Okay, so this will be on the back burner for a while, but today a scene popped in my head so I had to write it. I’m sure there will be changes as it develops, but these two won’t change all that much. I won't make an official page for this until I've done a lot more world and character development.
She smiled at the tickle of his soft feathers against her cheek and breathed in the faint scent of sycamore fig and rain they carried. The aroma, a reminder of home. She pulled his arms tighter around her, closing her eyes, then giggled softly as he nuzzled further into the back of her neck.
“What?” The word slid smoothly from his tongue, and she could hear the smile in his deep, gentle voice.
“Nothing.” She let her smile fade as she exhaled a deep sigh that took with it all the stress and worries of the day. The grogginess of sleep crept into her mind. “I love you.”
Her eyes shot open and her body jerked with a flinch as the last word slipped from her lips. She felt his muscles tense and breathing hitch behind her, her stomach twisting with anxiety, fear taut and strangling in her throat.
Seconds felt like years as he slowly relaxed. “I have waited so long to hear those three words pass between us, for I have loved you from the moment you told me that you could out-fly me blindfolded in a storm.”
She let out a nervous laugh as the tension released her gut, and she turned to face him. A single tear danced against his dark skin at the bridge of his nose. Before she could find her words, he moved forward and his lips found hers, warm and soft, gentle and needy. She felt herself melt beneath them, warmth growing in her chest and spreading slowly through her body.
He pulled away too soon and chuckled at her groan of protest. “Sleep, Njeri. Tomorrow will be another long day.”
She buried her face in his chest, and his arms tightened around her. Doubt began to work its way into her heart, and she turned her head slightly to whisper, “Enzi, are you certain about this… about me? I’m–.”
“Stop.” His hand found her cheek and fingers traced the length of her jaw to her chin, lifting her head so that he could see her face, “There is no part of you that I do not love, Njeri. I was foolish when we were young to tease you for being unique, and it was that uniqueness and your strength of will that bound me to you. The others do not understand you, but I do. I do not care what they think or what they would say, you are my mshirika wa roho." His words bore into her, and her heart stuttered at mshirika wa roho—soulmate. The tears fell unbidden as she repeated them in her mind, tried to focus on the remainder of his words. "I choose you because of who you are and what you mean to me. Do not take my words lightly, Njeri. I am in love with you.” He pulled her into another kiss, this one more confident, but just as tender.
In that moment, nothing else mattered. The clan’s reaction to their relationship was a concern for another time. Enzi was finally hers, no more hiding her feelings for him, pretending it was friendship, pretending to be normal, whatever that meant. He knew the truth, all of it, and loved her anyway.
When he released her from the kiss, she buried her face back into his chest. His heart beat strong and steady under her ear, and she felt the tug of sleep and exhaustion over the immense relief and joy building in her chest, or maybe because of it.
Enzi’s fingers wound into the soft, sensitive feathers near her shoulder, and she shuddered against him as he caressed them. “Should I stop?”
“No!” Her loud, quick exclamation was a stark contrast to his soft words, and it caused him to laugh. Heat ran across her cheeks and burned her ears, and she was eternally grateful for the dim light of the hut. She cleared her throat and tried again, “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to stop.”
“Sleep, Njeri.” His response made her worry that he would stop but his hand began moving through her feathers again, making slow, deliberate circles. She sighed and let herself relax in his embrace, feeling lighter than she ever had in her life. Happy, content… safe. Her eyes fluttered closed, and sleep took her quickly.
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