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During those languid months on that island, your relationship with Kelvin had changed, gradually, slowly and indistinguishably, like the lazy change of the seasons, like water through your fingers. The relationship had mutated like the beings that lived there, but, above all, he had changed. From an almost complete stranger sitting in front of you in the helicopter, he turned into a friendly goofball who helped you where he could, and from there, to a friend who was much more independent than he seemed and who could do almost anything. same as you. Except speak coherently.
His ears were working pretty well for the enormous damage they had taken at the time, but all that came out of his mouth was endless babbling mess, a cascade of nonsense, none of the words coming out correctly, it was as if his brain had changed his language to the language that Sims use.
That worried you a lot at first, it made you think his brain damage was more severe than you thought, but he wasn't affected in any other way, he seemed to think and act normally, and he also didn't want to seem to stop trying to communicate. Kelvin kept insisting, trying to speak, gesturing, and you supported him, trying to guess what he was saying. You didn't understand anything, but at least, practicing, it sounded more like words and less like a boat motor in the water. You assumed that practice made perfection and that perhaps that would cause the neurons that had flown out of his head to stick together again. Besides, you liked watching him try to talk, he was funny, he was a walking guessing game.
Little by little, as the weeks went by, some of his words came out correctly, only a few, half of the sentences were still a puzzle that had to be deciphered to understand it, but heavens, he had the spirit, that didn't stop him.
In one of your expeditions together around the island, hunting for resources, you two found a small human camp, abandoned, with a couple of old corpses thrown around, with some useful things to recover in the couple of somewhat broken tents.
While going through everything, he had found some clothes and a few belongings in a cloth bag, among which were some fancy aviator-style sunglasses. He put them on and walked up to you, gently patting you on the back and saying “Do who look I?”.
You turned to look at him and blinked a few times, processing what you saw. If Kelvin normally had a certain attractiveness that occupied your mind at certain times, he was now several times hotter, in a subtle intermediate between a model and a military man. And see him strut around a bit was worse.
“Oh well…” You chuckle, trying not to make it obvious that you found him absolutely attractive “Look at you... You look very, very good…” You swallowed hard.
"Uh?" He adjusted his glasses better, leaning sensually against a pole “I thunk you can maybe get I bates?”
You chuckled softly, shaking your head, understanding that he was asking you if you thought he could date with his new style.
"Yeah." You coughed softly, patting his arm, thinking to yourself, "Maybe when others can understand you, I won't be your human-kelvin translator if you go to a bar."
He adjusted his glasses again, looking sensually at the horizon, as if there weren't a wall of trees in front of him. “Jeaolusy you are cause sexy apple do I carry”
You laughed again. He was saying that you were just jealous of his sex appeal. You weren't, a little, somewhat, in part you would have liked to see yourself as good as he was. He looked really attractive, but seeing him this sexy, and hearing him talk so strangely, was a combo that was too weird and funny to take seriously.
“Brrrrum brrrrum” He pointed at you “Noisy” He made a gesture that you were making a cackle.
“Brum brum?” You laughed harder, covering your face so as not to make a scandal too audible "Shut up... you're the one who's making me laugh... If the cannibals come, it's your fault" You threatened him.
"Aiiii?" He feigned surprise, attractively, combing his hair “Horsecrap. Faulty you. Do nothing myself… I'm just poasting here modeling baby”
You laughed more, your mouth covered. You were sure that he was doing that on purpose, just to annoy you and make you laugh.
“Sure myself, if cannobals come tosee me, becoming leather myself” He stood up, straight, firm, as if he were ready to fight.
"Yes, leather" You patted his arm "If they catch you, they're going to make you leather to wear" You softly denied.
“Noooo, leather of bosses” He tried to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Leader” You said slowly so he could hear the difference better “Leaaaaaderrr”
“Yesss…. I say it… Leather ” He nodded, that was what he was telling you.
"You're impossible" You laughed softly, pointing at the sunglasses "Come on, leave that, we have to keep checking, you won't see cannibals with that on"
Kelvin nodded, looking at you, thinking. He already knew that as soon as you got back to the camp you had set up, he would spend another couple of hours joking with the glasses. If it made you laugh, it was worth it, because your laughter had been one of the first things he'd heard again, and it was now medicine for his bruised soul.