Blame Alkyon for giving me the idea. (You can also find her stories in my faves *sigh* Ian, need I say more, didn't think so.) The Host belongs to Mrs. Meyer, I own nothing.
MAKING OF THE MEN!
"Heidi! Water." Jamie's voice sounded odd behind me, between the loud echoes vibrating all around me.
"Huh?" I turned as if in a daze to see him standing inches from me soaked in sweat, breathing hard.
"Water. Can I have some?" He held his bottle out towards me, looking confused at me then down at the bucket, I was nearly spilling over.
"Oh. Water. Right sorry Jamie." I shook my head to clear the fog taking his bottle.
The loud echoing tingeing of pickaxes started up again, my head and eyes drifted towards the sound again. "Thanks Heidi." He playfully slugged my arm.
I turned back watching him as he ran off toward the garden area, in an almost dreamy voice I answered. "Yeah. Sure. No problem."
The pickaxes loud ting drew my attention back down the tunnel once again. I stood frozen back in my daze, each swing of the pickaxes drowning me farthing into the fog.
"Oh good." Kyle breathlessly gasped looking my way, before putting down his pickaxe walking towards me. I couldn't move or think. Kyle, shirtless, sweaty, coming my way with a tired smile. He stopped at the corner where the empty bottles were piled. My throat went dry when he bent to get one off the ground.
"You're a life saver you know." Kyle wiped some sweat off his forehead with an old rag. "Um Heidi?" Kyle smiled holding out his bottle. I took it automatic. "You Okay?" He bent a little to look directly into my eyes.
"F..fine. Why?" I stuttered out, pulling my eyes away from his crunching stomach.
"You don't seem all here today." Kyle took his bottle, leaning back as he started taking deep swigs. In that moment, I wanted to be that water bottle or the water that trailed from the corner of his mouth down his jaw and throat heading to his che... "More." Kyle straightened up holding his bottle out again, and again my hand reached for it quickly, sliding over his strong fingers. "Thanks." He turned jogging back to grab his pickaxe.
"Any time." came out in a cracked squeak.
Jared, Ian and Andy noticed Kyle's return with his water bottle, all three put their pickaxes down walking towards me, bending to grab a bottle. My heart stopped only to pick up double time.
They stood around me shirtless, sweating and smiling. My brain and eyes couldn't focus, my heart threaten to rip out of my ribcage, so it could smack all over the three bodies in front of me, my throat completely dried up, but my body felt hot, cool and wet. Drenched.
"HEIDI! Are you Okay?" Ian's voice soft but frantic.
"Yeah... why?" I stuttered, trying to clear my head again, trying to focus on just him. Bad idea my eyes drifted to above his jeans that hung a little low showing off the triangle stomach muscle between his hip bones.
"Heidi maybe you should go lay down." I felt hot strong fingers on my chin lifting my face up.
"I.. um.. I'm fine." I blinked looking straight into Jared's face, watching his jaw flex. Strong manly face. I couldn't help my eyes sliding down to his chest, but his fingers kept my head from going down farther.
"Yeah you don't look so well." I heard Andy, my eyes drifted to him, then to his arms, he was whisking some sweat off of, my head feeling lighter with each whisk. "Want one of us to take you to Doc?"
"Maybe we do need to take her to Doc." Ian agreed, my eyes slid over to meet his eyes. Wow powerful eyes just as powerful as... my eyes shifted farther over to his brother Kyle's back muscles, gleaming with sweat, moving with the sound of his pickaxe. I felt the already light bucket of water fall from my hands but never heard it hit the ground over the pickaxe.
Suddenly I was nestled next to Jared's chest my face inches from his neck. My whole body came to life feeling his arms supporting my legs and back. I watched the lean muscles in his neck flex with each step. My voice was slow and dreamy, even to me. "Where are we going?" I found control over my arms wrapping one around his broad shoulders, and other across my stomach resting my hands on his bare chest. He stunk but a good manly stink, his muscles slick with sweat making my hands slid over them easily with each step he took.
"Maybe she got over heated." Ian questioned from behind us.
"All she was doing was holding the water, well dumping it." Jared stated, his lips parting in a small smile. "Might be getting sick. I got her, go back and get some more of that tunnel dug out Ian."
I watched Ian as he run back toward the tunnels, hollering back."Bring more water on your way back Jared." Jared grunted an OK, the vibration made his pecks move against my side.
I tried to clear my head. "I'm fine, put me down." Please don't.
"You look pale and flushed." Jared looked me over, while my heart crashed even harder. I wish I was prettier and had more to offer in the body area, why did I have to be born so mousey and bodiless. I now hate everyone that has ever said I look just like my dad.
He set me down on one of the cots. "I think she is getting sick Doc." Jared turned toward Doc's desk. My eyes followed his back down to his butt deciding to stay there while he walked out.
"So, Heidi, you're getting sick on us?" Doc's sudden loud voice rip me out of my foggy haze.
"No, I'm fine." I bit my bottom lip suddenly embarrassed at myself. He flashed a penlight into my eyes, nose, throat and ears, lightly holding my wrist with just his fingertips.
"Jared seemed to think you are." Doc stepped back cocking his head. "How are you feeling, you look fine other than being pale and flush." He smiled a half-smile before looking at me. "Your pulse is a bit high as well."
My face was burning even hotter. "I was just distracted." Doc seemed to think about that for a while then set next to me with that same smile.
"Anything you like to talk to me about?" The way he said it caught me off guard, I almost bolted from the room but he put his arm around my shoulder to keep me still. "It's OK Heidi. I wont tell anyone anything." He drew his finger criss-cross over his chest.
"I..I..I couldn't stop... I got distracted." I put my head down my ears even started to sting.
"I see." Is all Doc said. I felt him raise up off the cot. "They are very handsome men." Doc patted my back.
He knows! I put my face into my hands wanting to die. "How do... How am I going to... Oh I'm so embarrassed Doc!"
"They thought you were sick, they didn't notice." Doc tried to sooth me.
"I just kept looking at them like... like... like they were meat." I confessed throwing myself face first into the cot.
"It is natural for a young woman of your age to be... distracted, more so, if they watch the men work down here." I could hear the tease in Doc's voice at the end.
A burst of hysterical laughs rip out of my mouth. "Jamie is only fourteen!" I wailed.
"You're not that much older than Jamie. Anyway, This life grows us up fast, the hard labor makes it show sooner." Doc lifted me back up into a sitting position. "Please don't get embarrassed, but I want to tell you something privet and it may help you." I looked at Doc's stern calm face. He is a nice looking man too. OH GOD what the hell is wrong with me. "You're single, young and vibrant, it is only natural to feel lonely at times and there are things you can do to release some of your... frustration."
I think my brain froze in horror, I know my face showed it, I felt my mouth pop open and eyes go wide. "Doc!" I gasped.
"What? You have hormones it is only natural." He wasn't joking he was calm as ever. OH. MY. GOD. I. Want. To. Die. "This is confidential, if anyone asks I'll just say the heat got to you." Doc hugged my side, with a small laugh, at his own joke.
"Thanks." I muttered sliding off the cot.
"You'll feel better soon." Doc called after me.
"Yeah. Sure." I flopped my arm up then back down walking out of the entrance.
I walked slowly toward my room head down feeling stupid.
"Hey Heidi could you bring the water bucket." I heard Wes call from a distance. Some how I became Heidi water bucket girl to everyone. I was about to tell him I wasn't feeling good and was going to go to sleep but instead I looked up. Wes and Jamie was holding the latter for Paige, while she cleaned the mirrors, but my eyes lingered on Wes's rippling arms twitching holding the latter steady.
"Heidi?" Jamie hollered.
"Mm yeah." I shifted my eyes toward him his legs parted for better stance at keeping the latter steady his head turned looking back at me over his shoulder. "Water?" I asked in a lazy dreamy voice.
"Yeah I could use more thank you." Jamie smiled. A beautiful boyish smile his white teeth shining brighter do to his tan skin.
"Where is the bucket?" Wes asked drawing my attention back to him. My eyes raking over his whole body.
"I'll take some water too!" Paige yelled bringing me out of my fog. "Damn hot up here." She continued with a laugh.
"I..I..I'm sorry I'll get everyone some water." I tried to hurry the words out of my mouth before bolting out of the garden area.
I ran the whole way back, to where the guys were digging out the tunnel, for the water bucket.
I didn't hear the pickaxes or the grunts of the guys as they swung them. I found the water bucket by the bottles, but my focus went straight down the tunnel. My head started to swim, Andy lifting an arm full of rocks off the ground piling them into Kyle's already full arms, watching his body as he goes down then back up, his calf muscles flex with each crouch. Kyle blocked my view as he turned walking back towards me with the arm load of rocks. I barely got out-of-the-way as Ian and Jared came from behind me empty-handed but breathing hard making their chests rise and fall.
"Doc figure out what was wrong with you?" Ian lightly elbowed my arm with a wink and wide dazzling smile. I felt all the blood drain out of my face and my throat dry up. Horrified, I quickly grabbed the bucket turning right into Kyle's large bare chest, I felt his pecks, slick with sweat and rock dust, move on my chin with his breathing.
"Sorry!" I gasped out, running.
"No prob kid!" I heard him holler. Kid. Again I cursed my shapeless body. I'm only a few years younger than him.
I washed the gritty rock dust off my chin and lower lip before I filled the bucket with water. I walked slowly back to the garden area.
"About time." Wes and Paige said together coming toward me with their bottles. Jamie was leaning the ladder against the far wall before coming to get a fill up.
"I'm going to go find Andy." Paige smiled heading out.
"Okay." Jamie and Wes said together, I waved putting the bucket down.
I stood up then looked toward the guys they had taken their shirts off wiping the sweat off their body. "Pour some water on our shirts." Jamie twisted his shirt up holding it out by both ends towards me, Wes did the same.
"Sure." I did as he asked keeping focus on the bucket, water and shirts. "I need to go refill the bucket." I mumbled more to myself keeping my eyes down.
"Hey before you go could you rub down my back?" Jamie asked like he was asking if I would fill his bottle back up.
"Yeah mine too." Wes extended his dripping shirt towards me.
I took both their shirts. I looked up, the feeling like my brain detached from my body hit me hard. They both turned around at the same time, moving their shoulder blades, waiting for me to wipe the rock dust and sweat from their backs with the cool water. Everything went black.
"Owe." I moaned raising up putting my hand to the back of my head where I hurt the worst.
"Careful don't sit up too fast." Doc's voice told me from across the room.
"What happen?" I groaned looking around.
"Wes and Jamie said you just fell backwards and they brought you here when you didn't wake up." I moaned, wanting to die again, throwing the sheet that was covering my legs over my head. "Here take these, then I'll help you to your room." I peeked out of my sheet, Doc was holding two green liquid-gel-caps out with a glass of water.
I set up with the help of Doc taking the pills then got off the cot. "Thanks." I mumbled.
I kept my eyes down the whole walk not wanting to draw attention to myself, or my attention to any of the guys hard at work. "Here you go I'll have someone bring you something to eat." Doc patted my back before I entered my room.
"Thanks Doc." I mumbled to my feet.
I plopped down on my mat face first putting my pillow over my head. All thoughts drifted back to watching the guys swinging their pickaxes, lifting rocks, stretching, running, flexing, sweating, causing my head to spin slowly and my heart to beat hard and fast.
"Doc told me you might want someone to talk to." Lily's voice came from the entrance. Lily and Trudy both came in. Lily holding a tray of soup and bread. I set up quickly at the sound of Lily's voice, shook my head no at the tray, then stared at both of them. "So you want to talk?" Lily handed Trudy the tray as she set down next to me.
"You know you can trust us." Trudy handed me the tray, with a look as if to say 'Child take it don't even try', before sitting down on the other side of me.
My heart galloped even more in my chest wondering how much Doc already told them with a touch of anger that he would. "No. I'm fine. It's nothing." I felt my face heat up.
Lily and Trudy both looked at me then each other with a knowing smile. "Don't sound like nothing to me." Trudy swept a clump of hair behind my ear.
"How about we start with you telling us how long have you been feeling strange then?" Lily suggested.
I chewed on my bread so I didn't have to talk. Surely she has to have the same feeling for Wes as he has for her, I can't tell her I was gawking at Wes, too, she'll kill me. Maybe if I leave him out. I took a swig of the soup broth to wash down the bread.
I can not believe I'm going to say this out loud. "For awhile." I confessed then blow out a deep breath before continuing. "After Jeb found me it was Jeb, Doc and me for a while till he found the rest of you, well his family found him." I started tearing my roll up flipping it into the soup. "I mean I didn't use to watch them like that, I swear I didn't. I remember the first day was when Jeb asked Jared, Ian, Kyle, Andy, Jamie and Wes", I drew my hand across my face so Wes came out in a muffled mumble, "to help him chop up the soil in the gardens. I was walking by and he handed me the bucket of water telling me to be ready when someone needed the water or if I seen one of them slowing down turning too red. Very important job Heidi he said." I shook my head from side to side, mixing the soggy bread around in my bowl.
"Mm. Go on sounds like you got more to say." Trudy softly encouraged.
I looked up than back to my bowl. "I started out just watching, but then I was doing more than just watching. They each had a shovel really chopping into the soil, with grunts and their muscles working to the fullest, soon they called for water, when water wasn't enough shirts started coming off, I watched their legs and butts as they stomped down on the shovels, then their back, stomach, side, chest and arm muscles as they turned and chopped the clumps. By the end of the week each guys body seemed to have gained a few inches of hard muscles. I know what your thinking, Jamie and muscles?, but it's true he is more lean, but I noticed while he works his muscles become more defined." I stuffed a spoon full of mushy bread soup mix into my mouth forcing it down more out of embarrassment then really wanting to eat it.
"So you have been to Doc's today twice because you have been watching the guys work?" Trudy smiled taking my empty tray setting it next to the door. I shook my head up and down my face completely on fire now but I couldn't look up.
"You're not alone in the struggle to stay sane around the guys." Lily patted my leg with a small giggle.
"Feels like it." I muttered folding my arms on my knees, slamming my head on to my arms.
"We work along side with the guys too you know. I might be old but I'm not dead." Lily smiled when I peeked out of my arms at her. "I just try to focus even harder on what I am doing. Come on, I can knead dough, talk, and be looking around the room but you put one of guys next to me and suddenly the dough is all I know."
Trudy laughed elbowing me. "I'm sure the other girls feels the same."
Lily smiled lifting my chin up.
"Sharon has Doc and Paige has Andy, like I'm going to ask them." I crossed my arms shaking my head back and forth.
"True." Lily agreed. "That doesn't mean the other guys don't affect them the same." She continued.
"I'm still not asking." I hissed standing up looking at the small holes in the rock wall.
"I remember the first day I came here, after Jeb took me on the tour, I really had to go, I was nearly running I had to go so bad and I didn't know the guys had come back from their raid, well I found out. I know first hand them muscles of Kyle's go all the way down." I turned around to see Lily grabbing her butt nodding with one eyebrow raised.
"What!" My mouth hung open. "I would just die." I gasped.
"I nearly peed my pants between surprise and embarrassment." She shrugged, throwing her hands in the air. "I couldn't look at him for a week."
"That is nothing. Okay well it is something, wow, more than something, Mm mm to be a fly on th.. Mm, but anyway." Trudy let out a few laughs trying to get her thoughts together. "You know that raid when they got the battery-powered radio. Well before the batteries ran out. I heard the music playing in the game room so I wondered in there and let me tell you Ian and Kyle both have some nice sexy little dance moves. Not that they were dancing together, like Paige and Andy or Sharon and Doc. I would need more than a trip to Doc's office... anyway. I stood there for who knows how long before Ian turned and seen me they both stopped. I don't even know if anyone else was in the room and seen me gawking, so I tried to act like I was only walking by, I tell you I never exited the game room so fast in my life." Trudy laughed and we join her.
It felt great laughing and took awhile before we could settle back down. "Just wait till you fantasize about them, then you'll never be able to look at the target of your fantasy the same ever again." Lily bit her bottom lip as if she let something slip.
"Who!" I almost squealed in a demand.
She waved her hand shaking her head back and forth. "You know I bet even Jeb cleans up nice, if he'd shave off that blasted bristle-bush he claims is a beard." Lily mock whispered clearly trying to change the subject.
"Ewe! He's old." I blanched.
"Well I'm no spring chicken so I can appreciate an older man's body and nothing sags on him either." Lily put her hands on her hips. Trudy elbowed her, we started laughing all over again.
"What's going on in here?" Maggie popped her head in with a smile.
"The usual." Trudy stated raising an eyebrow.
"Welcome our newest member." Lily hugged my side and the feeling of needing a crack to fall into and die came back full force.
Sharon followed by Paige came in with big stupid grins. "So you are finally going to admit the guys are looking hot these days." Paige set down next to me half knocking me over. I rolled my eyes, she is always asking if I like any certain guy and I just lie and say I haven't really noticed them that much. More like they haven't noticed me if I didn't carry the water around they wouldn't even know my name. Paige thumped the side of my head with the pads of her fingers, bringing me out of my pity-party. "Hey I love Andy with all my heart nothing will ever change that, but my eyes wander around. I'm not blind to the amount of rocks forming." Paige burst out laughing.
"A man sister." Sharon wobbled her head, smiled throwing a hand in the air and fanning herself with the other.
"So spill." Paige demanded right as others walked in but I was too shocked to look up.
"Spill what? It's not like it was a certain one it was all of them." I throw my hands over my ears and head on my knees.
"Exactly so spill." Sharon giggled.
I looked up and around. I realized the room was filled with all the human females we know to exist in the world. My whole body shook with nerves, my face burning but my fingers felt ice-cold. "I..I Well..I..um..Today when.." I stopped talking when we heard foot steps outside the door.
"Oh good a hen party." Jeb stepped in. "Sorry Paige and Sharon but I'll be using the boys throughout the night we got that tunnel nearly finished and I would like it done before daybreak. They wanted me to tell you that. Like I got nuttin' better ta do then be a messenger. Pffth. Ladies" Jeb nodded then backed out of the room.
"All clear." Maggie said coming back in. "Where was we?" Maggie laughed sitting next to Sharon looking at me.
"Miss Heidi was about to tell us what she got to see today." Sharon put her elbow on her knee tapping her fingers on the side of her face batting her lashes at me.
"You heard Jeb, that is what I seen, and Paige you were with Jamie and Wes when I came in." I looked around then motioned to Paige.
"Was their shirts on or off?" She questioned. Like she didn't know.
"Started on. Kyle was the first to take his off, I almost caught his elbow with my face. Don't think I would have felt it till later. Jared took his off walking towards me an all I could think was..." I bit down on my lip to stop myself. Like they was going to let me stop.
"And what, come on, all you could think was what?" Paige nearly strangled me.
"I need a dollar...to tuck." I confessed, that was followed by some hoots and Mmm, and that boy does have a good swagger. "I know!" I wailed covering my face.
"His arms raised reveling his ripped stomach, that swagger in his step. Jeez you're lucky your heart did not explode, I think mine would have." Sharon was back to fanning her face again so was some of the others.
I took a deep breath before going on."Ian and Andy took their shirts off at the same time but luckily while they were still in the tunnel or my heart would have given out. Just watching it from a distance and just their backs, my legs buckled under me. That is when Jamie came in. He is such a cute boy, tan lean the face of an angel really, I know I know he's younger than me but I go stupid every time he talks to me, then he ran off and wow that boy has a nice butt." I peeked around it looked like everyone was thinking over something. "Guess you guys really never looked at Jamie that way huh?" I bit my lip even more embarrassed for noticed Jamie that way.
"You know, with the other guys guess I did over look him, now that you brought it up... Hum Jamie... Yeah he's a hottie in the making." Paige was looking up thinking nodding her head so was Sharon. Suddenly Paige looked down at me with a wide grin. "SEE YOU DID NOTICE SOMEONE YOU LIAR!" She whacked me in the face with my pillow.
Soon we all were telling encounters of watching the guys work, how much we have noticed they changed. We all agreed Kyle and Jared were already built, but living here has really chiseled them up.
What started out the worst best day ever, turned into the truly bestest day ever. A true sisterhood formed. Sure Okay maybe it should be named, The Last Sisterhood of the Naughty Human Females, after all we still do get together every chance we have, we don't swap recipes or coupons, but with all the fine meat roaming around, we always have a lot to talk about. I'm sure the guys get together and talk just as vulgar about the girls. Not me because I'm invisible, but I'm sure Paige and Sharon are the topic of some of their powwows. Not that they ever talk much about that kind of stuff when I am around.