Shells | Lo'ak Sully

Part 11 - Accepted

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(POV: Ni'teya)

Light shon into my eyes, waking me up from my sleep. I had forgotten that I couldn't exactly move without a piercing shock of pain going through me, which is exactly what occurred as I tried to raise myself up from the floor.

The boy that was still sound asleep beside me somehow didn't hear me moving, allowing me to come to my senses before he woke up. I soon after looked down to the bottom of my arm, discovering the boy's hand still stuck to mine. If I wasn't feeling as kind as I did then, I would've shoved it off pronto. However, last night's memories came back to me, letting me relive it a little, the bad and good parts.

We hadn't slept closely side-by-side, instead, I was laying on the opposite side to where my wound was, with my legs curled up and my hand with his, him doing the same only the mirrored version.

He was much nicer than I thought he was, which I thought about for a moment. I unnecessarily thought about the possibility that maybe he'd felt like he'd won something over me, having saved me for once instead of it being the other way around - which I knew he hated completely. I shrugged that thought off, though, concluding that if that in fact was true, then he would definitely have left before morning came.

Lo'ak was so still as he slept, allowing me to monitor a different side to him than that of the stupid and grumpy one I was so familiar with. As he breathed, his ears would sometimes twitch, making me flinch the first time it happened. I traced my free hand's index finger across his forehead, making my way down his nose, soft enough so that he couldn't feel it, noticing every freckle, every detail. He was actually, like, okay looking I supposed.

My curiosity got the better of me soon after, as I reached out for his satchel and inspected it thoroughly.

That did it, I could hear his breathing become irregular, allowing me time to jolt back to my former position and act innocent. He rubbed his eye with one hand, not moving the other that was still attached to mine, making me also realise that I had never let go. When I tried to do so, he quickly grabbed my wrist, stopping me, caught in his surprisingly strong grip for someone who'd just woken up seconds ago.

"Where are you going?" he yawned, still having not opened his eyes, much to my amusement.

I laughed a bit, "nowhere. Get up!" I demanded, finally making him open his eyes and quit rubbing them as he had been constantly doing.

"Yes, yes I'm awake. I'm awake" He didn't sound very convincing. He then hoisted himself upwards, still clinging to my wrist, stretching himself to properly wake up.

"Right. Now it's your turn." Lo'ak suddenly stated, rising up onto his two feet, making my arm stretch up as far as it could go. I scowled at him, not wanting to face the future's events.

He began by crouching back down, deciding he knew what he was doing, which, (spoiler alert) he didn't. He wrapped my arm around his neck, allowing me a sort of, stabilizer? I suppose. Next, he counted down from three, making me do the rest of the work except for him pulling me upwards and onto my own two feet. On the way, I let out a few sharp hisses because he'd stretched my body as he pulled me, making my wound sting.

"You all set?" He asks, rushing the process.

"Yes, yes, just give me a second!" I snap at him, annoyed by the pain.

I readjust his arm around my body, doing the same to mine which was wrapped around his, and decided I was ready to begin walking.

He counted down from three again, this time making me step forward once with both feet. I soon discovered that the leg on the side of the wound would hurt as I lifted it, making walking seem impossible with only one leg. Lo'ak reassured me however, commenting on how I should treat him as my other leg, which made no sense but I guess it helped slightly.