#i've written enough abt these two i'm giving them their own tag lol

[lovevalley45]

#fictober23 day four

"Do you know what this means?"

original fandom (follow up to this prompt)

word count: 608

Josie felt like she did after that first transformation as Rhiannon drove them home, which meant the ancient laptop to the noggin hadn’t caused her headache. She thought she’d tired Rhiannon out, scampering around the depths of the woods. 

But in the driver’s seat, her roommate sat with a big grin on her face. “That was amazing.”

“Yeah, I need a shower, and about two pots of coffee before I can function again,” Josie said. “But sure, amazing.”

“Josie. Do you even know what this means?” Rhiannon asked. 

“It means you don’t have to worry about me destroying the furniture in the apartment again?”

“No. Well, yes, but no. This is a big break-through.”

Usually, she loved to sit by and pretend she understood the lingo Rhi threw at her about her research on her lycanthropy. But now, she slumped further into her seat. “Can we not talk about science right now?”

“Fine.” She glanced over at Josie. “How are you feeling? As a friend, not a researcher.”

She smiled faintly at the distinction. “Uh, to my friendly, normal roommate? I feel tired. Every part of me kinda hurts. My head feels like shit. But at the same time, I’m kinda relieved. Like I can still live a somewhat normal life.”

“What do you mean?” Rhiannon asked. 

“I don’t know, part of me worried I’d have to move out alone to a cottage in the woods in the middle of nowhere to never hurt anyone,” Josie said. “I thought that would be my life.”

“I never would have let you do that,” she said. “I wouldn’t have let you hurt anyone.”

“I’m my own person. It’s not your responsibility to watch over me.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” She sighed. “I would never try to make you feel like you were a threat. If I thought you were, I wouldn’t have insisted on coming with you into the woods last night.”

“You sure thought I was when you hit me upside the head with a laptop.”

“I said sorry,” Rhiannon groaned. “And I obviously didn’t know it was you at the time. All I saw was an unexplained beast in our apartment and I panicked.” 

Josie rubbed the spot of her head where she’d been thwacked. There was no mark, of course, but she still remembered.

“I don’t just see you as some kind of specimen. You’re still my friend,” she continued. “And I wanted to help you. I wanted to… understand what you were going through. Not make you feel alone.” She shrugged. “It’s just that my methods also satiate my own scientific curiosity.”

“As long as you’re not writing your thesis on me, it’s fine.” Josie shot her a look. “You’re not, right?”

“No,” Rhiannon said. “My advisor would never take that seriously. Think of it as a side project. That really, I don’t have much time for.” 

“But that’s time we get to spend together,” she said. 

“Exactly! Even if my feet are killing me trying to keep up with you.”

“Four paws beat two feet,” Josie said, a proud grin on her face. 

“I guess so.” Rhiannon fell silent. “You wanna swing by a McDonalds to get breakfast? I’m starving.”

“I think I’m good, that squirrel really filled me up,” she said.

Rhiannon winced. “Ew.”

“I’m kidding. No squirrel can deter me from the allure of a hashbrown,” Josie said. 

“Well, you’ve ruined my appetite now.” But there was still the hint of a smile of her face.

“Damnit.”

 If she couldn’t get her hashbrown, at least Josie could find comfort in the fact she didn’t have to do this lycanthropy thing alone.