When You've Got It

Mid November

Ondrea had always liked the Secret Garden (though, it's name was clearly a misnomer). Secret or not, it was almost always peaceful, making it one of her favorite places at school.

Leaning against a tree trunk, the leaves of which had already shed and been cleared away, she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the garden. So relaxed was she that it took a few extra seconds to detect the approaching footsteps. Amber eyes opening, Ondrea looked down from her perch in the branches of the tree, gazing easily locating the person trespassing upon her solitude.

Alexander Dawson. What is with the whipped puppy stance, anyway? The girl's eyes narrowed shrewdly. Then, she jumped lithely to the ground behind him.

"You should stand straighter," Ondrea advised. "You're tall - you should show it, rather than trying to shrink in on yourself."

Zander had always rather enjoyed nature. Gardens, in particular. There was something about flowers he liked. You showed them love and affection, and they bloomed, just for you. You talked to them, and they grew higher, showing off their colors and not caring if you liked them or not, but of course you did. No one had anything against flowers. No one ever trampled flowers just because they were there. They were something cherished, something you gave those you cared about. A sweet hello or a soft goodbye. Flowers always meant something.

He'd always liked gardens, his mother had kept a nice one in the window of the place behind the bar, and it always had brightened his day to look at them there. Even if he didn't have anything to eat, at least he could spend his time helping the flowers grow.

There's a wolf in my tree~! complained a passing squirrel, disappearing into the underbrush. Blinking, Zander's eyes followed it, frowning at the odd words. A wolf? In a tree?

He still jumped slightly as she appeared beside him, his walk halting as he turned to face her. "Oh. Are you the wolf?" He asked curiously. Squirrels did have strange ways of stating things. Their names were most peculiar. He'd have to ask one about it later, if he could keep its attention. "It is most pleasant to see you again, Beautiful." He blinked, only noticing that he was hunched when she pointed it out.

"I don't like being tall. It would be much better if I was shorter." He shrugged a shoulder, but did as she asked anyway, straightening his spine. He nearly towered over her now, and he wasn't sure he liked it. There was something wrong with looking down at someone. Perhaps things would be easier if everyone was the same height.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he resisted the urge to hunch over again, nearly doing so, before remembering her words. "Why do I have to stand straighter?"

Ondrea raised a brow at the boy. "Wolf?" she questioned, tone blank, as though she really didn't know what he was talking about. As it was, she had no clue how he knew to associate that word with herself.

"Feeling's mutual," Ondrea returned, moving closer to the boy. His height advantage over her was certainly more notable now that he was standing straight.

"Boys are meant to be tall," the girl remarked, gazing up at him. "If you slouch all the time, you'll develop of permanent hunch. Not attractive. It'd be a shame, really."

The werewolf gazed at him a long moment, a smiling pulling across her face. She gave an incredulous laugh. "You really have no idea, do you?"

Zander blinked down at her before looking away toward the bush the squirrel had disappeared into, a hand coming to rub at the back of his neck. The motion was awkward, as was the boy himself. In essance, he was nothing but awkward. He was not used to this much scrutinty, and he did not like explaining his gift. Ondrea had asked, however, and it was not like him to lie. A slight blush rose across his features and he glanced back at her. "The squirrel." He explained. "Complained about there being a wolf... in the tree... and then you- you jumped out of it. I was only-" he fidgeted, looking away from her. "But... you know squirrels..." a finger rose, twirling at his temple as he attempted a smile. "They're nuts."

He watched her curiously as she came closer, cocking his head to the side. "You are pleased to see me? Why?" His voice was curious, he honestly wanted to know. He'd never met someone who wanted to see him before he met Juliet, and she was miles and miles away. He was thinking about writing to her, but he didn't think she'd want a letter. What if Mars was angered? He wouldn't want that.

"The hunchbacks are always the nicest characters." He said thoughtfully. "I don't think having one would be so bad." He frowned slightly, the motion more confused than unhappy. "Why would it be a shame?"

Zander looked down at her as she fell silent, slowly sinking into her gaze. Some said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and Zander believed it. Ondrea Montgomery's soul was almost more beautiful that the girl herself, and what a feat that was. A bit dazed, Zander blinked again, his lips pulling up into a hesitant smile. "Know what?" His smile vanished as quickly as it had come, a slight sadness stealing over his feature. "Oh. You're laughing at me. Have I done something funny? Or are you making fun of me?" He looked away from her, his shoulders beginning to hunch again without his permission.

"A squirrel? Are you a beastspeaker, then?" She'd suspected as much before when she'd heard him speaking to Nightmare in Music class. She gave an appreciative laugh at his joke.

Ondrea simply raised a brow at his query, shaking her head a bit.

"They aren't, always," the girl contradicted. "They are just as frequently the villains." Yet again deigning not to answer his question, just then, Ondrea studied him intently.

Reaching up with both hands, she pushed his shoulders back again, touch caressing. She didn't withdraw her hands. "You are being absolutely amusing," she stated, tone slow and deliberate. "Clearly, you have no clue that at least half the girls in this school find you rather attractive.

"I used to be like you," Ondrea told him, finally stepping back again. "I had no confidence and everyone intimidated me. I was rather expert at being invisible. Better than you, even."

She walked a slow circle around him, appraising him as she did so. "Then, I realized that life was a gift I could not waste. And I also learned," Ondrea continued, stepping forward and putting her hands on his waist. She pulled herself against him as she rose on her tiptoes to murmur in his ear, "if you've got it, flaunt it."

"A beastspeaker?" He asked softly, blinking down at her. "I guess..." He offered her a shy smile rubbing the back of his neck again. He shrugged. "I think hunchbacks are misunderstood. More pronounced than most."

Her touch confused him, sent his breath moving oddly, and he didn't understand why. It was odd... and he liked it. He didn't want it to stop. He looked down into her eyes again, even as he straightened under her touch, slowly, as to dissuade her from letting go. "Attractive?" He asked, his brow creasing in confusion. He supposed that could be an interpretation of the way they all stared, but he was sure she was being over dramatic. "Are you on that half?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to the side slightly. In all honesty, he was rather doubtful.

He wasn't aware of the low sound he was making in the back of his throat - almost a purr - until she stepped away and it stopped, leaving him even more confused. What on earth was going on?

"You?" He asked, agast. He blinked again. Surely that couldn't be true? She was- was too- Ondrea. "No. I doubt you've ever been worthless."

His eyes followed her as she moved, blinking as his eyes tried to follow her, giving up when she was behind her, only to lock on her again when she came in front of him again. "But I haven't got it." He argued. "I haven't-"

The giggles of two passing squirrels distracted him, and he watched them run for a moment, their gleeful yells loud enough to actually make him look away from the distraction of a creature in front of him.

Come back here!

"Happy mating season." He said finally, turning back to her. "What were we talking about?"

Ondrea laughed, giving him a playful smirk. "I like to think I can appreciate a good-looking face when I see one," she said.

"Hey," the girl countered sharply. "You're not worthless."

"Well, I say you do," Ondrea stated, matter-of-fact. She watched his attention wander to some passing squirrels, and she briefly wondered what they might be saying.

A ebony eyebrow rose. "'Happy mating season'?" Ondrea echoed. "You realize how that could be taken, right?"

Zander blinked again. Was that a yes? Or was it a- Frowning against his thoughts, he looked down at her again, cocking his head to the side. "Your eyes." He stated. "Change color. Did you know?"

"Of course." He stated, neither a conformation of her words nor a denial. He knew how these conversations went. Around and around in circles.

"How can I have it? I don't even know what IT is." He frowned in confusion, displeasure. It could be a whole matter of things, and he doubted he had any of it. In fact, he was amost completely sure he had none of it.

Zander blinked again. "How could it be- oh you think i- but i- I mean I - if you wanted- I didn't mean to- i- just-" he clamped his mouth closed, his eyes going to the ground as his shoulders hunched again, shrinking him down. A slight pink tinge appeared on his cheeks, and he felt them as heat rising off his face and into the air. If he could become invisible, no, if the earth at his feet decided to swallow him up, that would be the best case of next action. Maybe he should just... leave?

He made no move to go anywhere.

"I did," Ondrea replied. "Some people think it's cool."

Ondrea was no fool. She realized his agreement meant only that he was about to debate with her. It was a trick she once used... one she still used on occasion.

Her eyes glittered in amusement at his stammering. With a put upon sigh, she reached up to straighten his shoulders, once more. "I told you," Ondrea repeated, "to stop slouching." Gazing up at him firmly, she canted her head, a mischievous smile pulling at her lips. And then, she rose up on her toes, body rubbing against his, to press her lips softly against his.

Her hands were on his shoulders again, and he was starting to wonder what, exactly, it was about that simple contact that made his heart go all fluttery and his body go all shivery and though he'd read about these sensations he'd never thought feeling them would be so... so... overwhelmingly pleasant.

He froze as her body pressed against his, a shiver of- of- whatever that was, running through his body. Somewhere, some squirrels were laughing at him, but the girl in front of him was entirely too- distracting for him to care right then.

Then her lips were against his.

It didn't matter that the touch was soft, hesitant even, for it awakened something in Zander he'd never felt before, not even when kissing Juliet. His arms wrapped hesitantly around her waist as he leaned into her, lips moving against hers in a half attempt to deepen the kiss itself.

Ondrea smirked against his lips at his response, pressing her body closer to his as his arm wound about her waist. A hand found the short hair at the nape his neck, gently caressing. Lips parting, her tongue stroked against his own lips, teasingly, invitingly.

For a boy who exuded so little self confidence, he was turning out to be a rather talented kisser. Better than many she'd kissed, and Drea had been doing more than her modest share of kissing the past couple of years.

He was trembling against her, so completely swamped in this new pallet of emotions he'd only half felt before, his hold on her tightening instinctively as his lips parted for her. Tongue timidly touching hers, he was too lost to remember fickle things like slouching to seem smaller or flinching away from the slightest touch. For the first time, Zander felt perfectly ordinary, and it felt extraordinary.

Leaning further into her, he toppled over, his weight too much for both of them, leaving him on top of her on the ground. His arm around her waist cushioned her fall, and he was careful to automatically keep his weight off her. Pulling away from her lips slightly, Zander realized that a small fraction of the reason he'd been feeling lightheaded was because he'd somehow forgotten how to breathe. Gasping for Ondrea's oxygen, the boy opened his eyes, not able to remember when, exactly, he'd closed them. Opening his mouth, the teen made to apologize, before his words caught in his throat.

It was quite disconcerting to find out that he wasn't sorry at all.

Ondrea laughed against Zander's lips as he pulled back a bit. "You're suppose to remember to breathe," she teased, amber eyes dancing merrily. She wriggled a bit to adjust her position, the manner in which her body rubbed against his slightly more than coincidence.

"Oh, no you don't," Ondrea said when he opened his mouth. She brought her lips to his again, a hand threading through his hair. "No apologizing. Just... enjoy the moment." The girl arched deliberately against him, even as her mouth moved to trail gentle nips along his jawline.

"S-s-s-sor-" he tried to will his lungs to- but she was being- and moving against- her wiggle caused most of his organs - brain, heart, lungs, among others - to skip, and had he been in a different fram of mind, he probably would have suspected he was dying. For now, the pleasure was almost too much, dilating his pupils as he looked down at her.

"S-sor- S-sor-" Her lips cut of his train of thought, and the function of his lungs, even as hie immediately responded. As she pulled away, his eyes opened again, focused on her and only her. "Oh-oh-oka-" His words were cut off as she pressed herself against him, an uncontainable sound sliding from deep inside his throat. His face warmed immediately, but it was the least of his worries. His mouth released another sound without his permission as her mouth trailed a line of fire up his jawline. It was becoming even harder to focus, his breath reduced to shallow pants by her ear. "Dree- I- I-" without his permission, his body was already responding to hers, his hips pushing down on hers as one of his knees found its way between her legs. "I- I want-"

You.

Despite her instruction, Zander attempted to stammer out an apology, anyway. And so, she elected to make it impossible for him by kissing his lips each time he tried.

He made a sound in the back of his throat that caused her to repeat the action which had caused it once more, slower, more deliberate. Ondrea felt a thrill as he began to respond to her attentions, lips curving in satisfaction.

Gaze locking with his, she gave an impish little smirk. "I'm not going anywhere..." she purred languidly. Then, she captured his lips with hers, once more.