Chapter 4:
Chrys awoke in the early morning hours and looked over at Azu who was still asleep near her on the bed, having rolled away in her sleep. At some point in the night, Azu's shirt had shifted up, exposing her stomach. In the moonlight, Azu's skin looked pale and soft, and much to Chrys's delight, she saw that Azu had freckles sprinkled across her stomach in addition to her face and arms. Unable to resist, Chrys reached over and stroked her skin, amazed at how silky and warm it felt under her fingertips. She didn't realize that Azu had awoken until a hand covered hers. That was when she looked up and saw that Azu was awake and her breathing had turned slightly ragged. The two were frozen, staring into each other's eyes for several minutes until Azu raised her hand off her stomach and cupped Chrys's cheek. Chrys leaned into the hand, sighing as a smile crossed her face, her eyes never leaving Azu's. Slowly, Chrys began to lean towards Azu, and Azu sat part of the way up, and their lips met halfway.
Chrys felt like her heart was going to stop. Azu's lips were so soft and full. She slowly reached up and threaded her fingers through Azu's hair. At the same time, Azu ran her hand down Chrys's back gently, so as not to illicit pain from Chrys's injuries. Stars, Chrys's lips were warm, and her skin so soft. As their kiss deepened, they shifted closer together until their bodies were pressing together. Pulling back, Chrys reached down and tugged at the hem of Azu's shirt, speaking no words, but asking permission with her eyes. Azu gave a small nod, reaching down and pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it away, then she helped Chrys remove hers as well. Then their lips met again, their hands began to move over each other's bodies, and they laid back on the pillows as the world around them melted away…
...
As the sun began to rise, the two were embraced in one another's arms. After making love, they had simply lain in bed, holding each other for the rest of the night. Neither had said much, simply wanting to enjoy these moments together without acknowledging that what had happened between them was probably wrong. After all, Chrys was *technically* in a relationship, and that meant that Azu had become "the other woman." But neither wanted to say this, and frankly, neither really cared.
Chrysocolla's POV
As far as Chrys was concerned, things were over between her and Aqua. She didn't know what would happen next between her and Azu, but she knew, without a doubt, that she deserved someone different. Someone better. Someone like Azu, who had never showed her anything but kindness, gentleness, compassion, and love. Her mind flashed then to her best friend Lapis and the way she'd always longed for a relationship like the one Lapis and Peridot shared. Maybe, just maybe, she had found that with Azurite? She wanted to talk about what had occurred between them, but also desperately didn't want to break the magic of the quiet moments they had shared since making love. So instead, she simply let out a contented sigh and snuggled deeper into Azu's arms, shifting her injured arm into a more comfortable position and closed her eyes. She felt Azu lean down and kiss the top of her head as she tightened her arms around Chrys. Fleetingly, she wondered what Azu was thinking but decided not to ask…
Azurite's POV
Azu held Chrys thinking about the nights turn of events and the events involving her over the last few months. It all started when Chrys said hello to her at the Thanksgiving dinner her cousin Lapis and her wife Peridot had thrown. When she had looked at Chrys that night, it had done something to her, and a feeling of warmth had bloomed in her chest leaving her feeling like she was in a daze for the rest of the night. Since the day they'd met, every time they were together, the breath left Azu's lungs when she looked at Chrys. Watching Chrys was all she wanted to do when they were together, and often felt speechless. She had secretly known for weeks that Chrys was her weakness and had felt nervous every time they were together. When Chrys had shown up at her door the night before needing her, all the doubts in her mind and the nervousness had left her. They had been replaced by a feeling of protectiveness, leaving her wanting to do anything necessary to help her. When she'd awoken with Chrys's hand on her stomach, she couldn't hold her feelings back any longer. She'd poured everything she had into their kisses and love making. She wanted to ask Chrys what would happen now. She desperately wanted to ask her about Aqua and what had happened the day before. What this night meant for their friendship. Was this just a one-time thing? Would it be over when the sun came up? But she said none of those things. She didn't want to ruin what might be her only chance to hold Chrys like this, relishing the feeling of having her lover in her arms pressed against her chest. It had been so long since she'd done this. She'd only had a few relationships in her life, none of which had lasted very long. And none had ever made her feel the way Chrys did…