A/N: So in Summer Party, these two had ended up becoming friends-rather quickly for them both, but especially for Leona-after having been acquainted for a little while in this 'verse(Duo Lon had helped Heidern on a few things that Heidern could not really reach. As the Ikaris show in the game, they're good guys, but they don't ALWAYS play by the book.) So they weren't complete strangers when they started speaking more at the party, but they weren't close yet.

In any case, the two became kind of close, surprisingly(again for the both) over the course of the two-day event. To the point where they curled up, kissed, and...well, I left it vague, but..as we find out Whip's mental guesses were right. ;) Duo Lon visits his new friends a little more often now, maybe once a month or so for about a week at a time(he, Adel, and Whip having made good friends over the rather intense events of Nocturne.)

(And yeah, if you hadn't caught up; besides his usual canon likes and preferences, Duo Lon in this verse is a fan of extreme, underground metal-and his arms are covered with all sorts of evil-looking tattoos, though these are more associated with his weird powers. He also has a fair few scars received from fights with various clan traitors who had gone over to the wrong side in the past, that you can't really see in his game-outfit since it covers so much of his body. He looks beautiful and elegant, but despite his good heart, the man is a dangerous and hardened assassin in the game-it's in his nickname-so I liked portraying this aspect in the fics and you can see it when he shows off more of his body.)

Anyway, I was trying a new type of pairing in this, soo...hope you enjoy it!

Also, this one gets REALLY raunchy/naughty, so...yeah, be warned.

Five in the morning was a fairly usual bedtime for the tall assassin; it was sometimes even later. Or earlier, as the case may be.

Duo Lon thought for a moment, and decided one last pipe before he slept would be nice. Packing it, he went over to the Sky Noah's balcony for a few more breaths of fresh air; for many, it was morning, but he was mostly up at night. He had grown accustomed to it.

Coming back in to sit down-the air already humid-he lit the pipe and simply watched out the window, relaxing in silence. Adel had convinced him to stay longer-and to be frank, he didn't even mind. He could do what he needed to from here, and most of his work was done traveling, anyhow. He could afford another week or two in Köln with his new friends. They let him be when he wanted it, and if he wanted company, they were there. He liked the change of scenery.

His phone buzzed next to him as he smoked, watching the sky turn from the dusky blue to the lighter that it would.

How long are you here for? Due to the time, he suspected she had just woken up. She knew he was quite the night-owl, though-and knew he'd get it.

About a week more, he answered. Maybe a little longer. Adel is quite convincing to get people to stay. He smiled to himself writing this.

My reports are done. Desk duty...so tiring.

Want to meet in Köln?

Yes, the message said. I think our hotel is near that store you told me about.

Let me sleep some first, he wrote, taking a last puff of his gentle tobacco while in his comfortably cool guest room at the Sky Noah. Will let you know when I wake up.

Of course. Sleep well.

Finishing his pipe, he shut the dark curtains of the room, which he had grown accustomed to. Truth be told, he didn't mind staying an extra couple of days; he tried in his own way to get the idea that he had to be all duty, all the time, out of his head for once.

Ever since the betrayal, this had been a problem...but it turned out being asked to help Adel with his issues had also allowed him to face his own, in a way.

Stripping off his clothing-he had already taken his hair out of its braid-he climbed into the soft bed that waited for him to catch a few hours of sleep before meeting his newest friend.

Leona saw the tall, pale man under the shade of the hotel awning, leaning by the wall. He wore one of his loose, black tank tops-showing off his densely muscled and tattooed arms. She had examined the tattoos closely at the party, and thought they looked awesome, to be sure; eerie and even demonic at points. His hair was in his braid, though without any decorum save for a small weight at the bottom, and he otherwise wore his trademark black trousers and boots; the only time she had seen him in other colors was the rich purple and black of his longer cloak, which, in thirty-five degree weather, was far too hot for. The cloak made him look slim; but while he was not bulky like Ralf or Clark, his body was corded with a very defined and compact muscle.

He waved, giving her a small smile, as he would-Duo Lon was not one for getting overly cheery. Which, to be frank, worked very well for her, who was barely ever cheerful herself.

She did smile at him, though. She started to wonder if she shouldn't have worn shorts-she was in her black, loose army trousers, though her tank top allowed her to stay somewhat cool.

"Glad you could make it." He stretched; given it was about eleven in the morning, she knew he maybe slept five hours. Much like the Ikaris themselves, though, he was good at operating on little sleep.

"Yeah, you know Ralf let me go. He feels bad that I'm stuck there, too."

He nodded, understanding. "Want to go to the shop first, or coffee?"

"The shop. Then we can sit down somewhere cool."

He nodded, motioning his head to follow.

The two made quite the odd pair walking down the street; one with her clearly military look and bright, blue hair and one tall one with tattooed arms, claw-like nails and a braid that was six feet long. Both of them were visibly muscled in various ways, and both looked like they had fought more than their share of battles, making a random passerby here and there wonder just where they came from and what they were doing. Despite the Ikaris spending a lot of time here with their business around-they traveled often, but had business here with some of their current investigations into the weird group that had infiltrated the last tournament-the locals often didn't really see them out and about.

Heading into the shop, the gruff man behind the counter-talking to another regular-nodded toward them, as he recognized Duo Lon as someone with rather extensive knowledge-and then left them be. The shop was small and cool, having a narrow set of stairs leading down to a basement that held a few other odds and ends, and mostly had wooden shelves full of vinyl and CDs, all of the underground metal variety. A goat's skull adorned the wall near the register.

"Interesting place," Leona said, smiling. She had gotten somewhat into Duo Lon's strange musical tastes during their time hanging out at the party, and wanted to check out a few of the bands that he had introduced her to.

The two glanced over the shelves, Duo Lon picking out a couple of albums that weren't here the last time he was in that he had been waiting on. Leona herself grabbed one that she had listened to at the party; though she got it on CD rather than vinyl, as she didn't really have a record player. He, too, grabbed a couple of CDs that were old demos copied over. While these weren't as good as owning the originals, they were nice to own just to have the music.

They didn't linger too long; mostly just wanting to get a couple of things and leave, though upon going back outside the harsh heat hit them quite suddenly. He took the case out that held his pipe, removing the black-laquered piece before packing and lighting it.

Leona smiled a bit, as she liked the smell.

Blowing out a stream of smoke, he glanced over at her. "Ready to go eat?"

She thought for a moment.

"Let's...head back to the hotel," she said softly.

"Of course," the tall man replied. "I'm in no hurry today."

The two took their time getting back, Leona letting him smoke his pipe as they leisurely made it back to the soldier's current, temporary 'home' in the suite.

Arriving at the room-which was up near the top floor-the air hit them as a blessing again. Before they started to settle, they pulled bottles of water from the hotel's mini-fridge.

As Duo Lon sat to relax on the couch, Leona went over to the little entertainment center that the suite had; it was equipped with a CD player. She made sure it was all hooked up so he could put some of the new stuff on that he had just bought. The eerie, harsh sounds of the black metal-low on bass, low on production, but also somehow with a beauty in the ugliness-soon started to fill the room. He kept it low, though.

She then made her way over to the couch to sit next to him. He leaned back, stretching his long leg out onto the table. She didn't mind at all-it wasn't hers, for one, and it's not like she would have minded if it was. His huge boot thunked softly against the wood, though he was careful not to scuff it. He leaned back, placing his pipe case off to the side, planning to light it a little later.

"Adel convinced you to stay longer?"

Duo Lon laughed. "Indeed. He said the guest room is mine, and that he insisted. Given that right now all I am doing is my usual duties...which, well…" he trailed off.

She nodded, knowing what he did.

"But there is nothing that I cannot do from here. I mean...many of my things can be taken care of away from home, anyway." Members of his clan often traveled for their 'work'. He moved his braid around a bit, looking over at her. "How has it been here?"

"Quiet, for now," she said. "I know I won't be a part of the next tournament. I just get...so tired."

He looked over, giving her arm a reassuring rub, which she smiled at. She continued:

"I feel like I should be doing more...but, the commander said there is a danger right now. I'm still...learning."

"I...can't say I know what you, personally, go through," he said. "I can only speak from my own past."

She moved a little closer to him. "I remember a couple of the stories...the night in the woods." Her hand touched his chest, through the shirt where the angry, criss-crossed claw marks were, given to him by a clan traitor's poisoned nails before Duo Lon ripped the man's throat out with his bare hands, about five years before. "It...you seem like you'd understand."

The part that he had told her-after a time-was how when he had decided to teleport through the veil one more time...and set upon the spirits attacking him in his poisoned, maddened state, tearing them apart...only to find out the apparitions were villagers. The same thing had happened when he had carelessly messed with the veil near a graveyard, though that time the victims had been a few caretakers.

She had, of course, spoken of her past, as well...which was less of a secret, but she felt like sharing it with him while they were exchanging their grim stories.

They sat in silence for a few more moments-not being the most talkative people around, they enjoyed this. He examined a couple of books he had off to the side that he had also bought; one strange, occult-based one and another about biology. Leona, meanwhile, leaned next to him...and then decided to lean on him after a spell, closing her eyes, feeling his free arm go across her after a few moments.

At one point, she opened them, seeing his hand still there. She picked it up a moment to examine one of his nails more closely again. She knew what they could do; at an inch long, and hardened through clan secrets that he told no one-not even his closest friends-they were very intriguing to her.

Seeing her examining it, he tapped her lightly with it, remembering how she seemed to like them during their time in the attic. He then gently ran it under her chin; anyone who didn't know him may have been sort of afraid of this-knowing how quickly they could cut-but Leona only smiled.

She then shifted. She had started...feeling things again.

"I...admit," she said, scratching her head as she flipped briefly through the CD she had picked up, "What happened in the attic? It felt nice. Very nice." She shook her head, wondering why she said that so suddenly.

He looked over at her, blinking, as he set the book aside.

"It did, I agree," He chuckled softly, his boot still propped up on the table as he drank at a bottle of water that he had off to the side. He glanced again at her, a smile on the corner of his lips...and he saw her also smiling somewhat. Looking back at him, she averted her eyes a second.

"I can't hide much from you, can I?" she asked.

"If you're uncomfortable..."

"N...no, that's not it at all," she said quickly. "It's...the opposite."

"So…"

Examining her hand, she chuckled. "I guess yeah, I'm asking if…"

He turned her toward him; he understood how quiet she could be, and decided to try to breach the subject a bit easier to her.

"If you'd like to...indulge sometimes, I would be glad to," he said bluntly-though his voice was very sincere. "I enjoyed the time in the attic. Very much. I may not be one who has a life ideal for tying down, but…" He lightly ran a hand through some of her hair. "I think...people shouldn't necessarily be forced to tie down to indulge. Nor do I think the person has to be a stranger."

She smiled at that, relieved-she was sort of trying to figure out how to approach it. Leona was someone who barely talked to anyone; she didn't even like approaching people to say hello in the morning if they weren't her partners. She was also duty first...all else later. Trying to approach a new friend about something they did one night during a company party a couple weeks ago was really beyond her. It was something that could make someone who wasn't as silent as Leona give pause.

Duo Lon was not particularly experienced at all in this realm-he wasn't-but he was good at reading people, and it took him no time at all to figure out what she was hinting at.

"I...a stranger would be unthinkable for me," she said, tracing one of her hands down one of the more wicked-looking tattoos on his pale, muscular arm. "I didn't think I would feel...like I did that night. But after it all happened…" She leaned into his arm for a moment before finally standing.

Moving, she stood in front of him as he sat on the couch, smiling softly down at him as she slid onto his lap, a leg on either side. She started to tug at his shirt, as she liked to look at the rest of his tattoos-though the loose tank top didn't hide much-and found the brutal scars that had been raked over his torso and back impressive.

He slid it off, letting her sort of lead the pace, if she so wanted. Her hands traced over his dense, hard muscle; she remembered when he held her by the wall at one point and she found herself impressed by it. She spent her life around strong people-her usual comrades were some of the toughest and strongest that she knew-so impressing her on that front was not easy. But when she felt his large hand hold her wrists against the wall-and she couldn't get out-it just further inflamed the physically arousing feelings she had been building up.

His own hands found his fellow fighter's stomach, also liking how it felt under his touch. The two had discussed their workout and training regimens during some of their time spent together, finding what similarities and differences they had. He traced them over her front and sides as she exhaled, closing her eyes; she didn't move too quickly, though she allowed her own hands to trace over his shoulders and back, working around to start to pull up his braid.

"Can I?" she asked.

"Of course."

She slowly started to work through his hair. After taking the weight off of the end, and the bands off, she started slowly working it out of the braid. She had done this at the party, as well-she was curious on how it looked out of it, and he obliged. It was long, thick, silky and heavy; she loved how it felt in her hands, and how it seemed to contrast the rest of his body. In the tournaments, she had only ever seen him in his longer robes and more elegant attire; it made him look slim and graceful. Dressed down, she was able to see what was underneath it all. She knew by the way he fought he was a dangerous opponent, but when she saw him at the party he looked more like a trained and hardened assassin than she would have expected. There was little softness under the silks of his robe. He moved gracefully still, but it was more akin to how one might see a snake move before crushing its prey in immovable coils.

She had read the reports of what he had done to the opponents in the building that night he, Adel, and Whip had taken out the syndicate. This was not someone who was to be trifled with, ever , she knew.

And after speaking longer to him than she had spoken to anyone she almost regretted that she had not made friends with the assassin sooner. After the two had shared some very dark secrets...she felt like she could have had someone to relate to.

Better late than never, they figured.

This friend just happened to also be incredibly easy on the eyes, and the feeling was certainly mutual. Funnily enough, they had started to really notice that about each other during the competition, when they were slashing away at the bottles; they had both shared a chuckle at that after they had spilled to each other in the attic.

It took her some time, given how long his hair was, but it eventually was released. She took it in her hands and draped it smoothly over the back of the couch where she leaned forward to run her hands through it some. It also smelled nice, which she appreciated.

Duo Lon ran his hands carefully through hers, reaching up to undo it; she lowered her head some to make it easier for him. While hers wasn't as insanely long as his, it had some length, and was silky in its own right. Leona was not one for any sort of finery or primping, but she did care for her hair, and given her military countenance, was big into personal hygiene. She smelled clean, but natural. He leaned into it, inhaling.

From there, he found his lips against her neck, kissing lightly, feeling her shiver; she tightened her grip on him when she felt his teeth start nipping around the soft skin, tracing to her shoulder. He tugged slightly at the skin; his incisors being slightly on the sharp side. She grunted, though exhaled in pleasure.

After a few more minutes of this-the heat under her waistline starting to increase-she looked down at him as he pulled away for a few moments.

"Would you...your nails…"

He blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she smiled a bit out of the corner of her mouth. She was curious.

Obliging her, he allowed his nails to trace over her firm torso as she shivered some more-somehow, this was...working. It was a little dangerous, as she knew what he could do with his hands.

And she liked knowing this.

As he continued, he slid her shirt off, leaving behind her bra and sliding his hands around to her back, allowing his deadly sharp nails to continue to rake lightly over her skin as she leaned forward.

They kissed finally; they did not bother starting light, but fell deeply into it. Between his mouth and his nails, she felt her midsection heat up even more, much like it did that night that seemed longer ago than it was. She was not one to feel like this often at all ; but she allowed herself to feel the pleasant heat between her legs, which eventually, after he bit her tongue slightly, turned to a slight throb.

She then randomly remembered his teeth on her thighs from the last time and began to yearn to try things-everything they had done-again…and perhaps some new. Thinking of this, as they bit lightly at one another during their long kiss-she began to feel a familiar wetness start to form between her legs...and could feel something happening to him where she was sitting, too.

As they pulled apart-his teeth scraping down the skin of her neck again-his hands slid around back to remove her bra; given it was a simple, easy to remove sports variety it came right off as he tossed it aside. Leona was nicely endowed, though somehow simultaneously didn't lose her lovely muscle tone, which he leaned forward to examine with his lips and teeth for some time before moving to her breasts.

As he made his way up, he passed over what seemed to be a mark left by a bullet, and was reminded yet again of how she too escaped death's touch before. Both of them dealt with it, danced with it...and had faced it down many times. It was almost...normal for them. He knew all too well as someone who spent a fair bit of his time tied to the realm of the dead-and even more time dealing it out-that when one does this for a living, one can also forget how to properly live .

Feeling her fingers caress his spine, tracing up it, over the brutal claw swipes and then the tattoos, following the muscles of his shoulders when they reached the top, he was reminded again of that last part about living and took a breast into his mouth to suck at it vigorously as she shivered in his grasp.

He allowed his free hand to trace to the other one...deciding to allow a nail to trace around the stiffening nipple as she let out a shaking moan; her fingers digging somewhat into his skin, and her soft whispers told him she was enjoying it. Tugging some at her nipple with his teeth, he allowed them to sink in just enough for her to gasp and grasp his head tighter.

Letting it pop out of his mouth, he looked back up at her, a slightly wicked smirk forming on the corners of his lips.

Pulling apart-after she bit somewhat at his lower lip-she looked down, sliding her hands down to undo her trousers as she still knelt across him. Moving slowly off, she slid them down, not having even taken her boots off. He was faced with her trimmed midsection and firm, strong thighs, which he immediately began tracing his hands over.

"What you did...at the party...with your teeth…" she said, breathing heavily as she played with his silky hair.

In answer, he bit at her upper thigh, knowing exactly what she was asking. His thumb-very mindful of his nails around this area, as it was much more sensitive skin than anywhere else-traced over the very trim, blue hair between her legs, pushing up as she stood in front of him. He rubbed her in a circular motion, easing her open as she spread her legs a bit; he smiled wickedly as he saw the pink glistening in the light somewhat. She exhaled deeply at his touch, the throbbing heat between her legs becoming almost unbearable...but she waited for him to signal what he wanted to do.

He looked up at her, a questioning look on his face. She nodded, her lids heavy; that was all the push he needed to lean in to allow his rather long tongue to begin exploring the folds between her legs again, enjoying the clean, musky scent and allowing the honeyed taste to trickle into his mouth. She was already soaked from everything they had been doing; this just made her flow freely, immediately muttering under her breath at the feel of it.

At the party, this had come considerably later into their little attic session. It had simply gotten to the point where she had such a hot, wet feeling between her legs that she wanted to experience some relief...relief that she had felt once or twice by her own hand, but never from another's touch. She never asked, but he could see how turned on she was.

He had then simply offered to try to satisfy her, as he, too, was feeling things he had not felt in a long time-since he was discovering nudity and seeing people bathing in hot springs. He may have been a man who kept his emotions in check, but he was still at least mostly human.

Knowing his hands were not particularly suited for the job-his slightly rough fingers had traced around some, but it was harder to really get a good thing going due to his nails-he had opted for his mouth. Being blessed with a rather long tongue to match his tall, long limbed physique, it seemed to be a much better option than his fingertips or the palm of his hand. He immediately found he enjoyed both the feel, and the taste, of her nether regions.

It had resulted in him spending nearly half an hour exploring her, and her deciding that despite being relatively non-romantic, the primal hunger that he set upon her with was something that set her blood pumping in ways that she had not felt before. She had buried her hands into his hair and let him do what he wished, quite stunned at the feel of the lashing appendage in her most intimate of areas. It had felt like nothing else she had experienced.

He was being even more intense this time. It wasn't that he was experienced here-the attic had been his first time going down on anyone-but he had instinct, he knew anatomy very well, he had remembered some things from the time before...and importantly, he enjoyed it and wanted her to enjoy herself. He knew that enjoyment was not something she got much of.

"Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she grabbed a fistful of his ample hair. "Feels...so good."

One of his powerful hands gripped her thigh, feeling the muscle under it and allowing his nails to dig in ever so slightly as he settled into roughly eating her out, enjoying every second of it as she let the incredible feeling wash over her. His tongue, lips and teeth could do so much more than just a hand.

Duo Lon, to her pleasure, was not someone who was gentle and romantic. Not only did the silken appearance at the tournament belie his tattooed and scarred warrior's body, it belied his kinkier side. Much like her general silence and withdrawn attitude sort of hid hers-though it was not something she would show to anyone. She could not explain the trust she felt toward him so quickly, but it happened. She felt his nails dig in just a little more...drawing the smallest bit of blood.

He picked her leg up to set it on the couch next to him, which also allowed him far more access, as his impressively long tongue slid up inside of her to stroke her from the inside as he let his free hand rake his nails down her abdomen. Bringing his tongue back to swallow some of her fluids, he went back in, his teeth lightly teasing the sensitive skin; his hand continued back up to her sides, letting his nails scrape the skin just enough and his rougher fingertips trace over the muscle.

Working around, he tugged at her clit with his teeth, causing her to mutter under her breath softly more as she hung her head, trying to stand firm, her hips rising and falling as they pushed into him. She opened her eyes a moment to watch him; she saw him pull back again, his mouth practically dripping, as he licked his lips and then flickered it between her legs some more before going back in to bite at her again. She uttered a loud moan at this as she shut her eyes again. Her own hands traced back down him, enjoying the feel of his deadly muscle and brutal remnants of his successful fights.

"Goddamnit," she whispered. "Don't stop. Coming," she continued, her voice soft as her heavy breathing continued; he started sucking hard at her clit, his tongue rubbing quickly against it as he occasionally let his teeth tug at it as she kept pushing into him. After a few more moments of this she let go with a low moan, holding onto his head tightly as his hand gripped her thigh and side, his nails digging in ever so slightly as he drank deeply of the rather intense and heavy flow of her honey that came forth. She didn't let him go, her hips rising still until she was sure she was finished.

He took his time drinking her in. He pulled back after some time, his long tongue lashing around his lips and mouth, cleaning off what he could before she started to set her leg back down, still shivering from the intense orgasm as he went back to suck at her a few more moments to swallow some more. When he was finally satisfied with his work, he slid back.

She put her hands on the side of his face, smiling down at him for a few moments as she panted...before pulling him into a rough kiss, which he returned in kind. Leona found that the fact there was still some of her on him was something arousing in and of itself, as he did not hold back. She didn't really think much about the prospect of having someone else touching her there, let alone eating her out, but after the first time she was more than happy to let him make a habit of it.

When it broke, her hands slid down to his trousers; he had already loosened them, so sliding him the rest of the way out was no issue.

Duo Lon was... large, she mused, almost chuckling to herself remembering how she reacted in the attic. While it was not unheard of, the tall man was endowed a fair bit bigger than average for someone of his height, and he stood around six-three as it was. She remembered the old, humorous wives tale about how a man's hand and shoe size gave away how big he was; after seeing his very large hands and boots-even for his tall height-she started to think that there was perhaps some accuracy to this.

And then...there was the piercing.

The assassin had a ring-in a quick internet search, she had learned it was called a 'prince albert'-that he had gotten pierced a couple of years ago. It was not for sexual reasons, as sex really wasn't something he thought about much-but it was simply something that he wanted. He liked to keep the rest of his body piercing-free for utilitarian reasons-though he loved his tattoos-but this discrete, intimate piercing was one that he had decided to opt for.

And one that ended up, after Leona had done some experimenting, offering quite a bit to them both.

Wrapping her hand around him, she began to stroke it; he was already rock-hard from everything that had happened so far this afternoon. Neither of them had even bothered getting completely undressed, they had gotten into things so quickly.

As she stroked, her thumb rolled up to the head and played with the piercing some; back and forth she moved it slightly, alternating between that and giving him long strokes. She leaned in, tracing her own lips down his neck a moment-mostly smooth, pale skin that was somewhat cool to the touch, which she liked.

Her own midsection still soaked from everything, she also bit somewhat at him; at his shoulder, which he uttered a grunt at. His own breathing became heavy from her hand squeezing and stroking his shaft, pushing it lower to play with him underneath. His own midsection was kept well groomed as well, given he had the piercing, and he just liked to keep himself neat. Nipping around his neck a little more, she dragged her mouth and tongue down his chest as his own hand played with her head; he kept his nails more reserved around here, though one hand slid to her firm shoulder, which he allowed them to scrape over.

She liked the feel of his hard torso under her lips...as well as the wicked claw marks, which for her just reminded her of the story he had told her-the story that sort of solidified that the two were, for better or worse, alike in many ways. She moved over to his nipple to tug it with her own teeth a moment, causing him to growl low in his throat, looking at her with his own heavy lids.

No longer wasting time, she slid down and began by toying with his piercing lightly in her lips as he sat up, his hand still on the back of her head; she took him into her mouth, as deep as she could...this was no easy feat, but she did quite well.

Sucking at him-already tasting some of the saltiness on her tongue-she had to admit she liked this the first time she had tried; this time, she would try a few new things here and there. Bringing a hand down and underneath, she teased the sensitive skin between his shaft and rear as she drew back, sucking lightly at this head, causing him to occasionally thrust his hips toward her.

Her tongue played with the ring in ways that sent him shivering, the low moans coming from his throat driving her on. While he never intended the jewelry to really be used like this, he had to say that he did not regret in the least getting it after she figured out things to do with it.

She sucked lightly at his head a bit more, taking the shaft in her mouth awhile more before giving him a few last firm strokes and teasing the ring with her tongue again. Judging by the even saltier taste-and his shivering-he was ready.

As she stood back, he bent forward to see how wet she still was...with his tongue, which caused her to shiver again at the feel. Drawing it back after some moments-a rather ample amount of her honey visibly clinging to it-he was satisfied with her readiness.

She made her way over to the wall as he shoved her against it; one of his hands on her shoulder firmly.

"Hold me down again," she whispered, panting. "Harder this time."

He grabbed her wrists in his powerful hands, pushing them above her head and against the wall. He gave them a squeeze.

"Try to escape," he said in his soft baritone-rather wickedly-before biting at her lip.

"Mmmmm," she said, looking up at him with a little smile...as she tried to move again. Anytime she tried to break free...he would hold her tighter and tighter, until he noticed her finally give up; his large hand could exert a frightening force. He grinned down at her, tracing his lips down her muscular arm, impressed with how hard he had to hold her.

She actually smiled rather wickedly up at him as she felt him rubbing against her midsection. Lifting her head up, she motioned him closer to meet him in a kiss; she decided to bite his tongue some, causing him to grunt as he slid his free hand down to begin to guide himself inside of her. He eased it in again, knowing as wet as she was, she wasn't quite used to this yet-and while she liked a measure of pleasurable pain, this was a little different.

He eventually slid up inside, causing her to moan against him as she slid down to nip at his neck again. He let her hands go, finally; at this, they wrapped around each other-their fingers and nails scraping skin as he turned to bite her lower lip, beginning to thrust quickly.

"God," she muttered, matching his thrusts, reaching her hand around to run her nails down his spine, occasionally fingering his hair; the silkiness giving way to the claw marks when her hands reached his back. His own hands traced up and down her back, sometimes using his fingertips, and other times his nails as he continued to thrust-the piercing clearly tickling a few things inside of her as they breathed heavily. He made sure to not scratch any previous injuries she may have taken; those were from other fights she had won.

He looked down at her a moment, biting at her lip again, tracing his mouth around her jaw to get underneath her ear. He, too, noticed a mark there-as if a bullet had grazed it. Coming so close to death...yet living on.

They both understood.

He continued to thrust, lifting his leg up slightly to push against the wall to continue driving harder into her; he threw his head back, nodding down that he would be pulling out soon to finish himself off. His grunting had grown almost vicious-he was incredibly ready.

She nodded, starting to lighten her own grip on him as he pulled back and out; continuing to stroke himself off to the side, he searched around for something-a towel, perhaps-when she suddenly crouched, taking him into her mouth.

Somewhat surprised she did this, she continued to suck him-her hands tracing down his incredibly powerful legs, giving the hard muscle a squeeze-as he finally came with a low, almost demonic growl, thrusting his hips toward her as she kept sucking, swallowing him.

This had not happened before-he had simply finished himself into a towel which he then cleaned off later on at the party. But he was more than pleased with this little turn.

Finally finishing, he exhaled as she stood, wiping off her mouth with a hand as she leaned into him.

"Thank you," he said, somewhat surprised. "I…"

She shook her head, smiling a bit at him, her eyes heavy lidded, as she met him in a fast kiss.

"Shh," she said, collapsing next to him by the wall for a few moments of silence; the mess of sweat and bodily fluids-including a bit of blood drawn from some of their bites and scratches-not even registering with them.

Having cleaned up in the bathroom, the two eventually settled back onto the couch, Duo Lon taking out his pipe to pack it. Leona found him an ashtray that had been in the room, and as usual, the smell of his tobacco was mild and pleasant. They had cups of the hotel coffee that came in the coffee makers that were placed in all the rooms; given Leona had a suite-like the rest of the Ikaris-there was a fair supply, though it wasn't the best. It was sufficient for now, at least.

"Shame I don't have the record player here. If you make it back to the Sky Noah, Adel had made sure I have one in my quarters for when I come. But for now, this will do."

Leona smiled up at him, leaning against him on the couch. She had gotten dressed again after the quick showers, though left her boots untied. One of his arms was slung over her; he too had redressed quickly after. They were likely going to eat soon.

"This sounds fine, though. I grabbed that Blightwinter CD I liked from the party."

"Angels Dethroned?"

"Yes."

"Probably one of their best, unless you can get a hold of their first demo...which is sort of hard." He smirked down at her. His hair was done up in its loose double-tail, which he would do to just get it off the ground if his braid was out. A little of it was slightly damp after having cleaned up. Pushing back some of his bangs, he looked out the window a moment.

She shut her eyes, rather comfortable in the cool room. The feeling in her midsection was one of relief...and a bit of soreness, though it was a very pleasant ache. Duo Lon wasn't the most gentle in his actions-not that she minded-between biting at her clit the way he was and then later when she got to take his entire member inside...with the piercing. Her wrists had some light bruising from his hands, as well-though she very much liked having him pin her there and trying to fight against his power to move.

Afterward, when they had stood in silence by the wall, he had leaned down to lick away some of the blood he had drawn, ever so lightly. Refraining from using his teeth and nails at this point, he had stroked her hair and back, letting his own hair cover her as they stood. He would sometimes softly kiss her shoulder, neck, and face while she recovered from the intense session.

She felt so comfortable.

And actually genuinely happy, which was generally a fleeting emotion for her.

"Going to come to the Sky Noah? I'm sure Adel would like to see you again."

"You know? I think I will. I need some time off."

"You might be able to catch our sparring match."

Leona smiled at that. "How do you do?"

"He is up one match. I got him once, though. We tied another time."

She blinked. "Wow. I mean we defeated him once, but...that was all three of us and Ralf was the last one up. He fell over soon after that, too. Adel got up first." She smiled slightly at the way Whip always reminded him it took all three of them to bring him to that point...and that Adel had recovered quickly. It was more to poke fun at Ralf than it was the other two, of course.

"He is challenging...but I can match him in a few things."

"I'll be there watching, then," she said, turning back around to close her eyes for some time, still leaning against him. One hand went over the forearm that was slung over her.

After some time passed-her eyes closed, both of them sort of just relaxing for a spell, she turned back toward him.

"Are you getting hungry?"

"I think so," he said. "Down the street, there was a rather excellent dim sum place that Adel took me to on my first visit."

"Mmm," she said, turning toward him. "Yeah, let's go there. I'll come to the Sky Noah with you afterward."

He smiled, finishing his coffee and standing, stretching out. He slung his loose tank top back on, not bothering putting his hair back in the braid. He grabbed a few of his things-mostly his pipe case-and was ready quickly.

Before they opened the door, Leona paused, looking up at him; knowing what the other thought, they met in one more lingering kiss for a few moments, Duo Lon nipping at her lower lip...just barely grazing it, though.

"The offer stands, of course," he said, a bit of an evil smirk on his face.

She rubbed the back of his neck, giving him a small, knowing smile before adding one more kiss, which he returned softly.

"I know."

A/N: Just to clear the air, I get that writing Leona Heidern in anything that isn't 'Silent, Serious Soldier Material where she Smiles Like Twice' is sort of pushing her out of character, but Leona is good and deserves good things. Like an assassin buddy. So I try to, I guess, 'break character' in the most Leona ways I can think of?

If there's one thing I wanted to start practicing, it's 'friends with benefits' writing. Trying to capture a good, emotional bond between two people without devolving into a full on relationship is kinda hard, IMO. Casual, no strings sex between strangers or even light acquaintances is pretty easy, I think, a relationship I don't really think is that hard, either, depending. I even think platonic love is easier to write about.

Trying to walk the line of friends-newer ones, at that-who clearly care and find some comfort and rapport from one another but are not really the types to form 'relationship' bonds, while also making the sex something they truly enjoy, is a challenge I wanted to take on. They are more than mere 'fuck buddies', and I wanted the sex to show that.

They appreciate what the other does, and they each *know* that the other has to wrestle with some pretty heavy things; it's both clear that the two of them face death often, and have the marks-physical and mental-to prove it. They trust each other, they care about each other, but they are just willing to walk away and go back to their duties when they have to(even if they like writing to each other while gone; the letters don't contain much sensitive, pining stuff at all.)

I think what I was going for was 'a couple of trusting, quiet friends in the streets-a couple of slightly kinky, bitey, even a little bloody but also caring, sexually giving, bonded badass warriors in the sheets.'

I liked the idea of them having a little bit of kink-Duo Lon's piercing, Leona's like of his dangerous nails and being pinned by him, his like of her trying to fight him back for that...both of them enjoying some bitey things and them having a sort of bond over each other's line of work; one a hardened soldier, the other a hardened assassin, both of them distant, though loyal to their groups(the Ikari Warriors and the Hizoku, respectively), both with a few close friends-and also a lot of baggage(Leona's we of course know, Duo Lon having gone through some hell in his training, and I write in this 'verse that he, too, had lost control a couple of times to grisly results.)

Oh yeah, I'll clear this up since it's mentioned early; I know a lot of Ikari writers like to rank Leona above Ralf/Clark; however, the lore rank goes Heidern-Ralf-Clark, so I mostly stick with this, with the addendum that Leona/Whip are more around Clark's rank.

Finally, do not google 'prince albert piercing' if you're at work or something. Suffice it to say it's a type of intimate male piercing that's in the head.