Page 34 of Trove’s Purpose

“Because you’re criminals."

He glanced at her. Still smiling. She hadn’t asked it as a question, and he didn't look offended by the accusation. He just inclined his head, letting that be answer enough.

“Does it bother you?” He asked instead.

Chee shook her head.

“Is that a human thing?”

“Huh? Is what a human thing?”

He gestured around him at the street filled with people. Aliens of every shape, size, and color. Almost all of them taller than her. The two of them were standing against a wall, out of the way of everyone as they all went about their business. Shopping and eating and moving about. Few of them glanced their way, and those that did either didn't care or just seemed surprised by her. Humans weren’t the most common thing in the Coalition still. But even those that let their eyes linger on her didn't actually stop. It was a busy cosmos and they had work to do.

“You and my sisters,” Trove clarified. “None of you seem all that concerned with our pasts. Well, Grace was very concerned. But only initially. Once Garnet talked to her, she calmed down very quickly. I don’t know what she said to her, but it worked well.”

“Oh,” Chee said, putting her hands behind her back, leaning on the wall, staring at the ground. “I wouldn’t say that I’m not concerned. When Hyde told me who I was going to… Well, when he sent me out here, I was pretty nervous. There was a good chance one of you would see me as a threat and take me out immediately. But I figured I had a chance if I just approached you as non-threateningly as possible. You guys are killers, not psychos.”

Trove threw his head back, laughing. “That’s one way to distinguish it, I guess.”

Chee couldn’t help the smile pulling at her face. “There’s a difference. People kill for all kinds of reasons. Not all of them are bad. Some are not only justified but seen as morally right, even if, legally, it’s not. There’s nuance.”

“There’s nuance,” Trove repeated, almost incredulously, shaking his head.

“There is,” she insisted, straightening her shoulders. “I’m not here to judge you, Trove. Any of you. You’ve been nothing but nice to me.”

“I put a pistol to your head.”

“Yes, but you did it very nicely.”

He laughed again, this time bent over double, holding his belly. She lasted only a second before she broke as well, laughing along with him. It was, she could admit, probably the craziest thing she’d ever said.

And their laughter only built on each other. The harder he laughed, the harder she laughed, then right back to him again. They kept setting each other off until she was just shaking, no longer making a sound, unable to take a breath, completely trapped in the ridiculousness of it. Her legs lost their strength, but when she would have fallen, he caught her around the waist and held her to his side.

Hand to his head, he stood them up as he tried to gather himself. She just held onto him, still lost in the laugh. At this point, she couldn’t even say that what she said was that funny. But it was the power of the laugh just catching them both and refusing to let them go.

“I did it nicely,” he repeated, stunned, setting her off again. “I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of nicely threatening their life.”

“You were practically a gentleman,” she snickered, surprised to see her hand resting on his abdomen. He had grabbed her to help hold her up, yes, but she hadn’t expected herself to hold him back.

But she was. And even as she noticed it, she didn't pull her hand away. The surprise did serve to finally dial the laughter back. She could still feel it there in her abdomen, the aftereffects of it almost tickling, but she could breathe again.

Trove was stroking her back, she realized. Softly, at first. Cautiously. Giving her a chance to pull back as he slowly built up to a full caress.

But she didn't pull back. She leaned into him more. Enjoying his warmth. The long strength of his body. He smelled good. Like new clothes and machine steel and soap. A combination that had no right being enticing, but it did because it was coming from him.

Then, she looked up.

That was a mistake. That was definitely a mistake. But it was too late because now she was trapped in the gleam of his purple eyes. And she fully expected heat, lust, desire, something. Surely, that would make sense.

But no. There wasn’t heat, just warmth. Tender, heart breaking, glorious warmth. If she was an absolute idiot, she would call it loving even.

Chapter 13

Trove

He shouldn’t have held her. He shouldn’t have pulled her against him like this. He could have steadied her without embracing her. That was a battle he lost immediately because he didn't even realize he needed to fight it.

But they were here now, and Chee was pressed against him. Staring up at him with wide, open, trusting eyes. So stormy, yet somehow so clear.