Page 103 of A Soul to Touch

In knowing more about Faunus, she felt closer to him. Mayumi could share her body with anyone, but her inner thoughts and feelings were often kept deep within.

Staring up at him, she couldn’t help the way her heart blossomed with such beautiful warmth that she found herself reaching up to cup his jaw. She paused when she was almost there.

He’s told me he doesn’t like his face touched.Yet, she’d done it whenever she wanted, not understanding why he was against it until now.

Just when she was about to pull away, Faunus leaned closer. He placed the front of his skull against her hands, letting her brush over everything, including the crack in it.

“I want your touch,” he admitted, placing both his hands over hers to keep them pressed down on the hard bone. “I have always wanted it.”

“You said it hurts,” she grumbled, pushing upwards so she could pet it.

“It does, but only if you aren’t gentle.”

Faunus pulled his hands away and let her pet him however she wanted, and she made sure to only use the softer underside of her hands. His orbs eventually turned black, and a bubbling purr began to emit from his chest.

The sound made her skin rush with goosebumps. She placed her forehead against the cushion of his chest and the hardness of the bones encasing it.

When he purrs, it does funny things to my insides.

“Mayumi?” his tone was filled with confusion and concern, probably because she’d been palming his face for so long.

She cleared her throat and leaned back.

“Can I brush you?” She let out an awkward laugh as she looked sideways to avoid his gaze, wondering why she found that more embarrassing than all the times they’d touched intimately. “Your fur is really soft, but I imagine it would be even fluffier if I worked all the knots out of it.”

Faunus’ large hand cupped the side of her face and under her jaw, steering her back to look at him. “You may touch me however you like.”

And just like that, the iron-clad barrier around her heart tried to melt under the power of his words – his trust.

Her smile was the only reflection of the internal, girlish squeal of delight she wanted to release. She quickly fumbled to find her hairbrush, and before long, she was brushing it through his fur across his back.

As a reward, she pressed her lips against the very back of his skull. Her smile only deepened when he brushed his claws over that spot before turning his head one-hundred and eighty degrees to look at her with them a brighter yellow than usual.

Mayumi grabbed his head and turned it forward because it was a little freaky that he was able to rotate it to the point there seemed to be no twist in his neck. It was similar to how she’d seen birds rotate their necks, and she wasn’t fond of them doing it either.

Speaking of birds... she eyed the empty birdcage she had in her home.

The reason she’d released her messenger pigeon last night wasn’t because Faunus had a tendency to stare at it – warning her she might find it eaten at some point. She’d released it because she’d tied a very long, detailed letter to its foot and sent it to Hawthorne Keep.

She informed them of what Faunus had told her last night about the Veil, the Demon King, the Demon Village, and everything else she could think of that might be of use. She never wrote who gave her the information or how she’d come to obtain it, but she thought it was important that they know it.

She’d considered detailing everything she’d learned about Duskwalkers, although she still didn’t know how to kill one, but she left that out. It wasn’t just because of him. The rest of his kind were his family, and it felt... wrong to share that information with those that would be considered their enemies.

She only shared what she learnt of the Demons and the Veil.

Brushing Faunus’ fur all over made him super soft, glossy, and fluffy, and Mayumi eventually found herself nuzzling into it onceshe was done. It was like a cloud of heaven that tickled her in the most blissful way.

I could do this every day...No, shewasgoing to do this every day. She was going to brush him and then snuggle all that fur until her heart was bleeding with contentment.

Mayumi pulled back once she was done hugging him.

“Do you want to help me clear the snow from the yard?” Mayumi asked, rather than demanding that he help her.

It was a big task, but she was hoping it would be a good distraction.

When he agreed to help, Mayumi gave him the bigger square-mouthed shovel, and they both worked on clearing the immediate area around the house. It was at least three feet thick, but Faunus was fast.

When they were done around the shed and bath, they worked their way down the sides towards the front clearing. It was there, however, that Mayumi got a bright idea.

---