Phoenix Maplewood The Hazards of Love [M]

They played for an hour, maybe two. She lost track of time in a way that hadn't occurred since being back home — they both did. Jumping, snapping, spinning, chasing. Tavi would dodge at every chance, or dive in and try to grab, and in turn they danced together. A far better dance than what she had displayed for Reek, in service to Smash. The primitive beating of paws against the ground, or the tug of her chest through the grass, coalesced in to one moment of utter exhaustion. Nobody won the game - it wasn't that kind of game - but Reek eventually stood there, panting and out of breath beside her, and draped one leg across her.

Had she been anyone else, maybe Tavi would've realized what he was doing. Back home, she'd had her fun with boys. Nothing overtly promiscuous — she had always been a naive child, eager to romp with the boys but oblivious to their desires — and if she had managed to squirrel herself away with a boy, there'd always be Lex. He'd inevitably swoop in and come between her and whatever misdeed had been aligned in her mind; and in this case, within the maplewood and cavorting as she had been with Reek, a part of her had fallen back to youthful endeavors. She expected her brother to come charging through the woodland, a swift word upon his lips, a grunt or growl for her companion.

Maybe it was the hormones running through her system, amped up by her furious pulse. Maybe it was her need for a connection — the absence of her brother, and of Ukko, and of any ties that felt substantial — but she did not stop Reek from whatever he began to do. Yes, a part of her was still naive. But she was overwhelmed by her biology - and looked back at him, mouth agape and breath puffing from her lungs, as if to grant silent permission.