( Okay. Now this is my first real attempt at smut, 'cause my sisters persuaded me to write it lol. I don't think it'll really be lemon in the strictest sense of the word, but there ye go :sweatdrops: It's based on my two earlier oneshots, 'Yoru', and 'Thoughts and Actions'. Hope it's okay! )

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Stretching out in the uncomfortable chair, Murrue winced as the joints and muscles protested, the cracks and pops sounding very loud in the small room. Slumping forward with a sigh, she ran a hand through rumpled auburn hair before reaching for the cup of tepid coffee that sat on the desk in front of her. She hated this job. Stress, paperwork, fear and worry - it all bottled up inside, bowing her shoulders. Like a lead weight in the chest. Rubbing her eyes to get rid of the gritty soreness, she leaned back in the chair.

Only to smile when she felt the hair being brushed from her face, and felt the kiss placed on her cheek. He'd invited her to come and work in his room, had made her the coffee, had told her stories to make her laugh...all that fear and concern that her role and the war brought could be dissipated simply by knowing he was there.

"I thought you'd have been asleep by now.." she murmured. Reaching up behind her, she curled her fingers in his tousled blonde hair, smiling again at his contented sigh. He didn't answer right away, instead winding his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. They didn't often get these chances to be together, the constant pressures and strains always present. So they made time for each other whenever they could find it, those stolen moments their own oasis of peace. Like tonight.

"I was waiting for you," Mwu said eventually. "But I bet that even though you're really tired, you won't be able to sleep.."

"How come?" she murmured, lulled by his warmth. "I feel pretty good right now."

That caused a chuckle. "I can tell that. But that's cause you're still sitting up, like you have been all evening. I bet that if you lay down in that bed right now, you wouldn't be able to sleep." Unwinding his arms from around her waist, he skimmed a hand across her shoulders and rubbed the tense muscles carefully. "C'mere..."

And before Murrue knew what was happening, he'd scooped her up from the chair and carried her over to sit on the bed. "H-hey!" she squeaked, flushing bright red. "What are you doing?"

"Relax...it's okay," he soothed. Gathering up her thick dark hair, he draped it over her left shoulder before beginning to massage her back gently, beginning at the base of her neck and moving downwards slowly. "See?" he murmured, kissing the crown of her hair. "Nothing to worry about.."

She opened her mouth to speak, but as he worked out one particular knot of tension, the words faded into a sigh of bliss. And instead of spoiling the moment with talk, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention.

Mwu smiled as she leaned closer to him. She probably didn't even realise she was doing it, but he wasn't about to complain. A definite advantage to being so close to her was being able to breathe in her scent - a mixture of warm skin, lavender and roses that somehow always made his chest feel tight. Finishing the massage, his smile growing at her tiny whimper of disappointment, he wound his arms around her waist again and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Mm-hmm," she replied happily. Turning around in his embrace, she gave him that beautiful smile she knew he loved, then leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose. "Thank you.."

He chuckled, threading the fingers of one hand through her hair and winding the silky strands around his fingers before returning her kiss, only his was to her lips, and a little more passionate than hers had been. Murrue made a muffled sound of surprise, but that quickly became a happy sigh, her arms winding around his neck and pulling him closer as the kiss intensified. One good thing about the war being quiet for now was that they were able to spend more time together, their carefully hidden relationship progressing at a steady pace, and they were happy.

But lately, things had become a little...different. Like something was missing. They both knew deep down that they needed something more from each other, but were a little afraid of what that might mean. It was something they both wanted, yet they were wary of taking that last step. If things didn't work out, what happened then?

Breaking for air, the couple studied each other for a moment. She was smiling, but the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. Without a word, she hugged him again, resting her head on his shoulder. It was clear she didn't want to leave - and he didn't want her to leave.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked softly, tracing patterns on her back through the thin fabric of her T-shirt. "We won't be able to undo this, you know.."

"I know," she replied, lifting her head to gaze at him again. "But even if things don't work out, I wouldn't regret it. Would you?"

Before Mwu could form a coherent reply, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again. Taken aback at first, he nonetheless recovered quickly, returning the exchange with just as much passion. No, I wouldn't regret it. Even if what we have together doesn't last, I'd never regret any of it.

When the kiss finally broke, he had to grin as she unzipped his uniform jacket and pushed it from his shoulders. "There," she said softly, cheeks pinking. "Now we match." Her own jacket hung on the back of the chair behind the desk where she'd discarded it while working.

"We do," he admitted, tracing her features gently with a fingertip. "But what about now?" Reaching down, he grasped the hem of her T-shirt before carefully lifting it up and over her head.

"Wow.."

"What do you mean, 'wow'?" Murrue huffed, cheeks crimson.

"You're beautiful," he replied softly, catching her arms as she tried to fold them across her chest. "So don't hide it." She was almost scarlet in the face with embarrassment, amber eyes trained on her lap until he tilted her chin up with a finger. "I mean it. Don't ever get embarrassed at the truth."

She smiled a little and nodded, though still blushing. "Okay." Leaning down, she tugged at the blue T-shirt he wore to pull it off. Her fingertips brushed against the bare skin of his chest as she did so, causing definite goosebumps to break out (as well as a very audible gasp), and she giggled.

"Wow.." she teased, laughing again when he wrinkled his nose. "You're cute when you're mad.." Very carefully, she began to trace patterns across his muscles, a wicked grin curving her lips as he shivered and closed his eyes. "Do you like that? Or are you maybe..." In a flash, her fingers moved to his sides...where she tickled him mercilessly.

Mwu yelled with laughter, squirming around to try and escape the torture. "Stop it! Stop it!!" He could hardly breathe, tears of mirth shining in blue eyes as he struggled to get away. She was giggling, the musical sound echoing around the small room, and only tickled more when he asked her to stop. Gasping for air, he looked up at her. "C'mon, Murrue!"

Finally, she let go, though not before running a finger down the middle of his chest. Leaning down, she kissed him gently, the ends of her hair tickling his bare skin...then squeaked in surprise as he caught her hand and pulled her down to the bed with him.

"You're still okay with this?" he asked, cupping a hand to her face. She smiled and kissed the palm of his hand...and this smile reached her eyes, the dark gold shining with happiness and affection. For her answer, she leaned down to kiss him again. She was so close that her lashes tickled his face, and he smiled himself, threading his fingers through her hair before breaking the kiss. Murrue grumbled a little, clearly having enjoyed the exchange, and poked the end of his nose

"Crosspatch," he teased. She scowled a little at that, but her expression quickly melted into a blissful smile as he gently skimmed his hands up and down her back. And when his fingers caressed the back of her neck, she gasped, cheeks flushing pink. As he continued the attention, her eyes fluttered closed, her smile becoming one of pure delight.

"Oh, I see," he murmured. "You like that, huh?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her a little closer and began to trail soft kisses down her neck. Her thin fingers tightened on his upper arms at the rain of attention, a quiet whimper echoing in her throat as he moved downwards to her shoulder.

"I found your weak spot.." he whispered between kisses, and she giggled breathlessly.

"And what?" she asked, half-opening her eyes "You're going to take advantage of me now? I haven't even taken my boots off yet.."

"True," he observed with a grin, nibbling at her sensitive skin to make her gasp again. "Better do something about that.." Rolling over on the bed, kicking off his own boots, he worked his way down to remove the boots from her own small feet, tickling her toes as he did so. Murrue squealed with laughter, kicking in an attempt to make him stop. He chuckled, delighted at her reaction, and continued to tickle her, working his fingers up her legs. "You're more ticklish than I am..."

"Stop it!" she squeaked, though she could hardly speak for laughing. "No fair!"

"What's not fair? You tickled me first!" Ending the torture, he gazed down at her with a gentle smile, brushing fingertips across the bare skin of her stomach. "What about that? Does that tickle?"

"N-no..."

Quivering from his attention, she closed her eyes as he continued to wisp his touch across her stomach and chest, struggling to catch her breath. It certainly didn't tickle. Every caress sent fireworks through her, making her whole body tingle - and when she felt him tug at the zipper of her skirt, she simply smiled. Cracking her eyes open just a fraction, she wiggled her hips a little to help him remove the garment.

"Want some help with those?" she asked, gesturing to the uniform trousers he still wore. Reaching out, she made as if to unbutton them, but Mwu caught her hand in his and kissed it gently.

"It's okay," he said softly. "I'll do it.." Unfastening his belt, he removed the trousers...and got his left foot stuck in the fabric, resulting in him hopping around the room, swearing under his breath until he managed to kick the offending garment free. Murrue tried hard to stifle her laughter, pressing a hand to her mouth - but he noticed, folding his arms and frowning.

"What's so funny?"

But she didn't answer. Hand still pressed to her mouth, her gaze drifted downwards...and her eyes widened. "Oh.."

Clearly baffled by her reaction, he blinked, before glancing down much as she had. Then he grinned rather sheepishly. "Can't help it," he admitted, sitting back down on the bed. "I've felt this way about you for a long time. Does that bother you?"

"No," she replied, knowing she was blushing. Sitting up, she kissed his cheek gently. "Not at all.." Why would it? If anything, it's the opposite. To know that he feels like that...

Mwu smiled, bringing her close for another kiss. The exchange dragged on for several minutes, she pushing him back into the bed in order to deepen the kiss. He chuckled, the sound muffled, and reached up behind her to unfasten her bra. His touch was gentle, as was the way he murmured endearments into her ear when the kiss broke.

"You really are beautiful," he whispered. "More so than anyone I've ever met.." He tucked a strand of loose chocolate hair behind her ear before kissing her again, hands trailing downwards to caress the exposed skin of her chest. Murrue gasped into the kiss, arching her back and pushing against him unintentionally, causing him to groan.

"Please...don't do that," he managed to say. She could feel him shivering, and smiled wickedly, pushing her hips down again to earn another groan. Mwu gazed up at her, gasping for breath. "That's not fair. See how you like it.." In turn, he pushed up against her, causing her to cry out softly at the intense feelings that shot through her. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his shoulder, breathing in his scent in an attempt to calm herself, and never noticed when he carefully removed her stockings.

"I always wanted to see your legs," he whispered, kissing her neck. "Just as perfect as the rest of you.." Murrue lifted her head to gaze at him hazily, seeing her own desire reflected in his eyes. She wanted this - wanted him, and knew he understood. And when he switched positions, rolling over on the bed, she just smiled and nodded.

Removing the rest of their clothing, he kissed her again before sinking himself into her gently. Crying out softly, she struggled for breath, fingers curling around the bedsheets...and he stopped, pulling away a little.

"Are you okay? I didn't...hurt you, did I?" His tone was one of worry, concern. "I'm sorry..."

"No.." she replied, opening her eyes and smiling up at him. "Don't worry.." Curling her arms around his neck, she brought him close again, kissing the tip of his nose. "Please.."

Nodding with a smile of his own, he began the pace, movements slow and gentle. She could feel his weight, the coolness of the sheets, the slickness of his sweat-soaked skin...but most of all she could feel him, and the sensations that were flooding through her. They were so intense that she could only hold onto him, her fingernails leaving tiny crescent marks in the skin of his back. And when he kissed her, she accepted wholeheartedly, winding her legs around his waist to bring him closer.

"God, Murrue..." he gasped, and she prised open her eyes to gaze up at him. His own eyes were closed, but they opened a little when she brushed a hand against his cheek. He managed a smile, pressing kisses to her neck and chest and murmuring endearments as they continued to move together slowly. Eventually, the sensations and feelings became too much to bear, and she pressed her head back into the pillow, arching her back and crying out his name as the pleasure flooded through her.

Mwu groaned, collapsing onto the bed beside her and gasping for breath. She smiled a little, letting him rest his head on her shoulder and stroking his hair to calm him. "Thank you..." she murmured.

He raised his head to smile himself, kissing her gently. "You don't have to thank me," he replied. "Just let me stick by you, okay?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way..." Drowsy now, she yawned a little, wrinkling her nose as she heard him laugh. "Don't laugh.."

"But you sound cute when you're sleepy.." Rolling onto his back, he brought her close, tracing patterns on the bare skin of her back. Murrue smiled, murmuring happily at the loving touch, and snuggled closer. As he continued to caress her, her amber eyes fluttered closed, and she drifted off to sleep with her head pillowed on his chest, lips curved in a blissful smile.

"I love you..." he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him, but happy to have told her. "I might not be able to replace him, and I might not always be able to be here for you, but for as long as I can be, I will be..."

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( No, it's not lemon, but that's okay. I'll leave the lemony stuff up to better writers.

Hope it's not too bad...please read and review! )