[attr="class","sinbody2"]His lips pursed and he frowned at her throwing his nickname for her right back in his face. Even though the way she said it was kind of adorable. God damnit, she's not adorable. She's just another other chick I could sleep with, he tried to convince himself. But when his vision focused on her again, he wasn't sure it worked.

He raised a brow as she started a sentence... but didn't finish it. "You were going to say you're not like other girls, weren't you?" he said, wrinkling his nose. "Do you have any idea how often I hear that?" All. The damn. Time. To be fair, he did recognize subtle differences between the women he'd been with - each had their own quirks, but what they all had in common was a very strong interest in him. "You mean to tell me you're not the least bit interested to have me.. on you?" A soft smirk curved his lips, thinking he knew the answer. It was so tempting to go back over to her and get as close as he had last time, just to prove her wrong. But he didn't exactly trust himself in that proximity, either.

Damnit, why did she have to do that every time she thought? His eyes hooked on the little movement, which wasn't hard considering they were already there. Uh-oh, she was suspicious. "That's for you to decide," he shrugged, tearing his gaze back up to her eyes. "You're the one that was wronged," he pointed out. But he did move closer, using his arms to help him along rather than focusing on modesty. If he was going to insist on not clothing himself, then he needed to own it. "You can hardly expect a man to comply with those kinds of demands while you're in the process of taking clothes off." Grinning, he lifted his hand to gently run his pointer finger down the bridge of her nose. As he did so, his entire demeanor changed. He felt it in his muscles, and prayed to Yaveh Zee wouldn't notice.. But knew she would. "You're right, it doesn't feel broken."

[attr="class","sinbody2"]He nodded, but stopped when her voice lowered. "True. You are an anomaly..." The words were sincere, but his lips tugged into a brief smirk so maybe she'd take it as a joke.

Apparently he was just going to look at her skeptically all damn day... Because that head shake was not convincing. "Not even a little?" he pressed. It would have been even better if he'd strode forward to get close to her, but again, it wasn't her he didn't trust to behave. Some part of him actually hoped that, if he had, she'd be the one to give in and toss herself at him, so maybe he could go to sleep tonight without wondering if he was coming down with something. In his line of work, he rarely had to do much to get the girl. The fact that he was even spending as much time around Zee as he was was a little concerning.

When he spoke he wasn't entirely present, but by the time she responded he'd come back to life. "Not like I have any to give you anyway," he grimaced, making a thumbs-down and crashing it into the water. "That's what happened to my net worth when we had to evacuate." He turned a minute to look at the sky, mouth pulling into a line. "But you could always ask for a ride in my car once it gets here." A grin lit his face suddenly, excited to drive. He'd have to be careful where he took it, though - it was pretty low to the ground, and PE wasn't exactly the flattest or clearest planet. That grin faltered for a second when he thought of his cat, Sir Meowington, whom he missed to a much greater degree. Terror seized him as he remembered not all the animals (what few there were so far) came off those ships... normal. If Sir didn't know who he was, Jaron would be devastated.

But now wasn't the time to be sad about things he couldn't control. It was time to... be thrilled by other things.... that he still couldn't control. Like the way Zee reacted to him when he touched her, which he totally shouldn't have done. Damnit! And of course her question elicited a response from him...

How badly I want to kiss you and how much I know I shouldn't, because it'll only end horribly for both of us, he thought, nostrils flaring for a breath. "How in the world it's possible for you to be so short," he said instead, nearly choking on the lie. Really, the question is how can something so small pull me in so much. His hand dropped from her face so he could run it down his own, eyeing her afterward. It'd been a week since he saw her, and he tried so hard to convince himself that he only thought of her every damn second because she was the only female contact he'd really had on the planet so far. What he really needed to do was go find another one so he could wash himself of this weird obsession with Zee. Actually, that was a great idea. Once they parted ways, he'd do exactly that.

Speaking of adventures... "Find anything cool recently?"

[attr="class","sinbody2"]She seemed pretty determined to not actually speak, which Jaron found odd, but for the sake of not putting himself in a position he'd rather not be in, he let it drop.

"Or that, I guess. Even though you just got a little show." His lip pulled up in an expression that made it clear he wasn't overly fond of that fact. "A Koenigsegg Quant," he said, pronouncing it phonetically because he had no idea how it was really supposed to be said. "I bought it as soon as I heard about the evacuation.. Figured it'd come in handy." He shrugged, momentarily accentuating the muscles in his shoulders.

Her response earned her an unsuspecting chuckle, which was so sudden it started out as nearly a bark. "You are so weird," he said, splashing her with a little bit of water. His tone suggested it was a compliment. "That was pretty wise for a 14-year-old, though," he added, still smiling.

"Your machete isn't enough?" His face scrunched in thought. "...What else do you have coming?" His eyes widened a little, giving her a look of 'should I be concerned...?' But since they both really couldn't do much until their stuff showed up, and all Jaron did now was sleep, workout, eat what little squirrel-things he could catch, bathe, and sleep again.... "Well.. If you wanted to get started sooner, I could.." His gaze shifted away a second, for some reason a little reluctant to say it. "...Go with you." He shrugged for emphasis, throwing his arms out to the side in the process. "Not like I have anything else to do. Everyone's a little too concerned with making sure they have food and shelter to think about sitting down for a show right now."

"Just a thought," he said, crossing his arms and shrugging one last time before he started pushing himself over to his clothes again. His hands rested on his jeans and he looked back to Zee. "Well... Do you want to go for a swim or should I get dressed?"

[attr="class","sinbody2"]His expression leveled as she pointed out the obvious. "Yes, I know that, Zee. I know I look like I'm just pretty, but I promise I'm not that dumb." Even though his mother hadn't cared one bit about his education, because "You don't need to be smart to succeed." Yeah, thanks mom. Jaron pointed to the sky. "It's solar powered."

"Whatever," he snorted, batting her hand away. It was a mental effort not to grab it, instead, but she thankfully kept talking and kept him from dwelling on it. "Someone who brought whiskey in their carry-on," he retorted, crossing his arms. "And knows exactly how much to drink to have a good time." Alright, that last part was a lie. Apparently his defrosted liver wasn't quite as tolerant as it was back on Earth, but that was actually kind of a good thing. He'd only had to drink a fraction of his flask rather than half (or all) of it, which meant his alcohol would last him a lot longer than he anticipated. Party for daaayyyys.

"So basically you're ready to start an army." He smirked, breathing out a chuckle. "Army of one. Isn't that a game?" It wasn't really a question - he had the game back home. Or, he did, until the planet went to hell. Whatever, not like there was electricity to play a console here anyway. All the more reason to have brought alcohol. Oh - she had an animal coming, too. "Did you have this horse before, or buy it just for coming out here?" It seemed reasonable, since that's what he did with his car... Though, really, Zee'd been smarter about it. The car would be severely limited in where it could go - the horse, not so much. "That was a good idea," he commented as an afterthought.

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? I mean, I meant it, but..." He looked at her as if she'd suddenly transformed into something very strange. "...I'm just surprised you'd want me tagging along." Cue inner I-need-someone's-approval-24/7, and dub him satisfied. He didn't really know what he'd bring to the table other than brute force, but even then... Yeah he was strong, but he wasn't a giant by any means... And he had negative idea what was out there. "Wait. Is there something that's going to actually eat us out there?" He asked suddenly, eyes scanning the horizon. All he'd seen so far were a mixture of bird-like things, the maybe-rodents he convinced himself were squirrels, and something akin to dragonflies. Nothing large enough to actually pose a threat.

The offer to clothe himself was only if they were getting out of the water, which Zee didn't seem too inclined to do. Besides, his shirt was still drenched. Casting her a look of 'yeah, okay,' he turned away from her just long enough to flip his shirt over on the rock. He didn't know if that would actually make it dry faster, but it was worth a try. It was at this ever-so-convenient time that another article of clothing flew toward him, and he completely froze, hands still on his shirt. His eyes caught on the material, then slowly - apprehensively - drug them over to Zee. The shorts had joined the pile somewhere in the middle of this, causing him to swallow so hard it actually hurt his throat. Sweet dear baby Jesus... Please don't be naked, he pleaded, even though there was nowhere else for the clothes to come from. But even though he'd been expecting it, actually seeing her there, nearly as bare as he wished dreaded, was like a punch to the face. Like 'Look at this beautiful thing that you can't have.' Was this some kid of cosmic joke? Had he been such a terrible person on Earth that he was being punished now? "Wh-... What are you doing," he asked, the words like gravel, every muscle of his body clenched tight around his bones in either an attempt to stay very, very still... Or be ready to launch into action.

[attr="class","sinbody2"]Jaron shrugged. "Yeah, as long as it's flat and, y'know... One giant stretch." He chuckled, looked up when she did, then dropped his head, hooking his hand around the back of his neck. "It probably wasn't the greatest expense ever, but with my money going-" he made an exploding motion with his hands, "-I figured it was better to spend it and 'waste' it that way than literally just lose it all."

"Shutup," he mumbled, waving his hand between them as if still fending her off. "It's the one thing I can't play," he divulged, and immediately looked away. Damnit, there he went, sharing personal stuff again. He wasn't supposed to do that.

"That's... morbid," he commented, even though it made sense for people to give up their pets to ensure their safety. He didn't think he could ever give up Sir, though.. Just the thought made him visible shiver.

"Heh... No, I haven't noticed at allll," he emphasized, casting a quick glance to his flask. "It's weird being here and not knowing if anyone else I know made it.." he continued, suddenly serious as his eyes returned to Zee. Reflexively, without even thinking or wishing it to happen, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.... Or tried to, but it was just short enough to immediately fall forward again. He made a dissatisfied face before going on, "Not that I have many people I'd consider close." There I go again, giving away wayyy too much.

At her creature comment, he let out a single, breathy chuckle. "No, I hadn't thought of it at all." His smirk betrayed the lie.

When her clothes came flying, a whole bunch of emotions flew through Jaron. Excitement, contempt (for himself), lust (that was almost assuredly displaced).. and the need to leave, especially after she spoke. She had no idea why he was staring at her like he was, which meant even thinking of going there was foolish. She wasn't like him - she didn't need someone else's praise in order to feel whole - so she'd probably already thrown the memory of their kiss far, far into the crypts of her mind. And why was he referring to it as if it were the most magical moment of his life? It wasn't. "Yeah, sure," he answered, extremely late. Tearing his eyes from her, he focused on the task at hand, and tried to will his muscles to chill the fuck out. It was Zee. He'd seen her like this before and had been plenty capable of controlling himself. She's not even hot, he scolded himself, though he snuck a peek back over to her and begged to differ. Sure, she wasn't the sort of attractive he was used to - long, probably dyed, hair; a pound of makeup; legs that stretched for miles.. - but apparently that wasn't the only 'type' he was attracted to.

I. am just. deprived, he reminded himself, ripping his gaze back to the shore. "Yeah, I'm good," he lied, "I just.. drank too much. Not feeling so hot. I think I'm just going to lay over here for a second." His voice was flat, listless, but he started pulling himself out of the water. Halfway out, he twisted his hips so he wouldn't give Zee more than she bargained for even though that was precisely what he wanted to do. "Uh... close your eyes for a sec," he said, standing from the water and grabbing his jeans on the way. He left the boxers behind, because he hadn't been joking about the chafing thing. Sighing to himself, he pulled the denim on and buttoned it. Just as he noticed last time they were together, he was losing muscle mass.. Or maybe he was just losing weight because he couldn't eat here like he was used to. Either way, the jeans hung almost too low on his hips.

To stick with the story he'd given her, Jaron steered clear of the rest of their clothes and laid flat on his back in the nearest grassy patch. Tucking his hands behind his head as a makeshift pillow, he grinned up at the sun. "Definitely much better." Definitely not. Because now he was warm, and Zee was still 95% naked. Maybe if he just didn't look at her...

[attr="class","sinbody2"]She didn't really react to him, which was simultaneously a gift and a curse. It helped Jaron pull his hand back, but also reminded him that he shouldn't be here. "Here" being this close to her, or maybe even in the same proximity. Yaveh, he really needed to get some and get the hell over this.

Her chipper 'thanks' nearly made him cringe, but he was already wound so tight that his muscles had nowhere else to pull. At least she accepted his excuse and didn't prod any further; he didn't know what he would've done if she had.

He must've drifted off for a minute, because he didn't notice Zee next to him until she brushed against him. He twitched, startled, and his eyes shot open to stare at her. So much for not looking at her. For what felt like way too long, his eyes remained on her, and - much to his dismay - took one slow trek down her length. Holding his breath so he wouldn't groan at his own stupidity, he rolled away from her and laid on his stomach. The front of him was eighty percent dry anyway, but he was more concerned with maintaining at least a little bit of his dignity. Folding his arms beneath his head, he gave her one final glance just to point out, "There's more grass than right here, you know," though it came out as more of a tease than a scorn. Damnit.

Turning his head away from her so he wouldn't be tempted to stare awkwardly at her some more, Jaron closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. He was laying out on the bank of a river, sunbathing, so he shouldn't have a care in the world regardless of who he was laying beside. Taking a couple deep, calming breaths, he slipped into unconsciousness.

At some point unbeknownst to him, he rotated onto his side, his back to Zee. It was probably during his very lucid dream of a mad scramble to get onto a ship, the world burning around them. That wasn't actually how it happened, but his brain was very good at playing out the worst possible scenario. His brain sucked.

The dream played on, the ship lifting off before Jaron got the whole way inside. His footing slipped and he came crashing onto the metal walkway, smacking his chin on it before his fingers could find purchase to haul himself back up. It took all of his strength to hang on, which even in this imaginary land felt odd. He was stronger than that - he should have easily been able to pull himself aboard. But there was something behind him, dragging him down. He felt claws in his back, sunk so deep into the flesh Jaron knew he had no hope of keeping his grip. But if he was going to die on this planet, then so was whatever held him back.

He flipped suddenly over, even though he expected a horrific amount of pain from tearing the claws out. His forearm went to the creature's throat, and they fell to the ground together. To keep it in place, Jaron fastened his knees on either side of the beast's hips...

But they felt too small. And the throat beneath his arm, instead of being scalding and jagged, was smooth and cool.

He heard his name and came crashing out of the dream with the force of a typhoon. He felt physically slammed into the ground, even though he was holding himself up. Eyes wide, Jaron pulled his arm from Zee as if she'd suddenly combusted, panting heavily and staring down at her. He couldn't find words to explain or apologize, so he just hovered there, body rhythmically shaking as he warred over whether to be horrified at the dream or himself.