Chapter Text
“Yes! Ride me like that! Harder…! -Ahn! Ahhh!-”
The loud, wet slapping stops, the blonde Kurantan woman singing her euphoria as she practically leaps from the spear that had been repeatedly impaling her. She collapses on the bedsheets an exhausted, spasming mess of pleasure, and the Doctor can’t help but admire that sight.
He grabs hold of his shaft, pumping that last bit of heat up and out of his well… and sends thick streaks of milky white across the Kurantan’s back, tail, and wondrous ass. Zofia mewls weakly, trying to protest the mess he makes on her, but what can she do besides writhe from the orgasmic aftershock? A slap of her ass leaves a rosy cheek, makes the knight shudder again in sinful pleasure.
“Same time tomorrow, Zofia?”
“-Nnmm…- ” The blonde Kurantan woman groans, trying to pull herself up, but the Doctor is already buttoning up his shirt and searching for his pants in the pile of shed clothing. It’s a rendezvous they’ve made enough for a routine, timed perfectly to when no one would be around, and more specifically when Zofia had nothing she needed to attend to for an hour or so after.
The Doctor throws on his bulky coat to cover up anything that Zofia might have left on his skin before heading out, and with Zofia’s room closed and locked behind him, he makes his way through the Nearl's common room. Had to be back before breakfast ended, just enough time for a quick bite, but that was the cost of having a quick bite. He reaches for the door’s scanner when the thing snaps open, another blonde beauty nearly slamming face-first into his chest. She’s glistening still from a light sweat, clad in gym-clothes. A loose fitting white tank top with matching sports bra highlighting beneath it, a tight pair of black joggers clinging so greedily to her curves- just what was it with this family and having the bodies of goddesses? Had to be the Competition Knight in them-
“D-Doctor! What are you doing here?” Maria blushes with the most adorably bright smile across her face. Before the confusion and suspicion could set in, the Doctor ushers her into her own living room.
“J-Just checking up on your aunt. She called in sick with a fever this morning so I came to check on her.” Not exactly a lie, Zofia certainly had a feverish need today- one that he had worked so vigorously to cure.
“Oh no! Zofia’s sick? I should make sure she's-”
He grabs hold of Maria the moment she turns for Zofia’s room, and the youngest Nearl freezes up, even more flustered than when she bumbled in.
“D-D-Doctor?” She practically glows crimson from her face, looking at where the Doctor touches her sweat-caked skin. Perhaps she is embarrassed from her appearance, or was it just the fact it was the Doctor touching her? Still, he holds a finger up to his lips with a gentle ‘shush’.
“Zofia needs her sleep. Let her rest a bit, maybe she’ll snap out of it. A doctor knows best.” He gives her a disarming smile, feeling that little bit guilty when Maria nods emphatically. Before he can make his escape, there is a tentative tug on the back of his coat. Maria is fidgeting slightly, a blush brightening her already cute features as she tries to squeeze her words out with a squeak.
“Umm… since you’re here Doctor, did you want to have a cup of tea, or-”
“I need to get back to Command before Kal’tsit has my head. Can I take a rain check on the tea? Later tonight, perhaps?” He answers, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. The sooner he was gone the better, even if that did leave the beautiful Maria in a melancholy.
“Oh, of course, Doctor.” Maria smiles, but she can’t hide the clear disappointment in her voice. She must have something on her mind for him, but right now just wasn’t the time.
“After dinner tea then, tonight? I’ll look forward to it.” A quick, reassuring squeeze of Maria’s hand, and she relaxes at once.
“M-me too, Doctor!”
Maria bids the Doctor a quick farewell as he takes off for those important duties of his, and she can’t help but feel a mix of emotions watching the door close behind him. She didn’t get too much time alone with him anymore, and the times that they did see eachother now were during operations…
A sigh escapes her as she collapses onto the couch. Zofia would blow a gasket if she knew Maria was laying on the suede while she was still sweaty, but what her auntie didn’t know wouldn’t kill her, right? A… tea date with the Doctor tonight? Just the thought, just imagining it sent equal parts excitement and dread. A horrible, wonderful tumbling in her stomach- reminded her of the first time she had gotten drunk with Zofia.
And speak of the Sarkaz and it will appear... the door to Zofia’s room clicks open while Maria is lost in thought, and out stumbles the Whislash Knight, naked as the day she was born. She doesn’t notice Maria laying on the couch, only shuffling her way towards the kitchen, trying her best to not provoke the soreness between her legs.
“Auntie!?” Maria yelps, covering her eyes at the sight of a very naked Zofia. Gods, she looks horrible! Hair a bedraggled mess, covered in just as much sweat as Maria was, shuffling without her usual grace or poise speaking to a soreness...
“M-Maria!?” Though Zofia covers herself as best she can, she’s already in the kitchen, already caught in such a compromised state. She can only thank the Gods she had the presence of mind to wipe the white stain off her back, but if any of it was still in her tail-
“Y-You’re feeling better now, Auntie Zofia?”
“Better...?”
“Your fever-”
“Ah… ah right! N-No! It’s so hot in here, Maria, that’s why I took my clothes off!” Zofia belts out, shuffling her way back towards her room, ever cautious to make sure that Maria didn’t notice just how tainted she was. “Since you’re here, can you get me ice water? I need a cold shower, I need a fan, too...”
Zofia slips back into her room, heart having nearly leapt from her throat. Faster than she had ever moved, faster than even during her time as a Competition Knight, Zofia gathers up the sheets that are stained with her and the Doctor’s early morning pleasure and throws them in the corner.
New sheets would have to wait as she rushes to start the shower water. Not even waiting for it to warm up, just leaping in so that she wouldn’t have to talk with Maria whenever came in to check. What was Maria even doing home this early- she was supposed to be out the whole day! If Zofia had held out under the Doctor’s ravaging of her backside for a minute or two longer, Maria might have found them out. As horrifying as that potentially was... the thought of it was just so… hot.
The ache is back again when she thinks to it… of the Doctor’s cock pounding into her… imagining Maria there watching, eyes transfixed and horrified at just what a depraved mess her Auntie Zofia had become. Fingers drift down to her clit on pure instinct, finding those places that give her the pleasure she seeks. Oh Gods, she was getting worked up again, wasn’t she? Her fingers just weren’t satisfying enough and not even the cold shower was helping.
She hated being in heat like this. Her mating-cycle always came in like a Catastrophe, a curse that she blamed on the Nearl blood, and ever since she had met the Doctor it had only gotten worse. Yet at the same time, if this little curse of hers let her have the Doctor, then it was a curse she would embrace.
And then she would embrace him. As many times until they were both satisfied, if needs be… and Gods, right now she wasn’t satisfied. She’d have to find him this afternoon, his schedule was open for an hour after lunch…
Margaret had intended to get some time in at the gym before going out to dinner with Liz and Shining. Just some quick cardio to get the heart pumping, but now here she was standing awkwardly at the women’s changing room, staring at the sign on it.
“Reserved for the thirteen-hundred to fourteen-hundred block by Operator Whislash.”
The other changing rooms had the exact same sign as well, and that irked Margaret for a moment. Now, to reserve the entire gym for herself was certainly inconsiderately bold, yet she could see Zofia doing such a thing given her… more privileged outlook.
But at the same time, Margaret’s older ‘sister’ wasn’t the one to do something so inconveniencing without a good reason. Perhaps Zofia was embarrassed about her injuries? Perhaps perfecting something that she felt was not meant for Rhodes Island operators to see. Either way, Margaret doubted that Zofia would mind her family intruding. Besides, if Zofia was really adamant about being alone during her work-out, then Margaret would go to the pool or some other section of the gym the Whislash Knight wasn’t using. It’s not like the changing-room door was locked anyways, so Margaret slipped in. She goes to her cubby, right there between Maria’s and Zofia’s. A quick strip-down before jumping into her swimsuit, pulling the one-piece into place with an elastic snap.
“Uhn! Uhn! Uhhnmmph! Mmmnn!”
Zofia’s voice echoed into the changing room from the main gym. Gods… okay now she understood why Zofia had reserved the gym to herself if those were the sounds she made when working out. Margaret was family and even she felt… flustered by the moans and groans that her sister was making. Shameful, but how fortunate that Margaret was here now to maybe… bring light to them?
“Nnn! Ah! Ah! Ah! Yeah… that's…! Oh… Gods!”
Margaret couldn’t help but blush after hearing Zofia’s scandalously loud and… heated… cries. Should she just… go? She had already pulled her swimsuit on- so she’d just head to the pool quickly, get a few laps in, maybe talk to Zofia after dinner about her… vocalizations during workouts. Thankfully the pool is separate from the main gym, and Margaret closes the door behind her just in time to hear Zofia enter the changing room and move for the shower. A chance to talk now-
And then a second pair of footsteps behind, chasing right after Zofia’s sudden giggles. The running of the shower water, deep hot gasps, a giggle of delight…
“You’re insatiable… -Mnn-” Zofia moaned loud enough that Margaret could hear it through the door.
‘You’re the one in heat, Zofia.”
That voice! Hearing it sends a chill through Margaret faster than even ice-Arts could.
“Hurry up and mount me, Doctor… Stop.. -ah!- teasing me like that…”
Zofia and the Doctor!? Together!? Margaret pulls herself away from the door, startled at the scandalous discovery. She… oh Gods she needed to leave before they realized she was here! Her possessions were still in the cubby right next to Zofia’s! There was only one chance, to go while they were distracted by one another-
So she’d have to listen at the door, wouldn’t she? Her heart tumbled a moment, a funny feeling considering just how… immovable she always felt. Yes, here was Margaret Nearl, the Radiant Knight, with heart pounding as hard as the time she fought the Major, eavesdropping on her older sister having sex with her… with-
“Ah! Oh… oh Doctor! P-Pound m-me h-harder!”
She can hear the carnal sin punched into Zofia’s words, the wet, meaty slaps of body vigorously meeting body over and over again. The moans… the grunts, it’s all so raw and dirty that… that Margaret realizes she’s been holding her breath, listening so intently to Zofia’s body being defiled...
And that heat between her own legs grows into an uncomfortable ache. Her fingers drift down subconsciously, touching that bit of water-tight fabric at her crotch. Margaret can’t help but gasp at the sensation, partially at just how easily she had been entranced by such vulgarity, more so at just how readily her body responds.
She was no stranger to the heat… the need that came from those particular cycles in her life, but this was the first time she’d been so exposed to the carnality of it. She always was so measured and composed, always so controlled when dealing with her urges, as if treating just another symptom…
“Doc...tor!”
Zofia’s gasps, words slapped out of her lungs by something driving so savagely into her…
And Margaret finds her fingers dancing over the heat of her crotch, rubbing into her blossom and, for a moment, she ponders what it would be like to be in Zofia’s place. To be rutted...
A sudden surge has her tugging aside the white crotch of her one-piece, and when her fingers push in to relieve the fire she can feel just how slippery she has gotten with that damnable ache. She presses her back up against the door so that no one could just stumble upon her in such a vulnerable state as her fingers go to the places she knows well.
The wet claps slow in their tempo, yet aren’t gentle in their force. The Doctor’s grunts, Zofia’s squeals, the thought of something… ravaging within her older sister.
“D-Doctor…” Margaret whispers under her breath, feeling that first coiling loop of pleasure tense up in her muscles. She pictures herself pressed up against the wall of the shower, being embraced by the one she...
“Doctor…” Zofia’s purr echoes loud enough for Margaret to hear. A drunkenness like when she’d hit the wine bottles, a bliss that Margaret knows that her sister is addicted to.
“Zofia, move your hips just like that… Gods, yes, just like that!”
And hearing the Doctor’s pleasure, hearing just how desperate he was for Zofia’s body… Margaret can’t help but feel that pang of jealousy. She’d known the Doctor longer than Zofia… seen his change of heart and she’d come to know his new warmth, his passion, his kindness... but never… like that.
“Zofia-”
“Doctor!”
“Doc...tor-” Margaret groans under her breath, feeling the spring of her desires compress as far as it will go. She needs the trigger, she needs to release it, she…!
“Cum… in my mouth, Doctor!” Zofia gasps. It’s a request unbecoming of a noblewoman! It’s so raw and vulgar, yet not as vulgar as the sounds that Margaret hears next. The slurping, like Zofia was supping off of something delectable and trying not to miss a drop... and the Doctor’s barely-restrained moans in response.
Margaret bites down on her finger, holding back the cry of desire as she works over that final ledge, her whole body shuddering as she falls into that blissfully relaxed state. She can feel herself pulsing and quivering, a weakness that she had grown to hate, but at least she knew how to conquer it.
Except… the ache is still there. A testing touch, the sticky feeling between her fingers, she’s never… never been this stricken by the heat before. Margaret gasps slightly as she runs her fingers through her blossom again, overwhelmed by the sensitivity.
The thought of the Doctor’s hands on her hips, of something hot and thick pressing against her opening as her finger pushes into her walls…
“Mm? Someone else is here?”
“That’s Margaret’s uniform-”
Margaret leaps at once, dashing as quietly as she can to the pool’s edge and diving in like an arrow. Underwater strokes, as little splashing and noise as possible. The cool water was helping distract as well as hide her shame, though it still feels like her cheeks are burning up when she surfaces.
“Margaret?” Zofia calls out from the changing room the moment that the Radiant Knight comes up for breath.
“Zofia?” She calls back, just praying to the light that she is far enough from her sister’s observant eyes to evade suspicion.
“How long… have you been here, Margaret?” Zofia still hasn’t emerged from the changing room, almost like she were embarrassed to show herself.
“Oh, a half an hour or so. I saw you booked the gym so I decided to go for a swim while you had it.” Margaret’s words spark the suspicion, a little twitch to Zofia’s ear as she stares long and hard. She’s got to sell it harder that she hadn’t stumbled upon something she shouldn’t have, so Margaret begins hauling herself from the pool. “Are you done with the gym? I still have a bit of time and I was waiting to do some arm work.”
Zofia ducks back through the door a moment, most likely checking to see if the Doctor has vacated before Margaret reaches the changing room. She’s back the next second calling back, “Yeah, I’m done now. Finished earlier than I thought with my arm acting up again.”
There’s that self-deprecating chuckle, a way to play off her misfortune, a way to garner some pity from Margaret.
But Zofia and the Doctor…
She couldn’t tell a soul about them, at least not until she had a proper sit-down with her sister about just what the consequences would be.
Maria straightens out her dress, checking just how short it comes up on her thighs now. The Doctor was so used to seeing her in her knightly garb all the time, maybe this was… a little too forward? She sighs, glancing at the clock, the Doctor would be here soon. There was one person who knew how to catch a man’s eye though, and she was home. Just a quick knock on Zofia’s door, fingers crossed that her auntie would have some pointers. With hair disheveled and eyes sleepy, Zofia emerges in just a loose tank top and some tight jogging shorts, but she looks no worse-for-wear than she had this afternoon. The day’s rest had done her good, thank goodness.
“Maria? Why are you dressed-”
“Does it look fine? I mean, I want to look pretty, but not like I’m trying to be too over the top or anything. Like I want to be… attractive… but not, um-” Maria rambles, suddenly embarrassed by her getup as she turns and looks at herself.
“Calm down, Maria.” Zofia sighs with a weary smile, this certainly not being the first time she’s had to tackle the youngest Nearl’s anxiety. She takes a step back, taking in all of Maria while rubbing her chin. A single hummed note, one that Maria can’t quite interpret, but… it was good right?
“So who’s the lucky man?” She asks, taking Maria completely off guard.
“W-Who said…!? I’m just having tea with the Doctor!” Maria belts out.
Zofia freezes, eyes wide in surprise. It has to be because it was so obvious what Maria intended, Gods she was an idiot! Falling for their boss, of all the incredible people on Rhodes Island?
“He’s coming here for tea?” Zofia’s question is demanding an answer.
“Mn.” Maria whimpers the affirmation quietly, withering under the Whislash Knight's sharp gaze.
And Zofia pauses, sighing deeply once more before her features soften. Hands placed on Maria’s shoulders, she gives the youngest Nearl a once over before delivering her verdict, “Lose the heels and clean off the makeup. You invited him to our home, and it’s casual right? Just… be yourself Maria.” Zofia says with a weak smile.
Maria deflates slightly. Dressing up to show off that she could be feminine, could be… pretty and classy and… Gods, Zofia was right. That wasn’t Maria, and the Doctor would see right through it, just like he always did. That compassion was one of the reasons why Maria had found herself wanting more and more of his reassuring presence.
“Oh, um… c-can I have the dorm to myself for a bit? There’s things I need to discuss with the Doctor. In private.” Maria tentatively asks, watching Zofia’s eyes narrow in suspicion. Before Maria could assert that she only has the most noble intentions planned, Zofia spin on her heel, the flick of her tail brushing Maria dismissively.
“I’ll… find Margaret and tell her you need your time. Do you know for how long?”
“Oh, no more than an hour, maybe?”
Zofia pauses, glancing at Maria from the corner of her eye. It makes the young knight place a hand over her heart, a silent oath to remain chaste. Of course Zofia would be wary, she was just trying to protect the family honor right? But there were some things Maria just needs to get off her chest, answers she needs to help move on with her days.
“Fine. I’ll go change.” Zofia grumbles, disappearing back into her room before emerging just as scantily-clad, only this time with a bra on and a jacket thrown over her shoulders. There’s a sassy sashay to her hips as she brushes by Maria, a teasing aura that the youngest Nearl wishes she could somehow channel.
“I’ll be at the cantina if you need my advice, Ma-ri-a~” Zofia grins, stepping out with a knowing wink cast at the flustered young woman.
Gods, she must know about Maria’s crush then, huh? The heat of embarrassment burns through the layer of blush that she had powdered on her cheeks, clings to her even as she washes it all off. Auntie Zofia was right though, this wasn’t Maria, wasn’t the woman that the Doctor saw. So she strips down in her room, glancing at her naked self in the mirror. Fit as a knight could be; that toned belly of hers hinting to the muscle beneath, the lithe yet still muscular arms, those powerful legs that moved all of her so swiftly…
She wasn’t as curvy or full as Zofia, but seeing herself standing there in the mirror, confident and proud as herself… Maria knows what she wants to wear. A simple sports bra, just like the one she had worn when she had bumped into the Doctor this morning- the one that she had caught his eyes admiring. She tosses on one of Margret’s old, plain white shirts; oversized, but she ties it off into a bundle at the bottom so that it shows that little bit of her fit belly when she stretches her arms up. Boyshorts with some leggings over them, a way to show just how firm and toned her legs and backside are- her personal pride given how… modest her chest was. A quick spin in front of the mirror again, reflecting back a sporty, cute, and most of all, comfortable and casual Maria. She ties her ponytail back as usual, and though she asserted she was doing nothing fancy, she just can’t resist a cute little ribbon tied off in a bow for her hair.
This was her.
The buzz of the dorm door, just a single press followed by patient silence. Maria, of course, runs barefoot to the door, unable to hide the excited twitch of her tail as the door snaps open to reveal the one she had been thinking all day about.
“Doctor!” Maria excitedly cries before calming herself, taking a moment to clear her throat and relax. “Oh hey there, Doctor.” She smiles bright, letting the light of her joy beam through as she ushers him into the dorm’s common room. He is smiling as well, no doubt taking the sight of her in as well.
“Thanks for having me, Maria. Sorry about intruding this morning, and Zofia-”
“It’s no worry, Doctor! Really! I’m always happy to welcome you in!” She blurts, suddenly flustered. This, of course, gets a raise of the Doctor’s eyebrow as he takes a seat on the couch. Maria blushes at her own excited admittance, spinning to go and put the pot on and get the snacks ready so that she can just hide her embarrassment for a moment.
But she can feel the Doctor’s eyes on her, and she can’t help putting a little more bounce into her step, a little slower of a hip-sway as she moves.
“Zofia seems to have made a speedy recovery.” The Doctor notes, glancing at the open door.
“Mmm, yeah. She’s out at the bar right now.”
“I’m glad that the Nearl bloodline has such resilient women.”
His concern for Zofia sparks a pang of jealousy in Maria, but only for a moment though as she then puzzles over the possible double-meaning of his following words. There’s no way he meant it like… just no! He was a gentleman!
“Doctor!” Maria belts out, trying to hide her fluster, “W-what kind of tea would you like?”
“Something… sweet maybe?”
Maria nods emphatically, going through her tea drawer until she finds a good leaf blend. The Doctor’s eyes haven’t left her now, watching her work diligently, and that makes her all the more nervous at the silence.
“H-How have you been, Doctor? Has Doctor Kal’tsit been on you as of late?” She manages to say without her voice cracking or spilling the hot water as she pours. Once glance at the Doctor’s slowly relaxing expression helps melt away some of her nerves. “You seem more tired than usual.”
The Doctor sighs lightly before closing his eyes and resting his head against the back of the couch. “Yeah, something like that. Even when the Operations Branch is on break during transit I’m still being run ragged.” There is a drift to his words, the sensation of exhaustion that speaks truth to the complaint.
“Sounds stressful.” She responds, though inwardly punching herself in the gut for giving such a lame answer. It doesn’t help that she feels those words she wants to say flutter around in her stomach as uncomfortable little butterflies. “I-If you need someone to… relax with during your breaks, I’ll always be there for you.” She manages to stammer out.
It takes the Doctor by surprise, the man’s eyes snapping open to stare at her. At first Maria thinks it’s because she belted her words quite forcibly, but his smile… so calm and reassuring…
“Thanks Maria. I’ll hold you to them.”
Her heart flutters, hands jittery once more as she places the tea-pot and cups onto the serving tray.
‘Now or never, Maria!’ She tells herself, grabbing the tray and making her way back across the living room. Her heart thunders in her chest to the point where she swears the Doctor must hear it as she passes by him, her tail just brushing his arm. She leans over in front of him too, lingering that little bit longer to pour their cups, trying her best to hold back her anxiety before she offers him his.
And then she takes her seat next to him on the couch. He scoots slightly to give her some more room, but it’s not because he is uncomfortable. Was he… fine with her being so close?
“Something on your mind, Maria?” The Doctor asks, making her jump in surprise. Of course he’d notice something was up with her; his kindness was one of the reasons why Maria felt so… drawn to him despite the conflict of interest it would spark if she were to act upon her desire.
“W-Well… aha-” Maria chuckles, scratching her cheek. It’s a miserable failure at disguising her embarrassment and worry of the coming conversation playing out in her head. “Y-Yeah, there was something I needed to talk to you about- TELL you about!” She corrects with a snap, taking the Doctor by surprise.
“Oh, of course I’d listen, Maria.” The Doctor takes a quick sip, humming approval at her choice before turning his full, undivided attention to her. If her heart had been pounding like a drum before, it felt as if it were trying to leap out of her chest now.
“Maria?” He gently prods with a small, concerned smile, making the knot in her throat bundle harder. She can’t help but stare at his lips now, seeing the smile, seeing the light, drawing her in closer… closer… leaning in until-
“Doctor… I, um, wanted to say… that I…” Maria places a hand on the Doctor’s leg as she leans in, eyes closing as she gets close enough to feel his sweet, warm breath on her lips. His scent is fresh and crisp, like he had just showered too…
The common room door hisses open, startling the both of them. There in the threshold is Margaret. The Radiant Knight blankly stares at the pair whose faces were just millimeters from one another.
And she explodes with a sudden frustration that was uncharacteristic of her. It’s so abrupt, so virulent, that it frightens even Maria.
“My sister too!?” Margaret shouts, stomping her way in.
“M-Margaret… I can explain!” Maria stammers, but the elder Nearl sibling grabs hold of the Doctor, lifting him off the couch- no more than that, she lifts him over her head.
“Margaret!”
“N-Nearl, hold on a second-” The Doctor squeaks.
“Zofia I get, she’s in heat and she knows how to handle a man, but my sister!?” Margaret bellows, moving to just throw the Doctor out of the room. “My sister is pure!”
“Wait… Zofia’s in heat?” Maria sits stunned, puzzling Margaret’s words, at least until the Radiant Knight winds the Doctor back. At once Maria grabs hold of her sister, demanding an answer before anything regrettable happens.
“Margaret, what do you mean?”
“It means the Doctor and I have been fucking and Margaret stumbled across us.” Zofia answers, walking through the open doorway before closing and locking it behind her. “Margaret, put him down now before we have to explain to Amiya why the Doctor has a neck cast on. Ah! Maria, that is the perfect look for you; almost like you were trying to seduce-”
“W-What do you mean, Auntie!?” Maria belts out with the title that the veteran knight so hates… but despite that stab at her age, the Whislash Knight waves it off. The drunken blush is clear on her face, yet she is firmly in control of herself as she moves to help reassure the Doctor.
“I had a fever and my doctor cured me of it.” Zofia purrs, giving the Doctor a chaste kiss on the cheek before turning to her siblings, “And you, Margaret… don’t be so prudish and hypocritical. If you were truly upset about the Doctor rutting me, you would have stopped us in the changing room.”
“I…” Margaret sputters and freezes, insulted and yet unable to refute Zofia’s words.
“W-Wait, in the changing room?” Maria mentally stumbles, finally latching onto the fact that the man she held so dear to he heart was… having sex with her aunt.
And her sister knew too!?
Here little know-nothing Maria, head in the clouds, trying to confess her love for a man that was already taken? Zofia… Zofia deserved a man like… well, the Doctor certainly had some secrets, didn’t he, but if he made Zofia happy…
“Zofia… I’m sorry. I was going to… I didn’t know you and the Doctor were-” Maria mumbles, awkwardly tripping over herself in an effort to get to her room, or at least the closet or bathroom- anywhere where she can just lock herself away for a bit.
“That’s my Maria.” Zofia coos, moving to gently hug the youngest Nearl despite how Maria tries to push her away. “She’s always thinking about what others want instead of what she wants. She’s grown so much, hasn’t she, Margaret?” Of course, Zofia’s drunk, yet no one says anything, just watching at what surprise Zofia could possibly unfurl next.
“She’s never given boys a proper go, has she? Always career, always tinkering, but now she can finally experience love and being loved! Isn’t that wonderful, Margaret?”
“I… w-well…” Margaret stammers, taken completely aback by just how… nonchalant Zofia is about being caught in such a scandal.
“I’m more than willing to share him with you, Maria.”
“W-What!?”
All three are flabbergasted, slack-jawed in surprise at Zofia’s bold words, which only seems to intoxicate her more. She giggles at their inability to form words, lovingly nuzzling her littlest sister as she squeezes her tight.
“Well, if you want him exclusive to you, then I suppose I’m more than willing to fight for him too.” Zofia lets Maria go, drifting to fall into the Doctor’s lap, entwining herself around him. Her hand reaches for his crotch, stroking gingerly as she nibbles on him.
“Zofia!” He yelps, suddenly flustered in that way she finds absolutely adorable.
“You’re drunk Zofia, and in heat. Get a hold of yourself.” Margaret finally snaps out of the spell, moving to remove the source of shame and disgust from their common room. “And you, Doctor, you stay right there. We are going to have a talk.”
“I can smell it on you, Margaret.” Zofia grins, evading the Radiant Knight’s half-hearted attempts to grab her by the neck. A quick duck here, a sidestep there, and she’s completely slipped past Margaret and is back at the Doctor’s side with a coffee table “safely” between them.
“The heat, the desire- we’re all on the same cycle here, you know. I joked about a Nearl curse, but you’ve tried to hide yours this whole time, haven’t you?” Zofia taunts, knowing exactly where to stick the barb, “And what about our poor little Maria, do you want her first experience to be with someone who only wants her for her body or status?”
“Just because yours was like that doesn’t mean that Maria should traipse around and… and…!”
“Margaret. Don’t bring up my past pain just to make your point.”
“Well you’ve had poor taste in the men you’ve bedded before-”
“H-Hey, just what are you saying, Nearl?”
“She doesn’t mean it darling, she’s just projecting her own-”
The argument… it is just as out of control as Maria’s heart. It hurts… knowing that the Doctor, the man that she’s admired for so long… with Zofia? And… Gods and the light forgive her… Maria was jealous about it . That is what is making her sick to her stomach. Not the secret Zofia kept from them, not the… the sex... it just thinking about the Doctor and Zofia together made her so… angry at Zofia.
That is what makes Maria feel the absolute worst, and that is what makes her frustration finally boil over.
“Auntie, just who is the Doctor to you!?” Maria screams over all of them, bringing the room to a complete standstill. Everyone is staring at her now as she huffs and puffs, but Maria doesn’t shrink. Not anymore, not when she needs to know what she is contending with.
“I certainly am fond of him, just as you are, Maria. I’m sure that Margaret only sees me quelling my… needs using him-”
“I do not! I’m just… concerned!”
“Or perhaps… you want to be satisfied too, Margaret?”
“W-What!? I can take care of myself Zofia-”
“Auntie?”
“Ladies I can-”
“Shut UP!” Maria screams, once again stunning all present. Despite the power of the Radiant Knight, despite the respect the Whislash Knight demanded, Maria stands up to both of them. “I like the Doctor, Zofia likes the Doctor, Margaret-”
“Oh she very much likes the Doctor.” Zofia teases, despite the sudden ire coming down upon her from both of the true-blooded Nearls. “Tell them Margaret, about what you did this afternoon?” She says knowingly, hand on her hip.
“I went for a swim.” Margaret replies coolly, “And then I did my arm workout before I went to dinner with Liz and Shining-”
Zofia laughs with such delirious delight, placing a soft hand on Margaret’s shoulder despite the scowl that answers her.
“Margaret, a swim won’t wash away that scent.” Zofia takes a little sniff before dancing away from Margaret’s predictably frustrated swatting. “You want it too. I can’t blame you though, the Doctor is a fine specimen.”
“Really, Margaret?” When the Doctor turns to the Radiant Knight with incredulous eyes, the Major’s Champion shrinks a moment from shame. Everyone knows at that very instant that there was some truth to Zofia’s words, and none more than Margaret herself.
“Sis, do you like the Doctor too?”
When Maria asks, Margaret can’t answer. She can’t… hurt her baby sister, not like this, not after… leaving her for so long. Where’s Liz when you need someone to help calm you, where’s Shining when you need to confess something awful?
“So, we all are fond of our Doctor, each of us for both innocent and not-so-innocent reasons. How do we settle this, girls?” Zofia asks as if this was nothing more than a classroom argument.
“We don’t.” Margaret is the first to answer, putting her foot down, “The Doctor ceases his eloping with you, Zofia, and keeps his hands off Maria-”
“But what if I want his hands on me?” Maria blurts, stunning the room once again, but at least this time Zofia smiles warmly at her for telling the truth. As much as the thought of being judged harshly by her idolized sister made her heart tremble, Maria turns to the man she fell for and weakly says, “The Doctor should choose.”
Three pairs of eyes fall on the now shrinking man in the room, though there’s not many places he can go when he’s boxed in against the couch.
“While that makes the most sense, we’re all Competition Knights here… so how about a competition?”
Zofia’s suggestion has that sly little twinge in her voice, a deviousness that the Doctor has come to know intimately. Ever eager to just get himself out of this situation, he is the first to pipe up.
“What did you have in mind, Zofia?”
“Mmm, well, we can perhaps see who is most compatible with our Doctor.”
“You mean, physically don’t you?” Margaret sighs, shaking her head. She just knew letting Zofia speak her mind when she is drunk was stupid.
“Of course Margaret, but making love certainly requires attraction and emotion between partners, doesn’t it? Or have you yet to experience that as well?”
Zofia’s tease pulls an immediate reaction, sharp and visceral from the Radiant Knight.
“I r-read that a healthy marriage should be… um… frequently physical. Knowing if you’re… compatible together beforehand-”
“You can’t mean that, Maria!?”
Margaret is pleading at this point, trying to just not hear what her little sister was saying. This was all Zofia’s fault! If she hadn’t… had such carnal relations with the Doctor, then this whole can of worms could have stayed closed!
“Auntie, did you mean what you said… about sharing?”
Margaret can’t believe her ears. Her baby sister… Gods no that can’t be what she’s hearing right now!
“Well, I suppose for just a moment, until we determine just who exactly the Doctor loves more-”
And that little tiny shadow in the back of her mind, wiggling like an unsettling worm. The thought that she should be the one that gets to breed with the Doctor…
“Gah!” Margaret throws her hands up in frustration. The heat was getting to her now- the heat of the argument, not the heat from her… in her...
“Margaret…”
“Sis…”
Both Zofia and Maria are at her side, soothing, cooing, caring when they just… shouldn’t. This wasn’t Margaret’s problem.
“Nearl… Margaret?”
When the Doctor calls out to her, it sends a shiver down her spine.
“Fine!” She belts out, shaking both of her siblings from her and making for the door. She needs to talk to Shining, she needs to confess and get these thoughts out of her head, she needs to…
“A competition, huh? Aren’t you at an unfair advantage, Zofia?” Margaret growls under her breath.
“Well, yes but-”
“Then we set some ground rules, structure it so there are multiple… events that allow us to equate the field. Just like the Major lets all shine equally.”
“Of course, Margaret… wait, ‘us’? ‘We’?”
Zofia leans in with a playful smile that only makes Margaret retreat faster. The eldest Nearl follows her out, teasing and taunting now that she had such a stalwart woman on the ropes.
Leaving only the Doctor and Maria alone in an awkward silence. She doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t know how to bridge that gap that sheer lunacy thrust between them, and she had been a part of it all too.
“Maria, are you okay?”
“D-Doctor?”
“Maria, are you fine with it?” He asks, the concern obvious. He’s asking her? Despite all of the promise of… satiating Zofia needs, he’s still asking her? That meant that… she still had a chance, right?
“Y-Yeah. I-I want you to… um…” Maria lets out a nervous exhale, gathering her thoughts as best as she can. “I want you to be sure that… I’m the one you want. That we… Ah, we work together?”
“I honestly don’t know what Zofia has planned, but it might be, intimate.”
“I don’t care!” Maria shouts, taking him by surprise. She manages to calm herself slightly, taking a tentative step closer to the man she admires. “Can I ask you one thing, Doctor? Outside of all of what has just happened…”
“Anything, Maria.”
“I… um… if you… oh gosh…”
The Doctor holds her close, and that only flusters Maria more. Her head is in a spin still, this whole night being completely unforeseen. He whispers quiet encouragement, bolstering her heart to ask without reservation, and the words leap from her heart and out her mouth.
“Do you like me?”
A laugh rumbles from his chest but it’s not mocking in any way. She can feel its purity, the delight and happiness. It’s a sound and feeling that makes Maria’s heart leap with hope. As the Doctor holds her, he affectionately brushes his lips across her forehead and brushes her bangs aside. A gentle kiss there before they move to her ear, giving her a nuzzle until Maria can’t help but lean fully into him, latching on.
“Of course I do, Maria- and not because of this whole… thing. Zofia… she just knew what she wanted and asked, but...”
Maria squeezes him tightly, filled by that sudden rush of excitement and determination that she hadn’t felt since… since she had won the Major.
“Then I’ll win you, Doctor! Just wait and see!” Maria declares. It is an oath spoken from the bottom of her heart, and the Gods be her witness, she will see it through. The Doctor though, why does he seem so hesitant?
“Maria, you don’t have to push yourself. If you want me to not I can-”
“No. I will win you, Doctor. You’ll never look at any other woman ever again.” Maria swears, burying her face into his chest so he can’t see the blush on her face. She thought being this close to him would have alleviated that ache she felt in her heart, but instead of it fading… she feels it shift lower down her body. A warmth, a heat kindling… and Maria can’t exactly say with full confidence that finds it bothersome.