I got this idea from reading an article in my favourite men's magazine, ZOO Weekly. Every now and then a model would tell stories of some of her 'experiences', but I'm thinking a lot of them are exaggerated, or even written by someone else to make things seem a little bit sexier. Nonetheless, I used one of them to make this fic about one of our favourite couples.

WARNING: It IS an M-rated fic.

On the Beach

INTRO

It was in the late spring when things finally started to warm up, and there were many people who chose to take advantage of this. One in particular was a woman who was still new to the human experience. Understandably, having previously spent her whole existence as an Artificial Intelligence, whose appearance to everybody else was nothing more than a hologram, the simple yet intricate aspects of human living were all new and fascinating to her. Admittedly, her hologram had been rather appealing to look at, particularly to males, but it still did not compare to being an actual person. Fortunately, her new physical form looked just like her hologram, except without the blue tinge to it, so her physical beauty remained as obvious and appealing as it had always been.

Another change that came with transitioning from computer program to organic being was the impact of certain emotions. Sure, even AI were prone to feeling things like happiness, sadness, and of course, love. They felt these emotions about themselves and towards the people they cared about, but they still did not have a body, and as a result, they never had to deal with the chemical responses that came with it. Responses that prompted intense feelings of sheer desire and a need to be fulfilled on a physical basis. But once they became human, they were forced to confront these, just like a teenager going through puberty.

This particular woman was no exception. And when her mind wandered to these amorous places, there was one individual, and one individual only, whom she felt these intense desires towards. A man who was known to his allies as a great warrior, and to his former enemies as a demon. A man who wore a powerful suit of armour, which she had actually interfaced with and been housed inside when she was still an AI. And yet, this man was no less imposing when he was out of it. In fact, when he was out of it, her desires became all the more peaked.

Not only that, but he desired her too. Sure, he was schooled from a very young age to exercise restraint and control in every situation, but those who knew him best knew of his feelings towards her. The looks he made in her direction, the oh-so-subtle changes in his breathing when she was around, or when he even thought about her. To everyone else, he seemed to be a mask of coolness at all times. But to those who truly knew him, he might as well have been breaking out in sweat.

It was actually kind of funny. In his teens, he and his so-called brothers and sisters had been biochemically augmented to become the prime physical specimens they were now, and one of the drawbacks of that had been a reduced sex drive. But strangely, their bodies, or at least his, had finally managed to negate that little factor, and as a result, all those years of repressed sexuality and hormones had finally rushed back to hit him with the force of a Brute's gravity hammer.

But despite their talents and intelligence, they had an annoying habit of being dense. Instead, they tried to work off their frustrations in the ways they knew how. She by using her unbelievable brainpower, and he by working out and training. They could not really be blamed though. They were only just starting to experience their sexuality, and yet nobody taught them how to find a proper outlet.

Naturally, those around them could only shake their heads and feel a strong urge to slap them across the back of the head.

Fortunately, things changed after one day on the beach…

HER

As she made he way across the dunes, Cortana breathed in the crisp and salty air wafting in from the crashing waves. It was now the middle of spring, and the temperature was just starting to warm up. The last few weeks had still held the cool remnants of the passing winter, and the next few would foreshadow the scorching summer that was around the corner, but now it was just perfect.

Sighing, Cortana reflected on recent events. It had been a year since she and John had returned to Earth, after spending years just floating out in the nether regions of space. Just a couple of months afterwards, she had been informed of a process that had been developed by UNSC scientists; a process that would transfer her consciousness into that of a living human body. It was something that would save an AI and grant them potentially decades of life instead of just a few years.

Having just beginning to succumb to the first stages of rampancy, Cortana had undergone the procedure, thus saving her from a certain death, and allowing her to experience life as a normal human. The donor DNA had come from her creator, Catherine Halsey.

But nothing could have prepared her for the sudden onrush of all these emotions, particularly, the ones that she felt towards John. She had always found him to be… intriguing, and in so many ways, but now she had this intense and unmitigated desire towards him. Granted, Cortana knew all about sex. Even as an AI, she had still been essentially human, and sex was a necessary process for the race's reproduction. It was only in her later years as an AI that she truly began to understand the other aspects attached to it: love, desire, pleasure, and the like. But she had been just a hologram back then. Such things were not important to her.

And then she became human, and all of a sudden, those things did become important. Just looking at John made her stomach flutter and her knees weaken. Every time he touched her, her skin felt as though it were burning with an unquenchable fire, even if he had simply touched her shoulder through the fabric of her clothes.

These things frustrated Cortana. She was meant to infiltrate computer systems, sort information, translate data, and the like. Even as a human, she still possessed these abilities, albeit on a different level. These things she understood. Things like these intense feelings and desires had always been beyond her. Not now, though.

One thing she did enjoy, however, was the sensation of touch. Artificial Intelligences usually did not possess this. They had sight and hearing, but not the other three. They may have had chemical analysers to assist in the way of taste and smell, but tangible contact was out of their range completely. Upon becoming human and acquiring these new senses, Cortana had been utterly intrigued by them. Smell was amazing, taste was even more so, but her favourite was definitely touch. It added a whole new dimension to her existence. Right now, she could physically feel the clothes on her body, the warmth of the sun on her face, and the sand beneath her feet.

Cortana remembered the moment when she experienced the best part of touch. She had been taking a shower, and for the first time, she noticed that it felt weird against her skin. Not a bad kind of weird, but a good kind. She also like the feeling of her hands against her skin, and she decided to do a little experimenting of her own. This served to increase the good feeling, and before long, she started to feel a slight trembling sensation in her body. She continued her ministrations, and soon she felt what could be best described as a well of pleasure building up inside her. Eventually, this had reached its peak, and Cortana experienced some kind of explosion of sheer pleasure. It was only by clamping a hand over her mouth that stopped her from crying out loud.

It was later on that Cortana realised she had experienced her first orgasm. And a little voice inside her head seemed to say you are finally a woman now. She suddenly became intrigued with the idea of experiencing many more of the sexual pleasures, particularly those done with another person. And there was only one individual who Cortana wanted to do it with: John.

Unfortunately, John seemed more clueless in this area than she was. Not that surprising, since his augmentations had reduced his sex drive. Still, she caught the subtle glances he sent her way, and every now and then, she would actually brush up against him, ostensibly by accident. And yet, it was enough to make him falter in his tracks. This showed that she did have an effect on him in that way. Unfortunately, those sorts of movements were not enough when Cortana was feeling the way she did. And as much as she wanted to bring the topic up with him, she had no idea how to do so or how he would possibly react. It was downright frustrating.

Cortana groaned in frustration. Lamenting on the problem would not help solve it. Besides, she wanted to just relax at the moment. Looking around, she determined that she had found an ideal spot. The beach was nearby the UNSC base where she and John were both stationed, but far enough away so as to guarantee a little bit of privacy. Even so, she looked for a part in the dunes where it was depressed enough to be surrounded, ensuring that anyone there would be hidden. Nonetheless, Cortana looked around the area to make sure that nobody was around. The only other person was about a kilometre away. Perfect.

Heading back into the dip in the sand, Cortana unpacked her bag. She took her towel and laid it out on the sand. After that, she stood back up and started to undress. On base, she usually wore a newer variant of the UNSC officer uniform, which possesses a zip that ran down the front. Sizes were determined by the wearer, but Cortana often chose to wear one that fitted her curvaceous figure; another decision made to get a response from John.

Cortana pulled down the front zip, then peeled the top off. She sighed as she felt the warm wind caress the naked flesh of her chest, her shoulders, her abdomen, her breasts… She dropped the top on the sand, and now topless, she unzipped her pants before pushing them down her firm and toned legs. On days like this, she wore no underwear. It was just her perfect form, once only a hologram, now flesh, blood, and beauty.

Now completely naked, Cortana picked up her sunscreen and proceeded to apply it to her skin. Although she was in the mood for sunbathing and maybe getting a tan, she had no interest in getting sunburnt. Or worse, a melanoma.

Running her sunscreen-coated hands over her legs, her stomach, her sizeable breasts, Cortana once again felt the tingling of pleasure inside her being, and her mind was teased with images of John. Grunting, she clamped down. As much as she would have liked him to do this to her, he was not here right now. And unless either of them wised up and made some changes, it was unlikely that situation would ever occur in the future.

After applying the sunscreen, Cortana lay back and let the rays of the mid-spring sun wash over her nude form. Closing her eyes, she tried her best to push images of John and his impressive muscular form out of her mind. Right now, all she wanted to do was unwind, relax, and forget all of her current troubles.

Fortunately, a more appealing solution was in the process of making its way towards her…

HIM

A kilometre away, the lone figure that Cortana had previously spotted in the distance continued in his run down the beach. Anyone noticing him at this point would not stop to think that this was the man who was largely responsible for the saving of the human race. But then, those who did not know him very well would not have recognised him without his green MJOLNIR armour. Instead, he wore a dark grey t-shirt, dark blue shorts and sneakers. But there was no doubting his identity. He was the Master Chief; the most famous and infamous of all Spartans. John-117.

And the man who haunted Cortana's erotic dreams and fantasies.

Ironically, John himself had been feeling stressed out, and so he had gone for a ten-kilometre run along the coast in an effort to burn off some of the excess tension he was feeling. After doing a run like that, most human beings would be gasping and falling over in exhaustion. But John was a Spartan. They were not ordinary humans. He was barely breathing heavy.

And unfortunately, it had done practically nothing to ease his tension. If anything, he remained as frustrated as ever. Slowing his pace to a brisk walk, John muttered under his breath, occasionally tossing in a swear word. He hated these feelings that were currently running roughshod through his mind.

In the time since the end of the war, those who had once served in the military had tried to find another avenue for them to live their lives. Soldiers were not exactly wanted now, so the time had come to pursue other goals. The problem was, John was a Spartan, a professional soldier. That had been his life ever since he had been inducted into the program at the age of six. Finding another career was not an option for him. And unfortunately, the lack of action had left him with a lot of time to wonder.

When his AI partner Cortana had gotten a human body, John had been absolutely thrilled. He had such a close bond with her, and he would have been shattered had she just broken down and died. But an unexpected occurrence had been that seeing Cortana as a human, gazing over the perfect form of her new body, hearing the sound of her voice, and just being near her, had awakened something inside him. The Spartan augmentation program had actually decreased his libido, but now, it seemed to be returning. He had no possible explanation for why it was happening, all he knew was that his sex drive had come back with a vengeance, and it caused him to set his sights firmly on Cortana.

The problem was, John had skills that allowed him to handle weapons, drive all sorts of vehicles, and cause virtually every form of havoc possible. In short, skills that were valuable in a war. But he had next to no skills in regards to romance or sex. He knew all about them, of course, but he just did not know how to use them. It made him feel like a clumsy, idiotic teenager. He had never felt so embarrassed before in his life.

So John had attempted to work out his mounting frustrations the only way he knew how; by continuing to train and make himself an ideal soldier, even though the war was long over and he was already the epitome of an ideal soldier. His fellow Spartans could only shake their heads in frustration. Even they had found other outlets beyond soldiering, and had also started to date other people, so they had managed to get through their sexual issues just fine. They could plainly see that John and Cortana wanted each other badly, but it annoyed them to no end how they did not hook up and get it over with.

John stopped walking and bent over to catch his breath, even though his heart rate had remained steady and he barely started to sweat. This was getting him nowhere! He was supposed to be able to handle anything, and yet he could not even tell the woman he was in love with that he cared about her greatly? That he wanted to experience the full aspect of a physical relationship with her? He had killed thousands of enemies and blown up more of their infrastructure than he could pay to replace in his whole career, and yet he could not woe a woman!

If the Covenant knew about this, they would certainly be second-guessing the demon reputation they had bestowed upon him.

Sighing, John started walking back in the direction of the UNSC base. His tension as high as it had been when he had started his run. He trudged through the sand, not really paying attention as to where he was headed, eventually making his way into the dunes, the sandy terrain swallowing up any sound his footfalls might have made.

His mind continued to race. This is ridiculous, John, he thought. Just tell Cortana how you feel! And yet another part thought that maybe he should not do that. After about a minute of the two halves of his mind battling with each other, John finally made the decision to just suck it up and talk to Cortana. It might not resolve all of their issues, but at the very least, it would be a start.

Just as John came to this decision, he crested the top of a sand dune, and was met with a sight he could not have predicted. Cortana was lying there on a towel, sunbathing. And she had not a stitch of clothing on her! Obviously she had chosen this spot because of the privacy, and it had been a sheer accident that he had stumbled upon her. Yet, her beautiful form was there for John to see. The nicely toned legs, her flat stomach, and those perfectly curvaceous breasts. John immediately felt his manhood grow hard at the sight.

For a moment, John felt tempted to turn back and leave her to her privacy. Obviously, she had not expected for anyone to stumble across her, and she did not seem to notice his presence. He could just go back, and she'd be none the wiser.

And break the promise you made to yourself, what, one minute ago? A voice in his head asked. This would have to be the most perfect moment for you to act on your impulses, and if you walk away right now, you will definitely regret it, perhaps even for the rest of your life. John felt like shushing it, but another one told him that he had already blown a lot of opportunities with Cortana, and yet this one was probably the best one he could have asked for.

Exactly, numbnuts, the voice in his head taunted him again. You know you want her, and it seems pretty damn obvious that she wants you too. So why the hell don't you just go over and make your move? It's either that, or continue putting up with these frustrating feelings. And if you choose the latter, you can be damn sure that those feelings are going to make you regret walking away from this moment. Do you want that? Do you? Or do you want Cortana instead? The last sentence was delivered in a very suggestive tone of voice.

As a professional soldier, John had seldom had time to listen to the little voice in his head, so he never figured that it would sound like this; all provocative and abrasive. Still, it did make a very good point. And before he knew it, his feet started to walk him towards the beautiful woman lying on the towel.

THEM

Cortana felt a shock run through her being as she sensed a shadow falling across her naked form. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, her arms coming across her chest to cover up her breasts. In a split second, she felt embarrassment, annoyance, and a whole slew of negative emotions. She looked up and saw that her intruder was none other than the man she had been fantasising about for so long. John. Her embarrassment remained, but it was quickly giving way to other emotions. More appealing emotions.

Cortana looked over John's form as he stood over her. He was decked out in a t-shirt and shorts, and had the faintest trace of sweat over his muscular body. Obviously, he had been working out. She also noticed the slight bulge in his shorts, and a faint smile touched her lips at the thought of her body eliciting such a response from his. A thought occurred to her that she might finally be able to get that which she had been craving for so long.

A similar thought was in John's head as well, and it was actually impairing his ability to speak. Steeling himself mentally, he pushed through it, and he felt his apprehension start to melt away, gradually being replaced by his trademark confidence. He raised his eyebrow and turned up the corner of his lip in a grin. "Might I ask what you are doing here, Cortana?" he asked with a bit of levity, hoping that it would provoke the right response from the former AI.

It seemed to work. Although she kept her arms over her naked chest, Cortana gave a smile that was a little bit lusty in nature. "Oh, nothing much," she replied. "I'm just out here working on my tan."

"I can see that," John commented, his voice starting to take on a huskier tone. "I'm just wondering as to why you are here, all alone, working on your full body tan."

"Well, I… I don't really like tan lines," Cortana said, ever so slowly taking her arms away from her chest, exposing her breasts again. She heard John's breath catch a little at their sight, and she knew that she was having the desired effect on him. "I mean, I have this new body of mine, and I don't see why I can't get it tanned all over." She placed her hand on the ground, supporting her as she leaned back a little, presenting herself into something of a model's pose, her firm ample breasts thrust out slightly.

John did not think he could have gotten more aroused than had been, but the sight of Cortana presenting her body like that, almost as a blatant invitation, made it so. His grin became wider, and a bit lecherous. "Oh no, I totally agree with you there," he said playfully. "After all, you have a perfectly beautiful body, so why shouldn't you?" Cortana grinned at this. "In fact, if you want, I am willing to offer to rub sunscreen on you." John paused for emphasis. "Unless you want me to do something else for you?"

That did it for Cortana. She had to have him there and then. She wanted him to take her and make her his own. Slowly, she stood up, keeping her body close to his. There was still a noticeable difference in height between the two, so she looked up into John's eyes. "Well, now that you mention it," she purred, "I think 'something else' sounds like more fun." She stood up on her toes, and gently touched her lips to his. John responded in kind, one of his arms coming around the back of Cortana's perfect nude form and holding her closer to his body.

Through their close proximity, Cortana could feel John's hardness pressing up against her, and her mind reeled with the possibilities even as her lips and tongues battled for dominance in their passionate kiss. The former AI ran a soft hand down the Spartan's muscular chest before slipping it into his shorts and gently grasping the hard form.

John broke away from the kiss and gave a grin. "You like what you feel?" he asked huskily.

"Mmm, very much so," she replied sensually.

"Well then, let me return the favour." He reached down with his hands and cupped Cortana's breasts. They were D-cup sized, just large enough without being too large, with a very nice weight to them, and both firm and supple enough. He gently squeezed them, making her moan softly in pleasure. The moans turned into gasps when John leaned down and began kissing and licking them, running his lips and tongue over the mounds and then the erect pink nipples. He did this with the right one first, then repeated the process with the left.

Cortana moaned and tilted her head back in pleasure as John's mouth explored her body. As he finished his ministrations, she reached down to the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head, tossing it off to the side. Looking at his muscular torso, the former AI was struck with a maelstrom of mixed emotions. She was amazed by the sheer musculature of John's form, as well as feeling a bit of sympathy for the various scars and battle wounds that crisscrossed it. She knew that he was a Spartan, and as such, war was his way of life, but it still shocked and saddened her that one man could endure so much pain.

And yet, that very man was still alive, holding her in his arms lovingly, and showering her with romantic touches. This just served to reinforce the erotic feelings that she had towards him. Leaning forward, Cortana pressed her lips to his chest, kissing and running her tongue over the many scars. The flesh on most of these was already more sensitive than most other parts due to the scar tissue, and this served to actually enhance the feeling of Cortana's actions. This caused John to lean his head back a little as well, closing his eyes, and feel the waves of pleasure that this little, yet amazingly powerful, woman bestowed upon him.

Once only an Artificial Intelligence, less than six inches tall, and now a human woman, still shorter and not as physically strong as he, and yet she succeeded in bringing him to his knees emotionally.

As Cortana kissed down his chest to the hardened six-pack of his abdomen, she hooked her fingers into the bands of his shorts and the underwear he had on underneath, sliding them down his muscular legs. His stiff manhood sprung out in front of Cortana, and she gasped at the sight of it. Admittedly, she had been well aware of his… physical attributes before. Being his AI, she knew the composition, strength, size and so on off all his body parts, but she was still surprised at the size of John's member. It was about 9 inches (25 cm) long, and possessed an impressive girth.

"You know," she said coyly, looking back up into his eyes, "you cut an impressive and imposing figure, whether in your armour or not. I wonder if that was an indication as to the size of what you had in your pants." She punctuated her sentence by gently wrapping her hand around his manhood and slowly stroking it a few times.

John raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I am surprised with you, Cortana. I had no idea that you knew how to talk dirty."

Cortana's eyes glinted. "Well, that's not as dirty as it could be, but still, I do what I can."

"Good enough for me," John replied as he gently laid her down on the towel. "I don't care how dirty you may be, I still think you are perfect. You were perfect when you were just a computer program, and you are perfect now." He gently eased her legs apart and positioned himself in between them. "Of course, being human definitely has more perks don't you think?"

Cortana sighed in happiness as she felt the tip of John's member brush up against the lips of her moist womanhood. "Oh absolutely, John," she replied breathlessly. "And I look forward to experiencing them over and over again." She pulled John's face closer to hers. "With you."

John leaned forward and captured Cortana's lips again in a passionate kiss. At the same time, he slowly eased his hips forward, felling his manhood slowly enter Cortana's warmth. The former AI moaned into John's mouth, experiencing a wave of sensation wash over her body. The hardness filled her, inflicting both pain and sheer pleasure throughout her entire being.

John continued to slide himself inside Cortana, inch by inch, until he managed to get the whole nine inches inside, burying himself to the hilt in her tantalising warmth. Her walls were firm and yet so soft; an amazing contrast that sent his mind spinning.

Cortana let out a soft whimper, and John pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. "Are you okay?" he asked in a gentle voice. As much he wanted to pleasure, he did not want to hurt her.

She nodded slightly. "I'm fine, John. Just… keep going."

He kissed her again before pulling his manhood most of the way out, then plunging it back inside her, eliciting another moan from her. Cortana wrapped her toned legs around John's waist, bringing him in further, deeper. With each successive thrust, the pain diminished, being replaced by pleasure. Pleasure that mounted with each moment. There was a gentle slapping sound as their hips met over and over again his their movements.

Cortana threw her head back, revelling in the feelings that the Spartan was inflicting upon her. Closing her eyes, she felt the building pleasure wash away the stress and frustration that she had been feeling lately. Had she known how wonderful such experiences were, she would certainly have acted upon them much sooner. But, that mattered little. Here she was, lying on a beach while the Chief made love to her, and that was all she cared about. Hell, she was not in a position to think of anything else at this point. It was just her, John, and the passion between them.

John was feeling the same. He had never stopped to think that sex would feel this… amazing! As he thrust into Cortana over and over again, her soft moans of ecstasy inspired him to thrust harder and faster, and he was all too willing to comply, occasionally letting out a grunt of his own. Looking down at the former construct, he saw her in all her beauty, and how her perfect form responded to his movements. Her breasts bouncing back and forth with each of his thrusts, her legs wrapped around him, urging him in deeper. He brought his face closer to hers, and she opened her eyes. The electric blue orbs held so much for him; her personality, her passion, and her love for him, the sheer desire and lust of the situation. It was all he could do to restrain himself.

Cortana experienced the feeling building up inside her again. She remembered it from that time when she was alone in the shower. But now it was John who was doing it to her. Her breathing became heavier, and her moans got quicker. John knew that she was getting closer to the edge, and he could simply tell that she wanted it so badly. He was only too happy to apply. At the same time, he felt a throbbing sensation that alerted him to his own approaching climax. All rational thought left his mind, and he increased his tempo.

Cortana felt the pressure build up inside her, but she held back for as long as she could. She wanted this to be the best possible experience she ever had. Looking at John, she knew he was approaching his end as well, and the pleasure within her had reached a point where it could not be contained much longer, so she let go and let herself be taken over the edge. Cortana moaned loudly as she experienced her orgasm, every inch of her body clenching as the pleasure wracked through her, causing her to throw her head back again, and her legs to clench even tighter around John.

This was enough to push the Spartan over the edge as well, and he thrust inside her one last time, burying himself to the hilt and groaning loudly as he hit his own climax, feeling his body contract as he did so.

Cortana gasped as she felt spurt after spurt of John's hot liquid inside her. She moaned happily as she felt the Spartan empty himself into her. After a few moments, it became apparent that he had expended himself, and he relaxed, positioning himself on his arms so that he was still hovering above his lover, though they were still locked in their passionate embrace.

Neither one of them said anything for about a minute, just lying there, still joined together, looking deeply into each other's eyes, and basking in the afterglow of their extremely intimate session. Both feeling the intense happiness and relief at having finally experienced that which they had denied themselves for so long, as well as the exciting prospect that their relationship had progressed to a whole new and much more appealing level. More than that, both the Spartan and the former AI felt complete, whole. And it was indeed a wondrous thing.

It was Cortana who spoke up first. "Wow," she said in a quivering voice. "That was… I mean, um…"

John chuckled. "So the great Cortana has been rendered speechless, huh?"

Cortana swatted him on the arm, pushing him and making him roll on his on the sand next to her. This action also unjoined their two bodies. "Shut up, John," she snapped, though still smiling at the whole situation. "I just have to admit that this whole… episode was completely unexpected. I never figured that my first sexual experience would be an impulsive event on a beach. It was more… spontaneous than I expected."

"Cortana," John sighed happily, "I have to admit that I'm no expert on sex or love. But even I know that spontaneity can be a good thing. Sometimes it can even seem more romantic than planned ones. Of course, that does not mean one should go around screwing the first person they see." The two of them were now lying naked on the sand next to each other, looking into each other's eyes.

Cortana shook her head. "Trust me John, that was definitely not my plan. There is no way that I would have hooked up willingly with anybody but you." She softened her voice. "You're my whole world."

John reached over and brushed some hair out of her face. "And you are mine," he said. He paused for a moment. "Still, I wonder what made us take so long to do this. I mean, let's face it, we both wanted this, so why wait so long?"

"Because, my dear Spartan," Cortana said lightly as she started to get up, "We are both unbelievably dense." She bent over to pick up her clothing, and started to put it back on. John sat back and watched her, simply admiring the sheer beauty of the woman who had just given herself to him.

"You heading back to base?" he asked.

"I am," she replied, zipping up her top. "And I hope to see you there again later on today."

John gave an exaggerated pout. "So I can't come back with you?"

"If they see us together, the others will get suspicious," Cortana explained, walking around him to get her towel.

"Oh please, they'll be able to know once they see the change in our attitudes. Hell, I've heard the other Spartans and even a few of the ODST guys have been running a betting pool as to when we finally got together!"

"Cortana groaned as she leaned down in front of her man. "Well, that just shows their level of maturity, doesn't it?" She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. "I'll come by your place later tonight," she said suggestively, then stood up and started to walk away.

"Does that mean we'll be doing a repeat performance?" John called out after her.

"Maybe," Cortana replied flippantly, making sure that her hips wiggled a little as she walked away, providing the Chief with a tantalising view.

John chuckled and started to put his clothing back on.

END

John's suspicions proved correct. As soon as Cortana got back to base, the other Spartans and a few of their newfound ODST friends could spot the very noticeable change in her demeanour. They suspected that she and the Chief had finally hooked up, but they decided to wait until he returned to see how he was acting. When he did, none were happier than Kelly, because she had just won the pool.

Neither John nor Cortana cared a great deal though. They were far too busy looking forward to that night.

Okay, this was my first smut-fic, so try to be a little easy on me.

Other than that, hope it was okay.