With time, Auron and I fall into some kind of dance pattern. We spend a lot of time together whenever our work allows it; and share our lives with each other. Auron tells me about his life with Tidus, about his work, about his visits to Jecht, and I tell him about my life with Nes, my work and whatever other things come to mind.

We mostly go out or meet at the house boat. Auron feels at home there, even though he might not admit it. I can see it in the way he knows his way around the rooms, how everything is arranged in order to suit a one-armed person. But it's also in the way he stands up on the sun deck on the house boat's roof and looks out over the bay. His stance is stable and calm despite the slight rocking of the ship, he looks strong and in command. He always does, but more so up here.

It's there that we share our first kiss one evening after he has cooked me dinner. As the weather is still quite warm, we eat on the deck and share a glass of wine in the mild evening breeze.

By unspoken consent, we move over and stand at the railing after we have finished eating. Our eyes lock during a lull in our conversation and our lips meet before I am aware that either of us has moved.

The kiss begins light, sweet and shy, but quickly deepens to something way more intense. Auron's arm snakes around my waist and I melt into his body. I try to, anyway, as his paralysed arm is rather uncomfortable between us. I break the kiss with a quiet laugh and move more to his right, still within his embrace. I press up against his side and we kiss again. There's nothing shy in our second kiss, and it leaves me quite breathless.

I rest my head at his chest, one of my hands rests at the small of his back and the other one over his heart. I breathe in his scent and try to find his heartbeat under my hand. I take another deep breath. Leather and sandalwood. Auron.

He rests his cheek on the top of my head and we stand there for a long time, lost in each other.

"You are cold," Auron comments at length. However willing I might be to ignore my shivering, he's not.

"Mmhm…"

Neither of us moves.

"Come." Auron again. I don't want to, but the moment is broken.

Later that night, when I am alone in my bed, I think of the tension slowly building up between us. Well, that's not quite correct. The physical tension has been there for a long time already, but it's now becoming unbearable. Oh how I want this man!

The next time I am over at the house boat I decide to go into the offensive. While we cook dinner together, I make sure to 'accidentally' touch Auron a lot. He has caught up on my scheme early on, it's not like I am trying to be subtle. He prowls me like a predator fiend.

When I am up on deck, setting the table, I pull my already low neckline a little lower. I turn to walk back down to the kitchen and Auron is suddenly before me on the stairs, sans red jacket, and as he stands a step lower we are nearly the same height for once. I put my hands on both sides of his face and pull him close for a kiss. He wraps his right arm around my waist and lifts me up, his left arm pushing painfully against my belly. He turns and carries my down the stairs. I let him, but wiggle free when we have reached level ground again.

As soon as my feet touch the floor I use my full body weight to pin Auron against a wall, and with my hands framing his face again, we kiss.

When we break apart to draw breath, Auron raises a questioning eyebrow at me. I smile a lascivious smile and lightly pinch his already stiff nipples through the cloth of his tank top.

He laughs breathlessly and picks me up again. This time, I grab his shoulders and sling my legs around his waist. Auron walks us to a door down the hall and stops briefly, so that I can open it. None of us bothers to close it again, we are alone anyway.

Auron deposits me on the bed and takes a step back, questioning eyebrow raised again. I smile, lay back and stretch my arms out to him.

"Come."

Our first time together is urgent, intense and unbelievably hot, despite of all the fumbling it takes to get us both out of our respective clothing.

Afterwards, Auron is on his back with me at his right side, my head resting on his chest, and he's lightly stroking my back with his good arm. I breathe in his scent of leather and sandalwood and draw circles around an old scar on his belly. It feels so natural, and I am completely at peace.

"Well, that was chaotic," he quips, out of the blue.

I shrug. "It takes practice. We'll get there."

We both jump, our hair on end, when loud and shrill beeping floods the house boat.

"Smoke detector in the kitchen!" Auron cries, and we're both off.

"Well, that's that," I comment, after we've dealt with the immediate danger and I'm at leisure to throw a glance into the pot at the sad remains of what was supposed to become our dinner. Auron leans in next to me, his nose puckered.

"Looks no worse than Jecht's fiend stew," he comments drily.

Suddenly, the absurdity of the situation hits me full on. Auron and I both wearing our birthdays suits, in a kitchen still a little hazy with smoke, leaning over a pot of burnt food, discussing his best friend's cooking of times gone by.

I laugh so hard, I can hardly breathe. Tears stream down my cheeks and it takes Auron just one look at my face to join in. Minutes later our laughter has quieted down to the occasional bout of giggles as we hold on to each other. My head rests on Auron's chest, and I have slung my arms around his waist. Auron's cheek is on the top of my head, his good arm is around my shoulders. His bad arm hangs loosely by his side, as he hasn't had the time to bind it again.

I look up at him, a wide smile on my face. I want to say something, but Auron is faster, sealing my lips with a kiss. Jecht's fiend stew is quite forgotten as we make our way back to the bedroom.

Later, as we lay on the bed snuggled together like we did before the smoke detector startled us, the rather loud rumbling of my stomach breaks the comfortable silence.

"We should order something in," Auron suggests, and I nod.

"We can take it up on the roof," I add and Auron hums in agreement.

Slowly, we climb out of the bed and get dressed again. I unashamedly watch as Auron pulls up his pants and fights a short fight with his tank top, which he wins. I drink in the sight of his lithe movements until he turns around and catches me staring.

"Looking at something?" he asks, eyebrow raised.

"Just you," I smile.

Auron harrumphs and grabs the bindings he uses to tie his paralysed arm to his body. I want to keep watching, but I feel that Auron wouldn't appreciate it at this point. So I turn and search for my shoes.

We clean the kitchen properly while we wait for our food to be delivered, and take it up to the deck where our completely set table is still waiting for us.

There was a little awkwardness earlier, after Auron joined me in the kitchen, but it's completely gone by the time we sit down to eat. I am glad about it. Sleeping together has ruined many a friendship, and I'm happy that it doesn't seem to be the case with us.

The evening grows late and I wonder if I should stay the night, but Auron doesn't ask me to and I agree that we should keep things going slow for the moment. So I grab my purse and go home.

Two weeks later a mighty storm whips up the waves in the bay. The house boat rocks on the moving water, and the wind howls around the railing as we lay snuggled together on Auron's bed. I draw circles around the scar on his belly again, when Auron sighs deeply.

"What's wrong?" I ask, drowsily.

"Nothing. I am just being grateful for the fact that you have a thing for ugly ass cripples." His voice is so sarcastic, it almost physically hurts. A dark scene in a narrow staircase plays through my mind. What do you think a woman like her would want with an ugly ass cripple like me?

"Auron," I start in protest and make to sit up, but his grip around me turns to iron. I huff and settle back against him.

"You're not ugly!" My voice is firm.

"Eanna," Auron's voice is calm, matter-of-fact. "I have looked into a mirror recently, you know."

"You're scarred, not ugly. There's a difference." I, too, try for calm, but I don't quite manage.

"Eanna…"

"No, don't you Eanna me! You are the most attractive man I've ever met!" I struggle against his arm and he finally lets me move.

"You do not have to say that," Auron tells me quietly, when I have wiggled myself free so that I can look into his face.

"Yes, I have to, because it's true. And you obviously need to hear it!"

Auron turns away, a pained look on his face.

"Auron," I say, very softly, "please look at me. I mean it. You are not ugly, you must never think it."

He slowly turns his head, his good eye overflowing with emotion, but I can't quite tell what it is. Sadness? Anger? Worry? Fear? All of those, and more?

"But you cannot deny that I am a cripple."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath before I open them again.

"No, I don't deny that. Although I would have chosen a different wording, it's a fact."

"You do not care?"

I hum while I think how to phrase my answer. "It's not so much that I don't care, I do care. I care because obviously you care. However, I don't mind. Your arm," I interrupt myself to reach over him and take his left hand in mine, "it's just part of you, part of who you are. Just like that scar on your belly or your black hair or…" I shrug, not knowing how to go on. "It's paralysed, yes. That's a fact. We deal with it."

Auron quietly searches my face for a long time, until I can stand it no longer and move in to kiss him. I make it a very soft kiss, caressing his lips with mine. After, I trail a series of soft little pecks over his face, and a little sigh escapes his lips. Auron relaxes noticeably beneath my ministrations until I kiss the big scar on his face, where his eyelid used to be. In the wink of an eye, he has moved out from under me and jumped out of bed. There he stands, staring at me like a chocobo caught in the headlights.

"I'm sorry," I tell him, because I don't know what else to do. "I shouldn't have…" I make a rather helpless gesture with my hand.

Finally, Auron shakes his head as if to shake off disturbing thoughts, and slowly comes back to sit on the edge of the bed, his back towards me.

"No," he says, his voice hoarse, "it is alright. Just…" he trails off, and turns around to look at me. The single tear running down over his left cheek nearly breaks me.

Auron lowers his head and continues. "Nobody has ever touched it." His head comes up again, and he runs a hand lightly over the scar in question.

"Really?" I whisper, "nobody? Ever?"

The sorrow in his good eye makes my own tears spill over.

"Not since the wound needed tending," Auron confirms.

"Braska," I choke out.

"Braska."

With a sob I throw myself at him and encircle him with my arms. Surprised, Auron falls over and we both land on the mattress, me on top of him. I squeeze him as tightly as I can, while I sob into his chest.

"Eanna?" Insecurity is paramount in his voice. He lightly pats my back, but he's uneasy in the face of my tears, I can tell.

"I'm sorry," I sob and pick myself off of him. "I'm sorry," I choke out again, and Auron rummages in his night stand.

"What exactly for?" he asks and hands me a handkerchief.

"I should have asked before… before…" helplessly, I give up and take the handkerchief from him, trying to dry my tears.

"Eanna," Auron's voice is soft, but choked with emotion. "Never again apologise for touching me, ever. Please."

"But I made you uncomfortable. I don't want to make you uncomfortable!"

Auron swallows hard. "I am sorry for startling you. This…" he looks away and makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, "all this, you, me, here, together, this is so very new to me."

I look at him, my eyes big. "New?"

He smirks. "I was raised a monk, after all."

That makes me snort. "Judging from your performance, I couldn't tell."

"I take that as a compliment," Auron shoots back, but is solemn again almost instantly. "I'm not talking about sex, Eanna. I am talking about being close to somebody. The only person I have ever been really close to was Braska. And that was very different."

"But Braska's been dead for years."

"Yes."

"Oh, Auron…" I shake my head, helplessly.

"I want to be close to you, you just overpower me sometimes."

I can't help but smile at that. "I tend to do that to people," I tell him quietly.

His luxurious lips widen into a genuine smile. He takes my hand and places it against the scar on his face, his hand on mine. I lean in, and kiss him.

When I wake up the next morning, Auron is still asleep. I lay completely still, because experience has shown that he wakes as soon as I move so much as my little toe. Auron sleeps on his back as he usually does, and I'm curled up on his right side with my back to him, my head resting on his good arm.

Having nothing else to do, I think of last night. It was very emotional, for both of us. Auron has gone through so much in his life, he deserves to be happy, and I want to make him happy. I feel honoured by his trust. True to his word, he lets me know how he feels, so that I can act accordingly. I wonder what I am offering him in return. Am I as open with him? Am I sharing what I ought so that he can know me like I get to know him? I need to work on this.

"Good morning." Auron's voice is hoarse from sleep.

I smile and move backwards, closer to him. "Good morning!"

"Would you mind getting off my arm? It is all pins and needles."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I quickly sit up in bed, and Auron does as well. He tentatively flexes his arm and pulls a face. Oops.

"Is it very bad?" I ask, and Auron shakes his head.

"It will be over in a moment." He shrugs. "It is just that…"

"You are quite helpless as long as it lasts," I complete his sentence with a mischievous smile. A moment later I'm on top of him on the bed, kissing his laughing mouth.

Our peaceful routine is interrupted one day, when an old acquaintance of Auron's arrives in Zanakand and reaches out to him. Apparently, Nooj just arrived from Spira, and tries to settle down in the city. I can't really make out Auron's opinion on this new development. Is this Nooj character a welcome reminder of a place Auron once called home, or is he a vestige of a past he'd rather forget? The body language of my warrior makes it obvious that there's a story there, but he's not willing to share it. Not yet, anyway.

"I have asked Nooj over for drinks up on deck tonight after dinner," Auron informs me quietly, when I arrive at the house boat one evening after work. "I hope you do not mind."

"No, of course not."

"I thought it might be good from him to have some purely social contacts," Auron elaborates as we enter the kitchen together. "He tells me he already has some business contacts set up."

I hide my raised eyebrow by bending over the stove and peering into a pot. Auron hardly ever explains the reasoning behind his actions, and he certainly doesn't assume responsibility for other people's emotional well-being, just look at Tidus for that. Does Nooj make him that nervous?

"Mmmhm," I hum, "smells delicious!" Auron's cooking usually is, something that surprised me greatly at first. He doesn't seem like the domestic type.

He smiles a small smile when I turn back to him and gently places a kiss on my forehead. Maybe a little domestic.

Dinner is a quiet affair, and when Nooj arrives later, we have just finished clearing the table. Whatever I have expected of Nooj, he's not it. He's tall, taller than Auron even, and lean, and his hair game is even better than Wakka's. I mean really, an undercut with a ponytail reaching down almost to his calves? Please.

Glasses worn low on his nose accentuate the angles of his face, and apparently this is a fashion statement in Spiran males. In contrast to Auron's glasses, Nooj's are clear, though.

Also, he's the only grown up I have ever met who manages to not look ridiculous in long johns. On the contrary, he really pulls them off. Plus, they are probably quite practical, as his left arm and leg are both machina prosthetics. Several thin belts wrapped around his torso and criss-crossing each other keep them in place.

I've heard of machina prosthetics, of course, but I have never seen anyone actually use them. I confess, I am intrigued.

"Nooj," Auron says as they two men enter the kitchen, "this is Eanna."

"Hi," I greet the newcomer, and extend a hand. Nooj accepts it, but instead of shaking it he bows low over my hand. A gallant gesture which makes me snort-giggle and Auron roll his eye.

Nooj winks at me when he straightens and I retrieve my hand.

"We should get up on deck," I suggest, and pick up a bottle of wine from the counter top. "It's a beautiful night. Will a dry red be okay?"

Nooj nods his assent and I pass the bottle to Auron. "Why don't you two take this up to the deck and open it, I'll be right behind you with the glasses."

I rummage around the kitchen a bit, certain that Auron hides some salty crackers somewhere. Triumphantly, I retrieve them from the pantry, and arrange some on a small plate. In the cooling box I find some aged yellow cheese which I dice and put in a bowl, and there's even some dark chocolate I deposited here a few days ago.

I arrange everything on a tray, add three wine glasses and dash up the stairs to the deck where I find Auron and Nooj, standing on the railing and looking our over the city.

I place my burden on a low table and pour the wine. Just as I want to carry the glasses over to the men they amble over to join me. Nooj eyes the low lounge chairs suspiciously.

"You do realise that I won't be able to get up again, once I am down in one of those."

"Never mind," I tell him, "I'll get you a blanket later and Auron can bring you breakfast in the morning." I realise I might be overstepping, but I want to test the waters. Thankfully, Nooj just laughs.

"Seriously," I continue, "we can move over to the table. There are normal chairs there." I make to pick up the tray.

"No." Nooj's hand on my arm still my movement. "I'll try. You might have to help me up later, though."

"Of course," Auron agrees from somewhere behind me. He moves to sit, and I have to take a step back from Nooj so that he can pass between us, a movement which gets me out of Nooj's reach. Auron's not so subtle intervention makes me realise that Nooj's hand has lingered on my arm a moment too long.

I pick the lounge chair across from the table from Nooj, which places Auron securely between us. I pick up my glass and watch as Nooj manoeuvres himself down on his chair. Apparently, machina appendages work mostly like their organic counterparts, but not quite. Controlling the movements seems to be difficult, at least.

When he is seated, Nooj accepts a glass from Auron, and all three of us raise our glasses in a silent salute.

"So you've managed to get yourself a girlfriend," Nooj throws at Auron a while later. I snort into my wine.

Auron doesn't answer immediately though, his gaze finds mine first. I smile, and nod. We haven't talked about any labels yet, but this is not a discussion I want to have in front of a third party. And certainly not in front of Nooj. For me, this is a committed relationship anyway.

"Yes," Auron confirms aloud, and takes a sip of his wine.

"Congratulations, then," Nooj shoots back. "I had pegged you the eternal bachelor, you know, just like me."

Auron gives one of his one sided shrugs. "Things change."

"They do," Nooj agrees, and winks at me over the rim of his wine glass. What the actual… Is this guy trying to flirt with me? Right in front of Auron? Unbelievable.

"How did you two meet?" I ask to break the rather awkward silence.

"We met in the aftermath of a battle, actually," Nooj answers. "Lord Braska was one of the healers to treat the wounded. And this guy," he points at Auron with his chin, "was his guardian."

Auron nods, but stays silent.

"I wasn't in a good place back then," Nooj continues. "I was almost killed in battle, and with an arm and a leg gone, I wished it wouldn't have been 'almost' only."

"Spira was not great on inclusion, back then," Auron interjects.

"Still isn't," Nooj shrugs. "Braska managed to ship me off to the Al Bhed through some contacts of his wife's. When I came back the Crimson Squad had no use for me any more, of course, but at least I was able to lead an independent life. So I became a sphere hunter."

"Last time we met you were possessed by this ancient spirit, killing people left, right and centre," Auron reminiscences.

Nooj grabs a cracker. "Oh, these were fun times," he comments sarcastically, before he puts it into his mouth. "I still don't understand why you didn't kill me back then," he muses, still chewing.

"Braska asked me not to," Auron states simply.

"Ah, yes, Braska. Determined to keep me alive, even against my own wishes." More crackers make their way into his mouth. I opt for some chocolate.

"You should have seen this guy fight, back then," Nooj says to me, gesturing towards Auron with his left hand. "He was a force to reckon with."

"Still is," I reply flatly. Nooj throws me a look which I answer with a raised eyebrow only. If he thinks he can disparage Auron in any way he needs to think again.

The evening continues in that vein, until the wine is empty. I do no offer to fetch a second bottle. Honestly, Nooj is grinding on my nerves with his constant flirting, mixed with barbs at Auron. Who does this guy think he is?

Auron helps Nooj to get up from the deck chair he's lounging in, but when he stands his knee buckles. He's saved by his cane, and by Auron gripping his other arm firmly.

"Damn knee," he spits, then straightens. "Thanks, Auron. The stupid thing has been acting up for a while now. Guess I'm the only person with a bum knee on an artificial leg!"

"I know someone who might help. His name is Cid, he's an Al Bhed mechanic, so if your prosthetic is Al Bhed he might know something about it."

The words are out before I can clamp down on them. I really don't want to have any more contact to Nooj than absolutely necessary. Still, I can't let him suffer if I have an idea who might be able to solve his problem. It's not like I will hold his hand and walk him into Cid's workshop, right?

"Will you come with me, and introduce me to this Cid?"

Nooj looks down his long nose at me. I stare back at him blankly. Seriously?

"I will note down the address for you," Auron offers. "You will figure out the rest; You are a big boy."

Nooj smirks at Auron, and we make our way down the stairs together. Slowly, to accommodate for Nooj's bum knee, but without further incident. Auron fetches some paper and a pen from the kitchen, jots down the address of Cid's workshop and offers it to Nooj, who carefully tucks it away inside his long johns.

I snuggle into Auron's right side as we watch Nooj make his way over the gangplank, and Auron loosely drapes his arms around my shoulders.

Once he reaches stable ground again, Nooj turns and throws us a sloppy salute, combined with a wink in my direction. I shiver.

"Let us go back inside," Auron offers, and I turn to do just that.

"Are you all right?" Auron sounds concerned as he closes the door behind us.

"Why do I have the urge to take a long, hot shower?" I ask wryly, and lift one corner of my mouth in disgust.

"You mean because Nooj tried all night to steal you from me?" Auron lifts a questioning eyebrow, his wide mouth curling into a sardonic smile.

"Yeah, sounds about right. Not what I would call respectful behaviour. Neither towards you, nor towards me." I walk back into the houseboat and up the stairs in order to collect our glasses and the rest of our snacks.

"Has he always been like this?" I ask, when I enter the kitchen to deposit the tray on the table there.

"Disrespectful? Yes," Auron nods and moves to help me clean up. "He was not kidding when he said he has no wish to go on living. He has been known as 'Deathseeker' for a long time now."

"He cannot mean to provoke you into killing him over me!" I cry, incredulous.

Auron chuckles. "No, I think he just wanted to be an ass. If he had actually managed to win you over," he shrugs, "that would have been a nice bonus."

"Well, he should go be an ass somewhere else, then. Besides, I am not a possession, ready to be handed from one owner to the next," I huff.

With his large, warm hand on my arm, Auron stills my movements. He looks at me intently, his grey eye is shining with emotion. "I know," he says, and his voice is as low as it is solemn. "I am sorry. I did not think he would be so disrespectful. He certainly was not when I saw him last, I would not have invited him had I known he wouldn't treat you appropriately."

I put down the dish towel and the glass I was drying and lay a reassuring hand on Auron's, which he has not removed from my arm. "I know," I tell him, and I mean it. "It's not your fault. People change."

Auron looks as if he wants to say more, but decides not to. Instead, he places a soft kiss on my lips. I hum low in approval.

"Will you stay the night?"

"The children are supposed to be back soon," Auron comments one morning, when we clean away the breakfast things.

"Oh, yes!" I beam at him. "I can't believe that it's been almost six months already since they left." I miss Nes, I really do. And I wonder if he's okay. Well, I will know soon.

"Have you thought about what we shall tell the children, once they are back?" Auron looks at me with one eyebrow raised.

"Tell them about what?" I ask, and lean back against the counter top, coffee cup in hand. "About us?"

"Yes."

"I don't think there's much to tell, it's not like we have to justify anything. We're together now. We're both adults." I shrug, and take a sip of coffee.

Auron bobs his head in a solemn nod. "Do you think Nes will mind?"

"Mind that I'm in a relationship in general, or mind that I'm in a relationship with you specifically?"

"Either."

"Neither, I think. He's old enough to understand, though there might be some awkwardness at first. After all, I haven't been in a serious relationship since Michael died."

Auron's eyebrows both jump at my statement. "No serious relationship after your marriage ended?"

I smile into my coffee cup. "No," I answer at length. "And before you ask, there's no real reason, it just didn't happen." I give a little, embarrassed laugh. I want to be honest with Auron, but this can get awkward fast.

"You do not have to tell me," Auron says quietly, and I'm tempted to take the coward's way out.

"No, it's all right." I take another sip of coffee. "There's not much to tell, really. There have been a few people, but I was never really emotionally invested. Each time it was fine as long as it lasted, but when it ended..." I shrug, not sure how to put my feelings into words.

"I understand," Auron says. "It was the same for me."

Grateful, I smile at him and drink up the last of my coffee. Auron takes my cup and turns to fill it again.

"People?" he states, with his back to me.

When I don't answer right away, he turns and hands me my cup. "You said 'people', not 'men'", he elaborates.

"Thanks. Well," I shrug and buy some time by drinking some coffee, "some of them were men."

Auron nods and turns to look for his own cup, which is still on the table where we had breakfast earlier.

"Both men and women for you, then" he states as he pours the rest of the coffee into his cup.

"And then there was that one person who was actually neither." I shoot Auron a loop sided grin. "Though that was a long time ago, before I even met Michael."

Auron's good eye widens almost imperceptibly, but he doesn't comment. Instead, he chooses to examine the contents of his cup very closely.

"You are not the only one," he finally states.

"I know."

His head snaps up, and he fixates me with his stare. I shrug.

"The way you talk about Braska…" I take a sip of coffee. "It's rather obvious, if one is open to the idea."

"Braska said so, too." Auron heaves a big sigh.

"So he knew, but he didn't feel the same about you. That's also rather obvious," I add at Auron's surprised look.

"I suppose," he huffs. "Braska was very much in love with his wife. He never denied the physical attraction, though."

Silence descends over the kitchen, as I don't know what to say to that.

"You do not mind, then?" Auron asks at length.

I need a moment to understand his question. "No, of course not," I tell him once my brain catches up. "Why should I?"

"You should not," Auron states matter-of-factly, "but there was the possibility that you did, anyway."

"Fair," I concede. "So how do you think Tidus will react?" I ask, as the topic of our respective sexual orientation seems exhausted at this point.

Auron makes a sound halfway between a snort and a laugh. "The boy will be thrilled. He will probably take all the credit for himself."

"Well, he'll have to share the honours with Wakka," I laugh.

Grinning, we finish the last of our coffee.