The Strawberry
Ethan groaned at the sensation of a familiar weight on his face. He snorted. The human cracked an eye open, looking for what he already knew was there. His nose wrinkled.
“Cap….geddoff m’face…”
“But Ethan, I’m hungry!”
The whiny reply drew a heavy sigh from the blond. He shifted, closing his eye. Ethan heard a huff, followed by a light tapping sensation on his nose. Snorting, Ethan shook his head. His attempt to dislodge his tiny guest failed, and he sighed. “Cap, c’mon...five more minutes….”
Cap whimpered, collapsing onto Ethan’s face. They were hungry, darnit! The borrower batted at their human’s face. “Don’t ‘c’mon’ me mister man! I want something to eat!...please?”
Ethan sighed again, opening both eyes now. He crossed them slightly, sneering at the figure in his sights. He knew Cap well enough to know they wouldn’t leave him alone until he got their food… Then, a thought occurred to him. A favor for them meant a favor for him…~ He could use this later. Grinning now, Ethan closed his eyes once more.
“Alright, alright...fine. I’ll getcha a snack. But, you owe me one,” he sighed.
Cap beamed. They gave Ethan’s face a pat, then slid off to one side. Once they gained their footing on Ethan’s pillow, they giggled.
“I can handle a favor, but first, food!~” Cap squeaked, facing Ethan. They watched their giant friend sit up, his hulking form stretching out tiredly. Ethan’s bleary, green gaze moved to them. He yawned, then stretched a hand to Cap. Without hesitation, the borrower slid into his palm. Ethan drew his hand to his chest, then rocked himself to his feet. Cap settled against Ethan’s soft shirt, humming contently.
Ethan shuffled into the kitchen, his socked feet sliding against the tile floor. He yawned again, this time sighing as he did so. His lips smacked as he moved to the fridge, eyes skimming the contents of his mostly-filled fridge. After a few moments, he noticed a bright red. Strawberries. Fresh ones, too. Cap’s favorite treat.
Cap shivered as Ethan opened the strange food portal; he called the massive box a “fridge”. They supposed that made sense, since the contraption spat out freezing-cold air. Unconsciously, they shuffled closer to Ethan’s warm chest. They watched Ethan’s hand hovered through the shelves. Their gaze fell onto the strawberries, and their eyes widened.
Cap nearly jumped to their feet as Ethan’s free hand moved to the strawberries. They looked to his face, grinning at his tired smile. Ethan’s hand retrieved the berries, then his knuckles pushed the massive door closed. Cap sat up straight, leaning forwards in Ethan’s hand. It was almost like he was drawing this out on purpose… Slowly, Ethan’s hand settled the strawberries onto the counter beside the fridge.
Tongue out in concentration, Ethan used his free hand to pop the strawberry container open. He smirked at the fruity, sweet scent they gave off. Cap seemed nearly as excited as they could be, their little weight vibrating in his hand. Ethan plucked a plump, ripe strawberry from the small box. He moved it to Cap, holding it in front of his little friend. Cap happily took the treat, the entire fruit almost the size of their entire body. Ethan rolled his eyes.
Cap squealed at the sight of the strawberry. As soon as they could, they drew their prize to their chest. They bit into the sour, sweet strawberry. Its juices spilled onto their face, though Cap hardly minded. They tore into their snack, not noticing the juice dribbling down their chin and face. It wasn’t until the fridge closed Cap looked up, but was soon distracted by food once more.
Ethan snorted at Cap’s enthusiasm, smirking. They were such an odd little thing...adorable, of course, but odd. He ruffled their hair with his thumb, then moved to a chair at his kitchen table. Carefully, as not to jostle Cap, he sat. He watched as they devoured most of the strawberry, leaning back when they’d had their fill. Their little hands wiped at their face, though it did little good in cleaning off the sticky juice. Ethan chuckled, his eyes flickering mischievously. He gently took the strawberry from his hand, settling it atop a clean napkin. No doubt Cap would want to finish it off later.
Cap blinked as they felt their palm perch raise up. They sat back, licking bits of strawberry juice from their hands. In their attempt to clean themself, Cap failed to notice a wall of pink flesh approaching them. It wasn’t until they felt something slimy and warm brush their front they realized. Seemed Ethan was trying to handle the cleaning for them… Cap laughed, pushing back at the blond’s tongue. This only seemed to encourage Ethan, as his tongue lapped at them again and again.
Ethan grinned, slurping at Cap once more. Their familiar flavor complimented the strawberry’s nicely… He hummed and licked at his lips once the berry flavor was gone, leaning back so Cap could breathe. The little borrower’s face aws bright red with laughter, and they paused to wipe some of the slime from their face.
“Was that really necessary?” Cap asked, slinging more slobber from their fingers. Though Ethan’s drool wasn’t an unusual thing for them to deal with, it was by no means something that came out easily.
“Hey, you’re the one that woke me up, I was just claiming my favor~.” Ethan snickered, clearly proud of himself. “‘Sides, we both know that strawberry would’ve stained and you’d hate that, right?”
Cap rolled their eyes, shooting Ethan a dirty look. They hated admitting Ethan was right, especially when it came to him being like this. But, he had a point. Cap hated staining their clothes, almost as much as they wanted to hate Ethan’s hungry tendencies. Had they not known Ethan this well, they would have been a panicked mess. But Ethan’d proved he’d never hurt them time and time again. The fact he’d let them stay in his home this long was enough proof of that.
“Alright li’l mouse, let’s get you really cleaned up,” Ethan sighed. He stood again, this time moving to his sink. He ran the water for Cap, making sure it was just the right temperature. His hand supported Cap as they cleaned off, rinsing off what little drool stuck to their hair and clothes. Considering the circumstance, Ethan thought he’d been generous. At least he hadn’t fully slurped them up, as he’d originally wanted to. But today, he wanted to nap more than snack…
While Cap dried themself off, Ethan let out a massive yawn. His eyes half-closed, and he slouched. With all of that excitement over, he just wanted to return to his sleep. Cap tossed the towel off of Ethan’s hand, the cloth landing on the counter below. They looked to him as he walked to the living room, wordlessly settling on the couch. Ethan kicked his legs out in front of him, dragging his throw blanket over his chest and legs. As he lay back down, he cupped his hand over Cap.
Cap yawned, their full middle making them feel sleepy. They barely shifted as Ethan got comfy, save resting their head on his chest. Ethan’s breathing and heartbeat filled their ears. At one point, these sounds had terrified Cap. But now, they were a familiarity, and a comfort. They were signs. They were signs there was someone there for them; someone that would do anything for them. Someone that would make himself get up from a nap just to feed them… It was a humbling thought, and a good thought at that.
Ethan relaxed on his back. His eyes closed again, a smile forming on his face. Even though living with Cap had taken some getting used to...he wouldn’t change it for the world. Having his little mouse around was always a delight…~ Even if they were kind of needy. Ethan adored Cap. They were his little mouse, and he was more than happy to help them out.
“Love you, big kitty….” Cap called, their tiny voice barely stirring Ethan. He smiled, his hand settling atop their tiny form.
“Love you too, li’l mouse,” Ethan rumbled. “Now get some sleep, mkay?”
Ethan didn’t have to tell Cap twice. Without another word, Cap settled beneath his hand and dozed off. Ethan yawned once more, eventually joining them in a peaceful slumber. Before either of them realized, they were fast asleep. The strawberry, now forgotten, sat in the kitchen. It would wait until dinner time.
~~
AN
Another story with Cap and Ethan! This one is from our borrower verse, where human!Ethan is host to a borrower!Cap. They’re just—they’re so cute I love these guys ;w;
This is more miuthpkay than full on noms but I wanted to be safe so — sue me oml
Also Kitty and mouse are private nicknames for Ethan and Cap so don’t go calling them that—they’re very touchy about those names
Ethan is mine, Cap belongs to @princesaltines