Breathing heavily, Jayce was frozen in surprise, one of his eyes squeezed shut as your cum dripped down his face. A faint flush of red crossed his cheeks, innocent and yet surprised by himself.

Hesitantly, his mouth opened a crack to taste the thick white liquid. He pursed his lips.

"Salty...", he gasped.

"Like soap.", you snorted, completely out of breath.

Strands of your (H/C) hair fell into your eyes. The world in front of you seemed to dance, to bend. You felt dizzy, but in the best way possible. At the same time, it felt like a part of you was detaching from your shoulders and rising up above you.

When your hand gently slid under his chin, Jayce couldn't look you in the eye. He shyly averted his eyes while you fished an old rag off the table to get it as clean as possible.

Soot mingled with what you had given him. The broad, muscular chest rose and fell with halting breaths. He felt like he was burning under your fingers like a flame you had caught.

He would burn every single one of your fingers, melt your skin and mold you into something completely new. Just like he was used to as a toolmaker. Metal obeyed him.

You would do the same if he let you go up in flames hard enough.

A gentle smile grew on your lips. Tilting your head you planted a kiss on his cheek, soft and salty with sweat.

"Don't.", he whispered with bated breath.

The rough surface of your room brushed against his slightly parted lips.

"I could make you forget the shame.", you whispered in his ear.

A shiver coursed through his body as your warm breath tickled his neck, biting into his nape and devouring every inch of his tanned skin. Jayce trembled for you.

"I... can't.", he whispered hesitantly as his eyes searched the fire of the familiar forge.

Your eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Don't be ashamed.", you kissed him again. "Not for liking it."

Curling his lips, he shook his head. Your eyes traveled down his body. You were hungrier than you'd been in a long time. Hungry for more.

As if he had felt the weight of your eyes, his hands wandered into his lap to cover something there. Curiosity stirred in you. Not a moment later, you understood why he couldn't look you in the eye.

A dark stain had spread between his legs, staining his trousers and certainly giving him an unpleasant feeling of sticky cold. Ashamed, Jayce closed his eyes.

"That's never happened before...", he mumbled in his defense.

You smirked.

"I'll take that as a compliment.", you purred. "Shall I help you out of your pants?"

He puffed out his cheeks.

"I could do with a bath."

You lifted your chin. Warm air caressed the sensitive skin. Fire was still crackling in the forge, everything was still full of soot and ash. Molten metal bubbled in cauldrons. Between the chaos of tubs and screws stood a large tub. The edges were already old and scratched, dirty.

But somehow it seemed as if it would like to be used. Memories clung to it.

"I'll get some water.", Jayce managed to fight his way out of his trance.

He wiped his face and the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand one last time before he hurriedly disappeared. You were left with the feeling of saliva on your skin, which slowly began to dry. It was a strange feeling, so familiar and yet unwelcome.

Footsteps filled the warm silence. The crackling of fire echoed in your ears as you sat there without a word. Water sloshed, splashing from buckets into the large tub of black steel.

Tired, almost no longer present, your eyes wandered in the direction Jayce had appeared. His tanned skin was covered in beads of sweat. At the same time, a red glow spread across his face.

He didn't look at you as you came closer, but a slight twitch chased through his lips. A gentle smile was elicited from him. With a satisfied hum, you put your hand in the water. It was clear and already warmed up. You didn't know where Jayce got it, but you welcome it.

"Don't burn yourself.", gently, almost lovingly, he let his knuckles glide along your leg while you tested the water temperature with your toes.

The touch was so soft and the water so warm that goose bumps spread all over your body. Sighing gently, you lifted the other one over the edge. Warm wetness enveloped your body.

Jayce watched in confusion as you pulled the shirt over your head in front of him. The fabric hit the dirty floor with a soft thud. Goosebumps spread all over your body again. This time because the weight of his eyes rested on your naked body.

Jayce swallowed hard. You could hear it so clearly that you chuckled quietly to yourself.

"Take a bath with me.", sighing, you let yourself sink into the water and stretched out your hand.

Pearls fell from the tips of your fingers like stars from the sky. Outside the gates of the forge it was still raining while the fire raged in the cauldrons. You were completely alone, without eyes to see too much and mouths to spread rumors.

When was the last time you felt so unobserved?

Exhaling deeply, you closed your eyes. Darkness enveloped you like an old friend. Jayce undressed. You weren't watching him. Just like you, he deserved to feel unobserved.

Especially because he was used to this feeling. The constant stinging of eyes in his back was new. You had grown up with it, constantly accompanied by it.

How many times had you been twisted into a man you were not?

And how rarely had you managed to tolerate these rumors?

At some point, everything felt like a knife between the ribs that was digging deeper and deeper into your flesh. Even if they were just insubstantial lies.

"Will you make room for me?", Jayce put his hands on the edge of the tub.

You smiled.

"Sit down.", you pointed to the water under which your lap lay hidden.