Chapter Text
Radu adjusted the heavy beam on his shoulder again, as he stopped in front of a round whitewashed hut. He raised his head, looking up and shielding his eyes with his free hand until he caught sight of Harlan, perched at the very top of the roof, hammer in one hand, wooden shingle in the other, and a nail clasped between his lips.
Radu watched as he laid the shingle in place, grabbed the nail from his mouth and hit it with the hammer, each sharp thunk securing the small square of wood to the cross beam.
He let his attention wander to the muscles on Harlan’s back as they flexed under his sleeveless shirt, strong arms bare and glistening under the hot sun. He took in the way Harlan’s usually loose pants were now stretched over his thighs, fabric straining in the most tempting way. Physical labor had really done a lot for Harlan over the years. And for Radu, for that matter.
Radu was so distracted that it took him a second to notice Harlan watching him back with a knowing look on his face.
“Any more of that and we’ll miss it,” Harlan commented, the corner of his mouth turning up.
Radu let out a small laugh at how pleased Harlan sounded and smiled up at him. “Are you almost done?”
“Just about,” Harlan said, swinging his leg over the other side of the beam to find a better balance point.
A few years ago, this sort of move would have sent Radu into a panic but now, Harlan had done it enough times that Radu was mostly just impressed.
“Only a few more to go and then I’ll meet you back home?”
Radu nodded. “This is the last of the beams I need to bring over,” he told him, effortlessly shifting it again solely because he knew Harlan liked his casual displays of strength. He tracked Harlan’s gaze as he let it roam over Radu.
“Mmm,” was Harlan’s only reply, biting his lip, eyes still blatantly lingering.
“I thought you didn’t want to miss it?” Radu asked, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence.
Harlan threw his head back and laughed. “Alright, I’ll get back to work.”
Radu shook his head fondly before making his way toward the last of the five huts they'd been helping to build.
Once the Ehiri had discovered that Radu could lift pretty much anything by himself, that was the only job he was ever given whenever something needed to be built. Radu was happy to help since it took at least six of the Ehiri just to carry one beam.
Once he reached the half-completed hut, Radu gave a shout in greeting to the builders on the roof, then easily lifted the beam up and into place, holding it there until it could be secured by the others.
Radu made his way back home after that, passing by a few of the Ehiri and waving when they wished him a good evening.
There was no one around the central campfire when he got back to their semicircle of four huts. The fire was out, and everything was quiet so Radu figured the rest of them must still be working.
Radu ducked into his and Harlan’s hut and began double checking his bag, making sure they hadn’t forgotten to pack anything they would need for the evening.
He was just refolding a blanket when he heard the shuffle of footsteps outside of the partially open door and a voice asking, “anyone home?”
It was Rosie. He turned around. “Come in!”
“Oh good, I’m glad I caught you before you left,” she said, entering the room with a parcel held in her hands. “I have a little present for you both.”
“You didn’t have to get us anything,” Radu insisted, still not used to people just doing things for them.
“It was really no problem,” Rosie told him, handing the package over. It felt light and was wrapped in the thin linen cloth everyone used for carrying food.
Radu carefully unwrapped it and gasped softly, looking up at her in surprise. “Seed cake!”
Seed cake was his and Harlan’s favorite thing that Rosie made. They hardly ever got to have it, though, since it was difficult to get space in the baking oven for anything that wasn’t the endless loaves of bread the Ehiri had at every meal.
Rosie shrugged. “I was on baking duty this week, so I snuck in a few things for us,” she explained. The perks of being the baker, Radu thought.
He carefully wrapped the package back up and leaned in to give Rosie a grateful hug. “Thanks, Ro.”
She patted his back. “I have to go get ready for the dinner rush,” Rosie told him, pulling away. “You’ll be back tomorrow afternoon?”
Radu nodded. “We’re taking the long way around and stopping at the ship to check for messages.”
Rosie gave him a fond smile. “Have a good night, then,” she told him, stepping back toward the door.
“We will. Thanks again, Rosie.”
Once she was gone, Radu dug through a cabinet and found a small metal container that he could pack the loaf in so it wouldn’t get crushed. He was just tying up the drawstring on his bag when he heard familiar steps approach the door and step into the room behind him.
Radu smiled to himself when Harlan slid an arm around his shoulders from behind. Radu leaned into him, letting his head fall sideways against Harlan’s cheek.
“One more thing to add,” Harlan whispered in his ear. He held out his other hand showing Radu the small, corked jug. It had an impression of honeycomb stamped into the ceramic on one side.
“Where did you get that?” Radu wondered, intrigued. The village didn’t have enough hives to supply everyone with honey and mead. The Ehiri preferred honey, anyway.
He felt Harlan shrug. “Keeso owed me a favor.” He planted a kiss on Radu’s cheek and went to add it to his bag.
They set off soon after that, not wanting to rush their hike and to make sure they had enough time to stop at the waterfall for a quick swim.
The hike to the waterfall was easy, the dirt path hard packed by the many feet that frequently passed over it. It was wide enough that they could walk side by side holding hands, catching up on all the work they’d accomplished that morning.
It was early summer, and warm, the humidity level already beginning to creep up for the season, so the sight of fresh, clear water and the sound of a small waterfall was a relief to them both, especially after a long morning working out in the sun.
Radu burned easily so he always wore a loose tunic with long sleeves when he was outside. Once they reached the shade of the overhanging trees, he dropped his bag on a rock by the side of the pool and pulled his shirt off over his head, wanting to get out of his sweaty clothing as soon as he possibly could.
This immediately caught Harlan’s attention and Radu saw him look over, bemused. “Can’t wait?”
Radu looked up at him as he reached down to tug off his boots, “it was a lot hotter today than I thought it would be.”
But he wasn’t really complaining because that also meant it was going to be a clear night, so they’d have a fantastic view.
“Good point,” Harlan replied with a grin, setting his bag down at his feet and tilting his head to watch Radu.
Radu could feel the weight of Harlan’s heavy gaze on him as he loosened the ties at his waist and pushed his pants and underwear down all at once, carefully stepping out of each leg.
He jumped a little when Harlan reached out to lightly pinch his backside, and they both laughed at the surprised squeak he let out.
Radu stepped up to Harlan, pressed a fleeting kiss to his lips, patted his cheek, then turned to walk toward the short pebbly beach, knowing full well that Harlan would be watching him with every step.
Just the thought of Harlan openly eyeing him made Radu’s skin burn the way the sun never could.
He heard the furious rustle of clothing from behind him, then. By the time Radu was waist deep in the water, Harlan had already stepped up onto a low rock and was diving into the deep part of the pool at the base of the waterfall.
Radu leaned away from the splash, holding his hands up in front of his face and laughing when Harlan emerged from under the waterfall, shaking his head to clear the water out of his eyes.
Radu unwrapped the plain leather cord he always wore around his wrist and used it to twist his hair up off his neck and away from the water. He hated getting his hair wet, it took forever to dry.
Since he still hadn’t learned how to swim, Radu only waded in up to his shoulders, sighing in relief as he carefully splashed some water on his face, the cool feeling of it washing away the lingering heat he felt on his skin.
There was a flat rock nearby at the perfect depth under the water to sit on, so Radu grabbed the bar of soap from his bag and started scrubbing the sweat from his body. Once he was done, he leaned back on his hands and took in his surroundings, idly kicking his feet to create eddies under the surface of the water. He always enjoyed spending time here, with the soothing sound of water cascading over the rock face as the stream made its way down into this part of the valley, the plants surrounding the pool a variety of rich, vibrant greens, continuously fed by the water source.
His attention was finally drawn by the sounds of evenly spaced splashing and he looked over to watch Harlan swim easily to him and join him the rock.
Radu had intended to pass over the bar of soap but instead got thoroughly distracted by Harlan dragging him onto his lap so he could kiss him properly.
Radu sucked in a breath as Harlan forcefully pulled him in, responding immediately, both of them clearly feeling a maddening urge from too many lingering looks and the open expanse of wet skin.
Radu slid his hands up Harlan’s arms to rest them on his shoulders, one hand clutching at the short hair on the back off his neck, the other trying to gain a hold of the slick skin on Harlan’s back.
He was sitting straddled, so it was easy for Harlan to shift him closer, hand low on Radu’s back. The underwater contact made Radu roll his hips, forcing a gasp out of Harlan. Radu didn’t stop moving after that, especially not when Harlan reached a hand between them.
Radu groaned low, indulgently, resting his forehead against Harlan’s and losing himself in the feel of Harlan’s hand around them and the movement of the water. It almost felt silky against his skin, as it churned between them, keeping overheated bodies cool enough for comfort, just on the right side of pleasant.
They had their mouths open against each other now, lips barely touching, panting, hot breath mingling in the small space between them. Radu shivered, but not from a chill, and felt the hand on his lower back bring him impossibly closer in response. Harlan’s movements became more frantic after that, until he could hear Harlan’s groan begin to rumble slowly out of his chest while Radu clung onto him, breathless, eyes closed. He let himself fall knowing Harlan would catch him.
It took some time to calm down, after, until they could regain their breath and power of speech.
“That was unexpected,” Radu commented softly, nuzzling his nose against Harlan’s and stroking his fingers gently along the back of his neck.
Everyone knew about this swimming hole, so it was also lucky they hadn’t been interrupted.
“That was just round one,” Harlan informed him with a self-assured grin, clearly pleased with himself. He let his hands drift down to rest on Radu’s backside.
Radu laughed and shoved playfully at Harlan’s shoulder. “It had better be,” he replied before letting out a surprised gasp as Harlan suddenly slipped his hands under Radu’s thighs to lift him up.
Harlan attempted to walk them both through the pool to the shore, Radu’s legs wrapped tightly around his hips, but Harlan kept losing his balance on the slippery stones, and their laughter rang out every time they sank back into the water.
+++
The hike got a bit more strenuous after that, with the rarely used trail that led up out of the valley getting more uneven, narrower, and steeper, until they reached the switchback track that would take them all the way up to the grassy plateau with its cooler air and wide-open views.
Radu never got tired of looking down at the valley laid out before them. He could see the roofs of their village off in the distance, the closest village to them, but there were other villages spread out over the landscape, faint clusters of dark huts and circles of cleared land, trails of smoke drifting lazily into the sky. They’d even visited a few of them.
By the position of the sun, Radu thought they had about an hour until sunset, which was plenty of time. They stood standing for a moment to take in the view and catch their breath from the climb, before they began unpacking everything, laying out the large blanket, unwrapping parcels of food, and unrolling the sleeping bags they had borrowed from the ship.
Harlan went off to find firewood and kindling while Radu uncovered the old fire pit they’d used over the years, cleaning it out and fixing the rock circle. They built up the logs, ready to be lit once the sun went down. Then, finally, after everything was set up, they sank down on the blanket, stomachs complaining from the busy morning and the long hike, past ready to eat.
Radu brought out the tin with the seed cake to show Harlan. “Look what Rosie made for us,” he told him, smiling at the look of surprise that came over Harlan’s face.
“We gotta do something nice for her,” Harlan said, already reaching in to take a slice, breaking it down the middle and handing half to Radu.
“Weeding the garden?” Radu suggested before taking the first bite and groaning involuntarily as it practically melted in his mouth.
“Nah, she likes doing that,” Harlan chuckled, eyes sparkling at Radu’s reaction before taking a bite and doing the exact same thing himself.
“We could take over her duties for a day,” Radu said, thinking about how Rosie liked to spend her free days wandering around in the woods, trying to befriend all the native wildlife.
Harlan tilted his head in consideration. “That might work.”
By the time they’d gotten through the rest of their meal, the sun was much lower in the sky, the light already shifting to the warm golden tones that made the valley below them glow, infused with the last light of day. Harlan told him once that the colors of the valley reminded him of a painting he’d seen in a museum once, as a child.
Harlan grabbed the jug of mead and moved back against the large rock they liked to lounge against. Radu held out their two cups and Harlan popped the cork with his teeth, filling them halfway, careful not to spill a precious drop.
Radu sat back next to Harlan, and they turned toward each other briefly, tapping their cups together once.
“To eight years,” Harlan said softly, his normally dark eyes momentarily brightened by the rays of the setting sun.
Radu was suddenly hit by a wave of affection and warmth at the reminder that this man sitting beside him had chosen him, had stayed with him through everything, and would always be by his side.
“Eight years,” Radu replied, nearly breathless at the feeling.
They both took a sip, eyes locked.
“And to every day after,” Radu added, feeling the overwhelming urge to crawl as close to Harlan as he possibly could, to burrow into his presence and never leave.
Something of what he was feeling must have shown on his face because Harlan took his drink out of his hand, setting both cups down carefully, before bringing his hands up to cradle Radu’s face, holding him tenderly just like he had the first time.
The first time they’d sat on the edge of a cliff, where it all began, under the light of a different sun. When he’d actually felt wanted for the first time in his life.
Except this time, he could feel the faint touch of cool metal resting against his right cheek, a tangible reminder of promises made.
Harlan leaned in to press their lips together, unhurried and soft, reassuring. Nothing at all like the frenzy from earlier. Radu closed his eyes and let himself sink into it.
Then Harlan pulled back and said, “you’re everything to me, Radu.”
Radu opened his eyes in astonishment, vision blurry, letting out a sound that could be either shock or happiness, he wasn’t sure, but it was likely both. Harlan had never said that to him before.
“You still keep surprising me,” Radu commented, voice hoarse, entirely certain that he hadn’t gotten this emotional last year.
“I’m glad,” Harlan told him, dropping his hands away from Radu’s face. He slipped one arm behind Radu’s back, pulling him in closer. He said, matter-of-fact, “I would hate for anyone to think I was boring.”
Radu laughed in relief because, somehow, Harlan always knew how to keep Radu from falling too far into his feelings.
They both turned their faces toward the setting sun as it slowly touched the horizon, watched as the last rays slowly vanished, watched as the valley below was swallowed by shadow, until the twilight darkness settled gently over them.
“Happy anniversary,” Radu whispered, leaning his head against Harlan’s shoulder, not wanting to speak too loudly and ruin the beauty of the moment.
“Happy anniversary,” Harlan replied, rubbing his hand up and down Radu’s arm a few times and dropping a kiss into his hair.
They relaxed a little while longer, finishing up their drinks, enjoying the cool night air and listening to familiar sounds come to life around them, the rustling of grass, and the calling of birds coasting on the night breeze.
Radu shifted closer to press his cheek to Harlan’s chest and wind an arm across his stomach, bending his knees to rest on Harlan’s thigh.
“What are you thinking about?” Harlan asked him quietly. He threaded his fingers into Radu’s hair and placed his other hand over Radu’s arm, clearly sensing his sudden need for physical contact.
“About how I want to be as close to you tonight as possible,” Radu replied, tilting his head back to look into Harlan’s eyes, making sure he knew exactly what he meant.
Harlan gave him a warm smile.
“How about I light the fire,” Harlan suggested, voice low and rich. He leaned in as close as possible to whisper the next part, breath brushing lightly against the shell of Radu’s ear, “and then I’ll spend the rest of the night taking care of you the way you deserve.”
Radu shivered with the intensity, the low vibration of Harlan’s voice creeping its way down Radu’s spine.
But then, Harlan has had years to discover all the best ways to take Radu apart.
So, Harlan took his time, coaxing sounds out of him, sounds louder than the pop and crackle of the fire, Harlan’s hands and mouth worshipping him under a shrine made of stars, the faint impression of Harlan’s own pleasure swirling around in his head, combining with his own until Radu was transcendent with sensation, until the only fragment of him that existed in that moment was the piece anchoring him to Harlan.
And then Harlan would carefully put him back together again, bit by bit, making it feel as though he’d never been shattered in the first place.
+++
Harlan fell asleep first, quite some time later, utterly exhausted, but Radu wanted to watch the stars for a bit longer. He lay on his back, muscles aching pleasantly, head cradled on Harlan’s shoulder. He rested one hand on Harlan’s chest, feeling the slow rise and fall and focusing on the beat of his heart. The fire had almost burned itself out, the last traces of heat lost to the night air.
Radu sighed in contentment, lingering on the sense of everything feeling so right. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt this way since they’d decided to stay on Zesaria.
The rightness of this quiet moment, the unwavering confidence in the stability of their relationship, being surrounded by people who cared about him, living a simple life with the man he’d given his own to. Finally feeling free to live how they chose, away from the judging eyes of a distrustful society, of the kind and caring Ehiri who saw a group of damaged strangers in need of healing and who had welcomed them into their village without hesitation.
Radu eventually drifted off, enveloped in this feeling, with the warmth of Harlan’s body against his and the unending blanket of stars arrayed above them.