Natural Disaster

Chapter 42

Avi was awoken suddenly by a loud yelp and a thud. He bolted upright, forcing his eyes open wide and reaching for the spare knife Launa had picked up along the way. A groan of pain came from the floor beside the bed they'd chosen to sleep on. He peered over the edge, one eyebrow raised as he discovered the redhead sprawled across the floor and slowly sitting up. "You are a danger to both of us," he observed, "You roll out of bed and knee me in the nuts."

She glowered up at him and shoved the pillow that had fallen with her into his face.

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They slowly gathered themselves, Launa grumbling to herself and complaining of the headache she'd gained from her tumble from the bed. Avi pressed a soft kiss to her temple as she heated up some food for them, and she fought down the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach. Oh, stop, she told them sternly, casting him a small smile as he settled down beside her and offered to help.

They spent much of the morning wandering idly through the towns, stopping every once in awhile to dip into a house and check for anything useful- weapons, food items, anything. Launa came across instant coffee and practically shrieked with excitement, to which Avi just grimaced, giving her a hard time about being addicted to caffeine. "I fully accept and embrace it," she said, nodding proudly, "Besides, coffee's good for a lot of things."

"Mmhmm," he hummed, listening, but not believing her words.

"Like, better memory, boosted energy, reduces the risk of some cancers," she listed off, before adding under her breath, "Gets recommended to couples for certain reasons..."

Of course, that got his attention, and he grinned at her. "Alright, I give," he said, coming up behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder, "If, for whatever reason, we start having issues in that department, I'll drink coffee."

Launa snorted and couldn't help the smile from spreading across her face as he wiggled his fingers up her sides, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Don't. Tickle. Me." With a kiss on her neck, he conceded, settling his hands at her hips for a moment before pulling away from her. She shrugged him off, still fighting her laughter as he kissed down her shoulder and back up again. "Avi!"

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They continued throughout the town relatively quietly, keeping their quest of hunting for useful items. Which would have been peaceful had Avi not, apparently, decided to bother her as much as possible, brushing light touches against the small of her back and cracking dirty jokes, even coming up behind her and whispering low in her ear. He was in a definite mood to rile her up. He has no idea what kind of stubbornness he's up against. She smirked to herself, almost unconsciously adding an extra sway to her hips as she walked ahead of him. And two can play at this game.

They moved their way further northwestward through the Salton Sea area, avoiding fallen debris and making a game of poking at one another, giving teasing touches and seductive gestures. An hour into the game, they passed by a small house and Avi hooked an arm around her, smashing her right up against him and kissed her hungrily, growling low in his throat and pulling her into the house.

Launa grinned at him, even as he pinned her beneath him on a nearby sofa, pulling frantically at her jeans and scraping his teeth over her neck. I win.

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They all but tumbled out of the house not long later, readjusting clothes and belts, Launa's braid in disarray and the tail in Avi's hair completely removed. She grinned almost evilly at him, cheeks flushed as she tugged her jacket back on. "What?" he asked, laughing lowly and still regaining complete control over his breath.