Browtober Drabbles

Day 23 - Mask

There were a lot of things Sevii wanted to do in his life. Most were daring and risky, and perhaps things his parents wouldn’t approve of even on a good day- but he was on his own now, far from their influence… mostly… and while he still did his best to stay safe at all costs, he couldn’t help but wonder what it’d be like to do things like spacediving, or even feeling the close but still safely distanced pull of a galaxy’s black hole. But none interested him more these days than…

How curious he was about how Roze’s mask felt.

As much as he saw them around, he didn’t really know much about painted satyrs before Roze came into his life- he came from a planet with a population made up of 97% browbirds, after all. So you can imagine his shock when he read that they often bore masks made up of materials related to their innate aspects. It made him wonder… What material was Roze’s made up of? He’d felt his boyfriend’s face before, sure, but he couldn’t quite figure it out even then- it was just smooth.

So, tonight, with Roze leaning against him as they watched TV movies together, he decided he was going to muster up the courage to ask.

“... Hey, Roze?” He piped up, inwardly cringing at how awkward he felt and no doubt sounded.

“Yeah?” The satyr quickly turned his attention to the other.

“What… material is your mask?”

“Oh!” Roze chuckled, “It’s paper, silly.”

And boy, did Sevii feel like it.

Day 19 - Stitches

Sevii was no stranger to getting into trouble- but rarely was it that he got injured severely enough to need more than a bandage or two. The idea of needing much more than that actually kind of scared him a little, actually. So when he slipped up with a knife while cooking with Roze and left a big, deep cut in his thumb… It was a bit of a worst nightmare scenario. And no matter how tolerant of pain you are, seeing a bleeding wound on your own body was never a comfortable sight to see.

“What’s wro- oh, shit!” Roze gasped, turning attention to his partner when he heard him make a pained hiss from behind gritted teeth. “That looks deep… Sevii…”

Sevii didn’t like seeing the worried look Roze gave him, and tried to muster a reassuring smile. “It’s ok, just a wash and a bandage and it should be fine!” He tried to give a thumbs up, but that quickly proved to be a bad idea, obviously.

“Idiot! Don’t move it around, keep it still and above your heart!” The satyr was quick to take charge, and Sevii was taken aback as Roze fished around in a cabinet for a first aid kit and pulled out a gauze pad. “Put this over it and apply pressure to it until we can take you to a hospital- that clearly needs stitches.”

Sometimes, Roze’s knowledge really surprised Sevii- he really wasn’t just a pretty face… that's what he liked about him.

But he definitely wasn’t going to enjoy getting stitched up…

Day 18 - Downpour

Roze had been beyond excited to go on this little trip with his boyfriend, Sevii. A little fall shopping at the capital’s shopping district?? There was surely nothing that could rain on THIS satyr’s parade!

Well… except actual rain. Forecasted on the day they were going, and now it was really happening… Roze cursed his own thoughts as if they jinxed it somehow. He had been looking forward to this for days, and now they’d have to cancel it.

The pink satyr looked out the window, where gloomy storm clouds loomed ominously overhead, threatening to send their pent-up moisture down onto the ground below at any second.

His look turned into a glare. Stupid rain clouds… why wouldn’t they have chosen any other day? Though, he was at least thankful they chose to show themselves before the date had already started, stranding them outside without an umbrella or something. He much preferred to be inside when it rained, that’s for sure.

Much to Roze’s surprise, though, a familiar vehicle pulled up. He couldn’t believe his eyes, Sevii had actually come anyway!? His eyes were glued to the front window as the blonde browbird stepped out of the driver’s side and walked up to the door, which Roze promptly got to for him.

“Sevii?? What are you doing here? Don’t you know it’s going to rain today…?”

“I do, but even if we can’t go out, I’d still like to spend the day with you.”

Roze just about melted at that.

So, they hung out as the deluge of heavy rain began. In Roze’s opinion, maybe it was even better than a shopping trip…

Day 17 - Familiar Summon

His breath quickened- heart racing as he steadied the staff in his hand. He wondered if he had the guts to do any of this, to summon a familiar- a creature that would be bound to him as an assistant through a contract made in blood. Sevii knew very little magic- just how to conjure up a small flame or two thanks to his aspect… but a whole familiar? He had no idea.

He steeled himself, taking the appropriate stance within a magic circle he had referenced from a guidebook he found in a dusty bookshelf, made with the best dream sand he could buy… and put his staff in front of him, muttering words in a language long since forgotten in contemporary times.

With a small cut on his thumb so his blood could drop onto the sigils below, Sevii slammed the staff’s end onto the center as he uttered the last phrase. Quickly was he blinded by the glow it emitted, forced to shield his eyes as the spell executed- and then when it was over and he lowered his arm, before him was… The most beautiful painted satyr he had ever seen.

Sevii was stunned, but the wonder was broken pretty quickly as the satyr spoke with a devilish little smile on his lips.

“Oh Sevii… Pay me in kisses, okay?” He winked, and something about it made Sevii burst out laughing. He tried, but he just couldn’t take their silly roleplaying session seriously when Roze spoke like that.

Day 25 - Doll

Sevii was never really one for knick knacks that were made to look like intelligent beings. Sure, he thought the occasional toy figurine of a Kitbull was cute, but if he had to choose, he’d rather go for something like a kitlike figurine than that of a kitbull. Something about the former just… creeped him out, like they could come to life at any moment. And you know, he’d seen enough horror movies featuring dolls as antagonists to know why that was.

So when Roze wanted to go into a doll shop specializing in ones of kitbulls, satyrs and browbirds that suddenly opened up on the strip? Sevii wasn’t too keen on it, but he loved Roze, so inside he went with him. At the very least, maybe he’d find some that he didn’t get a feeling of dread from.

“Oh, how cute!” Roze said, gazing in wonder and awe at the many sculpts that were on display. Sevii was looking around as well- taking note of how uncanny the realistic sculpts were, so he opted to look at the anime-style ones instead. With simpler, cartoonish faces, they were much easier to find enjoyable. “How would you feel if I got a doll made to look like you, Sevii?” the other chuckled, but Sevii was absolutely not keen on the idea.

“I’m not the biggest fan of dolls, so…” He felt bad admitting it, but it’s not something he wanted to lie to his partner about, so he readily came clean.

Day 14 - Worst Nightmare

Even with his eyes closed, Sevii could tell something wasn’t right. His body refused to move… it was eerie, no matter how much he willed his eyes to open, or for a limb to wiggle even slightly, it just wouldn’t happen. He couldn’t help but wonder- was this a dream? Or was it a bout of sleep paralysis?

Though, he’d never had sleep paralysis before, and considering what he’d heard about it, he certainly wasn’t keen on experiencing it.

Eventually, he started to pick up noises… someone breathing? Or was it hissing? He wasn’t sure, but it was close… It was unlike anything he’d heard before, and it turned into a low growl before long- something you’d hear from a large, imposing beast. Oh gods, this was sleep paralysis, wasn’t it?

Just as he thought that, it felt as though a large heavy mass jumped on his chest, causing his eyes to shoot open. It was an absolutely horrifying experience, the hallucinations he had read about were just as bad as he could have imagined… there were hazy, dark shadows surrounding him and Roze, who was sleeping so soundly next to him. He tried to say something to maybe wake him up, or to move and try to keep the shadows away, but it was no use… he was stuck in the odd between state of having a fully awake conscious brain, but a fast asleep body.

Fuck, he thought, squeezing his eyes as shut as he could get them.

Day 29 - Glitched

There was something so spooky about playing somber games after the sun went down. Not even horror games, just… games with a gloomy atmosphere and dark subject matter. Roze had insisted they play Streets of The Damned 2 on the PF2, a game that Sevii had personally never heard of before. Maybe it was a new one? 

But… the PF2 was hardly a new console… so maybe it just never crossed his path- he wasn’t a gamer, especially around those years. Seemed to be a classic, considering Roze was so excited to have him play it.

“Okay, I’ll play,” Sevii said, picking up the controller that his partner had picked up for him, “But don’t expect masterful gameplay from me- I’m very new to videogames still.”

“That’s what makes this the best time to play it!” Roze practically sang out, a wide smile on his face. It kind of worried Sevii- just what was he about to experience on this stormy, dark october night…?

Boy, was he not prepared for the gameplay ahead of him. Streets filled with mist, monsters… terrifying mental turmoil… and then something happened that really creeped Sevii out.

“That’s… not supposed to happen, is it?” He turned to Roze, as one of the enemy characters’ model stretched impossibly into the gloomy skybox, far above the clouds. Its shambling movements seemed unfit for its bones. Eventually, even more with similar features began popping up, much to both their bewilderment.

“Uh, no… Maybe the CD is a little dusty?” Was the only explanation Roze could think of, and god did Sevii hope that was it.

Day 16 - Bones

It was a wonderful fall day for a walk in the park. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. So, that’s exactly what Sevii and Roze did, hand in hand around the most scenic parts of the trail surrounded by park forest. Of course, it was still a little chilly, so they both had their cloaks and sweaters on to keep warm if it decided to dip or get cold suddenly. Things were going pretty good so far, though…

“Thank you for coming here with me.” Roze smiled up at his partner, and Sevii did the same.

“I’m more than happy to accompany you to the park any time, Roze, honestly.” Sevii returned, squeezing the pink satyr’s delicate hand in his, and Roze squeezed softly back.

Birds chirped up above in the trees as they walked in step with each other, Sevii making sure not to go too fast- he was very aware he had a longer stride on average compared to his partner, after all, and he didn’t want Roze to feel like he had to pick up the pace or be dragged along.

But before long, something happened- Roze yelped as he tripped on something that was on the trail under their feet, and almost brought Sevii down with him. Thankfully, He was able to keep his footing and grip, which also prevented the other from taking a nasty fall.

“You good?” Sevii asked, helping Roze collect himself.

“Yeah… what was that?”

To their horror, when they looked down…

At their feet… were Browbird bones.