Heart Wood | Forest Creature X Reader (COMPLETED)

When Flowers Spark Fires, Pt. 1

"Okay," You snap, holding up a small, red lighter in your hand as you grip Lily against your waist with your other hand. You tiredly sigh through your nose. "Who gave the baby a lighter?"

~~~

You rock Lily, watching her silently sleeping in your arms while you sit on the porch steps. Lofty looms over your form, curiously staring down at the baby girl as his head tilts slightly. His shadow covers your entire body from the rays of the setting sun as it disappears behind the mountains.

You smile softly to yourself, finding his actions to be quite adorable as you watch him from your peripheral vision. You're amazed by the way he always seems so eager to learn about the world around him, yet it also is odd to you. As a being who could just live out in the woods forever, and would never even have to acknowledge the world outside of the forest, he seems quite interested in the life of humans.

Lily shifts in your arms, causing you to go rigid, before she snuggles against your chest. Everyone breathes out a sigh of relief as she continues sleeping.

Lofty was able to put her to sleep with the Baby Bell, which almost made you fall asleep as well. It had taken quite awhile, but she now lays restfully in your arms.

"I got it." You chime quietly, eyes widening as you look up at Lofty. "She's hungry." You suggest, thinking you might have just solved the problem.

Missy gives you a weird glance, tilting her head in confusion as her brows knit at your statement. "Little children endure hunger?" She asks with widening eyes. Her mouth drops open at her own words.

You can't help but let out a small snort at her expression. You find it rather humorous, the way she seems so appalled by your words and hers. "Yes." You giggle, nodding your head at the medium sized dog. "All humans get hungry."

Both Missy and Lofty seem take aback by your answer. The dog's mouth hangs wide open as Lofty hums, appearing to be thinking about something.

"What is it humans fancy to consume?" Lofty asks, looking down at you with curiosity. You crinkle your brows, pondering on how to answer. He doesn't seem to understand that different people could like different types of food.

"Well," You start, humming before continuing. "I personally love strawberries. But, I'm not sure about other people. Everyone likes different types of food." You attempt to explain, giving him a small shrug while you smile up at him.

His brows furrow. "Straw... Berries?" He asks, tilting his head while rubbing his chin as he thinks. Missy cocks her head to the side, also seeming to wonder what it is you're talking about.

You slowly nod, glancing at the confused dog before looking up at Lofty with confusion. "You know, the small red fruit with the little seeds on the outside?" You try to explain, holding your fingers as if you had a strawberry between them.

The creature stares at your fingers, his brows tightly knitted, before his eyes widen with realization. Missy blinks, still as confused as ever. He bobs his head, taking a small step away from you as he focuses his attention on the ground.

"Are you referring to these?" He asks, making the same fruit you were talking about grow from the ground. Your mouth waters at the sight, eyes becoming wide. A large amount of strawberries sit in front of you, red and ready to be picked.

"Oh, the Fragaria." Missy chimes, nodding understandingly. Your head tilts towards the dog, utter confusion plastered on your face. "Fraga-what?" You ask, lifting your brows as you blink.

Lofty let's out a sudden, hardy laugh from deep within his stomach, a large grin pulling at his mouth. Missy laughs along with him, them both seeming to enjoy your confusion.

You glance between them, a happy smile stretching across your lips. It's rather nice to see the both of them so happy, and content. You wish to savor and bask in this moment.

The wooden creature clears his throat, becoming a little embarrassed for laughing so loudly and suddenly. But when he sees your happy grin, he can't help but let a soft smile return to his face.

Missy takes in a deep breath of fresh air, then turns her attention to Lofty. He gives the fae a small nod before looking back at you. "It is Latin. We denominated these berries as Fragaria." He explains, motioning to the plump, red strawberries in front of you.

Your mouth opens as you nod, letting out a soft 'oh' in understanding. You chuckle, shaking your head. "I should've known it was Latin. You seem to use that a lot." Missy bobs her head at your comment, glancing back at you. "It is the language we well know most."

You hum, wondering why they know Latin better than any other language. You want to ask, but quickly bite your tongue as Lily shifts in your grasp. You glance down, seeing her snuggle up against your warm body. Your brows crinkle.

'Maybe she's cold.' You start to think. It is getting cooler now that the moon has popped up.

"I think I'll take her inside." You whisper, smiling down at the baby before giving Lofty and Missy a farewell nod. You slowly stand up, keeping your eyes locked on the sleeping child.

Missy nods, thinking that is probably for the best, glancing at Lofty as he watches you curiously. Her head tilts at the large creature, confusion etched onto her face.

He pays her no mind, keeping his gaze on you as you gracefully glide up the stairs and walk into the house. He keeps his eyes locked on the door, a distant look brewing deep in his gaze.

"You observe her with an unknown countenance." Missy notices, staring up at Lofty, her interest peeked by his odd behavior. The creature hums in response, keeping his gaze on the door, choosing not to speak.

Missy turns her attention to the door as she sighs, concluding that he too doesn't seem to know what emotion he's experiencing. A short silence fills the darkness around them. Her eyes wander towards the moon, it's bright light filling the star filled sky.

"Infatuation." The dog concludes, speaking suddenly as she glances back up at Lofty. His eyes widen at her words. His mouth drops open as his face heats up on instinct.

He has never felt such a strong emotion for anyone, not even Ida. And yet, he adored Ida with every bone in his body. Or, at least, he thought he did. That is, until you came along.

Missy grins at his expression. She has finally caught him at a loss of words, and it pleases her greatly.

"Ah, well, it would seem the competent has become the ignorant." The fae grins slyly, eyeing the creature as she smirks at him playfully. He peers down at her, merely huffing in response as a small grin pulls at the corners of his mouth.

(A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to do! I've been writing other stories that I haven't posted. One is a Predator x Deaf Reader, one is a Planet Of The Apes Caesar x Reader, one is a The Last Of Us fanfic, and one is an Underfell Sans x Blind Reader that I actually started forever ago. I'm wondering if any of you want me to post any of these stories..? I'd love to but I really want to see if anyone would actually be interested in reading them. Just comment and let me know! Thank you for reading!)