> "...adultery..."

Maya flushed again, it felt like from head to toe. She wasn't sure if it was more anger or embarrassment, but it felt like a powerful cocktail of the two. "I shouldn't have asked." He knew what he wanted? Bully for him. Maya was just going to have to keep thinking about that one where she was concerned.

She felt his touch on her leg but was too annoyed by the heavy fabric of her skirt. Skirts weren't supposed to weigh you down. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband and jerkily scooted the frilly fabric over her hips until she could kick it all the way across the room. It made a satisfying splat sound somewhere on the wall next to the bathroom.

Shouldn't have done that either.

"... Can I be the big spoon?" Because the cold was starting to get to her now.

"I shouldn't have asked."

Cafas shrugged, trying to do so in a gentle, apologetic way. He wasn't about to actually say sorry. It was true after all, he was in a relationship. By modern standards, it was true. "Didn't mean to upset you, but I am in a relationship, despite the distance there." Blunt as a hammer. He should've padded it a bit maybe, but saw no real point. He respected Maya enough to be honest with her.

Is she...?

Yup, pulling her skirt down. Cafas tried desperately to quell the excited sensation that overcame him, barely stopping himself short of actual hope. The wet sound her skirt made across the room left no room for argument, as much cloth was coming off as reasonable. Cafas unbelted, unbuttoned, and unzipped his pants, wiggling them down as far as he could before clumsily kicking them off. Hopefully it went near the tile.

Good thing I wore good undies...

"... Can I be the big spoon?"

"I mean, you can try... The scale at work may be tricky..." Like, all seven inches of height difference and build disparity. Still, Cafas was happy enough to shuffle under the covers. He tried to ignore the screaming urge to make a move. He'd not be betraying Maya's trust. He'd betrayed enough people that night.

> "I mean, you can try... The scale at work may be tricky..."

"Psh. Hush up." Sebastian had been the smaller between the two of them. She was sued to being the big spoon.

Maya sort of pushed at him to prompt Cafas to roll over, knowing full well that her hands had been damp and were probably now ice cold as she put them against his warm torso. Maya wriggled under the sheets and cozied up to her latest mistake. At least this was her choice. Her cheek came up against to his shoulder and so she rested it against the scapula on his back and slipped her arms around to hold him from behind.

A thought occurred to her. She'd probably asked before, but, well... now she was terribly curious. "So... have you always liked girls too?" Maybe a lot of tonight's mistakes could have been avoided if she'd not assumed he only liked boys... or hadn't he explained it once that he only liked Calley?

I am a homewrecker. She realized. Could she even show her face around at the Mansion again after this?

She shivered against his back. Cold body plus cold body under cold sheets did not yet equal warm.

"Psh. Hush up."

Cafas was hearing that a lot. Maybe there was something to it. He did as he was told. Frigid fingers pushed insistently. Cafas resisted the urge to flinch away and yelp, though he did tense immediately from the shock. He rolled cooperatively. No point arguing. Maya maneuvered her way into proper cuddling position, strictly for warmth, he was aware of that. He was just happy to have her arms around him again. He'd go with it for that alone.

"So... have you always like girls too?"

Go on, how special you going to try and make her feel here?

No dice on saying just her, that could backfire, and really, why lie? "Yeah, Calley is the exception, not the rule. I spent a long time trying to figure that out, trying to fit myself into the terms I knew... Caused me no end of frustration and confusion." So so much. He'd decided to just roll with it, not bother trying to define himself.

Healthiest choice you ever made.

"What about you? Ever had a woman that made you think about it?" He felt her shiver. From where he was he had few options to help. He reached over and behind himself, rubbing Maya's thigh, lightly and vigorously (and maybe a little high), trying to friction some heat into her. What they really needed were hot water bottles. It would have to do as a substitute.

Even ignoring the cold, would he be able to sleep? He was so acutely aware of every slight sound. Each one jolted what small threat of sleep he had right out of him. Enemy territory had a way of making you hyper aware.

He desperately wanted to find something metal to palm. Something to put through the door if someone opened it. Maybe he could jam the latch. He really didn't feel like getting up though.

He'd never really tried using his power at range.

Cafas tried to find that new power muscle to try and flex. He tried 'expanding his mind' as best he could figure out how. He tried messing with the ability to move his power through metal.

Nothing.

Looked like he wasn't capable of that.

"I remember something about that, the last time I asked. Danger room, I think." Cafas had said... what? He was Calleyamorous? Something like that.

Homewrecker.

> "What about you? Ever had a woman that made you think about it?"

"Not really. Before this... I think I just let things happen to me. I didn't feel like I had any say. I know Sebastian was fairly bisexual. And I wasn't his first. Or... last." She was feeling more and more foolish the more she spoke. "Do you think I should try it? For... experience? Or... something?"

If he needed metal, there was at least one bullet Maya still had lodged in her person around the area that Cafas was running his hands. Maybe a little higher.

"Not really. Before this... I think I just let things happen to me. I didn't feel like I had any say. I know Sebastian was fairly bisexual. And I wasn't his first. Or... last. Do you think I should try it? For... experience? Or... something?"

Cafas refrained from flipping right over to have the conversation face to face. It was a tricky topic, and there were interpretations of what Maya had said that made him mad to think about. He didn't know if it was a topic he had any business in. Still, curiosity was overwhelming, and he really hoped it was all more innocent than it might sound.

"If you're attracted to women, yeah, why not?" Hadn't she been the one to say they needed to do what made them happy?

Nah, I can't leave it, gotta know.

"Now, just rewinding a bit... Just let things happen to you and had no say. It's probably not my place at all Maya, but..."

How the hell was he supposed to phrase that question? He could barely consider it without feeling an over-riding urge to kill something. His hand retracted, it just seemed wrong to be rubbing her thigh while having that conversation.

"Did Sebastian?... Did others?... I..." If the answer was yes, that horn headed prick had better make sure his immortal face was never seen again. Still, he may need to actually spell out the question yet. He left it at that, really hoping he didn't have to say it.

Spend hours filing reports to the police about it and yet when Maya is involved, you can't form the damn words. Or consider that she may not want to discuss it either way.

> "If you're attracted to women, yeah, why not?"

“Uh. Well, I mean, I don’t know. I never tried.” Since it hadn’t really occurred to her before, the answer was probably no. “I guess not.”

> "Did Sebastian?... Did others?... I..."

What? ”No! No. God, no. He was a perfect gentleman. To my face anyway. I proposed to him in a bid to get him a green card. I thought he deserved to stay and I was okay with a loveless arrangement. I did love him eventually. We decided to try it for real… God, I was really stupid wasn’t I? I just meant that I never pursued… love. Attachment?” She traced little circles on his shoulder.

”Others? I mean… there was one guy who thought it was romantic to cut off pieces of other people… you know, I don’t really want to get into that one.”

”No! No. God, no. He was a perfect gentleman. To my face anyway. I proposed to him in a bid to get him a green card. I thought he deserved to stay and I was okay with a loveless arrangement. I did love him eventually. We decided to try it for real… God, I was really stupid wasn’t I? I just meant that I never pursued… love. Attachment?”

Ah. That was a relief. Clearly he'd grown paranoid and pessimistic. Maybe it was a necessary side effect of the job?

”Others? I mean… there was one guy who thought it was romantic to cut off pieces of other people… you know, I don’t really want to get into that one.”

That's pretty ****ed... Okay, so, yeah, that's a wish I can more than respect.

"Stupid? No. Unless I'm stupid for holding onto the idea that Calley and I might actually work. Admittedly, I'm not ruling it out." He shifted slightly, her small circles tickling his shoulder. Cafas really tried not to let on how badly ticklish he was. "Look, I know I'm not exactly an unqualified success in the field of love, but you seem like you could really use some love and attachment. Pursuing it may not be the worst idea." Even if he did wish, right then, that it could be him she pursued.

You... Really right now dude, you're infatuated and lonely. Maybe give this some time? Think about it some?

They were starting to warm up a little, which was glorious. The chill he could feel slowly receding. His hand absentmindedly returned to her thigh. It pushed his weight a little further back onto her.

He just had nowhere else to put it... Yeah...

I don't think I'm gonna get any sleep tonight...

> "Pursuing it may not be the worst idea."

"That's why I kissed you... outside." Maybe inside too. She was confused at her response to that first kiss because she'd both reciprocated and freaked out.

Maya could already feel the tension mounting in her shoulders again. At least he wasn't facing her, demanding eye contact. He wasn't actually demanding anything. "I don't want to be a spectator in my own life anymore." And that meant getting out of her comfort zone and trying new things.

"Heh. I told myself I didn't go to that bar to find somebody, that I just wanted to have fun like everybody else." Wasn't it fun, though? Mostly, yes.

"Why is this all so... scary?" She put her face against his bare back as if it could hide her.

"That's why I kissed you... outside."

Oh right... Not exactly a big ball of intelligence tonight are we?

"I don't want to be a spectator in my own life anymore."

Cafas' last few months had taught him all he needed to know about that. No agency, just itineraries. He could fully understand Maya wanting to escape that feeling. Well, perhaps he couldn't fully appreciate the depth of her drive, he hadn't been in that position nearly as long as she had.

"Heh. I told myself I didn't go to that bar to find somebody, that I just wanted to have fun like everybody else. Why is this all so... scary?"

Cafas tried to formulate an answer as Maya tried to bury herself in his back. "You had fun exactly like everyone else intended to, and it's scary probably because it's new, and you're putting a lot of yourself on the line if you fail. Still, you only live once, as the saying goes. You may as well enjoy it while it's here and damn the consequences, especially with our line of work."

Did... did you just YOLO?

His eyes searched the darkness. He could barely see, searching for anything to focus on. His hand slid slightly higher up her thigh. He couldn't be sure if he'd told it to or not. He still wanted her badly, and really he was just tempting himself, but he thought he could trust himself that much contact.

> "...Still, you only live once, as the saying goes. You may as well enjoy it while it's here and damn the consequences..."

He was extending a silent invitation here. So far Maya had been ignoring his hand, letting him touch her because she liked to be touched and she hadn't been touched for so long. But that was a Passive Maya thing to do.

Okay. So what would Active Maya do?

She pursed her lips and tried to summon her courage. "Will you be my training wheels? No. Wait." She wasn't going to make that a question. Maya tugged on Cafas' shoulder. He was a mountain of a man and she had no hope of getting him to turn toward her without his help. Still. She was tying this whole asserting herself thing because the YOLO? Yeah. That was impactful for someone who only had three years left to live.

Once he was on his back, she slipped one of her legs between his and put her hands at his shoulders so that her arms and legs were his cage. She definitely had his entire attention now. "Help me." That was assertive. "I don't know how to do... this." And it was clear from the crease forming between her eyebrows that she wasn't even sure what this was. She was fast entering the realm of thinking too hard.

Maybe a better question was... what did she want? "I want this." She moved to support herself with one shaky arm and used her other hand to capture one of Cafas' hands. She put that hand right back where it had been on her hip and flushed with embarrassment. "I like this."

"Will you be my training wheels? No. Wait."

Cafas froze. He'd not meant it like that! He'd swear he hadn't. It had been about the gamble of it. But then she was tugging his shoulder.

Screw it, I could die tomorrow...

He rolled compliantly. He wasn't quite prepared for how... Aggressive she was about it. He was all but trapped, well, as much as Maya could ever hope to trap him. He stared up into her eyes. Even in the darkness he caught the gleam there.

"Help me. I don't know how to do... this."

Given she had children, Cafas had his doubts about that. Still, the situation was new. It was as new to him as it was to her, the context being what it was.

"I want this."

She pulled his hand to her hip. He ran his thumb down the bone. The sensation sent a shiver cascading through him.

"I like this."

"Then we'll work from here."

He slid his spare hand up her back, to her neck, fingers running into her hair. Abs tensed as he lifted his lips to hers.

Fade to grey.