Cinder paced nervously in the Palace Garden. White roses clustered around her, their fragrance doing little to calm her anxiety. she wondered if things on Luna were going smoothly. The delegates were still fine-tuning the new systems, not to mention the economical sensitivities, if Winter couldn't handle it... Cinder forced herself to breathe.

It was one night, twelve hours away, to be with Kai.

She hadn't seen him in months. Not in person anyway. Lately, their video calls consisted of political dynamics and statistical data. More often than not there would be other national representatives and world leaders on the call with them, leaving no room for flirtation. Once in a while they could manage to squeeze in a private call that usually ended with them saying they miss each other and staring longingly through their portscreens. It was getting to be unbearable. Kai had to rule the Commonwealth, Cinder had to secure Luna; they both had responsibilities.

She gazed up at the stars, thinking of the short time they spent together on the Rampion. While the time had been stolen, it had also been the only time they'd gotten to be together. She missed it. The others didn't have that problem. Scarlet and Wolf spent their days harvesting cabbage or whatever on that little farm in France. Completely alone and unbothered doing stars knows what. Cinder envied Cress and Thorne most of all. Every week she received comms and pictures of the two of them on their adventures. In the months following their victory, Cress and Thorne had led the distribution of the Lumetosis antidote, as well as visiting every beautiful scene that Earth had to offer. Closing her eyes, Cinder pulled up the most recent batch of photos from her internal memory. They'd gone to the Grand Canyon. Cress excitedly smiling with Thorne's arm slung over her petite shoulders, a goofy grin on his face. The red canyon sprawled out behind them showing layers and layers of beautiful rock formations. In a second picture, Thorne pretended to be falling over the cliff while Cress feigned dramatic concern. Cinder smiled, they were perfect and happy (and together) she added bitterly.

A comm flashed across her retina, interrupting her jealousy.

On my way down.

It was Kai, coming from the palace.

They chose to meet at night, in the garden, because it was their best chance at being truly alone. She scanned the moonlit roses, their blooms like perfect, little clouds. She glanced up at Luna, full and bright. Kai would be here soon. Cinder smoothed her shirt, a thin, pale blue sweater she often slept in. The soft fabric comforted her. She paired it with some loose-fitting, grey pants. Iko had begged her to wear something more alluring, something feminine. But Cinder was so anxious as it was, the frills would have just made it worse.

She heard soft footsteps approaching and froze.

"Cinder..." He whispered out to her.

She spun around and there he was. In a black, silk button-down shirt and tan slacks. His hair windswept and soft. His eyes dark and glittering. A light flashed in Cinder's vision, alerting her that her heart rate had increased.

"Kai..." She barely breathed out.

In a flash she was in his arms. His hand was pressed firmly against the small of her back. Their lips locked together. The murmured "Hello's" and "I love you's" lost between frantic kisses. Their bodies were pressed so close, Cinder could feel every curve, every line of him. When they finally broke apart, Kai's face was flushed and beaming.

"You look beautiful." He said. Cinder bashfully looked at her feet.

"Thanks...erm...so do you." She mumbled.

Kai laughed and brought a hand to her cheek. Cinder let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and felt herself relax. She was finally home.

"Shall we sit?" Kai suggested.

They moved to a small patch of long grass enclosed in bushes and shrubs. No one would see them.

Kissing resumed, this time with less desperation and more appreciation. Cinder wished it could be this way every night. The truth gave the entire scene a melancholy veil. Her body tensed and Kai pulled back.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I hate this." Cinder said. Kai's face fell, he glanced sheepishly away.

"I know it's been a while but..."

"No!" Cinder insisted, "Not that. That's... wonderful." Kai's eyes sparkled. "It's just, it feels like we're supposed to be together all the time. But we're not. Not just not, but can't! I hate it."

Cinder dug her fingers into the grass in frustration. Kai drew her in his arms and pulled them down to lay on the grassy bed.

"I know. I feel the same. But it's only for a while. Not forever." He soothed her.

"But who knows when we'll have a night like this again." Cinder sighed.

"You're right." Kai said, he brought his mouth down to kiss just below her ear. Cinder's breathing halted. "Which is why we need to make the most of tonight."

Kai resumed kissing her neck. Cinder felt with every brush of his lips that he was right. They had to cherish tonight. Then Cinder had an idea. Goosebumps rose up on her skin at the thought. Abruptly, she sat up. Kai followed, his eyebrows raised in concern.

"You're right." Cinder turned to him, "We need to make the most of this."

Kai nodded. To emphasize, Cinder placed a hand on his thigh and Kai's eyes went wide.

"You mean..." He met her questioning look with something like panic. "Are you sure?"

It suddenly occurred to Cinder that Kai might not want her that way. Kissing was one thing but... her body was... Cinder snatched her hand away. She shamefully turned and hugged her knees to her chest.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to." She mumbled.

"Cinder..." Kai said. His voice pained.

"If it helps, I could use glamour. I could hide them." She flexed her metal hand in the moonlight.

"Cinder!" Kai gasped. She put her head down. Once again thankful she couldn't blush because her blood burned with humiliation.

"Listen to me." Kai pleaded, he pulled her towards him. "I love you. I want you. Very much." They locked eyes. "I just want you to be sure. About...everything."

"You really want me? Like that?" Cinder asked. Kai's gaze raked over her, Cinder didn't think she'd ever seen him look at her that way before. He quickly licked his lip and nodded.

"Very much." He affirmed.

Cinder caught him in another kiss, her hands on his shoulders and feeling the need to wander his chest, his stomach, his... Kai gasped and pulled her down to the grass again.

He positioned himself atop her, his knee placed purposefully between her thighs. Cinder willed her body to be calm. Lights kept flashing across her vision. Chemical levels high, heart rate increasing, temperature climbing; she blinked them away. Kai kissed her deeply, hungrily. His tongue gently working against hers. Cinder brought her hands up to his shirt again. After a sharp tug, Kai took her hint and removed it. His body was lean and smooth. Not a scar to be seen. Cinder ran her human hand across his stomach, loving the way his breath went ragged against her lips. He snaked a hand up her sweater and sighed when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. She was so flat-chested, Cinder never saw much point unless it was absolutely necessary to wear one. But as Kai's hand slowly grazed below her small breasts, Cinder felt extremely vulnerable.

Kai pulled the hem of her shirt up and over her head so they were now equally undressed. The chill of the night making her nipples hard in the open. Kai lay his body against hers and the sensation of their bare chests against each other made Cinder feel warm all over. His arms encircled her and rolled them over so that now Cinder was astride his hips. He gazed up at her, eyes sparkling with adoration. He brought a hand up and loosed her hair from the ponytail she'd had it in. Her thin, light brown hair now fell to her shoulders. The feeling made her feel suddenly bolder. Cinder bent to kiss him and while doing so, reached down and undid his pants. Kai mumbled something in shock against her lips but Cinder ignored it. Just in case she lost her nerve and wasn't able to let Kai see the rest of her patched up body, Cinder could at least do this.

She felt him hardening beneath her touch and Cinder broke their embrace to leave a trail of kisses down Kai's torso.

"Cinder you...ah...You don't have to...oh!" He struggled to get the words out and Cinder could tell that even if she didn't have to do this, his body wanted her to. Making her way down his stomach, Cinder only took a moment to pause before wrapping her lips around his length. Kai's body stiffened and his back arched in surprise. Cinder did her best to work her mouth up and down his long shaft, now fully erect and throbbing. She only knew how to do this because she'd accidentally downloaded a romance opera from Cress' harddrive the last time they had exchanged files. At first it had mortified her, but now it was proving to be quite useful. Kai ran his fingers through her hair and moaned her name while she tasted him. She'd thought it would be disgusting or, at least, unpleasant. But between the sounds Kai was making and the heat of their skin, it was even pleasurable to her.

"Cin...Cinder stop." He moaned. Cinder sat upright, Kai's erections still staring up at her. He sat up too and caught her lips again. "You need to let me have a turn with you." He whispered against her. Cinder shivered.

"I'm worried you won't want to after you see me." She confessed, resting her forehead against his. Kai was silent for a moment.

"Lay down." He instructed. Cinder obliged, bringing her hands protectively up to her chest. Moving to her waist, Kai gently tugged her pants and underwear down together, revealing the rest of her body to the night.

Her one human leg was pale and thin, her pelvic bones betraying how many days she'd spent hungry growing up in the Commonwealth. While she was nowhere near as thin as she had been in those days, her body was still lacking the feminine curves a girl her age should have. Her metal leg gleamed in the moonlight, the seamless panels hiding the intricate wiring and bionic alterations that had been done to help her survive. Just below her hip, where the artificial limb began, scar tissue could still be seen crawling up from the metal. It puckered and continued all along the edge. Other scars from her days working as a mechanic, as well as injuries sustained in their battle against Levana peppered her pale skin. For everything that was perfect about Kai's body, Cinder's was flawed. She wondered if seeing it horrified him.

Kai's eyes scanned her and came to rest on her face, he noticed her expression twisted in anxiety. Smiling warmly, he leaned over her and placed a kiss on every scar he could see.

"You don't have to worry." He whispered to her. And then, he kissed just below her stomach. Cinder gasped at the sensation, it was as if an electric shock had just gone up her spine. Softly pushing her knees apart, Kai let his fingers dance over the sensitive area between her thighs. Cinder sighed without meaning to.

Taking that as a sign of encouragement, Kai began to massage his fingers against her. Cinder felt herself bucking at the touch, so much so that Kai had to place his other hand against her stomach to keep her in place. She could feel heat spreading across her skin, even though she didn't look flushed. Kai's fingers worked quickly, drawing in and out of her opening to circle the sensitive point above it. Cinder moaned loudly and Kai quickly bent down to kiss her and smother the sound. Cinder imagined the humiliation if a Palace Guard should hear them. Not to mention the international incident it may cause. After pleasuring her a few moments more, Kai retrieved his fingers and positioned himself above Cinder, her knees pressed tight against his hips. She could feel him, just against her, not yet inside. Their eyes met.

"Are you ready?" He asked her. Cinder nodded, she had never felt safer.

He kissed her gently and then, slowly, Kai pushed himself in to her. Cinder gasped, there was a short pain that threatened to make her cry out. She locked her teeth together and hoped Kai didn't notice. He kept going, the pinching increasing as he did until finally it retreated. The pain now reduced to a muted pulsing between her legs.

"Cinder, open your eyes." Kai said. She hadn't realized she had shut them. She stared up at him, his gaze mixed with worry and pleasure. "Are you okay?" He asked. Cinder nodded, he was fully inside her and she liked it. The feeling, it felt...right. Kai returned her nod and began moving. Cinder released a gasp as his hips gently rocked into her. Instinctively she wrapped her human leg around him, the new position giving him deeper access. A thin film of sweat had developed on their skin, and Kai's body was hot against hers. It felt amazing.

They continued this motion, occasionally shifting their weight, until Kai's breath became ragged against her neck. Cinder clung to him, feeling a sensation building in her and she wasn't sure what would happen when it finally broke. Kai must have been feeling it too because he began to move faster, their bodies crushing together in pleasure. Cinder couldn't keep her sounds inside. Tiny, half screams were spilling out of her and into Kai's collarbone where she had pressed her face to hide the noise. He wasn't being too quiet either, moaning her name and at one point even cursing the stars. The pressure in her became almost unbearable and Cinder's muscles tightened, suddenly sending a wave of ecstasy over her, she threw her head back and let out a long sigh of relief. Shortly after Kai's body tensed against her and he quickly forced himself back. Cinder felt something hot and sticky hit her leg and drip down to the grass below.

"I'm sorry I just didn't know if... Oh stars above..." He collapsed beside her, breathing shallowly, eyes closed in exhaustion. "Cinder that was... amazing." He gasped out, pulling her into the crook of his arm.

Cinder curled her body up against his, settling against him.

"It was?" She asked. Knowing it had been more than she'd ever thought it could have been.

Kai nodded, mumbling something sounding like "absolutely amazing." but he was drifting into sleep. Cinder traced his face with her hand.

"You can't fall asleep, Kai, we only have eight more hours together." She whispered to him.

He mumbled something else but his cheek was resting on top of her head. Cinder sighed, her body feeling the tug of fatigue as well.

"One hour," She said, "We can sleep for one hour but then, we're going to do that again." Kai chuckled at that and pulled her in tighter.

They relaxed together. Cinder mentally setting a timer for sixty minutes before allowing herself to rest against him.