Prettying Up
#28 of All They Knew
Ruki opened his eyes to a dark, silent room. He was sprawled out in bed and didn't feel Skye's warmth beside him. He lifted his head from her pillow and looked around the room and at the cracked door. She was nowhere to be found. Ruki wasn't worried. Skye was likely still in the house, but he was curious. Ruki yawned and stood, taking a couple of steps toward the bottom of the bed, and just as he did, he saw the door slowly open, and Skye shortly after in a white tee and panties.
"Hey, did I wake you?" she asked while walking to and sitting beside him.
Ruki slowly turned to her and shook his head. It was more so the lack of her presence.
"I was gone for like a minute, just had to use the restroom." Skye grinned and kissed his ear. "Are you sleepy? I wasn't able to get any."
He was, considering he just woke up, but Ruki didn't mind staying awake if she couldn't sleep. He shook his head.
"Well... I was thinking about painting my nails pink for next week. I was gonna do it in the morning, but I could now." Skye didn't want to keep Ruki up, however.
"Ni," he said, swishing his tails. It'd be enjoyable staying up with her.
"Okay, Ruk'." Skye got up and flipped the light on by her door, then slowly closed it. She then went to her dresser and pulled out her top drawer, sifting through it until finding a small bottle of vibrant pink nail polish, remover, and a napkin. Skye took both with her to the bed. "Scoot over."
He did, watching her sit beside him while yawning quietly. Skye rarely, if ever did her nails, so Ruki knew Aaron meant something to her.
"I'll just do my hands tonight, then we can sleep together," said Skye. She unscrewed the white bottle of polish remover and poured a bit onto the napkin she held, gently dabbing it on each fingernail before she'd apply the polish.
Ruki studied the process out of curiosity. He didn't have a clue what Skye was doing, but it held his attention.
"You wanna lie in my lap?" she asked after finishing up with the remover and closing it, tapping her thigh.
He nodded immediately and stood, taking a step toward her.
Skye held his front legs for a moment while avoiding contact with her nails and guided his upper body onto her lap, his paws draped over her thighs.
Ruki looked up at her, eyeing her charming grin while she traced her fingers down his back. He sighed quietly, her touch granting him comfort.
"Don't move. I'm gonna start now," Skye warned, gently resting her arms on him and unscrewing the nail polish. The cap had a built-in brush, which she held in her left hand and brought her other up to apply it to her nails, starting with her pinky.
Ruki kept as still as he could, resisting the urge to look up and eye her face, resting his chin on her upper thigh-- but he heard something he hadn't in a long time. Ruki heard Skye softly humming. Her tender voice washed over his body and soothed him plenty. Within seconds, Ruki couldn't help but finally tilt his head upward to look at her.
It caused her to stop and raise her hands for a moment to avoid getting polish on Ruki's fur, but with her eyes on him this time, continued her tune, keeping a relatively high-pitch. After several moments, she stopped to catch her breath. "You miss that, hm?" Skye continued gently brushing over her nails.
Ruki recalled Skye humming to him and casually while keeping busy when he was a vulpix. It unfortunately stopped as she got older. Ruki figured it came with her maturing. They both were, but he still held onto his inner vulpix in a few ways.
--
Within the next twenty minutes, Skye was finished and had let the smooth polish dry as well. "How'd I do?" She looked at her nails before showing them to Ruki, who was sitting beside her.
"Nin," he flicked his tails, yawning.
"I know, I'm sleepy too." Skye placed her right hand on his head, letting it slip away as she stood to turn the light off. Afterward, she went to her bed and sighed, resting her side atop her blanket and her cheek on the pillow.
Ruki softly walked to her, lying in front of Skye and letting her gently pull his back against her chest. Her arm then snaked over his side, her upper thighs pressed against his hind legs and bushy tails. Ruki closed his eyes, stretching his front legs. He felt encompassed, solaced.
"Night, baby," she whispered, holding him closely. Before falling asleep, Skye's mind took her back to Sinnoh. Who knew she'd make a friend on a week-long vacation and pursue a long-distance relationship with him. Skye was surprised her and Aaron kept the same feelings for each other and further grew their bond over the months. Of course, that was over the phone. In-person would be a true test, and a part of her feared it. Skye didn't want her first relationship to fail. Not only would it turn her off from the idea for a long time, but she put a lot of time into Aaron. She was naive and susceptible to heartbreak easily at her current stage in life.