A/N: This chapter… was hard to write. That's most of the reason why it took so long to get up. I hope you enjoy it.

The air was only slightly warmer inside the tent, yet Lon'qu felt so much warmer than he should have. It wasn't the few candles set on Wren's desk, burning low in their holders, nor the loss of the wind. Every inch of his body was just… warm. For no reason, except for maybe the blood rushing to his neck and cheeks. That might have been it.

Wren stopped a pace or two into the tent – it wasn't that large – and ran her hands back up the myrmidon's arms, earning her another faint shiver. When her hands reached his shoulders, the tactician gently pulled him down so she could tilt her head up and kiss him.

Lon'qu wrapped his arms around her, supporting her as they kissed. Despite the hesitance he sensed, Wren stayed right there, whispering right against his lips, "Just tell me if you want to stop." The myrmidon could barely hear her over the pounding of blood in his veins; her every word was little more than a soft exhalation. "Okay?" Lon'qu nodded slowly, worried that any sudden movement would destroy the moment.

He could feel the smile that tugged at the edges of her lips, but she didn't say anything, instead going in for another kiss. Up until that point, everything had been in familiar territory; nothing new beyond the understanding that they weren't going to stop there. Wren's hand slid up and tangled in his hair as she coaxed his lips apart, letting her explore his mouth with her tongue before meeting it with his.

The quiet and intimacy of the moment almost made him forget why they were there, but a small, warm hand that slipped inside his shirt grounded him in an instant. Lon'qu inhaled sharply, only now aware that Wren's other hand was holding on tightly to his belt. They were really doing this, weren't they? The myrmidon bunched his hands in her shirt as he felt the need to really hold on to something.

Wren was the one to break the kiss, resting her head against his chest as she brought both hands to his belt. The myrmidon let out a soft huff of annoyance, not wanting the kiss to end, but it became clear that she simply needed her eyes elsewhere as she fiddled with the clasp. The tactician was muttering something under her breath, and then sighing at the same time Lon'qu heard the click of his belt clasp coming undone. He dropped his head to kiss the top of Wren's head, feeling more than a bit odd at having someone else take his clothes off.

She just let his belt fall to the floor and tilted her head sideways. Lon'qu's breath hitched as he saw slight embarrassment on her face, but before he could say anything, she said, "You're gonna have to take your boots off."

It wasn't anything to worry about. A small detail, really, but the fact that he hadn't noticed it before made the myrmidon aware of just how much more… clothed he was than her. Wren was just in her shirt and pants, not even socks on her feet. Compared to her, Lon'qu was battle-ready. Actually, with the exception of his belt, he really was.

"Uh… y-yes…" The myrmidon was hesitant to let go of Wren, but the boots really did need to go. But as he made to bend down and take them off, the tactician tugged on his shirt, nodding towards her cot.

"… Better idea…" was all she said, leading him by the collar of his now open shirt to sit on the edge of the bed. If it hadn't been physically impossible, Lon'qu's heart would've beat even faster. Beside him, Wren crawled onto the bed and scooted behind him. The myrmidon couldn't see everything she was doing, but he could definitely feel her hands on his shoulders before leaning against his back. "Boots?"

That single word prompted Lon'qu to turn around and work on the fur-lined boots. Why did they have to be such a good fit? He couldn't just kick them off and move on. Yet it turned out to be a mixed blessing as, with each breath, he felt Wren shift ever so slightly, her warm breath tickling the back of his neck. The myrmidon was also becoming aware that his pants were feeling a bit too snug.

Lon'qu nearly threw his boots off, caught between embarrassment and the knowledge that this was normal. His back tensed as he felt Wren pull his shirt down over his shoulders, but he let it fall to the ground.

Her hands returned to his shoulders, though they didn't linger there for long. Sliding down, her fingers ghosted over his skin in seemingly meaningless patterns until she traced a line from his back, under his arm, and onto his abdomen. Wren was tracing his scars, reminders of times he hadn't been as fast or as good as he should have been. Instead of shame at having the results of his failures being so utterly exposed, Lon'qu felt a curiosity… a longing, almost, to see and feel what Wren kept hidden beneath that large coat of hers.

Turning around, the myrmidon wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a gentle kiss. It obviously hadn't been what she was expecting because her hand dropped down to steady herself, resting on his arousal. Lon'qu gasped at the sudden increase in pressure, and in a flurry of nearly reflexive movement, he heaved them both fully onto the bed.

"Oof!" Wren blinked a few times, trying to reorient herself. "I… I'm sorry, Lon'qu," she said immediately, much too fast for her to realize what it was she was saying. "I… uh… that didn't… hurt, did it?"

The worry in her voice made him aware that he was still a bit surprised himself. It wasn't so much his reaction as the bizarre feeling her touch had sent up his spine, something that felt foreign yet oddly pleasant. Lon'qu shook his head. "I… wasn't expecting it."

Wren's mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. "Good to know," she said softly as she leaned up to resume their kiss. This time, her hand started at his navel and drifted down, cupping his arousal again and giving it a light squeeze.

Lon'qu moaned into her mouth. The rush of tingles Wren's touch sent through his body made his head spin, and he gripped the hem of her shirt to push their bodies together. It wasn't a conscious decision, but the slight gasp Wren let out told him that it was apparently the right one. Of course, it also told him that she was still wearing her shirt, and that needed to go… just like his boots.

He reluctantly pulled out of the kiss as he tugged up on her shirt. While he felt that he should've been as slow with it as she had with his, Lon'qu was getting impatient. The myrmidon was starting to understand what some men meant when they said they 'wanted to tear a woman's clothes off.' Everything felt like it was in the way even as he was scared to remove these last few barriers. He had come this far, though, and he was damned if he was going to stop now, no matter how terrifying.

Wren caught onto his intentions quickly and raised her arms so he could remove that article of clothing completely. Lon'qu didn't look where he was tossing the shirt once it was off; his eyes were locked on her. He knew she was small compared to most other women, but without anything to cover her chest, she looked… delicate. What few scars she had were thin, almost invisible and definitely negligible. The largest was on her shoulder, and he ran his thumb over it, wondering what it could possibly be from.

"Surprised?" she asked teasingly, tugging lightly on his trousers' waistband.

"Not really," he replied. Shifting his weight, Lon'qu pushed her back to lie on the bed, following her down with tentative kisses on her cheek down to the base of her neck. Wren didn't moan at the attention; instead, she giggled lightly, and that was all the encouragement he needed. The pressure between his legs had finally become unbearable in the confines of his trousers, and he laid a hand over hers, urging her to finish what she had started with his belt.

The tactician complied, pushing down trousers and smallclothes both so he could kick off the rest himself. He felt only slight relief as his hardness was freed, gasping into Wren's shoulder at the new sensation. He tried to do the same for her, but he found it hard to concentrate on that and holding himself above her body. Lon'qu was still the slightest bit scared that, if he rested his weight on hers, he would crush her. That was a fear she threw out the window, pulling him down until their bodies were nearly flush with each other. Running her fingers through his unruly hair, Wren kissed him deeply and lifted her hips slightly so Lon'qu could slide her out of the last of her clothes.

Every muscle in his body tensed, simultaneously ready and unsure of what to do next. "Ready?" he whispered in the brief pause as they parted for air.

"Mm-hm," Wren murmured, gripping his hips lightly and guiding him to her entrance.

Letting her hands steady him, Lon'qu eased into her. Wren inhaled sharply but kept him from pulling back, moaning softly into his ear. She was warm and tight, and he suddenly felt his doubts disappear. Wren was still there; she was fine. They were together. No barriers. No distance at all.

Affection and love swelled in his chest, erasing all the worry and fear. "I love you," he said, not loud enough to even be a whisper, yet he knew she heard.

"I love you, too. Always."

He began to move, and then it just felt like his body took over. Any and all advice he had heard flew from his mind as they found a rhythm that felt good, slow and careful at first until an odd and pleasant tingling ran up his spine. Without realizing it, Lon'qu increased his pace, only aware of the warmth flooding his whole body and Wren's moaning.

They didn't last very long. So many new sensations built quickly, and before he knew it, Lon'qu felt himself come as he let out a long, low moan, pressing his lips to hers. At the same time, Wren gasped and dug her fingers into his back. After that brief moment of ecstasy, the myrmidon felt his senses return to him and his body relaxed. Rolling off to the side, Lon'qu wrapped the tactician in his arms and held her close.

"Feeling better?" Wren asked when she caught her breath. She snuggled against him, nestling her head into the space between his shoulder and neck and curling her arms around him lazily.

"Mm… yes." There was still a thought nagging at the back of his mind, though. Whether it was because of the post-coital calm or his own trust, he ventured to ask, "Was it… good?"

Wren sighed heavily. "I don't have a reference point. It certainly wasn't bad." She tilted her head to look him in the eye. "And besides, it's like fighting, I suppose. If we practice enough, we'll get better. Right?"

Lon'qu didn't have the right words to tell her how much her words meant to him. They were a promise to stay with him, and the myrmidon couldn't imagine a world without her anymore. She filled a little yet important part of his heart that he hadn't known was empty until recently. But those words didn't come to him, so he just smiled and kissed her forehead. "Yeah. Though your instincts didn't hurt."

"What do you mean?"

The myrmidon raised an eyebrow. "I mean… uh… you knew how to do… those things. You weren't… going on instinct?"

Wren's face turned red again, and she buried her face in his chest again. "Well, you know this was my first time. I d-didn't want to look like a complete idiot, so… um, let's just say that Miriel's library is much more thorough than you'd think. A lot more thorough."

He tried to keep from laughing out loud, but she felt the vibrations of his chuckles anyway. "Really?

The tactician gave him a terse nod, allowing him to catch a glimpse of her lopsided smile. "Yes." She yawned and snuggled against him again. "I'm getting kinda sleepy. Is it just me?"

Lon'qu shrugged, also feeling his eyes grow heavy. The exhaustion of love-making was something he had never really considered before, even after his talk with Gaius. "Um… can I stay here? For the night?" It was an indirect way of answering her, but Wren was so smart that he felt she would understand him even if he was speaking gibberish… even if she denied it when he told her such.

"Of course, love. I'd actually… really like it if you did."

Lon'qu smiled and mustered the dregs of his strength to pull the blankets over them both. Even if they felt warm now, they probably wouldn't later into the night. That, and he didn't like the idea of someone walking in on them without some sort of covering.

"I love you, Wren…" he whispered as he let sleep overtake him.

"I know," he heard her say. "And I'll always love you, too. Good night… Lon'qu."

A/N: Again, apologies for the wait. I didn't write this chapter all at once, so parts may not necessarily go together as well as they could've.

I said it before, but this is my first time writing sex, so any comments or critiques you have would really help my writing in the future. Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoyed reading this horribly awkward piece of fanfiction.