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Something flared in the back of my mind. It could be Freddy and Marv mucking about as usual, but instinct told me that wasn’t the answer I sought. Wait, I inhaled more deeply as the light filtering through the window next to her front door went out. There isn’t only rain mixing with her natural fragrance. Oh, fuck.

I scrambled on the slick roof, talons digging into the old stone, then used my tail to pry open the entrance to the stairs and hurtled down them. In seconds, I reached the bookcase entrance, hand outstretched to yank the sequence of books to open it. Might just be quicker to ram it down.

“Slow down and think for a second, imbecile,” Marv cautioned. “You can’t just go barging into her apartment no matter what you think you smelled.”

“She could be fucking hurt,” I growled through gritted teeth.

“We doubt it. There wasn’t enough to warrant freak-out mode,” Freddy countered.

Untamed, anxious energy zipped through my limbs as I struggled to rein in my panic. My demons were probably right, but I won’t find any semblance of peace until I checked for myself. Silently, I swiftly entered her bedroom through the bookcase and tiptaloned to Miko’s side of the bed.

I smoothed a trembling thumb over her lips, followed by a kiss, my heart rioting against my ribs as I observed her pinched features. “Honeybee? Wake up for me.”

Her eyelids cracked open the barest amount and true to form, her mouth slipped into an charming, sleepy frown.

“Wha?” she mumbled, part of my panic subsiding in a relieved breath.

“You’re bleeding.”

“Goddamnit,” Miko sighed, rubbing her eyes with one hand, while the other patted around on the nightstand for something, “of course I am.”

In my peripheral, I spotted her folded glasses just out of her reach. Stifling my chuckle, my tail rose, and curled around them, careful to only touch the arm and not smudge the lenses, then held them out to her. “I have your glasses here. Why do you sound annoyed that blood’s leaking from you instead of, oh, I don’t know, concerned?”

“I really shouldn’t be surprised. My back’s been aching since yesterday,” she responded as if that statement should’ve answered my question and set her glasses on her nose.

Reaching for her, I smoothed her unbound, tangled hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, claws tinkling lightly against her numerous silver hoops. “You’re not making any sense. Also, you’re going to wake up Monstera with all that heavy sighing.”

Miko released a quiet, derisive snort, batting away my hand. “Monstera sleeps like the dead. We’ll be fine.”

“Damn, I could’ve visited you last night too then.”

One manicured eyebrow rose, the effect ruined when she winced in pain as she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. “You’re saying you didn’t?”

“I watched you sleep for a while.” I shrugged. “But you’re saying I could’ve stayed all night without issue. Missed opportunity.” My eyes narrowed on her, and I tilted her chin up with my tail, for once not allowing my distraction prone brain to lose focus. “Why do I smell blood?”

“Ugh,” she groaned, “it’s just my period.”

“Oh,” I tapped my claw tips together and bit my lip, “I’m a bit out of my depth here. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. I just need to take care of this,” she waved a hand in her general direction and glanced at me, her lips twitching like she held in amusement for some reason. “You look so damn earnest. Fine, can you get me my heat pad? It’s the blue rectangle folded in the closet.”

“Absofuckinglutely,” I whispered, bounding to the closet as she disappeared into the bathroom. “If I were a heat pad where would I be?” My wings rustled, reminding me I forgot to glamor myself before checking on Miko.

What a gobshite.

Tail swaying behind me, my eyes scanned the small space, landing on a folded section of navy fabric on the upper shelf. “There you are you filthy bastard.” I snatched the heat pad, whatever that was, failing to realize there was a cord attached to it as I whirled and strode back to the bed, the end with the metal prongs clunking noisily against the wooden bar holding Miko’s clothes, then ricocheting against the closet door.

Oops.

My eyes swung to the bed, ears twitching and waiting for any sound from the friend. Nothing.

Huh, Monstera really is a heavy sleeper. Good to know.

The bathroom door creaked open and Miko spotted me. “You look like a startled deer,” she said through a yawn, climbing back into bed.

Shrugging, I plugged in the heat pad as she instructed and sat on the floor. “You still smell like blood.”

Miko huffed, closing her eyes. “And it will continue that way for a few days.”