A/N
So I realized that in every chapter excepting chapter 1, I can be found apologizing for the wait. Should I keep up the tradition? *Inhales* Sorry for the time lapse but unfortunately I can't travel within my own time stream to get this chapter to you earlier so the present will have to do. I didn't actually realize how long this chapter is!
Without further ado, enjoy.
The Pirate Escapade
Kalin Sigvard. A man of whom was on a mission. He leant back in the pilots seat of his newly acquired and rather unlikable ship, his right arm behind and over the shoulder of aforementioned chair. He watched the stars go by as instrumental music hummed softly. Kalin glanced back to Aurora, who was sitting on the floor. She was working on a piece of the control panel quietly. She had been for hours, deep in concentration.
In this time, they'd come upon a small planet. The ship descended smoothly and the clouds parted around them. After getting local permission, the ship landed in a small docking pad. It landed with a concerning thud and it shuttered. Aurora and Kalin instinctively looked towards the engines, then at each other. Aurora shrugged slightly and Kalin just rolled his eyes.
"Why are we stopped," asked Aurora?
"Grabbing some supplies. We'll be on our way again in no time." Kalin put the ship on standby. Then he turned around. "Well, lets get food."
Aurora didn't know exactly where they were, but this world was on the edge of darkness. Shadows were sprawled across the ground and the clouds were an array of colors. Aurora gazed up at them as her and Kalin walked down the streets of a city. They walked for half a klik before they arrived at a small market. They collected what they needed, which included some parts for their ship, and a good stock of rations.
As he payed, Kalin spoke to Aurora in a whisper. "Take this back to the ship, I'll be be with you in a moment." He handed Aurora the bag of supplies.
Aurora eagerly took it and left as Kalin payed. It was a decently distant walk to the ship and Aurora was pretty sure she could figure out the shortcut. Off the main road, the shortcut would be through the alleys and would come out around their ship.
So Aurora entered the first dark alley, her shoulders thrown back and her head held high, walking briskly with confidence. It was even darker down these forbidden roads, only a strikingly small amount of moonlight made it through these particular ways. But this didn't hinder Auroras bravery in the least. She merely kept onwards, not even sparing a thought to danger. However, much against her ignorance, there was always danger.
Aurora stepped briskly into the third alley, when a someone moved out of a shadow that she'd passed. And then another, and another.
Aurora began walk faster when she felt her skin crawl all over. Something was off. But if she was quick, she'd make it back to the shi- Aurora shrieked when seemingly out of nowhere, a hand grabbed her arm and pushed her roughly against a brick building. She saw a shadow tall above her. It leant in closer and Aurora could barely make out a rather horrifying sight. He had a thick muscular face. Scars and scratched littered his scaly skin, a pink shaded scar ran across his swollen shut left eye. He was muscled and taller than her. His arms were abnormally long, with large claws, spanning the length of the fingers they were attached to. He was alien, but Aurora surely couldn't tell what.
"Hand over the bag, lassie," he hissed in a scratchy voice.
Aurora didn't respond, too afraid to yell at him, but not ready to let the food go yet. "Now lass," he hissed, pushing Aurora harder! As the creature pulled, Aurora was forced to let go of the bag, though every fiber of her being wanted to punch this creature in the face. He took the bag and immediately handed it back to another creature that came from the shadows, neither taking their eyes off of Aurora. The creature now payed all heed to her. He looked her up and down. Aurora flinched when he leant down in a jerky motion and inhaled deeply to take in her scent. But then he began to poke her and prod her, he ran his finger down her cheek and touched her waist. Aurora spiraled into a panic induced rage and kicked the creature hard on one knee. He hissed, his grip on Aurora faltering. Aurora lunged against his hand, trying desperately to run. But more of his accomplices stepped in front of her and then on both sides of her. She tried to plow through them, kicking and punching. But he easily apprehended her, grabbing her arms and holding her wrists.
"Why leave so soon, lass?" The initial creature appeared to be the leader. He leant in close to Aurora, his scaly hand once again fingering Aurora's waist. Aurora tried to kick him again, grunting, but to no avail. She needed help. "KALIN!" She hollered at the top of her voice, so loud a flock of night birds took off from the depths of the alleys into the night, their wings flapping in the chilly air. The leader pushed his hand against Auroras mouth, so hard her head was pushed back so her neck hurt. "Shut up, girl. You've lost your freedom. You belong to us now."
Aurora squirmed trying to slip out of their grasp. Would she need to use the force? She would if she needed to, but she wasn't too useful without her saber. It would be a long shot if she tried. And what about her hair? Auroras thoughts were cut short as she was lifted back against the front of one of the men, his arms wrapped under her and back up over her shoulders. She was being carried away further down the alleyways, opposite of where she'd been headed. Opposite the ships direction, opposite of safety. As they marched, Aurora felt other men poke and prod her, pulling on her robes, some of them were handling the tie that kept her tunic on at all. Aurora kicked at them and they hissed and backed up, their eyes gleaming under the patches of moonlight like animals.
They came to a tight intersection and Aurora was pushed into the middle. Several more creatures stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlit square. Their teeth were sharp and bared, shining like broken ivory. Their animalistic eyes glistening with a red tint, a demonic hungry gleam in them. Aurora's head swiveled about, trying to gage her situation. There had to have been four men that initially took her and five more emerged just now. "We found a new treasure," hissed the leader. But Aurora felt as though she'd been mistaken in her assumption. Another of these monsters, this one the largest, emerged. He had to be the leader. He stood over Aurora so her height compared to his found her eye level with his stomach. He sniffed Aurora and walked around her, bending down to press his face into her shoulder, back and along her arms. "She smells of blood and sweat. She carries the aroma of someone else on her flesh." He inhaled sharply. "You found her alone?"
"Alone, no one was with her," the previous leader responded in a low grunt.
"Hmm..." he tapped his claw against the ground a few times. Another clawed hand came from behind her, pulling the robe tie on her tunic so the whole thing slipped off, leaving her with only her undergarment around her breasts. The cold night air hit her body like knives, and she gasped. She didn't have time to react to such a disgraceful assault before she found she was suddenly being lifted by other creatures so her arms were above her head and her feet were again lifted clear off the ground. The leader scratched his chin with his long claw. "Hmmm..." he murmured while looking closely at Auroras body. Aurora tried to kick and squirm her way down while all the other members, practically drooling, looked intently at her.
"She has a pleasing human body, she will sell for top price. A good find."
"No! Let me go," shrieked Aurora, "or I'll kill all of you."
The men laughed and their leader snorted. "Small girl."
In the middle of their cackling a voice interrupted, a voice very different from theirs. "Lay your hands off the girl." The voice echoed out of the darkness from behind them, thus they stopped abruptly. Aurora felt her heart race and her stomach sink in relief. This voice was Kalins.
The pirates all had diverted their attention directly to where his voice had emanated, their eyes narrowed.
"This is none of your concern, leave," hissed the leader.
"It is my concern. The girl is with me."
"She is no longer yours, man. Leave!"
"This is your last warning. Let. Her. Go," Kalin snarled through gritted teeth.
The leader tilted his claw in Kalins direction. At the cue, the henchmen made their way, stalking towards their target. Kalin, wasting no time, lunged forward and kicked one pirates legs from under him and the others went at him ever quicker.
Aurora, finding she'd been lowered so her feet were now on the ground, used it to grip the dirt with one foot and kick the knee of her captor. He shrieked and stumbled. Aurora threw back her head, it coming clean into contact with her captors face. He fell backwards, losing his grip on Aurora. She stumbled forward and snatched her tunic from the dust, trying desperately to at least get her arms into it. The leader, however, grabbed Auroras wrist before she could tie it shut, and he pulled her close to him. Aurora acted quick and bit his hand, sinking her teeth into his scaly skin. He hissed and let her go. She was quicker than him, and she ducked away into a shadow for a moment so she could see Kalin for a split second before she was charged at again.
He fought with resilience, but the creatures crowded him so that they were nearly hitting each other. Kalin was quick and kicked them and punched and used so many foreign techniques that Aurora had never seen. That's when another man charged her they began to spar.
Meanwhile, Kalin was sparring just the same as Aurora and more. He was fighting off at least five creatures simultaneously. They all lashed and kicked and hit at him, as he kicked and punched in return. And while he was very much holding his own, he couldn't do this forever. He felt his muscles beginning to tighten and he knew when they began to overpower him, but only a second too late. A large sharp claw evaded his defense and lashed his chest. He hollered in anger and pointedly kicked the creature so hard it flew at least eight feet away. Kalin worked past the pain and the sensation of blood running down his chest and continued to defend himself a little harder by throwing more and more of the creatures away as he had to the one that lashed him. And when he had a second, he pulled his cloak further over his chest to cover his cut skin and ripped tunic and near effortlessly continued to fight.
Aurora had too kicked away her attacker. But more men came in her direction. Reinforcements were there. Aurora guesses at least six more men had emerged from the dark. This was not good, they had to get out of there before it was too late. So she acted quick and ran to Kalin. She fought her way to Kalins side and backed up close to him. He quickly and instinctively reached out his arm and pushed Aurora behind him to shield her. "Stand back now, chic."
But before Aurora could even register his words she yelped: "Wha!" She'd been yanked by the foot away from the safety of Kalin. She fell down on her hind end and was being dragged away; and worse yet was Kalin couldn't stop them for he was in the process of fighting. Aurora, however, took it in her own hands and kicked the face of the creature with her free foot. When he shrieked and covered his face, she rushed to her feet. But no sooner than she'd gotten her balance, Aurora lurched when a fist made contact with her stomach, and inevitably she hunched over gasping. The offending pirate didn't hesitate and kicked her head hard. She went tumbling down in the dirt, laying face up. The pirate lifted his large clawed foot and wrapped it tightly around Aurora's neck, pinning her down, and effectively choking her. She strained and gasped, trying to kick the pirate but to no avail.
"Aurora," Kalin yelled! And then his face changed. It was as if a cloud came over it and he scowled, eyes dark in rage. He unsheathed his saber and within a second it illuminated in a twisting furry, immediately slicing through two pirates. All eyes were on him now.
The men held their heads down, their teeth bared, including Auroras captor. He lifted his foot off of her neck and she scooted back on her hind end further behind them, holding her neck with one hand and gasping.
Their faces were stern, but Kalin felt their terror. He grinned, just waiting for them to come at him. And they did... Aurora shielded her eyes from the blinding red as each and every one of them were taken out by the blood thirsty saber as it swiveled through them so fast, it seemed to be like a steady stream of light. They all yelled out one after another after another until the few remaining men backed off slightly, trying to evade Kalins menacing weapon.
The leader hissed in rage and anger, behind Kalins tuned back, as Kalin waited intimidating the remaining men.
The leader reached onto his belt and pulled out a hidden weapon. It was a dagger made only of steel. The rest of the men began to charge Kalin, and as he whipped his saber towards them, their leader lifted his dagger quickly. "Kalin," Aurora shrieked as the leader thrust it down toward Kalins back. Just when Aurora thought he hadn't heard her, Kalin whipped around and thrust his saber through the leader. The beast dropped like a bag of bricks onto the cold dirty street. His remaining men froze and stared at him, hiding in agonized rage.
Kalin didn't wast a moment and as the men stared at their fallen leader in shock, he ran towards Aurora. As he came upon her he quickly bent over and lifted her off the ground, wrapping his free arm around the front of her chest and around her back. He began to run with her, as she grappled onto him, trying to get her feet on the ground. She managed to twist so she could run while still holding onto Kalin. He loosened his grip, but made sure to support her still as they raced away from the danger. Alley after alley, crossing moonlit shadows. They didn't stop until Kalin was sure they were safe.
When they did stop, it was in an open moonlit intersection. They stood there, still holding tightly to one another, both of them looking over their shoulder to see the empty alley they'd come from.
Aurora was panting and gasped for breath, clutching her stomach with her free hand.
Kalin diverted his attention to her. "Are you hurt?" he asked, voice firm as he looked her up and down. His eyes lingering on her torso.
"Uh," Aurora murmured, lookin down at herself, her open tunic exposing the majority of her front. "I think I'm fine," murmured Aurora as she let go of Kalin and hastily wrapped her tunic shut around her body, tying a knot in the rope.
Kalin shook his head. "That was foolish! What, pray, were you doing down that alley?"
"I was going for a shortcut to the ship," murmured Aurora blankly.
Kalin creased his brows. "You never do this. Going down dark alleyways alone is the primary ticket to getting kidnapped and sold as a slave. And that's what they were doing to you!"
"I could've gotten away myself, there was no need for your help so don't get mad." Aurora, rather tired, became exasperated, and began to raise her voice.
"That is not the case, you were about to be dragged away. You know you couldn't have escaped them yourself. You're still weak," snapped Kalin, raising his voice with hers.
"I was not going to get taken, I was fine!"
"No, you were in a foreign place with foreign creatures. You nearly got your skull smashed in and you were nearly choked to death. I see that you don't understand how dangerous pirates are. You were lucky to escape so easily with the ones who stabbed your god damn leg! Had they been a more successful and larger group, like this one, they'd have used you like these ones were trying. You were lucky to escape their ways. You won't be that lucky again, so I suggest you use your brains. Stay on the road!"
"I thought force users only believed in the will of the force, not luck? I wasn't trying get captured, Kalin, I know how to take care of myself!"
"Do you? You must love the bitterness of near death, as you've nearly died more than once since I've known you, I've had to keep you safe from the very beginning of our acquaintance. I'd appreciate it if you made it a little easier!"
"You don't have to worry, I don't need you to help me get home. I can get there myself!"
"Don't act so brash, you won't be able to get off the planet on your own," snapped Kalin.
"I can, I'm perfectly capable. Despite what you think I'm not amateur. I'm able to fly, and I'm able to fight. You don't even know what I'm capable of!" She turned away.
"Oh I think I do, Aurora. But you foolish child, you're wasting your only potential. I know exactly what your capable of." He grabbed her shoulder gently, stopping her from her leave.
"Leave me alone!" Aurora turned quickly and swung her arm, fist clenched, the blow aimed for his chest. But he was quicker than her. He grabbed her wrist mid swing, his grip so tight it hurt, while he pressed his other hand on hers and held it tightly against her waist, holding her so she couldn't move; she couldn't, even if she wanted to. She was stuck leaning back in his grasp, his body towering over hers, there was no escaping. His head was tilted slightly, his eyes dark, obscured even more by his black hair hanging down in his face. With a devilish glint in his expression he smirked, his white teeth showing under the moonlight. Aurora was breathing heavily, her heart pounding. Kalin was lingering so close she could feel his warm breath on her face. Was he moving closer? So slowly she didn't know, not until his lips brushed hers lightly. "Don't you dare." His voice, low and husky, vibrated in Aurora's chest. She felt his lips brush against hers with his threatening words.
In that small spark of their energies colliding she felt her stomach drop and her heart pounded like a drum in her breast. She gasped a bit and pulled away quickly and he let go. She stumbled back, her legs wobbling. Inhaling sharply, she lifted her chin in defiance as she eyed him up and down with a scowl.
He still wore that dark smirk and shook his head. Taking their bag and slinging it over his shoulder, as he passed he grabbed Auroras arm and ushered her along with him into the shadows of the night. Too shocked to fight back, she conceded, stumbling behind him.
After several blocks, Kalin spoke. "We're out of credits. We'll have to steal our way if you want to eat."
Aurora scowled, creasing her brows. She wasn't feeling terribly guilty for losing their rations, ok, she was.
"Just try your hardest not to get kidnapped or hurt again."
"I'm not hurt," murmured Aurora.
"Don't lie, I know your head is hurting you."
Aurora rolled her eyes. He was most definitely not wrong. She knew she had herself a swollen spot somewhere on her head, and that it may even be bruised. Not to mention her neck was tight and hurting. But her healing abilities would kick in and she'd be ok, that she knew.
The two of them took a turn down a well lit street. Kalins cloak flowed in the breeze, the black fabric concealing his face. And Aurora kept her hair covering over the majority of hers as they both passed several strangers.
They walked for a bit before they at last came to a large mobile warehouse.
A young man stood before the entrance with a blaster.
"We merely need to get past that guard. Then we can grab what we need," Kalin stated in a husky whisper.
Aurora exhaled. "I can distract him without killing him."
Kalin looked down at Aurora with a raised brow. "What?"
"You'll be watching me the whole time. It'll be safe."
"What do you want to do?"
"I'll show you, just follow my lead." Aurora exhaled and maneuvered the fabric on her tunic so her skin was showing and she had some cleavage. She tightened the tie on her waist to accentuate it, giving her a pleasant hourglass figure. She ran her fingers through her hair and licked her lips gently. Kalins eyes widened, and then his expression darkened into a scowl. Her skin shone softly tan under the pale moon glow, and her eyes seemed to sparkle. Kalins scowl deepened and his eyes were dark. He watched as Aurora faked a stumble out of the shadows and into the light of the warehouse area. The mans blaster twitched as he readied to lift it but he froze at seeing Aurora. She began to cough and stumbled a bit.
"This area is off bounds," the lone guard snapped in cold voice. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know where I am. I'm lost," exclaimed Aurora in agony as she stumbled up to him.
The guard looked as if he wanted to lift his blaster on her, but he stopped. "Where are you going?"
"I don't know, I was looking for a place to stay the night, but I'm lost. And I'm hurt." She gasped a bit and stumbled.
The man holstered his blaster and grabbed Aurora so she didn't fall. He gently helped her to her feet and he wore an expression that was a bit foreign. There was a sort of gleam in his eyes, as they wandered over Auroras body. "You can stay with me."
Aurora caught a glimpse of Kalin running behind the guard. She had to keep on the facade.
"Y-you'd let me? Are you sure?"
"I'll take you to our medic in the morning, but for now you can stay with me. I can keep you safe... and warm and-"
The cocking of a blaster interrupted the guard before he could finish his sentence. Aurora grinned wickedly as the mans eyes widened. "Hand me the key," lulled Aurora in a purr.
The boy, eyes huge, mumbled a "no."
Kalin pushed the blaster a little harder into the back of the boys head. "Now," Kalin hissed.
The boy fumbled the key out of his pocket and handed it to Aurora who snatched it away quickly.
Kalin wasted no time and whacked the boy on the back of the head with the offending blaster, and he dropped to the ground unconscious.
Aurora handed the key off to Kalin and they rushed to the door of the containment unit, grabbed the rations they needed, and Kalin put them in their bag. They then ran side by side away form the imperial facility.
They ran for several blocks before the silently hurried back to the ship.
As they walked, Kalin reprimanded himself mentally. He needed to pay attention, but he couldn't help but glance down at Aurora more than once. Her lips were gently pursed and her brows drawn together gently and her eyes were tired and dark. But it wasn't just Auroras face that was gathering Kalins attention. She hadn't tightened her tunic, and her chest was flawless under the pale moon. She was a work of art, in every way. But Kalin shook his head remembering he had to pay attention to where he was going rather than who he was going with.
When they arrived at the ship at last, the silence loomed and the tension between them was strong. They ate through it and then Kalin made their way into hyperspace. And still the silence loomed on. Aurora was becoming rather tired of it. Her mind wandered around the events of that day and the anticipation of events to come. The coming events was her going home of course. Her mind lingered on the possibility that Kalin would stay with her and would fight with the Resistance. He would be a crucial asset to them to be sure. And maybe a friend to her... but maybe she was getting a little ahead of herself. They needed to make it back first, then maybe he'd join. And she needed to explain this to her superiors. She saw a demotion with her name all over it, and a huge reprimanding from her father. That much was certain. And as much as she dreaded her discipline, she knew she deserved it. What a dreadful move. She'd left her home and her source of safety for some unclear vision of flowers and of some random stranger? And what had this accomplished? Well, for one thing several new scars she'd adorn forever. And a lot of time she didn't remember. Not to mention discomfort beyond belief. But then, if she hadn't ran away she'd never have met Kalin. Yes, when she'd had her vision initially she'd been most interested in the flowers. It felt like a calling. But the flowers only ruined her hair and she didn't know why. Now she realized Kalin was the most important thing that vision had shown her. She didn't know why she'd met him or if there really was a purpose to it. But maybe... maybe all the discomfort she'd experienced was worth it if it met meeting him.
"I-" Kalin started, stopping abruptly and looking down at the floor.
Aurora, train of thought now fully evaporated, furrowed her brow in confusion and tilted her head, looking at him. He glanced at her, and seeing she was intent on him he looked away and continued. "I didn't mean to yell at you earlier," he said in a low voice.
Aurora was taken aback. She had not anticipated an apology in any way, not from him.
"I understand you didn't realize there were far greater dangers in that area of the city. I'm sorry for yelling."
Aurora stared at him for a moment and then smiled. "I forgive you."
He looked at her, and was that relief in his eyes?
"If you'll forgive me for losing our food and supplies."
He cocked his brow and grinned. "I think I'll agree to it, this time."
Aurora began to giggle a bit.
Kalins brow furrowed.
"Im sorry," giggled Aurora. "It's just-" she stopped mid sentence when she began laughing outright. Her laugh was sweet and broke the tensioned silence fully.
"What?" Kalin asked, brows furrowed, and a confused grin upon his lips.
"Th-The look on the guards face when you cocked the blaster," laughed Aurora.
"I only wish you could've seen it. He went:" Aurora mocked imitation and gasped widened her eyes, then laughed.
Kalin laughed with her, a true genuine laugh. Aurora watched him intently as they laughed together.
"I'm sorry I missed it." Their laughter faded and the passing stars lit the room as they settled into another silence, but this one felt good.
After awhile Aurora yawned deeply and ran her hands through her hair and blinked deeply with a sweet little grin upon her lips.
"Get some rest, chic, we got a long day tomorrow," said Kalin softly.
Aurora looked at him and then nodded. "Alright." She strolled over to the middle of the ship and grabbed the bag and lay down, using it as a pillow. She was arms length from the cold steel wall of the ship, facing it, she huddled into herself.
She'd never heard him laugh like this, well at all. And oh how sweet it was. She dozed, thinking intently on the sweet sound of his laughter.
Kalin worked on the main controls for awhile, readjusting the frequencies and fine tuning the controls. After awhile he leant back in his seat and sighed staring up at the stars. But the stars held no light to his passenger. He swiveled the seat around, still leaning back into it, and he looked at her sleeping form. Thoughts from earlier came flooding back. How small and sweet and innocent she was. How trusting she was. And immediately he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Guilt of what he'd done to her, and guilt of what he- he shook his head and inhaled. He couldn't control their situation and what had to come. It was out of his bounds. But it was late, and he was tired his mind often got away from him. He must sleep.
He grabbed his cloak off the passenger chair as he stood up, and he gently sat beside Aurora, knees toward her back, and reached over her, letting the cloak rest over her body. He leant completely over her small form and tucked the sides in gently, so as not to wake her. After, Kalin lay down beside her, front to her back, and he gently put his arm around her shoulder beneath the cloak. Then she did something Kalin wasn't fully expecting. She subconsciously shifted a bit closer to him, putting her head back against his neck.
Was it worth it? Was it all worth it? Kalin cringed within again, but gently shook his head to clear his mind. He had to do what he had to do, that was how life was. Kalin closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
•••
Aurora sighed quietly, just waking. The hum of the ships engines vibrated directly beneath, and the blue light of hyperspace gently flashed on the top of her eye lids the way it had when she'd fallen asleep. Her hands and feet were perfectly warm and her cheeks were flushed, she could feel it. She shifted lightly, feeling the sensation of being surrounded by blankets. She tucked her arms up against her body and between her and something else, something warm. It was all over her, over her shoulders, her head and the front of her body. She felt perfectly comfortable, something that wasn't all too common these days. And she would certainly cherish it. Snuggling closer, she began to notice the gentle rise and fall of her "blankets" chest, and she second guessed her assumption. Aurora tried to remember where she'd fallen asleep. On Kalins ship, of course. And- Oh... Aurora knew what or, rather, who was besides her.
Aurora didn't really want to open her eyes but she was overcome by curiosity. When she opened them the lights of stars passing illuminated him, or rather his chest. After all that's what she was eye level with. The soft fabric of his tunic mere inches from her face. Now she really didn't want to move, for fear he'd wake up, so she didn't. Aurora sighed. She was secretly glad he'd lay beside her to warm her. She'd slept well again and that made all the difference. She'd always heal extra well while she slept.
She took note of everything else around her. She could feel her hearts steady rhythm against her hand, and the weight of his arms around her body, his mouth pressed against her hair, and she felt the gentle breathing he did against her head. Aurora felt her heart began to lose any sense of worry or hatred and she felt that sweet oxytocin rush through her head. And if she held her breath, she could feel his heart beat against her fists as well as her own. So close to being in sync. This moment was so pure, so intimate... Aurora inhaled deeply taking in his scent and she pressed her face against his chest gently...
He inhaled a bit sharply and then he let out a breath. He held still for a moment then shifted gently, tightening his grip on her body. He gently leant his chin in more so Auroras hair was ever more in his face. He inhaled deeply a few times. Aurora felt she was spell bound. She inhaled a bit too sharply and Kalin obviously realized she was up. He froze. Then the moment took a rather awkward feel to it as they, both now knowing the other was awake, lay there rather intimately tucked close together.
Aurora couldn't take the intensity. She moved to sit up and Kalin leant back a bit to let her have room. She sat up so quickly, that her head spun a bit.
Kalin also sat up and he stretched, lifting his arms up and behind his head. And as he did Auroras eyes widened. His tunic was ripped above his left breast across half his chest width. And dried blood covered what she could see of his skin.
"Kalin, what happened," she exclaimed?
He looked down quickly as Aurora continued.
"You were hurt yesterday. Why didn't you say anything?"
Honestly he'd forgotten. And when he said such Aurora furrowed her brows and cocked her head. "You don't just forget about such a severe wound. Do you get hurt like this a lot?"
He shook his head. "No, it's just a scratch."
"Let me help you clean it."
"Aurora, I'm fine."
"Kalin, even a simple scratch needs to be treated properly and if you won't do it I will."
"Aurora-"
"-Take off your clothes, Kalin." As soon as she said it she regretted it, realizing how it sounded.
He stopped and then grinned wickedly at her. "If that's what you want."
"J-just the shirt."
"I'll do it for you." He crossed his arms and pulled his shirt from the bottom up. And as it came up over his torso Aurora momentarily held her breath. His skin was littered in scars of varying sizes, some were smaller than others and some were old and some rather fresh. And now she was taken away by how perfect his chest was. It was muscular but not overly so. It was so perfect. She had just been tucked up against that chest-
"Aurora?"
She jerked her head up. She smiled gently at him, a bit flustered as he was smirking at her, his eyes seemingly twinkling.
Aurora gently began to wipe at the gash, and as the blood was being washed away, she grew more and more concerned. "Kalin, this is more than just a scratch."
"I've had worse."
"It looks like it," Aurora murmured while she wrapped him up in a tight bandage.
She set the bloody rag down on her lap and sighed. "Kalin, what happened?"
He exhaled and then leant forward a bit. He looked intently at Aurora with a soft expression and gentle eyes. It was the softest she'd ever seen him look. "It's just life, Aurora." And his eyes wandered away and they seemed to darken a bit. "Just life." He smiled and looked back at her.
He gently tapped her nose and then grabbed a shirt from the bag and he stood up. Aurora nearly began to to drool as he stretched at his full height. Aurora couldn't say what was going through her mind right then. She felt sorry as he put a tunic on, tying it over his beautiful chest. He then began to pilot his ship. Aurora just sat on the floor, the view of only seconds ago burning in her mind. She'd never forget that. She only wished she could look at him half naked all day, for what a boring day lay ahead.
"How long until we get home?"
"I'd say four hours."
Aurora exhaled. Yep, definitely wished he was naked. She shook her head, hoping she wasn't blushing as deeply as it felt.
End
I hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I love it. It's going sweetly so far, just filling it in. Stay tuned for the next one (even though I can't promise it will be right away) art takes time, right dears? But hey! Try and imagine what may happen next! In the meantime, what did you guys think about Aurora and Kalin's interactions? What about their little adventures? Did Aurora have such adventures when she was at home? Kalin's a lot of fun isn't he? Let me know what you thought of this chapter and any thoughts in general! I love you all! I hope you have a nice evening,
Until next the next chapter!