Vanessa had been silent as she walked tonight, but she began to whistle to herself as the patrol drew to an end. Her puckered lips offered a clumsy note at first, but cooperated with a draw of her tongue across them. A simple melody echoed off of dormant buildings. The buzzing of the few lit street lamps was overtaken by Vanessa's impromptu musical.
Night patrol was a lonely chore. Although the survivors would have liked to conduct them in twos, there just weren't enough eligible people for the job. So, they resorted to short-range one-man patrols around the immediate area.
Sure enough, Vanessa soon spotted the other person on patrol tonight. Up ahead, appearing through the shadows beyond a street lamp on the corner, stepped a blonde in a denim jacket.
Aya Brea, without fail, Vanessa thought with a smile. She tightened her lips, ending the whistle in a sharp, loud note. Aya reacted visually, her head turning towards the noise. The blonde responded with an expert whistle of her own, yielding a grin from Vanessa.
Within moments, the two women met beneath a street light. "Nothing to report," the brunette stated, saluting briefly. Aya returned the salute, smiling lightly at her friend. "Outstanding," she replied.
The former police officer then relaxed her posture slightly, taking in the bleak cityscape around them- what was visible by the few street lamps. A makeshift generator within the main shelter offered limited power to the area. "Just another quiet night," Vanessa breathed, stretching. She caught a stifled yawn from Aya, before the ex-cop met her eyes and nodded aside. The two women began walking back towards the shelter together.
Vanessa had lost count of the days since she had arrived. So much had happened, and it took her some time to cope with the lack of her powered body suit in the midst of this new crisis. She looked over at her partner now- or who she personally considered to be her partner. Aya had been invaluable in helping Vanessa adjust to this new situation. Although usually quiet, and most always very serious, Aya was a friend whom Vanessa enjoyed having here.
Both women shared an affinity for combat, security, and physical fitness, which made them logical candidates for regular patrol duty. Vanessa didn't mind at all. It was the sort of work she was used to and, as she had gotten to know Aya little by little, work that she was sure the other woman was accustomed to as well.
"I really wish they'd relocate the shelter, though.." Vanessa began, shaking her head as they walked. "The warehouses by the dock aren't smelling any nicer, you know?"
Aya took a moment to consider this. "We should make a proposition to the others, then. After all, the stench coming from those warehouses could attract dangerous creatures."
Vanessa glanced over at her friend, and it took her a moment to notice the subtle smirk on Aya's lips. The brunette snorted lightly at Aya's dry humor. "Yeah, right. They're not gonna move unless the roof blows off our building."
They walked in silence for a few moments. Up ahead, lights from the only occupied building in the district shown through the night. "Could always be worse, I guess," Vanessa went on. Aya raised her eyebrows. Vanessa indulged her. "We could have relocated inside the warehouse." She grinned at the abject horror of the very idea, and at Aya's reaction. The ex-cop puffed up her cheeks, wincing as she then blew out a heavy breath.
"No thank you," Aya replied, her tone heavy with distaste. "It must have been a fish processing plant or something." She walked up the stone steps to the front entrance of the large hotel, and held open the door for her friend.
Vanessa responded by sucking her cheeks inward and making a 'fish' face at Aya as she passed her, drawing another smirk from the blonde. As the two women entered the hotel lobby, a sentry behind the desk stirred.
"Good evening, ladies," Reno addressed with a playful hint of smarm. He took his feet off of the front desk and leaned forward to greet the returning patrols. "Find anything unusual? Battle any mutant crab zombies? Hmm?" he queried, looking from one woman to the other and back again.
"Nothing to report," Aya replied simply, and unclipped her two-way radio to return it. Reno took the radio with an exaggerated frown of faux disappointment. He took Vanessa's as well, turning to plant the radios in their charging cradles. When he turned back around, the two women were already walking past the desk.
"Ah!" Reno exclaimed, stopping them both. "I do have some news, in fact." Aya and Vanessa turned to listen to him. Reno hesitated for a moment, grinning smugly in anticipation. Finally, he spoke. "The showers are working again."
Both women glanced at each other simultaneously. Vanessa's sable brown eyes studied Aya's intense blues.. And then they tore off down the hall at a full sprint.
"DON'T BE SO HASTY!" Reno called after them, cupping his hands around his mouth and leaning over the desk. "JUST TAKE ONE TOGETHER!"
The two women were toe to toe as they dashed for the stairs. In mere moments, they had ascended to the second floor, the delegated women's section. Despite the wide hall, Vanessa crowded her competition as they ran, chuckling breathlessly as she bumped into Aya and traded blind slaps. Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as Aya shoved back, grinning silently. There hadn't been excitement like this in days. Considering the situation at large, working showers were more than enough of a reason for two grown and quite serious women to regress to childlike antics.
As they turned the corner at breakneck speed, a figure was exiting one of the rooms at the middle of the hall. It was Kairi, and she appeared to have just gotten out of the shower, as she was holding a bath towel around her torso with one hand. As the young woman noticed her two friends, she raised her free hand to greet them. "Hey, the showers-" the two women raced past on either side of her, "-are working again!"
Kairi turned around just in time to see both Aya and Vanessa brake to a near-violent halt at their door at the end of the hall, both women fumbling with key cards while playfully trying to push each other out of the way. "Well there's no need to fight over them!" the teenager called out, quickly reaching up to steady the towel wrapped around her wet hair. "One of you can use-" she hesitated as the two women piled through their door at once. "-...mine." Kairi shrugged and continued on her way to Yuffie's room.
Before the door to their room had even closed, Vanessa and Aya began pulling off garments. From yanking boots off while hopping on one foot, to tearing at the velcro fastenings of light body armor, it was an absurd race to strip for a shower. In a commendable display of agility, Vanessa yanked her pants and underwear off in one leaping motion, discarding the garments and then pulling at the hem of her undershirt. She ripped the final piece up and off of her just in time to see Aya nude and panting before her, a pair of underwear bunched up in her right hand.
"Done," Aya challenged with a huff, chest heaving and eyes sparkling.
"Bullshit," Vanessa responded. "You're still wearing socks."
The blonde gasped, her eyes widening in realization as she glanced down at her feet. Barefooted, Vanessa rushed forward, making a break for the bathroom. She was intercepted by Aya, and the two women grappled as Aya awkwardly hopped from one foot to the other in an attempt to pull her socks off with her toes. Laughing between gasps, twisting and staggering together, they waged their light-hearted battle. Vanessa was elated. Aya rarely laughed, and never played like this. It seemed that the stagnant weeks had taken their toll, and everyone was looking for a little fun, a little release.
Finally they reached the doorway of the small bathroom, Aya having pinned Vanessa to the doorframe, one foot bare and a sock hanging off of the other. Both women were panting hard, skin dotted with sweat, hot breath mingling in the close proximity. Aya was the first to let up, grinning sheepishly as she took a step back. "Alright, alright, you win," she abdicated.
Vanessa felt a pang of disappointment as their tussle came to a close. She knew that it would be awkward to push it any further, though. Aya released a final huff, her cheeks flushed from exertion and perhaps a bit of embarrassment. She lowered her eyes, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she laughed again. Vanessa just watched her, unable to stop smiling, just as her heart didn't seem to want to slow back down. Her blood just kept on racing, her breath catching as Aya reached for her- no, past her- to grab a towel from the hook. Vanessa's eyes chased after every detail which became tragically covered as Aya wrapped the towel around the subtle curves of her torso. She looked up to meet Aya's eyes just as the other woman tucked the corner of the towel securely beside her chest.
"I'll go get us some soap from the hall closet," Aya offered, and turned to leave. Vanessa exhaled deeply as the door to the room closed.
Easy does it, she thought wryly, shaking her head with a smirk. She moved away from the bathroom door frame, flicking on the light inside. After turning on the hot water for the shower, Vanessa leaned back against the counter and watched the steam roll upwards. Admittedly, she had spent a shameful amount of time imagining what Aya would look like sans clothing. Seeing the woman walk around in a towel or her underwear was one thing, but this had been different. That impromptu wrestling match...
Vanessa felt a bead of hot, sticky wetness roll down the inside of her thigh. Wrestling naked with Aya had apparently been a little more exciting than she had realized. It was practically unnerving; she'd been to alien worlds, confronted deadly organizations, and defeated monstrous autonomic entities. But she'd always done so alone. For as long as she could remember, she had been alone. Now, among these survivors of one bad joke of a cataclysm, she had found someone that she liked. Someone that she really liked. Someone that she could talk to, and listen to just as well. A person that she wanted to be near, not just another client or a passing mission acquaintance.
Aya was...amazing. Admirable for her incredible skills as a combatant, the cold charisma that demanded compliance, and her sheer and unyielding bravery in any given situation. She was beautiful. Not unlike the sleek carriage of a fighter craft, or the glow of newly polished armor. And the way she moved. Vanessa leaned over beside the sink, resting on her elbows and closing her eyes as steam filled the mirror. Anyone could see that Aya was attractive. But in Vanessa's eyes, she saw also the grace of a seasoned warrior in every step that woman took. The brunette shifted her weight just slightly, her hips tilting one way...and then rolling subtly back the other way.
Vanessa's breath mixed with the vapor on the mirror, and her eyes fluttered open. She realized that one finger was idly tracing the contours of her chest. The door clicked. Vanessa started, turning around just as Aya stepped into the bathroom holding several bottles. The two women locked eyes, Aya's calm and analyzing while Vanessa's were still a bit alarmed. "Are you alright?" Aya asked, setting the bottles next to the sink. Vanessa was suddenly aware of her nudity. It hadn't been a big deal five minutes ago, but after her recent thoughts... "Just thinking," she replied, hoping that the steam would mask her embarrassment.
"Well," Aya began, hopping onto the counter beside the sink and adjusting her towel, "is anything troubling you?"
She watched her friend look away in thought. "Sort of," Vanessa answered, hugging her stomach lightly, a subtle sign of vulnerability. Then, she met Aya's eyes again and smiled. "I'm not sure if I know how to explain it just now." The blonde smiled back and offered her two bottles, one shampoo and one conditioner.
"This ought to help, in any case."
Vanessa took the bottles eagerly, bringing them up and passing them beneath her nose as she inhaled. The lovely smell sent shivers down her spine, and she grinned at Aya. "It's been way too long," she enthused.
The seemingly suggestive look that Aya gave in returned sent another shiver straight back up her spine. "Tell me about it," the ex-cop murmured, smirking as she raised an eyebrow.
Ok, time to get in the shower. My mind is beginning playing tricks on me...
Vanessa opened the shower door and stepped in, wincing a little at the heat of the water. Fumbling with the bottles, she moved them to one arm and reached out to adjust the temperature. Hot water quickly soaked her hair and ran down her back. The mercenary breathed a heavy sigh- a mixture of relief and frustration, feeling droplets of water jump away from her lips with the rush of air. She set the bottles in a rack along the shower wall and then closed her eyes, letting the shower envelop her.
"I don't know," Vanessa mumbled, half to herself, resting her palms on the cool tiles in front of her. She dipped her chin, making a small noise of comfort as the water hit her back directly. "I guess I've felt different since arriving here," she continued.
The sound of the shower door sliding open made her open her eyes. She turned halfway around, taking one of her hands off of the wall, to see Aya- naked- stepping into the shower. As Vanessa couldn't help but gape a little, the blonde turned to close the door behind her. Vanessa swallowed, mixed feelings stirring in her at the close proximity to-
Get a hold of yourself; she didn't come in here to fuck you. Vanessa scolded internally.
"Can't hear you out there," Aya explained, casually lifting a hand to catch some droplets that dashed off of Vanessa's body. "Besides," she added, "you're going to use up all the hot water before you even finish your little monologue." She nodded towards the bottles of shampoo and conditioner, good-naturedly urging Vanessa to get on with the shower.
The brunette smiled in reply, shaking her head as she took the shampoo. Questions still rose in her mind. Things that she had never before considered were taking shape in her desires. On one hand, Aya seemed to be saying 'less talking, more washing.' And yet.. she had joined her, prompting discussion.
Vanessa handed the bottle over to her friend and then began to massage the shampoo into her own hair. "Do you ever think about getting into a relationship?" Vanessa asked, using both hands in her hair now that Aya had taken the bottle. Subtlety was not her strong point. "Now that you're here, I mean.." She knew from past talks that Aya had had little interest in relationships before the event that brought everyone to this mysterious ruined city.
"Yes," Aya replied. Straightforward and to the point. Vanessa was quickly becoming comfortable with the conversation, despite the fluttering in her stomach. That sensation tripled as Aya moved toward her. She realized that her friend sought the showerhead. Vanessa, trying to seem nonchalant about the simple movement, switched places with Aya, both of them turning sideways to maneuver around one another in the shower. She pursed her lips as Aya's breasts faintly brushed across her back.
For a moment, Vanessa was afraid that she had said something that had closed Aya's desire to hold a conversation. She turned, watching Aya stand under the shower head now, short gold tresses of hair flowing with the water and curving along the woman's neck. The ex-cop's eyes were closed, her lips parting just slightly in a pleased expression as she sighed deeply. The hot water seemed to loosen her tongue again. "I have thought about it," she continued finally, to Vanessa's relief.
Droplets fled down the curves of Aya's body, changing course as she tilted her head forward again and opened her eyes. "This place has given me a lot of time to think," she admitted, stepping towards the rear of the shower again. Vanessa maneuvered once more..
x-x-x
Aya slipped past her friend, and moved to the back of the shower while Vanessa stepped under the coursing water to rinse her hair. The blonde squeezed some shampoo into her palm and placed the bottle aside before mixing the smooth liquid into her hair. She was almost disturbed at how comfortable she felt right now. Back in the city that she had known, no one had been this close to her.
"Me too," Vanessa said suddenly, with a small laugh. "Perhaps TOO much time to think..."
Aya realized that she had felt comfortable in her isolation before, because no one had been strong enough to empathize with what she had been through...with what she was. But Vanessa... She felt a different sort of connection to the woman. Aya slicked her hair back to keep the shampoo from running into her eyes as she studied her comrade.. her friend. A woman who, like Aya, had endured extraordinary trials, and possessed amazing abilities in combat and even tactical warfare of sorts. Vanessa's tales of her own world and experiences had earned her instant respect from the ex-cop.
They switched places again, Vanessa taking up the conditioner while Aya rinsed shampoo out of her own hair. "I just felt...alone when I first arrived here," the blonde admitted, shutting her eyes as the shampoo was washed away. When she turned around and opened her eyes again, she saw that Vanessa's attention was completely on her- even so much that she had paused in massaging the conditioner into her hair, her eyes hinting concern as they studied Aya.
Aya felt timid all of a sudden, an emotion she was not used to. But then, since coming here and meeting Vanessa, she had confronted a lot of emotions that she was not familiar with. "There's...no mission, no orders, no goal other than just..survive," Aya went on, shaking her head with a shrug.
x-x-x
"Aya..." Vanessa frowned at her friend's lost expression. "I know how you feel. And honestly...I don't know where I would be if I had not met you in this place."
The smile that lit Aya's face as she looked up at Vanessa filled the mercenary with elation. "I feel the same way about you," her friend responded. Vanessa wanted to throw her arms around her. She took a step forward, lowering her hands from her hair.. Aya didn't move aside, as she had when they switched places before. Vanessa felt her heart speed up as their eyes studied one another's.. Her hands began to rise again, and so did Aya's, and they embraced each other.
The rushing shower poured over them, masking the soft noise released from Vanessa's throat as the two women held each other. A sensation coursed through her, running deep within her body, and she felt something unlock. Vanessa relaxed, a previously unrealized tension draining from her body. She felt Aya do the same, her weight subtly shifting against Vanessa. The woman's skin beneath her palms brought ecstasy through Vanessa, Aya's form like a curvaceous pillar against her own body. When Vanessa drew her next breath, it trembled as Aya's torso pressed against hers. She could not remember feeling this close to anyone, this relaxed and excited at the same time, this...cared for.
"Vanessa..." Aya's whisper directly beside her ear sent shivers through the mercenary's body. Her mind abuzz, she could only respond with her friend's name in return, her voice light with bliss. Vanessa reveled in Aya's smooth skin, shifting her hands along the woman's back. She could feel certain muscles become taut while others relaxed as Aya brought her in even closer, drawing a long gasp from Vanessa.
"Aya, I..." Vanessa couldn't find the words. She wanted this...had wanted it for a while now, even if she hadn't realized it. Knowing that Aya wanted it too made her almost weak with relief. The amount of sheer comfort from such a simple action was overwhelming. Words were inefficient right now. Actions were becoming the method expression.
Vanessa drew her head back slowly, and felt Aya doing the same as their cheeks brushed together. Under the streams of water, her breath caught as she found her face inches away from her friend's, their eyes heavy-lidded with a warm sense of satisfaction and mutual desire.
I need you
She saw it in her eyes. Vanessa inched forward experimentally, nerves tingling as the tips of their noses touched. Aya tilted her head, the subtle contact breaking only for a moment before Vanessa felt the woman's breath on her lips as Aya's nose brushed alongside hers. Vanessa's own breath caught in her throat at this, her eyes fluttering closed as she savored each electric tingle between them. Droplets coursed down her face as she dragged her fingertips along Aya's back, and her lips along the blonde's cheek- thrilling as she felt the corner of Aya's mouth pass under hers. A new sensation was becoming prominent. It was the steady coil of beautiful tension winding below the pit of her stomach, filling her with a desire for more.
Vanessa opened her eyes partially, a passionate, half-lidded stare matching Aya's gaze. And in the next moment, the two of them moved in again, their lips coming together. A blissful feeling throbbed inside Vanessa, and she slowly tensed up, drawing a breath through her nose as the simple, soft kiss exhilarated her. She felt the slightest vibration as Aya softly cooed.
Vanessa echoed it with an impassioned noise of her own, although it came out sounding a little more urgent than she had intended. They broke the kiss, only to draw breath before coming together again in a tender movement, reveling in the internal rush of warmth that was foreign but very welcome to both of them.
Gradually, Vanessa opened her eyes- "Ow.." she muttered, quickly shutting them again as conditioner dripped down her face. Both women burst out laughing at the abrupt interruption, and Aya ushered her friend directly under the stream of water. They eagerly finished rinsing off, and Aya turned off the water.
Both women stepped out of the shower, letting their eyes wander across each other's dripping bodies as they reached for towels. Something had been ignited in each of them, and there was no denying what needed to happen next. No words were needed. No questions were necessary. Vanessa stepped backwards out of the bathroom doorway, absent-mindedly rubbing her soaked hair with the towel as she watched Aya rub her arms with hers.
As they stepped out into the bedroom, eyes locked, the towels were dropped. Forgotten, errant beads of water still fell from their bodies as they came together again, embracing before the half-lit wall sconce. Vanessa felt Aya embrace her as she placed her own arms around the woman, adoring soft skin over toned muscles beneath her palms. They kissed again, eager to be enveloped in the scent of the other once more. A light kiss.. and then another, dotting the edges of lips, masked with heavy breaths, coming together again but misplaced and landing beside a nose.. breathy laughs and a flash of teeth broke the moment, but melted away against another series of kissing. Deeper kisses, more urgent than before, signed with the explorative flick of a tongue, and the shifting of thighs against thighs below, as restless energy became too much even for the rushing fingers across sides and backs and through damp hair.
"Mm-mmhh.." Vanessa released a quick moan, nearly overcome by the sudden rush of new sensations. She held the kiss though, both women breathing through their nostrils as the passion heightened. Aya's tongue slipped across her upper lip then, and she responded immediately by darting her own tongue out and catching Aya's in the act. Aya tilted her head and parted her lips further, inviting Vanessa's tongue back for a rematch by slowly drawing the tip of her tongue along the woman's lips once more.
Vanessa shivered in Aya's grasp and moved her hips in an instinctive movement, resting her right leg just along the outside of Aya's left. With a subtle shift of weight, she moved her hips closer to the other woman's, her lips quivering as their bodies came closer together.
It was Aya's turn to break the kiss with a short, low moan this time, leaning forward and gasping outwardly against Vanessa's ear as she settled in against the other woman. Lithe, muscular thighs rubbed together with euphoric results, Vanessa releasing a shaking breath as Aya's gently nestled against the warm, delicate folds that lay between hers.
The woman swayed on their feet, unbalanced for a moment by the bliss of the contact. Hands found shoulders and hips to compensate for fluttering stomachs and quivering knees. Vanessa lifted the heel of her left foot, deftly bringing her thigh upward against Aya, and felt the other woman breath audibly against her neck before drawing back another fast breath. The reaction excited her further, as well as the hot, damp slipperiness she felt on her thigh.
Their individual movements synched quickly into an exhilirating, steady rhythm. Aya brought her head up again, and Vanessa was surprised to see the change in the woman's eyes. She was sure that she looked the same to Aya.. practically drunk with pleasure, but at the same time aching with the need to release. To release the wonderful, heated knot that grew below the pit of her stomach and pulled at every nerve ending in her body as if teasing them.
Wordlessly, Vanessa glanced behind her at the wall. Aya nodded, and they shifted half a step back, so that Vanessa was leaning on the wall and Aya was pushed up against her. The cool hardness on her back made her shiver, a stark contrast to the burning, curvacious woman she held against her front. Heated breath mingled, eyes searched one another's, as the movements continued and gradually gained speed. Aya rode Vanessa's thigh, and Vanessa's hips swayed to meet Aya's.. it was a perfect cycle.
Vanessa tilted her head to meet Aya for another sensual kiss, an almost maddeningly slow kiss compared to the movements below which had become nearly as fast as each shallow breath from their mouths.
Aya leaned into the kiss, their breasts pressing against one another's, and the movements overall in addition to the soft but firm contact was thrilling. Vanessa felt her breath speed up. Unable to be contained by the kiss, she broke it, gasping heatedly as she dug her fingertips into Aya's back. The other woman mumbled something and tilted her head forward again in almost a defeated motion, but she continued to grind atop Vanessa's thigh. Vanessa's heel was pumping almost automatically now, but it was difficult to keep a steady rhythm because her legs were starting to quiver..
"Ah-..." She felt Aya grab her hips tightly, the next few movements more primal and less smooth as they had been before, but nonetheless they continued. Aya hissed through clenched teeth, and she bucked, as Vanessa felt her own hips lifting to meet her, the harder movements causing her to slap lightly against the wall every time, "Oh mein g-"
Her throat tightened, and the delicious sensation that had been coiling inside of her collapsed into a single point of pleasure before expanding outward again, bursting through every threat of her body from her legs up. Vanessa's lungs emptied in a rushed groan that ended in a laugh as an ecstatic grin spread across her face. She held Aya tightly, the orgasm sweeping through them at once, knees knocking into one another's and abdomens spasming as the delicious ripples ebbed.
Aya was chuckling, and so was Vanessa, and they just stood together struggling to catch a breath. "Needed that," Vanessa stated breathlessly, dropping a kiss on Aya's shoulder, causing the other woman to shiver.
"Goes without saying," the other woman gasped, nudging Vanessa's neck with her nose. "So did I.."
They parted finally, admiring one another again from head to toe as they stood their sweating and shaking.
A moment later, they decided to rinse off in the shower..
the end