Drabble #148: Drenched

[jalenstrix]

...we had a nice response to my last posted drabble prompt of Drabble 143, with entries by redwolf and me (your intrepid drabble proposer jalenstrix), and commenting by us both. (Hurrah, for my real life nonsense didn't prevent me from crafting my own response at last!)

As always, special labyfic love to redwolf for adding entries and comments for several previous drabble prompts. Huzzah!





For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Drenched

Drenched in what? Where and when? How? By whom? Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.




Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit for this month of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:
Word count: # of words
$your_beautiful_drabble


I'll aim to get the next drabble challenge out on the first Tuesday of next month (Apr 2).

I'm also very happy to take suggestions if something in particular strikes your fancy -- comment on this post or PM me with your suggestions. You can see our current collected suggestions here.


Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand. Authors generally write for love.)

Comments

Southerly

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah supposed that if she was Above the weather would be described as sultry, which felt like a distinct misnomer for the humidity that hung over the Labyrinth like a wet blanket. It was still comfortable inside the castle, but venturing out beyond its thick stone walls had left her wrung out and dripping in sweat. She just hoped that the thunderstorms that had been threatening for days broke soon, as the heat was making everyone prickly and uncomfortable.

Smiling a greeting to a pair of passing fox guardians, Sarah noted their damp hair and wondered if she had time to indulge in a cold shower before dealing with the next item on her agenda. She was heading to her rooms when she realised that it seemed as if every other person she passed had freshly showered. Two might have been coincidence, but the numbers she was seeing spoke of something more.

Placing a hand against a wall, Sarah asked the Labyrinth for Jareth’s whereabouts and patted it fondly as she felt the familiar pull.

It wasn’t until she neared the conservatory that heard the steady sound of rain and entering the room brought the blessed relief of a significant drop in temperature to her attention. With a happy sigh she walked to the open doors that lead out into a garden and let the gentle breeze wash over her.

A flash of lightning lit the garden and highlighted Jareth and Rook who were standing in the downpour, eyes closed and faces raised to the sky. They had divested themselves of their coats and Sarah couldn’t help but admire the way that Jareth’s shirt was almost transparent and clung to him in ways that revealed more than it covered.

She shook the thought away to wonder what on earth they were doing. It wasn’t much of a leap to bring to mind the uncharitable thought of mad dogs, Englishmen and inclement weather and she wasn’t sure if she’d scoffed aloud, but she was suddenly the centre of their attention.

Jareth grinned at her gasp, before grabbing Rook in a half hug and kissing her temple. As they stepped back undercover, Jareth magicked their clothing dry, leaving his wild mane still somewhat tamed by its encounter with the elements. Rook’s hair was still plastered against her skull, until Jareth tousled her hair fondly into something he deemed presentable. She batted his hand away with a laugh, grabbing her coat from a chair as she left.

“Is there any reason that it seems like half the castle’s occupants have taken leave of their senses to stand outside in a thunderstorm?”

“The first rain of the season is always a relief when it hits and there’s an itch to commune with nature.” Sarah blinked at him, wondering if this was an actual tradition or he was being facetious, but after the suffocating heat of the previous weeks, the idea of just letting the rain sluice away the stickiness did hold a certain appeal.

Re: Southerly

[jalenstrix]

Mmm...love the image of a shirt-plastered Jareth.

Re: Southerly

[redwolf]

Yes! Followed by the delicious indecision of whether to leave it in situ or remove it. Obviously, both options must be thoroughly investigated in the name of science. 🦊🧡

Re: Southerly

[jalenstrix]

Clearly. For science!!

[jalenstrix]

Word count: 366

My eyes snapped open. I was lying there in the cool darkness of the bedroom, drenched with sweat and breathing rapidly.

Helloooooooooo, nurse.

That was…something else. Or rather, it was something I hadn’t felt in a good, long time. I’d just been so exhausted playing at Labyrinth monarch all by my lonesome (okay, not playing exactly, but let’s just say the Faerie mantle of power I’d assumed took some getting used to, and I definitely needed more practice). But to feel that… shuddering wonder of ecstacy, to wake up from a dream of deft, silken fingers touching all the right places, the heated rush of skin to skin, of my body wrapped in every possible way around his…

It was nice. Painful beyond words because I missed my Jareth like whoa, but physically very, very nice. I felt a little frisson pass from head to toe just remembering that last moment before I woke up. The aching hole that was my grief sunk just a little tiny bit into the background.

You need this. Let yourself enjoy it a little more. The Labyrinth’s presence flopped comfortably in my mind, turning on its metaphorical back for a belly rub.

I extended a mental hand to rub a metaphorical belly, and smiled a little at the Labyrinth’s rumbling mental purr. So you think it’s healthy to subconsciously enact sexytimes with my iron-poisoned ex-husband?

He was neither iron-poisoned nor your ex-husband in that dream, was he?

No.

Well, then. Perfectly healthy. And good to see some of yourself coming back.

What do you mean?

The years of the iron-poisoning were difficult for us all, but hardest on you. You’ve been flattened by the weight of caring for everyone and everything else. Flattened beings don’t feel anything for themselves. But now you’re feeling again. Very decidedly.

I blushed. How much of my dream did you see anyway?

I got a metaphorical lick on my mental fingers. Does it matter?

Nope, not really. My dignity is already shredded.

Don’t worry. It’ll grow back. That Faerie mantle is exceptional at regenerating regal dignity.

Good to know.

The Labyrinth flopped onto its metaphorical side and curled into me. That’s what I’m here for.

[redwolf]

It's a reprieve, but the loss of Jareth is still harsh, even if the Labyrinth has your back. 🦊🧡

[jalenstrix]

So incredibly true.