Dark Earth (Male Reader)

13: Rest

Afterwards, everything is a blur. You can't recall everything that happened after you rescued Dim. You remember the two of you walking farther along on your path. The Dirt Lurkers had taken her in the direct you'd been going, so you didn't need to waste time backtracking. You walked for a ways till it got dark. You remember settling down in a large empty hole in the side of hill which was probably home to monster at one point but is now open.

Slowly, you open your eyes. Your body aches slightly. The massive amount of fire you used seems to have taken a toll on your body, actually putting you to sleep. It's strange but you're sure you'll recover. Above you rests the cold stone ceiling. Instead of a hard rock, there's something soft on the back your head. You look back at it. It's your clothes.

Your body is warm, but it's not the fire. Your vision clears and you see why you're laying on the ground. Dim is laying on top of you, her hand resting on your chest. You stare at her as she sleeps. Her brown cloak is draped over the two of you, shielding you from the incoming draft. Sitting in the corner of the cave is your back and something else you don't immediately recognize. It's a brown pile of clothe. Dim's clothes.

Your heart races as you realize your situation. Neither of you are wearing anything. You look down at her. Her bare chest is pressing against you. You don't remember how long you two had been like this. Then you remember the kiss. How you felt. It felt good.

Dim starts to stir. She raises her head slowly to look at you. Her pale blue eyes gaze into yours as she smiles softly.

"Hey," she mumbles.

"Hey..."

She puts her head back on your chest, sighing. Her body is warm. The heat moves between the two of you, warming you up beneath the brown blanket.

"Thank you again... for saving me..."

"I didn't save you," you say. "I'm the reason you got taken in the first place... you must have been so scared..."

Her fingers tighten slightly.

"I was... but... I knew you'd come for me... and you did..."

"But I wasn't fast enough... You were gone... I think. What do you remember?"

Dim rolls off to the side, laying beside you. She makes no move you cover herself, letting you look. You blush as she thinks.

"I remember... cold. I remember them hurting. Then they ran, and you showed up... then... everything went dark..."

She shivers, recalling her own death. She slides up close to you.

"Then... Everything came back, but it was different."

"Different how?" you ask.

"I'm not sure. I was aware of what was going on, but it felt weird. I was there, but not really. I could see, but it was wavy like I was underwater or something. When it cleared up... you were there. Now, I feel better than I did before."

She glances over at you. Her soft eyes make contact with yours. You stare back, not wanting to look away. The white hair falling over face looks beautiful in the early morning light. You can hear a rumbling sound from beneath the blanket. Dim smiles embarrassedly.

"Guess I'm kind of hungry after being dead."

She starts to rise up to go to the back, but you stop her. You feel good with her next to you.

"Let me... What do you want?"

"Um... The sand buns. They're those yellowish round things."

You nod and raise your hand, putting fire into it. The bag shakes and falls to the side as the strange bread like things fly through the air and into your hand. Dim smiles as you hand it to her.

"Impressive. I guess your powers have a lot of uses, not just for fighting."

"Heh... yeah..."

You remain silent, but there's still a question burning in your mind. It's embarrassing, but you want to know.

"Did... we do anything last night?"

Dim stops eating, blushing heavily. She pulls the blanket up over her bare chest slightly.

"Would you be upset if I said no?"

"Actually, I'd be more relieved. I don't remember everything."

"Don't worry. Nothing happened. I just... I guess it just happened."

You nod slowly. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but you can understand it happening. After the flurry of emotions you both experienced, it was bound to happen. An awkward silence sits between the two of you.

"... so, you got another one," Dim says.

"Huh? Another what?"

"Tattoo. On your wrist. I saw it last night."

You look down at your left hand. Sure enough, another black band circles your wrist, making for a total of four. They line up neatly along your arm. You stare at them, unable to look away. They mean something, and you want to know what it is. But they offer no answers in return. You sigh and lower your arm, driving the rings out of you thoughts.

"Where to next?" you ask as Dim starts to dress.

"We've got a ways left to go. We'll be passing by the Grey Lake, a large human settlement, and around the mountains before coming to the tower."

You nod, not really understanding but wanting to look like you did. You get dressed and pack everything up as the two of you get ready to start off. Just before you do though, Dim stands up on her toes and kisses your cheek, making you blush and stutter.

"W-What was that for?"

"We just spent the night naked together. Do I need a reason?"

"... I suppose not," you smirk.

Taking her hand, she leads you out of the cave and back into the stale air. The world around you is still dead and dark, but holding her hand makes it a little less scary.