
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/8301038.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M, F/M, F/F, Multi
  Fandom:
      Chrno_Crusade
  Relationship:
      Aion_&_Chrono, Duffau/Chrono_(one-sided), Chrono/OC, Chrono/Shader, Aion/
      Chrono, Shader/OC
  Character:
      Chrono, Aion, Duke_Duffau, Original_Characters, Shader_(Chrno_Crusade),
      Viede, Rizelle_(Chrno_Crusade), Genai_(Chrno_Crusade)
  Additional Tags:
      Masturbation, Sexual_Fantasy, Age_Difference, Bottoming, Manga_Canon,
      Crushes, Demons, Pre-Canon, Sexual_Content, Slash, Caught, Anxiety,
      Awkwardness, Bathing/Washing, Confessions, Firsts, Sexual_Inexperience,
      Hair_Washing, Oral_Sex, Exhibitionism, Cat/Human_Hybrids, Teasing,
      Cuckolding, Self-Discovery, Anal_Fingering, Frottage, Foursome_-_F/F/M/M,
      Denial_of_Feelings, Angst, Break_Up, Character_Study, Chatting_&
      Messaging, Drama, Accidental_Incest, Jealousy, Voyeurism, just_don't
      think_too_hard_about_the_use_of_technology
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-10-16 Updated: 2018-01-13 Chapters: 4/? Words: 31160
****** Chrono the Sinner in...Sinful Liasons! ******
by anonyhex
Summary
     A series of connected one-shots exploring Chrono's possible sexual
     history...originally meant to just have an excuse to write Chrono
     sleeping with everyone I could and has gotten out of control as a
     weird smut-but-also-character-study thing. Tags will be updated along
     with the fic.
     Most recent chapter: Chrono/Shader, Aion/Chrono, Shader/OC, Aion/OC
     (foursome)
Notes
     This entire fic is dedicated to my secret partner in crime, who
     helped encourage me to go through with this idea and then helped me
     workshop ideas and edit my fic. They seriously did enough they're
     practically a co-author. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE ;D
     Pairing: Duffau/Chrono (fantasized)
     Kinks in this chapter: Masturbation, age differences
***** Hot For Teacher *****
The first thing Chrono noticed at the beginning of training on that fateful day
was that his instructor, Sentiria, was much more tense than she usually was. On
a typical day she was strict, but had a relaxed air and an almost cocky
attitude, occasionally making jokes at the untuned students’ expense. But today
she stood stick-straight, Chrono could see her pale knuckles turn even paler as
she gripped her sword.
“Typical lessons are cut short today,” she began, her voice clipped. “I was
just informed that we have a special guest joining us after our lunch. He’ll be
observing a sparring session between the oldest of you to look for promising
recruits for the pursuers.”
There were murmurs among the students gathered at the training hall and a few
glances at Chrono and Aion, who were the oldest of the trainees and some of the
best students. No doubt they were going to be among the young demons being
examined by whoever this “guest” was. Chrono felt a spike of anxiety at the
stares and ducked his head, tracing his eyes along the hexagon mats on the
floor.
Sentiria’s sharp whistle brought the attention back to her. “So, this morning
we’re going to focus on drills and sharpening your forms. Make yourselves proud
today. It’s an honor to even be considered to serve your Queen as a Pursuer!”
That morning of training was grueling. Sentiria spent particular time with the
oldest students, and every little thing Chrono did wrong was called out
quickly. His back needed to be straighter. He was too wild. Why can’t he seem
more controlled like his ‘brother’? His stance was too open, an opponent could
easily take advantage of it. Chrono felt like he might be smothered by the
stress.
Aion, on the other hand, only seemed to shine under the pressure. His eyes were
bright today, and his movement was disciplined but fluid. Chrono watched him
reflected in the mirrored tiles on the wall and frowned. It was spooky seeing
someone that looked so much like him move with the confidence he could never
seem to find within himself.
During lunch on the field outside of the hall, the guest was all Aion could
talk about. “Couldn’t be Lerajie, could it? No, I think I heard he went
‘outside’ on a mission. Oooh, maybe Tereus! I heard he once cut down 10
opponents on his own in an half an hour!”
“I don’t really care who it is,” Chrono muttered into his fruit. “I just hope I
don’t fail.”
Aion just laughed. “Chrono, you’re one of the best in the class! I can beat you
with a sword, sure, but when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, everyone’s
terrified to face you!”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Why would I do that? I’m not interested in giving you false hope. You
shouldn’t be so gloomy all the time. It’s the only thing that holds you back.”
“Oh, so I’m supposed to go around being a talkative idiot like you?”
“Well, it certainly hasn’t hurt me any.” His brother gave him a grin and a
teasing tug at his long hair. “But seriously, just take a deep breath and try
to relax. You’ll be fine.”
Chrono tried to take Aion’s advice to heart. His confidence  did  aid him a lot
in their classes. And despite his secret misgivings about being a soldier in
the first place, he  was  skilled. Maybe he really would be fine.
At least, that was what he thought until he saw just who this “guest” was. He
was not fine. He was anything but fine.
Duke Duffau glowered at the older students who were lined up in front of him.
The leader of the Pursuers himself, he was known for his skill almost as much
as he was known for his fierce loyalty to Pandaemonium. He seemed to tower over
everyone on the training ground, even Viede, who was almost Duffau’s height.
His presence pressed on the hall, imposing and intimidating.
“The best of the best!” Aion hissed under his breath in surprise, staring up at
Duffau in awe. Duffau must’ve heard him, because his gaze immediately locked
with Aion's, examining him like a weapon that failed to meet standards.
Chrono had never seen Aion shut up so quickly.
It was no wonder why Sentiria had seemed so nervous now. If anything, she was
doing a remarkable job of keeping it together. She sized up her students and
barked orders at them to pair up into sparring partners—putting Chrono and Aion
together, of course, right in the center of the field. The star attractions.
Chrono thought he might throw up his lunch.
The first sparring match was a mess. Chrono’s fear was making his moves
sluggish and Aion, ashamed of the negative attention he’d drawn to himself, was
determined to win. That made him vicious, but calculated. Chrono was often
thrown off guard when Aion was this focused, even on his best days. To top it
off, they started first with swords--Aion’s strongest fighting style and
Chrono’s weakest.
By the time it was over, Chrono had sweat dripping from his bangs and his hands
were shaking. He blew it. This was it. He was probably going to be shoved to
some low-rank position and forgotten while Aion left him behind. He’d be alone,
purposeless…
Chrono saw Duffau’s shadow before he saw the demon himself. As soon as he
noticed it he stood up straight and tense. Out of the corner of his eye he saw
Aion stand similarly, his spiney-tail twitching behind him with nerves.
“Don’t be so tense,” were the first words out of the Duke’s mouth, to Chrono’s
surprise. “You’ll just wear yourself out. I want to see you at your best.”
Chrono swallowed and tried to relax, daring to glance at the Duke’s face. His
expression was serious, but not as stern as Chrono expected. If anything he
almost looked disappointed.
“You’re the only two hatchlings from Generation 260. Correct?”
“Yes, sir,” the brothers said in unison.
“That’s a lot of responsibility to carry on your shoulders. Our numbers are too
low. We need strong soldiers. We need the two of you.”
It wasn’t surprising that Aion spoke first. “We’ve been training since we could
walk. We know what’s expected of us. And we can exceed those expectations.”
That earned Aion a smirk from the Pursuer, to Chrono’s surprise. “Bold words.
Let’s hope you can back up your confidence with skill in the end.”
“You’ve already seen I’m skilled.”
“So I have.” His attention turned to Chrono. “But as for the other…”
Chrono’s hands tightened at his sides.
“You were sloppy. Like someone several generations under you. You held your
sword like it was a stick.”
“I’m…I’m sorry…”
“I’m not looking for an apology,” Duffau snapped. Chrono immediately snapped
his mouth shut. “Your teacher briefed me on how you have developed. I’m aware
that you were at a disadvantage in this match, but I was also informed that
you’ve shown great progress in skill. I hoped to see that today, particularly
since you only have a decade until your tuning.”
Chrono could feel the eyes of every student on him.
“Why do you fight?” The Pursuer asked him.
“Because I am a Soldier.”
“So your caste is all that motivates you?”
“No! I—“
“ Why do you fight? ”
Chrono’s thoughts raced. What was the The Duke looking for? What did the Duffau
want him to say? Chrono was desperate to avoid disappointing him, but he
couldn’t think. If there was some sort of creed he was supposed to spit out
from memory it was lost in his tumbling thoughts. All he could do was answer on
instinct. He squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out an answer.
“Because I want to protect Pandaemonium! Because I won’t allow any threat to
harm her, or her people— my  people!”
At first, there was just silence. Chrono was afraid to open his eyes and look
back at his superior. But when he found the courage to he saw the Duke looking
down at him with unexpected warmth in his eyes.
His heart skipped a beat.
“A good answer.” From Sentiria it would’ve been faint praise, but based on
Duffau’s reputation he was extremely pleased. Chrono released a breath he
didn’t realize he was holding as Duffau continued. “Whenever you falter, you
must remember what drives you. If you can back that loyalty up with the
strength I’ve been told you have, you could be a great asset to our Queen.”
Aion gave Chrono a grin from behind Duffau’s back.
“So, show me that strength. I’ve heard you’re a strong hand-to-hand fighter.
Come at me.”
“You?!”
The Duke chuckled, his fangs glinting in the light of the training hall. “Are
you going to hesitate again?”
Chrono gulped, hunched, and curled his claws.
“Don’t hunch down. You’re a proud demon. Show your strength to your enemy.”
He straightened, looking up at Duffau and baring his fangs.
“Claws higher. Ready to both attack and protect your horns. …Good. Come at me.”
Chrono grit his teeth and rushed forward, bringing his right arm back to slash
at Duffau’s chest. Next thing he knew he was on the ground, gasping for breath.
The Duke’s strong right hand was around his neck while the other pinned his arm
against the mats.
“You hesitated.” His eyes pierced into Chrono’s from above as he leaned in to
speak so only he could hear. “You need to trust your instincts more.”
“Let me…let me try again.”
Duffau nodded, and pulled the boy up by his arm. Chrono took a moment to steady
himself, and charged at him again, only to again find himself stopped in his
tracks, this time twisted around with his arm behind his back. He could feel
Duffau’s muscular chest against his shoulders.
Chrono resisted the urge to shiver.
“Better, but not enough. You’re at your strongest when you trust your own
strength.  Show me your power. ”
He gave Chrono a push and crossed his arms, waiting impatiently for another
strike. His initial pride at Chrono’s answer seemed to start to flag.
Chrono’s face was flushed. His focus was entirely on Duffau, watching for some
sort of signal that he could recover, that he could prove himself worthy. Not
because of prestige or bragging rights now, not even so he could remain at
Aion’s side—now he felt urged to try to fulfill Duffau’s hopes in him. He
wanted to see that warmth in his eyes again.
His next strike was quick, so much so that some of the younger students could
barely see him. He was attacking purely on instinct, with a ferocity that
wouldn’t have been too surprising to Aion, but certainly was to Duffau after
what he had seen of the boy today.
Chrono opted for a grapple instead of a slash, and grabbed the Duke’s arms,
pushing him down onto the ground. He followed, his legs straddling his
partner’s waist. Chrono growled, baring his teeth just an inch away from
Duffau’s fangs. Duffau had a musky scent of sweat, grass, and blood that
reached Chrono’s nose as he bent forward.
At first, Duffau was surprised. But then the smirk came back when he noticed
that Chrono was distracted and he used Chrono’s weight to flip him onto the
ground. He was on top of Chrono again. “You left yourself too open.”
Chrono’s skin tingled at his voice. It was getting harder and harder to focus
on the fight. He kept noticing too much about Duffau’s body--his chiseled jaw,
his muscles glistening with sweat, the sound of his ragged breath and the feel
of its warmth against Chrono’s face.
To his horror, Chrono realized he was starting to get aroused. He pulled his
body as much as he could away from Duffau and forced his mind to concentrate on
the fight. With his eyes narrowed, he pushed Duffau up, then followed with his
foot, kicking him in the chest and flipping him off of his body and to the
ground.
The class gasped. Aion couldn’t help but let out a surprised laugh—Chrono had
done that move on him before, when they wrestled as children. Duffau,
meanwhile, was left gasping for air on the ground as Chrono leapt to his feet.
“I see…so you  are  as fierce as they say,” Duffau said when he got his wind
back. “You should work on harnessing that energy more often.”
Chrono helped Duffau to his feet, doing his best to avoid showing his nerves,
and gave the pursuer a respectful nod. Duffau turned to attend to other
students, and Aion ran to Chrono’s side to congratulate him.
Chrono barely even registered Aion’s words. He was too busy memorizing how the
sweat on Duffau’s back made his muscles gleam in the light.
*****************************************
That night, as he laid in his bed in the room he shared with Aion, Chrono’s own
muscles still ached. He knew Duffau must have been holding back, and that was a
little frightening. If it’d been a real fight, he’d probably be dead. Chrono
had worked with other Pursuers in class before, too, but now that he met him it
was obvious why Duffau was their leader. Chrono had never seen anyone stronger.
His mind drifted back to the image of Duffau pinned beneath him during
training. In the heat of the moment Chrono hadn’t allowed himself to be
distracted, but now that he was by himself the details of their compromising
position were sharply in focus. Beneath him Duffau had seemed momentarily
surprised and caught off guard—and in the moment it made Chrono excited that he
had pulled it off. He remembered Duffau’s scent, and how his arms were so
strong that Chrono’s claws had barely been able to hold him down. And their
hips had been so close that if Chrono had leaned forward just a bit more, they
would’ve rubbed together.
Chrono shifted uncomfortably in his bed as his cock started to tingle with
arousal. There’s no way that would’ve been an appropriate action, but if he’d
been allowed to…a part of him would’ve wanted to. Duffau was so tall and
strong, his dick was probably larger than Chrono’s. He imagined he’d probably
look a little pathetic trying to seduce the older demon. But then again, he’d
managed to impress him in the end. Maybe it wouldn’t be hopeless?
‘What am I thinking?’ Chrono thought with embarrassment, his face flushed. Even
if he  was  tuned, there’s no way he’d reach a rank where it’d ever be socially
appropriate for him to be eligible as some sort of sexual partner for the Duke.
He probably had demons lining up outside of his door just for a chance to be
near him. There wasn’t any reason to entertain an idea like that.
But he couldn’t get the idea out of his head, now that it was planted in his
mind. He imagined himself grinding up against the Pursuer, and Duffau’s
surprise at his boldness as he leaned down to capture his lips for a kiss. He
could almost feel the strong hands on his hip as the Duffau in his mind pushed
himself up to meet his body, his hardening cock straining against his legion
armor…
Chrono groaned, his hard-on straining against his own clothing. He couldn’t
really hold back now. He craved some sort of release. Just fantasizing wouldn’t
be anything bad, right? He knew he’d never actually get the chance but there
was no reason that he couldn’t enjoy himself while daydreaming, right?
He absorbed the legion forming his pants into his skin and reached down,
grasping his cock in his hand and slowly beginning to stroke it. When Duffau
would realize his interest at first he’d be surprised, but flattered. A
talented young recruit like Chrono taking an interest in him…right, he’d like
that, wouldn’t he? He’d delight in teaching Chrono everything he knew about
pleasure.
He imagined kneeling before Duffau’s cock. It’d definitely be larger than his
own. Two inches larger? Three? More, even? Either way, he’d fit it all down his
throat to please his superior. He’d probably gag on it, but he’d practice. Soon
he’d be a pro at deep throating him. Duffau would come home from a long mission
and  beg  to face-fuck him and he’d be happy to offer himself up to his lover.
Chrono slid his tongue along the roof of his mouth as he imagined Duffau’s cock
filling it and pouring cum down his throat. He squeezed his own erection and
moaned softly.
He’d never wanted this so bad.
He swallowed, focusing back on his fantasy. Afterwards…Duffau would want to
make love to him. Right? He hadn’t had sex with anyone yet, but he had a decent
idea of the mechanics of it from gossip among the more experienced students.
(Especially Aion. Aion had no filter.)
Now that he’d fantasized such a large member on Duffau he realized, with
embarrassment, that he wasn’t really sure how Duffau would fit inside him.Well,
he’d be older, so their size difference probably wouldn’t be as noticeable. And
they’d make it work.
Duffau would start slow at first, to give Chrono a chance to get used to his
size. He remembered the warmth that he’d seen in his eyes, and repurposed it as
the look he’d give while beginning to enter him. He could almost feel Duffau’s
strong hands on his thighs as he spread his legs apart. What would it feel
like, being so full? Would it hurt? He was a soldier, so he could bear it.
After all, what’s a little pain to a Pursuer?
Chrono experimentally prodded his entrance with a finger as he slowly stroked
his cock. He’d never played with his ass. He hadn’t really been interested
before. But the thought of being entered by Duffau was a bigger turn-on than he
expected. It didn’t make any sense to Chrono that he’d top Duffau. No, he’d
obviously be in control, just like he was in his training, just like he would
be when he became a Pursuer.
Being a subordinate…didn’t seem like a bad thing. That wasn’t something he felt
like he should admit as a soldier, but someone to stay in control and guide you
sounded nice.
After a moment of gently pushing his finger against his entrance, he gathered
up the guts to thrust it in. He gasped when he did, his back arching up and his
grip tightening on his penis. Even just one finger felt tight inside of him. He
thought about how he’d be able to feel every inch of Duffau and moaned.
Chrono’s fantasies picked up in earnest. He could see in his mind’s eye Duffau
thrusting against him on his bed, their skin slapping together, slick with
sweat. The Duke’s muscles would be highlighted as the beads formed on his skin.
He’d see Chrono’s damp hair getting into his face and gently brush it away, his
crimson eyes filled with lust and fondness.
“Duffau…” Chrono moaned out experimentally. Even hearing himself say it turned
him on. He repeated the name again, louder, his hand pumping faster and faster
as his pleasure began to build.
‘Teach me everything,’ Chrono begged to Duffau in his mind. ‘Make me your
perfect lover. Drive me crazy! Make me beg for you!’
Chrono’s hips bucked up in pleasure as he pushed himself to his limit. Every
nerve in his body screamed for release, so he gripped himself harder, thrusting
his hips to aid his pumping arm, until finally, he found his release. He
groaned as he cummed onto his stomach, pleasure aching through his cock, then
fell back on the bed, panting.
He couldn’t remember the last time he got an orgasm that good out of himself.
‘I’m going to have to remember that fantasy,’ he thought to himself as he slid
out his finger and laid back against his bed.
When his blood stopped pumping into his ears, he heard a snicker that made his
eyes fly wide open. Aion was standing at the foot of his bed, looking amused.
“I didn’t know you had a thing for older men.”
Chrono yelped and quickly sat up. “Wha—You’re supposed to be with Ixtel
tonight!”
“I got kicked out.”
“Well, call ahead and give me some warning!”
This time Aion let out a full laugh. “I didn’t know this is what you do when
I’m not sleeping here.”
“It doesn’t matter! When you’re not expected, give some warning or at least
KNOCK! Ugh!” Chrono grabbed his pillow and threw it straight at Aion’s head,
but of course he just dodged it, still laughing.
“Do you want me to wait up for you while you go to the baths?”
“I’m not going there like this!”
“So, what, you’re going to just let it dry? You have to wash up eventually.”
“I-I wasn’t thinking, okay?”
“Oh, you were thinking, just about your crush on the Duke,” Aion said with a
grin. He flopped onto his own bed across from Chrono’s and turned to study him.
“Is that why you haven’t gotten with anyone? Saving yourself for Duffau?”
“Ugh, no. Stop holding me to your standards, not everyone wants to share a
different bed every night.”
“It’s true, I’m sure Duffau’s bed is much more comfortable than anyone in the
untuned quarter.”
“Aion, if you don’t shut up,  I’m  going to kick you out.”
“Not if I kick you out first for making a mess of the place.”
“Knock it off!”
Aion eventually got Chrono a basin of water to wash up with, but not without
more teasing and prodding about his tastes. Chrono sighed as he cleaned himself
off, eventually going quiet. He knew fighting back would just encourage Aion.
It wasn’t like he actually thought he had a chance with Duffau. It was just
something to think about.
…Well, but, maybe if he hadn’t found anyone he enjoyed being with before his
tuning ceremony…maybe things could work out.
Until then, at least his time alone would get a little more interesting.
***** Top To Bottom *****
Chapter Summary
     Chrono dates his first boyfriend and, eventually, his first lover in
     the bedroom.
     Pairing: Chrono/OC (M/M)
     Kinks in this chapter: First time/sexual discovery, oral, hair,
     baths. A little bit of exhibition. Not really a kink but meant to be
     overall fluffy despite the smut.
Chapter Notes
     Decaded, once again, to my editor and partner-in-crime.
Chrono would never forget the surprise of the first confession he ever
received. Ikrus seemed only a little shy when he approached him, his yellow
eyes gleaming with hope as he asked to speak with him privately.
Soon, they were sitting in the field in the middle of Pandaemonium under a
tree. It sat on top of a hill overlooking the training grounds, its branches
twisting together in intricate braids. Off in the distance you could see the
waterfall that marked where the highly-ranked demons of Pandaemonium lived.
Thanks to the view and the relative privacy, it was known as a common place for
lovers to meet.
‘Not that it means anything,’ Chrono reminded himself as he leaned against the
tree and cleared his throat to speak. “So, um, what do you need?"
Ikrus spoke boldly. “You’re not with anyone right now, right? Are you
interested in anyone?”
Chrono snorted. “No…are you wanting love advice? Aion’s more experienced with
that sort of thing.”
His companion just chuckled, nervously. “No, I’m not really interested in
talking to Aion.”
“He’s not intimidating really! He’s actually pretty nice once you—“
“Chrono!” Ikrus interrupted. “No, I mean…if someone younger were interested in
you, would you be interested?”
“Uh. Well. Everyone’s younger than me except for Aion.”
“No, I mean, a few generations younger. Someone my age.”
Chrono raised his eyebrow. He was seriously starting to wonder if Ikrus was
talking about himself. His eyes nervously darted up to the artificial sunlight
glinting through the leaves of the tree. “I-I wouldn’t mind.”
“Chrono…”
“Mm?”
Since he was looking away, Chrono didn’t see Ikrus moving toward him until his
face was turned back toward Ikrus and a pair of lips were pressed against his
mouth. Chrono stared at the young technician as he pulled away from the kiss,
wide-eyed and speechless.
Ikrus let out another nervous laugh. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.
Should I have asked first?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just—I mean—me?”
“Of course you.”
It was Chrono’s turn to laugh nervously. “Why me? There’s tons of attractive
guys in your caste. I’ve seen them.”
Ikrus smiled, his eyes lighting up like a pair of twin suns. “Chrono…you’re
very handsome. You’re tall, you’re strong, I love the color of your hair…and I
know your reputation. I know how gentle you are, and how loyal you are to the
people close to you.”
“Soldiers aren’t supposed to be gentle.”
“So?” Ikrus placed a dark-skinned hand onto Chrono’s. “I like the contrast. It
makes you unique.”
Chrono blushed. “That’s just a nice way to say ‘weird.’”
“Fine! I like weird!” Ikrus shook his head. “I didn’t expect you to be so bad
at accepting a compliment.”
“Sorry…”
“It’s fine. It’s kind of cute. Not what I expected, but cute.” Ikrus threaded
his fingers through Chrono’s and leaned closer. “So…what do you think?”
“About you?”
“Yes. About my offer. Would you like to be lovers?”
Chrono’s thoughts raced. There was no doubt Ikrus was handsome. His dark blue
hair contrasted with his golden eyes, and the way he wore it tied back high on
his head highlighted his delicate ears. His grey horns swept back from his
forehead like they were a crown. And his eyes made Chrono feel warm in his
chest, particularly now that they were looking at him with such—what was it?
Affection? Lust? A mix of the two?
Chrono swallowed. Attention made him nervous, but this time he also felt a
little excited.
“I…I would, but you need to know, um…when I said I wasn’t really experienced
with matters of love, I meant I’m…not…at all.”
It was Ikrus’ turn to be surprised. “Really? But…you’re from the oldest untuned
generation!”
“I know, I know. Nobody’s ever really been interested—“
“Nobody?”
Chrono hesitated, and shook his head.
“No, that can’t be right. Not someone like you. They must’ve just been too
intimidated—“ Ikrus cut himself off when he saw Chrono pale. “I’m not saying
I’m intimidated by you!” Ikrus held Chrono’s hand a little tighter, pressing
their palms into the soil beneath them. “So is that all? You’re just worried
I’ll be disappointed by your lack of experience?”
Chrono shrugged. “I’m older, so I knew you’d think…”
“That’s fine. We can work with that.”
“Really?”
“Sure.” He grinned. “You’re intelligent. I’m sure you’ll be an easy student.”
Chrono smiled back, shyly. “In that case, then…yeah. I’ll try.”
Ikrus straightened, and jokingly took on a sophisticated air to his voice.
“Why, thank you, sir. You honor me.”
“Oh, don’t.”
Ikrus laughed. “Can I make a request?”
“What?”
“Another kiss?”
“Oh…” Chrono hesitated for a moment, but then placed his hand on Ikrus’s cheek
and leaned forward, placing a short, quick kiss on his lips.
Ikrus smiled against his lips. “You can do more than that. I know you can.”
Chrono swallowed, then leaned forward to press his lips against Ikrus’s again.
Ikrus responded in kind, placing his hand against the back of Chrono’s neck as
he pressed forward. Time almost seemed to stop and Chrono’s senses sharpened,
hearing every rustle of the leaves above, feeling Ikrus’s light breath against
his cheek, the warmth of the fingers on his neck.
He melted under Ikrus’ touch, swept away in affection.
******************
The coming months seemed to pass in an instant. Since Chrono and Ikrus were
from different castes and generations they rarely got to see each other during
lessons, but they sought out each other as often as they could. The more time
they spent together, the more Chrono found things he loved about Ikrus—his
smooth, warm laugh, his ability to find so much joy, the way his role had
shielded him from the constant fighting and demands of the lessons taught to
the soldier caste. Ikrus was bold but kind, always making his desire for Chrono
clear but never pushing him too far.
Chrono wasn’t sure how he’d feel about the physical part of their relationship
at first. But the longer they were together he found himself tracing Ikrus’s
body with his eyes and remembering it later when he was alone at night. He
started finding himself imagining Ikrus’ dark, bare skin contrasting against
his, what his warm voice would sound like when overwhelmed with pleasure…
Eventually his curiosity and lust were getting to be too much. It was enough to
allow Chrono to push beyond his shyness and begin to put his fantasies into
motion. To start with, he needed to make sure they would have a room to
themselves.
“Aion…” Chrono asked nonchalantly that day, attempting to seem casual as he sat
down in a chair next to Aion’s bed, where Aion was laying on his stomach. “Do
you have any plans tonight? Anywhere to be?”
Aion looked up from the screen he was reading and propped himself up on his
elbow. “No, not really…just reading this story.”
“You don’t…have anyone to be with tonight?”
Aion sighed. “Not since Kirel and I ended things. But thanks for bringing that
up.”
“Oh, shit, I didn’t mean—“
“I know, I know. I’m just messing with you.” Aion sat up, setting the reading
device aside. “Why, did you want to do something?”
Chrono blushed. “Not…really.”
Aion raised an eyebrow and paused for a minute. “So it’s not that you’re
bored…” Chrono swallowed nervously as Aion examined him and continued. “…It’s
that you want me out of the room.” That’s when Aion’s eyes lit up and he burst
into laughter. “Oh. Oh! Because YOU have someone to be with tonight! You’re
finally going to bed Ikrus!”
“I-I haven’t asked him yet!”
“Oh, he’ll be happy to come over, he’s been getting impatient.”
“Aion! He’s not like that! He’s been very patient!”
“Oh?” Aion smirked and stood up from the bed, ruffling Chrono’s hair. “Would
you like any advice?”
“No,” Chrono responded petulantly, before hesitating. “…Maybe.”
“Well, then, don’t be afraid to take control and let loose,” Aion said with a
note of fondness. “I’ve gotten the impression Ikrus prefers to be lead more
than he’s let on. And don’t let yourself get nervous, he’s been dyingto get you
into a bed.”
Chrono blushed all the way to his hairline and Aion burst into laughter again.
“Th-thanks. I’ll try.”
“Good. Now go contact Ikrus and see when he’s free so I know when to clear out
for you.”
“Okay.” Chrono went to walk out of the room, then paused, turning back to Aion.
“Um, when I come back…can I ask you some questions?”
Aion grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
*************
Chrono was more nervous than he’d ever been—and that was saying a lot. He’d
slightly altered his armor three separate times in an attempt to make himself
seem more handsome and confident, kept turning the music player on and off
because he couldn’t decide if silence would be preferable, and could have
easily worn a path into his bedroom floor with his pacing. Aion continued to
tease him up until he’d left, making some vague comment about being in the
“Underground” if he was needed—a little-used section of Pandaemonium that was a
popular hangout for the untuned demons at night after classes. Knowing Aion,
he’d find something, or someone, to keep him occupied until morning.
Chrono’s pacing was interrupted by a chime announcing someone at the door. He
took a deep breath and pressed the button to slide it open. It was, of course,
Ikrus, as handsome as ever. His hair was tied up looser than normal, allowing
some wavy strands to frame his face.
“It’s good to see you!” he said with a grin, leaning up to kiss Chrono on the
lips, which Chrono happily returned. Ikrus stepped through the doorway and
looked around the room, tilting his head toward the speaker in the wall. “I
like the music. It’s…exotic. A human instrument, right?”
Chrono sighed in relief. It looked like he made the right choice when he kept
the music on. “Yeah. Aion recommended it to me. He says it’s called a piano.”
“Hah, leave it to Aion to find something so unique to add to his collection.”
Ikrus sat on Chrono’s bed and glanced toward Aion’s. “Where is he, anyway?”
“Down in the Underground.”
“Oh, is there anything interesting going on there tonight?”
“Nothing big…” Chrono sat down on the bed next to Ikrus. “I think I’ve heard
something about dancing.”
“That sounds fun. Maybe we should go!” Ikrus grinned. “I’ve never gotten to see
you dance.”
“M-maybe.” Chrono hesitated, then shook his head. “Actually, I…kind of wanted
to stay in tonight. If that’s okay.”
Ikrus tilted his head again, his eyes widening with curiosity. “Sure. If that’s
what you want.”
They sat for a moment; the only noise in the room was the soft piano music from
the speakers. Chrono nervously clasped and unclasped his hands in his lap.
“So…” Ikrus said to break the silence, tucking a stray hair behind his ear.
“Did you have anything you wanted to do?”
Chrono turned to look at him. Now or never. He slid to Ikrus’s side so their
legs were touching and leaned forward, cupping his cheek. “Yeah…” He nibbled on
the edge of Ikrus’s ear and then whispered into it “You.”
Ikrus didn’t seem to know quite how to respond. He shivered at Chrono’s touch
as the older demon pulled him closer and began to kiss and nip at his neck.
“You’re a tease tonight…”
Chrono frowned. He had hoped that he was being obvious, but maybe his
hesitation had confused Ikrus? He pulled away for a moment, looking Ikrus in
the eyes. “I’m not teasing.” As he said that, his legion started to shift, his
armor melting away to reveal his bare chest. “I’m ready.”
Ikrus eyes shone in response, almost as if the light in the room was reflecting
off of them. “You are?”
In response, Chrono nudged him to lay down on the bed and kissed him, teasing
Ikrus’s lips with his tongue, and sliding a knee in between his legs. Ikrus’s
back arched to meet Chrono’s skin as he sighed happily into Chrono’s mouth.
Before long their clothing was gone, revealing their bare bodies to each other.
Chrono took every inch of it in, kissing roughly along Ikrus’s shoulders,
chest, stomach, thigh…the engineer whimpered, leaning into Chrono’s kisses, his
hands combing through his hair.
It looked like Aion’s advice wasn’t too far off. Ikrus seemed content to allow
Chrono to do whatever he wanted to him, maybe even relieved that Chrono was
being so proactive. It wasn’t uncommon for Ikrus to be the one to initiate
their physical contact, whether it was to touch his hand, give a kiss, or, in
their more heated moments, rub Chrono’s dick or ass through his clothing. He’d
always been respectful of Chrono’s boundaries, pulling back when Chrono got
nervous, but he was always so eager for touch that Chrono assumed he was
comfortable being the one to take charge.
Chrono was starting to admit that he’d probably misjudged him. Ikrus seemed
very suggestible tonight, happily allowing Chrono to take the lead, responding
to his touch and kisses with soft moans. Chrono continued to slide down his
body with kisses, finishing with one on his big toe, then sat up.
There was something he’d been fantasizing about trying for a while, and it
seemed like now was as good of a time as ever. “Ikrus?”
“Mmm. Yes?” He sat up slightly, his face flushed and eyes half-closed.
“Could you sit on the edge of the bed?”
Ikrus looked curious, but obeyed his request without hesitation, sliding over
as Chrono got off of the bed. It was only when Chrono knelt in front of him and
slid a hand up his thigh that he started to get an inkling of what Chrono
wanted.
“You don’t have to push yourself—“
“I’m not,” Chrono quickly responded. He wrapped his hand around the base of
Ikrus’ cock, which was already half-erect, and started to stroke. Ikrus moaned
as his eyes closed, leaning back on his elbows. It didn’t take long until he
was trembling under Chrono’s touch and his cock was fully erect, straining in
his grip. He’d never seen Ikrus quite like this…it was gorgeous and erotic, and
it was starting to give Chrono a hard-on of his own.
“Ikrus?” Chrono couldn’t quite hold back the mischievousness in his voice.
“Y-yeah?” Ikrus panted, opening his eyes to look at Chrono as he laid his head
onto Ikrus’ thigh, smiling up at him.
“I love you.”
It was the first time either of them had said it. Ikrus’ mouth dropped open and
he seemed to try to gather his thoughts together for a response, but Chrono
didn’t give him a chance. As he stuttered, Chrono sat up and hungrily took his
cock into his mouth.
Ikrus’ reaction was immediate. His hips bucked involuntarily and he gasped,
gripping Chrono’s shoulder for support. “Ch-Chrono!”
Chrono smiled around him and slid his tongue around the head of Ikrus’ cock,
enjoying watching Ikrus squirm. This was a new side of him he hadn’t gotten a
chance to see before. Every whimper from Ikrus’s mouth made Chrono’s stomach
flutter with excitement. It was even more enticing than Chrono had imagined.
He began to slowly bob Ikrus in and out of his mouth after a few awkward false
starts where he didn’t quite have the angle down. Eventually he figured it out,
adopting a steady pace and rubbing what he couldn’t take into his mouth with
his hand. Ikrus became vocal and gripped Chrono’s shoulder even harder, his
claws poking into Chrono’s skin. Good, he must be doing this right.
When his jaw started to become sore, Chrono stopped to rest for a minute,
sucking the head of Ikrus’ cock and pressing his tongue up against the bottom
of it. He must’ve hit somewhere that felt particularly good, because Ikrus
cried out and jerked his hips up, thrusting his cock down into Chrono’s throat.
Chrono gagged and pulled back for air, and Ikrus’ eyes flew open. “Are you
okay?”
Chrono coughed and nodded. “I’m fine.”
“You sure? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—“
“I’ll tell you if I’m not, I promise.” Before Ikrus could protest Chrono sucked
Ikrus’s cock back into his mouth, putting his hands onto Ikrus’s hips so he
could buck as he much without worrying about going too deep.
He looked up at Ikrus as he continued. Ikrus met his eyes, cheeks flushed, and
dug his fingers into Chrono’s hair. Chrono’s heart was pounding and he could
feel his face burning. It was Chrono’s first hint of what would come to guide
his sex life—nothing turned him on more than watching his partners getting off.
It didn’t take long until Ikrus started to moan again, straining against
Chrono’s hands. His cock was twitching in Chrono’s mouth. “I’m close!”
Chrono didn’t need to be told twice. He started to take Ikrus as far as he
could and hummed around his cock, encouraging him to come. As Chrono was
pulling back Ikrus shook and cried out, beginning to spurt cum into his mouth.
Chrono jerked back in surprise, causing Ikrus’s cum to spurt into his long
hair.
Ikrus dropped back onto the bed, spent, his breath heavy. Chrono wiped his
mouth and crawled up onto the bed next to him, leaning down to kiss him on the
forehead. “Um…so that was good?”
Ikrus let out a gasping laugh, looking at Chrono with a nod. “Uh, yeah. I
didn’t expect you to be that good. How did you know how to do that?”
Chrono blushed, hunching his shoulders and giving his lover a shy smile. “Uh,
well, I read some stuff. And I asked Aion a lot of questions. He knows a lot
more about this sort of thing.”
“Apparently!” Ikrus reached up to touch Chrono’s cheek, looking at his hair.
“You’re a mess. Want a bath?”
“Won’t someone see?”
“Not at this time of night. Anyone that’s up is probably at the Underground.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
***************
As soon as they got to the public baths Ikrus had taken it upon himself to wash
Chrono’s hair—as a “thank you” gift, he said. Chrono sat on the ground,
enjoying the warm steam that floated throughout the room, and Ikrus sat behind
him on a chair, his legs spread around Chrono’s shoulders. He hummed happily as
he began to wet Chrono’s hair, combing his fingers through it as the other
demon’s long, purple hair weighed down with the water and glistened in the soft
light of the room.
“Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?” Ikrus said, reaching for a
bottle of shampoo.
Chrono laughed softly. “Only a few dozen times.”
“Mm. Not enough.” Ikrus leaned down and pulled Chrono’s hair aside, kissing him
on the nape of his neck. “Sorry about the, uh, mess, by the way.” He spread
shampoo into his hands and then combed his hands into Chrono’s hair, working to
coat every strand.
“It’s my fault. I was the one that pulled you out. Besides, I thought it was…”
Chrono paused, looking down. “Kind of…hot?”
“Oh-ho! In that case, you’re welcome,”Ikrus teased. He slipped his fingers
through Chrono’s hair to reach his scalp and started to massage his head.
Chrono leaned back into his touch with a happy sigh, Ikrus’s fingers leaving
tingling lines in his head as they stroked him.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, enjoying each other’s touch,
before Ikrus spoke up again. “I noticed you haven’t gotten off yet.”
“So?” Chrono asked with a blush.
Ikrus lowered himself down to speak in a low pitch in Chrono’s ear. “Sodon’t
think I’m done with you yet.” He picked up a pitcher of water next to him and
gently rinsed Chrono’s hair, the water spilling over Chrono’s shoulders and
Ikrus’s lap.
Chrono shivered, unsure if it was caused by the water or the promise of what
was to come. “If you don’t mind.”
“Mind? I’ve been waiting for this, Chrono.” With Chrono’s hair now washed,
Ikrus busied himself with giving Chrono a massage, kneading his shoulders.
Ikrus’s hands were graceful, with thin fingers—the sort that suited his caste’s
job of maintaining Pandaemonium’s natural resources. They weren’t anything like
a soldier’s hands. Chrono thought he preferred it that way as Ikrus managed to
dig right into a tense part next to his shoulder blade and work it out, which
caused Chrono to suck in a sharp breath.
“Feels good?” Ikrus asked, amused.
“Mm…”
“Wait until you fuck me.” Chrono blushed to his ears and covered his face in
embarrassment, making Ikrus laugh. “Too much?”
“I don’t know! I’m not used to…I mean…”
Ikrus laughed again, removing his legs from around Chrono and moving to sit on
the tile next to him. Ikrus gave him a deep kiss, slipping his hand between
Chrono’s legs to grasp his erection. “You don’t seem to mind.”
Chrono responded with a whimper. “Ikrus…”
“Should I keep talking dirty to you?” He stroked Chrono, kissing along his jaw.
“You looked very handsome with my cock in your mouth.”
“Ikrus!”
“I’m going to teach you how to rail me until I’m begging for you.”
Chrono let out a groan, gripping the chair behind him. The time he’d spent
holding back was starting to get to him, causing his whole body to shudder. “P-
please!”
“Am I going to make you cum just like this?”
Chrono quickly nodded, squirming. “Th-that’s enough.”
Ikrus chuckled and let him go, planting another kiss on Chrono’s forehead as he
collapsed back onto his elbows. “I think I’m ready, too. Just a minute.”
He pulled himself out of the bath and walked over to a cabinet, digging into
the bath. “I left something in here for myself when I was with my last
boyfriend…ah!” He grinned, displaying the pot he found. “Honestly I’m surprised
nobody took this. Guess I hid it well.”
“What is it?"
“Lube.” Ikrus paused, studying Chrono. “I don’t need to tell you what this is
for, right?”
“N-no! I told you, I read some things—“
“Okay, okay, just checking.” He laid out a towel and reclined on it, beckoning
Chrono over. “C’mere.”
Chrono quickly looked over to the entrance of the bath. “What if someone comes
in?”
“At this time of night? Nobody’s going to come here.”
“But if they do, we’ll be in huge trouble.”
Ikrus sighed and waved Chrono’s concerns away with his hand. “Trust me, I’ve
done this before. We’ll be fine.”
Chrono swallowed, then pushed himself off the floor and walked over to kneel
alongside to Ikrus. “This doesn’t seem like it’ll be very comfortable for you.”
“It’ll be fine.” He scooped a small amount of lube out of the pot for himself,
then pushed it toward Chrono. “Here, get ready.”
Chrono began to slick his erection, watching with curiosity as Ikrus began to
finger himself. His expression was relaxed as he slicked his entrance and
pushed his finger in. Chrono was starting to feel just how much more
experienced Ikrus really was. Ikrus didn’t seem nervous at all, but Chrono’s
nerves were threatening to prevent his mind from forming complete thoughts.
Ikrus paused and slipped his finger out, looking up at Chrono. “Do you want to
try?”
“What?”
“Fingering me. It’s been a little while, so I probably need to be stretched
out.”
Chrono nervously reached out, sliding his hand along Ikrus’s thigh. “Um, if I
don’t do this right…”
“I’ll tell you. Trust me.”
Chrono paused, looking Ikrus in the eye. Ikrus responded with a smile. That’s
right,Chrono thought to himself. I can trust him. He’ll help me.
He leaned down and kissed Ikrus on the lips, sat up, and then slowly slid a
finger inside him. He paused for a moment to check Ikrus’s reaction and Ikrus
gave him a nod. “Good. Keep going.”
Chrono continued, gently fingering his entrance, caressing Ikrus’s thigh with
his other hand. He reassured himself that he could do this. He’d done this to
himself a few times, after all.
“Try adding another finger,” Ikrus instructed, his voice breathy. Chrono
obliged. The second finger went in easier than he expected--much easier than it
would’ve been for him. He must’ve looked surprised, because Ikrus laughed
softly. “It’s been a while but I’m still not thattight.”
It probably wasn’t Ikrus’s intention, but Chrono felt embarrassed at how clumsy
he seemed. But at this point, he was determined to not let Ikrus down. He knew
that if he searched, he could probably find a spot to show that he wasn’t as
inexperienced in everything. He slid his fingers in a little deeper, searching
with his middle finger until it brushed up against the firm spot he was looking
for. Ikrus rewarded him with a soft gasp.
“Ah, found it!” Chrono said with a smile.
“This part is supposed to be for you!”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.” Chrono continued to massage that spot,
delighting in Ikrus’s reactions as he squirmed on the floor. Chrono’s nerves
and excitement was sending prickling sensations up and down his spine. After a
minute of watching his partner’s blush and softly moan, Chrono reached out to
grasp Ikrus’ erection.
However, before he could, Ikrus grabbed his wrist. “Chrono…if you’re not
comfortable we don’t have to do this, but don’t just get me off again to avoid
continuing.”
“I’m not doing that!”
“Hmm.” Ikrus slid his hand along Chrono’s thigh and ever-so-lightly brushed his
fingertips against the head of Chrono’s erection, causing the older demon to
shiver. “Then you should know I’ll have just as much fun, if not more, with you
inside me.”
“I won’t be very good.”
Ikrus snorted. “Chrono, it’s your first.”
“Aion said I wouldn’t last long…”
“Of course,” he said with a shrug. “Just consider this practice. Aion didn’t
make you nervous, did he?”
“Not on purpose.”
Ikrus let out a long, drawn out sigh. “Chrono, just forget about whatever Aion
said you should do for me and fuck me.”
“But—“
“Before I start begging. Fuck. Me.”
Something about Ikrus’s firm tone broke through Chrono’s nerves. He took in a
deep breath, withdrew his fingers, and leaned down to give Ikrus a long, slow,
deep kiss. Then he positioned himself between Ikrus’s legs and—with a look
exchanged between them—slowly began to slide himself into his entrance.
The sensation was immediate. Every nerve along his cock was lighting up,
tingling in places he didn’t even know he could feel. He gasped and dropped
down, his hands on either side of Ikrus. “Oh…damn…”
“Good?” Ikrus asked with a grin.
Chrono could only nod and squeak out a “Yes,” to the amusement of Ikrus, who
wrapped his legs around him. Ikrus’s heels pressed into his back and he urged
him on to continue.
He didn’t have to ask Chrono twice. Instinct and lust was taking over Chrono’s
body, his nerves melting away as he began to pump into Ikrus. He had no idea it
would feel this good. He didn’t think it would feel very different from
masturbation, but this…this was something he couldn’t have predicted. His sense
of touch was heightened, he could feel every inch on his neck tickle from
Ikrus’s breath, and Ikrus’s fingers on his hips felt like they were heating his
body at every point they touched.
No wonder why Aion said he wasn’t going to last long. How could he ever? He
whimpered and slowed for a moment, hanging his head and panting.
Ikrus let out a groan. “Don’t, keep going.”
“I’m…I’m gonna…”
“I don’t care. Fill me up. Fuck me harder!” Chrono growled and grabbed Ikrus’s
shoulder, pumping into him harder. That earned a delighted yelp from Ikrus.
“Yes! Chrono, fuck, this is what I wanted—“
Chrono continued in a sloppy rhythm as Ikrus moaned underneath him, tugging on
his own erection. Chrono had figured out that Ikrus was reallyloud when he was
being satisfied during sex, and every gasp and yelp and moan from Ikrus was
only stimulating him more. It didn’t take long at all before he could feel
himself building up to a climax, whimpering Ikrus’s name over and over…
And then it hit him before he could even let out a warning, shooting pleasure
through his cock. He shuddered, clutching Ikrus’s shoulder for support as his
orgasm crashed over him. Chrono lingered there for a few long moments, panting,
before he gently pulled out of him and collapsed at Ikrus’s side. “Th-that
was…thank you.”
Ikrus let out a strained laugh, reaching out to stroke Chrono’s hair. “You’re
welcome…” That was when Chrono realized he was still stroking his own length,
not yet to his own orgasm. Chrono lovingly pushed Ikrus’s hand away and wrapped
his hand around the erection instead.
“You really don’t—“ Ikrus started, before Chrono cut him off.
“I want to.” He placed a kiss on Ikrus’s cheek and whispered into Ikrus’s ear.
“Come for me? Please?”
Ikrus shuddered. “Don’t be so…nice. Just tell me to.”
Chrono swallowed, but continued. “Come for me.” Ikrus groaned. That’s right, he
liked dirty talk like this, right? How did Ikrus do it for him? “I want you
to…I mean, you’re going to beg for me.”
“Oh! Yes, Chrono, please…”
“I’m going to treat you so well you’ll never need anyone again. I’ll get better
and better until you can’t have anyone else.”
“N-no one.”
Chrono could feel a thrill in his stomach as he watched Ikrus squirm next to
him. “I’m addicted to this already…” he said truthfully, watching Ikrus’s
eyelashes flutter. “I’m not going to let you go until I get to hear you scream
my name. So come for me.”
Ikrus gasped at Chrono’s voice and thrust into his hand. “Oh, oh—C-
Chrono…Chrono….CHRONO!” Ikrus thrust and came for the second time that night.
Exhausted, he dropped to the ground, spent, his skin glistening with sweat.
Chrono smiled and leaned down to give him a gentle kiss on the lips, then laid
down next to him, his arm across his chest.
When Ikrus eventually caught his breath, he said “You really surprised me
tonight.”
“Yeah…I was trying to.”
“Heh…” Ikrus paused to trace one of his fingers along Chrono’s ear, toying with
the tuft of hair at its base. “Honestly, I was starting to think maybe you
weren’t interested.”
Chrono could feel his face heating with embarrassment. “In you?”
“No. I knew you liked me. I just thought you didn’t really like…sex.”
“Sorry. I thought…I mean, you’d been with other guys, so I didn’t think I’d
be…”
Ikrus let out a long, beleaguered sigh, resting his head against Chrono’s
chest. “Why can’t you just trust yourself?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve done this since the first day we’ve been together. You didn’t even
believe me when I told you I was interested in you. Not at first.”
“I’m sorry…”
Ikrus groaned and pushed away, looking Chrono in the eyes, his golden eyes
frustrated and a little concerned. “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty! I’m
just…just…I don’t know.”
They lay like that for a moment, the silence now much less comfortable. Chrono
reached down and gave one of Ikrus’s hands a squeeze. Ikrus might not have
wanted to make him feel guilty, but he still did. He felt like he’d been
stumbling his way through this entire relationship. The other untuned demons
looked up to him and Aion as their role-models, both because they were the
oldest and because they were both so strong. But he’d never had Aion’s
confidence and never felt comfortable being so admired. When it came right down
to it, he nearly always felt out of his element, like everyone knew exactly
what they should do and he was just guessing.
 He felt this distinctly when he was with Ikrus, too—Ikrus was quite a bit
younger than him but so much more comfortable with affection and his body. He
was worried that the only reason he’d been able to relax as much as he did with
Ikrus was because he was so caught up in his lust that he couldn’t hold back
anymore. Now that the moment had passed, Chrono was nervous that he’d be unable
to be like that again, at least not for a long, long time.
As Chrono stewed in his anxiety, Ikrus slipped his hand out of Chrono’s, pushed
up from the floor, and walked over to a shower head to rinse his body. “Come
here, Chrono. We should wash up again."
Chrono nervously rinsed as well, worried from Ikrus’s tone that he was going to
be angry, or at least frustrated. But after Chrono followed Ikrus into the
bath, Ikrus draped his arms around Chrono’s neck and gave him a deep, longing
kiss. “We’re just going to have to practice until you feel comfortable.”
“Practice?”
“I mean I’m going to get you to fuck me every night if I have to, until you
believe in yourself and let out the beast I know is there.” He grinned and
poked Chrono’s nose. “Be more confident! You’re a soldier, you can’t let
yourself be out-sexed by a tiny ecosystems technician!”
Chrono blushed. “I’ll try.”
Ikrus rolled his eyes. “First lesson? Stop acting like you have to apologize
for having sex with me. I want this, Chrono. I’m aching for you. Especially
now.”
Chrono hesitated, then leaned down to be on eye level with Ikrus. “…Me, too.”
He leaned down to give Ikrus one last, longing kiss, then turned his back to
him. “Could you give me another massage?”
Ikrus chuckled. “Of course, Chrono.”
***** Cat Scratch Fever *****
Chapter Summary
     Chrono falls hard for Shader, who's never been with anyone. Chrono
     frets over trying to make her first time good, while Aion is that
     friend you have that never stops texting.
     Kinks/warnings: First time, age difference, height difference,
     teasing, oral sex
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
As much as Chrono liked Ikrus, their relationship couldn’t last forever. After
being together for months, Ikrus admitted the person he’d been attracted to
wasn’t the person Chrono turned out to be. They stayed good friends, but as
lovers? They were done.
 
Chrono went through several relationships in the years following. Some went
okay, even if they didn’t work out. Some ended in fights and ruined
friendships.
 
He was starting to feel like he had a small idea of what he was supposed to do
as someone’s lover. Maybe. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but at least
he didn’t question  every  move he made. Only half of them!
 
It was two months after a dramatic breakup that he met Shader. On that day,
he’d been watching some of the younger soldier kids. He preferred that to
combat lessons—the kids were a lot more fun to be around than soldiers his age,
and he wasn’t being evaluated on everything he did.
 
He’d only had his back turned for a second when he heard shouting between two
of the kids—Erol and Lyphos. Lyphos was a bit of a troublemaker, and Erol was a
loner. He wasn’t sure exactly what started the fight—probably something Lyphos
had said—but by the time he’d run over and stopped the fight, Erol’s favorite
toy glider was on the ground with a bent wing.
Lyphos tried to apologize, but Erol was inconsolable. Chrono took him away from
the rest of the group and and sat down to fix the glider.
 
After about an hour he managed to make the wing straight enough, but it turned
out the wing wasn’t the only thing that was broken in the fight—the toy
couldn’t fly, light up, or make any noise.
 
Erol looked like he was about to cry again when Chrono admitted he didn’t know
what was wrong, so he quickly pulled out his tablet to ask Aion what he should
do. It only took a minute to get back a response.
 
Aion: how should i know? ask a tech or smthn.
 
 “Great help, Aion,” Chrono muttered under his breath as he slipped his tablet
back into his armor. Then again, asking a tech was the only option he had at
this point. He sighed and turned to Erol.
 
“Aion thinks we should go to the techs.”
 
Erol frowned. “You can’t do it?”
 
“Heh, sorry. I’m no good with machines.” He patted Erol on the head. “Don’t
worry, one of my best friends is a tech and he’s really nice. I’m sure someone
there can help out.”
 
Erol hesitated. “If you say so…”
 
Chrono smiled. “I’ll fly us there.”
 
That made Erol jump up immediately. He was too young to fly, so it was an easy
way to get him to tag along. “Let’s go!”
 
Chrono laughed, handing the boy his toy and then picking him up in his arms.
“Hold tight!” He crouched and pushed himself up into the air, his wings
spreading from the legion in his clothes to carry him into the air.
 
Erol was quiet during the ride, just smiling and looking at the ground below.
The silence made Chrono’s mind drift. He was honestly a little jealous of the
techs. Techs got to learn how to build and care for people and things in
Pandaemonium. All soldiers could do was destroy. Everyone thought that, since
he was a soldier, he’d be tough, or stoic, or bold. Even Ikrus thought he’d be
like that, at first.
 
It’s not that he thought Pandaemonium could be wrong. But sometimes, it really
felt like maybe he wasn’t really supposed to be a soldier. The closer he got to
the Day of Tuning, the more anxious he felt about it. What if he was placed in
a role that he failed in?
 
He saw the tech common room underneath, and forced himself to sound cheerful.
“Here we are! Hold tight.”
 
Erol held him around his neck as he swooped low and swung out his feet, then
dropped to the ground. Once he was settled, he set Erol down and then took his
hand, guiding him into the room.
 
When they walked in, the room was abuzz with activity and conversation. Erol
immediately moved to hide behind him.
 
Then Chrono saw a boy look up and recognize him with wide eyes. The boy turned
and whispered into the ear of the guy next to him, pointing. That guy looked
up, stared, and grabbed the arm of the girl next to him to catch her attention.
 
Within moments nearly everyone in the room was staring at him. He heard someone
whisper “Chrono the Harbinger…”
 
He cringed. “Uh, just Chrono, please. Is there someone free that’s good with
mechanics? We need help with a broken toy.”
 
A girl with bright orange hair and spiral horns raised her hand. “I know
someone!” She jumped to her feet and waved him over. “She’s working on
something right now but I’m sure she’ll want to help. Follow me!”
 
Before Chrono could respond, the tech had grabbed his arm in one hand and a
terrified Erol’s hand in the other and dragged them to the corner of the room.
 
Off in the corner was a small tech girl. She had brown hair with pointed ears
of the same color sprouting from her head and a thin, constantly moving tail.
On her face were two rounded pink markings that almost made her look like she
was constantly blushing. Her horns curved low to frame her face.
 
She was staring intensely at what looked like a pile of scraps and wires, using
a tool to carefully connect two of the wires together. She looked incredibly
serious.
 
Erol took a step behind Chrono to stay behind his leg.
 
“Hey, Shader!” the other tech girl piped up. “Someone needs some help with a
toy!”
 
Shader didn’t give an answer. She got her wires connected, looked at them with
a small nod, and set the pieces down. Chrono thought she wa s  finishing up,
but then she picked up another piece of metal and started to
do...something...with it. He couldn’t make heads or tails out of it, she was
pulling on some piece, or maybe pushing…?
 
The other tech sighed. “Sorry, she gets really into her work. Shader!” Still no
answer. The tech grabbed her friend’s shoulder and shook.  “DEE-DEE!”
 
Shader jumped, dropping the machinery from her hands. “PHENA! You could’ve made
me break this!” She huffed, sorting through the pieces on her table. “I need to
finish this project!”
 
“Aw, you have all week to get that done.”
 
“But it’s NEAT! Look, I’m refurbishing--”
 
“Wait wait wait,” Phena held out her hands in front of her to stop Shader, then
jerked her thumb over her shoulder to point at Chrono and Erol. “We got some
soldiers that need help with something.”
 
“OH!” Shader let out an embarrassed laugh, then bounced over to Chrono, her
tail whipping quickly behind her and her ears pointing straight up. “Sorry,
didn’t see ya! Soldiers, huh? What’cha come all the way down here for?”
 
Wow, this girl was  way  more energetic than Chrono expected her to be after
seeing her with the machine. He laughed nervously and held up the broken toy in
one hand, patting Erol’s head with the other. “Um, my friend here had his toy
broken. I’ve tried to fix it but it’s way too complex for me. Can you take a
look at it?”
 
“Oh~” Shader grinned, then crouched down to get on Erol’s level. “Hey there!
I’m Shader, what’s your name?”
 
Erol slid further behind Chrono’s leg, gripping onto the older boy’s long hair
like a lifeline. “Ummm….uhhh…”
 
“Erol,” Chrono answered. “Sorry, he’s really shy, especially with people from
other castes.”
 
“Awww, sorry kiddo. It’s good to meet you. Let’s take a look at your toy,
okay?”
 
Erol nodded, and Shader stood back up to take the toy from Chrono. “Hmm, the
wing was bent…”
 
“Yeah, I tried to straighten that out.”
 
“Heh, the only thing you could brute force, huh?”
 
Chrono frowned. “Well,I guess...I looked at the other stuff, but--”
 
“I’m just teasing!” the girl said with a laugh, waving at Phena as she went to
go back to the middle of the room. “It’s okay, I know soldiers don’t get
trained in this stuff.  What else is wrong with it?”
 
“Basically everything electronic. It won’t fly anymore, no lights, no sound.”
 
“So probably something wrong with the power...lemme take a look.”
 
She sat back down at her table, patting a chair next to her and smiling at
Erol. “Wanna watch?”
 
Slowly, very slowly, Erol moved himself from behind Chrono to sit down in the
chair, staring very intently at his toy ship while Shader gently broke it open.
Chrono settled onto the floor nearby, watching.
 
“Is this your favorite toy, Erol?” the tech asked.
 
“Uh-huh.”
 
“I’m glad you trust me to fix something so special to you! What other toys do
you like?”
 
“U-umm…” Erol swung his legs back and forth off the edge of the chair as he
thought. “A sword.”
 
Shader laughed. “Makes sense for a soldier kid! Does it do anything special?”
 
“It makes noises.”
 
“Yeah? Like, vvvooom, voom?” Shader’s eyebrow quirked up as she focused back on
the toy ship, examining a wire.
 
“More like...shhhzt, shhhzt!”
 
“Oh, that’s way better than my idea!” She paused for a moment to focus,
bringing the ship closer to her face. She unconnected one of the batteries.
“Ah! Yup, it’s the power source. Looks like a piece is bent. Don’t worry kiddo,
I’ll have this replaced in a jiffy! Why don’t you tell me about your other toys
while I work?”
 
By the time Shader was finishing, Erol was giving her a blow-by-blow summary of
the fight. Chrono was impressed--he’d never seen Erol warm up that quickly to
someone new.
 
Shader finished replacing the final panel of the toy, screwed it back in, and
gave herself a satisfied nod. “Okay, give it a try buddy, let me know if it’s
right.”
 
Erol took the toy from her and pressed a button on the belly of the ship. The
toy lit up instantly, beeping and whirring and flying around the room. Erol
jumped up and down and started to chase it--annoying a number of the techs who
were trying to relax.
 
“Erol!” Chrono called after him, jumping up from the floor. “Say thank you to
Shader for fixing your toy!”
 
“Thaaaaanks!” Erol shouted over his shoulder as he jumped up to grab the ship
out of the air. Chrono was relieved that he wasn’t going to bother the
others...until he pulled his arm back, ready to get it to fly again.
 
“Nonono, Erol, don’t bother everyone--!” Chrono quickly turned to Shader.
“Sorry, I better get him back before your friends decide to ban soldiers from
ever coming back here. Thank you so much.”
 
Shader grinned. “Aw, it’s no problem. What’s your name?”
 
He hesitated. “Chrono.”
 
“Chrono?” Shader paused, glancing up to the ceiling. “Chrono...familiar name…”
 
“I really gotta go,” he said quickly--both because he needed to grab Erol and
because he’d rather not have another awed reaction. “Thanks again!” He turned
around and scooped up Erol and his toy. As he left, Erol looked over his
shoulder to wave back to Shader.
 
“I liked her,” Erol told Chrono when they were out of eyesight.
 
“Yeah? Me, too.”
 
-------------
 
Bzzt, bzzt.  Chrono’s tablet vibrated on the bed. Chrono lifted an earphone
away from his ear and glanced at it. It might be something important, but...it
was probably Aion.
 
“I’m sure whatever it is can wait,” Chrono mumbled to himself as he put his
earphone back into place. He settled back on his bed and closed his eyes,
trying to relax as he listened to his soft music. Training today had been
particularly rough, his shoulders were sore, and he really, really just wanted
some rest.
 
Bzzt, bzzt.
 
It was definitely Aion. Aion was the only one who sent messages this often. He
groaned and tried to ignore it.
 
Bzzt, bzzt.
 
…
 
Bzzt, bzzt.
 
Couldn’t he take a hint?
 
Bzzt, bzzt.
 
Chrono grit his teeth and sat up, pausing his music and turning on the screen
of his tablet. If this was just Aion bullshitting he was going to chew him out
for this.
 
Aion: hey
 
Aion: there’s a girl asking around about you.  Some tech.
 
Aion: u should really answr messages when  you get them i know you’re done with
classes
 
Aion: is she your new lover? Its been a while so  yu’re probably ready to burst
hahahahahaha
 
Aion: what is it with you and techies anyway?  first Ikrus, then Null...what
was the name of that  biotech girl? The one with the ass?
 
Chrono rolled his eyes. Of course it was Aion. It was always Aion.
 
                            Chrono: Trying to relax. I’m tired. What tech girl?
 
Aion: the one with the ass
 
                                             Chrono: NO the one looking for me.
 
Aion: oh, she’s tiny and loud and has  pink marks on her cheeks.
 
   Chrono: Oh! Shader, she’s the one that helped with Erol’s toy. Where is she?
 
Aion: with me on the lawn by the pond.  I told her I’d find you.  she’s young,
you like them younger huh?
 
                                            Chrono: Everyone’s younger than us.
 
Aion: yeah but she’s not like gen 261 younger  we’re talking gen 270 young.
 
Aion: oh nvm she says she’s gen 265 t hat’s such a huge difference
 
                  Chrono: it doesn’t MATTER  i just met her she’s not my lover!
 
                                                                   Chrono: wait
                                                                               
                                      Chrono: Is she reading over your shoulder
 
Aion: duh told you she’s right here
 
   Chrono: WHY ARE YOU TALKING LIKE THAT  IN FRONT OF HER IF YOU THINK SHE’S SO
                                                                         YOUNG?
 
Aion: she’s not a KID she’s just young for YOU
 
                                                           Chrono: Aion SHUT UP
 
Aion: are you going to come see her  or are you going to leave your not-lover
hanging?
 
Aion: she might end up in my bed if you wait too long.
 
                                                            Chrono: I hate you.
Aion: HA
 
Chrono turned his tablet off with a huff. Sometimes he considered blocking
Aion, but then he’d just have to put up with him in person. It was best to meet
them as soon as possible before Aion gave Shader the idea he was some sort of
player drowning in lovers. Why was Aion always bothering him about his love
life?! Were everyone’s friends this nosy?
 
When he made his way to the pond he was expecting Shader to be embarrassed and
horrified, but she was throwing her head back and laughing at something Aion
had said. She gasped for breath as she saw Chrono walking over.
 
“Chrono, your nestmate--he’s hilarious!” She giggled. “He was telling me about
when you first started using your wings.”
 
Chrono flushed. He knew exactly what story Aion had been telling. He’d gotten
stuck up on a roof and couldn’t get his wings to work again. He spent an hour
crying before his teacher gave up on him learning on his own and flew up to
save him.
 
“Aion, stop, that’s embarrassing...”
 
Aion just grinned, turning to Shader. “See, he’s a big softie.”
 
“Awww!” Shader hopped up and--after pausing for a moment to realize she could
definitely not ruffle his hair--patted him on his arm. “It’s okay, it’s a cute
story! Sounds like you were a good kid.”
 
Chrono pressed his lips together, his blush getting worse. “Um. Why’d you come
here? Did you need me?”
 
“Whaaaaat? I can’t come visit my new friend?”
 
“O-oh, friend?”
 
“Yeah, friend.” Shader’s smile grew into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with
mischief. “I know you’re pretty dry right now but I don’t jump into bed with
people I just met.”
 
Aion guffawed as Chrono hunched his shoulders. “Shader I swear, he’s messing
around, I’m not--”
 
“I know, I know! Don’t be so worried! Man, you’re as shy as Erol!” She laughed
again and shook her head, then sat back down on the lawn and patted next to
her. “How’s he doing?”
 
The three of them spent most of the free time that day chatting, about the kids
they took care of, their favorite books, what their classes were like. They
nearly missed curfew, and had to run back to their dorms before they got in
trouble.
 
“I like her!” Aion said with a grin after they ran into their room. “You’ve got
good taste in friends.”
 
“All I did was help out one of the kids...it was dumb luck.”
 
“Well, if that’s what you call luck, I’m surprised you’re not constantly
followed around by a flock of people!”
 
“Ugh.” Chrono fluffed up his pillow. “Don’t act like I’m like you.”
 
“You could be, if you wanted to be.”
 
“Not really…” He sighed, settling down on his bed. Aion raised his eyebrows.
 
“You really could. People like you, Chrono. If Shader didn’t like you she
wouldn’t have decided to come find you just to chat. If you just talked to
people a little more…”
 
“Then, what? I’d get a bunch of people spreading rumors about how little I fit
in?” Chrono flopped back on his bed and turned his back away from Aion. “Why’d
you have to tell her that story?”
 
“Which one?”
 
“You know which one. When we were learning to fly.”
 
“Because it’s funny!”
 
Chrono set his jaw. “It’s not funny.”
 
“It IS. It’s so very...you!” Chrono curled up further and Aion quickly
continued. “That’s not a bad thing! I wanted her to know what you’re like
because I like you, and she likes you. Don’t be so sensitive about how people
see you all the time, it hurts you more than anything anyone could do to you.”
 
Chrono sat straight up and whipped back around to glare at Aion. Aion was
propped up on the bed, watching him. “What others think about me matters a LOT,
Aion! If I can’t live up to what our teachers want, what am I going to do? It’s
not that long until we’re tuned, what happens if I’m not good enough for ANY
role?”
 
“Chrono, we have two years.”
 
“TWO YEARS. That’s not nearly enough time! Not at my level!”
 
“Your level? What are you talking about? You’re one of the strongest in our
class--”
 
“Strength isn’t what matters, Aion! I’m sloppy, I’m undisciplined, I don’t--
I don’t LIKE fighting.” Chrono bowed his head, looking at his hands. “I
hesitate. I’m...sensitive. I’ve tried to change but those old stories always
come up. Chrono did this and cried. Chrono did that and cried. Chrono did
whatever and freaked out. Chrono relies on Aion for everything. Everyone knows
that I’m...weird, and I don’t fit. I don’t even know what I want to do, much
less where I’m gonna…”
 
Aion sighed. “So? That’s the great thing about the Tuning, they’ll tell you
where you’ll fit.”
 
Chrono was silent for a long moment. “But what if....what if we don’t…”
 
“...You’re worried about being separated?”
 
“We’ve always been together. It’s just the two of us in our generation.”
 
“Chrono.” Aion’s tone wasn’t exactly scolding, but he was obviously
frustrated.. He heard Aion’s bed squeak, then a series of footsteps walking
toward him. Aion placed a hand on his head. “It’s not like people in different
roles never see each other. And you can’t worry about being different from me,
and being put somewhere else. It’s good that we’re different! We already look
so alike, how weird would it be if we acted the same, too?”
 
Chrono laughed wryly. “If I was like you, I’d have an easier time getting along
with people.”
 
“Oh, come on. Shader went out of her way to see you because she likes you! I
like you, Genai likes you, Ikrus likes you, Viede likes you, Rizelle likes-
-...well, Rizelle’s prickly. But I’m sure she likes you deep down.”
 
Chrono looked up from his lap to give Aion a flat look. “No, I’m pretty sure
she just doesn’t like me.”
 
“Okay, forget Rizelle. The point is, people like you because you’re  you.
You’re still one of the strongest, even  if  you need to improve. Nobody’s
perfect. I keep being told I’m too reckless!”
 
“And you talk back to our teachers.”
 
“I don’t talk back, I ask questions--that’s not the point. You shouldn’t worry
about being like me.”
 
Chrono paused, looking Aion in the eyes, doubt on his face. Aion returned the
look with a confident smile. “If anything, I’d prefer you being different than
me. I’d drive myself crazy.”
 
Chrono let out a small chuckle. “Fine. We’ll be each other. But can you  try
not to tell embarrassing stories about me?”
 
“Mmm, no promises.”
 
“Aion.”
 
“Okay, only...seventy-five percent.”
 
“Twenty-five.”
 
“Meet me halfway at fifty?”
 
“Ugh. Fine.”
 
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
A week later, Shader said in the middle of a conversation, “Do you still feel
bad about the story Aion told? About your wings?”
 
Chrono blushed, sinking down into his chair. “What makes you say that?”
 
“Aion sent me a message saying you were embarrassed.”
 
“Ugh!” Chrono put his head in his hands. “He can never, ever, ever keep his
nose out of anything.”
 
“I think he was just trying to help. Speaking of, pass me the screwdriver?”
 
Chrono looked up and reached out toward the tools.
 
“No, no,” Shader said. “Not that one. 12-gauge.”
 
“What?”
 
“Uh, the...one with the blue handle.”
 
Chrono hovered his hand over a screwdriver and raised his eyebrow.
 
“The bigger one. On the left.”
 
Chrono picked up a larger blue-handed screwdriver.
 
“Yep, that one. Thanks. Anyway, what were we talking about?”
 
“Aion meddling.”
 
“Oooh, right, right.” Shader put one metal part together with another, spinny
metal part. Chrono felt like he was watching a strange ritual from the world
above. “He made it sound like you didn’t, mm…” She paused, tapping the
screwdriver against her desk as she thought. “Like you’re ashamed of it.”
 
“Of course I am,” Chrono said defensively. “It’s pathetic.”
 
“Chrono, you were a  kid.  Do you think Erol is pathetic for being shy?”
 
“No, but…”
 
“What about the other kids? Do you think it’s shameful if they start crying?”
 
“Shader, it’s different. You wouldn’t get it.”
 
Shader frowned. “Because I’m a technician?”
 
“No. Because you’re not from Generation 260.”
 
“That’s...a lot of people aren’t G-260.”
 
“Exactly. Just me and Aion.” Chrono leaned forward, resting his arms on the
side of her work desk. “We’re weird. We stand out. And for some reason, the
Elders are acting like we’re both going to become some sort of...high ranked
geniuses. That’s why they call us the ‘harbingers.’” Shader put her work down
to listen intently as he continued. “When Aion and I got to the age that we
were starting advanced classes, do you know what happened?  Duke Duffau  showed
up in our class, and he said he was there to test everyone but you could tell
he was there for  us. ”
 
For the briefest of moments, Chrono remembered the crush he used to have on
Duffau. He shoved the thought into the back of his brain.
 
“We get a lot of attention, so every little thing we do that’s not perfect is
scrutinized and turns into a story that gets passed around. Aion’s confident,
to a stupid degree, so he’s never bothered by it but….I’m…”
 
“Emotional?”
 
Chrono winced. “Yeah.”
 
“That’s not a bad thing.”
 
“If I was a biotech, maybe.”
 
Shader frowned. “Do you think you can be however you want if you’re a
technician? That you never have to worry about fitting in?”
 
Chrono hesitated, glancing over at the other technicians milling about. “I
don’t know. I figure you’re at least not measured on how tough you are.”
 
“Maybe not. But there’s a lot of things you might get judged on here. Maybe
you’re TOO tough, maybe you struggle in your classes, maybe you’re too quiet.
Sometimes I’m ‘too loud.’” Shader shrugged. “You’re never going to be exactly
what people expect, but if you spend all your time worrying about it, you’ll
exhaust yourself.”
 
Chrono looked back at Shader. “Do you ever worry?”
 
“Used to. But honestly, it’s too stressful. If people like me, they like me. If
they don’t, they don’t. There’s a place for everyone in Pandaemonium, She’ll
find where I fit. Until then, I have to do my best to learn so I can be
useful.”
 
“But if I fail...”
 
Shader put her hand onto Chrono’s arm. “Look, that especially goes for you. If
you try to make everyone happy, try to be this “Harbinger” that the Elders
expect you to be, you’re setting yourself up to fail. It’s too much for you,
Chrono. Not because you’re ‘weak’ or ‘emotional’ but because you’re a living
being.”

“Aion’s not bothered by it.”
 
“Are you sure?”
 
Chrono scoffed. “I’ve known him my entire life. There’s nothing I don’t know
about him.”
 
“Well. If you say so.” Shader turned back to her project, adjusting a screw.
“But I don’t think that sort of pressure is good for anyone.”
 
Chrono watched her silently as she worked. It was fascinating how her bubbly,
energetic personality switched off when her focus kicked in. Every movement was
precise and purposeful--except for the way her ears or tail would twitch when
something surprised or challenged her. Her fingers were delicate, but skilled.
He had no idea what she was putting together, but it was clear she knew exactly
what she was doing.
 
‘What a strange girl…’ Chrono thought to himself.
 
-------------------------------------------
 
Every month Chrono knew Shader, his appreciation for her grew.
 
Her hair glowed warm in the artificial sun.
 
Her eyes shined like steel when she laughed.
 
She was as bold as the boldest soldier. But gentle--more gentle than any
soldier could hope to be.
 
Her emotions always showed on her face. She didn’t hide what she felt. She
wasn’t afraid to show people. She wasn’t afraid to be hurt. She was everything
he wished he could be.
 
His heart started to pound in his chest when he got a message from her. He’d
shiver when she gave him a friendly touch on his arm as they spoke. All he ever
wanted to do was just sit and watch her, no matter what she was doing.
 
“Wow,” Aion said with a shake of his head when Chrono admitted all of this to
him. “You’ve got it bad…”
 
Chrono covered his face with his hands. “Ugh, I know.” He was hoping to wait
until they were in their room to tell Aion, but Aion had figured out something
was bothering him during lunch.
 
“Did she reject you?”
 
Chrono looked like he wanted to scrunch up into a ball. How could Aion say
something like that with a straight face? “Uh, I haven’t asked her yet.”
 
“Oh. Hm.” Aion paused, then popped a berry into his mouth and looked into the
distance.
 
“What do you mean ‘hm’? Do you think she’d say no?” Chrono’s eyes widened. “Oh
no, it’s because of our ages, isn’t it? I knew I was too old, she’ll think it’s
weird--”
 
“Ikrus is only one generation older than her. But I think--”
 
“Ikrus is Ikrus, he  likes  older guys--” Chrono dug his fingers into his hair.
“I shouldn’t say anything, I don’t want to upset her, it’s fine, I’ll--”
 
“Chrono, stop panicking. I don’t think she’ll be bothered by the age
difference.”
 
“No?” Chrono swallowed. “Then...then why did you think she already rejected
me?”
 
Aion put another berry into his mouth and chewed slowly. He swallowed and
looked to the side. “Nothing.”
 
“It’s not nothing.”
 
“No, it’s fine.”
 
“Aion, you’re not looking me in the eyes, what are you not telling me?”
 
“Really, it’s nothing.” Aion forced his gaze back to Chrono and shrugged.
“There’s no harm in trying, right? I don’t think she’s the type of person that
stops talking to you just because she doesn’t like you back.”
 
“Yeah, but...I’m not sure if I can handle her saying she doesn’t.”
 
Aion sighed and rolled his eyes. “I swear on the sword--you are so dramatic.
You’ve been rejected before.”
 
“But I didn’t feel this way. I liked them, I really did, but...I…” Chrono
closed his eyes, trying to force down his emotions. “I never even thought I’d
feel this way about her, it just sort of...happened.”
 
Aion was silent again for a long while. After a bit, Chrono looked up at him
and saw Aion staring at him with an expression Chrono couldn’t interpret. It
looked...worried, maybe?
 
After a moment, the look was gone. Aion gave him a grin. “I’ll make you a
deal.”
 
“What deal?”
 
“Tell her after classes. If she accepts you, spend the rest of the day with
her, have a blast. If she doesn’t return your feelings, come straight back to
the room. I’ll take you out to the Underground and we’ll get drunk and dance
all night and shake all of the tears out of you. Sound good?”
 
“I don’t know...being around people…”
 
“Chrono, trust me, it’ll be better than sulking in the room all night. I’ll get
you so drunk you won’t even remember your NAME, much less your heartbreak!”
Aion laughed, slapping him on the shoulder. “Does that help?”
 
“...Yeah. Okay.”
 
“YEAH!” Aion pumped his fists in the air and shouted loudly enough that several
demons turned to stare at the two of them. Chrono desperately tried to shush
him. “Go get her! You got this!”
 
---------------------------------------------------
 
Chrono flew so fast to where the technicians had their advanced classes that he
was having to catch his breath when he landed. One of the other engineers saw
him and, without a word, ran off to go get Shader.
 
Shader let out a surprised laugh when she saw him and ran over. “Whoa! What’s
the emergency? Another broken toy?”
 
“No, sorry. I--I wanted to talk.”
 
“You...got here two minutes after classes ended just to chat?”
 
Chrono could feel a blush that started at his cheeks and started to burn up all
the way to his ears. “No, well, yes, I mean--can we talk? In private?”
 
Shader’s ears twitched, the way they did when she was puzzling out a problem in
her projects. “Um, sure. Here, this way.”
 
Shader took Chrono’s hand and started to pull him away. His heart was pounding
so hard he thought it might explode. She led them to behind a building, a quiet
little alley away from prying eyes and ears.
 
“So,” she said with a reassuring smile. “What’s wrong?”
 
“Nothing’s wrong.” Chrono hesitated, and Shader waited patiently as he
swallowed and tried to work up the nerve to continue. “Sorry. This is harder
than it’s been for a while.”
 
“Harder?”
 
“It’s just, by now I’d like to think I wouldn’t be so nervous but…”
 
“Nervous?”
 
“Are you going to repeat everything I say?”
 
Shader blinked, her eyes twinkling. She pursed her lips together like she was
holding in a laugh, then said “...Repeat?”
 
“Shader, I’m serious!”
 
“Sorry, sorry, you’re just...you’re acting really strange!” She laughed, then
touched his arm. “It’s okay, trust me. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine!”
 
He wanted that to make him less nervous, but it made him love her even more,
which made it worse. He really  was  pathetic. “Shader, I….am I old?”
 
“What?” Shader tilted her head. “Not...really?”
 
“It wouldn’t be weird to, um...be...my lover?”
 
Shader stared, seemingly speechless. Chrono had  never  seen her speechless.
His stomach sank.
 
“I’m so sorry. I know it’s weird. I really shouldn’t say anything. I want to be
your friend, no matter what, so please don’t--”
 
“Chrono--”
 
“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorr--”
 
“It’s not weird!”
 
It was Chrono’s turn to be speechless. She sighed. “Sorry, I’m just surprised!
I didn’t think I was really your type.”
 
“Wh-what? Of course you’re my type! You’re so sweet, and...and brave--” Shader
shook her head at that but Chrono continued. “You love what you do and you’re
so talented--you’re amazing!”
 
“Flatterer!”
 
“I’m not flattering! Shader, I really,  really  like you. I don’t want to
pressure you but if you gave me a chance...it would make me so happy.”
 
Shader paused to consider. She studied him like he was Erol’s broken glider.
“...Hmm. I’ve never tried something like this before, but I’m willing to learn.
Okay.”
 
Chrono’s cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red--of course he was her first,
wow, no pressure--but he felt giddy. “You’re sure?”
 
“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t say yes.” She grinned. “You’re pretty cute when
you’re like this.”
 
Chrono scooped her off of the ground and spun, hugging her to his chest. “Thank
you! Thank you. Shader I...I really like you. I hope I can make you happy.”
 
Shader giggled, kissing the tip of his nose.
 
------------------------
                                                           Chrono: SHE SAID YES
 
Aion: ??? really?
 
                                            Chrono: What do you mean really????
 
Aion: Sorry just
 
Aion: i thought you weren’t her type?
 
                                                  Chrono: Why, what’s her type?
 
Aion: nvm, guess I was wrong. Congrats!
 
                                                Chrono: You’re freaking me out.
 
Aion: you worry too much
 
Aion: want me to clear out of the room tonight?
 
                                                              Chrono: noooooooo
                                                                               
                                         Chrono: this is her first relationship
                                                                               
                                              Chrono: I don’t want to dump her
                                    off the side of a cliff and hope she flies.
 
Aion: she’s spunky, maybe she’ll surprise you.
 
                         Chrono: I’ll let you know, okay? But don’t plan on it.
 
Aion: without you i’m so lonely i might have to  spend the night with someone
else anyway.
 
                                                     Chrono: You’re insatiable.
 
Aion: you have no idea.
 
Aion: have fun with your date.tell her i say hi. And congratulations.
 
               Chrono: Thank you so much  for giving me the courage to do this.
 
Aion: ha
 
Aion: what are friends for?
 
----------------------------------------------------------------
 
They were inseparable, but Chrono still felt like he didn’t see her enough.
Chrono spent as much of his free time with Shader as he could and doted on her
constantly. She made him feel happy. She made him feel like he was...okay. Like
he was good the way he was. He’d never even allowed himself to feel that way
before.
 
They were hanging out with the rest of his and Aion’s friends--Shader had
integrated well into the group--when Aion started to tease them for the
umpteenth time.
 
“You’re making the rest of us jealous, Chrono,” Aion said with a laugh. “Stop
staring into her eyes and talk to the rest of us!”
 
“O-oh, sorry.” He jumped and turned toward the others. Shader stifled a laugh
with her free hand and used her other hand, tangled with his, to give him a
reassuring squeeze.
 
Rizel scooted closer to Aion. “Are you feeling lonely? You can look into my
eyes if you’d like.”
 
Chrono could see the discomfort in Aion’s posture, but he played it off with a
laugh. “And deprive everyone else of my beautiful eyes? That’s greedy, Rizel.”
 
“Ugh!” Genai glared at Aion with his narrow eyes. “She can have them.”
 
“Nobody asked for your opinion, Genai!” Rizel snapped.
 
“Nobody said I couldn’t give it, Rizel,” Genai said with an equal amount of
venom.
 
Viede just sighed. Ikrus gave him a pat on his leg before he smiled at Chrono.
“Don’t worry about it, Chrono. It’s nice to see you so happy.”
 
Chrono smiled fondly. “Thanks.It’s nice to see you happy, too. And Viede.”
 
Viede didn’t respond, but a small, shy smile appeared on his lips.
 
As the day ended and the group went their separate ways, Shader watched as
Ikrus waved at Chrono and started to walk away. “You and Ikrus are close, huh?”
 
“Yeah. Not like me and Aion, but we’re good friends.”
 
“Just friends?”
 
Chrono nervously laughed. “Uh, he was my first. But don’t worry, we broke up a
long time ago.”
 
“Hmmm.” Shader’s tail swished back and forth.
 
“What are you thinking?”
 
“Nothing.”
 
“When your tail moves like that you’re plotting something.”
 
“Whaaaat?” She playfully grabbed her tail and gave it a mock-glare. “Traitor!”
 
Chrono smiled, tugging her close and bending down to give her a kiss. “So, what
were you thinking about? If you don’t mind telling me.”
 
Shader paused. “I was thinking that I’d like to be close to you like that,
too.”
 
“You’re not jealous, are you? I told you, Ikrus is just a friend. I love you,
and only you.”
 
Shader shook her head. “No, I’m not jealous. I was just wondering what it would
be like to have sex with you.”
 
Chrono could tell his entire face was getting red. Again. It happened a lot
with Shader. “O-oh. Uh. Um.”
 
Shader laughed. “Aren’t you supposed to be the experienced one?”
 
“Sorry! I just...I wasn’t sure if you were ready.”
 
“Sure, why not?”
 
“Why not?” Chrono balked. “How are you so casual about this?”
 
“Oh, should I be formal?” Shader gave Chrono a sweeping bow. “My love, if you
would give me the honor of having the experience of my first orgasm from
another, I would quite enjoy having you insert your genitalia into mine and
stimulate them together until your bodily fluid enters me.”
 
“Ugh! Why would you describe it like that?!”
 
Shader burst out laughing. “I mean, that’s what it IS!”
 
“I’d ask if this is a technician thing but Ikrus NEVER talked like this!”
 
“He should have, your reaction is HILARIOUS.”
 
Chrono rubbed his hand over his face, as if it could wipe his blush away.
“You’re too much, Shader. I love you, but you’re too much.”
 
Shader had a mischievous glint in her eye as she hugged his arm. “So, Chrono,
are you going to insert your geni--”
 
Chrono put a finger on her mouth to shush her, then leaned down and, in the
most sultry voice he could muster, said “I’m going to make love to you until
you’re a quivering mess. How’s that?”
 
“Oh-ho~! Tomorrow night?”
 
“Yeah. Yeah, tomorrow.”
 
------------------------------------
                              Chrono: So...don’t wait up for me tomorrow night.
 
Aion: !!!
 
Aion: !!!!!
 
                                                         Chrono: That’s enough.
 
Aion: no wait one more
 
Aion: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
                                                            Chrono: Having fun?
 
Aion: not as much fun as you’re  going to have, i hope.
 
                                                   Chrono: it’s not a big deal…
 
Aion: yes it is
 
Aion: don’t lie it’s you, you’re ecstatic
 
                                                                   Chrono: well
                                                                               
                                                                  Chrono: Yeah.
                                                                               
                                              Chrono: I mean it’s been a while…
                                                                               
                                    Chrono: and I really really really like her
                                                                               
             Chrono: I hope I don’t mess this up  and make her hate sex forever
 
Aion: cute
 
Aion: don’t put so much pressure on yourself
 
Aion: have fun
 
Aion: and if it doesn’t work out, it’s not your fault
 
                                              Chrono: why would you say that???
                                                                               
                                            Chrono: Do you think it won’t work?
                                                                               
                          Chrono: I know she’s short but we can work with that.
 
Aion: no, not that.
 
Aion: just, you know, sex can be tricky
 
                          Chrono: Aion this isn’t my first time on the surface.
                                                                               
                                                           Chrono: I know that.
                                                                               
                                Chrono: I’ve never been someone’s first before.
                                                                               
                            Chrono: shit I wonder if I made Ikrus this nervous.
 
Aion: would it make you feel  better if you asked him?
 
                                                          Chrono: dunno. Maybe?
 
Aion: just relax and communicate with her. It’s easy.
 
Aion: and if you need anything I’m a message away
 
   Chrono: I’m not going to message you  for advice in the middle of sex, Aion.
 
Aion: hahahaha!
 
Aion: have fun~
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
“Hey! If I stand on my bed I’m taller than you!”
 
Shader laughed from her perch on the bed, her hands on her hips and her tail
swishing back and forth in triumph. Chrono couldn’t help but laugh along with
her.
 
He’d been fretting all day about how to set the right mood, but as soon as
Shader he got to her room he realized he might have been stressing out too
much. Shader was Shader, which meant even if the goal of the night was sex, she
wasn’t interested in behaving any differently than she normally would.
 
Chrono walked up to the bed, put his arms around her waist, and gave her a
slow, gentle kiss. “Hmm, I like this. Maybe I should have Genai carry you
around on his shoulders all the time.”
 
“Oh, he’d hate that.”
 
“Definitely.” He grinned and kissed her again, firmly, combing his fingers
through her short hair.
 
Shader paused to take a breath after the kiss. “So, um. How do we do this?”
 
“There’s no right or wrong way to do it. Is there anything you want to start
with? If not, I’ve got some ideas…”
 
Shader didn’t even hesitate. “I want to see you naked.”
 
“Uh. Wow. You didn’t even have to think about it.”
 
Shader shrugged. “I’ve never seen you naked before, I’m curious.”
 
Chrono put a hand on the side of his face in an attempt to cover up his blush.
“It’s nothing special…”
 
“Don’t be so modest.”
 
Chrono swallowed and stepped back from the bed. Shader sat down, cross-legged,
and watched patiently.
 
Just standing here, watching her stare at him, made him feel self-conscious.
Like he was performing. He wanted to do something sexy and attractive, like a
dance, or something, but he wasn’t that great at dancing. He could just drop
his armor, but that seemed...boring.
 
Shader cupped her chin in her hands, resting her elbows in her lap.
“...Nervous?”
 
“Yeah,” Chrono said with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”
 
“It’s okay. Me, too.”
 
“It’s your first time, that’s normal.”
 
“I guess? You don’t have to do this right away if you don’t want to.”
 
Chrono felt guilty. Why was SHE reassuring HIM? This wasn’t going to work, he
needed to figure out something else. He paused, tapping his fingers on his leg
to think, then walked back over on the bed. “Okay, I...have an idea that I
think we’ll both like.”
 
He crawled onto the bed and stretched out on it, presenting himself. “Wherever
you touch me, I’ll take away my armor. So you can see whatever you want, at any
pace you want.”
 
“Ooh, like a game! Good idea!” Shader grinned, scooting over to his side. She
bent down to give him a kiss, and Chrono returned  it l ongingly. As he did,
Shader smoothed her hand up his chest, and he responded by deactivating his
clothing’s legion, revealing the bare skin underneath. His back arched up to
meet her hand as he whimpered softly into their kiss.
 
Shader pulled back from the kiss with an impish grin. “I’ve barely done
anything yet!”
 
“I know,” Chrono said with a shy smile. “But I’ve been thinking about this all
day! And...I love having you touch me.”
 
“Ah-hah, so the ulterior motive has been revealed!” She brushed her hand along
his stomach again and he shivered. She paused, moving her hand upward. “Are
your nipples sensitive, too…?”
 
Before he could respond, she brushed her fingers over his left nipple. He
sucked in a breath, and that was all the response she needed. She touched it
again, more firmly, then gently started to rub it in circles. “Do you like
this?”
 
“Yeah,” Chrono responded breathlessly. “But...but anywhere...I don’t care,
just--”
 
“Shhh, you’re worrying again, huh?” She sighed when Chrono glanced away. “I
don’t mind doing stuff for you, too. Just relax.”
 
She pinched his right nipple between two of her fingers and started to roll it.
Before Chrono could even process it, her mouth was over the other one, sucking
and licking. Chrono arched his back again, his face flushed.
 
After a few minutes of sucking, Shader released his nipple from her mouth to
watch his face, still rubbing his other nipple with her fingers. “I didn’t
think you’d like what a girl likes…”
 
“Wh-what do you mean?”
 
“I like playing with my nipples when I touch myself, so I thought it’d be fun
to see how you’d react.”
 
Chrono squirmed. “Do you masturbate a lot?”
 
“I don’t know. A few times a week, I guess? ...How about you?”
 
“Uhhh.” Chrono closed his eyes in embarrassment. “Once every one or two days,
probably.”
 
Shader laughed and pinched his nipple, causing Chrono’s hips to jump--as well
as his cock beneath his armor. “Mm, do you think about me when you do?”
 
“Every time. You’re my girlfriend.”
 
“You don’t think about anyone else?”
 
“Not since you agreed to date me. I don’t want anyone else.”
 
Shader was licking her lips when Chrono opened his eyes. She seemed to be
enjoying teasing him. “And before?”
 
“I-I don’t know, lots of things…”
 
“Ikrus?”
 
“He’s...with Viede…” Shader squeezed his nipple again. “Ow!”
 
“Tsk, tsk, that’s not a no.”
 
“It’s...not.” Chrono swallowed. “Is this an interrogation or foreplay?”
 
Shader giggled. “I’m curious! I want to know everything! Besides, you look like
you’re enjoying it.”
 
Chrono let out a frustrated noise. “I am, but I really...I really want you to
touch me other places, too.”
 
“Like your penis.”
 
“It sounds so WEIRD when you say it like that!”
 
“What, what, something more casual? Like…’third horn?’”
 
Chrono threw his hands over his face. “How are you not getting as embarrassed
as I am?!”
 
“Because I’m having fun!” Shader cackled and rubbed her hands over his feet,
one at a time, and he revealed them to her. She caressed the bottoms of his
right foot and laughed when he let out a yelp and tugged his foot back. “A big,
tough soldier, and you’re ticklish?”
 
“Shader!”
 
“Oh, right, right, sore point. Sorry. I’m just teasing.”
 
Chrono groaned. “All you do is tease in bed! Where did you learn how to do
this?”
 
“Just trying to figure out what you want, Chrono.”
 
“That’s supposed to be my job for you!”
 
Slowly, incredibly slowly, Shader ran her hands along Chrono’s legs, starting
from his ankle, encouraging him to reveal more of himself. “So what about
Aion?”
 
“What?” Chrono was breathless, distracted, the legion on his legs tingling in
response to every new inch of skin she revealed.
 
“Did you think about Aion while masturbating?”
 
“O-only you…”
 
Shader slid her hands along his outer thighs and shook her head. “Before me.”
 
“Does it matter?”
 
“I’m curious.” Her hands started to move to his inner thighs. Chrono groaned.
 
“You’re so slow...”
 
“Are you avoiding the question? That’s a yes, isn’t it?”
 
Only a little more of his inner thighs were covered, leaving only that, his
hips, and his privates. ”Okay, okay, yes. Don’t tell him, he’ll never let me
live it down. Please go faster.”
 
“Oh-ho-ho~! I wondered! He’s a charmer~” Shader pulled her hands away, still
leaving his hips and crotch covered.
 
Chrono moaned in frustration. “Wh-why’d you stop?”
 
Shader’s grin was turning evil. “Because I knew you’d get like that.”
 
“I-I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you!”
 
“Do you want to do the same for me?”
 
“Not yet!!” Chrono blurted out before he could stop himself. He cringed. “I
mean, yes, I absolutely would…”
 
Chrono started to sit up, pushing himself up by his elbows. Shader placed her
hands on his hips.
 
“I’ll finish you first. I still haven’t gotten to see all of you..”
 
Chrono laid back down onto the bed so quickly even  he  had to laugh. “What are
you going to do after you see it?”
 
“I dunno, we’ll see~”
 
She leaned up to suck on his right nipple one more time, and cupped his cock
through his armor. He whimpered, allowing the rest of it to fade away, and his
cock to spring to life in Shader’s hand.
 
She jumped and sat up, looking down at it. “Wow, it’s already erect?”
 
He let out a nervous laugh. “I was already turned on before you started teasing
me, of course it--ah!”
 
Shader poked his erection and watched, wide-eyed, as it bounced back into
place. “It’s so...weird!”
 
“ You’re  being we--oh, oh--” Chrono squeezed his eyes shut as she traced her
fingers along the base of his cock.
 
“Is that pain, or--?”
 
“No, no it feels good. It feels really good--oh Shader--!”
 
She slid her fingers along his taint, then palmed his balls, gently rubbing
them. His erection twitched in arousal. “It’s moving on its own! Like my tail!”
Shader said in delighted surprise.
 
“Yeah, it...uh...does that...when something feels...really, really…”
 
“Good?” Shader paused, then tugged on his balls.
 
“OW! Owowow, not that, too much, too much--”
 
“Sorry!” She let him go and pulled her hand away, embarrassed for the first
time of the night. “I didn’t mean to hurt you!”
 
“I know, it’s fine. That’s how you learn, right?” Chrono paused. “Um, if you
want to tug on something…”
 
“Oh, your penis?”
 
“Can we call it my cock? Please?”
 
“What’s wrong with ‘penis’?”
 
Chrono shook his head. “Tablets are technically called ‘portable communication
and data-storage devices’ but nobody calls it that.” Shader looked at Chrono.
He looked back. “...You call it that, don’t you,” he said dryly.
 
“Well, P-CADD.”
 
“Nevermind. Call it whatever you want, just...please, please, please touch it
again.”
 
“Oh, right!” She chuckled and took his ‘penis’ in her hand. It twiched against
her fingers. “Ooh, is it going to keep doing that while I touch you?” She
started to rub her hand up and down along him.
 
“Prob...ably…?” Chrono gasped out, struggling not to start thrusting his cock
into her hand. “You can hold it a little firmer, if you want….”
 
“You can just ask, silly.” Her grip got a little tighter. “Like this?”
 
“Yeah. Yeah. Good.”
 
“What else?”
 
“Mm, ah, can you...twist it...sometimes? Not too hard, but--” He gasped as
Shader used her wrist to twist his fingers around him as she went down along
his cock. “Yes! Yes, yes!”
 
“Is that all?”
 
“N-not sure?” Chrono’s mind was cloudy, struggling to focus on anything but the
sensations from his cock and the very knowledge that Shader was jerking him
off. “The head...is really sensitive…”
 
Shader stroked her hand up along his cock, and when she got to the tip, she
reached up and rubbed against it with her fingers. Chrono’s breath hitched, and
Shader’s fingertips were covered with something slick. “Oh, did you cum? Was
that it?”
 
“Wh-what?”
 
“Did you ejaculate? There’s something on my hands.”
 
“Oh, that’s…” Words. Words were difficult right now. “I didn’t orgasm, so
that’s precum. It helps, um...I think it’s for…”
 
“Oh, lubrication?” She paused, then popped a finger into her mouth as Chrono
stared, wide-eyed. Shader tugged it out immediately with a grimace. “Salty.
Ew.”
 
“You didn’t have to do that!”
 
“I had to try it!” She shrugged. “I mean, if I’m ever going to have you in my
mouth…” She paused, then started to lean down toward his cock. Chrono bolted
upright and put his hands on her shoulders.
 
“Shader, you don’t like the taste, so--”
 
“Well, maybe it’ll be more enjoyable--”
 
Chrono shook his head. “I can’t--I won’t be able to get hard again for a while
if you make me cum, and if you put it in your mouth I’m DEFINITELY going to
cum.”
 
“So?”
 
“If I’m not hard, I can’t…” Chrono flushed. Shader’s insistence on technical
terms made ‘fuck you’ sound even dirtier than normal. “Put it in you?”
 
“Oh, you mean fuck me?”
 
Chrono gave her a look, then dropped his head, his shoulders shaking with
laughter. “Shader...no, I mean put my genitals into your genitals and rub them
together until I ejaculate inside of you. Obviously.”
 
“You didn’t realize the penis thing was a joke, huh?”
 
“That was a joke?”
 
“By the third time or so, yeah~” She grinned.
 
“Oh, you--” He laughed, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her onto the bed,
turning so that he was on top of her. “I’m trying really hard to make this good
for you!”
 
“It’s been good! Your reactions are great!”
 
“Great as in funny, or great as in arousing?”
 
“Hmmm…” She paused, her ears turning to the side. “...There’s a difference?”
 
“Oh, geez…” Chrono put his head on her shoulder. “Yes? For me anyway?”
 
“Well, either way I’m having fun…”
 
Chrono sighed and shook his head before sitting back up. “Okay, well. What
turns you on? I know you like your nipples being touched, anything else?”
 
“Well,” Shader said in a nasally voice, “I like my vulva and vagina being
stimulated, of course.”
 
“Okay, now you’re being obvious about it.”Chrono rolled his eyes. “Should I rub
your clit, or finger you?”
 
“Either! Both?”
 
“Ha! Okay, both.” He grinned, then slid his hand along the legion-infused cloth
covering her breasts. “Can I see you…?”
 
She grinned back, and faded away her clothing--not just her top, but her skirt,
too. Chrono took in the sight--Shader, fully naked, splayed out on the bed
beneath him and looking up at him expectantly.
 
“You’re gorgeous.”
 
“Flatterer~!”
 
Chrono couldn’t take it anymore. He bent down and grabbed one of her full
breasts with his hand, bending down to suck her nipple into his mouth, moaning
around it. Shader jumped and gasped, squirming underneath him.
 
It was her first time, and he knew he had to go gently, but the teasing she’d
been giving him was making it harder and harder to stay under control. He
wanted to make her quiver and moan the way she did for him.
 
He slipped his free hand down along her inner thighs, then up toward her lips.
He teased her outer folds at first, then slid a finger in.
 
He was surprised by what he found. She was a little wet, but not as wet as he
expected after how long they’d been going. He knew he’d been particularly
eager, so maybe it was normal for him to be more aroused than her…
 
He pulled back for a moment, sitting up to look at her, his eyebrows knitted
together. “Hey, is everything okay so far?”
 
“Huh? Yeah.”
 
“You’re just not as, um...wet...as I expected.”
 
“Well, yeah, I was touching you, not myself.” she said, matter-of-factly.
 
“You...you really didn’t enjoy all that?”
 
“I did! It’s fun to watch you squirm.”
 
Chrono stared at her for a long moment, wondering if this was another joke.
“Um, okay. Well...just...let me know what you like and what you don’t like.”
 
“Okay. Can you please keep playing with my breasts?”
 
Chrono smiled. “Of course.”
 
Just don’t be nervous, he reminded himself as he returned his focus to her
breast. Just have fun. Sex is tricky. That’s what Aion said, right? Everything
will be fine, just do your best and have fun.
 
He slipped his finger back into her folds, teasingly sliding it inside, tracing
out its shape. This was his favorite part about having a new partner--exploring
what made their body  theirs.
 
He started at her clit, just barely touching it at first.  That  made her hips
jump into his hand. Finally! He rubbed tiny circles around her clit while
switching back and forth between which breast he was stimulating, first
focusing all on one, then kneading her left breast with his hand while he
traced kisses along her right breast with his mouth.
 
Shader was, surprisingly, not very loud. Her breath would hitch, and she’d let
out the occasional soft whimper, but she was less vocal in bed than she was in
her day-to-day life. Strange, Chrono thought--but everyone was unique when it
came to sex.
 
After a while of this, he finally started to feel her entrance become slick.
Slowly and gently he inserted a finger inside, his thumb still working on her
clit.
 
His cock was rock-hard against Shader’s thigh, and he knew she could feel it.
He tried to make it inconspicuous, to not start to thrust, but he was so
desperate for her that it was difficult. More than anything he wanted her to
feel good and enjoy her first time, but his body was tingling for more
stimulation.
 
A thrill went up his spin when Shader finally said ”I think I’m ready now.”
 
Chrono lifted his head from her breasts, watching carefully as he fingered her.
“You’re sure….?”
 
She smiled and nodded. “Yep. Let’s give it a go.”
 
She sounded more nervous than she had the rest of the evening. Chrono forced
himself to not show how excited he was on his face. He took his finger out from
inside her and kneeled between her legs, his hands reaching down to grip her
hips.
 
“Tell me if this hurts.”
 
“I know.”
 
“Since it’s your first, it might.”
 
“I know!”*
 
“Especially since our size difference…”
 
Shader sighed, rolling her eyes and putting her hand on his arm. “I trust you.
Okay?”
 
Chrono nodded, shifting nervously, his cock twitching in front of Shader.
 
“Chrono...fuck me. Please?”
 
Chrono sucked in a breath, his fingers twitching on her hips. He placed his
cock against her entrance. His brain went through quick scenarios--it was her
first time, so he should go slow, let her get used to it, maybe try to angle--
 
Shader hooked her foot around Chrono and poked his back with her heel, giving
him a knowing smile. Right, he was getting nervous again. He took in a deep
breath and gently pushed the tip of his cock in, holding himself there. She
gasped, her fingers tightening on his arm.
 
His entire body was on fire with need and pleasure, but he willed himself to
stay still for a moment. It took so much willpower that he was trembling.
“Is...is this okay? Are you okay?”
 
She nodded, short of breath. “Uh-huh.”
 
“If it hurts, I can wai--”
 
“It’s okay. Keep going.”
 
That was all he needed to hear. He pushed forward, slowly sliding into her
until he was about halfway in, then pulled out, trying to gauge her reactions.
She seemed alright, so he started a slow, careful pace.
 
He’d been imagining this for months, wanting her screaming underneath him, her
nipple in his mouth. He wanted so desperately to thrust harder, faster, to show
her how desperate she made him. But even going at this pace, after waiting so
long, after wanting her so desperately, was making his pleasure build. No, no,
no, he couldn’t come yet, he had to make sure she came first. It was only fair.
This was her first time, he had to concentrate on her…
 
He dropped his forehead onto her shoulder, starting to whimper.
 
“Oh, Shader…!”
 
Shader was stroking his long hair, gently, slowly, panting softly.
 
Something nagged at him in the back of his head.
 
He felt good, he felt so good, but Shader...this wasn’t like what he’d been
imagining. He didn’t want to stop…
 
He slowed down to nearly a stop, looking Shader in the eyes. Her breath was
short, and her face was flushed, but her expression was more...confused, than
blissful.
 
“Is this okay?”
 
“It’s fine.”
 
‘Fine.’
 
Shit.
 
Chrono stopped moving inside of her. His body was still trembling with desire.
 
“Shader, are you liking this?”
 
“It’s nice to watch you.”
 
“Are  you  liking this?”
 
She hesitated. That was pretty much all the answer he needed. “I don’t know?
This feels weird.”
 
Chrono took a deep breath and withdrew from Shader, his nerves aching as he
halted their stimulation. He settled down next to her, and stroked her arm her
arm. “Why didn’t you tell me to stop?”
 
“I don’t know, I thought...maybe it was supposed to be this way?”
 
“I don’t think so.” He sighed. “I must’ve done something wrong.”
 
“I doubt it’s you,” she said with a frown.
 
“Well…” Chrono paused. “I want to find a way for you to feel good. Can I try
something else?”
 
Shader nodded.
 
“And can you PROMISE me that you’ll tell me if it’s not working?”
 
Shader smiled awkwardly--that made Chrono feel guilty--and nodded again. “I
will. I promise.”
 
He sat up and held her in his arms for a moment, kissing her on her mouth, then
down along her neck and shoulder. Placing her back on the bed, he continued his
kisses along her body, to her breasts--pausing for a moment to gently suck each
nipple, and getting a gasp and a trembling in response--then down along her
stomach, hips, and along her thigh.
 
He stopped there for a moment, admiring her inner lips, remembering how it felt
to be inside her. He shuddered.
 
No, no, no, he had to focus on her.
 
He leaned down and slid his tongue between her labia.
 
The difference was surprising. Her hips twitched in his hands and she
whimpered.
 
Good, this was working for her. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if this failed him,
too. He turned his focus entirely on her, exploring her the way his finger had
before. He traced it around her entrance, and along her lips. Then around her
clit, teasing the possibility that he  might  lick her there. Maybe.
 
“O-oh,” he heard Shader gasp above him.
 
He smiled and pulled his head back just for a moment to breath...and then went
back down, teasing around her clit, but then back to her lips and her entrance.
Not yet. The more he could draw this out for her, the better.
 
Shader groaned above him. He pulled back. “Did you want me to lick you there?”
 
“Don’t speak,” she said, her eyes closed, reaching down to push his head back
between her thighs. “Just keep going.”
 
He laughed, then started in earnest, hooking his arms around her legs to pull
her in closer. He teased her a little longer, then slid his tongue along her
clit. She whimpered, so he did it again, and again and, when he heard her
moan,, started to draw shapes on it--starting with the letters in her name.
 
Her vocalizations were becoming more frequent--still quiet, but there, finally-
-and her legs were starting to squirm. He let one of them go so that he had a
free hand, slipping a finger inside of her. He stroked, gently, sliding along
inside of her, knowing that if he searched just a little longer…
 
Shader gasped. “Do that. That spot.”
 
Perfect. He smiled against her clit, then started to suck it, while he hooked
his finger to rub against her g-spot. He started to hear her voice more and
more frequently, her tail was whipping back and forth and brushing against his
chest, and her thighs were quivering around his ears.
 
“I..I feel it…” Shader gasped. “It’s--oh, oh, harder--”
 
Chrono sucked and licked in earnest, adding a second finger inside her. Shader
moaned once, twice, and then her back arched and she shivered, her mouth opened
in a soundless cry, her hands gripping onto Chrono’s head.
 
He pulled back and gently laid her back down on the bed, smiling at her as she
stared up at him, unfocused and panting. “So it...that’s how it’s supposed to
be?”
 
“Yeah. Something like that.” He slid back up to her side, putting an arm around
her. Her eyes focused, and then she burst out into a giggle.
 
“You look like a mess!”
 
“Wh-what?”
 
“Your face, it’s covered…” She reached out and tried to wipe his face off, but
only managed to smear her arousal more around his face. “Y-you didn’t have to
do that.”
 
“Shader, I  really  like giving head. I loved that.”
 
“Really?”
 
“I swear.” He grinned. “If that’s all you ever want to do, I’ll jump into your
bed every night and dive face-first into your crotch. It’s my favorite thing to
do.”
 
“C-crotch?!” She shook her head. “That’s way worse than ‘vagina’!”
 
“Whatever you want to call it, I want my face in it!”
 
“O-oh, wow, I...”
 
It was Chrono’s turn to give her a mischievous grin. “I’ve never seen you
speechless.”
 
She blew a raspberry at him and snuggled closer. As she did, her leg brushed up
against his erection. He jumped and bit his lip so he wouldn’t gasp.
 
“Hey, what about you?”
 
“Huh?”
 
“You didn’t orgasm.”
 
“Oh,” Chrono said, playing at the idea that he had forgotten about it--although
he had most definitely not forgotten. “It’s fine. I can take care of it.”
 
“I can put it in my mouth.”
 
He really, really wanted to ask for that, but…”You didn’t like the taste. It’s
fine, I can just...you know…” He paused, then curled his fingers together and
moved his wrist up and down.
 
“Oh. ...Can I watch?”
 
So much for him turning the tables on her. In no time he had a blush that
reached all the way up to the tips of his ears. “You want to?”
 
“Yeah, I’ve never seen someone ejactulate.”
 
“Shader…!”
 
She smiled, leaning forward so that their noses touched. “Oh, so you’re fine
with the idea of shooting it inside me, but the idea of me seeing it happen is
what makes you blush?”
 
“Putting it that way makes it even more embarrassing!”
 
“We’ve gone way past embarrassing at this point, Chrono. Let me see! How high
can you shoot it?”
 
“You’re the  worst. ”
 
Chrono unwrapped himself from around her and sat up, scooting back along the
bed until his back was resting against the wall. Shader rolled over onto her
stomach and propped herself up on her elbows.
 
He gulped. “Um, you’re a little close...I might get some on you.”
 
“So? You’ve already been inside me and pushed your face between my thighs.”
 
Chrono buried his face in his hands. “You’re going to kill my erection if you
keep doing that.”
 
“Nah, you like it.”
 
Chrono sighed, sliding his hands down his face. He looked up, making eye
contact with Shader. She flicked her gaze from his eyes to his penis.
 
“My eyes are up here.”
 
“I’m more interested in seeing what that does.”
 
That, at least, he knew was a joke. Probably? He laughed, stretched his legs
out and placed his hand around his cock.
 
It jumped again, and his nerves flared back to life. He sucked in a long
breath, trying to keep himself from tugging it as fast as he could. He wanted
to make this last, savor it…
 
...And he wanted to put on a bit of a show.
 
Looking at Shader, he started to pump his hand along his erection, slowly,
teasingly. He whimpered, remembering again how it felt to finally be inside
her, remembering her thighs against the sides of his head.
 
“You’re so sexy.”
 
Shader laughed. “What?”
 
“You are. Everytime I’m with you I want to feel your skin on mine….I want to
kiss you, and suck your breasts, and lick your clit…”
 
He groaned, his face flushing. Shader sat up a little more, watching him like
he was some new piece of technology.
 
“Really? That much?”
 
“I didn’t want to pressure you, but I wanted this so much…” He paused, giving
his erection a squeeze, then slid his other hand down to his balls, fondling
them. “I do this and think of you almost every night.”
 
The confession slipped out before he really had a chance to think about it. He
gasped in embarrassment, but then he saw Shader’s amused smile and it made him
shudder.
 
“I didn’t know you had this much of a libido.”
 
“I do when I get to spend everyday with an attractive, smart, confident
person.”
 
“Flatterer.”
 
“J-just the truth.” He was starting to leak precum again. He swallowed. “Can
you...do something for me?”
 
“Hm?”
 
“Sit up? I...I want to see your breasts.”
 
She laughed and pushed herself up, sitting on her ass. Not only did she present
her breasts for him, but she spread her legs wide, letting him see her folds,
still slick with arousal and spit.
 
His hips jerked. That was it, he couldn’t hold back anymore. He dug the fingers
of his left hand into his thigh, gripped his cock, and started to move his hand
in earnest. Shader’s eyes kept watching him, curious and amused, switching
between his face and his erection, watching in anticipation.
 
Her eyes burned into him, warming his core. He gripped himself harder, faster.
He needed release, this whole night had been a tease, he wanted to cum so bad…
 
“What are you thinking about?”
 
“B-being inside you.”
 
“You really like that, huh?”
 
He threw back his head. “Y-yes!”
 
“What else did you like?”
 
“Y...you touching me. Teasing my nipples. E-eating you--ah!--out--everything, I
liked all of it, I love you so much…”
 
Chrono whimpered, shaking. He could feel his pleasure building up.
 
“How high do you think you can cum?”
 
“D-don’t--ah--oh--”
 
Shader smiled, pushing her breasts up. “Go for a new record~”
 
“W-weirdo…!”
 
“You like it.”
 
“I love it. I love you. I love--I--”
 
Chrono thrust up into his hand, squeezing his eyes shut. This was it, this was-
-! “Shader! SHADER!” With a final thrust, Chrono came. He groaned as his cum
shot out several times, splattering onto his stomach and thigh, twitching. He
slumped, shaking, out of breath.
 
“I haven’t...cum that hard in a while.”
 
Shader was laughing. “Two feet!”
 
“What?”
 
“The biggest squirt was like, two feet in the air!”
 
Chrono would’ve blushed if he wasn’t already. “Uh, wow?”
 
“Is that normal?”
 
“N-noooo that sounds pretty high. Are you sure you’re right?”
 
“That’s my job, Chrono.” She looked proud. “Is that really not normal? I
must’ve driven you crazy!”
 
Chrono let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Well...you did.”
 
-------------------------------------------------------
 
Aion: so how’d it go?
 
                                                   Chrono: Well..it was tricky.
                                                                               
                                           Chrono: It was hard to get her...um…
 
Aion: Wet?
 
                          Chrono: Yeah. And she didn’t really like intercourse.
 
Aion: that bad? shit. Sorry.
 
                                            Chrono: no no, we had a great time!
 
Aion: really?
 
                                            Chrono: yeah, we worked through it.
 
Aion: how
 
                                     Chrono: I’m the harbinger of oral orgasms.
                                                                               
                                          Chrono: you can tell that to EVERYONE
                                                                               
                                  Chrono: i take it back don’t tell anyone that
 
Aion: i’m showing this to everyone
 
                           Chrono: i didn’t sleep well I wasn’t thinking do not
 
Aion: what, you don’t want to be known f or being amazing at going down on
people?
 
                                                  Chrono: I’m taken, who cares?
                                                                               
                   Chrono: also you promised to not share embarrassing stories.
 
Aion: only half.
 
Aion: but i’ll spare you
 
Aion: THIS time.
 
                                                                Chrono: Thanks.
 
Aion: glad it worked out
 
Aion: hope the other stuff gets sorted
 
                                                      Chrono: I’m sure it will.
Chapter End Notes
     Narrator: It did not get sorted.
     In case you're wondering...yes, Shader's difficulties with arousal
     are getting addressed next chapter.
     And, yeah, it's probably what you're thinking. (Sorry, Chrono.)
***** Four Fun *****
Chapter Summary
     Aion suggests a foursome might help shake things up for Chrono and
     Shader. Aion being Aion, this is part of a complicated plan.
     Chrono/Shader, Aion/OC, Shader/OC, Chrono/Aion
     Kinks: Group sex, self-discovery, cuckholding, frotting, blowjobs,
     fingering, voyeurism/exhibitionism
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“You’re not with Shader tonight?” Aion asked as he entered the room after
classes.
Chrono shrugged, pausing the story he had playing on his tablet. He’d been
alone in the room for a while, since Aion had decided to get some extra
training in. “She has another one of those big projects that she’s focused on,
you know how it is. Phena told me she’s making sure Shader takes care of
herself.”
His brother laughed lightly, walking over to sit on his bed. “I’m sorry your
girlfriend loves technology more than she loves you.”
“Ugh, stop. I don’t mind. She’s cute when she’s focused on a project like that.
It’s one of the things I like about her.”
Aion shrugged. “Sure, but aren’t you lonely?”
“You’re here.” Chrono smiled.
“Thank you, but that’s not what I mean.”
Chrono sighed and sat up, setting his tablet aside. Aion was clearly gearing up
for another lecture, so his story would have to wait. “Okay, what do you mean?”
Aion paused. “How’s sex been lately?”
“Are you serious?”
“What? It’s a valid question!”
It took all of Chrono’s willpower not to kick Aion out of the room. It wouldn’t
do any good since he had the code for the door, but it would at least be
cathartic. “So that’s what you’re worried about? I know you like to have sex a
lot, but I don’t need to have as much as you do.”
“When you’re in a relationship you want it a lot.”
“But I’m not going to  die  without it.”
Aion rolled his eyes. “My point is, I know that the two of you haven’t had sex
all that often, so I doubt you’ve made much progress on her comfort in the
bedroom.” Chrono frowned silently, so Aion continued to push. “Am I wrong?”
“It’s none of your business, but it’s fine if it takes a while. Or maybe she
just doesn’t like sex! I’m not with her to sleep with her.”
Aion shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his arms crossed, before
taking a deep breath. “Look, this is just a hunch, but--” He stopped when a
tone sounded from his tablet. He pulled it out from the pocket on his side.
“...Ah, hm.”
“What is it?”
“It’s just Maven. I’ll let her know it’s not a good night.”
Chrono quirked an eyebrow. Maven was a gorgeous and savagely intelligent
soldier trainee that was specializing in information gathering. Aion had struck
up a friendship with her several years ago that had evolved into a sexual
relationship. Recently it even felt like they were balancing on the border
between it being “strictly platonic” to something more devoted. They’d been
spending three or so nights a week together for months now, and Aion was
usually ready to drop anything when she called.  “You’re going to turn down a
night with Maven so you can hang out here and lecture me?”
“I’m not going to lecture, I just thought you might like some company.”
“Ugh, now you’re just being clingy. I was having a nice, quiet night, so just
go.” It was Aion’s turn to look at him silently with a disapproving frown. “I
said  go,  Aion.”
Aion sighed and he dramatically turned toward the door, waving delicately at
Chrono like he was a top-ranked noble dismissing an untuned welp. “Well, I
guess it’d be more exciting than staying around here, watching you wither
away.” He walked to the door and then stopped at the entrance. For a second he
tapped on the frame, then turned back around. “Hey, maybe it would help if you
spiced up things with Shader?”
Chrono knew that tone of voice by now. That was Aion’s ‘I have a plot in the
works’ voice. “Like what?”
“Don’t know. I’ll be thinking about it. Good night, enjoy your solitude.”
Aion walked out the door and it slid shut behind him, leaving Chrono back in an
empty room. He sighed, stretched on his bed and continued playing the story.
He understood Aion’s concerns, particularly since Aion always felt like he had
to fix everything. But he wasn’t too worried, himself--like he told Aion, he
was much more interested in spending time with Shader than just sleeping with
her. He was a little worried that maybe he was doing something wrong, but that
was the only real problem he had with the sexual part of their relationship.
He rolled over to his side and closed his eyes. Hopefully whatever plot Aion
had in mind wouldn’t be too disruptive. Otherwise, it was best to rest tonight
and be prepared for tomorrow’s lessons.
*********************************
Aion: hey
Aion: have you ever been in something like a foursome?
Chrono nearly dropped his tablet. He and Aion had finished a class together,
and Aion had just left to take his shift in watching the soldier kids while
Chrono waited for footwork drills to start. He started typing as quickly as he
could.
                             Chrono: don’t talk about this in front of the kids
Aion: not letting them see. Answer the question.
                                     Chrono: why didn’t you ask this in person?
Aion: you want to talk about your sex life in front of everyone? Daring.
Aion: so have you?
                    Chrono: ugh no. Why? Is this your “spicing things up” plot?
Aion: Plot? I’m offended!
Aion: but yes
Aion: see, Maven and I, we’re having fun, but we thought it’d be exciting to
have more people in the room…
                                                  Chrono:  That’s really weird.
Aion: hurtful.
Aion: look, we’ve been discussing this, and you and Shader are people we’d be
comfortable with, and we think it could be fun.
                                                                   Chrono: why?
Aion: It’s just something to try!
   Chrono: Aion this might not be the best time. Shader’s already uncomfortable
                                                                      with sex.
Aion: well, talk it over with Shader? If she’s not interested then don’t worry
about it. If she is, then you guys can work it out.
Communication is important in a relationship you know~
            Chrono: ok ok fine I’ll think about it. But don’t hold your breath.
*****************************
It took Chrono two days before he even had the nerve to bring it up. He was
intrigued at the idea that changing their routine might help things along--
they’d fallen into a pattern of oral sex followed up by a jerk-off show since
the first night, and it  was  getting stale. But in his mind, changing up the
routine was something like...fingering her instead of oral, or maybe using
toys, or letting Shader order him around however she wanted to or maybe she
could sit on his face. Having sex with another couple was a pretty large leap
forward.
But when he brought the subject up when they were alone in her room together,
her eyes widened and grinned mischievously. “Oooh, interesting!”
“What? Really? You’re not upset?”
“No, silly, I’m not going to be upset by you asking if I’d like to do
something. I think it might be fun! And it’d be something new, right?”
“Well, yes…”
She hummed from her perch on her desk, swinging her legs back and forth.
“Aion’s a good friend of ours, and I don’t know Maven as well but she’s...well,
um, nice. I think I’d be okay with it.”
Chrono frowned from his seat in front of the desk. This was the opposite of how
he expected she’d react. “But isn’t it sort of nerve-racking? I know sex is
already difficult for you, won’t that just add more pressure?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think so. Do you think you’ll be pressured?”
He put his elbow on the desk and his chin and his hand. “Probably. You  know  I
don’t like being judged.”
“I don’t think their goal is to judge you, Chrono. Besides...don’t you like
being watched?”
“I like you watching me, but that doesn’t mean I want other people doing it,”
Chrono said, glancing away.
“Not even Aion? I know you think he’s hot.”
“That makes it worse! What if he thinks I’m horrible at sex?”
Shader laughed. “You’re not a horrible lover, Chrono! You’re sweet and giving
and very, very attentive.”
But not attractive, Chrono noted inwardly. Not attractive, not sexy, not
handsome...he’d been noticing the absence and it was starting to gnaw at him.
“This is really what you want?”
“Yes.” She hesitated. “But not if you’re not comfortable with it.”
“I’ll think about it a little more, but if you’re okay with it...I think I
could be, too.”
***********************************
Chrono tapped his fingers on his knee nervously as Aion set up a video room on
their shared computer. “We could’ve done this on our tablets, you know,” Aion
said with a sigh.
“You  know  I’m not good with this sort of thing. If we each did it on our
tablets I’d just end up having to squeeze into your frame when my tablet
explodes.”
“It wouldn’t explode.”
Chrono crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair in front of their desk.
“You sure?”
“They don’t explode when you throw them, they just break into pieces.” Aion
chuckled and sat down in his own chair. “Invite’s sent. Should just be a few
minutes.”
Shader was the first one to enter the room. She was stretched out on her
stomach, her bed underneath her, legs up and crossed at the ankle. She must’ve
been using her tablet. From the angle Chrono had an even better than normal
view of her breasts--from the angle he could almost imagine she was naked.
“Hi Chrono~!”
Chrono shifted in his chair. “H-hi.”
“And hi, Aion!” Shader grinned. “You had to help Chrono with the cam, huh?”
Aion laughed. “You know how hopeless Chrono is! Just look at how he’s looking
at you!”
“Aion!” Chrono blushed. “Shader, I’m sorry, I’m not--”
“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, Chrono. I don’t mind you staring.” She
gave Chrono that famous mischievous grin, moving her arms closer to her bust
squeezing her breasts. “Is this better?”
That’s when Maven arrived in the room. “Hey guys, sor--oh.  Oh. ” Maven’s eyes
widened at Shader’s pose and burst out laughing. “Hey, no fair starting the fun
without me!”
Shader gasped and sat up on the bed, blushing and putting her free hand over
her cleavage. “I-I was just teasing Chrono, we weren’t--”
“Oh, don’t stop on my account,” Maven said, leaning closer to her camera, chin
rested in her hand. “It was a nice view.”
Maven had ghostly pale skin, long hair that looked black unless you saw it in
direct light (where it revealed a green sheen), and sultry looking violet eyes.
She wasn’t at all Chrono’s type, but he could understand why Aion was crazy for
her.
Aion cleared his throat. “Well, unless we want to just do this over camera, it
might be a good time to start discussing how we want the foursome to go.”
“Aw, no more show? If Shader’s too embarrassed I can do something,” Maven said
with a laugh.
“Hah, thanks to Shader, Chrono might already be hard enough to give us a show
of his own.”
Chrono could feel his entire face warming further. “Aion, knock it off!”
“Oh, so I’m right?” Aion grinned.
“ANYWAY…” Shader interrupted before Chrono’s temper was set off. “You said you
wanted to talk about some ground rules?”
“Oh, right, right,” Maven nodded. “We want this to be fun for everyone, and we
know you two aren’t as experienced, so we thought it’d be good to have a
discussion on what everyone is comfortable with.”
“Right,” Aion said, holding up a finger. “And I think the first, most important
rule is that anyone can stop at any time, for any reason.”
Chrono let out a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay. Good start.”
“Mm-hmm. What’s next?” Shader asked.
“Well.” Maven leaned back into her chair, making the camera farther away. Her
tone was casual. “How do we all feel about switching around partners?”
Chrono swallowed. “Um, you mean, like...I have sex with you and Aion has sex
with Shader?”
“Or whoever. Me and you, me and Shader…whatever we feel like.”
Chrono turned his head to look at Aion, who returned his look and smiled. It
felt petty, but Chrono wasn’t really sure if he liked the idea of Shader
sleeping with Aion. Aion was so comfortable with this sort of thing...maybe
Aion could figure out how to make Shader happier in bed than he could. Would
she leave him then?”
Shader answered before he could. “I’d be interested! That’s part of the point,
right?”
“Well, that and getting to watch,” Aion said with a chuckle. “Maven and I
already discussed it, and we’re okay with it.”
Which meant only Chrono hadn't approved yet. All eyes were on him. He hunched
his shoulders. “Um. Well. I don’t know? Shader’s the only one I really think
about sleeping with…”
There was awkward silence for a moment, until Shader spoke up. “You don’t have
to.”
“But you want to.”
“I don’t want you to be upset.”
“Ah, Chrono,” Aion said. “If you don’t want to switch, would you be okay with
Shader doing that?”
Chrono paused. He didn’t really think it was his place to tell Shader what she
should do and not do. And if this helped her be more comfortable in the
bedroom… “Yeah. That’s her choice.”
“Okay,” Maven said. “So...maybe we can assume that everyone will be with their
typical partner, but if someone wants to try something with another partner,
we’re all OK with that being asked, and we’re OK with our partner having sex
with someone else. How about that?”
Chrono nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
Shader and Aion agreed.
“Anything else we need to ask about?” Aion said.
“That’s what I thought of.” Maven smiled. “How about you, Chrono, Shader? Any
questions?”
“Yeah, where are we going to do this?” Shader glanced to the side. “My room is
a little small. Don’t know about yours, Maven.”
“Chrono and I have two beds in our room,” Aion pointed out. “I think this is
the most obvious choice. And Chrono’s great at cleaning up!”
Chrono snorted. “You better help me with cleaning up.”
“Oh, I will, I will.” Aion grinned. “Don’t worry, if we have fun there  should
be a mess.”
Maven and Shader both laughed--Shader’s laugh being more of a nervous giggle.
Chrono rolled his eyes. “All the more reason for you to help me clean. If you
don’t, I’m not doing this again.”
“Hah! We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Chrono.”

***********************************
A week later, Chrono found himself pacing nervously back and forth in his and
Aion’s shared room, waiting for the girls to show up.
“Calm down, Chrono. It’ll be fine.” Aion had his hair half pulled back behind
his head, making his ears more prominent than usual. He was sitting on his bed,
legs crossed with his hands clasped and resting on his knee.
“Aren’t you at least a little nervous?”
“More excited than nervous.”
“I guess this sort of thing is normal for you.” Chrono’s voice revealed more
resentment than he had meant. He’d always felt a little awkward and
inexperienced compared to his charming, confident brother, and now that he was
going to end up in a foursome with him he was starting to feel anxious about
what it’d look like when Aion was there as a direct comparison.
“I wouldn’t say normal.” Aion paused, the fingers around his knee tensing.
“Remember the ground rules we set? You can back out at any time. We can call it
off now, if you want.”
“Shader wants to do this.”
“So...you don’t want to do this, but you’re doing it because of Shader?”
“I don’t know!” Chrono sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
Aion uncrossed his legs and started to get up from the bed, his tone worried
for the first time of the night. “I pushed too much, didn’t I?”
“No, it’s not that.” Chrono was getting guiltier by the minute, but if he lied,
Aion would know. “I’m sorry, but, what if Shader sees you in bed and decides
I’m not attractive?”
Aion laughed sharply. “Oh Chrono, no, no, I’m not her type. You don’t have to
worry about that.”
“But--”
“Really! I’m no competition for you.” Aion coughed and tried to hide the
laughter still bubbling in his chest. “I don’t want you to go through with this
if you don’t want to. I mean that. But if that’s what you’re worried about, I
assure you--”
A tone sounded at the door. Chrono jumped.
“One of them must be here,” Aion said, looking at the door.
“Yeah.”
“You okay?”
“...Yeah.”
“Remember, if you’re uncomfortable, say so.”
Chrono swallowed. “It’s fine, let them in.”
Aion opened the door panel. Maven was in front of it, grinning.  Her hair was
up in a high ponytail today, and she  altered her armor  to be cut higher on
her hip, highlighting her long legs. Like Aion, she seemed to have decided to
put some thought into her appearance tonight. Chrono was starting to regret
that he didn’t do the same.
Maven planted a kiss on Aion’s lips as a greeting, then turned to Chrono. “Hi!
Thanks for letting us try this.”
“Oh. It’s--it’s fine.”
She chuckled. Her voice was deep and resonant, like a battle horn. “Still shy
as ever, aren’t you?” She put a finger under Chrono’s chin, teasing. “Where’s
your sweet girlfriend?”
“She said she’s on her way.”
“Why don’t we have a drink while we’re waiting?” Aion asked. He grinned,
drawing a pattern on the wall nearby his bed. A panel clicked, allowing him to
open it, where he took out a bottle and several glasses.
“Aion, where did you get that?” Chrono’s eyebrows lowered and his eyes
narrowed.
“Thade traded a few favors with some of the mid-ranked soldiers they’ve been
studying with, and they lost it to me in a bet. Better than the sort of stuff
they allow us to have normally, huh?” He waved the bottle around like a prize.
“It’s from the surface.”
“You’re going to get us in so much trouble.”
“It’s not as bad as some of the stuff I’ve gotten caught doing before.”
Chrono sighed, but when Aion poured out a glass he accepted it. He was nervous
enough that alcohol sounded like a good idea. He sat quietly and sipped from
the glass as Maven and Aion talked animatedly on the other end of the room. The
drink was a golden color and surprisingly sweet, but with a biting aftertaste.
When he asked Aion what it was, Aion told him it was “wine made from some
surface fruit or another.”
He’d had about half his glass when Shader arrived, winded. “I’m so sorry that
took me a while! Just when I was heading out the door one of the kids had a
problem with a machine they were working on.” She shut the door behind her and
walked into the middle of the room. She smiled at Chrono, and turned to Maven
when Maven waved.
“Hello, Shader. Glad you could join us.”
Shader smiled back at Maven. “Thanks! I’m flattered you were interested.”
“Of course, Aion’s close to you two and I know you both by reputation.”  Maven
leaned forward. “I’ve seen the bugging prototypes you worked on for your
advanced project. My teacher in information gathering can’t stop gushing over
it.”
“Oh, that was nothing…”
Chrono’s stomach sank. He hadn’t heard anything about that project. That, or he
hadn’t understood it when she tried to explain it to him....he took another
gulp of his drink. “Um, Shader, Aion got his hands on some surface wine. It’s
really good.”
“Oooh, pour me a glass!”
Now Chrono was sitting quietly, watching three people chit-chat instead of just
two. Aion and Maven were alternating between asking Shader about her work and
flirting with her and Chrono. By now the alcohol was starting to give him a
pleasant enough buzz and he was able calm some of his nerves. Of course, he
kept being embarrassed by how hard it was to follow the discussion about
technology.
When everyone seemed to be near the end of their drinks, Aion cleared his
throat. “How are we feeling about tonight? Still okay with it?”
Shader chirped out a “yep!” and Maven nodded enthusiastically. Chrono drained
his glass, took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Good,” Aion continued. “Remember, this is for fun, so speak up when you’re
feeling uncomfortable.”
Aion looked at Chrono. “Right,” Chrono responded.
Shader walked over to sit down next to Chrono on the edge of his bed, patting
his thigh reassuringly.
“Well, then,” Aion stood up from his chair and grinned at Maven, his red eyes
gleaming with excitement. “Shall we?”
Aion took her hand, kissed it, and then started to step back to his bed,
pulling her along.
Shader spoke up before they could begin. “Um, I was wondering. Can Chrono and I
watch at the start?”
Chrono looked over at Shader in surprise. Maven, however, seemed more amused
than anything. She turned around, smiling at the both of them. “Oh? I don’t
mind showing off. What about you, Aion?”
Aion grinned. “Sounds like fun! What should we do?”
Maven turned back to him and whispered in his ear something that made him
chuckle. He reached out to wrap an arm around Maven’s waist and tugged her
close for a passionate kiss. Maven pulled back with a breathless laugh and then
kissed him in return, pushing him against the edge of his bed. Aion slid a leg
in-between Maven’s, pressing his knee up against her core.
Maven let out a yelp. “Too much showing off! That’s just weird!”
Aion laughed. “You don’t like that?”
Maven responded by playfully pushing Aion onto his bed, causing him to laugh
harder, before climbing on top of him and kissing him again. “I should have
known you’d go crazy when you have an audience.”
“All part of my devious plan!” Aion flipped over, bringing Maven with him so he
could pin her against the bed. He moved his clothed hip against hers and she
shivered.
Chrono could hear Shader’s breath next to him, short and soft. Her cheeks were
pinker than normal. She squirmed, her legs pressing together.
He slid closer to her and bent down to whisper into Shader’s ear. “Can I touch
you?”
She nodded.
Chrono put his arms around her, and she leaned back against his chest. He slid
his right hand up her waist to fondle her breast, and his left one teased along
her thigh.
Meanwhile, Aion and Maven had busied themselves with removing their clothes.
Aion was nipping and sucking Maven’s neck, and she was whimpering, her arms
tight around his shoulders.
Chrono had never seen Aion like this. Naked, sure--they bathed together, shared
a room, grew up together, that was normal. But Aion, nude, embracing someone
and kissing them until they whimpered? His eyes traced down along Aion’s body,
following the line from shoulders to back to ass. For a moment, he imagined
that was him holding Shader down, getting her to respond that way. Then, he
imagined Aion was holding him instead--
His hand twitched on Shader’s breast at the unbidden fantasy. Shader jumped.
“S-sorry!” Chrono said quickly, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
“It’s fine.” She paused, then reached down in-between her legs, beginning to
rub against the fabric.
Chrono hesitated before following her hand with his own. “Would you like me
to?”
Shader nodded and pulled her hand away, allowing Chrono’s hand to slide across
her mound instead. The fabric was already damp. He rubbed her gently,
encouraged when she let out a soft gasp, and squeezed her breast with his other
hand.
“This turned on? Already?”
“Aren’t you?” she said with a breathless laugh. “I can see the bulge.”
“Maybe that’s because I’m touching you.”
“F-flatterer....”
He pinched her nipple in response, smiling at her--but she was staring straight
at Aion’s bed. She moaned, her hips jerking up against his touch.
He looked back. Maven had managed to turn the tables on Aion and was now on top
of him on the bed, rubbing herself. “My turn first,” she said with a grin.
Aion nodded, and Maven got on her hands and knees, positioned so that her pussy
was over his face. Without a word he reached up, gripping her ass with his
hands, and slid his tongue inside her.
Maven moaned, and Shader’s hips pushed up against Chrono’s hand again. Chrono
took a deep breath and slid his finger underneath her clothing, slipping it
into her folds. She was  soaking  wet. He’d never seen her so turned on before.
“This is...is really your thing, huh?”
Shader nodded emphatically, an embarrassed expression on her face. “I-I’m
sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sor--”
Chrono was distracted by Aion letting out a muffled groan in chorus with
another loud moan of Maven’s. The position really was something great to
watch...Chrono guessed Aion had picked it out specifically. Maven’s body was
almost completely in view. She’d moved to brace her hands against the wall to
give Aion some leverage, and her arms were visibly shaking--not from strain,
but from how she was reacting to Aion’s attention. Chrono could see her face
twisted in pleasure, her small, perky breasts, her round ass...and although he
couldn’t see Aion’s face in between her thighs, he could see his erection, hard
and stiff. Chrono couldn’t help but notice that it was really similar to
his...besides the curve. Aion’s curved slightly down, and Chrono’s slightly up.
Chrono tore his gaze away from Aion’s cock when he heard Maven’s voice.
“Enjoying the view?” Her voice was breathy. She’d turned her head to look
straight at them, her face flushed.
Shader trembled in Chrono’s arms. “It’s...it’s sexy,” she responded to Maven.
Maven smiled. “Glad you th--mmm!” Maven shivered and hung her head, letting out
a moan. “Aion! I’m trying to talk!”
Aion’s grip on her ass tightened. It wasn’t clear from Chrono’s view exactly
what he was doing, but whatever it was, Maven couldn’t hide her enjoyment of
it. She half-moaned, half-laughed. “Not so fast, you’ll make me--oooh!--c-cum!
Aion--!”
Her moans continued, until Aion released her and slid out from under her legs,
panting. Maven dropped onto the bed and Aion laughed.
“Aion! Don’t  stop !”
“I thought you didn’t want to cum.”
“Ugh! Why were you teasing me like that, what about--”
“Shhh.” Aion crawled across the bed to settle next to her, whispering into her
ear and kissing her cheek.
Shader squirmed and touched Chrono’s wrist. “Stop for now. Please?”
Chrono pulled his fingers out of her pussy and moved his other hand away from
her breast. “You’re sure?”
Shader nodded. “Yeah. I um. I want to switch.”
Everyone else in the room immediately turned their attention to her. She
blushed, but stood up from Chrono’s bed, walking toward Aion and Maven.
This is it, Chrono thought. She’s going to have Aion to compare me to, and I’m
going to have to try to live up to him.
“Maven?”
Chrono’s eyes widened. Aion and Maven didn’t seemed nearly as surprised. They
both sat up. “Mm?”
Shader paused, took a deep breath, and the legion of her clothing faded away.
“Can I have sex with you?”
Maven chuckled and leaned forward, teasingly poking her nose. “I thought you’d
never ask.”
Shader’s ears twitched in response and she laughed, nervously. Aion slid to the
edge of the bed and stood, giving Shader a theatrical bow.
“Have fun, ladies!” Aion said with a grin, before walking away from his bed. He
settled in a chair to the right of Chrono’s bed, and glanced over in Chrono’s
direction. He quirked an eyebrow--Chrono knew that meant he was checking in.
Chrono shrugged back. This was unexpected, but fine.
Satisfied, Aion turned away from Chrono to focus his attention back on the
girls, leaning against his chair with a smirk. Shader and Maven were sitting on
the bed facing each other, with Shader nervously stroking one of Maven’s hands
with her thumb.
“Would you like me to go down on you?” Maven said.
Shader shook her head. “Um, actually, I was wanting to do that for you. I’ve
never done it, but it looked fun.”
“Oh!” Maven said in surprise. “If that’s what you want, I’d love that…”
Shader smiled, then leaned forward. “Also, can I--?”
Maven interrupted her with a kiss. Chrono saw Shader shiver in response, and
she lifted her left hand to Maven’s cheek, leaning into the kiss. Shader was
acting bold and eager--not the sort of Shader he was used to seeing in the
bedroom.
After a handful of heartbeats, Shader leaned more into the kiss and then placed
a hand on Maven’s chest, both touching her breast and encouraging her to lay
down on the bed. Maven followed the direction, laying down on her back, and
breaking away from the kiss.
“You’re so cute, Shader,” Maven said breathlessly.
“Thank you. You’re...you’re gorgeous.” She gave Maven a shy smile, then leaned
down to kiss Maven’s collar bone. Maven wrapped her arms around Shader, and
Shader began to explore her body with the intensity she usually only lent to
machines.
Chrono felt jealousy grow in the pit of his stomach. He desperately wanted to
be the one Shader was interested in exploring in this moment. He’d always
wanted her to be that excited and interested in learning him, discovering his
turn-ons, finding new reactions. Why was everything so different tonight? Did
she just enjoy having an audience this much?
Watching her explore Maven and wishing it was him was driving him mad. His
erection was aching as Chrono’s imagination ran wild. He swallowed, deactivated
the legion of his clothing, and grasped his dick in his hand as he watched
Shader explore Maven’s legs.
Pathetic, he thought to himself as he started to stroke. Having to jerk
yourself off while watching your girlfriend enjoy someone else because you
can’t get her off…
“I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Shader admitted to Maven as she slid down
in between her thighs.
Maven reached down, playfully scratching behind one of Shader’s ears. “I’ll
help you. Right now, I really want to feel your tongue on me. Can you do that?”
Shader nodded. She slid her hands up along Maven’s legs, guiding her to Maven’s
pussy. Shader paused to take a deep breath, then bent down and slid her tongue
in.
Maven sighed happily, gently pushing her hips up to meet Shader’s mouth, and
Shader whimpered into her.
Chrono tightened his grip on himself and rubbed faster. He knew, deep down,
what was happening. Shader liked Maven a lot. He was getting to see Shader
much, much more turned on that she ever was with him...it excited him to see
her so horny, even if it made guilt and jealousy mix in the pit of his stomach.
“It’s a little sad that you’re sitting there all alone.”
Chrono twitched. Aion was looking at him with amusement from his chair.
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” Aion settled down next to him. As he spoke, Maven and
Shader’s moans and gasps served as a soundtrack. “Since both of our dates are
occupied, why don’t we do something together?”
Chrono hesitated, but released his erection. “Like...like what?”
“Whatever you’ll let me do.”
Chrono’s heart was pounding. “What do  you  want to do?”
“Everything.” Aion’s expression was intense. He leaned closer to Chrono until
Chrono could feel his breath on his cheek. “If you can’t choose, I’d happily
deal with your cock for you. Maybe with my mouth? Just give me permission.”
Chrono hesitated. He looked away from Aion to see Maven and Shader tangled on
the bed. Maven was getting louder and louder, gripping Shader’s hair, as Shader
thrust three fingers into her and licked her clit. Shader had very skilled
fingers due to her mechanical work, so he guessed it wasn’t a surprise that
she’d be a natural at fingering someone.
The jealousy boiled in his gut again. He’d love her to finger him, some day.
“Chrono, don’t get distracted.” Aion tugged on Chrono’s hair to snap his
attention back to him. “If you don’t want to, tell me no, but if you  do --”
“Do it.”
Aion’s eyes lit up. “Right away.”
Aion leaned close for a moment, and Chrono thought he might be trying to go in
for a kiss. Chrono swallowed, unsure of how to react, and moved back without
thinking. Aion caught the movement and froze, then sighed and shrugged. “I
guess I shouldn’t push my boundaries.”
“I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t like you--”
“No apologies, I want you to have fun, remember?” Aion shook his head and stood
up from the bed, then knelt in front of Chrono’s legs. “If you’re
uncomfortable,  tell me.  That’s one of the rules.”
Chrono swallowed nervously, watching Aion in front of him, tracing shapes along
his thighs. He was trying to figure out what to say until he was distracted
from a cry on the other side of the room.
Maven’s back was arched and she was shaking, riding out the waves of her
orgasm. Shader was clinging to her legs, still licking her gently as she came,
moaning softly into her folds.
Chrono wanted her so much. He curled his fingers into the bed, staring at
Shader, studying her movements.
“Look at me.” Aion’s breath was hot on his erection. Chrono turned his
attention back to Aion just as he gave him a smirk and slid his mouth onto his
cock.
Chrono’s untouched nerves flared to life along his cock and he gasped, his hips
jumping involuntarily. Aion chuckled around Chrono’s dick and started to lower
his mouth along it painfully slowly, teasing him.
Chrono shouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Aion was as irritating in
bed as he was everywhere else, but he was too desperate and frustrated to have
patience for it. He grabbed the back of Aion’s head, threading his fingers into
Aion’s hair and accidentally pulling loose the tie that was holding his hair
back. Aion’s red eyes looked up at Chrono with amusement, and Chrono’s matching
eyes returned his look with a glare. “Please.”
Aion’s eyebrows raised, as if to say ‘please, what?’
“Please don’t tease.”
Aion responded by humming around Chrono’s erection in a sing-song tone, still
moving his mouth slowly. He leisurely ran his tongue around the base of
Chrono’s head.
“Uuugh, Aion, do you want me to beg?”
“Mmmm-hmmm.”
“D-don’t joke!”
Aion slowly began to pull his cock out of his mouth. Chrono could hear Shader
whimpering in the background. “Oh wow,” she was saying. “Oh wow, Maven, oh….”
Chrono swallowed, his hand tensing on Aion’s head. “I--Aion, please. I need
you.”
Aion slipped Chrono’s cock out of his mouth, smiling against his head. “Oh?
Need me to do what?”
Chrono swallowed. “To blow me.”
“You can beg better than that.”
Chrono grit his teeth and closed his eyes. “Please, please suck me off. I need
to cum.”
“You could make yourself cum, why me?”
“Aion, really?”
Aion kissed softly along Chrono’s right thigh. “I told you. I want to hear you
beg.”
Chrono whined in harmony with a moan coming from Shader. “I...I...okay. I
need...I need your mouth. It feels so much better than I could do. I’m
desperate, I need distraction, I need release, p-please help me. I need you!
Please Aion?”
Chrono could feel Aion shudder as he placed a final kiss onto his thigh. He
opened his eyes in time to see Aion rest his head on Chrono’s thigh and look up
at him with a strangely sweet smile. “I’ve always wondered what that would
sound like.”
Wait, Chrono thought. What was  that  supposed to mean? ‘Always’? How long was
‘always’?
Aion started to slip his lips back around Chrono’s length as Chrono’s mind
raced in fragmented thoughts. They both liked guys. They’d known each other
their whole lives. Maybe it wasn’t weird that Aion would think about it. But
he’d never...
Aion began to bob his mouth on Chrono’s cock in ernest, and Chrono responded
with a guttural growl, his thoughts retreating as he jerked his hips up. Aion
took the thrust in stride, placing a hand on his thigh to keep the depth of
Chrono’s cock comfortable as he slid him in and out.
Chrono began to twitch his hips in time with Aion’s movements. He almost lost
track of where he was until he heard Shader sob Maven’s name, dragging his
attention back to her. Shader had Aion’s pillows placed under her hips and back
as Maven went down on her. Shader’s legs were draped over Maven’s shoulders and
she was gripping Maven’s ponytail like a lifeline. Every one of her breaths
came out as a moan or a squeal and she was whispering Maven’s name over and
over like a mantra.
Chrono bit his lip to prevent himself from calling out for Shader.
Aion pulled back, once again removing Chrono from his mouth. “No!” Chrono
gasped, tightening his grip on Aion’s hair. “Nonono please, I need you,
please!”
Aion tugged Chrono’s hand out of his hair with a laugh. “I want to try
something else.”
“Wh-what?”
“Can I finger you?”
Chrono blushed, his mind stumbling for a response. Nobody had ever asked to do
that for him. “Oh. I...sure.”
“Thank you. Let me see your mouth. And why don’t you lay back, while you’re at
it?”
Aion stood up, and gently pushed Chrono’s shoulder with his left hand, guiding
him back onto the bed and crawling onto it after him. Then he reached his right
hand out, tracing Chrono’s lips. There was only a brief moment of hesitation
before Chrono opened his lips for him, licking at Aion’s fingers. Aion took the
invitation for what it was, sliding his fingers inside Chrono’s mouth, tracing
along his fangs and tongue. Chrono couldn’t help but compare the sensation to
what it was like when he gave someone a blow job. He closed his mouth around
Aion’s fingers, sucking them. He could taste what he could only assume was
Maven’s sex.
Chrono wasn’t sure if he found that arousing or irritating.
Aion pulled his fingers from Chrono’s mouth and smiled down at him. Chrono held
his breath as Aion hovered there, his carefully styled hair now messy and
hanging haphazardly around his face. In all their time together--living
together, training together, growing together--he realized he’d never seen Aion
like this. It made something inside him ache.
Aion slipped away just as Chrono was reaching up a hand to touch his face. He
ran his dry hand along Chrono’s torso as he pulled away, settling by Chrono's
hips, then reached down with one of his slick fingers to tease Chrono’s
entrance.
Chrono shuddered, his legs spreading.
“Here,” Aion said, gently lifting one of his legs up. “I think it’ll be easier
if your feet are up on the bed.”
Chrono positioned himself as Aion asked, and Aion started to carefully circle
his finger against Chrono’s asshole, watching his reactions. Chrono’s body was
tense with nerves. He played with himself like this sometimes, but having
someone else do it made him anxious. He took slow, deep breaths, and Aion
waited for him to relax, soothingly massaging his opening to help. Chrono
focused on the sensations, allowing his muscles to loosen.
“Ready?” Aion asked softly, smiling.
Chrono nodded, and Aion pressed his finger into Chrono’s asshole, just up to
the first knuckle.
It was like electricity had shot up Chrono’s spine. He gasped and his hips
thrust up.
Aion placed his free hand on Chrono’s knee to steady him. “I didn’t expect you
to be so tight, Chrono.”
Chrono wasn’t going to give Aion any more ammunition against him, not tonight.
“Keep going. Please.”
“As you wish.” Aion began a slow rhythm, tracing it inside him as if he was
trying to connect with every single sensitive nerve.
To his embarrassment, Chrono’s reaction was vocal and insistent. Try as he
might, he couldn’t completely hold back the whimpers Aion drew out of him with
every stroke. Spurred on by Chrono’s response, Aion incrementally increased the
depth of his finger, testing and teasing to learn Chrono’s boundaries.
When he was deep enough, Aion curved his finger, searching for Chrono’s
prostate. It only took a few moments to find it--Chrono arched his back and
cried out when he rubbed against it.
Aion laughed. “Aha! I thought you’d like that.”
“Y-yeah,” Chrono panted out, his hips moving to try to push Aion further inside
him. Even though his cock hadn't been touched since the blowjob, it was
starting to drip precum onto his stomach.
“Oh, you want more?”
“Of course! Aion, wh--”
“Say please.”
Chrono groaned. He knew Aion was toying with him, but he was so lost in
pleasure that he couldn't bring himself to push back. He just needed Aion to
keep fingering him. “Please!”
It seemed like Aion was obsessed with hearing Chrono beg tonight. He continued
to pleasure Chrono with his finger, still gently, but with enough speed and
pressure to make Chrono squirm.
Chrono was turning into a mess. He threw his head back, moaning and gasping.
Aion was delighted. “You must try to get your lovers to do this for you all the
time.”
Chrono shook his head. “I, they--”
“Heh.” Aion reached up to Chrono’s chest with his free hand, pinching one of
his nipples. “Never mind. I don’t want to hear about them. I want to hear about
me.”
Aion hit Chrono’s prostrate at just the right angle, making Chrono’s entire
body shiver. He cried out Aion’s name. “I don’t, I, what do you want--?”
“Actually, that was perfect.” Aion licked his lips, his expression wicked. “Say
my name again.”
“Aion!” Chrono gasped, his face turning redder and redder. He remembered that,
when he was younger and first exploring himself, he used to whimper Aion’s
name, thinking about him. How did he get here?
“Again,” Aion said, his voice breathy, insistent.
“Oh Aion, Aion!”
He could feel Aion’s fingers trembling inside of him. “Are you close?”
“Yes? Think--yes, I--don’t--”
Aion paused for a moment then took a deep breath. “No. No good.”
“Wha--?”
Aion withdrew his fingers, leaving Chrono a quivering mess for the second time
of the night. Chrono gasped for air, trying to piece his thoughts together
coherently. “Why do you keep stopping?!”
Aion shrugged, grinning. “I keep changing my mind. Sit up.”
Unlike the other times, this wasn’t a request, but a demand. Aion’s eyes were
hungry as Chrono followed his orders. As soon as Chrono was completely up, Aion
wrapped his legs around him, pulling him closer, until their cocks were
pressing together. Chrono hadn’t even realized how hard Aion was--he was so
turned on that he was getting his precum all over the head of Chrono's dick.
“I want to come with you,” Aion explained as he wrapped his hand around both of
their erections. “Can’t let you have all the fun.”
Chrono’s heart pounded in his chest as Aion’s hand started to move along them
both. He looped his arms around Aion’s shoulder. “Feels like you enjoyed it.”
Aion didn’t respond beyond a chuckle and a squeeze of Chrono’s balls. “Say my
name again.”
“A-aion?”
“Louder. Say it.”
“Aion!”
Aion’s hand was slick with their precum as he rubbed their erections faster. He
growled, watching Chrono like a predator, his voice becoming desperate. “Again.
Don’t stop.”
Chrono jerked his hips up into Aion’s hand, pushing their cocks together, and
once again cried out for him. They moved together, nerves flaring. Chrono
dropped his head onto Aion’s shoulder, panting Aion’s name into his ear. Aion
moaned in return, rambling a string of words as they ran through his head.
“Yes, yes, Chrono, you're mine, I'll never let you go, don't stop--”
Chrono lifted his head, looking over Aion’s shoulder. Maven and Shader were
laying on Aion’s bed, Maven cradling Shader against her and both of them
watching. Shader was flush from the aftershocks of her orgasm--wait, did she
orgasm? Chrono hadn’t noticed. Did he really not hear her?
The girls were watching Chrono and Aion move together--he wasn’t sure for how
long. Maven was grinning, sliding her hand up and down Shader’s thigh, enjoying
the show. Shader didn’t seem as excited, but she looked Chrono straight in his
eyes, like she was trying to read him. He looked back at her, emotions tumbling
in his stomach. Arousal because she was watching him fall apart like this,
guilt that it wasn’t with her, jealousy that she wasn’t with him, the horrible
realization that he might have lost her for good. He whimpered “Shader” softly
as he looked at her.
Aion’s hissed. “Not her. Me. My name.” His voice was wavering, pleasure seeping
in on the edges. He could tell Aion was getting close. He was, too.
He positioned his lips at Aion’s ear, still looking Shader right in the eyes.
“Aion…”
Aion moaned, stroking them wildly. Shader gave Chrono a smile.
“Aion, oh--”
His arms shook on Aion’s back. His body was screaming for release. He kept
staring at Shader, imagining her in his arms, remembering moaning  her  name.
“Sha--Aion, Aion, I’m sorry, Aion, I’m so close…”
He was tearing up. His image of Shader blurred away until he gave up and closed
his eyes. His hope that they would stay together crumbled down as pleasure shot
up from his groin.
“AION!” He thrust up and his cum splattered onto his and Aion’s chest. Aion
shuddered and moaned out his name, following right behind. Shaking, Chrono
dropped his head onto Aion’s shoulder and closed his eyes, his emotions choking
him as his pleasure ebbed away.
Aion laughed, still holding tightly onto Chrono. “That was...was...fun.” His
tone was unusually hesitant, like for once in his life he wasn’t sure quite
what to say.
Chrono kept his eyes shut, his emotions still churning. He’d almost forgotten
what it was like to have a partner that was this enthusiastic about sex. And
watching Shader…
It wasn’t that she didn’t like sex. No, it was something else. Something that
he’d probably known for a while, but didn’t want to admit.
He took a deep breath. Aion stroked his hair. “Was I too much for you?” Aion’s
tone was teasing, but had a hint of concern.
Chrono opened his eyes and lifted his head up, forcing himself to sound
humorous. “What? Oh, sorry, I was...falling asleep. I guess I was a little
bored.”
“Bah, liar!” Aion shoved his shoulder. “Just admit it, I’m the best you’ve
had.”
“I think that wine went to your head.” He paused, trying not to think about
Shader still being in the room. “You still have to help me clean after this, by
the way.”
“You’re no fun.”
The rest of the night was awkward. Aion had thought to make sure they had a
basin of water and cloths in the room, so they fortunately didn’t have to sneak
off to the baths. But that meant even more time to be in the same room with
Shader, having to pretend that he wasn’t full of doubt about their
relationship. He was relieved when the girls wished them goodnight and decided
to head back to their rooms.
He pretended that he didn’t notice Shader take Maven’s hand as they left.
By the time he and Aion had gotten the room clean, Chrono was exhausted. He
crashed onto his bed, shuddering when he remembered Aion fingering him there
only an hour before.
“Well, that was a success,” Aion said, sounding as though he was going to
launch a whole review of the night.
“Go to bed, Aion. I’m tired.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. Go to bed.” Chrono pressed his face into his pillow. He could hear
rustling from Aion, like he still wanted to talk, then a set of soft, quick
footsteps toward the door, followed by the door opening and closing.
Good.
-------------------
The next day, when he saw Shader walking toward him after classes, he knew what
was coming. He took a deep breath. He loved her, so he wasn’t going to run away
from this. He stood still, smiling at her.
“Can we talk?” she asked when she reached him.
Chrono nodded. She took his hand and led him through the crowd of people.
Chrono felt like everyone was turning to stare at them as they weaved their way
out.
She led him to a grassy slope against the side of a building. It was
comfortable and quiet, out of sight from the well-trafficked areas of the
training grounds. Shader was kind as always, Chrono thought.
Shader paused as they sat down. She didn’t let go of his hand and looked down
at it, gently stroking his skin with her thumb. “I don’t know how to start.”
Chrono hesitated. “Can I make a guess?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
“You like girls.”
Shader took a deep breath. “A lot.”
“You don’t like guys.”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“You’re not attracted to me at all, are you? Not really.” Chrono tried to
smile. It must not have worked, because Shader winced.
“I think you’re a wonderful person! You’re kind, and caring, and I know you
really, really wanted to make me happy--”
“I know.” Chrono sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t figure this out sooner. This
must’ve been awful for you.”
“What? No!” Shader looked guilty. “It wasn’t  awful.  I really like spending
time with you! I just didn’t realize it was more like...you know, a friend.”
For some reason, the word “friend” was what really hit Chrono and made it real
for him. He started to tear up and ducked his head. This was the last thing he
wanted her to see. “I--I’m glad you want to be friends. I thought maybe it’d be
too awkward or--”
“Chrono!” Her grip on his hand tightened.
This was awful. He was making her feel bad. He had to pull himself together,
somehow. He swallowed, pulling his head back up to look at her. “Listen.
I...love you. That means I want you to be happy. And Maven makes you happy,
right?”
“Well...yes.”
“Good. Have you told her that?”
“N-no, I mean, we’re still together, so--”
“We  were  still together.” That statement hung in the air for a moment. “I
know she’s not with anyone right now. Her and Aion aren’t exclusive or
anything, they’re just friends. She seemed really, really into you. You should
go ask her. She might still be out by the Soldier classrooms if you go.”
Chrono could tell that she was torn between wanting to make sure he was okay
and running to go find her. That meant he needed to take away her reason to
stay. He slipped his hand out of hers and stood up. “I’ve got a pretty big
history assignment coming up, so I need to--”
Shader jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him so tightly that
it was hard to breathe. “Thank you. You’re such a good friend. Thank you so
much.” She looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears--he wasn’t sure if they
were happy or sad. Maybe both. “Take care of yourself. Okay? You deserve to be
happy, too.”
Chrono’s stomach dropped. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to tell her that she
was the only thing he needed to be happy. “Thanks. You should go.”
She swallowed, let him go, and ran off, turning only briefly to wave goodbye.
He waved back and watched her until he couldn’t, then collapsed back to the
ground, burying his face in his hands. He was so, so stupid to think that he
could’ve made her happy, that he was somehow going to make her attracted to him
when she wasn’t. How long did he know? Was he just drawing it out because he
was selfish?
He forced himself not to cry. It wasn’t acceptable for soldiers to show
weakness. He had to learn to be strong and stoic. He pushed himself back to his
feet and walked as quickly as he could back to his room.
Aion was there waiting for him. Chrono grit his teeth as soon as he saw him.
“Ah, Chrono!” Aion said with a bright smile as the door slid shut behind him.
“I thought maybe you had plans for the day.”
“Don’t you?” Chrono hoped he did. Then he could be alone.
“I wanted to see you first! I had a lot of fun last night.”
“Good, I’m glad.” Chrono flopped onto his bed, rolling over to face the wall
and curling in on himself. Surely Aion would get the hint.
“Are you tired?”
“Yes.”
“I guess I wore you out last night!” Aion laughed. Chrono could feel his weight
behind him on the bed.
“Guess so. Honestly, I think I need a nap.”
“You already went to bed early last night.”
“Well, classes were tough today.”
There was silence for a moment, and then Aion spoke again, his tone serious.
“Chrono. Are you alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Chrono, if I did something that made you uncomfortable--”
“No. It’s not you. I just want to be alone.”
Aion placed a hand on Chrono’s shoulder and pulled him onto his back so that
Aion could see his face. Chrono hoped he wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes,
but he obviously did. “What happened?” Aion asked.
Chrono swallowed. “Shader...I....I had to…”
“Ah.” Aion shrugged. “You shouldn’t blame yourself, there was nothing you
could’ve done as a guy to please her.”
Chrono blinked. He thought back on Aion’s reaction when they first started
dating. The way he always seemed to be hiding something when Shader was brought
up in conversation. The fact that Chrono thought Aion had been plotting
something around the time he came up with the idea for a foursome in the first
place.
“You knew.”
Aion raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“You knew she only liked girls.”
“Well, I didn’t  know.  I just had a hunch.”
“You knew,” Chrono repeated, sitting up on the bed, fury boiling in his
stomach. “You knew and you didn’t tell me.”
Aion leaned back. “I didn’t want you to be upset!”
“You KNEW,” Chrono repeated, his volume raising as the pieces all fit together.
“You knew, and THEN, you somehow found out Maven liked her, and set this whole
thing up so that they would sleep together!”
“You’re being unreasonable.”
Chrono jumped to his feet. “You’re not denying it. You meant for this to
happen.” Aion looked at him silently and his anger overflowed, pouring out of
him. “What the fuck were you doing?! Did you think it was funny?”
“No.”
“Then why, Aion?”
Aion stared at him, once again silent. His face was difficult to read--he
seemed sad, but also determined and stubborn.
“Oh, so NOW you’re not talkative?” Chrono whirled, storming toward the door,
then turning back, realizing he wasn’t nearly done with Aion yet. “I love her,
Aion. I love her and you plotted to break us up! WHY?”
Aion looked at him, his face as still as Pandaemonium. “Because she didn’t love
you.”
Chrono threw a wild punch. Aion dodged it easily, turning his fist aside, and
stood up from the bed. “You need to think rationally about this,” he said
calmly.
Chrono gritted his teeth and threw another punch. This time it glanced off
Aion’s shoulder. Aion continued to speak. “Neither of you would end up happy
the way things were. It was time to let it go.”
“You could have told me!”
“You wouldn’t have believed me.”
“Maybe I would, if you actually fucking  trusted  me.”
Aion’s eyes narrowed, and he laughed harshly. “Chrono, I’ve known you my whole
life. You’ve always preferred fantasy to reality.”
Chrono grabbed Aion’s shoulders and slammed him against the wall. “I’ve put up
with a lot of shit because of you, but I never, ever thought you would do
something like this to me. I thought you were my friend, but I guess I’m just
someone you like to toy with!”
Aion stared Chrono straight in the eye, not a bit threatened by Chrono’s
posturing. “Oh, so because I’m not willing to play pretend, I don’t care about
you?”
“I wasn’t pretending to love her!”
“But you were pretending she  did.  Did you really think that if you just kept
sleeping with her she’d enjoy it? You have enough experience by now to know
better.”
Chrono pressed against him harder. “I didn’t know. I didn’t KNOW!”
“Then I set up a situation for you to find out,” Aion said with a shrug.
“Making me watch my girlfriend fall in love with someone else is NOT how to
help!”
Aion straightened up and grabbed Chrono’s wrists, pulling Chrono’s hands off
his shoulders. He pushed away from the wall and advanced, still gripping
Chrono’s wrists, causing Chrono to stumble backward. His eyes were cold and
dark. “What was I supposed to do? I knew you wouldn’t listen to reason. You
were in too deep. Shader was too inexperienced to really understand herself. I
wasn’t going to set her up to cheat on you. She’s too good for that, and it’s
too cruel to you. A night together with all parties consensually involved was
the best possible outcome. I did my best to distract you. I didn’t FORCE you to
watch. You chose to. And now, all you want to do is sulk.” His voice lowered as
he continued to push Chrono back. “Sometimes the person you love doesn’t feel
the same way. It hurts. But what good will feeling sorry for yourself do?”
Chrono’s back hit the wall. It wasn’t that Aion was wrong, but he was being
callous and cruel. Chrono didn’t care about the logic of the situation, just
the feelings that brought him here, and the feelings he had now. He grit his
teeth. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“I don’t want you to help me.”
Aion stiffened, standing straight as a board. His face didn’t betray a strong
emotional reaction, but he dropped his hands from Chrono’s wrists. He otherwise
didn’t give a response.
Chrono continued. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, and I don’t care.
I don’t want to be part of any more plans or plots. I don’t want to just be
another extension of you. From now on, just assume I’m not a part of your
life.”
Aion’s eyes widened and his face paled. He stood motionless, struggling to
speak, before choking out an anxious laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. We share a
room. We’re the only two of our generation. Sometimes people can’t even tell us
apart! How can I act like we’re not a pair?”
“You’re smart,” Chrono responded spitefully. “You figure it out.”
He pushed past Aion and stormed out the door before his brother could think of
a reply. He walked quickly, aimlessly weaving through the buildings of
Pandaemonium, past classrooms and training fields, barracks and orchards,
terminals and beast pens. He didn’t stop until he found an eerily quiet field
in front of the Queen’s chambers, with the only demons in view two Swords
guarding the entrance to the Queen.
He dropped onto the field, laying on his side and curling his knees against his
chest. He wanted to cry but now, for some reason, he couldn’t. He felt
exhausted and battered. In one day he’d cut ties with the two people he cared
about the most.
He closed his eyes and just breathed, pushing away his thoughts and only taking
in the feel of the grass underneath him, the soft hum of Pandaemonium, the
distant sound of water bubbling. He laid there until he fell asleep, and only
woke when a Sword finally kicked him awake after curfew, scolding him for still
being out. He stumbled back into the room, past Aion (who was demanding to know
where he’d been) and crawled into his bed, hiding under the sheet, until Aion
gave up and turned off the lights and he was able to get back to blissfully
empty sleep.
Chapter End Notes
     [https://i.imgur.com/aQ0XgIE.jpg?1]
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