Ribbons

Yun woke in steady stages, awareness spreading through her with the sensation not unlike warm water washing over her. Her fingers curled slowly, her toes, and a deep breath expanded her lungs and forced her breasts to rise against the sheets. She opened her eyes, finding a diffused visage of the ceiling, and blinked until her vision cleared. She didn't need to be awake yet, the alarm was set to go off within the next hour, but she was awake all the same. Still, that didn't mean she had to get out of bed right this second. Instead she just rolled onto her side, towards the warmth that had spent most of the night tucked against her.

At the present, Lightning was still fast asleep and making up the hardly moving mass beside Yun, completely concealed by the blanket. There wasn't even a stray lock of hair to be seen, and little motion with the exception of her steady cadence of sleeping breaths.

Yun propped herself on one elbow, watching for a time in spite of how little she could see of her lover. Didn't really matter. She was nearby, her scent was in everything, and Yun could feel the warm fulfillment of her presence. Sight was secondary. Although I'll admit, she was only human, and as such, she liked to touch. Feeling was believing. Slowly, mindfully, Yun molded herself along the curl of Lightning's back as she found it beneath the blankets. She was always so warm, receptive in her stillness. Even relaxed, Yun could feel the contours of strong muscles beneath thin cotton and flannel, hard planes in her shoulders and stomach as her hands found the hard nub of a belly ring. Baha chirped inquisitively, his paws searching with toes parted beneath the covers, only to find nothing and made not another sound.

Still Lightning lay unmoving as Yun pinched the hem of the blanket between two fingers and pulled it down, revealing a mussed tangle of pale roses. Yun smiled, unable to keep it back. She found the bend of Lightning's neck exposed, delicate and pale, and rested against it. The feeling of skin to skin sent a warm shiver through her, and she took in Lightning's scent slowly, like the first sip of coffee in the morning. Rich, soothing vitality. She put a gentle kiss to the crease where her neck and shoulder met, finding herself unable to stop at just one.

Now she stirred.

"Mmm," a gentle purr, a soft sound. "...time is it?"

"Mornin'." came a soft reply between kisses.

"Time?"

"Don't matter," Yun smiled against her shoulder. "I'm here...you're here...dunno about you, but I've got everythin' I need."

And though Yun couldn't see it, Lightning smiled. "What time is it?"

Yun rolled her eyes with a little shrug. "It's just after eight. You in a hurry?" she propped herself up again, leaning over Lightning's shoulder, hoping to garner her cerulean gaze.

"Got some things to do...can I borrow the car?"

"'fraid not, love. I'm goin' into the station today."

There was a slow nod, a sigh. "Sucks having to work on your birthday, huh?"

"Tell me about it. Still, gotta do what ya gotta do. But Vanille should be by this afternoon, if ya don't mind waitin'."

"That's fine."

"So what have ya got planned?"

"Just a couple of little errands is all."

Yun was still kissing, pausing momentarily with a cat-like grin. "You gonna make me a cake, sunshine?"

"Not by myself. I'd destroy the kitchen." she replied frankly.

"Ya gonna sing me 'happy birthday'?"

"I don't sing." which was rather true. She would hum with the radio, too quiet to hear, but it was a rare occurrence.

"Then how about you poppin' outta the cake wearin' a string bikini?"

A little laugh, "Me in a bikini, right."

"I can dream, can't I? Now give us a kiss, darlin',"

Lightning shifted onto her back, arms reaching to curl about Yun's neck, pulling her down that their lips might meet. Lightning found comfort and security in Yun's kiss, in her embrace, in her warmth. Dusky silken strands fell around her face as Yun settle over her, the tresses drifted across her fingers, dancing, as her hands sifted through them. she could feel Yun smiling against her lips as her nails tended towards a gentle scratching against her scalp. Lightning could feel Yun's weight pressing her into the mattress, a wicked hot charge in her stomach at Yun's probing knee working between her thighs.

As much as she didn't want to, Lightning had to resist. "Not now."

"Oh come on," Yun groaned a little. "I'm jonesin' bad for it." And she was. They hadn't been able to be intimate for nearly a month. Between Yun's schedule and mother nature, there just wasn't time.

"I know." Lightning gently pushed back on her shoulders. "Tonight. I promise."

"I see. You're plannin' on makin' my birthday really happy, aren't ya?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Lightning responded playfully.

"Tease." Yun grumbled a little, settling back onto her side but not before nipping Lightning's tender earlobe.

They would lay together and talk like this for the next hour, until the alarm went off much to their begrudged grumbling. Yun slapped the device quiet and dragged herself from bed to dress. Lightning watched her move about the room from the bed, Baha in her lap with his paws up and kneading the air. A heaviness gathered in her heart as Yun drew nearer and nearer to having to leave. She hated to watch her go.

"Got your badge?"

"Yup."

"Got your gun?"

"Always."

"Vest?"

"Of course." Yun stood up, smiling confidently and with gentle and understanding eyes. With the creases straightened out of her clothes, she took but a moment to give Lightning a parting kiss.

The heaviness in her chest settled like a brick in her stomach once she heard the front door close. Now she had most of the day to herself. At least until Vanille arrived.

The youngest Oerba had moved out about two months ago, after she graduated, to live with Hope. And while she hadn't said a word, everyone was suspecting a proposal sometime soon. But Lightning had come to miss her usual cheerfulness about the house, and was very glad to see her some hour or so later.

And while Lightning actually hated shopping. at least she didn't have to go alone.

(-)

Yun would not enjoy her work day, which she was well aware of from the moment the alarm sounded. By the time she pulled into the station she felt like her shoulders were dragging the ground. She just wanted to go home. It was her birthday, damn it.

Her coworkers, most of them still rather new since the federal purging of the precinct nearly two years ago, did their best to make the most of her day. She found a stack of corny birthday cards on the corner of her desk, -most of which confirmed her suspicion of no less than half of the rookies wanting to date her- and someone had stuccoed her desktop computer with foam hearts and stars and little yellow chocobos in order to make it "festive" as the one responsible so happily put it. She was mentally grumbling though visibly smiling as she had to pull them off the screen before she could even begin working. Then she slumped into her chair, slapped the monitor -which somehow managed to turn itself on by the force of the blow-, and went about her morning routine of checking her messages.

Minutes in, a dark shape came into her peripheral vision.

"You look miserable."

Without looking up Yun smirked. "A bit. It's my birthday, I should be surrounded by people I wanna fuck. Instead I'm stuck here with you lot."

Sazh laughed. "If it's any consolation, I thought to get you a stripper. But then I thought again because I wasn't sure if I should get man or a woman."

"Oh ha-ha, very funny."

"Thought you'd like that. Still, I'm gonna do my best not to keep you too long. If you could write up those three reports for me, I'll send ya home."

"You are too kind. Are you comin' for dinner tonight?"

"Gonna have to say no," he scratched the back of his head. "Dahj and I are going to a baseball game."

"Yeah? Well good for you, nice to know you're spendin' more time together."

"It is. But you best get started, 'less you want to be here after dark."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm gettin' to it."

(-)

Lightning had no mind for this sort of thing. No mind at all. And you could see it on her face, the way her brow creased and hung over her eyes in studious confusion. Not to say she wasn't trying her damnedest to make heads or tails of it all. As far as she could tell, clothes was clothes, nothing special or profound about it. Still...she wanted this to work. She wanted to make Yun happy.

Vanille stepped over from one of the other clothing racks to stand beside Lightning, quiet, watching as she just stood there.

"You find anything?"

"I don't know." Lightning's expression didn't change. "I'm thinking." and she was quiet for several seconds, as if meaning to say something else. And that something was "I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Oh come on, it's not so hard." Vanille encouraged.

"Says you." Lightning sighed, more like shrugged. "I don't even know what I'm looking for."

The youngest Oerba smiled gently. "Maybe you're just over thinking things."

Lightning turned her head, looking at her quizzically.

"I mean...how to word it," she tapped her jaw with one finger, eyes raised as if looking for an answer out of thin air. "It's not so much about what you wear as how good you look in it. After all, you want her to look at you right?"

"I guess."

"But you also want to catch her eye, don't you?"

No audible answer, though it would have greatly resembled the first had there been. I'll admit that her thoughts were caught between the task at hand and the curiosity of whether or not Vanille found it at all weird that she was helping her pick out lingerie in order to woo her sister.

Lightning let out a breath through the corner of her mouth, sending a stray tress of hair flying upward. "I don't even...what would she like?"

Vanille giggled. "When it comes to you, I think Yun would like a brown paper bag. Still...let me think. Nothing too...intense..." she started filing through the hangers on the rack, metal squealing on metal. "Or too gaudy...oh gods, that's hideous...no, no, no,"

Lightning watched with mild dismay as Vanille shook her head steadily for a long moment. But then her face lit up, brows arching and mouth spread wide in a toothy green. "I've got an idea!"

"Huh?" and she just went along as Vanille snatched her by the arm and pulled her along.

(-)

It was later in the afternoon now, almost four thirty, and Yun was on her way home. Well...per say. In reality she was sitting in her car, not moving due to a busted water main in the middle of the road. The department of transportation agents on the scene had yet to set up a detour around it. So she was forced to wait behind a small fleet of cars. She was fighting the urge to pound her head into the steering wheel to keep herself from pulling her own hair out. Seeing as she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, she put the car in park and turned off the engine, seemingly content to just sit there and grind her teeth. She started swearing manically to herself.

Around the time she quietly chanted her fifteenth fuck my life, her phone began to buzz in her pocket.

"Thank ya for calling Hilda's House of Pain, how can I spank ya today?"

A hearty laugh came over the line. "Damn, darlin', I gotta say that's a hell of a 'hello' for your dad."

"Thought you'd get a kick out of it."

"How are ya?"

"Stuck in traffic and pissed all to hell. Other than that, I'm peachy. You?"

"That bad, huh? Sorry to hear that. Don't suppose my wishin' ya happy birthday would help with that?"

"If it could fix a busted main, sure." and then she smiled a little. "But I suppose the warm and fuzzies will have to do. Thanks, dad. You and mum comin' to dinner?"

"Not tonight, sweetheart. We were thinkin' of comin' on the weekend with the whole family. 'Sides, your mum and I have plans this evenin'."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, I know. Patty and I...we've been doin' a lot of talkin'. I think I've finally convinced her to give herself another chance."

Yun nodded without vocalizing a response. Her father was right.

"So yeah."

"Has mum gotten over my little...thing yet?" And by thing she was referring to the "other woman".

"She's tryin', I'll give her credit."

Patricia had taken Yun coming out to her very well. She wasn't entirely happy about it, but she wasn't totally crushed over it either. Though she would often refer to Lightning as her daughter's "lady friend", and little else. At least she was civil about it, and if there was any disgust or outrage over the matter, she kept it tastefully to herself.

"Believe it or not she wants Lightnin' to be there this weekend, so I guess that's a good sign. Though I would try to keep the neckin' to a minimum."

"I don't think we'll have to worry. PDA isn't exactly Lightning's forte. But tell mum I appreciate it."

"She'll likely call ya later, give it time. But I'll let ya go, got a schedule to keep. Try and have a good night, sweetheart."

"Sure, dad, thanks for callin'." and then she hung up. Yun would stare over the bend of the steering wheel, stare at the hubbub of the busted water main and the state-payroll retards trying to fix it. The day only seemed to get longer and longer. It would be nearly dark before she managed to make it home.

Everything seemed to go up from there. Her mood had improved, everyone happily greeted her once she entered the house with her usual "Evenin' family", and the entire dwelling was filled with the delightful aroma of charcoal and dead animal flesh. That was the smell of the steak dinner she always asked for on her birthday. Life was good. And she had every intent to make it even better before the night was out.

Yun had the distinct feeling that Lightning was thinking something similar. They would catch one another's gaze occasionally throughout dinner, between the others talking and seemingly unaware of them. It was just a look, a tiny smirk, a slight blushing to Lightning's delicate features, even a hidden glimmer in her eyes. Something was going through her mind, that much she new for certain. Her core shivered at the possibilities of what thoughts lay behind those eyes, of the mystery. She had to know.

And she would know.

"I'm headin' upstairs," Yun whispered, her voice heated in Lightning's ear from behind. "Gonna take a quick shower. See ya there?"

Lightning grinned as she went about rinsing off the soiled dishes in the sink. "In the bedroom."

"Fair enough." and Yun bestowed a belying kiss on the bend of her neck before slipping away and up into the stairwell.

When she was certain Yun was gone, Lightning let out a breath. Her throat tightened gently as her nerves surfaced again. She was hoping against hope all of this would go well.

Yun would take her sweet time bathing, in spite of how she mentioned it to be a quick one, enjoying the hot water too much to want to hurry. In fact she went through her typical regimen with a sort of lull, but also with a tiny smirk upturning the corner of her mouth. She knew what was coming, to a degree anyhow. Regardless of what Lightning may or may not be planning, at this point Yun was proof positive to be getting one thing tonight.

Lewd images of her lover bounced between her ears, heating her core, making her giggle quietly to herself. Carnal secrets that should have been making her blush were making her hungry in a delightfully peculiar way, a desire for a certain flavor.

She needed a taste of sunshine.

With her hair almost dry and in her pajamas, Yun could feel her heart beating faster as she drew neared to the closed door of her bedroom. Without hesitation, more so with desire, she stepped inside. Her eyes zeroed in immediately on what she was after. She licked her lips, a chipped, sharp canine hooking the edge of her lip as she shut the door behind her.

Happy birthday to me.

Lightning had perched on Yun's desk, cross legged and seemingly unaware that she was no longer alone. She pondered the photograph of the two of them from that summer day at the university gardens, in front of the tiger lilies, as she sat there in a crimson button-down shirt, the neckline undone to expose the hardened lines of collar bones and the slopes of the tops of her breasts. She had been wearing that when Yun returned home that evening, but it appeared to be the only thing she was wearing now. Slender, toned legs crossed at the ankles as they dangled. But there was something else, something Yun only managed to notice as she took slow, predatory steps towards her.

There was something about her neck. A ribbon. A delicate stretch of amethyst twisted into a bow. Odd, surprising...enticing.

Only a few moments passed before Lightning set the frame back in its proper place and allowed Yun to notice her awareness of her presence. Cerulean settled on her innocently but lying about it with flawless detail. Lightning knew exactly what was going through Yun's mind, knew precisely what she wanted. But how couldn't she? They both wanted the same thing.

"Enjoy your shower?" the question was coy at best.

"Oh yeah," Yun smirked, her response casual. She watched with quiet delight as Lightning took a submissive posture, leaning back onto her hands, her shoulders hiking slightly. "But," Yun made it to the desk, leaned in closely, her palms on varnished wood. "I think I'm gonna enjoy this a helluva lot more."

Yun captured her lips without delay, catching immediately the faint sweetness of chocolate cake lingering on her mouth. Yun drew deep of her warmth, her reserved reciprocation, her unique taste, and her body heated to it. Goosebumps rippled over her skin, the small hairs on the back of her neck bristling. Sweet gods did she need this. Yun put her arms around her and pulled her body flush against her own, a demanding and low growl erupting almost without intent.

"Not so fast," Lightning purred, a soft and breathy whisper against Yun's mouth. "You need to unwrap your present first."

Though she had never been one for "unwrapping". More so for just ripping it open in a hurry to get to the good stuff as soon as possible.

Yun let out another growl, though softer this time as she swallowed the mild frustration. Her most prominent thought was to rut her like mad, but there was still just enough clarity to keep herself together.

"Do I now?" Yun smiled, her eyes closed for a moment before she met her lover's gaze anew. "So where do I start?"

Lightning's hands found Yun's, gently, slowly gripped them, and guided them at a tempting pace up her body. Over her stomach and breasts through the shirt, until the fingertips settled on her throat.

"Here." came a breathless answer. Although she laughed a little, a small chuckle, when Yun went for the buttons of the shirt when she had meant for her to start with the ribbon about her neck.

Yun began to kiss her again as her fingers found the first button and pried it loose. The kisses began to descend as her hands did, along the thick tendon in her neck, the pulsing vein, and to the collar bone just as her hands worked lower. She could hear Lightning's steady breathing start to hitch, small sounds erupting. She might have to unwrap her present the "proper" way, but fuck all if she didn't have her own brand of fun doing it.

"C'mere," Yun grunted as she snatched Lightning's legs just behind the knees and demanded they be wrapped around her as she put them to her hips.

Yun wouldn't see what she was unveiling until she pushed the shirt down Lightning's shoulders and tossed it to the floor. Her lover pushed gently against her, making her straighten, allowing her a better look. Yun found herself licking her lips again.

It looked like black leather, had the dull shimmer and smoothness of it, but it wasn't, just an honest facsimile. Looked just as good as the real thing anyway, and the sharp contrast of black against Lightning's pale skin was really selling it. Yun could feel her heart rate spiking, and the need to clench her thighs against the feverish heat at their apex. Her eyes were fixed on how the strapless bustier cradled her breasts perfectly, even lifted them slightly, and how the fabric strained gently in the middle. Strapless, and cinched in the middle with another ribbon. A silver one. This bow her fingers were itching to undo, the digits curling instinctively against the top of the desk.

Yun took a deep breath, steeling herself. This was almost too much to resist, and her civility was wearing oh so thin.

Eyes descending further, Yun would find only one other article, matching in color and material, matching in strain as it tried to keep Lightning's plentiful backside held within its sable grip. And one other ribbon, also that shimmering violet color.

"Gods have mercy," Yun breathed heavily.

"Do you like it?" and Lightning's heart fluttered madly at the anticipation of her answer.

Yun didn't think she would've, but she did in spite of the brief awkwardness of reminiscing about her motorcycle. Still, she'd never been much of one to dress up herself, or to have her partners do so either. But this...something about this was entirely different. She really liked it. In fact, she loved it. Though she didn't verbally respond to Lightning's question. She could only execute part of an enthusiastic nod before she demanded Lightning's lips again. She smiled against Yun's mouth, supposing she appreciated her effort after all.

Lightning's arms circled her lover's neck gently but securely, desire evident in the mild temerity. Her back arched as she felt Yun's fingernails easing down her back, settling onto the slope of her hips before hooking into them. Air hissed between her teeth at the sharp sensation. Yun was pressing hard against her, leaning, threatening to mount her right there atop the desk if the frequency and intensity of her kisses were any indication. That was certainly not going to fly. They wouldn't fit, lest Yun was willing to shove everything else onto the floor. Something Lightning highly doubted.

"The bed," Lightning gasped, managing a word through the onslaught of kisses.

Yun groaned low, almost animalistic in agreement to the suggestion. "Hold on,"

There was a squeak of pleather on wood as Yun lifted her present, twisted around, and took careful strides towards the bed. There was the soft snapping pap of linens under Lightning's weight, Yun having just nearly tossed her to the mattress. The action elicited a small giggle even as Yun seemed to tower over her from where she stood beside the bed. Yun's eyes shimmered with a unique, carnal hunger. She'd been waiting all day for this, and it didn't appear that she would be willing to wait much longer. Patience was paper thin.

Now Yun had the light of the bedside table, and it allowed her to adore her lover's splendor in greater clarity. Small shadows played between the toned muscles of her stomach, arms, and thighs. The ribbons glistened with light. For a moment Yun lost grip of her savage desire and took a breath, letting it out slowly as a humble expression crept across her features.

"Gods...I don't deserve this." she shook her head slightly. "Don't deserve you."

"But I'm here."

"I know. Bogglin', innit'?" a little chuckle, a stray scratch at the back of her neck. "I love ya so much, darlin'. I don't think I say it enough."

Lightning sat up, her legs settling on either side of Yun's, and she hugged her waist. "You don't have to. I know. You show it."

Something Yun had trouble understanding sometimes was Lightning's apparent indifference to words. Words were cheap, only worth the paper they're printed on or the breath they consume. Actions earned Lightning's faith, a trait she practiced regularly as she wasn't a woman of many words to begin with. She didn't care that Yun didn't always say "I love you", didn't mind the lack of pillow talk. What mattered were the quiet embraces, the searing kisses that left them both breathless, and the carnal sting of their lovemaking that echoed...

I love you. I cherish you. You are the heartbeat of my universe.

That was all she needed.

Without another word Lightning continued on, lifting the rough cotton hem of Yun's tank top to bless her toned tummy with a kiss. Yun wobbled slightly on her feet, her smile stretching wider to allow her chipped canine to catch the edge of her lip.

"That's nice," she breathed, almost whispered. Then she jumped with a gasp as she felt the tender skin pinched between Lightning's teeth. Her mind went blank, though she still had the capacity to pull her shirt off as her lover continued to push it upwards. Her breasts were now bare, the rosy peaks raised in anticipation.

Nibbling, nipping, grinning like a cat in the cream. Lightning loved how she could make Yun react. The quiet groans, the sharp intakes of breath coupled with a slight jerk, and the tightening of her fingers in her hair as she kissed the still tender scar that had once been a bullet wound.

"I can't unwrap my present...if ya keep doin' that," Yun struggled to speak, her jaw tight. And gods know she wanted that present, wanted it terribly. It was her birthday after all. But Lightning didn't cease her tender mercies, forcing Yun's hand.

Yun shoved her back onto the mattress, stretching across her body, limbs and back pulled taught with graceful strain. She settled with her knees on either side of Lightning's hips, her hands hooking into the bed beside her shoulders. Lightning looked up at her, innocent and guilty at the same time, a smile tempting meekly on her lips. Again Yun was feeling humbled as she looked down at her, into those eyes. But her sheer desire was beginning to win out over her humility.

Licking her lips, Yun spied the silver ribbon between her breasts, and her fingers wriggled like claws as she reached for it. Lightning's puzzled expression didn't go unnoticed, as she was still expecting Yun to start with the one at her throat. Why did it seem like she was ignoring it?

The seam nearly opened on its own as the knot came undone, a deep breath separating the laces beautifully. Yun let a little groan escape as she watched more of Lightning's delicate skin being revealed to the light, the inner curves of her breasts garnering most of her lecherous attention. She pressed one end of the ribbon between a thumb and forefinger and pulled, slowly, intentionally, and watched as it slipped free with a hushed whisper. A flick of her wrists pushed the lapels of the garment away, and she smiled, the expression seeming sly.

Yun licked at her lips again, wetting them as they were starting to dry, and wound the ribbon around her fingers. Lightning watched her curiously, a gentle creasing having started in her brow. Yun leaned down, bracing her weight on one hand, and began to kiss her slowly, deeply. Her free hand, the back of it, then touched her side, the silk like a cool breath against her skin. Her breathing hitched, a small moan escaping into Yun's waiting mouth.

Yun wasn't at all surprised when she found out how much Lightning liked soft materials like silk. It seemed natural. She owned a satin housecoat and had come home to Lightning sitting on the bed, the housecoat draped across her lap, just running her hands over it. Perhaps there was something soothing about it, Yun didn't know the exact reason why, but be damned if she didn't exploit it from time to time. Now being a prime example. She could feel Lightning shivering between her knees, goosebumps visible on her skin. Her kisses descended, allowing the mewls and throaty whimpers to be released openly. She needed to hear it, wanted to, especially as her lips pressed to her collarbone, her sternum, her breasts. All the while the silk veiled hand worshiped her form, fanning smoothly over her stomach, the ends of the ribbon nearly tickling as her back arched suddenly.

"Ya like that, sunshine?"

There was no verbal response, only a look, a sharpness to her gaze that belied a sense of thinking that question to be downright stupid. Yun only chuckled before she circled a hardened nipple with her lips, her tongue swirling behind them. That coupled with the gossamer caress of Yun's hand on her thigh forced a reaction.

"Gods," Lightning gasped, her head tipped back as far as it was able, the tendons in her neck in sharp relief against the taught skin.

"I'll take that as a yes." and another throaty laugh as she adjusted just so, granting the same attention to her other breast, now rising and falling with Lightning's deep breaths.

Then further down she descended, kissing down her stomach, down the thin furrow between the abdominal muscles that was visible. The muscles fluttered as Lightning's breath hitched, her entire body shuddering in reaction to Yun's affections. Her lips found the other ribbon, the amethyst one, and Yun couldn't help but grin again against her lover's stomach. This was almost too much fun, and she had to wonder briefly how she managed to control herself so well for this long.

The scent of Lightning's arousal was noticeable, now that Yun was so close to its source. Musky, beautiful, unique, tantalizing. Smile stretching wider still, she took an end of the bow between her front teeth and began to rise, pulling it apart as her back straightened. And while the garment didn't come completely apart as its counterpart had, it revealed more than enough to maintain Yun's heated contemplation. With the ribbon still dangling from her mouth Yun took hold of one of Lightning's legs, raising it, letting it rest against her shoulder. Just as their eyes met she planted a kiss to the inner bend of her calf, the end of the silken strand just brushing the inside of her thigh. Another shudder, more quickened and deep breaths.

Yun repeated the gesture with the other leg, now propping them both against her shoulders as she reached to pull the last bit of lingerie from her lover's form. She'd admired the adornments enough for now. She needed to see what they concealed, all of it.

It was worth the wait, the patience, the self-restraint. It always was.

Lightning was so beautiful, looked so vulnerable now that she was completely bare to Yun's gaze. Breathlessness found her, shook her to the core. There was something immaculate about her, about Lightning, in spite of the few scars Yun could see; something almost supernatural. Whatever it was, details notwithstanding, it had ensnared Yun, made her it's captive. Not that she cared.

Yun eased her body over Lightning's, slowly, enjoying the sweet brush of skin to skin, settling into the cradle of her hips so well you'd think they were made for each other.

"I love you so much." Yun whispered, her throat having suddenly tightened. She pressed kisses to the bend of Lightning's neck. The genuine emotions were starting to swell upward, all those things beside the lust and hunger, the desire. It was the humility, the love, the notion that she had no right to have someone like Lightning in her life. It was like a tidal wave.

"I love you too." came a hushed response, and the circling of limbs around Yun's trembling form. "Tell me what you want."

A deep breath, a heated exhale against her skin, and then an answer. "Somethin' better than the bottle,"

Lightning felt her heart clench and she tightened around Yun, holding her close as humanly possible. The was not a common answer, by any means. The last time she had used it was some time last year, when Yun had reached the end of a bad day. And not your run-of-the-mill bad day. It was just horrible. Everything went wrong, nothing made it better, just one of those days that make you contemplate just fuck all and take a lead aspirin. It was enough to make her want to get off the wagon if even for a little while, and that had frightened Lightning at the time. She recalled Yun coming home that day, seeking her out, and just gathering her up in her arms and holding on like a drowning man would a solitary scrap of driftwood.

When Lightning asked if there was anything she could do, anything to make it all okay again, that had been Yun's answer.

Of course, today hadn't been so horrible as all that, but there was still something about it...something trying on her, and it was an irritation only Lightning could soothe. She needed to find that peace again.

"Just love me, darlin'. Love me and never stop."

And she would, with all her heart, though not in so many words. In fact, with no words at all. After all, they were worth only so much. Not nearly as much as action.

Lightning slowly eased the dominance away from Yun, encouraging her onto her back without breaking away from a deepened kiss, her tongue slipping passed Yun's lip and garnering a gentle mewl from her. Her hands adored her form with deliberate restraint, starting with her fingers curling in the mess of dusky tresses and adjourning downward. Lightning loved the feel of her, the softness coupled with hard edges. Loved the warmth of her body and her heart. She drew deeply of both, it seeping through her skin and in the small tastes of kisses down Yun's throat and to her chest, to her breasts. Taking a nipple in her mouth, Lightning's cerulean eyes lifted to settle on her lover's face, the features creasing with the growing sensations.

"Just like that," Yun breathed, her eyes closed, her chipped canine on her lip. Her hands hooked into Lightning's scalp, pulling the rosy strands, nails scraping.

Lightning flicked the bud with the tip of her tongue, quick, sharp, and then gently pressed with her teeth. Yun's back arched high, sudden, and she gasped. Beautiful. And at such a reaction, Lightning began to realize just how eager she was, just how hungry she had become.

I have to have her. I have to. Now.

And Lightning didn't have the sort of self control that Yun did, not by a long shot. If what she wanted was within reach, she would have it. No exception.

With a quiet growl Lightning found the hem of Yun's flannel pajama bottoms and made no great pomp or circumstance at pulling them down. They were carelessly tossed to the floor, never mind where. Lightning held fast to her intent, as she was indeed very hungry. She knelt down beside the bed, gripping Yun by the hips and sliding her closer. Yun's curt chuckle at the action was swiftly replaced by a harsh gasp and a hitching groan. Oh dear gods, that felt so good...that is, Lightning's velvet hot tongue working at her center. Slowly at first, lovingly laving all of her sweetness, but then escalating, desperate, full of lust. Lightning had never been comfortable enough to do this with her before.

"Gods...oh gods," Yun pinched her bottom lip between her teeth as her fingers hooked claw-like into the sheets, forming hard lines in the linens. She lifted her head for a moment, eyes half lidded, just before it went crashing back down into the mattress, having caught but a glimpse of pale roses between her legs. "Darlin',"

The were no words to describe the taste, none that Lightning could think of as she drank deep of her lover's essence. All she knew is that she liked it, very much so, and briefly wondered why she was so timid to do this before. This was better than doughnuts. The heat, the scent, the silken wetness, it was...perfect. It was Yun.

Yun had to stifle a tight-throated cry as she felt a strong finger slip into her, curling, almost testing. It began working at a steady rhythm, in and out, stroking and pressing in all the right places, and it coupled with the teasing of Lightning's tongue at that particular bundle of nerves. Already it was threatening to drag her under, into the darkness of this ecstasy. Her hands had released the sheet from their desperate grip only to search for something else. In time they anchored into Lightning's hair, not so much clutching now as scratching, carnally caressing.

"Don't stop, darlin," Yun begged, eyes screwed shut, her entire body writhing. "Please...I'm close,"

Just what Lightning wanted to hear. A second finger joined the other, and both pressed upward in a "come hither" gesture, both at once, in rhythm with the now near feverish flicking of Lightning's tongue. She listened carefully, heard as Yun's whimpers grew higher in pitch, her breath hitching to the point of stopping, and the muscles in her thighs fluttering in futile moments of diminishing strength as her hips churned.

Then there it was, that telling sign. Yun started to struggle to breathe, like she had been running for hours, steady heaving motions of her chest, rising and falling. And every other exhale was coupled with some verbal exaltation, "oh gods" or "Lightning". Until it happened.

Her body tightened, arching off of the bed in one fluid snap of motion. Her head pressed back into the mattress, her mouth open to release a staggered cry mingled with hitching breaths. Lightning could feel the muscles clenching around her tongue, as she had hungrily thrust it into her core at the last possible second. It was electrifying, something she'd never experienced before. And she loved it.

Now Yun lay boneless on the bed, the sheets twisted from her wild thrashing, and she panted quietly, mouth parted slightly and her eyes closed without any tightened lines about them. She almost appeared in the throws of sleep, though was possibly the farthest from it.

Lightning slowly crawled across Yun's body, settling beside her on the bed and propping her head on one hand. The other hand stroked invisible shapes across Yun's middle.

"Was that good?"

"Christ, love," Yun breathed, smirking languidly. "I almost pulled your hair out at the roots,"

Lightning smiled, quietly proud. "Still..."

A small chuckle. "Of course it was. Just like anythin' else ya do. Now, if ya don't mind, I'd like to enjoy my present a little more,"

Somehow Yun found renewed energy, enough of it to take back the dominance the Lightning had so effortlessly snatched away from her. She topped once again, and everything just escalated from there. Bare bodies sweat-slickened pressed, arched, joined together, blurring, ecstatic. Surging, vaulting cries, a desperate grinding to reach the pinnacle once again, reach it together. And they would, clutching so tightly to each other as Lightning had settled into Yun's lap, arms and legs locked about her. Yun's fingers hooked into the plentiful globes of Lightning's backside, making her growl with satisfaction. Somehow this position, so close, offered the perfect friction, the perfect pressure, just what they needed and wanted to take themselves higher.

Yun pressed her forehead to Lightning's chest, could feel her heart beat all around her, almost hear it over her lover's pleading whimpers.

"Yun," she gasped, her nails raking Yun's shoulders. Then a wordless cry tore out of her as her powerful arms circled Yun's neck, keeping her close, willingly trapped.

"I love ya, darlin'," a breathless testament coupled with a tightening grasp. "Come with me,"

Yun suffered the compromise of loosing one hand and working it between them, finding Lightning's core with carefully presses of her her fingertips, finding the swollen bud to tease. Working in careful circled, rubbing, Yun brought her to the edge easily, feeling Lightning's entire body beginning to tense around her. The quiet sign of her impending climax. And it came over them both suddenly, without warning, and with all the flash and bang of fireworks. Yun buried herself into Lightning's chest, her teeth pinching a bit of skin as the orgasm rippled through her. and Lightning, without a sound, tossed back her head, all muscles tightening, mouth open and eyes screwed shut in a silent cry. And she shivered, hips bucking, and finally allowed herself to breathe again as she came tumbling down.

For a time they simply held each other, content in the warmth and in the lull of their joined heartbeats. Yun kissed, laving gently the spot she had bitten, a small crescent shaped mark left behind with the littlest bit of redness to it. She could feel Lightning's fingers running slowly through her hair, the gesture soothing and almost beckoning sleep. She was so tired now.

Lightning eased back, though not away, and looked down at Yun, her hands cupping her cheeks.

"Happy birthday." she whispered.

"Thank ya, darlin'. For everythin'." And Yun smiled, kissing once more between her breasts before tipping up her chin to encourage one on her lips.

For a moment Lightning was quiet, perhaps contemplating a response as she rested her forehead against Yun's.

"But...you didn't fully unwrap me."

"I know, love." her eyes lowered to Lightning's throat, to the lingering stretch of silk still in a neat bow in spite of their enthusiastic activity. "I think I like it, actually. It suits ya in a way."

Lightning looked down at her with a quirk of curiosity to her features.

"It could be our own special thing. Anytime ya need me to yourself," she kissed around the ribbon, "or iffin' you're wantin' some special attention," she chuckled a little, "just put it on. I'll notice."

Lightning would find herself eventually liking the idea. "Okay. But what if you need me?"

"Then I'll just do what I always do and hit ya with my car."

And though Lightning frowned a little at the joke, she still laughed at it after a moment. She couldn't keep a straight face for some reason.

"But I suppose ya don't need it right now." Yun sighed, untying the bow with one hand and setting the strand aside with the others. Then she kissed where it had once been.

The two settled into bed, beneath covers, still closely entwined in both body and spirit. Yun switched off the bedside light, and settled onto the pillows, putting an arm around Lightning to encourage her head onto her chest.

"So this was all your idea?" Yun asked quietly, as the last vestiges of wakefulness were slow to leave her.

"No. Vanille helped me." Lightning replied. "I knew I wanted to do something special...I just wasn't sure how."

A pause. "You went skivvy shoppin' with me sister?"

"I know. It's weird. Still...you enjoyed it, right?"

"Naturally."

"Then don't worry about it. I'm not."

Another pause followed by a long sigh. "Fair enough." And though it would keep her awake for maybe another minute, Yun would fall asleep without noticing, rosy tresses curled about her fingers. Like silken ribbons.

Author's Note: This was solely for the fanservice, really. I got so many requests for a sequel, but I just didn't have the material for a full length one. So I thought to just have a bit of a follow up, and make it full of what my readers really wanted. FLight. Hope you enjoyed. If it seems rushed, sorry, but I just wanted it to be short, sweet, and to the point. Like I said, fanservice. And thanks again to all you readers, love you guys!