Summer Bathing

[Artemis Tuuri]

A quiet dip in the lake at twilight was all Artemis wanted at that very moment. If she'd thought about it more, she could have cast some sort of cooling spell within the large four-poster bed that she was currently huddled in, trying to escape the heat like a hibernating desert mouse. But as it was, she couldn't even reach out for her wand, for fear that it might burn off in the sweltering evening. It was nine o'clock at night, and in another hour the great doors of Hogwarts castle would be shut, and all students out of bed would be caught and given a detention. But surely there was enough time to run down, throw herself into the cool water and just float for half an hour? "Aw stuff it," mumble Art, and rolled out of bed in one movement to scamper over to the bathroom to change.

Ten minutes later she was on the banks of the Lake, still just as hot but reveling in the water at her feet. Luckily no-one was around at this hour, for she was rather embarrassed at her miniature black one-piece swimsuit. Like all of her clothing she had made this herself, but being old-fashioned, Artemis didn't think it was terribly appropriate to wear in front of a boy if one happened to be around. To others it would simply seem modest, but to her she felt exposed. Well, there's no point sitting there up to your ankles, Artemis told herself, and finally slipped into the chill water.

It was several long minutes before Art finally surfaced, but tonight she kept to the bank to stay away from the Grindylows and suchlike that liked to hunt during the night. She kept to the shallows and waded only up to her waist, scanning the surrounding water every few moments in case another sort of creature took a crack at her. But tonight she would be meeting someone far more welcome than the Giant Squid.

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

It was getting late and Jareth knew the students did not have a great deal of time before they had to go to bed.
He was on the Quidditch pitch, practicing, wondering if he could get on the team the next year.
As Jareth did not have a broom of his own, he borrowed one. A Cleansweep.
It was better than nothing but Jareth struggled to fly. He clutched at the broom desperately trying to steer it.. But suddenly he found himself flying towards the Lake.
"Oh Merlin, no!" he shouted, the broom heading for the deepest part of the water.. But at the last minute he managed to turn it and Jareth, pleased at not crashing, raised his arms in celebration, proceeding to collide with a tree.

Jareth stood up, his head was spinning and he felt sick.
He began to stumble towards the castle with the broom but then..
He heard someone in the water. Jareth froze and turned.
"A.. Artemis?" He said, his eyes bulging, his mouth open a little.
She was in a swim suit. Something he had never thought he would see.
He just stood there, pointing at her, broom in his hands.

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

Suddenly Artemis' ears began to twitch, which she knew was not a good sign. Her sharply pointed ears were picking up sounds of distress from a very unlikely place and, perplexed, she looked up just in time to catch sight of Jareth on a broom. She couldn't help but stare, open mouthed, as he began to lose control and head towards the water. At the last moment he seemed to angle the broom, and promptly crashed into a nearby tree on the bank. "Merlin!" she gasped as she began to struggled through the water towards him. It appeared that he had not noticed her presence yet and was moving off back to the castle. "Jareth!" called Artemis to him as she tumbled onto the bank at last, determined to catch him before he ran off to goodness knows-where with unknown injuries, or a concussion or...

Now he was staring at her, and she finally caught on as to why. "Oh," squeaked Art. Bare legs. Bare arms. Merlin, her navel was showing through the thoroughly indecent split in the black lycra. "Ah...ah..." she tried, not knowing what to cover first (or what to cover it with). "Are 'ye ... hurt?" she tried, cheeks flaming red. She's have to get closer to him to check, but to get any closer in her current state; Oh, I shall faint!she cried inwardly. But nevertheless, she began to shuffled forward till she was close enough to see his mis-matched eyes, still blushing all the while.

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

Jareth seemed to forget the pain he was in.. Or the fact a trail of blood that was now running down the side of his face.
"Yes.. Yes, I'm fine." He said dreamily. His eyes were upon her as he felt himself falling in love with her all over again.
"I just um.. lost control of the broom.. It's a friend's and I.. well, I'm terrible at flying.."
He noticed the inconsiderate pointing he was doing and* turned red in the face.
"What are you.. what are you doing up.. I mean.. you know.. out here.. at this time of night?"
It wasn't his fault. He was only.. Well, he wasn't human but he was male. His eyes kept dropping to the gap in the front of Artemis's swimsuit.
He tried to pull his gaze away.

((HIT IT WITH A HAMMER!!))

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

There were so many questions to answer and so little clothing that she was wearing that Art had no idea what to do next. To her delight, she realised that the closer she was to him, the less he would be able to see if he looked down. It was the perfect excuse to touch him, but she would refrain from doing so until she was sure that he wasn't ... "Oh, Jareth," said Artemis, terribly upset. "Ye're bleeding." With delicate hands, she reached up and touched both sides of his cheeks, moving his jaw around so that she could look at where all the blood was coming from. She was sure that he could feel her fingertips trembling on his sensitive goblin skin, and she shakily withdrew her hand unless she did anything silly.

"It's hot tonight," she pointed out in reference to his other stammered question. It seemed to imply so many things, and her cheeks simply could not get any redder. Se felt that she had to check exactly where he was bleeding, and so touched his face once more to move her fingers up to probe his hair lightly. Still her fingers shook, and she stubbornly continued till she found the gash on his skull that had her fingers coming away wet with blood. Artemis closed her mouth, realising that she had had it slightly open the entire time, and forced herself to move back again. "I'm sorry. Ah ... you're ... hurt, we ought to go to the Hospital Wing." Art shivered. Stop looking at me like that... Her skin was feverish.

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

((You made me choke on my water!))

Jareth reached up his hand after Artemis had withdrawn hers.
He then looked at his hand. There as a smudge of blood across it.
"Oh.." Jareth said, though he felt strangely light headed and happy.. As though he could do anything.
"It'll be fine. Honest."
Jareth looked her in the eyes.
"I've missed you." he said, "I wish I didn't have to do all these lessons.."
He leant in to hug Artemis but moved away after a moment, looking downwards. But not at her.
"Sorry.." He said awkwardly, "I um.." He gave a light cough and held a hand over his head to distract attention.

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

He's a tough cookie, this one. thought Artemis with a touch of pride. If it had been Art flung against that tree, her eyes would be watering and she'd be off to bed in half a second. She grinned at him and flung an arm around his neck companionably. "Well, don't leave off treatin' it now, won't 'ye?" she told him, always with the instincts of a Healer first and foremost. I really ought to stop tingling and shivering like this, Art begged herself. Once again, she was sure that he could feel every jump and twitch in her tiny body as it rested against his.

She couldn't help but turn her head away to smile shyly as he announced his missing her. Very soon he was hugging her, and she wanted him to stay forever like that. Until he pulled away, she did not notice how uncomfortable he had gotten, and Artemis let out a hearty laugh. "Aw heck, look, ye're all wet from the lake water now." She was genuinely amused, but some of her laughter was slightly forced as she had once again trembled at his proximity. "Look, 'ye better stop doing that 'cause yer giving me the shivers," she told him with a twinkle in her eye, and took his hand to walk back up the hill towards the castle. On impulse, she snuck a kiss in to the corner of his mouth. Art regretted it instantly when she blushed on a hair trigger.

(( From which bit? . ))

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

Jareth did enjoy the closeness of him and Artemis, he did enjoy her company and affection.
But Jareth was beginning to have doubts. Doubts about many things; about his looks, about his lack of friends, about Artemis..
As they walked back up the hill to the castle, Jareth tried to push his troubles aside and focus on just being with Artemis.
She was the girl he loved.

As they reached the castle, Jareth having been silent, he turned to Artemis and looked her dead in the eyes.
"You.. You still like me, right?" he asked, embarrassed by how self-conscious he was being.
This was what was bothering him.
Jareth had begun to realise how beautiful Artemis was, how.. different he was.

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

Everything seemed fine for the moment, but Art's ears began to twitch once more, and she felt Jareth's hesitance. Immediately she released him from her arm and gave him distance, jumping instantly to the conclusion that he was offended by her being so close. Art felt a blush of shame creep over her cheeks, and they walked together only a little further to the castle doors before suddenly Jareth turned around and confronted her. "I'm sorry if I was-" she began, but fell silent when he began to speak. She always fell silent when he spoke, and even through her aching heart the magic of his voice still touched her. Now, her worst fears were confirmed when he asked he whether or not she still liked him.

"Yes ... yes, very much," she whispered, not trusting herself to speak louder in case he heard the pain in her voice that threatened to spill over into tears. Will he say that he does not like me anymore? thought Art, terrified that she would not be able to contain her anguish if he told her so. "I'm sorry if I have been too close," she said, mastering the wobble in her voice. "I'll not do it any longer, if that what you want." Art took a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I'm not enough for you. You are so wonderful. I ... I would like to be-" she began, "like to be ... as pretty as the other girls. I can't be, so I just hope that what I feel for you is enough."

Artemis blinked heavily. "Is it alright ... if I say that I love you?" Now she could not look at him any longer, and she stared at her bare feet as hard as she could to stop any particularly daring tears.

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

Jareth had not been expecting any of the things happening to have happened.
"You.. I... w-what?" He frowned, tilting his head to a side and trying to understand what was going on.
Artemis had moved away from him. She didn't like him, did she?
Jareth felt his heart breaking. And then..

She said she did still like him.
Jareth heard her apologizing for being so close.. But wait.. What?
He had thought he was getting too close, too much.. And she was saying sorry to him?
He listened to her words, a tear glistening in his eye.
She had said it. She had said she loved him.
Now it was Jareth's turn to speak: He raised a hand to her wiping away the tears lightly with his finger and lifting her head so that they could make eye contact.

"Artemis," he spoke softly, "I was worried you didn't.. You didn't like me in that way anymore.
I love it when I can hold you close, can hear the beating of your heart beside mine.
I love the way you are so strong mentally as well.. You will not let people get to you.
I love the way you are; the way you look.
To me you are the stars, the moon and deep blue of the midnight sky, the song of the morning bird, the whisper of the wind and the rustle of the leaves outside.
Artemis," Jareth said finally, breathing a sigh of absolute infatuation, "You are my world and I love you."
He looked to her eyes, giving her a gentle smile.
And then, Jareth who normally lacked confidence in such matter, found his spark and leant forwards, placing his lips carefully onto Artemis'.

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

She had not believed that her life could ever feel as complete as it did now. Her mouth and eyes only grew wider and wider as he spoke, and her knees were turning into silk. She reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders just in time, for a fit of a strange and exquisite dizziness stole over her then. Artemis felt herself being dragged back to their time at the Yule Ball, where he was holding on to her waist and she held on to his shoulders, and the world was spinning like it was now. She had thought that he spoke sweet words then, but everything he said now barreled through the last defenses against love and hit her directly in the heart.

"You love me," she told him, shocked and almost disbelieving. "It is not true ... you cannot ... oh..." and his face glittered strangely in her eyes till she realised that she was crying. She knew it, for Jareth was wiping Artemis' tears away with soft fingers, and it felt divine. Jareth was right; she knew the feel of his heartbeat just as he knew hers, and they were pressed so closely together that her ears were picking up every beat. "I do ... I do love you," she whispered, pressing her face into his chest. Finally she lifted her head and was captured by his eyes once more, till he leaned forward and kissed her.

Everything fell to pieces then, and Artemis held herself back no longer. She responded with such enthusiasm that they fell to the ground, she lying on his chest and kissing the breath out of him till he was as dizzy as she was. It didn't matter that he had knocked his head, or that she was in a bathing suit, or even that they were sure to get a detention if they did not hurry up. He loved her. He loved her.

(( You know what they say ... write a sappy post, get a sappier post. XD ))

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

Jareth did not care that they were now on the ground together or that he was becoming a little dizzy and his head was still bleeding.
This was something solid. This was the one thing he had now that could keep him going.
He wouldn't be alone anymore. Not all the time Artemis loved him back.

After the kiss, Jareth lay beside Artemis, staring up at the sky:
It was late enough now that the stars were glittering through the sky.
It was beautiful.. But, in Jareth's opinion, not as beautiful as the girl beside him.

It would have been lovely to spend the night there, laying beside Artemis, watching the stars.. But it was incredibly late now and should a member of staff catch them, they would get into enormous trouble.
And Jareth didn't want that for Artemis.
He had stood up and was reaching out a hand to help her up too.
"Would you like me to walk you back to your common room?" He said softly.
So what if he got in trouble? There was a reason he had been sorted into Slytherin- He didn't care about detention.

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

There was nothing as comfortable as lying next to Jareth in a wet bathing suit, on the hard ground and in an awkward position when snuggled against his side. To leave the safety of the soft, enormous four-poster bed was the best decision she had made all year, for she would never have had this experience should she have endured the lonely heat. He was warm, and Artemis lay her head carefully on his chest and simply gazed into the heavens for several long minutes. It was still strange to lie beside someone who was exactly her size, and suddenly she felt so delightfully normal that she wanted to cheer. That was how he made her feel. Normal but exceptional, all at once.

It was time to go, though, and Art slid reluctantly from his side as he got up to help her to her feet. Normally she would have smile and declined, choosing to rise by herself instead, but she couldn't help wanting to hold his hand again and so took it. When her palm was against Jareth's she did not let go, and held it by her side in answer to his question. "I feel like a bride," said Artemis suddenly, blinking at herself. She was wet and slightly dirty from the ground, but Jareth's hand fit so perfectly into hers as they walked that she felt like they were walking up the aisle instead. Darn, he wasn't meant to hear that, she thought as she blushed, and looked at her feet as they continued up towards the castle.

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

((I know I said I wouldn't post anymore, that I'd be lazy but there is something Jareth needs to do..))

Jareth walked towards the castle with Artemis, so in love.
He may have only been 12 but he could not have wished for more. He wanted Artemis do be with him forever, for them to share many more night skies and..
Jareth stopped walking suddenly and he turned to Artemis, releasing her hands.
It was something which would mean very little but..
"Then marry me," he said in reply to her comment. And then, he got down onto one knee, so much shorter than her suddenly.
"Artemis, you know how much you mean to me. And I know we're only young. And there are so many other men who would kill to have you for their own: Your eyes, your lips, *your lovely ears I'd like to nibble on..*"
Jareth blushed furiously but he continued.
"I want to watch many more night skies with you and a thousand sunsets equally. I want to take you to the beach in the summer, play in the sea and roll in the sand. I want to kick through the leaves with you in autumn, collect all the Autumn treats. I want to be close to you in winter in front of a blazing fire, us wearing matching winter jumpers hand made by you. And finally, I want to be with you in the spring, with the beautiful young wildlife and perhaps some of our own..
I know this doesn't exactly mean much as we can't actually make this official until we're adult but.."
Jareth picked what he thought was a long blade of grass from the ground but was actually a small flower.
He knotted it into a ring and held it up, the flower joined with the stem.
"Will you marry me?"

((*Edit this bit out ))
((In fact.. I'll probably get rid of this whole post. It's just too.. eurgh.. too much and too gooey.))

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

Artemis didn't feel like a child whenever she held Jareth's hand. Every time they touched she was as tall as a mountain, beautiful as a siren and as bewitched as Narcissus. She especially loved the way that when she felt like a bride with him, then she was a bride. She was ... anything she wanted to be, right there in the middle of the gravelly pathway on a hot Summer eve. Yet he would still continue to shock her silent, and never more than this very moment. Jareth came to a standstill and released her hands. Artemis put them to her sides obediently and waited for him to speak. When he did, the world began to spin again.

Is he ... proposing to me? thought Artemis, not even daring to think it true. Every word repeated itself like a broken record in her head. '...so many other men who would kill to have you for their own...' Artemis' eyes filled with tears. '...to watch many more night skies with you and a thousand sunsets...' Was she hyperventilating? Art couldn't breathe. '...to be close to you in winter...' "Jareth," breathed Artemis, and the tears spilled over to roll down her cheeks like pearls. '...and perhaps some of our own...' "Oh," she huffed slightly. The sound was muffled, and she realised that her hands were over her mouth. Shakily she removed a hand and placed it in Jareth's so that he could slide the makeshift ring onto it.

The earthen ring was lovely in the moonlight and even lovelier on her pale skin. Art raised her eyes to Jareth's pink face and met them with her own that glistened with tears. "Yes. Yes, I will be yours," she managed, then fainted dead away.

 

[Jareth Wardwin]

Jareth slid the 'ring' onto Artemis' finger.
He saw her face covered in tears once more- but happy tears.
Nothing could have made this more perfect.. well..
Jareth noticed Artemis' eyes suddenly closing as she became limp.
He leapt forwards and grabbed her in time to stop her hitting the path, then, he carefully scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into the school and to the hospital wing.

<3

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<3

 

[Artemis Tuuri]

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END SCENE​

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