Chapter 35 - Boundaries And Marshy
Clink.
Inside the quiet living room of Maribelle’s mansion, both herself and Deina set their teacups down in unison on its plate resting on the glass coffee table.
Deina’s deep gaze wandered out the windows toward the horizon, where the sun had just fully dipped in a dramatic sweep of burnt orange and violet. Night was beginning to fall.
"Mari, it’s been ten hours already."
"It has."
"Aren’t you worried?"
"I’m not. Why should I be worried?"
"Oh, I don’t know," Deina said sarcastically as she leaned back against the couch cushions.
"What if Little Bird suddenly disappeared again? I know I was joking earlier about Nat turning into a Fallen Goddess if he vanished... but who knows? She might actually break and turn into one if he gets yanked away right when he finally responds to her feelings."
"Haha. That’s ridiculous, Dee. If Nat turned into a Fallen Goddess, we’d all know about it."
"How?"
"We’re all still alive, aren’t we? If Nat fell, the surrounding islands – including mine – would all be rubble on the ground."
"Psssh, please. I can handle Nat."
"Dee, you technically work under her in the command structure. And there’s a very good reason for that."
"Wha–?"
Just as Deina opened her mouth to argue back, the faint click of the front door echoed through the foyer, followed by the sound of footsteps.
"Mama, we’re back!" Vincent’s cheerful voice called out from the entryway.
"My baby!" Maribelle practically leaped up from her seat and vanished from sight as she flew toward him.
Deina let out a snickering sigh, rising from the couch after her. "And she says she wasn’t worried..."
When Maribelle reached the foyer, she was met with Natasha happily latching onto Vincent’s arm; her cheek resting against his shoulder as she radiated an aura of unmistakable bliss.
Vincent offered a dramatically grand bow with his free arm. "Mama, allow me to officially introduce you to Natasha... my girlfriend."
Overwhelmed with joy, she clasped her hands together before wrapping them both in a massive hug and smothered both Vincent’s then Natasha’s cheek with affectionate kisses.
"Hahaha! I’m so, so happy for both of you!"
Natasha melted into the hug, "Thank you, Mari... thank you for accepting me as V’s lover."
"Well, well. ’V’, huh?" Deina leaned against the doorframe with a mischievous spark in her eyes. "Look at you go. No more ’Little Demi’ or ’Hey’ or ’You’ but ’V’? Calling him by a whole new nickname already? How nice."
"Hey, Dee. Didn’t know you’re still here."
"That I am, Little Bird."
Natasha suddenly pulled Vincent’s arm tighter against her chest, while leveling a sharp, unmistakable glare directly at Deina.
"Whoa, Nat. What’s with that look?"
"I told you already, Deina," Natasha said flatly as her crimson eyes narrowed with dead seriousness.
"I told you that once V accepted my feelings and we officially became a couple; you are not allowed to do any funny business with him. Period."
Deina’s playful smile faltered slightly, though she tried to keep her tone light. "Come on, Nat... I thought you were joking about that. Aren’t we all friends here?"
"Yes, we are friends. And so are you and V. Just. Friends."
The words hung coldly in the air. They stung, and Deina’s cheerful facade visibly wavered for a split second before she smiled again.
Standing on Vincent’s other side, Maribelle looked at the two as if she were watching a drama show unfold.
A flicker of concern crossing Vincent’s features. He opened his mouth, then paused, deciding it was best not to intervene.
’Judging from what Nat just said and reading the room, it’s definitely for the best if I set some clear boundaries between myself and Dee from now on.’
Ding!
"Ah! Dinner is ready!" Maribelle announced brightly, letting go of Vincent’s arm. "Nat. Dee. Are you both staying for dinner?"
Natasha answered instantly. "Yes, please."
Deina, however, took a half-step toward the front door. "Actually... I’m going to have to pass, Mari. I just remembered I made other plans tonight."
"Oh? Are you sure, Dee?"
"Yeah. So sorry about that!" Deina gave a little wave to the room. "I’ll see you guys later. Bye!"
"Bye, Dee," Vincent waved back.
With a swift turn, Deina slipped out the front door, closing it quietly behind her.
"Vinny, baby, could you help me set the dining table while I get the platters ready?"
"Mm’kay."
While both Maribelle and Vincent headed for the kitchen, Natasha kept her gaze fixed on the door.
She let out a disappointed huff under her breath as she shook her head. "’Other plans’ my ass... You’re just running away, Dee..."
......
Later that evening, the deep silence of the night settled over the master bedroom.
The giant king-sized bed was occupied by three figures. Vincent – out of his divine form – lay flat on his back in the middle, with Maribelle curled up tightly against his right side and Natasha snuggled closely into his left.
He glanced down at Natasha, who was resting her head comfortably on his chest in her cute silk pajamas.
"Uhh... Nat? What are you doing here–"
"What? Is there something wrong with me sleeping here?"
"No, no! Not at all! It’s just... you know, there are plenty of other... guest rooms."
*Gasp* "Vinny! How cruel of you to try and chase poor Nat away on her very first night as your girlfriend!"
"I’m not trying to chase her away! It’s just... isn’t this a little cramped for you guys?"
"No. The bed is huge," Natasha stated plainly.
Then, her eyes flickered over to Maribelle, then to Vincent’s bare chest. She reached out and lifted the edge of the duvet covers, peering underneath.
"I’ve been meaning to ask this but felt that I shouldn’t since it was none of my business. But now that it is, let me. Do you two always sleep completely naked?"
Maribelle chuckled softly, leaning over Vincent to smile at her.
"More like... why are you wearing pajamas, Nat? If you’re going to sleep in this bed with us, you have to follow its rules. No exceptions."
Natasha’s face flushed pink. She quickly looked at Vincent for backup.
Vincent just gave an innocent, helpless shrug. "Hey, don’t look at me. This is the way it’s always been."
"Heh. If you don’t like it, you can show yourself to the guest room. You know where it is–"
Without a single word, Natasha sat straight up.
In an embarrassing sequence, she pulled her pajama top over her head, unfastened her bottoms, and kicked them right off the end of the bed along with her lingerie.
She slid back under the covers, wrapping her arms firmly around Vincent’s left side, pressing her warm chest flush against his ribcage.
"T-There. Rules followed."
"Perfect!" Maribelle beamed. "Now... time for a goodnight kiss. Baby?"
"Uhh... Isn’t it... kind of weird for me to kiss you right in front of my girlfriend?"
Maribelle’s smile turned into a hurt expression. She lowered her head, her voice trailing off with tragic sorrow.
"Oh... I see... Now that you have someone to take care of you for the foreseeable future, your poor mama isn’t needed anymore..."
"Urgh. Just kiss her already, V. But... I want one right after."
Vincent nodded. Turning to his right, he gently cupped Maribelle’s cheek. "I’m sorry, mama. Come here."
He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Maribelle instantly wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in close and deepening the kiss with eagerness.
When she finally broke away, a blissful, affectionate smile adorned her face.
"Goodnight, my sweet baby," she whispered, resting her head comfortably against his shoulder.
"Goodnight."
Vincent turned his head to the left, where Natasha was already waiting.
The second his eyes met hers, Natasha leaned in, capturing his mouth in a passionate kiss that easily surpassed Maribelle’s intensity.
After a long moment, Vincent pulled back first, panting soft air against her lips. "Nat... any more of that and neither of us is catching any sleep tonight."
Natasha let out a satisfied giggle, resting her cheek against his chest. "Goodnight, V."
"Goodnight."
Closing their eyes, the room drifted into peaceful darkness.
– A few hours later –
The trio slept soundly. Behind Vincent, Maribelle was clinging tightly to his back, pressing her bare breasts firmly against him as her hands casually wrapped around his chest and stomach.
In front of him, his own arms were wrapped around Natasha’s waist while his hands were sunk deep into her soft behind, pulling her waist flush against his.
Unknowingly, his rigid shaft was poking directly against her entrance, forcing Natasha to bite her lower lip to keep from moaning out loud in the dark room.
Yes, she was awake.
As Vincent shifted slightly in his sleep, his hands slid up from her behind to cup her soft, bare breast. He then leaned down and started sucking on her tender nipple.
"Ahnn..."
Natasha’s back arched forward as an overwhelming wave of pleasure surged through her, bringing her to a quick, shuddering climax right there in his arms.
Gasping for air, she looked down at his handsome, sleeping face, when a deeply loving smile spread across her lips.
She stroked the top of his hair tenderly, resting her chin on his head as she eventually drifted into a satisfyingly blissful sleep.
.....
– Inside Vincent’s dream world –
Vincent found himself standing in a vast, fluffy landscape made entirely of pink clouds.
He and his companion, Mr. Marshmallow, were happily bouncing a golden ball back and forth when suddenly, a red marshmallow stepped out from behind a cartoony building, wringing its little squishy hands shyly.
The two friends stopped playing.
"Stop right there, red marshmallow-fellow!" Mr. Marshmallow pointed his hand out. "Who are you and why are you here?!"
"I-I’m Marshy... I’ve been watching you guys play for a while, but I was too shy to say anything... Can I... can I play with you guys?"
Vincent stared suspiciously at Marshy. Something about the way the little red marshmallow felt familiar, but he couldn’t quite place why.
Shaking his head, he grabbed Mr. Marshmallow by the thin arm and pulled him into a quick huddle. "What do you think? Should we let ’em join?"
"Hmmm... Seems chill. Besides, more players mean better games."
Vincent turned back to the newcomer with a bright smile. "Alright, Marshy! You can join us!"
"Yay~!" Marshy squeaked happily and quickly ran to hold Vincent’s hand.
As the trio played all sorts of games, Marshy suddenly stopped and pointed at Vincent. "Umm... V? Your body is turning see-through."
"Huh?" Vincent looked down at his hands and sure enough, he was becoming translucent, fading into faint particles of light.
Mr. Marshmallow scratched his head. "That’s weird... We still have at least four hours of playtime lefty-wefty! Why’re you waking up already?"
"Oh no... This feeling... I’m not waking up! I’m–!"
SHEEN!
In the real world, Vincent’s body vanished from between Maribelle and Natasha’s hold.
A second later, his naked body materialised in the cold open air of night.
Boing~
"Kya–!"
His sleeping body fell forward and landed right on top of something comfortably soft.
A pair of hands violently shoved him off and he tumbled onto the dirt floor, knocking his head against the edge of a wooden log.
BONK!
"OWWW!!! What the fuck?! Where the hell am I?! What happened?! Wait... Maelle?"
Without a word, Maelle took off Vincent’s white denim jacket and slammed it onto his face.
"COVER THAT THING UP THIS INSTANT, YOU IDIOT!"
"That thing?"
Looking down, he realised he was completely naked, and that his rigid shaft was standing proudly, ready for battle.
Vincent slapped a hand over his face and let out a miserable groan at his current predicament. "Oh. Dammit..."