[PP|F9] Taming the Flame <<Feeding your Enemy>>

[Prometheus 0]

Katsuki had lost himself in the girl’s hug. It was the first time someone hugged him in a long time, especially with no intention of returning home with him. “Thanks for that.” He looks her in the eyes, her tease had failed, but now her hand was on his cheek and he couldn’t think. That’s not fair, you can’t use my emotions like that. His hand comes up and pulls hers off. “But don’t do that.” The only other person to have ever cradled his face was his mom, but she died a long time ago and she was supposed to be the last one to do that. Of all the people who have tried none had actually managed to not make him mad. This was a first and he didn’t know how to react.

His gum hadn’t lost its flavor, despite having been chewed to hell and back. It was making the inside of his mouth feel cold, and he hated that feeling. “You want this back? I forgot mint makes the mouth cold.” He says, pointing to his face as he speaks. It was a weird question to ask, so he didn’t expect anything more than an “eww” and for her to walk away, but it’s not like germs were a thing in this game. Plus, no point in wasting gum, especially when the person who gave it to doesn’t consume anything more exciting.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

She smiled and apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep your boundaries, but you did seem like you needed a hug.” She sighed and looked up at him with a slight grin. “You don’t have to act so tough all the time, Kat. I mean you’re in front of me for gods’ sake.” She laughed and gestured to herself. “I’m nothing special.” 

As he returned to the topic of the mint gum, she blushed again and accepted the offer. “A-alright.” She stood on tip-toe just to reach him and reached out with her own lips to take the gum from his, giving him a quick kiss. “Hm, still has its flavor.” She giggled and winked at him. 

“Now, Mr. Strong and Handsome man, why don’t you use that shirt I got you to find that familiar of yours?” She pointed to the shirt on his chest that she had made for him. Hm, the color really does compliment his eyes and his physique, she thought to herself. 

@Prometheus

[Prometheus 0]

The kiss was welcome and he smiles at her for a moment. Her comment on the gum made him think back to his friends in the real world, picking up beers off the ground and drinking them because they were incredibly poor. “Acting tough in front of cute girls isn’t a have to situation. It makes me feel cool.” The man smiles at her, removing his jacket so just the tight blue shirt remained to cover his torso. “Besides, being strong and tough are my hobbies.” He smiles down at her.

He thinks on the kiss and smiles. “That was weak... watch this.” He pulls her in for a longer more passionate kiss, a huge smile on his face as he chews on half a piece of gum. “That’s a kiss.” He chuckles and looks at her.

”I’m not worried about what made you how you are. We’ve all been in bad places. I’ve ended up in Jail for nights at a time back when I first turned 18.” He laughs, and then looks at her. “No, unless you want to tell me what happened, I won’t pry.” His past crimes out on his sleeve, if she were to ask he would tell her.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

She laughed at his reasoning, amused and happy with it. He was quite the flirt and did seem like the kind of tough protective guy women would flock to. She smiled back up at him in return.

Though, she was not expecting it when he reached down and kissed her deeply. She pushed herself into the kiss without thinking, and when he pulled away, she wash blushing even more, her cheeks a cherry red. She blinked and looked up at him, giggling. “You’re quite the man for surprises~” she teased. 

As the conversation continued, her expression grew more serious as she heard what Kat had been through. “Well, I’m glad you’re safe and in one piece now,” she said. She was a bit curious about what his life had been like before SAO, though she didn’t want to pry too much. “How about we play a little game?” she asked while taking out an apple to chew on. She spit her gum out and took a bite of the apple. “You tell me one bit about your past and I’ll tell you a piece of mine. Sound like a deal?” She looked up at him and smiled. 

@Prometheus

Edited April 29, 2019 by Symphony

[Prometheus 0]

“Sounds like a deal. I’ll go first.” He pulled up his hair a little bit, drawing attention to the burn above his eyebrow. “I got this when I burned a house down.” He says, “I was watching the flames and a support beam dropped and got me in the head. Now I have a scar.” He explains, the skin looking like it had sat in the fire for more than a few moments. “It knocked me out for a bit actually. Woke up and there was ash clumped up against my face and orange light all around me.” He explains. “That was the night I lost my family.” He adds on the final detail, giving away more than one fact about himself. He’ll tell her the whole story maybe, but for now that was at least enough to get her to say something. But apparently revisiting a childhood tragedy had hit him harder than he thought because a pained look filled his eyes. He remembered every detail, every flick of the flame, every horrifying scream, everything, except for the absolute ecstasy he felt when trapped in a room of fire.

He looked down at her and sighed. “Your turn, right?” He says, the pain having disappeared and been replaced with a false sense of happiness.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony's eyebrows furrowed and a concerned expression crossed her face when he told her how he got his scar. She reached up instinctively to touch it, but pulled away quickly once she realized what she was doing, not wanting to cross any boundaries. Her voice was quiet and her eyes sad when she said, "I'm sorry to hear about that. Losing a family member can be tough, but..." she decided to stop herself from saying anything more in case it brought him anymore bad memories. She reached out and rubbed his back gently. "I'm glad that you were not hurt any worse." She saw the pain in his eyes disappear, and she frowned. "You don't have to hide anything from me, Kat. You're safe here." 

She sighed and then thought of something to tell him. "Hm, I don't know if I have anything to top that... But..." She took a deep breath and turned around, lifting her top so that you could see deep scars going across her lower back where her tank top had covered. She gritted her teeth as she said, "This is why I learned how to use weapons. And why I don't trust men." She kept turned around so that he couldn't see the pain on her own face or her wincing. "I was walking home from school one day in New York City. I was only 13..." She stabbed herself in her leg with her dagger to keep herself in reality and keep from crying. Panting, she pulled the blade out and turned to face Kat. She looked him straight in the eyes as she continued. "Two men grabbed me and held me down. They..." She looked away. "They did things to me... you know. But it wasn't over. They threw me in a car with another man and then took me somewhere... I don't know where. I woke up being lashed and whipped and..." She couldn't go on. The horrors that they had done to her were coming back to her mind. She looked back up at Kat. "I'm sorry. I cannot go on describing it. But it ends with me waking up in a park. Then I blacked out and woke up in a hospital room." She sighed. "They never found the men who did it... I prepared myself in case they came back." She wiped her blade clean of her own blood and put it back in its holder on her hip. 

"My apologies if that was... too dark," she said, bowing her head. 

@Prometheus

Edited April 29, 2019 by Symphony

[Prometheus 0]

The story made Katsuki’s blood boil. He had done some awful things in his life, hospitalized a sizable number of people, beaten them to the verge of death, burned their belongings and more, but he would never harm a little girl in such a way. His hands had clenched up instinctively, but he just put them behind his body. “I’m sorry to hear about that. I hope they catch them.” He had no idea what to do. Would it he wrong to just hug her? I’m sure men just grabbing her and pulling her in wouldn’t be good. He slowly walks towards her and slowly goes in for a hug, stopping moments before he does. “Is this alright with you?” He had turned into a soft blob of a man in a few sentences. If she were to say yes he would hug her, but if she were to say anything else he would withdraw.

He stands up straight and looks at her. “My turn then.” He lifts up his shirt, revealing a scar on his side. “A year or two after the fire, When I was 12, I was getting into fights left and right. The man who had adopted me ended up homeless, and we were fighting all the time. One time someone followed us back to his van, and him being old and brittle I decided to confront the man. He pulled a knife and I tried to take it. Managed to keep it from killing me before my old man came out and beat the man senseless.” He explains, looking like this was a fond memory. It was his second scar, the first one he got from someone else’s doing and he loved it. It made him feel strong and tough, and it reminded him of the man who raised him.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony bit her lip to keep from crying and nodded her head when Katsuki asked to hug her. She hugged him close and nuzzled her head into his chest instinctively. It was strange, she felt safe with him. It had been a long time since she had felt that. When she pulled away, she smiled with teary eyes and looked up at him. "Thank you, Katsuki. That felt... nice." Then she sighed and continued on. "I trained with several types of weapons in order to finally hunt them down and kill them one day." The statement might have surprised anyone who didn't know her. On the outside, she looked like an innocent, small woman. But she had years of training that made her ready to take down her attackers. 

Then he continued with his next scar's story. She gasped and reached out to run her hand over it. "You are very lucky that it wasn't deeper." She lowered herself to the get a better look. "If it had been a few centimeters up and two the left, it would have gotten your kidney." She stood back up and smiled. "I'm glad you were so lucky, or else I wouldn't have met you." She was used to getting hurt due to her clutziness and just life in general, so she was used to treating wounds and knew basic human anatomy quite well. And she could tell how lucky Katsuki really was. 

She took a moment to think. Now it was her turn. "Hm... what to tell." She turned over her left and right arms to show faint scarring along the forearms. "Marks from playing scales wrong when I was younger. My father made sure I was in tune. He would hit me across the forearms with a bamboo stick." She had no harsh feelings towards her father. In fact, she loved him dearly. His discipline helped her become the amazing and accomplished musician that she was before she entered into SAO. 

@Prometheus

Edited April 29, 2019 by Symphony

[Prometheus 0]

The marks all down her arms made him curious, he had been trained to fight by his father figure, using a real knife but still ended up with less scars. His arms had scars sporadically placed all up and down his forearms. Generally people would see those scars and assume a job with lots of machinery and stuff. “The scars on my arms are from when my old man was teaching me to disarm someone.” His hands roll around his arms. Each arm has a few cuts, and his hands have one or two on them. His eyes meet hers as he thinks for a moment. “You know what? I’ve had so much fun here I’d love to do this again.” He smiles, the half piece of gum still moving around in his mouth. “The problem with this is, I don’t know how long I’ll be out here.” He says, looking away. “Besides, the longer were out here, the more likely you are to give up on trying to make me blush.” He says, not being able to help but grin like a cocky college student trying to seduce a woman.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

She glanced over his arms and noticed that the cuts weren't too deep. His father must have had very strong control to make only minor cuts while also teaching a lesson. She looked into his eyes as he spoke, and she smiled. "I had fun, too. I really enjoy spending time with you." She felt something that she had not felt in quite a while. What was this feeling...? She couldn't place her finger on it. All she knew was that she wanted to get to know Katsuki better and spend more time with him. It was like she was somehow being drawn to him. 

Then he reminded her of the challenge he had given her. She blushed, but a grin crossed her face. She decided to make a move. It had been a while since she had done anything like this, so she hoped she wasn't too awkward. As Katsuki was turned away for a brief second, she made her move. She got closer to him, and pushed him up against a tree right next to them. She looked deep into his eyes and drew closer, pausing as her lips were right in front of his. She could smell the nice mint on his breath. Then she spoke gently and in a suggestive voice while she tilted his chin towards her with hand under it. "I can see how you've been looking at me, love. You want to do such bad things to me don't you." She giggled lightly. "Well here's your chance~. We're in the woods alone, all by ourselves. Imagine just holding me down, my body moving with yours. Imagine the feeling of..." Then she pulled away and looked up at him, a smirk on her face. Had her attempt worked? 

@Prometheus

[Prometheus 0]

Up against the tree, Katsuki could feel the girl up against his body and his body went straight to instinct. Right after she finished her sentence and pulled back he saw and opportunity and sets his leg behind hers, pushing her shoulders and pulling his leg back, but firmly grabbing her shoulders and spinning himself around so she’s up against the tree herself. “Don’t play rough unless you wanna get hurt.” He says quietly and calmly. A new tone she hadn’t heard yet. Were they gonna fight for control? Nah, he was ready for anything at this point. He drops his head down close to her. “You saying you want this? Because I can make that happen.” He kisses her quickly and backs away from the tree.

”It was a good try, but you gotta know who you’re up against.” He grins backing away from the girl. “How about this? You’re going about this all wrong.” He looks her in the eyes. It’s not blatant acts of passion like that that’ll make him blush. Though there is a way, that ain’t it.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony blushed and a small fire started to burn inside her as he took control as he spoke. Though she did enjoy the kiss, she didn't want to be be bested by him. "Hm, I'll ask you what method you'd recommend in just a second," she said while a mischievous look crossed her face. Then she sighed and walked behind him, saying, "Awe, and you even made me drop my apple." She bent down to pick something, but then changed course and did a leg sweep, knocking out his legs and sending him falling backwards, where she supported his fall and then got on top of him on the ground. She sat up on top of him and proudly smiled. "Ta da~" She giggled and then bent down real close and said in his ear, "Don't play rough unless you wanna get hurt." She laughed and quickly jumped off before he could launch her. 

Still giggling, she asked, "Now what am I supposed to do to go about it correctly?" She hadn't had that much fun in a while. It felt good, and her smile showed it. Even her eyes were smiling. 

@Prometheus

[Prometheus 0]

He lay on the floor as she leans in and returns what he said to her. That was all the permission he needed. Once she stood up he rolled across the ground, laying next to her feet. “I’m not gonna tell you, that would make it way too easy.” He sits up, pushing himself to his feet as well. “I can do this all day. In fact I’d like to do this all day.” He grabs her shoulder and spins her around into a hug from behind. “But there’s nothing you could do to hurt me, I live to play rough.” He gently bites her ear. He releases her, chuckling a little and backing away.

Spinning around and looking around, finding nothing nearby that could be his familiar. “This shirt is nice, how much do I owe you for it?” He asks, trying to not be in her debt. Her shirt was a wonderful surprise, but her hugs were a much more welcome gift.

Spoiler

ID: 115588

LD: 6 + 3 = 9

(fail)

@Symphony

Edited April 29, 2019 by Prometheus

[Symphony 0]

She giggled happily and pulled him close as he hugged her. It seemed to end too soon. "I wouldn't ever want to hurt you," she said while smiling up at him. She reached up and tussled his hair playfully. "And maybe we can do it all day one day," she teased. "But you have to earn that." She laughed and turned away to walk down the trail to another spot where he could search for his familiar. 

She motioned for him to follow her, and she walked backwards so that she could face him while speaking. "You don't owe me anything, hun. It's a gift. And it really does suit you. Just seeing you in it is enough payment for me." She smiled and turned back around. "Besides, there's not much that I'm in wanting in. Though..." she thought for a second and stopped walking to face him. "There is one thing you could do for me." A small smile crossed her lips as she looked up at him. "A date," was all she said. 

@Prometheus

Edited April 30, 2019 by Symphony

[Prometheus 0]

She began to walk along as she spoke, walking backwards at one point even and he smiled when she finally named the price. “Gladly.” His smile came to match hers, and the quickly disappeared. Oh crap, what will I wear? His hands come up to the sides of his head. Why would I agree to a date before I even have the proper attire for a date? His hands drop as he looks at her face again. “Oh yeah, that’s why.” He says quietly to himself. “Where would you like to go?” He asks, trying to keep his excitement under control. He couldn’t help but be happy when she asked that and the overwhelming ecstasy hadn’t completely dissipated just yet. His eyes meet hers and for the first time in a long time, his face begins to change colors, but he quickly turns his head and equips his reflective mask. Like a two way mirror but with a red gleam, he could see out but they can’t see in. His black hoodie comes back as well, the hood being pulled over his head as he watches her. She must’ve seen, but I can’t let her win, not that easily. He smiles under his mask, the thought of the smile on her face when she wins turns his face a bright red.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Her smile gets even bigger and she does a little jump of happiness and excitement when he accepts. She had hoped that he would say yes, though she had a tiny worry that he wouldn't. She's a little too distracted by her thoughts of where to go for the date to notice his hands come up to his head. But she looks back up at him just in time to see him smile. Then.. what was that? She tilted her head a little. She thought he had begun to blush before he put his mask on. Then he asked her the question. "Hm...well." For once she was at a loss for words. She didn't really know of anywhere to go until she remembered the spot she had found on the first floor. "I have just the place! It's a cute romantic area on floor 1. But!" she paused and smiled. "It's a surprise where I'm gonna take you." She winked at him and laughed joyfully. She couldn't wait. It had been such a while since she had been on a date or even felt for someone enough to go on one. She knew it would be an amazing date indeed. 

After she had finished speaking, her face dropped and she looked in the distance. "Um, Kat, what's that?" she asked while pointing behind him. However, when he went to turn like she knew he would, she grabbed the mask off of his face and held it behind her back. She gazed up at him and began to giggle. "Awe, I finally made you blush! Yay!" She hopped with excitement again and then gave him a good hug. "You cutie," she said. 

@Prometheus

Edited April 30, 2019 by Symphony

[Prometheus 0]

She hugged him tightly after removing his mask and Katsuki felt a warmth in his heart. Almost like he belonged right there in her arms. This is amazing. I’ve never felt anything like this before. He had known a smile would’ve crossed her face and upon seeing it he blushed even more. “I’m not blushing, you’re blushing.” He says, kicking the dirt “Stupid game anyways.” He continues, turning away. He wasn’t used to the emotional stuff, so it was weird to him, but he liked it. Spending time with her has been nothing but smiles and flirtatious comments so far, and that was how he liked it. He looks down at her and lifts her up to kiss her. “Slouching down for so long hurts my back.” He comments, making sure to smile so it didn’t hurt her feelings too badly. “Besides, I couldn’t help myself.” He says, still holding her in front of him. Then he spins her around to a piggy back ride position, looking over a ledge where a ten foot drop placed itself. At the bottom was a river of lava and another ledge about 3 feet down and 6 feet across. “I can jump that far.” He takes a few steps back and gets ready. “Or would you prefer to jump on your own?” Always gotta ask so they don’t yell at you or something.

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony smiled and sighed happily as she hugged Katsuki. It was like the world around her melted away for a second and it was just the two of them. It had been a while since she had been this close to anyone. It felt nice, and she wished this moment would last forever. She looked up at him. "Yeah, I'm blushing, too." She laughed a little at his frustration. It was endearing in an odd but cute way. When he went to lift her up, she gasped with surprise. It had been a while since anyone had actually lifted her up. And it was also impressive that he was so strong. Sure, she wasn't the heaviest thing in this world, but he had lifted her so easily. When he mentioned his back, she kissed his nose. "I'll massage it for you later when you get back into town." When he put her onto his back, she held on tight and laughed. This was most fun she'd had with someone in all of her two years in game. She was enjoying every second of it. Then she saw over the cliff. "Ahh!" she cried as she nestled her head in the crook of his neck. She was deathly afraid of heights. "You can jump, just don't miss, okay?" She squeezed her legs around his waist and tightened her grip around his neck and shoulders. Please don't fall. 

 @Prometheus

[Prometheus 0]

Katsuki smiles as he feels her push herself into him while he looked over the edge. Then she gave him permission and started squeezing incredibly tightly. He was getting ready to speak as she did. “Just make sure not to- AACK.” Her grip around his neck choking him and making him stumble for a moment. His leg pushes into the ground and he moves forward at incredible speeds, and the arch of his foot lands on the very ledge, his leg straightening and pushing him across as he soars through the air. His hand grabs hers that was wrapped around his neck as he spins and throws her to the other side. She lands on the other side and his chest slams into the ledge. His arms reach out and grab grooves in the rocks as he swings his weight up and he pulls himself over the ledge. “Sorry, I thought I could make that.” He says looking up at the sky above him lying on his back on the ground. “Man that hurt like a [censored].”

@Symphony

[Symphony 0]

Symphony managed to roll after Katsuki threw her to safety. And she rolled right into the rock face of the side of a ledge. "Oww..." she squeaked out as she was also winded. Dazed, she turned over to see if Katsuki had made it. When she didn't see him at first, she panicked and rushed over to the edge. Then she saw him pull himself up and sighed, grabbing her chest in relief. I was scared he might not have made it. Rubbing her face, she looks over at him as he lays on his back. "Hold still," she says, still covering the side of her face. Her basic medical knowledge begins to kick in as she checks him over for any broken bones or bruises. She takes the hand off of her face to check along his sides with both her hands, making sure everything is intact. "Well, good news. You didn't hurt yourself too badly, just a few bruises." She bent over him and looked down at his face, then kissed his forehead. Her hands still on his sides. a mischievous look crossed her face and she began to tickle him. It was just too good of an opportunity not to. 

@Prometheus