Ranger Gathering 2025 - Day 9: Forge
Forged Surprise
There was no response when Stig knocked on the door of Hal’s forge, but he could clearly hear clattering and hammering inside, giving away that his boyfriend was indeed very busy working in there. Stig stifled a laugh. Hal could get so caught up in his projects that he barely registered what was going on around him. Deciding that his boyfriend wouldn’t mind him coming in, he opened the door and was immediately met by the fire’s blazing heat. How Hal hadn’t completely melted yet, he had no idea.
A gust of wind entered the forge, and Hal turned around to see who had entered. Upon seeing Stig, he frantically scrambled his things together and tried to hide them behind his back, at which he failed miserably, of course. Stig raised an eyebrow. ‘What’ve you got there?’
Hal’s cheeks were already red from working in heat all day, but they managed to darken in shade even more. ‘Nothing.’
‘Nothing, huh?’ Stig stepped a little closer. ‘Then why are you so desperate to hide whatever it is you’re doing?’
‘I’m not.’
‘You very much are.’
Hal sputtered some completely incomprehensible protests before collecting his dignity and pointedly raising his chin in a somewhat feeble attempt to match Stig’s confidence. And height, if he was a little honest with himself. ‘What I’m working on is none of your business.’
Knowing what Hal was trying to do, Stig stepped even closer, now completely towering over his boyfriend. Before Hal could look away, Stig lifted his chin with his finger and forced him to meet his eyes. ‘None of my business, is that what you’re saying?’
Hal nodded, but it was with a lot less determination than he had spoken with earlier.
‘Normally you’re very excited to tell me about whatever it is you’re doing.’
Hal sighed. ‘Okay, yes, but—’
A grin spread across Stig’s face. ‘You know that you don’t have to hide things from me, right?’
‘I do, but I wanted to keep it a surprise!’ Groaning at his slip of words, Hal buried his face against Stig’s chest, giving his boyfriend a clear view of what he had been working on all day long.
‘By the gods, Hal, it’s beautiful,’ he whispered. On the table stood a tiny metal replica of the Heron, made completely out of wire, wrapped in intricate patterns to form the most beautiful model of a ship he had ever seen. The only thing that was missing were the sails. He looked back at Hal to see him pouting the hardest he’d ever done, reminding Stig of a puppy that just lost his favourite toy, and he couldn’t help but smile. ‘Come here, my love,’ Stig murmured while enveloping Hal into a hug and pressing a kiss on his forehead. ‘I take it this was supposed to be a gift for me and I just ruined your surprise, am I right?’
Hal buried his face in his boyfriend’s shirt again, nodding sulkily. ‘It’s not even finished yet.’
‘I don’t really care if I’m honest. It’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and knowing that you spent a whole day in here just to make me a gift makes me fall in love with you all over again. Besides, no one’s stopping you from finishing it while I’m watching.’ Peeling his clingy boyfriend from his body, Stig looked around the workplace for a seat. His eyes fell on the only empty worktable. ‘I’ll wait over here until you’re done.’
For a moment, Hal looked stricken, his eyes unsure and darting from Stig to the metal Heron on the table. Then a smile appeared on his face, and he went back to work, making sure to roll up his sleeves, more than aware of Stig’s love-sick eyes fixated on him. He had to admit that he didn’t mind working like this at all.
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Hal looked proud as ever as he stood before his boyfriend and presented his finally finished gift. Stig made sure to take his sweet time admiring every single detail, not wanting to let a single second of Hal’s hard spent day go to waste. With every comment he made on a particular part he loved, Hal visibly grew more and more flustered. Finally, Stig set the metalwork aside and cupped his boyfriend’s face in his hands, meeting his eyes with nothing but pure love.
‘Do you like it?’ Hal whispered.
‘My love, I already told you. I love it.’ Stig was blessed with a huge smile. Moving one hand to the back of Hal’s neck and the other to lightly tilt his chin, he leaned forward to press his lips against Hal’s. Hal melted into the kiss, his hands finding Stig’s waist and pulling him even closer. Stig’s lips slowly moved to the corner of Hal’s mouth, then to the stubble on his jaw, before trailing down his neck and then to the rest of Hal’s body. He did not stop until he had marked every inch of his love.