A/n- So here we are again, another series of stories with Joshua and Selena. You know I started this story trying to push Rutger and Lilina, but this pairing has really caught on for me as well. But yeah, this is gonna be a few stories long, at least 3 maybe up to 5 or 6, depends on how I feel. And yes the title is a play on Thor: Love and Thunder. Enjoy!

The Commission Files- File #864 Luck and Thunder Part 1

Characters: Joshua, Selena

Based on: a commission by Ihsnet on Twitter

General Selena, the Fluorspar of Grado, was sitting on the beach with a towel underneath her, a good book in her hand, and an umbrella giving her shade. It was nice to get a break from her duties as a general every now and then, even though she had been summoned to Askr which honestly entailed pretty much the same responsibility, and a week on the beach was just what she needed. It was the last day of her vacation though, so she was hoping to make the best of it. Not too long after having that thought though, someone laid out their own towel and sat next to her.

"This spot taken General?" Teased the suave voice of Joshua, a mercenary from Jehanna for all Selena knew. The two had actually gotten to know each other pretty well on this trip away from everything. Selena thought that Joshua had just the right amount of chill to be relaxing but not annoying like other people could be and Joshua always loved to have a conversation with a woman who was as smart as she was beautiful. So the two were pretty friendly with each other, all things considered.

"Not at all." Selena replied. "And I told you Joshua, you can just call me Selena, we're friends now so it's okay."

"Ah well, old habits die hard." Joshua said with a smile as he spread his towel out a bit more and got comfortable. "I see you have a different book than yesterday, anything good?"

"Just something to pass the time really, nothing too deep." Selena admitted.

"Fair enough." Joshua noted before taking out his bottle of sunscreen and starting to rub it all over his exposed skin. That's when Selena realized that she had forgotten her own bottle back at the little beachside cabin all the vacationers were staying at.

"Drat." She said under her breath, but Joshua's keen senses allowed him to pick it up.

"Something wrong Selena?" He asked with a bit of concern.

"Kind of, I forgot my own sunscreen back in my room, and I'd rather not deal with a sunburn the day before we have to got back." She admitted. "I guess I'll have to go back and get it quickly." She was starting to get up to leave before Joshua gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Nonsense, you can have some of mine. I always bring extra just in case, living in the desert you kind of have to you know?" He told her. "In fact, since we're both here together why don't we help each other out and get it on our backs a bit easier."

"Thank you Joshua, you're a real life saver." Selena said as she settled back down. "And yes, that sounds like a great idea."

"Hey, I try my best, just let me scoot over a bit and I'll have it done quick as a whistle." Joshua replied as he moved over behind Selena and poured some sunscreen on his hands. Selena was wearing the same brown and gold one piece swimsuit she had been wearing the whole time, so it wasn't going to take that long, but Joshua figured now was the best time than ever to ask a question that he had been wondering about for a while now.

"So Selena, I hope this isn't too personal of a question for you, but how did a woman like you end up being a general of Grado? Seems like with someone with your smarts and looks could be anything she wanted to be, so it must have been your choice to do so yeah?" He asked with genuine interest.

"That's very flattering of you to say Joshua." Selena replied with a bit of a blush. "But the answer is quite simple, it's because of Emperor Vigarde and his vast kindness."

"Really? I've heard a lot of good things about him." Joshua noted. "What did he do for you?"

"Well, when I was a small child, he came to my family's village. We were going though some tough times and we couldn't pay our taxes for that year. We all thought he was coming to personally take what we were supposed to give by force, but to our surprise he told us that it was okay that we couldn't pay it and that he had come to inspect the situation to see how he could better help us in the coming years. That touched my heart so much that I dedicated in my heart that I was going to help people just like he did for us, and the rest is history really. I did what I needed to, studied magic, learned how to ride a horse, how to act in court, all those noble things, and when I presented myself to the emperor he readily accepted me into the army and I rose through the ranks until I was at the point I am now. I can't say everything has been easy, but to me it's been worth it to see all the people I've helped in Grado's and his name."

Selena couldn't help but go on a bit long with her answer, it was her driving force for her goals and live, but Joshua didn't mind. It was a real treat to see Selena this emotional and it was nice to hear that they had a bit in common as well. Joshua was really warming up to Selena, even more than he already had been.

"Huh, yeah, that sounds like something he would do." Joshua replied when she was done. "You know, I actually met Emperor Vigarde once as well when I was a child as well. Well, he was more visiting my mother, but he was very kind and understanding to me even when I was in kind of a bad mood that day." Of course he couldn't rightly tell Selena just yet that the reason he was having a bad day that day was that his father, the former king of Jehanna, had died recently, but he figured that he could get away with being a bit vague and not bring up suspicion since they were having a fun day together.

"Really? That's kind of funny in an ironic sort of way." Selena noted with a chuckle.

"I know right?" Joshua agreed. "Alright, I'm done with your back, time to switch places." So the two of them did just that and Selena started to rub sunscreen on Joshua's back. It was probably going to take just a bit longer since he wasn't wearing a shirt, but she didn't mind. In fact, she had some questions for him as well.

"You know for a mercenary, you don't have a lot of scars on your body." She commented as she moved her hands around his back gently. "Would you account that to your skill as a fighter or maybe you haven't been a mercenary for that long?"

"Sharp wits as ever Selena." Joshua said with a chuckle, but he had to admit he loved the feeling of her hands all over him, they were very soft and delicate like he thought they would be. "I would say it's a little of both. Like you I chose to be what I am today, but I wasn't really forced into it at a young age like some mercenaries are. My family, while not being super rich, always had enough to get by, so I was able to enjoy my childhood for the most part. And as for my skill, well I think you saw it first hand at the festival during the week, I barely know how to use a bow and I was still on top of my game." Some of that was of course a sack of lies, but some of it was the truth. Joshua always sought to strike a balance between the two so as to keep his little ruse believable.

"Yes, yes, you were quite impressive I must admit, if you ever find yourself in Grado needing a job, I think you'd be a great fit for my company." Selena noted happily.

"That's high praise coming from someone of your station." Joshua said with a smirk. "But I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

"So, what did make you want to become a mercenary in the first place, did some in your family alreay have that as a profession or did you come to that decision yourself?" Selena wondered.

"Uh, I'd say I pretty much came to the decision myself. I mean my father did a stint in the Jehannan army reserve, but he really never had to do any real fighting and he never really talked about his experience there. What really sold me on the idea was the fact that being a mercenary meant I would get to travel and that I could help a lot of people who needed it." Joshua answered. "Magvel is a huge place and I really wanted to find some perspective you know? Find what my place in it could be and then do the best I could in it. And as you probably know as well as me, getting to see the face of people you help is just the best feeling in the world, wouldn't you agree?"

"Very much so, seeing those in need get what they need, well it reminds me of when I was younger so I know how they feel more than most generals would." Selena noted in agreement.

"Exactly, and it just makes me feel like I'm making Magvel a better place with every job I do." Joshua said with a content sigh.

"Let me ask you this though, have you ever gotten a job offer you've refused on moral grounds?" Selena asked.

"Oh, tons of them." Joshua replied. "That's why I make sure to do my research before I accept a job. I'm not just gonna kill someone if it's gonna cause more trouble than it's worth. Yeah that cuts into my group's profit margins a bit, but I think it pays for itself when our reputation is so good that royal armies and generals like yourself are seriously offering to hire us."

"And here I was thinking you were just another pretty face, you've got this all figured out don't you?" Selena teased him.

"As much as I can." Joshua smirked back. "And I'd say I'm more handsome than pretty, wouldn't you think?"

"Well, you've got me there." Selena noted as she finished up with the sunscreen. "That's that, now we can enjoy the rest of our day on the beach, thank you Joshua for sharing this with me and for answering my questions."

"Hey, fair is fair, and you answered my questions as well so I must thank you back." Joshua said back before moving back over to his towel. After that the two of them relaxed for a bit, Selena reading her book and Joshua looking out to the ocean as they chatted some more. Eventually though Mia came into their vision and she stopped to talk to them.

"Oh perfect!" She said looking at the pair. "Lucina and I were wondering if we could find another pair of heroes to get to play some games of chicken in the water with us."

"Chicken? I don't think I've ever heard of that game before, how do you play?" Selena asked.

"It's really simple, one person stands in the water with their partner sitting on their shoulders and the goal is to get the other team to fall into the water." Mia explained. "I think it was derived from some sort of training drill a looooooong time ago or something."

"That sounds like fun then, don't you think Joshua?" Selena said looking over to him.

"I think I'll pass, thank you." Joshua said a bit nervously. "Thank you for the offer. But you can probably find someone else to be your partner Selena."

"But I want you as my partner Joshua." Selena stated with a surprising pout, as slight as it was.

"Look, I would love to as well, but I can't swim." Joshua explained. "You don't really get the chance to learn living out in the desert and work hasn't given me the time to learn either." Selena couldn't help but chuckle at the revelation. "What?"

"It's just surprising, that's all. You seem so knowledgeable about so many things, I just assumed you could swim as well." She explained. "But honestly, it's not going to be too deep where we'll be and you'll have to be the one standing since I doubt I could carry you, so I think you'd be okay. And even if you did fall and get sent out into the water, I'm a very good swimmer so I could catch you in no time."

"You really want me to be your partner that badly huh?" Joshua asked rhetorically with a wry smile. "Alright, but you one me one at a later date, got it?"

"Of course, a general always pays her debts." Selena said with a happy tone and smile. So they went and played in the ocean with Mia and Lucina for a long while, Selena even gave Joshua a crash course on swimming so if he ever did get into water when he didn't mean to he wouldn't be completely helpless. Besides, Joshua would be a fool to skip out on having those lovely legs of Selena's wrapped around his head for a while. Eventually though the sun started to set and everyone started to pack up to leave, except for Joshua and Selena who decided to stay and watch the sun go down.

"I really had fun today, and with this whole week in general, and a lot of it has to do with you Selena, so I thank you for livening up my life for that short period of time." Joshua admitted. Selena responded by resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling up to him a bit.

"I could say the same about you, shame we'll have to go back and not know which one of us is which with all of our copies running around Askr's castle." She said with a sigh.

"Well, there is a simple way to fix that." Joshua said reaching into his satchel and taking out two shell bracelets. "If we just wear these around the castle then we'll know which one of us is which, genius right?"

"Did you make these?" Selena wondered.

"Yeah, I had the same thought you just had a couple days ago and I wanted to come up with something before we left." Joshua explained. "That's why I was a little late to the beach today, I was finishing these up."

"That's very sweet of you Joshua, thank you." Selena said taking one and putting on her wrist.

"And plus, if by Lady Luck's grace we're actually from the same Magvel, we can keep these and meet up again after we get sent home." Joshua added.

"That would be nice, but chances are that it's very unlikely." Selena said sighing again.

"Well, then that just means we'll have to make the best of our time here in Askr, as much or little as we have." Joshua replied, ever the optimist, at least in appearance. After he said that there was a few moments of comfortable silence between the two as they continued to watch the sunset before Selena moved her body around so that she was face to face with Joshua as she straddled his legs. "Woah, Selena, what's all this about?" Joshua asked in surprise, though he would admit that he was enjoying this position very much.

"I'm making the best of the time we have left." And with that she put her arms on Joshua's shoulders and moved in to kiss him. She didn't go all the way though, giving Joshua the chance to decline her advance.

But there was no way Joshua was going to decline a moment such as this, so he leaned in and completed the kiss. Selena's lips were nice and soft, very warm and inviting, and he couldn't help but linger on them like the two of them were on the beach this evening. He had felt some sparks between them over the last few days, but he never thought Selena would be the one initiating something like this.

"Sorry, I just got caught up in the moment." Selena said with a big blush as she pulled away slightly. Joshua was blushing a bit as well, he really liked this side of her as well.

"Don't be." He whispered back to her. "Let it out, it's good for you."

So that's just what Selena did, she went right back to kissing Joshua like she wanted to. Honestly this had been building up in her over the last few days, but what really pushed her over the edge today was learning more about Joshua and what type of man he was and the fact that he was genuinely interested in her and her past. And it didn't hurt that he was being super romantic and thoughtful with those bracelet's either. She never thought she would ever feel like this for anyone but the emperor, but here she was, falling for a handsome mercenary with a heart of gold. After a while of making out though the two of them needed to catch their breath, but they stayed very close to each other, not wanting the moment to end.

"You're a very good kisser Selena, just another wonderful skill of yours." Joshua said with a smirk, which got her to blush a bit more.

"Oh, you're much better than me, you probably have more experience." Selena pondered.

"Not too much, I may act like a flirt, but I've not had many chances to do something like this." Which was the honest truth.

"That's surprising." Selena noted, still breathing hard. But there was something the two of them hadn't noticed about their outfits. They had been making out so vigorously that the strings holding the top of Selena's swimsuit had loosened to the point that her breasts had popped out of it and Joshua's swim trunks had slid so far down that his dick was showing, and it was very erect as well. They didn't notice until they heard a voice calling from them from far off.

"Joshua! Selena! We're leaving!" It was the summoner, probably at the portal so they could go back. Normally the both of them would be super embarrassed about the state they were in, but with the romantic moment they were having, it kind of just made it a bit better.

"Those look nice, I guess I'll have to wait until next time to cop a feel huh?" Joshua joked with a grin.

"Who says there will be a next time?" Selena teased as she fixed her swimsuit. "But it seems you're packing some heat as well, so I might catch up with you in the future. Maybe after a nice meal?"

"Sounds like a date." Joshua replied as he stood up and pulled his shorts up. "But seriously, thank you Selena, this was a wonderful week and I'm looking forward to seeing where whatever this is leads."

"Me as well Joshua, me as well."