Let me cover you with velvet kisses

“I wonder how long this thing takes to recharge?” Carly wondered, tapping her fingers against the watch. She had fingers to tap, now, after her transformation had worn off, instead of the curved sickles of a praying mantis.

“In the show, it happened whenever,” Morgana mumbled, shifting uncomfortably under the harsh sunlight. She really didn’t like being outside this much. “Is it okay… if I go back inside now? It was really cool, seeing you use your watch, Carly, but, umm… I’m kinda… not sure why I’m still here…”

“Huh? Oh, sure, yeah,” Carly said, waving her hand. She didn’t really mind if Morgana wanted to stay or go or whatever. She was more curious about how she’d returned to her normal cosplay, and why her dark blue hair had turned brown when she turned into the mantis girl form. Wouldn’t green have been better, instead of her natural shade?

“In that case, let’s head in, then!” Vivian chirped, sidling up next to Morgana with a big smile on her face.

Morgana’s jaw dropped. “You… you want to come with?” She stammered. She’d been expecting (hoping?) that Vivian would just keep hanging around with Sylvia and the twins.

“Sure I do,” Vivian said adamantly. “I mean, I still have to get you your clothes back, after all. I’m assuming you’re going to want to change?”

“Uh…” Morgana looked down at the mustard yellow sweater. She really wasn’t a fan of the color, but the clothes were starting to grow on her.

She swallowed and tried to figure out how to express her thoughts properly.

“Vivian,” she said, her voice breaking slightly, “I really appreciate you, uh, helping me pick out these new clothes. I know it’s not what I usually wear, and I know I made kind of a fuss at first, but… it’s really not so bad.”

Other than the missing hat. She would have liked that, considering how annoying the sunlight was.

Vivian looked overjoyed. “You mean it? Oh, what a relief! I was kinda worried, actually,” she admitted with a laugh. “I thought I might have been a little too pushy.”

Yeah, she had been.

“Maybe… just a little,” Morgana weakly replied. “But sometimes we need a good push, to, um, get us out of our comfort zone. But that’s enough pushiness for right now, I think. Can I get my clothes back, please?”

“Deal,” Vivian said with a grin. “…After we make a little stop.”

Morgana blinked repeatedly, staring at the heiress in confusion.

“A… a stop?” She gulped. “A stop where? Why…?”

“Well, to see Nick, of course,” Vivian said bluntly.

Morgana’s jaw dropped.

“WHAT?!”

“I mean, you got all dressed up in something new, you weren’t going to deny him the chance to see it, were you?” Vivian asked. “No, you need to show him! I promise, he’s going to love it.”

“B-b-b-b-b-but…” Morgana started to babble. Her head spun as she imagined all Nick seeing her looking so… normal! One of her charms was being the sexy and alluring buxom goth! Dressed like this, she’d just be some random girl! No, no, this was way too sudden!

She looked helplessly at the other girls, pleading for support with her eyes.

“Oh yeah, that would be so cute!” Sylvia piped up, flashing a giddy smile. “Daddy would just love seeing you dressed like that!”

Morgana’s heart sank.

“I mean, if you don’t want to show him, then you don’t have to,” Marley pointed out. “Vivian, this is exactly what being ‘too pushy’ means. Can’t you tell? She’s clearly not comfortable with this whole thing.”

Vivian blinked. “Oh, wait, really?” She looked at the flustered and exhausted Morgana. “Oh, um… I’m sorry then, Morgana, I didn’t mean it like that, really.”

Morgana let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like Vivian wasn’t going to push the issue after all, thank goodness!

“Don’t listen to Marley,” Carly jumped in. “She’s just saying that because you’re stepping on her toes as the curvy one who wears sweaters all the time.”

Marley’s mouth twisted into a shocked “O” shape and she looked at her sister in disbelief.

“What!?”

Morgana also looked a little stunned.

Sensing an opportunity, Sylvia pulled the shaken goth girl aside and gave her a serious look. “Don’t listen to any of them,” she said, shaking her head. “Daddy would find you absolutely scrumptious looking like that!”

Morgana’s blush deepened. “He… he would?” She squeaked, looking down at herself. She didn’t think she looked all that impressive, but if Sylvia was saying it…

“Absolutely he would!” Sylvia nodded firmly. “Sure, he likes the alt girl look, but you’re more than that! You shouldn’t just be ‘the goth girl’ to him. That’s why I’m changing up my style here and there, too. See?”

She showed off her clothes to Morgana, who noticed for the first time that while Sylvia was still wearing traditionally dark clothing, it wasn’t the same punk aesthetic she had taken a liking to recently. Instead, with her frilly black skirt and cropped top, she almost looked like she was trying on Morgana’s goth style herself.

“I… well, maybe… you really think he’ll like it?” Morgana asked timidly, feeling her heart waver. “He won’t think I… look weird? Like I’m pretending to be normal?”

“Morgana, you ARE normal,” Vivian laughed, patting her on the back. “It’s not a bad thing to show that off to a boy, is it?”

Morgana perked up a little. “No… I guess it’s not,” she admitted, shaking her head.

Vivian and Sylvia wore matching grins. “There, you see? Now get going, girl! Show ‘em all that you’ve got what it takes to strut your stuff!”

Morgana nodded enthusiastically, her confidence returning. “Y-yeah! I will!” She decided, and led the way back to the hotel with Vivian in tow.

…And Sylvia. And Carly and Marley.

Pausing, Morgana looked back in confusion.

“Um… why… why are you guys coming?” She asked timidly. Then she quickly waved her hands. “I mean, it’s fine if you are, really! I don’t mind! I just… um…”

“Because it looks like fun,” Sylvia chirped.

“And we’re still doing some experimenting, remember?” Carly pointed out tapping her watch. “Until this thing recharges, there’s no point in staying out here, so I figured might as well hang out with you guys for a while.”

Marley shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I go where she goes.”

Morgana felt a thrum of joy in her chest. Everyone… they wanted to hang out with her, they really did! How great was that? She felt positively giddy with excitement!

“Okay!” She said enthusiastically, nodding. All of a sudden, going to see Nick didn’t seem so scary and intimidating anymore!

Nick had no idea what was headed his way. The other women in his harem were the last things on his mind at the moment.

“Nick, what movie should we watch?” Dawn asked.

“I wanted to watch a sweet and passionate romance,” Rose said. “But Dawn here… hmph! Some youthful coming of age story about werewolves and vampires… you may look like you’re 15, Dawn, but you realize you aren’t, right?”

Dawn glared at the snooty blonde. “Not everyone has to be a movie snob, Rose! Sometimes, it’s fine to just watch what you want to watch!”

Nick sighed. Yeah, this was an issue alright. When he’d suggested they watch a movie together, he’d hoped that it would be a date idea that would make everyone happy. Rose loved movies and Dawn enjoyed them as well, and he’d be able to enjoy their company in peace for a couple of hours. And then they’d have plenty to talk about afterwards.

But he had failed to account for the vastly different tastes of the two women. And for obvious reasons neither was willing to split from him to go see the other movie.

And since he couldn’t divide himself in half and watch with both of them, something had to give.

“What if I pick the movie?” He asked, taking the third option. “Would you both be happy watching something I wanted to watch?”

Dawn adjusted her glasses awkwardly and her tail swished behind her. “That would be fine, I suppose,” she agreed. “You have a rather good taste in movies in my experience.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to watch whatever you want to watch, Nick!” Rose chirped. He had a feeling she’d say that even if it wasn’t true.

“Good, then… I’d like to watch that movie, if you don’t mind,” Nick said, gesturing towards the detective mystery poster. “It’s one of my favorite genres.”

“A mystery?” Dawn’s tail started to pick up speed and her ears perked up in excitement. “An intellectual challenge… I can definitely see the appeal.”

“Hmm… well, you know me, I’m quite adept at reading other people,” Rose bragged, puffing out her chest. “I should be able to figure out the culprit before the **** even happens!”

“That’s highly unlikely,” Dawn replied. “Solving a mystery requires rational deductions based on evidence. You can’t just figure it out by character analysis.”

“Oh no?” Rose scoffed. “It’s called women’s intuition, Dawn. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

“I am a woman,” the cat girl pointed out. “And I also know that your so-called ‘women’s intuition’ is more aptly termed a blind guess.”

Rose snorted and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. It’s instinct! Reading the characters, reading their expressions and body language, it gives itself away.”

“Okay, both of you, let’s not fight, please?” Nick requested. “How about this? We watch the movie, and you two can try to figure it out for yourselves, okay?”

Dawn’s ears perked up. “Like a competition?” She asked. “I’m down for that.”

“Oh, I promise, it won’t be a competition,” Rose said, smirking.

Nick sighed. Yeah, this might be a problem. “Sure. If that’s what you guys want to do, I guess.” He wasn’t at all confident that this was a good idea. But if it would make them happy, he would go along with it.

He just hoped there wouldn’t be any issues…

“Ah, but if we’re competing, what should the prize be?” Rose asked, shooting a glance at Nick.

“Does there have to be a prize?” Dawn asked with an exasperated sigh. “Can’t you just be satisfied with the thrill of victory?”

“The thrill of victory feels even better when you get a reward to go with it,” Rose bluntly answered her. She turned to Nick and batted her eyelashes. “What do you think?”

“Well, what would you want?” Nick asked.

Rose tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm… well, when I win…”

“Hey, wait, that’s not set in stone yet!” Dawn interrupted, shooting the other woman a look. “I’m gonna figure it out before you, you know.”

“Fine, how about this?” Rose placed her hands on her hips. “Whoever figures it out first, gets a kiss from Nick! That seems fair, right?”

“Sure, I’ll take that bet,” Dawn agreed, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding sharply. “So when I win, I get a kiss. On the mouth?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Obviously. And with tongue, of course.”

Dawn nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Uh… you guys know, I can just kiss you, right?” Nick pointed out. “It doesn’t have to be some big competition, I’m fine doing that normally.”

Rose and Dawn both gave him sharp looks.

“Yes, but I want to earn it,” Rose replied.

“It’s the principle of the matter at this point,” Dawn stated.

Nick sighed. It seemed pretty pointless to him. But if a kiss would be enough to get them to get along, he’d go with it.

…That being said, he had his concerns. Mainly because he could very vividly picture a reality where the other girl got jealous that she didn’t get a kiss.

If only there was some way they could both win! But if they both got it right, it would probably just result in another argument breaking out, he supposed.

“I can’t believe it!” Dawn groaned.

“That wasn’t fair at all!” Rose grumbled.

Well, Nick had both gotten and not gotten his wish. Neither Rose nor Dawn had correctly identified the culprit. So since neither girl had won the competition, they had finally agreed on something- namely, trashing the movie that he had just thoroughly enjoyed.

“Come on, guys, don’t you think you’re being a little too hard on the movie?” Nick protested. “I thought it was really well done! Better than most modern ‘mystery’ movies that are just horror films or action thrillers in disguise.”

“A mystery must present all the clues to the watcher for them to figure out the ending!” Dawn said, as if he didn’t know that. “And that one didn’t hint at all that the two of them were brother and sister! How were we supposed to figure that out?”

“Oh, I knew right away that they were related,” Rose smirked. “What, you didn’t get that?”

Dawn shot her a dirty look.

Rose’s smirk widened. “Must be due to my ‘women’s intuition’ then,” she teased. “Just the way they acted around each other, you could tell.”

“Really, you figured that out right away?” Nick was surprised. He hadn’t figured out the twist until halfway through the movie. “How?”

“Well, Mr. Beauregard was quite handsome, but Ms. Constance wasn’t looking at him like she wanted to have sex with him at all,” Rose pointed out. “I figured that the only reason the actress played it like she wouldn’t want to mount him in the very first scene was because secretly they would be related.”

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Oh come on!”

Rose turned and stuck out her tongue.

“…But you still got the culprit wrong,” Nick reminded Rose, taking care not to let her get too big of a head. “You thought the killer was Ms. Constance’s suitor.”

Rose frowned. “Well, he looked like a trashy sort of man,” she sniffed. “Why have such a repugnant character and NOT make him the villain? That’s what I would have done, had I been making this film, I tell you!”

“Right, because that would be subtle,” Dawn scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Make the most unlikable character the culprit, surely no one would figure that out.”

Rose glared at her. “You didn’t get it right either,” she pointed out. “You thought Ms. Constance herself was the killer!”

“Because all the evidence was pointing to her!” Dawn protested. “The movie didn’t reveal that she actually didn’t have a motive to kill her brother until the end, where they revealed who the culprit really was! It led me down the wrong path the whole time!”

“Right, because it was a frame-up,” Nick pointed out. “The stepmother was trying to frame her stepdaughter for the **** of her husband’s secret love child, so that she could keep the inheritance all to herself. I figured that out when I realized the two of them were related, it had to be Ms. Constance’s stepmother.”

Both women wore bitter expressions on their faces. Neither one was pleased with this outcome, where they had both lost their little competition.

“…So what now?” Rose asked, disappointed. “Neither one of us got it right.”

“Well, that’s not quite true,” Dawn pointed out. “You and I didn’t figure out who the culprit was, but Nick did.”

“Huh?” Nick wasn’t following. “I mean, yeah, but that’s because I have a lot of experience with **** mystery tropes.”

“Not the point,” Rose murmured, catching on to what Dawn was saying. A sly look tugged up her lips and she sauntered over to him. “I think what Dawn’s trying to say is that you won’t the competition, so…”

Dawn cleared her throat. “So maybe you should get the reward,” she said with a sly grin of her own.

Nick blinked. “Wait, so…” He liked where this was going.

“Now, the reward was for you to kiss whichever one of us figured it out,” Rose said, tapping her lips. “But neither one of us did.”

“So I think it’s only fair if we both give you a kiss,” Dawn said, her tail flicking excitedly behind her. Her cheeks pinkened slightly. “If you’d like, of course.”

Well, Nick certainly wasn’t going to say no.

“Sure, let’s go with that,” Nick agreed, a crooked smile spreading across his face. “It seems like a fair way to do it.”

“I’ll go first then,” Rose said, turning his face towards her. She raised her head, tilting her hat’s wide brim out of the way, and leaned in close, her lips grazing against his as she pressed her heaving bosom into his chest.

Nick barely had time to open his mouth before she pounced, all but jamming her tongue down his throat. As Rose rubbed up against him her fingers caressed his cheeks, cradling and stroking him as she let her tongue play with his. She moaned into his mouth and he could feel the heat and desire coming off of her, and Nick couldn’t help but put his hands to work as well, reaching down and taking a nice, meaty grasp of her voluptuous figure in response.

She hummed in appreciation, and redoubled her efforts with even more intensity. Which received plenty of appreciation in turn.

Finally, Rose pulled away from him, breaking the kiss with a loud “Pwaah!” and leaving the both of them almost gasping for air. Stepping back, she wiped her mouth slightly and cast a sly look towards Dawn, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Try topping that one,” she purred.

“H-hey, it’s not a competition,” Nick said, catching his breath. As much as he liked how competition fired the two of them up, no doubt leading to even steamier kisses, he didn’t want to put too much expectation on-

“There’s a reason why it’s called ‘saving the best for last’,” Dawn replied, stepping forward.

Whelp, so much for his attempt to make nice.

Even in heels, Dawn had a bit of trouble with kisses, and Nick had to lean down a little for their lips to meet. But that was just fine with her; Dawn’s arms immediately looped around his neck and her tongue darted between his lips, and he remembered just why she was such a good kisser; with the enhanced length and dexterity of her tongue and its unique texture, Dawn tickled the inside of his mouth in a myriad of ways, licking him all over.

Nick’s eyes widened as he processed the unique sensation of Dawn scraping all over his mouth like the most exhilarating and stimulating sandpaper in the world. Feeling her hunger for him made him weak in the knees, and he could practically feel her dragging him down lower to the ground, trying to get as much of him into her as she could.

Finally, she broke the kiss as well, nearly losing her balance when she let him go. Gasping, Dawn adjusted her glasses, which had been knocked askew from the intensity of the kiss, and looked expectantly up at him.

They both were.

“Well?” She asked, fanning herself slightly. Her tail swung excitedly behind her.

“Who’s the winner?” Rose demanded.

Why did he always have to be put on the spot like this with these two?