Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Grace was patient.

Very, very patient. She didn’t have much of a choice. With nothing but time on her hands, she had to make do with silence. With waiting. With pondering just what she would do next. The girl wasn’t left with many tasks, unfortunately--she was to curl her hair, and pick a suitable outfit for herself by dawn every day. She was to bathe, brush her teeth, and paint her nails (as her mother hated a set of unkempt nails), but other than that? ...Not much. She could read the overabundance of books left for her in the tower, or stare out her one open window. Maybe both at once, as she did on rainy nights. She could do those things, or simply wait for the next visitor to come strolling in. Rarely it was her mother coming to check her health, but most times...well, she quite liked most times. Thrice a day her one and only guard would come feed her, and stick around if Grace begged her to enough. A frightening, impeccably dressed creature that Grace knew since childhood. She was only slightly older than her, but she had been raised to protect her. To offer her comfort. To make sure the girl wouldn’t even think of the outside--because why would she? Everything she needed was in the confines of her tower. Her home. Grace was to be the ultimate blessing to the scientific world, and yet her curiosity was curbed to one spot on the entire planet.

A giant gray statue of Marie Curie, ironically enough. She was tucked away in the head of a woman who travelled the world by boat. Grace didn’t...know that, unfortunately. Most of her books had been doctored. And the one man who would supply her with real, true information had passed away quite recently. Grace didn’t like to think about it.

So she waited. Kicking her legs softly off the edge of her bed, listening to the shifting of her dress. Waiting and waiting until the clock would strike noon and her guard would come shambling inside.

Ai was created by the scientific society of Columbia to not only protect the “lamb” of humanity, but she had also been created to enact revenge on those who stood in the way of the ways of life in Columbia. Be it the American government, British embassies, or Eurasian militaries, it did not matter. Designed to tear, dismember, and obliterate any and all that stand in her way, Ai took her job immensely seriously. Especially with the stakes of “punishment” in mind. Grace’s mother, Marianne, had never been the most kind to Ai. If anything, her daughter found her mother’s treatment of the bodyguard to be both cruel and unusual. The monstrous being herself had made rounds, patrolling the territories of Columbia. A loud bell chimed in the distance, and a freakish gold gaze settled on the tower. The massive beast, clad in a cloak spread its wings wide, before falling from the tower, the massive limbs immediately catching air, causing gusts so powerful, it blew leaves across the parks below, and flags guttered in the wind.

She was to report to her charge bringing both food and company. At least for a while, until she was to resume her duties ensuring the obedience of people in the city. The massive figure cast shadows over the clouds below, causing people to scatter for their homes and their business, for fear that the monster would take them away. In an eerie silence, Grace sat at the window, her legs softly kicking about.

Ai made sure to shift her form to something more appeasing. Grace had not seen her in her full body, she kept her Synth form out. Something simple, something the human mind could comprehend. Grace heard a voice speak up from the side of her, standing on the massive ledge of the window was Ai, leaning against the window, arms crossed, wordlessly. A tentacle extended a basket full of food out. Plenty for Grace’s day. The mutant stared at the human for a moment, before letting go of the basket, a tentacle softly yanking Grace away from the ledge as Ai stepped down from it.

Grace’s eyes glittered as a massive shadow filled her vision. She was quite possibly the only woman in Columbia that was happy to see such a spectacle: a giant woman with the wings of a bat stealing her sun away. But Grace had her sun for hours each day. Her shiny sun, and pretty stars, and rolling clouds she wished to touch. She had as much of those things as she did books, which was saying something. But Ai? She visited often, but never got much time. Grace always felt a rush to speak to her…she wanted her guard to hear the joys of her days, and maybe even offer her own, but they were hardly left alone for long enough. It made Grace so needy for company that she figured out a way to sneak into the woman’s quarters, much to her dismay.

“Thank you.” Grace took the basket gingerly in her hands, feeling steam rise to greet her fingertips. Warm breads and cheeses and produce galore waited patiently within. Grace set it down atop her bed and watched as Ai closed the window, excited but unsure of where to start. “Please sit. You’ve probably been flying all day…I think I saw a little of you this morning.” A shadow she caught at the very edge of her window while she was getting dressed. “It could’ve been a bird, though. I’m not sure. How have you been? Better, I’m hoping? My mother…she doesn’t seem very angry today. I haven’t heard her yell once.”

Grace shifted uncomfortably. She knew what had been happening to Ai for years now. She knew, and cared very much, but there wasn’t anything she could do. She’d die in her attempt to stop machines built for torture, and then who knows what would happen to Ai. If she lost Columbia’s precious lamb…Grace couldn’t imagine. In a way, the simple act of staying alive was the girl’s way of protecting Ai, though it was feeble. Her mother would still take her frustrations out on Ai. Grace cleared her throat. “The weather is beautiful today. It must be so wonderful to fly in it. You must feel so free.”

Ai’s stark silver eyes rested on Grace for a time, her expression difficult to tack down on what exactly was going on in her head. The mutant didn’t respond, adjusting her gear across her malformed arm, hiding the hideous thing away from Grace so as to not offend her. She stared at the floor for a moment, parsing the things Grace had spoken to her, before those inhuman eyes drifted back up to stare at her. “Freedom is a word that is extremely subjective, Ms. Donovan.” Her accent rolled off her tongue. Many of the scientists that were responsible for her creation had been Soviet, another reason the society of Columbia was considered heretical. She turned to inspect Grace’s room, something she had to often do as requested by Marianne. Look for any stragglers or intruders in Grace’s room. Not that it had ever happened, it was a cautionary measure Grace’s controlling mother took to ensure order over chaos.

By now, Ai’s wings had retracted into her body, going somewhere unknown. The matter of her guard’s biology fascinated Grace to no end, but from all the books she had sought in her quarters, Grace had never found anything that explained what Ai was. She knew why Ai existed, but how had remained a mystery to the young woman for many years. The guard looked everywhere conceivable, turning things over, opening cabinets and doors, but as she retracted her many probing limbs, things were left in their original spaces and places. Ai felt the collar on her neck buzzing and she winced. Marianne didn’t want her to doddle. She was able to hear and see everything going on through specialized cameras throughout Grace’s tower. The creature pulled away from the human attempting to grab for her, wanting Ai to stay. It only made her leaving more painful.

The human sometimes could convince her mother to allow Ai to stay, however, Marianne was still especially angry at the mutant for having fallen asleep on duty when Grace had read to her. Something Grace felt deeply sorry for, and attempted to convince her mother it was not Ai’s fault.

Grace had grabbed at everything she could in her attempt to convince Ai to stay. Her arms, her probing limbs, even the poor woman’s cloak. She nearly yanked the wings that sprouted mysteriously from her back, desperate to get her to stop, or slow down at least! She’d barely been there for a minute! Had she even sat down? Grace hated feeling so needy, but...she really had nobody. Just Ai, her mother, and a faceless staff that kept the cogs turning behind the scenes. It used to be enough for her to imagine the lives of people she would never see, but it wasn’t anymore. She needed more. Some kind of contact. Or even just reassurance that her circumstances would change. That was half the reason Grace poured so much effort into an escape plan she’d been working on for years. She couldn’t tell anyone, not even Ai quite yet, but she wanted to soon. She wanted her to come with her. The two of them deserved freedom, and better treatment, and all the ups and downs that came with living a normal life. At least, as normal a life one could have while living in a floating city. She didn’t know if she’d even be able to stay in Columbia if she were to wiggle free of her mother’s grasp--that was part of the excitement, too. What a horrifying and exhilarating experience would it be to run away from the only place she knew. Well, barely knew. She’d only ever seen a slice of it through the glass eye of Marie Curie.

Grace eventually let her go, noticing the woman’s hesitance to flinch away. Like she didn’t want the girl to feel that she was disgusted by her, or even avoidant. Growing up around her taught the “lamb” to watch her eyes the most--the rest of her face may have been stony, but vivid displays of emotion always danced over her sharp silver. It was just quick. Grace would have to really be looking to catch it. She did this time, noting a sort of pain, like the strange woman was at war with herself. Ashamed, the human took a few steps back, clearing her throat. What was she doing? She wasn’t supposed to be making her guard’s job harder. She meant to be that, after all. Not a friend or a partner, just a protector that would keep her safe, happy, and alive. “Thank you for bringing me food. I’ll...see you tomorrow.” She shuffled back over to the basket, deciding to inspect every item within to give herself something to do. She didn’t need to be staring at Ai while she left.

Ai left without making so much as another sound. The massive wings sprouted from her back as she reopened the window, and she was gone within the blink of an eye. Just like that, Grace’s only company, her only “friend” had gone again for the entire day. This left the human with plenty of time to introspect on her situation. What it was she hungered...craved from life. The human’s mother knew fully well how much Ai cared about her daughter. Marianne would argue far too much, too much to the point it made the woman uncomfortable that some beast had the eyes for her lamb. Like a savage wolf salivating over a young sheep for the slaughter. It made Marianne question if giving Ai such a blinding devotion for the young woman was wise, or if it would be the ultimate undoing of Colombia. The mutant reported back to a different floating island, her wings were put away, and she knelt before Marianne sitting at her desk, awaiting her orders.

She was to at all times obey Marianne, especially after the entire incident that had involved her falling asleep to Grace reading to her, interrupting her duties as “The Beast of Columbia”. She felt the woman issue an awful shock via a remote she kept on hand, causing Ai to buckle down further, clenching at her neck as the volts fried her skin around her jugular. If Grace knew the extent to which Ai was abused, it would probably change her perception of everything. Marianne forced Ai to consume a liquid that would intentionally slow the healing process, so she could go to bed with her injuries serving a reminder to who Ai belonged to. The Scientific Republic of Columbia. She stood, stone faced as Marianne began to chastise her again, and once the older woman had finished, she sent her to her quarters with no food for the day. That had been 3 days in a row without food. The mutant was beyond irritated, but she would never let that show. Not to this madwoman. She slunk off into the night, her groggy wingbeats could be heard, and the sound of footsteps above Grace’s portion of the tower. The two were separated by a floor, but Grace had found a secret way on to Ai’s floor the night prior. It was an incredibly exciting discovery for the islander. Ai curled up in her massive bed, a single blanket the only thing purveyed for comfort, not even a pillow to rest her weary head. She felt the exhaustion pulling her eyelids shut, until finally, a soft snoring could be heard from the massive guard. She was completely unaware of Grace knowing how to get to her. Marianne didn’t have cameras in that portion of the tower either.

Grace’s plan was to set up a dummy in bed, and wait for the nightly blackout where all power would be reset to rush to the secret area to avoid all detection.

Grace didn’t touch the basket of food she was given. She tucked it away in her cabinets, not even wanting to look, and occupied herself with reading until night fell. She wanted to believe she wasn’t hungry—she’d have more of her pride that way—but she was really saving it all with the hope that she’d be able to share it with her guard. She knew where her room was. Right above hers, surprisingly enough. All those years she spent wondering what creaked and scratched above her when it was really her dearest “friend”...it’d be funny if it wasn’t so sad. After what felt like forever, purplish light filled her room, tinged with the orange of Columbia’s sunset. A wonder some on the outside would gather to watch, as it looked close enough to touch. Grace would’ve done the same if she weren’t so busy constructing her “dummy”: a mass of pillows with frayed yarn for hair that would stick out beneath the covers she’d tuck it in. It was quite obvious in the light, but in the dark? The tower would grow black as pitch. Her mother would hardly be able to see the difference. Especially in the rush she was always in to move on from checking on her...for someone so important to her, Grace felt like quite the inconvenience.

The sky’s vibrancy faded into a more universal shade of blue, the temperature of her room dropping drastically. Then, the sound Grace was listening for: a resounding click. The buzzing of her lights came to an abrupt end, as did all in the tower. The girl shut her window as she was instructed to every night, and was left to her own blind devices. Or...at least until her mother came in. She needed to move quickly. She didn’t even take the time to change before visiting Ai, shuffling around her room until she found the basket. It was a painstaking ordeal to say the least, especially since she managed to drop an apple from within it. The fruit made the loudest noise she could ever imagine, one that choked her of her breath, but thankfully, no one came storming in. She plucked it up and shoved it back in.

The creaking of wood was audible from down the hall, boots thumping as an older woman made her rounds. She was quite annoyed at having to travel every day, hopping from island to island just to keep Columbia functioning. And that guard...that incompetent guard. She tried her patience every chance she could, and the depressing part was that it didn’t seem to be on purpose. The Beast of Columbia was truly a beast, an animal that depended on her direction to behave. Like a puppy that never grew past the training stage. Marianne’s hair was graying just thinking about it. She hoped her daughter wouldn’t add another stressor atop her growing pile and have the sense to stay in bed. She usually would, but...she was also far too adventurous for her own good.

Unfortunately for the woman, Grace hadn’t had the sense to stay in bed. She had managed to wiggle into Ai’s quarters, narrowly missing her opening the door. The girl watching as her mother crept in to check the status of a dummy.

Ai’s snoring could be heard from the opposite side of the room. Grace watched the creature’s side rise and fall, tentacles splayed all across the floors languidly, as if relaxing to the best of their ability, not having to be shoved in her body like they usually were the entirety of the day. Ai normally would have been able to hear a pin drop, but due to the 3 days without food, or sufficient sleep, it left the mutant exhausted beyond explanation. The human creeping up to the bed was mindful of all the dreadful limbs that softly curled and twitched in Ai’s slumber, if it wasn’t for how imposing and terrifying she was constantly, it would have been something Grace would remark as adorable. Ai dreamt of earlier times, before her patrolling became so painstaking, before all of the constant punishment and cruelty she was subjugated to by Marianne. Grace couldn’t help but sit herself on the massive mattress, the bed slightly dipping, but not much as it felt very firm. How uncomfortable. Was Ai afforded anything nice at all?

The mutant woke with a start feeling delicate fingers brushing against the scar that revealed her fangs. Her pupils contracted, and a hand darted for Grace’s neck, firmly gripping it tight. Only until Ai gazed for a moment longer did she realize it was her charge in her room, with the same basket she had delivered earlier to Grace’s chambers. Eyes wide with both anger and fear, Ai spoke quietly. “What do you think you’re doing here?” Her voice practically would have boomed if it wasn’t for her minding her volume. Her expression was furious. Did Grace just want her to be murdered by Marianne? Did Grace herself want to be? She growled in the back of her throat, tentacles shifting in the dark planning to restrain the human, preparing to bring her back down to her own quarters, and seal whatever entrance Grace managed to find to get to her. “Are you a fool? Do you not understand the trouble we will both be in?” She felt many of her limbs lashing, her freakish arm couldn’t help but reveal itself as it’s many arms and hands restrained Grace, her brows furrowed. “Why didn’t you eat? Are you losing your mind?” The mutant was very clearly exhausted. She was especially agitated by the collar on her neck. Something that Grace wanted to work on removing. Maybe if she removed the collar from her neck, Ai would not only be more willing to leave with her, but perhaps it would be more difficult for Marianne to micromanage everything both women did.

“Answer me, ягненок.”

“Ai, please-!” Grace nearly yelped, but the hand squeezing her was enough to remind her to mind her volume. She swallowed hard, throat pulsing against the oppressive warmth of her guard’s palm. Her thoughts refused to condense into one coherent stream. The woman was so strange…why were her eyes glowing in the dark? Why were her hands so big? What parts of her were human, if any were at all? “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t…be here. But please hear me out. I want to help the both of us, and I have a plan, but we never have enough time together for me to tell you.”

Much to Grace’s surprise, her guard was willing to humor her. She let go of her, and though her grip wasn’t exactly rough, the girl stumbled back anyway. She placed her long-forgotten basket on Ai’s bed and nodded to it. “I brought this to eat together, so if you want, uhm…you can take some.” She looked sheepishly up at the exhausted mutant, grabbing an apple and taking a bite out of it. “Mm- fesh froot-mmph.” She mumbled through a mouthful. Once she finished, she was ready to give the Soviet her “briefing.”

“I was thinking- and please don’t dismiss me- you and I both are fully capable of escaping. We don’t even have to hurt anyone. One night, we can sneak out during a blackout like this one, and if we’re fast enough, no one will know where we went. You’re human. You can blend in. It’s just…your collar. I need to take that off you. Could I see?” She held her hands out, wanting the woman to lean in so she’d have a closer look. She (begrudgingly) complied. Delicate fingers swept over a mess of metal and exposed wiring—a torture device, practically. Green light flashing as it awaited Marianne’s next order. Grace hummed. “I can remove it…quite easily, in fact. The collar is not very well made. But I would need tools that I don’t have.”

Ai released Grace upon feeling the human squirming in her grip. She narrowed her eyes at Grace, suspicious of the young woman’s volume should she release her, but she let the smaller being go, watching Grace stumbling back, a few tentacles darting to steady her out. If Ai was in her full form, her tail would surely be lashing right now. Thankfully for Grace, she had never seen it before, to Grace she was just a...human. A bizarre looking human, but a human no less. A sense of relief washed over the mutant. Grace really had no idea how incorrect her perception of her was, it was almost adorable if it also wasn’t so misguided and ignorant. She watched Grace point at the basket of food, shaking her head at her disapprovingly. That was Grace’s food, and she also didn’t prefer bread or dairy compared to her normally raw diet of meats or vegetables. Seeing the crestfallen Grace, she was sure to add a quick “thank you.”

As Grace demanded Ai not dismiss her, immediately the mutant’s frown only seemed to deepen. She opened her mouth to speak but Grace repeated herself much firmer, staring at Ai for a moment before continuing when the mutant had shut her mouth. Grace mentioned...escape? Was she insane? She felt a growl rising in the back of her throat, the tentacles that had their grip on Grace tightening. “Are you a fool? Это нелепо. You break into my quarters, then are crazy enough to ask me to help you escape? Did you hit your head?” She demanded the islander, moving from the center of her bed to standing to her full height. Grace staring up was only reminded how stupid of a proposition it would be to ask Ai.

It was as if Marianne had brainwashed her. That her sole purpose was to keep Grace in the tower, no ifs-ands-or buts. She had her Synth fist clenched staring down at Grace who walked toward her again, wanting to check on the collar around her neck. A poorly cobbled together contraption. Probably the work of her own mother. Perhaps there was a key her mother had on her person...she could try and steal it off her during a visit. Or, maybe, if she was capable of convincing Ai before the woman blocked her out of her quarters, she could convince the beast to find a toolbox for her to deal with the collar herself. “Answer me Grace.” Ai’s voice brought the islander back to reality, piercing silver staring down at her with scrutiny. “You will have me killed, and then no one will be here to protect you.”

“Please Ai, you’re not listening to me!” Grace whispered hurriedly, already preparing to be shoved out. “We are capable. The only tracking device I know of is in that collar. Once it’s off, we can run! No one would be able to find me or you.” The girl balled Ai’s tank top in her hands, tugging to demand her full attention. The woman kept glancing around to make sure no one would check Grace’s room again…she understood why, but it was still so irritating! Why couldn’t she ever detach from her job as a guard? She wasn’t treated well at all! Her efforts were compensated by an uncomfortable bed and maybe a supply of food (that Grace had never seen her eat), but that was it!

The lamb heard a growl from above her head. A disciplinary one, annoyingly enough. The kind she’d use when Grace asked far too many questions, or probed for knowledge she shouldn’t have. “You could be so free. Do you not imagine what it’s like to fly on your own accord? Explore the city of Columbia by yourself? You’re the tallest person I’ve ever seen, but you’re afraid of people half your size. Why? What about them makes them so big to you?” Them mostly meaning her mother. She orchestrated everything—she hardly had the time for her daughter because an entire city needed direction. A city that would be plopped into Grace’s hands once she came of age, all polished and wrapped in a giant bow. She was told many times that was why her mother cared so deeply for Columbia. Because it was the ultimate heirloom to her family…she planned a dynasty.

“Are you considering it? Please tell me that you are. Neither of us can keep living this way…not for our whole lives!”

Ai was growing increasingly irritated with Grace's efforts. The human didn't understand. How could she? She was trapped in her little tower, and spent her entire life there, ignorant to the world outside, and its ugly bureaucracy. She felt the stabbing pain in her chest seeing Grace's pleading expression. Grace wanted to be free from the confines of her cage. AI couldn't blame her. She didn't want to imagine what it was like seeing her fly in to visit, and fly out to leave. It must have been a liberating feeling Grace was envious of. However, she didn't understand how truly sinister things were behind closed doors. With Marianne, with Columbia, with all of the shackles and chains binding Ai. The reason she would never dare leave was what they would do to Grace. What if they created a guard that hurt her? What if Marianne punished Grace? AI herself could handle it, but Grace's body would buckle and break under the awful cruelty Columbia could subject her to. Marianne had created her best ally and worst enemy. One capable of keeping her daughter from any harm, but one that was also inconceivably dangerous should Ai ever feel Grace's life was in danger, or that Columbia should fall. Ai the older and stronger she got was becoming an increasing liability. She had to prove her loyalty and subservience daily, or they could take Grace away...or they could end her herself.

Ai gripped Grace again, this time more abrasively. She pinned her to the wall behind Grace, readjusting the limbs that were gripping her before she began to move toward the exit of her quarters. "You are naive, Grace. There are things you do not understand." She felt the human pounding on her back, begging her to at the very least consider. Ai didn't want to upset her charge, she enjoyed Grace as a person. Not that it said much since Grace was one of the few things she had. She heard the islander plead with her to let her go. "You must go to bed. Or I will be punished severely and you will be grounded. Do not come back here again." She carried Grace all the way back to her floor, gently placing her on one of her couches in the library, before she stared down disapprovingly. She moved the bookcase that had taken Grace ages to move, and she destroyed the gears to the mechanism that helped it slide, rendering the heavy furniture immobile, and Ai's room inaccessible. From that entrance at least. She glared at Grace one last time before existing from the large window on the floor up, climbing her way back to her small and dreary room.

The Foundation as Grace grew older had plans for her. Many to usher in a new age. Many that needed to be tested through time.

Grace was tearing up. She couldn’t help herself—she’d never seen a caged bird so happy to stare out from between the bars, dreaming of freedom but never striving for it. Ai must have wanted that, too…right? She wasn’t alone in that? She wasn’t a mere child throwing a tantrum over circumstances others would die for? She was given fresh food, nice clothes, and a degree of stimulation every day, but…it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. And Grace thought she was justified in feeling that way until now. She rubbed at her eyes, discouraging tears from falling as she made her way to her bed. She didn’t know what she was thinking. Of course Ai wouldn’t listen…she followed every command that was given to her with poise Grace could only dream of having. It almost made her jealous. Maybe if she stopped trying to rebel so much, she’d be allowed outside too…?

Grace switched her dress for a nightgown, finally preparing herself for bed. Hoping to sleep off the misery of having a proposal be rejected. She had tried. She could give up if she really wanted to, but the idea of blindly following her mother’s whims made her ill. She didn’t like her beliefs or her actions, as well as those of the Foundation. …What she knew of them, of course. The fact that it hid a wealth of knowledge from her all her life served to disconcert her more. Why is it necessary for Grace to be kept in the dark? For her to live in a facade expertly woven by her mother and the people surrounding her? Why was Dr. Bairn the only one who allowed her to peek into the truth? And why did he do so with the knowledge that he would die sooner than later? Grace wriggled into bed, clutching the silk sheets that tried their best to comfort her. To no avail, unfortunately. The girl had set her mind on one track.

She would escape, and Ai was coming along with her. She’d do the impossible and convince her somehow. They both deserved a world with no censorship, mistreatment, and impossible expectations. Grace wanted her own life, and eventually, Ai would come to realize that she did, too.

Ai was furious. What in the world was wrong with that woman?! She balled her fist up, hard enough to make her bones crack. She felt her jaw clenching as her upper lip curled, the rage boiling over. Why was Grace refusing to accept this was just how things were? Why couldn’t she just live with that!? She slammed her arm into the wall hard enough to send a large chunk of it flying from the window. She growled, watching the piece falling quickly past Grace’s window below, landing on one of the etched out hair curls of Marie Curie, exploding to smithereens. She huffed, leaving the open cavity, her window not even having doors she could close. The room was merely just some means of keeping Ai in a shelter, despite it hardly counting for that. She sat on the edge of her bed, hunched over much like a tripod. She felt her teeth creaking still, until she ran a hand through her long raven black hair, a deep sigh escaping her as she stared at the floor between her feet. Grace had to learn this was how things just were. Since they were children, Ai always had noticed Grace was fascinated with the sky. How far did it span? What places did it stretch over? She always would zone out, or entertain fantastical ideas. Ideas Ai had once entertained. But with those ideas, she endured scars. The one on her face especially.

That was just for taking Grace out of her tower. She had begged Ai for weeks that she wanted to explore the outside world. Marianne had found out that Grace was missing, and once they found the two, Ai was tortured for an entire month, locked away from the world and Grace, and forever disfigured. The mutant by now had gone to bed, stomach still empty, and chest conflicted and aching. She wanted what was best for Grace...why couldn’t the insipid human understand that? What was best sometimes isn’t the most liberating. Sometimes you have to sacrifice something to have something. Grace sacrifices her freedom for her safety. Ai however, sacrifices her safety for Grace.

When morning had come around, the mutant got cleaned up, dressed in her typical gear and uniform, and descended a level to do her morning rounds in Grace’s quarters. First she stopped off at the surveillance room, where chefs were to drop off Grace’s meals. This morning’s breakfast was a plate of steaming eggs, toast with jam, two sausage links, and a hefty helping of hashbrowns. She also noticed a few apples for snacking on throughout the day, a gorgeous, vibrant, candy red. And a few choices of oil and a loaf of bread. She collected the basket, feeling her stomach growl. She wondered if Marianne was going to feed her today. She winced at the thought of another day starved. She ascended the steps to the door that led outside, before spreading her wings, landing back on Grace’s windowsill on the outside, undoing the latch to let herself in. She crouched down slightly to fit through, hearing the soft clicking of many clocks, and the sound of crackling fire. Grace had lit a fire in the fireplace...but where was the human?

Ai stepped down, the sound of her boots loud enough for the human to hear, but still, no greeting or appearance. She frowned, a low growl resounding in her throat. Still upset about last night. She was not going to play these childish games. She reopened the window…

“Wait!” Grace yelped from behind a bookcase. She had been standing there the entire time, hoping Ai would at least prompt her to come out. Call her name, ask where she is, maybe even apologize for dismissing her so quickly the previous night…anything. But she didn’t. She was just going to leave to go fly around like she always did. The realization only had her pouting more, but she couldn’t let irritation get in the way of her task. She had to whittle Ai down into being interested in escaping with her. And if being angry didn’t help, she supposed she would try another approach. She crept out from the mass of books in all sizes, shapes, and colors, a hand gripping the side as if to tether herself. Like Ai, if irritated enough, would decide to fold her up and shove her into it. She was probably strong enough to do that.

“Is that for me?” Grace nodded to the food in the basket. Piping hot and fresh as always. “Why don’t you eat with me? Your stomach growled—I heard it. Please…I want you to sit just once.” Sit and think. Maybe she wasn’t considering anything because she never gave herself the time to! How could she be satisfied with living that way? Grace always had nothing but time on her hands, and it was unpleasant at times, but very integral in her forming her own identity. In figuring out what she truly wanted for herself. Did Ai know? Or was she drowning her misery out with orders from her mother? “If you sit, then we can talk. Maybe about what happened last night? If you think about it, I…well you’re not as angry anymore, and I feel you could really give the idea a chance now…and if you eat, would have a clear mind- uhm.” She stumbled seeing the growing displeasure on Ai’s features. “I’m not insulting you! I promise, you’re very…smart…but you aren’t using a lot of your brain. Not right now, I mean. You use it with other things…regularly.” She cleared her throat, shrinking behind the bookshelf. Oh, this was a disaster…why hadn’t she written anything down to prepare?

On the other side of the city, Marianne was suffering from her own form of distress. More anger than sadness, but distress, no less. She had carved an entire opening from within her schedule for that stupid guard. Where was she? She was late by her own standards—always bizarrely early to their meetings apart from the one time she needed her to be early. The matter they were to discuss was deeply unimportant to Marianne, and she would rather not waste time on it. A part of her daughter’s education, but nothing she’d save humanity with. She tapped her boot against the ground, staring out into the distance as she planned for every other part of her day. That is, if Ai didn’t ruin it before it began. And to think she planned on feeding her that day…

Ai looked down at Grace, her expression growing increasingly agitated with the woman. Why was she hiding behind the bookcase? This wasn’t some ridiculous matter of hide and seek. She stared at Grace as she continued to fumble over her words, only digging her hole deeper. Something she had done since she had known her. It was a nervous trait the islander had. It was like she didn’t know when to shut up instead of making things worse for herself or those around her. Ai’s wings were folded against her, but her arm remained on one of the window doors, the sound of wood splintering audible as the mutant grew impatient with her charge’s insistence. “We are not going to discuss this matter further Ms. Donovan. Enjoy your breakfast.” She opened her wings to cause a strong enough gust to cause Grace to flinch away. Within the time the human had blinked, the mutant was gone, the window left ajar. Why was Ai being so frustrating?! The human wanted to throw a book at her head for being so stupidly stubborn! The mutant made sure to stay out of sight of civilians, finding the floating island Marianne spent most of her time. It was the embassy where many of the high ranking officials of Columbia worked. Paperwork, meetings, plans, everything one could think of in the bureaucracy of science.

Ai landed on the balcony of Marianne’s room, hiding her wings away and making sure her arm was tucked away under the special drape her uniform had, as not to anger or disgust Marianne any more than she already was with her. Ai entered the room through the door left open by the researcher, slowly approaching the woman’s desk. Marianne didn’t even bother to lift her head or acknowledge Ai. She simply shifted a few papers, crumpling one up to throw it into the fire behind the desk. Ai knelt down, customary to her role in the Foundation, submitting to her creators. She didn’t speak unless spoken to, and did not afford eye contact unless it was explicitly requested or demanded from her. She heard the sound of Marianne moving from her chair, the sound of footsteps against the well lacquered wooden floors, until they were muffled on the woven intricate rug Ai kneeled upon. Marianne had stopped in front of her desk, sitting on the edge of it. The mutant could feel the woman’s eyes on her, and saw Marianne’s boots in front of her. She awaited the woman’s briefing, or at the very least to speak, her dread increasing the longer the mother of her charge went without talking.

Marianne took her sweet time waiting to speak. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to, anyway. The guard looked pathetic to the point of insulting. Knelt down in front of her like an animal waiting to be kicked. If she didn’t have a reputation to keep, she would’ve done just that. The older woman brushed past her, instead gazing out the balcony at the well-groomed garden on the embassy’s courtyard. A soft breeze kissing the tresses of her curly brown hair. “You are late.” She stated simply. “Get up. I don’t have the time to deal with your pathetic displays of servitude at the moment. I have a task for you to complete involving my daughter, and I demand the utmost respect from you. Any…immaturity I detect will have you thrown out of that door.” She waved a gloved hand passively at the exit to her office. “And I will have another individual assigned to help her instead. Is that clear?”

Marianne continued the moment she heard Ai’s grunt of understanding. She would normally press her to speak, and even have her repeat orders word-for-word, but her schedule was far too tight. She leaned on a cool porcelain railing, nails tapping hard against it, rounded to a point like talons of her own. Blunt, but harsh when digging into the tender skin of Ai’s scar. “My daughter requires a general education in all subjects in order for our plans to move smoothly. Unfortunately, I cannot be there to teach her everything. All I ask of you is to give her a proper lesson on her reproductive anatomy. It’s the only area of her body that her books wouldn’t cover.” She glanced back at the mutant. “I assume you know enough about this subject, considering the results from tests done on you and how beastial you become during your rut cycle. I won’t continue on that track, however, lest I become ill.” Her focus returned to lovely trimmed bushes and rainbows of blossoms. Therapy for her eyes after gazing upon a creature like Ai.

“Before any unsavory thoughts come to your mind, I would like to let you know that you will be monitored closely. I have cameras all over Grace’s room. If any harm comes to my daughter as a result of you losing control of yourself, I will have you killed. There will be no hesitation in that regard. I expect one detailed lesson, and after that you will take your leave. I hope that I have made myself crystal clear.”

Ai stood back up, straightening her posture out as Marianne demanded it of her. She resented this woman with all of her heart and soul, going as far as to consider the word “hate” if thinking of Marianne in her head. Ai would never say it outloud, nor would she ever say such a thing to anyone who would ask, but Marianne knew full well Ai’s feelings towards her were mutual. Humans were scared, weak little animals just begging to have their throats torn out, this useless wench of a woman was no exception. The only reason Ai hadn’t disemboweled Marianne much like other researchers that had interacted with her in the past was due to her relation to Grace. The only reason Marianne treated Ai as poorly as she did without consequences. She knew Ai would never do anything to harm Grace, killing her mother being one of those things on her list. The mutant kept her eyes straight ahead while Marianne spoke to her, not meeting the eyes of the older woman, standing at attention as she explained she needed something from Ai.

However, the nature of the subject caused the mutant to visibly bristle, an effect that was immensely difficult to successfully do. Her jaw could be seen clenching as Marianne used the words “anatomy” and “lesson” in the same sentence, trying her best not to meet eyes with Marianne, but it was growing increasingly more difficult the more the woman inferred that Ai would ever take advantage of the human. She was given the details, as well as a manifesto from one of the higher ups themselves. Grace needed a lesson on the anatomy of a human female. Ai was to be the one performing the examination. The mutant felt the insults of the old woman boiling her patience. Marianne kept on about Ai being a beast, a monster that only cared about carnal and primitive desires. That she’d let her rut get the best of her and devour the young girl. Ai felt a growl about to roll from her throat, carefully swallowing it. She couldn’t violate Grace like this...but she also couldn’t let a stranger anywhere near the girl. If it wasn’t Ai, who knows who Marianne or the board of science would appoint for the task, and she knew there were plenty of people fascinated with Grace, plenty fascinated to do awful things to her.

“Yes ma’am.” She spoke in a subdued tone, devoid of any kind of emotion. Ai had grown used to repressing the things she was thinking or feeling around people, Marianne especially. She had been maimed just for looking at the old woman supposedly in a “impolite way”. She kept her eyes ahead, still not looking at the woman as to not start a fight about “respect”. She knew how she operated. Grace only saw the maternal sides...she had zero clue what her own mother was capable of doing to her own daughter if she ever found out Grace had the idea of escaping. She would never speak a word of it to Marianne. She waited to be dismissed, having a feeling she was not going to be fed yet again. Marianne’s capricious attitude and awful disposition to her was more than telling of that. If the woman kept starving her, she wouldn’t be able to go on much longer without eating something...or someone.

Marianne huffed, this time shoving past Ai in her pursuit to return to her desk. Unnecessary cruelty she took pleasure in showing the excuse of a woman. She hated her from day one, and she was quite vocal about that—especially when her daughter was placed under her protection. The distrust she felt blossomed into anger, resentment that a wolf in sheep’s clothing would be entrusted with her precious lamb. A girl she gave no choice in the matter of being great, even when she was a newborn. She didn’t need her to be distracted. To be traumatized to the point of her brain breaking when Ai finally succumbed to her animalistic side. Because Marianne knew for a fact that would happen someday—sooner than later. No matter how much Ai pretended, she wasn’t human, and thus would never be able to care for one. Grace or not. “Get out of my office. I will be withholding food for another day. I don’t feel you have learned your lesson, if you’re even capable of doing that.” The older woman didn’t need a reason to be angry at her. Ai was alive and flapping her filthy little wings around her only child. That was quite enough.

Grace had busied herself sketching away her plans in her journal. It was given to her as a resource for her experiments, but she hardly used it for that. It was the one place she could keep track of her thoughts without the worry of anyone reading it—her mother showed no interest in her personal work. I expect a finished product, she would say, that is tested and true and ready to be seen by the board of science. No mistakes will be tolerated from you. The pressure was only a little overwhelming, at least before Grace began to entertain the idea of escaping. She had an entire numbered list down by the time she heard the sound of wings flapping. Ai…what in the name of Columbia was she doing flying so close? She could hit the window! Had she eaten? Oh, maybe she was delirious from skipping breakfast…she’d have to force-feed her an apple or something.

Grace rose from her seat on her bed, staring confusedly at her window until she figured out that Ai was trying to enter the tower. She unlocked it for her, stepping back as the woman pulled her wings to who-knows-where and climbed down from the ledge. Where would those wings even go, anyway? They were too big for her to just…make them disappear! Did she have a vigor? Were they mechanical? Or did she have a weird power like Grace did that made her sprout wings rather than portals? Her guard was so very strange… “You’re back? Why so early? It’s not…it’s not noon yet, is it? It only felt like an hour…” She murmured as she glanced at the clock on her wall. The instrument ticked loudly, garish in its build of crude gears and oversized hands, the only saving grace being its accuracy. Grace was correct. It had only been about an hour and a half. Ai wasn’t supposed to be there just yet. Or was she?

Ai entered the tower begrudgingly. She was angry at both Grace and her awful mother, but she’d take Grace anyday over Marianne. She was dripping from the rain that had begun to fall, her eyes exhausted, her patience worn thin. She felt Grace’s dainty hand gently grab hers, tugging her along to the lower level in the library, sitting Ai by the fire wanting her guard dried off and warmed up. It was strange the contrast between two people despite being related to one another. Ai felt a pair of hands gingerly push her back into the chair, feeling Grace removing her boots. Ai firmly huffed at her annoyed, but Grace glared back, insisting Ai took a moment to recover. The clock was ticking, and Marianne was watching. Why did her daughter adore the creature so much? Ai was a monstrosity, something concocted to eat the entire body of a person, leaving no trace, something capable of mauling people. Ai however managed a gentleness with Grace the woman’s mother would never understand, even to this day. Why did Ai take so much care around Grace? Wouldn’t it be easier to hurt the girl to get back at Marianne?

Ai watched Grace sitting in the chair across from her, setting down a book she had previously laid on the seat. The mutant watched Grace forget something, before getting up, digging into a crate near the fireplace to pull out a well crochet afghan blanket. She laid it on top of Ai who dwarfed the chair, smiling at her before sitting back down across from her. The woman’s smile hurt Ai’s heart with the context of what she was to do to Grace. She had to explain immediately. She didn’t want Grace’s hopes to be too far up during her early “visit”. “Ms. Donovan.” She started, her eyes stared unfocused at the rug for a moment, as if she were trying to collect herself, trying to figure out what it was she was going to say to the human. She sighed from her nose, her silver eyes looking up, reflecting the light of the fireplace that crackled noisily in the background. “Your mother has requested something of me. I must explain to you what it was she explained to me.”

She looked cold, but there was an air of discomfort in the way her eyes rested on Grace. Like she was having a mental battle with herself. Grace interrupted by offering food, insisting Ai should eat something. The mutant knew she was being watched, and refused her offer. “No.” She spoke in a low growl. She had to get her point across. She made sure to adjust the cloth covering her malformed arm, keeping it hidden from the human as she continued. “Your mother wants me to perform an examination on you. One that involves giving you a lesson in your own physical anatomy.” She died on the inside saying it, but she had to be as direct and sterile as possible. “She insisted I was the one to do it, otherwise she would have someone else unfamiliar do it.” ‘-and I will be disciplined severely if I do not’ she didn’t add the last part. She hoped the human would understand.

Grace frowned, but not in anger. She was genuinely confused. A lesson in her physical anatomy…what? She’d already studied that-? It was a long time ago, sure, but her mother never repeated a unit for her. The “future of humanity” wasn’t to be slow, after all. Grace cocked her head, unsure of why Ai seemed to be so…uncomfortable? Physical anatomy was just her body, right? Her lungs, her stomach, her hands, her feet. Her guard was tasked to give her quite the easy lesson. “But I already know that stuff? I studied it a little while ago. Here…you can quiz me on anything, I still remember.” She stood with her arms out just like the men in her old anatomy diagrams. “You can point or touch wherever, I can tell you about whatever you’re asking for.” Her confusion only deepened when Ai shook her head, sighing through her nose once more.

“What’s wrong? Is that not what you mean?” Grace couldn’t figure out what she could’ve meant. She knew about every part of her body, except for…

Oh.

Grace’s expression melted into that of horror. “You don’t mean…?” Judging by her guard’s silence and the pained look in her eyes, that was a ‘yes.’ The girl didn’t know what to do. Why did she- why did her mother- what?! Marianne refused to tell her anything about that area or sex in general because she deemed it unimportant! It was one thing Grace was grateful for! Why was it suddenly something she needed? Grace cleared her throat, cheeks heating up in her embarrassment. “Does that mean you have to touch me there?” Her voice came out more sheepishly than intended. She wished she was like Ai, who seemed to have no emotions whatsoever and was quite unfazed by the subject. Oh, why did it have to be Ai, of all people? Did she even have the same anatomy as her? She’d never…asked…and wasn’t sure if she planned to. Then again, at least she knew the woman was capable of being gentle with her. Her mother was kind of mean about everything, and the doctors in the tower…eugh. Most of them had been creeping Grace out since she was a child. Maybe Ai was actually the best choice for this, and that she shouldn’t refuse, lest her mother hire a stranger to do it. “I- uhm, sorry. You can- you can do that. Just please don’t look for too long…”

Ai felt the muscles in her throat tighten at the tone of Grace’s voice. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, like a tangible fear was slowly encompassing the room, that it would surely drown them both. She watched Grace’s eyes widening more with the realization, her cheeks darkening from a blush. The human was...embarrassed more than horrified? Why would she feel the need to be embarrassed? It was Ai that had to feel embarrassed! She was the one touching her charge! She almost shuddered at the thought of touching Grace in a way that made the woman squirm or moan. She didn’t want to make that mistake - no - she couldn’t. She didn’t want to imagine the sound. She pinched her eyes shut, leaning over in the chair to rest her face in her hands for a moment, sighing into them frustrated. Why did Grace have to ask so many questions and overcomplicate things? She looked back over her hands, a stark silver softening at Grace apologizing. Ai shook her head, slowly shifting the blanket off of her. She folded it, before tossing it onto the seat of her chair, slowly making her way towards the islander.

“No Ms. Donovan. Do not apologize. This is not your fault. This is something the Board of Science requested. Your mother explicitly requested I do it, otherwise the board was going to choose. I wish there was a different way, but there is not.” Her accent made her voice sound extra warm. It was much more akin to the Ai Grace was used to having grown up around. Ai was soft spoken, but stern, and she always picked her words carefully. Nowadays she always seemed so grouchy or short fused, not wanting to say much at all. The mutant knelt down in front of Grace, her hands resting on the arms of Grace’s chair. “Ms. Donovan, I promise to not hurt you. I will be as gentle as possible.” She reached into her pocket, pulling out a diagram of a female body, on the back of the paper was a handwritten note from Marianne detailing all of what she wanted explained.

Physical anatomy
Reproductive system
Nervous system’s relation
Female orgasm
Pregnancy

Ai kept a calm expression, not as stone cold as before. She didn’t want to freak Grace out. She looked down at the girls hands that were shaking, holding tight to the blanket Grace had rested over herself. Ai wasn’t human. She had rested with humans during exams and tests done on her as a product of science. She knew how different she was than Grace, she wasn’t sure Grace knew that fact herself.

Grace fidgeted with the blanket around her, the silence between them somehow more awkward than the subject itself. She didn’t want to anticipate so much, but she couldn’t help it. The “examination” will probably be extremely unpleasant for both parties. Especially her guard…she didn’t sign up to be looking under Grace’s dress. Oh, what if she’s dirty? What if it looks…gross? Would Ai make fun of her during the lesson? She hoped not…she never did that with anything before, so maybe she wouldn’t start? The girl tried to peek at the papers the woman unfolded in her lap: a diagram and a little list in her mother’s handwriting. “What are those?”

Ai held them up so that she could read them better, and the blush on her cheeks deepened. Physical anatomy…pregnancy…female…orgasm? Why was that one isolated? Why was it even important? Grace assumed she could probably…have one of those. She just never tried. She had better things to do, like reread books and decay from boredom. “Why does uhm- orgasm have its own category? Is it important for something? Doesn’t everyone have those? You’ve probably-“ Grace cut herself off the moment she realized what she was about to say. Common sense kicking in quite late. She cleared her throat. “…Nevermind.”

Grace could feel her curiosity about her guard’s anatomy grow by the minute. It was probably…inappropriate, but she had never been given a clear answer. When they used to snuggle, or when Grace was allowed to sit in her lap, she’d always feel something, but she’d always assume it was a zipper. Even if her pants didn’t really have a zipper. Would that even be okay for her to ask? She was about to touch all over her—it would only be fair. But the examination didn’t need to be hard on Ai… Grace sort of zoned out as her guard began to speak again, eyes fixed on the fire dancing within the fireplace. Crackling as if to laugh at the plight of the two “humans.”

Grace’s guard stayed silent for a time, as if she were enabling the woman in front of her to process all of the information given to her in a short amount of time, information that very well could have been considered shocking or upsetting to the islander. Ai couldn’t blame Grace at all. She was demanding the impossible. To simply lay down and remain comfortable while her esteemed guard and caretaker probed at her most vulnerable area on her body. She heard Grace attempting to rationalize the “female orgasm” note specifically, adding that Ai should know what that was, until stopping herself in thought. Ai’s eyes shifted while remaining on Grace, not confirming or denying any of Grace’s suspicions. Based on the tests Marianne had looked at both notes and footage of, Ai knew the female body well. Many of the women that had been used in all of those tests never spoke ill of Ai, many remarking the care she took. A reason Marianne suggested Ai first and foremost to the board, knowing the mutant cared for Grace, as well as knowing her daughter well. Perhaps better than even herself, which may have been a subject of envy for Grace’s mother.

Ai shook her head slowly when Grace had inferred that Ai would know, which caused the human to flinch in surprise. She frowned, her brow furrowed as she pointed to the diagram sitting in Grace’s lap. “I do not look like you. Not down there. That is why your mother wanted me to provide this lesson, since it has been voided from all of your books.” She didn’t understand why Marianne couldn’t do it herself, or a female doctor, or even some kind of automaton. Ai’s anatomy differed - why was she the one that had to do something so ridiculous and invasive? She moved her Synth hand over Grace’s left hand that rested on the chair’s armrest, the massive extremity was delightfully warm, and boasted that gentleness Ai promised the human. “I will only do this if you are sure.” She said quietly, too quiet to be picked up by Marianne listening. She would rather starve than hurt Grace. The human assured her she was fine with her decision, more nervous than anything.

Ai gently scooped Grace up, feeling the human’s arms and hands shoot to press against her to brace herself, lifting her as she stood. Marianne took notice of the care Ai took to not rush Grace, keeping the blanket wrapped around her, carrying her to her room. She ascended the steps slowly that creaked under their combined weight, the mutant holding the human close enough to smell the adrenaline and fear radiating from her. Ai softly hushed Grace apologizing, the sound of the knob turning to Grace’s room where she set Grace down carefully, allowing the human to keep the blanket as she stared up at Ai. “Take the time you need to. I will be here when you are ready.” Her accent was yet again such a comfort to Grace. The mutant eyed her for a moment, before taking a seat in the chair across the room from the bed. She was waiting for Grace to bathe if she felt the need to, or for Grace to strip down, keeping her eyes diverted to respect Grace’s privacy for the time being. Grace still had her question, and she wondered if her guard would be kind enough to be the one doing the undressing.

Grace chewed her lip. She almost wanted to take a bath, but not because she felt unclean. She was looking for any excuse to stall for time. Maybe if she took too long, she’d get out of the examination? No…not only would the two of them get in trouble, but Ai would surely be switched out for some weird doctor. One that would probably enjoy the lesson a little too much. Grace sighed, resigned to her fate. She would just have to hope Ai would keep her promise of being gentle. She stripped off the main layers of her dress, folding them and casting them aside. She left a final shift on for her own comfort—a thin, silky thing that could easily be pushed up. She had a feeling she would need something to grip, anyway. Especially when it came time for her to be touched.

Grace didn’t immediately go looking for Ai. She stared at her bed, at the wall, even at that ugly clock she was so endeared by. Anything to distract herself from what was about to happen. She tossed Ai’s words around in her mind. I do not look like you. What did that mean? She was a woman, was she not? She was always referred to as such. All of the women she knew looked the same way she did down there. She supposed she could…ask to see? It would surely make her feel better to have Ai strip down as well. She’d be less of a spectacle that way. The girl finally poked her head out from the confines of her room, clearing her throat to catch Ai’s attention.

“I’m, uhm, ready. I just…can I ask you something? I know it may seem strange, but…I’m really nervous, and I was wondering if you could strip down, too…?” Oddly enough, her guard didn’t seem to be displeased with her question. Not immediately, at least. Her eyes were so soft…gentle. Grace could’ve cried from the relief she felt. She didn’t know if Ai would find her to be annoying or difficult when she was really just afraid. “I kept my shift so I wouldn’t get cold, so you don’t have to be completely naked, either. I’d just like to…see you, too.” She cringed at her own wording. “Sorry- I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I- ugh. I just wouldn’t want to be the only one…undressed.”

Grace stepped back to give the woman room to come in, avoiding her gaze as she waited for an answer. She wondered if Ai was as shy as she was when it came to her body. “Have you…done this before? An examination, I mean. Did somebody have to look at you, too?”

Ai heard the sounds of clothing shifting as Grace began to undress in the room, keeping her eyes averted to respect the woman in front of her. She wasn’t some hungry dog like Marianne assumed she was. She had morals, she had a genuine love for Grace...platonically of course. She was her guard after all. Grace was to marry an esteemed researcher when she came of age to inherit the empire of Columbia. Grace spoke up, her voice sounded far less unnerved compared to downstairs in the chair. Still on edge, for good reason of course, but that fear sounded like it was melting away. Grace asked Ai to look at her when answering, and the mutant obeyed, her silver eyes resting on the soft form of Grace. Curvy, delicate, fragile in many regards. She couldn’t help herself from staring. Grace was beautiful. She felt a peculiar ache in her chest, one she wasn’t really sure of. Was it something emotional? A jealousy and protective desire to covet Grace? No...why in the world would she feel that? Grace was not hers to steal like that. Was it envy for the man that would have her hand? No...why would she feel envy? Shouldn’t she just feel a sense of duty? The more she pondered it, the more muddied her feelings became. She heard Grace’s request. She wanted her to strip down in kind.

Ai opened her mouth to protest. She didn’t want Marianne mistaking this as her taking advantage of her daughter. However, Ai knew the old woman could hear Grace audibly asking this of her. Explicitly stating that Ai stripping down would make her feel better. Safer. Would Marianne really fault Ai for obeying her daughter’s orders? She could care less in the moment if she was honest with herself. The old bat could kiss her left nut. Grace was more important than any worry of punishment at this moment. She nodded at the human slowly, adjusting herself so she could stand again, the chair creaking as she stood up. She carefully unclasped the fabric guard that shielded people’s eyes from seeing her malformed arm, twisted and pulsating softly. She carefully draped it over the chair behind her as she began to undress out of her uniform. Slowly, surely, nothing too quick to alarm the human. Her uniform, her undershirt, undoing the buttons on her pants. She folded everything neatly with tentacles as she slowly discarded her apparel.

Ai stood in front of Grace in her near full magnificence. The only thing in the way of full nude being her brasserie and her briefs. She stood in front of Grace, slowly shifting her space in the small room to stand a comfortable distance from Grace, allowing the human to take all of her in. Her immaculate skin tone, her inhuman body, her muscles rippling as she breathed deeply and relaxed despite the tense situation. Her eyes were gentle...it was an impressive sight as much as it was endearing to the human to see her guard as unobscured as she was. Beneath her briefs was the anatomy she spoke on. Just the sight of the more masculine apparel offered a hint to Ai’s comment. “You have me at your command, Ms. Donovan.” She spoke quietly, patiently. She was allowing Grace to do what she needed to earn her comfort for the lesson she was to teach the human. Marianne had a full view of the scenario. A lamb cornered in the den of a beast staring at her hungrily. But the more the elder woman observed, the more amiable and fascinating Ai’s control was. Perhaps she wasn’t as much of a hound as she always chided.

Grace couldn’t take her eyes off her guard’s incredible physique. She knew the woman must have been strong, but she wasn’t aware that she was built like a demigod. Her muscles rippled with each breath she took, all perfect and tanned in a beautiful shade of olive. Ai was quite an attractive woman, but Grace had never thought about her extensively until then. The admiration a feeling she always pushed to the back of her mind. Ai was to be her protector and nothing more—her mother emphasized that the moment she noticed them growing close. She stopped them from cuddling out of fear they would get other ideas. Grace blushed, glancing away from Ai’s body, not wanting to undo Marianne’s hard work. Ai was her guard. She dedicated her life to serve her. How disrespectful of her would it be to tarnish her image with such…indecent thoughts?

“Thank you.” She murmured, stepping back to sit atop her bed. Shaky hands tugging her shift up her thighs. She wasn’t as frightened as she was before, but she still needed Ai to move slowly. She…hadn’t let anyone other than her mother see her in the nude before. At least she could be thankful that her first time wouldn’t be during a high-pressure situation like her wedding night. “Come here…please. I feel I am ready.” The woman stepped carefully toward her, but she couldn’t help feeling intimidated anyway. Ai was a massive being made purely of muscle—any movement from her would be predatory. The sharp eyes and malformed arm didn’t help much, either. Grace’s breath caught in her throat as it drew closer, allowing her to see its squirming intricacies. Like the limb had worms growing from it in all kinds of strange colors…inky black and blood red with hints of a dark purple. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, but she reached to touch it anyway, an action Ai probably wasn’t expecting. The thing twitched as her small fingers brushed over it.

“Does it hurt? Is that why you hold it all the time?” Grace was just now realizing that she’d never actually seen that arm. It was always tucked under that cloak she wore. Her reaction probably should have been stronger—she should’ve screamed, or vomited, or at the very least shoved the limb away from her, but Grace was too fascinated. Ai must have had some kind of power. But how did she control it? “You’re warm…” She mumbled. “Everywhere. Even warmer here…” She prodded at the taut flesh of her arm, gasping as the wriggling ‘worms’ grabbed at her back. “Oh- you’re supposed to be examining me. Uhm…here.” She guided her Synth hand to the hem of her shift. “Please…take it off of me. I need to get used to you- uhm. Touching me.”

Ai’s weight creaked as she leaned onto the bed beside Grace. The human never understood why her bed was so large...until now. The bed was large enough to accommodate Ai herself. Was that coincidence, or was that intentional somehow? The mutant kept her silver irises on Grace’s, making sure the human knew she was paying close attention to her every expression. Any signs of discomfort, the mutant was ready to pause, or cease the examination altogether. Grace’s eyes widened in shock seeing her twisted limb, the amalgamation having multiple arms and hands on a single appendage. They all quietly twitched, many of the muscles and tentacles that writhed shifted upon the body heat radiating from Grace. She tried keeping them away until Grace was the one who had experimentally touched them. She grunted in surprise, feeling the limbs longingly shift around Grace’s forearm, softly tugging it into the mass of squirming flesh and muscles. Fully encompassed in Ai, Grace’s arm could feel the solidness and warmth of her bodyguard’s freakish limb.

Ai could see the blush of Grace darkening her skin. She didn’t smile, but it was a noticeable scoff that sounded from her. Like she was amused by the entire spectacle. She felt a tiny hand gripping her Synth one, looking down to see where Grace was guiding it. Toward the hem of her shirt. She patiently waited for Grace to speak, hearing the breathiness in her voice. The human was still very nervous. “Calm down…” She murmured in Grace’s ear, mouth dangerously close as the powerful scent of spearmint tickled Grace’s neck. She shifted her weight on her mutant arm more, her body pinning Grace in, boxing her between her body and the bed. She heard the human’s heart hammering in her chest noisily. She made sure to savour the delicate scent of Grace’s perfume. Something from France from the smell of it. “Оставайся на месте.” She whispered quietly, slowly moving her hand to the fabric. She felt Grace tensing, but the mutant softly hushed her, the warmth of other tentacles shifting across the outer sides of her thighs, gently lapping the skin. “I am going to remove this now.”

She carefully moved her hand beneath the hem, feeling the cushion of Grace’s underbelly. She felt each curve as her hand slowly slid up Grace’s shirt, hand resting on her midriff for a moment, until her arm tensed. The sound of tentacles bursting from her limb could be heard as they snaked around beneath the fabric, assisting the human in removing it.

Grace was enamored. She tried to watch the tentacles work even while the garment was being lifted over her eyes. How was she doing that? And most importantly, why hadn’t she shown her earlier?! Her body was amazing! “What are those?” She breathed, hardly paying any mind to Ai folding her shift and placing it to the side. She wasn’t thinking about the examination at all. Just the squirming tendrils that were nothing but friendly to her. She reached out, trying to catch a few between her fingers, but they continuously slipped away. Her grip wasn’t strong enough to hold them in place. “Wow…” She breathed, looking up at her guard. Immeasurably soothed by the scent of mint and clean laundry. Was she wearing perfume, too? She didn’t see any in her room…maybe it was a lotion?

“Am I going to see you, too?” She felt warm, massive hands sliding all over her body with a knowing air about them. Like this wasn’t the first time she’d handled another woman. It probably wasn’t, considering how Ai reacted to the question about her anatomy. “I mean…down there. It looks different. You wear different underwear than I do.” She shifted a leg to nudge at her, feeling…something, bunched up within the cloth. She flinched a little when Ai tensed. “Oh- did I make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! I was just…curious…” The poor mutant had opened Pandora's box. Grace had a whole list of questions for her before the lesson even began.

The two sat in silence for a moment. Most likely to give Grace a slice of peace before the truly embarrassing part began. She couldn’t say she was excited to spread her legs for her childhood friend. Especially when they both weren’t to be looking at each other in anything but a professional way. Grace was being saved for a man (or maybe a woman if the girl ever found the courage to come out to her mother) of high status among Columbia’s scientists. Not some guard who could be fired in the blink of an eye…which Grace wished to never happen. “What are you going to show me first?” She asked quietly, reaching up to Ai’s face. Stroking her scar in a request for eye contact. “You won’t do anything that hurts, right?”

Chapter Text

Ai felt the fingers softly brushing over the tender flesh on her right cheek. Her exposed teeth and jaw were a terrifying sight, and it was a wonder how Ai didn’t drool everywhere, but she must have had it under some kind of control. She closed her eyes from the feeling of fingers stroking over her tough scar, a sigh escaping her as she almost lost balance on her arm. She wasn’t expecting that to feel as good as it did. She groaned into the crux of Grace’s neck, tilting her head more to lean against the welcoming touch. No one had ever really grabbed her face like that, none of the women she had bedded. It was a strange, new, and lovely sensation she would surely hold onto the memory of.

Ai felt Grace exploring her arm gingerly, curious about the anatomy, its inner workings, the texture...the human was surprisingly unphased by the mutant’s limb that she always chose to hide, especially after recent tests had left it all the more malformed thanks to Marianne and her research team. Something another researcher by the surname “Kresnov” was immensely pleased about. Both people enjoyed watching her suffer to no end.

Ai felt Grace’s knee shifting on the bed, not fully realizing where the woman was placing it until it grazed her. She felt a jolt running up her spine, a heat growing in her stomach as she took a moment to regain her composure after Grace apologized incessantly. “You are...fine. Be careful.” She spoke in a strained tone, attempting to shift her hips out of the reach of the small woman. She still had yet to answer Grace’s question. “Only if it makes things feel fair for you.” She didn’t necessarily mind if Grace saw her genitals, her arm was what she had been far more nervous about before climbing into bed on top of the human like she was. The old frame creaked softly as Ai shifted again, her eyes trailing down to Grace’s soft abdomen, remarking just how lovely it looked in the delightful glow of candlelight. She looked back up at Grace as her hand shifted lower, to the hem of Grace’s undies. She kept eye contact, not breaking it as it fell eerily silent between the two women. Marianne knew Ai was proceeding as requested. Thankfully she wouldn’t have to have a complete stranger do her daughter’s examination, though she did detest the fact it had to be Ai.

Ai carefully tugged at Grace’s underwear, warmth engulfing the girl as warm, slender, and very quite malleable limbs slid beneath the fabric. Grace could see the indents of them as they slithered about eagerly, slowly working Grace’s underwear off of her body. “I must finish undressing you before we continue, Ms. Donovan.” The mutant spoke in a warmer tone than earlier, slowly pulling off Grace’s underwear to see…

Grace grinned as she felt the strange little appendages brushing her soft, sensitive skin. It was almost…ticklish, weirdly enough. Especially as they pulsed and squirmed on top of her. Big, winding, jet black snakes. Her underwear came away slightly damp already, lips shining with her anticipation. She didn’t want to be wet—not this early into the lesson. Ai hadn’t even touched her yet! But…she didn’t know how much of that she could control, considering the nature of what was going to happen. It made her feel better to think of it as a panic response. Her body just wanted to be ready. Grace avoided Ai’s gaze as she placed the garment elsewhere, cheeks darkening more by the minute. She hoped she didn’t feel anything ruining the cloth. Ai would surely think less of her then…

Grace instinctively squeezed her thighs shut when she was stripped, small hands bracing themselves against her chest. Suddenly, the thick cloth of her bra was the most comforting teddy bear in the world. She didn’t even register where she was touching until she glanced at her, to which she reacted by wincing and sliding her hands to her shoulders instead. An apology whispered under her breath. “How are you so calm?” She could feel her heart thudding in her chest. One would think Ai had tried to kill her rather than give her a simple lesson. “Do you give people exams a lot? Is that where you go when you leave?” She half-joked. The clock’s ticking was even louder as the other woman stayed quiet, like she needed to gather her thoughts as well. She never said much to begin with, but hesitance could and would steal her voice. Grace’s hand brushed her scar again, cradling instead of rubbing. Offering a sliver of support to prepare her teacher for class. “I’m sorry she’s making you do this.” She murmured quietly enough for her mother not to hear. “I’m not angry at you.”

Marianne wasn’t nearly as displeased as she thought she would be. She watched the footage intently, waiting with bated breath for the inevitable blunder. Be it a product of Ai’s foul nature or daughter’s bothersome curiosity, she was sure one of them would make a mistake. She was merely surprised that it hadn’t happened yet. The older woman scribbled down her notes, rough hands gripping her pen with a frustration she held consistently in her heart. She only wanted her daughter’s life to be perfect. To pave a wonderful way for her that she would appreciate when it was finished. Why did that seem so difficult? Why was there not a day the woman could have peace?

Ai felt Grace’s hands shooting to her chest, feeling hands resting against the fabric of her bra. She stared down at the extremely flustered human, feeling something in her chest melting at the sight below her. Grace was so morbidly curious about everything around her, she couldn’t help but blabber out what was on her mind without giving it thought first. She leaned in, her lips just shy of Grace’s shoulder and neck, exposed teeth softly grazing the delicate surface as she hummed in the back of her throat for a temporary response. This strange woman beneath her couldn’t help any of this. None of this was her fault. Ai didn’t even mind it all that much, save for the idea of scaring Grace. Ai didn’t like that idea at all. She could smell the human’s arousal. Fragrant, natural. She felt her mouth salivating, disgusted with herself, she softly growled. Not at Grace, but clearly the human must have mistaken it for that. She was really growling at her instinct. She shifted her hand down towards Grace’s nectar filled flower, one of her digits softly pressing against the lips to gently knuckle it.

She noticed an immediate reaction from Grace, the human bucking her hips and moaning louder than she could control. Ai paused, allowing the embarrassed woman to gain her bearings. “Slower Уважаемый, you don’t want to lose your bearing.” She reminded quietly, knowing Marianne was listening. She softly shifted her hand again, on the labia she carefully and quite literally, slowly began to knead Grace, hearing the woman beneath her gasping, her breathing uneven and surprised by the sensations the mutant was performing on her. “Do not be sorry. I do this gladly knowing it will not be a stranger.” She whispered to Grace, the soft sounds of Grace’s slit being toyed with like dough only growing louder as Ai began her work on her slowly. The poor islander was soaked.

“This is your labia, it is the outer part of your anatomy. Beneath the folds -” She paused as she shifted her thumb, pulling a small hood up to find a rounded bean sized nub. She softly rolled her thumb over it, feeling Grace’s hands shooting into her hair to pull roughly. She couldn’t help herself from smiling. Hardly noticeable to a stranger, but Grace could tell. “Is your clitorus. That is what helps stimulate orgasm for females.” She explained to the woman beneath her, hearing Grace’s shaky breathing. “And in here -” She paused again as Grace felt a large digit dipping into her honeypot. Ai’s hands were massive, just one finger from her Synth hand felt overwhelming! “Is where the penis, or penetrating object would go. Your vagina then leads to your uterus...where life is created.” She paused allowing Grace to catch up, feeling her own hardness growing tougher to hide, feeling the throbbing literally cause her briefs to shift each pulse.

Grace buried her face in the hot skin of Ai’s neck. She moaned again, better muffled that time, but loud enough to make her pleasure known. Her walls clenched and fluttered around the finger breaching them, nerves very much overwhelmed. She expected this to hurt. Why in the world did it feel so good? She felt Ai move, and the girl’s hand went shooting down to grab at her wrist. She wasn’t nearly strong enough to stop her—she just wanted to send a message. “Oh- don’t…” Grace huffed. “…Don’t move yet. Please. Too much.” She tried her best to think of a question. Just one, any one. She never had a problem with that before. It was like her brain had been wiped. Every throb of her core robbed her of any sense she had previously. She pulled away from Ai, a string of saliva connecting them as Grace had unknowingly drooled on her. She wiped it off in a humiliated frenzy. “Mn, sorry.”

The lamb’s body adjusted to the finger inside it with a surprising haste. Soon, Grace found her hips moving, rolling against the palm pressed flat against her clit. Her pace was slow, forgiving, but no less pleasurable—she could feel her nectar dripping down onto the bed. Ruining her sheets with a little stain Ai helped create. “Is…penetration all I need?” She finally worked the words out. “To make a baby. Wait- will this make me-?” Her eyes widened in horror. She wasn’t ready for one of those yet! Especially not when she was on the cusp of escaping! How could she ever bring a child into such a precarious environment? She smacked at Ai’s hand, catching a whimper in her throat when she jolted away. “I can’t have a baby yet! I’m not ready!”

Grace slammed her thighs shut, glaring up at the guard who seemed all too amused with the situation. Really, she’d hardly ever seen her smile before. What was finally urging her to? Her knee brushed the woman’s length in her panic, and the girl practically froze. Eyes widening further, if possible. “You’re hard here.” She applied a slight pressure. God, she was rock solid and huge! She could probably make a whole lot of babies with that thing! Grace didn’t know whether to be genuinely amazed or horrified. “Can I…see? You say a penis is supposed to go inside me, and you have one. If it’s okay, I would just like a peek. I want to know how it works.”

Ai couldn’t help herself from smiling at the innocent panic from Grace. She was nowhere near the human or anywhere near impregnating her. She paused, leaving her hand urged in between Grace’s thighs that were trying to squeeze shut. She slid tentacles in between to pry them open softly. “Успокаивать.” She mused, repeating herself slower in English. “Calm down.” She encouraged the woman to take a deep breath, feeling something jabbing her length again, grunting uncomfortably to mildly glare at Grace when she tested Ai again. “Stop that.” Grace jabbed her again asking her question if it was okay to see her. Ai stared for a long moment. “Look. Do not touch.” She shifted a hand down to her briefs, shifting the fabric. “Your mother will not be happy. Remember. This is only a lesson.” She reminded Grace in a mock cold. She didn’t want Grace to grow feelings for her, feelings that would anger her mother and the Board of Science. She wanted Grace to avoid as much trouble as possible.

“I am going to pull myself out. Do not touch.” She reiterated, staring Grace dead in the eyes for a moment, before earning a nod from the much smaller woman. She shifted the fabric around, so something massive sprung out. Long and veiny, the offending object was as large as a forearm. She tugged the briefs a bit further down, and something else moved from her clothing. It was far more rounded, large, and it sat beneath her shaft that softly twitched. It looked to be Ai’s testicles. Grace had seen what genitals looked like in diagrams and books, but she had never seen a living breathing example in front of her. Ai stared at her, not moving until Grace commanded her to again since she had told her to stop earlier from going too fast for her. She whispered quietly so Marianne wouldn’t be able to pick it up on the surveillance footage, surely already furious Ai revealed herself. She did, however, under the request of Grace, so she couldn’t technically attack the mutant for that. Though the old woman could see Ai perfectly, it served to remind her how much of a monstrosity she was, unfit for her daughter. “This is how I am different. I was made this way by the Board.”

“Why?” Grace couldn’t fathom how Ai lived with such a massive organ in her pants. “Does that not grow…inconvenient?” She stared down at her, it twitching as if to acknowledge her, too. There was a drop of liquid glistening at its top…what was that? Did her guard get wet the same way she did? She’d seen diagrams of penises, but their skin was always dry. …Did it have a smell? A taste? Grace caught herself contemplating the ethics of asking her guard to pour her secretions into a cup before she came to her senses. This was her lesson. Why was she treating Ai like a lab rat? She slid her thighs apart, finally bowing to the tentacles prodding at them. Her need slicked over her skin. She wouldn’t deny herself that touch again—she very clearly desired it. “Ai? You can…uhm. Touch me. As long as you promise to not get me pregnant.” She gave her a hopeful look. “You wouldn’t do that to me, right? I can trust you?”

Ai still seemed a little too pleased with her reactions. Not in a way that frightened Grace, however. Only slightly annoyed her. She couldn’t have been that funny—her reproductive system was serious business! One wrong move and she could end up inviting an innocent person into her tumultuous life. Though…she did wonder what Ai would be like as a mother. It was a bit of a cursed thought, considering how much her mother would hate for her bloodline to be “tainted,” but Grace was curious. Ai was nothing but kind and gentle with her. It made her chest hurt to imagine her creating a family with someone else…but that was quite normal, right? She was close to her protector. She just didn’t want her protector to choose any other charge. Grace felt the warm tips of tentacles exploring her, brushing ever-so-softly over her clit as the woman’s fingers returned. She sighed, her core pulsing in want. “Please, Ai…let me touch you, too. I want you to feel how I feel.” She whispered, terrified of her mother potentially hearing her. Of shattering the perception of her innocence that kept her out of trouble.

Ai stared at Grace, shaking her head slowly. She was not going to allow that. No. She didn’t want Grace to think of this as anything more than a lesson, and she herself didn’t want wishful thinking of anything more than what this could be. It was as if Marianne did it intentionally. Like she wanted Ai to feel a sense of hope. Ai had harbored feelings for the human for a time, but she had always tried to hide them. Marianne knew. She had seen the ways Ai would look at Grace unlike anything else. The woman would actually get Ai to smile, to react to things, something that was damn near impossible to do. Ai always remained cold, sterile, emotionless, much like an efficient killing machine owned by the government of Columbia. The mutant never showed much aspiration outside of finishing her tasks early so she could get extra time with Grace. Unsurprisingly though, being as Grace was one of the very few things Ai had in this world, despite having a “freedom” that Grace didn’t. In a morbid way, Ai was more trapped than Grace herself was, she just didn’t fully realize that yet.

“No. It is best that you do not do that.” She softly brushed Grace’s wandering hand away, her eyes weren’t cold, they were not soft either. There was a sadness behind them, but it was hidden well. She didn’t want Grace to fall for her. There was already so little to fall for. She continued the exam as needed, as if wanting to dodge around the subject. She didn’t want Grace to pry, but she felt the islander would. Grace would grow confrontational about the subjects that involved their relationship. Such as not letting other people affect it. “Keep focused. We both have a task to complete, Ms. Donovan.” She remained painfully formal. She felt her own heart ache at the words, but she had no choice. Marianne was watching closely. If Grace ended up grabbing her or touching her length, it would spell incredible trouble for them both. Grace softly protested, Ai’s brows furrowing in frustration. “I know how it feels Ms. Donovan. I will take care of myself later. Back to the lesson.” She spoke more adamantly, louder so the old woman could hear her. “Tell me if I am going too quickly.” She said quieter, moving her hand back to Grace, softly shifting things around.

Grace’s thighs slammed shut. She knew she hadn’t hurt Ai in any way—she couldn’t. Her body was too soft, too pillowy. Her skin simply squished around the strong hand invading her space, suffocating it as if to punish. She no longer cared so much about the touch. She welcomed it, if the need slicking over Ai’s fingers had anything to say about it. Her issue was far less concerning…petty even, especially in the eyes of someone like her guard. The girl just couldn’t help being difficult. “Don’t call me that.” She huffed. “You know me. You were only supposed to call me that when you didn’t know me.” The formality of it made Grace squirm. She wasn’t her mother, nor was she any of the creepy doctors she had to visit all her life. She wasn’t a member of the board, and she had no title to her name. So why did Ai insist on calling her such a thing? Ms. Donovan, like she was a person of power, a woman who wore tight suits and heels that clacked loud enough to echo. Someone that barked orders and never smiled. That would be Ms. Donovan. Not the girl with her dress off and legs parted to the hand of her guard.

“Oh, Ai, please…I’m tired of being alone.” A free hand slid to the woman’s hip, gripping her there carefully as to not bump anywhere sensitive. “And I’m tired of not being equal. I don’t want you to work for me. I just want…” What did she want? Now that she had the chance to speak, she couldn’t find the words. Grace frowned in frustration. “You. I want to be more than just…a job. I don’t get to see you, and I miss you, and…” She looked up at Ai’s face, searching for something, anything that would clue her into her understanding. Her expression wasn’t cold, but it was quite flat. Just like usual. She nearly missed the trouble flashing through her eyes—the war she wasn’t sure she was winning or losing. And it seemed Ai didn’t know either. “Oh, won’t you take a break from work? Give in for me?”

Ai heard the quiet pleas of Grace as she stared up at her expectantly. She was indeed having an internal battle. Was she to obey her charge, or was she to obey the woman that so vehemently threatened her life should she step out of line. Wouldn't stepping out of line involve not indulging Grace who kept insisting they both wanted the same thing, or would it be to go further than Marianne had commanded her? She felt her skin figuratively and literally crawling with anxiousness and a deep seeded desire to satisfy the human keening beneath her. She softly sighed through her nostrils, her eyes trailing to Grace's chest rising and falling with bated breathing. She could see the plump breasts gently shifting with each breath, Grace's nipples taut from an arousal she was neither ashamed of or hiding from her. What Ai would give to be in her shameless position, what she'd give to have this moment not spectated and private. She shifted her silver eyes back to Grace's soft hazel which twinkled delicately in the candlelight, shifting her weight on top of Grace. A tentacle had slid from the bed, slowly slithering across the floor out of sight, before lifting Grace's discarded shift to lay it on the lense of the camera in the room. Grace watched this spectacle over Ai's shoulder as the mutant gave her a silent answer. She didn't want her mother to see her indecently. She knew Grace would be bothered by that. She also couldn't break the camera or Marianne would surely shock her while on top of Grace, which would harm the human.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Ms..-" She paused, catching herself, knowing the islander chastised her earlier for formalities. Marianne insisted she used formalities for her daughter. She was beneath Grace, lucky to even have the job of protecting Columbia's lamb. She noticed Grace waiting expectantly for her to finish. "Grace." She finally corrected herself, swearing she could hear Marianne explode an island over. She hadn't used her name in so long. She was not allowed to. She winced saying it, feeling the woman's arms tighten around her neck proudly. "Your mother can still hear us. She does not want me to touch you that way…" She looked down at the woman she had grown up with, someone she dearly cared for. She didn't want Grace to be impulsive. She felt Grace's thighs shift around her, squeezing her tight as if reassuringly, feeling a hand reaching up to her scar.

Grace couldn’t describe the relief that washed over her as she felt the woman’s body press against hers. The warmth…the smooth softness of her skin…the muscles rippling against her. It was as lovely as the cuddling they used to do as children—the innocent hugs broken up by her mother’s interference. The harsh yanking of Ai’s pajamas. She wondered just how her mother would stop them now, since her guard had grown to be so big…would she still try to pull her off, just like old times? Or would she be even more cruel? Grace’s fingers traced Ai’s scar, taking in its bizarre ribbed texture. Like gums that had never been wet. How did she get such an awful thing? The human never asked…Ai just always had it. “Mn…” She moaned. “We haven’t done this in so long…held each other.” Her hands stroked the mutant’s hair away from her face. Wanting each sharp feature to glow under the dancing light of the candles around them. The reddish-orange was so warm, so gentle, just like she had been. Was Ai simply fire personified? “I missed it. My mother never wants us to have anything. I don’t think I care about what she wants anymore.” The statement came barreling out her mouth without any thought, but that didn’t make it any less true. Grace’s eyes widened with the realization. She didn’t care what her mother wanted. The girl, at least in one way, was free. Now she had to make sure Ai was, too. “Do you, Ai? Do you want to care?”

Marianne could’ve broken the monitor right there. A part of her knew she couldn’t blame her daughter. Not through any introspection of her own, of course. She saw Grace as a child stuck in a woman’s body, a person stunted by her lack of growth due to never listening to her superiors. She was obsessed with a life she could never have for the good of her people, and yet was too selfish to realize that. Marianne couldn’t be as angry with Grace. The girl would learn at some point, even it took years. But her guard? She was to be her voice of reason. She was to coral the girl when she strayed too far. And now, there she was, indulging her daughter just for the trophy of sexual release. Marianne was quite right about her. She was an animal. And how she would deal with her would reflect that.

Ai had reflected on that question for years. The contrast of her abuse with the tenderness Grace had always provided during her visits that grew seemingly shorter as the two grew older with age. The more Ai thought about that fact, the more she realized it was to prevent this from happening. The two of them growing close to the point of sharing a bed, sharing their bodies in the most intimate way possible. Ai felt her eyes lidding, leaning in closer to inhale Grace's scent, her eyes closing as she nuzzled into the touch of the young woman's hands. She adored those hands. They had always been so gentle, so unlike her mother's. She sighed into Grace's palm, one of her many freakish mutant hands gently shifting up to grasp Grace's wrist. She reopened her eyes to stare at the islander. Her eyes were so tired from the looks of them, stress coupled with desire had done that. She heard Grace's soft moan as she clenched around nothing...clenching…

Grace was virgin.

She felt her eyes widen as she looked back down at her erection pulsing idly, feeling Grace's hips squeezing tighter, forcing the massive organ to press flush with her soft skin. She caught a groan in her throat, before glaring. She took a moment to compose herself. "Grace. You do realize what happens when I put myself in you?" The woman beneath her nodded slowly, eyes still warm and caring. She knew and still wanted Ai. The mutant couldn't tell if she was flattered or concerned. She gently shifted two hands to grip Grace's legs. pulling her back apart as she stared at the trail of arousal Grace had managed to stain her length with, as well as the tainted sheets beneath her. Ai refocused her eyes on Grace's, a hand moving gently to her chin to grip it, making her look at her intently. "Grace. What you want me to do hurts a lot. Are you sure?" She questioned her further, seeing the desperation in the hazel eyes that stared up at her, feeling the human attempt to paw at her chest.

“Oh, please!” Grace whimpered. “You’re teasing me!” She was nodding frantically then, the clenching of her core growing painful. The warm air lapping at it wasn’t helping her much, either…she could almost feel the ghost of Ai’s touch. She wasn’t processing just how much having her guard inside her would hurt. She figured it’d be a little pinch, kind of like getting a shot. Everyone acted like those were the most painful things in the world, anyway. Grace’s hand wandered down, curious fingers brushing against the thick tip that rested against her belly. It was drooling that liquid down on her…the stuff that looked whole a lot like hers’. The girl rubbed at it, feeling the organ twitching against her palm. She was so big! Could Ai fit all the way inside her? Did she have enough space? “You’re wet, too. Just like me. Don’t you want to go inside me already?”

Grace wasn’t as worried about losing her virginity as she should’ve been. In fact, she was eager to get rid of it. The stupid thing was only mentioned during the uncomfortable discussions she had with her mother regarding getting married. She was to wed someone of high status—a researcher of some sort—and remain “pure” for them. She didn’t want a random person to have such an important piece of her. They didn’t deserve it. They probably wouldn’t show her half the love Ai did, or even the basic interest. Ai had taken care of her for so long…maybe she could finally return the favor? Even if something as oddly specific as her virginity was small. What was she even supposed to use that for, anyway? Why was it important? Grace’s hands tangled in Ai’s hair, mussing the perfectly placed strands. “Have you…taken anyone else’s before?”

Ai felt the delicate fingers tangling in her thick raven black hair, feeling her eyes lidding from the wonderful sensation of Grace scratching her scalp. She groaned softly, feeling her face dip into the cress of Grace's neck and shoulder, a long sigh escaping Ai as her tentacles on her back flopped over limp. God...feeling Grace was so much more than she could have asked for from the woman. Feeling the human's soft body squished tightly against her, dutifully and loyally as always. One of the things Grace adored about her guard was the loyalty that transcended her job. Grace knew how her mother saw Ai, as some animal to be disposed of. The only reason she hadn't been reduced to some froth mouthed beast was because of Grace's attachment to her. If it wasn't for how the human adored her guard, Marianne would have disposed of Ai long ago. The mutant heard Grace muse her question, wondering if Grace would be the first she took "purity" from. "No." She answered quietly. She had not taken another woman's virginity. "Your mother did use other...women for testing on me. None were virgin." She answered honestly, not sure if Grace would be upset or not. She felt the human's hands tangle further in her hair, pulling her head against her further, as if Grace were offended by the thought of her mother forcing that upon Ai.

She felt a warm pair of lips gently close the gap between her scar. Soft, careful, and chaste. It only lasted for a moment, until Ai felt Grace shift her hands from her hair, to the sides of her larger head, the lips connecting with her own...what remained of them at the very least. She felt her heart dropping from the sudden sensation, and groaned into the contact her charge provided. An audible sound Marianne could most definitely hear. The mutant had disobeyed her in place of listening to her blasted daughter. Ai would be tortured, and Grace would have hell to pay.

The mutant pulled away after a time, panting softly as she looked down at the vapid islander. a thumb tracing Grace's bottom lip softly as she remembered the question at hand. "You are not angry...are you?" She saw the love returned in Grace's own stare, hearing a soft giggle as Grace pressed her forehead close to hers. "Why are you laughing…?"

“Why would I be angry at you?” Grace couldn’t help the warm chuckles spilling from her. Her poor guard. What would be so upsetting about it being Ai’s first time with…well, a woman’s first time? She found the genuine concern adorable. “I’m not like my mother. I don’t get angry at every little thing you do.” She placed a soft kiss atop her nose. “Mn…and you still feel so tense. Won’t you relax? It’s only me and you.” And the cameras, Grace’s wonderful mind added, but she pushed the thought to the back of her head. She wouldn’t let it ruin such a wonderful moment. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so intimately close with Ai. It must have been years…yet her body melted under hers like it recognized no gap in time at all. She was quickly realizing how right she felt, regardless of what her mother tried to feed her since childhood. Ai wasn’t a big, scary animal. She was a sweet, soft-spoken, loyal woman she had grown to love no matter how weird her body was. And no matter how overly formal she would get.

Grace pulled Ai back in, lavishing her skin in butterfly kisses. Another on her nose. A few on her cheeks. A couple on her scar. One on her lips. She wanted to feel every bit of her skin beneath them…so warm and thick. A low noise came rumbling from the larger woman’s throat—what Grace thought would be another groan, until a little huff of air trailed behind it. A chuff. The Islander didn’t realize that was another part of her she had lost over the years. She would chuff all the time as a young child with her, and she would always ask what it meant. At the time, Ai didn’t know; it would just feel nice to do. She seemed to know better now.

“Oh, good girl…” Grace whispered, fingers returning to her hair. Gently scratching at her scalp. “So good. Just relax…”

Ai had let a chuff slip, and immediately felt her cheeks darken with embarrassment. The mutant had not felt Grace’s closeness in so long, to feel the tenderness and love from Grace, something she had indeed craved for ages, something Marianne was sure to stomp out as much as she feasibly could. The monster laying above Grace practically oozed affection, the soft little sounds excavated from her nary used throat as she leaned into the touch more, a soft sounding rumbling rolling in the back of her throat, akin to that of a massive man eating cat. She felt butterfly kisses all across her face, feeling the left side of her face shifting like what was deep inside wanted out. She jerked away, already concerned Grace had to finally see her arm.

She didn’t want her to see her face.

The girl never had before. Thankfully. She had only seen a darkened silhouette of Ai one night when she had tried climbing out the window to “escape”. Something the mutant was immensely displeased about. She felt Grace’s adamance, pulling her back, the islander wanted Ai right where she had her. “Grace - please...I do not want you to see.” She pleaded in a tone that was enough to break her charge’s heart. She felt the skin burning on the left side of her face from holding the more bestial parts of her back. She didn’t want to scare her. She didn’t want to be hated by Grace like her mother hated her. “Please...I can feel it-” She winced when something burst from her face, a hand shooting to cover it quickly. Grace didn’t have a very open window to see it, but it looked almost insect-like...much like a mandible of some sort. She softly growled. She was thankful her ear hadn’t appeared yet. She would look so pathetic with it flattened like a beaten dog.

Grace frowned deeply. What was it Ai didn’t want her to see? She had seen the woman’s face a million times over. Why was she so concerned now? Had her mother insulted her recently? The girl’s hands shot out to grab her face, wanting desperately to pull her back in. She didn’t want to lose that warmth and weight. “Shhh…let me see- come back to me.” Grace didn’t understand until she heard the sound of something tearing. She jumped, thinking she had severely injured Ai in some way, especially when she groaned like something pained her. “Shhh-sh, let me see. Show me where you’re hurting.” Her hand rested atop Ai’s, and the poor woman gave her the most pleading look she had ever seen. Somehow, Grace’s heart shattered once more. “It’s okay. I’m not going to be afraid.” She stroked over fingers much longer than hers. “Don’t hide from me. I’ll always be here.”

Ai didn’t seem convinced, but she released her hand anyway. Slowly, surely. Allowing the bizarre limbs on her face to come crawling out like the flexible legs of a spider. Grace’s breath caught in her throat, not wanting to scream and embarrass Ai further. Truthfully, she wasn’t afraid. More…surprised. She knew her guard could grow strange things. But those…the things on her face. They were very new to her. Grace kept her hand steady, the mandibles shifting around in the dark to brush softly against her palm. They were just as warm as Ai was all over, and twitched like the organ resting against her belly. The Islander, despite herself, decided to squish them between her fingers, curious of the texture. How odd—they were like digits themselves. Hard with a noticeable give. “When did you…get these? Are they new?” Grace had never seen them before. Apparently that was on purpose. Her thumb trailed over each, taking note of their shape, resting at the bases that melded with her skin quite seamlessly. She removed it only to place her entire hand within their reach—as expected, the whole set gripped at it with interest. “How curious…what do you use them for?”

Ai felt the insistence of the younger woman pulling at her hand covering her face and eventually rescinded. She felt her ear changing, but that wasn’t very visible in the dim candlelight behind her hair anyways. She felt Grace’s hand knuckling the bases of each mandible, her eyes fluttering shut for a moment, intoxicated by the genuinely fascinated touch. “They….are…” She trailed off to sigh, feeling Grace’s other hand had trailed to the pulsing member that rested on her plush stomach. Ai almost bristled, her eyes shooting back open to grunt in surprise. Grace seemed genuinely unbothered. That despite the monstrousness of her guard, it was like she knew something had been wrong with her body since they had known each other. Something she had known, just never seen. “...old.” She finished her statement. She felt the gentle tug of her mandibles again, Grace was pulling her down into another kiss, coaching her out of her shell. Soft ‘it’s okay’, ‘show me’, ‘I’m not leaving you’ brushed the pointed ear as the human kissed the finger like extremities on her face.

The hand still pumping her caused the mutant to let out another very audible moan, something that both chilled and boiled Marianne’s blood. Ai felt her muscles relaxing and tensing all at once, it was unlike anything she felt if she ever touched herself. “Grace -” She grit her teeth, eyes clenched shut in a wince as the human watched the freakish arm shifting, talons flexing in their digits like she was holding herself back still, tentacles lashing across Ai’s back as the human kept coercing her out. “Slow - down…” She felt the anxiousness bubbling in her gut, not wanting to lose her control or composure. Not that she’d ever hurt Grace if she did, but it would be gravely embarrassing for her.

“Am I hurting you?” Grace slowed her eager hand down. She just felt bad for allowing Ai to twitch and pulse against her…she seemed like she needed the contact. She stroked down at half the speed she was before, taking extra care to apply the right amount of pressure. The girl’s fascination quickly shifted from her mandibles to her balls. Those were twitching, too…did Ai like to have those touched? There was only one way for her to find out. Her hand left her shaft in favor of cupping them both, palming and squeezing until she felt the woman buck into her hand. “You’re okay.” She whispered into Ai’s ear, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She could see the blush spread across her cheeks. What was there to be embarrassed about? They were both equally indecent. “I want to see what you’re like when you aren’t so…polite.” She gave her swollen testicles another squeeze. Free hand moving to wipe the drool from Ai’s lips. “Feel better?”

Grace urged her down for a third kiss, insisting on it being a long one. Finally releasing her hand from her face to return to stroking the woman’s cock. She wanted to stimulate every part of her at once just to see what she would do. …Even if that meant she would pay for it later. Ai’s moan was muffled in Grace’s mouth, but still very much audible to Marianne’s cameras. The human wondered just what she was thinking. Of course, not too much, lest she dry herself up with worry. Oh, she will never hear the end of it after this…Grace nipped at Ai’s bottom lip, trying her best to shake the anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach. She was to focus on making sure her guard was enjoying herself. Which…she probably was, considering the copious amount of pre that she was dripping onto her stomach.

Ai bucked into Grace’s delicate hand, a low rolling sound escaping her, less friendly than a purr, and much more hungry sounding. Upon pressing her lips against Grace’s, that was reflected in how she reciprocated the human’s affections. She was ravenous, slowly losing her control over her composure. She twitched below in Grace’s hand, the massive size of both her shaft and testicles more than intimidating for the islander. She pulled away from the human to pant, her fangs glistened in the candlelight as she stared down with half lidded eyes. She felt the bubbling of her sides as more of her wanted out to play. She let out a pained groan again, resisting at first, until she heard Grace softly hushing her, one of her hands shifting to her side to brush around the area bubbling, hearing it burst. She grit her teeth for a moment, allowing her body to catch up to her mind, before a pair of starving lips moved to initiate the kiss this time, boxing Grace in the more of her freakish body she let leak out. Not that the lamb of Columbia seemed to be complaining in the slightest. If anything, it seemed Grace was more than enjoying the sights and sounds.

Ai bucked into Grace’s hand at a more steady pace, her loins aching at the thought of taking her dearest friend and companion. Would this damage their relationship? Or would it reinforce it? Either way, she could tell Grace needed her. She could smell her need, hearing her breathing hitch in anticipation the more she waited for Ai to finally have at her. She pulled her lips from Grace’s, a trail of saliva hanging between them before it snapped in the middle. Her left eye was that familiar gold colour...this was what that was. She watched the soft breasts of Grace rising and falling in sweet little gasps as she gave the human time to recover from her assault, before a fanged mouth moved to devour one in its unconditional warmth, her lengthy tongue rolling over the bud as she growled softly, her ear flattening as she snapped her hips from Grace repeating a soft ‘good girl.’

Grace whimpered. The sudden burst of pleasure was almost shocking to her, cutting through the warmth to lap at her just like Ai’s devilish tongue. She didn’t realize it would be so long—quite silly of her, really, considering how massive Ai was. She continued to paw at her side, feeling skin squirming with a fervor that matched her breathing. It was almost a compliment. Ai was finally showing her every part of her body…she didn’t know why she was so afraid before. Grace always knew she wasn’t normal. She wasn’t even sure she was human. More so now, as she watched the facade come apart right before her eyes—though she didn’t exactly feel lied to. The girl’s back arched into her mouth, greedy for the hot wetness of her saliva. For the lavishing of her tongue. She felt like she was being worshipped and taken from all at once, absolutely drowning in the mutant woman’s hunger for more.

Grace whined when her mouth left her only to latch on to her neglected nipple. Fingers moving up to roll and pinch the abused one. Her skin glistened with both saliva and pre…she’d be more bothered by it if it weren’t for the needy ache between her legs. She couldn’t focus on anything but that. She shifted to press her hips harder against Ai’s body, desperate for some kind of friction there, searching for the constant throb of her member. Finding it gave her enough bliss to sigh over it. She rolled her hips, spreading a thin coat of her own arousal over the frighteningly hot skin as she listened to Ai’s groan in response. Moaning as a no verbal plea for more.

Ai felt the human squirming beneath her, and something instinctive in her head snapped. She let out a low growl, her many limbs shifting to box in and pin the human beneath her, gently shifting Grace’s weight so she faced away from her. She didn’t want the human to take it as her being disingenuous either, she knew what was to come would be immensely taxing for Grace’s body, and this position would afford her more control over the situation. She pulled Grace closer to her, her lower set of arms gently peeling her thighs apart to wedge her length between, creating the friction Grace so desperately desired. She hunched over the islander, her warmth enveloping her in a wonderful comfort as a mouth pinned Grace’s soft shoulder with fangs, careful not to puncture or pierce her. A low drone vibrated in Ai’s chest as a chuff puffed against the human, the vice grip of Ai’s jaws demanding and primal. “Don’t. Move.” She grunted quietly, talons flexing in their digits as she held the human in place. A quiet wince was heard from the mutant as she tensed, until Grace felt something of a similar hardness and length pressed against her backside.

The length pressed rightly against her folds and in between her thighs pulsed painfully, and the one behind the islander did the same...was there two? How was that even possible? Grace had not the simplest clue of what Ai’s body was capable of, let alone why it was capable in the first place. She eventually let Grace go, thrusting herself against the human’s core opening for the needy friction Grace so desired. She was going to take Grace both ways, the more she thought about the inevitable pain she would be in, the more she thought of a way to combat it. She kissed the human’s shoulder, tentacles had slithered around Grace’s plump breasts, rolling her taut nipples softly. She loosened her grip on the much smaller woman, enabling her to position herself whichever way she desired, be it facing Ai, or repositioning how she was facing away from her.

Grace took a moment to recover, left breathless by Ai’s constant teasing. A string of her need remaining attached to the mutant’s tip. She used her brief moment of reprieve to think over the position she wanted. Did she need Ai to squish her down and have at her from behind? Did she want to crawl in the comfortable expanse of her lap? Or did she want to return to the original, with her left helpless on her back? Grace swallowed thickly. She wouldn’t make either of them wait any longer. She reached back, tugging at Ai’s mandible to urge her closer. She’d allow her to crush her from behind. It was a…compromising position, to say the least, but Grace wanted to hide her face. She knew she was about to embarrass herself via her uncontrollable expressions. Now she was the one in hiding. “Please…like this.” She groaned, pulling a pillow close to her body. Blunt nails digging into its forgiving cushion.

The human heard a simple grunt in response, then was swallowed by an oppressive heat and weight. Ai balanced herself carefully, not wanting to suffocate the fragile girl to death, but she made sure to assert herself. Two blunt tips pressed against her tight, virgin openings, both somehow still unprepared for the breach they will soon experience. Grace braced herself mentally…Ai already felt so thick. How was she going to handle her? It was going to hurt more than she originally thought, wasn’t it? She felt the woman’s tentacles begin to swirl again as if to comfort her. That, or to urge her already dripping core to lubricate further. “Do you feel…ready…?” She panted.

Ai’s tentacles had something particular in mind. The limbs carefully coerced Grace open as she hunched her heavy body over the human more, crushing her against her, though not resting on the bed. She narrowed her eyes as the tips experimentally slid across both openings, softly pressing their tips in before both shafts. She kissed along Grace’s throat, allowing the human to thread her fingers in her hair as she subtly tensed. Grace felt a peculiar sensation below. The tentacles pumped a warm liquid substance in and around Grace carefully, not desiring to freak her out, or to make anymore of a mess than what was already planned for the evening. As Grace looked up, the thunderous boom echoed in the tower, as a flash of lightning painted the massive beast’s silhouette on the wall in front of her, tentacles curling languidly in the dark. Ai finally spoke after a time, the strange liquid pattering the soft bed sheets beneath Grace as she took her time to answer. “I have been ready for a long time.” She stated simply. Grace could hear the mutant’s deep breathing just by her ear as the woman leaned closer to speak again.

“Ты?” She crooned in a tone Grace was not entirely familiar with coming from the guard. Was that lust? Was it her toying with her? Endearment? What in the world was that?

She shifted her soft appendages deeper, not too invasive, but enough to prove her point. She gently moved her Synth hand to press Grace’s cheek into the pillow she was clutching so dearly, as she used her lower sets of arms to raise her rear. This enabled whatever her body secreted to ooze only deeper. “Give it time. It will help you.” She whispered quietly, still very conscious of the fact Grace’s terrible mother could still be listening. She didn’t care at this point. She cared about satiating her charge, giving Grace what she needed. “Relax.” She commanded, still feeling the anxious tenseness in Grace’s shoulders from how foreboding the creature was. The human couldn’t help that instinct. “I will do slow, да? If I hurt you, you need to tell me right away.” She watched the human nodding frantically. She took her time to position herself. The blunt tips were massive, but as the liquid sat within Grace warmly, the more she noticed her insides dilating, welcoming more of Ai as she gently began to press…

Grace let out a long, low moan, gripping her pillow until her knuckles were white. She wasn’t trying to be as dramatic as she looked. It was just so much, even if she had barely pushed her tips in. Whatever liquid she spilled inside her was certainly helping, but Grace’s body was still small. And she was still, most inconveniently, a virgin. She felt Ai purring softly against her—a comforting rumble coupled with the storm outside. She wondered if the weather was some kind of omen. That after the bliss, she had another storm coming…one in the form of her mother coping with the fact that she had given her purity away. To her guard, no less. She relaxed her grip on the pillow upon hearing Ai hush her, as well as realizing just how painful it was to hold it. She felt like she was being swallowed whole. Buried almost entirely in Ai’s warmth, heat, and…musk? She could smell something wonderful radiating off her, something she never really noticed before—a sweet, minty scent. Did she put something on? But her guard wasn’t allowed any luxuries as per her awful mother’s request…?

Grace felt Ai shoving in deeper inch by inch at a torturously slow speed. She could feel her cocks pulsing angrily, only stretching her further in their desperate bid for her tightness. She was starting to feel the pain Ai had mentioned earlier—her core was spasming, unsure if it wanted to suck the woman in or push her out. The ache began as soon as her tip had seated within her, and though Ai paused to give her a break, it still hurt quite a bit. She let out another groan, suppressing her urge to squirm, though it would win in just a moment. As soon as Ai decided to introduce even more of her…

“Oh, wait- wait!” She gasped upon feeling the mutant shift within her. The dull ache sharpening into something much worse. “Please- it hurts!” She could practically feel her mother bristling at the words, or the I told you so she was thinking. For all she knew, Ai was taking advantage of a girl who let her curiosity get in the way of her brain. The human grasped at the pillow again, needing to catch her breath. She felt a tongue lapping over her throat and shoulder. “Mn…so big…so much…” She was only just registering the fullness in her rear end, which honestly wasn’t as unpleasant. The stretch only burned a little. Ai had begun to pull back, probably out of concern, but Grace’s hand flew to grab at a mandible. “N-no- stay-! Stay…I can handle it. I promise…”

Ai knew what to expect, but it still took her by surprise hearing the younger woman’s breathy voice raising in a mild panic. She immediately stopped, her eyes widened as Grace shifted on the pillow beneath her, seemingly winded from her plea. She felt awful looking at the sight of her broken charge. That was it, her hymen was torn...well, beginning to. The mutant lifted herself from Grace, ready to pull herself out, when she felt a tug on her mandible, pulling her head back over her shoulder. She was surprised to hear Grace beg her to stay. The islander begged; that she simply needed time to grow used to it. “Grace...do I need to pull out-” She heard the younger woman exclaim a loud ’Stay!’. Ai paused, patiently waiting for Grace to gain her bearings against her, small mewls and whines of pain very audible to the woman surveying them both. “Grace - tell me what you need.”

She shifted carefully to not disturb her two members lodged in both holes, gently tugging her hips closer so Grace could rest one of her palms against Ai’s thigh. She kissed her shoulder, the tentacles swirling across the human’s breasts grew still as the room filled with a pregnant silence. Save for Grace’s pained breathing, the soft flickering of candles, and the pattering of rain against the statue tower. What a wicked comfort, the place they had spent both so much of their time in when they were younger would be the place they did this of all things. The most intimate act one could perform with another. One Grace’s mother had forbidden, lest the lamb of Columbia be corrupted or slain by sin. Ai’s mismatched irises burned into the back of Grace’s curly hair, drinking in the sight beneath her. The soft curve of her form, the delicate skin on her shoulders, the gentleness of her hazel eyes. She adored the human despite being punished for it. Her love transcended whatever petty fear Dr. Donovan could instil in her. Grace whined her name again, and she hummed in response. “Tell me what you need…” The tenderness in Ai’s voice was undeniably there. The mutant cared for her charge, that was something the researcher could not deny at this point. That the monster would never do anything to harm her daughter. “Slow...or stop?”

“Mnnn- slow.” Grace forced out. “Please d-don’t stop..” Beneath the thick veil of pain, the human could feel something else within her. Something dull and gentle and pushed far too deep for Ai to reach: the beginnings of pleasure. Grace would just need to bear a little more…enough for the dam to be broken. She buried her face in the pillow resting beneath her, wrapping her arms around it for support. “Mneed you deeper. Please…” She groaned. Ai obeyed her command, albeit with some level of worry. She didn’t want to tear her to pieces. But Grace was adamant, and she wouldn’t let her out until she hilted in both ends. She wanted to reserve her purity for Ai and Ai only. Tears pricked her eyes as the mutant pushed in more, the pain only growing more and more intense. A part of the Islander wished she would just..rip the band-aid off. Shove in with as much force as humanly possible so it wouldn’t hurt anymore. Grace tried her best to focus on the pattering rain, and the softness of her pillow, and the sweet, intoxicating scent of Ai, and-

Oh-!

Grace let out an uncontrollable wail of pain as she felt something snap within her. Her hymen…Ai had finally broken it. Oh, the pain was unbearable for just a moment, but it had quickly begun to ebb back into an ache. The mutant had paused, panting loudly above her, the smell of blood curling into her nostrils. It was done. She had Grace’s body all to herself. “Ohh- owww.” The small human whined. “Don’t pull- don’t pull out. Please. Keep going.” She felt a little sore, but she didn’t want to stop. Not yet. Not before she started to feel good. She wiggled her hips, urging Ai to move. Gritting her teeth as a bizarre mix of pain and pleasure shot through her as a result. “It’ll feel better now…right…?” The poor thing already sounded exhausted.

Ai did smell blood in the water. The woman was broken, she was no longer what humans would call “pure”. She felt Grace yelp beneath her, pausing again, her ear flattening from the awful sound as the human took a few minutes to breathe in her shock. The pain was indeed far more uncomfortable than Grace had imagined it to be, probably another reason Ai had continued so slowly. The mutant panted, trying her best to suppress it for her dear friend. She felt that would be in poor taste while Grace wriggled around in pain beneath her. She felt Grace eventually shoving her own hips back into hers, craving so desperately for Ai to move again. She softly sighed, readjusting her grip onto Grace as the scent of blood filled her nostrils further. She would take great care that she’d clean up and remedy any persisting aches Grace had after.

For now, she had to focus on pressing further for the keening human.

Ai quite torturously ground her hips against Grace, as if she was sawing her way into both holes slowly, inch by inch, vein by vein. The feeling of the mutant only made the human grow fuller and breathless by the minute. Ai grunted, her body tensing again when Grace felt a warmth fill her. Ai had came from the tightness and the amount of time it was taking. It had already been 10 minutes since she had first inserted herself. She heard Grace whine a soft ‘sorry’, as if she was upset she wasn’t fulfilling Ai. The mutant quietly hushed her, brushing hair from Grace’s face as a hand gently tilted her chin back enough to kiss Ai comfortably. The sound of lips could be heard over the speaker. What they didn’t know was just how fuming Grace’s mother truly was. “No shame...you are doing your best, крошка. Deep breathing.” She reminded as she slowly pushed deeper. That was another two inches. How much of Ai was left, Grace did not know. All she knew was she felt an overwhelming sense of protection under her, right where she was, marked by a musk and claim of her first.

Ai felt like there was no end to her. The girl groaned softly when she felt something hot fill her up, unsure whether it hurt to be stuffed further or felt good. She decided it was both. The embarrassment came when she realized Ai had been left to seat inside her for too long—she couldn’t control how wonderful her own body felt. Ai didn’t seem to mind, but…Grace didn’t want to leave her unsatisfied. After her apology was hushed, she urged her deeper, just wanting her to get to a point where she could thrust normally. She didn’t want to be tiring. She must have had such an easy time with those other women she slept with…she wondered if she was thinking of them. Comparing them to her, even in a neutral way. She figured not. Ai seemed far too focused on not ripping her in half. The woman was so dedicated…it could be as comforting as it was frustrating sometimes. She bit her bottom lip, the sound of the mess that had been made of her entrances growing more and more audible. Ai had finished into both at once. The extra lubricant was appreciated, at least. Grace could feel the ache dull a little as if to make up for the indecency.

She moaned the woman’s name at one particular roll of her hips. The first she could say didn’t hurt quite as much. It was surprising, and it certainly reflected in the sound that was squeezed out of her. She must have hit some sort of sweet spot, or her body was simply growing accustomed to being impaled by the massive intrusion. Either way, it had Grace whimpering for her to do it again. And in her usual obedient fashion, she did. Over, and over, and over again. The Islander found her breath leaving once more—a far better agony than the one before. She didn’t even realize how much deeper Ai was digging into her. The pleasure had begun to meld with and mask the pain. Or the pain perhaps enhanced the pleasure in its own way…? Grace’s holes both clenched hard around Ai’s shaft, trying their hardest to pull even more of her in. How much did Ai even have left? The lamb had no clue. She had lost track long ago. But she didn’t care all that much anymore, either. “Oh…?” She groaned, still sounding a little confused at her body’s complete 180.

Ai gripped at Grace’s hips a tad rougher than what she had been doing, asserting herself over the human. She was indeed taking extra care of her, but she also didn’t forget her role either. She was her protector and devout guard, she was to serve her charge dutifully. What Grace said was her command. She heard the soft moans for more, and obliged the woman, trusting her judgement as she pushed deeper. Grace was no child, nor were her choices clouded by fear or pain. She was slowly growing accustomed to her adult life, despite being locked away in the tower. Grace wanted more than that. Which was why the woman planned on forcing Ai to come with her. All of this was a ploy to anger her mother enough to attack Ai. If her mother lashed out at her, or sent people to, Ai would have no choice but to entertain Grace’s dream of finally fleeing from the oppressive city in the sky. All the places she could see, the people she could meet...all of that experienced with her dear Ai. Her Ai that was buried 8 inches each hole.

The mutant let out a drawn out groan as she slowly picked her pace up, snapping her hips now, albeit gently. The wet sounds of clapping and smacking were extremely audible, and the mutant didn’t care to hide them at this point. She knew she loved Grace, and Grace had asked for this explicitly. To be punished for doing her job as well as taking care of her friend she would rather face the consequences than ignore the human’s desperate pleas. Especially after having come as far as they have at this point. She couldn't tear into Grace and leave her like that. She had to ensure the human orgasmed at the very least, that way she walked away with a positive experience. “Mmn...just like that...do you want me deeper?” She spoke with a devilish purr, her lips finding Grace’s ear lobe as fangs gently pinched, a lengthy tongue slithering from her mouth to ghost across her jawline. “Tell me how much you like it...I’ll only give you more.”

“Oh god-“ Grace gasped. She had grown so used to the slower pace that Ai picking it up was a genuine shock. “Yes-! Ple-ease, more!” She felt like the woman was crushing the air out of her lungs with each thrust, though she was only halfway in. There was just so much of her. So much lubricant, so much cum, so much length. Grace was drowning in her. And the overwhelming pain had parted into an equally overwhelming pleasure. She groaned as the woman gripped her hips even harder, driving her further into the bed as she gave her just what she wanted. Or rather, needed. Burying two more inches with the next few delicious rolls of her hips. Oh, how had her friend become so good at this? Where had her childhood innocence gone? “Oh, Ai- y-yes!” She clenched around her members in approval, squeezing enough to wring a groan from her. She wanted to make her orgasm again. To prove to her that her body was capable of doing more than just being tight. She buried her face in her pillow, muffling the next long, wanton groan that bubbled from her throat.

Of course, Grace noticed something else was wrong in a moment’s time. Her eyebrows knit in frustration, even while she was drooling on her pillow from the sensations numbing her brain. She felt good, incredible even, but something was missing. She could feel a buildup of pleasure within her, but…it didn’t feel right. It was building, and building, and building, but never collapsing, and it was starting to make the girl squirm. It hurt, but not in any sharp way. It was more irritating than excruciating. “Oh- Ai- wait-!” She whimpered. “I can’t- Oh, please, Ai, I’m so close but I can’t-“ Her whole body was wiggling now, trying her best to disturb Ai’s iron grip. To no avail, of course. “Mn- Aiii!” Her voice had grown high from the sheer neediness she felt. If she were in her right mind, it probably would’ve been the most annoying sound in the world to her. She felt Ai slowing down, and oh, was she not happy about that. So many things felt just awful! “N-no, don’t stop. Please don’t stop- so close..!”

AI felt the little human clenching around her shafts like a vice, which caused her to bare her teeth against her shoulder. A low growl escaped her, ear flattening hearing the shrillness in Grace’s tone. A panic. A fear she wouldn’t get to release much like Ai had. She felt Grace looking over at the window of the room, seeing the two of them reflected in the candlelight as Ai gyrated her hips into Grace, sinking that lovely 10 into her front and back door. She smirked at the reflection of the two of them, that gold eye glowing with a monstrous possessiveness as Grace tried to hide her face away noticing Ai staring back. A hand gripped the human’s chin, forcing her to look back, those dangerous eyes piercing her in the dark, tentacles writhing on her back as if she was proud that the human had challenged her. Just so she could crush her into her place and teach her a lesson.

“So...tight...I know you want me to help you, Ага?” She spoke low and with promise, hearing the human desperately whine as she tried bucking her ass backwards into the mutant. She only smirked at the pitiful display, the slit pupil contracting further with a fond sadism as she watched Grace helplessly trying to finish herself off. Ai’s synth hand slowly shifted forwards, carefully in between Grace’s thighs as she found the woman’s slit. She parted the upper labia where she found the key to Grace’s destruction. Roughly she rolled a finger over the taut bud, Grace’s clit inflamed with carnal want, rubbing in semen that had dribbled out of Grace’s vaginal hole, the disgusting moist sounds of the bodily fluids being spread around, as if she were both debasing and worshipping her. “Look at that...what do you say…” It wasn’t a question so much as it was a demand.

Grace actually didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t exactly thinking of her table manners at the moment—not when she was vying for her first orgasm. She could hardly think, brain clouded by the bursts of pleasure that would accompany each roll of her clit. There. That was what she needed. Oh, Ai always knew what to do! She tried to grind harder against the fingertip taking its sweet time…even more so as Grace delayed her answer. “Mmn- stop it!” She whined. “You’re teasing! Quit teasing me!” She didn’t quite seem to understand that Ai was genuinely demanding something of her. She figured she was playing another one of her little games. Grace chanced another look into the window, knowing Ai’s gaze would follow hers. She had something for her. If she was going to toy with her sanity, then she would do so back. She waited for the glow of the mutant’s frightening orbs to reflect off the glass to make her next move.

Keeping eye contact, she proceeded to clench hard around the woman with both her holes, nearly biting her lip with the effort. “Nn…you’re my guard. You listen to me.” She tried her very best to fix her keening tone into a more commanding one. It…didn’t work, but Grace was at least getting her point across. She felt the torturously slow hand come to a stop, and her own shot down to remedy it. Holding Ai’s digits in place as she began to grind her bud against them. “Ohhh don’t- don’t stop, I didn’t tell you to do that…” Whatever happened to the woman’s unwavering obedience? Grace stared almost blankly into the flames of the mechanical candles surrounding them, feeling just like them in a way. Hot, stiff all over, and melting. A thick strand of her arousal swirling with Ai’s semen ran down her leg, pattering onto the bed sheets below. Her own filthier version of the rain pouring outside.

Ai’s sadism only grew with each passing moment, the mutant felt something in her psyche snap. The control, the power she could exert over Grace...this was more like it. She felt her lips pull back into a malicious smile, the intent nefarious just as it was lustful as she stared at the human grinding into her hand. She stopped rolling the bud herself, feeling the frustrated Grace shoot a hand down to hold her own there. She chuckled darkly, watching Grace shove her hips back into her, desperate for her release. Ai knew of a way to make it all the more intense. Dangling it all inches from her grasp, to toy with her...and once she decided Grace had enough, she would let the waves of release crash down upon her, crushing her with all of their might.

The mutant pulled her hips a ways away from Grace, hearing a shrill whine as Grace felt an emptiness consume her. The much welcomed fullness of Ai now absent caused the ache to return. Not the terrible ache, something far more deep, like an itch that had to be scratched. The mutant felt her smirk only darken as she kept her eyes on Grace in the reflection, feeling the woman trying to slam against Ai, her hips shaking piteously as the mutant had her indecent way. “I may be your guard, but you are mine.” A tentacle had circled Grace’s throat, tightening as she emphasized the last word. The possessiveness in both her tone and stare was enough to make Grace’s knees weak and stomach churn anxiously. To hear the Beast of Columbia speaking of her in such a way was...something.

“You get to finish when I say you do.” She spoke in a growl as she snapped her hips forward once, deep and rough. The friction beyond eye rolling. She was going to continue that torturous pace until Grace begged her. Politely. She expected no less from the saviour of man herself.

The little lamb thought she could handle it. She really did. She figured Ai wouldn’t be able to torture her for long—sure, she could stay angry for a minute or so, but the punishment would surely be revoked afterward. …Right? The poor thing didn’t know how truly vindictive her guard could be. How much she loved to see the women under her squirm. She had been protected by her for so long that she forgot that she was a natural-born predator. A creature made to gnaw on the bones and sanity of human beings. Grace could bear it for only a minute before she started to whine again. Her eyes rolling from that sweet, satisfying friction. It felt good, but it wasn’t nearly enough to tip her off the edge. She needed more, oh, just a smidgeon more! How could her guard be so cruel as to not give her that? “Aii!” She could feel herself trembling. Even her body was struggling to cope with the pleasure building endlessly within it. “S-so mean! Let me-“

Her pleading was cut off by her own moan. Ai had pulled out further and drove deeper into her warmth, as if greedy for release herself. She wondered if that was something Ai could achieve going at such a slow pace. Grace supposed she wouldn’t torment herself…what a lucky woman she must be! The girl’s hand dove between her legs once again, seeking out the center of her own desire, but was promptly caught by a tentacle. A gentle, pulsing force, but a force no less—Grace couldn’t move a muscle. She whimpered aloud. She had been thwarted, but she wasn’t quite defeated yet. Ai still had some chipping away to do. Grace bit her lip and braced for her guard’s next eager thrust. Deeper and deeper and deeper…almost as if she were laying claim to her insides.

Ai watched Grace slowly coming undone beneath her, relishing the indecent sight. The woman was a mess, and even more desperate the deeper she began to shove. She crammed more of herself, laying waste to the inner sanctity that had once been Grace’s virgin hole, spreading her wider for conquest, a low growl reverberating in her throat as the tentacle tightened its hold around her neck. The freakish muscle pulsing, squirming as the skin that rubbed against Grace’s grew more agitated as the time passed between the two of them. Ai knew her job was to now bring Grace up, just so she could let her fall twice as hard. She knew how to work the woman’s climax out of her, she understood human female anatomy well. “You don’t even know how mean I can be, little dove.” She spoke in a hushed whisper. She wasn’t sure if Marianne was even listening, since by now she would have figured the two of them would have been pulled apart by now. She began to loosen up with this knowledge in mind, slowly revealing the much less formal parts of her.

In place for the parts Grace always so desperately had wanted to interact with.

The salacious, turned on, rough parts of Ai that she seemed to always hide away from the lamb. She wanted the bad wolf to devour her, didn’t she?

Best give her what she wants.

Ai rolled her hips more forcefully into the human, listening to her semen pattering the bed sheets beneath them. She surely would have to clean up this entire mess when the two of them got cleaned up. “You dirty little slut.” She growled narrowing her eyes, her lips curling back as she bared her teeth against Grace’s neck, jaws opening to gently glide her fangs over the human. She could taste her...oh it was magnificent. The fear. The want. She rolled her fingers back over Grace’s clit, feeling her tightening in her first orgasm. But she wouldn’t. Not yet. She wanted to show the human just what she was dealing with. “How does it feel? To feel me crushing you - squeezing the air from your lungs as I bounce you against my cock - маленькая шлюха.” She felt herself throbbing inside of her dear charge, a soft grunt escaping her. Grace could tell Ai was holding on to it. She rolled her tongue across the delicate skin of her human, before a sharp pain radiated across Grace’s shoulder, across her neck. Ai bit down, and a sinfully warm sensation began to leak into the poor girl’s blood...and for some reason, it only seemed to make her core clench tighter.