#I think it's more likely that they notice after it's passed and have some Feelings | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

grind-pantera · 21 hours

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Noa x Human! Reader Imagines.

A/N : I am a beacon of sin. Likes and reblogs always appreciated. Thanks y'all!! I do have more Imagines if you guys are interested. Please, please let me know!!! Thanks again. Hope y'all enjoy. Fandom: ( Kingdom of the )Planet of the Apes. Pairing: Noa x Human! Reader. Rating: K. ( Fluffy again, some other mentions of Ape Aggression but nothing too bad/vivid. ) ** Does contain spoilers for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Noa unequivocally staring you down. -Ultimately, how the relationship really started. Noa was definitely a lot more subtle about it in the beginning - not sure how he truly felt about you, about… it. He would sit and pass time by watching, no no… Stalking your movements, how they might have varied from how he or any other Ape would move. The way your legs shaped when you walked, the way your hands grasped at things, the way your eyes laid bare everything he needed to know. Echo’s were so easy to read from expression alone and Noa yearned for that, metaphorically reaching his hands out in some feeble attempt that you would grab. He found himself occasionally mimicking your movements to himself when alone, laughing at how utterly awkward they felt to him. He’d shut his eyes then and think about it a bit more.

-He would intensely stare into your eyes whenever you talked one on one. He kept his gaze on you when around others, but not as intense as it was when he had you all to himself. Green, amber and gold speckled eyes followed the minute details of your face, almost down to the wrinkles around your eyes, only reserved when you blessed him with a smile. Rare, but he enjoyed it none-the-less. He sensed, after doing it a few times, that it made you nervous. Your heart raced - Noa swore he could feel it in his feet and something about that made him swell with pride. He’d boost his chest out, wanting to appear more suitable to you, more appealing, more… more… irresistible if you looked at him. But… Then, you would look away quickly, uttering something under your breath to take the attention away from the tension now obviously swirling around the two of you. Noa… He kept his eyes on you, regardless. Though, now it seemed you weren’t aware he was looking so closely.

-As time went on though, and he developed a more personal relationship with you, it… Changed. Noa couldn’t tell anyone why it did, why his eyes would pierce you so deeply, almost to the point where it felt like they were taking you down, further down than you had ever been and you were drowning in golden flecks surrounded by more shades of green than you could count. It left a burning sensation in the back of your mind, almost like bile. It was noticeable, even meters away from him but you buried it deep inside. Secretly, you liked it. Not-so-secretly, Noa knew that you did. He couldn’t explain why you were always in his line of vision, why he felt the need to make his gaze known to you, known to others… Known to others, he thought to himself. At least… Known to anyone he considered a threat. It just was what it was now.

-There were some shameful stares such as the absolute disintegration of another Ape when Noa caught the two of you together during communal dinner time. Mind you, it wasn’t just yourself and this Ape, named Ale, you were also with Anaya, Soona and Noa’s mother, Dar. But, Noa couldn’t separate that anymore. There was just you. He figured you’d be okay with his friends and mother, no one would bother you, you didn't need to be protected from them. But this familiarity with an Ape outside of his inner circle…? No, no. Noa didn't move from his ponderance, looking between you and this Ape on your left side. The fire roared in front of you, obscuring Noa from your view as you explained to Ale that humans often used utensils to eat if available. Noa saw you sign through the vivid orange fire, ‘Not messy.’

Ale shrugged his shoulders and held up a berry before popping it into his mouth, ‘Easier with hands.’

That made you laugh, but the lurch of Noa towards your new friend at your reaction was… Not as funny and it took Dar to finally get him to stop staring down one of his own, intimidatingly, refusing to break eye contact. Noa’s pupils were absolutely blown away, no trace of green or gold to be found. He was broad chested, and you took note that Noa was pushing himself up to appear bigger, more fierce.

Noa signed too fast for you to understand, too abrasive… Words split themselves here and there. ‘Mine’ you got that, ‘stop’ was another, ‘back off’ maybe… but your analysis was all in vain regardless. The gaze he was giving Ale said it all, at least, it did to you, and you wondered if his friends knew the look. Soona questioned Noa silently, but he didn't bother with an answer. Anaya looked between Noa, you and Dar. And based on Dar’s reaction to it, her ability to stop it, she’d seen it before. Maybe even had it happen with Koro when they were younger. You didn't want to ask, you didn't want to pry… But, you watched in baited silence as Noa stood down and huffed at you before pacing off to the right. He had no idea what came over him, but he did what he felt like he needed.

Noticing your scent. Noa was unsure of the feral feeling that the situation gave him when he noticed it beyond just the scent of an Echo. It was yours. He had to deal with Anaya every so often saying something sarcastically about it, about how different it was and that they’d be able to smell you at least a click away, but Noa always shrugged them off.

Pensively, Noa shut his eyes. He was steadily resting back on his feet, crouching and sitting comfortably on his bent legs. Hunching forward, he grasped the ground with his hands, tangling them into the grass below him. Anaya was right. Your smell was very different from the Apes he was often around. He could point out his mother, a few infants that were following her around, Soona… Drawing a deep breath in, he felt like he was suffocating and his ribcage was expanded as far out as it would go without causing intense discomfort.

There was something different. Something almost intoxicatingly sweet. Disgustingly, Noa thought to himself and let his eyes slide open. He looked down at his hands, having now ripped grass out of the Earth. It was like he had tasted the most delectable berry of all time and now he was lingering in the smell that was left behind on his fingertips. He wanted to grab you, hard. Grab you roughly and pull you against him, never let you go, let his strength come in handy in a way that was outside of climbing. He’d consume all of you if you would allow him, he’d do more than that in fact. He’d let himself sink into you both physically and mentally, throwing away caution. Teeth sinking into fragile skin, minds entangling in a brutal dance. Your sweat pouring into his mouth, escaping onto his taste buds. Thoughts now in his mind, messing Noa up. They weren’t just his anymore, they were also yours. He was morbidly curious just how sweet you must have tasted when the smell alone left him feeling the way he was. He was deathly ill wanting to know what you were thinking.

All things made him bare his teeth for a split second, canines glistening in the setting sunlight. Tossing the grass in his hands down on the ground aggressively, Noa sat up completely, almost barrel chested before throwing his body into gear as he finally moved to pace followed by a quick saunter. He needed to find out where your scent was coming from before he unraveled at the seams.

Hand holding. -Definitely a thing you tended to gravitate towards more than Noa. He often liked to keep his hands free to tinker around if needed or to fix something, it was after all, one of his most favorite things. He knew moments when you liked it, or rather… Needed it. Noa with you would do anything to cause him a surge of pride, and that included holding your hand.

-He was cautious about it at first, not sure how to react when he felt the side of your hand against his own. He had gruffed then, avoiding eye contact and you didn't try again.

-The second happenance was accidental. You had slipped on ice, Noa faster to react than you were and he was right in front of you before you had the chance to even brace your hands in preparation of falling. Swallowing softly at the sudden closeness of him, there was obvious heat that rose in you. “T-Thanks.”

Noa’s shoulders shifted as he helped you stand straight up again, your eyes coming to rest on his shoulders as Noa was just a touch taller than you were. Just a bit taller, but given circumstances, he was very strong. “Very… unbalanced.” He said to you in a deeper voice than he intended.

You nodded in agreement, looking down at your feet and then the trail that Noa wanted to take. It appeared icy regardless, and you were mentally preparing yourself to transverse. “Maybe we should have taken a horse.”

He sighed, the movement very apparent to your gaze as you looked over at him. Without a word, Noa held his right hand out. There was suddenly a lump in your throat. Was he…

“Take.” Noa uttered.

You hesitated, clenching your hands to the point where your fingers were slightly whitened.

“You don’t take, you end up on your---”

It was your turn to be faster than light, heart thundering in your chest wildly at the concept of what he was offering to you. You raised your right hand and grasped at his, almost clapping them together from the velocity you put forward. It was just a cupped hand holding, something you knew he would be semi-comfortable with as there was no strict intimacy. He rounded on his feet, much more balanced than you could ever be and began moving forward once again, careful of where he put his gait and hoped that you were smart enough to follow his exact footsteps. You let him move, your arm out-stretched awkwardly as you hadn’t moved in tandem with him. You needed to move, you mumbled inside of your head. You need to move.

You were frozen. And it only took Noa one more step before he tumbled down, ultimately being brought down by your inability to take any more action. You had pulled him down, by default. Your mouth flew open as he laid flat on his back, hands disconnecting at the fact that he had fallen. “Noa---”

He groaned finally, having taken a second to process what happened. “I gave you my hand to help you and you--”

“I’m so sorry.” There was a small touch of a laugh behind your words as Noa just… Rested. He didn't move aside from putting his hands on his chest, flat palmed almost like he was checking for any damage. The fall itself wasn’t bad, but there was ice speckled all over the ground and he couldn’t tell if he fell on any sharp objects. “Here.” You reciprocated the movement Noa had previously given, holding out your hand to help him up.

‘No.’ He signed at you, eyes squirting to gaze up at you due to the sun now angling right at the two of you.

“Noa---”

He shut his eyes and raised his hand, to the left and then to the right as his fingers grazed yours ever so gently. He allowed you to cup his hand. Admittedly, you were unsure if you were able to lift him on your own, and he must have known that. He must have…

“Shit!” You yelled, being tugged down by Noa. It was obvious he didn't use all his strength to do so, just enough to get you on the ground right next to him. It wasn’t a hard fall like his either, you landed relatively gently next to him but still felt like the air had left your lungs, “Ow.”

“Ow.” He said as well, allowing a moment to look at you next to him. The way your hair splayed out on the icy rock, the slight blush of your face. Noa figured that was from the cold, you had no fur to keep you at least sheltered from the winter winds. The last thing to process for both of you were your hands, now deeply entangled within each other. You could feel the sensation of leather, that must have been how his skin really felt… It was enticing, and you wanted nothing more than to trace the palms of his hands with your delicate hands. There was fur encasing his knuckles, thicker this time of year than it was during the late spring and peak summer… Actually, Noa’s hand almost eclipsed yours completely but you weren’t going to complain as you let your eyes fall shut. You’d get up in a few minutes despite your mind telling you over and over to stay.

#kingdom of the planet of the apes #planet of the apes #noa x human reader #noa x reader #noa #fanfiction #fanfic #emmy writes

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torukmaktoskxawng · 2 days

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tsamsiyu ta'em - calm before the storm

Masterlist - part seventeen

Summary: Just as the chapter's title suggests. It was the calm before the storm…

Pairing: Ronal/Tonowari/Original Female Character

Tag: #tsamsiyu ta'em fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 11k+

Warnings: Fluff! Some awkwardness that happens after one makes a confession lol. Trauma regarding torture, loss of a child, body dysmorphia, etc. There's a plot twist at the end of this chapter ;)

Taglist (bold indicates "could not tag"): @motheroffae @undeniableadrenaline @mooniequeen @shit-i-say-shit-i-think @heart-an0n @amiets2 @slutforsmut4ever @yeosxxx @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @sucker4angstt @inolaphoenix @ilovechickenwings @tojisleftarm @andyfromku @ivysully @lightandshadow31 @jamie-poopoo @brittney69 @avatar-lover @ikeyniofthetayrangi @cardi-bre91

A/n: Hiii 🥰 I'm very sorry for the hiatus that I originally promised wasn't going to be a hiatus. To escape life, I dove into other fixations such as Destiny 2, the Fallout show, Dune Part 2, and Bridgerton... yeah, I did some bouncing. So far, my summer has been fantastic! Anyway, here's another chapter before I inevitably disappear again 😂

Enjoy!

If there was anything Kayla was extremely grateful for, it was that Spider didn't have a heightened sense of smell as the Na'vi did.

She could smell both Ronal and Tonowari on her skin, and while it internally delighted her, she felt her skin prickle at the thought of Spider of all people being traumatized and learning about her very recent courting by smell alone as they share close quarters with one another. The thought mortified her more than anything, more than the idea of eventually having to tell Jake.

Thankfully, Spider returned home that day none the wiser, Ronal and Tonowari already long gone even with their scents still lingering in Kayla's nose. She felt like a teenager again, embarrassed and trying to hide it from her parents. However, she quickly stomped down that thought at the harsh reminder that she's a grown-ass woman and Spider wasn't a very judgemental kid. He was also someone who had caught onto Ronal and Tonowari's interest in Kayla early on and wouldn't be surprised if he learned the truth.

With that in mind, Kayla emerged from her kelku the next morning wearing the new top the Metkayina clan leaders had gifted her. For a very brief moment, she felt exposed and uncomfortable, the woven beads cool against her skin, but then, she looked down at herself and felt her body relax to see that the top covered just about as much as her threadbare red shirt did. It wasn't even close to revealing as some of the tops Kayla had seen Na'vi women wear, even with the low cut. A small part in the back of Kayla's head felt delighted to realize that this top was definitely made for her.

She still wore her shorts, but the small change in attire was still noticeable as she quickly learned. Na'vi eyes silently observed her as she walked through the village, and even though she heard the Metkayina whisper as she passed them, they weren't hateful or disgusted, but more in awe. Her skin crawled because she didn't know if she preferred it or would much rather have them feel indifferent to her again.

While their eyes all noticed her top, Kayla almost felt the need to throw her shirt back over herself at the thought that the Metkayina might also smell her new scent as well. It would explain the way their noses would twitch and their ears all perk up and turn in her direction when they haven't even noticed her presence yet.

If Spider noticed any of it, he didn't say a word, instead, he informed Kayla that he would be deep-diving with the other reef boys that afternoon. Something crawled in her stomach at the reminder of Ao'nung and other reef boys leaving Lo'ak alone outside the reef before she sternly told Spider to make sure either Lo'ak or Tsireya was with them. Apart from the small, suspicious stare, Spider didn't question her, taking his new bow in hand and heading out to meet his friends, waving back to Kayla as he went and promising to be back before supper.

Walking along the beach, Kayla recognized the tsahik from a mile away, fingers entangled in a worn fishing net. As Kayla walked over to the other woman, she watched the way Ronal's ears lifted and moved in her direction. Ronal looked up from her work and recognized Kayla from a distance, and by the time the dreamwalker approached her, it wasn't hard to deduce how pleased she looked, eyes dancing approvingly over the avatar woman's figure, reaching a hand out to lightly adjust the top on Kayla before nodding once with confidence,

"It suits you perfectly. I was afraid it would not be able to hold up against your beauty."

Despite having a young Na'vi body, Kayla felt as though her heart was ready to give out, her feet barely catching when she initially stumbled in reaction to Ronal's compliment. Kayla's eyes quickly averted, the tip of her ears feeling warm as she quietly thanked the tsahik and changed the subject, making plans to see both her and Tonowari later. After making a brief conversation as to what each other's plans were for the day, Kayla had turned to leave but nearly jolted out of her skin when she felt a gentle tug on her tail. She couldn't help the feigned glare she threw back at Ronal, internally delighted by the rare mischief she saw in the Metkayina woman's eyes, but trying not to show it. Kayla's fake irritation only appeared to amuse Ronal forward, the tsahik tilting her head at the avatar while appreciatively staring her up and down once more, forcing the heat from Kayla's ears to travel down her neck.

The avatar cleared her throat and then finally departed, hiding her own smile as she thought back to Ronal's well-hidden playful behavior. It was nothing like the woman who sharply tugged Kayla's tail the day they first met, further showing just how much things have changed around here.

Summoning an ilu, Kayla makes her way through the reef, reaching the atoll wall where all the various pools travel up one side like stairs, catching various sealife whenever the tide rises up and down. Dozens of Metkayina are fishing and gathering in these pools, with nets, and baskets at their feet. Kayla zeros in on one particular Na'vi and swims over after letting her ilu take off, climbing up onto the slippery wall to make her way over to her friend.

Rutxa looks up and appears smug at the sight of Kayla, blue eyes pointedly narrowed on the avatar's new top while dramatically sniffing the air, "You look... enamored. Had a good evening?"

Kayla's eyes narrow, "Don't play dumb. I bet you're just dying to weave a story about it."

Their grin remained playful, humming dramatically as if deep in thought, "Perhaps if you tell me all about it, I won't have to... fabricate any details."

Kayla lets out a humorous scoff, shaking her head, "You're horrible."

"Yes, that was what my mother called me. Don't abuse it."

The laugh that bubbles out of Kayla coincides with the screech of an approaching ikran. The sound makes Kayla pause and look up to the sky in order to discover which ikran. She only had to briefly catch the color to know the banshee was Neytiri's bonded, and a small wedge of dread made its home in Kayla's chest.

Neytiri lands her ikran gracefully, several yards away from any Metkayina as they go about the pools of the atoll wall. The Na'vi woman looks around before her eyes land on her intended target. Kayla half expected her sister-in-law to bristle at the sight of her, but she felt a small bit of genuine confusion when all she saw was a woman who was trying to appear small and guarded. If Kayla wanted to verbally taunt, she would've pointed out to Neytiri that she almost looked guilty. The two women stare at each other for some time before Neytiri takes a deep breath and starts slowly walking forward, her face pinched with dread at the idea of the long-awaited conversation she was no doubt forcing herself to partake in.

Kayla takes her own deep breath and then motions Rutxa to wait here before drifting over to meet Neytiri halfway. While it felt as though they walked forever to reach each other, both women found themselves standing right in front of one another only seconds later, neither saying a word while their eyes never fully meeting, both hesitant to say anything at first due to their ongoing impasse.

Neytiri looks Kayla up and down before she swallows her pride, both visibly and internally as she opens her mouth, "Your clothes. They are lovely."

The Sully sister's eyes dart off to the side, her words are stiff but courteous, "Thank you."

"Did the tsahik make it?"

The mention of Ronal made Kayla's ears twitch, "What gave it away?"

"It would explain why she asked me about making a bow for Spider. And--" she takes a small whiff of the air around her mate's sister, "You smell like her. Tonowari, too."

"... I see. Don't tell Jake."

She raised a hairless brow at the other woman, "I will not need to. He will smell it."

Kayla pointedly doesn't blink, finally staring directly into Neytiri's eyes with a stern expression, "Which is why I am avoiding him at the moment."

Neytiri quietly observes Kayla, yellow eyes piercing into one another's gaze, trying to sniff out each other's thoughts. The Omatikaya woman is wracked with bafflement. It is a beautiful thing for one to finally find their mate, or, in this case, mates. It should never be something to be ashamed of, as newly mated pairs often run to their families to excitedly share the news. The fact that Kayla would rather hide and avoid Jake baffles Neytiri. She wanted to hiss and scold both of the former sawtute for what was clearly a spat between siblings, along with a dash of pride, but at this time and place, she knew Kayla wouldn't accept nor appreciate her scolding.

Still, it bothered the Na'vi woman. Neytiri knew the two siblings had a lot of conflict between them, but to go as far as to not share such wonderful news with each other? Neytiri would give anything to be in Kayla's position. She would've given anything to be able to excitedly share life updates with her own sister once more. Sylwanin used to love hearing how Neytiri's day went before bed, even though Neytiri wasn't in turn thrilled to hear about what her sister and Tsu'tey would get up to in the woods. Then again, Neytiri was the only person her sister trusted with that information, and it shattered Neytiri's heart to think how she had taken that for granted. She will never make that same mistake again, and any secrets Sylwanin entrusted to her will die with Neytiri.

Hence why she couldn't bring herself to deny Kayla when the other woman was clearly trying to tell her not to share her secrets with Jake. Neytiri exhaled through her nose and nodded in defeat, "I will not breathe a word."

Kayla stiffly nodded and briefly looked away, peering over her shoulder to see if Rutxa was still waiting for her. Neytiri's conflict was easily undetected, watching Kayla when the avatar wasn't looking with a pained expression in her eyes. Everything that had come between the two women lately was pounding against Neytiri's skull, begging her to say something, to make things right, to finally confess her sins out loud. It has been plaguing her ever since the boy-- ever since Spider confronted her about her distaste and mistreatment toward him. Ever since he made her stand in the eyes of her inner demons, her hidden thoughts no longer feel as hidden as they used to be and she's been struggling to accept everything he said was true.

'Denial is a river in Egypt.' It's a phrase she's not familiar with, but it's something she remembered Grace used to say when Neytiri was a child. When the scientist explained what it meant, somehow it threaded its way into Neytiri's head, and she had yet to forget about it. No one could deny Neytiri's grief after everything she's been through, but neither could anyone deny how unfair she had been to Spider his whole life. Despite knowing how innocent he was, Neytiri refused to See him. Despite eventually accepting Jake and loving him for who he is, she couldn't do the same for Spider, and despite knowing how that hurt the child, she didn't care. Or at least-- not at the time. The fact that she didn't care for a child and his feelings was something she came to terms with long ago, but staring Kayla in the face and simply stating she wasn't Spider's mother haunted Neytiri in her sleep.

The expression Kayla gave terrified Neytiri, guilt riddled her mind and heart. She didn't originally care how her words might hurt Spider, but the guilt she felt when her words affected Kayla felt like she took an arrow through the stomach. It only got worse when Neytiri took the time to look around and see everyone else's reactions. Those who mattered most to her, her husband and her children, all had looked at her as though they didn't recognize her. They looked at her as if she was some sort of monster. After spending time to herself, replaying her words to Spider and everyone's faces, Neytiri finally admitted to herself that they were right. She was a monster. She might not be like Quaritch, but she shouldn't go around and pretend she was better than him, especially after they both held a child at knifepoint for the sake of another.

Neytiri had looked down at her reflection in the water that same day -the day Spider called her out- and suddenly realized she no longer recognized herself. Even though there were things no one could blame her for, there were still moments in her life where Neytiri knew she could've done better. Yes, she let her children play with Spider, but she never once acknowledged him. She didn't have to claim him as hers, but she could've at least made the boy feel welcome. She could've invited him to a family dinner at least once, or given a comment or two on how to properly hold a bow when she caught him trying to teach himself.

So many instances flash over Neytiri's eyes, instances where she could have shown kindness or care to a little orphaned boy who had done nothing but admire her family and love her children with every fiber of his little being. But she didn't. And when she thought back to the young woman she used to be... before Hometree and before her father... before Tsu'tey and Sylwanin... that young woman would have shown such kindness to Spider. By Eywa, that young woman might have even grown to love him as she had grown to love Jake.

Regret will forever be her friend as Neytiri finally comes to accept that she was wrong. Feeling a little more courageous with Kayla's eyes no longer on her, Neytiri spoke up once more, albeit a little more softly, and with the most sincere regret, "I am sorry."

Unaware of Neytiri's internal conflict, Kayla's eyes return to hers, squinting with disapproval, "It's not me you should be apologizing to."

Neytiri pressed her eyes shut for a moment, the guilt bleeding into her expression as her ears pinned back against her skull, "I am sorry to you as well. I had threatened your son. I almost killed him in front of you."

"He's n--" Kayla's words caught in her throat, then she swallowed them down and looked away again, trying to hide the small pain in her voice, "Thank you."

Neytiri nods, voice a little more sure, "I would not be any better than the monster who took my son away from me if I took yours."

Kayla wanted to be firm and agree, but her tongue swelled in her mouth, with something itching at the back of her mind that told her not to sound petty and vindictive. A question kept nagging at her, the same question Kiri once asked her. What would she have done if she was in Neytiri's place that night? It was a scenario she couldn't imagine in her head, even if she could imagine a lot.

She hesitates, her posture relaxing and less guarded as she softly asks, "Can... can you explain it to me? So that I can try to understand?"

A visible wince flashed over Neytiri's expression, her eyes wide with distress in response to Kayla's question. Neytiri wasn't sure she could describe what she felt... not without breaking down, that is. Then again, it had been the first time anyone had asked her how she felt instead of just assuming and giving her time to herself. She didn't want that anymore. She's had plenty of time to herself, and a part of her was angry at everyone who continued to give her a wide berth. Solitude was something she no longer needed, and she wanted everyone to stop treating her like she was going to break.

Perhaps talking about it was something Neytiri needed just as much as Kayla in order to feel some sort of comfort. The idea makes her take a deep breath and slowly answer, "It is not the same as losing a parent, in my eyes. I lost my father, and even though I miss him every day, we are told that our parents will join Eywa before us and that they will be waiting for us there when we eventually do the same. For a child... it's different. A parent should always go before their child. That should always be the way of things... and that was stolen from me. You might not know this, but you should be prepared for when Ronal has her child. When we are born, the first tsaheylu is with our mother. To form that strong and emotional bond. To lose the first child I ever bonded with--"

Kayla's tail and ears lower, blinking rapidly to contain hidden pain, her imagination running wild with everything Neytiri had described. It helped that Neytiri was trying to explain it... but Kayla couldn't imagine how it must feel for a grieving mother to say all of this out loud.

Neytiri sucks in a sharp, wheezing breath, but it wavers and her lips begin to quiver. Her eyes grow wet with tears as her hand reaches up to try and gently claw at her chest, visibly and verbally shaking, "The pain for my father and even my sister do not compare... I feel as though I have a gaping wound in my chest that will not stop bleeding. It's always there, ever flowing, and I cannot take a breath without remembering it. My baby who I had kept safe inside me for so long... suddenly ripped from my arms before he could find love... or have a family... or be the olo'eyktan he was always meant to be... I had always wanted to see him as a father, and now I will never have that."

Saying it out loud felt as though she was living Neteyam's death all over again. Fresh tears spilled down Neytiri's beautiful face, carving a familiar path down her cheeks as a sob interrupted her explanation. Her chest squeezed painfully, and her sobs only got worse as Kayla suddenly reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace, purposely hiding Neytiri's face as the grieving mother continued to cry her heart out, wishing she could just be numb. Neytiri didn't miss the way Kayla buried her own wet face to hide from the world, nuzzled into Neytiri's shoulder. The female Na'vi continued to sob, and even though the grief was still too fresh, it helped to have finally put it all into words. It helped to know that someone was trying to understand her when she felt as though everyone else could only pity her.

"I'm sorry..." Kayla whispered as Neytiri's cries began to subside, "I could never imagine what that feels like."

Neytiri didn't miss how her shoulder felt wet where Kayla's face lay, and something inside the Na'vi woman snapped into place. She didn't want Kayla to imagine. She didn't even want Kayla to understand because that would mean having her sister-in-law go through the same agony she went through. Neytiri didn't want anyone to go through the loss of a child, let alone her husband's dear sister. The thought of having Kayla go through pain similar to hers nearly brought Neytiri to anger. Determined and dry of her tears, Neytiri pulled away, lifting her hands to rest gently on Kayla's shoulders, fixing her with a sharp eye.

"I do not want you to ever experience this pain. I do not want you to end up like me, ma tsmuke."

Kayla shook her head, "There's nothing that says it's wrong to end up like you. You're a good woman and a good mother. You're fiercely protective of your children. Any mother would thrive if they were even remotely like you," watching doubt and pain creep back up Neytiri's face drives Kayla to quickly add, "And I was wrong if I ever suggested otherwise. I never blamed you for protecting your children, Neytiri."

"I know," the Na'vi woman whispers, eyes briefly lowering to the ground in shame, "But I should have never belittled you for protecting yours."

The two women stand in silence once more, now filled with understanding as two mothers protecting their young. With her newfound determination, Neytiri raises her head high, straightens her posture, and stiffly nods, "If you'll allow me, I will go apologize to the boy."

Kayla is silent for the moment, carefully watching Neytiri before slowly replying, "... I better not hear that you hurt him again."

"You won't."

And with that, both women nod and part ways. Neytiri moves back in the direction of her ikran while Kayla stands still and watches her leave. Wiping the remaining tear tracks on her face as she walked, a thought crossed Neytiri's mind, making her pause in her tracks. A brief memory of Sylwanin flashes through her mind, happy and glowing as she tells Neytiri that Tsu'tey had begun courting her. It was a small pain in her heart at the memory, a small pinprick of a needle, faint but still causing her heart to bleed at the thought of her sister. Swiftly turning back around, Neytiri briefly sees Sylwanin in the flesh, standing there with a beaming smile before the facade fades, and reverts back to Makayla, whose head was tilted while quizzically watching Neytiri.

Neytiri's breath stuttered for a moment before the words began to tumble from her mouth, "For what it is worth, ma tsmuke, I am happy for you. If Ronal or Tonowari or either of them hurt you, I will kill them for you."

The words briefly stun Kayla, eyes wide and jaw open with shock, before the spell breaks and she finds herself laughing. The needle in Neytiri's heart fades, along with the pain of her sister's memory. Neytiri found herself smiling as well, proud that she pulled such a reaction from her new sister.

~~~~~~~~~

As promised, Spider came home before dinner, and Kayla looked up from cleaning her AR with a smile, "Hey, kiddo."

"Do you have to do that a lot?" Spider tilts his head down at the weapon with curiosity, then briefly looks back at his charge, "Will it not work otherwise?"

Kayla rolls her lips, unsure of how to explain to a child who prefers the life of a Na'vi compared to humans. She shakes her head, "It could jam, for one. I have to clean it for the same reason you have to eat. It needs to function."

Spider nods and says nothing else, which sounds off a dozen other bells in Kayla's head, quick to understand that his questions and attempt at small talk usually meant something else was going on and he was deflecting. She knows that behavior all too well. She sets the weapon aside and gives all her attention to the teen, knowingly smirking at him, "What's up?"

His eyes immediately dart away, arms folding in around him as if to protect what little there was left to hide. He looked embarrassed, ashamed he had been caught as he mumbled under his breath, "Neytiri apologized."

Her expression melts into something solemn and sincere, nodding once, "I know."

"Did you make her?" He asked with suspicion in his gaze.

"No, but she asked me if she could."

"How come?"

Kayla shrugged, feigning innocence as she tried to play nonchalantly, "I'm guessing she was under the impression I didn't want her anywhere near you."

He stared at her for a while, unconvinced, "Right."

Then he moved on to the next topic, "'You gonna break your link tonight?"

Kayla groaned quietly, playfully rolling her eyes up at the ceiling of the marui, "Yeah. Norm radioed earlier to pester me, and I figured I'd see how everyone was doing. 'You need me to tell him anything?"

"My spares' got plenty of battery. I'll be good for a while. Tell everyone I said hi."

"You got it."

~~~~~~~~~

She wakes in the link bay with a queasy stomach and a splitting headache.

It wasn't nearly as bad as the last time she broke her link, but the moment the blinding lights of the biolab flashed in Kayla's face as the lid of the gurney was lifted, she felt her stomach turn and she had to bite the inside of her cheek.

Sitting up with a stifled groan, Kayla holds her head in her hand, trying to stop the bright room from spinning. Norm, dutifully standing beside her with his arms crossed, decided not to beat around the bush, even in her weakened state,

"You can't keep doing this, ya know. Staying back there for long periods of time is going to kill your body here, one day at a time. It's safe to say you've reached the limit of human-avatar links."

"Maybe that's a good thing, Norm," Kayla muttered, able to roll her shoulders back and sit up straight without feeling dizzy, "With data like that, the RDA won't be able to get the go-ahead with building avatars for civilians. This can keep them at bay for a while."

"But it's not a good thing for you, Kayla."

"I know. I just..." she tried waving it off, avoiding Norm's narrowed gaze like a child being scolded, "I just need a little more time."

Norm scoffed, unimpressed, "You're stubborn. Just like your brother."

When that doesn't pull a reaction out of her, Spellman decides to break more bad news, "There's more. Scouts have reported seeing a rogue ikran dressed in military gear flying through the mountains, and it's pretty close to our base. They've confirmed the rider to be Colonel Miles Quaritch."

Clouded eyes flick briefly to Norm, widened with shock before Kayla looks away again, exhaling her opinion, "Fuck."

"I thought maybe you could tell Jake for me when you get back."

Kayla is silent for a few moments before she replies, "No. No, let's not tell him."

"What?" Norm rustled.

"If we tell Jake, he'll just wanna come back and track Quaritch down. Maybe that's what Quaritch wants. Right now, Jake needs to be with his family instead of looking for revenge."

Kayla's eyes return to her friend's, wide and pleading, "Please, Norm. Please don't tell him."

They have a silent stand-off, the occasional sound of machinery breaking said silence. Eventually, Norm's posture sinks in defeat, making him look smaller and older than he actually is, "... Fine."

"Swear it."

"I swear it... unless he asks me."

Kayla scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Fine."

"... When you say you need more time, I meant when I said you're just like your brother."

She silently watched him with confusion but didn't verbally ask what he meant, waiting for him to elaborate. Norm looks off to a far wall, recounting very distant memories he hadn't thought of in years, "He was also running out of time, and he was getting desperate. He said he needed more time; time to see Neytiri again."

When Norm looked back at Kayla, he noticed she was purposely keeping her own gaze glued to the floor, her long matted hair covering most of her face, mumbling to a point where he struggled to hear her, "It's not like that this time."

"You're lying." Norm immediately retorts, taking a gamble on his theory when Kayla doesn't immediately try to defend herself. They both knew she was lying only to herself, and Norm didn't hesitate to point it out, "Something's changed."

Seeing no point in lying or keeping it secret, Kayla sighs, "Tonowari and Ronal have officially asked to court me."

Norm's eyes widen, "And...?"

"I agreed but asked to wait on the rest of it until I'm officially one of the People."

"Smart..." He couldn't help it. He needed to lighten the mood and feel a little smug. Norm deserved that much as a boastful smile spread across his face, "Also 'I told you so.'"

Kayla scowls, her eyes finally looking up at him to express how stolid she felt, "Dick."

He snorts, unaffected, finally moving to sit down next to her on the gurney, "So... do they know about... you know... the fact you can't have kids?"

Her posture visibly stiffened, "It didn't come up, no."

"That's probably something you need to discuss with them, Kayla, and soon."

"I know."

His hand reaches out to lightly tap her knee, "I am not saying that it'll be a deal-breaker for them. I don't think they'll care, to be honest. But you don't keep secrets from the people you love."

"Hey," she nudged him back, trying to force a teasing smile on her face, "Why do you think I'm telling you all this?"

"How sweet," Norm scoffs goodnaturedly, "But that's just you trying to deflect."

~~~~~~~~~

It was strange being able to sleep in the shack again, and even more strange to be the only occupant. Kayla looked around the tiny man-made space, eyes flicking to her bunk, the desk, the small kitchenette, and then the vacant wheelchair she never had the heart to throw out when she first arrived at High Camp. It now lay folded up and leaning against the corner wall, former white letters that spelled 'Sully' now unrecognizable. A fond smile graced her lips when she thought back to the three weeks she and Spider stayed here and the teenager struggled to figure out how to balance on the accessible chair as it rocked on its back wheels. The attempt ended with him falling and rolling backward and leaving Kayla in a fit of uncontrollable laughter that he eventually joined.

The thought of her boy made her chest squeeze uncomfortably for a moment, the feeling of loneliness suddenly very apparent in this small shack. How strange that she was sitting in a place she had once tried to call home, but now she felt homesick for an island that was oceans away, or in her case, one neural link away. Realistically, she could go lay down in a link bay and wake up in her marui, awaken to Spider's nivi swinging slowly just off to the side of hers as he sleeps. Kayla shook her head and smiled to herself, amused at the idea of walking to the link bay only to be intercepted by either Norm or Max, both men who had adamantly told her not to link back until it was early morning in Awa'atlu so both her human and avatar form could receive separate reprieve.

As much as she would like to entertain the idea of rest, the lingering silence in her shack made it feel as though the walls were closing in around her. Kayla knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if she were alone, so she kept herself busy instead, starting with her overgrown hair.

Looking into the mirror that night, a small sense of normalcy returned when she had managed to cut her hair to the same short length she had when she first arrived on Pandora. While her reflection didn't initially scare her anymore without any matted long hair or sunken eyes, Kayla still had a hard time recognizing the woman in the mirror without blue skin or a piercing yellow gaze. It felt wrong and her skin prickled and itched with this revelation. A twisted part inside of her wanted to try and scratch her face off until she recognized it, but she refrained from doing so, knowing how delusional it sounded. It felt as though she was living in someone else's body and she needed to return to hers despite the logical voice in her head reminding her that she was born in this body, as a human, not a Na'vi, and she was foolish to believe otherwise.

The unrealistic voice in her head argued that there was nothing wrong with being a little foolish.

~~~~~~~~~

Waking in her avatar gave Kayla a wave of relief, sitting up in her hammock and stretching as if she had never left. The worries of the night before are immediately forgotten as she and Spider venture out of the home to search for friends and family.

The three reef children Spider has been associating himself with were the first of the day to greet them, and it was clear that the silent news of the Metkayina's clan leaders' courtship was not lost to their children. Kayla was surprised when Tsireya ran up and hugged the older woman's waist, the girl giddy and unable to contain her bright smile. Spider tilts his head curiously at the interaction but otherwise says nothing.

Kayla took a peek at the girl's brother and saw a slightly different story. Ao'nung was glaring, but not at Kayla or Spider. Ao'nung was scowling at Rotxo, the latter of whom looked gobsmacked while staring up at Kayla, unable to hide his shock even as he turned to his best friend to see his reaction. Ao'nung only scoffed and shoved Rotxo's surprised face away with one hand, mumbling to Spider that they should get a move on.

"Where are we going?" Spider asked curiously.

"Father wanted to show you how to weave our fishing baskets."

His play on words wasn't lost to the group, certainly not to Kayla and Spider. The adult avatar managed to hold back the wince at the thought of Spider silently noting how Ao'nung didn't say 'my father', but did her best to pretend she didn't even notice. Instead, Kayla decided to follow Ao'nung and Spider to the chieftain's marui, while Tsireya and Rotxo had split up to do some chores, promising to catch up with the other reef and Sully kids later.

Tonowari greeted them as they entered, both he and Kayla sharing a secret smile as she crouched down beside him. Having many obligations around the village yesterday, the olo'eyktan had only been able to see Kayla from a distance and had yet to get a better look at how she appeared in her new top apart from what Ronal had described to him. Kayla could tell how much he enjoyed seeing her wearing his courting gift by the way his large hand grazed over her skin, encompassing her back whenever both Ao'nung and Spider were occupied with the task he had given them.

The two teenagers were busy weaving large pieces of what would eventually become a fishing basket between them, taking up a lot of floor space with the amount of dry grass, seaweed, and pliant wood being used to fashion and form such a large item. Tonowari was mostly instructing Spider on how to do it since Ao'nung was already skilled in basket weaving, but the chief's son was also impatient and this served as a way to tame such impulse. The olo'eyktan works effortlessly alongside them, his words gentle yet stern,

"Work together, like brothers. You are building a house. You're building your village. You're building a family."

Kayla restrains her smile, despite how warm her chest felt while watching the three of them work together in weaving. She allowed herself to play at the idea of this image being hers one day without trying to get her hopes up. As she watches Tonowari instruct Ao'nung and Spider to take turns weaving their basket pieces together, she gives into the desire to call them 'my boys'... but only in her head.

~~~~~~~~~

Flashing lights, spinning faster and faster while his eyes are forced wide open to watch, feeling as though something sharp was penetrating his skull, embedding itself into his memories...

His screams go unheard this time, and no one comes to stop the machine, not even Quaritch, as the blood drips from his nose, bare skin cold against metal. Spider feels as though his head is going to explode--

Sitting up in his nivi, Spider finds himself gasping for air while his eyes try to get accustomed to darkness... no flashing lights in sight. His hammock gently swings with him as he moves, his mind taking an embarrassingly long time to remember where he was. Spider takes a bunch of large, greedy gulps of air, his breathing mask hissing in tandem, while he looks around the marui to remember he isn't alone.

Kayla was sitting up in her hammock and carefully watching him. Spider's mind briefly felt shame for being responsible for waking her, but he was too busy breathing to form an apology. It's not like she would accept it anyway. The two of them have already spent countless nights waking up due to Spider's nightmares, and Kayla has been adamant in assuring him that he wasn't at fault for any of it. Once she knows Spider is aware of her presence, Kayla silently stands up and moves over to the kid, standing over his nivi as he's sitting up, starting to relax.

When trying to talk, his throat felt raw and his voice only added to it, "... Hey."

"Hey," Kayla bravely reaches out to cup the back of his head, her hand a gentle, warm weight that feels a lot better than a cold, metal slab, "Was it the scanner again?"

He nods, but the moment Kayla goes to step away, something inside him panics. It felt stupid and childish, but Spider couldn't stop the impulse that made his arms move around Kayla's torso and pull her into a tight hug, pressing his mask up against her ribs as his body started to uncontrollably shake.

Kayla froze, arms raised in the air with hesitancy, blinking multiple times to ensure she was still wide awake and not just imagining this. The teenager only burrows further into her as if she had just found him lost in a shopping mall. For several seconds, she didn't even dare to breathe so as not to spook him before she eventually began to relax and gently settle her large arms around his shoulders, her voice softer than before,

"Alright... it's alright, Spider. You're safe now. What do you need?"

"Just," Spider huffed, feeling incredibly stupid yet distressed at the same time. He knows he shouldn't be acting so small and meek, but the idea of going back to sleep terrified him, "Talk. About anything."

The marui is filled with silence as Kayla wracks her brain to come up with things to say, and then decides that now might as well be as good of a time as any, especially if it meant helping distract Spider from his nightmares, "... Ronal and Tonowari have asked me to be their mate."

Initially, he's quiet while digesting the news, but he's honestly not surprised. He thinks back to the way both clan leaders and even their children had been treating him differently today and the day before. It explains the certain looks Spider has seen other Metkayina give Kayla and her new attire... and it would possibly explain Neytiri's sudden apology to him.

Instead of pointing all of these signs out to his guardian, Spider just snorts in his mask and keeps his arms around her waist, "I told you so."

"Shut up," Kayla huffed under her breath, but even he could tell there was no heat behind it, especially since her arms only tightened around him, "I'm not taking an 'I told you so' remark from a sixteen-year-old, especially since I already got that from Norm. I'm dense, okay?"

Spider laughed and let the silence linger for a minute before reopening his mouth, "... So? Did you accept?"

"Not entirely. I told them I wanted to wait until after my Iknimaya is complete."

"Makes sense. That's usually the way it goes. Courting sometimes lasts years for the Na'vi, so it's not entirely something they wouldn't be used to. You did the right thing."

Kayla's tail leisurely sways behind her, the tone in her voice sounding hopeful, "You think so?"

He closes his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to feel like a child for once, to be held and comforted before he answers quietly, "Yeah. I do."

~~~~~~~~~

While it was an honest answer, there were slightly different intentions behind it. Spider was impressed by the way Kayla handled her courtship, and any respectable Na'vi would approve of her mature decision to wait. However, Spider now felt as though he was racing against the clock, and at least this way, he still had some time to prove himself useful.

Now that he was proven right that Ronal and Tonowari did, in fact, wish to mate with Kayla, Spider felt the need to work harder and become a more willing and helpful individual. He did what he could without the ability to connect with a tswin and tried to always give a helping hand whenever and wherever. Offering help wasn't hard, especially if he offered it to Tsireya since she always had something for him to do, but some Na'vi still have a hard time accepting Spider's help for... obvious reasons.

But even if the Metkayina didn't want his help, the human teen wasn't just going to lie down in defeat. He found many ways of helping around the village, either by his friends' side or himself, now that everyone wasn't as worried about leaving him alone. Other than to help with chores, Spider barely spent time with his friends outside of work, too busy trying to keep himself relevant. He wanted-- no, needed to pull his weight, too ashamed of the idea of being useless to the point he would get left behind again. As silly as he felt for still having such fears... it was still warranted. He wanted to give the Metkayina a chance to trust him and consider him a viable part of this village so they wouldn't make him leave. As much as he missed the Forest, he couldn't bear the thought of going back alone. So if his friends and his... guardian were staying here, then so was he, and he was determined to prove that he deserved to stay here.

These thoughts plagued him almost every waking moment and thus distracted him from the world around him. While Spider was busy gutting and cleaning some fish Lo'ak had caught, he was approached by the very clan leaders he sought to impress, but hadn't noticed their presence until they spoke,

"Hello, Spider."

Spider's posture straightens instinctively in response to Tonowari's strong voice. Looking to his right, the teenager glanced up and met eyes with the olo'eyktan, standing tall beside his mate and greeting the boy with a pleasant smile. Spider stood up and appropriately greeted the clan leaders with a gesture of his hand and a small, almost sheepish smile, "Hello."

"Is your bow of any use?"

It was difficult to see behind the mask, but Tonowari could've sworn Spider's eyes brightened at the mention of his bow, "It's solid and nicely made. Thanks again."

"Of course."

Spider briefly glanced at the silent Ronal, and he felt as though he imagined the smile on the tsahik's face and quickly looked away to pretend he didn't see it, "Uh... is there anything I can do for you two?"

While Ronal may or may not have been smiling, Spider dared to describe Ronal's tone as sounding almost light when she spoke, "There might be."

Tonowari chuckled at her being vague and decided to specify for the boy who looked between the two of them with such confusion, "We came to ask for your blessing."

The boy tilts his head, "My... blessing?"

"To court your guardian, Makayla te Suli."

Spider appeared uneasy by their motive, crossing his arms over his chest while the confusion was still evident, "Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be asking Jake?"

Ronal snorts lightheartedly, "Makayla has been vocal about who we should and shouldn't be asking for permission. It's not her brother's approval she wants, it's yours."

He stood there, motionless, trying to figure out the ever-growing puzzle in his head that was made in Kayla's image. He didn't know why she would tell both of her future mates to seek him out over Jake, someone who was related to her by blood, despite their differences. While Spider understood that Makayla felt responsible for him, that didn't mean he was suddenly entitled to any life-changing decisions she had to make. It's not like her decision to join Ronal and Tonowari's family would affect Spider... much.

The idea of being left in an empty marui came to mind, but he quickly stomped the image down, glancing off toward the ocean as he finally gave the two clan leaders his answer, "Then... yeah, I guess it's fine."

~~~~~~~~~

They must have told Kayla his answer, because once she returned home, Spider was met with a cautious look in her eyes,

"And you're really okay with this?" She asked without even greeting him.

Knowing what she was talking about without even asking, Spider only looked at her with the same confusion he had given Ronal and Tonowari, "Yeah?"

"Kid, I'm not doing anything that's going to make you uncomfortable."

Guilt ate away at his stomach, his sole purpose of trying to remain useful to the Metkayina still at the forefront of his mind. He didn't want Kayla to hold herself back for the sake of his comfort. That would only make him a burden and that was the last thing he wanted. He needed to prove that he didn't need her should the day come when she moved into the chieftain's marui and he was left behind.

Trying to keep his expression neutral, Spider tried to explain this to her without having to go into detail about his insecurities, "They're going to be your family someday, not mine."

Realization dawns on Kayla as her eyes widen, "Is that what you want?" When he doesn't answer, keeping his head lowered, Kayla tries a different approach when she feels as though she was onto something, "'Cause personally, I'd rather have you with me on this. I go where you go, kiddo and anyone who gets with me will have to deal with that."

Stunned, he looked up at her with disbelief, unable to help how accusatory his voice sounded, "Why? Why do you care so much?"

There it is. A question that should've been asked a long time ago, but Spider had always been afraid to ask, so confident that he wouldn't like the answer. As for Kayla, she had always been afraid of the day he'd finally ask her because she wasn't sure if she would be able to say the right thing or even give an honest answer. Half the time, she knew she was winging it when it came to taking care of Spider, but... isn't that what most people have been telling her parenting is all about? As much as she wished to continue being stubborn about it or outright refuse it, Kayla had to admit to herself that even if she would never be Spider's mother, she was the closest thing he had to a parental figure. And... she knew, deep down, that's what she wanted but she had been putting her own wants aside if it meant that's not what Spider wanted.

But clearly, he wanted to make sense as to why she wanted him to be comfortable with their new clan leaders, along with everything that came with them, so finally, Kayla took a deep breath and put it all out on the table, "Because you're a kid, Spider, and you deserve a family. I'm asking you if I can officially be your family. And who knows, maybe one day Ronal, Tonowari, and their kids could be your family."

Spider sucked in a sharp breath of air without realizing it, the soft hiss of his mask filling the marui. His nerves made him want to instinctually laugh it off like she was joking, but he didn't picture Kayla to be the kind of person who joked about such things, especially when he was involved. Replaying her words in his head, he almost believed he imagined it; like it was muffled in the back of his mind because that's what he wanted to hear her say... and yet the words had matched up with her mouth as she spoke... had he imagined it?

There was a small, nasty voice in the back of his head telling him that of course, he imagined it because why in her right mind would Kayla want to be his family? He's nothing but trouble and Kayla was being courted by the leaders of the Metkayina, two respected individuals whose image would surely be ruined by Spider's very presence.

Another small, more kind voice in his head told Spider that Kayla was right and that he deserved to have a family. Sure, it might not be the family he was born into or the family he had wanted practically his whole life, but it could be his, the family he actually needed. He thought of Ao'nung and Tsireya, two Na'vi who had become such unlikely friends... and yet they could be more? Ronal and Tonowari, who have been decent to him, could potentially be more?

Of course, there's also Kayla, the female avatar who looked unsure as she stood before Spider, staring down at him with fear as if she had said the wrong thing. He couldn't possibly hope that this was her intention, and so he swallowed the dryness in his throat before hesitantly replying,

"So... you're not asking if I'm comfortable about this for... other reasons?"

She frowned, "What other reasons?"

"I don't know..." he shrugged and found himself looking away, sheepish to admit it, "I thought you were asking me all this to make sure I would be okay with getting left alone again when you inevitably go to be with them."

He didn't see the way Kayla's eyes briefly widen in horror before she cursed under her breath, crouching down beside him while bravely placing a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention, "Shit, Spider-- I'm sorry. I can see why that looked bad. No, I'm not leaving you alone just because I intend on seeing someone. I take my responsibilities very seriously, thank you very much."

Ah, yes. Responsibilty. That's who he was to Kayla. It was a good reminder for Spider not to get his hopes up, a reminder that Kayla was a parental figure, but she could never be more than that. He didn't dare glance over at the bookshelf where his mother's picture was displayed, not wanting Kayla to misinterpret anything.

"... Okay."

Kayla's eyebrows furrow, trying not to appear hopeful, "Okay?"

He nods, "Okay."

Kayla smiled then, more confidently and unaware of Spider's hidden thoughts, but he smiled back, regardless. She squeezed his shoulder once more before pulling away, humming with a small, playful tone in her voice as she mentioned, "You know, eventually we'll have to move in with them, right? Are you comfortable with that? You know that families usually pile together at night."

Spider's face slowly begins to contort with uncertainty, "... You and I aren't used to that."

"Nope. We're not."

Nervously, he smiles, "Shit. Is that a dealbreaker?"

The laughter Kayla let out was cheerful and full of life. It was also contagious as Spider found himself laughing as well, and despite his doubt, there was a small bit of weight that had to been lifted from his shoulders. Despite being unsure of what the future holds for him... at the very least, there was going to be someone to keep him safe. Whether or not Kayla could be his family she mentioned, there was also the uncertainty of whether or not the clan leaders and their children would think the same. Either way, his acceptance clearly made Kayla happy, and he didn't want to ruin that with his insecurities.

~~~~~~~~~

If there's one thing Jake can confidently say about his sister, it's that if she wants him to know something, she'll tell him.

It was obvious to everyone that Kayla was not afraid to tell Jake whatever she was thinking. She's not afraid to speak her mind to him, no matter how brutal, and while there are times that Jake secretly appreciates it, lately it's been disheartening due to recent... obvious incidents.

So, when Kayla avoided him for two days, Toruk Makto enjoyed the peace and quiet, but Neytiri gave him a knowing expression that told him he wasn't being very true to himself in those moments. He eventually had to admit to himself that the silence was getting to him and he would've preferred his little sister yelling at him than straight up avoiding his presence. He eventually gave in and sought her out on the third day.

He finds his sister in her marui with Spider that morning, rolling up their separate nivi and getting prepared for the day ahead. Jake watches them for a moment, still unsure of how to address them if neither was going to admit they were mother and son, before announcing his presence. Kayla, once laid back and content, ready to face the day, now looked tense and wary at the sound of her brother's voice. Jake tried not to let it bother him, keeping his expression neutral as he offered to assist Kayla with any chores she had.

She agreed, with reluctance, and moved to meet him in the doorway. Jake did his best to keep his face impassive, but he struggled when Kayla walked close enough to the point he could catch a whiff of her scent. It was by no means her own, or the one Jake had affiliated as his sister whenever she was near. It smelled familiar, but it wasn't Kayla's and while it was faint, it was definitely new. It bothered him for a moment as both he and Kayla walked out of the marui together,his brain trying to conjure where he had smelled that particular scent before. While Jake wanted to mention it, he wisely doesn't say a word for many reasons. The whole scent debacle was a Na'vi thing and he could understand if Kayla wasn't entirely comfortable about the concept, and she may not understand it fully herself.

And like before, he knows that if there's something Kayla wants him to know, she'll tell him.

Kayla had asked Jake to help her with a canoe she's been wanting to make for a while now, and so together they conjured up the necessary supplies and started hauling it all back to her pod. She trailed behind Jake, silent for the most part, and the tension in the air was palpable, almost worse than the silent treatment she had been giving her brother for a few days. Jake knew something was right on the tip of her tongue, practically hearing the gears in her head without even needing to see her face as he walked in front of her. It was the same, intense silence he remembered experiencing when she was younger, right before she came out to her brothers. Tommy, ever the nurturing sibling, was worried for Kayla and had gently told her that if there was something she'd like to get off her chest, he and Jake would always hear her out, and no matter what, they would always be there for her.

Jake felt his chest squeeze painfully at the memory, so he was glad to distract himself from it when Kayla's voice suddenly spoke up from behind him,

"Jake."

He continued to walk towards her home as it drew near, ear tilted back in her direction, over his shoulder, "Hm?"

"There's something I got to tell you--"

She paused, and before Jake could ask her to elaborate, a soft thud from behind him gently rattled the woven pathway beneath his feet, followed by the sound of a large splash. Jake frowned and turned back around, only for his sister to no longer be standing there. In her place, was the basket of supplies she had been carrying, the contents spilled across the walkway and even rolling into the water below, the soft plopping sound of small items crashing into the water filling the air while Kayla was nowhere to be seen.

Something heavy falls in Jake's gut, as his ears point up and dance around in alertness. He reacts fast by quickly setting down his items and sprinting to the edge of the path, looking down into the water.

"Kayla!"

He sees a small shadow, quickly growing smaller as it sinks further into the water. It was the only thing that crossed his mind before diving into the sea.

The loud splash followed by Jake's distressed voice calling out to Makayla grabbed Spider's attention and steps out of the kelku, just in time to see the revered Toruk Makto diving straight into the water, abandoning baskets full of spilled supplies all along the pathway in his panicked rush. Spider's heart plummets in the five seconds Jake was underwater, and when the older man had yet to break the surface, Spider found himself running down the woven path toward the spot Jake had jumped from, even if he didn't believe he could be much help to a large, full-sized Na'vi, fearing the worst.

By the time Spider reached the deserted supplies scattered across the walkway, Jake had finally resurfaced, gasping for air while water spilled into his eyes and ears. The former marine struggled to paddle with just one arm back toward the path walk while trying to keep a fully grown female avatar afloat, her closed eyes doing nothing to help the panic begin to eat away at her brother's chest.

Despite being small, Spider scrambled to help Jake lift Kayla's body out of the water, hooking his arms underneath hers and lifting with all his might with a soft grunt. Jake helped by lifting Kayla's legs out of the water, and once she was lying across the pathway on her back, Jake lifted himself out of the water before frantically crawling over to her, gently shoving Spider out of Kayla's space so he could inspect her for injuries.

Nothing visible appeared to be wrong with her, but Kayla's eyes remained closed and when Jake initially dragged her out of the water, he couldn't help but notice how lifeless her body moved. Or, in a sense, didn't move.

"Hey!" Jake practically yelled in her face, his hand beginning to gently pat her cheek, only for the motion to grow into harsher slaps the longer she refused to open her eyes.

The panic that was beginning to rise up to Jake's throat only added to the stern, angry tone in his voice as he yelled at his sister's face, "Heyheyhey, wake up. Kayla!"

"Kayla?" Spider's voice called out, less afraid of sounding panicked while fear was evident behind his mask when directing his attention to Jake, "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know..." Jake initially replied before pausing his train of thought, a sinking feeling of familiarity washing over him when he started to analyze Kayla's symptoms and recognize the signs. It had been over a decade... but he'd seen this happen before, and the thought scared him.

"Spider, do you have your flashlight?"

Without asking for an explanation, Spider hands him the flashlight he kept in a small pouch of necessities he had tied around his loincloth.

"There we go..." Jake mutters under his breath almost as if trying to soothe and reassure himself, turning on the flashlight before leaning over Kayla's face. He takes his free hand and forces one of her eyelids to peel back, shining the bright light directly into her eye before moving on to the other one.

Her pupils don't move or even dilate, confirming Jake's growing fear, "Shit. She's not in there."

"What?" Spider croaked, suddenly hating the way his eyes felt warm.

"She's not in there," Jake automatically explained, "Something or someone interrupted her link."

Jake tries catching his breath, willing himself to regain a bit of self-control. He didn't want to assume the worst, but at the very least, Kayla wasn't dead, and her avatar didn't appear to be injured. For all he knew, Kayla had simply woken up hundreds of miles away, among their human allies and the Omatikaya. He'll just have to make a call back to High Camp and they can sort out this small situation. Nothing major...

He kept telling himself that as he bent down and lifted Kayla up into his arms, supporting her back and the crook of her legs while trying to maneuver around Spider, "Hang on-- watch out. Let's get her back to my place."

Spider dutifully follows, bounding down the woven path just to be able to catch up to Jake's long strides, the boy's eyes never leaving Kayla's avatar, "What do we do?"

"Let me try and contact Norm."

The walk back to the Sully marui felt like forever, with Jake trying to stamp down his growing anxiety the longer it took to get back. When they finally arrived, Jake and Spider brought Kayla inside only to find themselves alone, with no one else home. Jake gently lays Kayla down and immediately beelines for his long-range radio, gripping the device harshly as he speaks into it,

"Dirty Falcon, Dirty Falcon, do you read me? This is Devil Dog, over."

Jake releases the button and waits, the pod filled with static and silence. Spider kneels down beside Kayla's head, staring at Jake's radio with a rising, fluttering feeling in his chest that makes chills rise across his skin. As he and Jake continued to sit in silence, the lack of response on Norm's end was palpable.

Jake could hear his own heart racing in his ears as he brought the radio to his mouth once more, "Norm, it's Jake. Are you there? Norm?"

Silence.

"Norm? Norm?"

~~~~~~~~~

He wasn't sure how many times he had tried calling High Camp as minutes turned into hours. Whether it was six or seven attempts, Toruk Makto had begun to inspect the radio to ensure it was even working, not wanting to entertain the thought that something might be wrong on the other end of the communication. Each time he spoke into the radio and then stopped to wait for a response, he couldn't help the glances he'd send over to Spider. Each time, as the silence lingered between each call, the teenager's face only fell further and it made Jake's chest feel like lead. By the time the suns were at the highest peak in the sky, the village stirred with whispers about Makayla te Suli's collapse. As people gradually learned what had happened, Jake found his home being bombarded with not only his wife and children as they raced back to the pod but other Na'vi as well, much to his surprise.

Some of his children's friends were also present. Ao'nung and Tsireya were with Lo'ak when they heard about what happened to Kayla and immediately came running back to the marui with him, concern etched on their young faces. Jake watched with confusion as the reef siblings moved like a well-oiled machine. Ao'nung, as if on instinct, knelt down beside Spider, inspecting Kayla's avatar while Tsireya sternly let Lo'ak know that she was going to fetch her parents.

Jake heard this but didn't register the words until the young girl was already heading out the door, and by then it was already too late to stop her. Lo'ak quickly distracted his father from his racing thoughts when he asked what had happened to his aunt. By the time Jake recounted the events, the rest of the Sullys were speeding into the marui and Tsireya had returned with the clan leaders.

Ronal was like a tidal wave as she bounded into the Sullys' home, a fearsome expression in her eyes that would immediately make any normal man flinch had Jake not been exposed to Grace Augustine's own ferocity,

"And why have you brought her back here instead of to me?"

"Because she's not injured and this has nothing to do with spirituality," Jake found himself saying robotically, instinctively falling into the role of Toruk Makto to help him not acknowledge the hidden anxiety deep in his gut, "Makayla's human form must have woken up and that's why she collapsed here. She's... she's no longer possessing this body."

Tonowari hovers over his mate like a protective shadow as she bends down over Kayla's avatar, the olo'eyktan's eyes hardened with determination to find a solution as he addresses Jake, "Is that normal?"

Jake's ears pin back, eyes unfocused for a moment, "No, it's not. This only happens if someone is forced out of their Na'vi body. I've seen it before."

Ronal grabs Kayla's chin to tilt the avatar's head to look up at her, "Makayla? Makayla, can you hear me?"

The formality had puzzled Jake for a moment, staring oddly at the tsahik as she continued to carefully inspect his sister's avatar. Peering over at his wife, he noticed Neytiri looking back at him, waiting patiently with her tail gently swaying behind her, the way she normally looked when she expected him to figure something out. Whatever it was, it would have to wait as Jake shook his head and turned back toward the radio, making contact his first priority.

"Dirty Falcon, Dirty Falcon, do you read me? This is Devil Dog, over." Jake pressed into the radio before letting go of the button, not as enthusiastic for a reply.

"What is happening?" Tonowari questioned.

"I've been trying to reach our human allies with the Omatikaya all afternoon, but so far no one's responding."

"And I take it that is not normal either?"

A shadow falls over Jake's eyes as he glares into the piece of technology in front of him, "No."

"J-- Jake! We have a situation."

A familiar voice suddenly buzzes through the device before being abruptly cut off. The whole room stills as if time had stopped. Jake hadn't noticed he was holding his breath as he stared down at the radio until his lungs burned and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. With a start, Jake greedily sucks in air as he quickly moves to grab the radio,

"Norm, what's going on?" He harshly demands, "What happened?"

"Lab compromised-- can't--"

The connection cuts off again but Jake doesn't give up, desperate for an answer, "Norm! Come on... Norm, do you copy? Where's Kayla?"

"She... She's gone!"

The air completely sucks out of his lungs, his brain scrambling for a reasonable explanation. He didn't have to look around to know that everyone else would be panicked and concerned as well. Ronal had stood up straight once more, standing near Kayla's feet as her expression reared back with affliction, her eyes darting to Tonowari as they both shared a look of genuine fright. Spider noticed their exchange out of the corner of his eye before looking back down at the body in front of him, his chest feeling tight as the news sunk in, his small hand leaning near Kayla's as if afraid that touching her hand would somehow evaporate her avatar's form. The lightest brush of skin against his elbow let him know that Ao'nung was still right beside him.

Jake could feel the rushing of his heartbeat pulsing loudly in his ears as he absorbed the information. All other rational thoughts jump out the window as he suddenly snaps and growled into the communication device, "What do you mean 'gone?' Norm, what the fuck happened?"

Neytiri didn't even have the heart to chastise her husband for such language in front of the children, her own mind spiraling at all of the possibilities that might have befallen her people, let alone Kayla. Tuk's hand instinctively reaches up to grab her mother's when she feels the older woman's distress, the air stale with tension as all eyes are fixed on the radio.

"I had to force an emergency shutdown on Kayla's link in progress," Norm finally manages to explain without the connection cutting him off, "High Camp had to evacuate because we thought our location might've been compromised. We all scattered and ran to hide and avoid capture, but when we made it to the rendevous she didn't show up-- And... she's not here, Jake. We went back to camp when the coast was clear and Kayla is the only one not accounted for."

That could mean anything, but Jake wasn't ready to make any conclusions until he got the full story, "Who compromised High Camp?"

"Quaritch."

The room felt silent once more, dread swimming in Jake's gut as he closed his eyes and heaved a large, exhausted sigh. One of his ears flicked in the direction he knew Kiri was kneeling down to wrap her arms protectively around Spider without even having to look.

"He had been sighted scouting the Hallelujah Mountains for days prior to this. We thought he might've finally found us so we dispersed."

Jake's head spun with emotions, trying not to let anger get the better of him as he clutched the radio, "Why didn't you call in these sightings to me? I would've come back."

"Because we thought he was after YOU, Jake. If you had come running back, he would've been there, waiting for you."

He took a deep breath, "Do we know for sure Quaritch has Kayla?"

"We're still looking, but... look-- Kayla grabbed a radio before we split up and scattered. There was a tracker, and when we got back, Max tried to access it, but the signal was lost nearly halfway to our rendevous point. If Quaritch snatched her, he could be anywhere by now."

"... So why Kayla? Did he take her to get to me?"

"That's what I thought originally. But Jake-- we don't think he's reporting back to Ardmore anymore."

Norm's words clearly surprise Jake, eyes briefly widening before they return to their normal shape. Unaware of Jake's reaction, Norm's voice continues to come in through the radio, "We've been monitoring RDA radio chatter and there were never any indicators that he never called in a strike against the camp. Ardmore didn't send an army, it was just him. I think he acted alone on this, against Ardmore's orders. Or maybe she doesn't know about it. All I know is he's after something or someone, whether it's you or something else, he knows that Kayla has what he wants."

Jake feels a weight of revelation sink in his stomach, slowly peering over his shoulder, only to find that Spider was already looking back at him. As expected, Kiri was kneeling behind her best friend and her long blue arms encompassed the human teen's shoulders, tightening further when her father's gaze landed on them. Spider doesn't move or even breathe for that matter, the kid's eyes wide with what could only be described as fear.

"I think I know what he's after," Jake muttered back into the radio, his eyes never leaving Spider's, "Let me get back to you with a plan, Norm."

He cuts contact on the radio and rushes to stand up. Kiri, assuming the worst after seeing the look in his eye when he gazed at Spider, speaks up before her father can even say a word, "Dad, you can't leave her! Not like when you left Spider!"

Jake winced, an apologetic expression directed at the boy in question before he straightened his posture, looking around at the room of Na'vi all staring at him expectedly. The weight of Toruk Makto was heavy on his shoulders once more... only this time it felt worse. The fear of failure was worse.

Quaritch likely has Kayla, and the very thought of the Recom holding his sister hostage brought that same, deep-rooted fear he had festered when Quaritch had taken his daughters. The haunted image of Quaritch's knife against Kayla's throat when they were fighting on the ship didn't help that fear. Looking over and meeting Neytiri's eyes, Jake saw that same haunted expression on her face, the look of someone who had lost so many of her loved ones to the colonel. Quaritch was responsible for her father's death, and the lives that were lost when Hometree fell. Quaritch was responsible for Tsu'tey, for Grace, for Trudy... Neteyam... Hell, he might have been the one held responsible for the death of Neytiri's sister, Sylwanin.

Turning back and taking one look at Spider's pleading eyes, Jake was desperate to ensure that Kayla wouldn't be added to Quaritch's growing list.

Jake's expression hardened, hiding away his thoughts while addressing Kiri, "I won't, baby girl. Not this time."

~~~~~~~~~

A/n: In between chapters, I asked for a couple of commissions from the following:

I'd like to thank @sullyfortress for this beautiful masterpiece of Kayla!

And @rocklobster0 for making this cute chibi art of Kayla/Tonowari/Ronal! You guys are amazing individuals and are so gifted😍Thank you so much!

#tsamsiyu ta'em fic #ronal x tonowari x oc #ronal x oc x tonowari #ronal x oc #tonowari x oc x ronal #tonowari x ronal x oc #tonowari x oc #tonowari x ronal #ronal x tonowari #atwow fic #atwow fics #atwow fanfic #atwow fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #atwow #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #james cameron avatar

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ninyard · 22 hours

Note

More Kevin/Allison?

okokok here's like. this. for you. it's not smutty but just lowkey horny. (a silly situation where they fuck around with the idea of being friends w benefits bc allison wants some on a night out)

Kevin Day tasted like citrus and salt. A wedge of lime in between perfectly shaped teeth, a glossy sheen of warming alcohol coating the lips that his shot had just passed by; Kevin Day tasted like one too many, like a bad idea, like something she'd regret in the morning. Kevin Day tasted like the sharp bite of his favourite tequila mingling with honey flavoured lip balm that spread across his lips.

Allison didn't actually know it to be true; looking up at smiling green eyes that ordered another round for the two of them, eyes that looked back with a mischievous glint - the unsettling thought had found its way into her head like a silently burrowing animal. The taste of his lips should've held no weight at all in her mind, but there they stood, still sweaty after dancing, throats hoarse from the song they'd been yelling on the dancefloor. Waiting at the bar for their drinks, Kevin's upturned lips looked far more uncomfortably soft and enticing than they'd ever looked before.

Too many shots in, and she caught herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss him.

It wasn't that she'd never thought about fucking Kevin before, but a thought was a thought. It was an idea to be kept to herself, something never to be spoken out loud. Dan had jokingly mentioned it more than once, but Allison had shut it down quicker than it had come up. It hadn't been more than six months since he'd started to come out of his shell more often around all of them, no more than three or four months since they'd become each other's best friend under the influence. To think about Kevin's skin on hers was to think of something so reprehensible and disgusting that it felt like a sin. To think about his breath on her neck was to no longer think of him as Kevin Day. It was to picture him as something to find pleasure in, and that simply couldn't happen. Finally they tolerated each other as friends, enjoying their shared company more than they thought they would. Fucking him would only find a way to ruin that.

She'd dreamt about it once - He didn't seem to notice how she avoided him at practice for a week after that.

A thought was just a thought; an unserious idea, an insincere hypothetical, nothing more than that. Kevin Day was an asshole, first and foremost. He was Kevin, for crying out loud. It felt forbidden to even imagine him in any scenario other than on the court. That was his place, his life, his priority. Allison had only recently gotten the low-down on the girlfriend that wasn't really his girlfriend; even then he hadn't seen her for more than a day or two in almost two years. If he were messing around with anyone, it was very well-hidden. Allison couldn't quite picture him having a casual hook-up, let alone a serious relationship. Maybe it was because she'd only seen him for his one-track mind for so long: the only love he needed was exy, and he made that very clear.

But Kevin Day off the court was not the same as he that would be found with a racquet in his hands. Kevin off the court was fun, and comfortable, and far more like her than she cared to admit. They bounced off each other like a pair of childhood friends, and he made her laugh harder than anyone else ever had. They could stand across from each other on the court the day after, half hungover and straight faced, nothing remaining of the knocked back shots and songs sung the night before. Yet, they were a dream team on a night out, the life of the party, far too comfortable with each other. Kevin off the court had once seen Allison in her bra and laughed at the wonky bellybutton piercing she'd gotten at 16. He really was a breath of fresh air, sometimes, when he wasn't in Kevin Day mode.

Kevin off the court was relaxed. Kevin off the court was a little too easy to look at.

I'm due my period, she thought. Her hormones, of course, the only logical explanation as to why she was picturing Kevin's callused and strong hands around her waist, fingers trailing up her back, wet lips on skin, the smell of his cologne and-

"Are you even listening?" Allison blinked herself out of a daydream to look up at him. With one arm leaning on the bar as the barman served up another two golden shots, his smile was dopey with the perfect amount of alcohol. The lights in Eden's were dim enough that he couldn't see the heat that had risen to her cheeks as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have been.

"I can't even hear you," A lie yelled over booming music to cover for the fact she really hadn't been listening at all. "Go again."

An inch or two more, he bent down to get closer to her. His breath was hot next to her ear, and she cursed herself for not hearing him the first time. She sucked her lip in, a stifled smile hurting her cheeks. What was she doing? What was she thinking?

"I asked if you're planning on staying late," He repeated himself. "I know Dan said that she's leaving in a little while, and I think Matt's going to get them a ride home. Are you going with them?"

When her first thought was to run her fingers up his bare arms and tell him what she really wanted to do for the evening, it was set in stone; she was a lost cause. Her mind has lost control of the vehicle. The heart that pounded in her chest couldn't be driving either. Her arousal had taken the wheel, and oh, it was driving her head-first, full-speed into a red brick wall.

Kevin handed over his bank card to the barman that served them, and returned his attention to their first-next bad decision. The shot glass slid across the damp wooden bar, and he gestured for Allison to put her hand out. She was mentally beating the thoughts out of her head, but tequila and a dull sensation in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let them go. Kevin held her hand gently in his as he poured the salt onto her hand before his own. The shot glass looked tiny tucked in-between his pointer finger and his thumb.

"No, I don't think so," Allison peeled her eyes away from his hands and held the glass the same way. "Unless you're thinking about going."

Kevin paused for just a second and hummed some sort of answer before bringing his hand up close to his lips. It wasn't lost on Allison how he kept his eyes on her, white salt licked up onto his tongue, burning alcohol hitting the back of his throat before he looked away to grab a lime. Perhaps it was coincidence that he licked his lips with a cheeky smile as his eyes found their way back to the fruit in between Allison's lips. His thumb wiped away juice that had dripped down her chin. She just tried not to think about putting it into her mouth.

"I'm not," He pouted, tucking his card back into his wallet, and looked in the direction of the table that they'd been sitting at. "I have nothing better to be doing than getting black-out drunk with you."

Allison lifted her foot up to rest it on the railing at the bottom of the bar. Kevin had outstretched the arm that rested on the surface next to them, and by Allison's shoulder, he was flipping a coaster between his fingers. The song changed, a perfect cue for them to move, but instead they stayed. Allison hated herself for it, but she would blame the alcohol in the morning; she rested her own arm next to his, and reached out to roll the edge of his short sleeved t-shirt in between her fingers.

"It's better than watching another one of Matt's stupid fucking movies," She tried to ignore the internal screaming, louder and louder as Kevin glanced down at his bicep, and slowly back up to her face. The slightest crease formed between his eyebrows, but he didn't pull away. Instead it was accompanied by a subtly growing grin. "I'll go crazy if I have to watch King Kong one more time."

Kevin laughed, and for just a moment, it felt like they were in some sort of alternate universe.

Kevin's had pressed his thumb to her skin, at the back of her elbow, a look in his eyes, words hiding behind his lips that she could read through his transparent skin. Perhaps she was thinking about herself instead - her cheeks flushed and hot with her fuck me eyes out of control.

Projecting onto him was easier than admitting she was prepared to blow him in the toilets if he wanted her to.

It was an impossible suggestion that shouldn't have been entertained at all. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many car crash scenarios that could be avoided by walking away right then and there. Her inhibitions were lost, and it didn't matter that it was a self serving desire and a really fucking terrible idea.

Instead she wondered what Kevin Day tasted like, with all logical thinking long throw out the window.

"What?" He asked, then, a knowing tone to his voice, his words wet with alcohol.

"Nothing," Allison pulled her eyes away from his face and down to the fabric in between her fingers. "What do you mean, what?"

Kevin opened his mouth, but closed it with a grin, and took his hand away from her arm to place it flat on the bar. Like she'd been shook out of a daze, Allison did the same, but the twisting of her stomach was an inconvenient and intrusive reminder of what she was really thinking about.

"What?" She pushed him instead, tilting her head to be better in his view, but he was quick to move himself and look away.

"Oh, don't do that," There was teasing to his words, as he threw his head back and tried to wipe the smile off his face. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" She teased back, gazing at him through her false lashes, while his jaw flexed in frustrated acknowledgement that what she was doing was working. "What are you doing?"

Kevin looked down at her, with that fucking look in his eyes, that insufferable glimmer, that knowing shine. He tilted his head and inched himself closer to her. "Are you bored?"

"Bored?" Allison scoffed. "You're out of options, superstar. Take it or leave it."

Kevin nodded then, and slapped his palm on the bar, before replacing the gentlest, electrifying touch on the exposed skin of Allison’s arm. "See, that's what I thought you were doing, but I figured I was just going crazy. Because there's just no way you'd even consider it. Surely. But you are."

She rested her head in her hand, and bat her eyelashes up at him, only half in jest. "And you're not?"

"Oh, never." The pressure beneath his fingers told her the opposite. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck. She'd never seen this look in his eyes before; playful but serious, looking her up and down like it was their first time meeting. "Never in a million years."

"Oh God," Allison hid her face in her hands. This couldn't be happening - even if she really, really wanted it to, in that moment. "I really hope you're talking about what I'm talking about. Oh, please tell me you are, so I don't have to smother you in your sleep and pretend this never happened."

"I don't mind," Kevin grinned, but looked up as if to make sure that nobody was watching. "If you're serious, I'd do it."

Salt, and tequila, and lime. Cologne, and sweat, and breath and- "I'll kill you if you're joking."

He laughed again, a hearty and charming sound, and rubbed a hand down his face. Fingers holding his chin he shrugged and shut his eyes. “Unless you’re joking, then no, I’m not.”

They looked at each other for a moment too long. Kevin lifted his foot to rest it on the railing next to her, their knees grazing off each other. He'd given her the perfect vantage point to look where she really wanted to look, but she worked against the spirits in her veins to keep her eyes on his.

"It doesn't have to mean anything," Kevin took the words right out of her mouth. "I actually really don't want it to. But if you're bored," She slapped his chest as he laughed his way through the rest of his words. He pushed a strand of her hair back behind her shoulder, running a finger down the side of her neck and teased, "And I'm bored..."

Around them, Allison’s giggle turned heads as she knocked on his chest, tucking her ear to her shoulder to push his hand away. Her search for an inkling in his demeanor that he was truly joking came up empty. Allison's thoughts were much less coherent than this, of course, less so 'I can’t believe I’m kind of agreeing to fuck Kevin and he’s kind of agreeing with me too', and more so 'tonight’s dick, tomorrow’s problem'. She was giddy at the whole situation, how drunk they both were, how she didn’t really care at all that it was Kevin on the other end of a pair of hands and working tongue.

A patron pushed the way in between them, asking if they were finished so they could order a drink, and Allison skipped backwards through the crowd before turning when she saw him stepping away from the bar. She only turned to look at him once, smirking as he followed her like a puppy on a leash. Oh, it felt powerful, in some ways, the two of them only starting the growth of their surprising friendship. Maybe it was inevitable, one of them single and the other kind-of-single, that they would find themselves in this position. All it took was one simple, lingering look, and one sentence loaded with insinuation and heat; Kevin was handsome putty in her hands.

Allison didn't stop until they'd turned a quiet corner, close to a staff-only entrance and a fire door, where Kevin reached out first to put a steady hand on her waist as she playfully pulled him in closer.

"Tell me this is a bad idea." Allison whispered while hooking a finger through one of the belt loops on the front of his jeans. The same hand hung loosely over his waist, in between their bodies, as his hips brushed against her stomach.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up when Kevin took his free hand and rested his fingers in her hair, a thumb just behind her ear. Kevin sighed, just a millisecond of hesitation before his easily read eyes said fuck it.

"This is a bad idea." He looked from her eyes to her lips as he mumbled, pausing inches away from her face. She knew he was waiting for her to change her mind, but they'd gotten this far - why waste it? "Oh, a really fucking bad one."

(Kevin Day tasted like citrus and salt. Kevin Day tasted like a freshly cut lime wedge and vodka that he'd been drinking earlier; Kevin Day tasted like one too many, like a bad idea, like something she'd regret in the morning.)

#psst she doesnt regret it #in fact #[redacted expletives re: what he does to her afterwards]#this is too description heavy #and not snappy enough #but ive commited to it and ill maybe rewrite a oneshot for my ao3 #but thank u anon for indulgingme #allison reynolds #kevin day #kevallison #aftg #all for the game #not very good #but enjoy

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shysuccubusstuff · 2 days

Text

yandere! diluc pt. 1

Content: dubcon/noncon, stalker behaviour, yandere, syringe, manhandling, kidnap, foul language.

Note: Yeah I know I have a pt. 2 left but i'm so so dry bc of exams and stress so I just wanted to post stuff I like without (trying) to think too much, as always, non-proof reader.

Credits to anitelenia for the lovely divider.

It had been a few days since you started to realize it.

You mostly noticed it when you were alone, walking quietly to your house after your night shift. You had just left the flower shop, trying to walk as fast as possible, just thinking about your warm and soft bed. You were far too deep in your fantasies when you finally stumbled upon someone. Your forehead bumped against something stiff, you could say that it was even hard. Just as you were about to apologize a deep voice talked:

"I'm sorry... I really wasn't looking, are you ok?" Deep blazing eyes encountered with yours, his eyes shining as wild flames despite the cold light of the moon. His hair was swaying, making his face look even more charming, how come you had never seen someone as beautiful as him around? You were dazzed for a moment, your lips almost forming a small circle, luckily, you were fast enough to realize it, finally being able to snap out of it.

"Oh, no, it's my fault, it's kinda dark today so yeah... I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, I'm sorry..." As soon as you babbled your poor excuses, the man laughted softly, his eyes forming small crescent moons.

"Diluc, just call me by my name." You nodded, a bit stranged cause, who would simply give their name to some stranger found in the middle of the night?

"Oh, nice to meet you sir Diluc, I gotta go, see you around!" You left without losing more time, after all, your dear bed was waiting all alone for you. If only you had pay a bit more attention to whatever that man was saying before leaving...

"I'm sure we will meet much more often from now on, dear." Without saying nothing else, Diluc left, walking back to the wineyard and starting to plan how would he be able to make you let down your walls.

A few months had passed, and just as he had foresaw, both of you had suddenly became the soon-to-be couple in Mondstadt. Everytime people saw you around, his eyes started to share furtive glances, their hands making small gestures in a comedic way. Even despite Diluc acted as if he was unaware, he knew it. After all, those rumors had been planned by him. He helped you with even small stuff, always getting up and bringing you your drink, paying when he invited you to have lunch or diner, always as "friends" of course, definitely not because he was already thinking about the ring to ask you to marry him... He also waited for you after work, always bringing you small bouquetes of flowers that he had "found" around while he was doing small quests (he was actually buying them, then making the bouquet with your favourite flowers).

He had already written down all your favourite places, foods, flowers, colours, the type of clothes that you liked, your most hated food, your fears, the name of your first pet... the list could go on for hours. Cause if he didn't know all that information, could he even call himself your boyfriend?

He also had a "small" compilation of sneak pics he had taken of you, the photos were laying around his room, some were hanged in frames, others were hidden in boxes, the rest were used for his shrine in progress.

Of course, when he finally confessed his feelings, he was 100% sure you would fall in love with him, he had done everything you had told him you liked in a man! So when your face changed, your eyes suddenly losing that loving spark, his world almost crashed completely. You tried to explain it to him, it was not the first time a man who you had considered a friend had confessed to you, so you were a bit dissappointed... did that mean that you had approached her with that intention since the beginning? You didn't know what to think, so you asked him for some time, just enough for you to think deep about it. Before you knew it, his hand was already way too close to your neck, a small zap being sent all through your body and causing you to fall against his arms.

When you finally woke up, you were in his room, the fire was crackling, almost making it feel way too... cozy, almost as if you were at "home". What happened? Just as you were about to move from the bed, you noticed something. There was a chain tied to your ankle, tying you to the bed, your clothes had been changed to a soft nightgown, somehow perfectly fitting your body, what the hell had happened?

You were about to scream, when the door opened, his crimson hair swaying just like the first night you had met. He was carrying a small tray, some grapes and other fruits were on top of it. As soon as he noticed you were awake, his lips curved up, his eyes shining with pure devotion.

"Darling! I'm sorry, it seems the thing I created had a little misscalculation..." Diluc apologized, leaving the tray in his desk.

"Are you ok? Do you feel any type of pain? It would kill me to know that I have hurt you..." His hands moved towards you, although as soon as he saw you flintch his hands stopped, his face looking as hurt as if he was the one that had been chained. He suddenly got up from the bed, once again heading towards his desk and taking something from one of the drawers. He got close to you, and despite your failed attempts of squirming away from his touch, it was all in vain as soon as you felt a pulsing pain, almost as if you had been pricked with a needle. The blood that was supposed to keep you on edge was suddenly towards your lower half. What was happening?

As soon as he had used that strange needle, your whole body had went soft, almost limp. did he inject something inside of you? Before you were able to complain anything about it, your brain felt as if it had turned into mush, your brain feeling too fuzzy to think.

"What... what was that?" Diluc eyes' glistened, looking a bit too proud of his work.

"Just some potion to help ease your mind, you looked too... stressed before, but now you look just like a pretty little doll, darling. Did you like the nightgown I bought? I knew it would suit you, but I didn't think it would make you look even prettier!" His hands went through your soft hair, his hands feeling a bit too... hot, maybe it was actually your body the one that was melting?

"Diluc, you need to let me go... I... We can talk about all of this... I promise I won't say it to the knights of Favonius..." You tried to hard to form a cohesive sentence, but Diluc's face switched, his calm face turning into a grin.

"Oh sweet heart, you are almost as naive as beautiful. Do you truly think that those... pesky little knights can harm me in anyway?" Diluc's gaze darkened, his eyes drifting through your whole body. "I'm sorry for having to take this...solution, but you were getting a bit too... close, you know?" Diluc sat down at your side, his hand moving your head a little, just enough for your head to rest on his shoulder. "Just being close to you makes me feel at peace, you know?" His body shifted a little, his calloused hand taking your hair out of your face. "I finally made up my mind after seeing you two that afternoon... that damned liar keeps trying to take what's mine." His hands moved, his fingertips drifted through your chest, pinching a bit your nipples, just enough to let a moan leave your mouth.

"That drug is still active, I guess..." He pushed you just a little, your body falling to the bed without much resistance. His frame on top of you, his soft hair sending shivers down your spine. His face lowered, his soft lips leaving kisses all through your neck, letting you whimper as much as you wanted. His hands were moving around, slowly touching your clothed cunt, treating you as if you were a delicate porcelain doll. "I can even see your pretty pussy, are you that excited to be touched?" You tried to complain, of course that was not the case! That damned syringe had done something to you, of course you were only able to make some complain noises.

"Uhm... to be honest that was just a muscle relaxant, it was just in case you tried to play some little tricks on me, I'm sorry for doubting you, honey. But I swear I will never do anything like it again, I just got a bit anxious." His hands got away from your lower half, going back up and starting to caress your face, kissing your pretty lips and making them all shiny.

"We can consume our love any other day, I've prepared plenty of stuff for us to do, sweet heart." Before you were able to complain, your eyes started to close, body too tired to even ask when would you be free.

#diluc x you #diluc x reader #genshin diluc #diluc ragnvindr #smut #fanfiction #x reader #genshin imagines #genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact smut #genshin smut #genshin x reader #diluc smut #diluc fanfic #yandere male #yandere #yandere boyfriend #yandere x darling

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dankfarrikfifi · 17 hours

Text

Strays

Frankie x AFAB!Reader

Warnings: 18+ only MDNI, not a lot of naughty stuff, just some making out, some mild miscommunication, dogs, lots of dogs, Frankie being a gruff softie, reader has long hair but otherwise not described

Dividers from @saradika-graphics

Frankie is lonely, you hold the keys to his new companion. AKA Frankie adopts a dog.

After college, you couldn’t help but go through a seemingly never ending journey of finding what you wanted to do in life. Your degree didn’t seem to yield the most interesting jobs, and staying at your parents house no longer felt like an option. It seemed like fate when a classmate of yours, Willa, who you had grown quite close to over four years, had reached out, asking if you were interested in sharing a lease with her. Despite being hours from your hometown and any safety nets you may have had, you couldn’t resist the pull to start anew. And that’s how you found yourself in a new city, away from all you know, looking for a job.

It took a few weeks, but it was well worth the wait when you saw the “Help Wanted” sign outside the animal shelter. After three separate rounds of interviewing, you had finally found what you hoped would be your calling. And, 2 years later, it has turned out to be just that. You had built a comfy life with Willa, and your job kept you busy enough that you didn’t have time to be bored. You didn’t feel like you were missing anything, until you suddenly discovered it on a random Wednesday morning.

You’ve had a lot of customers over the years: kids getting their first hamster, newly-weds getting a cat that will inevitably end up back here in a few months. With these customers, you usually only had brief interactions, a single visit before signing the papers and heading on their way. But some were more indecisive, coming in and taking days to think over whether they wanted to take this step in their life. It was one of these customers that walked in your lobby at 9 on the dot when you unlocked the doors for the day.

The bell above the door jingles, sending off an orchestra of barks and meows behind you. You make a mental note, for probably the 100th and definitely not the last time, to remove that bell, before looking up to greet whoever had just walked in. The man towering above you looks nervous, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, hat pulled down over his eyes. You’ve always been proud of your ability to not judge other people too quickly, but in all honesty, this dude looks scary. You have just a moment to feel anxious before he pulls the hat off, meeting your eye with a shy smile. It eases all of your worries with a glance.

“Welcome to Paws and Pals! How can I help you?” you greet with a smile, standing up and moving around the desk to greet the man. He takes a second to clear his throat before answering.

“I, uh, I was hoping to look at some dogs.” His voice is startlingly deep, a warm, gruff tone that melts you. You smile wider, always happy to send home a puppy. You gesture for him to follow you through the doors.

“Of course! Any dog in particular? Size, color, breed preference?” you glance over your shoulder to see him peering into each cage you pass, his eyes soft as he takes in the sleeping cats.

“I don’t really know, to be honest,” he shrugs, catching your eye. “I’ve never actually had a dog before. I do like the bigger ones I think?”

You can’t help but let out a chuckle. The men always want to go for the bigger dogs. Reaching the back door, you swing open the top half of the door, checking to see if anyone was liable to escape. After confirming everyone was in their proper spot you opened the bottom of the door, ushering your customer into the room. He brushes past you, and you can’t help

but notice him stiffen ever so slightly as he does so.

“So this is everyone we have right now, they each have a little bio in front, and if they’re spoken for there’s a little red sticker. Just go ahead and take a look!”

You wave your hand towards the cages, following him as he almost instinctively approaches the first kennel on the left. Occupying it is your favorite dog that has ever come through your shelter. She’s some sort of large lab mix, with shaggy brown hair and slightly uneven ears. She had grabbed your attention from day one, but given your roommate’s allergy you had never been able to take her home. You can see this guy is taking a while to inspect her, leaning down to get on her level.

“This is Winnie, she’s been here the longest of anyone,” you watch the stranger as he intently reads her bio, all while Winnie inches closer and closer to the door. He looks slightly startled when she’s suddenly pressed up against the glass, staring up at him.

“Hey, sweetie,” he grumbles, raising his hand as if to let her sniff him. You can’t help but swoon a bit at his gentle nature, and it seems like Winnie can’t either.

“I can take her out, if you wanna meet her,” you offer to him. He straightens to his full height, and you can’t help but feel disappointed when he shakes his head “no”.

“I, uh, I don’t wanna get too attached,” he explains, “I don’t even know if I’m gonna get one yet.”

“Totally understandable,” you assure him, staying silent as he briefly paruses the other kennels. No one seems to peak his interest as much as Winnie, and you soon find yourself leading him back towards the lobby.

“Well, we’re always here if you wanna take another look!” you speak as you gather a few pamphlets for him, handing them over with a tight smile. He accepts them with a nod. He’s halfway to the door when he turns around.

“Thank you for your help,” he offers, putting his hat back on his head. Your smile turns slightly more genuine as you give him a little mock salute. He smiles back, a cute little thing that has butterflies sprouting in your stomach, before turning and leaving the building.

Since he was a kid, Frankie has always had trouble sleeping. Whether it was nightmares keeping him up or just an antsy feeling in his legs, he usually only slept a few hours here and there. His mom had a different solution every night, but none of them worked the way he needed them to.

The one thing that always helped keep him calm, though, was when he opened his bedroom window, the scent of the lilac bush directly outside easing all of his anxiety. The smell followed him, through childhood and the military, it was even the deciding factor when he bought his current house. He craved the scent everywhere he went. And then, walking into the animal shelter that morning, all he could focus on was you. Yes, you were the single prettiest person he had ever seen in his life, but that wasn’t what he focused on. What he did focus on was the way you smelled exactly like that lilac bush.

He had come in looking for a dog, something to keep him company because, if he’s being honest, Frankie is lonely. Now, he would never admit that to anyone, especially his ever-worrying mother, but he’s finally able to admit it to himself. He of course had the boys, who were a constant presence in his life, and he absolutely enjoys the time they spend together. But everytime, when the four of them scattered, he had to go home to an empty house. He hadn’t had much luck in the dating department since he left the army, and was all but ready to live out his life as whatever the male version of a spinster is. But you, and your lilac aura, had him rethinking. So, despite the fact that he wanted to get that dog the very same day, he waited, wanting to stretch out the moments he got to see you.

It’s less than a week before he’s back, sneaking in while you’re busy showing a little girl exactly how to hold a bunny without scaring it. It takes you a second to notice him, just in time to see him wave off your coworker, gesturing towards you. You can’t help but feel some heat flood your cheeks, a smile pulling at your lips when your coworker comes to switch spots with you. You make your way over to the man, whose name you’re just now realizing you never learned, waving a bit in greeting. He tilts his head, hat already shoved in his back pocket.

“You’re back!” you try not to sound too excited, but he seems to see right through it.

“Yea I, uh, I couldn’t stop thinking about her the last few nights,” he shrugs, trying to play it off. You don’t buy it for a second. You saw him with her the other day, saw their instant connection. “I was wondering if I could actually meet her today?”

You offer an apologetic smile before responding.

“She’s out on a walk with a potential family, I’m sorry,” you see his shoulders deflate even as he tries to stay cool.

“Ah, damn,” he grumbles, lifting his hand to run through his hair, “Guess I should have jumped on that when I had a chance.”

You feel awful, and you’re about to apologize further when the bell above the door chimes. You both turn to see Winnie being walked in the building, her tail nearly between her legs as the man walking her pulls and tugs at her leash. Your face turns to steel, seeing the stranger’s do the same thing at the scene. The man holding her leash shoves it into your hands, huffing and puffing the whole time.

“This dog’s a dud,” he snaps before turning on his heels and whipping out of the front door. You momentarily forget about the man next to you, instead crouching down to scratch behind Winnie’s ear. She immediately relaxes into your touch, letting you pet her head and offer comfort. She’s always been more at ease with women, especially you. You barely even notice when he’s crouching down next to you, holding out his hand to let her sniff him. Winnie takes a moment to get used to him, but in just a few seconds she’s pressing her head against his hand, begging for pets.

You can’t help but observe the two of them together. This man, who’s tall and broad and looks like he could kill you, is proving to be a gentle soul. You’re certain that he and Winnie would make an excellent pair.

“So can I take her for a walk sometime?” he asks you, still gently petting her head. You beam at him, nodding as you stand to grab your schedule book. You flip through the pages, finding the next time you work and have a walking slot. You know that it’s not required for an employee to go on a walk with a potential owner. You just hope he doesn’t question it.

“How does Friday at 2 work?” you ask him, and he gives an affirming nod, his eyes never leaving the dog. You go to pencil him in, but realize you finally have to ask. “Can I get your name and email?”

He doesn’t hesitate before responding.

“Name’s Frankie, email is fmorales13,” he rattles off, finally standing and parting himself from Winnie. She leans against his legs as you confirm the info, finally having a name to put to the face. Frankie, you like the sound of that. He bids you a light farewell, bending down to scratch being Winnie’s ears one last time before he makes his way out the door. You actively avoid your coworker’s questioning stare when you watch him leave with rapt attention.

Something about this man, Frankie, has you entranced. You’re not sure if it’s his looks, which are wildly above average, or his soft yet gruff exterior. Whatever it is has you completely smitten with him, something akin to want blooming in your chest.

Frankie officially can’t stop thinking about you. He had never had pets in his life, but he could see you had a very deep respect for animals. And when you’re face hardened at the sight of that man with Winnie, god it did something to him. you’re so passionate,

Friday can’t come fast enough. Everyone around you can see your buzzing energy, which you shrug off as excitement at the possibility of Winnie getting free. Only you know that this is a half answer, that you’ve also come to look forward to Frankie’s visits to the shelter. A little voice in your head says that if he winds up adopting Winnie, you won’t see him or her anymore. Despite this, you want him to take her home so bad you’re ready to start pushing him on it.

The day ticks by slowly, each minute feeling longer than the last. You occupy yourself with cleaning up kennels, taking a few kittens out to snuggle with here and there. Finally you hear the chime of the front door, trying not to rush to the lobby too fast lest you give away your excitement. And there he is, standing with his arms crossed, no jacket on to cover his unfairly large muscles.

“Right on time!” you greet him, smiling as you grab a leash hanging behind the desk. He smiles at you, wider than the last few times. You can’t help but feel a warmth spread through you. “Stay right here and I’ll go grab her?”

He nods, still smiling as you hustle back to grab Winnie. She greets you with a stretch and a tail wag, licking your hand while you try to hook her up to the leash. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and you’re practically bouncing by the time you re-enter the lobby.

“Hey girl,” he greets, crouching down to say hello. She seems extremely excited to see him, and he reciprocates in full. You hand the leash over to him before calling your coworker into the room.

“Hey Matt, I’m helping Frankie here take Winnie on a walk, you got it covered here?” you ask. Matt confirms with a nod and a thumbs up, the most communication you could ever hope to receive from him. You motion for Frankie to lead the way, and soon the three of you are walking down the street towards the park.

You make idle chit chat with Frankie as you walk, trying to subtly learn more about him, partly for your own good and partly to suss out if he and Winnie would be a good match. Unsurprisingly, they seem to be, with their similar personalities and almost instant connection. He tells you about his friends, about the large backyard that he’s been trying to figure out something to do with. The two of you fall into a light silence. Finally, it’s time to ask the question of the hour.

“So, are you finally gonna take her home?” you try to remain light, but can’t help the slight worry in your tone. He takes a second, contemplating his choices, before answering.

“Uh, yea, I think I am,” your face breaks out in a grin, “I still gotta get some stuff first but, I’d love to take her home.”

“Yay!” you cheer, startling Winnie slightly, “Oh you guys are gonna be so happy. I’ll only be a little sad to not see her everyday but knowing she’s going to a good home makes up for it.”

You’ve reached the doors of the shelter at this point, and you can see Frankie hesitate for a moment before speaking, as if he’s nervous.

“You could still see her, if you want,” he says slowly, “I mean, after we get to know each other more. Dinner sometime, maybe?”

“Oh!” you’re caught off guard for a second, but quickly catch yourself, “I, I’d love that!”

He smiles at you, the brightest you’ve seen so far, as he follows you into the shelter. You’re suddenly flustered, trying not to show how affected you are by his interest in you. You busy yourself with finding all the paperwork to get the ball rolling on Frankie taking Winnie home, and you’ve never been happier to put that little red sticker on one of the kennels.

You go over all of the things he needs to get before picking her up on Monday, the exact food and what treats she likes. He takes note of everything you mention. Soon you can find no more excuses to keep him there any longer, especially given the shelter has technically been closed for ten minutes.

“So, are you gonna ask for my number?” you tease him, heading outside after confirming with the night shift that everything was squared away.

“Oh god, duh,” he groans, “Sorry, a bit out of practice over here.”

His admission surprises you. How could someone so fucking handsome be out of practice? You don’t have much time to dwell on it, instead rattling off your number, Frankie quickly typing a message to confirm it’s correct. You part with a shy goodbye, and butterflies in your stomach when you notice he waits until you’re in your car before getting in his own.

It takes all of your strength to not check your phone when it buzzes on your passenger seat a few minutes from home. Your fingers itch to know what it says, but you wait until you’re barely pulled into your parking spot to check it. You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips reading the message.

Hope you made it home safe. Would you be free tomorrow? Maybe you can help me pick out some stuff for Winnie.

You take a second to check your calendar, confirming that you do not work tomorrow, before responding.

Absolutely! Dinner and the pet store?

You get a response in no time.

I’ll pick you up at 6?

You quickly send over your address, and after some more back and forth you bid each other good night. Realizing that you’re still sitting in the parking lot, you rush up the stairs of your apartment building, creeping through the door in case Willa is asleep. You see her door is closed, your roommate being quite an early bird, and you try to make as little noise as possible as you sneak past to your room. By the time you’re done with your night time routine you’re simultaneously exhausted and excited for what tomorrow is to bring. You fall asleep with a blink.

You let yourself wake up naturally the next day, the sun shining through your curtains gently pulling you from slumber. Laying in bed for as long as you can, you eventually pull yourself out from under the covers, taking your time with your wake up routine. You try to keep yourself busy throughout the day, which is proving very difficult with no one around to distract you, your roommate at work for a few more hours. Cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry, and making yourself lunch can only occupy you for so long, and when the clock hits 4 you let yourself start thinking about your plans tonight.

You wouldn’t say you’re nervous per say, but it has been a decent while since you last went on a date with a man like Frankie. Your last couple of dates had been total disasters: a guy who wouldn’t stop talking about their ex, that girl that had the most internet centered personality you’ve ever come across. You’re trying to not raise your hopes too high, but something about Frankie had immediately caught your eye, and you’re hoping he proves himself.

You opt for a more comfortable outfit, some overalls and a tank top to fight the heat of summer. Without meaning to, you’re ready a solid thirty minutes before Frankie is supposed to pick you up. You flop down on the couch, pulling out a book to keep yourself occupied. You’re only a few pages in when Willa bursts through the door in her usual storm of chaos. She comes to you and plants a kiss on top of your head.

“How are you, love?” she pinches your cheek, her nature being that of the touch-y feel-y variety, “Are you going somewhere?”

“Yea, that guy I told you about from the shelter? He’s adopting Winnie and I’m helping him buy some stuff for her.”

She raises an eyebrow at you.

“The guy who was quote ‘unbelievably hot’?” she teases, using your drunken words from a few nights ago against you. You feel heat rising to your cheeks, sticking your tongue out in mock anger at your best friend. You’re about to send a quip back at her when your phone chimes. You glance at it, seeing an “I’m here” text from Frankie.

“I gotta go,” you tell her as you pull on your shoes, “I’ll tell you all about it tonight, m’kay?”

You say goodbye with a brief hug before rushing down the stairs to the front door of your apartment. You catch sight of Frankie’s truck almost immediately, made even easier by the fact that he’s leaning against the passenger door. You give him a shy wave as you make your way to him. He greets you with a grin, opening the door for you to slide in.

“Thanks,” you tell him, only slightly overwhelmed by his chivalry.

“Of course,” he replies before swinging around to the driver’s side. He hops up into the cab, and you allow yourself to take a good look at him. He’s wearing his usual jeans, but this time he’s wearing a short sleeve button up shirt, and he’s without his hat. You only blush a little when he catches you staring.

“So, dinner or pet store first?” you ask him as he pulls out of the parking lot.

“I was thinking dinner first, if you’re ok with that? I made a reservation at a restaurant downtown,” he peaks over at you for approval.

“Oh, thank you! Am I dressed ok for that?”

He doesn’t hesitate before answering as you pull up to a red light.

“You look great,” he smiles at you, reaching a hand across the bench. You take it in yours, and he pulls it up to his lips to press a gentle kiss against your knuckles. You’re downright swooning, and hope he doesn’t notice when he turns back to the now-green light. He doesn’t pull his hand away, and neither do you.

You’ve never been on a first date like this. Frankie is the ultimate gentleman, opening your door and walking you to the restaurant with a hand on the small of your back. The food is divine, the company incomparable. You don’t even mind leaving dinner to go to the pet store. The conversation between the two of you never falters, and you find yourself hanging on to every word that escapes his mouth.

You talk to each other about your jobs, what brought you to this town. He tells you about his three best friends, you tell him about Willa. You show him which food to get, some treats, toys, the whole nine yards to make Frankie’s home perfect for Winnie. You’re absolutely smitten when the date draws to an end as he pulls into the parking lot of your apartment complex. He kills the engine before turning slightly to face you. You mirror him, pulling your knee up to the bench.

“I had a great time tonight,” he tells you, his smile so unlike your first impression of him it’s almost startling that it’s the same man. “I’d love to do this again.”

”Me too!” you chirp, ecstatic at his confession, “I mean, how else am I gonna get my Winnie fix?”

He chuckles, head slightly back, his tan throat bare and you can’t even find it in yourself to feel embarrassed when he catches you staring. He’s suddenly silent, just the hint of a smirk on his lips. Without thinking you’re removing your seat belt and leaning across towards Frankie. He meets you halfway, his lips plush against yours.

The initial contact of a kiss has always been your favorite, that first time getting to know someone’s lips and the things that make them suck in a breath. This kiss is no exception. Frankie kisses you with fervor from the get go, one hand coming to cradle your cheek while the other reaches between you to undo his seatbelt. You struggle to keep up for just a second, his enthusiasm surprising but wholly welcome. His stubble scrapes against your palm, an addicting sensation that you know you’ll be craving for hours after this.

You pull away first, needing to catch your breath and catch a glimpse of Frankie. He smiles lazily at you, hair slightly wild from your fingers, as his hand meets your knee. You mirror his expression, content to sit in this moment, until a horn honks behind you. Frankie jumps, quickly moving his truck from the spot it had been blocking. He pulls up to the curb by your door and turns again to face you. You only now feel flustered, ducking your chin and pulling your hair to one side, a nervous movement that you’ve never been able to shake.

You feel his fingers lightly tap against your chin, bringing your gaze back to his. You relax at the look in his eyes, smiling fully again. He returns your grin, leaning in to press a chaste kiss on your cheek before opening his door and sliding out. You watch with veritable heart eyes when he comes to open your door, offering you his hand. You swing your legs around to jump out of the seat, but the position you find yourself in, with Frankie standing between your open legs, you can’t help yourself.

He lets out a light “hmph” when you kiss him again, surprised momentarily but quickly catching up. His hands find your hips, your fingers finding themselves in his hair again. Your lips move in tandem, nothing rushed, as if you have all the time in the world. You’re lost in his touch, the world around you fading, before you’re again interrupted, this time by your phone going off.

You pull away with an apologetic smile, grabbing your phone when it continues to go off. You have multiple texts from Willa, mostly along the lines of “get a room” and “so the date went well?”. You groan, lifting your eyes to see her duck away from your second floor window. Frankie follows your gaze, a question poised on his lips.

”My roommate,” you explain, “she was spying on us.”

”Ah, gotcha,” he smiles, moving to let you hop out of the truck, “Well, I’ll see you on Monday then.”

You part with one last kiss, a promise to text, and a genuine smile that doesn’t leave your face until you’ve settled into your PJs, finally ready to end the day.

By the time Monday rolls around, you still haven’t heard from Frankie. You had sent a few texts checking in, but the last couple didn’t even deliver. His phone went straight to voicemail, and you couldn’t help but be upset. You thought the two of you had clicked, and that kiss had been borderline magical, but apparently your thoughts were not shared. You’re a definite thunder cloud by the time the work day is drawing to a close, the shelter open for 8 more minutes and still no sign of the man that had promised to take Winnie home.

You’re towing the line of frustrated tears when, just as you move to the front to flip the sign to “closed”, the door flies open. You jump back, narrowly avoiding a panting Frankie sending you flying across the room. His eyes are wild, his hair out of control and you’re pretty certain he’s wearing the same clothes as your date two days ago.

“Hey, I’m so fucking sorry, you have no idea,” he leans over slightly, trying to catch his breath before continuing, “I’m so sorry, my friend, the one I was telling you about? The one that fights?”

You raise an eyebrow at him, refraining from speaking lest your emotions make themselves known. He gulps, straightening and running his hand through his hair.

“He got injured, in a fight out of town and apparently I’m his emergency contact not his brother which I find really fucking dumb but,” he catches your eye, swearing under his breath, “The idiot got his collar bone broken and I had to drive out to pick him up and I didn’t have a charger, and I’m so fucking sorry.”

You take a moment, absorbing his frazzled state, something you had never seen on him. You know he’s telling the truth, just from how anxious he appears, and your upset disappears. He can see your eyes soften, and offers a little half smile in response.

“So, is Winnie ready to come home?” he asks, your chest blooming at his question.

“I think she’s been ready for a while now,” you offer, “the real question is are you ready to take her home?”

“I came straight here from setting up her stuff, I haven’t even showered, to be honest.”

”Yeah I can tell,” you pretend to wrinkle your nose at him, flipping the sign to “closed” before motioning him to the back room. He grins at you, his hand settling on your hip as you walk by. Before you can open the door, he pulls you to a stop, turning you towards him.

“I really am sorry,” he winces slightly, “And I did mean it when I said I wanted to see you again. I wanna see you as much as possible, if that’s, if that’s ok?”

Your lips curve in a playful smirk, and you reach up on your toes to press a kiss against his lips. He follows you instinctively, and has to stop himself from groaning when you pull away. You swing the door open and open Winnie’s cage. She immediately approaches Frankie, her tail wagging furiously as he bends down to pet her.

“Hey girl,” he grumbles, scratching behind her ears. You let yourself observe them for a second, a warmth blooming in your heart. Wordlessly, you hand the leash to Frankie. Once Winnie is clipped in, the three of you make your way to the front. You bid goodnight to the night crew before looking at your two companions.

You sometimes wondered if this day would ever come, when Winnie got her happily ever after. And yet, here it is, the day she gets to walk out of the shelter and never look back. You trail behind Frankie and Winnie in the parking lot, watching as he helps her up into the back seat of his truck. He confirms that she’s all settled before turning to you.

“Wanna follow us to my place?” he asks, and you’re caught slightly off guard, “I mean, I still have a lot to learn about taking care of her, and, I, uh, I want to spend more time with you. If that’s ok?”

“Go on then,” you push him towards the driver’s seat as you make your way to your own car, walking backwards to maintain eye contact, “I’ll be right behind you.”

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