Chapter Text
"Holy shit." Stelle's bags went plop on the ground as she stared at her best friend waving excitedly at the exit of the Aedes Elysiae train station.
Growing up in the village, she and Phainon were thick as thieves, running around the fields together, having mock sword fights, sneaking notes in class, and lots of other shenanigans. Then they grew a bit older, and Stelle had to leave for Okhema to further her studies. She had visited Phainon a few times over the years, but this trip would give her an uninterrupted month with her best friend.
The last summer when she saw Phainon, he was still that lanky teenager who she bested in wrestling and pushed into the lake when they went fishing. But now, in front of her stood a man who was almost a head taller, his body filled up with firm, juicy muscles, all complete with the same handsome face.
"Phainon, long time no see!" The words came out as a squeak as the young man swept her up into a fierce hug. With her face smushed into those firm pectorals, and the muscled arms squeezing all the air out of her, Stelle would be happy if she suffocated and died like that.
To her disappointment, Phainon put her down as swiftly as he had picked her up.
"Hey partner, you look great!" He beamed. "City life seems to be suiting you!"
"I-I could say the same about you as well." Stelle stumbled over her words. "The farming life, I mean. How did you get all this meat on you, anyway?"
Phainon scratched his head abashedly and laughed, his voice causing Stelle's heart to do backflips.
"Well, you know how Mom gets. She was worried that I was going to miss the puberty growth spurt so she really fed me, you know? Plus Dad's getting older, so I'm doing most of the fieldwork now."
"I see." Stelle said, her eyes honed in on his bare arm, specifically how his biceps flexed and bulged.
"Speaking of Mom and Dad, they're at home waiting for us to arrive." Phainon bent down and hoisted Stelle's heavy bags as if they weighed nothing. "Oh, Stelle, I'm so glad you're staying with us. It's going to be so fun!"
"Yeah, me too." Stelle swallowed, letting her hand rest gingerly in the crook of Phainon's other arm. Praying that her friend wouldn't notice, she gave it a sneaky squeeze, and was rewarded with the ripple of muscle underneath.
Immediately, Stelle was plagued with a vision of a dripping wet, bare chested Phainon smiling at her as he emerged from the lake, and the blood rushing away from her head made her trip.
"Woah, are you okay?"Phainon asked concernedly, immediately sweeping her up into a princess carry before she could hit the ground. Stelle felt herself pressed against those pecs again, and felt even more faint.
Oh heavens, how was she going to survive this holiday?