Along the Great Divide

Chapter 20.5--Grato's Shirt


In days past, Mamoru and Ludwig got to know Heno and Grato a little better since their situations had been pretty much the same. However, one day Heno was looking a little flustered, pacing back and forth on the steps of the temple of Reyah in Nosferata. Mamoru had never seen him act like this unless...

"Heno, where's Grato?"Mamoru asked, grabbing his shoulder and making him stop.

"He's at the blacksmiths getting his sword sharpened but…"Heno said, his face blushing brightly.

"Buut…"Mamoru pushed, waving his hand along a little.

"He's…Well, just let me go show you."Heno said, taking Mamoru's hand and pulling him along down the steps. The blacksmith wasn't too far into town, remaining on the outskirts because of the metallic smell. Inside, they could hear the sound of metal on metal being pounded away, both peeking around the corner of the wide front entrance.

"What am I looking for?"Mamoru whispered.

"Just look at Grato…"Heno said whispering back.

Mamoru looked, peering. There was the fwooshing sound of the bellow being pumped, the light illuminating Grato's chest and back slightly.

"He's just got his shirt off working the forge…"Mamoru said, peeking up. Up above him since he had crouched down, Heno's nose was bleeding just slightly. The elder-looking mage wobbled a bit, Mamoru catching him and settling him against the wall. "Whoa, what's wrong? What is it about Grato that's making you all…this?"

"Well, just look at him. In our home town, Mitian men don't show their chests much…It's rude to…Grato never showed his chest to me unless we were bathing or something…but…to see him like that, working the forge like he used to…Something about it makes my head spin."Heno said, fanning himself a little.

"Well you have to remember, we're not in your home town anymore. We're here in Nosferata. I think Grato would like it if he knew you were drooling over him. You know…make him feel special."Mamoru teased. Heno flushed deeply, shrugging his shoulders a little like he was trying to draw himself into his own robes like a turtle.

"I…don't know how."Heno mumbled. "After being gone for nearly five months…I'm afraid to disappoint him or sound rude…or perverted."

"What? Don't be silly, I know you can do it. I compliment Ludwig all the time on his body."Mamoru said quite proudly. "It boosts his self-confidence…I bet Grato would like it if he knew that you were thinking about him."

"Maybe…but how?"Heno said.

"Go in there, but on your slyest smile and compliment him. Blush a little and act a little mischievous."Mamoru said, giving an example. He lowered his eyelids a little, smiling just slightly and reddening his cheeks.

Heno blinked, his head tilting.

Mamoru sighed. "Let's go to the restaurant and I'll show you."He said, taking the mage's hand and pulling him away from the blacksmith's shop. They went to Ludwig's restaurant in the other side of town. It was a little past the breakfast hour, the restaurant being a little slow since everyone else was at work as well. Chester, however, was fairly busy making deliveries.

"You're back early."Ludwig said, watching as Mamoru glided over to him, giving him a little kiss since his hands were full with dishes.

"Heno was hungry, right?"Mamoru said, looking over his shoulder to Heno who blinked and nodded vigorously. 'Lesson 1', Mamoru passed on to him. "I find it amazing you can hold so many dishes like this…"

"Well…There's trial and error with it."Ludwig said with a smirk.

"Do you need a hand?"Mamoru asked, the vampire shaking his head.

"No, No, you go sit down and take it easy."Ludwig said with a gesture of his head. "I'll bring out some honey tea."

"Thank you sweetie…"Mamoru said, brushing his fingers along Ludwig's backside, making the vampire's ears flick a bit.

Mamoru and Heno sat at a table by the wall, Mamoru smiling. "So you just…touch him? There? Then he gets excited?"Heno asked lowly.

"Of course. He was always teasing me about my bottom being like cupcakes….so then I gave him a grope one day and it gives him a little tease."Mamoru chuckled. Ludwig came out with a hot tea pot of honey tea with two cups.

"What are you so giggly about?"Ludwig asked them.

"Oh…just…"Heno said with a little blush.

"Muffins." Mamoru said with a clear of his throat. "Do you have anymore left from this morning?"

"Well, yeah…I'll go get you two a plate of them."The chef said as he cast Mamoru a wary look. The mage was up to something and something told him it was for Heno. The two rarely came to the restaurant together.

"You know your buns are the best too…"Mamoru said with a quirky little smirk that made Ludwig flush darkly in his cheeks.

"Ma-Mamoru…"Ludwig said with a stutter, clearing his throat and leaning down to Mamoru's ear. "I don't know what you've got planned for Heno there but cut it out…I've got to work…and I can't think about cooking with 'making cookies' on the brain."He whispered into the pale mage's ear. He chuckled, getting a pat on his cheek.

"Alright…I'm just trying to help him with Grato."Mamoru said with a sweet smile, kissing him on the cheek. "And I wasn't kidding about the muffins."

The vampire rolled his eyes, moving away from the table and heading back to the glass counter where the baked goods were held. He brought them back a plate of them, returning back to the kitchen to work on more delivery orders. "You and Ludwig have such a good relationship…I'm a little envious."he said with a sigh.

"Once you've got my secret techniques down, you can have the same…"Mamoru said with a smile, sipping the honey tea.

Later, they both traveled back to the blacksmith. Grato was still working diligently on perfecting his weapons, standing above a barrel of water with a claymore slowly being dipped into it to cool the metal down. It wasn't until he saw Heno and Mamoru in the doorway that he looked up, setting the metal down to greet them.

"Aren't you two supposed to be at the temple?"Grato asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. Mamoru could now see why Heno was so fascinated and embarrassed by seeing Grato with his shirt off. The man had abdominal muscles that could do the laundry and the dishes. And dry them all at once. Heno was beginning to sway a little, the shorter mage holding him up.

"We thought we would come visit."Mamoru said with a grin.

"Really…"The soot-covered vampire smirked.

"Yes, isn't that right Heno?"Mamoru encouraged.

"Y-y-yes…"Heno said, leaning back like he wanted to either fall or walk away in embarrassment. Mamoru wouldn't let him.

"Well come in. The owner's gone to pick up scrap metal in the town over the pass. I'm just borrowing his workshop."Grato said, turning. The two mages got a good look at his back as well but it wasn't as marbled like the front. Though, there was a long, dark mark down the center of his back and Heno bit his lip.

Grato, when he was still human, he received a nearly crippling back injury that left a very permanent scar. His village didn't have a healer until Heno came along so he was crippled for a while. Now as a vampire, it was still just a reminder that he didn't ever want to be stuck in bed again.

Heno and Mamoru sat off to the side, watching Grato work. Mamoru gave the elder mage a nudge once in a while but he would just shake his head. Mamoru finally got fed up to the point that he reached out, giving Grato's bottom a pinch and lifting Heno's arm up just slightly to look like he did it.

"That…felt odd."Grato said, rubbing the spot. Heno was a deep red but Mamoru grinned.

"Heno, you're so naughty."Mamoru teased.

"N-no I'm not!"Heno said with a deep reddening.

Heno looked up to Grato who seemed to have an amused look on his face. Well, he wasn't upset…in fact, it looked like he liked it. It was something out of the ordinary. "Really…"Grato said with a chuckle. "I don't think you've ever done anything like that before, Heno..."

The sound of his name being said made Heno just want to melt on his feet and stay there. He smiled a little awkwardly, trying in his attempts to smirk. "Well…You do have a nice…"Heno said, flexing his hand a little.

"Ass."Mamoru said lowly.

"Ass."Heno said, his face falling and bringing his hands to cover his mouth. He looked to Mamoru who feigned his innocence by looking at the dirt under his nails.

"Really…"Grato said as he sat down next to the flustered mage who refused to remove his hands in fear that he would be tainted by Mamoru's vivaciousness. He shut his eyes, but nodded. "What else?"He inquired.

The question made Heno's hands drop. Well…it would be easier to just say it if he was asked right? He swallowed a little, Grato's eyes flickering to his neck for just a second then to his eyes.

"Well…your eyes…and your hands…"He said, reaching for one of his soot-covered ones, running his thumb along it. "Little things…"

"No 'big' things?"Grato teased, making him blush.

"Th-that's…for me to know and for you to find out."Heno said, turning his head away with a hard blush. Mamoru was pleased with his actions, chuckling a little.

"I'll leave you two be…I'm sure the temple needs it's daily attendant…"Mamoru sighed as he rose, brushing his bottom of soot from the forge. He would definitely need a hot bath and oils after this visit back home. Giving a small wave, he left the smithery.

Heno and Grato were now alone, the crackle of the forge filling an awkward silence now that Mamoru was gone. Grato stared at the mage who bit his lower lip, his hands fidgeting with his robes. Leaning down, he gave Heno a sooty kiss. "Would you like to watch me work?"He whispered softly.

"Oh…yes. I miss watching you work. It's just like home."Heno said with a smile, wiping away the soot on his face given to him by the kiss.

"Home, eh? Remove a couple layers of your robes."Grato said, a bloom coming across his mage's face. Heno's mouth fell open a little, his hands coming to the front of his robes.

"T-take them off?"Heno stuttered.

"Yes…You'll catch them on fire if you have all those layers on. Come, I'll show you how to work the metal."Grato said, standing back and leaning against the hard metal anvil. "I'm waiting…"

Heno stared, fidgeting uncomfortably. "What's the matter?"Grato insisted, rapping his fingers on his bicep. He could hear and see Heno swallow, his face blushing furiously. "You…don't remember ever seeing me with me shirt off…do you?"he guessed.

Heno jumped, looking up at him and shrunk down a few sizes smaller. "No…It's…been way too long…and you know…"He mumbled, glancing up to see Grato with his hands on his hips, his chest completely exposed. "I…I..I, yai…yai…"He started to gibber, Grato walking over slowly and starting to peel back a layer of Heno's robes.

"Here's one…"He whispered into his ear, Heno's gibbering stopping.

"D-Do I have to take them off? I mean, I don't have to actually touch anything hot do I? I can stay away from the forge."Heno continued, trembling a little as his first layer of robes were pulled away from his body, being neatly folded off to the side. Grato started on the second.

"Relax…It's not going to hurt you…and you're inside. I won't let anything happen."Grato said, giving him a small little kiss to his temple, trailing downwards as he started to pry the second layer of brilliant blue robes away. Heno stopped trembling, his shoulders sagging a little as the second layer was removed. He was now just down to his last two: his primary robe and his under robe. Grato decided not to test him by removing more, slowly bringing his hand to Heno's shoulders and pulling the cloth down to his waist, bunching it there.

Heno gave a shiver, the vampire grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. "Ready? It'll be much warmer but the forge, I promise…"He said with a smile, leading the dazed and flustered mage over to the anvil. The sword had been resting in the heat for a while, Grato removing it and setting it on the anvil. Grabbing the hammer, he stood behind Heno, he placed the hammer in the mage's hand.

"Ready?"Grato teased, holding the back of Heno's hand.

"A-Are you sure I'm allowed to do this? Won't someone come by and see? I think I'll die if someone sees me like this."Heno blushed, the color extending down to his pale shoulders. Grato was tempted to take a little nip and run his hands along him but resisted the temptation. Instead, he guided Heno's hand down with the hammer, teaching him out to beat and mold the metal.

He didn't resist it and honestly seemed to enjoy it. Grato would grace little touches down his front and run his lips along Heno's shoulder, the mage halting any movement and quivering in his arms.

That was his Heno: quivering Black Sheep lamb in his arms. Sticking the metal in a barrel of water, he let it cool and set it to the side to be sharpened later. Right now, he just wanted to touch.

Heno stood wiping his forehead, his skin glistening with a dewy sweat from the forge. Slipping behind him again, Grato pressed his lips to his neck, his hands coming up the front of Heno's chest. "You look beautiful…After peeling back all those shells…"He teased, running his cold hands along the abdominals of the mage's stomach, tickling right under his rib cage.

Heno shivered, looking over his shoulder. "I-I'm all covered in sweat.."He stuttered, feeling his lower region stiffen uncomfortably in his pants, shifting a little.

"Doesn't matter to me…"Grato whispered softly, running his fingers along the muscles of his chest, pinching and running the tips of his fingers along them to make Heno shiver more. The mage leaned forward, placing his hands on the anvil.

"G-Grato…"He trembled.

"I'm starving…I haven't had anything in months…Not you, just pigs blood and that does not sate me."Grato grumbled, wrapping his arms around him, holding him while he was leaned over the anvil. "Spare me?"

They weren't in Mita…he could stand there with his shirt off. Heno looked down at the anvil, biting his lower lip. Reaching his hand back, he raked his fingers through Grato's hair, grabbing the the back of his head and leaning back into him. "Bite me…"He whispered softly.

"My pleasure…"Grato purred, parting his lips and extending his canine. Heno let out a hiss when he bit down, his hand pulling at his hair. It hurt, for it had been a while, yet Heno moaned softy as the vampire reached around, grabbing his front with a gentle squeeze.

Groaning, Grato licked at the wound he had made, pushing Heno down a little further so his torso was touching thing metal of the anvil. Admiring the way that the mage's hair trickled down his back in inky waves, he leaned over him, trailing his blood-warmed tongue from the wound on his shoulder, dragging down to the gathering of robes around his hips. Nibbling his way back up, Heno moaned, parting his legs for balance that gave Grato some room to press himself against his rear fully clothed.

"It's been far too long…"Grato breathed, Heno gasping when he grabbed the cheeks of his back end playfully. "I see you've kept yourself in shape."

"G-grato!"Heno yelped, sitting up and looking at him.

"What? Don't mind me…I'm just admiring the fine work in front of me."Grato teased, grabbing the gathering of robes and pulling them down further, along with his pants. Heno tried to rise up but Grato forced his torso backed down onto the solid iron. "Don't move…"

"I-I can't…not here. It's too open."Heno blushed furiously.

"Oh alright…"Grato sighed, helping him up but picking him up immediately and taking him deeper into the workshop, into the store room where the blacksmith kept his extra bits of metal. Leaning Heno over a table he cleared slightly with a sweep of his arm, he swiftly dropped the mage's pants around his ankles.

The breeze to his genitalia made Heno shiver, a struggled moan escaping him when Grato began to lick along the crevice of his ass, downwards to the back of his balls, suckling on the bit of skin there. Heno keened softly, bringing his hands over his mouth to muffle it in case someone did hear. The vampire licked, spreading his cheeks and probing as much as his tongue could go, wiggling around enough to make Heno stand on his toes, keening a little louder behind his hands.

"P-please…Ah…G-grato…"Heno moaned, looking behind him.

"This is going to hurt a little…I'm afraid with that face, I can't contain myself…"Grato purred, rising up and licking from his ass to his shoulder, pressing his own hardened member against him, still contained within his pants. Undoing the lacings and withdrawing himself, giving it a few long strokes, he pressed the head of it to Heno's entrance, pushing in slowly.

The Mitan mage whimpered, his hands gripping at the table as Grato pressed deeply into him, moving around slightly to loosen him up a little before he tried to thrust again. Heno moaned, looking over his shoulder with smoldering gray eyes as Grato leaned a little, pulling back his hips in little thrusts until he could pull back far enough to where the mage was comfortable. He moaned beneath him, bouncing and sliding a little against the dusty floorboards in the storage room, Grato sucking at the wound he had made to lap up the little remnants of blood.

"Mmm, ahh! Gra…ha..harder!"Heno keened, Grato obliging him. Lifting his mage's pale leg up a little higher, he gripped his cheeks apart and thrusted a little harder. The earth mage nearly screamed, clawing at the table.

"I've never heard you this loudly before…I like it."He purred, panting and kissing Heno's shoulder. The mage groaned, thrusting his hips forward, wanting to relieve some pressure that was building up. "Oh, I want to come!"He whimpered.

"Do, do…"Grato encourage, reaching around and pumping him in quick strokes, Heno keening, thrusting into his hand. The mage, in one big thrust, came into Grato's hand, the vampire soon after.

Both hit the floor pretty hard, Heno falling back onto him with a tumbling pant. "Oohh.."He moaned softly, his head lulling back against Grato's shoulder.

"Are you alright?"Grato breathed, panting lightly.

"Fantastic…Oh, but sore…"Heno breathed, lightly laughing. Weakly pulling up his legs, he pulled up his robes and pants up, covering them both up a little with their brilliant blue color.

"It has been nearly six months now…You've been gone too long."Grato said, kissing the kiss of his temple, running his fingers through the ends of his hair.

"You've been patient for a long time…and I'm grateful…"Heno mumbled, leaning back more with a heavy sigh. "I feel…so exhausted."

"You're still recovering from that place…take it easy…or maybe I should take it easy on you. Either way…rest now. I'm not going anywhere."Grato said, moving some hair away from Heno's face as the mage drifted off. When he was in a restful sleep, Grato looked over to the doorway.

"I know you're listening, mage…."Grato said lowly, a familiar face or two peeking from the doorway. Mamoru and Frei leaned from the doorway, both of them smirking a little. "Or mages…"

"We came to check…Frei found out."Mamoru whispered softly, creeping in to the storeroom.

"You should not have fornicated like that so soon…By all means, he could have gotten very ill."Frei said, gliding into the room and kneeling down. When his hands went to try to lift Heno, Grato's arms were about him, holding the mage there on his lap.

"He'll be fine…He's just tired. I'll take him back to the temple myself later."Grato growled lowly, Heno mumbling in his sleep. Frei backed off.

"You will do double shift because of this…"Frei forewarned, rising.

Mamoru sighed, shaking his head. "Give the two some TIME will you? You were very understanding with Ludwig and I, can't you be the same for them?"He hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Frei seemed to take this into consideration. "He's still got double shift."He said, lifting his robes a little and leaving the storage room.

Grato and Mamoru sighed, Mamoru getting to his feet as well. "Sorry about that…I'll try to calm him down back at the temple. See you soon."Mamoru said, giving Grato's knee a pat, leaving the smithery quietly as he had arrived.

Grato smiled, looking down and nuzzling his nose into Heno's hair, the mage smiling wistfully in his rest.

'Maybe I should keep my shirt off more often…'He mused.