"How do you know? I'm not that irrational. Just talk to me." Tempe said simply, closing her eyes and reaching up to run her fingers through her hair. She wanted to get this conversation out of the way before Luke or Amelia decided to interrupt- and whatever he said, she would take at face value. Hopefully it would be something that would keep her from feeling guilty if she did want to spend time with Luke. Or, maybe it would be something that stopped her from wanting to spend time with Luke.

Zephyr opened his mouth before closing it again, huffing out a breath. "I CAN'T though." He answered, then winced. "Okay, can't isn't the right word. More like I'm terrified about how you'll react. You're not the most stable person when it comes to emotions." He snorted quietly, running a hand through his hair worriedly. "Okay okay. I'm probably going to have to run away after this, but here goes literally nothing. I may or may not lllrrrr..grrrr. liiiiipffffft. Like you. The tiniest Itty bitty little bit. Like really tiny small Itty bitty miniature little bit. It- I- garrrr I'm sorrrrrryyyyy. I don't even know what to say anymore." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck, backing up just slightly so he was sort of hidden in the shadows of the dock, where he felt safer. "You don't- you don't have to change anything. I've seen the way you've been looking at Luke and the way Luke looks at you. And I know you don't see me the same way. I just needed to get it out so I didn't go insane."

Tempe opened her eyes and shot him an annoyed look. "Dude, I'm not gonna bite or anything. I'm not that unstable." She huffed, moving to tread water instead of lying back so she could listen to him better. She blinked in slight surprise as he spoke, tilting her head with a slowly growing smile. "Just a tiny, itty bitty, little bit?" She teased softly. "Don't be sorry. You don't have to be sorry. If I'm being honest, I like you a tiny, itty bitty little bit too. Maybe a little more than that." She joked, following him into the shadows alongside the dock. "And no, I don't have to change anything. I would like to, though. And yes, I look at Luke in a certain way. But if you notice that, it's sad that you don't notice I look at you a similiar kind of way. Maybe you should stop assuming." She joked, her cheeks flushing slightly. She approached him slowly, almost as if scared he might run away like a scared animal. She slowly set a hand on either of his arms, smoothing her hands up and over his shoulders to curl around him in a gentle hug.

Zephyr, a bit nervously, fingered the bone chain around his neck, which he hadn't taken off. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at her as she started speaking. "J- H- W- h- um- i- ca- hu- wh- uh- l- e- er-" He stuttered, not quite sure what to say. "A tiny Itty bitty little bit?" He teased weakly, blinking with the shock that was radiating through his body. "I don't- I guess I just don't notice when you look at me in a *certain* way." He answered slowly. "I don't try to assume...." He blinked again, obviously thinking really, really, REALLY hard. He hesitated a little as she approached him, aaalmost thinking about running away. "I thought you said the last hug would be the last hug?" He asked weakly, again reciprocating the hug just slightly. "I... I'm not going to say you're a liar or question what you said... buuuut you're sure you're not just saying this to be... nice??"

Tempe giggled softly as he stuttered, nodding slightly at his tease. "Just a tiny itty bitty little bit." She soothed, trying not to beam at him. He already looked like his brain was about to explode. "I distinctly remember saying might." She corrected softly, gently nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. She almost laughed out loud at his question, but refrained. "Trust me, Zeph, I'm not that nice. I promise you, theres no catch or trick involved." She murmured, closing her eyes.

Zephyr blinked again, his eye twitching slightly like his brain really was going to explode. "Might." He repeated, closing his eyes for a second. He had FINALLY gotten it out. He felt much calmer now. He opened his eyes as she responded, grinning a little. "That's a relief." He would have been fine with just staying there forever, but he didn't want to seem like a clingy koala, so he pulled away after a couple more seconds. "I'm still not quite sure how it went from hate to this. Whatever this is."

Tempe chuckled softly at him, letting him pull away and mirroring the action. She could've stayed there forever, but he didn't seem on the same track. So, instead, she leaned nonchalantly on one of the dock supports. "That's a great question. But, y'know, they say enemies become lovers overnight, right?" She joked, offering him a nervous smile.

Zephyr paused for a second before also, more tentatively, leaning on one of the dock supports, not caring that it was sliiiightly slimy with algae. That would easily wash off. He might look like the grinch, but it was a fixable problem. He didn't really feel able to stand on his own yet. Tempe had actually admitted to liking him, even if the tiniest little Itty bitty bit. She hadn't laughed in his face or looked absolutely appalled. At her words he snorted slightly, then paused, then let his eyes grow slightly wide, then opened his mouth and closed it a few times. "Lov-" He stopped again like he realized something. "Nope. Nevermind. Some questions need to go unanswered. I don't want to rip my brain in half tonight, noooo thank you." He shook his head as if to get any thoughts out. Honestly he could feel a headache coming on. That was WAY too much complicated thinking. He could predict people's next moves in battle and respond accordingly to win, but he couldn't process the thought that, anyone really, least the girl he liked, would like him back. The tiniest little bit.

+++

(I was bored one day so I sort of sketched how I think Zephyr looks- how do you like it?

1. Ohmyfriggengosh

2. OHMYFRIGGENGOSH

HE IS PERFECT!!! That's an absolutely AMAZING drawing, Wild, he looks better than I couldve imagined <3 Hes giving all the teenage angsty vibes

And in case you couldnt tell, I LOVE IT!))

Tempe sank slightly at his words, flushing, her eyes slightly wide. "It's a saying, don't read too far into it." She snickered, unsure if she should be embarrassed, or happy, or affectionate, or how to be affectionate without being clingy, or... anything, really. She sank beneath the surface of the water for a moment, taking that moment to blow out a deep breath instead of a girlish squeal. She rose back up and shook the hair out of her eyes, flushing and peering up at the dock as though it were very interesting. "Soooo, are we gonna talk, or hide under this dock for the rest of the night, or go and mingle?" She offered, giving him a warm, slightly soft smile with the question.

(You actually think it's in the ballpark of okay? XDD

It took HOURS and I am NOT kidding. Even with a bunch of special brushes LOL. Just to get that perfect Zephyr look!

Thank you!))

-

Zephyr ran a hand through his dark hair again, part of him still trying to comprehend what was happening. This- he had NEVER expected it to go this way. He had also never expected himself to have the guts to do it, so that added to the surprise. The mere fact he even spoke was shocking. At her words he snorted. "I can't read into anything when my brain is already trying to sort out the mere words." He answered, a bit sarcastically, a little amazed, even, at how dumb founded this had made him. He didn't think he'd go dodo bird mode and just shut off. He stared into space when she went under for a second, contemplating on how to regain control of his mind. Something about missiles and warheads and nuclear bombs and sharp daggers. When she came back up and spoke he forced his brain to focus, bringing his dark gaze to her. "Good question. I don't have solid answers, but off the top of my head- which isn't working very well at the moment- it might make a good battering ram though... I'm going to have to try that sometime...- talking we've kind of almost already done, hiding is my favorite thing but I have a feeling that'll get awkwardly boring very quickly, and mingling seems like the best solution at the moment." The words were a true statement to how his brain was functioning. Confusingly chaotic yet organized at the same time. "Short answer- mingle." Zephyr added with a half grin.