The Commander's Sister // Reg Slivko

Kisses and Skies

A little girl grabbed at my arm as we walked back through the village. I stopped, which meant I pulled on Reg's hand and he also stopped. I turned and smiled at her, greeting her with a soft voice. She looked at me with wide eyes before pulling my sleeve up, revealing the tribal tattoo that I'd had since I was four. She traced over the pattern softly, before looking back up at me, this time with her mouth dropped open.

"What is that?" Hank asked.

"Tribal tattoo." I explained, letting go of Reg and squatting down near the girl, pulling my sleeve as far as I could to show her the rest of it.

Hank shot me a questioning look.

"My dad was an anthropologist. I lived in the Amazon from the time I was three until I was five. Tribal tattoo was just to make sure they knew whose kid I was." I explained.

"How old were you when you got it?" Hank asked.

"Four."

He wrinkled his nose, Reg winced, and James smiled at me. A little boy had sat next to the girl, staring at my tattoo.

"As much as I know you'd love to stay with kids, we're going to need your help with the boat." James sent me a sad smile.

I sighed before smiling at the two children, standing up and letting my sleeve fall back down. I slipped my hand back into Reg's, who squeezed it. I smiled up at him, and he winked in return.

"Alright. We were this close to getting it working. Me and Gunpei were gonna take off to the open sea, try to get home ... when one of them things got him." Hank led us down to a dock.

"There she is."

I stepped next to James, pulling Reg along. I looked out at the water. It was murky, but little ripples could be seen along the surface. An old aircraft, frame stripped off the sides. A makeshift boat. If it hadn't been our only chance at survival, I would've smiled at it. It was charming. James let out a breath.

"Well. That's lovely."

"You're damn right."  Hank replied.

Reg sighed, looking down at me.

I shrugged, "It's worth a shot."

James scoffed from beside me. "You're the lightest. Why don't you get on first?" He asked teasingly.

"I think Reg might weigh less than me. He's skin and bones." I snarked back.

Reg shuffled and dropped the radio and his record player to the ground, tugging me closer by the waist before lifting me up, one arm under my legs and the other around my back. I laughed, linking my hands behind his neck.

"You sure there's no muscles here?"

James rolled his eyes, half playful and half disgusted as he followed Hank onto the boat. Nieves walked past us, visibly disgruntled. Reg rolled his eyes, ending with a grin at me. I leaned forward to kiss his jaw. Jack passed by and hit the back of his head.

"Come on, put me down so we can actually help." I laughed.

He scoffed before placing me back onto my feet. He held my waist as I tried to walk off, which made me stumble. He turned me around, moving his hands up to my neck and pulling me to him. He hesitated, and I stood still, confused. He leaned down and smashed his lips against mine. My mind spun, leaving me momentarily dazed. But then my hands grabbed at his shirt and there were stars.

"Hey lovebirds!" Hank yelled.

Reg kept me pressed against him for a moment longer before letting me go. I beamed up at him, blushing. He smiled, thumb running over my jaw.