Partners

Acoustic Memory

Disclaimer : I neither own nor make money off of any of my content. All characters, brands, and or miscellaneous products are copyright of their rightful owners. I only write for your entertainment.

AN: So yes, I am currently reworking Partners (again) This time my plans include actually adding some extra content that wasn't there before, as well as fixing a lot of my types and grammar issues. For those fans of mine that have wanted to see more of my work, I'm sorry for taking so long getting to this point. For fans of Partners, this is for you! Also I'll be posting word counts, both the original and the reworked versions!

Prev. Chapter Word Count: 2,823

New Chapter Word Count: 4,258

Chapter 6 :: Good Enough

The next twenty-four hours were both Heaven and Hell. For one thing, I knew both Lucia and I wanted each other now, so it made my daydreams seem less inappropriate. There was still the fact that I pretty much belonged to someone else. I wasn't going to just ditch Elie for the person everyone thought I wanted to kill the most. It didn't matter now what other people thought of us, honestly. People changed their minds all the time. Maybe it was just a change of heart for us. These things could be explained away to the world, I just wasn't ready to try and explain it to Elie, or even Catt. I wasn't sure what to expect out of my sister on the issue. We had never talked about stuff like this when I was growing up.

I had promised Lucia I would turn in our surveys and find out what the next project was. He had even texted me later on that night and told me to call him and let him know as soon as I found out so we could start working on it. I had no clue to expect out of the rest of this assignment, honestly. We had already asked a bunch of questions. What more could there be to do?

I was heading to the Psychology classroom in order to turn in the first part of the project. Luckily most of Friday consisted of "office hours" for Sieg, meaning I got a chance to go do it after work, which I did. Sure there were some revisions that had been needed on spelling and things like that… but I was hoping to start on the next part of the project ASAP, mostly so I could see Lucia again. I had a ton of questions that I was just dying to ask him, and I wanted to just be around him. It felt like a good alternative to being able to be with him.

I didn't notice anything out of place at first until I saw the door cracked open a bit. I opened the door just a bit more, enough to see if Sief was actually still inside… instead I was startled by the sounds of moaning and gasping that was coming from within. I peeked thought the crack, against my better judgment, and even though I couldn't see anything, I recognized Elie's voice saying: "Gods, you're so good at this. Haru's such a pussy that he freaks out when I even mention having sex!" Sieg chuckled and said nothing else. I popped my head in a big farther, enough to confirm what I was hearing.

My head began to buzz as I watched Sieg and Elie kiss, her bare legs wrapped tightly around his hips. It didn't take me long to realize exactly what they were doing. I didn't even notice that I had the surveys crunched up and crinkled in my hands, and it didn't even register when they fell to the floor. The blood was pounding in my ears as I watched Sieg thrust in and out of my girlfriend… No… She had no right to be called that anymore… Why would she be so cruel to me? Already my head was piecing two and two together and I knew that she hadn't skipped our dates for work, but for a booty call with Sieg Hart.

I didn't know why I felt so hurt. Wasn't this what I wanted; to be free of her so I could do things with Lucia without feeling guilty? In a way, yes I did want this. Just not in this fashion. I had held back from doing anything with Lucia because I didn't want to hurt her, yet she hadn't given me the same respect. I didn't know what to do. I sure as hell couldn't walk in there now. There was nothing I could really say or do to express my pain, especially since I knew if I was any less of the man I was I would have probably done the same with Lucia.

Tears began to blur my vision as I walked away from the scene. I just couldn't understand the why of all of it. Yes I hadn't exactly been taking care of certain needs of hers, but to cheat on me? The fact I nearly killed someone when I threw open the door that lead me outside didn't matter to me initially. I had been betrayed, and in one of the worst ways possible. The thought that I wasn't good enough for Elie burned my insides, especially knowing that I wasn't good enough to wait for. So many questions burned in my head and I wasn't sure if there were even real answers to them, or if I truly wanted the answers to them.

I hadn't worn a jacket that day, despite the forty-degree weather, and the drizzle that had been annoying us all day turned into a pouring rain that seemed to describe the way I was feeling. I had no idea where I was heading and I was beginning to feel chilled just walking around outside. I didn't have a real purpose at the moment, I just needed to work through the pain. Training had always helped with that, but I didn't have the energy to track down someone to spar with. I just wanted to be alone. I lost track of time as I wandered aimlessly around the campus, hiding my tears with the rain. I didn't know why I was actually crying; I was both angry and sad at the same time.

It took me a minute to realize someone was calling out my name. "Hey, Haru! Haru! Haru?" I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning me around to face the source of the voice. I could barely hear it through the garbled mess that my thoughts and feelings were. There was a bit of pain in my chest as I stared into golden eyes. Lucia shook me a bit. "Hey, what the hell are you doing out here? It's fucking cold, and raining to boot. You're going to catch pneumonia!"

I looked at him confusedly, then down at my feet, choosing not to reply in case my voice gave away that I was crying. I wasn't about to start crying to someone over a love that never was, and he didn't need to be burdened with my problem. He sighed. "You're not going to tell me what happened, are you?" his tone was patient as he began leading me to his car. I realized that, minus the rain and the misery I was feeling, it was almost like a repeat of Tuesday. I looked up at him sadly. I could trust him now, couldn't I? So far he had never once lied to me that week, and even thinking back to our high school years, while he had hidden his crush, he never actually lied to me about anything else. "I wasn't good enough for her…" I said the first thing that came to my mind. That's exactly what it was. My pain was coming from the fact I wasn't good enough, despite trying to be.

He whipped me around so we were nearly face-to-face. There was a fire in his eyes that scared me and comforted me all at once; I knew I could tell him everything, and I sincerely wanted to. "Who are you not good enough for?" he asked in an angry and demanding voice. I had seen his temper flare up before, but usually it was at me for beating him at something. This was a different type of rage; a sort of protective anger that made me feel like he would easily go to the end of the world to protect me. "Elie? She's a stupid slut! It's not you who's not good enough for her; she doesn't even come close to deserving you!"

All of the sudden I was wrapped in his arms, crying my eyes out and not even caring who saw or heard. I hadn't cried like that since my mom had died when I was six, and it felt good. It was more than just anger at Elie and Sieg; it was anger at myself for not seeing it sooner and for all the things I never said to Elie. I should have been more of a man, and just confronted her. Maybe I could have saved myself some heartache. He rubbed my back, 'shhing' and comforting me as best as he could. He buried his face in my hair. "You deserve so much better, Haru…"

I nodded, my face buried in his chest. It felt good to be held by someone, not just hugged but held like I was actually loved. I hadn't been held by anyone in years. The cold was starting to sink in, and I couldn't manage to stifle my shivering. He pulled me away, opening the door to his car. "Come on, we should get you home before you get sick…" He said, forcing me into the seat. I protested, not wanting to ruin the pretty leather seats. The look he gave me put a halt to any argument I might have had. I knew it was for the best. He didn't even have to ask for any directions, which I was glad for; I wasn't even sure of my surroundings. I think I had ended up on the opposite side of campus. I was hyper-aware of him though. Every move he made, every breath he took, I could almost feel them even though I wasn't looking at him. Even when his hands shifted on the steering wheel, I knew. With all of my conflicting feelings fogging my head, this just added to my weight and I felt like even if I wanted to move, gravity was holding me to that spot firmly.

Finally, just as I thought I would explode under the tension of having him so close to me, he parked on the road in front of my building. I didn't even realize we had arrived until the ignition shut off and I looked up. I turned to thank him, but he was already walking to the other side of the car and opening up the door for me. I was more dazed than I realized. I got out, looking up at him. "I can get upstairs to my own apartment," I told him, cocking my head to the side. Honestly, I thought it would be nice to have him with me. I didn't want to be alone, but I didn't want to sound weaker than he probably already thought I was. I could already feel myself building up my defenses on why I was so supposedly heartbroken, and why I had been crying. While I wasn't exactly embarrassed about it, and I knew it was perfectly fine for a guy to cry about stuff, I had always felt that it was important to explain myself whenever I did.

"I know… I just want to make sure you're fine," he said, leading me up the stairs to the apartment. I felt like a little child who had gotten lost on a field trip and was being taken back to his parents. There was just one minor difference; no parents. Lucia offered to make me something hot while I dried off and changed. As much as I hated the stuff, I pulled out the green tea that my sister insisted I always had in stock for when she came over. She was into the healthy stuff like that, but I liked things with flavor, mostly Coke. Still I knew it was better than a soda or anything else we had in the refrigerator.

I threw on a ratty t-shirt that was two sizes too big and some pajama pants I hadn't bothered wearing since Catt had bought them for me two Christmases before. They were warm though, and I was finally thankful for the so-called 'useless present'. I made a mental note to thank her for them again, and to make sure to buy a new box of green tea. The issue with Elie was still on my mind, but for a moment I wondered if I had ever reminded Catt of how much I loved and appreciated her in the past year.

Lucia was standing in the kitchen when I walked out holding a towel in my hand. "Here, I don't have any clothes that would probably fit you, but at least you can dry off a little," I smiled for the first time that night as he traded the towel for a warm cup of tea. While I sipped from the chipped green mug that had once been my mother's, I watched him dry his hair. I imagined how fun it would have been had we just gotten out of the shower instead of out of the rain, or even if we had come out of the rain under better circumstances. Just having him here was making me feel better already. While I wasn't quite over the Elie incident, I knew I would move past this in a better way than she had. The good guy part of me was already trying to rationalize why she did what she did.

He grinned at me suddenly. "You're still staring…" he teased, making a reference to something he had said on Monday. It seemed like it had been weeks, not days, since then. So much had changed in those five days. I had come to trust him and actually care about him in such a short time. Part of me was still trying to slow myself down, but the rest of me just wanted him even more than ever.

"Sorry," I grinned back at him, shivering a little. I couldn't get rid of my chill, even after changing and with the hot tea. I knew I was going to be sick the next few days with as wet as I had gotten. Lucia took off the leather jacket I hadn't noticed he was wearing. Only his dark blue jeans had suffered any real water damage, and it was barely noticeable. I wondered if he was cold, but figured he'd mention it if he was. He always seemed to blunt of a guy to bother hiding things like that. Then again, he had hid his crush on me for so long.

Then, for a second time in less than forty-five minutes, I found myself engulfed in his strong arms again. He was warm, much warmer than I was, and I snuggled closer to him. "You're cold," he whispered idly into my hair, pulling back to get a good look at me. He still held me close enough that I could smell his breath. He always smelled so wonderful, like spearmint and usually with some other food-related thing I could never exactly pinpoint. It made sense since he worked in a kitchen. I just wish I could identify the smell. However asking him "hey, what do you smell like?" would be an awkward question, not to mention creepy.

I blushed, staring deep into his golden orbs. "You're doing a good job of warming me up," I replied, watching his eyes begin to smolder with some unspoken desire. His eyes burned right through me and lit me on fire in a way that nothing else had ever done before. I'm not talking about actual flames, but it sure felt like it at first. Jolts of warmth traveled from my chest all the way down to my nether regions. I knew what he wanted, and I knew it was also what I wanted.

"I can do better than this…"

His lips met mine urgently. I pressed up against him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He nibbled on my bottom lip, willing me to open my mouth, which I did without hesitation. I trusted him with my entire being. A startled yelp escaped my throat as he suddenly lifted me up bridal-style and carried me back to my bedroom. I was impressed that he remembered where it was. He laid me on the bed, once again devouring my mouth. I tugged on his shirt, trying to get it off with one hand. He grinned, sitting up and tossing it on the floor. I took the brief interlude to shed my own shirt. Suddenly his mouth was placing butterfly kisses down my chest.

I moaned when his mouth covered one of my nipples, sucking on it carefully until it was hard, then moving onto the next one. He seemed to know what he was doing better than I did, but I wouldn't make any complaints about it. I had never had sex before… with a guy or with anyone else. It wasn't because I didn't want to. Honestly I had tried with Elie a few times, I just could never get myself fully into it. I never understood why… maybe it was because she wasn't Lucia, and she definitely wasn't a top.

I buried my right hand in his hair. "Lucia…" I managed to gasp out, tugging his hair softly to get his attention. He looked up at me, concerned that he was doing something wrong. My heart fluttered a little knowing he actually cared about how I felt. From what I had heard about a lot of guys, they didn't. Elie sure never had whenever we actually made the attempt to do something more than kiss. I tugged at the waistband of his wet jeans. The water was being absorbed into my flannel pants, which wasn't exactly comfortable nor warm. I preferred not wearing pants at all, but this time I wanted clothes out of the way for a very different reason.

He gave me a mischievous look that had me squirming, making his way down to where he had been before. I giggled, yes, literally giggled, when he dipped his tongue into my navel. That just prompted him to repeat the action, he being the cruel man he was. This quickly turned into a mini tickle-fest that ended with us moaning and grinding against each other like two nymphomaniacs. It felt amazing. For the first time in my life I was turned on by someone actually there in front of me, touching me and loving me in ways I hadn't been before.

He lifted my hips up and discarded my pants with one hand. I watched him remove his own with lust-filled eyes. I later observed that I never figured Lucia to be the type to wear any sort of underwear, but at the time all I could do was take in the sight of his naked body. Especially certain parts… that happened to be much larger than I had imagined. I could feel my face turn red as he crawled over me, hooking his finger over the waist band of my boxers and watching me with curious eyes. I nodded, and he removed my boxers, taking in the sight of my arousal.

"Ah…" if he hadn't been holding my hips down with both hands I would have arched my back when he took my entire length in his mouth. My eyes were wide, watching his head bob up and down. I squirmed slightly, tension building up in my stomach and threatening to burst forth at any moment. "L-Lucia…"

He crawled up, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. He knew what I wanted by how I said his name, and even though I knew it, I said the words out loud, just to make them final. "T-take me… please…" I begged, my lips ghosting over his earlobe. He nodded, nuzzling my neck. I reached over to the nightstand to grab the bottle lube out of the drawer that I had kept hidden there for a while, just in case. He took it from my hand and kissed my lips, trying to distract me from him coating his fingers with it. I accidentally bit his tongue when I felt him push a finger in my hole, though he didn't seem to notice as much as I did. "Mph!"

A second finger went in, stretching me. Then a third. My eyes began to water, though he kissed away the tears the very moment he noticed them. "This will only hurt for a little while, love… you'll get used to it," he murmured, positioning himself in front of my entrance. I looked at him in slight horror, even though this was what I wanted more than anything else. How the hell was that supposed to fit in there?! I clung to his neck while he wrapped one of my legs over his hip. He nuzzled my neck and cheek, whispering soothing words to me as he slowly thrust into me.

For the first five seconds, though it felt like five hours, all I could feel was white-hot pain coursing through my body. Something was entering it that wasn't supposed to be there, and it was trying to tell me so. Lucia didn't move even the slightest muscle, giving me time to calm down and get used to him. Once I had calmed down enough so that I wasn't shaking as much, he pulled out of me slightly before thrusting back in. "Ahhhh… ahh… ahh…" my screams quickly turned into moans as he set a decent pace and began to distract me with other things. I felt his hand twisting and playing with one of my nipples and his teeth were grazing a sensitive part on my throat. I wrapped my other leg around him, giving him better access.

"See, it's not so bad," he whispered in my ear suddenly, though the words were drowned out by my pleasure as he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside me. My eyes rolled back into my head as he hit it again and again. Suddenly his hand was stroking my manhood at the same pace as his thrusting, which had increased greatly by now. I completely lost myself to all of my senses, concentrating on the lips on my throat, his hand on my cock and the part of him that was buried so deeply inside me.

"Oh… gods… Lucia," I whispered breathlessly, heat gathering down near my groin. He chuckled, moving a little faster and gripping my hip with the hand that had just been playing with my hair. "Oh.. Gods… Lucia… I'm-"

My words were cut off completely by his lips, and I let out a silent scream of bliss when I came all over our stomachs and his hand. Another thrust or two and Lucia's body tensed above mine, a look of complete and utter pleasure on his face. He rolled over so he didn't crush me or anything, and we both lay on our sides for a few minutes, my legs still wrapped around him tightly. I buried my face in his shoulder. "That was… amazing…" I whispered when I felt our synchronized breathing slow down a bit. I knew how lame it sounded, but there were no real words to describe what we had just done.

He chuckled, nuzzling the top of my head. "I was aiming for 'mind-blowing', but I guess that amazing is acceptable enough…" he said, looking at me with complete and utter devotion and love in his eyes. Of course, at the time I figured it was just the afterglow. I didn't realize how emotionally invested he was already in this until later on in life. He sighed contently, mirroring how I felt at that moment. "You don't need her… you never did…"

"I know… I know that now," I replied happily, my mind starting to drift into Dreamland. I was exhausted. It a had been a long day already, and I knew I had many long days and nights to come. This was only the beginning.

"No matter what happens, or what anyone says," he said firmly, tilting my face to look at his. Even in the dark his eyes were still captivating. I could have stared at them forever if he hadn't finished his thought just then. "You'll always be good enough for me. Too good, even."

I didn't try to protest, I was too sleepy to even try to think up logical words even though I had full intention on arguing with him the next day. He kissed the tip of my nose and then moved so he could wrap the blankets around us. In my mind, I wasn't good enough for him… I didn't deserve the love and affection he was offering me after