Work Text:
Drip, plip, drip, plip.
Krista stared with pale blue eyes out the window of the damp cottage she and her mother resided in on the outskirts of town. There was a downpour of rain and she could feel the chill even from where she sat by the hearth of her home. She tugged her crimson cloak closer to her body, enveloping in the warmth that she savored in when she knew she would have to face the storm outside in a little while. To grandmother’s house she would go.
She wouldn’t dare plead with her mother for her to go deliver her grandmother’s things another day. She and her mother rarely talked at all except for the one time when she, as a child, had gone up to hug her mother only to be pushed away.
“If only I had the courage to kill her.” Her mother had stated with tears forming at her eyes as she walked off briskly. Those were the first words her mother had ever said to her.
Krista stood up with a sigh and covered her blond head with a hood of red, picking up the wooden basket and headed to the door.
“I’ll be back before supper.” She said as her voice echoed through the nearly empty house. There was no response. Not as if she expected one anyway.
A pang to her heart was all it took for her to march out the door in irritation with rain getting in her eyes. She closed the door behind her and trudged her way into the woods. Her petite frame was easily knocked around by the wind, her crimson cloak flying out behind her like a cape. Oh if only she had worn a couple more pounds’ worth of clothes she would be able to be more grounded. She was surprised that her hood was still covering her head and had not yet flown off as well. At least she had that to be thankful for.
She had been to the woods many times since her childhood and knew it like the back of her hand: every lean pine tree, every crook, every cranny, and every little creek. Like the one she had just fell into. Her teeth chattered as she stood up from the freezing water, drenched from head to toe. Krista yelped as she tried to continue walking only to trip over a rock and head face first into the water again. She sat there in the creek with her fair hair plastered messily on her scalp, all wet and freezing as her legs grew numb.
Oh, what was the point anyway? She thought to herself. Why not just die of hypothermia right here, right now? It’s not as if anyone would miss me anyway.
It was true too. Her mother herself didn’t care if she died. Hell, she even said herself that if she had the courage, she would kill her. Even her grandmother only talked to her when discussing the faring of their family farm although she had shown more kindness to her than her mother did. The red cloak she was wearing was the only gift she’d received from anyone.
She still felt like that dying would be a better option anyway.
Krista breathed in and out slowly, her puff of breath visible in the freezing air, although she was shocked that she could see anything anyway in all this dreadful weather. She stood up and let the wooden basket she held drift atop the water as she took off her cloak. Without it she felt utterly vulnerable and desperately yearned for what little warmth it had provided her. But it was too late; she had tossed it far on the bank of creek somewhere further from where she was. And god, even if she wanted to move, she couldn’t. Her muscles felt utterly weak and she was paralyzed as she stood in the middle of the creek. So she closed her eyes and laid herself on the shallowness of the creek. Ice flooded her veins and her whole body was overtaken by a dull sensation. She felt calm and at peace. Was dying really this easy?
-
Freckles.
Krista blinked.
Was this how the afterworld looked? No it couldn’t be because this was much too painful for such a painless death that she had experienced. She closed her eyes and groaned. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. Things had not gone according to plan.
“It’s about time you woke up,” A lazy voice drawled. Krista’s eyes flickered to the lips that were below the freckles and trailed back up the face of the stranger she was facing. “For a moment there I actually thought you were dead. If you were, I’d just throw you back in that creek I found you in.”
Her eyes widened and she scrambled around in panic. Where was she? What happened? She was supposed to be de- She fell off the bed she was on, only to glance down to see that she was wearing a large white shirt that was not her own, and was very naked underneath. She squealed.
“Oi! What do you think you’re doing you freaking idiot? Aren’t you going to show some gratitude to someone who just saved your life?” Krista flushed and crossed her legs as the stranger she had glanced at came into better view.
It was a woman.
A mix between exasperation, amusement, and annoyance showed on her tanned and very freckled face. She had eyes the color of the wood that made up the forest with a glint of amber and dark brown hair that was parted in the middle and tied in a low ponytail. The other girl found her quite subtlety enticing to say the least. She was yanked to her feet by the woman and was face to chest with her. Krista shuffled backwards on her feet until she was at a respectable distance from the other woman to which said woman raised an eyebrow.
“What’s with trying to put up a mile of distance? Just before you woke up, you were clinging to me like a frightened child.” Her cheeks grew warmer at the words that the woman had just said and a rush of embarrassment coursed through her.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t expect anyone to be there, I was expecting to . . .” Krista trailed off as the rest of her sentence hung in the air unsaid. I was expecting to die. This woman didn’t seem fazed at all and narrowed her eyes at the tiny blond with arms crossed.
“So you’re here to tell me that you meant to die?” Krista flinched with her hands curling into little fists and eyes shutting tight in shame. But nonetheless she nodded. As she opened her eyes she saw one of the woman’s hands moving towards her and Krista closed her eyes again and tensed, waiting for the hit to land. It never did.
She opened her eyes and blinked. She looked up to see the woman sporting a teasing grin as she ruffled the drying hair on Krista’s head fondly.
“You look so young. Why think of dying already when you haven’t even lived? I can guess that you’ve most likely lived here your entire life without even trying to go see the world. Find something to live for before you try to kill yourself. What are you, 13?” The woman asked making a ‘tch’ noise.
“I’m 18,” Krista retorted with eyes narrowed at the taller girl. “My name is Krista Lenz.”
“Hm, that explains it.” The other girl murmured as her eyes drifted towards the walls.
“Explains what?”
“Nothing.” She quipped quickly before looking back at Krista with those dark glittering eyes. “I’m Ymir.”
Ymir. So that was her name. An awkward silence fell upon them and Krista was starting to feel a bit colder and goose bumps rose on her exposed legs and her hair stood up. Ymir (somehow) noticed this and scooped Krista easily in her arms and dumped her back on the warm bed, ignoring the blonde’s shouts of protest. Krista was burrowed under layers of blankets that reached up to her neck and she stared back up at Ymir with a frown as the tanned girl just rolled her eyes.
“I’ll go make us something to eat. You’re so skinny I wonder how you hadn’t been blown away by the wind earlier. We’ll talk about your next plan of action after we eat.” Then she left the room just like that, leaving Krista to contemplate her words. Find something to live for before you try to kill yourself. Did she still want to die? Honestly, she never even saw moving away from her mother on her own as an option. She never really thought about living for herself. Her entire life, she just wanted to gain her mother’s approval. What could she live for?
She was still contemplating and mulling it over when Ymir came back in with a wooden tray of two steaming bowls and a hunk of bread in the middle. Ymir laid the tray skillfully on the bed without having any of the hot liquid spilling out of the bowl. Just the sight made Krista’s mouth water. Thick brown stew filled the bowl to the brim and she just wanted to greedily it all up. She hesitated and glanced up to Ymir’s eyes to which the other girl nodded. Without another moment she took the bowl in her hands and started slurping it up nonstop until it was only half way filled. She tore off a bit of the bread and used it to dip in the stew until there was nothing left in her bowl. She was content and felt like going back to sleep in Ymir’s warm and comfortable bed of furs and pelts but felt like she had to at least do something in repayment no matter how small.
“Let me wash the dishes.” Krista offered. Ymir looked at her amusedly and shrugged, waving her hand in a ‘do as you please’ way. The blond gathered the dishes on the tray and crawled off the bed, carrying the tray as she walked out the door but not before hearing a whistle from Ymir as she did. Ymir’s home was strangely simple. Out of the bedroom she was greeted with a small living room that held a couch and cabinets and cabinets of who knows what and a small table in the middle made of a dark wood. She navigated the kitchen easily as it was just behind the living room and she entered it, eyes searching for a source of water to wash the dishes with. Alas she found a medium sized bucket, big enough for her to sit in, filled half way with water, herbs, and slice lemons, and another bucket beside it that was empty except for a worn down towel.
After washing the dishes and setting them somewhere she thought Ymir could find them she walked back inside the bedroom to find Ymir sleeping on the bed. The room was candlelit so she could barely make out whether or not the girl’s eyes were actually open or closed but she entered the room anyway. Not knowing what else to do, she went onto the bed next to Ymir and sneaked her way under the covers. Ymir was not in fact sleeping and was staring at Krista blatantly as Krista did the same.
“So have you decided what you wanna do?” Ymir asked casually though her gaze was intense.
“I -” She started only to have her throat close up on her. “I don’t think I want to die yet.”
“Yet?” Ymir questioned in an amused tone.
“Well like you said, I haven’t really seen the world. I don’t have a purpose or anything to live for. Maybe I need to go find it.” Ymir’s eyes glimmered in the darkness after Krista spoke and she grinned.
“A wise choice.” Krista nodded quietly and leaned closer a bit towards the smell of pine and forest in front of her. Ymir sighed and dragged her arm to pull Krista closer to her. Startled, the smaller girl’s eyes widened and she opened her mouth to ask what she was doing until she was cut off by the taller girl’s chest. Was Ymir . . . cuddling her? Krista couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the warmth and company even though the girl was more or less a stranger but she really couldn’t bring herself to care. At the most they’d part a day later and would never see each other again so what was there to be shy about anyway?
“Thank you for taking me out of that creek before I actually died.” Krista murmured into the other girl’s chest, thankful that Ymir’s breasts weren’t stuffed in her face. Otherwise she’d be dead from embarrassment. Or from a nosebleed.
“My pleasure.” The other girl replied drowsily.
“How did you find me anyway?”
“I saw your cloak. It’s hard to miss a bright ass cloak like that one in the middle of winter. I picked it up and saw you floating in the middle of the creek looking like a porcelain doll so I figured that the cloak was yours. Thankfully your heart was still beating even though it was inhumanly slow.” It wasn’t slow right now that was for sure.
“What were you doing out in the middle of the storm?”
“Hunting.”
“With a bow and arrow?”
“Sure.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it Krista.” Ymir avoided the question cheekily with a quick peck to the smaller girl’s head. The small but intimate action left Krista with a lion in her heart roaring for more. Well it wasn’t her fault that she craved the other’s girl’s touch so much. After all, the only kids she knew her age all bullied her whenever she went to town and it didn’t help when she found out that she wasn’t attracted to men either. Deprived of any sort of love interest she might’ve gained just made herself go a little wild.
“Mm alright.” She relented although she still planned to pester the other girl about it before she left although she really didn’t want to. She shifted her legs so she could be more comfortable and felt Ymir’s breath hitch. Eyebrows furrowed she looked back at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Can you move your knee?”
“Why?”
Ymir just gave her a deadpanned look and Krista just stared back, confused. She moved her leg around much to Ymir’s dismay only to realize that one of her legs were between Ymir’s and her knee was practically between her thighs. Krista’s pink face rivaled Ymir’s and she bent her head down, giggling.
“What’s so funny?” Ymir asked in annoyance, hooking her finger under Krista’s chin, and making her blue eyes meet dark brown ones.
“Ymir, do you like women?” She inquired innocently with an easy smile that lighted her face through the darkness. The girl in question snorted and Krista had a guess that she was rolling her eyes at her question.
“I do,” The taller one answered shamelessly and Krista felt her heart doing a little leap at the confidence and assurance in the other girl’s voice. She wished that she had such confidence. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” She squeaked out in a small voice while shaking her head. “I . . . I’m the same.”
Either her ears were playing tricks or her or Ymir just let out a sigh of, what Krista believed, was relief. The other girl pressed Krista to her chest even more but slithered her way down so that her face leveled to Krista’s.
“Be careful what you say, Little Red. You’re everything a big bad wolf could want.” Ymir warned her. Warm fingers traced the side of Krista’s face and she held her breath as they danced over her cheeks, tickling her face with light touches.
“What fair skin you have,” Ymir murmured and Krista closed her eyes as Ymir’s fingers traced over them.
“What beautiful eyes,” They fluttered open when Ymir’s fingers left them only to brush over her lips.
“Such pink lips.” Ymir was close to her now. Warm breaths mingled together until their mouths were just hovering above each other like a ghost of a kiss. Krista was impatient and flickered her blue eyes up to Ymir’s, seeing the hesitation written in the other girl’s face as plain as day. She huffed out an irritated breath and took the initiative.
Lips crashed upon lips like a tide coming down upon the sand. Ymir tasted of dark chocolate and berries and Krista wanted to savor every bit of the unique mix until Ymir would most certainly push her away. But she didn’t. In fact, Ymir kissed back anxiously and feverishly although Krista could tell that she was holding herself back. Something that the blond certainly did not appreciate.
Krista propped herself up with her elbows and crawled onto Ymir’s lap, a task she managed to accomplish without breaking the kiss. Her lithe fingers held the other girl’s face in place as they continued to kiss without stopping. Ymir’s lips moved from Krista’s own to trail its way behind her ear and down her neck and back up again. Krista giggled when Ymir’s nose brushed against her collarbone and unconsciously, she tucked her head close to her chest.
“Is someone ticklish?” Ymir cooed with her hot breath fanning against Krista’s neck. She nuzzled her face even closer until Krista was giggling uncontrollably to the point where she pushed Ymir back onto the pillows.
“Quit it, Ymir. You’re totally ruining the mood!” She whined with a soft hit to the freckled girl’s arm as said girl just laughed. Ymir pulled Krista closer to her by capturing her wrists gently in her hands. They were tough and calloused, she noticed. There were scars on them and unsurprisingly, more freckles dotted on the back of her hands. Krista thought they were just downright adorable and brought Ymir’s hand to her lips so that she could kiss every freckle there while Ymir just looked at her in a mix of amusement and content.
“Hmm? What mood? And if I were to recall, you were the one who started laughing your pretty ass off, not me.” Krista glanced upwards as she made a map of soft kisses that lead up her arm with the final destination back to the girl’s lips. As they captured each other’s lips once more, Ymir’s warm hands moved to Krista’s bare legs, tentatively and waiting for permission to go further. Krista just rolled her eyes and despite the blush on her face, guided the other’s hands to her thighs and under her shirt to her bare back. Ymir’s hands roamed Krista’s back, tracing patterns like she was designing a web and Krista couldn’t help but feel embarrassed because the other girl wouldn’t even allow for them to kiss just to see how Krista reacted to the intimate touching.
“I can’t believe you just said my ass was pretty.” Krista murmured as she just leaned her head into the other girl’s chest. As Ymir chuckled, Krista could hear- no feel, the vibrations that came from her chest. She closed her eyes to the feeling of the warmth that Ymir gave off and the feeling of light touches from her back that traveled lower.
“Well it is.” Ymir remarked. Krista yelped, sitting upright when Ymir actually gave her butt a little pinch. Her face was remarkably red and she got off of Ymir’s lap and back into the blankets of her bed as Ymir just laughed. She was starting to hate the fact that the only thing that Ymir had put her in was a large white shirt. Not even buttoned all the way!
“Aw don’t be mad. Did you not like it?” Ymir teased. Krista gave a hmph and turned away from Ymir. She was a little ashamed to say that she actually did like it but she still voiced her non-dislike for it, which then resulted in Ymir cuddling her from behind, and subtle little butt grabs. To those, Krista just swatted her hand away.
“I don’t want my butt to be all red so quit.”
“As Your Majesty wishes.” They stayed that way all night. Hands interlocked, warm and bare legs shifting against each other, and quiet whispers of nothing of importance. Krista talked about why she tried to end her life back at the creek because she felt like no one would miss her. She talked about her mom and what the first words she said to her was. She talked about her favorite books and favorite season. In return, Ymir talked to her about her life. How she never really knew her parents and had lived on her own for most of her life. She never delved into anything personal and would redirect the question if Krista asked.
Krista didn’t mind. This was more than enough for her. She’d never known another in her whole lifetime as much as she’d learned about Ymir in one night. It made her want more.
-
Krista awoke to an empty bed.
She sat up, rubbing dreariness from her blue eyes, as she looked around for any signs of Ymir. She brought the rumpled blankets closer to her uncovered skin to warm herself. She really did wish Ymir had put her into actual clothes before she left this morning so that she would be fully clothes when she left back for home.
Or maybe Ymir hadn’t wanted her to leave yet.
Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.
Krista didn’t mind in the thought of staying for a while longer. Ymir’s home was homely and warm while her own was cold and intolerably silent. Krista slipped out of the large bed, wincing when her feet touched the icy wooden floor. She spotted her crimson cloak on the floor and wrapped it around herself tightly as she searched for shoes or socks. She walked out of the bedroom to find her shoes next to the door, completely dry, with her socks lying in a ball next to them. She set herself down and put her socks on, pulling her boots up quickly. She found herself at the door and heaved it open, wondering why there were so many iron latches. Were there wolves in this part of the forest? Krista had never seen one before. She opened the door, the wind blowing the cloak that wrapped around her body as well as her hair. Her eyes widened.
There were two wolves right in front of her.
They stood in front of Ymir’s house in the middle of the clearing surrounded by trees. She didn’t dare breathe.
These wolves were extremely large. One was shorter than the other but made up for it in body mass and Krista’s eyes trailed its muscular legs. It was pale in color, almost blond like Krista’s herself, with striking golden eyes that stared at her intensely. It’s companion was a head taller than it with darker fur that stood out in contrast to the wolf beside it. It was black with darker brown fur on its belly and around its paws and green eyes like the grass of the clearing though theirs weren’t looking at Krista. It was a bit comical how timid and shy the bigger one looked to Krista despite its great big menacing appearance.
The smaller, bolder one snarled at her and her breath hitched when it took low steps toward her, looking ready to spring. A sane person would shriek and go back inside the house and lock everything up and Krista almost did it but then she remembered whose home this was. It was Ymir’s. And the freckled brunette still hadn’t come back home.
“Where’s Ymir?” Krista shouted at the wolves out of her fear and bravery. But maybe it wasn’t bravery. Maybe it was utter stupidity. It wasn’t like the wolves would understand her anyway. They looked confused and the blond one stopped in its steps. “Did you guys eat her? You better hadn’t or I swear to the gods, I will rip your stomach open, fill it with rocks, and let you sink to the bottom of the lake!”
Something like amusement shimmered in its golden eyes as the blond wolf looked back at its companion with a snort. The taller wolf finally laid it’s eyes on her and crouched down from its sitting position, following it’s companion to move closer towards her. Krista’s hands trembled underneath her red cloak but she wouldn’t look away from the two beasts. Yes she was utterly suicidal. They bared their fangs at her and her eyes quickly glanced around the clearing to find any sign of Ymir.
The blond wolf sprang at her and Krista yelped, taking a step back and tripping over the ends of her cloak. She shut her eyes and waited for sharp teeth and claws to claw at her skin but was met with nothing. She heard a strangled yelp and a growl as something hit the ground. Krista opened her eyes and stood back up. Another wolf had joined the clearing.
But this one was fighting the blond one, pinning them to the floor and snapping their teeth at their neck. This wolf had brown fur, the color of chocolate, with patches of lighter shades around its face. When the new wolf stared into Krista’s eyes she couldn’t help but gasp. Their eyes looked just like Ymir’s.
The bigger wolf jumped onto the new wolf- the Ymir looking one, digging its claws into the wolf’s shoulders. The new wolf let out a snarl and turned their attention back to the larger wolf and snapped at its jugular, stunning the larger one who backed off with a cry of surprise. The blond one took advantage of the brown wolf’s attention and bit its leg. The brown wolf turned back to the blond one at their leg only to be clawed at by the larger wolf who had come back from the quick recovery. The brown wolf snarled and tried to shake the larger wolves off but was only met with more claw and fang.
Krista felt useless just standing there, watching the new wolf get beat up, and felt obligated to help it. Gods, this was a million kinds of crazy. Who even knew if the wolf had jumped in there to save her? Maybe it just wanted to eat her for itself and wanted to get rid of the competition. Krista didn’t know nor did she really care. All she was focused on was helping that wolf somehow.
Krista ran back into the house and into Ymir’s living room. Where would she put her weapons? Krista glanced around the room and spotted a glint of silver. She ran over to the hearth and found two long blades with handles leaning onto the wall around the hearth. She held them reluctantly with one in each hand and took a little swing. They were pretty light and seemed to be made out of either iron or silver. Krista didn’t know the difference. A strangled yelp came from outside followed by more barking and snarling and Krista ran outside.
“Leave her alone!” She yelled at the two wolves who were about to bite at the wolf’s throat. She ran at them, silently praying to Maria, Sina, and Rose, as she charged with arms swinging. She slashed at any available surface that had black or blond fur and they yelped at the cuts, quickly turning their attention back onto her. Krista had never touched a weapon in her entire life and only one out ten swings actually hit the wolves but that seemed to be enough. Soon she was standing in front of the brown wolf that lay on its side with its fur matted in its own blood. Krista had blood on her too. Thankfully her cloak wasn’t white.
The two wolves stood opposite to Krista and the wolf she was protecting.
Her hands were trembling as she held the blades. She didn’t know what to do now. The wolves had backed off and were probably wondering when they should kill her and maybe the wolf behind her wanted to kill her too. She guessed that was fine. It’d be a nice death where she’d fought till her last breath.But she didn’t want to die.
Her legs shook and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to just drop to her knees and cry. She didn’t want to die. Not now, not ever. She felt like it was inevitable right now- her death. She was in the middle between large beasts who had all the power and control to kill her at this very instant if they so desired. All she had were trembling hands and weapons she didn’t know how to use.
Tears fell from her eyes and she scowled, bringing her arm to wipe the wetness off her face. She glared at the wolves, daring them to come any closer. The blond one, always so eager, sprang at her. Krista raised her thin arms and clumsily swung her blades at the wolf as it neared her. She felt it’s snout come into contact with the back of her hand and her blades drew blood from it’s chest. It stood in front of her, resilient and beautiful, looking down at her through narrowed golden orbs and bared fangs. Krista gripped the handles of the blades tightly without backing down either. This wolf was holding back on her when it attacked and Krista didn’t know why. Not that she was complaining. If it hadn’t, she’d probably already be dead.
“That’s enough Reiner.”
Krista whipped her head around to see a familiar woman. She dropped the blades and ran to Ymir, wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s waist as she tackled her to the ground. Ymir’s chest vibrated with laughter as she wrapped her own arms around Krista.
“Someone’s awfully happy to see me.” Ymir commented with an amused grin. Krista just smiled back at her until she realized that the wolf which used to be behind her was now gone. She turned her head back over to where the other two wolves were only to see that they were gone as well. “Wha-?”
“You must be confused.”
“What gave it away?” Krista retorted back sarcastically. Ymir rolled her eyes and sat up, pulling Krista up with her. “No need to be sassy there, Little Red.”
Ymir stood up and brushed the dirt off of her back, offering a hand to Krista. Krista took Ymir’s hand and the blond realized that Ymir was wearing the same shirt as Krista did along with slim brown trousers and leather boots. Krista pushed away the thought of how attractive Ymir currently looked because there were a bunch more important things to worry about than how aggravating that crisp white shirt fit on Ymir. Way more important for sure.
Ymir held Krista’s hand as they walked to the house but paused to pick up the blades Krista had let fallen. Ymir didn’t comment on it or what they were doing out of her house; she just laughed. They walked through the already open door and Ymir closed it behind them, locking it as well as Krista went over to the bedroom, taking off her cloak. Ymir came in with a bundle of clothes in hand and set it on the bed.
“Change into some real clothes and then we can talk.” She said before closing the door behind her. It wasn’t like she asked to only be adorning a shirt without any undergarments. Krista scowled and took off the large white shirt that was the only article of clothing she had on and swapped it for the clothes that she had on yesterday. Thank god for underwear. She put her shoes back on and walked out, crimson cloak in her hands.
“Tell me everything.” Krista demanded as she entered the kitchen where Ymir was making tea. She sat on a chair in the living room and studied the freckled woman carry two saucers in hand, setting it on the table before sitting down herself.
“I’m not obligated to.” Ymir replied in amusement. She picked up her own cup and drank from it in long slow dips. She draped her arms against the arms of the chair, making such a basic wooden chair look like a throne by the way she was sitting on it. Krista straightened herself and looked straight into Ymir’s eyes as she drank her tea. “But you will anyway.”
Ymir grinned and shook her head with a tut of her tongue, “You know me too well, Little Red.”
“I’ve only known you a night- clearly not enough.”
“Would you like to know me for more?”
“I’d like to know how you got those two wolves to back off. I’d like to know where the wolf who saved me went when you arrived.”
“You’re looking at her.”
Krista narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, “You’re lying.”
“I most certainly am not.”
“That’s absurd. How can one be both human and wolf?”
“I’m a Wolf Shifter.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“I’m sure you’ve never heard of the word masturbation before either.”
“What does that mea-”
“See?”
“That’s not the point,” Krista argued with a flushed face. She couldn’t help her ignorance so what was the point of making fun of it? If anything, getting rid of her ignorance by teaching her was more beneficial. Krista had so many questions that she didn’t know where to start. What was a Wolf Shifter? Did she kill people? Did she eat them? “Why are you telling me this?”
“You asked.” Ymir answered with a sigh.
“Do you normally just tell people what you are if they ask?” Ymir looked at her in wry and dark amusement as a grin came to her lips. “They don’t usually live to tell the tale.”
Krista clenched her jaw.
“Are you going to kill me?” She asked with a voice that was cool and controlled. She thanked the heavens that her anxiousness didn’t slip through. Ymir shook her head and set down her cup, “No.”
“Why?” Krista questioned curiously. Ymir looked up at her with a quiet contemplation before setting her head in her hands.
“Because I like you. And you saved my life.” She spoke quietly. Krista’s cheeks warmed and she hid her face as she drank more tea, eyes darting around the room. “You saved my life twice in a row, I don’t think I can compete with you in that area.”
“Do you like me too?” Krista stayed quiet and ignored the question.
“Krista.” Ignore, ignore, ignore.
“Krista, please look at me.” Krista looked at Ymir, jerking back when she realized how close she was. Her blush didn’t help either. Ymir had gotten up silently and kneeled down in front of Krista, hands place on either side of Krista’s legs. Her dark gaze was so heavy that Krista just couldn’t look away. Damn her and her mesmerizing eyes. It just wasn’t fair.
“Do you like me Krista?” She asked again. Krista’s face heated up even more and she tore her eyes away from Ymir’s stare. Her heart raced in her chest and she shifted her legs closer together. She drank from her cup and looked back at Ymir. She lowered her gaze and murmured something under her breath.
“What did you say?”
“I said yes. Dear gods- Ymir! Don’t you think I wouldn’t have kissed you last night if I didn’t feel the slightest bit attracted to you? I hope you don’t think me that shallow.”
“I think you’re a lonely sexually frustrated little girl.”
“Hey!” Krista protested with a frown shoving Ymir a little with her knee. Ymir laughed and brought herself closer to Krista, snaking her arms around the blond’s waist. “But sexually frustrated lamb or not, I’ll charm you eventually. I’ll make you love me with all the space in your heart.”
“I am not sexually frustrated.” Krista huffed with a roll of her eyes. Ymir leaned up closer to her face until their noses were touching. She laughed out a breath of berries and dark chocolate into Krista’s face and Krista couldn’t help but laugh too. Soon they were just laughing into each other’s faces and mouths until they couldn’t laugh anymore. Ymir’s hand went into Krista’s hair, stroking it tenderly.
“Hey Krista?”
“Hm?”
“Have you ever thought about travelling?”
“No, why?”
“I was wondering if you wanted to travel with me.”
“Sure.” Krista smiled with closed eyes as she leaned into Ymir. “Really?”
“I would love to go and explore the world. Like you said, I need to find something to live for. Maybe I can live for travelling.” She explained as she pressed a kiss onto Ymir’s nose. “Maybe I can live for being with you for a while.”
Ymir grinned and Krista opened her eyes, grinning right back at her. To hell with the idea that maybe this, whatever this was, was going too fast. Krista felt like it was right. She didn’t want to make decisions she would regret in the future and she knew that if she wasn’t with Ymir or doing something with her life other than wallow in self pity on how much nobody liked her then she would regret it. She would regret it a lot more. She didn’t care that Ymir was a Wolf Shifter, whatever the hell that was. They’d work it out. They’d cross that bridge when they got there. If they got there.
Ymir brought Krista down for a kiss and Krista smiled into it, pulling Ymir closer with her hand behind Ymir’s neck. The kiss was slow and warm. It sent tingles around her body and made her heart pound with excitement. They pulled back and just looked at each other for a moment. Krista observed Ymir up and down: from her lovely freckled face to her strong long legs and Krista tugged at the color of her shirt to bring her into another kiss that Ymir happily obliged to.
They’d get there.