Ailwin’s gaze flicked from Flea’s outstretched hand to the hammock above. He could climb—he’d had to, more times than he cared to count—but the years had left their mark, and his leg never let him forget it. Still, he didn’t hesitate. He trusted her, and more than that, he wasn’t about to let something as small as a little pain keep him from the moment she was offering him.
He adjusted his grip on his cane, tested the guide line, and then reached up, letting his fingers wrap around hers. It was a steady, deliberate motion—one she braced for instinctively, shifting her weight to counterbalance his. A silent understanding passed between them as he pushed off the ground, letting her strength help him swing up into the hammock.
For a breath, everything shifted. The fabric stretched, their bodies adjusting to the sudden new closeness, and then… stillness. Flea’s warmth against him, the steady rise and fall of her breathing, the open sky stretching wide above them. Ailwin exhaled slowly, feeling a quiet settle into his bones that he hadn’t realized he was missing.
He smirked, adjusting slightly, letting his arm rest where it naturally fell along the curve of her back. He didn’t pull away.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. There was no need. The stars stretched overhead, distant but steady, as the wind carried the scent of the ocean through the trees. The night would end, as all nights did, and come morning, they’d walk separate paths again. But for now, the world was quiet.
And for now, that was enough.
He adjusted his grip on his cane, tested the guide line, and then reached up, letting his fingers wrap around hers. It was a steady, deliberate motion—one she braced for instinctively, shifting her weight to counterbalance his. A silent understanding passed between them as he pushed off the ground, letting her strength help him swing up into the hammock.
For a breath, everything shifted. The fabric stretched, their bodies adjusting to the sudden new closeness, and then… stillness. Flea’s warmth against him, the steady rise and fall of her breathing, the open sky stretching wide above them. Ailwin exhaled slowly, feeling a quiet settle into his bones that he hadn’t realized he was missing.
You’d take the wilds over a bed any night, wouldn’t you?His voice was low, laced with something that wasn’t quite amusement, wasn’t quite fondness, but something close to both.
He smirked, adjusting slightly, letting his arm rest where it naturally fell along the curve of her back. He didn’t pull away.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. There was no need. The stars stretched overhead, distant but steady, as the wind carried the scent of the ocean through the trees. The night would end, as all nights did, and come morning, they’d walk separate paths again. But for now, the world was quiet.
And for now, that was enough.
03-22-2025, 05:46 PM
