This one-shot is set some time after Tales of the Alternate Universe and before the events of Tales of the Alternate Universe: Amaranth. Based on a reader's pondering. I still don't fancy these fics that much, but the idea was too good to reject. Rated M for a reason. Strong adult content and fluff. Read at your own discretion. Enjoy!

The Mechanics of Love

He held onto her as tightly as possible. Letting go now would mean wasting all of his effort, all the energy and passion that he had let loose into his delicate yet mettlesome red-haired wife. The perfection in the rhythm and the increasing pace in each movement were critical in this phase, it was when he was most exhausted that he had to give away the best of himself. The young man pressed his both hands harder onto his wife's bare thighs. Sweat dripped from the tip of each untamed strand of golden hair, stuck against his now sticky forehead. His lips, locked into hers, only pushed away by the sound of muffled moans, coming from the two connected lovers.

With the increased strength and speed of his unyielding thrusts, Finn began to feel his climax, building up within him. His blue eyes were opened, searching inquisitively for a similar response from the young woman beneath him. Flanna smiled softly, granting him a nod. Her husband let out a joyful chuckle. She had grown to be quite the challenge, always exhausting his energy before her body could reach its own peak. In any case, Mertens would be lying if he denied that he enjoyed knowing that every time they got entangled in that passionate dance, his physical skills were put at test. It made it all more interesting; he loved demanding tasks, and pleasuring the equally demanding Flanna Hacksworth was both one of the toughest and most beautiful endeavors that he had ever performed.

One of her hands abandoned its place, massaging the bulging muscles of his back, to rest on the young man's cheek. The motion below their waistlines continued to be intensified, but for as long as Flanna drew her husband's gaze into hers, asking him to lean down, time seemed to freeze. Just for a small moment, that would probably be lost somewhere within the infinity of the universe—once the trance was broken, nothing else mattered. Nothing, but the gentle touch of Flanna's lips, grazing smoothly his ear as she whispered: "I love you…"

Finn reeled back in a slow manner, not before returning the loving declaration of his wife by breathing into her neck, caressing her skin with short kisses. He looked down at her, appreciating her beauty before they could reach the culmination of their lovemaking. As always, the first thing catching the farmer's attention were her long wild locks of red hair. His gaze drifted then into her green irises, making Finn wonder why was he allowed to possess such a dazzling woman on his bed. Why? What kind of heroic deed had prized him with her love? Something beyond physical attraction had linked their paths over the years and he was grateful for it, no matter what it was.

The young man kept on thrusting into her, still bewitched by the traits of her female figure. He wished he could lay one of his hands on her soft breasts, but the lack of an arm forced him to remain attached onto her waist. He needed the support to shove himself deeper, to help her reach fruition. His eyes continued to wander, now falling onto her nether regions. He feels her legs, once spread open for him, enclosing his body, begging him to go harder, deeper. She wanted to cross the line once again and so did he.

Finn tried to focus on finishing what they, as a couple, had started minutes ago. But something seemed odd. The farmer found himself growing more concerned rather than ecstatic as he glimpsed weak gestures of pain in his wife's features. How could he be causing her discomfort? At this point Flanna's body should be more than used to him, already accustomed to his presence as a result of his repeated visits.

Worried, Finn sent her a confused glance, which she tried to dismiss with a reassuring grin. Her husband, not quite convinced by this, released his grip on her waist slightly. His blue eyes fell to contemplate her frame in detail once more, detecting with distress the presence of deep reddened marks covering her skin, right where his metallic appendage used to rest only moments ago. Soon, he realized that her sides, hips, and thighs were also spotted by similar marks… some of them older than others, as depicted by the lack of coloring and scrapped skin.

I have been hurting Flanna… His internal voice resonated, surpassing the creaking sounds of their old mattress. The young man quickly lost all interest in obeying his instincts or the provocative calling of his wife, begging him to ignore the matter and conclude their intercourse. He couldn't. Flanna stared at him in worry, feeling how he pulled out before time and crawled away from her.

Finn sat on the edge of the bed, planting his feet on the cold floor. Freed from the arousal that he and Flanna had shared, he could now listen to the rain, tapping the window outside and grow aware of the stormy night, raging upon the land. When lightning struck the dark sky, Mertens took the chance to glare at his unnatural arm. How irresponsible had he been—ever since their wedding night, Finn never stopped to make sure that his "arm" wasn't a nuisance for his dear bride. But she never complained either, did she?

As if reading his mind, Flanna approached the remorseful man and embraced him from behind. Her hands surrounded his still pounding chest, dragging him backwards, toward the head of their bed. She leaned her still naked spine against the cool wooden surface, forcing her husband to rest upon her. Finn did as told, finding comfort in her body. He sat between her legs, resting his back on her belly and his head on her gasping chest.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"Tell you what?" the young woman whispered, surrounding him with her arms once again.

"That my stupid arm was hurting you! That I was hurting you!"

"You weren't." she replied.

"Yes, I was!" Finn shouted. "Stop acting like you don't care, Flanna!"

"But I don't care… I don't mind at all."

As the red-haired woman explained this, she continued to embrace her husband, hugging his torso with her legs and seizing his mechanic limb with her arms. Flanna let her chin rest on his damaged shoulder, where flesh and metal had been forced to collide fourteen years ago. When after the arduous battle against the Destiny Gang, she and Finn had been forced to escape from the depths of her father's mine, chased down by a monstrous explosion.

Flanna could still remember, and she probably wouldn't forget, how the young Mertens kid had tossed his body over hers, to shield her from the fire. Rising his right arm to protect themselves, despite of the searing heat of the flames, licking his skin off. Then she woke up and found him dying next to her…

The young woman tightened her grip on the prosthesis, knowing that her husband couldn't feel anything with it, except for the ever present throbbing of the stump in his shoulder. She pressed her lips against the still injured skin on Finn's joint, entering in contact with the cold rusty metal, ruthlessly attached into his exposed bone with the help of a bolt and a hammer. What else could be done? It was all his parents could afford to let their kid live a (more or less) normal life after that trauma.

Flanna still prayed, thanking the deities for letting Finn remain unconscious during that painful surgery. After witnessing how the fire had consumed his entire arm, leaving nothing but a bloody mash of melted skin and clothes. Torn, seared muscles that would no longer respond to the gashed nerves, enveloping them, and useless scorched bones—that would end up killing him if not removed immediately. After that, she couldn't stand to see him bear more suffering.

Finn remained silent, understanding why Flanna had refused to tell him that his mechanical arm was a nuisance—at least while making love. He felt her lips, stroking his mistreated shoulder, bathing it in all the tenderness she could muster. He felt warm tears, sliding down his battered socket. Finding a soothing sensation in her silent crying… What a strange thing it was, to comfort a person with one's own sorrow.

The young man reached out for her face with his open palm, wiping her tears away with his thumb. He tilted his head and offered his wife a smile.

"It's okay Flanna, I didn't mean to—"

"You thought I wouldn't be able to take in a few pressure wounds, after all the pain the you've taken for me?" she said, cradling his hand in hers. "Don't you ever think about detaching that arm just to be with me like this. I know you hate to feel handicapped… I'm stronger than you think, Finn. Let me deal with it on my own…"

The young man nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry I underestimated you."

"That ain't the only thing you should be sorry about." Flanna replied, faking some irritation in her mischievous grin.

Finn let his eyes roll forward with a sigh, noticing in embarrassment how the last trace of virility on him had begun to lose the strength of its erection, acquiring a smaller and thinner size. He quickly tried to hide it, closing his legs but that only earned him the amused laughter of the young woman behind him.

"At this pace, I'll never be able to have the family of my dreams." Flanna complained playfully. "Every time I look around, I find out that our neighbors have more and more children… They are leaving us behind, Finn!"

"A-and how large is the family of your dreams, Flanna?" the young man asked nervously.

"I don't know, ten, fifteen…" she smirked and elbowed him softly. "Don't stare at me like that, I'm just kidding!"

They both slid into the bed, back to the messy sheets beneath them. Finn lay down, pulling his wife onto his chest, his fingers rummaging through her bright reddish locks. There was a peaceful look in her eyes; the farmer could sense what was she dreaming about… family. It was not a secret to him that Flanna wished to give their two-year-old daughter a sibling. Nothing would make her happier than that.

"Maybe… one or two more…" he heard her whisper. "Do you like that, Finn?"

"Two, three, four, five…!" her husband said, kissing her at the same time. "All the kids you want, my love…"

He gripped her sides once again, making sure to soften the grip of his metallic attachment this time. Finn carefully sat on top of her, placing a kiss on her mouth. Perhaps it was time to finally finish his task. The tip of his tongue parted her lips open, letting him taste her once again. Slowly and gently, the young man made his way down her body, reaching her navel. He used his lips to caress the marks that his prosthesis had left on her skin, around her waist and by her belly bottom, finally nudging her folds. Finn then felt her fingers, swirling in his hair as she let out deep pleasured sighs accompanied by breathless moans. He melted in deeper, enriching his actions in her slit.

Before he could take her again, the young farmer let his mechanical arm rest on the sheets, and soon, Flanna let her own hand fall upon it. She gripped it, entwining her fingers around his metallic appendage, warming its cold surface with her touch. Finn was unable to feel the warmth of her skin, but as he let himself wander off into the bliss that being in love with her was, he swore he could sense her touch.

Little time passed before the couple could return to the previous stage of their lovemaking —but Nature was a pesky mistress— and as the storm followed its course, the roll of thunder struck the air and made the earth tremble. When the strength of the booming rumble vanished into an echo, and the sound of incessant rain came to take over the temporal silence, a baby's crying drove the couple back to reality.

"Milli…" Flanna whispered, sitting up. "I gotta go check on her. She's probably scared of the storm, the poor thing…"

Finn let his wife abandon the room, realizing that he wasn't going to achieve anything that night. He sighed and chuckled in the silence, sending a glare to the lightning that flashed on his window. Flanna entered then, carrying the sobbing two-year-old in her arms. Finn softened his features, welcoming the two girls into the bed. He quickly established a faint sense of order in the messy blankets, to make some space for a third occupant. His little Milli was clinging onto her mother's chest, whimpering at the sound of another thunder roar.

"Hush, Milli…" he whispered, stroking her small cheek with his finger. "Mommy and Daddy are here to protect you…"

The little girl stretched her short arms, asking her father to hold her. Finn received her carefully, surrounding her in a gentle embrace. It was then that he felt Flanna, leaning on his shoulder and whispering softly.

"Look at her, I bet she thinks your arms are the safest place on earth, thanks to that…"

Finn stared down at his baby, noticing with amusement how Milli had hugged his mechanical appendage while resting her head on his chest. Maybe he just had to be more careful next time—because now, as he watched his little girl sleep, Finn wanted to make his wife's wish come true. A house full of toddlers sounded like a cozy idea now that he thought about it… A bed full of tiny hands that could warm the coldest metal, and ease his troubled heart… A house full of people I love the young farmer thought, a home full of love…

The mechanics of love are simple: You get what you give. Lose an arm and win a heart, maybe two, three or five… Keep givin' and you'll keep receivin'. Love and you will be loved, no matter the pain that might come with it.