Heart Wood | Forest Creature X Reader (COMPLETED)

Chapter 13: Soft Splinters In The Skin

Fluff Ahead! + (sort of) Smut(ish) Stuff!

You're having Missy watch Lily in the house, in case she somehow disappears again. Neither Lofty nor Missy knew where the lighter came from, or how little Lily even got it. That child has many mysteries to her, ones you're not sure you'll ever be able to fully comprehend.

"The Tree Of Life?" You ask, tapping your finger on the lighter as you ponder Lofty's earlier comment. He nods, crouching down to your height so he can better see your face as you sit on the lip of the porch. His hollowed out eyes look rather ominous in the light of the moon. And yet, you find his calm gaze to be quite comforting as the two of you speak of your death on your birthday tomorrow.

You take in a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill your lungs before you exhale. You lean your head on your left hand, making your head slightly tilted as you stare at Lofty. "So, if I were to eat fruit from it then I wouldn't have to worry about the curse?" The creature nods once again.

"As you will live eternally. No scourge is able to contradict the commandments of nature." He responds with a low, gravely tone, causing you to shiver at his rumbling voice. His brows furrow before he leans closer to your face. You blink, pulling back on instinct.

He stops suddenly. "You shiver as if a breeze passes you by, and I have yet to ascertain such breezes at any given juncture I have accompanied you." He comments, sounding very confused by your actions. You feel your cheeks heat up at his words. You glance away, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

"Oh, yeah. Well," You start, wondering how to explain yourself. You take in a deep breath. "I just really like your voice, I guess. It's so... lovely, to the point where it sends a chill down my spine whenever I hear it." You say before biting your lower lip and shrugging, hoping that it's a good enough explanation for him to understand what you're trying to say. Something about his voice seems to make you shiver in delight.

He seems taken aback, his eye sockets widening and then blinking rapidly. He straightens his back before clearing out his throat. "Oh?" He hums while raising a brow at you, making your cheeks redden in color as you pull in a shaky breath. You merely nod your head, unable to form words out of being completely flustered.

You're unsure what it is about his voice, but you adore it. He could easily be someone who does ASMR on YouTube, especially because it always relaxes you whenever he speaks. And the deep rumble that always comes with it continuously makes your heart desire to hear more of it.

You catch his tail swishing back and forth out of the corner of your eye, causing you to smile. It's like something an excited puppy would do, which makes you adore him even more. He tilts his head at you, causing your heart to flutter.

You can't help yourself. You don't know if it's because he does things a dog would do, or because you just love his overall demeanor, but you can't help but giggle at his cuteness. Everything he does just seems to make you adore him more than you already do.

"I love you, Lofty." You squeal, sheepishly smiling up at him before reaching up and petting his head like a puppy. He takes in a sharp breath, his eyes widening as he stares at you, until he melts in your palm. You set the lighter in your lap. You'd much rather be feeling at his ears than the cold metal of the silver lighter.

His tail slows while you rub his ears with both of your hands. His eyes gently close as he leans forward, allowing you to better reach him. He shuffles closer, tilting his head forward.

You laugh through your nose, your heart doing flips in your chest as you lean your head into his neck, continuing to softy caress his rough ears. He smells like what you think a jungle would smell like. Tree bark and a hint of sweet flowers fill your nostrils.

He lets out a low rumble of a moan, causing you to completely freeze in place as your eyes shoot open and your breath hitches in your throat. You weren't expecting such a sound to come from him, so you're left quite shocked.

His ear flicks as he huffs through his nose, as if he's slightly annoyed that you stopped. You feel the rough bark from his nose nuzzle into the curve of your neck, making you inhale sharply as his warm breath grazes your skin. You lean away, biting your lip while slowly rubbing your fingers across his ears.

Butterflies flutter in your stomach as a shiver crawls up your spine. The feeling of his hot breath on your skin causes goosebumps to scatter across your body as you feel your skin heat up. He continues to lean forward, making you lean back until your spine is parallel to the porch.

"Uh." You breathe, watching Lofty hover over you with his hands on either side of your head. You keep your hands on his ears, but your movement has completely stopped. His eyes barely open, his gaze locking with yours as he gives you a half-lidded stare.

He releases a powerful, low and warm breath onto your face. "Do you truly love me?" He asks with the same gravely tone that causes you to shutter. "Or is it my voice that captivates you into a sense of infatuation with me?" He questions while leaning closer, his rumbling, deep voice whispering softly into your left ear.

You search his low tone for any emotion, but you find nothing but a void of all feelings. He does however, sound a little angered by his own question, and you're not sure he really wants any type of answer. But you feel a need to say something in response.

And yet, you're left speechless by his well thought out inquiry, with your mouth slightly ajar as your mind searches for something to say. You blink rapidly before deciding to just say what you feel. "I," You start, taking in a shaky breath and continuing. "I think I really do love-"

His head shoots up, his ears flicking from the sound of  something rustling in the dark forest. Your breath hitches in your throat, your eyes growing wide as you watch him scan the trees.

You can tell by his clenched jaw that something is lurking in the shadows of the dark woods.

You gulp, heart pounding as your cheeks heat up. A terrifying thought creeps into your flustered mind.

Has this thing been watching you two this whole time?