Chapter Text
it’s been a few days since kuina saw her last. she looked… good. as good as anyone like ann can look in the borderlands, at least. her head was freshly wrapped, (with medical supplies that was probably far older than “fresh,” but the wrapping was done well), and she had another book occupying her. with the advent of the last few games, they’ve got some waiting time to spare.
“chess?” kuina offers. she’s not sure where the board would be. maybe ann has got it stuffed in the trunk of the car they took or under a seat or something.
“no board.” ann mutters. kuina nods. she figured so much was true if it wasn’t already out in front of them. they’re quiet as the night falls. it’s chilly, or maybe those goosebumps are a consequence of their circumstances. ann shifts, if not to huddle a little closer to kuina. nothing out of the ordinary like blatantly leaning on kuina, but something characteristic of an. a subtle show of trust, like they’ve got some rapport.
speaking of circumstances, should kuina thank ann for before? the whole ten of hearts ordeal? were they not equally indebted to each other? kuina didn’t want to regret keeping her mouth shut in any case. she’ll express her gratitude. ann is the kind to return it anyway.
“thank you for pulling through back in the ten of hearts game. you saved the day. impressed me, if that means anything.” there’s a little smile behind those seemingly eternally indifferent lips. nice to know she’s got some reactions and emotions under that thick intelligent skin of hers. kuina can’t help but feel a little proud of making ann smile. she’s been so stoic since they met. her only emotion seemed to be fearing for her life.
“thank you for fending last boss off. i heard you talking about the fight.”
“yeah? you heard about how awesome i was? i was stepping on glass and i still beat him unarmed!” kuina demonstrates a few moves, (some she certainly did not use, far too flashy), sure to smile at ann between every move. ann laughs, a laugh nothing in the borderlands deserves to witness, a laugh not even kuina thinks she deserves to see. it’s gorgeous. breathtaking, in a world that has quite literally taken all of her breath away before, that’s saying a lot. now that she has gotten the time to really look at ann without the immediate threat of death looming, she looks beautiful. she probably always has been, but the games are distracting.
they fall quiet when kuina sits back down. ann leans onto her hand, the one closest to kuina, and their shoulders touch. there’s a warmth to it. maybe just the warmth of two bodies touching. maybe more. like some kind of spark has lit between them. or maybe kuina is just imagining it.
she would like it not to be. something real, something tangible. she wants this connection to be real, something like a relationship. not right now. not with death about to smack them upside the head.
“it does mean something, by the way.” ann says after closing her book sometime later. she sits up straight, the moment of contact sadly over. the warmth in the cold of nothing disappears. kuina looks at her to continue. “it’s nice that you were impressed. i appreciate it.”
“good to know there’s a soul in that pretty skull of yours.” kuina hums. she pokes an’s forehead; ann seems offended till she realizes it was a playful jab.
and kuina considers it. she considers kissing the semblance of a smile off of an’s lips. how easy it’d be to lean forward and press their lips together.
but she can save it for the celebration after they get out of this shite hole. just a little more reason for her to live through all this.