Revy pressed a kiss to Balalaika's mouth, testing the waters, and her head filled with a heavy sense of want. A hand went to the blonde's jacket, fingers struggling around how tight the fabric pulled on the buttons. One went undone, and she met warm, pale skin. Revy didn't have to look to feel the ridges of the scar tissue. Balalaika leaned forward and returned the kiss, teasing Revy's mouth open with a swipe of her tongue. Lipstick smeared on their mouths.

" Kotyenok ," she groaned, running her long fingers down Revy's shoulders, nails scratching and tugging on her worn tank top, and for a moment Revy thought she would rip it off her body. Needily whining, Revy managed to work two more buttons open; the blouse rubbing on her trembling wrist. In a fit of panic she decided to yank the jacket open, nearly ripping off the bottom button, the red fabric parting and Revy pulled away just to look at the pale cleavage pressed flush against the straining blouse.

Balalaika quickly went to wrap her hand loosely around her throat, tight enough to feel her it bob in nervousness, or excitement, Revy had no idea which. "If you rip any of my clothing this time, I'll rip apart every single thing you are wearing now." The blonde said softly, bringing Revy close enough to where their lips brushed each other. "Nod yes if you understand."

Revy tugged on the large hand that was around her neck like a noose, and whined when she found the grip to be iron-tight. At the almost playful coldness in Balalaika's eyes, she nodded after a moment of blushing, her breath fast and hard. Swallowing roughly, the blonde kissed her again, biting and nipping, leaning off of the table, and Revy cupped Balalaika's face, stroking the area below her ear with blunt nails.

She sighed when the minute pressure left her neck, and Balalaika stroked her hair, twirling an end around her finger, as she bit Revy's lip gently. When she combed her scalp, Balalaika stopped when she felt the healing cut, and ended the kiss abruptly. Confused, Revy made a sound at the back of her throat when the blonde forced her head to stare at her lap. The skirt was tight, and allowed Balalaika to spread her legs minimally, and Revy dropped a hand to touch the black stockings, tracing a scar as the blonde inspected the cut on her skull.

"Where was this from?"

Revy turned red and her voice came out in a mumble. The wound must have looked ugly. It had already scabbed over. "I fell on the fuckin' television when some asshole shot my shoulder."

Balalaika touched the healing shoulder, a faint pulse of pain echoed in Revy's arm when she ran a finger over the bullet wound. She took Revy's hands into her own, and gave the soon-to-be scar a once over. "This wouldn't have happened if I had not kept forgetting to give you your gloves back. You're going to tear your hands to shreds."

"I'll remind you tomorrow." she mumbled in reply, and she watched Balalaika inspect her calloused fingers, touching her dry knuckles and sighing in annoyance. Arousal was evident in Balalaika's blown-out pupils, the blue a thin ring around bottomless black.

"I am capable of it," the Russian spoke. Like she was recalling something she always thought about. "Of caring for you."

"I know." But I care more, huh? About you. Janet's voice was in her head again.

"Let's go to the bedroom." Was all the blonde replied with, and she kissed Revy again, sliding off of the table and in her full height, and Revy snapped her neck up to continue it. She shrugged the jacket off and it fell onto the table, draping across the numerous stacks of documents that were now strewn across the table. Revy caught a glimpse of the folder she had brought, perched precariously on the edge. It would have been right to try and stop it from possible falling, but Revy knew it was better to stay near Balalaika.

Taking a step away, Revy looked at the Russian's chest heaving, a lace of her bra peeking out, dark when it lay next to her milk-pale skin. She could see the muscles in her arms through the sheer fabric, the light shifting off with every movement that Balalaika made. Loose blonde hair blanketed her shoulders and fell down beside her breasts; lipstick smudged and her eyes dark with desire that made Revy want to be cornered by her. She wanted to be thrown on the floor and devoured, to actually have her clothes ripped off, but then she also wanted to be dragged into the blonde's lap.

"Fuck, Sis." Revy gasped. Without a shred of thought she yanked her tank top over her head, the cold air hitting her hot torso and causing her nipples to stiffen. Clicking open her belt, the jeans pooled around her ankles. She was feverish with need, it had been so long and Revy wanted to cry suddenly, with how they were finally alone, even if it was for a night, and time was running slim by the second. Five thirty tomorrow and she'd be kicked out again. Balalaika watched her with wide eyes, her chest expanding slowly, her mouth closed tight. Her underwear joined the denim and top on the floor, and her fingers brushed her hips as she stripped them off, her legs shaky.

Briefly, she wondered if Balalaika had taken her in that night. That next morning the blonde had, fingers going between her breasts and over her stomach and barely touching between her legs. Revy wanted her to see her again. She wanted to see what Balalaika would do if she saw her completely bare again. Revy stepped out of the pile of clothes and took another step away, so Balalaika had a better view. She brushed her dark hair away from her chest and tucked it behind her ears. The blonde was silent, watching Revy with a raptness that she had ever experienced before.

All of Balalaika's muscles were tight. The chord of her neck, her arms, her lungs must have contracted too, with the shallow breaths she was taking. There was animalistic lust, but then there was a wisp of concern. Revy's hip bones were more prominent and her collarbones lurched out of her skin. She glanced down and knew she had lost a bit of her curves, just more athletic muscle pulled to the surface. Her peaks were as stiff as they could be; while the rest of her body was cold, her center was slickly warm.

Silence was all that met her, and then Balalaika came close. Revy had balled her fists by her sides, nails sinking in, remaining where she was. The blonde first went to pinch at one of her breasts, then covered it with her hand, massaging it. Revy swallowed a whine. Balalaika tugged at a strand of brunette hair that brushed Revy's chest.

"You like it?" She asked in a high voice, when Balalaika traced the tattoo on her shoulder, then squeezing at her arm, then returning to stroke between her breasts, a nail threatening to break the thin skin there. PleaselikeitwillyouIiknowyoudobutjustfuckingsayit-

"What do you think, my pretty kotyenok?"

Revy's eyes wanted to sting when Balalaika's gaze met hers. If it was anyone else, the way the blonde watched her would seem almost predatory. She looked at Balalaika with soft eyes, lips parted. A shiver shot down her spine as Balalaika grazed her waist, touching the taut skin there. "Yeah."

The blonde squeezed her hip, thumb on her hip bone. She surveyed her body like she was looking over a map, noticing every silvery stretch mark and scar. "You aren't starving yourself for my sake, are you?" It was a half-joke.

Struggling to enter reality, Revy blinked rapidly and shook her head. The air conditioning made her head fuzzy with how cold she was. Balalaika was so warm. "Huh? Nah. I just smoke a lot and get drunk. Dutch said that smoking cigarettes can make you not hungry so-"

"I want you to remember to eat. It's not healthy to skip so many meals." Balalaika commanded, drawing her closer. Many things could be said that tie sex and eat together, Revy mused, a corner of her mouth twitching as arousal rolled between her legs. The blonde squeezed Revy's nipple until she whimpered, then gave it a pinch as she edged towards the hallway. " But, I don't see why we need to wait any longer, pretty girl. Come along."

So she did.

Revy turned back and saw the folder again as she walked to the hallway, her muscles tight as she ached with need. Balalaika's eyes were on her back, maybe seeing the large scar over her tailbone; maybe where Ginji's sword exited the back of her knee. Lighting was poor in the hallway, but on the bedside table, from what she could see, was a small stained glass lamp that cast a small beam of warm yellow light. They got to the doorway of her bedroom before Revy flung herself at Balalaika, gripping her by the waist and smacking her lips on the milk-pale neck.

The Russian eased her further into the room as she sucked on her throat, mouth traveling to her collarbones and then lower, beginning to undo her blouse, knuckles brushing the bra's band. Revy knew Balalaika was growing uncomfortable as more items of clothing were removed, but she wanted to press her chances and at least get her top off. "Sis, Sis, Let me do this for you, okay?"

Balalaika was stiff as Revy drew away from her neck, now pink from the attention. She sighed, nodding. " Of course ."

"It's our second time, we can all chill, y'know? I've seen you like this before."

"Yes, I know that." the blonde replied in a tone that Revy couldn't distinguish. The scars that choked her toned midsection were thick, and Revy forgot how cruel they looked in poor lighting. Wrapped like strands of frayed ribbon, they disappeared beneath the waistband of her skirt and danced below her breasts, but Revy was scared to look too long. Balalaika was silent when she dared to touch her bare waist, thumb touching one of the crueler marks, dragging along until it circled around.

Guilt bobbed in Revy's throat, aware of how her own body was unmarred by such scars. Balalaika was beautiful with her deformity, even with the scar pointed down her face. She sucked in a deep breath, and enclosed her arms around Balalaika to snap open the cream-colored bra. The blonde eased the thick straps off her broad shoulders and dropped it to the ground, a pragmatic fashion that only flamed Revy's lust.

There was an imprint left by the wire underneath her breasts. Revy traced it, slowly, wanting desperately to touch the scar where one of her nipples once was. Balalaika's stare became hardened. Revy touched the breast where the stiff peak was intact, and leaned forward, breathing fast through her nose. Looking up at Balalaika with wide eyes, she barely brushed the peak with her lips.

Without thinking she swirled her tongue around, then taking it into her mouth and lightly biting down. Balalaika ran her hands roughly through Revy's hair, gripping it between her long, pale fingers. She roughly kissed Revy's forehead, pressing her lips to matted bangs and breathing in, clutching her tightly. In turn, Revy sucked, eyes open, face red, trembling as Balalaika kept kissing, chest expanding, allowing Revy to let her hands travel down to her hips, and squeezing the flesh there. Scars tickled her palms, and sometimes Balalaika would shiver at a particularly sensitive spot, a silent warning not to linger.

Balalaika forced Revy by the hair to kiss her fully on the lips, the peak slipping out between her teeth as she was dragged up. The blonde bit down hard on Revy's bottom lip, until she tasted iron in their kiss. It was hard, and fast, and Revy's neck hurt at the angle she was forced at; Balalaika's hold was tight, and Revy mewled uselessly.

The blonde dragged her to the bed, sitting down heavily and Rrevy threw a leg over her lap and sat down, eyes hazy and however much she tried, she couldn't voice anything except gasps and whines. She sounded positively obscene, she sounded like-

Will Benny find out? Her mind cleared through a fog of lust. Could he find her body? Would Balalaika chop it into goddamn pieces and mail it to every person who could be thinking the same about us?

"Wait, wait," Revy rasped. She had to ask. The blonde's mouth was achingly warm and wet, her tongue dipping back between Revy's lips so harshly that their teeth almost clashed together. Her breasts rubbed against the scars on Balalaika's chest. "What are you gonna do with Janet's body- ah, Sis-"

"Same as I do with any other body. Have it dropped in the nearest landfill and forget that they even existed." Balalaika breathed, continuing to kiss Revy, keeping a tight hold of her hair. Nipping Revy's bottom lip, the blonde tilted her head to the side and slowly kissed her, acrylic nails stroking Revy's scalp.

Arching her back, Revy whined at their chests meshing together, and flicked her hips on Balalaika's lap. She moved to tug at Balalaika's nipple, her eyes quickly going back to see the blonde's face flush. "So, there won't be anything left behind?"

" Rebecca ." She groaned and pulled away from her, nails sinking into Revy to keep her anchored there. Revy frowned when Balalaika forced her hand away from her breast. "If there's something you want to ask, say it now. Don't play so coy."

Revy caught her breath, averting her eyes to the side. The red skirt underneath her parted thighs didn't offer much in stimulation. "Fuck, you know, Rock or Benny or anybody won't find her and raise questions, right?"

"Of course people will ask questions. But when a person disappears in Roanapur the city doesn't stop for a minute. Now, come here-"

"But there's no fucking… sending body parts to whoever worked with her, nothing that my crew would find, right?" At the Russian's silence, Revy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Balalaika's eye twitched in repressed anger, wisely deciding on not strangling Revy not then and there. "Benny, Rock, anyone else that matters won't find any remains of that blonde whore, alright?"

"What did you fucking do? Sis, come on." She asked, her body tensing; the arousal throbbing through her veins simmering down.

Balalaika's eyes flared and narrowed. "You do realize that others of her organization could know what is going on, do you not? They need to know that Hotel Moscow understands what Janet tried to pull off very clearly. And I will make sure they do not forget that. We all need reminders." She said in a clipped tone, trying to hide rising anger in her rigid body.

"The fuck? Can you just-"

Revy found herself to be drawn up into another punishingly deep kiss. Balalaika forced her mouth open, and held her tight, and she found herself desperately trying to keep up. We all need reminders. With every attempt Revy made to pull away, the blonde followed, her grip strong, muscles taut with frustration. We all need reminders. Desperation followed in a blur, marked only by Revy sliding off of her lap and struggling to unzip the red skirt, tight around Balalaika's hips and thighs. Her fingers refused to work, her mind forcing itself to work when she was so wet that it was uncomfortable to part her legs.

A hand pressed on her naked chest. "Rebecca."

With an ounce of hesitation, Revy sat back on the bed, shivering when she fully touched the comforter. With a tired sigh, Balalaika finished undressing; raspberry skirt hitting the floor, the black tights that hugged her legs being pulled off with such slowness that Revy watched, rapt, body running hot. Whining, she neared the blonde, supporting herself on shaky knees.

"You're not allowed to act like a bratty child." Was what met Revy's desperate noises. Balalaika chuckled, her eyes sliding to meet hers as she hooked her thumbs on her underwear and slid the flimsy material down her legs. The cream lace looked good on her pale skin, and it felt almost naughty, like Revy had been caught looking at something she was never meant to see.

Then she held the blonde's full attention, and if she hadn't swallowed her anxiousness, she would have backed up further onto the bed. Balalaika sensed that, and she slowly smiled. A prideful one at that, because she knew she held a majority of the power, as she probably always did. Revy tried to return the look with blushing cheeks and legs pressed tightly together. Embarrassingly, she wanted to almost hide the amount of arousal she was experiencing. Iit was too much.

"Part your legs, kotyenok ." Balalaika said, her tone inflecting that of when she spoke to her men. An order, not a suggestion. Cold eyes were set on what was between Revy's clenched thighs.

Revy would have finished right then if she could. Her body was red-hot with desire and longing. "Fuck."

"I know you want me to kiss you there." The blonde teased, the corners of her eyes crinkling. Revy eased onto her back, her knees together, wanting to wait until Balalaika opened them herself. Heart ramming in her chest, Benny and Rock and Janet's mutilated corpse left her when the Russian put a hand on each knee and eased her open until her thighs lay flat on the bed.

Cupping her face, Revy wailed when she was fully exposed, cold air hitting the soaked insides of her thighs and her reddened folds. It was too much and not enough, with Balalaika chewing on the inside of her cheek, just looking, and it made Revy push her hips up in an effort for something to happen.

Balalaika parted her soaked curls with two fingers, careful of her nails. The pad of her thumb stroked her gently. The acrylic accidentally touched Revy's folds and she cried it when it caught as she was spread open. The blonde soothed it with a teasing, chaste kiss on Revy's stomach, then slid back down to watch as she lazily toyed with Revy.

Spreading her legs further, Revy jumped when Balalaika rubbed a spot that twisted pleasure with pain. "Sis, Sis, pleasepleaseplease that's too fuckin' much -"

Balalaika's tongue pushed and curled inside her, leaving Revy to wheeze, repeating words that jumbled together. Her second time, and she was still crying like a baby, her hips grinding on the blonde's face and a hand stuck fast in her hair. Pink nails were digging hard into her thighs, until Revy wasn't sure if she was going to bleed. A brutal mix of come and blood ruining the nice sheets.

Balalaika's imagined name was in her throat like a jewel when Revy came, her teeth clattering together when it hit her like a wave breaking over the shore. The blonde said something to her in the midst of her flailing, but she couldn't hear. Blood rushed in her ears and her inner thighs became wetter than they had been before. She wanted to say her name so badly that it almost ruined everything, the desire overpowering the hard press of lips on her folds, twisting. " Sisss. " Revy mumbled pathetically, before snapping her eyes open. Balalaika gave her a kiss on her folds, with a circular swirl of her tongue.

"One more?"

Gnawing her lip, she nodded blearily and Balalaika bent down again, tossing her hair over her shoulder. The second time arrived quicker than the first, and Revy slammed back and cried out, clutching the comforter in one hand and the other held thick blonde hair. A spare minute passed and Revy returned the favor, crawling over unsteadily, her hair in her face and sweat beading at her temples.

Balalaika gripped Revy by the hair and grinded on her face, her breath short and quick and her hand shook while holding onto the brunette locks. Like Revy didn't matter, a toy to be used. She grunted in pain, her voice vibrating, and took Balalaika into her mouth. Again, she missed the way she tasted, and buried herself deeper, angling her wrist and entering two fingers inside her. Balalaika gasped, low and guttural, her muscles unwinding and becoming pliant, finally. She cried out when Revy curled her fingers, elbow hitting the bed with every thrust she made. Briefly, Revy wondered what the blonde had said, when Balalaika rolled her hips. The scars on her thighs were softer to the touch, one dangerously close to her center. Revy slid her own legs closer together, and she felt a west sensation on her lower thighs, and she realised that she was bleeding. The Russian seized and threw her head back on a sea of hair.

She lazily lapped at Balalaika, cleaning around her fingers, which continued to curl slowly, pumping hard, until the blonde hissed again, tightening around her. Revy would have preferred to do this forever, watching Balalaika's eyes flutter open and shut, her body flushed and pink. Swiping her tongue, she rolled it around until the blonde arched on last time, weaker, then pushed Revy's face away. She pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Off, kotyenok ."

Revy rolled her eyes, sticking her wrinkled fingers in her mouth. She crawled up and sat beside Balalaika, leaning a head on her shoulder when her fingers exited her mouth with a pop . A tired smile broke out on her face, as she broke into a serious yawn, nuzzling her nose into the blonde's chest.

"How about you go to sleep, Rebecca?" Balalaika's voice was breathy and exhausted, made wispy from sex.

"Yeah, yeah, Vladilena. I have to make you sleep first." She teased, nipping her. They both leaned on one another, flush with the after-glow. Balalaika grazed her arm with long acrylics, then the touch traveled to tugging at the strands of her hair, carding through the locks, because she knew Revy melted wherever her hair was touched. An attempt to get her to shut up before she got herself in trouble.

"I can certainly assure you that Vladilena isn't my actual name. I trust you won't call me that again." Balalaika paused her motions.

"It's not Susan, huh?" Revy mumbled, eyes shut. A million names were on the tip of her tongue, and she was ready to guess them all. The complaint was old, faded, and Balalaika had heard it many times, in many versions, the same bitter refrain that had been played in different keys ever since Revy discovered that Balalaika was a living, breathing woman."Shit, Cathy?"

Balalaika gave no answer.

"That's not a very a Russian name, yeah." Revy conceded, cracking an eye open.

The blonde watched her carefully, like she was scanning her reaction. "It isn't."

"Uhm, fuck, um, let me think." Revy worried her bruised lip, running her fingers through her hair. Her head spun, when she decided to go out on a limb. "Have you told me it already?"

She had expected no reply, and Revy remained still despite wanting to run away. Balalaika parted her lips, no words managing out as her chest shuddered. She was close, and they both knew it.

"I have."

"When?" Revy asked quickly.

A moment went by. What's in a name? Dutch had said once, and Revy had no clue what it meant, but it could apply here. Balalaika's jaw was tight. Like she had said it once, so she didn't have to repeat herself again. "Why? Why do you want to know my name so badly? Even with all the times I told you it was too difficult?"

The same dance they always had, all because she couldn't let it go. Revy thought of Janet's quip. She'd be in her head forever. "I don't fucking know… I just want to know you, and fucking be close to you." her voice became near inaudible, kissing into the Russian's collarbone. "You're the only one, Sis."

"You have the pictures, you know enough."

"Tell me and I'll only ever call you it when we're alone or fucking. Or, I won't call you it a-at all. It'll just be in my brain." Revy tapped her temple. You lost everything, don't lose your goddamn name. It was tempting to speak those words into existence.

The blonde rubbed her jaw, blinking, and looked away, face stony. But she was hurting, evident in her blue eyes that remained dry. "I was her in those pictures. Unmarred skin, young. I have no idea if we would be together like this if certain events never happened to me." Revy felt her breath on the top of her skull.

"I told you before you're still her. You'd still be Sis before everything. You'd probably be less of a pain in the ass, though." A tear ran down Revy's cheek, the warmth dripping onto her collarbone. She moved away to fully stare at the blonde, her hands trembling as they supported her.

A thumb brushed her wet cheek, as Balalaika reached out and cupped her face. "You would think different if you had met me then. No tears, Rebecca. You've cried enough of them."

"I can't help it, around you I'm a fucking baby." The smile, however bitter, faded from her face.

"While I was in Afghanistan, you were abandoned by everyone, is that it?" The easiness of Balalaika's reply had Revy flinching. Passed out in an alleyway, people stepping over her. They kept doing that until she started walking on them. The Russian was stroking her cheek and Revy drew closer, wanting in spite of herself to feel affection, no matter the source, desiring closeness, kindness that Balalaika could deliver, that no one else did.

Snorting, she masked her thoughts with a fake grin. "You should have taken me as your fucking childbride."

Balalaika smiled at that, her eyebrows raising in thought. "Perhaps. You'd have been doing a lot of waiting."

Yeah, I'll give you that Janet, you were fucking right. Revy wanted to say something but she didn't have the vocabulary to do so. Post-orgasm, her brain wasn't working and whatever she wanted to say, wouldn't go over well, she'd imagine. "I'm not patient."

The Russian kissed her forehead again, her hair in Revy's face, and she smelled her perfume. Flowery in a old-fashioned sense, like they'd have in the mall she'd frequent as a kid.

"I can tell it hurts, Sis." she breathed. They remained like that, close and quiet, Balalaika's lips on the top of her head; Revy leaned into her hand supporting her jaw.

"You're wrapped around my little finger, kotyenok ."

"I guess so." Revy shut her eyes to stop tears from dripping down her flushed cheeks. One escaped, streaking to Balalaika's fingers and disappearing beneath a pink nail. "I keep promising not to fucking ask.. but I've got the attention span of a fucking monkey. God, I hate making you feel this way, y'know?"

Balalaika's lips trembled for a second.

It must have been a name Revy would have never thought of. Maybe it was girlish, pretty, a little girl's name, one who carried her books in her arms on the way to class. She broke out into a watery smile, a laugh morphing into a sob. Her Sis, her whoever, no one else's. Then Balalaika launched into ragged breaths, straining to speak more, her shoulders hunching and her mouth twisting in anger. "Oh, fuck, Sis, it's okay, it's okay." Revy kept close, grabbing her by the shoulders and stroking the scarred skin there. "Are you thinking you're there again? 'Cause you're not. You're not fucking there anymore. Listen to me."

Balalaika forced her eyes to meet Revy's; they were far away, blank, her breath coming fast and hard. Hanging onto a metaphorical cliff, a whole life in one hand that strained to keep her body up. She had long limbs. There must have been no honor in falling, too. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Revy said. She leaned forward and stroked the Russian's loose hair, playing with it and combing through the now-tangled strands, muttering apologies and thank yous and any other words that she could muster. Guilt. That was all she felt, rising and boiling inside her like a sickness, like the flu she had when she was six.

"I have no idea how they managed to find out what my name was."

There was no emotion, only the dry relation of fact. Oh.

Revy fidgeted, eyes wide and she shook her head, licking her lips. Asking for details would have been a death wish. "Fuck them, they're dead now, who gives a shit. You're here, and alive, and this'll blow over, you're here with me." Saying them made her feel like she was jamming her finger into Balalaika's open wound. Breathing life into their long-dead ghosts. Would it blow over? For the blonde, she was always one step away from being in Afghanistan again, in the hot temperature and hot-hot sand.

"I know, it is entirely irrational." Balalaika drew in slow breaths, shutting her eyes. She had broken out into a sweat, cold under Revy's touch. "I need a drink." Balalaika pulled away and swung her legs out onto the floor. Revy left her arms outstretched to where they were, slowly letting them fall back to her lap. Saltwater flooded her eyes, burning red. Balalaika opened a drawer hastily, nearly tearing it out of the dresser; taking out a rolled up cardigan. A response caught in Revy's throat. When she drew it up her arms, the article fell to the middle of her thighs, a dark grey color. The blonde exited the bedroom smoothly, into the darkness of the hallway and Revy followed her movements with her eyes.

"Hey-"

"I'll be right back."

Revy folded her blood-smeared legs under her and stared at the rumpled sheets. They were still stiff under her fingertips. Ashamed, she waited for Balalaika to come back. Back bent, she let her hair fall in her crumpled face when she began to cry again, sniffling like a child. The amount of times she cried in front of Balalaika, she found to be embarrassing, but like a beaten dog she walked after Balalaika into the kitchen. I'll be right back my ass.