Another giggle was cut short by her writhing and moaning, and a shudder that owed nothing to anyone else’s emotions. “You did that on purpose,” she accused. “You /know/ what that spot does to me.”
Blinking innocently and tilting his head to the side, he graced her with an angelic smile as his fingers curled around her hips, his lips not moving from that very same spot. “Mmm, I’m afraid that I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
Summer shivered again, feeling like her skin crinkled with the way her nerves reacted. “Liar,” she muttered. “Oh god.” She squirmed under the inexorable teasing and the gentle strength of his hold.
“Just — the image of you — throwing a big rock — ” she wheezed, gasping for breath. She curled over onto her side and clutched at her stomach, panting out, “Can’t breathe,” and giggling some more.
Rolling his eyes in fond exasperation and placing his hands on the jut of his hipbones, Isaac waited until she’d calmed down somewhat before reaching to pull her into his arms. “It’s good to hear you laughing again, Summer,” he whispered simply and pressed a kiss to the spot behind her ear.
Another giggle was cut short by her writhing and moaning, and a shudder that owed nothing to anyone else’s emotions. “You did that on purpose,” she accused. “You /know/ what that spot does to me.”
She broke into giggles. “A big rock? Rocks fall, everything dies?” An image popped into her mind of wolfy Isaac, heaving a giant rock over his head and tossing it at a tiny squeaking Jesse, and she kept giggling, helplessly.
“Well, I’d use a stick but I might be inclined to chase after it if I’m transformed,” he stated in all seriousness, before a grin twisted at his features and he exhaled a little chuckle. Arching an eyebrow then, he reached to cup her chin, kissing her on the lips. “What’s so funny?”
“Just — the image of you — throwing a big rock — ” she wheezed, gasping for breath. She curled over onto her side and clutched at her stomach, panting out, “Can’t breathe,” and giggling some more.
“It scares me too,” she snapped. “But it’s not like I chose this, or like I can just turn it off — I’m not particularly fond of how you react to the full moon, either, but it’s there so I accept it.” Summer ran her fingers down the side of his face, brushing them over his mouth and pausing to poke at the freckle on his chin. “For all of me, you can punch him any time you like, but I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
He flinched at the tone of her voice and reeled back, knowing how annoying his endless questions could be — after all, his dad always said the same thing. “I’m sorry,” he whispered helplessly and turned his head to the side to press a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “He deserves it. But maybe I’ll just throw a rock at him instead?”
She broke into giggles. “A big rock? Rocks fall, everything dies?” An image popped into her mind of wolfy Isaac, heaving a giant rock over his head and tossing it at a tiny squeaking Jesse, and she kept giggling, helplessly.
“I won’t choke. They aren’t that kind of seizure. It’s not the medical kind of seizure, it’s really much more like I put my finger in an electric socket — all my muscles twitch and cramp and jump and pull. It’s /awful/, but I’m totally conscious throughout the whole thing.” She reached out to tousle his hair. “Isaac, I’ve been dealing with these for a couple years now. I’ll be fine, I know what to do.”
Thinking about his offer to try to deal with Jesse, she frowned a little. “I … don’t know if you should talk to him. I’ve never seen him like he was today. Then again, he’s never seen me with another guy — maybe he was jealous. I think — you should do what you think is best, there. I don’t know /what/ to do anymore.”
“Yeah, and that sounds so much healthier,” he drawled sarcastically and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest and regarding her with a frown. Listening as she continued her explanation and then relaxing and nuzzling at her fingers, he shrugged helplessly and shook his head. “It scared me, okay?”
“How about this – if he hurts you or threatens you in anyway ever again…I can punch him then?” He piped up eagerly, recalling his face to memory should he ever need it again. He hated the sound of Summer’s fear earlier and it had took every bit of self-restraint he possessed not to act out to protect her.
“It scares me too,” she snapped. “But it’s not like I chose this, or like I can just turn it off — I’m not particularly fond of how you react to the full moon, either, but it’s there so I accept it.” Summer ran her fingers down the side of his face, brushing them over his mouth and pausing to poke at the freckle on his chin. “For all of me, you can punch him any time you like, but I don’t want you to get into trouble.”
She shook her head hard. “I — how do you even — I don’t know how you can tell lies. So I don’t know if I could obscure it.” She threw herself down against the pillows again, wincing as her back twinged. “It’s not his fault I wasn’t shielded. I should have put them up the minute I saw him come in, and I didn’t. The seizures are a thing, okay, it’s part of me. It’s not him. I can do things that make them less likely, and I was stupid and didn’t do them.”
“As long as you teach me how to deal with them so that you don’t get hurt or something?” he demanded with concern lacing his words, terrified that one day, she’d choke or give herself a head injury when suffering from a random seizure. Sighing internally and leaning forward to pillow his head in his hands, he fixed his eyes on hers and chewed at his bottom lip. “Do you want me to talk to him? I promise not to shift and I won’t even punch him.”
“I won’t choke. They aren’t that kind of seizure. It’s not the medical kind of seizure, it’s really much more like I put my finger in an electric socket — all my muscles twitch and cramp and jump and pull. It’s /awful/, but I’m totally conscious throughout the whole thing.” She reached out to tousle his hair. “Isaac, I’ve been dealing with these for a couple years now. I’ll be fine, I know what to do.”
Thinking about his offer to try to deal with Jesse, she frowned a little. “I … don’t know if you should talk to him. I’ve never seen him like he was today. Then again, he’s never seen me with another guy — maybe he was jealous. I think — you should do what you think is best, there. I don’t know /what/ to do anymore.”
“You said you could tell if I was lying!” she said, seriously confused. The conversation had gotten a lot more tangled suddenly. “And that you were worried about how he was affecting me — he’s not affecting me, Isaac. I didn’t … we don’t sit near each other, and I don’t talk to him … ” She sighed. “I guess I should tell you the whole story?”
“I can — but you could be…don’t take this the wrong way, but he accused you of basically being able to control my emotions or something, right? So would you be able to make it so that I couldn’t tell if you were lying or not?” Isaac blurted out, before wincing at the way he’d worded that, shaking his head with regret. “That came out wrong. But just know that I don’t believe him, okay? I know what you feel for me is real. And he is affecting you. He’s making you hurt and have seizures!”
She shook her head hard. “I — how do you even — I don’t know how you can tell lies. So I don’t know if I could obscure it.” She threw herself down against the pillows again, wincing as her back twinged. “It’s not his fault I wasn’t shielded. I should have put them up the minute I saw him come in, and I didn’t. The seizures are a thing, okay, it’s part of me. It’s not him. I can do things that make them less likely, and I was stupid and didn’t do them.”
“All right,” she said slowly, “but the other things? Knowing if I’m lying? And — him?” She dropped her gaze down to their entwined hands, and stroked her thumb against his fingers. “We’re in the same class, I can’t not see him,” she pointed out.
“That…well, I can’t be sure what I think about that yet, I’m afraid,” Isaac murmured apologetically and lifted his eyes to lock with hers, clearly hesitating. “I’d like to think that you wouldn’t lie to me about your feelings for me, because if you are, then how can I know what I feel is real?” He added on then, a bewildered frown twisting his features before it was immediately replaced by a petulant scowl. “Well, maybe I’ll start sitting in on these classes then.”
“You said you could tell if I was lying!” she said, seriously confused. The conversation had gotten a lot more tangled suddenly. “And that you were worried about how he was affecting me — he’s not affecting me, Isaac. I didn’t … we don’t sit near each other, and I don’t talk to him … ” She sighed. “I guess I should tell you the whole story?”
She blinked at him, frowning gently. “How can you — what do you mean, you knew? Knew what?” Everything he said just confused her more. “You have to explain all of that!”
“No – I meant that I knew you were the one for me, that you were different, amazing somehow, more so than just a regular girl, but I just couldn’t work it out at the point.” He was quick to placate her growing concern, reaching out to curl his fingers around hers. “And now it all makes so much sense.”
“All right,” she said slowly, “but the other things? Knowing if I’m lying? And — him?” She dropped her gaze down to their entwined hands, and stroked her thumb against his fingers. “We’re in the same class, I can’t not see him,” she pointed out.
That made her laugh. “You heard what J-jesse said, though,” she pointed out, stumbling on his name. “You aren’t afraid of that?”
“Not at all — you know why? Because I can tell when you’re lying, and right now, you’re telling me the truth. You would never make me fall for you because the moment I met you, I knew,” he stated and tilted his head to the side. “I’m afraid of the reaction he’s had on you, though.”
She blinked at him, frowning gently. “How can you — what do you mean, you knew? Knew what?” Everything he said just confused her more. “You have to explain all of that!”