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“You’re in the wrong part of the forest, dear.” Kronii hisses as she slithers further onto the branch in a tree, causing leaves to fall around the green-haired girl that looked around confused.
“Hello?” Fauna asks, turning around trying to find the source of the noise. “Where are you?”
Kronii raises an eyebrow, the fellow snakes on her head all quietly hissing, a bit confused.
Kronii carefully wraps her body around the branch, descending upside down until she’s face to face with Fauna.
“Boo.”
Fauna blinks at the sudden rush of air along her face, but other than that, she stares straight at Kronii, or more accurately: right through her.
Kronii’s eyes widen as she inspects Fauna’s face.
“My dear, can you see?”
The girl smiles. “Well, I’m happy your eyes work.”
“Fauna.” Kronii hums. “You’re back.”
“I told you I’d be!” Fauna smiles as she sets down a basket. “I brought food, so we can have a picnic!”
“Uh-huh…” Kronii drawls from the branch, watching Fauna take a seat.
“You know, you must be very good at climbing trees.”
“I am.” The gorgon watches with careful and hungry eyes as she watches Fauna. “What gave it away?”
“You’re always above me. I’m sure you must have very good legs.”
Kronii’s eyes wander to the rest of her snake-like body that was, ironically, lacking any legs. She glances back to Fauna. “I do. I can jump very high.”
“That must be nice.”
“Can you not?”
“Kronii,” Fauna laughs. “Do you really see me doing that?”
“I’ve witnessed you walking out deep into the forest, all on your own. Who knows what to expect of you?”
“That’s true,” Fauna laughs. “Come down. Eat with me.”
Kronii turns over onto her back, using her arms as a pillow. “It’s fine. I’ll eat later.”
“Kronii~” Fauna sings as she sits underneath a tree. From atop, Kronii tilts her head. “Are you a bird?”
Kronii’s neck jerks back, confused. “What?”
“You’re just-” Fauna cuts herself off with her own laugh. “You’re always in the trees.”
“And that makes me a bird?”
“Are you not?”
“No,” Kronii stares at the girl. “I’m just as human as you.”
Fauna laughs. “Probably even more, if you can see.”
Her eyes glimmer as she stares at the human. “You’re not any less human than the rest of them.”
Kronii stared at the frozen human, turned to stone by making eye contact with her. The snakes on her head hissed at the intruder, and Kronii agreed. With a quick turn of her body, she whips around, using the momentum to knock over the statue with her tail, and as it hits the ground, it shatters into rocks.
“Serves you right.” She spits.
“Kronii?” A gentle voice calls out into the distance, and the snakes look first.
“Fauna.” Kronii speaks, eyes hesitating to leave the rocks on the ground, but when she’s certain it won’t move anymore, she turns her head and slithers up a tree. “What brings you here?”
“You weren’t in the usual place,” Fauna explains, feeling around for a tree. “So I wanted to find you.”
“Fauna-” Kronii tries to warn, but it’s too late.
She watched Fauna trip over the tree root, and she would’ve watched her fall, but before she knew it, her hand was reached out for Fauna’s.
“Ah.” Fauna notes, as if this was nothing new, and lets Kronii pull her up. “Thank you.”
“Fauna.” Kronii notes as she stabilizes Fauna while also letting her body slither down the tree. “I don’t think you should come here anymore.”
“What?” Fauna frowns, and it’s a first sight for Kronii. “Why not? If it’s because I tripped, I’ll eventually know my way around!-”
“It’s because-” Kronii looks down at their hands, and lets go of Fauna’s, keeping her distance. “Because this area is dangerous. It’s hunting season, and you could get hurt.”
“It’s fine!” The human takes a step forward, and the gorgon takes a slither back. “You’d protect me!”
Kronii’s eyes widen as she backs up more. “You don’t even know me.”
“Kronii!” Fauna calls as she reaches out with her hands, and before Kronii can react, Fauna grabs her face, and cups her cheeks. She freezes under the soft touch, the snakes on her head staring in confusion, unaware of what to do about the intruding touch.
Kronii stares at Fauna’s eyes, that look straight through her- no, into her. A thumb caresses her cheek, and Kronii flinches, waiting for Fauna to yell at her, call her a monster for having scales. She closes her eyes, wanting everything to freeze.
“Hm.”
Kronii opens her eyes.
Fauna’s hands continue to feel around.
“I really expected feathers.”
“You-” The air leaves her lungs. “Feathers??”
“Yeah!” Fauna grins, taking a step forward as she keeps feeling around, underneath Kronii’s eyes and along her nose. “Y’know, like a bird!”
“A-” Kronii lets out a laugh out of disbelief. “A bir- You still think I’m a bird?”
“Well, obviously not. What are you?” Fauna gasps. “A dragon!-”
“No.” Kronii smiles, and a thumb traces the corner of her lips. She moves her head forward slightly, letting Fauna’s fingers intertwine with where the snakes start to protrude out of her skull. One of them wiggles under her touch as a few wrap around her hand to inspect with their tiny tongues.
“Ah??” Fauna twists her hand, lightly feeling around a small reptile and petting it with her thumb. “A snake?”
“Yea- Gwak!” Kronii yelps when Fauna suddenly sticks her other thumb in her mouth.
“Oh! You’re a snake!” Fauna grins proudly, letting her thumb feel the tip of Kronii’s fangs.
“Ahm a gar-gn.”
“Oh.” The human lets out a sheepish giggle as she takes her thumb out of Kronii’s mouth. “Sorry, what was that?”
“A gorgon.” Kronii explains. “What are you?”
“Human!” Fauna smiles. “You know this!”
“You can’t be. Humans are meant to fear monsters.”
“Monsters?” The human tilts her head, letting her other hand run through the snakes as she pets them delicately. “Maybe you’re not a monster then.”
Kronii’s breath is stolen as she stares at Fauna, who keeps smiling at her.
“Kronii?” Fauna asks, letting her hands return to cupping Kronii’s cheeks.
Kronii melts into the touch, closing her eyes as she feels the way Fauna’s blood pulses through her finger tips. She slouches closer, muscles that she didn’t even know were tense begin to relax.
Fauna smiles as more weight drops into her hands, and she continues to use her thumbs to lightly caress subtle scales.
“Kronii~” Fauna sings, or maybe she just speaks it normally, but it’s all music to Kronii either way. “Does this mean I can stay?”
“Absolutely not.” Kronii mumbles, and Fauna freezes, and jolts when an arm snakes around her waist to bring her in closer as she relaxes. “Not here at least. Do you mind walking with me a bit?”
“Ah!” Fauna yelps as she quickly runs back to Kronii with wet feet. “The water’s cold!”
“I warned you.” Kronii laughs softly.
“First you’re a bird, then a snake, now you’re a fish??”
“Fauna, I live near this lake, not in it.”
“Hm…” Fauna turns her head around, despite not being able to see. “Can you tell me what the view is like?”
“Beautiful.”
Fauna looks back to Kronii, reaching a palm up to cup her cheek…
And turning it away. “Not me, you charmer!”
Fauna hums at the little kisses Kronii’s ‘hair-snakes’ give her, as she lays in a bed of Kronii’s snake body.
“Can I ask something?”
“If it’s about the view again-”
“No, no. Something serious.”
Kronii shifts a little bit. “If I can ask you something in return.”
“The hunters you were talking about earlier…” Fauna mumbles, and Kronii stiffens a bit. She already knows.
“Yes.” She whispers. “They’re after me.”
“That’s why you don’t want me around there.”
“Smart girl. My turn?”
“Hey, not fair! I barely asked a question. I just wanted to confirm something!”
“You still got an answer.” Kronii laughs.
“Fine. Go ahead.”
“Why are you so adamant on staying with a monster, rather than your own kind?”
“I already told you, you’re not a monst-”
“Fauna.” Kronii hisses. “That’s not the point of the question.”
Fauna sighs, turning over onto her stomach to maybe look at Kronii. “You… don’t judge me for being blind.”
Kronii tilts her head, but bites her lip when she realizes the gesture was useless.
Still, the human continues. “It’s not just that people think I can’t do anything, but it’s that… I’m looked down on for not even being allowed to try.”
“That’s dumb.” Kronii scoffs. “You can navigate the woods all on your own, but your town’s guards get stupidly lost.”
Fauna sputters before laughing. “Right?”
The two softly laugh together, and when they quiet down, Kronii brings up a hand to cup Fauna’s face this time. She hesitates for a moment at the slightest touch, but Fauna merely smiles as she closes her eyes, leaning into Kronii’s large and scaly hand as if it was the softest pillow in the world.
“May I say something… irrational?”
“Sure.”
“I don’t mind you blind.”
Fauna opens her eyes again, confused.
“It means I can look at you as much as I want, without fear of hurting you.”
“I think… if I could see…” Fauna starts, grabbing Kronii’s hand from her face and playing with her fingers. “I would simply never look at you.”
“I’m not that ugly.” Kronii laughs.
“It’s not that… If never being able to see you meant that we could stay together, I think I don’t mind being blind either.”
“If only I was human-”
“You are nothing like them.” Fauna says, with a voice stern and experienced. “Just as you like me the way I am… I would never change you.”
Kronii freezes, breath stuttering as the words sink into her heart and make a home there.
“Would you really stay?” She asks, somewhat of disbelief, thinking that maybe one day she’d wake up and Fauna would be gone.
“I see no better place to be.”
“But for your sake-” Kronii blinks as she realizes what Fauna said. “Did you just-”
Fauna giggles. “I don’t see what you’re talking about.”
“Fauna!”
“Kronii!” Fauna laughs even harder as she pushes herself up with one hand, the other finding Kronii’s face. She lets her hand explore for a bit until she thumbs Kronii’s lips.
“Fauna-”
Fauna leans in, closing the distance.
They still, nothing but the sound of leaves rustling in the distance and the bugs that sing in the night.
“Oh, wow…” Fauna exhales when she leans away.
“Wha-” Kronii asks, still breathless, and honestly thoughtless.
“You have really big fangs!”
“Fauna!”
“Kronii!” Fauna giggles as she uses a thumb to poke Kronii’s fangs again, the other one wandering along her cheek. Kronii holds still, not wanting to risk biting the girl, but especially freezing when Fauna surprises her with a peck to her cheek.
There were a few rules that have been set, if Fauna were to live with Kronii.
Firstly, never wander outside of the perimeter Kronii deemed safe. Although Kronii was worried Fauna might be annoyed at the limited freedom, Fauna merely smiled, happy to be trusted to roam around without needing to be in Kronii’s constant supervision.
That being said, there were a few times she tripped and fell, but one call away, a gorgon was already slithering over.
Secondly, always come home every night.
There was no other reason for this, other than Fauna simply liked to cuddle Kronii to sleep, and Kronii liked waking up next to Fauna.
Third…
“You have to kiss me.” Fauna smiles playfully as she hugs herself closer to Kronii.
“What?” Kronii scoffs, tilting her head.
“It’s true! Something bad will happen to me if you don’t!”
“What? Like you’ll be sad or something?”
“Yes.”
Kronii rolls her eyes, and stares at her adorable girlfriend’s face as she waits patiently.
“Hey, Fauna?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.” Kronii whispers before leaning in.
“I-”
She’s cut off by Kronii closing the distance first for once. Strong and sharp hands lightly grasp her face, ever so slightly that the touch could almost be one of a ghost. This was more than a simple peck that Fauna would usually bestow upon Kronii, and despite how gentle and light Kronii was trying to be, Fauna could still feel all of it.
When Kronii breaks off, Fauna’s mouth was still slightly agape, breath hitching from the kiss.
“That fine?” Kronii eventually sputters.
Fauna responds by grabbing Kronii’s face. “You didn’t let me finish.”
“Wha-”
“I love you, too.”
Kronii nearly falls from how hard Fauna throws herself at her.