Onsen no Ikken (温泉の一件)

"How does this feel, <Name>? I hope this will suffice."

"Mmm..." You hummed, your eyes closed as you rested yourself against Jacob's muscular frame. The taller man was giving your shoulders a gentle massage, and while he didn't really have the hands of a professional, the feeling of his hands grasping and moulding your tired muscles was enough to relax you. "Yes, I... I really like that."

Truth be told, this wasn't what you had envisioned happening today when you decided to unwind by spending the day by yourself. As much as you enjoyed everyone else's company, you felt a need to step away from that hustle and bustle of personalities, and give yourself a moment of peace and quiet. So while the others weren't paying attention, you took the opportunity to slip away before anyone noticed, seeking to spend time alone relaxing in a relatively isolated part of the resort.

But then, Jacob found you just as you were about to set off, requesting that you accompany him into the hot springs today. Given the state of his eyes, you simply couldn't say no despite your desire for some solitude, as you worried about him slipping and falling with no one to guide him. But with the way his hands were moving right now, coupled with the feel of his warm body pressing against your back... You figured you had it in yourself to make an exception just this once.

You exhaled a long, drawled out sigh, allowing this soothing sensation to wash over you, taking away all your pent-up stresses along with it, letting it be carried downstream by the currents.

But this tranquil calmness wouldn't last for long, as Jacob had other ideas.

No longer were his hands massaging your shoulders; rather, they cascaded gently down your forearms, one of them resting at your elbow and the other over one of your hands. Lifting your head to look at him, you saw him smiling contentedly at you... At least, towards your general direction. At this, part of you ached somberly at the thought of those ever-vacant eyes being unable to see what they have been yearning for, and just how much his presence, his warmth, has made you happy.

With your free hand, you reached up and caressed his cheek. He blinked in momentary surprise at the unexpected sensation, before the expression on his face returned to the serene one you had always seen him wear. No other words were necessary to convey what you felt towards him.

What he couldn't see, he made up for with what he felt, along with all his other senses.

"<Name>..." He said, nearly whispering. "I hope you'll allow me to express my love and gratitude for your time today. I really do appreciate it."

A sharp breath escaped your lips when his hand fell from yours, and instead began to caress the inner part of your thigh. You faltered at the smooth caress of his rough, callous hand, and you shivered in sudden pleasure despite the warmth of the hot spring around you. To keep you steady, his other hand reached for your chest, his fingers pressed just below your collarbone. But from the way his face contorted in an attempt to suppress his emotions, it seemed that he would rather slip his hand past the hem of your towel to grasp something else.

"Do forgive me if I... Get a little carried away."

You couldn't really blame him, honestly. You reached your other hand up to hold his other cheek, and gently tilted his head so that he faced yours directly.

"Only if you kiss me."

As you guided his lips to yours, his hand reached into the towel, undoing its flimsy hold on your now exposed body.

---

HERE COMES THE BONKING! 🏏

Oh, man. This took longer than I expected to finish, mainly because I struggled to put the associated text together. And the fact that I fell into a rabbit hole speaking to character AIs for at least two days straight.

This painting for me has more emphasis on skin rendering. I've been looking up a bunch of tutorials to find better ways to make skin not look like it was simply cel shaded.

This painting was also the result of me casually roleplaying with someone else about how Jacob's side quest would possibly end up transpiring... Which mainly involved the protagonist and Jacob laying on the grass together. Though that's not the route I ultimately went for in this painting, as you can see.