Foxfire and Frostbite, An Outfoxed Holiday Special - Chapter 1 - The Wager

Holiday greetings from StrawberrySunrise and John Drake!

This is the first of two holiday specials for Christmas. This takes place after One Life, but contains no meaningful spoilers for any story, and can be read by anyone.

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Yuki was rapidly coming to the conclusion that she might hate ice skating.

The black tailed fox slowly and carefully pushed herself back to her feet, trying to ignore the way her head was throbbing. It shouldn’t be so hard… Yuki had been maintaining illusions to hide her tails and ears for close to 8 centuries now, and had mastered far more advanced illusions a long time ago. That didn’t seem to matter, though, the constant concentration required to maintain her illusion and hide her true self from the oblivious humans surrounding them wasn’t much for the experienced fox, it was a constant, minor drain… but when some fool had the idea of strapping two swords to the bottom of her feet and making her glide across a frozen lake, even a small distraction had a dull headache throbbing at the base of her skull.

It didn’t help that she seemed to be the only one having the issue. As far as she knew, Merielle had never gone skating before either, but the selkie appeared to be completely in her element anyway, effortlessly graceful from the moment she had stepped out onto the ice.

Yuki… not so much.

"You're going to love this," Merielle had promised. The first time they had been walking through Kyoto and seen people skating, her green eyes had sparkled with excitement that matched the Christmas lights strung overhead. Snow fell in lazy spirals around them, catching in her copper hair like stars. Ever since then, each time they had walked by, the selkie had stared longingly until Yuki finally asked if she would like to go. The selkie had kissed her so hard that her lips might have bruised, excited about the idea. "It's like dancing on water," she had claimed.

Yuki had been less excited… the way she saw it, if Inari had intended for her to skate instead of walk she would have given her the ability to turn into something other than a fox, or at the very least, given her blades for feet instead of cheap rental skates that she had to yank on the laces so tightly that the shoes clung to her feet. That was before she had fallen the first time.

Now she had lost track at six.

The outdoor rink bustled with humans enjoying the festive atmosphere, couples holding hands or clinging to one another for balance and laughing, or children shrieking with delight. Yuki wasn’t the only one having difficulty skating, but she supposed none of them had 800 years of pride and ability to be damaged every time they collapsed, either.

“This is why I don’t try new things,” she said, clinging to the rink’s edge.

Merielle slid to a stop next to her, balancing perfectly on her thin blades. "Stop brooding, Mistress. You’re doing fine.”

"Could have fooled me," Yuki snapped, rising unsteadily to her feet. Her ankles immediately wobbled, threatening to dump her unceremoniously back onto the ice. "Fuck."

Merielle laughed—a sound that usually delighted Yuki but now only irritated her further. "The mighty nogitsune, brought low by a pair of skates. If your enemies could see you now."

Yuki narrowed her eyes. "Do you even enjoy this? I'm beginning to think you suggested this activity purely to torment me."

"Perhaps." Merielle's smile turned mischievous as she backed away, stepping back out into the flow of skaters. "Or perhaps we’ll just have to accept that the great Yuki isn't instantly good at everything." The selkie turned and glided out onto the ice in one smooth motion, her body flowing like water itself. Yuki watched, equal parts annoyed and impressed as her lover immediately joined the stream of skaters circling the rink. She moved with the same fluid grace she displayed in dance, in the water, and in bed, her body seeming to remember a seal’s grace even on frozen water somehow.

“When was the last time I was instantly good at anything?” Yuki mumbled in annoyance. Still, she had been fighting with a sword since she was a child. That was basically a dance, right? It was all about balance and footwork. She could do this. Taking a deep breath, Yuki pushed off with one foot, following her lover onto the ice in a quick glide.

Too quick.

She pushed three times before one of her skates came down wrong. Yuki tried to recover, and the effort sent her legs shooting in opposite directions. She grabbed the railing with both hands, knuckles white with effort. Every instinct screamed at her to use her tails for balance, but she forced them to remain still… the only things they could grab would be other skaters, and crashing her invisible tails into them wouldn’t go well.

"Fuck this entire activity," she growled under her breath.

Merielle circled back, effortlessly skating backward to stay beside Yuki as she inched along the perimeter. "You're thinking too much, Mistress. You have to relax, and let your body feel the ice."

"My body is telling me this is a mistake," Yuki replied, not taking her eyes off her precarious feet. "My body wants solid ground."

"Your body wants control," Merielle corrected her, executing a perfect little twirl that made Yuki want to strangle her. "But don’t you always?”

That probably hadn’t been intended to sting, but it did a little bit anyway. Yuki's blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Be careful, Red. I may be at a disadvantage here, but I still own your pretty little ass."

Merielle's response was to pirouette directly in front of Yuki, and her jacket clung to her form as she did, offering a tantalizing glimpse of her lover’s figure. "I’m quivering, Mistress. I’m sure you’ll come punish me any moment now. You looking like you can barely stand up is just a feint, right?”

Yuki growled. That insufferable little… The nogitsune forced herself to release the railing, determined to wipe that smug smile off her lover's face. She managed two more shaky steps before her legs betrayed her, sending her crashing down hard on her backside. Pain shot up her spine, but the humiliation burned hotter as Merielle's laughter rang out above her.

"Oh my," the selkie giggled, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. "The fearsome fox, defeated by ice. Should I help you up, or would you prefer to crawl back to the bench?"

That was the final fucking straw. A cold smile spread across Yuki's face. While maintaining her illusion perfectly, she extended one invisible tail, snaking it along the ice until it wrapped firmly around Merielle's ankle. The selkie's expression shifted from amusement to confusion in the instant before Yuki yanked hard.

Merielle yelped as her legs went out from under her. She fell directly toward Yuki, arms flailing. Yuki had just enough time to brace herself before the selkie crashed into her, sending them both sliding across the ice in a tangle of limbs.

When they finally stopped moving, Merielle was sprawled atop Yuki, their faces inches apart. The selkie's body pressed against hers from chest to thigh, warm despite the cold surrounding them. Yuki could feel Merielle's breasts against her own, their rapid breaths mingling in the frigid air between them.

"That was cheating," Merielle accused, her voice breathy.

"I adapted to my environment," Yuki corrected her, suddenly very aware of the heat building between them despite the ice beneath her back. Merielle's thigh had wedged between her legs, pressing against her center in a way that made concentrating on anything else more than a little difficult. "Not my fault your balance isn’t as good as you thought."

"You’re one to talk about balance, Mistress… I didn’t think you’d b—"

Yuki cut her off by surging upward to capture her lips in a fierce kiss. Merielle stiffened in surprise before melting against her, a small moan escaping her throat. Around them, the other skaters continued to circle, moving around the two prone lovers and studiously ignoring their utterly inappropriate intimate moment.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Merielle's eyes had darkened with desire… the green of her eyes looked almost black with her pupils that wide. "That's still cheating," she whispered.

"Would you prefer I let you get away with being a brat?" Yuki asked, reaching up to tuck a strand of copper hair behind Merielle's ear. "And here I thought you knew better than to provoke me, Red."

A slow smile spread across Merielle's face. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mistress. I’ve been on my best behavior.”

Laughter bubbled up unexpectedly in Yuki's chest—genuine amusement breaking through her irritation. Merielle joined in, her body shaking against Yuki's as they lay on the ice. "Okay, you insufferable bitch. Help me up," Yuki finally said, giving Merielle's ass a firm squeeze before releasing her. "And if you laugh at me again, I’m going to make sure you can't sit comfortably for a week."

Merielle's eyes gleamed with challenge as she gracefully rose to her feet. "Promise?"

She extended a hand to Yuki, who took it with grudging appreciation. As they helped each other up, Yuki couldn't help but admire the way the falling snow caught in Merielle's hair, turning her into something magical even by supernatural standards. For a moment, the headache of maintaining her illusion seemed worth it.

——————————————————————

The café's warmth hit Yuki like a wall as they stepped inside, the sudden temperature change making her skin tingle. The nogitsune once again marveled at how small the world had gotten in some ways while she was in captivity. Christianity had spread to Japan long before she had been forced to leave, but none of its rites had been accepted. Even today, the religion’s presence was a major minority. The celebration of the holiday, however, was not. Christmas music covers in Japanese played softly in the background, mingling with the scent of cinnamon and chocolate.

The world sure had changed a lot… but that didn’t make all change bad.

She shook snowflakes from her dark hair, watching as Merielle unwound her scarf to reveal the pale column of her throat—the same throat Yuki had marked with her teeth only a few hours ago. The bruises were already gone from the nearly indestructible selkie, but although Yuki could no longer see the marks, the woman’s collar was still impossible to miss beneath the sway of the selkie’s red hair. The reminder of ownership sent a possessive thrill through Yuki's body.

"Table for two?" a hostess asked in a candy-cane striped uniform, her smile bright and oblivious to the supernatural nature of her customers.

Yuki nodded. "Something in a corner, if possible."

The waitress led them to a secluded booth draped in twinkling fairy lights. Merielle slid into one side, her winter dress riding up to reveal a glimpse of thigh. Yuki's eyes lingered on the exposed skin before she removed her coat and took the seat opposite, grateful that the table was draped with a long, festive tablecloth.

"Two hot chocolates?" the waitress suggested, gesturing to a chalkboard advertising their holiday special.

"Perfect," Merielle answered before Yuki could respond. The waitress bustled away, leaving them alone in their corner.

Yuki studied her lover across the table, noting the flush that lingered in her cheeks from the cold, and she quirked an eyebrow. Ordering for the two of them, was it? That was unusual. Despite her annoyance at the skating rink, she couldn't deny Merielle looked exquisite tonight—her green eyes reflecting the colored lights around them, her hair falling in bloody waves past her shoulders.

"I've been thinking about your Christmas gift," Yuki said, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "I have several ideas in mind."

Merielle raised an eyebrow. "Do you, now?"

"Mmm." Yuki leaned forward, lowering her voice. "I was considering a new set of ropes. Some nice silk ones. I have a few… ideas for what we can use that on. Maybe I’ll make them green, so that they match your eyes."

The waitress returned with their hot chocolates, topped with mountains of whipped cream and candy cane stirrers. Yuki thanked her without breaking eye contact with Merielle, whose pupils had dilated at the mention of new bondage. “Oh?”

Yuki took a sip of the hot chocolate. It was a little too sweet for her, but that was the nature of the holiday, she supposed. "There's a new flogger I've had my eye on," Yuki continued once they were alone again. "Made of shark-hide. I bet that would leave such pretty marks on your ass."

Merielle took a sip of her hot chocolate, leaving a trace of whipped cream on her upper lip. "Is that all you think about? Ways to mark me?"

"Not all," Yuki replied, reaching across to wipe the cream away with her thumb, then deliberately sucking it clean. "Sometimes I think about tying you to my bed and making you come until you beg me to stop. Sometimes I think about making you kneel at my feet in public, where no one can see what you're doing under the table." She paused, savoring the way Merielle's breath quickened. "And sometimes I think about fucking that pretty mouth of yours until you can't speak at all."

The selkie's cheeks darkened, but instead of the amused response Yuki expected, Merielle's stockinged foot suddenly pressed against her inner thigh under the table, pressing against her pants. The nogitsune froze mid-sip, surprised by the bold move.

"You know what I've been thinking about, Mistress?" Merielle asked, her voice deceptively innocent as her toes inched higher, stopping just shy of Yuki's center.

"Enlighten me," Yuki managed, setting down her mug carefully.

"I've been thinking we should play a game tonight." The foot pressed more firmly, making Yuki fight to keep her expression neutral.

The nogitsune snorted out a breath. “I like games,” she said, eyes narrowed and hungry. “What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking…” Merielle said, reaching up to twirl her hair with one finger. "We tease each other. And… whoever loses their patience first wins a prize when we get home.”

Yuki almost laughed at the audacity. "You think you can out-patience me, little selkie? I've waited out centuries."

Merielle's foot retreated slightly. "If you're not interested in the challenge..."

"I didn't say that." Yuki extended one invisible tail beneath the table, sliding it along Merielle's calf, feeling the silky texture of her stocking. “And what sort of prize are we competing for?”

Merielle twirled her hair again. Was it just Yuki or… did the selkie look nervous? “I was thinking… winner gets to call the shots tonight.”

Yuki froze for just a second. Merielle didn’t… her foot kept brushing against the edge of the nogitsune’s panties. Yuki looked directly at Merielle. “Would… you even want to win that prize?” she asked at last, her tail resuming its work. “Not that you’re going to win, of course.”

“If I didn’t want to win, I wouldn’t have suggested it,” that brat said with a twinkle in her eye. She was serious.

Yuki was… not sure she wanted that. But she wanted to back down even less. Besides, she wasn’t going to lose. "Fine. I accept your terms,” Yuki said, and a second invisible tail joined the first, both working their way up Merielle's legs with deliberate slowness. Yuki maintained perfect composure even as she intensified her own attempts to tease her lover, spreading Merielle's thighs with gentle but insistent pressure.

The waitress returned to take their dinner orders. While Merielle politely requested the winter salad, Yuki asked for the steak. "And to drink?" the waitress asked.

"Water is fine," Merielle answered, her voice hitching slightly as a third tail reached the edge of her panties.

"The same," Yuki said, smiling pleasantly while her tails stroked along the selkie's inner thighs. She could feel the heat radiating from Merielle's center, could sense her growing wetness through the thin fabric barrier.

When the waitress departed, Merielle leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. "You're cheating again."

"I’m sorry, I must have missed the part where we established rules like that," Yuki countered, wrapping a fourth tail around Merielle's waist beneath her dress, pulling her forward slightly in her seat. "I believe we’re both free to use any of our abilities we’d like… and I have tails. You can use your tails too, I suppose.” She smirked at the decidedly tail-less selkie. “Unless you'd like to forfeit already?"

"Not a chance," Merielle whispered, her foot resuming its journey up Yuki's thigh, finally pressing firmly against her cunt through her panties.

Yuki inhaled sharply at the contact, heat flooding between her legs. “I think you mean, not a chance, Mistress.”

Merielle pushed forward firmly with a toe. “Not yet I don’t,” she growled.

Yuki smiled. Fine. Two could play at this game. She used a tail to push Merielle's panties aside, another to trace feather-light patterns along her exposed slit. The selkie's eyes widened, her lips parting in a silent gasp. "You're so wet already, you little slut," Yuki murmured, keeping her voice low as she sipped her hot chocolate. "I can feel it. Are you thinking about what I'm going to do to you when I win this little game?"

Merielle struggled to maintain her composure as Yuki's tail slid through her folds, gathering her slickness. "What makes you so sure you'll win?"

"Because I know exactly how to make you fall apart." Yuki circled Merielle's clit with the tip of her tail, applying just enough pressure to tease without satisfying.

Their food arrived, forcing a brief pause in their activities. The moment the waitress left, they resumed their secret battle beneath the festive tablecloth. Yuki ate her steak with perfect manners while using her supernatural appendages to drive Merielle to distraction. One tail continued to tease the selkie's clit while another pressed against her entrance, not quite pushing inside. Merielle retaliated by grinding her foot against Yuki's cunt in a rhythm that made it difficult to concentrate on eating. The pressure was exquisite torture, sending jolts of pleasure through Yuki's body that she fought to hide from the oblivious humans around them. Still, Yuki had managed to drop one of her chopsticks only twice… Merielle was nowhere near as fortunate.

By the time they'd finished their main courses, both women were flushed and breathing heavily. Yuki could feel that her panties were soaked through, and she knew Merielle was in a similar state. The nogitsune pushed her tail slowly into Merielle's wet heat, feeling her inner walls clench around the furry tip of her intrusion. "F… fuck…" Merielle whispered, dropping her chopsticks again and pushing the plate away.

"Problem?" Yuki asked innocently, beginning to move her tail in and out with torturous slowness.

"None at all," Merielle replied through gritted teeth, pressing her big toe more firmly against Yuki's throbbing clit.

When the waitress came to clear their plates and ask about dessert, Yuki deliberately curled her tail inside Merielle, finding the spot that always made her gasp. The selkie covered the sound by quickly requesting chocolate cake to share, her voice strained with the effort of maintaining normal conversation.

"I could make you come right now," Yuki murmured the moment they were alone again. "Right here with all these people around us. Would you like that, Red? To bite your lip and pretend everything's normal while you're falling apart on my tail?"

"I think you'd be the one who likes that," Merielle countered, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "And I’m not begging for it. Would it be worth losing our little game to make me?"

It wasn’t.

Their dessert arrived, a decadent chocolate cake that was decidedly un-Japanese. Christmas really was a strange time of year. As Merielle leaned forward to take the first bite, Yuki pressed her tail deeper, making the selkie freeze with the bite halfway to her mouth.

"You look a little flushed," Yuki observed, withdrawing her tail slightly. "Too hot in here for you?"

Merielle's eyes flashed with determination. Her foot pressed harder, rotating against Yuki's clit in small circles that made the nogitsune's thighs tense involuntarily.

"Not at all," the selkie replied, finally taking her bite of cake. "I'm just eager to get home and collect my winnings."

Yuki snorted, but her certainty wavered as Merielle's toes found a particularly sensitive spot. "Confident, aren't we?"

"Always," Merielle said with a smile that promised mischief. "Eat your cake, Yuki. You'll need the energy."

Yuki signaled for the bill, using the most imperious flick of her wrist she could manage. Across the table, Merielle was glassy-eyed and flushed, her lips parted as she tried to remember how utensils worked. The selkie’s attempt to regain composure was laughable. She’d started strong—confident, defiant—but there was only so much slickness and trembling thighs could be hidden when every brush of Yuki’s tails had been calculated to scrape her raw. Yuki paid while the waitress waited, aware that every brush of Merielle’s thigh beneath the table was a dare that she was determined not to lose. It helped that the selkie was practically vibrating with need now, her breath short and eyelids heavy-lidded, the tips of her ears flushing with that telltale scarlet. Yuki savored the power, the way she could reduce this beautiful fae creature to this—legs trembling, cheeks ruddy, hands fidgeting with her napkin as she pretended not to care about the slick soaking into her own panties.

“You’re up, Red,” Yuki said, standing with feline grace. “I trust you can walk?”

Merielle shot her a look that could have curdled cream. “I’m not the one who kept falling on my ass today.”

“Mm,” Yuki hummed, letting her gaze linger just a shade too long on Merielle’s lips. “But I’m not the one who’s about to have trouble standing up.” She made a show of stretching, the winter air biting at her bare arms as she slid into her coat. Merielle started to stand as well, only to realize her skirt had ridden halfway up her legs. The selkie hesitated for a second, then smoothed the skirt back down. Her voice was steadier than Yuki expected, but the words were thin and clipped: “I’ll be right back. Restroom.”

Outside, the world had gone opalescent with evening snow. The city’s Christmas lights reflected off every surface, turning the sidewalks into a kaleidoscope. Yuki smiled, and gave Merielle exactly thirty seconds before following her to the bathroom. The little selkie thought she was being clever, excusing herself to find a moment's reprieve from the torment Yuki had been inflicting beneath the café table. But Yuki had no intention of allowing her that comfort. The game wasn't over yet, and Merielle's resistance only made Yuki more determined to break it. Her tails twitched with anticipation as she pushed open the bathroom door, finding Merielle exactly as she'd expected… bent over the sink and splashing cold water on her flushed face in a futile attempt to calm her arousal.

Merielle's startled eyes met Yuki's in the mirror, widening as the nogitsune closed the distance between them in three predatory strides. Before the redhead could protest, Yuki pressed her body flush against Merielle's back, trapping her against the porcelain sink. The selkie's breath caught in her throat as Yuki's lips found the sensitive juncture between her neck and shoulder.

"Did you think I’d make it so easy for you?" Yuki murmured against Merielle's skin, her warm breath causing goosebumps to rise. She caught the selkie's earlobe between her teeth, tugging just hard enough to make Merielle whimper. "Poor little Red, so desperate to compose yourself." Yuki's hands slid around Merielle's waist, possessive and hungry, before moving upward to cup her full breasts. She squeezed them roughly through the fabric of Merielle's dress, feeling the hardened peaks of her pierced nipples pressing against her palms. The selkie arched back into the touch, her body betraying her despite her determination to resist. “You should just give in, you know. Stop pretending…”

Merielle leaned forward hard, and Yuki smirked when she saw how white her knuckles got where she gripped the edge of the sink. “I’m… not going to…”

"Your body's so much more honest than your lips," Yuki whispered, pinching Merielle's nipples and drawing a strangled moan from her lips. "Look at you, getting wetter by the second. I can smell it, you know. Your cunt's dripping for me."

One of Yuki's hands abandoned Merielle's breast to slide down the front of her body, bunching up her dress as it traveled over her stomach. Merielle's eyes fluttered shut, her lips parting in anticipation.

"Why not just give in?" Yuki asked, her voice husky with desire as her fingers traced patterns on Merielle's inner thigh, deliberately avoiding where the selkie wanted her most. "Just say the words. Beg me to make you cum. I know you want to… and then you can be done with this little game of yours and you can get what you actually want."

Merielle trembled against her, but shook her head defiantly. "N-no," she managed, though her voice cracked with need. "I'm not... giving up."

Yuki chuckled, the sound dark with promise. "We'll see about that."

The sound of the bathroom door swinging open sent a jolt of alarm through both women. Yuki reacted instantly, her magic flowing outward like dark tendrils before it wrapped around them, cloaking them. The illusion emptied the space they occupied with an impenetrable veil of foxfire, but Yuki didn’t stop there… she had found a minor enchantment into it, just enough to urge anyone to walk around them instead of through the seemingly empty space.

A woman in a crisp business suit entered, walking right past them to the sink adjacent to theirs. She seemed tired, oblivious to the fact that mere inches away, Yuki was pressing Merielle harder against the porcelain, a wicked smile spreading across her face. She caught Merielle's gaze in the mirror, holding it as she deliberately pressed her pelvis against the selkie's ass. "Look at her," Yuki breathed into Merielle's ear, quiet enough that even without the illusion masking it, the stranger would probably not have heard it over the soft holiday music. "She has no idea what I'm doing to you right now. No idea that I could bend you over this sink and fuck you senseless while she fixes her makeup."

Merielle bit her lip hard, drawing a bead of blood as Yuki's hand finally, mercilessly, slipped beneath the waistband of her panties. Yuki's fingers glided through slick folds, finding Merielle absolutely soaked. “But… you won’t…”

"Fuck," Yuki hissed, her own arousal mounting at the evidence of Merielle's desire. "This is what fighting me does to you? Makes your cunt this wet?" She circled Merielle's clit with practiced precision, applying just the right pressure to make the selkie's knees buckle. "After you give in, I'm going to tie you to the bed and eat this sweet pussy until you scream. Then I'll fuck you until you can't remember your own name."

The stranger at the next sink turned on the faucet, washing her hands methodically while Merielle struggled not to make a sound. Yuki's fingers worked relentlessly, circling and stroking, dipping occasionally to gather more of Merielle's wetness before returning to her clit. She could feel the selkie's inner muscles clenching, her breathing becoming ragged as she approached the edge.

"You're close, aren't you?" Yuki whispered, increasing the pressure and speed just enough to push Merielle toward orgasm. "Your clit's so swollen. I can feel how bad you need to cum. Do you want me to make you?"

Merielle's hands gripped the edge of the sink so hard that her knuckles went white. Her hips moved subtly against Yuki's hand, chasing the pleasure that was building to an unbearable peak. She was there, right at the edge, her inner walls beginning to contract. She was going to give in, and—

“No,” Merielle breathed.

Yuki withdrew her hand completely.

The sound that escaped Merielle was halfway between a gasp and a sob that was loud enough that the stranger glanced around, momentarily confused. A second later, she shrugged and continued drying her hands. Merielle's body shook with frustrated desire, her breathing uneven as she tried to recover from the abrupt denial.

"Give in," Yuki demanded, her voice a low growl as she pressed her still-wet fingers against Merielle's lips, sliding them over the selkie’s tongue. "Taste how much you want it. Beg me to finish you."

Merielle's tongue darted out, licking Yuki's fingers clean of her own arousal, but she shook her head again, her green eyes defiant despite the flush on her cheeks and the trembling of her limbs.

The stranger finally left, the door swinging shut behind her. Yuki released the illusion spell, allowing her magic to dissipate.

"We need to catch our train," Yuki said, suddenly all business as she stepped back, leaving Merielle to steady herself against the sink. She brought her glistening fingers to her mouth and sucking them clean. There was still plenty of the taste of Merielle's arousal on them and it was intoxicating, salty-sweet and distinctly her. "It's getting late."

Merielle turned to face her, chest heaving, lips swollen from biting them, and eyes dark with unfulfilled desire. Merielle stared at her in disbelief, her chest heaving. "You can't be serious."

"Perfectly serious." Yuki straightened her own dress, then reached out to smooth Merielle's disheveled appearance. "The game isn't over yet, Red. And I intend to win."

"That's—that's cruel," Merielle protested weakly, though there was no real anger or hurt in her voice.

"You're being very cruel," she accused, though there was no real anger in her voice.

"Only because you want me to be," Yuki replied with a smirk, taking Merielle's hand and leading her toward the door. She couldn't deny the selkie looked absolutely edible like this—cheeks flushed, lips swollen from biting, eyes dark with frustrated desire. Yuki felt a surge of possessive pride at reducing this beautiful creature to such a state of need. "Come on," she said. "Next train is in fifteen minutes. And I don’t think you want to wait any longer than necessary before we’re home."

As they exited the bathroom, Yuki felt a surge of satisfaction at the way Merielle walked—slightly unsteady, thighs pressed together against the persistent throbbing between them. The selkie was close to breaking, Yuki was certain of it. And on the crowded train home, she'd have the perfect opportunity to push her just a little further. She led the trembling selkie from the bathroom, fully aware of the wetness between her own thighs and the ache of unsatisfied desire in her own body. But the look of desperate frustration on Merielle's face was worth the discomfort. Victory would taste all the sweeter for the waiting.

——————————————————————

They barely made it to the platform in time, slipping through the train doors moments before they closed. The evening car was packed with tired commuters heading home, forcing Yuki and Merielle to stand pressed together in the limited space near the back. Yuki could feel the selkie's body heat through her clothes, a constant reminder of their unfinished business from the bathroom. Without a second thought, she extended her illusion around them—not full invisibility this time, but a subtle suggestion woven into reality that made them unremarkable, forgettable. It was a whisper to the human mind: don't look, don't notice, don't remember. The magic settled like a veil around them, creating a bubble of privacy in the crowded public space.

"Are they ignoring us?" Merielle whispered as Yuki’s hand covered her breast through the coat, softly squeezing it. She glanced at the businessman standing inches away, his eyes fixed on his phone as if they didn't exist.

"Not exactly," Yuki replied, her voice normal despite the proximity of others. "They can see us if they try, but their minds won't register anything worth remembering. We're just two more commuters."

The train lurched forward, sending Merielle stumbling against Yuki's chest. The nogitsune caught her by the waist, steadying her with firm hands that lingered possessively on her hips. "Careful, Red," she murmured, lowering her head to breathe in the scent of Merielle's hair. "I wouldn't want you to fall."

Merielle looked up, her green eyes still dark with unfulfilled desire. "You didn't seem all that concerned about my welfare, not after the bathroom… Mistress.”

The tacit admission that she was winning in that sentence sent a thrill through her. "I'm playing to win," Yuki said simply, pulling Merielle closer until their bodies were flush against each other. "And you've been such a brat tonight, you deserve a little punishment, don’t you think?"

The train swayed around a curve, giving Yuki the perfect excuse to press Merielle back against the door between cars. She captured the selkie's mouth in a deep, claiming kiss, tasting the lingering sweetness of chocolate and the unique flavor that was purely Merielle. The selkie responded eagerly, her body arching into Yuki's touch, desperate for the release that had been denied to her.

All around them, humans stared blankly at their phones or out windows, unconsciously adjusting their positions to avoid bumping into the two supernatural women locked in their intimate embrace. With Yuki's magic ensuring that they went unnoticed, they were completely free to do as they pleased… and Yuki was tempted to do just that. "You know," the nogitsune whispered against Merielle's ear as she broke the kiss, "I could take you right here."

The selkie's breath hitched. "What?"

"Right here," Yuki repeated, sliding one hand down to squeeze Merielle's ass through her dress. "Surrounded by all these oblivious witnesses. None of them would notice or remember."

Merielle's pulse visibly quickened at the base of her throat. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" Yuki's lips curved into a predatory smile. "I could bend you over one of these seats right now. Hike up your dress, pull those soaked panties down your legs, and fuck you from behind while all these humans stand around us, seeing nothing."

A deep flush spread across Merielle's cheeks, her lips parting slightly. Yuki could feel the selkie's heart racing where their bodies pressed together.

"I'd start with my fingers," Yuki continued, her voice dropping to a husky whisper directly into Merielle's ear. "Two of them sliding into your wet cunt, stretching you open, while my thumb works your clit in those tight circles you love so much. You'd have to bite your lip to keep from moaning too loudly."

Merielle's eyes darted nervously to the nearby passengers before returning to Yuki's face. There was no disguising her arousal now—her pupils were dilated, her breathing shallow and quick.

"Then, when you're dripping down your thighs and begging me for more," Yuki pressed on, drunk on the power of Merielle's responsiveness, "I'd use my tails. You love my tails inside you, don't you? I'd fuck you with two at once, stretching that tight little hole until you're taking everything I give you." Emboldened by the selkie's reaction, Yuki let her hands wander more boldly, one sliding up to cup Merielle's breast through her dress, the other dipping low to trace the hem where it met her thigh.

"Right here, in front of everyone," she growled. "I'd make you come so hard you'd scream my name. And then, while you're still shaking from the first orgasm, I'd flip you around and bend you over the seat. I'd spread your ass cheeks and lick you from cunt to asshole until you're begging me to fill you again."

Merielle's entire body trembled now, her eyes glazed with desire.

Maybe it was her confidence, but Yuki never caught the flash of something else in those eyes.

"You would, wouldn't you?" Merielle breathed, her voice barely audible over the rumble of the train.

“I’d love to,” Yuki said, her eyes narrowed in her arousal and plans. Merielle was her, and she was going to take full advantage. She was going to fuck her right here, and it didn’t even matter if her spell faltered… it wasn’t like anyone would believe any of these people if they told anyone what they saw.

Fuck it.

Yuki’s grip cinched around Merielle’s wrist, fingers digging hard enough that the selkie’s pulse throbbed beneath her palm. She didn’t bother with preamble; she dragged Merielle two steps sideways, forced her to pivot, and bent her double over the cold plastic of the empty seat. The car was full, but no one turned, no one so much as glanced their direction as she pressed the selkie’s cheek to the vinyl, her face turned sideways, red hair spilling in a bright wave. “Arch your back,” Yuki hissed, and Merielle obeyed, ass tipping skyward, skirt creeping up her thighs.

A single tail flicked out from illusion and hooked the hem, dragging it up until her panties glistened in the harsh fluorescent light, and Yuki pressed her own body flush against Merielle’s, letting the selkie feel the line of her thigh, the heat of her cunt through the thin layer of underwear. She ground her hand between Merielle’s legs, cupping the full, swollen cunt, feeling the heat and dampness soak instantly through the cotton. Merielle made a sound, half-moan, half-sob, and Yuki bared her teeth in a silent snarl of satisfaction. She pushed two fingers beneath the seam, not bothering to go slow.

“Keep your hands flat on the seat,” Yuki growled, voice pitched for Merielle’s ears alone.

Merielle’s knuckles whitened on the seat back, but the rest of her was melting, legs trembling, thighs spreading wider. Yuki curled her fingers inside, finding the spot, rubbing it with the lazy, relentless pressure that always drove Merielle out of her mind. She watched the selkie’s reflection in the train window… Merielle was meeting her eyes through the window, staring back with wide and aroused eyes that emphasized the ragged little hitches in her breath. She curled her fingers again, harder, and Merielle bit the vinyl so she wouldn’t scream.

Yuki leaned in, lips at Merielle’s ear, tongue flicking the shell. “You want to come so badly, don’t you?” She didn’t wait for a reply. “Well, you’re going to have to earn it first.” Yuki withdrew her hand, took Merielle by both hips, and hauled her upright. The selkie swayed, eyes glazed, mouth open. Yuki shoved her down to her knees in the narrow aisle. Merielle looked up, face flushed, hair wild. Yuki’s heart thumped, savage and pleased and hungry… she couldn’t recall many times she had ever been this desperately in love with the selkie or wanted her so badly. She unbuttoned her pants and yanked them down, pushed her own soaked underwear aside and bared herself. The scent of her arousal clashed with the antiseptic stink of the train car.

“Lick,” Yuki growled.

She expected Merielle to obey. She expected those green eyes to meet hers and widen as she sent out her tongue to lick and suck as if Yuki’s cunt was the only thing tethering her to sanity. Instead, Merielle just smiled at her. “Then I think you lose our little wager… Yuki.”

Yuki froze, the words hitting her like a bucket of ice water. "What?"

Yuki.

Not Mistress, not even an honorific, just her bare name. She tried to speak, and nothing came out. Her body refused her. Her hands hung limp at her sides. Only her eyes would move, and they drifted down to Merielle’s face: calm, composed, and utterly in control. She… she had lost. She had just admitted she couldn’t wait until they got home to have her, rushing ahead. Why had she done that. How had…

She’d been glamoured.

The realization hit in a slow, sickening wave. The selkie’s magic was subtle, but now that she was looking for it she could practically taste it on her tongue, hidden under the heat and the salt and the electricity of wanting. Yuki’s own magic, her own sense of supernatural equilibrium, had been humming so loud she hadn’t noticed the subtle shimmer of Merielle’s working, hadn’t felt the hook slide beneath her skin until it was already set deep.

Merielle watched her from kneeling, lips parted in a perfect oval, expression poised somewhere between abject hunger and triumph. Yuki blinking, trying to let her thoughts fight through a thick syrup of want that shouldn’t have been this strong. She looked down at Merielle, at her hands splayed demurely across her knees, and felt the barest click of cold logic slip under the heat of her lust. "You—" she started, then stopped, because the words didn’t make sense in her mouth. "You little— You cheated!”

Merielle’s grin widened, maddeningly innocent and knowing all at once. “I’m sorry, I must have missed the part where we established rules like that," the selkie said, blinking slowly as she repeated her mistresses words with confidence. "I believe we were both free to use any of our abilities we’d like… and you could use selkie glamour too, I suppose.” She smirked at her decidedly not-selkie mistress. Her tongue flicked across her bottom lip. “If you didn’t want to play with fire, you shouldn’t have left the matches out.”

Yuki felt her jaw tense so hard it nearly cracked. She’d been enchanted. Not a full compulsion, but the selkie had used her own watery trick, that fucking honey-sweet ocean magic, to haze Yuki’s mind with want until she would have done anything Merielle asked. Worst of all, Yuki had been the one who taught her how to do it… had insisted on teaching all of the girls of the mists how to drive the men who came to that hellhole made. The humiliation was a cold slap, and she tamped down on her outrage, grinding her teeth until the edges of the world stopped blurring.

She reached down, fisted her hand in Merielle’s hair, and yanked the selkie to her feet. She pushed Merielle against the side of the train, and let her tails flare out—every single one of the nine unfurling into the air, black as pitch and bristling with crackling whisps of blue witchfire that burned so cold it made her bones ache. Merielle’s eyes widened. For a split second she looked afraid. Then the confidence returned to her gaze, and the selkie’s soft hands cupped Yuki’s face, gentle but firm. “You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” she whispered. “But you’re irresistible when you’re helpless.” She pressed her lips to Yuki’s, a soft, chaste thing that felt like the most humiliating kiss in the world.

Yuki deflated. Her tails sagged, and she let her outrage and power both fade as reality crashed down around Yuki. She'd been so focused on teasing Merielle, on maintaining her dominance, that she'd fallen right into the selkie's trap. She had lost. Fair and fucking square.

"When we get home," Merielle said, her voice taking on a confidence Yuki had rarely heard from her, "I'll be in charge. Just as we agreed."

The prospect of submitting to Merielle sent a complex wave of emotions through Yuki's body. Apprehension coiled in her stomach—submission reminded her too much of her centuries of enslavement, of being bound and used against her will. Yet… it wouldn’t be anything like that, surely.

"You've never dominated anyone before," Yuki pointed out, a last-ditch effort to maintain some semblance of control.

"You’ll be my first," Merielle confirmed, her fingers coming up to trace Yuki's jawline with surprising authority. "But I’ve had an excellent teacher, and I'm a quick study."

The train announcement system crackled to life, announcing their stop was next. Yuki swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry as the implications of her loss sank in fully.

"Don't look so terrified," Merielle said, a gentleness entering her tone despite the power shift between them. "I would never hurt you… you know that, right?"

She looked so delicate all of a sudden that Yuki felt an almost overwhelming need to reassure her. The nogitsune nodded stiffly, knowing it was true. If there was anyone in the world she could trust… it was Merielle. The woman who had stayed with her when she had every reason in the world to leave. The woman whose bravery had gotten them both free of the Mists of Avalon. Yuki knew with absolute certainty that she trusted the selkie with her life.

Surely trusting her to be on top should be easier than that, right?

Her tails twitched nervously beneath the illusion, betraying her inner turmoil.

"Our stop," she said as the train began to slow, her voice remarkably steady considering the storm inside her.

As they prepared to exit, Merielle leaned close, her lips brushing Yuki's ear. "I'm going to enjoy making you beg, fox."

The words sent a jolt of nervous apprehension straight to Yuki's core. She stepped onto the platform with her illusion still perfectly maintained, hiding her fox features from human eyes—but unable to disguise the worry that followed her all the way home.