A/N: So for a bit of a background on this one: Iori Yagami and Athena Asamiya are a thing in this ficverse. They got together later on; post XIV, to be sure, so this is a little ahead in the timeline than the usual stuff takes place; I'd say this is a couple years later? (Yes, the other people are very, very fine.)

I hadn't explored these two in awhile, so I decided to break them out again for a nice, sexy oneshot. Athena just got her new rather gorgeous hair that she's wearing into XV, and these two hadn't seen each other in about a week and a half, having things to do and such, and probably hadn't had any sexual contact for a little over two. (I had wrote the original fic where they originally got together under one of my old pseuds.)

So for some one-shot, PWP, do not read if you don't want to read smut sexytime between Iori and Athena, catching up after a week and a half or so apart when they go out for dinner, please enjoy! Adults only.

Moving down the dingy hallway as he opened his long jacket-the fall weather now cool enough for him to have a coat on when he went out and about-Iori considered once again upgrading his apartment one day, though as always, he would quickly decide against it, liking the relative privacy the place gave him. He made decent enough money, but he ended up preferring to spend it on other things-good food and alcohol, a nice coat, or something of that nature.

As he arrived at his apartment door, the smell of coffee permeating the air as it cut through the hall's slightly dusty smell made him smile, as he knew a certain someone was waiting for him...and it was someone that he enjoyed coming home to. She had her own key to the place, and could come and go as she pleased.

Opening the door, he saw Athena there in the corner, happily visiting the new house-mates that he had, at least temporarily, depending. Turning, she smiled.

"When were you going to tell me she had kittens?" she said, happily surprised.

"You never asked," he said, in his usual slightly distant way that would make her roll her eyes...though not unkindly. She knew it was their thing.

"Three of them. It's a wonder they all fit. She's so tiny," she said, petting the small stray's head that Iori had taken to feeding. She had regularly come around his apartment for months.

The three kittens were of varied colors; one was black, one orange, and one calico like her mother; two boys and a girl. Only a couple of weeks old, Athena gently stroked them as they fed, as the mother trusted her as much as she trusted Iori.

Hanging up his coat and overshirt next to hers, the tank top he wore underneath hung on him loosely, showing off his impressive physique as it would. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he walked over to the corner to see her.

It had been about a week since they had seen each other-perhaps a bit more, due to the pair having been quite busy, so they did miss one another. As he drew closer, he saw she was wearing her somewhat tight jeans that fit her curves very nicely, along with her sleeveless shirt, which came mostly down, though showed a bit of her stomach. She did have a longer-sleeved shirt-one of her white ones-that she had brought to wear over it and under her coat, but both were hanging, as his apartment was warm enough.

Then, he noticed her hair, and blinked. She saw him cock his head to the side, a smile forming on his lips, and she laughed.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice."

Reaching one of his large hands out, he ran it through her now shorter hair. He had seen her in the past with hair of varying lengths, but now, while she kept her bangs, the sides came somewhat past her chin as the back came up a little higher. Stroking the soft locks some more, his smirk grew.

"Time for a change?" he asked.

"Yeah, I decided to swap back to short for some time. It's been awhile. Wanted to play with the style a little, too."

"It has been awhile," he agreed, stroking it some more as she leaned into him. "It looks great."

"A compliment from Iori Yagami?" she chuckled.

He snorted, his brows furrowing for a moment...as he quickly leaned forward to capture her in a kiss. She returned it as it deepened, her own hand running through his soft hair.

After it broke-it took a few moments-he stroked the side of her face with a rough hand. "How have you been?"

"Fine," she replied, pushing back some of his hair as he went to sit on the couch. She followed him to sit back next to him, crossing one leg over the other "Busy. With everything."

"The same," he said. "A lot of...things."

"Yeah, I know you've been around the other two more often."

"We're just trying to figure it all out."

"How have you been sleeping?" she asked.

"Not as good as when you're here," he said bluntly.

She smiled softly at that, taking his hand. Their fingers interlocked as his gently stroked her smooth skin.

Iori Yagami and Athena Asamiya were two names that people would not have been able to believe would be together, but indeed, the past few months-since early in the summer, in fact-had seen the two dating, having grown very close after Iori had a harrowing, mentally taxing and bloody summer. Neither crowded the other out, as Athena knew Iori needed his space, and Iori knew she had her public image to maintain, which he did not want to see messed up knowing she was an item with the surly, frightening fighter.

Athena cared less about this than he did, but nonetheless appreciated him looking out for her. They didn't keep what they had secret, per se, as a few of the usual competitors had seen them together, but they didn't really bring it up unless asked. Robert and Yuri had seen them together in a restaurant and had put the equation together; others had noticed them and figured at least something was up, but said nothing.

Most people didn't like to bother Yagami in general, let alone go poking around the details of his personal life.

"I've missed you," she said.

Pushing some of her hair back behind her ear, he smiled again at it. He certainly had missed her as well; the way they would spend time in comfortable silence around their apartment after getting something to eat, or just lying on the bed together.

Of course, they both missed when they would be under the sheets...or on the couch, or against a wall. It was by no means the only thing they cared about, but both of them thoroughly enjoyed being physical.

"Hungry?" she asked as she went to get them both coffee.

"Yeah," he replied, taking the cup and nodding, sipping it. It was nice and hot, and also on the strong side, just how he liked it. Athena liked hers a little bit lighter, so she used a little milk in it, though she still liked it stiff. "I was thinking about the diner."

"You know funny you should say that...I was thinking that I would be in the mood for some all-day breakfast," she said, sitting back next to him and leaning against him.

He no longer tensed up when she did this; he had stopped doing that after the first month. Now, he simply relaxed. An arm slid around her as he nuzzled her head, inhaling deeply. She always smelled good to him, and her very presence could relax him, and often rather quickly. After the nightmare he went through early in the summer, he had learned just how well she could soothe him. She had been his rock to help keep him sane, and even helped him after a vicious Riot; he had destroyed his opponents, but had taken a lot of stray wounds that she helped heal.

As his mind wandered, he held her close.

Sitting in silence for some time, drinking the coffee and watching the small cat wash her two-week old kittens, Iori peered out the window at the quickly darkening sky. Getting up for a moment to feed the cat and scratch the tiny kittens behind their ears, he cracked the window, inhaling the cool dusk air, noticing the light cloud cover making it look darker than it was.

"Want to go eat now?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. "Taking your car?"

"Let's walk," he said. "It's nice out."

Finishing their coffee and getting ready-Iori just throwing his more worn long, black coat on, saving his nicer one for better dinners or competition-Athena also threw on her longer-sleeved shirt and her jacket. Putting on her sneakers as Iori found his boots, he made sure everything was off as they headed out.

Reaching the street, it was not busy at all; in fact, there was barely anyone around. Nodding, he pointed toward the back way-she knew this way took them past the city park, which had plenty of trees and bushes that would be changing color to enjoy while walking. He looked down to rub the back of her neck, no longer covered by the hair.

She smiled up at him, stroking his large hand when he put it down.

As they walked some more, Iori's hands shoved in his pockets as he strode with his tell-tale comfortable slouch-they paused as they reached a point in the park, checking out the trees and enjoying the blessedly cool weather. They had seen fewer and fewer people as they walked, and they didn't see many to begin with; the entire park was desolate.

"Is it usually this empty?" she said, looking around and enjoying the trees; they stood under a rather large one, near some bushes.

"Yes," he said.

"I see why you like it all the way out here."

"I'm away from people, barely anyone lives in my building, and I don't think I see more than one person here once in awhile at night." It was indeed tucked away sort of in a corner; after crossing it, one would go through a few alleys and then start reaching slightly more civilized areas.

Athena looked up at him, stroking his face with her hand as he leaned into it; she hadn't been able to touch him very much before they left and she now seemingly wanted that contact.

Iori wasn't much for public displays of affection, but given there was utterly no one around-there weren't even any shops for about two blocks-this small park was just fine for him to lean in to meet her in a far deeper kiss than they had started at their apartment. His hand finding her hair, tangling his hand in it, his other slid down her back firmly.

She leaned against the large tree as he pushed against her, his mouth open and their tongues now probing at each other firmly; the kisses went from passionate, to hungry...to downright horny within but a few moments.

A week-more like a week and a half-was a fair amount of time to have been apart.

Having been together for a couple of months-nearly three at this point, while they were not together every waking moment, they enjoyed what time they could. And their enjoyment of physical contact was known to come out quickly at times...much like it was right now. Athena also did not particularly go overboard with public affection, though she was better about it than Iori was; but getting into it as heavy as they were right now was not something they did.

Their ferocious kiss breaking-her lower lip in his mouth for a few moments as he nipped at it, he pressed his forehead to hers as he traced his lips down her neck, her breathing growing heavier.

"Iori…" she whispered.

"Hm?" he asked. "You okay?"

"You can...kiss there some more…" she said, running her hands down his back, through his long jacket.

As his hand reached around to run down her back to grab her rear, he noticed something upon touching her; he gripped for a moment, before checking something. He stopped the kisses on her neck-his tongue had been tracing around somewhat-before cocking his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

She was clearly not wearing underwear.

"Hmm?" he asked, his voice low.

Athena coughed, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I...figured I didn't need any coming to your place. I have some there in your dresser, but...I didn't bother putting them on."

Iori smirked at this, kissing her mouth again several times as his hand ran around her stomach. "No problem."

He couldn't lie to himself; he found that incredibly hot. She was right in front of him, the evening was pleasant, their hands had been very busy on one another, and they were alone. As his large hand traced over a breast, causing her to shiver and meet him in a kiss once again, a different sort of hunger suddenly came over him.

The hand that was on her breast slid down to her jeans to deftly unbutton them; his hands may have been large, but his long musician's fingers were dexterous, and he easily worked the zipper down.

Giggling, she looked at him, curious.

"Are you…"

He licked his lips, his eyes trailing down. While he absolutely planned on putting it in when they arrived home after dinner, he had a bit of a different plan for now.

An appetizer, perhaps.

Athena knew that look on his face...and she knew his bedroom habits. She knew when he was getting ready to start kissing somewhere else, and she shivered as his lips traced to her stomach.

He looked at the grass, feeling it. "It's not wet," he said.

Deciding to settle on it, she looked around, feeling rather daring at this sudden turn of events; she had no idea that their little stop would result in this. She supposed wearing no underwear probably helped...not that she minded, of course.

He looked up at her, his eyebrow raised. "You okay here?" he asked.

"Y...yes," she said, pulling him up to kiss him again for a moment; his hand traced between her legs...and he felt just how slick she was. Sliding lower, he lapped his finger off slowly, tugging her jeans down to give better access.

As she listened to the breeze rustling the leaves, she moaned softly, biting her lip as to not let the sound carry as she felt him first rub her with his fingers to open her. As he saw the pink greeting him-wet and ready, almost demanding he begin kissing it-he exhaled deeply and she soon felt the first familiar, warm strokes of his skilled tongue between her legs...something she had missed during their absence. He would never skip this during their sessions; indeed, quite the opposite. He was very good at going for a long time, and he would oblige her until she couldn't take it anymore if that was what she wanted. He had even woken her up this way a couple of times, which she found insanely hot.

Iori knew he had to work a little more quickly, knowing that he could make up for it after dinner. Right now, he just had the urge to delve into her, so he took it. Allowing his tongue to give her broad strokes, coating it in her taste as he swallowed, his large hands rubbed her thighs as he closed his eyes, beginning to pleasure her in earnest, letting her fluids run down his throat as he swallowed. Not only hadn't they seen each other in about a week and a half, but before that, they had only managed to meet for dinner a couple of times...so it had, in practice, been a bit over two weeks since they have had any contact.

So he felt this was certainly on the menu, so to speak.

Her hands tangled in his thick, red hair as they would-it was always soft and pleasant. Her trousers were only down and not completely off, so she wasn't as wrapped around him as usual, but he had plenty of room to work.

Speeding up, he lashed his tongue all around her folds, tracing it from bottom up to her clit as he swirled it around some moments before bringing it back low, swallowing more of her sweet honey. He pushed close to thrust the appendage inside a few moments before pausing to nip her thighs to tease her a few moments, as he liked to do.

Athena muttered under her breath softly as she held his hair, glancing down to watch him. His eyes closed at the moment, he seemed to sense her gaze and opened them to meet it; he moaned low in his throat and began to suck harder at her sensitive organ, pressing his tongue against it and rubbing it until he felt her tense up; a few moments later and she whispered more under her breath.

"Almost…" she gasped, feeling him roll his tongue harder against her, eventually bringing her over as she came, grasping his soft hair tightly in her hands and thrusting her hips into his mouth. "Yes…"

Iori held her tightly to him as he drank in all he could; he cleaned her off when he finally felt like she was finished, giving her a few more strokes with his tongue before pulling away. Kissing her thighs a few times, he knelt in front of her, rubbing her stomach as she recovered.

"Mmm…" he said, smirking at her as she lay there.

Sitting up and smiling, she giggled.

"That was sudden."

He shrugged. "It was nice out and I was thirsty." He wiped his mouth with his hand after licking his lips. Iori, while he wasn't the most talkative guy around, was usually pretty blunt when discussing sex.

Uttering something halfway between a content sigh and an amused giggle at his words-and feeling very nice-she cleaned herself up with several tissues they had; while he did a nice job of cleaning her himself he did have a habit of being able to get her rather wet.

When she felt ready she pulled her jeans back up and collected herself a few moments before they shared a kiss.

"Ready?" Iori asked, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Oh, yes," she replied as she took his hand, the pair continuing their walk toward their favorite diner to catch up on the week's events over dinner.

Sitting back, she stared at the last two bites of cheesecake in front of her. Iori had already polished his off, and was sipping the rest of his coffee. He smiled softly at her.

They were often quiet during dinner; simply catching up on things here and there; the pair's lovely bout of naughty times in the park had provided Athena with a fair bit of relief...though Iori had to work his self-control somewhat, to say the least.

Athena looked at the dessert, sipped her own coffee, and looked at Iori.

"I don't think I can," she said. "Filled up on French toast."

He smiled softly, popping it into his mouth, swallowing it in a bite. Washing it down, he touched her hand lightly which was on the table.

"Take your time," he said.

"We can just walk slowly," she said. Iori had gone for a large, rare burger for dinner; it served great ones. Iori liked his meat bloody, Athena knew. She preferred medium-rare to medium, herself, depending on the cut.

Waving the waitress over-she recognized the pair, who came in here a couple of times a month, he took care of the check and the tip and nodded toward her as he pulled his coat on, throwing a cigarette into his mouth.

As they stepped out into the cool night, he lit it, pocketing the lighter as the pair began walking back to Iori's apartment, taking the less-traveled routes.

Looking down at her with the smoke still in his mouth, he puffed it, blowing a thin stream into the air before placing it back. He reached his hand down and softly let it stroke her hair from behind, his fingers dancing on the back of her neck. Given it wasn't as covered by her hair anymore, the breeze would hit; coupled with his fingers, it caused her to shiver, though pleasantly.

"Are you alright?" he asked when she shivered again. "Cold?"

"N...no," she replied, smiling up at him. "It feels nice."

"Mmm," he muttered, continuing, his hand starting to give her a light massage as they walked down the back alleys and other buildings, slowly making their way toward his apartment.

The pair had somewhat picked up speed, however. They barely noticed; but both of them sort of felt like they wanted to get back soon. Iori's self-control was starting to fray after everything, and Athena...well, she was relieved at the time, but she could always enjoy more.

As Iori finished his smoke, he paused to crush it out and then the two continued walking, their fingers now interlocked as they took one another's hands. He would walk like this with her now, and she quite liked that. It had taken him a little time to work up to that point.

She admitted when he dropped her in the park just now it was hot for more reasons than just his actions...which were about as hot as they came. She felt he had opened up just a little, even though they were still fairly private.

They eventually made it to his block; completely desolate at the moment, when she looked up at him to push a little of his hair back, he leaned down to kiss her deeply; after his tongue probed around her mouth a few moments, it traced to her neck, as he nipped and licked at the sensitive skin.

Shivering, Athena giggled. "We're almost inside," she muttered. Not that she minded his sudden touch.

"I know," he said, kissing up to her ear and pulling away to open the door; as they got inside, he pushed her by the wall near the staircase to kiss her again, her own hands finding his torso and sliding up his shirt.

At this point she wondered if they were going to make it to his apartment.

Her breathing growing heavier, Iori's hands slid up behind her head again, his strong fingers gripping her as his other hand slid down her side. Finally tracing his lips up to kiss her harder, they broke apart, her lower lip in his mouth a moment as he sucked on it before letting it go.

"Can we get upstairs?" she asked, breathlessly. She could feel him pressing against her, and it was clear where they were headed.

Nodding, the two quickly ran up, Iori unlocking the door and stuffing his keys back in his pocket. Kicking it shut behind him, he slid his boots off as the pair managed to at least hang their coats on the hooks near the door; afterward, however, the two ended up near the bed, Iori pushing Athena down onto it and supporting himself over her.

Looking down as she gazed up at him-her lids already heavy, and once again a rather warm, ready feeling between her legs-he leaned down to flicker his tongue over her lips, capturing her in another deep kiss, his mouth eventually trailing down her neck again.

He paused to slide his shirt off, allowing her to trace her hands over his hard, defined torso and shoulders, smiling up at him. He nuzzled down again, lifting her shirt to kiss down her stomach, slowly and sensually, as his hands traced slowly down her waist.

He was fully planning on heading between her legs again; despite having given her some pleasure in the park, he had to hurry a bit there.

Iori normally did not hurry at such things...and he was still awfully thirsty.

Raising her hips slightly-inviting him to slide off her jeans-she smiled softly up at him, licking her lips as he tugged them down, his hand tracing over her mound to gently stroke it for awhile as he pushed her shirt up more. Reaching around behind her, he undid her bra with his fingers quickly; she always giggled at how good he was at doing that with her. Helping him slide it off, as his rough hand started to lightly massage her once again damp folds, his head dipped low as he began to circle a nipple with his tongue. Starting slowly at first, but speeding it up, flickering it quickly as he felt it stiffen before he drew it into his mouth to suck and tug lightly at it with his teeth.

Her hands sliding into his hair again-also up and down his muscular back and spine, she sighed, soft moans escaping her lips again as he worked at her. He wanted her soaked when he went down on her again, as if to reap more rewards. It made her more sensitive, besides.

"Iori…" she whispered, thrusting her hips at him as he stroked her, sucking now more vigorously at her breast. Looking up, he raised an eyebrow, before pulling away, teasing the nipple for one more moment as he pushed her back on the bed a little more as he knelt by the side, nuzzling her mound again and adding kisses to it, his breathing growing heavy.

After giving her a lingering kiss, starting to swirl his tongue around her, filling his mouth with her sweet, sharp taste again...he looked up a moment and grinned, starting to move to the bed to lie down.

Athena sat up-squirming for a couple of moments from feeling him begin, but then suddenly stop-knowing what he was implying. Helping him undo his trousers, she pushed them down...seeing he was without his underwear as well. Mounting him and turning around, he quickly grabbed her thighs to pull her soaked nethers toward his mouth, delving in fully, his tongue pressing long, flat strokes against it slowly as she moaned in sheer pleasure, trying to find a way to settle on him and start pleasuring him.

This he missed; she was right there over him as he began to get a little rougher than he was in the park. Knowing she was trying to keep quiet there, he began thrusting his tongue deeply inside of her, curling it and pulling it out, before slurping up all that had started to come, moaning in his throat. The vibrations that she felt, coupled with his actions, caused her to gasp out loudly as she finally managed to start to take his large, now rock-hard member into her own mouth.

Focusing on him as his writhing, long and skilled tongue lashed around her wet midsection, she let out a shaking moan as she started to tease the tip; she could already taste just a little of that salty taste that she knew. He had been quite turned on all evening, especially after going down on her in the park, and he was now going to be feeling a bit of release, though she planned on stopping a bit early, so she could feel him inside of her.

Starting to suck, she worked her tongue around him as she took him deeper and deeper; hearing him grunt once-and then growl low in his throat, in his usual sensual manner-made her smile around him as she gasped suddenly when she felt his teeth tease her clit lightly.

They continued with their back-and-forth of sheer bliss. Iori pushed close again, his skilled tongue massaging her all over; from her opening, swirling it around some before running it up and down her labia all the way back to her clit where he began to suck a little harder; she tasted better than anything right now.

Gasping and muttering under her breath, panting harder as she thrust her hips closer to his face, she took him deep again, tasting more coming from him as her hands began to rub his powerful thighs. She felt his own grasp her smooth butt with one hand as the other continued to grip her thigh as he squeezed with both, flickering his tongue lightly over her to drive her mad for a few more moments, feeling her thrust against him, wanting to feel that release one more time.

"Gods," she whispered suddenly, him popping free from her mouth a moment as she felt his tongue tease back to her rear a little further than usual, tickling her as he squeezed her butt just a little harder, his nails starting to dig in a bit. He moved back down, smiling to himself at her reaction as he thrust deeply into her, grunting low as he felt her take him deeply again, as far as she could. She sucked harder, working him deeper as he began to suck her clit again; she finally let him go, thrusting her hips closer to his face as she felt herself tense up. "Now," she whispered, feeling herself go.

Iori growled low, his tongue lapping at her almost frantically as he drank her in for the second time tonight; her sweet taste filling him from her position directly over his face. Not stopping until he was satisfied she was through, licking her a few more times to make sure, when he felt her shiver in sensitivity he finally stopped, kissing her a few more times as she slid off of him. His lower face was well covered, which made him happy; it meant he did his job.

Panting from her second round of pleasure tonight, she gave him one more kiss on the tip as he moaned low; turning, she looked at him as he finished licking his lips before wiping the rest off with his hand.

"Mmm," he moaned, raising his eyebrows.

"You know," she said. "Don't bother pulling out tonight."

He blinked...and then smiled slowly.

"Come here," he said, his voice low as he tugged her over; she leaned over him as he gently held the back of her head, his fingers digging in just enough. Meeting him in a rough, almost violent kiss as he nipped at her lower lip, he felt her sink down onto him, giving him a squeeze as she did. He shivered in anticipation at this. They had gone bareback before, but he would pull out at the last minute.

Now, he would get to stay one with her the entire time.

Starting to thrust, Athena grinned down at him as his hands found her waist as she began riding him; she had ridden him several times, and it always felt wonderful with how deep he would get. He looked up at her, nodding his head so that she could come to kiss him again as she held his shoulders, the two now comfortably one.

Athena knew what he liked, and as she rode him harder, she started to squeeze him a little; he growled low in his throat, squeezing his eyes shut and starting to focus more, so he could last longer.

As the comfortable breeze blew into the room, causing goosebumps to raise on their bodies, which now held a light sheen of sweat from their actions. As he thrust harder, all while she kept meeting him, he traced his lips down her neck to lightly add more kisses; he nipped a little when he got closer to her shoulder.

She wanted him to bite harder, but she knew that being spotted with marks might not be the best for her public-facing persona for the moment.

"Soon," he panted, thrusting harder as he gripped her sides with his strong hands; she rode him more, feeling him start to tense up as he thrust. Finally feeling himself go over, he pulled her down into a tight embrace as he came with an even deeper growl than he usually would; sensual, almost animalistic. She could feel his warmth enter her for the first time, and it was in no way an unpleasant feel.

It was the opposite; she felt somehow more physically connected with him at that moment. She kept riding him, squeezing him a bit more as he continued to thrust his hips toward her, feeling himself finally spent. His head falling back on the pillow, his red hair sweaty, he looked up at her and gave her a smile; pulling her down, he met her in a deep kiss which she returned in kind. Their hands sliding into each others' hair, he had not yet disengaged from her at the waist.

Holding her tightly after this, he exhaled deeply, his head now resting against hers. Athena felt his heart pounding against hers, and realized somehow then just how much she cared.

They stayed in that position for a very long time.

Iori settled back on the couch, looking out the window. He wore only his jeans, and had a cigarette in his hand, as he always would after sex. The window was cracked, allowing in some of the pleasant, cool fall breeze that served to air out his apartment; the dim lights only added to the coziness of the room. He had just gotten done checking on the new kittens, and they were doing quite fine. He made sure their mother had enough food and bedding, as he had let her set up in the corner, on one of his old shirts and blankets.

Athena came up next to him, wearing only her shirt and socks, not even bothering with her trousers at this point. Leaning against him, his free hand snaked around her, gently caressing her stomach. They had both had long, hot showers afterward, and then Iori had changed his sheets, as the pair had done quite the number on them tonight.

Exhaling a stream of smoke, he finally looked down, pushing back a little of her hair.

"I realized we hadn't said too much since the diner," he chuckled.

She leaned against his chest, stroking it; her hand traced over his skin, and also a few scars that were scattered around his body. "I think we both had some...business to take care of," she grinned.

He touched under her chin gently after setting his smoke in the ashtray. "Any plans this week?" he asked.

"Not many. Training a little extra."

"Of course." They both knew there was a tournament in the next few months.

"Otherwise, not really. I'm free to be around here."

"I'm glad."

"I need to spend some more time with the fuzzballs," she grinned, looking over in the corner. They were all sleeping at the moment, so she didn't disturb them. "They're so cute."

"I'm sure they'll be up soon. They eat a lot."

"Are you going to keep them?"

He shrugged, though the little smile at the corner of his mouth, she knew, said he likely was going to.

"If she wants them to stay here, sure. I think I might get her fixed, though. She is a stray. I can't keep them all if she keeps having them."

Athena leaned up again, cupping his face in her hand as she kissed him again gently. "How have you really been?" She figured after they had spent some more time together, she could hear more of what he had to say.

"Fine, mostly. It's only been about a week and a half since I've seen you."

"But it's been a little over two since I've been at the apartment. We've mostly been seeing out and about, and I know you don't talk about that stuff while we're out."

He sighed, knowing she got him there. "The dreams do come back sometimes. I think I know why."

"Yeah. You're going to be with them, aren't you?"

"Maybe," he said. "We'll see. Maybe I'll go solo again. I'd prefer it."

"I'm not sure what's going on with us," she said. "Kensou's power has been acting a little weird."

"Hopefully he can handle it," he said, knowing what that was like...somewhat.

"He's alright." She changed position slightly so she could lean further into him. "Chin's been examining him. He's been considering contacting the one creepy assassin about it, though I think he's hesitant." She chuckled. "I've heard from a few people he's far kinder than his appearance lets on, but you know Chin."

Iori nodded. He did not know the others very well, though he was acquainted with several of the other fighters, and he knew how a few of them could be in passing. He mostly kept to himself, Athena, Chizuru, and a couple of others. He had a little contact with a few other fighters as well, though more as a passing acquaintance.

"I think a couple of the fighters are actually friends with him?"

"Yes," she said. "I think Chin would be fine to contact him...but he's old and stubborn," she laughed.

"That's about all I know," he said.

"I know, you keep to yourself." She pushed back a little of his hair, causing him to smile. "How is Chizuru, by the way?"

"She's well. Busy. Very busy. We help her when necessary. Usually separately," he snorted.

Athena looked up at him, nodding. She knew he and Kyo were on...slightly better terms, but the two were still at odds in a way that only long-time clan rivals could be. "You seem to be able to tolerate each other."

"Sometimes," he said, switching position slightly so his other leg was on the table, as she lay down to rest her head on his lap. His hand went right into her hair, fingering it as he smiled down at her.

"You feel more at peace these days."

"Thanks to you," he said bluntly, his hand cradling her head as he bent to kiss her with his usual gentleness that he would have with her.

"You've done a lot on your own. I can only help."

"You saved me," he said simply.

She looked up at him softly, leaning her head into his stomach as she lay there. Inhaling, his familiar scent always gave her a comforting feeling. They had only been together about three months, but they had grown close quickly.

Repositioning so she was on his lap, she rested her head against his shoulder as he held her to him.

"You said you still get the dreams...but…" she looked up, tracing a finger down his cheek. "Your eyes don't look as tired."

"I...can sleep a little better now. When you're here, I'm not even bothered," he said. "I still have my bad nights, though. Some worse than others."

She smiled sadly at that. She did not know what it was...but something about their...strange connection, even to their very souls via her strong psychic ability-somehow soothed him. During the past summer-during some of his darkest times early on-when they had first started making their most intimate contact, he had discovered this.

"I'm just glad," she said. It hurt her when she knew he was in mental anguish. It physically hurt her...Athena was extremely in tune with people's emotions, and that went triple for people she cared about.

With Iori, the person who knew her the most intimately, it was even worse. She didn't care much about her own pain-that was one of Athena's known flaws-but early in the summer, she could not bear to see him so simultaneously enraged and in anguish. She did not feel it nearly as strong anymore, and that made her happier than one could know.

"Don't forget to worry about yourself, too," Iori said, pushing back some of her hair. "I know how you can get. Worrying about everyone else first. I've seen you go without sleep, too."

"I know. I've been getting better at that. Been trying to train, so I need to keep my mind sharp."

"Good," he said, giving her a soft kiss on her lips, which she returned, adding another. He brushed her hair back again. "I do love this," he said.

She smiled broadly. "Thank you. I don't know what made me suddenly want to do it."

He shrugged. "You look with any style. But this one really suits you," he replied, nuzzling to kiss her neck. "Plus, easier access."

Giggling at the ticklish feel, she played with his hair some more too, as he sat. "I really like how that new coat looks," she said, pointing to the black-and-red number he had hanging up.

"It's a bit nice to wear on casual nights, but it's nice for a bar night or a better restaurant," he said. "And thanks." Caressing her face again-he really missed her touch, he found, he kissed her one last time; he had gotten a lot better at the after-sex cuddling, she had discovered. While he often didn't sit for long, he was certainly much better at it than he was, when he would basically kiss her once, get up, and head out. Iori, for not liking human contact usually, was starting to enjoy her touch even more, though he still required his distance.

Looking out the window after it broke, she felt some of the breeze hit her again. Getting up for a brief moment, she let the window open more, then made her way back to his lap.

"It's so nice out," she said.

"It is," he agreed, his free hand absently stroking her hair.

After a few more moments, she started thinking again. "Hmm," she said, more to herself than anything.

"What's up?"

"Would you want to...go back out? To the park again?"

He blinked. "I mean...if you want to risk it again, of course."

She laughed at this. "I don't mean... that, though it's not like I'd mind," she said, giggling. "Just to go. Enjoy the wind."

"Of course," he replied.

Slowly rising and getting dressed-this time, Athena throwing on a pair of her underwear that she kept around the apartment, as she had kept a couple of pairs of clothes in his dresser, just in case she stayed for more than a night, the topped everything off with their jackets, as Iori pocketed another pack of cigarettes, his lighter, and his keys as they headed out again quickly to enjoy a peaceful night outside together. He paused to give her a light kiss on the lips before walking out, which caused her stomach to flutter, even now.

Smiling up at him as he took her hand when she made a grab for it-she was happy to see that he wanted to initiate contact outside still-they made their way back to a corner of the park to enjoy the night together quietly.

A/N: I missed these two. They're definitely a full on couple in this 'verse, again, having been together for maybe three months now. Iori is Iori; always a little distant, but much more at peace with her around; her psychic powers and general just...aura help him a lot. (The multichapter prequel story to this was a hard road for Iori.)

They may not have been super-wild or kinky with their sex; a 69, some teasing and some creampie, but it had been awhile. They just wanted to have fun. (The pre-game warm up in the park I figure would make up for the more 'normal' sex.)

Given this takes place some months before XV, I'm making it so we don't know the teams yet; I have a feeling those probably weren't assembled until a handful of weeks before the tournament, judging by the team stories. A month, maybe? That's what it sort of feels like sometimes when I read those stories. So Athena I imagine isn't sure what's going on with Kensou's power or whatnot, and Chizuru hadn't asked Iori and Kyo to join as a team yet.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this little revisiting of a pair I hadn't seen for awhile!