The World Beyond the Mirror - 8. No Free Answers

I woke with a jolt, looking around and wondering where I was. It didn’t take long for me to realize I was with Nate, on the other side of the mirror, and I saw what had woken me was Nate, shifting so he could throw the last few sticks onto the fire. I blinked tiredly, and Nate gave me a bright smile.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

Nate shrugged, “You were tired,” he said. “I don’t mind.”

I looked at how I’d been sleeping on him, and then back up at him, moving away a little bit. “Did I…?”

Nate nodded, looking slightly afraid. “You didn’t mean it?” he asked, swallowing and obviously dreading the answer.

I looked down, needing to get his purple eyes out of my head before I could think. “I- I need time. I need to think about all of this,” I told him.

He looked crushed, so I put my hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

“I don’t mean coming here,” I clarified. “I don’t need to think about that at all, just… us.”

He nodded, understanding, but the purple in his eyes only intensified.

I squeezed his shoulder, making him look up at me. “Please don’t worry about it,” I said. “Can we just forget it for a little while? I don’t regret it, but I want to think without anything interfering.”

“Sure,” Nate said, giving me a weak smile. “Consider it forgotten.”

“Thanks.”

I stood, and he followed, looking at me curiously.

“Shouldn’t we be going somewhere?” I asked with a faint grin.

“Oops,” he laughed, looking around. “We probably should, yeah.”

“Where are we headed, anyway?” I asked, curious, but Nate just shook his head.

“Since when have answers been free?” he responded, grinning mischievously.

I sighed, pretending to be put out, and he laughed again.

“Want to guess?” he asked, but I shook my head. “Then you’ll just have to wonder,” he teased flicking my shoulder before pulling sticks out of the fire to extinguish it. I joined in, and soon the fire was out, with no danger of it reigniting.

We turned to go, and as we walked I bothered Nate for answers, trying to make him let something slip.

“So what’s this mystery place like?” I asked, looking over at him.

He just smiled at my futile attempt. “Not guessing won’t get you any answers,” he told me, his yellow eyes betraying his amusement.

“Fine,” I laughed. “What will you tell me? There has to be a lot of dangers here, and I deserve to know that, at least.”

“Hmm,” Nate considered. “If anyone mentions gangs, get out of there, and if anyone’s looking for me act like we’ve never met. That’s about all.”

“What happens if I can’t leave when a gang is mentioned?”

“Then I’ll deal with it,” he teased. “You’re not getting any more information out of me this easily.”

“So you’ll let me be in danger with no idea what to do?” I countered.

“The type of danger we have here, there’s nothing you could do anyway,” Nate told me grinning.

I fell silent trying to figure out anything more. Nate snorted, shaking his head at my craving for information. I pushed him playfully, and he grinned at me.

“You’re pathetic,” he laughed. “I’ve never met anyone as desperate to learn as you.”

“I’m just curious,” I protested. “I only wanna know about things if they catch my attention.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And once they have your attention, you don’t give up until your curiosity is sated, do you?”

I shrugged. “Not usually,” I admitted.

“Oh, so you do give up sometimes?” he asked, feigning surprise.

I laughed, and pushed him again. “Bastard,” I accused, and he grinned.

We walked a while more, enjoying the sounds of the forest and each other’s company, until we came to a pond.

“Looks like a good place to camp,” Nate said. “Where do you think we should sleep?”

“You’re asking me?” I asked, surprised, and he nodded.

“Of course,” he said. “If I get to choose where we’re going, it’s only fair you get to pick where to stay.”

I smiled in thanks before walking around the pond, looking for a good campsite. There were a few I noticed, but the one I liked most was hidden in a stand of trees. It was about ten meters from the pond’s edge, and when I entered it was like the rest of the world ceased to exist. I couldn’t see outside past the foliage, and it was big enough to have a campfire in.

“Here,” I decided, pulling a branch out of the way so Nate could follow me in.

“Nice,” he said examining it and obviously agreeing. “Let’s get the fire ready.”

I nodded, and we left the circle of trees and bushes to find sticks. It didn’t take me long. When I arrived at the site again I carefully arranged the sticks so the fire would be safe before sitting with my back against the trees and waiting for Nate. He returned soon with a giant bird that looked like some weird relative of a turkey, and he laughed at the look I gave it.

“Trust me; it’s delicious,” he said, smiling.

“What is it?” I asked, curious, but he just smiled; he didn’t even have to say it anymore.

I laughed, shook my head, and set up the spit. When the bird was ready to cook, I sat back down in my previous position, and Nate sat across from me leaning comfortably back against the tree.

We’d only been sitting for a moment before he sniffed, and then laughed.

“I think we need to wash off,” he commented, sniffing his shoulder and wrinkling his nose. I couldn’t help smiling at seeing that expression on his face. “Our clothes need a bath too,” he laughed.

I nodded. “Yeah, definitely,” I agreed. “You can go first, I’ll wait.”

Nate got up, but I stopped him before he left.

“Wait, what if it’s cold again tonight?” I asked, worried. “There’s not enough time for our clothes to dry.”

He shrugged. “I’ll make another spit, and we can hang them on it to dry by the fire,” he suggested.

“OK,” I said relieved he had a plan, and then he left.

I could hear the water splashing as he walked into the pond, and I tuned it out, turning my mind to more important things than wondering if he was naked yet. I tried to figure out how I felt about Nate; like I’d promised I would, but it was harder than I thought. Last night, I’d been too tired to care, and I’d just decided ‘fuck it, I like him’. Now, I wasn’t so sure of that decision. I still liked him, that much hadn’t changed, but I didn’t know him very well. He was a really good friend, and that much would never be in question, but how could I commit to anything more without knowing more about who he was?

I couldn’t deny my attraction to him anymore; he was unbelievably sexy, and I was getting used to thinking that. The sexual attraction was definitely there, but was that it? I was still nervous about letting people into my heart, no matter what my mind told me. I didn’t know if Nate was the boyfriend I was looking for, or if the facts that he was hot and a good friend were just making it seem like that.

Like I said earlier, I need time. I needed to think about this more. I needed to see more of who he is when we’re not dating to decide if who he is when we are is the person I want.

I smiled, relaxing against the tree now that I’d made my decision.

Just like everything else in this relationship, there won’t be any answers for free, I thought. He’ll have to ask, but I don’t need to feel bad about teasing him anymore. Hell, I’ll get even for how much he teases me with information, I decided.

The more I thought about that, the more I liked it. I wouldn’t talk about this until he asked me the right question, so I’d have enough time to see more of who he was before I decided, and I could tease him all I wanted. I grinned mischievously as I listened to him wringing out his clothes, and I barely managed to compose myself before he ducked into the grove wearing only his boxers and a huge blush.

The few seconds I’d spent trying to put on a straight face were immediately wasted as my eyes travelled over his body, but luckily he was too shy to look at me. I darted outside, trying to clear my mind of his tight, sleek body, but it was too late; I could feel myself hardening already. I stripped off my clothes and tossed them into the water before following them in and washing off. This time, I had no qualms about picturing Nate as my hand wrapped around my shaft. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be his boyfriend, but I’d finally accepted that he was the sexiest person I’d ever met, and my imagination was reveling in its new freedom. I stifled a moan as I came, and I washed myself off quickly before going back to shore to wash my clothes. When I was done I wrung them out and put my boxers on, and then went back into the grove, thankful that I’d gotten rid of some of the inevitable sexual tension.

When I walked in, I was surprised to see Nate… dancing, or something. He seemed to be absorbed in it, and I tried not to be mesmerized by the beads of sweat running down his body, or how his necklace looked against his tanned chest now he’d put it back on. I focused on him as a whole, and I felt my crotch stirring again at the quick, graceful movements that somehow conveyed the strength behind them.

As I watched, I realized it wasn’t dancing; although he did seem to be following some sort of pattern. Each movement was swift and practiced, and after a moment I suddenly realized it was fighting. His arm coming up like that wasn’t for show; it was to block an attack and balance himself as his foot came up behind him to break a shin. He didn’t even pause; instead dropping low, his leg still outstretched behind him for balance as his hands darted out to hamstring anyone in front of him. The way he did it puzzled me for a minute, and it was only after watching him flow through a few more moves that I realized this fighting wasn’t assuming he had a knife, it seemed to be using his hands themselves as blades. I could see it now, and I visualized what each movement would do. It took about ten seconds for him to go through thirty people, all without leaving the spot.

“Wow,” I said under my breath, and he froze with one foot still extended to his side where he’d kicked in someone’s throat, his muscular body stretched past horizontal with fluid grace. When he saw me, he straightened up quickly before turning and sitting down in his previous spot, pulling his knees up in front of him in modesty.

“Sorry,” he said, blushing. “I thought I had time to stretch, but it’s been a while so I’m slower now.”

I closed my mouth, trying to wipe the surprise and awe off my face, but after what I’d seen it was easier said than done. It took me a minute to even remember I was in my boxers, standing in full view for Nate, but when I did I immediately copied his position, down to the blush.

***

I would have been happy to sit across from Erin all night, admiring his flawless skin and sexy body, but seeing the bird reminded me we had things to do. I stood, trying to make myself forget how exposed I was, but it wasn’t working. Every one of my painfully-learned instincts was screaming at me that exposure was weakness, and showing weakness was death. It helped a little that it was Erin, but just having another living person aware of me while I was exposed was scary. That terror was the only thing keeping me able to think about anything other than Erin being almost naked, so in a way I was glad for it, but the way my hands were shaking as I lit the fire annoyed the rational part of me. I sat back down now the bird was cooking, and when I looked at Erin I saw his eyes slowly climbing up my body from my ass. He smiled at me, and I tried not to let my shock show.

Was he… looking at me? I wondered.

I’d obviously spaced out, because soon he stood, and I realized I’d let the bird go too long without turning it. He did it for me, but I was too distracted by the perfect view to notice, so I watched appreciatively as he moved on to flip our clothes inside out before sitting down closer to the fire, where he could also turn the spit without moving. He looked over at me, as if to ask if I was coming or not, so I moved closer to the fire and sat next to him. He stared into the flames for a minute before turning his head to look at me.

“What’s your favorite color?” Erin asked me quietly, turning the spit a little more and leaving his hand resting on it.

“Favorite color?” I asked, surprised, and he nodded. I had to think about it for a minute; it wasn’t something I’d ever been asked, but eventually I decided.

“Green,” I answered, barely managing to reveal information even that trivial. It went against my instincts, and if it wasn’t for the way Erin was looking into my eyes I don’t think I could have done it.

“Hmm,” he replied, satisfied, glancing down. It didn’t seem like he was going to say anything more, so I prompted him.

“What’s yours?”

“Pink,” he said without any hesitation, his eyes coming back to mine meaningfully.

I glanced towards the bird, hinting for him to turn it, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention, so I reached up to do it myself, my hand coming to rest on top of his. The instant our skin touched his hand disappeared, and I looked away from the bird and back to him to find his knees drawn up again and his hands wrapped around them as he watched me. I opened my mouth to explain, to apologize, but he just shook his head and smiled at me, telling me it was OK. That didn’t stop me from being angry at myself for not thinking about how he didn’t want me to touch him at all. It was just so hard to remember, and then to control myself.

After a little while of silence I couldn’t help marveling at how my terror had receded, but Erin reaching up to turn the spit again distracted me and my thoughts turned to him once more. I knew I was just torturing myself when I daydreamed about reaching out and running my hand down the perfect smoothness of his back, but I couldn’t avoid it. Every part of him, from his upstretched arm to the slight crease in his stomach as he leaned forward, begged to be touched.

“What were you doing when I came in?” he asked, his voice soft.

Dammit. I’d thought – hoped, really –he’d forgotten about that.

“Just a way to keep limber and in shape,” I replied, embarrassed.

I prepared myself for more questions, or for him to laugh and say I looked like an idiot.

“Will you teach me?”

What?

“Umm… you want to learn how to do it?” I asked, surprised.

He nodded, still only looking at the bird. “It looks useful, and kinda fun,” he said, smiling faintly.

“Sure,” I said, happy to be able to share something with him. “It’ll probably take two weeks or so for you to learn it,” I warned.

“How long did it take you?”

“Almost a year,” I admitted, remembering. “Some of the steps are way harder than they look, and without a teacher it can take forever to figure out what you’re doing wrong.”

“You learned it without a teacher?” he asked, surprised.

I shrugged. “I kinda had a teacher,” I said, unsure how to explain it. “He did it most days, but he just ignored me. If I didn’t see what he was doing one day I’d have to wait for the next day, and if I couldn’t keep up I’d just be left behind.”

“Oh, well what took you so long about that?” Erin joked.

“I kept growing and it was throwing my balance off,” I answered, grinning as I remembered.

“When was that?” Erin asked, surprised.

I had to think for a minute. “I was around seven… I think… so maybe ten years ago or so?”

Erin shook his head, laughing. “Every time I think you can’t get any more impressive, you come out with something like this,” he accused.

I couldn’t help grinning at the compliment. I’d rarely ever gotten them, and the few I had were from people who didn’t even know me, so Erin saying something like that filled me with happiness. I got up and moved away from the fire, into the middle of the open space. He followed and stood facing me.

“Okay, first step is to stand straight, with your shoulders square,” I said reaching out to put my hands on his shoulders to demonstrate what I meant. He danced away from my touch, staying just out of reach, and I lowered my hands apologetically. He just smiled and moved back to his original position, copying my stance.

“Stay like that for a second and just breathe,” I told him. “You’ll need that in this next part.”

I moved over and turned the spit for a second, moving back when he was ready.

“Now, swing your right arm around, like you’re slashing at someone’s neck, and let the momentum spin you. Kick out while you’re spinning, aiming for waist level.”

I demonstrated, and he tried, but he did it too fast and almost fell over.

“Go slowly for now, this is all about balance,” I told him smiling, and went back to turn the spit while he tried again and again. It took him a few tries to get the right feel for it, but then he had no trouble with it.

“Good,” I said, happy he was learning quickly. “Now for the next step.”

He had made it through four steps now and he was starting to sweat. This fifth one was hard; it was meant for use against more than one person, and the footwork was eluding him. The bird was almost ready, so I gave it another turn and got up to help him more, wanting him to finish this one before we ate.

“You’re not rotating your foot enough,” I told him demonstrating. I leaned to the side, dodging a diagonal slash of an imaginary sword, then twisted my hips, moving one foot out and to the side to catch myself, letting him see how it landed facing the opposite direction the first was. He nodded, so I did the last spin to bring myself back to a standing position, facing the opposite direction.

“Oh,” he said slowly. “I’ve been trying to force my foot to twist, but it’s not about that, is it?”

I shook my head, smiling encouragingly now he was getting it. I gave the spit another turn before going back to him. He still seemed to be having trouble with it, because of how he was twisting his hips, so I stood behind him when he was ready to start again.

“Can I…?” I asked, my hands almost on his hips to show him.

He nodded, and I closed the last few centimeters, feeling the warmth of his skin under the layer of fabric. I tried to ignore it and focus on teaching him, and he leaned to the side, beginning the step. I kept hold of his hips, slowly turning them more as he began to twist, and he seemed to realize more of what he was doing wrong. It worked this time, and he did the last spin without my help, until when he was about to place his foot wrong. I took his hips again and fixed it before his foot touched the ground.

“You need to end it like this so you can start the next one,” I explained, looking back up to find him watching me unreadably from inches away. “It’s…” I trailed off, forgetting what I’d been saying as he looked into my eyes from where he’d ended up, his body almost against mine.

I saw a bead of sweat slowly running down his forehead as he breathed heavily, and I suddenly found it the most interesting thing in the world, at least until he leaned forward and kissed me. My eyes shot open as his closed, and when he pulled back I realized I was still holding his hips to keep him steady. He gave me a slight smile, not seeming to mind my touch at the moment, and it took all my willpower to even say anything.

“I… I think the bird is ready…” I stuttered weakly, trapped again by his unreadable eyes, and he laughed.

“Kay,” he said, easily slipping out of my hands once more and going to the spit. I watched, unable to even move, as he took the bird off the fire and leaned the spit so the meat didn’t touch the ground. He tore a small piece off with his fingers, popping it in his mouth curiously.

“Huh, it’s good,” he decided, flopping down on the ground next to it. “You coming?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and tearing off another piece. “It’s gonna get cold.”

I blinked before walking mechanically over and sitting down next to him, habit taking over as I ate.

When the bird was finished, I looked over at him again, finally wondering what had prompted that. I reached over to touch his knee, silently asking, but it vanished before I even made contact, and he sat with his knees pulled up to his chin and his arms wrapped around his shins, looking at me.

I opened my mouth to apologize, now confused as to what I could and couldn’t do, but he just shook his head and smiled.

“Let’s go wash our hands,” he suggested, picking up the spit and exiting the grove. I followed just in time to see him toss the stick away and head for the pond, and we got all the grease off our hands before going back into the stand of trees.

“It’s darker than I thought out there,” I said. “We should probably sleep soon.”

He nodded, sitting near the fire and holding his hands out towards it to dry. “Teach me more tomorrow?” he asked, and I nodded. He smiled, and I moved to the opposite side of the fire and lay down, removing any excuses for making him uncomfortable.

I closed my eyes, tired out even though I’d only done the first fifty steps, and I was almost asleep before I heard Erin moving, presumably lying down. I let myself drift off, and the last thing I was aware of was warmth behind me and arms wrapping comfortably around my chest.

“Night, Nate,” I heard right next to my ear, spoken softly but contentedly, and I fell asleep.

Thanks for sticking with the story, I'm hoping to be updating quicker soon (chapters 9-12 are already written; I haven't been doing nothing this whole time ). There's a lot in store for these two, and there's already a spinoff of a character from a scene I haven't even written yet . It's coming along a little disjointed, but it's coming . Thanks again for reading, I really appreciate how well-received you guys have made this story! :hug: