A Most Terrifying Engagement (closed)

[Poprockz]

“That was perfect.” She chuckled weakly, a tired look of fondness in her eyes. “You’ve already done so much for me. Even after…”

Even after I killed you.

Andrea averted her gaze, her lips pursing into a thin line for a moment. It had only been a night since their fight for her, so it was still fresh.

Vanta had been ignorant of a lot of things, especially the nuances of their relationship. To him, he likely felt betrayed by his lover, as though she was a cruel partner who did nothing but hurt, reject, and flee. He hadn't been able to understand why she acted that way. He hadn't understood that while he had never physically struck her, the threat of pain and death were torturous on the mind. The shadow had only tried so desperately to show her love that it had never received itself.

It had been such a tragic situation, and the ending had been just as unfortunate.

In her anger and mistrust, she had shot down the naive creature with a beam of light, unable to conceive that he might be genuinely trying to make her happy. In turn, he had said that he would never hurt her, and yet he had done so. It wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction, nor was it done to protect himself. Vanta had been malicious, sadistic, and cruel. The shadow had acted simply to sate his own desire for punishment.

She closed her eyes and sighed before looking back up to him, summoning a small smile.

“It’s good to see you again, and I’m really glad you’re alive. What will you do now though?” She asked. “Now that you have a second chance at life, where will you go? Are you going to try to learn more about humans, or are you going to return to how you used to be?”

Andrea assumed that given their history, it wouldn’t want to stay there anymore. Even if they were currently on good terms, it was irrefutable that both of them had hurt each other in more ways than one. Perhaps they could remain friends, growing older and meeting in the dark of night to tell one another of their victories and struggles.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta took his time before he answered. Unlike before, he thought about things from Andrea's perspective. For him, it had been countless years since the night of their fight but for her, it had barely been a day and unlike Vanta, who had literally been able to pick up his pieces and heal from that night, she had been attacked again before she even had time to begin processing her feelings towards Vanta and his "death." And while Vanta had grown (and this time it felt far more substantial), he was still the same Vanta who had hurt Andrea and tried to force her to marry him. While he had been given more than enought time to forgive Andrea she had not been afforded that luxury.

However...he still wanted her. Holding her and hearing her voice grounded him. His quest to grow which may have finally born the fruit he was looking for was spurred on by her. He wanted to share joy with her and make her happy, not so he could feel it by proxy but just because knowing she was happy would make him happy. He wanted to be intimate with her...and not just emotionally.

"Andrea." Vanta said hesitantly, "I...I would like to stay with you and..." he hesitated. He didn't have the right to ask her what he wanted but then again, this could be his only chance, "Court you." He sighed, an impressive effort for someone who only just understood the mechanics of speech, "I know I've been a source of pain for you. I know what we both thought would be my death hurt you and that for you it was only yesterday while for me it was so long that the only sting i feel from it is the pain of knowing I made you cry." He knelt in front of her and looked up at her with pleading eyes, "I'm not demanding this. I'm not even expecting you to say yes or trying to manipulate you into saying yes...i just want to try making your life happier so that ring on your finger can give you fond memories of me instead of painful ones. I am the Vanta who hurt you, I can't change that and if my presence here will only cause you pain then I will leave immediately...but I'm also the Vanta who loves you...that's also something I can't change and I would never want to change. You are the only reason I was able to come back from where I was. I don't want to go back to stalking frightened children, I want to learn who the new me is and see if it's someone you could care for...at least until you sell the house."

He kissed her hand, "I'll respect any rules you set and I'll do anything you ask Andrea. I'll know that if you say you don't want to talk, you mean you don't want to talk and don't want to make love. And if you ever want me to leave, you can just say the word...all I ask is that you consider giving me a chance."

 

[Poprockz]

"Andrea. I...I would like to stay with you and...Court you."

At those words, a pink hue settled on her cheeks and her eyes widened slightly. Now that she knew he wasn’t some devious monster with evil in its heart, it was difficult to know how to respond to his romantic professions. In the past she might have narrowed her eyes at him and retorted something about him not knowing how courting even worked, but now she simply felt a bit flustered and shy.

It was shocking how much growth Vanta had gone through, every thoughtful word and gesture conveying just how mature he had become. He wasn't downplaying his part in everything, merely making an earnest request for a chance to do things properly. That was a difficult thing to do even for humans. On top of that, he seemed to actually have an idea of the pain and hurt he had caused her and felt genuine remorse because of it.

She already had a ring on her finger, but the way he knelt and kissed her hand was reminiscent to a proposal in her eyes. Come to think of it, he had never asked her to marry him at all; he had taken a vague childhood promise and decided what her "price" would be for temporarily giving her relieve from his torment. Andrea hadn't been given a choice in the matter as though it had already been decided from the moment "Anything" had left her lips. It was kind of funny in a way: she had promised anything to make him leave, and yet now he was promising anything to be allowed to stay. Fate was rather strange, wasn't it?

Andrea looked down into his gorgeous green eyes and wondered if she was being foolish. Should she really allow him to stay after all that had happened? Was she being naive or relying on wishful thinking? Mike had demonstrated earlier that even a lifetime of trust could be broken at the drop of a hat. Or a man's entire outfit. Still. She wanted to trust Vanta, and she wanted to give him another chance.

"You can stay if you want to... I'm not going to kick you out," she started in a soft voice. "I... can't guarantee that I'll ever have those sorts of feelings for you, but you're welcome to try to see if that's something that changes over time."

The woman shifted on her feet slightly and continued, "the house goes up for sale in about 30 days, so we can see what happens between now and then. I will have rules though... but I'll make them when I'm not tired and drunk." She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself, having felt a bit off-balance there for a second.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta looked up at Andrea with his obsidian lips cracked into a wide smile when she gave her response. Hope filled his heart and even though he knew she was putting her weight on to him to help keep her balance, he felt an actual shiver go through his body from where she had touched him. He took hold of her hand and then, in one swift motion, stood while sweeping Andrea's legs out from under her so she was scooped up in his arms and he was carrying her towards the bed where she had held him as the old him "died." He used the darkness to pull back the sheet and then laid Andrea onto the top sheet then placed the covers over her. He kissed her forehead and finally spoke.

"Then get some rest, Andrea. I'll watch over the house tonight and make sure you're safe. If you need anything just call out to me and I'll be there." He looked down at her. His heart felt like it could burst with all of the emotions it was feeling as he looked at her. He wanted to kiss her on the lips, he wanted to kiss every inch of her and tell her endlessly how much he loved her...but that would be wrong and one-sided. He couldn't try to just drown her in his own emotions and hope those emotions would saturate her until she felt them...he wasn't brining chicken; he was trying to win her love and that meant accepting the risk that she wouldn't love him back...and that made him nervous. Instead, he kissed her on the cheek, "I can't wait to see you tomorrow and hear your rules. I promise to follow all of them and that if we only have 30 days, we make them memorable ones." He then walked out of the room, not wanting to spook her by suddenly vanishing but then returned to the shadows once he was out of sight.

Vanta quickly secured the house while also trying to calm his emotions. Andrea was giving him a chance! Even without a heart in his more nebulous form, Vanta felt it swell as he thought of Andrea before he also felt some worry: how would he court Andrea? Unlike a human mate, he couldn't take her on dates with other people. he also couldn't cook for her. Or rather, he could make food for her but it would be made of his flesh and while the Vanta of yesterday would see no problem with that, he now had an inkling of why Andrea might find that upsetting. He could give her gifts though. So as Vanta set out tendrils of shadow throughout the house, he worked down in the basement, creating gifts for Andrea and putting them in boxes which he wrapped with black ribbon that he also spawned from himself.

 

[Poprockz]

She let out a surprised noise as she felt her legs leave the ground, but when she found herself in his arms she found that she didn't hate it. On the contrary; his arms were warm and firm, and he held her as though she was something precious. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn't drop her, so she simply relaxed in his hold until he tucked her in to bed. Her feet were unsteady right now, so it was actually better that he had taken the initiative to help.

"Goodnight, Vanta." had been the hushed whisper that had followed him as he left.

Andrea suddenly felt very, very tired, as though the feeling of safety had given her body permission to let go of its wariness. The last thing she thought about as her eyes closed and she drifted off was the way in which his voice had sounded so warm. Vanta was alive. That night, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

.......

When she awoke the next morning, the events of the previous night seemed like they might have been some kind of very realistic nightmare. Surely Mike couldn’t have attacked her, and Vanta coming back to life was equally as unlikely (though much more welcome). She got out of bed, showered, and dressed, and then she was padding down the hall in a simple polka-dot dress and pair of fuzzy pink slippers. None of Mike’s clothes or stuff was here, nor was there any indication that they had drank together since the vodka was gone as well. She had almost convinced herself when she opened the fridge and saw that the pizza was still in there.

It definitely wasn’t a dream.

Andrea had her appetite back though, and she was supremely hungry. Three helpless slices of pizza were abducted from the box and heated up before being sacrificed to her ravenous maw. She had a headache from the booze, but thankfully she wasn't nauseous or anything - it was nothing that a few ibuprofen couldn't cure.

As she ate, she mulled over the previous night’s events. Unfortunately she would have to have someone else do the tiling or abandon that project. Mike was no longer going to be around, thank goodness. What he did last night was so repulsive, so she was glad to be rid of him. She was still a bit shocked at having been woken up that way, and she was flabbergasted at the fact that he had literally made not a sound as he came into the house. It seemed premeditated as she thought more about it. He had gotten her drunk, waited for her to fall asleep, then used a spare key to get in and slip into her room. Some of what he said was a bit fuzzy in her memory, but she distinctly remembered him saying that he was going to love and care for her in exchange for having license to take her body whenever he wanted.

Urg... She made a disgusted face. From now until the end of her life, if she was called "babygirl" it would be too soon. If not for Vanta… she didn’t want to think of the full extent of what that creep would have done.

Speaking of, it seemed the curious shadow was alive and wanted to “court her.” Just how he intended on doing that was anyone’s guess. There were plenty of activities they could do without going outside, but he didn't have a lot of experience in most things human-related. That was why she decided that tonight in addition to the rules she was going to lay out, she was also going to try to teach him a little bit about how dating might work for them. A "lesson in the humanities" if you will.

When evening approached, she made sure to turn off every light she could think of, even unplugging a few electronics so that their dim lights wouldn’t disturb the darkness. As it was the new moon, the house was pitch-black by the time the sun went down, though she wasn’t afraid of the dark this time. She simply sat cross-legged on on the couch with her phone at the lowest illumination setting, playing a crossword game as she waited. As soon as she heard motion, she intended to turn her phone off and set it down.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta spent the day focusing on making his gifts then returning them to the components he had made them from as he grew frustrated. Hours passed and he still couldn’t get them quite the way he wanted; the main issue being that he couldn’t make anything that wasn’t black or at least a very dark navy. Ultimately, he decided to take the three items that at least looked the best and boxed them up.

Vanta was increasingly Nervous as the evening rolled into night. He wanted to make the right impression for once and decided to take a stab at wearing clothes himself, despite how alien the concept was to him. He considered how to make it work and ultimately went with molting a dark navy, button-down, silk shirt and a black pair of black slacks. He then changed into his humanoid form and like a child who was trying to dress themself for the first time, he tentatively began shoving his limbs into the holes, getting them wrong several times before he finally popped his head out face the right direction and managed to get his legs in different holes. He decided to not bother with shoes, clothes had been enough of a hassle, and finished by working on his face, taking time to sculpt a good strong jaw and a nose so his face would look even more human.



With that, Vanta picked up the two wrapped presents and went to the bottom of the basement stairs. The larger of the two contained a new stuffed Sheep to replace Andrea’s former protector BaaBaa. It lacked the manufactures tag, had a black fleece instead of a white one but Vanta had at least gotten the shape and softness right and had even made it a bit bigger than the old BaaBaa. The second thinner box contained two new Nighties. The first was a black copy of the nighty from the first night Andrea had returned home. Vanta had been rather rough with it that night and covered it in his drool. He figured he could at least replace that one. The second nighty however was something new: it was a lace chemise babydoll nighty that was mesh save for the straps and the part covering the chest, which had ivy patters sewn into the mesh to still show a fair amount of skin off but leave the nipples unexposed. Vanta had seen Andrea’s parents miss over the item before they took their trip to Florida and both of them had agreed it seemed quite sexy.

Vanta knocked on the basement door and called out: “Andrea! I’m coming up!” The shadowy creature awkwardly climbed the stairs while balancing the presents in his arms. The dual task was a new type of action for him and it took awhile for him to stumble up the stairs but he eventually made it up and out the door, working his way to the couch.

“Good evening Andrea.” He said, “I brought presents!”

 

[Poprockz]

She turned off her phone and waited for him to approach, curious and slightly nervous about these "presents." Who knew what he considered to be a good gift for someone, but she certainly hoped it wasn't anything scary. Andrea didn't think he would maliciously try to scare her at this point, however they could have very different ideas regarding what was frightening and what wasn't. Thus, she was going to have to be a bit cautious when she opened them.

"Oh, hello! That's very sweet of you," she answered politely, picking one up and unboxing it. Reaching inside, she pulled out a stuffed animal. Andrea had to squint and feel it a little bit, though it was soon apparent what it was.

"This is..." a big smile bloomed on her face and looked at the sheep fondly. "This is BaaBaa. Not exactly, but we could say he's been reborn. Kind of like you." Andrea glanced at Vanta and hugged the sheep; it was obvious that she was very pleased with this gift. She was an adult who didn't need the comforting embrace of a sheep to sleep when the lights were out, but to have something back in her possession that made her feel safe in the past was very much appreciated. It was a truly thoughtful and touching gift, and she found herself losing any nervousness as she set the sheep next to herself and opened the second one.

The silk nightie was held up once she freed it from the box, and she could tell that it was likely very cute. Her fingers detected no patters on it, but she imagined it was a rather simple but elegant garment. It was one of the only pieces of clothing he had seen her in so far, so she wondered if he thought that it was all she wore. That was a rather funny idea, imagining herself running around outside in nighties every day. "I'll have to wear this soon," she commented cheerfully before setting it next to the sheep.

The final item was in the same box, and as she lifted it out and felt it, she started to become puzzled. It felt like a nightie, but not quite. Was it mesh? The material certainly wasn't silk... Andrea scooted away from him slightly and lifted her phone. While she didn't turn on the flashlight, she let her dim screen come on (pointed away from him) so she could examine that one more closely. Once it was spread out on the arm of the couch, she could see that it was lace... and that it was mostly see-through. Why would he get her something like this? It was lingerie, certainly, though she wondered if he had made it for her because he had seen her father give her mother something similar.

Last she checked, he had a very basic idea of sex. He had included it in his list of grievances when they were in the flesh-room, asking her how he wasn't attracted to her if he had a dick. But that in of itself wasn't convincing- she figured he was just being salty about it. After all, he could grow whatever genitals he wanted in any state of arousal without having to be aroused to do so. Just because he had a swollen cock between her legs two nights ago didn't mean he had been aroused... unless he got off on his own fear of dying which she highly doubted.

As far as she knew, he simply understood sex to be something that two married people did, and knew it to be pleasurable for the other person. Perhaps he thought it was his duty to give her pleasure as her partner. Yes, that sounded right.

Her phone's screen was turned off and she set the lingerie down, scooting back closer to him so she could give him a grateful hug. "Thank you Vanta. All of the gifts are lovely but um... you don't have to get me lingerie or anything like that. I know you have feelings for me, but you don't have to feel like it's your responsibility to take care of me more... intimately. You don’t have to force yourself because you think it’s something I want or need. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” He was given a reassuring smile.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta smiled at Andrea’s comment about BaaBaa being reborn, especially when she followed it up by hugging the stuffed sheep. He did feel reborn and he hoped this meant Andrea would give him a solid chance to prove himself to her as a partner. The smile continued as she said she would wear the replacement nightie soon, Vanta feeling glad he had gotten her a gift she would use.

When Andrea pulled up his third gift and spoke, however, Vanta’s smile briefly vanished into his face as he nervously thought of how to respond. Said nervousness turned into a physical shiver that briefly made Vanta’s whole form lose its features before he shook himself back into his more detailed humanoid form. Andrea’s comment had sent him on a bit of a trip. While there was a dash of annoyance that she didn’t believe he was physically attracted to her, it also meant he would need to tell her that he very much was. Though even more than that, the thought of Andrea “taking care” of herself sent images into Vanta’s mind of Andrea engaging in activities he had sometimes observed when a bored or frustrated housewife had gone up to her room to do when she had gotten the kids out the door.

Vanta took a deep breath, an action which he almost got too into and almost wound up inflating his whole chest, and carefully responded.

“Andrea, I’m sure you can take care of yourself” if Vanta’s cheeks were not the purest black, he would have been able to illuminate the whole room with the redness from the torrent of blood that rushed into his cheeks, “WHAT I MEAN IS-I have changed quite a bit since I was reborn, as you eloquently put it. For one thing, I have come to think of myself as male. Before Gender didn’t mean much to me, yet, while I still like taking many forms, I no longer see myself as just a creature of shadows but instead as a man: even if not a human one. Also I no longer can feel your emotions unless I really push myself to do so. I’m not sure if that’s because of what you said a couple nights ago or if it’s a side effect of the changes I underwent but that’s another significant change.”

Vanta took another deep breath: “I realize that may seem like I’m getting off topic but let me explain: two nights ago when I made the mistake of thinking you wanted to be intimate with me, I was trying to make you feel good because by making you feel good I would be not just be making the woman I love feel good, but I would experience your pleasure. I did and still do think you look beautiful but I can’t say I was sexually attracted to you.”

Vanta looked into her eyes, “Now though, I can only feel how you’re feeling if I push myself but I want to be intimate with you…and not just because I want you to feel pleasure but because I want to feel pleasure from” he searched for a proper phrase, one that sounded nicer than ‘fucking the shit out of each other,’ ultimately he settled on, “making love to you.”

Vanta carefully put his hand out and touched her shoulder.

“I realized when I came back last night that I feel excited when I’m holding you. My lips tingle from even a kiss on your forehead.My blood pumps faster, my hands feel more sensitive and I become a lot more aware of how soft and warm you are.” He took one more deep breath, “and I don’t just find you beautiful…you’re sexy. You have a figure that I can’t believe I never appreciated before and I find entrancing beyond belief.”

“And so my third gift isn’t some reluctant or naive pantomime of desire. I think you would look incredibly sexy in it and I would like to see you wear it one day…when you were comfortable enough, of course.” He clarified. “I know you probably don’t want to be intimate with me in that way right now or even in the near future but one day I would like to see you wear that and make love to you so we could both feel good.”

He was so tempted to move his hand behind her and pull her into a deep kiss as he pressed her into the couch…but instead he put his hand back down off of her shoulder and returned it to his side as he awaited her response.

 

[Poprockz]

When he finished, she simply stared at him with her mouth slightly open and her own cheeks burning bright. If she had been a computer screen, there would have been an error message stating that a restart was necessary.

“I need water!” She finally spoke in a voice that was not only a bit higher than her usual register, but also louder than intended. The next moment she was shooting up to a standing position on the couch and very quickly fleeing into the kitchen. It was an open-wall concept in the main areas so they were still technically in the same space, but it gave her the opportunity to hide her face and try to recover from the absolute shock of what he had just said to her.

Vanta had just, in no uncertain terms, told her that he sexually desired her. He wasn’t just playing the good partner, nor trying to feed off her own pleasure; he wanted to fuck her because his eyes found her body arousing. He had imagined what she might look like in a sexy little lace babydoll lingerie dress, and he wanted her to wear it for him. He thought she was entrancing.

It was as though a switch had been flipped and now she couldn’t help but feel hyper aware of him in a sexual context. She felt underdressed, the thin silk of her nightie flowing over her curves like water in a gentle stream. Andrea wasn’t afraid that he was going to turn into some feral beast and attack her, but she did feel a bit shy about being so exposed around a man who had just confessed his more carnal desires. Part of her wanted to cover up more because of it, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by making him feel like she was disgusted at the thought of him looking at her; she wasn’t.

She couldn’t deny that he did seem to have a more masculine presence today. Though she couldn’t see very well in the dark, she thought she had been able to make out a distinct jawline this time. And the way he had looked at her when he put his hand on her shoulder… Andrea shivered. There had been something there she hadn’t noticed before, a hunger to taste her. Had he imagined what it might be like to take her right there on the couch, her hands pinned gently above her head as he pulled her nightie up inch by inch? Would he have an adoring look or one of playfulness as those luminous green eyes held her own captive? The thought of it made her stomach tingle and her heart quicken, much to her embarrassment. Why was she thinking about that?! Nothing had changed between them! She just needed to get her head back on straight and get her mind out of places it shouldn’t be. They were still in the same relationship as they were yesterday- simply friends!

When she returned, she set her glass of water down on the coffee table and sat down on the couch again, making sure to keep her legs together to avoid flashing him. Hopefully his color-vision wasn’t super good because her cheeks still looked like they could belong in a ripe apple orchard. “I’m sorry, I-“ she was having a hard time meeting his eyes. “I just needed a moment to process things.” Her hair was tucked behind her ear nervously before she continued.

“I’ll be honest- I’m not really sure what to say to all that. I just assumed since you weren’t human that you wouldn’t have those same… urges. But now I’m glad we have an understanding. Again, I’m not sure when or if I’ll feel the same, but I appreciate your honesty and vulnerability.” She cleared her throat and clasped her hands together. “So! Do you want to hear what my rules are?”

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta watched her response to his disclosure with rapt attention: Andrea had been surprised but she wasn’t acting like she was disgusted. While he couldn’t be sure, her reddened cheeks and the way she sought to cover herself up more made it seem like she was nervous and possibly embarrassed?

Vanta took a moment to process that. He had been embarrassed a moment earlier when he had discussed his attraction to her…did this mean Andrea was at least open to a physical relationship? Vanta felt his heart race as she crossed back over to the couch and he fantasized briefly that the young woman would fail to make it back to her seat and instead leap onto him and press herself against him as their lips met in a warm ‘smack.’ By the time Andrea had taken her seat, he was halfway to imagining his hands on her nightie, pulling it up so he could expose her gorgeous body to the night. He quickly shook himself awake to listen to the real Andrea’s words.

Vanta couldn’t help but try a little boldness, “Well Andrea, when you feel the same way, I’ll be here.” He said with a warm smile, “Now, let’s hear these rules. I promise to obey all of them and prove myself to you.” He replied confidently.

 

[Poprockz]

When? He had said it as though he was sure that eventually he would have her. It caused her to need to look away from him and take a deep breath before continuing, though she tried not to let on how she was feeling.

Andrea managed to look back at him and focus on talking. “Okay… so here are my rules.” Andrea held up five fingers for him, removing one for each rule she gave.

“Number one: no intentionally scaring me. It’s okay if it’s an accident, but I’m just going to leave it at that since it’s pretty self-explanatory, and I don’t think you would do it if you knew I didn’t like it.” The more she talked, the more her nerves eased up. It gave her something more casual to focus on for the moment.

“Number two: unless I explicitly ask you to do so, no physically hurting me. I’ll follow the same rule, so I’ll make sure that I never intentionally hurt you with light.” Andrea still remembered what it had felt like to feel the light of that dying lamp, and she never wanted either of them to feel anything like that ever again.

“Number three: if I’m in either of the bedrooms or bathrooms, you will knock and wait for permission from me before entering. The only exception to that rule is if you suspect that I’m in need of your help, like if I need medical attention. I’ll also follow that rule for the basement, since I feel like that’s your space for now.” This was more for privacy. She definitely didn’t want him walking in on her using the bathroom or… doing other things in the bedroom.

“Number four: if I say ‘no’ or ‘stop’ or any variation of this, you must listen to me. If you don’t, I’ll be very, very angry.” She raised her eyebrows at him to punctuate this point.

“And number five…” she hesitated for a moment. “You will ask for my consent before touching me intimately. Consent can be verbal or nonverbal. If it’s non-verbal, then I’d like you to follow the “slow” rule.”

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta waited until Andrea finished before he spoke. Her rules were all fair, more than fair, in fact. She had even allowed him a territory within her home when she could have asked him to either keep to a much smaller enclosed space or even wait in a specific shadow. Her requests for consent and privacy might have bothered him when he was a more foolish being but they were perfectly acceptable…though he did hope Andrea would be okay with some intimacy as even if sex was off the table, the shadowy creature was becoming used to at least embracing Andrea; just feeling her body enclosed within his arms gave him a feeling of fulfillment he wasn’t used to.

After pondering for a few seconds, Vanta finally spoke:

“I agree to all of your rules, Andrea. Though I do have some questions, if I may.” Vanta said, holding up a balled hand which he protruded a finger from with each question he asked, “First: you said unless you asked me to, I should never hurt you. I agree of course, though is there ever a reason you would ask me to hurt you?”

Vanta had of course seen parents strike each other, an unfortunately unavoidable occurrence with the number of houses he had dwelled in, though most of them had never wanted to be struck…though he had observed a few couples stripping naked and striking areas, usually the buttocks as a prelude to sex…and those couples did seem to want to be hurt…though Vanta wanted to make absolutely sure what Andrea meant before he assumed.

“Second, I will never try to scare you but there might be times where I wish to take a less humanoid form. If I give you warning, is that okay?” Vanta liked his new humanoid form, especially as it seemed to make Andrea comfortable…but he was still a nebulous creature of shadow and such a being wasn’t meant to stay in one form forever.

“Finally, could we practice the “slow” rule? Maybe starting with an embrace? I promise I won’t try to touch any of your sensitive areas but I’d like to get an idea of where the boundaries start….and I’d also like to hug you.” He admitted, extending his arms, “if not, that’s all right. I thought you could also give me some pointers on how I might make this form more comforting to you.”

He waited till see what she would do. He certainly wanted to touch her, even if it was only stroking her back, but he also wanted her to touch him. He had never asked her if she felt okay when she hugged him and while his humanoid form was getting better, he wanted to see if he could make it one she wanted to hold.

 

[Poprockz]

Andrea moved closer to him so that she was practically sitting thigh-to-thigh, angling her body towards him. Wait, was he wearing clothes? She hadn’t noticed before, but now that she was closer, she could see that he was indeed wearing a button-up shirt and slacks. It was interesting how the addition of clothes seemed to give him a little more personality; perhaps it gave him more of a classy vibe.

Now that she knew how he felt, she felt his presence in a way she hadn’t previously, and it was that much more apparent when she was in close-proximity to him. It almost exerted a physical force on her in a way, though she imagined this may fade in time after she had gotten used to the idea of "lust" being on the list of things he could feel now.

Her arms went under his arms and around his chest as she leaned in, granting him the hug he sought. Andrea's body rested against his chest as she began to answer his questions.

She didn't think she would have to explain the rule about... consensual pain, but perhaps it was better that she didn't have to look at him for it. "So for your first question... Like let's say that I get an injury that needs to be cleaned. It might hurt cleaning it, but it would be necessary. Or if we're ever intimate and things get a little rough, then I might ask you to... do certain things. You can ask more about that if that ever happens." Well, she tried. Vanta would have to get more of an explanation in that circumstance, as at the moment she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she sometimes liked the sting being spanked, having her partner take a handful of her hair, or give her a little hickie on her skin.

The woman cleared her throat. "Anyway, I don't mind if you take different forms as long as you let me know. Now that we're on better terms, I don't think staying in your human form is necessary all the time. I'll tell you if the form you take is too scary or gross for me." It was difficult to know what forms she would or wouldn't approve of until she saw them, but she wanted to be open-minded- she wanted him to feel comfortable to be himself. "I'm not really sure what pointers I can give you on your human form though. The one you currently have seems good enough to me. Your eyes don't look human but I think they're more beautiful that way." She continued to simply look to the side, not wanting to make things weird by lifting her gaze to him as she complimented him.

There was a pause before she started to speak again, feeling very nervous and embarrassed about the next part of what she needed to say. "I like hugs- so it's fine if you want to hug me. I don't mind forehead kisses either. I'm a pretty physically affectionate person in general, so I don't mind you leaning on me or me leaning on you." She swallowed, "but that's not what I meant when I said the "slow" rule."

Andrea then leaned back, took a breath, and prepared herself to give him a demonstration of what she meant. “If you want to ask someone non-verbally if they want to be touched intimately, you start in a safe zone and slowly move to a private zone. As you might know, the private zones for women are the chest, the butt, the lips, and the… well, between the legs.”

Her hand went up to gently caress his cheek, slowly migrating it down his neck and toward his chest. “Um, if at any point the other person says to stop, grabs the hand, or pushes you away, then you need to take that as a ‘no.’ If they don’t stop you, then you can keep going.” The hand continued down his smooth skin until it stopped right above his chest, resting where his heart might be if he had made one for himself. “Then you need to pause right before touching one of the private zones just to give the person one last chance to say ‘no’ before you continue.”

Andrea’s hand remained where it was, but she leaned forward slightly. “If you uh, well if you ever want to kiss someone, you also follow the “slow” rule. You just need to make sure that they know you’re moving closer.”

Though it was difficult, she cautiously advanced, her lips slowly drawing closer before pausing just an inch or two away. When she next spoke, she knew he could feel the heat of her breath so she tried to speak in a more hushed voice, “you stop when you’re about this far away, and if the person doesn’t mind you continuing… then you can kiss them.”

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta listened with rapt attention as Andrea spoke, even though the feeling of her embrace made his heart race. He could tell she was hesitant if not a bit embarrassed when she talked to him about consent and what she might ask him to do, even if she was intentionally vague. It only made Vanta more desirous of the idea of being intimate with Andrea so he could see and experience what she might ask him to do.

What Vanta was least expecting however was the compliment Andrea paid him:

“Your eyes don't look human but I think they're more beautiful that way."

Vanta simultaneously froze and felt a rush of blood warm his whole body as the compliment worked its way through his mind. Vanta had never been paid a compliment before and coming from the woman he loved, it filled him with such a sense of joy that he was stunned into silence and when he recovered after a few moments, he mentally noted that no matter what form he took, he would keep his eyes the same way.

“…thank you Andrea” he stumbled before mumbling, “that’s very nice of you to say.” He blinked and looked away from Andrea, embarrassed to show her how happy that passing compliment made him.

He then listened to her explanation of how to gauge and confirm consent with a partner and then felt small bumbs rise on his skin that seemed to trail after Andrea’s fingers. As she ran them over his body. Vanta was entranced and he forgot to breathe as Andrea explained and demonstrated everything she meant. Unlike the previous nights , Andrea was not touching him because she was feeling pity for him or was glad to see him after she thought he was dead, she was touching him knowing he wanted to be intimate with him. He was desperate to touch her and shed the few bits of fabric that separated their flesh. As he felt her warm breath on his lips, it took all of his strength to not immediately lunge at her and wrap her in a passionate kiss as he tore her clothes off and ravished her.

Instead, Vanta let his hands reach up to Andrea’s cheeks and ran them back down her neck, and then down her spine. When they were midway down her back, he began to slowly ran his left fingertips down her spine towards her butt, while his right fingers went up her spine towards her hair. He carefully watched Andrea’s face as his fingers slowly traced their paths. He was sticking to areas that he felt were safe, but made sure to keep checking for any sign of Andrea not wanting him to continue and stopping his left hand right above her firm cheeks while his right fingertips slowly started to thread their way through her hair.

Meanwhile, Vanta pressed his head forward a hair, making their lips so close that Vanta had to turn slightly to avoid colliding his nose with Andrea’s. He felt an almost magnetic pull from her lips and his own tingled as he spoke.

“Am I doing this right, Andrea?” He said, nervous to embarrass himself by finding out he was wrong while also fighting back his lust for her, I wasn’t sure when you moved your face so close if you were just demonstrating but I would very much like to kiss you.”

He waited to see what she would do or say and prepared to move forward as he also waited to see if she would say no to him touching her ass.

 

[Poprockz]

Her skin tingled from his touch, and she found herself shivering slightly from the way his fingers traced her spine. It was unexpectedly both seductive and tender. Not a trace of disgust or fear could be found in her expression, mostly just a flustered state of blush. He had been a terrifying visage just a couple nights ago, so it was baffling how she could find him physically attractive, which she certainly did if the flutterings of her stomach were any indication. Maybe a perspective change, trauma bond, and more humanoid form were the right ingredients to result in such an attraction.

"You're doing it right, but I want your hand on my back to stop going any further. As for a kiss, I was demonstrating but..." her voice trailed off as she considered whether she wanted to allow him this request.

He was... so very close. Should she let him? In the bedroom, he had already kissed her previously, his hot mouth claiming her as his tongue briefly tasted her own. While she hadn't wanted it at the time, she couldn't deny that he had shown himself to be somehow adept at it. That was then and this was now though; now, she wasn't sure if she wanted it or not. He had sounded very hopeful... Perhaps just this once, she would reward him for listening and agreeing to her rules. Just this once...

"You can kiss me... once." Andrea unintentionally held her breath as she braced herself for his lips. She wasn't sure what kind of kiss she would get, but she had now opened the door for them both to find out.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta obeyed Andrea and stopped his left hand from from descending any further down her back, leaving his fingertips on the small of her back while his right hand rested on the back of her skull, his fingers now interwoven with Andrea’s hair. He watched as she pondered over the proposition of a kiss, smiling when she agreed to one.

Vanta didn’t hesitate and closed the distance with his lips. He felt her lips touch his and it was as though a circuit had been complete and the electric tingle that had been working through his body since Andrea touched him became a coursing current that was strengthened and renewed. His lips were warm and Vanta was careful to not let the connection end early and kept his lips pressed against Andrea’s as he worked her lips open and deepened the kiss.

Vanta didn’t just let his lips be a part of the kiss, he made his hands part of the experience; still obeying Andrea’s instructions but doing what he could to make the single kiss more passionate. Without moving down he began to rub the small of her back while his right hand ran through her hair, and stroked against the back of her head. While Vanta was careful to keep his grip loose on Andrea so she could push him away if he did anything wrong, their bodies were still brought together and Vanta felt Andrea’s chest touch his own. The coursing circuit of pleasure felt even stronger and Vanta let out a small moan as he felt a stirring in his loins.

It would be so easy to just forego his humanoid form and become an inky void to submerge Andrea in. He could link with her nervous system again but this time flood her with pleasure as they shed their clothes and became one in an almost infinite number of ways. A part of him wanted to toss the rules aside and claim her passionately until she returned his passion…all it would take was to simply see her as prey once again.

And that thought was what finally brought the blissful kiss to an end. Vanta panted as his lips separated from Andrea’s and he pressed his forehead against her, stopping his hands as he looked at Andrea. As tempting as that thought was to his more carnal desires, Vanta had felt the pleasure he had been feeling turn sour when it had crossed his mind. He looked into Andrea’s eyes and he was overcome not just by her beauty but also her trust.

Andrea had not only given him a chance but had allowed herself to remain in a vulnerable position while he was in the house, then she had not only explained her rules but had been willing to demonstrate what she meant and had granted his request for a hug while also touching him freely and complimenting. While he desired Andrea physically, if he overpowered her, he wouldn’t get the Andrea who put that trust in him, he would just get a scared woman who would rightfully despise him. He looked into her eyes and fought the desire to even kiss her again. He wanted THIS Andrea. The Andrea who let him kiss her. The Andrea who held him when he thought he was dying. The Andrea who complimented his eyes. Any other person wouldn’t do.

He rubbed his temple against Andrea.

“Thank you Andrea, you have no idea how much that kiss meant to me. I love you.”

 

[Poprockz]

When their lips connected, she had found herself tensing slightly before relaxing in his embrace. Her eyes closed and she simply allowed him to have control of where things went. Her past self might have called her crazy for doing so, but she trusted that he wouldn’t take advantage of her. Vanta was different now, and while she assumed he might make mistakes here and there, she knew that his care for her was genuine. As such, it stood to reason that he would do his best not to stomp on her boundaries.

It felt odd to be caressed in such a way, his hands moving soothingly while his mouth… well, his mouth had hers completely captive with his sweet movements. Her lips didn’t put up much of a fight when he deepened their kiss, and soon she could taste him on her tongue. It almost made her head spin, the intensity of his saccharine affections. Perhaps “odd” wasn’t the right word for it all; “good” or “exciting” might have been better, she had to reluctantly admit to herself. It was one of the most heartfelt kisses she had ever received, and had she not been sitting down, she would have found herself weak at the knees.

That little moan of his sent a tingle of arousal right down her belly and between her legs and suddenly she was more aware of her breasts pressing gently against his chest. Her nipples became slightly more pert, though hopefully he couldn’t tell. He wouldn’t have gotten a lot of time to notice, as soon she felt him ending the “single kiss” that had turned out to be more than just a simple kiss.

“You’re welcome,” she whispered, slightly out of breath. Andrea couldn’t say that she loved him back right now, but she certainly felt the sincerity in his words. Not just his words though… that kiss had been something else.

The woman let them linger in that position for a minute as they both caught their breath, but soon she slowly pulled back and sat up straight on the couch once more. She was still sitting right next to him, but she didn’t want to have her face super close to him when she moved on to the next topic of conversation.

“So Vanta… having physical desires is a new thing for you, so it might feel a bit overwhelming. If you ever feel really frustrated or you need to let that energy out, I would recommend taking care of yourself privately.” She paused before asking, “do you um, know how to do that?”

While it was an awkward question to ask, she felt it needed to be posed. It seemed like he might know what she meant based on his reaction to her referencing it earlier, but if there was one thing she had learned, it was that she didn’t want to assume when it came to Vanta. She thought it might be rather unfortunate if he was silently struggling while she wasn’t feeling like she wanted to be intimate. Who knew if she would feel like being intimate with the handsome shadow down the road… All she knew was that if he desired her as strongly as he claimed, then he very much needed an outlet.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta didn’t mind that Andrea didn’t say she loved him, for now, just hearing her quickened breath, seeing her hardened nipples pressing against her nightie, and staying so close to her that he could hear her heart beat was rewarding in its own way. She wasn’t disgusted, she wasn’t trying to flee, she had at least gotten somewhat aroused and was comfortable with him being there, even knowing that he wanted her carnally. For now he took her “You’re welcome” as a massive step towards forming a relationship with Andrea…even if his body craved so much more, as was being felt in his pants.

Vanta hoped Andrea hadn’t noticed but currently he had grown an erection and it was causing him quite a bit of discomfort as it snaked its way to full length inside of his left pant leg. Unlike two nights before, he hadn’t grown the erection out of some intent to intimidate Andrea, right now he was so aroused that his body had grown a full erection into pants that he had tailored without taking a full set of genitals into consideration. Vanta hadn’t known what an appropriate size was as over the centuries he had seen many couples copulating. The last couple he had observed was Andrea’s parents and the only time he had heard size brought up was a night where Andrea’s mother had worn a strange leather outfit and had tied her husband to the bed before stimulating his genitals with her foot.

“You think you can satisfy me with this lil baby dick?” She had said in a cold voice, before striking him with a whip.

It had confused Vanta as previous observations had made it seem like Andrea’s father was up to the task but if he was to be married, he should have a cock that would satisfy his lover so, to be on the safe side, he had created a penis that was about twice the size of the bound man and half again as thick, and now that thick cock was being painfully squeezed against his left leg.

Then, as though Andrea had read his mind, she had asked him if he knew how to relieve himself. If Vanta could blush, his cheeks could illuminate the entire room. The truth was, while the being of shadow knew physiologically how his genitals worked and in theory they should function, Vanta had no idea how to address his situation. The children he typically scared stopped being afraid of him long before they discovered self-exploration and he rarely was interested in watching whatever single parents got up to when they were alone.

“Well…I…uh,” Vanta stammered and looked away from Andrea, not just because being so close to her was making his blood swell and engorge his already trapped member, but because he didn’t want Andrea to know how completely out of his depth he was, “I…might, that is to say.” He took a deep breath, “I have no idea how to do that Andrea….I could really use some help though as it’s a bit unbearable,” he grimaced as his eyes had swung back briefly and saw her full breasts against her nightie, causing a swelling in his pants that was so bad that Vanta swore he heard a tearing noise. Embarassed, he waited to see what Andrea would say.

 

[Poprockz]

“It’s okay…” she chuckled nervously. “You never had anyone to give you “the talk,” so I don’t blame you for not knowing.” Well... it seemed as though she was going to have to help him. She couldn't just leave him in pain, not knowing how to get relief. It wasn't as though she could show him a video of how to do it either with the light being a danger. No, this was something she was going to have to personally help him with.

This was going to be awkward for her, but at least she could make it so that she wouldn’t have to meet his eyes while she instructed him. Andrea got onto her knees on the couch and approached him, bidding him to scoot more to the edge of the seat. When he complied, she moved behind him. She had to press herself up against his back to get her hand around him and in the position she wanted.

Andrea’s other arm came around his other side to aid her in undoing his pants, pushing them down a bit so his cock could come out. With a bit of a shift he was free and standing at attention. Jesus. It was huge. It wasn’t inhumanely large, but it was definitely a size that would make a woman writhe. She looked over his shoulder at it and was grateful that she could hide behind him for all of this. She wasn’t sure what kind of look she had on her face, but it wouldn’t be anything less than embarrassing.

“Okay… so um, first you grab it gently but firmly like this.” Her soft hand wrapped around his cock, and she couldn’t help but think to herself how the hot thing almost seemed to pulse in her grip. On his thigh, her other hand rested and stabilized her as she continued.

“And then you just uh, you stroke it.” She followed up her sentence by starting to slowly and sensually slide her hand up and down his inky shaft. Every time she would stroke him, her breasts would push slightly into his back, and she hoped that he wasn’t able to feel her nipples through the fabric. “It works better if you have some sort of lubrication involved.” With that, she brought her hand back up to her mouth, spat in it, and returned it to him. This time she smeared her spit along his sensitive skin and her hand started to glide better.

The supple woman continued to explain, her breath tickling near his ear as she instructed him. “Usually people think of something that really turns them on. Like some people imagine having several beautiful women in bed with them, tying up their partner and teasing them, being frisky in the shower… things like that.” Andrea herself had fantasies she indulged in when it was just herself and either her hand or the buzz of a toy. Perhaps he was a suave man who knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was to play with her until she trembled for him. Perhaps he was a tender man who kissed her all over before whispering sweet nothings in her ear during the gentle roll of his hips. Perhaps he was a passionate man whose kisses were like an unquenchable fire that threatened to burn her to ash, his movements rough and hungry. There were other things of course, but she figured most people had a lot of fantasies to choose from if they had the imagination for it.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta at first did not react to Andrea's hand stroking his cock. He had obeyed her instructions in silence, shocked that this was transpiring. Then he tried holding back his moans and sighs as Andrea stroked him, worried that if he expressed to much excitement, she would stop. However, once she added her own spit for lubrication, and he kept feeling her full breasts and pert nipples press against his back, he could no longer resist and began panting and moaning along with her strokes. He tried to not take it for more than Andrea showing him some kindness but with her words and warm breath tickling his eardrum, he could only see it as being intimate act with his beloved.

He heard Andrea's words and thought of what kind of a fantasy would excite him the most, as well as distract him from the actual fantasy that was occurring now and making his toes curl. This moment alone would certainly have been quite the fantasy even two days ago...but as he closed his eyes and focused on the pleasure from having his shaft stroked, an image came to mind and Vanta couldn't help but narrate as the images came to his mind.

"I'm thinking of you and me outside under the new moon," He said in between pants, "you're dressed in the nightie I gave you and you're smiling at me. I'm naked and you keep ki-kissing my chest and then my lips and I'm kissing you back but you pull back before I can wrap you up in my arms. You even stroke my cock like you're doing now but you jump away." his Cock started to leak forth with a clear liquid that mixed with Andrea's spit and further lubricated his shaft and coated Andrea's fingers as she worked her hand over him, "But right when I'm about to get frustrated, you tell me to stop and you," he paused, groaning as he felt his scrotum draw up towards his crotch, "take off your clothes and then you tell me to come to you and I finally catch you and I start kissing you, first on your lips, then your breasts, then lower and lower until I'm...below you and I start licking and tasting you and you're making such beautiful sounds as you writhe atop my tongue." He groaned, feeling the head of his penis get more sensitive, " You're so excited that you fall back but I've split into three bodies and two of them catch you and lower you down onto the ground as I keep licking you, and suddenly I'm watching you from three sets of eyes and kissing all over you with two sets of lips and feeling every inch of your delectable body as you're spreading your legs...and then you look so gorgeous, and you tell the me that is between your legs that you're ready and my other two bodies kiss you on the lips as I crawl up and"

Vanta suddenly stopped recounting his fantasy as he felt a strange pressure in his crotch, "Andrea, it feels strange, is it supposed to feel like this?" He let out a high pitched gasp and suddenly his cock stiffened once more and he felt the pressure release as his cock spewed forth a thick rope of semen that fired skyward and descended down to fall back on Vanta's cock and Andrea's hand, several more spurts occured and each one was accompanied with a gasp as Vanta was struck with a pleasure that spread out from his penis, down to the his crotch and then went throughout his entire body, causing him to shudder violently and fall back against Andrea, pressing her against the couch. His breathing was labored and his eyes went wide as his first, personally experienced, orgasm hit him. After a few seconds, Vanta realized that he had trapped Andrea against the couch and quickly moved back to the edge so he wasn't crushing her. He held her cum-covered hand and looked over his shoulder at Andrea,

"That was incredible Andrea. Is it always this good?" He asked before saying "Thank you so much, Andrea, you're so wonderful for helping me with this." He then shyly asked, "Should we go wash up?"

 

[Poprockz]

Andrea had found his lustful nosies to be rather sexy, especially when his breath would hitch from a particularly pleasant stroke. While she had intended for this to be purely educational, she couldn't deny that it was a pretty erotic situation. She had given Josh loads of handjobs, but usually it lacked intimacy. It had just been a quick way to get him off without having to undress or suck him off. Near the end there was no spark, and making sure Josh came had been more of a chore than a romantic experience. He had always been in a better mood after a good jerk, and refusing to help him... well, that wasn't something one did if they didn't want him to get angry.

She could have guessed that Vanta's fantasy would be about her; after all, she was the one he had professed being attracted to. That being said, it was one thing to know and another to hear about it in explicit detail while her hand was on his cock. Andrea couldn't help but imagine it herself as it was being spoken out loud, picturing him using three bodies to engage with her. What would he do once he had crawled up and taken her between the legs? Would his other two bodies join in? She wondered what it might be like to be filled completely with all three of them, each one of them claiming part of her with its own inky cock as she was rocked back and forth. She hadn't had anal sex yet, but the idea of it was arousing.

The woman had just opened her mouth to answer him about the "strange" feeling when she found him reaching his climax. She didn't stop stroking him through it, making sure to milk him until every thick glob had exited his shaft. Only then did she stop and release him from her gentle grip. Being smooshed into the couch wasn't unexpected, so she simply waited for him to come back around. A little smile came to her lips from the utterly flabbergasted look on his face at how pleasurable he had felt. Proof of a job well done, she figured.

As he suggested that they wash up, her gaze went down to her hand that still had his creamy leftovers on it. She found herself wondering what his cum tasted like and was immediately shocked that she had even considered trying to find out. No, she was not going to put his semen anywhere near her mouth right now. She realized she was staring and hadn't answered him yet, so she quickly cleared her throat.

"Oh! You're welcome. and uh, yeah, let's clean up. Some orgasms are more intense than others depending on a couple different things like how turned on you are, how well you stroke yourself, how into your fantasy you get... You know, things like that."

Getting up from the couch, she led them over to the kitchen sink and turned it on, washing both their hands under the warm stream. She realized in the middle of doing so that he probably was just as capable of washing his own hands, but she was already in the middle of rubbing the sudsy soap over his palm and between his fingers; as such, she was committed to finishing. Once they were rinsed off, she grabbed a hand-towel that was hanging near the sink and dried their hands with it, offering it to him afterwards. "You might have drippings on your clothes, so you can use this to wipe off if you need."

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta meekly followed Andrea to the sink to wash off, the afterglow still washing over him. He took the hand-towel and began to wipe himself clean, though part of him felt that he would always remember the feeling of her hands on his as she scrubbed him clean. As he finished cleaning however, he felt a question rise in his mind that he had to ask.

“Andrea, this night has been even better than I hoped so far and I don’t want to ruin our first date but I couldn’t help but notice your nipples were hard when they pressed against my back and you’ve been blushing a lot.” He took a deep breath, “If I’m not mistaken you’re a little aroused too…and while you’re far more experienced than me and can take care of yourself, I’d like to offer to ‘help’ you with my hands like you helped me.”

He held his hands up, “I’m not expecting anything more to happen, I promise I’ll keep to your rules and I would follow your instructions to the letter, I just want to pay you back for such a wonderful experience and learn more about how I can make you happy and what fantasies you might have so when you are comfortable with the idea of sleeping with me, I can make that experience even more pleasurable.”

“If you’re not okay with that, that’s fine, I just wanted to offer that to you.”

Of course Vanta wanted to have any chance to touch and pleasure Andrea but he also wanted to see what she liked and what type of fantasies she had. His fantasies had all been about her as she was the only person he had ever felt attracted to but if he knew what she liked, maybe he could use that to be a better lover to her

 

[Poprockz]

Ah, so he had noticed. That was... rather embarrassing. It made sense that he could see very well in the dark; he was made of darkness, after all.

Truth be told, her underwear was currently a little damp from the evening's festivities. The way he had kissed her, the imagery of his own fantasy, and the act of rubbing against him while jerking him off had all contributed to her arousal despite her having no intention of sleeping with him that night.

"I appreciate you offering, but I'm not ready for that yet," she replied in a gentle yet firm tone. Andrea was aware that she was offering no confirmation of whether she was indeed aroused, and she planned to keep it that way.

She leaned her back against the counter and let both of her hands hold the edge of it as she addressed him.

"When two people get together, there are a couple of was things can go. Either it's hard and fast, and the two people sleep together the day they meet, carried away by an instant connection. Usually people go out looking for intimacy when they do that. For people like me though, I like to get to know the person before I do things with them. To me, it's a very vulnerable and intimate thing, letting a man touch me. Even if it's..." She cleared her throat and looked across the kitchen away from him. "Even if it's just him touching me until I... get there. I need to build up a little trust and connection with that person before I feel comfortable letting him do that."

Andrea paused, wondering if there was some way she could offer something else that might make him feel better about not being able to "help her." "But, if you want, you can lay in the bed with me- fully clothed- while I fall asleep. You don't have to stay there with me once I drift off, but it's fine if you do."

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Vanta wasn’t surprised, Andrea was still getting used to him and even if she was getting aroused by being with him, she wasn’t ready to trust him that much…especially after what had occurred the last few days. Vanta was ready to merely change subjects but then Andrea made her counter-proposal and Vanta was surprised. To Vanta in some ways it felt like Andrea was showing him more trust. While there was nothing that could technically stop him from coming into the room, the fact she was trusting him to lie in the same bed as her and not take advantage of the situation showed a degree of faith in him that Vanta was delighted by and he intended to show Andrea she was right to put her trust in him.

“I’d love that Andrea!” Vanta blurted out, before he timidly looked away, a little embarrassed to have shown how excited he was, “I mean, thank you Andrea. It means a lot to me and I know you’re putting a lot of trust in me, so thank you!” He couldn’t keep his excitement down and surrendered to his impulses, even briefly embracing Andrea.

He then thought to what Andrea had said earlier, “we have a bit of time before going to bed though, right? I don’t know how much more I can share about myself, but if you’d like to get to know me more, maybe we could go outside for a bit?”

Vanta looked at Andrea with a cautious look, “I know dates usually involve people going further away than the back yard but it’s the new moon and I’d like to show you something while I’ll be at my strongest.”

 

[Poprockz]

She couldn’t help a little smile that came to her face when he expressed his excitement and hugged her. It was interesting to see how Vanta had developed more of a personality; a few days ago, she imagined that he didn’t know what being shy felt like, nor had he had any reason to be bashful.

"I know dates usually involve people going further away than the back yard but it’s the new moon and I’d like to show you something while I’ll be at my strongest.”

Andrea would be lying if she said that her first instinct wasn’t to be wary of being “shown something” especially at his most powerful. It gave her flashbacks of what had happened previously when he was angry, and that made her feel slightly nervous. She tried to hide this by glancing away from him and going to a nearby cupboard to grab herself a Hershey’s kiss before unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth. Hopefully it would buy her a few seconds to quell at least the outwardly showing signs of the anxiety that had bubbled up.

He had been arguably weak at the time, so she wasn’t sure just what he could accomplish while being fully at his best. What if he reverted back to what he used to be under the darkness of the new moon and tormented her with frightful forms, trapping her in a never-ending nightmare? What if he flexed his powers for her and decided that he didn’t need to wait for her to trust him- he could simply take her if he wanted to? Taking her being either forcing her to be physically intimate, or squirreling her off to a pocket of space where he was the god and she was a beautiful jewel that he kept for himself.

That being said… she had already made the decision to try her best to trust him. She couldn’t help the way she felt, but she could move past her feelings and choose to follow him willingly with the hope that he would continue to be the Vanta who truly wanted her to be happy. It was a difficult thing to do-ignoring one’s fears and venturing into the unknown, but as the sweet chocolate melted on her tongue and she turned back to him, she was willing to risk it.

“Okay, let’s go then,” she answered in a measured tone, taking his hand and drifting toward the front door. Halfway there though, she paused and looked over at the couch. The woman then let go of his hand, scooped up the sheep he had made her, and returned to him to take his hand once more. BaaBaa was now snuggled close to her chest as her other arm clutched it. While she may have been resolved to do this, it didn’t mean she wasn’t allowed something to comfort herself with.