HUMAN

Chapter Sixteen

A/N: This tiny Kavi chapter makes me so happy, so sweet and fluffy. :,)

Mirrorball - Elbow

***

The morning after:

Kirstie awoke from her deep slumber and halfway through stretching realized Avi was still fast asleep beneath her tired body. The memories of yesterday, and of last night, flooded the regions of her mind. She found herself overcome with more joy than she thought she could ever be capable of feeling again. With so many nights spent crying, feeling lonely, a sense of comfort overwhelmed her very being; an intense comfort that seemed impossible until now. It was nice to feel a shred of happiness, even if just for a tiny sliver of time. Avi looked adorable and seeing his eyelids slightly flutter in his sleep made her heart skip a beat. She smiled, in love with the idea of feeling this close to someone again. 

She looked at her freshly tattooed finger, letting the weight of their newly formed bond sink in. She traced the tip of that finger along the lines of his matching tattoo. That part of yesterday's journey was good too, but last night was just icing on the cake. Her hand wandered up to softly twiddle her fingers along his beard. 

Is it weird that I'm watching him sleep? Yea, that's weird, she thought, but just continued to stare anyway. 

She felt the sudden urge to kiss him and charming him awake, like Snow White. That thought reminded her of the pack of spearmint, chewing gum set on the table across from their lovely sanctuary on the couch. Could she reach for it, without waking up her bearded sleeping beauty? It was definitely worth a try.

She gently scooted up onto her knees, so that she was straddling his waist, and stretched her short arms out as far as they could possibly reach. The second her finger grazed the wrapper of the pack of Orbit gum, she nearly toppled over. In the very same moment, two strong hands grabbed her thighs, preventing her from falling flat on her face. This caused her to audibly gasp and then immediately burst out laughing. She snatched the gum off the ledge and centered herself on his waist once again, all the while grinning from ear to ear.

"Good morning, princess," Avi said in a muffled, sleepy grunt. Beholding her naked body with half-lidded eyes and a slight grin.

"Morning," Kirstie said, while speedily unwrapping a piece of gum and shoving it in her mouth. "Were you having a bad dream? Your eyelids were fluttering in your sleep. I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty fucking cute."

"No, not tonight, not with you in my arms," he said and then playfully tapped her on the nose. He gently caressed the small of her waist, then delicately traced circles towards her tailbone. "Last night was really, REALLY great. I still can't believe you're here with me, like this, so beautiful, so soft. What are your plans for today.. because I-"

Before he could finish his thought, Kirstie was shoving a piece of gum into his mouth too.

"The hell?" He chuckled. "What exactly did I do to deserve that??" 

"Your baby dragon breath," Kirstie teased. "I wanted to kiss you again."

"Ah. That would be because I am a baby dragon. Just call me Drogon... and you're the queen, Khaleesi."

Kirstie immediately erupted with laughter and Avi did the same.

"That's some weird incestuous shit. I'm not into that," she jokingly chided.

Avi smiled and weaved his fingers around hers, so that their hands were interlocked. He too glanced at their matching tattoos and smiled. 

"Can you please tell me next time before you shove something in my mouth?" He paused, "I know that just sounded kinky... I'm fully aware of that. But, I feel like it needs to be said. I was just ambushed here and I would like to be able to defend myself next time."

"Listen, I heard once that gum is an aphrodisiac in some countries."

She sort of wished that Mitch could've heard that perfectly timed reference. She would tell him later, after she even worked up enough courage to tell him about this. 

"Well that's just not true, is it?" Avi chuckled. 

He unlocked their hands and bit his bottom lip, while simultaneously placing his hand on the small of her back and applying a little pressure so that she would be fully lying on him again. She rested her chin on his chest and looked up at his piercing, green eyes. She could stare at those while he was awake. That was much better than the sleepy, close-lidded view earlier. She scooted herself up by her elbows in order to plant a soft, gentle peck on his lips. He immediately returned the affection, with a much more deepened, passionate kiss. They kissed and cuddled and bathed in the sun rays that were creeping in through the side picture window.

She heard a solitary bird outside. It chirped alone, but it was heard. Its warbles rang out as a beautiful song that made her heart flutter. It was a familiar friend, a skillful musician, and an unparalleled artist. It had to have known how it was capturing this nearly perfect moment in her life and creating a melodic masterpiece. Was its song about the beauty of reconciliation and new beginnings? When she closed her eyes, she pictured that this entrancing songstress was a nightingale. Its image was as clear as her own reflection, as if they had met before. Its song began to crescendo and she escaped into the sound. She wished she could record it in her mind. She wished she could record this entire moment. The man underneath her, gently holding her, while she basked in the morning sunlight and listened to her nightingale.

Honestly, who could ask for a better way to wake up during a zombie apocalypse?  

*** 

"We kissed like we invented it and now I know what every step is for, to lead me to your door. Know that while you sleep, everything has changed."