Chapter Text
There hasn’t been much time for intimacy these past few days, with Howl regaining his strength, as well as their lack of castle as a whole. Sophie and Howl longed to get close to eachother, but there was simply not enough time in the day, or options for privacy. This only made the tension between them grow.
They had finally rebuilt their home, and at last had an evening to themselves. They were eager to get their hands on one another, which was difficult to do when they had a child and a fire demon and an elderly former-witch former-lover also sharing their space. They could’ve done it in either of their new bedrooms, but they wanted lots of space and no interruptions. Thus - their secret garden, which had thankfully remained untouched by the violence.
Sophie was not at all used to being desired, in any form. She had gone her whole life feeling unattractive, drab, boring and homely. Her first reaction to having someone, anyone at all, take an interest in her was to shrivel up and hide away in fear. Especially someone with the charm, the personality, least of all reputation, that Howl had.
Howl understands Sophie’s insecurities. He knows he had a less than desirable reputation, one of capturing young girls, taking their hearts, then leaving them broken. These rumors were just that, but he recognizes that being involved with him is inevitably going to be daunting. He also knows her lack of experience, without having to ask her.
He has to do everything in his power to make her feel comfortable and safe, he has to make her first time as positive as possible. He wants to. He owes it to her. He loves her.
The sun is setting as they settle into the grass. Howl kisses her, one hand gently holding her cheek. The wind softly blows the flowers in the meadow, their sweet aroma calming her nerves. Sophie mirrors Howl’s hand on his jaw, gently tracing her fingers down his neck to his collarbones poking out of of his loose-fitting shirt. He gently leads her down onto her back and climbs over her.
He has done this with dozens of girls before, but never, ever did it mean so much to him. Never did he go this slow, and never would he have ever taken them to this garden. He wanted this all to last as long as possible: not only this night, but their relationship as a whole.
He slowly, gently presses kisses into her neck, drawing a soft moan out of her as he leans his body onto hers. He hums into her skin and stretches back up to kiss her mouth when she threads her fingers through his hair and gives a gentle tug. He is happily surprised when she leans into him and turns them over.
Sophie definitely is nervous, but she knows that everything is going to be okay. Howl is only going to go as far as she’s comfortable, he told her that. She has complete control. Still, she can’t help her fingers from trembling as she leans next to him, not quite on top, and begins to undo his shirt buttons. Howl smiles and clasps her hands into his, smoothing his thumbs along her knuckles and ring. He kisses her, smiling, letting her know it’s alright, and keeps his hands atop hers as she finishes the buttons.
Howl has a wonderful body when it’s not covered in green slime or itchy feathers. She can’t believe it’s hers to touch as she pleases. She lays her palm on his chest, on his living, beating heart. She can feel it’s pulse quicken underneath her touch, and she looks up at his face to find his eyes staring deeply at her, fully in love and in awe.
Howl snakes his arms around her waist and pulls her in flush against him for a deep kiss. He runs his hands along her back for a moment, trying to find a zipper or buttons on the dress he bought for her. He has to break their kiss to whisper, “How do I get this off?”
Sophie chuckles softly above him. “It's easiest to just lift it up.”
Howl easily accepts. He flips them yet again so that he’s on top, and quickly rips off his pendant necklace so it doesn’t crash into her eye. She grabs his face and kisses him hungrily, finally pushing his shirt off of his shoulders. They fumble for a moment as they lift her dress and slip off of her. Howl lets Sophie take off her shoes, then takes care in removing her tights and pantalettes. Sophie tries not to tremble as Howl unclasps her bra.
She leans back and feels the grass underneath her. She has never been in this position before with anyone.
Howl knows what to do. He doesn’t remark upon the sudden crossing of her arms over her chest and the knocking of her knees. When she looks up, she doesn’t find Howl studying her body with distaste or disappointment. She sees him looking straight into her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful. I love you,” he tells her, voice soft and deep and sincere. She believes him.
He kisses her, then begins to slowly trail down her neck and collarbone. He gently uncrosses her arms and rubs his hands along the goosebumps there before linking their fingers together. Sophie can feel his long hair trail down her chest as he makes his way down her body. He kisses underneath her navel, and she breaks their hands apart so she can run them back into his hair. He looks up and smiles, his blue eyes beaming, his hands meeting her waist, warm and secure.
It’s dark out now, but the air is still nice and warm. Sophie passively wonders if there’s magic involved with keeping it such a comfortable temperature. She doesn’t get the chance to inquire, though, before she feels his thumb slip underneath the leg opening of her underwear. She involuntarily shivers, and Howl immediately looks back up at her. “Is this okay?”
She nods, scratches his scalp lightly. “Yes, keep going,” she tells him. He kisses her stomach again, then guides her underwear off her legs. She gets those goosebumps again, so he rubs her thighs as he hitches her legs up across his shoulders. He kisses the inside of her thigh, then takes one of her hands out of his hair so he can lace their fingers together. He kisses her hip, then looks up at her. Without breaking eye contact, he lowers his mouth onto her.
Sophie leans her head back into the grass and closes her eyes. Howl has certainly done this before, she reasons. She grinds her hips onto him, which makes Howl tighten his arms around her thighs and increase the pressure. Suddenly she untangles her hand from his hair to stifle a moan. Howl chuckles, and without stopping what he’s doing, reaches his arm out to tug at her elbow. He takes her hand away from her face and interlocks it with his own. “Let me hear you,” he encourages. Now both their hands are intertwined, resting on her hips.
Sophie squirms under him, pressing her thighs together against his head. She forgets to be bashful when he hits the exact spot she needs, letting out a moan and digging her nails into his hands. Her eyes are closed, so she can’t see that he’s looking up at her in awe and in love. “Howl… I… I…” is all she can manage to say as she comes. Her breathing slows down, and she finally opens her eyes. She looks down to see Howl grinning from between her legs, lips glistening and eyes twinkling.
He makes his way back up to her face. Sophie tries to think of something to say, but ends up just giggling. Howl laughs too, holding her face again and kissing her passionately. He’s quite proud of himself. “You’re so beautiful,” he tells her again.
Sophie wraps her arms around his neck and shoulders. “So are you,” she whispers in his ear. She moves her arms down to start undoing his belt.
Howl kisses her cheek before rolling off of her to get his shoes and trousers off. Sophie sits up, shifts a little to the side, stretches her arms above her head. She hadn’t even realized that would tease him until she hears a soft growl escape him. She embraces him again, because how could she keep her hands off of him?
They’re both naked now, and Sophie has never felt so close to anyone in her life. She presses her chest to his, feels his arms around her back, kisses him with everything she has. He lays her back on the ground, and hovers over her.
“Are you ready?” He says, low and soft and hungry, looking into her eyes. She nods.
He looks down for the briefest moment to insert himself, then his eyes shoot straight back to hers. His eyes are so blue, his skin is so soft, she is lain bare before him and yet he is hers.
Pleasure fills her with each movement inside of her, her senses are filled with only him. They lock eyes until she can’t anymore, until she has to kiss him and pull his hair and dig her nails into his back. He buries her moans into his neck and shoulder, she can't help but cry out into the heavens. She sees stars and feels only him.
They say eachother’s names as they come, bodies and limbs so tightly would together they may as well be one single being. Howl collapses on top of her, and they lay there, arms wrapped around eachother, hearts totally entwined. Sophie breathes him in and doesn't know how she got so lucky.
They stay out there in the garden for a long time, watching the stars, never fully releasing from their embrace. They never truly will.