I Know It's 2am, but...

Lucidity · Jul 10, 2018

Nova had barely made it past her snoozing brother before she took off running. She didn't think she'd ever see the day when she'd be sneaking out for a boy, let alone a boy from a VR, but...she could make an exception.

She wanted to see him.

...Which was weird, she knew, and she'd have to sign herself into a mental asylum after school but when it was 2am and she was running barefoot in her pajamas to go see him, it was one of the last things on her mind. Her phone vibrated in her hand just as her eyes fell on the trees of Oceania Park. With a flick of one ear she kept running until the leaves blocked out the moon.

And immediately realized that this place was huge and she never actually told Eric where in the park to meet. She checked her phone only to see she was out of range of any free wifi she could use to send another message, and she let out a groan. A cold breeze brushed by, and Nova pulled her scarf a little tighter around her neck. She'd just have to find him the old-fashioned, quiet way. By walking some more.

Nova made her way down a trail in the park, turning her head this way and that as she looked for any sign of the boy from the VR.

∞

@Nameless

Nameless · Jul 11, 2018

Sneaking out was easy. It wasn't even sneaking out. It was just another night looking around the woods. At least that was what Eric counted on being his alibi. Only, he really only did that when he transformed, but he was sure no one would bat an eye to where he was. They were all fast asleep. Oz was right outside to greet him. Perfect! He could introduce him to Nova, just like she asked. Eric shifted into his wolf form, figuring that it was the fastest way to the park where he'd meet her. He took off sprinting, with Oz following curiously along. Once he got to the city, he slowed down a bit to weave through the people until he finally got to one of the entrances to the park. Once he was there, he shifted back. He was wearing his jeans, shoes, shirt and a jacket. It was his standard outfit, nothing special. Well, except for the stone in his pocket that Oz found. It was when he was looking into the vastness of the park did he realize that he didn't know where exactly to meet Nova. With a quick scan on his phone, there was not a single thing in their text that told him where they'd meet. He should have thought that out. No matter, if she was already there, he could get her scent, so he didn't need to worry. Sniffing the air from time to time as she made his way into the park, he kept his nose out to get a whiff of Nova. As he was doing this, Oz perched on his shoulder. Lazy bird. A few minutes in, he found her scent and quickly followed it. A short while later, he found her. He took in a sharp breath to call out to her, but for some reason, his heart gave a single pulse that seemed to choke his words. He shook his head and tried again, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Hey Nova! Over here!" he called out before jogging to her. "Wh-- Why are you in your pajamas?"

Lucidity · Jul 11, 2018

Nova didn't think her heart could jump so high when she heard her name being called. In fact, she didn't think her heart could jump so high period--but maybe that was just how it was when you were a cat. She turned until her eyes fell on the boy she was looking for, and she smiled.

"Eric!" she called back, walking quickly to meet him partway. "Did anyone see you?" She went to say something else only to stop and blink and look down at herself when he asked. Dressed only in a scarf, a t-shirt, and a pair of pajama shorts, she sure didn't look prepared for the night-time breeze that was leaving goosebumps on her skin. Her smile faltered. "O-oh..." Her cheeks started to burn as she looked sheepishly back up at him. "I slept in these...I guess changing kinda slipped my mind when you were texting me. I at least grabbed a scarf, but..."

Her eyes shifted to the raven on his shoulder and lit up. "Oh, is that Oz? He looks so cool and dark! I've never been this close to a raven before. Or any bird, really," she laughed. "You two look like best buds. How long has it been since you met him?"

Nova's head was abuzz as she spoke to him, and she could only hope she didn't sound like a total idiot (even though she looked like one, dressed like this). She was way too jittery and excited for 2 am, but the feelings from the simulation just wouldn't go away. Did Eric feel the same way? She needed a breath of fresh air--except she was surrounded by it and it sure didn't feel like it was helping.

Just calm down, Nova. Deep breaths.

When Nova managed to clear her head at least a little, she could suddenly feel just how cold it was--and it was summer-time in Manta Carlos. She readjusted her scarf as she tried to get her mind back on track. But one thing was still stuck on it... "Are you--um...n-nevermind."

♥

Nameless · Jul 13, 2018

"No, I don't think so. But if they did, they'd probably think I just went to the woods to scare same deer," he told her reassuringly. Although "Hunt" would be a better word for it, but he didn't want to scare her off. He'd have to me sure he doesn't mention going feral on full moons. Despite it not being a problem in recent years, he'd possibly sound like a monster. That worry aside, Eric was a bit concerned that Nova might freeze over in this weather. It was pretty chilly out, but she should be fine. Right? His attention went to the bird on his shoulder who cocked his head to the side to examine the catgirl. Oz didn't look scared, but it seemed as though his gaze was piercing through Nova. Oz turned his head to the side, facing away from Eric, one eye on Nova. "It's been a couple of years. He started following me and then I just fed him scraps. He doesn't like coming inside though." Eric move his hand underneath the raven and Oz hopped on Eric's finger. He moved the bird closer to Nova. "Don't worry, he's harmless." Nova's excitement didn't seem off to Eric. He just assumed that was how Nova was, like how Colette can't seem to settle down. He did see Nova adjust her scarf though, probably getting the chills from the air. No surprises there with the way she dressed. Sensing Eric's oncoming decision, Oz gave a might flap and hopped onto Nova's head. "Oz! Stop that, you'll scare her!" Eric told the bird who didn't move, before he looked away for a moment to take off his jacket and offered it to Nova, not making eye contact. "Here," he said with his voice getting shaky.

Lucidity · Jul 14, 2018

"Scare some deer," she said with a little laugh. "That sounds fun--kinda like cow-tipping! My litter used to love to do that kind of stuff. Do you not hunt them or anything? I've met a few people who like to do that, but I guess others think it's kind of base." She wondered if Eric was a hunter too, but she knew some wolf shifters were more...conscious about that sort of thing? Maybe...

Nova was brought out of her thoughts when Eric moved the raven closer to her. She wanted to touch Oz's feathers to see if they felt as silky as they looked, but the piercing stare was making her think twice. "Really? I didn't think a lot of birds lived that long! Maybe I should do some more research when I get home...Can I touch him?"

She ignored the urge to shiver and dance to warm herself up, and she inched her hand towards Oz's feathers despite her hesitation. Nova gasped and her eyes widened to the size of saucers when he lunged for her--only to sit on top of her head like she wasn't an unfamiliar cat person. Nova had to reassure herself that no, Oz was not going to peck her eyes out because it decided it suddenly didn't like her, and then she started to relax.

Nova watched as Eric took off his jacket and held it out to her. It took her a second to realize he was offering it to her, and her cheeks started to heat up as she reached to gently take the jacket from him. Her chest started to feel all warm and fuzzy and light. "Thank you," she said softly, staring wide-eyed at him. She just held the jacket for a few seconds before she moved to put it on, careful not to disturb the raven on top of her head.

While she felt guilty that Eric was probably going to get cold now, she thought it was sweet that he must've cared more about her well-being. It made her smile. She unconsciously snuggled into the jacket and let out a soft breath as she looked at him, mystified. It was hard to gather her thoughts when she was enveloped in the warmth of his jacket, so she was quiet for a moment.

"Are you still thinking about the VR thing..?" she asked. Her voice wavered a little as well, if only because she had to make a conscious effort not to word-vomit all over him and freak him out. Everyone (Nova) knew boys couldn't handle talking about their feelings very well (but she really only knew this from watching her brothers). "Fresh air helps me a lot when I'm trying to think about stuff."

♥ ♥

Nameless · Jul 15, 2018

"Cow tipping?" his eyes went a bit wide at that. He really didn't take Nova to be able to tip cows, though she did mention the rest of her litter. But then she asked if he hunted. Dreadful. After trying not to say it that way. "Yeah, sometimes..." He hoped hunting didn't come up, but it did and he didn't want to lie about it. If he did, that would just but him back in the future. When Nova took the jacket off his hand, Eric went to tuck his hands into his jacket, the jacket he had given, so it just looked like he was patting himself down for something he lost, but he quickly recovered and tucked his hands in his pockets. He repeated to himself to not think about that embarrassing bit he did and try not to draw attention to it. He looked to Nova when she put the jacket on. She looked as if the jacket was going to swallow her whole. It was definitely a few sizes too big for her, but she looked a lot more comfortable. "Don't mention it." For one reason or another, seeing her bundled up in his jacket filled him with the same feeling he got when Lee and Nova from the VR had been alone in the pod room together; warmth washed over him, especially to his cheeks and his heart felt like he had just been running. In that moment, Nova asked if he was still thinking about the VR thing. For a moment he looked surprised. Did she read his mind, or was his face doing something weird to make it obvious? He then remembered that that was the last thing they talked about before meeting up, and he felt a bit relieved at that. "A little bit... You?"

Lucidity · Jul 16, 2018

"Cute," she murmured. Nova had watched as Eric went to put his hands into pockets that weren't there anymore, and it made her giggle and grin. And it was only then that she realized that yes, she just said that out loud and now she was blushing and ducking her head lower into his too-big jacket. It took a lot not to smell it like a creep, but her strong nose was making that kind of hard and it only made her blush more.

Her heart jumped when he said he was still thinking about it. The VR thing. Nova didn't know why it had done that--she still didn't even know what he was actually thinking about. "A little bit, yeah..." she said, her eyes searching Eric's face. Her eyebrows furrowed a little when she thought she saw color in his cheeks--was he already starting to get cold? She bit her lip and glanced around for a second in thought.

Nova started to pull off her knitted scarf, thinking it just wasn't fair that she was hoarding all the warm things while he froze his butt off at 2am. She moved closer to gently wrap the scarf around Eric's neck, her movement slow so she wouldn't scare him off. "You looked kind of cold too, so I hope this is okay.. Should we go find someplace warm?"

She wrapped his jacket tighter around her. "I--the VR..." It was hard trying to find words for what she was wanting to ask--it was hard even thinking of what to ask, but it was on both of their minds right now and it was hard to just forget. "...Do you regret it?"

♥ ♥

Nameless · Jul 17, 2018

Eric decided to ignore the 'cute' comment. Tried to at least. The blush on his cheek definitely said he heard that, but he tried to play it off. Yeah, she definitely saw that awkward moment. Again, he reminded himself not to think about it. It wasn't working. What made him think about something else was the fact that Nova told him that she was also thinking about the VR. Nova removed her scarf and started to wrap it around him. "H-hey, you don't have to--" He tried to protest since it really seemed like she needed the warmth more than he did, but before could even go half way with that the scarf was wrapped around his neck. Then Nova told him that he looked a little cold too before asking if they should go someplace warmer. "U-uh, thank you. Did you have a place in mind?" Did he regret the VR? Did she mean going to it, or having done what he did in it? Eric was a bit nervous. He didn't know how to say it. He had strung a sentence or two, but it felt a bit too direct? He couldn't bring himself to say it that way. "I... don't regret it. You know that... when you have... you ever had that dream where you're fighting with someone and you wake up still angry at them? Well... how do I say this... I... waking up from the VR... it... it felt like that... but... I wasn't angry, you know. It... its... Ah... how do I say this... the feeling stuck. After I woke up... it kind of... stuck..."

Lucidity · Jul 18, 2018

Nova was silent as Eric tried to explain himself and the feeling he'd mentioned before. She was silent even after he'd finished, wondering did she just hear that right? Her heart was light, hovering and waiting with a bated breath of its own for the answer. It felt like forever before she could move her body, frozen not even from the chill that she'd since forgotten. Tucking a lock of her hair away from her burning face, she did her best to form a coherent answer from the jumble of everything she wanted to say.

"The feeling, stuck...I think...I feel the same," she said softly. She started to fidget with the sleeve of her (his) jacket, still unable to forget that it was on her. "You...What...What do we do?" From here, she meant to say. But then she wondered about the right now--what do you do when the person you have feelings for confesses reciprocation? Should she hold his hand? Walk away? Take him someplace warmer while holding his hand? Except she couldn't even focus on where a warm place would be, she just wanted to stay right here with him.

The emotions were almost overwhelming--this moment, wearing Eric's jacket, him wearing her scarf, his moment of cute awkwardness, his answer, having run to meet one another at 2am, no one but them aware of this. Her throat felt tight. Her legs felt like they'd disappeared.

She moved closer one small step at a time and wrapped her arms around him, hesitating just a second before resting her head against the top of his chest.

"Is this...okay?"

♥ ♥ ♥

Nameless · Jul 21, 2018

Eric felt so queasy when Nova said she felt the same. That alone triggered something. He could feel his heart running circles in his chest. All he could do was stammer, failing to find any words. If he felt a sick trying to explain, he definitely felt sick now. There was a storm in his stomach, like the first time he'd ever been in front of everybody, like his stomach was bubbling and twisting around and he could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. He was very nervous, more than that time he shared something with the class for show and tell when his younger siblings went before him and got a lot of praise and he didn't know how to match up. But this, this feeling was more extreme with the added pressure of not having anything prepared to say. How he wished the world was just as frozen as he was. Well, he wasn't exactly frozen in place, he could move his hand to scratch the back of his neck while smiling stupidly. He was happy and nervous at the same time, he couldn't stop himself from smiling but he tried to because he felt he was smiling way too much, which only made him look even weirder. All that worry would then just turn to panic when Nova asked what they'd do. How the heck would he know? He'd never been like this before, he wouldn't know what to do in the first place, or any place for that matter. He was hoping the inner Lee would come out and do something. Just like in the VR, just take over and do what needed to be done, but nothing came out of it. All he could do was string together sounds that could have meant something in an alien language. And then it seemed like his eyes were zooming in on her, but she had just moved forward, bit by bit and then wrapped her arms around him. His heart felt like he was going to explode, he could hear his heartbeat drumming wildly in his ears and he could easily be mistaken for a mutant tomato right now with how red his face had gotten. "Th-this... this is okay, yeah," Finally that inner Lee woke up. Eric remembered what Lee wanted to do when he was right besides Nova and Eric followed it through. His arms wrapped around her body, squeezing Nova a little as he rested his head right beside hers. "This is fine." Eric did worry a little though. Could she hear or feel his heartbeat? He couldn't tell if he could feel hers because every nerve in his body was just tingling.

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