KOA
It shouldn't be comfortable, sitting like this. There are so many things unsaid between them: hard things, painful things, things that should stick and cut and blister, should chafe and stifle and oppress. Yet her they are, lapsed into easy silence, content to soak in each other's presence while gently scented water laps their worries away.
There are things Koa wants to ask her, of course. Surface things, like What's the plan for Stormbreak? or Where do you live now? or You almost died, are you really okay? And then there are the deeper questions, the ones he barely lets himself look at. Are you seeing anyone? Do you still think about me? What are we supposed to be? This last one is the trickiest, because no answer feels perfect and yet many feel tempting. Safest, of course, is friends and colleagues, but that leaves room for so much more. Are they actually friends? Could they be something different? She'd made it clear she didn't want romance, but that didn't rule out the physical, the undeniable spark of attraction that's been there since their eyes first met. Is that something she could do, sex without commitment?
Is it something he could do, with her?
But for now he doesn't think about that; or at least, doesn't think too hard. Thinking is exhausting, especially for poor Koa, and he's content to bask in the sun and steam. Her question elicits a rumble of laughter, surprised by it but not displeased. Cracking one copper eye open, he fixes her with a hooded, speculative gaze. "Hmm... the warmth is nice, but there's something missing." He lifts his right arm out of the water, draping it across the back of the pool - his fingers now centimeters from Soh's bare skin. "Though I can't argue with view." Koa arcs an eyebrow, mouth twitching playfully. It's dangerously close to an admission, an invitation, and he knows he's tempting fire.
But damnit if he isn't just a dumb boy at the end of the day, sitting mostly naked next to a gorgeous woman in a semi-private pool after a long, long few months. You try executing perfect judgment. Go ahead. We'll wait.
There are things Koa wants to ask her, of course. Surface things, like What's the plan for Stormbreak? or Where do you live now? or You almost died, are you really okay? And then there are the deeper questions, the ones he barely lets himself look at. Are you seeing anyone? Do you still think about me? What are we supposed to be? This last one is the trickiest, because no answer feels perfect and yet many feel tempting. Safest, of course, is friends and colleagues, but that leaves room for so much more. Are they actually friends? Could they be something different? She'd made it clear she didn't want romance, but that didn't rule out the physical, the undeniable spark of attraction that's been there since their eyes first met. Is that something she could do, sex without commitment?
Is it something he could do, with her?
But for now he doesn't think about that; or at least, doesn't think too hard. Thinking is exhausting, especially for poor Koa, and he's content to bask in the sun and steam. Her question elicits a rumble of laughter, surprised by it but not displeased. Cracking one copper eye open, he fixes her with a hooded, speculative gaze. "Hmm... the warmth is nice, but there's something missing." He lifts his right arm out of the water, draping it across the back of the pool - his fingers now centimeters from Soh's bare skin. "Though I can't argue with view." Koa arcs an eyebrow, mouth twitching playfully. It's dangerously close to an admission, an invitation, and he knows he's tempting fire.
But damnit if he isn't just a dumb boy at the end of the day, sitting mostly naked next to a gorgeous woman in a semi-private pool after a long, long few months. You try executing perfect judgment. Go ahead. We'll wait.
Let me go, I don't wanna be your hero
I don't wanna be a big man
Just wanna fight with everyone else
I don't wanna be a big man
Just wanna fight with everyone else
Code stolen from Queen Sky
