“I know. I wasn’t making a dig at your gender.” At Cya’s disbelieving brow arch, he winced. “Though, I see how that could be misconcepted.”
The tip of their tail flicked. “You mean misconstrued.”
“Okay,” he agreed readily. “But for real. I was making a dig at your richness and general spoiled brattiness.”
“Oh, well, that’s much better, then, isn’t it?”
Like he had missed their sarcasm entirely, Dex’s ears perked up, his grin returning. “Right? I knew you had a sense of humor. We’re two seeds in akocapod, me and you.”
“If that were true, I would have lobotomized myself years ago,” they deadpanned.
Dex laughed.
Cya didn’t.
Dex stopped laughing.
“Whoa, that was kinda dark.”
They couldn’t resist a small hair-flip. “What can I say? I contain multitudes.”
“You’re funny. Hella intense, but funny.”
Infuriatingly, the compliment had warmth pooling in Cya’s cheeks, and they looked away. They spun their gold bracelet around their wrist to give their hands something to do, and the motion made the delicate chains draping down their forearm clink. It was a calming sound, and they closed their eyes and focused on it as the speaker overhead crackled with the announcement of the incoming train.
“You sound like wind chimes.”
Soft fur brushed over their biceps, and Cya’s eyes shot open a moment before Dex slipped two fingers under the chain. They resisted the urge to jerk away, not wanting to break the chain, but they stiffened all the same. He was big and bumbling; one clumsy move, and he’d snap the chain in two.
“Careful, it’s…” They drifted off as he gently, almost reverently, ran his thumb over the links of gold.
“It’s what?” Dex asked, eyes of tourmaline and blue topaz lifting to meet theirs.
Cya swallowed thickly to wet their suddenly dry throat. “Delicate.”
“I won’t break it,” he promised, and it was so sincere they believed him.
They relaxed and shifted their arm an inch in his direction so he could see it better. He followed the chain up their forearm to the cuff clasped above their elbow. His index finger tapped against the stone embedded in the metal.
“What’s this?”
“Amazonite. It’s one of my favorite stones,” they admitted.
“It’s reallypretty.”
Another flood of warmth prickled their cheeks and neck, and they offered him another confession. “I made it.”
“The bracelet part?”
“All of it. I mean, my jewelry.” They gestured vaguely to their earrings and teardrop necklace. “I make all my jewelry.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa, no way! That’s wicked cool.”
A smile fought its way onto their face, and they blushed hotter. “Thank you. I also think it’s cool.”
Palm up, he wiggled his fingers invitingly. “Deserves a high-five. C’mon, princess—I mean… your highness. Don’t leave me hanging.” Cya shook their head but offered Dex a half-hearted hand, and he slapped their palms together, tail thumping against his gym bag. “That’s what I’m talking about. Boom!”
As the train pulled up to the platform, Cya stepped aside to allow travelers to disembark before they made their way to an empty seat and settled in. Dex dropped down beside them, his heavy bags jostling them nearly out of their seat. To keep themself from falling to the grimy floor, they grabbed Dex’s arm, squeaking when the firm biceps flexed under their grip.
