”… Well … it lasts a lot longer … and … feels a lot better-”

”Than THAT?” Gabrielle asked with wide eyes, pulling a tender smile from her friend as they both laid – half-sitting – to look at one another. ”Does it really?”

Xena’s eyes traced down from Gabrielle’s face to rest on her chest, before bringing them back up. It wasn’t because she hadn’t already looked endlessly to memorize Gabrielle’s beauty in that simple top, but more to send the silent message that she DID look.

Gabrielle read the message with complete surprise once Xena met her eyes again. And the warrior’s icy blue eyes showed Gabrielle an open shyness and insecurity she’d never seen there before.

Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that Xena must have looked at her that way before. It was all happening so quickly, putting it together just the way Xena knew she would.

But how vulnerable Xena felt waiting for that! She struggled with the silence, clenching her teeth as Gabrielle’s eyes went from a sort of fearful surprise to a lit fire that burned the green flakes of color to a more sultry jade.

Gabrielle opened herself to that feeling much quicker than Xena had thought was possible, which only reinforced her certainty that Gabrielle would be a wild and impetuous lover.

For once, Gabrielle was completely speechless.

Xena ventured gentle words: ”You’ve really never …?”

”No.”

”Not even …”

But Gabrielle looked puzzled, so Xena swallowed hard and shifted her elbow in the thick green grass that was tickling her arm.

”Not even what?” Gabrielle asked at last. It was then that Xena knew the bard wouldn’t leave it alone, no matter how hard she might have tried. So she sighed with a satisfying smile that highlighted the structure of her jaw, only further captivating her sweet Gabrielle.

”You’ve never … tried anything on yourself? You know.”

But she didn’t know. Her naivety was no act.

There was a long silence which was neither awkward nor uncomfortable, because of the unconditional love they had for each other. They simply stared and read one another in silence until Xena identified her point.

”Touched yourself.”

Gabrielle blushed, trying to hold back a smile at her tease: ”You wanna know …? … If I’ve done that?”