Chapter Text
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"What?" You look up from your spot on the ground, bringing a hand to your forehead to see better.
The boy who lived next to you is standing next to you, frame just barely not enough to blot out the sun. Orange eyes meet yours, almost like they were color picked from flames.
"I asked if you needed help with anything. You seem to be working pretty hard by yourself." he gestured over to the laundry you were scrubbing, and you hurriedly try to hide all the most embarrassing pieces. Soft laughter ripples from behind you, and you cringe.
Great. You just embarrassed yourself in front of the hottest boy in the village and it's only your first time meeting.
"C'mon. let me at least do the scrubbing. These muscles aren't just for show, yknow." He winks, flexing a bit, and you can physically feel yourself melt.
He sits despite your lack of answering, flashing a smile that would have the gods envious.
"I'm Ogun. and you?"
You can barely get out your name, choking on the first syllable in a way that makes you want to bury your head in the ground. He ignores it, gently picking up a shirt and beginning to scrub at it diligently.
He was good at it, as you watched to make sure he did it properly. It seems you made yourself too obvious in your monitoring, because he glances at you
"I live alone, so I have to do my own laundry too. You don't have to worry."
You almost manage to bring yourself to speech, but decide against it, simply nodding your head before you pick up a different article of clothing and rinsing it underneath the clear water pouring from the spout.
"You've only recently moved here, right?"
You nod once, a solemn thing.
"Why? Only if I'm not prying."
You sigh. You've had to explain yourself so many times that it feels like second nature at this point. you hated it.
But when Ogun looked at you, sunlight sparkling in his eyes, well, you hated it a little less.
"This is my father's village. He left in search of my mother, and settled where she was.
But they died. Our home caught on fire while I was in the next village over buying textiles. I came back to a smoldering pile of ash."
"And so you left?"
"I cannot live there anymore."
You spat the words at him, instantly regretting your actions. It was not his fault; he simply did not have the entire story.
But you cut that part out on purpose. or else your house would probably get burned down again.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to stir up bad memories."
A hand finds its way to your back, your first human contact since your parents passed.
It was enough to open the gates, and suddenly you're sobbing. unable to stop, you cover your face in an attempt to hide from it.
The vulnerability that you haven't let yourself feel.
Immediately, strong arms gather you, soft platitudes find their way through your hair, lips brush against the skin by your temples as you finally allow yourself to feel everything that had been weighing on you for months.
In the arms of a stranger, you find peace.
"You're safe with me." Those words reach you as you wipe at your eyes, trying to compose yourself enough to apologize.
"I- huh?"
"There's a little more to the story than just 'my house burned down', isn't there? or else you wouldn't be so...guarded."
He shrugs innocently, the smile briefly appearing back on his face as he gives you a once over.
You open your mouth, then close it again as you think about whether to open yourself up.
This may very well be a trap. news of your situation may have very well already reached this village. they may be trying to drag you out, using Ogun as bait to expose yourself.
"You don't have to tell me about it. Just know that I know what it's like to be a little different. If you want someone to relate to, I'm always available. especially for you."
He winks, and you can feel all the molecules in your body start vibrating at once.
And just like that, you're back to laundry like nothing happened.
But you can't help but wonder.
"What does he mean by different?"
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The laundry got done in about the quarter of the time it usually takes you. Mainly because whenever you got tired and started slacking (which was about once every 3 articles of clothing), Ogun was there to pick up your slack.
After hanging it in your backyard, you return to the front of your home to see...a sight.
That's really all you could call it, because your brain began to short circuit the second you saw it.
Ogun had untied the top part of his outfit and bathed himself in water, presumably to cool himself down. Muscles rippling and skin
gleaming, it felt like you were standing in the presence of a god. you couldn't take your eyes off of his chest, as water droplets dripped down the solid flesh of his pecs.
"Really enjoying yourself huh?" Ogun's voice is so teasing that you almost feel yourself start to shrivel up. Instead of responding to his taunts, you turn on your heel, stepping into your home.
"Shirts are required in my residence, by the way." you call behind you.
"Then how do you ever have any fun?" Ogun replies from the front room as he removes his shoes, and it takes everything in you not to break down into giggles.