A/N: sorry this took so long. ok. calm before the storm. fluffiness in full force here...well, as fluffy as you can get with Kirill, i guess. anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 8: Paris, France

"How are your injuries?" Lily murmured to Kirill as they headed down the boarding ramp to their gate after getting off the plane in Paris.

"I'm fine," he lied. In reality, his body was screaming in pain, aching from head to two and he was still tense. He wouldn't be relaxed until they were in the apartment he kept there, and perhaps not even then. "We'll need to call a cab."

"I'll take care of that," Lily smiled, slipping her arms around one of his as he'd untied her wrists once on the plane. "I'll be doing all the talking from now on, oui?"

"Da," Kirill nodded, glancing around as they now strolled through the airport. Lily noticed he was on edge and sighed in hopelessness, leaning her head on his arm and closing her eyes to let him lead her.

"I'm tired," she murmured.

"It's jet lag," he blurted, still alert to his surroundings.

"Kirill, we're alright," she smiled, pulling on his arm slightly as she lifted her head to look at him. He looked down at her as she smiled, "Even if they know we're here, it'll take them a while to get here, won't it? They can't get here before us for an ambush unless they have wings themselves, right?"

Kirill smirked and nodded, relaxing only slightly. He was still alert as they headed for the exit, though. They stepped onto the street and he tried hailing a taxi but two passed by without even slowing down.

"Svoloch!" (Bastards!) Kirill spat and Lily giggled, pulling him toward her as he frowned at her.

"Allow moi," she smiled cutely, stepping toward the edge of the curb, peeling off Kirill's sweat jacket and tossing it to him. Spotting a cab she stepped out and waved cutely with a sweet smile and Kirill's eyes widened as the cab pulled over. She glanced over her shoulder cutely at him as she stepped toward the car and he followed.

"Oú?" (Where to?) the cabbie asked as they got in, Kirill setting his sweater on Lily's lap.

Kirill gave the address and Lily went into her pocket for her money. He placed a hand over hers, making her frown up at him but he only shook his head.

"Pay him when we get there," he murmured and she sighed but nodded, pulling her hand from her pocket.

As she pulled her hand out, Kirill took it into his and set their hands on his knee as he gazed out the window. Lily gave a small frown at him but he said nothing as he only stared out the window, holding her hand. She couldn't help but smirk as she looked out of her own window, contented in the comfortable silence that lasted the rest of the ride to Kirill's.

The cab stopped at the address Kirill and given and the two climbed from the car. Lily paid the driver before following Kirill to the front door of the building they'd stopped in front of. The keeper opened the door for them, rattling on in French that he was happy to see the man, that it had been too long since his last visit and that he was happy to see he'd made a new 'friend' since he'd been gone.

"Je vais plutôt rester un peu plus longtemps que d'habitude," (I'll be staying a little longer than usual) Kirill explained as they were heading to the stairs. "Si quelqu'un me demande, je ne suis pas ici." (If anyone asks for me, I'm not here)

"Trés bien, Monsieur," the keeper nodded as Lily and Kirill headed up the stairs.

"God, I can't wait to get to sleep," Lily groaned as they trudged up the stairs then asked, "What time is it?"

"Three o'clock," he replied as they reached the top and stopped at a door.

"Are you serious?!" she groaned in disappointment, leaning against the wall as Kirill opened the door and peeked inside before grabbing Lily's wrist and dragging her inside.

She squeaked in surprise when he slammed the door shut and almost shoved her against it to plant his lips to hers. Lily moaned and melted into the kiss as his hands slid to her waist and held her against the door, pressing himself against her. Memories of their first kiss flooded her mind, but she knew this was different. She could feel it in the way his mouth moved slowly and deliberately against hers. There was no urgency of survival in this kiss…it was all passion she could taste on his tongue as it slipped over hers. Her hands moved from his chest to hug him closer, but when she passed over his ribs he gave a groan of pain. She gasped and pulled away from his lips, hitting the back of her head against the door.

"Ow!" she winced, leaning her head forward and rubbing it, neither one of them moving. She looked up at him and couldn't help giggling at the ruined kiss, her laughter making him gave a small chuckle before she said, "Why don't we wait until you're a little bit better before we get rough with the make out sessions, ok?"

"Or, I could work through the pain," he suggested, making her blush but she shook her head.

"You'll only make yourself worse," she muttered, gently pushing on his right, uninjured shoulder to move him a step back so she could step around him to the bathroom. "We need to change your bandage on your shoulder."

Lily frowned when she finally got a good look around the apartment. It looked and felt cold. There were no personal touches, pictures…nothing personal. Just furniture and some papers she knew had to be important. Kirill would never keep anything unimportant, she knew that much about him.

"There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom," he called as she headed down the hall and he shuffled toward the couch to flop onto it, only to groan in pain.

"How's your ankle?" she called from the bathroom.

"Not as bad as the rest of me," he replied, and heard her giggle, making him smirk.

At least he could make her laugh, even if he was risking her life by being around her. Closing his eyes he let his head fall back on the head of the couch, listening for Lily's returning footsteps. Hearing her return, he stayed where he was as he felt the couch cushion sink to his left. Only when she pulled on his shoulder did he wince with a frown and sit up again, looking at Lily in pain.

"I could do this s little easier if you were shirtless," she muttered, not really wanting him to hear her as she started to gently pull his jacket sleeve down. Kirill lifted a hand to pull hers from his sleeve, wincing at the pain in his ribs before starting to take off his jacket. "What are you doing?"

"Help me," he ground out against the pain of moving.

Without hesitation she started to help him as he leaned a bit forward to let her slide the jacket from his shoulders. He started pulling up the hem of his shirt and waited for her help but when she didn't give it, he looked up at her with a frown.

"What are you doing?" she frowned back.

"You needed my shirt off, da?" he simply replied. Lily's eyes widened as a blush made her freckles disappear and she lowered her gaze to twiddle her thumbs.

"Y-Yes, but---"

"Well, help me take it off, then," he cut in, trying to pull the shirt up again.

When he growled in pain did she reach for him and helped. She pulled off his right sleeve before carefully pulling his collar over his head as he stared at her. She still blushed as she started pulling his sleeve down, not being able to help glancing at his chest. She blanched when she noticed how sloppily she'd dressed the gunshot wound and he chuckled at her face, making her look back at him with wide eyes.

"What's so funny?" she wondered, but before he answered, he lifted a hand and stroked her cheek with one finger, making her cheeks a deeper shade of red.

"That face you made was…cute," he replied, making her eyes pop again as he lowered his hand.

She stared at him and he glanced at his shoulder, bringing her back to reality. She stared redressing his shoulder, aware that he was staring at her the whole time.

Once she was finished, she looked up at him and asked, "What?"

Kirill stared at her for another moment before glancing down at her sleeves and seeing the dried blood on them, he reached for one and tried tugging it down her arm.

"What---?!"

"Your sweater has blood on it," he cut in. "Take it off."

Lily sighed, but she felt her heart start to pound at hearing him tell her to undress. She pulled the sweater off, but she still had a few more layers underneath. He frowned at her after she tossed the sweater away and she frowned back.

"What?" she shrugged. He took one of her hands and pulled it toward him as she still frowned, but now in wonder as he examined her sleeves.

"Did I bleed that much?" he wondered, frowning at her sleeves and she looked at them with a frown as well.

"Da," she nodded slightly in a mumble. "I guess you did."

Kirill looked up at her as she stared at the blood on her sleeves. He tried to catch her gaze but she only stared at her sleeves and he sat back with a small sigh.

"Ya tak ustal," (I'm so tired) he breathed, finally drawing Lily's attention to him and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" she frowned in wonder and he looked at her.

"I was just saying I was tired," he replied then glanced at her sleeves again. "You should wash your clothes. We'll buy new ones for you later."

"After a nap," Lily smiled in agreement, stripping off her other sweater, then another, and another, until she only wore her pants and a T-shirt as she kicked off her shoes as well. "I promise, I'll clean up later."

Kirill gave a frown as he wondered, "Why would you feel the need to tell me that?"

"Because you were staring at me," she replied.

"I was?" he mumbled, still frowning. He supposed he was as she nodded. It had been a while…a long while since he'd been alone with a woman as she stripped, and he was very sure that if he weren't riddled with bullet holes and suffering from a broken rib at that moment, he would've pounced on her and had his way with her on the couch. He needed to vent out all the stress from the past few days, but his injuries (not to mention Lily's virtue) were standing in his way.

"You should get some rest," Lily murmured through a smile, bringing him back from his thoughts as she stood, still smiling. "The past few days have been crazy."

He swallowed silently when she leaned toward him, her hand reaching for his face and gently setting her finger tips over his eyes to close them.

"I'll wash my clothes and join you in a little while," she whispered to which he responded with a tired grunt, his eyes still shut. Lily gave a small smile and stood tall to gather her clothes, his shirt and sweater and headed down the hall. She had passed the laundry room on her way to the bathroom, so she knew where it was. She quickly loaded the washer and went back into the living room to find Kirill right where she had left him. Smiling she sat on his right this time to set her head gently on his shoulder and close her eyes.

Kirill opened an eye to glance down at her but didn't move as he gave a subtle smirk and closed his eyes fully. He slowly lifted a hand to take one of hers and hold it on his knee, knowing he was being far too sentimental, but not being able to help himself. This girl brought out a different side of him, a side he hadn't been in touch with for a very long time, and he was starting to like it.

"You're unpredictable, Mr. Ivanovich," Lily suddenly murmured, making him frown and look at her with half-crossed eyes as she smiled tiredly up at him. "I didn't think you were the type of guy to hold hands. I'm glad I was wrong."

"I thought you were tired," he replied. "Go to sleep."

"Well, I can't sleep not," she argued playfully, making his frown deepen.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm washing clothes," she replied.

When she didn't continue he urged, "And the second?"

Their gazes met and she gave a blush as she swallowed, glancing down at her lap before muttering, "I-I'd like a kiss."

When she chanced looking up at him, he leaned toward her to place his lips against hers. She gave a small surprised noise before melting and kissing him back. She couldn't believe how much she enjoyed kissing him, and he couldn't believe the same of himself. But he didn't care at the moment, and neither did she as she gave a small grown of disappointment when he pulled away.

"We must sleep," he reminded her, letting his head fall back again and she gave a sigh as she leaned her head on his shoulder again. But even as she wished the kisses could go on forever, she gave a smile at the fact that he was still holding her hand.

A/N: i warned you. lol! reviews?