Of Hellhounds and Swim Lessons
“What is it?!?!” Ben yelled as he ran full tilt through the forest, dodging trees and praying he didn’t step into a rabbit hole. The pitch black darkness was making it nay on impossible to see much of anything. Plus the direction they had chosen had steadily increased in incline since they had left their post. On top of all that he was also trying to keep an eye on the thing behind them to make sure they were not about to be overtaken.
“Hellhounds!” Hansel hollered back. Hansel was a faster runner so he was ahead of Ben but thankfully still within arm’s length.
“But…but…they’re on fire!” exclaimed Ben as he looked back and saw two dogs seemingly made out of flame and continuing to gain on them.
“Hence the word hell in hellhound,” Hansel shouted over his shoulder.
Even though Ben could only see the dark outline of Hansel as they ran he had no trouble hearing the eye roll in that sentence.
They had been contracted for a job by a mayor of a local village which was having a bit of a supernatural problem. Apparently, the bodies of some of the locals had been showing up burned to a crisp in the surrounding forest. Nothing around the remains had been burned including the ground beneath only the corpse. On the way to the village, Hansel and Gretel had good-naturedly argued what type of witch they were dealing with. He and Edward had just shared a look and loyally followed behind them. Once they got to the small hamlet and talked with the locals they decided to break up into teams of two with Gretel and Edward taking the south side and Hansel and Ben taking north. As soon as night had fallen they had heard distant howls of an animal. It had sounded deeper than a dog and louder than a wolf, Ben had felt the sound in his bones. Then there had been a faint glow in the distance that had gotten ever closer until what looked like running flames had charged straight at them.
This is how they ended up sprinting for their lives through the ominous forest that surrounded the village.
“So how do we kill them?” Ben shouted, or at least tried to; his ragged breathing was making it difficult to talk much less yell.
“Salt,” Hansel yelled back.
“Salt! Where are we supposed to get salt?” Ben asked incredulously before looking back and putting on a burst of speed as the hounds looked even closer now. Ben knew for a fact he did not have any salt on him, in fact since he was in charge of keeping their outfit supplied he knew none of them had salt. It was on their list to pick some up in the next town they passed with a decent market.
Hansel never got a chance to answer because just then Ben heard the loveliest sound that had ever graced his ears.
Water
He could hear the rushing sound of water somewhere off in the distance. Grabbing Hansel’s arm and yanking him to the right, Ben pulled the other man along as he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.
“What are you doing?” Hansel asked jerking his arm from Ben’s grasp but thankfully continuing to run alongside him.
Ben didn’t answer, as he was straining to hear the water over his loud breathing and the crunch of their footsteps against the forest floor. As the sound got louder their path through the woods got ever steeper and Ben hazarded a glance backward and saw their fiery pursuers were a lot closer than they had been before.
They climbed the steeper and steeper grades as quickly as possible. All of a sudden they came to the edge of a cliff that overlooked a large waterfall with an enormous pool of water at the bottom.
Ben felt panic streak through him as he saw how far down the pool was from the clifftop and all it took was a quick turn of his head to see the hellhounds were almost upon them. He knew what they had to do.
Turning to Hansel, Ben said in a shaky voice, “We have to jump.”
“What?!?!” Hansel shouted a growing look of panic on his face as he peered over the edge. “Are you crazy? I am not jumping!”
“We have no choice,” Ben shouted back. He knew they couldn’t face the two hellhounds without getting burned to a crisp like the villagers; they had no salt in which to contain them so they had to jump. Water was the only thing that could save them now.
“We always have choices,” Hansel grumbled unhappily just as the hellhounds slid to a stop a few yards in front of them. “Just not very good ones,” he finished as he turned towards the beasts pulling out his crossbow as he did.
They watched as the two hounds dripped fire from their bodies, singeing the ground as they slowly stalked closer their loud throaty growls echoing off the surrounding trees.
Ben was so scared he was shaking. He’d always had a fear of being burned ever since he had tripped and fallen into a cooking fire when he was young. The burns to his shoulder had been so painful that he had tried to stay away from all fires since then. Burning to death was a frequent nightmare for him and Ben knew that he couldn’t face the possibility of it coming true. But he also knew he couldn’t leave Hansel up here to face them alone.
One of the hounds charged a few steps forward and Hansel let loose an arrow. The arrow hit the hound right in the eye. Ben and Hansel watched as the arrow caught fire and burned, then with a shake of its head the hound’s eye returned just as blood red and undamaged as before. The beasts continued to stalk forward.
“Well that didn’t work,” Hansel said, with fear and chagrin in his voice.
As the two hounds continued to move Ben and Hansel answered by inching slowly back but Ben quickly realized they were running out of room on the clifftop. In fact they were inches away from the edge.
“We have to go now!” Ben yelled as he clutched Hansel’s arm.
Hansel gave a fearful glance down at the water and said, “I’d rather take my chances with the hellhounds.”
Ben looked into the fiery maws of the beasts as they edged ever closer and knew that staying up here to fight the hellhounds was a death sentence, but he was unsure of how to convince Hansel of the truth of that fact. Opening his mouth to say something, anything that would sway the other man, he suddenly saw out of the corner of his eye one of the hounds making a charge straight towards Hansel. Ben threw himself in front of him and felt a burning pain across his back causing him to scream in agony before he grabbed the front of Hansel’s tunic and using his momentum pushed them both over the edge of the cliff.
~Hansel & Gretel~
Ben found that hitting the water from that height felt like running full tilt into a stone wall.
It hurt…a lot.
It also left him dazed as his body tumbled over and over into deeper and deeper water until the shock of the freezing cold liquid finally got through his muddled thoughts. Pushing himself upwards with sure powerful strokes, Ben thanked whoever might be listening that he had learned how to swim when he was younger. When he broke through the surface he took in a much-needed deep breath of air and looked around for Hansel.
All he saw was a waterfall, the pond he was currently treading water in, and the cliffs where he could just make out two specs of fiery light pacing back and forth along the edge. What he didn’t see was his erstwhile companion.
“Hansel!” he shouted as he turned in a circle. There was no answer. His shouts grew increasingly more alarmed as the silence stretched on.
Finally, a panicked splashing to his left caught his attention and Ben saw Hansel struggling to keep his head above water. Ben took off with sure strokes desperate to get to him before he slipped under. Just as Hansel sank beneath the water Ben managed to reach him and pull him back to the surface.
Ben jerked out of the way as one of Hansel’s arms swung out and almost caught him in the face, “It’s me! Calm down, I’ve got you!” Ben shouted trying to get through to the struggling man.
“Ben?” Hansel asked as he stopped flailing his limbs and looked over at him.
“Ya it’s me,” Ben reassured, pulling a now unresisting Hansel towards him and then he wrapped one arm around him turning Hansel so his back was resting against him, “Just relax. I’ll get us to shore.”
Hansel gave a nervous laugh, “You know how to swim?”
“I do. You are just going to have to trust me,” Ben said seriously knowing trust did not come easily to the man in his arms.
Hansel relaxed and let Ben take more of his weight and said just as solemnly “I do.”
Ben felt those two words repeat over and over in his head and settle somewhere in his heart. They spurred him on as he slowly swam to shore pulling Hansel with him.
~Hansel & Gretel~
Ben watched out of the corner of his eye as Gretel walked across the camp until she stood in front of Hansel who was tending the fire, “It’s your turn,” Gretel said flatly as she held out a small bowl to her brother.
Hansel just stared up at her and with a shake of his head said, “You should do it. I’m crap at all that healing stuff.”
Gretel just quirked an eyebrow and said in a disapproving voice, “Avoiding him isn’t going to lessen your guilt.”
“I…I’m not…,” Hansel sputtered out looking indignant at the mere suggestion.
Ben kept his head down pretending to concentrate on straightening out his bedroll and not on the sibling’s argument across the campsite.
They had found a good spot in which to spend a few days to allow them to rest up and decide where to head off to next. They were all weary and sporting various injuries from their fight with the hellhounds.
Ben had gotten Hansel to shore that night just in time for the other half of their party to find them. Gretel and Edward had been at their post when they had heard the howls and had followed the sound. They had arrived just as Ben and Hansel had taken their swan dive off the cliff. The four of them had gone back to the village and loaded up on as much salt as the villagers could get their hands on. It had taken all night to get both hellhounds but just as the dawn broke they had put the last one down and headed back to get their payment.
Only as they were walking out of town with coin in hand had the adrenaline worn off enough for Ben to feel the wound along his back. He had kept it to himself until the next day when the pain had been too much and he had started to worry about infection. Once he had told the group Ben had gotten an earful from Gretel about how irresponsible it was to hide an injury from them. Hansel hadn’t said anything only glared daggers at him, even Edward had shaken his head at him like he was disappointed.
Edward being the healer of the group whipped up an ointment that would help with the pain and the healing of the burn. Since it was on his back Ben couldn’t reach it so Gretel had helped him but it looked like now it was Hansel’s turn.
Ben finally stopped pretending to straighten his bedroll and stood up as Hansel came alongside with the bowl in his hands. There was a harsh look on his face as though he was there against his will and he wasn’t hiding the fact he resented it. “Take your shirt off,” Hansel demanded.
Now Ben had fantasized Hansel saying those words to him in a few different ways but not with quite so much anger in his voice. He felt his cheeks flush and he shifted nervously on his feet as he stammered out, “Wh…What?”
Hansel now looked more exasperated than angry. He cleared his throat and said in a terse voice, “I need you to take your shirt off.”
Ben wondered if his face was as bright red as it felt and not trusting his voice he just nodded. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, Ben was about to pull it over his head when he looked around nervously and he saw both Gretel and Edward walking toward them with amused looks on their faces.
“Take him to the lake. He needs to keep that wound clean,” Gretel said with a twinkle in her eye as she and Edward walked past. “We’re going to get some firewood.”
Ben looked over to the already generous woodpile next to the fire pit and said, “But you already…”
Hansel interrupted with a shake of his head, “Don’t.”
Ben looked back and forth between the retreating figures of Gretel and Edward and a resigned-looking Hansel and said with confusion in his voice, “But we have plenty…”
Hansel just clapped him on the shoulder and said, “None of our business. Come on lakes this way.” Then he started to walk in the opposite direction.
Ben followed more bewildered than ever. He glanced back one last time and saw Edward gently place a hand on Gretel’s back as they disappeared into the woods and then he thought maybe he understood.
~Hansel & Gretel~
“Alright get in, wash up, and I will put this goop on you when you are done,” Hansel said his tone a cross between bored and resigned as he settled himself on a fallen log next to the shore.
Ben nodded, shucking his shirt being careful not to pull to hard so it didn’t scrape along his still tender back. They had found the lake earlier in the day. It was fed by an underground spring so it was fairly cold but considering how hot the day was turning Ben was actually looking forward to getting in.
When he was down to his undergarments he turned and saw Hansel suddenly avert his eyes like he was embarrassed to be caught staring. Ben felt a sudden warmth spread through him that maybe Hansel had been checking him out, which gave him the courage to ask, “You want to join me?”
Seeing Hansel raise his eyebrows at the question, Ben rambled on, “I mean…it’s hot…and the water’s cold…we could swim a bit…” he finally was able to make his mouth stop when Hansel gave a low chuckle, an amused smile on his face.
“I appreciate the offer but I can’t swim so I try to stay away from large bodies of water,” Hansel answered.
Ben was disappointed but not surprised so he turned away then he heard Hansel say tentatively, “You seem to swim pretty well.”
Ben turned back and said, “A friend of mine taught me the basics. I like being in the water so I’ve gotten better as time has gone on.”
Hansel stood and cleared his throat, rubbing his hands nervously together, and asked uncertainly, “Could you teach me?”
If Hansel had asked Ben to paint him blue he couldn’t have been more surprised than he was at that moment. But he managed to stutter out, “Ya, sure…I would love to!” Then he winced at how overly enthusiastic he sounded.
Hansel muttered his thanks and started to remove his shirt. Ben turned slightly as he wasn’t sure if he should look away or not, but he couldn’t force himself to turn his back entirely as he saw the shirt slowly rise up and over Hansel’s toned chest. Hansel then tossed the shirt next to Ben’s clothes and started undoing the laces on his pants.
Ben forced himself to pull his gaze up to Hansel’s face. He met Hansel’s eyes and felt himself blush, there was a smirk on Hansel’s face now and Ben had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew exactly how he was affecting Ben. The uncomfortable feeling changed to a thrill of desire when Hansel walked past him now only in his short clothes as well. Ben gave himself a brief shake to get himself moving and follow Hansel into the lake.
Hansel stopped when the water was to his waist and when Ben was next to him asked, “So how do we do this?”
Ben honestly had no idea as he couldn’t quite remember how his friend had started. “Umm…well I guess we should start with the basics. Do you know how to float on top of the water?”
At Hansel’s negative shake of his head, Ben said with a smile, “That’s a good place to begin and you don’t have to even get into the deep water. Here I’ll show you...”
Ben lay down, arms outstretched and gently floated on top of the water for a few minutes. It only felt a bit awkward having Hansel staring down at him with a look of amused consternation on his face. Standing back up he said, “Now you try.”
Hansel had a look of deep misgiving on his face but finally, he tried lying on his back in the water…and sank like a stone. He came up spluttering with the countenance of a wet cat and said, “I don’t think this is going to work.”
When it looked like Hansel was going to leave the water, Ben sidestepped, blocking his path and held up his hands, and said, “No…No…you can do this, it just takes practice.”
Hansel looked doubtful so Ben rushed on.
“This time I want you to take a deep breath in and hold it. I will support you until you find your balance. Ok?” Ben said, meeting Hansel’s blue eyes and trying to sound as reassuring as possible.
There were a few moments of tense silence before Hansel nodded curtly. Breathing in deeply, Hansel took in a large bit of air, held it, and then gingerly leaned backward. This time Ben supported Hansel under his neck and lower back and tried not to think about the fact he was touching Hansel’s skin for the first time. When it seemed like Hansel was doing good, Ben slowly let go and when the other man stayed afloat, he said with pride, “You’re doing it.”
A wide smile spread across Hansel’s face as he realized Ben was right, “I am,” he whispered in wonder as he slowly let go of the breath he was holding. He floated for a few minutes on his back before he stood up and tried once again only this time without any help from Ben. When he successfully floated for a few moments he jumped up and wrapped his arms around Ben and exclaimed, “Thank you!”
The feel of Hansel’s warm, wet, almost naked body against his caused Ben’s brain to abruptly stop which was why he leaned into the hug and rested his head in the crook of Hansel’s shoulder. It was only for a few blissful moments then Hansel cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped back.
Ben was embarrassed beyond belief for basically snuggling against Hansel so he looked anywhere but at the other man and said in a somewhat high voice, “Um…so we should try treading water next…I think?”
Walking farther out until the water was at chest level, Ben was finally able to turn around and at least look in the vicinity of where Hansel was standing. “You’ll have to come out into deeper water for this.”
Hansel looked unsure but he walked towards Ben until he was abreast of the younger man. Ben knew he couldn’t let his unrequited feelings for Hansel get in the way. It was important for Hansel to learn how to swim so that the man would never be in danger of drowning again. So Ben gave himself a stern talking to and then forced himself to look Hansel in the eye and begin explaining the basics of treading water.
For the next hour, Ben taught Hansel not only treading water but also the bare bones of what he knew about swimming. Ben called it to a halt when the water went from refreshing to chilling and they had started to shiver. Hansel was doing good but Ben knew they would need more than one afternoon before he would be reassured that Hansel could survive another fall into a lake.
The pair of them stretched out onto the grass side by side letting the sun dry them. Ben was on his stomach enjoying the heat of the noonday sun on his damp skin. Hansel was next to him lying on his back, hands beneath his head, eyes closed. Ben wasn’t sure if he was asleep or merely resting but he traced Hansel’s features with his eyes something he usually didn’t do for fear of getting caught but now he gave himself permission to take in his fill.
When Hansel turned his head and opened his eyes Ben forced himself not to avert his gaze and instead meet Hansel’s. Ben licked his lips nervously as the tension between them increased the longer they stared at each other. Finally, Hansel turned on his side, resting his head on one hand, and with the other, he reached over and traced the scar that Ben had on his shoulder.
Ben couldn’t help the shiver that went down his spine at the brush of Hansel’s fingertips against his skin. Hansel traced the border of the scar slowly and gently, and then asked, “What happened?”
“When I was about five years old I was playing near the hearth, even though I had been told not to,” Ben said in a husky voice with a rueful grin on his face, “I tripped and fell backward. I was laid up for weeks and almost died from an infection that had set in.”
Hansel’s brows came together with a look of concern on his face as he sat up and carefully examined the two new burns that ran across Ben’s back.
“How do they look?” Ben asked his voice tinged with worry the memory of what happened last time now fresh in his mind.
“They seem to be healing nicely,” Hansel reassured, “Let me go get the goop Edward made, it seems to be helping.” He went and grabbed the medicine and sat down next to Ben.
Ben couldn’t help another shiver as Hansel gently applied the salve. The burns really didn’t hurt as much anymore and the temptation to arch into his touch was almost overwhelming, trying to distract himself he blurted the first words he could think of, “I’m sorry.”
Hansel stopped and asked in disbelief, “What do you have to be sorry for?”
Ben shrugged one shoulder and said, “I pushed you off a cliff because I was scared of being burned again.”
Hansel nodded and then set the bowl aside before he helped Ben sit up and scooted over until he was next to him. “You did the right thing,” At Ben’s doubtful look he continued, “I should be apologizing to you. The reason you had to push me off that cliff was because I was too scared to jump into the water.”
Ben’s eyes widened in disbelief that Hansel had admitted to being scared and he said, “You don’t have to apologize.”
Hansel gave a rueful smile and said, “Okay if you don’t want an apology how about a thank you.” Then he leaned over and curled his hand around the back of Ben’s neck drawing him slowly forward giving Ben plenty of time to object. Instead Ben drifted forward closing his eyes as Hansel’s mouth met his.
As the kiss deepened he felt Hansel’s other hand on his hip and Ben placed a tentative hand on Hansel’s chest. Hansel laid down on his back pulling Ben on top of him being careful to avoid his back as he ran his hands over Ben’s body. Ben in turn straddled Hansel’s hips and returned Hansel’s caresses with ones of his own.
~Hansel & Gretel~
Ben and Hansel returned to the campsite just as the sun was setting. Ben saw that Gretel and Edward were by the fire cooking dinner. He also wasn’t surprised to see the woodpile wasn’t any larger.
“You guys have been gone for awhile,” Gretel said with a smirk, “What have you been up to?”
Ben felt his cheeks heat as he blushed furiously thinking about what they had been up to at the lakeshore. He glanced at Hansel just in time to see him give Gretel a rude gesture in answer to her question. Gretel just laughed in response.
Ben was relieved when she and Edward returned to cooking dinner. Going to Hansel’s side he was surprised to see Hansel had moved Ben’s bedroll next to his. Hansel raised his eyebrows, a silent question in his eyes as Ben nodded and a shy smile played on his lips. Hansel pulled Ben down next to him and wrapped one arm around him, setting him against his side while whispering in his ear making Ben blush even more with his suggestive words while they waited for dinner to be ready.
Over the next week, Gretel and Edward went off several times to go collect firewood, and Hansel and Ben went back to the lake for more swim lessons…amongst other enjoyable activities.
The End
This entry was originally posted at https://under-the-silk-tree.dreamwidth.org/84576.html
“Hellhounds!” Hansel hollered back. Hansel was a faster runner so he was ahead of Ben but thankfully still within arm’s length.
“But…but…they’re on fire!” exclaimed Ben as he looked back and saw two dogs seemingly made out of flame and continuing to gain on them.
“Hence the word hell in hellhound,” Hansel shouted over his shoulder.
Even though Ben could only see the dark outline of Hansel as they ran he had no trouble hearing the eye roll in that sentence.
They had been contracted for a job by a mayor of a local village which was having a bit of a supernatural problem. Apparently, the bodies of some of the locals had been showing up burned to a crisp in the surrounding forest. Nothing around the remains had been burned including the ground beneath only the corpse. On the way to the village, Hansel and Gretel had good-naturedly argued what type of witch they were dealing with. He and Edward had just shared a look and loyally followed behind them. Once they got to the small hamlet and talked with the locals they decided to break up into teams of two with Gretel and Edward taking the south side and Hansel and Ben taking north. As soon as night had fallen they had heard distant howls of an animal. It had sounded deeper than a dog and louder than a wolf, Ben had felt the sound in his bones. Then there had been a faint glow in the distance that had gotten ever closer until what looked like running flames had charged straight at them.
This is how they ended up sprinting for their lives through the ominous forest that surrounded the village.
“So how do we kill them?” Ben shouted, or at least tried to; his ragged breathing was making it difficult to talk much less yell.
“Salt,” Hansel yelled back.
“Salt! Where are we supposed to get salt?” Ben asked incredulously before looking back and putting on a burst of speed as the hounds looked even closer now. Ben knew for a fact he did not have any salt on him, in fact since he was in charge of keeping their outfit supplied he knew none of them had salt. It was on their list to pick some up in the next town they passed with a decent market.
Hansel never got a chance to answer because just then Ben heard the loveliest sound that had ever graced his ears.
Water
He could hear the rushing sound of water somewhere off in the distance. Grabbing Hansel’s arm and yanking him to the right, Ben pulled the other man along as he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.
“What are you doing?” Hansel asked jerking his arm from Ben’s grasp but thankfully continuing to run alongside him.
Ben didn’t answer, as he was straining to hear the water over his loud breathing and the crunch of their footsteps against the forest floor. As the sound got louder their path through the woods got ever steeper and Ben hazarded a glance backward and saw their fiery pursuers were a lot closer than they had been before.
They climbed the steeper and steeper grades as quickly as possible. All of a sudden they came to the edge of a cliff that overlooked a large waterfall with an enormous pool of water at the bottom.
Ben felt panic streak through him as he saw how far down the pool was from the clifftop and all it took was a quick turn of his head to see the hellhounds were almost upon them. He knew what they had to do.
Turning to Hansel, Ben said in a shaky voice, “We have to jump.”
“What?!?!” Hansel shouted a growing look of panic on his face as he peered over the edge. “Are you crazy? I am not jumping!”
“We have no choice,” Ben shouted back. He knew they couldn’t face the two hellhounds without getting burned to a crisp like the villagers; they had no salt in which to contain them so they had to jump. Water was the only thing that could save them now.
“We always have choices,” Hansel grumbled unhappily just as the hellhounds slid to a stop a few yards in front of them. “Just not very good ones,” he finished as he turned towards the beasts pulling out his crossbow as he did.
They watched as the two hounds dripped fire from their bodies, singeing the ground as they slowly stalked closer their loud throaty growls echoing off the surrounding trees.
Ben was so scared he was shaking. He’d always had a fear of being burned ever since he had tripped and fallen into a cooking fire when he was young. The burns to his shoulder had been so painful that he had tried to stay away from all fires since then. Burning to death was a frequent nightmare for him and Ben knew that he couldn’t face the possibility of it coming true. But he also knew he couldn’t leave Hansel up here to face them alone.
One of the hounds charged a few steps forward and Hansel let loose an arrow. The arrow hit the hound right in the eye. Ben and Hansel watched as the arrow caught fire and burned, then with a shake of its head the hound’s eye returned just as blood red and undamaged as before. The beasts continued to stalk forward.
“Well that didn’t work,” Hansel said, with fear and chagrin in his voice.
As the two hounds continued to move Ben and Hansel answered by inching slowly back but Ben quickly realized they were running out of room on the clifftop. In fact they were inches away from the edge.
“We have to go now!” Ben yelled as he clutched Hansel’s arm.
Hansel gave a fearful glance down at the water and said, “I’d rather take my chances with the hellhounds.”
Ben looked into the fiery maws of the beasts as they edged ever closer and knew that staying up here to fight the hellhounds was a death sentence, but he was unsure of how to convince Hansel of the truth of that fact. Opening his mouth to say something, anything that would sway the other man, he suddenly saw out of the corner of his eye one of the hounds making a charge straight towards Hansel. Ben threw himself in front of him and felt a burning pain across his back causing him to scream in agony before he grabbed the front of Hansel’s tunic and using his momentum pushed them both over the edge of the cliff.
~Hansel & Gretel~
Ben found that hitting the water from that height felt like running full tilt into a stone wall.
It hurt…a lot.
It also left him dazed as his body tumbled over and over into deeper and deeper water until the shock of the freezing cold liquid finally got through his muddled thoughts. Pushing himself upwards with sure powerful strokes, Ben thanked whoever might be listening that he had learned how to swim when he was younger. When he broke through the surface he took in a much-needed deep breath of air and looked around for Hansel.
All he saw was a waterfall, the pond he was currently treading water in, and the cliffs where he could just make out two specs of fiery light pacing back and forth along the edge. What he didn’t see was his erstwhile companion.
“Hansel!” he shouted as he turned in a circle. There was no answer. His shouts grew increasingly more alarmed as the silence stretched on.
Finally, a panicked splashing to his left caught his attention and Ben saw Hansel struggling to keep his head above water. Ben took off with sure strokes desperate to get to him before he slipped under. Just as Hansel sank beneath the water Ben managed to reach him and pull him back to the surface.
Ben jerked out of the way as one of Hansel’s arms swung out and almost caught him in the face, “It’s me! Calm down, I’ve got you!” Ben shouted trying to get through to the struggling man.
“Ben?” Hansel asked as he stopped flailing his limbs and looked over at him.
“Ya it’s me,” Ben reassured, pulling a now unresisting Hansel towards him and then he wrapped one arm around him turning Hansel so his back was resting against him, “Just relax. I’ll get us to shore.”
Hansel gave a nervous laugh, “You know how to swim?”
“I do. You are just going to have to trust me,” Ben said seriously knowing trust did not come easily to the man in his arms.
Hansel relaxed and let Ben take more of his weight and said just as solemnly “I do.”
Ben felt those two words repeat over and over in his head and settle somewhere in his heart. They spurred him on as he slowly swam to shore pulling Hansel with him.
~Hansel & Gretel~
Ben watched out of the corner of his eye as Gretel walked across the camp until she stood in front of Hansel who was tending the fire, “It’s your turn,” Gretel said flatly as she held out a small bowl to her brother.
Hansel just stared up at her and with a shake of his head said, “You should do it. I’m crap at all that healing stuff.”
Gretel just quirked an eyebrow and said in a disapproving voice, “Avoiding him isn’t going to lessen your guilt.”
“I…I’m not…,” Hansel sputtered out looking indignant at the mere suggestion.
Ben kept his head down pretending to concentrate on straightening out his bedroll and not on the sibling’s argument across the campsite.
They had found a good spot in which to spend a few days to allow them to rest up and decide where to head off to next. They were all weary and sporting various injuries from their fight with the hellhounds.
Ben had gotten Hansel to shore that night just in time for the other half of their party to find them. Gretel and Edward had been at their post when they had heard the howls and had followed the sound. They had arrived just as Ben and Hansel had taken their swan dive off the cliff. The four of them had gone back to the village and loaded up on as much salt as the villagers could get their hands on. It had taken all night to get both hellhounds but just as the dawn broke they had put the last one down and headed back to get their payment.
Only as they were walking out of town with coin in hand had the adrenaline worn off enough for Ben to feel the wound along his back. He had kept it to himself until the next day when the pain had been too much and he had started to worry about infection. Once he had told the group Ben had gotten an earful from Gretel about how irresponsible it was to hide an injury from them. Hansel hadn’t said anything only glared daggers at him, even Edward had shaken his head at him like he was disappointed.
Edward being the healer of the group whipped up an ointment that would help with the pain and the healing of the burn. Since it was on his back Ben couldn’t reach it so Gretel had helped him but it looked like now it was Hansel’s turn.
Ben finally stopped pretending to straighten his bedroll and stood up as Hansel came alongside with the bowl in his hands. There was a harsh look on his face as though he was there against his will and he wasn’t hiding the fact he resented it. “Take your shirt off,” Hansel demanded.
Now Ben had fantasized Hansel saying those words to him in a few different ways but not with quite so much anger in his voice. He felt his cheeks flush and he shifted nervously on his feet as he stammered out, “Wh…What?”
Hansel now looked more exasperated than angry. He cleared his throat and said in a terse voice, “I need you to take your shirt off.”
Ben wondered if his face was as bright red as it felt and not trusting his voice he just nodded. Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, Ben was about to pull it over his head when he looked around nervously and he saw both Gretel and Edward walking toward them with amused looks on their faces.
“Take him to the lake. He needs to keep that wound clean,” Gretel said with a twinkle in her eye as she and Edward walked past. “We’re going to get some firewood.”
Ben looked over to the already generous woodpile next to the fire pit and said, “But you already…”
Hansel interrupted with a shake of his head, “Don’t.”
Ben looked back and forth between the retreating figures of Gretel and Edward and a resigned-looking Hansel and said with confusion in his voice, “But we have plenty…”
Hansel just clapped him on the shoulder and said, “None of our business. Come on lakes this way.” Then he started to walk in the opposite direction.
Ben followed more bewildered than ever. He glanced back one last time and saw Edward gently place a hand on Gretel’s back as they disappeared into the woods and then he thought maybe he understood.
~Hansel & Gretel~
“Alright get in, wash up, and I will put this goop on you when you are done,” Hansel said his tone a cross between bored and resigned as he settled himself on a fallen log next to the shore.
Ben nodded, shucking his shirt being careful not to pull to hard so it didn’t scrape along his still tender back. They had found the lake earlier in the day. It was fed by an underground spring so it was fairly cold but considering how hot the day was turning Ben was actually looking forward to getting in.
When he was down to his undergarments he turned and saw Hansel suddenly avert his eyes like he was embarrassed to be caught staring. Ben felt a sudden warmth spread through him that maybe Hansel had been checking him out, which gave him the courage to ask, “You want to join me?”
Seeing Hansel raise his eyebrows at the question, Ben rambled on, “I mean…it’s hot…and the water’s cold…we could swim a bit…” he finally was able to make his mouth stop when Hansel gave a low chuckle, an amused smile on his face.
“I appreciate the offer but I can’t swim so I try to stay away from large bodies of water,” Hansel answered.
Ben was disappointed but not surprised so he turned away then he heard Hansel say tentatively, “You seem to swim pretty well.”
Ben turned back and said, “A friend of mine taught me the basics. I like being in the water so I’ve gotten better as time has gone on.”
Hansel stood and cleared his throat, rubbing his hands nervously together, and asked uncertainly, “Could you teach me?”
If Hansel had asked Ben to paint him blue he couldn’t have been more surprised than he was at that moment. But he managed to stutter out, “Ya, sure…I would love to!” Then he winced at how overly enthusiastic he sounded.
Hansel muttered his thanks and started to remove his shirt. Ben turned slightly as he wasn’t sure if he should look away or not, but he couldn’t force himself to turn his back entirely as he saw the shirt slowly rise up and over Hansel’s toned chest. Hansel then tossed the shirt next to Ben’s clothes and started undoing the laces on his pants.
Ben forced himself to pull his gaze up to Hansel’s face. He met Hansel’s eyes and felt himself blush, there was a smirk on Hansel’s face now and Ben had the uncomfortable feeling that he knew exactly how he was affecting Ben. The uncomfortable feeling changed to a thrill of desire when Hansel walked past him now only in his short clothes as well. Ben gave himself a brief shake to get himself moving and follow Hansel into the lake.
Hansel stopped when the water was to his waist and when Ben was next to him asked, “So how do we do this?”
Ben honestly had no idea as he couldn’t quite remember how his friend had started. “Umm…well I guess we should start with the basics. Do you know how to float on top of the water?”
At Hansel’s negative shake of his head, Ben said with a smile, “That’s a good place to begin and you don’t have to even get into the deep water. Here I’ll show you...”
Ben lay down, arms outstretched and gently floated on top of the water for a few minutes. It only felt a bit awkward having Hansel staring down at him with a look of amused consternation on his face. Standing back up he said, “Now you try.”
Hansel had a look of deep misgiving on his face but finally, he tried lying on his back in the water…and sank like a stone. He came up spluttering with the countenance of a wet cat and said, “I don’t think this is going to work.”
When it looked like Hansel was going to leave the water, Ben sidestepped, blocking his path and held up his hands, and said, “No…No…you can do this, it just takes practice.”
Hansel looked doubtful so Ben rushed on.
“This time I want you to take a deep breath in and hold it. I will support you until you find your balance. Ok?” Ben said, meeting Hansel’s blue eyes and trying to sound as reassuring as possible.
There were a few moments of tense silence before Hansel nodded curtly. Breathing in deeply, Hansel took in a large bit of air, held it, and then gingerly leaned backward. This time Ben supported Hansel under his neck and lower back and tried not to think about the fact he was touching Hansel’s skin for the first time. When it seemed like Hansel was doing good, Ben slowly let go and when the other man stayed afloat, he said with pride, “You’re doing it.”
A wide smile spread across Hansel’s face as he realized Ben was right, “I am,” he whispered in wonder as he slowly let go of the breath he was holding. He floated for a few minutes on his back before he stood up and tried once again only this time without any help from Ben. When he successfully floated for a few moments he jumped up and wrapped his arms around Ben and exclaimed, “Thank you!”
The feel of Hansel’s warm, wet, almost naked body against his caused Ben’s brain to abruptly stop which was why he leaned into the hug and rested his head in the crook of Hansel’s shoulder. It was only for a few blissful moments then Hansel cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped back.
Ben was embarrassed beyond belief for basically snuggling against Hansel so he looked anywhere but at the other man and said in a somewhat high voice, “Um…so we should try treading water next…I think?”
Walking farther out until the water was at chest level, Ben was finally able to turn around and at least look in the vicinity of where Hansel was standing. “You’ll have to come out into deeper water for this.”
Hansel looked unsure but he walked towards Ben until he was abreast of the younger man. Ben knew he couldn’t let his unrequited feelings for Hansel get in the way. It was important for Hansel to learn how to swim so that the man would never be in danger of drowning again. So Ben gave himself a stern talking to and then forced himself to look Hansel in the eye and begin explaining the basics of treading water.
For the next hour, Ben taught Hansel not only treading water but also the bare bones of what he knew about swimming. Ben called it to a halt when the water went from refreshing to chilling and they had started to shiver. Hansel was doing good but Ben knew they would need more than one afternoon before he would be reassured that Hansel could survive another fall into a lake.
The pair of them stretched out onto the grass side by side letting the sun dry them. Ben was on his stomach enjoying the heat of the noonday sun on his damp skin. Hansel was next to him lying on his back, hands beneath his head, eyes closed. Ben wasn’t sure if he was asleep or merely resting but he traced Hansel’s features with his eyes something he usually didn’t do for fear of getting caught but now he gave himself permission to take in his fill.
When Hansel turned his head and opened his eyes Ben forced himself not to avert his gaze and instead meet Hansel’s. Ben licked his lips nervously as the tension between them increased the longer they stared at each other. Finally, Hansel turned on his side, resting his head on one hand, and with the other, he reached over and traced the scar that Ben had on his shoulder.
Ben couldn’t help the shiver that went down his spine at the brush of Hansel’s fingertips against his skin. Hansel traced the border of the scar slowly and gently, and then asked, “What happened?”
“When I was about five years old I was playing near the hearth, even though I had been told not to,” Ben said in a husky voice with a rueful grin on his face, “I tripped and fell backward. I was laid up for weeks and almost died from an infection that had set in.”
Hansel’s brows came together with a look of concern on his face as he sat up and carefully examined the two new burns that ran across Ben’s back.
“How do they look?” Ben asked his voice tinged with worry the memory of what happened last time now fresh in his mind.
“They seem to be healing nicely,” Hansel reassured, “Let me go get the goop Edward made, it seems to be helping.” He went and grabbed the medicine and sat down next to Ben.
Ben couldn’t help another shiver as Hansel gently applied the salve. The burns really didn’t hurt as much anymore and the temptation to arch into his touch was almost overwhelming, trying to distract himself he blurted the first words he could think of, “I’m sorry.”
Hansel stopped and asked in disbelief, “What do you have to be sorry for?”
Ben shrugged one shoulder and said, “I pushed you off a cliff because I was scared of being burned again.”
Hansel nodded and then set the bowl aside before he helped Ben sit up and scooted over until he was next to him. “You did the right thing,” At Ben’s doubtful look he continued, “I should be apologizing to you. The reason you had to push me off that cliff was because I was too scared to jump into the water.”
Ben’s eyes widened in disbelief that Hansel had admitted to being scared and he said, “You don’t have to apologize.”
Hansel gave a rueful smile and said, “Okay if you don’t want an apology how about a thank you.” Then he leaned over and curled his hand around the back of Ben’s neck drawing him slowly forward giving Ben plenty of time to object. Instead Ben drifted forward closing his eyes as Hansel’s mouth met his.
As the kiss deepened he felt Hansel’s other hand on his hip and Ben placed a tentative hand on Hansel’s chest. Hansel laid down on his back pulling Ben on top of him being careful to avoid his back as he ran his hands over Ben’s body. Ben in turn straddled Hansel’s hips and returned Hansel’s caresses with ones of his own.
~Hansel & Gretel~
Ben and Hansel returned to the campsite just as the sun was setting. Ben saw that Gretel and Edward were by the fire cooking dinner. He also wasn’t surprised to see the woodpile wasn’t any larger.
“You guys have been gone for awhile,” Gretel said with a smirk, “What have you been up to?”
Ben felt his cheeks heat as he blushed furiously thinking about what they had been up to at the lakeshore. He glanced at Hansel just in time to see him give Gretel a rude gesture in answer to her question. Gretel just laughed in response.
Ben was relieved when she and Edward returned to cooking dinner. Going to Hansel’s side he was surprised to see Hansel had moved Ben’s bedroll next to his. Hansel raised his eyebrows, a silent question in his eyes as Ben nodded and a shy smile played on his lips. Hansel pulled Ben down next to him and wrapped one arm around him, setting him against his side while whispering in his ear making Ben blush even more with his suggestive words while they waited for dinner to be ready.
Over the next week, Gretel and Edward went off several times to go collect firewood, and Hansel and Ben went back to the lake for more swim lessons…amongst other enjoyable activities.
The End
This entry was originally posted at https://under-the-silk-tree.dreamwidth.org/84576.html