Candles and Companionship

“Here, take this.” 

Graves wordlessly took the lantern that was handed to him, safely snuffing out the candle that was flickering inside and setting it down beside the pole it had been hanging from before following his companion to the next one. 

It had been  busy day. A busy week, really. Buns and dolls alike had been running all over the estate and its grounds, making sure everything was ‘winter-proofed’ as the days steadily grew colder. 

The garden team had it the worst, and Graves wasn’t just complaining to complain. Setting up covers to stop future snow from collecting on the rose bushes, harvesting the annuals to save their seeds for next year, the list went on and on. 

At least, for today, the work was done. 

Well, almost. Graves and Charon were putting out the lanterns that lined the walkways of the grounds around Master Wolfsbane’s manor. Charon, being the only one in his doll form, was doing all of the reaching while Graves trotted along behind him. 

“Charon! Graves!” 

The two Greeds turned to greet the newcomer, an Envy doll who was familiar to both of them. 

“Mister Brandy, what can we do for ‘ya?” Charon’s polite question was at war with his usual gruff tone. 

“It’s supposed to rain tonight, so Wolfsbane asked me to come out and help you with the lanterns before the weather got bad.”

Charon nodded, then turned to Graves. “How ‘bout you head home then? We can finish up here.” 

Graves looked up at the two dolls and scowled before wiping it off his face and grimacing in apology at Master Wolfsbane’s frequent guest. “Okay… Thank you.” 

Fern would remind Graves that Charon didn’t mean to sound condescending… But it sucked regardless, being stuck in burn form while he recovered from a bad flu. He felt outright useless some days, not being able to help out around the manor nearly as much as others who could regularly take their doll forms. 

Graves held the lantern he was holding up to Mister Brandy, along with the silver candle snuffer he’d been using. “Good luck,” he murmured before turning and leaving the grounds as fast as he could without it looking like he was running away. 

~~ 

“Welcome home!” 

Graves’ self-pitying frown softened as he heard his partner’s voice from the kitchen; said partner then came rushing out of said kitchen, looking a little frazzled. 

“I wasn’t expecting you home so soon!” Fern smiled warmly at him, bangs clipped back and wearing a small green apron instead of his usual sun hat. “I’m in the middle of making dinner.” At Graves’ questioning look, Fern continued. “The shop has been slow all day with buns wanting to get home before the weather turns, so I closed up early.” 

“Makes sense.” Graves stepped forward to rub his nose against Fern’s cheek, a bun form kiss. “What’s for dinner? It smells good already.” 

“It’s a surprise!” 

Graves blinked. “What? Why?” 

“You’ve been working so hard lately, so I wanted to do something special. Besides, it’s been awhile since we had a nice dinner together, so - hey, get that look off your face. If I was upset I would’ve said so, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay…” 

Fern brushed his bangs out of his face to look him in the eyes, gaze gentle. “Can you go get washed up? Take your time; I need at least another half hour.” 

Graves nodded. “Okay. I love you.” 

“I love you too, baby.” Then the larger bun turned Graves towards the stairs and playfully swatted him on the butt. 

~~ 

This is nice. 

Graves was sitting in the bathtub, water gently scented by dried flowers floating on the surface. A candle burned on the counter - hibiscus, one of his favourites of the candles Fern made for the shop. The bath water had cooled slightly at this point (no longer at risk of ‘boiling him alive’, as Fern would say) but Graves was still enjoying the warmth. 

He was lazily polishing his horns when the light went out, plunging him into darkness other than that lone candle. Graves swore softly as he got out of the tub, careful not to slip, and toweled himself off. He left his jewelry in its dish, grabbing the candle instead to use for light as he exited the bathroom and headed downstairs. 

“Fern?” 

“In here!” 

Graves followed his partner’s voice into the dining room - and was met with an unexpected sight. Dinner was set on the table, dishes piled high with some of Graves’ favourite foods and nestled amongst at least ten candles. In fact, every visible surface seemed to glow with flickering light, Fern lighting one last one to put on a small table beside a potpourri dish. The Lust bun turned, huge smile on his face.

“I was going to set up a romantic candlelit dinner anyways, so the power going out actually adds to the atmosphere, don’t you think?” He came over and pulled Graves into a hug, ruffling his still-wet fur. 

“It’s perfect.” Graves had been busy lately, barely having time to take care of himself and having even less time to spend with Fern. He looked around the room at all of the handmade candles, taking in the atmosphere that was only complimented by the myriad of intertwining scents. “Thank you…” 

The two buns took their seats at the table and dug in. The candlelight caught the Shimmer on Graves’ horns and wings, causing purple reflections to dance across Fern’s Flora as he told a story about a particularly interesting customer that had come in today. His dark eyes shone with the flickering oranges and yellows. 

All at once Graves was overcome with emotion, a stray tear slipping down his cheek. Fern stopped his story immediately, but Graves shook off the other bun's concern. “I’m fine, I'm fine… I'm going to take the next few days off. Let's go costume shopping for All Sinner's Day tomorrow.” 

Fern's surprised smile was brighter than anything else in the room.