Greenhouse Garden

High up in the mountains, despite the sunlight, the day was rather chill, wisps of clouds drawn like silk curtains over the pale sky. Tucked into the back lot of a cabin clearing, not five feet of distance between its southeastern walls and a deep pine forest, was a corner of subtle tropics, wrought iron mesh disguising most of its lurid colors in shadow. As the wind whispered through the blooms concealed within, stirring up pleasant aromas to meld with the fresh mountain air, the western door stood ajar, swaying invitingly with the promise of company and beautiful things.

Despite the holes in its walls, the structure’s interior was of a moderate climate, with the faintest hint of rain as a subtle mist still dripped from the sprinklers overhead. Verdant leaves, waxed and unwaxed alike, gleamed with the moisture, and little droplets still glistened like crystals upon the petals and support pillars. The pathways, too, were marked with moisture and displaced pebbles, as of a pondering journey through the gardens. They led, through patterns and past foreign plants, at last, to a sanctuary in the back of unplotted ground. There, her knees soiled with the rich, black earth and her hands much the same, knelt a vision in pastel yellow—a young woman, her sable tresses gathered by two corn silk ribbons and spilling in waves across her shoulders.

Mael walked slowly through the door of the garden, inhaling deeply to fill his lungs with much needed fresh air. Being trapped in the hull of a ship for a couple weeks left much to be desired in the way of elbow room. His eyes met the beautiful garden, and a brilliant smile spread across his face as he took it all in. It was a wonderful sight, and one that would not go unnoticed for long.

He took in the sights of the greenhouse, moving around silently as a ghost so as not to disturb anything. Surely as he slowly moved, Mael leaned down and grabbed her hips lightly as she was knelt over, kneeling down behind her and running his hands up her body with an exhale.

"I'm back." he said quietly with a smile, knowing she was expecting him to be gone for a couple weeks more.

Cupping her hands around the tender roots of a buttery yellow flower, the young woman had just placed it into the waiting nook in the ground as she felt the touch of familiar hands upon her hips. She inhaled sharply to reduce the squeak which peeped out at the sudden warmth. With great care, she bit down on her lip as the hands roamed up her body, covering up the flower’s unguarded roots before reaching for a nearby towel to clean her hands. As she wiped the dirt from her hands, she turned her head across her shoulder with a bright smile, her amber gaze meeting happily with a set of azure eyes.

“Welcome back, Mael!” she exclaimed warmly.

With the pressure still on her lip enough to drive the color from it, she turned what portion of her torso she could into his embrace, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Every movement seemed determined not to be rushed, as if she were in the midst of a dream that would break if she did so. Momentarily ashamed of acting as if he had died when in fact he had only been gone some number of weeks, the brunette dropped the towel at last and maneuvered her slight body into a twist so that she could fully face the older male and throw her arms around his shoulders.

“I missed you…”

Mael smiled and nuzzled her cheek gently as she leaned her head back onto his shoulder, letting his hands roam over her a little sexually, but with care and gentle motions as well. He knew how to be naught else with the girl he called his personal angel.

He patiently waited for her to turn after wiping her hands and planted a simple, soft kiss on her lips as she threw her arms around his shoulders.
"I missed you, as well, little Ambi." he said with another of his smiles.

Her reaction almost gave her away, but he ignored the analysis, simply happy to see her, and indeed, hold her, once more.

She shivered a little as he let his hands roam, her cheeks flushing a deeper pink. His kiss, she responded to with a measured reaction, chaste, but no longer as shy as she once was. No, she couldn’t be anymore; not with him. Even if she were capable of doing so anymore, he would turn it back on her all over again.

Drawing herself up against him, she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she sighed herself back into the comfort of his arms. Every breath brought in a tale of the places he had been and the places he could never leave behind for too long. It was nice to know that here—this country, this mountain, this cabin—was one of those places. For a while, she simply let herself rest as well, nuzzled into his chest before pulling away reluctantly so that she could smile up at him.

“Would you like something to eat, or to drink? You must be exhausted.”

Mael let his hands continue to roam, moving downward now. He enjoyed the feeling of her once more, having her here; it was almost as a dream. He enjoyed her too brief, sweet kiss in return, and held her against him as his hands roamed still.

His eyes met hers as he touched a particular place, longing to see the look in her eyes as he did so, yet smiling and responding as if he were completely innocent.

"I want a great many things after being on a ship for a few weeks." he answered with a smile, and short laugh.

“Ah!”

As if she’d been electrically shocked, Amber jolted at Mael’s touch, the feeling still enough to startle her. Her hands tightened on his shoulders and she gave a little squirm, the rosy tint to her cheeks deepening to a cherry tone. His comment remembered her shyness, drying her mouth out as she returned to chewing on her lip.

“M-Mael…,” she whispered, her voice half pleading in an attempt at scolding him.

It was a failed attempt, at any rate, when he did not immediately remove his hand, and she made a quiet noise. Lightly squeezing his shoulders and letting them go, she bit her lip harder and gazed at him imploringly.

"Mm?" he questioned with a slight sound, rubbing her gently and kissing her lips once more as she squeezed his shoulders.

He remembered the feel of her with every motion, more flashes of memories returned to him. His smile was reminiscent of that night, as he looked down into her eyes that now reflected a sense of pleasure that had not been there before.

Mael wondered if this would be his homecoming every time, if he would make love to her simply and spend time with her for a short period afterwards before having to leave time and again. He had hoped to be with her for longer periods of time, but perhaps he would lose out on that chance just to be with her periodically.

Even if only to prevent herself from making any more noise as he changed his motions, she returned his kiss with a slight bit more interest than that with which he’d delivered it. It was all too easy to lose herself in him, she was finding, gently pulling away and muffling her next noise against his shoulder. Eyes closed, the subtle drip of the sprinklers into the puddles on the floor became the whisper of the tide against the sand; her dress became white. Forcing herself to lift her head again, she bit her lip and put her lips just so next to his ear, brushing against his earlobe as she spoke.

“A-are you sure? Here? So soon?” she managed to ask, her voice no louder than a breath of wind.

Knowing he would be able to hear her thoughts, she did the best she could, even in her muddled state of mind, to collect them in a way that wouldn’t seem so selfish as their current organization. Whatever would make Mael happy would always make her happy, and if he wanted to do this she wouldn’t mind in the least—but…she was afraid that if they did, he’d be gone just as suddenly again, which she didn’t want.

Mael rubbed her a little more vigorously, allowing himself to kiss her back deeply, returning the kiss with more passion than she'd probably intended. He pulled her body against his, letting his lips trail to the underside of her jaw, nibbling lightly while she whispered into his ear.

"Oh dear, I've always got a limited amount of time. If you don't want to because of that, I do understand." he murmured, rubbing her a little more as the sprinklers soaked through his shirt.

He knew she hated his departures, but they were necessary to his new position. It was absolutely necessary to the defense of his realm.

Her soft sigh built up into a trembling whine as he picked up his motions, tilting her head back and bearing her throat a little as he nibbled on the underside of her jaw. She should have known, just from the way he’d kissed her back, that she couldn’t have stopped him; moreover, that she didn’t want to stop him, particularly. It was just that she didn’t want him to disappear in the blink of an eye. Necessary though it was, and she would never take him away from what he was needed to do, she just…missed him. Perhaps it was that she looked into this too much, and ought to take what closeness was offered her in his way, before he was gone either way.

“I think,” she managed to laugh breathlessly, “that I’m fighting a losing battle.”

Biting her lip and arching into his touch with a whimper, her own clothing began to take more to her form as the sprinklers began their bi-hourly watering cycle. The spray was like a gentle rain, encompassing the whole garden. She had hoped, by this time, to be done with her planting so as not to be caught in the mud, but Mael’s return was something she wouldn’t have disputed for the world.

“But, perhaps, this time, we could try for somewhere indoors…?”

Mael picked her up by her spot, intentionally sending that wave of pleasure through her before cradling her in his arms.
"Don't want to get dirty?" he joked with a smile and a light chuckle as he walked her towards her house.
His lips found her neck and slowly, they pleased her, lingering underneath her jaw and at the side of her neck. He was quite enjoying this homecoming, even though it had not gone far just yet.

As Mael picked her up in such a daring way, she freed one hand from the back of his neck for the sole purpose of muffling the provocative sound elicited by his touch. Sure that by now, her face was wine red, she turned into his chest and buried it there. It was nice to hear him laugh, she decided, and even nicer to see him smile as his kisses lifted her head from his chest.

“I don’t mind getting dirty,” she murmured, shivering in his arms, “I just thought that perhaps something with cushions would have been more comfortable than a pebble pathway…”