Many Shapes

O. Leary (via relatablepoetryandquotes)

O. Leary (via relatablepoetryandquotes)

“Let’s give them the sickest thing ever.”

           𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶-   𝙷𝙴   𝚆𝙰𝚂   𝙰𝙱𝚂𝙾𝙻𝚄𝚃𝙴𝙻𝚈   𝚄𝙿   𝚃𝙾   𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶   𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁   𝚃𝙷𝙰𝙽   𝚃𝙾   𝙴𝙽𝙹𝙾𝚈   𝙷𝙸𝚂   𝚃𝙸𝙼𝙴   𝙾𝚄𝚃   𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴     -a luxury not many often had, especially not when it came to him or his sisters. For centuries they had been told to let any relations they had bleed dry. Lovers would turn old and fade from this world eventually. A cruel fate, and often cursed although they understood why their parents tried to save them from such heartbreak.

     This, however, could be a new beginning. For him, at least.

     Váli chuckled softly when he could feel the juice dripping down his chin, wanting to reach up his hand himself before he could feel Fjor wiping it away. It must have looked completely ridiculous, or perhaps even adorable. However, none of that mattered now. They were here, together, without anyone to tell them to stop meeting.

     ❝   Just like being somewhere where there is absolutely no one else to disturb you.   ❞     He answered quietly, offering Fjor another smile. He licked his lips, enjoying the sweet taste of peach on his tongue.

     ❝   Don’t get that luxury often when someone has to be with you all the time- and that someone is often one of your older sisters making sure I don’t fall into a river or something.   ❞

      Together. They were indeed, and it was surprising how much Fjor enjoyed it. He had always thought that a relationship would be stifling for him, but it was not. Váli allowed him plenty of space and plenty of time, but he never felt the need to take it. He wanted to be with the blonde boy whenever he could and as much as the other wanted.

      Hands found Váli's cheek, petting it gently, before feeding him another piece of fruit, for a moment watching the manner in which he licked his lips. His body, for once, behaved like was appropriate for a teenager and he quickly leant down to steal a kiss. It was easy. It was good.

            𝙷𝙴   𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳   𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻   𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝚂𝙾𝙵𝚃   𝙵𝙰𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙲   𝙱𝙴𝙽𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷   𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂   𝙾𝙵   𝙷𝙸𝚂   𝙵𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁𝚂     -a soft smile playing on his lips. Váli sat himself down cross-legged, swaying back and forth a little as if slightly restless. He wasn’t, not at all even. Just like his father he simply could not sit still for a long time, that was all.

     ❝   Eternal, immortal frost giant-   ❞     The blond repeated with a soft chuckle hiding in the back of his voice. He, too, carried giant blood inside him. It showed in how tall he actually was- tall and lanky, again just like his father. Not much else gave it away, and perhaps for the best. His oldest sister, on the other hand was more like their mother, at least a lot shorter than him and their father. She possessed other traits inherited by their father though.

      ❝   Doesn’t even realise when someone uses an excuse to sit down,   ❞     he continued, grin now having curled the edges of his lips upwards slightly. Váli leant back on his elbows, turning his face in Fjor’s direction, hoping he could follow whatever he was doing at the moment. The promise of food had made him hungry.

      ❝   I mean, we’re removed far enough from Edda, aren’t we ? Not much chance anyone will find us out here ?   ❞

     He had taken a fabric he knew that Váli would like, the softness of it almost caressing against his fingertips. He ignored the jesting of his lover - used to it and, if he was fair, even fond of it as he spread out the wares they could eat on the blanket. The scent of the food whirled all around the blonde boy as his lover was working. He had obviously tried his best.

       "No one will find us here, no," he hummed, "this part of the mountain belongs to my family, although they never come here. I usually only come here to paraglide, but I thought I might as well take you here, too. It can be our secret spot. Open up..."

       His fingertips caressed Váli's lips as a sign he wanted to feed him something and when the boy opened his mouth he could feel the soft sweetness of peach, some of the juice dribbling down his chin. Fjor wiped it away with the back of his hand.

              𝙷𝙴   𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳   𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻   𝙵𝙹𝙾𝚁   𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶   𝚃𝙾   𝙻𝙴𝙰𝙽   𝚃𝙾   𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝚂𝙸𝙳𝙴   𝙰   𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚃𝙻𝙴     -so with a small tug on his other arm Váli motioned the boy to stop and just sit down. The grass felt soft, and not too damp. Granted, he had absolutely no clue about their views, but feeling the wind caressing the side of his face he was sure they were not surrounded by too much trees either.

     ❝   Absolutely nothing wrong with that,   ❞     He said with a small shrug. In fact, he would not admit to but that was something that made him rather excited. Again it was the trust he felt when Fjor was near him. Both his sisters had already started to pester him with it                            a lovesick puppy. He was, he knew   &   was certainly not embarrassed about it either.

     ❝   But I do want you to sit down, idiot. Whatever you brought with you, you can not possibly carry that all on your own.   ❞     Giant or not, food was heavy, his paragliding equipment was certainly heavy, and no matter how much Váli liked to walk, sitting down and feeling Fjor’s head rest in his lap- or the other way around -was definitely a better way to spend their time together. So he sat down, patting the grass next to him.

     ❝   Did you bring a blanket ?   ❞

         Váli trusted him, and Fjor knew that. He would never abuse it, but he did sometimes like to use it to his advantage, such as now. Knowing that his boyfriend would enjoy the textures and tastes he had gathered together filled him with excitement and he couldn't wait to get started. The weather was good for it, too. A little chilly, but the sky was blue and bright.

         Lovesick. He was it, too. Saxa had commented on it and he had played it down, told her that it was nothing of the sort, that he was using Váli for his own pleasure, but none of that was true and it was only a matter of time before they would realise that. It was not hard lying to Saxa, but it was hard having to hide the truth. He had come to love Váli and he had not even told the boy yet out of fear of his own parents.

        "I am an eternal, immortal frost giant, Váli," he said, "so I can very much carry all of this on my own if I have to. However, you picked a nice spot, and seeing that I am not rubbish at dates, yes, I did bring a blanket."

              𝙽𝙴𝙸𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁   𝙳𝙸𝙳   𝙷𝙴   𝚆𝙰𝙽𝚃   𝚃𝙾   𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁   𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝚂𝙰𝙳𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂   𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙵𝙰𝙲𝙸𝙽𝙶   𝙸𝙽   𝙵𝙹𝙾𝚁’𝚂   𝚅𝙾𝙸𝙲𝙴     -so Váli gave him a small nod, pressing a soft kiss against the other’s neck before moving away. Both had a past, done enough things they were not proud of. Actually, Váli was glad Fjor wanted to talk to him about it, and was slowly giving him more insight into his past. He wanted to get to know the other, and perhaps it would take them decades- it would be worth it.

      ❝   I would never let food go to a waste. I’m too hungry for that.   ❞     He could always eat   &   perhaps that was a trait he had inherited from his father, but Fjor didn’t really seem to share that sort of appetite                          so not a giant thing either, maybe. It was probably a good thing he moved around a lot. That much food did a lot to the human body.

     Váli let the other guide him, a soft hum stuck in the back of his voice. He could feel the grass below his boots, revelling in the sound it made with every step he took. Nature was something incredible, unexplainable. He was actually glad that Fjor shared his concern with everything that was happening around them. If Jutul industries truly was ruining the water   &   more, was there not something they could do to put a stop to it ?

     ❝   Couldn’t smell everything you brought. Why won’t you tell me, my stomach is growling already anyway-   ❞

     Váli's appetite was something Fjor found very, very funny but also took care of at all times. They hardly went anywhere without a filled picnic basket and he often filled it to the brim with his lover's favourites. Today, too, had he tried to make something out of it, although perhaps now he lamented having brought so much, the basket weighing heavy on his arm.

       There were things about Jutul Industries that not even Fjor knew about, and he was unsure if he even wanted to know. Of course, there had been times he could have found out but there was something to say for the whole ignorance is bliss-thing. Of course, that had been before he knew Váli, but everything was before Váli and he liked to think he was a different person, now.

           "Way to ruin the surprise," he pouted a little, "what's wrong with letting me feed you and you guessing?"

            𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝙸𝙼𝙰𝙶𝙴𝚂   𝙷𝙴   𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳   𝙶𝙴𝚃   𝙵𝚁𝙾𝙼   𝙵𝙹𝙾𝚁   𝚆𝙴𝚁𝙴   𝙱𝙻𝚄𝚁𝚁𝚈     -but gave him enough of an idea of what was out there in front of them. His family had yet to come here, so it was somewhat of a treat to be given these views by someone other than his father. So he wrapped his arms around the other boy, briefly burying his nose against the back of his neck, ending up with his chin on Fjor’s shoulder. He liked being close to the other, there was no denying that.

     ❝   Mom’s been complaining. She might only be human, but even she can feel that something is bothering the nature here. She says she can taste it in the vegetables she grows in our gardens.   ❞     His entire family cared about nature, that was something they had been raised with. They had always honoured the landvaettir, no matter where they would go. These spirits still dwelled everywhere.

     Váli did not want to blame Fjor’s family for any of this, but even he had his doubts about the Jutul factories. Surely, some things were simply necessary this time and day, but they had survived without so many of those nasty chemicals in the past                          even a jotunn would know how, he assumed.

     ❝   Vidar should know how not to destroy his own home, right ? He can not take away nature here, it would expose all of you at some point,   ❞     He mumbled against the other’s skin.     ❝   This world will not be here forever.   ❞

        "Vidar should know a great many things considering how long he has been on this earth," he said, musing gently, "and yet it seems that he knows very few of them. The longer I have been with him, the more I watched him act, the less I understand what he is doing. Your mother is right, Váli, something is wrong here, and as much as Saxa and Vidar try to keep me and Rán out of it, I am not stupid."

          He revelled in the manner in which Váli held him in his arms, the boy's scent enveloping him like a blanket. He enjoyed this immensely, and for a moment he supposed that this was what the teenagers he had been with in the past had felt like. Actual, honest desire for something as innocent as a touch. It had been a long, long while since he had felt like this. If he ever had in the first place.

         "Come," he said, not willing to get lost in those dreadful, fearful thoughts of his: the thoughts that told him he did not deserve Váli after his long life, after what he had done to countless of others. It was true that he had done things he should not have, but so had, apparently, Váli.

            𝙷𝙴   𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴𝙳   𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝚂𝙸𝙼𝙿𝙻𝙴   𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂   𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴   𝙷𝙸𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶      -his mother had often taken him hiking, especially when he still had been young. She knew he could just sit wherever they would end up and meditate almost. She had always said he could hear a lot more than any ordinary human- and perhaps that was true. Váli had never truly cared to find out, to be honest. His grin only grew when he felt Fjor’s fingers lace with his, finding just enjoyment in, for some, such silly touches.

     ❝   Think I am too lazy to walk a little ? Come on, you should know me better than that by now.   ❞     The boy feigned a huff, his eyes restless for a moment till they came to rest on Fjor’s figure, pointed out to him by the way the wind would hit against his body. He but gave a little pull on his arm, enough to make the other move with him. It was up to Fjor to guide him. He did not know much of his surroundings here                          that would often take a year or two to properly map down.

     He could hear enough though. The sound of cars had faded in the distance- not that there were a lot of cars in and around Edda, but here it was the sound of wildlife that had come to greet them.

      ❝   Well, show me around-   ❞     He joked, although he could find himself moving his head in all kinds of directions, taking in his surroundings to the best of his abilities.

       "I never said you were too lazy, I explained why I wasn't gentleman enough to bring you to the picknick spot," he grinned, giving the man a small tug to lead him in the proper direction. The wind was chilly, but Váli could feel the sun on his face. Here, up high, there were few birds, and the quiet would have been alarming had it not been so breathtaking. Peace, that was what Fjor felt here. Peace and remembrance, memories of a time long ago fresh in his mind when he felt this close to the hills.

       He led the boy to the top of a small hill and made him stand there. Ideally, he would have laid himself against his lover's back, but Váli was so tall that he would not be able to see over his shoulder, so he leant his own back against the other's chest and turned them in the direction of the village.

       A tug, a sigh, Fjor was not as adapt at sharing his view with Váli as Floki or his sisters were, but he tried, and Váli could see the shimmering of the lake and the red of the rooftops, blurry silhouettes in the distance, covered in a blanket of white.