Season seven began in full swing. I saw Renee much less. When she wasn't competing she was exercising or training. I tried not to feel abandoned, but it was hard not to resent her absence nearly all of the time. I watched each and every match intently, rooting for her. She couldn't win every one, and I tried to comfort her after a loss.
Each time after a lost match she would double down on her training, and I would see her even less. I tried helping her relax in the times she was with me, but she had a constant tension that I couldn't banish. In the second week, she came back in the afternoon from a victory.
I was waiting for her in the Waystop, excited to congratulate her. She teleported in with her squad for the day, Octane and Bloodhound. Octane immediately dashed from the chamber, yelling incoherently. Bloodhound was more dignified, but they still displayed pride in the victory.
I rushed forward and grabbed Renee in a tight embrace, and I felt some of her tension melt away. Not completely, but it was something. "You were incredible out there," I said. She opened her mouth to say something, but I interrupted her with a kiss. I held her in it as long as she would allow, then stepped back again, holding her hands.
She smiled, embarrassed about some of the other legends still being nearby. Only some of them pretended not to notice. We took a tram back to the complex, conversing with the others. I began heading toward the food lounge, following a few of the others, but Renee's grip on my hand tightened as she pulled me another direction.
I followed as she led me back to her rooms, curious why she was so intent. She closed the door behind her, then looked up at me. She wore an expression I was unfamiliar with, biting her lip. She suddenly strode forward, grabbing my hands and leading me into her bedroom.
She pulled me into a deep, sensual kiss, and when she broke off her face was flush with excitement and anticipation. She stared into my eyes, seeming to look into my very soul. "I love you," Renee said softly. I was taken by surprise, but my heart leapt in my chest at the confession. "I love you," I said back, and she bit her lip again. Not turning from me she closed the door to her bedroom, and I heard the lock click.
She walked forward again, more slowly this time, almost predatory. She pushed me backward, gently yet forcefully, and I was astonished again at her strength. I shouldn't have been, remembering how easily she had carried me back when she first rescued me. Renee made me lay back on her bed, then climbed atop me, looking down at me hungrily.
I reached up and put my hands around her neck, and she let me pull her into another long kiss. I tried to undo her hair, but fumbled as we kissed. She broke off, reaching up and doing it herself, letting it fall around her shoulders. I was struck again by how beautiful she was, and my already racing heart quickened.
She leaned down over me, hair cascading down around her face as she grinned at me. Renee kissed me again, reaching her hands around me and sliding them up my shirt, caressing my bare back. She lifted my shirt off completely, tossing it aside. Though she had removed her gloves after the match, she still wore her combat gear.
Renee sat up atop me, reaching up next to he left breast and pulled on the zipper there. It ran down the left side of her outfit, then wrapped around her front as it reached her waist. It fell backwards off her shoulders, revealing her blank undershirt. She layed on me again, kissing me as she removed her boots with her feet. I ran my hands down her back, then pulled her combat outfit down as far as I could over her legs as she worked it the rest of the way off herself.
It fell discarded to the floor as well, leaving her in her undershirt, yoga pants and a thin pair of socks. She pulled those off with her feet as she continued to kiss me, then used her toes to remove my own shoes and socks. I caressed her back, exploring downward to her rear briefly before running my own hands up her shirt, feeling her bare skin. She sighed at my touch and I lifted her top the rest of the way off.
Renee came at me again, kissing passionately. I caressed her backside, reaching down again to her rear and sliding my hands down underneath her yoga pants. She smiled in the kiss as I slid them down and off, casting them aside. She sat up again, sitting on my thighs now, and began undoing my belt. Soon we both wore only our under garments, and I pulled her back down against me to kiss her again.
I pulled Renee's body tight against mine, running my hands all over her as she did likewise. We finished undressing each other, her breath hot on my neck, bodies tense with anticipation. We became one, together in bed, experiencing each other to the fullest degree. Tension burned away from her as I had never known before, losing herself in my touch and embrace, as I lost myself in her as well.
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We lay there together hours later, and I held her beneath the covers as she lay atop me. Her breathing was soft, rhythmic, and I felt the rise and fall of her back with my left hand, my right clasped with hers, fingers interlaced. I breathed in her scent, and sighed in contentment. This was bliss.
Eventually Renee stirred, opening her eyes. They focused on me, and she smiled. She kissed me softly, and I was more than happy to return the kiss. She rolled off of me, sitting up in bed. Sunlight streamed in the window, reflecting off of her perfect skin. She pulled up the blanket as she saw me admiring her, briefly embarrassed.
She dropped the blanket a moment later, then leaned down to kiss me before standing up out of bed. I watched her as she dressed, entranced, and Renee blushed. My stomach growled, and I remembered that we had skipped dinner the night before, getting up out of bed as well. I was soon dressed as well, and I followed as she exited the room.
There wasn't a match today, as they were only every other day at their most frequent. I stepped up beside her and interlaced my fingers with hers as we made our way to the food lounge. We found Lifeline, Bangalore, Wattson and surprisingly Crypto there, and we sat with the other three as Wattson cooked.
Renee sat so close she was practically in my lap, her chair pushed up against mine. We chatted with the others and after a while she moved her right leg over my left to rest between my legs. She held my hand in hers, and I was surprised at how openly physical she was being with me. Wattson brought over a stack of pancakes and sat them on the table. We dug into the food, Renee and I eating with vigor.
"Someone's hungry," Wattson said and giggled. "We forgot dinner last night," I admitted. Bangalore smiled slightly, and Lifeline raised an eyebrow. "How did you forget? Certainly you were hungry?" "We were... otherwise occupied," Renee said, and Lifeline suppressed a chuckle as Bangalore whispered something to Wattson. Her eyes went wide. "Oh, um, congratulations?" She said, blushing slightly. She sat by Crypto and was mostly silent as she ate, clearly embarrassed.
I felt a slight blush myself, but Renee just smiled and continued eating. Conversation kicked back up again and Wattson seemed to get over her earlier embarrassment. We all were sure to thank her for another delicious meal, and the group broke apart.
Renee and I wandered, hand in hand. "So," I said, breaking the silence, "was that... was that your first time too?" I asked. She nodded. "At least, the first time since..." She trailed off. I squeezed her hand encouragingly, and turned her to face me. She smiled, and I kissed her. "I need to do more training," she said, and tried to pull free of my grip. "Can I help?" I asked, and she looked uncertain. "Do you mind if I come watch, at least?" I asked her, and she smiled. "Come on," Renee said as she led me away, re-lacing her fingers with mine.
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I held out Renee's water bottle for her as she phased into view next to me. "Thanks," She said and took a drink. She handed it back to me and put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, leveling her breathing. "You were faster that time," I said encouragingly. She cracked an eye to give me a sideways glance, and though she tried to suppress it, I caught a hint of a smile as she closed her eye again.
"I was actually three quarters of a second slower," Renee said, glancing at a stopwatch on her wrist. "But thanks," I frowned, surveying the course she had just run. It was a series of dummies along a path with platforms, drops, passages, etc. "Well, you didn't miss a shot, and that's pretty incredible," I said, looking to a large board near the entrance to the room.
"Alright, let's randomize and run it again," Renee said, typing on a computer. Just like that, the course changed itself. I had seen it a couple times now, but it was still some impressive tech. I watched as she ran the new course, the fifth she had done, though she had run each of the rest multiple times. I made sure she took breaks and drank plenty of water.
She had been working herself more harshly before I had tagged along. I was amazed at her dedication, and was encouraging while also trying to make sure she didn't run herself ragged. She finally decided to be done for the day, and I happily followed her out of her training room. On our way out we ran into Wattson, her eyes alight.
"Oh! Renee! (y/n)! Come quickly!" She turned and hurried away, and we rushed to keep up. "Nat? What is it? Is something wrong?" Renee asked, sounding worried. "No, nothing wrong. We found something! Crypto and I!" Before Renee could get any more questions out we arrived at our apparent destination.
"The library?" I asked. "We decided to do some research on Olympus and it's history. And we found, well..." Wattson trailed off and gestured toward a laptop Crypto sat in front of. He turned around in his chair, then turned the computer so it was easier for us to see the screen. "We found some old experiment logs. They... They're about you," Crypto explained. Renee tensed next to me, and I looked to her, worried.
She said a single phrase. "Show me."
