Affair of the Heart

“So what was so important that you couldn’t text or even call me about it?” John said, walking into Keith’s apartment to see him lounging on the couch. His arm was around Kimberly, who smiled brightly at him when he came in. The lights were off, the only thing illuminating the modern living room a black and white movie on the screen across from them. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the character on screen to be Frankenstein’s Monster from the bolts in his neck.

“Watch your tone there, lad,” Keith slowly disentangled from his wife, putting a large bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. “Just ‘cause I like ya a little doesn’t mean I won’t knock a few of your teeth out.”

“Just a little irritable because I’m here instead of watching Jenny’s last show.” John had a reason to be angry, but he also realized that pressing the issue wasn’t a good idea.

“It’s not a delay to stop and sharpen the scythe,” Keith recited wistfully, patting his wife’s thigh as he rose from the comfy sofa. “I wanted it to be a surprise. I made something for yeh. You’re going in to a dangerous line of work, and I can’t protect you anymore. Either of you. You’ve come far, and I hope you go further, so I’m trying to make sure of that.”

“Aw, I didn’t know how much you cared,” John joked, following Keith to a set of nearby stairs. He had never gone down the gray carpeted steps before, but guessed they went down to his alchemy laboratory. When he reached the bottom, he learned he had guessed correctly.

Different metal desks took up much of the floor space, though he couldn’t see their surface hidden as it was by papers, vials, flasks, and other alchemy equipment. In one corner what looked like a furnace steadily rustled, orange light creeping through bars on the door. In the middle of the room, an organized mess of glass and metal could be heard bubbling. Upon closer inspection he saw a length of tubing dripping a glowing violet solution into a buret, filtered by a black granular substance into a metal, oblong shampoo bottle flask.

The last of it dribbled down, and Keith put a cap on the just finished potion, screwing it shut. “This is a Drought of Undeath. I didn’t name it. It can bring ya back from the brink of ****, even the worst of wounds can be healed. Upon consumption, the drinker finds themselves empowered, their body briefly pushed to its physical limits. It can even repair very minor damage to the soul. There’s a legend of a man missing all but his head regenerating his entire body after an ally applied it. I wouldn’t go that far, but when it comes to health and mana potions, this is the final word. It has a steep drawback though: a short time after consuming it, the affected person’s magic is overloaded and they lose consciousness. Don’t go wastin’ it, and don’t go losin’ it. The ingredients are expensive, let alone how much it’d actually sell for.”

John took the container gingerly, almost reverently. He used Advanced Spy on the mixture, wondering what the attributes of such a potion would be.

Well… those attributes are a little disappointing. The effects though! Holy shit! John put the potion in his inventory, desperately wanting to protect it. “Thank you so much. I can’t even guess how much time and money that cost you.”

“I do like you, but I didn’t do it for you. Jenny is in love with you, and I don’t want to see her get hurt because you decided to get in over your head. Which leads into the other reason I brought you here.” Keith suddenly grasped John’s shoulder, his grip iron even in his flesh form. Even through the duster, John felt a sharp pain in his collarbone.

-21 hp!

A mere squeeze from the burly alchemist made it through his armor with that much damage, but John fought to meet his eyes. “If you do anything, anything ever to hurt her, even without meaning to, I’ll kill you. Not even that potion would be able to help you.”

Puffing out his chest and slowly removing Keith’s hand from his shoulder, John retaliated, “Same goes to you. I love Jenny. Hurting her is the last thing I want.”

“Good, then we’re clear. You can go now. I’ve got a date with my wife and a bowl of popcorn.” Keith turned a few dials on the cooling down apparatus, now empty save for the black granular substance that the potion flowed through.

“The threeway of dreams.” John followed the man back up the stairs, leaving his apartment (and barrier) via the fire escape as an easier method of getting back to his apartment.

I’ve never told Jenny I love her. Everything has gone so fast, and there’s never really been a good time, but… it’s true. I can’t keep waiting for there to be a good time though, this isn’t a movie. I should just say it, these thoughts swirled around his head as he parkoured across the roofs toward his building.

So concerned was he that he mistimed a jump; thankfully he was able to recover with the second jump from his boots, somersaulting onto the roof of his building. I wonder if Gino’s even delivers this late. Then again, this is for Jenny, so I should probably order from Virgil’s…

Though Jenny agreed that Gino’s was the best pizza place in town, the manager’s son was a previous sexual conquest of hers, and as such it made ordering from there rather awkward. Especially since John didn’t know this the first time around, and the guy happened to be delivering to them. When he answered the door, the poor sod got an eyeful of the girl of his dreams one last time. It’s almost as good and closer. I do miss Gino’s garlic knots sometimes though.

Taking out his phone, he quickly placed the order as he made his way down the steps from the roof, over and done with it by the time he was putting his key in his door. He turned it, and Discordance burst into his head. Letting go of the key, he stared around wildly, the unharmonious notes continuing for another five seconds before they cut off. What the hell was that?

His other senses briefly faded away as he concentrated on his hearing, but no suspicious sounds beyond a jumble of commercials, television shows, and people kissing a few doors down… or something more graphic. He brought Auric Vision into focus to look for invisible enemies, even going so far as to pay for its active benefits… but found nothing.

Maybe I was about to stub my toe or something. The thought was more for his benefit than an actual logical reason as he pushed his door open, grabbing the key out of the lock. An ethereal tendril greeted him at the door, and he felt a rush of adrenaline, This is it!

It reached out at his touch… and an information window opened.

Magic Detected: Move
Used: 37 hours ago
User: John Newman
Level: 9
Ambient Mana Generated: 8 units

Okay, but that wasn’t the danger. Useful to know that that’s what the detect magic feature looks like. This tendril goes in an arc that recreates me closing the door. Pretty useful, but I better turn it off, he cancelled the effect, the magic fading from his view. So spells create ambient magic? That’s pretty interesting. Is that mana wasted? I’ll have to ask… someone about that.

He moved his duster into his inventory, his belt, hat, guns following suit. David appeared on his shoulder, looking at his master curiously.

“You can fly to your perch, buddy. We’re taking the rest of the day off.” John pet his companion gently, the hawk fluttering over to rest. Taking David’s feed from his inventory, he ripped a chunk of meat off and tossed it into the air. The bird shot down, taking the food in its beak and swallowing it whole.

A knock at the door set him on edge, and he had half a mind to call his guns into his hands as he moved back into the living room. That was fast. Is the pizza really here already? I didn’t even buzz anyone in. The peephole confirmed the poor kid which would have been at the mercy of a sleepy gunman was indeed holding a pizza box. He opened the door, putting his hand into his pocket and taking twenty dollars out of his inventory.

“Sorry about the delay, I was getting dressed,” John explained, taking the pizza box from the clearly out of it pizza delivery guy.

“Nah it’s fine somebody else let me in. It’s seventeen bucks.” John gave the teen the money, setting the box down on a table next to the door, deciding to wait for Jenny before eating.

“How’d it go?” he asked, settling on the couch with a paper plate. He had a slice with pepperoni and two garlic knots, even if they were inferior to his preferred pizza place’s. The grease formed a rim around the edge of his plate, but the intoxicating smell of melty cheese and hot meat made it easy to ignore.

“They wanted an encore but the drummer was way too tired, I think we all were.” Jenny sat down next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“It was your first day, it’ll get easier as you go.” John pulled her closer, squeezing her thigh comfortingly.

“You know yesterday was my first day, right? Today was my second day,” she clarified, pulling away to look at him. She took a bite out of her pizza, glad to be home and relaxing.

“Shit! I totally forgot! I’m so sorry! I just… lost track of time. Wow, right. So how’s it going so far? I mean I saw you on stage but-” She shut him up with a kiss, the joy in her eyes revealing that she clearly wasn’t upset about the mix-up.

“You know I love it, you dork. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing. Well besides maybe having a lazy night with you.” She pulled away from him to take another hulking bite of her food. Clearly they were past the phase of careful etiquette when eating around each other.

“I’m happy to hear you say that because… I love you, Jenny. You know it’s not some physical infatuation, I love you. I love who you are, I love the person you make me want to be. Everything I am, all of who I am, is yours.” She had been silent the whole time, and he was afraid of what she was thinking, afraid of what she was going to say. Even if he didn’t respect her too much to violate her private thoughts for such a petty reason, he was terrified of what they were.

The emotion hiding in her eyes was impossible to decipher. The immaculate circles of icy blue looked white in the dim light of their home. Confusion stood out in them, adoration surely, but they were hidden by tears in the thousands of years that his confession hung.

She threw her plate to the table, wrapping her arms around him tight and cuddling close against him. “You didn’t have to be so dramatic about it, you dummy,” she sniffled in his ear. “I love you too. You’re talking about the person I make you want to be? Are you crazy? I got drunk pretty much every night and fucked people whose names I didn’t even know. I still get drunk every other night… but it doesn’t feel empty with you. Having somebody like you to come home to… it helps everything make sense.”

“I can’t take all the credit. The only one who can change you is you, Jenny. I’m glad you’re past it, but it was you that got past it.” John hugged her back, kissing her cheek. An achievement appeared, but he merely glanced at it before waving it away.

Isn’t This It’s Own Reward?
You have earned the power of love!

- Guts +2 (Strength)
- Love +3 (Charisma)
- Smarts +1 (Intellect)
- Will +1 (Wisdom)
- Love’s Protector Set

“You’re a great motivator, not to mention this.” She grinned, pulling away from him and cupping his crotch. “Screw the pizza, take those clothes off.” She raised her shirt and took it off, revealing the words ‘John’s Girl’ written under her belly button. “They give the performers this stuff for free and I thought I’d put it to good use.”

The sight had him go from accepting indulgence to an active participator. “Can’t argue with that!” He shucked his shirt in a hurry, pulling her into a kiss and unclasping her bra.

“You’re getting good at that! You better not be practicing on any other girls,” Jenny joked when he finally let up. His thumbs flicked across her nipples and she drew a sharp breath. “Ohh shit, come on, Johnny.”

He scooped her up in his arms, lifting her up into a deep embrace. She exaggerated a swoon, and used the opportunity to grope him through his jeans. He kicked their door open, laughing into the kiss as her hand fumbled with his zipper. At such an angle, the casual ease with which she normally removed his clothes was impossible.

“Oh! I’ve got a surprise for you! Lay down and close your eyes.” He followed her orders, laying back on the bed. He felt her climb atop of him, straddling him, through his clothes. She leaned forward, and her breath was hot on his ear as she whispered, “Stay still for me, babe.”

She had been rubbing against him through the fabric, and the loss of stimulation was disappointing as she rolled off him. He heard her unzip her bass case and the pop of a cap opening. Just after, their playlist came on, starting with ‘Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up’ by Barry White.

Just as he made a note of this, he felt his button and zipper undone. His jeans and boxers were summarily yanked off. He felt her hands, covered in a sticky liquid, rub up and down his erect shaft. Like wildfire, a burning pleasure consumed him. His eyes shot open and he began to sit up, but Jenny was waiting for him, kissing him back down into the bed while her hand pumped him up and down, only giving him a glimpse of what was actually being done to him.

You are under the effects of Lover’s Embrace Magical Lubricant! Pain as a byproduct of sexual activities reduced by 60%! Sexual sensitivity to those you love (romantically) increased by 200%! (Duration: 2 hrs)

“I’ve been preparing myself for this… and I wanted to surprise you.” Her hands left his dick, and he heard her voice grow slightly further away. “You can open your eyes now.”

He picked up where she left off, but it didn’t feel nearly as good. Opening his eyes, he saw her bending over at the edge of the bed, her clothes long gone. A small, black, silicone circle stood out just above her slit. “Holy shit! How long have you been doing this? Did you have it in when you were… on stage? Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

Deciding to just let the moment be, she answered, “As ready as I’ll ever be, Johnny. Now I need you to gently take it out.” She bent back to see him looming over her, giggling at the near-dumbfounded look on his face. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into another passionate kiss as his fingers gently siezed the sextoy.
He slowly pulled it out, marvelling at something he was so sure he would only ever see in porn for most of his life. Her fingers pulled tight at the sheets and she let out a sharp gasp as the hole it just came out of rapidly clenched and unclenched. “Did you… come just from that?”

“This lube is really fucking good. Now what, do you need an invitation?” After pondering on an equally sassy reply, John decided that, no, he didn’t need an invitation. “Just… go slow. That stuff is going to help, but it’s still my first time having anyone… back there.”

“I know that that was just you being coy to turn me on, but goddamn,” was John’s only answer as he slowly inserted his finger. She gripped him, though whether it was voluntarily he couldn’t know. She bucked back against him, growing impatient.

“What, is that you from when we first started going out back there? No, that’s your finger. I want to feel full! Give me your dick!” She looked back at him, and the pleading yet impatiently angry face was enough to **** him into submission.

He slowly fed himself into her, feeling like a virgin again as he nearly instantly came from his tip being surrounded by her tight embrace. Once he was fully inside, he was surprised when she bucked against him and sent him onto his back, lest he… bend inside of her. He felt her grip him, not expecting the sudden shift despite being the initiator. She pulsed around him and let out a long, high moan.

“That’s enough - oh - out of - ah - you, slowpoke!” That she had to stop mid sentence twice because of the pleasure he was giving her wasn’t a fact lost on him, and he thrust up into her as she began to bounce. He came almost immediately, but whether due to magic or seeing the person he loved bounce on his dick, remained hard. “Now that’s - fuck - more like it!”

The encouragement was unneeded… he could hardly even hear it. His mind was abuzz with pleasure and… introspection. Fleshy walls pressed in on him from all sides but it was distinctly different. This is amazing! It’s so weird but… good. So fuckin’ good. The all-encompassing tight heat wasn’t so unfamiliar, but the velvety-smooth feeling wasn’t there. An intoxicating friction replaced it, compelling him to drive forward.

There’s more to it than just feeling good. It’s her. Right now I’m with her in a way neither of us have ever experienced before, and she’s doing it because she loves me. Another quick thrust and that thought drove him to the edge once more. “I love you, Jenny! More than anything in this world!”

He didn’t give her the opportunity to reply. She let out a sharp gasp as he pulled her down, eyes wide as she orgasmed again, but he felt her relax into their kiss. They were competing to pleasure each other, but there were no losers.