Work Text:
Matter of fact - ‘something of obvious nature’
- Very slight mentions of mature material -
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For the past few days, Katsum had been feeling quite under the weather, yet she could not explain why. It was the strangest thing. One moment she would feel fine, and the next she would be utterly annoyed with anyone around her for no reason at all, most specifically the men. She felt her body temperature shift on very short intervals, going from dawning her furs she wore in Ishgard to striping them off shortly after. As if that was not bad enough, she also felt exhausted all the time that she could barely go out for a walk around the markets in Mor Dhona before having to return to the Rising Stones to lay down. It was beginning to take its toll on her, and she wondered if she was coming down with something. For it to hang around as long as it was, it must be rather serious.
“Katsum,” The young Seeker startled at the sound of Y’shtola’s voice, turning her bewildered sapphire gaze to the hazy, vacant eyes of the blind Miqo’te, “Did you hear a word I just said?”
Katsum blinked, her ears falling when she sighed, “No, I’m sorry. My head feels so fuzzy…”
Y’shtola humed as she stepped around the table to press the back of her hand against Katsum’s forehead, holding it there for a few moments as she asked, “How long did you say you’ve been feeling like this?”
“A few days. It’s only gotten worse each day that goes by.”
The older woman drew away her hand and sat in the chair in front of Katsum, “How do you sleep?”
“Not well. If I do sleep, I wake incredibly hot and irritated and find myself tossing and turning until exhaustion finally kicks in…I’m utterly miserable.”
“You’ve truly never felt like this before? It is entirely new?”
“Yes, and whatever it is, I hope I never have it again,” She glanced up and then realized how closely Y’shtola was sitting to her. Katsum grew nervous and shifted away, “Whatever I’ve caught, I certainly don’t want any of you to catch it too. So best to not get too close, right?”
Y’shtola didn’t answer.
“What is it?”
Again, she did not answer, seeming to ignore the question. She instead folded her arms thoughtfully and asked, “When was the last time you went home to Ishgard?”
“I…I actually don’t remember. Perhaps a week? We’ve been so focused on the matters in Doma, I decided to stay close to headquarters just in case.”
“And has it been that long since you last saw Ser Aymeric?”
“Aymeric…” The very sound of his name sounded so sweet just now, and when it passed her lips, she could barely finish the syllables before Katsum’s mind wandered. She saw his dashing smile, and twinkling eyes, almost feeling his arms wrap around her in a loving embrace. She imagined cuddling flush against him, wrapped in their blankets in front of the fireplace, falling asleep in each other’s arms. Then her mind wandered further to a stray kiss on her neck and then her shoulder, growing ever more daring as she drew into him, letting him lie her down in the covers. Suddenly, her entire body felt like it was on fire, a deep, full face blush on her cheeks and she shivered despite it, her tail curling around her legs as she huddled in on herself, “What’s happening to me…?”
Y’shtola must have heard the tremble in her voice as she knelt down to be eye level with Katsum and whispered, “Calm yourself, Kat. It’s alright. Deep breaths.” She followed the White Mage’s prompting to breathe, slowly returning to normal as her body cooled and relaxed. When she could sit up straight again, the white-haired Seeker moved to Kat’s travel pack, opening it and rummaging through it until she produced a red-colored linkpearl and held it out to Katsum, “Now, I need to hail your husband for me.”
The dusting of a blush returned as her mind started to wander again, but she shook herself and tried to think more rationally, “But surely he’s in a meeting or something important. I shouldn’t-”
“Katsum, this is important. I can assure you of that.”
Katsum’s ears fell back shyly, yet she obliged and turned on the linkpearl and held it up to her ear. The pearl buzzed and chimed as it sent out its signals to its partner. It rang for a few moments before she heard the electrical crackle of a connection, her ears and tail perking up as she listened for the sultry sound of his voice.
“Hello? Katsum, my love, are you there?”
“A-Aymeric…” The concern in his voice did not even cross her mind as nearly all feeling left her body, the blush on her face intensifying as she curled closer to the pearl, “My love~…”
“It appears to be much worse than I thought,” Suddenly, Katsum felt the pearl be plucked from her fingers and her hazy mind snapped to attention as she reached out to try and take it back, only Y’shtola was quicker. She watched her raise the linkpearl to her ear and speak, “Ser Aymeric, it is of utmost importance that you make your way to the Rising Stones as soon as possible.”
Katsum could hear the sweet sound of her husband’s voice from here, and her fur stood on end, her fingers pulling at the fabric of her outfit in frustration as she tried to keep herself seated.
Y’shtola spoke calmly, “She is fine, I assure you. However, I would ask that….Ah, so soon?…Good, I am glad to hear it. I will make sure that she will be ready upon your arrival.” The linkpearl deactivated and she turned back to Katsum and dropped the quiet linkpearl back into her hand, “I will explain further once he arrives. For now, let us gather your belongings as you will be going home for a while.”
Katsum nodded slowly, silently following as she pulled her to her feet and walked them to the living quarters. After gathering her things and a brief change out of her armor as Y’shtola kept pressuring her to, they exited the living chambers to find a deeply concerned, raven-haired Elezen waiting for them. When her eyes met his, Katsum’s body was set ablaze again, and she shivered painfully, “A-Aymeric..!”
She stepped towards him heavily until she nearly fainted into his arms, happily pressing herself into his coat as he held her tightly against him.
“My love, are you alright? Is something the matter? Did something happen in Doma?” She could hear the worry in his voice, yet she could not bring herself to answer as she pressed herself closer to him.
“I believe I can explain,” Their eyes turned to the Scion while Katsum set about nuzzling into her husband’s neck, breathing in his scent like it was her oxygen, “Katsum is experiencing a “heat cycle”.”
This startled Katsum enough to make her freeze, “I-I’m what?!”
Aymeric looked down at her, laying his cheek against her forehead, “Is that why your skin feels so warm?”
“Do you have any knowledge of “heat cycles”, Ser Aymeric? I must say I am impressed if you do.”
“Not in so many words. Only the house cat my adoptive parents left in my care had many such cycles when she was of a younger age. Yet, I, unfortunately, know nothing more than that.”
“I see. Well, while the concept of them is generally the same, it is slightly different for those of the Miqo’te gene pool of course thanks to our more human traits in our genome.”
“Wait, Y’shtola,” Katsum found it hard to truly understand or comprehend that this was truly happening, “Are you sure that this is…”
Y’shtola nodded, “I am positive. At first, I was not as I figured that surely you had seen plenty of them through the years, yet the more I thought of it, I’ve never seen you show the signs until today. That and your mixed parentage. Your mother was a Hyur, yes? And your father a Seeker?”
Katsum nodded.
Y’shtola turned her head thoughtfully, “Which would make sense as she would not know to tell you, and certainly, he would not have known either. Even so, it seems the gene took quite some time to show itself, waiting to until you had a strong emotional bond with Aymeric. What confirmed it to me was your reaction when I spoke of him, the way your body reacted when being reminded of your lover. This would also explain your hostility towards the other male members of the Scions.” She grinned lightly, “But the fact of the matter is undeniable. It is the effects of your “heat” that plagues you.”
Katsum was at a loss for words. Perhaps she’d heard some passing conversation in her travels between other Miqo’te about their cycles, yet it never once occurred to her that she too should have one. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense until she could no longer deny its truth. She curled back into Aymeric’s chest as her shyness took over and her embarrassment became clear.
Y’shtola sighed thoughtfully at the silence, “It’s alright, Katsum. This is a good thing and a totally normal one. However, you will certainly need time to recover from it,” She turned her eyes to Aymeric then, “Ser Aymeric, I leave her in your care. Take her home and watch over her for the next few days until she no longer feels its effects.”
Aymeric nodded and then smiled down at his wife, making her blush darken, “Ready to go home?”
Katsum nodded frantically, moving to take a step forward but her legs seemed to give out under her. With all the swiftness of a knight and the grace of a prince, Aymeric reached down and lifted her off of her feet and into his arms, holding her close to his body and kissing her forehead. With a swooning sigh, the blind Miqo’te wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder, a quiet purr involuntarily rumbling from her throat.
Y’shtola chuckled as she handed Aymeric her luggage, “My goodness, you are certainly feeling them now if you were not before. I never thought I would hear you make such a sound.”
Katsum’s ears fell back as she buried her face in Aymeric’s coat in her embarrassment, feeling her body start to heat up again as his scent filled her nose.
Aymeric turned to Y’shtola as he asked, “May I ask what will best help her?”
“Anything her body asks of you,” Y’shtola’s grin widened and she turned to leave the room, waving back at them as she did, “Worry not, she will surely tell you. Take care of her, Ser.”
As her body heat increased, Katsum pried her face from his coat and turned her head to look up at him, “Aymeric…” He looked down at her, and whatever expression she was giving him made him lift his eyebrows and a blush dust over his cheeks, “I want to go home…now…”
He swallowed thickly and his grip on her body tightened as he threw her bag on his shoulder and turned towards the door, “We shall be home as swiftly as I can get us there, my queen. Hold tightly to me until we get there.”
The raven-haired elezen had surely never run anyway so quickly than he did that day.