Ares - Gran 779
"Ares, why won't you have sex with me?" That… that was not a question I expected to hear from anyone, much less Lene. But she was always blunt about such things, blunter than even some of the mercenaries I worked with. "Can you hear me?"
"I heard you," I reassured, glancing over to where she was sprawled out on my bed before returning to the letter I was writing. While I'd originally thought it ridiculous, I had to admit that exchanging letters with Altena over the years had been fun. We both complained and groused about jobs while teasing each other. "You simply startled me."
"Well, I've done everything I can think of to let you know I wanted to, except throw myself at you completely naked," she replied, rolling onto her stomach to sulk at me. My eyes darted to the bandages on her feet, and I made a mental note to check with Layla over whether they had enough medicine or not. "So? I know I'm pretty enough."
"You are very gorgeous and very attractive." I smiled at her before deciding to include how blunt Lene was in my letter. I knew Altena would laugh at it, even if it was sort of at my expense. And I knew she needed laughs. "As always."
"Uh-huh…" She continued sulking, and I had admit that I was very amused by it. "That's just making me more confused, you know."
"You're also very tired from dancing nightly." I signed my letter and moved to sit on the bed next to her, leaving my letter out so that the ink could dry. "And I know you worry about Layla being left alone at night."
"Well, yeah, I do…" She swung around so that she was sitting as well and tugged at my sleeve. "But…"
"I'm sorry that I made you feel insecure." That, it seemed, was the heart of the problem and I knew I was right when she grimaced. "I assure you that my refusal has everything to do with fretting over you, and nothing to do with a lack of desire for you." I leaned in and kissed her, hoping it added more weight to my words. "I love you."
"And I love you." Lene smiled finally, looking a little dazed. "That's why I…" She blushed, but kept on smiling. "Well, I know sex is not the only way to show love or anything. But it's another way. And I want to show you that I love you in all the ways I can think of."
"Lene…" I was blushing. I knew I was. She was, seriously, the only one who could consistently make me do that. "You're ridiculous." Before she could protest the statement, I pulled her into a hug and laid down. "Sweet, though."
"You can find out how sweet." She grinned, bracing her hands against my chest and I rolled my eyes. "You really are the weirdest, though, Ares. Pretty girl throwing herself at you, and you worry about her and her friend."
"That is because I care a great deal for the beautiful girl in question, and know how important said friend is to her."
"True. One of the many things I love about you." She leaned down to kiss me before curling up on my chest, her ear over my heart. "What's something you love about me?"
"Everything."
"Oh, come on!" She looked up briefly to scowl. "You always say that when I ask!"
"That's because it's very true." It was. She was bright and cheerful, soothing to be around, always seemed to know how to make me smile… kind and caring, with a fierce protective streak… talking to me without fear, even after learning of my reputation… seriously, trying to parse it all out, even in my own head, was difficult. "I'm not really one for lying."
"I know that. But still." She huffed a bit more, but relaxed, closing her eyes. "Just name one thing? For me?"
"You're silly." Still, I sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She wasn't wearing it in a ponytail for once, mostly because she had been napping before all of this. "I love how fierce and passionate you can be, though I do worry it'll get you in trouble with Bramsel."
"Hee… well, I do try to avoid him to lessen the chances." She giggled and smiled. "Thank you for indulging me."
"Of course." I noticed she was dozing again. "Go ahead and sleep."
"Don't you have work?"
"Not anything immediate or important. Think I might nap myself, actually."
"That sounds nice…" And then she was asleep, still tired from doing two afternoon shows and the banquet show.
I smiled at her, chuckling at how easily she fell asleep, and let myself relax. Lazy afternoons weren't very common for a mercenary life and it used to be that I hated them. But ever since I met Lene, I came to enjoy them a great deal, because there were few things better than spending time with her. Very few things…
I glanced at the letter again, thinking of what Altena had wrote. Though she knew of my debt to Javarro, she actually suggested that I leave the group when the contract with Bramsel was done. I wasn't so certain about that, because I owed Javarro my life, but I had to admit that it was tempting. I didn't know where I would go or live or anything, but leaving the group would make it so that I could stay here with Lene. Or we could leave Darna together to make a life somewhere else. With Layla too because there was no way we'd leave her behind to fend for herself. She was much too good of a friend for both of us.
"When things calm, maybe I should talk to Lene about it," I whispered, more to hear the thought than anything. It sounded even more tempting when spoken aloud. "I'll think about it a bit more." After all, there was something brewing in Isaach. Something about Scions of Light, led by a Prince of Light.
Well, nothing would come of us. That was the way all resistances and rebellions went with the empire. It'll be over before I knew it, so I should just enjoy the lazy afternoon with Lene and not think too hard.
Author's note: Did anyone want fluff? I wanted fluff. So, this is set shortly before the beginning of Gen2 of Memoirs of the Holy War, probably a couple of months since Ares and Lene confessed at the end of her oneshot. Nothing really else to say.