Campfire Arrangements

The mouth of Shadowmouth Caverns yawned behind them, dark and silent now, the last echoes of collapsing stone long faded into the mountain's depths. Kyle's leg ached with every step, the goblin bite having settled into a dull, throbbing complaint that made him favor his right side, but the cool night air was a welcome relief after the stale, musty dampness of the cave.

The forest stretched out before them, silver-lit by a moon that hung low and heavy above the treeline. Ancient oaks and pines crowded close together, their branches weaving a patchwork canopy that let through only scattered pools of pale light. Somewhere in the distance, an owl called out—or at least, Kyle hoped it was an owl. "What the fuck is that? Is that thing moving toward us?" Kyle pointed at a bizarre hybrid of raccoon and spider scuttling across a fallen branch, its multiple eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"Just local fauna," Alistair said, shooing the weird creature away. The thing hissed and quickly dug itself into the ground, disappearing beneath the leaf litter.

"This should be a good place for the camp," Alistair added, already gathering dry branches with efficient, practiced movements, the staff now strapped across his back.

Selere chuckled and surveyed the clearing. Moss grew thick on the northern side of the trunks, soft and dark, and the ground was relatively flat, covered in a cushion of fallen needles and dried leaves.

"Don’t worry, spidercoons mostly eat small birds and occasional squirrel," she said, already shrugging off her pack.

Kyle tried not to imagine this particular fauna specimen waking him up in the middle of the night to nibble on his face. The he sighed and limped to a fallen log near the clearing's edge, sitting down heavily and groaning as he stretched his injured leg out in front of him. Alistair had a small fire going within minutes. The flames caught and spread, casting warm orange light across the clearing and pushing back the encroaching shadows. The smell of smoke and burning pine filled the air, mixing with the earthy scent of damp forest floor.

They ate in relative silence, sharing dried meat and hard bread that tasted better than it had any right to after a day of crawling through goblin-infested caves. Kyle watched the flames dance, his mind drifting between the events of the day—the goblins, the cliff, Selere's legs wrapped around his hips, Alistair's face in the dim light as he watched his girlfriend get it.

*Weird day,* he thought. *Really weird day. Even by isekai standards.*

Selere finished her portion first, brushing crumbs from her leather breeches with methodical precision. She sat across the fire from Kyle, her gray skin taking on a warm, almost golden hue in the firelight, her violet eyes reflecting the flames like twin embers. Her midnight hair spilled over her shoulders, catching the light in ways that made it shimmer despite the lack of any obvious source.

Alistair sat beside her, closer than he usually did, his knee pressing against hers. He kept glancing at Kyle, then away, then back again, his cheeks flushed in a way that had nothing to do with the fire's warmth.

"Kyle," Selere said, her voice matter-of-fact, as if she were discussing something as mundane as the weather or the best route back to the castle. "Would you mind me spending the night with you?"

Kyle blinked. His mouth, which had been halfway to another piece of bread, stopped mid-journey.

"Sorry?" he managed.

Selere's expression didn't change, yet her lips curved into the faintest hint of a smirk. "Can I spend the night with you. In your bedroll."

Next to her, Alistair's blush deepened to a shade that nearly matched his red hair. His hands, resting on his knees, curled into loose fists, then relaxed, then curled again. He opened his mouth, closed it, and made a sound that might have been a word in some language Kyle didn't recognize.

"Uh," Kyle said eloquently. He set down the bread, his appetite suddenly redirected to other hungers. "I mean... sure. Yeah. That works for me."

Selere nodded once. "Splendid," she said. Then she turned to Alistair, swinging one leg over his knee and completely straddling her boyfriend.

"Alistair, darling," she said, her voice interrupted by soft sounds of kisses. "You may need some rest tonight." Another kiss. "Perhaps it is better if you sleep tight."

Alistair's throat bobbed. Kyle couldn't see his face from this angle, but he watched Alistair's hands grip and then release Selere's waist a couple of times—unsure and nervous, clearly betraying his conflicted feelings.

"I..." Alistair started, his voice cracking slightly. "I thought I might... watch. If that's... if you wouldn't mind..."

Selere's voice grew tender, despite the teasing edge. "Watch?" she repeated, as if tasting the word. "You want to watch Kyle fuck me, Alistair?"

His blush was now visible on his hands as well, his skin turning as red as his hair. "I... yes. I think so. If you're... if you're both..."

Kyle leaned back against the log, a grin spreading across his face despite himself. The fire warmed his back, and the night air was cool on his cheeks, and he was about to have sex with a gorgeous dark elf while her boyfriend watched.

*This is definitely not how I pictured my isekai adventure going,* he thought. *But I'm not complaining.*

"Alistair," Kyle said, his voice light, teasing, exactly the right amount of smug. "You really think you've got the energy to stay awake? After all the fighting? Would it be too… emotionally hard to get through?"

Selere turned to him, and Kyle got a clear view of Alistair's face covered in smudges of her saliva. Kyle stretched, making a show of cracking his neck. "I mean, I'm flattered you want to watch, but maybe you should just get some sleep. I've got this!"

Alistair's jaw tightened. His ears, Kyle noticed, had gone red at the tips—a detail he filed away for future reference.

"I can stay awake," Alistair said, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his tone.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? You sure about that? Because I plan on taking my time. And Selere here..." he let his gaze drift over her, slow and deliberate, taking in the curve of her breasts beneath her tunic, the way her thighs pressed together as she sat astride Alistair, the subtle arch of her back, "...she seems like the type who appreciates thoroughness."

Selere's smirk didn't waver. She held herself even tighter to her boyfriend, pressing her face against his chest, giving Kyle a good look at her ass. "I do appreciate thoroughness," she agreed, her voice a low purr. "Very much."

Alistair made a strangled sound. His hands were trembling now, whether from anger or arousal or some combination of both, Kyle couldn't tell.

"We are just teasing you, darling," Selere said, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. Alistair's face relaxed slightly before she added, "Of course, you can watch."

Alistair groaned, covering his face with both hands.