Chapter Text
Pebbles jumped slightly as he felt a cold wet nose nudge against his leg. He tried to ignore it. He felt it again. Ugh. He looked down at the impatient slugcat at his feet. She was laying down, pancake style, underneath the foot of his desk where he had been working for the past few hours. She stared up at him with a big pleading eyes. Or just one eye in this case.
“What?”
She booped his calf with her nose again.
Pebbles huffed, “Use your words.”
Artificer lifted her head and let out a long caterwauling waa. Pebbles had never heard a voice come from a slugcat like hers before he met her. It was low and scraggly, like she had smoked five packs a day since puphood, or she had just been gargling gravel. Voids below, Pebbles has seen her breathe out smoke before when she's gotten upset. Though being upset is thankfully some of the only few times she raises her voice, sticking to low growls, waas, and mumbles, which Pebbles very much appreciated. After her long unnecessarily drawn out meow, she gestured over to the harness and leash laying near the foot of his bed.
“Outside?” Pebbles checked the clock. 2:08am. Not like that mattered much. Pebble’s sleep schedule was practically nonexistent. Constantly ranging between getting two hours of sleep for days at a time to being knocked out cold for way more than the recommended hours. Even if you could pin it down he was mostly nocturnal. It was quieter that way. At least he didn’t have to hear or talk to his neighbors.
Pebbles checked over what he was working on. It was mostly finished, just a few tweaks here and there, and the due date wasn't until tomorrow night. Pebbles raised his arms up high and gave a long, satisfying stretch.
“Okay.” Pebbles sighed, “Get the stuff.”
Arti trilled and trotted over to the foot of the bed while her iterator shuffled through his dresser, trying to find something decent to wear. Part of him wanted to just say fuck it and wear some pajama pants with his hoodie in an unholy combo of fashion, but his pride wouldn’t let him. He wasn’t depressed enough today to wear something like that, even if the only people who would see him were the ones crazy enough to take a midnight stroll.
After grabbing some jeans and the only patterned socks he owned (which were now worn out and ugly from years of over use), Arti nudged him with her nose again. Trying to get her harness on was always a bit of an ordeal, even if Pebbles had mastered it as best he could at this point. She was, well, massive. The biggest slugcat he’d ever seen. She was absurdly fluffy and strong, and if she stood on her highlegs she was taller than him. Even if he himself was a short iterator, it was still impressive. Sure, Pebbles had seen pictures of scugs like her, with their owners beaming as their beasts stood eye level to them. But those were fancily bred, a rarity. Which meant Arti was either an unfathomable mixture of lucky genes or abandoned. Probably both. He always felt a little guilty that she was cramped in his small apartment, which is why he always agreed to take her out when she asked.
After clicking the last buckle in place he grabbed his hoodie, his favorite one, and a small bag that was definitely not a purse, and carefully went through the mental checklist. Keys, wallet, phone, phone charger, backup phone charger, pocket knife, scug treats, and a small notebook for the rare cases he felt like doodling or if the notes app in his phone wasn't enough to keep up with his sudden explosive thoughts and he needed something physical to scribble on.
“Do you want to head down to the convenience store? I'm craving a slushie.” He asked
Arti stared at him before lifting a paw and motioning a swirl like pattern on her forehead, which Pebbles seemed to understand immediately.
“No, not the one with ‘The Cute Guy’ I never even said he was cute. I don't know why you keep insisting that.”
“Wraoh.”
“It was a joke! I was joking.”
“Mrrr.”
“Fine. I'm never speaking to you again. I was going to offer to buy you a treat once we got there, but you lost your chance.”
Arti just huffed at the remark as Pebbles walked over to unlock his front door.
Thankfully, there was nobody else in the hallways, which makes sense considering the current hour. Trekking towards the stairs, Pebbles wished Arti didn't get scared on elevators so he could actually use them for once, but he supposed the exercise was good for him or something. Finally, getting to the main floor and they stepped outside.
He was instantly hit by the chilly autumn breeze blowing through the streets of the small city. It was hoodie weather. Perfect.
Artificer also seemed to be enjoying the nice weather, as when they got outside, she immediately picked up the pace, slow enough not to pull on the leash but fast enough to tell her iterator to get moving. At this point, Pebbles assumed she probably didn't even need a harness and leash. She had been a tad bit fussy when he first tried it on her many cycles ago, but now he can't remember the last time she pulled without a good reason. She always stays by his side or in front if she's feeling extra energized, constantly looking back to check if her iterator is keeping up with her stride. Unfortunately, there's no way he could get away with walking a beast like her off leash without someone complaining, so she remains harnessed. In fact, his apartment probably didn't even allow pets her size, but somehow nobody has snitched to the landlord or if anyone had, they didn't seem to care. Pebbles jokingly thanked the void for others' incompetence.
Pebbles technically lives in a city, but it isn't one of those fancy ones you'd seen in movies and on postcards. There was no fanciful hustle and bustle in the night, just a few passerbys whether by car or walking down the street. Which is a good thing for him. He wasn't worried about being mugged or anything; you'd have to be insane to try and mess with the guy with a 300 pound feral looking slugcat leashed next to him. And even if they'd somehow survive her, he had his knife for protection. Before Arti came along, that was his only source of protection. Which definitely wasn't… ideal. Especially since these nightly walks were not a new thing. He obviously knew going outside alone in the dead of night was a stupid and risky idea, but he just, didn't really care.
Well, he did at first, on those bold college nights when he needed something quick for an assignment and had little other options. But he steadily grew weary of danger less and less, with the time leading up to Arti, going outside in the pitch-black night was just a regular occurrence. Not a big deal. It was probably a miracle nothing had happened to him before he got his scug, other than some unsettling strangers and the occasional catcall from uncharismatic losers who had mistaken Pebbles for a girl.
As he got to a crosswalk and waited for the signal to turn green, he looked down at his feet and observed the few golden red leaves squished sadly onto the sidewalk below. He tried to step on one. It didn't crunch. Damn.
He peered around at the few trees the city had to offer. Winter may be his favorite season, but he still enjoys what autumn brings. He thought about how pretty the autumn time was back at home outside of this city, with those brilliant red trees sprinkled all throughout his neighborhood, creating a warm colored blanket anywhere nearby. He thought about how he never really cared about those trees until he wasn't around them anymore. No. No, he was not going to get mopey and homesick about some stupid mushy leaves on the ground. He tried to direct his focus elsewhere.
He instantly regretted directing his focus elsewhere.
In the distance, he saw her. If his assumption was correct, then his approaching doom, his utter end, the death of Five Pebbles, was prancing down the street towards his direction. If she noticed him, if she talked to him. Oh great voids below, please collapse the earth underneath his feet and swallow him whole. He was not mentally prepared for this tonight.
Pebbles stared anxiously at the red crosswalk signal light that seemed to be mocking him. Turn. Fucking. Green. He could jaywalk but he wasn't stupid. The cat would know it's not time to walk, not moving an inch until the light flashed green. Not because she's a law-abiding citizen but because seeing her iterator get flattened in the middle of the road would not be a pleasant experience.
He glimpsed over to the figure. She was getting closer. Even at this distance, he could hear her loudly blabbering into the phone. Has she noticed him? He put his hood up, tugging on the drawstrings to try to cover his face. He was as small and unnoticeable as he could be at the moment. Noticing his clear distress, Arti bumped her head into his arm and let out a small gurgle. Pebbles ignored her.
He heard the footsteps and chattering get louder until her voice, clear as ever, was practically right behind him.
She walks behind him.
She stops.
…
“Oh my holy void sea, Five Pebbles, is that you??? ”
Fuck.
Pebbles braces himself as he lifts off his hood and turns around to face his demise.
“Hi Innocence.”
Unparalleled Innocence gasps immediately, almost dropping her overpriced phone onto the hard pavement. “Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's really the man himself, Mr. Five Pibbles. I’ll call you back girlie: juicy stuff is happening,” She says while abruptly hanging up.
Pebbles glanced over at the crosswalk signal. Green. Seemingly, it had turned green the moment she arrived. Well, fuck you too universe.
He gently tugged at Artis' leash to signal it was time to go, which is when Innocence finally noticed the massive beast who had been intensely glaring the moment she arrived.
“WOAH. Now THAT is a scug!” Innocence exclaimed, “I didn't even know they made them like that!”
“Mmmhmm,” Pebbles replied as he crossed the road. Annoyingly, Innocence followed.
“Where did you even get one like that?”
“Dumpster.”
“Hehehe I'm surprised a tiny twink like you can even handle such a monster. How did you even manage to harness her?”
“Unwavering skill.”
“Oh the void, I have to put this on my story!”
Pebbles immediately wiped his head around to face her, “You will not! ”
He does not need a bunch of online strangers gawking at him when he's just trying to live his life. He had sadly grown familiar with others' odd looks when he was out in public with Arti, and he did not need her drones of apathetic followers to comment on every microscopic detail about him.
“Okay, okay! Sheesh!” Innocence said. “You were always no fun!”
He rolled his eyes. Pebbles had met Innocence in college, as unfortunately for him, she was in nearly all of his classes. At first, Pebbles thought she was cool, maybe even approachable and friendly. Quickly, he realized she was as irritating as a vehemently buzzing fly dying in between the screen and glass of a window pane. A constant, ever-present, annoying buzz.
Worryingly, Innocence had still not put her phone away. He tried to ignore that.
“I knew it was you as soon as I saw your hoodie. I looked at it and thought, ‘Huh. Didn't Pibbles paint a hoodie like that?’ And low and behold, I was right!” Innocence proudly declared.
His favorite hoodie. It had failed him.
The painting part was true. He had modified it back then, as he did with many of his clothes. It was a logo that he and Sig had made. Okay, mostly Sig had made, but it was something only they would understand. He had made Sig a matching hoodie so they could wear them together. Pebbles wondered if he still had it.
Innocence trotted beside him, a roller coaster of rambling flying from her mouth as she switched between different topics at lightning speed. She chattered about her day, what she was doing late at night (something about meeting with ‘The Besties’), the odd new dent in her car, what that weird smell in the air was. Pebbles didn't care. He did not like her. He did not like the clicking sounds of her obnoxiously colorful accessories. He did not like that she was only talking because she wanted to hear her own voice rather than engage with anything Pebbles had to say. He did not like how she was insistent on being as close to him as she possibly could. She spoke too loud for their distance, her hands occasionally bumped against him as she flailed them about, and she nearly stepped on Arti's' tail twice. To Innocence, this was all just normal behavior; nothing she was doing was to antagonize Pebbles on purpose. She was just being her usual self. That didn't make it any less bothersome.
She paused mid-thought, giving Pebbles some short-lived silence before she started again. “Gosh this is so exciting. I haven't seen you since, you know,” she waves her hand through the air, “All of the noise.”
Pebbles did not respond. If she started going onto the topic he thought she was headed, he was sprinting all the way back home. Slushie or not.
“Where did you even go? I didn't see you the next semester.” She asked
“None of your business.”
“Oooooooooooooh, how mysterious!”
Pebbles huffed.
“A lot of people thought you had attempted again and died.”
Fuck.
“Do you remember the girl who sat two rows behind you in history? She was sooooo adamant about it. She emailed all of the school counselors and staff to try and find out the details of your method. She even made a whole deal about demanding they put up remembrance posters and everything. It was kinda funny honestly.”
Stop. Talking.
“O.M.V, I should text her right now! That would be soooooo funny,” She gasped, her eyes beaming with sinister joy. “Picture time?”
“No!”
Innocence just snickered. She swiftly wrapped her arm around his waist, squishing him unbearably close to her body, and tilted her phone high above their heads. Pebbles slapped the phone from her hand in an instant, causing it to bounce onto the concert below. She didn't seem to be too bothered as she nonchalantly scooped it up from the ground and dusted it off.
“Not a selfie kinda guy?”
“Go take pictures of someone else!” Pebbles spat.
Innocence seemed to consider before slowly lifting up her phone once again. He glared at her. She better not.
…
Click. Flash!
Pebbles covered his face with his hands as soon as he heard the dreaded camera. He knew he had been successful when Innocence started whining about him ruining the picture.
“Playing hard to get?” She teased.
“Go away. ”
“Aawwww c'mon Pibbs, show the world a lil love~”
His flattened antenna tapped frantically against his shoulders. He was starting to panic, and he hated that he was panicking. This was stupid. He just wanted to get a damn slushie. This wasn’t even a big deal. A normal iterator would be thrilled to see an old college friend. A normal iterator would be glad to take a picture with them. A normal iterator wouldn't be contemplating if he was going to have a panic attack on the side of the road in the middle of the night.
“Leave. ” he hissed.
Hands grabbed his wrists as she tried to rip his arms away from his face, and he let out a sudden gasp.
Metal nails dug into hands. The smell of eye-watering perfume filled his vents. Noise scattered frantically through the air around him.
Laughing. Jeering.
Growling.
BANG!
Arti slammed her tail down hard against the pavement, making a deafening noise that exploded through the streets.
Innocence jumped back and yelped at the sound, letting the red beast shove herself between the two iterators. Arti snarled, her teeth baring, sharp and vicious, and smoke poured from her mouth, framing her terrifying figure. He piercing white eye glowed fiercely with fiery rage as she scowled at her iterator's tormentor.
Innocence was clearly taken aback by her threatening display.
“Um. Does she bite?” she asked.
“Uh…” Truthfully, Pebbles was also a bit stunned by Arti’s behavior. He knew she could be aggressive; she had growled at him a number of times when they had first met, but this. This was new. A new type of anger. Arti was not being aggressive; she was being protective. Something he figured was much more dangerous than animalistic fury.
“Probably,” he eventually said.
Innocence stared at the beast, her expression mixed with fear and slight disgust. “Why do you let her outside if she wasn't trained properly?”
Artificer growled and trashed her tail, clearly annoyed with her continued attempt at conversation.
“She's very well behaved, actually,” Pebbles replied, tugging on her leash to get Arti moving. He shivered at the thought of the situation escalating any further.
Innocence started slowly backing away from them
“Sooooo, catch you later Pibbles? What's your number? I don't think I have it in my contac-”
Arti hissed and another puff of black smoke poured from her mouth.
“Okay, okay! I'm moving! I'm moving!” Innocence exclaimed, and after overstaying her welcome for far too long, she swiftly jogged away.
Finally.
Pebbles breathed a deep sigh and began to collect himself. Arti quickly pressed herself against his chest, and he leaned down to gently touch his face to the scugs forehead. He glided his hand through her fur as a steady stream of air flowed through in and out of his vents. In and out, in and out, in and out. Arti brushed her tail against his feet and made a rumbling sound.
“Im fine,” He breathed. “Im fine. She's gone now.”
Arti chittered up at him.
“Yeah. She is a snatch.”
If scugs could laugh, then Arti certainly did, her voice rumbling into Pebbles body. Arti’s ‘laughing’ was surprisingly effective at calming his nerves. He scratched her cheek and she reached over to give his hand a firm lick. It was almost hard to remember her as the ferocious brute she had been just moments before.
She then very, very sofly , began chewing on his fingers. Right. They were previously on a mission, and his savior was hungry.
“Do you want a reward for your heroic bravery?” He asked sarcastically.
Arti snorted.
Part of him just wanted to head home, but he could clearly see the store from here, and it'd be a waste to turn back now. Besides, Arti did deserve a treat.
“Okay, but if you're going to be protecting me from strangers, I should probably teach you which strangers are appropriate to growl at,” Pebbles said. He didn't want to accidentally encourage her to start behaving aggressively toward random people again, especially with the progress they had made so far.
They marched to the store, and once they stepped inside they gleefully bathed in the fluorescent lights of the small building. Despite all of the (one) horrors that they've experienced this night, they survived.
Pebbles let her leave his side to pick out her snacks, instructing her to pick out two this time as a treat. As he was mixing his drink, blue raspberry and coconut, when Arti returned with her items. A child's strawberry milk and a loaded bag of beef jerky.
“Ruffian, that is disgusting.”
“Moaw.”
He signed, “Fine. But your not scarfing it down before we reach the apartment, you're savoring that.” Arti huffed in response.
They awkwardly shuffled to the cashier and placed down their goodies. Pebbles had expected the clerk to be stunned at the odd scene that played out in front of him, (its not every day you see a 5’5 foot scug walk into a store and go about its business like an average customer), but his expression lay unchanging as he scanned the items. Oh yeah. He was a convenience store employee working the night shift . Hed probably seen much weirder.
After paying and exiting the store, Pebbles opened the bottle for Arti and then immediately scolded her as she began chugging it. She begrudging took smaller sips.
The trip home was thankfully much less eventful, with them arriving home before Arti had even dug into her dried bag of flesh. Pebbles entered the apartment and tossed his mostly empty cup into the trash as Arti rushed to find a good place to store her treasure. He flopped onto his bed and let out a hefty sigh. He glanced over to the clock.
2:36am.
The trip hadn't even lasted thirty minutes. He groaned.
He then heard the tip-tap of Artis paws and looked up to see her entering his room, presumably chewing on some jerky.
“Back already?” He asked.
She swallowed.
Arti shimmied over to the bed and heaved herself onto it before burying Pebbles in a mix of fluff, paws, and compressing weight. Many cycles ago, he would have griped about her trying to lie in bed with him, now it was just the regular routine. Arti reached up to his face and took a deep sniff.
“Ay, Ay! No! Keep your mouth over there. I do not want to smell the horrid concoction that is your breath.” Pebbles grumbled. Arti let out a sigh and shimmied her weight around the bed. Eventually, she layed slightly curled around him, her tail brushing his antenna and head resting on his lap. Pebbles hadn't even gotten under the covers, and she had already gotten herself situated. Guess that's his fault for not getting under them sooner. It's fine. He'll manage.
Pebbles stretched out his arm towards the bedside lamp, trying not to disturb the comfy scug, and flicked off the light.