Disclaimer: Storm Hawks isn't mine, though I wish it was. Well, not the show entirely. Just Stork. And maybe Finn. Cha!
Fair Warning
Piper took a cautious step back, hands delicately clenched in front of her chest, one set of knuckles higher up, closer to her chin. She could feel their eyes on her, could only imagine the looks Aerrow, Finn, Junko and even Radarr were currently giving her. If the way Stork was staring was any indication of the way the others may have looked, she figured it best to just keep her back to the rest of her team. It was hard enough just watching the pilot of the Condor, eye twitching, hands flexing anxiously, the corners of his mouth spasming as small, incoherent sounds escaped in between the shortness of his breath.
"Maybe you overdid it," Aerrow said from behind her, the first to dare and break the silent tension.
"You think so?" Piper asked, eyes darting to the side, then back to Stork. She hadn't expected him to react like this at all. She had assumed the reaction would have been something similar to the spastic bout of whats she received while thankfully hugging him after he had led them safely out of the Black Gorge.
Stork rose a hand, index finger pointed skyward while all other digits were curled inward, and took a breath before readying himself to speak. He managed a weak sort of squeaking gasp before his eyes rolled and he toppled over, a light thud sounding as his thin body made contact with the Condor's flooring.
"Yeah," Aerrow said, stepping forward and placing a hand gently on Piper's shoulder. "I think so." He couldn't help the smile as Piper groaned and ran a hand across her face in embarrassment. She hid her frown behind a gloved hand, eyes all the while on the unconscious Merb's body.
Finn sauntered on out of the woodwork, bent over Stork and proceeded to nudge him with the toe of his boot. He rose an eyebrow when no response came, not even a groan or fleeting gasp. He smirked and shot a sideways glance to Piper, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're either that good, or that bad," he playfully winked.
"Shut up, Finn," Piper mumbled against her hand, feeling her cheeks begin to burn.
"Junko?" Aerrow called over his shoulder to the Wallop. "You mind taking Stork to his room?"
Piper was gnawing on her bottom lip as she watched Junko haul Stork's wiry body over his shoulder as though his weight were nothing, which, to Junko, it probably was. With a sigh, she shrugged Aerrow's hand off of her shoulder and walked quickly passed Finn to the corridor that led to the dormitories.
"So?" Finn questioned, tapping his finger against his chin.
"So, what?" Aerrow arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he eyed the older Storm Hawk curiously.
"Think he passed out 'cause she's totally awesome or 'cause she sucks that bad?"
Aerrow rolled his eyes and shook his head. Radarr did the same before clambering up Aerrow's body and perching comfortably on his shoulder.
"Aw, c'mon! Humor me! S'just us," Finn persisted, hot on Aerrow's trail.
"I really couldn't make a guess," Aerrow mumbled, stopping at the window to look over the clouds below the ship. Though, if he were being honest with himself, it looked pretty amazing – on Piper's part. Clearing his throat, he shrugged and said, "it was probably just the shock, you know?" A pause, and then he continued, to spare Piper any more potential ridicule on behalf of Finn. "I mean, this is Stork we're talking about. It was probably his first kiss."
--
How he wished he would have never had to leave the safe drab of darkness that was unconsciousness. Stork opened his eyes slowly, greeted by the dim light of his quarters. He ran a hand over his face, sitting himself up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Letting his hand fall to lay limp against his lap, he stared at the floor until the room stopped spinning and his vision wasn't so blurry.
He wrinkled his brow, recalling the events that led up to the very moment he was entrapped in. He had been flying the Condor, and they had run into something that resembled a small battalion of Cyclonians led by the Dark Ace, backed up by Ravess. While Finn had been eager to jump the gun and play save-the-day-superhero, Aerrow and Piper took the logical approach; evasion had been the safest way out of that mess. Evasion was good, Stork had liked that part. It was the part where all the pressure was on him as he steered them recklessly through the enemy he hadn't liked. It left him feeling nauseous and unfamiliar with his senses.
And then it happened. Piper was suddenly in front of him, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck, fingers tangling loosely in his hair. Then she had started to lean in, and he tried to back up, but those soft lips of hers managed their way to his. And she had pressed forward, closer, her chest to his as she uttered a quiet thanks against his mouth.
When she pulled away, he looked passed her and to the rest of the team. Aerrow looked pale, Radarr had gaped, Junko looked strangely out of place, as though he'd witnessed something he shouldn't have, and Finn looked utterly dumbfounded, but somehow was able to make with his trademark finger-pistols and a chicka-cha. Then Stork looked back to Piper. Piper, with her hands clenched in gentle fists and her bottom lip under the assault of her teeth. Piper, with her dark cheeks tinted darker with a flush. Piper, with her bright amber eyes on him. Piper, with her chest heaving ever so slightly as he stared back.
"Stork?"
Piper.
His eyes shot open wide, one twitching in the slightest.
"Are you... alright?"
He looked up, across the room to where she stood with her back to the wall and her hands clasped behind her back. "P-Piper," he stuttered, "I'm... I could be better."
She pushed herself off the wall and walked toward him slowly. He watched her every move, pushing over a few inches as she sat down beside him, sighing quietly.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, shaking her head, "I don't know what came over me. I was just so... amazed! I'd never seen you pilot like that. It was really something else." She cleared her throat, chuckled sheepishly, then added, "but that still doesn't excuse my behavior. I shouldn't have... kissed you like that."
Stork nodded slowly, looking from the space between them up to her face hesitantly. He smiled awkwardly, the way he always did when she complimented him. "You're right," he mumbled, voice trembling a little. "You shouldn't have."
Piper chuckled, leaning back on her palms and looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "I know. It was stupid of me. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
Stork chuckled weakly. His lips pulled back into an awkward grin that he tried desperately to keep from twitching nervously. "Yeah..."
"Go on. I'm all ears!"
"Just... warn me next time."
Piper grinned right back, a grin that made Stork's confident facade fall away in the blink of an eye.
-End