Rudo had come to the conclusion that nothing about Dezolis could surprise him anymore, from the natives who could only be understood by wearing special translation hats, to a spaceport full of domestic pets, to a more than 1,000 year old Esper in exile. Not the least of these oddities was the tower he was looking up at now: Guaron fortress. It was one of four structures built out of magic to protect the weapons and armor designed to demolish the evil entity known as Dark Force, Algol's Prince of Darkness. Add one more bizarre quirk to the list, and that would be that the structures could only be seen through the use of a special device called the "aeroprism," which was created by the Espers.
Standing next to Rudo in the snow was Amy, who was attaching the equipment she'd be taking with her into Guaron. She was humming something Rudo didn't recognize as she strapped a pistol to her right thigh and put her outerwear in a neat pile along the side of the building, next to his own equipment, which he had yet to bother with. She seemed to go about her business so casually. It should have been one more peculiar thing for Rudo, but he had grown accustomed to living outside the normal, to where it was no big deal that a petite doctor with no prior fighting experience could act so laid back about entering a structure teeming with creatures that existed to kill humans.
He was glad they had come to Guaron earlier than the rest of the group so that they could have some alone time before starting the mission. He looked down at the top of her head; her once-ruby locks were now darker and quite matted from the harsh weather and lack of ultraviolet on Dezolis. It was the first chance in weeks he had the opportunity to look at her without all of the usual coats, capes, hats and gloves, since none of it would be necessary inside Guaron. Besides, today was actually above freezing for a change. Rudo was reminded of the time last week when one of the natives back in Ryuon had hinted that this hemisphere of Dezolis was coming up on its warm season.
Rudo had stopped paying attention to Amy, otherwise he would have realized that though she was not looking at him, she was having a conversation with him. He was too tuned into their surroundings; listening for other group members or animals, even trying to hear inside Guaron. As he scanned their surroundings after assuming a snap of a tree branch was coming from straight ahead of him, he felt a tug at his left boot, then another. His eyes glanced down to find Amy loosening his boot straps and cuffing his pant leg tightly before tucking it into his boot again. Only now did he realize she had been talking to him. He tried to pick up the conversation, which was something about Shir and Moon Dew, but he was too amused by Amy's spontaneous sprucing to contribute. He continued to watch her straighten his clothes, and in spite of himself, he started laughing. Amy looked up, bewildered.
"What's so funny?" she demanded, much less amused than her hunter companion.
"I'm sorry," Rudo continued to chuckle. "I just wasn't expecting us to be so comfortable with each other that you're now fixing my clothes for me. You don't have to do that, you know."
Amy paused briefly, embarrassed by herself. She snapped her hands away from Rudo's boot without finishing and stood up. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her cheeks flush and head turned away from Rudo. "I don't know why I was doing that. I'm sorry for..."
"Why are you apologizing?" Rudo asked, holding her chin in his hand and directing her face back to him. "I'm not complaining, Amy. By all means, adjust my lousy cuffing job whenever you feel the urge."
The corners of Amy's mouth turned up in a tender smile. She closed her eyes, took Rudo's hand and moved it to her cheek, relaxing into it. He crept his fingers around to the back of her head and brought his other hand to her face to match. It was so hard to resist pinning her against the outer wall of Guaron and having his way with her. It was bad enough his testosterone was elevated for their risky adventure through Guaron, but add to that a recently reawakened sex drive, one that had been dormant for three years at that, and it all combined to make Rudo a frustrating and unstable mix of hormones. May the Great Light help him, if something didn't give within the next few minutes, he would march into Guaron and open fire on everything that moved.
His continued purposeful gaze at Amy must have appeared quite intense to the young doctor. She looked perplexed over his deep study of her, and she giggled somewhat nervously at him, biting her lower lip.
"Is everything all right?" Amy asked and placed a hand on top his. "You've been staring at me like that all day. Is it because... you know?"
"That's exactly what it is," Rudo sighed but returned her smile. "Do you know how much I want to..." he reluctantly cut himself off. He hated dancing around this issue; it wasn't helping things at all. Why couldn't either of them just say what it was they really wanted? Rudo did feel very in tune with Amy's mind; they seemed to read each others' thoughts quite well. However, he'd had enough of playing the psychic, and standing next to him with her head in his hands was the woman he desired so desperately not even a deadly mission could interfere with the way he felt about her. It was time to stop contemplating what they could do, he thought, and just do it. He hastily bent over to tighten his boots straps, stood up and held Amy by both her upper arms. He directed her to an area outside Guaron that was thick with trees.
"Rudo?" Amy looked surprised as she moved with Rudo against her will. The fact that she seemed so innocent of his plans only made him want her even more. She made him feel so young, like he was pursuing love for the first time. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked nervously, hanging onto his arms as he backed her into the trees.
He didn't answer her until he was satisfied with their seclusion from the rest of the Dezolis. "I'm doing what I've wanted to do all morning," he said as he pushed her against a sturdy tree trunk, brushing his face against hers and lightly showering her cheeks and neck with kisses. It felt so right, so perfect. Amy arched her neck to accommodate him, meanwhile running her fingers through his hair. Her light sighing and rise and fall of her chest only fueled Rudo's passion.
"We've known each other for over a year," he told her through his kissing. "We've been close friends for at least half that time. I don't know how we got to this point, but everything about you drives me crazy." He grabbed her tunic and started balling up its ease into his fists. He had to do something to keep himself from going any further than a good necking, and holding onto her clothes was better than yanking them off. He was so caught up in feeling Amy that he had forgotten to make sure she was comfortable with his sudden nuzzling. "If this is too much I'll stop. Just let me know," he told her as he continued to embrace her.
Amy pushed Rudo's head away but kept her hands on his cheeks. Rudo gazed back at her, feeling more than a touch of disappointment. Amy quickly ended that disappointment by suddenly bringing her lips to his and wrapping her arms securely around his neck. Rudo reciprocated by pressing her harder into the tree as he explored her mouth and tongue, locking into his memory every sensation: the smell of her freshly-cleaned face, the taste of tea and honey from breakfast, the feel of the curve of her hips, and the sounds of her breathing through her nose and faint moans of satisfaction.
All of this, he thought, would get him through Guaron. It didn't matter how massive or powerful whatever creatures existed in that building were; he wouldn't hesitate to knock them out of the way so he could get out of there as quickly as possible and be with Amy again. It was also inconsequential to Rudo whether he was completing this mission for Algol or for Amy. They were the same to him and every bit as important, both with the same end goal: Get out of Guaron with the Nei items, become stronger and more resilient and live to carry on the rest of the Dezolisian mission. In fact, Amy was now even more reason to get the job done. Rudo had spent the last year fighting in memory of his love lost. Fighting for love found, though, was something more tangible and exciting, and it renewed his sense of purpose and drive.
The only thing Rudo was unsure of was how their new relationship would affect them as teammates. It was something both of them had brought up earlier as a reason not to pursue each other romantically. He wasn't sure if they could keep their affections secret, or if that was even necessary. The entire group had grown to be very tight-knit and had a specific dynamic that had worked well for the better part of a year. Rudo didn't want to do anything to shake that balance, and he was sure Amy felt the same way.
He found it impossible to dwell on whether what they were doing was helping or hindering their duties to their team, as Amy's left leg made its way up his right side then hooked over his thigh. As if that didn't turn his mind to so much mush, her hands crept underneath his shirt, lightly running her fingers over his back. The sudden thrill of her bare hands against his skin ignited an entirely new level of excitement in Rudo, and he groped her leg, undoing the thigh holster of her pistol in one easy motion and the utility belt it was strapped to in another. He then let gravity take care of the rest as Amy's belt fell to the ground.
Rudo now had unfettered access to Amy's midriff as he reached under her tunic and let his hands play around the waistband of her wool leggings. He had now redrawn the line of his caressing, once established at merely kissing her. His hands were aching to explore her further, and it was of no help that Amy was all but wrapping herself around him, almost climbing him. The closeness was almost unbearable. The pair were two swift moves away from full-on lovemaking, Rudo figured, and this was far from the right time or place to go down that path.
"We have to stop," he managed to get out, much to his chagrin.
"I know," replied Amy through a gasp of pleasure, "but not yet. Please." She inched her way up to his earlobe and gently nibbled on it.
Amy had successfully diverted Rudo's attempts at halting their making out. He let his hands slowly creep up her back underneath her tunic, until he reached her shoulder blades. He knew his actions were causing her back to be exposed to the chilly Dezolisian air, but he continued to take his time feeling the smoothness of her soft, feminine skin.
"Are you cold?" Rudo asked, trying to sound concerned, but wanting to know for his own selfish desires.
Amy breathed out a no, and then replied, "Quite the opposite..."
"Good," Rudo said, and without hesitating another second, pulled her tunic completely off. Amy let out a startled yelp, followed by her delighted giggling. Rudo had heard her laugh plenty of times, but today he decided it was quite possibly the most adorable utterance in all of Algol. It made him laugh, too, and added a much-needed dose of reality to their current situation. It could have been the most pleasant day on Motavia and it would still be poor timing. Still, Rudo joined Amy and pulled his own shirt off. He drew in Amy as tightly as he could against him. The two continued to laugh rather than go any further, reveling in the absurdity of stripping and making out in the woods outside Guaron.
Rudo caught his breath, looked at Amy and said, "Consider this my version of throwing ice water on us."
Amy continued to laugh, "Yes, my front is still warm, but my back? Not so much!"
"Our clothes aren't getting any warmer, either," Rudo said as he nodded his head at their shirts.
"Uh-huh. And whose fault is that?" asked Amy with a playful smirk, drawing a finger softly across Rudo's chest.
"Keep touching me like that and I'll add to the pile of clothes over there," he told her as he took her hand and kissed it gently. They were quickly running out of time, but he took in a deep breath, paused and watched all of the subtle expression changes Amy was going through as she was looking back at him. As he released his breath he declared, "One last time." He brought her face to his and kissed her more deeply and more passionately than he had before.
It was a kiss that transcended mere pent-up sexual tension and the heat of moment. It was a kiss that solidified his devotion to her, to communicate to her that his intentions were honorable. It wasn't something easy for Rudo to express; Algol was quickly falling apart around them. Anything he had to say about how he felt about her had already been said. Talking about it more might come off as desperate, as if he was looking for one last chance before their group threw their lives at the main cause of evil in their galaxy. He cared deeply for Amy and did not want that depth clouded by the futility he felt for their situation. He wanted something better for her, but all he could do right now was kiss her like Algol would be over in a day.