Frankie's heart jumped at being caught as he blushed furiously. ”Wow. You've got really good hearing.” he said not minding how close she was, rubbing behind her ears. ”It’s not racing because of the walk. I just… Being called important by someone who cares about you and you care about them… Kinda gives a person butterflies.” he admitted with a small smile. It was as close as he could get to telling her without actually saying how he felt.
"A perk of being a wolf," She hummed against his chest, leaning into the petting, "Well, I hope these butterflies don't bother you. You are important to me, and I'll tell you as many times as you want to hear it." Selina basically melted as he scratched behind her ear, her tail thumping happily. If he was giving out pets this good, she never wanted to leave.
”Oh, I’m sure.” he chuckled a little at how… adorable she was acting at being pet. He knew that wolves and dogs, in general, had far better hearing than humans. Though he didn't know it was strong enough to hear another's heartbeat. ”No. It doesn't bother me. Actually, I kinda like the feeling… sometimes. There are times when it makes me nervous, but it's definitely a good feeling this time.” Frankie admitted softly. ”You’re important to me too, Selina.”
Selina did her best at smiling at him, saying in a softer voice, "You know, I might fall asleep here if you keep petting me. You should try getting some sleep though. I'll stay here while you do." She looked up at him, wishing she could stay right where she was all night. This was by far the most comfortable she was able to get when laying down in a while, and while it may have had something to do with being pet, she knew it was also because she was around Frankie while doing so.
Frankie chuckled, a little tiredly as the idea of sleep started to sound pretty good to him as well. ”Maybe that’s the point.” he teased, not disliking the idea of her staying. ”You… you don't have to stay for my sake. I don't want you to get in trouble.” he admitted softly as he slowly stopped petting her. Though he certainly wasn't going to deny that cuddling with her was very nice. Even thinking back to their night on the cliff… that had been one of the most comfortable nights of sleep he’d had.
(I'm very sorry I didn't reply sooner…I have no excuse besides I forgot)
"I want to stay," She murmured, closing her eyes as she relaxed against him. It was going to be hard to stay awake with as comfortable as she was, but she really didn't want to leave. That could wait until Frankie was asleep and she could no longer spend time with him for the day. Selina slipped into silence as she listened to his heartbeat, wondering just how to confess how she was starting to feel about him. If she even did. She was sure she liked him, but was it worth possibly ruining their friendship just to tell him what she thought.
(It's ok.)
”Ok.” he whispered, gently resting an arm around her shoulders. ”Then I won’t make you leave until you're ready.” he smiled softly as his eyes slowly closed. He was grateful for her company and glad that she was willing to stay a bit longer. Frankie gave her one more gentle scratch behind her ear as he slowly started drifting off.
Selina stayed by him the entire time he fell asleep, battling against her own eyes as she was taunted with the possibility of sleep. It was more than comfy next to Frankie, and she was nice and warm snuggled up next to him. Somehow, she kept herself awake though, until she was absolutely sure he was asleep. And even then, she didn't leave right away. It was selfish to stay for another minute, but she did so, only getting up when she knew she had to get going, gently wriggling out of his grasp. She wasted no time picking up her clothes and heading into the woods then, shaking the sleep away.
Frankie managed to rest peacefully with Selina next to him. He was so warm and comfortable cuddling her. Despite being asleep, he could tell when she left and curled up slightly in an attempt to preserve the warmth she left behind as his sleep turned a little less restful.
(Timeskip? Also sorry for not responding sooner…this week has been insane)
(Sure. Timeskip is fine with me. Next morning? Don't worry about being busy. I can understand… especially this time of year.)
Selina spent most of the night arranging things, speaking to her Alpha, and occasionally getting a tiny bit of rest. By the time morning came around though, she was quite tired, and frankly, she wanted nothing more than to go curl up somewhere and sleep. She had successfully arranged a sporadic trip to the city, fibbing something about wanting to track the human farther and being suspicious of them. Now, she just had to figure out how she was getting there, and more importantly when she was going to get an ounce of sleep.
Frankie had slept fairly well, if not a little restlessly after Selina had left. And unfortunately, he remembered with a groan, he was out of coffee. A small smile came to his face when he remembered he was taking Selina to the city today. True, he had errands he needed to take care of but he couldn't wait to see her again and show her around. He kept trying to think of places they could go together as he started organizing everything.
After getting the final approval from the Alpha, Selina finally slipped away to Frankie's camp, back in her human form. She debated switching so he didn't see the exhaustion in her eyes, but by the time she reached his camp, she hadn't decided. And so, she simply knocked on the cave entrance with a soft smile as she rubbed her eyes. "Good morning. I'm free to go to the city with you, whenever you're ready."
Frankie perked up when he heard her voice and smiled up at her. “Good morning. I’m just about ready.” he told her, his smile dropping a little when he noticed how sleepy she looked. “Did you get enough sleep last night? You… you look tired.” he said gently, still looking at her as he cinched up his duffel of laundry.
"I probably didn't get enough overall, but I should be able to stay awake for a while," She replied with a shrug, letting her smile grow slightly, "How did you sleep?" Selina leaned against the rock wall as she watched him, wondering if she should offer to help or not. She did want to help, but there didn't seem like much for her to do.
“Ok.” he nodded slowly, still concerned but he would take her word on it. “Have you had coffee before? If you’d like we can get a cup when we go into town.” he offered as he slid his hand into his hoodie pocket to check for his keys. Honestly, all he had left to do was grab the now empty cooler and they could leave. He had already poured most of the melted ice into a water jug to boil and reuse later.
Selina paused and shook her head, "I've heard of coffee, but I've never had it. Trying it seems nice." She smiled at him and looked around the remainder of his campsite. "If you have everything together, I suppose we can get going? I can help carry everything you need help with." Messing with her shirt and pants, she hoped they were acceptable in the city. Normally she couldn't care less what she was wearing, but when she was with Frankie, she didn't want to embarrass him with how messy she looked.
Frankie smiled back and nodded a little. “Ok. Um, fair warning, some people find coffee a little bitter but they have sweeter varieties too.” he informed her as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “It’s not much. We’re just taking my clothes and the cooler with us.” he pointed out with a brief shrug, though he didn't mind her offer. Honestly, he was dressed a bit more on the relaxed side as well with just a hoodie that had probably been worn multiple times since he arrived at the park and an older pair of shorts. He gave her a reassuring smile, running his finger through his still messy hair. “I’m glad we get to do this together.”
She was curious about coffee the longer he spent explaining it, wondering what it tasted like and if she would prefer the bitter or sweet varieties. "I'm glad we get to spend more time together," Selina agreed with a nod, looking out at the waking forest. There was still a bit of dew on the grass, and she was excited to know that they would have quite a bit of day to spend in the city. She had been there before, but not much time was dedicated to exploring, and that's what she wanted to do.
Frankie's smiled grew, knowing she felt the same way he did about today. “Well, let's get going. I’m sure there's a lot you want to see and I’d hate to keep you from your day in the city.” he encouraged. He followed her gaze and let out a soft breath. The forest looked so beautiful and peaceful this morning. Honestly, he could have stared at it for hours until the sun had evaporated the soft mist and the quiet was broken by the more… rambunctious animals. But he had all summer to do that and only one day to show Selina what a city was like. “Ready?” he asked as he grabbed the handle of his cooler.
Selina nodded eagerly, standng up straight as she looked over to him, "I'm ready to go as soon as you are." She was excited to be going to the city for some reason other than supplies, and that excitement could clearly be seen in her stance. There didn't seem to be anything that could ruin an exciting day of adventure like this, besides the obvious, and she didn't think any of her worries were actually plausible. Waiting until he was ready, she glanced once more around the forest before waiting for him to lead the way to his vehicle. If they were taking his vehicle that was.
Frankie nodded and began walking with her to his older Jeep. It was a little beat up, mostly because of its age, but he took good care of it. “We’ll have to cut through the park campgrounds to get to my car.” he warned her. “Unless you know a better way?” he added after a moment. He was just as excited as she was, though probably for a different reason. The thought of holding her hand as they walked kept popping in his head… Unfortunately, he didn't really have a free hand at the moment.
"Hmmm…there is a faster way if you're car is in the camp parking lot…but it requires you to really like thorns," She said with a small smile, following which way he went. She had a noticeable bounce in her step as she walked along, wondering what type of car Frankie drove. Maybe it was something like the ranger's, or maybe it was something more suited to carrying supplies for long camping trips. Either way, she knew it would be exciting to see it, and know that it was the vehicle getting them to the city.
He couldn’t help but laugh as he shook his head at her suggestion. “No… No, I'm not a fan of thorns.” Frankie smiled softly back at her. “But if you would rather avoid the crowd, I think I can manage.” he offered, though he wasn't really looking forward to that option. The air of enthusiasm around them was, no doubt, clearly noticeable to anyone who may have seen the pair. Frankie had never actually been this eager to go to the city… the closest exception would probably be when there was a fair nearby, even if some of the games were rigged. But there was just something about Selina that made this trip feel so exciting.