The cool water felt great against his skin, and he felt some of the last few days worth of grime come off. Hazel demanded that he turn around, and started to wash his back. It was weird…it seemed like out of nowhere she was comfortable with being closer to him. Rex wasn’t sure what changed, but he was pretty sure that it would go back to normal once they got back to Sularia.

“What?” he asked, surprised by her sudden question about what he liked in the girls. The question seemed to come out of the blue, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to answer it at first. He opened his mouth to make a response, and then stopped. He took a breath, and tried again, this time at least getting out a word. “I…” He thought about it. “Really just like the sex. The temporary high…it makes me feel good…” He hesitated. “It makes me feel…literally anything…”

It was starting to become apparent that Rex wasn’t as confident as he made himself out to be. From the moment that Lewis and Simone had adopted him, the reality of who he was in comparison to the rest of the other kids. Every day it became clearer that he was nothing, while they were everything. Lewis was a world class assassin…Simone, a writer and a perfect mother. Lucas was smart, and Ezili was a brilliant and beautiful dancer. Everett was a little terror, but even he was starting to show signs of talent whenever he cooked with Silva. Alshaya, the deviant she was, was amazing at twisting words and demanding attention… Then there was Mira…the power she held over water was frightening. Their sister, Fiori, was already leagues ahead of the best seamstresses in Benin…. Lastly, were the twins. Barely a year old at this point, and already they were showing themselves to be scary smart. Lila…Janus…the mana they held alone outclassed the rest of the family, save for Lewis and Simone. That left Rex…

Rex, the one who had survived. The one who was so desperate for attention that he seeked it out in all the wrong ways. Rex, the one who wanted to fight against the reality that was coming true before his very eyes. He didn’t want to end up like his father, Rhenakos. He didn’t want to destroy someone else’s life due to his own failures. That was why he tried so hard with Izzy…maybe if he could help Izzy, then…

“I think…” Rex whispered. “That it’s the best I’ll ever do.”

”And me… what do you like about me… ?”

He smirked. “All that? About wanting to feel? It happens around you…I don’t know why. I don’t have an answer… just being around you makes me feel happy. It’s not an intense high like sex…but, it’s not…temporary. It lingers. I think about what you’ve said throughout the day when I walk home. You’re smart…funny…cute. Your words…they just make me feel happy…”

Hazel listened to him and continued to wash him and soon she was hesitant but her arms came around him and she put her lips to his shoulder as she thought. She had seen this plenty of times from people who were comforting. “I…” She tilted her head at him and mused it.

“I think you are dumb to think it’s the best you’ll ever do.”

Her silver eyes looked up at him as she hugged herself to him, “I’m scared of people a lot… but I’m not scared of you not anymore. These last few days have been great. Just me, you, and the world. I’ve never really had anyone before now. No one who would listen to me if I wanted to speak but you came every day and you sat with me even if I didn’t want you there.”

She was scared a bit as she let go and tapped his shoulder for him to turn around as she played with her hair. “I like that… You have a good heart. You are kind and go out of your way to help others. You love Izzy and I can see that a lot. You didn’t hesitant to try and save me even though I didn’t need you to. I thought it was brave. Stupid but brave but that’s attractive in a way. You jumped with no thought in the world on if you could you just say you had to.” She gave him and smile again. “You were just thinking of me.”

The witch looked thoughtful for a moment, “It’s lonely when you aren’t there anymore and when you are there I am happy. I’m happy to have the distraction from what is normally so lonely for me.” She hesitated. “And I’m scared that if I give you what you want… you’ll just leave me alone… so I shoved you far away hoping that was enough to keep you. Instead of talking to you and telling you what I wanted. I locked you out of the house because it broke my heart to know you chose someone else daily and then came to me. As if I was a nice second place trophy. It’s not that way and I know it’s not because how the hell would you have known? I didn’t tell you… part of me was scared that you would run away. I was happy just having you there.”

She leaned up a bit and kissed the edge of his lip. The very bottom of it before lowering herself back in the water, “I don’t think you are some fuck up. I know you get frustrated when you can’t do things but it’s okay to mess up. It’s okay to not be good at things. I can teach you if you let me… and you’ll be better for it. It’s okay not to be some prodigy. It’s okay just to be Rex because I like you the way you are but that doesn’t mean that I can’t like who you’ll become too.”

Rex wasn’t sure what to do. She was being quiet for the moment, and he wondered if he had said too much. And then, she hugged him. He was intimately aware of her bare body pressed against his, and he blushed as she put her lips to his shoulder. It was meant as a comforting gesture, but all the same he felt a little heated in the moment. And then she spoke.

Her words were tender, and scared. They were full of emotion as she spoke about how Rex had affected her, coming day by day. He had never thought of it that way…he thought of himself as being selfish, wanting to fulfill his own desires. He had never really thought of how Hazel felt in all of this.

Rex felt a tap on his shoulder as she released him, and hesitantly he turned around. He blushed, glancing to the side. He wasn’t expecting Hazel to suddenly be so casual, and it threw him off. “And what exactly do you like about me?” to his surprise, Hazel answered. She spoke of how he had a kind heart, and that his love of Izzy was such a big part of him. How, despite his stupidity, he was so brave when it came to rescuing Hazel, even if she didn’t need it.

“Yeah, I guess,” Rex replied with a sheepish grin, looking back at her. He only lingered at her chest for a moment, but then went back to her eyes. They were still glowing in the moonlight.

“So..you actually like me bothering you?” Rex asked with a half smile. “And here I thought I was just being selfish…” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Hazel…that I hurt you. I wasn’t even thinking about how it must have made you feel. Honestly..it didn’t make sense to me. I thought…if anything…maybe you’d finally get fed up with me and just tell me to leave entirely…”

And then the kiss happened. His eyes were wide with surprise. It wasn’t some passionate, desperate kiss in the throes of lust. It was a soft, affectionate thing, something that he had never really experienced before. “I…guess I can be okay with you teaching me things…” He sighed. “Thank you…Hazel.” He leaned over and kissed her softly. “Now…it’s your turn. I’ll…get your back.”

Hazel blushed at the unexpected return of affection, but turned around. Slowly, Rex started to lather her back. With a sly smile though, he let his hands slide to her front, where he grabbed her chest. He wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass him by. But it was only a quick one, and he was immediately back to soaping up her back in a heartbeat.

“Couldn’t resist,” he said, sticking out his tongue.

Hazel knew he would oogle her. He was only trying to since forever but it was alright right now and she just blushed a bit. It wasn’t so bad having him look at her like this. “Rex, I love you bothering me.” Then came the kiss and it felt like almost everything melted away. There weren’t other girls, they weren’t on some deranged trip, she totally hadn’t tried to ditch him on a potato cart… It was just her and Rex.

“I would never ever tell you to go away. Not then. Not now. Not even later if you make me mad…” Her voice was soft as she laid a kiss on his nose. She blinked a bit as he kissed her and she felt her face flush before he had her turn around.

“Careful lover boy you don’t want to burn all your good luck in one go,” she teased him as she leaned closer to him. “I don’t mind… I mean I do but… not really? It’s with you and so I like it… I mean I don’t know why you would like me… I’m sort of plain.”

Once he was done she turned back around and splashed water up at him with a laugh. Then a thought hit her and she made a face as she started to back him into a boulder in the center of the basin. “Rex?” She waited for him to answer her before she pulled him down and kissed him again. Just as gently but longer.

“Dump them Rex…” Hazel looked hurt a bit. “Be with me… Please? Only me.”

Rex blew a raspberry at her when she called herself plain. “Please, Hazel…you’re anything but plain. The mysterious girl at the edge of the town…” He nuzzled the back of her head. “You’re wonderful…” He finished up her back, and when she turned back around, she started to splash him. He playful fought back, splashing water up at her.

It took him a moment, though, to realize that Hazel had backed him up against a boulder. “Yeah, Hazel? He replied as she called out his name. She pulled him into a longer, gentle kiss, and as they broke apart, Rex was panting. Her question was soft, but it seemed to hang in the air. Hazel seemed almost desperate when she asked.

“I…” Rex started as he glanced away. “If…you’ll have me as I am. I can’t promise I’m much of anything…” He glanced back at her with a half smile. “Just…an average fuck up. But…I’ll be your fuck up if you want…” He paused. “Can you…promise me though, that…we’ll eventually have sex?” It was a weird thing. “I mean…as long as I know the possibility is there…I can manage.” He grinned. “It doesn’t have to be anytime soon…I won’t…pressure you…well, not much. I might… ask…but if you say no, I’ll respect it. I promise…”

Hazel blushed a bit more and smiled. “If you say so I’ll believe you.” She didn’t think he was a liar at all. He was a good person deep down just a bit misguided.

She laughed and continued to splash until she knew what she wanted to ask him. It wasn’t hard to pin him and she seemed happy with his answer. There was a laugh from her as she heard his condition. She splashed him and suddenly her shadows seeped up and almost splashed him. It threw him and he managed to land under the water where it softly caught him laying him down. Her shadows wisped around him.

“As long as you’ll accept me for everything that I am… Curse and all… I’ll accept you. I’m a pariah, unwanted, unloved by most… More than just some fuck up because you can fix yourself. Once you are seen with me in Sularia people will talk and they might even throw rocks at you… Can you handle that?”

She pulled herself upon the ledge to let Rex have a full view of her as she sat by him. She patted by her and if he moved by her she began to kiss him softly not wanting to break it. “I’ll give you it when the time is right. That doesn’t mean we can’t have fun… There are other things right?” She was clueless but Rex knew things didn’t he?

Wrapping herself around him she pulled him down and nuzzled his face. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t trust you to stop.”

Rex was caught off guard by the shadow tendrils helping soak him, and once that was done, he was merely laughing, enjoying being the one held for once, instead of holding. “Hazel…I’ll accept everything about you. And if they throw rocks at me, I’ll just laugh it off. Besides…” He smirked. “I’m pretty sure Mom and Pops would take issue with that…I’m pretty sure they can take care of a few of those problems.” An angry Simone was not one to be trifled with. She would burn the whole city down if it meant protecting their children.

As Hazel pulled herself up, revealing her full body to him, Rex blushed. “You’re…” He smiled. “Really not plain, Hazel.” It was pretty obvious with the way his body was reacting. He wasn’t bothering even trying to hide it. “Yeah…there are other things we can do.” He kissed her.

“Here…let me show you. Just…”

Rex, being as experienced as he was, showed Hazel a few different things they could do without going too far. There were points, though, where Rex was close to giving in, but he bit his tongue, and backed off. Hazel, though inexperienced, learned quickly, and also learned that Rex was not all talk about knowing what to do. If anything, she had to tell him off for almost overloading her with information. So Rex, a little disappointed, stuck to some of the basics.

But, they enjoyed each other, but soon they pulled away from each other, realizing that they needed to actually get some sleep. It was going to be a long week of them traveling, and…they would have plenty of time to explore each other.