Stream/M!Hede (Summer 550)
This is the last of these! There's a different one for F!Hede. The story is the same, the differences are similar to what I'll aim to write in the proper story when they are adults.
Hope you enjoy!
The sun is glaring down over you as the dirt road makes even breathing more difficult than simply walking should be. The fact that you're decked out in your full regalia of armor, weapons and cloak that are made for the cold and dark of the nights and sitting on rooftops isn't helping. The sweat pours down your forehead and your body, making your shirt stick into your back uncomfortably just makes all of it horrible. Traveling at all is the worst.
Hede is walking ahead of you, glancing around at the trees, the flowers and the few birds flying over you, chattering as if not at all bothered by it all. By the endless road and the scorching sun and the dust sticking in your throat.
But you are bothered and wonder for a moment if you should tackle your best friend and perhaps gag and bound him for the hottest hours just to get a slight sliver of comfort on the seemingly endless road.
You groan and kick a pebble, making it bounce on the dry road and hit Hede's calf.
He turns around, one pale eyebrow raised on an unusually pink washed face. His shoulder length hair turned into a bun so that his neck is exposed to the elements. You spot a droplet of sweat slowly cascading down and into the fabric of his shirt.
"What was that about?" He asks and you groan again, walking up until you are side by side and can lean against the willowy frame. He tries to give you a side hug but you shrug it off, not wanting anything to do with his sweaty armpits.
"It's hot and awful and the sun is not setting and how can anyone choose to be traveling at this hour?" You complain and Hede laughs at you. Because he’s a bastard. But he does take your travel pack from you and hoist it over his shoulder. The white linen shirt and simple pants rolled up to his knees, even with the dust of the road covering his legs, look much better choice than your armor. That you refused to leave behind. It's yours and you did earn it. (and you swore to protect him)
"Come on. I know a place where we can rest for a while. It has a nice cold stream and everything. So, you can complain and gather your strengths," Hede says and takes your hand starting to walk again. You follow with an affronted sigh.
"I could go on. It's just..." you glare up at the Sun. You wonder briefly if hissing at it would make it go away. Probably not. Would make Hede laugh.
You feel a tug at your hood as Hede tucks it over your head, shielding your face and eyes.
"I know. But this is not a life or death situation, we can take the time to enjoy walking and the sights."
"Even the Sun?"
"Even the Sun. It can grow on you. When you aren't wearing enough clothes to fill a wardrobe."
"Shut up," you mutter but are kind of glad that your smile can't be seen as you tuck your head to hide it under the hood. Hede's hand is warm, hot and sweaty in yours as you continue on for what seems to be an unreasonably long time.
Finally Hede tucks you away from the road, to a small grove protected by a hill and tall, luscious trees. It's a relief to get out from under the sun and you tuck your hood off, relishing in the shadows and the breeze that feels colder here than on the road.
You climb down the hill and turn towards the sounds of a river. The dirt and patches of grass from the roadside turn into pebbles covering the ground, all of them white and rounded by years. You walk around the last few trees and vines and a wall of cold air hits your face.
The scene takes your breath away for a moment or two. Clearer than any water you’ve ever seen streams lazily towards the sea, the river wide enough to almost be called a lake. The water coming down from the mountains you can spy in the distance. The white pebbles of the shore cover the river floor as well and you can see schools of small fish swim around like flashes of small rainbows.
You hear a thump behind you and as you turn Hede is taking off his gear, all of it. He winks at you and throws a boot to the safety of the trees.
“What? I’m taking a swim.” A reasonable idea if he didn’t waggle his eyebrows like that.
A great idea to you as well but by the time you’ve loosened your cloak and started on your belt there’s a white flash and Hede sprints, then jumps into the stream. You let out a slight curse, rescue yourself from the splash zone towards the trees and ignore the shrieks coming from behind you.
You don’t dawdle unnecessary in your undressing as the cold air wafting from the stream is as inviting as a fireplace during the winter storms. Still by the time you are ready to get in Hede’s lips are already blue and his teeth chattering. It does not make his beckoning hands any less enthusiastic. You know that look.
Suspicious now, you dip your toe in and swallow an undignified shriek. It’s like touching ice and as you yank your foot out you’re afraid it will crack off. Hede splashes over to you, crawling along the river bottom and laughing, while you try to count your remaining toes.
“I thought you wanted to get cooler?”
“That’s freezing, not cool,” you mutter but get back in. The colour of Hede’s lips and the shivering make sense now, even after just a few moments. He’s never been one to handle cold temperatures very long being a tall twig of a boy and then a man.
The water is cold enough to being painful, but you grit your teeth together and submerge completely. It’s better than carrying with the sweat of the road.
It gets better, refreshing even and you enjoy just enough to get cool and clean until you lose the feel of your toes. Hede is shivering alongside you as you get out and plop out on a large rock. Basking in the sun like a pair of lizards and laying side by side you start to feel drowsy.
Hede makes himself more comfortable by your side and your arms brush against each other before your fingers link together. “We could stay here forever,” Hede mumbles in a tone you remember from whispered conversations during the night. You hum back, the drowsiness turning into tiredness and you’re down for a nap. You feel a pair of lips on your temple.
“Sleep well.”
You wake up alone, in your bed, hours and days of travel from where you thought you were. Years away from when you saw Hede last.
The floor is cold when you stand up and brush the dreams away.