Week 1: Erica's Date, Part 4

Aífe’s heart pounded in her chest as she and Erica rode the elevator up to her suite for the night. God, even after all that stuff we did earlier, I’m still a nervous wreck. I guess it’s just the fact that I’m bringing a gorgeous woman up to my room is finally hitting me. She glanced at Erica through her peripheral vision. If the bunny girl was nervous, she wasn’t showing it in the slightest. I guess that makes sense with how experienced Erica is. Aífe couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy at her date’s composure. As they stepped through the mahogany doors and into the Lily Suite, Erica let out an appreciative whistle.

“Damn, Aífe.” Erica drew out the first word to show her awe. “They really went all-out for your suite. Though, I guess that makes sense, considering that you’re our Mistress.” The breathy tone Erica said that last word in nearly caused Aífe’s heart to jump out of her chest.

“Oh, come on.” Aífe blushed as she weakly objected. “I only just got Sera to stop with the ‘Mistress Aífe’ stuff. I don’t need you to start it up again.”

“I’m sure I can start something up, given how red your face is right now.” Erica winked. “But that’s enough flirting for right now. Let me grab dinner from the kitchen, and I’ll meet you at the dinner table—Ember should have already delivered it.”

Aífe did as she was told, and Erica soon joined her with a tray of food under a cloche. She removed it to reveal… a couple of burgers and some fries.

“Bone apple tea, or whatever the hell the French say.” Erica joked as she eagerly waited for Aífe to pick up the burger and take a bite. Her teeth bit down into the patty…

“BLEGH!” Aífe screwed up her face in disgust. “What the crap?! That burger is awful!”

“I know, right?” Erica smiled. “Just like I ordered it.”

“Just like you—” It suddenly hit Aífe. Memories of her childhood came rushing back to her. She had tasted this horrible burger before. “Don’t tell me… is this supposed to be one of your dad’s burgers?!” She had eaten at the Andrews’ house many times, and Mike was usually a fairly decent home cook… with one exception. He could not grill a burger to save his life—they always came out extremely dry and tough, and he’d attempt to make up for that by drowning the burger in A-1. It didn’t help.

“Bingo!” Erica laughed. “I figured I’d give you something nostalgic for our first dinner date. So, how did Ember do? She said she could remake it perfectly.”

“Oh, it’s pretty spot on.” Aífe sighed. “So much so that I can almost hear NASCAR playing in the background just like every Sunday at your dad’s house. I seriously can’t believe you asked Ember to ruin a perfectly good burger like that.” Rolling her eyes at the tomboy shrugging in response, Aífe asked, “So we’re just having nearly inedible burgers for dinner? Not exactly the best first impression for a date.”

“Oh, no. Only you got the dud burger—mine is cooked perfectly.” Erica teased. Seeing the deadpan look on Aífe’s face, she failed to keep her poker face—reassuring her friend while laughing, “I’m just kidding! Let me go grab your actual burger. Ember said that Umbra will take care of the extra one. Apparently, she doesn’t have taste buds, so she won’t mind.”

Erica returned a moment later with a new burger. Aífe cautiously took a bite… and it was probably the best burger she’d ever had. Perfectly cooked, juicy, greasy—it was everything a burger should be. Ember even included Aífe’s favorite toppings, mushrooms and Swiss cheese with some of those little fried onion bits on top. Paired with seasoned steak fries, it was a meal that put the world’s best diners to shame.

“Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot.” Erica ducked back into the kitchen and reached into the fridge. A moment later, she returned with 2 extra large milkshakes, strawberry for her, and chocolate for Aífe. “Apparently they have a farm somewhere on site—Ember said that all of their dairy is delivered fresh each morning.” She set the milkshakes down on the table, and they both took a long sip. It was by far the creamiest milkshake she’d ever had, capable of bringing anyone to the yard, regardless of gender. The rest of dinner was quiet, neither wanting to take a break from eating to strike up a conversation. Several minutes later, they both sat back in their chairs, rubbing their bellies in satisfaction.

“Okay, I see the need for the gym now.” Aífe sighed, content. “If I don’t work out more, Ember’s cooking is gonna leave me immobilized by the end of the season.” She mused, to which Erica could only respond with a simple, “Mood.”

With dinner wrapped up, they moved to the couch to relax and spend the evening catching up. They talked about what high school and college were like for both of them, what extracurriculars they had gotten involved with, and how their families had been doing.

“So, how has your dad been?” Aífe asked. “He’s still living in Arizona, right?”

“Yeah, and he’s been bugging me to move back down there ever since I left to come up here.” Erica rolled her eyes. “Says he misses his baby girl, and he doesn’t know how to spend his weekends anymore.”

“That sounds like him.” Aífe smiled wistfully. “Wonder what he’d say about all of this.”

“Which part?” Erica laughed. “Us dating, you magically growing tits, or us being on some sex show that wants to turn me into your submissive bunny ****?” She wiggled her eyebrows as she said the last part.

“Let’s just focus on the first two, for now. That last one gives me a headache just thinking about it.” Aífe complained, rubbing her temples. “So, is that what we’re calling this? Are we officially dating?”

“Well, this is a date—even if we had more company than would usually be included, and there will hopefully be at least 9 more of them.” Erica gave a flirty look as she rested her chin on her palm. “I’m not planning on letting myself get eliminated anytime soon, so yeah, I think it’s safe to say that we’re dating.”

“And you’re really okay with this?” Aífe cast her eyes down, unsure. “With being… being in my harem?”

“Well, the transformations aren’t great, and I don’t like the implied ownership that they’re going with.” Erica pondered. “But look—you were my best friend growing up, and spending the day with you made me realize just how much I missed being able to hang out with you. So, I’m glad that we got to be reunited, even if the circumstances aren’t great. I’m happy that you got a body that you can feel comfortable in, and yeah—it helps that your new body is pretty hot.” Erica winked at Aífe before continuing. “You’re not going to leave any of us high and dry, right? You’ll work with us to get through this?” Seeing Aífe nod, Erica smiled warmly. “Then I’m glad that you’re the one who was put in this position. I trust you, and I’ll help however I can.”

“Thank you, Erica.” Aífe felt an enormous weight lifted off her shoulders. “That means so much to me, you have no idea.” Sighing in relief and leaning back in her seat, she cast another glance toward Erica. “I guess that just leaves the matter of my new body. That’s gonna be a tough one to explain to my mom.”

“Yeah, I bet. So, did she know already?” Erica asked. “Y’know, about you being trans?”

“Are you kidding? Of course not, I hadn’t even come out to myself, yet.” Aífe chuckled. “It’s not like I think she’d have a problem with it, or anything—it’s just that I’ll be going home in a couple months in a completely different body.”

“Who knows? Maybe Sera will give you the same treatment she gave Aria. Y’know, with all of the updated identity stuff?”

“Yeah, maybe.” Aífe stared off into space, sorting through her thoughts. “What about your dad? Do you think he’d have a problem with me? He doesn’t seem like the type, but middle-aged veterans aren’t usually seen as the most progressive group.”

“Oh yeah, he’d be fine. When one of his old army buddies came out a few years ago, he took her to her first Pride parade. Said that fighting for freedom meant fighting for every freedom—even the ones that he’d never need.” Erica fondly reminisced about her dad.

“God, your dad’s so fucking cool.” Aífe was envious. “I’m glad I only talk to mine about once a year—mine’s a raging transphobe.”

“He might be a massive dork under all that, but yeah, he’s a really good dad.” Erica sat up straighter and clapped her hands together. “Enough of the heavy stuff for right now! It’s getting pretty late, so we should get ready for bed.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I am pretty beat.” Aífe stretched and yawned. “I’ll go get changed into my pjs. Do you have a change of clothes?”

“Crap, I didn’t think of that.” Erica facepalmed. “I guess I’ll have to borrow some of your clothes. It’ll be an awkward fit, but I can make do.”

Aífe left for her room to get changed, only to call for Erica a moment later to come check something out.

“Sera left us a note.” Aífe handed a slip of paper to the befuddled bunny girl. “Apparently, there’s a guest clothes section in my closet that automatically connects to your wardrobe whenever you stay here for the night. She also mentioned that you’ve got your own toothbrush and other toiletries already set up for you at the sink in my bathroom.”

“She’s definitely thorough, I’ll give her that.” Erica scanned the note, perturbed at the degree of foresight that the Host always seemed to have. “I guess I’ll go ahead and wash up while you change, and then we can switch.” Aífe nodded before heading to her closet while Erica made her way to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth, she swapped with Aífe, now wearing a silky pink camisole and matching shorts. Erica made sure to give a wink and an appreciative whistle, making the redhead blush as she left Erica to find her clothes. Quickly finding the guest section of the closet, she opened a wardrobe to find all of her clothes, including the ones she’d purchased earlier that day. It was at this moment she discovered her mistake. Fuck. I forgot to buy new nightclothes. Her available options were the same as last night, the onesie or the lacy lingerie. As Erica started to reach for the onesie again, she paused—a sly grin forming.

Aífe returned to her room while Erica was still in the closet, getting dressed for bed. She sat down on the edge of the luxurious bed, and was about to check in on her date when the door opened, and Erica strutted out in a daring set of black lingerie.

Aífe’s mouth hung open as she struggled to form words, and Erica quickly closed the gap between them, placing one hand on Aífe’s shoulder, one hand on her cheek, and rested one of her legs up on the bed next to Aífe’s thigh.

“Now that I have you alone on a bed, I thought this might be a nice surprise for my girlfriend.” Hearing Erica refer to her as her girlfriend in a low sultry tone sent shivers dancing up and down Aífe’s spine. “What do you think? In the mood to help me earn some points?” Aífe gulped at Erica’s teasing as the tomboy placed her hand under Aífe’s chin, lightly brushing her thumb against Aífe’s lips. A moment passed, breathless, before Erica smiled and moved her hand to lightly boop Aífe on the nose. “Just kidding.” Erica moved to sit next to Aífe, still facing her, and moving her other hand to rest against the small of Aífe’s back.

“What?” Aífe’s brain was still trying to process everything that had just transpired.

“I’m not fucking you tonight.” Erica said matter-of-factly. She saw a blank expression stuck on Aífe’s face as the redhead hovered between being relieved, disappointed, and somewhat offended. Erica clarified, “Don’t get me wrong, Aífe, you’re hot, and I totally want to sleep with you. Hell, if you were some random girl I just met somewhere, I’d already have you bent over and screaming my name.” Erica lightly flexed the hand on Aífe’s back so she could feel the nails gently digging into her skin, giving her goosebumps. “But you’re not just some random girl—you’re my friend, and I want to do this right.”

“What do you mean?” Aífe had finally found her voice.

“Look, I’ve been with plenty of women, but I’ve never been in a relationship before.” Erica explained. “I don’t really know how to be a girlfriend, so I was really nervous today. And when I’m nervous, I tend to just default to what I’m used to doing. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable with how flirty I was being all day.”

“No.” Aífe smiled and shook her head. “Sure, it was a lot more than I’m used to, but I knew that you would have stopped if I’d asked you to.” She wrapped her arms around her friend’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “I’m glad you’re taking this seriously. I really care about you, and I really want this relationship with you. After all, I’ve had a crush on you ever since we were kids.”

“Yeah, I remember you asked me to marry you when we were 4.” Erica chuckled as she returned Aífe’s embrace. “About a day after I came out to him when I was 10, my dad joked, ‘Damn, poor Adam’s gonna be disappointed. Didn’t you say you’d marry him?’”

“Well, you did say yes all those years ago, and it’s safe to say that I’m way more your type now.” Aífe broke the hug to wink at Erica. “What do you say?”

“Damn, girl, isn’t it a bit early to be talking about marriage? We’ve been on one date.” Erica teased, playing up her fake astonishment.

“I don’t know, 23 years is a pretty long engagement.” Aífe grinned. “Tell you what—we’ve got at least 9 more dates for you to make up your mind, then you can take your turn to propose. Just so you know, I expect to be swept off my feet.”

“Sure thing.” Erica sighed in relief. “I’m really glad I decided to slow down and just have this talk. I didn’t want you feeling like you had to push yourself to match my pace.”

“Of course, Erica. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty more opportunities to bend me over and make me scream.” Aífe tried to mimic Erica’s sultry tone from earlier with little success.

“Careful, don’t make me change my mind.” Erica hugged Aífe tight before pulling back and gazing at her warmly. “Good night, Aífe.”

“Good night, Erica.” A momentary spark of inspiration flashed in Erica’s eyes as Aífe said that.

“Actually, before we go to sleep… there is still something I owe you from earlier.” Erica placed her hand against Aífe’s cheek again.

“Oh? What’s tha—” Aífe was cut off as Erica, in one fluid motion, grabbed Aífe’s chin and took her lips with her own, kissing her deeply. Aífe’s eyes widened for a moment before drooping shut dreamily as she melted into the kiss. Aífe began leaning back, pulling Erica with her until they both laid there, Erica on top of her. The kiss broke a moment later, and they immediately locked lips a second time. This cycle repeated for a couple of blissful minutes.

Erica kissed the Mistress! +1 VP
First time bonus! +1 VP
Aífe’s first kiss! +1 VP
Current score: 15 VP

“First you come out dressed like that, then you tell me we’re not having sex, and then you kiss me.” Aífe teased. “You know, I’m kinda getting mixed signals, here.”

“Yeah, well they’re mixed ‘cuz I’m still figuring them out, myself, so shut up.”

“How ‘bout you shut me up, yourself, coward?” Aífe cheekily issued a challenge that Erica was happy to meet, kissing her again and again. Eventually, they shared one last gentle kiss before snuggling under the covers. They slept peacefully, wrapped in each other’s embrace.