Trinity

Rain

Surprisingly the Colonel wasn't actually mad about what happened, he seemed to take it in stride. It was the first time Mansk saw him actually crack a smirk in a while.

Small miracles?

Especially considering he was actively hitting on his CO's presumably dead wife and his best friend. Well... he wasn't actually trying to hit on her, it was just so easy to be himself with her. Neither of them had to worry about potentially saying something 'wrong' in front of each other. Those social cues and rules didn't matter when it was just the two of them.

Their conversations were playful and rife with sarcasm. Despite both of them having difficulties determining if someone was being serious or sarcastic, they were both incredibly sarcastic. With each other, it was easier to see and hear. It was just different.

Either way, no one seemed to even notice how much time they were spending together. It was just like it was back then, so normal it didn't even register to them. He was unsurprised to find himself alone with her when a rainstorm hit and separated them from the rest of the team.

They were already somewhat far from them, Quaritch sent them out to scout an area to stay for the night. Finding a cave for refuge, Mansk let the Colonel know their location. They'd regroup after the storm passed the next morning. He unloaded his gear and they sat across from each other in silence, listening to the sound of the rain.

You okay? Ten signed to him, concerned.

Annoyed with the rain and the situation, but I'm fine otherwise. She appeared unconvinced.

Why? He added when her eyes narrowed.

You usually suppress your tail movements and control it well, it's been sporadically thrashing.

Of course it was. He quickly learned to suppress his ears and tail movements, not wanting them to give away his emotions. Spent most of his life not showing them, he didn't plan on changing that anytime soon. But he was on edge, had been on edge for the entire day and couldn't figure out why.

It wasn't the same as Lyles 'on edge.'

He didn't want sex.

He wanted to rip out his fucking skeleton.

Try taking off your jacket and letting it dry. I think you're overstimulated.

From his jacket? The thing he wore every single day? He mulled it over and relented, taking off the gloves at the same time. The jacket was barely laid out to dry and the weight on his chest lifted. It felt like he could breathe freely.

"Thanks." A soft smile met his eyes. They used to look out for each other like that before. It was warming yet somewhat painful to know it somehow hadn't changed. It was also just as annoying now as it was back then. The other could see what was wrong but the person afflicted by it couldn't. Still, he was grateful for it.

When Eclipse hit, the bioluminescent spots, or tanhi as she told them, on her skin lit up brightly and he found himself staring. Technically they were always visible, but it was Eclipse that made them just... shine. They were mesmerizing, contrasting against her dark blue skin. His eyes traced the captivating dots all the way up to her face, where he noticed her doing the same thing to him.

At least, on what skin was available, the jacket was off but he still had on a tank top. That thing shifted when her gaze turned lower. Her head tilted as her eyebrows raised, then she averted her eyes as a blush formed on the tips of her ears.