While exploring outside Shimmerene with Darien, a summer squall hits the island. You take refuge in an old, damp ruin with the golden knight to wait out the storm.
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Darien makes a fire and peels off his soaked shirt, laying it against a nearby rock. He rifles through the pack he brought for the journey, procuring a loaf of bread, some cheese, and an unanticipated bottle of wine. He pops the cork with his teeth and grins.
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Darien
"So this is fun. A little unexpected, but most good things in life are."
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Darien
"We have wine, food, a relatively dry place to stay and one another’s fine company. What could be better? I’m almost glad this storm hit. I’ve been meaning to ask you to grab a drink anyway."
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Darien
"And I must say, you look quite good soaking wet." — "You look good shirtless, as always."
— "Cut it out, Darien."
Darien
"Why, thank you! You should join me. It’s really quite freeing."
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Darien
"Sorry. Just thought I’d try to relieve some tension."
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Darien
"Really, though, this isn’t so bad. Things could be worse. Neither of us are wounded, no great evil is breathing down our necks for once, and we have nothing to do and nowhere to be until this storm clears."
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Darien
"If only there was a bit more entertainment. A bard to play us a lovely song and set the mood, maybe."
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Darien
"I suppose we’ll have to entertain ourselves for the time being. Any ideas?" — "You could make good on all that flirting."
— "You could leave me alone."
Darien
"And here I was going to suggest that I sit here and flex for you until you were quivering with desire. Your idea is much better!"
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Darien
"Of course, if you’d like to circle back to that later, feel free to let me know."
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Darien slides closer to you. There’s laughter in his eyes as they roam over your face and figure with delight, but the more he stares at you, the more serious his expression becomes.
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He reaches up, brushing the calloused pad of his thumb against your cheek. He’s so close now you can see droplets of rain beaded across his bare chest like jewels.
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Darien
"But then I wouldn’t get to see my favorite expression of yours. The one where your brow gets all furrowed and you look like you want to kill me? Yes, right there, that’s the one!"
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Darien
"I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Let’s just drink some of this wine and eat our fill, and we’ll be out of here before you know it. I promise."
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Darien extends the bottle of wine to you as a peace offering. He waggles his eyebrows good-naturedly.
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As the two of you drink, rain falls steadily around the ruin. The smell of wet earth fills your nostrils.
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Darien
"Believe it or not, it’s not my intention to annoy you. But it seems like I’ve done just that."
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Darien
"I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit but… I’ll just be quiet, I guess."
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Darien takes a long drink from the wine bottle and looks away from you.
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A long sigh deflates him. He tosses the loaf of bread in his hand, like he’s considering eating it, and then thinks better of it.
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Darien
"We’ve gone through a lot together, haven’t we?"
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Darien
"I find myself dreaming about you often. Most of the time they’re nice dreams. You in tight leathers, me in a steaming bath... But sometimes they’re not so nice. Sometimes, I lose you. And that scares me more than I care to admit."
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Darien
"Tell me, do you feel the same? Or am I crazy?" — "I’d have to be an idiot to have feelings for someone like you."
— "I feel the same way. I don’t ever want to lose you, Darien."
Darien
"Huh. I know I should say something heartfelt and perhaps even poetic right now, but all I can think about is your mouth and how nice it is."
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Raz 13b *NULL*
""
Darien
"Hmm. I should have seen that coming. I’m usually better at this."
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Darien traces your face with his eyes.
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Darien
"Maybe we should just stay here, even after the storm passes. Tell everyone that we got hopelessly lost and just spend a few days lying out here in the grass, caressing each other to our hearts’ content."
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Darien
"Of course, there’d be no one to save the world if we went missing. So, I suppose we’ll just have to take advantage of the time we have."
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Darien moves closer, his hand trailing at your waist before pulling you flush against him with impressive strength. You feel the hard, muscled plane of his body pressed against your soaked clothes as his warmth surrounds you.
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He flips damp hair out of his eyes and then presses his forehead against yours. His laughter is lost in the pounding rain as the storm crashes down around you.
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Darien rolls his shoulders a bit.
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Darien
"Well, we’ve got a full bottle of wine and at least a few hours until the worst of the storm passes. I say we get drunk, lie back, and watch the lightning."
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Darien
"You’re a good friend, you know. There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck out here with. Well, that’s not true. If the opportunity to be stuck out here with a dozen beautiful women came up, I’d probably pick that one. But then you. Definitely you."
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Darien grins at you and nudges your shoulder a bit.
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Then the two of you lean back to watch the storm roll through.
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Darien huffs a little.
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Darien
"You know what? I was going to share my bread with you. It’s delicious, like me. But if you’d rather eat boring air, so be it."
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Darien
"Oh. And I’m drinking the rest of this wine."
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Darien scowls and starts valiantly chugging the remainder of the bottle. He glares at you with one eye while he does so.
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The storm rages outside the ruin all the while. The two of you don’t speak for the rest of the night.
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