Chapter Text
It looked like Ernest’s popularity had gone up since yesterday. There were more people that were interested in him and much more that wanted to talk to him, even if it was brief. Which meant there was a minor bit of invasiveness with the questions and interactions he received.
"So, like, does that mean you make other people horny?"
"Uhh, no, not necessarily. Especially considering that using my full power is against the monster/human treaty. So, I'm just your average imp."
"Oooh… have you ever wanted to? Make people horny, I mean."
Ernest did his best not to look at the person slack-jawed.
"W-Wha…? Not really? I find that charming people naturally brings more benefits than outright seducing them."
"Right, right. But what about you? Don't you guys normally feed on people's—"
"Thank you for the delightful conversation sir, but I believe the bus will be approaching the stop fairly soon…"
With a hasty bow, the incubus left before anything more was asked.
He would like to chalk that up as the one odd person that didn't understand boundaries, but apparently people of that type came in droves.
"Hiya handsome, do you take fantasy requests?"
"Maybe you can swing my house later? My girlfriend thought maybe we could have some fun."
But that wasn't the worst of it.
One girl that wasn't a day older than eighteen decided he was the perfect target to practice holding hands and even attempted to kiss him after chatting about something as mundane as movie choices. Never mind that he nearly had a heart attack when her advances came. But as any gentleman in that situation would do, he simply brushed her hand aside and gave her a charming smile before excusing himself to the bathroom and never returning. But that wasn't without at least leaving a polite note on a napkin in his haste.
"I just remembered I have an important errand to run! I'm so, so sorry for cutting our time short! I had a wonderful time with you and I hope you have a great day!"
He ended the note with his signature and a curved tail. With any hope, she didn't take his sudden departure negatively.
The afternoon couldn't come any sooner. He took note of all the events that had happened and how they made him feel. But he could safely assume that his fears were quite justified, at least in those cases.
As he repeated the day's events thus far, Katrielle's eyebrows rose.
"Whoa, are the people in this part of town thirsty or what…?" She asked bemused.
"Thirsty with a side of 'or what' seems pretty appropriate! What's gotten into them!?"
"You got me there… What did you do to them?"
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I just talked to them! No powers, no sugarcoating, nothing!"
"Maybe it's because you're cute."
Ernest sank into his seat and took a drink of his soda.
"Please be serious here, Miss Layton!"
"I am serious! People tend to play around with cuties, and you're like, the number one target for them right now. Especially if you give reactions like those."
"They were invading my personal space far too quickly, of course I ran out on them!"
"This is definitely going to make matters a lot harder to overcome...Well, out of all the interactions you've had so far, was there one that felt the most natural to you?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Talking with you, to be honest. You're not very pushy, and you're not invasive…"
"I have to have some professional attitude to me," Katrielle said as she scooped a bit of her parfait to her waiting lips.
"Still, it's a breath of fresh air."
"Well, talk to me. Obviously, a lot of them have quite clearly stepped a line where they shouldn't. Can you tell me what makes you feel comfortable to be around me?"
"Umm…."
He watched her eat her sweet treat as he tried gathering his thoughts.
"I don't feel like I have to act differently around you."
"Does putting on that suave act make you feel on edge?"
"Normally? No. But if they're going to give me grief over it, yeah, I do feel on edge for trying."
She gritted her teeth. The public's reactions were much more forward than yesterday's mere curiosity. She tried to recall what she read about incubus biology. His power was supposedly at its peak. Is there some other unknown factor she didn't take note of?
Her eyes then studied Ernest and his overall demeanor. There was no doubt about it. His emotions were going through the roof. His poor tail tapped nervously against the leg of the chair he sat in, while his fingers fidgeted with his drinking glass.
"You don't deserve to feel so nervous when talking to others...You're trying your best after all!"
"I know...Are you...are you sure about me? Is it possible I can get past my fears?"
"You won't know until you try! Here, let's start with a simple exercise...Let's try holding hands."
He was entirely hesitant, his hand reaching over the table to hers as it shook. When both of their hands came into contact Ernest felt like his heart would stop. But...it was nothing compared to the feeling Kat had in response.
Several images that she barely processed had entered her mind all at once. She could feel a chill run down her spine and a warm, bubbling sensation rise from her stomach. It was electrifying, scary, and addictive all the same.
They both let go instantly, Ernest retreating back to his cool, sweet beverage while Katrielle held on to the table to steady herself.
"What...what on earth was that…?"
"Aahhh...I knew that was bad….that was really, really bad, I'm sorry!" Ernest profusely apologized.
"No, no! I wanted to hold your hand, it's alright! Did you want to hold mine, or was it uncomfortable for you? Be honest."
"I...wanted to hold it...despite how I felt.”
But what he felt was fear, surely. Why else would there be such a visceral reaction?
“So you were still afraid...Can you give any reason as to why?”
“I dunno, I...I just don’t want anything bad to happen...”
“Bad like what?”
“I dunno… I...I wish I knew.”
After a moment’s thought, Katrielle smiled. These things took time, after all. Try as she might to dig under the surface, there’s only so much she could do without information. The start was him being aware of his fear and addressing it in some way, which he was doing well enough. But how much smaller can she go from hand holding while it can still be called a successful date?
“It’s okay. Hand holding is a bit much, isn’t it? Let’s try something a bit smaller than that.”
“O-Okay...”
“Here. Let’s try with just a finger then.” She lifted up an index finger and loosely left it out for him to touch.
“That seems a little silly...”
“You have to crawl before you can walk, you know. And if you’re not used to touch, any contact is difficult. Just give this a try, ok?”
He frowned, but still complied. He lifted his own index finger and reached out to touch hers with a gentle tap. It didn’t feel bad at all! In fact, this was much more comfortable than the idea of someone hugging his arm or even giving a handshake. It was much more controlled. The mild contact was...nice.
His cheeks tingled as a small blush dusted around his dimples.
Katrielle suffered from the thoughts returning to her head, but it wasn’t nearly as intrusive. It felt like...a suggestion rather than a command. Whatever it was, it didn’t quite take form as something concrete. ...Almost as if it was censored out. She felt the conflicting chills and warmth, but it was a pleasant, lingering feeling.
It came together, just like that. The reasons as to why his fears ran amok. With just this test alone, she managed to find out a good reason for his behavior.
“How about now? Is this better?”
“Oh yes! Much, much better! It’s kind of a relief...”
“Good, good! What if I…?” she trailed off.
Her finger wound around his, initially startling the lad. His tail wagged a mile a minute, but calmed down after he realized it didn’t escalate further.
“Did this? How does this feel?”
“Pretty good...I like it. I like this a lot...”
A shy smile found his face and he giggled despite his initial thoughts. Maybe practice was all he really needed. Not to say he was ready for much more. But… This was a good beginning.
“Wonderful! I’m so glad we’re off to a solid start!”
He curled his finger and moved his hand as if he was testing out a small swear between the two of them.
"It's too bad we only have a few minutes left… This, honestly, was the best thing to happen to me today."
Ernest looked at her, his eyes filled with gratitude.
"You probably shouldn't say that aloud, you might make someone jealous."
"Hah...Maybe. But that doesn't stop that from being true."
She snorted. "Alright, lover boy. Save the charm for the public. You got work to do.”
He sighed and stood up from his chair, reluctantly letting her go.
“I guess I do. Shall I see you tomorrow?”
Katrielle nodded.
“Mmhm. Tomorrow night. Say...your place?”
A blush spread from cheeks to his pointed ears.
“M-my place?”
“Is that too forward?”
"No, no… I've...just never had anyone over. Much less a woman, ahah…"
"You should probably get used to that if you're going to have ladies over each night."
His face flushed. "E-each? I'm...I'll be having a guest every night?"
"Well, you could be having both of us from time to time, if your development goes well."
He poked his fingers and shifted from one foot to the other.
"What would we all be doing together?"
Her brows raised. "Wouldn't you rather find out when you can handle it?"
In just a moment from his cheeks to the rest of his face was entirely pink. His tail wagged behind him as he tried working out the scenarios in his head. Oh, what could she possibly mean?
"I'm just teasing you. Now, go on! Your people are waiting for you! Just fill in Emiliana with any details later on."
"Alright. Goodbye! And thanks for joining me for lunch!"
With a small bow, Ernest excused himself and hastily walked off to his next meeting.
She smiled and waved after him before giving a sigh. It looked like she was overdue for a call to Emiliana herself. On just the first date alone, she managed to confirm suspicions on his aversion to touch.