FB: Deerest Friends (WIP) (Patreon)

"Thank you.....for the scarf."

Lune was born to very wealthy parents, but lost everything the day he walked out of the family herd (and was swiftly disowned). Against her parents wishes, Victoria bravely followed behind her brother, pledging to walk into an uncertain future alongside him. Lune, while touched, secretly wishes his sister had stayed behind, because his high-flying theater dreams don't pay much. It's a struggle. All the time. To make rent on time, to scrabble for clothes and groceries, to pay tuition for Victoria's community college and the climbing costs of books- even with V working part-time to help out, it's a struggle. Victoria has offered to drop out and work full time, but Lune always chides her at the very suggestion. After all the mess he's dragged her into, the least he can do is pay for her schooling.....even if it means secretly skipping a meal or two so V can have a night out with friends.

Still, Lune's posh, restrictive upbringing makes him ridiculously stubborn about accepting "handouts". So he's not particularly happy when he is unwillingly befriended by the warm reindeer barista of the Cozy Caribou, a comfy Christmas-themed cafe. Victoria likes a bit of cocoa and a slice of strawberry cake on occasion, who is Lune to refuse her? That wasn't an invitation for the giant friendly reindeer behind the counter to start chatting with the siblings. Or giving Victoria an extra dollop of whipped cream in her cocoa. Oh deer, now he's got her giggling at some awful, long-winded anecdote....

The cafe becomes Victoria's new favorite place to study, which means Lune ends up grumpily spending more and more time there as well. The reindeer starts noticing how shabby and tired the siblings often are, which lead to him leaving them tiny "gifts". A meal on the house, "just bein' neighborly!", with a wink. A loaf of fresh bread he pretends is too old to sell anyway. His cafe contains a small free library....which coincidentally begins to stock copies of the newest romance titles Victoria loves to gush about. As winter rolls around, the reindeer "finds" a coat in the lost-and-found bin that just happens to be Lune's exact size. And later, a thick scarf that looks suspiciously hoof-knitted.....

The longer this goes on, the harder it is for Lune to be outraged at being treated like a charity case. Especially when said gifts are always given with a lopsided grin, never the cloying pity or outright disdain that Lune's parents showed. Back home, nobody within the Herd was ever truly kind without expecting something in return, so Lune doesn't know how to process sincerity in people, he genuinely thought it impossible. But between warm coffee and a warm-if incredibly annoying- reindeer, it's getting harder to stay angry about much at all. Especially when Lune insists on at least paying for the cost of the yarn, and said awful, obnoxious, no-good reindeer scoffs and says good company is payment enough, and that Victoria and her snooty stag brother are pretty good company.

tldr: uh-oh Lune made a friend

i don't have a name for Mr. Reindeer! He's Cuppa Joe's furry expy, in case you couldn't tell, but I don't necessarily wanna name him Joe. He's cousins with Fuzzbutts version of Peachy Keen (who I'm tentatively naming Audrey), and together they run a cute cozy bakery cafe. I imagine he sounds kinda like John Goodman. Suggest a name for him if you'd like~