Written Wonderland

Novelty breathed hard as he dodged the trees, heading in the direction he hoped the river was. They had explored a fair amount of the forest after all. Could he still remember where the flowers were from camp? Yes, yes, he could; he traced the path back easily in his mind. That settled, then, there was only this present moment--the heaving of his chest, the sensation of his skin against the air as he ran, the pump of his heart and other muscles. And Philip, somewhere behind him. Novelty glanced over his shoulder and saw Philip following, also running, a lively color in his cheeks. Yes, this was good for both of them. Did Philip look... happy? It was hard to tell with such a cursory glance, but Novelty liked to think so. Maybe they had salvaged their time together after all.

Eventually, Novelty did start to hear the sound of the river and began to slow his delighted dodging until he came to a moderate walking pace, turning his head in a bright, open-mouth smile to Philip before turning back toward the river. Now, the next hurdle. Was Novelty really going to get in that water at night? In the cold? In front of Philip?

A buzz in his stomach urged him forward. This is something you'll never forget, he thought to himself, and it was true--Novelty could already feel the way the cold water would crystalize his experiences with Philip this evening in his mind, keeping them clear and vivid. Yes, this was what he wanted.

So, with little hesitation, Novelty began taking off his clothes, somewhat shy at the realization that he hadn't actually done this in front of Philip yet. He started with his army-issue tank, pulling it cleanly over his head, and then unbuttoned his pants again with memories of Philip doing so only minutes before making his already pink cheeks burn.

Novelty wove through the woods, and it was an absolute pleasure to follow along his path. Philip felt light--lighter than he had in a long time. Like he and Novelty were the only people in existence; like the only thing that mattered in the world was this delighted pursuit. The sound of water echoed into their footsteps, and their footsteps slowed. Novelty tossed his gaze back to Philip with a bright, dazzling smile as they stepped onto the river bank, stars shimmering in the sky above them. The river rushed before them, and a fresh chill rippled through Philip's body as he freshly comprehended their intention.

Philip glanced to Novelty, finding himself unsure. Novelty had hesitated, too, but already began to undress, bringing a fresh warmth to Philip's cheeks. He watched Novelty for a moment, half stunned at the man's resolve and half too entranced with the sight to want to look away. There was a flinch of some kind from Novelty, though--a subtle closing off that prompted Philip to realize he should probably stop gawking and join in. Swallowing, Philip looked back out to the river, and got to work on his removing his own clothing. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, competing with the river for his attention, all while his lungs hesitated to breathe through the nervousness he felt thinking of Novelty watching him as he'd watched Novelty. It was almost too much to bear by the time he'd finished stripping down, and he looked at Novelty a little sternly before nodding his head toward the river, his eyes remaining fixed on Novelty's. Maybe it was selfish, but he desperately wanted to watch Novelty go in.

Novelty had already unbuttoned his pants when Philip started undressing. Novelty had been peripherally aware that Philip had been watching him, but it didn't fully register until Philip's started removing his own clothes. The soldier felt incredibly gratified by that realization and thought about repressing the moan working its way up his throat, but ultimately he felt safe enough with Philip to give voice to it, quiet though it was.

Novelty bent to unlace his boots, caught between the excitement of getting into the water naked with Philip and fear from the impending frigid cold. Half of him wanted to race through it, and the other half wanted to go slow such that what won out was a moderate, methodical pace.

The soldier stood again and looked at Philip, fascinated with the careful way Philip removed his own clothing. Gods, the man was beautiful in nothing but moonlight. It was not difficult to believe that the goddess of dreams and desire had delighted in him.

Smiling shyly, Novelty looked away and finished shirking off his pants, underwear, and socks. He looked at Philip, who looked back at him resolutely. Philip nodded his head toward the water in what almost felt like a dare. Novelty grinned wildly and had the impulse to embrace Philip--pull him into a sweaty, gleeful hug. Instead, Novelty raised both eyebrows, looked toward the slow-moving river, and took a deep breath, his chest expanding in the light of the stars.

Novelty dipped a toe in, finding the water exactly as cold as he had feared as he pulled his foot abruptly away. Nothing for it, then. He would need to go in all at once. Reminding himself that the goal he was to get clean--and wash off his own mess from where Philip had pleasured him--Novelty took a number of steps back up the bank and then turned around, launching himself toward the river and jumping at the last possible moment, pointing his hands toward the water and arching his back in the best he could do of a dive from this position.

The cold water hit his face before he could think of anything else, and his body exploded into a thousand screaming alarms of panic. Did I seriously just do that? On impulse, Novelty kicked up from the bottom of the water, which was deeper where he had dived in than most places, and surfaced, his white blond hair whipping around as he drew in a sucking breath. He did everything he could to calm his body as he swam to a shallower place in the river where he could beckon Philip with one arm, determined to hold his jaw close together such that his teeth wouldn't chatter. And, as he waited, Novelty rubbed idly under the water at his groin, thrilled by the memories of Philip's hand that remained there.

Novelty grinned wildly, and a warm thrill spread over Philip's chest. He watched enrapt as Novelty raised his eyebrows and turned towards the river, skin glimmering under the starlight. He walked up to the water's edge and dipped his toe in, pulling abruptly away with a flinch. Philip winced right along with him, wondering if they were crazy. No crazier now than they had already been, he supposed, though a fresh nervousness bloomed as Novelty walked away from the water, then turned and ran back towards it, jumping over the water so he could dive in.

Philip instinctively ran towards the water himself, though not to jump in just yet; more than anything, he wanted eyes on Novelty, and exhaled with relief when Novelty emerged from the water, sucking in a gasping breath as his hair dramatically whipped around his face. Gods, it was a beautiful sight, and one Philip hoped to capture crisply in his memory.

Novelty collected composure enough to swim into the shallows and beckoned Philip, and Philip gave a nod. He considered briefly taking Novelty's route, but it felt, he supposed, showy--in a way he'd enjoyed Novelty being, but felt awkward participating in himself. Instead, he simply walked confidently towards Novelty, bracing himself for the wave of tension that hit as he pushed his feet through the water. His muscles nearly creaked, shocked by the water and utterly bewildered about why Philip was pressing on.

But press on he did, his gaze fixed on Novelty and his resolve bringing a surprising amount of smoothness to his movements, considering. His jaw did clench shut lest he shiver, and his shoulders bounced slightly as he moved, but his pace towards Novelty was steady, until he'd arrived within a couple feet. It looked like Novelty was already starting to focus on cleaning himself, and Philip sighed softly thinking about Novelty's hands rubbing over his own stomach, his own length, to find the traces their dalliance had left on his skin. Philip let his eyes slide closed as he rubbed his hands together under the water, caressing them almost lovingly as he recalled the moment that Novelty had taken his hand.

Novelty watched in awe of Philip's resolve as the man stepped into the water and made a slow but determined approach in Novelty's direction. The soldier could see the lieutenant's shoulders tense and shake slightly as he moved deeper and deeper in, and it made Philip look a little small, a little helpless--at least, if it weren't for Philip's expression. He was determined with a set to his jaw that refused to budge. Novelty smiled deeply, a little sheepish that he was still rubbing at his own length when Philip stopped a few feet away.

If not for the cold, Novelty might have wanted to pull Philip down into the water with him or at least wrap his legs around the man. But, as things stood, Novelty couldn't think of much except how much his body wanted to do nothing but shiver. Gods, he might even be sore from this tomorrow.

But he wanted to do something in the water with Philip before they got out and headed back to camp, so Novelty grinned at the man before diving back under the water and approaching Philip. Novelty opened his eyes and could barely make out Philip's length against his body and the dark bank behind him, but Novelty followed his impulse and closed his lips around Philip's tip, moving the warmth of his mouth back and forth a couple of times before he surfaced again significantly closer to the lieutenant.

"Think you're clean enough yet?" Novelty said through smiling, chattering teeth.

Novelty grinned at Philip after a moment, and Philip started to look back towards the shore, he supposed intending to nonverbally ask if they should head back. But before Philip could return his gaze to Novelty, Novelty had dipped below the water again, and Philip froze, once again impressed by Novelty's resolve and a nervous sort of curious to see what he would do.

Much to Philip's astonishment, Novelty swam right up to him, a fluid dark figure under the water, and his warm mouth drew in the tip of Philip's length, pulling a gasp from the lieutenant's lips. Philip let his eyes fall shut, bidding himself to enjoy the sensation despite his surprise. Novelty moved his tip in and out of his mouth a few times, sending warm oscillations through his body's involuntary shivers. Then Novelty pulled away, sending a fresh shock of cold through the newly exposed skin.

"Think you're clean enough yet?" Novelty asked after surfacing again, and Philip blinked at his with some embarrassment before breaking into a subtle smile in amusement.

"Yeah," he replied breathlessly, and reached out for Novelty's hand before turning to head back out of the water.

Maybe it was just the cold water that had made Novelty so bold because after Novelty had asked Philip the playful question, Novelty froze with concern. What if Novelty had overstepped...?

"Yeah," Philip replied, his voice a breath in his throat. And before Novelty's concern could grow any bigger, Philip took Novelty's hand and started gently pulling him out of the water.

That seemed the intelligent option--they needed to dry off and get back to camp eventually--but Novelty was sad to leave the water. Even this cold, it was soothing. He felt more comfortable here than he felt anywhere else. Looking behind him toward the sluggishly moving water, he marveled at the way it caught the moonlight. Gods, there was nothing more beautiful than this. What about the goddess? some voice asked in his mind. Maybe not even her, Novelty thought in reply.

When they made it to shore, Novelty squeezed Philip's hand before letting go to pick up his clothes. Looking at his options, he picked up his shirt and used it to rub himself mostly dry, taking special care to dry off between and around his legs, and then he slid his underwear up, hoping the thin fabric would give at least a little bit of warmth and comfort. It didn't, not really. Then, Novelty attempted to stick one leg into his pants, glancing curiously toward Philip to wonder if the man might stop him from doing so.

Probably wishful thinking on Novelty's part. The soldier continued, managing to get one leg fully in and preparing to step in with the other.

Philip felt Novelty hesitate in the water, and he paused to look back and make sure everything was all right. The soldier was simply looking out over the water - the ways the moonlight reflected in the gently flowing stream - and Philip smiled; it was a beautiful sight.

They returned to the shore soon enough, and Novelty squeezed Philip's hand before separating. Philip gently rubbed at his palm for a moment before catching himself and getting to his own clothes, too. He felt stiff and clumsy as he reached down for his shirt, embarrassment weighing on him at how jerky his shivers made him. But, he supposed Novelty was likely shivering, too; he stole a glance at the soldier, mixed feelings swirling through him that, while of course Novelty shivered, he still seemed quite graceful as he dried himself off with his shirt and stepped into his underwear.

Novelty paused briefly as he started to step into his pants, his own gaze glancing back to Philip, and Philip swallowed with terrible embarrassment, realizing that he was still simply just holding his shirt at his side like an idiot. He instinctively moved the shirt in front of him for some tiny sense of modesty, though that did little to quiet the icy burn in the tips of his ears. With some effort, Philip hastily jerked himself into motion, drying off between his legs quickly so that he could at least get his own underwear on before the next time Novelty looked over. He didn't do a terribly good job of it, but there was nothing much to be done at that point. He hastily pulled up his pants next, his motions still stiff and jerky as he fought to move through the cold.

He couldn't say he regretted getting in the river - it did feel good to feel clean, and that was to say nothing of the beautiful moments it entailed - but goodness, he felt ridiculous right about now. He slid on his wet shirt then, knowing full well that might look a bit ridiculous, too, but he couldn't shake the desire for modesty. Camp should be their next destination, after all.

"We should-- probably-- get to a-- f-fire..." he said, not quite able to keep his teeth from chattering, and also not quite able to meet Novelty's eye.

Novelty could not help the chuckle that escaped him at Philip's expense, seeing the lieutenant's attempts at modesty, his shirt covering his groin. Having had many lovers, Novelty had nearly forgotten this type of embarrassment. it warmed his heart to see it in Philip now for reasons he could not fully understand. Novelty smiled warmly though, hoping that when Philip saw it, he would forgive Novelty for the laughter.

The soldier had much more trouble getting his second pant leg on then he had with the first, his wet skin clung unhelpfully to the fabric,and the chill was sincerely settling into his bones now, the ache demanding. His narrow frame shivered violently, and it was only through an effort of extreme will that he was able to stop his teeth from chattering. But, this type of effort was thrilling and satisfying, and it made Novelty feel alive.

Unable to keep the smile from his face, Novelty finished with his pants and buttoned them before moving to put his shirt back over his head.

"We should-- probably-- get to a-- f-fire..." Phillip said, and Novelty nodded, not interested in risking their health further. Novelty closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, trying to cement the sensation of this moment and all the ones that proceeded it this night into his mind.

That done, he turned toward Philip and, once the man was equally dressed, reached out to put a hand on Phillip's shoulder, hesitating for just a moment before making contact, glancing at Phillip's face to see how he might react.

Novelty wanted to hug him, too, but now that they were dressed, the gesture felt altogether too intimate somehow. It was a shame because it might have provided both of them with more warmth. But, the walk back to camp would surely do the same, and Novelty was content to follow the river back toward the rest of the army and the campfires there in.