Chapter 1
Summary:
When a friend Ellen was just starting to feel an established bond with disappears for six month, her head is filled with so many wishes to talk to them again. Now that the wish came true can Ellen keep these feelings shoved down her throat when they keep resurfacing every time she looks at them?
Chapter Text
Ellen was unusually early, not because of work or school but instead because of the phone laying coldly in her hand. The cable keeping it charged all night snaked behind the headboard on the chance that something would happen on the messaging app to indicate the person on the other side was still alive. Nothing of the sort. No bouncing bubbles at the bottom she kept hoping to see for even a fraction of a second each time she swiped over to the app in the middle of the night, no green by the seal profile picture to even give her hopes that they were online. Ellen curled up tighter into her pillow, resigning herself to the silence and flicked her tail in annoyance.
“I should message them, would that be weird?” Ellen thought to herself. All she wanted was to see one more silly picture they would draw, or to hear them gush about a new fascination they clung onto for the month. She wanted to see them just to confirm they were still alive at this point. All she can do is glance back between the unchanged screen and the bed as if something would magically change if she looked away.
Just when Ellen’s eyes were about to close, having given up trying to stay awake any longer waiting for something to happen, she felt the phone’s ping vibrate from her hand all the way to her teeth. She bolted straight up hoping it wasn’t Ruby, Monna, or Lynn in the group chat pestering her about schoolwork and felt her heart twist in the second she looked to see who had just messaged her. It was them. Finally after six months they came back online. To Ellen it felt like a rainstorm in a drought. Her heart was just about to burst out of her chest just from the fact that they were still alive! Ellen composed herself after realizing she lost her mind just at a message she hasn’t even read yet.
(Onyx): hey…sorry for the radio silence i’m ok though!!(Ellen): holy shit ur alive
(Ellen): o h my god
(Ellen): what happened. u disappeared from the face of the earth
Ellen’s heart was still, very much so, about to pop just from the anxiety. Her fingers were shaking on the digital keyboard typing, deleting, and rewriting in the swirling chaos her normally cool and composed aura would have one believe. Not here, and especially not now, as evident by her wagging tail making a mess of the bed. Ellen took a deep breath in, held it just like Lycaon taught her, exhaled, and repeated until she was at the very least no longer about to have a cardiac arrest. She had to give Onyx space, she forgot in the frenzy that they didn’t exactly like being crowded with attention just like her. Her eyes followed the bouncing dots waving at her intently, lambasting herself for possibly being insensitive in the replies.
(Onyx): lol yea i kinda did leave you hanging for uh
(Onyx): six months? jeez, sorry about that…stuff came up and I actually wanted to ask
(Onyx): wanna hang out?
Ellen thrashed about on the bed at the thought. Her head was spinning at the very thought of seeing Onyx again after all this time! She stopped mid roll to think about what she’d say next, it had to be absolutely flawless or else they’d get the wrong idea! Or at least that’s the thoughts buzzing angrily in Ellen’s mind right now. If this was her usual trio of friends she’d have no problem either saying yes bluntly or scolding them (mostly Ruby) for slacking off, so why did this dumb cute seal make her feel a tickle in her stomach?
Ellen finally started typing when she saw those ellipses rise and fall like an impatient tapping of fingers on a desk.
(Ellen): yea. im down
That simple message made Ellen want to implode. It was too short! Not enough to convey just how much she cared about this bubbly, goofy, cute seal that lit up her world whenever her dumb smile flashed in her mind! Though, if she wrote too much it would come off as clingy and desperate Ellen thought. That would also mean forcing herself to confront the feelings that squirmed in her chest.
Nope. Ellen shoved those feelings back in the box and kicked it away as she waited for a response.
(Onyx): cool! cool how about today?
Shit. Ellen thought about sensing an S.O.S to the group chat, as if any one of the three could send her a life boat to save her from this social dilemma. Any time Onyx entered Ellen’s head it always made her cheeks tingle with a warmth that made her want to shove herself into a block of ice. She rolled once more on the bed and pulled up her calendar app looking for some excuse to delay this reunion she so desperately wanted. Unfortunately, the fates have aligned both her academic and work schedules to be mostly free for the summer.
Ellen groaned, and considered asking Lycaon for some extra work today just so she could have an excuse for being conveniently tired when Onyx wants to hang out and now can’t make it. The more she thought about it the more it broke her heart to put this off yet her body was geared to run away. Onyx wasn’t scary to her, sure they had a bit of a large frame, and those thighs that could crush stone, with caramel skin that Ellen wanted to take a bite out of like a candy apple, would Onyx even be willing to indulge the fantasy of softly squeezing Ellen’s head between her legs? As a joke of course!
Ellen buried her hot face into her pillow and typed out a response as calmly as she could.
(Ellen): sure
Ellen wanted to die right here, right now. She wanted to sink six feet under the entire manor and have her grave decked out with the coolest set of shark jaws so Onyx could visit every day with a bundle of fresh flowers in a black dress, waving in the wind as the petals carried her sobbing with them. The shark dug her fingers into her scalp and pulled her hair over the fact she said just one word! She should have said more to let Onyx know she was actually excited and her heart wouldn’t stop pounding in her ear!
The phone pinged as if to slap Ellen out of her frenzy.
(Onyx): cool! noon sound good?(Ellen): yea
The word came flying out so fast Ellen didn’t even have to think. She shot up out of bed and snapped her eyes to the wardrobe, this date had to be perfect. Wait, no. It’s not a date, at least that’s what looped in Ellen’s head as she vaulted over the bed and swung wide the wardrobe to her, unfortunately, black collection of outfits that she would just have to bear with in this damn summer heat. She was practically already boiling like a lobster in a pot with how red her face became, deciding what outfits would compliment Onyx’s tendencies for brighter colors.
The cool breeze of the AC inside the mall was heavenly to Ellen. She was one step away from melting into a black puddle even with her faded black denim shorts and black tank top. As opposed to seeing everyone pass by in their colorful summer outfits, it was like staring out into a coral reef. Yet here Ellen was. Sitting alone in a food court twirling a singular french fry in her fingers before snapping down on it with her two rows of deadly, sharp, teeth.
Ellen glanced at her phone, the last message from Onyx saying they’d be arriving in a few seconds but nobody seemed to fit the image Ellen had filed away in the folds of her grey matter. A seal thiren would absolutely stick out, and they were on the stockier side. Nobody matches that description within line of sight.
“Um, hi Ellen…”
She lazily turned to the sweet, melodic, and gentle voice that called out to her from the sky…and felt a hammer flatten her like a nail at the sight of the angelic voice’s source. She was wearing a white crop top that showed off her caramel skinned midriff, jeans with a rainbow of dried paint drops all across the legs, and sneakers that sparkled with iridescent accents. Black hair like her namesake swept across her bare shoulders, dotted with freckles that ran across her body that Ellen could lose herself in. Connecting each dot like a constellation as she sat there stunned. Hopping dot to dot until Ellen reached the generous bosom that wasn’t there six months ago, and tried to look away as fast as humanly possible each time those ruby eyes wandered. It didn’t even fully register to her that this woman was still speaking to her, Ellen was busy losing herself in the lapis blue eyes that twinkled like gems in a tidepool. The pink headphones slid down across her neck and a mottled black seal tail started to sway, threatening to smack into chairs like Ellen’s tail sometimes did.
Ellen couldn’t hear anything anymore. She was focused on the impressive strength of the seal in front of her…she was absolutely not a small woman by any means. A bit of pudge, but behind it was a deceptive power that Ellen imagined in action. This wasn’t the controlled body building so typically associated with strength no, it was the result of honest labor. Onyx’s biceps looked like the softest pillow Ellen could sleep on right now... and Ellen didn’t even notice her mouth hanging open while imagining nuzzling up to those arms at night. Imagining how the skin would feel against her lips and face. Wondering if Onyx would entertain the idea of letting Ellen absentmindedly squish those arms while studying.
“Ellen!” Onyx called out with a tint of concern across her gentle face.
Ellen snapped awake and tried to recompose her cool image. “Hi… you are?” Ellen said, stretching out the final vowel. Stalling for time as the gears in her head were churning to make a connection she knew was there but somehow couldn’t click in her rose-tinted mind. The seal thiren only laughed and took a seat, careful of the space both their tails greedily consumed.
“Crazy what six months of HRT does, it’s me…Onyx…surprise!” The seal smiled awkwardly as she took a seat, allowing Ellen to catch a glimpse of the set of teeth hidden behind a honey coated smile. Sharp, but not like Ellen’s shark teeth. The canines were far more pronounced and all her incisors leaned towards being pointed daggers. They could tear meat effortlessly from bone and Ellen found herself swallowing at the thought of those teeth clamping down at her throat. Not out of fear but a feeling much deeper and primal that she promptly, and violently, threw back into its box along with the rest of the weird feelings that made her body warm all over.
“Y-yeah, didn’t recognize you there Onyx…so…how’ve you been?” Ellen’s inner dialogue was screaming at the control panel in her brain. Really?? For one, this person who was once so ambiguous about their gender suddenly descends from Elysium to grace Ellen with the visage of a Greek goddess stuck in the modern world after only half a year! Six months thinking this person died, forgot about Ellen, or worse. Got tired of Ellen. Only to show up and make small talk? Ellen wanted to slam her head into the table right now, crack it in half, and be carted off to the nearest hospital for a concussion if it weren’t for her heart taking it as a competition and trying to jump out of her throat.
Onyx seemed to fidget in her seat and adjust the adams apple bouncing in her throat, forcing it back higher after rubbing her throat trying to hide it… Ellen gave her the space she needed to get comfortable.
Ellen was well aware of the poor body image Onyx had when they met. Painfully aware. The times when Ellen thought her own tail was nothing but a burden instead of something to be proud of came to mind; no doubt Onyx felt the same way with that large tail of hers. If only it ended at her thiren traits, this self loathing ran deeper and Ellen could only helplessly watch it consume Onyx from the inside out even when the seal was ‘happy’ back then. The more Ellen spent time with Onyx, the more she noticed the subtle ways that this poor soul loathed their own body on a fundamental level.
The healed scars along Onyx’s wrist, although faded, were still there. Proudly displayed for everyone to see instead of being hidden under long sleeves even on hot days like today, yet every so often Onyx would rub the raised lines of her scars climbing up her wrist. Faint traces of chemical burns from hair removal products still lingered on her arms. If Onyx was so inclined she would have even dunked herself in acid to be rid of the body hair she used to obsessively loathe even if it stripped her to the bone. Ellen remembered the patches of hair so clearly ripped out by hand. Truly, Onyx was falling into a dark chasm Ellen had no idea how to rescue her from.
But here she was. Embracing an identity that Ellen could only compare to a butterfly emerging from a long pupation. So why did it continue to drive a corkscrew into Ellen’s heart to see these little moments when Onyx was unsatisfied with her body? It eluded Ellen for now, and she realized there was a touch too big of a gap in the silence between her and Onyx.
“Nothing much, same old Ellen. Working, studying, napping, you know me.” Ellen said, yawning towards the end. Ellen leaned back in her seat and flicked her eyes down to Onyx’s impressive tail curling into its owner's lap just like Ellen would do. Cute…so very cute. Ellen couldn’t help but smile, but she played it off as if she was thinking about something sweet with her eyes lazily drifting to the food stalls.
Onyx finally pipes up with her voice scraping at the start. “Cool! Awesome, you’re…not wondering how I ended up y’know. Like this?” Are you kidding? That’s all Ellen could think about right now! Her frantic attempts to not look at Onyx’s chest were only barely hidden under the cold stoicism Ellen was known for. The only thing holding Ellen back was the fact that, even with her time interacting with Belle and asking questions about how life is for trans women, she was completely overwhelmed by a rosy cloud that made her head spin on her shoulders. The subconscious words she suppressed threatened to slip out from her sharp teeth any time she opened her mouth! She couldn’t, shouldn’t , say anything that can be misconstrued as being a chaser just because Onyx was trans. At least, that’s what Ellen used as sound logic to avoid looking at the writing on the wall.
Play it cool, play it cool. The mantra looped inside Ellen’s skull to implore herself to not say anything stupid in front of Onyx. “I mean. You turned out pretty hot.”
The tiny imaginary Ellens piloting Ellen herself were running in circles screaming in the headquarters in her brain. It was a red alert complete with blaring sirens while they scrambled to find what to do in an absolute state of chaos. She wanted to evaporate right now but she was trapped on this mortal plane by the adorably stupid smile. The fact that Onyx seemed to take the Freudian slip with great stride was Ellen’s one saving grace that she wouldn’t be judged for seeking the warm embrace of Onyx’s bosom on a rainy day together after a long study session. To share space together, petting her head nestled in each other's arms in a moment of peace. Nope nope nope there it was again Ellen thought to herself once again, shoving it back in the dark box with a padlock where it belonged.
Ellen swallowed, somehow by some miracle maintaining her straight face, and looked directly into Onyx’s eyes. “You look good is what I mean. I kinda figured you were trans but I didn’t know how to really make you feel happy and comfortable at the time, plus I was busy with work and school and things kind of just…got away from me…”
Onyx rubbed the back of her neck and deflated a tiny bit. “Yea, it’s also kind of my fault too for going silent on you for that long. I was in a really dark place mentally for a while…so after starting to transition I got the confidence back to want to talk to you again!” Onyx said, letting her thick tail start to wag and the image of a labrador retriever pop into Ellen’s head.
“Sorry for not reacting super shocked or something like that, you know how it is with me. Not very expressive.” Ellen squeezed the words out of her throat, stretching out her arm to touch those bouncy locks on Onyx’s head to give her some sign that she was still appreciated. The fact that Onyx leaned into the sign of affection should have made Ellen’s body spontaneously combust, but it didn’t. It calmed Ellen’s screaming heart the more she pet Onyx. The way her hair brushed through Ellen’s fingers was so therapeutic…like petting a dog that loves their person unconditionally. The comparison was not lost on Ellen, but she would unpack that later. For now she could take comfort in her clumsy attempts to keep playing the part of the cool and badass shark girl while Onyx’s tail was wagging faster, and faster, and faster until she was slapping hard against the linoleum floor. Blissfully ignorant within her own happiness.
“Oh! Before I forget!” Onyx chirped, pulling away from the petting to reach in her bag that Ellen couldn’t help but dig her nails into her thighs in cuteness aggression. It was a black canvas bag with an iridescent skeleton shining across the front, the bird-like creature bearing the faint but definite indication of feathers and posed as if twirling mid-flight. Archaeopteryx, if Ellen remembered correctly from the times Onyx would gush about paleontology. Hanging from the straps was a charm of a rotund seal that made Ellen’s heart stop for a full second, but something else caught her attention right besides it. An equally rotund charm of a black shark.
Onyx’s callused hands cradled a large shark tooth protected and suspended in a vacuum sealed plastic, held together by a black frame. “I was diggin’ around near the coast again and found this, thought of you and well…that’s what made me want to reach out after all this time.” Ellen held it with such care it was borderline worship. Like she was given a holy artifact that demanded the highest reverence. So Onyx still thought about Ellen even in her darkest hour…the thought sat with Ellen as she stared into the fossil tracing the serrated edges of a shark long since passed.
Onyx giggled, using the shark’s fascination to ruffle her hair and let a blush grow across her freckled face. “Like it? I realize it’s pretty sudden so you don’t need to get me anything in retu-”
“We’re going shopping. Now.” Ellen stood up and inhaled the rest of her fries that had gone cold a long time ago.
“What?! Wait hold on you don’t gotta-” Onyx was cut off by Ellen’s deceptive strength pulling her away in the direction of Ellen’s choice shops.
The shark popped a candy in her mouth and held Onyx by the wrist. “Nuh uh, we are going shopping and catching up for all those six months.”
Ruby stood with her soda still cold in her hand, absolutely floored by what she just saw. Never mind the big and intimidating seal thiren that looked like she could tear Ruby apart with her bare hands, the part that had Ruby’s jaw on the floor was seeing Ellen head over heels for that seal thiren! She ducked behind a booth and fished out her phone while sipping on the soda in her other hand.
(Ruby): OMG. guess who i just saw
(Monna): i swear if u say officer mewmew i will actually scream
(Lynn): u saw ellen?
(Ruby): HOW DID U KNOW????
(Ruby): ur not secretly spying on me at the mall are u
Ruby looked over her shoulders but only saw Ellen petting the seal’s hair, making her heart twist the same way it would when she’d see a cute cat lounging around on campus. She typed at the speed of light while keeping an ear out for their beloved shark’s romantic fumbling.
(Ruby): shes on a date
(Ruby): like frfr on a date
(Ruby): we gotta help nom nom!!!!!
(Monna): girl chill im not going outside in this heat
(Monna): u right tho. ellen is TERRIBLE at sharing her feelings
Ruby turned her neck just a click back and felt her heart drop when Ellen held a gigantic shark tooth in her hand.
(Ruby): omggg she gave ellen like
(Ruby): a huge shark tooth
(Ruby): thats like a proposal right???????????
(Ruby): guys?
(Lynn): oh fuck this is like. dire. ellen CANT fumble this.
(Lynn): monna get up, we’re going to the mall
(Monna): ughhhhhhhhhhhhh
(Monna): fine but ur paying for boba
Chapter 2
Summary:
The more Ellen catches up with Onyx, the more she feels the deep urge breaking out of her control. Who knew it took Ruby's meddling to trigger what would start a chain reaction in both Onyx's and Ellen's heart.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Onyx took a bite of her taiyaki’s head and hummed in delight at the taste of red bean paste across her tongue, while Ellen leaned back on the bench just happy to see her having a great time. She almost felt bad for dragging Onyx across several stores.
The poor seal was showing her usual signs of fatigue that Ellen was so keen on in the time they bonded. She stopped talking as much, not that she said much to begin with. She spoke from her heart; often to a fault but that was more than enough. Her yawning was getting more frequent too, along with half-lidded eyes trying their best to stay awake at every blink. Didn’t stop her from inhaling food as per usual though. In less than a few seconds the fish was gone!
Onyx yawned again, proudly showing off her impressive fangs that made Ellen shiver a bit every time. Imagining them sinking into her skin and leaving a mark- pause.
Ellen’s train of thought screeched to a halt at those thoughts that kept swinging back to her no matter how much she kicked them away. Thoughts of intimacy and even the simple things they could do together. The fact that Ellen was in Onyx’s mind, proven by the shark tooth fossil safely tucked away in Onyx’s bag for now, was enough to make butterflies flutter in Ellen’s stomach. Each time she looked over to Onyx swaying back and forth in such whimsy it got harder to ignore the feelings she tried to bury.
The rustling of a plant nearby luckily pulled Ellen out of her mental struggle. Onyx was either blissfully unaware or simply paying no mind, but Ellen felt her blood begin to boil at the sight of a cow tail flicking from behind the greenery. “Hold up, I gotta use the bathroom.” Ellen said coldly.
“Oh! Cool, I’ll wait right here!” Onyx chirped with a smile, but something seemed off. Her blue eyes briefly stared directly in the direction of the plant. Ellen could see her nose twitching to take in scent like Lycaon would. She knew and was too polite to say anything. Which meant Monna, in turn, absolutely knew the jig was up and was currently frozen in fear.
All afternoon Ellen ignored the scent of her rambunctious trio of friends, thinking it was purely coincidence. Ruby must have dragged them here to do some shopping instead of studying. Or so she thought at first. The more she caught traces of them wherever she went, the more she understood what was actually happening. One of them caught wind of Ellen here at the mall one way or another with Onyx, and thought they were on a date. Then they (definitely Ruby) felt the need to inject themselves into Ellen’s relationship. Monna’s tail froze in an exclamation point as Ellen circled around and hid herself behind a pillar to avoid making Onyx worry more than she had to.
“Alright. Spill.” Ellen said, digging icicles into Monna’s shivering body.
“W-w-wha, Hi Ellen! Sooooo funny running into you here!” Monna was trying so hard not to sell out Ruby, who was just as petrified, nearby just from the glacial aura an angered Ellen emitted in the very air. Ruby was so desperately trying to act natural that she ended up feeling her joints stiffen.
“I know you guys have been following me. Can you guys seriously let me have one day without any one of you three meddling with a nice date?!” Ellen said, voice about to break. This was different from the usual drawl she was known for. It still carried the vocal fry but this time it teetered on the volcanic edge of rage. A specific kind of rage that boiled in the crucible of her heart. Monna was rendered speechless.
“So it is a date!” Ruby said, cutting the tension with a clumsily dropped knife. Lynn and Monna felt their souls about to be reaped from their bodies as they clicked their heads to Ruby. Ellen was made aware of the subconscious slip of the tongue, and now she was the scythe blade about to cut them in half because Ruby couldn’t shut up! Divine intervention decided to have mercy on the three of them, even with Ruby currently being shaken by her shirt collar.
“Yo, are these your friends who’ve been stalking us all day?” Onyx, unlike Ruby, cuts the tension with frightening precision. The seal thiren held both hers and Ellen’s bags in both arms like she was curling weights. Somehow she was even scarier if not just as scary as Ellen! Monna scuttled backwards on instinct just from being in the presence of an apex predator but, when Onyx’s hand reached out, all that masked frustration hidden behind her smile was gone. It was replaced by exhausted friendliness only comparable to a curious cat walking up to a stranger for pets.
Even Ellen was taken by surprise…she wasn’t like this six months ago. At all. Onyx, despite her size, would find every way to minimize herself. Even if just by virtue alone of being a leopard seal she carried significant power in her presence. Her voice used to scratch just after a minute from underuse…but now she was striking up casual conversation with Monna like she already knew her! That voice was way more feminine too, no longer the husky and raspy attempt at an androgynous voice. It was a practiced melody, still slightly deeper but undeniably feminine. In the cute tomboy way that Ellen had always found one of Onyx’s most endearing traits.
She has grown so much in those six months. Her unrelenting kindness, her raw strength, her insatiable curiosity, Ellen felt the warmth again spreading across her face down to her chest. Her peripheral vision turned pink. Only Onyx mattered right now, even with Ruby pleading to be released from the iron grip. Whatever anyone was saying to Ellen didn’t matter. She was imagining those muscles swelling at the swing of a sledgehammer knocking loose precious stones. Or the deceptively gentle touch all over her body. Ellen imagined waking up beside her every morning…and that one thought lingered longer than the others.
“Hellooooo, Nom Nom! Oh my god she is gone .” Lynn said from behind her magazine. Nobody dared to wake Ellen up from her dream lest they get their fingers bitten clean off.
Onyx fidgeted and turned to the trio. “So you’re Ellen’s friends?” she asked, tilting her head. She instinctively approached the three to establish their scents to a face in her mind’s encyclopedia, though only Monna seemed to be immediately receptive to the behavior after recovering from fearful paralysis. Monna took her time to smell the cool, earthy scent. Onyx smelled like a glacier…Monna’s nose tickled with ice and a hint of ground stone in the undertones. Both Onyx and Monna’s tails were swishing in friendly delight by the time Ellen snapped out of her blissful trance.
Ellen was speechless. She felt her throat tighten up at the otherwise normal thiren action. She tumbled from the embarrassment of fantasizing about Onyx, to the indignity of her friends being smelled instead of her !
The fact that it bothered her so much was something Ellen didn’t want to confront at all but her gut kept forcing her to look at. It was plainly and painfully written across the wall in bright neon signs, but Ellen refused to read the words burning into her retinas. Even with Ellen’s vehement denial, her body started acting on its own.
Ellen released Ruby and swam besides Onyx to possessively take in her scent right in front of Monna. She breathed deep of the frozen earth that wafted from Onyx’s neck in a primal, instinctual, and needy inhale that overpowered every restraint in Ellen’s mind.
Ellen’s crimson eyes flashed as a warning to the trio. “That’s enough. Get out.” Ellen commanded. The instinct overpowering her was slowly fading to unfortunate clarity, but right now the only thing that mattered to Ellen was to show everyone that Onyx belonged to her .
Monna immediately understood and perked up her ears. She corralled Ruby and Lynn away from Ellen in a knowing motion. Ignoring Ruby’s protests the whole distance Ellen’s piercing red gaze was still emanating a territorial warming. “Sorry Ellen! W-we’ll get outta your hair and see you later! R-right guys!?” Monna squeaked, before running in the opposite direction with Ruby and Lynn in tow.
Both Ellen and Onyx blinked absentmindedly. Still tangled in each other from Ellen’s lapse in control for longer than just a few seconds.
Onyx just smiled through the awkwardness. “They’re…nice?”
Ellen finally released Onyx, feeling the bright red burning across her face. Realizing what she did and trying to find any sort of animosity in Onyx’s soft eyes. She found none…just patience, understanding, and joy. “Y-yeah. When they’re not being weird but they’re good.” Ellen said, trying to sweep what just happened under the rug.
“You just didn't remember my scent exactly after this long right? Yeah!I get it! Totally!” Onyx said with an unusual shakiness in her voice. Unlike Ellen, Onyx was hanging on to that moment. She wanted more. She squirmed and kept thinking about how possessive Ellen was. It excited Onyx so much that her tail betrayed her attempts to keep it subdued.
Ellen was forced to confront her feelings once more. “Yeah. Y-you can smell me too, I’m sure you probably forgot a bit too.” She said in a low voice. The mental gymnastics Ellen had to perform to even convince herself this wasn’t romantic were Olympian. Yet here she was, exposing her neck to Onyx who was all too happy to breathe in the sharp scent of metal and ice.
Just like Ellen, Onyx breathed in deep. The distinct smell of steel filled her lungs with such rapturous euphoria it became addicting. Deeper breaths followed, one after the other. Their scents of stone and steel twisting together was dangerously intoxicating. Ellen barely even tried to push Onyx away, but her touch triggered something animalistic buried deep under chains. Onyx opened her mouth and gently pressed down with her knife-like canines onto Ellen’s neck. Drinking and sinking deeper into Ellen’s scent. It wasn’t until Ellen stifled a moan that Onyx finally woke up.
“Okaythatsenough! Wow it’s getting late I should be headed home and you probably have to study so I’ll message you later! Cool? Cool! Bye!!” Onyx slipped the shark tooth into one of Ellen’s shopping bags, set Ellen’s bags down, then bolted away with her own bags at alarming speed and a bright cherry red face. Leaving Ellen to replay the moment teeth almost broke skin in public on loop each time she felt her neck.
“See you Onyx…fuck, that was a date wasn't it.”
Onyx dropped her bags at the foot of her bed, and in one motion flopped right onto her bed. The speckled grey comforter welcomed her weight, and a giant plush of a dinosaur nugget bounced in the wave from her belly flop.
She screamed into her pillow and scooped up the malformed stegosaurus when she turned to her side, still thinking about Ellen. Her vocal fry was a steadying vibration that, even six months without hearing it, stabilized her when thoughts began to spin out of control. The way Ellen’s tail swayed and bounced in the air effortlessly in spite of the weight she knew it had on her lower back inspired confidence in her own fat tail. Then there was her scent…she was doomed to spiral into hopeless addiction.
The space besides her felt empty without Ellen. When she hugged her nuggie plush she tried to imagine it was Ellen embracing her, petting her hair, biting down on her neck to bond them both together. That last thought gave Onyx a moment of pause. Today was just supposed to be reconnecting after so long, right? That’s what Onyx tried to convince herself whenever she looked at the shark charm on her bag, but that wasn’t exactly the whole truth.
Ellen was a fantastic friend. In fact, it was that shark charm she innocuously bought one day from a gachapon machine which kept her hanging on; precisely because it reminded Onyx of Ellen. The crush she had on Ellen was getting harder to deny as time went on. She wanted to grow alongside Ellen, but the absence felt too great at the time. Her body felt too undesirable, still does albeit to a lesser degree than in the last six months.
Onyx groaned into the dino nugget and resigned to let sleep carry away the embarrassment of what she did today, but a ringing from her phone roused her from rest. She sat up thinking it was just an annoying spam call, but the caller ID almost made her explode on the spot. She picked up faster than she ever has in her entire life.
“Ellen!! Hi! Hey! What's up?” Her tail was as stiff as a board, her heart was clenching thinking that Ellen was going to scold her for today.
“Hey, just wanted to say thanks. For the tooth, and for hanging out. It was…really nice seeing you again.” Ellen’s voice carried the familiar hints of drowsiness Onyx had grown to find so endearing. It calmed her enough to let her tail curl into her own lap with the plushie.
“Yea! It was fun, and if you ever want I can take you out to the quarry where I find a whole bunch of fossils and cool gemstones! We even let people crack open geodes!” Onyx’s enthusiasm trickled down the invisible line connecting her and Ellen like honey down a string.
Unbeknownst to her, Ellen on the other side was still rubbing the part of her neck where those teeth almost clamped down. While she indulged Onyx’s hyperfixation, she kept tracing the light indents wishing they had gone deeper.Thoughts of Onyx working the quarry filled her mind and amplified the heat building inside. ‘I should have bitten her. She’s mine. Mine…” Ellen thought on repeat. The dam was about to burst right here and all she could do to satisfy this need was to hear Onyx’s voice. Why did she have to be so sweet, kind, and caring?! No matter how much Ellen tried to shove these romantic thoughts away they magnetized right back.
Now here she was, heaving, hoping Onyx couldn’t hear on the other side, and feeling her heart about to implode just from Onyx’s delectable voice.
“You should come over some time! I have a bunch more fossils on display that I think you’d like.”
“Yes!” Ellen almost screamed out. She caught herself right at the precipice of her neediness to recompose. She fell back into the cool persona she was known for with practiced ease once her emotions were chained back up.
“Yea, I’d love to. Wanna hang out at my place tomorrow, then we head over to yours the day after?”
‘What am I doing what am I doing WHAT AM I DOING?!’ Ellen screamed to herself. Having Onyx here would inevitably reveal her maid dress! Who knows what that dumb, cute seal would do once she saw Ellen in her maid dress….
“I'd like that a lot, actually. Never got to check out where you’ve been crashing these days.” Onyx’s tail was kicked into overdrive. Slapping itself against the mattress with enough force to snap the bedframe in half if it wasn’t made of reinforced steel for this precise reason.
“Sure. I can have someone pick you up.” Ellen felt her future self bashing her skull into the polished floor of the Victoria Housekeeping manor, but the more she struggled to kill this feeling deep inside the more tiring it became. It was a losing battle, so why not embrace it? Even though she is terrible at expressing her feelings, a certain Proxy might be able to help her out. She was still mad at Ruby for deciding it was her job to play matchmaker. Maybe just a little bit less now that it triggered a domino effect of feelings that Ellen could maybe tolerate.
The two almost fought over who would say goodbye. Once Onyx finally hung up, Ellen immediately dialed up a very sleepy Belle.
Notes:
This was supposed to be scheduled for next week, but out of habit I set it to be posted same day soooooo extra chapter this week!
Chapter 3
Summary:
Onyx and Ellen bug their close friends for dating advice way too early in the morning. What are friends for if not to help process emotional issues getting in the way of your prospective love life after all?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The sun has barely crested over the horizon and from the tranquil silence of night passing to day, is a seal ignorant to the sanctity of this hour when the world is at rest.
“Yuzuhaaaaaa!! Good morning! I need dating advice!” Onyx stood knocking at the door to the Mystic Wares Porcelume shop, and she would have knocked the scarlet haired girl unconscious had Yuzuha not caught her wrist mid swing. Her leafy green eyes staring knives into the oblivious seal still carried the remnants of sleep disturbed. Her hair, shorts and tank top were disheveled as proof of the sudden rouse Onyx caused. She clicked back on her hearing aid and slowly lowered Onyx’s arm.
“Alice had to wake me up to let me know you were here, this thing isn’t on all the time you know!” She said, tapping gently near the cochlear implant on the side of her head.
She didn’t bother with the pleasantries of inviting Onyx inside. She didn’t have the strength to even try to compete with what was essentially a boulder. Nor did she care enough. Onyx is a good friend, even if she was a bit dense at times.
It was endearing, like a labrador that just doesn’t stop adoring the people who show them kindness. She certainly wouldn’t turn away the person who supported not just Yuzuha but Spook Shack as a whole just for the sole reason of uplifting those around her. Even though Onyx only rarely accompanied her and Alice on paranormal investigation ventures, the stories each time they returned captivated her and filled her with a child-like wonder. Yuzuha was definitely also not going to turn her nose up at legit mined and polished minerals that she could sell as various spiritual talismans. She was more than happy to pay Onyx for her hard labor just to see that seal happy and with a bit more sunshine into her life.
Besides, it was better to stay on Onyx’s good side. The time Yuzuha saw Onyx punch a solid block of ice into smithereens with her bare fists at a summer festival became a permanent memory. Even if Yuzuha and Alice both could easily weave through a brute fight, that’s not what made Onyx scary. It was the intelligence behind the strength, and all the restrained rage sealed up in chains along with it.
She was absolutely not the typical species of seal one commonly imagines. She wouldn’t roll over on her back and show her belly in pathetic surrender like people thought when they pictured the animal. If she was showing her belly, it was purely to snap down with bone crushing force like a bear trap once it was too late to escape. She was smart and complex. It would be an insult to Onyx as her own person to throw her away into the narrow bins Yuzuha saw many people do.
She was so intimately familiar with that experience…watching people mock her disability by mouthing words to trick her into thinking her hearing aid was on the fritz. The least she could do was give respect to Onyx where it was rightfully due. Within the last six months Onyx often crashed at this very house, trapped in a void refusing to eat. Slipping away into sleep to stop the pain of being awake, aware, and believing herself damned for being assigned male at birth. In those six months of darkness, Yuzuha, Alice, and Manato became three of Onyx’s best friends aside from just Ellen. Ready to catch Onyx when she started to fall backwards.
Yuzuha started up the coffee brewer and flopped into a chair in the kitchen waiting for Onyx to settle herself in on account of that large tail.
“So, got girl troubles?” Yuzuha said, lazily dragging the pot to pour the tar-like liquid into a mug shaped like an apple.
Onyx was speechless for a few seconds. When she finally did speak up Yuzuha was just patiently waiting in her seat letting the mug hang precariously in her hand. Onyx felt her mouth fill up with cotton at being so immediately exposed. Even if she was terrible at what she thought was hiding that heart on her sleeve. She looked back up to Yuzuha and cleared her throat. “How do you know I like women? I only said I needed dating advice…”
Yuzuha raised her eyebrow and tilted her head down slightly, all while maintaining direct eye contact with the flustered seal. She spoke after taking in a sip of the way too bitter coffee. “Girl. You are like, the image that shows up in a dictionary when you look up tomboy lesbian. Not really my thing, I got my favorite lil snuggle bunny.”
“Is Onyx having girl troubles?” Alice yelled from all the way in the bedroom as if to prove Yuzuha’s point.
“Okay! Okay I get it, I’m a lesbian disaster! Now can you actually help?” Onyx yelped. The poor woman was already steamed red much to Yuzuha’s amusement. It was impressive how not a few months ago that seal wanted to die, to now brimming with life. Her will to live was almost overpowering all thanks to this girl who stole her heart.
Yuzuha shook a packet of sugar in and finally let go of her teasing agenda. She was satisfied. For now. “Yeah, yeah. So what’s she like? Did you already go on a date? When’s the second date?” She leaned in closer with every consecutive question.
“Uhhh, really sweet but the kind that's like dark chocolate, yeah we went to the mall and I gave her a megalodon tooth, and it's actually in a few hours when I’m getting picked up to go to her place.” Onyx stated matter of factly, which made Yuzuha choke on her coffee right there. The red head braced herself with both hands on the kitchen table. Onyx jolted up but Yuzuha stopped her before she could rush to aid her mid-sputtering.
“WHAT?!” Yuzuha squawked in her coughing fit, slowly winding down. “You gotta tell me all about her. Like, right now! Holy shit!” She twisted and breathed in to scream out to Alice, but that very rabbit silenced her with a kiss.
“Congratulations Onyx, I’d say you’re fast approaching second base as it were.” Alice said, practically a zombie walking half-asleep in her pajamas dotted with little carrots. She snatched up her wallet from the counter and counted a few bills. Then slapped it into Yuzuha’s expectant hand.
Onyx squirmed a bit in her seat now that Ellen was being fished out to the front of her mind. “Well, she’s that shark thiren I told you guys about a while ago. She’s really cool, and straightforward. Deep down she really cares, you know? That kind of person who takes no bullshit and sees you for who you are…” Onyx was only getting redder the more she went on about Ellen.
“She cares about me. Not just because I’m trans, you guys know I can protect myself.” How ironic that Onyx says that fidgeting in her seat like a dainty schoolgirl, and then not a week ago Alice was on the beach with her struggling to flip over a monstrous tire she effortlessly moved like it was a bottle cap. “She makes me feel safe. Emotionally…and she kept me from doing something I uh…”
Yuzuha tensed up. She remembers hauntingly and vividly how dark Onyx’s life was getting at the start of her transition. She used her downright supernatural sleight of hand several times to swap out bottles of pills intended to overdose on with sugar tablets. Sneaking in little notes in the museum she worked at to remind Onyx that she was loved. Hearing that this shark thiren was the reason she hung on to life when in the malicious tar pit of depression confirmed something in Alice’s mind ticking away like precise clockwork starting up for the day.
Alice spoke over her shoulder tidying up the kitchen a bit now that she was awake. “Thankfully, you are alive and quite beautiful I must say. The fact that this girl, even if she seems emotionally stunted, truly cares enough to invite you into her life speaks volumes.”Alice’s ears swerved to drink in each delectable noise Onyx made. She was thinking of that girl and it was riling up the poor seal. Honestly for all that strength and for love of all things to make her as meek as a mouse tickled Alice while she set things back to their tidy little spots. Probably disturbed by Manato making himself something way earlier and then falling asleep on the couch.
“Yeah. She invited Onyx over to her house. That's like, real deep in the hole if that's the second date.” Yuzuha said while taking a deep drink of a slightly sweeter coffee. “But for real Onyx. You caught yourself a girl who loves you for you ! Get out there today and knock her dead! Not literally- you know what I mean you big lug!” Yuzuha jumped up to ruffle Onyx’s hair in a playful headlock. Using the distraction to slip something into her pocket that Alice rolled her eyes at.
The two only giggled and exchanged loud banter between laughter. Allowing Onyx to happily wag her tail, spilling her heart out in the dawn soaked kitchen to the delight of all three of them. Alice poured a cup of coffee for herself and for Onyx with a, still sleepy, smile for the room stuffed full of sapphic joy and Yuzuha’s pep-talk. Thankfully Manato, currently splayed out on the couch, is used to Yuzuha’s volume. He smiled while continuing to pretend he was in deep sleep. Proud of Onyx for slowly beginning to accept herself as someone who deserves love.
“Hey. Belle. You up?” Ellen poked the snoring woman still in her bed by the cheeks at the crack of dawn. No response. Only a spittle of drool flowing out of her open mouth.
“Ellen Joe, as per Master’s agreement last night to assist you in your romantic endeavors I have allowed you entry into the residence. Unfortunately, I could not keep her awake long enough this early despite setting multiple alarms to meet you at the time agreed. Would you like me to attempt to awaken her?” Fairy spoke from Belle’s phone right beside her. It would have been convenient to have roused Belle awake just from that alone…too convenient. Belle’s snoozing proved she had slipped right back shortly after their phone call last night.
“Sure. You got me curious now.”
“Affirmative. Ahem. Master, I am detecting Miss Banshee attempting to break in through the back door. She is carrying an impressive bouquet of flowers and will be arriving at your location in approximately 60 seconds and counting.”
“Huh?!” Belle sat up with alarming speed. She spun her head around with a giddy smile searching all over for Vivian, only to then slump her shoulders at the realization of what happened. “Oh come on, that’s the second time someone used that to wake me up.”
“Second-Assistant, to his credit, was quite clever for using your attraction to Miss Banshee as a method of redirecting your attention. I will note that this tactic works even when Master is deep in REM cycle sleep.”
“Ugh, sorry for falling asleep on you Ellen. Spent all night on a commission from Lycaon.” Belle said, wiping the sand out of her eyes and inching over to the edge of the bed to properly speak with Ellen. As properly as a sleep deprived proxy this early in the morning can. The mention of Lycaon, however, stuck out to Ellen like a waving flag. Whether or not it was red remained to be seen. She had no messages from him about it… though that might change over the next few days when she has housekeeping work.
Ellen put that aside for now to avoid her habit of swapping into work mode to instead focus on Belle rising up in her bangboo onsie. “Gotta admit, she’s gotta be one lucky gal to have made you of all people want dating advice this early.”
Ellen was exposed right out the gate. She tried to hide her blush but Belle was already standing and vibrating with excitement. “Ooohh so it is a girl. Give me all the details!” Belle had stars in her eyes looking up at Ellen.
“Ugh. Yeah, she’s…nice. Really nice. Like, sweeter than peaches.” That warmth came back in slow pulses the more Ellen allowed Onyx’s image to project clearer in her mind's eye. Ever since yesterday she couldn’t get Onyx out of her head. She took the metro home in a dreamy trance imagining Onyx’s hand filling hers the entire way. She still did by the way she was clasping her hands together right now. She pretended Onyx was seated with her and the other housekeepers for dinner last night. She let herself believe the pillow in her bed was Onyx hugging her back so she wouldn’t be alone at night anymore.
Belle was beaming. “Ohhh baby Wise owes me 25,000 dennies!”
“You were betting on my love life?!” Ellen balked, but couldn’t stop Belle even if she wanted to. Ellen just sighed in exasperation and flopped facefirst onto the bed. “I don’t even know if I can treat her right.”
Belle stopped herself from barging into Wise’s room to comfort the shark currently groaning into the sheets. “There, there. Let me guess, she’s trans too?”
Ellen wanted to just burrow herself into the mattress and never come out. “How do you know these things?!” She yelled into the bed to keep poor Wise out of this vulnerable, and embarrassing, moment. Meanwhile, Belle was rubbing Ellen’s back to ease her nerves.
“Ellen, you are so easy to read sometimes. You gave yourself away when you said you didn’t know how to treat her right.”
Ellen lifted her head from the bed to look up at Belle very full of herself right now. That didn’t matter right now to her, just the sight of seeing Belle take all this with such playful and joyous understanding was enough to comfort Ellen’s weary heart just a little.
Ellen sat up, making microadjustments to let her tail find a nice spot to sink its weight down. “I mean. You’re right. I have no idea how to make her happy. What if I say something that triggers her dysphoria? Or I don’t give her enough support? I’ll kick anyone’s ass for treating her wrong any day of the week, but loving her? I’m so lost…”
Belle hopped right beside Ellen, leaning up against her and grabbing the unnaturally long bangboo plush behind her for the shark to cuddle as she processed her tumultuous emotions. “Well let's start from the beginning. How would you describe what loving her feels like?” Belle said softly. It was impressive how fast she could switch from silly to sincere, but that’s just what made her so charming.
Ellen swallowed hard and gripped the bangboo plush. “I don’t really know how to describe it, it's this…warmth in my chest that spreads all over when I think of her, but not her body! I mean, not just her body.” That same warmth began to well up inside her chest, but this time something felt different about it. This wasn’t just simple infatuation. It was something much deeper that came in crashing waves against her heart. “I kept thinking about her for six months, Belle. I kept checking my messages every day in case she messaged me while I was at work or in class, or asleep. I lost so much sleep waiting for her to message me. Like those movies of the wife waiting for her soldier to come home.”
Her nails dug into the fleece of the plushie. Those crashing waves were causing a storm surge all the way up to her eyes. The dam was cracking and there was no time, or desire, to even try to patch it up. “Loving her to me means maybe I can make her happy. She’s been transitioning for six months but you told me that the dysphoria stays for a long time.” Hot tears streamed down Ellen’s cheeks. First a trickle, then cascading into a flood. “But it’s not just that! Even if she wasn’t trans I want to make her happy! I want to be a part of her life and for her to be a part of mine!” Ellen wheezed between heavy sobbing. The walls she had put up were washed away in an instant, undone brick by brick from the slow cracks that Onyx unknowingly carved into Ellen. The erosion in the unmoving ice that was in the perfect shape for Onyx to fit revealed itself to Belle in all its raw beauty.
Ellen’s breath hitched. She tried so desperately to put the broken pieces of herself back together but they kept slipping out of her hands. This was not the Ellen Joe she presented to her friends, or befitting of a maid for Victoria Housekeeping (even if she only loosely followed the guise of elegance). This was years of caged emotions flying free once the bars bent just enough to set them loose upon the world.
“Ellen, it’s ok. Let it all out. I’ve dated a few chasers in the past, and I know what they see in a trans woman is disgustingly shallow.” Belle cringed just at the passing memory...but banished the hideous thought as fast as it arrived to keep slowly running her hand across Ellen’s back.
“You don’t have to be the cool and cold Ellen you put on for everyone all day, not around me and especially not around her. It’s ok to be vulnerable with the people you care about. Especially around the people you love. So you’re gonna sweep her off her feet with a great time today! Alright?” Belle encouraged Ellen to breathe. One deep breath in, deep breath out. Belle set the metronome and Ellen followed between tears as Belle continued. “I can tell you right now that you see her as someone you want to fold into your whole life. Not just someone for sex, or just because she's trans to give yourself brownie points.” Belle kept her hand steady on Ellen’s back as she hiccuped and choked on ugly tears.
The whole hour was filled with Elllen’s sobbing winding down, a fresh cup of noodles for breakfast, and the whole floor before opening time for Ellen to happily gush about the little things she wanted to experience with Onyx like visiting the aquarium together. Or even just having cheap fries by the docks to see the sunset hiding behind the otherworldly dome of the hollows.
Lighter was shirtless, and doing sit-ups peppered with quick jabs on the bed while Wise pushed his ear to the door. Hearing Ellen cry was alarming by itself considering how many emotions that shark repressed. As much as he wanted to jump in to reassure her, his sister had it handled in her own unique, bubbly way.
“Huh. Guess I really do owe Belle money later. You don’t happen to have 25,000 dennies on you? I’d rather not deduct it from the register…” Wise gave a sheepish smile to Lighter. The biker only responded with a low chuckle.
“I uhhh, I think I left my wallet back at Blazewood…you think she’ll take an IOU?” Lighter joked, but did actually start looking for his wallet. Much to his horror at the realization that he truly did leave it at Cheesetopia. With photos. Several photos. Nothing salacious but still embarrassing should a certain nitro-fuel addicted pyromaniac discover them. Not to mention the trouble he’d get into if a cop pulled him over and he couldn’t produce an ID.
Wise gently thumped his head against the door, mentally preparing himself to drive to the Outer Ring after breakfast.
Notes:
So! This was written before the 2.1 update and we learned more about Yuzuha and Co., so I might end up making tiny adjustments to fit in line but overall I'm still happy with how I wrote the gang even with limited knowledge. It was mostly only details we had no way of knowing (as far as i'm aware of) like the Mystic Wares Porcelume shop.
Good luck on everyone's pulls for her :D
god knows i need it because this hell banner has miyabi too, and yanagi+alice coming up. ( i did manage to get miyabi...but she ate all my mater tapes in the process)
Chapter 4
Summary:
Stone and steel tangle together, but what does the future hold for them both?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Onyx waited nervously at the front of her quaint little townhouse in a white lawn chair downing a can of iced coffee. Her worn jeans, work boots, and white shirt was definitely not what she would have worn if she knew just how out of place she’d look at the manor. From what she understood, “dress nice” meant somewhere between not looking like a total slob to looking like she actually has a job. To the outside observer she looked like a blue-collar worker lounging around before an early shift at a construction site. They wouldn’t be completely wrong…Onyx was no stranger to visiting the quarry this early to do some mining on her own and to straighten things out for the day. Her family is good friends with the foreman there, she may as well keep that hospitality alive.
Onyx’s house itself wasn’t anything special…if you didn’t count the massive rock with trickling water from the fountain built into it that her grandfather was so insistent on staying on the generational property. Onyx didn’t mind it though, she would sometimes come out here to calm her nerves with the sound of the babbling streams against the windchimes. It was an impressive rock too, she had to admit. Blue-grey with sparkling white striations that ran across the entire chunk. Years of erosion from the fountain revealed magnificent marbling within the little paths carved from the streams along with little brass castings of Cambrian fossils sprinkled across its surface. It was crazy to think that these little things existed on this now hollow plagued planet so long ago…maybe there was a hollow where the corruption revealed a layer of earth ripe with the whispers of the past sealed in stone. Not that Onyx was foolish enough to set foot in a hollow even with her high ether aptitude.
A well maintained car pulled up to the front gate, and from it stepped a wolf as white as fresh snow. His posture was immaculate and each step from those metal legs was with purpose. His ears swerved before his body to Onyx's direction after taking a mental note of the neighborhood. “Ah! You must be Miss Onyx, Ellen has told me much about you! Von Lycaon at your service.” His voice carried a consistent rumble like thunder, even when he bowed at the gate Onyx was blown away by just how well this wolf thiren was perfectly composed. Not a single hair out of place, no wrinkles on his vest, nothing that would betray any perception other than a man that carried himself at the highest standard. It intimidated Onyx a little, seeing as how she still lingered in the self-loathing shadow that dragged her down to…well…her posture splayed open leaning back in a plastic chair, looking like she was drinking a can of beer even if it was iced coffee from a vending machine nearby.
Onyx straightened up like she was about to be verbally beaten by a drill sergeant. “Y-yes sir!”
Lycaon chuckled at the overly stiff and formal response. “Please, just Lycaon is fine. No need to be so formal, relax yourself. It wouldn't do to meet Ellen this fine morning as a nervous wreck now would it?” He waited by the car as any gentleman would. Not bringing any attention to Onyx’s frantic sputtering and tumbling out the gate after checking if her front door was locked for the tenth time. Just a surprisingly warm stoicism that was akin to a lantern on a signpost, where one can collect themselves and find solace in a steady light. He guided Onyx into the shining leather passenger seat with a bow and made his way to the driver's seat, retracing his path from the manor to here and back. The car prowled its way out of this neighborhood as the tires crunched loose gravel here and there. Purposely allowing Onyx time to adjust herself, but Lycaon didn’t have to even see her to tell her heart was beating out of her chest. He could hear it threatening to smash through her ribcage. “Miss Onyx, I couldn’t help but notice the impressive fountain on your property. Reminds me of the one outside the Natural History Museum.”
“Oh! Yeah, my grandpa made it. Quarried the stone all by himself for the museum fountain and used the remaining to build one on our house.” Onyx chirped. Lycaon smiled in satisfaction, turning the car onto the main roads and keeping his eye firmly locked ahead but keeping an ear turned to Onyx.
“Really?! By himself you say. So that old man really did lie to keep me from worrying about him. That’s very much like him though. Ever the headstrong but dedicated one.” Lycaon could see it now. That old seal spending who knows how long in the quarry, sometimes getting distracted by a fossil he just couldn’t help but unearth and appreciate, then getting right back to work with a sledgehammer.
Onyx looked at Lycaon with wide, twinkling eyes. “You knew grandpa? The old man never really talked about his work life much. Said it was bad luck to bring that kind of discussion into the house.
“It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, he was a family man first and foremost. It was only for a brief time too that I worked with him on the project with the museum along with the mayor.” Lycaon said with fond nostalgia. He remembered how lively the old man was; he put his blood, sweat, and tears into the work he did. Even challenged nosy TOPS suits when they got too comfortable with their perception of who really pulls the weight around by shoving a sledgehammer into their hands, and laughing at them struggle to even break pebbles in the toiling sun.
That’s why the mayor hired him after all. He got the job done and with roaring laughter echoing from the quarry, ensuring the spark of curiosity never dies so long as he can hold a tool in his hand and show generations the wonders of this planet just beneath their feet. The whole family was celebrating the job well done. They still do, Onyx sees the fruits of his labor not just in the stone fountain but the very brickwork in that same natural history museum she worked at. In those fossils he labored so hard to source from all over if he couldn’t find it himself. The fountain outside her home and the museum kept her family’s legacy alive and gave the future so many stories from a bygone era.
Lycaon turned briefly to Onyx but was met with a face of someone deep in sombre thought. “He uh. I’d like to think he’d be happy to see you Lycaon. His Alzheimer's has been getting worse, hasn’t forgotten about me though!” Onyx’s voice went cold and almost on the verge of tears. She caught herself before Lycaon could comment on the sudden drop in mood. “Not yet, at least. It’s not safe for him to go out to the quarry with the tools and all, even though he damn well tries. He…really does try.” Lycaon felt a nail hammer into his chest at the new information…to just imagine that man undone by his own mind slowly decaying from the inside. Each precious memory burnt down one by one. That is a suffering Lycaon would wish on nobody. In a heartbeat he would send her grandfather to the best hospitals in New Eridu but is that what he would want? To be seen kept alive by machines and in a sterile room for who knows how long? Is that what Onyx or her family would want? Some might consider that worse than death by slow descent into delusions. To impose this upon them without their consent just for what he considered right would only prove a nagging thought planted by Hugo…that Lycaon was a fool to be blinded by the golden glow of virtues.
“I would like to think so too. Perhaps a visit is in order, I’m sure Ellen would love to meet the man who inspired such boundless curiosity within you and your family.” Lycaon smiled, and turned his focus back to the road once the traffic light glowed green in the morning sky.
Onyx turned the idea in her head while staring out the window. The thought of Ellen seeing the pain that runs deep, not through just herself but through her entire family, admittedly scared her. How deep into this dark pit would Ellen be willing to go down until she turned away? The uncertainty triggered an insidious anxiety that wound up tight in her stomach. Lycaon killed the foul thing skittering in the dark just with the deep timbre of his voice, pulling Onyx back to the surface before the evil thoughts could dig their claws into her. “She truly does care about you. She would kill me for saying this so keep it between us, but she came home crying this morning. She couldn’t stop saying your name.”
Onyx tensed up as if she was about to jump out of the car this instant if it wasn’t for the seatbelt reminding her where she was. “Huh?! I mean, obviously she does cry but…crying over me?” She asked as if the notion was preposterous. As if she didn’t deserve to be wept over. Yet the thought sank into her and refused to be dislodged like a stone falling into quicksand. Onyx was so purposely distracting everyone, including herself, from these insecurities that they bled into her very personality. Playing the fool to lower expectations so she couldn’t disappoint what wasn’t there to begin with. Making everyone around her happy in some hope that it would someday orbit back around to her. It wasn’t until the mask fell off that she was confronted with how pathetic she perceived herself as. “Does she talk about me to you?”
“At first, not at all. She likes to keep aspects of her life safely locked away…but your name did slip out every so often. With the highest regard, as much as she tried to play it off as usual. Now she can’t get you out of her head.” Lycaon smiled. Just seeing Onyx perk back up was enough to satisfy him. His heart was secretly swelling over the fact this woman was slowly bringing joy back into Ellen’s life. She has been worryingly detached the past six months. Imagine his surprise when that all flips on its head after a single day. Ellen was crying when she returned to the manor but with so much bottled up emotions now uncorked it was as if Pandora's box spilled all the chaos into the world again. Left behind, however, was a luminous joy Lycaon wished to foster. It was precisely the reason he had agreed to drive Onyx to the manor. If Ellen was wanting to weave a beautiful tapestry that celebrated her and Onyx together it was only right to show them both that they were supported from all angles. Starting with this simple task, that already spoke tremendous volumes in allowing Ellen to trust her family with the parts of her life she once kept away.
“Yup, that sounds like Ellen. Hard to crack open but once you peek inside it's the most beautiful thing in the world.” Onyx said, finally with her fanged grin that made the whole car as warm and comforting as a campfire.
Something did bother Lycaon in the back of his mind now that he thought about it. “You said your grandfather, he is suffering from Alzheimer's. I assume that means he no longer manages the museum’s collection?”
“Oh! Yea, that kinda fell to me and my folks. I work at the museum picking up where he left off. Sometimes I volunteer at the quarry.” Lycaon’s attention was grabbed like a spear plunging into a fish. His ears turned to catch every word from Onyx’s voice to record for later. Onyx continued unaware of Lycaon’s meticulous scanning.
“Just the usual stuff, making sure everything is accounted for on and off the floor. In and out of the museum you know? My mom runs the place now, but she’s been finding it harder every month due to decreased funding.” Strange…Mayflower made sure the cultural aspects of the city including museums were well taken care of. If what Onyx was saying is true then something must be siphoning the line like a parasite.
“That and an influx of weirdos spouting all kinds of crazy stuff. One of the freaks tried to steal a fossil but jokes on them, the ones on the floor are replicas. I clocked him before PubSec could even arrive to haul him away!” She pounded her fists together in pride. Onyx’s statement confirmed something in Lycaon’s mind that he sought to investigate last night with the proxies. Someone is tampering with the museum. Mayor Mayflower expressed his concern to Lycaon after strange reports from other museums in the city about items going missing in hollows during transportation. Puzzling cases of said item being found stashed away in a hollow even began to appear on Lycaon’s radar. Now, it was beginning to look like it’s not just a loss in investment or incompetence once he did his due diligence beginning with, conveniently and unfortunately, the grandfather of Ellen’s romantic partner. It drove the nail deeper into Lycaon to be secretly sticking his nose into what he now knows is partly family affairs, but what was worse was the secrecy. How much could he tell Onyx and her family without putting them in harm's way. Time was running out the closer she got to Ellen, and by extension himself and Victoria Housekeeping. If the exaltists are crawling in the shadows then Onyx was in danger.
He filed that away for now to discuss with the proxies and the other housekeepers before acting on this urgenncy, though the discussion with Ellen would be the hardest. “Well, I have connections that would be able to help should you be interested.” Lycaon tried his absolute best to toe the line as much as he was permitted to bend within.
Onyx’s beaming eyes was all he needed to feel his soul feel lighter. “Oh! Y-yeah sure that’d be a great help!”
Lycaon already was calculating the numbers to make sizable donations out of his own pocket if he had to.If it meant that Onyx could be less worried about the affairs of the museum lurking in the shadows, and more focused on Ellen surely waiting with bated breath back at the manor, then it would be worth it. At least until Mayor Mayflower was made aware of this little wrinkle. In due time Onyx would be brought into the fold, but for now she had to be kept safe.
“We were tossing up the idea of charging for admissions, but me and my mom both knew grandpa would be hopping mad if we did. So that means a lot…thank you, Lycaon.” Onyx’s stiffness was loosening the more she got past the wolf’s icy exterior. She had to if she was going to meet Ellen in high spirits. A thought crept into Lycaon’s ever turning mind, but now would be an awkward time to try and weave it into the conversation right now ... .just how involved is Onyx’s family in the mining industry? Clearly they were no strangers to anything regarding stone but those white striations in the boulder suddenly reminded Lycaon of porcelume. It was impossible for a vein of raw porcelume to just go unnoticed by the mining and refining corporations salivating at the first glimmer of stuff within Waifei, much less sit out in the open as a fountain on someone's property. It was just not possible that those white bands were somehow porcelume...but it did beg the question from the start; how involved was Onyx's family in the mining industry. Maybe the proxies' recent tales were making him draw conclusions, or maybe it was another thread he could follow. Something to note later, and visit Aerospace City for some clues with the other housekeepers...oh the conversation he was going to need to have with Ellen already exhausted Lycaon.
“Breathe Ellen, it’s alright to be nervous. Even if Miss Onyx doesn’t reciprocate the feelings, she is still very much welcome here. Trusting us to be folded in with your life like this takes no small amount of courage and for that we are proud of you.” Rina cooed softly to Ellen. The poor shark was fidgeting in her seat at the foyer, something very rare for anyone , let alone her closest friends and family to see. She kept her glacial wall up at all times. Only Onnyx managed to bore right through and meet Ellen in the middle while carrying her own weighty luggage of sorrows. This woman has made a home inside the walls of ice thought to be impenetrable! Ellen just couldn’t accept for the longest time that there were cracks, she had to be strong for people around her. She has to. To think that one person could undo her so much was unfathomable.
Ellen still couldn’t fully accept that she had a moment of weakness, but if it stayed just that then maybe she could see the erosion in the ice as a beautiful sculpture. She has to be the best she possibly can for Onyx, it was non-negotiable. When she came home in the early morning after visiting Belle, cheeks still stinging from the fountain of tears, the entire house resolved right there to uplift Ellen. She would never forget how much love she is surrounded by, both romantic and platonic.
Corin was capitalizing on Rina’s distraction to prepare breakfast that was actually edible, humming as she cooked. Fluffy omurice prepared with individual ketchup drawings on each one for each guest and freshly squeezed orange juice. A french press was being prepared on the stove just in case Onyx would like a nice roast.
Onyx whistled at the sight of the foyer. “Damn this place is spotless ! I can see my reflection on the floor!” Her voice petered out at the sight of Ellen looking absolutely radiant in the morning glow. Her hair was as flawless as obsidian, and just as sharp. The casual outfit she wore looked so meticulously planned and as pristine as Lycaon’s suit. Probably even more! Onyx was rendered speechless, and Ellen was turning bright red at the awkward silence.
“Miss Onyx, as the representative for Victoria Housekeeping…and as Ellen’s legal guardian, I welcome you to our humble home.” Lycaon and the other housekeepers bowed, and Ellen was beginning to feel like this was already a bad idea by how she saw Onyx stammering and standing stunned just at the front door. Onyx’s nose twitched, slowly at first, and soon she was being pulled by the nose towards Ellen. Her instinct told her to record the scents of the other three around her but a much stronger one demanded that she take in Ellen’s scent first. Corin emerged from the kitchen but was gently silenced by Lycaon laying a finger across his muzzle. This behavior was something he recognized. It was something most, if not all, thiren recognized. They watched without judgement while Onyx was tugged along the polished floor to Ellen. “You…you look nice! I uh. I think I’m a bit underdressed.” Onyx towered over Ellen, still in her seat. Her heart was beating intensely against her ears and so was Ellen’s. Both their eyes wandered to each other’s necks with the little nagging in the back of their minds to bite down that they suppressed getting louder.
“M-miss Onyx! Breakfast is ready!” Corin squeaked. She couldn’t handle the tension anymore but didn’t know how to politely separate the two tangled in an intense moment. To her it felt like diffusing a bomb and she only cut the correct wire by sheer, clumsy luck.
Onyx and Ellen snapped out of their stupor and both felt the warm blush burn across their cheeks at how close together they ended up, and being watched on top of it all by Ellen’s family. Ellen staggered through her scrambled head. “W-we should go eat! You’re probably hungry!”
“Yeah! I’m starving, let's uh. Yeah! We should go!” Onyx said immediately walking to what she assumed was the kitchen in this gargantuan manor. Ellen attempted to reach out for Onyx’s hand but was just a second too late. Her fingers grazed the inky black flippers on the end of Onyx’s tail, setting off an alarm bell from the flux of butterflies pushing up against her stomach. The fur was like a thick velvet, the sensation on her skin was immediately addicting and ironic given Ellen hated when people reached out for her tail. Though now with that sensation gone too soon…maybe she wouldn’t mind the two of them wrapping up in each other’s tail. The thought of Onyx’s strong hands running down the length of her scales and rubbing the caudal fin…Ellen stopped dreaming when she noticed Corin blankly staring. Onyx was walking so stiffly, guided by Lycaon, to the kitchen as if both her legs were wooden pegs. Pretending that Ellen’s fingers didn’t just feel like heaven against the fur on her tail.
They both were tripping over themselves, much to Rina’s amusement and Corin’s confusion. “Ellen has been acting weird since Onyx got here, is she…alright?” Corin muttered and looked up to Rina, who had a satisfied and knowing smile that the young maid wasn’t sure if she should be reassured, or afraid.
“Oh to be young and in love…don’t you worry Corin! You’ll understand when you’re older.”
As soon as they finished their breakfast and the second Ellen’s door shut behind them she pinned Onyx to the wall. She couldn’t take it anymore. The little brushes of their tails at the table while they were eating breakfast. The longing in both their eyes during lulls in the conversation. The restraint it took to not have each other right there in front of everyone, to claim each other like the deep instinctual screaming inside them both demanded. The smell of steel and stone tangled once more and smelled so much better than anything Lycaon could cook. Onyx’s whimpering rang a much needed bell to catch Ellen’s attention again.
“Fuck, sorry I-I…Was I too rough? I can be gentle!” Ellen said as she ripped her lips off of Onyx’s to check for any possible bite marks she inflicted while in her trance. None, thankfully, but it made her grip onto Onyx’s arms much tighter.
“No, no it’s ok I was just caught off guard is all.” Onyx reassured Ellen. That was all Ellen needed to hear. She went back to her hungry kisses with no hesitation. She would smother Onyx to death with all the love she wanted and more if it meant proving to her that at least one person on the planet saw her for the beautiful woman she is. Ellen was only a hair trigger away from biting down on Onyx’s neck to satisfy the instinctual need. If her mouth wasn’t currently occupied she would absolutely clamp down to leave a lasting reminder on this seal’s body that she was loved. Instead, Ellen settled for biting the bottom of Onyx’s lips. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave a mark. Ellen smiled wide at the flustered mess she already was turning Onyx into.
“There. Now everyone knows you’re mine, and that you are loved…” Ellen kissed the circular mark just above the chin. Content to just hold Onyx and allow her a moment to recover.
“S-So, that answers that I guess! You… like me back?” Onyx said with her stupidly cute grin. Ellen brought her hands up to Onyx’s cheek and felt how surprisingly soft they were. For a woman who looked like a carved statue that came to life…there were aspects of her body that took a much closer look to appreciate. Not that any sane person would ever get that close without Onyx explicitly wanting them to. Ellen was the same way.
“God yes, oh god. Fuck…Of course I do!” The words had no elegance to them. They shot out recklessly and bluntly from out of Ellen’s throat, earning an extra degree of warmth rising between them both.
Onyx hesitated to rest her hands on Ellen’s hips, but they found their way there regardless. She pulled Ellen closer to feel their hearts synchronize, the pressing of Ellen’s chest just barely below her own was almost comical if it didn’t excite Onyx to an insane level. “Are you sure, I like you back but I ju-” Onyx was cut off by Ellen pulling the collar of her shirt down to meet her lips.
Onyx’s eyes shot wide, but sank the more they drank deep of each other. It was clumsy, messy, and unpracticed. Neither of them cared. It was pure indulgence at this point as they tumbled onto the bed and Onyx flipped the dynamic on its head to be looming on top of Ellen. The seal was panting hard to recover her breath that Ellen threatened to steal in the kiss. By the time she realized that she had Ellen’s wrists loosely locked down with her hands, Onyx gave her usual bashful smile. “Huh. Guess I’m on top- unless you want to! You can tell me to stop at any time and I’ll do it!”
“Cute. Look at you, so big and strong but when you have a girl pinned down by her wrists you start to fall apart. Want me to take over?” Ellen purred. The balance of power was stabilizing from the freefall earlier. Even with Ellen pinned down, she had so much control. She could easily slip out of Onyx’s grasp and overpower her in an equal contest of strength…but that's not what Ellen gathered by the uncertain grasp constantly checking if it hurt the wrists underneath. Ellen moved her tail to Onyx’s and began to wrap it around. “How about this? I don’t want to do anything too crazy…not today anyways, so let’s just exist together. Ok?”
“Ok, I-I can do that. Yeah, let me just uh.” Onyx’s tail accepted the embrace. She moved aside to free Ellen and allow her to hug tightly like an oversized teddy bear.
“I love you. You big dork.” Ellen’s voice was trailing off and her nose nuzzled into Onyx’s neck to take in that smell one more time before sleep swept her away in its gentle tide.
“Love you too Ellen. Dream of me, ok?” Onyx responded with a low rumble in her voice. She ran her fingers through Ellen’s hair, occasionally squeezing the shark tail with her own to reassure them both that neither were going anywhere.
Ellen simply scoffed and yawned. “As if I wasn’t already dreaming about you for over six months.”
Notes:
Hope everyone is having fun with 2.1! Still no luck with pulling Yuzuha on my end unfortunately, but I do still love her gremlin personality and how she meshes well with Alice :D
Not entirely caught up yet so if things are a bit inaccurate do forgive my slowness, and hope you're enjoying this regardless!
Edit: i called her laena on force of habbit aaaaaaaa
Chapter 5
Summary:
Communication is the foundation for healthy relationships! Meanwhile, the housekeepers begin their first night shift at the museum and encounter more than one old fossil.
Chapter Text
Ellen and Onyx were frozen in place at the front of the latter’s house, long after Lycaon had dropped them both off. Both their tails twisted together like a steel cable and they each had the other’s hand tightly squeezed. Onyx adjusted her grip and glanced over to Ellen again, just like she did for the past ten minutes.
“You sure I’m not holding on too tight? Y-you can tell me!” Onyx’s fretting was so cute to Ellen, even if she had no reason to worry at all. Ellen was far stronger than she looked and was not some dainty damsel to be treated like a fragile vase, but that’s not what had Ellen’s chest winding in the background. It was the way Onyx still kept herself so rigid and restrained. She was still fussing over her strength showing through her shirt. It stung to see her still trying to minimize herself as much as possible; trying to still shove herself into the mold she must have been convinced she still has to fit into. Even with how much she has grown in the past six months it didn’t seem to ease the underlying pain she clung to.
Ellen tightened her tail’s coil and pressed a quick kiss onto Onyx’s lips. “Trust me. It’s not like you’re a hydraulic press. You hold on as tight as you need.” Ellen nuzzled against Onyx’s cheeks to pull forward that genuine husky laughter of hers.
Ellen took the lead after enough stalling. “So. This is your place? Pretty neat. Like the fountain.” Ellen said, running her hand through the cool water and feeling the stone under her fingers. She smiled as Onyx gave her the history lesson she gave Lycaon. Every passionate word banished her insecurities and danced along Ellen’s ears. The way Onyx swayed on the balls of her feet when talking about something she was passionate about, the way her face was so expressive in all her words, the way she held herself higher the more room she was allowed the space to stretch her powerful legs…it all made Ellen’s heart act like a roaring furnace. Piece by piece Ellen was being undone by the goofiest woman she has ever met, and to think she wanted to sink her teeth down into Onyx’s skin.
Now it was Ellen’s turn to face the ugly feelings again. Even with Belle’s pep-talk this morning she felt wrong for the deep desire that stubbornly reared its head when she spent long enough with Onyx. She still felt a bit ashamed for indulging her instincts back at the mall and the bite mark on Onyx’s lips. Now she was constantly craving Onyx’s scent. The tiny wisps of her natural fragrance no longer satisfied Ellen…she wanted to plunge her nose into Onyx’s chest and show her how much she was loved. Every single time Ellen allowed her mind to wander like that at work, she felt the guilt of her cravings pull her deeper down like a ball and chain dragging her into the abyss of the sea.
Her own voice chimed through the dark of her mind. “I want to be a part of her life and for her to be a part of mine!”
Right. She didn’t even need to convince herself that she loves Onyx so much. It came so naturally that her instincts were flaring up only with Onyx. If it wasn’t then they’d be going crazy at the sight of every attractive woman she saw. Which was quite a lot since working with the proxy siblings but that’s besides the point. Ellen knew the conversation she needed to have but still felt a part of her unwilling to make the leap, but the tightening of Onyx’s tail gave her the push she needed.
“Ellen, you ok? Looked like you were spacing out there.” Onyx looked so beautiful in the glow of the sunset…her skin looked like sand undisturbed at a beach. Like Ellen could reach in and allow herself to sink down deeper at each lapping of the waves. She snapped herself out of her trance before she could slip away into another rosy dream.
“Yeah. I’m fine. If it’s alright…do you think we can talk about us? I-it’s nothing bad!” Ellen’s hands waved lazily to dispel any doubts, both in her and Onyx.
“Oh! Yeah! Sure! Of course! I actually…did want to talk about stuff too.” Onyx looked to the ground to hide her glowing blush but Ellen was right there to scoop her face back up into a kiss. Arguably making that blush burn far brighter and exciting her from the quick tugging from her tail.
Onyx allowed Ellen in first. Their tails finally unwrapped, and the house itself felt like it was welcoming them both in with open arms. Family photos lined every wall and surface that could fit a frame just here in the entrance hallway, even crawling up a stairwell hugging the wall on the right. A lot of the photos had a young seal thiren who Ellen assumed was Onyx as a child. She was…happy? Knowing now what Onyx had been through, Ellen wondered if that child in the photos was ever truly happy, or even aware of the despair that awaited her over the horizon. Birthdays, cookouts, gatherings, the older that Onyx appeared in those photographs the less light there was in her eyes.
Ellen set her shoes by the door next to Onyx’s and watched her flop onto a well loved couch in the living room, decorated in an assortment of insect specimens to small fossils in frames. Even some whole geodes cut cleanly in half to reveal a rainbow of glittering crystals neatly arranged in display cases. She could see the kitchen from here too; a quaint little thing with the necessities and lined with terracotta floor tiles and brick walls. Pots and pans hung above the stove, the refrigerator had even more photos and shopping lists, and fresh herbs were strung above the counter to dry and be plucked when a dish called for just a little something.
It was so different from the pristine, almost clinical, sensation of the manor. This house was still clean but had just enough of a mess to tell this was lived in for several generations. Ellen could see a tiny Onyx running around with reckless abandon; laughing, smiling, threatening to crash into the many bones and gems on display with that tail of hers. She definitely smacked her tail more than a few times judging from some barely noticeable dents in the wall. The Onyx in Ellen’s theatre of mind, however, was a little girl. She never at all imagined Onyx as a boy in this moment suspended in time. To Ellen, Onyx always will be the beautiful woman she had bloomed into and is currently splayed out on the couch idly scrolling through her phone. The circumstances of her birth are irrelevant. Ellen would gladly superimpose the image of a happy little girl in Onyx’s past if it meant she would love herself the way Ellen loved her.
“You good over there? C’mon, the couch isn’t that old! Maybe a decade, give or take.” Onyx smiled and patted the turquoise cushion beside her. Her heart was fluttering at the sight of Ellen soaking in the warmth of this house- until it dropped cold for a second at the sight of Kama lingering just a bit too long on the railings of the stairwell. The tanuki felt icy daggers dig through his fur and through the camera strapped to his neck transfer its piercing cold to a very nosy Yuzuha now scared stiff. Onyx sighed. She’ll deal with that later. Ellen didn’t seem to care; probably assuming the tanuki she smelled was just a weird family pet. She was more focused on filling the empty space in Onyx’s arms. Existing together was enough even if she wanted more. She could stave off her desires to just listen to the orchestral sounds of Onyx’s heart and the small pops whenever she would idly crack her joints out of habit.
The two shared an embrace, with little kisses between soft giggling while the grandfather clock ticked away. Ellen settled in as Onyx ran her fingers through that sea of black hair.
As much as she would love to stay like this…the elephant in the room was glaring at Ellen. They both knew they had emotional baggage to unpack. Delaying it was just making the inevitable conversation much harder. Ellen groaned, knowing Onyx would be more inclined to stuff the unsightly emotions in the closet just like her. She both cursed and thanked Lycaon for instilling discipline over the years to even allow her to recognize that their relationship needed this conversation. “You want me to go first?” Ellen spoke in a low rumble into Onyx’s chest.
“Only if you’re comfortable.” Onyx replied. Ellen could feel the steadying rumble from the chest she was laying against. The sound of Onyx’s heart slowing to synchronize with her own, the calm and deep breaths sounding like crashing waves, even the tiny adjustments like Onyx swallowing were beautiful music because it was the sound of the one person in this world she cared about the most.
Deep breath in, deep breath out. Ellen had the words prepared in her mind but found it hard to squeeze them out of her throat when given the floor. “Okay. So, we love each other. We’re dating.” Ellen spoke into Onyx’s chest.
“Yes. I love you, and even though I may be a bit…rough around the edges…that doesn’t change how much I can tell you love me.” Onyx replied and pressed a light kiss on the top of Ellen’s head. “I’m just a girl floating by, but you saw enough value in me to keep around.”
Ellen felt her heart sting. She couldn’t allow Onyx to berate herself. Not anymore. Ellen shuffled up to be at Onyx’s face with ready access to her soft lips. Her hands slid down to rest on the seal’s hips, her tail even wrapped back up into Onyx’s. She would never know anything short of love and being loved. Ellen pressed in for a kiss and nuzzled Onyx’s cheek. “Don’t say stuff like that! You have no idea how much you mean to me…you’ve been in so many of my dreams for over half a year. It's crazy for me to think about one where you’re not in it.” Ellen was right. Even in the wildest dreams about New Eridu being invaded by candy monsters Onyx was right there. They were always together in some capacity.
Onyx paused, still petting Ellen, to think. The little self deprecating thoughts that slipped through every now and then were so normal to her now that she never even registered when she was chipping away at herself. “Ellen, you live in a freaking mansion. The place was spotless! This on the other hand…it's cozy but it’s nothing fancy, really. Charming, sure but not up to high standards. I want to live up to those standards for you…”
“What?! Are you kidding me? I want to spend every day here!” Ellen blurted out and her tail vibrated intensely. She planted her hands on either side of Onyx, flipping her on her back in a burst of strength. Ellen hovered over Onyx with no plan at all. Just the feelings that thrashed in her chest demanding to be set free like a caged animal.
Ellen’s eyes went wide and she swallowed hard to say what has been on loop in her head for so long. “I-I mean that! I want to cook breakfast with you every morning!” Ellen lowered herself down to kiss Onyx, but this was no longer the series of gentle pecks from before. They were hungry, the kind of kiss that stole the breath from the other. It poked the smoldering tinder in both of them as their tongues tangled like their tails did. When Ellen finally released the woman she was straddling, a string of saliva connected them as Onyx blinked bewildered.
“I want to dance to stupid, trendy music with you!” Ellen dove in for another kiss.
“I want to do our nails together and watch a bad rom-com while we wait for them to dry!” Another desperate kiss to silence Onyx before she could even think about putting herself down.
“I want to bite you!” The word ‘bite’ lingered in the heated air around them after Ellen lifted herself. Panting and reeling from the significant amount of energy she just spent to show Onyx she was loved. The both of them were bright red, hands on each other’s hips, looking deep into each other’s eyes. The bite mark on Onyx’s lower lip felt like a warm weighted blanket. She ran her tongue along the inside of her lower lip to feel it again, as proof they were so deeply melded with each other. They both had a long road ahead of them but maybe together they could make their flaws into something polished. Maybe Ellen wouldn’t need to hide her emotions anymore and be just as dorky as Onyx knew she was.
“Ellen…” Onyx reached to sweep a lock of hair behind Ellen’s ear and pull her into a warm embrace.
“I…I know what you mean. I feel it too and I want that! I just don’t know if I’m good enough for that, you know?” Onyx said and shrugged trying to downplay her own value again. Ellen would have none of that. Not after using the valuable energy she was so frugal with just to devour this lovable fool. She shoved herself into the crook of Onyx’s neck and took a long breath in of the scent she craved.
Ellen moved her hands to hold tight to Onyx’s arms. “You are plenty good enough just the way you are. You do not have to prove anything, you understand me?”
She sighed and assertively locked Onyx down with her legs. “You can be so dense sometimes…the fact that I want to bite you means you are worth so much to me!”
Onyx was overloading from the rising heat between them going critical. She could easily get Ellen off of her if her head wasn’t about to explode. Onyx struggled for words but was silenced by another kiss when she was coherent enough to speak again.
“It took me a bit to accept that. All this time we’ve known each other and I just…I didn’t want to be only attracted to you because of, you know. You being trans and stuff.” Ellen said, her voice already cracking and slowing from the beginnings of exhaustion.
“You thought you were coming off as being a chaser?” Onyx broke the tension with as much grace as a bull in a china shop.
“Yes!!” Ellen groaned and released Onyx to scream into the palm of her hands hiding her flushed face.
“I didn’t want to be in a relationship that just objectified you! You know why?!” She spoke through her hands and flopped back flat onto Onyx’s chest. Letting the seal resume the petting and gentle touches even with Ellen’s tail flicking in the tell-tale sign of her internal struggle.
“I convinced myself that I didn’t deserve you, yet for six whole months since you disappeared you were all that I could think about- woah your chest is like…really soft…Ellen’s voice was muffled by Onyx’s generous bosom. “But that's besides the point! It’s because I love you, dumbass! Affectionately! I’m calling you a dumbass affectionately because sometimes you do have rocks for brains.”
Ellen pointed her finger up in the air to drive home the points. The space right between Onyx’s breasts was the perfect spot for Ellen to hide her blushing while the very same woman was holding her. Listening, loving, perfect. “I was afraid of treating you like you meant something to me just because you’re trans. Ever since we met up at the mall I was afraid and letting my sharkiness do its thing on autopilot felt like I was objectifying my favorite dumbass. Who I love very much. I want that to be crystal clear.”
Onyx kept repeating the words in her head on loop, her body was getting warmer and warmer until she couldn’t take it anymore. She flipped Ellen around on her back leaving the shark surprised, and a bit aroused, by the sudden shift of power. Onyx was always seen as the dominant one, and to finally see that side of her even if it was fleeting brought so much joy to Ellen’s speeding heart. She wasn’t prepared for the sincere purr that escaped Onyx’s fanged teeth. “You never did treat me as anything less than special. I kinda felt bad for letting my instincts go nuts too…but with you? I’d never go crazy for anyone else.”
Onyx didn’t let Ellen speak through the needy kissing. She was returning what was done to her with just as much if not more passion. Onyx had her whole frame casting a shadow onto Ellen by the time she was satisfied enough to willingly separate. “So uh, If you ever feel like you’re doubting yourself just say something. Ok? Not that you ever did anything wrong but just letting you know!” Onyx said with an overly eager nod that made Ellen giggle.
“Smooth, so with that emotional baggage out of the way, what’s your plan being on top of me huh? Got something to say?” Ellen said, thoroughly enjoying how easily Onyx could swap the mood from sultry to silly. That’s what won this shark over after all. She was smart, that was never in doubt. She could tell you everything about a rock just by looking at it. Could probably even punch a rock and shatter it into dust…which Ellen did concede was particularly sexy. When it came to Onyx and her feelings? That was when her ineptitude in that regard was revealed.
Ellen reached into her pocket for a candy to give herself a small boost of energy. It wouldn’t do to fall asleep here when she truly wanted to hear what Onyx had to get off her chest. To share her burdens, finally, like Ellen had to learn the hard way with her friends and family.
Onyx absently blinked until the moment finally caught up to her. “Oh! Guess it’s my turn. Well, I didn't really let myself fully enjoy being in a relationship on account of…you know. My whole situation.”
This lovable idiot. “Onyx you can say you hesitated because you’re trans.” Ellen dispensed with the softness. She rolled her eyes and nuzzled into Onyx’s wrist until the big seal was comfortable enough to speak again. Better to be direct, but still kind, when Onyx was like this. Guiding her through the maze of emotions that even got Ellen lost sometimes…but that’s what made this relationship feel special. It went both ways. They both held each other tight to help navigate the other, and Ellen was beginning to see through the haze to realize that now that she had a blundering seal on top of her. Effectively killing the sense of dominance that ever existed.
“Right. I’m trans, you know that. Do you have any idea what that does to a girl over six months though? All the doctors and stupid folk who think they know you better than yourself!” There was an underlying anger bubbling under the surface of the goofy jester's mask that Ellen never even thought about. She knew life was hard for Onyx…but never realized the full scope of the turmoil she had to go through to even get to this point.
“It eats at you. Makes you feel less deserving of stuff. I’m doing better now than I was six months ago but that was still half a year Ellen. These feelings for you were what kept me going but those negative thoughts are still there.”
“I know. I know they do, the insecurities just don’t seem to go away right?” Ellen said as she leaned up back to a sitting position against the couch cushions cross-legged. She encouraged Onyx to do the same. She swung her tail around and plopped it into Onyx’s lap, and waited for Onyx to echo. The two fell into a rhythm that went back and forth to soothe each other’s hearts of the burdens finally released into the open air. Onyx held onto Ellen’s tail, and Ellen did the same. Onyx stroked down with the grain of Ellen’s scales all the way to the caudal fin, and Ellen brushed that fuzzy layer of fur down in one calming motion.
“I love you. So very, very much. Let me kill those insecurities, and you can kill mine. I can even bite your tail so you always can look at it and think about me when those thoughts come back. Alright?” Ellen spoke low and kept petting Onyx’s tail, but when her fingers ran across the fur another scent tickled the inside of Ellen’s nose that she didn’t notice before. One that was deeply embedded in Onyx’s fur from the sweeps across the beach with Yuzuha and Kama as they plucked shards of porcelume from the sand; sea salt. The scent refused to rid itself no matter how much Onyx washed her tail (by herself with a loofah sponge on a bamboo rod) but a part of her liked it. It grounded her when she’d rustle up the fine hairs and take in the smell of the sea. It mingled with the persistent smell of stone in a way that made Ellen’s pupils dilate.
Onyx’s brow furrowed with worry. “Ellen? Are you good there? Sorry, all that time at the beach must’ve rubbed off on me…”
“No, no. I like it. A lot actually…you smell so good…” Ellen spoke into the massive and warm seal tail, bringing it up to her face and nuzzling it. She wanted to breathe in nothing but that scent that was definitively Onyx. It was adoration mixed with obsession that added more fuel to the heat between them. Ellen took another deep breath in of the sea salt, and looked over to Onyx. She shifted her tail to encourage Onyx to hold it tighter, to touch it even more intensely.
“See? This is what I mean. Even now I’m finding out the little things about you that just make me appreciate you even more. When I smell the sea salt on your tail…it just makes me want to go to the beach with you and watch the sunset. I want to do that stuff with you. I want that so much…” Ellen’s breath hitched each time she let herself sink deeper into the enthralling softness of the seal fur.
Onyx felt her reservations break down further the more Ellen wiggled her tail. Maybe, just a little bit of indulgence was ok? If Ellen was explicitly wanting it then it would be ok, right? As if perceptive to Onyx’s internal debate, Ellen gently slapped the seal’s cheek with her caudal fin. In that moment Onyx caught the smell of not just the usual scent of steel but also the icy prickling of residual spearmint…
“Like it? It’s the tail care product I use, not intense enough to overstimulate a thiren’s sense of smell but just enough in it to be real subtle unless you seriously hone in on it. Especially for a certain seal too caught up in her own head.” Ellen smiled and brought the flippers up to her teeth. Waiting for the explicit permission she was waiting for for over half a year, and delighting in the little noises Onyx made.
“I…yeah. I’d love to give your tail plenty of attention, but right now…I do actually want to bite you, so you can always know we’re in this together.” Onyx said with a sigh, bringing the caudal fin up to her soft lips and pressing little kisses along the scales. There it was. Finally, the admission and acceptance they both wanted to feel and hear.
On the count of three agonizing seconds they both bit down on each other's tail. They didn’t care if it drew a small amount of blood. If it meant they both strengthened their bond then it was all worth it. The two of them refused to let go until Onyx heard gentle sobbing from Ellen. Ellen released Onyx’s tail and started to wipe away her own tears, meeting Onyx’s hand on her cheek with her own.
“Hey, listen to me. It’s ok. I know this is pretty rich coming from me but it’s ok. I’m right here. Talk to me.” Onyx said as she pat dry the blood and saliva from their tails with her shirt using her free hand.
“Dummy, you have no idea how good it feels to say I love you and start to accept that I truly do love all of you. Even if you can be a bit dense, I love that part about you too.” Ellen hiccupped as she forced the words out her throat. She still had the lingering doubts in her mind that wouldn’t be so easily washed away, but the first step of what felt like a thousand was taken together with the woman she was so obsessed with. They both could start to go through all the messy emotions bottled up inside. One by one, together.
Onyx just sat there and held Ellen tight for a few minutes. Listening to the grandfather clock make its chime at the top of the hour. Occasionally, she’d inspect the marks left on their tails. Ellen’s two rows of teeth made a perforated crescent along her flippers, and Onyx’s fangs made two distinct impressions on Ellen’s caudal fin.
Ellen huffed a bit when Onyx lifted her up shortly after the clock rang, carrying her bridal style up to the stairs. “Alright, let’s get these bites all cleaned up. Maybe even take a nice bath together! Then we can cuddle in my room! I don’t think you’d be opposed to that right?” Onyx’s silly, fanged grin always managed to resonate with Ellen. The statement had no sexy undertone; just unconditional love that made this paleontology nerd so endearing. Ellen smiled back, showing off her own polished set of teeth. Proud of the mark on Onyx’s happily wagging tail.
“Please. You can call me nom nom. I can work on a pet name for you later, I think we’re past first name basis if you’re this enthusiastic about getting in a tub and bed with me.” Ellen teased, enjoying the sight of Onyx suddenly floundering at the realization of what she just said implied. Although…the notion did excite Onyx deep down.
Onyx shook away those tantalizing thoughts. “Ok, just don’t fall asleep in the tub before we can get to bed alright? I don't want my precious nom nom shark getting tired before I have her tonight.” Onyx clumsily tried to sound sexy in the moment, but her voice stuttered at all the wrong times. It didn’t matter. She could do all the goofy attempts at seduction she wanted. Ellen’s heart was already caught months ago.
“Big talk for someone who has two bite marks from me. Pretty sure that makes me the dominant one, or whatever those trashy thiren magazines say.” For all intents and purposes, Ellen was easily the most dominant in the relationship. She didn’t care. If Onyx was happy, then so was she.
The two kept tossing pet names back and forth nonstop all the way into the bathroom upstairs, where Ellen flicked her tail against the door to click it shut.
The three housekeepers climbed up the steps to the Natural History Museum, where banners depicted prehistoric wonders and polished white stone turned creamy orange in the wash of the sunset and the last meandering guests were beginning to clear out. Employees were chatting at various levels of the stairs with food from nearby trucks beginning to close their shutters for the day. The city was preparing to sleep, for the most part.
Still very much awake, and on her third full theropod skull mug of coffee, sat Onyx’s mother at her desk looking over yet another spreadsheet. Her black hair tied up in a bun was in a state of disaster. The lighter skin from more time indoors, the dark circles under her eyes, and small crows feet separated her similarities to Onyx, considering the slow change in her daughter over the past six months. Photos of her family lined the space of her desk not occupied by piles of paperwork. Two particular photos gave her the spark to keep going no matter how tired she was; Onyx as a baby bundled up tight, and a family photo that included Onyx’s grandfather shaking hands with the mayor at the opening of the museum. Onyx herself looked so happy…it always twisted a knife in her mother’s heart to learn that it was all a mask that hid suicidal dreams. It was a promise to keep Onyx alive. The name she had before was gone. Onyx chose her own name and that would be what she was known as. No further questions. A brass name plate engraved with “Agate Hydrurga: Museum Director” looked dull in the yellow light from a sole lightbulb from the lamp near the door.
A knock at the door and a husky voice snapped Agate out of her spreadsheet trance. “Mrs.Hydrurga, are you there?”
“Hm? Oh! Mister Lycaon! Come in, come in!” Agate caught herself dozing off again at her desk.The three housekeepers filed into the office, each one offering the sleep deprived seal a bow.
“So let’s get down to business, because I know for a fact it’s not just out of charity, Mister Lycaon. Don’t take it as an offence; I just know you aren’t here just to exchange pleasantries.” Agate stared them down from behind her glasses. Only Corin was intimidated by the glare. Rina stepped forward, keeping a hand steady on Corin’s shoulder to ease her nerves.
“You’d be right Mrs.Hydrurga. The mayor himself has expressed his concerns regarding museums facing disturbances as Lycaon must have briefed you earlier over the phone.” Rina said with haunting calm.
Agate glanced over at a stack of papers on her desk; copies of reports from PubSec and museum security from various…situations that have happened over the past month alone. She was glad her daughter Onyx was always there to break up any incidents before they spiralled out of control but she couldn’t be everywhere at once. Not in a museum as big as this. Security at the front has gotten tighter as a precautionary measure.
"How generous. Forgive me for my skepticism but you understand how much weight the name Victoria Housekeeping has right?" Agate groaned.
Lycaon kept his head bowed down. “Correct, and as a sign of good will we would like to extend our services to you courtesy of Mayor Mayflower.”
Agate raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? So in exchange for letting you folk poke your nose around the museum we get housekeeping huh? I’m supposed to believe this comes with no strings attached, do you take me for some kind of idiot. Do you have any idea how many TOPS nepo babies stood where you are right now offering me some kind of deal?” The aggression in Agate’s monotone inflection was equal to that of the leopard seal she and her kin resembled. She was baring her teeth for a good reason; this was her family that was on the line. It was a legacy left behind by their grandfather that was under siege. How could she not be territorial? Lycaon had to choose his next words very carefully or risk destroying Ellen’s blooming relationship, never mind the investigation. He would sacrifice himself to see his family happy and healthy, just like Agate would.
Lycaon met Agate’s gaze, calm and composed. “Mrs.Hydrurga, if I may speak plainly. It is true that we wish to investigate on behalf of Mayor Mayflower. I will never hide that from you. I do so because unlike those who have stood before you I understand the importance of this facility and others like it.” Agate’s aggression loosened. Not completely, but enough for her to lean back into her seat. Inviting Lycaon to continue.
“I would never do something so underhanded as to betray your good will. Your father and I were here at the grand opening. It would spit on his name and your family to offer nothing short of our full services to you.” Lycaon dared to take a step forward to the chair in front of the desk. “Please. We are running out of time. Something must be done, surely you know about the robberies from other museums in the area? Let us help you!” Lycaon begged under his gentlemanly exterior. They truly were running out of time. There was no way to predict when the ones in the shadows could make their next move. They needed to act.
Agate looked over to a collection of newspapers on the floor beside her with the headlines. She took a second to drink her coffee and look each of the housekeepers up and down. The wolf was an honest man…nothing in his body language indicated anything short of chivalry. That ghostly maid comforting the little one, she was hard to get a bead on but she wasn’t using the scared young maid as a shield. She was radiating a maternal energy that resonated with Agate. She sighed. “Fine. I can have my daughter Onyx give you the tour tomorrow if you would like so you can get familiar. Or go ahead and take a look yourselves, I’ll let night security know to be expecting you.”
“Thank you, we will not disappoint!” Corin chirped and bowed.
Agate couldn’t help but smile as she rose from her seat, though a quick head count made that smile fall just a bit. “Wasn’t there supposed to be four of you?”
Ah. The dreaded detail Lycaon was secretly hoping would get glossed over. This woman was razor sharp. Lycaon braced himself when he spoke. “Yes, Miss Ellen was not able to attend today. She is currently with your daughter, not as a member of Victoria Housekeeping, but as someone very dear to her.” There was no point in keeping it a secret. Agate would find out eventually one way or another. Corin flinched in preparation for angered screaming…but heard none. Just Agate smiling and swaying her chair back and forth.
“So my little salt-water taffy baby girl finally got the guts to ask her out huh? She talked about a shark thiren in passing but, I’m happy. Really, I am.” Agate stood and held out her hand to Lycaon, urging him to stand. He did so without hesitation and a sense of fatherly pride beating in his chest. Agate’s handshake was scarily firm. It almost crushed his hand which took no small effort to do. Clearly…she was a force to be reckoned with just like her daughter.
Lycaon could only smile back. “Speaking as a father, I am proud of Ellen as well. I want nothing more for them both to know only happiness. Which is why we must root out the source of this problem at the museum. If Ellen is to be woven into your house then I would have yours be woven with mine!”
Agate grinned as widely as her daughter. “Then let’s get to work! I’m sure the old man would be over the moon to see you here, I’ll see if I can get in touch with his nurse to arrange a visit. Now get outta here! You got a whole museum to yourselves, enjoy it before you get to work. Saves me money on cleaning too.”
“Thank you Mrs. Hydrurga. I shall explain more in the morning along with the mayor himself as you seem…preoccupied at the moment.” Lycaon stepped away from his seat and bowed to the lady now fanning herself from the overly cordial air accumulating in the room.
The housekeepers elected to do some basic cleaning for the night, and familiarize themselves with their new base of operations. Corin’s metal clanking echoed in the museum basement once she stepped out of the service elevator. She shivered at the task, but Rina assured her nothing would happen tonight. Not while the other two patrolled the upper floors. To the head maid’s credit…there was nothing here but a bunch of old exhibits and miscellaneous boxes that the young maid couldn’t even begin to fathom what was in them. She still jumped at the occasional flickering of the lights, but when the elevator door shut behind her that was her cue to snap out of this fear. She gently slapped her cheeks with resolve painted across her face. “Ok. You can do this! For Ellen!”
Regardless of her nerves, she had a job to do. These things were due for a serious dusting and organization, though the massive models of ancient creatures like a woolly mammoth would need…a lot more work than she could do by herself. She made a note to ask Mrs.Hydrurga later. For now, Corin wheeled the cart of cleaning supplies out and onto a relatively open space where she could get her bearings.
She took the broom from the cart and started sweeping away the dust bunnies and clumps of dirt, humming the whole way around.
“Gyaa ha ha! What’s a young’n like you doing down in this dingy old basement?” The rattle of an old man’s laughter made Corin shriek and hide behind her broom.
“V-Victoria Housekeeping! Sir! I’m just doing some light cleaning…” Corin had her eyes squeezed shut. She was shivering the whole time she beseeched the broom to protect her from an old man hobbling towards her with a polished wooden cane that curled into a brass casting of an ammonite shell at the top. His lithe seal tail was just barely dragging behind him and the fur looked like a wire bristle brush than the velvet of others.
“Ah no need for alarm lil missy. I was just checkin’ up on the place. You’re a part of Lycaon’s crew, I take it?” Now that he stepped into the light…he was just as tall as Corin. His hair, though a distinctive and dull silver, was well maintained. He pulled on the sides of the silver mustache that ran over his upper lip like a broom sizing Corin up.
The mention of Lycaon snapped Corin out of her fear. Replaced with sparkling curiosity. “You knew Mister Lycaon?! Oh! Right, he did brief us about the situation, including you.”
“Ha! Knew him? I helped build this place with him and the mayor! Wonder how Mayflower’s been…oh but he’s been busy, it’d be rude to bother him. Oh! Right! Don’t tell my daughter upstairs…but I’m supposed to be at the nursin’ home. Gah ha ha!!” His laughter roared out in shocking vigor. Now that Corin could clearly see him, he was by no means an ordinary old coot. His arms were built like tree trunks bulging out of his shirt under a corduroy vest, and his hands had the distinctive calluses only obtained from grueling manual labor. A singular diamond ring adorned his left hand’s ring finger. Even in polished black shoes and tailored slacks for his thiren tail, the sophistication he could have garnered gave way to a whimsy that was disarming. He was as warm and sturdy as a brick fireplace on Christmas day. The old man patted Corin’s shoulder and made his way, step by step, to the service elevator.
“Well don’t let me keep ya from honest work. I’ll be sure to say hello to Mister Lycaon. Oh, and be careful with some of the display pieces. They have a nasty habit of comin’ apart if you look at ‘em wrong.”
Corin spun on her heels and rushed inside the elevator before the old man could press the button upwards. “Wait! I-I can take you to him! You must be Onyx’s grandfather, right?”
“Onyx…oh my sweet lil salt-water taffy. Bloomed into a hell of a woman she did. Yup! I’m her old man.” His mustache curled up with his smile as he tapped the elevator button up to the ground floor with his cane. “Didn’t catch yer name.”
Corin yelped and bowed as the elevator dinged with the closing of its shutter doors. “Corin Wickes, p-pleasure to meet you! Mister…”
He laughed again. “Chalcedony Hydrurga! Though most folks just call me Chally. Pleased to meet ya!”
Yuzuha was grinning with a Cheshire smile, while Alice was covering her eyes and bright red face.
“W-we shouldn’t be eavesdropping on Onyx, Yuzu!!” The rabbit squeaked.
“Alice! Bite me!” Yuzuha tore herself away from the screen to playfully wrestle with Alice, holding out her forearm and peppering little kisses.
“I don’t bite like that! It’s mostly a predator thiren thing!” Alice wheezed between aggressive tickles. Both of their laughter filled the room, but when Yuzuha saw something glimmering from the laptop monitor in the corner of her eye she grabbed the sides of the screen and tore herself away from a very confused Alice.
“Wait wait wait. I gotta rewind this.” Alice knew there was one thing that always caught Yuzuha’s attention. The shaky camera footage from Kama darting into the basement caught the glimpse of something tucked away behind rows of long forgotten storage shelves in the back, where Kama squeezed out through a small window to make his escape. It was filled with bits and bobs of museum items, presumably belonging to Onyx’s family and no longer on display. Replicas of skulls and bones lay across the floor but one in particular caught Yuzuha’s attention. Something white and pearlescent twinkled deep in the roof of a large theropod skull’s upper jaw.
Chapter 6
Summary:
A night at the museum for the housekeepers, and an evening of intimacy for our two new lovers. The tides are shifting around them all.
Chapter Text
“Oh! I-I didn’t know that about Miss Onyx! Her tail does look like black licorice taffy…I had no idea it used to be so fat.” Corin dutifully followed Chalcedony through the museum as he shared stories of his family to the young maid. His laughter threatened to shake the very (replica) bones of the dinosaurs on display.
“Ha! She’ll never tell ya that herself, but it’s certainly true! That’s why we call her salt-water taffy!” His cane made a small tap each step on the immaculate floor, soon accompanied by the steps of Lycaon’s legs hurrying towards them at a half sprint. He picked up the scent of something familiar, similar to Onyx and Agate but more refined with the hint of cologne specially made for thirens. It carried a wisp of old wood mixed with the scent of earth that seemed to run in the family. Seeing Corin escorting an old man confirmed the hunch he had when diligently cleaning the ground floor.
“Master Hydrurga! It is far too late for one such as yourself to be here. Please, allow me to escort you to the nursing home.” Lycaon bowed, and felt the firm tap of that cane on his head that made his spine straighten out like a toy robot.
“Good to see you too, Lycaon. ‘Fraid I can’t do that, not when there’s vermin scurryin’ about the museum.” Chalcedony said, leaning into his cane with a smile.
"It seems you're already aware of the situation.” Lycaon was genuinely taken aback behind the calm front. As far as the housekeepers knew, only they (minus Ellen who is a bit occupied cuddling Onyx at the moment) and Agate currently were clued in on the happenings of the museum. Then again…this museum is Chalcedony’s legacy. It would be remiss of him not to be aware. More questions than answers cropped up in Lycaon’s mind, but there was a time and place to contemplate them. Right now there was an old man casually walking around the place in the evening that Lycaon just couldn’t turn a blind eye to, but that old man wasn’t going to budge. Lycaon knew this very well.
“You always were endearingly stubborn. Very well, I have almost completed my rounds on this floor. Impressive collection if I do say so myself.” Lycaon gestured to the myriad of looming skeletons around them, making Corin shiver a bit at just how imposing these creatures are.
“Glad ya think so! Though I didn’t come here to get showered in praise, not that I mind it of course.” He looked around to check for anyone else who may be lingering around save for night security.
“Is something the matter Master Hydrurga?” Lycaon knelt down to be at eye level with the old seal but felt the cane over his muzzle hush him.
A chill swept through the hall as Chaldecony spoke low. “Of course I know what’s been goin’ on. My head ain't that rotted yet. Right now isn’t the place or time. Too many ears.” He pointed the shell part of his cane to a security camera lazily sweeping the room. He leaned in to whisper into Lycaon’s ear. “Bring Onyx. Tomorrow. Midnight on the dot. Smilodon. Bring Carole Arnas kids too.”
As if the whole interaction never happened, he resumed his role as a silly old man. Patting his belly laughing and starting to hobble off in the opposite direction. Lycaon was still reeling from the drastic shift in tone from the elderly seal, only snapping out of it when Corin’s concerned muttering was echoing off the silent stone walls.
“Before you depart, tell me, how are those two related to this?” Lycaon called out much louder than he would have liked to admit…but the alarm bells were already ringing in his ears if the cryptic message a moment ago was to be interpreted as nothing short of Onyx’s inevitable danger. No response from Chalcedony. Just the steady tapping of his cane and the loud groans of the front doors as he disappeared into the night.
Lycaon groaned. He was about to rush to Agate’s office but looked at the remaining work to be done. “Well, we shall have that discussion tomorrow after all. Over breakfast with Ellen and Onyx.” He flipped open his pocket watch and glanced over to Corin hopping back from attempting to reach out to Chalcedony, out of breath and panting on her knees.
“He’s…surprisingly fast…oh my gosh. He was…he was already gone by the time I went outside!”
Lycaon already felt exhausted, but there was no way he could allow himself to show it. “Right. I will notify Rina. For now let us finish our preliminary cleaning. Would you care to help me with this wing Corin?”
He held out his hand and guided the little maid to his cleaning station, but not without glancing at the camera that seemed to pause for just a bit too long and growling at the thought there was truly something slinking in the dark. As long as the housekeepers were here, though, this evening would go off without a hitch. It had to.
Onyx connected her phone to a small speaker shaped like a whale shark, much to Ellen’s amusement. She said nothing while preparing the bath but still smirked in Onyx’s direction; purposely wiggling her nude rear while leaned over the tub running the water.
It was impressive just how easily flustered Onyx was. She carried the image of a stone cold woman but Ellen knew deep down, she was her big cuddly seal. Merely existing together was heavenly. Wrapped tight in each other's arms and tails, hearing the other one's heartbeat slow to be in perfect sync, even the slowing of their breaths while they idly scrolled through their phones. Sometimes showing the other a funny post or making light conversation over a random topic. That's what love felt like to Ellen.
The ringing of Onyx’s phone pulled them both out of any sexy moment they could have right now with the two of them naked.
“Damn it, who- ugh! Yuzuha, I swear you have the worst timing.” Onyx’s tail shook in brief irritation, something Ellen recognized as a bit of her own habits rubbing off on her girlfriend. The shark just sighed and took a seat by the tub on the fuzzy bath mat. She glanced at her phone and turned the lollipop in her mouth.
“Go ahead, I’ll chill here licorice. Wouldn’t want any interruptions when I totally prove you’re a subby bottom after this.” Ellen’s lazy drawl was back, but tinted with loving banter rather than the usual apathy.
Onyx mockingly gasped and clutched her pearls. “I am not a subby bottom! I think. By the way, I'm not sure about licorice. Feels kinda ehhhh.” Her hand flattened out and wobbled as she weighed all the pet name suggestions so far.
Ellen shrugged. “Sure. We’ll workshop it. Blubby? Nah, too fat shaming even though I love your tummy.”
Onyx grunted and rolled her eyes at the giggling shark, finally answering the phone. “‘Sup Yuzu? Kinda in the middle of something but what can I help you with?” Onyx returned the teasing by slowly rocking her hips back and forth. Making sure Ellen could see how shapely she was each time the shark looked up from her phone and would burst into a light blush. The cute love handles on her side, and the distinct muscles along her back from hard labor. It drove Ellen crazy and Onyx knew it.
Yuzuha’s voice dripped through the speaker like a generous coat of honey over medicine. “Heeeeyyyyy Onyx! I know, I know. Bad time. Buuuut I have a teensie question to ask you.”
Onyx raised an eyebrow and stopped the rolling of her hips for Ellen, currently pretending not to pay attention but failing spectacularly with each glance she could steal at the cute freckles dotting Onyx’s generous rear. “Sure, shoot.”
“Okay so you know how your folks run the Natural History Museum right? Do you have any exhibits with porcelume by any chance?” Yuzuha was as subtle as a cannonball.
“I mean, we have a few fake ones on display talking about the refining process but the exhibit just talks about the usual stuff you and Alice know already. You’ve seen it like, a bajillion times.” Ellen peeked up from her phone confused, as much as Onyx was who just turned and shrugged.
Yuzuha, meanwhile, was sweating bullets. Alice dabbed her girlfriend’s forehead with a cute little cloth, hiding her own anxieties under the perfectly practiced calm face she would wear to public appearances. Yuzuha swallowed hard and restrained hoping Onyx didn’t hear. “Y-Yeah! I know! I just…got a sudden curious thought and was hoping you’d be able to answer this teensy question!”
“Yuzu. Not to be rude or anything but I’m kinda in a moment you know? I can answer any burning questions in the morning if you want.” Something wasn’t sitting right in Onyx's mind at the way Yuzuha was being so dodgy. It wasn’t like this was anything unusual, she was used to the sarcasm and avoidant behavior in the time they’ve been friends. Onyx pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, I can even take you to the museum tomorrow. I’ll call you back ok?”
Yuzuha stammered and panicked, looking to Alice for backup. She was too soon asked to even think about how to get her beloved out of this situation. “No! I-I mean yeah! Listen, I’ll let you go to enjoy your evening but what I’m trying to ask is, uhhhhhhh, if there's any real porcelume in the museum! I haven’t been there in a while and my memory’s foggy!” Alice mouthed an exasperated “really??” . Luckily for both of them, Yuzuha was able to pull the strings in just the right way.
Onyx’s attention perked up right before her thumb hit the end call button. “Oh! Well the only real stuff is in the archives. Grandpa got antsy that someone would try to steal ‘em if there were real ones on display.” Yuzuha let out a breath of relief now that she’s gotten Onyx, pretty clumsily, on the hook still talking about the museum.“Pretty sure they were a donation from Alice’s family too, the exhibit is sponsored by the Thymefields. My grandpa struck a bargain with them a while back to have it safely procured specifically for the museum to study. Even got us some extras at home as keepsakes.” Ellen’s tail started tapping against the bath tub as if to remind Onyx of the current moment, with the two of them both nude and Onyx being roped into a hyperfixation. Onyx blushed once she realized she had a shark waiting for her.
“Fuck, sorry! Can’t give you the lecture I give to folks at the museum. Coming nom nom! See you tomorrow Yuzu?”
“Yeah! Totally! We can even meet up at the museum! K THANKS BYE HAVE FUN!” Yuzuha threw the phone aside and held on tight to Alice. Those rabbit ears swayed in the direction of Kama yanking the camera attached to his collar off and settling into bed, but Alice was more concentrated on easing Yuzuha’s nerves. Beckoning her back to bed and into a warm embrace. Letting what Onyx said turn and cook in her head like a slow roasted chicken. As far as she knew, her family did donate to the museum but this deal with Onyx’s grandfather was news to her. It caused a migraine to grow inside her skull. For now, Alice would figure it out in the morning. Yuzuha was getting needy and nuzzling aggressively into her neck to signal to the rabbit it was time to get some well needed sleep.
Onyx was left confused, but not for long. She had a naked shark getting pretty impatient and the water would get cold if she just stood here dumbfounded. “Sorry nom nom, just some friends asking about museum stuff. You know I can’t shut up about rocks and stuff.” She set her phone face down on the counter and made her way over to kiss Ellen’s bare neck and shoulders.
Ellen stood up and stretched, making sure to show off her own body to Onyx to draw out that flustered mess she would always become. She sank into Onyx’s loving embrace, making sure to wrap her arms around to reach her firm ass. “Nah, I don’t mind. I just want you all to myself. Can you blame me for being a little bit selfish when you’re showing off that cake of yours?” Ellen said, smirking as she rocked Onyx back and forth. The squeak she got from Onyx was so sweet... She wanted more, but they both agreed on nothing too intense tonight. Ellen wasn’t in the mood for sex stuff right now anyways. “Come on. Water’s gonna get cold if we stand around here ogling each other's butts all night. Not that I mind.”
Onyx nodded. “Yeah! I…thank you nom nom. For loving me. Even with all my…parts.”
Ellen thought about teasing Onyx’s crotch with her tail…but that’d be too much excitement for tonight. She made a promise, no sex tonight. Not to mention she felt like it would be a betrayal of trust. This woman melting under her touch was already taking a tremendous step by being so confidently nude. To simply be together like this was enough. Pushing that trust beyond the clear line would shake the fragile sprout of their love this early, and that was something that Ellen grew to fear more than any ethereal she could possibly encounter. Losing Onyx felt like losing herself.
Ellen pressed a kiss on Onyx’s neck to banish the dark thoughts before they could creep inside and ruin this moment. “You know that I love you unconditionally. Now come on, water’s gonna get cold.” She guided Onyx by the hand into the, thankfully, still warm water. Step by step even when Onyx hesitated for a moment. They simply sat across from each other in the tub holding hands and smiling. Existing together, which became such an important pillar in their relationship, was enough. Letting Onyx settle in and feel herself be loved all over was more important than anything in the world to Ellen.
Ellen took her time to drink in all of Onyx’s body among the sound of water and their breaths. Her belly was rounded but strong, behind the bit of pudge was solid muscle that Ellen loved to rest her head on. The freckles that dotted all over her skin were like beautiful shimmering sand. When Onyx was playfully wiggling her butt earlier Ellen couldn’t help but appreciate the trail of fur that went halfway up Onyx’s spine, like the patch of scales that did the same up Ellen’s back. The delightful mottling of black and grey fur mixing with caramel skin even on the tuft on Onyx’s pubic mound was another detail Ellen grew to love.
Onyx scooted forward to allow Ellen better access to her tail, and vice-versa. “You know, I’ve always appreciated how you kept your tail looking so nice all the time…and how you don’t smack me with it when I get close.” Onyx said with a giggle.
Ellen rolled her eyes. “Shut up you goober and let me scrub your tail.” She reached for the tail care product on the ledge and inspected the label, smiling when it mentioned promoting blubber health. “Huh. So you do have blubber.”
Ellen knew all the right ways to press Onyx’s buttons. Even when her voice dragged in the usual monotone inflection, that’s all she needed to draw out the cutest little reactions from Onyx. Onyx lightly smacked Ellen’s shoulder as her embarrassed laughter quieted down. “Shut up, you know you like it. More for you to cuddle!” Onyx was right, a smile curled on the corner of Ellen’s lips as she focused on rubbing the product deep into the powerful seal tail.
She wasn’t prepared for just how strong it actually was…sure her own tail was just as much of a powerful muscle but Onyx’s was deceptively strong. Past the slight give of the layer of blubber was the rock hard muscle that Ellen mapped out with her hands all too happily. This thing absolutely could shatter bone, and that excited Ellen once she imagined it in combat. The thought of the two of them dancing together in a hollow, fighting hollow raiders or ethereals together in beautiful motion…what weapon would Onyx use? Something to show off her strength for sure in a maid dress. The fantasies collecting in Ellen’s head were cut short by Onyx pressing down on her tail.
“Oh! Sorry for spacing out I…oh, right there. That spot is so hard to reach…I was just thinking…” Ellen said in breathy moans. Onyx was pressing down in all the right places. Making sure to get the product deep in those scales and moving with the grain. Hesitant at first to touch the underside, but seeing Ellen in such a state of bliss gave all the right cues to keep going.
“Thinking about?” Onyx prompted.
“You in a maid dress.” Ellen replied, bluntly. No point in being coy about it. The reactions she’d get by being brutally honest were far more satisfying than dressing her words up in copious frills and lace.
“What? Nah I couldn’t pull off a maid dress. Not the kind of thing people like me wear, you know?” Onyx kept rubbing Ellen’s tail in hopes of hiding her blush. If only she knew the things Ellen got up to when in her uniform. Ellen simply shrugged, and started to scrub Onyx’s tail. That delightful sea salt scent kicked up in the moist air around them, and Ellen felt her body react much stronger this time. It was a coiling deep inside that only wound tighter the more of Onyx’s scent she took in. Nothing that would spring itself to make Ellen devour Onyx right here and now…but it was absolutely nagging at the back of her mind especially with Onyx’s nude form right here to enjoy.
Ellen sighed to relieve some of the coiling. “Come on, haven’t you ever been curious? Even if it’s just to wear for some sexy maid time, I could set you up. You deserve it love…” Her voice lowered and slowed, letting the vocal fry echo off the walls and resonate.
“You know I can’t argue when you put it like that nom nom.” Onyx said, nuzzling into the nape of Ellen’s neck with a smile.
Ellen took another deep breath of the sea salt, and returned the affectionate nuzzling as she rinsed off the soapy bubbles still clinging to Onyx’s tail. When completely wet like this it looked as sleek as her own shark tail; built for speed. When Ellen ran her fingers deeper, though, she found the bone dry undercoat that released more of the scent she so craved. It drew out a shiver from Onyx.
“Ohhhh, fuck. Right, I forgot to tell you about that. Pretty annoying to clean…but something tells me you don’t mind.” Onyx said, recovering from the sensation of Ellen’s fingers reaching beyond just the fur. Onyx tried to steady herself by continuing to massage Ellen’s tail, but the feeling was way too good. Her flippers were wagging in the water and made Ellen giggle.
“So cute…bet you like scritched riiiiight about here?” Ellen smirked and started scrubbing deep at the base of Onyx’s tail. The fact that it made Onyx arch her back and moan in her throat was enough to prove Ellen hit the spot. She held her hand there to check on her partner presumably winding down from the intense feeling. “Was that too much?”
“No! No, not at all nom nom. Not at fucking all. Keep doing that. Oh my god that felt so good…” Onyx grunted in pure delight. Her member was at half mast, but this time she felt no shame in it. There was no sexual obligation or pressure. Just blissful sensations that teetered on the erotic but never crossed the line they trusted each other to respect. Onyx placed her trust in Ellen; she knew Ellen would never do anything to break that trust. So Onyx repaid that trust in kind by revealing the intimate parts of herself.
Ellen smiled in satisfaction. “Well, I gotta scrub real deep in that undercoat so let me know if it gets too much and we can take a break. Wouldn’t want you to cum just from the touch of another thiren.” She said plainly, but the teasing undertone was not lost on Onyx, writhing in pleasure with a pout when Ellen gave another scritch at the base of her tail where it connected to her back.
“M-mhmm! We actually use a squeegee for seal thiren to wring out the wa-aaahhhh…uh, water! It should be in the basket on the wall behind you- oh my god nom nom…!” Onyx melted when Ellen applied more pressure. That massage training sure paid off. To see Onyx completely unravel as she worked the water deep into the fur was something Ellen could get used to. She was already thinking about the next time she would have this intimate tail care moment with Onyx. To her, this was perfect. Existing as two women and two thiren in love, cleaning each other and making small sex jokes here and there.
Ellen reached for the tool behind her; similar to a window cleaning squeegee but with a curvature meant to fit snugly around a tail. She ran the rubber head down the length of Onyx’s tail pleasantly surprised at how much water was being expelled. “Huh. I should get this for my own tail. Mind hooking me up with one?” Ellen flipped the squeegee around in her light grip with pursed lips.
“Oh for sure! I thought about getting one for your birthday but I wasn't sure if it’d be weird since you have no fur. Good to see that it works on your tail though!” Onyx guided Ellen’s hand across the length of her own tail, even allowing her access to the underside to squeeze out the water. Ellen settled into a rhythm, feeling tremendous relief once Onyx had done the same. It was impressive how fast she caught on to where the shark especially liked to be rubbed. Never lingering too long on the sensitive caudal fin but staying just long enough for the tingling to radiate up her whole body.
“Thanks, for this.” Ellen felt her heart threaten to leap out her throat with those words. The intimacy was catching up to her. She was waiting for Onyx to say something as if it was ridiculous for Ellen to be thankful for this moment. No such thing came, just patience.
Ellen took her time to collect her words. “It’s really nice, being able to have someone to do this with. Feels even better to be able to do this with the woman I love. Nothing weird and no expectations other than cuddles after all this. Just someone who gets me, and who happens to be the person I treasure the most.” Her tail curled at Onyx’s touch as she ran her hands down its length one more time. Onyx pulled Ellen in for a hug and pressed kisses along her neck.
Ellen held back her tears collecting at the corner of her eyes. “I feel…safe with you. I feel ok being vulnerable with you.”
“Nom nom, I should be the one thanking you. Nobody else has made me feel this special and wanted . That honor goes to you.” Onyx spoke low and let the timbre of her voice on Ellen’s skin rumble through her chest. Grounding Ellen in the reality that this was their life for the foreseeable future.
“Sea-salt…I think that’s what I’ll call you. That’s such a you smell…” Ellen said, trying to find some space in the intimate silence to fill. She held on tight as Onyx rinsed the last bubbles of soap from Ellen’s tail and planted more kisses along Ellen’s pale skin.
Onyx guided Ellen’s face to meet hers in a deep kiss. “I approve of sea-salt. Now come on, unless you want to get all wrinkled up like a raisin by spending so long in the water.”
Chapter 7
Summary:
Not a moment after Ellen has started to settle into her girlfriend's home, Victoria Housekeeping's obligations come knocking
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Ellen groaned and stirred in Onyx’s bed when the sun began to shine through the window. She ended up being the bigger spoon; quite an odd but cute sight considering Onyx was bigger than her, but it delighted Ellen knowing she had Onyx creating warmth in the space that was filled with a pillow for so long. Her arms were tightly wrapped around Onyx’s waist like a belt and refused to let go no matter how much the light annoyed her. “Mmmm, sea-salt. I wanna stay like this all day…” Ellen said into the nape of Onyx’s neck and pulled the covers over her head.
Onyx shifted in the bed and smiled. “We have to get up at some point nom nom. Or do you not want pancakes? The really sweet and fluffy kind that soaks up all the maple syrup.”
Ellen was already salivating at the thought, and got her feeling fuzzy inside her chest over the simple idea of enjoying a home cooked meal with the woman she loves. She was half asleep still dreaming of sweets and held onto Onyx tighter. “Mmmm, five more minutes. Please?”
“Nom nom, I’d love to. Really, but we should get up. I have work soon at the museum.” Onyx heaved upwards with the full weight of her girlfriend still holding on and could only giggle at this shark’s persistence. “What if I add some chocolate chips to your pancakes?”
Ellen weighed the offer in her head, eyes clamped shut and desperately still trying to drag Onyx back under the covers. “Hmm, with extra whipped cream?”
“That’s desert at that point! Sure, with a nice serving of eggs so you’re not just eating entirely sweets for breakfast.” Onyx gave Ellen a kiss and felt the tight grip release.
Ellen sat up and hugged Onyx’s pillow to fill the neediness already growing. Each deep breath smelled just like Onyx’s shampoo, and calmed her just a little bit more.
Onyx only rolled her eyes. “I’ll call you when breakfast is ready ok nom nom? Try not to dig through my room too much, if you don’t fall back asleep first since you’re oh so sleepy.” She dodged a plushie being thrown at her head laughing at the pouting shark now very much awake. “Love you!” Onyx shouted out from the creaky stairwell and left the door just a crack open for Ellen to lazily stroll through like she always belonged here. In Onyx’s room. Alone.
She looked around now that her sleepiness has shaken off for the most part. Onyx’s room was filled wall to wall with various treasures; from minerals and gemstones to bones and miniature dinosaurs. Posters of heavy metal bands lined the free spaces between the shelves. There even was a record player and a crate filled with rock albums so neatly preserved in their dedicated shelf on the wall. A transgender flag proudly hung in its un-ironed glory next to a corkboard with a rainbow of notes pinned to it by the door, making Ellen put a note away in her mind to give that flag the proper love it deserves later.
Bookshelves filled with manga made Ellen laugh just a little. She hopped off the bed and wagged her tail about as she scanned each of the volumes, and the inspection made her smile. They were mostly shonen mangas with grand adventures and heroics…though further down in the collection was something heart wrenching to Ellen. They were hidden at the bottom shelf; shoujo manga. To the unaware it was just a tough girl hiding her soft side. Partially true, but Ellen couldn’t ignore them in the light that she knew Onyx in.
Flipping through a few of them revealed a distinct pattern. They all were about high school girls, that was pretty much a given for the genre, but Ellen found the protagonists all felt “wrong” about themselves in some way, shape, or form. The stories all had the protagonists attempting to find how to love themselves with the help of some kind of plot device. Sometimes it was a magical power bestowed upon them to transform into their ideal selves, other times it was a slow burn of being surrounded by loving friends and family the protagonist surrounded themselves with.
“Did she read these while she was at her lowest?” Ellen thought, wondering why she never reached out in all that time. She didn’t take offence by it…the feeling was more in line with regret. Wishing she had done more to make Onyx feel loved and maybe pull her out of that darkness sooner.
That didn’t matter now. Ellen swore to smother Onyx in love and would increase the affirmations tenfold. She set the volumes back where she found them and thought to herself how she could revisit those together, maybe turn that painful longing she knew still lurked in Onyx’s heart into something happier. The mere idea made Ellen’s tail wag faster as she idly looked over the records to note her beloved’s musical taste for any upcoming concerts she could snag tickets to later.
“What the fuck.”
Onyx rubbed her eyes hoping it was still some remnant of a dream clinging on, but when she saw Corin awkwardly wave back and Rina floating about cleaning the house, she thought this was definitely still a dream.
“Good morning! S-sorry for arriving unannounced but you and Ellen were asleep! Your mom went right home after we finished cleaning the museum…” Corin whimpered, expecting frustration and anger but found only bewilderment.
“You guys cleaned the museum?! Like, all of it. In one night. That's impossible!” Onyx herself would know, having to hoof it from one wing to another made her feel winded every time. She only put up with it because it was actually good exercise.
Rina finished dusting the television and let her two bangboo flutter about into the harder to reach spots. Drusilla kept trying to scare Anastella by making up stories of dinosaurs eating bangboo as they cleaned the replica bones. The head maid left them to their silly games as they cleaned and hovered to the base of the stairs to guide Onyx to the couch where Corin patted the cushion beside her. “Never underestimate Victoria Housekeeping, dear. It was a lovely opportunity to get acquainted with the museum in any case!” Rina spoke in a melodic voice, returning to cleaning and leaving Onyx still not waking from her daze.
“Miss Onyx! Good, you are awake. Breakfast will be ready shortly, your family has quite the impressive kitchen I must say. There is no shortage of herbs and spices within reach.” Lycaon spoke from the stove, his tail wagging happily at the menagerie of fragrances that only a well loved home could possess. Not so overwhelming to overload his sense of smell due to the dried herbs, but still echoing their presence from generations ago. He set the bowl of pancake batter aside and cracked eggs into the pan with one hand.
“Any preference for today?” Lycaon was speaking as if Onyx was part of the family. She practically is at this point.
Onyx didn’t respond immediately, still in the aftershock of her little house being so suddenly full. “N-not really…over easy. Excuse me but what the actual fuck are you doing in my house.” She blurted out rather crudely, but the housekeepers didn’t seem to take any offense. Corin fidgeted in her seat trying to find the words to politely tell Onyx.
“Your mother let us in once we arrived early in the morning. We didn’t want to disturb you and Ellen, and we wanted your mother to get some well needed rest, so I do hope you forgive the intrusion.” Lycaon slid the eggs onto a plate without so much as wobbling the yolk and turned his attention to the french press billowing with steam. “We have much to discuss, and it involves you. I’ve already put off this conversation for far too long.”
“Great. More weird questions. What, something wrong with the museum?” Onyx reclined in her seat, accepting the freshly brewed coffee from Anastella sweeping through the kitchen and back to Rina’s side.
“I shall contact the mayor once Ellen and your mother are present, Rina? Can you fetch them for us?” Lycaon was orchestrating the stove so smoothly it was almost wizardry at how efficiently one set of food flew from the pan to a plate. He poured the batter into another pan to begin cooking the pancakes and set out six plates.
Lycaon and Rina remained standing by the couch while Ellen, Onyx, and Corin were stuffed together in front of a laptop. Agate leaned against the doorframe still drinking her coffee, trying to shake the sleep out of her eyes.
“Mayor Mayflower, everyone is present. Shall we begin?” Lycaon looked over and saw Ellen just as confused as Onyx was earlier, her tail wrapped around Onyx’s tighter as she looked at the call interface with the mayor on the other side; censored by a dark background with the words ‘ Audio Only’ .
Mayflower cleared his throat. “Thank you Lycaon. Forgive me Onyx. A citizen of New Eridu should never have to be tangled into this, but I cannot in good conscience as mayor allow you to remain unaware of this as much as I have tried to spare you the burden. Believe me…I’ve tried. So hard.” There was a painful sprinkling of remorse in his voice towards the end.
“Belle, Wise, if you would.” As if on the mayor’s command, a video feed from the employee room of Random Play flickered on with Belle adjusting the camera and waving.
“You must be Onyx! Look, I know this is weird but you have to trust us. We can even bring you to Sixth Street to explain more in person but…well. It’s a long story so we’ll answer any questions you have. Just hear us out, ok?” Belle smiled, but in truth it was more to ease Onyx’s nerves more than anything.
“Thank you. Now then. Onyx, you are aware that your grandfather and I worked together to establish the Natural History Museum. It was a labor of love from him to not only you, but to New Eridu as a whole”
“Yeah, he was really proud of it at the grand opening and that day was a big event for our family. We’ve never been prouder to run the museum for everyone to enjoy!” Onyx relaxed just a bit when the pride swelled in her chest, but still squeezed Ellen’s hand tight.
Mayflower spoke up. “Your family takes great pride in their work. The museum was nothing short of a crowning achievement! Though, there are secrets that stir deep below that have become a concern.”
Onyx’s smile weakened. “What do you mean? The museum is in tip-top shape. Sure we took a blow from the loss of investment but we’re fine. Nothing shady as far as I’m aware.” A knot was starting to tighten in her stomach at the mayor’s response.
No sooner than the concern had begun to set in did Mayflower continue to explain. “Structurally, yes. Everything is fine. The museum was designed with the standard safety measures across New Eridu in the event of a companion hollow forming. It was what we discovered during construction that is the problem.”
Wise sat up in his seat. “You’re more than welcome to ask us in person later, things might start sounding a bit crazy.”
Onyx raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for possibly the worst plot out of an indie science fiction movie to crash into her ears.
“Needless to say, what I am about to share is to remain highly confidential.” A brief pause made the living room deathly silent and the warmth dropped just a degree cooler before the mayor spoke up again.
“When we were preparing the site for construction and excavating the basement, we came across what is known as a ‘Sacrifice core’. An item of incredible latent power waiting for something, or someone to awaken it.”
“Oh, right! She probably doesn’t know what a Sacrifice is.” Belle chimed up and almost shoved Wise out of the camera view. “To cut to the chase, a Sacrifice is a person who willingly turns themselves part ethereal.”
“Like Justin Bringer. There was quite an…incident… shall we say.” Mayflower coldly said, sending a chill down Onyx’s spine. “The threat of a Sacrifice comes from their ability to exist outside of a hollow. They can cause untold havoc and destruction if they so choose and remain unchallenged.”
Onyx looked around for any indication of what to say or even do with this information, but everyone was grimly silent. She swallowed hard and leaned forward to the monitor. “So you mean to tell me there’s some kind of freaky ethereal thing at the museum? How come nothing has been making headlines in the news?”
“He was campaigning to become commander of PubSec’s Janus Quarter in the municipal elections. I doubt much details beyond that have reached you here in the Throne Quarter let alone the local PubSec branches there. Any information regarding Bringer and the Sacrifices has been kept under strict control. Even now, we’re still trying to understand the bigger picture.”
Ellen squeezed Onyx’s hand to remind her, she was not alone. Everyone here supported her. Ellen would fight whatever horrid monster crawls out of the hollows to protect the people she loves; Onyx especially.
Onyx’s face twisted from confusion to frustration. “So what, you’re leaving us all in the dark is that it? It’s your job to protect us Mr. Mayor! Why didn’t you say anything!”
"I understand you might be upset, but think for a moment. If word gets out about the Sacrifices then panic will spread across the city. Nobody will feel safe anywhere, chaos will unfold. As mayor I cannot and will not allow that to happen.”
Onyx squeezed tighter and felt an urge build in her fist, but Ellen was right there to bring her back to the present. She pulled her tail to remind Onyx that she would not be alone in all this. Onyx took a deep breath in, then out, and looked back at the monitor. “Okay. Sure. So you found a Sacrifice core thingy while digging out the basement. What did you do with it?”
“We handed it off for analysis, but your grandfather was quite keen on the core being completely sealed away. From that point forward he oversaw the construction with much higher scrutiny. He gives the impression that knows more than he lets on, but at the time we believed he was solely and rightly concerned about ether corruption.”
Onyx absently blinked at the monitor. “You mean to tell me that grandpa, that old man who leaves the house with mismatched shoes, is some ether expert?”
Onyx’s disbelief was palpable, but Lycaon returned the incredulous gaze with his own intense stare. “Miss Onyx I assure you, looks can be deceiving. He truly does know more than he lets on but the trail behind him has been so obfuscated it feels like it was scrubbed on purpose .”
Onyx slumped back in her seat, confusion twisting into rage. “So what. You want my permission to go prying into my family? Is that it?” She waited for Mayflower to respond to the increasing aggression. She didn’t care if this was the mayor. It boiled her blood to have someone believe themselves so important they get to tear through walls to find what they want.
Mayflower responded after a moment of careful thought. “You misunderstand. I would never do anything of the sort to a citizen of New Eridu. This is a matter of yours and the safety of Throne Quarter. To do that we must follow the clues and they lead to your grandfather.”
Onyx stood up, almost dragging Ellen with her still connected by their tails. “Nope! That’s it! You don’t just get to barge into my family like you own everyone under the kingdom! Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kick you all out of this house!” Her voice cracked and boomed through the little room, earning a wince out of Corin. For the first time, Ellen saw the rage under the surface of Onyx’s usually calm seas start to boil up. Lycaon and Rina took their time to calculate their next words carefully, as did the Mayor and the Proxies. They were already stepping on thin ice. To misstep now would damage Onyx’s trust in all of them irreparably.
Belle was the first to break the silence. “We promise that anything that concerns your family, you and your mother will be the absolute authority in. We won’t do anything without your say in the matter! We wouldn’t, me and Wise know how important family is…and seeing someone you might not fully trust yet dig around in that is awful. Believe me.” Onyx didn’t seem to accept that answer, not at first at least. Seeing Belle and Wise both visibly feel a sting drive deeper into their hearts summoned a cold air of melancholy over this otherwise warm house
“I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with you?” Onyx said with her voice like ice picks digging into Belle all the way through the video feed.
“Oh boy, how do we explain this and not take all day. We can explain things in person, but for now to answer your question; our mentor lets call her, she was blamed for a lot of things.” Wise laid out the peace offering hoping Onyx wouldn’t bite his hand off. The cocking of her eyebrow was a good first sign of peace, but the threat of her snapping remained in the back of his mind like a rope in just enough tension to snap at any second. ”She was more than just a mentor to me and Belle though, she was like a mother to us. Seeing people who have no idea what the truth actually is think they can just go digging around and making assumptions about someone you care about, it hurts. Makes you want to scream and it makes us sometimes just frustrated beyond belief.”
Onyx’s oppressive stare into Wise’s soul finally released once she turned her attention to her mother still hanging in the doorframe. “Listen, baby, I know it sounds like bullshit and I was in your same position but you’ve got to believe them on this. I don’t like it either but if what they’re saying is true then the worst thing we could do is turn them down when they want to help.” Agate cradles her long emptied cup and casts a glance at Ellen, awkwardly pressing herself against Onyx and looking for some kind of stable footing in this tension.
“Ellen was it? What do you make of all this? This whole crazy shitshow concerns you too, seeing as you’re practically family on account of dating my daughter.” Agate wandered to the kitchen to refill her coffee but was stopped when Butler pulled at her pant leg. He bowed and waved a french press in his little bangboo hand signaling his services.
Ellen’s spine straightened out at that moment. Like she was hung up by her jaw on a dock. “I…um. I didn’t think we were on those terms already…not that I don’t like it! I just, I don’t really know. The family I know is Victoria Housekeeping, so I trust them with my life…it definitely feels weird digging into my girlfriend’s family but…” Onyx’s attention shifted away from the proxies, to Wise’s relief by an inaudible exhale. When the seal moved to comfort Ellen, however, the shark shook her head. “I’m ok, Onyx. I know this all feels so sudden but I can vouch for all of us!” Ellen perked up and squeezed Onyx’s hand tighter. “Lycaon is probably the most reliable person in New Eridu, sorry Wise, and Victoria Housekeeping has been doing nothing but good at least for me. I mean, look how I turned out. Not being a street delinquent is a good thing right?” Lycaon smiled from where he was patiently stationed and Butler chimed happily with an enthusiastic, but still courteous, eh-nah.
Onyx looked down at Ellen holding on tight, and then at the rest of the room with a blush and her mouth left open at a loss for words. Stammering and feeling her heart begin to beat against her ribcage rattling the words she arranged in her mind. “If Ellen is willing to vouch, then I’ll have to trust you. Anything shady though I’m stepping far as fuck away from all this buisiness!” She turned her cold gaze right back to Wise and Belle who had only a few precious seconds to feel the relief of pressure. “I’m coming over and you two are going to explain everything.”
Onyx frowned once she realized her aggressive tone. “Sorry, I came off as pretty intense. It'd be nice to get out of Throne Quarter for a bit and check out 6th Street. Ellen has been telling me bits and pieces!” She lightly hopped in place at the thought of a tiny adventure in this wave of insanity.
Belle and Eous both seemed happy at the prospect of visitors, and a new customer. “Great! You’ll love it here, we could even get noodles, aaaaand I could show you Ellen’s favorite movies!”
“Belle?!” Ellen squawked with a bright red blush across her face that lifted the mood with warm laughter even from Mayflower.
The mayor cleared his throat before speaking again, winding down from the laughter. “Seems like you’ll get along just fine. Lycaon can answer any further questions you may have until we have the chance to speak again. Lycaon, I’ll leave it to you then.”
Lycaon stepped forward and bowed. “Of course. We shall speak again soon. Now then, to Sixth Street?” His tail began to wag at the sight of Belle setting off to prepare Random Play for visitors. “I will take you to them at once, and we will reconvene in the evening once we begin our investigation in earnest. Your grandfather wished Masters Belle and Wise’s presence at the museum come nightfall. Now then, shall we depart soon?”
Notes:
Sorry for the unannounced hiatus! I got, occupied, with a massive crush who made my life so much happier and things kind of got away from me...but I'm refreshed thanks to her!
BlueSkell on Chapter 1 Fri 11 Jul 2025 07:21AM UTC
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Mothlights_writes on Chapter 1 Fri 11 Jul 2025 03:26PM UTC
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Ruby (RubyJosi) on Chapter 2 Sun 03 Aug 2025 01:44AM UTC
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BlueSkell on Chapter 3 Mon 14 Jul 2025 08:26AM UTC
Last Edited Mon 14 Jul 2025 08:33AM UTC
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Ruby (RubyJosi) on Chapter 3 Sun 03 Aug 2025 01:55AM UTC
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BlueSkell on Chapter 4 Sun 20 Jul 2025 05:44PM UTC
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BlueSkell on Chapter 4 Sun 20 Jul 2025 07:56PM UTC
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BlueSkell on Chapter 5 Sun 27 Jul 2025 07:35AM UTC
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Mothlights_writes on Chapter 5 Sun 27 Jul 2025 07:56AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 27 Jul 2025 09:29AM UTC
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