded. Then he turned and called into the kitchen, "Dexter! Come say hi to our little brother's boyfriend!"

My face turned warm at that comment.

A younger man slid out of the kitchen, sliding across the wooden floor by his black socks. He had a long black and white striped tail and black tiger ears. His hair was mostly white, with a few stripes of black, and there were two small black stripes on each side of his jaw. He wore loose black lounge pants and a white blouse that partly hung off his pale shoulders.

"Hi, I'm Dexter!" He smiled.

"H-hi," I whispered.

"I have two kids and the older has quadruplets, they live in France," his voice was very... fast. And high-pitched. Feminine. Huh, this wasn't too bad.

"Dexter, oversharing," Sphinx put his hand over Dexter's mouth.

"Right, sorry," Dexter mumbled.

"I-it's okay," I mumbled, nodding. "I-I just need a bit to... to get settled, then I'd actually love to hear about your children." It was true, I could use some distraction, and getting to know my new roommates would give me just that.

"Of course," Dexter nodded, blue eyes lighting up.

"Okay, here, I'll show you to your room," Cloud gently pulled me up the stairs and down the dark hall. There were a few doors, one of them leading into a bathroom.

Cloud led me around the corner to the end of the hall. He looked at me, "I, uh, thought you would feel safer down here, especially since my bedroom is right there, just in case you need me," he motioned to one of the doors. "Uh, anyway," he leaned past me and opened the door, "here it is."

I turned and looked into the dark room. I slowly stepped into it, fumbling to turn on the light.

The ceiling lit up with string lights, bathing the room in a pale amber glow. Across from the door, there was a large four-poster bed with a velvet canopy and many blankets and pillows. To the left, there was a large desk with a laptop and a set of floating shelves. There was also an empty closet to the right.

I was finally able to breathe, "It's.... It's so... big. This is a guest room?"

"Yeah," Cloud nodded, taking my bags from me. "We, uh, kinda... spiced it up for you. Figured you deserved it, after all you've been through." He set the bags on the trunk at the end of the bed.

"It...," I took a deep breath. I slowly looked at him, tears coming to my eyes for at least the third time today. "I-it's too much. I-I can't accept this."

Cloud didn't say anything, just gently took hold of me. I leaned on his shoulder, sniffing and trying to stay calm. He patted and rubbed my back, occasionally running his fingers through my hair.

"Here, let's sit down," he guided me over to the bed. I struggled to sit on the edge, still clinging to him. Cloud whispered, "D-do you need a moment? Just... to yourself... to cry for a bit?"

"I-I...," I choked on my breath. "I don't know. Th-this is all just too much."

"Well, here's one thing I can do," he pulled away. "What do you want for dinner?"

I thought for a moment, "...Noodles. Just noodles. With butter."

Cloud smiled, "Buttery noodles it is."