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“Hey, what’s with that look, grumpy gills?” Feferi cooed, looking so saccharine and innocently condescending that Vriska very nearly vacillated on the spot and went pitcher than pitch. Tearing into the heiress to the empire would be so satisfying, she just knew it. Feferi was strong, befitting of her social status—Vriska would never deign to go flushed with some weakling—but she didn’t have much of any combat experience. She spent more time hunting undersea beasts than grappling with other trolls. Vriska would win, and fuck, it would feel good to scratch the soft smile off Feferi’s face for calling her grumpy gills.
“Does that epithet even make sense to use on a landdweller, or are you lost in the fish pun sauce again, Peixes?” she retorted instead of turning to violence, which she thought was infinitely kind and merciful of her. She had all the power, if you thought about it. She held the empire’s line of succession in the palm of her hand and could crush it whenever she wanted, prolonging Her Imperious Condescension’s reign at least until another fuchsia wiggler was hatched and lived to maturity. Not that she ever would. The empress was the very personification of Alternian values, but she’d never want to kill Feferi.
Not even when she made the idea really tempting, like when she suggested cuddling.
“Sure, it makes sense,” Feferi said readily. So readily, in fact, that Vriska doubted she put any thought into it at all. Instead of using her pan cells on that, she sprawled out on the expansive pile at one corner of her room. She squished and patted at some of the pillows and blankets around her, gold jewelry clinking with the motion, in some sort of attempt to make it look more appealing. As if Vriska didn’t already know piles were comfortable. “They can be metaphorical gills, can’t they?”
“Are you sure you don’t mean metafishical?” Vriska asked, crossing her arms. Even herself at a different moment in time would agree that it was a weak comeback, unbefitting of someone like her, but in the present moment, she was doing all she could just to keep up some composure, fumbling for a drop of control. Because she’d never cuddled with anyone before, and Feferi certainly had, and being the stupid, clueless one had never suited her in any relationship.
“No way.” Feferi wasn’t having it. She rolled her eyes, leaning up on her elbows so she could toss her hair in a smooth motion that radiated sass. A way Vriska took full credit for teaching her. “That’s a horrible pun. Way too much of a reach. Now, are you gonna keep deflecting or are you gonna come over here and cuddle, Fishka? We hardly ever do the usual matesprit things and I wanna know why.”
“No reason. I just have so many irons in the fire that it’s complicated to get around to everything sometimes.” There would be no getting out of it. Okay. Better to get it over with then, before her dignity eroded any further. Vriska crossed the block to where Feferi waited on the pile, standing tall with every step. She wouldn’t hunch in on herself like a fool over a bit of affection. To prove it, she didn’t even hesitate when she reached the border of the heaped up pillows. She just turned, plopped down next to Feferi, and gingerly began to move closer to her matesprit’s side.
“Finally!”
Feferi threw her right into the deep end. An arm hooked itself around her midsection before Vriska could think of trying to wriggle free, and it yanked her in until she was flush against Feferi’s body. Their legs tangled together, and Vriska was deeply glad for the fact that she was wearing jeans. Too much direct skin contact might just have made her combust. As it was, being pressed against someone in a non-violent way was strange. Strange and…
“Yeah, finally. A master knows how to keep you waiting juuuuuuuust long enough for the perfect reaction. Planned this all along. But shit, you’re really cold.” Embarrassingly, Vriska’s voice climbed an octave at that last part. She was curling up not so much to get close to Feferi as to minimize the surface area directly in contact with her. They’d kissed, held hands, that sort of thing, but so much contact all at once was a totally different temperature experience.
“Whale, yeah, I’m a fuchsiablood. This is my normal temperature. Is it too uncomfortable for you?”
“No, no, it’s fine! I’m good. Great. Just a little surprising at first. Don’t spend much time touching trolls higher than me.” Or lower than her, but whatever, Feferi already knew her whole deal. No need to remind her.
“It’s not fine! You’re shivering. It’ll hurt my feelings if you’re uncomfortable the whole time. Hang on a sec, wait there.” Feferi disentangled herself and hopped to her feet, going over to the closet at one end of the block. As it was, this was a secondary hive meant only for hosting landdweller guests, but apparently it was well-equipped enough, because Feferi returned holding a thick, luxurious blanket in her arms.
“Try this!” She unfolded the blanket and threw it over Vriska in one deft movement. There was no immediate reason to fight it, so Vriska watched her, rendered motionless by the rare caring gesture. She didn’t even squirm or struggle when Feferi leaned down to tuck in the edges around her, creating a sort of plush cocoon before she laid down beside her once more.
“It does feel nice. Maybe you have a good idea now and then,” Vriska agreed grudgingly. “I can deal with some snuggles if they’re like this.” Saved her from worrying about where to put her hands too. That could only be a bonus. Feferi laughed knowingly. She leaned in close, but with her face just enough out of reach for it to be annoying.
“So you’ll get cozy with me like this more often now that I figured out the problem?”
Not the real problem, Vriska wanted to say. But, to her surprise, a lot of her apprehension really had faded with the distraction. Maybe she was onto something after all.
“If you lean in already and kiss me.”