A/N: I'm happy to accept Rushbelle prompts, by the way.


Rush awoke slowly, the warm press of soft flesh against his chest an unusual sensation. Once his brain had clicked into gear and he remembered the earlier events, he opened his eyes. Belle had draped her arm around his waist, her head tucked under his chin, and he stretched, inhaling deeply as he tried not to disturb her. She twitched and sighed, nuzzling him contentedly, and he smiled slightly. There were far worse ways to wake up. He'd experienced quite a few, in his time. Her grip tightened slightly, and she tilted her head back, her eyes blinking sleepily. She had beautiful eyes; whether narrowed in suspicion, flashing with anger (at him, usually) or dark with desire (his personal favourite), they were always beautiful.

"Hey," she said, her voice drowsy.

"Hey," he said gently. "Sleep well?"

Belle let out a contented purr and wriggled against him, waking up a part of him that he had thought was still asleep.

"I slept great!" she said, sounding extremely satisfied. "How long was I out?"

"Eight hours or so." He kissed her forehead, then moved away from her, getting out of bed and tugging on his underwear before going to the bathroom. He half expected her to leave, and was surprised to find her still there when he returned, lying with her arms behind her head. After a moment's hesitation, he got back into bed, and she took the opportunity to swing her legs out of bed, snatching up his shirt and pulling it over her head.

"My turn," she said, by way of explanation, and padded towards the bathroom.

He definitely expected her to go after that. It wasn't as though their encounters led to much in the way of intimacy afterwards, but to his surprise she peeled off the shirt, giving him a tantalising glimpse of her pale skin and delicious curves, and climbed back in beside him. Her skin was cool and smooth, delightful against his, and he let his hand slip over the curve of her hip as she slid up his body, his fingers curling beneath her buttock and tugging her a little closer. She kissed him slowly, hungrily, and he responded, reaching up to brush her hair back, his hands gently cradling her head as his tongue probed her, stroking against hers. Eventually she pulled her lips from his with a sigh, beaming at him as she nestled by his side. He rolled onto his back, pulling her close, and Belle made a contented sound, resting her head on his chest and settling herself more comfortably against him. Rush lay very still, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do next, and reluctant to disturb this relative calm.

"What do you miss most about home?" asked Belle sleepily, drawing patterns on his chest with her forefinger and making the hair rise on the back of his neck with her touch, whisper-light against his skin.

"Coffee and cigarettes," he said at once, and she giggled. "You?"

Belle groaned, lifting her head to look at him. "God! Decent food! I'd kill for a good steak right now!" He nodded agreement.

"Also alcohol that doesn't make your head want to explode," she added. "What I wouldn't give for a strong gin and tonic with a slice of lemon and some ice cubes." Her expression turned blissful, making him smile, and she nuzzled his chest.

"I miss music," he offered, and she grinned up at him.

"Oh, yes! I miss music! And my library."

He chuckled. "Why am I not surprised that you had a library?"

"Well, it was kind of a large closet, but the point still stands," she said loftily.

"I miss books too," he said gently, and she smiled.

"I miss running outside in the rain. And bubble baths." She sighed, wriggling slightly and making him twitch. "That shower thing really doesn't cut it."

"No, but it does at least deal with the smell," he remarked. "Can you imagine what this place would be like by now if we had nowhere to get clean?"

Belle pulled a face, then pushed herself up on her elbow, looking down at him.

"D'you want to take a shower?" she asked, grinning, and his eyes widened.

"What?" he asked weakly, and she slapped his chest gently.

"Come on, it'll be fun! A little weird, maybe, but we could get clean together." She gave him a sly grin, running a finger over his chest until she dragged her nail across his nipple. "Or would you rather be dirty?"

Her expression was so innocent, her eyes so clear and wide, that he was almost certain she didn't know what she was saying. Almost.

"I'd rather not take you down to the communal showers where anyone could walk in on us, thank you," he said firmly, trying to ignore the fact that he was swelling inside his underwear.

"So, you'd rather stay here, would you?" she asked playfully, and he chuckled.

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about Colonel Young coming in and…" He cut off suddenly, fixing her with a stare. "We appear to be having a conversation."

Belle shrugged slightly. "So we do. Imagine that."

Rush sighed, letting his head fall back.

"So, did you want to have an argument about something?" he asked wearily, and she giggled.

"I'm sure we can talk without fighting, Rush," she said gravely, and he grunted his disbelief. She pushed herself up, hands on his chest. "Okay, if you insist," she said primly. "I seem to notice that you haven't kissed me in some time, and I'm here to express my annoyance."

He felt a grin curl the corners of his mouth, and he reached up to take her face in his hands, kissing her slowly, deeply, his cock swelling at the feel of her mouth and tongue. Belle made a noise of satisfaction as his lips pulled at hers, and when they broke apart she sighed, flopping back down beside him.

"We don't always fight," she pointed out, and he rolled his eyes.

"Really? I seem to recall you tearing into me on a daily basis," he remarked, and Belle sniffed.

"Not as though you don't deserve it," she said. "Seriously, were you always such a dick?"

"You can be just as annoying," he pointed out. "You seem to have this desire to pull people along to your way of thinking, and you lose your temper with those that fight back."

Belle was giving him a very level look, and if he'd had any sense he would have left the subject, but he decided to drop one more comment in.

"I bet you were a right pain in the arse at university," he said, and she frowned.

"Hey, do you have any idea what it's like to be a girl in science?" she objected. "For a start you're grossly outnumbered by guys, half of whom want to get in your pants and the other half look at you as though you have a full set of teeth down there."

Rush barked a laugh, amused, and nodded his agreement with her assessment of his fellow scientists. Belle snuggled against him, slightly mollified.

"My university physics professor was a misogynist pig," she went on. "He all but told me I shouldn't be in that class. I had to work twice as hard as the guys for half the credit. Kind of reminded me of you."

Rush pushed himself up on his elbows, stung. "I've always been fair to you," he objected.

"Oh, I know," she said hastily. "You're mean to everyone, I get it. What I meant was, he was an arrogant bastard and a bit of a know-it-all."

"Who was he?" asked Rush, settling back down.

"Doctor Viktor Whale," she said, and he snorted.

"The man's an imbecile! I had a stand-up fight with him at a conference over his asinine paper on the properties of quarks. Almost came to blows."

"I can well believe it," giggled Belle. "I wish you'd punched him."

"Came close," he muttered. "Apparently attacking your peers is frowned on."

"I wish you'd taught me," said Belle, letting her hand stroke over his chest. "Can you imagine? It would have been great!"

He eyed her. "If by 'great' you mean 'getting me fired', I would have to agree," he said dryly, and Belle giggled.

"I wouldn't have gotten you fired. We would have been careful. I'm sure there are all sorts of things you could teach me." Her voice had become sultry, her hand sliding lower, and Rush grabbed it before she could send him crazy.

"I can teach you a lot about maths and physics," he said, his voice becoming a little throaty. "But when it comes to sex it seems I'm a fucking amateur."

"Oh, I don't know," said Belle softly. "I think you have a lot of potential."

She kissed him again, settling by his side with a tiny sigh.

"Next time I use the communication stones I am totally having a bubble bath," she declared, revisiting their previous conversation. "That's what I did last time. Dad's out of the hospital, so once I had him settled, I lay in the bath with a large gin and tonic and just…" She held up her hands, eyes closed, an expression of bliss on her face, which made him smile.

"Well, that certainly sounds more enjoyable than most excursions," he remarked, and her eyes flicked open.

"Then I thought about you," she said, and her voice dropped into a lower register, her eyes suddenly darkening. Rush swallowed.

"Did you, now?" he said, trying to sound nonchalant and, to his ears, failing miserably.

"I did, Doctor Rush." She pushed herself up, leaning on his chest with her folded arms and gazing down on him, a stray curl falling over her face and making him long to touch her, to brush it back and kiss her sweet mouth. She placed the tip of her forefinger on his chest, running it slowly down over his skin and circling his dark nipple. Rush could feel himself twitching at her touch.

"What did you think about?" he asked quietly, wanting to hear her say it. Belle smiled slowly, seemingly distracted by the way his nipple was hardening beneath her fingertip.

"I lay in the bath and thought about how it felt to have your hands on me, to have your mouth on my nipples," she said softly, looking up at him through thick lashes.

Rush felt himself harden fully, and he gripped her shoulders, rolling and pinning her beneath him, making her giggle. He kissed down her chest to the soft mound of her breast, swirling his tongue around a nipple and making her moan. Her skin tasted faintly sweet, roses and raspberries, a hint of salt.

"Like this?" he murmured, and she sighed in pleasure.

"Yeah."

He continued to suckle at her, his fingertips plucking at her other nipple, and Belle writhed beneath him, her breath quickening. He could smell his own musk on her skin, left from their previous coupling, and the memory of it made him want her more, made him strain against his underwear and long to be inside her. He let the taut bud of her nipple slip from his mouth, dark pink and puckered, glistening with his saliva.

"What else did you think about?" he whispered, as her hands sank into his hair.

"I thought about your fingers inside me," she breathed. "Opening me up, touching me and making me ready for you."

He groaned, moving off her slightly so that he could slide his hand down over her belly and between her legs. His probing fingers found her already wet, creamy fluid coating his fingertips as he gently stroked her. He gently sank his teeth into the smooth flesh of her jaw, his bristles tickling her face as he kissed along to her ear. Belle gasped, arching up off the bed as he carefully slid two fingers inside her.

"God, Rush! Yes!" Her fingers tightened in his hair, almost painful.

"And this?" he said hoarsely, lips brushing her earlobe. He circled her clit with the tip of his thumb, making her let out a high keening sound. "Did you think about this?"

Belle nodded furiously, and he moved his head to kiss her, warm and sweet, her tongue sliding hungrily into his mouth. He continued to stroke her, his fingers slipping against her soft flesh, and she bucked her pelvis against his hand, moaning into his mouth. She tore her lips from his, her breath coming in pants, her eyes dark with desire as she gazed up at him. Her fingers were digging into his shoulders, her hips moving against his hand, and he watched in fascination as a pink blush spread down her face into her neck and chest, her eyes fluttering closed. The tip of her tongue flitted out to wet her lips. They were parted, full and ripe, the dark pink of her swollen sex. Rush continued to stroke her clit in a slow circle, crooking the two fingers he had inside her, and Belle threw her head back with a cry, her thighs clamping shut on his hand, rubbing herself against him to increase the sensation. Her body was jerking, twitching as she came, her chest heaving.

He moved down her body, trailing his lips down her pale throat, breathing in the sweet scent of her. His tongue licked the perspiration from between her breasts, and Belle settled back onto the bed with a deep sigh of contentment as he withdrew his fingers from inside her, his lips moving down over her belly. The tip of his tongue slipped into her navel, making her twitch and giggle, and he settled himself between her legs, his left upper arm pressing her thigh down, hand curling around so that his thumb and forefinger could part her folds. He blew cold air on her wet skin, and Belle jumped with a squeak of surprise, then he lowered his mouth to her flesh, his tongue licking out the sweetness of her pleasure. His other hand moved down inside his underwear, gripping his rigid cock, coating it in her fluids, and he began to tug at himself as he licked her, as he tasted the honey that was seeping from her. Belle moaned, carding his hair with her fingers as her hips rocked against him. She tasted fantastic, and the scent of her, and the feel of her was almost enough to make him lose his mind. He could feel himself nearing his climax, and he was dimly aware of her tugging at his hair. He flicked his eyes up to meet hers, her blue orbs heavy-lidded and sparkling with lust. Beautiful.

"I want you inside me," she gasped. "Need you! Please!"

He released his straining cock and quickly tugged off his underwear, sliding back up her body and spreading her scent with his mouth and chin as he went, his soft growth of stubble leaving pink marks on her pale, perfect skin. He bent his head to kiss her breasts again and Belle moaned beneath him, trying to reach down between them to line him up, but he pressed his body against hers to block her hand.

"Patience, Doctor French," he growled, and she shot him a venomous look that made him want to laugh. She was wriggling her fingers against his belly, and he reached down to take her hands, lifting them up above her head and sliding his fingers, still sticky with her juices, through hers. Belle arched up into him with a contented noise, and he bent to kiss her again, loving the feel of her firm breasts against his chest. He shifted his weight slightly, moving his pelvis to try to find her entrance, but it was difficult with no hands. Belle helped, lifting her knees and wriggling until her hot wet flesh captured the weeping head of his cock, making him gasp. Her eyes latched onto his, and she gazed at him steadily as he entered her, slow and deliberate, sinking into her, pressing as deep as he could go. She felt like silk around him, like warm velvet, and he groaned aloud.

"That's incredible!" he breathed, and she lifted her head to kiss him, her lips capturing his and pulling him down with her as he pressed her hands into the bed above her head. Belle let her tongue stroke the inside of his mouth gently, and he released her fingers to pull his elbows back and cup her face with his hands, to kiss her deeply as he thrust into her. He hooked an arm beneath her leg, pulling it up so that her ankle was by his head, and Belle gasped as he pushed further inside her. The feel of her was everything, the heat and tightness and her closeness, making him feel that he was a part of her, and she of him. He could sense it building, this feeling, this wanting, this burning ecstasy. He wasn't going to last.

"I'm sorry, Belle," he said frantically, feeling himself near the edge, and she shook her head, her hand reaching up to cup his face, her eyes meeting his.

"Come inside me," she said gently, and he felt himself explode, pouring into her, shouting wordlessly. She scored his back with her nails, crying out with him, and for a moment or two he simply thrust into her as deeply as he could, as he came in thick spurts, pouring into her, Belle's inner walls tugging at him and drawing him further in. His pushed his face into her hair as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving, and she slid her arms around him and squeezed, holding him tight against her.

Rush tried to calm himself, pulling back a little so that he could see her face, strands of his hair sticking to his forehead. He gazed down at her in wonder, breathing hard as she smiled sleepily up at him, her beauty radiant and perfect and blinding.

"Well," he said, trying to catch his breath. "That was…"

"Pretty fucking incredible," she nodded, and kissed him again, her body squeezing him as he softened. He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers momentarily before pushing himself up on his hands, Belle's leg still over his shoulder, her toes curling in his hair. He grinned down at her, wanting to kiss her again.

The swish of the opening door disturbed the moment.

"Rush, we could really use your…" Eli's voice cut off, and Rush let out a growl of displeasure as he turned his head towards the door, flicking his hair back out of his eyes. Eli was open-mouthed and wide-eyed with horror, backing away with his hands in the air.

"Eli," said Rush evenly. "No doubt whatever you have to tell me can wait an hour or so, yes?"

"I…" Eli stammered, swallowing hard. "I…"

"The door is behind you," added Rush helpfully, as Belle suppressed a giggle.

"Eli, either join in or get out," she added, and her friend immediately backed out of the room, pale as a ghost, the door swishing closed and cutting off his panicked stare Belle chortled, burying her head in Rush's chest in her embarrassment. He bent to kiss her forehead, and she pulled back to grin up at him.

"Well," she said with a shrug. "I guess we're out."


A/N: No fighting for a change, but I fully expect normal service to be resumed next time :)