Author's Note: *rubbing eyes* What am I doing with my life? Well, guys, we're hitting our first time skip into Ava and Ira's secret relationship. The story catches glimpses into it when they're together in private. Some scenes will pour into the movie, and the Master of Masters will still be around for this chapter but not after that. This is just a heads up. Although, I might change my mind about future chapters because I'm sort of making this up as I go along, which isn't my usual for creating fiction stories, and I like the bit with the Master of Masters. He's kind of fun to write. Anyways, no sexual content will be in this chapter, but it'll be more into the relationship and how the Master of Masters sort of deals with it.
"Well, kids, grand dad's off to his room now," the Master of Masters sang.
As odd as the scene was, Ava found she couldn't really say anything. She just sat quietly on Ira's bed with said Foreteller shaking his head and returning to his novel of choice for the night. The Master of Masters was hugging Odie and Tiger in a fatherly manner before placing the two down to play. Unfortunately, after Ira and Ava had their first picnic as an official, secret couple together, the Master blew their whole cover by barging in on their alone time. When he asked if the two were on a date and found that neither Foreteller could answer him without blushing or trying to change the subject, he figured everything out from the dream to the reactions to the hidden desires to the actual "bow chicka wow wow" to the presumed date. He promised to keep it a secret since the two had troubling opinions about their comrades' involvement in their relationship. So far, the Master's done really well with the secret. He treated everything like he never heard about it and instead explained to the others that everything was his experiment to see if the two would be less distracted by the dreams if they just interacted with each other more. Aced and Luxu approved, but Invi and Gula were suspicious. Unfortunately, they were rightfully so because Ava and Ira upgraded their relationship to something intensely physical.
"Aw, but we want to play another game, Master Grand Dad," Odie whined, wiggling his nose. Tiger lightly touched his nose to make him blush and snuggled into the Master's neck. Odie then said, "Just a few more minutes."
"Oh, I know," the Master of Masters said, whining a little himself. "But I'm sleepy. We'll play again tomorrow if your parents aren't too... busy?"
"Master..." Ira warned, blushing lightly.
"What? I was subtle!" the Master said, placing the Chirithy down and petting their heads before waving a hand behind him to leave.
When he finally shut the door, Ava laid on her stomach and watched the Chirithy play with a ball. She said, "Ira?"
"Hm?"
"Why'd you want me to sleep in your room this time? Won't the others know I'm in here?"
It was a simple question. Ira discovered after the three weeks of dating Ava that she never truly asked complicated questions, but she was capable of making very in-depth observations. Odie and Tiger decided to play hide and seek before bed so Ava would be occupied with watching them while Ira read a novel quietly.
"Well, the Master agreed to tell them it's his experiment," Ira replied. "I wouldn't worry about it."
"I guess so," Ava responded, lifting her feet so her toes were pointed at an angle.
From there, the night returned to its usual order. Every now and then she'd correct the two Chirithy on the rules of the game or tell Ira that she knows he's staring at her ass too hungrily. He'd chuckle at her and either return to his novel or correct her on the method she chose to explain the rules of the small game. About a week or so before they started sneakily sleeping in each other's rooms, he noticed that Tiger seemed to develop a crush on Odie much like her master, but Odie was clueless about the subtle hints of flirting because he genuinely didn't understand love yet. He only knew friendship, happiness and sadness. Tiger would sometimes give Odie some of her sweets that Ava would make for her if they were around or touch Odie on the nose whenever he collected a new flower for Ira to study. The gesture made him blush. Sometimes, though not often, Tiger would kiss Odie's cheek if he gave her a gift in return for her kindness. Poor Odie always fainted from the gesture and poor Tiger would forget about that and proclaim that she killed him with kindness or love. While this had nothing to do with Ava's question, it did tear him away from his book and made him look at his girlfriend while she was stretching like a big cat. Ira also discovered after the three weeks of dating Ava that she liked to stretch completely out and then raise her butt up using her knees to get the dip in her back to crack. This exact stretch made him watch her cute, little panties dig into her lady parts and it also made him slightly uncomfortable in the lower regions of his body. Her lingerie of choice for the night was a fur-trimmed top and satin panties. Of course, she had matching furry slippers.
"You're staring again," Ava said after yawning and returning to her resting position.
"Is there a particular reason why you're wearing flashy lingerie?" Ira asked as a counter-question.
"You're wearing your green, linen pajamas," Ava answered simply, not taking her eyes off the Chirithy. "It was in my dream about you so I thought I'd wear what I wore."
"You find the most common item in my evening wear that attractive?" Ira questioned, purposely staring at Ava lustfully. Well, she wasn't looking at him anyway.
"Still staring, Master Ira," Ava said seductively, turning to give Ira a favored look from her eyes. Within the three weeks of the two dating, Ava learned that her intelligent lover adored a half-lidded gaze that made her eye color sparkle and pupils dilate. It was an instant turn-on for him and matched that peculiar glint in his eyes whenever she asked him to give in to his primal urges during their love-making. She then continued with the same softened voice, "Your common linens flatter your body type. You wouldn't last five minutes in the streets with that on."
Ira's eyes narrowed to show that peculiar glint in his eyes and he said with a growl, "You wouldn't last five seconds."
"With you on the streets or around other men in general, my darling?" Ava questioned, returning her attention to the Chirithy. She could feel his gaze intensifying once she turned around and felt herself being aroused by his attentions. Strictly to tease him, Ava sneakily caressed her arms and started squirming a bit when she felt some discharge leaking out.
"You touch yourself anymore and I'll make sure it hurts the next time we're alone... my little love," Ira hissed, satisfied when Ava stopped and turned to him with an innocent look of desire in her eyes. She smiled at him with a challenging glint in her eyes as though she were daring him to do it, and he accepted the challenge with the lingering discomfort of an almost fully-grown erection in his pants and his gaze returning to a normal state.
"We are alone, my darling," Ava reminded him with a purr.
"Well, we can't have sex tonight. You already said yourself that the others were in here," Ira said, returning to his novel to avoid the lingering temptation of ripping her clothes off. "Besides, the master won't be able to cover this up forever."
"The master was the first and the only one to find out about us. You should tell that to Invi," Ava argued, waving her legs back and forth. "I don't think she's convinced that this is an experiment yet."
"Invi and Aced always visit my room on Tuesdays," Ira replied, turning a page in his novel. "I told you to wear something cute anyways, not your lingerie. They're only suspicious 'cause you wore a thong."
"I thought we agreed that it wasn't that revealing!" Ava argued, snapping around to puff her cheeks angrily.
"Don't give me that face," Ira said nonchalantly, turning another page. "And I said it wasn't as revealing as some of the lingerie I've seen. I didn't say it wasn't revealing. Aced had similar feelings. Invi was the one who thought it too provocative, and she was absolutely right. You said so yourself that you couldn't walk for a few hours."
"I couldn't walk briskly for a few hours because someone decided to play rough!" Ava argued.
"I couldn't look at wildlife for a few hours," Ira argued, reaching for a highlighter on his nightstand to make a mental note. "Those squirrels were upset at me."
"Master Ava, can we make squirrel feeders again? They ate all mine," Tiger shyly asked, pausing the game for a second.
"Of course, we can, Tiger Lily," Ava said, nuzzling her Chirithy's nose to make her blush and smile.
"How come the squirrels steal mine all the time, Master Ava?" Odie asked, hopping onto Ira's bed.
"Those are mother squirrels, little Odie," Ava answered, scratching behind Odie's ear. "They take them so they can feed their children."
"Does that make me their father?" Odie asked, making Ira chuckle and then laugh.
"No, it just makes you helpful to them," Ira replied, looking at Odie. "Instead of leaving her children behind, the mother can store food away safely so they can eat in peace."
"Oh, okay, Master Ira!" Odie responded, smiling. Tiger pounced on him and they both giggled playfully before hopping down from the bed to play hide and seek again. "I'm gonna get you this time!"
"Our children are getting more resourceful by the day," Ira complimented, making Ava giggle and blush. "Too bad your pajama vendor is so terrible."
"You should be thanking her. The way you've been staring at me the whole time, I'm surprised I'm wearing anything at all," Ava commented, giggling at Tiger catching Odie.
"How come you always hide by the teddy bears?" Odie asked, growling at Tiger.
Tiger giggled, tickling Odie, and said, "You never think to look there. It's an easy win."
"Isn't today Wednesday?" Ava asked. "That means you visit Invi or Aced tonight, right?"
"Today is Invi's day, but I've no reason to visit her this time. We normally talk about books," Ira said.
"Oh, you started a book club together?" Ava asked, turning around to lay on her side.
"I can stop it if it means I get to touch you," Ira replied, giving Ava a brief, hungry look before returning to his novel. "You should be careful with your lingerie. I might get some ideas."
Ava blushed at this before puffing her cheeks out. Within the three weeks of dating Ira, she had come to realize something very dangerous about him: he thinks about everything. Not just complex things, mind you. He thinks about different things like a set of lingerie he wanted her to wear because he thought it was adorable. The lingerie wasn't adorable. Okay, that's a lie. It was cute beyond measure! He bought her a polka dot bra and panty set that had a sheer corset. It came with little fuzzy slippers that she loved greatly. The problem with the lingerie was she was so excited that Ira gifted with it that she kissed him and pounced on him. While that might not sound like a bad thing to the average Joe, the response made Ira get too frisky and the night ended with a bent bed leg that he had to try to explain to Aced. That was one of many close calls the two had to figure out how to maneuver around. Unfortunately, that particular close call was enjoyable and made Ava crawl towards Ira. She pulled his book down as he was getting interested in the philosophy behind the words and straddled him to give him a challenging gaze. Ira discovered that his girlfriend straddled him whenever she was trying to get her point across, but she rarely ever took away his reading material unless she wanted something. Unfortunately, they had to slow down on the physicalities of their relationship because Gula had been watching them intensely for some time after their second sex. However, his cutie of a girlfriend was tempting him as he matched her gaze with a different intensity.
"You should be careful, too," Ava whispered before gently kissing Ira's lips and lingering a hair's distance away from them. "I'll want it if I look at you too long. That get-up is torturous."
"My attire is normal," Ira responded, kissing Ava's lips about three or four times before leaning against the headboard. "I expected more than half your attire to be more reserved."
"Oh," Ava said as if she remembered something. It looked important since she dropped her seductive act to really think about whatever it was that crossed her mind. She then continued, "You weren't living with us so you wouldn't know."
"Know what?" Ira probed, raising an eyebrow.
"I slept naked growing up most of the time," Ava replied, smiling brightly. She chuckled at herself for having forgotten that fact and said, "I totally forgot about that."
Within less than a fraction of a second, Ira flipped Ava onto her back and ground out, "What?"
"Ira, you - !" Ava blushed, feeling Ira's manhood practically aching to feel her.
"I what?" Ira interrupted, giving Ava a mischievous smirk. That peculiar glint in his eyes began to glimmer.
"You said we couldn't do it tonight!" Ava argued, trying to squirm away from Ira but secretly wanting to tempt the man some more.
"Then why are you trying to seduce me, baby?" Ira questioned, whispering in Ava's ear to almost a purring noise.
"You're the worst kind of tease, Ira," Ava moaned, grinding up to feel Ira's length. "You know what this outfit does to me!"
"Our children are in the room, baby," Ira said in a sing-song manner, kissing Ava teasingly. He merely watched with a smirk as his girlfriend started to writhe and lose breath. Part of him wanted to screw her until all the legs in his bed were fully bent, but he behaved himself and instead kissed Ava's neck and caressed her body with his book closed on his fingers. He then said, "I'll take care of you when the others are gone tomorrow."
Ava boldly reached her hand in Ira's pants and stroked his hardened length. She whispered in his ear, "I'll make sure you do it properly this time. Walking through town is my favorite pasttime."
"It's your turn to pick the place, love," Ira responded, giving Ava a final kiss before getting off her and picking up his novel. "Odie. Tiger. Time to sleep."
"Yes, Master Ira," Tiger and Odie replied, scurrying to their smaller beds decorated with flower baskets and teddy bears.
Ira turned off his bedroom lamp, placed his book down, and drunk a small glass of water before settling under his sheets. Ava was already under them, watching Ira settle himself. It was something she found she liked doing. When he laid down next to her, she started to blush when he caressed her cheek to speak in softer tones. It had become routine to do so since the two starting sleeping in each other's rooms. He would read per his usual while the Chirithy played, and Ava would watch them or tinker with something and watch them at the same time. Ira would tell the Chirithy when it was time to sleep, and he and Ava would cuddle and talk for a while before sleeping themselves. Of course, they would have to wake early to return to their own beds before the others woke them up, but it was nice being able to sleep next to each other. They felt like a genuine couple; although, lately, Ava had started seeing real potential in Ira to be more than a boyfriend.
"You'd make a good dad," Ava complimented, cuddling into Ira's warm chest.
"You're the first woman to say that," Ira replied, earning a kiss from Ava.
"Good," Ava said, smiling sweetly.
"Have I earned my place as a husband the way I seem to in your dreams?" Ira asked out of genuine curiosity.
Ava lightly gasped at the question, blushed brightly with a half-lidded wistful gaze, and nodded quietly. Ira grunted at the response, gave a toothy smirk, and watched Ava lightly caress his chin with a single finger.
"Pity you'll have to leave me before the others wake up," Ira said with an almost saddened look in his eyes.
"Is it really just a pity?" Ava asked, looking down and snuggling into Ira's pillow.
"No," Ira answered, making Ava look at him in surprise. "Sometimes, it's like the beginning of a nightmare. Other times, it's something else that I can't describe with simple words."
"You're the worst tease ever, Ira," Ava repeated, reaching out to touch Ira's lips. "I hate how you're always tempting me."
Ira closed his eyes to gently kiss Ava's lips and held her close to him before drifting off to sleep. She joined him soon after, despising the fact that she had to wake early to avoid suspicion. The boy standing behind Ira's door, though, was less than pleased that she was even sleeping next to Ira at all. Gula stood outside of the door, contemplating whether or not he should just bum rush the door and knock it off its hinges to separate his two comrades before it was too late. The Master was a fool to think this experiment would help them get over their weird feelings for each other! Gula fantasized about other women much earlier than Ava and Luxu. He knew where things could go if the two weren't careful. This was a terrible idea!
"Gula?" Invi called, startling the boy. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Just a few minutes," Gula replied, not bothering to look at Invi.
"You don't think this is a good experiment either, do you?" Invi questioned.
"No, bu - What the hell are you wearing?" Gula questioned, finally getting a good look at Invi.
Invi hummed from the response and looked down at herself to see what the fuss was about. She was wearing simple lingerie: midnight blue satin corset, matching panty and slippers, and a nice icy blue sheer robe. She was covered for the most part. Okay, the robe had very high slits on the sides to show off her legs, but it wasn't nearly as revealing as some of Ava's lingerie. She had some articles in her wardrobe!
"You didn't just leave Aced's room in that, did you?" Gula asked, making sure this wasn't a choice match.
Invi blushed at the notion and said, "No! I was wondering if Ira finished his book, so I thought I'd visit him but I changed my mind."
"You visit him in those clothes?" Gula questioned. "No wonder he's after Ava! I'm going in."
"No, wait!" Invi said, reaching out to stop Gula. "It's only been a week since the Master started this experiment. When he gets an update on how everything was, then you can jump in and put a stop to it when the two start pursuing each other for the wrong reasons. This is solely to test their friendship."
"Oh, that thing they didn't have before?" Gula questioned, making a fair point.
"We have to at least give them some time," Invi suggested softly, making Gula sigh in frustration and look to his side. He truly was worried. Invi smiled and then asked, "Did you have feelings for Ava?"
"Hm?" Gula questioned, not paying attention. When he realized what the Foreteller asked, he said, "Oh no. She's like my sister and my mother at the same time. We grew up together and lived in the same house. I don't care about when she decides to date. I care about who. She's a good person. I don't want this experiment - this man - to leave her heartbroken. She doesn't deserve that from anyone!"
"Ira's a good man, too," Invi said quietly, smiling at Gula's words. "He may not be perfect. He may not even have the same interests as Ava does. But he is kind and intelligent and his heart is pure when he's with someone he loves. You heard what he said as clearly as I did when he spoke of his ex-girlfriend. He loves with all his heart and will do whatever it takes to make the other person happy."
"I guess I'm no better than you about this," a familiar voice said, startling the two Foretellers.
"Luxu?" Invi called.
"None of us are accepting this as an experiment it seems," another familiar voice said.
"Aced?" Gula called, earning a nod from the man.
"But we shouldn't talk about this outside the door," Aced advised. "The Master will reprimand us all, and Ira and Ava won't be able to trust us or each other if we admit that this is a terrible idea right here and now. Barging in won't make this any better."
"We have to think of something good that can come from this," Luxu suggested, leaning on the wall next to him. "Otherwise, we'll never get through the rest of this week. We already made things tense last week."
"That was my fault," Gula said, shaking his head and quietly leaning on the wall next to Ira's door. "I flipped out because I was scared. I thought Ira did something to her. I didn't care if he was my leader. I wasn't gonna let him hurt my friend."
"I was no better about it either," Luxu said, shaking his head. "I was so ready to kill him, I couldn't see anything else. We both were scared... but we both know Ira's not a monster. We know Ava's not a weak, little girl anymore. We have to figure out something - anything - to keep our emotions out of this."
Aced looked at Ira's door for the final time and asked, "What if Ira does like Ava? Would you try to take her away from him then?"
Gula and Luxu gasped lightly at the question and looked at each other before responding. Neither one of them was truly considering the idea, but they wondered if that could be something they would accept down the line. What if Ira did love Ava and just couldn't say it? What if Ava did love Ira and didn't want to say it? Could they accept the two having feelings for each other but suppressing them? The more they thought about it, the more they felt confused.
"I don't know," Luxu answered, sighing in frustration.
"Then this experiment is pointless," Aced replied, surprising everyone. "The Master said he wanted the two to be around each other more because we felt Ira was too distant to you all. Invi and I don't have the same problem as you do with Ira. He talks to us like normal people. We know about him. You two don't know him at all. If you're willing to snatch Ava, who is representing you in probably not the most desirable or appropriate way but some way, away from him despite what you might learn from him, then this experiment to get the two closer is fruitless. You don't trust him. It's as simple as that. Making him the leader over half of the group will do nothing for our future. He should know."
"Aced, Ira didn't know that he was distant from them. You can't punish him for that!" Invi argued. "If it's such a bother to them, they should be the ones to say so."
"It's not just them who's bothered by this!" Aced shouted in a whispering tone, surprising Invi. "You said so yourself that you were suspicious about this experiment from the moment the Master so much as mentioned the word. All of us hate this idea! He... no, they, should hear about this from us. But not now. When the week is over, that will be the final straw. Agreed?"
The others were silent but nodded. Aced was right. No one liked the idea of Ava and Ira "living together". If they had a problem with each other, they needed to talk about it. Aced had a different suspicion, though. Unlike the others, he saw Ira's bed on an uneven angle at the front. It was barely noticeable, yes, but it was noticeable enough. He doubted his friends were in an abusive relationship, but the two might've been in a much more intimate relationship. This experiment could've been a coverup or an excuse for them to really figure out how they felt about each other. So help him, Kingdom Hearts, if he so much as saw one, solid stroke from Ira entering into Ava's... Ava-hood, then he would have a severe stroke and probably grab Gula and Luxu to kill Ira.