Chapter Text
That shouldn't feel strange, right?
People do that a lot, and there was nothing weird about doing it as long as it was behind closed doors, alone, or in front of a beloved, consenting partner. So why did it seem so strange to them now?
Sitting alone in the nest with Eda's collection of toys spread out all around them, they felt like an awkward teen. Every choice laid around them made them tighten the hug they had over their own knees. From mild to slightly more, all the bigger and more unrealistic toys were hidden so as not to put more stress on them than they already had.
It was maybe their second or third time trying; they can't remember anymore. There had always been weeks between the tries, and those kinds of things always got lost for them amidst the more important things in life.
Sex had never been a big priority for them, but rather a fun thing to do when they felt like it. Never truly a need or something they lost sleep over.
They still missed it tough. They missed the connection that it gave them. They missed the deep feeling of love and care that it always gave them. This beautiful feeling was still there in their relationship with Eda in many ways, but they wanted more. Their body was ready for more, their heart was too, but for some reason, their mind didn't get the memo.
Over the months, they and Eda had tried some things. Or more, they had tried things on Eda, and she had lost her mind in their arms more than once. Not every time was a success, but more often than not, they ended up in a place that was a step further on their journey of reconnecting and healing that specific part of them. But no dance was ever finished without taking some steps back or needing to do some...solo things.
How long had it been since they let anyone touch them? Heck, it had been even longer since they had touched themself.
Their breathing was ragged as they pulled their legs closer to their chest, their eyes unable to tear themselves away from all the silicone things in front of them.
It felt like being a virgin all over again.
You are the furthest thing from a virgin...you dirty...used...you...NO STOP IT, STOP THAT THINKING! IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT, IT WASN'T!
So often, it was hard to remember it. Their broken mind always wanting to blame themself for everything because somehow, it felt easier than to face the fact that people indeed can be that evil and people like this...this monster, don't need a reason, they only need an opportunity...
If it hadn't been them, it would have been somebody else. If it hadn't happened on that day, it would have happened on some other day, in some other place, but still would have been the same. Still would not have been their fault, only hers.
Eda had done everything she could to give them everything they needed. From giving them time without counting it to giving them space when they needed it, from holding them when they could not stand the idea of being alone with their thoughts, to making sure the house was empty when she felt that they needed it. Like today, when she had made sure that the house was empty, Hooty far away with Lilith, Luz at school, and King with her at the market, even Fiddlesticks and Owlbert had been dragged along to give Raine total privacy.
With a shaky breath, they unwrapped one of their arms and stretched their hand out towards one of the toys. It was a familiar light-blue thing that they had used on their beloved quite a few times over the months. It's rhythmic suction always managed to make Eda squirm and whine, her pale limbs twitching as her eyes closed shut.
They pressed their thumb onto the round button of the toy, their eyes looking blankly at the now vibrating thing.
"Don't force yourself," Eda had whispered into their ear before she had left, her lips kind as she left a kiss there to soften her words,"It's for you, not for me, but you. Go at your own pace, don't force it. If you don't truly feel like it, just enjoy the quiet, the Titan knows you don't get that and some good rest nearly enough,"
It wasn't a race, Raine knew it. They didn't need to do anything, not today or ever, but they would be lying if they said they didn't want to.
With their mind made up, they slowly lowered themself on the soft nest, lying down on their side, the blue toy a little more securely in their hand.
How is one to start that kind of thing?
They groaned at their own inexplicable embarrassment before they let their hand slowly wander with the toy under their silky nightgown. The noise of the toy getting a little muffled by the thin layer of the nightgown and the way Raine rolled their body to lie on their stomach with the toy holding hand, staying under them. They flinched as the toy finally landed. Their first reaction was to jump away from the buzzing, but they didn't let themself and rather sank into the feeling, slowly, the unfamiliar feeling came back to something they knew, and the discomfort melted away as they bit down a moan.
Tears came almost as suddenly as the shaky breath of relief and the desire to push down on the button to increase the forbidden feeling they hadn't dared to feel for so long.
It was the most and the longest they had felt anything like that since...
No, don't think about it. Don't!
A finger pushed the button again and again, the intense feeling one their body wanted to sink fully into, but their mind wanted to run from. They tried to drown their mind with the memories of their beloved, her blushing face and quivering red lips, her desire-shot eyes, and the way their name sounded on her lips. It worked, their body going tense under the feeling, their vocal cords wanting to let loose, but the stubborn bard didn't let them.
But no matter how nice it felt, they could not stop the tears. Their mind could be on Eda, but somewhere deep down, they could not let go...
Their fingers unwrapped from around the toy, their body squirming away from it as if it burned instead of giving them any pleasure. Their core and their body whining and begging them to finish it the correct way, but the Bard had already begun to collect all the colorful toys and hide them back into the drawer where they belonged. Once the room was cleaned out of its adult content, the Bard wrapped their silk gown around their frame more securely and made their way to the bathroom, where they planned to drown the feeling of hands with cold water.
There they stayed until the cold became painful for their muscles and any desire had stopped burning inside their slowly dying core.
It hadn't been a complete fail, but they still weren't sure if they wanted to try it again someday or not; it was still too early to tell. At the moment, all they could wish for were Eda's hands around them and the warmth of her hugs and dear comfort.
-
It had been around three hours since Eda had backed up her son and both her own and her partner's palismen to spend some time outside the house, visiting the market and eying around the new constructions and the ways the city had changed after the emperor's fall.
The Owl Lady's hands were full of shopping bags, from food to things nobody needed, but either King or Eda found them neat. She had found out years ago that the best way to make sure that King was distracted and entertained was to let him lose among the stalls and let him pick up whatever he wanted. The only difference between now and then was that before the end of the revolution, Eda let him steal everything they could manage to get away with, but now she walked with Raine's seemingly never-empty wallet in hand.
Dating a famous musician and politician had its charms, and although Eda was initially uncomfortable accepting Raine's offer of money, the Bard had not allowed her to argue and had treated her to a wealth she never knew a witch could have without being the bloody emperor himself.
Being with them had given her all the love and security she never even knew to dream about. Her heart was doing little jumps as they got closer to home, as Eda knew that she was getting closer to seeing them again. And who knows, maybe they can give her some good, sexy news.
A part of her was also worried to find them with red eyes, and a heart full of guilt caused by all the steps they had taken back that day. If that was the case, she would wrap them up in their favorite blanket and hold them while they watch one of Raine's favorite shows. But if that wasn't the case and the news were truly good, she was sure her mind could come up with many different things they could try and have fun with next.
She had texted them to ask if it was safe to come back, and worringly quickly they answered,' Yes, please,' so now she was a little worried.
Had the plan been a little too much, a little too quickly? Had Eda misread their body language the night before? Had she made a huge mistake by bringing this plan back to the surface after it ended horribly a few weeks ago?
Her worries got a little lighter as she and King found them in the kitchen, dressed in some new pajamas with their hair wet, moving around the kitchen as they were baking something that instantly got King's full attention.
"Oh, what are you making?" the boy asked as he ran into the kitchen and jumped on the cabinet so he could peek at the dough they were mixing up.
The Bard gave him a soft smile before they said," Just some puff pastries, I haven't fully decided what kind yet. Do you have any wishes, dear?"
"Chocolate! Oh, and also those meaty ones you made last week!"
"Alright," they smiled wider at the kid's eagerness," Go finish up your school work, and I'm sure that by the time you're done, I have something out of the oven that is all ready for your little tummy,"
It always managed to warm Eda's heart to see her Rainestorm and her kid getting along so well, and witnessing her partner's natural talent in parenting shining like a gem with that kid. Seeing Raine so happy and King finally acting like a kid again would never get old to her; it may have been her everyday life for the past year already, but she still got all 'feelingly' and 'emotional' seeing it.
After King ran out, happily making up a little song about puff pastries and chocolate, Eda decided to sneak towards her partner, and after she was sure they knew she was right there behind them, she wrapped her hands around them and allowed her head to rest on their shoulder, her eyes watching with interest how Raine worked the buttery layers into the raw dough, the end product surely something that will steal her tongue with how good it's going to taste. She loved all of their baked masterpieces, even though she wasn't a fan of why they made them.
"I take it from the stress baking that it didn't go too well?" she asked, squishing their waist gently.
They sighed, leaning a little more into her," It didn't go...badly, it just didn't go perfectly," they sighed again and lowered their voice to make sure that King would not hear in case he was coming downstairs again," It was okay at first, a little weird but okay, good even, but at some point...I don't know, I freaked out, I guess,"
"Hmm," she hummed softly," Did you like it more than you hated it?"
"I think so? Physically, it was nice, but I just was not able to keep my mind in it,"
"Do you want to try it again in a few weeks, or should we scrap it and move to something else?" her questions were always so patient, always just out for their best interest.
"Can we try it with you being there?" they asked, eyes looking down at their dough," I think that having you there with me would help me keep my mind on us and not...you know,"
A smirk landed on her blood-red lips.
She had not expected that kind of offer so soon, but she was more than willing," How can I say no to that? I would love that,"
Her mind was already running miles, but she knew better than to let it continue without restraint. She knew that it would not happen tonight or even next week, and she was okay with it.
"Good," they replied, their hand taking one of hers into a soft hold," We can talk it through tonight,"
"Perfect," she said with a kiss to their ear," So, can I give you a helping hand with the baking, or would you rather not have me here to mess it up like the last time?"
"How about you stay right where you are?" they smiled, their head falling to rest on her shoulder," I missed you,"
That was another thing that will never grow old to her and will bring a smile to her lips for the rest of her days. And it will never get old to her to hear them mumble under their breath ideas for their baking as if they were waiting for her to tell them if it was a good idea, and then their face would turn all red as she kissed their cheek and hummed about how nothing they produce can ever taste anything under pure perfection. Holding them close will always feel special, their laugh and smile out of this realm, and their humming always gave her ears an impression that she was dating a god of some sort.
And if they end up making out with Raine sitting on a kitchen counter once the first batch of pastries were in the oven, this was just the natural course of things. One, she can never get enough.
-
The voices of the historians in the crystal ball flowed through the calm, night air. Two lovebirds wrapped up under a warm layer of blankets, limbs tangled up in a way that no observer could tell which part belonged to which witch. The smells of Raine's raspberry sent skin care tickling Eda's nose and calming her mind as they watched a pair of clumsy historians breaking into an ancient temple that had a fifty percent chance of cursing them or sending a restless spirit after them.
It was late, way too late considering that Raine had a realm to lead and a meeting to attend in the morning, but the Bard didn't seem ready yet for sleep, and Eda had made it her secret mission to never fall asleep before them in case they would stay up too late otherwise.
She could tell that there was something on their mind, probably to do with their talk from earlier. She didn't push them to talk, but drew calming circles into their back with her fingers, slowly bringing them closer to opening up. It was kinda funny to think that she had learned those same tricks from the same witch she was using them against right now, just about fifteen or so years ago, it had been they who tried to bring her closer to opening up to them.
At some point, they sat up and climbed over her to straddle her hips, hands resting in their own lap, their eyes telling her that it was time for the talk.
She rested her own hand on one of theirs before linking their fingers," So," she started, wanting to take some pressure off of them," Have you thought about how you would like to do this?"
"I have," they said, squeezing her hand," I think I just want you to hold me and maybe talk to me whenever I get stuck in my head too much. Does that sound okay?"
Already, the fact that it was this easy for the two of them to talk about whatever it was they needed to talk about showed how much they both had grown over the years. On some days, Eda thought bitterly that this easy little thing was all along the key to keeping them with her; if she had been smarter, if she had been braver and more true with her feelings when she was young, she would never have had to spend a day without them. This bitter feeling towards her past self was a huge part of her motivation to be better for both of them this time around. This time around, there were no secrets or topics they would not talk about.
"That sounds damn hot," she smirked back, her eyes narrowing slyly at their spreading blush," As long as you are comfortable, I am okay with anything you want,"
"It's hard not to feel like it's a little one-sided sometimes," Raine admitted," You are always thinking about me and what I want or need. But you deserve the same, I want to give you the same,"
"Are you crazy? Raine, hun, I am literally getting only benefits here. I get to be here for you, and occasionally I get to get off through our experimentation,"
"You know what I mean,"
She signed, her hand slipping from their hand to rest on their hip," I do, but I really do mean what I said,"
"I know,"
And as a yawn broke through their easy smile, Raine laid back down, snuggling up to her and hiding their face in her neck, a nice little shiver running down the wild witch's back as their breath touched her skin. That little shiver, exactly that moment of weakness, the Bard knew how to use. With an ever-growing smirk, they kissed around the blushing skin following her pulse.
The unexpected squeak from the wild witch brought a chuckle out of the bard, the little embarrassment quickly followed by her question," What's ya doing there, hun?"
"Hmm, playing," they hummed.
She tightened the hold around their waist, hugging them just a little closer," Would you not rather go to sleep? You have a lot going on in the morning,"
"No," they said so easily, their breath calm on her ever more warming skin," Do you?"
"The day I am ever to deny you is the day I have been kidnapped and replaced by a total idiot,"
They lifted their head from her skin, eyes a little concerned as they said," I would hope you were to deny me for other reasons too. You know, a headache, not feeling too good, not in the mood, tired,"
"Well yeah, that too I guess, but...at the moment non of it is a concern of mine...so," she smiled, a golden fang peeking out," What ever idea is waltzing around that brain of yours, I am down for. So..." her voice lovered and her eyes earned themselves a darker glow," Whats ya gonna do, storm?"
She shuddered when their fingers glazed over her ribs, which were covered by the torn shirt she wore to bed that night. The breathing that she was trying to keep calm failed as soon as she saw the look in their eyes. And in an instant, she knew what they wanted to do, that knowledge like a warm campfire slowly burning in her guts.
She knew better than to hope for anything; she knew and was okay with the fact that it would be a long time before she would dare to ask them for something specific. But that didn't always mean she was able to push the sudden flashes of fantasy out of her mind the second they arrived, or that she could control the beautiful images that often greeted her in her wet dreams.
Every touch they gifted her with was precious, every kiss a thing she would always cherish. She knew that gifting them wasn't always easy for Raine, so she cherished even the simplest and softest of them.
The bigger was her surprise to feel the dream-like kiss move from her lips to softly nibble on her chin and slowly move down with every heavy breath the bard let out. It wasn't anything new, but it was rare.
They had lived together almost a full year, and it had maybe happened a handful of times that Raine started something without them having made previous agreements days or even weeks ago. Those unexpected moments were the ones that Eda cherished the most. Just knowing that Raine was fully comfortable and willing to just go with the flow assured her that time and their efforts had really helped them progress.
With no expectations, she relaxed into the pillows, letting every muscle in her body relax and surrendering herself completely to her partner's loving mercy. And she was met with nothing else but pure love.
Raine was cautious, and so much so that it made them a little clumsy at it, or maybe it wasn't clumsiness but rather worry of crossing a line that didn't really exist there. Their hands were rough from years of commitment to stringed instruments, and every touch from those fingers made Eda feel as if her own skin was gradually becoming one of their most prized instruments. The cursed witch's heart skipped a beat as those fingers crept under the elastic of her panties. For a moment, she wanted to pinch herself because she believed it was another entry in her ever-growing list of dreams that cluttered her thoughts in the middle of the night. But this Raine, whose hair her long fingers played through, was the one and only real one. They were the one who usually slept with their head on her chest when she woke up to those blush-bringing dreams. She could have almost choked on the feeling of happiness she felt at that moment.
"You doing okay there, my dear?" a pair of smug lips asked while pressed to her cheek.
She tilted her head to capture those lips for a quick kiss before she said breathlessly, "I've forgotten how much better your fingers are than any toy,"
"Been a long time, huh?"
She nodded, speaking becoming harder with each caress of their fingers.
"I promise," they whispered, "From now on you'll be able to feel them a lot more often."
"Don't push yourself..." she tried to say, but they stopped her by pressing their finger into the right bundle of nerves deep inside her, their name escaping like a gasp from inside of her.
"I'm not. I promise I'm not. Don't worry about me, love, I'm ready for this and...something else,"
"So mysterious," she laughed, moving her hand so that she could stroke lovingly over their chin, "Can I ask what it is?"
They smiled. If Eda hadn't already been lying down, that smile would have definitely knocked her off her feet.
A kiss touched the tip of her thumb, and then another. Her thoughts couldn't quite catch up with the truth before Raine's head was already hidden under the covers, only a contented laugh sounding from under the heavy fabric as Eda was forced to cover her mouth, to keep from shouting out her entire dignity.
That night, the toy drawer was left untouched, and by the time Raine finally fell asleep in her arms, Eda doubted she had ever been so intoxicated by any other person ever in her life.
---
Raine had given stress a name. Monica, they called it. Whenever stress stiffened their limbs or made their nerves twitch, they cursed at Monica. Never had they known a single Monica, no Monica had ever wronged them, but one time, when an old injury had bitten its teeth into their ankle and had made them limp for days, and a new political difficulty had been pressing on their shoulders like a ship that was about to sink, they cursed that name out, and for some reason it felt right. So now, whenever they needed to yell at someone or blame someone for their state of mind, they cursed Monica and prayed that no one named Monica would walk past their office at the wrong time.
Today was one of those days when Raine wanted to wrap their hands around Monica's neck and squeeze all the life and audacity out of this made-up persona.
They had quarreled with Darius over a completely pointless change in the law, King had fallen ill unexpectedly, and Eda had managed to get arrested in the human realm for public indecency. Raine still had no idea what had happened, but when they pailed her out with some magic produced fake human money, and took her home, she looked way too proud of herself and said that it was a surprise and she couldn't tell them just yet.
Monica of that day had forced Raine back into the kitchen to bake some frosted cinnamon rolls for their feverish step-son, who could barely stay awake, but was too stubborn and excited for the rolls to let the sleepiness win.
Once they had finished throwing flour and sugar in that nasty Monica's face, they tried to suppress her even further by cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen. Their sweet, sick boy had fallen asleep with his face in one of the rolls he had not managed to eat up before he finally collapsed, and fortunately for Raine, King didn't even move when Raine picked him up and carefully wiped the cream cheese frosting off the tired child's face. They were just about to leave the kitchen to take King upstairs to his room when the door to the backyard opened, and Eda entered with shopping bags hanging from her hand and hook.
Her gold and silver eyes took one look at the messy kitchen, and she already knew the culprit," Mounica is being a bitch again,"
"First, language, Eda," they replied, pointing to King sleeping in their arms, "Second, it's Monica, not Mounica,"
"I am not going to say what I want to say," replied Eda, as she placed the bags on the floor and threw her hand on her hip with a smile, "Take this poor little bundle of bacteria to bed and come back down here and I'll show you what I mean,"
The Bard rolled their eyes," You are so romantic with your words, what beautiful words for our anniversary, make sure you save some for our anniversary next week."
"Don't you worry, hun, you will see that I haven't taken any easy paths with these plans,"
They tried to keep a straight face, but it was impossible when their heart was screaming in a completely different language. It seemed surreal to think that in a week, they would not only be celebrating the one-year anniversary of Belos' death, but also the first anniversary of their love story's beautiful rekindling.
They were careful as they placed King in his bed filled with stuffed animals and wrapped a blanket around his feverish body. Their old heart was relieved by the knowledge that, although his fever was high, rest, medicine, and the boy's own toughness would surely overcome this illness so quickly that in just a few days, Raine would be running around after him again, picking up his dropped toys and making sure he didn't break the skin of his knees.
Guilt gnawed at them as they looked at him. Only a few days ago, Raine themself had been sick, and although it didn't seem to be the same illness, they couldn't shake the feeling that it was their fault that King was sick, and because of them, King and Luz missed their monthly sleepover in the human realm because none of the adults felt comfortable exposing Luz to germs that might not be safe for her human immune system. The boy didn't seem to blame them and had been very comfortable sleeping in their lap yesterday, but Raine had always been the meanest to themself and had many times fewer nice things to say about themself than any other soul ever has.
Maybe it was Monica talking again, or maybe the self-hate they had hoped stayed in the past was actually still judging them right there on their own left shoulder.
They walked back to the kitchen with these thoughts, but before all their nerves could fill with this incurable anxiety, they suddenly stopped in the doorway, their astonished eyes not seeing even a shadow of the mess they had left behind in the kitchen, and finding Eda sitting on the kitchen counter with one leg thrown over the other, a glass of deep-red wine held out to them.
"H-how did you clean up so fast?" they asked as they walked over to her and took the long-necked glass from her.
"You were gone for about twenty minutes," she replied, leaning closer to them, "Tell me, hun, what's going on?"
Raine sighed, taking a bigger sip from their glass than they probably should have taken at once, and when they brought the glass down from their lips, they found that they had inadvertently leaned against Eda, their head in the perfect place to rest on her shoulder, "Darius is being an ass, I'm worried for King and I'm mildly worried what you did in the human realm to get arrested topless,"
"About Darius, I can advise you: tell him to suck on an egg. You're the president, you should have the last word. And there's no reason to worry about King at all, love, that boy eats from the trash, his immune system survives everything. About me topless in the human real streets... let's just say I got a little carried away in one of the shops and was way too quick to run out of the changing room once I found something I won't talk about just yet. You have to wait until next week,"
"You're driving me crazy," they sighed against her collarbone, "Please try to organize surprises in the future without the police getting involved in our realm or anywhere else you might set sleaky foot to,"
"You know I can't promise that, Rainestorm,"
"That's why I said 'try' and not 'promise',"
"All right," she said, placing a kiss into their unwashed hair, "I'll try,"
For a minute, they stood there sipping from their glasses of wine, its slightly bitter yet sour taste of blood cherries suffocating ,the stress and softened their tounge but not enough to push Monica away.
In that silence, Raine's thoughts drifted back to Eda's earlier joke, its echo suddenly sparking a thought in them that sounded almost inviting to their anxious mind, "What exactly did you mean when you called my stress by that obscene nickname?"
Her fang bit her lip a little nervously, "I...I wasn't completely serious, but...the idea was that we could turn Monica into Mounica if you are up to it. But I know that it's..."
"Okay,"
"Uh," she looked down at them, meeting their very serious gazes.
They looked somehow too serious even, like a professor who had just made a harsh and perhaps even unfair decision in the curriculum. They took her hand and removed the wine glass from between her fingers, placing it on the table next to them.
Her eyes meeting their serious ones, her tongue feeling thick as she watched the blush slowly appear on their cheeks, "You mean..."
"Let's try this...thing..."
Her hand squeezed theirs, "Are you sure?" she asked, worried that it was a forced decision fueled by their current state of mind, and not their pure desire and will, "I know things have been going pretty well the last few weeks, and I would be really happy if you were ready but...you cried just a few days ago when we tried this, I thought you wouldn't want to try for a while. I really didn't mean to push you into anything with this joke,"
"I know," they said, closing their eyes, "And I know it's probably a little early but...I'd like to forget about Monica for at least one evening, because honestly, I'm sick of her and I want to push her off a cliff. So..." they opened their eyes and looked up at her, "Would you help me with murdering Monica or at least shutting her up for one evening?"
"That's the most romantic offer I've ever received," she agreed without hesitation and pulled them into a kiss that lasted until they were both pale from lack of oxygen.
Like horny teens afraid to wake up their overprotective parents, they crept up the stairs silently but with clutching hands and locked themselves in their room.
Every kiss tasted better than the last, and even though Eda knew that tonight she probably wouldn't lose a single item of clothing or gasp for air, she was filled with a burning excitement. And from the way Raine held her and how thirsty their lips seemed for her air, she had a hunch that Raine was also feeling the excitement of the possible steps ahead.
It took them a while to pull away from each other's familiar kisses, and think soberly for a moment so they could the previously agreed-upon first step in this experiment, "Let's change clothes, I don't think you'll feel very comfortable in these pants," Eda said, luring them with her to the wardrobe, from where they both chose something thin but substantial to wear to bed.
Last time, they had tried to do it without, but the excessive skin-on-skin contact with the additional toy between their legs had quickly gotten too much for Raine, and their experiment had ended in tears and a panic attack that had lasted over an hour. A conversation and a bunch of hugs later, they had changed their plan.
In the nest, Eda lay waiting for Raine to join her, the toy Raine had chosen for the night in her hand, small but capable of much.
Slowly, Raine climbed into the nest, a soft blanket draped over their shoulders. They snuggled up next to her, head on her chest, one leg ever so slightly over hers. Eda's hand was quick to rub their back, slowly strangling Monica and replacing her evil with Eda's own warmth.
"Ready, love?" she asked, showing them the blue vibrator.
With a nod, they took it from her, looking at it for a moment before their hand moved under the covers with it. Eda's embrace around them grew tighter the moment she heard the buzzing coming from under the covers and that first small gasp that Raine tried to swallow.
"Beautiful," she whispered, kissing their forehead as best she could reach.
It took a while for them to truly relax and allow themself to melt and not freeze. The sounds they made were so small they were almost nonexistent, their movements even smaller.
Every moment of it, Eda held them and whispered sweet nothings, her voice only breaking when her lips were busy planting kisses. The sweetness in her voice deepened into praise as she felt their hips press more against her thighs, the toy becoming trapped between Eda's own flesh and theirs.
"Eda," they whimpered, their voice trembling, their eyes closed as they buried their face in her chest.
"Hmm, you have no idea how proud I am of you, darling," she replied, moving her leg just a little closer to them, the little cry that came from them sending heat through her entire body, "What a good president,"
"No, everything but that, Eda," came their voice as Eda felt them laughing against her chest.
The Owl Lady smiled back, "Does my dear bard feel embarrassed?"
"No, your dear bard knows how unsexy their job is to try to keep it out of the bedroom,"
"I would counter, I think you look damn hot in your..."
"Mhh," they bit down a louder cry, the button on the vibrator was pressed in the process.
They trembled, the hand that wasn't holding the toy becoming more and more tense and squeezing Eda's nightgown tighter and tighter. And just a minute later, they were crying her name into her chest, not sadly or desperately like they had weeks ago, but liberatingly and happily like they hadn't done in decades. Their heavy breathing like a blanket over her, their body squirming to get away from the toy that suddenly felt too suffocating on their skin.
She kissed a tear of joy from the corner of their eye, and helped remove the blue toy and hid it under the pillows, her limbs quickly wrapping themselves all around them, holding them as they slowly gathered their breath.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered to them.
The Bard didn't respond with words, but Eda was sure she heard a faint sound of laughter coming from them before they fell asleep. No Monica, nor any other nightmare, even came close to the bubble of happiness shared by these two lovebirds.
Maybe Eda's plans for their anniversary weren't as far fetched as the Owl Lady had initially thought.