[Aster]
In the weeks that followed, Aster's newly discovered spell proved to be an absolute lifesaver for their small family, making their days and nights much more bearable. Even though the entire cave was covered in a thick layer of ice, inside their small bubble of golden-tinted fog, everything stayed nice and warm, no matter what. No longer did the biting cold sneak into their bones, no longer did their bodies shake uncontrollably, no longer did they fear that each night could be their last.
Long icicles hung from the ceiling in thick, jagged clusters, glistening menacingly in the dim glow of the blue crystals that managed to shine through the ice. Their numbers grew with each passing day, making the cave ceiling look more like an upside-down forest or the teeth of a massive predator, if one squints hard enough.
Not wanting any of that to fall on them while they were sleeping, they had their bed at the far end of the cave, away from the frozen hot spring, snugly positioned between two large rocks and close to their food storage. It was far from comfortable, as something always poked them in the butt or ribs no matter how much they tossed and turned, but they had to make do.
To make things even safer, as some small icicles still loomed right above them, Silvia created an ice barrier between two rocks above their bed. It resembled a little dome of sorts, with a small opening to get inside, and it looked surprisingly sturdy. Not from the first try, though. Nor from the second. In fact, it took a couple of nights of experimentation, as the dome either melted or collapsed due to Aster's fog, but she eventually succeeded.
Inspired by her little brother's new spell, she actually figured out a way to make her ice much more resistant to his heat than it would normally be. It required quite a bit of mana to achieve that effect, and some more to maintain it as it still melted, albeit slowly. The effort was well worth it in the end, as it made them feel much safer, knowing they had one less thing to worry about.
Sandwiched between his mother and sister, their naked bodies pressing tightly against each other, Aster raised his scarred hand above his face into the darkness until he felt the rough dome of ice under his palm. Both his fog and the dim light made it hard to see anything around them, except for their huddled, sweaty bodies. He gently traced his fingers along its cool surface, trying to feel for any cracks or signs of melting. 'Still holding. Good,' he thought, smiling weakly. 'No need to wake her, then.'
He let his arm fall back to his chest, sighing heavily. Words couldn't describe how glad he was to have it, not just because it protected them from potential falling icicles but also because his fog dissipated much more slowly than before. He was so tired of casting the spell over and over again, being drained of all his mana every day. Every little drop of it went into that damn spell, leaving him with a pounding headache.
And it still wasn't enough. Every day or so, the girls have no other choice but to cuddle him tightly, shivering and trembling as the cold seeped back into their little nest. Hours upon hours of cuddling, of his burning, exhausted body pressed against his family's, trying to warm them up as best as he could until he could gather enough mana to cast the spell once more.
It was a never-ending cycle, a constant struggle to keep them warm and alive. 'I should be able to manage one more cast in a few hours, but after that...' Aster grimaced at the thought, bracing himself for the inevitable headache, the weakness, the nausea, and the fatigue he knew were coming. One time, he pushed himself so hard that his nose started to bleed. Nivalis almost had a heart attack at the sight.
With his hand still resting on his chest, he let out a soft, defeated sigh. 'It's such a shame that Silvia couldn't learn it as well. It would be so much easier,' he thought, feeling his ribs rise and fall slowly in time with his breaths, a thin layer of sweat coating his skin. For whatever reason, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make her mana do what his could. 'Must be the affinity thing,' he concluded.
Forcing ice to warm someone seemed even more absurd than making a blanket out of fire, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Only by some miracle did Aster manage to pull it off, and he still didn't understand exactly how or why. It was a strange spell, that was for sure; it felt as if it was fighting him instead of doing what it was supposed to do.
His sister didn't stop trying, though. Silvia stubbornly kept trying to come up with something new, anything that could help them stay warm. Their little dome was the only thing she had succeeded at so far, though, but even that was a pretty impressive feat. It nearly halved the time they spent without warmth, which was more than nice.
Aster's hand found its way to his sister's waist, gently tracing the curve of her naked hip up and down. She murmured something in her sleep, a quiet whimper, and snuggled even closer to him. Her ribs pressed firmly against his side, her thigh rested over his, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her soft, messy hair tickling his chin. The boy smiled, giving that cute little butt of hers a gentle squeeze, a slow, loving one only a brother could give to his sister.
'Alright... back to breathing,' Aster thought with another heavy sigh, closing his golden eyes and taking a deep, slow breath through his nose. Then, after holding it for a second, he released it just as slowly, feeling the warm air leave his lips. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Repeat. A steady rhythm, slow and controlled.
Even though it was the most basic of things, breathing, it had actually helped him quite a lot with his mana exhaustion. If he concentrated hard enough, he could feel how his lungs collected the small amount of raw, ambient mana from the cold air, how it traveled to his heart, where it ignited. And doing it in a controlled, deliberate manner somehow helped, even if only a little. But every little bit mattered when you were as desperate for mana as he was.
He had plenty of time to experiment and figure out the most optimal way to do it, as it was all he did every day. Lying in his bed, trying to gather just a drop more mana than he did yesterday, day after day. Peak of entertainment, really.
He counted the number of times he inhaled, exhaled, and held his breath until it became an automatic cycle, his body going into some sort of trance. Everything else faded away—the sharp rocks digging into his back and thighs, the weight of his mother's breasts pressed against his shoulder, the scent of sweat. All that remained was his breath and the gentle rise and fall of his mother's hand against his skinny chest, right above his heart.
"Sweetie..." A soft, sleepy voice snapped him out of his concentration, only gods know how many dozens of minutes later. A gentle, warm hand came up to rest atop his head, fingers tangling themselves in his long, silver hair, tenderly brushing through his curls. "Are you still awake? I heard you stir earlier but thought you'd drift back to sleep..." Nivalis' warm, faint whisper reached the boy's ears, her warm, slightly sweaty breasts pressing against his small arm.
Aster blinked his golden eyes open, his thoughts sluggish and slow to return to reality. "Mmhm," he hummed quietly, meeting the blue shine of his mother's gaze in the dimness of his fog. "Did I wake you?" he asked, his voice a bit hoarse.
"Not at all." The mother shook her head, her lips curving into a gentle smile. Given how sleepy she sounded, Aster figured it was a lie, but he didn't press the matter, not wanting to ruin her smile. "You're doing that strange breathing of yours again?" she asked, brushing a few strands of silver hair from his flushed face, her gentle fingers gliding over his youthful face.
Nodding, the boy let his eyes close again. "Yep. Couldn't sleep," he mumbled, placing his own, much smaller hand over his mother's, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go. He felt her finger trace lightly over the bridge of his pointy nose, then his plump lips, and his chin. It was a little ticklish, but he was used to her doing that when she couldn't sleep either.
Nivalis let out a soft, sluggish hum, her fingers gently tracing the delicate features of his face. She brushed his cheekbones, his temples, and the corners of his eyes, exploring them as if seeing them for the first time. "Anything I can do to help? I don't feel like sleeping again," she whispered, her breath brushing against his ear.
Aster thought about it for a moment, but his tired mind couldn't come up with anything. "I just need to keep breathing," he replied in a whisper, letting out a quiet exhale through his pink lips. "That's all."
Her face scrunched up in a pout, and she let out a soft, sad sigh. "Alright..." she mumbled back as her fingers moved down her son's slender throat, gently tracing his collarbone. For a while, there was a pleasant silence between the two, only interrupted by Aster's steady, controlled breathing and the soft rustling of the blankets beneath as Nivalis tried to find that one most comfortable position that didn't exist. The cave outside was deadly quiet, unnaturally, eerily so. "You know what I just realized?" Nivalis suddenly broke the silence, giving her son a light nudge.
Aster raised his eyebrows, cracking one eye open. "Mm?"
Her blue eyes darted between his golden ones for a moment as if hoping he'd figure it out and beat her to saying it. He wasn't a mind reader, though, so after a moment of hesitation, she sighed softly, a small, sad smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Your birthday must have already passed by now, hasn't it? It was... gods, how long ago? Could be an entire month or more by now," Nivalis said quietly, gently playing with a few locks of the boy's messy, silver hair. "We never celebrated it," she mumbled, her lips pressing together in a tight line.
— "Must have," Aster agreed after a brief pause, a slight frown appearing on his otherwise delicate features. But a moment later, he just shrugged dismissively, whispering back a highly philosophical, "Meh."
Nivalis gave him a light smack on the arm, rolling her blue eyes at him. "Don't you meh me! It's your..." Nivalis suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her brows furrowing as she tried to remember his age. With so much happening to them lately and their minds preoccupied with more important, life-threatening things, she couldn't even recall what year they were in. When the silence started to stretch, she cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Anyway," she continued, her voice a bit softer, "It's important that we celebrate it! I have only so many years left before some lass sweeps you off your feet and takes you away from me," she added, letting out another soft, slightly dramatic sigh.
The boy snorted softly, his golden eyes rolling. "Oh, please," Aster said, giving his mother a playful glare. "I have my very own dragon protecting me from that, over here." He tilted his head towards the still-sleeping girl cuddling against his side, who had one leg thrown over his thighs, with her knee close to his crotch. Her head rested on his shoulder, mouth slightly agape, a tiny line of drool escaping her pink lips. "Besides," he continued, "I have high standards, you know," the boy finished, raising his chin slightly, his eyes glinting mischievously in the dim light.
Giggling like a young girl, Nivalis moved closer, pressing her body tighter against her son's warm, slender frame. "Oh? Is that so?" she asked in a hushed, amused tone, poking the boy's cheek with her finger. "Tell me, then. What would make a girl pass your trials and win the heart of Aster Silverfrost, the prince of Winter?"
Aster tried to suppress the smile that threatened to form on his lips, but his mother's ticklish touch made it impossible for him to do so. "Well..." he began, taking a dramatic pause for effect. "She'd have to be at least half as beautiful and smart as my mom, which is basically impossible," he said, looking away and sighing in defeat, "So, I'm afraid that no one will ever pass, and I'll just have to stay with you two forever and ever..." he added, his voice dropping to a whisper by the end, followed by a defeated sigh.
It took Nivalis all of her willpower to hold in her laughter, managing to turn it into a quiet snort. "You little... rascal," she said through the toothy, affectionate smile that graced her pretty face, giving her pale boy's thigh a gentle pinch. "You set the whole thing up just to say that, didn't you?"
He grinned and gave his mother an innocent look. "Nope," Aster replied, shaking his head from side to side. Yeah, he absolutely did.
With a soft chuckle, Nivalis leaned in, pressing a quick kiss on the boy's forehead, then his nose, and then his soft, flushed cheeks, making him giggle and squirm under her loving assault. "What a charmer you've become. Someone will surely steal you away from me if you go around saying such things to girls," she whispered, finally pulling away and looking down at her blushing, shy son.
Aster simply stared back at her, blinking those big, pretty golden eyes of his, the smile never leaving his plump lips. "Meh," he muttered again, making his mother's blue eyes roll once more.
Stroking the soft, delicate skin of his cheek with the back of her finger, Nivalis sighed softly, her gaze growing more thoughtful. "Gods, I wish we could get you something, but we have nothing..." she whispered, her smile fading as she brushed her thumb gently over his bottom lip. "I suppose I could embroider something nice for you, maybe a sword or a wolf? Although I'll have to take it apart eventually so Silvia can use the fabric for her practice..." Nivalis continued, grimacing slightly at how terrible of a gift that sounded. "Would you like that?" she asked quietly, her blue eyes studying his golden ones, hoping not to see disappointment or sadness in them.
For a moment, Aster considered it before shaking his head. "Nah, no need," he whispered back, giving his mother a small, yet genuine smile. "We'd get sad when we have to tear it apart, and I don't want that," he explained, shrugging weakly.
"Yeah..." Nivalis agreed with a nod, letting her hand trail down her son's slender, pale body towards his belly, where she began to rub it gently. "Sweetie?" she asked hesitantly, pausing for a moment. "Is there anything else you'd like?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper as she carefully watched the boy's expression. "Perhaps a little massage to help you relax while you do your breathing thing?" Her soft, warm hand glided up and down his flat chest and over his tummy, causing Aster to squirm slightly from her tender touch. "What would you say, my love?" she asked, leaning in, her warm, heavy breasts pressing against his small arm, a small, loving smile returning to her face.
Aster hummed under his breath, his smile mirroring his mother's as he looked back at her. "That would be very nice," he mumbled, stretching his legs out, his toes wiggling happily from her belly rub. "Please do."
Carefully and very quietly, Nivalis helped the boy maneuver himself out of his sister's embrace without waking her. Silvia grunted something in her sleep, but otherwise, she stayed asleep, her arm falling limply to the side. "Come, climb on top of me. There's not enough room for us to do it by lying side by side," Nivalis whispered, pulling him gently on top of her soft, curvy body until his small, light, and naked frame rested upon her.
Aster let her handle him without complaint, wiggling around a bit until he found the best place to settle down, right between his mother's big, heavy breasts. Her warm, bare skin felt amazing against his, her familiar scent and the comforting sounds of her heartbeat and breathing putting his mind at ease. 'So nice...' he thought, a happy wiggle going through his body.
"Comfy?" Nivalis whispered, stroking his long hair lovingly while her son adjusted his position on top of her. The feeling of his flaccid boyhood squishing against her flat stomach, right below her belly button, didn't escape her notice, but she pretended that it did.
Burrying his face into her neck, he nodded, slipping his arms under her armpits to press himself as tightly against her as possible. Inhaling deeply, he filled his nostrils with her familiar, feminine scent, letting his entire body go limp on top of hers. "Very," he murmured, letting out a quiet, contented sigh. "I'm not too heavy, am I?" he asked, his voice muffled by her warm neck.
"No, you're not. Don't worry," Nivalis whispered back, wrapping her arms protectively around the boy's tiny waist, letting her palms slide lower, settling on his soft, little butt. Squeezing gently, she began to slowly knead his delicate, round ass cheeks, her fingertips sinking into his smooth, hairless skin. "Just relax and breathe," she told him, her breath tickling his ear. "And tell me if there's anything else you'd like, my sweet bun," Nivalis added, her voice low and gentle, her lips curving into a warm smile.
Aster didn't reply, just humming in a pleased manner in response, too relaxed and comfortable to talk anymore. He let his mother continue her soothing touch, her fingers gliding gently up and down his body in a slow, rhythmic motion, his eyes closing slowly. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. It was the only thing going through his mind as he focused solely on his breathing and the mana flowing in and out of his lungs, not wanting to think about anything else. His entire world narrowed down to just the two of them, their warm, naked bodies pressed tightly against each other, the sounds of their breathing and heartbeat, and the warmth radiating from her soft, loving curves. Nothing else existed, nothing else mattered.
Their chests heaved against one another, ribs expanding and contracting in a slow, steady rhythm, her soft breasts squishing against his flat chest, his head rising and falling along with her breaths. Nivalis' gentle hands continued to glide all over his sweaty, naked body, caressing his delicate, youthful skin. Shoulders and back, arms and sides, thighs and butt. No part of him remained unloved under her touch.
And Aster loved every second of it, feeling more and more weightless and relaxed by the minute, his body sinking deeper and deeper into her softness with each passing moment. 'I wonder... would mom allow me to...?' he suddenly found himself thinking, his mind conjuring an idea that made his soft boyhood twitch ever so slightly against his mother's warm stomach, which she felt all too well.