War Technicalities [UNDER REVISION]

I See You

[Unrevised. 4 Years Old. Prepare for inconsistencies with previous chapters.]

Haley felt proud that she was able to give Caesar some consolation about what had happened to his father when the pandemic broke out and that society was too alarmed by it to arrest or persecute him for playing part in its creation. She was happy to tell him that he wasn't left to die in prison, but again, Haley felt herself biting harshly into her cheek and unintentionally drawing blood when she was stopped from moving to Caesar's side for comfort when Cornelia did so first, pressing her forehead against his like he had done to Haley minutes before. The beautiful ape reassured him after he had been petrified at the news of what his father tried to do for the apes in Gen-sys, and in a single moment, Haley felt as if she was farther away from Caesar than ever, just able to watch him being held by his new family. She felt her stomach lurch with the painful truth that they can't just go back to where they were. Only the feeling of eyes drilling into the side of her head snapped her back into reality, her own dreary expression coming to her attention. Quickly, she perked the corners of her lips into a forced and ghostly smile before sending the young ape, Blue Eyes, a reassuring look, able to see a flicker of worry in his bright blue eyes. It oddly flattered her to know he was concerned about whatever was worrying her. Despite how the obvious reason for her aches and jealous pangs pecked at her mind, Haley was glad that her old friend had a son, especially one that looks so much like him. The reason being that, when studying the child with his height so much closer to her's than Caesar, memories of her past with his father resurfaced quickly, of when they were kids.

But of course, even if those memories resurfaced, she followed him back down the tree and studied his grown frame discretely from behind, eventually flushing when she realized what she was doing before quickly looking away. She felt the need to tell herself that she was imagining her feelings and her unnatural thought, but the more she thought back to their times together, like when he taught her to swing from tree to tree, him catching and saving her life, the harder she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, forcing her to grasp her tattered shirt by her chest to try and get it to calm down. Why now all of a sudden? Was it because his demeanor was so much more mature, she wondered and raised her head to trail her rust-colored eyes over his broad, strong shoulders again, and then over his entire physique, to see if she was right. Maybe it was everything about him that suddenly coaxed this from her, she theorized, too, but it really didn't matter, because she knew it was wrong whichever way, and it couldn't possible last. Once she gets used to his new appearance, this attraction will fade, but something about the fact that she shamefully broke her stare when they reached the line of sight of other apes at the bottom of the path made her doubt it. Something about looking away forced her to realize it wasn't temporary, as if she'd be open about what she was feeling if it was something so trivial. So it's not attraction then, she pondered slowly, though the dreaded answer came instantly: she really felt more for Caesar than she should - much more. She likes him. Oh Gods, she immediately thought in disbelief, she really was a corrupted child, wasn't she? He's an ape!

Sighing to herself, for a moment feeling relieved that Caesar wasn't paying attention, she distracted herself with the village around her for the first time, ignoring the squelching of her feet in the mud and ignoring the heads that continued to turn her way grudgingly. Despite the faces almost morphing together thanks to their deep frowns of contortion, she attempted to memorize a few of them and tried to figure out what they were doing. Though, despite ignoring the distaste the apes showed, she made sure to hold herself lower, not wanting to disrespect their leader in front of them. Somehow, she knew they wouldn't take too kindly to it. Eventually, her eyes settled on a group of toddlers, if she could call them that - she wasn't sure- and stumbled a bit in her step as she gaped, seeing them huddled together like a primary class while the familiar orangutan patiently taught them, just like Will once taught Caesar. She surely realized it before, but now that she saw it for herself, she couldn't believe the intelligence the apes have developed - then again, as someone who grew up with Caesar until the "ape apocalypse" happened, she wasn't even sure what apes used to be like when she was a child. After all, she was never healthy enough to go to Zoos, so the apes that now surround her... they were the only ones she knew. She silently wondered if she'll even be able to see a chimpanzee in the light they used to live in. This thought quickly ceased when the orangutan looked her way, his unreadable face so different from the disdain around him, and she felt herself relax to a point of Zen when he nodded her way. It was as if his motion was silently reassuring her that everything will work itself out. Again she fell into thought. She wondered why his and Caesar's behavior make it seem as if the orangutan knew of her existence from the very start? 'Caesar spoke about me,' she theorized, but openly shook her head, 'No, don't think like that; don't make yourself hope.'

"Here." Caesar's gruff voice quickly interrupted her inner ramblings and made her head snap up into attention, only for her heart to swell with warmth when she saw him standing next to and holding open the leafy door of a disheveled old hut. Just like numerous other homes, this hut rested against the side of a steep hill with seemingly little effort - clearly, the structures were well built. And somehow, Haley already knew why they were there. As a result, she sent Caesar a look of utter shock before she carefully moved inside, her twinkling eyes studying the interior of the small house with awe, taking in the sight of moist wood and the rope that was made from some type of dead plant, used to tie the pieces together. Large leaves rest atop the structure to keep out the rain, and although she could still see some water dripping through the roof, it was a better alternative to living without one for more years down the line, like she's being doing in the past. "I love it." Haley admitted with an honest chuckle before turning back to Caesar, who still stood comfortably in the doorway and gibbered in satisfaction with her response. She openly hesitated before she continued, "I'm glad you were able to find a life here, Caesar. I was worried."

"Haley will, too." He signed without hesitance, his face remained perfectly still and serious, "You're family."

"That's nice." She forced a small chuckle - yes, that's right, and family don't fall in love with family, Haley - before she sent him an empathetic smile, hinting a teasing look, "And you found other family, too, didn't you? A father - never pegged you for a smooth oppingnator, or whatever my mom called her son."

'That's right,' she told herself, 'just be playful and this feeling will fade away so joy can become real - eventually.'

Caesar hooted an apish laugh and gave Haley a dismissive wave to insist she doesn't say another word, forcing her to giggle earnestly. "I should get some sleep." She suggested, motioning to the nest of leaves and twigs that already stood in the center of her new home, relieved to see Caesar nod in agreement. She didn't realize that he only agreed because she looked tired whenever she smiled, and him having no idea her reason was because the surface was as far as her smiles went, "Goodnight, Caesar."

"Goodnight." He signed before slipping back out of sight, finally allowing her façade of joy to break in an instant, her butt crashing down onto the nest behind her while her face fell, misery clear as it contorted on its own. She didn't want time alone to think about the trouble that just showed itself, but she was forced to sit there for what felt like forever while she caught the breath she didn't know she held. Her body silently shook like she ran miles in a single minute, but as soon as that familiar shiver overwhelmed her, she stopped and looked around. It was easy to spot his watchful gaze and familiar leering out of all the apes that could be seen passing her open doorway - Scar. But it was mostly because he was the only one just standing there, staring at her. She had no idea how long he had been studying her, but as sleep nagged at her, she really didn't care and nonchalantly just rose back to her feet, adjusted the door into place, and laid down, ready to snore for a few hours until morning comes. Maybe she'd have forgotten about her feelings by then.