Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty-seven of "Dark Desire." This chapter has lots of Tommy/Kim. Tommy's teaching Kim to live off the land resumes in the next few chapters. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-eight.
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Chapter 37: To and From Here
Tommy stood in front of the bed an hour later. He was waiting for Kim to come back from filling their water bottles. He had his backpack on his back. He adjusted the left strap a bit. He did the same to the right one. He moved his head from side to side in which it stretched his neck. He rubbed his hands together before clearing his throat.
He sighed in much content. He was so glad he and his girlfriend made love five times this morning. He wanted to do it some more, but they decided to hold off until later because she wanted to explore Parker's spaceship. He suggested they have a breakfast of eggs next to it. She agreed if they could gather more fruit after they were done. He didn't mind that in the least bit. Both of them decided to wear t-shirts.
His thoughts shifted to their upcoming trip. He was looking forward to returning to Parker's spaceship. He had been wanting to revisit it ever since he brought her here. He couldn't help but wonder what she would think of it. He didn't doubt he would enjoy exploring the area while gathering food. He believed she felt the same way.
He started thinking about his Power Coin. He saw the emblem of the dragon's footprint as very interesting. He recalled Rita telling him about the other coins having the heads of the prehistoric creatures on them. He wondered why his didn't contain the head of the dragon. He remembered her simply saying it was more powerful than they were. However, he believed there was another reason for it. He hoped to find out someday.
Tommy snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of approaching footsteps. He looked toward the doorway to see Kim come in. He focused his attention on their refillable water bottles in her hands. She was also wearing her backpack on her back. She walked up to him and held up the bottles. She formed a big smile on her face.
"Our water bottles are full," she announced and gave him the first one.
"Thanks," he responded warmly. He shook it, hearing water slosh around. "It is nice to hear water slosh around."
"It sure is," Kim agreed. "I do love how tasty the water is here. There are no traces of pollutants anywhere."
"I know," Tommy commented as they put their water bottles in their holders. "On Earth, water can appear to be very clean. However, it could have some nasty stuff in it."
"I am sure this planet has water areas that are very dirty due to urine and feces filling them. There is no absolute pure water. It is always a few tenths to a point above or below purity," Kim explained.
"Some metals react violently upon contact with water," Tommy said, tensing badly. "I wouldn't want to be near a glass container if it shatters due to the explosive nature of said metal."
"Me neither," Kim muttered, shuddering in fear. "Having glass embedded in you is not pleasant at all."
"Thank God we don't have to worry about glass here. All of our dishes are made of wood," Tommy whispered in much relief.
She nodded in agreement. "Yep. The best part about those dishes is they are quite easy to clean."
He laughed warmly. "For sure."
She planted a kiss to his lips and rubbed noses with him. He kissed the tip of hers lightly. She flicked his chin twice before tapping it with her finger repeatedly. He raised an eyebrow and laughed.
"What are you trying to do, tap my chin off?" Tommy wondered.
"I guess I am," Kim admitted and spoke gibberish. "Once I tap it off, I will put it on top of your head."
"Bring it on," Tommy growled playfully. "I would love a chin hat."
"I remember the Ren and Stimpy segment called 'Space Madness.' Cadet Stimpy's constant tapping drove Commander Hoek bonkers," Kim said, laughing aloud.
"I remember that part very well. I laughed at it every time," Tommy commented and smiled widely.
"The best part was where Stimpy pressed the history eraser button after the narrator kept tormenting him over it," Kim commented.
"It removed him, Ren, and everyone else from existence," Tommy said. "It made me laugh so hard that my sides started hurting each time I saw it."
"The same goes for me," Kim said, blowing a raspberry. "We do have to be careful because we can die from laughter."
"It is a rare form of death," Tommy admitted. "It usually resulted from cardiac arrest or asphyxiation. It has been recorded since ancient times." He expressed much awe.
"In 1989, a Danish audiologist named Ole Bentzen observed a screening of the 1988 comedy film A Fish Called Wanda. He laughed uncontrollably at a scene where Michael Palin's character had food stuffed into his nose and mouth," Kim whispered and swallowed hard. "It got to the point that his heartrate rose to two hundred fifty to five hundred beats per minute. This led to a fatal heart attack." She cringed badly. "Talk about crazy laughter."
"On March 24, 1975, Alex Mitchell died laughing while watching The Goodies episode called 'Kung Fu Kapers.' It featured a kilt-clad Scotsman with his bagpipes battling a master of the Lancastrian martial art 'Eckythump,' who was armed with a black pudding. Alex laughed uncontrollably for twenty-five minutes before he finally slumped on the sofa and died from heart failure. His widow later sent The Goodies a letter. It thanked them for making his final moments of life so pleasant," Tommy pointed out. "That was even crazier laughter."
"This universe is full of so many amazing things," Kim murmured, sighing softly. "We will never see them all."
He ran his fingers through her hair. He twirled a strand of it around his finger and clicked his tongue three times.
"Have you ever had your hair longer than it is now?" he wondered.
"I have had my hair past my upper back. That is when I was a preteen," she admitted warmly. "I loved having my hair up in a ponytail or braided. I still do."
"Cool," Tommy responded and pinched her chin.
"What about you? Has your hair ever been longer than it is now?" Kim asked, raising her eyebrows.
"My hair actually has been longer than it is now," Tommy said with much pride. "I liked having it in a ponytail, though some boys said it made me look girly. I got it cut into this mullet style two weeks before spending my very first night in Angel Grove."
Kim shook her head in disbelief. "Just because a guy has long hair and wears it in a ponytail doesn't mean he looks like a girl."
"That is what I told those boys, but they didn't listen. They continued to call me a girl," Tommy grumbled annoyingly.
"I don't give a shit what anyone says. I think long hair makes a boy look really sexy," Kim said, twirling a strand of his hair around her finger.
"I think short hair makes a girl look really sexy," Tommy said, kissing her forehead. "I found a pair of scissors. If you ever want me to cut your hair. Let me know. I will be more than willing to do it." He winked at her.
"I will let you cut my hair if you let me cut yours," Kim answered as she held out her hand.
Tommy took it and shook it. "It is a deal. Just don't let your hair come to life and eat us."
"Don't worry. I won't," Kim assured, feeling him release his hold on her. "Perhaps I could whip you with my hair."
"Only if you will let me whip you with mine," Tommy teased.
"Sure," Kim shouted and ruffled his hair. She laughed at his swatting her hand aside. "Are you scared I might rub all of your hair off?"
"Yeah," Tommy said, nodding sharply. "If you touch my hair again, I will chop your hands off."
She scoffed in much sarcasm. "I am so scared."
He laughed in an evil-sounding voice. "You should be."
Kim gave Tommy a light smack to his cheek. He waved his hand in front of her face. He raised it high before jerking it downward. She slapped his other cheek. He rushed two fingers forward, only for her to block him by putting her hand sideways. She pushed his downward. They tried to hold back laughs, but they couldn't help themselves.
"I just love doing that Three Stooges routine," Kim said with much glee.
"As do I," Tommy responded and tickled her nose. "I always enjoyed watching The Three Stooges. My favorite was Curly."
"He was my favorite Stooge too," Kim murmured and sighed in much warmth. "I loved how he had the 'indestructible' head. Any object that struck it would break into pieces." She imitated the sound of an explosion.
"Nice imitation of an explosion," Tommy complimented in much sweetness.
"Why, thank you," Kim said in a prideful voice. "It was also funny when Curly would pivot on his shoulder and 'walk' in a circular motion."
"It sure was," Tommy commented. "I've tried doing that many times and could never get it right." He gave a shrug.
"I couldn't get it right when I tried it either," Kim said while rubbing her nose. She sighed heavily and frowned somewhat. "I admit I will miss watching The Three Stooges and countless TV shows and movies I loved."
"I will too," Tommy agreed. "The bright side is we have our music with us."
"That's right," Kim said, smiling lightly. "We have other ways of keeping ourselves occupied such as gathering, hunting, and fishing."
He cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her forehead. He kept his lips there for thirty seconds before pulling away. He touched her cheek and stroked it with his thumb.
"What do you say we go see Parker's spaceship?" Tommy suggested.
"I say let's do it," Kim answered with much eagerness.
He smiled while putting his hand at his side. "Great."
Tommy went over to the nightstand and picked up his axe and knife. He slipped them into their holsters. He returned to Kim before taking three deep breaths. She wrapped her arm around his.
"I hope we don't end up standing in on a tree branch or floating above the ground," she whispered.
"Me too," he agreed. "Of course, you never know."
Kim blew a raspberry. "Let's stop talking and get the fuck out of here!"
Tommy chuckled. "What a potty mouth, you are."
Kim giggled as she laid her hand on Tommy's arm. He closed his eyes and put in much concentration. He breathed at a slow yet steady pace. They vanished in a flash of green-and-yellow fire.