SS (A) - Hearthbeat

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into Flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

- Albert Schweitzer

********

I stretched, arching my back in a curve with a satisfied groan. The benefits of the catalogue did away with the annoying aches and pains I used to feel, but there was satisfaction about stretching even if I knew my human form was nothing more than a shell. 

Maybe it was just a habit from when I was mortal, especially after a night of physical activity, but I still found myself doing these small, pointless, and I was in no rush to stop them.

"Mhmhm," Yoruichi mumbled as she rolled over in bed, pulling the blankets around herself into a ball with only her head sticking out.

I chuckled at the adorable sight and kissed her on the forehead before throwing on some shorts and one of my terrible floral shirts and leaving my room.

I'd dress appropriately for my day with Medea later, but I wanted to be comfortable during these early mornings.

I faked it well, really well, actually, but I was in no way an extrovert. Dealing with people exhausted me. Even people I loved, like my wives, sapped my energy from me. I had struggled with it most of my life before I learned to 'fake it till I make it.' 

You can't be a shy, introverted businessman and expect success. Networking, social gatherings, and sales all require a certain amount of charisma that I had been sorely lacking in my youth. Thankfully, contrary to what the media portrays, you can train in that. And I got good at what I do.

My one true superpower was the ability to bullshit my way through life.

But, every once in a while, I need to be alone. To hold up with no one around to bother me, look over my shoulder, or exist in the same space as me. 

Some 'me' time, where I could pretend I was the only person that existed.

It wasn't a lot, especially after centuries alone, but I still felt the urge to enter 'gremlin mode' occasionally, where I'd hole up in a dark room with a book or game and ignore the world for hours.

That was very hard to do when you were literally the 'big deal' of the planet. Between giving my wives the attention they deserve, heroes, pets, and juggling so many plans, I had little time to escape it all. Besides a few hours of flying every day, I had decided to forgo hours of sleep. 

It didn't cost me anything, as I couldn't get tired, and it would ensure I was available most of the time. I never slept alone, so I fell asleep with my partner of the night and woke in a few hours to spend a few hours with a book or game.

I had found it a great way to de-stress.

Speaking of...

Looking around, I didn't see my most recent source of stress.

Melina knew today would be all about Medea, so she wasn't waiting outside my room as she had been the last few days.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I didn't have a problem with Yanderes, especially if their threats were manageable, and I preferred to keep an eye on my Maiden and her... passenger, but I needed space. A few days of constant following me around was fine, as I could check for the Dark Phoenix and be ready to Free her, but it could not continue forever. It simply wasn't realistically possible to always be together. 

Also, I would go insane. 

I didn't mind spending time with the women I cared for, I enjoyed it, but someone looking over my shoulder had always been a pet peeve of mine. It made the hackles on my neck rise, and I got twitchy.

Today was half date, half experiment to see if Melina could handle being away from me for an extended period of time. 

She claimed it shouldn't be a significant problem and that she stuck so close because it calmed the Phoenix and made learning to use its power easier, but I was going to put that to the test.

I kept an eye out for the heat haze that accompanied the Phoenix host these days as I made my way to the kitchen to grab some coffee before I retreated to my man cave to finish the book I had been reading. Afterward, I'd get dressed and take Medea out for the day.

Turns out my naughty witch had other plans.

Medea was already in the kitchen, bustling around the room as she cut ingredients, kneaded dough, and set the food to cook. 

She was the picture of domestic bliss, a happy little housewife cooking with a cheerful pep in her step as she hummed a little song to herself, slightly swaying her hips to a beat only she could hear, and a content smile on her face as her pointed ears wiggled with joy.

She looked so happy and content that I had to stop and watch for a moment.

It was easy to forget, in the frenetic day-to-day life of living in a comic world or in the memories of my time in prison, but all my wives came from traumatic backgrounds. All of them had lost their home worlds, friends and families. 

They had died. 

Most catalogue fics I had read before never really put much attention on the loss the 'waifus' faced. Too often, something like that was brushed over in favour of the sex or in the 'hunt' for new women or power. That was fine if you just wanted porn, but a story or real life? 

How can a story ignore something like this?

I couldn't understand that. Not when I looked at this beautiful creature, so full of joy and life. How can you ignore the emotions, dreams and goals of the people who were very much real to the story's protagonist?

I was living a male fantasy, I knew. 

I had the power to destroy planets. I was living in a fantastical world straight out of comics. I had unlimited potential and would never die unless I did something idiotic. I had the love of over a dozen beautiful women, and I would soon be a father.

I had fought for every second of this life but achieved my happily ever after.

Sometimes, when I was feeling down, I wondered if it was all real. If I wasn't still in the cell or the Kiln. If this was just a fantasy of a mad mind left to rot.

But then I'd see something like this and realize it all over again.

This wasn't just my fantasy.

It could be as simple as a good fight for Scathach, as dangerous as scheming against a Demon Lord, or as complicated as reuniting Diana with a version of her friends and mother. This was going to be their fantasy, too. No matter what it took, I wanted this life to be a happy ending for all of us.

We had all dealt with tragedy and pain. I didn't want to live like that anymore. It was time for joy, laughter, and love. That was the type of 'fantasy' I wanted to build with my Family.

Besides myself, it was Medea who was fighting for that future the most. Even with all the pain and betrayal of her past, she was the one fighting fiercest for this Family.

I was struck then by a memory. It was one from my time in the prison and thus was not carved into my brain. I hadn't thought of it or remembered it in literal eons.

"You can't for now," Medea corrected. 

I wanted to interrupt. To protest my inability to genuinely return her feelings since fake ones nearly surpassed my self-control. I wanted to avoid leading them on. I hated those wishy-washy protagonists who couldn't say yes or no. If I couldn't return their feelings because I was always fighting the implanted ones within me, it would be better if they moved on. 

She held up a hand to stop me from speaking. 

"As I said, I'll be waiting. We will. I look forward to the day you can look me in the eyes and say these words to me."

She was so beautiful. The bright moonlight full moon shown through the belfry glittered through her hair. Her dress fluttered in the sea breeze, dancing along her curves. I wanted to capture those lips in a kiss that would never end. Her eyes shown like jewels, firm and determined, as she stared into my soul. 

"I love you."

Then she was gone, disappearing through the pale white portal.

The feelings were fake. 

This love couldn't be real. 

Nothing I had ever felt was this strong, this all-consuming.

The feelings had to be fake.

The words slipped out anyway.

"I love you too."

Nobody was around to hear the confession but the moon and the sea.

Just as they were the only witnesses to the wet splotches on ink-stained paper as I desperately tried to write down everything that had happened in the last few hours before it faded from memory. 

I'd lose these notes when I passed to Dark Souls 3, but I wanted to hold on for now. 

I wanted to remember those three words, at least for a little while.

When I was done, I carefully stowed my notes in my bottomless box, protected by as many layers as possible. 

Then I picked up my chipped sword, donned my battered armour, and returned to where I belonged.

The fantasy was over.

It would be ten months before I would see Medea again.

The feelings had to be fake. 

I wished they were real.

I don't know how long I stood there, hidden and watching the woman I loved cook with a stupid smile on my face.

If anyone asked, I would claim I was caught in my memories and emotions. 

That, plus the somewhat obscure angle of the kitchen from my position, meant that I did not notice Medea's clothes the entire time I stood there like a lovestruck fool.

Or lack thereof.

See, she was wearing her usual apron. It was a pale purple thing that covered her from chest to knees. Across the abdomen was a chibi witch string, a bubbling cauldron, and the caption 'Witch Wife' in curving letters.

It was enchanted to keep stains away, so she didn't have to worry about any nice dresses or fancy clothes she had under the apron when she cooked a veritable feast every meal.

It was also all she had on.

It took me far too long to realize that Medea was cooking in the middle of the night in a Naked Apron.

What could I say? Love is blind.

Still, I was in love, not invalid. 

I wasn't going to let this go without the proper response.

But I had to be careful. Medea was a Dragon of Magic. She would sense me the second I cast a spell around her. 

Thankfully, I was very good at sneaking around, and she was caught in her own little world. I was almost caught in her own little world, too, when she continued to hum and bob, facing away from me as I approached. Her tight little ass swayed before me, luring me in to make a noise and reveal myself.

Thankfully, I knew how to control myself.

I reached right outside the kitchen, hiding behind the wall that separated it from the bottom of the stairs.

I waited until she was at the opposing counter.

Then I struck.

"AH!" Medea moaned as I slid into her warm cunt, my shorts and shirt long discarded.

I grinned, one hand snaking under her apron to grab her breast while the other pulled her ass flush against my hip.

"Somebody was looking to be caught," I growled through a smile as I pulled my hips back and slammed them forward, plunging myself deep into her sopping pussy. I pulled back again, going extra slow as my dick caught on every fold and ridge. Then, I slammed myself forward. "Did you know I was there?"

I had been prepared to cast a lubrication spell as I penetrated her. Even with Sticky Fingers, dry penetration was fun for no one.

Imagine my surprise when I didn't need to.

"No, mmm," Medea moaned again as she braced herself against the countertop with her arms as I started to gain steam. "I, ahhh, I was going, mmmmmmmm, to wake you up." She had trouble speaking as I continued the slow withdrawal and powerful slam. It gave me depth, and I could control the angle. "Break-ah-fast in bed."

"And the Naked Apron?" I asked, pulling out till just the tip of my dick remained within her as I squeezed her nipple, rubbing the engorged nip along the fabric.

The smouldering look Medea threw me over her shoulder and through a curtain of purple hair nearly drove me back in, but I held off for her answer.

"You'd wake up with your cock in my mouth," Medea answered crudely. My dick twitched. "You'd get breakfast in bed, and so would I."

Even my self-control has limits.

I slammed forward, and the counter dented under the strength the naughty witch needed to exert to keep from crashing into it.

"You got horny," I grunted.

"Deeper- ah."

"Cooking."

"Harder. Harder. Harder."

"While imagining."

"Fuck me. Fuck ME!"

"Sucking me off."

"NNNNNnnggngngng." Caster fell forward as she used a finger joint to muffle her cries. 

I fucked her at a ninety-degree angle, her ass rippling and reddening with my pounding as she desperately tried to cling to the countertop. Her fingers dug into the wood, splintering it with the strength of a Servant.

"While I ate breakfast in bed?"

"YESSSSSSS!" Medea hissed, giving up on silence as her walls undulated, trying to milk me for all I was worth as an orgasm ripped through her.

This wasn't dirty talk. I was genuinely asking. 

I knew Medea had this whole 'housewife' fantasy, and we had played with it in bed before, but this went beyond that.

That was some straight-up Stepfordization-level stuff.

Didn't mean I was going to stop.

I couldn't. Both because I hadn't cum, Medea still had a few orgasms in her, and because I literally couldn't.

There were some Orders I was okay with following.

Ah, forced to fuck my wife in a Naked Apron. Indeed, the Company had screwed me over.

CRACK!

The counter finally gave up the ghost, and Medea's hand fell away with a fistful of wood.

.... I'd make that joke to her later.

I caught her with the hand kneading her breast, pulling her up against my chest. I never stopped moving my hips, even with the new angle, and her pussy never stopped twitching. By now, our activity had already flooded her thighs and my groin. Our hips met with a wet SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT as I continued to rail her in the kitchen.

The Family didn't really keep a set schedule except for meal times. Nobody needed sleep, and we operated worldwide, so anybody could be up anytime, even in the middle of the night here.

Anybody could walk in at any time.

We didn't care.

I wasn't an exhibitionist, unlike Yoruichi. I just had no shame. 

Medea was just horny.

I had gone from sweet love to debauched lust in no time, but I didn't care. All I could think about was her. 

The feel of her body against mine, the warmth and tightness of her squeezing pussy, and the image of her in this apron, ready at any second for me to take her. It inflamed my desire, almost making me mute as I lost myself in the moment's pleasure. 

If I couldn't talk, I could still put my mouth to good use.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Medea howled as I bit down on her pointed ear, not enough to draw blood but strong enough to leave a mark. 

The ear was a pretty standard erogenous zone, all things considered, but I knew Medea's were especially sensitive. I exploited her weakness mercilessly as I nipped and nibbled, switching ears as I hammered into her, the wet SMACK SMACK SMACK of our hips lost in her cries of pleasure.

Elves are for lewding.

Elves in Naked Aprons? There was no lewder thing in the world, and it undid me.

With a roar of my own, I came. 

Ropes and ropes of cum splattered against the walls of her grasping cunt. It tightened, clinging to me to wring even one more drop from me.

I held her there against me as we both shuddered, riding the high of our orgasms together.

"Ah," Medea sighed out a heavy breath, nuzzling against me as I leaned us against the counter. The apron was pressed between us, and I kneaded her naked ass cheeks as we luxuriated in post-orgasmic bliss. "The food burned."

"We're in no rush," I said, slightly panting myself. "I was going to cook for you anyway. Today is all about you."

"Mhm? What, exactly, do you have planned?"

"Mmm," I hummed a little in thought before deciding to go ahead and tell her since it might affect what clothes she wanted to wear. "There's a fashion show in Milan in a few hours. After that, I'm taking you to a Homo-magi enclave I found. We can explore together, maybe find a few curiosities. Their way of casting magic is completely different from ours. Then lunch at this hole-in-wall restaurant in Rome. I mean that literally, by the way. It's a restaurant focused on magic cooking that you need to pass through an actual hole in the wall to get to. I figured we'd end the day by raiding the remains of Olympus. I did a number on it, but there should still be artifacts, books, and the like. Plenty of statues to deface. Then back home for dinner and... dessert."

Her eyes gleamed with relish with every word I spoke, and her smile widened.

By the end, I feared she'd hurt herself with how wide it was.

"That sounds wonderful," she purred sensually as she nipped at my neck.

"Oh," I said in fake realization. "On more thing."

"Hm?" Medea pulled back, eyes perked with interest.

I met those eyes with my own, willing her to understand my seriousness and sincerity as I spoke three words.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened. Her cheeks flamed red as she buried it against my chest, arms wrapping around me.

"You can't just say that," Medea mumbled in embarrassment into my chest. 

Her ears, flushed red like her face, bounced up and down in joy as she did a happy little wiggle against me.

So. Damn. Cute.

But Medea wasn't the type of woman to let me embarrassing her go unpunished.

I felt the change when her arms tightened further against me as she slid lower down my body.

It didn't take a genius to know what she would do.

With a lewd 'Slurp,' she took my dick into her mouth, hollowing out her cheeks to suck our combined fluids from my shaft. 

Her eyes twinkled in mischief, ears still red from embarrassment, as she gave one long suck before releasing my cock with a wet 'plop.'

"I never got my breakfast," Medea purred as she continued to pump my dick, smacking it wetly against her cheek as she spoke. Her other hand descended under her apron to play with herself as she took my cock back into her mouth.

I moaned, low and guttural, as I gathered her hair in one hand. Long hair was an inconvenience to a sloppy blowjob, but it made a great handhold as she started to bob up and down on my shaft, her tongue dancing along the sensitive tip.

That was the sight Artoria found when she entered the kitchen.

Medea, in a Naked Apron, kneeling at my feet with my dick in her mouth. Her cheeks hollowed out as she tried to suck my soul out through my dick, her hand rubbing her cunt as my cum leaked to the kitchen floor.

"Ah," the King of Knights gasped at the sight, face flushing red. 

"MMMmmm," Medea moaned at the sound of the blonde's voice and made to pull away. I held her down, thrusting my dick deeper into her throat till her lips rested against my pelvis.

Artoria was only in the blue leotard that she wore under her armour. It did absolutely nothing to hide her curves. Mile-long legs, ending in thick thighs, were bare, and her breasts looked like they would spill out at any second. Likely, she was returning from doing some 'hero-ing' and wanted a late-night snack before bed.

"I will, um," Artoria stuttered, green eyes wide and her flush covering her entire body. "Give you some privacy." 

She turned hurriedly to leave.

I stopped her.

"No."

My sole word wasn't loud, but it was authoritative.

Artoria froze, eyes still wide as she looked back at me. 

I gestured to the kneeling witch, frantically sucking my dick like her life depended on it.

It took a second for Artoria to realize what I meant. I saw it when she understood my intention as her mouth fell open and her flush deepened into a dark crimson.

For a moment, I thought she would flee in embarrassment. 

Artoria had come a long way from the virginal, pure woman who had first appeared on this Island over a year ago, but she still preferred to keep her romantic affairs private. Most of our times together had been almost vanilla, despite her pornstar body. Unlike many of my other wives, like Glynda, Yoruichi, Medea, Diana, or a few others, she didn't seem to be as adventurous in bed.

But then I saw her tongue flicker over her lips, her chest begin to heave with desire, and her eyes lock onto Medea's bare ass.

With hesitant steps, Artoria entered the kitchen until she stood behind the kneeling Caster.

Medea heard her approach, and her efforts to wring out her breakfast redoubled.

If it wasn't for sex magic, I'd be genuinely worried about chaffing with the speed and intensity of her suction.

I watched, a wicked grin on my face, as Artoria lowered herself to her knees behind Medea. Then lower until she lay on her back on the cum stained ground. The busty blonde slid herself under the kneeling woman's legs.

I could see the instant Artoria started to eat Medea out, her hands grasping the witch's ass cheeks as the Knight pulled her cunt onto her mouth.

The Caster's eyes went wide, then rolled up in her skull as her entire body shuddered. She moaned again, loud and long. The vibrations transmitted to me through my dick in her throat. I had to bite back my own moan at the force.

I looked down at her, the whites of her eyes visible as drool ran from her mouth to dribble onto her apron. I could see Artoria's massive breasts heave behind her as the blonde continued to give the Greek a tongue-lashing of a lifetime. The King of Knights had also pulled aside the bottom of her tight leotard to play with her pussy.

My hand, not holding Medea's hair out of her face, reached down and flicked the tip of her ear.

Purple eyes snapped back into focus, staring up at me with enough lust to inflame the sun.

As I came, giving Medea her long-awaited breakfast, I repeated those three words.

"I love you."

I don't know if the orgasm that rocked Medea then was the largest of her life. All I knew was I'd have to work hard to top it.

I was up to the challenge.

After riding out our respective orgasms and watching Medea exchange a cum filled kiss with Artoria, we lay the King of Knights on the counter and had our wicked way with her for hours. 

I ended up missing my own breakfast, too caught up in the lustful haze until it was time to clean up and leave, but I was okay with that.

Medea's goofy smile the entire morning, throughout the fashion show and our exploration of the magic town, was reward enough.

It was only as we were finishing lunch that she finally seemed to be in complete control of her faculties.

"Mmm," Medea hummed in satisfaction as she swallowed the spoonful of gelato I fed her. "Before you distract me again with your wicked wiles." I raised an eyebrow in amusement as I took my own bite of the desert. "The Amazons found something under the mountains. A room with a carved altar, a brazier, and stone doors." I froze for half a heartbeat before swallowing the food in my mouth. "They wished to verify it was safe before they opened the doors, and I couldn't answer."

"I never brought it up because I didn't think anyone would find it," I said casually, feeding her another bite. "How'd they find it anyway? It's pretty deep down."

"One of those burrowing worms passed through it and attacked their settlement," Medea answered with narrowed eyes as if accusing me of deflecting. I wasn't. "What is it? I thought structures couldn't appear on the Island unless someone built it."

"The technical rule of the Catalogue is the Island will naturally shape itself to accommodate 'biomes' I encounter," I explained. "Man-made structures aren't biomes, even if they are built into or around landscape features. The rules get iffy if I stay in one place long enough to become part of the biome itself, the structure included. And if I do that three times? I guess my soul considers it a 'natural' place."

It took only a moment for Medea to realize what I meant.

"The Kiln of the First Flame," she said with concern as her hand grasped mine in solidarity.

I shrugged with a tight smile.

"I have no desire to return there and didn't think anyone would find it, so I never brought it up." I could see how her eyes were still worried, so I reassured her with a squeeze of my own hand. "There is no First Flame in there. There's nothing but ruins and ash. If the Amazons want to explore it, they can go ahead. The only thing to worry about is the ash. It's so deep that it touches the bottom of the Island, and some places aren't solidified, so they can fall through and hit the Jewel. If you want to continue your Bonefire experiments, you can also do that there."

Medea opened her mouth as if to say she wouldn't but closed it with a click at my teasing smile.

"How'd you know," she murmured with a flush.

"You're like me," I chuckled. "When we see something we are curious about, we can't help but want to run all the tests we can on it to find out how it works. Just because I am not trapped in those worlds doesn't mean you stopped your experiments."

"Still," Medea said, looking dead in my eyes as she held my hand. "I'll only do it if you are really sure. Otherwise, I'll seal it up, and nobody will go in."

"I'm fine," I responded, willing her to understand my sincerity. "Don't expect me to ever step in there, but you all can have at it. The Kiln is my past, not my present and certainly not my future."

It took a moment, but Medea seemed to understand my intention as she nodded and gave me a heartwarming smile.

"Alright," she nodded.

"What are you thinking of doing anyway?" I asked, genuinely curious about what she had planned, and her eyes lit up, as they always did when discussing magic.

I listened to her ramble on about the nature of the boss souls she still had in inventory, Gwyn's included, after my meeting with Death. She hoped to find something on Olympus from Hestia and would try to pull Melina in to help with experiments, to see what a Dragon of Fire and the Phoenix Force could do with a flame that was a literal embodiment of Life, Death, Light and Dark for an entire world. 

Medea hadn't been able to recreate the First Flame before, but she had high hopes with its original birth location and all the material on hand.

I chimed in here and there with what I knew of the Dark Souls world lore, the Chaos Flame and Izalith and the like, and my hands-on experience with the Flame throughout the ages. We spent another hour in the restaurant talking about possible avenues of magic research.

I hadn't been lying about trying to put the Kiln behind me. I wanted my future to be a fantasy of love and laughter.

The woman in front of me was a crucial part of that future.

Medea could be a lewd seductress in a Naked Apron, the manipulative Witch of Betrayal, or a cute housewife. 

No matter what, this was the woman I loved. 

It was a Mad Love, but it was Mine.

And it was real.