Comfort Comes From Odd Places

by Sambo_Fisher

Summary:

Viktoriya Malikova is not a woman to be trifled with, combining a headstrong and assertive attitude with the determination and skillset needed to support it. If you get on her bad side, you can expect a fight that you are not likely to win. She will batter down even the strongest of obstacles in her way, until there is nothing left standing between her and her objective.

Until now.

The battle in Mega-Tokyo has left the cadet pilots shaken, none more so than Vik. Her confidence has been shattered by the fight, affecting both her performance in training and her relationships with those around her.

Something has to change. But how?

Chapter 1: Ruminations

Notes:

This is a work in progress. I am planning to add a new chapter every week or two until it is complete.

Happy 2024!

Three months after the battle of Mega-Tokyo...

 

It is late at night, and most of the Academy Shatterdome's occupants have gone to bed.

A few late-nighters remain up and about. The occasional office worker or technician remains awake, wrapping up overdue projects. Security personnel patrol the perimeter, or stand watch under the barrels of the dome's massive sixteen-inch guns. November Ajax and Guardian Bravo, currently the only fully operational Mark 6 Jeagers, are held in Hanger Bay 01.

But in the cadet quarters, the only activity consists of a single individual in the female washroom.

The room is filled with billowing clouds of steam, fogging up the air and condensing on the mirrors and faucets. A pair of blue towels, embroidered with the PPDC insignia, sit folded on the counter, next to a similarly folded stack of clothes. Beside them is some deodorant and a simple wooden comb.

Under one of the showers, seperated from its neighbors only by the meter-high wall on either side, stands Viktoriya Malikova.

The young Russian stands silently, letting the hot water run down her body, soothing the aches and pains caused by her disastrous run in the simulator with Ou-Yang Jinhai several hours previously. No matter how many times they run through the scenarios, no matter how many times the simulated Jeager she is bonded to gets ripped apart, it is never any less painful than before.

As the water leaves the shower head, landing on her head and shoulders before running down her body to the floor, Vik goes over the simulation in her mind. She and Jinhai were in a simulated Mark-7 Jeager (the real version of which is currently under construction), facing an imagined Category IV Kaiju that combined various aspects of those faced during real battles in the past.

The scenario had seemed to be going well. The two pilots quickly gained the upper hand on their 'opponent', forcing it away from the city they were charged with protecting and back into the harbor. For just a moment, it looked almost ready to retreat back into the open sea.

Then, out of the blue, a stream of brilliant blue acid flew at them, compromising the left arm and disabling both the plasmacaster and the sting blades they would need to bring the beast down. Stunned by the loss of half their armaments, the two pilots were one second too slow in their subsequent reactions, allowing the Kaiju to gain the advantage permenently.

Always aspiring for perfection, the failed simulated battle stung bitterly for Vik - all the more so because it reinforced the doubts she has been having about herself.

Vik has only ever been in actual combat once, piloting an up-armed Bracer Phoenix in battle against a powerful amalgamation of monsters and machines in Maga-Tokyo, drifting with both Jinhai and a newcomer, Amara Namani. But the results had been even worse than those of the simulation she has just run, with Bracer Phoenix being effortlessly ripped to shreds while she and her copilots just barely escaped with their lives.

Two other Jeagers, Saber Athena and Guardian Bravo, engaged the so-called Mega Kaiju, with similar results. The city's turrets and missile batteries also proved virtually useless. Gypsy Avenger, piloted by Nate Lambert and Jake Pentecost, held its own briefly before being overpowered and left for scrap.

Eventually Jake and Amara, who replaced Nate as Gypsy's copilot, were able to kill the Kaiju by suicide-bombing it from above. But the damage had been done.

Humanity's confidence was badly shaken, the world having had the very technology that defended it turned against them. Worse still, this was only possible because one of their own had betrayed them, more-or-less unwittingly. And nowhere was this impact felt more strongly than among the pilots who were defeated that day.

For the past three months, Vik has been angry. Angry at the Kaiju for slaughtering her species, her parents among them. Angry with the politicians, whose merely halfhearted support of the main Jeager program allowed the conditions that led to this to arise. Angry at what's-his-face for succumbing to the influence of the Precursors and turning his back on humanity.

But, most of all, Vik has been angry at herself.

She had fought tooth-and-nail to get into the program. She spent more than a year training at the Academy, putting every ounce of energy into making herself the perfect pilot. Every test she took. Every simulation she ran. Every exercise she completed. Every sparring match. Every first-aid lesson. Every communications quiz. It was all as damn close to perfect as humanly possible.

And yet, it wasn't enough. When she finally had the chance to prove herself, to become a hero, to avenge her family, she failed. She let down her copilots. She let down those she deployed to protect. She let down her family. And, last but not least, she let down herself. And ever since, she has been ill-tempered, impulsive, and loathing, perplexing both her comrades and her superiors.

Vik is so deep in her thoughts that she doesn't even hear the door opening at first. It isn't until her name is spoken that she turns around.

"Vik?"

 

Chapter 2: Discussions

Slowly, forcing her train of thought aside, Vik turns to address the newcomer.

Amara Namani stands just inside the door to the washroom, a towel held in one hand and a toiletry bag in the other. She still wears the clothes she had dressed with in the morning: blue jeans and a burgundy jacket over a grey tank top. Her brown hair, much longer than Vik's and normally held in a sloppy ponytail, hangs loose around her shoulders.

"Oh..." Vik bites back the impulsive initial response that had risen to her lips, in favor of a more moderate greeting. "Hey. You're up late."

"Yeah, about that..." Amara stifles a yawn as she sets her belongings down on the sink counter, a few feet away from Vik's. "I ran a scenario with Jake, and the simulator went beserk. The techies have been grilling us about it ever since." A small smirk crosses her face. "Thought I'd at least get a shower to myself for my trouble."

The older girl hasn't known Amara for long - not even four months - but knows her well enough to understand that she is joking. Amara has never been particularly shy, and besides, nobody can hide their body from someone they've drifted with.

"What about you?", the younger cadet asks, shaking Vik from her thoughts. "How'd the simulation go?"

Once again, Vik bites back an impulsive angry response. She has no reason to be sore with Amara. Despite their initial conflicts with each other some time prior, they're on better terms nowadays - and Vik would prefer to keep it that way.

"More of the same", she sighs. "Jinhai and I took a Mark 7 out, dropped, and got our asses kicked by a Cat IV." Before Amara can ask the obvious next question - shouldn't you be sleeping - Vik continues. "I needed to blow off some steam for a while."

Amara, having just removed her jacket, looks around at the haze-filled room. "Appropriate. Do you... do you want some space?"

The senior cadet merely shakes her head, and Amara continues undressing. But as she does so, Vik can't help but watch out of the corner of her eye.

When the two had first been introduced, their relationship had been sour at the best of times. At one point they had even gotten into a physical confrontation after Amara mistakenly told Vik to ‘kiss her ass’ in Russian. Although she didn't let on at the time, Vik was somewhat surprised to find that Amara could hold her own in a fight with her despite never undergoing any formal combat training or sparring practice.

"I learned that on the streets!", Amara had said angrily during the fight.

After being broken up by their instructors and sent their seperate ways, those words had continued to resonate through Vik's mind. She had often boasted about the amount of effort she has put into her training at the Jeager Program, and brought up the fact that all her family is dead. But then it hit her: Amara was exactly the same. Sure, she was selected for her seemingly natural talent rather than the determined persistence Vik has shown, but their backgrounds are so similar. Both had lost their family to the Kaiju, and so desperately wanted the chance for vengeance.

Vik realized that there was nothing Amara had ever done to earn her ire. Instead, from that day forwards, she had earned her respect.

The younger cadet pilot places her soap bottle and washcloth atop the low barrier and turns on the shower directly adjacent to the one Vik now stands under, the one closer to the door. With the older pilot long having diverted the section's hot water into the room's plumbing, steam arises almost as soon as the new stream emerges from the shower head.

Amara steps into the downpour, closing her eyes and straightening her back. Almost instantly, her hair seems to shrink in volume as the water draws the many thousands of strands together and pastes them to her skin. Vik can't help but let her eyes be drawn towards the sight of the water running gracefully down her arms before dripping from her fingertips, or flowing from her chin and through the valley between her breasts.

Almost as if entranced, Vik stares at her comrade's figure. After three months of rigorous PPDC training, she is full but lean, with visible muscles but all the right curves. She looks like the hero character from a fantasy novel, beautiful and badass and hot, all at once. Even now, the same confidence that Vik had once constantly felt in herself seems to radiate from her skin.

She is what I want to see when I look in the mirror, Vik finds herself thinking. So beautiful, yet so assured.

Then Amara leans out of the downpour, opening her eyes to reach for her soap bottle.

Both cadets freeze in place instantly. For a half a second that seems to stretch many hours, Amara's piercing blue eyes stare into Vik's, her gaze sharp and unreadable. The Russian cadet feels rising sense of panic, realizing that she has been caught staring.

Then a gentle smirk crosses Amara's face.

"Like what you see?", she asks. Vik breaks out of her inertia, hurriedly looking away as her younger peer chuckles to herself. She can feel the heat rising in her face, and it has nothing to do with the warmth of the water that continues to flow down her body.

In an ever-changing world, Vik's niche was always evolving, but it suddenly hits her just how much change there has been. Should this exchange have happened three months ago, the positions would be swapped, with Amara looking up to her (reluctantly or otherwise) while she pulled the younger pilot's leg.

But now, it is Amara that has all the self-confidence. It is Amara that is pulling the jokes. And it is Amara that Vik is looking up to. For the first time, Vik realizes just how far she has fallen since the Tokyo incident, and just how much Amara has matured.

Things aren't going to get any better if you don't say something about it, something in the back of her mind says. You can trust her. All you need to do is ask.

Vik hesitates. They are alone right now. There isn't going to be a better time. But whatever is left of her pride makes her question whether she really wants to ask for aid from the person she had once considered to be inferior to her.

But she bites back the unkind thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she decides to take the plunge.

"Amara?"

"Hmm?" The younger cadet is still running her hands through her hair, rinsing the shampoo from her scalp. Her eyes and mouth remain closed as it runs down her face.

"Can... can I talk with you about something?"

Instead of responding immediately, Amara takes a moment to clear the rest of soap from her head. Then she steps clear of the stream, pushing her hair out of her face before opening her eyes. "Why not? Shoot."

"Well..." She hesitates for a moment again, speaking slow and haltingly. "I haven't really been feeling myself lately." Amara doesn't immediately reply, so Vik continues. "Like, I've been getting frustrated... a lot. And short with people. And I've said some things that people didn't deserve to have said to them..."

She trails off as Amara continues to look at her blankly. Vik realizes that none of what she listed above is anything new. She has been that way for a long time. It is time for her to stop beating around the bush and just say what she actually means to say.

She leans against the barrier between them, supported by one arm, and sighs. "I just can’t seem to make myself perform at the same level anymore."

Amara's gaze softens. "Is this about Tokyo?"

The Russian nods somberly. "I finally got the chance to prove myself, and I got my ass handed to me on a plate."

"Vik, I was there. I was in Bracer Phoenix with you and Jinhai, in your head even. You aren't the only one who got tooled by that monstrosity."

"Easy for you to say." Vik's voice starts to rise, anger creeping in. "At least you got yourself a new Jeager and killed it! All I could do was sit there while-"

"Hey, shhhh!", Amara hisses. "Do you really want to wake everyone up?"

Vik closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. She isn't angry with Amara. There is no need to make it appear that way. And nobody wants to hear her yelling this close to midnight.

"I'm sorry", she whispers. "I'm sorry Amara."

She had expected that Amara might reach out and take her hand, telling her that she had nothing to be sorry for. But what actually happens is that Amara leaves her shower and walks around the wall, standing next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders.

 

Chapter 3: Intimacy

Vik feels goosebumps rise as her bare skin touches Amara's, a surreal sensation spreading outwards from the point of contact, a cooling feeling that mixes pleasantly with the warmth of the shower water.

She turns her head, and finds herself looking once more into Amara's blue eyes. But this time, instead of the piercing, searching, unreadable stare she had seen earlier, the eyes looking back at her seem to hold a soft, affectionate warmth within them, a warmth that makes Vik's heart flutter within her ribs.

Vik isn't sure exactly happened next. All she remembers is the feeling of Amara's lips on hers, her kiss smoother than obsidian and softer than a kitten. Fireworks seem to explode inside Vik's chest, her heart pounding far beyond its normal rate. Her fingers tingle as if she had just been shocked with electricity, and her brain feels like it is melting down through her body.

It could have been less than a second. It could have been more than an hour. But eventually, the two part, staring into each other's eyes from six inches apart.

"You don't have to be sorry, Viktoriya", Amara says, and the older cadet shivers at the sound of her own name. There are few occasions where people calling her by her full first name is welcomed, but somehow, this is one of them. "You are rough and loud and a huge pain in the ass, but we love you for it." Amara squeezes her shoulder. "You never have to be sorry for who you are."

Vik just stares back at her, silent, absorbing the words and turning them over in her mind.

We love you for it.

Deep down inside, she can feel it. Amara isn't just trying to make her feel better, or simply bullshitting her. No, she means every syllable that is coming out of her mouth.

"Amara, I... I..." Vik is at a loss for words. She isn't sure what to say.

The younger cadet gives her a sideways grin. "I expect that you are either about to kiss me again or knock my lights out. Make up your m-"

Amara's words are cut off with a 'mmph' of surprise as Vik surges forwards, scooping her up off the floor and smashing their lips together, kissing Amara with an enthusiastic passion, her tongue slipping inside her mouth as their lips seal together. One hand holds her back, the other one supporting her under her butt. Amara reciprocates eagerly, wrapping her arms and legs around the taller girl, hands gripping her shoulders.

Carried away with the moment, Vik turns around, taking a few steps until Amara's back is pressed against the wall, the shower spraying just over their heads. Their tongues dance in delicate motions, poking and prodding softly, studying lips and teeth. Feeling bold, Vik squeezes the younger cadet's butt with her supporting hand, and she moans lightly into her mouth.

Finally, Vik breaks the kiss, having to conciously resist the urge to gasp for air. Suddenly dizzy from emotion, she carefully lets go of Amara rather than risk pulling them both to the hard tiles.

The two pilots remain like that, staring into each others eyes as they both catch their breath. Vik can feel her heart continuing to pound inside her ribs, a powerful current of emotions swirling around inside her like a tornado.

"That...", Amara begins breathlessly, leaning back against the wall. "That was... was..."

"Intense?", Vik guesses, surprised at how steady her voice sounds to her own ears.

"Yeah, defenitely." Amara continues to take a few more deep breaths, before standing up straight with a sigh. Then she grins. "You know, I've never kissed anyone until a few minutes ago."

Vik shakes her head. "Me neither."

"No way, really?" Amara speaks with a tone of mild surprise.

"Really." The older cadet shrugs. "I guess I never found the right person."

"Maybe not." The younger pilot smirks. "But I'm pretty sure I was your prime suspect."

Caught off guard, Vik feels the heat rise to her face again. "What?"

"Don't give me that 'what?'. You have been staring at my body every chance you get from the moment that you first laid eyes on me." She puts her hands on her hips, mimicking seriousness. "Did you think I didn't notice?"

"Well..." Vik suddenly feels both incredibly shy and flustered to have been outed so easily. "Maybe...?" She tries to change the subject, at least partially. "How'd you find out? The Drift?"

"Nope. You really weren't as subtle as you thought you were." When Vik tries to look away, Amara reaches out with one hand, taking hold of her chin and guiding her eyes back towards her. "Mind telling me what you were looking at?"

Vik resists the urge to try hiding her face in her hands. "Well, um... your hair... it turns a..." Her voice trails off, and she looks focuses on Amara once more. The younger girl is leaning with one arm atop the divider wall, looking at her intently.

She makes a circular gesture with her free hand. "Go on."

"Well, it turns a brilliant burgundy color when it catches the light just right. And your eyes..." Vik stares into the features as she describes them. "When you get excited, or happy, they turn the same blue color as a clear summer sky. Your smile... its stunning... and..." Her eyes drop downwards, just slightly, but it is enough for Amara to notice.

"Go on, say it!"

"And your boobs", Vik finally manages, blushing fiericely. "Th-they're pretty nice too."

"Aww, thank you!", Amara says, with an exaggerated, almost childlike level of grattitude. As she speaks she stands up straight, both of her hands coming up. Both girls look down as Amara cups both of her breasts with her hands, fondling herself gently.

Vik can't help but stare as her younger comrade touches herself shamelessly, right in front of her. She starts to feel a warm sensation between her legs, starts to feel the urge to reach down.

They meet each other's eyes at the same time, a mischevious twinkle visible in Amara's irises.

"Do you want to touch them?"

 

Chapter 4: Upwelling

For just a second, Vik hesitates. Then her willpower crumbles.

She reaches out with her right hand as Amara removes her own from her left breast. Upon contact with her skin, Vik feels a twinkling sensation in her fingertips from the intimacy of her actions. She traces her fingers across the top of Amara's breast, before fully cupping her hand over it. Amara's nipple, hardened with arousal, presses into her palm.

Amara stares down at Vik's hand, letting out a slight sigh as the older pilot tentatively applies a gentle squeeze. The flesh molds slightly around her fingers, but for the most part resists the pressure. Vik then starts rubbing it the same way Amara is still doing to her other breast, causing the pilot to let out a soft 'mmm'.

Gradually, as her own arousal grows, Vik begins to feel bolder. Removing her hand from Amara's breast, she places both of her hands on the other girl's hips and bends down, guiding herself ever closer.

Her lips touch Amara's nipple, forming an O-shape around it, her tongue just barely touching the tip as she plants a quick, gentle kiss on the sensitive organ.

"Mmm."

Vik raises her gaze, seeing that Amara's head is leaning back against the wall, her eyes closed.

"How... how does that feel?", she asks tentatively.

Opening her eyes, Amara looks down at her, a blissful smile on her face.

"Feels good."

Taking that as a sign of permission, Vik leans in and kisses Amara's nipple again, maintaining contact for just a little longer this time. Then she sticks out her tongue, giving it a gentle lick, the hardened tip creating a pleasant sensation against her taste receptors. At the same time, her left hand slides up from Amara's hip, pushing the younger girl's hand aside to rub her breast herself.

Her lips close around the nipple once more, and this time, she gently sucks on it, using the same action she would to drink from a straw, except with her lips further apart.

Immediately, an "Ahmm" of pleasure leaves the young pilot's mouth. She moans again as Vik squeezes her other breast, harder than before. Amara's hands are suddenly in her hair, running through it, the wet strands gliding between her fingers as Vik continues to suck on her boob.

After a moment more of this, Vik lets go and stands up, kissing Amara on the lips once more. She responds in kind, her eyes still closed.

Vik was not lying when she told Amara that she has never kissed anyone before, much less gotten this intimate with them. It is a strange, exotic feeling, pleasant and heartwarming, far better than anything she has ever felt before. If she were asked, should would struggle to find the words to describe it.

She breaks the kiss, staring into the shorter girl's eyes, not sure what to do next.

"What now?", she asks, her voice hardly a whisper.

"Don't ask me", Amara says, another grin on her face. "Just make it feel good."

An answering grin slowly spreads across Vik's face. From somewhere deep inside, she feels a familiar feeling, one that until now was long lost, building inside of her. It is the same thing she used to feel before hooking up to the simulator or during every moment in the mock fights. She used to feel it during every sparring match and every quiz. She'd feel it during obstacle course runs, morning exercises, and during conversations with her bunkmates and instructors.

The powerful sense of confidence she used to feel every day makes itself known inside of her once more.

When Vik finally speaks, her voice is darker, harder, carrying with it both vicious pleasure and eager anticipation as she looks into Amara's eyes.

"You asked for it."

 

Chapter 5: Unbounded

Notes:

I am sorry this is so late! Please don't hate me!

Before Amara can say a single word in response, Vik smothers her with another kiss, catching her off-guard. One hand seizes her breast, immediately fondling and rubbing it none too gently, while the other slips down her stomach towards her crotch.

Vik's fingertips brush against the younger pilot's clitoris, eliciting a gasp that is cut off by the intense, passionate kiss the pair are locked in. She then moans into Vik's mouth as the taller girl starts rubbing the sensitive area in a small circular pattern, while at the same time rolling the tip of her right nipple between the fingers of her other hand. Their mouths are locked together in a swirl of tooth and tongue, as Amara struggles to keep up with the increasingly dominant movements of her partner.

Amara, driven by the need for oxygen, forcefully turns her head to the right to break off the kiss, immediately taking a deep breath. But she does nothing to resist her partner's other ministrations, and in between every inhalation she lets out a low moan. Viktoriya, meanwhile, finds herself facing a fresh opportunity, and presses her lips against the exposed side of the teenager's neck. The younger pilot's next inhalation turns into a sharp hiss as her companion begins sucking hard on her skin.

For just a split second, Vik wonders if she should take this as a sign of displeasure, an indication that her colleague is having second thoughts about this. But any such thoughts are quickly dispelled when Amara's hand places itself on her back, her fingers running up her neck and into her short wet hair, pressing her face harder against her body. Vik can feel her other hand rest on the side of her thigh, making small circular movements, as if unsure if and where to continue reaching.

The fingers rubbing Amara's clitoris cease their motion in favor of continuing their downward slide. Vik's fore and ring fingers curl slightly, brushing along her occasional copilot's labia, while her middle finger goes between her folds, searching out her opening. Her lips, meanwhile, kiss a trail up the side of Amara's neck before reaching her ear.

"Ahhhh..." The sound is released from Amara's lips as Vik's finger finds her entrance, sliding inside of her up to the knuckle. At the same time, Vik licks across the back of her ear before taking the lobe between her lips, pulling at it gently before releasing.

In response to the uttering, Vik releases her ear and leans back a bit, allowing her to look at Amara face-to-face.

"I take it that feels good?", she asks, a mischievous edge to her voice.

Amara affords her a blissful grin. "That is so much better than when I do it myself."

The older pilot grins at the completely shameless admission. Somehow, the way Amara just came out and said it seems so hot, turning her on even more than she already was. She had never thought of the teenager as the type for self-indulgence, but now she simply cannot get the thought of her masturbating out of her mind.

"One day", she whispers, just loud enough to be heard over the running of the shower. "You're going to let me watch."

The younger girl affords her a sly smile. "Oh yeah? What will I be getting off to?"

"Well, I would hope it would be me." Vik says it with that same mischievous tone of voice, but as she does, she feels a fluttering in her chest, a strong, pulsing feeling of desire. She realizes that she isn't just teasing Amara - instead, she is actually looking forward to the possibility. "Assuming you're still up to it."

"Oh, please. Do I really look like the type to just forget all this once it's over?"

"No, you don't." Amara sighs as Vik pulls her finger out of her vagina, only to gasp as she penetrates her again, this time adding her forefinger. "But this isn't over yet."

Vik immediately kneels down and starts working her fingers, flexing them at the base and first knuckle to drive a couple inches inside, then pull them almost back out. She finds herself reveling in the feeling of the teenager's insides, gripping her appendages tightly yet feeling so impossibly soft at the same time. It gives her the same feeling of satisfaction that she used to feel every time her drivesuit was assembled around her, every time she strapped into the simulator rig, every time she felt her mind and body connect to that of a titanic machine.

If Vik is feeling a sense of satisfaction from the proceedings, Amara looks to be in total bliss. With Vik's free hand now idle, she has taken to pleasuring her breasts herself, fondling them in a sexy circular motion. Her head is leaned back, her eyes closed and her mouth partway open.

"One of these days", Vik says, blinking the fine overspray from the shower out of her eyes as she looks up at her colleague. "You're going to be doing this to me."

The teenager opens her eyes and looks down, meeting her gaze. "Will that be before or after I fuck myself for you?"

Vik lets out a short laugh at Amara's uncharacteristically coarse statement, although she does not answer. Instead, she pulls her fingers out of the younger pilot's body, causing a faint expression of pout to cross her face, before sticking them in her own mouth and sucking them off. She isn't sure what she expected - maybe it would be bitter, maybe salty or sweet - but the faint, caramel-like flavor is definitely better than what she had imagined.

The Russian girl suddenly recalls their earlier conversation, right after she and Amara had kissed for the first time: "You are rough and loud and a huge pain in the ass, but we love you for it."

"Hey, lean over the divider, would you?"

Amara does so without hesitation, turning to face the one-meter dividing wall between the individual showers. She leans over, crossing her arms atop the wall and resting her ribs atop them. Vik can't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointment as the movement takes her friend's breasts out of sight. She forces the feeling away, knowing that she is about to have a much better view in a moment.

The older pilot scoots across the tiled floor, her path taking her under the shower spray, leaving her freshly soaked. She stops once she is on her knees behind Amara, her gaze level with her backside, granting her a beautiful view of her nether regions.

The blonde reaches out, pressing her hands against the insides of Amara's thighs. Getting the message, the younger pilot shifts her footing, spreading her legs.

"May I ask what you are thinking?", Amara teases.

Even though the girl can't see the gesture from her position, Vik shrugs at the beginning of her response.

"Well, you know... you said I'm a pain in the ass."

 

Chapter 6: Reaffirmed

"I didn't mean that literally...", Amara protests weakly, as Vik's fingertip probes her hole.

Vik grins to herself as she continues running her finger in a circular pattern around the teenager's ass. "Oh, so you were actually saying that I was unpleasant to be around?"

"Of course I wasn't-" The younger pilot hesitates. "Actually, yeah, you can be unpleasant at times."

"Really?" The blonde carefully forces her fingertip into the tight ring of muscle, making slight circular motions in an attempt to loosen her partner up. "Want to give me an example?"

So far, Amara shows no reaction to her friend's actions. "Right up until we nearly got kicked out of the Jeager Academy."

"We did get kicked out of the Jeager Academy", Viktoriya corrects her, pushing her finger in a couple of millimeters deeper. Above her, the showerhead sputters for a few seconds, the result of air bubbles in the pipes, before resuming its steady downpour. "They just needed us back after Newton's drones creamed their intended pilots."

Their conversation pauses for a moment, during which time Vik slides her finger deeper into her partner, pushing through the outer rim of muscle before flitting back and forth against Amara's soft insides. This finally raises a reaction from the teenager, a slight hum of contentment coming from between her lips. Encouraged by the response, Vik starts pumping her finger in and out of the other pilot's body, causing Amara to let out a low moan.

"V-Vik", Amara stutters, letting out a gasp as the older pilot suddenly forces a second finger into her butt. "Where did you get so damn good at this?"

The Russian smiles to herself, feeling a bizarre sense of pride in her newfound ability of perverted pleasure. However, she decides to admit that she doesn't actually know what she is doing.

"I didn't. Like I told you, this is my first time."

Amara moans when Vik buries both fingers as deep inside of her as they can go, then takes a second to catch her breath before responding. "You said earlier it was your first kiss, not your first time screwing me in the ass!"

"Shhh!", Vik hisses, not wanting Amara to wake the cadets sleeping a short distance away. However, she does quite like Amara's accurate description of the situation.

The Russian continues to pump her fingers in and out of her friend's butt. The longer she keeps up the action, the looser Amara's entrance becomes. Vik finds herself considering adding a third finger, but decides against it. After all, if she accidentally damages Amara's behind, they'd have to explain the situation one way or another at the infirmary.

Instead, Vik pulls her fingers out, before lowering them to the brunette's vagina once more, pushing between her folds and sliding into her entrance. She starts doing the same in-and-out motion that she has been doing previously, causing Amara to sigh with pleasure.

"You know, for somebody who killed an eight-hundred foot monster, you're awfully easy to dominate."

Amara shifts a bit, allowing her to look over her shoulder. "Only because I'm letting you."

"Oh please. Do you even know who you're dealing with? I could fold you in half in a heartbeat."

"You tried once", the teenager reminds her. "You ended up on the floor of the barracks. Then Nate lectured us for it."

Vik tries not to let the conversation be steered in her opponent's favor. "Well, next time I'll be ready. You won't beat me again."

"So you're admitting I beat you?"

The Russian hesitates for a split second, realizing her mistake, before cursing under her breath and none-too-gently shoving a third finger into Amara's body. The younger girl lets out a small "Ah" of surprise and pain in response.

"Don't push it", Vik says, a challenge in her voice. "Next time, you'll be the one pinned to the floor."

"Then what? You'll fuck me into next week?"

Vik opens her mouth to speak again, then hesitates, her fingers freezing inside of her friend's vagina as she suddenly realizes a deeper meaning behind the exchange that they've been having.

It is just like old times.

For the past three months, Vik has been growing increasingly out of step with her established personality. She was growing both more apprehensive and less commanding. Her confidence had dramatically decreased, and self-esteem and her motivation going down the drain. It was affecting her test scores, her simulations, her interactions with those around her. She was turning into the very thing she had once been so dismissive of and spiteful towards.

But now, ever since she and Amara had kissed, she has taken control. Sure, Amara seemed to be deliberately tempting her, but it is Vik alone who has so commandingly taken control of the ensuing physical activities. She's the one who had pushed Amara up against the wall. She is the one who had kissed her until she was breathless, who had sucked her nipples so hard they bruised, who had driven her fingers deep inside her body.

She had been on top of everything, taking control of the situation. Just like she used to do with every single aspect of her training.

Don't give up on yourself, part of her mind seems to say. You still have it in you.

"Vik? Are you listening?"

Vik perks up, realizing that she had zoned out, lost on her thoughts. "Sorry, what?"

Amara, looking only partly at her over her shoulder, gives her an amused grin. "I was saying that the simulator schedule is clear tomorrow. You have any interest in pairing up?"

For the first time in a long time, the Russian answers completely without hesitation.

"Of course."

"Alright then..." Amara slowly straightens out, Vik's fingers pulling loose from within her, before stepping into the spray of the shower for one last warm soak. Her face is flushed, and Vik can't tell if it is from the heat and humidity in the room or from the emotions raised by their activities.

Now that she is finally taking a mental step back from the situation as she stands up, Vik feels extra warmth rising to her own cheeks, the emotions accompanying their actions catching up with her. For just a second, she feels an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, of anxiety, of disbelief, her thoughts along the lines of what did I just do?

But what she doesn't feel is regret.

She had not intended for this night to go like this. But she has thoroughly enjoyed it. She enjoyed not only the arousal, but the sense of control she felt while playing Amara like a barbie doll is something the she realizes she has sorely missed. For a brief moment, it felt almost like being in control of a three-hundred-foot steel titan again, an unstoppable force that no storm or tide could hope to overcome.

And she wants to do it again.

"You know..." Amara steps out of the spray of the shower before reaching for the knob to turn it off. "The next drift with Jinhai is going to be kind of awkward."

But Vik simply shrugs. "So? If he tells anyone, I'll kill him."

"And Jake?"

"Him too."

Amara laughs softly as turns off the shower and steps across the room to grab her towel. "Glad to have you back, Viktoriya."

 

Notes:

Original date of completion: 4-17-2024.

Personally, I am not a huge fan of “Pacific Rim: Uprising”. But it is tolerable if one thinks of it not as a sequel, but as a high-budget fan fiction with a few of the actual actors.

Does anybody want me to continue this and make a series? Or is this enough?