The Deviants, part seven

"Ow!" Ava held her face, pushing herself up off the mat, "That hurt."

"Of course," Nash held both fists up, "I punched you in the face."

She made a face, "I change my mind. I don't wanna go with you."

He laughed, "Too late, you can't back out."

Ava didn't really want to anyway, her left cheek throbbing. It was her idea to search empty homes, and she didn't intend to quit. She just wished she wouldn't be too black and blue to join them.

Nash walked over, grabbing her waist, "You have little muscle strength in your core." His cool hands squeezed hard, "We'll need to fix that."

"There's no way I can get a six-pack in a week."

"True, but there's no reason why we can't start anyway." He straightened her back, correcting her stance.

Ava couldn't help but enjoy the Wanderer's cold touch. And it wasn't only because she was sweating from the training. He had become a sort of anchor, a constant, a comfort in her new life.

Shaking her head, Ava refocused her mind on how to defend herself, remembering the new stance as Nash walked back to the other end of the mat.

But instead of attacking, he faced his back to her and slowly moved from one stance to another. "Aren't you going to follow along?"

"You didn't say anything." Ava frowned, doing what he did, or at least the closest thing to the moves.

It reminded her of tai chi, Wanderer style. Ava had attended classes with her parents a few times in the park. She swallowed the lump, using the emotions to fuel her movements.

And, boy, she felt it after a half-hour. All her muscles shook with every transition, water dripping off of her skin and onto the mat. But she didn't stop until he did.

"I think I like being punched in the face better," Ava panted, bracing her hands on her legs.

Nash smirked, tossing her a towel. "I never said I would go easy on you."

"I know, but still."

"You'll get stronger." Nash patted himself dry. "Remember, we're also doing shooting practice today."

She whined into her towel, throat dry. She didn't think her arms could support a gun or anything over five pounds.

"I'll see you later."

Ava sat on the bench, seeing she was the only one in the gym. She wasn't alone very much. The longest stretch had been between her mom and dad being taken and her being kidnapped.

A new wave of emotions washed through her, and this time she let them flow, burying her face in the towel. She screamed into the fabric, realizing this was her first real breakdown.

Ava slid to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest as her sobs softened. Now her throat ached, and her eyes hurt.

"Are you okay?"

Ava jerked at the voice, smacking her head against the bottom of the bench. "Why do you ask?"

A human guy held a hand out, "Because I saw you crying."

She took it, glad someone helped her, "Not really."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really?"

"Well, I'm Evan."

"Ava." She rubbed her head, noticing the tattoo on the inside of his right forearm. "Why a bull?"

Evan glanced down, laughing, "I lost a bar bet a few years ago."

Ava smiled a little. Human men. Always getting themselves into trouble. Although Galen wasn't much better.

"You're actually the first human male I've talked to since I got here." Although she barely talked to men outside Nash and Galen, often busy with their duties.

"Not surprising," Evan shrugged, "There aren't a lot of us here."

"Ah."

"Heard you're going outside the base soon."

"Yeah, my idea."

"I know. News travels fast."

Ava blushed, dropping her towel, "Well, I'm gonna go." She needed a shower, backing to the door, "It was nice to meet you."

"Ditto."

The cool air was a nice relief as she headed back to her quarters.

***

Watching Ava leaving from the corner, Nash couldn't but frown, rubbing his chest. He had heard everything inside after he exited the gym.

It took all his willpower not to rush back in and collect her in his arms. After all, Ava had waited until she was alone to release those pent-up emotions, and he respected her privacy.

But Evan cheering her up made Nash's lip curl. Of course, it wasn't Evan's fault; he was a good soldier and kind male, the type he admired. Nash just didn't like seeing him make her happy after her emotional vulnerability.

Nash shook his head. He had no right to make a claim. This was Earth, and Ava was capable of making her own choices.

Taking deep breaths, he slowly moved one foot in front of the other, heading to his ship, which was receiving minor upgrades, such as extra seats and more storage, to make the retrieval test run easier.

"Who rained on your parade?"

Nash looked over, seeing Skye. "What?"

"You seem upset, which isn't normal for you."

Skye had a point. "I'll be fine."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Nash stroked his chin, deciding to give her a quick summary of what happened.

Skye bobbed her head. "Evan is a charmer."

"Not helpful."

"Sorry," she moved her weight around, "Just tell her how you feel."

"But what if she doesn't feel the same?" Nash didn't want to jeopardize their new friendship.

"You won't know unless you ask." There was a suspicious smirk on Skye's face, but the female was right, so he ignored it.

"And I assume you won't tell anyone?" And by that, he meant Galen, who couldn't keep a social secret to save his life. At least when it came to others.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Nodding, Nash glided away, heart pounding and hands shaking as he went to the Deviant. He would tell Ava how he felt but needed a plan first.