Softest Ruthari story? I had a bad day and I need some softness
Ethari and I hadn’t been courting for more than a week when I visited him in his workshop as a surprise. And by surprise, I mean that I hadn’t seen him in several hours and I missed him terribly. So I hopped in through a window and stealthed up through the rafters to watch him work for a while. I was far too eager to hop down and throw myself into his arms, and I thought if I just... watched him... for a bit, then I’d calm down and be able to keep myself together around him.
The trouble, little shadow, was that Ethari was busily working on a delicate bit of jewelry at the time. He was all focus and concentration, every bit of him drawn in toward his work. His head was tilted just so. His jaw was taut. His shoulders fixed. And his hands... Moon and shadow, Ethari’s hands are glorious. He turned his bright project over and worked at it so smoothly and swiftly that I could barely track it--and speed and dexterity are supposed to be my bailiwick!
I gulped so loudly, I thought Ethari heard me up in the rafters. And the longer I watched, the more entrancing he became, creating something out of nothing with the skill in his fingertips. Humming happily while he did it. I realized that there wasn’t going to be any keeping myself together, possibly ever again, around this elf.
So I surrendered to my feels and hopped down beside him. “Ethari, I--”
He startled so badly that he nearly fell off his box! But he didn’t drop his project. “Runaan, are you doing to be dropping in this literally from now on?” he asked, when he got his breath back.
“I... maybe?” I offered. Assassins often pop in on each other suddenly. We don’t even think twice about it. “If you want me to. I didn’t think--”
“No no, it’s fine. I’ll adapt,” Ethari chuckled. “Did you need something? From me, specifically?” he asked teasingly.
I leaned against his worktable and smiled down at him. “It’s entirely possible that I’m getting it right now,” I allowed.
“You big softie.” He slipped a hand into mine and squeezed it.
I looked down at his hand, with all its delicate skill, all the things he could make with it seeming to dance around it like tiny illusions. He could do anything with that strong, soft, talented hand, those precise fingers, the strength of his grip. And he was choosing to hold my hand instead.
I dropped to my knees beside him and looked up to meet his eyes, clutching his hand in mine atop my heart. “I am soft, Ethari. Soft for you, softer than I’ve ever been in my life. You... make me want to be soft. I... may need some assistance with that... It’s not my strong suit...”
With a broad smile, Ethari turned to face me fully and said, “I’m good with soft. And I’m happy to help. Do you want to sit with me?”
I smiled. “I love watching you work.”
He chuckled and held up his project, a pendant with five white gems in it. “I was thinking of something a little more involved than merely watching.”
My eyes widened. “Ethari... I’m very good with swords and bows, but this work is far too delicate for my hands.”
He raised a teasing eyebrow and smirked. “Then we’d best use mine too, hmm? Come, sit right here, and I’ll show you.” He scooted back on his box to make room for me.
So I stood up and took a seat directly in front of him, blushing an entirely normal amount, I assure you. Then he slipped his arms around me, took my hands with his, and handed me his pliers and the pendant he was fashioning. “Here, like this,” he murmured.
I let him move my hands with his expert knowledge, and I did my very best to focus on what he was explaining, but it was extremely difficult! His voice was soft against my ear, and his hands were warm and strong, and his chest pressed against my back, and his legs pressed comfortingly against mine. I was having trouble breathing normally and my poor cheeks were almost on fire. Surely he noticed that my palms got sweaty, but he didn’t say a thing about it.
He did start pressing soft kisses against my ear and my cheek when we’d finish certain little adjustments to the pendant, though, telling me I’d done a good job. I’d never wanted to be a craftsman so badly before--or at all, really--but Ethari’s presence is very persuasive!
When we finished the pendant, a couple of hours had gone by. Ethari hugged me tightly and asked briskly if I’d like to spend some time doing something special with him that night, and I just blurted, “We... we just did.”
He froze for a moment, and then he hugged me tighter than ever and buried his face against my hair. “Well done, Runaan. You did very well with your first softness lesson.”
I realized what he’d really been showing me, and how it had so easily climbed inside my heart, made a home, and responded back to him. I melted into that hug and relaxed more than I ever had with him. “Then you’re right, Ethari. We should celebrate with something special.”
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