Aftermath

Nyell felt breathless, his chest heavily moving up and down. Lingering lust was still clouding his mind as he laid eyes on Allen under him. A discreet blush tainted the corner of his eyes and the upper part of his cheeks, and his slightly parted lips had turned bright red under Nyell's mistreatment. Long strands of whitish, silvery hair stuck to the shaman's neck and face, spreading under his head like a veil.

The mesmerizing sight made a part of Nyell's body, which had just calmed, throb again. It was too enticing. And the musky smell permeating the cave didn't help him regain his composure, either. He craved much more and unknowingly wanted a deeper connection to his destined mate. The slight movement of his hips betrayed his inner thoughts, drawing a chuckle out of Allen.

"I know I'm good at multitasking," Allen broke the silence, an amused light dancing in the depths of his intricate eyes as he teasingly tapped Nyell's buttocks, "but even I'll have difficulty concentrating on my recovery if we keep going at it. How about keeping your mind out of the gutter for the rest of the night? You can always let your thoughts wander another time. I wouldn't mind entertaining you on any other day." 

An awkward, distrustful cough was Allen's answer.

"There's a handkerchief in my robes. Can you bend over and take it? We do need a bit of cleaning."

Earlier, Allen had folded his clothing and put the pile on the edge of the rug under the hammock. Nyell only needed to bend over to reach it, but when he did, the movement pressed their abdomens against each other, and the warm, sticky semen on Allen's stomach got squeezed between their bodies. It made Nyell stiffen and stop in his tracks for a second. The sensation was strange. Although he had reached adulthood a few years back, he had no experience whatsoever. Even during his ruts, he took care of his arousal alone: his hands and fantasies had been enough. Today was thus his first sexual activity with someone else, and it left him a bit disoriented.

Only now did realization truly strike as lust started to clear from his mind. What the heck was he doing…? And with the White Moon tribe's chief to boot! What was wrong with him?!

Trying not to think about it, Nyell shook his head and stretched his arm to grab Allen's robe. He rummaged through it a moment before finally finding the handkerchief. He then proceeded to wipe the semen from his abdomen, followed by Allen's. Not minding the gaze thrown at him, Nyell carefully cleaned the shaman, and his fingers unconsciously drew the defined lines of the man's abdominal muscles. Whether Nyell wanted to admit it or not, Allen had one of the most beautiful bodies he had ever seen. He had thought he was a beauty when he first saw him in his father's hut, and now that he could observe him in his birthday suit, he felt like the word 'beauty' wasn't enough to describe him. Maybe a work of divine art would be more accurate.

'Ah, crap. I'm having dangerous thoughts again,' Nyell pinched his lips, averting his eyes before his mind wandered where it shouldn't.

"Our bodies are covered in sweat," Nyell pointed out. "A little swim in the river wouldn't do us bad. It's not like the handkerchief removed everything, anyway."

"We could, but that would most likely delay my recovery, as I don't think we'll be able to stick to each other as we make our way to the river. It may feel uncomfortable, but do you think you can wait until tomorrow?"

"Ugh," Nyell grimaced, feeling sticky all over. Still, he knew Allen was right: he had been clear earlier, and they had to be in skin-to-skin proximity for as long as his spirit energy hadn't regenerated. And Nyell didn't want to risk delaying the shaman's recovery for even a minute. The faster Allen was back to his feet, the faster he could have his discussion with his uncle and get rid of the elders. 

"Don't worry, once asleep, it shouldn't bother you much." 

Easier said than done! However, Nyell resisted the urge to snap back at Allen and instead lay back atop his chest, nuzzling his nose in the crook of his neck. After sweating so much, Allen's smell was stronger than usual. It enveloped him, and the scent calmed down his erratic heartbeat. He still could not precisely pinpoint what kind of smell it was, but if he was honest with himself, he didn't hate it: he loved it, even. That was what was troubling him so much, stirring up an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. It seemed like his body was growing accustomed to Allen's presence nearby, regardless of his will.

.

.

When did Nyell fall asleep? He had no idea. He'd thought it'd be impossible to let his mind wander into dreamland after what happened, yet it seemed like his exhausted body had other plans. His mind gradually faded to black, and he only woke up after Allen firmly shook his shoulders. But even then, emerging from sleep wasn't easy. 

"Rise and shine," Allen's teasing voice echoed into Nyell's ear. "It's already the middle of the afternoon, and I've pretty much recovered. But if you want to sleep for a while longer, I don't mind." 

"W-what?" Nyell's drowsy voice resounded weakly. It took him a moment to process the shaman's words, but when he did, it finally snapped him awake. "You've got to be kidding me! Did I really sleep for that long?!" 

"Hu-huh. Maybe your body tried to compensate for the sleepless nights you've been having lately?"

"…"

That could very well be it. Nyell hadn't had a good night's sleep since people started to disappear in his tribe. He was too much on edge to fall into a profound slumber, and the faintest noise had been enough to wake him up. Last night was probably the first time in ages he actually fell asleep and slept through the night. He should have felt refreshed, but all his limbs felt heavy and sluggish.

"Still want to wash in the river?"

"You bet. I feel like I've got a second layer of dry, crumby skin, and it's quite uncomfortable." 

"Same here."

That said, they got up and left the cave for the river, bringing their clothes with them. They then met Lapis and Myrven, who had had the same idea. Myrven was visibly done washing and lazily sat on a rock in the middle of the river while Lapis was busying himself with scrubbing his arms. On their way to the canyon, Nyell had taught the men a bit about the jungle and what kind of vegetation could be found inside. At one point, he showed them one peculiar plant his people often used to wash themselves in the wild, which was what Lapis was using. The beta might be an annoying nag, according to Nyell, but he had an incredible memory. Nyell didn't need to tell him twice for him to put his teachings to memory.

His gaze locked on Lapis, Nyell couldn't help but size him up and sigh. The older man had no fat, but he also had no muscle. That was what a shaman should look like, yet Allen was nothing alike. He had a body closer to a warrior's. Weird, so weird. 

"Slept well?" Myrven asked, snapping Nyell back to reality.

"A little too well," Nyell grumbled as he jumped into the water. The temperature was lukewarm, and he could feel his muscles instantly relax. "I slept for too long and am sore all over now."

Myrven smiled but didn't comment. Nyell knew he could tell they hadn't just slept like good children as the smell lingering on both him and Allen gave away what they had done. However, neither Myrven nor Lapis were foolish enough to point it out. Nyell's fiery temper could bring about a disaster if they didn't watch their tongues, and neither would consciously court death. 

From the corner of his eyes, Nyell peered at Allen. His long, untied hair fell freely on the water, and the strands spread in all directions. The water on his fair skin glistered under the few sunrays that reached the bottom of the canyon. With the surreal view of the cliffs and waterfall behind the shaman, Nyell thought this scene seemed to have jumped straight out of a fairy tale. In a corner of his mind, he compared the man's appearance to a fae. And to think such a beautiful man had been lying underneath him a few hours ago, panting and moaning…

'Don't think about it, don't think about it!' Nyell admonished himself, plunging underwater to clear his mind. By doing so, he missed Allen's smirk and the calculative look in his eyes. It was unclear who would be panting under whom next time.

Once Nyell was out of breath and somewhat calmed down, his head emerged from the water. He then heard a voice behind him ask:

"Want me to scrub your back?"

"…" Nyell suspiciously eyed Allen. His back did feel itchy, and his hand couldn't reach every part of it. Still, he shuddered at the sudden attentive thought that was borderline lovey-dovey. He could never understand what was going through that man's head. "No, thank you."

"Alright. If you change your mind, tell me."

"Will do."

After which, no one uttered a sound as they swiftly washed. They then got out of the water and dressed on the riverbed. Once done, they went to Dangu's cave. The waterfall stopped falling the moment they approached the entrance, allowing them to enter without getting their clothing wet. It was clearly the daemon's handiwork, not like Nyell would complain.

Inside, they once again met face-to-face with Myur, which was spiraling out of control in the air. Allen lifted a hand and caught the fluffy ball before it hit the wall.

"What is it doing?" he asked Dangu, who answered with a shrug. Letting go of the familiar spirit, Allen warned it in a paternal-like tone, "Be careful. Even if you're a spirit, you can hurt yourself if you hit a talisman-protected wall."

The fluffy ball jumped up and down in the air, and no one was sure if it understood what Allen said. However, once it was warned, they stopped paying attention to it.

Like the day before, the four men sat on the trunk, making it once again crack in agony. But this time, Nyell grabbed Allen's hand before he could present it to him. Without even looking at the shaman, Nyell stared directly into his uncle's eyes, aware that Allen knew what to do. He did not need directives. The moment Nyell felt his destined mate's flow of spiritual energy course through his body, he opened his mouth. 

"Let's keep the conversation short and concise this time, shall we?"

"Alright."