[fancypost borderwidth=0px; width: 450px;][justify][size=8][color=black]Courtney raised a brow, glancing at the hut that she and Joe shared. The screen was falling off of the door, and the door was slipping free from the hinges, which creaked upon opening. With a wince, she passed forward, her sore paws aching from the long day of patrolling borders and doing generally Paladin-y things. Her back was in the fringes, too. She stretched, giving a satisfied sigh at the intense crack that resounded from said vertebrae. With a content sigh, the pregnant female raised her fuchsia eyes to the run-down hut.
In all honesty, it was a pig-sty. And just because she was pregnant didn't mean she wasn't going to fix it. With a grunt, she rose from her bed and started straightening the door. First thing was first: she was going to repair those hinges and shut that squeak up. It'd be a nice surprise for Joe when he got home, would it not? Her boyfriend worked tirelessly for the good of the clan, after all. As she thought of this, her heart swelled with pride.
Joseph had been a joke when he'd first joined the clan, and, in all honesty, she had despised his very existence. He had been annoying, rash, and irrational. He was still all of the above, minus irrational and annoying. So, in reality, he was just rash. Too quick to battle. But that was okay, because Courtney's dislike of war kept Joseph's more 'valiant' side in check.
Content with the job on the door, she continued to work on the screen. That was another thing: Courtney was neat, orderly. She was the one who lined bookshelves to perfection, had perfect handwriting, and never allowed anything to stay in the floor for more than five minutes. While Joe wasn't exactly a slob, he wasn't nearly as obsessed with organization as the bi-polar Great Dane was. The darkly colored canine nodded at the screen, which had been straightened properly, and moved over to put several books on the shelf.
As precise as Courtney was, she was careful to alphabetize the novels, additionally ordering them by size. It was funny really, how many medieval-themed fairy tales there were. She had noticed one that stood out, though, about a dorky arctic fox. He'd gone on a quest to save the princess of Antarctica, a clumsy deal that was always getting lost or captured by Wyverns. It was ironic, really. That fox might as well have been Joe, with his antics.
Antics that Courtney had once been disgusted by. Now, though, her world would be empty without them. By this point, she was addicted to Joseph like a drug. His voice. All that grace, all that body, it made her want to party. And even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, she would walk through those islands and think of nothing else but him. To other onlookers, he seemed dorky and awkward. To her, though, he was gorgeous and handsome and everything she had ever wanted. Erin had been handsome, but he had left her alone and vulnerable without a care. Joseph would never do that. He was beautiful inside and out.
Once the books were arranged neatly, she moved to organize several papers she had written up: ideas for Feliks to look into, mostly. It was a quick job, really. Just like the change of her opinion on Joe. One minute, had been the worst thing that had happened to Blizzardclan. The next, she had been validly considering a friend. And then, after that, they had fallen in love in a flash.
Courtney had been so different then. And she was so, so glad that he still loved the person that she was. Lucky, too. Because she didn't know what she would have done without his comforting face, his reassurance that she wasn't a robot, that she was gorgeous, that she mattered. She knew that Joe would love her no matter what, and no matter what form or persona she took. It was the kind of love that lasted long after the lovers were dead and gone: the kind of love that left an impression on the world for generations. Like Clockwork and Augustus.
And it wasn't a question, either. She knew with her heart, soul, and brain that it would. Their children were everywhere, after all. Wow, they really were the new Glock, weren't they? Jourtney is the new Glock: Season Two. Oh, he'd even impressed a sense of humor in her, hadn't he? Courtney enjoyed Joe's jokes. They made her laugh, and that was a thing only the flightless avian could do.
And he so adored her laugh, she knew. Most like because of the fact that it was such a rare thing, and no one else could extract a giggle out of her jaws quite like he could.
So, she decided. The center of her world was Joseph. Even if she did have to pick up after him like this, it was worth it.
He was worth it.
