Couples-A Dinosaur Train Fanfic
Chapter 9- A Swim under the Moonlight
Summary: The Old Spinosaurus' date with Alita. They fish and explore an island.
The Old Spinosaurus was pacing slowly back and forth across the bank. It was a perfect night. The night sky was clear and the wind was blowing gently through the air. Not a sound could be heard except for the waves making contact with the bank. It was Friday night and nearing the appointed time of his date with Alita, a female spinosaurus in her mid-forties and about twenty years younger than him, and boy was he feeling nervous. The Old Spinosaurus had never been out on a date before in his life, and he was cursing himself under his breath for never having done so.
"I'm gonna make a fool of myself, I just know it. I'll screw up and Alita'll never want to go out with me again." He stopped walking and fell silent for a moment. "No, no, Old Spinosaurus. Don't even think like that, it's not like you." The wind blew in from the sea and against the Old Spinosaurus' body as he stood still and looked out at the water. He closed his eyes and took a small, deep breath. He opened his eyes. "It'll be fine. You're gonna have a nice date with Alita. And you're a lucky old feller, I tell you what, to be going out on a date with such a charming and fascinating creature like Alita."
It was at that moment that the Old Spinosaurus remembered how he had felt when Alita had kissed him on the cheek. He remembered how warm he felt. The warmth had been a special and pleasant kind of warmth, one that had spread from his head to the very tips of his toes. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about being kissed on the face by Alita that felt different from being kissed by his mother or his sister. It felt special and sweet in a unique way. The Old Spinosaurus closed his eyes and placed his hand on his right cheek, and then he smiled. He was starting to feel very calm, like his anxiety had just been washed off by the ocean, even though he wasn't in it. He opened his eyes again.
"Of course the date'll go just fine. Alita and I will have a great evening. And you know what Old Spinosaurus? During that time, you're gonna be passionate and romantic towards that female right up to the point where you'll charm her off of her feet." The Old Spinosaurus looked up at the moon and placed both his hands on his chest. "And hopefully, Alita'll become a part of your heart and you'll become a part of hers when the night is over."
The waves crashed softly against the bank.
"I can't wait until out date starts." Then he looked impatient, wishing that Alita was here already. He started pacing again before he accidently stubbed his toe against a small rock. "YOW! Consarnit! Lousy stinkin' rocks scattered all over the beach!" The Old Spinosaurus angrily said all this while hopping on one foot while he held the other. He looked down at the water and his angry reflection. Alita randomly popped into his mind at that moment and he then looked a little worried. At that precise moment, the Old Spinosaurus had become aware of his temper for the first time in years.
"Oh goodness, I can't act that way in front of Alita. I don't want her to think that I'm some old grump. I kinda am, but not completely. I don't want Alita to see me as a complete grump. I want her to know that deep down, I'm a nice creature like her." The Old Spinosaurus then resolved to keep his temper under control during his date.
"But how? How do I show Alita that I can be fun-loving like her?" The Old Spinosaurus drummed his fingers on his chin, trying to think. Then his face lit up a little and he snapped his fingers. "I got it, I got it!" The Old Spinosaurus chuckled a little as a small, mischievous smile appeared on his face. He walked away.
Alita was on the Dinosaur Train, heading towards the Big Misty Sea. She looked up at the moon while standing in the observation car, remarking to herself how pretty it looked tonight. And just like the Old Spinosaurus, she was nervous and excited for their date, though more excited than nervous. She couldn't wait for their date, and to see the Old Spinosaurus again. She hadn't seen or heard from him since last week. But Alita thought of him often. She could see him in her mind, remembered how he looked and spoke, remembered how charming he looked to her.
Alita then heard the sound of Mr. Conductor talking. She bent down and looked through the window of the door. Inside the passenger car, Mr. Conductor had the screen down while talking to some children in the front row. On the screen was an image of the Old Spinosaurus. Alita sighed happily at the sight of it. "Handsome old sea devil." Alita remarked.
She listened to the conductor talking about spinosaurus and closed her eyes for a bit. She kept imagining the Old Spinosaurus and playing over their conversation in her head. She wanted to see him again and hear the sound of his sea salty, charming voice. Time passed by and Alita was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Mr. Conductor was approaching the observation car. Alita stood up and the door was opened. Mr. Conductor looked up at her and smiled.
"How you doing?" He asked.
"Oh fine, I'm fine. Just have a date tonight, one that I can't wait for."
"If you don't mind me asking, with what lucky creature do you have a date with?" Mr. Conductor asked, raising an imaginary eyebrow up and down.
"Not at all. The Old Spinosaurus of course."
Mr. Conductor looked a little surprised. "The Old Spinosaurus? The one who resides in the Big Misty Sea?"
"Yup, that's the one." Alita said with a grin.
"Well, I never thought he'd want to go out on a date, him usually wanting to be alone."
"I guess he'd come to like me so much that he decided that he wanted to go out with me. I don't believe all those stories about him. He's really nice and gentle when you get to know him."
Mr. Conductor looked at his watch and up at Alita again. "Well, I wish you and him a pleasant evening."
Then Mr. Conductor announced that the train was arriving at the Big Misty Sea station to the whole train. After it had stopped, Alita got off. "Thanks, Mr. Conductor!"
"You've welcome." He called back just as the train was pulling away.
After it was out of sight, Alita turned and headed down towards the sea.
Alita had arrived at the bank, but she didn't see the Old Spinosaurus anywhere.
"Old Spinosaurus it's me, Alita! I'm here for our date!" Alita called out.
But she received no answer from him.
"Old Spinosaurus, hello!" Alita called out again. Alita called his name again over and over for nearly a minute. "Old Spinosaurus, this isn't funny! Come out from wherever you are right this minute!"
No such sign of him appeared. Nor did Alita hear any sound made by him. All she could hear was the wind blowing through the air and the water gently crashing onto the bank. Alita looked very worried as a thought popped into her head. What if something bad had happened to him? "Old Spinosaurus, are you okay? Please answer me!"
Alita looked all over the place until she saw the Old Spinosaurus' footprints leading towards the water. She slowly followed them while also looking up at the water, her heart starting to beat faster. "Old Spinosaurus?" Her voice sounded like it was getting quieter by the second. She stopped right in front of the water. Everything seemed too quiet.
"Old-" Suddenly, something arose up out of the water and Alita closed her eyes and screamed. A second later she opened her eyes and looked shocked, but then she put her hands to her mouth and started laughing. It was the Old Spinosaurus who had risen up out of the water, and he was laughing his butt off too.
"Gotcha, Alita! Hahahaha! You should've seen the look on your pretty face. Ahhhhhh!" He said imitating her looking scared before laughing again.
"Oh, you mischievous, old sea devil!" Alita said looking angry, but also happy at the same time. The two laughed some more for about a couple of minutes. The Old Spinosaurus laughed a little as he slowly walked towards Alita and stopped just before the bank, his feet still in the water. Alita looked at him to see a kind and sweet smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, Alita. Please forgive me," He said gently. "I was only trying to have a little fun with you, show you that I can be fun-loving too. I even feel a little younger now as a result."
"Oh, I understand. It was cute now that I think about it." Then Alita stopped speaking and she walked up to the very edge of the bank, standing in front of the Old Spinosaurus. His smile disappeared.
"What is it?"
Alita smiled. "The light of the moon reflecting off of your wet body," She leaned forward and planted a sweet and affectionate kiss on the Old Spinosaurus' wet cheek. "It makes you look so beautiful."
The Old Spinosaurus was looking just as stunned as the last time Alita had kissed him, and it felt like it'd happened so long ago. He placed his hand on his cheek and smiled warmly at her. "Thanks for the compliment."
"You're very welcome." Alita said back.
The Old Spinosaurus held his left hand up to his chest while holding his right out towards the sea, gesturing towards it. "Shall we?" He asked, sounding like a gentleman.
Alita put her hand up to her mouth and giggled a little. The Old Spinosaurus' gesture was too sweet and cute in her opinion. "We shall." She said giving him her right hand. The Old Spinosaurus took it in his left and Alita followed him into the water as if he were her guide. The two walked further into the water until it was up to their stomachs. Then they both lowered their bodies into the water, let go, and swam side by side until they were out at sea.
Everything was calm as the Old Spinosaurus and Alita were swimming together. The wind blowing against their faces was calm and the waves were calm too. The moon shone on brightly as it did earlier. The Old Spinosaurus looked at Alita's face and smiled. She saw him looking at her and smiled back. He gestured up at the moon with his head and looked at her again. "Beautiful moon out tonight, huh?" He asked.
"Yes, indeed it is." Alita said, agreeing with him. "We're lucky that it's guiding our way tonight." The Old Spinosaurus chuckled as he and Alita swam on. Silence passed between the two for a short bit before Alita spoke up again, just for the sake of a having a conversation. "Old Spinosaurus?"
"Yes, Alita?"
"So, you're really good at fishing?"
"Of course," The Old Spinosaurus said with a proud smile on his face. "Very experienced thanks to a whole lifetime of fishing."
"You're really good at it, so good at standing still that you look like you're one with nature."
The Old Spinosaurus chuckled and had to admit to himself that there was a bit of truth to that. He did feel like one with nature when he fished. Then something about lifetime and experience caused the Old Spinosaurus to ask Alita something.
"So why did you want to have a date with an oldster like me? Aren't you into younger male spinosaurus'," He paused. "Or other creatures?"
"Nah, I'm into older males because, well, they look so wise and experienced with life. And you, look like you've had a lot of experience. Plus, old is very charming."
"Why, thank you." The Old Spinosaurus said with a grin.
Alita suddenly looked a little worried. "Wait, you don't mind being called old or referred to as being old, right?"
"Not at all. As long it's not being used as an insult, I'm perfectly fine with being called and/or referred to as being old."
"So if you won't mind me asking you this, you call yourself the Old Spinosaurus, but you do in fact have a different name that was given to you by your parents, am I right?" The Old Spinosaurus nodded. Alita laughed in an amused manner. "You gonna tell me what your real name is?"
The Old Spinosaurus appeared to be deep in thought. Then he looked at her with a mysterious smile and said. "Maybe on another date."
Alita laughed again. "Oh, you!" The Old Spinosaurus laughed too. The two spinosaurus' swam until they saw something underwater and stopped in what looked like the middle of the sea, the moonlight reflecting off of the top of their bodies and the waves. They lowered their heads into the water and made themselves perfectly still. And sure enough, some fish were approaching. The Old Spinosaurus and Alita ate them before they could get away. The two rose their head up out of the water.
"Dinner and a lovely swim, what more could you ask for?" The Old Spinosaurus said.
"I know, right?" Alita said back.
The two swam on and ate more fish for a bit. Then they swam on aimlessly, not really caring much about where they were going and enjoying one another's company. In the distance, the Old Spinosaurus saw an island up ahead. "What do you say, Alita? Wanna take a rest on its shore?"
"Oh, yes. As wonderful and lovely swimming is, a break from it would be nice."
So the two swam towards the island and stood up when they were approaching shallow water. They walked onto the beach with the sounds of the sea behind them. The Old Spinosaurus turned towards the sea and looked at the waves. He smiled and closed his eyes before falling onto his back in the sand. Alita couldn't stop herself form laughing and the Old Spinosaurus just grinned.
After a moment or two of silence, the Old Spinosaurus heard something fall and felt it fall on top of him. He opened his eyes to see Alita lying on top of him, her head under his chin and her arms around his sides. "And just what do you think you're doin'?" The Old Spinosaurus said smiling.
"Huddling up to you for warmth, otherwise we'll both suffer from hypothermia." She teased, apparently making that up as an excuse to cuddle with him.
"The water was fine, we're not gonna suffer from hypothermia." He pointed out.
"I'd still rather huddle up with you." Alita insisted.
The Old Spinosaurus laughed, but made no effort to get Alita off of him. To be honest, he didn't mind having her so close to him. He reached up a hand and rubbed it down the left side of Alita's back. She sighed happily. Then she started rubbing her snout up and down the Old Spinosaurus' bottom jaw, causing him to chuckle. He rested his head down while Alita continued to rub his bottom jaw and closed his eyes. He thought it was a cute and affectionate gesture of hers to display.
Alita really knows how to be affectionate, He thought.
They had lain there for what felt like hours, how many the Old Spinosaurus didn't know. He opened his eyes and saw the trees that were behind him, but they were upside down. Alita was still lying on top of him, no longer rubbing his bottom jaw with her head, her eyes closed. He couldn't tell if she was still awake or not. Just as the Old Spinosaurus was thinking about having the two of them spend the night on the island, he saw something. A light floating up a bit behind him, then another, and then another. After the lights disappeared into the darkness, the Old Spinosaurus smiled when he realized what island he and Alita were on. He held his head up and lightly shook Alita's shoulder.
"Hey, Alita! Alita!"
"Wha?" Alita jerked her head up and looked at the Old Spinosaurus. "What is it?"
He smiled at her. "Want me to show you somethin'? Somethin' incredible and amazing?"
"Well sure, I'd love to see it." Alita said with a smile.
The Old Spinosaurus smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Her skin felt so soft and pleasant to his lips. Alita giggled and blushed. "But first, and as much as it's gonna pain you to do, you'll have to get off of me so I can show you."
Alita looked a little sad at first that she was going to have to lose the feeling of the Old Spinosaurus' body warmth, but in the end she happily complied and the two stood up. The Old Spinosaurus was about to step into the gap in the trees before he stopped and turned around. "Oh wait. Before I show you, you have to close your eyes."
"Close my eyes?" Alita asked raising an imaginary eyebrow.
The Old Spinosaurus nodded. "What I have to show you is a surprise, so I need your eyes to be shut tight. Don't open em until I tell you to, okay?"
Alita thought while looking at him and smiled before closing her eyes and placing both her hands on them.
"Perfect, perfect." The Old Spinosaurus stood himself beside her on her right and placed his hand on her shoulders. "Just listen to the sound of my voice."
"I do love to listen to that salty and sexy voice of yours." Alita chuckled.
The Old Spinosaurus chuckled at her comment. "Now walk forward." He said softly.
Alita did as she was told and the two of them disappeared into the trees.
The Old Spinosaurus and Alita walked down the dirt path, the only sounds that could be heard through the night were the sounds of insects and their footsteps on the ground. The Old Spinosaurus kept his hand on Alita's shoulder as he told her to keep walking forward. After going for what felt like half an hour, Alita laughed. "Come on, Old Spinosaurus. Will you please just tell me where we're going?"
"Nope, it'd spoil the surprise." So they kept on walking for a bit more. Then the Old Spinosaurus instructed Alita to stop. He let go of her shoulder and walked out into a clearing. He then asked for and took Alita's hand before leading her into the clearing. "Okay, now you can open your eyes."
Alita did so, and her jaw dropped open. For in the clearing were many upon many fireflies flying through the air. There was also a big pointy rock in the center of the clearing. The Old Spinosaurus gave Alita what she thought was a charming smile. "You like it? I found this place while on a fishing adventure a while back."
"Oh, Old Spinosaurus." Alita held her hand to her chest. "It's so beautiful." She walked out into the clearing and marveled at the sight of the fireflies. She had never seen fireflies before in her life and thought that they were very wonderful, especially with their green blinking lights. Alita looked at all of them around her until her eyes rested on her date. The Old Spinosaurus held his arms out to her, one lower than the other. "Would you like to dance, my lovely?"
Alita looked at him and smiled back. "I would love to." So she gave him one of her hands and placed the other on his side. He did the same with his hands and they both started to slowly waltz all around the rock in the clearing, the fireflies constantly flying throughout the air. Both spinosaurus' eyes were on each other most of the time, the rest of the time they were looking at the fireflies. The old Spinosaurus began to hum a sea song he had heard years ago. Then after a few minutes, his mouth opened and the words of the song escaped his lips and floated throughout the night air. Alita found it hard to resist and she started singing the song too. And when they finished, the two spinosaurus' chuckled and continued waltzing.
"You dance beautifully." Alita commented while looking into the Old Spinosaurus' brown eyes.
"I practiced a bit, thought it'd come in handy." The Old Spinosaurus replied.
"Thank you, this is all so wonderful. I'm having such a great time."
"You deserve all this because you're so wonderful yourself, I've never met a female spinosaurus like you. So kind-hearted, so charming, so poetic."
Alita thanked him again. The two continued to waltz while the fireflies blinked on and off in the air. The Old Spinosaurus began humming another old sea sailing tune and Alita then joined in, soon the sounds of their humming and then their singing filled the air and everything seemed sweet. He then dipped Alita, causing her to laugh. He smiled down at her face, feeling like he was the luckiest creature on the planet to be on a date with someone sweet like her. The Old Spinosaurus then got a bold idea; he brought his head down and kissed Alita's lips. She did not resist in any way and gladly accepted the kiss. Both closed their eyes and reopened them a minute later. They smiled at each other. "You're so romantic." Alita said looking up at him.
"Thanks, so are you." The Old Spinosaurus brought her back up and they parted before bowing to each other. Alita chuckled after they'd done so. The Old Spinosaurus yawned. "Alita, what do you say about spending the night here?" He turned his face so that the side of it was facing her while giving her another charming smile. "You can even huddle up with me if you want?"
Alita felt very tempted to do so, but she shook her head. "I really must be getting back to shore now. I just want to head home."
The Old Spinosaurus nodded and said that he understood. "Maybe on another date?"
"Yeah, definitely on another date." Alita nodded.
"Come on, I'll take you back to shore." He said.
Alita followed the Old Spinosaurus back to the beach and into the water. The two swam side by side together, often glancing at each other before looking back ahead of them. Sometime later they saw the mainland and eventually walked back onto the Old Spinosaurus' beach. They stood facing each other with the sea on one side of them, both smiling at each other. Alita stepped up closer to the Old Spinosaurus, her eyes half-closed and staring at him in a love-like manner. He did the same as they held hands.
"I've had a lot of fun tonight." Alita said softly and in a whisper. She slowly leaned forward and the Old Spinosaurus stood frozen where he was, knowing what was about to come, but did nothing to stop it. Alita leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything."
The Old Spinosaurus had closed his eyes a second before Alita had kissed his cheek. He opened his eyes and stared at her. The stunned Old Spinosaurus slowly brought his hand up to the cheek that'd been kissed and started rubbing it. He stared at Alita and it seemed like his brain was registering what had just happened. After it did, the Old Spinosaurus smiled a charming smile and spoke in a more sea salty manner. "Ye're very welcome, m'lady."
Alita brought her hand up to her mouth and chuckled uncontrollably. "What a gentleman." She remarked.
They both stood there in silence for a moment before the Old Spinosaurus spoke up. "So, same time next week?" He said with hope in his voice. He really wanted to go on another date with Alita, real soon.
Alita chuckled again. "Oh, most definitely. And we're definitely spending the night on that island next week."
The Old Spinosaurus smiled and Alita began to leave.
"See you later, Old Spinosaurus!" She said from atop the hill sloping down to the beach.
"See ya, Alita!" The Old Spinosaurus called back with one hand beside his mouth, the other still on his right cheek. He watched her until she disappeared from view before he sighed peaceful. "What a wonderful date." He smiled as he rubbed his cheek again; he could still feel Alita's lips pressed against it. He turned and walked to the area where he slept. He laid himself down and closed his eyes. He was soon asleep and dreaming of his next date with Alita.
Thanks to Karkovice for his advice and suggestion that helped shape this chapter into what it is now. Thanks so much, Kark!
There's a special chapter of Couples I'm working on, something that will hopefully be ready sometime real soon. Something I've never done before on my account.
I've also created a collab account on this site with Karkovice called DinosaurTrainFanKarkovice. Feel free to check out our collab story there called Boundaries. It takes place in an alternate universe from that of Couples and is about my OC Ned Troodon trying to express his feelings for Laura Giganotosaurus. It's like an extended version of Couples chapter 3, except within its own continuity.
~DinosaurTrainFan