Nova Academy

Forever Together

"I like when you do that," Steven told Connie seriously. "I like when you're assertive."

She blushed and rolled her eyes. "I just told you I wanted to hang out." She'd also told him she was overstimulated at the moment, and he'd been incredibly understanding.

"I know I struggle not to touch you, but I'm more than happy to accommodate." He was so sweet about it that her heart fluttered. "So, what did you want to do?"

"I just want to go to the National Park. And talk to you about some things." He looked nervous at that, but he didn't need to be, not really. She couldn't tell him that though, not yet.

The drive was quiet, and his hand twitched and fiddled with his jeans. She could tell he wanted to reach over, to have some kind of contact with her. He was always hyper-affectionate, and it had only seemed heightened within the years. Even when they'd first started going to school together, she hadn't minded the touch progressing. Despite the baggage, he was safe and he was Steven. When she'd tell him to stop, he would immediately.

After their movie date, yes she could admit it was a date, she'd realized something about herself. She wanted to talk with him about it, and more. The task was easy enough. She was in fact assertive, but the emotions that came with it were conflicting and slightly terrifying.

"Hey, Ni." When she came to, he was leaning in her side of the car. His face was a respectful distance but he looked concerned. It made her sad to see him worried, so she leaned forward to press her lips to his. It made her feel like static, so she pulled away quickly. His eyes were wide, but he backed away to let her out.

The cool breeze paired with the sun made her sigh and some of the tension left her shoulders almost immediately. "Follow me, there's usually no one here so we can just walk in."

He was silent trailing her, weaving in and out of paths and bushes probably living a million scenarios in his mind of what was to come. The parks flora was thick and lush, the smells of the forest were overpowering with flowers and grasses and animals. The air was cool, but not right for the season. It was nearly 60 degrees in November, unseasonably and unreasonably warm.

She didn't see the log that had fallen until it was too late and she'd fallen already.

Immediately, Steven was by her side and she lifted her pants to show a nasty gash that was starting to pool with blood. It hurt, and when she touched it she yelped in agony.

"Fuck, it looks really, really bad." His eyes met hers. "May I help?"

She winced and nodded. As much as she didn't want to become reliant on his abilities, she did want to move along. She'd steeled her resolve to do this today even though she was overwhelmed mentally. "Please. Fix it."

He leaned down and kissed the area around it, trying to be as careful as possible not to further worsen her pain. It was no use until the third kiss and she felt it closing up, then a warm tingle. "How's that?"

His brown eyes were so filled with emotion, she'd never stop adoring the way they were so easy to read. "Yeah. I'm okay. Let's go." She let him pull her up slowly, and when she put her full weight on it again it didn't hurt anymore. "Thank you."

He smiled. "Are you kidding? Stevens here to help."

They were almost there and when they got close, she grabbed his hand to guide him around an area she knew to be crawling with snakes. The clearing appeared just up ahead and Steven gasped.

"How did you find a place like this?" He was awed at the field of bluebells and sunflowers and creeping phlox merging together.

"Luck." She found an area where there weren't as many flowers and laid down. He stood nervously and she patted the ground next to her. "Let's talk."