Bring Me With Her

Slow Progress

Thorin was in the kitchen, watching the rain fall just outside the window. He took a deep breath as he lifted his mug of coffee to his lips, waiting for Talia to get out of bed. It had been two weeks since he arrived at Terra, and he had to admit that the time had passed like the blink of an eye. He and Talia had grown even closer than he ever thought they could as friends. One step at a time, he could see her coming back to him.

The days had consisted of waking up and Talia practically throwing Thorin into the pool. He remembered the first day of lessons...and he made Talia swear that she would keep it between the two of them.

He remembered stepping outside uncomfortably in swim trunks, glaring at Talia's amused smirk on her face. The Dwarf king had felt his entire being heating up when she told him he had to take off the T-shirt she loaned him. Though he protested tremendously, Talia reminded him of the little scene the company made in the Rivendell fountains, Thorin being among them. For the first time since he was but a Dwarfling, Thorin wanted to run back inside and never come out, as he had never known before that Talia witnessed them and had...seen him. He finally covered her mouth with his hands and succumbed when she began to describe how...confident he had been.

Thorin actually couldn't help but smirk a little when he found her staring at him. With intrigued eyes, she gazed at the tattoos on his arms and the battle scars that were scattered all over his torso, and she had actually reached out her hand a little before snapping out of it and looking down to remove her shorts.

That was when it was his turn to stare. He didn't think he could ever take his eyes off her long, strong legs as she walked towards the pool. He could feel his mouth beginning to water as the longing dug deep within him, the longing to know her deeper than anyone ever had. The Dwarf king quickly tore his gaze from her thighs when she turned around to beckon him to join her, and he had felt his ears heating up immensely as he banished his thoughts from his mind.

The lesson had consisted of Talia trying to get him to relax as she taught him to float on his back. Multiple times, he caved into himself and struggled against Talia, insisting that she was trying to drown him. The Terran only scowled at him and told him to try again until he finally got it down.

Thorin couldn't help but feel the swelling of pride in his chest as he'd progressed over the past couple of weeks. He was no longer apprehensive to get in the water, and with effort, he was able to do nearly everything it took to keep himself from drowning. He also couldn't prevent the smiles from appearing on his face as he received multiple praises from Talia. The two of them had even shared a couple of splash wars as he became more comfortable.

After their lessons, the two of them would take walks around her neighborhood until dark, talking about nothing in particular. Talia had even taken him through the woods behind her house, where she and her brother used to play. Thorin had to chuckle at the stories Talia would tell him about the specific spots where she and Jimmy would get into the most fun...and on occasion, the worst trouble. In exchange, Thorin would tell Talia about his own little adventures he had with his brother and sister when they were younger.

The Dwarf king couldn't help but smile to himself as he thought about all the progress the two of them made. He was glad that their friendship hadn't been lost in all the chaos they'd been through. Now, she had begun to take his hand whenever he slowly reached out for her, and she even fell asleep against his shoulder a couple of times while on the couch, leading him to carry her to bed.

Though it had been two weeks, the Dwarf king still had trouble leaving her at night. Thorin couldn't help but stay in her room for a few minutes after he laid her down and covered her up. He knew she'd still be there in the morning, but...he could still feel traces of paranoia creeping up on him. It was telling him that this wasn't real, that she was just a dream, and that he would wake up in the morning without her. He had to assure himself that she was there, safe and sound.