Rigs half expected Vali to bow out of the request, seeing as he seemed to lack courage lately. But his kiss is forceful, strong, as if it is a release of some sort. Vali is almost moaning throughout, not getting enough of her, now clutching the sides of her face gently with both of his hands. He is conscious not to have the tight kiss he had before; instead, he gently places his lips between hers, pressing in rhythm every few seconds, taking her in.

She rises slightly from her position on the bed, wanting to allow him greater purchase. Even at this hour, she is awake enough to be aware of his passion, and yet has no more reservations about his feelings towards her. Rigs finally returns his kiss with equal fervor, holding up her hand to his face and trailing her fingertips down his neck. She notices that his sleeping robe is almost open wide in the front, allowing her to see the skin that is always so carefully covered at other times.

Vali is entranced by their encounter, forgetting his father's warnings about the distraction Rigs could bring. But in this moment, nothing else exists, just the quiet and the darkness of the room. He is overtaken by the sensation of her breath, the sweet smell of her hair, which falls in tiny individual braids much longer than he's ever seen her wear. Vali wants to be sweet, not driven by lust, but cannot guarantee which will take over.

He moves to the edge of the bed, and he leans over her to continue. Vali is careful not to overstep her boundaries, should she have reservations. After all, anyone would be vulnerable in the middle of the night. If he leaves now, she might consider it a dream. She gives him no cues to affirm or deny him other than returning his kiss.

Vali can hardly stand it. Leaning over her is not enough. He wraps his strong arms around her figure, which is soft and full, pulling her back off the bed so that he can embrace her properly. She is sitting up next to him now, completely enveloped in Vali's arms. The boy she met years ago is now a man, able to lift her with ease and yet touch so tenderly that it makes her crave more. Rigs is no stranger to passion, but has never felt it like this, so foreign and so familiar all at once. Vali pulls away to look her in the eye.

"Rigs, do you want me?"

She runs her hands up through his hair, drawing an inch or two away for a few moments to look at him. She is shaking with anticipation. His question makes her quiver even more. In the time since the kiss began, their eyes have adjusted slightly, allowing one another to focus on specific structures. Vali's face is smooth, punctuated with well-placed dimples and the dark brows that shadow the rest of his features. Rigs is so dark that her eyes highlight her whole face; her mouth is only just visible because of the dew that is now present because of their joined lips. They are like swollen pillows, waiting to be touched once more. While Vali waits for her to move in again, he grazes her lips with the tips of his fingers, verifying that the actions are real.

Rigs takes his hand in hers, and nods. "Yes, Lokison, I want you. I want you now." She leans in to kiss him again, starting with short bursts of pecks on his lips, slightly parting her mouth to signal that she wants to take in more of him. He obliges, and gives her a taste. While doing so, Rigs places his hand on her side, allowing him to grasp at her nightgown. They groan together in pleasure. He does not yet feel satisfied, but is so relieved at the gesture she returns that Vali places his forehead against hers for a moment, stopping the kiss.

"Oh, Ragfrieda..." he sighs, quietly whispering her name; Vali says it in complete form on purpose.

"Yes, Vali?" The girl says his in return, sending a shock up his spine to hear it with an unfamiliar inflection. As if from fantasy, Rigs utters it with a long exhale.

"I want you. I can't stop... I..." A confession would be too soon. To say precisely how he feels would be unwise. So Vali looks her in the eye, putting one of his hands down to hers, picking it up to investigate. He pulls open the fingers, touching the inside of Rigs' palm with a tickling lightness. Vali then embraces her whole hand, intertwining their fingers, and he kisses her hard again while squeezing three times. She does not know his code, but it makes Vali feel less like he is not being fully honest.

While Rigs has one hand tightly clasped in his, the other is still alternating somewhere between touching his hair and pushing against his neck. It is muscular and thick, flexing in each movement. She stops kissing his lips and moves to the crux of where his neck meets his shoulder; the girl moves his sleeping robe to the side just enough to get a better look.

At first, she just tickles with her fingertips, listening to him breathe. His inhales are deep, but fast. She can see his pulse from merely watching the neck; Vali's anxiety is obvious. She puts her index finger across his lips.

"Shh, my sweet Vali," she says, watching his face. "I want to feel you." Rigs takes their joined hands and draws them to the front of her. She unlocks their fingers and lifts the bottom of her nightgown, only breaking eye contact to see where she places his hand. Rigs puts it palm-down on her thigh, keeping her own hand on top of his, and leans in to kiss his form again. The dark blue eyes that she is used to are shining back a lovely jewel tone. Rigs leans in and lays her lips on his shoulder once, twice, sprawling up his neck to the base of his ear. Every inch that she moves with her lips, she pulls his hand closer to her. Her breath is becoming ever faster with anticipation. Vali is also breathing more heavily with every touch. She manipulates his face to the other side, reversing the movements from his other ear back to the base of his neck. She grips his deltoid, taking in the sensation of the soft and hairless skin on his chest. His muscular form is impressive. "I want you here," she says in finality. In her passion, Rigs lightly bites his shoulder, moving her undergarments aside to fully allow him to delve in beneath her nightgown.

For reasons Vali does not understand, he feels almost like howling out in pleasure.

Rigs laughs and moans in pleasure, quivering while she continues to give him love bites around his collarbone. Vali is still anxious, but feeling more confident with each passing moment. He wants to take in more of her, but wants to feel her take control of him at the same time.

Rigs finally pulls away, just long enough to turn around in bed, and directs his hands to the buttons at the back of her nightgown. Her scent is all he can focus on. Vali echoes her movements to him, leaning in and kissing the skin between each open clasp, admiring the dark and silky shade of her form. The gown slips down her shoulders, stopping only at her voluptuous breasts, but Vali is still focusing on her face only. Rigs turns again to face him, standing him up beside her while she rises.

"Are you ready?" she asks, trying to gauge why he still looks so apprehensive. He only slowly nods back at her. She removes her undergarments, otherwise still covered with her nightgown. His eyes don't leave her face. Rigs runs her fingers along the seams of his robe, slipping it past his shoulders and down to the floor. He stands exposed before her, and she leans in to kiss him deeply again. Rigs cannot help but notice the now healed gash in his side, and carefully avoids it, running her hand around his chest to pull him in. She can otherwise feel him leaning up against her, impressively.

"Well, it seems you can surprise me, Lokison," she says coyly. He laughs under his breath in response, not concerned about her thoughts on this. But her attitude changes, and she pushes him to sit on the bed. Even though Vali is much taller than she is, while straddling him she appears to loom above his eyes. She is still mostly covered in her nightgown, and intends to stay that way; though she wants to feel more of him, the night is still too cool for her to rely on his nonexistent body heat to keep her warm.

"I am full of surprises, Rigs," Vali says, inching himself closer to the undulating body above him, clutching her waist with his large hands.

"Not if I surprise you first," she replies, pressing her body down onto his, granting him glorious entrance. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep groan. Her eyes are open, enjoying the control.

"Let's go," she says, encouraging Vali to release his lingering anxiety. He does as he is told, pumping into her with greater force than she thought was possible in this position. Her head is thrown back, almost squeaking out with every thrust.

"Do you want more?" He asks, almost in a sinister manner. Their youth makes the encounter more fun than emotional.

"Yes, more," Rigs replies, smiling. "Though, can you do me a kindness?"

He leans in, clutching her ever closer to his chest. "Anything."

"Vali, can you silence me?"

Vali stops at this, tilting his head to the side at her request. He shakes his head in denial, not understanding her request. Rigs leans her head by his, and forcefully pulls his hair.

"I want you to make me scream."

Vali tips his head back in response, raising both of his eyebrows. Her face shows no jest. He nods slowly, and raises his hand to her.

"Are you sure?" Vali asks, aware that there will be no stopping him after this action. Rigs only confirms her wishes.

"Make love to me, Lokison. Fuck me like you've always wanted to."

He indulges her wish without argument.

...

It is still dark when Vali and Rigs find themselves wrapped in each other's arms, exhausted from their release of tension towards one another. Rigs lies on top of his bare chest, sweating, not wanting him to leave her bed. For the first time in several weeks, the girl feels satisfied.

Nevertheless, she is uncomfortable. Vali notices that Rigs keeps manipulating her feet to remove more and more sheets from the bed.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just so hot now. I can't sleep."

"I can fix that," Vali says, and kisses her forehead lightly. As he does so, Vali concentrates on the cold spell he learned with Narvi when they were children. Rigs lets out a sigh of relief as Vali's whole body becomes cold like a refreshing glass of water, then returns to normal. It is just enough for them both.

"Ah, thank you, that is so much better." Rigs is too tired to have noticed Vali's whole countenance change from pale beige to light blue beneath her, but it matters not.

Vali has wits enough about him to return to his own guest room before the sun rises. He leaves Rigs' favorite flower resting on her bed table before leaving, hopeful that in the morning it won't all prove to be nothing more than a dream.