'Cause he better know my worth, there's so much that I deserve

Nick had been worried about Dani’s warning regarding the hot spring and how he’d start feeling sore again not long after getting out of the water. But after everything that had transpired in the hot spring since then, by the time they got out his muscle fatigue was the last thing on his mind.

By the end of lunch it was less than a dull ache.

“Mmm, that was good!” Kim rubbed her stomach as they left the restaurant. Dani had found a good steak place for them to try, and Kim just loved sinking her teeth into a nice, juicy steak.

“That was really good, Dani, nice pick,” Nick agreed. He’d used up so much energy lifting weights it felt nice to be full. “Honestly, I could even skip dinner at this point.” The steak was delicious, but right now it was sitting like a brick in his stomach. And lunch had been quite a lot later than usual.

Dani frowned. “Well… if you say so,” she said with a tinge of **** in her voice. “Too bad, though. I was gonna try my hand at cooking dinner for you tonight, Nick.”

Nick and Kim both reacted with surprised looks after they heard that.

“Whoa, no way!” Kim’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

She turned to Nick and flashed a cheeky grin. “That’s a pretty tempting offer, Nick. Dani doesn’t cook for just anyone you know!”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Nick said, nodding. He was surprised himself. He looked curiously at Dani. I knew she was getting more comfortable with cooking, but I didn’t expect her to offer like that. But it’s nice to hear.

Dani blushed and crossed her feathered arms over her chest. “Look, we don’t have to make a big deal out of it or anything,” she huffed. “It’s just cooking. It doesn’t have any special meaning.”

Nick smelled a lie when he heard one. Dani was way too honest to be good at it; she couldn’t even look him in the eye as she said that.

He stared suspiciously at her.

“Dani…”

“Wh-what?” Dani immediately got defensive.

“It’s okay, you can be honest,” Nick assured her. He didn’t know exactly what was going on with the other woman, but if she was feeling nervous about something…

Still, he also didn’t want to push her. “But if there’s something you don’t want to share, that’s okay too,” he added. “The most important thing about tonight is that we make sure everybody is comfortable, don’t you think?”

Kim nodded eagerly. “Yeah, Nick’s right, totally agree.”

Dani looked between the both of them, and sighed. “…Okay, well, you didn’t have to be so nice about it,” she grumbled. “Now it looks like I’m making a bigger deal out of it than it is. I’m practically Nick over here.”

“Hey!” Nick groaned as she flashed him a teasing grin. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Sorry, but it’s true.” Dani stretched her arms over her head, making her breasts bounce. “Anyway, it’s really not anything to worry about, Nick. Promise. It’s just… I’m a little embarrassed about my transformation, that’s all.”

“Oh…” Nick probably should have anticipated that. Dani had a lot of transformations, like all the girls, but unlike the others a lot of her transformations came with downsides due to the inherent fact that they were trying to connect her to him. So he didn’t know all of them by heart given how hard she tried to fight them regularly.

“That’s right, you have a cooking transformation, don’t you?” Kim recalled.

Dani grinned sheepishly and nodded. She called up her transformation screen and showed it to them for clarification.

• I’ll Have What She’s Having: The last challenge has given Dani a compulsion to practice her culinary skills. She’ll feel a sexual thrill whenever she’s preparing food, and seeing other people enjoy her dishes is practically orgasmic. (Girly Girl)

“Oh, yeah, uh, I can see how that one might be weird to talk about,” Nick said sheepishly. He felt guilty that it had completely left his mind. He’d thought Dani’s recent interest in cooking was motivated by more than a transformation… and maybe it was. The way Mary praised her efforts in cooking class, there had to be something real there.

Kim gasped. “Wait, so the other day, when you and Gina were fighting over the eggs, was that because you were **** for an orgasm?” The words just came tumbling out before she even had a chance to check herself, and her face turned red as she realized how that must have sounded.

Dani blushed furiously. “N-no!” She said adamantly. “I just have very unique tastes, that’s all! Can we just drop it already?”

She was relieved when they agreed to drop the issue without a word. The less they thought about the egg thing, the better, especially given how she’d later prepared an egg dish for Gina as part of their little agreement prior to sex.

Not even Gina seemed to pick up on the fact that Dani had been using that as an opportunity to work herself up for having sex with someone new for the first time since she’d started dating Carly. That was going to be a secret she’d keep as long as she possibly could.

But in fairness… she was trying it again here. After all, she was going to be taking a step towards something she was uncertain she would enjoy or not, and cooking for everyone might help her prepare for it.

Something Nick seemed to pick up on. Kim was impossible to read either way.

“Dani, I think I was speaking too soon,” Nick said, patting his stomach. He offered a strained, sympathetic smile to the tomboy. “If you want to cook something for dinner, I’ll give it a try. It’s the least I can do.”

Dani looked at Nick with wide eyes. She knew exactly what he was doing, she could see his feelings written all over his face!

This guy-! So that’s your game, huh? You know it’s going to get me turned on… which I might need to get through our threesome. Geez, Nick, way to be considerate! Why do you always have to be such a nice guy? Dani felt a wave of relief wash over her, even as she felt mortified that Nick saw through her completely. He was reaching out to help her; she couldn’t fault him for that.

It made her feel all warm and fuzzy.

Kim cleared her throat. “So, uh, I get that we’re having fun talking about how cooking food does it for Dani…”

“Not by choice!” Dani turned red. “And I like cooking even without the sexual component, just so you know!” She added.

Kim stared at her. That wasn’t even her point. “…Okay. Anyway, you guys remember the game plan, right? The whole reason we wanted to finish up lunch super fast in the first place?”

Dani and Nick looked at each other. Then they both burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe I forgot-!” Nick said, shaking his head.

“YOU forgot? Those are my Victory Points we’re talking about here!” Dani reminded him through giggles. “Leave it to Kim to be the responsible one who keeps us on track!”

Kim flashed a dazzling smile. “Happy to help,” she chirped, placing her hands on her hips and swishing her schoolgirl skirt. “Now then! Let’s knock a few easy points out of the way right now, sound like a plan?”

She pointed down the street, towards a bench on the corner. It looked like it was a setup for a bus station, but for obvious reasons there weren’t any buses on the island.

“Works for me,” Nick agreed. He had a good idea what Kim was suggesting. He and Dani headed over to the bench with Kim following eagerly behind.

“So, what?” Dani stared down at the bench then looked up at Nick. “Lap pillow, that’s the name of the game, yeah?” She also was able to figure out pretty quickly what Kim had been angling towards. “So you wanna go first? Or should I?”

Nick shrugged. “I mean, whatever you’re comfortable with,” he said. “Me giving you a lap pillow is only 1 VP, but you giving me one is 2 VP. So it’s up to you.”

Dani nodded thoughtfully. She glanced at the back of her hand. 60 VP. Most of that had been from her performance in challenges, but now she had to make some points the natural way. 3 VP wasn’t much, but it was a start. “Yeah, I guess…” she murmured. “Okay, I’ll start it out. Getting the hard one out of the way first. That should make the other lap pillow a lot easier, don’t you think?”

Nick could see the logic in that. He nodded and let Dani sit down on the bench before sitting down beside her.

Dani leaned back on the bench, giving Nick a lot of space. She’d changed into a pleated skirt after their dip in the hot spring, one that was long enough to reach her ankles. It was the sort of thing she never would have worn back in the day, but right now it felt kind of nice. She considered that to be an influence from Vivian, but right now she was kind of glad because it did a decent job of concealing her body. She didn’t have a problem with Nick looking at her, or even touching her casually, but she was mindful of what Serenity had warned her about, and Kim’s warnings.

Just keep the temperature down, she urged herself. Don’t make a big deal out of this, and more importantly, don’t let HIM make a big deal out of this! The last thing we need is for tonight to get really complicated and awkward!

Dani just wanted to have a fun day with her friends. That was it. And then a threesome later. Just a totally normal thing.

She put on her most casual smile and patted her lap. “Come on, Nick, I won’t bite!” She giggled. “I swear, it’ll feel nice and comfy!”

Nick laughed. “Well, when you put it like that, how can I resist?” He asked with a smile. He leaned over and rested his head in Dani’s lap. She wasn’t wrong- even through her skirt he could still feel how soft and silky-smooth her thighs were. It was like his cheek sank right into them. After the rough workout today, it really felt nice to just close his eyes and let his body relax.

He could almost fall asleep like this. Dani smelled really nice, too; it must have been all those oils in the hot spring, or the shampoo from the shower. It reminded him of flowers, but he had no idea which ones.

While Nick rested his head, Dani looked down at him with barely restrained curiosity. Seeing his head in her lap, looking so serene, it was sweet. He seemed content.

It helped her relax. This physical contact with him, just a casual interaction between friends, it reminded Dani that they didn’t have anything to worry about. Sure, once upon a time, she had been so uncomfortable with his behavior that she had cut ties and ghosted him, but they had both grown a lot since that happened. Nick wasn’t always leering at her and making her feel pressured by his feelings, and she had gotten comfortable enough with her sexuality that a boy being attracted to her no longer felt like such a threat.

They had just been kids when things had gone wrong. Now they were adults. Sometimes Dani forgot that.

Gave Master a Lap Pillow! +2 VP

Dani nearly jumped when she felt the shift in her Victory Point total. Her jerking motion was enough to shake Nick’s head and rouse him from his drowsiness, and he squirmed to look up at her.

“Was… was that it?” He asked tentatively. “Was that enough?”

Dani checked her wrist just to be sure. “Yup, I’m at 62 VP now,” she informed him. “You want to switch places now?”

“If you’re comfortable with it, you bet,” Nick said, removing his head from her lap and sitting up straight. He patted his lap welcomingly. “Come on, Dani, I won’t bite,” he teased, throwing her words back in her face.

Dani bit into her smile and rolled her eyes, giving Nick an exasperated look. “Very funny, mister. Just be glad Kim didn’t insist you put those ridiculous shorts back on.” Now he was wearing pants. A little hot in this weather, but Nick felt it was better than making Dani uncomfortable by being in such close contact with his exposed skin, in case that was something she’d have a problem with.

“Hey, those were a fashion statement!” Kim called from the side.

Nick ignored her. “I didn’t think that was something you’d go for,” he teased the other girl, and Dani stuck out her tongue in response.

“Just don’t get a boner, you boner,” she jeered, tucking her feathery hair behind her ear. She froze halfway down as she realized what she’d just said.

Just great! You moron! Why did you have to put that thought into his mind?! She chastised herself. Dani had just been trying to play things casually and have a good time, and what should happen? Of course she had to stick her foot in her mouth and make a mess of things, turning this whole arrangement sexual without even thinking.

Luckily, Nick was pretty good at compartmentalizing. He wasn’t a teenager anymore. Just saying “boner” wasn’t going to make him get hard, just like it wasn’t going to make break out laughing like when he was in elementary school.

For once, he tried not to make a big deal out of every little thing.

He just had to remind himself that his relationship with Dani was completely platonic, and this was just a regular, platonic “resting your head on a guy’s lap” they were doing right now and not anything untoward or unseemly.

Finally Dani bit the bullet and let her head drop. For a moment, she was tense; she shifted a little bit, finding it hard to get comfortable on Nick’s legs. Unlike her, he didn’t have a transformation that made his skin soft and supple.

Yeah, okay, this is definitely weird. Dani wasn’t uncomfortable or put off or anything like that, she just felt… strange. It was a weird feeling, resting her head in a guy’s lap. Especially when that guy was one of her closest friends. But Dani felt like she had a responsibility here; she couldn’t make things awkward between the two of them, that would be a serious issue. And it wasn’t, was it? No… she didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable, she just felt…

…Weird.

Yeah, I’m definitely not attracted to guys. This is nothing like if I was resting my head in Carly’s lap or something like that. Dani could easily imagine how nice that would feel, to have her girlfriend looking down at her, almost like she was watching over her like some kind of guardian angel or something like that.

The image brought a smile to her lips, and she let out a contented sigh.

“Well, someone looks like they’re having fun,” Kim giggled.

Dani’s eyes snapped open. She’d almost forgotten it wasn’t Carly’s lap she was resting on, but Nick’s! Oof. That had almost gotten weird.

Received a Lap Pillow from Master! +1 VP

Unlike the previous lap pillow that had been the inverse of this one, the notification couldn’t come fast enough. Dani jerked her head up almost as soon as she felt the reminder, and checked her hand again to make sure. Yup, one more VP added to her total.

“That uncomfortable, huh?” Nick asked. He hadn’t missed the way Dani had practically torn her head out of his lap.

Dani glanced apologetically at him and pursed her lips.

“Sorry, it just felt kinda weird,” she apologized. “No offense?”

“Don’t worry, none taken,” Nick assured her.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind getting physical with you,” Dani said, wrapping her arm around Nick’s neck and pulling him up against her chest, tousling his hair. “But that was just different somehow.”

“Dani!” Nick turned red. “I’m… my face is…”

Dani looked down and saw that Nick’s cheek was smooshed right up against her boob.

She laughed and let him go. “Come on, that’s not a big deal,” she scoffed, waving her hand. “I mean, you groped me before. Something like that, it’s nothing in comparison!”

“Well, that’s real big of you,” Kim giggled. “Some sideboob action is fine but a lap pillow is too much? Man, you’ve got some really weird boundaries, Dani.”

Dani shot her a fiery look. “It wasn’t ‘too much’,” she clarified firmly. “I could have kept that lap pillow going for a while if I wanted to.”

She shrugged. “It just felt weird, that’s all. Weird doesn’t have to mean bad.”

It was hard to pinpoint exactly what had felt so strange about it. But Nick had a guess.

“Maybe it’s because you felt ****,” he said, stroking his chin.

Dani turned to look at him. “Huh? What’s that mean?”

He shrugged. “Well, when we’re just playing around like we were just now, it’s just two friends messing around with each other. But resting your head on my lap… well, from my perspective you seemed really peaceful and… ****. And I just thought that maybe you weren’t comfortable with that, you know?”

Dani considered that, nodding slowly. “Huh… you know, maybe you’re right,” she murmured. “I don’t really care if you touch me or anything thanks to that transformation, but yeah, I definitely did feel kinda… I don’t know if ‘uncomfortable’ is the right word, but it was definitely weird. Like I was in the wrong place.”

“I felt you squirming around a lot,” Nick informed her. “It reminded me of trying to sleep on a lumpy pillow.”

Dani barked out a laugh. “Well, THAT’S a way to describe your legs!” She sniggered, elbowing him in the side.

Nick blushed. “W-well, sorry,” he stammered, looking down.

“Nah, it’s cool.” Dani shook her head and shrugged. “Like I said, maybe you’re onto something. I’m not exactly a lap pillow kind of girl, but if it was Carly giving me one, I think that would be pretty nice.”

“Well, yeah, I’d want Carly to give me a lap pillow too if I had the choice,” Nick said bluntly. Picking between his legs to rest his head on and Carly’s? That wasn’t even a difficult question.

Dani burst out laughing and shook her head. “Oh man… that’s just too much, Nick, really, just way too much!”

Nick grinned at her. “What can I say? I try,” he joked.

Kim watched them rib each other playfully and smiled. So far they were off to a good start. But there were more intimate exchanges coming to earn Dani some VP, and she wasn’t sure the other woman would be able to handle it. She just hoped everything would work out.