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Late June was usually the best part of the year in New Eridu. Summer was in full swing and the summer break, long awaited by all students, was just around the corner. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the dark domes of hollows seemed ever so slightly less depressing. For a short while, life was almost perfect.
Unfortunately, after the sunny and chill June came his much less anticipated brother July, bringing with it the beginning of New Eridu’s rainy season and his two most dreaded companions — unending rainfall and unbearable humidity. Any memory of the summer paradise was gone as the new capital briefly turned into a giant concrete hotpot, slowly filling up with a muddy rainwater broth. This year was no different.
The usually bustling city was now almost lifeless. With an iron carpet of heavy storm clouds slowly rolling through the night sky, any activity in the streets was ruthlessly stomped in the ground by a solid wall of rain pouring from the heavens, forcing every person in their right mind to spend the Friday night in the safety of their home.
Vivian however, was not in her right mind…
She was making her way through an empty street, the hurried clicking of her heels being the only sound, besides an occasional thunder, interrupting the omnipresent hum of the pouring rain.
Soaking wet inside and out, hair in full disarray, draped over her melting makeup like a funeral veil, clutching her parasol in shivering hands like her life depended on it and putting all of her remaining strength into keeping a semi-steady pace and opposing the wailing wind. She looked like one big pile of sorrows.
In this portrait of her misfortune, one thing seemed out of place: her face. Instead of more fitted for the occasion mixture of anger and dread, Vivian’s expression presented that of burning determination. The crazed, borderline delusional kind she was known for, but determination nevertheless. A wide, dreamy grin was peeking through the black lines of ruined mascara that marked her cheeks and lips as she fought her way though the raging element.
Her target was obvious. A small, unassuming opening, tucked in between two office buildings a few dozen meters on her left. A hidden entry way that lead to one of New Eridu’s many quiet and peripheral neighborhoods — The Sixth Street, in all of its small, downtown glory.
Vivian’s pace quickened. Her jogging slowly turned into a sprint. Even with the wind and the rain working against her, she was only gaining speed, fueled by her own growing excitement.
Quickly reaching the intersection, she made a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding losing her footing on the half-flooded sidewalk. It was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn’t yet sprained an ankle in this damned weather.
As might’ve been expected, Random Play was closed and dead silent. The main door and the display window were covered by a steel curtain, looking rather uninviting in the stormy veil of darkness. That, however, meant very little for the upcoming visitor as her gaze was glued to the windows on the first floor where one, lonely light was still on, looking almost like a beam of a lighthouse, guiding her through a storm.
Vivian did not have to knock. Having her attention momentarily pulled away, she didn’t quite manage to slow down on time, slamming into the shop’s door with a grace of a sack of turnips, elegantly announcing her arrival and bouncing back, landing in a muddy puddle right in front of the door.
„Ow…” a faint squeak escaped her lips as she painfully regained touch with reality, grabbing her forehead as it exploded with pain.
At least she didn’t crack the glass…
Her crash landing was met with a surprisingly quick response as just after a short moment hastily, rapidly approaching footsteps could’ve been heard inside the building, followed by the lights on the ground floor turning on. It seemed that Vivian had made her presence rather well known.
She quickly sprung back on her feet, just in time to hear the metallic click of locks coming undone and the door slowly opening.
„Vivian?!” A more than familiar, although rather shaky voice welcomed her.
Vivian blinked, partially blinded by the stream of bright light coming from behind the person standing in the doorframe.
„Good Evening, Lord Phaeton~”
Her voice was as elegant as it was melodic, bearing no signs of pain from her encounter with the front door or the tiredness for the small marathon in the rain she just ran.
„I’m so happy to see you on this lovely night.”
Belle stared at her unexpected guest completely dumbfounded. Her concerned gaze jumped between the Nonchalant, dirty and wet girl standing before her and the second Biblical flood happening right behind her back.
Vivian must’ve interrupted her evening routine, as she seemed to have just stepped out of a shower, judging by her still wet hair, pulled back by an orange hair band adorned with small bangboo ears. Instead of her usual attire the proxy wore an oversized t-shirt with some silly print and simple, black booty shorts.
She looked messy, tired, definitely not ready to receive guests and, most importantly for Vivian, indescribably hot.
„What in the world are you doing here?” Belle sounded equal part surprised and confused.
Vivian’s buttery eyes instantly jumped back up, meeting her worried gaze.
„Visiting my dearest Lord Phaethon of course~” Her eyes narrowed slightly as the most pearly pure smile brightened her features. „I had to run a few errands nearby and decided to stop by.”
Her expression was perfectly calm, as if unannounced visits like this during a literal hurricane were the most normal occurrence ever. This excuse, as ridiculous as it sounded, had a bit of truth to it. Before the Hell broke loose, she was in fact visiting some of her nearby contacts, wanting to cash out a few old favors, but she absolutely wasn’t here for a spontaneous visit.
Belle was once again left speechless, taken aback by such a casual answer.
„May I come in?” Vivian asked.
The proxy blinked a few times, before shaking her head slightly and regaining her senses.
„Oh… Yes! Yes of course!” She stuttered, moving aside and allowing her guest to enter.
Vivian gracefully stepped inside, but not before elegantly shaking water off her umbrella. She was a Lady afterall.
„Is your Dear Brother already asleep?”
She glanced
at the Proxy with an innocent smirk, seeing that only one of the siblings jumped to the door when she made her presence known.
„Wise is… not here…” Belle turned back to her after locking the door. „Miss Astra invited him for some… negotiations but the storm caught him there. He texted me that he will crash at her place for the night.”
That screeching bitch… Vivian’s eyes narrowed.
She obviously would’ve preferred to have both siblings for herself, but one cake was still better than none. Her expression quickly returned back to normal as she pushed Wise and his… negotiations out of her mind, wanting to focus her undivided attention on the girl at hand.
„How unfor-„ she muttered out but was cut short by a loud and distinctly wet sneeze that sounded like it could bring down a small building.
„P-please forgive my lack of manners, Lord Paethon…” Vivian blushed slightly, quickly retrieving a soaking wet handkerchief from a soaking wet pocket of her soaking wet dress to wipe her soaking wet nose.
Belle frowned.
„We should probably get you cleaned and dried before you catch something nasty.”
As nonchalant as Vivian tried to appear, she couldn’t deny the fact that she was, in fact, absolutely freezing cold. A small puddle of water had already formed around her feet where she stood and her clothing was clinging to her body like a second, slippery skin.
„You’re… You’re too kind, Lord Phaethon…” She muttered out, before bowing down to unbuckle her shoes.
„Eighteen!” Belle called out one of her assistants.
Hearing his name, the Bangboo hidden behind the counter slowly opened his eyes, awakening from his beauty sleep.
„Ehe-enha…” He muttered, jumping out of his charging station and toddled up to Belle.
„Sorry for waking you up, lil guy.” Belle apologized, rubbing the tip of bangboo’s ear. „I need you to do something for me. We have a quest”
Eighteen nodded slowly, rubbing his eyes, before suddenly stopping. His ears shot up straight as his round eyes bore into Vivian.
„Watha-ah waga-taha wata-ehe-enha?!” he asked, excitedly pointing at her.
„Oh no. No, no no. It’s not that…” Belle chuckled, giving the Bangboo a gentle pet on the head. Her gaze momentarily jumped towards Vivian.
„For now I just need you to bring me some clean towels from the washing room...”
Hearing the request, Eighteen gave the proxy a quick salute before rushing up the stairs as fast as his little legs allowed him to.
Vivian pouted slightly, both annoyed by being excluded for the conversation and jealous for not being on the receiving end of Proxy’s praise. She could only guess what the bangboo was talking about but he seemed rather… thrilled?
“Now for you, my dear Ehe-enha…” Belle turned towards her guest with a wide smile, suddenly looking a lot more energetic than just a moment before. “Come with me.”
Vivian obediently followed Belle upstairs, her wet tights plaping on the wooden floorboards with each step. They climbed the stairs and walked past the bedrooms before Belle opened the third door, allowing Vivian to enter the sibling’s slightly cluttered apartment bathroom.
“I will go fetch you some dry clothes. Feel free to use any of my stuff if you need” Belle’s hand marked a wide arch in the air, pointing at some beauty and hygiene products scattered throughout the small space. She grabbed a small bottle from the sink and handed it to Vivian.”This should get the rest of your makeup off.”
Just as Belle finished her explanations, eighteen returned with the ordered towels.
Vivian simply nodded in response, accepting the towels from the Bangboo and moving aside to allow Belle to squeeze past her and back out from the bathroom to give her guest some privacy.
Now alone, Vivian slowly closed and locked the door with a shaky hand.
She made it…. Barely at least…
With the Proxy momentarily gone she could finally catch a breath. Her head suddenly felt dizzy, just as if she was about to faint. She grabbed the edge of the sink and leaned against it to try to remain standing when her knees suddenly turned into jelly. Her breath quickly gained speed, turning into heavy panting as her heart started beating like it was about to dig its way out of her chest. The air in the bathroom now seemed strangely dense, almost suffocating, or at least that’s how she felt.
She slowly lifted her head, seeking reassurance in her own reflection.
What is happening?…
Why does she feel like this? This was supposed to be a moment of her triumph. She was just a step away from securing the treasure she dreamt about ever since she first laid her eyes on the Paethon siblings.
Her gaze was almost foggy as her ruby red eyes seemingly struggled to focus on her own reflection in the mirror. Her panting quickened even more as she dug her nails into the porcelain sink as if getting ready to rip it out of the wall.
For someone supposedly experiencing the best moment of their life, she looked rather… terrified. The pink blush adoring her cheeks was slowly turning red, now looking more adjacent to a severe sunburn. Sure, she almost always tended to get a bit nervous and lose her cool around her Dear crush(es), but never before to such an extent. Why was she hiding in a bathroom, going through a panic attack?
And then it hit her…
WHAT THE FUCK was she even doing?!
Did she just casually stroll into random play completely unannounced during a literal hurricane?! Did she really just basically signaled her dear crush „I’m here to fuck you while your brother is away :3 ” and acted all cool and chill about it?!
Vivian clenched her jaw, feeling the bitter tears of shame creeping up into her eyes. When did her homoerotic yearning become so bad, to the point of leading her to such acts of shameless desperation?! She might as well have just jumped the poor proxy and started humping her right there at the front door!
„Fuck!” She snapped, pulling away from the sink and beginning to nervously circle the small space. She covered her blushed face with her hand, as if even the shampoos themselves were judging her. A strange cry escaped her lips: something between a sob, a groan and the sound of a wounded deer.
Has she really fallen this low? Was this who she really was? A desperate pervert ready to force their way on to someone so innocent, so pure and so perfect as Lord Phaethon?
„God forbid!”
Vivian objected to her own thoughts out loud, shaking her head. She should be whipped and dragged through the city naked for even thinking about forcing herself in any way on Belle.
She returned to her original spot, leaning against the sink, but before she could her moment of self-reflection she was interrupted by a sudden knocking on the bathroom door.
She almost jumped. An icy cold chill jabbed her back as her next cry froze half way up her throat. Her sobbing ceased at once, tears momentarily dried up and her expression returned to a more presentable state. A neat trick she picked up working for Mocking Bird.
„W-who is it?” She called out in her trained, pitch-perfect „All is well and good” voice.
She unlocked the door and slowly peeked out.
„Ehna-nee…” Eous looked up at her, handing her some neatly folded clothes.
„Thank you… sweetheart…” Vivian nodded slightly, putting on an elegant smile.
She accepted Bangboo’s offering before quickly retreating back to the bathroom.
She stared at the gift for a few seconds, unsure whether to be grateful or angry for the brief interruption that kinda just threw her off rhythm. The emotions tearing her apart just a moment ago now seemed to have vanished — gone, erased completely, just like that. The self-degradation mood she had going on was gone but If you thought about it she was kinda starting to lose the plot, so maybe it was for the better.
Vivian took a slow, deep breath, closing her eyes and savoring how clear her mind had suddenly become.
Why should she be freaking out again?
Looking at her current situation from a slightly more realistic angle…
She knew what she was doing when setting up this whole thing. She knew what she was signing up for and what she was expecting. She didn’t come here to spend the night holding hands, she was here to finally score... Up until now everything was going smoothly, so why should she suddenly blow everything up because of a small stage-fright. The blueberry cake was within reach, even already squeezed into tight shorty-shorts just for her. She just had to stop freaking out and actually get around to eating the damn thing.
„You got this, Vivi…” she mumbled to herself, meeting her own gaze in the mirror.
May God strike her down and be her witness or something like this… she will not run away. She will go out there and finally do what she wanted to do for the last couple of months… or at least either that or jump through the window and start preparing a new life in a monstery.
Now, with her vows made, she could finally get back to getting herself clean…
Around 20 minutes later, Vivian emerged from the bathroom. Squeaky clean, beaming with the fruity scent of Belle’s shampoo and rocking blue pajama pants, a black, oversized t-shirt, mostly likely belonging to Wise judging by its rather brutish smell and a spare pair of Belle’s orange crocks, she was motivated, confident and ready for action.
„Vivian?”
The sound of her name suddenly echoed through the corridor, coming from the partially open door to Belle’s room.
„Coming~” She answered, tugging a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear to make herself just this slightly more presentable before almost flying to the bedroom.
„Sorry for taking so long, Lord Phaethon" Vivian put on an awkward smile as she closed the door behind her.
The proxy was laying down on the sofa but she quickly pulled herself up to a sitting position just as the door opened.
„No worries.” She said, pulling her arms high above her head to stretch out. „I hope you didn’t had any problems with the shower head. Ever since Wise tried to fix it it has become a bit moody.”
„O-oh no, no. Everything went perfectly fin-„
Vivian’s words froze half way down her throat as she caught sight of Proxy's stomach and lower curves, hugged gently by the shorts. It lasted maybe less than a second as when Belle lowered her arm, most of the goodies disappeared back under the veil of her shirt but it was enough to knock Vivian off balance. The proxy seemingly didn’t notice anything or at least pretended not to.
„Perfect! In that case I think we can move on to the more important matters…” Belle moved to the side and patted the spot next to her, as her face brightened up with a smug smile.
„What… exactly?” Vivian slowly sat next to the proxy, giving her a puzzled look.
„The gossips of course!” Belle leaned towards the other girl, almost invading her personal space, as her grin became even bigger. „I took you in for tonight so you have to spill some tea for me.
„I’m… not sure if I have anything…” Vivian stuttered, struggling to find her words.
Having Lord Paethon this close was already a bit much for her, especially knowing what was her long term goal for tonight. It was honestly annoying how quickly she was coming apart as soon as any of the siblings was in sight.
„Oh come on.” Belle rolled her eyes playfully. „You’re my best dealer, I'm sure you have something good for me. We have all the time in the world and I have everything prepared.”
Before Vivian could do as little as open her mouth, the proxy slid off the couch and kneeled in front of the giant, old-fashioned trunk, serving as her coffee table.
„Enous helped me make sure it's exactly the way you like it so consider it a bribe.”
She grabbed a teapot shaped like a big, black mama-cat and carefully filled two smaller, kitten-shaped mugs with amber gold liquid.
„One part Hua-long Bitter to three parts Little Canary, left to soak, cooled for right under a minute and left to rest, no sugar, one and a half mint leaf.” The proxy recited proudly, handing her guest one of the mugs. Still dumbfounded, Vivian accepted.
She really came prepared…
„You… you really shouldn’t have…” she muttered out, feeling blush starting to creep up on her features as she glanced at the cup of tea in her hands.
This was kind of a big deal. Not once has she caught both Paethon siblings happily popping a mug into a microwave and calling it a day. The fact that a culinary troglodyte like Belle made sure to make it the right way and even went the extra mile to follow the needlessly convoluted recipe her guest enjoyed the most made this moment so much more special.
She even brought out the tea set I gifted them… Vivian was on the verge of tears as she took a small, careful sip.
„It tastes perfect, exactly as I like it. You really are too kind to me, Lord Phaeton.” She mumbled.
„Anything for you, I guess.” Belle fell back on the couch with her own mug in hand. „But now you have to talk.”
Vivian sighed. „You frighten me sometimes, Lord Phaethon. I wouldn’t have thought you were this nosy...”
Belle gasped theatrically.
„I’m a proxy, you know. I make my living by sniffing around.”
She put her cup aside and crossed her arms as if Vivian’s words offended her.
„Besides, It’s not like I could measure up to the Great queen of gossip, Vivian the First…”
Now Vivian scoffed even more theatrically, deciding to play along with proxy’s act.
„I maintain my intelligence networks purely for professional purposes. I don’t use them for my own amusement…„ She pouted, turning her face away from Belle.
„Like that time you went digging in Ms Miyabi’s trash because she was acting suspicious around Wise?”
„OH! That one time was different!” Vivian exploded, covering her face as it drowned in blush.”And you swore to never speak about it again! You’re so mean!”
Belle narrowly dodged a left Crock thrown her way but was too slow to avoid a cautious but still rather firm follow-up kick. That of course was not to be forgiven. She had enough arguments with Wise as kids and was usually the one to come up on top so she didn’t shy away from settling things the physical way.
„What was that for?!” She shouted but only to confuse her adversary, as her hand surged backwards to grab a pillow.
Before Vivian could even open her mouth, Belle landed a powerful overhead. The first attack hit its mark but the next one was quickly blocked and stopped. Now, fierce melee over the control of the pillow ensued.
Of course, in a life and death scenario proxy would not have even the slightest bit of chances to win, being hopelessly outmatched on every single front, but right now she was allowed enough ground to at least pretend to have a fighting chance, maybe even a bit too much…
Things happened so fast, Vivian was barely able to register anything. She was now on her back with her arms above her head. The Proxy was straddling her, pinning her in place with a triumphant smile.
Right where she wanted her…
„That’s it! I won!” Belle beamed. She proudly looked down at her defeated foe, but suddenly froze.
At that moment, everything around them went quiet. The sounds of giggling and fierceful brawl now replaced with just silence and two quickened breaths.
Vivian clenched her teeth, feeling a cold shiver running down her back. Her body was tense, stuck in high-alert mode, awaiting what was about to come. Her throat felt hoarse and dry.
„I… I surrender…” She whispered, boring her ruby red eyes in the proxy.
Belle took a sharp breath, as now, for once, she was the one fighting off a blush brightening her features.
„You… you set me up…” she managed to mumble out. „I got played like a fiddle…”
„I did.” Vivian slowly wiggled one of her hands out of Proxy’s grasp. „But you like it, don’t you?~”
Her hand moved slowly, still a bit hesitantly, wrapping around Belle’s shoulders and bringing the other girl’s face closer to her own.
„Do I?” Belle whispered.
They were now mere centimeters apart, their noses brushing, yearning breaths hot against each other. There was, once again, only silence around them as time seemed to stop. No words were exchanged. There simply was no need for them.
Vivian slowly closed her eyes, taking a last, shaky breath in anticipation. Belle didn’t make her wait any longer, slowly, very slowly closing the last few millimeters of space between them.
Their lips met.
Awkward at first, almost unsure but it quickly grew in ferocity, starting to turn dirty and chaotic as if fueled not just by yearning but pure, animalistic hunger. The seal was broken and all the deeply concealed feelings were now pouring into that one intimate point of contact. It was intoxicating. It was sweet. Stronger than any drug known to man.
None of them knew how long it lasted, but neither wanted to stop. They only parted when brought to their absolute limits. Both gasped for air, but both dove back in as soon as possible.
Vivian made another move. She grabbed Proxy’s hand, pulling it away from her cheek and slowly guiding it under her t-shirt, granting it full access to the expense of her stomach and beyond.
Belle didn't hesitate. Her hand moved with both confidence and caution. They moved past the stomach, slowly slipped across Vivian’s ribcage before finally reaching the chest. She enveloped the bosom, embracing it with care like a delicate fruit. She could feel the perched up, hardened nipple in between her fingers. She teased it gently, squeezing and rolling.
Vivian moaned in response, wrapping her arms even tighter around the Proxy, eagerly inviting her to take more. She was ready. Ready to enjoy and be enjoyed.
Belle didn’t disappoint her. She shifted her position slightly, lowering her head to the other girl’s neck and starting to kiss the soft skin. She freed her other hand and moved it downwards, towards Vivian’s midriff and the hem of her pants. Her fingers circled the burning hot spot before diving under the material on their way to the core.
Vivian was already primed and soaking wet, eager for the final act.
Slowly, very slowly, Belle’s hand moved lower and lower and then…
Buuzzzzz…
Buuzzzzz…
Something weird. Something intrusive and annoying buzzing and emitting a faint but definitely noticeable sound somewhere behind Vivian’s head. As much as she tried to ignore it, it just kept messing up her focus. Vivian groaned in anger in between heavy breaths, lifting her head from the pillows and yanking down her eye cover.
She turned around, furiously rummaging through the messy assortment of silk pillows and stuffed animals that littered the head of her bed. She finally found the source of the noise, uncovering her buzzing phone. She angrily glanced at the incoming call from Hugo on the screen before turning it off and tossing the innocent device across the room onto her giant reading chair.
With the intrusion neutralized she quickly resumed her position, slipping her eye cover back on and fishing out the massager from in between her legs. She took a deep breath to calm herself and…
Nothing…
Black void. Gone was the cozy room above random play and Lord Phaethon eagerly feasting on her body. The only thing left was the sound of rain banging on her window.
Vivian tried her hardest. Wiggled around, whispered to herself and increased the volume on the massager. Still nothing.
„Oh, fuck me!” she finally bursted, throwing away her tool and once again pulling her mask off.
„Can’t have even a tiny moment for myself!” She cried, letting out a shaky sigh.
She threw her arms to the sides, trying to calm her speeding breath and beating heart. Any last bit of heat was gone, being quickly replaced with dread and shame as she lay naked in the middle of the battlefield that was her bed.
They couldn’t even let her finish…
In that stupid moment, Vivian slowly turned her head to the side, her eyes subconsciously moving towards the cupboard of her very own, hand-made Phaethon merch. Inside, amidst countless pins and trinkets, sat a small, knitted Belle that she made some time ago but was too scared to give to the real Belle.
Vivian looked at the doll for a moment, unsure whether it was her imagination, or if the two black, button eyes were also judging her at that moment. Whichever it was, she broke eye contact and turned away from the cupboard, boring her empty gaze into her ceiling as another deep sigh rolled down her lips.
„I should call her…”