The Green and the Violet

The Morning After

"So what now? I mean, I know that I have to make it up to everyone, especially Martin, but what about us?"pondered the Kratt in green.
"What do you want us to be?" Aviva said flirtatiously, winding her arms around Chris, batting her eyelashes.
Blushing furiously, Chris murmured softly under his breath, while placing his hands on the smalls of her back, "I would like to give us a chance."
"I'm sorry. What?"
"I said I would like to give us a chance. I do have feelings for you."
"I would like that. And I have deep feelings for you too. For quite some time actually." Aviva smiled and leaned in to capture Chris's lips in another passionate kiss once again that night; however, this time, he didn't take a long time to return the kiss. When they parted, Chris whispered softly into Aviva's ear, "Now I have another reason to live to come back home."
Humming in happiness, Aviva whispered back, "And just know that we will always be there, waiting."
  But soon, tiredness was starting to reclaim its hold on the creature adventurer. "It's getting pretty late."said Chris with a yawn. "I think I'll turn in for the night." With that, the Kratt in green began to make his way towards his hammock. But he didn't go far when he felt a soft touch on his good shoulder.
"Chris?"
"Hmm?"
"I was wondering if–if.. forget it. It's silly."
"C'mon, Aviva."replied the drowsy Kratt with a gentle smile. "Nothing you say can be any sillier than me and Martin's shenanigans."
"Hmm. Good point."
"Besides, you can tell me anything."
Aviva couldn't help but play with her hair as she stammered. "Well, I couldn't get any sleep, so I was wondering if.. I could umm..sleep with you tonight?"
Chris was caught by surprise to say the least. Just several minutes ago, they had unveiled their their inmost feelings, opening their hearts to one another for the very first time. And now she was requesting to share the same hammock. But it made sense the more that the young Kratt pondered over it. If anyone needed a goodnight's sleep, it was definitely Aviva; she had almost lost him today and it was reasonable to conclude that his presence by her side should reassure her that he was there, in spite of the close call earlier that day.
"Umm... Okay."he answered with a beaming smile. Without anything more to say, the new couple quietly made their way to Chris' designated resting quarters in the tree he shared with Martin.
"After you."said the young Kratt with a slight bow, earning a giggle from the inventor. Such a gentleman..she thought.
Once they settled into the green hammock, Chris could feel blood rushing to his cheeks as he shyly wrapped his right arm on Aviva's shoulder. She didn't seem to mind and simply snuggled closer to him, causing his blush to deepen.
"G'night, Aviva."
"Goodnight." Embraced in each other's arms, it wasn't long before they drifted off to sleep.
..... (BG Music: Waloyo Yamoni by Christopher Tin *2:30)
  Morning light slowly rose above the African horizon, chasing away the darkness of night. As the fog lifted, the whooping of zebras could be heard as the striped equines grazed on the dew soaked grasses and raced through the savannah in blurs of black and white, their calls mingling with the morning choruses of the birds singing and warbling in the acacia trees. Elephants bathed in the relative cool of the nearby river as scores of hippos were lumbering down the banks, returning from a good night's grazing. From atop a high termite mound, the local cheetah surveyed the golden grasslands for the morning meal. And in the distance, the mighty bellows of He-Who-Breathes-Fire echoed across the woodlands as he patrolled his pride's territory.
As the sun's morning rays filtered through the Tortuga's sunroof, inside the HQ, Martin yawned loudly as he jumped down from his hammock, stretching his arms to rid them of the sleepy feeling at their tips. The Kratt in blue was just about to check in on his gunshot brother when he noticed something rather shockingly unusual: Chris snoozing peacefully in his hammock, his arms around... Aviva?
After taking a snapshot of the snoozing couple from his Creaturepod, the older Kratt dug through his backpack, its contents littering the floor. "Rubber chicken? Nope. Slingshot? Nope. Boomerang? Nah. Teddy bear? That's not it. Halloween mask? Mm-mm. Ooh, chocolate bar. Ah-hah! Here we are.."
Stirred by the African morning song from outside, Chris' eyes slowly fluttered open, greeted by the sight of Aviva sleeping peacefully in his arms. It was definitely no dream. A blush adorned his features as he recalled the events the night before, as well as the realization of his hand on her waist. But she didn't seem to mind as she mumbled something unintelligible as she continued to doze. She sure is beautiful when she's sleeping, he thought with a smile before closing his eyes once more....
... Before the morning tranquility was shattered by the blaring trumpeting of a cornet being played by a certain Kratt in blue. The loud music had the desired effect of waking the rest of the crew, especially a certain couple who nearly fell out of their respective hammock in their shock, landing on one another. What's more, a very distinctive song was being played. However, Martin's merriment was soon brought to an abrupt end by an old gym sock rammed up the brass instrument by an angry technician.
"Are you out of your mind?!"exclaimed Koki, glaring daggers at Martin who smiled sheepishly. If looks could kill, he would have fallen on the spot.
"The Wedding March? Seriously, bro?" interjected Chris, who was equally unamused by his older brother's antics.
"Who's getting married?"muttered Jimmy Z groggily, rising from his hammock like a zombie crawling out of its coffin.
**** Half an Hour Later...****
Breakfast was being served on the central round table. Martin was seated at Chris' right, who in turn, was next to Aviva while Koki and Jimmy were on the opposite side, all enjoying a fresh meal of bacon and cheese omelette. Even as he wolfed down his chow, the older Kratt's eyes never left a certain couple as they exchanged shy glances. Chris reached out for the roll of napkins only for his hand to make contact with Aviva's, who also had her eyes on the napkins.
"Sorry!"exclaimed the wide eyed pair simultaneously, neither of them releasing their grip.
"No, you're good."said the Kratt in green with a nervous chuckle. "Go ahead. Ladies first."
"No, no. You go, Chris."replied the inventor.
"Oh c'mon, Aviva. I insisted!"he persisted, his face reddening bashfully. This scene drew the attention of the rest of the gang, who tried to conceal the laughter which threatened to bubble from their lips. Once the napkin dilemma was solved, Aviva cast a wink at Chris, who broke contact shyly, hiding a blush that earned a muffled giggle from the former.
"Thanks for breakfast, Jimmy."said Martin, addressing the redheaded pilot.
"No problemo."answered said redhead with his mouth full, laid back comfortably on his chair.
"Boy, I'm stuffed."remarked Koki as her hand muffled a small belch.
   Aviva and Chris then shared knowing looks before the latter rose to his feet. It was time to acknowledge the elephant in the room. "Everyone. May I have your attention please?" The rest of the team promptly looked up in Chris' direction, eager to hear what he had to say; to them, he was more than just a member of the team, he was also seen as their leader, the one who's intelligence and levelheadedness kept everyone together. Upon seeing an encouraging nod from Aviva, the young Kratt cleared his throat before he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Aviva and I have been talking last night. What I did yesterday was stupid to say the least; I was really determined to save He-Who-Breathes-Fire's cubs, even at the cost of my own life. I wasn't thinking straight, and I decided– I decided that I didn't care about my life–"
Upon hearing this confession, the trio gasped in shock and horror.
"You what?!"exclaimed JZ, nearly falling out of his seat.
Aviva momentarily looked away, remembering Chris' angry outburst the night before. 
  "Don't you dare say that you don't care about your life, bro!"thundered Martin, who was on the verge of tears as he now stood before his younger brother, anger mixed with sadness. "If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do! I–I'd never forgive myself." Besides Aviva, Martin had been the most worried out of the team; he had been the first to attack and apprehend the poachers in lion form, and had Koki and Jimmy let the Kratt in blue have his way, he would have exacted his revenge on the cold hearted ruffians who had nearly ended Chris' life. It wasn't until Chris had regained consciousness that Martin's uncharacteristic rage and sadness left him.
The gunshot Kratt heaved a sigh. "I know. I failed to realize that there were also others who really cared about me, my friends. My family, and– I nearly broke their hearts. What I did was reckless and irresponsible on my part. So I say that I'm done being a creature martyr." Taking a deep breath, he finished in a voice barely above a whisper, thick with emotion: "I– I'm sorry."
For the longest time, no one spoke.
  "Not cool, dude."said Jimmy, his arms crossed, a dark look on his usually passive features. "You scared the cuss out of us. But I forgive you. I'm just too lazy to hold a grudge."
Without warning, the technician came and thwacked the back of Chris' head. "Oww! What was that for?"he asked, clutching his cranium.
"That was for scaring the bejiddles outta me, ya crazy nut-job."answered the technician, staring hard with her piercing brown eyes. She then added with a smile, "But I forgive you too."
"Don't ever do that again bro," said the Kratt in blue rather seriously, crossing his arms. But then his smile returned as he added with a wink,"at least not without me."
"Is there something else you two wanna tell us?"asked Koki, arms folded, unable to contain her ever growing smirk as she observed how close Chris and Aviva were clinging to each other. More so than usual. Hands intertwining.
"Yeah. Are you two like a thing?"added JZ, his expression almost mirroring Koki's. The older Kratt simply stood there, a smug grin adorning his features. "Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes!"he canted half to himself. The pair blushed furiously, exchanging glances.
"Oh alright. Me and Chris are officially together." Aviva had hardly finished when– "I knew it!" the Kratt in blue cheered triumphantly, practically jumping into the air.
"Chris and Aviva, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-OWW!" Martin's teasing came to an end upon receiving an elbow to the ribs from a not so amused Chris.
"Aww..."said the computer whizz with puppy eyes.
"Well it's about time."stated the redhead nonchalantly, his right thumb up in approval.
"Congratulations, guys! We're so happy for y'all!"cheered Koki before, without warning, she grabbed Chris by his shirt collar, making close eye contact with the creature adventurer. "But let me start you off with a word of warning: that's my bestie you're dating. So let me tell you something, Chris Kratt, if you do anything to break Aviva's heart, I will bury you ten feet under, and not even creature powers will save you. Capiche?"
"Don't worry, Koki."he answered earnestly, throwing up his hands innocently. "I would never hurt Aviva. That's a promise." This seemed to reassure the technician who released her hold.
"If you two lovebirds are done making googly eyes, I'm gonna go visit He-Who-Breathes-Fire's pride."declared the Kratt in blue. "Maybe even have a few sparring lessons. I've been practicing." To emphasise his point, Martin struck a ridiculous Kung fu pose, making outlandish karate noises while striking fists and chops in thin air before tripping himself while performing a roundhouse kick. Needless to say, this caused the rest of the team to roar in laughter as the creature adventurer picked himself up off the floor.
"See ya!" No more was said as the Kratt in blue raced out of the Tortuga, eager for the adventure ahead.
"Wait up, bro!" But Chris didn't go very far when the inventor's hand fell upon his wounded shoulder.
"Hold it! I gotta check that shoulder first."
"Hehe, oops. Guess I forgot."he replied sheepishly as Aviva rolled her eyes in amusement. "I just need to get the first aid kit real quick." With that, she darted over her quarters, rummaging through the cabinets and drawers until she found what she was looking for.
"Okay, Dr. Corcovado. I'm ready."called Chris humorously. The inventor turned around to come face to face with the young Kratt, whose upper torso was unclad, revealing his lean yet well muscled physique. Él es muy apuesto, Aviva thought as she stood there frozen until she found herself staring. She promptly looked away blushing.
  "You okay, Aviva?"asked Chris, raising an eyebrow, for she was looking at him as though he had a shark head. "Hmm? ¿Yo? ¡Estoy bien!"replied Aviva quickly with a shy giggle. Part of Chris wasn't too convinced; Aviva wasn't exactly a good liar, but he dropped the subject, sitting patiently as he allowed the inventor to treat his shoulder, removing the old bandages, dabbing disinfectant to the injury and adding a new, biodegradable bandage intended to speed up recovery.
"Thanks Aviva."he said once all was said and done, once more donned in his usual green attire.
"Oh, you're welcome Chris."she answered, almost as if it wasn't a big deal.
"No really." Here the Kratt in green gazed at her with a loving look that caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. "Thank you for saving my life. I am truly in your debt."
Aviva answered not with words, but with a warm embrace, surprising Chris before he promptly returned the affection.
"We'll be back later, Aviva." Aviva smiled as she nodded before planting a short kiss on the corner of his mouth. Needless to say, the Kratt in green's cheeks flushed bright red before he summoned up enough courage to lean in, placing a gentle peck on Aviva's forehead.
"And I'll be here waiting." No more was said as an all too familiar voice yelled from the distance.
"Go get a room!"
**** If it's not already obvious, this particular chapter takes place right after dragonrider1234's A Life To Care For (just my own interpretation of what happened afterward..). And the background music Waloyo Yamoni was chosen because (2:30 at least) it felt perfect for an African morning, that and Africa is just one of those places that will always have a special place in my heart..