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"Vitalani." He said suddenly, looking to the cub cradled in Nakshidil's arms. Fluffy, fluffy kitten, all new and unspoiled. They looked like they belonged together, and were certainly enjoying each other's presence. He hadn't thought much on raising the cub, and her mother's death, but as much as a shame it was...No, he was happy to have saved her young life.

A'Hallei groaned heavily as he shifted himself, mind heavy.
"I'm listening, if you want."

Lambent green eyes turned to her own dark canopy for a moment, regarding her gaze. Should he? Shouldn't he? What difference would it make? He didn't see anticipation or judgement in her eyes. His own flickered away, slightly ashamed.

Before long, he drew in a breath and started. At first it began a retelling of his youth, about Dian, and how he ran away to a treehouse in the nearby woods. He recalled Samsara, his twin brother, almost raping him then trying to kill himself. It became a story of how he met Makenna, and he couldn't help but sound still desperately in love, remembering the time they spent together. He was recounting how, out of protectiveness he crushed the hands of a boy who had been beating Kenna up at school before he could stop himself.

Then came the day Makenna left. No word, nothing. He was just gone. And A'Hallei had gone out to dinner with him, and thought all was well.
He learned when Makenna had returned, and out of joy, they spent the night together, only to learn he was sloppy seconds. Makenna had been with another man, and slept with him without telling A'Hallei. They broke up on the spot, which was when he left for the deeper woods.

A'Hallei was losing it by the end of the story. His normally silken voice had choked and become reedy with the onset of tears. He thought, after this time he was more or less emotionless about the ordeal.
"I'm a monster." He cried out suddenly, reaching up to hide the fluid confirmation of his sadness with his hands. They pooled around his fingers and fell free anyway, tracing the sides of his face.
"If I wasn't...Oh...If I wasn't." He shook his head, quaking. It was his turn to sob openly, Nakshidil being the first to witness the pale ghost crying since he was a young child.

A'Hallei shook his head swiftly. His teeth were clenched to prevent himself from speaking any further, the words bit back before they could be uttered. Taut shoulders rocked for a few moments more as he silently wept into his clenched hands. But soon the rocking stopped like a rowboat on a still lake, and A'Hallei pulled his hands back, revealing eyes not reddened, but sparkling with renewed agony. He pawed vainly at his sleeveless shift for something to wipe his eyes with.
"Sorry...sorry." He whispered, unable to meet Nakshidil's gaze again after what he told her, and he hadn't even mentioned the fits.

That stilled his foolish fumbling. Her full lips left a hot imprint on his chilled skin, and had he been in a more proper state of mind, he might have gasped from the unexpected sensation. He didn't make much sense. Silly boy was all out of sorts. He turned lampent eyes to Nakshidil, a gentle creature who just confused and delighted him. He didn't understand her, but ultimately was grateful for her presence. He twisted his right hand into his shift as he lay there to dry it, and reached out toward her to gently carress her temple, letting his strong hand slide into her raven hair.

Words failed him in that moment, stilled like a moth that had frantically beat itself against a lamp until at last, in a dazzling display, it exploded into a bright light and fell dead to the ground. With no small wonder he threaded his fingers through her long curly tresses, enjoying the way they slid between his digits.

A'Hallei leaned back as she crawled atop him, his arms finding their way around her slender waist, his hands resting on her hips. This certainly would be something if she were still nude. Still he could feel her heat radiating on him wherever she touched, on his lap, certainly, but also his sides where her thighs touched him.

Her lips suddenly were candles, lighting upon his other cheek, his forehead, pressing comforting kisses to him. He let his eyes flutter closed as sensation overtook him.
"Nak...N-Nak." He stammered, his voice still hoarse. She was suddenly too close, too hot, too soft and too inviting. A'Hallei felt himself stir to life beneath her, and tried vainly to will it away. He refused to let himself debase her in such a way.

To say it was a suprise to him would be an understatement. Now was not the time to be thinking such things, but suddenly the memory of her nude would not vacate his mind. As she leaned forward to kiss him again, her body rocked over his, and he had to bite back the groan even as she pressed her gentle lips to his own timid ones. What was wrong, what was right? A'Hallei's mind reeled for a moment, things were moving forward at a fast pace, and he was falling right along into it.

A'Hallei didn't press the kiss, nor did he shy away. Not like he could, up against the pillow like he was, but he didn't tweak out. Something about Nakshidil calmed his skittishness, even smothering away his revulsion to casual contact. But was this casual contact? His hands gripped her hips a little tighter, not enough to be painful, but a surer grip.

Nakshidil writhed atop him, and A'Hallei reacted, arching off the bed and taking her with him. He sucked in a hissing breath as he sank down to the sheets again. Forcing himself to think, he lifted her body slightly and moved her off his lap and higher onto his stomach, breathing heavily. He would not rush so into an intimacy deeper than what he already experienced with her. The last time he had was regretted intensely. That sort of impromptu union was not high on his appeal list at the moment.

His left hand left her hip to slide up her spine to her shoulders, locking her at that point on his body tightly. She folded down along his long body, relaxing against him with her head on his shoulder, breathing down his neck. It was hot, and tempting yes, her form and her breath made him dizzy with want and need, but sense for once won out. Oh, he wanted to let his hands continue to explore her, to find what touch matched what he saw from before. To lift her clothes away and take her away from this world, and to lead him with it. He wanted to kiss her soft dusky nipples he discovered peeking from under her hair and find the taste of the rest of her. He wanted to worship her maturing body in the orange light of the setting sun... Just thinking about it nearly drove him mad to know he wouldn't try it. Not yet...

He clung to her like a lifeline as he calmed down, glad she wasn't pushing him, encouraging him like Makenna would-- He tamped down the thought, focusing instead on the young woman in his arms. Soon, his tense hold on her body slackened, though he refused to let her slide back into his lap. He shook his head,
"Not now."

His pulse was fluttering for a long time after she had stilled her movements, though oddly still, he still was no warmer than he was a few minutes before this started. It took a lot for his pale body to produce a heat similar to that of a normal person's. Where her breath was hot against his skin, his own was similarly chilling, invoking a wonder he was alive at all.

Fortunately, Nakshidil knew places she could land reassuring touches that would not further stoke the passions welling within him. Innocent places, like gingerly rubbing the shoulder, or smoothing back his hair. His ear was a sensitive place, twitching slightly when touched, and iliciting a hitch in his breath. A'Hallei focused his gaze on the ceiling, staring at the patterns, and past them as he let himself calm down. It was a close call, too close. Nakshidil was a little temptress, bringing feelings out of him he didn't know he posessed for women.

The hand pressed against her spine lifted and dropped to her rear, helping the other support her body off his lap. A'Hallei swallowed roughly, wondering if he could trust his voice to be clear again.

Vitalani, who until then had been placantly napping off to the side made herself known again after abour twenty minutes of their lying there in silence. She blinked large eyes at her caretaker, now mysteriously covered by another body. It took a moment for her to realize it was the woman on top of him, curled up so serenely, eyes closed.

But hunger called to the cub. She mewled softly, which was at her age somewhere between a meow and a peep, like a bird. She plodded across the sheets to A'Hallei and propped her paws up against his shoulder as she leaned up to sniff at the side of his face.

Neon orbs dropped to her side, meeting wide golden orbs, then turned back up to Nakshidil, who seemed asleep on his chest. He was loathe to move her, but cubs starved easily. First he wondered if there would be suitable food in the kitchen for the cub, then he wondered if she was unconcious, or just resting against him. Watching her with intent focus, he smoothly turned to his side, allowing her to roll off his compact body and onto the sheets beside him. He was careful not to jar her in the least, sitting up once she was settled beside him.

Absently he rubbed the warm patch of his neck where she was breathing as he scooped up cub and slipped from the bed, favoring his bad leg still.