Ch 6: Bonding

Spadix slipped outside onto the back porch as the two were embraced. She needed air and just a moment away. It was incredibly hard to watch and even harder to sort out inside herself as the two instincts waged an intense war. She leaned into the post and closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath slowly to calm herself. Rationally, she saw this as the best scenario for everyone. Emotionally and instinctually, it was a complex swell within her. As she stood there, Gunner watched her from his work in the well curated garden, curious.

He walked over with a soft expression and leaned into the railing next to her, "you know, Jin was a mess for a long time. And even though everyone in town treated Scarlet terribly for loving her, she never gave up on her. She stuck by her and took care of her even on nights when all Jin could talk about was you. I've known Scarlet my entire life. She's scrappy and clever and she doesn't always show her hand but under the surface she's an incredibly loving and kind being that has been through so much and just wants a place to belong."

She looked over at him and he smiled, adjusting his hat and stretching, nodding before going back to work. He wasn't much for long conversation she was learning but she watched him work for a while as she thought about it. She couldn't recall even as far back as Beacon Scarlet ever being a terrible person. Curious and a bit invasive perhaps but never cruel or any of the things she had been hearing in town recently. Her thoughts were broken by a soft chin resting on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

The feeling of calm coaxing her prickled beast told her it was Scarlet and exhaled slowly, glancing over at curious, gorgeous emeralds watching her, "I'll be fine."

Two hands slid cautiously up around her sides, one stopping briefly as it found the old deathstalker scar before tracing it as they made their way around Spadix, gently pulling her close in a kind embrace, "That's not what I asked though is it?"

Spadix tensed for a moment, letting out a low growl that Scarlet just stayed calm for until Spadix relaxed. The fox's fingers gently laced into each other around her, just lightly holding her close and letting their energy calm one another, Spadix able to feel Scarlet's own tension now too and relaxing finally, "N…no… I'm not ok…"

The fox moved her face slowly to the back of Spadix's neck, brushing away the tail of hair with her nose before nuzzling the skin carefully. Every movement was soft, calm, and cautious, as if she was being sure to give the owl clear signs of her intentions and avoid any risks of startling her or upsetting her. It was too kind for Spadix right now, making her melt between the touch and the feel of the calm washing over her, cooing lightly in response as her beast weakened, "But I'm glad you are here…"

Scarlet rumbled lightly, feeling Spadix shiver, "You weren't prepared to hear her admit it were you?"

Spadix trembled and nodded, the light whimper coming from her hurt and her eyes watered. The calm washed her again and Scarlet held her a bit tighter, nuzzling into the mark on her neck from Jin, making Spadix swoon, "I never asked for things to turn out this way but they did. I can still go…"

Spadix gripped into Scarlet's arms, careful not to hurt her, a whine leaving her, "N-no! Don't. I'll be fine. I just need to adjust. We need you here with us… She needs you here with us…"

Spadix bit her lower lip as she heard Scarlet exhale a bit exhaustedly, whispering, "I need you here with us…"

Scarlet chuckled against her neck and ran her tongue lightly along the mate mark, feeling the owl shudder helplessly in her grasp, no longer worried about being stubble or slow, "My you are a good girl aren't you? Doing the best you can for her. Nnnn but we both know deep down you are a bit elated too aren't you? A part of you wants this too."

Spadix groaned against her better judgment, the alpha's energy perking up against hers enough to make the neutral caught off guard from her calm and she slipped sub to her, shivering at the feeling of Scarlet's tongue along her neck. She resisted the instinctual urge to whine at the loss of the alpha's attention, talons gripping the railing trying not to be noticed as she glared back at the fox who grinned, "I'm not stupid. I know you are crawling with a desire to mark me. Your beast needs it to be comfortable with this. You need it to soothe your jealousy. But you are also hurting. Give yourself a break. When you are ready, we can talk about this baby."

Spadix bared her teeth for a moment but didn't growl as she looked away, Scarlet only watching her for a moment before slipping back inside. Jin was not far off, not a surprise to the fox really. No alpha would ever comfortably allow another one to just hover their mate so easily but Jin seemed calm, or rather worried and waiting for something. The fox stopped, leaning against a counter across from Jin, "She needs some time. This is hard on her. Her beast is torn between it all and she needs time to wrestle the emotional baggage. You're worried. But you don't need to be."

Jin tilted her head, watching Scarlet closely, "Oh? Why is that?"

Stretching, the fox stood straight, "Because she wants this. She's jealous and her beast is irritable but she also wants this. She just needs to get it all sorted inside herself."

Scarlet leaned close. Jin was leaning back into the other counter as hands rested on either side of her, the fox gazing into her face, tail swaying, "You should actually let her be around me for a bit. Your energy is making it worse. Mine can help. Yours is just keeping her riled up."

Her fingers trailed one of Jin's arms that were currently folded across herself even as the dragon growled a low warning, "it's not your fault really. But I think it would do her some good to spend more time with me. At the very least, I can keep her calm enough to sort things out."

Jin glared for a while before standing up and moving from around Scarlet, humming in thought but saying nothing more. It was also a hard choice for herself to accept but deep down she knew Scarlet was right. Spadix and Scarlet barely knew each other as well but to expect them to be in such an intimate situation so easily without becoming closer first seemed wrong. She rubbed her scarred face and sighed, "I'm… going to go take a mission for a bit. Indi sent a request. Stay with her for me please?"

Her tail swayed with intrigue and she nodded, "Anything for you, Beautiful."

Those words that always made Jin melt never lost their effect on her even now, only serving to remind her she did in fact still love this charismatic fox. She nodded, glancing towards the back porch for a long moment before heading to grab her things. She wanted to say bye but she also wanted to give Spadix space to breathe. The situation was different for her. She was swimming in instant relief now that her beast was reassured both mates were staying put and going nowhere. She didn't know how to relate to what Spadix was going through. Since both women were already hers, it was so much more comforting now than it had been trying to fight against it, light a heavy weight lifted off her very soul. She didn't think Spadix could take that right now.

By the time Spadix came back inside, Jin had already left. She seemed distressed, her heart racing painfully as she looked around for her in mild panic. Scarlet stepped into the living room in time to see Spadix heading for the front door. Arms reached out to grasp the owl, pulling the woman close to her tightly, "Hey. Relax. She will be back. She did not leave you again I promise."

It was only now that Spadix could feel how much she was trembling, feel the dryness in her eyes from how wide open they were, the heaving of her panting breaths. She whimpered and her talons gripped into her hands, eyes squeezing shut and turning into Scarlet. The taller faunus said nothing, her beast bathing Spadix in a calm energy until the smaller woman finally relaxed in her embrace. Scarlet looked around, guiding them over to the couch and scooping Spadix into her lap to hold her. The younger faunus was clearly still dealing with worries from the past, "Spadix. Look at me."

A gentle hand raised the owl's chin and swirled orbs peered deeply into those gleaming emeralds. She could truly get lost in them; they were so vibrant and beautiful, with a gorgeous calm smile to match, making her cheeks flush lightly, "She wouldn't do that to you again. She loves you so much. She just took on a job from Indi and wanted to give you room to breathe. She asked me to stay with you."

Spadix could smell Jin on Scarlet. From the embrace the two had shared to their close encounter before Jin left, Scarlet was dusted in Jin's summer scent of wildflowers. Her mind buzzed also blanketed in the serenity of calm between their beasts and she leaned in, grasping hold of the fox close and nuzzling into the mark on Scarlet's neck for comfort. For her part, Scarlet held her breath and remained as calm as she could, trying to keep her anatomy under control as the light brushes across the sensitive skin lit her nerves on fire with desire. Her eyes closed and she squeezed Spadix closer a bit, letting out a slow breath, "Please… if you do that I will have a hard time… I don't want to startle you again."

Spadix whined a bit, not wanting to let go. The peace and comfort of it all was too good to move away from. As her teeth nibbled along the scar, Scarlet sucked in a breath, grasping the owl and shifting her off suddenly, "Alright. None of that."

She sat the surprised and confused faunus to the side of her on the couch, rubbing her own face with a deep inhale, slowly exhaling as Spadix stared at her for a moment before turning a shade of red and scooting into a better sitting position next to Scarlet with more space between them, "s-sorry…"

Scarlet opened her eyes and grinned, flashing a playful smirk at the owl, receiving a frown in response, "Don't apologize. I just don't think I want you running away from me again."

Spadix looked away, gnawing on a talon. Scarlet was beautiful there was no doubt about it but Spadix remembered the part of Scarlet's anatomy she had no interest in. In fairness to the fox, it was probably best to back off for now without Jin here. Scarlet pulled a knee up, the one closest to Spadix, resting her foot on the edge of the cushion and leaned into it, using it to hide the beginnings of her length growing within her shorts as she watched Spadix, "Relax. There's plenty of time to figure all that out later. Are you ok now?"

She gave a nod and rubbed the back of her head, still enjoying the calm energy between them as she leaned into the couch. It made Scarlet feel better about the situation at hand though if Jin's entire mission went this way it would be torturous to her and Jin would owe her greatly, "Why don't you tell me what you've been up to the past seven years hm?"

Swirled orbs glanced over catching the light and Scarlet reveled in their bright color and unique quality. They spent hours into the evening sharing things about themselves over the years. The good, the bad, the losses and the hardships as well as any good they had found. After Gunner brought dinner to them, they sat there facing one another with tea on the couch, sharing agency stories specifically at poor Indi's stressed out expense. Scarlet leaned into her hand, watching Spadix as the owl talked about her best friend. She had managed to break some ice between them coming from Spadix throughout the day but she could tell as the evening was waning on that she was getting nervous again, constantly glancing towards the front of the home.

Scratching through thick curls, Scarlet gave a grin, "She won't be back today you know. Missions here in the wilds of Menagerie tend to take days. She'll be fine though. We do these missions all the time. If Indi didn't request any assistance with it then it won't be dangerous."

Spadix fiddled with her mug, staring down at it quietly. She seemed anxious at the thought. Scarlet's grin broadened and she set her own cup down, reaching out. One hand grasped Spadix while the other skillfully took her mug, effortlessly lifting the drink away as she pulled the small faunus over into her embrace, lips ghosting along her ear as she whispered, "Don't worry. I'll be here to take good care of you while she is away. How about we go to bed and I'll show you?"

The soft gasp Spadix let out and the tremble in her body were all Scarlet needed to know she was willing but Scarlet wasn't interested in complete, pure submission. She never had been really. It was one of the reasons she had never found Lyra all that interesting beyond fun from time to time. Scarlet wasn't attracted to sub beasts. She hated the way they just weakly caved to everything like they had no will of their own or no interests of their own. She didn't always need a challenge of course but what she found attractive was other alphas and shifting neutrals. Ones that chose her because they wanted to be with her, not because her energy was overwhelming them into a haze of weakness. Likewise, Spadix was only attractive to her for two reasons.

The first being she was Jin's and thus everything radiating off her beast carried Jin along with it like a coating to her own essence and as one of Jin's mates, that was very satisfying to Scarlet. The other was that Spadix felt the need to bristle at her and try to press back and that was something she loved. It wasn't a fight, it was small signs that Spadix wasn't willing to rear her full submission even if she was willing to be with her and that was a very wonderful feeling of pure consent that Scarlet adored.

She stood, her smile playful and eyes gleaming as she beckoned the smaller faunus to follow her with a curled finger, backing into the dark hallway leading into a dangerous choice but a choice she made all the same. It was a risk of course to take Spadix into the room the owl shared with Jin for the night where the sheets and the air would be thick with the scent of a mate they shared, thick of the scent of the bonded pair's copulation that had surely yet to be washed away. At the same time, Jin's scent would both comfort the smaller faunus's nerves of her missing mate as well as help ease her into her own desires for Scarlet and simply let go. Or, it could all backfire and Spadix could get angry and flare up in aggression, not wanting Scarlet's presence there at all.

Either way, as the small faunus stumbled from the couch to follow, her beast rumbling with interest after the taunt of the alpha coaxing her along, Scarlet led her in. The next few choices needed to be taken with careful consideration and caution. Scarlet stood a few feet before the bed, watching the owl walk in. Her green eyes carefully locked on Spadix as the owl's nostrils twitched, taking in the smells of the room. For now, Scarlet just watched her, making sure the owl was the one giving permission to proceed.

She was well aware this was not her place right now. This delicate line they were navigating right now was Scarlet folding back into the fray of a bonded set of mates, one who loved her and one who was trying to open up to the idea of loving her. But this space was theirs now and she had to respect that. She did of course so she wanted to be careful not to overstep even though her mind raced with every raw moment spent here herself. The other reason she refused to lead Spadix into the room she called her own was because that was the room she made love to Jin in the only time it happened and she refused to welcome the bird there just yet. Spadix hadn't earned that from her yet. It felt too intrusive and painful, like giving up everything she had left instead of being embraced back in.

At first, Spadix's eyes seemed to constrict and her chest rumbled with irritation but as she relaxed and noticed Scarlet's calm and patience the growling dulled to a low vibration, and her pupils dilated, her beast settling somewhere in between sub and alpha at a weird mixture of the two that made a smile spread on the fox. She made the slow steps back towards the bed, waiting with each step never looking away from Spadix to be sure the owl didn't change to act out on her. She spent enough time with a viper to know that danger sometimes lurked behind a false calm exterior.

Each step Scarlet took back, Spadix took forward, almost like a slow chase, watching the taller woman carefully. When Scarlet finally sat down on the sheets, Spadix's beast prickled all over for a moment, a light growl in her throat before staring at the slender fingers of a hand held out to her, her own taking it with some reservations. Scarlet kept her smile, careful to not come across as threatening as she pulled Spadix into the bed, giving Spadix freedom to decide where she landed and how. Movements stayed careful, measured, slow. It wasn't her normal pace but then Spadix wasn't her usual lover either and she had been with no one else but Jin for so long now she had to admit she was a bit out of practice with new people.

Spadix settled onto her lap, sitting on her thighs with space away from Scarlet's hips, not interested in feeling the unpleasant surprise of her arousal again unprepared this time, her face leaning forward to take in Jin's scent along Scarlet's mark, feeling Scarlet shiver a bit in response. Scarlet's hands reached out, running along Spadix's thighs and enjoying the way the owl gave a warning before melting into her, pressing her chest into Scarlet and reaching out to wrap her hands around the fox, talons scratching at her skin lightly as if showing Scarlet she was not to be easily pushed around. It amused Scarlet but she played along, her own beast releasing her calm aura again for a while, watching as Spadix grumbled comfortably and licked at the mark along her neck, making Scarlet moan softly.

She didn't bother to resist since Spadix wasn't pressed against her hips, her length uncomfortably strained in her shorts as it exposed itself from the sheath. She shifted a bit with a grunt, Spadix still lapping at the mark, growling at her when she squirmed, trying to stop her. It humored Scarlet but for now she didn't try to flex her energy back. The two needed the space to figure each other out and Scarlet was more than certain without Jin here this wouldn't go that far anyway so she wasn't all that worried about being the dominant one at the moment. Not that she wasn't more than willing and happy to explore Spadix to the fullest but she got the feeling with all Spadix's behavior that the owl was disinterested in what she had to offer.

Spadix leaned forward, pushing hard and pinning Scarlet back, fingers tight around her wrists, careful of her talons as she stared down at her from all fours, looming over the fox. For a while they just stared at one another, Scarlet grinning, growling deeply and watching Spadix tremble. It was enough of an opening to flip them, tucking her knees between Spadix's thighs and staring down into those swirled eyes. One hand rested into the bed next to Spadix's head while the other moved along Spadix's side watching her shiver, leaning close and nuzzling alone the bonded mark on Spadix's skin, groaning into the skin, "You have this wonderful mint scent buried under Jin's smell. It's wonderful."

Spadix gasped lightly, shivering at the touches, her back arching as Scarlet nibbled at the mark, fingers stroking across her waist to the front of her clothing. The fox was also twitchy, discomfort in her clothing as it left little room for her erection, pressed painfully in the tight space. She grunted a bit against Spadix's neck before taking a breath, feeling Spadix pull away from her some, "S…Scarlet… wait…"

Sitting back, Scarlet looked down at her, fingers rubbing soft circles into Spadix's abdomen above the waistline of her clothing with a teasing hum in response. Spadix was a bit breathless, nervous eyes glancing at the proud tenting in the fox's tight shorts, "I don't… I'm… I don't like…"

Scarlet followed her glance and chuckled, "I can handle that later. Would you like me to take care of you first?"

The whine Spadix let out made Scarlet groan lightly, plucking at the band to tug the clothing a bit until Spadix twitched, "I… Scarlet…"

The sound of Spadix whining her name like a question in her need riled her alpha beast and all her carefulness was pushed aside. She leaned forward, resting on her side next to Spadix as her hand slipped beneath the fabric, ruling along the skin. Spadix's thighs parted with a light gasp as Scarlet's fingers curled around her soaked folds, tracing along her slit down and back up through it to circle the swollen bundle of nerves. The owl's hips bucked up a bit, eyes closing as she tilted her head some, Scarlet softly growling against her scarred neck, whispering, "good girl. Relax and let me help you. Didn't you say you needed me too?"

Spadix whined, hips rocking in need as all the sensations drove her wild inside, her inner beast shaking in response to the faunus it wanted to mark touching her. When those nimble fingers slipped two slowly inside and curled, Spadix moaned deeply, rolling her hips into each thrust while Scarlet kept her thumb in place against her clit, teasing the nub sweetly. Scarlet's teeth ached a bit, nibbling along the mate mark that held some of Jin's scent but she resisted the urge, her free hand reaching to loosen the button on her shorts and the zipper to at least reduce the unpleasant pressure hurting her now as the length throbbed madly. She didn't bother to wait, reaching within her underwear to stroke herself as her other hand brought needed attention to the smaller faunus.

Spadix's eyes noticed though she was glad she couldn't really see anything. The feeling of Scarlet's panting breaths on her neck however were bringing her closer and closer to her release, those fingers moving faster against all the right places and her body still sore and extra sensitive from Jin's rough affections the night prior. Every movement of Spadix's hips, every twitch of her talons gripping sheets, every moan and whimper, made Scarlet hungry for more, hand moving faster along her length in pace with her fingers as she groaned into Spadix's scar.

Both faunus squirmed and shook, the smell of Jin thick in the sheets beneath them only adding to their pleasure as they raced to the peak, Spadix's body tensing and her inner walls clenching on Scarlet's fingers as she came, talons digging holes in the sheets and moaning deeply as she shook, burying her face to the side and breathing deeply of the scents on the bed. As she was experiencing her high, her eyes watched Scarlet's rapid stroking within her own underwear, listening to her groaning and seeing the trembling of her body as she chased her own climax. Spadix bit her lip, squirming a bit at the sight, curious more than anything.

Scarlet's fingers slipped away from Spadix when the woman came down, her own hips bucking into her hand as she grew closer and closer, moving the drenched fingers from Spadix's clothing to her lips and licking one before she swapped her hands, using the fluids along her length and pressing her face to the sheets as well, yipping a bit as her muscles locked up, hips snapping sharply as spurts dampened the front of her clothing, panting. She felt the knot at the base of her length, a bit surprised really for it to have expanded in this situation but chalked it up to Jin's intense scent in the room, eyes closed and beast calming as she relaxed, pulling her hand free of her shorts.

When she finally opened her eyes, she caught Spadix watching her and smirked, "For someone who doesn't like that… you are staring…"

The red cheeks and frown were worth the tease as Spadix huffed, looking away and sitting up, "Whatever…"

Scarlet didn't let her get far, pulling her into an embrace lightly, "No you don't. Come back here. It's late. We should sleep."

Spadix yelped a bit when she was pulled down, squirming some, "Do you have to hold me for that?"

The vibrations from Scarlet's beast weakened her resistance as the fox nuzzled into her feathery hair, "We both know you are going to get anxious again. Just let me soothe you ok?"

Spadix caved, sighing and rolling to face Scarlet, the two just laying there staring at each other's fingers as Scarlet curiously traced her talons. Finally, after the long comfortable silence, Spadix whispered, "Why did you encourage me to return to her if you are in love with her? Why would you do that to yourself?"

A heavy sigh brushed through her hair and she glanced up at those emerald eyes, seeing that pain behind the soft expression as fingers ran along her talons, fidgeting with them, "The two of you needed each other and were hurting without each other. I always knew it was the right thing to do. It just made sense. What good is holding onto someone you are in love with if they are in love with someone else?"

Spadix watched her before tucking her head into Scarlet's neck, nuzzling into the mate mark on her skin quietly, trying her best to soothe that pain she could see. She knew how that hurt, had felt and lived it for so long in her own way. She couldn't imagine living it the way Scarlet had. In this soft silence, the two fell asleep, both finding solace in the calm they could give one another.

The next few days went about the same, at one point, Spadix caught sight of Scarlet's knot during one of the nightly moments of their exchanges, unable to avoid the thoughts that entered her mind about the fact she knew Jin had enjoyed such a thing and curious about how that went for her mate. They spent days keeping the owl distracted with talks or trips to town though Scarlet was never very fond of it, the looks she got only adding to the fire of rumors people enjoyed saying about her. The longer it took Jin on her mission though, the more uneasy Spadix got and harder Scarlet had to work to keep her distracted or calm, not that the fox minded really but it did concern the older faunus, worrying her about the obvious issues Spadix still might have with her original loss of their mate.

By the time Jin got back, she was grimy and tired, covered in swamp mud, gunk, and blood from creatures holding Grimm dust glued to her body as well in a disgusting film. It was late and dark, entering the house with a groan from her tired body to find the two curled up on the couch, Spadix in a ball in Scarlet's embrace clearly having had some sort of emotional dilemma as Scarlet glanced up, a finger to her lips. Jin brushed a wiped hand through Scarlet's hair, "I'm going to shower real quick…"

When she got back, Scarlet poked Spadix gently, "Hey… open those eyes. Someone is home."

The exhausted lids flittered, Jin currently kneeling by the couch and practically purring at the owl as she nuzzled into her, Scarlet leaning back out of the way. Spadix quickly woke, whimpering as she grasped hold of Jin, the dragon grabbing her and pulling her close, leaving Scarlet to simply watch them as Spadix whimpered, "don't you dare just leave like that again… without saying anything…"

Jin nibbled along the mate mark, holding her tightly, shivering a bit at Scarlet's scent on her owl, her beast flaring up to show it was the most dominant in the room as fingers brushed through feathery hair, "Never again. Promise. Did she at least take care of you while I was away?"

Spadix bit down on her scar on Jin's neck making the dragon's inner beast squirm before she frowned, shyly averting her eyes away from both alphas watching her, mumbling, "shut up and let's go to bed."

Jin smirked, lifting the owl up, the woman wrapping around her and watching over Jin's shoulder a moment at Scarlet as those longing green orbs watched them before they disappeared into their room, Spadix easily submitting to the gentle affections of her mate and the much needed rest they both wanted.

Scarlet sighed, leaning back on the couch staring at the ceiling. She could go to her room, she supposed but oddly right now the thought held a painful ache in her chest. It was far too late to go back to her parent's or brother's homes. Rubbing her face, she pulled a blanket off the backside of the couch and threw it over herself, that false smile that hid the pain gracing her face as her arm laid over her eyes, "Oh Scarlet, why do you do this to yourself indeed?"