Summary: Eleanor offers to mend Velvet's clothes, if she wants to. Velvet takes up the offer. Cross-posted from Ao3.

A/N: I haven't finished the game and am up to just after the skit where ... Eleanor offers to mend Velvet's clothes.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Velvet says.

The door opens to reveal Eleanor on the other side. She's dressed in a bathrobe and her hair is damp. "Hello. Come on in."

Velvet walks into the room that is a bit small for two adults but big enough for an adult and a child. It's also the room closest to the toilet and makeshift bathroom on Van Eltia. The bathroom actually exists because of Eleanor. Eizen had fortunately understood when Velvet requested that a bathroom has to be made for the female humans on board.

He did bring it up first that we shouldn't try to push our luck with her anyway.

Velvet knows it's been too long for silence to reign the room and speaks. "Is that offer to mend my clothes still on the table?"

Eleanor looks startled. "...Yes. Yes it is."

"Can you mend my shirt now?"

"Of course—" Velvet quickly unbuckles her cape and proceeds to untie the strings on the front of her top to pull it off. "—Give me a moment and I'll find you a robe to change into."

Velvet is already topless and holding up her top as if she were a coat stand when Eleanor turns around from her search with a robe in hand.

Eleanor is definitely startled this time. "What are you doing?!"

Velvet looks around herself and sees nothing inordinary of the sort. "What did I do?" Something soft hits her on the chest and she grabs at it by reflex. It's the robe.

"Please cover yourself," Eleanor says as she looks the other way. Her cheeks are aflame.

Velvet calmly, in comparison, pulls the robe around her and ties it up. She feels a bit silly wearing a robe when she was content in being topless a moment ago. "I don't see what's the big deal is. We're both girls and Laphicet won't be coming back any time soon."

Eleanor has an odd expression on her face as she regards Velvet. She then looks away. She is strangely tense when she reaches for Velvet's top, which was thrown on the table, and then a bag full of assumingly sewing tools from under the bunk bed.

Velvet leans against the wall and watches Eleanor work. The other woman takes out a needle and easily threads it through with a long piece of red string from a tiny spool. Then she pulls out some red material that is similar to the top. Velvet is surprised Eleanor even has such specific material in her inventory. It's as if she's been expecting Velvet to accept her offer in mending her clothes and prepared for it.

"It's okay to leave to do something else," Eleanor says as she starts work in stitching the pieces together. "It may take a while."

"I'm fine staying here if you don't mind."

Eleanor seems to hesitate but ends up shaking her head. "I don't mind."

Silence reigns again but Velvet is content with it for now. She ends up looking outside through the only window, which is a much better view than what most rooms on Van Eltia can get what with no windows at all.

But Eleanor breaks the silence this time. "I don't know how it is where you came from, but I was raised in a society where homosexuality isn't something unknown or ignored."

Velvet quickly turns around. Where is she going with this?

"I should tell you this now to avoid any possible misunderstandings," Eleanor continues while still sewing, "…I'm homosexual."

Velvet blinks. "Oh."

Eleanor finally turns to meet Velvet's eyes. Then looks away. "So it is best if you cover up," she says to the wall on Velvet's left.

"That explains why you've been gawking at me since we've met."

Eleanor swings around so fast, her twintails cut through the air like whips. Her face is red and aghast. "I-I beg your pardon? You sure have some confidence in making such an accusation."

"I thought you take great pride in honesty."

Eleanor's teeth are clenched. Velvet appraises her and finds Eleanor's hands to be formed into fists. She watches the tension slowly roll off her shoulders.

"You're not mad, are you?" Eleanor murmurs, crossing her arms across her chest, "That is … if it were true."

Velvet's heart is beating hard for some reason she does not know right now. She smirks and decides to tease the other woman to cover it up. "If what was true?"

Eleanor seems to know it's bait but bites it anyway. "You know what I meant!" She then grits out, "You are very attractive."

Velvet's brow shoot upwards. She waits with baited breath for the added, "If you were a man, I'd fall in love with you."

But Eleanor doesn't say it.

Eleanor likes women.

Velvet stands up and walks over to Eleanor. Eleanor stands still and doesn't run away.

Velvet feels as if she's done this before, as she stops in front of the other woman and quickly leans in to cover her mouth with hers before she changes her mind. Surprisingly, Eleanor responds quickly and the dejavu breaks; Eleanor opens her mouth slightly and squeezes Velvet's bottom lip so gently Velvet has to suppress a moan. She can feel a pool of heat beneath her belly and wetness in-between her thighs and she doesn't know if she should be thankful that she still retains those reactions.

Eleanor pulls back, ending the kiss, but her body is flushed against Velvet's. "I can taste the potato salad," she breathily says.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Velvet says without thinking. Her composure is slipping.

Eleanor raises an eyebrow in amusement. "I'd say it's a good thing. It is indeed tasty."

Velvet feels cold, compared to how she was feeling before. "I can't remember how it tastes."

"What do you mean you can't-oh."

Velvet shakily takes a breath. "I can only taste blood now."

"So you were able to taste food before."

"I was human before." Velvet steps back. Eleanor doesn't stop her; she stays put.

"I know that. I meant, it didn't occur to me until now that…"

Velvet clenches her teeth and wonders why she hasn't left the room yet.

Is this how Laphicet feels? Whenever she does something odd? I can't seem to stop her.

I don't want to stop her.

This is dangerous.

Back home, Velvet has had a girl display more than platonic interest in her. They had even kissed. But Niko had turned around the next day and said she had an eye on the animal doctor's very male apprentice and thanked Velvet for her help. And Velvet had gone along with it despite denying in experiencing feelings that her younger brother had called out as heartbreak.

All women are creatures of deceit.

Velvet is suddenly pressed against the wall and there's a pleasurable pressure against her groin. A moan escapes her when she finds Eleanor's naked hip to be the cause and there's a flush across her cheeks for making such a sound.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Comes the hot breath against her ear. The pool of heat grows and Velvet holds back a whimper.

How ironic that she can feel so alive when pressed against the wall by an exorcist that has nothing to do with violence and vengeance and more to do with sex and softness.

Eleanor moves. And the pleasure hits a point where a miserable sounding whimper breaks through. Velvet bites her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. The taste of it grounds her.

"Tell me if I should stop," Eleanor says.

Velvet is very tempted to tell her so until Eleanor finds a nipple with her mouth and Velvet gasps out at the unexpected heightened sensitivity.

Eleanor's hands are softly massaging Velvet's breasts, sometimes brushing a thumb across the nipple that isn't covered by a mouth, and Velvet's core starts to ache. But she has her pride.

Until Eleanor moves one hand down to rub it against Velvet's groin, giving more direct pressure against her clit and she almost breaks down to begging. But whimpers are escaping now without any restraint.

Velvet summons all her willpower and flips their positions around. She needs her dominance back. She pulls off Eleanor's robe and tackles her breasts with her mouth and hands. Eleanor's moans are in the air now and, to Velvet's dismay, the ache grows sharply and Velvet almost manages to not hump against Eleanor's thigh for relief.

All of a sudden Velvet's back hits the ground, with Eleanor on top of her.

"Give me a moment, I know what can help us," Eleanor pants. She pulls at Velvet's shorts and takes them off, with help from Velvet by wiggling her hips, and then pushes one of Velvet's legs up so her knee is slightly angled and resting on a pillow.

Velvet is presented with the lovely visuals of Eleanor Hume humping her raised thigh while naked and the hot feeling of wetness that accompanies with it. Velvet's throat becomes dry.

Eleanor reaches a hand in-between Velvet's thighs and teases her vulva. Velvet groans, raising her hips in hopes for more contact. She's sure she's soaked and Eleanor has the gall to laugh at it, but just before Velvet can say anything about it, fingers drive in and amazingly finds a spot that has Velvet blabber incoherently.

Velvet's hands flounder around across the floorboards, hoping to find some kind of purchase, some grounding to keep her from losing control. She is quickly reaching orgasm and she squeezes her eyes shut, for the blissful expression on Eleanor's face is too much.

Surprisingly, Eleanor comes first if her sudden pitch in sound is any indication. And then it also hits Velvet and she clenches her teeth as deep pleasure rolls over her in waves.

When they have recovered, they quietly put their robes back on and Eleanor quickly patches up Velvet's top.

Despite their earlier activities, Velvet modestly shows her back to Eleanor when she changes from the robe to her top and cape.

"We should keep this to ourselves," Velvet breaks the silence again before she opens the door to leave. She prays that no one has heard them. "The others cannot know."

Eleanor nods solemnly. "Of course."

Velvet nods back and leaves.

She knows Eleanor has an agenda of her own. She knows that Eleanor will strike out and run away with Laphicet when there's an opportunity.

But Velvet had never felt more alive since the last encounter with Artorius.

Women are creatures of deceit.

This is dangerous.