*WARNING*

This chapter contains sex scenes!

(I know some of you have been waiting for this..! ;D XD)

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( /RoryWild4)

And Bertaz too! (She draws Escalin sooooo well! She's an inspiration and a huge help every time!)

( /BertazHead)

CHAPTER 3: Growing

"I am dying Merlin. I do not think I have much time left."

No, she had heard wrong, it wasn't possible, he was wrong, it was a bad joke, it… it…

It wasn't fair!

The Mage was devastated, she was looking at him with eyes wide open, full of hurt, fear and shock.

"...no…"

Her whisper was one of anguish, she couldn't and wouldn't believe what he had just said, she was shaking her head, she refused to believe it, it wasn't true!

"Merlin…"

She continued shaking her head, lowering it, and she could feel tears dropping from her eyes.

Escanor was almost just as sad, he knew that he would have died one day, he was a normal human, but he hadn't wanted to make her even more miserable, he hadn't wanted to hurt her.

"Maybe it was insensitive of me to tell you this after, well, after the turn of events between us… but in these circumstances I thought you needed to know."

What? He wouldn't have told her if they hadn't become closer? Had he told the others?

"I would have died anyway sooner or later, I am a normal human, that is life."

He was trying to reason with her, to comfort her.

"...why didn't you tell me sooner? I could have done something, I could have asked for someone's help, we could have done something!... Now we don't have time… it's too late…"

She was nearly hysterical, she could feel the cold sensation gripping her heart and squeeze painfully.

He hugged her tight to him, she didn't resist and hid her face in his neck, sobbing against him.

It wasn't fair! If this was the punishment for her sins then why was he the one to die?! Why couldn't she be the only one to be punished?! He didn't deserve this, he was too good of a person… it wasn't fair.

He tried to comfort her the best he could, he was prepared to die if that would mean saving everyone else, if he could be of help to them, to her.

"My only regret would be leaving you thinking that you do not deserve to be loved."

He whispered to her, moving back and lifting her head so that he could look her in the eyes, she was a mess, but what a beautiful mess she was, he couldn't help but smile lovingly.

She was looking at him astonished.

"I don't deserve love, especially yours. I hate myself…"

She looked down again, ashamed, but he was having none of it, and lifted her face up again.

"Please, do not hate the person that I love the most, the person that means everything to me."

His words sprouted another round of tears that he tried to dry with his thumbs, both his hands cupping her face, so that she couldn't hide anymore.

"I see you, I see so many good things in you and in what you do, you don't do only terrible things, you do wonderful things too."

He kissed one cheek and then the other, catching her tears with his lips.

"You may have stopped your time, but you are only human, in a way."

She was trembling slightly, but he hugged her again, resting his forehead on hers, their breathing mingling.

"And I love my 'human', full of good and bad qualities, beautiful Boar. I love your virtues and your flaws, because all of them make you the person that you are, and that is the person I love."

She couldn't explain all the things she was feeling, his words had chased away the cold and now she could feel a gentle warmth inside, even if her chest continued to hurt, but he was able to lessen even that.

She slowly moved her hands from his chest to let her arms circle his neck, hugging him back to her.

"I don't mind being called yours, if I can call you mine too."

She whispered, a little smile on her lips, even if her eyes were still sad.

He smiled back at her, relieved to see she had calmed down and that could still smile at him, otherwise he would have hated himself.

"We have some time, we can make the best of it, if that is what you want."

Did he really have to ask?

"I have every intention to use this time to the fullest."

She grinned teasingly at him, and then kissed him with a desperate passion, pouring all her feelings in that kiss. He was taken aback only for a second, returning her kiss with fervor, wanting her to feel how much he loved her. She was gripping his hair, while he was crushing her body to his, one hand in her hair. Their tongues found each other and battled fiercely, making both moan at the sensations.

After some time they had to stop and come up for air, still gripping tightly the other.

"If this is going where I hope this is going, let me make some adjustments first."

She winked at him, both surprising and exciting him. Slowly she stood back, leaving the safety and warmth of his embrace, both mourned the lack of contact.

She went towards one of her chests, rummaged inside for a minute and then straightened up again, he had to admit to himself, blushing, that he didn't mind her in that position, bent forward…

He shook himself mentally, and turned his attention to her, and the little bottle with the strange liquid inside.

"I made this a long time ago, thinking that it may come a time when it was needed, and I think this is the perfect time to finally use it."

He was staring at her, perplexed, she chuckled slightly at that and he could spy a little red on her cheeks.

"This potion can make my real body grow up to the age that I set it to almost immediately."

He was surprised and amazed by the thing she had created, as always, she was a genius.

"I don't really know why I put it off until now, but I want to experience things with you with my real body, not through an illusion."

He continued looking at her with big, astonished eyes, blushing a little at her words.

"W-well… I am very honored."

She smiled at his words.

"It will take about twenty minutes, it will be uncomfortable, but it will work."

She explained while uncorking the bottle.

"It will be painful?"

He asked concerned.

"Well, it may be, but I am ready for it, and surely willing."

She winked at him, trying to reassure him.

She canceled her illusion, her body turning to one of a little girl, the one when she had stopped her time; she was a bit embarrassed, but her determination won. She breathed deeply and then with a quick move gulped down all the liquid in the bottle.

Immediately she could feel her body in pain, she kneeled and then curled up on the floor, gritting her teeth to try and resist the painful and uncomfortable sensations of her body growing up so quickly.

Escanor was at her side in the blink of an eye, trying to do everything he could to help her, but he didn't know what to do.

Right in front of his eyes the Mage's body was growing, he could see all the changes she was going through and how uncomfortable it was for her, her eyes were tightly closed, her fists too, and her teeth were clenched tight.

It was the longest 20 minutes of their life, she wanted to escape from the pain but had to endure it, and he was trying to be strong for her, seeing her so in pain was tearing at his heart.

Finally the process stopped, the Lion immediately took her in his arms, trying to comfort her, while the Mage was breathing hard, tired from the ordeal, but now her body was all grown up like her illusion had been, she had done it.

"Merlin are you ok?"

She tried to regulate her breath for another moment while nodding at him.

"You were really brave to go through that."

He whispered, kissing her head and hugging her tighter, trying not to think much about her being completely naked.

She smiled at his words and actions, it was strange, he had already hugged and kissed her but now it felt different, or more like she felt the sensations better. She lifted her head to give him a sultry look.

"I think it was well worth it, it seems that with my real body I can feel everything better."

Her smile was very suggestive as were her hands that were caressing his chest as if it was the first time, she seemed to want to experience everything again with her real body, well who was he to say no?

He helped her to sit up and then crushed his lips to hers, feeling her surprised intake of breath, taking advantage of that to slip his tongue into her mouth, making her moan in approval.

They kissed with passion, her arms around his neck, hands gripping his hair, while he was hugging her to him, one hand pressed on her back and the other in her air. Merlin couldn't stop her moans, the sensations were on another level compared to before, her body was on fire, there were goosebumps all over her skin, and the contact between their naked upper bodies was making her almost dizzy. Escanor couldn't rein himself in for much longer, the feel of her skin under his hands, her body pressed to his, and the beautiful sounds that were coming out from her were exciting him more than ever.

When they finally had to come up for air, he didn't lose time and attacked immediately her neck, kissing, licking and sucking to arrive at her throat, and then went on to her collarbone. The Mage grasped his shoulders to try and stabilize herself, he was doing marvellous things to her, and she couldn't help but moan aloud, she hadn't a grip on reality anymore, she was losing herself in the exciting sensations he was provoking in her, her stomach clenched at every touch and kiss, and she could feel herself hot and wet between the legs.

She had never experienced it like this, she was feeling so much, and wanted only to feel more!

"Escanor...aahhh...Es-...mmmhh...bed...ooohhh…"

She had to concentrate a lot just to say that, but it was enough for him to understand her request. He found it hard to stop his exploration of her body and detach his mouth from her skin, but in a moment of clarity he moved back, stood up, helping her to stand too, and with his arms secured around her moved them towards the bed, luckily it wasn't far from them, they made it just in time before either of them had enough waiting and took the other on the floor.

She found herself on the mattress, on her back, breathing hard, her skin tingling all over, and looking at him over her, his hands on either side of her head, supporting him, his eyes were a storm of passion, as were hers, but he was also determined to have her experiences it at best.

They looked at each other for a moment, catching their breaths a little, then he kissed her long and hard, pouring every feelings he had for her in that kiss, she almost cried from the intensity of it, and tried to do the same, letting him know what she was feeling as well.

After some moments he left her lips and went on kissing, licking and sucking every other inch of her body, worshipping that work of art, following her neck, going down to her collarbone and taking his time on her breasts, they were so full, round and soft, her hard nipples were delicious, her loud moans and pleads encouraging him to pay a good amount of attentions to them. She was lost in ecstasy, and was unable to stop her loud appreciations of his ministrations, his attention to her nipples gave her a shock coursing all over her body, stopping between her legs.

Finally he resumed his exploration of her body, passing over her stomach, her belly, memorizing and worshipping every inch of her, arriving at the juncture of her legs; without thinking she opened them for him, silently giving him permission and telling him what she wanted. He looked at her in the eyes, making sure, but her half lidded golden orbs full of desire were affirmation enough, and without hesitation he dived in between her legs, exploring her with his mouth.

At the first lick of his tongue she almost screamed, it had never been this good, none of it, she had never truly felt the pull of sex, she had only been curious, and wanted to experience even that, but her previous encounters couldn't even be put on the same category of what she was experiencing right now. The fact that she was doing it with her real body was a great factor, but even before, when they had kissed in the tub, the sensations that she had felt were different, stronger than with anyone else in all her 3000 years of life.

Now she found herself writhing in pleasure and unable to keep silent.

Escanor could have done this for a lifetime, she was delicious, he couldn't get enough of her, her taste, her smell, the sounds she made, and was determined to make her feel even better. He grasped her legs trying to hold her still against him, working her with his tongue, exploring her inside, moving in and out of her, licking everything up, and then focusing on her clit, putting pressure on it and circling his tongue around it. This had her going wild, and when after a few more moments she came, she was almost howling in pleasure, her body shuddered with the sensations coursing through her.

He drank everything and when her trembles lessened, he gave a last lick and moved up her body, coming back face to face with her, founding her with her eyes closed, flushed red and breathing hard, he smiled at that, proud of this achievement, and began peppering her neck and face with loving little kisses.

She moaned and opened her heavy lids slightly, looking in his blue eyes and smiled in satisfaction, watching a proud grin forming on his lips, she chuckled and reached for him, circling his neck to press his body to hers and kiss him languidly, tasting herself on his tongue still.

They kissed slowly for a while, interrupting it with little innocent kisses here and there, letting her recover a bit.

Suddenly Escanor groaned against her mouth, it seemed she was good enough now to lift her hips towards him, making him remember that he was still hard against her, and she was appreciating it but wanted more.

He moved back a bit, looking at her, she was sporting an inviting smirk on her luscious lips, lifting her hips against him again making him shudder and gasp at the friction, he closed his eyes for a moment, reopening them immediately when he felt her hand closing in around his shaft possessively, his towel gone, beginning to stroke him almost gently, speeding up and tightening her grasp more with every movement.

She was liking his texture and thickness, and also his reaction, she could feel his shaft becoming even bigger and hard in her hand, it was fascinating and exciting.

He was groaning, supporting himself over her on his forearms and knees, he let her do as she pleased for a few more seconds, then he almost forcefully took her hand away, kissed her wrist softly making her gasp, and put it near her head, doing the same thing with her other hand.

He took a couple of deep breaths, her hand was a magic of its own, and looked at her again, while positioning his body better between her legs, his hardness just outside of her wet folds.

She moaned, wanting him inside her, and nodded to him with lust filled eyes, he nodded in turn, grasped her legs opening them further and bending them at his sides, her knees at his waist, then he intertwined their fingers and began entering her, his eyes never leaving her face, he wanted to see every expression she would make.

He entered slowly, and that was a good thing because soon he felt a kind of membrane stopping him, he tried to push slightly but her gasp had him holding completely still, focusing on her face, a little grimace on her lips.

He was confused, and at first so was she when she opened her eyes to look at him, but, right after, a glint of understanding lightened up her gaze, and she seemed almost embarrassed, moving her head to the side, her cheeks a light red.

"Merlin?"

He asked confused and worried, she bit her lower lip lightly, sighed, and turned towards him again, a half smile on her lips.

"It is the first time my real body has done this…"

She drifted off, leaving it to him to understand what that meant. It took him only a couple of seconds and then his eyes opened wide and he blushed, earning a light chuckle from the Mage.

"Oh…"

"Yep."

There was silence for just a second.

"Do you still…"

"Yes."

There wasn't even an ounce of uncertainty in her tone, but her eyes told him also that she didn't really want to find out how much that would hurt.

"I'll go slow."

"No, be quick. After that you can go slow."

She smiled at him, having made up her mind, and he just nodded, accepting that.

He kissed her, slowly at first, then turned it deeper and hard, earning a moan from her, while he was distracting her with his mouth he began circling her entrance, lubricating himself, and then began entering her again, when he arrived at her membrane stopped, prepared himself, kissing her harder, and with a strong and quick trust of his hips he went through it. She gasped in discomfort and a bit of pain, he was holding still inside of her giving her time to adjust, while he planted tender kisses on her shoulders, neck and face, tightening his hold on her hands, trying to comfort her and asking for her forgiveness, he hadn't wanted to hurt her.

After a minute or so she nuzzled his cheek, kissing it, and then nodded at him, she was good now.

He waited a couple of seconds still, then moved slowly further inside her, she gasped again, her eyes going wide, and he stopped immediately.

"Merlin…"

"It's okay...just...it's...you're very well endowed."

She grinned at him making him blush but stroking his ego back up. He smiled proudly for a moment, then kissed her and moved his hips again to sheath himself completely inside of her, he went slowly, paying attention to her every gasp and moan, and when finally he was fully inside he groaned at the sensation, feeling her wetness welcoming him and her walls stroking him just right.

After a moment to recover a bit of breathing he began moving, going out and then back inside, slowly, he could feel every inch of himself dragging on her walls, she was so tight, and she was squeezing him, it was heaven. She tried stifling her moans but couldn't, the feel of him inside of her was unbelievable, she felt full, and shocks were running all over her body.

He continued like that for a few seconds, then he could rein himself in no more, and sped up his thrusts, earning loud moans from her, approving the change in rhythm.

Gradually he sped up more, going faster, and deeper, while he kissed and sucked her skin, and she was gripping him for dear life, her brain shut off, she could only scream her approval of his actions.

It was too much, too intense, she almost couldn't…

"Breathe. Merlin, breathe."

He slowed a little, to let her breath, the pressure and the pleasure were so intense that she had been holding her breath, unable to catch too much air in her lungs.

"Please…"

After a moment she was pleading for him to continue, they had been so close before, so he decided to give it his all and to take her over the edge.

He took her legs, lifting them so that she could circle his waist, and resumed his thrusts, faster, deeper and harder than before, resulting in her screaming out loud her pleasure and they both came after a few more moments of that. Her body convulsed, squeezing his shaft hard, squealing aloud, their hands gripping the other tight, and he almost roared, spilling himself inside her, filling her up with his essence.

After a minute to catch their breaths, he had enough strength just to embrace her and roll over on their side, their bodies joined still, he didn't want to leave that hot heaven and she liked having him inside.

They were both spent, hugging each other, her head under his, and their hands caressing the other wherever they could reach.

The couple stayed like this for what seemed like forever, recovering and bathed in one another warmth and love.

Suddenly she hid her face in his neck, shuddering and tightening her grip on him.

"Merlin, is something wrong?"

He asked in a whisper against her hair, worried.

"I don't want to lose you…"

Her response was so flebile that he almost didn't hear it, he sighed and hugged her more firmly against him, caressing her hair with one hand.

"I don't want to lose you either."

He lifted her face so that they were looking in each other's eyes.

"I am so very grateful to have these moments with you, you made my dreams come true."

He smiled lovingly at her, his words moved her, and they kissed softly and with meaning, trying to convey everything in that kiss.

She hadn't the gut to tell him that he had satisfied her deeper yearning too.

I hope you liked this chapter! ^^

As always please let me know what you think! :D