Cucaloma fic!

Cucali leant over Paloma, staring into her eyes. Paloma blinked, only dimly aware of her. Cucali's very own explosive blast had caught her and sent her flying through the air.

"... hey! You idiot, pay attention to me!"

Cucali's hand came down on Paloma's face. SLAP.

"Wake up!"

SLAP.

"Don't you fuckin' die on me again, you little wimp!!"

SLAP.

Paloma groaned, shaking her head. "Stoppit..."

"Welcome back, Sleeping goddamn Beauty -- what the fuck do you think you're doing, taking a nap like this?!"

"It's," Paloma groaned, trying to sit up. "It's not a nap..."

Cucali pushed her back down, still crouched over her. "No, damnit, stay down for a sec. That blast took care of the enemies, okay? So your lazy ass can just sit down and get bearings."

"Cucali..."

Paloma slumped, letting her head fall to the side. Her eyes lowered, half-closed. "... thanks."

"I'm only doin' this so you won't get yourself killed!"

Cucali picked herself up and set a perimeter... and later, although she'd never admit it, she went back and put a coat over Paloma, and a pack under her head.

--

The next evening, Cucali picked Paloma up by the scruff of her shirt and shook her.

"Alriiiiiight, you've slept enough! Get the fuck up!"

"Wh- buh -"

"UP!"

Paloma pushed herself into a sitting position, shaking her head. Cucali sat next to her and glared.

"You're always makin' me touch your stupid mossy body! Why can't you do simple things on your own sweet fuckin' time?!"

Paloma blushed.

"I, um..."

"Did I stutter?!"

"No, no you didn't, just..."

"There somethin' on my face?!"

"No! No, nothing like that!"

"Then what?!" Cucali leant in, glaring at Paloma and grabbing her by the front of her shirt again. "You'd better tell me!"

"Just..." Paloma's voice was small, and her blush crept over her face. "Just, um, you could have phrased that better..."

Cucali thought back on what she said, and a flicker of emotion crossed over her face before she covered it up with bravado.

"What would you know, mossy?! I always phrase everything perfectly!"

Paloma looked up at Cucali with wide eyes. "Do - do you -"

"Do I what?!"

"... never mind..."

"No!" Cucali shook Paloma, and under her highblooded strength the poor girl was a ragdoll. "No more of this stupid secret shit! You're gonna tell me! Now!"

Paloma looked away from Cucali, the blush spreading across her face and tinting her grey skin green. Her voice was a little pained, and it pissed Cucali off.

"Do you... do you dislike touching me that much...?"

"What?! Of course I do! You're just a stupid mossblood!"

Paloma bit at the inside of her lip. "I... I don't have to bother you if you don't want me around, you know."

"Who the hell said I didn't want you around?! I decide who I want around, obviously!"

"But you said..."

"Argh! You are sooooo hopeless!" Cucali dragged Paloma closer so she could stare her down /properly/. "Listen! You're a worthless excuse for a troll, so I'm being charitable as fuck and looking out for you!"

"I get that... I just..."

"You just what, mossy?"

"... I sort of... you..."

"While I'm young, goddamn it!"

"... I thought, since you hugged me, you didn't mind touching me."

"I already told you, that was just so you wouldn't freak out!"

Paloma was silent for a moment. "... let go of me, please."

"Geeez, what's wrong? I step on your stupid little emotions?!"

"... yeah."

Cucali felt something tug at her, and she wasn't sure whether it was pity or disgust. She slapped Paloma to try and get rid of whatever the feeling was.

"You're hoooopeless! Why do I even put UP with you?!"

Tears were pricking at Paloma's eyes. She blinked them away and said in a voice which was barely audible, "... because you like me."

"What was that?!"

"Because," Paloma met Cucali's eyes, "you like me. Because we're friends, Cucali."

"What?! After all that, you're still calling us friends?!" Cucali wasn't sure where the outburst came from, or what exactly it meant. She told herself that it only related to her proper treatment of the girl, but...

But part of her wondered whether she'd prefer Paloma call her something else.

"Even though you hit me and scream at me, you still care about me. And -- and I --"

Cucali waited. ... for all of a second.

"Out with it, mossy!"

"... I... I care about you too..." But Paloma was blushing, looking away.

Cucali couldn't take it any more. "GOD! Would you just come out and say it already?!"

"Say, say what?"

"What you're OBVIOUSLY trying to say! That you want to be with someone awesome like me, even though it'd never happen!"

"... shut up. Just shut up."

"Make me!"

Paloma looked up at Cucali, raised her hand... and slapped her. The bombster was almost dazed for a second, just out of sheer shock that the mossblood would dare do something like that. Then, she grinned.

"You wanna play it that way, girlie?"

Cucali threw Paloma down and slapped her, again and again. Her cheeks were a bright green by the time she was done, and tears leaked down her face.

"... you, you're making it really hard to like you."

"As if I want you to like me!!"

"... I just..."

"Just what?!"

"... I can't... I can't stop pitying you, Cucali. You're terrible, but I can't help it."

Cucali's smile faltered.

"You idiot! Look at what you're making me do to you!" Cucali hoisted Paloma up by the scruff of her shirt, holding her by the shoulders. "Do you have aaaany pride as a troll?! Any at ALL?!"

"If you don't like it..."

"Stupid!" At that moment, more than anything else, Cucali wanted to (comfort the stupid bint) shut Paloma up. Show her (she cared) she didn't give a shit what she had to say.

She leant forward and captured Paloma's lips with her own. The girl made a surprised noise and tried to pull away, but Cucali held her there until she relaxed. Once the surprise passed, Paloma kissed back, closing her eyes.

Cucali broke the kiss off quickly, her face burning purple. "Will that shut your idiot mouth up?"

"Cucali..." Paloma's expression was mixed, wounded yet elated. "I... what does this mean?"

"It means shut up."

Paloma kissed her again.