Page 9 of Shared By Two Orcs

“If you want that, you’re going to have to come inside.”

His eyes run up and down my body as if trying to recall how I look without any clothes on. He clenches his jaw before heading in the door. I follow inside, watching as he glances all around him.

“I love how you’ve decorated the place,” he says.

My house is small yet simple. In the corner is a kitchen where I have two of everything; plates, bowls, knives, and forks. Hanging from the wall is a selection of pans and pots. A woodfired oven nestles in the corner.

The section we stand in now has a small couch, upon which sit pillows and blankets. Near it is my bed, neatly made and ready to use two people. A cozy fireplace sits in front of the couch that I get to work on lighting. On the wall beside the couch is a window giving me a full view of the camp. Shining through is the sun’s rays, glowing a deep yellow as the skies begin turning red with dusk approaching. The rays land on a wooden table with two chairs.

A small room on the opposite side of the house is visible through an open door, where there shines the glint of a mirror in the sun’s reflection. Below a sink is an empty bucket.

“Well, I’m here every night so… I’ve got to make it my own little world, you know?”

“Oh how I’d love to wake up here every morning…” he mutters, looking around in wonder.

Is he trying to throw me hints?

“Let me get you that drink.”

He leans against the wall, peering out the window as I fetch him a pint of water. As he reaches out to take it from me, our fingers lightly brush against each other. He knocks down the clear liquid in one mouthful before handing the pint back to me.

“Thank you Willo, I needed that. I’d suppose I better be going, you be on your best behavior now,” he says with a wink, turning for the door.

For a split moment, guilt runs through my mind as I think back to the orc I saw in the mines. He too was handsome in his own right and a part of me longs for more interactions with him, yet a kinder orc is walking out of my door right this second. It’s as though I’m perfectly balanced between my two attractions.

I then realize the orc I saw this morning was a chance that had come and gone, with no guarantee I would see him again. If I let Duma leave, I might suffer the same fate, and I’m not about to let that happen.

“Hey Duma!”

“Yes, Willo?” he says, his silhouette turning around in the open doorway.

“As a guard, your job is to protect this clan and serve its members, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Well…” I begin, swallowing the pit of shyness in my stomach. “My hands are sore and calloused from the mines, so would you kindly lend me a hand with dinner?”

Duma smiles, stepping back in as he shuts the door. He lays his ax by the doorframe and walks forward.

“Gladly.”

He takes off his armor, revealing plain orc clothing underneath similar to the fabrics I wear. I give him the task of washing and handing me vegetables as I busy myself slicing some salted dripir meat.

“Could you dice those for me?” I ask.

“Just like this?” he replies, looking to me for approval as he cleanly chops away at bulbs of frisse.

“Exactly like that,” I chuckle. “Do it the same way for the somana, burgona, and cryots.”

“Yes chef,” he laughs, the waves of which fill the air with warmth greater than my fireplace.

I combine all the ingredients into a boiling pot of water while Duma adds mesquite and gankoya.

“Alright, now it just needs some salt.”

Our hands reach for the salt at the same time, with his hulking palms completely covering my hand’s entirety. I look at him as his eyes meet mine. His gaze is penetrative, sending feelings of warmth down my body and between my legs. Smiling, he slowly removes his hand and gestures for me to continue. I can barely focus as I salt the food.

A few minutes later, he’s seated at the table as I bring him his dinner, setting it down in front of him. He leans over the food and inhales the aroma, then looks back up at me in approval.

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