Work Text:
Even though she left work early, she only came to her room to busy herself with it once again, restless mind needing something to latch on, anything at all. She worked under the dim light of several candles - not because it was good for the eyes, but she’d been working since before the sun had set and couldn’t be bothered to light the lamp when candles would suffice. Standing before her makeshift work table in her bedroom, she observed the flask of questionable substance - it wasn’t even nearly done, but she already wasn’t positive about the effects of the potion, examining the colour of the liquid that wasn’t quite right. She wasn’t very good at the medicine department, she had to admit.
There were three sharp knocks at her door and she nearly dropped the flask, startled. She gripped it tightly, releasing a relieved breath that this didn’t actually happen. Casting a glowering look at the door, she wondered if she could pretend she wasn’t there and wait until whoever came to disturb her would leave. It was a little mean of her, sure… but she really wasn’t in condition to have a conversation of any kind before tomorrow morning, let alone go outside.
“Sucrose?”
Oh, Celestia above and the Abyss below.
The voice of the funeral director, as much as she hated to admit, had done unspeakable things to her heat-ridden mind over the course of the last few days. Hearing it again now brought back memories of thoughts she’d rather forget, yet it was so, so alluring, like a birdcall designed to reel her in. She assumed it was because Hu Tao was the only woman around, that’s why Sucrose had zoned in so intensely on her specifically - though that was a hypothesis she could never investigate. It also didn’t help that Hu Tao was so intent on touching - leaning over Sucrose’s shoulder as she worked, taking her hand to point at something, sitting next to her at the spot that had been previously safeguarded by Albedo, her cornerstone of resistance against her primal nature. It was charming, but in the current situation, also a double-edged blade. Her heat had never been kind to her. After a moment of hesitance, she let out a quiet, resigned sigh, and put the vial down on its stand while extinguishing the alcohol lamp.
“Good evening, Hu Tao.” She opened the door timidly. Despite her ancestry, she never considered her sense of smell to be that advanced - but without the wooden door separating the two of them, the scent hit her like a galloping horse. Well, it wasn’t a scent per se- it was pheromones, she knew that. It wasn’t something you felt in your nose, but rather a full body experience, like piercing wind. She quickly put a hand over her mouth, schooling her shocked face back to something she hoped would seem normal before dropping it and mustering up a polite smile. Hu Tao didn’t seem to notice her change in expression.
“S-sorry you had to wait for me, I had to turn off my equipment.” She said sheepishly, hand gripping the door she held open. She did her best to breathe slowly, shallowly, hoping she could avoid the scent as much as she possibly could.
“Oh, it’s no big deal - wait, am I interrupting something?” Hu Tao furrowed her brows, but made a show of leaning to the side trying to glimpse the aforementioned equipment.
“Um, it’s ok, I was about to wrap things up anyway…” This was a lie - though she wasn’t making any progress and it was getting increasingly hard to stay focused, she was likely going to spend the night by the alcohol lamp anyway, stubborn and desperate. Albedo would've interrogated her further but Hu Tao, unaware of her habits, bought the excuse - for better or worse.
“Has something happened?” She pressed, hoping to get this grueling conversation to end as soon as possible. Her eyes caught on the way Hu Tao tapped a slender finger on her chin in confusion - she imagined where else those fingers could go……………………...oh, Barbatos. Stuck in her place, she could do little but wrestle her mind out of the gutter. Despite her body screaming the opposite, she liked the friendship they had with Hu Tao - and didn't want to potentially ruin it...she was so nice, and fun, and pretty and charming and… ah, there she goes again.
“No, no, I was just gonna ask if you want to go out somewhere, since you finished work early, and you haven’t gotten to sightsee at the Harbor yet.” Hu Tao paused for a moment - she actually seemed a little nervous, Sucrose realized. “Are you okay though? You don’t look so good.” Sucrose let out a sound of surprise, realizing she had been holding her breath for a while now - her head was getting dizzy. Embarrassed, she brushed off the concern quickly.
“Y-yes, everything’s fine!” She said maybe a little too eagerly, as the other raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Just feeling a little under the weather, nothing to worry about.” “If there’s something you need, just say the word.” The other girl offered, leaning in uncomfortably close. Well. She knew what she needed, but she would die before she could admit it.
“Actually...” To her mortification, she caught herself musing out loud, and slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. “A-ah, I mean, there’s really nothing, really…” She tried to save the situation and rubbed the back of her neck shyly, staring at the tips of her shoes so intensely she might burn a hole in them.
“You can tell me if something’s going on. I’m your host, after all!” Between the overwhelming scent, Hu Tao’s prying gaze, and the fact that they were both standing awkwardly at the door, Sucrose felt like she was going to cry. “Can I come in?” Hu Tao offered, and she could only nod and open the door in response, the other slipping past her and into the room.
“I’m serious, you know.”
“Me too.” She mumbled, thoughts wandering off yet again as she sat down on the bed, defeated. Hu Tao tilted her head questioningly, and Sucrose gestured for her to follow. She took a breath, aiming to calm herself, but it only gave her a mouthful of tantalizing archon-forbidden pheromones. She shuddered.
“T-there’s been something recently that… has been…on my mind.” She started, the sentence dragging on and on as she searched for words that just wouldn’t come.
“I’ve wanted to ask, um…that…” What was she even going to say? Everything felt like a blur. She caught Hu Tao’s gaze, realizing she was growing incoherent, hoping that she’d understand despite that. She wasn’t sure what to expect to happen - her thoughts had come to a halt, and to be quite frank she was only hoping for one thing at that point - though it came subconsciously at first. Hu Tao looked at her with a mixed expression - shock, surprise, but something else too.
“Do you, uh…” The funeral director’s gaze darted from her eyes to her own lap, eyebrows raised; the other followed suit.
Sucrose, in her speech, was much like her usual self - avoiding eye contact, stammering, her voice soft and meek. Her body, however, seemed to have grown a mind on its own. She realized she was already pressing her side against Hu Tao’s, pale hand treacherously resting on her exposed thigh - that’s what she had been looking at. Being snapped back to reality, Sucrose jolted away, pressing her legs together and holding both her hands down in her lap - she didn’t trust them to stay put on their own anymore. Half-mumbled apologies got muffled in her collar as she buried her head in it as best as she could… Barbatos, she was getting way ahead of herself, wasn’t she? A dam of thoughts was collecting at the forefront of her mind, barely suppressed.
“Are you trying to start something or...?” Hu Tao trailed off, her air of confidence ebbing away as Sucrose shuffled in her seat, eyes meeting again briefly, searching for mutual ground. She couldn’t help but perk up her ears slightly, taken aback by the response; she stared dumbly for a couple of seconds, prolonged by silence thick enough to choke. Part of her was relieved that she didn’t have to explain in detail what she had meant, but another was terribly, terribly excited that Hu Tao had both caught on so quickly and seemed to be on the...same wavelength. A third part of her was terribly embarrassed that she was getting so hopeful, even giddy, and she considered her options - to turn her down, to excuse herself and pass on this opportunity that likely wouldn’t come a second time. She’d hate that, she realized. And under this intense gaze again, her self-restraint gave out.
“Y-yeah…” She whispered. Hu Tao leaned in, steadying herself - one hand she put on the bed behind Sucrose’s back, and brushed some hair away from her fuzzy ear with the other. With her that close, it was getting hard to breathe normally - a shiver ran through Sucrose as breath tickled her skin. Hu Tao, nearly melded to her, matched her hushed voice, but the corner of her mouth betrayed the playful grin barely suppressed in a more serious expression.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” Sucrose, having her breath taken away, took a moment to raise her voice above barely-audible.
“Maybe I am.” There was a long, long moment where they just stared at each other, and it felt like a test - holding her gaze before her mind could catch up with what was happening and start freaking out.
“Great!” Like a switch, an easy grin returned to Hu Tao again, and she pulled away once again. She eyed her for a moment, like she was enjoying being given the go-ahead, then proceeded to toe off her shoes, leaving them on the floor, then remove her hat and put it on the nightstand. Sucrose watched, entranced. “H-how do we even…” Sucrose started and trailed off, any words leaving her stuttering (fantasize as she might, it was hard to get in the mindset that this was happening, and to figure out what to do). Hu Tao didn’t seem fazed - she put her hand over hers, brushing her thumb soothingly against Sucrose’s palm. The touch was distracting, but it helped her get out of her head for a moment as the other leaned toward her, tilting her head ever so slightly...
“Maybe like this?”
And Sucrose found the strength not to shy away.
After the initial .2 seconds of uncertainty (lips brushing, eyes fluttering shut - was she allowed to be this cute?) the kiss turned hasty, both of them pushing forward. A chuckle rumbled in Hu Tao’s throat, hand switching to the back of her neck, combing through the short hairs where it connected to the head. With the newfound grip, she deepened their touch, tongue finding Sucrose’s fangs as she opened her mouth to take another intoxicating breath. More knowledge about her body revealed itself as she realized she could smell Hu Tao getting turned on as they progressed. Luckily, she herself was too down bad to switch to her analytical side, so this thought quickly faded as her senses got flooded with sex drive. Before she knew it, her back hit the mattress, pushed by Hu Tao's weight on top of her - having that, she was spurred to act, but as she was uncertain of what to do, she just let her hands find their way to the other's sides, clutching onto the fabric of her shirt desperately. Short pants escaped her in-between their kissing, her head growing lighter with the mix of pleasure and lack of air, and she couldn't help the sound that escaped her - a shallow, needy whimper. She stiffened slightly, suddenly self-conscious as Hu Tao pulled away just enough to look her in the eyes - oh… her gaze was brimming with something dark, yet fiery, a shameless passion.
"You doin' alright?" She whispered, taking Sucrose by surprise. Ah, she must've misconstrued the sound as a negative reaction… Sucrose would've been embarrassed about worrying the other if she wasn't already so aroused it hurt.
"Y-yes- please, please, more…" She mumbled, red from ear to ear and covering her face with the palm of her hand from embarrassment. Sucrose felt like the wiring in her brain was getting fried in real time, she couldn't articulate what she wanted to say better even if she tried.
"On it, sweet." Said Hu Tao, a pleased chuckle in her voice. She trailed her fingers down Sucrose’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine, then unbuttoned the first several buttons of the shirt at an irritatingly slow pace. She shivered in her place, waiting. Her eyes roamed around Hu Tao before settling comfortably at the space between her neck and shoulder. Once the other was done with the buttons and undid her bra, she leaned back for a moment, the weight shift reminding her how close they actually were, with Hu Tao straddling her lap and admiring her bare chest.
“Beautiful.” Her voice was no more than a breath, but it made Sucrose tremble - and the other slid an eager hand over her skin, brushing the underside of her breast. The touch was electrifying, but it only reminded her where she was aching to be touched the most. She pawed at the other’s undershirt impatiently.
“Can you- can you take off your shirt too?” Her voice was very small even to her own ears, breathy and high-pitched. She squeaked when Hu Tao planted a kiss on her cheek, then straightened up to pull the shirt over her head, exposing her lacy black underwear. Sucrose could do little but stare in awe, forgetting her own nakedness.
“Where do you want to start, sugarcube?” She winked, then started taking off her many rings in swift, easy motions. Sucrose’s eyes trailed her fingers as she put the little pile of rings on the nightstand, hands now weirdly naked without them. Sucrose herself was without gloves - when she worked with less flammable substances at home, she just wore casual clothes.
“Anywhere…” She murmured, averting her eyes, but just aching for hands on her, and Hu Tao seemed just as excited about that, palming her chest and sending jolts down her body as thumbs brushed over stiffened nipples. She quickly realized this wasn’t going to be enough, though.
“N-no- in, in…” She panted, and couldn’t elaborate even if she tried - it would be too much, too much.
“In where?” She was teased, and she gasped as Hu Tao caressed her abdomen.
“In th- ah. Please! Please…” She shot Hu Tao a pleading, hungry look, one that had her grin faltering for a moment, and she gave a parting pinch to the warm softness before she retracted her hand and traced it down, hooking it at the hem of Sucrose’s shorts. With trembling hands, Sucrose herself reached down and slid them off along with her underwear, fearing that Hu Tao would take her time again like she did with the shirt. She looked at her with surprise.
“Eager, are we? Aiya, you’re soaked.” Hu Tao caressed her inner thigh, touches feather-light, too light. Sucrose whined, feeling exposed and missing the touch of her underwear; this was quickly forgotten, however, as Hu Tao ran her fingers along her folds, collecting a copious amount of slick.
“Two or three?” Hu Tao whispered in her ear.
“Huh?”
“Fingers.” She shut her eyes closed, meeting the intense red gaze too taxing at that moment, and after a moment of hesitance whispered ‘three’. That’s all she needed to say - Hu Tao made a sound of surprise, and despite everything started with one. Still, Sucrose mewled helplessly as the finger slid into her with zero resistance. It sent her head spinning - but it wasn’t enough.
“Please-”
“We have to work our way up.” Hu Tao interrupted her with a kiss, then smiled down at her and Sucrose could only moan as the hand moved - slowly at first, stretching her out and wringing ragged pants out of her. She gave up trying to talk and let Hu Tao work her magic fingers. Two, then three, she felt herself clench around them, letting out a series of whimpers at the pleasant stretch.
“Good girl,” Hu Tao cooed, “you’re doing so well.” Sucrose shivered; overcome with an urge she couldn’t name, she pulled the other closer, burying her face in her neck. She lipped at the exposed skin absent-mindedly, losing herself as she was given easier access by Hu Tao lifting her chin up: she was rambling about something, but Sucrose was a little too occupied to pay attention. The air thick with lustful drive, she bathed in the drug-like scent that made her lose her thoughts...
“Ow!” Suddenly Hu Tao pulled away, leaving Sucrose to stare dumbly at the quickly reddening mark on Hu Tao’s shoulder. As she realized what happened, she let out a gasp and slapped a hand over her mouth yet again, an iron-y taste on her tongue, eyes full of guilt - she hadn’t realized what she was doing.
“I-I’m sorry, I don’t know wh- ah!” She rushed to apologize but her sentence was cut short by a loud, keening moan as Hu Tao resumed her work, even leaning down again to give her a long lick up the side of her neck. She shuddered, wrapping her legs around the other’s waist, the space between them suddenly too vast.
“Oh, you can bite, I don’t mind. I was just surprised.” Her grin was devilish in a way that made Sucrose ache more than she thought she could. “I might return the favour, though.”
She rocked her hand back and forth tirelessly until Sucrose was a mewling, panting mess, lapping at the mark she left as Hu Tao left searing kisses along her collarbone. Teeth dug in Sucrose’s skin and she moaned, one bite turning into two, then three - all of them light enough to sting without hurting. Hu Tao ran the flat of her tongue over Sucrose’s nipple, teasing her clit with the pad of her thumb - tears pricked her eyes from the intensity of everything. Her hips bucked forward against Hu Tao’s hand, head pushed back into the pillow, feet tangled around the woman on top of her. She freed one hand to grasp at the sheets.
“H-Hu Tao- Tao, Tao-” she whimpered, breathless and high-pitched; Hu Tao, urged by her reactions, kept lavishing her chest in attention, only breaking away briefly to place open-mouthed kisses under her jaw; Sucrose was melting against the soft mattress, moaning softly. “Mm, keep going…” Hu Tao redoubled her efforts, and soon she was coming undone under her hands. Sucrose bit her lip, stifling the strangled moan as the orgasm hit her like a tidal wave, chest rising and falling with her deep pants. Hu Tao kept fingering her for a bit longer to ride out the feeling, then retracted her hand, examining the thread of slick left behind. Sucrose whined, pulling the other back on top of her by strengthening the hold of her feet tangled over Hu Tao’s back. “More.” She whispered, feeling too empty for comfort.
“More? You sure?”
“Yes, yes, please, I need...I need it- I can’t stop now.” She buried her face in the crook of Hu Tao’s neck, a hushed “okay” being said into her ear, and then-
“Want me to eat you out?” She whimpered, the suggestion very enticing, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough.
“N-no, stay here…” She nuzzled into her collarbone to emphasize her point, relishing the musky scent that only made the air heavier, thicker, made her want. She felt Hu Tao nod over her, humming.
She gasped, then keened as Hu Tao slipped her fingers in her again, this time with the three from the start. Still sensitive from when she came, every little movement was now a jolt of electricity, but the burning sensation only made her moan louder. She clenched her teeth to quiet herself, but Hu Tao had other ideas. She licked a stripe from collarbone to ear, murmuring in a too-sweet tone,
“Let me hear you, sugarcube.” Despite the nickname being so, so incredibly on the nose, somehow it managed to arouse her further, and she moaned openly, something in her fluttering delightfully when Hu Tao gave her a pleased smile.
“Good, so good, such a good girl…” Praises were whispered into her ear like sweet nothings, making her sob and clench and pulse around the intrusion, head high in the clouds yet so heavy against the pillow. She trailed a series of licks on the skin above, mewling, mouthing at Hu Tao’s collarbone, tracing her fangs along her shoulder with a prolonged whine. She had half a mind to keep her fangs to herself, when Hu Tao panted somewhere above her.
“Go ahead, I know you wanna.” She whimpered, and nibbled around for a moment, mapping the skin fervently, then bit. Hu Tao let out a guttural moan, increasing the pressure on her clit, which only made her bite down harder. She came again like that, her sob muffled by the flesh she was biting on, Hu Tao moaning in her hair. It was messy, loud, and it felt like heaven.
The taste of blood filled her mouth, and she released her, sucking and lapping at the blood while the pleasure washed over her and ebbed away slowly. She mewled as Hu Tao continued her ministrations, though she had slowed down considerably, the burn of her touch now unpleasant - she was spent.
“Ah! Y-you can stop now…”
“Yes, sorry.”
The director retreated her hand finally, sitting back on her haunches. She stared at her messy hand for a moment, then wiped it down on the bedsheets unceremoniously. As an afterthought, she pulled her shorts off and put them on the floor in a heap beside the rest of their clothes, then pulled herself up to lay beside Sucrose, who was now staring at the ceiling thoughtlessly, eyelashes fluttering in the leftover light from her candle.
“How do you feel?” Hu Tao traced the length of Sucrose’s forearm with a gentle hand, and the alchemist curled up next to her, a little self-conscious but still basking in the afterglow. She thought for a moment.
“Like I died and went to Celestia.” Hu Tao laughed.
“What do you know, it even comes in line with my business!” They fell into a comfortable silence for a bit, Hu Tao wrapping her hands around Sucrose, petting circles on her back. “I didn’t push anything, did I?” She mused, her voice thoughtful, but Sucrose was quick to deny it, voice steady despite growing tired. Her mind was blissfully blank, the warmth comforting.
“No, I-I really needed that...thank you.” She ran her fingers along the slim abdomen before her, and Hu Tao let out a content sigh, kissing her head before burying her nose in her hair. It was… really nice. She let herself get lost in the feeling, drifting away slowly as Hu Tao murmured something she couldn’t make out.
***
When she woke up, she noticed three things, in that order: one, she hadn’t had a wet dream - an honest achievement since her arrival at the inn. Two, her crotch was sore...inside and outside. Her neck, too. She was also warm, cuddled into…someone with their arms around her. She opened her eyes and let out an involuntary squeal of surprise.
Three - there was a naked funeral director lying next to her, arms wrapped loosely around her lower back. She had been snoring peacefully, locks of brown hair fanning around her face and spilling on the mattress like a waterfall… when Sucrose jolted she was stirred awake.
“Oh.” An uncharacteristically sheepish smile bloomed on Hu Tao’s face as she cracked an eye open, face distorting as she stifled a yawn.
“ ‘Morning.” As her sleepy brain’s gears started to turn, Sucrose’s self-consciousness returned - still, her mind was clearer than it had been for at least a week, it was refreshing. Well, until what happened last night clicked into place. Oh… She buried her face in her palms, shoulders stiff.
“Oh Barbatos- I’m sorry.” She whispered.
Hu Tao took a while to answer - she couldn’t see her expression, but she could note a tone of something in her voice - hurt? Disbelief, maybe?
“What’re you sorry for?”
She should answer, but she couldn’t bring herself to - she didn’t even know what she was saying sorry for, herself. Hu Tao clearly wanted it too. It’s not like… She needed to sort her head first, but was drawing a blank when she tried. She lowered her hands, but before she could muster a word, it was Hu Tao who broke the silence.
“...Ah, I should get going.” She pulled the sheet off herself, revealing- She sat up with a start, eyes wide.
“O-oh archons, did I do that!?” Sucrose stared in horror at the array of bite marks on Hu Tao’s collar and shoulders, having grown a rather awful colour throughout the night. Hu Tao, who didn’t seem nearly as shocked, sat up and tried to shrug, but winced halfway and gave up.
“I mean, it’d be kinda hard to bite myself on the neck, don’t you think?” She mused, then chuckled at Sucrose’s distraught expression, who was searching for something to say without apologizing again.
“Hey, hey, it doesn’t even hurt! Trust me. And it was very hot when it happened yesterday.”
Sucrose hesitated for a moment. “Can you stay a bit then? Let me treat it, at least.” She furrowed her brow, eyes on the marks - her clinical eye permitted her to mostly ignore that they were both still very much naked.
“Go ahead.” The funeral director’s smile was noticeably more eased now - it was a little contagious. Sucrose turned her back on Hu Tao and stood up from the bed, then stretched, muscles sorely aching now that they were put to use.
Hu Tao's shocked gasp made her jump a little, startled, and she turned her head only to see her stare at her butt. She followed her gaze and-
“You’ve got a tail!” Ah, that. A deep blush bloomed on the alchemist’s face, and she looked away again, eyes trailing the pattern on the carpet.
“A-ah, well, it’s more of a stump… You know, humans generally have a tailbone, I just hereditarily have a few more than average, and since the leftover genes for...um...fur are...um. Could you- can you not touch it like that?”
“Oh, sorry!” Hu Tao removed her hand from the fuzzy rump where she was toying with the fur, occupying herself with a strand of brown hair instead. She was now laying belly down on the bed, her hand having been outstretched slightly to reach Sucrose.
“...Can I pet it, then?”
“I-I’d rather that you don’t… It’s somewhat ticklish.”
“Noted.” Her eyes remained hopeful despite the rejection, but she didn’t say anything more on the topic. Sucrose took the opportunity to rummage through her drawers and put on a shirt, then take out the first aid kit she brought along basically all the time, though thankfully it didn’t find use too often. When she turned back to the bed, Hu Tao was already in a different position - sitting on the edge and swinging her legs slightly. She was always so full of energy, it brought a smile to Sucrose’s face. Thankfully, the jittery director went still when Sucrose sat next to her and helped clean the wounds; despite saying it doesn’t hurt, she noticed Hu Tao would wince every once in a while, but would always answer Sucrose’s concerned expression with a grin and enthusiastic nodding - well, as much as keeping her neck still would permit, and chatted on about trivial things until Sucrose told her she was done. After Hu Tao put on her clothes and Sucrose saw her out the door, the alchemist was left to a deafening silence; and with her mind clear from all the fog, with the realization that things hadn’t gone at all how she had planned them to…