The Kiss

Life, Relationship change

Fenneck finally kisses his thiramin.

Fenneck trekked up through the mountains. He knew what he was doing was probably in vain but he had to check on Natalya. He was worried about her being all alone for the winter. He wanted to try once more and convince her to come to Flottenheim so that she would be safe for the winter. He turned the corner and saw light peeking out of the cave and swallowed nervously, hoping she wouldn't find his behavior annoying. He walked up and casually moved the pelts aside from the entrance and stopped in shock. Natalya was sitting up in the bathtub with her very lovely, perky breasts out in the open as she aimed a crossbow at his face. Fenneck burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight. She lowered the bow and her skin started to turn as red as her hair. "My apologies," Fenneck said, still laughing. She ducked under the water. "Don't look at me!" She unsuccessfully tried to hide her breasts behind her knees. "Pervert!" she accused him. Fenneck gave her a look over, unable to help himself from enjoying the sight of her beautiful body and smiled to himself before turning around. He heard the water slosh as she got out and quickly got dressed. "The hell are you doing here?" she asked him, clearly annoyed at the untimely interruption. Fenneck turned back around, still giggling. She had slipped on a dark blue tunic so that Fenneck would specifically not see her wet body through it. She gave him a scolding glance. "Aren't you supposed to be in Flottenheim for like three more months or something?" she asked him, shivering from the cold, having taken her ring off to bathe. He set his weapons and snow-covered cloak down before grabbing a big fur cloak and walking over to her to wrap it around her shivering body. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," he told her affectionately, still giggling occasionally, as he held her arms. "I was sent to beg you once last time, from Baegla, to join us in Flottenheim for the winter," he lied, trying to give a different excuse than the fact that he was worried about her and missed her company. "Do you have a good reason this time?" She looked up at him annoyed. He smiled at her annoyed state, finding it cute. "Baegla wouldn't tell me anything more. However, it is a special year, the end of a century you know. It would be nice for you to join in the celebrations," he suggested, knowing it was actually going to be a very large celebration. Natalya walked away from him and went over to her shelf of clothes. He sighed. "You can come right back here to your tower afterwards and I promise to stay out of your hair for the next two months," he suggested, trying to barter with her. Natalya turned to look at him. "Fen, you know why I haven't gone back." She gave him a stern glare. "Baegla and Jasna don't care, they miss you." He walked toward her a little, trying to pretend he didn't know what she was actually talking about. "It's not because of Baegla and Jasna, Fen." She looked him in the eyes. "I don't want to... to mess this up." Fenneck pursed his lips, he'd hoped to avoid this. "Look," he started. "It's been nine years, Nat. I think enough time has passed. I won't do anything stupid." He walked up to her and took her hands and looked at her beggingly. "You can see all the families we've settled there over the years," he said, trying to play a card he knew she couldn't easily refuse. "They are constantly asking about you. I know they'd love to see you." His eyes pleaded with her. She looked at him hesitantly and Fenneck wondered if he might actually convince her. "Look," he said, taking her hands in his own and knowing that the only way she would come back with him is if their situation was clearer. "I love you," he told her. "In a way I didn't think possible when we first met. I know this hasn't been what I initially hoped it would be but I do really love what this has become," he said, meeting her eyes. He did mean that. He loved their friendship. She reminded him of Erikur in a lot of ways and Fenneck was willing to put the stronger feelings he had for her aside to preserve it. Natalya looked conflicted and scared. "I do too, Fen," she told him. "That's why I don't want to risk messing this up. Every time I've been to Flottenheim... bad things have happened," she said, looking up at him with shame and guilt on her face. Fenneck reached a hand up and gently stroked her cheek and laughed softly. "Twice isn't as many times as you think it is," he told her. "I'll at least stay here for the night and if you change your mind you can head back with me in the morning." He kissed her forehead and released her before taking a step back to take his boots off. "You can continue your bath if you'd like," he offered. "I'll try to keep my eyes to myself," he told her playfully. She gave him a scolding glance. "The water was getting cold anyway," she said, sassily turning away from him. Fenneck stood up and walked over to the bath. "That's impossible," he said confidently. He looked down into the tub and smiled seeing her opal flutter in the bottom, next to the heating stone. "There's a heating stone in there, it can't get cold," he pointed out. "See!" he ran his hand through the water and splashed her, soaking the clean tunic and cloak she had just put on. She looked up in bewilderment at him for his audacity. Fenneck started laughing at her. "You pig!" she exclaimed as she threw the wet cloak off of her shoulders and skipped over to him to try and push him in the water, unable to keep herself from laughing. Fenneck grabbed her arms to keep from falling but her momentum sent them both tumbling into the tub, sending water splashing across the cave and reduced the fire to embers in the fire pit, leaving them in the dark. Fenneck felt Natalya squirm underneath his body and her head shot up from the water as she gasped for air. "You're an ass!" she said, laughing underneath him. He had her pinned underneath him which caused her to squirm some more. "Let me up!" she told him angrily. He pushed her head under the water playfully and she kneed him in the groin. Fenneck yelped in pain and released her, causing her to sit up and reach out to him. "Are you okay?" she asked him, fear and concern flooding her face. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed. Fenneck looked into her eyes and pretended to be in pain for a moment before he burst out laughing again. She gave him an annoyed look and he slowly stopped laughing as he became aware of how close their bodies were to each other in the warm water. He saw a sparkle in her eye and felt overwhelmed with desire. He leaned forward and their noses brushed against one another. He gently nuzzled her and enjoyed the taste of her breath so close to his own. Natalya nuzzled him back and Fenneck knew he couldn't stop himself. He waited for her to make the move. He wanted her to decide if they were ready or not. If they were going to do this. If this was the right moment. He felt her lean up and his heart pounded with excitement. She moved slowly and passionately as she inched her lips closer to his. Fenneck took a deep breath to try and prepare himself for the thing he had waited so patiently for. When Natalya's lips finally brushed his own he grabbed her and pulled her fiercely into his arms, not waiting a second longer. He wrapped his hands around her face and kissed her with more passion and emotion than he'd ever felt in his entire life. He felt his skin flush and burn with pleasure and the water started to steam around them. Fenneck felt Natalya's hands reach around his chest as she started to pull his shirt off. He helped her and saw the cave was illuminated with balls of blue and green light and the plants in the corner seemed to be glowing and he realized he had let out a burst of magic with her touch. Natalya caressed his chest and kissed his neck and Fenneck pulled her beautiful body through the water and into his hard lap. Soon their tongues were in each other's mouths and he wondered how far he should let this go. The thiramin glow he felt for her had burst and Fenneck knew he would never be the same. They had to be together. They were meant to be together. They were meant to love each other. They were meant to kiss each other. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't. Not again. Not after this. Natalya gasped and pulled her face away for a moment, trying to catch her breath. He took the opportunity to also try and breathe again, finding it very difficult from the strong desire in his chest. Natalya's beautiful green eyes looked deep into his own. "I love you," he told her before he could stop himself. She sighed and nodded, looking him deep in the eyes. "I love you, too," she breathed, still huffing. Fenneck felt everything start to go blurry and he felt overwhelmed with emotion. She loved him. He needed to breathe. To get away from her before he became engulfed. He shakily pulled himself away from her and stumbled out of the bathtub and stumbled across the room, dripping water all over the floor. He was trying to think. To make sure this was okay. To make sure he hadn't ruined everything. To make sure she really wanted this. He finally turned around and looked at her. She was still sitting in the bath shaking and looking at him nervously. Everything started to look beautiful and clear as if he had orgasmed and Fenneck glanced down at his pants to make sure he hadn't. He met her eyes again and looked longingly at her. He took a deep breath to speak. "I love you," he said again, feeling incapable of telling her anything else. "I love you," he muttered under his breath, trying to understand what to do. He felt tears of happiness start to come into his eyes and Natalya shakily stood up from the bath and walked over to him. She slid into his arms and Fenneck felt his heart start to pound in his chest again with her touch. She reached up her hand and gently held his cheek in her hand and pulled his face down to look into her eyes. He saw tears in her eyes as well. "I love you, too," she told him passionately. Fenneck slowly leaned down and kissed her lips again. He felt ready to burst and he suddenly realized why you waited with thiramin. He pulled her into his body and couldn't control himself as he pressed her into his groin and wished he could make love to her. It was overwhelming, and he soon had to gasp for air and push her away from him so he wouldn't make a fool of himself. Fenneck stumbled away from her and sat down by the fire that had fully revitalized itself at this point, probably from the burst of magical energy when they kissed. He put his head in his hands and tried to process everything. This was not what he had expected by coming here tonight. He saw Natalya sit down next to him, about an inch away from him. She looked scared and confused and Fenneck was worried they were about to fight and push each other away again. After a moment though she shook her head in disbelief. "Well shit," she said under her breath. Fenneck smiled at her state of bewilderment and started laughing. She wanted him. She was okay. This was okay. This was more than okay. This was perfect. He was extremely emotional and his laughter soon turned into hysterical, happy crying. Finally after all this time everything started to make sense. Everything fell into place in a perfect neat package and Fenneck felt overjoyed. He finally understood. "Fen! It's okay!" Natalya said, trying to calm him down. "Fenneck!" She reached out and took his hands in her own and looked up into his eyes. He beamed at her with the most loving, joyous expression. "I know," he said between his outbursts. "I know, Nat. I know." He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, and again, and again, and again, until finally the sun intruded upon their bubble with bright rays of light that cut through the pelts over the entrance. "Come to Flottenheim with me. Please," he begged her as the sun began to rise. "Okay," she finally agreed.