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Toola hid her face against the bark of the tree, ignoring the heat of the mountain, the flickering embers that glided through the air, threatening to tear the tree apart in flame. Her tears refused to stop, still clinging to the wide trunk that had been her friend only a short time before. The hurt in her chest was a sharp pain, like someone had wrenched a knife into her stomach and twisted.
Suddenly a crunching noise came from above and her gaze snapped upward. Staring with wide eyes at a massive bud attached to the tree that wasn’t there the last time she looked. In awe and perhaps terror she couldn’t tear her eyes away as the bud began to open. Not a moment later it fully spread in half and she gasped, her body flooding with an aching relief. Agito was held inside the pod, knees curled to his chest, eyes closed, cradled by thin green membrane. His hair still silver, but so clearly alive. She couldn’t process why the Forest would have revived him, but it didn’t matter at all to her in the moment. She could certainly come to get used to the changes he’d gone through.
The strands holding him began to lower and Toola shakily pushed herself to her feet and raced to meet when he’d touch the ground.
“Agito!” She cried, jumping over the thick roots. “Agito!!” Toola fell to her knees to catch him and reached out, tentatively placing her hands on his shoulders to ground him, and possibly to ground herself as well. As the two sat in silence she noticed the small light pink flower in his hand, he was looking down at it with the subtlest of smiles. Such fondness in his eyes. A passing thought wished he look at her that way.
Spurred on by relief she leaned foward and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting his head rest on her shoulder. “You’ve come back to me” her voice almost broke back into tears and she clung to him, determined to never lose him again. To never make such a choice that led them to this moment. She would do better, she vowed silently. Toola savored this touch, wanting to sink into this embrace and be at peace. The fact that the cavern they were inside could collapse at any moment was not even a passing thought in her mind.
“Toola...” Agito’s soft voice whispered as he sat up, tilting his head to meet her gaze. “I understand now.” The way he spoke was different somehow, like he’d gained more wisdom then could be fathomed when he gave himself to the Forest.
“The Forest and dad explained it to me.” Her eyes were locked on him, unable to glance away for a moment. “Everything is connected.” He looked down at the flower gently cradled in his hand, then back up at her, eyes gentle and welcoming. “We’re going to going to bind the Forest and humans together from now on.”
She could still only stare, taking in the sight of his Enhanced form she had been so apprehensive of before. Now the way he looked and held himself made a warmth bloom in her gut.
“Lets go back to the city together.” Agito said simply, his voice so calming to her ears.
Toola nodded her answer, smiling back.
Agito glanced down and lifted the flower to his face, closing his eyes and whispering to it in a tone that made her skin prickle. “Dad, I need to borrow some of your strength.”
The next moments were almost impossible to process. Thick branches crawled out of his skin and up the arm holding the flower, consuming it in a flurry of leaves and bark, reaching all the way to his neck and cheek. Agito’s face was caught in a grimace that faded as he let out the breath he was holding. As he calmed, so did the branches, as they reseeded into his skin, leaving no trace. Toola hadn’t even noticed she had jerked backwards, clamping a hand over her mouth. Sitting with mix of fear and shock that she struggled to make peace with.
Agito, gentle as ever, reached forward and took the hand from her mouth, she let him. He drew her hand a little bit closer and spoke with confidence.
“Lets go, for our future’s sake!” His green eyes sparkled in the ambient red light.
She wanted to be closer. Wanted to be held. Wanted....something she was too ashamed to ask for. Without thinking she nodded and leaned forward, planting her free hand on his shoulder. Agito accepted the touch and brought the hand he still held to his cheek, closing his eyes and brushing against it. Toola froze for a moment, a slight blush on her face. Was he just being friendly? Was he flirting?
Agito opened his eyes and met hers, slowly letting her hand go. He seemed to have gotten closer but she couldn’t tell if maybe she was was the one that had done that. He didn’t seem to mind either way. Toola’s gaze drifted lower, from his eyes to his lips, then the rest of his thin and muscular form. She had leaned in without meaning to again, but this time he had closed the distance.
They both let out a gasp when their noses bumped.
“Oops Sorry.” Agito smiled sheepishly. “Were....Were you trying to-“
Toola put a finger to his lips, and it was his turn to freeze and blush, looking at her with both surprise and intrigue.
She signed, trying to collect her words as her heart began to race. Her head felt light and cloudy, like she has just woken from a hearty sleep. “...C-Can I kiss you?”
To her relief, Agito nodded much quicker than expected, his sweet smile tinged with nervousness.
Toola reached forward and pulled him to her by the back of his neck. His gasp was quieted as their lips met. She wished to freeze time and drown in this moment. Heart pounding in her chest, the reality of kissing Agito sinking in as she found she was longing for more.
Agito was kissing back gently and carefully, but her ache was for passion and she grabbed his shirt in her fist and pulled him even closer. Pressing their chests together. Closer still. He gasped against her mouth before drawing his arms around her shoulders and clinging on, returning to the kiss.
Her tongue slipped inside his mouth and he let out a murmur deep in his throat. Not quiet a moan and not quiet a gasp. It almost sounded like her name, which only added to the need pooling in her gut. In that moment Toola finally understood why people made such a big deal about kissing, describing it as melting, aching, all consuming. This was it. The heat of the cavern couldn’t have deterred her, she just wanted him.
The little sounds he made only spurred her on, trailing a hand down his side to stroke his bare abs. Agito’s whole body trembled and she gladly continued, feather light touches over his soft skin. He smelled like fragrant flowers and moss, like a whole garden contained inside a person. They kissed deeply as the world clattered on around them. The mountain hissed and groaned in warning, but neither of them were even paying attention.
Toola broke the kiss, a shiver up her spine at how his face looked, soft and wanting. She almost dove in for another kiss before glancing around, finally noticing the very real danger. She turned back to Agito, pulling him against her again, shifting so he was almost underneath her, braced by the tree’s thick roots. He just stared up at her with wide, pleading eyes.
“If we’re going to do this we need to do it fast.” Toola said, surprised at how breathless her voice was. She just wanted this more and more with each passing second.
“Do..this....?” Agito raised an eyebrow before his eyes went wide as ever with sudden understanding, staring at Toola practically on top of him. “OH.”
She furrowed her brows in concern. “Is....is that ok?”
He nodded slowly, shifting underneath her, reaching hands up to hold her waist and pull her near. She gladly sank into the embrace.
“What would you like me to do?” Agito’s voice was calm and his arms were protectively wrapped around her, but she still noticed him trembling.
Her head spun with ideas. There was so much she wanted to do. And not just in the sense of intimacy. She wanted to return to the town and let Agito show her around, tell her where it was best to watch the sunset, what books in Yolda’s office were the most interesting, what his favorite dishes at the cafe were, and to help her find her own. A possible life was in front her again, she wanted to do her best to embrace it. She would always carry guilt and grief about the past, but that couldn’t be all her future was. That was no way to live.
She shook herself from her thoughts and took a deep breath, cherishing how it felt to lay against him. A blush crossed her cheeks, heart pounding again. “Can I show you?”
Agito nodded and ran a hand through her hair, sending a shiver through her whole body. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed touch. It only took the past few minutes and she could no longer tell what was warmth from her own body and what was the heat of the volcano. Her nerves screamed at her to run, this place wasn’t going to be safe much longer. But her mind remained focused, capturing Agito’s lips in another hungry kiss.
She broke the kiss to trail her lips down what skin of his neck was exposed, leaving gentle kisses. He let out a quiet gasp, digging his fists into her dress. Her free hands fell on his chest to trace her hands over his abs, he trembled hard in response. His skin was firm there but her finger still sank in a little, showing it’s softness. Toola squeezed his side almost possessively and watched him move his hips, wide green eyes looking up at her with both surprise and purpose.
A smirk crossed her face and she went back to holding the back of his neck, confidence brewing inside her as she took in the sight of him. They locked eyes for a moment before she shifted them both, straddling his waist before curling her fingers into his hair. It was so much softer than she imagined, that flowery smell even stronger now. Spurred on by his quiet panting, Toola leaned down to steal another kiss. He gladly let her in.
Her warmth on top of him, her soft lips on his. It was exhilarating, like something he’d only felt before in Cain’s arms. This was different than him, as she was a whole different person. He was scared but excited, nervous but oh so ready. He wondered blissfully what her skin might feel like on his.
“You smell so sweet.” Toola whispered as she parted the kiss. Agito felt his whole body shiver, her words echoing through his mind. “I want to make you feel good.”
“Wait I- I asked you what you wan-“ she put a finger to his lips and he watched in utter awe as her hand found it’s way down between his legs. He parted them to give her access, then suddenly realized he hadn’t told her what she’d find there and pressed his thighs together.
“Oh? Are you.. ok?” Her expression was confused, maybe a little hurt. “I won’t touch you there if you don’t-“
Agito interupted. “Ah no that’s not it....” His heart pounded in his chest. Struggling to say words that seemed so simple to tell others in the city. But Toola was from the past, he had no way of knowing if she’d understand him, or worse, if she’d reject him for keeping it from her until now. He hadn’t had much of an issue with the people of Neutral City respecting him for who he knew himself to be, but the world of the past was a whole different situation.
“What’s wrong?” She leaned towards him and kissed his forehead. “We-we don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Do you feel pressured by me? .....Should we just get out of here?”
“No no that’s not it! I want- I want to make love to you....I” He had already blurted out the words before realizing the weight they held. Toola was starring at him, blushing brightly. “Down there...I have, uh...the same thing you have.” He stared at her and met her gaze, as her expression subtly changed to surprise.
“What do you-?” Then realization in her eyes dawned. “Oh.”
Agito searched her expression with an anxious heart, hoping her response didn’t stab him in the chest like he feared.
But instead of frustration or disappointment, Toola looked almost, guilty. “Oh no...What I said to you in Ragna. About your body....I want to apologize for that, I know I didn’t know. But it was still cruel.”
He smiled softly and reached a hand up to cup her cheek. “I accept your apology.” He hadn’t forgotten just how much it had hurt when she told him she didn’t see his body as normal, that his strange new abilities made her wary, but she hadn’t really known just how much it stung, but now that she did and was immediately apologetic, that was as good a sign as any. “Do you still want to do this?”
Toola leaned down and pressed her forehead to his. “Yes. Will you let me?”
Agito bit his lip a little and smiled wide. “Yes.”
He reached up to hold her waist and pull her down against him. She smiled against his hair, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. They stayed still for a few quiet moments, just breathing against each other. Hearts pounding. Toola inhaled more of the fragrant scent in his hair before taking his chin in her hand, tilting it up as he trembled with anticipation.
This kiss was passionate from the start, held together like they were, Agito’s hands trailing down her back then back to her shoulders, while hers were back on his sides. Wandering touches over each others bodies, still nervous and exploratory. Toola leaned away, smiling down at him, before planting kisses on his bare midriff. He jerked suddenly and whimpered so sweetly Toola felt herself grin with satisfaction.
“Oh? Sensitive here?” She purred, giving the soft skin another kiss and squeezing his sides before locking eyes.
Agito nodded, hands gripping into the giant roots surrounding them. The thought crossed his mind that these roots, this tree, was him as well. But since he could no longer feel it, he promptly decided his only body was still the one he could move in. The body Toola was touching, despite how much he still couldn’t believe it. He just kept staring at her, fully surprised by how easily she got under his skin.
After leaving a trail of kisses across his abs, Toola rose, grabbing him by the back of his neck again. One hand tugged at his waist band and she gave him the most seductive look he had ever seen cross her face.
Agito reached down with trembling hands to unbuckle his pants, chest pounding as she planted a kiss on his forehead. “It’s ok.” her soft voice whispered and Agito felt about ready to melt. He nodded, trying to control his breath as he kicked off his pants with a little of her assistance.
Toola let herself take it in. Agito half naked beneath her was an all consuming sight, sending a powerful rush of desire to her core. She squeezed into his thigh, delighted by how softness and muscle combined. Finally her gaze rested on the thick silver curls shielding his pussy, reaching a hand between his legs and hovering above. Looking a little closer revealed he was glistening, aroused. Wet.
Her voice almost caught in her throat. “Is this ok?”
Agito answered by bucking his hips, a breathy gasp escaped his lips. “Yes yes please Toola please....”
“Easy, easy...” she whispered as she leaned in to place a chaste kiss to his lips. Experimentally she gently ran a finger over his pussy, up and down, shocked yet enticed by how much he was reacting, Agito letting out little pants and gasps. Gone was the calm, confident aura he had just minutes before. One of his cries she realized with amazement was her name, and suddenly her heart raced faster. Toola’s mind couldn’t seem to get over that she was responsible for this, that he was trembling under her touch, so wet for her, that he trusted her enough to let her touch him this way. They had just met only a few days ago, though it felt like longer, It still seemed too good to be true.
He thrust his hips against her touch, whimpering. “Please, please~”
She continued her work, deciding that even if this was a dream, she enjoyed seeing him like this. rubbing against the hood of his hard tdick she whispered. “Shhhh.” Applying just a little pressure to the sensitive skin. Agito jolted his hips, letting out a low groan.
Spurred on by his lovely reactions, she pressed a finger against his hole, wondering how else she could fill him, fuck him, if they continued this level of intimacy after returning to town. She hoped they could, something about him letting her take control gave her confidence, especially when he could pull off feats she had only seen in old super hero films.
Watching him fall apart like this was a rush she found herself reveling in. “Do you want me to-“
Agito moaned at just the question, panting. “Please, please do it, i’m yours.” His voice so achingly breathless and fueling the need in her gut. Slowly she sank her finger lower until it was all the way in, his insides unbearably tight, a flicker of nervousness traveled up her spine. She had only fingered herself before, when she could control everything and knew just how to make herself feel good, but for someone else, for Agito, this would be different. She shook away the nerves and welcomed the challenge.
He gasped loudly the instant she curled her finger inside. The sensation was overpowering, somehow encompassing his whole body with the pleasure. His mind couldn’t even process how shocked he was that she found the right spot so easily.
Toola smiled, licking her lips, proud of her discovery. “Is that good?”
Agito nodded, his thighs trembling, gently thrusting back into her hand and tipping his head back as more of this sweet feeling filled his veins. He knew what this was like, no stranger to his own pleasure, but hadn’t gotten the chance to explore this new body yet. This still was somehow new. It was stronger, pulsing waves of pleasure that felt more powerful than ever before. He wondered if his Enhanced form was somehow more sensitive and the thought only added to his need.
“More!” He cried out with a broken moan. Toola obliged, sinking another finger into him, curling and thrusting it against the same spot, smiling at the pretty gasps he let out, arching his back and crying out for her.
Still riding this wave of confidence she leaned in and captured his lips in a needy wet kiss, her fingers still working him open. Voicing it was difficult but she could think of a certain few things she wanted him to do, hoping he’d be up for the task. Toola broke the kiss as Agito let out another moan, drool slipping down his chin.
“Toola...” he panted, still moving his hips to meet with the rhythm of her hand.
Their gazes locked on each other’s. She could swear she saw leaves, trees, a whole expanse of Forest in his eyes.
“Agito...” she whispered, suddenly more nervous than she could explain. “...You asked me what you should do for me....”
He nodded, still trembling under her touch.
“May I ask you to-?” She trailed off, words caught in her throat.
“Yes?” He whispered back, breathing uneven.
Her fingers stopped and she slowly removed them with a wet sound, slick with his arousal, as Agito gasped. He instantly felt empty and reached his own hand down to rub against his tdick, sighing.
Toola sat up, climbing over him to straddle his waist, she ran her hands over his sides again, absorbed by the softness of skin when her fingers dug in, and the small little pants he let out in response. She shifted just so that her thighs were level with his shoulders, and the wanting look in Agito’s eyes, his slightly parted lips, showed her that he knew exactly what she desired.
“Do you want me?” Toola teased as she made quick work of her leggings and held her dress up. Agito nodded, still shaky but sure of himself.
He brushed his cheek against the inside of her thigh, trying not to tremble like a leaf. “Yes.” He sighed. Then paused, thinking of their positions, “Wait, hang on, try leaning up against the tree I have an idea.”
Toola loved the spark of confidence in his eyes and went with it, waiting to see what his little plan was as she stood. turning around and leaning her back up against the trunk, again gathering her dress up before spreading her legs, looking down at him.
He kneeled and stroked one of her bare thighs, captivated by the sight. On her end, seeing him at her feet like this made her body burn with need. She couldn’t imagine what it might feel like to have him pleasure her, she tried to push away anxieties about disappointment, but they lingered.
Toola wasn’t willing to wait, to get trapped in her worries, instead she grabbed his hair with her free hand, pulling him forward.
Agito gladly leaned in, placing gentle kisses over her inner thighs while she trembled, fingers balled into his hair and her dress.
Slowly he dove in to lick at the wet folds, rolling his tongue over her pussy before casting his gaze up at her.
Toola’s breath hitched. Suddenly wishing she had a leash to pull to compliment the collar bound around his neck. His touches were skilled, practiced, leaving her to wonder if her assumption of him as inexperienced was only unconscious bias.
Agito paused his work, murmured against her skin. “This feel good?”
“Ahh!! Yes!” She cried as she savored the feelings, her hand clinging into his silky hair, silver like the moon at night. The strong sulfur stench in the air was barely a distraction, nor were the small embers floating through the air. “F-fuck-!” It was clear they didn’t have much time before this mountain fell apart around them, but she only wanted this. Wanted him to push her over the edge as she moaned his name.
They would escape soon, Toola was confident that Agito would find a way to get them out safely, but all she could care about was his tongue against her, lapping and sucking at her folds, her clit. She bucked her hips, riding his race as he refused to break eye contact.
There was no way she was this close already, but somehow she was about to tumble off the edge. “A-gi-to! Aaa-! Close! I’m close!” Toola cried out, breathless.
One of his hands squeezed her thigh while the other reached down between his own legs, stroking his tdick lazily as he continued working her closer and closer to climax.
Toola threw her head back and moaned low in her throat. “Aahgh Agito- Agito- so good! Almost- i’m almost-“ her words were hurried and desperate, panting hard. Crying out his name like this made it sound like she had known him for so much longer. Everything about this felt like home. Her fingers tangled in his hair were trembling, shaking with pleasure and the pure shock that all this was even happening. “Oh- OH!”
The edge came upon her again and this time she fell over gladly, a loud gasp escaping as her body pulsed through orgasm. She let out a moan of satisfied lust and let herself tremble through the aftershocks.
Agito drew his face away, lips and chin covered in her slick. The smile of pride of his face made her breath shake. So gorgeous. She let herself drop to her knees and pull him into a warm hug. “Thank you, oh it was so good, you’re so good...ohh…” she couldn’t see the look on his face, smiling as he ran the words she had spoken over in his mind. If she was willing to continue to praise him like this, he’d let her do anything with him.
Gently he took one of her hands into his own, mind still cloudy from his own lust, but their immediate safety was more important. “Lets get out of here.”
Toola nodded, turning to pull her leggings and boots back on while he did the same with his pants.
"Wait. What about you?" She was still shaky on her feet and gladly let him pull her into his arms as he stood, holding her.
"It’s ok." He whispered, leaping up to the next rock platform as Toola clung to him, they made their way up the inside of the volcano, finally making it to an outcropping where sunshine peaked through. He set her down and put his back to her.
“Climb on.” Agito bent down on a knee and curled his arms to welcome her. She didn’t hesitate climbing onto his back, arms locked around his shoulders, burying her nose in his hair to take in the flowery scent once again.
“I-“ she started.
“Yeah?” He turned his face as much as possible to see her, smiling still.
“....Can we do that again...sometime?” She hadn’t meant for there to be such nervousness in her voice, but his excited answer soothed her.
Agito’s eyes went wide. “Yes! Of course! Anytime!” He blurted out.
Toola laughed, still riding the high of all the pleasure. "I'd like to finish what I started." She whispered into his ear and his whole body shivered. This was amazing, more than she ever could have hoped. Being alive after everything, the sex, her future opening before her again.
He carried her out into the sunlight, the city visible in the distance with the great expanse of the Forest behind it. They reached the outside just as the mountain roared with it’s first eruption. “Hold on tight!” Agito called, gripping onto her legs as she squeezed her arms around his shoulders and neck. There was a rush of fear in her veins as he leaped off the edge and down the mountain side.
The memory of this moment had been too intense for her, all she remembered when they reached the town was Agito effortlessly throwing a huge boulder from the crumbling mountain over them and herself throwing her head back to laugh, the both of them laughing, happy to be alive.
She could recall thanking him and him putting his hand over hers as he ran, could recall him shouted out that his power was not just his own, but his father’s, the Forest and everyone else’s too. She stood in pure amazement as they finally returned home. Across the city on a higher platform Agito’s two friends looked down at them. Cain shouted and waved at Agito while he put a hand on his sister's shoulder, Minka waved too. Toola waved back. She meet Agito’s eyes as he smiled, and she nodded in return.
With purpose she reached up to her neck and unclasped the raban, holding it in her hands for a moment, lost in thought. This relic of the past was no longer needed, she could move on, surrounded by people who cared. Her father’s weapon, the distance between them, and the pressure she felt to finish his work, prove herself to him, was fading. Toola took one last look at the technological choker necklace before throwing it into the gorge with little sense of regret. She looked back to Agito and reached to clasp his hand, he gladly let her before she pulled him into another hug, full of warmth and desire.
Her past was finally behind her. Time for a new beginning.