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Today would be a joyous day for Bloodraven fans indeed, Elizabeth found herself musing.
She was currently sitting on Nerissa's desk chair, waiting for the demon to prepare snacks for their first long-awaited off-collab. It would only be a chatting stream, but she had a feeling that their fans wanted that more than anything else – except maybe a karaoke, of course.
Ever since they'd posted their usual red-blue hearts on Twitter a few days prior, her lizbians had started their usual shenanigans, their frenzied reactions reminding her of startled chickens in the way they collectively panicked. It was always cute to see how enthusiastic they were, and she knew Nerissa held similar, if not stronger, fondness for the shippers.
She couldn't hold back her smile as she imagined their reactions upon learning that Elizabeth was staying with Nerissa, and would be until a more secure living arrangement was found – a full two weeks at minimum. No doubt there would be an onslaught of adorable fanart of the two of them sharing food, cuddling with cats, enjoying a wholesome domestic life together...
Of course, the reality was that they would both be extremely busy with work during this visit. They both had a lot of work to catch up on, 3D lives and official programs and studio recordings that had tight deadlines, individual and group projects they were a part of.
Still, the thought of spending time with Nerissa, in Nerissa's house, being domestic with her... Maybe she wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was a very pleasant thought indeed.
But even if they were busy, it didn't mean they couldn't still have fun where possible. Such thoughts had been the cause of today's guerilla stream, and from where she sat she could clearly see Nerissa's chat racing as the seconds ticked away, even if she wasn't looking directly at the screen.
No, her eyes had drifted towards the doorway, her ears fine-tuned into the sound of beautiful, melodic humming.
She recognized the tune as a melody Nerissa had played on her lyre harp in the past; a Zelda tune, perhaps? She wasn't too sure, but it filled her with warmth and a desire to hum along, even if she didn't know the melody herself.
Still lost in thought, she hummed quietly, harmonizing where she could. Eventually, she turned her gaze towards the chat, resting her chin upon a hand as she watched the onslaught of hearts and comments.
She was so lost in humming along that she didn't notice the approaching footsteps until she felt a pair of arms drape over her shoulders and loosely cross over her chest.
Her heart stuttered at the contact, then accelerated considerably as she felt a pair of lips meet the crown of her head.
That was another thing she'd come to learn since arriving in Japan: at some point between New York and now, Nerissa had taken to being extremely affectionate.
It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, really. Nerissa had always been affectionate – perhaps too affectionate, according to anyone else. But hailing from Great Exardia meant Elizabeth was no stranger to friendly kisses on the cheek, or holding hands casually with a friend.
And yet, with Nerissa, everything felt different somehow. Her touch seemed to linger, or perhaps time seemed to still, or perhaps both. Her kisses were more intimate, more intentional. Everything felt warmer than it used to. Elizabeth wasn't sure when something had changed, just that something had.
The thought was as daunting as it was exhilarating – yet she chose not to dwell on it. Some thoughts were best left unexplored, after all.
"What are you humming?" That beautiful voice murmured into her ear. She felt a nose lightly graze against her cheek and felt a warmth rise to her face that couldn't be entirely blamed on shared body heat. She could hear the smile in Nerissa's voice, and it tickled her heart fondly.
"I was just going off what you were humming," she responded with a sheepish half-smile, turning her head to the side to peer at the vocalist in question.
Upon meeting her eyes, Nerissa's smile widened. "You recognized it? Zelda's Lullaby, from Ocarina of Time."
"Ah- not really. I heard you play it on your lyre."
A soft giggle. "I'll have to play it again for you sometime. It's really pretty. A private performance, just for you~"
With a quick peck to the cheek, Nerissa pulled away and gave the chair a gentle tug, spinning an eternally dazed Elizabeth in the direction of the doorway.
"Snacks are done. Help me bring them in?"
With snacks set out and drinks prepared, they were finally ready to start.
Nerissa had pulled over a spare office chair for Elizabeth, reclaiming her own chair as she double-checked her stream settings. Though it was clearly an older chair that had been saved purely for collabs, it was comfortable, easy to relax in.
"But my chair is big enough for the both of us," the demon had quipped. The surprisingly genuine tone of her voice left Elizabeth to stutter in denial, while the other only laughed fondly at the blubbering mess she'd caused.
They had also taken a moment to play with Nerissa's cats after they infiltrated her streaming room. The younger of the two had taken a strong liking to Elizabeth.
"Looks like he found a new mom," Nerissa had practically purred, leaning against her shoulder as the kitten kneaded into Elizabeth's thigh. "Guess he's our son now."
Elizabeth had noticed Nerissa's hand, inches away from hers on the carpet. The desire to hold it, to brush fingertips, had been strong in that moment.
With no small amount of embarrassment, she had turned away, ignoring her treacherous mind and instead cooing over the cats.
Now, sitting and waiting for Nerissa to start the stream, she found herself feeling oddly nervous.
For the past few days, she had been deflecting and laughing off Nerissa's flirtations, denying in her mind that it held any kind of true meaning.
On-stream, it was a dynamic, a bond played up romantically for the fans. But off-stream? They were friends. It was a miracle they'd even come this far – just a few years ago they had been warden and prisoner, and now here she was, staying at Nerissa's house, sitting on her spare chair as they prepared to stream together.
Elizabeth would have been a fool to hope for anything more than that. Nerissa was a flirty person by nature, and she herself was naturally affectionate. She hadn't expected Nerissa to be quite as intimate in person, but she couldn't let it distract her from the fact that they were coworkers, they were professionals, and the deep, terrible feelings Elizabeth held for Nerissa were most certainly not reciprocated in the way she wished they were.
But, oh, how distracting she was.
Elizabeth didn't want to admit it, but it had become unnervingly difficult to control herself in-person. It was a huge struggle to keep herself in check when every flirtation was delivered to her with an expression so reminiscent of genuine desire that her heart dared to hope, each time, if only for a split moment, that it was real.
But— no. It didn't matter how deeply Elizabeth yearned. Didn't matter how poorly she concealed her feelings, how awfully she wished Nerissa's loving gazes were anything more than her flirtatious personality shining through. Nothing could come of it.
After smoothing out her shirt for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, Elizabeth turned to Nerissa.
"Wait," she began, not really sure where she was going but unable to keep quiet.
Nerissa's cursor had been edging towards the "go LIVE" button, but upon hearing Elizabeth's voice, her hand stilled, smile widening and softening simultaneously. "I'll always wait for you~" she responded teasingly, tilting her head questioningly in a way that made Elizabeth's heart stutter for the nth time that evening. How was it possible for her every mannerism to be so overwhelmingly adorable? "What is it?"
Elizabeth fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Knowing Nerissa's skill at reading people, her inner turmoil was definitely visible, but she averted her eyes so she wouldn't have to acknowledge that fact.
"Maybe you could... tone it down a bit while we're live. Try to keep our hands to ourselves?"
Nerissa's brows furrowed. "Why? Is... Does it bother you?"
"N-no, no! Not at all!" Liz reached out to reassure her, a hand coming to rest gently on her thigh, the only part of Nerissa she could reach from their current positions. The irony of such an action hit her only after she'd performed it.
She wanted to retract her hand as soon as she heard Nerissa's soft gasp at the physical contact. And yet, if she pulled away, her nerves around Nerissa would be even more obvious, and that risked the entire stream becoming awkward, so her hand remained as she gathered her thoughts.
"It's just different when you're... when we're right here, you know?"
She watched in real time as Nerissa's curiosity turned coy. "Whatever do you mean?"
Okay, so she wasn't going to make things easy for her. No, that was fine. She could do this. "You know what I mean! When we're right here, and— and you... We're both very affectionate people, and they all know that, but don't you think we should be a bit more... official? On stream?"
Nerissa squinted. "So you're scared the fans will think... What, exactly? They already draw us kissing, cuddling, and, well. I'm sure you've seen some of our more tasteful fanart."
Her face flushed. "That's not the point. It's the... implications!"
"Of what?" Nerissa leaned close, so dangerously close, her eyes darkening with a heat that rendered Elizabeth helpless. "I think you need to help me understand."
"Things like this!" Her voice came out more breathy than she'd hoped. Her mind begged her to pull away, but her body was frozen in place. "If you do this on-stream, people will think we're...!"
"Dating?" She felt Nerissa's own hand entwine itself with the hand on her thigh. "Into each other?" Those lips were so close, so devastatingly close, as Nerissa inched even closer, the gap nonexistent. "That you want me?"
As Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, the movement caused their lips to brush, startling both of them.
For a singular moment, they remained in place, nothing but the sound of Nerissa's soft gasp between them.
Then Elizabeth jolted back, eyes wide, heartbeat hammering inside her chest.
Nerissa stared back at her, pupils dilated.
Their hands remained joined on Nerissa's thigh, all but forgotten.
"I—"
"Kiss me."
Elizabeth's mind bluescreened. "What—"
Nerissa's voice was urgent. "Now."
And suddenly Nerissa was upon her, kissing her, claiming her like her life depended on it.
The ferocity of the action had her stunlocked for a few seconds.
Then, desire-fuelled instinct kicked in, and she immediately started kissing back.
Nerissa's hands were upon her chest, her waist, around her shirt collar. One of them pushed Elizabeth deeper into the office chair, allowing room for Nerissa to climb onto her lap. She gripped Nerissa's thighs as the new weight settled upon her, keeping her straddled firmly in place as the demon's hands roamed.
The chair tipped back slightly as Nerissa pressed closer to Elizabeth, their weight pushing it backwards, allowing Nerissa even more control. Her lips strayed down Elizabeth's chin, across her cheek, then back to her lips as Elizabeth moaned, moaned, at the need to kiss Nerissa back.
"Nerissa, the stream," Elizabeth panted between the kisses. She'd sounded breathy before; now she sounded wrecked.
Nerissa's touch roamed lower, her fingertips brushing underneath Elizabeth's shirt, leaving electricity in their wake. "Busy."
With one hand pinning Elizabeth down and the other now trailing up and down her abdomen, Nerissa took full control, leaving Elizabeth to gasp quietly at the sensation.
It was bliss, sin, and everything else all in one; if Nerissa was a demon, then Elizabeth was her damned.
And still, Elizabeth kissed back just as desperately, one of her own hands trailing up Nerissa's thigh to rest at her waist, her stomach, then even further up.
She looped an arm around Nerissa's neck, pulling her impossibly closer. The action made Nerissa giggle amidst all the heat and need, and Elizabeth felt her smile through the kisses. Somehow, though she was already literally kissing her, the sensation made Nerissa infinitely more attractive in that moment.
For a time, the only sound that could be heard was the rustling of fabric, the heated exchange of breath, and the occasional quiet moan.
Eventually, their movements slowed, the kisses growing more languid yet not ceasing entirely as they both attempted to come down from that high.
Still caught up in the mood of the moment, Elizabeth took the opportunity to trail kisses downwards, brushing her lips against and gently raking her teeth down the expanse of Nerissa's neck, with just enough pressure to leave a trail of raised skin in her wake. She delighted in the unrestrained noises she was rewarded with, relished the shudders of the woman atop her.
Her kisses grew lighter as they lowered to Nerissa's shoulder, until finally, with one last kiss against her collarbone, she stilled.
Even as they both caught their breaths, they remained tangled in one another's arms, Nerissa showing no signs of getting off, Elizabeth making no attempt to make her.
Finally, Elizabeth's mind broke the surface of the ocean of Nerissa it had been drowning in, and she lifted her head from its place against Nerissa's sternum.
Before she could even say her name, Nerissa pulled her close once more, arms wrapping firmly around her lower back, head lowering to rest against Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Please," Nerissa murmured against her collarbone, lips pressing against her clavicle as she spoke, "just a few more moments."
Her heart overflowed with care and devotion for her beautiful demon. She reciprocated the hug, arms encircling Nerissa as she allowed herself a moment to feel, to absorb, to recover from their feverish actions.
She couldn't form coherent thoughts, but she knew that what had just happened was very real, and very reciprocated. It were as if a dam had burst, allowing years of build-up and a lifetime of yearning to come crashing down upon her like some great tidal wave.
As time passed, she could feel her usual insecurities creeping up on her – that the demon was playing with her, that she didn't mean anything more to her than their other friends, that Nerissa would want something casual at best, nothing at all at worst. But another part of her just did not care. She had been aching for so long, and now that everything was out in the open (almost literally, if her half-unbuttoned shirt was anything to go by; when had Nerissa done that?) she knew she couldn't take anything back.
Nerissa's voice brought her back to reality. "You have no idea," she whispered fiercely, "no idea how long I've been waiting to do that."
A great relief sagged in Elizabeth's chest, and she felt her throat tighten.
She couldn't believe it. She had kissed Nerissa – no, Nerissa had kissed her – and her feelings were clearly, openly, genuinely reciprocated.
The more conscious part of her mind was still floating in a dazed bliss, so her only response was a deep, affectionate hum as a slow smile spread across her face.
A few moments passed before Nerissa spoke again, her voice sheepish, giddy. "I guess we got a bit carried away, huh."
That brought a chuckle out of Elizabeth. She wasn't sure how long had passed since the stream was supposed to start, but she couldn't find it in her to care. In that moment, with Nerissa in her arms, nothing else seemed worth caring or.
It was when Nerissa leaned in to kiss her again, the sensation of lips brushing against hers for permission to pick up where they left off, that it dawned on her just what they were doing.
She pulled away more fully, their eyes meeting. "Nerissa. The stream."
"We can postpone it," came Nerissa's immediate response, whispered sinfully with a dangerous edge. "You know, I haven't properly shown you my bedroom yet..." A hand came to rest upon her upper thigh with dizzying intention. Her stomach filled with another kind of heat as she felt those quick fingers begin to toy with the hem of her pants.
Elizabeth swallowed back the fresh wave of desire that came with Nerissa's deliberate touch, shaking her head. The difficulty of the simple action surprised her, as did her willingness, her unbridled desire, to throw their plans out of the window in favour of spending time with Nerissa finding out just what awaited her in her bedroom.
As big a struggle as it was, she pulled away. "The rosarians, jailbirds... Our fans have been waiting for this for over a year now. As much as I'd love to figure this out with you," she reached down to take Nerissa's still-wandering hand in her own, holding it tightly before it did anything she wouldn't be able to resist, "I think we owe it to them."
For a moment, a war raged visibly in Nerissa's eyes, but Elizabeth knew from the moment Nerissa had heard her fan name that she would end up agreeing.
Frowning, Nerissa leaned in for one last kiss – slow, unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world and none of the thousands of fans waiting for them. A hand brushed her face lightly but didn't linger, cupping her cheek and then falling away.
A cunning tongue swiped across her lips once, a playful nip eliciting one last gasp from Elizabeth, before she climbed off her lap, returning to her own seat. Reluctance was evident in her every movement. "Okay, okay, you win."
She looked disheveled, her hair a mess and clothes rumpled, but it was perhaps the most beautiful she'd ever looked, in Elizabeth's opinion. She couldn't imagine how she was going to get through a full two hours of sitting next to this devastating temptress when all she could think of was how she'd been the one to cause this beautiful ruin... and how much she wanted to continue.
"Let's do this." Nerissa started the stream, a whole fourteen minutes later than planned, and they both watched with matching fondness as the chat (that she was sure was previously filled with less-than-innocent assumptions for their being late that, for once, they couldn't fully deny) flooded with "HUZZAH"s and "OPE"s.
Nerissa leaned over as Elizabeth re-buttoned her shirt, shouldering her lightly. Elizabeth raised a brow in silent question, instinctively keeping quiet despite them being muted during Nerissa's opening screen.
"I think I see your point now," she mused, her voice low.
"My point..?" She tried to think about their conversation before they'd gotten sidetracked, but drew a blank, her mind instead filling up rather unhelpfully with thoughts of kissing Nerissa.
"Maybe I should've kept my hands to myself," Nerissa spoke slowly, her words dragging through the air as if she were dipping a finger into a chocolate fountain, "because now I don't know if I can."
It was temptation, pure and simple, and from the way her gut coiled, it was working. Elizabeth briefly glanced towards the loading screen, not wanting to keep their fans waiting – but more importantly on her mind was reassuring, or rather placating, Nerissa.
Empowered by newfound confidence from reciprocation, she took Nerissa's chin in her hand and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, as if sealing a deal, signing a contract – promising more to come. "For now, behave. We can continue this conversation after... If you're good."
It took Nerissa a moment to respond, to rein in her evidently wandering mind. But then she smiled with that faux innocence she liked to use to mess with Elizabeth and suddenly it felt as if everything was back to normal. Almost.
"I'll be waiting," she responded with a playful wink, before turning to the computer screen and finally switching scenes to officially start their stream.