It was midnight as Second Lieutenant Welkin Gunther gingerly eased open the frayed wooden door, peering warily around the frame.
"It looks empty." He reported, giving the room a once over.
It was cozy, and surprisingly well insulated considering its apparent abandonment. "Come on in, Alicia."
Leaving the door ajar he was followed by Alica Melchiott who was cradling an injured ankle, taking ginger footsteps on the splinter wooden floor.
The two of them had been separated from Squad 7 during a short scouting op and had been hunted down relentlessly by Imperials, Alicia getting injured in the process. Together they had barely escaped, forced to dodge searchlights and landmines all while under enemy fire. It was a miracle that they weren't dead, let alone slightly injured.
"It's cozy." Alicia said absently, wiping off a dusty birch stool. "I wonder where the owners went."
"They were probably drove out by the Imperial occupation." Replied Welkin as he skirted the interior, closing curtains and locking doors.
"Yeah..." She nodded grimly, her eyes darkening as she turned her head to the ground. Suddenly she clapped her hands together and raised her head, clenching her fists optimistically. "I'll get a fire going!"
"Good idea." Welkin agreed with a smile. How she managed to raise her spirits on a whim was beyond him.
He marched to the back-end of the cabin, throwing open the closet and sticking his head in. "If we're going to stay the night then we'll need some blankets."
Alicia nodded her agreement and gingerly lowered herself to her knees, avoiding putting any pressure on her injured ankle.
To her flank there were chopped piles of wood, left to gather dust before they had a chance to shine. She would give them that chance now.
"Do you think they'll find us, Welkin?" Alicia couldn't help but ask as she began piling the logs into the spacious fireplace.
"They've probably given up by now." Welkin responded, his voice muffled vaguely by the closet. "The woods at night are no place to wander, even for an Imperial."
Alicia smiled, she took Welkin's words for truth. She always had, ever since they had met that day in Bruhl. Something about him was so sincere and earnest, he almost reminded her of an innocent puppy.
"Aha!" Squad 7's commander exclaimed, his body now almost entirely crammed into the cabinet. "I've found one!"
"Just in time, Welkin." She replied, dropping a lit match down onto the logs, the gentle flame starting out as little more than a spark before spreading rapidly, consuming the birch wood.
Lugging the blanket over his shoulder Welkin made his way towards her, raising the blanket to the air before slowly laying it down on the wooden floor. The cool breeze the air-borne blanket created bristled softly against her skin, blowing her twin ponytails back slightly.
"Now..." Welkin mused, removing a leather glove as he rustled through one of the satchels adorning his militia outfit. "Let's see to that ankle."
From his satchel he brandished several well-preserved plants, their stems still intact and the petals brimming with an eerie blue light which collided with the orange hue the fireplace cast over the dark cabin.
"Ponisera Leaves, right Welkin?" Alicia asked, inspecting the plants. "You were adamant about collecting them during the escape."
"That's right, Alicia." Replied Welkin, impressed at her attentiveness. "It's a medicinal herb, so it should stop the bruising for now."
Cupping his palm and balling his fist Welkin did his best to ground the herb with his make-shift mortar and pestle. With masterful flicks of his wrist he gritted his teeth, pummelling the herbs into a ever-thickening gel.
Meanwhile, Alicia wrestled with her brown leather boot, attempting to gently remove it from her injured ankle. To the designers credit, the fur-lined inside of the boot served as excellent padding for bruises such as her own which had no doubt helped keep the inflammation to a minimum.
Having discarded the ripe leather boot to the ground she proceeded to dig her fingernails underneath her navy blue tights, feeling the resistance as she began to peel the frayed fabric away from her sweat-drenched skin.
"Alright, hold out your foot, Alicia." Welkin ordered, cradling his makeshift medicinal goop in his palms.
Alicia obeyed, extending her slender leg forth, pointing her toes forward. The swelling around her ankle was very prominent, painful looking bruises a shade of dark purple had banded together to create the mother of all sprains. Despite it however, the bruise didn't hurt any where near as much as it should. A part of her felt guilty about that, but seeing Welkin get so into his alchemy was something she couldn't take away from him.
A furious chill ran all the way through her body as Welkin's hands, lathered with the bitterly cold Ponisera gel made contact with her skin. To his credit, Welkin was extremely gentle with his care, supporting her foot with one hand while applying the gel with gentle dashes around the bruised area with the other.
Alicia found herself smiling fondly down at her superior who had his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth in sheer concentration, his eyes were unflinching and still, like a sniper set on a target.
The atmosphere was undeniably relaxing, the closed curtains concealed the night sky, the only source of light being the flickering of the flames which danced across the maple cabin walls. The touch of another human being, their warmth and companssion being felt in every caress of her tender ankle. It was strangely arousing and Alicia wasn't sure what to feel as she shifted nervously on her stool.
"There..." Welkin whispered softly, withdrawing his hands ever so delicately. "All done, Alicia."
Taking a moment to smile at his handiwork Welkin directed his gaze upward after hearing little to no response from Alicia. Had she fallen asleep?
"... Alicia?" He asked again, craning his head upwards and staring straight into her eyes.
Caught momentarily off-guard he almost reeled back, so intense was her gaze. Her eyes, the same colour as her chestnut brown hair stared at him meekly, her pupils fluttering with compassion.
For a while he was caught in her gaze, his mouth still slightly agape in shock. She was smiling, a smile Alicia had never shown him before. It was genuine, he could tell from a glance, the way her tender, supple lips curved elegantly upward...
At some point or another the entire cabin had become completely silent, the only noise to be heard being the soothing crackling of the flames as they wore away at the wooden logs.
"Welkin..." Alicia whispered at long last, not taking her eyes off him for a second.
"Y-yeah?" He managed to reply, swallowing hard. His breathing had become bedraggled, leaving him exhaling from his nose with trembling breaths.
Welkin feared another terrifying silence was about to befall them when suddenly Alicia fell. Or rather, allowed herself to topple forward off of the stool, landing atop Welkin, forcing him to ground along with her.
"A-Alicia!" Welkin yelled in surprise. "Are you alright?"
Directed by trembling arms Welkin moved to take a hold of her, to grab her shoulders and shake her into consciousness.
Before he had the chance however Alicia raised her head, her red and white bakers scarf tickling his nose moments before she thrust her lips onto his own.
Welkin froze. His arms were locked in place and his strategic, collected mind went abnormally haywire. He risked a glance down. Alicia had her eyes snapped shut, dashes of scarlet flecking her cheeks, her lips still pressed firmly against his own.
She suddenly pulled away, her eyes sparkling with passionate tears. "Welkin... I... I love you."
Welkin had nothing to say once again. He bore the same shocked expression as before, only his eyes somewhre seemed to widen even further than before.
Unable to continue to meet his gaze Alicia forced her gaze away, staring instead at the woolen blanket beneath them. Had she made the ultimate mistake?
Realistation began to creep up on her, the actions she had committed while under some sort of malady of the mind dawned on her and she clasped a hand over her mouth. What had she done? How could she face him now?
Tears began to roll all of a sudden, trickling down her rosy cheeks and dripping down from her chin. Worse still, he probably didn't feel the same way she did. He reacted as she had expected, maintaing the diligent commander routine. Her feelings had been wasted, could she even still continue to serve under Squad 7, what if people started to hate her trying her chances with the son of a war hero? What if-
A gentle hand cupped her chin while another wiped away the freely flowing tears from her cheeks, working their way up to the source.
Her head was turned, turned to face Welkin who bore a smile which reached from ear to ear, his eyes sparkled with earnesty as he brought lips toward hers. "And I love you too, Alicia."
All of her prior fears melted away under a wave of euphoria as her lips met his and they shared a mutual kiss.
By instinct her arms came up and cast themselves over Welkin's shoulders, linking at the nape of his neck. He felt his hands on her too, his strong but gentle grip on her waist only heightened her euphoric state.
"I'm so sorry I worried you, Alicia." Welkin whispered to her, momentarily pulling out of their passionate exchange. His breaths were warm and heavy on her face, she imaged her own felt the same.
"No..." Was all she managed to reply. The longer she spent not kissing him the more agitated she became.
Welkin felt the exact same way and they merged their lips together once more.
Admittedly Welkin had been concerned at first, about entering a relationship in a time of war. But it was the natural order, just because a war was happening such a thing didn't stop the animals from mating or the birds from hatching their young. The same rules applied to him.
Using his tongue Welkin slowly began to trace around her bottom lip with his tongue, poking and prodding with expertise as if he were an exiled bee seeking entrance to the hive.
Within seconds of his teasing Alicia released a pleasurable moan, her lips parting and allowing him entrance. Once inside he began exploring the insides of her mouth, tickling the top of her tongue with his own.
Alicia was a strong woman, capable of holding her own in a fight. That trait applied here too as Welkin soon found himself wrestling tongues with her, each vying to be on top as they relentlessly traded saliva.
"W-Welkin!" Stammered Alicia, pulling herself out in order to catch her breath. She whispered his name a few more times before Welkin grabbed her shoulders and eased her down onto the woolen blanket, kneeling over her lithe figure.
"Alicia." He panted, his hands moving to the miniature crimson tie adorning the collar of her uniform. Trembling fingers worked away at the tie, seeking to unravel it.
Suddenly his fingers stopped and his conscious crept in.
"Welkin?" Asked Alicia from below him, his hesitation having almost broke the mood.
"A-are you sure you want to go this far?" He asked her. Consumed by his passions he had almost gone a step to far without the consent of his partner. "I-I don't... I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Alicia."
Alicia shook her head, her twintails swaying from side to side. "It's alright, Welkin. I- I knew what I was getting into."
Despite the acts they had just committed Welkin smiled at the display of embarrasment from his comrade.
"Very well then." He replied, regaining his composure as he began to work at the many buttons of her shirt.
"You've killed the mood now." Remarked Alicia who crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks out at him.
"S-sorry." Welkin replied, scratching the back of his head anxiously.
Alicia giggled, grabbing Welkin's collar and pulling him back down to her. "I think I can forgive just this one time."
"I won't waste this chance then." Squad 7's commander retorted, continuing where he left off.
Militia uniforms were complex and covered with several layers. The process of removing one in a situation such as this was nothing short of sexually frustrating and they both allowed a sigh of relief as Welkin shattered the final barrier, parting her uniform to reveal her bare skin.
"Hnyah!" Alicia yelped in surprise as Welkin spread his hands out across her belly.
Slowly and teasingly he moved his hands around the back, feeling out the curves of her figure for himself.
"T-that tickles, Welkin." She giggled, fidgeting on the blanket as he gingerly caressed her back, sensually stroking his fingers at her lower back. Unable to contain her laughter Welkin had to kiss her once more to keep her quiet. Even still he could feel her mouth pulsating against his own in an attempt to repress her giggles.
At long last he brought his hands out from underneath her and back onto her naval, he swallowed before reaching toward her breasts, looking her way for clarification before so.
Alicia simply nodded. She was flushed bright red all the way to her ears, her mouth hung ajar and her chest heaved in ecstatic breaths. Strings of saliva coursed down her chin, some of it not even her own.
A white bra, designed in a standard way which could be called boring served as the final frontier. Frankly however Welkin had scarcely noticed the design, so distracted was he.
"H-how do I remove it?" He asked, swallowing his anticipation.
Explaining would kill the mood so Alicia simply brought her arms over her head and unclipped it behind her neck with a satisfying snap which rang throughout the fire-lit cabin.
Without needing a word of encouragement Welkin tugged at the white straps, feeling the bra simply pull away from her chest.
The final obstacle cleared Welkin rubbed his hands together and lowered both of them down onto her breasts, feeling her flinch slightly upon impact. "If I'm crossing any lines just tell-"
"Just do it, Welkin!" Alicia interjected, already tired of his timidity. Her body was sweltering and she was sweating at least several times more than she ever would out in the field.
On command Welkin gripped her supple chest tighter, starting by massaging the outside in a playful fashion.
Alicia swallowed hard, her breathing becoming heavier and heavier. His touch was divine as he skirted the egdes of her breasts, applying pressure in all the right places. It was pure ectasy but Alicia wasn't sure how much longer she could last.
As if reading her mind Welkin suddenly began to gentle stroke the tips of her nipples and she released an audible gasp, going as far as to lurch slightly in orgasmic pleasure. The tips of her breasts had been hard for a long time, to the point of almost chafing on her uniform through all the foreplay but the inexpressible feeling of Welkin's thumbs drawing tiny circles on them sent a thousand volts of lightning coursing through her body.
A bubbling sensation began to brew in her groin and she found herself throwing her arms around Welkin once more, whispering his name over and over.
"I-I..." Alicia tried to speak but choked on her words, so heavy were her breaths.
Welkin began to slow his sensual massaging, moving one hand instead to stroke her cheek. "Is everything alright, Alicia?"
Once more Alicia opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it again, opting to simply nod, snuggling up to his palm.
Welkin's heart burned with love for his squad mate, his heart thrummed within his chest, threatening to break free any second. His face suddenly straightened, becoming serious. "The time for foreplay is over."
Alicia remained sprawled out on the blanket, wiping the saliva from her mouth. "W-Welkin... I'm... I'm ready."
Her body felt incredibly hot and her groin throbbed, causing to fidget from side to side as Welkin began to remove his clothes. The lower-half of her uniform was still present, she would have to change that.
Within the dimly lit cabin the two proceeded to strip. The anticipation was so thick it could have been cut with a butter knife.
"Welkin." Alicia whispered from below. "I'm- I'm kinda nervous."
Welkin turned as he dropped his pants, only his stripy white boxers left. "Me too." He replied, smiling down at her.
"What if... What if we were to have a child." She started to muse, her voice shallow, almost inaudible. "How would I fight, what would people say?"
"Would you want a child?" Welkin asked her, lying down on the blanket beside her, arms behind his head as they both stared up at the ceiling.
"A-after the war maybe."
"That's fine." He stroked her hair. "After the war then."
Alicia giggled. "We have something else to fight for."
"Yes we do."
They met lips once more, their hands meeting halfway, fingers intertwining.
"I love you, Welkin."
"I love you too, Alicia."
They wrestled tongues once more, Alicia taking the lead this time as she forced her way into Welkin's territory. His tongue fought back, taking playful jabs before retreating, inviting her to follow. Bait which she allowed herself to fall for, hook, line and sinker.
She freed one of her arms from their lock and ran it up Welkin's muscular chest, wrapping her legs around his in the process.
His response was no less bold as Welkin simply grabbed her rear with his now free hand and yanked her in closer.
Alicia's hand began to run back down his chest, down towards his crotch while at the same time she could feel him thumbing at the strap of her panties suggestively.
It was time.
She broke away with her other hand and took a firm hold on the edge of the blanket and like a crocodile with its prey she proceeded to roll, carrying Welkin with her as she wrapped them both up in the blanket, leaving herself on top.
Dropping both hands beneath the sheets while maintaining a passionate kiss she began to tug down on Welkin's boxers only to encounter stiff resistance on the way down. The very knowledge that she could bring such a reaction from the one she loved filled her heart with the deepest joy.
With deft flicks of the wrist she pulled the boxers past the obstacle, just as she felt Welkin pull her panties down to her knees.
"A-are you ready, Alicia?" He asked her, breaking away from their kiss, his eyes burning with outright passion.
"I'm ready, Welkin!" She yelled, louder than she had planned.
"Alright, here we go!"
Alicia braced herself as Welkin shuffled in closer. She yelped as she felt his manhood poked around her privates.
Suddenly it entered and Alicia let out a stifled gasp. She tightened her grip on his body, burying her head into his chiseled chest. It was rough, rougher than she had anticipated.
Welkin continued however and began to build a steady rhythm, a rhythm that in time started to become immensely pleasurable. Never had she felt anything like this.
Her heart burned with ecstasy and she found herself moving up and down, synchronizing with Welkin's own movements.
"W-Welkin...!" Was all she could muster, hugging his broad figure even more.
"Hold on, A-Alicia!" Welkin replied through gritted teeth.
Suddenly he himself rolled, still inside her as he reversed their positions. He was taking charge now, and Alicia offered no resistance.
As he moved back and forth, in and out, he lowered his mouth to her neck and sucked at her skin with tender care.
This would leave a mark, something that would be visible to the entire Squad 7 but she didn't care, not now.
Welkin's sweat dripped down onto her face causing her to look up. His face was contorted in concentration, as if he was holding something back with all his might.
"It's... It's coming, Alicia." He managed to croak.
"M-m-m-me too!" She stammered, eyes wide as her back began to arch upwards as each stroke became more and more powerful.
"I- I can't hold it!"
"Pull out, W-Welkin!"
"Can't... Hold..."
"Welkin!" She yelled, cupping his cheeks and turning him to face her. "Pull out!"
With a cry Welkin retreated, pulling out just in time as the juices came. Practically straight after Alicia allowed her own fluids to flow, releasing an exhausted gasp as it touched her leg.
"Alicia... I'm so sorry." Came Welkin's breathless voice as he placed a hand on her belly.
"It's okay, Welkin, it's okay!" She soothed, stroking his dusky brown hair and pulling him close. "Nothing happened, it's fine."
After getting no response him she raised his head slightly only to find his eyes shut, his breathing gentle.
She smiled, so it had tired him out. Admittedly she could have gone for a little more action but this was a good start. Tame, naturist Welkin was quite the force to be reckoned with after all.
Holding him tight she closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift off with her and her lover still wrapped in sticky sheets.
Tomorrow would be interesting.