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Darnetta leaned against the fence of the stable, reaching out to scratch at any riffrocs that came close enough. Unfortunately, she’d run out of carrots and her next harvest wasn’t ready yet, so she had nothing to offer them even as they sniffed at her pockets. Then, the herd huffed and shifted at a commotion around the back of the stable, trotting off to greet the newcomers.
Nai’o’s voice, muffled with the building between them, echoed out from the other side of the stable. She couldn’t hear the words, but she could make out the warmth in his tone as he started settling the beasts into their stalls for the night. She let the noise wash over her as she turned to the horizon, watching the moons rise over the mountains.
“Hey!” Nai’o’s voice eventually rang out on her side of the stable. “You didn’t have to wait up for me.”
Darnetta fidgeted with her fingers, carefully holding her relaxed pose against the fencing. “I wanted to see you – if that’s okay?
“I– of course it’s okay! I, uh, I really like hanging out with you.”
Darnetta tucked her chin, hiding her smile. “How are the Elderwood stable repairs coming along?”
Nai’o sighed, tucking his thumbs into his beltloops. “It’s slower-going than I wanted, but I’d rather that than get infected by all that Echo stuff. Sugarfoot’s finally settling down when we head out there.”
“That’s good.”
They stood there awkwardly for a moment, staring at each other from opposite sides of the fence before both breaking into nervous laughter. Darnetta looked back down at her hands as Nai’o walked over, hopping the fence to stand next to her – at a respectable Majiri distance, of course.
“Sorry,” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m kinda sweaty right now.”
Darnetta shook her head. “I don’t mind– I mean! It’s okay, really. You work hard, it only makes sense. I’m not gonna judge.”
A grin slowly spread across Nai’o’s face as Darnetta stumbled over her word vomit. He crossed his arms, oozing that rare cocky smugness of his. “Great, so I can give you a hug, right? I hate going without my daily hug.”
Darnetta narrowed her eyes. Nai’o didn’t drop the teasing grin, only letting it grow as he shifted closer. For every step he took forward, she took one back.
“Nai’o…”
“What?” Nai’o tried to shift his expression to one of innocence, failing miserably. He was certainly no Reth. “I thought you said you didn’t mind?”
Before Nai’o could make any definitive moves, Darnetta turned on her heel and bolted the opposite way, scrambling over the bridge in the direction of Fisherman’s Lagoon. Nai’o laughed behind her, rich and warm, as he made chase.
“Hey, get back here!”
“Gotta catch me first, farmboy!”
She loved these moments with Nai’o. Moments where he managed to blow past her anxiety and drudge up that playful side of her that she often forgot existed. Moments where it could be just them – not the Human extinction or ancient secrets, not the struggling farm or family burdens – them. Darnetta and Nai’o, two people in a budding relationship, in a world they can pretend isn’t falling apart in front of them.
And speaking of… Darnetta hadn’t been used to physical labor prior to her re-emergence, that much had been obvious when she’d been passed some tools and told to start swinging. She’d gotten stronger over the weeks and months she’d been in Palia, learning to live off the land and fend for herself, making enough progress that even she couldn’t talk herself out of being proud. Even still, a few months worth of newfound athleticism couldn’t compare to a lifetime of manual labor. As much as Nai’o joked about farmwork mostly being an upper-body workout, he certainly didn’t slack off when it came to his legs. He caught up to her in no time, slowing slightly to stay right on her tail and tease her.
Darnetta tossed a quick look over her shoulder, gasping at how close he was (and trying to ignore any looks they got from the village center). She put on a burst of speed, hoping her agility could outmaneuver his brute force.
That hope was stolen out from under her as Nai’o reached out to snatch at her, a grab at her waist turning into a scratch of fingers at the back of her ribcage as she tried to twist and duck away from him. Still, she yelped as the touch sent a shock through her body, stumbling over her own feet and almost face-planting into the grass below. Nai’o managed to catch her by the arm, preventing a full tumble, but backed off as soon as she was steady.
“Sorry– I’m sorry!”
Breathless and still full of adrenaline, Darnetta furrowed her brow. “You’re– what? Why?”
Nai’o wrung his hands, avoiding her eyes this time. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I know I don’t know my own strength sometimes – it’s why I don’t roughhouse much with Auni anymore.”
Darnetta cocked her head. “You think you hurt me?”
“Didn’t I?”
Darnetta reached out and took his gloved hands in hers. “No. I promise, you didn’t.”
Nai’o frowned. “Then– are you hurt? I heard Hassian earlier, he was telling his mom that you got knocked over by a sernuk that another Human spooked. Should we go see Chayne? He’ll be at the inn by now–”
Nai’o started to turn back toward the village center, so Darnetta tightened her grip on his hands, pulling him back to her. Okay, maybe a little bit closer than they were before, but the only person there to call her out on it was Nai’o and he was too busy being worried about her.
“I got a bruise on my shoulder, nothing serious. Chayne already looked at it this morning. I promise, Nai’o, I’m not hurt.”
Nai’o searched her eyes for a moment. “You’re sure?”
He wasn’t gonna drop this, was he? Still, Darnetta couldn’t just admit it.
“I’m sure. You just– spooked me, was all.” She scuffed her foot against the grass. “Just a little startled.”
Nai’o narrowed his eyes, still searching hers for a few moments longer, before brightening back to his usual self. “If you’re sure.” His grin returned. “Does that mean I get my hug?”
Darnetta was already stepping into his arms, wrapping her own around his neck. “I suppose you did win – this time.”
Nai’o was sweaty, and their brief sprint certainly didn’t help. He smelled like farm animals and hay and the uncomfortably unplaceable scent of the Elderwood, but Darnetta didn’t mind so long as she got to be close to him. He wrapped his arms around her, tight in a way he used to be hesitant about but had since learned grounded her to the here and now. One hand rested at her waist and the other around her lower ribs, and as she squeezed tighter, so did he.
“This is the highlight of my day,” Nai’o muttered into her hair.
Darnetta snuggled deeper into his neck – probably more than was proper for Majiri PDA, but as evening arrived, most people were either heading home or drinking in the inn. “Me too,” she murmured against the throat, getting a smug sense of victory as the skin warmed. She always felt like she won when she got him to blush, instead of the other way around (or them both fumbling into tomato-red messes together).
“But you know what?”
“Hm?”
“I think you forgot something.”
Darnetta pulled back from Nai’o’s throat, frowning up at him. “What did I forget?”
“I’m a big brother, babe.” He gave her one of those charming, boyish smiles. “‘Just startled?’ I’ve heard that one before.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wait–”
Nai’o did not, in fact, wait.
With as quiet of a squeal as she could manage, Darnetta arched away from Nai’o’s fingers as he gently dug into her waist and ribs. Unfortunately, her body’s instinctual attempt at escape only pushed her further into his embrace. He tucked her more solidly into his chest, rumbling with low, quiet laughter.
“Do you have a tickle spot? Auni screams like nothing else when I get at his.”
Darnetta thrashed in his hold as his fingers started shifting up and down her sides. “I have amnesia!” She conveniently left out the muscle memory screaming at her to defend certain areas, deftly tucking her elbows close to her body even as she continued pushing at his chest.
Nai’o’s fingers faltered. “Right, I– Sorry.”
Now you’ve done it, Darnetta cursed to herself. She was just trying to deflect, not make him feel guilty! How could she turn things back around without making a complete embarrassment of herself?
“Guess you’re just gonna have to figure things out yourself.”
Oh no – too bold, too bold! Nai’o, for all that things often went over his head, gave her a knowing look, but his fingers started up again before she could even process it. She squealed again, this time unable to suppress her giggling from bursting forth afterwards.
Nai’o sighed dreamily. “Don’t tell my ma, but I swear that sound is sweeter than her blueberry pie.”
Darnetta’s face set aflame and she quickly buried it in Nai’o’s chest, effectively surrendering herself to the tickling in the process. As Nai’o’s hands crawled up her ribs, it got harder and harder to keep her face tucked away.
“I think I’m getting close – you’re thrashing like a riffroc at the rodeo.”
“Nai’o–!”
His fingers wriggled into the back of her underarms. He wasn’t quite able to get in with her arms glued to her sides, but the sensation was still devastating to her nervous system. With a throaty peal of laughter, Darnetta’s legs collapsed underneath her, and Nai’o lowered them carefully to the ground.
“Found it!”
“P-please!”
Despite the pleading being completely involuntary – though Darnetta would never admit to enjoying herself under pain of death – Nai’o pulled back immediately. She gasped for breath between lingering giggles as he settled on his haunches next to her, going a bit pink in the face himself. It probably wasn’t very proper in Majiri culture to pin one’s partner to the ground in public. To be fair, she didn’t think it was very proper to do so in Human culture, either
“You okay, Darnetta?”
Darnetta covered her face with a giggly groan before peeking at Nai’o through her fingers. “I’ll get you back for that.”
Nai’o crossed his arms and gave her a grin. “Good luck with that, babe.”
Even as she allowed Nai’o to help her up and guide her back towards town, she was already making puzzling things out in her mind. She wondered what sort of bribe it would take for Badruu or Delaila to spill the beans. It wouldn’t take her long to find out.