It was summer. One of the more sweltering that I remember. We were at least a month into being truly lovers, not just friends, and he’d dragged me out into the hills in search of a stream. We each had a bottle of wine (or two?) and he was carrying bread, cheese, and cherries; I had my violin.
It took almost an hour to find it. Mon dieu, but it was so hot. The sort of hot that is like a curtain before you, like a wet blanket that covers your body. By the time we found the stream, we’d both stripped off our shirts, and I remember worrying my feet would have swollen in my boots.
We stripped off our clothing and immediately took to the water. Now, remember, these are cool mountain streams, even in summer. It was glorious. Bathing, drinking, splashing each other, wrestling. Then making love on the grass, our breath coming hard, our cries building until the little death, and then collapsing beside each other in happy, satisfied exhaustion.
We drank wine for hours and ate, the cherry juice staining our fingers and mouths, our lazy kisses a mixture of sweat and fruit. I remember almost weeping at the perfection of it, turning into his neck and burying my face there because I knew it wouldn’t last, that the sunlight and sweetness and poetry of it would end, as it always did.
Before we left, I remember he grabbed me ‘round the waist and kissed me, then pulled back and looked me in the eye. If you don’t know him, you can’t know how penetrating, how soul-piercing that gaze can be–he loves with perfect trust, and it’s absolutely terrifying.
We’ve had a few people notify us that their gifts will be sent late. If you’re running behind, please let us know. It just better helps us work out if we should have someone else fill in for you. This time of year is stressful and busy for everyone, so we definitely understand. And it’s no big deal if you’re a few days late, though if you can have your gifts to us sometime today, that would be super.
This exchange has been stellar. The mods have brainstormed a few ways to make future exchanges even better. These events are a constant learning experience for us, especially as participation grows. As we did last year, I’m thinking we will do a Secret Valentine in February, as our mini-exchange following this one.
I would like to give a big shout out to @i-want-my-iwtv, who has been such a phenomenal moderator for this event. I (merciful-death) have had a lot more on my plate this year than I did last year, so her help has been so much appreciated. There’s a lot that goes on to make these exchanges a success, and I could not have done it without her.
I hope that everyone who celebrates it has a Merry Christmas, that y’all who celebrates other holidays have had a great holiday season, and that the New Year will be awesome for everyone. The VC fandom is full of many wonderfully gifted and kind people.
Thanks, merciful-death
^All this, seconded, underlined, bolded. We are fortunate to have such a pool of talent in our fandom. I am impressed with ALL of the gifts.
;A; Thank u for the kind words, @merciful-death, I was honored to be part of it *hugs tightly* of course you know this means you’re stuck with me for the next one, if you’ll have me.
She seemed dimly fascinated by all of this, but it didn’t really matter to her. What mattered to her was what lay before her now. And when her death was finished, she was unstoppable. There was no wall that she could not climb, no door she wouldn’t enter, no rooftop terrain too steep. It was as if she did not believe that she would live forever; rather she thought she had been granted this one night of supernatural vitality and all things must be known and accomplished before death would come for her at dawn.
I-want-my-IWTV 