Revelations, PT I

"NO!" I cried quickly, and louder than I expected to. Tanka sat up, startled, and howled in response- Tak and I covered our ears.

"Sorry, Tak," I said when we could hear again. "I know you're just teasing. I'm just a ball of nerves right now."

"I understand," he said. His face was serious, but his eyes still danced. "It is somewhat relieving, though, so I'll apologize for teasing you."

"That was a tease," I muttered, still trying to avoid his eyes. "That felt a lot more intense than a tease." I rubbed my arms, lightly, chasing away the goosebumps that rose there.

"Are you cold?" he asked, and I glanced up- he looked concerned.

"I'm a little cold," I lied. He looked at me thoughtfully, then moved to the head of his bed and arranged the three pillows against the headboard, and had me lean back against them as he covered me with the top comforter, setting the crutches within reach on the wall by the bed. It was just turning towards evening, though it was early afternoon. Tak left the room, after setting a book on the opposite side of the bed, and switching on a gentler light.

He came back fairly quickly, with two steaming mugs of cocoa. He set one on the nightstand next to the light by me, and balanced his own in his lap as he sat up against the headboard, with a small space between us

"What are you reading?" I asked, sipping the cocoa he'd brought.

"Just some stuff on music theory," he replied, absently. "I know what I want to do in my head, I can hear it clearly. But when it comes to getting it actually out-" he glanced at me and grimaced. "I could use some help. So far, it seems to be helping."

"Oh, that's good," I said. "Is there any style you like in particular?"

"Not really," he replied, turning a page and studying the other side. "I don't think what I like to play really falls under anything. Classical, maybe, would be the closest thing."

I finished my cocoa, and flipped back the cover slightly in order to remove the cast that felt like it was tightening around my knee. I sucked my teeth a little as it came off, leaving angry red imprints behind.

"Ah, no more moving around for you," Tak said, leaning over and peering at it. "You're staying put." When I looked at him with alarm, he seemed to realize. "Oh, not here here, if you don't want to. I just meant, upstairs, in bed. Doesn't have to be mine." He grinned, his eyes going back to the book's pages. Thank god. Who knew what I would do if I was half asleep? The burning attraction I felt was hard enough to control while I was awake!

"So do I have to wait through tonight until tomorrow for you to tell me this big secret?" I asked after a while, when Tak closed his lessons with a sigh.

"Yes," he replied quickly. "In fact, I believe that's the best possible thing. I still haven't told Grandad I plan on it, and I should do it now. Would you like me to help you move to your room?"

"How long will it take?" I asked, curiously.

"Depends on whether or not he agrees it's a good idea,' Tak made a wry face. "If he doesn't agree, it'll take some talking, and that could easily go for hours."

I blinked. "Yeah, then I guess I'd better move over to the other room." I hesitated. I wanted to and didn't at the same time.

"Or," he said, seeing me pause, "you could just rest here for a bit anyway, and I can bring you something to read or watch TV, whatever you like. If it ends up taking a long time you can nap or do what you feel- when I come back I'll wake you up so we can move you over there."

"That sounds better, actually," I said, looking up at him with a smile as he stood. He brought back a tablet.

"Reading and Netflix, all in one," he said, smiling back. "I hope to be back soon. And," he hesitated. "If you don't mind, Lain- go ahead and start picking out stuff for Christmas."

"I'm sorry?" I asked, confused. He looked sheepish.

"Well, I don't know you that well yet. If you make a wish list, I can get you things that you like," he said simply.

"And what am I supposed to do for you then?" I asked. One thing...no! I mentally slapped myself.

"Let's see if that guy even holds to his word, first," he replied, referring to Darston. "If he does, I can make some suggestions." He grinned like a schoolboy.

"All right," I agreed, slowly. He chuckled, asking me to wish him luck before he left the room. As soon as the door clicked, the big Tanka came leaping onto the bed, with a playful bow and his tail thumping the bed violently.

"Ahh fat boy, I can't play," I said, sadly. He rolled onto his side, mouth open, inviting a pounce. I scrubbed him instead for a long time, and he slowly lowered his legs, as if my offering was accepted as a second best replacement.

I spent a lot of time just browsing the web. I looked up recovery times for my injury, some information about wolves and their social constructs and body language, eventually turning to online shopping. I didn't really need anything. Except a phone, and I would be getting that myself.

I picked some plain, cheap clothes on clearance, a warm jacket like Tak's, and a pair of tennis shoes that had good reviews for comfort. If I was going to be waitressing, I thought, it would be good to have non-slip shoes that would give me support better than the old boots I'd been wearing the past four years.

I sat and stared at the empty web page I'd opened, and sighed. I really didn't feel like watching a movie or series. I glanced at the time in the corner- 8PM. Tak had been gone for a long time. I guessed, whatever the big secret was, Grandad wasn't on board with letting me know.

I pushed the tablet onto the nightstand, and the crutches caught my eye. I thought about moving over to the other room on my own, but I felt extremely comfortable. Not to mention, if Han caught me in the hallway somehow, I felt like I'd irritate him with being stubborn, again. I pulled the pillows from behind me and turned slightly, turning off the light. I cuddled a pillow, propping up my hurt knee with another, putting a third between me and Tanka. Tanka didn't care for it and dug it away, flopping himself halfway over me.

"I thought only dogs slept in a pile," I grumbled to him, and received a grumble back.

It was comforting, though, having him here.

***************************************

It felt like I'd just closed my eyes when I heard Tak saying my name softly.

"What's up?" I asked, keeping my eyes shut.

"Well, I'm back," he chuckled. "Sit up so I can give you your crutches."

"No." I gingerly rolled over, facing away from Tak. Sleepy.

"You want me to carry you, then?" he asked gently. "I can." He started to move the comforter, but I gripped it tightly. Tanka whined and groaned.

"So you're not moving?" he asked, his hands still on the blanket.

I finally snapped more awake. "Oh, I'm sorry Tak," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I was comfortable, I wasn't thinking. Yes, crutches please."

"I was just going to check one more time before joining you," he said, helping me balance them. "No complaints if you want to stay?"

"I'll be alright," I said, feeling my face get hot. "What did your Grandad say?"

Tak hesitated. "I wasn't really able to get him to agree," he said, finally, as we entered the room I was staying in.

"Oh, I see." I wasn't able to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I sat down on the bed again, feeling Tanka getting comfortable, and laid down. I scooted closer to Tanka and patted the bed, inviting Tak to sit. He did.

"But, the worst that means is, another three days for you," he said, reaching out slowly and touching my cheek. "If you can hang on that long."

"If I can't?" I looked at him curiously.

"Then I guess I might have to show you," he said, smiling.

"Show me? You mean tell me?" I asked, sitting up halfway on my elbows. He turned to face me a little more fully.

"It's both," he replied. "If it makes you feel better, Grandad didn't specifically say that I can't. He just said it would make our lives more complicated for a while than it needed to be."

"Oh," I said. That's different then…I sat up.

"Will you show me, then?" I asked, looking into his eyes. He looked pleased that I asked.

"Awesome." He definitely was pleased. "I couldn't take hiding it from you any more; it was killing me inside."

"It was a little bit like torture," I said, watching him stand. He looked around. "Lain, you're not comfortable with me being undressed, right?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, feeling the heat race from my chest to my face. And somewhere else. "Do you- what?"

"I didn't think so." He grinned. "You'll want to close your eyes, then. Count to thirty, then open them."

"What does this have to do with what you're talking about?" I asked, covering my face with my hands. I heard him undressing, but resisted peeking through my fingers. There was a strange noise, after, for a few seconds, then silence. The silence stretched on, until I remembered he'd said I needed to count. I figured that I would count for another ten seconds, then look. I mouthed the words as I counted down, took a deep breath, and then dropped my hands.