As we made our way home- this time without anyone carrying me, because Tsukiumi decided to start a pissing match with Musubi over who got the honor of doing so- I reached out to my link with Matsu.

"I think I managed to accidentally convince Tsukiumi to join us," I said. "Akitsu didn't even say anything to her, so I'm pretty sure Tsukiumi has no idea I haven't winged Akitsu. She's just... now okay with the idea, I guess."

"Interesting," Matsu said. "What do you think is going on with her?"

"I have no idea," I said. "If I had a gun to my head, I might suggest that she thinks I'm safer, on account I didn't express any desire for her? But don't quote me on that, I'm not that great at understanding how other people think."

"Fair enough," Matsu said. "Have you winged her yet?"

"I have not," I said. "She is still arguing with Musubi over who contributed more to that fight, and I don't think interrupting that to ask if I can stick my tongue down her throat is going to go over well."

"...Hrm..." Matsu murmured. "...I think I have a theory."

"If you have a Homestuck reference to make, you can keep it to yourself."

Matsu sent me the general emotional equivalent of cackling.

----------------------------------------

"Ara, ara, they're certainly energetic," Miya said, watching Musubi and Tsukiumi continue arguing and competing, this time in the field of housework. Let me tell you, if you haven't watched two women competitively dust furniture...

...you really aren't missing out on much. This wasn't all that interesting to watch.

"I can only hope they'll tire themselves out soon enough," I said. "God help us all if they're still going by bedtime."

Miya simply giggled, prim and lady-like.

"So," Miya said, "Ashikabi-kun. How do you feel?"

"Exhausted," I said. "At some point, after Tsukiumi has run out of steam, someone has to explain the birds and the wings to her, and the simple fact that she only has to kiss someone to make them her Ashikabi. Until then... well." I shrugged. "She doesn't seem bothered by her current understanding."

"You do, of course, realize that her 'current understanding,' as you so put it, is quite outside what I will allow under my roof, correct?" Miya said.

"You have made this clear to me, yes," I said, nodding. "She, however, will need to learn to live with disappointment."

"I am a very good teacher," Miya said primly.

"Right," I said. "I'm going to be upstairs, if she needs me. I need a nap."

----------------------------------------

I sighed quietly, eyes closed. What I was doing right now wasn't exactly my usual style, but... well. Right now, I felt like leaning on somebody, and Akitsu seemed absolutely thrilled that she got to be that body.

"Ufufufu," I heard Matsu giggle as the door opened. "Someone looks comfortable."

"Hello, Matsu," I said, remaining precisely where I was, lying back with my head tucked into Akitsu's soft, pillowy chest. "Is something the matter, or are you just coming to hang out?"

"Matsu hears Rose needs help... relaxing," Matsu all but purred. "Matsu wants to help."

"You're welcome to do so, as long as it doesn't break the house rules," I said. "If you anger Miya, nobody gets to relax."

"Spoilsport," Matsu whined, before padding across the room to lie next to us on the futon, and snuggling up in such a way that let her bury her face in one of Akitsu's tits. "Is there something you don't want to talk about in front of Akitsu?" Matsu asked, telepathically.

"Kinda," I said. "It's the sort of thing I'm reluctant to talk with you about, even, but... well, I suppose you are, and I say this well aware of the irony of the situation, the most emotionally mature of the Sekirei that seem to have congealed around me."

"Ooooh, emotionally-difficult conversations about relationships," Matsu said. "Those were always an interesting part of your stories."

"Actually," I began, "does it ever bother you that I replaced your friend? You know, the Rose of this world who existed before I started my Jumpchain by stealing her body?"

"Did you actually replace her?" Matsu asked. "How different are you two, really?"

"That's... hrm." I thought for a moment, searching my memories, and found... that I actually had two sets of memories, nearly identical, with only a few incidental details changed here and there, alongside a few new ones, where I made friends with Matsu. "...Well. I remember everything she's ever done, including reading that fucking vore pun you made two months ago, and I only just now realized this because of how very similar our experiences were."

"Then you didn't replace her," Matsu said with a mental shrug. "You are her. Now, what's really bothering you?"

"I'm grateful that Miya's rules mean that our physical intimacy can't progress past kisses and cuddles," I said. "So that I don't have to explain to everyone, not just you, exactly how deeply uncomfortable I am with the entire premise of winging Sekirei."

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"Ah. That... is going to be a difficult conversation. No wonder you don't want to have it in front of Akitsu."

"Yeah, the problem is ultimately still there with her," I said. "It's just that there's only a little less psychological inertia keeping her from telling me to eat shit if I ask her to do something she doesn't want to. Which... well, that unburies the lede, doesn't it? See, Matsu, just because I don't forcibly wing Sekirei doesn't make me feel like I'm ethically in the clear. Getting consent to start with is one thing, but unless it can be freely revoked at any time, well... then it isn't really consent anymore. It just feels so..." I sighed. "In a way? I'm actually glad that the ability to un-wing a Sekirei is the one that the Jinki maintained. Because now that I know how it works..." I shrugged. "Well. If you're not winged to me, you'll retain your ability to-"

"If you bring that thing near me with the intent to use it," Matsu said calmly, "I am going to shove it so far up your dick the doctor is going to wonder how you got a kidney stone this big."

I blinked.

I sat up a touch, to look at Matsu, who looked dead serious.

I then laid back down on Akitsu's chest.

"Hm?" Akitsu murmured.

"Nothing, angel," I murmured back. "Just fidgeting. I'm fine."

"Alright," I said. "Given that, uh... well, that, I am going to accept the now-obvious fact that you're perfectly capable of telling me no, even with the Sekirei bond."

"How magnanimous of you to accept that I remember the first conversation we had after you winged me," Matsu said dryly. "The one where you went very, very far out of your way to make absolutely certain that I could still tell you where to shove it if you had an idea I didn't like. I am not at all insulted in any way that you genuinely thought I'd forgotten about our discussion about boundaries and had defaulted back to being your love-slave."

"Look, I just ran into winged Sekirei whose bonds did make them slaves," I pointed out. "Forgive me for being a little freaked out about the prospect, okay? And, well, this is something I've known about the whole time. Sekirei, once winged, are permanently stuck with their Ashikabi, until death does them apart. I'm not insane for worrying about what the horror stories say about the supposed success stories."

"Let me ask you a question," Matsu said. "How long have we known each other?"

I hummed, rifling through this universe's set of memories. "Three years, I think."

"And we met because of some kinky porn you wrote and posted," Matsu continued. "We know each other's kinks pretty well at this point, right?"

"Well, yes..."

"Do you remember how I told you I had a hypnosis fetish?" Matsu asked. "And how the core of that fantasy was the idea that I became less responsible for maintaining a happy, loving relationship? How it meant, now, it was my dominant who was responsible for ensuring that they're still happy with me, and thus nothing I could do would ruin things."

I blinked.

"...Okay, yes, I do remember that," I said. "And I also recognize how that is, you know, kinda relevant here. But Matsu, you have to recognize in turn how that kinda doesn't make everything perfectly okay, right?"

"It doesn't," Matsu said, nodding. "What it does do is reassure you that yes, I really do want this. Our relationship may be precious, but it is not fragile, and it can withstand mistakes." Matsu snuggled a bit closer. "Remember, Rose. If I ever want out? You offered me the Jinki, and told me to speak my mind, and prioritize my own happiness. I can leave, whenever I want. And I don't. I choose to be your Sekirei, on purpose. And that matters, doesn't it?"

I sighed quietly.

"Thank you for being patient with me, Matsu," I said.

"I'll be honest," Matsu said. "Your squeamishness about this whole affair is genuinely taxing to me. But, well... you have to be willing to make allowances, for the people you love."

I grunted non-committally.

"Of course," I said, "you do understand why I can't generalize this talk we just had to Akitsu, Musubi, and Tsukiumi, right?"

"I want to hear your reasoning," Matsu said.

"You're one of the five Sekirei who were awakened first," I said. "You didn't have any limiters or shackles placed on your powers, like the rest of the Sekirei were given. Those limiters, those shackles... those powers, they're psychic. A manifestation of the mind, of the will. Your will is fairly unshackled, Matsu. I can, in fact, trust you to speak your mind, and to have your own mind to begin with. Musubi and Tsukiumi? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not." I sighed. "And then there're the other psychological factors. Musubi is hopelessly naive and doesn't seem to understand that she should have any boundaries around sex. Tsukiumi quite literally screamed that she would never let me violate her body when we first met, and has now flipped over to acting like a loyal wife before even being winged, so, y'know, any kind of honest emotional communication with her is going to be a fucking ordeal. And then there's Akitsu, who has latched onto the first person to treat her like she was worthwhile and desirable, and is likely never going to feel secure enough to risk making me mad by telling me no."

Matsu chewed on all that for a while, then sighed.

"That... is fair," Matsu admitted. "But... well. I can't help but notice you using Akitsu's boobs for a pillow."

"That is true," I said. "Akitsu is a bit of a paradox for me. Because, on the one hand, I can't bring myself to act like I don't desire her, because that would probably be really bad for her emotional health. But on the other hand, I still don't feel comfortable doing anything that I'd consider to be 'taking advantage of her,' and..." I mentally shrugged. "Well. It matters to me, at least, that the chest pillow thing was actually her idea."

Matsu snickered.

"Anyway," I said. "I wasn't lying earlier when I said I needed a nap, so... See you when I wake up, I guess."

"Do you feel better, now that you have that off your chest?" Matsu asked.

"I do, yeah," I said. "I'm glad we had this chat."

"Are you finally going to have sex with me now?"

"No, because it's funnier if I don't."

I slipped gently into sweet dreams as Matsu filled my mind with frustrated swearing.