I know, I know... I write slow. I'm not committed enough, and it saddens me to be like this... but at least i manage to put out something, no? So, here's a new little story, a late present for my friend EveryNameWasUsed7 . Enjoy!

The 31st day of the Guardian Moon. The end of the moon of the strong winds that had blessed Fodlan with the descent of the Goddess, prelude to the heavy snows and the cold of winter. The evening darkness had already descended upon the towers of Garreg Mach Monastery... and yet, someone was still in the training ground: A student from the Black Eagle, Wyatt, was training his archery in silence, the only sound in the area the repeated Thunks of arrows sticking in their targets.

It was his... special time for himself: Wyatt had an agreement with one of the guards so he could access the grounds at this hour, and even the baths. He felt it necessary at least twice a week, to... throw away his thoughts through his arrows. And believe me... there are many thoughts to push out in a mind like his, who had the silly and funny little quirk of hating itself. Sometimes brutally so, and every other option felt... not enough.

And so there he was, giving his all on the target, with thought after thought coming into his mind, cocked into the string... and flung forth. He thought about his small community, a village in the North of Adrestia, who saw potential in him enough to get together and pay the fee to enroll him in the school. A potential he couldn't even see... and for which he was gnawed by immense feelings of guilt.

Thunk

He thought about his classmates, who he saw as prodigies and geniuses... while he felt only... himself.

Thunk

He thought of all the terrible things that could've happened if he failed. Death on the battlefield...

Thunk

Failing his exams and having to pay reparations...

Thunk

Being kicked out and facing the shame of going back home, now a confirmed failure as both him and his mother thought...

Thunk

And he thought about her... the one woman that made this all worth it: Mercedes von Martritz. To many, one of the School's beauties. To him... an angel. An Angel that somehow, thanks to some miracle he couldn't even believe that happened, started a relationship with him 3 months before. The Mere thought of her visage, of her voice, of the little moments they shared on walks, conversations, and meals was enough to send his mind in ecstatic happiness every day... only for that happiness to crumble at the thought of the future possibility of her leaving him for her family's gain... or worse, of the chance of her cheating on him with someone else she could see as better than himself.

Clack

He panted, falling on his knees as the arrow missed the target and fell to the stone floor. He touched his face... and felt his tears, feeling pathetic for himself. Part of him thought he should've just balled up right there, and await for the cold of the night to... no... no, he couldn't. He couldn't. He stood up, panting... and shivered, both at what image his mind had produced, and at the nightly wind blowing on his sweaty body. He almost skipped to the target, recovered all the arrows... and put it all back in place. He then ran, almost escaped that place of thoughts and thunks.

He ran so quickly that he almost slammed against the door of the baths. He stepped back... and debated with himself, on whether he should or should not stay alone with his thoughts some more... Then his nose caught a whiff of his own sweat, and that was enough to push him to go inside... and discover that he was quite the opposite of alone.

"You're here. Good, I was almost thinking you weren't coming." That voice... he couldn't believe it... but it was her. Mercedes... his Mercie, his beloved. Sitting in her bathing robe, smiling at him... with a pile of rocks ready to be heated up, and a nicely filled bucket of water beside her. He wanted to speak, but... the sight of her, her beautiful hair, undid and reaching down her back like a veil of perfection, the gentle light of the sauna framing her visage like a halo... it may have been blasphemy, but he would have started worshiping that woman more than the goddess herself.

She gently grabbed his hand, and smiled at him: "I thought of surprising you tonight. You told me what you're used to doing... so... I made sure to be in place to get you, Wy."

She nuzzled against his jaw, feeling softer and warmer than any blanket Wyatt had ever felt. He wrapped his arms around her, in a soft hug "Y-you... didn't need to..."

"Nonsense, Wyatt... I did need to. We're together... and today it's your birthday, is it not?"

"... I... had honestly forgotten..." He really did forget. How?... did all those thoughts really strike upon his sanity so much? Terrifying to think... and yet, he couldn't be bothered to be scared. Not with the softest hand in the world cupping his face: that would have calmed his heart even in front of 100 demonic beasts... and filled him with enough courage to fight them all.

And so, they sat beside each other in the sauna, as the steam slowly filled the room. They decided to take it slow, to pass more time together... alone. She was helping him wash himself, when she broke the warming silence of their evening. "... I watched you, you know." She couldn't see his face, but she felt him shiver at her words. "You hold... so much pain in your soul..."

"... It's... it's what happens in my life. I can't do anything about it... the thoughts flow into my head... and... and..." Wyatt hugged himself, taking deep breaths "... There's nothing to do, M-Mercie... I can just... I have to shoulder it a-" He felt her hug him from behind, her tears falling on his neck... and his breathing hitched in his throat, choked by the double feeling of his sadness growing in his chest... and his love growing in his heart with the gentle contact with the woman his dreams... and his days were made out of. She cupped his cheeks, turning him around to face her: she was smiling... despite the tears "... You may not be ready to tell me... and I understand that, it's not easy... but, Wy, you are not alone. You have your classmates. You have the professor... and you have me. You'll always have me... please, Wy... don't bear the burden on yourself. Share it. At least with the one who loves you."

These words... full of feeling, of power, even magic... Wyatt couldn't just sit back at them. He held Mercedes' cheeks, cupping her face in his hands, and kissed her, deeply, before enveloping with her into the tenderest of hugs. And in that kiss, despair melted into passion... pain became soothing... and the sadness of their days burned bright, releasing into love, pure, unadulterated... and full of desire.

It wasn't long before the two students stood in front of each other, naked in the warm mist of the sauna. It was like they were meeting each other for the first time... full of desire, and yet so shy... almost timid. He could see her, all of her... and she only became even more beautiful than he saw her before. At the same time, she saw him, uncovered from all his armor, his defenses... and smiled: he was exactly as she believed he was. An adorable man, who in the end just wanted happiness for himself, at the cost of no one's.

They slowly stepped towards each other, their hands raised, finding their bare chests ready to receive them. They were... warm. So warm they could feel each other's heat even from a few steps of distance. Their glistening skin, glowing in the swaying lights of the lanterns, guided Mercedes' hands upon Wyatt's shoulders and arms, failing to grasp them completely with her thin fingers. Wyatt almost passed out, simply at this... and yet he forged on, reaching towards her, uncertainty in his movements to find her pleasure zones. He decided to let instinct guide him... and grazed one of her breasts, then touched one of her nipples, feeling it... harder than he thought. She moaned, her knees almost buckling, holding strong just a few moments longer, before the feeling of his fingers pinching on her peak drove her over the edge, forcing her to grab onto his chest. This, in turn, felt like a spark of pure electricity running through Wyatt's veins, breaking the regulation of his breathing in a second.

He almost fell back... but his desire held strong: sweating and panting, he moved his hand lower, decided on a single target. And soon, he found it, making two of his fingers slip into her vagina, topped with Mercedes moaning in gentle pleasure. He could feel her: moist, amazingly soft... formless. She suddenly kissed him, shifting her weight on his legs, and forcing him to let his fingers out of her slit, covered in juices. Trapped in the kiss, Wyatt was defenseless... and felt his whole being trembling when his beloved held his penis in her hand: straight away, with no signs of "safety control" touches or anything: just a hold, sudden and true. And yet he forged on, like the soldier he trained to become.

Holding onto Mercedes, and gently pushing both of them to the floor, he started exploring her body with his tongue and his teeth. Her mouth, her ears, her cheeks... her neck... her collarbone, her arms, her shoulders, her hands. Each spot of her ended up massaged by Wyatt's mouth, eliciting many and a few screams of bliss when he reached her most sensitive spots. Before she could even think of recovering, he had reached her nether regions... and stopped, observing: her pussy was pink, almost feathery looking, like cherry petals... attractive, moist... inviting, oh, so inviting. The man stopped resisting, digging into her labia, tasting her, knowing that while he wanted to do this, she wanted the same.

As he let his instincts guide him, making her feel like they were floating up to a new, higher plane of being... she grabbed onto his penis, and quickly wrapped her lips around it, almost sending Wyatt's brain, busy with tasting her slightly salty juices, into short circuit. In less than a handful of seconds, he had spun both of them in such a way that put him on top of her, distanced only by the few inches his arms had between her shoulders and his. They looked at each other, languidly full of love, before taking the final step. Holding onto her tightly, he thrust himself into her, eliciting moans from both his own and her throats. Holding her up, so that her back couldn't even touch the floor, he started thrusting into her at a steady pace, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders.

It felt... warm. They both couldn't believe how... good it genuinely felt, no matter the slight pains from the day: they all turned into a phenomenal, never felt before pleasure. They could only keep at It, more and more, Mercedes' face warping into a blissful smile, while Wyatt got so into it as to almost bite his own tongue off, and nearly cleave into the floor with his feet. It felt... great, awesome even. They knew, in mere moments, that they wouldn't have ever been able to do away with it: they would have both, and gladly so, needed to do it again, and again, and again...

That night was their first. Their first orgasm reached together. Their first night passed in the same room. Their first birthday as a couple. The first... of many, many more days of passion and love, that despite hardships, randomness of life, and even the gods... it never stopped burning, bright like a beacon in the storm of daily living.

Happy birthday, EveryNameWasUsed7 . Keep going, and never, ever give up: shine like the star you are.