u(゚Д゚u) (oncechained) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-08-01 21:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, aurora [disney], laura kinney (wolverine) |
Danger can be fun.
who: Laura and Aurora
What: Cheering Laura up
When: After she started dreaming more of the Logan movie
Where: An aquarium
Status: Complete
Rating: PG-13
It had been genuinely hard to pick between the two options, but Laura had settled on the aquarium. She thought that would be safer than being around Aurora in an environment where she could get heated. She didn’t need to deal with that on top of her dreams. Though the thought of Aurora in a dress or skirt appropriate for a club was an appealing and enduring mental image. She wondered if she was just projecting her feelings for Rapunzel onto Aurora, too. Which wasn’t fair to either of them.
She stopped in front of one tank, folding her arms and watching the fish swim by. The aquarium was huge, and there were sections they could actually walk underwater through, but those were farther in. This, though, was calming, and she slowed her breathing.
Aurora hadn’t actually managed the courage to say anything, but she also didn’t want to make today about her. She was making sure that Laura felt better. No matter what that meant. That’s what friends were for and, if nothing else, Aurora was a friend. She could be a friend when it mattered.
Today being a friend meant spending time at the aquarium, looking at fish. She didn’t mind this part, though. It allowed for a whole different set of plants and creatures from the norm. She liked how bright and colorful the fish could be and how different they all seemed. She didn’t even really mind the sharks, though occasionally, they gave her the heebie jeebies just looking at them. But it wasn’t their fault. It was all the movies that portrayed them as dangerous when they really weren’t. Still. Creepy.
“Do you know all the different kinds of fish?” Aurora definitely couldn’t claim to, but then marine biology was not the sort of thing she spent a lot of time on.
Laura really liked the sharks, and couldn’t wait to go under the water and be surrounded by them. She’d swam with them before. And fought one. She didn’t recommend fighting a shark, but she didn’t hate it. It had simply been doing what shark do.
She pointed them out, giving Aurora the scientific names. Even reciting that made her feel calmer. She glanced at her friend. “Lets go into the immersive area, I want to see the big sharks. Unless you want to look at the jellyfish first. I want to see those too.”
Aurora smiled as she listened, taking the time to try to put all of them to memory, but she couldn’t hope to remember all of them. She’d do her best to remember some, however. “I think we can go and see the big sharks first.” She did want to see the jellyfish, though. “Jellyfish after.” Aurora started to walk toward the immersive area, her gaze shifting upwards. “I wonder how much time it took to make this.”
“We could find out.” Months at least. It probably took days just to fill it. A shadow passed over them and Laura looked up as a massive shark swam overhead. Smaller than the one she’d fought.
Was she like a shark? Capable of killing and maiming, but preferring not to, yet still a predator, still a creature people looked at in fear. She shook the thought away, and glanced at Aurora, trying to tell if she was being uneasy. It would be an easy excuse to step closer.
“I like the light down here. The streaks and shadows from the water.”
“We should.” Just because she was curious. She peered up at the shark as it passed over them, not really sure which kind it was, but that was likely because she didn't try to look too hard. A couple were easier to distinguish from the others, but she didn't spend enough time looking at them to know for sure. She preferred sea turtles. Or most other animals. Her gaze shifted so she could look at the other sea creatures swimming around before looking over at Laura.
“It's nice. Even if the thought of what would happen if the whole thing broke somehow and we were submerged in water has crossed my mind. Only once, though.” She smiled apologetically. “But I like the patterns the water makes.”
“If it broke, we’d notice before it collapsed,” Laura assured her. She stopped, putting her hand on the glass as another shark passed. It was huge, with a large mouth but no teeth. A plankton feeder. Laura decided that he was now her favorite. She was briefly shadowed by the large creature, before it swam away and she stepped away from the glass.
“I’m tempted to swim with them, but I’d get arrested.” She grinned at Aurora, then took her hand to pull her the rest of the way through to the other side. There were the rays they could pet, and more tanks with exotic fish.
“Probably,” she agreed. “But it crossed my mind briefly anyway.” Not that she thought it would happen, but she’d seen movies where crazier things happened. It was probably something to do with the Final Destination movies. She hadn’t exactly meant to watch them, but girls from her school had wanted to, so she did.
“I don’t really have the money to bail you out of jail for swimming in the tank here either. I’d probably have to call my parents or someone. It would be really difficult to explain.” She felt an odd jolt the moment Laura took her hand before she pushed it out of her head. It was probably just nerves anyway. “We could always legally go swimming with fish and things out of the aquarium sometime, though.”
Laura guided Aurora over to the rays, the skin contact soothing. “They’d have to catch me first. But if we went swimming with the fish, there might be a shark.” Laura flashed a smile at Aurora. “I’d protect you.”
She leaned over, looking into the water as the fish swam around. “Do you think they like this? Or does it stress them out having people touch them all the time. Dogs love the attention, but they aren’t dogs.”
“They might catch you.” Aurora laughed. “My hero...heroine, I guess.” Her shoulders rose in a shrug. “I don't mind them as long as they don't try to hurt me, but they probably won't unless something happens.” She trusted nature as a general rule, especially people...even if she didn't have a clear reason to.
“I guess it's hard to say. It also probably depends on how they are being touched. Kids can be a little over excited about it, but perhaps being gentle and kind will keep them calm.” She couldn't really talk to the animals, though. She just hoped they didn't mind and would keep her touch gentle, careful to avoid touching places she could actually hurt them by touching.
Laura tried testing the waters so to speak, dipping her hand in and seeing if the rays came to her. One swam up, rubbing against her hand much like a cat, and she actually giggled.
Dreams of Transigen and the evil mad scientists seemed very far away.
Laura didn't trust people as a rule, so she liked to keep an eye on Aurora for that very reason.
The giggle made Aurora smile. Laura had never done that as far as she knew. At least not when they'd been around. She was sure most of the giggling had been her...and most of it had been when they were surrounded by butterflies. “I guess you got your answer, then. They do like it.”
Part of Aurora wished she could take Laura to the Moors. She thought the other girl would like it there. The fairies were always particularly wonderful and her Fairy Godmother and Diaval were wonderful company as well. At least here there were rays they could pet and other animals to study.
Laura just didn’t get to laugh enough, but she liked it when she could. She just wished she could go back to dreaming about her sister. She missed Gabby. Hell, she even missed her ‘brother’. Or would Daken be her nephew? Cloning was confusing.
She stroked the little ray’s back, smiling. “It’s best to let them come to you. Works that way with some people, too.”
Aurora looked up at her. “Like you.” Because Laura seemed to be the sort of person that did better coming to others than she did having people approach her and be in her personal space. Aurora was just far more easy to let people in. She liked people and for the most part, she liked to be close to them because it made her happy. Sometimes she had to remember that not everyone felt the same.
She looked back down at the rays, happy now that this was what they’d chosen. Well, what Laura had chosen. But she liked it here. “I’m glad we came here. I like this.”
Laura looked back at Aurora, and couldn’t look away even when her friend had returned her attention to the water. Aurora had been right, and Laura hadn’t even realized it until just then. She let out a short little sigh of acceptance as she pulled her hand from the water. “I like this too.”
Then she reached over and wiped her hand on Aurora’s shirt to dry it.
There was a hint of surprise as she felt a wet hand on her shirt. Her attention shifted again to Laura and she laughed a little. “I can’t believe you just did that.” But she didn’t sound upset. Really, she wasn’t. Surprised, yes. Angry, no. The only retaliation left to her was to return the favor. “You started it, so really you can’t even say anything.”
“Surprises aren’t always bad,” Laura suggested. She got to her feet, stretching and looking around. She had already acknowledged her crush on Aurora, and was still torn on the advice she’d gotten. But she’d probably also upgrade Aurora to ‘best’ friend at this point.
Which only made it more complicated. Her claws itched, and she rubbed at her knuckles. “Thank you. This is better than the alternative to dealing with my feelings about my dreams.”
Aurora rolled her eyes, standing as she did. She glanced over at Laura. “You’re welcome. I’m glad that I could help distract you.” She smiled over at her. “What do you want to go see next?”
“Jellyfish,” Laura suggested. She moved her rubbing to her wrist, then reached for Aurora’s hand.
Aurora studied Laura’s hand rubbing at her wrist before she took her hand. “Jellyfish it is.” She started towards the jellyfish, fingers lacing with Laura’s without her even thinking about it. “Are your wrists feeling okay?”
It was Laura who got a jolt this time, her mouth going dry and her heart constricting as she shot a quick glance at their hands. “It’s my claws. They’re coated in a poisonous metal. My healing takes care of it, but they ache sometimes.”
Aurora frowned at that. “Well, if there’s anyway I can make it better, let me know. I bet I could figure out some herbal stuff. I might have to go outside of my greenhouse to find a few things, though. I should probably get more of that sort of stuff. To help with pain and everything.”
“Regular painkillers don’t work, so I just massage my arms.” Laura shrugged, like it wasn’t that big a deal. And it wasn’t. It was a trade-off, she didn’t get other kinds of pain, though headaches could happen on occasion, just not for long. There were times she wanted that pain, because it meant she felt something. People like Aurora were better coping mechanisms. “I can’t even get drunk or high. It’s probably a good thing.”
The jellyfish were in a large cylindrical aquarium, in a darker room. With backlights and blacklights, they floated around, casting the room in a surreal color.
There was a nod at the comment. She wasn't sure how bad and regular the pain could be if it was treated like it wasn't a big deal. She didn't like the sound of it, but she guessed she couldn't do much about it. She'd still try. “I don't know if you're missing out on much,” Aurora replied. “I've never tried anything, but I doubt it's as fun as people make it out to be.”
She stepped closer to the aquarium, gaze on the jellyfish. “They remind me of the fairies. The colors, I mean.”
"I just like beer for the taste," Laura said. She was watching Aurora, and the way the light from the tank halo'd around her. She didn't move forward with her, the view too ... nice to miss.
She could have said something creepy like 'I wonder how long it would take me to heal from being stung' (it did cross her mind) but she just asked, "Are you sure you're not a fairy too?"
Aurora smiled at the question, turning to look at Laura. “I'm very much a human. Just one that happens to know a lot of fairies.” Looking back at the aquarium, she watched the jellyfish again. “That or I really am the Butterfly Queen.”
Laura’s throat bobbed, and she took a breath, and exhaled slowly. There was a phrase. Emotionally compromised. And she felt really emotionally compromised all of a sudden. “Maybe you are, in another life.”
Aurora laughed at that. “Maybe. I doubt it, though.” She was quiet for a moment, allowing her gaze to linger on the aquarium before turning back to Laura. “But we can pretend there’s a world where I’m the Butterfly Queen.” She stepped closer. “Want to get ice cream after we’re done looking around?”
Laura wasn’t one for nicknames, but something butterfly would be appropriate for Aurora. She enjoyed the silence while they watched the aquarium. It wasn’t awkward, but natural. She started a little when Aurora moved, and suddenly wished she’d move closer than she was. She cleared her throat and tried to tease, “And if I said no?”
“Who says no to ice cream?” Aurora shrugged, though. “I guess we wouldn’t get ice cream, though. If you didn’t want to.” She studied Laura for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to say anything. It was difficult to know if it was okay to mention the elephant in the room that neither of them had really addressed. “It’d be like...a date. Or something.” There was a slight pink coloring to her cheeks then and she looked away and at the floor. “Or just ice cream.”
All Laura had been hoping for had been for Aurora to give her a pout she couldn't resist because Aurora-pouts were adorable. But then Aurora was suggesting it could be a date and she was blushing and Laura probably had a loading bar over her head that said 'processing.'
"A date is good," She said, once the loading bar completed. Her heart was doing pitterpatters, and what would Logan do? Laura reached over and touched Aurora's chin so she could turn her face back up. "I'd like that."
Aurora had a feeling that Laura liked her, but that didn’t make the feeling true. She wasn’t sure that Laura actually liked her. She was still figuring her own feelings out, but she wanted to try. Just to see if it was something she wanted to do. She already knew that she liked being around her and doing things and the fact that she’d giggled because a ray nuzzled up to her hand.
The silence and the waiting had seemed far too long before Laura responded and tilted her chin up so she could look at her. Her cheeks heated up even more when she finally looked up entirely. “I just...thought...you know…” That she’d be able to talk like a normal person! “Killian said you might like me and that maybe trying a date would be...um...a good step to figuring everything out.” It took another few moments for it to finally settle in that she’d said yes, however. But once it did, she smiled.
"I do," Laura admitted, and it was a little freeing to say. But she was afraid to ask if Aurora was just humoring her. "I tried not to."
This time she was the one that looked down at the ground. "I didn't want to make things awkward. Or lose a friend. Everything was fine at first and then..."
She sighed, defeated. "Feelings."
Aurora smiled a little. “That wouldn't have ruined it. Even if it wasn't something I was interested in.” Which was about as close as she'd really gotten to saying she might feel the same, but there was still a part of her that wanted to make sure.
“Feelings are dangerous like that. Or so I hear. I don't think I've really had them before. Maybe briefly, but…” She shrugged.
"So you're interested, maybe?" With both Warren in her dreams and Rapunzel here, she'd kind of jumped in feet first. But one of those had been not good and the other had ended.
This time, she'd tried to avoid feelings, only for them to happen anyway. Laura took Aurora's hand. "I'm dangerous, you know."
Aurora nodded at the question, not really sure why the words seemed so difficult to form. She wasn’t usually this bad at talking. It wasn’t usually so difficult to say the things she meant to either. She didn’t understand how it could be so difficult just to say things.
When Laura took her hand, she offered up a quick smile, but the words momentarily made her brow furrow. “I’m pretty sure that the response to this is that everybody needs a little danger...or something like that. Or I laugh in the face of danger. If you wanted to be more...Lion King about it.”
For some inexplicable reason, her brain provided her with an accurate rendition of Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid. Laura decided she'd watched far too many Disney movies lately. And had probably thought about what it would be like too much.
Maybe she could blame Aurora for bringing up the Lion King. But Aurora wasn't the only one having difficulty saying things, but her response pleased Laura. She squeezed her hand, not really caring where they went so long as it was together, and started for the exit at a leisurely pace. "Danger can be fun."
Aurora smiled a little as they walked. “There are worse things than the Queen of Danger and the Queen of Butterflies going to get ice cream and wandering around an aquarium.”