This chapter is rated M for a reason! READ AND REVIEW!

He had always been a man of pride, he supposed. He didn't like to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Perhaps he spent too much time in his own head, but he was never one to say his thoughts out loud. At least not until after hours of deliberation. He tapped his foot against the floor, their usual Starry Night dinner feeling strangely empty despite the fact that none of its usual guests were missing. He could feel the conversation washing over him, his mind wandering to Claire.

He hadn't seen her since they had had their argument at goddess pond. Nor had she bothered to show up to dinner. He supposed now, looking back, he could have been a bit nicer to her- he could only imagine how cold she had been, the freezing temperature probably not helping her damaged ego. Why had he laughed at her? If it had been any other girl he would have abandoned everything to pull them out, dry them off and keep them warm. Yet with Claire...

She didn't need his protecting. She was perfectly capable, hadn't she told him a thousand times, and in a lot of ways more capable than he was... Hadn't he watched her turn a whole farm around in less than a year? Hadn't he watched her work until she was blue in the face, all the while knowing that he would be sent to the hospital for doing half of what she was?

"Are you even listening, Marlin?"

He jumped, his eyes travelling to Celia, her lips pouting at him from across the table. Vesta let out a booming laugh. "Of course he's not. Where's Claire tonight?"

He could feel himself go hot around the collar. "Not here, I guess."

"That's too bad. I was looking forward to having dinner with her."

Celia stood from her seat, reaching to grab the empty plate in front of him. "Well I think it's fine just the three of us. You're having fun, aren't you?"

"Nonsense!" Vesta boomed before he could answer, slapping him so hard on the back that it forced a cough out of him. "If you want to be with her, be with her. Our feelings won't be hurt."

It had taken less than 20 minutes for him to walk to Claire's place, his heart beating rather uncomfortably in his chest the whole way. What if she was having dinner with another guy when he arrived? What if she didn't let him in at all? He could see the light on in her window, her house significantly larger now than it had been two seasons ago. Why would she even bother with the expansion if it housed just one? Unless... He had knocked before he could think of anything constructive to say, his throat tightening uncomfortably in his throat as he stood, waiting.

"Marlin?" It had swung open suddenly to reveal Claire, pyjama clad, with a shocked look on her face.

"Hi." They stood in silence for a few moments, both rather red in the face.

"What are you doing here?" She had crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide her shivering as he let all the cold air into her house.

He coughed slightly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, uh, you didn't come to my Starry Night. And I haven't heard from you for a while... Just thought I'd come by and say hi." He coughed again. "Can I come in?"

She didn't say anything but moved aside to let him pass, shutting the door rather quickly as she did. The inside of her house was unrecognisable, the walls a nice yellow, all of the furniture plush and luxurious compared to the barren inside it had been the last time he was inside it. When he turned back she was still leaning against the door, and it was only then when he noticed how ill she looked. Her long blonde hair was distinctly ruffled, the circles under her eyes an unhealthy purple. As he watched she gave a great sniffle, still shivering. "You're sick?" Glancing around, he could see plenty of evidence: piles of tissues lay discarded on the coffee table, blankets layered thick on the bed.

She shrugged. "I'm getting better." She still hadn't left from her position by the door, watching him. "Why are you here, Marlin?"

He ignored her question, his eyebrows knitting together. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick? I could have come over and helped out a bit, you know."

She let out a sigh through her teeth. "Look, I'm fine. Can you please just leave?" She was staring at a spot somewhere above his left shoulder, her teeth gnawing at the inside of her cheek.

"What's up with you?" He asked, his feet rooted to the spot. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Her cheeks flooded crimson. "I haven't been avoiding you, I've been sick."

"Why didn't you just tell me you were sick then?" Her cheeks turned a deeper red, her eyes suddenly bright.

"I just needed some space, Marlin!" Her voice cracked slightly as she said it, a lump coming to his throat as he realized she was on the verge of tears. He coughed awkwardly, risking a few steps forward as he struggled to find the right words to say.

"Is this about what happened at the spring? I'm sorry I, uh, didn't help you out... I just thought you could handle it yourself."

"Good! Because I can!" He voice had raised an octave, her cheeks still bright red, her bottom lip pouting slightly as she frowned at him. "I'm perfectly capable! I don't need you coming around and trying to protect me!" She seemed incapable of words, and merely stared at him for a moment, breathing heavily, before she rambled on. "I've been fine by myself my whole life. It's always been just me, never needed anyone... Perfectly capable..." She trailed off, her fingers knotting in the ends of her hair.

He was beginning to lose patience, both at her distance from him and her cold demeanor. "Why do you think I didn't help you out? Have you not been drilling it into my head how little you need me since we first met?"

"Exactly!" She hissed at him, her hair beginning to stand on end from the number of times she had run her hands through it. "And yet here you go, making me think of how nice it would be to be taken care of and how lovely it would be to have a man around, and yet when I need you, you don't follow through..." She suddenly blushed more fiercely, staring angrily at the ceiling. "I just needed some space. I remind myself that I was fine before you. And that I'll be fine after you."

He had never felt more confused in his life. He repeated her words over in his head, feeling the heat beginning to build around his collar... How lovely it would be to have a man around... I'll be fine after you...

His silence seemed to make her even angrier, hot tears spilling down her cheeks as her gaze remained even more fixed on the ceiling. His feet felt strangely rooted to the floor as his brain struggled to comprehend what she had just admitted. After what felt like hours she sighed angrily, opening to door behind her. "Just leave, Marlin. Forget I said anything."

His feet acted of their own accord, sending him towards the exit, his head all the while screaming for some sort of resistance. He had never seen her cry before; even through the tears dripping down her cheeks her eyes were still their usual shade of sapphire. He had stopped in front of her, trying to catch the gaze that refused to meet his, all the while knowing that if he left the cottage now he would probably never see her again. Taking the door knob in his hand, he summoned all his courage and shut out the icy world outside, leaving the two of them alone in the warmth.

Her eyes snapped up immediately, her icy gaze meeting his all to quickly. "Marlin." Her voice broke again, a stray tear falling from her lashes. He felt himself reach up, his face still blushing, a calloused finger meeting the soft skin of her cheek he had never felt before, brushing away any evidence of tears from her face. Before he allowed himself time to over think it, he leant in and kissed her.

He had surprised her, the action earning him a tiny squeak that he silenced almost immediately. It had been years since he kissed a girl- and as much as he hated to admit it, he was slightly rusty- yet Claire's lips against his felt as good as he had imagined during the many cold showers he had been taking the past few months. Instinctively, he moved his hand to knot in her hair, the other one snaking around her waist.

She surfaced for air before he did, sniffling slightly as she did so. "Marlin, you idiot." She sighed, pushing him back slightly. "Now you're going to get sick."

He nearly laughed. "You're kidding, Claire. Is that really what you're worried about right now?"

She shrugged, her cheeks flooding red once again. "Well, I don't know..." She trailed off. Somehow, he felt even more awkward now that he had before he kissed her. Clearing his throat, he watched her pick absentmindedly at a loose thread on her sleeve.

"I know you're used to being on your own." His hand closed around hers, forcing her to stop picking at her sleeve. "And I know there are a lot of reasons why you think it's easier to stay alone... I have plenty of reasons to think that way too." He coughed. "But I think it would be good for both of us to maybe learn to let ourselves be taken care of, every once in a while, at least."

She stared at his hand over hers for a long moment, whispering at last, "I just don't want you to leave. I like having you around, Marlin."

"I don't have any intentions of leaving..." He said very quietly, squeezing her hand in his.

She sent him a blazing look, the kind he had never seen on her face, or any woman's for that matter. Returning the pressure of his hand, her gaze dropped to the place they were intertwined between them, a small sigh escaping her lips. "You promise?"

He untangled his hand from hers, reaching up to caress her chin. He could barely think of anything to say, his head almost pounding from the swirl of thoughts tornado-ing through it. After what felt like hours, he cleared his throat. "I promise. As long as you want me, I'm here..." He watched her sapphire eyes drop their gaze to his lips, her cheeks beginning to redden. "I'm yours to command." He chuckled after a pause.

She returned the ferocity of his grip on his hand, biting the inside of her cheek as she glanced up at him through her lashes. "I want you to kiss me, Marlin."

He didn't need telling twice. Pulling her against him, he came to her lips like a parched man to water; her arms wrapping themselves around his neck and pulling herself achingly closer. He gripped the muscles of her lower back, his other hand knotting itself back into her golden hair, the low swooping sensation in his stomach nearly knocking him off his feet. She moaned as he bit against her lower lip, her hands clenching against the fabric of his shirt. Prodding the seal of her lips with his tongue, he caught the cool sigh that escaped her mouth into his, nearly suppressing a moan of his own. Sweeping a hand underneath the seam of the overlarge pyjama shirt she wore, he teased the soft skin of her stomach, his thumbs barely brave enough to graze of sides of her breasts.

"Kiss my neck." She commanded, breathing heavily as his lips obeyed and sucked at the sensitive skin of her jaw. He could feel her fingers picking at the buttons of his shirt as he began to stumble blindly towards the bed. Her backside collided with the table and Claire, not being one to miss an opportunity, hopped on it, her pyjama clad legs snaking around his waist as he jerked his shirt over his head.

Her cool hands pulled him towards her as she began sucking on the sensitive skin of his neck, the act along sending lightening through his veins. "Claire..." He breathed, his arms bracing on either side of her as she bit the fleshy joint of his shoulder. "Tell me to stop." He hated himself for saying it, and it took nearly all his willpower to push her back. He needed her to say it- it was the only way he could force himself to stop, if it was what he knew she wanted... It was hard not to pull her back in: she looked absolutely stunning, her hair perfectly tousled and her lips an enticing swollen pink.

She sent him a crooked smile, a kind of mirth in her eyes he hadn't seen since he brought her home from the blue bar. "No." She whispered, her hands reaching from his belt buckle.

"Claire." He couldn't remember ever sounding so desperate, his hands cupping hers and attempting to slow her process. "Claire, think about this... Just in case..." He couldn't think of how to put his thoughts into words- how to explain how traditional things were in mineral town, how to tell her they should wait... Until what? Marriage? How to explain that he had never, ever been with a woman... And to ask, maybe, how many men she had been with...

She had stopped picking at his buckle and instead reached up, gripping his chin lightly. She looked at him, long and hard, the same look she had given him when they first met; the kind that made him feel as if she was analysing him down to the core, her judgement on him absolute. Finally, she leant in and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, whispering against them. "I don't have a just in case." She leant back, her weight resting on her palms, reminding him of how much he had wanted her that night in the summer. "Do you have a just in case?"

His hands dropped to her thighs, the feeling of her muscles beneath the fabric sending a low swoop to his abdomen. Did he have a just in case? Did he have anyone else on the horizon... In the back of his mind, a half thought ventured to Celia, whose presence in his head was gone before it truly arrived, his thoughts instead arriving to the small sigh that came from Claire's mouth as he massaged up her legs, his thumbs achingly close to the heat between her legs. Could he truly imagine living life without the woman he was with now? Could he truly go a day without her? Hadn't the last few weeks already proven that to him? He leant forward, mirroring the chaste kiss she had planted on his lips moments earlier.

"I don't have a just in case."He whispered against her, earning him a fierce bit on the lip before she whispered back: "Undress me, Marlin."

The command sent as much fire through his veins as it did earlier that year; however he felt much more equipped for the job now than he did then. Bracing himself between her legs he leant forward, his fingers beginning to work on the first button between her breasts. He could hardly keep himself from kissing her; he placed a chaste kiss against her lips as the first button opened with a pop before he began to suck on the tender flesh on her neck. At last the shirt slid off her shoulders, revealing her swollen breasts to him. He pulled back from her neck, his palms sliding of their own accord to tease her nipples, an act that earned a moan that was quickly silenced by his lips against hers. Kissing her fiercely, he squeezed her breasts tenderly in his hands, his lips returning to the nape of her neck as he gently rolled a nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Bottoms." She breathed, her nails gently scratching the back of his neck. Sliding her off the table he yanked her bottoms off, a pair of pink panties all that separated her bare flesh from his hands. "Your turn." She sent him a crooked smile; her fingers tracing the muscled lines of his stomach and following the v shaped contours to his belt buckle, working so fast he barely had time to be aroused before she had yanked his jeans and boxers down to his ankles, his erection bared between them. She didn't pause before launching herself against him, her cool stomach pressing against his bare sex. "Bed." She murmured against his lips, guiding him across the room until they tumbled in a mass of limbs against the mattress, her bare legs swinging up and wrapping themselves around his waist.

He could barely think; he had never been this close to a naked woman before, let alone on top of one. He clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the moan about to escape his lips as she pulled back, her teeth gently nipping at the fleshy joint of his shoulder. His hands were acting of their own accord: with so much to feel they were barely staying still, running aggressively down her sides and only pausing momentarily to squeeze a lump of swollen flesh or flick a pursed nipple.

Her hands too, were beginning to roam; calloused fingers had gone from clawing at his back to tracing the lines of his abdomen, a small gasp emerging from his lips as she came to rest on his pulsating erection, her grip on his cock gentle as she began to massage his manhood. The low swooping sensation had migrated from his stomach to a point near the head of his penis, the feeling of her loose grip sliding up and down his shaft enough to make tiny stars erupt in front of his eyes. He let out a staggering breath, his lungs aching and making him realize he had been holding his breath for far too long. Beneath him, Claire let out a tinkling laugh, her fingers beginning to trace a swirling pattern along his shaft. "You alright there, Marlin?"

He was growing weary of her smug attitude, as if he needed a reminder that he was less experienced at this than she was. He was filled with the desire to please her, to hear her moan his name... Shifting his weight, he seized both her wrists in his, a small amount of satisfaction filling him as he pinned her arms above her head, earning him a tiny gasp from the woman below. Allowing his fingers to trail between her legs and rub against the sensitive flesh still hidden beneath her panties, he smirked down at her, his bangs barely brushing her quickly reddening cheeks. "You alright there, Claire?"

"Panties. Off." She gasped, arching her back to kiss him, the movement allowing him to grab the dainty waist band and pull it down her slender legs. He withdrew from Claire's kiss with a quick nip to her bottom lip, the soft breath of her sigh barely skimming his face before he dove down, already carving a trail of kisses down her neck and onto the swollen flesh of her breasts. He paused, taking care to trace the gentle curve of her skin with his tongue before suckling gently onto her nipples, the combined act of his tongue and teeth making her moan beneath him, her breathing beginning to quicken. He didn't linger long, though; his path of kisses continued down to her hips, and he finally released her bound wrists so as to only grab her knee and lift it, exposing the soaking folds between her legs.

Grabbing the curve of her waist with one hand, he placed a chaste kiss upon her clit, her hips rocking towards him nearly startlingly him. Following his instincts, he took the whole of it in his mouth, the swirling and sucking of his tongue causing her hips to buck beneath him. "Marlin..." It was what he had been waiting for, the moment she moaned his name the way no other woman had before; the kind of moan he had been waiting to hear since early summer. He emerged suddenly, returning to silence her with a hard kiss on the lips, his fingers plunging through her soaked folds and into her heated core. She gasped against his lips, her teeth scratching against his lower lip as he pumped in and out of her, her arms flying up to his shoulders and clawing into him. He felt her warm juices gush against him, and she pulled back suddenly, her blue eyes boring into him for a moment before she buried her face into his neck, her lips against his flesh silencing the sounds of her satisfaction.

He rolled on top of her, his member positioned against her sopping entrance. His lips met hers in a brief chaste kiss, trying to communicate, to silently ask for her permission... "Fuck me, Marlin." She whispered, her ragged breath coating his lips.

He didn't need asking twice; his shaft plunged deep inside of her at once, earning him a moan of pleasure from Claire as she quickly adjusted to his length. Her wet folds tightened around him as he began to pump in and out of her, his head dropping to the crook of her neck. Her legs wrapped around him, urging him on, her nails no doubt bringing blood from his back; all his senses felt somehow numbed, the only thing he was conscious of was the feeling of Claire around him and the sound of her moaning into his ear.

He had struck a particularly sensitive spot; her moans were beginning to turn into more of screams, her vagina tightening around him as her hips began to buckle once more beneath him. He felt a sudden gush of wetness, Claire's breathing erratic as she reached orgasm. He pulled back, her half-lidded sapphire eyes urging him on to completing, his hips pounding into her until he couldn't take it anymore, his orgasm gushing inside of her.

They were quiet after; the only sound in the cottage was the sound of their breathing, slowly returning to normal after their rampant love-making. Beside him, Claire was still red-faced, her blonde hair knotted around her and sweat running down to pool between her breasts. He reached out to her; instinctively pulling a blanket over her as he reached for her hand. "That was..." He began, but stopped short, not knowing how to finish.

She laughed her tinkling laugh. "Yeah." She returned the pressure of his grip, neither of them knowing what to say.

He didn't know what would happen next, nor what exactly he was to the woman next to him. He did, however, know that the woman beside him was someone he could see being in his life for a while; he knew that he liked the way she made love, the way she blushed, and the way she laughed at him when he was being stupid. And whether he ordered the blue feather this second or not at all, he was confident that he would have a lot of time to figure it out.

After all, it was just their first year.