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Good! You better.

[An empty threat, said with love. And they hecking DESERVE open cuddles, let it be their fate-

Casey leans in a bit, wanting to listen more closely to the noises Rue keeps making. He's never heard an owl before, so it's all new and pretty fascinating, on top of being cute as heck. He should keep his mouth shut at least, to not embarrass them, but...]

It's not the same thing, but I used to do something similar with the turtles- their future selves, I mean. Their shells can get itchy too, and there's spots that're hard to reach. Don't tell him you heard it from me, but... [He lowers his voice, conspiratorial.] Sometimes, sensei made noises like that, too.

[Oh dear. Getting called out like that is rather embarrassing, especially since Rue was so unaware that they were even doing it. As close as he is, fingers against their skin, Casey would be able to feel the gentle flush of embarrassment there, but at least Rue shakes out of it quickly enough.

The secret that he has shared is well worth a little gentle shame.]

Truly?

[It does not matter that it is Rue's own home and no one else is nearby. They follow Casey's lead, lowering their tone to a near whisper, angling their head just so to lean in closer towards the young teen and his secret.]

I did not know their shells were capable of becoming itchy. You helping them out in such a way must have been such a great relief then, the very same as you are doing for me now. [a gentle pause, Rue's big eyes blinking slowly] I can only imagine how darling Leo must have sounded. And in case it needs to be said, your secret is very safe with me. I shall say nothing, not even under threat of turtle pile.

[His brows lift a bit at the comment of how it might sound. That he can do! One day Rue might hear an authentic version, but he has a pretty solid imitation at least.]

Oh, um. I'm a little rusty, but it's like...

[Casey shifts a bit closer still, resting his chin on their shoulder so he can be close to their ear tuft as he utters a quiet chrrrrr noise, somewhere between a squeak and a purr. It's the kind of sound that is definitely testing the limits of human vocal chords, but through the blessing of a decade of practice, he nails it.]

[Casey drops his chin against their shoulder and then proceeds to make the most adorable little chirping purr that Rue has ever heard.]

That is so dear! Casey, we must get Leo to make it again here!

[He grins again, feeling secretly victorious for pulling it off. It has been months and months after all, but considering it's almost like a second language to him, it would have been embarrassing if he hadn't gotten it at least mostly right.]

You'd probably have a better chance of making that happen. We're doing okay but I don't know if I've earned shell-scratching rights yet.

[Not the sort of thing you just come out and do without a satisfying hint that it's allowed. Sort of like how he wouldn't currently be preening Rue's feathers without permission.]

[Though Rue would never speak it aloud, they are extraordinarily proud of Casey for being able to admit to something so vulnerable without immediately following it up with a sad puppy face or a tinge of sorrow to his tone. Because even if his relationship with Leo is not quite there yet, Rue believes that he knows it will get there in time.

It will happen and it sounds like Casey finally believes that himself.

So Rue turns their head just enough to press a quick, peck of a kiss to the side of Casey's head while he is so close.]

If I do, you shall be the very first I tell. Thank you for sharing such a heartwarming memory with me. And for your warm presence in general. I was so sullen earlier, but now I feel as if I have been smiling all day long with you.

[It's as much that he's in an excellent mood and not allowing himself to overthink the situation, but yes, a grand accomplishment. He hopes to have many more moments where the gaps in his relationships with the turtles isn't secretly soul-crushing. Progress is happening, slow and steady. (How very turtle-like.)

The little kiss makes him burn scarlet, a startled little noise (an accidental chirp? It's very quiet) escaping as he ducks back into place behind them, though for a moment his hands are paused and rested against the feathers instead of combing or scratching. O-oh... that was... nice.]

...I'm glad for that, too. Um- you really didn't look like yourself, when you opened the door. And not because of the feathers, either. [A beat, and then, hastily,] Not that you aren't allowed to be sad! [God knows they've let him be sad around them plenty.] Just... I'm happy I could do something to cheer you up.

[If they notice the flushing color of his cheeks or the darling little chirp (which they absolutely do), Rue is at least polite enough to not acknowledge it as they turn their head forward again, giving Casey space to finish combing through their fresh pin feathers.

But it seems that now Rue has two dear boys to keep working on dragging darling chirps from.]

You have cheered me up considerably. There is no doubt in my mind, I would still be wallowing if you had not offered your help. I would have been stubborn and insisted on keeping to myself and quietly grieving in my own self-imposed loneliness. I - [a pause, their beak clacking shut for a moment in thought. There are things that Rue will not worry the boys with, adult problems they would brush it off as, things their boys don't need to know. But talking to Casey and Leo is so easy at times, they nearly slip.

But Rue breathes deeply - and perched where Casey is, he will feel the full of it as they exhale out - and change direction.]

It was silly of me to not reach out before, but I am grateful I did when I did. And that you rose to help me. Your fingers are so nimble! I think you will easily surpass Hob's record.

[Thanks, Rue. He appreciates the courtesy. He doesn't have that much cause to be embarrassed about the noise - he'd just done it voluntarily after all - but he can hardly help his fluster. No one's done that in... a very long time. And no one's made him do that in a long time, either.

As he works, he listens to them speak, glad to hear that they're feeling better than before, and that his presence had really made a difference. He recognizes the shift in subject however, the sudden evasion of whatever else they might have said. He remains in place after they finish, quietly debating for a long moment as he slides his hands listlessly through the last lingering pin feathers: to follow where they're steering, or to tilt sideways? When he discards the final caps he decides, leans forward again, and wraps his arms around their neck - or as far as he can reach, anyway, still quite small in comparison - hugging them gently. His voice is half-muffled in the fluff.]

We're here for you. Anytime, okay? Don't even have to say why.

[He knows he's still young, and there's plenty that an adult isn't going to share with a kid. Sensei, and his uncles, all had plenty on their mind that they felt they had to shield him from. But there were plenty more conversations he eavesdropped on - some he felt he deserved to hear about, some he really shouldn't have heard at all. He couldn't resent them for protecting him, or... in some cases, protecting themselves. It's a balance he knows must be hard to maintain.

Support without explanation is easy to give, though. And so are hugs.]

[Oh.

There is no denying that the hug takes Rue by surprise, a soft hoot slipping from their beak at the unexpected touch. But Casey is not left to wonder for even a moment whether the touch is received favorably or not.

His skinny arms slip around Rue as far as they will go, and after a moment of gentle shock, the owlbear's massive paws rest over Casey's arms, holding him in place, bumping their head back affectionately into his.

Going from a busy home with Tim to the handful of perfect months living with their husband to being completely on their own has been such a challenge. If Rue does not keep busy all night long, the grief and loneliness and all-consuming fear just envelops them completely. It is just more difficult than they would ever like to admit, to live on knowing Hob is still lost out there in the human realm, maybe hurt or captured or even worse, while they sit in their quiet, peaceful home filling the time with pointless hobbies.

When it is too quiet, the guilt feels like a constant weight on their chest. But what is Rue to do but box it up during the day and just carry on?

Their paw pats at Casey's arm, a sigh shuddering through them as Rue blinks back a few stray tears. What did they ever do to deserve such a sweet presence in their life?]

You are such a good boy, Casey. I love you, dearly. I hope you know that.

[He squeezes them a little tighter as they hug him back, and he closes his eyes, more than content to rest like that as long as Rue needs. Hugs aren't a cure-all by any means, but god have they ever helped him, all his life. He's been held and coddled and told so many times, it'll be alright, we're here, I've got you, Case. Love you, kiddo. The warmth of being clung to, of having one's pain perceived. It's so important.

So he clings, and he perceives Rue's pain, even if he doesn't understand it. He's not owed a reason. And when they speak up at last, he lifts his head (so his voice won't be muffled, because they deserve to hear it openly) and responds in kind.]

I love you, too.

[He's never hesitated with his family back home. It's just how they are. He told Leo already. Why shouldn't those important to him know? There's no shame in love. Hope might be a ninja's greatest weapon, but love is their greatest shield.]

[Even with the sorrow that sits in their heart, Rue knows their current life is so full of joy and affection and friendship, more than they can ever remember it having been before. No other time in their life have they been hugged and touched so easily, had others speak plainly about how much they care, have had their days so filled with pleasant company and fun. Whatever grief still lingers, it is easier to face now when their life is full of genuine love.

Their composure snaps back together almost immediately, just one last long, shuddering sigh, and Rue is straightening up against Casey, a paw reaching behind them to politely ruffle his hair. (But just barely, they don't want to mess up his hair.)]

How am I looking so far? Do you need a break, Casey? I do not want your hands to cramp.

[Casey hums quietly, accepting the hair ruffle without complaint, and shifts away carefully to give their back feathers one last brushing with the comb. It really looks lovely now, much neater and fluffy, no longer scrunched and showing gaps. It really is just like new.]

No, it's okay. I can do this kind of thing for hours. [And has in fact done so, many times in and out of the workshop back home. There were plenty of little tasks that small dextrous five-fingered hands could do that were more difficult for giant mutant turtle hands, and Uncle Tello was always happy to put him to work. This is nothing.] I think I'm done back here, though... want me to come around and work on the front? Or anywhere else that itches?

[His tone is light and curious; he's clearly having a pretty good time here, even if it might seem like work to some. He likes to keep busy and help out, so this is good for him. And the feathers are quite soft to touch once freed.]

[Not only does it look better, but it feels better. Just having part of their feathers free, Rue feels a million times more relief than they did before his arrival.]

Would you mind very much doing my face?

[Casey seems eager to help, but Rue feels like they should ask, just to be certain. It really is a lot of work, no matter how satisfying it may feel to watch their feathers slowly fluff up again.]

That one is not quite so difficult to reach, it's just much easier to preen them with my beak than my talons. I thought the comb might be a nice in between to help with my face. But if you would not mind, I truly would be happy to take all of the help that I can get.

I don't mind.

[He brushes some stray feather bits out of the comb and tucks it into the elastic of his ponytail, freeing his hands so he can climb around and into their lap. Both hands lift to coax them down to his level, and he'll begin to repeat the process, though with more delicacy and care with where he's touching, not wanting to accidentally poke fingers into tender facial features. His brows are furrowed, deeply focused and back in work-mode. If he were any more cliched he would have his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth.]

No wonder you're itchy. All those feathers right up in your face must feel really frustrating. You're way more patient with it than I would be!

[They've been dealing with this for as long as they have and kept quiet about it... he'd be rubbing his face against tree bark by now.]

[Well! There he goes! This little feral child crawling right into their lap and getting straight to it!

Having him so close to their face, Rue sucks in a sharp breath and does their very best to go completely still as his fingers work through their feathers, not wanting to twitch or squirm and make this more difficult than it already must be.

But to be truthful, Casey looks like he may be enjoying himself like this, all focused on the work ahead of him, brow cutely furrowed in concentration. And the feel of his hands fluttering over their face, of working their feathers free and gently brushing away the dust off of them, it feels so nice to such a touch starved owlbear.

It takes all they have not to coo again right in his face this time.]

It has been a lot. And what a joke of nature to make my own paws so inefficient at clearing it all away. It seems so strange, but I suppose other owlbears rely on one another for this. For all that I think of my enlightenment as a gift, I sometimes forget that I am the strange one among my kin, separated from my own kind and so totally on my own. Owlbears do not normally set off alone, they stay in pairs.

[Up close they can make this so much harder purely by making funny faces at each other-

Casey plucks away at a few of the caps around their beak as they finish speaking, mindful of unintentionally getting pecked by being in their way. He smoothes the freed feathers down as one might brush down a beard, and with the rest of their face still scrungly, it looks a bit funny. He grins, helplessly.]

Well, I might not be an owlbear, but I am part of your... pack? Clan? Whatever it's called for owlbears. So it makes sense that one of us can do this for you instead.

[The concept of being titled as 'son' still sort of looms on his mental peripheral, yet to be re-addressed, but he'd very much accepted the idea of being family, which is more nebulous and less of a direct commitment. Whether it's a pack or some other name, he's happy to be a part of that.]

Mm, I suppose that it does. And I am grateful for it. It would have taken me at least another week to clean myself up enough to leave the house. And even then, I would have been too fearful of any I'd missed on the back of my head. Having my own, ah, parliament, perhaps? Or maybe it is a sloth? Truth be told, I do not know the term! Either way, having my own kin nearby and so willing to help means a great deal to me.

[But he's right, of course. It is a little too close to that incredibly sensitive subject, so Rue is grateful for a complete change of direction.

Instead, their huge eyes narrow teasingly at the sight of Casey's wide grin.]

What? What is it? Are you trying not to laugh at how silly I look?

N-no.

[Yes. Maybe. He's fighting back a laugh, the situation made more absurd and therefore funnier because of Rue drawing attention to it. He politely smooths the feathers out, setting them into their proper place, then - impulsively - brushes the tips upwards instead. A feathered moustache-

Okay now he loses the battle and ducks his head, trying to muffle his chuckling. It's so stupid, but he can't help finding it funny.]

Am I being made fun of in my own home?

[But Casey is losing it in front of them, his skinny shoulders shaking with the force of how he is trying to hold back his laughter, and Rue can't help but begin to giggle along with him. But! They will not back down!]

Tell me just what is so funny, Casey!

[A set of talons gently tickles at his side, hoping to get him laughing in earnest.]

[Yeah, he's gone. He's not hugely ticklish, but between him already fighting the giggles, and Rue's dexterous talons sneaking about and creating a sensation very different from turtle fingers, his hand comes away from his mouth to try and fend them off, meaning he can no longer hide his open laughter.]

No! N-no way! You'll never break me...!

Ha! Maybe I already have!

[Time to double down on their tickling, though for every laugh Rue manages to drag out of Casey, they are easily matching it themself.]

Surrender or I will have to take extreme measures!

[He writhes and wrestles, indecisively switching between trying to push their paws back and trying to retaliate and tickle them in turn. The fur and feathers make it difficult to do the latter, though, and they clearly have the advantage. Still, he's not deterred.]

Take them! I'm not afraid! I'm- [laughing, he's laughing, he can't talk anymore.]

[Immediately, without any warning, the tickling suddenly stops.

But only so that Rue can pluck up a mossy-green stray feather that had fallen on the couch beside them. They brandish it like a weapon in front of Casey's face.]

Prepare to meet your doom, young one.

[And then they attack! His neck and face gently tickled by owlbear feather! Take that!]

[Oh thank goodness, he can breathe agaiNO OH NO THAT'S WORSE-

He's trying to tuck his head between his shoulders to protect his neck, but that just makes his face more vulnerable. (You're not a turtle, Casey Jones, necks don't work like that.) You'd think a feather would be easy to fend off, but he can't seem to stop squirming.]

Okay, okay! Okay! I surrender! I'll tell you!

[The rare "Casey is crying and it's not because of trauma" has emerged. He's laughing too hard.]

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