And love, love, love all through our minds

Nick felt paralyzed, stunned by the intensity of Ella’s kiss. His mind went blank as he found himself swept up by her, unable to resist the probing tongue darting around his mouth as she practically devoured him from the inside. He slumped into her grasp as she dug her fingers into his shirt, moaning into his mouth like she couldn’t get enough.

If he was thinking clearly, he wouldn’t have been surprised. After all, her transformation should have prepared him for this. But it wasn’t until she finally let him go, breaking the kiss with a satisfied “Pwaaaaahhh…!” that he had the chance to see the heated look on her flushed face, and the yearning blazing in her eyes.

That’s when his memories of her transformation came flashing back to him.

• True Love’s First Kiss: We all know the stories. The prince kisses the princess, breaking the kiss, and they live happily ever after. Well, Cinder and Ella have yet to receive their first kiss, but starting now, kissing will be one of their deepest desires. A single kiss anywhere on the body is enough to cause flares of arousal, and a deep, loving kiss on the lips can even be enough to make them cum. (Faerie Tale)

Well, that sure explained a lot. The more Nick thought about it, she did look like she was on the brink of orgasm already. Just from that kiss! Well, it definitely counted as a deep one, Nick could attest to that. He still wasn’t sure what to say in response.

After all… up until this point, his relationship with Ella had been completely chaste, save for that awkwardness in the bathroom that resulted from Morgana’s spells. Other than that, the most he’d done was hold hands, and that had been with Cinder!

…But right now, it looked like Ella wanted more. A lot more.

She loomed closer to him, drawing near enough he could hear her faint panting breaths. He looked down at her and she looked up at him, though he questioned how much she could see with that glazed look in her eyes.

“Ella?” He croaked out, only now realizing how hoarse his voice was from that stunning kiss.

Like Sleeping Beauty roused from her slumber Ella seemed to snap out of her trance, only in this faerie tale it was the kiss itself that had stunned the princess. Ella blinked rapidly as if her eyes were trying to adjust to the light, and when it seemed like she finally had her grips on what had happened…

“Heeyah!” She screeched, her eyes bulging in surprise. Her hands shot to her face as if she could somehow hide from what she’d done, but it was far too late for that at this point.

Her legs trembled and she looked like she was about to collapse. Although part of that may have been a result of the orgasm she’d nearly had.

Not that she could remember. Her mind was still in a heated daze. She blinked furiously and scrambled to put her mask on in an attempt to hide her shame. But she’d used up her time for today, so she had no recourse but to pull the brim of her hat down to shield her face, as she burned with embarrassment.

“I-I-I-I don’t kn-know what c-c-c-came over m-me!” She stammered out, slumping forward and clinging onto Nick’s shirt to keep from collapsing altogether. Her nails dug in so tightly Nick thought she was going to tear his clothes right off, but she didn’t.

Instead she pushed him away, as if suddenly realizing what she was doing. “No!” She gasped, shaking her head frantically. “That wasn’t-! I didn’t-! I-!”

“Ella, hey, it’s fine,” Nick said, reaching out and cradling her shoulders. “It was just a kiss, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

Sure it was probably the hungriest first kiss that Nick had ever received from a girl, but so what? He didn’t shame Mary for her lustful desires and he wasn’t going to shame Ella for it, either. Besides, her transformation had done most of the heavy lifting anyway.

Ella wasn’t buying it, though. “B-but I… I was so…” She could hardly remember her actions, but what she did remember practically sent her bawling again. It was so shamefully embarrassing! Behaving like that! She felt like she was going to die!

“Ella, that was your transformation,” Nick reminded her. “Remember? Your transformation is supposed to make kissing feel that good. I wish I’d remembered, but even though we forgot, so what? You liked it, didn’t you?”

“Ah…” Ella’s eyes widened as she processed what he was saying. She scraped through the flustered haze of her misty thoughts and recalled the words of her transformation, and only then did she finally allow herself to breathe.

Nick had been correct, it wasn’t her fault, not completely. Her transformation had overloaded her with pleasure and as a result of that she’d lost control, mindlessly pursuing the rush she’d felt without hesitation until she’d almost…

Her cheeks reddened and reddened and tears welled up in her eyes. “…I still… I should have…” A tremor rippled through her body as she struggled not to cry, and Nick had to hold her in a gentle hug again, patting the back of her head. He knew what she was likely feeling, and he wanted to let her know that it wasn’t anything to be ashamed of.

“You just lost control a little because you weren’t expecting it,” he gently soothed her. “It’s nothing you did wrong. And I’m not going to complain about it, obviously. That was one of the most passionate kisses I’ve ever gotten.”

There were a lot of ways he could have described the kiss. “Hottest” or “Sloppiest” or “Hungriest” but he settled on “Passionate”.

Nick guessed that Ella would probably respond better to that description.

When her shaking finally stopped he let Ella go, and she stepped back, looking up into his eyes. To his relief, it looked like the tears had all dried up.

“…I still should have controlled myself better,” she mumbled to him. It seemed that was most he could hope for right now in terms of not blaming herself. “I promise, um… n-next time… if we do it… again… I won’t lose control.”

Well, that was a bit of a letdown. Nick certainly didn’t mind a kiss as heated as that one. But at the same time, he could sense that Ella didn’t want to hear that right now. So he searched for words he could use to assuage her concerns, without sounding like he was validating them.

“…I’m just happy to get a kiss from you at all,” he said finally, settling on the truth. “Whether it’s that passionate again or not, you won’t get any complaints from me.”

Ella’s lips tugged up into a shaky smile and she nodded slightly. “O-okay,” she conceded with a slight nod. “Thanks…”

Nick was about to step back again, but she stopped him by clinging to his sleeve once more. Her wide eyes peered up at him and she bit her lip timidly. “Um… one… one more thing…”

“Yeah?” Nick said, curious what she was after now. The look in her eyes had changed from a shameful gaze to one with a little more fire in it. “What is it?”

“I…” Ella chewed on her lip like she was trying to extract the flavor of Nick’s kiss from it again. Her trembling eyes remained fixated on his face. “…I know what you said before… about… sharing with… with me… does that mean you’ll kiss Cinder like that… too?”

Nick froze. That’s right, he’d almost forgotten. In trying to get to know Cinder better, he’d promised her that anything he did with her, he would do with Ella, and vice-versa.

And just now, he and Ella had shared a kiss so hot and passionate that it had nearly made the poor girl orgasm. Likely the first time she’d ever done something that intimate with a boy before.

…Which meant he owed Cinder the same thing. Nick had no problem upholding his promise, of course, he would be glad to kiss Cinder if that was what she wanted.

It was the “If that was what she wanted” part that was giving him pause. As much as his relationship with Ella’s other half had improved today, he still wasn’t sure where they stood in regards to one another. Would Cinder be receptive to a kiss from him? A kiss like THAT?

…He really doubted it.

Ella looked at him with an antsy expression on her face, waiting to hear what he had to say. And it wasn’t like he could tell her anything but the truth, right?

“I’ll give Cinder a kiss like that too,” he promised her. “When I get the chance. And she’s ready for it.”

Ella frowned a little. “…I don’t think she’ll ever be ready for it,” she murmured with a sigh.

Nick shrugged. “You never know. We got a lot closer today while we were checking out the animals, maybe she’ll be willing to kiss. Just a small one.”

“Nuh-uh!” The sharpness of Ella’s voice and the firm way she shook her head caught Nick by surprise. He looked at her for a second and found himself yielding to her gaze.

“Not a small kiss,” Ella insisted. “It has to be the same! That… that’s only fair…”

Ella’s heart was in turmoil. She was split between her difficulty with Cinder existing as a part of her, and wanting to do right by the other side of herself too. Nick couldn’t treat them differently; no matter what Cinder said, he needed to be just as loving towards that part of herself as he was to her!

If he didn’t… then how would she know if he really liked her for who she was?

“You’re right, Ella,” Nick conceded. “I shouldn’t take it easy on her.” It was wrong to play favorites. Just because Ella was the side that liked overtly liked this romantic stuff while Cinder was outwardly opposed to it, he couldn’t just save all the intimacy for when Ella was around. Just like how Cinder needed to open herself up to admitting that she liked small animals, he needed to make her understand that she could like romantic gestures and things like kissing as well, even if he had to be a little forceful and insistent about it.

…Was there a way to phrase that that didn’t sound so… rapey? Nick hoped there was.

Regardless, Ella seemed to be satisfied with that response. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled bashfully up at him, her eyes twinkling.

“I’m glad,” she murmured, nodding slowly. “It would feel strange if you and I were the only ones… kissing.”

It sounded strange to say it. Especially considering a part of her still got a deathly chill at the notion of Cinder rearing up and taking over again. Even now she could feel that her other self was stewing in frustration as a result of that kiss, practically giving Ella a headache.

…Ella couldn’t blame her, though. She was feeling a little frustrated herself.

Her gaze kept returning to Nick’s lips. They looked so soft and warm. It would be alright if she got another one, right? Just a quick one? …No, a quick kiss wouldn’t satisfy her. She needed more than that. She wanted to keep kissing him until she was all kissed out! It was like… if she’d been able to hold on for a couple more seconds, she would have gotten to something so wonderful, but she hadn’t been able to, and so…

…Wait, what was she thinking right now?! Ella’s whole body flinched, surprising Nick, and he looked at her in confusion as she staggered back, her face turning red.

“S-s-sorry,” Ella stammered. Shame burst anew in her chest as she fantasy she’d been imagining played out like an accusation in her head. She’d been imagining that she was back in that closet again, with Nick tied up, unable to resist. She could kiss him as much as she wanted and there was nothing he could do about it… and that was really not something she should be wanting.

Even if she really did.

The confused but considerate expression on Nick’s face wasn’t helping matters, either.

“Ella?”

“I’m sorry!” She blurted out again. It felt like she was always saying that now. But this time she knew that she really did owe him an apology.

I’ve already kissed him at this point. There’s no reason to keep hiding it. It would be dishonest, and that’s a bad thing! Ella could feel Cinder pushing back against what she was intending, but she fought off her other self as best she could. Cinder had her time with him; this was Ella’s time!

“Thwap!” She snapped her rubber-band to calm herself down again and looked up into Nick’s eyes with renewed determination.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, much more cogently.

Nick waited anxiously on her next words, seeing the seriousness in her eyes.

Ella took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “…I wasn’t honest with you earlier,” she said, trying to keep the shakiness out of her voice. “I did something before… something… something bad.” She swallowed, her mouth going dry. She ignored the screaming from Cinder in her skull.

Nick just looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?” He asked hesitantly.

Ella bit her lip. “Before… not… not today. It was a while ago. In… in the closet. With Rose.” There, she’d said it. Well, not really. It had been a little too vague to count as a complete confession, but it was enough of one to lighten the burden from her shoulders so she could fully admit to what she’d done to him.

Nick’s eyes widened as he began to piece together what she was saying. “Wait, the closet… you mean…” He tried to recall what had happened back there, the way Rose had played with him. But if what Ella was saying was true, then it hadn’t been Rose, it had been-

“That was me,” Ella said. “In the closet. W-with you. You were blindfolded, and I… um…” Her voice caught in her throat. Not now! Not when she was trying to be honest with him! “…Rose helped me!” She **** out. “She pretended like she was the one tou-touching, and t-teasing you, but that… that was me! And I hid using my mask, l-like I did this morning. I-I’m s-so-so sorry,” she stammered, trying not to cry. “I just… I wanted to get closer to you, but I was afraid that if I asked you’d say no or you’d think I was weird, and so I… I’m so sorry!”

The guilt washed away and Ella could finally breathe again. But she knew it was but a momentary respite. After all, while she’d come clean and revealed the truth to him, that meant Nick now knew the truth.

She could only imagine how mad he’d get, now that he knew how she’d violated him.

“Is that all?” Nick wasn’t bothered in the slightest. Ella had barely done anything. In fact, he’d thought that it was pretty tame. “Ella, I think you’re too worried about this. It wasn’t really even a lie, right? Rose said it herself, that she’d invited a ‘secret guest’ to have some fun with me. And I guess that was you. Honestly… I really should have figured it out.”

“Well… maybe…” Ella had been so worked-up by what she’d done that she’d kind of forgotten about that cover story. “So you’re not upset?”

Nick shook his head. “Of course not,” he assured her. “I mean, I assumed it was Rose just pretending the whole time, but now that I know it was you, it’s not like I’m suddenly going to MIND about that or anything.”

He smiled at her. “It’s totally fine.”

All of Ella’s worries washed away like a sandcastle on the beach. She sighed in relief and slumped over, exhausted. Cinder receded far into the back of her mind, and for a moment, she was completely content.

“Are you two lovebirds done being all lovey-dovey now, hmm?”

…Of course Nola had to pop up and ruin the moment. Ella jerked up, surprised, and turned towards her, eyes wide.

“N-Nola!” She stammered out shakily. “I-”

“Great timing,” Nick said sarcastically.

“Isn’t it, though?” Nola chirped, wiggling her eyebrows. “Sorry friends, but the zoo is almost closing! We’ve got to get you both home! And I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t give you a chance to stop by the gift shop and pick up some goodies as a reminder of your time here! Well, wouldn’t that be just darling?”

Ella’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really!?”

And just like that, all thoughts of frustration or irritation were gone, and the only thing she could think about were the souvenirs.

The goods in the gift shop were free of charge. Which was a good thing. After all, it would have sucked to have to spend BP on some souvenirs, especially when Ella didn’t have very much of her own to spare in the first place.

That being said, there were limits. Nola wasn’t about to let Ella clean out the whole store, even just as a logistical issue.

So Ella had only been able to buy a few things, enough to fill up a single shopping bag, though a decently-sized one.

The excited girl wasn’t complaining. What she’d gotten was MORE than enough.

“Ehehehe…” Ella giggled to herself, cradling the stuffed unicorn she’d picked out against her cheek. “She’s so soft and fluffy…”

“I’m glad you like it,” Nick said, smiling. Nola’s interruption may have been annoying, but he wasn’t going to complain if Ella was happy with the results. Buying some souvenirs was the perfect way to end the date.

“I hope Cinder likes hers,” Ella murmured, her eyes drifting down to the bag. Obviously, they hadn’t been able to consult with Cinder, but Ella had still wanted to get something for her alter. So after some careful consideration, she decided to buy the coolest thing there she could find and hope Cinder would like it.

It was another stuffed animal, though. A little tiger cub.

Cinder would be cool with that, right?

“You really like stuffed animals, huh?” Nick asked. Those weren’t the only ones Ella had managed to squeeze into her bag.

“Uh-huh!” Ella nodded enthusiastically. “I- I couldn’t have a pet of my own, growing up, so a stuffed animal was like a cute little friend…”

A tinge of sadness touched her voice. “But my stepsisters… whenever they found my hiding places, they would always tear them up. Luckily I’m good at sewing so I was able to fix them, but…”

She was on the brink of tears just remembering it. Nick’s hand shot up and landed atop hers, giving it a gentle squeeze to ease her aching heart. As a bonus, this counted as fulfilling his agreement with Cinder to hold Ella’s hand.

And she really needed it right now.

“I remember on our last date, you were sad that you couldn’t keep that stuffed flapjack octopus,” Nick recalled. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll get a chance to buy a new one for you sometime, what do you think about that?”

Ella’s face lit up at the idea. “Oh wow! That would be great! I wish they’d had one here, but… maybe next time! That little guy was so cute!”

Nick smiled, glad to see her mood turning around. Once again, the date had almost been derailed by a sudden emotional shift, but luckily he’d managed to get everything back on track. Just as he’d hoped for!

As they headed back to the dock where Dakota was waiting, it looked like their date had finally come to a wonderful, peaceful end.