Amaranthine

Nick woke up to a weird buzzing sound, coming to consciousness as a wave of ‘bots swept the room, undoing the new paint job he’d inadvertently applied last night.

UH

SORRY

“Hm?” Gwyn said, directing the helpful ‘bots. “Oh, honey, what part of me being a tentacle fetishist makes you think this wasn’t exactly what I wanted? Doesn’t mean we can just leave it though, definitely gross the morning after.”

FAIR POINT

YOU KNOW…

He wrapped a tentacle around her soft waist, snaking another up between her legs.

YOU MIGHT BE CLEANING

A LITTLE PREMATURELY

Gwyn stroked the tentacle between her legs, but moved it firmly away.

“God, where was that enthusiasm weeks ago? But no, babe, I now understand why Lira’s always complaining about ‘going overboard’ with Cait, and you’re way bigger than she is, and you have 13 dicks. I need a bit of recovery time,” she explained, patting the lecherous tentacle lovingly.

SHIT

I HURT YOU?

She snatched him up, beckoning out his tongue for a kiss.

“No more than I wanted you to. It was always going to hurt the next day,” she sucked on his tongue, the corners of her lips curving up into a promising smile. “We’ll just have to keep conditioning me, you know?”

GONNA NEED CUM PROOF FURNITURE

“Eh, I’m fine using nanobots to solve that problem,” Gwyn shrugged. “If my ‘Faro Plague’ just means no one has to deal with morning-after residue ever again, I’ll be a hero.”

Gwyn had pulled on clothes during the conversation. She’d effectively moved into Nick’s room last week, clearing out his, admittedly useless, old clothes and replacing them with her own. Nick’s dresser was now 90% green hoodies and stretchy blue jeans.

She walked over to the door, opening it, and immediately slamming it, a look of total shock on her face.

WHAT?

“So, uh, your team never made it to the bedroom,” Gwyn said, still clearly shellshocked.

WHAT?

ARE THEY OKAY!?

Nick was whipping towards the door before Gwyn caught him.

“Oh, they’re more than okay babe. Looks like bacchanalia out there. Cait is still visibly inside Lira. I hate that she doesn’t sleep, that smug smirk made me want to hit her so bad.”

SO…

LETS GO?

“I don’t want to go out there! What if those deviants fuck me!?”

It wasn’t possible for Nick to convey ‘you’re a hypocrite’ through facial expression alone, but he tried.

PRETTY JUDGY FROM A SOCK PUPPET

“I don’t like that it made me a little wet when you called me that,” Gwyn glared at him. “Also don’t like that you make a good point. Glass houses and what not. Still, can you go wake them up? I’m not really to the ‘wake you up while your girlfriend is still inside you’ stage of friendship with Lira yet.”

PUSSY

“Ass!” Gwyn laughed, slapping at one of his accusatorily waving tentacles.

Nick pulled the door open, and used the kitchen island to yeet himself towards the lady-pile. He heard Cait yelp before he landed square on her face, and Lira started to squirm. Nick rolled off of Cait, who glared down at him.

GET UP

YOUR NUDITY DISGUSTS M’LADY

“You’re not a virgin anymore, don’t say that.”

AS YOU WISH

M’DICKGIRL

“Not fucking better,” Cait said, but she was distracted as Lira’s squirming became much closer to grinding, and if that didn’t stop immediately they were gonna have a situation on their hands.

“Hey!” Cait said, sharply but softly. “Cut it out sleep-fucker, we’ve got a day to start.”

When Lira grunted and started to actually roll her hips, Cait bit her hard on the ear. Predictably, that just made Lira moan and redouble her efforts. Cait looked panicked and just stood up, pulling the girl off her and waking up the other two women.

The way they fell to the couch meant Qi and Kennedy woke up face to face with each other, and immediately each had an emotion somewhere between distaste, embarrassment, and lust on their face. They both scrambled to their feet. Kennedy broke the tension first, blushing, and scratching at the back of her neck.

“Hey, so, about last night. Sorry if I went too far…”

Qi glared at her, collecting her clothes, dressing and making for the door. Just before she left, she turned back, a blush and a surprisingly vulnerable expression on her fine features.

“You didn’t,” she said, and exited.

Lira was all the way awake now, and was wiggling her hips toward Cait as the big girl held her in the air at arm’s length, scowling.

“You’re an addict,” Cait stated.

“I am what you made me!” countered Lira, giggling as Cait finally set her down.

Their comms all buzzed as one.

DS: Dawn Posse, you all are on downtown cleanup this morning. Get down there and help out where you can. Full disclosure, this is mostly hearts and minds, so make sure you’re visible.

“Why did I get that too?” Gwyn asked, finally emerging from the room as the other women dressed.

“Welcome to the Posse, Nano-Fleshlight!” Cait said, clapping Gwyn on the shoulder with a big grin. She hadn’t found a top yet, and Gwyn blushed at the boobs in her face. Nick yoinked Cait away.

SHES SHY

“Like fuck she’s shy, you think you two were quiet last night? What do you think set us off?” Cait asked, while Gwyn grew firetruck red. Cait summoned her suit from out of her pores, giving up on finding civilian clothes if they were just going to be doing hero work anyway.

“Might be my replacement,” Kennedy muttered. “I don’t think I got the same marching orders as you guys. I’m supposed to meet mom at the hospital to help out with something for Dawn.”

“Oh shit!” Cait yelled, smacking herself in the forehead. “I saw her go down after she went full on Mother Earth. Is she alright?”

“Based on the message, sounds like she might be better than alright. Y’all wanna drop me off and check on her?”

“Showering, first,” interjected Lira. “I’ve still got dick juice in, on, and around me. You too, big girl. Kennedy, idk how you stayed relatively clean.”

“Some of us aren’t proud cum-rags, Lira,” Kennedy said, sticking her tongue out playfully.

“Mmm, I’ll help you change that,” Lira said sagely, like Kennedy had just admitted to a major personal flaw. She grabbed Cait’s hand, pulling her towards the waterfall shower. She cocked an eyebrow at Kennedy. “You joining us?”

The goth blushed, bit her lip, and then nodded, hustling over to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

“No fucking!” Gwyn called behind her. “I’m pumped to make my public debut!”

15 mintues later, 3 clean, un-fucked women emerged from the bathroom dressed for the day. They picked up Qi from her room on the floor below and headed to Black+Stone Memorial.

“… wasn’t any normal rose, was it?” Dawn’s voice drifted out from her room, still high and singsong, but oddly resonant.

“No,” answered Director Swan. It looked like she may have been about to continue before the Dawn Posse entered the room. “Ah! Kennedy, and all your little friends, excellent.”

Her eyes scanned up and down Cait, testing the Amazon’s resolve to not fuck her new girlfriends mom for the umpteenth time.

“Lira might actually be useful here, so, dear, please stay. The rest of you, say hi to our new goddess and get downtown, we have hearts and minds to win back.”

They all filed in, a chorus of sharp breaths sounding as they got a good look at Dawn. Her rose-inlaid arm was in bloom, crimson petals springing like blood along its length. The venous pattern of its vines was glowing softly green, mirroring Dawn’s eyes. Her antlers now also had a slight verdant glow, and were hung with what looked to be living foliage, alongside the normal charms and chains she adorned them with.

“Good to see all of you,” she greeted, her beatific smile returning for real for the first time since her injury. “I hope there have been no objections to my takeover of the site’s gardening?”

Nick had been curious on the walk over, as all the plant life seemed even more vivacious and beautiful than usual, all suffused with the softly pulsing green energy that flowed out of Dawn in waves, nearly blinding his Altered sense. She was now the first thing he’d seen that shone as powerfully as Cait, and he wondered if she might actually be brighter.

“Not me!” Lira volunteered. “About time we got some nature around here to hide some of these eyesore wonders of human architecture.”

Dawn chuckled, an undertone following it that sounded oddly like a dawn chorus of birdsong.

“My thoughts exactly. Are all of you alright? That was quite the fight last night, and one of the first we have not been together for.”

“Yeah,” Cait answered. “We’re all good. A little tired, but I didn’t see anything more than bumps and bruises on anyone.”

“And I’m sure you checked very thoroughly, Cait,” Dawn teased, the smirk looking odd on her cervine features. She actually got a blush out of the big blonde.

“Uh,” Cait coughed, trekking onwards, “So, you look A1, better even. You ready to rejoin the team? We kinda named ourselves after you.”

“Oh and I do so appreciate that, all of you. That, I believe, is what Elizabeth, Kennedy, Lira and I will determine today. I think the Director is right, you all should get out into the city and help, so the rest of us can discuss.”

There was a bit of an edge on her last word, and her eyes were hard as they flicked towards Director Swan, who remained stoic as always.

GLAD YOU’RE OKAY

“You as well, Breastman. Now go put those tentacles to use.”

Nick led the team out of the building.

SO

WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?

“I think I’m a fucking downgrade,” Qi said, anxiously playing with the tip of a horn. “I mean, shit, you guys could feel it right? That room was thrumming with power.”

Cait nodded, and Nick had to assume that was a reflection of what he had seen in his Altered sense.

“Dawn was a tough person to compare yourself to before the upgrades,” Cait said comfortingly. “Honestly, I’m wondering if Director Swan isn’t trying to figure out if she’s too big for all of us now. We were never going to kick you off the team when she recovered, Qi, but if you’re a permanent replacement I’m happy to have you.”

The dragon blushed at Cait’s praise, actually looking a little bashful as the big blonde fixed her with a ‘dazzle ‘em’.

“So how are we getting downtown?”

“THIS IS UNDIGNIFIED!” yelled Qi, in tow behind Breastman as he swung through the city after the flying Gwyn and airsprinting Cait.

“Figure out how to grow wings, dragon!” Cait called over her shoulder, earning a scowl from Qi she couldn’t see.

Gwyn, Breastman and Qi all alighted gracefully downtown while Cait made a crash landing in the river. She burst out and joined them, already starting to dry in the summer heat.

“I, uh, never figured out how to stop,” she explained sheepishly.

GONNA HAVE TO

OR….

Nick picked Qi up and waved her around.

“Hey! I swear to god you will be ash!”

“Let me think on it,” said Gwyn, playing with an earring like she did when she had an idea. “I didn’t anticipate you using the combo to fly like that, but I can probably figure something out. Kudos for that by the way.”

“People think I’m just huge muscles, a big dick, and a drop dead gorgeous face, but honestly that really underestimates me,” Cait said, puffing her chest out proudly. Nick yanked a foot out from under her, bringing her to the ground.

“Oh my god,” Gwyn groaned. “Cut it out, you guys, people are starting to stare.”

It was true. The group had gathered in front of 801 Grand, or the shattered shell that had been the area’s tallest building. Plenty of people were in the area, either already working on cleanup or just going about the business of the day. The disaster last night might not have been wave related, but it was still more or less business as usual for the city.

Gwyn walked over to where a group of men were staring forlornly at a massive chunk of fallen masonry.

“B-man, think you could get that back in place?” she asked, gesturing to the chunk as a swarm of ‘bots swirled around her. Nick wiggled over, easily lifting the piece of stone up to where it had fallen from. Gwyn’s bots swarmed over the cracks, leaving a silver layer of inert bots, welding it in place like techno-kintsugi.

Another group was trying to deal with broken glass, or other smaller pieces of fallen building. Cait and Qi jogged over, starting to use their strength to break down pieces that were too large to lift into the truck that would, presumably, take it away.

The whole team was aware of the wary glances that would be shot their way whenever the people they were helping thought they weren’t looking. People loved Guardians, sure, but what had they even been guarding recently? Add their failures to the terrorist attacks from people wearing their faces, and the Elevated Race uprising purporting that all Altereds were above humanity…. Well, Nick couldn’t blame them for being distrustful.

Can’t tell them they’re wrong, he thought, have to show ‘em.

He lifted another stone into place as Gwyn repaired it. His panoramic senses showed him Cait and Qi were going about public relations through a more traditional route, as the group of workers alongside the two laughed at something Cait said. Qi blushed, so the chances of it being a crude joke at her expense were high, but the smack on the ass she gave Cait with her tail was playful, and got more laughs out of the workers so she couldn’t be too mad.

After a few more hours of work, the street was mostly clear. Cait and Qi were clapping the workers around them on the back like old friends, congratulating each other on a job well done. Nick wasn’t sure if they should start trying to help on the interior of the building or not, and was pondering when a rough finger tapped one of his tentacles. He spun, seeing a burly construction worker holding a phone out towards him.

HI!

“Hey, uh, BREAST MAN right?” the man said, clearly a little nervous, although he didn’t seem scared. “Thanks for all your help today, with you and that girl, probably finished up about two weeks of work in a day.”

OF COURSE!

THE BIG GIRL OVER THERE CAUSED MOST OF THIS

ALWAYS HAVE TO CLEAN UP AFTER HER

“Heh, yeah, so, listen,” he said, pointing to his phone screen. Nick couldn’t see what was on it, but no way this guy could know that. “Jimmy, my son, he’s a real big fan of yours. Got a few of the, well, the unofficial action figures and everything. AEGIS ain’t actually made any of you yet, so I hope that’s alright, anyway I was hopin’ I could get a picture with you for him. He'll flip his lid when he hears I worked with you all day!”

HELL YEAH

WANT ME TO PICK YOU UP?

A minute later, he held the man above his center mass in a big tentacle chair, giving his best facsimile of a smile. The man was laughing like a child, making Nick wonder if maybe it wasn’t only for his kid. The guy held out two thumbs up, and Nick twisted up two tentacles next to them to mirror them. Gwyn snapped the pic, and judging from the smirk on her face, it was a good one.

“Your kid is gonna love this, my dude,” she said, handing the phone back.

“What? Oh! Yeah, for sure! Thanks again you two!” he scurried off to his worker buddies, showing off the picture.

Gwyn sighed.

“Sucks a little, knowing that probably did more for ‘hearts and minds’ than all the work we did today,” she said, a bit of a sad smile on her face.

EH

IT WAS FUN!

GOOD TO HELP EITHER WAY

“Yeah, well, you’re a better person than me. I was hoping for a little more public adulation for my first outing as a Guardian.”

I HAD TO GET MY ARMS BURNT OFF

BY LIVING SHIT

Gwyn winced.

“Uh, yeah, maybe there are worse first days,” she reached down, grabbing his proffered tentacle. He tried not to let it be sexual, since it was the closest they could get to holding hands. But shit, if he was moving a little weirder than usual and anyone judged him for it, they should try taking a romantic stroll while getting a handjob.