Author:  Pairaka
Title:  Don't Close Your Eyes

Don't Close Your Eyes
By Pairaka


and your bones have been my bedframe
and your flesh has been my pillow

Some days it just sucked to be in love.
Lina leaned on the table picking at her food in a very
uncharacteristic manner while Gourry gorged on oblivious to her. She
glared at him from underneath her unruly bangs, wondering what she saw
in the King of Jellyfish. _Stoopid, moronic, idiotic, forgetful_...
Huffing loudly, she dropped her fork and looked up. Lacing her
fingers under her chin, she gave Gourry a deadly smile. "Gourry..." she
said with saccharine sweetness.
He paused and looked up at her. "Hmm?" he said, mouth full and
eyes wide.
"You don't think you've forgotten something, do you?
Something...important? Hmm...?" She batted her eyelashes at him
prettily.
The blonde swordsman made several faces as if he were thinking
very hard, trying to remember if there was something he'd forgotten.
Eventually he sat up straight, smiled broadly and said, "Ah! I know!"
Lina leaned forward eagerly. "Yes? You remember?"
"I need to go pick up my new boots at the cobbler's!"
The tiny, flame-haired sorceress fell face-first onto the table.
Dishes scattered everywhere as she fought to right herself. Pushing
herself upwards, she raised her head and glared at Gourry. "Gourry..."
she growled.
The tall man jumped and pushed back from the table, back-pedaling
to escape her fiery aura. "Lina..." he began.
"Don't you 'Lina' me, you big blonde oaf!" She jumped up on the
table and scooped several of the plates into her arms. "Don't you dare
run away, either!" she shouted as she lobbed a plate at his head.
Gourry ducked and the plate went sailing over his head and exploded on
the wall behind him.
"Lina! Stop!" he shouted, ducking and jumping to avoid other
articles of flying crockery. He yelped in terror when she caught up the
cutlery and dashed out of the common room and into the lane. Lina
followed behind closely, chucking knives and forks and the occasional
spoon after her horrified husband. He yelled when a spoon beaned him,
causing him to trip. He scrambled to his feet and turned around. "Calm
down, Lina!"
"Come back here and take this like a man!" she shouted, chucking
the last spoon at him. He ducked and it flew harmlessly over his head.
"What did I do?" he shouted at her. "Would you calm down and talk
to me?"
Lina's temper, however, was unabated. She stood there glaring
murderously at him and gathered her magic in her hands. "*FIREBALL*!"
she shouted as she thrust the ball of magically produced flame through
the air after him.
"GAAH!!" The tall man threw himself to the side and flattened
himself against the dirt and prayed that Lina hadn't cast one of those
controllable fireballs.
It appeared she hadn't as it raced down the lane and buried
itself in a hay wagon standing in its path. It exploded in a fountain
of flame. Shouts came from the lane from both directions as the
townspeople rushed to put the fire out.
Pushing himself up, Gourry turned to look at Lina. "Don't talk to
me," she said as she turned her back on him. "Just *don't* talk to me."
With that she stalked off back to the inn.
Left to himself, Gourry huffed and shook his head and pushed his
hair out of his face. But a small, secret smile played across his lips.
Perfect. And he'd even managed not to get hurt - yet.
"Hey! You!" someone shouted at him. He turned, the smile fading.
"Get over here and help!" They brandished a bucket at him and gestured
imperiously towards the line that was forming.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded and hurried off to join the fire
brigade.

* * *

Lina stalked back into the common room, shoulders hunched and
fists clenched tightly at her sides. The landlord approached her. "Now,
look here! Who's going to pay for all this damage?" he demanded.
Turning her angry glare on him, she grabbed his tunic front and
pulled herself up so she was on eye-level with him. "*Don't* bother me
with petty things like that right now. You wanna get paid? Then ask my
dear *husband* to pay you when he gets back. If he has enough courage
to *come* back." She released him and he stumbled back into the wall as
she brushed past him and up the stairs. Her boots pounded on the steps
as she climbed to the second floor and down the hallway to the room she
and Gourry shared. She kicked the door open then slammed it shut and
locked it behind her. Let Gourry find somewhere else to sleep tonight.
"Stupid jellyfish," she muttered, ripping off her cloak and
shoulder guards and all but chucking them into a corner. She did the
same with her boots and sat down hard on the bed and put her face in
her hands. Her eyes were burning as she fought back the tears. Why
couldn't he have remembered? It wasn't as if she'd exactly been subtle
about it; subtly was as lost as sarcasm on the blonde idiot. The only
thing she *hadn't* done was come right out and said that it was her
birthday.
Yet all her hints had somehow been lost on him. She shook her
head; he'd been acting incredibly dense and thick the past few days.
Even for Gourry. Why couldn't he have remembered just this *one* time?
And after all, this wasn't the first time they'd celebrated birthdays
while together.
"Oh, screw him," she said, ripping off her clothes and digging
irritably through her pack for her nightshirt which she jerked on over
her head. "Or rather not. See if he gets any for a long time." Lina
pulled the covers back and crawled under them. Pulling the quilts
around her shoulders, she lay on her side facing away from the door and
stared at the window. It was only then that tears she'd been holding
back leaked out of her eyes and moistened the pillow under her cheek.
Stoopid jellyfish...

* * *

The door was locked. Gourry wasn't surprised and had come
prepared. Taking the extra key from his pocket, he carefully inserted
it into the lock and turned it. He slipped quietly into the room and
shut and relocked the door. Pocketing the key, he set the covered bowl
he was carrying on the table by the bed, sat down on the nearby chair
and took his boots off. Setting them aside, he caught up his pack, and
the bowl and headed for the bathroom. He reeked of woodsmoke and wasn't
going to bed smelling like a chimney.
Once inside the bathroom, he slid home the bolt, dropped his
pack, found an out-of-the-way place for the bowl and lit the lantern
before stripping off his reeking clothing. One nice thing about this
inn was they had an arrangement of tanks that were heated by fires and
provided patrons with hot water for baths at any time of the day. He
filled the tub with hot water and climbed in, smiling at the luxury of
being able to take a hot bath even when Lina was pissed at him.
He took only a moment to enjoy it, however. He wanted to get
finished with this quickly. Grabbing the soap, he rid himself of the
smell, washed his hair, and climbed out. Wrapping his hair in a towel
and another one around his waist, he dug out his shaving kit and shaved
while his hair was drying.
That taken care of, he unwrapped his hair and vigorously toweled
it dry and dragged a comb through it. He sighed as he found that a good
two or three inches on the bottom had been singed; it seemed he hadn't
completely missed the effects of Lina's fireball after all. Not the
first time, he thought ruefully to himself. He'd have to get Lina to
help him trim off the singed parts and even it up later - *after* he'd
put everything to rights between them or he'd probably end up bald.
Dropping his hair and gathering up his clothes, he hung them over
the rack to be laundered. Picking up his pack, he reached inside and
pulled out the length of red silk that he'd bought earlier that week.
Shaking his head, he wondered where he'd come up with this idea; it
wasn't like him at all. But Lina would like it, he was sure; besides,
he'd need something to stop her dead in her tracks if he wanted to
survive, which he very much wanted to do. Dropping the towel wrapped
around his waist, he quickly set to work arranging the cloth as he
wanted. Pulling on one of the inn's complimentary robes, he pulled it
shut and belted it. One last thing...Picking up the lantern and the
bowl he'd brought into the bathroom with him he opened the door and
entered the darkened bedroom.
Frosty silence radiated from Lina where she lay on her side
facing away from him. He knew she was still awake just from how cold
the air in the room was and he smiled to himself. Carefully setting the
bowl and lantern down on the table by the bed, he knelt on the bed and
brushed her hair away from her ear. "Lina," he whispered into it. She
stiffened and tried to pretend she was asleep. "Come on, Lina. I know
you're awake." He leaned down and put his lips against her neck just
under her ear.
One...Two...He jumped back just before she could jab him with her
elbow. "Get lost, Gourry," she growled. "I really don't think it's a
good idea for you to be sleeping here tonight. I might kill you and
we'd both end up regretting it."
Perfect. He put his hand on her shoulder and moved close again.
Using his best drawl, he said in almost a whine, "Lina..."
"Gourry. Go. Away." Her voice could have frozen him solid if he
hadn't been prepared for it. "Just go away."
Carefully timing his reactions, he remained leaning over her,
then turned and sat on the edge of the bed, heaving a harsh sigh that
was balanced perfectly between anger and hurt. He leaned his elbows on
his knees and stared at the floor for precisely ten seconds before
standing up and removing his robe. Dropping it to the floor, he reached
into the bowl and picked up one of the red fruits that rested inside.
Turning and kneeling on the bed next to Lina, he looked at her back.
"Would it help if I said I was sorry? I mean, I don't know what I did,
but whatever it was, I'm sorry. Just don't make me go away."
"What good is apologizing if you don't know what you did?" She
still refused to open her eyes or turn, instead remaining huddled in on
herself with the covers clutched protectively around her.
"Then tell me. Please don't play games with me, Lina."
"I said go away!"
"No. I won't." He leaned forward and put the strawberry close to
her nose.
Her nose twitched and she opened her eyes to stare at the rich,
red fruit in front of her face. "What's that?"
"It's a strawberry."
"I know that. I meant, what's it for?"
"It's for you."
She finally turned her head and looked up at him. "What?"
"It's for you. Happy birthday, Lina," he whispered, pressing it
to her lips.
Lina pushed his hand away and sat up, eyes blazing crimson. "You
mean you *remembered*?"
He nodded, grinning broadly and winking at her. "Fooled you,
didn't I?"
 "YOU!!" She sprang forward, reaching for him with fingers
crooked into sharp claws. He scrambled backwards as those claws reached
for his face. She froze as she got a good look at him and what he was
wearing. All her anger drained away as she stared at him. "Gourry...?"
"Yeah, Lina?" he said, not bothering to cover his smile. He lay
back on his elbows, long legs stretched out alongside her.
"What *are* you wearing?"
"What does it look like?" He arched his sunny eyebrows at her as
his grin broadened. He popped the strawberry into his mouth and chewed
it while gazing at her out of playful blue eyes.
He looked so ludicrous she couldn't stifle the giggle that welled
up. Biting her lip and trying to keep her anger alive, she glared at
him. "It *looks* like a big red bow."
Looking down, he nodded. "That's what it looks like, all right."
Nearly choking from trying not to laugh, she finally gave up.
"Gourry, why are you wearing a big red bow?" she gasped between
helpless laughs.
He sat up and shifted so he was sitting close to her. Putting a
hand on her cheek, he leaned down. "Because this is your present. Part
of it, anyway." He kissed her forehead.
"What is?" she asked, still too shocked to respond with anything
more intelligent. This was definitely the last thing she expected from
Gourry.
"Me. Tonight, I'm your slave. Whatever you want, you just have to
ask." Moving down, he kissed her nose then slid his lips over hers and
kissed her tenderly. He pushed his tongue against her lips, forcing his
way past them and into her mouth. His arm went around her and lifted
her up onto his lap as he kissed her.
She melted against him, falling into his kiss like she always
did; she could taste the rich, red fruit on his lips. It never ceased
to amaze her how completely he could unhinge her by such a simple act.
But she wasn't ready to give up yet. She placed her hands on his chest
and pushed away. "You don't seriously think you're getting off *that*
easy, do you?" She glared up at him. "What you did was mean and
spiteful and I can't believe *you* did it, Gourry Gabriev!"
Gourry adopted as subservient a pose as he could. He hung his
head and let his hair fall forward. "I know, Lina. I'm sorry. But I
wanted it to be as big a surprise as possible." He lifted his head and
she saw that he didn't look at all contrite; in fact, there was a sly
gleam in his blue eyes. "I'm going to have to work extra hard to make
this up to you, aren't I?"
Lina flicked the end of his nose with her fingernail. "Better
believe it. You're going to be working *long* and hard to make up for
this little prank."
"So, how shall I begin?" he asked. "Ah, I know." He held her
against him, leaned forward and reached into the bowl on the table
nearby. Lina couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear the
sounds of crockery clinking softly together.
When he leaned back, he held another strawberry in his hand, this
one coated with thick cream. He pressed the fruit against her lips,
coating the smooth line of her lips with the cream, pushing it against
them gently. Lina opened her mouth and let him touch it to her tongue;
the cream had been sweetened lightly with sugar, just the way she liked
it. She closed her eyes and bit down through the fruit, letting the
cream and the juices run down her chin.
Her golden-haired lover leaned down and kissed her lips, running
his tongue along them and down her chin, cleaning the rich liquids from
them. She shivered as he kissed her again; the sweet cream and tart
strawberry juices on his lips made her ache for more. Swallowing the
piece she had in her mouth quickly, she opened her lips to let him in.
He accepted her invitation into her and made a sweeping inspection of
it with his tongue. Lina moaned and slipped her arms around his neck,
holding tightly to him.
When Gourry pulled back from the kiss, Lina's eyes remained
closed and she leaned against him, breathing in his scent. "How should
I start making up for my prank, Lina?" he whispered into her flame-red
hair as he stroked it. "Anything. Command me."
The tiny woman in his arms opened her crimson eyes and took a
deep breath. She pushed away from him, and put a hand on his strong
jaw. "I think some more of these for a start," she said, trailing her
fingers across his lips. "And the strawberries."
"Your wish," he said with a seductive smile. Kissing the tip of
her nose, he leaned forward and took another of the red fruits from the
bowl and dipped it in the cream. Lina leaned back against the pillows
and let him feed her. She closed her eyes and smiled with decadent
pleasure as she took the fruit from his fingers then kissed the tips of
his fingers where they rested against her lips. Her smile widened as
she heard him gasp. She looked down to see what sorts of interesting
results had been produced - and saw that ridiculous bow around his
waist - 
And burst out laughing.
The mood completely ruined, she curled on her side clutching her
middle as she laughed. Gourry looked down at her in wonderment. "What?"
"That bow," she managed to say as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"It's got to go."
"Aww..." he said as he looked down at the slightly crushed bow on
his lap. "I thought you'd like it." But he was grinning even as he said
it.
"I do, I do, but it still looks ridiculous. Take it off."
"I can't."
She arched an eyebrow up at him. "Oh? And why not? You said
anything I wanted, right?"
He looked pained. "Yes, but *you're* supposed to unwrap your
presents, not me."
Lina's eyes went wide. "Ah, I see." She sat up and reached for
the red material, gently tugging on the ends of the bow. The red silk
fell loose around Gourry's slim hips and she could see the raised bulge
that it concealed. She dropped the end to grasp the material and pulled
it loose. He'd wrapped the silk around his waist a couple of times so
it rubbed against his manhood as she pulled it towards her. Her reward
for the deliberate slowness with which she removed his "wrapping" was a
long drawn out hiss of pleasure from him.
Then the fabric fell away to leave him clothed only in the bright
sunshine of his hair. From the darker patch that grew between his legs
rose his manhood, standing at glorious attention. The small flame-
haired sorceress grinned hungrily at the sight, feeling a corresponding
warmth rising between her own legs. It took all her strength of will,
but she resisted the urge to reach forward and brand the image of his
erection upon her palms.
Instead, she sat up and faced him. "You've got some unwrapping of
your own to do," she murmured in a sultry voice.
Gourry opened his brilliant sapphire eyes to gaze lovingly at
her. "Is that what you wish?" he asked, moving forward and putting his
arms around her.
"It is," she said.
He ducked his head in acknowledgement and leaned forward to touch
his lips to her nose. His fingers found the hem of her shirt and
gathered it up; his hands went under the fabric and molded themselves
to her body as he brought them upwards, gathering her shirt and pulling
it with them. They passed over her breasts, pausing a moment to linger
there, but only a moment. It was her turn to hiss as his fingers
touched her nipples, already hardened and highly sensitized by her
excitement. Then he pulled her shirt up and off, and her hair tumbled
down in loose curls around her shoulders.
Gourry put his hands on her shoulders and gently laid her back
against the pillows. He kept his hands on her as he drew them downward,
over her breasts and to the waistband of her underpants. Lina smiled
and put an arm behind her head while her other hand stroked her skin
above her breasts. She watched him carefully, noticing the way his
breath caught in his throat when she trailed her fingers down to
lightly tease her own nipple.
He looked away to attend to his undressing of her. Slipping his
fingers into the waistband of her pants, he pulled at them. Lina helped
by putting her feet together on his lap and lifting her hips, but kept
her knees together, not letting him have a glimpse of what lay between
her legs. She lowered her hips after he'd pulled her underpants off and
used her toes to explore the warm skin of his inner thighs and
erection. He sat up straight and closed his eyes as she caressed him,
breathing heavily through his mouth.
"Hey," she said, lifting a foot and poking him in the chest. He
startled and looked at her. "The strawberries?" she said pointedly.
Taking a deep breath, he smiled and nodded. As he leaned over her
to pull the table closer, she raised her foot and again pressed it
against his groin. His breath was an indrawn hiss, but he managed to
pull the table around without knocking anything off of it. He took one
and dipped it in the cream and held it to her lips.
She opened her mouth to accept the fruit, but instead of biting
down, she closed her lips around the tip and sucked the cream off.
Parting her lips, she ran her tongue around the pointed end, up
underneath it as he held it, then flicked the tip with her tongue. Only
then did she lean forward to catch the fruit between her teeth and bite
down, closing her lips around the strawberry and pulling it into her
mouth. After she'd chewed it and swallowed daintily, she caught his
hand before he could pull it away. "Here," she said, very voice soft
and sultry. "Let me clean those off." Using a delicate touch, she
licked the few drops of sweetened cream from his fingers, running her
tongue around them just as she had the strawberry moments earlier. The
shudders that ran through him were wonderful to behold. She never took
her eyes off his but she could see him reacting from out of the corner
of her eye. Releasing his hand, she leaned back and with an impish
smile asked, "Another one, please?"
Gourry swallowed hard and nodded dumbly. He had never expected
her to react like this, throwing herself completely into the idea. He
loved it, but it was so hard to hold himself back. But this is what
he'd given her, so she had total control. That in itself was exciting,
knowing he had the choice to disregard her instructions, and yet
choosing to obey them anyway, doing only what she allowed him to do and
nothing more. So, meekly, he leaned forward and took another fruit from
the bowl, dipped it in the cream and held it out. She repeated her
performance from the previous ruby fruit, driving him mad with desire.
His heart was racing and the pressure in his loins was maddening.
When that one was gone, he reached for the bowl again. Lina put
her hand on his arm. "I think I'll save the rest of those for later.
Right now I'd like a - " She looked towards the heavens and tugged on
her lower lip with her teeth as she considered what she wanted.
Suddenly flopping over onto her stomach, she crooned, "Oh, Gourry. I
need a back rub. Would you give me one?" She looked over one shoulder
and gave him a wily grin, showing one sharp tooth and coyly biting the
tip of her pinky. She wriggled her hips at him; her grin widened as
Gourry's eyes glued themselves to those lovely curves. "Gourry..." Lina
called petulantly.
He startled and tore his eyes away from the back of her lap.
"Anything you want, Lina," he said in a thick voice. He leaned over her
and gathered up her tangled curls and settling them carefully out of
the way. She hummed softly to herself as his large, gentle hands moved
over her shoulders. Recently, a bit of unpleasantness they'd been
through had resulted in the palms of his hands being burnt, and the
calluses hadn't yet had time to reform completely. They glided smoothly
over her skin, pressing lightly and kneading gently at the muscles.
Nearly purring with satisfaction, she lowered her head to the pillow
and arched her back under his hands in a decadent, feline stretch.
Reversing the stretch, she put her hands out in front of her and lifted
her hips to pull her back into a concave shape. She could feel his
arousal press into her flesh. He gasped and she pressed harder then
settled back onto the mattress.
"Oh..." she said in that same purr. "That feels so good, Gourry."
It was no act: She loved it when he rubbed her back. His large hands
were incredibly gentle and loving yet so firm. He could span her back
by putting the heels of his hands together and he used that to his
advantage. She lowered her head to the pillow and shoved her arms under
it and cuddled it close.
After a few moments of this, those lovely hands moved towards her
derrière. "Ooo..." she crooned, diverting his attention by raising a
foot. "My legs are aching. They could use a good rub, too..."
Without hesitating, his hands slipped over the gentle curves of
her hips and down her legs. With the same deliberation and patience
that he had used while rubbing her back, he gently kneaded the muscles
in her legs, moving from her thighs, to her calves and ankles and
finally ending at her shapely feet.
When he was done with that, she half turned and held out her
hand. "I got the strawberries I asked for, but I never got any of those
kisses. Going to have to change that."
Gourry grinned and took her hand as he leaned forward to kiss
her. "My pleasure."
She held up a finger and placed it on his lips. "Not here," she
said taking the finger and putting it on her own lips.
He looked at her in confusion. "Where then?"
"Well, you can start with my shoulders and work downwards," she
said with a little grin.
The swordsman grinned back. "I can manage that," he said, moving
to kneel over her. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her shoulder,
just where it bordered with her neck. It was her turn to hiss in
pleasure as the touch of those beautiful lips sent electric chills
through her. She reared her head back and clenched the muscles of her
hips as the chills settled in them.
Grinning, Gourry moved his kisses lower, working down the middle
of her back, leaving wet lingering kisses along her spine then pulling
back and breathing on them. By the time he reached the small of her
back, she was shivering with delight.
As he moved downwards, his hands cupping her shapely bottom, she
jerked upwards and turned. Planting a foot on his chest, she pushed him
away. "I need more strawberries," she said. "Just hand me the bowl,
Gourry," she wheedled in the singsong, little girl voice she used when
she wanted to get her own way. He leaned over and retrieved it off the
table and handed it to her. "The cream, too, please." He picked up and
held it out to her, too.
She took the bowl of cream and poured it over the fruit then
handed that bowl back. "Thank you. Mmm...I love cream on strawberries.
Don't you, Gourry dear?" Sticking her finger into the cream, she lifted
it and let the thick liquid drip onto her tongue before slipping the
whole finger inside her mouth. Slowly, she pulled it out, letting her
lips purse around it. She grinned at Gourry as he stared enraptured by
her performance. "Don't you, Gourry?" she asked again. Lina dipped her
finger and held it out to Gourry, pressing it against his lips.
The blonde man parted his sensuous lips and let her slip her
finger inside his mouth. Those shapely lips closed around it and he
sucked it inside, twirling his tongue around it. Lina watched closely
as he never let his eyes fall from hers. Her grin turned sly as she
pulled slightly. When he released her finger, she used the moistened
tip to trace the line of his jaw. "Good, isn't it?" He nodded,
apparently unable to say anything.
She looked into the bowl and fished out one of the strawberries
and bit into it. The cream dribbled down her chin and she was about to
wipe it away when she paused, remembering what he'd done before.
"Gourry, I seem to have made a mess. Could you clean it up for me?"
Gourry nodded and smiled as he leaned forward. "Certainly," he
said, then kissed her chin, licking up the spilled cream as he did.
As he pulled back a little when he was through, she grabbed
another strawberry. This time she let the dripping cream run down her
neck. "I'm such a klutz," she said, with a little shake of her head.
"Would you take care of that?"
He gave her a nod and moved downwards to lap the cream from her
neck. Lina bit into and chewed the strawberry, looking every bit as
satisfied as a cat having her chin scratched. She leaned her head back
on the pillows and sighed contentedly as he moved his lips on her neck.
Once finished, Gourry sat back and looked at her. "All clean.
Think you've managed to get over your clumsy spell?"
"I'm not sure. Let's see." Taking another strawberry, she let the
cream dribble into the hollow of her throat where some spilled over the
cup shape and ran down between her breasts. "I seem to have done it
again." She looked at him from under her long bangs, silently asking
for his help.
"Let me help." He shifted and leaned down to touch his tongue to
her breastbone, gathering the drops of cream on his tongue in an upward
scoop towards her throat, making sure to get every bit of liquid. "All
done," he said, breathing against her skin. He lifted his head and
looked up at her.
Lina seemed to come back to herself slowly, from a long way away.
"Oh," she whispered, a happy smile playing on her lips. "You do that so
well..."
"I aim to please," he said, putting his arm around her and
leaning in close to kiss her lips. She let him for a moment, tasting
the sweet cream on his lips before lifting a foot and setting it on his
thigh and pushing him away.
"Na!" she scolded, waving a finger under his nose. "I didn't say
you could kiss me. You have to do what I *tell* you to do, isn't that
what you said?"
"Yes, Lina," he said meekly, sitting back and bowing his head.
Damn, but this was driving him crazy. He wanted her so badly it *hurt*!
Now what was she going to do...
"Gourry..." He looked up at her voice and his eyes went wide. She
had another strawberry and this time dripped cream down her breasts and
actually used the fruit to trace a line down to her nipples. "Help..."
Eagerly, he leaned forward and covered her breast with his mouth.
She hissed as he used his tongue to scoop up the drops of cream that
glistened on her nipples and the surrounding flesh. Sucking hard, he
pulled and tugged at her breast while he cleaned away the cream. He had
the satisfaction of hearing her soft cries turn into moans of pleasure.
Finished with one breast, he moved over to the other and did the same
with it, enthusiastically mouthing her flesh.
When he was finished, he sat back. "Really, Lina, you should try
to be more careful," he said, grinning at her.
She looked up at him through eyes half-lidded. "I'll try..." Her
voice was a husky whisper. Even as she said this, she was using another
berry to draw a line between her breasts down to just below her navel.
"I just can't seem to control myself, though."
Shaking his head, Gourry leaned forward. "I've got to teach you
some manners, don't I?" And then his tongue was busy.
Lina gasped as he kissed and licked his way from her breasts to
the small mound just under her navel. He was kneeling between her legs
and was so close...She could barely keep from squirming, she wanted him
so badly and the yearning she felt grew with each nuzzling kiss. As he
leaned over her, his hair slipped from behind his back and trailed down
her leg, brushing her sensitive labia with a whisper's kiss. Throwing
her head back, she caught her lip in her teeth and tried to keep from
screaming and climaxing at the same time.
"Lina?" he asked, lifting his head and looking curiously at her.
When she'd gotten herself under control, she pushed him back so
that he was sitting on his heels. Looking into the bowl, she saw that
there was only one berry left. An idea formed in her mind and she
grinned at him. "Last one, Gourry," she said, lifting it out of the
small puddle of cream on the bottom of the bowl and touching it to her
lips. Instead of eating it, however, she lowered her hand and placed it
just above her sex, leaving it there as she drew her hand back. She
shivered as she felt the cool cream drip between her hot folds. "It's
yours if you want it." She licked the cream off her lips and grinned a
wicked, decadent grin as she put her hands behind her head and watched
to see what he would do.
The tall swordsman lifted his summertime blue eyes to meet her
bleeding crimson ones and she shivered at the intensity of his gaze.
They were like blue fire, those eyes, and they burned with lust for
her. Never breaking eye contact, he leaned down and slipped a hand
under her legs and rested himself on his elbows. This brought him
maddeningly close to her; she could feel the heat coming off his body
which glistened with sweat from just his arousal. His hair, those
silken strands of spun gold, tickled her legs as he leaned forward.
Eyes still locked with hers, he opened his mouth and lowered his head,
closer and closer -
With one quick motion, he swept his tongue up through her flesh,
across her throbbing center and further to capture the red fruit, which
disappeared quickly into his mouth. She didn't realize she was holding
her breath until it came out as an explosive gasp. Her head rocked
backwards into the pillows and she clutched the sheets with enough
force to rip them while she emitted a high keening shriek. Then his
tongue was there, licking away the sweet fluid that had coated the
berry, searching for the last droplets that had slipped through her,
prodding her, *shoving* her towards that edge over which she so wanted
to throw herself and go flying through the endless sky -
Just when she thought she was going to go diving over the edge,
he pulled away. With an inarticulate screech of rage, she sat up. "What
did you do that for?" she shouted.
Gourry sat up and looked at her with that same gas-blue fire in
his eyes. "I'm through," he said calmly, though his hands were clenched
in the sheets under her legs.
"What do you mean, through?" she shouted in his face.
"I can only do what you tell me I can do, right?" was his breathy
reply. "Well, I've finished. You have to tell me what do." His eyes
held hers, awaiting her orders while the corners of his mouth quirked
up insolently.
She looked into his eyes and found herself breathing hard. "Look,
you...you *jellyfish*," she rasped, voice rough and thick with emotion.
"I don't care what you do - just *do* something!"
Nothing changed in the gas-blue burn of his eyes. "Is that your
request?" he asked.
"I just said it, didn't I?" She nearly screamed in her
frustration.
When she saw the flicker in the gas flame, she realized she'd
made a mistake. That was all the warning she got as she found herself
flat on her back, his lips locked on hers, her wrists trapped in his
strong grip and held out to the side. Caught off-guard, she offered no
resistance, as his tongue invaded her mouth and explored the sweet,
dark recesses inside her. His lips, tasting of cream and her own musk,
caught at hers, alternately pulling and releasing them. He ground his
hips against hers, rubbing himself against that place he'd just been
kissing. Oh, it felt so nice, she thought as she lifted herself up to
facilitate the contact between them. What started as low, soft moans in
the back of her throat increased in volume as the friction drove her
towards that edge again. She struggled against him, wanting to hold him
tightly to her; unable to break his hold, she compromised by wrapping
her legs around his waist.
Finally he released her only to slip his hands up underneath her
and she found herself being lifted up. She went limp as he pulled her
up, her head lolling back and her hair forming a bloody curtain down
her back and over his crossed legs as he pulled her onto his lap. He
leaned forward and nuzzled her neck where it arched backwards, delicate
and inviting, and she shivered. Lina placed her hands on his shoulders
and slowly lifted her head. Her lover lifted his head and met her with
his mouth and they shared kisses of dark fire as his hands moved
purposefully down her back catch up handfuls of her smooth flesh and
pulled her closer.
She gasped beneath the kiss; it turned into a soft moan as she
felt him touch her between her legs where she was throbbing and
balanced on the razor's edge of pleasure. Reaching behind her, he
sought for and found her opening, already slick from their foreplay. A
soft, breathy cry escaped her lips as he slid his finger inside her;
the cry turned into a full-fledged shout of delight as he pressed the
tip of his manhood to her opening then lift himself up, forcing himself
into her. Throwing her head back, Lina called out to L-sama to preserve
her; dimly she was aware of Gourry doing the same. That slow,
controlled thrust into her seemed to go on *forever*!
It was then that she realized that straddled across his lap like
this, *she* was the one that controlled their movements, how deep he
could go and how fast. She lifted her head and smiled seductively at
him as she draped her arms over his strong shoulders and around his
neck. Their eyes met and Lina could swear she felt sparks shiver over
her body. Just as he had never broken contact with her eyes earlier,
now it was her turn to hypnotize him with just a look. Leaning close,
she whispered his name while she pulled upwards with agonizing
slowness. He hissed and tried to throw his head back, but she pulled
him forward.
"No, Gourry," she breathed, her face close to his and her eyes
still burning in all their crimson glory. "Don't close your eyes." He
lifted his head, opened his eyes and looked, no, *fell* into hers. Once
she had his full and undivided attention, she began to move, impaling
herself on his length, driving him into her as far as he would reach,
then pulled back just to repeat the same motion. And again. And again.
And, oh, gods, *again*...
Soon she was moving in steady time, her labored breathing a
potent counterbeat to her racing heartbeat. Gourry's skin became
slippery with sweat under her hands; she could feel the sweat trickle
down her own back, plastering her hair to her skin and her bangs to her
face. At this point she didn't care. Gourry's hands were on her waist,
at her back and lifting her hair to let the heat dissipate only to let
the heavy tresses fall back before she could feel chilled, at her waist
again, then tracing the line of her thighs as they embraced his legs.
He leaned forward and touched his lips to her, whispering her name,
like a plea: A plea for release, for it to go on forever and ever,
never stopping, never changing, just the two of them on the verge of
discovering what color eternity was and if it extended as far as people
said it did. And his eyes never left hers.
"Gods, *Gourry*!" she shouted, planting her hands on either side
of his face and pulling him close for a deep soul-merging kiss. His
arms went around her and held her as she shattered through that veil
that kept her earthbound, weighted. The edge was there, and the endless
sky beyond, beckoning her -
There was a drag on what used to be her hand, holding her back
but only for a moment. Gourry floated forward, beside her as always.
His familiar form was clothed in sunlight, and the smile he gave her
was blinding.  She held out her other hand, and found she was clothed
in fire. Laughing, she pulled him forward, and together the two of them
took to the skies. It was then they discovered that from the outside
eternity was most definitely blue...

* * *

"Lina?"
She'd forgotten she had ears. Or even a brain to process what the
ears heard. But the sound of her name made her remember. It was then
that she also remembered she had a mouth and could use it to
communicate, although words of more than one syllable were going to be
difficult for a while.
"Yeah?" There was something warm under her cheek. Warm and slick
and it moved.
"Are we alive?"
Alive...After that? No, they were only truly alive while they
were making love. But it was life of a sorts, and they were most
certainly here.
"Yeah, we are, Gourry." She pushed and found she could sit up.
Looking around, she discovered she was lying on top of Gourry. His eyes
were closed and his breathing was rapid. She moved over to stretch out
beside him, pausing to reach up to kiss him tenderly before settling by
his side.
"Oh, good." He blindly sought her hand. When he found it, he
laced his fingers with hers and gripped it tightly. Still without
opening his eyes, he smiled and said, "Because I'd hate to think we
wouldn't be able to do that again. Which I really want to do."
She smiled and tucked her head close to him. "We will," she said.
"Soon."
He was silent a moment, then rolled over and pulled her close.
"So, did you enjoy your birthday present?" he asked.
Lina's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to say something
flippant, but found she couldn't. "That was the best birthday present
anyone has ever given me, Gourry." She couldn't lie or even joke about
that, but it had been too...words failed her. "Thank you."
She could feel him grin even though she couldn't see his face. "I
should thank you."
"Yes, you should, since I helped." Lina pushed herself up and
leaned over him. Raising a hand, she smacked his cheek lightly to get
him to look at her. "But if you *ever* pretend to forget something when
you really haven't, I'm gonna pound you into next week, catch up with
you, and pound you again, do you understand me?" Her eyes flamed.
"Yes, ma'am," he said meekly, trying to hide a grin.
Lina made her face angry a moment longer then relented. She
leaned down and kissed him. "And then you'd have to start paying for
it," she said in a whisper against his lips.
Gourry's arms went around her and pulled her down. "And I
certainly wouldn't want to do that, would I?" He pushed his hair out of
his face. "I tell you what, though, I'm never going to look at
strawberries the same way again," he said with a sly grin. "I don't
think I'll ever be able to eat them in public after this.
I'd...embarrass myself."
She giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Then you'll have to
watch me eat them, won't you?"
His eyes opened wide. "You wouldn't do that to me, Lina...Would
you?"
The tiny sorceress trailed her fingers down his throat. "You
might want to try and avoid the situation unless you want to find out
how embarrassed it'd make you."
He sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have said that."
"No, you should have." Then her grin twisted and she pushed
herself up. She ran a hand down her front and grimaced. "I'm all sticky
and sweaty. I need to take a bath." Lina tried to pull away, but Gourry
held her down.
"Want some help?" he asked.
She opened her mouth to say something, then paused. Cocking her
head at a jaunty angle, she grinned and nodded. "Yeah. You can help
wash my hair."
The blonde swordsman sat up next to her. "Sounds fun. And you can
scrub my back."
Glaring, she fixed him with her ruby eyes. "What do I look like?
Your personal maid?"
"No," he said, leaning down and picking up the red silk off the
floor and draping it around her. "You look like a Ceiphiedmas present."
He wrapped it around her before she realized what he was doing, then
jumped off the bed. "I get to go first!" He disappeared into the
bathroom.
Lina jumped up and fell on her face. "HEY!" she shouted, becoming
entangled in the silk. "You get outta that tub before I come - Damn
it!" She ripped the silk off her then sprinted into the bathroom just
as the sound of running water started. "I said get out!"
"Hey, Lina! OW!!" There was a loud splash, an exclamation of pain
then a triumphant laugh. "No fair..."
"All's fair at bathtime," Lina said, leaning back. "Gourry dear,"
she purred. "Would you rub my feet?" She lifted one tiny foot out of
the water and waved it in his direction.
"Why should I?" he said from where he pulled himself onto a
stool, rubbed his behind and glared at her.
"It's my birthday! I seem to recall someone playing a little
prank on me, for which he's only started atoning for, I assure you!"
Grumbling, he pulled the stool over and took her foot in his
hands and rubbed them. "Yes, Lina," he said meekly. She sighed happily
and leaned back, closing her eyes and enjoying the foot massage. He
rubbed for a few minutes then gave Lina a predatory grin. He dropped
her foot, stood and stepped into the bathtub.
Lina opened her eyes and stared up at him. "Gourry! What are you
doing?"
"I thought it would save time if we simply took a bath together.
I'm tired and want to get to bed. It's late."
"But, there's not enough room!"
"Sure there is. Come here," He pulled her forward so she was
straddling his lap. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub.
"Gourry, stop!" she fought against him but he pulled her down.
Her eyes went round and she smiled and stopped struggling. "Gourry!!"
Some days it was wonderful to be in love.     

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Inspired by the song _Both Hands_ by Ani Difranco. My eternal
thanks to Kamui for sending the song to me.