"C'mon, China, please?"
"No. And it's Chinara'fola to you."

Bakari literally wilted. This had gone on for a few days after the storms had passed. Their fight hadn't exactly resolved itself, but at least they weren't yelling back and forth anymore. Heated words had been exchanged, but to Chinara, the only words that hurt her were the ones the golden male hadn't said; instead, he only gave her a guilty look to imply their true relationship. She plowed ahead through the grass as she recalled the look.

The male had had enough. He ran ahead of her in an attempt to block her path, and put his paws up.
"Look, just… please, hear me out, okay?" he begged.
Chinara's tail gave an angry flick, but her face remained only mildly agitated. She stopped, and sat down, with an expectant look a mother would give to her child's excuses. At this, Bakari's eyes lit up a little. He gave a small sigh.
"Okay, I know you have every right to be mad at me. I did some very stupid things."
"Hurtful things."
"…Hurtful things. Yes. And I know you're never going to forgive me for them. That's okay, too. But I want to apologize, honest! It's just… when I think about my mate…"
Bakari's voice drifted off as he looked off into the sky. His face showed a mixture of guilty and worry. Chinara gave an irritable sigh and rolled her eyes.
"Bakari, this is why you're in the mess you're in," she announced to the clueless male. He looked quizzically at her, and she continued.
"You only think about your mate when you're with me. You think about the repercussions it'll have on your relationship with her. 'Oh, if she ever found out!'"
"Well can you blame me?! I'm the one that ran out on her!"

The words became more and more heated as the two faced each other now. Bakari was feeling a little defensive, and Chinara felt as though it was like talking to a boulder. As the argument continued, they were both coiled tight like springs, ready to snap at any moment.
"You told me you were miserable!"
"Maybe I was! What does it matter?! Our kids probably left her, as well!"
"Bakari…!"

He suddenly shifted away, pacing back and forth as though he was caged. And he certainly felt he was.
"Gods, if she knew I was still alive…!" he thought aloud. "She'd-she'd never forgive me for this. I have to go back to her. I have to go b-"

A heavy blow to the face suddenly knocked the lion out of his ramblings, jarring him a little. He staggered and stumbled, before looking slowly over at Chinara. He couldn't believe she just did that! Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Bakari, just shut up!" she snarled. "Just shut the hell up! Look at you. You're letting her dominate your life without even being here! Do you want to go back to a life of being miserable? Do you want to lie to everyone around you about who you really are? Bottling everything up again? DO YOU?!"

As she yelled some sense into him, Bakari's face sunk, and he slowly looked guilty again. She was right. Latifu had haunted him into a guilt-tripping wreck. He glanced down at the ground, shifting his paws around in the dirt.
"Then what should I do…?" he pleaded helplessly. He had no idea where to go from here.
"How the hell should I know?!" was the angry reply. After a few moments, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her features softened a little. "Just… find something you want. Something that will make you happy."
"Why? Why me?"
The female couldn't help but give a pitying chuckle, shaking her head.
"Everyone's entitled to some happiness, Bakari. Even a nutjob like you."

At this slight jab, a small smile found its way onto his scarred face. He looked down at the ground, seeing his paws… and hers, just across. He absent-mindedly noted the way her white arms complimented her orange body. The way her toes curved, almost delicately. A fluttering of his heartbeat stirred up the feelings he'd felt just a little over a week ago. He'd promptly bottled them up as soon as Chinara woke up from her nap, but… maybe now…?

Going out on a limb, he slowly slid a paw over to hers, resting it on top of hers. Chinara blinked rapidly, before looking up at Bakari for some kind of explanation. But all she found was a gentle smile, slightly red cheeks, and two lovely lilac eyes.
"U-uh…" she stammered out gracelessly.
"What do you think?" he asked quietly. The golden male's face shifted momentarily into a serious one. "Look, Chinara, I… I think it could work. I mean it."

The orange female sat silently for a while, her face reddening as time slipped by. It had been a long, LONG time since she'd received this kind of attention. She finally shot a glance to Bakari.
"Is… is this what you want?"
"Only if you do, too."

She chewed on her lip; he certainly was better than Ezeoha, that's for sure. But… this stuff with his past family and mate… but maybe, maybe she could help him forget that. Teach him to have a happy life, to be accepted for who he really is. Emotional baggage and all. Chinara slowly smiled, signaling her response.

Feeling empowered by Chinara's smile, Bakari couldn't help but smile widely back, before leaning in to nuzzle her. She smelled a little like fresh rain and wild grass, and it was a little intoxicating. So soft... the female thought briefly as she nuzzled back, burying her head deeper into the side of his neck.
"I could learn to love you," he murmured quietly into her ear. Chinara felt her heart speed up as his whiskers tickled the back of her neck.
"I could too, but… it's going to take time."

The two pulled back from one another. Bakari gave a half-flirtatious, half-confident smile.
"We've got all the time in the world, haven't we?" he replied. Chinara chuckled and nodded, before her features softened. They had forever to love each other, and it still wouldn't be enough time.

WC: 1047