Not Unlike You
Chapter 11
After waking up from being "helped" by Suu, Miia saw that she was alone, meaning Tionishia must have left while she was out of it. Miia's shed skin from her tail lay in a pile by the end of her bed. It was getting close to twilight outside, which meant dinner would be soon, as well as Yukino coming home. Her hands were still wrapped up, so eating may be a bit of a trial, but also an opportunity.
Miia knew this was a prime chance to get fed by her Darling.
She could imagine it now. With her hands injured, he would fawn over her and gently feed her one bite at a time. Then, at the end of the meal, she would catch him while he was washing dishes and plant a big kiss on his cheek, cementing her feelings in his mind and snagging his heart for sure. The only snag in this plan was the subtle tension coming off two of her housemates after dinner started.
Adam looked as stoic as usual, except for the fact that he refused to meet Centorea's eyes when he addressed her, and instead, his eyes went downwards whenever he asked her to pass something. Centorea seemed more nervous than usual, and the heavy blush on her face throughout the meal didn't really help Miia's suspicions. Yukino was either ignorant, or decided not to ask about the strange behavior and just let it slide. In truth, the elder sibling was suspicious, but decided to wait for the right opportunity to grill one of them on what was going on.
As soon as dinner was over, Adam made a beeline for the kitchen to clean the dishes, as Miia had hoped. Meanwhile, Yukino sat with Centorea in the living room, trying to bring up her odd behavior from earlier, with little success other than getting the centaur red in embarrassment. Miia was having a little more luck in her plan, though Adam had a way of throwing curve-balls into peoples plans.
"Miia, May I confide in you?"
"Darling, you can tell me anything! I'll be as tight lipped as an Ouroboros."
Adam sighed heavily. "I've been confused lately. So much is changing around me, and really fast. I should be freaking out, but I've been taking it in stride more than I thought I would. When I was younger, it took me a long time to get used to changes, and I thought that was a part of me that couldn't go away. But look at me now. I'm living with my older half-sister, far from where I grew up, and am playing host to several women who aren't human. So much change, and yet I can't stop smiling, even with the rotten luck we've had when going outside and running into stupid people." He paused, thinking back to what happened earlier in the work shed. "There are still a lot of things I'm scared of, and I don't know if I can handle them on my own. I know Cerea has my back, but can I count on you too if I need help?"
This wasn't exactly what she was hoping for, but getting to see Adam's more vulnerable side was quite the sign of trust. "Oh Darling, of course you can. If you ever feel like you don't get something, just ask, and I'll try my hardest to help you understand!"
"Then what can you tell me about love? I notice that you spend a lot of time reading romance novels, so you probably have a better grasp on what it is than I do. I've read a little here and there myself, but it's not something I put a lot of of mental power into studying in depth."
Before he knew it, Adam was upstairs, in Miia's room, sitting next to her on the edge of her bed. Since her hands were still wrapped up, Miia had to rely on her tail to grab some books for her impromptu lesson. This situation couldn't be more perfect. First, she would teach Adam the finer points of what love is. Second, she would lend him some reading material for study. Then came step three: Kissing Practice! Miia's face didn't betray what she was feeling on the inside, but her cheeks would soon become as rosy as her scales if she wasn't careful.
Meanwhile, Centorea was recounting to Yukino the events between herself, Suu, and Adam, mentally preparing herself for another ice pack down her shirt, but it never came. Instead of a chilly reprimanding, Yukino just sat on the couch with an intense – and possibly worried – look on her face. There was something in her expression that sent shivers down Centorea's whole body. The silence was more unnerving every second it continued, until Yukino broke it with a question. "Did he act strange afterwards?"
Strange was a rather broad term when talking about Adam. "I'm not sure I comprehend. How do you mean when you say "Strange"? Twas my understanding that his behavior was normally quite odd to begin with."
Yukino sighed. "I mean did he seem...overly happy, angry, or emotional compared to people like you or me?" Centorea only shook her head negative. Relief washed over Yukino. "Then we're good. If he becomes overly stimulated in one way or another, he...changes. Back in America, when he was still in school, real friends were a rarity at first, but when they came along, Adam became protective. Nearly to the point of obsession." This was a surprise to Centorea. Maybe it was her feelings blinding her, but she never expected Adam to be anything but charismatic, if a little strange too. She imagined people flocking to him, in hopes of gaining his camaraderie, but it was just the opposite. Yukino continued her tale while Centorea tried to imagine it all in her head.
"I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you that IF and WHEN he changes, it can only go one of two ways. So just...be careful. I know you two are closer now than before, but I don't want to come close to losing him again. Please, for me, don't go overboard."
Miia's explanation of her understanding of love left Adam a little more knowledgeable, but just as confused, as she went on a diatribe about fairy tale romances before getting headbutted back to reality by Gregory. Momentarily distracted, Miia changed topics to Gregory and his habits.
"Darling. Why does Gregory headbutt everything? As a dog, I thought he'd bite, bark, or anything else, but this just doesn't seem like dog behavior." Adam hummed to himself. It wasn't really anything private or embarrassing, but it was a little weird. Still, there was no harm in letting her know.
"When I was little, my dad raised special breeds of goats, cattle, and fostered a few dogs and cats. When Greg was still a puppy, he spent a lot of time with a long-haired mountain goat we named Finn. Where Finn went, Greg followed. After a year or so, Greg started copying Finn's mannerisms, on top of his regular canine habits. Dad just rolled with it, thinking how funny it would be to see him bash people in the groin with his skull."
While not exactly what she expected, Miia ended up laughing a little at the absurdity of the whole thing. Back to the original topic; the lesson was almost complete. All that was left was to put her teachings into practice. In other words: KISSING TIME! Nothing could possibly go wrong now.
When thoughts like that go through the mind of anyone, it tempts fate more often than not, but not this time. There was no Centorea breaking down the door, and no Yukino with an ice pack. Gregory had relocated himself to the foot of the bed and proceeded to ignore everything by taking a nap, which had been the last possible obstacle in the lusty Lamia's way. Everything was coming up roses.
"A big part of love I didn't talk about is Trust. It's one of the most important things in any relationship, whether in romance or friendship. You can trust me to be there for you if you need me. Can I trust you to help me too?" A tad manipulative in wording, but hopefully no less indicative of how much of her heart she was showing on her metaphorical sleeves. Judging from the serious look on Adam's face, he must have understood the importance of such words, and he did, as trust was something he knew far too well from his younger days. Trust was either a steel pillar which held a house up, or an ugly column of sand, just waiting for the sea of deceit to wash it away. Adam nodded; not trusting his words to show how much faith in Miia he had.
She smiled in glee. "Alright! Now close your eyes, and no peeking." Adam didn't hesitate. His eyes were shut before Miia finished her sentence. Here it was. The culmination of all her efforts. With cheeks aflame, Miia slowly moved her lips closer and closer, shutting her own eyes as she was close to claiming the kiss she had so desperately sought.
Adam wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but it soon became apparent after feeling something touch his lips. Opening his left eye, Adam found himself locking lips with Miia, spreading a warm sensation throughout his body. It was almost like that feeling he got with Centorea, just less wild. It was comforting, like a favorite blanket, fresh out of the laundry in winter. They stayed like that for some time, finally ending the kiss when Miia fell back on the bed, passing out from the excitement of finally getting what she wanted most. Adam, on the other hand, just sat and stared at her for a bit before retrieving Gregory and leaving Miia to her rest.
His head was swimming with so much information, and it was starting to hurt. Adam needed to clear his head...after cleaning up Miia's room. It was a flipping mess. Not to mention she had left her shed skin in a pile rather than bagging it. Sheesh.
Authors Note:
Not gonna lie folks: I've been lacking motivation and had to rewrite this one chapter at least three times before I was satisfied with the result. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up, but as long as you guys enjoy this story, I'll try to write when I can.