A/N: A one-shot between Tatiana and Claus during their time spent in the desert. Loosely based off episode 13 "Isolated Pawn".

I re-edited this after reading it again and noticing a multitude of mistakes, so hopefully it's a little better than before. If you like the story or even find it mildly interesting, please please review!

Don't own Last Exile

The Importance of a Day

Tatiana awoke to the panging of metal and the feeling of Claudia fluid soaking through her boots. The moment her eyes cracked open, the memories came flooding back. She put her head between her knees in a feeble attempt to surpress the burning bile rising in her throat.

The Silvana... is gone.

It had battled with the Urbanus and lost terribly, plummeting from the sky while Tatiana, assaulting from afar in her vanship, could do nothing but stare dumbly. Watching the Silvana, the closest thing she had to home (though she'd never admit to it out loud,) fall in a mix of smoke and steel, had submerged her into a prickely numbness. Her thought process was impeded, her limbs were frozen. It was the closest thing to a red out she had ever experienced. She had lost control of the vanship, hence stranding her, and her now-navi, Claus Valca, into the middle of the desert.

No! No! No!

She had failed. And not only as a vanship pilot, but also as the Wing Commander of the Silvana. Was that the best she could do? As a soldier? As a Wisla?

A sharp ping behind her brought Tatiana back to her senses. Through the broken window she spotted Claus, sifting through the sand hunting for bolts and bending strips of metal. He was trying to fix the vanship.

But why? Didn't he realize the magnitude of their situation? That the Silvana had lost? That it was gone and took everyone down with it? Everyone was dead! Alister was dead…

Tatiana didn't help him- opting instead to stare lifelessly at the broken cylinder in front of her. It was a coping mechanism, really. All day she sat, in some sort of trance, watching the purple liquid fall out and onto the floor with a 'drip.' Eventually her eye lids felt as heavy as the rest of her body, and she allowed herself to fall into sleep.

When she woke back up it was the dead of night. Claus was in the seat behind her asleep. The sky was black, without a moon but with plenty of stars, and as she looked up at those dull lights so far away, she realized how hopeless their situation really was. No one was ever going to find them, nothing was ever going to get better. They were trapped, waiting for an inevitable death (at least then she could see Alister again.)

Tatiana stumbled out of her vanship, nearly blind in the dark, and left behind the pitiful thing in favor of walking into the desert. The cold air bit at her skin but she welcomed it: it was what she deserved. She deserved to be stranded alone, left to die without any comforts. Surely Alister and the others hadn't had any comforts as they had fallen from the sky, probably burning up in a violent death as the Silvana collided back down to the ground's floor.

"Silvana…"

Tatiana stopped and fell to her knees as she had heard a distant voice calling her name.

Claus had followed her.

"Tatiana! Tatiana!"

Had he come to drag her back to the ship?

"Tatiana..." Claus stood behind her silently. It didn't appear he was taking her back but it didn't appear he was leaving without her, either. "Let's look for the Silvana! I'm sure everybody's alive."

Tatiana felt like laughing, but didn't have the energy. How could he be so certain? She shot him a venhemous glare before directing it down at the sand. She noticed abesent-mindedly that amist all the small grains lay a little, silver puddle of water. How had it not dried up in the sun earlier? It was all alone, and while it had survived that day, it would surely be gone tomorrow. Was that her fate as well? To dry up and die under the harsh desert sun, never truly knowing what happened to everything she once held dear?

"Do you really think they're alive?"

And so Claus convinced her to return with him back to the vanship where they spent the rest of the dark night talking. She told him cryptically about the Grand Stream and he told her about Lavie and what he remembered from his childhood. She was surprised to learn he was the Hamilcar Valca's son (but that did explain his talent as a pilot.) Eventually they both drifted to sleep; Claus first and Tatiana shortly after.

Her dreams were plagued by the familiar halls of the Silvana and a certain blond navi's face.

Now it was morning and unlike the day before Tatiana was actively helping Claus fix the vanship. He had already done a great deal, so they did other tasks. All through the morning and part of the afternoon they labored. Redlining the engine and checking the RPM with their Claudia solution – cheering when it rose, and despairing when it fell. They even went as far as to sacrifice their water, mixing it into a solution with their remaining Claudia fluid.

2300..2280….2500!

"Claus, look!"

Tatiana felt different. She wasn't sure why, but she did. It might have been because their vanship was fixed, but she didn't quite think that was it. It was Claus and the conversation they had the night previous. It was something about the way he spoke so openly and truthfully with her. In her world of nobility and military regulations, no one had ever spoken like that with her before. He seemed so hopeful and so sure that the Silvana and its crew were alright, that everything would be alright. His optimism spread like a disease and now Tatiana was even starting to believe him. She smiled at the thought.

Tatiana finally had hope again. After the defeat of the Silvana, her spirit seemed almost as broken as their vanship. But Claus had found a way to fix it, and in turn, inadvertently fixed Tatiana too. At least now they could leave this horrid place. Soon they could begin their search for whatever was left of the Silvana. And this time Tatiana was certain. There had to be something left – it was the safest ship in the world, after all.

Tatiana was pulled from her thoughts as she heard sand muffled footsteps approaching her, quickly followed by the blond boy that she had gotten so close to the night before.

"Here," Claus said and held out a spare suit; her old one was covered in dirt and Claudia fluid. She noticed this one was different from the standard design issued on the Silvana. It was Claus's original one. A suit he worked in, flew in, even sweat in. Tatiana couldn't surpress a blush at that last thought.

"..Thanks."

Tatiana took the suit and climbed up the nearest sand dune and then back down the other side for privacy while she changed. Preoccupied with latching each buckle on her suit, she didn't even notice as another person climbed down the dune soon after. But suddenly she was very aware of being watched, and turned around only to find Claus staring wide eyed right at her.

"Claus? What are you doing!" She latched her final buckles, her fingers fumbling nervously under his gaze.

"No, no! I-I didn't mean to look!" He desperately explained, waving his hands about frantically as if to prove his point. "I.. I realized I forgot to give you the belt, t-to the suit..." His arm was outstretched with the belt in hand and his eyes focusing on the sand below his feet. He wasn't going to bring it to her.

Tatiana stormed up the sand dune. Not only was he a peeping tom, but he was making her come get his belt? No one had ever dared to be so rude to her!

As she reached him, Tatiana snatched the belt with one hand and slapped him with the other. Her hand stung as it connected with Claus's face and he let out a groan, stumbling forward onto her. She grabbed Claus's shoulder for balance, but only succeeded in dragging him down with her as they fell to the bottom of the dune in a heap.

They both coughed and sputtered for a few moments before either noticed how they had landed. Claus lay cushioned in the sand with Tatiana resting snuggly on top of him, her arms wrapped around his chest and both legs spread over his narrow hips. She could feel the definition of Claus's lean muscles and the masculine shape of his body; it was something she had never been in contact with before, and she found she liked it.

"Uh..." Claus shifted awkwardly under her, his voice contained a hint of uneasiness. He probably thought she was angry at him because of their compromising position, but Tatiana wasn't. Her anger about the belt had passed and was replaced with something else: desire. In fact, she found their current… arrangement to be quite interesting and curiously wondered how far she could take things.

"Claus." Their eyes met and Tatiana noticed his looked a bit hopeful. "It's okay… I'm not mad," she continued barely above a whisper.

"You're not?"

Tatiana nodded and smiled shyly at him. She was expecting him to smile back and gently nudge her off, but what came next was completely unexpected.

"So.. would it be okay if I did this?" Claus reached up and brushed her hair back from her face. Tatiana could feel his short puffs of breath as he brought his face close to hers. Was he going to kiss her? Her heart raced as their lips brushed in the most chaste of ways before he pressed his lips firmly against hers. His kiss was hard and a bit stiff as he kissed her in a way that was so utterly Claus-like. Then he pulled away, looking embarrassed and focused on some unknown point in the distance.

Was that it? Tatiana wondered. Of all the things she had heard about first kisses, they had never seemed this boring. So she decided she would have to take some initiative. Now it was her turn as she directed Claus's face back to her own. Before their eyes could even meet, Tatiana placed her soft lips on Claus's chapped ones. She ran her hand from his cheek into his hair and nervously decided to run her tongue along his lower lip. But like their previous kiss Claus remained stiff and didn't react. Maybe she wasn't doing it right? Tatiana decided to try again and boldly pulled on a piece of Claus's hair, forcing her tongue into his mouth when he gasped. It was such a strange feeling, as the tips of their tongues touched for the first time.

The boy under her let out a groan and was becoming very receptive now, kissing her back with much awaited fervor. She ran her tongue along the inside of his mouth, intiating a battle for dominance of the other's mouth. The inside of his mouth was slick and warm, and she wondered what hers felt like to him.

Tatiana had never kissed a boy before. The boys at the Military Academy had been too intimidated by her. She had always been cold and distant (focused, in her opinion), and didn't have time for such childish business as 'boyfriends'. Her best friend Alister, on the other hand, had been somewhat different. Alister had always been kind and had a friendly demeanor about her - a demeanor that had attracted countless numbers of boys. Tatiana could vividly remember being thirteen years old, sitting on her bed in the girl's dormitory at the Academy, having a conversation with her. They were sitting cross legged facing each other and Alister had an awful blush staining her cheeks. She listened as she described her very first kiss with a boy named Peter. She remembered the girl's colorful explanation of how butterflies filled her stomach and how her lips quivered as Peter leaned in to kiss her. How her face felt hot as his tongue brushed against her lips...

But this was nothing like what Alister had mentioned. Tatiana's face wasn't just burning, her lips weren't just quivering. Her whole body was on fire, every cell ached to be closer to Claus. She felt excited and nervous and elated all at the same time. It was a euphoric high that Tatiana had never experienced before. Claus deepened their kiss, if that was even possible, and cupped her face with his hands. Now he was tilting her head upwards, leaving her lips and kissing her chin. Then he went lower and ran his lips along the line of her jaw.

He was stirring something up inside Tatiana that she had never felt before. And it was amazing. The way he left a blazing trail down her neck, the ever-present hot feeling that was spreading its way through her body like molten lava. She was on fire! And she knew Claus felt it too, the 'object' pressing up against her thigh was a clear indication. She moaned as Claus sucked on her pulse point, and she couldn't take it anymore.

"More.. more, Claus.." She didn't like the sound of herself begging, but it was so hard to form words when she couldn't even breathe.

Claus seemed to understand this though and started undoing the buckles of the suit that she had only just put on. His long fingers undid the all the buckles and zippers in record speed, pulling it over her head and hastily tossing it somewhere in the sand.

Vanship suits were made of such thick material that it was unnecessary to wear a bra, but Tatiana wished she had worn one anyway as Claus stared at her naked chest, his eyes taking in every detail.

Get on with it already! She yelled inside her head. She wanted him to hurry up and quit staring; he was making her feel like some sort of oddity.

And as if reading her thoughts Claus hungrily resumed kissing her. Starting back at her mouth, he kissed her momentarily before trailing lower once again. This time though, he skipped over her neck and put his lips right above her left breast. He paused for a moment, as if waiting for her to suddenly stop him, before taking her breast into his mouth. She gasped aloud as Claus's tongue swirled around her nipple and nearly yelled as his teeth grazed it ever so lightly. Claus's hand grabbed her other breast, rubbing his calcoused finger around her hardening nipple, while continuing to place open-mouthed kisses all over her chest.

The few times Tatiana had ever thought about herself in this sort of situation, she had always imagined herself as completely quiet and in control. She'd never imagined herself to be the demanding type, but as she wound her hands around Claus's neck, pushing his face closer to her breats, she found her previous assumptions about herself weren't quite true.

Claus's normally warm puffs of breath felt cold over her slick skin and it was too much to take. She pushed Claus off and into the sand. "Ahh, God!" she yelled, her voice was broken and hoarse.

"I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to push you." Claus sat up in the sand, looking ashamed.

Oh, Claus was pushing her. But not in the way he thought. He was driving her over the edge! She looked at Claus, whose face was flushed and uniform a mess; his hair was tosseled about and he had a large bulge in his pants that Tatiana could hardly resist grabbing. Right then and there she decided that she was definitely starting to lose it.

Tatiana scooted over to Claus, who was still against the sand dune. He looked at her for a moment, his expression surprised and a bit confused. But as she sat herself right in front of him he suddenly fixed her with a very serious stare. "We don't have to do this, you know. I know you're upset... because of the Silvana, and I am too. I'll still help you though, help you search – even if we stop right now."

Tatiana laughed softly. Even if he was an exceptionally good pilot and vanship mechanic, sometimes Claus was so dense.

"I want this. I really do.." The words left her mouth in a whisper and Claus said nothing further.

Tatiana settled herself in his lap. The bulge of his cloth-trapped erection pressed against her leg and made her tingle with excitement. She snaked her arms around Claus's neck and ran her lips along his jaw like he had done to her, kissing him lower and undoing the top of his suit. She slipped the top off him and ran her hands along his defined chest before undoing his pants as well.

This is it. Tatiana kept up with her cool composure and experienced act, but she was actually quite nervous. This was the closest she'd ever been to a boy in her life, but she didn't want Claus to know that. She pushed his pants down to his thighs and undid the buttons of his trousers releasing his long and rigid erection.

She was hesitant at first, only smoothing her finger over the head. Tatiana was unsure how a girl went about giving a "hand job" (as Godwin so eloquently put it once) and rubbed the soft flesh of his erection affectionately before deciding to take it a step further. Tatiana inhaled deeply and went about it the only way she knew how: by grabbing Claus's manhood like one would with the lever of a vanship. She gripped him tighter and began pumping her hand along his length, her thumb pressing against tip each time she reached the top. Claus whispered her name before letting his head fall back.

Tatiana felt powerful as she watched Claus's facial features scrunch up in ecstasy and his hips jerk up in time with her pumps. She was conquering him – she was making him feel this way. No one else was doing this for him - not Alister, not Lavie, just Tatiana Wisla.

"T-Tatiana!" he gasped, one eye cracked open and looking at her, "If you keep doing this.."

The way her name rolled off his tongue sent shivers down her spine, and now she was growing extremely bold.

"Doing what, Claus?" she asked innocently.

His eyes widened at her question and its provocative implications and before Tatiana knew what was going on she was on her back. Claus was kissing her frantically and with such passion that she thought she might be swept away. He was touching her all over, dragging his hands up her sides and squeezing her thighs, and finally undoing her pants. Tatiana wiggled out of them and Claus took that time to push his fully off too. She couldn't help but to suppress her blush as they both lay in the sand completely and utterly nude.

"Condom.." she heard Claus mutter, her face turning crimson at the mention of it.

Wait. Condom?

"W-where did you get that?" Tatiana wasn't feeling as confident as she did a moment ago. Why did Claus carry around condoms in his pocket? Exactly how often did he need them? Did he need them when he found himself in random situations, taking girls on the ground like he was about to do her with her?

Her question caused Claus sport a blush equally as red as Tatiana's. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes as well.

"It's not what you think!" he stammered quickly. "Really! I was fixing up my Vanship the other day, but I was having some issues with the framework, so Gale helped me. After he finished he gave me.. this. And then he told me to keep it in case I needed it someday. Then he winked at me... it was really creepy, actually..."

"Oh." Was all Tatiana could think to say, and wrapped her arm back around Claus's neck. She turned her head away from him as Claus rolled the condom on.

Once again he got back on top, nudging her legs apart to rest himself between them. Tatiana's whole body seemed wired now, like she was aware of every single detail. She could feel Claus's firm grip on her hips and how his hands seemed to be shaking in anticipation. She could feel him against her, his tip barely grazing her core. And she could feel her own arousal that was clinging to her thighs, letting Claus know how much she wanted him.

She placed both hands on either side of Claus's shoulders as he entered her. She flinched, expecting pain, but there was none. He noticed and waited for a moment, mistaking her flinch for pain.

The sensation wasn't at all painful like Tatiana had imagined it would be. There was only the feeling of being strangely full as her walls stretched to accommodate Claus's girth. She hadn't known what to expect and had never gotten the chance to ask anyone. Alister was still a virgin and Tatiana could never fathom bringing up such a subject with the Vice Captain. All she had really ever heard were bits of conversations from the crewmen of the Silvana. Though listening to Godwin and Ethan talk about fucking drunk girls and popping their cherries was never that informative.

"Move."

His first movements were slow and arduous and it was obvious he was trying not to hurt her. But Tatiana wasn't feeling any pain and started to moan softly as encouragement to pick up the pace.

"C-Claus! Faster!" she whispered into his hear.

He obeyed and started thrusting faster, setting a steady pace. Claus kept on pushing into her, angling his hips and directing her body to receive him at full force. As he hit a sensational spot inside her, Tatiana bucked her hips against him meeting his thrusts.

"Oh God, Tatiana.." Claus was trembling all over and his hands were gripping her thighs so tightly Tatiana wondered if there'd be bruises.

She whispered his name again and told him it felt 'so good' and Claus let out a long moan, closing his eyes. Sweat covered her body and sand scraped against her backside and suddenly it was back. 'It' being the feeling she had felt previously when Claus was kissing her chest. This time, though, it was much more intense. Her mind was spinning and her body seemed to be moving on its own. She could feel everything starting to build up inside of her, each movement more Claus was sending her farther and farther into that inescapable feeling.

She was close. So close! And finally her breath caught in her throat and she thought she might choke.

"Claus!" Tatiana all but screamed his name, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. It was all she could do as a feeling so raw and powerful and extraordinary ripped through her entire being. She gritted her teeth and re-opened her eyes only to find vertigo so intense that the cool, blue skies up above were turning into white lights twinkling all around.

It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to span on endlessly before the twinkles dulled and she could breathe again. Now she was left trembling and inhaling shakily as she lay tiredly in a bed of sand. Claus's breathing was labored too and he rested his head into the crook of her neck before pushing into her for the final time with a grunt. She couldn't feel it because of the condom, but she imagined he just went through the same experience as she did.

They laid in silence and Tatiana flipped them over, letting herself rest on top of Claus. She put her head against his damp chest, listening to his slowing heart rate. He smelled like Claudia fluid and desert air. And something else too, he smelled like sex. Tatiana let a proud smile grace her features. It was a strange thought: that she had just had sex (maybe even made love?) with a boy, out in some unknown desert, completely unplanned. It was also a strange thought that she had never been happier before. The confining chains that had held her life in place seemed to have lifed, even if only for that moment. So many things were different from yesterday to now, and she didn't regret any of it. It was amazing how a single day could have such a drastic impact on her.

"Claus.."

"Yeah?" He looked up at her with a boyish grin plastered on his face.

"The vanship. It's still running."

"The vanship!" His voice sounded urgent, but he was still smiling. "C'mon, Tatiana, let's hurry!"

She shook her head in agreement before they grabbed their clothes and stumbled back up the sand dune together.