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The summer sun shone down on Abby as they stood on the grass, doing stretches. Despite their large body, they pulled poses with practiced grace, carefully exercising their full capacity as they moved.
“Abby! Hey!”
They looked up to see their girlfriend, waving as she ran across the camp grounds, her usual upbeat, energetic self.
“Ah!” Hi, Zoe! Abby’s hands moved with quick, adept movements in spite of their size, conveying Abby’s words through sign language effortlessly. It was as perfect as their stretches. Their experience made it almost as unconscious as their brief verbalisms.
Abby smiled as Zoe ran up and wrapped her arm and tentacle around them, tightly hugging their torso, before appearing to desperately attempt to heave them into the air. She looked quite silly, as small as she was, attempting to lift their bulky form into the air.
Abby crossed her arms. This wasn’t the first time Zoe had put on this display.
After a moment, she sagged and gave up, flopping to the ground while pouting. “Ugh. Someday I’ll be able to carry you properly, and it’ll be great, and we’ll look adorable and make everyone jealous.” Abby rather thought it would actually look quite silly, given their sizes, but that didn’t bother them.
They peered down at Zoe, splayed across the ground.
Couldn’t you lift whatever you want with all that ‘deity’ strength of yours?
“Yeah, but that’s cheating! I gotta do it like if I was mortal, or it’s not as fun and silly…”
Abby chuckled at how seriously Zoe was taking this. If you say so!
Zoe suddenly sat upright, her mood as erratic as always. “Abby! I wanted to ask you something!”
Shoot.
“Teach me signs.”
Abby paused, confused. “Hm?” You… know signs. You talk to me all the time. I’m literally signing to you right now.
“Not like that, silly. Help me make ‘em! I wanna sign YOU stuff. So I can send you secret messages or say nice things personally! It’d be soo cute!”
Abby hummed as they thought about the idea. Well, it’s a lot to learn, even when you can read. It’s not as easy to make them yourself, especially fluidly, you’ll need a lot of practice…
“We got weeks of camp left! It can’t be that hard. Besides, we can start easy. Just show me some words!”
Abby thought for a moment longer, then nodded. They walked over to the shade of a nearby tree before bending down to sit on the grass. Zoe scooched over to sit in front of them.
Okay. So first, you need to— Abby held up their hands to give an example, beginning a distinct motion, then pausing as she looked at Zoe, facing down pointedly.
Zoe looked down.
At her one hand and one tentacle.
“…Ah.” Zoe slapped herself internally. “How did I not think of this?”
I mean, it… could work?
Zoe shrugged, and nodded. So, like this… They began simple movements, Zoe recognizing the words with simple forms. She did her best to follow. Her left hand followed the action fairly well, albeit a little awkward, but her tentacle… didn’t. It wasn’t just the lack of fingers, the signs were clearly meant for distinct joints and motions, and Zoe’s prehensile tentacle didn’t cut it. As soon as a sign took both hands, the movements were too wobbly, the positions too vague for Abby to distinctly read. After trying the same sign a few times, they shook their head sadly and waved for Zoe to stop.
“I mean, I could just—” Zoe held up her tentacle and, in an instant, it shifted, shortening into a second arm, perfectly proportioned to the one on her left. She abruptly began signing, repeating the words she’d just failed. It was poor, but Abby could read it. “Sure, this works, but… It’s not me, y’know?” She flicked out her arm, and immediately her tentacle reformed. “I like my tentacle. It’s part of me…”
No no, I get it! You don’t need to do this just for me, reading is fine!
“But I want to, Abby! It’d be fun, and nice, and just… its for you, y’know? It could be an… ‘us’ thing.”
Abby smiled at the sentiment, giving a small grunt of affirmation. They lit up for a moment and looked brightly at Zoe.
“Hm!” Well… You can still sign with one hand. See?
Abby held one hand behind their back, beginning to sign with just their right hand. Zoe found it a little harder to follow, but she got what they were saying.
It’s about being more careful with the movements, body language, that kind of thing. Sometimes you have to sort of… Make something up. Do half the sign, or fingerspell, or use context… They shrugged. But signing is already kinda like that. And it works. I do it a fair bit, when I’m busy or something.
Zoe experimentally copied Abby’s actions, slightly more clumsily. When-I-busy-or-something. Abby gave an excited squeak and nodded. Yes!
Zoe tried some other signs, but quickly messed up without seeing them in front of her. Abby shook their head and leaned over. Like this. They gently placed their hands on Zoe’s. Zoe felt their cool, smooth clay skin on her own, she enjoyed the contact.
Not to be distracted from her goal, though, she followed Abby’s guidance, forming letters correctly. Zoe was, for once, silent, as the two made motions in the air for a matter of minutes.
After Zoe felt like she had it figured out, or at least vaguely knew what she was doing, she decided to be a bit cheeky.
“What about this?” A-B-B-Y-is-very-cute.
It was a shoddy attempt, but she hoped it was recognizable. Abby pulled their hands away, and Zoe looked up, hoping they’d got the message – to see them blushing. Zoe grinned. “Did I get it right?” They giggled nervously, their signs more stilted. Yes, I—I think you’ve figured it out, you just need—practice…
Zoe feigned indignation. “Aww, all flustered just from that? How are you even my partner, getting all worked up just from a little flirting?” Zoe leaned in and booped the bridge of their face, a rough approximation of where their nose would be. “You can’t be a lil’ more romantic for your girlfriend?”
Abby smiled, leaning forward slightly, and pressed a small kiss onto Zoe’s cheek. Zoe’s face quickly turned magenta, having had her bluff called. “U-uh…”
She wasn’t one to be outdone, though. “I-I mean… Aw, what was that? Do I have to do everything? She pulled Abby forward, kissing them deeply. She closed her eyes as their lips touched. The deity and the golem held their embrace for a moment, the few seconds feeling like they stretched for far longer—
“WATCH OUT!!”
Zoe pulled away just in time to see a football flying directly towards them. It was travelling at a speed that shouldn’t even be possible. Also, it was somehow on fire.
Using some of her strength for real, Zoe shoved Abby to the side, feeling the football graze her tentacles.
She looked across the grounds to see where it had come from. A small group of monsters were a distant away, some kind of expectedly deranged game having been interrupted.
“…Sorry!” she heard Vicky yell.
“No I’m not!” Damien shouted just as loud.
Zoe could see Oz facepalming from here. She shook her head in amusement.
Zoe pushed back the tentacles that had fallen in front of her face as she turned back to Abby, lying on the ground, having been pushed aside.
“Haha, geez… You good…?”
They still seemed little giddy from their kiss, but they otherwise seemed just fine. They raised their arms to sign:
Very romantic.
Zoe elbowed them and crossed her arms playfully. “Shush.”
Abby was already lying on the ground, having been pushed aside. Zoe flopped onto the ground beside them, but before she got comfortable, Abby propped themselves onto the base of the tree and pulled Zoe into a hug. It was far more cozy than Zoe’s apparent attempted suplex. The two were silent as they cuddled in the cool summer shade. The couple watched the commotion – Damien racing by, chasing after his ball, Vicky and Oz following after him, to put out the fire he would surely ignore.
As she watched, Zoe heard a “Hm!”, as if Abby wanted her attention, and turned to look.
Abby gazed at Zoe as they signed. Zoe recognized them fingerspelling the words intently, rather than the usual brief motions.
✋👌✌️✊ 🤟👌🤞
L-O-V-E-Y-O-U.
Zoe laughed softly. “Love you too, Abby.”