One
Last Time
By Cheezey
Rated MA
The night air was thick with the humidity of late summer, yet there was no real chill to the warm air despite the fog that built amidst the plains and trees of the wild Arusian landscape. The hour was late, long past sunset, and with only the stars and the half moon shining above the light was barely enough to provide a modicum of visibility while the shadows of rocks and brush loomed against the moonlight in thick swaths that threatened to blacken it into nothingness. The path was quiet, a dirt passage that was once better traveled in the now long-forgotten days of Arus’ peaceful past, now somewhat overgrown as the city it once connected to the Castle of Lions had been razed to the ground nearly a decade ago by Zarkon’s forces. Now it was at best a settlement, a scattering of dwellings, shops, and farms, its population a fraction of what it had once been from the casualties of the explosions and exodus of frightened survivors into less accessible areas. The town, too, was quiet, for after nightfall the habit of the Arusians that lingered behind in defiance of Doom’s forces was to be cautious about drawing attention to their homes through light and noise.
Hunk was nearly out of breath as he ascended the foothill toward the clearing by the river, less from the physical demand of the two and a half mile hike from the castle than it was from what brought him to that remote spot at that hour. He had received a cryptic message, sealed in an envelope bearing his name in inked feminine handwriting and delivered to him by a castle guard that claimed a woman shrouded in dark garb with an off-planet accent had handed it to him shortly before nightfall. The yellow lion pilot, immediately suspicious of the circumstances knowing of a Doomite witch that fit the description given by the guardsman, eyed the note cautiously and debated finding one of the team to question about it before he decided that perhaps he was being overcautious—it was just a note after all—and chose to read the contents first.
Whatever he expected, the message he read, penned by the same gentle hand that had written his name on the envelope, was not it.
I know it’s been a while since we saw each other, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you and the kindness you showed me in the brief time we met. Arus is not my home and not a place I feel welcome, but I had to come here one last time to see you. If you have it in your heart, please come see me tonight after the town sleeps at the twin creeks.
As he read the message, any thought of a hoax or trick of the witch’s magic vanished from his mind as one sweet name rang through his consciousness. Twyla. A soft and shy smile, somewhat uncharacteristic to those who only knew him by image or reputation, spread across his features as he thought about the poor slave girl who had, along with her brother, bargained for their freedom with Zarkon and his witch by betraying their principles to sabotage Arus and Voltron some time ago. In the end Twyla not only lost her brother but the trust and to an extent, the compassion, she had been freely given by the Voltron force as well as her own self-respect. Although she was freed from her slavery to Doom in the battle and repented her poor judgment, she had left Arus unable to look into the eyes of those she had betrayed—especially Hunk. The yellow lion pilot had taken a shine to the pretty slave from the start and had defended her against the suspicions of his friends, and despite what she had done in desperation he had later forgiven her for her actions and expressed his wish for her to stay.
But she didn’t, he mused sadly, closing his eyes for a moment. It had been hard for him to watch Twyla leave, for in that short time he had grown fonder of her than he ever admitted to anyone. Although her gentle beauty had captivated his eye, her sweetness had touched something deeper, and the way she had smiled at him when he last saw her, he had hoped that perhaps she felt that same connection that he had. But in the end she left, and days and then weeks passed without a word from or about her. At first Hunk thought about her often, but as more fighting erupted on the war-torn planet and more urgent issues overran their everyday lives, he eventually had no choice but to accept that it was just not meant to be and move on.
Only Hunk had not completely moved on—or else he would not have been traipsing through the Arusian countryside in the middle of the night without a word to his teammates, running the risk that he was plunging blindly into a trap of some sort, just for the chance see her one more time.
Muttering under his breath about the rocks and weeds along the overgrown road that mildly impeded his travel in the darkness, Hunk finally reached the thicket of trees that held the spot locally known as the twin creeks. Given that name because of the way the two small tributary streams joined to form the river that ran along the road taken to get there, it was not a well traveled spot but quiet and secluded. The place was in fact rather out of the way and a fair walk from the road itself, only named at all because local fishermen knew it to be a prime spot for their sport. Slowly Hunk wound his way through the trees, and after bumping his head on a few branches that he never saw until it was too late thanks to the way the leafy canopy above blocked the moonlight, he finally made it to one of the creek banks.
“Hello?” he said loudly, a nervous edge to his voice. It was not because he was afraid, but because he had no idea what to expect—or what to say if he saw who he expected.
The only answer he got was the quiet rush of the water at his feet.
“Anyone there?”
A few more seconds passed, and Hunk began to feel foolish. Had it all been some sort of joke? A cruel prank? Or had she shown up and left, unable to follow through or unwilling to wait for him? He looked around agitatedly, and began to debate whether he should stay at all when he heard a shuffle in the delta between the streams. His head whipped around, and it was then that he heard a soft female voice, barely audible over the rushing water. “Hunk? Is that you?”
Although he had not heard the voice in what seemed to him like forever, he recognized it instantly. It was Twyla.
“Twyla?” he called back, stepping onto a rock that stuck out of the stream, “Is that you?” The moonlight that spilled into the clearing above the water afforded him enough light to make out a lithe figure weaving through the brush toward the opposite bank. Without waiting, he splashed across the creek, only halfway bothering to try to step on stones or shallow spots, flooding his boots and pants with cold gushes of water, and joined her on the other side.
A moment later she was in his arms, warm against him, her soft fingers curling against his torso with unspoken affection. “It’s really you,” Hunk said, looking down at her familiar face even though he could hardly believe it.
Twyla smiled back at him. Her eyes sparkled in the starlight and even though he could not make out their color, he remembered it, and in his mind he saw the lovely hue of golden brown shining back at him. “You came for me.”
“Of course I did,” he replied, and loosened his grip on her slightly as he felt how petite and comparatively frail she was compared to him. “I’d always want to see you.” He lifted a hand and brushed it across her hair, a touch longer than it had been the last time he had seen her. “I didn’t think you should leave to begin with.”
“I don’t belong on Arus,” she replied quietly, “Not after what I did to those who helped me, not where my brother died, not where I would have to see reminders day in and day out—”
Hunk frowned. “You made a mistake, but you did what you did for people you cared about. It’s not like you’re Zarkon. He and Haggar used you.”
She leaned in closer and nuzzled against his chest. “It’s too painful to be here, and I’m happy where I am now.”
“Then why did you come back?”
“Because I wanted to see you… one last time… and say I was sorry.”
He tipped her chin up toward his, looking down at her with reassurance. “Like I said, you did what you thought you had to do. I forgave you for what you did under Zarkon a long time ago. It’s over now. Don’t let it eat at you.”
Twyla smiled back at him, although it was tinged with just as much sadness as it was affection. “You have a big heart, Hunk.”
“It’s like the rest of me,” he replied with an encouraging and friendly smile.
The former slave’s face darkened again. “But I’m sorry for more than just that.”
Puzzled, he frowned at her again. “What then?”
She reached up and stroked the side of his face, her fingertips brushing against the coarse line of his dark hair. “For not telling you how I felt before I left.”
The yellow lion pilot felt his heart skip a beat, but tried vainly not to let it show too much. “How you felt?”
Twyla nodded. “About you,” she said, her voice taking on a slightly husky edge as she looked meaningfully into his eyes. “About how you made me feel when you were so kind to me… a strong man not only in body but character.” A fond smile crossed her lips as she continued. “How much I admired you, and how it felt to be held with affection when you saved me from that crash.”
“I thought you were out cold when I took you back to the castle.”
“Mostly I was, but I remember riding in your arms on horseback… and hearing your voice when you first found me in the sand.” She sighed. “Do you know how long it had been since anyone other than my brother touched me with any kind of affection? I was a slave for so long—it’s all I really knew. I lied when I told the story of my escape. They took me and my brother when we were children, years ago when Zarkon conquered our planet. I was forced to serve them for years. Kindness from a master on Doom is not being beaten when you perform well. Being touched either means pain or… or worse. The men that would touch me saw me only as property… something to take when they wanted.”
Although it was no surprise to Hunk that was how someone like her would be treated as a slave on Zarkon’s world, hearing her say it made his temper roil and made him hate those who had put her through that all the more. He held Twyla that much more tightly, and silently hoped that Voltron or his lion had or would slash or squash at least one of her former masters at some point.
“With you,” she went on, “it wasn’t like that. When you were with me I felt safe… comforted. I took shelter in it and enjoyed it. I craved it when you were gone and for the first time I wondered what it might be like to be loved by someone rather than used.” She looked away from him. “I should have asked for your help when it all started, but I trusted Zarkon and the witch, and they had my brother.” Twyla then swallowed, and began to tremble slightly. “I wanted to… but I was too afraid, afraid of what would happen if I defied them and afraid to try when Haggar used her magic through me. And then when it was all over, I thought for a moment that maybe I might still have that chance… but I couldn’t face staying. So I left. And for that I’m sorry.” Her gaze fell upon his abdomen, against his body as he still continued to hold her. “I should have trusted you like you once trusted me. I feel like we could have had something—”
The emotion seeped into her voice as she spoke, and Hunk could see the glint of tears in her eyes as he watched her try so hard to look away from him. Although her words had simultaneously saddened and elated him with the knowledge that she felt the same as he but also felt she had no choice but to leave anyhow, the fact that she was there now seemed like fate was giving them a second chance. “We still could, Twyla.” His words came out almost before his thoughts could process them, but they were honest and hopeful, and that was enough to make the former slave meet his gaze once more and smile.
“I’d like that.” She closed her eyes and nuzzled against him once more. “To feel love…”
Hunk’s earlier smile resumed. “I’d love you. With all I’ve got.” He smirked slightly and patted his chest. “And I’m a big guy, so I’ve got a lot.”
That time it was Twyla’s turn to smile, and circling her arms around his neck, she rose to her tiptoes to bring her face to his. “Show me.”
Suddenly the warm summer air felt noticeably warmer to Hunk, and it had little to do with the ambient temperature and everything to do with the pretty girl with him. The soft hue of the moonlight outlined her features in a way that struck him as absolutely beautiful, and the gentle lines of her mouth called to him with the sweet invitation of a kiss that he would not decline. A moment later their lips met in a tender kiss that lasted several seconds before they broke apart, their gazes intense upon each other in that private moment.
“More,” she whispered breathlessly. “Love me, Hunk.” Her words were not coy or coquettish, but innocently seductive in that she knew what she craved without the illicit meaning often behind such invitations to men, and she knew that the pilot who had once saved her could give her that.
Hunk needed no further urging. His intentions were not dishonorable in that it never occurred to him to take advantage of her naiveté or willingness in an ungentlemanly way, but rather his desire was such that he could not imagine not indulging in such sweet offering. With eager zeal he drew her into a more intense kiss, deep and intimate, holding her body against his as they mingled in the night.
The kiss turned into an embrace, which as passions rose in turn led them to settle in the tall grass on the banks of the delta betwixt the twin creeks. She melded easily into his muscular arms, a soft and yielding contrast to his strong bulk, while his large hands slowly explored her inviting curves—not in shameless gropes or lewd touches, but wanting caresses. Twyla in turn sighed as his touch further roused her desiring longings, and quivered restlessly alongside him as she searched him with her fingertips, running her hands across his chest, over his back, and through his hair.
The heat continued to rise, and the rush of their quickened pulses soon drowned out the sound of the water surrounding them as they explored the edges of their clothing. Hunk paused briefly as he found the hemline of her skirt, teasingly inched up high along the back of her thigh, and with breathless desire met her eyes, but her smile and the subsequent kiss she initiated gave him all the affirmation he needed that he was not pressing her into anything she did not want to do. Soon her clothes were discarded, then his, and the two briefly admired one another’s naked bodies in the moonlight before resuming their embrace.
Twyla cooed with pleasure as Hunk’s strong hand smoothed its way over her bare thighs, over her hip, and across her breasts, savoring the silken sensation of her soft skin against his own. She peppered his neck with approving kisses and drew her legs against his, urging him to explore further, and when his hand eventually dipped to the inside of her thigh and began to inch upward, she in turn reached for him. Her eyes closed and her breath quickened when his fingers explored her sex, and she favored him with the touch she had often been ordered to give lecherous Doomite masters under pain of punishment with complete willingness. Hunk let out a soft grunt of arousal and sought to return the pleasure she brought him until their lust reached the point where it could no longer be denied culmination.
Taking the burden of the weight for the wet and rocky ground, Hunk rolled over onto his back and pulled Twyla on top of him. She straddled him nimbly and leaned in to kiss him one more time while he took firm hold of her hips and entered her. She gasped as they joined and began to move in tandem, each seeking the closeness and pleasure the other had to offer.
With ever-increasing urgency the pair of lovers shared their passions, time and reality seemingly tossed to the wind as they realized their desires in the seclusion of the Arusian countryside. Hunk held onto her tightly, taking her with raw masculine strength and prowess while Twyla arched her back atop him, mewling in excitement between short gasps. Her fingers curled against his shoulders, clutching at him as her body tensed in anticipation of release, which overcame her senses in a dizzying rush of ecstasy.
Heaving with ragged breath, Twyla’s arms went weak and she lay down upon Hunk’s chest, surrendering to the sensation of her pleasure while he, spurred into a higher frenzy of lust, followed the relentless command of his libido until he too reached his peak. His thick fingers intertwined in the ends of Twyla’s brown hair as he thrust into her a final time, and he held her tightly against his body for a long moment afterward, making the last moment of shared intimacy last as long as possible.
A light breeze brushed against their naked skin as they lay there, and Hunk looked up at Twyla smiling warmly at her. “So does this mean you’ll stick around on Arus?” he asked, watching her meaningfully for an answer.
“I’ll—”
Twyla’s answer was cut off by the unwelcome interruption of a klaxon blaring, shattering the cozy silence and the moment and muting her answer.
With a start he looked around, body tensing in alarm and
panic. What’s happening? Hunk thought wildly. An
attack? Zarkon? He felt Twyla also tense atop him, and he
reached for her instinctively to protect her from whatever harm might be coming
their way.
The alarm grew louder. “Twyla, we have to—”
“Hunk!” the scream came from the trees downstream. The voice was familiar, and it was undeniably panicked.
Hand still firmly clenched around Twyla’s wrist, Hunk sat up, ready to spring to his feet.
By the time he was standing, however, the world went black around him and he found himself bolt upright in his bed.
“Huh? Twyla? What—?”
The yellow lion pilot looked around wildly only to see that there was no
clearing in the woods and no rushing streams around him. He was in his quarters in the
A dream, Hunk realized with a sigh as he nodded to his younger teammate and pulled on a shirt. It had just been another dream.
Frowning as he stepped into his boots it became clearer that the experience that had seemed so vivid could not possibly have been anything else. It had been months since anyone had heard anything about Twyla, since she had left for her home world to start over. The way things had been going as of late there was no way he ever would have been so careless as to take a note from a mysterious stranger and run off without a word, and to top it all off, the location known as the twin creeks no longer even existed. Several weeks prior an attack force had strafed the nearby town and its surrounding areas, and the delta upon which he had “met” Twyla had been blasted into a crater that now formed a giant pool that the tributary streams poured into from either side.
It never could have happened anyway, he thought with a sigh. I just need to get over it once and for all and let it go.
And with the quiet resignation of someone who had a duty to do and no time to idle in whimsical thoughts, Hunk resolved to finally do that.
One last time.
The End
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