Connected Rivers (Chapter 4)

Chapter 4



As the weeks passed by, Kelvin and Ría gradually grew closer. Even though Ría had been uptight with Kelvin before, she had lately become friendlier with him as they spent more time together. Kelvin was enjoying getting to see her more frequently, and his mind began to drift into thinking about whether she was the one he had been looking for so long. But, the last thing he wanted to do was ruin any shot he had of being friends with her by trying to take it too far too soon, especially if she wasn't interested in him like that.

“I wish I knew what to do…” he said to himself, sighing softly as he sat by a tree watching the river. “I’ve never had someone spend this much time with me before, let alone someone as attractive as her… I can’t even stop thinking about her anymore…” He bounced his head back against the tree a couple times before it resting it back, closing his eyes a moment to listen to the soothing sounds of the river.

Kelvin had picked out this spot to be his new “home” because of how close it was to the river, and how peaceful it could be while being somewhat secluded. It had a feeling of comfort that he liked, being able to sit by his tree and watch the water and relax when he wanted to get away. Not to mention nobody had it before, so it was all his to keep. Suddenly an image of Ría came to mind, causing him to snap back to reality quickly.

“Gah, fuck… guess I was starting to doze off there…” muttered Kelvin as he sat back up straight, scanning the area around him to make sure nobody was around still. “And I saw Ría again just then, too…” He let out a heavy sigh and slapped his forehead as he went to stand up. “Get a hold of yourself, Kelvin, she’s just a friend… I need to get her off my mind somehow, maybe a good swim will help.” He walked over to the shore and stared down in the water at his reflection a moment before putting his paws together over his head and diving into the cool liquid.

Kelvin felt more at ease as he swam through the water, coming up for air every now and then to rest a moment, stretching out his muscles and spinning his tails to go faster. It felt good being in here again, as if a heavy load had been lifted from his mind. His focus was just on swimming, getting some good old exercise and not thinking about Ría. It was like an escape for him to have something to distract his mind from her for a little while.

After a while, Kelvin came back over to the shore by his tree and climbed up out of the water. He breathed heavily as he shook his fur dry for a moment before making his way back to the tree to sit and relax.

“I feel much better now…” he said with a relieved sigh while catching his breath. “Though I certainly wore myself out… maybe I should try to rest to get my energy back again…” He stretched out and relaxed back against the tree with his arms behind his head, yawning as he slowly closed his eyes. He gave a soft sigh as he drifted to sleep, letting his mind go.

Suddenly he heard someone coming, and it sounded so familiar to him, as if Kelvin knew who it was. He picked himself up and looked for himself, seeing Ría approaching. ‘Oh, it’s her again… I wonder what she’s coming here for…’ he thought as he started making his way over to her. She spotted him and seemed to crack a smile, slowly walking his way as well.

“Hey there, stud,” she said, giving a slight purr with it. Slightly surprised by the greeting, Kelvin tried to remain calm and returned the smile at her.

“Hello as well… I didn’t expect to see you again so soon, what are you doing around here?”

“I was wonderin’ where ya were…”

“O-oh… well, seems you found me then…” Kelvin nervously chuckled, still caught off guard by her sudden interest and different attitude from before. “Why were you looking for me exactly…?”

“What? We've been together for a couple of days... why not get 'ta know each other...?” she replied, sauntering over closer and placing a paw on his chest. Kelvin gasped a little at the sudden contact, but found himself welcoming her soft paw on his body and moving in closer as well.

“I guess that makes sense… but what is it you’d like to know?”

“What WOULDN'T I wanna know 'bout such a big guy…?” Ría replied, slowly moving her paw down his chest and looking up at him with her golden eyes, giving a seductive wink as she continued. “Other than how big you are…?” Kelvin gasped a little while bringing one of his paws over to rest on her shoulder, curiously watching her movements now.

“Uhh… well, who am I to say no to such a fine lady like yourself…?” he nervously replied with a slight chuckle.

“’Fine’…? Me…?” she responded, giving a chuckle as well. “Ya think so, hm…?” With that, she moved her paws down his body further, rubbing in between Kelvin’s legs. His heart began to race as his legs started shaking, half-closing one of his eyes at the feeling.

“Gah… y-yeah, I sure do…” he said under his breath. His thoughts were getting so caught up in what she was doing to him that he didn’t realize his paws had slid down to her chest as well; or that he was beginning to grow aroused. Slowly his penis began poking free from its sheath to look out. Ría glanced down, noticing her work was taking effect and chuckled some more.

“Well well… what do we have here…?” she said in a sly voice, looking up to smirk at Kelvin.

“Uhh… n-nothing…” he replied with a nervous laugh, growing anxious as he watched her closely. Ría lowered her head down towards his crotch, her mouth open ready to accept it, when suddenly…

Kelvin snapped awake quickly, breathing heavily. He looked around frantically, and down at himself, realizing he was all alone the entire time. “Gah… fuck, it was just a dream… maybe I should go look for her, I need to know if she feels the same way about me…” He shook his head and stood up, yawning a little as he stretched out, then walked off in search of Ría.



Ría sat alone by the banks of the river, staring forward lost in thought. She’d spent a lot of time with that male Floatzel lately, and was starting to really like him, but she’d never had someone interested in her before. She couldn’t decide if it was all worth it or if he was seriously someone she could trust, or even if he was being honest about his feelings.

“Nh… I dunno if I should keep taggin’ along…” she thought aloud with a sigh, dropping her head to look at the ground. “I know I wanted to start a new life away from home, but… not sure if I wanna spend it with somebody… ‘sides, he’ll probably want me gone like everyone else…” She leaned forward a little to idly trace the surface of the water with her fingers, keeping her mind off Kelvin for now. Suddenly, she heard a faint rustling sound in the distance approaching, quickly grabbing her attention. “Eh? Someone’s comin’…” Slowly she picked herself up from the river to investigate the noise, keeping herself on guard for whatever it could be.

Kelvin continued trudging along, holding a paw over his eyes to help scout the area for her, hoping to see her soon. “She’s gotta be around here somewhere, I think…” he muttered to himself, continuing to look around. Then from the corner of his eye he noticed the bright orange fur, and turned his attention to see Ría coming up from near the river. “Ah, there she is.”

She seemed a little surprised by seeing Kelvin here, right now, unexpected like this. ‘Wonder what he’s doing here like this…?’ she thought to herself, and so she slowly approached him, her eyes nervously glancing side-to-side as she lifted a paw up and waved lightly. " ... 'Ey..."

“Well, hello again, Ría… I’m glad I found you…” Kelvin said, a small smile come over him with a sigh of relief accompanying it. He tried to raise a paw to wave warmly at her as well, but it was still rather obvious from his body language how nervous he was. She studied him for a moment, curious if there was something special about this visit since he seemed uncomfortable.

“… um… somethin’ up?”

“Oh, well… I was just thinking about… uh, something…” Kelvin started to explain, unable hide his nervousness. Ría's expression barely shifted, but it was from curiosity nonetheless. After all, Kelvin is the only one nearby, and whatever it was, something had him preoccupied. Rolling her eyes, Ría slowly crossed her arms and piqued an eye up at him. "... what is it?" she asked sternly.

“Erk… well, you see… I was trying to sleep and… couldn’t help but think of you…” he replied, seemingly getting more nervous as he continued. After a short pause, her attention was more firmly gripped, but along with it came a very faint chill of anxiety that rode down her spine. A brief pause took place before she blinked and spoke up once more, her tails swaying awkwardly.

" ... thinkin' 'bout me? ... uh... ... how?" Kelvin swallowed heavily, shaking a bit as he turned his head to the side, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Uhh… w-well, intimately…?” he gave a nervous chuckle, fearing the worst. “I’m sorry if it offends you, you’re just… such a beautiful and attractive Floatzel… I feel like I’m falling in love with you, and it’s just hard to stop thinking about you lately… you understand, right?”

The female Floatzel couldn't believe her ears. She felt as if she misheard, or as if Kelvin was just making this up. Never did she think that she'd be in a position such as this, figuratively pressed against the wall by another person's emotions. After a long pause, she gulped deeply and glanced at Kelvin with some concern, as she has never had encountered someone having feelings for her, confused about how to respond. "Uhh..." she began, an obviously nervous quake present in her tone. "... K-Kelvin? ... Um... are... are you... serious? ... Me?"

“Yeah, I’m sure…” Kelvin said with a small nod, taking a couple steps closer. “I’ve never met anybody like you before, sticking by me this long without issue… and you’re good looking, too… I’m probably setting myself up for rejection by telling you this, but… I felt it was something important that you should know.” He tried to force a smile as well, but the nervousness was overwhelming him as he waited to see how she’d react.

" ... nh... " sighed Ría, turning to the side as she lowered her head. She wasn't prepared for a proposal such as this, especially not so soon. Ría sooner expected Kelvin to grow tired of her cold and uninterested atmosphere and abandon her like her friends have, let alone make friends or even have a crush developed for her. ‘... does this stuff happen this fast...?’ she started thinking, nervously looking back at Kelvin before turning back. ‘He's an... okay guy... gotta give the big lug credit for putting up with me for so damn long... just... just didn't think he was into me at ALL... but what... what do I do 'bout this?‘ Whining from a little frustration, she sucked in a deep breath, exhaled, then spun back around up to Kelvin, her eyes hooded due to afterthought, and arms folded again.

"Well... that's, uh... real... nice of you, I guess..." she shrugged, struggling for the right tone on how to handle this situation. "T'be honest... I figured you would've been long gone before you started thinkin' about me this far, but..." Ría sighed once more. "... mind givin' me some ... I dunno, 'time' to think 'bout this, or whatever...?" She asked, recalling a technique Emine used when faced against Zeke.

“Oh, of course… no problem at all, I wouldn’t want to force you to decide anything so soon…” Kelvin replied, trying to keep a comforting smile. “Take all the time you need…” Ría blinked a little, surprised herself at how smoothly it went, even with her rocky and bland responses.

"Alright, thanks, thanks..." she responded, turning around and glancing back at him with a half waved paw before walking off. " ... see ya later...?"

“Yeah… bye for now, Ría…” Kelvin replied with a wave of his own as he watched her walk off. He let out a small sigh as he turned around to walk off after she was far enough out of sight. “Now to see what happens… probably won’t be interested in me, though… but at least I got that off my chest without issue.”



A few days passed, and Ría had been trying to avoid Kelvin to think things over and figure out what she should do. She’d been thinking long and hard about what he’d said before, about falling for her and liking how she looked.

“This guy’s… actually LIKIN’ me…? He doesn’t find me boring or anything…?” she wondered aloud, letting out a stressful sigh while scratching at the back of her neck. It was driving her mad not knowing what to do, and she didn’t have anybody to ask either. “Surprised the guy’s stomached bein’ with me for so long… let alone takin’ a liking to me… though I still can’t believe he’s lovin’ on me… what should I do?” She lifted her head and rested it back against the tree as she looked up to the sky. “F’only Emine was here… or if she was still my friend…” Ría let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head again.

The sky above was beginning to change to a golden-orange hue as Ría gulped hard, starting to get a headache from making such a difficult decision. After growling from pressure, she finally came to a decision and sat up a little. “How ‘bout… I give ‘im a chance for a while… like, I dunno… a week maybe? If he’s worth my time, then…” She shrugged, her voice getting more hesitant sounding from strain, pressure, and confusion. “I guess I could go with it for a bit longer… yeah, that’ll work… ‘n’ if it’s not goin’ well, I can just tell ‘im up front. He’s a big guy… I’m sure he can take a hint…” She let out another sigh of uneasiness and looked around. “Maybe I should look for ‘im then…” After a moment she picked herself up off the ground and headed off on her way to look for him.

In the meantime, Kelvin was off by his tree, trying to stay calm. He’d been waiting the past few days to see or hear from Ría again, but he hadn’t seen her around. It was killing him to know what she was up to, to see if she’d come to any conclusions. “Ugh, I sure hope I didn’t scare her off completely by coming on too strong too fast…” he said with a worried sigh. “It’s been a few days already, I hope she’s doing fine… but worrying about it isn’t going to do me any good, I just need to remain calm already. She’ll come around when she’s ready…” He looked down at the ground, sounding a bit worried again as he continued. “… right?”

Suddenly he heard some rustling coming his way, and the sound of footsteps. Alertly Kelvin looked up towards the source of the noise and stood up in a slightly defensive position. “Eh? Who’s there?” he called out, showing confidence that he wasn’t afraid of whatever it was.

“’Ey…” Ría greeted as she emerged slowly, waving a paw in a half-assed manner to him, looking a little hesitant as she approached. Kelvin relaxed and waved back with a small smile, returning with a “Hello” of his own.

“So… I’ve been… well, y’know… thinkin’ about what you said, and… I… uhh…” She stumbled over her words, reaching up to rub the back of her head while nervously glancing at the ground.

“What is it, Ría?” Kelvin replied, looking a little confused by her hesitance, not used to seeing someone act this way, especially not her.

"Nnh..." she groaned, still giving off her inexperienced air about this situation, until after a few more seconds, she huffs frustratedly, takes in a deep breath, and finally relaxes. "Lemme just... say it like this," she stated bluntly, hardly any unsteadiness remaining in her tone, now taking the moment seriously. "I'm... gonna... offer ya a deal... See, I decided... I'll basically... ehh, play along -- No, GO along with your... lovin', or whatever, on me... okay? What I mean is... I'll take it for now and we'll see how it goes." Afterwards, Ría folded her arms and leaned her side against the bark of the tree, maintaining a stern glance at Kelvin. "... If I decide you're worth my time, then... maybe, I dunno... maybe I'll take ya." Her gaze then sharpened, as if to emphasize the more consequential side of her explanation. " ... but... if ya don't fit the bill for me... then we'll just forget it." A rush of relief brushed over Ría after managing to explain her decision and offer, picking herself up and letting herself loosen slightly from her tense impression. " ... deal?"

Kelvin stood by and listened to all she had to say, not interrupting to make sure he didn’t miss anything. Once she had finished, he took a moment to take it all in, looking a little relieved himself as he looked at her. “Well, that sounds fine to me… thanks for giving me a chance then…” he smiled with relief. “I promise to be good to you, I’ll make it worth your time…” Ría tapped one of her own arms and piqued an eye at Kelvin's response, somewhat skeptic, but believing him for the time being, as there's no one else she knows as long as him.

"Eh... we'll see, okay? Just... don't go too fast... or whatever."

“Right, sorry… I’m just happy to know I’m not alone anymore, feel really relieved…” He gave a reassuring smile and held an arm out, asking for a hug if she was open to it. The female Floatzel blinked at the held out arm, not sure what the signal or suggestion is. Trying to be cooperative on her end of the promise, she holds out an arm of her own, looking confused but at least a little willing to what Kelvin's offering, which can be seen as an invitation of her own. He chuckled a bit and took it as a signal she was okay with it, stepping forward to half-hug her.

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable with a sudden hug… so I was making sure it was okay first,” he said quietly to her. “Never too early to get used to each other, right?” Ría winced as their arms locked into each other and caused them to press together, not used to the closeness nor the warmth, but she glances to the side and breathes out, her eyes nearly closed.

"... Nh, yeah..." she muttered in a following fashion, "... guess you're right... we both made a deal, so... guess I gotta suck it up sometime, huh?"

“Yeah, but I can let you still have space if you’d prefer…” he replied while backing off a little after a moment. He glanced up at the darkening sky then back at her. “It’s getting dark… would you like to stay here with me tonight? Wouldn’t hurt keeping each other company for the night after all…” Ría mumbles slightly, taking the time to focus on her environment now that Kelvin has brought it up.

"Uhh..." she stuttered, glancing up as well, noticing the sky's been blanketed with star-spotted darkness. "... huh... I didn't notice how much time went by..." Surprised, Ría blinks for a few moments, then turns back to Kelvin, gulping slightly. "... eh... sure, why not...?"

“Heh, yeah, I hadn’t noticed before either…” Kelvin smiled a little as he sat back against the tree, slumping a little. “Can rest against me if you’d like… might be more comfy than the ground…”

"... hm..." debated the female Floatzel yet again, tapping her foot slightly, toes patting the grass, before shrugging once more and nodding, now starting to feel more bold, in the comfortable fashion. "... guess I can give it a shot... just don't get used to it on the first shot, 'kay big guy?" She warned, as she slowly lowered herself nearby.

“No problem, anything to help my new mate feel comfortable…” Kelvin said, yawning a little himself. She leaned against him cautiously, squirming in place for a moment before getting her head and neck in a comfortable position against Kelvin's body. She paused against him, silent for a moment, taking the moment to take in the warmth of his body before sighing, rolling her eyes, and gradually sliding her eyes closed, now beginning to relax into slumber. He sat back and watched her get in a comfortable position before relaxing, looking up to the sky again a moment. “I sure hope this time’s different… I don’t think I could handle another one night stand…” With a sigh, he looked back down at her again and said a quick “Good night, Ría…” before drifting off to sleep his own self.