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[Wanda can't help but wince in sympathy. Yikes.]

I don't know how you could go anywhere. When this first happened I could barely manage with this without falling over.

[She gestures and carefully lifts him a few feet into the air.]

Does that feel all right?

It was all about just ... not thinking about it. And letting the limbs do what they wanted.

[ That's all the Long Curvy Leg Wisdom Matt has time to offer before Wanda's hand moves. His breath slips out on a soft gasp as his feet leave the ground, and he's suspended gently in midair.

A pause to process the question. Process where he is. ]

Yeah. It feels--

[ Like swimming in a thin medium? Like the wind holding the scruff of his neck? ]

Very interesting. But not bad.

It will be easier for us to get up to my apartment like this. Trying to get my tail in the elevator is harder than you would think. Or maybe I am thinking too much.

[She has been blessed (cursed? blursed?) with an extremely long tail. Good for cuddles and wrapping people up! Bad for maneuvering in small spaces.]

Let me know if you need a break.

[And up up and away they go!]

Oh--

[ As they go, Matt's surprised laugh echoes off the near buildings. ]

I don't know, most elevators weren't designed to hold tails! [ Why is he yelling? Sort of like having tentacles made him not know how to ambulate, apparently being so high off the ground makes him unsure of correct speaking volume. He tries a slightly-less-loud level. ] So that makes sense to me.

This view is wild, [ he adds as they go. ] Do you get to do this whenever you want?

[Wanda can't help but grin at his excitement. It's contagious.]

I have to be careful with my manna here. But this is my own power, not the Ruby.

[Wanda's bringing them in through the balcony and very wisely lets Matt go first. Because when she tries to get in to her apartment...well, there's a series of crashes and cursing in Sokovian. Whoops. Nothing went over the edge, at least, but she's definitely made a mess that will be Future Wanda's problem.]

[ Matt, for his part, smiles wider when he sees her grin. Positive energy is a virtuous cycle, he thinks--sort of like how synchrony and manna are supposed to work. His feet touch down on the balcony, and for a moment, he's suspended between gravity and weightlessness. Like so many in-between moments, Matt can't manage to wrap his head around it before it's gone.

Also, there's a crashing noise behind him. Matt, already stepping into the apartment, whirls around. ]

Oh! Wanda, are you okay?

[ Maybe it's his fault, maybe she burned too much manna. Matt reaches out to try and belatedly steady her. ]

[She's managed to knock over a chair, which in turn knocked over miscellaneous items on the balcony. Wanda shifts her tail, and the watering can tips over just to punctuate her embarrassment.]

It's this tail. It's so long.

[She lets Matt take some of her weight so she can finagle her tail into the apartment without further incident. He's warm. So warm that it's hard to let go, and she holds on a few seconds longer than is strictly necessary.

Grumbling, she uses her powers to slide the door shut and leads him into the living room.]

Make yourself comfortable.

It's kind of long, [ Matt admits as they squeeze through the door together. ] I mean, I'm sure it serves an evolutionary purpose, and it looks great. [ Her scales are so smooth. The articulation of each one under his fingers as clear as perfect pebbles, or individual jewels. ] But ...

[ They separate, and the door closes behind them, taking that thought of Matt's with it. He glances around the space, with an eye towards places to sit. All of a sudden, he's tired. ]

Thanks for this, seriously. [ He knows he tried to fight her on it, albeit in a playful way, but still. ] Normally people don't ...

[Her tail requires quite a bit of extra care in the week that she has it to keep her scales looking good; she's lucky she doesn't have to worry about it all the time.]

Don't what?

[She is oddly reluctant to leave his orbit to go adjust the temperature: a little more AC for him, and then she's going to half-flop on part of the couch so she can hide under a blanket. It's rude to just lay on people, but he is warm and the apartment is about to get a little cooler than she'd like. But it's too hot for non-Rubies to leave it low or off.]

I just wanted to know that you'll be okay.

[ Matt settles on the couch too, grateful for the extra AC. After a moment, he shifts a bit closer to Wanda; it's not unbearably hot, and she doesn't seem to mind. ]

That's really kind of you.

I guess normally they don't worry about what I'm up to, is all.

[ Sometimes that's a good thing, like when he's running around town putting up protection wards and doesn't want people wondering where he's been. At other times, it can get a little lonely. ]

[Well, maybe he wouldn't mind if she rests her head on his shoulder? But if Matt shows any signs of discomfort Wanda will withdraw right away.]

If you get hurt like that again, you should call someone who can heal you. If they care about you, they won't mind.

I don't mind.

[ Matt doesn't mind at all. As Wanda's head tips towards him, some small coils of tension release from his neck and shoulders, and he leans against her in turn. As if he's gotten some invisible permission to fully relax in the space. ]

Mm. That's good to know. [ Warm agreement. After a beat, Matt nudges Wanda gently with his shoulder. ] I care about you too.

[ He's slightly sheepish over the exchange, because probably, most adults do not need to be told that people will help them when they need it. He can't totally shake the feeling that he's said too much.

Mostly, though, there's the contact between them, warm in a way that's got nothing to do with a heat wave. It's its own source of truth, incontrovertible as the orbit of the planets. With Wanda here next to him, assuring him he's not annoying or actively burdensome, Matt wonders if maybe he should say too much more often. ]

[He might be surprised how many adults need to be told that it's okay to ask for help when they need it. She's been trying to get through to Shaxx for days but clearly no one's had any luck or none of this would have happened in the first place.

Wanda closes her eyes and melts into his side. She can relax the minor drain on her Ruby a little, though the air conditioning means she still needs it.]

Mmmmm...you're so warm.

[...because that's a Perfectly Normal thing that Perfectly Normal, Totally Human people say.]

[ Matt finds being normal and totally human to be overrated, if his soft sigh is anything to go by. He can't resist this melting quality to Wanda's relaxation--can't resist offering it in return, his own muscles going slack. His cheek tips to rest against her hair. ]

Hm. Thank you.

[ He sounds amused, but fond and--you guessed it--warm. He lets more of his weight rest against her, really sinking into the contact. ]

Not too warm?

[Wanda shifts so she's fully pressed against Matt and loosely drapes an arm over him. There, that's better. Somewhat. But he seems to be okay with being close to her.]

No. When I'm like this I don't make my own body heat, like a snake. I just have my Ruby, or a heater, or other people.

Ohh.

[ Matt feels slightly guilty for how good the air conditioning feels--how desperately relieved he is to be feeling it after hours in the unyielding heat. But Wanda feels good too. Her hair against his skin, her skin under his fingertips giving way to pebbling scales.

Maybe it's about balance, he decides, as he turns slightly towards her at the waist. Offering her more access to his evidently radiator-like body. ]

Well, I'm happy to be the other person, in that case. Share some warmth.

[Wanda snuggles closer quite happily. He's giving off a normal amount of body heat, but to someone who has suddenly become cold-blooded, it feels like she's curling up with a human-shaped heater. And his hands feel so good on her...

Now that the Gembonded have gotten used to Monster Week, Wanda's taken to not really wearing anything around her waist in the earlier days, and it's hot so she's not wearing very much clothing at all today. Aside from her breasts, he has pretty much free access to her.]

I know I promised you food, but will you stay a little longer?

[ Matt has managed to completely forget about offers of food, so a hint of surprise makes it through his comfortable tone as he answers, ] Oh. Yeah, I'd love to.

And honestly, I don't really wanna move right now.

[ One of Matt's hands is more or less pinned between them, which is always the way when you cuddle at this angle. The other is preoccupied with the line where snake-scales start to give way to soft skin. His fingertips brush from texture to texture, as if he hopes to gain some secret knowledge through the pads of his fingers.

Knowing him, he probably does. ]

I remember when I was a squid thing ... or, had squid limbs? The scales were kind of rough and nubbly.

Yours are a lot nicer.

[She makes a soft, pleased sound that is just shy of a moan. It's embarrassing but she just can't help it. This form leaves her extremely sensitive to touch in addition to craving warmth. How snuggly she is, of course, is more a matter of taste...]

Thanks? It would probably be even harder to get around if they weren't smooth. And not so comfortable for anyone I wrap up.

[ Matt's about to say something semi-silly about people getting wrapped up, but that sound Wanda makes short-circuits his brain a little bit.

For a moment, his hand stills. Then, gently, he repeats the touch that got the noise.

It's strange how certain things can remind him so strongly of home. Matt's on an alien planet. Wanda's powers are like his in some respects, but sharply divergent in others. She's got a snake tail. And yet, being on a couch with a beautiful woman he hasn't officially expressed attraction to makes him feel like he's back in college, feeling someone out while they sit on a sofa with plausible deniability. ]

Wanda ...

[ As his head tips towards hers. ]

Would it be okay if I kissed you?

[ Well, Matt was never very good at the plausible deniability part. ]

[Wanda shivers, eyes closing, and unconsciously curls closer. For a moment she completely forgets her rather monstrous form, even though her lamia desires have given her an odd boldness. She just...wants. There's a kinship between them, between their magic, and Matt is sweet. And that's enough.]

Please.

[But she's not going to wait to make a move.]

[ Matt stretches to meet her as she moves. One hand curls around her, at the spot where skin gives way to scales; the other slips from between their bodies to find her arm. Matt cranes his neck and tips his head just so, just in time to catch Wanda's mouth with his own.

It's not a deep kiss, or at least he doesn't plan it that way. But he's curious, so curious, to reach out with the warmest, brightest, most vibrant pieces of himself, and see what chords they strike in her. This kiss, like all kisses, feels miraculous to him, like a door opening onto an undiscovered planet. So he's more than willing to linger here, letting his lips part softly under hers. ]

Contact | Noctium

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I'm so sorry it's been an awful migraine time

NO WORRIES, always happy to see Wanda in my inbox! Take care of yourself first

<3

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