Chapter Text
Knock knock.
Silver Wolf couldn’t contain a light smirk when that overeager knock managed to overpower the sounds of shooting resounding in her headset.
Normally, the Stellaron Hunters’ resident gamer would’ve been less than pleased at someone interrupting one of her play sessions. There was just a single exception.
Guess she came home early.
“Come on in!” Silver Wolf exclaimed, not even waiting for her guest to introduce themselves.
As expected, when the door opened, a towering figure made its way into her cramped room, lit only by the flashing lights of her TV.
“Am I bothering you, Wolfie?” Sam’s metallic voice asked.
It was always an absurd spectacle to see Firefly acting shyly when inside her armor, one that only Silver Wolf and the other Hunters had the privilege of witnessing. For other people, seeing that shiny mechanical suit was usually a quick ticket to the afterlife.
“Of course you are! But is that different from the other times?” Silver Wolf chuckled, her eyes moving back to the TV screen.
A metallic sigh followed.
“Why do you have to act like this all the time?”
But without letting herself be dissuaded by Silver Wolf’s remark, Firefly carefully navigated the path towards the couch where the Stellaron Hunter was lazing on.
Silver Wolf squinted as a flash of green light shone at her side just before the sofa sank down a little more under Firefly’s weight.
I should scold her for getting out of the armor, but…
After spending an entire day running around freely in the Dreamscape on her two legs, it was natural that returning to her mechanical cage in the real world would weigh on Firefly’s heart even more than usual.
So Silver Wolf, without turning around, merely asked:
“Did things go well?”
“Yeah,” Firefly replied softly, “thanks to you.”
Silver Wolf felt a shiver running down her spine when Firefly leaned against her. Her best friend’s long hair tickled the skin of her neck when Firefly rested her head on her shoulder.
“O-of course! You went for the present event like I told you, right?” Silver Wolf mumbled, trying to concentrate on the game in front of her.
“Yeah.”
“Perfect! That will surely bring you to the next flag!”
“I still don’t really get what that means, but I’m sure you are right. Things are going so well, I really wish I just asked you a long time ago instead of brooding over it…”
“O-Of course! If you did, you’d already be marri- crap!”
Just a brief glance at the smile on Firefly’s lips had been enough to make Silver Wolf feel a bit dizzy. Her sweaty fingers slipped on the joystick, making her miss the target spectacularly and alerting the whole enemy base.
“Sorry! I’m distracting you, aren’t I?” Firefly asked, slightly raising her head.
“No, no, it’s fine. It’s more fun if there’s a bit of a challenge anyway!” Silver Wolf replied.
After taking a deep breath, she was able to regain control of the situation in game. In real life though, her hands were still slightly trembling.
A loner by nature, Silver Wolf wasn’t used to physical contact. Firefly being the one touching her made things only harder to deal with. While Firefly had always looked very cute and girly, in the past she had been just as hard to interact with as Mr Edge, Blade, was. Those pretty eyes, now narrowed in warm happiness, used to look like a frozen ocean under a cold sunset.
Somehow, as she dispatched two enemy shooters, a bitter aftertaste made its way into Silver Wolf's mouth. It was quick to dissipate though, as Firefly spoke softly again.
“Married… is that really something that interests you, Silver Wolf?”
“Uh?! Me? Of course not… it’s just… something you’d want to do one day.”
“Well, if you think it’s not important, I’m fine with not doing it.”
Silver Wolf sighed.
She really is taking this teacher/student thing very seriously, uh?
“Look, Fly, I told you that I don’t mind helping you out for a bit. But sooner or later you’ll need to decide for yourself.”
“I know that,” Firefly nodded slightly, before snuggling closer to Silver Wolf again, “But I think marriage is something we should talk about together. It’s very important.”
What am I, your guardian?! Do you want me to walk you to the aisle?
That reply died in Silver Wolf’s throat as she felt Firefly’s soft body press against hers.
How did I even get myself into this situation?
The answer, of course, was her complete inability to say no to Firefly, combined with a castle of lies that was only getting taller.
When her best friend had come to her a couple of months ago asking her, “Wolfie, how do I make someone fall in love with me?”, Silver Wolf wasn’t surprised.
Firefly had always been very close to that Trailblazer girl before the script had forcibly pulled them apart. It was only natural that when the two finally met again in the Land of Dreams, pent-up feelings would blossom.
But why is she asking me and not Kafka?
The acting leader of the Hunters was an ace when it came to the art of seduction. She had used her skills plenty of times during their missions when it was too risky to employ her Whispers. And aside from that, Kafka had always been like a mentor for Firefly. Why had she come to Silver Wolf instead then? Was she feeling self-conscious, maybe?
That was likely the reason.
Of course, going to Blade would’ve been akin to asking a pyromaniac to help put out a fire.
So I’m her only option.
There was just a little, tiny issue. Silver Wolf’s number of previous romantic partners was… zero. A resounding zero. Not only had she never dated anyone, but she had never even thought about it.
All that romantic crap just sounded soooo boring! Why would anyone want to waste time courting some bimbos? No, it was far better to be alone, so all her time could be dedicated to pure, unadulterated fun!
No, sorry, I can’t help you with that.
That was the answer Silver Wolf should have given to Firefly. Yet, in front of her pleading eyes, she had found herself unable to.
This girl can be so naïve sometimes. If I don’t help her out, she may get swindled by some online guru or something like that.
Besides, how was she supposed to justify her refusal?
Of course, she couldn’t tell the truth. Firefly wouldn’t have made fun of her, but if Kafka found out she had never been in a relationship…
I’m never going to hear the end of it.
But then, lie to her best friend? That was…
“…Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
A lie, the first of many.
But somehow everything has worked out so far.
What Silver Wolf lacked in irl experience, she made up in her gaming knowledge. Even if romance wasn’t her thing, she had still played many dating sims in the past. The thrill of scoring the snobbiest girls while battling deadlines was a far more interesting challenge than it seemed at first glance.
As luck would have it, it turned out that all the techniques that had made that bunch of pixels fall for Silver Wolf, worked perfectly on that Trailblazer girl as well. At least as far Firefly had told her.
Still, it hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.
While guiding Firefly through the more mundane tasks, like showing interest in Stelle’s hobbies, handing out compliments and hanging out as often as possible, had been rather easy, there had been more… problematic quests.
Silver Wolf had thought her cheeks would go up in flames when Firefly had forced her to lock fingers with her to practice. When her best friend had kissed said cheeks, she was sure smoke was going out of her ears as if she were a character in a Sunday-morning cartoon.
But it looks like she won’t need my help for much longer, Silver Wolf smiled slightly, as she looked at Firefly’s blissful face before moving her gaze back to her game.
At that moment, the bitter taste came back to her mouth.
What am I thinking?
Firefly’s life had always been played at the highest difficulty setting. Now that she finally could experience a little glimpse of summer in the midst of that harsh winter… How could Silver Wolf be anything but happy for her friend?
And yet… that ugly feeling was still there and lately, had come knocking even more frequently.
Why was I never able to make her smile like this?
It wasn’t a matter of jealousy, no, of course not. It was about pride. After finding out about her past, Silver Wolf had made it her mission to let Firefly experience all kinds of fun things. ‘Make Firefly smile’ was an ultra-hard achievement that couldn’t escape from her collection. Yet, someone else had managed to effortlessly snatch it from under her nose in just a matter of weeks.
I guess Firefly has a weird taste when it comes to women…
Sure, Stelle was very attractive, and Silver Wolf always had fun hanging out with her. But her affinity with trash and tendency for absurdity hardly made her ‘girlfriend material’ in Silver Wolf’s eyes.
Especially for someone as delicate as Firefly… oh, fuck me… what am I thinking again?
It wasn’t like her to be this salty over a defeat.
Sore losers are the worst type of gamers.
Shaking her head, Silver Wolf tried her best to keep those nasty thoughts away. Concentrating on the rhythmic breath of Firefly at her side, she was able to find her focus again.
“And that’s the last one!”
As the ‘Mission Complete’ screen popped up on the TV, Silver Wolf laid the controller on her lap, and glanced at Firefly’s face, which was still resting on her shoulder.
Has she fallen asleep? She must’ve been very tired, Silver Wolf thought.
Firefly looked so peaceful, Silver Wolf couldn’t help but smile.
As long as she’s this happy, that’s all that matters… Silver Wolf thought, using a finger to delicately move away a lock of hair from Firefly’s eyes.
It wasn’t like she wasn’t taking advantage of the situation as well. Sure, it was just to practice how to act with her actual girlfriend, but Firefly lately had been spending a lot of time with Silver Wolf. Even outside of their ‘lessons’, Firefly had started popping into her room frequently just to chat.
I never thought she would get interested in video games.
She had voluntarily asked to play together with no need for Silver Wolf to beg her for it.
Of course, it wasn’t like Silver Wolf was feeling lonely or anything. Split-screen multiplayer was just a ton of fun.
And it’s not like I can ask anyone else. Playing with Bladie wouldn’t be much different from doing it with bots. And Kafka… I bet she’d manage to one-up me even on my own turf.
And… Well, Silver Wolf would have never admitted it out loud, but it just was nice to have someone take an interest in her passions.
I can see why the strategy worked so well on that Trailblazer girl, Silver Wolf sighed, rolling a strand of silver hair between her fingers.
So it was fine. She would keep playing the role of relationship coach, and Firefly would repay her by being her play partner. A perfect transaction.
That’s how things work between us Hunters. We are just colleagues working together for our own goals. Nothing more.
“Wolfie?”
“EEK?!”
Silver Wolf jumped up like a spring, quickly letting go of Firefly’s hair. That sudden movement seemed to knock Firefly out of balance. Luckily, Silver Wolf managed to grab her by the shoulders before she could fall off the sofa.
“Sorry! You kinda startled me there… Did I wake you up?” Silver Wolf sighed, averting her eyes from Firefly’s amused smile.
“I wasn’t sleeping in the first place. I was just waiting for you to finish your game so we could talk.”
“Is that so…”
She may have gotten too used to skinship if she’s so comfortable snuggling against me like that… I blame that girl.
Still getting flustered so easily wasn’t like her.
What’s up with me today?
Taking a deep breath, Silver Wolf sat back down on the sofa, this time facing Firefly cross-legged.
“So, are you in search of my wisdom again, uh?” she asked, trying to sound cheeky
“…yeah.”
As it often happened when it was time for relationship talk, Firefly’s cheeks had turned rosy. That made Silver Wolf feel a little more in control again.
“I thought things were going great, but you are still not satisfied, it seems.”
Firefly nodded, looking away shyly.
“I… I think it’s finally time for the next step.”
The next step, uh?
That could mean only one thing: making things official.
“So you want me to help you confes-”
“Kissing, yeah. I want to learn how to kiss properly.”
“K-kiss?! Haven’t we already gone over that part?”
There was no way Silver Wolf could forget the sensation of Firefly’s lips on her cheeks, after all. But Firefly shook her head. Turning even redder, staring at her knees, she explained
“I mean a real kiss, Wolfie. The type lovers share. Do you think it’s something too advanced for me?”
“… a kiss on the lips…”
Wasn’t it a bit too early for that?
Silver Wolf knew that eventually it would be time to talk about those kinds of things. But… she expected to have at least a couple more months to prepare herself.
That girl really is a bad influence on Firefly, uh?
Yet as Firefly now looked straight at her with pleading eyes, Silver Wolf just couldn’t say no.
I guess it’s fine. It can’t be much different from kissing someone on the cheek, after all.
“Fine. I’ll go grab some manga so I can explain the right technique in an easier way.”
But as she was about to stand up, Firefly stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
“What-?”
“Wolfie, can’t you just show me like last time? You know I won’t get it unless we practice.”
“EH?!”
As used as she was to Firefly’s outrageous requests, this one was just too much.
“Oi, Firefly, I thought you would’ve learnt some common sense by now…” Silver Wolf sighed, covering her face with a hand.
“Common sense?” Firefly asked, clearly confused.
While extremely embarrassing, all the practice Silver Wolf and Firefly had done together could still be framed in the realm of a very deep friendship.
But a kiss on the lips… that’s pretty much asking me to help her cheat on Stelle.
Still, explaining it to someone as clueless as Firefly, was not going to be easy.
“Look, Firefly, if Stelle ever finds out we did something like that… she’ll get very mad, ok?” Silver Wolf said, putting a hand on her best friend’s shoulder.
As expected, Firefly looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Why would she? She’s the one that encouraged me to ask you today!”
“WHAT?!”
Silver Wolf was left with her mouth hanging open.
What is that girl playing at?
Trying her best to regain her composure, Silver Wolf faked a little cough before explaining.
“Firefly… she was clearly messing with you. Or you misunderstood.”
Instead of replying, Firefly extracted her phone from her purse and, after fiddling with it for a moment, handed it to a very confused Silver Wolf.
“What are you-?!”
Firefly: I’m gonna go to her room and ask her now!
Stelle: You go, girl! Let me know how it went!
“… What the fuck?!” was the only question Silver Wolf could ask after reading those messages.
“Sorry, it’s just that she was so excited about it,” Firefly replied, taking her phone back with a timid smile on her lips.
Excited?!
Then Silver Wolf started to remember something she had read online once. Although it was far from a common thing, there were some people that not only didn’t mind their partners having ‘fun’ with others, but even enjoyed it and encouraged it.
I think they were called… ducks or something? Is that girl one of them?!
Silver Wolf couldn't care less about Stelle’s kinks, but…
Why are you dragging me into it?!
Now that her objection had been refuted, Firefly had seemingly moved much closer to her, too close in fact.
“Even then, Firefly… kissing like that… it’s a bit…” Silver Wolf babbled, using her palms to prop herself up and shift her butt to put more distance between them.
She soon regretted it when Firefly grimaced as she tried to shift closer to her again.
Crap, she shouldn’t move around this much with her condition! Silver Wolf thought, lunging forward to stop her best friend by grabbing her arm.
As soon as she did, Firefly covered her hand with hers.
“Eh?”
“I get it, Wolfie… I’m probably going to be terrible at it, so I get why you don’t want to do it with me. But that’s why I want to learn from you, since you’ve done it so many times already!”
Silver Wolf felt like a pole had sprouted from the top of her head with a white flag attached to it. How the hell was she supposed to refuse now?
But… but… this is going to be my first kiss as well.
Still, maybe doing it with Firefly wasn’t that bad of an idea after all. If one day she suddenly got interested in romance, she wouldn’t have been completely clueless.
And Firefly will never figure out that I know as much as she does…. Come on, Silver Wolf, it’s not that much different from a kiss on the cheek. Just let her smack her lips on yours for a couple of seconds.
So, with a defeated sigh, Silver Wolf closed her eyes and resigned:
“Just one time, ok? And you can’t tell anyone.”
“Of course!”
That passionate response had come from way closer than Silver Wolf expected.
“What are-?!”
As she opened her eyes, she found that Firefly had already made her move.
“Sorry, but you know I’ll probably fall down if I don’t do this.”
Silver Wolf's heart jumped into her throat as she looked at her best friend pass her arms over her shoulders.
“Could you help me out?”
“I-I… y-yeah…”
In almost a trance-like state, Silver Wolf helped Firefly straddle her, settling down on her lap. This accommodation probably looked ridiculous from the outside, and the opposite would’ve been a far more natural choice due to their height difference. But, of course, Firefly had to be the one leaning onto Silver Wolf due to her condition.
“Am I too heavy?”
“I… I can feel the Oak Cake Rolls you ate today,” Silver Wolf joked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
“You can’t put on weight in a dream, Wolfie,” Firefly scoffed.
Before Silver Wolf could retort, Firefly pulled on her neck, bringing their bodies together.
Close… too close… Silver Wolf thought, instinctively closing her eyes.
Firefly was so close, Silver Wolf could feel their noses grazing each other.
“A-are you not going to do it?” Silver Wolf blurted out.
“S-sorry… I’m kinda nervous all of a sudden. Besides, the guide I read online told me there's a need to be in the right mood first.”
“I told you 100 times to stop looking stuff up online! Just do it o-okay!?”
“O-okay!”
Silver Wolf still had her eyes closed, but she could tell Firefly had come even closer. As her breath got heavier, the air that was going through her lungs seemed to turn hotter.
This is bad… with our bodies pressed together like this… she’ll feel my heart… my cover is going to blow.
That thought seemed to fly out of her mind in slow motion. For some reason, she was getting dizzy. Through a small opening in her eyelids, Silver Wolf saw Firefly’s lips were a hair’s breadth from her own.
Just for how long had they been breathing the same air now? How long was Firefly going to torture her with this sense of anticipation?
As she raised her eyes, Silver Wolf found herself staring into a bright sunset.
“A-Are you going to stay like this all day?!” Silver Wolf rasped.
“I need to make sure the timing is right before I launch the attack,” Firefly whispered back.
“Stop talking like this is one of your missions!”
Silver Wolf tried to pull away, but the grip Firefly had behind her neck was far too strong, and she was effortlessly dragged back into the embrace.
For a moment, Silver Wolf found herself sympathizing with the many victims of the Molten Knight. But it was just a fleeting, absurd thought, as Firefly finally declared:
“Ok, I’m coming.”
“Y-you better be,” Silver Wolf mumbled before closing her eyes again and puckering her lips, bracing for what was about to happen.
For a moment, Silver Wolf was sure Firefly was going to just tease her again. She was about to snap when her lips were sealed by a soft pressure.
Firefly’s first attempt at kissing was just like her. Rather clumsy. Silver Wolf could tell their lips weren’t properly aligned. Very earnest. She probably shouldn’t have pushed so hard. Yet… so tender.
This is…
If Silver Wolf had felt overheated when she had gotten a simple stamp on her cheek, now she was sure she was about to melt and Firefly would have to scrape her off the ground.
Maybe she should’ve tried to pull back. But she couldn’t. Firefly’s lips were just so soft and comfortable, why not lose herself in them?
“Firefly…” Silver Wolf panted when she was allowed a small breather.
But she was instantly dragged back down into that sweet ocean without a reply.
This time Firefly’s lips were pressing with far less urgency, gently grazing Silver Wolf’s, leaving her wanting more. But just as Silver Wolf was starting to wonder if she should’ve been the one taking the initiative this time, she felt something.
Something was tickling her lower lip. It was wet and even softer than Firefly’s lips.
What is this-?!
When that mysterious sensation kept tracing her lips, Silver Wolf instinctively parted them.
“NMPF?!”
The embrace she had shared with Firefly instantly tightened to a level she thought was not possible. At the same time, she felt something make its way inside her mouth without hesitation.
WITH THE TONGUE?!
That scream was never going to find its way out of her throat. Right now, it was a fight for survival. If she let Firefly do what she wanted, she was going to lose her mind. The feeling of her tongue brushing against her inner lips was already far too maddening for her.
“Ngh..”
A strangled moan managed to escape through the cracks of a mouth she was no longer fully in control of. Probably interpreting it as an invitation rather than a protest, Firefly doubled her efforts, deepening the kiss.
Soon Silver Wolf had pulled her own tongue so far back she was almost afraid of choking. In the end, there just was nowhere to run.
The Hunter had become prey, and she could only surrender.
As Firefly’s tongue caressed hers, Silver Wolf’s nails dug into the coat of her best friend.
Best friend? Just how absurd is this? Why is she so good at it? I…. Help!
But nobody came.
And if they did. Silver Wolf would’ve probably yelled at them.
It was just too pleasurable.
“F-fly!”
“Wolfie.”
Firefly sucked on her lower lip and dug her teeth into it lightly, sending a shiver down Silver Wolf’s spine. Soon their tongues were tangled again in a dance that Silver Wolf didn’t know the steps of.
I think I’m going insane.
And she probably did as the time seemed to start dilating. Every sensation was far too powerful. Firefly’s tongue grazing the back of her teeth, her hands digging into her hair, her soft chest pressing against hers. Silver Wolf could somehow feel everything and nothing at the same time.
When Firefly finally let her rest, Silver Wolf could’ve sworn her soul had just flown away out of her mouth.
“Wow,” Firefly commented, wiping her lips with the back of her hand, severing the bridge of saliva that connected the two to them.
“…you… h-how?”
“I read an in-depth guide! I’m pretty sure I executed every step in the correct order… but you really are a great teacher, Wolfie! You made me feel like I could do whatever I wanted to you!”
“Ah… ah… y-yeah…”
If Firefly ever found out that, in fact, she could totally turn Silver Wolf into her plaything, it was going to be the end of her.
Forget Kafka… this girl… she is far scarier!
The way Firefly was blushing wildly, though, told her that everything was alright.
This clueless girl has no idea she kissed me like we were about to… have…
Silver Wolf felt her blood go to her head.
“Wolfie!”
Ten minutes later, Firefly was using one Silver Wolf’s science magazine like a fan to help cool down its owner.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you were feeling sick!”
“It’s fine… I said… what’s important is that you have got your practice done so you can go your own way for now….” Silver Wolf wheezed.
“Do you really think it’s good enough?”
“Oh, trust me, it is!” Silver Wolf giggled nervously, then after a couple of coughs added, “It was a bit amateurish for my tastes, but I think you have a talent for it. So keep practicing.”
“Of course! I’ll come here tomorrow!”
“UH?!”
Silver Wolf looked at Firefly with her eyes wide open, but her best friend had already risen from her seat and materialized Sam’s device.
“I’ll be in my room if you need something,” Firefly declared after stepping into her armor, “Oh, wait before I forget.”
Silver Wolf looked confused as Firefly fiddled with the corner of the couch. Soon she extracted a little box she had seemingly hidden there before.
“Here! For you!”
“What is-?!”
Firefly had handed her a video-game box. On it, in colorful letters, was written ‘Hanu Kart 9’.
“9?! But-?!”
“The newest version! Stelle pulled some strings with her connections in Penacony so I could get it for you before it comes out!”
“…I… This is insane! Thank you, Firefly!”
“You are welcome. This is for all the help you are giving me.”
Even if she couldn’t see her face behind Sam’s helmet, Silver Wolf could still tell Firefly was smiling, satisfied with her reaction.
Sometimes she really is hard to deal with…. but she is such a nice girl, Silver Wolf smiled back as Firefly left the room.
“What a day…”
A part of her couldn’t really accept that Firefly was going to do that kind of stuff with Stelle from now on. Yet, Silver Wolf couldn’t lie about having enjoyed this so-called “practice”.
I need to put my foot down and not let her do it to me again. But still… that was quite a first kiss to get.
And now she also had a new game to play.
What a present…
A present…
“Wait a minute!”