As Ilia first started to stir, and her mind began the process of waking itself up, she resisted opening her eyes at first. Instead, she turned her head into the pillow beneath her head, trying to block out the sunlight that was persistently shining in through the window of her hotel room and directly onto her face.
She didn't want to get up, she'd been having the most amazing dream, and was desperately hoping that if she resisted waking fully, she might be able to return to it.
It had all been so... perfect, truly an ideal outcome to her current situation. She'd been at the docks, saying goodbye to Carmella, but then, at the last second, Ilia had somehow managed to break through her own doubts and insecurities and begged the other faunus to stay, and shockingly- with absolutely zero convincing required- the rabbit eared girl had agreed. It had been incredible, the best dream Ilia had ever had, if she was honest, but unfortunately, that's all it had been, just a dream. Now it was time for her to wake up and face realit-
Suddenly, Ilia became aware of a small amount of air brushing against her face, warm air.
As the rest of her senses fully awakened at this, she was also able to hear the sound of a quiet breathing, out of sync from her own, but very, very close.
The spotted girls cerulean eyes snapped open, and were greeted by the sight of a face, inches away from her own, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape, as the other person slept peacefully.
Ilia shot up, supporting herself on her elbow and a hand as she stared at the slumbering form of Carmella, laying on her side, facing Ilia, in the chameleon girls hotel room bed.
Before any wild thoughts could enter the ponytailed girls head, she noticed both Carm and herself were still fully dressed, the former still wearing her usual outfit, while Ilia had changed into a t-shirt and shorts, her usual sleepwear.
With that heart attack having been avoided for the moment, the events of the day finally caught up with the still waking up lizard girl- the very real, and not at all a dream- events of the day.
The convoy, the Grimm attack, the docks, the failed farewell, and the ride back to Mistral with Carmella, all of it seemed to play in fast-forward in Ilia's mind as her memories were brought up to speed, along with what came after...
The pair had arrived back in Mistral and disembarked from the trucks. Ruby and the others had bid the two farewell as they returned to the house they were staying at, while Ilia and Carmella went in the opposite direction. The two faunus remained at each others side, hands still glued together as they walked down the streets of Anima's capital city.
Ilia's thoughts had still been so clouded at that time from exhaustion, which was probably why she'd had so much difficulty believing it all had actually happened. She'd been practically leaning on Carmella as they walked, as if she'd topple over at a moments notice without the other faunus' support. The two had taken a quick nap on the transport, but the bumpy roads outside the kingdom had made their would be "sleep" pretty uncomfortable, and both faunus were still wiped out from the days excitement. That was when Carmella suggested they go back to their respective rooms and both get some rest before talking about what came next for them. Ilia wasn't sure she was ready to be separated again, but was also too tired to offer much resistance.
It wasn't a terrible idea on paper, it had been a long day for the two of them- despite it barely even being noon- and taking some time to get their heads on straight was probably for the best. Besides, Carmella made it more than clear on the walk to her hotel that Ilia was- as she so elegantly put it; "stuck with her now," so that helped put the spotted girls mind at ease.
However, the two of them got all the way to the hotel Carm had been staying at before the rabbit girl realized she'd turned over the key to her room that morning, when she'd checked out.
Ilia remembered laughing at that... maybe a little too hard, mostly because of how tired she was, and partially at the embarrassed expression on the other teens face. However, she did thankfully manage to reel it in once it became clear that the rabbit faunus was now essentially homeless. She'd seen the flash of panic in Carmella's eyes, and in an effort to extinguish it, suggested they just rest in her room instead.
The idea slipped past Ilia's lips before she'd been able to properly consider the implications, and once it was put out there, it wasn't like she could've just taken it back or anything. Carmella needed a place to recuperate, and the chameleon girl's hotel room was the most practical solution to the problem, much better than the rabbit faunus wasting what lien she had left on renting out her own room again. Practicality. That had been the only thing on Ilia's mind when she'd made the suggestion. That's all.
That still didn't keep either girl from getting insanely flustered at the idea alone, but once again, exhaustion seemed to win out over their shared embarrassment, and the two made their way across town to the hotel Ilia was staying at. The walk over was completely silent though, with both girls nervousness practically radiating off one another. They'd made it though, and without stopping for an instant- lest the intrusive thoughts sink in- the pair made their way into the building and up the stairs to the door of the chameleon girls room without incident.
However, Ilia then remembered the mortification both faunus felt as the door swung open, revealing the single bed in the spotted girls room.
Both girls had vehemently insisted that they would happily sleep on the floor, but their impromptu "roommate" wouldn't have it. Neither wanted the other to be uncomfortable while they enjoyed a soft- semi clean- mattress. So eventually they both conceded and decided to share, again, simply out of practicality, of course.
With the butterflies in her stomach having once again transformed into Nevermore's, Ilia had quickly excused herself into the bathroom to change. That was when she'd gotten a better look at the huge tears in the back of her leather outfit from the Beowolf that'd attacked her. She recalled being shocked at having even survived such an attack, given the size of the claw marks, but that was quickly overshadowed by the realization that she'd been walking all throughout Mistral with a huge hole in the back of her stealth suit. Stowing away the mountain of anxiety and horror she felt at that for later, Ilia had finished changing, making a mental note to get the outfit repaired next chance she got.
Soon after, both girls had- almost reluctantly- crawled into the bed, each settling for a spot on the opposite side, curling up on the edges of the king-sized mattress, facing away from each other, not even bothering to get under the covers. Despite the initial awkwardness however, both girls had fallen asleep almost instantly in that position, right up until just now, when Ilia had awoken to find that some... shifting had clearly occurred during their slumber. The two of them had somehow ended up practically cuddled together in the center of the mattress, Brothers know how long they'd been that way.
Speaking of which, Ilia turned slowly, trying to avoid shifting the bed beneath her, as to not wake the still asleep Carmella. She reached for her scroll on the nightstand to check the time.
It read 5:15 pm. It had been about five hours, which for a struggling insomniac like Ilia, was a pretty good. She wasn't usually the type to take a nap in the middle of the day, but considering how manic the last twenty four hours had been, she figured it was to be expected. Honestly though? Despite her initial embarrassment over sharing her sleep space, it was probably the best sleep the chameleon girl had gotten in a long time, or at least that's how it felt, and it wasn't hard for her to pick out what might have been the biggest contributing factor.
The spotted girl turned back to face the other faunus and gave her a wistful smile. Somehow being around Carmella always seemed to just... charge her batteries, or something. It wasn't a great analogy, but a fitting one, given how rested Ilia felt right now, and it wasn't the first time she'd experienced the odd restorative effects the rabbit girls proximity seemed to bring.
It was all so strange. The chameleon faunus had never felt this desire for... closeness with another person before. There had been Blake, of course, but that was different, really just a crush in comparison. This though? More than a crush, more than simple infatuation. There was just... something about Carm that continued to draw her in, again and again, and the chameleon girl was quickly running out of reasons to fight it.
Ilia sat up straight and gave a big stretch, her back and shoulders giving off a few small but satisfying pops as she did. The chameleon faunus was about halfway through an equally big yawn before a snort to her left snapped her focus back to Carmella.
The rabbit girl hadn't woken up quite yet, but her mouth was now substantially more open, and following the aforementioned snort, Carmella was now quietly snoring. It brought Ilia's thoughts back to that night on the Pride, to that seasick rabbit faunus she'd cradled in her arms. That image was such a stark contrast to the formidable fighter the chameleon girl had come to know. Regardless though, the one thing that'd really stuck out to Ilia from that night was the gentle snoring coming from Carmella, signaling that the motion sick faunus was finally resting peacefully. It had been what put Ilia's mind at ease back then, and allowed her to get some rest as well, knowing her "patient" was going to be okay. All in all, the night had served as a very... interesting start to their friendship.
The spotted faunus was very glad she'd chosen to "share" her bed with Carmella that night as well, although it had been in a much less literal sense when compared to the situation Ilia had awakened to today. That was probably for the best though, the thought of what would have happened if she'd woken up next to the rabbit eared girl like this way back then...
Well, it probably would've sent Ilia tumbling right off the mattress and straight into cardiac arrest.
"Way back then"? You mean just over a week ago?
If it weren't for the snoring faunus still resting beside her, the sardonic thought would have made Ilia laugh out loud.
It wasn't the first time the chameleon girl had noticed just how much things had changed in such a short time, but it still surprised her. She looked over Carmella's sleeping form again, as if finally taking in the reality brought on by the events earlier that day.
She'd actually chosen to stay, in spite of the million or so reasons she shouldn't have, the rabbit eared girl had decided she wanted to experience more of the outside world, rather than returning to family back on Menagerie. It was an outcome the chameleon faunus had written off as existing somewhere between never and impossible, and yet, here Carmella was, laying there, right next to Ilia, making everything that happened so completely inexplicably, yet undeniably, real. In spite of her own usual- admittedly- pessimistic attitude, Ilia couldn't help the giddiness overflowing inside herself at the thought.
Of course, Ilia still felt the lingering remains of guilt over the entire situation, but those had mostly been extinguished, thanks the rabbit girl herself. It was just like Carmella had said, this was her decision, no one else's, and the spotted girl would honor it, as well as do everything in her power to keep her safe, until the day came that Carm no longer needed her protection. She was stuck with her now too.
Ilia's smile directed at the sleeping faunus grew fonder, and she briefly considered just laying back down, if only to enjoy the moment a bit longer. Unfortunately the chameleon girl's brain had a well ingrained mindset that told her if she was awake, then it was time to get up. Plus there was no sense doing any further damage to the train wreck that was her sleep schedule.
However, before the spotted faunus could roll herself off the mattress, she noticed a few stray strands of Carmella's short, caramel colored hair had drifted in front of the rabbit girls face, and gotten stuck in the thin line of drool that had begun gathering around her lips.
Without even realizing what she was doing, Ilia leaned over, reaching out to ever so gently brush the errant strands back behind the other faunus' ear, her fingers gliding across Carmella's smooth cheek as she did. It wasn't until after the deed was done that the chameleon girls actions seemed to catch up with her and she froze, her hand still hovering over Carm.
Ilia felt her face heat up as her wide open eyes darted repeatedly from the slumbering faunus' face to her own hand. Where had that come from?! She'd just- Without even- Like it was-
Okay, maybe she was overreacting, but such a tender displays of... affection was completely unlike Ilia. Sure, it wasn't like this was the first time she'd touched Carmella, but what she'd just done seemed a long ways from simple hand holding or a hug.
It honestly seemed more like something one would expect from the rabbit girl herself. Carmella didn't seem to have nearly the amount of anxieties or reluctance's Ilia had when it came to physical affection. Every time the chameleon faunus had felt the other girls gentle caresses it felt like pure electricity was shooting through her body for every second of contact. Now that Ilia had been on the other side of it, she definitely could see the allure behind such actions, the sensation was about one hundred times more powerful... and she wanted more.
With the thunderous thumping of her own heartbeat drowning out any possible rational thought or protests from her own subconscious, Ilia's unblinking eyes drifted upwards to the pair of rabbit ears on top of Carmella's head. Those soft looking, delicate, and always tantalizing ears...
She'd never admit it to anyone, mainly because it was such an odd thing for another faunus to be interested in, but Ilia had always found herself inexplicably drawn to that kind of faunus trait.
Maybe it was partly out of envy? Ilia had always imagined her life would've been so much simpler if she'd been born with a more obvious animal trait, like her parents had. If people were able to just look at her and know right away which side of the fence she belonged on, human or faunus, the whole course of Ilia's life could have been different.
Or maybe it was something simpler. Maybe she just liked them, okay? Was that so weird?
If you were asking Ilia that question, the answer was an undoubtable; yes.
Regardless, whether it was rabbit faunus, sheep, dog... cats... or any other, the extra set of ears had always oddly fascinated her. However, she'd never had the courage to ask to investigate those feelings. How were you supposed to even approach something like that? Touching another of her kind like that had always felt far too... intimate for the easily flustered faunus, but she'd secretly always wondered how those ears felt between your fingers... And those desires had only gotten stronger the more time Ilia spent around Carmella.
Back on the Pride- the last time Ilia had been in the presence of a sleeping Carmella- the chameleon faunus had nearly slipped up, given in to her own odd compulsions. That had been nowhere near the right time for that kind of... experimentation, but...
I mean... If nothing else Ilia had done had woken Carmella up at this point...
Her mind still lost in a haze, the spotted girls hand shakily began moving towards the other girls faunus trait. As Ilia's fingers got closer, her heartbeat got louder and louder, and just as she touched the edge of those brunette colored rabbit ears, Carmella suddenly moved.
The resting faunus let out a loud yawn, stretching both arms out above her head, her knuckles knocking against the wooden headboard at the top part of the bed. Carmella's eyes still hadn't opened, so that meant she (hopefully) hadn't notice Ilia retracting her hand at the last second like she'd just been caught reaching into a cookie jar.
The now panicking chameleon faunus tucked her misbehaving hand behind her back, clenching it into a tight fist as she scolded herself.
What was she thinking!? Trying to... touch another person like that, and while they were sleeping!? That made it even worse!
Ilia quickly tried to regain her composure as she noticed Carmella's eyes finally starting to open.
The rabbit girl looked up at the other faunus, trying to blink off the last bits of tiredness that kept her lids from opening all the way.
"... Mornin'," Carmella said softly as she ran a hand over her face.
The adorable, half-lidded, sleepy eyed look the brunette was giving Ilia had the poor girls heart fluttering in her chest. After taking another quick moment to calm herself, the spotted faunus reached over to grab her scroll again.
"Evening, actually," Ilia said as she held the device up for the other teen to see.
"Oh dang, really?" Carmella replied as she sat up slowly, "feels like I just slept for a week or something." Which was a sentiment Ilia could definitely relate to.
The rabbit girl gave another big, long stretch, seemingly completely unbothered that she'd woken up next to someone else. Her reaction was tame compared to Ilia's earlier one. The level of composure Carm displayed with such things was sometimes enviable to the chameleon girl.
"So," Carmella said as she finished waking up fully, "interested in my ears, are we?"
The question was like a bolt of lightning striking the spotted faunus. She prayed to any god that would listen that she'd misheard, but the mischievous smile on Carmella's face made it clear she had not. Whether the rabbit girl had noticed Ilia's hand reaching for her faunus trait, or that she'd simply not been as asleep as the chameleon girl had hoped, didn't matter at this point. Ilia knew she'd been caught.
Shame and embarrassment lit up on the spotted teens face as her spots and most of face went pink. How could she have been so stupid as to let her... her... baser instincts take hold like that? Now, thanks to that bizarre, fleeting, selfish urge, Carmella would think she was some kind of-
"You know, you can touch them if you want."
A second bolt struck Ilia's still fried nervous system.
"I mean, it's not something I usually let people do, but all you have to do is ask," Carmella went on, running a few strands of hair on the left side of her face between her fingers coyly. "Better than trying to 'cop a feel' while I'm out, am I right?"
Both Ilia's hands clasped over her face, trying to hide her face as it burst into flames of shame. The rest of her body quickly followed suit, going pink, spots and all. Why did Carm have to word it like that? Even if it was a pretty accurate description of what had happened... What kind of mortifying mess had the chameleon girl thrown herself into?
"Soooooooooo..." Carmella said in a sweet sounding voice that managed to pry Ilia's hands from her face.
The rabbit girl was leaning in close now, head tilted slightly forward, offering her long ears up for the other faunus, and giving them a small- but oh so tantalizing- wiggle.
"Any takers?" She asked, giving her brunette colored rabbit ears another short flutter in spotted teens face.
This girl was trying to kill her. Ilia was one hundred percent sure of that now.
She stared at the ears for what felt like a long while. Was it wrong that a part of her kind of wanted to take Carm up on the offer?
No, no, she couldn't. This was all way too weird. It was bad enough the two of them had shared a bed this morning, Ilia had managed to make peace with that relatively quickly... well, quickly for her anyway- but this? It was just too much...
Then again... she'd come this far, and at this point an awkward refusal would probably just make things worse, and lead to even more embarrassment. That's right. She was in too deep now.
With trembling hands, the chameleon girl slowly began to reach towards the other girls faunus trait.
"Uh-uh," Carmella suddenly said as she raised her head, looking directly into the other teens now pink colored irises. "I told you," she said with a even more mischievous smile stretched across her face, "you have to ask first."
... Is she serious? Ilia thought, because Brothers know she certainly couldn't muster the brain cells to talk right now.
Carmella gave her a patient, yet expectant look.
Oh Gods. She's serious.
There was a spark of indignation in the chameleon girls chest at the other girls obvious teasing, but it was quickly extinguished when she remembered she'd been caught in the act mere seconds ago. If being the butt of Carmella's joke was a way of making things up to the rabbit girl, then she supposed she deserved it- well, she deserved worse if she was honest, in her opinion anyway.
After swallowing what little moisture remained in her mouth, Ilia cleared her throat before scraping together whatever brain power she could manage.
"C-can..." not much of a start, but better than nothing, "can... I..." Ilia's eyes darted between the pair of rabbit ears and the chesire grin of the girl attached to them, "touch... them...?"
The stuttered, barely coherent words hung in the air for a moment, before Carmella let out a snort of laughter and fell back into the mattress in a fit, her legs kicking wildly as she cackled at the other teens expense.
Ilia remained frozen, one hand still slightly raised as she watched the rabbit girl roll on the bed. In spite of the burning humiliation she felt, the chameleon faunus couldn't help but smile bashfully. Yeah, okay, she'd deserved that. Still though, Ilia couldn't help but feel disappointed that it had all been an obvious joke on the rabbit girls part, and that she'd not only fallen for it entirely, but now she wasn't even going to get to-
"Okay then," Carmella said finally sitting up and wiping a tear from her eye. Then she returned to her earlier position, presenting her long ears to Ilia.
Wait...
"S-seriously?!" Ilia blurted out, recoiling back slightly and nearly tumbling off the mattress.
Carmella tilted her head slightly so one of her honey colored eyes could look at the other faunus. "You asked, right? It's only fair," she said. "Go for it. I think you've earned it."
The already sputtering heart in Ilia's chest nearly flatlined, but then soared so much higher than the spotted girl would have expected at the idea.
With even more shaky hands than before, the chameleon faunus reached out yet again, ever so slowly. Her fingertips just barely brushed against the small, fine hairs on the outside of the long ears-
"Just-"
Carmella's voice made Ilia quickly retract both hands, pulling them closer against her own chest.
"... Just be gentle, okay?"
The tone from the rabbit girl was completely different from moments ago. There was no teasing in her voice anymore, it almost sounded like... trepidation.
"...Are you sure about this?" Ilia asked. The last thing she wanted was for this to be uncomfortable for Carmella.
"I am," the other faunus answered quickly, not lifting her head to look at Ilia this time. "I mean, I've been touching your spots an awful lot lately, so it's only fair, right?"
With her friends tone slightly more convincing, Ilia relented, though with much greater hesitation now. She did manage to take a breath to return her skin and spots to their normal color at least, but her nervousness was still apparent. Her hands were shaking so much, it was like her skin was going to destabilize and fall right off her bones, and she was moving so slowly... so slow it felt like years were passing- regimes and civilizations rising and falling in the time it took for the chameleon girls hands to finally reach their target.
But eventually, they did.
Like she was handling the fragilest of glass, or the wings of a butterfly, Ilia held the rabbit girls ears between her thumbs and forefingers, and began rubbing them in small, slow circles.
They were about a hundred times softer than the ponytailed faunus ever could have imagined, and warm to the touch as well. The feeling of every little hair, as well as the smooth skin on the inside, filled Ilia with a kind of elation she'd never felt before.
There was a sudden sharp intake of air from Carmella that made Ilia release her grip, but not retract her hands entirely this time.
"S-sorry, did that hurt?" the worried faunus asked.
"No, no, I'm fine," Carm replied, sounding a little frazzled as she spoke. "That just... I-I wasn't expecting that to feel nearly as good as it does. Like, really, REALLY good."
The long eared faunus tilted her head again so she could look at Ilia. "Like I said, this isn't something I usually let people do," She explained, and it might have been the spotted girls imagination, but it looked like Carmella's cheeks were slightly tinted, but the other faunus quickly moved her head back into position, so Ilia didn't really get a good look.
"P-please, keep going."
Any part of Ilia's brain that might have noticed something going on was quickly shoved aside as the spotted girl resumed her "massaging" of the pair of long ears. This time, the chameleon faunus began moving her delicate grip up and down the length of the ears, ever so gently and methodically. Sure enough, Ilia quickly noticed Carmella's breathing begin to pick up again.
This continued on and on for some time, both faunus clearly enjoying this experience more than they'd thought they would. Then Ilia got an idea... a slightly mean idea, that maybe was a result of Carmella's earlier laughter at her expense.
With a sly smile, the chameleon girl began slowly dragging her fingers up and up Carm's long ears, running them between her thumb and pointer, taking her time on the long trek to their twin peaks.
Judging by the sound of the other faunus' increased breathing, Ilia could tell this action was having its desired effect.
It wasn't personal or mean spirited by any means. The chameleon girl just wanted to get back at the other faunus for her earlier teasing, and now that she knew just how sensitive Carm's ears were... well, how could she resist?
There was a mysterious thumping in the background of Ilia's sudden, brazen attack on Carmella's faunus trait that slipped past her notice at the time. The chameleon girl was far too entranced with the reaction she was receiving from the other girl. So much so that Ilia couldn't see the true reason behind Carmella's reaction to the stimulation, and the rabbit girl herself was far too lost in the sensation to explain or stop her.
Then, when Ilia got the pointed tips of Carm's long ears, she held each end between her fingers...
...and then gave both a pinch.
"Ah~"
An odd sound escaped Carmella's lips the moment Ilia's grip tightened, before being instantly stifled by both of the rabbit girls own hands which quickly clasped over her mouth.
It was a moan.
It had been short, cut off almost immediately, but both faunus had heard it. It had been unmistakable.
Carmella's body went rigid, her ears easily slipping out of Ilia's grip, which had loosened the second the high pitch noise had come out the other girls mouth. Both faunus were now staring face to face, on their knees, on the bed.
It was then that Ilia became aware of three things, all at once; First: was Carmella's furiously blushing face, it's pink shade not nearly at all hidden behind the other faunus' hands. Next: was just how fast her own heart was beating, and had been entire time, that having been the mysterious thumping in the back of her own mind. And lastly: was just how close Carm had sidled up next to her in order to give the spotted girl access to her ears.
It was just about as close as the two of them had been while asleep, except now both faunus were wide awake, face to face, with no room for a third between them.
In the wake of Carmella's sudden moan, both girls were frozen in place, and the laughter that had filled the room only moments ago was replaced with a deafening silence, as the two girls were locked onto each others mortified expressions.
Carm's hands slowly lowered to reveal the rest of her crimson colored face, as well as her tightly pressed lips. She looked like she wanted to say something- most likely an awkward apology if the chameleon girl had to guess- but after its recent betrayal, it was like Carm didn't trust her own mouth, so no words came out.
Ilia could see herself in the reflection of the rabbit girls eyes. She saw the shock on her own face at how some simple teasing on her part had evolved into something so much more heated and intimate. But then the shock melted away into something else, something... intense.
The chameleon girls eyes drifted downward, roaming over Carmella's form up close, taking in every curve, focusing in on areas like her exposed neck, and the smooth skin of her shoulder, revealed by the wide neck of the rabbit girls red t-shirt. Ilia felt her breathing begin to pick up and a warmth started to gather in her chest, which quickly began spreading across her body.
There was a part of Ilia that told her what she felt was wrong, but it was quickly silenced when she looked back to the long eared faunus' face. Gone was the mortification covering Carm's visage, and it was replaced by a different expression, with half-lidded eyes, a slightly open mouth, and a distinct pinkness to her cheeks. With one look, Ilia could tell Carmella was feeling the exact same thing she was.
Slowly, the chameleon girls frozen hands began to move of their own accord, closer to Carmella, her fingertips just grazing the other faunus' forearm, and just as the tension between the two faunus threatened to boil over, Carm suddenly darted back, disappearing briefly as she fell off the bed with a *thud* before hopping up to her feet and making a mad dash towards the bathroom.
"I'msorryIneedtouseyourshowerI'msorrybye," Carmella blabbered out before slamming the bathroom door behind her.
Ilia was still on the mattress, and hadn't even turned to watch the other faunus as she fled. She was still frozen in place, and remained so for several moments, until the sound of running water from the adjoining room began, at which point the chameleon girl collapsed face first onto the bed, where she let out a muffled scream into the sheets.
Okay now, what the hell was THAT!?
That was NOT what Ilia had been expecting to happen. She'd figured out that Carmella's ears were sensitive, sure, but how could she have known that her ears were THAT kind ofsensitive!?
After screaming out all her embarrassment, Ilia flipped over onto her back, her heart still thumping away, her body still pink, and when the hell did it get so hot in her hotel room?! Seriously, it felt like the temperature had jumped up about twenty degrees. Also, their was this... tingling sensation all over the young faunus' body.
Of course, Ilia's wasn't so naive as to not understand the motive behind her bodies intense reaction to all this, or Carmella's for that matter. She was seventeen for Brothers sake. She'd been to enough awkward health classes to know what was going on. Not to mention, she'd spent several years on the road with around a hundred or so random strangers. Naturally, people got together, things happened- well, not to her, of course, but, you know, other people- she'd seen and heard things, and there was more than one night Ilia had been made painfully aware just how little sound the canvas walls of a tent could block out.
Ilia couldn't resist a shudder at the memories.
Regardless of how... involuntary her introduction to the "birds and the bees" might've been, it had still provided Ilia with all the understanding she needed. However, understanding something and experiencing it first hand were entirely different.
The sensation had been so intense. In that moment she'd... wanted Carmella, in a way she'd never wanted anyone before. It was like her body was struggling for control, and control was a concept Ilia valued very highly when it came to her emotions. The feeling was completely foreign to her, not to mention embarrassing... but also not entirely unpleasant...
Oh Gods.
This was all too much, too fast, and judging by that reaction, Carm felt the same way.
Stuff like that... It was reserved for... you know, couples and stuff, and Carmella and her... they weren't... like... "together" together or anything...
...
... So what were they then?...
The question hit Ilia hard, and extinguished the remaining embers of the heated feelings she'd been experiencing.
What were they now? Carmella and herself?
The rabbit eared girl had decided to stay. Yes. That had been established, but what was next for them? Less than twenty four hours ago Ilia had been literal inches away from taking this relationship of theirs to a new level. The only thing that had stopped her advances was the reveal that they'd run out of time for the militias trip to Mistral, but now, the impromptu army had returned home (or at least most of them had) and Carmella was still here. They'd been given the time both faunus had so desperately wanted, an answered prayer, but what were they going to do with that time now?
Sitting up on the mattress, Ilia looked off to the side thoughtfully. The two of them were undoubtedly connected- in more ways that one. She knew what she wanted here, and she'd have to be damn near delusional at this point to deny the evidence that Carmella felt somewhere in the same neighborhood she did, but what was the chameleon girl supposed to do with that information?
Romance was pretty much at the top of a long, long list of things Ilia did not excel at. Her success last night had more or less been a fluke. Somehow she'd managed to stumble backwards into what had been a perfect moment between Carm and herself. Things had escalated naturally, and both of them had finally seemed ready to accept the others feelings. If it hadn't been for Kali's interruption...
No, Ilia couldn't find it in her heart to blame the entire mess on the cat eared woman. It was the chameleon girls own fear and insecurities that held her back time and time again when it came to Carmella. She knew she needed to act, but was afraid that trying to recreate such a perfect moment ran the risk of coming across as forced.
Plus... there was something else nagging at the ponytailed teen as well. Something Carmella had said earlier while on the truck ride back from the docks.
"...I need for you to respect that I made decision for myself. Not because of you, or anyone else..."
Carmella had chosen to stay, which was great, but according to her, she hadn't chosen to stay for Ilia?
Which was... good. That was what the chameleon girl had wanted to hear. Her biggest reason for pushing Carm away like she had was because she was worried about holding the other faunus back. Fortunately, her terrible, awful, ill-conceived plan hadn't worked, but now the rabbit eared teens words had a chance to marinate in the spotted girls brain, and like always, that led to overthinking.
Did Carmella really want the same things Ilia did?
She chose to stay so that she could reach her full potential, hone her skills, and maybe even one day achieve her dreams of becoming a full fledged Huntress. That could take years of training and dedication, or perhaps less, given the girls unbelievable potential, but still, it would require Carmella to focus all of her attention on that goal, and not allow herself to become distracted by anything.
If she confessed to the rabbit faunus, would Ilia become a... distraction?
... No, no that was stupid. That was just Ilia's insecurities talking again. This was what had almost cost her Carmella in the first place. The chameleon girl needed to silence those doubts before they even had a chance to set in. She knew how Carm felt about her, all she had to do was make a move.
... But then what if she said, "no?"
Another muffled scream rang out as Ilia grabbed a pillow off the bed, covered her face with it and yelled, her frustration at her own ineptitude with this subject overwhelming her momentarily.
This was all so confusing, and infuriating, not to mention impossibly difficult. Why couldn't Carmella just be the one to open up first? That'd solve almost every single problem here! Why did it feel like she was expecting Ilia to make the first move? How could she expect that? Carm knew her- more than most at this point- she had to know something like this would be nigh impossible for the socially crippled chameleon girl.
But what if that was exactly the reason why Carmella hadn't tried to take that step? Maybe she wanted Ilia to come to her? Like she was trying to coax a feral, abandoned cat into her home or something. Giving promises of love and affection to try and make the skittish and hurt animal feel safe enough to step through the threshold into a better life. Maybe that was what Carmella was trying to do?
... Or maybe Carm just hated her and was too polite to admit it.
With another loud groan, Ilia threw aside the pillow and crawled on her knees to the top of the bed, before intentionally smacking her head against the wooden wall several times.
"No, no, no, stop doing that," she told herself quietly, not standing for this self-sabotage anymore.
She liked Carmella, and Carmella liked her, she knew this. Hell, the moment the two had just shared was more than enough evidence to prove that. It was time to stop doubting that much at least.
But regardless, there was still that ever present fear of rejection in Ilia's mind that just wouldn't quit. A fear that told the chameleon girl that she was still reading things wrong. That if she put herself out there, exposed her most vulnerable side, all she would find was disappointment and heartbreak.
It was almost maddening, this endless back and forth in Ilia's mind, but she honestly had no idea what to do about it.
Giving her head one final, resigned "bonk" against the wall, the spotted girl let out a long sigh. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, forehead pressed against the cheap wallpaper of her hotel room. Eventually though, she heard the bathroom door open.
Ilia spun herself around quickly, turning so that she was casually sitting on the edge of the bed- mainly to try and hide the small mental breakdown she'd been experiencing.
Carmella was standing in the doorway, her short hair slightly damp from her quick shower. The first thing Ilia noticed was that the rabbit faunus was still wearing the same grass stained and dirty looking clothes she had been before showering, which made sense, given Carm's suitcase was still sitting in the corner of the hotel room where she'd left it upon her arrival. She'd probably been in such a rush to escape the awkward situation the long eared faunus hadn't realized she'd forgotten to grab a fresh set of clothes.
Speaking of awkward, the second thing Ilia noticed was the other faunus' face was still beet red, and that she was trying very hard to look at anything in the room other than the chameleon girl in front of her.
In the midst of her own mental struggle, the chameleon girl had managed to almost forget what had just happened... almost. However, upon Carmella reentering the room, it all came rushing back, and Ilia's spots went bright pink and she found herself quickly looking away as well. Silence filled Ilia's hotel room for several moments, both girl still too mortified to speak.
There was an odd swell of frustration in Ilia as the quiet stretched on. The two of them had been dancing this dance for over a week now, the dance where one of them gets oh so dangerously close to stepping over that line, but at the last moment they both stumble back and they end up right where they started, and if Ilia was honest; she was sick of it. Something needed to change, and nothing would if the two of them kept on like this. So, in a fairly uncharacteristic move, the chameleon girl decided it would be her who decided to speak up first.
"Carmella, I think that we-"
"T-Training!"
The rabbit girls sudden outburst cut off Ilia like a speeding train.
"Uhh... what?"
"W-well, I was just thinking- while I totally wasn't hiding in the bathroom a minute ago- about how we skipped training yesterday because of the rain," Carmella explained hyperactively, at a rate of about a million words a minute, "And then everything else happened, and we missed today too. So I figured since it's still light out and whatever, maybe we could, I don't know, get in a quick jog or some sparring and maybe get out of this hotel room and never think about any weird noises I might've made recently."
The rabbit faunus finished off her plea with a overly wide, desperate looking, and slightly unnerving smile.
Ilia stared at the other girl with her mouth hanging open slightly as she tried to recover from the case of mental whiplash Carm had just given her. She supposed the rabbit faunus DID have a point. Ilia couldn't remember the last time she'd missed a day of training, let alone two. Granted, the Grimm attack from earlier had most likely provided a more than adequate amount of physical (and mental) strain to make up for it, but the need for a daily, more structured form of exercise bordered on an obsessively compulsion for Ilia.
On top of all that, it was blatantly obvious Carmella wanted to escape this awkward situation as quickly as possible, and Ilia could hardly blame her. She really wanted to have a talk with Carm, but maybe a change of scenery would help her find the right words?
"I mean, I guess? If you want to," Ilia dejectedly accepted. She couldn't help but feel a little miffed about yet another road block appearing in her path
"Great!" Carmella exclaimed with obvious relief. Then the rabbit girl rushed over to her bag and began frenziedly rifling through her belongings, throwing many of her clothes onto the hotel rooms floor, before finally digging out Carrot Stix. "Let's go!"
Then the rabbit eared blur quickly exited the room, all before Ilia had even gotten off the mattress. The chameleon girl sighed despondently before reaching onto her nightstand, grabbing Lightning Lash, her scroll, and then went into the bathroom to change into one of her spare stealth suits, before leaving to catch up with Carmella.
The rabbit girl hadn't gotten far, having stopped in the hallway, just outside the stairwell, to wait for Ilia. She was clearly still having trouble maintaining eye contact with the chameleon girl after what had happened, and the still potent embarrassment radiating off Carmella just made it all the more difficult for the spotted faunus to bring up what was on her mind. So, the two left the hotel in silence and began the walk to the park, to their usual training spot.
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A/N- Yeah, sorry, splitting this chapter in half too.
I just can't see the point in uploading a 16k chapter for little to no feedback. Might as well split it into two so I can make two posts on social media alerting people to this stories existence. That way I'm more likely to get reviews and stuff. If that sounds desperate, then you're right! I am! That's just where I'm at now! lol (Thumbs up!)
Anyway, see you all next week for the conclusion to this little arc. Things sure got heated here, didn't they? I sure hope these overwhelming feelings don't result in something major happening between these crazy kids next chapter!
(Insert- "Sometimes foreshadowing is obvious"- meme here. Although at this point it's, like, five-shadowing)
Review. Do it. I'll wait. I'm outside your house.