Disclaimer: Tasteful Lemon ahead

The Birthday Question

This year's birthday was proving to be a starkly different occasion than the previous. During her last birthday, Severa recalled several moments that caused her some mixed emotions.

Firstly, her last birthday took place in Plegia; already not an ideal place to be for any sort of celebration. It was hot, dusty, sandy, and, more importantly, crawling with people who would have loved nothing more than to kill her for being Ylissean. Thankfully, they did not discover that detail until she had already escaped that place, but still… It was not ideal.

Secondly, she never liked her birthday, and last year's birthday was one of those that started out as one of the worst. How could it not have been? It was her first birthday away from her home. Away from everyone she knew and cared about. Most of those people were dead and gone too, but her heart had hardened enough to not be affected by that as much. Or so she thought.

A heavy breath slipped from her lips as she rolled over in bed. As she moved, the thin, scratchy blanket provided to her by Anna's mom shifted, along with the arm that lay limp over her waist. When she felt that, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her red eyes half-opened, allowing her to see Sam sleeping beside her, at peace.

There was the reason she even bothered to remember the last birthday. As miserable as it had been, it turned into a good one. Why? Because the dork she slept next to today gave her a lollipop one year ago. One of his last momentos from Gaius. It was something she never expected. Something that broke the cold exterior she had worked so hard to keep in place that entire day. It melted her, and it was the first time she hugged Sam. Not a small, we're friends hug. But something more. It was the first time he actually made her heart flutter.

Not that he needed to know that. Perhaps he already suspected, but Severa preferred to keep him guessing a little bit.

A small beam of pale sunlight managed to slip through the gap in their room's curtains, passing over Sam's face. He stirred, eyes squeezing shut, then fluttering open. When he locked eyes with her, a small smile formed on his face.

"You're up early," He muttered, voice still sleepy.

Severa snorted. "Always am, aren't I?"

Sam shifted onto his side, propping his head up in his hand as he rested against his pillow. "Like hell," Severa scoffed even as she rested her head next to his arm, "I'm always up before you."

"Well, I figured you deserved more rest than me for once," Severa replied, nestling a little closer to him.

Neither of them smelled particularly great. It wasn't like the Black Door Inn had scented soaps or bubble baths, unlike Ylisstol, or even Plegia. The past few days had been nothing but hard traveling, bitter complaining from Anna, and quiet foreboding about their situation fighting Grima. Stress and exhaustion had taken their toll on everyone, but particularly Sam. He seemed to be taking the entire mission on his shoulders, like Lucina. It was as if he had made it his personal mission to make sure everything went according to plan and nothing bad happened.

An unrealistic goal. Severa knew that. She also knew not to get her hopes up about things going well. They rarely ever did.

However, one of the few things that did go well involved the man resting right beside her, one arm rubbing her side, causing her to close her eyes as she felt his touch through her shirt. A small hum passed from her lips.

"I wonder if the others expect us to be up and moving yet?" Sam muttered.

Severa exhaled. "They can wait a little bit, I think."

There was a melancholic tinge to her voice that she did not intend to be there. But it was, and she could not hide it. Ever since the two of them made it to Valm they had been going non-stop. One mission after the other, with hardly any time to rest. While Anna did want to leave this place as soon as possible, Lucina also did seem pretty firm about all of them taking at least a day to get their bearings. As stubborn as Anna could be, Lucina could match her. Severa knew that firsthand.

So, she was content to lay still for a moment, doing nothing but enjoying the warmth this dusty old bed provided.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked, placing a tender kiss on top of her head as his warm hand trailed along her arm.

Severa held her breath for a moment. Was she alright? Birthdays were always hard for her. They reminded her so much of everything she had lost. Other than when Sam gave her the lollipop, the last decent one she could remember was before Grima's rise, back when her family was whole, and her father was not a monster. Morgan was so small back then. So full of energy. She and the entire Justice Cabal tried to prank her with some glue and chicken feathers that year. It backfired of course, and instead got all over Sir Lon'qu. He was pulling feathers from his clothes for days after that.

A soft chuckle left her lips, causing Sam to arch an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

Severa craned her head so she could look him in his eyes. She shrugged. "Just… one of the few good memories I have."

"Oh? Sam sat up a little more. "Care to share?"

"Well…" Severa pursed her lips. "It happened on my birthday."

"Uh-huh…" Sam nodded, then froze. His eyes widened. "Oh, that's today."

Severa chuckled, leaning her head forward so it rested against his shoulder. "You're a doofus."

"Damn," Sam muttered. "I don't have a lollipop to pull outta my ass this time."

That made Severa bark out a loud laugh. She hugged him tightly. "I don't expect you to. You know me and my birthday. I'm… not exactly a big fan of them."

"Bad memories?"

Severa drew in a shaky breath. "Sad ones."

Her heart ached a little as she recalled the last birthday she spent with her mom. That was a few days before she died. That was the day of their last argument, where Severa accused her of only fighting for a dead Prince and nothing else. She could still see the hurt in her mother's eyes when she accused her of that. She could still hear the heavy silence between them as her mother took her venomous words with not a single hint of rebuke to be found. She could still feel the tremors that shook her body as every ounce of anger she had erupted in one, violent outburst.

They were all feelings she wanted to forget.

With a heavy sigh, she sat up and swung her legs from the bed, resting her hands on her knees for a moment as she bowed her head. A bitterness he hadn't felt in a long time sat within her. Regret was heavy on her mind, weighing her down like one of those millstones Sir Vaike and Lady Sully used to workout with.

She just wanted to forget about all of it; about the pain associated with every birthday she's had since her mother's passing, about the worries and stresses she felt regarding the Shepherds' mission to defeat Grima. She wanted all of it to go away, just for a little bit.

Sam's arms wrapped around her in a tender embrace. "Hey, I'm right here for you."

Her heart fluttered. How did Sam always manage to know exactly what to say to her?

Because I let him in…

The last birthday came to her mind. That was the moment he cracked her icy exterior. That was the moment all of the thorns she had no longer worked on him because she wouldn't let them harm him. There were bumps along the way to where they were now, sure, but those bumps were part of memories. New ones that would help chase away the painful ones.

She turned, cupped his face, and brought her lips to his. It was a slow, soft kiss. The kind that made her shiver where she sat and caused both of their eyes to close as they soaked in the sensations.

Their lips parted for a second, hovering so close together that Severa could feel Sam's breath against her face. Then, she crashed them forward again in a more desperate kiss. While that happened, she pushed Sam back against the pillows, using that momentum to carry her into his lap.

Her hands cupped his face, thumbs rubbing his temples as she broke the kiss off and stared into his half-lidded eyes. Seas of verdant green, the color the fields outside of Ylisstol had been before Grima destroyed it. It was almost a foreign color to her now, after so long living in the cracked wasteland of the Fell Dragon's ruin and the dry dust of Plegia.

She saw more when she gave her hips a slight roll, feeling a bulge between her legs. Sam swallowed hard, his hands holding on gently to her sides. When she shifted her hips again, a pulse shot through her, teasing all of her nerves and making her shiver. Each time she rolled, the pulses quickened, chasing away the memories of the future and replacing them with fleeting sensations that consumed her mind.

Severa didn't know how long it took before she started undoing Sam's pants. But, as she did, he stopped her, holding her wrists with such a light touch that it made her freeze. Had she done something wrong?

"You never answered me," He said.

Severa swallowed hard as she felt his thumbs rubbing circles in her wrists, trying to rub the tension out of her in any way he could manage. "Answered what?"

"I asked if you were alright," He replied, voice so gentle that it made her heart thump. He was so sincere. It made her want to spill her guts out and admit to every pain, sorrow, and hurt she had ever experienced.

But still, she held back, biting her lip before leaning forward and kissing him again, hoping that would serve as an adequate answer. However, his grip, while gentle, was not loose.

"Sev…" He breathed, imploring her to let down her walls.

She refused. "Just shut up already." She whispered before kissing his cheek and rolling her hips again.

A quiet groan tumbled from Sam's lips. His grip slackened just enough for her to pull her hands free and turned the tables. She pinned his hands to his sides, sat upright, and circled her hips, feeling the bulge in his pants grind against her core. Her eyes squeezed shut and she bit her lip, stifling a sound of weakness that threatened to tumble from her lips.

"Gawds…" She breathed, finally letting his hands go and reaching down, yanking Sam's shirt up his body.

This time, he was accommodating, sitting up a little to make it easier to peel it off of him. When it was off, Sam just let it fall to the side of the bed then sat back, letting Severa's cold hands rest on his thin chest.

Severa paused, her throat tightening as she looked down at one particular mess of scar tissue located near his sternum. Sam's body was littered with markings like that. Spider webbing, purple skin along his hip, just above the hem of his pants, betrayed where a spell had hit him. His shoulders had a few nicks from stray arrows and shallow gashes. A ribbon of pink flesh ran along his ribcage, from where he took an ax for her back when they first met. But, her scarlet eyes remained focused on the one in the middle. The one she gave him.

Her fingers gave it a hesitant touch, making his breath hitch, and causing her to yank her hand back. That's when Sam chuckled. Severa narrowed her eyes and smacked his chest.

"You jerk!"

Sam kept chuckling as he leaned up to kiss her. His hands moved next, slipping beneath her shirt, fingers leaving blazing trails along her skin as they ran up and down her body, causing Severa to close her eyes and forget her initial anger. Eventually, he turned his hands, allowing his knuckles then his fingernails to graze along her bare skin, making her shiver.

"You gawds damn-" Severa muttered, not finishing her sentence as she raised her arms, allowing Sam to pull her shirt over her body, freeing her from its restricting confines.

His hands sat at her sides for a moment as her chest rose and fell. Severa tensed, watching him as he stared at her naked upper half. A pink blush shot over her cheeks. When his hands moved again, the blush turned redder, because they did not move where she expected. Instead of trailing up to her breasts, they moved down, slipping beneath her beltline. One held her hip, the other slipped into her pants and brushed over her mound.

Her breath hitched as a spark shot through her. This was different from Sam. This was bolder. Or, was he always this bold and she just never noticed, or let him take this course of action? Was she acting weak because it was her birthday?

Her hand snapped out and caught his wrist as his hand remained down there, but she found herself unable to move as he gently touched her, making an involuntary shudder pass through her. That's when Sam sat up and kissed her neck, almost causing Severa to melt entirely.

His other hand moved from her hip to the button on her pants, With dexterity born from months of training to be a scout and a thief, he unbuttoned her pants. She leaned forward, allowing him to slide them down her legs until she could kick them to her ankles. Once she kicked the free, she sat back again, allowing Sam to take in the sight of her on top. He should've been used to the sight, but every time he gave her a look of wonder that made her skin flush.

Both of his hands went up her stomach, passing over the faint lines of her abdominals to just beneath her chest. A small smile tugged on the corner of Sam's mouth.

"You are so beautiful," he breathed, making Severa blush furiously.

"J-Just, stop that." Severa meant to scold him, but it only came out as a shy whisper. One that gave him permission to keep going.

His fingernails grazed her skin, trailing back down to her legs. Then, his hands ran up from her calves to her thighs, pushing into the muscles and undoing any knots inside of them. When he reached her inner thigh, he paused, watching Severa as she shuddered at his touch.

"You tease," Severa gulped, smiling to herself a little.

"Says the one rolling on me," Sam countered.

Severa pressed her hands into his chest, forcing him onto his back. Her face hovered over his, her hair shielding their blushes from outside view.

"Well, you seem to enjoy being helpless beneath me," Severa taunted.

His finger entered her, catching her completely by surprise and causing her eyes to widen.

"Your guard is low this time," Sam replied, his one hand pushing against her sex while the other traced lines against her inner thigh.

Severa's throat bobbed as her weight dropped to her elbows. Her eyes shut as she felt him move another finger into her, a reluctant, strained hum leaving her. His lips brushed over the top of her breasts next right as he started moving those dastardly fingers of his.

"When did you-" Severa's breath hitched and she hissed. "When did you get so bold?"

"When you refused to answer my question," Sam replied.

Severa gritted her teeth, pleasure coursing through her veins like the most potent adrenaline. A moan spilled out of her, surprising her, and causing her to tighten her lips to keep another from escaping.

It didn't work as Sam kissed her neck, then her breasts. Along with his continued ministrations, it was enough for her to almost crumble on top of him. And that was a tempting thought. After all, out of everyone in the Shepherds, Sam was the one who broke through her walls. He was the one she allowed to see her as she really was; a scared girl who was painfully unsure of herself. And he found her beautiful still, despite those flaws.

But, she was still on top, and she decided it was time to remind him of that.

With quickness born from years of training, Severa grabbed Sam's wrists from between her legs, pulled, and pinned them above his head, making him quietly laugh. She kissed him hard, moved her hips as fast as she could against his still clothed member. A small detail that annoyed her.

"You better take your pants off already," She whispered in his ear. "Where's that chivalrous nature you had before?"

"Well, I'm a little stuck at the moment. And when did you become such a needy damsel, hm?"

Bold indeed. Severa though, a smug smile threatening to form on her face.

Severa hummed."I'll help then."

She sank lower, grasping his pants and pulling them down with her until they were around his ankles. Once they were off, she slipped up again, allowing his member to pass briefly into her cleavage. His breath hitched, and she smirked. That was for all the teasing early.

She straddled him again but did not let him enter. Instead, she chose to grind against him, dragging out every moment between now and what they both wanted. He did it to her, but she could be far more effective in her counterattack.

His hands tried to grab her hips, but she caught them and pinned them above his head again. A tsking sound came from Severa, followed by a moan as Sam bucked against her.

"If you don't hurry up, Morgan's going to-"

Severa silenced him with a kiss. "Impatient much?" She chided when she pulled away.

However, he had a point. They were not alone at the Black Door Inn. Eventually, someone was going to stumble into their room without knocking. Most likely that would be Morgan or Cynthia. Those two didn't have a clue when it came to timing or manners sometimes.

So, as her heart beat with anticipation, Severa reached down and pointed Sam up. Then, she sank. She winced, fighting back a moan as he filled her. Her stomach tensed when she reached the base, and her lungs let out a shivering breath.

Her throat tightened, threatening to let out a mewling sound as she rose then fell. All the while, she kept her hands around Sam's wrists, not letting him have any advantage.

But when he bucked his hips into her at just the right time, her grip broke. A ragged gasp tumbled out of her, followed by a harsh shiver she could not suppress. His hands broke free and he grabbed her waist, holding her in place for a moment, keeping her from riding him.

"I thought you said we should be quick?" She whispered.

"You still have a question to answer," Sam replied, his lips brushing along her neck then her collarbone.

He moved her atop him, pushing her back and forth, causing her mouth to fall open as she quivered against him. Her arm snaked around his head as Sam stayed sitting upright, giving her leverage to keep from falling back. After all, if she lost this spot, then she would have to admit to feeling a certain way about today. She would have to answer Sam's question.

But her body betrayed her. Her hips rolled on their own, forcing the movements Sam was making her do to become faster and stronger. His fingers dug into her skin as he gripped her tight. A small groan left his mouth, which he silenced by brushing his lips over a nipple.

That was enough. Sparks shot through Severa. Her core tightened, her legs squeezed together, and she shuddered, a mess of moans leaving her lungs that had built up throughout their little battle. Strength ebbed from her body as she melted in his grip.

And, as any good scout was trained to do, Sam pressed his advantage. He pushed her back, letting her rest against the bed as he lay atop her. Severa's eyes widened as he began to thrust, slow at first, but picking up speed with each moan that left her.

His hands ran up and down her skin, blazing scorching trails into her that made her gasp for air. One hand then descended. Fingers touched her bud as Sam thrust in and out of her. It was as if a thunder spell shot through her then.

"S-Sam," She gasped, chest heaving as she craned her head up to look into his green eyes again.

"Sev," Sam replied, a choking sound leaving him.

"Please-" She pleaded, only to be silenced when the tension within her snapped. Her head fell against the bed as her back arched, pressing her body tight against him.

Sam gasped, a couple of weaker thrusts twitching from his hips as he held her tight against him. Warmth flooded Severa's belly as she quivered beneath him, shaking and moaning, the skin on her chest and face flush and sweaty.

Sam collapsed against her, his rapid, weary breaths kissing her neck as he groaned. Severa closed her eyes, chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath.

For the first time, she lost.

Severa wanted to kick herself. Of course, on her birthday, she would be weak enough for Sam to take her. What was she thinking, teasing him like that when she knew she was vulnerable?

… did she really mind though? In the end, it took her mind off of all of it. She couldn't quite recall the gray wastelands of home anymore, or the harsh deserts of Plegia. The ache in her heart that had been there when she first woke was gone now, replaced with a heart that raced as she kept her arms wrapped tight around her love.

"So?" Sam exhaled. "That answer?"

Severa chuckled, her melancholy gone, replaced by bliss. She did owe him one now.

She craned her neck up and kissed him long and slow.

"Does that count?" She asked, smiling up at him.

Sam grinned at her. "I suppose it does."

Right as he leaned in to kiss her again, the door flew open, making both of them freeze.

"Sev, Sam," Morgan began, "Lucina and Anna are- Naga above!"

Sam was already flying back against the bed as Severa surged to her feet.

"Out!" Severa roared.

"I'm sorry!" Morgan cried, scrambling to the door with her eyes closed. She slammed face-first against the door frame, causing her to stumble back into Severa, dazed. Severa spun her and shoved her out of the room.

"You'll be sorry if you don't give us a moment!"

With that, Severa slammed the door. Her fists clenched at her sides as she seethed. A frustrated growl then left her as she spun on her heel, hearing Sam chuckling. She had been scowling, but his smile made her forget her frustration and anger at Morgan.

"Happy birthday?" Sam laughed.

Severa closed her eyes and shook her head. Somehow, she found herself laughing with him. Somehow, for the second year in a row, there was a good memory to be had on her birthday.

Whew! Well, that was something different lol. Happy Birthday Severa!

This is definitely something I've never really dabbled in before, but it was a good exercise and learning experience. I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. As always, have a nice day!

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