Cracking A Herd

The familiar ache of his head and the discomfort of his stomach was the first thing to greet Crashing Thunder as he woke up. Instantly he knew that he had drunk too much last night and was likely going to pay for it today. At the very least he could tell that it would likely pass in a few hours, but for now the pounding of his head was enough for him to let out a loud groan as he rolled over in bed and outstretched both his arm and his wing looking for the familiar touch of his zebra lover.

Only when he rolled over his body simply landed on more bed. Crash cracked open one of his eyes and saw the disheveled side of the bed that was full of wrinkles in the sheets and a pillow lying crooked. He must have really been out of it to totally miss that Lost Way had gotten out of bed already, as normally he was a light sleeper.

Crash forced himself to sit up despite the ache in his head. He let out a groan as he rubbed his temple and then ran a hoof through his messy hair. He felt like crap. After a moment he realized he could hear the squealing of pipes from across the hall. The sound of a shower was going strong. Lost Way must already be in there. The idea of warm water against his body sounded pretty appealing right about now. Maybe it might do good to start to shake off his hangover.

With slow and lumbering movements Crash half-crawled half pulled himself out of bed. He stared down at his hooves as he walked and trusted muscle memory to guide him toward the bathroom. The sound of water grew louder. He pressed his cheek up to the door in a half-dreamy daze and felt the cool wood do wonders against his cheek.

Silently Crash reached for the doorknob. Thankfully it wasn’t locked. As he pushed into the room steam slipped out from the cracks in the door and he was suddenly embraced by warmth. Already the idea of standing in warm water and leaning on Lost Way sounded more appealing than anything. He shut the door behind him and let out a yawn.

“Hey, babe,” Crash said as he approached the shower. He put on a sly grin. “Need help washing your back? Or even your butt~”

Crash pulled open the shower curtain and instantly froze. Lost Way wasn’t in the shower. Instead the wide eyes of a gryphon were staring him down. Her talons were still on the feathers atop her head scrubbing in some soap.

“Actually I’m good,” Gilda said. “Babe.”

Crash let out a shriek.

—————————————————————————————-

Lost Way hummed merrily to himself as he fumbled for his keys with one hoof and attempted to balance a tray of warm steaming beverages with the other. He had woken up with a slight headache but that was about it. It was nothing a little morning stroll down to the coffee shop wouldn’t fix. The thought of sweet and caramel flavored coffee was normally enough to get him out of the house just about any morning. He had gotten himself a caramel latte and Crash his favorite blend of raspberry brew. He was unsure what to get for Gilda, so he had simply gotten her black coffee and grabbed a handful of flavored creamers on his way out for her to choose from.

Lost Way thought he would be able to avoid the awkwardness of what was eventually to come by offering a bit of brew to liven everypony up. Unfortunately for him the moment he opened the door he seemed to trot straight into chaos.

“I-I’m so, so, sosososo sorry,” Crash said frantically.

“Dude, chill, it’s cool,” Gilda said.

“It’s so NOT cool!” Crash whined.

Lost Way stepped into the house to see that Crash was sitting on the couch balled up with his hooves covering his face in shame. Gilda was wandering around picking up her discarded clothes from last night and piling them together. There was a towel on her head and also wrapped around her body.

“Um… Hi?” Lost Way asked.

“Oh, hey,” Gilda said. “Your babe’s here.”

“Mmmmm…” Crash let out a loud and humiliated whine. He didn’t look up from his hooves to even greet Lost Way.

Lost Way shut the door behind him with a kick of his hind leg and walked slowly into the living room. It was just as much of a mess as he had left it with many of the couch cushions thrown on the floor along with several blankets to form a circle in a makeshift nest. When he had first come out this morning he had found Gilda sprawled out on the floor on her back snoring loudly in the mess of fluff. The couch looked pretty barren with Crash sitting on it and all of the cushions gone.

“Will you stop whining?” Gilda asked. “I said it was cool.”

“Did I miss something?” Lost Way asked.

“Your boyfriend walked into the shower thinking I was you,” Gilda said. “Then he screamed like a little girl. It was kinda funny.”

“Oh, jeez,” Lost Way said. He resisted the urge to laugh but instantly felt a smile creep up on his lips that he was glad his clearly humiliated boyfriend was too busy sulking to notice. “Crash? Honey? I got you some coffee. Will that cheer you up?”

Crash gingerly rose his head and looked over to Lost Way. He looked defeated and upset, but the sight of the coffee did perk him up a little.

“Raspberry blend?” Crash asked.

“Duh,” Lost Way said before holding out the cup to him. “With whipped cream, obviously.”

Crash took the cup of coffee and held it in his hooves. He continued to sit balled up on the couch in his shame but took a tentative sip of the warm brew. It did wonders and already Lost could see his body loosen up the tiniest bit.

“I wasn’t sure what to get you, Gilds,” Lost Way said. “I got black coffee but I got a bunch of creamers if you wanna flavor it up.”

“Naw, black coffee’s my jam,” Gilda said before walking up to Lost Way and grabbing the outstretched cup. She took a sip and let out a loud refreshed sounding sigh once her beak was pulled away. “Mmm, nice and fresh.”

Lost Way sat down next to his boyfriend on the couch who seemed to be coming out of the protective shell he had made around himself using his wings.

The night before had ended… strangely. It was late and emotions were high. Lost wasn’t sure if it had been him or Crash who first suggested Gilda crash at their place. They were all tipsy and clearly there were words that needed to be said. The moment they arrived however it seemed that both exhaustion and the alcohol they consumed had run their systems ragged and they all decided to sleep as soon as possible. They offered Gilda Lost Way’s old bed, which had practically become a guest room since Crash and Lost started dating, but she had insisted on taking the couch.

Gilda settled down on the floor on top of her makeshift nest.

“Sorry about the mess,” Gilda said. “Bird thing. I’ll clean it up later.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lost Way said. “So uh… I kind of intended to let everypony wake up with some coffee but I think you two already are pretty alert.”

“You could say that,” Crash said softly. He gave a quick glance to Gilda and then looked away before attempting to shield his face with one of his wings. He was still clearly embarrassed as hell over what happened.

“Ugh,” Gilda let out a soft groan. Lost glanced at her as she looked away with a look on her face that Lost couldn’t read very well past negative. She started to drum her fingers on her coffee cup and frowned. It seemed she wasn’t looking forward to this.

“A lot happened last night,” Lost Way said. “It wasn’t all bad, though. You two had fun for most of it, right?”

“I guess,” Gilda said with a shrug. “It wasn’t totally lame up until the end, yeah.”

“Do you wanna talk about… what happened?” Lost Way asked. He scooted closer to the edge of the couch and thus closer to Gilda.

“Ugh, not really,” Gilda said with a grumble before rolling her eyes and taking a long sip of her coffee. “But what the heck?”

“Gilda,” Crash piped up finally. “You don’t have to if you don’t wanna. Don’t think that just cause we let you crash here you have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

Gilda let out a little chuckle, which caused Crash to blush once more. She sat up a bit and straightened herself out.

“Normally when I have bad dates they don’t invite me over to sleep on their couch and wanna talk about feelings over coffee,” Gilda said with a smirk. “You two are weird, y’know that?”

“I’m aware,” Lost Way said with a chuckle of his own.

“I’m really sorry,” Crash said. A phrase he was well versed in repeating. “Anything I did to make you uncomfortable last night… I’m not good on dates, especially first ones. They always go bad some way and…”

“Ugh, c’mon,” Gilda interrupted Crash to let out a groan. “It wasn’t your fault, Crash, jeez.”

“S-Still,” Crash piped up. “I don’t think it was your fault either!”

“Guys,” Lost Way piped up. He was feeling like a mediator more than anything. He was a part of this, not just a separate entity trying to hook two friends up. “I feel like we’re gonna go in circles here. Can I make a bit of a suggestion?”

“Shoot,” Gilda said before shrugging.

“A-Alright,” Crash said softly.

“Look, Gilda,” Lost Way said. “The reason you got weirded out last night was because there were two of us, right?”

“I guess,” Gilda said with a shrug. “I don’t… Mmm…”

Gilda looked to Crash briefly before looking away.

“That’d be intimidating for anypony, especially on a date,” Lost Way said. “I think we may have accidentally made you feel like a third wheel. Me and Crash kinda have been connected at the hip for… well, most of our lives.”

Gilda didn’t agree, but she didn’t disagree either. She simply remained silent and glanced away as if she were struggling to put into words how that made her feel.

“I was thinking maybe we could just go out one on one, maybe?” Lost Way asked. “Have a chance to really talk without one of us getting in the way. Let you get used to one of us before both of us?”

“What, like two dates?” Gilda asked with a chuckle. “You seriously wanna take me out again after last night?”

“It doesn’t have to be a date,” Lost Way said. “We can just talk alone someplace. I’m still new to this herd thing but I don’t think we’re all supposed to be one big unit all the time. I think we’re supposed to care about each other equally and want to spend time with every creature.”

“Right,” Crash spoke up. “That’s how I always pictured it.”

“So, what?” Gilda asked. “Clubbing together or something?”

“I was thinking something a little easier,” Lost Way said. “It’s pretty close to lunch. We slept in late. We could get some food, maybe?”

“You and me?” Gilda asked before raising her brow.

“Well, I think Crash is a little…”

“Hey!” Crash snapped to defend himself. “I’m fine! I just…”

Crash looked to Gilda quickly and then instantly looked like he was overcome with embarrassment again.

“He might need some time to cool off,” Lost Way finished.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, Crash,” Gilda said before raising up to her legs and stretching out. She moved up to Crash and ran her talons through his mane. He looked up briefly with wide eyes at the gryphon. “I know, it takes some time to calm down from seeing a gorgeous gryphon like me soaking wet.”

“Th-That’s not…”

Gilda leaned down and lightly pecked Crash on his cheek. That shut the pegasus up very quickly.

“We’re cool, Crash,” Gilda said softly.

“So do you like my idea?” Lost Way asked.

“Yeah, why the hell not?” Gilda said before backing up and letting out a long sigh. “I’m honestly starving. Just please don’t take me to any place that only has salads. I need some fries or something greasy.”

“I’m offended you think I wouldn’t,” Lost Way said. “You ready to go? I already showered and stuff before I went out.”

“Sure, why not,” Gilda said with a shrug. “I’ll wait outside. Coffee tastes better when you’re cold, anyway.”

As Gilda made her way to the door Lost Way sighed and moved towards Crash. The pegasus was touching the spot on his cheek where Gilda had kissed him as he looked up.

“You gonna be okay?” Crash asked. “Are you sure you wanna go alone?”

“I’ll be fine, hon,” Lost Way said before leaning down and kissing Crash on his nose. “I think this’ll be good for us. All of us. I’ll butter her up then you can try having a real date with her in a few days or something.”

Lost Way brushed aside the hair covering Crash’s eyes and chuckled.

“Alright,” Crash said. “I love you.”

Lost Way smiled.

“Love you too.”

———————————————————-

The little restaurant near the outskirts of Canterlot was nothing special, which was probably why Lost Way liked it so much. It was the perfect place to slip into when you were craving carb-loaded and overly greasy food. The two of them were able to slip in and get a table without any wait time and were sitting with cups of freshly brewed coffee awaiting their orders.

“So,” Gilda said just as Lost Way was finishing up stirring creamer into his coffee. “You got me all alone now. Not often I go on a date with a gay guy.”

“What about a gay guy and his boyfriend?” Lost Way asked.

“Probably rarer,” Gilda admitted with a chuckle. “I’m kinda just surprised you wanna sit here with me all.”

“You’re still my friend, Gilda,” Lost Way said with a slight frown. “I don’t just up and abandon my friends when we have a little blow up over something.”

“Heh, well that makes one of us,” Gilda said with a shrug. “If you two didn’t run out of the club when you did last night I’d probably be halfway back to Gryphonstone right about now.”

Gilda frowned and stared down into her black coffee. Her reflection stared back at her, and for a moment the two were simply silent.

“Do you wanna talk about last night?” Lost Way asked.

“Is this therapy or lunch?” Gilda replied with a chuckle.

“It’s just two creatures talking,” Lost Way said. “I know you’re not really into opening up about feelings and stuff but it can help sometimes. Especially if you know the other creature won’t judge you for what you have to say.”

“Ugh,” Gilda let out a groan. She leaned on her elbow and rested her face on her hand while she began to run her talon in circles over the tabletop. “I’m not good at opening up and talking about feelings, y’know.”

“Gee, I hadn’t noticed,” Lost Way said with a hint of a tease.

“You’re lucky you’re cute or I’d kick your leg,” Gilda said before rolling her eyes. She grew a bit more serious as she let out a sigh and looked a tad somber. “I just keep wondering if it’s worth it for you two to waste your time on me. I thought maybe enough time had passed and I was… better.”

“Better?” Lost Way asked.

Gilda shut her eyes. She looked annoyed, or possibly even angry, but it wasn’t directed at Lost Way. It seemed to almost be directed inward at herself and whatever was going on inside her head.

“I get clingy,” Gilda said. “When I like somepony, I mean. I had this friend… this really really good friend a long time ago. I couldn’t stand that they were having fun with some other pony. I made sure for a while that that friend wouldn’t wanna talk with me.”

“That sounds rough,” Lost Way said.

“I deserved it,” Gilda grumbled. “I was a jerk for no reason just cause I was jealous. It took me a long time to see that I was the problem… I thought I had grown since I realized that but…”

“But last night you felt it come up again?” Lost Way asked.

Gilda continued to frown. Her finger stopped swirling on the counter top. She glanced up to Lost Way.

“For a second I kind of wanted to punch you,” Gilda said. “Last night, I mean. When Crash ran off and I didn’t know how to help him.”

“Well, I guess I’m glad you didn’t,” Lost Way said.

“But I REALLY wanted to,” Gilda said in a grumbling tone. “It felt like I just let myself regress to some jealous brat. If I lost my temper and hurt one of you I… I’d be just as bad as Dash thought I was.”

Lost Way had no idea who ‘Dash’ was that Gilda was talking about, but he could only assume it was the friend from her past.

“Gilda,” Lost Way said. “You still held it back. You just had a little blow up at Crash. He blamed himself way more than he blamed you.”

“I don’t WANT him to blame himself,” Gilda said with a frustrated huff. “I just… I kept thinking how pissed I was that I couldn’t fix it like you could. I felt like I wasn’t good enough to even be in that damn club with him all of a sudden and…”

Gilda stopped talking and shut her eyes. She had been close to shouting and a few of the other restaurant patrons were giving strange glances. She let out a long winded sigh that seemed to relax the muscles in her body.

“You two work so well together,” Gilda said. “I feel like I’m… Like I’m messing with this big antique clock. Everything is running perfectly and it doesn’t need anything else but I’m trying to shove my big awkward gears in and it’s messing up the whole thing.”

“I didn’t really take you as one for metaphors like that,” Lost Way said.

“Yeah, good for me, I’m a multi-layered jealous bitch,” Gilda grumbled. “Isn’t it overwhelming?”

“Is what overwhelming?” Lost Way asked.

“Y’know,” Gilda gestured vaguely with her talons. “Being the lead stallion or whatever? You told me back at the gym that you didn’t think you’d get jealous.”

Lost Way let out a slight sigh and looked down into his own drink. He had filled his own with cream so his reflection was muddled in creamy brown waters. He shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“I did, I guess,” Lost Way said. “I wasn’t being entirely honest back then, I guess. Back when me and Crash first started dating it scared me a lot, actually.”

“No shit?” Gilda asked. “So you aren’t Mr. Perfect?”

“I never said I was,” Lost said a bit indignantly.

“Well you coulda fooled me,” Gilda said. “You always seem like you have things under control. You’re running laps around me and Crash trying to keep this train from totally wrecking, y’know.”

“It’s not easy,” Lost said as he gave a slight shake of his head. “And yeah, it is a bit overwhelming. But last night when you two were dancing I felt… good. It felt really good to see Crash look like he was having that much fun. I don’t think he’d ever do that kind of thing with me.”

“Seriously?” Gilda asked.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to get Crash to dance in public like that for a hundred bits,” Lost admitted. “But you did it just by being you. You drew something better out of him that I couldn’t, Gilda.”

Gilda remained silent at that as she glanced away. It looked like she was pondering her thoughts for a few moments before the familiar sight of a pink unicorn in an apron approached carrying two plates with her magic. The interruption in conversation felt strange, and even though the food she set down between them looked and smelled great neither creature made the first move to dig into their burger or fries.

“Y’know,” Lost Way said. “After my bad date with Crash we went to a bar and got burgers and fries too.”

“Heh, getting fat solves everything, huh?” Gilda asked.

That little joke seemed to break a bit of the awkward silence between them as Gilda reached for a few fries and shoved them into her beak.

“So, you were scared?” Gilda asked before she had finished swallowing.

“Huh?”

“You said when you and Crash were new you were scared,” Gilda pressed. “About what?”

Lost Way should have known that question was coming, but still it caught him off guard. He took a moment to ponder as he picked up a fry and ate half of it before setting it back down realizing he really couldn’t eat with that question unanswered.

“I guess I was just scared I wouldn’t be enough for him,” Lost Way said. “He told me all the time those first few weeks that he was totally fine if I never wanted to start a herd, and it was my decision. It was really scary, though. The idea that I was falling so fast for my best friend and that I might not be able to make him happy the way he really wanted was… I was scared for a long time that even if I did decide to start a herd I’d just be doing it because it was what he wanted.”

“Do you feel like that changed?” Gilda asked. “When you decided to ask me out?”

“It took a few months for that fear to start to fade,” Lost Way said. “After that I could think about it seriously, and I had to do that for a few months more. I think I just eventually realized that how I felt about him wouldn’t change if he or I loved somepony else as well. Love is unique and no creature can really replicate the way he made me feel, y’know?”

“That sounds really… cheesy,” Gilda said. “Sweet, but cheesy.”

“I think being with Crash made me realize real love is kind of cheesy,” Lost Way said. “Believe me I would have gagged back when I was still doing weekly hookups if I heard somepony talk like that.”

“Hehe,” Gilda chuckled. It was good to see her with a glint of humor in her eye.

“Crash has always had a big heart, though,” Lost Way continued. “I think he always knew he wanted to be in a big family of creatures who all loved each other. My heart had to grow a little before I realized I could be okay with that too.”

“I dunno if my heart’s willing to grow,” Gilda said with a slight sigh. “The more I hang out with each of you the more I like you both, but I keep thinking that old me will come out and I’ll lose it when I see you two snuggling without me or something stupid.”

“You said we were like a clock before,” Lost Way said. “Maybe you’re not looking at it right.”

“Oh Celestia we’re back to metaphors?” Gilda groaned.

“Shut up and listen,” Lost Way said with a hint of a chuckle before growing a bit more serious. “Even if me and Crash are some perfect clock, which I really don’t think we are, every clock needs some creature to take care of it eventually. When the gears don’t work or we don’t chime every hour somepony has to care for it. Their relationship is just as important as the gears in the clock itself, don’t you think?”

“Did you just take my metaphor and use it to try and make me join your thrupple?” Gilda asked.

After a moment of silence where the two stared at each other Gilda was the first to crack. She broke up into a smile and started laughing. After that Lost couldn’t stop himself from joining her and they sat there laughing to themselves loud enough for a few of the restaurant’s patrons to give them the side eye. As they struggled to control themselves Lost saw a smile on Gilda’s face that properly reached her eyes. It was a sort of vulnerability that he didn’t think she had shown before to either him or Crash.

“You’re really sweet,” Gilda said. “A lot more than I’d probably be to a loudmouth like me.”

“Thanks,” Lost Way said. For the first time since they sat down he felt himself properly relax and sink back into his booth.

“Crash is a lucky guy to have you,” Gilda said, and then after a few moments pause she reached out her talon and grabbed for one of his hooves that was still residing on the table. “So am I, I guess. I’ve never had anyone fight this hard to keep me around.”

“Hey, c’mon,” Lost Way said. “Look who's being cheesy now.”

“Yeah, don’t push it,” Gilda said before releasing his hoof. “I’m not above kicking your legs under this table. Can we stop sapping and eat now? Fries taste gross all cold.”

“Heh, fine by me,” Lost Way said before grabbing a small hoof full of fries and shoving them into his mouth. Suddenly his appetite felt like it was there in full force.

“Lost?” Gilda said.

“Mm?” Lost questioned with his mouth shut and still chewing.

“Thanks for not… giving up on me, I guess,” Gilda said. “I think I’m gonna seriously try now with you two.”

Lost swallowed what food was in his mouth and gave Gilda a smile.

“That’s great to hear,” The zebra said.

——————————

Even as the morning sun that shone in through the windows and left sunbeams on the carpet slowly faded as time crept forward and the sun rose higher Crashing Thunder still did not move from his spot on the couch. His mind was abuz, and doing just about any task felt impossible.

He had tried to get up to make himself food but anything past eating a few hoof fulls of leftovers felt too much. He thought about taking a walk but the idea of Gilda and Lost returning without him there sent his stomach into twists and turns.

Crash knew he was a worrywart and had always been. He had understood what Lost meant by suggesting the two of them go on separate dates, but still he hated the anticipation of simply waiting for what felt like an eternity. He wished he could at least know if things were going poorly or better than the previous night had ended.

It felt like both an eternity and far too quickly when the familiar sound of the door unlocking clicked. Crash felt his heart pound as he sat up quickly. As the door cracked he heard the sound of… laughter?

“Oh my gosh, shut the hell up!” Gilda said with a laugh. “You did not! With those weak little hooves?”

“Okay, first of all rude, second of all I AM a royal guard, y’know. I can throw a punch if I want!”

Things seemed as if they had gone… well?

“Oh, hey hon,” Lost Way said cheerily. He trotted up merrily to the couch and held out a bag in his hoof. “We got you some food. Figured it wasn’t fair we got all the good stuff while you waited at home.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Crash said. He didn’t even bother to look at the bag as he took it and set it back down on the couch. He stood up, albeit slowly, and tried his best to eye Gilda.

“Hey, nerd,” Gilda said with a grin upon spotting Crash.

“H-Hey,” Crash said. He could still feel the lingering embarrassment of that morning but enough time had passed where he was able to properly look at Gilda without turning beet red. “Did it go well?”

“No, it went horribly,” Gilda said sarcastically. “I’m never speaking to either of you again.”

“It went great, babe,” Lost Way said. “Me and her had a really good talk.”

“That’s good,” Crash said with a long winded sigh of relief that quickly followed.

“Heh, worried about me?” Gilda asked as she approached Crash.

“Course I was,” Crash said defiantly. “I was worried about both of you!”

Gilda seemed a bit surprised by the honesty in Crash’s voice. After a moment she cracked a smile and slowly shook her head in amusement.

“Heh, you’re cute,” Gilda said, which only caused Crash to feel a familiar flood of embarrassment upon realization that he had gotten a bit emotional over what seemed to be nothing. “No, things went great, Crash. I… I think I really needed to sit down and talk with somepony. Your boyfriend’s a really good listener, y’know?”

Crash glanced over to Lost Way who seemed to be suppressing a smile at that compliment.

“I know,” Crash said. “I dunno what I’d do without him.”

“Will you two knock it off?” Lost Way asked. “All I did was pay for brunch and talk about some feelings.”

“Hehe,” Gilda chuckled before turning her attention back to Crash. “Listen… There’s probably a lot you and I gotta go over, too. After talking with Lost I… I think I wanna give this thing a real shot. So uh… you wanna grab a bite in a few days? Dinner maybe? Someplace that’s actually first-date worthy?”

Was that embarrassment Crash was detecting on Gilda? She seemed to grow quite sheepish as her words finished and she glanced away. Crash didn’t know if he had ever actually seen her look so flustered before.

“Well?” Gilda pressed.

Crash realized he had simply been staring dumbfounded and quickly felt himself blush.

“Dinner sounds great,” Crash said. “I should probably warn you, though… I have a pretty bad history of first dates.”

“Heh, you don’t say?” Gilda asked. “Well, good thing this is our second, huh?”

Crash put on a little smile at that and looked right into Gilda’s eyes. There was an openness and honesty he didn’t think he had ever seen in her. She was really trying to do this now. Crash suddenly felt like he had to work harder.

Crash took a step forward and craned his neck. He planted a quick kiss right on Gilda’s cheek. He could feel her tense in surprise before he backed up and glanced away.

“That’s for last night,” Crash said. “Maybe I can make it up to you for real on our date.”

“Wow,” Gilda said. “I didn’t know you of all ponies could be smooth, Crash.”

“First time I’ve seen it,” Lost Way said.

“D-Don’t lie!” Crash said quickly and pointed at his boyfriend with his hoof.

Lost Way cracked up, quickly followed by Gilda. After a few moments of embarrassment Crash had to crack a little smile of his own if only for relief that the tension from the night before seemed to be near entirely gone from the three of them.

“So, dinner,” Gilda said. “I’ll be here tomorrow at eight, sound good?”

“Sounds great!” Lost Way interjected before Crash had a chance to reply. He moved between the couch and Gilda and made his way over to Crash before wrapping a foreleg over his back. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he’s all ready for you!”

“What are you, my mom?” Crash asked.

“Heh, you two are such dorks,” Gilda chuckled.

Things seemed to finally be looking up for the three of them. For the first time Crash started to seriously ponder what it might be like to finally have a third member and start a proper herd. The idea filled him with worry and joy, as most exciting things in his life did. Still, in that moment with both Lost Way and Gilda next to him he felt like he wouldn’t have to handle the weight of it all alone. He was finally finding creatures to love, and to love him in return.