Zephyr felt his heart racing wildly in his chest. He'd spent years building up his walls, in learning how to protect himself.. and she made them crumble so easily. Feeling so vulnerable was strange for him, though he hardly considered the fact that Caelum herself probably felt even more exposed by asking him to stay with her. By doing that, she was admitting in some way that she not only wanted him, but maybe even needed him. It was something they'd both accepted years ago, that they were two halves to a whole, but now? Things were so different after all the time that had passed, and he was finding it difficult to wrap his mind around it all.
Though he felt a moment of panic after speaking, fearing he was being too open with his feelings, he felt something akin to bliss when she leaned into him. His smile returned, soft and genuine as he eyed her. She spoke after a moment, partially teasing him for the word he'd used. His gaze softened, though he feigned a look of confusion at the same time. "You mean that I tolerate you," he teased her with a soft chuckle. "That was merely a slip of the tongue, and nothing more." It was clearly more than that. Zephyr was slipping back into old habits, and that included the pet names they've used for one another.
He watched as she stood and moved around him, bowing playfully, obviously coaxing him to chase after her. He frowned now, another forced expression to counter her own lively one. "Do you enjoy me chasing after you, or something?" Zephyr asked with a grin, though he had a feeling he knew the answer, no matter what she told him. She'd led him here first, and now seemed to want him to chase her again. He was happy to comply, happy to fall into a more playful mood once again, finding it easier than anything else they tried to do.
He quickly rolled to his belly and clambered onto all fours, quickly shaking the stiffness from his limbs and bounding after her. He marveled at how young she made him feel, moving with ease through the den and slipping out the entrance after her. She moved the opposite way from which they'd come, making her way to the top of the den and deeper into the woods. He stumbled over vegetation as he ran after her, his heart beating harder in his chest as his pace quickened. The adrenaline coursing through his veins was a welcome feeling that he reveled in, as it took hold of his mind and pushed the other confusing thoughts away. Once he reached the clearing she had already flopped down, and he slowed to join her, chest heaving as he let his limbs give out beneath him as he settled down hard beside her on the mossy earth, grinning all the while.
|
