Archive of Our Own ^beta

With the change of the seasons, frosty days and long nights are slowly coming to an end, soon to be replaced by the new bustling life of spring. The blankets of snow that cover the land have yet to melt away, but the gradually warming atmosphere is already telling of the season to come. Sooner or later, the ones lying deep in their protective sleep shall reawaken to a world transformed by blooming fertility, and they shall carry on with the special purpose of giving and growing.

Amongst them, there are always the early ones who rouse before anyone else, who roam the remnants of winter on their own without competition and without help. An advantage for the innately solitary ones, and a disadvantage for the naturally cooperative ones. 

The latter would likely be the case for a little rodent who’s woken up much earlier than the rest of its kind, popping out of its burrow to feel the frigid air of the surface. It appears as white as the snow surrounding it, and beady black eyes scan around for others, only to realise that it is completely alone at this moment. No one else has woken up yet, not even its twin sibling. 

Already having warmed up and awoken from its long slumber, returning to such a state is not an option for the small rodent. The conditions may still be harsh, but there is much it can do in the meantime… possibly allowing it to gain an advantage over the others. 

An opportunity. A chance, perhaps.

The young rodent has grown plenty, already too large for the maushold’s care, but it still has yet to achieve full maturity. Such an aspect can only be gained once it finds a suitable partner to bond with, and there’s no doubt that many other halflings will also be eagerly competing for such a thing this coming season. After all, a tandemaus is two, never one. And those that fail to find a partner won’t even survive the next day.

So perhaps there really is an advantage for this rodent. An early start means more time which means better preparations for impressing and wooing a potential partner…

But it appears for this little one, hardly any of that is necessary. For it already has chosen a partner since the very beginning.

It searches around, hoping to locate a particular burrow under the snow and dirt. Muted scents hardly help so it does the best it can with its large round ears to possibly narrow down on its target. Unsurprisingly, the burrow doesn’t take long to find with how close it is, and the little rodent wastes no time in digging down into the pocket where its younger sibling rests. It takes the time to enlarge the space a little to fit them both and then closes up the hole to the surface, not wanting the harsh chill outside to disturb them in any way.

The rodent rests next to its identical sibling’s curled up form and noses the other’s fur, feeling the cooled body and extremely slowed heartbeats to the point of inertness. It presses closer to its sibling, wanting to share more of its body heat and perhaps warm the other to the point of waking. There is no sign of response, but the rodent keeps nuzzling into the other anyway. The familiar sensations, the soft white fur and gentle scent bring warm comfort along with… something else.

A certain urge is present. Perhaps influenced by the clinging lethargy, or perhaps from natural instincts that this stage of life usually brings. The rodent has already found its other half, dug its way into the other’s burrow which may as well be their nest at this point. The competition for a partner was over before it even started and the next stage has been reached, quickly arousing the desire to seal the bond before any other can do the same. 

The nuzzling continues more eager than before, accompanied by gentle licking and grooming as the rodent’s excitement grows. Its mate has yet to respond, but that doesn’t discourage the urges at all, only further pushing on the arousal and the necessity to assert their connection. Indulging in the generous sniffing and nipping, the rodent soon crawls on top of its sibling, warming the other with its entire body and offering encouraging squeaks. The jerking movements are second nature, but the pleasant rubbing only momentarily satisfies the pooling heat, clearly not enough to fulfil that deep-seeded need. 

A little shiver from underneath is enough indication that the other is slowly waking up, and the rodent on top increases its enthusiastic movements. As the younger one’s body warms along with its biological systems gradually speeding up, it involuntarily lets out soft squeaks from the unusual sensations it feels. Confusion takes hold first before it suddenly tenses up, realising the unknown presence pushing down on its back. 

The older rodent is quick to sooth its partner’s alarm by gently grooming the back of its ears, a common action between the two, and the younger one soon relaxes at the identified presence of its twin. It stretches out from its curled state into a more comfortable position and squeaks curiously, still confused as to what’s going on. Intentions couldn’t be clearer enough with the sensual nosing and rubbing from behind, but the young rodent is still drowsy and not fully aware. It clumsily attempts to move around only for its sibling to quickly pin it down, and it soon senses the desires, the pheromones, the instincts of mating that originate from the one on top.

Perhaps if the younger sibling were more awake and aware, it would push the other off, resisting the sensual - and possibly inappropriate - advances. But in truth, it can only lay there passively, still too lethargic to move or do anything against its sibling. There’s only the necessity to couple the two of them together, and the younger rodent cannot distinguish whether that need is its own or influenced by its asserted mate. Unable to reject or defy, it just relaxes on its front and presents itself submissively to its sibling.

Understanding the action and finally getting what it wants, the older rodent doesn’t hesitate to properly mount its sibling and connect them on a deeper level. The younger one’s mouth opens up to release a high squeal, a mating cry that perfectly resonates with the instinctual urge being shared between them, and it quivers in acceptance of what it’s being given.

The mounting rodent makes fast jerking movements while nibbling and gnawing at its mate’s ears, excitement and desire taking over its actions. It wants this once in a lifetime moment of intimacy to last as long as it can… but it also wants to quickly seal their bond right this instant. It feels so close to completion, so close to that pleasurable edge that promises something special once they finally reach it. 

Singly focused on this one thing, it doesn’t take long at all until it reaches that satisfaction, allowing heat to spill into its mate and fulfil their connection. Immediately after, a warm tingling spreads through both rodents, causing short fur to stand on end as their little bodies recognise the forging of a new bond. A grey patterning appears on their white fur with the older rodent developing an upward triangle on its front and back, and the younger is much the same but with a downwards triangle. 

From two halves to a whole, they have finally achieved the first stage of true maturity for their kind. A great achievement that has the tandemaus trembling with rebounding joy. The enthusiastic nosing and nuzzling into each other's fur is only natural, and the intimate link between their bodies has yet to slacken from this exciting development. It's now within their instincts to simply continue where they left off as an officially bonded couple, and the eager, strengthened squeaks they let out from their developing vocals are fortunately dampened by the confines of their underground burrow, unable to be heard by the outside world.

…And once settled down from their fun, the freshly coupled pokemon can emerge from their shelter and explore the surface. A bright start to their new life together.