MERRY CHRISTMAS (it's still 25 december here), I got my period today, I'm still sleepy, I just want to roll on my new blanket, the chapter is shorter than I planned (I cut it in half) and I didn't read the translation but this is my gift to you:
Baby dove pt.4 (Daddy!Howl)
"Let me go, let me go!"
"That's enough, nestling. You've caused enough trouble for tonight, you're going straight to bed."
His voice was calm but firm as you squirmed, trying to break free from his grip. But his hand wrapped around your wrist wouldn't let go, dragging you up the stairs. You tried to plant your feet on the ground, but he wouldn't stop, simply pulling you harder; you tried to grip the banister, but it suddenly became slippery, almost causing you to trip on the steps. You caught a glimpse of Markl still sitting at the table, his gaze lowered to his plate, before reaching the stairs.
"Let me go, I said!"
"Hush now, we're almost there."
Howl opened the door to your shared bedroom and then headed straight for your bed.
The first night, it was just an old folding bed hastily assembled with a straw mattress—not that you'd used it, since you'd snuggled up against him crying that time and fallen asleep on his—but the next day he'd fixed it up and added some branches, claiming it was simply a decoration. But "just a decoration" wasn't enough to describe it. Thanks to magic, the branches had grown from their roots on the floor and wrapped around the iron frame, bending and intertwining along the headboard and sides of the bed. There, they arched, giving the bed an oval shape. Here and there, green leaves poked out, rustling as if in the wind; in one corner of the headboard, a small lavender plant hung low, resting on the pillow.
It was a true work of art, made possible only by magic, because you didn't believe even the finest craftsman in the kingdom could create something like this. The only problem was with the sides: they stuck out about a foot from the mattress, making it difficult to get in. And to get out.
"Here, let's get in." Howl turned toward you and quickly grabbed you under the arms, lifting you up and placing you on the mattress.
"No, I don't want to stay here!" You kicked when he lifted you, and once your bottom touched the soft blanket beneath you, you lunged forward and tried to climb over the sides to get out as Howl walked away.
You couldn't even raise a knee: you only had time to grab the edge before something grabbed your leg and pinned it to the mattress. One of the branches at the foot of the bed had wrapped itself around you and was tugging gently, urging you to move back. You immediately clawed at it, trying to pry it free.
"Shh, hush now," he repeated as he pulled your pajamas from the closet and approached you again. "We'll change you and then put you to sleep."
"Howl, no! Damn it, leave me alone!" You struggled, trying to free your leg, and only when you felt his hands gripping the hem of your vest you shifted your attention to him.
"Come on, dove, you have to wear your pajamas." His tone remained soft even as you slapped his hands and wriggled. Somehow, he managed to remove your vest and unbutton your shirt, which required another pair of branches to restrain your arms. You screamed and cursed at him as he forced the fabric of your pajamas first over your head and then loosened one branch at a time to slide it down your arms.
Your legs were suddenly lifted, causing you to fall onto your back as he repeated the process with your pants. All the time, you kicked and wriggled, as much as the branches would allow.
"There you go, now you're all ready for sleep." Once you were done, Howl patted you on the head. You angrly glared at him. "Little dove, when I came back I warned you that you'd go straight to bed if you threw another tantrum, right? And what you did at the table is exactly what I consider a tantrum."
His lips pressed against your forehead in a tender kiss. You turned your head and his voice took on a softer tone, speaking almost in a whisper. "I know you're just tired and you didn't mean it. Rest now. Good night." And with that, he turned off the lights in the room and walked out, closing the door behind him, leaving you in the dark and stuck in bed.
i did my nails today while daddy howl was out! theyre veryy long but im super super proud of them and theyre super pretty! i even did a little calcifer and a good drawing of daddy howl. cause i wanna see him all the time on my nails. will he like them?!
Oh anon, Daddy Howl will be so proud of your drawing. You are his little artist, aren't you? 🥰
But...long nails? No-no, Daddy have to cut them. He can't have his adorable dove hurting themself by accident! What if you scratch yourself? Or you poke your eye...
Don't cry while he take care of them, he won't touch your beautiful art! And now you can play more comfortable with your toys!
It's a little shorter than I planned, but it was in my draft for too long and I wanted to post it, so I cut it the end. You'll read more in the next chapter. 👀
Baby dove pt.3 (Daddy!Howl)
It took you a while to calm down. Calcifer retreated to the back of the fireplace and you were grateful for the silence. You didn't know if there was anything else you should know, but surely you didn't want to now. Apparently, the only option available was what the demon said: waiting for Howl to get tired and hoping that it happens soon.
The ringing of the doorbell startled you and you jumped up in fear, only to breathe a sigh of relief when you saw Markl, alone. You cursed yourself for getting so anxious just from the ringing of a bell, but you still didn't feel like facing that guy.
You composed yourself and welcomed Markl, helping him carry in the groceries. You only got a fleeting glimpse of the city starting to light up for the evening before the youngest closed the door behind him, unaware of your problems.
Howl originally told you that he was the only one allowed to cook since the demon didn't like being used by anyone other than him. At first, like everything that happened to you these days, you didn't think about it too much. Now you wonder if it wasn't actually some form of infantilization towards you: you're too young to know how to cook, you could burn or cut yourself… In fact, now that you thought about it longer, he had never let you cook, if not sometimes "helping him pass the ingredients".
Not wanting to get angry for the umpteenth time that day, you looked at what you placed on the table: delicious-looking fruit and vegetables, an already gutted cod and a new bottle of oil.
"Howl asked me to buy some fish." Markl said with a rather disgusted expression, taking a stool and approaching the table. "It was the last thing I took. I didn't want to keep that smelly thing around all the time." Moving it away from him, he grabbed the cutting board and a knife. He held a turnip in his hand for a few seconds before starting to cut it, still pouting. "I hope at least these cover the disgusting taste."
You wondered if Howl saw you the same way you saw Markl. A sulking child complaining about food he doesn't like while standing on a stool because the table is too high for him.
You thought that at least the wizard didn't have to see you so short. Then you remembered that this kid at least could go out freely and be more useful than you in the kitchen.
You started looking for a knife to help him as you listened to him complain about how he didn't want to eat fish for dinner. The implications of this hit you.
"Wait. We don't…have leftovers right?"
"No, the soup for lunch is all gone. Unfortunately."
Yeah. Unfortunately. Having no leftovers meant he would be back earlier than usual to cook. You had hoped that you would be able to go to bed and pretend to be asleep when he returned. Now you were hoping that he would have some accident and wouldn't be able to make it home for a few more hours.
You started to open the cabinet after you only found spoons and forks in the cutlery tray. The castle was cleaner since you arrived, but still very messy. You spotted a cutlery handle sticking out from behind the pile of plates, only to realize it was another fork. "Hey Markl, where are all the knives?" It was your only chance to do something useful in the kitchen, you weren't going to waste it.
"Aren't they in the cutlery tray? I got this from there."
"No, not even in the drawers."
"In the sink? Howl was cutting some herbs for potions when I left. Maybe he left onethere."
You checked but, apart from a cup and a bowl, there was nothing else. You looked through the shelves above but couldn't spot a single one. It didn't help that they were higher than your head. You wouldn't ask Markl to lend you the stool. The library? Nothing. You huffed in annoyance.
"They are not here." Oh, if this was one of his tricks…
"Well, you know how he is, he always leaves things lying around. When he comes back we'll ask him. Is there anything else missing to set the table?"
You took 3 glasses scattered around, placing them on one side of the still clear table.
Then you pulled 3 plates out of the cabinet… and saw it. Behind the pile was a knife sticking out of a cup. A butter knife, sure, but still a knife. You grabbed it and triumphantly returned to the table, next to him. There were still some vegetables and you got ready to cut a carrot. Too bad the knife didn't cut. It simply rubbed on its surface. You tried using more force but the blade wasn't sharp enough.
"Um, isn't that a butter knife?" Markl must have noticed your struggle with that damn carrot.
"Yeah, I'm trying to cut it anyway." You snorted. You were almost tempted to break it in half. With bare hands.
The boy took on a confused expression "Do you know that the butter knife…is used to spread butter? Have you never used it?"
Oh god. Not him too. Not him too who treats you like a fool.
“I know what a butter knife is for, thanks.” You gritted your teeth as you brought your attention back to that orange thing.
You started cutting - no, rubbing - that fucking knife on that fucking carrot again.
"But-"
"I can do it." You cut him off.
He shook his head, sighing "Come on, pass it to me, I'll take care of it."
"No."
"C'mon-"
"No. I'll do it."
"Now I understand why Howl never lets you help us in the kitchen."
"What?!" You dropped the knife on the table and the moment you turned to look at him, he stole your vegetable.
"Yeah, you'd probably just screw up." He stuck his tongue out at you before quickly cutting it off.
That little…Now you were really getting offended.
"That's not true! I'm capable of helping, you know?"
“Yes, cutting vegetables with a butter knife.”
"It's not my fault, there weren't any others."
"But you can't use that!"
"I wanted to try!"
"Sure, next time you'll try it with a fork?"
"Stop teasing me!"
"You're the one doing stupid things."
"It is not true!"
"Yes."
"No!"
“Shall we talk about when you went out the other day and got lost?
"What?!"
You honestly didn't expect him to bring that topic up. But you couldn't accept that a brat younger than you was still putting you down.
"There were just a lot of people, that's all. And then I bet you'd get lost too. In fact, you'd end up crushed because of how short you are."
Now it was your turn to stick your tongue out at him and tease him.
"Actually I left before you and returned safely. Oh, and I didn't need anyone to take me home."
Or maybe not. Dammit. Losing an argument to a child about you not being a stupid child.
"Well, I…I…I didn't need Howl!" You slammed your palms on the table and Markl flinched at your outburst. He looked at you with wide eyes as you continued to squeal. "I don't need him or you! Nobody!" He continued to stare at you in fear, shaking his head, but you didn't care anymore. "I want to get out of here! I've had enough!"
"And where would you go?"
You froze, two large hands resting on your shoulders, pulling you towards his chest.
Markl wasn't looking at you.
Slowly raising your head, you met Howl's smiling face.
y’know the little thing about howl having a cold like the little book snippet,,,,
If that’s how dramatic Daddy!howl is about a cold? What happens if I get a cold?
Is he vain enough to stay away, and I can escape?! Or is he just mean and makes me take cough medicine and rest :(
I could totally escape while sick!
-Sleepy anon 🫶
Hii sleepy!
He will obv be a meanie and makes you take medicines. >:(
At least they won't taste that bad. He knows a lot of potions, so he must know a medicine that isn't so yucky.
And no, he doesn't want to be sick, but what kind of Daddy will he be if he ignores his sick little dove? That can't happen. He will wear a mask, he will always wash his hands, but he will take care of you one way or another.
He keeps you in bed the whole time so you can rest, but it will be absolutely disturbing when you open your eyes and decide to go downstairs to drink some water, only to find him already next to you with a glass in his hand without you had the chance to put one foot out of the blankets. Do you start to wake up because your nose is stuffy and you can't breathe well? You immediately feel a tissue on your nose. You're alone in the room and your stomach just growled? The noise is covered by the sound of the door opening because Howl is bringing you something to eat. He knows what you need and when. Are you sure you can escape from him?
And if he hasn't done it before, this will be the time he puts you in diapers, so you don't have to get up to go to the toilet. Try to complain because you don't need it, you can at least get up and go to the toilet, he will just press on your bladder until you piss yourself. You can't fight him with how weak you are. But it wasn't that bad, was it? And with a clean diaper, it will be even better. There's no need to get upset, after all he's already done it before while you were sleeping. Yup, you wet yourself earlier in your sleep.
I had to split also this part because it was too long lol. Daddy!Howl at the beggining, but then just a loong chat with Calcifer that you won't like. 👀
No nest yet, but there will be I hope in the next part.
Baby dove pt.2 (Daddy!Howl)
You didn't know when you fell asleep. And you were still half asleep when Howl woke you up. He held a steaming bowl of beef and carrot stew in one hand and a spoon in the other. He smiled lovingly at you. "Earlier I came to call you for dinner but you were sleeping soundly, so I let you rest. But we can't leave you hungry all night, can we?" He gave your tummy a quick tickle which made you giggle involuntarily as you sat up. He also sat on a stool next to the bed, facing you. He used the spoon to mix the bowl thoroughly, taking it out with little bits of meat on top. He blew on it to cool it down, before bringing it to your lips. "Here, open wide."
And so you did, opening your mouth and allowing him to feed you. The fact that you actually opened your mouth to protest didn't matter. "Good little bird. Oh, wait." Some broth dripped down your chin and he promptly pulled a napkin from his pocket to clean it. Cleaning your face was something he did daily at the table. You hated it. You never had time to grab your napkin before you could already feel his rubbing against the corner of your mouth. God, Markl occasionally managed to get the tip of his nose dirty while eating, but the bastard never said anything to him and h could clean himself, even using the sleeve of his shirt. Then once you tried to do the same but that asshole stopped you, warning you that you would get your clothes dirty. Of course, the next moment his napkin was rubbing your cheek.
You continued to accept, this time for real, the morsels he gave you until the bowl was completely empty. You were tired again at this point and laid back down as he tucked you in. Not without obviously cleaning your face first, again.
In a way, you were really hoping that Howl would get mad at you for running away from home. Maybe he was lenient in the evening because he saw you overwhelmed and tired, so he wanted to postpone the scolding until the next day. It wasn't as if you wanted a scolding or punishment, you would just feel even more degraded and infantilized. But his nonchalance made it seem as if it wasn't a bother looking for you around the city. As if it was a simple walk you took together.
But in the morning, he woke you up gently as always, asking if you had a good night. No reference to what happened, just a mockery when you realized you were wearing pajamas: you hadn't changed before falling asleep, so he took care of it when he came up to call you for dinner, even tucking you under the blankets. "Did the walk exhaust you that much?" he joked, to which you simply shrugged. Too embarrassed to think about him undressing you and how you stayed asleep.
But that was all. Neither Markl nor Calcifer asked you any questions.
And so the day, like the day after, went on normally. Do some household chores, help mix potions, give wood to Calcifer. And Howl was his usual self, taking care of you lovingly, helping you get dressed even though you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself or wiping your face with that damn napkin even if you were sure it was already clean.
Maybe it was the lack of punishment that pushed you to wait for the right opportunity to try again.
On the third day after that attempt, you headed down the stairs, determined to make it this time. At this moment Markl was out, Howl was finally out, since he had never left the castle again, probably to keep an eye on you.
From the fireplace Calcifer watched you curiously. "What are you doing?"
You approached the door: the arrow pointed to black, which worked in your favor. When the wizard went to that door, he wouldn't return before dinner. You managed to have many hours of advantage this time too. You had to make good use of them.
"Just…going to get some air. I promise I'll be right back." you answered the demon vaguely, rotating the dial so that the arrow was now pointing to blue.
Kingsbury was out of the question now, and even going out on the Waste was a bad idea on all fronts: you'd have to jump from a moving castle, hoping it wasn't on the edge of a cliff at the moment, wander around for who-knows-how-much and for who-knows-where and pray not to meet the Witch.
Porthaven was the safest choice. You could sail on a boat and left the city right away, and besides, with the clothes you were wearing, it would have been easier to blend in with the locals. This time you had to a white collared sweater, tucked into a pair of high-waisted brown trousers. You had to admit that overall they were comfortable and the sweater kept you warm, although the red bow tied on the collar and the matching hat you saw for sure in the closet made it look more like a children's school uniform. It was the only thing you argued about with Howl that morning. Of course your protest was ignored as that asshole finished tying it up and commented on how stylish you looked. And adorable.
At least now you didn't have to worry about things like that anymore. You would have succeeded for sure.
You grabbed the handle and turned it. The door didn't move. You tried again. No matter how much you tried to pull, it stayed put, as if someone had locked it. Which wasn't possible, because Markl was the last one out and never blocked it. Hell, probably it doesn't even exist a key.
"Um, you can't do that." Calcifer explained to you, visibly embarrassed "Howl told me not to let you out of here." He grabbed a wooden log, avoiding your gaze "He doesn't want you to go out alone…like last time. You know, in case you get lost or worse, see the Witch again…"
"WHAT?" You screamed so loudly that the demon hid in fear under a pile of ash. You approached the fireplace menacingly "It makes no sense! The Witch can't come to Porthaven! I'll be safe! I want to go out! NOW!"
Calcifer stuck his head out "I'm really sorry, but you know I can't disobey his orders! You have to ask him if-eek!" You kicked the chair near the fireplace, knocking it over.
That bastard Howl! That filthy bastard Howl! Who did he think he was, keeping you locked up here?
Exhaling loudly, you pushed the chair back up, before collapsing into it and closing your eyes. What could you do? The windows probably wouldn't have opened either and using the small balcony upstairs wouldn't be a good idea, unless you wanted to jump down from about twenty metres.
No, the only escape was through that door. Maybe you could wait until Markl reopen it when he return, then jump out and run. You felt bad at the thought of having to use force against a kid.
And you felt even worse when you wondered if Calcifer's magic was limited just to shut doors and windows. If Howl told him not to let you out, you probably won't succeed anyway…
A faint clatter brought you out of your thoughts. The demon had reached out to place a cup next to you, retreating soon after. He was probably afraid of another outburst of anger. "It's warm milk. You should drink it, the cup is not so hot."
You accepted it gratefully, sipping the white, creamy liquid inside. It left a sweet aftertaste, maybe honey had been added. Relaxing. "This is the first time you've cooked of your own." You joked "Actually, how did you manage to prepare it? Do you have your own personal pantry under all that ash or what?"
"Ah! My personal pantry! It would be a dream, always full of wooden logs and bacon." His flames grew redder as he rambled on about how he would like to eat a slice of bacon, it had been weeks since the last time.
But something didn't convince you. "Calcifer. How did you make the milk?"
This made him agitated. "Oh, well, it's easy, I've been keeping him here next to me and warming him up, all this time. You know, I'm a fire demon, for me something like this is child's play, ahaha."
"Calcifer!"
"Howl did it! Don't blame me, I only follow orders!" And with that he lowered himself to his eyes under the embers.
"What did he tell you? To give it to me if I thought about killing him?" You gripped the cup in your hand
"No…in case you threw a tantrum."
The cup broke into pieces when you threw it at him. The milk spilled into the fireplace as he moved around trying not to get wet "Hey, hey, I told you not to blame me!" He took refuge on top of the other pieces of log, which fortunately were dry. He looked at you irritated "I have to do what he orders me, if you don't like something talk to him. What's up with me?"
"You thought I was a child who threw a tantrum!"
"No! I just saw you stressed and thought it was a good time." His flames flickered quickly "Listen, he's never acted so… overprotective, not even with Markl. I don't know what's gotten into him and I know you want to run away, but try to hold on and not get into trouble, okay? it will pass sooner or later."
"Hopefully sooner than later." you huffed, going to grab a rag to clean up the milk that was dripping down the fireplace. It already dried near the embers and the demon returned to its place.
You tossed the rag aside and slumped into your chair once more. Calcifer stared at you silently, chewing on a couple of broken pieces of the cup.
“How long do you think it will take?” you asked after a couple of minutes. “I'm going crazy and I've only been here a week.”
"It's hard to say. Honestly, I don't know what he found so interesting about you but, with all the precautions he's taking, I don't think he'll let you go any day now."
“And you won't let me go either, right?”
"Stop accusing me!" the flames turned bright red again "I'm tied to him, I can't do anything about it. If it were up to me, I would have kicked all 3 of you out of here!" He ate another piece of pottery, this one longer and thinner. It had to be the handle.
You fiddled with the bracelet, rotating it around your wrist. This is also a gift from the Wizard. It was enchanted to protect you from the Witch, he told you so as he tied it. A simple silver band set with small gems. You didn't know how it was supposed to work, but you were sure it would. If that crazy man feared so much for your safety, he certainly wouldn't have let you get into such great danger. And the way he reassured you that first night, while you were crying on his chest after the nightmare, sounded quite sincere.
Calcifer finished eating all the shards and calmed down "Anyway, even if I let you out, Howl would find you and bring you back here. Haven't you learned your lesson?"
“I was just lost!” you defended yourself "That's why I chose Porthaven this time, it's smaller and I would have been able to leave for sure."
But he just shook his head. "You're forgetting that he's a Wizard. Haven't you figured it out yet? He found you because he already knew where you were. You could even board a boat and sail across the North Sea, he'd know perfectly well. Trust me, from the moment you leave that door, you lost."
A shiver ran down your spine. You weren't sure if you would like what you were about to know. "So he…"
“As soon as you closed the door he came out of the bathroom and came down laughing.” Calcifer took on a more yellow hue and stretched upwards. His voice tried to take on a deeper tone, a funny imitation of Howl. "Eh, it seems my little dove didn't want to wait for me. I better not let them out of my sight." The demon (Calcifer) then returned to his original form. "And after that he left. When you returned, I thought he had accompanied you around the city, since you were out all that time. But before he went to sleep, he told me that he simply followed you from above as you wandered around. And then he charmed the door, telling me not to let you out."
You felt a knot in your stomach during the story. You weren't liking what you were knowing. "But…but how does he do it? I mean…he's a wizard, not a seer! How does he know where I am?"
Calcifer pointed to your hand "Try taking it off."
"Huh?"
"The bracelet. Try taking it off."
You stared at it. You already tried to take it off once: you wanted to take a bath but you feared damaging it. Howl simply told you that it was enchanted and the silver wouldn't be ruined by water. You hadn't thought about it since then.
You probably should have. You were sure there had been a box clasp when he had you put it on, but now you couldn't see any. The only solution was to take it off, but the band was wrapped tightly against your skin. You could move it around your wrist, but not let it go past your hand.
It wasn't enchanted just to protect you from the Witch, was it?
"There's a tracking spell. Plus something else to keep you from taking it away" he explained. "Oh, along with a protection one, of course." He added as if it was supposed to reassure you, but it didn't.
It was more than just a bracelet.
It was a chain.
A chain that tied you to him.
And that you couldn't get rid of.
You started crying and sobbing.
Okay but,,,, what if Daddy Howl,,, and little reader,,, and can't escape because moving castle,,, and being dragged to nest-bed by bird form Howl??? Yes? Yes??? YE S?????
Y E S
Y E S
It's too long so I had to divide the fic into two part (for now, if I don't get more ideas 👀)
I'll talk about the nest in the next one!
Baby dove pt.1 (Daddy!Howl)
You couldn't stand staying here anymore. It was all becoming too overwhelming and disturbing, especially with Howl's overly protective behaviors. You didn't know how to describe it, but you had this strange feeling that you needed to get out of here as soon as possible, before things got worse. It was going well the first day he took you in, but the way he started treating you like a fragile little thing made you shiver. that's why today you took advantage of one of his long bath, trying to escape to the capital the moment he closed the door behind him.
You didn't have a specific destination in mind, you would have been chappy to reach the countryside, get on a farmer's cart and reach some remote village. You had only visited the city a couple of times and only the center and the streets around the house, but it wouldn't be too difficult, right?
Wrong. Everything was more crowded than you remembered, you had to go around closed streets, squeeze into narrow tunnels, walk between stalls and almost risked getting arrested when you found yourself in the middle of the street during a military parade. The second time you passed the exact same perfume shop, you realized that you were lost. You didn't know how long you had been walking, you hoped that the Wizard hadn't noticed your escape yet. The fear of finding him behind you hadn't left your body since you went out. You forced yourself to walk again. Just in case he was on your trail, it was safer to blend into the crowd than to stay still. You had also tried going into shops to rest, pretending to take a look at the mirrors displayed inside or looking for a new wall clock. And every time you heard the people behind you commenting on your less than elegant appearance and wondering if you really had the money to buy that snakeskin belt. Rich people like them were able to buy expensive things. But you? Oh well, who care, a snakeskin belt wouldn't have improved an outfit as sloppy as yours. You were offended: you were only wearing a white shirt and light blue pants that paired with a vest of the same color. Pretty simple, sure, but not sloppy! When you heard the owner of a jewelry store muttering about how he had to keep an eye on you to prevent you from stealing, you stormed out. You were REALLY tired, running away from a crazy man, starting to get hungry, and you were called a thief? Fuck everyone. Fuck that shopkeeper, fuck this fucking city and its snobbish people, fuck Howl and above all fuck that Witch. And fuck Howl again.
Fuck this sudden festival too. You didn't even know what it was for, but if everything hadn't been so chaotic today, you would have been able to get much further than this. How big was this city??
Only when the sun began to set the people head home and you wished you could take refuge in some inn and spend there the night. Unfortunately you had no money, just a few coins with which you hoped to be able to buy dinner for the evening. It had been a very unplanned escape.
You sat on a bench. Damn, at least 5 minutes, your feet were starting to hurt. You prayed with all your heart that Howl was still in the bathtub. His baths were always so long, why did today have to be any different? But you couldn't get rid of the anxiety that he was behind you, ready to take you home. And now that there were few people left on the streets, you felt even more vulnerable.
“Are you tired, baby dove?”
This was...HIS voice. You jumped up. There he was, off to the side, closer than you expected. You stared at him trembling, frozen in fear. He just chuckled. He didn't seem angry, not even irritated "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Come on, let's go home, it can get cold in the evening." He took off his jacket to wrap it around you. At that moment you recovered from your state of shock and now all you wanted to do was run, escape. But he didn't get upset, no, he simply grabbed your wrist and pressed it to his chest, stroking your hair. It was supposed to be an attempt to calm you down, but you were only getting more agitated, squirming in his hold. “Let me go, let me go!”
"Baby dove, it's late, we have to go."
"NO!"
You gathered all your strength and pushed him away. You caught him by surprise and he almost fell backwards as you ran away. But your escape was short: you made it about ten meters before you felt your leg being pulled back, causing you to fall onto the road. You at least had the readiness to break the fall with your arms, even if your palms started to burn immediately after the impact.
"And that's why we don't throw tantrums and we don't run away." Howl scolded you, this time with a hint of firmness in his voice, though his tone remained condescending. Like a parent scolding a toddler.
You wondered if that "don't run away" was meant just for now. Probably not, but you didn't dare to ask.
He knelt down to see if you were hurt and, once he noticed that you had only grazed your hands a little, he picked you up.
"If you were a good little fledgling, I would have made you walk on air with me. It seems like that will be for another time, hm?" And with that you felt his body change, filling with feathers while two powerful black wings emerged from his back, his legs transformed into bird legs and his arms into claws. If you hadn't already seen him in this form, you would have screamed in terror.
It doesn't matter, you screamed anyway as he took flight and you held on for dear life, desperately squeezing your eyes shut. You were high, too high for your liking. "Don't worry, baby dove, Daddy will never let you fall." He whispered in your ear. You didn't processed it, too scared to listen.
It was a relief when you landed in front of the house. And the warmth of Calcifer that hit you when you two entered felt good. You didn't realized how cold it had been outside, despite Howl's jacket.
He didn't let you go, taking you directly to his room and placing you in your bed. "Take a nap, baby dove. You're tired. I'll wake you up for dinner, okay?" he planted a kiss on your forehead before leaving the room.
You laid there, legs aching, starting to cry silently. All the effort you had put in for nothing. And the fact that Howl didn't even recognize this as an attempt to escape made it worse. It made you feel pathetic. As if it were all a toddler's tantrum.
um.. i always spill my food on my shirt. i really like wearing light and pastel colours cause its suprr cutesy! but..,, it always gets stained with food…
i went to a fancy restaurant with those napkins u put on ur lap! i still managed to get my shirt dirty :((
i think daddy howl would make me wear a bib because of this. id get very angry cause its covering my pretty shirt!! but hed insist because it really is such a hassle washing all the stains out.. and bc i look like a baby
Aww, poor anon. But why you expected a napkin on your lap to protect your shirt from the stains? It should have gone around your neck! Next time Daddy Howl will definitely put something more appropriate on you. And who said a bib can't be pretty? Daddy will get only the most adorable and cutest among them!
And if you continue to be fussy, Daddy will feed you himself.
