"Oh, Joseph…" Mai cooed, surveying the new layout one last time-the placement of the chairs, the bookshelves, that prohibitively expensive couch before the television resting on its stand, the new cream-colored curtains blowing in the slight breeze coming from the outside, afternoon sunlight slipping in between the edges and pooling on the hardwood floors-ah, hardwood floors-at this price, no less-

The way he'd answered immediately when she'd knocked on his door at eight o'clock that morning, that obscene hour, eyes still heavy and fluttery from sleep, downright adorable bedhead-and, to Mai's pleasure, he didn't sleep in a shirt, just boxers-the barest minimum of decency, that rascal… She'd asked him, twining an endless strand of golden hair around her finger, violet eyes large and irresistibly pleading, knowing that with all this effort-the bustier, the short skirt, the customary boots-he'd be sure to help her move her old furniture into her new apartment across town.

And, of course, she'd been right, and as she'd leaned against the windowsill and pretended to examine her nails as he toiled, she'd treated herself to endlessly pleasing views of his form-the way his ass looked in those jeans as he bent over to move the ottoman this way, then, on the other hand, maybe that way?-the well-developed muscles of his arms as they dragged furniture-carefully, don't scratch the floorboards, Joey!- from one corner of the room to the next to suit her taste-the way his heavy, exhausted breathing sounded-his endless drive to please her, to do everything to her taste…

She liked that-his devotion, his eagerness…

She liked it very much.

She smiled to herself, pleased with the results of his labor, with her machinations thus far, and strode over to him, swaying her hips slightly, enjoying the way his eyes dropped downwards to them-to her legs-before darting back up to meet her gaze. Ha. I saw that, Joey…

"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me move-I really couldn't have done with without you," she continued, hand lifting to graze his forearm, delighting in the way goosebumps rose and trailed after her nails-immaculate, of course, French tips-before running his palm along his bicep under his ragged shirtsleeve, smoothing over the muscles, before she poked him in the cheek with her finger, nearly chortling at the rising blush on his face.

Come and get it, Wheeler.

Joey scratched the back of his neck, bashful, only replying when he was sure his voice wouldn't crack from-from something, whatever it was- "Oh, of course, Mai-sure-I'm glad to help ya out, anytime…"

Worth a shot-? "Y'know, Mai, in some circles it's considered… well… polite to tip your movers." I could use the extra cash, no doubt about it…

Mai cocked her head and pursed her lips; she couldn't have asked for a better opening. "Well, Joseph, since when are you the standard bearer for what's polite?" She was closer now, toes nearly touching; he had to tilt his head downward to meet her eyes, her intent gaze…

Joey blushed harder as he smelled her scent, that delicate ladylike floral… thing-perfume, shampoo, body wash? He had no idea… and became wholly aware of the state he was in-sweaty, dusty, in need of a good shower and bed before he woke up sore the next morning, regretting the whole thing… "Eh- good point, I suppose…" He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck a few times-Mai flicked her eyes to the hem of his shirt, the way it rose as he stretched his back to reveal what she was sure was a hint of toned muscle, a faint trail of hairs-checkered line of boxers peeking out from above the jeans, and immediately became aware of the trouble she was in.

As he turned to leave, she interjected coyly- "Oh, Joey?"

He turned back towards her, brown eyes wide. "Yeah, Mai?"

Mai smiled prettily, devilishly, before moving both her hands to the front of his chest, mapping out the pectoral muscles over the thin, threadbare shirt, fully aware that this was a gamble, yet how could she possibly lose, with the way the boy reacted to her presence each time he saw her, unable to tear his eyes away, jaw dragging on the ground like an idiot? She'd have to have been daft to miss that…

She'd have to have been utterly daft to miss the way he clearly wanted her.

"You know, there are other ways I can make it worth your while, Joey…"

Fuck. He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to gauge some meaning in her eyes, feeling a damned nosebleed coming on, barely daring to consider that what had lurked in his mind had found, at long last, a twin sentiment in her own? Could it be? Could it be that simple-that after all this time-?

He swallowed hard at the look on her face, daring himself to play along. "Oh yeah, Mai? Like what?" Damn it, Mai…

She smiled again as she took fistfuls of his shirt into her hands, slowly, deliberately, fully reveling in the flurry of emotions that passed over his face as she did so, before pulling him to her, sliding her hands up to grasp at his shoulders, his neck, pulse hammering, his flushed cheeks, before leaning towards him, a mere hair's breadth between his trembling lips and her own cocky grin, as she breathed, a flutter in her belly at her own rashness, because with him, suddenly, it mattered, this mattered to some degree, more than just wanting him, "I can think of a few things…"

Joey felt heat flood through him unmercifully, teasing him with the soft flames from wherever she'd placed her hands upon him, gently, as if in a dream, moving his hands from his sides to her waist, not wanting to dispel the illusion, because how many times had he had wet dreams of her, of something like this, like a damned bad movie... licking his lips slowly, carefully-

Mai rolled her eyes and lifted his fingers to clutch in his hair, dragging her lips along his cheek to his ear, pressing her hips against his, voice rising to a near whine- "Just kiss me already, Wheeler-"

Hands quickly to her ass, pulling her impossibly closer, a faint smile of relief on his lips as he pressed them against her own… she, feeling a thrill of victory, of something fluttering dangerously within her, as she watched his eyes close, his hands firm yet gentle on her, and then she withdrew, breath slightly ragged, feeling his fingers drag up the hem of her skirt only slightly, short nails brushing against lace, god, lace under his fingers-his deep, pleased chuckle of disbelief and heightened awareness, and something squeezed tightly and then broke within her as she pulled him back, lips, her hands back to his chest, fingers trailing down, down to his shirt hem, brushing her fingers against the muscles-

And then he groaned, groaned under her touch,and she felt it within her, and then she needed him-needed more, more than this, and so by some miracle she pulled away from him, lips swollen, eyes blazing wickedly, and walked away, sure he was staring at her ass now, over to one of the chairs he'd so thoughtfully placed just right, to suit her fancy, then picked up and moved back and forth when she'd capriciously changed her mind several times-then turned back, crooked her finger towards him-and what could he do but follow?

His hands slipped along hers, thumbs tracing the lines of her palms gently, savoring her soft skin, before she huffed out a breath of frustration, moving her hands to his chest and pushing him onto the chair, his legs falling apart, her skirt rising up to reveal her panties to him as she straddled him, rocking her hips against his. More-please-god- "Joey-please, please touch me-" And he complied, winding one hand through her hair to pull her mouth to his, tongue skimming across her lower lip as his voice came in pants between their kisses, "Anything, a-anything-" his other hand dipping below the hemline of that useless skirt and rubbing in a slow, loopy circle against her, over that thin lace, and then her lips found the underside of his neck as her fingers wandered over his groin, his hips nearly bucking as she found him, then a hiss through his lips as her fingers brushed against the skin of his torso, dragging his shirt up, up with one finger…

The garment fell to the floor, forgotten, as Mai kissed her way down to his exposed collarbones, her hands sliding across his form slowly, fingernails brushing his nipples, making him squirm delightfully, good, good, mm, appreciative, a moan tearing itself from him as his fingers between her legs slowed for a moment, then, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips back to hers, he moved his other hand to her ass, holding her in place; with Mai seated firmly against him, he lifted his head and set to work on the laces of her bustier, trying once, then twice, then three times to untie the tiny knot at the bottom-his coarse fingers were nearly shaking with want, distracted; Mai released a tinkling laugh as her fingers moved to cover his; "you okay, there, Joey?", her voice a husky coo in his ear.

Joey bit his lip in frustration and replied, almost sheepishly, voice coming deep from somewhere within his chest, half-coupled with a needy groan- "Well, Mai, y'know-if you wanted to help-" F-fuck it, Mai-what the ever-loving crap is this ridiculous...

Amateur. Mai moved his hands back to her waist, a grin curving on her lips. "I got this, hun." And with what seemed like the rapid application of complex sartorial magic, her bustier suddenly fell open before him, the laces untied, her breasts revealed to him like an impossible dream; she dropped the offending leather to the floor as Joey took in the sight before him, breath hitching as he moved his hands to her breasts, slowly, disbelievingly, because here she was, the woman he'd wanted more than anything for years-it was so simple, them being like this, so perfect-

Plus, Joey had to admit to himself, she had really, really nice breasts. Damn. Like a dream-

As Mai leaned forward, planting tiny, wanting, waiting kisses on his forehead, he moved his hands along her breasts, mapping out the flesh with his palms, wanting to remember every moment, every instant he had her in his arms, wanting him like this, the way she moved against him, under his touch-she feeling more and more alive-although she'd been touched like this before, somehow-the reason painfully thudding in her chest-it was different, better, impossible-because it was him worshipping her like this, she felt anew, raw, fresh, unmolded, yearning…

"Fuck, Mai-you're-" Beautiful. Perfect. Exquisite. All manner of words flooded his mind as she scrunched up her face in pleasure as he moved his thumb over her nipple-the rosy pink puckering under his touch, like she'd been waiting for this, waiting for him-

And suddenly this slow game wasn't enough- never enough-for either of them, and he quickened his pace, she tilting her head back, golden curls trailing behind her, her hands grasping his shoulders, hips pressed together as he kissed her neck-her collarbone- then lower-lower-as his mouth closed over her nipple, she nearly keened at the feel, at his gentle teeth brushing against her, there, exactly- and then she felt herself getting wet, so wet, just from this simple thing, and so she leaned forward and tugged him up by the hair, pressing her forehead to his, his eyes questioning as she pressed her lips to his. "Please-please, Joey…"

Understanding, one of his hands sliding down to her back to grasp her lace-covered rear, the other tracing a path down her front, caressing the flesh of her stomach, before stopping at the lace.

"Do you want this, Mai…?" His voice was thick, heavy, wanting-waiting-and with a slight growl, she bucked her hips against his and breathed out, "oh, god, please, Joey-p-please-" because even though she'd considered this, yes, she'd not thought it would actually play out like this, that Joey would have any sort of finesse in this matter; clearly, she'd been wrong, she mused with what little remained of her right mind as the hand between her legs stopped, one finger-incredibly-hooked itself around the crotch of her panties, brushing dreadfully against her, before dragging them down, down over her ass, down her splayed legs; she rising for a moment to help him get them off of her, his other hand returning to her bare ass, the smooth flesh perfect under his hand; and then his lips moved slowly, from her own to her ear-neck-and then he touched her.

God-

His lips moved along her neck, teeth dragging in a slow pattern as he brushed his fingertips against her; her eyes fluttered as he moved his thumb to her clit, then his middle finger just barely between her lips-with a shudder she realized she was already wet, so wet, and his fingers, so tentative, yet somehow sure, sure of just what to do, them fitting beautifully together in this way, like they'd done this hundreds of times-this-she felt so perfect, so slick and, judging by the way her breath sparked and shattered by his ear, he was doing it right- better-better than he'd imagined, better than he'd felt before-and then, pressing a rough kiss to her neck, eased his finger in gently, holding her firmly in place with his other hand, savoring each overlapping, high-pitched moan, almost like singing in his ears as she tensed, then relaxed around him-

"Mai-Mai-" Joey panted, thoughts tossed about, split apart by the damned sensation around his finger, yet still wanting to tell her- tell her, tell her that this is new for me…

Mai opened her eyes, brushing her lips against his. "Y-yes, Joey?" Don't slow, don't stop, please, god…

"I-I want to fuck you, Mai-but I want you to know that I haven't-that it's-that-" His face was a tomato-red, his youth showing, his effervescent innocence clear in every labored word escaping his lips-closing his eyes, not wanting to see her hesitate-her consideration of taking on this-taking him on, branding herself into him in this way…

Mai caught her breath, then smiled sweetly, one hand moving to his cheek, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. "I figured as much- we all start somewhere, and-if you want me this way, you know this doesn't change a thing, okay?"

Slowly his cheeks cooled, his shoulders relaxing. "You sure?" He brushed his lips against her cheek, moving them back to her lips, pressing them against hers lightly, still slightly unsure if he was still dreaming.

Mai wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, rolling her hips against his meaningfully. "I'm sure, you idiot," she whispered, biting his lip playfully as his hands reconfigured their positions-the one working steadily, perfectly inside her, the other digging into her rear, and they resumed their movements, Joey nearly coming right then at the sound she made, her lips forming a perfect round o as she grabbed onto his shoulders hard, and then suddenly it wasn't enough- she needed more- and this was nearly too much for him, this dancing, because while he did like this, he rather wanted something slightly better-

"Please, please, Mai, can I fuck you?-" his voice, his ungraceful question, was a mess in her ear as she rested her head on his shoulder, body shivering around him as he slipped another finger inside, pulsing, holding her against him, arms around him, her nails nearly digging into his shoulder blades-oh, god, please, yes- and so, with great effort, she rose from his lap for a moment, he withdrawing his fingers slowly as she set to work on his fly, not bothering to pull down his jeans as she reached in with confident fingers, pulling him gently into her hand; his eyes nearly rolled in the back of his head as she touched him, she, suddenly wanting to giggle at his rather cute behavior, he, struggling to lift his hips, to bury himself in her, in her; barely able to breathe, he groaned- "Ah, fuck, Mai-" her name carried on his voice, with that rasp in it, licked at her spine, between her legs, and so she positioned him; he pushed into her-

"Fuck, Mai…" Sensation-blurring colors, everything-her voice in his ear-he shuddered briefly as the too-muchness of everything threatened to do him in-the way she felt around him, like nothing he'd felt-as she began to rock her hips, feeling all, feeling him, she nearly giggled between tickling sighs as he moved within her, her hands moving to his shoulders, pulling her closer to him, his hands, trembling slightly, struggling to make sense of this, moved to her waist, then to her rear-her lips, brushing against his, her hushed, ragged whisper of "oh my god," like he was doing something right, thank god-

Mm-fuck- This was everything, fire trailing along her skin, coiling recklessly inside of her as he moved, she setting the pace, breath uneven, stars breaking and reforming, just what she'd needed, wanted from this boy-this strange boy who had proven he valued her, needed her, wanted her-not only in this way but in all the ways that mattered-this was real. She wasn't dreaming, wasn't trapped somewhere, having her mind fucked with, played around in casually, cruelly, like someone's sandbox, but here, here now, his hands glued to her ass, lips now moving in the area of her neck, the hollow of her throat, feeling him inside her, everything right-

The chair scooted suddenly, dangerously-a slight scuff mark on the floor-but Mai ignored it, Joey exhaling sharply with relief that they hadn't toppled over; she ran her hands up to his cheeks, kissed him gently, then twisted her fingers in the blond locks as she murmured, velvet, in his ear- "please-don't stop, Joey…"

"Ah-right-" and his lips found hers again, hands moving, arms wrapping around her tightly, pressing their chests together-then something seized her, clutched at her, gnawning teasingly-the promise, fast approaching, the waves, release-blessed release-that sudden look in his eyes, half-closed, that meant that he was nearly there as well- her legs wrapping around him, calves hitting the back of the chair, anything- she needed more, more-

The look on her face as she threw her head back, bottom lip between her teeth, trying to stifle her screaming out his name-let the neighbors hear-he thought briefly-took his breath away, and as he came, he attacked her neck with a barrage of kisses, mouth eager, needing, rough, still half in shock, that he could see her like this, her- "Mai-"

The room was silent for a moment as they caught their breaths, Mai half-giggling, unwinding her legs from around him, but not moving her hips, not moving him from her, unwilling to end the contact; she clapsed her hands together against the back of his neck, her lips brushing against his hair, and let herself uncoil. Joey, eyes fluttering closed, collapsing against her chest, arms letting her go, his palms resting on her thighs as he allowed himself to relax, to bask in this feeling, because Mai Valentine, of all people, had just fucked him on a chair, for crying out loud-on a fucking chair.

But-

Joy lifted his head from where he'd rested it on her breasts, catching his breath slowly.

"Why now, Mai?" His voice reverberated against her skin, making her shiver.

Why now- why here, why this, after all this time?

Mai pondered the question for a moment, her eyes meeting his slowly, blinking a few times at the openness in his, the sudden vulnerability in his voice. Her voice came out cracked at the edges, slightly hesitant. "Joey, I-"

I wanted this-need this. I've wanted this, for so long-but after that… shit with the Orichalchos I just-I couldn't bear it-

That look in your eyes when you thought- when you thought I'd forgotten you- and the way I had forgotten you-what you did for me-

The struggle to admit it to herself…

-time and time again, Joey, you-

She swallowed hard, wanting to say all that-say everything and anything that could explain it-damned pride-

It was easier when she could pretend she just wanted to fuck him for the fun of it.

"Joey-I just… I just felt-like it was time-I mean, you know the way I feel about you…" Damn. So much for keeping the cards close to the vest.

Joey's eyes grew even rounder. How she feels about me... "Mai… I mean-I do and I don't, y'know-it's like… just…" Unclear. Hot-and-cold. You always keep me at arm's length…

Mai narrowed her eyes, her mouth tasting bitter, heart feeling disgustingly large and tender in her chest. "You idiot, I like you. Okay?" As if I hadn't made it obvious enough…

She stared hard at the floor, fully aware she was blushing, lower lip wobbling in a way he couldn't help but find adorable, even as his mind was racing, because she'd said it she'd said it she'd said it-

The answer to his prayers-

Damn, I'm gettin' all sentimental and shit…

"Aw Mai, you know I'm nuts about you, right?" Right from the start-right when I saw you on the boat. Joey moved his hand from her leg to her chin and guided her face towards his gently, tenderly; relieved, validated, she leaned in first, and he met her halfway, and when they kissed, it felt sweet-it felt new-it felt right. This. What it was. Finally-

Like it should have been this way for a long, long time.

Mai clutched at his hair, pulling him closer, because she had him-she had him- and she wouldn't let go, not for anything- nothing to end this moment-she felt safe, she felt loved-

This was what she'd been looking for.

Joey broke the kiss as he gasped for air, cheeks almost comically purple. That idiot… that clown…

That's my idiot.

"Good enough of a tip for you, Joseph?" Mai quipped against his mouth once Joey had recovered, hands ruffling through his hair playfully.

Joey chuckled under his breath, a grin blooming on his face as Mai lifted herself from him and set about righting herself. "Hey, Mai, it's a good thing we didn't break this chair, huh, with the way we were goin'..."

Ha. Mai, who had bent over to reach her panties, giving him a fantastic view of her ass, shot him a sly glance. "Well, maybe next time…"