WARNING: The following contains mature themes. Viewer Reader Discretion is Advised.
He couldn’t shake this feeling of unease.
Nathaniel stood below the inverted ship, its midnight wood almost adding to the elastic shadow cast upon the salt flat, even though it only accounted for a grain of black sand amongst the vast stretch of land. The sky was painted blue, as sparse long, thin streaks of the canvas go unpainted. The Sun rests at an angle, as if the phantom straightedge of noon hour had given way and bent.
The masts were without their sails, baring their thick cross frames. The ship was seemingly supported in its upset position by these beams, kept from touching the ground - and their inevitable splintering from the ship’s top-heaviness - by an unseen force; for all Nathaniel knew, it could be the waved mirages keeping it afloat.
In a flash and swish, he disappeared; to anyone standing below, he would have reappeared standing up, upside down on the capsized ship’s bridge, seemingly defying gravity. To Nathaniel, however, they would be the ones breaking the law, as the sky became the bottomless sea and the flats became the skies. There was no viable reason for the ship’s unique position, but Nathaniel paid the thought no mind as he had an uncountable number of times prior as he quickly rid himself of the sudden disorientation.
That, however, was not the unease he harboured.
He strode down the ebony-stained steps, down to the expansive deck and past the mast’s bases. He turned around the last mast and reencountered the first two. As he passed the first, he stopped, looking up at the solid sky, and sighed. He closed his eyes and imagined the sand becoming the sea once again, washing over him, removing him of this needless anxiety. He bent his head downward, the fantasy ended, and exhaled sharply, opening his eyes to face reality. Level headed once again, he went on his way, his sights fixated on the door under the starboard stairs. Courage building with every step, he reached for the door handle -
“Don’t come in yet!”
- only to have it wait its turn. The feminine voice from behind the door was in haste. Nathaniel sighed as he snuck a peek at his imaginary watch.
The anxiety returned.
There was a creak as the door clicked open and swung on its own accord, being of uncertainty.
“You can come in now…”
The distant comment was almost teasing to Nathaniel. He pushed the door open further, but just as he made to reply, he found the space beyond empty. Naught but a maple wooden corridor in stark contrast to the rest of the ship, leading to an open doorway, and a window beyond.
Keeping a brave face, Nathaniel proceeded, subconsciously hanging his haori on a protruding peg, red lining outward, as he walked. There was nothing else for him to look at; his point of interest was dead ahead.
The stretch of hallway emptied out into a room; more specifically, a bed room, as a queen sized bed complete with white comforter and pillows served as its centerpiece, pushed to the back of the room against the multi-paned windows. Two panes on each side were open, as a translucent curtain hanging above each waved as it met with the outside’s gentle breeze. A simple four legged chair with backrest stood on the left.
Nathaniel walked forward, allowing himself access to the panoramic view the combined windows had to offer, taking in the odd inversion of sky and land. He closed his eyes, taking in the serenity of the moment.
“Took your time, didn’t you?”
Nathaniel’s eyes flew open. He whipped his body around to face the hall’s opening, prepared to ask how she got past him.
The question died in his throat as he laid eyes on her.
There stood Flintlass, her arms leaning against the sides of the entrance, staring longingly at him. She wasn’t wearing her hat, but she did wear a thin strapped light green nightshirt stopping at her thighs and a plunging neckline, the bottom revealing the lightly laced edges of her bra. Her weight was shifted to one side, causing one hip to have more of a curve than the other.
As well, she was barefooted.
The sound of padded footsteps resounded as Flintlass closed the distance between the two, grabbing at one of the folds of Nathaniel’s kimono and pulling him close.
“You, mister,” she half whispered with a grin, “are quite overdressed.”
Nathaniel did the same, as he nipped at her ear. “Perhaps you’d like to remedy that, miss?”
Flintlass’s face lit up, adorned with a sly grin. “That can easily be arranged,” she said, as she draped her arms over his shoulders. She grabbed his collar, and in one swift motion removed his top and threw it off to the side, revealing his chest adorned with a few small scars. “There we go.”
Nathaniel slowly pulled back, lustfully looking into Flintlass’s eyes as she mimicked him. They both smiled softly as they wrapped their arms around each other, pulling themselves together, and tilting their heads in opposite directions before locking lips. Their embrace tightened, almost looking inseparable, as their arms moved about their bodies. Soft moans escaped them as they fell onto the large bed, Nathaniel first. They continued for a few minutes, before Flintlass abruptly stops. She looks up, as Nathaniel reclines his head backward.
The Sun was setting, more accurately rising into the ground. The room had begun to fill with a orange-golden glow.
“It’s getting dark,” Flintlass remarks matter-of-factly.
“It is,” Nathaniel adds, linking his hands above the small of Flintlass’s back. “Didn’t know I came so late.”
A smile played on Flintlass’s lips once more. “Maybe…it’s a sign.”
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe…” she placed her hands on Nathaniel’s chest, “we should go…further.”
Nathaniel’s eyes wandered, a pondering look on his face.
“What do…you think?” she queried, slightly pouting her lips and tilting her head to one side, worried about the choice he might make.
Nathaniel’s eyes returned to hers. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Without warning, he proceeded to nip at her neck, causing her to let out a small yelp.
“You idiot…” he whispered, “I love you too much to stop short.”
With those words, Flintlass practically melted in Nathaniel’s arms. She felt so much joy she almost cried. She returned the caress, as the two continued an exchange of sweet nothings in their ears and hands running over nearly every inch of their bodies, discrete moans escaping their mouths every now and then. They eventually found their way under the covers, but did not impede their actions whatsoever.
Morning came. Flintlass lay flat on the bed, the comforter covering her from the belly button down. Her nightshirt was gone, unveiling her sizeable breasts and bra. Lodged between her ample bosom was Nathaniel’s head; the comforter only left his head and neck exposed. He was the first one awake, as he opened his eyes and arced their sight past her endowment to her face’s sleeping form.
“Morning.”
Flintlass’s eyelids fluttered for a moment as her head slowly rocked back and forth before setting on her right. Her eyes opened slowly and smiled as she looked down at her chest. “Morning.”
With some effort, Nathaniel hoisted himself out of Flintlass’s cleavage, giving yield to red marks on his lower cheeks and neck. He stuck his hands into the comforter and pulls out his hakama and sash. Putting them on, he retrieved his top from the floor and slipped it on as well.
“You’re leaving already?” Flintlass tiredly asks, sitting up a bit.
Nathaniel walks over to her side of the bed, sits down and leans upon her, kissing her. Flintlass closes her eyes, taking in every moment.
“You know, you’ll still have your clothes when you go back. You don’t have to get them on right away.”
“I know,” Nathaniel replied, “but it would just seem weird, wouldn’t it?”
Flintlass smiled. “I know.”
Nathaniel sighed. “Damn it, I love you!”
Flintlass quickly stood up from the bed, revealing her naked from the waist down. “I love you, too.”
“And I don’t care what they say. Or what they would say. If we’re in love…there’s nothing to prove us wrong.”
“It’s just that we have…a stronger bond.”
“Yeah…the strongest kind.”
They both smile to each other. They wrap their arms around their middles and pull the other in, closing the distance, sealing it with a kiss. Nathaniel breaks it off; slowly, but surely. “I have to go.”
Flintlass smiles. “I know. I’ll be waiting.”
Nathaniel kisses her on the cheek for one last time before walking through the doorway he came in. Flintlass stands there, eyes brimming with tears. As they begin to fall, she runs to the arch. “WAIT!” she screams, but she’s too late. The hallway is empty, and the peg that once held the haori is now bare.
She couldn’t stand this feeling of unease.