AN: A follow-up of the shitty chapter five, "Kissing". I had fun writing this one, so I hope you like it.
"Lass!" Tormund raves, making little effort to suppress his elation to see Brienne bathing in the hot springs, submerged up to her collarbone in the water. "Glad to see you here!"
"What are you doing here?" she gasps, her eyes wide open with shock.
He laughs at her reaction before he replies honestly, "Well, it looks like I had the same idea as you. After the battle against those Bolton cunts, I thought a relaxing bath would be welcome. You deserve it too, mind you."
"You can't- you're not supposed to be here!"
"And why not?" he inquires with a grin.
She remains silent for a brief moment, blinking furiously, her face reddening, then she finally utters, "I-I don't think it's... appropriate... for us to…"
Brienne looks really unsettled, Tormund realizes, and it makes his grin die a little, slightly disappointed. They shared a kiss only a couple of hours ago, but she is understandably still shy around him, and he does not wish to scare her. After all, just because they kissed does not mean they are an item. Yet. So he finds himself surprisingly willing to slow things down for this glorious woman. She is surely worth it.
"I can come back another time, if you like," he offers with both of his hands raised, and turns around to leave.
"No!" he hears Brienne shout behind him, causing the redhead man to look back at her, slightly stunned, but delighted at the same time. "I mean, y-you don't have to go right now. You can join… me."
Tormund arches an eyebrow, and his smile slowly spreads across his face once again. "You sure, lass?"
"There's plenty of space for the both of us, I guess," she gestures with her hands. "Do stay. Please."
"I don't bite, you know. Unless, of course, you want me to," he finishes with a wink.
The Lady of Tarth frowns and blushes further at his words, but she finally agrees. "Alright."
"Thank you," Tormund smiles and starts to undress himself, removing the several layers of animal fur that cover his body, fully aware of Brienne's eyes on him. Once his chest is bare, he purposefully pauses to let her admire it. After removing his boots, he very slowly pulls his breeches off, while flashing her his best lewd smirk, until she cannot hold her gaze anymore.
"Never seen a naked man before, lass?" he teases her, his arms outstretched.
"Of course I have!" she frowns again, still not looking at him.
"None like me, though, right? I'm all red, you see."
"Yes, you are," she grumpily agrees, obviously trying her best to keep her eyes fixed on his face.
With a giggle, Tormund enters the hot water, sits down at a corner opposite to Brienne, making sure to keep a respectable distance from her, and leans his back against the rock wall, his arms resting at the edge. He then lets out an "ahhhh", throwing his head back and closing his eyes. His moment of relaxation, however, is interrupted by Brienne's voice.
"Your arm," she mumbles suddenly, causing him to open his eyes and lower his head to look at her curious stare. "Sorry to disturb you, but it's just that… it looks pretty bad."
"Oh that?" he says, looking at the scar on his right arm. "Don't you worry about it, lass. It's just a scratch. Made by a spear."
"I see your nose is injured, too," she observes, her tone sad. "What happened?"
The Free Folk leader sighs, a shudder running through his body despite the hot water around him. "That Jon Umber fucker, he kept hitting me with his head. I thought I was gonna die there and then. But in the end, he got what he deserved."
"What did you do?"
"I bit a piece of his throat off with my teeth," he snorts, not feeling sorry at all.
"Seven hells!" Brienne exclaims, and, to Tormund's surprise, she leaves her spot and timidly approaches him. Raising a hand, she asks him with her eyes to touch his arm and he nods in permission. She then lightly brushes her fingers along his scar, her touch raising goosebumps, causing his heart to skip a beat. "I'm sure it'll heal. I hope it does very soon."
"Me too," he smiles. Then he observes the scars on her neck and, pointing with his index finger, he asks, "What's the story behind them?"
She swiftly removes her hand from his arm to cover ker skin, visibly embarrassed. "I… I fought a bear."
"You what?" he yelps in awe, his eyes widening. "How? How did you end up fighting a bear?"
"Well, to cut a long story short, I was assigned by Lady Catelyn Stark to escort Jaime Lannister to King's Landing in exchange of her daughters."
Tormund makes a confused face. "Who?"
"Jaime Lannister," Brienne explains. "The Kingslayer."
He ponders for a few seconds. The surname sounds familiar to him. "Is it the one who killed his father or the one who fucks his sister?"
Brienne cleans her throat before she confirms, "He's the one who… beds… his sister."
"Hm. Right," he nods.
She resumes her account, "So I was escorting Jaime when we were captured by the Bolton men and taken to Harrenhal. He eventually was freed, but I was kept captive. They made me wear a pink dress and threw me into a pit where I was to fight a bear with a wooden sword before lots of men laughing at me and even cheering that beast."
Her words make Tormund's blood boil. He grunts, "Laughing at you? Why the fuck would they ever do that?"
"For their entertainment," Brienne shrugs. "Women don't fight, so they probably just thought it was funny to see one. Thankfully Jaime came back and rescued me before the bear could kill me."
He shakes his head in disbelief. "You're making me hate the Southern men more and more, lass. Such a fierce woman like you would never be made fun of among the Free Folk."
"It's alright, Tormund. I'm used to it," she smiles sadly. "I learned to ignore it."
It is his turn to want to touch her slashes now, so he tentatively reaches out with his hand. Once he gets Brienne's permission, he fingers them softly, earning a sigh from the woman.
"Anyway, you should be proud of your scars," he states. He is cupping her neck now, and his thumb caresses her cheek. "What you did was impressive. You are impressive, Brienne."
Her face reddens once again, and he silently hopes she believes him. Her answer eases his fears. "Thank you, Tormund."
Tormund then pictures himself kissing her soft skin reverently, in order to make her feel like the beautiful woman that she is, but for now he has to fight his urge. But that does not mean he cannot kiss another part of her body.
"I'd very much like to kiss you again, lass." he whispers, his eyes travelling from her eyes to her lips and back. "Can I?"
Judging by Brienne's hesitant expression, Tormund prepares himself for her refusal, but she manages to amaze him once again, by simply nodding and whispering back, "Yes."
Relieved, he smiles, lifts his other hand to cup her face, while her hands run up his arms, and then their lips meet halfway in a gentle, slow kiss. This one is so much better than their first, more confident - she must be a fast learner. Gods, how sweet she tastes! He is sure that, after kissing Brienne, he can never, ever kiss any other woman.
She eventually pulls away from his mouth and gives him a regretful look. "Sorry, I think I should go now. My palms are getting wrinkled," she professes, showing him her hands.
"They are," Tormund giggles, then grabs her wrists to place a kiss on each palm. "I'm not going too fast, am I?"
"Oh, no, you're not," Brienne smiles at him in assurance. "I'm just not used to… this. I hope you understand."
"Aye, I do. Take your time, lass," Tormund smiles back at her. Once he lets go of her wrists, she blushes a little before she gets up, revealing her mesmerizing body to him in all its glory, and the man cannot help but feel his jaw drop and a hardening in his lower parts.
"What?" she frowns. "Have you never seen a naked woman before?"
"None like you," he answers, taking her in. "You're a beauty."
"And all blond," she comments with a wicked smile that only arouses him more. "You coming?"
"Actually, I think I'll stay for a little longer," Tormund replies, while he discretely tries to grab his cock without her noticing.
"Alright, then. Have a good night, Tormund." With that, Brienne steps out of the lake.
"Yeah, you too," he nods, waiting patiently for her to be out of sight so that he can start stroking himself. It will be indeed a good night.