Work Text:
“Sophie…”
The uneven, clattering steps of the ragged little platform came to a gradual, creaking stop. Bent chicken-like legs lowered them down, allowing all passengers to slide off, including Howl’s still unconscious form, onto the top of the hill before the entire contraption gave one last shudder and fell apart. Blue fire flared between Sophie’s clutched hands as the voice sounded again in the air around her.
“Sophie… there’s still time. You can save him. You can save us. Both of us.”
Confused, the silver-haired woman turned to look to where Markl was tending to the Witch of the Waste.
“Do… do either of you hear that?”
Markl blinked. The Witch stared. Even Turnip Head seemed to have his head cocked to one side.
“This isn’t for them, Sophie. Just for you. There is a ritual – I can guide you through it – that can save us.”
Looking down at her hands, she shifted her thumbs just enough to watch the small, weak pulsing of the blue-flamed heart against her palms.
“… Calcifer?”
The Witch of the Waste perked up, but Markl was quick to get between them. “Oh no, you need to sit and rest! You’re hurt! Leave that to Sophie!” He glanced back over his shoulder, nodding to Sophie with a determined look as if to say he’d handle things.
“Alright, Calcifer. What do I need to do?”
“His necklace. There’s a spell on it to return him to his old home. Grab hold of it, and repeat the words I tell you.”
Sophie hesitated, looking back at the others. “I… I need to go do something. But we’ll be back. Please, just… stay safe.” She then reached down, grabbing up the pendant around Howl’s neck, careful to only rest it against the heart in her hands before closing her fingers again.
Calcifer spoke words that seemed more like garbled sounds – she didn’t understand them, but she repeated them aloud. Darkness seemed to close in around them, wet and cold and slithering, engulfing them all and squeezing. It seemed almost like it intended to suffocate Sophie or crush them out of existence, and as she panicked so did the heart in her hands begin to race. Then, with a sudden pop, they fell a short inch or so drop onto the floor of Howl’s cabin.
As it was the last time she was there, watching Howl’s past, the room was dark, lit only by the starlight and moonbeams through the windows. A worn, woven rug was beneath them, but the single person bed to one side seemed much more hospitable. However… she would need both her hands free to carry Howl there.
“Calcifer… can I set you down?”
“Sophie, no, I… I wouldn’t survive being apart from you right now. I need to stay close. Perhaps… can you tuck me against your chest first?”
Her face flushed pink when she realized where he meant she should place him, anger fueled by embarrassment rising ready for her to scold him before his voice cut in again.
“If that action is too much for you, then you’ll never be able to manage the ritual. Please. You love him, don’t you? So put his heart to yours.”
Hesitating a moment, Sophie shifted the heart into one hand, the other unbuttoning the front of her dress. Beneath it, her underthings were as simple and conservative as those above, with just enough breasts for there to be some cleavage there… but more importantly, a place to securely tuck the heart (and Calcifer) while she worked. Still blushing, she pushed the heart down between her breasts, and after a moment she felt its beating synch with her own.
Why did that make her emotions rise in her and her breath catch in her throat?
“… Because you love him. Didn’t I just say that? I could swear I just pointed that out to you.”
Sophie made an indignant little sputtering sound as she reached down for Howl’s arms to start dragging him toward the bed.
“You can hear my thoughts now, is that it?”
“No, but I can hear your heart. I’m right beside it now, after all.”
“I – that’s Howl’s heart, thank you!”
“Hello! And who is currently serving as Howl’s heart, huh? Where is this voice coming from?”
Sophie started to speak but stopped. She had no rebuttal for that, and instead focused on trying to pull Howl up from the floor to the top of the bed. He’d carried him up the stairs before, but that had been different. She had him leaning on her shoulder. Just pulling upwards wasn’t working.
Well… if it worked before.
She shifted position, partially straddling where Howl’s body lay, one arm of his held at either shoulder, before hauling him up onto her back with one swift, determined heave. The sudden addition of his weight against her made her stumble, but thankfully the wide stand she held over him kept her from crashing to the ground herself. Pivoting, she moved until she could feel he was resting against the edge of the bed, then slowly lowered him down so that his head would be on the pillow, legs still dangling off the edge.
“Goodness, the amount of times I need to carry this man, I swear he should come with handles. Now then, let’s- OOP!”
Just as Sophie released Howl’s arms to stand up, the man beneath her shot both forward, grabbing her about the waist and yanking her back down against himself. Shocked, it took her a moment to find her voice.
“H-howl?”
“Sophie, no, that’s not-”
Calcifer was interrupted by a feral growling sound beneath Sophie, just to the left of her ear. Looking down, she saw feathers beginning to sprout along his arm and his fingertips shift into black claws.
“Howl… stop that. I’m trying to help you.”
“That’s not him, Sophie. You have his heart right now – we’re both too weak to have influence over his body. That… he’s reduced down to his bare instincts right now.”
Sophie shuddered, remembering that brief moment she’d spotted the more monstrous form of Howl tearing apart the airships, lost to the moment without any discernable shred of humanity to him. Indeed, the flight to meet back up with Calcifer had him seeming like an empty shell, but she hadn’t thought that…
The claws dug into her, dragging across the blue dress and tearing the fabric. It wasn’t enough to injure her yet, but it seemed clear that the threat was building.
“Calcifer… some instruction, please?”
“Right, so, let’s skip to the cliffnotes version then, shall we? We’re both weak. That weakness is centered on his heart. You want to help break this contract we have? Well, it’s not so simple. It will take something from you. You’ll need to give half your heart to me, allowing me to return half of Howl’s heart. From there, contracts can be renegotiated, details reworked, blah blah blah but we’ll all be more in control and have access to our powers.”
Something sharp dragged against Sophie’s neck, followed by something warm and wet… was that his mouth? Teeth? A… a tongue? Was he going to eat her?!
“Calcifer… that makes sense, but how… how do I do that?”
“Sophie… would you give yourself to me? Would you let me… take you?”
There were implications to his words that Sophie wasn’t entirely sure she understood. Perhaps she’d just read one too many romance novels before and was misunderstanding. Maybe what he meant was-
The growl rumbled against her neck now, accompanied by more ripping fabric. Maybe Howl wasn’t intending to eat her after all…
“No, what I mean is I want you to agree to let me take your body. As in yes, a romantic way. Sex. This is a transaction based on love, darling, and since I’m Howl’s heart, I’m a part of that love, right?”
The arms tightened, yanking Sophie back against Howl as his body began to transform, legs growing longer and more muscled, wings bursting forth to either side of them, breaking the glass window to their right. Sophie shrieked, arms covering her head instinctively.
“I… I suppose I hadn’t given it much thought…”
“You said you liked my spark, right? That’s somewhere to start! Focus on that! But you… you need to mean it when you say yes, or the magic won’t work.”
The growl turned to an angry roar, skirts torn completely away, bloomers shredded so that she felt the cool evening air against her skin. Her heart was racing, matched by the glowing blue flame surrounding Howl’s still tucked between her breasts.
“I… I do admire you, not just for your power but… you do care for Howl. And everyone in the house…”
The heat from the fire began to grow hotter against her, wisps flickering up into the air, even as she felt Howl’s panting breath washing over her collarbone.
“I do. If Howl lets someone into his heart, then they’re part of my heart as well. Sophie… I love you. Howl loves you.”
A mouth, larger than a man’s mouth, opened with jaws hovering over Sophie’s shoulder. A clawed hand, larger than her head, reached up to grasp at the upper part of her dress and rip it away. Teeth closed, but didn’t bite down – not yet. That growl rumbled again, almost in warning, telling her not to move.
“You… you’re right. And you’re part of Howl… and I love Howl. I love our home. I love… I do love you, Calcifer…” Her voice trembled – this wasn’t the ideal situation to confess one’s love, but her words were true all the same. “I give my consent… you may take me…”
The animalistic Howl beneath Sophie seemed to sense what had just happened, and with a burst of rage readied to bite down on her – only for a burst of shimmering light to blind them both, the creature shrieking and turning his head away. Above Sophie, a being made of light appeared, one part starlight the other fire. The figure didn’t have any specifically gendered features, sitting partway between masculine and feminine. Eyes opened, smoldering in a literal sense for a moment before blinking… and though they were more human shaped now, Sophie recognized them.
“Calcifer? Is… is that you?”
The glowing being nodded, smiling, only to snap his head to the side as the monstrous Howl turned back toward them. A hand shot out over Sophie’s shoulder, grabbing at Howl’s neck, pinning him back to the bed.
“Let’s help him together, Sophie.” This time she saw lips move, a source for Calcifer’s words, and a place to look as her scared, trembling body reached for him.
“Show me how… I’ve, ah… I’ve never…”
Calcifer smiled down at her, free hand stroking her cheek gently while still rather effortlessly keeping Howl’s body pinned in place. The growls and snarls still flooded one ear, but she kept her eyes on Calcifer. His hand trailed down her body, pushing aside the ruined dress and gently tugging away the remains of her bloomers and underthings. He found the patch of hair beneath to be as gleaming and silver as the rest of Sophie’s hair now.
“Like starlight.”
And it was in this way, with a struggling creature serving as Sophie’s bed and a being of starstuff astride her, that Sophie first felt a lover’s touch.
A finger glided down over the slope, leading to her lips. It embarrassed Sophie that she was slick – that, somehow, in all the talk and struggle, her body had become aroused. Calcifer shook his head, seeming to pick up on that shame.
“You’re beautiful, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Howl isn’t the only one with instincts, you know…”
Shocked at that response, Sophie looked ready to question him – only for his finger to slide down further, nudge between her outer lips and immediately locate that small bud tucked at the apex. Her hips bucked in response, echoed by Howl’s beneath her, much to her surprise. “In… instinct?”
Calcifer nodded. “Howl has nothing but those instincts right now, but you… you’re ruled by your heart, your feelings, fears, insecurities – other emotions that block you from simply doing what you want, when you want it.”
As he spoke, his finger began to move, sliding down to the source of Sophie’s growing warm, wet arousal, stroking along her inner lips a few times before returning, thoroughly slicked, to the same spot again – stroking at that button in short, quick passes, his voice never showing sign of what he was presently engaged in.
“I should warn you… as we cement this deal… you may feel those instincts more strongly…” He leaned down over her body, mouth breathing against the right side of her neck, a light-fueled echo of the dark growls still felt on her left side. “As will I…”
Sophie moaned. Howl snarled, and as his body thrust upwards from beneath her this time, she became aware of something firm poking at her from behind. Given how much larger Howl’s body had become, the insistent prodding came not at her backside, but rather pushed its way up between her thighs, too low to help itself to any of her more intimate spots. Calcifer only smirked as his body was rocked from the thrusting of both beneath him.
“Calcifer, what if… what if he…”
Sophie’s concern was swallowed by Calcifer’s lips, warm and soft but with a firm power beneath them. He guided her in what was her first real kiss, drawing gently again and again at her, sipping sweetly even as the beast struggled beneath them both. He took his time, coaxing her mouth to open for him, warm tongue teasing at her but never pushing in – no, he waited. Waited to be invited in. Which, eventually, Sophie initiated with her tongue meeting his. Shy at first, an experimental taste, then with a moan she opened more to him, trying to help guide him deeper.
The fingers continued their work, stoking those embers Sophie had felt into a full-blown blaze, to the point where the wet sound of finger against flesh was heard even above the growls beneath them. Growls that had become less angry as the two of them moved – after all, there was now a sizable cock protruding between Sophie’s thighs, just behind Calcifer’s ass, and each time they moved, Howl reaped some benefit as well.
Gasping for air, Sophie pulled away from the kiss, one hand staying on the heart tucked still between her breasts, the other grabbing for Calcifer’s shoulder. The heat inside her throbbed and pulsed, aching with some need she wanted to quench. The fire demon smiled down at her, head cocking to one side as he watched her reactions.
“Shall we begin?”
Breathless, Sophie gave a quick nod, only to belatedly wonder – how was he going to… it didn’t look like he had a-
Her wordless question was answered as two fingers, well wet enough thanks to her pleasure, slid up inside her with one fluid motion. It was only two, not a particularly large size, but it was not a feeling she’d ever experienced. Calcifer gave her a moment, watching her face, before starting a slow pace. Those fingers delved deep, curling against her forward wall as they pulled back, thumb nudging at her clit as he slid back in. He was in her heart, as he mentioned, which meant he could tell what felt best for her, and quickly he took tally of where to touch and with what speed and pressure.
She couldn’t stay still. Her hips moved, rocking in time against Calcifer’s motions, aided by similar matching thrusts from Howl beneath. They all seemed to begin to synch up, their bodies falling in line. Hearts beat as one. Breathing mirrored the others. Even sound of pleasure came in groups of threes all at once. Stroked and thrust and grinding and riding, Sophie caught in the middle between dark and light as she felt them all align. But those movements… part of her worried, was this proper? Had she already lost her heart and fallen to instinct.
Calcifer gave a bright laugh above her, lips moving again to her neck, kissing just below her ear and moving along her jaw. “Oh no, we haven’t even begun that transfer yet… we can, though, if you wish. Or…” His fingers picked up pace, pushing more firmly inside her, finding her body more primed for the forceful treatment now. “You can let go… be my little starburst for me… what do you say?”
Something burning hot was building in her, throbbing, a knot of tension growing almost unbearable. “Calcifer! Yes, please!”
With one more thrust, Sophie was seeing stars. Her body arched upwards, muscles tight, limbs shaking and shuddering… she was vaguely aware that Calcifer was holding her with one arm, the other still milking that pleasure from her body, slowing as the waves began to ebb, protectively pulling her up into a seated position with her head against his chest.
“There it is… I feel it. You’re welcoming me in…”
Bodies were shifting, things moving, but Sophie was in a daze. Was that… had she just…? Suddenly she realized that both of Calcifer’s hands were on her. “Howl!”
Her body jerked, the motion again mirrored by the feathered and furred beast beneath her. The claws returned to her waist, gripping at the swell of her hips as a growl answered the name.
“Calcifer… you let him go…”
The demon looked to the side, then yanked on her thighs, pulling her up closer to him with a leg on either side of his waist… a waist now punctuated with a thankfully human-like cock, though it seemed to glow from within like the rest of him.
“Howl needs to be a part of this too, alright? That’s what this is about, isn’t it? But… you felt it before, didn’t you? Things starting to line up? To fit together?”
She nodded her head, silvery hair falling across her face as she still tried to catch her breath.
“That means it’s working. Instinct isn’t a bad thing. It’s… it’s not something evil to be restrained. It’s just one piece of the puzzle, you know?” He cupped the back of her head, fingers playing in her hair as his other hand guided the newly formed phallus to her freshly soaked entrance. “So… we’ve gotta put those pieces together.”
Hand moving round to Sophie’s backside, Calcifer pulled her forward and down, impaling her on himself with one smooth motion. He’d learned her body, learned what she liked, and now used that information for his own purposes, be they good or evil. He struck deep inside her, so deep her breath was taken for a moment and she felt those stars exploding behind her eyes in an aftershock of what she’d just felt. Calcifer’s chest rumbled with laughter.
“We haven’t even truly started yet there, Starburst. Why don’t you hang on tight to me, alright? And remember… we both love you.”
He pulled her against himself, and she mumbled her own words of love into his shoulder as he began to bounce her there. She wasn’t flush against Howl anymore – she was aware of that – but with so many limbs around her it was hard to figure out who was where… at least until black wings extended once more, wrapping around the pair just as they fell into steady rhythm.
“Calcifer…”
“Remember what I said – instinct isn’t good or bad, and it’s part of the whole. Howl loves you… annnd he wants you. If you want him too, well… let him know…”
Hot breath against the back of her neck. A warning rumble against her skin. Feathers teasing her sweat-dotted skin, now nearly bared to them both save her bra and a few remaining tatters still clinging in places. With a nervous, shaking hand, Sophie let go of Calcifer’s shoulder and reached back behind herself. She found a soft chest, slid lower to find fur intermingling… then came to rest against a wide, warm, smooth and solid form.
That same one that had been between her thighs, and now indeed was far larger than what Calcifer had fashioned to use on her. It intimidated Sophie, but this… was Howl’s desire, right? There certainly was a lot of it. Cautiously, she closed her hand around the base as best she could, each thrust from Calcifer causing her hand to jump a bit, resulting in short little jerks. Howl rumbled in approval, and then a hot, wet tongue began lapping at her neck and shoulder, a muzzle-like nose nudging against her from behind, brushing at her ear.
Too scared to look back, she opened her eyes more fully to look at Calcifer, only to see that he was staring over her shoulder too. He was watching Howl with a similar look of love, affection, and lust. That… thought hadn’t occurred to Sophie. Even though they’d gone over the fact that Calcifer loved Howl, she hadn’t considered that he might mean…
But that train of thought was hard to follow. Not while Calcifer was bucking up into her with more and more insistent thrusts. Not while Howl dragged sharp fangs along her flesh and pushed up into her hand. She moved from accidental tugs to more deliberate stroking now, the wings fluttering around them both, locking them in a cocoon of protective black feathers.
“Cal… Calcifer…” She tilted her head to meet him in a kiss, an action he met immediately. He hadn’t so far made many noises, but now muffled by her lips she could hear those small grunts and gasps, both from effort and pleasure. The hand running through her hair was gentle, petting her almost while the other held her hips. The harsher claws of Howl’s hands were still there as well, seeming to help now, lifting her to drop her down with more force, over and over. Then, suddenly, the kiss was broken as Calcifer’s hand gripped those silver locks and yanked her head backwards.
And suddenly Sophie was looking up at Howl’s face – a face dotted with black feathers, mouth lined with sharp teeth, and eyes dark and distant… but it was his face. His ‘monstrous’ face. Only now it didn’t seem so monstrous. Howl bared his teeth a moment, as if to threaten, then ducked down to claim Sophie’s mouth in his own kiss.
Calcifers hips and Howl’s hands kept Sophie moving up and down, and now that meant the kiss between Howl and herself was similarly deepened, then pulled back. Shallow kisses as Calcifer bottomed out in her, then deeper, taking Howl’s tongue as her hips were pulled back. Her hand fell into pace as well, pulling upwards, thumb ghosting over the tip of Howl’s cock each time she was pulled up, then sliding down when she was dropped, a firm squeeze given at his base before it all repeated again. Again and again and again. All three of them, working together, moaning together, feeling their pleasure build together.
“Sophie…” Calcifer guided her away from Howl’s kiss so that her pleasure-drunk eyes could try and focus on his face. “I love you. Will… will you give yourself… to me? And I, in turn, will become part of you.”
Sophie’s head nodded quickly, the agreement having already been voiced before, but now more eagerly locked into place. “Yes. I love you, Calcifer. Please… take me…”
There was a growl behind them, Howl making some unclear comment on the situation, though his claws dug into Sophie’s hips a bit more. At first she worried he was angry but then, no. No, that wasn’t it.
The pace shifted. Fast. Forceful. Needy. Howl was doing most of the lifting now as Calcifer’s hands moved across Sophie’s body, teasing her nipples through the fabric of her bra, tracing each dip and curve of her body, to the point she could swear she could hear the sizzle of his touch evaporating sweat from her back. That pressure was there again, vicious. Demanding. It flooded her thoughts. Yes, give in. Let it go. This was what she wanted.
“Calcifer!”
“Ngh- Sophie!” He clutched her tight to himself as they both came together, the light exploding behind her eyes not strictly a result of the climax itself as Calcifer’s body seemed to erupt with light. Likewise, she felt warmed from the inside, more than she assumed one would normally feel, as the fire demon pumped whatever passed as signs of his pleasure deep inside of Sophie. She continued to ride him, working her hips just as much herself now as she matched Calcifer’s pace, their breathing ragged and gradually slowing. The almost blinding glow from her new lover slowly began to dim, while Sophie felt in her chest a new warmth. Was it love? Well, yes, but also as she looked down she saw that blue burning heart sink into her chest in a very literal fashion, shocking her even amidst her post-orgasm haze.
Howl’s heart… Calcifer… was inside her now. In, well, multiple ways.
It was then that she realized that Howl’s hands weren’t on her anymore. The wings around the flexed, beating at the air a few times before curling in once more. Gently, Calcifer helped Sophie upwards enough for his cock to slip free, then guided her to turn to face Howl.
Immediately, the previously distant set of eyes locked with Sophie’s and she felt pinned to the spot. Calcifer moved her legs to either side of Howl’s hips, just as it had been with him before. Only this time… she couldn’t look away from his gaze, but she’d felt the size of the cock that awaited her. Calcifer had been of average size, or more specifically she guessed he was sized to fit her as perfectly as possible, given how he was talking. But Howl…
Right now, he was a force of desire. His need was great and was manifested with all the aggression needed to claim what he wanted as his. And from the look he gave her now… that desire was her. But she wasn’t afraid of him. If anything, her fear was centered around her ability to give him what he needed. About not being enough. About not being able to handle him.
Howl gave a huff, leaning forward to nudge her cheek with his muzzle-like face. It felt almost like he could also feel what she felt… and that he was chastising her somehow for it.
Which… granted, by now she knew – she could handle Howl just fine. She had before, she would again, and she would meet each new challenge with the same determination she’d shown thusfar. Sophie would not back down to Howl’s tantrums, no matter what form he took.
She gave him a firm nod, then reached up to put her hand on either side of his face. “Howl… I love you. And I trust you.”
Howl went silent for a moment, then a strange quiet whine rose in response. Again he nudged against her cheek before reaching out with one passive taloned hand. Sophie didn’t flinch. A claw glided beneath her jaw and she didn’t move. The point dug in slightly under her chin, and she let him tilt her head upwards. His eyes shifted off of her own for a moment, and she could tell the look was directed to Calcifer, who shifted to the side, closer to the wall.
Another of those threatening growls bubbled up in Howl’s throat, but Sophie didn’t back down.
Then, suddenly, she was moving, tossed onto her back on the bed, talons tearing at the mattress to one side of her head while Howl’s jaws closed around her throat, pinning her in place. Her heart leapt, not from fear per say but definitely from a spike of adrenaline. She raised her chin higher, proudly baring more of her neck to him. She could barely spot his eyes from this angle, but the gaze was met, and she held it. She surrendered herself to him… but that did not mean she gave in to him.
“I love you, Howl. And this is what I want as well.”
The growl died off… and his claws withdrew. Gently now, they traced down her thighs, finding the curve of her ass and lifting her hips off the bed. Calcifer waited for Sophie’s legs to be repositioned and for Howl to settle in the way he liked, then made himself comfortable next to the pair. He watched Sophie with a wide grin, his presence giving off enough light for her to see the details of Howl’s current form despite the dark of the room.
Hips shifted. The head of his cock pushed at her entrance, now slick from her previous two climaxes. Had that been on purpose? Was Calcifer warming her up for this?
“What? A fire? Warming you up? Perish the thought, starburst!” If the sarcasm hadn’t been heavy on each word, the smug smirk on Calcifer’s face would have made the rest clear on its own. “I’m inside you now, remember? And now…”
There wasn’t a swift thrust forward this time. Sophie felt pressure first, her body struggling, stretching, and then finally giving. The tip of him, slightly tapered but still with vaguely human qualities, dipped inside, then pulled almost all the way out. Then another push, working in further, holding a moment before dragging back. It was an agonizing process, not due to pain exactly – the stretching hurt a bit, but Howl always stopped before it became too much – but rather due to how it was again stoking that need. Unlike before, her body wanted to react to that growing desire immediately – but Howl’s hands on her pinned her in place.
He wouldn’t allow her to go overboard. He would give her what she could take, and slowly build upon that. More and more cock was fed to that hungry, drooling mouth between her thighs, finally taking half of his length. That was almost all of Calcifer’s length, and as that realization hit Sophie gave a small, worried moan. She could feel the maw at her neck… grin.
Sophie shot Howl a stern look. “Oh, you cheeky bastard, don’t you dare gloat.”
Calcifer burst into laughter beside them, to which Howl gave a snarl in response. The glowing being tried to muffle the sound behind one hand, holding the other one up apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just glad to see that some things never change.”
Howl pushed further into Sophie, and she found herself arching up off the bed in response, naturally shifting her hips to give him the best angle for the most depth. As with Calcifer, that connection seemed to help matters, as his hands assisted in positioning her better before pushing in more. Then back again, then further in. Soon she felt that first tap against that deepest point, barely kissing the spot that had made her see stars. She gasped, her body undulating against Howl in a needy, seductive motion she never knew she was capable of.
“Instincts, remember? You’ll be feeling those more now…” Calcifer was whispering by her ear now, fingers brushing her hair from her face, all while Howl still held Sophie’s throat between his teeth.
Another two pushes inward, and she’d managed to take him all. Never had she felt so filled, so stuffed. Were she a glass, the waterline would be at the very brim. He pushed her to her limits, but still she took all of him.
“It’s like it’s symbolic or something, ain’t it?”
Both Howl and Sophie shot Calcifer a look, to which he snickered and fell silent.
That was when Howl began to truly thrust. It was a slow, short, steady rhythm at first, not pulling all the way back yet. One might call the thrusts shallow if not for how deep he remained inside her. It seemed almost like a drummer setting pace, and that deepest depth of hers was the drum he struck his rhythm against. Each push, and she gasped, that same light sparking before her eyes – and this time, it wasn’t Calcifer’s fault.
The rhythm started slow, and just as he’d worked her up before, so too was the build in pace an agony… one that he seemed to take pleasure in. He’d thrust forward. He set the pace. He decided how much he’d pull back. He decided how sharply he’d return inside her. He demanded. He commanded. He…
Wait. Sophie narrowed her eyes, focusing on Howl again.
“That’s not really what you want though, is it?”
Howl paused, teeth opening some, giving her throat more freedom rather than holding her in place. His head cocked a bit questioningly.
… To which Sophie wrapped her legs about his waist, hooked one foot over the other at Howl’s back, just above some tail feathers, and then pulled him down to meet her.
The sound Howl made was less than dignified, made even more humorous by Calcifer’s laughter. “That’s it! Sophie, that’s it! That’s one thing he loves about you, did you know that? You don’t fold or cower, you don’t fawn or grovel, you aren’t a doormat and you know what you want for yourself. For you.” And as if he was embodying the devil on Sophie’s shoulder, his lips kissed the shell of her ear before whispering to her… “Take what you want.”
Instinct. Sophie knew what she wanted now, and though this was new to her, she followed her instinct. She lifted her own hips, she pulled him deeper into herself, and she tossed her head back to moan aloud her pleasure without shame. Howl pulled back from her neck, panting, tongue lolling out and lapping at the teeth marks he’d left on her skin before falling into rhythm as well.
As before, they felt themselves aligning. Howl’s cock was hard to take, nearly knocking the breath from her each time she thrust back against him, but still it sent waves of bliss through her. Calcifer rained kisses down over her face, shoulder, neck, one hand at her hair, the other stroking through Howl’s feathers. Everything was warm, throbbing, aching to be one. Sofie found it hard to speak, but between each depth-delving thrust she could gasp out words.
“Come back… to us… please, Howl… We love you… Let me… give you… my heart! Please!”
It was about what she wanted to. What she desired. What she loved.
“I… want to hear… you say my name… again…”
Calcifer’s hand slid down to her chest, not to tease her this time but to rest over that faint blue glow of her heart. His other hand moved to Howl’s chest, fingers lost in the pitch black feathers. The pace picked up, and a blue light began to flow up one of Calcifer’s arms, through his torso, and down the other. From Sophie, through to Howl.
Howl snarled with each thrust, but the edge slowly began to lessen. Not as animal-like, though still quite gruff. Still strained. His face slid back to its more human appearance, though still framed in feathers. Finally, a very human gasp, eyes squinting shut as he felt Sophie’s body tighten around him, her pleasure nearly at it’s peak.
“S-sophie!” Her name came from between clenched teeth, rough and ragged and desperate but said aloud in Howl’s voice all the same.
The bliss washed over Sophie, body arching upwards, lifted all the higher by her legs hold around Howl’s waist. Howl’s wings flapped, beating in time with their thrusts, propelling him forward with even more force.
“Howl! Howl, I… I love..”
“Sophie! I… I love-”
The confession was broken by another snarl, this one far more human-sounding. The blue light rushed forward just as Sophie toppled over the edge, as if the clench of her muscles helped drive that last piece through Calcifer and back into Howl. The next beat of black wings resulted in a shower of feathers as they vanished, melting off his body, turning back into black tossed hair and ash-streaked skin. One more pulse of his heart, beating in time with the others there in his bed, and Howl was fully human again and gasping out his desperate release into Sophie. Monstrous or human, she still felt him fill her completely, and all three of them soaked up wave after wave of not just pleasure but true, hard-won happiness. It felt safe. It felt intended. It felt like home.
All the pieces back into place.
Gasping, Howl collapsed atop Sophie as Calcifer spooned up beside both of them, their legs all becoming a tangled mess as Sophie’s exhaustion caused her to release her hold on Howl’s waist and settle back against the mattress. It took a few moments, but a grateful Howl turned to face Calcifer, a hand reaching to his cheek to pull him into a deep kiss. Sophie watched, and though she was not directly a part of it, she felt that wave of happiness and satisfaction all the same. She felt their link, and the pleasure that Calcifer was feeling was shared now with her.
Howl then turned back to Sophie, and for the first time she felt confident that the smile he showed her was completely genuine, reflecting in his blue eyes. He sank down to meet her lips for an equally grateful kiss, not pulling back until both of them were gasping for air.
“Sophie… your hair! It looks just like starlight!” And as if on cue, that piece of Calcifer now inside Sophie lived up to that claim as she glowed both literally and figuratively in happiness.