ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
Natalie's question brought another shrug from Clarke before she responded. "Yeah, it was okay I guess. And also, he was born with it, but we got it when our hormones were at their wonkiest." She chuckled lightly.
"Maybe we can try another. Isn't the X-Men franchise more similar? They're actually mutants, right?" Clarke asked, not entirely sure about the premise, only knowing that it was a pop culture reference heavily cited to their world.
Clarke was still heavily doubtful that Natalie was going to be okay with her clinginess but she was also beginning to like having someone close to her that didn't mind affection. Like she didn't have to ask for it and Natalie would know she wanted or needed it. It also helped that the dogs were also affectionate creatures and they were much more in tune to Clarke's needs.
Jodie had climbed up on to the couch with half her body on Clarke's lap.
With the suggestion of another movie to attempt, Natalie offered a nod. She put a mental note in to make sure to add it to the long list of movies they would eventually watch. She was familiar with the concept, but hadn't actually given the film a chance. "We'll watch it next week." Natalie reassured, already making plans to insure it wouldn't be such a long time before she talked to the redhead again.
She lifted her arms above her head, hands coming together as she stretched. "Alright ladies, let's go out." She spoke to her dogs, who immediately jumped up at the idea. "It's getting late." Pushing herself off the couch, she reached for her phone before making her way to the door and opening it for Jodie and Oz. "Want to call it a night?" She asked, the corner of her mouth twitching as she saw the notification of a new text message.
Clarke nodded and watched as the other woman moved off the couch with the dogs following behind her. She bit her lower lip as she mulled over the decision to stay the night. They had just made some pretty big revelations that night, would it be so shocking if she asked Natalie if she could stay over?
"Um...Nat...uh...would it be okay if I...uh...stay over?" She asked, her grip on the back of the couch tightening as she did so. "I...well, I didn't know you were gonna...well, we were gonna open up that much but like...I figured...it was time to stay the night? I know it's a bit out of left field and it's probably inappropriate now that you're seeing someone but I thought...it'd be a step towards uh...bonding for us?"
The day was filled with surprises, because as soon as Clarke asked if she wanted to stay over Natalie couldn't help the little laugh that escaped her lips. In part, because of the statement that followed. "Why would it be inappropriate?" She asked genuinely. "You're my best friend. Best friends do things like stay the night." Even if they were rounding the corner of thirty. As the dogs came back inside, she closed and locked the door.
"Is your routine going to be okay?" Natalie had to tease, at least a little, given the last time she invited her friend to stay the night.
Clarke shrugged and laughed a little at Natalie's response. She nodded in agreement about staying the night before grinning sheepishly. "I...may have packed all my essentials in anticipation for tonight.
"I was actually going to ask you if I could stay before we...went too deep." She chuckled lightly. "Honestly, I've been trying to work up the nerve to stay over night for a while now, I just didn't want to overwhelm you with...all of this." She gestured to herself with a grimace.
Of course Clarke planned this, only drawing more humor out of the trainer, though it definitely wasn't a bad thing. It was nice to see her friend making progress, ironically as it was for it to be on this day. She pressed a hand to Clarke's shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "You're always welcome here," Natalie offered genuinely. "You know I've been saying that for years." And tonight hadn't made the statement any less true.
Letting go, Nat started for the bedroom. "Oz is excited you're staying." She pointed out, glancing down at the smaller dog wagging its tail happily before entering the other room and making her way to the closet.
Clarke looked at Natalie with a sheepish grin, still embarrassed by the fact that it had taken her this long to even broach the subject, despite their long friendship. She was just glad Natalie hadn't given up on her.
The redhead looked down at the dog as she followed Natalie, smiling as she bent down to pet the dog. "Thanks Oz...I'm excited too." She whispered to the dog as she slung her bag over her shoulder.
"So...do I uh...do we...can I...your bed?" Suddenly lost for words, Clarke just jumbled over them to make her point.
As she grabbed her clothes for the night, Natalie tossed them on the bed. She smiled at her dog, who was wagging her tails frantically in all the excitement. Any attention, and she always went a little overboard, but the thought quickly left her when her friend started to stammer.
It was almost incomprehensible, but Natalie got the general gist of the question. Another little laugh escaped her. "Yeah, unless you'd prefer to sleep on the couch. But there's plenty of room here." She always made sure to have a larger bed, given the animals that often tried to hog up space.
Her hands curled around the hem of her shirt, drawing it up and over her head before tossing it into the hamper before she grabbed her oversized pajama shirt.
Glad that her friend got the message, she clutched her bag and stopped short of the bedroom door. Natalie was changing so Clarke turned tail and hid in the bathroom. That was too much too soon.
She could feel herself start to hyperventilate. Over stimulation caused her anxiety to flare up so she took her time thinking about home. She catalogued the items in her bathroom mentally as she tried to catch her breath.
Too much change was happening and she needed to take a step back and just breathe. Once the panic was over, she washed her face with cold water and took her time changing into her long-sleeved tee and sweats.
Her nighttime routine consisted of removing her makeup, applying moisturiser to her face and parts of her body, brushing her teeth and combing through her hair. She sat on the toilet and closed her eyes for a few seconds as she processed her day. She rubbed her hands against each other and released the energy she had stored the whole day.
Everything not attached to the floor in the bathroom began to float in the air as it crackled with energy. For a few minutes, they stayed in the air before they gently fell into place.
Clarke opened her eyes and breathed out slowly and rubbed her face with relief. Now she didn't have to worry about things floating about while she slept.
She folded her used laundry and slipped them into a ziplock bag before packing everything into her sling bag. Quietly, she left the bathroom and walked over to Natalie's room and knocked the door just in case Natalie was still changing.
Changing in front of people wasn't something that Natalie considered at all abnormal. She hadn't considered at all how it might have caused Clarke to react, given that the moment she turned around, Natalie heard the bathroom door close and assumed that the redhead went in there to prepare for bed. She changed completely, only noticing something strange when Jodie came trotting into the room, and quiet steps brought her towards the bathroom door when she could see Oz sitting outside it.
Instantly, a frown formed on the trainer's face, eyebrows furrowing as she went back to her room, waiting. When Clarke appeared again, she instantly sat up from where she found a place to sit.
"Is everything okay?" She asked instantly, heavy concern working into her features.
Clarke almost didn't notice Oz at the door, luckily she managed to side step the pet to go to Natalie's room where she was met with concern. The redhead blinked and with a cursory glance to the bathroom, she bit her bottom lip and nodded.
"Right. Yeah. Night time routine." It took her a brief moment before deciding to let Natalie know. "I don't normally use my abilities in a day. That causes build up." She started. "So I need to release it so it doesn't disrupt my sleep." She gave Natalie a sheepish grin.
"That was actually how I manifested." She shared, feeling a little relieved at the unburdening. She wasn't even aware that it had ever been a burden but the relief she felt was palpable. "Started floating off my bed in the middle of sleep the day after my eleventh birthday."
They dove into details about a subject that Natalie never was able to properly learn about in the years she had known Clarke. Dark eyes went a little wide at the details, in part because she was surprised that the redhead was opening up to something Natalie knew she didn't like sharing. An explanation of manifestation was usually something a best friend would learn about, but it hadn't been the case with them.
She set a hand on Clarke's shoulder, offering a little squeeze. "Is it always so panic inducing?" She asked, well aware of what every animal in her house could sense, and thus share with her.
With the hand on her shoulder, Clarke patted it lightly and decided to just air it out completely. "Nope. That...was from seeing you without clothes on." Clarke gave a nervous chuckle with a cursory glance at her friend.
"Tonight's been a night of revelations and changes and I'm not good with change." She breathed out before shaking her head. "I need to be able to be okay with things like that though. I'm twenty-eight years old. It shouldn't bother me. But I'm okay. Are the animals spooked?" She asked with a worried lip bite. She would feel so guilty knowing that her panic had caused them to panic.
Natalie's eyes instantly went wide when she realized that her own actions were the cause of distress in her friend. It hadn't even occurred to her that she had never changed in front of the redhead before, and she was hit with a quick stint of guilt over seemingly putting her friend over the edge. "I'm sorry." She apologized genuinely, folding her arms over her chest as if to somehow shield her friend from her.
"They're just worried," Natalie reassured. After all, the various creatures in her house were all familiar with Clarke; seeing her panic would surely spike their concern. "I am, too." She sat on the edge of the bed, eyes never wavering from the person standing in front of her. "You've had an... intense day."
When she saw the change in Natalie's posture and demeanour, Clarke approached the brunette and shook her head. "Oh no no, please. Don't be! I swear it's definitely not your fault. You didn't know and I'm not exactly...forthcoming but this is good. I'm just experiencing things a little faster and a little too much at once that's all." She explained hastily, not wanting her friend to feel guilty about it at all.
Clarke bent down to approach Oz, hovering a hand towards her with a smile. "Thank you so much for your concern. I'm really fine."
Finally, she stepped into unfamiliar room, her eyes darting here and there before settling on the brunette on the bed. She gave Natalie a small smile before sitting by her side. "Understatement. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm just glad I'm around loved ones, that's all." She gingerly patted Natalie's hand.
