Page 109 of Citrine

However, eating things raw is gross.

While he dives in the water to find us some edible fish, I scrounge around to find something to make a fire.

I go back up to the cove, making a run for it so I don't dry up. The leaves and branches are still where I left them and are dry by now. I pick them up, dragging them back to the shore. I look around the rocks and find the perfect rock formation to use as a fire pit. As I'm setting up, I hear him emerge from the lake behind me, putting his catch right beside me.

It's a huge fish, bigger than my torso. I don't know where he found it and I have nothing to compare it to. Thankfully, it doesn't have scales, so preparing it won't be hard. Now I just have to convince him to gut it since he can't start the fire himself.

"All you have to do is cut the fish open, pull out its guts before we can eat it. Come, I'll show you."

I've seen plenty of fish cleaned, since mypadreliked to take me fishing. I prefer not to hurt living things, but the fish is already dead.

All I can do is thank it for its sacrifice and cook it well.

I slice into it with a hard rock, point to what needs to come out, and let him take over.

He might grumble at me for all the new things I introduce him to and the thinking he would prefer not to be doing, but he always watches intently.

I go back to trying to start a fire. I gathered every different type of rock I could find, and I just have to hope some combination of them will make a spark.

When I glance back he is already done and is washing the fish and himself in the lake.

Using bits of leaves here and sticks there, my fire pit has come together. Because of the sheer size of the fish, I might have to use it as a stove rather than roast it. I pick up two broken rocks and start striking them against each other.

The first strike sets off Wroahk because he writhes over immediately, demanding to know what I am doing, snatching rocks out of my hands.

I explain it to him, and he calms down, and eventually stops grabbing the rocks back out of my hands after I curse him out for three solid minutes.

He's calm now, but looks angry when I catch him glancing over in my direction. It makes my lips twitch, as I continue to try new combinations.

It's a reddish rock against a greenish one that finally does it, which explains why it took so long. Neither color is something I associate with strikers.

I position myself near the sticks and leaves, and strike them together again until one lands exactly where I want it.

I blow on it excitedly, but patiently until it catches, then continue to feed it kindling until it is strong.

When I look over at him in triumph, his face displays his discomfort.

"You are too close, Eli."

I open my mouth to argue, but then I realize he's right. My skin really hates me right now.

It's a challenge to take continual dips into the water while also feeding a fire without dousing it. Eventually the coals are big enough for what I plan to do and I bring a suitable sized rock slab to place over my fire pit to cook my fish.

We laze in the water for a while as the rock heats. Then I place the large fish on it before heading back to the water.

He surprises me by sitting by me on the shore. He leans over to kiss me, holding my chin in his hands. I smile as I stare at his lips.

"That will take a while. Want to—"

I don't get to finish before he takes me down into deeper water.

His normal tentacles spread me open, teasing me with their slight brushes. He keeps his lips on mine, distracting me. His distraction works as I almost don't notice him entering me. However, his sheer size makes it impossible for me to ignore for very long. I gasp as his other mating tentacle goes in, filling me up even more.

He stays there for a bit with both holes filled, probably trying to give me a moment to get used to it. This gentleness doesn't suit him, but I'll take it. Even without moving, his mating tentacles are enough to rouse me to another orgasm.

"You… can move," I say.

He returns with a surprising kiss on my forehead, waiting for me to signal that I am ready for more.

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