I hopped off the counter when Artemis pulled away. He straightened out his clothes while I pulled on mine. He gave me a look, and I shook my head. I didn't know who was knocking at my door, much less on my day off.

Artemis sighed softly, his eyes flicking to the door coldly as he stalked back to my bedroom. "Hey." I called after him, not too loud to arouse suspicion from whoever was outside but enough for him to hear. Artemis looked back over his shoulder, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. I mimicked putting on the ring he had used the night before and he gave me a nod of understanding. Wearing that made him look like an elf. An elf in my flat would be easier to explain than a mud person.

I waited for the soft click of the door before I took a deep breath and opened my front door. Relief flooded me when I saw Foaly, carrying a brown bag. "Hey, Holly." He greeted, stepping in as I stepped aside. Every fiber of my being was begging me not to even glance at the back door 6 meters away from us. I could only hope that Artemis would be silent.

"Hey." I smiled at him, closing the door behind the centaur as he walked into the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

Foaly shrugged, going over to my fridge. "I wanted to stop by on your day off. It feels like we haven't seen each other in a while…" He trailed off when he opened my fridge and frowned. "Since when do you stock up on so many groceries?"

My eyes widened for a fraction, cursing Artemis for probably planning out something to get me to eat when I was too focused with work. "Oh, uh…Recently. I was getting a little bit into cooking."

"Oh…Good for you." Foaly mumbled, placing the brown bag in the fridge. "I brought you a nettle sandwich." He stood back up straight and looked back at me. "I'm glad you're finding things you like to do, Hols."

I bit the inside of my cheek at that, trying to smile humbly as I looked at the floor. That was probably a subtle nudge about how much I've hated working at the LEP lately. "Thanks." I murmured, sighing. "I've been trying a few new things." That wasn't necessarily a lie. I was trying out a certain mud man in the next room. Or, at least, I was trying to fuck him before we were interrupted. My mind flashed to not 10 minutes prior, making me bite down harder.

Thank Frond that Foaly pulled me from my lewd thoughts or I would have said something stupid. "There's something else I need to talk with you about." He looked at me carefully, padding over to me in the living room.

I glanced at him, raising my eyebrows. He usually was never this serious. "It's not about one of your paranoid conspiracies, is it?" I asked, jokingly. "You don't have your tinfoil to protect you."

Foaly didn't even crack a smile, looking around the room. He took a deep breath before speaking, almost like he was trying to pick out a string of just-right words to string together for me. "Holly, sit." He mumbled.

My stomach almost heaved at his tone, wondering what this was about. My body seemed to move on its own as I circled around to the front of the couch. Foaly sat next to me, curling his legs to try to get comfortable. This had to be serious. He could have sat anywhere else to be more comfortable, but he chose to sit next to me to be closer in proximity. "Foaly, what's going on?" My mind reeled. Is it about Artemis? Did they keep tabs on him, after all this time? They could have found out he wasn't on the surface anymore. Maybe he wasn't as careful as he so smugly thought he was and they tracked him to my apartment. Were they coming to get him? What would happen to Artemis?

"Julius is leaving." Foaly said after a deep sigh, studying my face to see how I would react.

I blinked a few times, startled and split from my own winding thoughts. "W…What?" I asked, convincing myself that I couldn't have heard right.

Foaly nodded, "He's transferring for the rest of the year to Atlantis." He explained, taking my hands when I guess he saw the startled expression on my face. "It's just temporary."

"The rest of the year?" I looked up at him with a horrified expression on my face. "The year's just started, Foaly!"

He nodded again, squeezing my hands. "He told me to tell you…He's too tied down by the Council. Because of that, he's not able to do his job."

"So running to Atlantis will help?" I got up to start pacing as I processed the information. My voice was getting louder to the point that Artemis could definitely hear me by now. I didn't care. My brain was spinning again.

"Root thinks that having someone new will help with…Whatever is going on with Blaize and the other asshole council members' kids in the LEP. Someone that isn't afraid to stand up to them and the Council."

I froze, staring at Foaly in disbelief. "This is my fault?" I was the one that they usually targeted, especially Blaize. "You knew about it?"

Foaly shook his head instantly. "No. And Root wanted me to make that very clear to you." He told me sternly. "Number one, this is not your fault. It's theirs, but it has your best interest in mind. Number two, I just found out. Root told me today. That's why I rushed over here."

It all finally clicked in my mind. The reason Root was being so hard on me lately and sending me home, Blaize going on missions to avoid me and probably other officers. The transfer process couldn't have been immediate. It would have taken time. "Root can't do this." I whispered, pushing past Foaly to leave.

"Whoa, whoa!" Foaly grabbed my arm to stop me. "What are you doing? You can't go to the LEP right now and demand he not leave!"

"You don't understand!" I whirled around at him, pulling my arm free from his grasp. "Root and you are some of the few people I can trust. He's manipulated the system to defend me and others from this crap." I hated that tears were forming in my eyes and I had to look down to stop myself from losing it. "What if the person that comes in doesn't care? We don't know what kind of person will come in to replace him."

Foaly sighed, "Root seems fairly certain this will help." He tried to justify. "Just, give it a chance, Holly. It's only temporary."

I sighed, still looking down as I shook my head and resigned. "Fine." I whispered, knowing myself how useless it was to fight with Root or the Council to appeal this. "I can't stop it anyway, I guess."

I could feel Foaly put a hand on my shoulder and I couldn't bring myself to look up. "Do you want me to stay?" He asked, knowing that I like to process things alone at times.

I shook my head again silently, and I felt Foaly move around me to leave. "We'll figure this out together, Holly. I promise I'll be here for you." He told me before walking out the front door.

I could hear my bedroom door in front of me open hesitantly, but I didn't raise my head. The soft footsteps from Artemis sounded around me. The lock on my front door clicked. I tried my best to stay focused on what was going on around me and take deep breaths. Otherwise, I knew I would break down.

"How much did you hear?" My voice came out rough and hoarse. I winced at the sound and gripped the soft material of the couch's armrest. I still couldn't bring myself to look up at him.

"Enough." His own voice was soft and comforting. "I don't wish to make you more upset, Holly. However, I'd like to understand. What's going on?"

My eyes started to burn more because of his words. My first instinct was to turn and snap at him, just to get my frustration out on someone. Why the hell did he care? Wasn't this just about fucking eachother?

But that wouldn't have been fair to him. My qualms were with other things, and Artemis had been there for me when I needed it most.

"There are really shitty people in the LEP." I stared, trying to take a long, calming breath to stabilize myself before continuing. "People who can get away with anything because of their connection to higher ups in the Council."

I felt the heat of Artemis' body as he got closer to me from behind. I kept talking; once the words started to come out, they began to flow. "I've hated going to work so much for so long, but even if I quit, I don't know what else I'd do. So I've just tried to ignore it."

"What did they do?" Artemis rested his chin on my shoulder, causing me to lift my head slightly and rest against him. His arms slowly wrapped around my waist, enveloping me in a protective way that made my body relax a bit.

"It ranges from day to day." My voice was barely above a whisper. "From petty bullying to physical assault and sexual harassment."

Artemis' arms tightened around me, pulling me closer and pressing his face into my neck. I sighed gently, "Foaly is right. Root has too much stake with the Council to make any kind of change. They could seriously damage him and his reputation if he tried to stand against them. I'm sure they're just looking for a reason to get rid of him and replace him with someone that will do whatever they want." My composure cracked for a moment and I felt the hot sting of a tear rolling slowly out of one of my eyes. "But at the same time…This transfer could do just that."

He sighed, pulling his head away to brush my hair behind my ear. "You know my stance with Root. We're not friends." Artemis murmured in my ear. He was right, of course. Root hated him and any other mud person. On the other hand, Artemis had no reason to get along with him either. "But he seems to have your best interest in mind." He reasoned, leaning over my shoulder to press a kiss against the tear on my cheek. The stinging heat from the tear was replaced with the welcome warmth of his lips.

My eyelids opened, and I pulled away from Artemis' mouth to look up at his eyes.. They were serious and calculating, not playful and fiery like they usually were when he was this close to me. Almost as though he was trying to find out how to respond to me now. His hands didn't roam over my body, just around my waist in a loose hug to keep me upright against him. I turned slowly in his arms, my hands skimming up his arms to rest around his neck and I placed my head against his chest gently.

We stayed like that for a long moment, as my heartbeat slowed and my body became less tense because he was holding me. Artemis didn't move, his slow and steady breathing guiding my own. It was exactly what I needed, calming me down. "Artemis?" I murmured, lifting my head up to look at his eyes. They were exactly the same as before, looking over my facial expressions to understand how I was feeling.

"Hm?" He unhooked one arm from around my waist to caress his fingertips against my cheek lightly.

Artemis didn't say anything else as I tried to find the words I was searching for, waiting patiently. "Thank you." I could feel a small smile spread over my lips.

He smiled back at me, and brushed away any wetness underneath my eyes gently. "You're quite welcome."

I couldn't help but lean up and press my lips against his gingerly. I felt a warm breath escape from Artemis' nose before he tilted his head down, deepening the kiss and working my lips with care.

This was different from anything else I had experienced with him before. It wasn't the hard, rushed, frantic warmth that enveloped me like a raging fire. Instead, it was slow spreading, intense, and so much warmer. Our bodies weren't rocking against each other or battling for the upper hand. He didn't pull or push me to him and he didn't have to guide me as we slowly sank on to the cushions of the couch together. We just moved in synchrony. He leaned over me, and our lips never left each other's as our legs became entangled.

Artemis was the first one to pull away by a millimeter, breathing as heavily as he was before Foaly came in. I knew he had to be feeling the same thing as I was. He looked down at me, his face flushed and I could feel my lips slightly swollen from that intense kiss. We stayed like that for a moment, catching our breath before Artemis apparently found it inside himself to pull away. He sat up, running a hand through his hair and looking back to the kitchen. "Foaly brought you lunch?" He asked, and I cocked my head as I watched his chest rise and fall. "You should eat."

"Artemis, what are you doing?" I raised myself up and leaned back on my arms, my elbows propped back on the sofa. He seemed startled, almost, which peaked my interest.

He shook his head, looking down at me before replying. "Nothing. I just think that you should eat." Artemis paused, looking me up and down. "Unless, of course, you'd like to make something right now. With your new love of cooking, that is." He smirked lightly.

I scoffed, a smile creeping onto my lips again. I knew he was trying to abate whatever was going on between us. "If you hadn't stocked my fridge, I wouldn't have had to say anything." I pulled my legs out from between his. "Besides, I don't want that."

Artemis' eyes swept over me again, "What is it that you want?" He asked coyly, his smirk deepening. The familiar fire in his eyes ignited again, and I knew he had moved on from what had happened moments before.

"You." I answered plainly, my eyes narrowing playfully back at him. I could see what he meant, my face and body being telltale signs of what I wanted.

"No…" He murmured, shaking his head and leaning back over me. I pushed back on my hands and feet, moving slowly backward as he stalked closer to me. "What do you want from me?" A soft, strangled gasp came from me as I hit the other end of the sofa. He chuckled darkly at my wide eyes when I looked up at him, leaning over me. "Are you still wet for me?" He whispered in my ear, and I arched my chest against him to get closer as he reached up and cupped my pussy. His fingers rubbed light circles around my clit.

I moaned, my hips moving slowly against his touch to gain more friction."Are you still hard for me?" I countered, leaning up to kiss him.

Artemis pulled away from my lips after a moment, his fingers still pressed against my most sensitive parts. He ran his tongue over his teeth in thought, sucking in a breath. "I'm not going to do anything you don't want."

I looked at him, my lips parted slightly to let soft pants out of it. "I know you wouldn't." I told him honestly. "Artemis, what-"

"No, you misunderstand." He smirked, leaning down to kiss my neck and drag his lips to right below my ear. "You're going to tell me exactly what you want, Holly. Whatever you say, I'll do, and nothing more. So you need to be precise." Artemis chuckled softly, pulling back to run his lips over mine. "Let's put that mouth of yours to good use again." He smirked against my lips and I could tell he was talking about this morning. "Talk dirty to me."

I bucked my hips against his hand and he withdrew it, pulling away from my body a little bit to look down at me expectantly. A groan slipped from my lips from the absence of his hand, wishing that it was still there. That was the point. A voice came from the back of my mind, and my eyes flicked up to his. He was smirking down at me still, proving my thought right. He wanted me to need him. The joke was on him, though. It seemed like I always wanted him no matter what he did to me.

I reached up slowly, my hands going to his shoulders so I could lift up and work my lips against his. He moaned across my lips, and I knew it had to take all his willpower to keep his hands off me. As much as I wanted to let him sit like this, it was driving me crazy too. "Slide your hands up my body and strip me." I pulled back just enough to breathe the words before I returned to crushing my lips back against his.

His hands slid up my legs deftly, guiding them to the sides of him so he could seat himself between them. I let go of his shoulders to start unbuttoning his shirt, my body arching into his as he slipped off my shorts and panties.

I had just managed to pull off his shirt by the time he was running his hands up my sides and taking off the rest of my lips disconnected for a second before hungrily returning to each other. I reached for his pants and shoved them down hastily and felt his hard cock against my heated skin. I pulled away from him, noticing his hands not having left my sides since he threw my clothes off. "I want your fingers in me." I told him, pressing my forehead to his and taking in deep breaths. "Pumping in me and rubbing my clit. Slow and languid. I want to feel you and every move you make."

Artemis didn't say anything, his eyes still not looking away from my face as I felt him settle more between my legs and spread them further apart. His fingers cupped my pussy again, and without clothes between us the pleasure that came from it was even more intense. He drug two fingers between my slit before getting to the opening to my pussy and pressed them in it slowly.

My head fell back against the cushion behind it as I let out a low moan. He moved his fingers slowly just like I asked, and I could feel him fill me up more and more. His thumb moved to circle my clit, brushing over it gently and making me gasp. "Artemis…"

He pushed his fingers all the way in me before starting to pull back just as slow and pump in and out of me in smooth, even strokes. I moaned, feeling everything just like I wanted. The pleasure went through my body every time he pressed into me or my clit.

"Gods, you're…." I heard Artemis murmur under his breath then stop himself with a swift, soft inhale. "Gods…" I could feel myself rocking against his hand gently, trying to push him in farther. My fingernails dug into his arms slightly, needing to hold onto something as my body began to climb towards climax.

But this wasn't how I wanted to come. It felt amazing and licked my body with warmth, but there was something more I wanted from him. "Mm, stop." I murmured, almost regretting my words when he withdrew his fingers completely. The feeling of emptiness returned as the feeling of euphoria left.

I opened my eyes after a second to see him push his fingers with my arousal into his mouth like he had just done to me moments before, calm and leisurely. My eyes widened as I stared at him silently. He pulled them out just as slow and leaned over me, licking his lips and smirking.

I tore my eyes away from him, tingles going through my entire body just from watching him. "Fuck…" I breathed as my breathing became heavier.

Artemis chuckled, not touching me but still close in proximity by leaning over. "Oh, you're the only one allowed to do that?." He murmured, nudging my cheek with his nose. "You're sweet."

I gasped, "Artemis!" I pushed him away playfully. He leaned back and chuckled quietly. My eyes narrowed, "I don't think I told you to do that." I pointed out, pushing my body to sit up and press against his.

He chuckled again and countered, "I didn't say I wouldn't take creative liberties." I rolled my eyes at that, but Artemis just cocked his head and smirked. "What do you want? I know you haven't come yet."

I took a deep breath and ran my hands up his arms on either side of me again. "I want you." I reached up and put a hand over Artemis' mouth gently when he opened it, stopping him from cutting me off. Probably to tell me to be more specific. I kept my hand on his mouth as I spoke, my eyes never leaving his. "I want your cock in me, but I don't want it slow anymore. Push me hard and rough. Make me scream and cover it with your mouth in one of those earth-shattering kisses you tend to do." I took a deep breath before dropping my hand off of his lips. "Make my mind go blank, Artemis. Make me forget everything. The only thing I want to think about is your body and mine. I want…you."

Artemis didn't say anything, but nodded. I didn't have to say anything else before he put his hands on the backs of my knees and yanked them back until I was flat against the couch under him and my legs were on either side of him. I could feel the head of his cock against the entrance of my pussy and I moaned softly in anticipation, my muscles tightening already. He stilled for a moment, looking down at me from his upright position. "Deep breath in." He commanded shortly, giving me a look as though he expected me to follow his orders.

My breath caught in my throat for a second before I managed to inhale deeply. Thank the Gods Artemis knew what he meant, because the minute he pushed into me, sheathing his cock in me hard and fast, the air escaped from lungs in the scream I asked for. His cock stretched me more than his fingers, and I could feel every inch of him rub inside me aggressively. Artemis leaned over and crushed his mouth to mine, smothering the scream as his tongue invaded my mouth. He grunted into my mouth from the force, working my lips and I responded just as rough against him.

I could feel him press further into me before drawing back and pressing into me in another rough stroke. He pistoned his hips into me, and my legs tightened around him while my hands gripped onto anything they could, whether it was his shoulder, arm or neck. My body, seemingly paralyzed from the first few thrusts, came alive and I ground my hips to his every time he pushed himself in me. It was rough and messy, the sounds of our bodies moving against each other was the only thing filling the air between our muffled moans. Artemis took a split second to pull away and take a breath before digging his lips against mine again.

Every hard thrust pushed me away from him out of force. I felt Artemis growl against my lips before pressing his palms against my hips to keep me still. I bucked against his hands, arching my back and pressing my chest against him. My body felt like it was magnetized to his, needing to get closer even as he was pounding into me. "Artemis." I gasped, pushing away from him before getting cut off with another rough thrust. I keened and writhed against him. "Gods, I want another angle. Deeper."

Artemis didn't pause from my words. His arms went around my hips and he pulled out of me momentarily to sit on his knees in front of me. My body didn't protest or fight against him as he wrenched me up. I collapsed against his body like a rag doll. My legs went to either side of his hips and my arms went around his neck.

I found my footing as Artemis pushed my hips down swiftly, shoving me down on his entire cock. I opened my mouth in a choked gasp, my head falling back as he filled me. I didn't have enough breath to manage the scream that wanted to rip from my throat.

"Take what you want, Holly." He murmured against the heated skin of my neck, panting just as much as me. I could feel one hand grip my thigh, pulling me up and pushing me down as I plunged myself deep onto him. The other went to grab a fistful of my hair, pulling my lips to his in another heavy kiss. My body throbbed and ached with every move, and I knew we were both close. I grabbed the hand on my thigh, his hips bucking up every time I thrusted down. I pushed his hand between us, our fingers intertwined as their fingertips brushed against my clit and sent me flying over the edge.

I screamed from the feeling of coming on him, the climax being drug out by the rough strokes on his cock my body was still making. My head was spinning as I kissed Artemis deeply, and my body went numb. Artemis pulled away from my lips, pressing his face into my neck and groaning as he thrusted into me and came moments later.

My body floated down slowly and, when the world stopped spinning, I could process where I was again. My legs were tangled around Artemis' hips and my arms were hooked under his arms. My face was nestled into the crook of his neck, just like his was pressed to mine. We both took in huge breaths and a cold sweat settled on my body. The only parts of my body that were warm anymore was my front, my legs pressed against him, and his hands on the small of my back. His cock was still inside me, but with the absence of movement it was just giving me the sensation of feeling full from him.

I somehow found it in myself to pull away a little from Artemis' neck, but not enough to untangle myself from his body. I glanced up at him. There wasn't a fire in his eyes anymore, not fierce like before. They were softer and hooded, almost fluid like water as he studied my face. I managed to pull myself to his face again, pressing my lips to his softly in the silence.

Artemis closed his eyes and kissed me back gently, his grip on my back tightening slightly to press my body closer to his. "Gods…" He breathed when we pulled away. I rested my head against his shoulder, licking my lips. "You're…"

I smiled a little. This was the second time he was struggling to find his words in this sentence. "What am I?" I whispered playfully, my body too tired and not cooperating enough to back up my words with a teasing touch. "Crazy? Insane? Fuckable?"

Artemis shook his head with a small, serious frown. He opened his eyes to meet my gaze. "Perfect." He breathed.