Cuddles

[10:06] [Chocola] I wake up with no idea where I am. What happened after I fell asleep…

I look around. I'm laying in a bed, cuddling Alex under a fluffy blanket. He's still asleep. I reach down and find that his tail is gone. Wait, I know this blanket!…But…how did we get in my room?!

When I touch him, he stirs. Alex reaches up and touches my face in his sleep. I see him running, falling, the deal. And, somehow, what happened after he fell asleep. He’s only been a fairy for a few days, with no time to practice, yet the rate he learns and at which his power grows…it’s so high that it’s scary!

I badly need cuddles. Nngh…if I don’t get out of bed, I’m going to end up attacking Alex…Wait…what did Vanilla say his name was in life? Oh, right…Noah.

He groans in his sleep. His hair lengthens, his chest swells, and he gains curves. His jawline softens, and his glasses disappear. I blush harder. Wow…female Alex is hot! She has...are those C cups?!

I pull my half of the blanket over her and crawl to the end of the bed. I’m still groggy, so when I slide off the bed onto my feet, I land on something. It shoots under the bed and I fall. I reach out to grab the door with my left hand and realize I’ll miss, so I hold my right forearm to my forehead so I don’t slam into the floor and break my nose. When I hit the floor, I cry out. "Nyaaaa!"

I lay there mewling for a few seconds. “Are you okay?”

I look up to see Vanilla in the doorway. Looking at her flips a switch inside me. No…I’m g-gonna force myself on Vanilla…

“Uhnnnnnn…Vanilla! I...n-n-need cuddles...”

“Okay.”

Vanilla walks over. She sits on her knees and takes my head into her lap. I roll over so I’m looking up at her. Quietly, so as not to wake Noah, I ask, “Vanilla…?”

“Hm?”

“Can we cuddle like we used to?”

She nods. I try to sit up but can’t. She helps me, then helps me turn to face her. “Actually…could you lean against the bed?”

“Umm…okay…”

I manage to scoot back against the bed. I sit on my knees like she is. She scoots toward me, then stands up. She sits down in my lap. I look at her. (\\★★//) She’s sitting on her knees, legs on either side of mine. I hug her and snuggle into the hollow where her neck slopes into her left shoulder. She scoots forward so she’s pressed against me, then wraps her legs around me. My skirt is all scrunched up. I snuggle in. “Uhnnn…Vanilla…you're warm...”

[10:26] [Alex] I wake up snuggled under a blanket. Chocola’s gone. My glasses, too. My hand is fixed. I register an extra weight on my chest. Wait…am I female now?! I really don't get this body...It's like it has a mind of its own!

"Uhnnn...Vanilla...you're warm..."

I am a ghost neko.

The blanket noiselessly falls through me. I crawl to the edge of the bed soundlessly. My tail reappears. I look down and freeze. Chocola is leaning against the bed with Vanilla in her lap. She’s hugging Vanilla with her face snuggled into the spot between Vanilla’s left shoulder and neck. Her ears are down and Vanilla is hugging her while stroking her hair. I lay down, head on my arms. I watch them, tail swishing.

[10:30] [Vanilla] I lick Chocola's neck. She starts moaning. “Uhnnn…Vanilla, quit it.”

[10:33] [Alex] I realize my skin has a faint luminosity. I'm a ghost...it's probably nothing...

[Vanilla] I keep going. I start sucking on her neck, slowly and gently. 

[10:41] [Alex] I start to feel really hot. I want cuddles...but I don't want to intrude on their bonding.

It gets really bad and starts to hurt. I'm definitely glowing now, but it's not noticeable if you're not looking for it. “Uhnnn…!”

(⪎⪍) Tears stream down my face. I’m sobbing. They stiffen. Vanilla peeks around Chocola. Her eyes widen. “A-Alex?”

Chocola slowly turns around. Her eyes widen and return to normal so fast I think I’ve imagined it. “A-are y-you okay?” she asks, voice wavering slightly.

It’s still getting worse. I’m glowing noticeably now. Tears leak from my eyes, getting faster. “I-I d-don't know…the sound earlier…was me. I feel r-really hot...it hurts...”

Vanilla stands up and walks over to me. I look up, tears streaming like Niagara Falls. I am a neko...

I turn solid. She scratches me between the ears. I start to feel feverish. My whimpers increase in volume. Chocola is holding her ears flat against her head. I squeeze my eyes shut.

[11:01] [Vanilla] As I'm debating what to do, he, no, she lets out a wail that makes me fall to my knees. It gets louder and louder. I hold my ears down as tightly as possible, but it doesn’t do much. My eyes start streaming tears. Chocola is staring at Alex. Then, she pales. I look at Alex. She’s glowing. Brightly. She gets brighter as she gets louder. She’s sweating profusely. The room starts shaking. A glass cup on the nightstand floats up and explodes, showering the floor next to the bed with broken glass. “Alex? W-what's going on?”

I start floating. One by one, all the objects in the room start floating, including Chocola. The stuff on the dresser only floats about an inch. The bed, bedding, and furniture all stays. Alex starts floating, too. Her clothes start to turn white, then lose all color. Suddenly, silence. Chocola and I drop to the floor. We let go of our ears. Alex drops, landing on her feet on the bed. She’s swaying, flushed and soaked in sweat. She stiffens, then falls backward and to the side, landing in the broken glass. She’s no longer glowing, but her clothes are still white. Everything falls back where it was. “Alex!” 

I run over and take her pulse from her wrist. It's strong. "Alex, look at me."

"V-vanilla...chan...?"

She’s trying to look at me, but her eyes won’t focus. "Alex, please! I promise you'll be okay, just hold on..."

"I-I'll...be...fine...I think I just need...to sleep..."

Her eyes close. Her chest rises and falls evenly.  I sigh. Chocola looks at me. “Is she…okay?”

“She’s breathing, and her pulse is steady.”

She’s breathing heavily. Her bangs are plastered to her forehead. When I go to brush them to the side, I yelp and snatch my hand away before I can touch her forehead. I cradle my fingers. I look at Chocola. “Chocola, a bucket of ice water and rags…Now!”

She dashes out. I hear her frantically banging around in the kitchen. She comes back with the bucket from the freezer’s ice maker—full of cold water from the sink—and some rags. She sets it on the floor next to me and goes to brush Alex’s hair off of her forehead. “Don’t! She’s burning up!”

She touches her forehead directly. She snatches her hand away to the side, so her bangs still get cleared away. “OW! Burning up is an understatement!”

“It explains what happened, though. Just not the floating-in-the-air part.”

“Judging from what people say about her being pissed off, it kinda does.”

I grab an ice cube and press it to her lips. She opens up and I drop it in. It quickly melts. She swallows. I dip a rag, fold it, and place it on her forehead. A few seconds later, it starts steaming and hissing. I scoop her up, despite the intense heat. I sit on the floor and pick the broken glass off her. Chocola dashes out with the ice bucket. About ten minutes later, she walks back in. “I filled the tub with cold water and the rest of the ice.”

Carefully, I stand up and carry her to the bathroom. Deciding that it would keep her cold while we change the water, I step into our ofuro and sit down without taking her clothes, or mine, off. The water is freezing. Alex, if you can hear me, I’m sorry…about everything…but especially this.

I feel her consciousness stir a little. I pinch her nose and cover her mouth. She seems to get what’s happening and squeezes her eyes shut tight. I dunk her, holding her there for about five seconds, then pull her back up and remove my hands. Blood leaks from a few small cuts on her arms, legs and back. She’s shivering. I feel her forehead. It’s starting to freeze. I try to stand up, but nothing happens. Faintly, I hear, Vanilla…it’s c-c-cold…it’s getting hard to think…

I can’t move!

I start to feel warm and sleepy. Vanilla, no! Stay awake. Call Chocola!

In a small voice, I say “Choco…la…”

Alex thinks, CHOCOLA, HELP!

Alex slips back into her coma, and I look at the ceiling. As I drift off, I remember something Sora said a while back. Chocola had asked if there was a way to permanently kill a faerie inside Akihabara. Very few. Decapitation is certain death and hypothermia is another. However, we faeries have increased cold tolerances.

I close my eyes.

[11:36] [Chocola] Chocola, help.

I can tell she’s yelling, but it sounds like a whisper. I run to the bathroom. Both Alex and Vanilla’s lips are blue. I pull Alex out first, then Vanilla. Step one: remove from the cold environment.

I blush. I undress them and towel their exposed skin off. I run and grab two sets of clothes. Step two: warm the victim.

Then, with a cloud of steam, both Alex and Vanilla’s clothes dry themselves. “Umm…okay then…”

I redress them. I carry Alex to the bed, sweep all of the broken glass off, and lay her under the blanket. I get Vanilla, then put her in bed. I climb in bed with them. I scoot Alex and Vanilla to the middle of the bed, then lay on top, tucking the blanket under them. I hug them. As an afterthought, I feel Alex’s forehead. It feels normal. Vanilla’s is a little icy, but not by much. At least she’s not burning up…

After half an hour, they’re no longer freezing. Their lips are normal. Alex is still flushing a little. Poor Alex…she's been through a lot...she probably needs some cuddles...

It's hot under the blanket, so I throw it off the bed. I look at Alex. Here we are again, you in a coma, and me taking care of you. Vanilla took care of us…now I’m taking care of her and Alex. Why is it always Alex who ends up comatose?

I reach out to touch Alex’s consciousness, but…something's off. I close my eyes and try again, focusing on the ever-present tug of familiarity and welcoming that her mentalscape gives off, expecting to see Alex’s dreamscape, or a memory, or Alex on a bed, but still wide awake. Instead, I see Alex passed out in a pitch-black void, sprawled on the floor like I was when I fell. Her presence is much weaker than usual. I walk over and pick her up. I carry her to my mentalscape and imagine a bed. I lay her in it, then tuck her in. So she’s actually comatose…Please Alex…I know you can pull through this!

I tuck her loose hair behind her ear, first in the mentalscape, then in real life. I kiss her forehead, tousle her hair, and tidy up. I put on a fresh Gamer Girl t-shirt, black A-line miniskirt, and black leggings. I drain the ofuro, wring out the rags, toss them in the laundry basket, put the icebox back in the freezer, and start making seafood omelets. I feel Alex slip out of the coma and into a deep sleep.