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Description
so this is hella late, but this happens soon after their fire magic class, here:

Since they had both graduated their fire magic class, Ridley decided, what the hell? He asked Rosie to go with him to a gathering that some of the other students proposed, going out to celebrate their success with a drink at the Rattle's Rest.

Rosie, of course, accepted enthusiastically. "I can't believe you wanna go to a party!" she chirped, clapping her hands together in delight. "I mean - no offense, Ridley. But you usually don't like being around other wyngrew!"

"No offense taken, you're right," Ridley responded with a gruff chuckle, turning his eyes to face the ground. "I just thought it sounded like it would be fun. And I haven't tried sap since I grew up. I wanted to give it a go."

"Awww, I wonder what you'll be like when you're sappy!" Rosie giggled, giving Ridley a little nudge. "Don't worry," she added at his concerned look, "I'll keep you in check. I'll drink next time, if I feel like it!"

Ridley had his own little chuckle, though it was sheepish and didn't reach his eyes. Being honest, he really wasn't sure that this was a good idea, but he thought that if he and Rosie were in a crowded room all night there was less of a chance of him personally making a fool of himself. Besides, he could always blame anything stupid he did on the sap.

Making some excuse, Ridley bowed out of the conversation so he could have some time to himself before they went to the Rest to meet up with the others in the class. He found himself back in his room at the Nook and sighed as he settled into his bed, closing his eyes and snuggling into his blankets. He was intending on a small nap to rest after the graduation. Maybe if he was lucky he would oversleep and have a way out of this mess he'd somehow invited himself into and was already regretting. He wasn't exactly temperamentally compatible with the idea of a party, or any sort of joyful, friendly crowd in general, and he didn't know if he wanted to linger around Rosie too much after his recently self-discovery. He fell asleep as his mind was meandering among the possibilities, none of which he really wanted to explore too deeply at the moment.

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Ridley woke about an hour before he was supposed to meet Rosie, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he slowly shifted to sit up in bed. A low groan left him at how tired he still felt, and as he brought his claws away from his face he saw what he suspected was the reason why.

He'd heard of adults getting sudden growth spurts before. As he trudged over to the small mirror hanging in the corner of his room, he saw that it wasn't just his claws changing color, but that he'd gained several new traits. His body was darker, but his ears and claws were much lighter in color, with bright whites and reds and oranges. His eyes looked darker with how his sclera's color had shifted, and thick, choppy fur coated his neck and chest now, along with spines on his shoulders and spikes down his back. Swirls broke through the other colors, as well as dapples. He couldn't help thinking that he actually looked like an adult now, completely changed from his childhood self.

It made him wonder, as he inspected his own reflection. Could he...? If he could change so much on the outside, was it possible to change himself so thoroughly on the inside too? Could he make himself into someone worthy of calling himself Rosie's friend?

A knock on his door startled him. "Who is it?" he called as he straightened up, regaining his wits. He turned to face the door as a familiar head popped into the room.

Rosie's eyes lit up brightly at the sight of the quad. "Ridley, I've been looking for you! Look!" She leapt into the room, arms outstretched.

Ridley's mouth went dry. She was... pretty. Really pretty. "Uhhh," was all he said, eyes going from one place to another. She had new markings too, and a creamy orange was added to her fur. She had some of the same dense fur he had, scattered over her body, and her outstretched hands were soft and rounded, no longer claws but paws with pawpads. He wondered, briefly, what it would feel like to hold her delicate hands, but one glance at his own tough claws banished the idea from his mind. As she did a little twirl for him, he couldn't help but smile, taking in the dainty wings and flowing antennae she'd grown as well.

"You look nice."

He felt stupid, but it was all he could come up with as she did a little curtsy. She was still grinning as she looked up at him, and if possible, her eyes brightened even more when she finally noticed his new look. "Ridleeeeey! You look so handsome! You changed so much!" she chirped, going to hug him. He stiffened in preparation for the touch, never quite sure how to react to it. "Maybe it's because we learned magi- ow!"

She recoiled from the hug, brow furrowed as she looked at her palm. "Oh. Okay. I'll have to keep that in mind from now on!" She smiled again, smaller this time, as she held her hand up for Ridley to see the little pinprick on her pawpad, trickling blood that was almost hard to see against her red fur.

He put two and two together quickly, remembering his new spines. Of course. It was silly to think he could change entirely just because his appearance did. He was still built to hurt others. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, reaching for her before drawing back his claw halfway. "I should've - I noticed they'd grown in earlier, I should've said something, I...."

Rosie pulled her hand away from where she was nursing the small cut with her mouth, reaching out to hug Ridley again. He tensed once more and drew back, but she kept coming, and he flinched, eyes screwing shut. Instead of any exclamations of pain, however, he heard her hum softly and press her hands against his coat just below his spines. He felt her palms like lightning magic running through him as she pushed her hands backward, slowly pressing his spines flat as her arms encircled his neck. He swallowed thickly, hoping she didn't feel it as she rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed him tight.

"It's okay. See? I can still give you hugs. I just have to be more careful." Her voice was soft, like she was soothing a panicked beast, and for all Ridley knew he probably looked like one.

"Thank you," was all he managed, shifting his front claws carefully to put one of them around Rosie. "I... appreciate you still trying, even though I hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, silly." She carefully raised her arms and moved back, concentrating on keeping herself spine-free until she was out of range. She looked as bright and sunny as always as she showed him her hand again. "See? It already stopped bleeding, and it was my fault for not thinking. I noticed the spines earlier, I was just so eager to give you a hug!"

Whatever did Ridley do to deserve this angel of a friend?

"Anyway, you're here early," Ridley said, diverting the conversation to a different topic. "What happened to meeting up later at the bar?"

"Oh, well!" Rosie seemed sheepish, scuffing one of her feet against the floor. "I just got really excited seeing all of these changes start happening over the day. I wanted to come and show you when it felt like I was done changing, for now. And I get to see you all handsome and grown-up too! Before anybody else at that party." Her voice lowered as she squished his cheeks in her hand, leaning in close with a mischievous glint in her eye. "So, spill! Are you going to be drinking because you want to get up the courage to ask out someone from class? Get a crush on anyone while we were there? Oooo, was it that Kodiak guy I saw you working with during the first week? He was cuuuute."

"Rosie - n-no!" Ridley scoffed, jerking backwards out of her grip. "I just want to... see what it's like. I told you, I haven't gone drinking since I grew up, and everybody talks about how your first glass of sap is like, some kinda rite of passage or something, and... I don't know. It's not like I'm gonna get shitfaced."

"Mmmmhm, if you saaaaay soooooo." Rosie giggled as she straightened up, glancing around the room. "We should go on and get a head start! If we're there before everyone else you can get used to being in that atmosphere before it gets too crowded. Seriously, I'm still shocked you wanted to go!"

Ridley nodded his agreement before following Rosie out of the Nook and towards town, listening to her babble on about this, that, and the other.

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"ROSIE!" Ridley yelled over the rambunctious crowd of new graduates, most of them the younger students. Ridley definitely had gotten a head start. He'd tried a few different drinks before most of the other guests even arrived, to "help him loosen up," as he put it.

"ROSIIEEEEE!" His voice was soft around the edges despite his volume, calm, an easygoing grin on his face. "There yer! I foundcha." His eyes lit up as he saw his friend chatting merrily with a couple of other bipeds. He'd lost her in the crowd when she left her seat by the bar to go mingle, and he'd stayed behind for a couple more rounds of Cheep's. "C'mooooon Rosie, I got- I got an idea fer us."

The expression on Rosie's face when she turned to look at him was immediately concerned. "Oh Chii, Ridley, how much did you have to drink?" she asked, stooping down to be more level with him. His eyes fluttered closed as the back of her hand brushed his forehead, leaning into the touch and whimpering when she pulled away. "You're burning up!"

Her teeth worried her lower lip, even as Ridley gave a slurred, "Only this many, 'm fine, 'm fine!" and held up both his hands, none of his claws going down. She said a swift goodbye to the others at the table and gently coaxed Ridley to start walking to the door.

As the cool nighttime air washed over them in the decidedly less crowded street, Rosie breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been having a good time, but now all she was doing was worrying if Ridley was going to be alright and if she should take him to Dr. F if he'd really had too much to drink.

Giving him a glance, she found that he was giving her the most pitiful, longing look she'd ever seen from him, and it made her start. "R-Ridley? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," he hiccuped, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes with one hand. Oh Chii help her, was he crying now? "I-I know you were having fun. I can- I can walk home on my own, s'okay, Rosie. Go have fun, you deserve to have fun!"

He tried to push her back towards the Rest, but Ridley had never been the strongest wyngro, and his arms seemed to be noodly and uncoordinated with all the sap he'd had. "Ridley," Rosie said softly, kneeling beside him and setting her hand on his chest, "it's okay."

Ridley took one look at her and relaxed, looking almost frustrated but no longer fighting her. His head bowed as he mumbled something under his breath, and she prompted quietly, "What was that? I didn't hear you?"

"What did I do...." Ridley began strong, but his words petered off into another mutter.

"Hm?"

"What did I do to deserve you as a friend?" Ridley finally burst out, looking frustrated again, tears still gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I was so mean to you, Rosie. How could you forgive me for that? I was awful. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you, Rosie. You should leave me and go back to the party. Forget about me and make new friends."

For the first time in his life, Ridley saw anger flash over Rosie's face as she got to her feet.

"Excuse me?!"

He flinched at the indignation in her voice.

"Robin Ridley O'Riley! You are going to have to try much harder than that to get rid of me, you hear me?! You apologized for what you did, and I accepted your apology, and that's all there has to be to it! Why do you have to keep being guilty if I know you're sorry for it? You haven't hurt me since you apologized. I can protect myself if something like that happens again, Ridley. If I decide that I don't want to be your friend and that you don't deserve me, then it's going to be on my own account, but you don't get to decide that for me! Especially when you've done nothing to deserve you being so harsh to yourself! When you do, then I'll think about leaving you in the dust, but not a moment sooner, you got that?"

Rosie's chest heaved as her gaze burned into his. Ridley had gone completely quiet, staring at her with a pathetic look on his face.

"Ugh." Rosie drew a hand over her face, feeling all of the anger and frustration seep out of her body just as quickly as it had come and leaving her feeling simply tired. "Let's just get you home, okay?"

She started to turn away, but Ridley grabbed her hand quickly, making her stop. She turned back to him as he let her go, lowering his gaze to the ground. "Rosie, I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...." He trailed off, swallowing thickly. "I-I just... feel so bad, because I hurt you and even after that I - because I've been thinking of asking if you...."

"If I what?" she asked, genuinely curious when he trailed off into silence.

Ridley's face burned, and it wasn't just from the sap.

He cleared his throat, trying to gather something coherent in his mind. "S-sap isn't... the only think I wanna try with you," he finally answer, though as soon as he said it he was scrambling for something else to say, anything besides 'Rosie, I know I was horrible to you and even though you've forgiven me you probably still have scars from it, but will you give me a chance and go on a date with me?' No, no, he couldn't.

He spent too long thinking, as he felt Rosie's foot nudge one of his claws. "C'mon, you sappy lug. Tell me what's on your brain. What are we trying?"

His mind went blank, and his mouth moved without him telling it to. "I wanted to know if you would be okay with being my first lock!"

Oh Chii oh Chii oh Chii oh FUCK what did I just say -

He didn't want to look at Rosie's face, turning away and covering his own with one clawed hand. His entire body was on fire from a mixture of sap and shame. What ended up coming out wasn't any better than what he was originally going to say, and he was finding that there was nothing to sober his mind faster than a series of serious blunders. When he focused enough again he found that his mouth was still going, babbling words he had no control over. "- and I just mean, you're the only person I really trust enough and since I'm trying new things I just though, but if you're not okay with it I completely understand and it's sort of silly of me to ask, sorry, I just, sorry this was probably a mistake I can go home now -"

"Ridley." A calming voice and a soothing hand on his shoulder made his mouth snap shut. He still didn't dare to look at her, too afraid of what he might see. "Ask me again when you're sober. We can talk about this tomorrow, okay? But we do need to get back to the nook, come on now."

Ridley nodded mutely, suddenly robbed of all speech after his word vomit. He couldn't look at Rosie the entire way home, the two of them draped in a tense, awkward silence, and as soon as his head hit his pillow he gratefully fell into the waiting arms of sleep.
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"Ooohhhhh, my head," Ridley groaned, sitting up in bed. He flinched against the light filtering in through the curtains, grimacing at how it only compounded the ache in his head. "What the hell did I...."

He stopped speaking as some of the previous night trickled back into his mind. "Oh my fucking Chii," he gasped, hitting himself in the forehead and only serving to exacerbate the pain in his temples. "I am a fucking idiot, kill me please Chii." He flopped back against his bed, pressing his palms against his eyes. "I am. An idiot. What the hell was I thinking?"

At that moment, he heard a knock against his door. Thinking that Alma had sent someone to remind him to come eat, he spoke. "I'm sleeping!"

"Nuh-uh," an all-too-familiar voice chirped from outside the door.

Ridley groaned and covered his face with a pillow just as the door opened. "Rosie, can we pretend like last night never happened and that I don't have the worst headache of my life?"

"Do you remember anything that happened last night?" Ridley's bed dipped slightly under Rosie's weight as she sat carefully on the edge of the bed, and when he peeked out from behind the pillow at her he found she held a steaming cup of something in her hands. She offered it to him when she saw him looking, saying, "It's ginger and peppermint tea. I asked around about what would be good for a hangover, since I figure you're probably feeling pretty terrible right about now."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ridley grumbled, sitting up against the wall and taking the tea with a small thanks. Rosie watched him bring the cup to his mouth, and he was too busy being careful with the cup to notice her anxious expression.

He very nearly spat out his first sip as she asked, in what seemed to be her best attempt at being casual about it, "So, now that you're not sapped out of your mind, do you still want me to be your first lock?"

Forcing down the hot tea, Ridley stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers for a few long heartbeats, then looked away. The heat filling him was all on his embarrassment this time. "I- It doesn't matter that much, right? I mean, I just.... Yeah, I trust you, but it isn't just about what I want. And I don't want to make you feel like you have to because I want to and all...." So maybe Ridley was a bit of a hormonal young adult, and he had thought about it before, and he wanted it, and he didn't want to lie to Rosie. But he also really didn't want her to think that she had to just because it was something he wanted.

"Who says that I'm not interested for the sake of my own curiosity?" His head jerked back up, making him hiss and wince at the sudden pressure that the movement put on his already pounding head. Rosie smiled apologetically, placing a hand gently at his hip as she leaned in a little closer. "I mean, I.... It's not something I thought I would be doing so soon, but I'm not that naive, I went to class so I know how it works, pretty much. And it's like you said. I trust you most right now, so if it was something you wanted to, then I really wouldn't mind...."

"I'm trans," Ridley blurted out suddenly, face getting even warmer. "I was born as.... I mean, I was born as a guy but I don't have a.... I have girl bits. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it's not like it's something I really go around telling people, y'know? And if you really wanna... if you're even thinking about locking with me, I wanted you to know. I can't...."

Rosie looked shocked at the confession, then flushed herself. "I... I'm also...." Ridley's eyes widened as she softly confessed, "I'm trans too. A girl, but... born wrong." She gestured to her whole body, face burning. "S-so... if you still want to lock with me, knowing that...."

Ridley bit his lip, then leaned over to set the barely-touched mug onto the nightstand. He tried to process this new information, but of course, "That doesn't change that I trust you most."

She smiled back at him, still looking nervous, but leaned in and placed her hand over his. "E-even though... that means there's a chance.... Rather, you're gonna have an egg if we lock?"

"Oh." Ridley blinked, realizing it hadn't occurred to him because he had assumed Rosie was cis the whole time. He frowned, scratching his chin as he was deep in thought. He knew that he wouldn't enjoy being eggbound and having something so visibly feminine as an egg pouch on his person, but.... Rosie was willing, and, selfishly and perhaps a bit self-destructively, Ridley wanted this so bad that it hurt because he knew it would probably be the most intimate, physically or emotionally, that he would ever be able to be with Rosie. "I mean... it wouldn't bother me that much. A-and I'm just. Really curious, yknow?"

"If you're sure, then...." Rosie searched his eyes for any trace of doubt, then squeezed his claw. "I'm sure too. D'you wanna go out to get something to eat first and wait for your hangover to go away? You kinda look awful," she joked, nudging his shoulder with hers and being careful with the spines. "We can talk about what we'll do about the egg over lunch?"

Ridley flushed, realizing suddenly how real this had become, but nodded. "Yeah, okay."

He let Rosie lead him out, filled with anxiety for the future but oddly comforted that whatever happened, Rosie would stay by his side as a friend at least.

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And rosie was totally like "Look if you're comfortable with it I wanna keep the egg and would love to coparent or smthn cause i still wanna hang with you a lot and you would be a great dad" and at the "you would be a great dad" ridleys like "sounds fake but ok!"

6 / 2639
art, ridley
rosie
species

Description
so this is hella late, but this happens soon after their fire magic class, here:

Since they had both graduated their fire magic class, Ridley decided, what the hell? He asked Rosie to go with him to a gathering that some of the other students proposed, going out to celebrate their success with a drink at the Rattle's Rest.

Rosie, of course, accepted enthusiastically. "I can't believe you wanna go to a party!" she chirped, clapping her hands together in delight. "I mean - no offense, Ridley. But you usually don't like being around other wyngrew!"

"No offense taken, you're right," Ridley responded with a gruff chuckle, turning his eyes to face the ground. "I just thought it sounded like it would be fun. And I haven't tried sap since I grew up. I wanted to give it a go."

"Awww, I wonder what you'll be like when you're sappy!" Rosie giggled, giving Ridley a little nudge. "Don't worry," she added at his concerned look, "I'll keep you in check. I'll drink next time, if I feel like it!"

Ridley had his own little chuckle, though it was sheepish and didn't reach his eyes. Being honest, he really wasn't sure that this was a good idea, but he thought that if he and Rosie were in a crowded room all night there was less of a chance of him personally making a fool of himself. Besides, he could always blame anything stupid he did on the sap.

Making some excuse, Ridley bowed out of the conversation so he could have some time to himself before they went to the Rest to meet up with the others in the class. He found himself back in his room at the Nook and sighed as he settled into his bed, closing his eyes and snuggling into his blankets. He was intending on a small nap to rest after the graduation. Maybe if he was lucky he would oversleep and have a way out of this mess he'd somehow invited himself into and was already regretting. He wasn't exactly temperamentally compatible with the idea of a party, or any sort of joyful, friendly crowd in general, and he didn't know if he wanted to linger around Rosie too much after his recently self-discovery. He fell asleep as his mind was meandering among the possibilities, none of which he really wanted to explore too deeply at the moment.

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Ridley woke about an hour before he was supposed to meet Rosie, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he slowly shifted to sit up in bed. A low groan left him at how tired he still felt, and as he brought his claws away from his face he saw what he suspected was the reason why.

He'd heard of adults getting sudden growth spurts before. As he trudged over to the small mirror hanging in the corner of his room, he saw that it wasn't just his claws changing color, but that he'd gained several new traits. His body was darker, but his ears and claws were much lighter in color, with bright whites and reds and oranges. His eyes looked darker with how his sclera's color had shifted, and thick, choppy fur coated his neck and chest now, along with spines on his shoulders and spikes down his back. Swirls broke through the other colors, as well as dapples. He couldn't help thinking that he actually looked like an adult now, completely changed from his childhood self.

It made him wonder, as he inspected his own reflection. Could he...? If he could change so much on the outside, was it possible to change himself so thoroughly on the inside too? Could he make himself into someone worthy of calling himself Rosie's friend?

A knock on his door startled him. "Who is it?" he called as he straightened up, regaining his wits. He turned to face the door as a familiar head popped into the room.

Rosie's eyes lit up brightly at the sight of the quad. "Ridley, I've been looking for you! Look!" She leapt into the room, arms outstretched.

Ridley's mouth went dry. She was... pretty. Really pretty. "Uhhh," was all he said, eyes going from one place to another. She had new markings too, and a creamy orange was added to her fur. She had some of the same dense fur he had, scattered over her body, and her outstretched hands were soft and rounded, no longer claws but paws with pawpads. He wondered, briefly, what it would feel like to hold her delicate hands, but one glance at his own tough claws banished the idea from his mind. As she did a little twirl for him, he couldn't help but smile, taking in the dainty wings and flowing antennae she'd grown as well.

"You look nice."

He felt stupid, but it was all he could come up with as she did a little curtsy. She was still grinning as she looked up at him, and if possible, her eyes brightened even more when she finally noticed his new look. "Ridleeeeey! You look so handsome! You changed so much!" she chirped, going to hug him. He stiffened in preparation for the touch, never quite sure how to react to it. "Maybe it's because we learned magi- ow!"

She recoiled from the hug, brow furrowed as she looked at her palm. "Oh. Okay. I'll have to keep that in mind from now on!" She smiled again, smaller this time, as she held her hand up for Ridley to see the little pinprick on her pawpad, trickling blood that was almost hard to see against her red fur.

He put two and two together quickly, remembering his new spines. Of course. It was silly to think he could change entirely just because his appearance did. He was still built to hurt others. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, reaching for her before drawing back his claw halfway. "I should've - I noticed they'd grown in earlier, I should've said something, I...."

Rosie pulled her hand away from where she was nursing the small cut with her mouth, reaching out to hug Ridley again. He tensed once more and drew back, but she kept coming, and he flinched, eyes screwing shut. Instead of any exclamations of pain, however, he heard her hum softly and press her hands against his coat just below his spines. He felt her palms like lightning magic running through him as she pushed her hands backward, slowly pressing his spines flat as her arms encircled his neck. He swallowed thickly, hoping she didn't feel it as she rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed him tight.

"It's okay. See? I can still give you hugs. I just have to be more careful." Her voice was soft, like she was soothing a panicked beast, and for all Ridley knew he probably looked like one.

"Thank you," was all he managed, shifting his front claws carefully to put one of them around Rosie. "I... appreciate you still trying, even though I hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, silly." She carefully raised her arms and moved back, concentrating on keeping herself spine-free until she was out of range. She looked as bright and sunny as always as she showed him her hand again. "See? It already stopped bleeding, and it was my fault for not thinking. I noticed the spines earlier, I was just so eager to give you a hug!"

Whatever did Ridley do to deserve this angel of a friend?

"Anyway, you're here early," Ridley said, diverting the conversation to a different topic. "What happened to meeting up later at the bar?"

"Oh, well!" Rosie seemed sheepish, scuffing one of her feet against the floor. "I just got really excited seeing all of these changes start happening over the day. I wanted to come and show you when it felt like I was done changing, for now. And I get to see you all handsome and grown-up too! Before anybody else at that party." Her voice lowered as she squished his cheeks in her hand, leaning in close with a mischievous glint in her eye. "So, spill! Are you going to be drinking because you want to get up the courage to ask out someone from class? Get a crush on anyone while we were there? Oooo, was it that Kodiak guy I saw you working with during the first week? He was cuuuute."

"Rosie - n-no!" Ridley scoffed, jerking backwards out of her grip. "I just want to... see what it's like. I told you, I haven't gone drinking since I grew up, and everybody talks about how your first glass of sap is like, some kinda rite of passage or something, and... I don't know. It's not like I'm gonna get shitfaced."

"Mmmmhm, if you saaaaay soooooo." Rosie giggled as she straightened up, glancing around the room. "We should go on and get a head start! If we're there before everyone else you can get used to being in that atmosphere before it gets too crowded. Seriously, I'm still shocked you wanted to go!"

Ridley nodded his agreement before following Rosie out of the Nook and towards town, listening to her babble on about this, that, and the other.

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"ROSIE!" Ridley yelled over the rambunctious crowd of new graduates, most of them the younger students. Ridley definitely had gotten a head start. He'd tried a few different drinks before most of the other guests even arrived, to "help him loosen up," as he put it.

"ROSIIEEEEE!" His voice was soft around the edges despite his volume, calm, an easygoing grin on his face. "There yer! I foundcha." His eyes lit up as he saw his friend chatting merrily with a couple of other bipeds. He'd lost her in the crowd when she left her seat by the bar to go mingle, and he'd stayed behind for a couple more rounds of Cheep's. "C'mooooon Rosie, I got- I got an idea fer us."

The expression on Rosie's face when she turned to look at him was immediately concerned. "Oh Chii, Ridley, how much did you have to drink?" she asked, stooping down to be more level with him. His eyes fluttered closed as the back of her hand brushed his forehead, leaning into the touch and whimpering when she pulled away. "You're burning up!"

Her teeth worried her lower lip, even as Ridley gave a slurred, "Only this many, 'm fine, 'm fine!" and held up both his hands, none of his claws going down. She said a swift goodbye to the others at the table and gently coaxed Ridley to start walking to the door.

As the cool nighttime air washed over them in the decidedly less crowded street, Rosie breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been having a good time, but now all she was doing was worrying if Ridley was going to be alright and if she should take him to Dr. F if he'd really had too much to drink.

Giving him a glance, she found that he was giving her the most pitiful, longing look she'd ever seen from him, and it made her start. "R-Ridley? What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry for ruining your night," he hiccuped, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes with one hand. Oh Chii help her, was he crying now? "I-I know you were having fun. I can- I can walk home on my own, s'okay, Rosie. Go have fun, you deserve to have fun!"

He tried to push her back towards the Rest, but Ridley had never been the strongest wyngro, and his arms seemed to be noodly and uncoordinated with all the sap he'd had. "Ridley," Rosie said softly, kneeling beside him and setting her hand on his chest, "it's okay."

Ridley took one look at her and relaxed, looking almost frustrated but no longer fighting her. His head bowed as he mumbled something under his breath, and she prompted quietly, "What was that? I didn't hear you?"

"What did I do...." Ridley began strong, but his words petered off into another mutter.

"Hm?"

"What did I do to deserve you as a friend?" Ridley finally burst out, looking frustrated again, tears still gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I was so mean to you, Rosie. How could you forgive me for that? I was awful. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you, Rosie. You should leave me and go back to the party. Forget about me and make new friends."

For the first time in his life, Ridley saw anger flash over Rosie's face as she got to her feet.

"Excuse me?!"

He flinched at the indignation in her voice.

"Robin Ridley O'Riley! You are going to have to try much harder than that to get rid of me, you hear me?! You apologized for what you did, and I accepted your apology, and that's all there has to be to it! Why do you have to keep being guilty if I know you're sorry for it? You haven't hurt me since you apologized. I can protect myself if something like that happens again, Ridley. If I decide that I don't want to be your friend and that you don't deserve me, then it's going to be on my own account, but you don't get to decide that for me! Especially when you've done nothing to deserve you being so harsh to yourself! When you do, then I'll think about leaving you in the dust, but not a moment sooner, you got that?"

Rosie's chest heaved as her gaze burned into his. Ridley had gone completely quiet, staring at her with a pathetic look on his face.

"Ugh." Rosie drew a hand over her face, feeling all of the anger and frustration seep out of her body just as quickly as it had come and leaving her feeling simply tired. "Let's just get you home, okay?"

She started to turn away, but Ridley grabbed her hand quickly, making her stop. She turned back to him as he let her go, lowering his gaze to the ground. "Rosie, I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...." He trailed off, swallowing thickly. "I-I just... feel so bad, because I hurt you and even after that I - because I've been thinking of asking if you...."

"If I what?" she asked, genuinely curious when he trailed off into silence.

Ridley's face burned, and it wasn't just from the sap.

He cleared his throat, trying to gather something coherent in his mind. "S-sap isn't... the only think I wanna try with you," he finally answer, though as soon as he said it he was scrambling for something else to say, anything besides 'Rosie, I know I was horrible to you and even though you've forgiven me you probably still have scars from it, but will you give me a chance and go on a date with me?' No, no, he couldn't.

He spent too long thinking, as he felt Rosie's foot nudge one of his claws. "C'mon, you sappy lug. Tell me what's on your brain. What are we trying?"

His mind went blank, and his mouth moved without him telling it to. "I wanted to know if you would be okay with being my first lock!"

Oh Chii oh Chii oh Chii oh FUCK what did I just say -

He didn't want to look at Rosie's face, turning away and covering his own with one clawed hand. His entire body was on fire from a mixture of sap and shame. What ended up coming out wasn't any better than what he was originally going to say, and he was finding that there was nothing to sober his mind faster than a series of serious blunders. When he focused enough again he found that his mouth was still going, babbling words he had no control over. "- and I just mean, you're the only person I really trust enough and since I'm trying new things I just though, but if you're not okay with it I completely understand and it's sort of silly of me to ask, sorry, I just, sorry this was probably a mistake I can go home now -"

"Ridley." A calming voice and a soothing hand on his shoulder made his mouth snap shut. He still didn't dare to look at her, too afraid of what he might see. "Ask me again when you're sober. We can talk about this tomorrow, okay? But we do need to get back to the nook, come on now."

Ridley nodded mutely, suddenly robbed of all speech after his word vomit. He couldn't look at Rosie the entire way home, the two of them draped in a tense, awkward silence, and as soon as his head hit his pillow he gratefully fell into the waiting arms of sleep.
_________________________________________________

"Ooohhhhh, my head," Ridley groaned, sitting up in bed. He flinched against the light filtering in through the curtains, grimacing at how it only compounded the ache in his head. "What the hell did I...."

He stopped speaking as some of the previous night trickled back into his mind. "Oh my fucking Chii," he gasped, hitting himself in the forehead and only serving to exacerbate the pain in his temples. "I am a fucking idiot, kill me please Chii." He flopped back against his bed, pressing his palms against his eyes. "I am. An idiot. What the hell was I thinking?"

At that moment, he heard a knock against his door. Thinking that Alma had sent someone to remind him to come eat, he spoke. "I'm sleeping!"

"Nuh-uh," an all-too-familiar voice chirped from outside the door.

Ridley groaned and covered his face with a pillow just as the door opened. "Rosie, can we pretend like last night never happened and that I don't have the worst headache of my life?"

"Do you remember anything that happened last night?" Ridley's bed dipped slightly under Rosie's weight as she sat carefully on the edge of the bed, and when he peeked out from behind the pillow at her he found she held a steaming cup of something in her hands. She offered it to him when she saw him looking, saying, "It's ginger and peppermint tea. I asked around about what would be good for a hangover, since I figure you're probably feeling pretty terrible right about now."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ridley grumbled, sitting up against the wall and taking the tea with a small thanks. Rosie watched him bring the cup to his mouth, and he was too busy being careful with the cup to notice her anxious expression.

He very nearly spat out his first sip as she asked, in what seemed to be her best attempt at being casual about it, "So, now that you're not sapped out of your mind, do you still want me to be your first lock?"

Forcing down the hot tea, Ridley stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers for a few long heartbeats, then looked away. The heat filling him was all on his embarrassment this time. "I- It doesn't matter that much, right? I mean, I just.... Yeah, I trust you, but it isn't just about what I want. And I don't want to make you feel like you have to because I want to and all...." So maybe Ridley was a bit of a hormonal young adult, and he had thought about it before, and he wanted it, and he didn't want to lie to Rosie. But he also really didn't want her to think that she had to just because it was something he wanted.

"Who says that I'm not interested for the sake of my own curiosity?" His head jerked back up, making him hiss and wince at the sudden pressure that the movement put on his already pounding head. Rosie smiled apologetically, placing a hand gently at his hip as she leaned in a little closer. "I mean, I.... It's not something I thought I would be doing so soon, but I'm not that naive, I went to class so I know how it works, pretty much. And it's like you said. I trust you most right now, so if it was something you wanted to, then I really wouldn't mind...."

"I'm trans," Ridley blurted out suddenly, face getting even warmer. "I was born as.... I mean, I was born as a guy but I don't have a.... I have girl bits. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it's not like it's something I really go around telling people, y'know? And if you really wanna... if you're even thinking about locking with me, I wanted you to know. I can't...."

Rosie looked shocked at the confession, then flushed herself. "I... I'm also...." Ridley's eyes widened as she softly confessed, "I'm trans too. A girl, but... born wrong." She gestured to her whole body, face burning. "S-so... if you still want to lock with me, knowing that...."

Ridley bit his lip, then leaned over to set the barely-touched mug onto the nightstand. He tried to process this new information, but of course, "That doesn't change that I trust you most."

She smiled back at him, still looking nervous, but leaned in and placed her hand over his. "E-even though... that means there's a chance.... Rather, you're gonna have an egg if we lock?"

"Oh." Ridley blinked, realizing it hadn't occurred to him because he had assumed Rosie was cis the whole time. He frowned, scratching his chin as he was deep in thought. He knew that he wouldn't enjoy being eggbound and having something so visibly feminine as an egg pouch on his person, but.... Rosie was willing, and, selfishly and perhaps a bit self-destructively, Ridley wanted this so bad that it hurt because he knew it would probably be the most intimate, physically or emotionally, that he would ever be able to be with Rosie. "I mean... it wouldn't bother me that much. A-and I'm just. Really curious, yknow?"

"If you're sure, then...." Rosie searched his eyes for any trace of doubt, then squeezed his claw. "I'm sure too. D'you wanna go out to get something to eat first and wait for your hangover to go away? You kinda look awful," she joked, nudging his shoulder with hers and being careful with the spines. "We can talk about what we'll do about the egg over lunch?"

Ridley flushed, realizing suddenly how real this had become, but nodded. "Yeah, okay."

He let Rosie lead him out, filled with anxiety for the future but oddly comforted that whatever happened, Rosie would stay by his side as a friend at least.

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And rosie was totally like "Look if you're comfortable with it I wanna keep the egg and would love to coparent or smthn cause i still wanna hang with you a lot and you would be a great dad" and at the "you would be a great dad" ridleys like "sounds fake but ok!"

6 / 2639
art, ridley
rosie
species