slightlyconceited

[slightlyconceited]

Finding out that the private studio he’d booked wasn’t going to be so private after all wasn’t the best news for Slightly, but he could roll with it. He was Mr. Brightside. While he’d prefer to have the room to himself instead of sharing with who-knew-who, he’d also prefer to share than not practice at all, so at least he got that much and they didn’t cancel his appointment when the other person showed up first! The fact that the other customer apparently agreed to share made Slightly assume they were pretty chill, so he made his way up to the studio and opened the door without knocking. The girl who’d gotten there first was mid-dance and Sly didn’t want to throw her off her rhythm, so he didn’t interrupt while she finished, quietly setting his bag down and closing the door behind himself. Once the song was over, though, he had no qualms disrupting the peace.

“Hey, you’re really good! Was that choreo or freestyle?” Introductions first, the little voice in his head that sounded a lot like Wendy and always reminded him of his manners spoke up. “Sorry, I’m Slightly! Looks like we were double-booked.” He moved further into the room now, still leaving enough distance between himself and the other dancer to indicate that he wasn’t trying to infringe on her space. She could even keep control of the stereo as far as he was concerned; he had all the music he needed in his head. All he needed was enough room to dance, and he was just pretty glad that the other party who’d booked the room wasn’t a class of twenty toddlers learning ballet or something along those lines.

“Double-booked?!” Angel repeated in disbelief. The woman behind the counter nodded her head with an apologetic look on her face as she confirmed that the studio room in which the brunette thought she had reserved for herself, was in fact accidentally double-booked. To add, there were no other rooms available, meaning that unless she wanted to skip out on practicing for the day, she would have no other choice but to agree in sharing the room. Not the most appealing thought to have for she wasn’t in the mood to be in a room with some else, yet it was not enough to discourage her in wanting to leave, which meant she was going to need to suck it up and share. With an deep exhaled sigh, Angel nodded. “….I guess that’s fine. Thank you.” she told the woman before turning around and making her way towards the elevator. Once inside, she pressed the third floor button before leaning against the wall. 

She mentally prayed that luck would be on her side this time and the person who she’ll have the share the studio with wouldn’t be there yet. And if they weren’t, maybe they would forget they booked a room today and wouldn’t come in at all, leaving Angel to have the studio completely for herself. But she was never that lucky. As the elevator came to a stop, the brunette once again let out a sigh and walked down the hall filled with various studios, Taking a quick glance at each of the rooms, she could see the silhouettes of the people who were inside them, only to find herself frowning a bit with jealousy at the fact that none of them are being forced to share as she passed them by. She then made it to her room, and as she unlocked the door, her shoulders relaxed with relief when no one else was inside. Good, she was the first one here. Flipping the lights on, Angel dropped her bag against the floor. What she loved about this particular studio space was that it was perfect for anyone who was here to practice their music or dancing— or both—as the acoustics of this room was the best. Of course, for her, she was here to dance. After doing a quick warm up to get her blood flowing and her body relaxing, she pulled out a CD from her bag, the brunette then made her way towards the stereo and plopped the CD inside of it. With that, Angel began dancing, loosing herself within her routine to notice when the doorway into the studio had opened. ( @slightlyconceited )

[slightlyconceited]

Trying and failing and trying and failing ad nauseam was exhausting, that much Slightly could one hundred and ten percent agree on. He knew the sensation all too well. Maybe that was why he fancied himself the comeback kid—after all the setbacks of his own that he’d faced, he bounced back from each one and got up and tried again, because trying was also the only thing that made him feel better again after failing. There was no true failure until you gave up and stopped trying completely, so as long as he kept his chin up, he could take some pride in himself. Was there a way to get Duke on that same page? Slightly shook his head at the mention of their other brother. “Nope, he didn’t tell me anything. Prob’ly because it wasn’t as big a deal as you make it out to be in your own head. What happened, anyway?”

Opening his mouth to retort right back, no words came out as Duke didn’t know what to say. What did he want Slightly to tell him? He really wasn’t sure. Maybe he wanted his brother to tell him what he was good out, knock it through his head so that way the younger could finally kick start with the rest of his life exactly the same way all his brothers been doing. But if he wasn’t so sure what he was good at, then there was noway Slightly would’ve known, only Duke himself could figure that out. Which is why he instead let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slouching as he realized that. “I want to figure it out.” The lost twin tried to explain, wondering so hard why he’s finding it so difficult to do exactly just that. It’s not like Duke wanted to do exactly what Slightly was doing— granted he tried, but the music notes and figuring out which instrument he wanted to play, it all got jumbled up and confusing for him that the younger had decided to give up. Music never felt like the right path for him anyways. “It’s just getting a little exhausting, y’know? Trying all the time. And there’s so many different things I could try…..and many more things i could mess up. Did Nibs tell you what I did the other day?” 

[slightlyconceited]

“What d’you want me to tell you?” Slightly asked, giving up on trying to find some kind of advice that would get Duke out of this mental funk he was in. Nothing he said was making any kind of impact on his brother anyway, Duke just focusing on the empty half of the glass every time Sly pointed out the half that was full—so why not ask what he wanted to hear, then tell him that? At a certain point, he had to be blunt instead of continuing to try the gentle approach: “It’s not easy for everyone. So, it’s not gonna be easy for you—you gotta do it anyway. Keep your chin up and figure it out with a smile. Or don’t. It’s your life.” Just because Slightly had known his passion from a young age, that didn’t mean the rest of it had been easy. Career was only one aspect of a well-rounded life. He’d had a shit-show of a love life until Mei came along. He’d had to learn to bounce back from all those heartbreaks and set-backs on his own. Duke could figure out how to get along and find a dream he wanted to pursue even after failing at multiple other things, just the same way.

“No! I don’t want to go back to leaving on the streets!” Duke outright claimed, head turning to stare at Slightly with widen eyes. He was terrible at many things, but he didn’t think any of that warrant him being kicked out of his home. He didn’t think Tootles, Nibs, or Benji would do that, no matter how much of a mess up he can be, so the fact that Slightly said that, made the younger frown. It then took Duke an extra minute later to realize that the blonde was being rhetorical and was trying to bring him up, not being literal about the living back on the streets part but rather wanting the younger to realize that all he had to do was keep on trying and eventually he’ll find his own thing. “I just wished it was easier for me to find my thing like it’s been for you guys, okay?” Duke ended up saying, once he had calmed down. “Like— you’ve always had a thing for music since I can remember, and same with Cubby and his baking, so it’s not surprising that you guys found your thing. So how come it's easier for you two, but not me? And I’ve tried— I’ve been trying. Nothing’s just sticking yet.” 

[slightlyconceited]

“You want lemons squeezed in your eyes?” Slightly threatened, giving the twin a hard look in response to his insult. “Don’t give me ideas.” Classic brotherly banter. As was his following suggestion that Benji would learn what girls liked in time, which was predictably met with some amount of indignation. Think I can’t impress a girl? Well, two could play at the sibling roasting game. Slightly shrugged, smiling at Benji in the mirror. “I’m just saying if you did, wouldn’t you have a girlfriend by now?”

“Maybe next time just say “think Mei finds me hot?”, which in return I’ll say “maybe with lemons squeezed into her eyes, she would”” Benji once again jest, finding it more enjoyable to tease and mess with his brother than to actually give him a decent response to his question. Of course, if all his messing around had actually bothered the blonde, than the younger would have given him a better answer, yet they both knew that either way, what Benji thought wasn’t what was more important right— Slightly’s girlfriend’s opinion was, which is why the brunette eventually gave some input. To show he did care about his brother’s upcoming valentine’s date. Then as the blonde winked at him through the mirror, the brunette blinked. “What? Think I can’t impress a girl?” Benji asked, now with a raised brow. 

[slightlyconceited]

“My girlfriend,” Slightly murmured as he hugged her. He wasn’t ever going to get tired of associating Mei with that label…or at least not until they were ready for the next step, and the next…Fiancée, wife…It was definitely way too early to be thinking like that. Who knew if they were going to end up getting married? But he definitely didn’t want to consider the possibility of breaking up when he’d just gotten her, so wasn’t that the natural conclusion—to think they’d live happily ever after? Either way, he wasn’t going to rush things or freak her out by mentioning such thoughts until they had been together long enough (however long “long enough” was.) Until that day came, he’d be more than happy to call her his girlfriend and be her boyfriend in return.

The question as to whether he wanted to go meet with his fans earned a decisive head-shake. “Not even a little bit. I want to spend time with you…Aren’t you my biggest fan anyway?” This last part was said half jokingly (half genuine conceit—which, given she had just agreed to go out with him, he was allowed to take a little pride in calling her his number one fan.) The offer of going to her place, where her parents weren’t home, was way too enticing to refuse. The lost boys’ apartment was way too crowded to bring home his girlfriend for the first time if they wanted to enjoy each other’s company alone for a while. “Really?” he asked, wanting to make sure it was alright if he came over, but excitement was already clear in his tone from the first word. “That would be great!”

“Mines,” Mei uttered, tone so soft yet in awe at the fact she was able to say such a thing out loud. Her boyfriend. Just the thought of how true that was now had her feeling exhilarated, having only dreamt of the day where she could call Slightly that. The daydreams of what it must feel like to kiss him on the lips. The lingering moments whenever they hugged, wishing she could stay in his arms forever. And gosh, even when she stood close to him— So many times Mei had the urge to entwine her hand within Slightly’s. “My boyfriend.” She repeated with a wide smile of her own. And she was Slightly’s girlfriend in return— another thought in which had the redhead reeling. If by some chance this was all another dream, Mei prayed she wouldn’t wake up from it anytime soon, not when he was holding her so close like this. “Yes! But— don’t you want to go back out there and meet with the fans?” She asked, aware of the routine Slightly typically has after he does a show. He always tried to give time to meet with his fans, showing how much he appreciated their support and admiration for him. It was one of the things that charmed Mei to him, even though back when they first met she had been a blubbering mess, it was more due to her shyness than anything else. But at the same time, the redhead didn’t want to part from the blonde so soon, the thought of them going somewhere so it could just be the two of them? She bit her lip. “We can go to my place?” She then suggested. “My parents wouldn’t be home— they have a planned date night, so it’ll just be us for a while.” 

[slightlyconceited]

“Yes, I—” Slightly started to assure Mei again that he was more than okay with it, but she cut him off with a kiss and her own confession. She loved him too. He smiled into her lips as she kissed him again, punctuating each new statement she made with another. I just want to be so good for you. “You are—” Wanted this to be perfect for both of us. “You’re perfect—” Slightly stopped trying to respond to Mei’s words when she stopped peppering his lips with small kisses and pulled him in for a long one, pressing body against him, and…yeah, she had definitely not ruined the mood and he was still ready to go.

He scooped her up again and brought her back to the bed, only letting go of her so he could finally take his underwear off. Then he reached for hers, slipping his thumbs under the waistband and looking at her face for permission. “Can I…?” He wanted to touch her—to taste her even, if she would let him—before they went all the way. He wanted to find out what she liked and disliked. She wanted this to be perfect for both of them; would she let him learn what felt good for her so it could be?

As he wrapped his arms around her and leaned her against him, the redhead didn’t fight the comfort he was trying to give. Instead, Mei buried her face against his chest, trying to calm herself down even after a few tears started to slide down her face. This is not at all how she wanted things to go. She was supposed to be good for him. Be sexy for him. “I’m sorry.” She apologized once again, despite Slightly telling her it was okay. Of course he would think this was all okay, from the start he’s made it clear that all of this was supposed to be special and enjoyable for her, so why would he be upset at her transforming? But still, Mei wanted this to be perfect for Slightly too, but how can she make it happen if her own powers keeps getting in the way? A few more tears fell down her face, yet the redhead found herself starting to calm down as he scratched behind her panda ears. She listened as her boyfriend reassured her of not needing to apologize, he then said how he loved seeing her panda self as she was a part of her— a praise that did cheer her up even more as the redhead smiled a little. But what Slightly said next stunned Mei, the words ‘I love you’ leaving his lips as he cupped her face and stared in her eyes.

Staring back, Mei’s emotions started to run high again, only this time it wasn’t from anxiety or fear. Her ears had twitched in response to his words, only for a laugh to escape her lips as he further claimed how hot her transforming had been. “You’re really okay with this?” She questioned, yet the longer she stared into the blonde’s eyes, all she could see was nothing but love and acceptance within them. ‘I love you,’ Slightly’s words repeated in her brain and once again, Mei couldn’t help the next laugh that escaped her lips. The next thing she did, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned over, connecting their lips for a sweet and loving kiss. “I love you too.” Mei said, responding to Slightly's confession as she pulled back a little. “I love you so much—” She went in for another kiss. “I just want to be so good for you.” Another kiss. “Wanted this to be perfect for the both of us, so I was afraid of transforming, but it was hard not to and—” This time, the redhead cut herself off completely, instead, pressing herself against him as she went in for a much longer and passionate kiss. 

[slightlyconceited]

Hearing Mei finally call him her boyfriend was just as electric as her touch—as referenced in his latest song. Hearing her say it the second time, with emphasis, lit him on fire. And the third time, he got greedy. “Keep saying it,” he implored, holding her close by the waist again and refusing to let go this time. He would have kept kissing her like she wanted if only his wide, goofy smile wasn’t keeping his mouth occupied for the moment. “I’m what? Whose boyfriend?” He bowed his head forward to nuzzle against her. Mei’s boyfriend. That had such a nice ring to it, he might be inspired to write another song or three or more for his girlfriend. “Do you wanna get outta here?” he asked, pretty sure of the answer but wanting to ask before dragging her out. Usually he would take the time after a show to meet with fans, high off the energy from performing and wanting to bask in the attention as long as possible before turning in for the night, but today was different. For the first time he wanted to sneak out, avoiding any distractions so he could get Mei alone and spend some quality time together.

Was this really happening? Slightly liked her back and Mei finally got to confess how much she liked him in return. And even then, the way she felt was only but the tip of the surface, as she wasn’t kidding when she said she’s always had such a humongous crush on him. She wasn’t even embarrassed to admit to it, too high on his confession to care if she sounded like a dork when she said that because it was true— Mei has liked Slightly for so damn long, even before they met, she knew she had a crush but just never thought it would become anything more than that. Even after they did meet and started to get to know one another, the redhead never once wanted to let these feelings she had for him cloud her mind because it was already so nice to be able to be his friend that she would’ve been content if friendship was all there had been between them. Now that there was a chance for them to become more, she couldn’t contain the smile she on her face, nor the bright red blush that undoubtedly was painted on her cheeks as she stared at him. 

Excitement bubbling up as he grabbed her by the waist, there was only one direction this was going and as he pulled her close and connected his lips with hers into a kiss, Mei melted. Oh she’s dreamt about kissing him before. Dreamt of it happening many times in fact, yet her fantasizing what it would be like was nothing compared to the real thing as her head spun in a different kind of way. There was something so right about them kissing, the way her body curved into his as if she was always meant to be here with him— like they were a perfect fit for one another. Pulling away, she let out a light chuckled. “So much better than what I’ve imagined.” The redhead admitted, already itching to go for a second one and would have if it weren’t for the fact that Slightly needed to go back on stage. With a shake of her head, she pushed him forward for the sooner he went to play his final song, the sooner he could come back to her. Mei then chuckled once more at how proudly he sounded when yelling “SHE LIKES ME!”, her cheeks brightening even more as a response when he followed by referring to her as his “girlfriend.” Slightly’s girlfriend. Mei liked the sound of that. “Wait— New Classic wasn’t the song he had been writing at the ball?” The redhead realized out loud, his words finally hitting her as her boyfriend began to introduce his final song. And when the blonde powerpuff came back onto the stage, the redhead couldn’t help but smack herself against the forehead. Wow— she sure felt silly now over how she reacted back at the Halloween Ball.

Mei didn’t dwell too long on that, as once Slightly began to sing his final song, she found herself as absorbed as she always is. Just like with New Classic, Electric Touch had her feeling emotional, but there were no tears this time around instead, she was smiling. Her smile had been so bright, that once her boyfriend came running back to her after performing his song, she had her arms open and ready for him as he picked her up and spun her around. “Duh, of course I’m your girlfriend!” The redhead claimed, unable to contain her laughter as they slowed down. Once they finally stopped spinning, Mei with her arms still wrapped around Slightly’s shoulders, smiled happily at him. “That means I get to call you my boyfriend too, right? Because I really want to express how much I loved both songs my boyfriend had written for me.” Yet without any warning, she boldly leaned up and kissed him once again on the lips. “—I’ll also really love to keep kissing you more, but I don’t think my mom would be happy on us doing so if  we weren’t dating. That’s a yes, by the way, I very much would like to date you and have you as my boyfriend.” 

[slightlyconceited]

When he stopped to ask her to tell him what she wanted more or less of, something seemed off. There was a certain look on Mei’s face…It only clicked a moment later, in a puff of smoke. A small laugh of surprise almost escaped Slightly when he realized Mei had poofed into her full panda form—it was unexpected, but in retrospect made sense that she had gotten overwhelmed with new sensations and feelings for the time…No big deal to him; maybe something they could look back on as a funny story together afterwards. But he was glad his throat caught the laugh before it could come out when he realized Mei didn’t find it humorous at all. Her cry of horror and scramble away from him made Slightly’s heart sink. He kneeled on the bed where she’d left him for a moment longer, watching her transform back—at least, most of the way back—before following her to the corner of the room. It really wasn’t the time to make another old movie reference, as much as he wanted to say Nobody puts Baby in a corner. (Even herself.)

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently, scooting up next to his girlfriend and wrapping his arms around her to lean her against him. Though he was still very aware that she was naked, he was doing his best not to be horny about it while she was in tears. Those he was ready to wipe away whenever they fell. He stroked her hair again, this time for comfort instead of compliments, although he reached up and scratched behind her panda ears and decided they did warrant praise as Mei seemed to think there was actually something wrong with her panda features coming out right now. “There’s no need to apologize. I love seeing your panda self, Mei, she’s part of you. And I love you...You didn’t ruin the mood or anything by transforming, if that’s what you think.” He smiled and cupped her face in his hand, thumb rubbing her cheek soothingly. “It’s actually kinda hot that you got so worked up you couldn’t help transforming,” he added, being a little too honest in his attempt to assure her that she should feel no shame in her magic presenting itself this way. Actually, maybe he was the one who should be shamed for being so into it. “I’m just saying, if you wanna keep the ears and tail out…I wouldn’t complain.”

At his comment, the redhead let out an airy laugh. With the state he currently had her in, wouldn’t Mei be the one considered more like Rose than Jack seeing how he had painted her while she was completely nude? Although the thought of painting Slightly in such a way was tempting as the redhead bit her bottom lip. “Someday.” Mei tried to say confidently, flustering even more at the thought. “I-If you’re okay with me doing so.” She already had drawn so many pictures and portraits of the blonde before— some back before the two of them had gotten to know each other and even more now that they were together, but the redhead’s never drawn such a piece as intimate as what he was joking about. But if he let her, Mei would do so. She can bet he’ll look just as beautiful if not more so in such a state, so why wouldn’t she not want to capture such a moment? She desperately even wanted to capture this moment, taking him in from where she laid, yet if her brain wasn’t already so high-wired from all of this, the redhead would have soaked in every last detail she could so she can replicate it later on. 

The further things went, the stronger Mei’s emotions started to become. She tried her best to stay as calm and collected as she can be, reminding herself how this was something she wanted, something she’s been dying to experience and how she was grateful to be doing so with someone she trusted completely to take care of her. And that was exactly what Slightly was doing. The way he took his time slipping her bra off of her while gently kissing the side of her neck only to then trail those kisses all the way down until he reached her now exposed breast. Yet once her bra had been taken off of her completely, the redhead inhaled sharply, feeling even more exposed than ever despite still having a single piece of clothing on her left that needs to be taken off. But it was Slightly calling Mei ‘Perfect’ is what truly did her in, the redhead barely having a chance to react to his words before her boyfriend reconnected their lips within a feverish kiss. She returned the kiss with as much intensity as she could master, gasping at his touch against her breast, yet also feeling like her heart was about to literally explode against her own chest. This newfound feeling was becoming too overwhelming for her but she didn’t want him to stop. She clutched tightly onto his shoulders, arching even more into his touch before moaning loudly at the feel of his mouth now against her breasts. More. Mei wanted to say as Slightly pulled away. She wanted more. Wanted him to mark her up. Have him pressed against her again. Skin to skin contact. Something! But as she opened her mouth to respond back to him when he asked once again to tell him what she like and didn’t like— no words came out of Mei’s mouth.

The only sound that came out of her was the pounding of her heart against her chest. Or at least, that sound was ringing against her ears. She tried to speak—wanted to—but Mei’s face was so red and flushed, before she even knew it, a puff of smoke once again surrounded the both of them and now instead of her laying nearly fully naked underneath him, she laid beforehand as her panda self. “What?! Nooo!!!” She cried out. At the realization that she had transformed, her eye’s widened in horror and mortification, and then without a second thought, she moved Slightly off of her (without shoving him away), before springing off of his bed and curling into the corner near it. This wasn’t happening. Not now! Mei then closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down in order to transform back, and fortunately a few seconds later another puff of smoke surrounded her. But she didn’t transform back completely, for her tail and ears remained as the redhead crowded her knees against her chest, still curling into herself before daring to look back at his direction. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean t-to transform!” Mei apologized, eyes starting to swell with tears. Of all the time for her to suddenly go panda, it had to happen now! “T-This wasn’t how things w-were supposed to go. I-I tried so hard for this not to happen and yet I-I—“ Thanks to her the mood was now completely ruined!

[slightlyconceited]

“Then don’t try to do what Cubby does, or Nibs or Benji or me or anyone else. Keep looking and figure out what you like.” It seemed like one of Duke’s best talents was seeing the glass as half empty. If he could get paid for finding the storm cloud in every silver lining, he’d be set for life and could stop complaining about being a failure. In short, he could be a real downer when he got into a mood like this, but Slightly couldn’t be annoyed that the twin was being vulnerable about his feelings. It was more than he himself was usually comfortable with expressing; he always wanted to be seen as capable and confident, even when he felt like he didn’t know what he was doing. To admit that he didn’t feel like he was good at anything at least took a brand of courage from Duke that Sly didn’t always possess, so he deserved an attempt at brotherly advice, however good or bad Slightly was at that…(Really, Wendy was probably the best sibling for advice, but she wasn’t the one Duke was talking to now.) He said plainly, “Or yeah, just...give up, and then what—go back and live on the streets? Would you rather do that than keep trying to find your thing? What've you got to lose by trying?”

Duke merely rolled his eyes at Slightly. Again, easy for him to say! From a young age, his brother always knew he had a thing for music. Whether he knew for a fact that he wanted to become a musician or not, music was flowing through the blonde’s veins, so it made every sense in the world that Slightly would be where he was. However, Duke? The only thing he knew he was good at was mimicking his twin. Having spent a good chunk of their lives acting as one, he knew all the ins and outs when it came to Benji and vice versa. Or at least, he thought he knew everything about his brother but now looking at what Benji’s been doing and how well his brother seemed to be doing on his own compared to him? Gosh, was Duke that terrible with everything? “You know I tried baking the other day like Cubby does since he’s not around to share his pastries with us and the oven nearly exploded if it weren’t for Tootles intervening.” The redhead ended up saying. “If anything, I should just accept that I’m a constant failure not pre-successful.” Duke threw his head back against the chair. “Even Benji’s been doing better in finding his own thing compared to me!” 

[slightlyconceited]

“Are you gonna draw me like one of your French girls?” Slightly would generally consider himself more of a Jack (a free-spirited man who makes his own luck) than a Rose (the beautiful redhead he falls in love with) but considering Mei was the artist between them, that reference only felt apt. (Although Titanic was a tragedy and they would hopefully live happily ever after, they could probably kill it as a couple’s costume if they wanted to.) While he was partly joking about the movie reference, in all honesty Mei’s art was one of her best talents and Slightly had always been impressed by what she showed him. He was never insecure about his own appearance, maybe even a little cocky about his good looks sometimes, but Mei’s drawings of him weren’t just flattering—they looked like…you could see the love for her subject in every penstroke. Like he was her muse, the same way she was his only for a different medium, Mei working with visuals and Slightly with music. He wanted every song he wrote for her to sound like what love felt like. Each and every facet of the feeling. Tonight, he would be feeling a new melody.

With Mei arching into his touch, clearly wanting him as much as he craved her, Slightly couldn’t keep his hands off of her. He slowly slipped her bra straps off her shoulders as he kissed her throat, moving along to the side of her neck to suck on the soft skin—only gently, not to leave a mark. He reached to her back to unhook her bra fall off. His mouth traveled further down, lips ghosting over her collarbone and chest, trailing kisses until he reached the top of her breasts: small, perky and—“Perfect. You’re perfect.” He leaned back to take her in again now that she was almost completely nude, and then dove back in with relish. He kissed her with a newfound intensity, his hands moving to cup her breasts and thumb her nipples. He had to keep reminding himself to take it slow, and this was his best in that regard. If he could have her panties off and be inside her five minutes ago, he would have. Replacing his hands with his mouth, he gave each nipple a kiss and a gentle suck in turn, then pulled away to remind her, “Tell me what you like and don’t like.” He certainly wouldn’t mind keeping up the attention on her chest if she enjoyed it. He also wanted to explore farther down her body, but was okay waiting for further input. Maybe she wanted him to take his underwear off first before she’d be comfortable being fully exposed. He was so hard now it would be a relief to get out of them anyway.

She became winded as she was picked up, the redhead tightening her hold around her boyfriend’s neck as he stood up from the couch and carried her into his bedroom. Once there, he placed her on the bed, their lips barely parting from one another as Slightly continued to kiss her over and over again the entire way here— Mei’s head was spinning, becoming lost within the treatment she was receiving. No words left her mouth when asked if he could take off her dress, the redhead nodding her head instead and holding her arms up so the dress could be easier to slip off. Leaving her with just her bra and panties, her cheeks once again flared, turning as bright as her red hair before she nervously and somewhat embarrassingly stared back up at him. It took everything within her to not cross her arms around herself, not wanting him to think she didn’t trust him enough to be exposed like this before him. Mei did. She would’ve said something if she didn’t want to be this exposed, but she couldn’t help the train of thought of how he’s seen other people in this state before, and now she couldn’t stop the comparing. 

Was her body attractive really enough for him? She wasn’t too skinny was she? Her bra hadn’t been taken off yet, but Mei didn’t exactly have the biggest breasts so what if hers were too small for his taste too? These were all irrational thoughts that came to mind, the redhead knowing full well that if Slightly said he liked her and her body, he meant it. He reaffirmed it by calling her beautiful, her eyes locking onto his as he hovered over her before pulling her into another kiss. And just like that, those insecure thoughts rushed away, her hands latching onto his biceps and giving a quick squeeze before he pulled away again. Mei pouted yet stared at awe at him. God, if he thought she was beautiful than he should take a look at himself in the mirror now. Blonde strands haloing his face, chest and body exposed with nothing but his own boxers on plus that look of want and desire he was giving her? Her heart sputtered at the sight.

“This is perfect” Mei mumbled in reassurance, her expression softening at the thought of him wanting to have candles lit to make the mood even more romantic. As lovely as that would’ve been for her first time, the only thing she needs to make this moment perfect was him. Placing a hand against his cheek, she hoped she was able to convey this fact to him, and it seemed like Slightly got the memo because instead of trying to look for the candles to light them up, he went back to what he promised he wanted to do — Showing Mei everything he liked about her. First it was her hair, the feeling of his fingers running through her locks as he complimented the color causing her to close her eyes for a moment before she opened them with a pleased smile. Then it was her eyes, her heart skipping when he said they were his favorite shape— it would be a lie if she never admitted to finding her eyes as an insecurity of hers especially whenever she had her glasses on. But hearing Slightly say he liked them made her happy. Her lips were next on the list, and as they kissed, her heart continued to race. It beat faster and faster, and the feeling of his hands roaming her body only had the redhead gasping, arching into his touch despite every fiber of her being buzzed from her nerves. “You’re so beautiful too!” Mei let out, breaking their kiss. “Just the sight of you right now? Ugh—I'll need to remember to draw this moment later just for memory keepsake.” 

[slightlyconceited]

“Because I don’t wanna appeal to you,” Slightly said in a tone that implied it should be obvious that when he mused aloud about feeling like he looked good for a special date night with his girlfriend, that his brother should assume he wanted to be attractive in her perspective. He just wanted to hear Benji validate that Mei would like the look, which finally followed despite being couched in more jesting. Sly brushed off all the teasing, focusing on only the part where Mei would think he would look sexy wearing anything, and the advice about the buttoning. Hopefully she would see him with no shirt by the end of the night, he thought (and didn’t say aloud, because he was a gentleman and Mei was a lady, not fit for crude locker-room talk with the bros) as he fixed up the shirt to Benji’s recommendations. “You’re right; it’s good like this. But it does matter, by the way. It’s not enough to just be hot, making an effort is important if you really wanna impress a girl.” He winked at his brother in the mirror. “You’ll learn eventually.”

“Bet it would’ve if I said you were sexy.” The younger commented, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smirk at the pout his brother had on his face. Despite his words, Benji was saying this all in good fun, not actually telling Slightly any of this as to truly make his brother feel bad about his looks. Again, Slightly was arguably very attractive, and the brunette has seen more than once how crazy for him girls seemed to be (even when his brother was too daff to notice sometimes.). “What does having a girlfriend got to do with what I find appealing? Besides, you never said anything about whether I think your girlfriend will like your outfit—you just went off going on about how sexy you were like some self-absorbed narcissist.” Benji claimed, watching as Slightly unbuttoned and re-buttoned the shirt he had on. “It looks better buttoned up.” He said, actually giving a decent input on his brothers look. “Although, it really doesn’t matter what you end up wearing. I’m sure your girlfriend would think you look sexy even if you decided to meet up with her wearing a trash bag. Or better yet, you can go with no shirt at all—bet she’ll love that.” 

[slightlyconceited]

They see your stubbornness, your unseen madness

[slightlyconceited]

“Promise,” Slightly agreed. It was only an easy promise to make because he was certain that there would be no need for him to tell Mei she had done anything that didn’t feel good. If there was even a chance that was possible, he definitely wouldn’t want to tell her she had messed anything up—not after their first time. How discouraging would that be? His own first time hadn’t been great at all. He’d been so unsure of himself and at the same time blustering like he knew what he was doing, which only made it more embarrassing that he didn’t. And his girlfriend at the time hadn’t been gentle about it. The last thing Slightly wanted was to hurt Mei. Even if she didn’t know exactly what she was doing at first, he would accept whatever she gave him eagerly. They could figure out what felt good for them both together. Besides, it was impossible to think of Mei doing anything that didn’t—everything she did, everything she was, was irresistibly attractive.

Mei gripping onto him, clenching her thighs around him, moaning and shivering at his lightest touches, was already driving him wild. When she begged for him—to do whatever he wanted—it was game over. This was rapidly getting too indecent for a public area of the apartment. Slightly slipped his hands under Mei and stood up from the couch, picking her up with him and carrying her straight to his room, where he set her back down on the bed. It was hard to stop kissing her, but he had to break apart from her to pull her dress over her head. “Can I…?” he murmured, just to give her an opportunity to stop him, even though he moved without pausing. She had given him permission already, to show her what he liked, to touch her…Wanting to make sure she continued feeling secure throughout this, he shed his own shirt and pants so they were evenly undressed before joining her on the bed.

“You’re so beautiful,” he told Mei before kissing her again. He pulled away again, ready to admire her in the romantic lighting and then dismayed as a thought struck him: “I wanted to light candles to set the mood!” Judging by the fact that Mei was laid out underneath him in nothing but her underwear, flushed and ready, the mood didn’t need any help getting started—but so much for the ultimate romantic night of all time with no candles. Instead of interrupting the momentum they already had by getting up to fumble with open flames, however, Sly moved on from the idea by returning to his objective: showing Mei everything he liked. He started with her hair, running his fingers through the fiery locks and saying, “I love your hair. It’s my favorite color.” He met her eyes: “Your eyes are my favorite shape.” Further down her face, “Your lips are my favorite…” He kissed her again; he could never get enough of that. Slightly could have continued listing every one of his girlfriend’s features, but since it could go on forever, he moved along by shifting focus back to her body, his hands roaming over her soft skin.

“Promise me you’ll let me know afterwards if something wasn’t good.” The redhead asked, nearly pleaded even as she stared at him with earnest eyes. “Please. I want us both to enjoy this, and not just solely focus on me for my sake.” This was yet one of the downsides of keeping her panda. Because of her past fears of transforming in the middle of having sexual intercourse with someone, Mei never once tried to get this far with anyone before. Even when she had felt lustful desires for her past partners, she just knew that she needed to be with that one special person in order to be able be as open with them as she was being with Slightly. And if she wanted to be even more honest, the redhead was aching to be with him— even with the risks of her still transforming, she had been craving for this moment. She wanted to finally feel what all the hype was about, of why people enjoyed hooking up so much, of wanting to know what were the things she liked, and of what things she liked doing for him. Was she someone who liked starting off slow and gentle, or maybe she loved it fast and hard right away? Would he fear of ever hurting her at some point? If he did, he shouldn’t have to. Mei didn’t think Slightly could ever hurt her. 

His grip on her became tighter now that she was sitting on his lap. She hadn’t directly sat against him, but all it would take is for the redhead to slide a just a little bit closer and they would be pressing against one another. Mei nodded her head, waiting with anticipation to hear what he will say about what he liked. Slightly kissed her as a response, just for him to say he liked her. Breathless, the redhead wanted to clarify what she meant, but he continued, pointing out how he liked her lips and then saying he liked her body, she soon became loss for words. She shivered as his hand squeezed against her bare hip after he slipped it within her dress. You can take it off, Mei almost said, only for a sharp gasp to escape her lips instead as her boyfriend pulled her closer to kiss her neck. Now they were pressing against one another, and feeling how hard he was, her own grip around the blonde’s shoulders had tighten as her heart began racing. They’ve barely begun and yet, she made him this hard? Her thighs clutched around him, letting out a soft moan at the neck kisses. “Please!” the redhead begged, shivering once more as Slightly's hand bushed against her breast. Whether she was begging for him to touch her or she did so as to answer his question, Mei wasn’t sure. “I— Yes! Show me! Touch me! Do whatever you want!”

[slightlyconceited]

“You’ll be amazing,” he assured her when she tried to apologize in advance if she wasn’t as good as she thought he was expecting. To put it bluntly, even if it removed some of the romance of the matter: Slightly hadn’t had sex in months and she was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen. Mei honestly wouldn’t have to do much at all for him to enjoy himself tonight, even if she had no prior experience—her very presence and mutual desire was already doing it for him. At this point, he was just hoping he could last long enough to truly give her a good time before he finished…The proof of his body’s eagerness was in how quickly he got hard just from her sliding onto his lap. His breath caught in his throat and he bit his lip, hands immediately gripping her waist. Now that they were so close, he realized it was going to be a lot more difficult to hold back and take things slow than he’d anticipated. Sly still wanted to make sure Mei was comfortable above his own pleasure, just as she trusted him to, but…he also wanted to ravish her. He wanted this dress off now, he wanted her grinding against him, he wanted to carry her off to the bed… 

“What I like…?” he repeated distractedly, staring at her lips before looking back up at her eyes. Honestly, he liked it wild, heated, rough. He liked giving into his animalistic urges. But more importantly: “I like you.” He kissed her again. Take it slow. Appreciate every second. You have time. “I like your lips.” Slightly moved his left hand back to her thigh, sliding up under her dress to squeeze her hip. “I like your body.” He pulled her closer so he could start placing kisses down her neck; if there was any doubt of her feeling it before, there was no way she wouldn’t feel his hardness now. “I like…” he murmured against her skin. His right hand drifted up from her waist, thumb brushing the side of her breast over her dress, but not going for a full grab—it was just a suggestion of where he wanted to touch her. He pulled his head back to look her in the eyes again. “Can I show you everything I like on you?”

Mei relaxed into their kiss, feeling as loved and cherished by Slightly in every way possible with just that confirmation alone. Was it weird that they’ve only been together for a few months and yet the one thing she didn’t feel so embarrass to say out loud was how much love she felt from him? Neither of them had said “I love you" directly yet, but those words didn’t even need to be spoken out loud for the redhead to know that he was in love with her equally as much as she was in love with him. And Mei was so deeply heads over heels in love with him. So in love, that once they pulled away and he reassured her that they can go as slow as she needed because he wanted her to enjoy the experience, the redhead bit her lip and smiled. “I know— I trust you.” She spoke honestly, all that love and trust evident within her eyes as they kissed once again. She knew Slightly wouldn’t do anything that she didn’t want or liked. He would stop if she told him to, but gosh did she hoped there not being a need for them to do so. 

The only thing that Mei was most nervous about wasn’t even the fact that they were about to make love to each other for the very first time. It was the fact that she lacked total experience is what she was nervous over, because for as much as Slightly wanted to make it good for her, she wanted him to enjoy himself as well. She wanted to be good for him. Be better than any of his pervious exes. But Mei didn’t know how. “I hope I can be as good for you in return.” The redhead admitted, pulling away from their connected lips. “But… sorry in advanced if I’m not. Hopefully next time?” Cheeks heating up even more at her own words, it would really suck if he didn’t end up enjoying himself as much as she did. Even if all of this was for her and her own pleasure, the only way her first time would be as perfect and good as she wanted was if they both got enjoyment out of it. Sliding her hands over his neck, the redhead pulled herself even closer towards him until she was now sitting against her boyfriend’s lap, her white dress riding up to expose more of her thighs. “—Or maybe? You can show me what you like while we figure out what I like? That would be a good compromise, wouldn’t it?” 

[slightlyconceited]

Dani would have had a good point that Slightly serenading her at that party wasn’t her fault—if she wasn’t missing his point entirely. While he certainly never would have gotten up there and embarrassed himself that way if she had told him sooner that she had cheated on him, he still wasn’t trying to place the blame on her for what he did that night. He was calling attention to the fact that she never would have told him what happened back when they were dating if he hadn’t tried to get back together with her. Sly was absolutely sure she would have just kept up the lie as long as they remained “friends,” and his speculation was only further proven by her refusal to answer his direct question about it. Instead of reflecting on why he was finding it impossible to forgive her or want to be friends again, Dani was getting defensive about her side in their breakup, showing to Slightly that her appeal for forgiveness was selfish after all. Maybe he cared more about his own pain than about hers, too, but he wasn’t the one out here trying to talk to her and reforge a relationship. She had come out of her way to ask something of him; he had no desire to rebuild this burnt bridge. If she had wanted to be friends, she should have thought of that a long time ago and done things a lot differently.

“Am I a villain for being jealous then?” he shot back as she cited an unfairness in how she was being treated like one, like he should be considered as equally in the wrong for what went down between them. Maybe he had been overbearing in his fear that Dani would cheat on him or leave him, but he had eventually taken the hint that it was an untenable situation and broken it off, like a decent human would when a relationship completely stopped working. It had only been later that he learned he’d done that too late, and she had already gone behind his back by that point. “So I had trust issues—then you should have broken up with me!” He raised his voice for the first time, frustration with this conversation evident in every facet of his body language and expression. He reigned his temper back in enough to lower his volume, but maintained the heat in his tone as he continued, “If it was such a struggle to be with me, then you should have broken up with me instead of cheating. Do you get it? Fucking another guy as some kind of payback for me not believing you, doing the exact thing I was worried about?” That was more than petty; it was spiteful. “I was—I was in love with you, Dani! I might have had my own issues, but you decided to rub them in instead of walking away. You are a villain to me—you’re a fucking witch.”

Dani knew that saying sorry wasn’t going to cut it. Yet, she felt like she still had to give it a shot— wanting her ex to know that despite what it may seem, she really was apologetic for cheating on him. Maybe at the time she hadn’t been, so caught up with the anger and hurt she felt whenever Slightly would suddenly assume that she was cheating when at first she never was. It wasn’t until the accusations got even worst and when he wouldn’t believe her was when Dani snapped.

“You can’t blame me for what you did at the party! It’s not like I asked for you to go up there and sing me a song!” She defended. How was she to blame for someone else messing with him at the party that he decided to get drunk enough to decide that he wanted to serenade her! If anything, Dani not accepting his drunken confession was a good thing for Slightly. Not only because she knew she couldn’t without him knowing the truth, but what if she said yes and then with a clear head, he realized he didn’t want to get back together with her? She would’ve deserved it if that had been the case, but it would have been such as mean on her exes part messing with her in return since he didn’t know then. “Yes, I lied— but at first I wasn’t! I was being honest when I said I never cheated, and yet you kept on insisting that I did or you would roll her eyes at me, looking like you didn’t believe me! How else was I supposed to take it when my very own boyfriend didn’t trust me enough to believe it when I say that just because some guy was hitting on me that I was interested in him back!” It wasn’t fair. She messed up— Dani knows that, but it wasn’t like Slightly had been a saint within their relationship either! He had been the reason she was pushed to the edge! To why she decided to give in and sleep with Glade. For why it happened over and over again— Dani froze at his next question. 

Would she have told ever told him? She wanted to say that she would have, that she wouldn’t have kept her cheating a complete secret forever. But then she realized that before the party happened, things were going great between her and Slightly. Once her ex had decided to let go of his anger towards her, Dani had every chance to tell him the truth before he invited her to the party. Heck, she could’ve mentioned it before when he was still angry, because at least then he would’ve had a more justified reason to hate her. But then they wouldn’t have became friends again, and though the chances of that happening again was nonexistent now, the redhead wanted nothing more than to go back to when things were going good between them. Because despite their issues back when they were dating, Dani missed him. Instead of answering his question, there was hurt on her face. “…..It’s not fair that I’m the only one treated like a villain here. I’ll tell you everything if that’s what you want, but you weren’t the only one who got burned in our relationship.” 

[slightlyconceited]

“You are. So loved,” Slightly told Mei, lighting up as she confirmed that all of his attention to making today perfect and showing just how much he loved her was received and acknowledged. He smiled as she kissed the corner of his lips, then turned his head to give a proper, full-on kiss. This alone would have been fine, Slightly content to stay here kissing his girlfriend without pushing her any further than she was comfortable to go, but she pulled away and told him that she still wanted to—presumably, go forward with their previously discussed plan for the night. And though he seriously wasn’t going to pressure her, he was privately psyched out of his mind that she was also ready to take the next step. Who could blame him? The past months he’d been waiting patiently and respectfully, but his girlfriend was hot—as hot as her red hair, or her currently matching red cheeks.

Mei’s blushing was always cute, but he hoped she wasn’t feeling too nervous. There was no need for her to be shy; the last thing Slightly would ever do would be to judge her in any way. But he knew she had been a little embarrassed when she first told him that she was a virgin, and the first time always came with its own nerves—but for women especially, he guessed. He planned to do his best to make it comfortable and pleasurable for her. Squeezing her thigh gently with the hand that had been resting there, he replied, “Me too,” before giving her another kiss. “We can go as slow as you need, okay? I just want it to be good for you.” Another kiss. It was going to be a challenge not to just eat her up right here and now, but Slightly managed to keep himself under control to keep things at her pace. “Just let me know when you’re ready to move to the bedroom. Or—if you wanna stop at any time, it’s okay, you know? You don’t have to be worried about anything. I’m gonna take care of you.”

When it came to the most romantic day of the year, Mei felt like that day always needed to be a special one. It was the number one day where you could show off how much you love and appreciated someone! It didn’t matter whether that person was a loved one like her parents or very close friends like her squad, Valentine’s Day was the perfect day to show off how she felt for them, and Mei made sure to never miss a single year. But this year, she had more than just her family and friends to show her love to. She had Slightly as her boyfriend, and though some days it was still crazy to imagine that they were together, not a single day has gone by where the redhead doesn’t fall deeper and deeper in love with him. It’s came to a point where her feelings for Slightly were so deep, Mei knew she wanted to have her first time with him. They’ve been dating for months now, and though it was a bit embarrassing to confess to her boyfriend that she was still a virgin, she trusted Slightly to make the moment comfortable and special for her. And so, the couple planned to wait for Valentine’s Day, their date being as romantic and perfect to the point where if she hadn’t already known she was in love with him, than after today she would’ve been certain she was now. 

Now they were at his new apartment, the couple alone to their own devices as his roommate was out for the night, most likely spending it with his own girlfriend. They didn’t head straight to Slightly’s bedroom, the two instead relaxing against his couch, cuddled up against one another— Mei sighed with contentment. “Very loved right now.” She replied, her cheeks brightening at saying the word ‘love’ out-loud, but because it was Valentine’s Day, she felt it was appropriate. That, and it was true, the way how he made today so special for her, this day was going to be one she’ll remember always. The redhead turned her head and pressed a gentle kiss against the corner of Slightly’s lips before turning his head and pressing both their lips together. Was she nervous about where the rest of their night may lead to? She was, in fact it was taking everything for her tail and ears to not appear, but Mei trusted Slightly, and for as nervous as she was, she still wanted this to happen. “And in case if you’re wondering….I still want to.” She confessed, pulling away, her cheeks even redder than before.. 

[slightlyconceited]

“Words are hard. That’s why they’re your job,” Slightly complained and leaned back in his spot on the sofa with his guitar in his lap, closing his eyes. He played a sick riff that had been stuck in his head lately. He was just being a baby about lyricism because composing came so much easier to him—putting notes and chords in an order that sounded good and made you feel something was easy, working with a set of known sounds and just putting them together differently to make something new. There were twelve basic notes, and like a hundred thousand something words in the English language. And words all had meanings and spellings and there was grammar, too, so the order you put them in mattered more than just ‘it sounds good that way.’

Sly did write his own lyrics, too—most of his songs were about his life and his feelings, but there was rarely one he didn’t consult with Cubby on to make them better…snappier, cleverer, more poetic. Their best works were typically made when Slightly simply described his feelings to Cubs and he turned them into poetry to go along with his compositions. “You know what?” He sat up suddenly. “I think I want to do something less poppy. Experiment more with other genres. Like…synthwave. Something alternative, but slower…” He went back to his riff. Braggy confident songs weren’t the move; it was time for something more introspective and meditative. Their last album had been a hit and gotten them to where they were now, but that didn't mean they were supposed to just repeat the same sounds over and over again.

"I wonder how I can say 'swaggy' in the most grown-up way possible." - @slightlyconceited

“Hm… Swaggy is basically like cool and confident, but there are better words than that—“ Cubby thought out loud, pausing to munch on a potato chip. They were both relaxing on their new couch in their new place together, Sly attempting to write some lyrics as Cubby just got back from work. It was still settling in for him even though some time had passed since moving in, the differences now that they were living on their own — it was much quieter, less crowded, and more spacious. There was a cozy feeling to it though, especially with the splashes of personality that Prilla and Mei added as they helped the guys decorate. Even though it was bittersweet in some ways, to move out of the apartment from their brothers and be on their own, it was still a positive change, and everyone was close by anyway. Cubby was pretty happy with their decision, and it seemed that Slightly was too. Cubs continued to brainstorm out loud, “…. Chic? No." He immediately shook his head. "Stylish? Trendy? …. Why do they all sound so lame?”