She was grinning at him, and Tal's lips quirked upwards in response without his quite realizing it. There were only a handful of people he could relax so completely around, and pretty much everyone else fell in the category of 'sister' in one way or another.
Or whatever the fuck he and Sah were to each other.
But he didn't have any room in his thoughts for his favorite frenemy tonight. Not when his heart was finally starting to get the message that Alys liked him. Enough to put up with his flaws and his clumsy tongue and his insecurities. Enough to wait patiently for him to try and fit his emotions into words that were too unwieldy for what he needed, and which could convey only a part of what he was feeling.
Enough to let him keep trying, even if it took days or weeks or seasons.
Or... however long he needed.
"T'gether," he repeated, the word sweet and fizzing with hope on his tongue. "All four o' us." His grin reached all the way up to his eyes as Boreal snorted her amused approval from where she reclined behind Sascha, just inside the door back into the dome. Pale eyes watched the humans with indulgent fondness, content that her companion was finally growing up.
"We'll figure th'future out as we go along," Tal stated boldly, smiling down at his friend and partner. "Same as we've been doin'. An'..." He hesitated, then cleared his throat as his boldness drained away, ducking his head against the nervous shyness that still hobbled his tongue. "An' there's one more thing I need t'tell you. An' ask you, too. I just... I needed t'let y'know that no matter what y'say, it won't change how I feel about you."
Or whatever the fuck he and Sah were to each other.
But he didn't have any room in his thoughts for his favorite frenemy tonight. Not when his heart was finally starting to get the message that Alys liked him. Enough to put up with his flaws and his clumsy tongue and his insecurities. Enough to wait patiently for him to try and fit his emotions into words that were too unwieldy for what he needed, and which could convey only a part of what he was feeling.
Enough to let him keep trying, even if it took days or weeks or seasons.
Or... however long he needed.
"T'gether," he repeated, the word sweet and fizzing with hope on his tongue. "All four o' us." His grin reached all the way up to his eyes as Boreal snorted her amused approval from where she reclined behind Sascha, just inside the door back into the dome. Pale eyes watched the humans with indulgent fondness, content that her companion was finally growing up.
"We'll figure th'future out as we go along," Tal stated boldly, smiling down at his friend and partner. "Same as we've been doin'. An'..." He hesitated, then cleared his throat as his boldness drained away, ducking his head against the nervous shyness that still hobbled his tongue. "An' there's one more thing I need t'tell you. An' ask you, too. I just... I needed t'let y'know that no matter what y'say, it won't change how I feel about you."
