Dobroye Utro, Mr.Chekhov

Maeve had gone to sleep holding him, but when Richard woke the next morning, she’d already left the bed.

He found her on the kitchen floor meditating. Her eyes were closed, and so he silently decided to leave her there as he got ready for the day. She’d hear the shower running, and so she could talk to him afterward if she wanted to.

Thoughts of the day before chased him, even under the roar of the three showerheads around him. He’d had his third threesome last night, and all three of which felt different now.

The first one felt like a threesome only by technicality. He was with Hazel, and they were there for Hel. He’d been trying to pretend Hel wasn’t present, and he knew she had done the same about him. Hazel… I’ve no idea what Hazel was thinking. I know she loves us both but… there was so much going on that day.

His second, with Luna and Hazel, was what he’d imagine a threesome would be like if someone told him to describe one. It had been wild, literally magical. The two of them had been begging for his attention, begging for his touch. It’d been intoxicating. If the season’s TFs had been a bit more intense or if some of the others cooperated as easily as Hazel and Loon do, he felt like he could’ve fallen into a pattern like that. He wasn't sure how he felt about that realization.

Last night was… somewhere in between. The end had the feeling of a current’s pull he’d become used to from Luna. But leading up to it had been much different, a slower event in which he had to think through everything. Dr.Petrov had- no. Maeve had welcomed his attention, even wanted it. When they’d moved on to the more free flowing part when he’d been straddling her, everything was about her in that moment. But also somehow about him without him actually doing anything. He’d let Maeve use his hands on her again. Which had been nice, even if he was still trying to wrap his head around it coming from her. She was so soft. The thought came back again, and he tried to move past it. It felt weird to keep obsessing over that fact.

Then Luna had steered Maeve. His best friend had used him as fuel for his therapist’s growing fantasies. That’s wrong. I know it is. So why can’t I be upset?

Maeve had been focused in those fantasies on him, his arousal, and what he might do with it. He knew that her desires were becoming unshackled and that she’d accepted that, but it felt like those controls were being loosened very quickly. Is it that she’s actually attracted to me, or just what her TFs can do with me?

By the time he’d finished and was dressed, Maeve was done meditating and both women were at the table. He overheard part of an argument as he was trying to get dressed.

“You need to tell him.” Luna pressed.

“I agree. But… tomorrow, please. I’d like to have time with him to discuss it with the weight he thinks it needs. Depending on how our time alone goes it may become more or less serious.”

“What do we need to discuss?” He asked as he reached the room, stepping back into the kitchen.

Maeve looked pained at the question.

“He deserves to know.” Luna pushed again.

Maeve’s brow furrowed, worried about her lover’s frustration. “It’s related to what you and Luna discussed last night while I was changing into what I wore for you last night. I know that is… broad and unspecific, but would you mind waiting one more day?”

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “Of course. I trust you. As long as you can share it during or right after breakfast tomorrow that’s fine.”

“I suppose I can accept that.”

Luna nodded, glad that at minimum he’d gotten a deadline

“Do you guys want to come with me to the dining hall then?”

“I need to change clothes and finish the rest of my morning routine, but I will be there after.” Maeve said.

“Same for me. Felicia’s probably going to be asleep, so mind if I use your shower?”

“Go ahead.”

So Richard left, making the short walk across the plaza to the dining hall. It was an unusual group there when he arrived. Bo was at the corner table by the stairs, the substitute Host puffing away at her cigarette. The dame was in a much more modest outfit today, wearing a grey peacoat. Closer to the door, Ava and Stella sat next to each other and appeared to be struggling to follow one of Aubrey’s monologues. The athlete was wearing a chainmail bikini, though it was made moderately more realistic by the fitted leather gloves she wore, and the metallic greaves and poleyns he saw gleaming under the table. The other two were in clothes much closer to what he was used to from them, providing a stark contrast to the battle bikini next to them. Stella and Ava’s plight was stalled by Aubrey seeing him walk in, excitedly waving him over.

“Hey, Aubs.” He sat down next to his girlfriend.

“Hey!” She scooted closer on the bench next to him. “It’s our date together today, we got put near the beginning again. Are you looking forward to it?”

“Of course I am. Do you have something planned already?”

“Yep! I found out from Ava earlier before you came in that you all ended up going to the beach while I was with Maeve at the end of last round? I figure that since you couldn’t have me there, we could do a whole beach day for ourselves, just the two of us. We could go swimming, try the waterslide Ava mentioned, or anything else you want to try. But you know the best part?”

Stella blushed, turning as pink as her hair had already been when he came in. She had already heard what the ‘best part’ was. A few times.

Dick, however, was walking in blind. “What’s the best part?”

“You’ll get to see me in a little swimsuit. Though there is a problem with that.” She smiled devilishly as she slid into his lap. “My newest transformation may have made most of the old swimsuits Hel gave me a bit too snug. I was thinking about getting something new this morning, but I thought I’d check with you before I left for the tower. Would you rather I get something new to show off for you, or would you rather I squeeze into one of the old ones anyway so you can see just how tight it is on me? Do you want to see if I can tear through them? Or do you want to see me in something new?”

He let out a low groan.

Feeling his hard-on under her, Aubrey rolled her hips. Her boyfriend bucked in response, and she wrapped her arms around him.

“Hey, sorry if I shouldn’t be interrupting. Is this one of those Security Blanket moments I keep hearing about?” Ava asked.

“It might be.” Aubrey admitted, still on top of him. She rolled her hips again, before asking: “Decide one way or another?”

He just moaned again.

“Magari potremmo fare entrambe le cose.” She whispered in his ear.

I can’t wait to find out what that meant. Though I clearly need to brush up on my Italian.

While he was trying to interpret her teasing, she dismounted and addressed the full group. “I’m headed off to the tower, probably be back sometime before lunch.” The blonde put away her dishes before skipping out of the dining hall and towards the shop.

Stella stood up after Aubrey left, pulling her hand out from her skirt and wiping it on a napkin. “I’ll start on your breakfast. The schedule Genet left behind replaced the cereal with french toast.” The chef left for the kitchen, leaving him with Ava, who turned out to have some plans of her own.

“Hey, you remember when I turned into the big gray Fury?” She asked, leaning over the table.

“I don’t think I could ever forget it.” Dick responded with an amused blush.

“Yeah, so Megaera was part of a transformation that lost its vote. I was thinking of getting the original so we can do it again. Just wanted to check before I bought it that you’re still good with it, and potentially more monstergirl stuff?”

“Of course. Is that why you’re up so early?”

“Yeah. Your stepsister asked me to talk to her about something this afternoon, so I thought I’d do it now. Plus, Hazel told me a few days ago to stop texting people while they were on a date with you, so since we’ll both be busy I decided to just get up early.”

“Yeah. Go ahead then.” Is that conversation Hel confessing to the file? I hope so, I haven’t heard much about it other than Luna yesterday so I was a little worried about how slow she might be going.

“Cool, cool. See ya’ later.”

Ava took her stack of plates to the depository like Aubrey had a few minutes ago and started towards the door.

“Chickadee, if I may possess you for a moment?”

As Ava turned around, Bo stood up and trashed her cigarette in a wastebin that appeared as she rose. She approached the athlete by the door and spoke. “I’ve heard you’re walking into a rather dodgy dive.”

“I am?”

“That’s what the newsies told me. You’re getting the nickel dropped this afternoon?”

Ava lit up in recognition. “Oh! You’re talking about Hel’s invitation.”

“That I am. I don’t want to see you get jobbed.”

“Wait, I know this one. Wait, you’re worried about me being a jobber? Why would there be a fight? I wouldn't lose on purpose.”

Bo sighed. “I hate this accent sometimes. Nearly makes me miss when I was British. Look, I want to give you a tip. If you find yourself in a jam, remember one thing: The temple is there if you need it, and it has a little something for everyone. You understand?” Then she smiled and pointed a finger gun at Ava, which made an audible clicking sound like a gun being cocked. The smile looked pained and unnatural, like she was out of practice.

Ava nodded, making a motion like she was taking something from Bo and stuffing it into a pocket in her greaves. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense- wait, no it doesn’t. What are you talking about?”

“I’m sure you’ll tumble it out.” Bo said. She dropped both the pose and the smile, stepping back a ways as if to cue that the conversation was over.

“Okay? Thanks, I guess. I’m going to see if I can catch up to Aubrey so we can walk together.” The athlete threw the door open, breaking into a jog as she followed the path west after the blonde.

Bo sighed, turning around and adjusting the knot on her coat before retreating back to Genet’s office.

That odd scene over, Dick turned back to his table just in time for Stella to return with breakfast. She set the plate down in front of him, smiling as he picked up his fork. “You know, every time I feel like I’m getting used to this, some new strange thing starts.”

“I know the feeling.” He agreed, remembering everything from just the past day.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“What was Ava saying about ‘monstergirls'?”