hm weird me....hell yes (open)

Jemma:

I breathed in the gust of cold air. My hands gripped the hot cup in protest of the cold as a shiver ran down my spine. I slid down to lay next to Alex, his body blocking a little bit of the wind. I was closer than I meant to be, but didn’t scoot away. I could feel warmth radiating off of him from my arm, though we weren’t touching. The strong urge to snuggle up to him was only suppressed by me reminding myself that he wasn’t Michael, he wasn’t like Michael, he was a completely different person, and I didn’t care for him like I cared for Michael. I sipped my hot chocolate instead and focused on the stars, a slight unconscious crease forming on my forehead.

Alex:

I couldn't help but look over at her when she laid next to me. I saw the crease in her forehead and I smiled softly. "If you keep that face up, your going to get a permanent line in your forehead." I remarked quietly focusing on the stars again. It was peaceful up here, I would have to remember that in the future. I could feel her presence close to me and I knew how close she was, but I did nothing about it. I had made the choice to have her make the first move.

Jemma:

“It that were true I’d already have a million lines on my face.” I said without looking at him. I stared up into the sky, watching the clouds slowly pass over us, blocking the moonlight at times. After I was done with my hot chocolate I reached above me to set the cup down then crossed my arms over my ribs to conserve my body heat. “Sara doesn’t approve of staring so much. She thinks it’s bad for me. She doesn’t understand how much there is to look at though. I couldn’t ever get bored with looking at the stars.” I said softly, I was more thinking out loud than I was talking to him.

Alex:

I smiled softly, and replied. "The stars are beautiful. I can understand that." It was. I had never been in someplace that had made it so clear. I glanced over at her and noticed that she was hugging herself. "You know if your cold, I can help with that." I said softly, a small smile coming to my face. She looked gorgeous in this moonlight.

Jemma:

I looked at him sideways then back up to the sky. “I’m fine.” I said with a soft shrug. I was cold, the goose bumps on my arms made that clear. But I wasn’t going to admit that to him. I had a mental block against admitting to any weakness to someone I barely knew, even if I felt like I had known him for a while. And I really did want to huddle up against the warmth. I was rather proud of myself for restraining, because the thought of his arms-
I shut my thoughts down immediately before they could continue in that vein.

Alex:

I sighed softly, noticing her stubborness before shifting into a fox form. I was as big as she was and I moved closer, snuggling against her. It was the best I could offer really, but I hopped it would be accepted. I pressed close, still able to do as much heat without really being human. I guessed that was the reason she was uncomfortable about it, plus she didn't want to have any weaknesses. I could accept that, and just take the innitiative on some things.

Jemma:

I sucked in a surprised breath then let it out slowly, deciding not to pull away. Before I knew it my hand was moving through his incredibly silky fur. It reminding me so much of Michael, just the feel. I remembered all the times I flew with him zipped in my jacket while I pet his soft shoulders. The memory made my heart ache for him. I closed my eyes and turned my face away from Alex, but my hand stayed on him.

Alex:

I shifted, resting my head close to hers even though it was turned away. My breath went out softly in her ear as I laid there, enjoying the feel of her fingers. I had always enjoyed being petted, a lot. And her fingers were nice. There was one big difference in abilities with Michael and I. I had less control over the forms, but I could use them as long as I wanted. And I was stronger, but still over all, I was weaker in some area's. He was better in animal forms while I was better in human. But as long as she didn't do anything to surprise me I could stay in this form.

Jemma:

My hand moved up his neck to his ear, rubbing softly behind it. I couldn’t help it, and I wasn’t trying to. It was comforting to pet him, and I needed that. My chest would rise and fall unevenly seeing as my emotions made my breathing erratic. I opened my eyes slowly once I got my feelings in check and turned to face Alex, not realizing he was so close.

Alex:

I looked into her eyes, my fox breath mixing with hers. My breath smelled the same no matter what form I was in, and an experiment on me was what gave me my warm, rain like scent, my breath was just an extention of that, matching it and making it stronger.

Jemma:

I took in his scent not really even realizing it was him, but liking it. My fingers continued to softly rub through his silky fur. He was so warm… I was doing it before I had time to mentally process; I snuggled up to him and pressed my face into his chest. It didn’t matter anyway. I wanted to do it, I was cold and he was warm and made me feel like my heart wasn’t a tangled broken mess. Besides, he wasn’t human at the moment, he didn’t feel the same things, right? Michael hadn’t exactly had the same emotions when he was in fox form..

Alex:

A soft whine left my muzzle at her snuggling and my heart rate sped up. I was more human even in fox form than Michael had been. I nuzzled the top of her head as I breathed in her scent. I was struggling to stay in this form, it was hard to stay like this, with her so close and what ever my body was going through around her. I had never thought of the fact of a soul mate, but maybe...maybe it existed.

Jemma:

I slowly stroked down his neck. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I had lost the ability to always be strong and distant when I had lost Michael… And Demi… And Adam… I sighed softly into Alex’s chest. My fingers gripped his fur a little tighter.

Alex:

I couldn't hold onto the form any longer at her gripping and I changed forms. Instead of my fur, it was my shirt, and I hesitated with my arms unsure of what to do with them. I hesitantly hugged her, not really knowing what to do. I knew my face would show it, but my heart just beat faster, as I looked down at her. I had never had something this close before, never had someone holding onto me like this. It was a new experience.

Jemma:

I drew in a startled breath when he changed. A deep part of me stirred with pleasure having wanted to be in his arms all along. I didn’t know what to make of that. I was weak at the moment and I didn’t want to pull away from him and let the cold air surround me. The last time I had been held like this had been with Michael. Adam had never been this gentle, not after they had messed with his mind and powers. He had grabbed me as if I was a possession. I cringed a little into Alex as the surge of unpleasant emotions.

I felt her cringe and I held her closer, my hand rubbing her back between her wings gently. I really wasn't sure what I should do about this, so I just continued to hold her close, my pulse still beating rapidly. I looked down at her, uncertainty still plain and evident on my face.

Jemma:

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead into his chest, my hand still bunched in his shirt. I couldn’t help it.. I was picturing being back in Michael’s arms, he was warm enough, and smelled similar… And I wanted it to be true more than anything.

Alex:

I whispered softly, guessing what she was doing. "I'm not Michael Jemma...please dont put that expectation on me...I can only be me...Michael is gone, if you need someone else then I can fill that role, but not like this. Not if I am being compared to Michael." I closed my eyes and rested my head against hers, continuing to rub her back gently, but sweetly.

Jemma:

I chewed on my lip at his words and immediately withdrew my feelings. I pulled away from him and sat up. “I’m sorry… I know you’re not your brother. I don’t expect….” I sighed. “It’s late.” I said bluntly. “We should be getting to sleep. I put a blanket on the couch for you.”

Alex:

I sighed softly, knowing I had ruined the moment but what I said had to be said. I nodded and looked up at the sky again. "I'll go in, in a sec." I said softly closing my eyes. I wished I hadn't said anything, but the smarter part of me knew that it was necessary.

Jemma:

I picked up the two mugs and hopped to my feet on the ridge of the roof. I spread my wings and flew down to the back door. In the kitchen, I scrubbed the cups in the sink then dried them and put them away. All the while I was thinking about Alex. I wish I hadn’t known that he was Michael’s brother, or that he was less like him. Or that I had never met him… Though he did make me feel better… Was it that I was happy being with Alex, or that I was happy being with Michael and Alex was just a proxy?

Alex:

I punched the roof, letting out a frustrated sigh. I moved to the edge of the roof and hopped off neatly, stepping into the shadow of the trees to move through them. I came out in the house I owned, where I sat down and quickly typed out a message to the school before heading back through. The house was more of a small room at the top of an abandoned building where I had a sleeping bag, a backpack full of supplies and a laptop. It was my safe haven.

Jemma:

Once I finished in the kitchen, I pushed through the door to the living room, subliminally hoping to see Alex there. I sighed when I saw the couch empty. I went to the doorway of Kai’s room where I saw both him and Kat curled up asleep. The back door and living room were still in my line of sight.

I stepped up to the front porch and opened the door, I went from the front door to the kitchen, my foot hitting the door softly but with enough force to close it. In the kitchen I poured myself a glass of water before going over to the couch, never once recognizing or seeing Jemma. I laid down with a sigh, my face betraying my emotions. A special moment with hot chocolate hadn't been special at all, and I had managed to screw up.

Jemma:

I watched Alex for a few seconds before going to my room. After locking the door and stepping out of my shorts, jacket, and top I went to the dresser and changed into a loose t-shirt and little cotton shorts. I curled up under the covers and reviewed the day over in my head. It had started out so boring, like every day had been since Michael.. And now my mind was whirling with thoughts of Alex. I fell asleep soon after.
The first night I had fallen asleep not thinking about Demi and Michael, was the first night that I had dreams about more than just finding Michael in a pool of blood. My dreams were still awful, but they were more school related. I was being held down. My wings were being removed. I could hear screams from the children, young children. I watched as my abdomen was cut open…. Alex was always there, watching from his shadows, not doing anything other than watching me with his ears perked up from curiosity.
I woke up drenched in sweat and queasy. The covers had been kicked off while I slept, along with my shorts somehow, so I sat on the bed in black panties and a shirt. My breath was hard to catch back after the dreams, but I managed to calm myself. I hopped out of bed and made my way to the kitchen quietly. I flicked on the light only after the door had swung close behind me. I splashed my face with cool water then filled a glass up and gulped it down.