The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 164 - Denying Just Makes Me Want The Kiss More

Chapter 164: Chapter 164 - Denying Just Makes Me Want The Kiss More

The small brunette stared at her with a ’mess’ of a spirit as Qatrand approached. It was hard to pick out anything on the surface, just the ’love’ roiling underneath. That core poised to do anything to keep hold of the person walking toward her.

"So next time, wake me up. We can talk about it."

A calloused palm reached gently to her forehead and smoothed back the soft hair.

"Then I’ll get to understand. Say good morning. Get to kiss you."

The heiress couldn’t help leaning into the touch as her eyes fought to regain the light of her facade. Small fingers curled and bunched the fabric of the Yecine’s blazer. Her unstable mint eyes turned up but held an uncertainty in them.

"Can I have one now?"

The tall girl’s free hand settled on her wife’s waist as she leaned down. She placed her gentler pigeon-blues only inches away from the searching gaze of her El. Qat felt like she had expressed the displeasure she had inside very well.

’I could refuse. It would help show her I was serious.’

"Just one."

The blonde gave in to her own wants and whispered. Their lips met softly and Qat kept the kiss gentle despite the way Elua tried to press herself closer. They parted after a few seconds, but the grip on her clothes was not loosened.

"Another?"

"No."

The swordswoman’s firm voice held a ’gratified’ tone to it, despite the quick refusal. She knew she would have to draw a line to prove that she was capable of it. Just like she also knew that the ancient cultivator would keep testing her.

’She already told me more than once. My wife will try to get away with anything she can.’

"But... I’ll hold you like this for a while."

Elua nodded mutely as arms wrapped around her back. She tucked her head into the muscular chest of her husband-wife. The mass of spiritual tendrils surrounding her felt like a second kind secure embrace.

She couldn’t help but feel again that her ’fortress’ was really the best. Willingly keeping her safe from her own impulses as much as anything else was not something that others in her life were so prone to do. The reborn cultivator thought it might be because she had not *messed up* too terribly in front of Qatrand... yet.

’Then again, it may be this current form. A grown woman needing *managed* is very different from a teenage child.’

Elua stewed in that thought for a while. She could rather objectively say that the way she was living was different than the way she had lived... but it didn’t make the person underneath a new person. There was too much time and history. She knew she wasn’t likely to change all that drastically.

"I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

The Goltbred shifted her hands and gripped her beloved tighter. There had been no hesitation in the returned words from the teenager. There *had* been an almost burning amount of ’adoration’ through the curls of spirit still wrapped around her limbs.

’W-w-what is this anyway? I did something a little wrong and now she is figuratively chaining my arms and legs to her? What would she do if I did something I know was wrong?’

"You know, you held onto me like this last night. After you..."

Qatrand trailed off. She wasn’t sure that this was the best way to bring it up. Meanwhile, the succession of ’evil thoughts’... that were lit aflame by El’s focus on this spiritual exchange - were completely filed away for *later* considerations.

"O-oh? What... did I do to you?"

The illusionist had really hoped when she saw the nightshirt pulled up a bit that she hadn’t done anything inappropriate! Yet, considering how easily her thoughts could move towards *unnecessary* things, she wouldn’t put it past her sleeping state to... get handsy.

"You clung onto me after your nightmare."

The brunette stiffened in her arms and her spirit ’calmed’ across the surface. The swordswoman marveled at the feeling as the spiritualist turned from a gooey mess of emotions into what she could best describe as a ’tightly sheathed blade’.

Underneath that change, the ancient cultivator teetered on the edge of ’panicked’. Not because she knew what her beloved was talking about and wanted to hide it...

"I don’t remember having any dreams."

But because something had apparently happened to her, of a spiritual nature, that she had no recollection of. It could only mean that an influence of some kind was being worked on the illusionist. Suddenly, the shift toward sleeplessness started to feel more sinister.

"You were speaking in your sleep... talking about medicine. About someone coughing."

A ripple of ’anger’ bled through the ’sheathe’, aimed fruitlessly at whatever had been manipulating her. Despite her great control and experience, she was aware that in this life she was *only* a Breacher in her accumulation of spiritual energies.

That was only strong in relation to the region. There were powers greater than that out there. She knew because she had been one. The cultivator sealed it back inside and let out a shuddering breath.

"Sorry. I-"

"You don’t have to tell me, you know."

Mint eyes darted to the face looking down at her with concern.

"I believe you will eventually. That’s just how things have gone with us. But really, El - I wouldn’t force you to speak of painful parts of your past."

The Yecine had morphed the concern into smiling down at her affectionately. A combination of things turned it into a look that she had seen before... though this one was uniquely Qat’s. A look that family gave to one another when showing love and support.

’Hnng~’

Being looked at like she was now was just... bad for the young girl’s heart! She felt like it could burst at any moment. Today had graced her with two new deeper gleaming ’facets’ of her precious gem to add to her memories~

They joined some of her other favorites. Knowing that she would be found attractive in an ’adult’ form in the future by Qat made her feel a deep smugness. Feeling the spirit of her beloved showering her with that slightly burning level of adoring love always sent flutters through all parts of her.

"But when you do share, I’ll listen. I’ll carry it with me. I’m confident that I can do that much."

"You really shouldn’t say those things to me so often. I’ll believe them... I’ll expect it."

"I try not to say things that I don’t mean."

The ancient cultivator ’giggled’ and hid her face into the black clothes again. There had been a touch of ’defiance’ at her attempted warning. It felt a lot like when the ’older’ girl vowed she could try and *start* things.

"I really can’t have another kiss?"

"Not right now."

"Pretty please?"

"No, El."

"Is there anything you would trade it for?"

The question stumped the other teenager for a moment before she shook her head.

"I only want to give them freely... and I’m only refusing so you know you can rely on me."

"Of course, of course. So what if I swear that I know you are the most reliable person in the cosmos?"

The ’mischief’ was as clear as the logic. Qatrand fought a long, quiet fight to hold her ground. She couldn’t think of anything other than remaining stubborn for the sake of it. The swordswoman tugged on one of the small hands and brought it to her lips. She softly pecked the palm before looking lazily down at the cute girl.

"There. You didn’t say where."

"S-so stingy. Believe it or not, I’ll remember this."

Even though she was complaining, the blonde could feel the way her wife’s feelings were ’melting’ again. Qat breathed in deeply. The little home was more well put together than usual and there wasn’t as much of the usual leather smell.

"I’m sure you will."

The swordswoman smiled at the odd lengths the girl would sometimes go. She bent and lifted the light girl. The metallic dress fabric was cool on her arms and she took a few steps before sitting down.

The chair was the one the ’hobbyist’ was always working at rather professionally in the room. With Elua snuggling into her neck while curled on her lap, she stroked the back of her head. Now that the day-long bitterness was leaving her system, the Yecine wanted to replace it with sweetness.

"I’ll remember this too. Thank you for... offering to hold the boundary. Even though I’m the one that set it."

"It’s what you want. Of course I’ll do my best."

All this understanding and *going along* with her was just making it worse! She knew it wouldn’t help her that much, but she decided to change the topic. Or more precisely... seek answers to what her beloved already mentioned.

"U-uhm... you said medicine and coughing? I-it could be a few different things from my past."

The brunette’s voice lost its playful edge and her grip sagged on the black clothes. The hand brushing against her head stilled. The blonde had been wrestling with how to approach this topic since that morning, when she felt she had an epiphany watching Yatrel with Onya.

"You also begged not to be left alone."

Qat’s voice was low and gentle as her hand began to slowly pet her wife’s scalp. She was starting to realize it might calm her more than the girl, whose emotions rose and fell with every stroke, but it was hard to stop. The brown hair was so soft...

"You were frightened. Yet you pulled in all your cultivator strength. Like you were trying to be... weaker?"

Elua was quiet for a long moment. There was more than enough in that description to know what this nightmare would have been about. Though it made her angry again that whatever had *caused* it was forcing her into such a vulnerable state.

’Had I been doing that in my sleep even without Qat around? Is that what kept waking me?’

When the heiress spoke again her monotone hid an ancient end-stage grief. The holes of loss did not get *filled*, but you began to accept the edges of their shape. They stopped hurting to look at - they were just there.

"It was my parents, then. The first ones. You said I didn’t have to tell you now... but will you listen?"