The sting hit the moment my feet broke the surface. Heat bit at the soles, coiling up my calves, loosening muscles that had been locked all day.
Lowering myself in was a different kind of hell — every cut and scrape lit up at once, fire threading under my skin.
"Ssshhhit… never quite get used to that," I hissed, leaning forward and blowing on a nasty gash like that would actually help.
I held out my hand toward Yuki, who was watching me with that still, unreadable gaze — softer than usual.
"Coming?"
She blinked, like she'd been somewhere else. "Mmm… what? Oh. Yes."
Her palm slid into mine, cool against the heat of the water. A faint shiver ran through her as she stepped in, the steam curling around her face. I turned my head away without thinking.
She didn't ask why. Instead, she slipped in beside me until her thigh brushed mine under the water — just enough to feel the firmness of muscle through the heat.
"Woah. Pretty close, huh?"
"How else am I supposed to clean those wounds?"
"I mean… I can do that—"
"And I said I'll do it."
"Yuki—"
"Kai."
"What happened to 'Master'?"
"What happened to 'not endangering yourself'?"
Oof. Walked right into that one.
"…Yeah, okay. I'm an idiot."
"No. Just… reckless."
Her fingertips traced the cut on my cheek. The water stung, but it was nothing compared to the sharp jolt that went through me from her touch. Her gaze didn't waver, her lips parting slightly like she might say something — but she didn't.
She reached for a cloth, wringing it slowly, the scent of crushed herbs rising with the steam.
"Turn," she said — low, but unyielding.
The cloth swept across my shoulders in deliberate arcs. The heat sank deeper into my muscles with each pass.
Then she leaned in, her chest brushing my back — just barely — but enough that her breath ghosted over my ear. Her free hand drifted under the water, fingertips grazing mine. She hesitated there, the faintest tremor in her touch, before letting them rest.
Uh oh.
"So… uh… tell me about your past," I said quickly, just to break the tension before my brain short-circuited.
"What do you want to know?" Her voice was softer, slower, like the steam was weighing on her words.
"Maybe what it was like for you as a kid. Or your first solo hunt?"
"Frost elf children don't have a childhood. At least not in the way you think of it." The warmth in her tone slipped away, replaced by that smooth, cool distance.
"Go on."
"…I was raised like all the others. No affection, only guidance. Results were everything. I was fortunate — my pedigree is high. My training went smoothly, I advanced faster than my peers. That made me… valuable."
"You are pretty great," I said, and her lips tugged upward, just barely.
"Thanks. Because of that, I was chosen to produce an heir for a prominent frost elf warrior."
"The man from before? Seldric?"
"Yes." No warmth. No hate. Just fact.
I pulled her gently into an embrace. She turned her face away at first, her breath catching, but didn't resist. Slowly, she let herself lean into me, her hair damp and faintly sweet.
I set the cloth aside and began washing her hair, fingertips working carefully along her scalp. She exhaled — a long, quiet release — and her eyes closed.
"Seldric was… unlike the others. Not on the surface. But beneath, I sensed something darker. I didn't think he'd be a gentle mate, but it wasn't my duty to be loved. I was honored to be chosen." The bitterness in her voice was faint, but real.
"…Do you have regrets?"
She hesitated, her hands curling slightly in the water. "Yes. And no. It's… complicated."
"I get that."
"Oh?"
"For sure. I had responsibilities too. Obligations."
"Go on," she said — and for once, there was no chill in her eyes.
"Well, I was a college student. A teacher's aide at that."
"College?"
"School. In my world, you go there for advanced education. Well… more like you pay for the world to acknowledge your education."
Her lips twitched. "Mmm. And you pay for the knowledge."
"Yeah. Kinda."
"Don't stop," she murmured, leaning further back into me. "That. And don't stop touching me."
My hands trailed down her arms, slow, washing away the last traces of blood. Her skin was warm now, the cold of earlier gone.
"It was my job to teach when the teacher couldn't," I said, "though I wasn't exactly great at it. My professor was young — only a few years older than me. Awkward too. But we worked well together."
"Another woman," Yuki said, her tone cooling — but not as much as before.
"Truth is, there were others before. Several. I wasn't what you'd call a good guy."
"…."
"You could say something about that." I pulled her just slightly closer.
She gasped — quiet but sharp — and shifted in my lap. My hand slipped over the curve of her chest. Neither of us moved for several breaths. When I started to pull away, her fingers closed over mine, holding me there.
"…Here too," she whispered, her voice almost unsteady. "Wash here too."
"O-okay." I did, slower than before, careful enough to make her breathing hitch.
"…More," she said, her voice barely above the water's ripple.
"Yeah?"
"Talk… more." Her breath was unsteady now, her face flushed pink.
"Yuki… we can keep talking, or…" I turned her face toward mine, our noses nearly brushing.
"Or?" she whispered, her eyes half-lidded, searching mine.
The heat of the bath was nothing compared to the heat radiating off her. I could feel every tremor running through her body, every beat of her heart where she pressed into me.
I wanted it. Badly. But—
"We should get out. I think the heat's getting to us."
She blinked, her breath faltering before she spoke. "…Yes. I suppose I am feeling light-headed."
"You go first," I said. "I'll linger."
"I can stay—"
"Yuki. I'm begging here."
"…I see. I'll go." She rose slowly, water cascading off her. I didn't look. Couldn't.
"You're really an idiot, bro," I muttered once she was gone.
I stayed five minutes before drying off with the towel she'd left. I was halfway to my room when she reappeared in her usual white dress.
"Do you have to go?" she asked.
"I probably should."
"I see." She looked down. "It was nice talking with you."
"I feel the same." I pulled her into a hug, her body fitting against mine like she'd been waiting for it.
I turned to leave, but when I glanced back, she was right there behind me — close enough that I felt her breath. Her eyes were wide, almost pleading.
I couldn't take it. I pulled her in, kissed her hard, tasting the heat still clinging to her lips. She kissed back without hesitation, her hands curling into my shirt.
When we finally broke for air, she whispered, "Stay."
I didn't answer — just let her lead me back inside.
So much for rest and recovery.