Sweet Moments prompt: 30 Sharing a Bath + Sethlen. What, did you think each soldier gets their own shower and hot tub? :p Optional: At a hotspring.
#30: Sharing a Bath - Sethras Adaar x Varlen Lavellan (1000 words)
Varlen stared at the hotspring, a makeshift towel wrapped around his waist loosely as he eyed thesteaming water. A part of him was a bit excited by the idea; after all, he’dwaited long enough for the rest of the soldiers in their group to have their turns and getout. Now, night had well and truly fallen, and it cast an almost eerie hue overnature’s steaming bathhouse. It was as though a low fog clung to it all, andVarlen swallowed, taking another look around. Hoping he wasn’t being watched. Well, by anyone aside from his chosen companion.
“Okay… Come on.” hewhispered sharply, and there was the sound of a few sticks breaking underfootas a large Vashoth suddenly emerged from the trees, seeming to melt out of theshadows in a way that was completely at odds with his massive form.
“Safe?” Seth askedsimply, and Varlen nodded.
“Yeah, those otherassholes have gone to bed, I think. Or drank themselves into comas.” he snortedslightly at his own catty comment, walking forward a few steps to delicatelydip his toe into the hot spring. He hissed sharply at first, flinching away,but it was simply because he was not ready for the sudden change intemperature. The night air was, after all, rather chilly. It sent shiversracing along Varlen’s bare torso, and as he submerged his foot in the water, hefelt rather overcome by a desire to slide in up to his neck.
“Slow.” Sethinstructed, and Varlen groaned, hating that he was right. He’d heard plenty ofstories about people who had dove into hot springs and started gettinglight-headed from the heat. The last thing he needed was for Seth to have tofish him out and carry him back to camp, naked as the day he was born.
“All right, all right…”Varlen murmured, and the delicate, almost glass-like sound of disturbed watersignified Seth joining him at the edge of the spring. The large qunari hadalready abandoned his towel, draping it over a tree branch. Varlen glanced downat his waist, then looked around again, making sure they weren’t being watchedfor the fifth time in a minute. Then, he slipped the towel off, tossing it ontoa patch of grass, not interested in hanging it meticulously like his companion.A few swift steps later and he was waist-deep, holding his breath as his skin tingledand stung – less from the heat, and more from the various cuts and scrapes hehad accumulated from the course of their fighting and travelling.
“Fenedhis…” Varlenhissed through clenched teeth, bristling as he waited for the sensation topass, lips curved in tightly and eyes squeezed closed. When he opened them again, he could seeSeth’s watching him silently, those golden orbs like tiny stars, drawing him indespite the darkness. They were edged with concern, but Varlen gave him a relaxedsmile, wading in a little deeper until the water was just below his chest. “…Sorry, Sethy. I’m fine. It’s just nice to have a bath. How long has it been?”
Seth’s brows pulleddownwards for a moment as he thought. Varlen felt himself smile. He looked so cute when he pulled that face. Well, cute in an I could break your spine but you still want to cuddle me kind of way.
“A week?” Seth said finally, but it was just as much a question as an answer.
Varlen nodded. Thatsounded about right. Then he looked back at Seth. He appeared to be sitting onsomething. A ledge, perhaps? It was the only reason why the water would evercome up so high on him, lapping gently at the tops of his shoulders. Deciding thatsitting on a ledge might be nice, Varlen began walking towards him, steps tentativeas the rocks on the bottom of the hot spring jabbed the soles of his feet. Seth’smouth opened, but before he could sound any kind of warning, Varlen took another stepand vanished with a stifled yelp. Ina few seconds, he was back again, breaking through the surface with flailingarms, coughing and spluttering indignantly. WHY WASIT SO DEEP?!
Strong hands snagged Varlengently under his arms and pulled him through the water, sparing the elven manfrom having to do anything but hang limply, his long silver hairtrailing behind him in a sheepish wake. The remainder was plastered all over his face,covering his eyes, but he just felt too disgruntled to deal with it at thatmoment. However, a low, rumbling laugh rose to find Varlen’s ears, and he soon foundhimself sitting down. But it was not on a rocky ledge. It was hard, but the kind ofhardness associated with muscle as opposed to stone, giving way just a bit to the touch. Perched on Seth’s thigh,Varlen folded his arms sulkily as the Vashoth’s careful hands smoothed his silver locks offhis face, granting him the gift of sight once again.
“Tried to warn.” Sethsaid apologetically, but his lips were curved into a smile that indicated at leastsome degree of amusement. Varlen wanted to maintain his prickly demeanour, butwith those unassumingly gentle fingers combing through his hair, and the warmththat enveloped him like a blanket on all sides, he just didn’t have the heart or will. Instead, he sighed, sliding further along Seth’s thigh and turning until hisback was leaning against the Vashoth’s torso. The fact that their naked bodies werepressed so close was not lost on Varlen, and he was vaguely aware of tightnessin the pit of his stomach when he spared it any kind of significant thought. But for the moment, hepushed the feeling aside. He was simply content to sit there, leaning against hisvhenan, feeling warm water and warm hands run over his skin both above andbelow the surface of the hot spring, coaxing all the tension out of his body.
They stayed like thatfor a time, before Varlen realised he had closed his eyes and was drifting off.Shaking himself awake with a shivering jolt, he cleared his throat, and tiltedback his head against Seth’s chest. Catching Seth’s gaze, he smiled tiredly; the kind of gentlesmile one offers a lover in the early morning as they trace the lines of theirsleeping face. Seth leaned forward, nuzzling the top of Varlen’s hair in thatway he always did, and the elven man laughed, sliding off Seth’s thigh andswimming around behind him. Then, he reached up, placed his hands on Seth’sshoulders, and began to rub in firm yet relaxing circles. Feeling the musclesstart to ease and loosen as the Vashoth got used to his presence and his touch,melting into it instead of resisting it, as was his instinct.
“Your turn…” Varlenmurmured in his ear, before planting a fleeting kiss just below the lobe. Seth let out a deep hum of acceptance and contentment.
It was just as wellthe other soldiers back at camp were either asleep or too drunk to notice theirabsence.
They would likely be a while.