Jason and Maya were in Jason’s bricked off workshop on his family’s estate. Jason and Hazel had explained their plan to clear the canopy of branches that blocked out the sun, wait a full day to allow the light to reach through all of the windows from every angle, then assault the manor.
After they all agreed to the plan, Jason had told Maya he needed to work on a few extra projects for the upcoming raid. There was no one alive that Jason would trust to work the flames of his forge other than Maya, and Maya always enjoyed watching the lanky wizard get half naked and sweaty.
Jason hammered away at his new pet’s steel frame and drew out a full three ingots of copper into fine wire. All the while, Maya was keeping the heat of the forge steady and watching his bare chest and arms get covered in soot at grease. Jason said something about using gold in some of the wiring, but Maya hadn’t been paying attention. When he turned to look at her, expecting an answer, she just stared at him blankly.
“You’re ogling my torso again, aren’t you?” he accused.
“It isn’t my fault your wiry frame has a certain… something that makes you look good in soot. Have you tried wearing more greys and blacks in your wardrobe?”
“If I’m going to take fashion advice from anyone, it won’t be the girl who insisted sackcloth was a perfectly upstanding material for a dress.”
“It is affordable and durable. Everything a lady once in a dress while she’s begging on the streets.”
Jason didn’t say anything back. He just smirked at her and gestured for her to mind the forge. Maya focused on the bright glow of the embers flying around in the forge’s main chamber. She listened carefully to the howl of the air being blasted out by the heat. When she felt the warmth spitting out of the forge dim even the slightest bit, she gave it some of her own body heat to bring it back to the right temperature.
Every time she did this for Jason, she felt like she was merging with the flames in his forge. The heat of the flames would warm her skin, and if it ever dimmed, the heat of her skin would bring it back to life. It was like she was in some kind of dance with the fire inside the forge.
Jason had called it a “symbiotic relationship” but she didn’t need fancy words to know how it felt. Ever since she was a girl, a fire had meant life. It meant warmth, comfort, and safety. Being this close to so much of it felt like she was standing next to the very essence of life itself.
She heard Jason say something that sounded like another question. When she turned to answer, he put the steel rod he’d been hammering on back in the forge. His chest was right in front of her face, and, with the way he was reaching, she could almost press her nose against his breastbone. The smell of sweat and fire coming off him was so intoxicating.
Maya stood there, heart beating, with the heat of the forge rolling up her back and the warmth of Jason’s skin blanketing her front. Too soon the moment had passed and Jason pulled the steel rod back out of the forge and began hammering it into shape again.
Maya watched the muscles in his back pull against his shoulders as he raised the hammer and brought it down. With each strike came a ring that made Maya tense and quiver. Watching Jason stand over his creation and strike it into his desired shape reminded Maya of a story about the dwarven god of smithing. Supposedly, he had forged the dwarves out of some kind of metal known only by the gods.
Watching Jason build his golems and automatons, she believed that story. If this skinny little wizard man can create such wonderful marvels with a hammer and forge, what more could a god do?
He turned and thrust the rod back into the waiting forge. Throughout all her musings, Maya had kept the flame steady. It was second nature to her now, and she would’ve felt if the forge was going cold. It would have been like her own heart not beating anymore.
She touched Jason’s chest and felt the beginning curve of a muscle. “Pretty soon,” she mused, “you’ll finally have pecks. Maybe even ones that rival the ones on Hazel.”
“Any muscles I haven’t developed by now aren’t going to suddenly appear. After the years I’ve spent doing this, my body has done all the adapting it’s going to do.”
“Well,” Maya said as she pressed her hand against his chest, “maybe your body just needs a bit of encouragement. Maybe if you had someone to show your muscles off to, your body would start to oblige.” She looked up at him and kissed him. His breath was hot, and his mouth was still sweet from the honey they’d scavenged for breakfast.
Jason pulled away as he took the rod out of the furnace. “You know the rules. You keep those urges of yours under control until I’m done working. After that, you can use me for whatever lustful thing you want.”
“You make me sound like some kind of succubus or faerie. You know full well why I get like this when we do this.”
“Yes, yes. The fires of the forge make you think of being alive. My sweaty, half naked body makes you think of sex. And once you start thinking about either of those things it’s just a feedback loop until someone can calm you down.”
“If you want to keep complaining, maybe I’ll ask Lilith to help me.” Maya crossed her arms in a playful pout.
“You could barely speak to her until she put her corset on. How are you supposed to be able to sleep with her?”
“Ideally, my tongue would be otherwise occupied anyway.”
Jason smiled and bit his lip. Maya stretched and took off her linen shirt and unbuckled the straps on her knee-high boots. Jason looked at her with raised eyebrows. When she caught his eye, she winked and unlaced her trousers. They slipped down to the floor, leaving her in a blood red corset and matching underwear. She always loved the way her pale legs shone in the light of Jason’s forge.
Jason looked at her and sighed, setting down his hammer. “I suppose that is enough progress for one evening.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s a very pleasant evening.” Maya wrapped her arms around Jason’s neck and kissed him. Without anything to pull out of a forge or hammer on, he didn’t have any excuse to pull away.