Nova stared at the huge fish laid out before her as she sat cross-legged by the fire. Yoa sat beside her, somehow his large limbs looked magnificently elegant even as the space was a little cramped for him. Yoa was probably used to eating by himself in this cave and now there was Atia and herself eating with him.
"Careful. Hot," Yoa warned as he used a smooth stick the length of a small ruler to open the fish so it lay flat on the clean leaves before her legs. Steam rose from the meal, and although Nova had mostly just had sushi or prepackaged, sliced salmon, her stomach rumbled with the need to eat, even if there were bones.
Yes, it turns out she’s a bit of a child and can’t stand eating from the bone. That clearly had to change here. But she could deal with fish bones; that was fine. This looked delicious and well-cooked, even if she didn’t know what type of fish it was.
"Thank you," Nova murmured as Yoa handed her the small stick that she could now see intricately carved patterns on. She glanced up at him, silently questioning whether it is Yoa who has made all these little tools, and carving into wood.
Yoa’s focus had returned to the meat. He, too, was hungry, especially after chasing after Vulcan and trying to ensure Nova’s safety. He glared at Atia again across the fire. His friend looked at him questionably, wondering what he’d done now. Instead, he shifted a little closer to Nova with a small smirk, watching Yoa’s reaction.
Yoa’s eyes narrowed on him, and he couldn’t help the low rumbling of his chest. Nova paused, stuffing some of the fish meat in her mouth. She felt like a complete savage, but she followed what the other two were doing until she heard Yoa growl. Bringing her messy fingers away from her lips, she looked up at him. "What’s wrong?"
Her wide, expressive eyes calmed the storm brewing in Yoa’s chest and cupped Nova’s face. "Nothing."
Nova almost spat out the meat right then at the touch of his hand on her skin. Instead, she choked on it, swallowing it down quickly, along with a smaller bone and started to cough. Her eyes watered, and her throat burned at trying not to choke to death— okay, that was a little dramatic.
It was all so very demure and very ladylike—not. Nova wanted to hide her face. It burned such a bright red now both from choking and in embarrassment. Atia handed her a small cup of water and she tried not to gulp it down greedily.
"Breathe," Yoa rubbed her back, trying to be gentle. The motion made her body move slightly from the weight of his palm.
Once her breathing returned, Nova took a moment to assess the fish and see how she could eat it without choking on tiny bones. She subtly narrowed her eyes at Yoa, blaming him for this little fiasco. Technically, it was his fault. She didn’t expect him to suddenly cup her face like some sort of lover.
Neither did she expect to melt a little under his hand!
Yoa chuckled at Nova’s narrowed eyes, ignoring Atia watching them like some bright-eyed child. He returned to the meal, subtly glancing at Nova and how it was obvious she was now nervously picking at her meal. That just will not do. She needed to eat.
Nova’s narrowed eyes moved to the bloodied slice running down the opposite cheek that had been mostly hidden from her. Her eyes popped open more, and she leaned forward, gazing at it, worry etching her features. "What happened?!" Nova didn’t realise how close she was leaning forward as she began fussing over what was now a thin cut, nowhere near as deep as it had been earlier when he first pounced on Atia.
Yoa stared down at Nova’s concerned expression as she almost crouched over her food, her arm brushing his thigh as she gazed at his cut. "It’s a scratch," he grunted dismissively.
"That is not a scratch! How did it happen?" Nova’s brows furrowed. "You two didn’t fight that badly-"
"Vulcan," Yoa muttered.
"Vulcan?" Nova repeated curiously.
Atia perked up then. Usually, when he and Aiyana would bug him about his latest injuries, he would stare at them like a totem, unmoving until they grew tired of asking, or he’d dismiss them once and leave it at that. But, of course, Yoa was watching Nova with a slightly softer expression. The cheeky giant was soaking up her concern like a lazy cat rolling over, sunbathing in the grass.
Yoa nodded once. "He caused a little trouble."
"A little?!" Nova sighed, staring at the cut that ran down to his neck. The blood was dry and already crusting over a bit. She was also pretty certain she’d heard that name before but couldn’t quite remember where it came from. Who hadn’t been chasing her at this point?
"What did that bird brain want?" Atia asked, lowering his mostly eaten fish.
Yoa glanced at Nova in answer. "Something he can’t have."
Atia’s eyebrows rose at that. "Why does he want-"
"I’m still figuring that out. Ixana, too, had been interested in Nova," Yoa added.
"Ugh," Atia made a face at the mention of that woman. Her arrogance was truly unattractive. Even if she was quite the beauty, her personality was abysmal. He felt sick at the mention of that woman.
"You’re okay, though?" Nova whispered to Yoa. Even though Atia could still hear, she couldn’t stop herself from whispering and checking in with Yoa. He’d had it quite rough the last few days as well.
Nova forgot about the part where he’d been tied up in that ditch, possibly waiting for judgment from the Oncari, let alone all the running, hiding and fighting since meeting Nova.
Yoa’s expression softened again, and he nodded back at his little mouse. Warmth grew in his chest as he stared down at her, even as his expression returned to being blank once more.