Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ I Think of You As Human ❯ One-Shot

I Think of You as Human

Why exactly is it that things that are different always seem to draw the most attention? Like if you happen to see a dog with three eyes, you automatically feel the urge to just keep looking at it, trying to figure out why it's the way it is. Well, that's what it was like when I met him

He was something new, something different, and my eyes just seemed to be drawn to him. Yeah, I know it was probably not the brightest thing to do (stare at him, that is), but I can't say I always put a lot of thought into things. At first, I think that he thought I was always looking at him because he was - as he himself put it - "a freak". And, yes, I'll admit, in the very beginning, that was probably a good deal of it. But soon after, I realized there was a lot more to him than his surface appearance. What struck me the most odd was that there was…something…there beyond appearance and beyond true character that made me seek out his wayward hair or his solemn face. This, though, this was one of those things that that mazoku guy was so good at keeping; this was a secret.

Unfortunately, I know I'm not subtle, and I know I'm not exactly every man's dream, so this proved to be a lot harder to keep than any other secret (that I can remember, anyway). There was that one time we were camping out in the woods on the way to somewhere-or-other to search for whatever it was we were searching for. I noticed that he chose to camp further away from the rest of us, for whatever reason, I don't know. I waited until I was relatively certain everyone else was asleep (it didn't take long) and decided I was going to camp right next to him. I think what made me do it was that I didn't want him to think that just because he wasn't quite so human as the rest of us (or most of us, anyway) he deserved to be secluded.

He was lying with his back to me, his legs partially curled, with one arm rested underneath his head as a makeshift pillow. As I (hopefully) quietly approached him, I heard him shift. I lay down beside him - not obviously close, but close enough that if one of us were to roll over in our sleep, we'd probably bump a few limbs - and set down the rest of my belongings against the tree a few feet behind my head.

Obviously, he hadn't been asleep like I had originally thought, because as soon as I was lying flat on my back, he softly questioned, "What are you doing, Gourry?" He didn't sound angry at all, just…curious, I think.

Well, that immediately startled me. I wasn't expecting him to say anything. For all I knew, I was just doing this to be closer to him. So, of course, I had to play it off as I usually do - yet another goofy smile and a dumb remark. "Oh, Zel, I didn't know you were still awake. You scared me," I retorted. "What's wrong? Can't sleep? You know what I do when I can't sleep? I usually go for a walk. It helps me clear my mind of anything that's bothering me, so when I finally get back to bed, there isn't anything to keep me awake." I couldn't help it; I started rambling before he could even give me an answer. Sometimes, I just get so flustered around him. I can't help it. You'd think that with my forward personality, I'd be perfectly blunt, state my intent and let him think about it, but I thought that I could learn some subtlety. It was a lot harder than I imagined it would be.

He never moved - he didn't turn to face me, anyway - and I wondered if maybe he had fallen asleep while I was talking, but then he said, "No, I'm not having trouble sleeping, I just don't fall asleep very quickly."

"Maybe it's because you drink so much coffee," I blurted without thinking.

He didn't laugh (because he very rarely does), but he sounded kind of…amused. He could've been smiling, but I couldn't see. "That could be it," he replied jokingly, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop drinking it." For a while, neither of us said anything, but there seemed to be this anxiety in the air that told me that we were both still awake. "Gourry, why did you come camp over here instead of by Lina and Amelia? I thought you were supposed to be Lina's protector…or something."

Now, I can't be smart all the time, but there was something about the way he said Lina's name that sounded like he didn't think t highly of her. It made me wonder why. Pillowing my head on my folded arms, I quickly scrambled for an answer that was really a half-truth. "I thought you could use some company," I explained. "You seem to like being by yourself a lot, but I figured that if we were attacked by bandits or something at night, it's more logical to be in two groups of two instead of one group of three and one lone person…um…chimera…No…" I thought about that for a moment. Technically and physically speaking, Zelgadis was a chimera, part human, part brow demon, and part rock golem, but he always seemed like a regular person to me. He looked - for the most part - like a human, he also talked and thought like any normal person would. Sometimes, my thoughts would wander and I'd find myself wondering if his…figure…was built just like any other human's.

"No?" he asked, seeming pretty interested by the lack of completion to my sentence.

Oh, right, I suppose I should finish that. "Person," I completed. "You always seemed more like a person to me than a chimera. Of course, I don't know any other chimeras, but I *do* know that sometimes, you seem more human than Line - more sane, anyway."

I think he sounded surprised by what I said. He turned to lie on his back like me, and quipped, "Thank you, Gourry. That's actually the first time someone ever told me that. I know Amelia seems to think I'm not freakish, but she doesn't treat me quite like a human. Lina, I don't know *what* she thinks about me. She never bothers to talk to me much…not about things like that, anyway. Of course, you telling me you think of me as a normal person is still no substitute for a cure. We have to see if there's a Claire Bible manuscript in those ruins we're searching for, so we should leave early. Let's get some sleep, okay?"

I grinned and nodded, though I knew he couldn't see it in the dark. "Yeah, all right. `Night, Zel."

"Goodnight, Gourry," he added, then turned back over to face away from me once again.

I wondered how long it would take him to actually fall asleep. He said it takes him a while, but I wasn't even sure how much sleep chimeras needed. For all I knew, he could be up most of the night, get one hour of sleep, and be fine by the time the rest of us woke up. Or, he could need just as much sleep as full humans do, and he just suffered from a little insomnia. I lay there for a while, waiting for his breathing to even out so I'd know when he fell asleep. Half an hour or more must've passed, and he showed no signs of slumber. Unfortunately, I was getting tired, and before I could be sure he was asleep, I fell asleep instead.

Once, during the night, I woke up, finding him still lying next to me, asleep this time. I wasn't so sure how long I had been out, but it only felt like an hour or so. That was good; it meant he would at least get *some* sleep tonight. In the very back of my mind, I almost wished he would roll over toward me, so I could turn towards him and we'd be face to face. Of course, if that happened, if anyone had seen us like that, it might be a little intimate looking. Well, they'd just have to deal with it. I wasn't exactly sure how *he'd* deal with it, though.

When I finally woke up the next morning, he was gone, and the girls were awake, too. I could hear them talking farther away, in the direction of their camp. I couldn't hear Zelgadis though. I figured he was sitting somewhere off to the side, drinking his usual morning cup of coffee. Next to me, there was an indent of his form in the grass where he had lain last night. My arm was directly in the middle of it. Did that mean I had my arm around him the whole night? What did he think of that? He'd probably just pass it off s me shifting in my sleep. In a way, that was both good and bad.

First off, it was good because it helped me out with that whole subtlety thing. I didn't want to scare him away; I wanted to slowly let him on to the fact that I felt something for him. Secondly, this was bad because I wanted to know what he would think if he knew I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if I were awake. What if he was actually upset that I did something like that in my sleep as only an accident? What if he was hoping I did it on purpose? What if I never found out what he was thinking? This was hard. I thought I'd have to have a talk with him about it sometime later on. But first, we had to get to those ruins he had been talking about last night.

So, I got up and put my armor back on, walking over to join the others and hopefully get some breakfast. All that thinking had made me hungry. When I entered the clearing where everyone else was, I was greeted by two, "Morning, Gourry,"s. Two. Zelgadis was the only one who didn't say hello to me. He looked up from his coffee and acknowledged my presence, but he didn't say anything. He looked startled, actually. I wondered if it was because of last night.

Throughout our trip up the mountain to reach the place where these ruins were, he kept giving me little glances out of the corner of his eye. I guess he thought I wasn't bright enough to catch on to this, but most of the time, I'm smarter than I appear. Of course, I didn't let *him* know this. I wanted to see what he was up to. He was just lucky he wasn't blushing; for being the strange mix of races that he is, he's certainly prone to it.

We finally reached the ruins about midday, but it turned out to be yet another "wild goose chase" as Lina put it. That's what we get for trusting information Xellos gives us. By now, you'd think we'd know better than to trust a mazoku. Of course, the promise of the Claire Bible is always enough to convince both Zel and Lina to do whatever it is that he says. I'm just here because I told Lina I'd be her protector. She can protect herself well enough, I know, but now it seems more and more likely that I'm only here to follow Zelgadis. I bet that if we all split up and went our separate ways, I'd follow him instead of Lina. Of course, that would probably make her upset and Zel a little curious. Let him think what he wants; I've really fallen for him and that's that.

Well, after defeating the two unlucky monsters that had decided to pick today to try to kill Lina (earning them both a Dragon Slave) and coming no closer to finding what we were looking for, we decided to head back down the mountain and hopefully reach a town in time for dinner. After a while, Lina got fed up and decided to fly back to town. Naturally, I needed a little help with this, since I'm obviously neither a sorceress nor a shaman. So, as both Lina and Amelia Ray Wing-ed their way down the mountain, I held on to Zelgadis and flew back with him. He didn't seem to mind much that I was clinging to his waist for dear life. It was just one of those things that he had grown accustomed to, I guess. I've done it enough in the past that it just seemed like second nature.

In no time, we made it to a small town at the foot of the mountain and got ourselves two rooms at an inn for the night. This, of course, was when Xellos decided to show up, make some excuse for his information being wrong, and add a few wisecracks about the troubles we had gotten ourselves into once again. I had a feeling I liked him about as much as Zel did - which wasn't much.

Zel and I kept quiet most of the time he was there, sparing a few glares in his direction as Lina yelled at him for starting this whole mess. However, as soon as dinner was served, she was pretty much quieted (she does tend to be loud when she eats, though), as was the rest of the table. Zel just sat there quietly with yet another cup of coffee. He sure doesn't seem to eat much.

I decided to offer him some of my dinner (well, just a *little* bit) to see if he would at least eat *something*. He gave me this odd look that seemed to say, "You're *actually* willing to part with your food…and give it to *me*?" I gave him a gentle smile and tried my hardest to coax him into taking it. Although a little reluctant, he finally did. I was pleased. Lina, however, seemed to think it was a waste of perfectly good food. I guess she thought that if I was going to give someone my food, I should give it to her.

After listening to a few of Xellos' stories about places that supposedly held the Claire Bible, or at least a manuscript of it, over dessert, we retired to our rooms for the night. I don't know what happened to Xellos; he always disappears - not that it really matters much to me *where* he goes. I was sharing a room with Zelgadis, of course, since we're both guys, and Lina and Amelia shared the other room because they're both girls. I was happy with that, and I think Zel was, too. It would probably be torture to him to have to share a room with either of them.

I wanted to take a bath before going to bed, and it wasn't too terribly late, so I could spend some time relaxing in the hot water. I wondered if Zel wanted a bath too, but I thought it would sound a little awkward if I asked him if he wanted to take one with me. Since this wasn't the most expensive of inns, their bath was your run-of-the-mill outdoor hot spring. There were separate ones for guys and girls, so I knew I didn't have to worry about either of the girls interrupting my relaxation.

There was a small bathroom to the side of our room, and I found a towel in there. Taking off my armor and my clothes, I wrapped the towel around my waist and stepped back into the room. Zel looked up at me from the book he was reading, but his face was pretty expressionless. I figured I'd at least tell him where I was going. That was probably obvious from what I was wearing, but better safe than sorry, right?

"I'm going downstairs to the hot springs," I stated. "You're welcome to come, if you want. Of course, you don't *have* to, but it's really relaxing. I'll be back in a while."

"Thanks for the offer," he replied, "but I think I'll pass. Water…is not exactly my friend."

"Aw, come on," I insisted, "don't worry; it's not *that* deep. It makes a nice way to end the day. Well, if you *really* don't want to, then it's your decision. I'll keep an eye out for you anyway." Leaving it at that, I left the room.

Making my way downstairs, I found the door to the hot spring and walked the short distance to it. No one else was around, which was to my advantage. I could finally get some peace and quiet here. It wasn't very big, but I didn't mind. It was enclosed on all sides by a wooden fence, but there was one door where you could enter it. Taking off my towel, I hung it over the fence and slowly stepped into the steamy water. At first, it was almost unbearably hot, considering that the night air was so cool, but after a few minutes, I got used to it and settled back against the smooth, stony edge of the pond. Stone…

Instantly, that brought my thoughts back to Zelgadis. I wish he'd agreed to come out here with me. I still hadn't gotten around to asking him about last night. I knew a place as intimate as the bath wasn't exactly the best of places to ask about something like that, but that way I didn't have to worry about being interrupted.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the edge, not caring much to clean myself at that point. Off in the distance, I could hear the nightly talk of crickets and frogs, and I found it strangely soothing in a rhythmic sort of way. I'm not sure how long I lay like that, but I was roused by the sound of the door to the spring opening. My immediate thought was that I hoped it was Zelgadis. Upon opening my eyes, I wasn't disappointed.

He stood on the edge farthest from me, holding his towel around his waist and blushing a little, his gaze darting around the pond, possibly searching for anyone else that might be around. He looked a little shy and a lot nervous, though I wasn't sure why. It could've been that he was afraid that someone else would see his not so normal body. I knew that he wasn't exactly comfortable with himself; that's why he always chose to wear that mask and hood when we were traveling. Lately, he hadn't been wearing it so often, but I knew that didn't mean he had overcome his…shyness, if you will.

Smiling, I exclaimed, "Hey, Zel! Glad you could make it. Come on in, the water feels really nice. It's kind of hot at first, but after a while, it feels great." I was hoping to allay some of his fears about getting in the water, but it didn't seem to work as well as I wanted it to.

He looked at me, a little worried, and frowned a bit. Obviously, he wasn't even comfortable enough to let *me* see him. Although that was like a stab at our friendship, I understood. One day, I hoped to get him to open up to m e. It was a marvel I had come *this* far.

Lightly, I teased, "No one's around, if that's what you're worried about, but if you want, I'll turn around." As I turned my back to him, crossing my arms over the rock now in front of me, I could've sworn I saw him relax a little. A few seconds later, I heard a soft splash relatively close to me, and deemed it okay to turn back around. He was waist deep in the water, obviously trying to adjust to the heat, and not looking at me. It didn't matter; he would soon enough. "Feels nice, huh?" I offered.

He nodded and settled back against the edge where I was. "It does," he answered. "I'm glad you made me come out here." For a while, neither of us said anything as we simply appreciated the silence and tranquility.

After a bit, I though I should begin approaching the subject that had been on my mind all day. "So, Zel," I began, "how did you sleep last night?"

Cracking his visible eye open, he answered, "All right, I suppose. I fell asleep not too long after you did. Why?"

"Just wondering, "I added. "Um…just out of curiosity, how did you wake up this morning?" I could feel the beating of my heart quicken in anticipation of his answer. What would it be? Would he even admit to it if he woke up with my arm around him?

"What kind of question is that?" he asked, sounding somewhat curious.

"Well," I started, looking up at the night sky glittering with stars, "did you…by any chance…wake up with…my arm around you?" Okay, this was it; this was the moment of truth.

He didn't say anything at all for a moment, and I didn't think he was actually going to answer me. But then, just before I had given up hope, he said, very quietly, "As a matter of fact, yes, I did." He was silent a bit more, then continued (blushing, I might add), "And…I guess you didn't realize it, but when I woke up…my arm was around you, too."

That startled me more than anything, and my eyes widened just the slightest bit. Why did I have to be asleep when that happened? I would've loved to wake up and find his arm around me. I wanted to make it seem like I was completely comfortable with that - which I was - so that he wouldn't think he had inadvertently done something wrong. Nonchalantly, I picked up my sponge, choosing to look at it instead of him as I quietly questioned, "That's not such a bad thing…is it?"

He glanced up at me, which I could see out of the corner of my eye. It looked to me like he was trying to figure out what I meant by that. I hoped beyond hope that he would take it that I felt something for him. He looked a little startled, like I was when he told me about the way he woke up. Looking back down at his reflection in the water, he replied, "No, I don't think so. We were both asleep. Did you do it intentionally?"

I think this meant one of two things. Either he was hoping it was just an unconscious action, or he wanted to find out if I meant it. I was tired of trying to be subtle; it obviously wasn't working anyway. So the best thing for me to do was be completely blunt like always. Letting my sponge float away from me, I turned to face him, actually holding his gaze with my own, and stated, "Zel, when I was asleep, I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't do it intentionally, but…if I had *known* I was doing it…I wouldn't have stopped."

There it was - that startled look again. But I wasn't sure if it was a good startled or a bad startled. "Gourry…" he said. I wondered if he was going to say anything after that.

"Look, Zel," I started, "if that bothers you in any way, I'm sorry. If you didn't want to know that, then I apologize for telling you, but this was just something that I couldn't keep from you anymore. If you want to tell the whole world and humiliate me in front of Lina and everyone else, then it's your choice, but…I thought that you'd at least be kind enough to keep this between us." By the time I finished talking, I no longer had the courage to keep his gaze, and instead picked up the sponge that had made its way back to me.

"Gourry…" he repeated. Was he actually going to finish his sentence this time? "Listen," he continued, "I…Before this morning, I don't think I realized it, but what happened got me thinking. When I woke up with your arm around me, and mine around you, I didn't want to move it. I opened my eyes this morning and the first thing I saw was you sleeping…and I realized that *you* are what I want to wake up to *every* morning. Do you understand, Gourry?" His slight blush deepened and he looked towards the other end of the spring.

Even *I* knew what this meant. For once in my life, I had finally gotten the right person to like me. Strangely, though, it was almost too much, too fast. Now that I finally had it, what was I supposed to do next? I guess the first thing would be to answer his question. So, with a broad smile, I chimed, "Yeah, I do." After a moment, I added, "I'm really glad we got this worked out." He nodded slightly. I could tell that he still felt a little awkward about the feelings that he had been unknowingly keeping for I'm not sure how long. He'd overcome it soon enough, I had to make sure of that.

Once I looked back over at him again, I realized that I could finally have an answer to what I had been wondering about earlier. Almost shyly, I let my eyes wander over his body; it looked human enough to me. Once you saw past the bizarre color and the small, rough patches of stone that adorned it, everything about him was human. Of course, I could only see down to the top of his chest, but I assumed below that was also human in appearance. I still wanted to know more about it, though. What would it feel like? I knew it would probably be rough. I saw him wash himself with a wire brush once. That meant he wasn't very sensitive, I supposed. So, if we ever… Well, I guess that if we ever…shared a bed…that might be a little uncomfortable for me. But I loved him enough that I would sacrifice comfort to be close to him. What would he think about that?

"Zel, can I…ask you something?" I inquired, a little shyly. It didn't matter much what his answer was. One of these days, I'd find out, though I'd rather it be sooner than later.

"Uh…sure," he cautiously responded. I think he was almost afraid of what I was going to ask.

Slowly, I began, "Your skin is rough…isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," he answered.

"Well…does that mean you can't feel anything?"

He seemed wary of the direction I was headed in. "No," he hazarded, "I can feel things…some more than others," he added in almost a whisper.

"What *can* you feel?" I wondered aloud. I just needed to see…

Zelgadis looked like he had to think about this for a minute. After a short pause, he replied, "I can't give you a list, Gourry. I haven't…" he trailed off.

"Haven't what?" For some reason, I couldn't seem to finish the sentence myself. As I said before, I can't *always* be smart.

The blush came back, though I'm not sure it had ever completely faded, as he completed, "I haven't experienced *everything*. There could still be things I can feel, and some I can't."

I was going to be completely and utterly bold now, regardless of the outcome. "What parts of you can feel the most?"

Just as I had expected, he turned nearly the color of Lina's outfit, and was silent for a long while. Obviously nervous about the subject, he stared fixedly at the water and tried to regain his composure. A few minutes later, he responded, "Well…the parts of me that are the most sensitive are the parts most *anyone* is sensitive in."

"What about…your lips?" I wondered, hoping he'd understand where I was trying to go with this question. What I wanted more than anything was to *feel* his rough skin, feel *all* of him, and find out for myself where he was most sensitive. Briefly, I wondered if he had ever been touched like that since the curse was put upon him. I knew from experience that he didn't let anyone get too close to him, so my best guess was no. Of course, that didn't mean he hadn't…been intimate…*before* he was turned into a chimera, but this would be something new, and I liked new.

I turned to him just as he looked up at me, slight fear and wariness playing on his face along with the blush. Cautiously, I raised one wet hand up to run my thumb along his lower lip. It didn't feel too rough to me, but I don't think it was as soft as my own. "G-Gourry," he stuttered, looking…well, not *confused*, but definitely shocked by what I was doing.

Placing my index finger over his lips to silence him, I leaned in close to him, lifting his chin to me with the same hand and whispered, "Shh…I'm going to find out for myself. Don't question, just feel." Leaving it at that, I closed the distance between us, placing a soft, relatively chaste kiss on his lips. They were softer than I first thought, and probably just as soft as mine. I think he notice this, too, because after making a startled whimper, he seemed to relax a lot, bringing us both much closer to the water. As I moved my head back away from his somewhat, I asked with a slight grin, "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Clearly flustered, he stuttered once again, "I…I never realized, I didn't know that I was…that I could still feel *that* much."

"Well," I stated with a little bit of a mischievous smirk, "I could help you figure out exactly *how* much of you can still feel like that…when you're ready," I further clarified.

He sat there for a while, just thinking it over, and thinking about what had just happened between us. Then, in a motion that caught me off guard, he picked up my sponge from where it was floating and began scrubbing himself with it. That made me realize exactly *how* long we had been in the water. Since he had my sponge, I figured that just washing myself with my hands couldn't hurt. Grabbing the bar of soap I had brought with me, I worked up a decent lather and began the task I had initially come out here for.

Once, I glanced over at him only to see his hands disappear under the water to wash the submersed part of his body, and I silently wished that instead of my *sponge*, it were my *hands* that were on him. For some reason, we were both silent then, simply wanting to finish with our bath and retire to our room for the night. Whether something did or didn't happen in there, well, that was okay with me. I didn't mind taking things slow. As long as he was comfortable with where our relationship stood, I was happy.

After washing my hair, I got out of the water and wrung out the wet mass of blond that desperately needed brushing. I wasn't ashamed of my body, although I did kind of wonder what Zel thought of it. I think he was sneaking shy glances at me the whole time I stood there completely naked, but I didn't mind. Wrapping my towel around my waist once again, I walked over to where his was slung over the fence and handed it to him. With a blush, he accepted it, and - to my surprise - actually stepped out of the spring and allowed me to see him. Of course, as soon as he was totally out, his towel found its way around his waist, and without another word, we headed back to our room.

I opened our door, feeling that somehow, stepping inside would change everything. It did, but not in the way I had imagined. Inside, I grabbed another towel from the bathroom and tried to further dry my hair. I noticed that our clothes were gone, but that was to be expected. The maid had probably come and taken them to be washed. There was only one problem (though I didn't consider it much of one). To replace the clothes, we were given pajamas to wear for the night, compliments of the inn. However, they only gave us one pair. It didn't make much sense, seeing as this was a double room and had two beds. I guess it didn't *really* matter.

"What are we supposed to do, Gourry?" Zel asked. For a moment, I actually couldn't believe he was asking *me* what to do.

"Share?" I offered. It didn't seem like a bad idea to me.

"Share?" he repeated, sounding a little incredulous. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"Well," I explained, "one of us gets to wear the pants, and one of us wears the shirt. Is that okay with you? If it's not, don't worry about it. I don't mind sleeping naked. You can wear them if you want to."

Pondering this for a moment, he acquiesced and said, "No, it's all right, but…who wears what?"

"Which do *you* want?" I questioned.

"Um…the pants, I guess," he answered.

"Okay, I'll take the shirt." He stepped into the bathroom to change, leaving me to get dressed in the room. Shedding my wet towel, I slipped on the shirt, only to find out that it was just a *little* too short. It didn't quite cover…everything. Maybe Zelgadis would be willing to trade. "Uh, Zel," I called out, "Would you consider trading with me?"

"Why's that?" he wondered aloud, stepping out of the bathroom. As soon as he laid eyes on me (more of me than what *should* be exposed, actually), he blushed and looked away, stating, "I see. No, I wouldn't mind trading. You…obviously need the pants instead." He stepped back into the bathroom, and I took off the shirt.

I walked over to where he was and waited for him to offer me the pants. I had left the shirt on the other side of the room. Soon enough, his hand appeared, complete with pants, and I took my chance. Instead of grabbing the clothing, I grabbed his wrist, pulling my nude little chimera out of the bathroom and up against me. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather just stay like *this*?" I suggested, wrapping both arms loosely around the curve of his waist.

He gasped and blushed some more, and managed to stutter, "G-Gourry," for the second time that night. He wasn't sure what to do, I think.

Gently, I ran my fingers over the stone markings under his visible eye. Surprisingly, they were warm from his blush. He looked up at me with curiosity, and I remarked, "I think you're beautiful, Zel, regardless of how your skin looks or feels."

"B-But, I…I'm not…" he fumbled, blushing harder. "How can *anyone* possibly be beautiful like *this*?"

I had a feeling that was what he would say. I knew he didn't think highly of his chimeric body, but I wanted him to start. "You know," I stated, "someone once said `There are as many kinds of beauty as there are habitual ways of seeking happiness'.* What matters isn't how you look; it's how comfortable you are with what you're doing. I'm not going to make you do something you're obviously against."

I think he was surprised by what I said. Everyone seemed to think I didn't know anything, but he always gave me a *little* credit. This, though, this shocked even him. As long as it made him feel better, I didn't care what he thought about me.

"Not…not *too* fast, okay?" he finally responded.

At least I was getting somewhere with him. "Okay," I assured him. "We'll take things slow. When you're ready, come over to the bed." At that, I let him go, giving him the chance to either reconsider his decision or join me. He went back into the bathroom. I expected him to come back with the pants on again, so I simply went over to one of the beds and slipped under the covers, not really hoping for anything aside from maybe a goodnight kiss. The bed was soft and comfortable, and I knew that if he didn't come out within a few minutes, by the time he did, I'd be asleep.

Luckily, he didn't take too long. He came back out of the bathroom - still nude - and approached the bed I was lying in. Although I was somewhat startled by his decision, I kept quiet, and with a smile, I moved over and opened the covers for him. Quickly, he slid underneath them, resting on his side to look at me. I didn't say anything.

Nervously, he asked, "Will you…help me?"

At this, I spoke up. "Help you what?"

"Help me…discover where…I'm most sensitive?" he quietly finished.

Giving him a gentle smile, I answered, "Absolutely." This was definitely a start - and more of one than I had expected to get tonight. Giving what I could see of him a quick once-over, I debated where to start. "Hmm…" I mused. "Well, we already know that your lips are still sensitive. But just in case, would you like a reminder?"

Zelgadis smiled a soft, yet nervous smile and nodded, replying. "As a matter of fact, I would."

I leaned over him, causing him to lie fully on his back, and gently pressed my lips to his. This time, he was quick to respond, his arms coming up to circle my neck almost before we even kissed. It didn't bother me; at least I knew he was interested - and taking this seriously. I could tell he was enjoying it because every time I moved to pull back, he refused to let go, only pulling me back toward him again. I managed to get in a few breaths, so I let him continue this for a while. It was surprising how soft his lips actually felt. I suppose Rezo had been kind enough to take sexual matters into consideration when he cast the spell on Zel. That was certainly good news for me.

I wanted to try something a little different since he was apparently so comfortable with this. When he allowed me a little bit of space, I took the opportunity to catch his bottom lip between my teeth, nipping it too lightly to hurt, but hard enough to catch him by surprise. He made a little whimpering noise, but didn't tense, which I took as a good sign. After the sudden nip, I went back to using just lips, sucking his lower one and drawing another soft noise from him.

At long last, he let me go, and I drew back just enough to see all of his face. He had a slightly dazed look in his eyes and was breathing a bit heavily. I began to trail my lips down his neck, wanting to see if this had any effect on him. It did, but not nearly as great a one as his mouth. It didn't matter - there was still so much more of him to explore. I lightly skimmed my fingers down his chest, feeling the rough patches of stone and the surprising warmth of the skin surrounding them.

What I was searching for were his nipples. I knew he had them; I had seen them earlier. They were an even stranger color than his skin - a few shades deeper, more of a grayish blue, but not the color of the stones. It should've been easy, but with so many of the tiny stones littering his chest, it was almost hard to distinguish them from each other. He made it much easier on me when I brushed over one with my index finger, because he gasped and arched up off the bed. That was when I knew I was where I wanted to be. Clearly, his nipples were sensitive, too. I figured they would be. That left only one thing - and I was certain *that* was the *most* sensitive.

I hadn't yet finished playing with the two little nubs that had hardened under my touch. I wondered fleetingly if that one other part of his body was beginning to do the same thing. Mine was certainly…getting there. Simply testing his reactions, I brushed my finger over the small circle of flesh a few times, getting soft moans as my reward. On impulse, I pinched the opposite one, then decided to soothe the ache with my mouth. His chest rose sharply as he inhaled deeply and breathed, "Ahh…Gourry!" I think I may have been moving a little fast for him, but he was getting into it and didn't seem to mind.

Part of his reactions, I assumed, were mainly because he was amazed that his body was still *this* human. This confirmed my earlier belief that he hadn't yet been touched since his body had been turned to this. As I ran my tongue over his other nipple now, his hips came up along with his back, and I gave in to the insistent urge to press my hips against his.

The moment we touched *there*, I was rewarded with yet another gasp. He seemed to forget all about what I was doing to his chest, and focused wholly on the friction of our hips. His arms came around my waist and pulled me tighter to him, rolling up through his hips as I pushed down with mine. "Oh, gods, Gourry," he exhaled, "I…This is…I can feel so much!"

I hadn't stopped teasing his nipples, only adding to the sensations he was feeling lower. I myself thought I could feel a few of the larger stones on his legs digging into my thighs, but I was beyond the point of caring. "See, Zel?" I whispered with a grin, "I knew you weren't rough *all* over. Do you like this?" Emphasizing my last word, I pressed my hips downward again, feeling his hard length slide against mine. He shivered in my arms.

"Oh, gods, yes," he answered, moving his arms from my waist to my still wet hair, bringing me close for another kiss. He was the bold one this time, his tongue slipping past my lips to clash with mine. It was a different sensations, but not unpleasant, and I soon found myself responding in kind to the motions of his tongue.

"Then," I started as I broke the passionate kiss, "do you want more?"

I was fairly certain that he didn't want *that* much more, and I knew I wasn't ready to give it to him, but for tonight, I was content just to give him this. I had the rest of our lives to earn his trust enough to be inside him, and when that time came, I would cherish it like I was cherishing this.

He nodded hastily, moaning, "Ah, yes…more, Gourry, please!" Zel's voice was so heavy with new passion and desire; I knew that it would be my undoing. He thrust against me harder this time, and I punctuated it with one of my own. We were grinding against each other in tight, rapid circles, and he was panting in my ear as he held me close. I guessed he was afraid that if he lost that connection, everything would disappear.

All of his pants and moans - which he was doing a very good job of keeping soft - were making me even hotter. If we kept this up much longer, we'd both lose control. I had been trying to remain reasonably quiet, too, but one particularly hard thrust wrung an, "Ahh…Zelgadis…*gods* you feel good," from me.

He tossed his head back against the pillow, chanting, "Gourry…Gourry…I… Oh, gods, Gou-rry!" This was it; I could tell. He was writhing underneath me, yet still holding me close. If something didn't happen soon, we'd both be lost to sensation. In a way, that was good, because we were already wound so tightly. But at the same time, I wanted everything that happened tonight to last forever.

Almost reluctantly, I slowed my motions, sensing the confusion from him by the loosening of his grasp. "Slow," I whispered, "Not just yet, but soon." And just as I began to feel that the sensations growing inside me couldn't get any higher, they seemed to peak, and then rise again, building off of what was already so much.

Zel understood what I was trying to do, and quelled his movements as well, allowing me to give him another kiss once our breath returned to us. Naturally, one kiss turned into many kisses, each increasingly passionate, and soon our hips were moving at that feverish pace once again. This time though, I wouldn't hold back.

One of his legs came up to curl around my waist as we thrust together, each one meeting in perfect synchronization to help us reach the limit of our pleasure at a quicker rate. I could feel all those sensations come to a boiling point within me, spreading out from our point of contact just before overflowing. Not five seconds later, Zelgadis lost his battle with control, holding me tight against him as he came between us with a breathy sigh. Before his shudders had even begun to subside, I was there with him, my own seed mixing with his and making us one big, sticky, sweaty mess, but so completely sated that we didn't care.

A few minutes passed in relative silence, allowing us to gather our thoughts and rampant breath. Realizing I must be pretty uncomfortable lying on top of him, I rolled to the side, grabbing the previously discarded pajama shirt from the floor and proceeded to wipe the remnants of our - what would you call that - sexual encounter off our stomachs.

Zel snuggled against me, one leg over mine, and one arm around my waist as we settled down for sleep this time. With a lazy smile, he whispered, "Thank you, Gourry. After all that's happened tonight, I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you said…and did to me."

"Aw, don't mention it," I replied with what I was sure was a goofy grin. I didn't care. "I meant all of it…don't forget that. And I won't hesitate to do it again. But first, we should get some sleep. Who knows when Lina will try to wake us up tomorrow?"

Sounding a little annoyed, he agreed, "Yes, I suppose you're right. But as long as I wake up next to you, I don't mind *what* time it is."

"Same here," I said. "'Night, Zel."

"Goodnight, Gourry," he answered with a yawn.

That night, I fell asleep with my arm around him and his arm around me, and I knew that when morning came, I wouldn't have to worry about what he would think of it.

~*~The End~*~

(*The quote used is by Charles Baudelaire.)