On This Night, Which Is Ours

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

It was only a matter of time, considering Maya and Claudine are one of my top OTPs of all time. I felt if there was any couple I could write this sort of story for, it would be them. That being said, this is only my second story ever of this nature, so I hope it's decent. I really tried my hardest!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

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						On This Night, Which Is Ours


The evening is still and very quiet, like something that dares to be shattered.

The only light comes from pale beams of the moon, which quietly ask the transparent curtains entry to create an oddly-pleasant mix of pink and silver. With the canopy that hangs over the bed, the light is less the color of white seashells at midnight, and more so the color of budding cherry blossom petals by the time it reaches the two girls seated there on the edge of the mattress.

It has been three years since they'd met, and two since they'd started dating. Like any others, they'd had their ups and downs, but with the uniqueness of their bond, even the downs had felt like ups in a way.

As the top students - positions well-earned and deserved for them, and them alone - challenges were a part of their everyday lives.

And yet the most difficult challenge by far for both of them had been waiting.

For this. For tonight.

As much as Claudine had enjoyed herself at her 18th birthday party with her friends earlier that evening, she has to admit it had only served as the build-up to an even greater anticipation.

And by some miracle, Maya had held herself down all evening, having only just turned 18 herself a week prior, pleading for this day to arrive and pass so that they may finally come to where they are now.

They'd both made it, and now it is finally upon them. Something they have waited for for quite a long time. And though neither of them had ever voiced it, both of them knew.

At present, the beams of spring-like moonlight paint streaks across the middle of the mattress, which the girls have yet to fill. For now, they remain seated on the edge, knees and thighs touching slightly while their hands and arms touch more fully.

Many kisses pass between them as their hands roam on journeys they've taken many times before, but never in quite the same fashion, never with quite the same excitement. Their uniforms are already quite ruffled, and the soft sound of fingers on clothing ruffles in the night alongside a subtle, but mutual panting.

The heat builds gradually, like a teapot set to boil, small bubbles and flutters making their way up each girls' stomach and chest, gathering momentum by the second. The lighter touches become a bit harder, a bit hungrier. Nails are added into their grips, digging into shoulders and scraping along waistlines as if to tear straight through the clothing that separates skin from skin.

But if there's anything they've learned from all this time waiting, it's patience. Particularly Claudine. Living with and loving Tendo Maya all these months has taught her incredible patience, and in spite of how badly she's wanted this, she somehow is able to keep a grip on that even now - wobbly as it may be.

And Maya - in spite of her trademark eagerness to lunge in and claim what is hers - holds herself back with learned effort, for she would never forgive herself if she were to go an inch farther than Claudine was ready for.

Therefore, she contents herself with fussing Claudine's clothes, looping an arm around the small of her back and pulling her in closer by the hip. Her other hand alternates between running up and down her side or caressing her cheek as their lips find each other's like spring finds summer. Beneath her palm and even through the fabrics, she can already feel Claudine's heart pounding, and she's about to think something smug for half a second until she realizes hers is doing the same thing.

Claudine touches her in return in all the same places and all the same ways, with the same nervous excitement, the same quivering heat.

It's quiet and dangerously tame for a while, the kind of loose restraint that precedes anarchy, the swelling combers before the dam breaks.

They remain upright on the edges of the pool of moonlight, the ends of their skirts being the only things brushing the silvery pink for now. As their pulses become faster, they part from an unnumbered amount of kisses and share a hazy sort of gaze; silver to pink, just like the light surrounding them. There is a question in their eyes, one each asks and each answers with surety.

Maya clings to Claudine's waist, keeping her close but not refusing her to leave. She tilts her head to one side, haughty but curious. Claudine answers her with an unmistakable nod and a heavy exhale of breath.

Then, she reaches out to slowly pull on the red string of Maya's uniform ribbon, unfurling the velvet until it comes undone, loosening the collar around her neck. She unclasps the top button with fingers she forces to be still, in spite of how much she knows she's trembling.

Maya sits stiffly, watching her with an awed admiration, like an unworthy mortal observing the actions of some magical faery or celestial being.

When Claudine has finished with the blazer, it opens to reveal the white shirt underneath, yet she goes no further.

Rather, Maya doesn't let her, because she takes her turn doing the same to her.

Only, she kisses Claudine as she begins to undress her, pulling at the ribbon slowly and playfully, then pawing the blazer apart while distracting her with the contact on her lips. There's a hum, and neither can tell who it was, so it was probably both of them.

With the blazers free, it takes a bit more time to unbutton the white shirts underneath, mainly because neither of them is looking at what they're doing and are generally groping around to fiddle with the buttons, as their main focus remains on the other's face. The kisses become a little hungrier and begin to stray off of lips and onto chins and down necks.

It's when the last of the buttons come free and the first press of teeth against skin is made when things come to a brief pause. The lazy lull of touching and being touched that is so easy to be pulled into is twinged with the sudden reminder than this is real and happening.

As Maya nips at the side of her neck, Claudine swallows, grabbing a handful of her shirt to push her back just a little, covering Maya's other wandering hand with her own to make her pause as well. Claudine looks into her eyes sternly, which causes Maya to drop the mischievous air for just a moment.

"Saijou-san?"

Her voice is odd and unfamiliar to herself as she speaks, making her realize just how long it's been since she'd last used it to do anything other than purr and moan.

Claudine shivers slightly at the sound of it, a voice that grounds her in this inevitable reality. She bites her bottom lip coyly, choosing her words with care.

"Hold on."

When she speaks, Maya's ears tune in immediately. Claudine had spoken plenty at her party earlier in the evening, but the voice she'd used then had been for everyone.

Now, this voice is for Maya and Maya alone.

She doesn't draw her hands away from Claudine, but she does loosen her grip just a little, indicating that she is paying attention fully now. Claudine gives her a somewhat wary look, but not at all in a bad way.

"Just to be sure," she murmurs. "You… do realize what we're about to do, don't you?"

Maya blinks, slightly dumbfounded. Of course she knew - or at least she thought she did. Unless there was something else all these actions could be leading up to?

The question has puzzled her now, to the point of delirious honesty, and she doesn't even try to filter herself.

"Why yes," she replies. "You and I are about to have sex."

There's a sound from Claudine that is something like the sputtering grunt of a beast half-drowned who had then been struck by a train. Maya's blatancy nearly bowls her clean off the bed.

"Mechante va! Have you no shame?! Did you really have to just come out and say it like that?!"

Maya blinks almost stupidly at her, like a puppy unable to understand her master's language.

"My apologies. I just wanted to be sure."

"Unbelievable!" Claudine snorts, grabbing tighter onto Maya's hand to prevent herself from straight-out chopping her on the head. "Of course we're about to… do that. I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"I am glad we are on the same page, then." Maya leans in close to her face, dipping her head at the last second to nuzzle herself into the side of Claudine's neck. At the same time, she slips her hand free of Claudine's grasp and instead glides it across the open front of her shirt. Bracing the other hand on her back, she pulls Claudine in as her fingers enter beneath the white fabric.

A tingle shoots up Claudine's spine as Maya's cautious fingertips make contact with untouched skin for the very first time. Perhaps she'd touched her in these places before, but never like this, or for these reasons.

The pads of her fingers dance up and down along Claudine's side, trailing the taut, smooth skin from her ribcage to her hip and then up again, until the last layer of clothing prevents her from touching the rest that lies underneath.

Maya peeks down, finding the fabric across Claudine's chest to be pink, which she thinks is very fitting.

She refrains from going further for the moment and simply slides her other hand in as well, now circling Claudine's bare stomach and waist with both arms. She touches her chest through her bra, just lightly, letting Claudine get used to the sensation.

And Claudine had been caught up in the welcome intrusion for a long moment. Her mind had gone almost blank with disbelief that it was happening, so much so that it took some internal screaming at herself to recognize it was real.

Not to be outdone, she immediately returns Maya's touch, pushing the shirt open and brushing her stomach. Her ego is stroked a good deal when she feels Maya twitch and hears a small grunt in the back of her throat as Claudine's fingers dust along her navel and sides.

Being touched by her like this breaks Maya's grip on her self-control briefly. She kicks off her shoes and lets them drop, then all at once swings one leg over Claudine's thighs, sitting in her lap as she pulls her into a tight, hard embrace.

For a moment they both pause - clinging, breathing, feeling their hearts beating as one. Claudine manages to kick her shoes off as well, though her legs are crushed between Maya's now. They rest their chins on each other's shoulders, engaged in the warm and shuddering hug for a moment before slowly easing apart.

Maya's eyes are ridden with a tormented desperation, and her hand is soft as she brings it to Claudine's cheek. She kisses her, then asks in a voice that is husky with need and love.

"May I…?"

It's one of the final barriers they need to pass, this one being the one that will be the catalyst - the beginning of the end. After this barrier is surpassed, there will be no going back to a time where they won't have seen or done the things they are about to see or do.

Maya's heart is throbbing - with love and with nervousness and with many other things. But the terribly honest truth is that she'll stop if Claudine tells her to, no matter how far they might've gone or not yet gone.

And Claudine knows this. She knows Maya would never let her greed consume her. Not here. Not with her. Not like this. She'll stop if Claudine wants her to.

Not that Claudine wants her to, but still, it's so important she'd offered.

Claudine smiles and kisses her with it, wrapping both arms around Maya's bare shoulders and back beneath her shirt.

"At this point," she whispers. "I'd be a bit disappointed if you didn't."

She feels a bit of tension drain from Maya's muscles, and she's quite proud of herself for the charming line. But she quickly adds onto it, in a frightened way that ruins the charisma, but offers something so much more important and tender.

"But if you would rather not, at any time, for any reason-"

Now, it is Maya who kisses her again, quieting her misgivings.

"The only reason," she husks. "That I would ever stop, would be if you asked me to. If you wanted me to. Anything short of that could never hope to keep me away from this. From you."

Claudine looks up into silver eyes, and her heart lurches almost painfully, swollen and near-bursting with all the love she harbors for her.

"Well," she croaks, voice borderline breaking. "Then it's a good thing I don't want you to stop."

A soft, squeaking sort of sound muffles in the back of Maya's throat, something gleefully cautious. She dips her head, conveying a message Claudine relays right back to her: 'We can stop at any time.'

And yet, both know they won't be.

With permission granted on both ends, they proceed.

The warm, roaming hands continue on their journeys, mapping new patterns along the smooth, untouched skin of their backs, sides, and stomachs. Claudine tangles one hand in Maya's hair, holding the back of her head and bringing her in for a more breathless kind of kiss. In exchange, Maya begins to slip the shirt down off Claudine's shoulders, easing her arms out of the sleeves one at a time. She doesn't look until the article has completely fallen off somewhere unimportant.

When she does ease back, Maya is stunned. She's seen her topless before, but this is entirely different from bathing suits or changing rooms. This image of her is only for Maya.

Her staring cases Claudine to cross her arms a bit, blocking the cute pink bra from view.

"Quit gawking…"

Maya shakes her head; it's a crime not to be admiring her with everything she has right now.

"You must know that is an impossible request you make of me."

"You're so unfair." Claudine clicks her tongue, then makes quick work of pulling Maya's shirt off as well, letting it join hers on the floor.

The blackness of her bra makes her white skin all the lighter, accenting her perfect curves as if the goddesses themselves had molded her. Claudine swallows as she reaches out to touch her side, running her hand up to her chest. Maya cranes herself forward in her lap and mumbles something against the shell of her ear.

"You're blushing, Claudine."

And again, Claudine nearly chokes.

"What a stupid thing to say in this situation. Have you seen yourself?"

Maya chuckles sheepishly.

"Fair enough. But I cannot help it. Your beauty knows no bounds. Not in this world or any other."

And even though they're about to do things much more serious than sweet nothings require, it's still nice to hear them anyway. Claudine hugs her and slouches against her chest with a huff.

"You too…" she mumbles. "You're… really something, Tendo Maya."

Maya gives her a jolly little squeeze.

"Why, thank you."

The silence comes again as they find themselves engaged in another kiss. Their hands cup against hips and shoulders, marking one another with tiny scratches and prints of heat.

Maya's hands slip beneath the pink bra strap first. Claudine naturally stiffens when she feels it, and Maya notes her tension, so she doesn't go any further than that just yet.

They part from their kiss, Claudine panting against the side of her neck for a moment before she raises her head. Her eyes hold a look of resolute acceptance.

Maya smiles - not in a smug or infuriating way, but warmly. She eases in to nuzzle Claudine's cheek, brushing hers with it and pulling her into a gentle hug as she fiddles behind her back. There's a small click as the pink ends come apart, though the article doesn't fall, as it's still pressed between the two of them.

Claudine's heart pounds faster, and Maya waits, staying still and letting her decide whether she wants her to clip it back or to let it fall.

She gets her answer a moment later when Claudine unclasps her bra.

The slight tightness that has been restricting their torsos all day comes free, and as they finally ease back for the next kiss, pink and black fall to the floor.

Where Maya has been comfortably seated atop her lap all this time, Claudine is now beginning to tremble with the effort of supporting both their weight. She has to hold onto Maya to maintain her posture, allowing them both to feel a softness they've never felt before. Their chests press together, rolling with sweet, weighted breaths. It's much warmer than either of them expected it to be without any clothing at all from the waist up.

Maya sighs, still resting her chin on Claudine's shoulder, breathing in the lingering scent of hours-old sunshine in her hair. One hand remains braced at Claudine's back, and the other runs slowly up her bare chest. She cups her for a moment, then slides a bit downward and in to the center, balancing her palm over her heart, feeling it rising up to meet her touch.

With how much Maya is leaning against her now and how weak she's starting to feel from all the giddy lightheadedness, Claudine begins to fall back.

But Maya isn't so lost in her bliss that she fails to notice, and she quickly tightens her hold on her back, easing her slowly, gently. When Claudine can finally rest her weight fully on the mattress, it's a relief.

That is, until Maya pushes herself up and gazes down at her with such blindingly beautiful eyes.

Maya's throat constricts, and her voice comes out thickly.

"Claudine-"

Tears begin to fall, and Claudine feels a sting in her chest that doesn't really hurt. Maya just loves her this much.

"Oh, don't you start-"

Claudine reaches up for her, guiding Maya down on top of herself as she weeps quietly into her shoulder. Claudine hiccups a few times as well, holding her tightly as she stares up at the pale pink canopy of her bed.

The moonlight has shifted by now to bathe just about the entire mattress. The two girls are still for a few moments, partially illuminated as they gather their bearings.

Claudine recovers first, and as she waits for Maya, she rubs both hands up and down her bare back, through her cascade of silken brown hair. Their pulses slow just a little, just for now.

Maya lets her tears fall until she's regained her composure and remembers that Claudine is waiting for her. She dries her eyes on Claudine's shoulder, then lifts her head again to gaze down at her beauty.

"I-"

"Don't." Claudine stops her with a look of understanding. "Don't be sorry. It's all right." She reaches up to cup her cheek, and Maya leans into her palm.

And as much as it pains Claudine to ask, the thought of pushing Maya to do something she may not be ready for pains her even more. So she has to ask.

"Do you want to stop?"

And the response is so quick, so immediate, so childishly certain that it's actually rather cute.

"No-"

Maya shakes her head. Claudine laughs.

"Well, all right then."

And so they continue on at their own pace, bit by bit.

Maya sits up for a moment, letting Claudine lie on her back and holding up a hand to stop her when she makes an effort to get up as well.

Maya rolls her own socks off first, knowing there is little excitement value in removing those for either Claudine or herself. But being that Claudine's thigh-highs go up much further, Maya crouches over her lower half as a tigress might her prey, and curls her nails in at the tops of the black material. She hears Claudine make an irresistible sound as she touches her thighs, just below the ends of her still-remaining skirt.

Maya pulls down slowly, peeling the fabric off the white skin that has become warm with sweat underneath. She removes one and then the other, and Claudine is grateful for it. With only their skirts and what's underneath remaining now, they resume their antics of kissing and touching.

Wherever Maya touches her, Claudine touches back, and the same goes for kisses. They start at the lips, of course, holding the contact for as long as they possibly can before parting, panting hard, and then repeating.

Whenever their mouths stray apart, the kisses are trailed across cheeks and foreheads. Maya plants them on Claudine's temple, and Claudine sews them on the side of her head, letting them blossom.

Then, the kisses go lower.

Maya sears them gently down her neck, pressing them at the hollow of her throat. She nuzzles Claudine's hair away from the juncture of her shoulder and bites softly.

In response, Claudine lets her nails scrape down from her spine, and Maya arches her back with a purr.

The heat builds again in spite of even less clothing being present now.

As Maya travels lower she kisses Claudine's chest, every inch of it. At the same time, Claudine lets Maya's fill her palms, massaging her with light, kneading motions.

At this point they can barely remember to come up for air. It's all just so wonderful, so enticing, to taste and feel these untouched patches of skin - flawless and willing. To finally be able to fulfill this ache that's built up just below their skin for so long is already a dream come true.

But they know it only gets better.

As Maya ventures lower, Claudine kisses the top of her head, feeling lips stroking across her stomach now. Maya cradles the arch of her back with one hand, but the other has different plans. She slips it down Claudine's waistline to her hip, pausing at the top of her skirt. For now.

Claudine clings to her shoulders, once again staring up at the canopy with half-lidded eyes, trying to ground herself in the reality of this moment. The image of this ceiling in this lighting at this angle will be a sight engraved in her vision for the rest of her life.

Their voices are slipping out more frequently now, in half-moans and cracked whimpers. The bed begins to creak beneath their joined weight as their movements become a little stronger, a little livelier. Fingers rub and stroke and glide, and mouths kiss and nip and bite.

While Claudine is just a little miffed to have to be looking up at her for this, she still has her ideas. But for now she just has to admire how gorgeous Tendo Maya truly is.

Her white skin is made brighter by her dark hair, which spills down over her shoulders and all down her back, giving her an air of wild, feral beauty; a beast feared for its impossible power and grace. Her silver eyes flicker from harboring a greedy, predatory smugness to a cautious, questioning tenderness - both of which Claudine loves for different reasons.

In turn, Maya basks in her presence as well.

Claudine's porcelain skin glistens with the beginnings of a sweat, her wavy ash-blonde hair turned a mix of silvery-gold in the moonlight. No creature more lovely ever did exist, or will. Maya is convinced that the sight of her lying ruffled and needy beneath her like this is not only criminal, but also a god-sent blessing.

Maya wants to worship her.

She wants to make love to her.

She wants to hear her scream.

And she wishes these things with a heart that is part devilish and part endearing, though the latter part will always win out in the end.

Their eyes meet for what feels like the first time in hours, since they've been so preoccupied with the rest of each other's bodies for quite some time now.

Well, most of the rest of their bodies. There are a few places left to be tended to, yet to be rewarded for their patience.

There's a sudden ambush.

Wordlessly and breathlessly, Claudine shifts her legs where they are between Maya's, raising one knee up at the perfect angle to press beneath her skirt.

Maya jolts in surprise as she feels Claudine's knee sliding there, slowly and confidently, and she can't help but make a small yelp. Claudine breaks out into a grin.

"Oh?" She loops her arms around Maya's neck and pulls her down, consequently pressing her knee in a bit more. "That was rather cute."

Maya growls, accepting the challenge.

"You have just sealed your fate, Saijou Claudine."

"I sure hope so."

Maya doesn't need any more than that. She tears the button of Claudine's skirt free, then unzips it, curling her arm beneath the small of her back to make her arch her hips so she can slide if off of her. Claudine kicks the skirt down off her ankle and away, then sits up to undo Maya's. Maya shakes hers off just as excitedly, or maybe a bit more so.

The last pieces of fabric separating them from one other are the same colors as before - pink and black respectively.

Claudine sighs.

"At least you have the decency to wear a matching set."

She hugs her, which gives them both a chance to catch their breath. Their hearts are beating thickly now, thudding with anticipation and just a bit of fear, but that is far outweighed by the eagerness.

As Maya contents herself with biting her shoulder a little more, Claudine has a moment of paranoia where she checks the door to ensure it's good and locked before she allows herself to refocus completely.

Their knees bump together as they both try to slide one in between the other's thighs, and eventually they both manage the feat. The heat has spread across their entire bodies by now, but is steadily beginning to pool lower.

Again, they come to a slight pause, a lull in the rampant tide before the climax. Hands once again glide across the soft swells of their chests, rolling and heaving with breath. Teeth graze skin more frequently now, and with a bit more force, only to be covered as though in apology by softer kisses.

Eventually, they pull each other in so tightly it's almost crushing, but the feeling is only good and right.

Maya slips a hand over Claudine's heart, feeling the pulse of it over and over again.

At the same time Claudine pets through her hair, humming softly.

On both their parts, they are actions that confirm this is all out of love, a reminder that love is all it boils down to in the end.

Surely in just a few moments' time they will be lost in the confines of something that may seem primal and sinful and carnal.

But for them, what will always be underneath it all is love.

The warmest and the gentlest.

The deepest and the fondest.

The purest and the truest.

It's well understood between them both, as this is something their souls have known since the day they'd met.

The waters have swelled and risen all this time, and now it is finally time to lift the barricade and let it free.

Claudine makes the first move, knowing it will probably be the last chance she gets to do so. She takes Maya's hand and guides it to pink, to the place that needs her touch the most. Her eyes shimmer and her whole body trembles. Her whispered voice is the definition of desire itself.

"Tendo Maya… J'ai besoin de vous."

'I need you.'

And if Maya had harbored even a shred less than the amount of self-control she has, that probably would've been it for her. Just those words alone likely would've brought her over and turned her into a whimpering mess.

But for Claudine's sake - for the sake of giving her what she needs first - Maya miraculously holds herself together, if only barely. She draws in a deep breath, using her unoccupied hand to cradle Claudine's head and pull her into a passionate kiss.

"Then please," she huffs. "Allow me."

She pushes her down, pinning Claudine by the shoulders and straddling her, panting with a wild look in her eyes. But the love is there too, and Claudine sees it.

She feels Maya's hands on her hips, pinching at the last bit of fabric. Claudine steadies her breathing as much as she can and lifts herself up, allowing Maya to slide them off and free her.

Flushed, she closes her eyes for a moment, able to feel Maya's eyes on her, hungry and scared, wanting and unsure.

Claudine uses her lapse in focus against her, surging up to lock both arms around her and flip their positions. She pins Maya, holding her down firmly, and the glare in her eyes says 'Don't you dare move until I'm finished with you.'

Maya has no option but to obey.

Claudine removes the last of her clothing as well, but before she can go through with her plan of touching Maya first, her body is suddenly overcome with a shuddering that shakes her all over. Her arms collapse beneath her, but Maya opens hers and catches her readily, holding her there and keeping her secure.

Just this much had done quite a number on both of them. Just this much had filled them both with such a poignant sense of vulnerability and trust, it was simply too much all at once.

They cry softly together for a time, though it's interspersed with laughter at how silly it is.

But more than anything, it's endearing.

They are just too dazzled by each other, too enamored, too deeply and hopelessly in love.

With their clothing shed, they are now reborn in the pink-tinted moonlight, bare and glowing and new for one another. They cry and laugh and breathe until their hearts are ready.

Claudine asks quietly, with a small bite on her shoulder. And Maya responds in the affirmative, with a hand stroking down her side. Claudine gathers herself, curling one hand between their chests and slowly slipping it down Maya's stomach, her navel, and-

"Wha-!" She yelps as Maya suddenly turns them over, flipping Claudine onto her back with a soft bounce. Claudine stares up at her with her mouth agape and eyes narrowed.

"Why, you… Just what do you think you're-?"

But Maya silences her with a finger to her lips. Claudine has half a mind to bite her, and she would've if not for Maya's weakening words.

"I-" she says in a low, predatory voice. "Am going to make love to you, Saijou Claudine."

Claudine nearly chokes, and her heart starts thumping out of control.

"I… I know that!" she wheezes. "But I was going to-"

"I won't hear it," Maya cuts her off. "After all, it is your birthday, Claudine."

Claudine opens her mouth to retaliate, but it takes her a second.

"Well, your birthday was a week ago. At least let me do something for you, too."

Maya considers the idea for a moment, and Claudine has to wonder if she's dragging this out on purpose. Finally, she nods.

"Very well. I suppose that's fair." But Maya is sure to keep her pinned down by her shoulder and hip, leaning over her with a playfully-threatening air. "But you will stay there. After all, I am Top Star."

If they hadn't already come this far, Claudine really might've considered kicking her out then and there. But since she literally can't because she needs her that badly, instead she gets her revenge by lifting her knee like before.

Once again, it grazes the soft warmth between Maya's thighs, only this time there is no fabric obstructing the contact. The sound that comes from Maya's throat now is high-pitched and meek. She clearly hadn't anticipated the second ambush at all.

Claudine grins up at her.

"How's that, Miss Top Star?"

Maya gives her a withering look that quickly turns vengeful and ravenous.

"Saijou Claudine… Have you any last words before I make you scream to the point where you will be unable to use your voice for the rest of the month?"

"Yes, actually." Claudine reaches up to cup her face, pulling her down into a hard kiss. "You're insufferable."

Maya smiles against her lips.

"I love you, too."

They ease back, and the spark of the challenge and the fierceness of their power play gradually fades, though they keep the feistiness and the energy for what's to come.

Maya massages Claudine's chest as she kisses her, her lips now fiery with heat and a growing passion.

Likewise, Claudine touches her chest and uses her nails a little, paying attention to the way Maya will lean into her palms and where she likes it most.

Claudine scratches and Maya bites, never enough to break skin, but just enough to mark - to claim.

Little by little, Maya moves her right hand down Claudine's stomach, tracing it in circles. Claudine is so distracted by her lips she hasn't even noticed until now that Maya's gotten the jump on her. She shifts her hips as much as Maya lets her, knocking her knee against the inside of Maya's thigh, letting her intentions be known.

She feels Maya smirk against her skin, wherever she's kissing now - her neck. Claudine grabs her shoulder and holds on, straining up a bit to kiss her collar.

Maya loves the way Claudine's stomach yields beneath her touch, quivering and warm. Though she can't be too proud of herself, because she finds her hips subconsciously lowering more and more onto Claudine's knee by the second.

Maya kisses her chest, where her heartbeat is thick and heavy and scared and excited. Her own pulse is much the same, especially as she settles herself fully onto Claudine's knee. The nails on her back and the kisses on her shoulder feel as though they light up with electricity in her mind.

She can hear that Claudine's breathing has become heavier, quicker, a bit more unhinged. As much as Maya wants to continue right away, she brings herself to pause just for a second and moves back to her lips, carding her free hand across Claudine's bangs to let her open her hazy eyes, glossed over with so many emotions.

"Claudine?" she murmurs. "Breathe."

Claudine is actually grateful for the reminder and for the fact that Maya had paused briefly. She regains her breath, hugging Maya down on top of herself for a moment, then thanking her with a kiss that is somehow chaste in spite of what they're doing. When she's ready, she gives her a nod.

"Go on."

Maya dips her head, and then continues where she'd left off.

She peppers Claudine with hundreds of smaller kisses, providing more distraction as she slips her hand lower, beneath the butterflies in Claudine's stomach and toward the place where the heat is pooling.

In turn, Claudine begins moving her leg just a little, allowing Maya to rock back and forth on her knee, just enough to get her started. She can feel Maya's fingers lingering on her navel for a moment before they finally slide down. Claudine tenses a little as they graze over the softness between her legs. Maya chuckles, and it makes Claudine a little angry, but mostly she just feels like melting.

"There is no rush," Maya purrs. "I am going to take my time with you."

Claudine exhales shakily, but keeps her voice as steady as possible as she replies.

"F-Fine. Then so will I."

And though she's mad she'd let her voice tremble, that actually weakens Maya significantly. Her heart flutters to hear Claudine's voice so thin and breathy. It reminds her that they are both just shy of breaking.

Maya moves slowly now, stroking her fingers along the insides of Claudine's thighs - the one place that is hers and hers alone to touch. Claudine's essence is warmer than anything yet tonight, and Maya can feel her quivering.

Claudine keeps hold of a shred of her pride by working her knee against Maya's heat, feeling her clench here and there. One of her hands is clinging to Maya's back, but the other has gone to dig itself into the bedsheets now.

Her chest heaves, and Maya admires her, drinking in the sight of her so helpless and beautiful. She strokes a bit more, touching all around the warmth while she leaves another heated kiss on her neck. Claudine squirms beneath her, a movement that has some part of her knee touching some part of Maya in just the right way that makes her moan softly. The sound gets Claudine's attention and she opens her eyes, glad to find Maya blushing just as deeply as she is.

"You're… really pretty…" Claudine mumbles, feeling as though she's about to lose her sense of cognition, if she hasn't already.

Maya hunches over her, hair spilling down on both sides of them.

"You, Saijou Claudine," she corrects. "Are the most beautiful creature to ever exist. To be here with you like this now… surely it must be a dream."

"It better not be," Claudine says wryly.

Maya touches her in a certain spot that makes her hips buck up a little. She lies down over her, letting her free hand find Claudine's clenched on the bed, and interlocking their fingers. Her other hand stays still between her legs, waiting.

Claudine's heart hammers against her chest, and Maya has to prevent herself from moving, just as Claudine doesn't move her knee yet either. The heat is boiling in their veins, coating their entire bodies with sweat, though it all culminates at their cores.

Maya eases back to kiss her lips again, and Claudine welcomes it, both staying still elsewhere to focus on this for the time being. When they part, their eyes are equally glazed, but the clarity remains in the center of it all.

"Claudine-" Maya almost gets choked up again.

But Claudine knows what she wants to ask already.

This is the final barrier. Once it is surpassed, there is truly no going back. Beyond it lies freedom - a nirvana the likes of which neither of them has ever known before. What they give tonight cannot be given again, nor can it be taken by anyone else.

And neither Maya nor Claudine would have it any other way.

It is a lovely thing, profound and beautiful, not at all to be feared or shamed when they love each other this dearly. After tonight, they may very well end up doing this sort of thing over and over for many years to come, and that thought alone is so beautiful and exciting. All of it will start tonight, so long as they're both certain.

Maya kisses her cheek sweetly, softly.

"Claudine…" Her fingers move a tiny bit, pushing gently against her warmth. "May I?"

Claudine feels a surge of emotion stirring in her stomach, one created from Maya's tender words rather than her eager fingers. She exhales and dips her head, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Please."

Maya kisses her joyfully, the action filled with so much brightness and glee there isn't so much as a twinge of discomfort as her fingers finally slip inside. It's warm and soft - indescribably so - and Maya lets her hand go to work in creating a rhythm.

At the same time, Claudine is breathlessly aware of her, able to feel her both inside and out. It makes her blush even harder, to the point where tears spring up.

But before Maya can even begin to fret that she'd hurt her, Claudine lets her know they are happy tears; the purest and most joyous. She pleads with her eyes for another kiss, and when Maya gives it to her, Claudine pours her soul into it. She begins moving the leg where Maya is seated, and along with Maya rocking herself there, it creates the perfect friction for her.

Maya feels a tightness bubbling in her stomach, and as she continues moving her fingers she feels Claudine twitching more and more beneath her. Their breathing becomes shallower and wilder, their bodies beginning to shift and roll on their own, enticed by instinct and pleasure.

Claudine swallows thickly, her teeth grazing Maya's lip a little in the process. She whimpers, not sure whether to keep her eyes open or closed. Maya feels her grip tightening and she squeezes her hand in return, welcoming the bit of force Claudine now puts into her knee. Maya leans over her, nuzzling her ear.

"Claudine…"

But Claudine is so lost in all of the feelings that she doesn't hear her at first, so Maya asks for her again.

"Claudine."

She kisses her temple, coaxing her to open her eyes. All the while Maya continues moving inside her, and Claudine manages to keep pushing her knee up against her. Once Maya is certain Claudine can hear her, she catches her breath and asks.

"What do you need…?"

Claudine blinks up at her in confusion for a second until she comprehends the meaning of the question. Her blush deepens.

"D…Don't make me… say it-"

Maya shakes her head.

"But you must. Please allow me… to be greedy…" She kisses her lips again, warmer than before. "I want you. And I want you… to feel good… Please let me be greedy with you…"

Claudine half-whimpers and half-huffs, but her hand squeezes hers harder. She turns her face away with a bashful sort of pout, cheeks cherry-pink.

"Faster…"

Hearing the request - or was it a command? - sends a trill through Maya's core. Now that she knows what Claudine needs, she works her wrist to move her fingers more quickly, rather than with more force. Almost immediately, Claudine's body responds by arching a little, and a gasp tumbles from her lips.

"Ah-!" Her voice is high and thin, and just a little defenseless.

"Oh…" Maya coos. "Oh, that's very good, Claudine. You're beautiful."

Claudine gives her a dizzy, helpless look, but even so there is a fierceness there, a promise that she hasn't lost. She moves her leg, and Maya whines as another surge of electricity shoots through her.

Fragments of voices and breathless moans fill the sliver night as they move together as one.

Maya doesn't let up her pace, even when her wrist begins to ache - she won't give in so easily, not when she's about to give Claudine what she needs most. Even if it takes hours, she won't stop.

And though Claudine feels as though she's losing her mind to the tangled sensation in her core, she focuses on Maya, on moving her knee. After a few more breathless seconds, Claudine finds what's left of her voice.

"What… what about you…?" she rasps. "What… do you need…?"

Maya hears the question and smiles, shaking her head.

"This… is all I need. Just this…"

Her answer irks Claudine a little. She'd given Maya a straight answer, but Maya is being cryptic. So Claudine takes it upon herself to guess and pushes up hard against her.

Maya yelps outright, the loudest sound either of them has made all night so far, and the blush on her cheeks spreads as far down as her collar.

Claudine almost chuckles - that is, until Maya starts moving her fingers even quicker and more deeply, earning a hitched whimper from her in return.

By now every inch of them is coursing with heat and desire, a mutual need for one another. They continue making love, giving life to their passion, moving as the coils in their stomachs grow tighter and tighter.

And even though they're beginning to ache here or there, now is not the time for stopping - not that either wants to.

Time had become irrelevant long ago, but now it feels like it's going faster and slower at the same time. Both girls have closed their eyes by now, trying to focus on the feeling and how to bestow it upon one another.

But before much longer, Maya feels Claudine's grip on her hand begin to tighten. Her nails dig into the back of Maya's hand, and Maya realizes the tension between her own legs is about to overflow.

And yet she slows herself down just a little, just to make sure Claudine is fit to burst as well - she wants her to go first, or at the very least, at the same time.

Maya peeks down at her, disheveled and bare and beautiful, helplessly entangled in the throes of oncoming bliss. Maya pants hard as she calls for her.

"Claudine…"

Claudine opens her eyes weakly, as if all of her remaining strength is only in the knee between Maya's thighs and the rest at her core. She meets Maya's gaze, and from down here she looks like an angel. Maya thinks the same of her.

"Claudine," she says again, as if to gain her attention and draw it to the fact that the end is near.

Claudine is almost numb now, to all but the feelings pooling around Maya's fingers. A bit of sweat drips down Maya's neck as she continues to rock back and forth on her knee, and Claudine feels more slickness down the back of her leg.

"Maya…" Her voice is full of need, and Maya goes to her, kissing her so sweetly it trembles.

Claudine feels her inside herself, reaching for a point that begs to be touched. She nearly forgets how to breathe. Maya is too lovely, too unreal, too good to be true. All Claudine wants is to hear her voice.

Maya can feel it too; the culmination of all this heat and passion and love. The dam is breaking. She gives Claudine a look of adoration and affection, able to feel her heart beating through her entire body.

Claudine begins to wriggle beneath her, more than before, and Maya knows it's time. She squeezes her hand harder, trying to keep her still and hold her in place so she may move her fingers just right. At the same time she rolls her hips as Claudine presses her knee up and in, again and again.

"M-Maya-"

Claudine gasps, and her voice starts to shatter. Her body quivers with heat and need.

Maya kisses her again and tells her right away.

"Je t'aime-"

She gives just a few more thrusts, then one final, harder one.

"~Ma Claudine~"

She curls her fingers right at the last second, perfectly-timed.

Claudine curses and then screams softly.

"M-May- ah-!"

Maya whimpers at the same instant, clamping her legs tightly around Claudine's just as Claudine arches her back into her touch. The floodgates release, and wave after wave comes rolling free.

It bathes over them as the moonlight does, warming them from the inside, sending euphoria through every inch of their bodies. There's a fast, heavy pulse shared between them for a long moment as the tension tightens through their quivering muscles. It lasts, and they forget how to breathe.

And finally it releases them.

They collapse, Maya on top of her as Claudine catches her with shaking arms, gasping and shuddering. Maya leaves her fingers where they are until she can feel her limbs again, then slowly slides out. She circles that arm beneath Claudine's back now, and uses the other to cup her cheek. She gazes down at her adoringly, engraving this flustered, blissful image of her into her heart.

Claudine feels her eyes on her and blinks to look up at her, too. Maya is just as flushed and breathless, her hair also in disarray, her skin just as coated in glistening sweat. And her eyes just as overflowing with love. Claudine squeezes her shoulders as hard as she can, kissing her neck.

"I love you," she gasps. "Je t'aime, Ma Maya. Je t'aime plus que tout."

'More than anything.'

Maya nuzzles her nose, bumping them together and then kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Saijou Claudine. With all my heart and soul."

And somehow, more tears find their way brimming up and spilling over.

Claudine's lip wobbles at the sight of her crying once again, and she can't help herself either. She cries too, bringing one hand down to cup Maya's cheek.

"You're such a handful," she sniffles, caressing her.

Maya chuckles.

"Please don't give up on me."

"As if."

Soft laughter dances through the silver air, dyed with pink, and if their laughter could have color it would probably be the same.

The moon passes over them, leaving them now in a pale, soft darkness, one that invites slumber. And with the fulfilled exhaustion now spreading through their bodies, the girls can hardly refuse.

Maya only spares a moment to pull the sheets up over them, then returns to her position resting over Claudine, pressing her down warmly. Claudine hugs her affectionately, running both hands up and down her back to generate more warmth for her. Maya tucks the blankets around them as best she can, then kisses her again.

"I love you so much, Saijou Claudine."

Claudine wipes the last of Maya's tears with her thumb.

"I love you, too, Tendo Maya."

There's a gratitude that comes with it, as neither ever expected to find this sort of relationship. At the start of their years at Seishou, their only love and commitment had been to the stage, and nothing else.

But it's different now. Once they'd met and started opening up to one another, and had eventually fallen in love, their hearts had expanded, inviting one another in. They'd accepted one another and fit snugly together, filling in whatever little spaces had been left.

This fulfilling wholeness, this genuine acceptance, this profound fondness and joy could only stem from a love that only they could have kindled.

Now, the first yawn of the evening, and it comes from Claudine. Maya smiles, still stroking her cheek and hair gently.

"Are you warm enough?"

"Definitely," comes the tired moan.

"Too warm?"

"No. It's perfect." Claudine spreads her fingers as if trying to encompass as much of Maya's back as possible. Maya wiggles happily, loving the feeling of her hands on her.

"I love you."

"So I've heard." Claudine sighs, opening one eye briefly. "I love you, too."

Maya kisses her, and Claudine kisses back.

After that, Claudine's head sinks into the pillow, and she can't find the strength left to move it again. Her eyelids fall shut and her hands stop moving, but she manages one last whisper.

"Bonne nuit, Ma Maya."

Maya's heart skips. She rests her head on Claudine's chest to listen to hers - slow and steady.

"Bonne nuit, Ma Claudine."

The pink and silver night blankets them both now as they drift off into its beckoning hours of rest. Their hearts beat in time together, providing both girls with a comforting, rhythmic lullaby, like the rolling of waves.

And the stars twinkle overhead, and seem to shine a little brighter.

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A/N: This style is probably my favorite to use, and I really enjoyed writing it! I did my best to use a good combination of heat, sweetness, and humor, so please let me know what you thought!

I just ask you please be kind in the comments (no naughty language please, even if it was a nsfw fic!)