Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 106: Henford Honeymoon

 

Henford.

When most people thought of enjoyable honeymoon destinations, quaint countryside cottages, rolling hills and the ever-present smell of animal manure probably wouldn't be the first thing to come to mind. It wasn't romantic, but it did provide peace and quiet, far away from the bustling city, not to mention the beautiful scenery. Maybe that's why the newlywed couple decided that it would be perfect.

Or maybe Orion really wanted to pet some cows.

 He stirred, finally taking notice of the incessant, but pleasant, chirping of the birds outside the open window. His squeezed his eyes more tightly shut in a futile attempt to block out the late-morning light and permit himself to stay in bed just a little longer despite how long they'd already overslept. As his fingers tightened their grip around Skylar's hand, he decided that everything was perfect and he wasn't getting out of bed today, or possibly ever.

A soft groan and shifting beside him ruined his idea. "Good morning, sweetheart," Skylar muttered, not entirely awake yet either. She rolled onto her opposite side and laid her head on his chest, listening to the slow, steady heartbeat within it.  

He smiled, one hand trailing up to her shoulder and the other entangling itself in her hair. "Good morning..."

"What are we doing today? You said you had plans, right?" she asked. 

"Yeah, I thought we could go for a walk in the Bramblewood. See the sights and maybe some wild animals, look for the legendary ruins..." 

"Legendary ruins?" Skylar chuckled. "Sounds like you did your research before our trip."

"Yeah, I got kind of excited about it," he laughed. "But I'm mostly excited to spend time with you."

In a slow, lazy maneuver that he offered no resistance to, she was underneath him. Their lips met and smiled against each other, and her hand found it's way up to gently stroke his cheek. Orion's touch was soft, as always, but a little more daring than usual as his fingertips traced the exposed skin of her thigh. She grasped at the fabric of the back of his shirt, making no effort to remove it but daydreaming about what would happen if she could. But nearly as soon as it began it was over, and they parted for air, chests heaving and cheeks flushed. 

"...we should get going," Orion hesitantly suggested though he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to. 

---

Perhaps the most beautiful part of Henford was the picturesque landscape of its woodlands, filled with a wide array of fauna and wildlife. At the outer edge, there was a park with a large pond typically inhabited by mallard ducks -- which Orion insisted on feeding the snacks they'd brought with them for the long, exploratory walk that was planned -- as well as picnic tables and benches nearby it. 

"The view really is beautiful out here," Orion sighed softly. 

"It is," Skylar agreed.

"...you're not even paying attention to anything, you're just looking at me."

"Exactly."

His cheeks flushed as he tried to ignore her flirtatious grin and stumbled over his next words. "I... do you, um... think we'll see any cute animals?"

"All you're worried about is the cute animals," she laughed. "I'm sure we'll see some if you're patient."

He paused. "...do you think there are bears out here?"

"I don't know, probably?" She shrugged.

"What if we don't see any cute animals and just get eaten by a bear instead?"

"...I think you're worrying too much." 

Conveniently, before the conversation topic changed, a small white rabbit hopped out of the nearby shrubbery. It sat up on its haunches, nose twitching and ears flicking in different directions, checking for any signs of danger before continuing on. 

It was love at first sight -- for Orion, at least. 

"Skylar, look!" His voice was oddly somewhere in between a whisper and a yell. "It's so cute... I'm going to see if it'll let me pet it." 

Skylar lowered her voice to a whisper and shot him an unamused glance. "Orion, that's a wild animal. A really cute one, but still wild. It won't let you pet it, and it might bite if it feels threatened, so..." 

Her words trailed off, falling on deaf ears as he got up and cautiously approached the fluffy creature. Clearly, nothing would suffice to stop him. She opened her mouth to protest as he edged closer, but no sound came and she stared in utter bewilderment as the rabbit formed a seeming fascination with him. 

"Hey there," Orion whispered, carefully extending his hand to his newfound friend. The rabbit stood on its hind legs and briefly sniffed his hand before nuzzling it affectionately.  

Gingerly, he scooped it up into his arms, and Skylar racked her brain for a logical explanation for the situation as she watched in silence. After failing to find one, she mentally decided to dub whatever magical bunny-whisperer phenomenon he was apparently experiencing the Fairytale Princess Effect. 

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. After all, she reasoned with herself, he would be pretty cute dressed up like one. 

_____

"Are you sure this is the right way this time? That tree over there looks awfully familiar..."

"Of course it does, Skylar, there's a bunch of trees that look like that one," Orion murmured, chewing nervously on his bottom lip as he tried to soak in their surroundings. "I did read that it's past the bridge by the big tree... this area fits the description." 

"I really hope you're right. It would be pretty ridiculous of you to be able to navigate in outer space but not the woods." She smiled playfully. "I'm starting to question why I let you drag me along on this neverending hike."

"Because you want to see the ruins just as much as I do." 

"Fair enough." 

Beyond the bridge was, unsurprisingly, another expanse of woodlands. The disheartened pair pressed on, both debating on throwing in the towel despite coming so far, until finally a glimmer of hope beamed through the treetops and led them to a clearing. Aged stone staircases climbed to the top of a grassy hill, revealing what was once a grand castle and was currently reduced to little more than pillars and rubble. 

"This is it, right?"

"The Castle of Volpe," Skylar began with a nod, "or at least what's left of it." The steps crunched under her feet, knocking pebbles loose as she climbed. "From my understanding, the founder of the village of Finchwick -- Lord Volpe -- lived here long ago. Before that, there were supposedly ancient druids that held ceremonies and rituals on these grounds. I'm sure it's very haunted," she teased, but received no response. "...Orion?"

Dead silence, aside from a nearby birdsong. 

For a moment, anxiety emerged in the pit of her stomach as she glanced around in search of him. When her eyes finally found him, it faded to a sense of adoration, leaving her unable to hold back a fond smile. 

Rather than going up the stairs to the ruins, he'd gotten sidetracked at the nearby stumpy remains of a tree. Small holes on the sides were inhabited by a small flock of nesting birds. They were inexplicably fascinated by him, tilting their heads as he softly hummed along to their tune. One dared to delicately perch on his outstretched hand and he lit up like the sun, beaming brightly at the realization that it liked him. 

"I guess exploring the ruins can wait a little longer," she thought aloud to herself. 

---

"This pumpkin is huge!"

Skylar looked over her shoulder at the sound of Orion's exclamation. "Well, yes, there wouldn't be a point in bringing a normal-sized one all the way to the fair, would there?"

He straightened as she approached him. "You have a point."

Today was the third day of their trip to Henford. It also happened to be a Saturday, which was the day the esteemed Finchwick Fair was held every week. They couldn't pass up the opportunity to check it out, even if it was just a vegetable competition this time. 

"You know, this fair is nice, but I think you're way more interesting than a bunch of crops," Orion said, affectionately leaning against her. 

Skylar laughed. "I'd surely hope you think I'm better than a giant watermelon if you married me."

He pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek and took hold of her hand, intertwining their fingers. "You're better than a hundred giant watermelons."

"What about a hundred and one?"

Before he could wittily retort, a woman's voice thundered from behind them. "You!"

Startled, he spun to face the source of the sound; a feeble-looking elderly woman, dressed rather elaborately for an event centering around vegetables, with a concerningly threatening scowl etched into her face. "Y-Yes, ma'am...?"

"Just what do you think you're doing, behaving so-- so lewdly in public like that?" 

"Lewdly?" Skylar butted in. "We weren't being lewd."

"I saw you!" Rather than addressing Skylar, she leaned forward and pointed her finger at him. "You had your hands all over her, you nasty little pervert!" 

Orion's lips contorted into something between a grimace and a nervous smile as he averted his gaze shamefully. "I-I, no, I was just... h-holding her hand, it wasn't anything like that..."

"Keep your vulgar displays of obscenity to yourselves!"

Skylar's brows furrowed. "We're here on our honeymoon. Don't ruin our day with something so ridiculous... please."

The woman swung her handbag wildly, posturing herself to violently attack at any moment. "You're going to ruin the vegetables with your public indecency! Didn't your mothers teach you any manners!?" 

'That's a hard no for me,' Orion thought, but kept his mouth shut on the matter. "W-We don't do anything... indecent again, I promise--" 

He recoiled with a harsh smack of her purse. "That'll teach you how to behave!" 

Amidst his momentary disorientation, he heard Skylar gasp and a commotion starting all around them. 

When his vision managed to refocus, he looked up at the situation unfolding in front of him in pure disbelief. If he went back in time to this morning and told himself he'd be dubbed a pervert and violently beaten by an old lady with a purse that felt heavy enough to be full of bricks, he was pretty sure he'd laugh in his own face. But here he was, gazing at the most menacing senior citizen on the planet, who looked more than ready to give him another bludgeoning. A vague thought along the lines of 'maybe this is how I die' ran through his throbbing head. At the very least, if she had intended to give someone a mild concussion today, she certainly got what she wanted. 

Before the purse could make impact a second time, a nearby man came shuffling over to the rescue. He was a mismatched sight in such a proper, quaint little town, speaking with a thick drawl and donning worn overalls and a cowboy hat. "Mrs. Crumplebottom! How many times have we had a discussion about not beatin' up innocent people with your bag?" 

She appeared to loathe the very sight of him. "You call their canoodling innocent?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. "Canoodlin'," he repeated slowly, "ain't a reason for violence."

 She turned away and waved her hands dismissively. "None of you have any respect for your elders! Am I supposed to live out the rest of my golden years being forced to witness this-- this smut!?"

"There's no need for dramatics, Agnes, they weren't hurting anyone," someone nervously chimed in from behind the watermelon display. 

The woman beside her placed a hand on her hip and scowled. "Yes, if you keep it up, we'll just have to show you something really worth a beating for doing in public," she suggestively added, causing the other to blush. 

Agnes gasped and folded her arms across her chest. "D-Don't you threaten me with your filthy behavior! I've had enough of this, I'm going back to my shop," she said, her voice lowering to a grumble by the end of the sentence. "If I see any more debauchery going on over here, I'm coming back to slap the whole lot of you!" 

The atmosphere was tense and silent as she stormed across the street and into a market stall.

Skylar grimaced. "That was... something else."

"Don't pay her no mind, she's just a bit... old fashioned, I guess you could say." The man who had come to the rescue tipped his hat in their direction. "I'm Rhett Oakley, by the way. It's a real pleasure to meet you." He then turned his attention to Orion. "Are you alright? It looked like she smacked you good, uhh..." he paused, waiting for a name. 

"Orion," Orion said. "I'm okay. Just a little shocked."

"I guess anybody would be if they got whacked over the head by an old lady." Rhett let out a loud, guttural laugh. 

Skylar couldn't help laughing herself. "And I'm Skylar. It's nice to meet you, too, Rhett. Thanks for helping us out. Does she... do this a lot?"

"All the darn time." He rolled his eyes. "I noticed y'all were looking at this here pumpkin. It's the biggest one of the whole harvest." 

"That's your pumpkin?" Orion smiled. "It looks great." 

Rhett grinned. "It'll look even better as a pie. I can't take the credit for growin' it, though. My wife's the one with the green thumb." 

He tilted his head in the direction of two women. "Loretta. That's her in the checkered dress. The girl beside her is our oldest daughter, Daisy Mae. Best chicken wrangler you ever did see." 

Skylar's eyebrows furrowed. "...chicken wrangler?"

"So you own a farm?" Orion asked. 

"Well, I thought that would've been obvious with the hat and overalls... but yes," Rhett said. "We moved here from Strangerville about two years ago. It's real different than what we're used to, but the people are nice and we've got great farmland. You should come by while you're here in Henford." 

Excitement sparked in Orion's eyes. "Really? Do you have a lot of animals?"

He nodded. "We do, but if you're looking to hang out with some critters that take more quickly to strangers, there's a farm animal sanctuary not too far from us. It's run by a young lady who rescues them all the time. Real nice place, and unlike our livestock, none of'em will kick or peck you... probably."

"That sounds great!"

"It does," Skylar smiled. "We'll have to pay her a visit. Thanks again for your help, but we should really get going before Agnes comes back." 

Rhett laughed. "Yeah, you might wanna get out of here before she sees him clingin' onto your arm like that." 

Orion tensed, suddenly aware of his grave mistake, and glanced in the direction of the market stall. Agnes's scathing eyes locked onto his. 

It was definitely time to go. 

---

Henford Acres Animal Sanctuary. It was a simple name for a modest facility. Though it wasn't fancy, it was charming, and the animals were well cared for and friendly. The moment they walked through the gates, Orion was like a kid in a candy store, racing from one enclosure to another, unable to decide where he wanted to go first. Skylar observed from a distance as he settled for the llama pen. It wasn't that she didn't want to join him, but the risk of being spat on didn't seem worth it.

Truthfully, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him more joyful than he was in Henford. He always tried to be a cheerful person, but underneath that facade, it was clear he was heavy-hearted. The past few days, it seemed as though that weight was lifted off of him, even if only for a little while. Nothing made her happier than seeing him smile so much. 

"Skylar, he's really friendly! Are you sure you don't want to come pet him?"

His voice snapped her out of her train of thought. "If he doesn't like me, he'll spit on me and you'll freak out and think it's gross. I'll pass." 

Orion just laughed in response. "What makes you think he won't like you?" 

"Well, I went to a petting zoo when I was six years old and got spat at by a camel." 

"This is a llama, not a camel."

She sighed. "Do the specifics really matter?"

"Okay, come on, we'll go find something that doesn't spit on people." He gave one last pat to the llama before exiting, and the two of them started down the winding path leading to the other areas of the sanctuary. 

"How about the cows?" Skylar asked. 

"They're pretty cute." Orion approached the small wooden gate on the cow enclosure. "I think the brown one's looking at you. Maybe she likes you?"

She followed closely behind him as he walked inside the gate. "I don't know, but I do know she'll like you."

By the time her sentence was finished, her point was proven. It only took about five seconds of petting for the cow to decide she'd found her new best friend. "You're so good with animals. They love you the moment they see you." Skylar sheepishly averted her gaze. "...I guess you had the same effect on me."

His cheeks flushed. "W-Well, I... I'm sure she'll love you, so come here and pet her," he said, clearly flustered by her flirtation.

The cow mooed, perhaps in agreement. 

Carefully, she stepped closer and reached out to stroke the cow's fur. It turned its head to look at her, ears flicking curiously and the bell around its neck jangling as it moved. 

Skylar grinned. "Her fur is softer than I thought it would be..."

"Isn't it?" Orion was beaming back at her. "See, she does like you. I told you she would."

"I guess you were right," she chuckled. 

"Can we go see the chickens next?" He somehow managed to smile even wider. "I think I saw a really cute baby one when we walked past them." 

"Don't tell me the concept of babies already has you that excited," Skylar teased. 

"W-What?" She swore he went as pale as a sheet. "N-No! That's not what I--"

"Just kidding."

_____

"You know... I think I could get used to this."

Skylar grazed her hand across his cheek. "Used to what?" 

"Henford. The scenery, the animals, the cozy cottages... it's so much quieter here than the city." Orion shifted to lay down in the grass and gently tugged her with him. "It would be nice to live here."

"I agree," she sighed, laying her head on his shoulder, "but it's way too far away from work." 

"Yeah, I know... but can't I at least dream?" He smiled down at her and took her hand in his, lightly massaging the back of it with his thumb. "We'd have a really cute cottage. A pink one, of course."

"Of course," she agreed.

"We'd get a pet llama and a bunch of bunnies. Maybe some chickens. I haven't thought about what I'd name them," he continued idly, "and we'd have a big garden with lots of pretty flowers, and a security camera with facial recognition programmed to warn us if Agnes Crumplebottom is watching us..." 

Skylar laughed. "If any space administrations decide to open up in Henford, I promise I'll make that dream come true for you." 

Orion shook his head. "No, it's okay. You're a dream come true, and that will always be enough for me."

She thought she might melt underneath his warm smile. "Really...?" 

"Really."

---

"I can't believe we leave tomorrow." Time flies when you're having fun, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. It really hadn't felt like a whole week had gone by already, but tomorrow was their flight home from Henford despite any wishes that they could stay longer. "We should get some sleep... the flight's pretty early."

Orion scooched closer to her as she spoke, searching for a response. "Did you... enjoy it?"

She smiled and gently caressed his cheek. "Sweetheart, I couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon. What about you?" 

"I..." His heart felt like it was caught in his throat as he tried to wrap his mind around her feelings. Surely she couldn't have come here without any expectations at all, or at least some kind of hopes or desires? If she did have any, she was good at not letting it on, but it hadn't stopped him from agonizingly mulling it over the whole trip. Maybe it was his own feelings that he was failing to wrap his mind around. Every time she touched him, his heart skipped a beat and his lungs ran out of air and he didn't want anything else in the whole world more than he wanted her, but he could never seem to build up the courage to outweigh the fear. 

It was just... complicated. 

She frowned at his lack of response, opening her mouth to say something when he blurted. 

"It's been great, b-but... there's something that I've been... t-thinking about, and..." his voice wavered before he reached the end of the sentence. 

"What is it?" She asked patiently, not urging him on before he was ready to speak.  

"...I want you." 

Skylar only smiled in response, not suspecting any profound meaning to his words as she idly traced her fingertips along his jawline. "You already have me." 

"N-No," he stammered, his voice trembling slightly, "I-I mean... I want to make love to you."

Her cheeks started to burn. Out of all the things she expected to hear him say, it certainly wasn't that. "Are you sure? Y-You know that I don't want you to do anything you aren't comfortable with, right...?" 

Orion smiled, albeit nervously. "I know. I've never been more sure of anything, if you want to...?"

"I do." 

"Okay," he replied quietly, "c-can we just take it slow?"

She nodded. "Of course." 

He sat up and reached out for her with a surprisingly steady hand. "T-Then come here..."

She obliged, kneeling to straddle his thighs. Their gazes met as she held his face in her hands, which gently stroked the soft skin beneath them. "Please promise that you'll tell me if you want me to stop..." 

To have stopping as an option, or having any options at all, wasn't something he was used to. "I promise."

"Can I kiss you?"

"You already know I won't say no to that."

She leaned in and kissed him tenderly. He draped an arm loosely around her, guiding but not forcing her body closer to his. They stayed like that until they ran out of air, and when they parted, she dipped her head lower, cautiously stopping to rest her face in the crook of his neck as if waiting for permission. His hand moved to her hair, lightly stroking it, and he offered no objections. She kissed his jaw, then his neck, down to his collarbone where the neckline of his shirt rested--

"W-Wait."

She froze. 

Orion shifted away from her only enough to maneuver the hem of his t-shirt over his head. She watched, enthralled, as he stripped it off and let it fall to the floor beside the bed, but did her best not to stare -- not that her best was enough. He shyly made eye contact before looking away again, but she quickly recaptured his attention by fumbling with the buttons of her pajamas until they, too, were cast aside. 

It was her turn to be bashful. She averted her gaze to the side, trying not to pay mind to his wide-eyed gawking. 

"You're beautiful," he said softly, sensing her self-consciousness. 

Skylar's blush deepened and she turned her focus back to him. "So are you," she replied, her gaze lingering on his bare torso much longer than it should have.  Her hand moved toward his chest but stopped just short of making contact. 

"I-It's okay, you can touch me." 

She nodded and delicately placed her hand on his chest before slowly, painfully trailing it down his torso. His breath hitched and his muscles flexed underneath her touch. Her lips, now mere inches from his, struggled not to form a smirk at his anticipation. When she reached the waistband of his pants, she paused to speak. "May I?"

"Yes..." 

It didn't take any more convincing than that for her to rid him of those and press their lips together in another, more passionate, kiss. Orion's lips were silkily soft against hers as they moved with slightly more confidence than last time, while his hand found purchase on the small of her back, fingertips massaging gently. The pair laid back onto the bed, now side-by-side and clinging to one another, desperate for each other's warmth despite the heat already melting them from the inside out. His heart was sent fluttering in his chest at every tiny sensation, overwhelmed by the way she touched him -- the first time anyone had touched him this way -- lovingly.

When they were forced to part for air, tears were pooling at the corners of his eyes. 

"Orion? S-Sweetheart, are you--"

"I love you so much," he whispered, fighting to keep the tears from falling, "so, so much..."  

She didn't manage to respond before his lips crashed against hers again. She was taken by surprise, leaving the next few moments in a blur until she realized he'd ended up on top of her.

 When he pushed himself up onto his palms to look down at her, his cheeks were flushed bright pink. Skylar reached up to tuck loose strands of hair behind his ear and smiled reassuringly before moving her hand to the nape of his neck to ease him back down into her embrace. 

"I love you too." 

The rest of the night, and whenever their remaining clothes joined the others on the floor, was a blissful blur. His hands and lips gently roamed her skin, worshipping every inch they touched. With his body pressed so close to hers, she could smell the intoxicating sweetness of his floral soap and feel the heat of every breath he took. Skylar held onto every moment, not wanting it to end until she realized the next was even better than the last. 

With Skylar, there was no fear in love. As full of love as his heart was, he still craved more, to be held closer and to hold her tighter, to completely lose himself in the euphoria he was feeling. It was indescribably different from the years that Orion spent unloved and unwanted, and he knew he could never go without it again. 

He knew he'd never have to.