Coye 4.14

Sorry for the wait on this one, the reason is simple. The original chapter got split up into three, so I've been working on them back to back. Now I have to edit them back to back, so I'm gonna try and get 15 and 16 out today, too.

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Chapter 14 - Intervention

A knock on the wooden door startled Coye out of his nap. He looked around for his hat and found it beside him, then sought out Shayla. It turned out that the Pixie was in the midst of her fourth tour around the kitchen, but she dropped everything that she was doing in a sudden panic.

'Shit, I thought I had more time! I almost had my mind made up on where we are going to put cabinets, too...' She complained.

"There's no rush on that," Coye reminded her sleepily.

'You just don't get it, baby.' Shayla sighed and flew under his hat the moment he placed it on his head.

"Darling, we're back. Are you decent?" Suzette called to him outside his home, punctuating it with another few knocks.

Coye swung his legs off the bed and stood up, stretching off his nap with a slight yawn. "Yeah, I'm good. Come on in."

The front door opened, and in walked his beautiful, mature lover. Coye blushed as soon as he saw her. Despite her concern, Suzette's pale, alabaster skin was glowing with youthful vigor, and the magenta curls of her long, unbound hair gleamed in the sun's light. While they were gone, Suzette took the chance to change into a cute black sundress with frilly white trim. She carried a large basket in her hand that smelled like a delicious feast.

"Wow," Coye gaped in wonderment. "Did you take a bath? You look even prettier than usual, and your hair is so fluffy and shiny..."

'Pro tip. Leave the fluffy part out next time, you weirdo.' Shayla teased.

Even Suzette laughed at how odd his comment was, but she appreciated it all the same. "How very astute of you," she smiled. "Yes, we visited a bathhouse together, and on our way back, I took the liberty of picking up some dinner. Is roast chicken fine with you, Darling?"

"Sure, I'll eat almost anything," the agreeable boy said before his brain caught up with the implication and noticed the seeming lack of Byng. "Wait, hold on a second. You visited a bathhouse together? Where is Byng? Is she okay?!" Holding nothing back in his concern, he rushed toward Suzette.

"Fear not, I assure you she's absolutely fine," Suzette was a little surprised at how worried he was, but she brushed him off and sat the large basket of food on the table before pulling out a chair and having a sear. "She's just being overly dramatic. Honestly, you threw a bigger stink about this than you did the actual bath. Are you coming in, or what?" She asked, looking over at the door.

"I don't want to! I look stupid as fuck!" Coye heard Byng grumbling off in the distance.

"You do not," Suzette corrected using a stern voice. "You look like the picture of cuteness, and I know that Darling will agree once he gets a proper look at you." The only response was yet more grumbling.

'Oh, boy. Sounds like Suzette had a trick up her sleeve. Something tells me this is gonna be good!' Shayla laughed to herself. 'Go on, baby. Have a look!'

Already plenty curious himself, Coye needed little to no convincing. He walked out the door and found Byng leaning against the cabin's exterior, pouting with her arms folded over her chest and a sour face that looked like she would bite anyone who got too close. The source of her discomfort had to be her no doubt forced choice of attire. Byng was wearing a pale yellow dress checkered by white lines ending over her knees. The dress was overtopping a white blouse with a button-up collar and puffy sleeves ending in frills. A vivid orange sash was tied around her waist in a cute little bow, which would've completed the look if only she had some shoes or socks to go along with her wardrobe.

Even more shocking was that Byng's short hair, usually arranged in a gravity-defying series of upwards-facing curls, now found itself straightened and thoroughly brushed. Her hair fell down the sides of her face reaching almost to the base of her neck- her matted, dirty locks now shining with gloss- making the subtle purple hue of her black hair stand out more than ever.

There was also the matter of how bright and beautiful her skin was, but that hardly bore repeating.

'Holy fuck, that did not disappoint at ALL!' Shayla shut her mouth tight and placed her hands over her lips lest she burst out laughing and reveal herself.

Coye stared for an uncomfortably long time. The difference was so jarring that Byng almost looked like an entirely different person. A rosy blush appeared on his cheeks, and he struggled to say something- anything- but his mind was thoroughly fucked. As such, he remained blanker than an empty canvas.

"That fucking bad, huh?" Byng groaned as she sunk to her knees, squatting and cradling her head. "Gah- I knew it! I fucking knew it!!"

"N-No! You look good! Really good!" Coye squatted beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I was just surprised, that's all. You know how I get a little, um, empty-headed sometimes..."

Byng peeked at him from the corner of her eye, her frown suggesting significant doubt. "You sure you're not just saying that, short-stuff? Because I'm a tough girl. I can handle the truth, so spit it!"

"I suck at lying," he reminded her. "I always mean what I say."

That gave Byng pause for thought before she sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess you got a point there..." she admitted and stood up. "Whatever. You can thank Suz for making me go native! Better soak it in now while it lasts because I ain't playing dress-up again anytime soon!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. You underestimate the lengths I'm capable of going to ensure I get what I want." Suzette laughed darkly from inside the cabin, causing Byng to cringe both mentally and physically at the veiled threat.

Before they went in together, Coye took Byng's hand and asked, "Hey, forget about the dress-up for now. Did everything else go okay? Suzette said you guys took a bath. I just wanted to know if you're alright." He worried about her, especially when he noticed how red and puffy her eyes looked.

His lover blushed, squeezing his hand tight. She adored how Coye cared enough to check on her well-being, but that didn't mean she wasn't about to put on a tough act in front of him. That was just how she was.

"Yeah, things went great," she shrugged and looked away. "No big deal."

'Riiiight...' Shayla added with doubt.

"Really?"

"Yeah, more or less. Probably gonna start doing it more often with Suz, I guess. It could've gone worse."

Coye smiled. He didn't know what to say, but even without Shayla's help, he picked up that things likely didn't go smoother than she suggested. Wanting to comfort her, he gave the girl some praise off the top of his head. "I'm sure it was tough for you, Byng, but... for what it's worth? You look beautiful."

Byng's level of poutiness dropped significantly as soon as the praise started pouring in. "Oh, I do, do I? Gahaha... uh... how so? Just so I get your drift, I mean."

Without thinking about it, Coye smiled and ran his hand through her silky hair to admire the softness. Byng was so cute when she was desperate for attention. "I like your normal hairstyle too, but now it's all shiny and looks much healthier."

"Yeah?" Byng blushed a deeper shade of red, leaning into his touch like a cat. "I'll admit, It's pretty nice how all of a sudden my scalp stopped being so itchy... anything else?"

Shayla thought about making a quip asking if she ever got this bad when she was looking for attention, but in all fairness, the Pixie recognized that Byng likely went through a traumatic experience during her bath and respectfully kept her mouth shut. It was rare, but it could happen.

"Well, your skin is so much clearer now. It's really pretty. Also, I know you don't like it, but it's kind of cute seeing you wear something that doesn't really fit your style, um... if that makes sense." Evidently, it did make sense because Byng's face was filled with flush to an outright comical degree. Then, Coye leaned in and tilted his head. "Are your eyes okay, though?"

"They would be if someone had listened to my advice," he heard Suzette sigh. "Next time, I'll have to use no tears shampoo."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Byng stood up and stomped to the door, looking straight at Suzette. "Now you're telling me they make painful and painless versions of that shit, and you gave me the painful one? Why the fuck isn't painless shampoo the default?!"

"Because it's for children?" Suzette said, sounding somewhat unsure of herself.

"So, what. You're expected to start using painful shampoo just because you get older? Who the fuck decided that?!"

That got a pause out of Suzette, who cupped her chin. "You know, I've... admittedly never thought about it like that..."

'Poor magicless folk,' Shayla clicked her tongue. 'They'll never understand how nice it is to snap your fingers and have your hair done like a pro.'

"Whatever," Byng groaned, dropping the matter before looking back at Coye with a smaller blush. "Aside from the red eyes, do I still look, y'know... pretty?" She was blatantly fishing for further compliments, but Coye couldn't be happier to dispense them.

"Very," he said, smiling and following her inside his home after shutting the door behind him.

Byng finally cracked a small smile of her own as they walked towards the center of the room where Suzette was waiting at the table. "Good to know, good to know..." she nodded, trying to downplay how happy she felt. After suffering through the bath and Suzette's extensive hair brushing session, Byng couldn't give a damn over how desperate it made her look. She earned her this.

"You hear that, Suz? You were right. Short-stuff does like it, after all. Guess that means I gotta start making a habit of this. You win."

"As I so often do," Suzette said, looking rather pleased with herself. "Now come on and eat, you two. By the time you're done flirting, dinner will be cold as cold can be."

Suzette took out the food from the basket and arranged it neatly on the table, ensuring everything was perfect down to the last piece of silverware before pouring everyone some water from a pitcher she filled earlier in the day. There was a wide selection of food available, more than Coye thought a basket like that could hold, but it was still nowhere near as it would've been if Suzette cooked dinner herself from scratch.

Given that he'd had no breakfast and a long day of housework, Coye hungered like a wolf. He tore into the feast nearly as hard as Byng while Suzette continued her uphill battle with the girl and her lack of manners. Even though the Gengaggi was trying to learn to please Suzette, it sometimes seemed as if she was incapable of making anything stick.

For once, Shayla prepared ahead of time, so she didn't have to sit around and watch other people eat. While the girls were busy with her bath, Shayla stored samples of the food they brought Coye in her magical storage space and helped herself to a dinner of dried fruits, nuts, and roasted almonds glazed with honey. It might not have been sweet as candy, but it was the closest thing Suzette had provided, and it would do the job for now.

Dinner passed by peacefully and was largely without incident. As always, Coye found it comforting, fun, and it made him happy to the point where he almost didn't want it to end. Suzette was the last to finish her plate, unsurprising since she ate more than Coye and Byng and did so at a much slower and refined pace.

The three fell into a casual conversation, chatting about the home and a little about how the bath went. This continued until Coye had to ask something he could no longer ignore. His needs were pressing, even if all the hard work was a good distraction throughout the day.

"So, how late are you guys planning to stay?" He started gently. "It's really fun being with you both, but... um... I still need someone to help take care of me down there..."

Suzette and Byng looked at each other just as the older woman finished wiping her mouth off with a tablecloth. Neither could believe that Coye didn't understand tonight's plans. His obliviousness was equal parts funny, worrying, and adorable. A silent conversation took place between them using only their eyes and imperceptible gestures, each arguing over who would be the one to tell the boy the truth. The honor fell to Suzette.

"Darling," she started with a mild laugh. "I would've thought our intentions were obvious. Why is it do you think that I dragged Byng to the bathhouse today of all days, hm? We both intend on staying the night, you silly boy." Suzette couldn't stop herself from blushing after actually expressing it. As prepared as she was, it remained surreal to think of what was coming.

Coye responded to this with a blank stare. He aimed at Suzette, then at Byng, and then back and forth at a rapid pace. His mouth began to gape. "Wait. Both of you? Together? At... at the same time?!" His eyes started the bulge as the two girls took on sincere and lewd smiles.

'Took you long enough to figure it out,' Shayla cradled her forehead. How slow could he get?

"C'mon, short-stuff! Gahaha! You're a man, are you really gonna tell me you haven't thought about this happening before?"

"Um, I... I maybe thought about it once or twice, but I had no idea it was an actual option..." Feeling like a clown, Coye hung his head in shame. It was true that he'd had fantasies about group play in the past, but they were primarily intrusive thoughts that he never paid any mind- fantasies and nothing more. The possibility of a threesome with two girls may as well have been a brand new one as far as this dense boy was concerned.

Suzette and Byng reacted to Coye his wholesomeness with a measure of guilt. Here he was, clutching onto one of his last few threads of innocence remaining, and they were on the verge of taking it away. More so, they'd both been fantasizing about it all day. It was hard not to feel slimy about the nasty things they planned.

The more he thought about it, the more things sank into place. Coye started breathing heavier and heavier, his eyes darting back up at the girls. He was already on the brink of getting what he needed. Hearing this only made it a hundred times worse. Coye could already imagine being drowned in their kisses, plunging into them as much as he liked. Shivers ran down his spine, his anticipation building so bad that Shayla sensed it and was even affected by its intensity.

'Geez, keep it in your pants until they're ready to go!' She scoffed half-jokingly. Shayla was as excited as ever to witness the festival of lewdness soon to follow. Nevertheless, that excitement came alongside the helplessness of knowing she would be left by the wayside.

Things had a funny way of working out.

Suzette stepped in to temper Coye's expectations as she began piling up the dishes. "I'm glad you're on board with the idea, Darling. Still... I know how badly you need relief, but there's a matter we'd like to discuss with you before we get into any of the night's fun. One important thing that Byng and I think needs to be touched on before our relationship develops further."

Coye was taken aback. The whiplash he got from thinking he was about to get laid to the anxious feeling Suzette's words imbibed him with left him feeling ill at ease. Especially when he saw the less than playful expression on Byng's face.

Whatever was going on here, Shayla felt it too. Something was off, and she didn't like it one bit. She tried to calm herself and think of what it could be. Maybe Byng had told Suzette about the Baddest Bitches, and this was some sort of group intervention they planned to try and talk him out of pursuing them? Yeah... that could make sense.

"Uh," Coye stammered. "Sure? What is it?"

After dumping the dishes into a basin of water she'd left on the counter, Suzette sat down again and looked at Byng. Her companion nodded, placing her hand on the older woman's thigh under the table. Suzette reached down for it and squeezed for courage and good luck. There was no way of knowing how this would play out, but it had to be done.

She steadied her pounding heart with a deep breath, saying, "As I said, Darling... Byng and I both want to stay the night with you together. But..."

Sensing Suzette's struggle, Byng spoke up and finished the thought for her. "We just kinda wanted to maybe, y'know, let you know that it... uh... it doesn't have to be just the two of us. If you want, I mean."

Coye was more puzzled than anything else. On the other hand, Shayla's little heart stopped beating.

"I... don't think I understand...? Who else would stay the night besides you two?" Coye asked. His mind searched for possible answers, each more unlikely than the last. Like he often did, he was missing the forest for the trees.

"I told you he wouldn't get it if we phrased it like that," Byng mumbled as she snuck a side glance at Suzette before staring awkwardly at the ground. "Gah, whatever..." Turning her attention back to Coye, she asked, "You remember that friend of yours who you were talking about the other day? The one you said pushed you into asking me out?"

Things registered now for Coye, and he shared Shayla's response and began feeling much more panicked. "Oh, um, what about her? I... I mean, what about them?"

'Fucking damn it, Coye...' Shayla groaned, and for once, she didn't care about whether noise seeped out of the hat or not.

Suzette put her hand on Byng's upper arm and mouthed the word 'vague' to her, making her sigh with slight irritation. "I'm saying that if she just so happened to randomly show up right here, right now, then neither of us would really care. You... uh... you know what I mean, short-stuff?"

He remained silent.

Suzette had tried it the subtle way, even allowing Byng to do most of the talking since she was better at being casual, but it didn't seem that would work. She decided a more direct approach was necessary.

"Darling, let's say that hypothetically this friend of yours was already here, somewhere in this very cabin. In such a hypothetical scenario, no love would be lost between us. The only thing we're after here is an introduction and a chance to talk properly with them."

Coye gulped loudly and looked at the floor. His sweat was flowing like a river. Just this once, he wished that he was a better liar. If any arousal lingered inside him, it was gone by the time he put things together and realized they knew.

Suzette and Byng were both looking up at his hat.

He stood up from his seat, his chair falling to the ground in panic. Coye thrust his hands out defensively, acting on impulse as he said, "I-I'm really sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about! Really! And, um... even if she was here, she's really sensitive and has reasons for hiding! Also, you can't speak a word about her to anyone! Ever! Did I mention she was sensitive? It's bad. Like, really bad! Please, please... don't... don't do this!"

Despite his feverish defense of his hidden special friend, Shayla remained quiet as a starless night. She simply stared through the hat to look at both of Coye's lovers, who were now wearing faces wracked with doubt. Regret dominated their consciences after seeing his impassioned response to their intervention.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Byng grumbled and bit her lip. "Short-stuff is way too innocent. He wouldn't keep her a secret from us unless there was a damn good reason!"

Suzette looked away in shame. This was all her idea- she'd insisted on it. She twiddled her thumbs and reminded Byng, "True enough, but you were just as curious as I am when I brought it up."

An awkward silence filled the room, made even worse by Shayla not speaking a word. Coye figured the best thing to do was to be alone with her so they could discuss how she wanted to handle this. It would be painful to ignore the need stirring in his loins, but if it had to be done, then it had to be done. Shayla was so much more important than his first threesome.

"Look, I'm sorry it has to be like this, but... I-I don't think either of you staying over tonight is a good idea anymore." Coye said, clenching his fist.

"Gah-" If Byng wasn't already upset, now she was even worse off than before. On top of feeling like ass from her rough day, she didn't appreciate seeing their chances at sex drying up. Especially not after she pushed herself back at the bathhouse. The girl was on the verge of saying something, but Suzette cut her off.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," she frowned. There was a slight tremble to her voice. "It wasn't my intention to come off so adversarial about this. If your friend indeed happens to be listening, I... really do want her to know that if she has her reasons, I would've never brought it up. While I still have questions and concerns regarding the ethical implications of her involvement and presence, those concerns are nothing compared to how grateful I am for her inspiring you to pursue a relationship with me."

"And me too, dammit!" Byng stood and leaned over the table with passionate fury, banging her fist against it. "It doesn't even matter to me if she was watching us fuck, or if she was telling you what to say, whatever. I don't give a shit about that! She gave me you!"

Coye felt the air leave his lungs and butterflies raging in his stomach. They were so convinced before even meeting Shayla that it gave him a dash of hope. Maybe this could work out?

"Precisely," Suzette nodded in agreement. "But... if your friend wishes to remain hidden after hearing our feelings, then Byng and I will go home for the night. The next time you see us, we'll pretend as if this entire altercation never happened. I promise. It goes without saying we won't breathe a word of our suspicions to anyone. We'll simply go back to the way we were before. If that isn't enough for her, then... we'll..."

Then again, maybe it couldn't.

"You'll... what?" Coye asked on the verge of tears. She wasn't about to suggest what he thought she was, was she? Their relationship had only just begun. Even the implication of ending things with Byng and Suzette was enough to tear his innocent heart asunder.

Then, he heard Shayla snapping her fingers, and his hat suddenly fell from his head.

Suzette and Byng looked on with astonishment at the tiny, winged, blue-glowing girl in a black sundress standing on top of Coye. Shayla looked off to the side, refusing to make eye contact with them despite her dramatic reveal. Her arms were folded, and she wore a troubled expression, both irritated and distant.

Coye scrambled to pick up his hat and cover her up with it, but she started flying away the moment he ducked down. She landed on the table in front of where Coye had been sitting. With her magic, she sat his chair right side up again. Shayla then looked right at him and jerked her head at the chair, prompting him to sit.

"Might as well get comfortable, baby. Cat's out of the bag, and there's no going back."