Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sitting at your desk, alone in your office while just working. Recently there had been not many things to do, but you would prefer not to let work accumulate, you never knew when you would need to take a break.

The sound of the door opening was the preface to something you had been waiting for, hoping for. Lavinia Falcone, known as Penance once she became part of Rhodes, went through the door before it closed. 

Standing with elegance and authority, carrying the strength of her will and body. A Siracusan ex-judge, that still behaved with the properness of a judge, that had seen her fair share of the worst things her city had to offer, but even so she still kept her ideals strong, even if she needed to change them a bit to let them be more than just ideals.

“Did you call for me, Doctor?” She asked while still standing by the door. Both of her hands fully visible, as she didn’t need her equipment while just being in the landship. Her work as a legal advisor would surely be hard with such a glove.

“Yes. Please take a seat.” You said without fully looking at her, pointing at a chair in front of your desk with one of your hands.

The sound of her heels hitting the floor had such an enticing rhythm. She delicately moved the chair and sat down. Legs crossed, hands resting on her lap, fixing her skirt a bit, her braid going over her shoulder.

“May I ask what would you need me for?” She fixed her hair, moving it behind her ear with two fingers. Her voice told you she was already in advisor mode.

You put your pen aside, next to some document and your terminal, making the space between you and Lavinia completely empty.

“I need your help, madame Falcone. I am in a difficult situation and I figured out you, being a smart and reasonable individual, would be able to help me.” You entwined your fingers and put your hands on the desk.

“You flatter me, Doctor.” She kept her professional tone. It was really different from the one she had when drinking quietly in the canteen past hours, not an entirely different person, but definitely another side of Lavinia. “But please don’t beat around the bush and give me the details so I can decide if my help is appropriate.”

“Sure thing.” You inhaled deeply, feeling the pressure of having those golden eyes on you, even if you weren’t the one being judged. “You see, there's this Lupo woman I recently started a business relationship, and friendship, with.”

“Mm-Hmm” She hummed while nodding. “And what is the situation with this individual?” Her ears perked up. You decided to take off your mask, making her raise an eyebrow in interest.

“You see, I really trusted this woman, and while I don't know how she felt about me, I think she also sees me as a friend, a trusted friend, but” And now came the most important part. You maintained a completely dry attitude, making your best business meeting face. “turns out she stole something very valuable from me without me noticing.” Her face betrayed surprise at your words. “Seeing you are a judge, I wanted to get out advice on the best possible course of action.”

“Doctor,” She closed her eyes while adjusting her posture on the chair. Even if it was just some simple chair meant to not stand out too much, the way she acted made it feel like the high seat of a judge of the highest authority. “this situation seems to be some average problem, I don’t think you would need me for something so trivial.” Her eyes were prying your expression, searching for any hints that would give away your motives. “Is there something else you have not yet told me?”

“Please excuse me if I made you feel as if I’m wasting your time.”

“While it is not like that,” She immediately cut your words. “I would ask you to not dance around the subject.”

“I don’t feel like causing a huge ruckus. I wanted your help in solving this matter as discretely as possible. I’m sure you can help me find a way to solve the issue while still inside the law.” 

She raised her eyebrow again. Maybe she thought you were referring to her past with the mafia?

“I see…” She fixed her coat. “Well, do you think it would be possible for her to return what she has stolen from you? Maybe if we confront her, we can solve this quickly and easily. But still, stealing from the Doctor himself is not something to be solved covertly if you were to ask me.” Her golden eyes, brighter than the metal itself, pointed straight at yours. “What would you wish to accomplish, anyway? Do you want your possessions back? And, while it seems obvious the answer is no, do you want her to get punished?”

“I don’t think she could ever give back what she stole from me.” You said, closing your eyes to avoid her stern gaze. “And for my objective, let’s leave that for later.”

“Doctor, you are not giving me anything I can work with.” Her voice was firm, she squinted at you.

“I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable, Lavinia,”

“Penance.” It seems her patience was starting to run out.

“…Penance, but I want to take this matter slowly as to avoid misunderstandings. I trust that you understand this is a sensitive subject. Maybe you would like something to drink while we chat?” She glanced at you sideways, a bit confused by the sudden proposal, but nodded at your offer. You took a bottle of water from your desk and poured a glass for her and one for you.

“I do understand, Doctor, but I feel you are being too evasive. Please continue.” She took a sip of water.

“Well, I could give you her name, if it could be useful to you.”

“That would surely be useful. Why are you protecting her that much, anyways? Is it someone important for Rhodes?” She said while taking out a pen.

“She’s someone important to me, at the very least.” You drank a gulp of water and breathed. “You see, her name is…” You were considering going back, but the way she looked at you in anticipation surely made you understand that was no longer an option. “Lavinia Falcone.”

She frowned at your words, confused.

“Excuse me, Doctor, I think you misspoke.” Her voice was full of doubt, considering if it was her who misheard your words.

“No, I didn’t.” You had your best neutral face, not giving away any emotion.

“Do you understand what you are saying, right?” Her tone got more serious and defensive.

“Yes, I’m accusing you, Lavinia Falcone, operator Penance, of stealing something from me.” 

Penance got up from her chair abruptly, leaning towards you and looking you straight in the eye. Her delicate hands pressing strongly against your desk, her braid resting upon it.

“Doctor, I assume you know I have a strict code of conduct. I would never do something like that.” She squinted her eyes at you, offended. “What is it you say I stole from you?”

“Oh, but you stole something from me. So elegantly and discreetly that I barely noticed just now. I can assure you that.” You were keeping your calm as Lavinia’s emotions started to surge. “And I know for a fact it was you.”

“I will not stand for this.” Her fingers bent as if trying to grab the desk. “If you will not tell me what I have stolen from you or your desired outcome of this, I’ll walk out immediately.”

“Lavinia, please calm down.” 

Your words got cut by a slam on the desk.

“How can I be calm when you of all people are accusing me of stealing? What do you take me for? Some kind of ruffian?”

“Lavinia…”

“Stop being so familiar.” She bared her fangs at you. To think Penance of all people could get like that.

“Penance, please take a seat.” You pointed yet again at the chair behind her. She looked at your eyes, piercing right through you. After a second or two, she huffed and sat down again. She fixed her hair once more, trying to recover her appearance, the proper appearance of lady Penance. When it looked like she had calmed down, you spoke: “My objective? I just want you to know. I want to hear your opinion on the matter.”

“My opinion? What opinion I’m supposed to have? The only thing I see is that you are accusing me of something I didn't do. How can you accuse me of such a thing without proof? I will not allow you to slander my name.” She was starting to lose her composure again. “I have worked very hard to earn the trust I receive here, and that trust is something I will preserve and defend. So, I demand that you either prove that I have stolen from you, or else you apologize and stop trying to sully my name.” She set one of her hands firmly on the desk.

You sighed heavily. While you weren’t expecting much, this was surely not what you had planned. You moved one of your hands and put it over hers. She tried to take it away, but you managed to keep it there. 

“The thing you took from me… “You put your other hand under hers, clutching her hand. She tried again to move her hand. Her eyes were filled with rage, offense, pain. “My heart.” You looked at her straight in the eye.

“…what” She looked at you dumbfounded. At least it seems the ire had sizzled out. She pinched her nose. “Doctor, please tell me this is some kind of joke.”

“No, not at all.” You clutched her hand tightly. “I may have let this drag on for too long, but I was having trouble finding the right words. Even more so when my little act seemed to offend you like that.”

“Accusing me of such a petty crime… Non posso credergli…” She was still not looking at you, pinching the bridge of her nose and moving her head slightly from side to side.

“It’s not some petty crime!” You rebutted with a smile. It seems she had calmed down. “It’s something very important. You, Lavinia Falcone, came into Rhodes Island, into my life, and stole my heart with me barely noticing until it was too late.”

“Doc, please.” She had relaxed, no longer trying to get her hand free.

“I’m serious. Your voice, the way you carry yourself with such elegance and authority, your kind attitude, your responsibility, your beautiful golden eyes and brown hair, your cute ears, your tail…”

“Please stop.” While she had not changed her expression, a slight blush was starting to set itself on her face. 

“Your beautiful face, your classy earrings, headpiece, and clothes, your helpful and honest attitude, your tolerance with my antics...”

“Doctor.”

“Your…”

“Doctor, please put an end to this.” She moved her face to ‘face’ you directly, while still covering herself with her hand.

“Those cute nails…”

“Per l’amore di Dio,”She said abruptly. “Just what do you want? What am I supposed to do about this?” 

“Well, you said you wanted proof of my accusations. I think I’ve laid out enough evidence.”

Penance kept negating with her head. While it would seem like she was about to reject your offer, the corner of your eye caught some glimpses of her tail wagging in a way that said the opposite.

“Well, I guess you got me there.” She finally said. “You surely have a way with words…”

“Since you have pleaded guilty, I think it’d be proper to hand out the punishment. I sentence you to dinner with me, at 7 o’clock. Is that acceptable for you, Judge Falcone?”

This man…  Her ears were twitching ever so slightly.

“I think that’s a proper sentence. I’ll see you here at 7.” She negated with her head again, but she had the faintest of smiles on her face this time.

“And now, for the fine…” You reached out, moving your hand under her chin and bending over the desk.

You planted a small kiss on her lips before she could even react to your touch on her face. Just the smallest meeting of your lips with hers, and then you stood near for a moment. A moment of calm, a small window to see if she was fine with that too. 

Her cheeks turned even redder, but she didn’t pull back, looking at you with a side glance that tried to hide her emotions through sternness.

You pressed on, planting yet another kiss on her wonderful lips while weaving the fingers of your other hand with hers. She opened her mouth slightly, so as to give you access. A slow kiss, tasting the lips of this Siracusan beauty. She answered by kissing you too. 

After a moment of basking in her warmth, you felt a slight sharp pain: she was biting your lower lip. You stopped, fearing you had gotten ahead of yourself. She looked at you, the eyes of a predator looking at her prey, or maybe a wolf defending her catch? After a second, another kiss came from her, taking her sweet time to taste you in return.

She finally broke the kiss and sat down, fixing her hair.

“That seems like a proper fine.” She put her fist over her mouth, covering her face. “And that was your punishment for playing with my time.” She said. “And my emotions.” She muttered.

 “I’d gladly pay a thousand more.” The warm smile on your face contrasted strongly with the serious expression on hers, broken by the redness of her skin. “Then, I hope to see you here later.”

“Clearly, I would never escape from a sentence for my crimes.” She said while standing up. “If you excuse me, I have some other things to do.”

She put the chair she was using in place and walked towards the door. The sound of her heels hitting the floor, a gait different than the one she had when she came in.

While the plan had not gone exactly as conceived, with a couple difficulties here and there, all of that only made the taste of her lips, and her answer, a lot sweeter.

“Lavinia.” You called as she put her hand on the door’s panel. She looked at you. “Thank you. And I love you.”

She turned her face towards the door. The poor woman probably didn’t notice how her tail wagged from side to side.

“You are welcome. See you later.” You had heard her beautiful voice enough times to feel the small ‘unprofessional’ tones in her words. 

She walked through the door, letting you alone with your work. You started working with renewed energy, as you now needed to get ahead of schedule enough to free up tonight and, hopefully, tomorrow, after all.

Chapter Text

“…And that concludes the briefing.” said Amiya in a tired voice after giving a report.

There was an attack around one in the morning, so the Doctor had to jump straight out of bed and into the terminal to deal with it. Having to engage in strategic planning was usually a bit taxing, so saying that the Doc was running really short on sanity due to having to deal with things like that while sleep deprived would be an understatement. 

The two of them were sitting around a round table that was used for meetings with important people, as Kal’tsit and Closure were dealing with other matters. The room was illuminated by bulbs that right now felt a bit too strong, the white light drowned the dim sunlight that was starting to peek through the curtains. The small Cautus was too responsible, almost to a fault, so even if both of them were not in any condition to catch anything she said, she still tried to follow protocol.

No more working late for so many days in a row.  Was the only thing in the Doctor’s mind throughout the entire meeting.

Amiya put her small hands on the table and stood up. Doc did the same on his side. The girl collected the various documents and started carrying them towards the exit.

“Oh, right.” Her sweet voice brought the Doc back to focus. Or as much as he could focus at that moment. “Doctor, I heard that your laundry is ready. Sadly, there is no one available to deliver it to your room due to the present circumstances. Our personnel have their hands full, but I arranged for someone to leave it in the hallway near your room. It’s in a green bag as usual.” She said while walking towards the door.

“I see…” Doc answered absentmindedly. Laundry was one of the last things one would think would be affected by an attack, but everything needs hands. As long as the kitchen is working as usual, everything is fine. Doc thought. 

“You don’t need to unpack it right now if you don’t want to.” Her blue eyes looked at the Doc with compassion. Even if she was tired, she still cared for his well-being. “But it would be great if you could at least pick it up and get the bag to your room in order to avoid confusion or getting clothing mixed up.”

“Right.” Doc was starting to nod, more due to drowsiness than to signal concordance. “Thank you, Amiya.” Doc put his hand on her little head, right between those cute bunny ears. “You are a lifesaver, I love you.”

The Cautus girl chuckled. The Doctor was a lot blunter when tired, so she had already become accustomed to his way of talking. Still, hearing those words coming from him and knowing they were completely true made her happy. Even if she would like to hear it from a more conscious Doctor, she knew some things can easily get misunderstood.

“Now, let’s go, Doctor. We need to rest.” She said while putting her small hand over the Doctor’s, who still had his hand on her head.

Rhodes’ metallic hallways managed to be somehow both labyrinthic and intuitive at the same time. So complex, but the Doctor felt like he always knew exactly where to turn to get to wherever he wanted to go, more by instinct than by conscious thought. And that was a blessing when his conscious mind was taking an unscheduled vacation. 

Green bag… Green bag…  

Doc was doing his best to keep that in mind, making sure that between the moments his eyelids felt too heavy, he scanned his surroundings for anything green. He knew that bag by heart at this point: hard, rough fabric dyed in military green and with a yellowish rope at the top to close it.

Doc was getting closer to the last fork in the path, one more turn and he could finally resume his sleep.

“Hello, Doctor.” A warm and calm voice. Golden hair flowing around, and perfectly framing, a familiar face. The Doctor only nodded for an answer.

Operator Horn, Rita Skamandros, a reliable defender and friend. Her small smile, accompanied by those green eyes, had become a common sight for the Doctor ever since she came to Rhodes. Her sense of duty and her earnestness had been great at helping with various duties, both inside and outside the battlefield. She could be somewhat of a workaholic at times, but she remained a great help, kind, and agreeable without being overly demanding.

The Doctor opened his eyes, looking at her. She was as tired as everyone else. That big cannon of hers surely was a pain to carry around, and even more in such a hectic context. Thankfully she only needed to carry it during battle or practice. Her uniform had gotten a bit dirty, mostly dust and some gunpowder. A gray tank top, a black skirt, thigh-high socks, a green jacket… A military-green jacket made of resistant fabric… Maybe a bit darker than what he remembered, but…

Green color… Rough texture...  Doc thought upon seeing his friend.

A mind with only one objective will misjudge, and when one is searching for something, it is common to see that something everywhere.

“Your command during the last battle was…” The blonde wolf began speaking, wanting to commend the Doctor now that she had coincidentally encountered him. However, the Doctor was focused on something else.

A practiced motion: Squatting down, one arm positioned low, one arm raised, then lift your objective using your knees and not your back, as instructed by Sideroca. It was great for lifting things when needed. A clothing bag, for example, or a confused Lupo. 

“Huh?!” Horn couldn’t help but yelp at the feeling as the Doctor's arm wrapped around the back of her knees and lower back. Before she could even ask what was going on, Doc lifted her and started carrying her somewhere.

“What are you doing?” She tried to push the Doctor away. She knew she was a lot stronger than him, so finding the right amount of force to set herself free without hurting him was a challenge. Not that she ever thought she would need to overpower the Doctor of all people. When did he grow so strong? Wasn’t he supposed to be really frail? She thought at the feeling of her fingers firmly grasping her body.

Her mind was clouded from exhaustion and confusion, and she also had to consider the person she was dealing with. Rita had heard stories about the antics the Doctor would get into when tired, but she had never had the opportunity to see one for herself, much less to be part of one, willingly or unwillingly. She knew he meant no harm, the Doctor would never harm his operators willingly, but still, being carried around was such an unfamiliar sensation that it made her uncomfortable. 

“Hello… Horny…” Doc kept walking with a mechanic pace, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. 

Lappy, Horny, Thorny, Bluey... Small nicknames the Doctor had mentally given some operators, not that he would ever consider saying them out loud. The problem was that his sense of restraint wasn't functioning properly in that moment.

“What the hell?” The kidnapped wolf blurted out as the Doctor spoke.

The sight of Rita, Captain Horn herself, being princess-carried by a sleepy Doctor was not something that happened every day, and surely not something that would pass without a couple people asking a lot of questions. Fortunately for both of them, there was nobody in that area of the landship at that moment. Everyone else was either dealing with post-battle duties or resting.

While Horn was occupied deciphering the Doctor’s sleep-talking, they got to his room’s door. Doc put Rita on the floor, allowing her to stand momentarily while he placed his hand on the panel. Unconsciously, as to avoid the ‘bag’ falling, his other arm was wrapped around what happened to be Rita’s waist.

Horn saw her chance to get out of whatever was happening. She put her hands on the one the Doctor had on her waist and attempted to pry his fingers open. 

Sadly, Doc swept her off her feet, in a more than literal sense.

“Doctor, for the love of God, what are you trying to do here?” Horn screamed trying to get her captor to wake up, with little success. The man carried her through the door before it closed behind them.

As the Doctor stood still near the entrance of the room, trying to remember what he was supposed to do, Rita was making a last-ditch effort to get herself free. She didn’t feel in the mood to explain what was happening, even less when she herself didn’t understand, should anyone catch wind of this situation.

Finally, the Doctor began walking as Rita tried her best to free herself. The good thing is that she got the Doctor’s grip to become looser, the bad thing is that she was falling.

As she tried to get herself in position for a proper landing, she felt her body sink into a mattress. Doc had dropped her over his bed. As her hands sank into bed, something else fell beside her.

A tired Doctor had landed face-first on the space next to her, wrapping one of his arms around her stomach. She tried to sit up on the bed, but the Doctor held her down. Another arm under her neck, and now the Lupo was firmly restrained.

“Doc, come on…” The exhaustion from the operation was starting to set in, accelerated by the softness of the bed and the warmth emanating from the body beside her. “This is improper of a commander.”

It was useless. Even if the Doctor had listened to her before, it was really hard for him to do so now, as he had fallen fast asleep.

Horn tried to push away the Doctor one last time. Always considerate of those under her command, as well as those who commanded her it seems. The exhausted face of the man right next to her made it hard to get angry.

“You could have asked, you know?” She said as her eyelids started feeling heavier. “It’s not like we are strangers…” She mumbled as her eyes closed.

A couple hours later, once normal operation had returned to Rhodes Island, Amiya decided to check on the Doctor. Thankfully, after the incident early in the morning, nothing had occurred and the workflow was low once that was dealt with.

The girl hurriedly moved her slim legs. A small nap was more than enough to get her fully ready for another day of work. She turned the corner towards the Doctor’s dorm quickly and then saw a bag.

She came closer and took a peek inside the bag. She could recognize some of the uniforms the Doctor used.

“Didn’t I tell him to put this inside?” She frowned. “Good grief…” She sighed with a small smile on her face. She put one hand on the bundle of clothes and tried to move it, but her small body was not strong enough to carry it any significant distance. “I have to tell him to move this.” She muttered while turning to face the door.

A hand on the sensor, a high-pitched sound to signal entry, and the woosh of the burst of air the door released to open. The small bunny peeked inside.

“Doctor, didn’t I tell you to…” 

Before she could finish her sentence, the scene inside made her silent with surprise:

Operator Horn was curled up around the Doctor, who had his face buried in her chest. She had one of her arms going around his side while the other held his head close to her, her chin was resting on the Doctor’s head and her body was flush against his. The Doctor, meanwhile, was hugging Horn with both arms. The Lupo’s fluffy tail was wrapped around them, serving as some kind of blanket. Both seemed to be deeply asleep, and both were still dirty. 

To say that the Doctor got scolded would be an understatement. 

Chapter Text

Contingency contract, procuring resources, securing funds, scheduling factories and trading posts. You were tired, very tired.

But finally, it was time to rest. Long ago had the sun set and the lightbulbs become the only source of visibility. As you were feeling your arms begin to fall off and your eyelids close themselves shut without your consent, there was a knock on your door. 

At this hour? Who? You thought as your hand pressed the button to activate the intercom. There had not been a report, there had not been a voice, there had not been any kind of heads-up before this untimely visit. A small beep came from the telephone-like artifact on your desk, a small security measure for when there was no one to keep you company. There was also a small camera, but you weren’t feeling like walking all the way to the door just to look at it. 

“It’s me, Doctor, Astesia.” A sweet and elegant voice came from the speaker even before you asked. 

Her? She usually appears in the morning, not at night.

Astesia Urbica: researcher, guard operator, stargazer, and also your personal cute alarm clock. No snooze button on this one, so it was really good for the times you were feeling especially like not getting up from bed.

Maybe she wants to make sure I don’t stay up too late? I don’t think I have been giving her too much trouble during the mornings, though. You thought as you pressed the ‘access’ button, opening the door.

“Is something the matter, Astesia?” You asked as soon as the door opened. “Maybe you want to invite me to look at the stars again?”

To your surprise, not one, but two blue birds entered through the door. 

“Hello, Doctor!” Said one of the twins. You could not tell which one of them.

The other one was Astgenne: researcher, caster operator, engineer, overall great secretary and also a really good assistant when it came to keeping you in check. 

They were both wearing baggy white T-shirts that covered down to their mid-thighs. Usually, the hairstyle or clothing was a useful hint as to who you were talking to, but both of them had let their hair down.

“Do you like our pajamas?” Said the other twin. 

“It’s quite cute, and it looks good on you two.” You raised an eyebrow at the curious scene developing in front of you. While you were not one to call a T-shirt a pajama, you are not exactly in charge of Rhodes’ dress code. Both sisters chuckled at your compliment.

Still, how did they get to your office looking like that? While the shirt hid the shape of their upper bodies, both of them had just enough on their chests for it to make a visible curve on the fabric. The way it hid their bodies while still hinting at what it was hiding was surely enticing, or was it your low sanity speaking?

But even ignoring that, both of them had such lithe and long legs. Creamy-white skin that looked so soft covering what surely must be muscle by the way it looked so firm…

FOCUS!

You can’t keep leering at your operators like that. No matter how enticing their attires are. Thankfully you still had the mask on, so hopefully they didn’t notice your eyes going all over them.

“And, you came all the way here just to show me that?” You asked them trying to regain your composure.

“Not really…” One of them said. “You see, people often say they have trouble distinguishing us.” 

“But we don’t think we are that alike, even being twins.” The other added. “Generally, the way we dress is enough to separate one from the other.”

“I still don’t see how that leads to you two coming to my office late at night while wearing identical clothing.” You quipped at them. “And just T-shirts, at that.”

“We are getting there!” Said one. They kept talking in plural. “We wanted to see if people could differentiate us even in identical clothing.”

“Sadly, we have not yet had any luck regarding that matter.” The other added while making a disappointed expression.

“So, we thought: what about the Doctor? He is kind and really pays attention to everyone, maybe he can distinguish us.”

“And here we are.”

Both of them opened their arms as if they were to hug you.

“Who’s who, Doctor?” Both of them said at the same time while smiling.

You looked at them, making sure to keep yourself in check. 

They sure were twins, both of them had the same skin tone, the same beautiful blue eyes, the same silky blue hair, and their faces and bodies were almost carbon copies of each other’s.

But, sadly for their little experiment, you did pay attention to your operators. Especially to the ones like them, always by your side, always keeping you company.

Elena was just a bit taller. One centimeter, to be exact, if their files were to be believed. She also sported a bigger, more confident smile, showing her white teeth. Her voice was also a bit higher pitched than Astesia’s.

Astesia, on the other hand, not only was a centimeter shorter and had a lower-pitched voice, but she also was calmer, her emotions were harder to read sometimes. Her smile was a lot warmer, though. Even if it was small, it radiated kindness and reliability. Even if they were twins, Astesia felt like the older sister.

You walked around them with your hand on the chin of your mask, making sure to play into their little game. Both of the twins giggled. 

The feathers on their backs lifted the T-shirts just a little bit, how cute. The way the hem of the shirt lifted lets you see just a bit more of those thighs of theirs…

Grab a hold of yourself! You scolded yourself mentally while looking elsewhere.

Looking at their feet, both of them had sandals on. They looked to be the same kind, so there was no trick with their heights. You had listened to their voices just enough to be able to differentiate between the two of them the moment they said more than one phrase each, but if they had come to you to play, you would give them what they wanted.

As you completed your walk around them, both of them put their arms behind their backs and leaned just a bit toward you.

“Well?” Said the one you thought was Astgenne.

“Do you have your answer yet, Doctor?” Said the one you thought was Astesia.

“Let me look more closely at you.” You pulled your mask off. This was a lot more fun than you had expected. The Urbicas were always nice company, and work was done for the day, so you took some liberties. “I will need to check a bit more.” You took a step towards them.

“Doctor!” Said perhaps-Astgenne. The other twin only pouted while looking disappointed. That was definitely Astesia. 

“C’mon, don’t give me such a hard time,” you patted Astesia’s head. “you both are really similar, both of you are really cute.” Both twins turned red at the compliment.

“Doctor, that’s unfair. “Astgenne protested while throwing her hands down. “Pat me too!” That attitude was a confirmation of your supposition. She took hold of your hand and lifted it. You patted her head too.

“Now, now…” You said while taking your hand off their heads. “Just give me a moment and I’ll have my answer. I will be correct, I promise.” Both of them exchanged looks and then looked at you with smug smiles.

You walked towards your desk and left your mask and gloves there. The birds looked at you with curiosity as you came back near them again. 

“Now, let’s see this little bird…” You said grabbing Astesia by the chin and bringing your face closer to hers. The girl immediately went red at your close inspection, opening her beautiful blue eyes. 

Like stars shining on the night sky… You thought with a smile while the girl squirmed under your touch. Astgenne, on the other hand, was looking with great interest at your small torture of her sister. You could notice her smug smile at the way you controlled Astesia. You moved your subject’s chin to the side, looking at the small tuft of feathers that was on the side of her head. A small clump of feathers of beautiful pink, blue, and dark blue tones. 

“May I?” You said while pointing at it. Astesia only nodded, closing her eyes. You put two fingers in it, feeling the silky softness of it as your fingers glided between the feathers. “You take care of these, right? They are quite soft.” You put your whole hand against the small clump of feathers, rubbing them between your fingers to feel the softness. Poor Astesia was trembling, but still pressing her head against your palm. Maybe she was enjoying it?

“Ye-es.” She replied between shivers. Her eyes were closed and her hands were clutching at the fabric of her shirt.

You wanted to keep teasing her like that forever, but the way the other twin was looking at you made you know that perhaps you should not focus too much on one of them. Usual siblings’ quarrels. Maybe.

 You let go of Astesia, who put a hand over her chest as she tried to catch her breath and calm herself. 

“Now… let’s see this other little bird.” You grabbed Astgenne’s chin and brought your face close to hers. Unlike her sister, she tried to put a front. While her cheeks were tinted red nonetheless, she focused on keeping a neutral expression. “This cute, little bird, who may she be?” You pushed her chin up while breathing right on her neck. Your free hand started caressing the side of her neck, making her turn her head to stop you.

“That tickles…” Astgenne closed one eye while she moved her head to catch your fingers. You still kept going, caressing her soft skin, making her shiver. You pulled her chin down again, wanting to see her face. She was beet red, but still focused on keeping the calm, smug smile she had when coming in. Her efforts were in vain, as her smile was starting to break in favor of a grin.

Like two bright flares illuminating the night sky… You looked at those cute eyes of hers, filled with determination and constant energy. In your moving of her head, a strand of hair had fallen on her face. You moved one finger and made sure to fix that, you didn’t want anything sullying the beauty you were looking at. 

The caress made her façade break, changing the smug smile for a frozen bashful one. Her sister was barely able to look at the whole ordeal, putting one of her hands in front of her mouth. Astesia’s eyes were fully immersed in what you would do to her sister, watching carefully. As to keep consistency, you delicately moved her face to the side, looking at her tuft of feathers. 

Astgenne nodded even before you said anything, making you smile. You started rubbing her feathers, making her shiver. She tensed up and tried to stop herself, but she didn’t manage to change anything. Even so, seeing her stubbornness, you decided that maybe you could tease her a bit more. Astesia wouldn’t get jealous of that, would she?

You brought your head even closer, looking at her feathers, blue and dark blue like her sister’s, but also with lavender and whiteish tones. You inhaled deeply and slowly blew on her feathers. She grabbed onto your coat as her legs started trembling.

“Yours are also really cute.” You whispered against her ear. 

“I think that’s enough.” She put her hands on your shoulders and softly pushed you away. You could only laugh at these two adorable birds. “Who am I?”

“Hmmm…” You once again put your hand on your chin and started walking from side to side. “Let’s see… I think I need just one other test.”

“Doctor!” Both twins scolded you, throwing her hands down. They were already covered in red from neck to forehead.

“I promise this is the last one!” You lifted your hands near your chest.

“You said that before.” Astesia pouted. “Stop teasing us.”

“Trust me. Just one more and I’ll tell you. We all need to go to sleep.” You said with a smile.

“Fine…” Astgenne reluctantly agreed.

Once again, you looked at Astesia. You walked towards her, who looked at you with big, expectant eyes. Once again you put your hand on her chin and pulled her just a bit closer. Astgenne had her eyes fixed on you, watching carefully your every move. You were going to give her something to watch.

You planted a kiss on Astesia’s lips. Astgenne’s mouth opened wide and, unlike her sister, she didn’t try to cover it. After a second of tasting just superficially, just small smooches, you pulled your lips away from Astesia’s and rested your forehead on hers.

“I-I… Doctor…” You could swear her temperature was rising.

“I’ll do it again.” You warned her and awaited her response. She nodded meekly.

Once again you went in. Your free hand grabbed her lower back and pushed her against you. She felt so small and delicate, so beautiful and thin. Like a porcelain doll. With her body so close to yours, you could feel her bosom press against your chest.

You tasted her, giving her deep smooches. Even though she acted so shy, she replied. Her delicate and elegant lips pressing against yours, her body pressing against you, standing on tiptoes to be as close as possible. Her hands were grabbing the fabric of your coat, trying to give her a bit of stability, or maybe trying to pull you even closer? You pressed with your tongue, fighting to make your way inside.

Once she opened her mouth to let you inside, you started tasting each and every bit of her. Feeling the inside of her mouth, trying to recognize how her tongue moved, how her saliva tasted, trying to feel her breath. 

You moved your hand from her chin to her cheek, caressing her while still kissing her deeply. This beautiful star on your hands, completely at your mercy. She once again tilted her head to feel your caress on her cheek, but without breaking the kiss. 

You kept going for a while, smooching Astesia, tasting her, and making sure to catch every little detail from her you could. No matter how insignificant, you wanted to know her as much as possible. 

You finally broke the kiss with a loud smooch. Astesia was left panting and frozen, trying to process the event, and you had a bit of her saliva still on your lips. You turned to look at Astgenne, who jolted the moment your attention went towards her. She had been completely paralyzed, entranced looking at your small act. 

Wanting to tease her a bit more, you extended your hand. Her eyes moved from your face to your hand and then back. She cautiously grabbed your hand. You squeezed her and, as if dancing, pulled her close. A hand on her waist, a hand behind her head, and your lips on hers.

She immediately tensed up and closed her eyes. This small bundle of energy you had been dealing with for a long time now was completely still. Her movements were subtle for someone as direct as her, like how she put her small hands on your waist and moved one of her feet forward to be closer to you. The way she let her head rest on your hand felt as if she was melting under your caress.

You kissed her with just as much energy as she carried herself day to day. Passionately, strongly and hungrily. Quick smooches that let you taste her completely. You caressed the back of her head, that long, silky, blue hair that glided between your fingers. It felt so light that it was evident they had showered not too long ago.

You pried her mouth open with your tongue, intensely and strongly. You started tasting her too, feeling each little part of her.

Then she closed her mouth on you, biting your tongue softly. She was looking at you straight in the eye, squinting and making a frown of displeasure. She slowly opened her mouth once again, letting you move your tongue.

This time you decided to give her a slower treatment. Deep smooches, feeling slowly each part of her mouth. That was definitely what she wanted, as her legs began shaking. She was completely disarmed against that. 

So this is how she likes it? You thought while caressing her back, making her lean even more on you. Slowly, passionately, taking care to give her plenty of love with each kiss. Caress her back, caress her head, kiss her slowly, and move your tongue with caution. Pay attention to how she moves, how her mouth tastes, those little mewls that escaped from her as you tasted her. She was now pressing as tightly as she could against you. While a bit smaller than her sister by how it felt, she also had a commendable weight on her chest, that now was pressing against yours. Astesia was watching with big eyes, wanting to catch every little thing you did to her sister. From your position, you couldn’t tell if it was to make sure you wouldn’t go too far or to make sure you wouldn’t give her sister more than you had given her.

You put both of your hands on her cheeks, grabbing that small face of hers, and gave her one last smooch as you broke the kiss. A small glint of saliva connecting your face with hers. You gave her a last look and patted her head, before stepping away.

“I hope you have your answer now.” Said, or almost cried out of shame, Astgenne, while covering her face with her hands.

“Come here.” You pulled her closer while licking your lips for the last traces of her taste, making her squirm thinking what else you could do. Your other hand took Astesia and brought her close, hugging both of them. They had a faint fragrance of shampoo on them. With both birds snuggly against your body, you just stood there for a second, holding them, feeling their warmth, which had surely increased thanks to you. Both of them exchanged looks, a bit taken aback, but replied in kind, hugging you back.

“I love you both, my precious little birds.” You said with your face between their heads. They didn’t say anything. You just chuckled and planted a small kiss on Astgenne’s forehead, and then another on Astesia’s.

You broke the hug and took a step away, looking at both of them. They were completely painted in red, so maybe it had been enough teasing. 

“Well?” Astesia asked. She had her hands cupped in front of her.

“Do you have your answer?” Astgenne wasn’t even looking at you, she was averting her gaze. 

She felt the weight of your hand on her head, patting her and caressing her.

“You are my favorite electric researcher, energetic little Astgenne.” You declared while smiling. She nodded.

“And you,” You put your hand on the other sibling’s head, also patting her and softly ruffling her hair. “you are my favorite stargazer, elegant little Astesia.” You said. She nodded. You kept patting them for a little while more.

“It took some time, but you managed to do it.” Said Astgenne, still not looking at you. None of them said anything else, acting bashful, but nonetheless standing still so you could keep caressing them.

“May I tell you a secret?” You smiled at their attitude. Both expressed the same feeling quite differently: Astesia had her hands cupped in front of her, her eyes closed and she was facing slightly to the side. It was obvious she was feeling nervous. Astgenne had her arms crossed in front of her, and she had her eyes opened but was looking to the side. You probably had gone a bit too far with her, but it was so fun teasing her.

“What is it, Doctor?” Astesia opened her eyes and looked at you. Astgenne also looked at you, still a bit mad. 

“I could tell you two apart almost from the start.” Both of them opened their eyes in surprise, both facing you completely now. “Astgenne is a bit taller, and Astesia’s voice is a bit lower. Also, both of you express and behave differently. Astesia is a bit calmer, while Astgenne is a bit more expressive.”

“Then why…?” Astesia asked softly.

“Why the hell did you do that?” Astgenne closed her eyes and screamed, interrupting her sister and hitting you softly with both hands. She was pouting.

“Let’s go, girls, we need to sleep.” Both of them punched you softly, letting you know their discontent with your small prank.

“Why did you do that?” Astesia asked softly once more. Both of them were looking at your back as you opened the door of the office once again.

“Well, it is just so fun to tease you two.” You answered with a smile while exiting. “See you tomorrow.”

“DOCTOR!” Both of them screamed from the office.

Astesia was still mad the next morning, but at least she still woke you up.

Chapter Text

"With this, we should be done for the day," Warfarin said as she took the last documents from your hands. She had made you work like crazy, but at least you had finished with plenty of time to spare, thanks to her discipline, and her help too.

It was not common for her to take assistant duty, as she more often than not would be neck-deep in her medical professional work. Still, it was nice for her to take a break from it from time to time, even if it was only to make you work.

"That's great," you stretched your arms and legs in your chair. "Should we call it a day?" Your body felt stiff after that much time only signing, reading, and rewriting documents. But it was better than having everyone put their lives at risk on the battlefield.

"We can take a break and then we could get some work done ahead of schedule," she said. "But since we are taking a break, I wanted to tell you that your test results came back fine," she added as she put the paper sheets in a neat pile. 

Does she think that's something you do on a break? you thought while arching an eyebrow. It's worryingly related to what she does for work…

You sighed. Well, that's the Warfarin you knew. Even if she sometimes complained, it was clear she did like her work a fair bit.

"I guess I can now get Kal off my back for a while," you joked. As you said that, you noticed Warfarin was frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"Why do you say that?" she added. Looking at her more carefully, her expression reminded you of how some people look when they are having a migraine.

"It's just that you seem uncomfortable with something." 

"I can assure you I'm fine. It's just that I need to…" she took a deep breath. "I just need to eat something."

You looked at the clock. Lunchtime was already long over, and you two had been working since morning.

"You don't look all that fine, Warf…" you told her as she put a hand on the desk to support herself.

"I don't know…" she took a moment to breathe. "I don't know what you are talking about, Doctor." Once again, a deep inhale. "I'm perfectly fin…" 

In the middle of the sentence, she fell to her knees, making you jump out of your chair.

"Warfarin!" you called her name as you dashed around the desk to get near her.

You crouched to take a closer look at her. Warfarin was sitting on her side, one of her hands still clinging to the desk while the other was on the floor, and breathing heavily. She suddenly looked so frail.

You put one of your hands carefully on her forehead. It was cold, jarringly cold, and covered in sweat.

"I just… just need to eat something," she said with a pained smile. "I got so absorbed in my work that…"

You two had been working for hours on end. The focus was enough to make you forget your own hunger too, as you began feeling it only now.

"I have a stash right–"

"Not that kind of food," she cut your speech. There was pain in her voice and it felt as if she was struggling to talk. 

The meaning of her words took a second to get to you.

"Hold on for a second!" you screamed as you dashed out of the office. 

You ran aiming for the kitchen. If you remembered correctly, there were some bags of artificial blood kept on the back of the fridge for some Sarkaz operators to drink.

You turned and saw the entrance to the kitchen. You opened the door in a wide swing as you got inside.

The kitchen staff got startled at how you broke in without a warning.

"Good afternoon, Doctor, may I help you?" one of them asked, giving you a confused look.

"Blood for Warfarin," you said between pants. 

"A bag of blood!" they gave the order. One of the others, who was closer to the fridge, sprung up and dashed towards it. They took a blood bag and brought it to you. 

"Thanks!" you screamed as you waved goodbye and dashed out of there. 

Please hold on… you thought as you made your way back to the office. Starvation was not that quick, at least in most species, but when it came to the likes of Warfarin or Closure, you didn't know anything. Judging by the way she collapsed, it probably was serious. Someone as prideful as her wouldn't let herself be seen collapsing due to hunger unless she was really on the brink of starvation.

You were soon back at your office. You put your free hand on the panel of the door. The opening system had never felt so slow. A loud hiss, the rumbling of moving metal…

And inside, a famished vampire. Still sitting on her side, weakly holding onto the desk. Normally paper-white skin that now looked even paler, slim legs and arms that were giving it their all to endure.

"I'm here!" you announced as you zoomed to her. You crouched and tried to give her the food, but…

The ravenous eyes of a predator, painted in a crimson deeper than the one of the blood on your hands. She jumped over you. Small and delicate hands, covered with gloves, that now were aiming for you. That small mouth, one that was often scolding you, now had long, dagger-like fangs that were aiming straight for your neck. It was probably your fault for not using your coat…

Sharp pain.

As her fangs broke into your skin, her hands held you in place, her small body pressed onto yours. Her fingers tried to dig into your clothing and your skin, pressing against your back. 

You could feel the blood leaving your body drop by drop as she sucked.

Just a bit was enough to make her regain control of herself. You could swear you felt the guilt hitting her body all at once. She tried to open her mouth and get away, but you stopped her.

Now it was your hands that were holding her. One on the back of her head, making sure she couldn't pull her fangs, the other on her back so that she couldn't go away. She was too weak to be able to escape.

She protested weakly, voicing her disapproval with a moan into your neck, and hitting your back gently with her hands.

"Hush…" you said as you pressed her mouth into your neck, and your neck into her fangs. "It's okay, it's okay. I'm sure warm food tastes better." You said with a smile. Operators like her were often taking care of you, it was nice to get a chance to return the favor.

" Mphm! Mht mh!" She protested again, hitting your chest. She fought a bit longer, but noticing you wouldn't let go, she moved her hands around you again. It was no longer just to keep you in place. This time it was a bit gentler, a hug.

With her body flush against yours, you could once again feel how she drank.

"That's it… I'm sure you know how much you can get safely," you said while caressing her head. She nodded. "Great, then feel free to drink that much."

She kept sucking in silence. She was now sitting on your lap, her slim legs going around the sides of your body. You took the chance to move her hair, white strands that had fallen on her face during the struggle. You moved it behind her ear, feeling its sharp point under your fingers.

You kept caressing her head, letting your fingers glide through her hair, and her back. You felt how you were starting to get dizzier and dizzier, but it was fine. You had a medical professional with you, after all.

As your judgment got cloudier, an idea popped into your head. Maybe the rational you wouldn't do that, but the rational you wasn't there right now.

"Thank you for your hard work," you said softly. Warfarin got startled upon hearing those words. "You are really helpful," you kept saying. "I like it when you are by my side."

Was it an illusion, or had her drinking slowed down?

"Your eyes are cute, your small fangs are cute, your hair is pretty. You are cute."

As if you were drunk, or low on sanity, your inhibitions weren't there. You were currently wearing your heart on your sleeve. There was this other thing you wanted to do now…

You couldn't move much, but you managed to plant a small kiss on her shoulder. She was once again startled.

You could feel how she stopped drinking. She kept her fangs in your neck for a second longer, but after a while, she pulled them out slowly. She took something out of her pocket and put it over the zone where she had bitten you.

As you thought (a moment later) that you two had finished with that, you moved your hands.

"Wait…" she said meekly. "Could we… stay like this a little longer?" she buried her face on your neck. "At least until the bleeding has stopped." 

"No problem," you said.

"Could you please keep talking like before?" she asked. You nodded, still stroking her. Amid your drowsiness, you could notice how her hug got tighter. Her strength had probably returned.

"Warfarin is someone dear to me," you said, before planting a kiss on the sharp tip of her ear, making her squeal.

"Doctor!" she said with her face still pressing against your neck. "Don't…" Her voice was full of doubt, thinking about the situation. "Please, don't do that where someone might see us…" she tried to put on her stern voice, but it was obvious to you, even in that state, that she had failed.

"But nobody can see us he–" you tried to say.

"Yes. That's why… while we are here…" she tried to continue. You moved your face to plant a small peck on her cheek. She once again let out a barely contained squeal.

"No…" You can feel shivers run down her spine. "You know what? Please don't do that…"

"Why?" Another small kiss. "I like Warfarin… I want you to know that," you mumbled. You could hear a small groan coming from her. It was probably her more serious, professional side trying to stop whatever was happening.

"Just… just hold me for a while longer. Just until your bleeding stops," she said, still hugging you. "And then we will both forget this ever happened..." she mumbled.

And just holding her you did. That petite frame, those delicate arms wrapping around your back, those lithe legs around your sides, her flowing hair draping over your legs, her face buried in the crook of your neck, the small doctor Warfarin, now under your care.

You could feel her soft breathing, and her accelerated heartbeat, while hugging her.

After a while, she moved her head and moved whatever she had put over the bite. There was some hesitation as if she didn't want to see. As if she didn't want this to end.

"Well, it seems that we have run out of time…" she said while taking it, something that ended up being a simple paper towel, and putting it in her pocket. A small hint of disappointment in her voice.

She now had her hands on the sides of your neck, looking at your face. Her own face was so close to yours. She was really cute. Really, really cute. Those pointy ears, that elegant hairstyle, those red eyes, that small nose, those lips…

"You are a bit pale…" she said while looking at your face. "Maybe we should…"

You leaned forward, putting a small kiss on her lips. Even you weren't even sure what you were doing, but it just felt like the proper thing to do.

Your action made her freeze. Enough time for your sluggish brain to recognize the taste of her lips. As soon as she overcame the shock, she pulled away and put her hands on your chest.

"Wait!" she said after pushing you away. Once more, her breathing had become fast. She took a moment to calm down, putting a hand over her chest, before stepping up. "We really need to get you something to eat," she said. "Dr. Kal'tsit is going to kill me if she finds you like this…" she extended her hand to help you stand up.

"Warfie," you said while kneeling and putting a hand on your knee.

Where did that nickname come from? she thought.

"I think all the blood you drank got to a single place," you joked.

"What? Why are you saying that?" she asked.

"Well, your cheeks are crimson red," you pointed out. She immediately sent a hand to her cheek, and so did you. They were warm. "It makes a nice combination with the color of your skin," you added.

Chapter Text

“You seem to have an ever-growing library, Doctor,” Nearl said to you as she picked a book and started skimming through it. “I'm impressed.”

“Thank you, Margaret,” you replied with pride in your voice as the paladin kept looking at your bookcase.

What started as a small request out of curiosity, a simple ‘I've heard you have a vast collection of literature’ and a request to enter had become something you looked forward to.

The golden-haired pegasus would pick a book out of your collection and sit on the couch to read quietly whenever she had some free time. Just having her in the office was enough to make work feel a bit less tiring.

This time, as she kept moving her finger over the spines of the books, she opened her eyes as one of them picked her interest. 

“This one…” she mumbled as she grabbed the slim book and read the back, “seems we have similar interests, Doctor.”

“I actually got that thinking of you,” you confessed with a smile as you kept working. “To be honest, most of that collection is just for you.” Nearl tensed up, grabbed off guard by your comment. Trying to focus, she cleared her throat.

“You are too kind, Doctor.” She gave you a smile that, while small, was brighter than the sun itself. “Then, if you excuse me,” she said as she moved her skirt and her fluffy, golden tail to sit comfortably on the couch.

The paladin sat with her back straight and her legs against each other, radiating the class that her background had imbued in her. Even if she had rejected the bad parts, most of the good had stuck.

Hearing the soft sound of Nearl turning pages, or some small hums she would do from time to time, your work ended before you could notice.

Nearl turned to look at you as you stretched to mark the end of today's workload.

“Clocking out for today?” Nearl flashed a warm smile in your direction. 

“Yeah. Today was mercifully easy,” you joked as you moved your chair.

“Well then, I guess that I too should…” Nearl closed the book with her eyes closed. As she opened them again and looked for you, she found you with your forehead resting on your desk. “Emm, Doctor?” she asked with a hint of concern in her voice. 

“Yes?” you raised your head.

“May I ask what are you doing?” Nearl asked.

“Well, since the day has not ended yet, I figured I should just nap here in case something else pops up,” you explained. 

“I see. That makes sense,” Nearl said as she nodded. “But wouldn't it be better to sleep on the couch? It is quite comfortable, probably more than your chair.”

“I wouldn't want to disrupt your–” you said.

“Please pay that no mind,” Nearl cut your speech. “Both for your comfort and rest, and for your health, you should come here.” Nearl moved to make more space on the couch and patted it.

Her amber eyes were locked onto you, her ears stretched and pointing towards you. There was no possible response other than compliance. With a small chuckle, you walked towards the place she had made for you and sat down. A reasonable distance to avoid any misunderstanding. Nearl's tail was raised, with her back pressing it against the backrest of the couch.

“With your permission,” you said as you sent your head backwards, resting it against the wall, and crossed your arms.

“Please rest, Doctor.” Nearl nodded.

“And you please wake me up should anything happen,” you said as you started dozing off.

While you slept and the clock kept ticking, Nearl hummed a happy tune as she kept turning the pages. From time to time she would glance at you, taking her eyes off the page just for a second. She would see you nodding in your sleep or pressing your head against the back behind the couch. As she saw you sleeping, a smile formed on her face. 

She focused once more on her reading, going slowly over the words, enjoying the moment. A small respite of all the–

Thud

The paladin couldn't help but get startled as she felt your head fall on her shoulder.

“Emm, Doctor?” she asked with a doubtful voice. You were too deep into sleep to hear her. Her eyes aimed at your face for a moment, as she pondered the situation. “Please rest, Doctor,” she added with a smile after thinking. It was best to let you sleep. She then gently rested her head against yours, involuntarily. Not that she would ever admit doing such a thing knowingly.

Nearl kept reading, but she was not so focused on it now. The aroma of your hair, your warmth, the weight she felt as you leaned on her. It was hard to focus like that.

It was a nice experience. As much as a small part of her told her that it wasn't all that right, she still cherished the opportunity. 

And then, your head slipped.

By the time she could asses the situation, your cheek was firmly planted against her breastplate. While Nearl, the paladin, wouldn't think much of it, Margaret couldn't help but feel a bit flustered as she felt your head against her chest.

“Doctor…” she mumbled, “it's a bit hard for me to read like this. And you must not be that comfortable, either,” she kept saying in a whisper.

She put the book on the couch.

It was just for your sake, yes. Just to fulfill the duty of caring for you. 

She sent one hand to your head while the other went to your side. 

Carefully  she thought as she lowered you.

Maybe it was the skirt or maybe it was Nearl, but your head landed on something soft. Nearl's warmth enveloped you, making you fall all that deeper into slumber.

Margaret saw how you rested on her lap, how you seemed to be at ease, and smiled. While it was for your sake, and your sake only, she still enjoyed the feeling of having you lean on her like that. Yes, a paladin never has hidden intentions.

To keep taking care of you, seeing how your body was not covered by anything but your clothes, she moved her fluffy tail. She leaned just a bit into you, feeling your head against her stomach, as she made space for her tail to come from behind her back. The moment it was no longer between her back and the couch, she could have fixed her posture. She could have straightened her back. But she didn't. It was just some light leaning, so it was fine. She could be a little bit selfish.

Her golden tail then went over your side. You felt her silky fur warm you. It was a nice feeling. Nearl had a satisfied smile as you kept sleeping on her lap. A smile that got erased and replaced by a grin of surprise as you, in an unconscious motion, sent one arm over her tail. The golden fur was now trapped between your arm and your body. But as if it was not enough for you, you sent your fingers gliding through the fur. A chill ran through Margaret's body as your fingers caressed her tail and set themselves between its wheat-colored locks.

“Doctor, greed is not good,” she admonished you when she managed to get used to the feeling of your fingers grabbing her tail. But if you were being greedy, maybe she could be too.

She removed one of her gloves. Her bare hand, rough but soft, strong and caring but fierce and destructive, went to your head. 

“This is just to be equals,” she murmured as she dragged her hand and started playing with your hair.

“You must be really tired if you won't wake up after all of this. You have been overworking yourself, haven't you?” she scolded you with a soft voice. A murmur that wouldn't wake you up. “You are always doing things like these, putting others first. But if you break down, you will only manage to make us worry.”

She kept caressing you. One hand on the side of your arm, the other messing with your hair, her soft lap under your head, her stomach pressing it from behind.

“I hope you reflect on your actions, Doctor,” Nearl said, “or else I will have to do this again,” she added. Her smile was proof that, maybe this one time, she would like you to ignore her advice.

She basked in that moment, a small private and personal thing. So private, in fact, that maybe she would be the only one to know about it.

And then, you moved again. 

Lying on your back, with her golden tail now covering your stomach, but still between your fingers, and her hand now caressing your chest. You were now facing her. She couldn't help but get flustered. But still, you looked so relaxed, so calm. Your mouth was slightly agape. She looked at it.

“Maybe…” she mumbled as she hunched over slowly, being careful you wouldn't wake up. “Maybe I can be a little bit greedier?” she said as she put her lips close to yours. “It is ok, right, Doctor?” she said, her lips barely a finger's width away from yours.

The mechanic hiss of the door opening broke the silence of the room.

“Hello, Doctor?” Amiya said as she walked in. “Oh?” the bunny said as she put one of her little hands in front of her mouth. “Miss Nearl, what are you doing here?”

“Hello, miss Amiya,” the paladin greeted. “I was just keeping the Doctor company. When all work for the day was done, the Doctor decided to sleep in the office, in case something else popped up.”

“I see…” Amiya said with joking disappointment as she smiled. “Thank you for taking care of the Doctor's well-being, but please don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

“Please don't worry, miss Amiya.” Her voice had an imperceptible wavering to it. 

“Miss Nearl, may I ask if everything is alright?” Amiya continued as she tilted her head in confusion.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Well, you have been reading that book from really close, and one of your hands is ungloved.”

“Oh, that is just because there's an illustration I want to check some details of. And it's easier to turn pages without a glove,” the paladin replied. She was reading from so close that Amiya couldn't see her face. “I assure you, everything is alright.”

Amiya hummed, thoughtful, “well, if you say so,” she replied. “But please don't let the Doctor sleep too much, or else there might be problems when they try to sleep tonight.”

“Understood.”

“Then, goodbye miss Nearl.” Amiya waved as she went out of the room. The mechanical hiss of the door opening and closing again gave Nearl the cue to put the book down.

Margaret sent one of her hands to her chest, focusing on her breath to try and calm herself down. She felt her heart beat so fast it felt as if it may come out of her chest at any moment.

Maybe I was too greedy…  Margaret thought.

After a while, you opened your eyes. The first thing that you saw was Margaret's ears, looming over you from above her book. After a second, you understood your situation and jolted straight up, standing up next to the floor.

“Doctor, you startled me,” Margaret said with a calm tone.

“I'm sorry, Nearl, I–” you tried to excuse yourself.

“Doctor, there's no need,” Nearl cut your speech. Her face was completely serious, with that discipline that had become so characteristic of her. But then, she gave you a small smile. One that was able to calm you down and dissipate your doubts.

“Then, thank you. But, how long did I sleep?” you asked as you rubbed one of your eyes.

“Just under two hours,” the paladin reported.

“Did anything happen?” 

“Miss Amiya came by,” Margaret said, “but I assume she didn't have anything important to say, as she didn't ask me to wake you up.”

“I see…” You rubbed your chin. “I have to pay her a visit to ask her what's the matter.”

As she saw you stretching once again, Nearl closed her book and stood up.

“Thank you for keeping me company, Nearl,” you told her. She flinched as she heard your words.

“Please pay it no mind, Doctor. I just wanted to repay some of your kindness,” the pegasus replied as she left the book once again on the bookcase. She then turned to face you directly. “But Doctor, I should reprimand you for overexerting yourself. You must have been very tired.”

“Well, I just had a bit more work than usual and…” you put one hand on the back of your head.

“Please remember to rest properly,” Nearl said. “And, Doctor…” she put her first in front of her mouth, there was a faint pink shade on her cheeks, “should you ever need to rest like this again, please feel free to do so if I'm the one keeping you company.”

Chapter Text

“And we’re done!” the cat said as she took the apron off you. Her accomplished smile was the real reason you asked for the trim she had just given to your hair. 

Goldenglow, or Susie for you, seemed to like her role as a hairdresser even more than her role as an operator. She had a friendly demeanor that made you get close to her really fast, brewing a friendship and a lot of trust in just a couple of weeks. Now she was someone you spend a lot of time with. She was a great help on the field and she was still really helpful in the office. A cute pink Feline that, even when hurdled with self-doubt, did her best to help you. Her arts might be a bit unstable, but she takes care of it responsibly, reducing incidents with it to a minimum.

You stood up, lightly brushing your hair with your hand. A small part of your office, along with a single chair, had become a makeshift hair salon.

“How do I look?” you asked, striking a pose.

“Very handsome!” Susie replied with a smile, clapping her hands in front of her.

That small exchange had already become a tradition each time she did your hair. She gave you a small chuckle each time. She kept the smile on her face as you stood still. After a moment of you, she noticed you had been looking at her.

“Is something the matter, Doctor?” she asked. She pointed her big, round, amber eyes at you, trying to pry into your expression.

“Well, your hair is a bit poofed, isn’t it?” you said, pointing at your head with a finger.

“What?!” she replied, immediately sending her small hands to her head. A shade of red came to her cheeks. It seemed her pride as a hairdresser was at stake. “Why?” she mumbled, moving her face as if to avoid you seeing her. She kept fidgeting for a second, before moving her eyes to look at you. “Doctor, could you help me comb it, please?”

Huh , you thought. Susie had asked you to do so a couple of times before, so, was there something different this time? Without paying too much attention to it, you said, “Gladly!” while you put your hands on her shoulders. To your surprise, your action surprised her too. She looked at you with her ample amber eyes, as if you had told her an unthinkable secret. You gave her a concerned look, and she just shook her head, before sitting down.

Calm down She thought, putting a hand on her chest, while you got the comb. She closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing, while waiting for you to start.

And she waited.

And waited.

“Eh, Doctor,” she asked after a couple of seconds, “is something wrong?”

“I should be the one asking you that…” you replied. “Susie, calm down,” you added while reaching for a mirror. You tried to get it near Susie.

The girl stretched her hand before a small bolt of lightning ran from her hand to yours. You pulled your hand away by pure instinct while she squealed. 

“Doctor, I’m so sorry!” She stood up and extended her hand, trying to reach you. 

“Susie,” you repeated, “calm down.” Your words made Susie freeze. Her face was almost the same color as her hair, and tears started swelling up in her eyes. Her expression, a pout, betrayed her frustration. She seemed to be a bit more sensitive today. Small bolts of lightning ran around her hair.

You looked her straight in the eye, trying to give her a reassuring look while bringing your hands to your chest. You moved them up and down while taking deep breaths with your mouth. Susie closed her eyes, trying to get the tears out of them, before she started breathing at the same time you did. Inhale with your nose, exhale with your mouth. 

After some rounds, Susie finally managed to calm down. The lighting bolts that jumped around her hair started dying out, before stopping completely. 

“Ok, let’s try again…” you said, pointing at the chair for Susie to sit on. “Your hair needs a fix even more now,” you joked.

“I…” her eyes drifted, her hair started to poof and lightning bolts once more started appearing around her head. She closed her eyes and began breathing deeply again. “Yes,” Susie replied once she managed to calm down. 

She turned around and sat down slowly. She put her hands on the back of her thighs to push her skirt forward as she sat. Victorian class, even when overtaken by emotions.

“I’ll start now,” you said. It was better to warn her, after all. Susie nodded. She kept her eyes closed and a forcefully relaxed expression on her face.

You started combing her hair carefully. The comb glided through her silky pink hair. It was obvious she put a lot of effort into taking care of it, by the way it felt on your fingers. They, like the comb, moved effortlessly through the strands, making the process fast and easy.

After a moment of combing the top of her head, you moved your hand to undo her braid. You felt her jolt once your hand started going down along the braid, near her neck. You took the braid on your hands, untying the small bow she kept at the end of it. Then, it was easy to unbraid her hair. You moved the strands up and down, left and right, until her hair was fully down.

“You look cute with your hair down,” you said without thinking as you started moving the comb along her hair. Susie let out a small squirm as she heard your compliment. You kept combing her hair, feeling her fidget as you did. She tensed as your fingers grazed her nape when you got a handful of it. 

After a while, you managed to finally tame her hair. Once you were done with it you put your hand on her head, patting her, to mark the end of a job well done. Once more, poor Susie twitched.

“Thank you,” she said, still with her eyes closed, as she felt your palm rest on her head.

“Say, since I’m already here, may I touch them?” you asked, lifting all of your hand sans your index as you moved it next to her ear. Susie swallowed.

“Please do,” she muttered, grasping at her skirt.

“Thank you!” you added as each of your hands went to one ear. Soft, silky as her hair, and cute too! It was nice playing with them and hearing the adorable sounds coming from Susie was a great bonus. 

While you were delighted playing with her cute ears, she grasped at her skirt with even more strength. She squirmed as your fingers went a bit too deep under them. It was hard to stop, though, her fur was a joy to caress. Maybe they weren’t the fluffiest pair in Rhodes, but they had a lot of charm in their own right. You kept circling your fingers under them, lightly pulling at the tips from time to time.

“Doc-doctor, I feel we should stop already…” Susie said, almost pleading, after a while of you playing with her ears. She was facing her legs and her whole body had tensed up.

Well, at least this time you didn’t get shocked. So, it’s a win.

As you were pulling away, you noticed her tail. It had been standing straight for a while, as if imitating a lightning rod. A pink and very puffy lightning rod.

“Susie, do you want help with that?” you said, pointing at her tail. She turned to look at it. She probably hadn’t noticed. Her eyes shifted from side to side, thinking about your proposal. A bit of shame, even if deep down she wanted to accept, ran through her. She once more sat on the chair, this time at the edge of it, as she put her tail over the side. 

“Y-yes… please,” she said. Once more her fingers bent around her skirt, pressing against her thighs. 

You walked around the chair and tried to hold the tip of her tail with your palm. Small bolts of lightning went from it to your hand. Her arts were going wild. Susie once more squirmed as she heard the electric flickering. 

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t sweat it,” you said as you combed it. “They are small enough to be tolerable,” you added. “And it’s for you!” you said as you rolled your fingers around her tail and moved your hand towards the tip, trying to press the fur against it. 

After you said that, it felt like the shocks got stronger. They were still tolerable, thankfully.

You kept combing her tail, letting the comb go through her fur as you caressed it with your palm. On the other hand, Susie had her hands clasped as in prayer and her eyes closed, focusing on keeping her arts in check as best as she could. 

For her, you took an eternity to get it done, as thin as her tail was.

When you finally let her go, Susie put the tips of her fingers on her chest and let out a small sigh of relief. 

“Great, that is finally dealt with,” you said as you put the comb away. The hairdresser relaxed, taking that small moment of respite to calm herself down before she once more felt your hands on her hair.

“Doctor?” she meekly asked, not even turning to see you.

“Just give me a moment, I’ll braid your head again. I’ll be done before you even notice,” you replied. Your fingers started weaving, bobbing, and moving with her hair between them, doing your best to get her braid done as soon as possible.

Susie squirmed and just held to her skirt to get some strength. She tried to calm her breathing, keeping her arts under control. She didn’t want all of your hard work to go to waste, and even less to hurt you. With her eyes closed and focusing on her breathing, she still couldn’t help but jolt each time she felt your fingers touch her skin.

After a mercifully short while, just as you had promised, you were finished.

“Thank you,” Susie said after she let out a relieved sigh as you finished putting the ribbon once more at the end of her braid. 

“Ok, then for the final touch…” you said as you looked around. “Just sit there and wait!” you said as you walked away.

Susie sat there, fidgeting, hearing your footsteps resonate through the room. Out of nowhere, she felt her headband once more being placed on her head. Once more your hands were moving her hair, patting it down, or playing with it to make it fit.

“Doctor, I believe that…” Susie tried to protest.

“Give me a sec, I’m almost done!” you said as you kept patting her head to fix some rebellious locks of hair. “aaand, done!” you celebrated, before turning to fetch the mirror.

You gave it to Susie, who took a look at her face. A tender smile formed at seeing her tamed hair.

“Thank you, Doctor…,” she softly said as she returned the mirror, raising it towards you. You took it and put it away, before returning behind the chair. You looked at her from above. Her big eyes once more focused on you. She had a big and cute lock of hair that fell between them.

On a whim, you decided to move it apart with your fingers, getting a clear look at her cute face. A face that, once more, got painted in red.

You leaned in and planted a small kiss on her forehead, getting a surprised squeak from her. She only managed to ask with her eyes, a confused ‘ What? why?’ coming from them.

You felt all the hairs on your body stand straight. Funny, but surely nothing important, right?

“Well, you look really cute!” you replied, giving her a bright smile.

A loud boom was heard from the Doctor’s office. Operators rushed in, before almost instantly rushing out. Soon after, some other operators got there to tend to the unconscious Doctor.

A medical team had to get the Doctor to the medical ward as soon as possible, running with them on a stretcher through the halls. Along with them was today’s assistant: Goldenglow, who for some reason had all her hair and fur poofed up, and was running next to the stretcher while covering her blushing face with her hands.

Chapter Text

You stood still briefly, feeling the sunshine warm your skin through the greenhouse’s glass. You were just about finished helping in the garden.

When it came to ways to unwind, only a few things got close to paying a visit to the Convalescence Garden. Beautiful plants, charming aromas, a quiet ambiance that allowed you to sort your thoughts after a hard day of work…

A gentle chuckle came from the short vulpo near you.

…and her.

“Ara, what are you doing there, Doctor?” the fox asked as she saw you standing in front of a ray of sunshine with your eyes closed. “Could it be that you are trying your hand at photosynthesis?” she joked as she watered a plant.

“Oh, sorry,” you said as you rubbed your eyes. “The sun was just too pleasant not to enjoy,” you replied. Perfumer laughed again.

Even since she came to Rhodes, Lena, Perfumer, had been a soothing presence. It didn’t take long for her to grow close to you. And how so. The way she seemed hellbent on taking care of anyone who went to her for help, and how she seemed to have taken a special interest in you, made it hard not to like her. She would always be there, checking on you and even giving you a gentle scolding each time you neglected your health.

“For a moment I thought you had become a plant…” she said as she walked next to you. “Should I water you, just to check?” she added, putting her index finger under her lips. After a second of thinking, she looked at you and gave you a gentle laugh.

“I would prefer you didn’t,” you said as you looked at her. The small vulpo’s tail fell delicately behind her, while her ears stood straight and perked up. She was relaxed and calm, as she almost always was.

“And, what were you looking at, anyway, Doctor?” she added as she took another step closer to you, and stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder with you.

“Oh, nothing, really,” you replied, sending your hand to the back of your head.

“Ara?” Perfumer exclaimed as she looked at the flowers in front of you. You were looking at red roses. Red roses? she thought, before looking at your face. A mischievous smile formed on her face. “Doctor, why were you looking at roses of all flowers here?”

“They are really pretty, you know?” you said as you tried to deflect the question. Maybe it was your tone of voice, maybe it was the color of your cheeks, or maybe it was that she just knew you that well, but she just didn’t believe you.

“Hmmm…?” the fox let out an inquisitive hum, getting closer to you and smelling the cologne you were using. “So you are telling me you are using cologne today just as a coincidence?” she added. 

Well, there’s no point trying to hide things now. Her nose was too sharp to fool.

“You got me,” you said, scratching the back of your head. “There might be someone I want to impress today…” you said. The fox let out an excited squeal, standing on tiptoes and doing a light clap with her hands.

“Oh my! And who could this special someone be?” she asked, her eyes glimmering with curiosity. And maybe a faint hope.

“That much I can’t say to you,” you replied with a smile, putting your hand on her head. 

For some reason, Perfumer felt a tug in her chest. “But Doctor,” she said, ignoring it, “you can't just go gifting red roses, don’t you think that’s too predictable?” she said, turning to see the flowers.

“Well, I’m not the most versed in the meaning of flowers, and I thought that they could get my point across,” you said as an excuse.

“Hmm, I do have to at least praise you for being romantic, but since we are here, why don’t we get something better?” she said with a gentle smile, pointing to the other flowers in the garden.

“Please and thank you,” you replied.

The fox turned and started walking by the different pots, each filled with different flowers, but all full of vibrant colors.

“I didn’t know you could act as a florist too,” you said as you walked behind her.

“I picked up a thing or two from years of working with flowers, you know?” she said as she looked at the flowers. “But, returning to our main subject, what do you want to express?” she asked, turning her head to see you.

“I…” you tried to answer, but the words wouldn’t leave your mouth.

“Doctor, I need to know what you want to say,” Perfumer told you. “But maybe I can assume that you want to convey romantic feelings?” she said. You sighed. She was able to read you like an open book.

“Yes,” you finally admitted, looking at her cute face. Lena felt another tug inside her chest.

“Well, I guess we can start by…” she closed her eyes and hummed, deep in thought. “Do you know their favorite flower, by chance?” You could do nothing but avert your gaze. The fox had a disappointed smile. “Doctor…”

“I just never thought about asking it,” you said, still not able to look at her in the eye. She was not angry, Perfumer never gets angry, but she made you notice the cracks in your haphazard plan. “What is your favorite, then?” you asked. The fox let out a gentle chuckle.

“I can’t believe you are going to give them another person’s favorite flower. That’s not how it is supposed to work, Doctor,” she said with a smile.

“Hey, I’m sure your pick will be great,” you justified yourself. The fox shook her head slowly from side to side, her ears swaying with it, putting her fingertips on her forehead.

“Let’s go with lavender, then,” she said as she walked towards where the flowers were growing. “If memory serves right, it represents purity, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness…” she listed as she moved her hands through the flower. 

That does describe you quite well… you thought as you looked at her. She looked over the flowers with a gentle but nostalgic look on her face.

“I feel I have taken a special liking to it since I work with it so much. It has been a keystone in my work during the years,” she said. “So, what do you think? should we start with it?” she added as she grabbed a pair of scissors from her apron.

“With the way you describe it, I think it would be a great fit,” you replied.

“Very well then,” she replied with a smile as she grabbed a handful of the flowers and cut them. “Here, hold them while we decide the rest,” she said as she extended her hand toward you. You took the flowers and kept walking with her. “Now… what should we pick next?” she said as she kept looking at the rows of flowers growing inside the greenhouse. She then clapped again, smiling. “Let’s go pick up some daisies!” she said as she turned around and started walking towards them.

“Daisies?” you asked. A cute flower, no protests on that part, but not really what one would think when picturing a ‘romantic flower’.

“Daisies represent true love, so it’s a way of saying ‘I love you truly’,” she explained as you two walked towards the pot where the flower grew. “Unless you don’t love them truly?” she turned to see you with another playful smile. “You know we can’t have the Doctor of Rhodes Island getting in some relationship shenanigans, so I hope that you truly mean what you feel,” she added, holding her index against your chest. You couldn’t help but smile.

“So, perfumer, medic, florist, and now relationship advisor?” you added with a smile, “I never knew you were such a talented woman,” you said. A small blush washed over her cheeks. She gently cleared her throat. She had grace in everything she did.

“I’m serious, Doctor,” she said. “You can still turn around, so think carefully,” she added, extending her hand towards the daisies. Her brown eyes gazed into your soul. You inhaled deeply.

“Yes, I’m serious too. I do love her,” you replied. Lena couldn’t help but swallow. 

She put on another warm smile as she nodded.

“That’s how it should be,” she said, turning to the daisies and cutting a handful of them. She gave them to you before starting to move her head to look around. “And, should we look for another one to add?” she said.

“What about those?” you said pointing to red tulips. “They look nice.”

“Hmmm…” she hummed, her eyes closed. You noticed how her fluffy ears moved up and down quickly as she thought. “Well, those mean a declaration of love, so I guess that it is appropriate,” she added while walking towards the tulips. You walked dutifully behind her.

After she cut those, she took the other flowers from your hand and walked with them towards a table.

“Now,” she said, “we have daisies for pure love, tulips to declare it, and lavender to make it personal,” she turned to look at you, “or that’s how it should be,” she added with a cheeky smile.

“Thank you for your help,” you said.

“We are still not done,” she said, looking at the flowers she put on the table in front of her. “Purple, white, yellow, and red. You did make it hard to find a way to shape this bouquet.” She had one of her dainty hands on her chin.

You two stood there in silence as she thought about how to display the flowers.

You took the chance to look at her. She had this focused look on her face. Look at how her brown hair was neatly arranged in a ponytail, how she kept her uniform as clean as she could, even in her line of work. Look at her small frame, one you knew hid a strong will. Look at her fluffy tail, at how her ears stood straight to the sides. Lena was the most beautiful flower in the whole garden. No, in the whole world.

But even more than that, she was also someone you were glad to have by your side. Patient, kind, warm, gentle. 

As you were charmed by her, she started shuffling the flowers around, moving them around seemingly at random. But, from that, she made a beautiful arrangement. She then took a piece of colored paper and wrapped it. Finally, she put a ribbon around the tightest part of the bouquet and tied it in a bow.

With her work finished, she extended it toward you with a look of pride on her face.

“Here,” she said. “I hope it's to her liking.”

“I’m sure she will love it,” you replied, taking the flowers in your hand. Perfumer took a second to look at you. She shook her head from side to side, wanting to focus on the important subjects.

“When are you planning on giving it to her, anyway?” she asked, holding her hands in front of her.

“Right about now, actually,” you said, turning to look at the door.

“Now?” she asked, showing you a surprised look.

“Yes, why?” you replied.

“Well, because you need to prepare for something like that!” She took a step toward you. “Here, for example, you have pollen on your shoulder,” she said taking her glove off and dusting it off. You chuckled. Lena looked at you in confusion, asking with her eyes.

“You always do this,” you replied with a smile. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she said while dusting off your body with her hand. She took a step back to look at you. “Not yet,” she mumbled.

After a second of looking at you as if you were another bouquet she was trying to make, she took another step forward and went for your collar. She started smoothing it. You basked in the feeling of her small hands so close to you.

She took another step forward and put her hands on your shoulders, standing on tiptoes to have her face closer to your neck. You felt how she started smelling you. She took her sweet time, basking more in your aroma than in the cologne you were wearing.

“Lena?” you asked as she kept there, almost in a hug. Lena immediately backed off.

“I was just checking,” she added as she fixed a lock of hair that had fallen on her face. She averted her gaze for a second, before turning to you again.

She stood once more in front of you, staring at you with a nostalgic look on her face. 

“How do I look? Do you feel I am ready?” you said, extending your arms. She put on a small smile.

“You look just as you always do,” she joked, “maybe a bit neater. But yes, maybe you should go now,” she finished.

“I’ll go now, then,” you said. “Thank you for everything, Lena,” you told her as you finished looking at yourself.

“And you won’t even tell me who those flowers are for?” she said again, still keeping her smile. 

“No can do,” you replied. “But I’m sure you will know soon enough,” you added. She chuckled. It felt a bit less happy this time.

“Then go ahead,” she said, shooing you with her hands. You nodded and turned around.

Perfumer finally stopped smiling when you couldn’t see her face. The tug at her heart felt the strongest as she saw you walk away. She raised a hand to it and pressed, trying to calm that uncomfortable feeling. She felt a knot in her throat.

No… she thought shaking her head slowly. It was selfish to think that way. If the relationship between you two meant anything to her, she just hoped for your happiness. There were many great prospects in Rhodes and even more outside of it, so it was normal that someone had caught the Doctor’s eye. She would be happy just cheering for you. Yes, that was enough for her.

Yes, that was enough. Greed was no good.

But if it was enough, why did it make her eyes water? why did it make her feel like that?

She was being honest, she wished for your happiness from the bottom of her heart. But, maybe...

Just as all those emotions made her chest feel tight, they all went into the background as you did a perfect one-eighty with your heel.

“Doctor? Is something the matter?” she asked as you walked once more towards her.

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong,” you replied with a cheeky smile. “It's just that there’s something I wanted to give you,” you said, extending the bouquet towards her. “Here, they are for you,”

“Huh?” was the only thing she was able to say.  Poor Lena stood there for a good while, processing the situation. A blush crept from her neck to her face as she finally understood what you meant.

“Sorry for the mystery,” you added. Lena started laughing, cleaning the tears that started rolling down her cheeks.

“Doctor, that was very mean of you,” Lena said as she took the flowers, covering her mouth with one of her hands. You couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“I supposed there was no better gift for you, but I didn’t know who else to ask,” you said.

“What about little Podenco?” she suggested.

“Do you really think she could keep it a secret from you?” you replied. Lena chuckled again. “I guess that you already know what I want to tell you. So, what do you say? Would you like to have dinner together?” you extended your hand towards her.

“Gladly,” she said, taking your hand and walking closer.

“But first,” you sent a hand to her chin. She gladly stood on her tiptoes while you leaned in. Her fluffy tail also stood straight.

You planted a kiss on her lips. You sent one of your hands towards her small waist, holding her closer. 

For someone as gentle as Lena, the kiss had a lot of passion. Deep smooches that made sure you could feel the emotions you had made her bottle up. One of her hands went to your neck. She was more than happy to feel your aroma, to feel you, from so close. She had earned it, and that just made it all the sweeter.

She stood there for a moment, tasting the reward for her hard work. Pressing her small body against yours, holding you close, sending the arm she couldn’t use to hold you around your back so you wouldn’t think of leaving her before she wanted you to.

She had the sweetest of aromas, as expected of her. She had elegant and slim lips that were more than happy to keep tasting yours. She had you charmed.

After a second of her gladly tasting your lips, with a surprising eagerness, she walked back. 

“So, shall we get going?” she asked giving you a cheeky smile with one of her eyes closed while putting her fingers near her lips. You took her hand and both of you walked out. Before you were out of the greenhouse, a place where nobody could see you, she pulled your hand to make you lean towards her. “I’ll be expecting a lot more of those to make up for all of this,” she whispered in your ear, before kissing your cheek.

Chapter Text

As the day ends and the last documents are taken care of, you stretch to shake off all the exhaustion.

“Nice job today, Doctor,” says Kazemaru as she takes the files from your desk and puts them in the appropriate folders, before leaving them back on your desk, properly sorted. “Please remember to properly prepare for the meeting with Dr. Kal’tsit first thing in the morning.” You nod. “Is there anything else we need to do, or can we call it a day?”

“As far as I know, everything’s taken care of. We can rest,” you reply as you lean back on your chair. Your eyes close against your will, your shoulders fall. You let out a groan as you let your arms fall to the sides of your chair. Kazemaru chuckles. “You did great today, too, Kazemaru. Thank you very much.” The ears atop her head perk up as you say that.

“You look exhausted, Doctor,” she says as she walks to the couch and sits down. Lifting her legs and turning, she puts them on the armrest and stretches her arms over her head while lying down, hands almost touching the other armrest. She twists a little from side to side, keeping her eyes closed and letting out a relaxed groan all the while. A content smile appears on her face. "Nothing beats relaxing here after a long day," she mumbles.

“I’m beat,” you reply, mind already foggy from exhaustion. “Today was harder than expected.” Your head falls back, as if you were lying down, face against the ceiling, and eyes closed. “I got to say, I don’t know if I could’ve managed without you.”

Kazemaru’s ears twitch.

You let out a sigh. “I’d love to play with a kitty…” Just a random thought blurted out, almost mumbling, a whim. Mousse’s kitties are always very relaxing to play with…

Kazemaru’s fluffy ears perk up. She turns her head towards you.

Right as you notice those brown eyes focused on your face, you send a hand to it. Dragging your palm from your forehead to your chin, you try to clear your thoughts.

“I’m sorry, I’m talking without thinking.” 

“Do you really want to?” She sits up again. “I could make a paper figurine for you, if you wish.”

“No, no, don’t worry about it.” You shake your head lightly. “It was just a random thought.

“It’s no big deal at all, Doctor,” she says as she smiles. “And I guess it wouldn’t be too much trouble. If I’m your assistant for today, your recovery and well-being fall within my duties, don’t they?” she says with a small smile as she lifts a finger. You can muster no reply.

“Really?” 

“Yes,” she replies with a wide smile. “Really, it’s no trouble at all. It would be a nice way for you to unwind after a long day.”

You look at her for a second before just smiling.

“Thank you, then.”

Right as you say that, a puff of smoke appears out of nowhere. In the blink of an eye, there are two Kazemarus in your office.

“What,” you mumble as the two Kazemarus look at you. Before you can even ask, one of them walks towards you.

“Go ahead,” says the original, who still stands away with a smile. 

You pause for a second, looking at the Kazemaru in front of you. She has no expression on her face.

“I’m good enough, right?” says the original. “After all, I've seen the kitties Miss Mousse plays with. I think I'm similar enough.” She puts her index finger on her chin and tilts her head. 

“Yes?” you reply while tilting your head. “Although I was thinking more of—”

“Then, there should be no problem,” Kazemaru says while her clone still stands just a step away from you. It lowers its head, bringing its ears closer to you. “Would you like to scratch her ears? I can say for sure that at least that part is almost the same.”

You lift your hands slowly. The clone keeps its head low, standing still in front of you, while the original looks at you with a smile.

Your fingers get into the clone’s ears.

“Nice,” Kazemaru says, not bothering to hide her happy smile. “Feel free to do to your heart's content.” Her ears perk up as she says that, tail standing straight and with the tip bent in a hook.

“I'm not entirely sure about that,” you say with a smile while you start caressing the fluff inside the clone's ears. It's soft. There's no harm in going along with this, right?

Just play with its ears. No reaction at all from it as you touch them. 

“Why?” Kazemaru tilts her head to the side.

“Well, she's still you, right?” you say while looking at the clone. It has closed its eyes, keeping its hands in front of its lap while it bows, its paper-like tail hanging behind its body, letting you do as you please. 

“Never mind that,” Kazemaru says with a smile. “Really, just focus on what you want to do.” She puffs her chest out. “I'm really proud of my abilities! I'm sure it feels just like the real thing.”

“Not that I have much to compare against,” you add with a smile while you keep playing with the clone's ears.

“That doesn't matter,” Kazemaru replies while looking at you. “Trust me, and let go a little. No use in doing this for you to relax if you're so tense.”

You look at her, then back at the clone, before stretching and taking your gloves off, letting out a sigh. 

You send your hands back to the clone's head. One hand playing with the ear and the other one scratching along the base of the other ear.

Staring at the clone's face, at its inexpressiveness, at its cuteness. Well, no wonder about that last part, seeing who it takes after.

Features that go from soft and round while relaxing to sharp in battle. A cute face in the base, but the focused visage of a warrior in the field. Truly, the mark of a shinobi to be able to alter her appearance in such a way, even unconsciously.

As you're mesmerized by the clone's beauty and the softness of its hair and fluff, Kazemaru’s smile becomes a little too tense.

“Doctor,” she calls from the side, still smiling, tail hanging low and moving slowly from side to side. “Could you please check that you signed properly the report of the oripathy patient Dr. Folinic sent today? I think you will need it tomorrow in the meeting with Dr. Kal'tsit.” You turn to look at her. “Sorry, but it's better to double-check. It should be in the first folder, fourth document from front to back.”

“Sure, sorry,” you say as you turn around towards the folders she had left on your desk. Open the one at the top of the pile and go to the document she named. 

Right as she said, it's the fourth one. Within the long list of talents she apparently has, one of the most useful ones when she takes the secretary duty is that she's a very reliable archivist. 

Pulling the document out for a second, you start reading. The memories of going over it during that afternoon come back. Everything is as it should be. You nod almost unconsciously.

All the necessary signatures are there, with yours being the last one.

“Everything seems fine,” you say as you put the file back in the folder and then the folder back on top of the pile. “But thanks for the reminder. I'd hate to have Kal'tsit glaring at me for some stupid error first thing in the morning.” You smile and turn back to her.

The clone is still bowing down, and Kazemaru is still standing to the side.

“Shall we continue?” The original says. Her tone feels a little colder than before. Still, she musters a small smile.

“If you allow me to,” you say.

Before you can add anything else, the clone sits on your lap, back towards you. You look at the original.

“It should be easier this way,” she replies.

“I suppose,” you mumble as you raise your hands. Kazemaru keeps her eyes glued to you as you do so, and you can almost see her relax as you start fluffing the clone's ears. She nods.

“Thanks for the warning, Kazemaru, you've been a lifesaver all day long,” you say as you start scratching. The clone reacts a little this time. It tilts its head just a little bit towards your hand as you scratch.

“You’re welcome, Doctor,” she replies with a neutral expression. She stands there in silence, watching you, holding both of her hands in front of her.

The one on your lap, similarly, rests both of her hands on her lap. 

“Although there’s no need for you to overexert yourself just for a whim of mine.” Kazemaru tilts her head. “Weren’t you the one who said that having a doppelganger running around consumes a lot of energy, after all?” you ask while your fingers go along the edges of the clone’s ears. “Tell me if we have to stop, no need to go overboard just for this.” One of your fingers starts caressing the inside of the clone’s ear, feeling the fluff of it. “I just blurted that out without thinking, really. And I'm sure you must be tired too.”

“I’m perfectly fine as is,” the original Kazemaru says. “I’m happy you enjoy it.”

“I do,” you say while closing your eyes. The soft fur caresses your skin as you move your fingers in slow, circular motions. You let out a deep breath. While not what you had in mind, this still does wonders to lift your mood. 

Resting in a way you couldn’t have predicted, and all thanks to a random whim that your dutiful secretary still went along with. But, since you two are alone and since the day is over, there’s nothing wrong with just fooling around for a while, right?

But better not tell anyone that you relax by scratching an employee’s ears.

You lean in, resting your face on her head, while your fingers go in her ears. Eyes closed, taking the chance to rest. The silky hair acts as a cushion. You can smell nothing. No aroma comes from it. It doesn’t smell like paper at all, or at least it doesn't smell like either documents or books.

Right as you're thinking you probably could fall asleep right then and there, and as you're probably doing just that, you feel the smallest shiver run through the clone, which makes you wake up and straighten your back once more.

“Sorry,” you say as you look at the original Kazemaru. “It must be weird to see me snuggle someone who looks just like you, right?” you ask, turning to see the silvery hair in front of you. The ears on top of the clone’s head flicker a little.

“Do not worry, Doctor,” she replies. 

“I do worry,” you ask, once more turning to look at her, “I know it’s not a normal ask from a secretary.” For some reason, she has a completely neutral face, very much like she does during operations. Could it be related to her having her clone out?

Kazemaru nods.

“There is no problem,” she says. “Feel free to do as you wish.”

You swallow. Those brown eyes don’t show any hesitation behind her words.

“If you are so generous,” you say as you pull your hands away from the clone’s ears. The original tilts her head. Right then, you send your hands around her. One from shoulder to shoulder, one around her hip. You press your face against her head.

The clone tenses up out of nowhere.

“Are you sure this is fine?” you ask with your eyes closed while you hug the clone tightly. You turn around and look at the original. “She doesn’t seem to be—”

“Absolutely,” the original replies. No emotion in her face at all. At this point, the clone appears to be more reactive. “You caught the other me off guard, that’s all.”

A moment of silence, holding that paper figurine tightly. It’s calming in a weird way, and made even weirder with her watching you, and with the way she just stands there. Complete silence, neutral expression, neutral posture. She has entered the ‘work mode’ you only see on the battlefield.

But, for now, and heeding her words, just forget about it. Try to forget that she’s seeing you snuggle a copy of herself. Try to focus on the clone. It is soft. Silky silver hair caresses your head. You squeeze a little, feeling the clone’s warmth against your body. Even if it's molded after a soldier, it's quite soft. Although you'd better keep that thought to yourself.

“Are you sure it's ok?” You ask while keeping your cheek pressed against the back of the clone's head. “You don't seem all that happy,” you mumble.

“Why do you say that?” she replies.

“Well, you've been a little curt, haven't you?” You squeeze the clone a little bit more. You can almost swear that it let out an almost inaudible squee. 

Her eyes open a bit more than normal, her eyebrows lift. 

“I'm sorry if I've been rude to you, Doctor,” she immediately says, bowing her head.

“No, it's not that,” you mumble. “I’m sure you must be tired. Really, no need to have the clone out anymore just for me to hug. I’ve already gotten what I needed.”

“I don't really mind,” she says. 

“And I don’t really trust you’re being honest.”

She closes her eyes. “I’d never lie to you,” she says with a bow. Raising her head, she looks at you. “Although I should note that you're not snuggling the clone,” she adds, almost like an afterthought. You can feel the… one in your lap tense.

“What?” you mumble, straightening your back once again to look at who you thought was the original. Her tail comes from behind her body, letting you see it. It looks like it was made of folded paper.

“Then…” You look at the cat sitting on your lap. She doesn't move a muscle. Looking down, you can see her tail. Slender and fluffy, not paper-like at all. You bend your body a little, looking at her from the side.

Eyes glued to her own lap, face a deep shade of red, trembling lips.

“Kazem—” You try pulling your hands away, but Kazemaru's hands go to your wrists and keep you in place.

“Could we…” Her voice trembles as she speaks. “Could we stay like this for a little longer, please?”

You freeze for a second, trying to remember when she could’ve done the switch. The one at the start had a paper-like tail, right?

With a smile, you clear your head.

“Sure.” You smile and hug her tightly. Right then, you feel something soft and warm against your back. The actual clone hugs you, wrapping both of her arms around you and the original, and rests her cheek on your head. You’re enveloped in a warm hug. 

You hear two synced purrs.