"So are you ready for this Hana?" asked Lucio, a grin slowly growing on his face as he teased her.

"YES! Stop screwing around and take it off already you jerk!" begged Hana, desperate for him to get on with it.

Lucio grabbed a hold of the fastener holding the separate parts together and pulled on it so that they came loose. Hana carefully pulled her arms free then Lucio lifted the straps resting on her shoulders up and over her head so that she wasn't wearing it anymore. She gingerly rubbed her hands together as Lucio tossed the amalgamation of mesh, straps and buckles that constituted her sling to the side. "How does it feel not having to wear that thing anymore?"

Two months. Eight weeks. Fifty-six days. Her shoulders, elbows and hands had been trapped in an immobilizer for nearly every hour of all those days and she had been practically helpless during that whole span of time. Brushing her teeth, taking a shower, even the most basic requirement of surviving that was feeding one's self had become impossible without assistance. Thankfully she had people willing to help her with all of that but now... now the sling was off. A smile blossomed on Hana's face as she pressed her fingers against each other. "It feels good... really good."

She took a step closer towards Lucio, intending to kiss him but her shoulders complained as she started to put her arms around his neck and she closed her eyes as she flinched. Lucio haltingly reached towards her with one hand as she lowered her arms back to her side. "Are you okay Hana?"

"That kinda hurt. I don't get it. Why did that hurt? The doctors were supposed to make the pain go away. I'm gonna be really, really pissed if I went through the last two months for nothing." Hana ranted as she started to angrily pace back and forth.

"It's not the doctor's fault Hana. You might not have read all of the papers they gave you but I did. The surgery went fine. You've finished recovering, but now you have to start rehabbing."

"Oh great, you're going to start making me exercise aren't you?" grumbled Hana. She knew he was right even if she would never admit it. Hana had been looking forward to getting the sling off and reclaiming the use of her arms, but she had been purposefully ignoring the fact that the light at the end of the tunnel was the hard part.

"Yes Hana, I'm going to make you exercise." Lucio gave her a light-hearted grin before kissing her on the forehead. "And when I'm doing torturing you you'll have your arms back."

Hana let out a mock sigh of exasperation and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "Finnnne let's get started then you jerk."

"We'll get to weights eventually, but for now let's just stick to you getting used to moving your arms around again then we can work on your fingers." said Lucio as he took a few steps back.

"What about my elbows?" asked Hana. "You didn't say anything about them."

"Oh well you'll be working on those at the same time as your shoulders. When we start using weights then we can do some elbow specific exercises, but right now it's all about improving your range of motion." explained Lucio. "Now then here's what I want to start with." He pinned one elbow to his side and turned his wrist so that his palm was facing up then reached across his torso with his other hand and placed it palm down against his other hand. "Push up with one hand as hard as you can without making it hurt for five seconds then stop. We'll do this ten times then switch sides."

Hana spread her feet apart as she mirrored his stance and the position of his arms. "Just how long is rehab supposed to last?"

Lucio shrugged his shoulders and shook his head a little. "Honestly I can't say for sure. It could take a few weeks before you start to feel normal again but it could easily take months. Either way I'll be here with you babe."

Hana's back was flat against the floor as she pushed a pair of blue rubber dumbbells up towards the ceiling until her arms were fully extended. "Twenty-three...twenty-four...twenty-five." Hana's arms started to quiver and she lowered the weights to the ground beside her with a weary sigh.

A moment later and Lucio was lying down next to her, hands held behind his head. "Soooo that was twenty-five chest presses at five kilograms plus you've been doing really good with the grip strengthener."

Hana let out a deep breath and she turned to look at Lucio. "Twenty-five reps was the milestone you set when I started rehabbing. Does that mean I can get you to sign off on me?"

"Well the doctor's the one whose gotta sign off but yeah I'd say you've rehabbed pretty well..." He brushed his fingers against hers as he continued speaking. "... but just so we're clear your fingers are never going to be what they were. I still believe you can keep improving but competitive gaming is out of the question." Lucio tensed up at the end of his sentence, worried that Hana might go nuclear at hearing that.

Much to his relief Hana just shook her head. "It's fine. I came to terms with that a while ago. I just have to figure out what to do with the rest of my life." Hana turned on her side and put an arm across Lucio's chest. "But I don't want to worry about that right now. What I do want is a vacation... and you should come with me. We could rent a cottage on Jeju for a week or two, just the two of us."

"Jeju? But that's where everyone goes so those beaches are all really crowded." Lucio pointed out as he shuffled his feet. Left unspoken was the fact that men usually wore shorts, not pants at the beach.

"I know, I know. We don't have to go to the beach though. We can find a cottage further inland near Hallasan maybe." Hana batted her eyes and wriggled her way closer so she was pressing into Lucio's side as she squeezed his torso. "Pleeeeeasse?"

"Okay, okay. I'll go with you but my finals are next week so we'll have to wait until after then all right?"

"Deal."

The small resort where they ended up going was about as remote as one could reasonably get in South Korea. There were multiple units on the property nearby but all of them were separated from the others by thickets of trees and bushes broken only by narrow paths marked out by round stepping stones. The unit they had been given was much like the others. A cabin made of dark red bricks held together by white mortar not yet faded by the elements. Its roof was made of tiles and the circular windows were large enough to let in plenty of light if they cared to remove the blinds hanging inside.

Behind the cabin was a meticulously trimmed yard full of shrubs covered in blooming white magnolia flowers and fir trees that had been here since long before Hana or Lucio's parents had been born. Adjacent to the cabin was a stone patio complete with chairs, a glass table and a fire pit that had clearly had been well used if the blackened interior of the stone ring was any clue.

Hana lifted her bag from the trunk of the car and lurched towards the front door, Lucio close behind her. The interior of the cabin was closer to being like the houses that she saw in American films than the apartments she had grown up in. It had two separate bedrooms, each with a queen sized bed, a spacious kitchen with an actual dishwasher and oven plus a genuine Western style bathroom with a dedicated shower stall in it. She dropped her thing of luggage onto one of the couches in the living room and turned towards Lucio. "I know we just got here but I need to take off for a bit but I'll be back before you know it."

"What? Why?" asked Lucio, question marks practically radiating from him.

"It's a surprise, trust me you'll love it!"

With a bound and a leap Hana was out the door and their rental car was heading for the road in no time. Lucio stared after for a moment before shaking his head at her sudden departure. "Okay... well guess I should unpack while she's out."

Half an hour later Lucio's shirts were hanging in the closet of the room he had picked out and his pants were all sitting on the closet's shelf. As Lucio started pulling his toiletries out he saw Hana's rental car pulling up in front of the cabin and Hana herself exiting, tote bag in her arms. He dropped the travel bag his toothbrush and related items were in on the bed and headed out to the living room just as she was opening the front door. "So what did you go get?" asked Lucio, curious what was so important that she had to leave after they had literally just arrived their destination.

"Do you remember a conversation we had a few months back after my surgery? We were talking about Brazilian food and you mentioned that you had never been able to find a good grill to cook churrasco on." Hana set the tote bag down on the kitchen counter and started pulling cuts of meat all wrapped in plastic. Beef, chicken, sausages, pork and a container of coarse salt. "Well as it happens we have a fire pit out back and these." She opened a drawer and pulled out several thin metal skewers. "Feel like giving me a hand? Mine are kinda clumsy ya know."

Lucio stood very still for a moment, shell shocked at what she had just dropped on him. He did vaguely remember the conversation, but only because he still felt uneasy for having gotten a little mad at her. Hana must have tucked that conversation away and was only now acting on it. Booking a place with a fire pit in the back and skewers in the kitchen? This had been no accident. A grin slowly spread over his face and he walked forward to hug her around the waist from behind. "I'd love to."

By the time they had finished cooking the sun had dipped beneath the horizon. The shadows of night had stretched out their fingers and were covering the land all around their cabin only to be held at bay by the golden embers and flames dancing in their fire pit. Lucio sat up from his perch lying atop Hana as he grabbed a knife nearby. "I'd say those are about done. Now all we need to do is cut the meat off and start eating." He handed a plate to Hana before picking up one of the skewers and sawing pieces directly off of it and onto said plate. Afterwards he sliced some off for himself before sitting down in the chair next to hers. "This was really nice of you Hana, it's been a long time since I've had the chance to eat churrasco."

Hana reached over to squeeze his shoulder but didn't respond right away. Partly because she wasn't sure what to say but mostly because her mouth was full of savory chicken that had been slowly roasted over charcoal embers. She finished chewing and swallowed it down. "Don't thank me, you're the one who knows how to cook this. I just did what you told me to do."

After they had both eaten their fill the two of them began to slide the remaining chunks of meat off the skewers and into containers which they put into the fridge for later. Lucio stretched his arms above him in the air and yawned as he headed for the bathroom. "Well I think I'll call it a night. I'll see you in the morning babe."

"Lucio."

The tone of her voice was soft, uncharacteristically so in fact and there was something else present. A thread woven through his name that he hadn't ever heard before. Lucio turned around to look at her. Hana was standing there, one hand outstretched with several small squares of plastic in her palm. His eyes widened as he realized what they were. "Hana..."

She just shook her head. "No, let me go first. When we first met I thought you were cute so I was flirting with you because it seemed like fun. At first it was just Starcraft and physical therapy but I started to get to know who you are as a person and we became friends. Then after my surgery you were there for me when I needed it. You cooked for me, you fed me, you cleaned my house for me. I know you said it was for hours at work but we both know that's bullshit. You showed up every day for months, long past however many hours you needed to get. You like me. I like you and..." Hana raised her hand with the condoms towards them. "I want to share your bed tonight Lucio."

Lucio just closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "I do like you Hana but you don't really mean that." He gripped his pants and pulled them up to reveal the bottom of his prosthetic legs. "Who wants someone who isn't even fully a man?"

"I do. I don't care about your legs and it's not like I don't have problems of my own." She held up her other hand, the one whose fingers still shook and lacked the strength to open a jar. "Your legs don't define you as a person." Hana walked forward and put a hand on the middle of his chest. "It's what's in here that I've come to love."

"You really mean it don't you?" asked Lucio.

"Yes."

Lucio hesitated as he looked down at the condoms before taking the one his size. Hana turned her palm over dropping the rest to the ground then took Lucio's hands in hers. He quietly followed behind her into his room and sat down on the bed. Hana leaned down to kiss him on the lips before stepping back as she started to undress herself with fingers trembling for reasons other than her injuries. When the last of her clothes was on the ground Hana took a deep breath as she stood fully exposed to his dark eyes. Her breasts were on the smaller side but still perky and as Lucio looked at her Hana's nipples were already beginning to stiffen. Further down in the middle of her legs was a unruly thatch of black hair, soft and long though it had clearly been trimmed around the edges. "...Well?" demanded Hana though her voice quavered as she said it.

"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen." said Lucio. "The first time I saw you I thought was imagining things because I didn't believe anyone real could be that beautiful but you are..." He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground before undoing the zipper on his pants. As he did so Hana sat down on the bed next to him as he pulled the slacks off and threw them aside. Lucio turned towards Hana and put a hand on her knee. "I... I do want to make love with you but not with these." He looked down at the constructs of carbon fiber attached to what was left of his legs. "It should just be the two of us but I don't know how to... without them..."

Hana leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead as she hooked a finger beneath the elastic band of his underwear. "Don't worry I'll make this work."

"How?"

"Trust me, you have no idea how much porn I've watched. I know exactly what to do here." boasted Hana though she faltered after the words came out. "... but I actually haven't done it before."

Lucio put a hand on her cheek as he smiled at her. "Doesn't matter, we'll make it work." He took her free hand and guided it to the 'cup' of one prosthetic that held his leg in it. Hana reluctantly pulled her other hand away from his underwear as she pulled one artificial limb then the other off and carefully set them down on the floor.

"Put the condom on while I set this up." As Lucio followed her instructions she was grabbing the pillows and stacking them against the beds headboard. Once the two of them were done she pushed Lucio's back against the pile and straddled his lap. "Well... let's get started..."

Hana groaned while she pushed herself up and off of Lucio then slumped onto the mattress next to him. "Oh my god my thighs are killing me. What exercises am I supposed to do to make this easier for next time? Never mind I don't want to think about that right now." She grabbed one of the pillows from beneath Lucio and stuffed it under her head. "So was that as fun for you as it was for me?"

Lucio idly drew an invisible line from her shoulder down to her elbow with his fingers. "That was fun but you rushed things. I would have liked to spend more time just being able to touch you. The buildup is as important as the main course..."

"Are you trying to tell me I was sucky?" sputtered Hana.

Lucio put his arms around her as he tried to explain what he had meant. "No! No, no, no. What we did was great but it could have been even better if we had taken our time. There's more to sex than sticking penises into vaginas. I could have gone down on you or you could have given me a blowjob for

example. I don't want us to just have decent sex, I want us to have great sex. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying we can do better."

Hana let out a small sigh as she turned onto her side and pressed her foreheads against his shoulder. "Okay that makes sense but your bedside manner could use some work. Protip – people don't want to hear 'could have been better' right after having sex you know!"

"You're right of course. I don't know what I was thinking." said Lucio as he let go of her while sitting up and started shoving himself towards where his prosthetic limbs were.

"Wait a second... where's your condom!?" exclaimed Hana as she watched him.

"What?" Lucio looked down at himself reflexively. Sure enough the piece of latex that was supposed to be there wasn't. "... I put it on right... it must have come off when you got off of me..."

"Shit!" Hana sprang up off the bed and and bounded towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Lucio's hand found its way to his forehead with a loud slapping sound as he realized the mistake he had made.

After a painfully long few minutes Lucio heard the muffled sound of a toilet flushing before Hana came back to the bedroom. "Did you..."

"I found it, thing's in the trash now." answered Hana as she crawled back onto the bed beside him. "Though I really don't want to have to go hunting for a condom like that again."

"Sorry, I should've held onto it when you were getting off me. It's my fault." Lucio turned to look down at Hana. "So any plans for tomorrow or were you just going to stay in bed the entire time we're here?"

"Mmmm staying in bed with you for a whole week. That sounds fun but I think you'd get tired of having me on top of you all the time." teased Hana.

"Get tired of it? As if. You can ride me for as long as you want babe." His words were flirtatious but the

look in his eyes and the way he was touching her cheek.

"You mean it don't you?"

Lucio gave one of those smiles that made her heart skip a beat. "Absolutely. I'm your man... well I actually have to go use the bathroom but when I come back then I'll be your man. Deal?"

Hana rolled her eyes though she squeezed his hand as he reached for one of his artificial limbs. "Deal. I don't know what comes next though Lucio."

Her partner paused in the middle of inserting a leg back into its 'cup'. "Doesn't matter. I've told you I'll be there for you and I will be. Whatever comes next we can face it together."

Authors Note: If you made it this far thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.