Chapter 27: Gentle Flames
‘Is she suggesting…?’
The question hung between us for a heartbeat, heavy with possibility. Firefly’s fingers tightened slightly in my jacket, her breath warm against my skin as she waited. I swallowed hard, my heart hammering loud enough that I was sure she could hear it.
“Firefly…” I whispered, voice rough with surprise and a hint of lust. My hand came up slowly, cupping her flushed cheek as I gently tilted her face toward mine. “You mean… you’d let me use that ability? With you?”
She gave the tiniest nod, eyes still averted, cheeks burning even brighter. Her voice was barely a whisper, shy and trembling. “If… if it helps you. I-I trust you, Caelus. I’ve wanted to be close to you like this for so long… but I’m nervous too.”
That quiet, vulnerable admission made something warm and protective bloom in my chest. I leaned down, pressing a slow, tender kiss to her forehead, then her temple, giving her every chance to change her mind.
When she didn’t, I kissed her lips, soft and hesitant at first, almost clumsy in my own nervousness, like I was afraid of doing anything wrong. Firefly melted into it with a shy little sigh, her hands sliding up to rest against my chest as she kissed me back, equally tentative.
We stayed like that for a while, trading gentle, lingering kisses that slowly grew a little deeper, a little braver.
My hands trembled as I helped her out of her jacket, then her shirt, revealing soft, pale skin that made my breath catch. I traced her sides carefully, thumbs brushing just beneath the swell of her breasts, earning a quiet, nervous whimper that sent heat rushing through me.
“S-Sorry if I’m not smooth about this,” I mumbled against her neck, pressing a soft kiss there. “This is… new for me too.”
Firefly let out a breathless little laugh that turned into a moan when my lips found a sensitive spot. “It’s okay… I like it when you’re gentle like this,” she whispered, her own fingers tugging clumsily at my jacket and shirt until I pulled it off too. “Just… keep going. Please?”
Skin against skin now, we sank down onto the blanket together. I took my time exploring her, kissing down her collarbone, across the soft swell of her breasts, teasing a nipple with my tongue until she arched with a shy, needy sound.
My hand eventually slipped between her thighs, finding her lips already wet and trembling. I touched her carefully, learning what made her gasp my name, what made her hips roll against my fingers with nervous little movements.
When she finally whispered “Inside… please,” voice shaking with both want and shyness, I positioned myself between her legs, heart pounding.
“Tell me if it hurts,” I breathed, kissing her forehead as I slowly eased into her tight heat. Firefly gasped, nails digging lightly into my shoulders, but she wrapped her legs around me, urging me deeper with a trembling breath.
We moved together in a gentle rhythm at first, clumsy on my part, but full of love. Every thrust drew soft, breathy moans from her lips, and I kept kissing her through it all, whispering how beautiful she was, how thankful I was to see her again so soon.
But then something shifted.
A faint, warm glow began to spread through my body, the unfamiliar feeling clueing me in to the cause of my Tantric Healing ability activating as our connection deepened. The strain on my body that I had gotten used to now eased noticeably, replaced by a rush of energy that made me groan against her neck.
“Firefly… it’s working,” I rasped, voice thick with awe and growing hunger as I realized what the warm surge meant. My hips snapped forward a little harder, a little deeper, and she cried out in pleasure, her walls clenching around me as the healing flowed between us.
That realization seemed to unlock something in both of us. Firefly’s shyness melted away as passion took over, she arched up to meet every thrust, nails raking down my back as she moaned my name louder, more desperately.
“I feel it too~ Caelus… more… don’t stop,” she begged, her voice breaking beautifully.
I gave in completely, kissing her fiercely as our rhythm grew faster, more urgent. The blanket twisted beneath us, the cold of the building long forgotten in the heat building between our bodies.
I lost myself in her, in the way she tightened around me, the way her fingers tangled in my hair, the sweet sounds she made every time I hit that perfect spot.
We came together in a rush of shared pleasure, her cry mingling with my groan as waves of warmth and healing energy washed over us both. For a long moment, we stayed locked together, trembling and breathing hard, before I finally collapsed beside her, pulling her into my arms.
Firefly curled against my chest, pressing a soft kiss over my heart. “I love you, Caelus,” she whispered, voice a bit tired but full of quiet joy. “No matter what happens… I love you.”
I held her tighter, burying my face in her hair as exhaustion finally caught up with us both. “I love you too, Firefly,” I murmured, the words coming easily from the deepest part of me. “More than anything.”
With those declarations lingering warmly between us, we held each other closely, tangled, sated, and at peace for the first time in what felt like forever.
We didn’t get much sleep that night.
As soon as we got our breath back, Firefly made another bold move and shyly asked if we could go again.
Since only an idiot would say no, I agreed. In moments, I found myself back in her warm depths as we muttered each other’s names, losing ourselves once more.
The scene repeated throughout the evening and into the early morning, with only small breaks in between to catch our breath before we inevitably sought each other again.
By the time we finally stopped, it wasn’t because we were done or anything, but because we were too exhausted to continue. We both passed out simultaneously.
=====
Several Hours Later
Hearing the unmistakable sound of my phone ringing, I felt my eyelids twitch as I let out a small groan and tried to move my right hand, only to fail.
Blinking my eyes open groggily, I looked down at the weight on my chest and suddenly froze, as if cold water had been splashed across my face. Firefly was sleeping peacefully on my chest, completely naked, with a content smile on her beautiful face.
A second later, the scenes of everything that had happened last evening, and even this morning, flashed through my mind in rapid succession, and I felt my face flush.
‘That actually happened?’ I thought to myself in astonishment.
Most of the reason I had so easily agreed to Firefly’s bold request last night was because I thought it couldn’t possibly be real and that I was most likely dreaming.
It wasn’t as if such dreams, or similar ones with other girls, hadn’t plagued my mind before, so I hadn’t paid it much thought and just went along with it, content to enjoy it to the fullest.
Usually, my dreams would end before things got too good, but by that point I was too far gone to notice and simply let my feelings run wild as I did everything I had only dreamed of with Firefly before.
It wasn’t as if Firefly herself wasn’t into it either. She was just as willing to continue and was even the one who demanded more in the first place.
Remembering all the things we had done last evening and all the different positions made me flush further as I continued staring at Firefly’s peaceful expression.
‘I would have never thought Firefly would be so wild in bed… then again, she did always give me slight yandere tendencies when I played the game before, so I guess it’s not too surprising,’ I thought with a blink.
As if to reaffirm that last night had happened, I blinked as I noticed several notifications in the corner of my vision and opened them.
[Feat Achieved! Lost Your Virginity to Firefly.]
[+1 Gold Random Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Took Firefly’s Virginity.]
[+1 Platinum Random Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Made Firefly Fall Even More in Love With You Than She Already Was. (Good Luck)]
[+1 Silver Random Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Proved You’re Not a One Pump Chump.]
[+1 Bronze Random Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Had Sex Until Your Partner Fell Unconscious.]
[+1 Silver Random Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Made Silver Wolf Extremely Horny.]
[+1 Silver Random Gacha Ticket.]
‘Whoa! I think that’s the greatest number of tickets I’ve gotten at one time since I got this thing,’ I thought with surprise before reading the reasons and then a deadpan look appeared on my face.
All of them but one had to do with sex.
‘What the hell? Why is Wolfie listed here? Don’t tell me she somehow already knows about this!? What am I saying, knowing her specialty, I have no doubt she probably watched everything!’ I thought with a blank face, wanting nothing more than to slap my forehead.
I shook my head a moment later and decided to roll them before Firefly woke up and before looking at my phone. I had a feeling once I did, our time here would end, and I wanted to make it last a bit longer.
‘Let’s Roll Baby!’
[Rolling…]
[Dragon Vessel Intermediate]
|Elite Item|
A large cauldron that can fill itself with a chosen potion once a day. As an intermediate cauldron, it is capable of filling itself with more advanced potions: Strength, Agility, Waterbreathing, Healing, Regeneration, Iron Skin, energy recovery, fertility, vitality, etc. As long as the user knows what the potion (No Elixirs) is and it is Elite rank or below it can be brewed.
[Expert Kama Sutra]
|Elite Skill|
You are an expert in the carnal, being intimately familiar with picking up signs of arousal and pleasuring your partners in bed. Unless your partner is completely frigid, no one will leave your bed unsatisfied, your skill in bed is unmatched by most. If you were given magic, you could probably create Eromancy.
[Cuddle Emperor]
|Rare Trait|
Your existence is one that "Cuddles Greatly." Your hugs and snuggles are incredible, being able to comfort even broken souls. Being cuddled by your cuddles feel like being wrapped by the softest, warmest blanket, and they are even therapeutic, helping stabilize the mental state and comfort whoever you are targeting.
[Sex Manipulation]
|Common Ability|
Allows you to alter your genitals to your liking as long as the changes are not absurd. Make your penis large, smaller, curved, horse shaped or just add another penis on top because why not? Get rid of your wiener, give yourself one if you never had one. Go wild, the possibilities are there.
[Sexual Calibration]
|Uncommon Trait|
All of the minor inconveniences sex once had are now gone, forget about STDs, hygiene precautions, or unwanted pregnancies because you can adjust how all of those interact with you. In addition, you are very talented in the tantric arts.
[Harem King]
|Rare Trait|
You are a harem king to be, your preferred partners are more attracted to you and society as a whole does not see a problem with you having a harem. In addition, your partners do not mind you dating others either, they might still have their own problems but the concept of a harem isn't one of them.
Looking at the rolls, my face became more blank with each one until it appeared as if carved from stone before I suddenly let out a big sigh and smacked my forehead.
‘Yep, I now all but confirmed that whoever gave me this system was a major pervert. Is this thing trying to turn me into the universe’s biggest gigolo or something?’ I thought with a silent groan.
At least it wasn’t all bad. I did receive a normal roll with the Dragon Vessel Intermediate. I had been wracking my head on how to pay Natasha back for all she had done for us, and this would definitely fit the bill.
With her being a doctor and all, I could now definitely help by giving her some of the most basic potions like healing, energy recovery, and stamina ones once I got a decent amount of each.
Hearing a pleased moan from below, I looked down to see that somehow Firefly looked even happier, and I quickly widened my eyes as the answer hit me.
‘It must be the Cuddle Emperor trait,’ I thought in realization.
Smiling, I brushed her hair a bit before finally letting out a small sigh and reaching for my phone.
Opening it, I found dozens of messages and calls from March and one from Dan Heng asking where I was.
Letting out one last sigh, since I knew I couldn’t just ignore them and go back to my little bubble of happiness, I responded to March with a quick reply that I was fine and would join them soon.
With that done, I looked down at my… Lover? Girlfriend? Friend with benefits? I honestly didn’t know what to call my relationship with Firefly now. All I knew was that we were definitely way past the stage of being friends.
Leaning down, I brushed her bangs away before meeting her lips in a soft kiss.
Probably on instinct now, after how much we had kissed in the past several hours, Firefly immediately responded to my kiss and slowly kissed me back as she opened her mouth and let her tongue meet mine.
We kissed for several minutes as Firefly slowly came to and pulled herself up until she was wrapping her arms around my neck before we finally pulled away slowly, running out of breath.
Slowly opening my eyes, I met a pair of beautiful sunset-colored eyes staring back at me with such affection and happiness that it took my breath away again.
“…Good morning,” I greeted softly as I held her cheek, which she immediately leaned against.
“Morning,” Firefly whispered back just as softly as she blinked a bit before blushing prettily. No doubt the memories of last night and this morning were repeating themselves in her mind.
Thankfully, other than squeaking cutely and fidgeting a bit, she did nothing to move away from me nor to cover her still-naked torso, where I could see her breasts in their full display as they pressed against my chest.
Her eyes were now watching me quietly and a little nervously, to my confusion, especially at the intensity behind them.
A moment later, it hit me that she was probably asking herself the same questions that I myself had asked minutes ago.
Smiling at her, I leaned down and gave her a small peck on the lips that she happily returned as all the nervousness disappeared from her expression. Then I pulled back until our noses were touching.
“I know it might be a bit late to ask this since we went at it in reverse, but I know what my heart is telling me.” Taking a deep breath, I looked at her seriously and asked.
“Firefly, I love you and it would bring me great joy if you wanted to become my girlfriend.” I let it out in one breath before staying silent, waiting for her answer.
I watched as her beautiful eyes widened in surprise before an indescribable joy replaced them a moment later. She squealed and threw her arms around me once more, giving me a small kiss before hugging me tightly.
“Of course! I would love to!” Firefly exclaimed as she tightened her hug. I felt a wet feeling on my neck that I chose to ignore.
“I love you so much, Caelus,” Firefly whispered gently into my ear.
“Haah, I’m glad,” I muttered, pulling her even closer as my heart continued to beat loudly in my chest with pure happiness.
We stayed like that for several more minutes before we eventually separated as I heard my phone ring once more. We both reluctantly washed our bodies with wet towels since the building had no running water.
Since we were short on time, our hands didn’t wander again, even though I was really tempted by Firefly’s perfect body right in front of me. Before we knew it, we were standing facing each other by the door to the exit.
“I know it’s selfish of me to say this, knowing that you have to resolve the Stellaron crisis and save this world, but I can’t help wanting our time together to last just a bit longer,” Firefly muttered softly.
A small sad look appeared on Firefly’s face that made me frown. I reached for her hand and brought it to my lips, gently kissing it.
“Why the sad face?” I asked with a smile, causing her to blink. I continued, “I already told you about my most powerful ability, right? The one that basically lets me ‘teleport’ anywhere I want no matter the distance?”
Firefly blinked once more before her face lit up with a beautiful smile again. “Oh! That Schrodinger ability, right?”
Smiling at her cute expression, I couldn’t help but steal another kiss from her that she happily returned.
“Correct~” I grinned widely with a nod. “So don’t worry your pretty little head. We will definitely be seeing each other again, as much as possible, actually, before our meeting again in Penacony.” I reassured her with my own stupid smile.
“Hihihi, I’m so glad~” Firefly giggled as she pulled me into another hug before boldly leaning up and stealing a kiss this time.
As we separated with a bit of saliva between our lips, Firefly licked her lips, tempting me a bit, before she finally let go of one my hands.
“Then I’ll definitely be waiting then~” Firefly said before giving my hand one last squeeze. “Now go be the hero I know you are, Caelus~”
“Leave it to me. The one and only Galactic Baseballer!” I declared happily, causing her to giggle again.
“Hihihi, you never change, huh?” she said fondly with a shake of her head before opening the door for me. “Now go, before I decide to keep you here for myself~” she added, pointing outside with a playfully serious look on her face.
“Ah, the horror,” I said playfully as well, but I did step out of the building, walking a few steps before looking over my shoulder with a smile.
“Take care, Firefly. I’ll see you soon.”
Receiving a lovely smile in response, I finally forced my feet to keep moving, knowing that if I stopped, I would run back into her arms and we wouldn’t come out for the rest of the day.
Instead, I forced my mind to focus, knowing that our battle with Cocolia was fast approaching.