Sunset ^beta

Summer!

The sun blazed like a fireball in the sky, hurdling closer and closer to her sleepy little town. Despite the horrid heat, the birds sung such beautiful music, chirping and crowing and giving little trinkets to their loved ones. Adorable little lizards scuttled across the scorching concrete, sunbathing and relaxing under the dreadful heat in ways that Noelle wished she could understand.

One consolation was the breeze. Oh, the breeze was truly wonderful. She always forgot how sweet the breeze felt, a tickling kiss against her nose, running through her hair like airy fingers, a tiny respite against the sun's relentless assault. It drifted through the trees, rippling the leaves like water, tracing similar shadowy textures on the ground in the shade. It brought scents of flowers from Asgore's shop, always a revitalizing little treat if nothing else. It felt like little bits of personal perfume bottles had been sprayed across the town, except it was so natural, so gentle!

"What are you sniffin' at, ya maniac?" Susie asked across the park bench, trying and failing to fit her giant fingers through the holes. She was grinning.

"Faha! Susie, you have a better nose than me! Don't you?" Noelle asked, desperately fanning herself as useless as it all was.

"Duh, of course I do!" Susie laughed. She took a deep deep inhale, her nostrils flaring. It was so powerful that Noelle could feel her fur point towards Susie, as if she were some kind of violet black hole, threatening to devour her. (How fun…) "But I mostly just smell you. The other stuff doesn't seem as interesting."

Noelle couldn't help but flinch ever so slightly. "Gosh, is that… um… good?" Noelle asked slowly, tentatively. "Do I… smell… okay?" (Noelle, you're making it weird!)

Susie's eyes widened, staring at Noelle like she had suddenly become a medusa head, and she was standing right on the edge of a cliff. "Huh? I mean. Uh. You're like. Fine, I guess? You don't, you know. Smell bad. Y'know? Like. Psh. You're super girly and smell like peppermint and candy canes and some apples? And like. It's fine, you know? Like. It's whatever. It just, you know. Makes me wanna eat ya." She grinned with a row of sharp teeth.

(Oh Angel, we can only hope! Getting my own apple shampoo was so worth it!)

Noelle must have had a strange expression on her face because Susie snapped out of her teasing grin and said, "Hey, I'm not… really gonna eat you, okay?"

(Darn!)

"Don't look so upset over that!!!" Susie shouted, nostrils flaring with her usual harmless anger.

"Fahaha! Sorry! Sorry!" Noelle giggled, trying to cover her buckteeth as she did so. "I don't think I taste very good right now anyway. I'm so sweaty! Bleh!" She stuck out her tongue and nearly flopped onto the table. Even just laughing like that brought her body temperature up, and frankly, she could not handle it.

Susie's nostrils flared. "I can tell," she said evenly.

"Nooooooo," Noelle whined, howling like a Krissy dog. "That's so embarrassing…!"

"It's! It's not! It's not bad!" Susie shouted, suddenly flustered. "I didn't mean it like that! It's! You know! You are like—mostly girly Christmas crap, I swear!"

"Fahaha, noooooo!" Noelle howled between giggles.

"Quit howling! You're gonna summon a pack of Kris out to the lake with us!"

Now there was a terrifying image. She did not have the energy to deal with a pack of wild Kris running around the lakeside doing incomprehensibly weird things.

"Okay," Noelle said with a tired sigh, stretching her arms out towards Susie, but careful not to actually touch. "I was smelling the flowers. By the way."

"Huh?" Susie looked down at the limp furry arms that had been placed before her like they were poisonous snakes.

"You… you asked what I was smelling. Mr. Dreemurr's shop is near the lake. It's really nice in the summer."

"Oh, that!" Susie said with understanding, no longer threatened by Noelle's arms. "Yeah, I guess it smells pretty good. You look like such a dope when you smell things though, heh heh!"

Noelle shot a gaze back at Susie, terrified. "What? I do? What… what do I do? I didn't even realize I did anything!" Her cheeks grew hotter and ugh, she couldn't take it!

Susie grinned. She did a mock pretty girl action, swishing her hair back dramatically. ("Faha! Susie! I don't do that!") She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and took a bunch of little sniffs in the air. Noelle noted the way she held herself back from opening her mouth and tasting the air with her tongue. (Cute… Does she ever do that…?)

"That's you!" Susie pointed a sharp claw Noelle's way, still unable to stop grinning. "You put your nose up in the air and close your eyes and do this little 'sniff, sniff!' kinda thing! Hahaha! It's so stupid!"

Noelle fought back a whine, still fearing the potential Kris herd. She hid her face in her arms, even if it only made her hotter. "Aw, do I really look stupid? I'll, um, try to make sure I don't do that anymore…"

"What? No! Hey, that's…!" Susie's grin fell apart in seconds. "I didn't…! Ugh! I didn't mean like… stupid stupid, you know?"

Noelle hid her sneaky smirk. It went exactly as planned. Even if she maybe did get her feelings hurt for real a little. "No, I don't know," Noelle said in her arms, voice muffled and full of ham as she hammed it up. "So you think it's stupid?"

(Now! Hit her with the doe eyes! You can do it Noelle!) She brought eyes out of her arms and stared back at Susie pathetically. It worked because she truly felt pathetically weak from this blistering heat.

"No! No! I didn't…!" Susie practically jumped out of her seat. "I-I meant! I just! It's hard! To say! It's cute! It's hard to say it's cute! That's all!! I wanted to say it’s cute! But it came out stupid! Okay??"

Noelle's plan quickly backfired as she felt her entire body heating up at that. She never imagined Susie would say cute! Noelle always pictured Susie wouldn't say the word cute even tied to a death machine where the only way out was to say cute! (Ohhh…!) Not now, Noelle! Your body can't handle more heat!

"Aa…o-h…!" Noelle mumbled strangely to herself, barely able to get the words out. "R-really…?" She wasn't panting, was she? No, no she couldn't be. Cheesus, the heat…!

"Yeah! Yeah! I mean it!" Susie pleaded, holding her arms out. "Hey, uh, are you… okay?"

Noelle let out a huff of hot air. Everything felt sweaty and uncomfortable and gross and now she was dizzy. "I'm… I'm okay! Gosh, I just, umm…" Phew. It felt too hard to finish her sentence.

"Do you have any water??" Susie asked quickly, more panicked than Noelle would have liked.

Noelle tried to smirk. "Oh. Fa..ha…! I, um… drank it… already…" Oh, geez, this is embarrassing. Why was it getting so hard to talk?

"Oh my god, why didn't I bring my own water," Susie grumbled to herself, running a hand through her hair in frustration.

"It's…! Okay! I just… um… hmm…" Noelle tried to smile again, but it was getting harder. "Gosh, I think I'm too hot. Faha… Like… er… really too hot." Oops. This was embarrassing. This was really embarrassing.

Susie's eyes widened. Both seemed to be realizing what was happening slowly. "Let's just go to the store! Put you in the freezer! I'll get you some water there!"

"Mmm, okay…!" Noelle tried to say as naturally as she could. "I think, yeah. I think I need… that. Faha."

(All right, now just stand up Noelle and act normal for like five more minutes…!)

Problem.

(What?? What do you mean, 'problem.' ???)

Problem.

(Stop just saying problem!! Body, what are you doing?!)

Tired. Legs wobbly. Hard to breathe.

(Cheesus, come on…!! Don't do this now!!)

Somehow, Susie was next to Noelle. She forgot when that happened. "C'mon, Noelle, quit messing around…!"

"Ahh, ummm….!" Noelle smiled, a bit shakily. "I think I might have messed up. Faha. Oops."

"Are you—are you serious??" Susie pulled Noelle by the arm and, oh cheese and crackers, Noelle could almost feel her clothes squelch against Susie's touch the way it felt! Gross! "C'mon, c'mon! Let's go!"

Embarrassing! Embarrassing! And Susie was touching her! Touching! She was so rough and so smooth and so unbothered by the heat, and and—and Noelle was just a big moist ball of fur!! Gross!!! It all made her body crank up the heat even more, which really wasn't helping!

"Okay…! Okay…!" Noelle huffed, planting her shaky hooves on the dirt. Susie was still holding her up but, oh no, Noelle could barely move. Breathing was taking up all her energy, and it felt like the sun was pressing down against her chest and burning away whatever little oxygen she was sucking up.

"Screw this!" Susie growled.

A muscled arm went around Noelle's torso. "Eh? Eh??" And without so much as a grunt, Susie held Noelle like a suitcase under her armpit. Why wasn't she sweaty at all?!

"We're going, idiot!" Susie shouted, sprinting through the town, holding Noelle in possibly the most embarrassing way possible. Bridal style would have been nice…!

But… at least the wind rushing through her fur, blowing the sweat out, made it easier to breath. It turned out to be a lot better than Noelle expected.

"Aahh… thank you, Susie…!" Noelle said.

Susie handed her another chilled water bottle without complaint. Noelle happily upturned the bottle and gulped, gulped, gulped. The sweet cold relief of water rushed against her needy tongue, her dry lips, and slid down the back of her throat. She felt waves of refreshment shivering across her body as the heat seemed to evaporate out of her fur.

Her body still felt wobbly, still felt weak, and even her vision was fuzzy, but Noelle felt incredibly comfortable. She leaned into her sacks of ice and laid her head back, letting the wonderful chill caress her body.

Susie, albeit with some concern, handed Noelle her seventh water bottle. "Holy shit, you're thirsty as hell."

Noelle tried to give a casual smile, but there was no way to look normal in the position she was in. "I really didn't prepare for the heat well today… faha… sorry." It felt so strangely easy to completely drain every water bottle of its contents, like they were nothing but tiny thimbles to her.

Susie raised an eyebrow, handing her another bottle. "Just, hey, be more careful, okay?"

"Faha! I will! I promise!" Noelle giggled comfortably, sighing into her makeshift frozen throne. She was ready to take a nap, but she figured maybe that wouldn't be the best idea.

Especially considering where they were.

"ya know, you turned out to be a lot more chill than i expected," said another voice, creepy smile baked into his skull.

"Yeah, yeah, just keep handing me waters, funny guy," Susie growled, trying not to make eye contact.

"don't gotta be so cold, you're not the one who's dehydrated," Sans said, practically chuckling with every breath.

"Ughhhh," Susie groaned, swiping another strangely chilled water bottle from Sans' skeletal hands. Where did he get them? When did he get them? How was it that it felt like these bottles had just come from some kind of distant-yet-snowy town? Susie didn't seem to care, handing another bottle to Noelle.

Noelle giggled at the terrible pun, something about it so comfortable and nostalgic. "Thank you, Mr. Sans! I really appreciate this."

"no sweat, miss," Sans said with a wink. "well. other than the sweat you're getting all over the bags of ice."

"Faha…ha…" Noelle's laughter trailed off nervously.

So, it was probably important to note where Noelle had been recuperating. Even if she really didn't want to acknowledge it.

When Susie dashed into Sans' little store, she drifted through the aisles and slid over the linoleum tile to the freezers. Without a moment's hesitation, Susie had pulled open the door as if threatening to pull it off completely and practically tossed Noelle in right on her bottom.

Terribly embarrassing, yes, but Noelle could not deny how effective it was at cooling her, if not a bit dizzying. Her little hooves dangled out of the freezer, leaning into the bags of ice like it was just a particularly cold beanbag chair.

Susie sprinted over to the counter and demanded for the 'coldest water ya got' and Sans had said, 'you can't handle my coldest water, miss. my coldest waters would freeze you on the spot.' And Susie had said, 'I don't have time for your references, dumbass!! Noelle is dehydrated!' and Sans had said, 'oh, they're for her? yea, she can handle it. brb.'

And when Susie had run back over to Noelle, there was Sans, already there before her. Balanced on his head was a nearly frozen bottle of water, bits of snow still clinging to its sides.

Curious. So very curious.

All that aside, Noelle felt a guilty joy as Susie doted on her. She refused to leave Noelle's side, constantly keeping an eye on her, always ready to grab another water bottle the moment Noelle finished hers in seconds.

It was… well… it was awful of Noelle to enjoy this, but, oh did her soul pound in her chest knowing how worried Susie had gotten. Even if she showed her worry mostly through irritation.

"Hey, just lean back, okay?" Susie said, a rare concern hissing through her fangs.

"Faha, I'm fine, Susie!!" Noelle said, so full of cheer. She couldn't hide it, she didn't want to hide it, even if Sans and a weird milk guy stood around the store awkwardly.

"Like hell you are," Susie grumbled. Without warning, she suddenly moved between Noelle's hooves and nearly climbed on top of her.

"A-ah…!" Noelle squeaked, melting into her bags of ice as Susie's jacket and hair brushed against her.

Susie reached in the back of the freezer and placed another bag of ice at Noelle's neck, giving her what felt like an icy pillow. It might have felt a little lumpy to some people, but to Noelle? With Susie this close to her? It might as well have been Heaven.

Susie moved back, her hot face incredibly close to Noelle's chilled snout. "There. That should be more comfortable for you."

"U-uh-huh…" Noelle gulped, sinking further into the icy bags, the chill such a wonderful sensation against her fur.

"What's wrong?" Susie asked, tilting her head. Her face was still so close. In this cold state, her breath crystallized into Noelle who quickly sucked it up with a gasp. "Are you still dehydrated? Hey, drink up, will you?" She stood up straight and stretched her back out before calling to Sans, "Hey bone boy! Another bottle!"

"snow thing," Sans chuckled, vanishing just out of Noelle's peripheral.

(Goodness…) Noelle let out a sigh of relief, allowing her soul to settle in her chest. Somehow even the freezer, Noelle had managed to heat up just then.

"you guys are ruining the MILK!" said the milk sicko who had just been watching the entire time, balancing a jug atop their head. "How am i supposed to calculate the expatriation dates on these jugs now? Huh!?"

"Shut up, dude," Susie growled.

The milk sicko jumped but clung to their milk jug as if it was their baby. "Yea, okay, but I'm still gonna think upset thoughts about the milk REAL loudly."

"Knock yourself out," Susie said. "Seriously. Do us all a favor."

"Upset, upset, upset, upset, upset, upset ABOUT THE MILK, upset upset upset upset," the milk sicko whispered to themselves over and over, clearly not just thinking about it.

Susie had to threaten to knock the milk off their head before they really stopped complaining and Noelle couldn't help but giggle.

Everything was a horrible mess, but somehow… it didn't feel so bad.

Sans didn't even make them pay.

Noelle took the next couple of days to rest. The heat didn't let up, and Noelle was ashamed to admit her brief affair with dehydration had left her exhausted. However, the thought of spending her days locked inside with her mother sounded more hellish than the flames of hell itself. It only made sense, then, that Noelle would prefer to stay with the 'class-hellion' over the frigid ruler, didn't it?

At first, Susie didn't like the idea. She insisted that Noelle stay home, stay in her air-conditioned paradise where the heat couldn't reach her. Noelle, so rarely able to say no, managed to stubbornly argue that she didn't want to be at home anymore. It was easier to convince Susie than Noelle expected.

So, thankfully, they spent these days together inside the nearby buildings. ICE-E's for the first day, where Susie made sure to keep Noelle's fountain drink full of ICE-E's Ultra Deluxe Triple Ice Soda that was just carbonated soda water with a concerning cold copper taste to it. Noelle would have vastly preferred actual water, but Susie's genuine attempts at doting on Noelle proved to be more refreshing than any beverage.

Especially when it turned out Susie wanted to save money by sharing a drink. (Refilling it over and over for free.)

Awful, it was absolutely awful. Their drink tasted like acid left in a forgotten lab, somehow stale, yet powerful enough to leave a dirty aftertaste. 'That was the 'ICE-E Kick!' one of the workers explained. 'You'll be tasting it for months! No matter how much you wash your mouth, you'll never be free of it!' Unnerving, but, well, it really sold Susie.

But that didn't matter. That didn't matter at all.

"So, I throw Kris into the lake, right?" Susie explained, animatedly moving her arms to show the motion she used. She had thrown them like a basketball. "They land in the water with the sickest splash you've ever seen! I'm talkin' like atomic bomb levels of watery explosion!" Her eyes sparkled as she regaled Noelle, so proud. She took a casual sip of their fountain drink, lips pursed over the straw gently.

(Ah…)

While Susie acted out the devastating explosion, Noelle reached across the cheap dirty table and snatched the drink. She pressed her lips against the straw where Susie's had just been. Still fresh…! Oh, the drink was disgusting, but the taste of Susie could overpower even the most unpleasant of poisons! To think, her lips, her maw, maybe even her tongue had touched this flimsy straw and lived to tell the tale!

Ssssslurp!

Noelle allowed her tongue to brush against the straw's hole, feeling the jagged edges where Susie's fangs had accidentally bit into it. How terrified this straw must have been, experiencing Susie's mouth like this, and yet Susie herself didn't even know! If Noelle brought this straw to the Dark World, what would it be like…? How wonderfully exciting…!

(Mmm! Oh Straw…! Me and you…! We're really in it now…!)

"Huh? You already drank it all?" Susie asked, her story interrupted by Noelle's desperate slurping. "Again?"

Noelle blinked, nearly throwing the cup down into the table as she realized what she was doing. "Ah! Oh! Uh! Um! G-guess I'm still really thirsty! Gosh! Faha!"

Susie shook her head, lumbering out of the flimsy bench seat attached to the table. "And you're tellin' me you're fine? That you're not dehydrated at all?" She threw a golden glare towards Noelle that sent shivers into her tail.

"Um! No! I'm! Really not dehydrated! Just… faha… love that… drink!" Noelle lied, fiddling with her hair. It was the lesser of two lies, wasn't it? Wouldn't it have been so much worse to lie about being dehydrated?

"Surprised at how much you like this garbage." Susie shrugged and swiped the cup, going for a refill. "Personally, I'm more into BOYS, but as long as it keeps you hydrated, I can deal."

Noelle's fur shivered with a frozen terror. "H-huh? Boys…?"

Susie tapped the fountain button with a claw, nearly piercing the plastic without even trying. She said, "Uh, yeah? BOYS? You know? Blood Of Your enemieS! Tastes like orange, heh. Blood orange." She grinned.

Noelle let out a deep sigh of relief; hand pressed into her chest. "Faha… of course. I should have known."

When Susie sat back down across from Noelle, she smirked and crossed her arms. "What'd you think I meant?" She motioned with single nod at Noelle's drink.

(Not until Susie drinks first…)

"Ah, um, faha! N-nothing!" Noelle shook her head, waving her hands in front of herself.

Susie placed her elbows on the table and leaned in cooly. "Oh yeah? You thought I meant boys, didn't you?"

(Eep…!)

Noelle's nose began to glow, and she tried to not-so-subtly hide it with her hand. "I-I mean! No! I mean. Ohh… Fine. Yeah." She sighed and resigned herself to her fate of being embarrassing in front of Susie once more.

Susie only let out a low chuckle at that. Seemed she was really enjoying this. "Well, don't worry. The only thing I like about boys is thrashing 'em! Heh!" With one hand she slammed a fist into the table, shaking the entire table, nearly knocking their drink over. In the distance, Pizzapants choked on his cigarette.

"Ohhhh…!" Noelle said extremely uncooly, stiff as a slice of ICE-E pizza. Every hair on her body was standing on end. "B-but um… you'd… you'd thrash girls too, right?"

(Noelle, you freak! Don't be weird!)

And Susie's cool demeanor faltered, eyes widening. "Huh?? I mean??" She snatched up the drink to try and fill the silence, looking up at the ceiling. "Duh? Yeah? I'll thrash anyone but like… uh… maybe… uh? In a different… way…?"

(Don't say, 'Would you thrash me?' Don't say 'Would you thrash me?' Don't say 'Would you thrash me?')

"Would you thrash… … me?"

(OHHHHH SANTA ABOVE, NOELLE, COME ON.)

Susie sucked her straw so hard that the cup nearly imploded into itself, bits of bubbly water dripping out of her nose. She went into a coughing fit, turning away.

Noelle shot out of her seat and quickly went to pat her back, rubbing gentle circles. "I-I'm sorry, Susie!! I don't know why I say these things sometimes…!"

Susie coughed, wiping her nose with her sleeve, trying meekly to wave Noelle away. "I-I'm fine! I'm fine! I just! I—COUGH—I swallowed my drink wrong! That's all! Nothing to do with you!"

"Oh, but it's my fault for saying something so weird!!" Noelle whined, dodging Susie's half-hearted claws and still rubbing her back.

"Ya know…" Susie growled between coughs. "Keep sayin' that and maybe I will thrash you!"

Noelle gulped. Her hand gripped a bundle of Susie's hair tightly. She forgot how to be gentle. "R-really…?"

"O-ow! Yes, really!" Susie groaned. "Stop pulling my hair, dumbass!"

"Whoops!! Fahaha! I'm—I'm sorry!!" Noelle dodged back, no longer trusting her body anywhere near Susie's. "Sorry!" she said again, this time without as much nervous laughter.

Susie took a deep breath and returned to her spot at the table, frowning. She glared at Noelle. Noelle understood quickly that she should go and sit back down, and she certainly didn't mind following Susie's orders.

"Remind me to be careful about teasing you, geez…" Susie sighed and scratched the back of her head.

Noelle laughed that strange nervous laugh of hers, taking their drink and sipping desperately, despite finding no liquid left. So much of Susie was left on it now…

"I—I like it…" Noelle mumbled, fumbling the straw around in her mouth.

"What?" Susie gawked.

Noelle's tongue brushed against the straw. "When you tease me…" She gulped nothing but Susie's essence. "D-don't—um—don't stop. Please?"

Susie's cheeks exploded in strawberry pink. "Y-you're—you're so weird!!!"

Noelle sighed. "I know…"

Susie made a strange guttural growl from inside her throat. "I mean. Fine. Whatever. I'll keep teasing you then."

Noelle bit into her straw.

She forgot she was in public.

A couple more days drifted by, melting together with Susie.

Today they planned to visit the Dark World. Noelle wanted to visit earlier, but Susie had refused. She said things like, "Not yet. It's not ready yet. Hold on. We will tomorrow. Just rest." Strangely ominous, but mostly exciting. When Noelle asked what she meant, Susie just shrugged it off, saying things like, "Ehh. Later. Aren't you thirsty? Hey, how did you get that high score in the Skateboard game???"

Of course, Noelle could have gone to the Dark World on her own. No one was stopping her. However, she couldn't bear the thought of going into the school all by herself and sneaking into the closet. What if someone caught her? What if someone told on her to her mom?

With Susie around, though, oh she forgot she was ever afraid! She strolled through the empty halls with ease, her soul only pounding because Susie was smiling so wonderfully. If someone saw her—well—who gives a darn?! They should cheese off! Noelle had somewhere more special to go than this school! Noelle had someone more special than anyone in this whole town!

(Ah… Maybe that was a little too mean.)

And yet… when that lone closet came into view, so unassuming yet mysterious, Noelle couldn't help but feel her bluster begin to fade away. It wasn't like she hadn't gone to Castle Town before! She had plenty of times! But… …

That deep black… that dark abyss of night, even in broad daylight… It always managed to stun her, to slow her advance. It seemed to beckon her, seemed to call to her in a way that Susie didn't understand, that Susie didn't hear. It reminded her of someone gone, someone missing.

Worst of all, it crept into her mind. It invaded her thoughts. She'd often find herself thinking, 'Maybe I'd be better off if I went missing, too? As long as… as long as Susie is with me.'

And every time, Susie, oh Susie…! She would clasp Noelle's hand gently, her rough hands almost completely overtaking hers. She'd smirk at Noelle, saying nothing else, just vaguely motioning towards the door without a single shred of fear in her heart.

And every time, Noelle would wonder how she was ever afraid.

Without a worry in the world, she'd run and jump into the abyss, laughing all the way, Susie's rasping laughs mingling together with hers in the dark. The fall was always the most terrifying part, but with Susie's hand to stabilize her, to anchor her to something as gravity and logic were thrown out the window—as the entire universe appeared to be rewritten, as their clothes started to dazzle into something else, she held on tight to Susie and knew everything would be alright. Susie would never let anything happen to her.

And Noelle would try her best to never let anything happen to Susie.

As always, gravity slowed as they neared the ground, almost jarringly so. Her hooves landed with hardly more than a clack, yet still her legs would always feel like a newborn's. Thankfully, Susie held her up without a complaint.

"You good?" Susie asked, her new burning pink hair and heroic smile sending tremors through Noelle's soul.

"Y-yeah…!" Noelle said with a stutter. Not because of the fall. Not because of the Dark World. Susie's transformation… …

The dangerous spikes at her arms, at her wrists, the heavy stomp of her boots, the sheen of her black leather vest! Oh, and to top it all off, that beautiful pink hair…! Why did her hair change so much in the Dark World? Noelle's hair only became slightly paler, almost sickly looking.

But Susie! Ah! She exploded with life and color here! In the Dark World she was the coolest most eye-catching person no matter what sort of fantastical creature they stumbled upon! Oh, and her axe, so dangerous and heavy, its edge gleaming with a strangely familiar cyan…!

Susie pulled her hand away, leaving Noelle's feeling cold. Especially with the steel ring between her fingers.

"C'mon, you said you were good!! C'mon!! Let's go!! C'mon!!" Susie nearly sprinted ahead, barely able to wait for Noelle, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. Her hair, so pink, so fluffy, bounced with her.

"Okay okay!! Fahaha!" Noelle said between a fit of giggles. There was never any time to be melancholy with Susie around. She sprinted with Susie towards Castle Town as they always did, laughing and laughing without a care in the world.

"Susie! Noelle!" the goat boy known as Ralsei called out. With a little skip and the clap of his paws, he wrapped them in a tight fluffy hug. Neither girl seemed to know how to deal with this, but Noelle didn't hate it.

Noelle had gotten to know Ralsei and she liked him! But it would always be hard to push away the uncanny Asriel resemblance, no matter how unfair that was to Ralsei. Noelle wasn't stupid. She knew Ralsei had some kind of connection to Asriel. It was in the name!! Right there! They weren't trying to be subtle in the slightest!

But Ralsei… He was sweet. Very very sweet. So sweet it hurt. So sweet it was uncomfortable.

"Hi Ralsei," Noelle said sheepishly as he nuzzled into her. Boy, he was… pretty cozy getting this close.

Susie, as always, grunted like she was annoyed, yet she never pushed him away. "Yeah, yeah, you're such a dweeb! You don't have to hug us every time you see us!"

Ralsei, as opposed to Asriel, was much sharper than he let on. He must have sensed Noelle's unease. He always backed away from her first, an apologetic smile on his mouth. However he seemed to actually tease Susie the way he clung and giggled at her.

(To think anyone could tease Susie and live…!)

Once Susie's hackles rose, Ralsei jumped back, avoiding her shove. He looked up to her and said, "It's ready, Susie!"

Noelle tilted her head. "What is…?"

Ralsei smiled sweetly at her and said, "Oh! The—"

Susie growled, "It's not filled with acid is it?"

"Hello Yes I'm Also In This Scene And Yes I Am Taking Over."

Queen, the sleek blue computer woman floated down in her jet chair, sipping on a glass of acid. She—

"Noelle Sweetie Honey Bunches Of Oats," Queen started, driving her uncomfortably hot jet chair much too close to Noelle. "We Know Each Other Much Too Well To Be Doing Description Of The Other. Let's Just Talk At Each Other Now Okay. Okay Cool."

"U-uh!" Noelle started with a shaky smile. "O-okay, Queen! It's really nice to see you again!"

"Noelle. Noelle. Every Moment I See You Is Like A Million Downloads Straight To My Freaking C Drive. Do You Know What I Mean?" Queen leaned down to pat Noelle gently between the antlers, nearly spilling horrible burning acid on her. "Whoops Haha Mommy Has Had A Few Glasses Of Acid Today." Her visor read: LMAO.

Oh Queen… She was so very sweet. Just very… very overpowering. She had a strange love for Noelle that Noelle couldn't quite explain, but it wasn't quite unrequited.

Susie slowly, very slowly, put herself between Noelle and the tipsy Queen, glaring. "All right, all right, answer the question. Is it filled with acid or not."

Queen's throne roared backwards as she spilled dangerous acid around the town, laughing regally all the way. "I Filled It With Acid Again."

Susie nearly pulled her axe out, pink hair bristling with rage. "Are you serious?!"

Queen's visor flashed: (LYING) as she said, "No lmao I Was Just Messing With You. It Remains Filled With Horrible Non-Burning Acid That Doesn't Even Taste Good. I Do Not Understand Why You Would Subject Poor Noelle To Such Conditions. How Will She Charge Her Battery? Do You Even Care."

Ralsei nervously interjected, sensing a mini-boss fight about to begin. "It's ready! It's ready! It's totally safe and normal like you asked it to be, Susie! I made sure!"

Queen sighed. "Yes, Peachboy Refused To Let Me Add Robot Sharks And Spinning Blades. It Doesn't Even Have A USB Port. I Do Not Think It Could Even Run Doom. I Am Going To Be Honest, I Am Ashamed To Even Put My Name On This Work."

Noelle was starting to get tired of everyone talking like she wasn't here. "H-hold on a second!"

"Did You Mean: Ho-Ho-Hold On A Second, Sweetie."

"No! No! I didn't!" Noelle tried to stay focused, tried to use her new power of saying 'no' to people to the best of her ability. "What is 'it' that you guys keep talking about?"

The three of them stared at her, as if they were all suddenly hidden besties. "Secret," the three of them said at once.

"Wow That Was Sick."

"It went exactly as planned!" Ralsei cheered.

Susie grinned. "Look, Noelle is super peturbed!! Ha! You were right, Queen!"

"Perturbed," Queen corrected.

"Okay, okay, I think we're starting to make Noelle feel too weird," Ralsei said.

(How am I the weird one right now???)

"Yes Isn't It Wonderful."

"Oh, yeah, it's awesome," Susie agreed, grinning. "Hey, don't worry, Noelle. It's fine. We're just messing with you."

"I'm??? Aware???" Noelle said. "I just… Am I missing something? This is just all about a pool, isn't it? It's not really that confusing? You're just all acting weird for the sake of it??"

The three went silent. Queen made loading noises.

"How'd She Freaking Know," Queen whispered, huddling with Susie and Ralsei with her jet chair.

"Dude, I dunno! I told you she's too smart! You guys really messed this up!"

"She can hear us…" Ralsei sighed.

"I can hear you still, yes." Noelle's ears twitched against her will.

Susie let out a sigh of defeat, slumping over. "Let's just… let's just take her to the pool."

"What's The Point I Wanted To Shock Her To Her Freaking Core." Queen flew up into the air and said, "I Cannot Be Part Of This. Also My Drink Needs To Be Reloaded. Noelle Enjoy The Pool Even Though Everything Is Ruined And Terrible Now I Love You Bye."

Fwoooooooom…!

"Umm… bye Queen?" Noelle waved slowly after. "Love…? You too…??"

(WAS IT WEIRD TO SAY THAT.)

Ralsei gave a strained smile, leading the two girls to the castle.

"Right this way," Ralsei said politely, pushing two grand double doors open, motioning for Susie and Noelle to enter first. He even gave a polite curtsy, clearly enjoying this more than he let on. It was cute, Noelle admitted.

"Whoaaaaa!!" Susie's maw fell open. "I just thought you guys would make a pool! I didn't expect all this!"

Ralsei smiled sheepishly, but there was no hiding his pride. "Once Queen realized it was for Noelle, she activated 'Hyper_Mode.exe' in her words."

Noelle stepped in at Susie's side, wincing her eyes shut, afraid to see what kind of mess Queen made for her this time. But as she slowly opened them, she let out a gasp.

The room was huge and as tall as a school's gym. The ceiling was painted in an array of twinkling stars, simulating a beautiful night sky perfectly. Noelle could hardly tell it wasn't a ceiling! Magic was certainly at play, but it was so astronomically beautiful…!

And that wasn't all! The walls, oh the walls appeared to be windows?? Outside the glass panes, the pool room looked over a lovely Cyber City, just as she remembered it! But Noelle knew they were on the ground floor! Was it another simulation? On a closer inspection, Noelle found them to be simply incredibly high-quality screens. Yet when she pressed her face against the glass, she could look down at the city streets! Amazing! Amazing!

Oh, the neon lights, the sound of the city, the distant honk of the cars, the gentle stepping of people walking down the street below them…! Noelle found hidden speakers placed all over the room, simulating city noises utterly wonderfully!

She hadn't even mentioned the pool yet! The main point of all this! Oh, Noelle was hopping on her little hooves as she scampered around, tail wagging unabashedly as she did so.

The pool was magical. It must have been magic! Maybe there were lights under it, but it sparkled an entrancing aqua blue. The rippling waters projected onto her robe, across the floor, across any part of the walls that weren't simulating the city. It was crystal clear! It looked like you could actually drink from it! Not to mention it was the size of a public pool! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Noelle stuck a finger into the shimmering water curiously, watching the ripples send growing rings across the surface like tiny shockwaves.

"Elnina helped with the water," Ralsei said softly. "She used her 'Purest Drop' and rained down this magical water that should be free of any impurities. At first, she struggled to fill the pool, actually." Ralsei put a finger to his chin. "But we brought in Lanino and that seemed to really motivate her. Still. Wasn't enough. Someone suggested to bring in Rouxls as well and place him together with Lanino and well… We actually had to ask her to stop raining before she flooded the whole place. I have no idea why that helped."

"Wow…" Noelle poked the water once more, watching her reflection turn into a blurry watercolor, shimmering away into crystal. She wasn't completely listening, but it was fascinating! It was all so fascinating!

To her surprise, Susie stomped next to her. She took a squatting position, looking at their reflections together in the pool. She was grinning, so full of fangs and cheer. And when Noelle saw herself, she realized her stupid nose was glowing bright red, along with her weird fluttering ears.

(Ahh!! Do I always look like this with Susie…??)

She looked over at Susie's reflection once more, staring into those golden eyes that shimmered back. Her pink hair highlighted her blinding grin. Susie, squatting close like this, looked the happiest she'd ever been in her life. And somehow, somehow, she seemed even happier looking at Noelle.

(Maybe… It's not so bad…)

"Heh, what's up with you?" Susie asked. She slapped a claw in the water, their reflections meshing into melted pinks and yellows, a complete mess of colors. "Do you like it or what?"

Cool water splashed into her face and Noelle couldn't help but giggle. "Susie!! Fahaha!" Once she wiped the water out of her fur, she stood up. "O-oh wait! Did I not say that I liked it??"

Susie stood up with her, so tall and hulking. (Eep…!) "You didn't! You just started running around looking at everything without a word!" Still, she simply could not stop smiling. Nor could Noelle.

Ralsei, standing slightly to the side, said, "Ah, that's okay. I can tell she likes it. There's no need to praise—"

"I love it!!" Noelle nearly screamed, sprinting over to Ralsei and taking his hand. With both hands, she shook it with more strength than both expected, jostling Ralsei's glasses. "Gosh, it's so pretty! It's so beautiful! I—I never imagined something like this could exist! And—and you did all this for me! I… I don't deserve this! This is so wonderful, so wonderful, Ralsei! Thank you! Please thank everyone for me! Tell them I've never been happier!"

Ralsei seemed taken aback, practically stumbling. "O-oh! W-well. I didn't… really… I just tried to direct people and keep Queen in check…." He blushed adorably, trying to hide his face in his coat. "A-and this was all Susie's idea in the first place."

Susie quickly came in and gave Ralsei a noogie, mussing his fur and making him whine with laughter.

(Why doesn't she give me noogies?)

"Ralsei you weird little nerd! I didn't lift a finger! All I did was ask for a pool for Noelle! I didn't think you'd go this hard on it! Damn! Hehheh!"

Noelle's soul fluttered along with her ears. (Susie asked them… just for me. Because I was too hot. Oh… Susie…!)

"Aww, it's not that special," Ralsei said through his uncomfortable headlock.

"Shaddup, dweeb, it's special as hell! We can't thank you enough!"

"C-could you start by letting me go then?" Ralsei practically begged.

Susie guffawed and freed her victim, allowing him to finally pat his fur back down.

With a sigh of relief, Ralsei gave a cute curtsy and said, "All right. I'll let you two enjoy your swim."

Susie tilted her head. "Huh? You're not swimming with us?"

(Shh! Susie…!! Let me have this!)

Ralsei's kind eyes seemed to stare directly at Noelle, as if reading her thoughts. He smiled sweetly. "No, I actually have to take care of something. Maybe some other time?" He looked one more time to Noelle. "And don't worry. I'll make sure you two aren't interrupted. This is just for you, Noelle. Susie. Both of you."

"Ehh, fine… I guess it would be nice to just chill with Noelle. Maybe this is even…" Susie stopped herself, a shade of deeper pink tickling her cheeks.

(Better…?)

Ralsei waved sweetly one last time. He said, "You two enjoy yourselves, okay? Knock on the doors if you need anything. And please, be safe!!" His expression turned into that rare almost sarcastic expression before returning to neutral kind Ralsei. "See you later!"

Clunk!

The heavy doors shut, leaving Susie and Noelle all to themselves.

"He's really nice, isn't he?" Susie said, water rippling and sloshing against the silence. "I mean. For a nerd. Heh."

Noelle moved closer to Susie. "He is." She paused a soul beat. "You're really nice too, Susie."

Susie nearly stumbled into the pool. "Me? C'mon, don't be dumb. Everyone knows I'm not nice."

Noelle took another step forward, forcing Susie near the pool's edge. "You're nice. I know you're nice."

"Uhh… uhh!!" Susie's boot nearly slipped into the pool before she regained her balance.

Noelle continued to close in, unable to stop herself. Like a wisp of snow, she floated ever closer. "Susie…" she found herself saying, reaching out to her snout, fingers outstretched. She needed to touch her. She needed to feel Susie. She needed her.

At first, it appeared Susie had no choice but accept it all. Accept her own kindness. Accept Noelle's touch. Susie's hackles raised, showing a hint of fangs. Suddenly, Susie swiped Noelle's furry hands into her own rough claws, forcing a tiny gasp out.

Susie pulled Noelle in close into her chest with nothing more than a simple motion. Noelle could hardly contain herself, another tiny noise slipping out, lost in the warmth of her clothes.

Susie growled, "I am not nice."

And pushed Noelle into the pool.

It was all so sudden! She was sinking into the cool waters, the world shimmering around her, rippling and melting and blurring together. Her robes felt incredibly heavy yet weightless at the same time, but altogether clumsy and strange. Pale golden hair drifted past her nose like seaweed.

She took a breath. Wait. No. She didn't.

Water flooded her throat, burning in her chest like fire. Panic kicked in and her body finally began to move, but it certainly wasn't under any control of Noelle's. She splashed and thrashed and became tangled in her own flowing robes. Before she knew it, something purple dived in, sending vibrations throughout, sensation rippling into Noelle's fur.

Susie grabbed her and pulled her to the surface.

Noelle gasped and choked and spat and whined and did everything she could possibly do in this situation to embarrass herself.

"Shit! Noelle, I'm sorry! I didn't know you couldn't swim!" Susie's voice said next to her.

"I—COUGH—I can!" Noelle sputtered. "I'm just—URK—I'm just stupid!!" Noelle coughed up another batch of pure crystalline water. "Susie!! Fahahaack! Why'd you do that?? You meanie!"

"I-I told you!" Susie tried to argue, the worry in her voice betraying her. "I'm not nice! I told you!"

Susie held Noelle in the bridal position, sloshing slowly through the pool and stomping up the steps with an incredibly embarrassed and soggy deer in tow. Yet, Susie's bulging muscles, wet pink hair stuck to her head like melted candy, with water droplets streaking down her vest had Noelle feeling like she was still drowning. Susie's clothes stuck tightly to her, showing off all those rough muscles, all of the strange little curves on Susie's stomach. Noelle couldn't stop staring.

Susie gently placed Noelle onto one of the poolside chairs. Noelle's fur and especially her robes dripped and drooped with a weight she couldn't comprehend or understand. She needed to pull some of her sticky pale hair out of her face to get a better view of Susie who stood before her, shining and glistening pink and obsidian.

"I still think… you're nice…" Noelle managed to say, her coughing subsiding.

Susie tried to brush her own hair off her face before simply shaking like a dog and spraying Noelle with Susie juices. (Mmm…) With that out of the way, Susie pointed an angry claw at Noelle. "Are you stupid? After I nearly drowned you?" She stomped a boot down angrily. It squelched. She groaned and threw them off her feet, revealing the claws beneath. (Ohhh…!)

"Mm… What…?" Noelle muttered, eyes glued to Susie's dripping wet body, her mind a haze of pink.

"You really are stupid," Susie grumbled. She threw her vest off with a splat! that caused Noelle to flinch.

Her shirt was completely soaked through…! Noelle could see…! Noelle could see…! Susie's…! Susie's…! Oh! Oh! They looked so soft compared to the rest of her! How could that be? Would they feel as hard as the rest of her? Were they soft? And and… gasp! Impossible…! Noelle barely even dreamed of this impossible moment!

Could it really be…? Nipples? Peeking through her shirt?! They were so … … cute…!

"Mmmmm…. … huh…?" Noelle said again, completely lost in Susie's body. Her forehead burned with pleasant heat.

"Great." Susie huffed. She placed her claws on her belt and slipped it off. !!! No…! She couldn't be…! She pulled her pants off and threw them to the side, leaving only a pair of soggy boxers covering her SSSR ultra rare parts! "She's got brain damage because of me. Great."

"S… Susie…?" Noelle managed to breathe out. "What are you… What are…" She couldn't speak. Her wires were crossed, electric excitement tingling her mind.

Susie glared Noelle's way. "What? I'm not doing anything wei—" She stopped mid-sentence when her eyes landed on Noelle.

What was it? What did Susie see that tripped her up so much? Noelle's face felt so terribly hot, but how could she look anywhere else? Did Noelle look stupid with her fur all wet, with her pale hair a mess between her antlers?

"Geez." Susie's eyes, golden like sunset, stayed focused on Noelle. Somehow, her cheeks burned so pink that she nearly became red. "Do you… still wanna swim? After… all that?" And her voice… so husky…! Why…?

Noelle nodded much too quickly, needing to pull sticky hair out of her eyes again. "Y-yeah! I-I really want to!" Her soul was pounding. Pounding. Pounding. It felt so much. So much.

"Are you…" Susie took a deep breath, as if struggling to speak. "… okay to swim? You're breathing weird."

Noelle smiled, despite the truth in Susie's words. "You're…" She needed to breathe in. "You're breathing weird, too."

"Huh?" Susie's nostrils flared. "No, I'm… not? That's you." There was no denying her labored breathing, but Noelle could only giggle. There was no reason to argue it.

"Can we still swim?" Noelle asked, voice light and airy.

"Sure. Got no bathing suits, though." Susie shrugged, trying to act casual, but Noelle knew better.

Noelle pointed to the right. "Oh, actually, I think I saw some over—aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Her words became a frequency that increased ever higher in pitch until only certain dogs were able to hear it.

Susie had lifted her shirt over her head, getting it stuck around her big snout, revealing her chest in all its sparkling glory. After finally getting it off and tossing it with the rest of her clothes she tilted her head and said, "Huh? What were you saying, Noelle?"

"T-t-t-t-ti-t-t-t…" Noelle's chittered, teeth chattering together like a nutcracker. "W-w-w-w-what are you doing…?"

Susie looked away, offended. She growled out, "What…? There's no one else. We're both girls. Who cares?"

And then. And then. And THEN.

Susie. Pulled. Down. Her. Boxers.

Noelle, for a moment, was convinced she had died. Maybe she really did. So many tiny explosions in her brain like this couldn't possibly be good for her, but she did not complain. "Aaa…" Noelle's head fell back against the chair, the world blurring into heated blues and blacks and purples, swirling and swirling so beautifully.

"W-what's your problem?" Susie asked, more embarrassed for Noelle than herself. "I'm not that ugly to you, am I?"

Suddenly, Noelle's overheated mind worked perfectly. She shot back up, staring at Susie with so much determination that her words were undeniable. "You are not ugly to me, Susie. You. Are. Beautiful."

Susie blinked. It was clear she was trying her best not to look nervous, being in the nude and all, but those words seemed to make her almost scrunch into herself, seemed to make her want to hide that beauty.

"H-huh? I-I mean. Yeah. W-whatever." She leaned down (nice) and dug through her discarded pants pocket to pull out a little hair band. She tied her hair up into a ponytail.

Susie! With a ponytail! Noelle nearly fell apart again, falling backwards as if taking a blow right to the face. This was pure bliss. Life couldn't get better.

"You're being such a freak!" Susie shouted, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to her side. (Oh, she's trying to hide the goods now…! It's almost cuter… And… her tail! Oh! I can see it wagging!) "You know! The only reason I did this was because your stupid robe is soaked through! I can see everything on you already, you idiot!!"

Noelle's world stopped. "Eh?" she bleated out unceremoniously. She became acutely aware she had a body of her own. "What?"

"That's right, stupid!" Susie hissed, looking out the fake window to the fake city, suddenly very interested in it. "You might as well be naked already! The way you look! I only did this so you wouldn't feel embarrassed!"

Horrified, Noelle looked down.

(Holy cheese and crackers!)

It was true. Noelle's robe hid nothing from the imagination. Water had made it so sheer, it might as well have been invisible. It stuck tightly to her fur, to every shape and curve of her body, revealing her own chest even. No! No!! (Not mine! Not mine!!! It's not as cute when it's mine!!!)

Noelle shrieked and imploded into herself, hugging her body with an ugly squelch! as her wet robes continued to do nothing. She crossed her legs and used both arms to cover her chest.

"Stop whining!!!" Susie screeched, fangs barred.

Noelle instantly loosened up at that command, turning into a rag doll. "O-okay!"

"It's fine!" Susie growled. "It's—it's nothing I haven't seen before!" She lowered her voice. "But. Uh. Why don't you have underwear?"

Noelle shrieked, "I don't know!!! I didn't decide this!!!"

"Oh my god, it's fine," Susie hissed, holding out her hands in desperate anger. "You're, uh, you're…"

Noelle's soul slowed. She leaned in closer to Susie. "I'm… what?"

Susie grit her fangs together, nearly making sparks with how furiously she moved. "Cute…"

Noelle blinked. Her ears twitched. "I'm sorry, what?" She couldn't have heard that right.

"IT'S FINE YOU'RE CUTE!" Susie yelled, throwing her claws into the air.

Noelle's mouth started to emit in frequencies that only bats could hear. "aaaAAA—"

"Stop screaming already!"

Noelle's mouth snapped shut as if a magical force had halted her screech. "Okay."

Susie sighed and jutted a thumb behind her. "So, do you wanna swim with me or not? If you're that worried about going, heh, buck naked, I guess there's bathing suits but do we really need 'em?"

(So Susie did know there were swimsuits! She just didn't care! Is she that confident? Or does she want me to also…? With her…?)

"Let's do it!" Noelle said, filled with a strange determination.

She wouldn't let herself miss out on an opportunity like this! Regardless of how Susie actually felt! Even if it turned out nudity meant nothing to her, it certainly meant something to Noelle! And maybe that was horribly sneaky of Noelle! But! That was guilt for another time! The important thing was not losing her slippery nude Susie!!!

(Now, Noelle! Take off your clothes with her! Go!)

Noelle clutched her robe in her hands with the force of dozens of chipmunks.

(There you go! Now just pull it off over your head! And get! Naked! With! Susie!)

Yeah! She was pulling her robe up! Yeah! She was doing it! She was going to be naked! With Susie! Yeah!!!

"Will you hurry up!?" Susie growled, watching Noelle pathetically pull her robes up at about one centimeter an hour.

"Okay!!!" Noelle said fiercely. (Here I go! Getting naked with Susie! Even faster! Not wasting time!)

Yep! She was still doing it! Yep! This was a nightmare! Yep! She was failing! Yep! She was really not happy with the way things were turning out!!

"Oh my god," Susie groaned, stomping over to Noelle. "Just do it already, dumbass!!" Her claws pierced Noelle's sides, through the fabric, through the fur, nearly slicing flesh. Susie ripped the robe off over her head and tossed it near her heap of soaked clothes.

"A-ah!" Noelle shrieked, instantly clenching her eyes, hugging herself and squeezing her legs together. Even though nearly nothing changed, it felt so different! The tufts of fur on her chest and between her legs that never got air were suddenly free to breathe, open air hitting the wetness in such a strange yet pleasant way.

"Uh…" Susie grunted, taking a step back, as if she somehow didn't expect to find a naked Noelle beneath. "Uh…"

"D-don't…!" Noelle stuttered, her soul beating so rapidly she thought it might actually break out of her chest. So many emotions, so many feelings, so very overwhelming! And through it all! Through it all! She wanted to touch Susie! So! Very! Much! But everything… everything was coming out wrong!

"Don't… what?" Susie asked, looking away.

Noelle never understood why she said the next thing she said. It wasn't true. It simply wasn't true. She wanted this. But for whatever reason…

Noelle screamed, "Don't look!!!" and tackled Susie with her antlers, shoving both of them into the pool once more.

Cold! Cold! Suddenly very cold! Again! Her ears were muffled, her eyes were shut tight, but this time Noelle didn't feel lost, didn't feel trapped in the water. Susie was here. She felt Susie thrash and kick and sputter underwater, yet somehow it didn't bother Noelle.

The cold already felt refreshing.

No longer tied down by heavy robes, Noelle gingerly swam up to the surface without issue. She still gasped for air, of course, but there were a mix of reasons for that. Something bubbled in her chest. The water sloshing through her fur, against her open body, it felt so freeing. It tingled.

It didn't take long before a purple shark exploded to the surface, rampaging and gasping. "What the—hell, dude?!" Susie shouted, sputtering between breaths.

Noelle couldn't stop giggling. She treaded water with a newfound ease, moving to a side of the pool where her hooves could find ground. She stood there, still laughing and laughing as Susie quite literally steamed. She looked like a volcano that blew up with sugar, hot pink lava streaming across her face.

"Stop making your weird smug kitty face!" Susie pointed a wet claw at her. She could stand in the much deeper end, but like this, she and Noelle appeared the same height.

"Fahahaha," Noelle continued to laugh. "What do you—haha—mean, Susie?? Hahaha!" Her entire body was tingling, was electric, was full of energy and motion.

Susie slapped the water angrily, but it made no difference to Noelle at this point. "You know! That like… colon three face? You always do that when you're being weird!"

"I have—fahaha—no idea what you mean!!" Noelle said, bubbling with so much embarrassing laughter, yet she barely even wanted to contain it.

Susie sunk her snout under the surface of the water, growling so hard the water appeared to boil at her maw. "Fine," she burbled. "Wanna play that way?" Susie took a deep breath through her nostrils and disappeared under the water with a quiet sploosh.

"Ha—ha—hm?" Noelle's laughter subsided, a strange loneliness taking over the pool room as Susie descended into yet another world beneath the water's surface.

Even with the bright lights glowing softly at the pool's bottom, Noelle could still barely make out Susie. (Mmm… Make out… Susie…) Her purples and pinks rippled together, shimmering in a threatening blob that Noelle couldn't keep track of. She moved fast, much faster than Noelle expected, surprisingly agile in the water, like she belonged in there.

Purple circled around Noelle, threatening, closing in, staring. It was almost scary, but Noelle giggled all the same. At first, Noelle thought she was like a shark, and maybe that's what Susie was trying to mimic. At first.

But then… Oh… then it all made sense.

Rather than shooting through the surface like a predator about to attack her prey, Susie slowly rose above the water, crystalline falling off of her in tiny rivulets of blue. Her fangs splayed in a horrible grin, pink hair completely shadowing her eyes like dark seaweed. Noelle could only watch in horror as the great Susiezilla approached. Yet, if Noelle was so horrified, why couldn't she stop giggling?

"GRAAAAAAOOOOR!" Susie bellowed, her powerful voice made waves. The vibrations, the strength of it all thrilled through Noelle's fur. In a sudden quick motion, Susiezilla shot up, towering over the poor pathetic soggy Noelle. She outstretched her arms, her claws, and opened her maw wide, revealing a deadly show of daggers that could and have chomped through steel.

Noelle was helpless. Oh. She was so helpless. Oh, she was so terrified. She really was. Her legs were shaking, her entire body was trembling, she huddled her arms into her chest—she could barely breathe, yet… she still wouldn't stop laughing.

And Susiezilla was upon her. Great rending claws grabbed Noelle's squishy furry body, completely surrendered to her awesome might. She pulled Noelle in close, her chest heaving with a fiery heat, more than any wimpy summer heat, and she bit Noelle.

"Haha! Got-phew-idioph!" Susiezilla cried, mouthfuls of blonde hair muffling her words. She had merely placed her mouth directly over Noelle's head but didn't actually hurt Noelle.

Even now. Even now. As Susie mouthed Noelle, completely alone, naked, she still made sure not to truly hurt. But that was Susie, wasn't it? All bark and no bite.

(I wouldn't mind some bite…)

Once more, Noelle breathlessly giggled into Susie, her fur, her nerves, everything feeling so electric and exciting. "Oh noooo~ I'm doomed! Susiezilla is unstoppable~!" Noelle cooed out, falling deeper into Susie's unintentional embrace.

"Phtats phright, phumbass!!" Susie crowed, still mouthing Noelle's head. Her angry words were certainly undercut by her cartoonish weak bite. "Nevar phoud ave phucked with ME! Heh heh!!!"

Despite this being what Noelle had wanted as long as she'd known Susie, despite this being a dream scenario that kept her up on hot summer nights, where even their frigid air conditioning could not frost away these violet thoughts—Noelle pushed Susie and clumsily swam away, still laughing.

"Hey!!" Susie roared. "Get back here!"

"You'll have to catch me! Fahaha!" Noelle shouted back, soul pounding so wonderfully in her chest. She was smiling so hard it hurt, but she didn't care. She didn't care. She had never been so happy. Her thoughts shot through her in torrents, swirling with emotions she could barely process.

(Chase me, Susie…! Chase me…! Please…! I want this so much…!)

"Psh, I could do that in my sleep!" Susie said with a smug chuckle. In the next moment, she dove headfirst underwater, a purple torpedo careening towards Noelle at light speed.

Noelle shrieked, she screamed, but it was coated with sugar, with excitement, with giggles. She kicked her hooves pathetically through the water, barely making any traction away from Susie before she felt something rough grab her ankles. She let out another delighted shriek before that claw pulled her under.

Susiezilla, the monster of the deep, had Noelle in her clutches once more. Her pink hair streaked across the shining blue like blood in the water, shadowing her body, her fangs, in dark threat. Under here, where no one could speak, where no one could see, Susiezilla could do anything she wanted with Noelle.

So Susie embraced her. Close. Tender. Tight. In the silence of the water, Noelle could hear her own soul pounding. Or. Was it Susie's heart? She felt it beating. Beating. Beating against her bare chest. But she didn't fear it, she didn't push away from it, she didn't terrify at her lack of dignity. Instead, Noelle wrapped her arms around Susie as well, holding her breath for as long as she could possibly bear it, wanting to stay like this forever.

But sadly, her chest began to burn, reminding her of the reality of this frail body. Susie's gentle claws must have felt it, must have sensed it, somehow, someway.

In the next moment, Susie shot out of the water with Noelle in tow, laughing and gasping together in breathless bliss.

And somehow. Somehow. That moment under the surface was carried here too.

Noelle giggled into Susie's chest, surprised at its softness compared to the rest of her rough scaly body. She still held Susie, unable to even fathom a world where she would ever let go. To Noelle's surprise, Susie held her too, laughing low into Noelle's hair, into her antlers, tickling her with each breath. She felt the vibrations deep in Susie's chest, near her neck, this wonderful little growl, almost a purr if Noelle had anything to say about it.

The summer heat could no longer reach her, but Noelle melted into Susie all the same.

"No way you're getting away from me," Susie growled into Noelle's hair. It was softer than Noelle expected, perhaps softer than Susie expected.

"Oh yeah?" Noelle huffed, chest rising and falling, pressing into Susie's bare stomach. Somehow. Somehow, she didn't even mind they were naked. Somehow, it felt so… normal. "You know, I'm actually in track and field… I can run."

Susie's grip tightened at that, almost desperate, squeezing the air out of Noelle. "I know." Her words came out too quiet, too strangely. She cleared her throat, the vibrations tickling Noelle's cheeks. "That is if you don't trip every two feet."

"Fahaha! Susie!" Noelle giggled, her fur sticking to Susie, brushing against her scales. "I don't trip that much…!"

"Or die of heatstroke after five minutes…"

"Okay, haha, that one is more realistic."

"You got no stamina," Susie said with a grin, pulling Noelle around in the water now, almost like a strange little dance that only she understood. "No stamina, Noelle. Listen. You can barely breathe as it is."

"That's for…" Noelle huffed, suddenly aware of her soul pounding, her chest nearly heaving. This time it really was just her. "… a different… reason."

"Uh huh?" Susie grinned, her scaly body cutting through the water like a knife, pulling Noelle through it like she was floating on air. "What, you got asthma or something? What other reason would you have?"

(She really doesn't know. She really truly doesn't know.)

(That's so terribly sad.)

"Because of you," Noelle said, still trying to find her breath.

Susie stopped. The water did not. It sloshed against them, crashed into Susie's body like waves on a cliff side, leaving Noelle to deal with the splash. "What? What do you mean? Are you… trying to say something?" And her grip on Noelle weakened. She shook her head, like something rushed in front of her eyes.

(Oh, Susie…)

"Because of you, Susie," Noelle repeated, barely able to get the words out. "I can hardly breathe because—"

"I'm holding you to tight?" Susie suddenly let her go, nearly dropping her below the surface with the sudden movement. It seemed like such a Susie move, but Noelle knew—Noelle could see the way her arms moved too frantically, the way her eyes darted around. "Am I… Is it because…"

Noelle sputtered, her hooves finding traction, just barely keeping her head above water. "N-no! Susie! Let me finish!"

"I—I dunno!" Susie said, backing away. "I dunno, dude! I dunno! Should I? Maybe—"

Noelle knew where this was going to go. She had to be strong. For Susie's sake. She took a deep breath, steadying herself in the water.

And she screamed, "BECAUSE YOU'RE HOT!!!"

Susie's pink hair blew back from the force of it, leaving her standing there wide-eyed, frozen. "… What?"

"Susie!!!" Noelle giggled once more, barely able to contain herself. "You heard me!"

"No, the hell I didn't." Susie crossed her arms, scowling. "Say it again. I must have misheard you."

Noelle paddled closer to Susie, getting a bit more headway above the water. "I said because you're hot." Susie tried to argue. Noelle put up a finger to silence her. "Hot as in attractive. Attractive as in I find you attractive. To be extremely clear, what I am saying to you is that I'm breathing hard because I find you attractive and it makes me excited. There." Noelle took a deep breath. "You can talk now." And nearly fainted from embarrassment from saying all that.

Susie caught Noelle's head before she went under. Her golden eyes glimmered, gazing deeply into Noelle's. For a moment, she said nothing, small, strange noises coming out of her gullet as she tried to speak. She said finally, "… Are you stupid?"

"Fahahahaha!!" Noelle fell backwards under the surface, laughing and inhaling (Perfectly Healthy And Safe To Drink BTW) water. She shot back up and shoved a mighty splash right into Susie's face, gulping the magic liquid down. "Maybe I am stupid!"

Susie smirked, barely flinching from the splash. "Ya know, I always thought you were, despite the good grades."

"So did I!" Noelle giggled, splashing Susie again.

"Must be why you wanted to hang out with me so bad," Susie said, ignoring her splashes with a grin. "Be with your fellow idiots, huh?"

"Susie!!!" Noelle giggled again, kicking and splashing with her hooves now, just really going to town on her while swimming farther away.

"Whaaaaat," Susie crowed, the water falling into her mouth nothing more than a tasty treat. "Running away again? Hey, I got something to tell you too, ya know."

Heat exploded through Noelle's nose, into the tips of her ears, fluttering so hard she might just fly away. "N-no! No, no you don't! Fahaha!!"

(Catch me. Catch me. Take me. Take me.)

"Fine," Susie shrugged, pink hair covering one eye coolly. "I'll just catch ya again."

"No you won't!! No you won't!! Ahhhhahaha!!" Noelle shrieked, her chest tickling.

Susie dove under the water in a flash, tail slapping the surface as she did so. She zoomed after Noelle, just as fast as before, but Noelle, oh Noelle, she didn't want to make it as easy this time.

Noelle kicked and she kicked, squealing and screaming and laughing, pushing Susie's groping and grabbing hands away, slipping out of her grip like the slippery deer she was. She could feel Susie getting more frustrated, could feel her claws grazing over her legs, hungry and desperate. Each touch sent a tickle through Noelle's lips; each grab a bolt of electricity through her tail.

But still, she wouldn't let Susie catch her. Not this time. Not this time. Make her work for it.

(It feels so good. It feels so good. I love this. I love this. I love this.)

Suddenly, Susie's raging form shot out of the water. "Hold still and let me grab you!!!" she growled, her mock frustration obvious to Noelle.

"Not uh! Not uh! Not uh!! Ahhhahaha!!" Noelle laughed, still kicking and sneaking out of her grasping claws.

"You're so annoying!" Susie hissed, but the pink on her cheeks said otherwise, the breathless chuckles rasping out of her maw betrayed her. She loved it.

Noelle's back hit the pool edge. Nowhere left to run.

Susie's enormous claw pinned Noelle's wrist to the pool edge. "Got you!"

Pain bloomed in her wrist where Susie held her, a pretty little thing, barely a bruise. Still, a strange sound came out of Noelle's mouth, a gasp. "A-ah!"

"I told you," Susie hissed, pinning Noelle's other wrist back. (!!!) "You can't escape me."

Noelle winced, yet her spine arched forward into Susie, her hooves scraping against the walls, unable to find any purchase beneath her. Another strange noise. She could barely speak.

Susie's glare pierced into Noelle's soul, sliced into her chest and devoured her from the inside out. She leaned her snout closer, dangerously. "Let me tell you a secret, too," Susie whispered, low growls reverberating from her throat.

"A-ah… a-ah…!" Noelle was at her complete mercy, barely able to do anything but squeeze her legs together and gasp for bits of Susie's precious breath.

Susie's chest pressed against Noelle's, pressed her into the pool wall, pressed her entire body against it. She leaned her mouth next to Noelle's reddened ears and whispered, "I think you're hot as hell, too."

Noelle didn't know how to speak. She could only squeak, could only whimper and whine as Susie's knee pressed between her legs, giving her a chance to stop struggling against the pool and better struggle against Susie.

"I can't stand it," Susie hissed through her fangs dangerous and low. "I can't stand how cute you are."

Noelle bit her lip, unable to do anything else, pressing her thighs against Susie's leg. "Mm—ah!!" She tried to speak, but the words simply couldn't make it out. Pleasure melted between her legs, hot sensation flashing through her cheeks, over her nose, between her eyes.

Susie witnessed it all, holding Noelle up, holding Noelle back with ease. There was no denying the flush in her face, the drool dripping down her fangs. "You're gonna… hah…" She breathed in deeply. "You're gonna make me do something stupid." She gasped. "If you… keep acting like this…"

At that, Noelle squirmed in her grip, wrestled against Susie's single hand, arching and trying to reach her face into Susie's. Struggling only felt better, only put more slick movement between her thighs and Susie's knee.

"P-please…" Noelle begged, struggling so hard to get a single word out. Her tail trembled beneath the water, shivering as she put pressure into her thighs.

Susie gulped, pulling her head back, eyes wide with heat and confusion. She tried to cover her face with a free claw, but there was no denying the lust in her eyes. "Geez… You're…"

It didn't take long for her quivering tail to cause shivers to run across Noelle's fur. Needy and filled with want, she gasped out, "M-more, Susie. Please."

"I-I don't…" Susie's own voice trembled, her own scales shivered, but still she held Noelle all the same. "I don't… know what I'll do."

"I don't care," Noelle huffed out, still desperate to reach. "D-do anything you want. To me."

"Fuck, that's…" Susie's tail couldn't seem to figure out what it was doing. Wagging, or shooting up right or drooping below her behind, it gave away her emotions more than any other part on Susie. It was hard to see, but Noelle could only focus on Susie, could only think of Susie. It trembled upright as Susie's claws struggled to keep her own cool.

"Susie…" Noelle whined, begging. She began to slide her inner thighs across Susie's leg, pressing her warmth against Susie's tough scales. The pressure drove her wild. "Please… please… I can't take it…"

"Fine…" Susie's rasps could barely be heard, her throat rumbling with confused yet adorable noise. "Fine. I can't take it either. Just remember…"

Noelle could barely contain herself, struggling to reach Susie, to be taken. She could only manage to tilt her head and sigh some fuzzy heat from her mouth.

Susie's golden eyes blazed like stars. The muscles in her arms flexed, her pink hair bristled with energy. Fangs gleamed as she said, "It's your funeral."

Noelle gasped but found it to be quickly stolen by Susie. Maw against mouth, she was upon Noelle, slavering and kissing and growling and hissing. Noelle could only sigh and moan into her, their teeth clicking together, their noses clumsily rushing and tilting into the other. Susie kissed and kissed like her life depended on it, like a starving beast on the verge of death.

Noelle kissed back like her life depended on it. (Give her everything, give her everything…) Her thoughts swirled, a mess of pleasure and a beautiful terror that only pushed her body harder into Susie.

Their bodies came together, Susie's breasts meshing with Noelle's, their heart and soul beating in adrenaline-fueled unison. Fur and scales brushing together, an incredible sensation of soft and hard mixed with sloshing water.

In the mess of passion, Noelle's hands managed to break free, taking Susie by shock. Noelle didn't waste a second, her arms wrapping around Susie's shoulders, clinging and squeezing herself into Susie. She didn't stop kissing, moving in one fluid motion, and threw Susie off balance.

Susie fell back slightly, still using one leg to prop up Noelle, but quickly regained her footing, accidentally slamming Noelle's back into the pool.

"A-ah!" Noelle cried out.

"S-sorry!" Susie rasped, reaching for Noelle's back.

"Don't be," Noelle said, turning Susie's head and kissing her deeply once more.

When Susie's gentle claws touched Noelle's spine, the dull ache and the exciting edge of Susie's nails mixed together in pure euphoria, causing Noelle to buck deeper into Susie. Susie used her hand as a cushion against the pool's edge, not that Noelle needed it, but somehow it made it all the more thrilling.

It was already so much.

Noelle slid deeper, deeper into Susie's leg, humping and gyrating into her, any sense of dignity long gone. She had reached Susie's thighs, felt their stomachs touch with each motion, felt her rock-hard muscles and only wanted more.

Water sloshed and crashed around them, the entire pool rippling with their movement. Even Susie couldn't help but rock with Noelle, trying to match her rhythm, albeit shakily. With her other free hand, Susie began to grope Noelle's breasts, squeezing and kneading them in a strangely gentle lust.

Every part of Noelle's body screamed with pleasure, burned with ecstasy and sensation. Her breasts, her thighs, her stomach, her mouth, her tongue, her back…! It was all too much, all so much, all so terribly terribly wonderful.

"Susie… I…" Noelle managed to bleat out, the pressure building inside, her muscles singing with bliss. "I'm… I think I'm going to…"

"Fuck," Susie hissed, her grip only tightening, her groping becoming rougher and more demanding. Fingertips brushed against Noelle's nipples, and Susie's tongue overtook Noelle's mouth, overwhelming her. "Do it. Come. Now."

Noelle's entire body trembled, she shook into Susie, hugged her tightly. Her mouth managed to escape Susie's to gasp for air, to moan deeply. She pressed their foreheads together with desperation, even that tiny moment of separation too much for her, too horrible to bear. Electricity rippled through her thighs, up her stomach, past her chest, and into her ears in a wonderfully overwhelming warmth. Her legs wrapped tight around Susie's thigh, squeezing much too hard, but she simply had no control over herself.

Susie took her with ease, with hunger, groaning and growling along with Noelle's moans and helpless bleating. She held Noelle without flinching, proving to be a steady rock in this raging pool of emotions. Her claws flexed ever so slightly with Noelle's orgasm, raking and nearly piercing through fur.

They sighed into each other, slowed together, melted into each other, the pool settling as their passion merely danced a slow dance.

Noelle collapsed into Susie, completely exhausted. She laid her head against Susie's rough shoulders, placing her panting mouth into Susie's neck. Her arms couldn't hang on, falling limply to Susie's side. Her legs, too, gave up on her, reminding her of the heatstroke from days ago. But this? This lack of control, this exhaustion, it felt so soft, so safe, like a dream.

Susie held her easily, one arm at Noelle's back, the other propping up her behind. Her fingers grazed over Noelle's fluffy tail, sending a syrupy jolt of excitement through her spine. Her eyes watched over Noelle's mushy body, cheeks heating up at the hot breath against her neck from Noelle's exertion. She backed away from the deep end and carried Noelle to the shallow end of the pool.

"You, uh, okay?" she whispered into Noelle's drooping ears. Another shiver. Ooh…

Noelle needed a moment to catch her breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm—I'm fine. That was just… gosh…" Her mind went blank, her eyes closed. She trusted Susie with her life, with everything.

"Noelle?" Susie asked, a tinge of worry in her voice.

Eyes opened. "Oh. Sorry. It was. Wow. It was really… really nice." Her chest felt light, airy, like she could float away. Susie kept her grounded, thankfully.

"You were really goin' at it," Susie said with a grin.

Noelle breathed into the nape of Susie's neck. "I've… I've wanted this for so long, Susie."

Susie's muscles stiffened. "Y-you have?"

Noelle's cheeks began to burn, even in the cool water. "Oops! Um… I wasn't supposed to say that… fahaha…"

Susie slowly placed Noelle down at the shallow end of the stairs, sitting her down in the water. She stretched out her back with a groan, unable to stop smiling. "Hah! You know. I never even let myself fantasize that something like this could happen."

Noelle blinked, managing to look up at Susie. She missed her touch, but she respected that Susie was probably sore. "Doesn't that imply you fantasized about something like this too?"

Susie froze in place. "Huh? Uhhh, NO! That's not what I said?? You're kinda stupid." She looked away. "And dumb. If you think that. No offense." Her wagging tail slapped against the water like a motorboat engine.

Certainly offensive, but Noelle laughed all the same.

Noelle tilted her head back, scooching into the water just enough to lay back against it. She outstretched her arms and her legs. Her furry body was easily able to float in this magical water. Refreshing… Every hair on her fur stood up on end, the cool water revitalizing her, pleasant chills trickling through her bones.

She let out a content sigh, letting herself drift along the surface, water sloshing in her ears and muting the simulated cityscape around her. She could hear every tiny movement Susie made in the water, especially the wagging of her tail now. It soothed the ache in her back, comforted her mind still roiling with love.

"Dude, you can just do that?" Susie gawked, staring as Noelle slowly floated around her, hair like melted gold in the pool.

"Faha-glug-gack!" Noelle laughed, sinking under the water. Her peaceful drifting ruined, she quickly stood up with a start, whining, "Aw, I got water up my nose… Ow…"

"Heh heh heh!" Susie rasped. For whatever reason, she didn't make fun of Noelle. Instead, she said suddenly, "Hey. Look what I can do. I call this one Dead Body."

Before Noelle could even giggle, Susie quickly dove underwater. Slowly, her back popped up first, her pink hair flowing in every angle. Her arms and legs stayed limp, her snout beneath the surface with barely more than a burble. She was completely still. It was a better impression than Noelle expected.

"Fahaha, Susie!" Noelle said, splashing water uselessly at the purple corpse. Somehow, it floated towards her, but Noelle had no idea how Susie did that. Her lifeless body bumped into Noelle's side. When Noelle tried to push it away…

A hand shot up and grabbed her wrist! "Susiezilla can't be killed!!" Susie shouted, drops of water glimmering down her snout. Noelle faked a shriek, falling into another fit of giggles as they splashed chilly water at each other. "Zombie Susiezilla is here to eat you…r brains!!" Groaning like a dead beast, she once again fit her maw over Noelle's head. "Ooogh… oh… no… I'm going to starve… there's nothing in here!!"

Noelle's laughs jingled. She didn't attempt to run away from Susie this time. (She couldn't anyway.) Susie's playfulness always sent Noelle's soul fluttering. She was almost childish in a way, cute, innocent. Perhaps she never had much of a childhood, perhaps she was just naturally childish, but Noelle loved it all the same.

(So cute…)

It left an airy feeling in Noelle's chest, a peaceful tingle that made the rest of the world stop existing around her. Her soul pumped, it beat, it blared in her head.

All that mattered was Susie. She wanted to give Susie more, let her feel more comfortable like this, let her feel safe to be like this. Susie deserved everything.

"Susie…?" Noelle asked suddenly, bravery skipping in her soul. Her fingers trembled in exciting anticipation.

Gnawing, gnawing… "Yeah?" Susie replied, still play-biting Noelle's skull.

"Before…" Noelle started, Susie's little nibbles and gentle scrapes soothing her. "When we were… um… messing around." The gnawing slowed. "Did you… did you… finish?"

Stop. Susie's fangs did not move. After a moment of gentle water sloshing, Susie went, sllllluurp! and got any loose saliva out of Noelle's hair. (She didn't mind.) "You mean like, uh… …" Susie went silent.

"Come," Noelle finished breathlessly.

Susie jumped, splashing them both. Her cheeks were hot pink. "Whoa, dude, you can't just—say that." Her voice hushed, though nobody else was around to hear.

"Faha, you already did!" Noelle giggled.

"Yeah, but I'm like, you know," Susie scratched the back of her neck, struggling with herself. "I'm the bargain bin. I'm bottom rung. I'm, like, the off-brand crap. Everyone knows I'm crass and gross and whatever."

"Susie…"

She didn't let Noelle finish. "But you? You're—you're top shelf, Noelle. You're brand name, you know? You're the goods. You're the stuff I wish I could have. You—uh—you shouldn't…" She sighed, looking away. "You shouldn't stoop to my level by saying stuff like that."

Noelle moved closer, water ripples trailing behind her as she did so. Susie's hurt, cracked heart had always been so apparent to her, had always been easy to see. She wanted to soothe her, to heal her, like Susie had done.

Noelle pressed her hands against Susie's back, pressed herself, her cheeks against her. She wrapped her arms around Susie, hands reaching to her chest, hoping to cup Susie's fragile soul in her hands. Wet fur against slick scales. She said, "Susie, please don't say that about yourself."

Susie didn't flinch away for once. She even attempted to crack a smile. "What? It's okay, man, I like, get it. It doesn't bother me anymore."

"Mmm," Noelle hummed into her. She didn't feel Susie's tail wagging. "Maybe I don't want to be top shelf if it means I have to be away from you."

"Huh?"

She felt it then. Susie's heart, Susie's soul, beating in her chest, beating fast. Scarred and cracked, it still beat, it still lived, it still yearned. Noelle could nearly feel it at her fingertips, feel the electric currents in her fur. It made her brave.

"Susie, we fucked."

"WHOA! Noelle?!" Susie turned around and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking at Noelle like she'd gone crazy.

"If saying words like this brings me down to your level," Noelle said, voice steady, "Then I want to go down there with you. Besides, don't you think us having sex means something?"

Susie nearly erupted like a pink volcano in sheer embarrassment. "I-I mean yeah! It was… it was cool! I just… uh… like… I don't…"

"You know I wanted to fuck you, right?"

Susie narrowed her eyes and smiled sheepishly. She looked at a nearby pool chair. Really stared at it. "…Yes…?" Her voice rose several octaves.

"And I said I wanted this. Remember?"

Susie coughed. "Uh. Well. I thought, like. You, uh, just. Really wanted to have sex…?"

Noelle nearly did a double take. "With you, Susie!"

Susie threw her hands into the air with a nervous shrug. "I dunno, dude!! I just thought you were really horny!"

"Did you not want to have sex with me??"

"What!? No!" Susie glared at Noelle, golden eyes fierce. "Dude, I wanted to bang you so bad; you have no idea."

(Eep! Nice… But stay strong, Noelle!)

Noelle ignored the flush on her cheeks and asked once more, "So? Did you come?"

Susie backed away holding up her hands defensively. "I mean. Okay. Okay, fine! I didn't come. It's chill though! Like, no big deal! I really don't mind!"

Noelle stepped forward, reaching for Susie's heart. "I want you to."

"???" Susie's mouth didn't work.

Noelle felt it taking over again, this intense want, this beautiful desire, this flitting need. "Do you want to come?"

Susie took another step back. "Uh… Uh… Uh… I mean…"

Noelle rushed forward, cutting through the water. Susie's hair bristled, fangs revealed by her startled maw. Noelle put her arms around Susie's shoulders, looking up at her, only her.

"If you don't want to…" Noelle said, her voice quiet. "It's okay."

Susie seemed to hold her breath. Noelle tightened her grip around her. Their gazes met, golden eyes glittering with an obvious want that Susie was too afraid to vocalize. "N-no… I… I think… that'd be… that'd be cool, like… u-uh… if-if you want."

(So adorable…!)

"I want to so much, Susie."

"L-let's… uh… let's do it??" Susie chuckled nervously between stutters. It was too cute.

"Okay." Noelle pressed her naked body into Susie's, pushing her backwards, smiling. "I want to try something."

> Noelle's Idea

"U-uh! S-sure!" Susie said with another stutter. Oh, Angel, she was trembling again. Noelle couldn't contain the excitement, the wag of her tail, the thrill in her fur.

"Let's go… back to the shallow steps," Noelle said, breathy. Susie was so big, so much taller, so much stronger than Noelle. Yet Noelle had her following like a dog on a leash. (Amazing…)

"Okay." Susie obeyed, walking backwards, unable to tear her eyes away from Noelle, unable to tear herself from Noelle in general.

"Now, let's sit on the step here, the shallowest part…" Noelle's soul fluttered, excitement buzzing in her ears. "I've—heehee—I've always wanted to try this."

"Uh," Susie huffed, Noelle's lust infecting her as well. Wag wag! went her tail. "O-okay. Y-yeah."

Susie sat down. Noelle sat next to her. "Okay. Now we—we face each other…" Noelle's soul was pounding so hard in her chest, she could barely speak. It was so overpowering, stealing her breath away. "Yeah… good… now, um… um…" The words felt like electricity on her tongue, making her dizzy with adrenaline. "Put your… put your legs… b-between mine…Like this…"

Susie obeyed but widened her eyes with excitement and said much too loudly, "Oh, shit! Are we gonna scissor?!"

"Faha, Susie!!" Noelle giggled, whatever terrifying tension that had built in her chest vanished. Still, they slipped their legs around each other, interlocking their hips clumsily. "I-I've always… really wanted to… faha… try it…"

"DUDE, ME TOO, IT'S SO HOT!" Susie shouted, sending another wave of laughter through Noelle. Their light vibrations made their warmth brush against each other; another shot of adrenaline straight to Noelle's chest.

"N-now…" Noelle huffed, the pressure in her chest almost unbearable. "S-scooch closer… C-closer…" She felt the warmth between their thighs touch, startling her with pleasure. "A-ah!" Cool water crashed between their heat, slick and buzzing waves washing over her.

"Put your arm around me," Susie said, voice husky. Noelle obeyed, pulling herself closer. Susie did the same, her huge arm pulling Noelle in even closer, each using the other to balance. "Shit, yeah, that's…" Susie let out another hot breath directly into Noelle. Their faces close, their bodies closer, scales and fur tangled together as they embraced.

"Now, I guess, we just…" Noelle pushed her inner thighs forward, rubbing wetly against Susie's. "D-do… a-ah…! This…?"

Susie pushed against Noelle's hips as well, her thrusts so much stronger, so overwhelming in their motion. The shallow water splashed between them but kept them slick where they needed to be, allowing them to fall into a slow rhythm.

"Hah…" Susie sighed, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. "How's this…?"

Each thrust, each touch, each wave and splash sent ripples of pleasure across Noelle's dripping fur. She held onto Susie tightly, knowing how easily it could all fall apart. "It's… It's really good… b-but… a-ah! How, ah, how is it for you? Susie…?"

Susie's cheeks flushed again. Her eyes drifted away, but she didn't stop her motions, didn't stop pressing her clit into Noelle's, rubbing and grinding. She returned her gaze, braver this time. Their foreheads touched, letting both girls feel the heat burning in their face. "It's—hah—it's good. And, like, you're…" Susie's eyes scanned over Noelle's body, water splashing between them. "You're so, so, fucking hot, Noelle. I… fuck… I can't believe how lucky I am."

Noelle used a free hand to quickly pour some water over her face to cool herself down, to beat the heat away that threatened to overtake her. Susie copied, water droplets crystallizing down her scales, glimmering beautifully as they slipped against each other.

(Closer… Closer… More…)

"I—I feel like I'm the lucky one…" Noelle said through her little breaths and moans, holding back that intense pressure that threatened to burst. This was for Susie… She couldn't let go yet. "Y-you're really… really… beautiful, Susie…"

Pink hair dripped down Susie's shoulders, down her sides, sticking to her glittering scales. Her muscles bulged as she crashed into Noelle, her fangs shining in her mouth as she gasped for air. Her spike bracelets gleamed dangerously at her biceps, threatening to shred Noelle into pieces. But they never did.

"Noelle…" was all Susie could seem to say, lost in her lust. Her breasts fell against Noelle's every so often in their erratic movements, each touch making Noelle hump harder, feel more of Susie.

In the next instant, Susie overtook Noelle's mouth, kissing her, needy, desperate. She couldn't speak, could only groan and huff into Noelle, but Noelle took her gleefully, kissing and bleating back into her. Susie's tongue found Noelle's again, licking the inside of her mouth, sliding against her teeth, all while gasping for air, wild with desire.

Their love burned with blazing heat, the pool's chill saving them from turning to ash. Noelle wanted nothing more than to feel Susie, than to make Susie feel. Susie deserved so much, she deserved to be happy, she deserved to feel loved, to feel pleasure, to feel bliss. Noelle wanted to give and give and give. Please. Please. Please. Take it. Please.

Noelle, nearing exhaust, used the hand she was balancing on to grab Susie's breasts, groping them blindly. Soft. Clean. Cool. Her thumb ran over Susie's nipple, pressing and circling around it, and Noelle could feel the way Susie gasped into her mouth, the way her pussy pressed harder into Noelle's.

Susie thrusted hard, so very hard, she had pushed Noelle against the edge of the pool again, but it just made it easier for Noelle to balance. Plus, she loved the feeling of Susie's bare thighs pushing so greedily, so powerfully against Noelle, strong enough to lift her, to push her back.

It was so much. It was so much. But Noelle couldn't… she couldn't… not yet…

Susie was close. Noelle knew it. Her muscles sung with stress, cried for more. She felt the way Susie's body flexed, the way she heaved, the way she kissed deeper and deeper into Noelle. Noelle used all her strength, all her stamina to keep up, to grope Susie harder, to hump into her faster, to kiss her harder! More, more! All for Susie…!

"N-Noelle… I…" Susie nearly whimpered, pushing Noelle over the edge.

"Susie…" Noelle whispered into her, gasping, drowning in her. "Come for me, come for me… please… come for me…"

Noelle felt Susie's muscles tense, felt Susie's grip tightening, felt Susie's maw slam shut. "F-fuck…!" Susie grunted, embracing Noelle, squeezing Noelle, lost in a whirlpool of emotion.

"Yes, fuck, yes…! Susie…!" Noelle bleated, allowing herself release as well, pressing her face into Susie's shoulder, kissing and licking at nothing in particular in a strange entrancing want.

Susie's orgasm was powerful, wonderful, beautiful, like her. And she was so needy! She clung to Noelle so desperately, hugged her deeply, sighing and grunting as she shivered, water dripping down their sides. An explosion of colors, of flowers, of snow, of flames, of stars, of diamonds, of city lights, burst through them.

Susie sighed slowly, deeply into Noelle, her muscles relaxing, softening.

Noelle, an exhausted mess, still smiled despite it all. "H-how was it?" she asked, panting.

Susie leaned her head back, took a deep breath, whipped her hair out of her eyes and said, "Fuckin' awesome," with a fang-filled grin.

"I-I'm really glad…" Noelle said, trying to hug Susie but finding her body wasn't listening again. Oops. "It felt really really good for me, too! I just, um, might be…"

Susie frowned, furrowing her eyebrows. "Noelle…"

Noelle smiled sheepishly. "Faha… um… I might be really exhausted now."

"Oh my god. Not again."

Susie untangled herself with Noelle and quickly sat her down on the stairs, letting her breath. Noelle could hardly manage to keep herself up, but Susie held her all the same.

"You didn't have to push yourself that hard…"

"I really wanted you to come," Noelle giggled, voice hitching.

"Ugh…" Susie scratched her hair before laying her chin between Noelle's antlers. She let Noelle use her as a scaly chair in the pool. "Well. It was really fucking good, so uh… thank you."

Noelle sighed, her chest filled with peace, content in a way she never thought possible. She snuggled and nuzzled deeper into Susie’s throat, allowing the icy water to gently wash away their heat.

"I came again, too…" Noelle mumbled, eyelids drooping.

"Heh. I know. I could tell."

"Made it… better… for you."

"You did. You're… you're really … I… Noelle… I…"

Noelle sighed deeply, nuzzling her furry cheeks into Susie's scales. Susie had to reposition her head but didn't seem to mind. Without thinking, with only the comfort of the water and Susie's warmth surrounding her, Noelle said, "I love you too, Susie…"

"I-I didn't…"

Noelle breathed deep. Susie smelled coppery, sweaty, crystalline. She sank into her cozy body, as if Susie were a warm towel. Susie's heart pounded in Noelle's ears but quickly slowed as she became comfortable.

Susie sighed, giving up. "I… yeah. You're right. I love you, Noelle."

It was the last thing Noelle heard before drifting away into a peaceful slumber, safe inside Susie's embrace.