All characters in this fic are adults unless specifically mentioned otherwise.
Aphrodite's..."literature" had a way of consuming attention.
Pit had some ideas about what being in love and what lovemaking was - mostly due to what he'd overheard from the Centurions - before he had looked through the books. It was bonding, it was pleasure, it was warm...but the more he read and saw, the more things it became. Expression. Wonder, fulfillment. Creation, which fascinated him - he had the power to engender life, to create more angels, something he had thought was a privilege reserved only for the gods.
Most of all, it was a process, one he knew he was wholly unprepared for. He didn't know where to begin approaching such things with Palutena, who was not only a goddess, but his friend. She meant so much to him, and he didn't want to ruin her good favor.
Containing his naughty thoughts was more difficult now - his imagination roamed, now that it had concrete notions to play on. His fantasies and dreams were vivid and close, but just out of his grasp and understanding. His body was nervous, wanting, hungry for touch. He'd never had so much of a problem with it before - yes, he'd had urges and dreams, but nowadays his mind drifted anytime it could. Perfect, divine goddess skin sliding over his...or a body like his own, touched by black feathers, pressing up against him...
He read as much as he could, hoping that knowing more would help him temper his urges - knowledge was power, right? But he struggled with the florid language found in the texts the goddess of love gave him, and there wasn't much he could do after a while except curl up and sort out what he did know in his head, his mind replacing the faces of the pictures with those he knew.
Pit was glad that he'd long since taken charge of his own laundry. He also started wondering if he should start apologizing to his body pillow.
He thought he might approach Palutena to ask her about some of the words he'd seen - not in order to suggest anything, of course! It was to...to let her in on what he'd been learning? She could figure it out; she was the smartest person he knew. Maybe. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted her to know about it, after all. She might find it disturbing, or that he'd overstepped his bounds...they hadn't done anything together other than cuddle and kiss, after all. Everything had been strictly waist-up, chaste touching. Which was fine, he told himself, but his body and desire struggled against the thought.
He wanted to approach her, wanted her to know without...without having to tell her and go through the embarrassment of it all. To be open, whether or not she accepted it.
And then, as if he hadn't already had enough trouble trying to talk to her, Dark Pit had stirred up something huge and looming from within the goddess. Palutena could have killed the dark angel...she always could, but Pit sort of...forgot about it, since they seemed to get along. But she'd been so close to wiping his double from existence, and would have done so without even flinching or batting an eye, if she'd been provoked enough...
Pit was not disappointed in her. He was disappointed in himself, for forgetting the extent of her powers, and was humbled by it. He wanted to trust her, knew he should...but he worried for Dark Pit. Pit knew he shouldn't pay what the dark angel said any mind - it was all self-defensive, impulsive kind of talk, wasn't it? And yet the words haunted Pit's mind, especially since they were, at the moment, the last thing he could remember his other by.
Pit's heavy thoughts made him avoidant.
Palutena happened upon him in the gardens, seated while staring off into the clouds floating in the distance. "Pit? Are you alright?"
Pit flashed a quick smile, stretching his arms above his head. "I'm fine, Lady Palutena! Just needed some fresh air. It's a nice day!"
He settled back down on the bench for a moment, then went through a series of arm and wrist stretches. As chipper as he was, his greeting was a bit conservative, for him. Palutena tipped her head slightly - he didn't seem like he wanted to talk, his motions like elaborate, drawn-out fidgeting. "A few of the Centurions reported back. There's no sign of Pittoo around the place he should have landed...but they're still searching. I've also asked some of the other gods to keep an eye out for him."
"Oh!" Pit's wings fluttered, and he calmed a little. And yet he was still...guarded, timid, and that was part daunting and part frustrating, because it was so unlike him.
"Would you like to fly around yourself? Maybe the Centurions could use an extra pair of eyes," Palutena offered.
"It's fine. I trust them," he said.
The shortness of his answers, as polite as they were, clawed at her, and she sat down beside him. "Pit, please. Tell me what's wrong."
He hesitated. "I'm worried," he said, lifting his head a bit so he wasn't muttering into his muffler.
Palutena's emblem flickered. "When Pittoo doesn't want to be found, he hides very well. But he always turns back up."
This still wasn't enough to perk up the angel in front of her.
"Or maybe he's in front of me right now," she pouted, pressing her finger into Pit's nose. "Look at you, all silent and brooding! It's almost as if you want to be mopey!"
"I...!" Pit shook his head, his mouth working soundlessly. After a moment, he laid his head on her shoulder.
Palutena hugged him to her chest, her fingers tracing white feathers slowly. It was usually easier to read his emotions when they were this close, but all she could sense was a muddled, tight mess. Something distant...loneliness, perhaps. Balled up, which implied anxiety and confusion...
"I'm here for you. There's no need to hide," she said softly. "What else is on your mind?"
Pit's wings fluttered audibly. His fingers flexed against her back. "Um."
She waited.
"...What does 'engorged' mean?" he asked in a rush.
She couldn't see his face, but she knew it had to be flushed and bright. His body was tense, as if he expected to be punished somehow, but she continued petting his wings with the same gentleness as before. "A swelling, with either food or fluid. 'To gorge' is eating in excess. You're quite familiar with it."
"I see...yeah, heheh..."
"Anything else?" Palutena smiled into his hair.
"Oh, what was it...'ecstasy', what's that one?"
"A state of extreme, intense pleasure. Now where would you hear about words like these, I wonder?"
Pit snuggled into her chest. He seemed a little more relaxed now, even giddy. "I've been reading! A few of the gods have been lending me books."
"Ah, yes...I've noticed you with a few of them," she said, playing with his feathers. "I'm rather surprised that the pantheon wants you to read such purple prose, though."
"Huh? The covers were red..."
Palutena laughed aloud and hugged him closer. He tensed again, but didn't struggle or push her away. It wasn't embarrassment that caused it, though...which was her first guess, considering their proximity and the topic of conversation. As reluctant as she was to think of it, she had a hunch as to what was bothering him. He'd told her she'd scared him, after all...
"Would you like to be left alone, Pit?"
"...I think so."
"Kiss me goodbye first?" she asked, pulling away from him with a smile. He complied happily, giving her a kiss on the nose and then a longer one on the lips. She hugged him again before standing. "Take care, alright?"
"Of course, Lady Palutena." Pit looked a bit reluctant, but relieved at the same time.
Palutena retired to her chambers, heaviness in her chest. It seemed like they took a step forward, but then retreated even further back afterwards. She couldn't direct her frustrations at Pit, though - he hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, his reluctance was her fault...
I haven't done anything differently, or out of the ordinary...have I? Or is that where the problem lies?
She put a hand over her heart. It was a matter she'd have to consider at length, but in the meantime, she had work to do. A missing angel had to be found.
Days passed with no sign of Dark Pit.
Worry chewed at Palutena's being - not only had she upset the angel closest to her, but she'd estranged the only other one alive to the point where he refused to even let her know he still existed.
Dark Pit wasn't...he hadn't been wrong, though he could have certainly said his piece in a much better way. Was it little wonder she'd reacted badly if he was acting out in such a threatening manner? And yet, Dark Pit wouldn't seriously hurt Pit, considering he depended on the other angel to continue existing...
Just how much of what he said should she consider seriously?
"My, Skyworld has gotten a bit dreary of late, hasn't it? Dearest Palutena, just what has gotten into you?" Aphrodite's voice drifted by a short moment before the goddess herself stirred into existence.
Palutena nearly started, but dismissed the images in her scrying bowl. She hadn't expected company, but keeping another deity waiting was poor form. "Well, maybe you have yourself to blame. I distinctly remember you cursing my love life, once upon a time."
"Oh, but you broke that curse yourself!" Aphrodite spun in long circles. "You overpowered it with the sheer magnitude of you and your captain's love!"
Palutena regarded the other goddess' dolphin impression with patient silence. Aphrodite slowed until she was reclining in the air.
"But now there is such tension! All sparks, but no fire! Never have I seen so much tiptoeing around something quite simple and desirable!" the goddess of love sighed a stream of pink smoke.
"You're tiptoeing yourself. You always want something to happen, but you never care to mention it first," Palutena pointed out, summoning a pair of chairs and having a seat in one. Aphrodite regarded it, catlike, and decided to float just above hers.
"I figure someone as clever as yourself doesn't need things spelled out. You're unsatisfied with the way things are. Again."
Palutena looked at the other goddess levelly for a moment, then lowered her head. "I fear I'm not the kind of person Pit deserves."
Aphrodite nearly fell out of the air and all over the chair beneath her. "Oh dear, this is much graver than I had anticipated! Everything is out of balance here! Palutena dearest, you are ill. Are you running a fever?" she said, zooming in front of the other goddess and butting their foreheads together. "No? No. Odd."
"I'm well, Aphrodite. Not fine, but well," Palutena said evenly.
"Then where is the Bright-Eyed One I know and adore? Full of confidence and will? This is most unlike you."
"Being that Bright-Eyed One might not be the best," Palutena said, and the other goddess floated a little distance away. "Impulsive, callous...I'm not very fond of the results that's been giving."
Aphrodite blinked at her. "Dearest, you just described our entire extended family. That's how we gods and goddesses are."
Palutena resisted groaning and managed to turn it into a sigh instead. "What I mean is, I don't think I've been a good friend to Pit lately, and I'm worried -"
"See! That is something I can agree on!" Aphrodite said, lunging up and pressing her finger against Palutena's nose. "You know full well that your feelings are mutual, and that you're both wanting something more. And yet, you keep holding out on him!"
"Aphrodite, that's not -"
"You've been teasing him for decades, at least. Centuries. He's been aching for ages, even more so now that he knows you might want it, but...no! You cruelly keep yourself from him! His poor little balls, they must be so blue. You must want to keep him on a very short leash!" Aphrodite flicked pink smoke about in mock-frustration.
"You don't understand. He's distant now, because I've...I've intimidated him, due to my own thoughtlessness. I don't know if I deserve to ask anything of him anymore," Palutena said, looking away. She felt a little lightheaded.
"Oh, but you do. He still loves you so very much. We all make little slip-ups sometimes, hmm? Maybe he's a little daunted, but you can fix that." Aphrodite traced a finger underneath Palutena's chin, making her look back up. "Winning his trust back is so very easy!"
Palutena blinked a few times. Aphrodite's gaze, despite its friendliness, was very intense up close. The goddess of love smiled, and Palutena felt the tension in her body slip away. "How?"
"Love him, dearest Palutena. Take him for a little romp, have some time together. Wouldn't it be sweet? He adores you, and would love you all the more if you let him taste the body he craves so much. No longer would he be bound to you by loyalty or fear...love and lust are much, much more powerful tethers, and so much more pleasant besides."
Part of Palutena wanted to protest, but what Aphrodite was suggesting sounded...more than reasonable, and was a neat solution to all of her problems. She felt relaxed just contemplating it, warmth spreading in her chest. "That would be nice..."
"And think of how wonderful it would be for you! Goodness, I might not have had a hand in their actual design, but I could swear they were built for lovemaking. Such strength within him, but full of gentleness. Muscle in all the right places - and those wings, how soft! Just imagine, dearest, how he would fit inside you, your embrace, no barriers, heart to heart," Aphrodite purred, bringing her other hand to Palutena's cheek.
Palutena's eyelids fluttered. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea...
Aphrodite tapped Palutena's cheek with a tutting noise, bringing her back to attention. "And the pleasures, Bright-Eyed. Your bodies promise a sublime experience, once they're joined. Need I mention your angel has such large hands? Oh, he would devour you if given the chance, famished as he is. And then you can partake of his love whenever you pleased...he'd be so eager to please you, to worship your body. He'd beg for it, even. You need only give him the first taste..."
Palutena had always kept herself from daydreaming about such things, but it really was all too easy to think about what could be. Her sweet, capable captain...she'd have to teach him many things, of course. But he learned quickly, and he'd gladly spend hours memorizing what she loved most...
And yet, she couldn't put that jumbled mess of emotion out of her head, the one she'd felt from him when they last met. He was trying so hard to enjoy her presence, but he was still scared by the fact that he may become the last angel in existence once again...and if it came to that, it would have been her fault.
But Aphrodite was telling her that intimacy could bridge that rift between them! What would that clone even mean to Pit if he had everything he desired? That was the answer! It was, wasn't it?
Palutena murmured, her body trembling. Aphrodite shushed her and patted her hair. "Oh, dearest Palutena. Your heart is so unsure. It's time you reward yourself for all your hard work. You want that angel? You get that angel. Make him yours, completely and utterly."
Pit would be at her beck and call, always ready to serve. He didn't need anyone else...
Nothing's changed since I popped out of the mirror, Dark Pit's words rang out, cutting through the fog in her mind. You still control his every move!
A look of fear and surprise came over Aphrodite's face, and she floated away so she was once again hovering over her chair.
"Aphrodite. Wise creatures are not totally governed by their desires," Palutena said, shaking her head. "And I would appreciate if you didn't meddle with my thoughts to change that."
"I can't change people's minds. I can only suggest, based on what's already there," Aphrodite said defensively, though it was clear she was speaking with more confidence than she felt. "It is in our nature to want and to take from lesser beings, dearest. We are goddesses."
"Lesser or not - I am tasked with their care," Palutena declared. "And I won't take advantage of them. I want to be a better person for Pit, and if you're going to suggest otherwise, I will see you as an enemy."
Aphrodite squirmed, her hair billowing about like the smoke she often conjured. "I only mean the best, dearest Palutena. You're making things so much more complicated than they need to be."
"For your sake, I am willing to forget this conversation took place," Palutena's emblem shone bright. "But only if you leave now, and leave quietly."
Aphrodite's fingers twitched for a few moments, but then she sighed and vanished with a snap of her fingers. The air cleared as soon as she left - Palutena hadn't quite noticed it being so muggy before, but it became crisper, and not as heavy.
I might have to ask Pit to be careful around her, Palutena thought, folding her hands on her lap. Even though he considers her a friend...
Palutena had much to think about, but her first decision was to look for some books to give to Pit, in order to satisfy his hunger for words.