Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I posted some Neptunia fanfiction. So here I am fixing that with a bit of nice and sweet girls love. Also, this is part of the Prompt "Kiss" from the Elsword Scribe guild :D
I hope you enjoy it :3
"Catch that lazy ass!"
An angry voice broke the tranquility of the Planeptune basilicom. Histoire was chasing down Neptune as always, trying to get her to properly do her job. The young goddess knew her own temple in and out, and before the nagging book girl could organize her helpers to trap her behind a mountain of paperwork, Neptune was already venting to the outside and disappearing into the busy streets of Planeptune.
With her hands behind her head, Neptune laughed, remembering Histoire's face as she yelled at her. She only felt a bit sorry for leaving them with such a work load, but she wasn't really interested in helping out, either. She was thinking about what to do when she spotted a peculiar girl with a blue coat and a huge amount of cell phones hanging by her belt.
"IF!" She yelled, waving her hand, earning the attention of her friend and most people in the street. The short brunette tensed immediately and quickly ran towards Neptune to lower her hand with a flushed face.
"Neptune… could you please not be so loud everywhere?" IF complained, yet the innocent smile her friend gave her made her sigh, already knowing she wouldn't bother to keep it in mind.
"What are you up to?"
"I'm running some errands for the guild."
"Ohhh fancy… Can I help?"
"Well, it's just some doggoo extermination and a couple of fetch quests, I think you would be bored so…" If waved her hand as if asking Neptune not to worry about it.
"Hey hey, you think our saga would've gotten this far if people were to get bored of mindlessly grinding?"
IF simply rolled her eyes and allowed the goddess to follow her. They ended up leaving the busy streets and finding themselves in one of Planeptune's many parks. There had been a doggoo infestation going on apparently, and IF, like many other adventurers, had been helping out. While the doggoos weren't really a dangerous species, they could be very annoying when large groups of them start invading parks. Not to mention their slimy bodies would turn everything they touched into a mess. Fighting them wasn't really a challenge anymore. After saving the world several times and spending hundreds of hours farming those lily ranks, both Neptune and IF were way beyond any monster's league. The fetch quests that IF also had were conveniently placed near the park, so in less than half an hour, both were done with the tasks.
"So, how come Compa is not with you?" Neptune asked, noticing that the sweet and heartwarming nurse hadn't shown up for the entire morning.
"It's the flu season, so her nurse job has her busy day and night…" IF complained, "It does get quite boring without her around, doesn't it?"
"Why didn't you ask to hang out, then?"
"I wanted to ask Vert, but apparently a new patch for her favorite MMO just came out, and she wants to be number one on each ranking, so I guess she won't be available for the next few days…"
"Ehem… I said why didn't you ask me to hang out?" Neptune insisted, "Me, you know. Your best pal that would never put other stuff over her friends."
"Speaking of that… How is it that you're free today? Don't you have a country to run?"
"Oh, hum… Histoire is taking care of that already," Neptune answered with a nervous laugh.
"Come on Nepko… you can't force your subordinates to do all your job. I'm sure Nepgear must be totally exhausted."
"Oh, Nepgear barely stops by home lately. She spends so much time with Uni, they already look like a married couple… if only they weren't so painfully oblivious of each other's feelings."
"Great, that means that we both got dumped, huh?" IF joked. Neptune laughed with her, but then she stepped in front of IF. She hid her hands behind her back and subtly leaned closer to her.
"Ask me on a date tonight," Neptune said.
"What? Why?" IF asked in confusion.
"Just ask, it will be fun, and at least we won't be alone. I'll even promise to get work done so that I'm free tonight."
"I'm sure Histoire would be happy with that, but I'm busy tonight. I have to ride to Lowee to attend a meeting with my fellow agents."
"Are you going to play the 4-goddesses-online board game edition with your friends?"
"N-No! We're not going to play games. We have to share our valuable intel and make sure nobody gets their hands on it!"
"Are you really going to pass on a date with a hot chick to play nerd games?" Neptune asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend, "Maybe you don't have the courage to ask…"
"Whatever… fine…" IF finally said, rolling her eyes for a hundredth time today, "I'll take you with me but only if you finish your work!"
Neptune smiled gleefully and started to make her way back to the basilicom, except she stopped for a moment to run back to IF, and before she could say anything, she pecked her cheek and left without a word.
"What was that about?" IF asked, caressing her now red cheek.
Histoire was still looking for the lazy goddess with an angry expression on her face. Her book opens on some dangerous spells she wouldn't hesitate to use on her. Because of that, she was surprised when she found the CPU already behind the desk. In her HDD form, Purple Heart was clearing paper after paper at a pace that regular Neptune would never achieve. She even managed to greet Histoire without stopping her fast hands from stamping seals and writing off letters.
"Well, the world is about to end. You're actually doing some work," the book girl remarked, causing the CPU to laugh, "And to think you're burning your shares for this… I would complain, but I guess it's better than doing nothing."
"I need to finish before tonight. I have things to do."
"What could you possibly have to do? Don't you already spend enough time fooling around?"
"I have a date with a pretty girl tonight."
Histoire didn't react after hearing it. She thought she heard it wrong, but after a while, she suddenly realized Neptune wasn't joking.
"A date? With who? Are you saying you're going to start wasting even more time not doing your work? I'm not sure if I approve…"
"Calm down, Histy; It's a date with IF."
"With IF? Are you serious? You're talking about our friend, right?" Histoire questioned, still not sure if she believed the goddess. Neptune seemed a bit hurt by her skepticism, and so, Histoire decided to poke some more at her, "I hope she beats some sense into you, then."
"Maybe I'll elope with her, considering how little I'm valued here."
"As if she would allow you to do that," she said before finally leaving the room. Neptune shook her head. The pile of paperwork was now gone from her desk, and she could finally release the transformation. A white light enveloped her as her skintight black suit disappeared in a cloud of digital data, and her white parka returned to her.
Changing out of her HDD, she realized she hadn't thought about what to wear for tonight. She rushed to her room and stared at herself in the wardrobe's mirror. An excited young purple-haired girl returned her gaze. Hanging on the wardrobe was a black dress with excessive cleavage and a very tight fit. It was the one she wore for the peace treaty with the other goddesses, yet she didn't want to hold her transformation for the entire date. Not to mention how strange it would be for IF as well. She never thought about it, but excluding her many colored one-piece parkas, most of her clothes looked more like cosplay than actual outfits one would wear in public. She was sure IF would love some of that edge, but maybe not for the first date.
"Damn these lazy devs… I'm the protagonist, and I barely have any flare…" Neptune sighed. Maybe wearing what she always does wasn't a bad idea; at least she knew IF wouldn't dislike it. She suddenly started feeling all nervous.
Neptune wasn't taking the date seriously until Histoire questioned her chances with IF. It was true that she didn't expect IF to accept at first, especially considering how infatuated she was with Vert, but it seems that the green goddess dumping her number one fan to play some games had tilted the scale in her favor. Neptune glanced at her reflection for a moment. She fixed her hair, made sure there wasn't any pudding stuck in her teeth, checked for any sudden pimples, and then fixed her hair again.
She didn't look any different after hours of scrutiny, as you would expect from a goddess; yet she still spent most of her evening in front of the mirror. When she realized how late it was, she stormed out of the room, nearly trampling Histoire and Nepgear on her way out.
"Hey, Nep Jr., take care of the fort while I'm out, ok?" Neptune said to her sister as she hastily left the basilicom.
IF finally finished her daily work. She made sure to leave a note for Compa warning her she was leaving town again… and for some reason she had a date with Neptune. She wondered how the nurse would take it. It wasn't a secret that the two of them were pretty close, and maybe if Compa's nurse work and studies had not gotten in the way, maybe they would be dating at this point. IF sighed thinking about it; she only accepted Neptune's date on the spur of the moment, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal. In fact, she thought the girl was just joking until she gave her that innocent cheek kiss. She still didn't know if Neptune was serious or not.
She was thinking about what she would do once they reach Lowee when she spotted her date. Neptune was already sitting on her bike. IF loved that bike; it had a nice blue shade that almost looked like a deep purple, even if she would never admit it for some reason. It was her only way to catch up with the goddesses once they went flying with their fancy HDD wings. Neptune showed IF a beaming smile before hopping down and approaching her.
"Punctual. That's a good start. Your clothes on the other hand... Are you wearing the same thing from this morning?" Neptune asked, staring at IF from every possible angle.
"You're one to talk! I did change them; the ones from the morning were filled with doggoo slime gup," IF answered. She threw her luggage under the bike's seat and pulled out a pair of helmets, offering one to Neptune, "Hop in, we have a long trip ahead."
Neptune smiled like a child with her helmet on before jumping back to the bike. She waited for IF to start the engine and wrapped her arms around her waist. She could feel IF suddenly tensing.
"Y-You have a handle behind if you want to grab onto it."
"Nah, this is better, don't you agree?"
The bike roared as they got on their way. Planeptune's streets were crowded at this hour, and IF had to squeeze through the stuck traffic to reach the highway. As the road rose from the ground, they could see the tall buildings on each side slowly grow darker as dots of light popped from every few windows. The sun was finally set, and the night sky was covered by the blinding lights of the highway and the tall skyline. It was a miracle that this huge and prosperous city managed to grow under the rule of such an airhead as Neptune.
They rode in silence out of town, and soon, the city landscape was left behind as they reached the curvy mountain road from which they could see the large fields, quiet at night except for the few doggoos roaming around. It was hard to spot any other car on the road at this hour going to Lowee, and this part of the road wasn't lit up. Neptune felt the cold night breeze creeping up her parka and held tighter onto IF.
"Are you good there?" IF asked. Neptune disregarded her worry, but she still decided to make a stop.
She pulled over next to a resting area, the only place with lights in sight. A few wooden tables were there for the hungry travelers as well as a few lookouts where you could spend a coin to get a nice view of Planeptune. The large city was a blinding sight here in the mountains, extending its reach all across the continental plateau.
"Ah… this place is quite pretty, isn't it?" Neptune said, pulling off her helmet and sacking her hair away from her face. IF followed her with a sigh.
"Yeah. It's your first time seeing it?"
"I'm more used to seeing the city from the air, to be honest," Neptune answered, "Anyway, ready to start farming those heart points?"
"What?" IF asked, looking at Neptune with a confused look. The goddess walked in front of her, hands on her back, and leaned closer with a mischievous smile.
"What would it be? Time for the dialogue options, of course! You better pick the right options if you want to unlock that nice CG at the end of our date," Neptune explained. IF rolled her eyes. For a moment she forgot her date was still Neptune.
"Sure… what do you want to talk about?"
"Letting the girl speak, huh? Clever… let's see… If you find out the basilicom is on fire, and I'm trapped inside with my sister and our cat, and you only had time to rescue one of us, who would it be?"
"W-What kind of question is that?!" IF complained, "Wouldn't you be the one doing the saving, anyways?"
"Oh, thinking out of the box, huh? Are you the kind of person who mods games to have their way?"
"Look Neptune, wouldn't it make more sense if we talk about ourselves? This isn't an otome game, after all. Tell me what have you been up to lately, for example…"
"Fine, fine… Lately, I've been working on keeping the peace on my continent, of course!" Neptune started to say, although her voice quickly changed to a tired and annoyed tone, "Even if Miss Flying Book doesn't even appreciate it. She's always so insistent with her paperwork, as if a goddess is supposed to spend her youth behind finance reports."
"You know, normally I would give you an earful about that, but… today I'm afraid I have to agree. Sometimes, people tell me to stop playing around when I'm working for the guild, as if my job was worthless. Who are they going to call when an Earth Dragon shows up, then?"
For a moment, both girls were in silence before breaking up in laughter.
"Alright, time for another question, and this time, don't wriggle your way out, ok?" Neptune said, pointing a finger at her date, "If Vert was available tonight, would you still be here with me?"
IF didn't answer right away. For some reason, she felt this question was actually serious. It was true that, in the past, she adored Vert. She believed that Leanbox's goddess was an admirable and incredible woman, capable of leading a powerful nation while still keeping her ladylike appeal. However, after meeting her in person, she was horrified to discover the green goddess was even worse than Neptune. With a room filled to the brim with yaoi merchandise and a secret passage to her gaming lair, the only difference between Vert and Neptune was that Vert hid all of that baggage under the rug a lot better than the innocent purple goddess.
"I know the two of you are identical lazy bums that just want to play games all day… but unlike her, you want to spend time with me. I was a bit hurt when Vert ignored me to play that game. So I'm glad I'm here with you instead of Vert."
"Well… not a bad answer," Neptune said with a smile. She took a seat on the wooden benches, staring at the shiny city. The night breeze hit her legs, and she trembled for a moment before IF placed her blue oversized coat over her shoulders.
"Aren't you cold?"
"I'm used to it from riding my bike."
"In that case…" Neptune pulled IF's hand while patting the seat next to her. She threw the coat over both of them and leaned on IF's shoulder. The girl tensed again, feeling Neptune's hair tickling her neck, "Even your big coat can be useful sometimes, huh?"
"Hey! It's my favorite coat," If complained, causing Neptune to let out a giggle, "So… what about you? What if Noire asked you out today?"
"Heh… good one. As if that tsundere would ever take the initiative. Even if she did, that girl has so many problems opening up to people that I wouldn't even know if we're dating or not. I love being around her, and I really want to keep Noire as a close friend, but she is like a cactus when it comes to warming up to people. Even when she can't hide how much she wants to be around…"
"Woah, you almost sounded like a normal person there," IF pointed out.
"Right? It was me just getting rid of all that exposition so we could go on with the game!"
"And you ruined it."
"Ha ha ha… Well, tell me IF, what do you like about me so much you even accepted this date, then?"
Neptune was expecting a quick dismissive answer, but to her surprise, IF looked away. Even in this dark night, she could easily see the red tone creeping all over her face.
"Oh! Did I ask an embarrassing question? Come on, tell me! Is it my beautiful face? My radiant smile? My delicious sense of humor? That part of my legs between the shocks and the clothes?"
"Ahem… It's pretty late, let's continue until we reach our hotel, or we'll have to sleep on the ground," If said, leaving the comforting, warm embrace and gingerly walking to her bike. Neptune quickly leaped in front of her, displaying her mischievous smile.
"Alright, I won't force you to ask, then," she said, noticing IF's embarrassed face, "I wonder what route this mysterious amount of heart points will take you through. Care to find out?"
Neptune closed her eyes and leaned forward, sticking her lips out in silence. IF was taken aback by surprise, and the wait caused Neptune to open an eye to peek at her embarrassed face.
"Hey IF, I know you don't want this to look like an otome game but it's not cool to let me hanging like this, you know?"
"And what do you expect me to do?" IF questioned, causing Neptune to giggle.
"What do people do on dates, IF?"
Neptune leaned closer and cupped IF's face with her hands, gently pulling their faces closer. IF wanted to hide her red face, but seeing Neptune so close, she decided to close her eyes. Not being able to see her made her even more nervous, but she wouldn't dare to open them for some reason. She noticed the sweet scent as Neptune embraced her and the warmth of her arms around her neck. Feeling something soft tickling her nose, she realized just how close their faces were. She could feel Neptune's breath on her own face.
Nervousness grew as anticipation built. She didn't know why Neptune was taking so long, but when she noticed, IF was already leaning forward. She blindly reached for Neptune's lips, and they finally met each other. A soft silky feeling caressed her lips for a brief moment before slowly departing, leaving behind a sweet sensation. IF open her eyes and saw a rare Neptune quietly moving to her seat on the bike, her cheeks having a pink tone all over her smile.
"Should we go now?" She said, prompting IF to wake up from her daydream and rev up the bike.
Like before, Neptune wrapped her arms around IF and leaned forward, resting her head on IF's back. All of the sudden, the night city view wasn't the most interesting thing anymore.
After another short ride, they finally arrived at the road hotel. Planeptune was hidden behind tall mountains now, and all that they could see were the dark fields with a single dot of light. A two-story building stands on the side of the road, surrounding a big parking lot that was filled with trucks and buses. Almost every window had its lights turned off, making the cafeteria on the lower floor stand out with its huge neon light sign. It was open even at this hour with a group of people enjoying some late night coffee and dinner.
"Is this one of those places where you get to pick your room through an expending machine so nobody knows we are here?" Neptune asked, already storming towards the cafeteria.
"Of course not! This is a decent hotel. Most people stopping here are drivers and people that work on the road."
IF got a room for the two of them, and they climbed to the second floor. Faint sounds of TV and people talking could be heard as they walked the open sided hallway to their door. Once open, Neptune jumped in and excitedly scouted the room.
It was a pretty average and unremarkable room. A dark green, outdated wallpaper covered the walls, and the furniture looked like the decoration of a retro show. There were two beds and a pretty small TV in the room, but at least it was clean and didn't smell of anything weird.
"IF! What the hell is this?!"
"What do you mean? I know this isn't your basilicom, but at least it is better than any other road hotel, you know?"
"I didn't mean that," Neptune explained, pointing at the beds, "Why are there two of them? You were supposed to pretend they made a mistake, and we end up with a single bed!"
"Who would be so dumb to order a double bed instead of two? Don't answer anyway, I'm quite tired, so I'll be going into the shower first." IF said, passing the disappointed Neptune.
It's been a while since IF had been under the cold water. She kept tapping her lips, the soft feeling of Neptune's kiss still lingering in there. The cold water could barely keep her red face from burning as she rested her forehead over the cold, tiled wall. This date was now quite out of hand. Forget about kissing Neptune. She kissed the Planeptune CPU.
What would happen if word gets out? It would be a major scandal. A goddess with a peasant! Who knows what the other CPUs would say about it. But more importantly, what did she think about it? She kept tapping her lips, not being able to organize her thoughts. Would she actually pursue romance? With Neptune?
She finally left the shower and was glad to find Neptune already sleeping. At least she wouldn't have to talk about her long shower or hear her make tasteless jokes about it.
Iffy better think deep about that. I'll be posting another couple of chapters for this, however I'm thinking about maybe taking it to the good old M rate. What do you think? Should this stay wholesome or is it time to juice some lime?