Simp Lore ✍

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X-Men Masterlist 🔪🐱 Red Dead Redemption 2 Masterlist 🐎 Star Wars Masterlist ⭐ BBC Sherlock Masterlist 🔎🤔

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The Amazing Digital Circus --

Showtime

Ongoing:

Human As You Are Yet Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4, Ch.5, Ch.6, Ch.7, Ch.8👀💐😌☔🏳️‍🌈 Caine Playlist 🎪🦷 Showtime Playlist 🎪🎉

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Hazbin Hotel --

RadioStatic

Ongoing:

A Fool For Lesser Things Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, Ch.4,🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️👀💐

What I Love, I Devour (What I Covet, I Keep) Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3, 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️👀(hiatus)

Oneshots: Body Language 🏳️‍🌈💐 The Playlist Vox x OC (Ollie) 

Pomni's not even sure she can remember who had made the thing in the first place. Was it Zooble? Ragatha? Somebody had wanted to wash up for the first time in who knows how long. (Pomni's intuition says Ragatha, but again, she can't say for sure.)

Before Pomni had gotten ahold of it, the shower was only about the size of one stall, like what one might find in an average household.

But now that she's gotten her mitts on it, and has almost certainly been the only one using it, the entire space has at least quadrupled in size. Pomni didn't hesitate to conjure herself the fanciest bathtub and shower she remembers seeing online back in the human world, and why would she? Along with her own touches, of course.

The space is now closer to the size of a public bathing house than a personal shower. Decorated with tiles in a delicate jade green, she's made herself plenty of space for a bathtub (okay, more like a large hot tub), a massive shower with benches running around its edges, and any towels, robes, or toiletries she might need.

Excessive? Yes. Deserved? Also yes.

After ages of not bathing at all, having water pour down on her from any number of showerheads that she wants -- in a shower that she can do laps in, if she had a mind to -- is her idea of heaven. Or just soaking in a hot bath, floating in a small sea of water.

Admittedly, there haven't been many baths since Caine came to stay in her room.

As Pomni locks the door behind her now, with half a mind to make it vanish entirely so she can't be followed, she already knows what she wants to do under the reprieve of the water.

Though it usually isn't accompanied with so much shame.

Hooking her thumbs under the waistband of her sweatpants, she lets them pool to her ankles, stepping out of them. Next, Pomni pulls her tank top over her head. Finally, she removes her underwear and socks. When she's naked in front of the full-length mirror nearest the door, she blushes at her own reflection.

Because she looks flustered and guilty. As her face flushes even further still when she spares herself a look, Pomni has to glance away.

Bending down to turn on the shower water, Pomni waits a moment to let the temperature adjust before stepping under.

Tonight, she lets the water pound down on her -- the majority of it thundering from the two largest showerheads above. The weight of the water falling on her shoulders and head is a momentary distraction, wrapping her up in heat. Noise and motion and moisture, all battering her thin frame.

Pomni closes her eyes.

God, she's so stupid.

Stupid to get so close and cuddly with Caine just because she misses being close with someone that badly. And even stupider to let herself lose her mind at the slightest nudge of friction.

Does she have no self control? No dignity?

She walks to the closest bench where her shampoo and body soap are waiting. Hopefully she can at least try to distract herself from feeling awful about what's just happened.

But even as she scrubs down with her favorite bar soap (lightly peach scented) Pomni's mind keeps snapping back to what had happened in the bed.

Caine probably doesn't even know about sex, she thinks miserably, rinsing herself free of suds. Or if he does, it's the bare minimum he had to know to enforce his stupid filter.

Pomni remembers his reaction to Zooble asking for the ability to have sex, ages ago now. He'd frozen up like it wasn't even something he'd had the capacity to respond to, then completely changed the subject.

Yeah, that -- that isn't a good sign.

And here she is, getting all hot and bothered by him.

Just as Pomni hadn't wanted to admit to herself that she'd grown to like him more and more, she's desperate not to acknowledge the growing arousal in her gut every time they make contact like that. This time, it'd seemed to come out of nowhere, licking at her mind like a brushfire. Now it's utterly unmanageable.

And what makes her feel worse; all the touches they've shared have been utterly innocent. Until she went and did that.

She presses her palms into her eyes. Rubbing up against him, even if it wasn't her intention, was something she'd initiated. And gotten horny about.

So, yeah. She's gone and ruined it. She's the pervert here.

Her brain feels all twisted, even though she's clearly still aching to be touched. Like her body's developed a Pavlovian response to being alone in the shower room, knowing what she usually comes in here for.

Sharing a room with Caine really has been fine. Sure, even attempting to match his energy took some getting used to after being alone for a while. He thinks out loud almost constantly, and tends to ask endless questions about what it's like to be human. Pomni feels like -- no, scratch that, she knows -- that he'd just talk all day if permitted.

Sometimes Pomni just has to be honest and tell him when she feels overwhelmed. Thankfully, instead of getting his feelings hurt about it, Caine's learned to apologize and self-correct. Then they might spend some quiet time together, either doing their own things in the same space or finding something they both enjoy.

For Pomni, it's either writing out her daily thoughts (hoping to keep her head on straight) or listening to the music selection Caine's proudly shown off.

"We have the entire public domain, and several hundreds of artists who released music up until the year nineteen ninety-six!" He tells her. Caine tilts his head in thought, scrunching his top jaw. "Though I haven't listened to much outside of the public domain. Making adventures didn't really seem to necessitate it, you know?"

Needless to say, she can't wait to expose him to the joy of eighties and nineties pop.

For Caine, he's trying to learn to draw more things that aren't bees. Pomni isn't much of an artist herself, but she's trying to help him out. He's often confessed how much he admires Gangle's artistic abilities, and expressed confusion at how easy she makes it look.

"That's because she practices," Pomni explains. "And she really likes to do it."

"I practice too!" Caine insists, pouting. "And I really like to do it!"

"Hmm." Pomni's trying not to laugh as she comes up with an answer to that. "Well, maybe she can give you some pointers the next time you see each other."

Funny how well things work when you're being straightforward about how you feel.

And funny how awful it can make a person feel when they want to talk about something with someone they care about, but they're afraid it'll ruin everything.

Because she's tried, really tried, not to think about Caine like that. Whenever Pomni's come here in the past to relieve stress, it just...slowly began to happen.

She'd have her legs spread open, sitting on one of the shower benches as she presses two fingers firmly against her clit. Her other hand is palm down on the bench for balance as she moves against her fingers, taking her time. Imagining one of her old city crushes putting their hands between her legs, leaning in to murmur something flirtatious in her ear. Teasing her.

No one too specific, as Pomni hadn't formed any serious romantic attachments in the human world. She's always had better luck coming by her own hand, anyway. But she just needs to imagine someone.

Someone to pet her thighs and trace over her slit. Someone to keep her on the edge until she gives in. Someone to roll one of her nipples between her fingers (and thank god or thank somebody she can make her breasts as small as she wants, here).

Somehow over time, the fantasy in her Pomni's mind shifts to gloved hands between her thighs. She'd even conjured up her own pair to wear, sitting just outside the spray so that the satin wouldn't get wet, and fingered herself with them on.

The orgasm was intense. But it was only after the second time, as she'd splayed herself out on the bench afterward to recover, that the realization hit. She'd stayed in the shower for a long time trying to come to terms with that. In a fit of embarrassment, the gloves had been tossed away.

For some time after, she tried to tell herself it didn't have to mean anything. Plenty of people liked gloves as a sex thing, and the way hands looked in them. It didn't have to mean that she was attracted to specific people and their hands. No. She's just learning things about herself, and that's healthy.

But it got worse from there. Only a few days ago as Pomni had tried in vain to imagine someone, any crush from her past, she suddenly pictured Caine between her legs instead. The more she tried not to see him there, the more it was all she could think about.

He'd sit so pretty for her, kneel there however she wanted. His big, intense eyes would stay right on her face, too worried about missing any cue or instruction to blink. Pomni imagines him sliding hesitant palms up her thighs, scooting in closer until his mouth is just a breath away from her wet folds.

"Like this?" He'd ask, looking up to her for confirmation.

"Yes," Pomni gasps, clamping her legs together as she starts to come. "Fuck, yes, C--"

She slaps a hand over her mouth, riding out the rest of it in silence.

Well.

That's not good.

Things have only gotten more vivid from there, despite Pomni trying to convince herself it was just a weird one off fantasy. Especially since they've talked about the whole friends can cuddle thing.

She feels like such a hypocrite.

Would Caine even want her like that? Would he know how to want her like that? Pomni feels like she's ruining something sweet by having urges she can't help.

Who would have thought she'd end up feeling this way about Caine, of all people. After everything that's happened.

But it has happened. She genuinely likes him. Pomni likes hanging out with him and has yet to be bored. Caine makes her laugh even when he doesn't mean to. He's sweet, and he can keep up with her teasing. Most of all, he's trying to be a better person, and Pomni thinks that's more than she can say for a lot of humans she's known.

And she's incredibly curious to know if he'd ever want to touch her the way that she wants to touch him. The kind of curious that keeps her up at night.

Pomni folds to the floor, putting her head in her hands. Her hair plasters to the sides of her face and neck, water pounding in her ears. Creating a little shelter from the outside world, if only for a moment.

She can't keep doing this -- keeping this from him. The fact that she comes here to jerk it is certainly none of his business, but she can't just go back to her room and pretend she's fine. Not telling someone something important is still technically a lie.

"Goddamnit," Pomni mutters. "Fine. Fine."

Giving herself a few more minutes with the water, Pomni eventually gets to her feet, drying off with not much more certainty than she'd had when she got in.

--------

Caine sits up straight from his half of the bed as soon as she gets back to the room, eyes bright with excitement to see her again. He'd been dangling upside down off the end, playing with one of the many new stim toys Pomni's made for the both of them. Even right side up again, he still clenches the fidget spinner in one hand.

"There you are, my sugarplum! I was worried for a moment that you'd swam down the drain."

He's so cute, Pomni's mind supplies, melting. Like a puppy.

"Haha...yeah."

Wait, no -- that's the exact opposite of how we're supposed to be thinking. Get your shit together.

"Did you enjoy your daily human bathing ritual?" He continues.

"I --" Pomni chokes on the word, part of her ready to lie and tell him that yes, she'd had a great shower. Eager to crawl back into bed and curl up like she hadn't just singlehandedly fought her guilt demons.

But she can't.

"I have to talk to you," she manages instead.

A blue question mark appears over his head.

"We're talking right now," Caine points out.

Pomni's not sure she can help the expression that comes over her face. Because yeah, true, but not helpful. Yet such an utterly Caine thing to say.

"I mean," Pomni continues, "I have something kind of important that I want to talk about. And it's...hard to say." She looks at her feet. "I-I don't know how to start."

Twisting her hands together in a nervous imitation of Caine, she chances looking up at him.

Only to find that he's very clearly on the brink of tears.

"It's about me staying here in your room, correct?"

The fidget spinner he's holding blurs at an impossible speed as he flicks it with a little nervous laugh.

"Hey..." Pomni starts, taking a few steps closer to try and reassure him. Wanting to tell him that he's ridiculous, and of course she doesn't want to boot him out.

She reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder, but drops it when Caine shrinks back.

He starts rambling, seemingly unaware of the surprised look on Pomni's face. Two tears drip down his jaws, and he blinks them away quickly, as if they hadn't escaped in the first place.

"I-I knew that I was overdue to go back! You did say I could stay until my code was sorted out again, and here I am, perfectly fine. Intruding on your hospitality, one could say."

Caine gives her a bright smile. If she hadn't come to know him better, it might actually be believable.

"Caine," Pomni tries again, her heart aching, but he isn't quite finished.

"My dearest apologies, my star, of course I'll be out before you know it."

He hops off of the bed and snaps his fingers. In a blink, he's wearing his ringmaster garb again, filling Pomni with instant dread.

"Give me just a second and I'll --"

"You're not going anywhere," she says firmly.

There are tears in her eyes, too, but she can't decide if she's more upset or outright angry. Pomni blinks them back, swallows, trying to get a handle on her breathing. It won't do either of them any good if she blows up.

"If you'd just listen to me then you'd know what I was trying to tell you."

"Oh," he says, looking thoroughly abashed. Caine blinks several times, fiddling with a button on his jacket instead of looking at her. "I -- I'm sorry, my little bug, I really and truly thought --"

"No, you didn't think. Sit."

If the conversation weren't so tense, Pomni definitely would have laughed at how quickly he moves to do as she says. His butt makes contact with the mattress instantly, hands folded in his lap as he looks up to hear her out.

She take another deep breath.

"So, first of all, please don't assume I want you gone. That's the opposite of true. When I say that we're friends and I want you around, I mean it."

Caine's eyes are bright and sparkly as he listens to her speak, overjoyed at the reassurance.

"Okay?" Pomni prompts.

"Y-yes! Okay." He nods enthusiastically, top hat struggling to stay in place. Caine pauses, teeth chattering ever so slightly. "And I'm sorry I didn't let you speak first. When you told me you had something to say."

Pomni moves to sit beside him, letting their legs touch a bit. He looks reassured by the physical contact, and she really hopes what she's about to confess to isn't about to ruin it all.

"I get why you were scared," she says after a minute. "But. Yeah, I just needed to talk about my thing first before you jump to conclusions."

Caine nods again, and the fact that he's purposefully not saying anything at all to let her speak is sweet.

Okay, here goes nothing.

"I know we talked about h-how typically, humans can be friends and still do stuff like cuddle, hold hands, things like that."

Oh, god. Her mouth is bone dry. Pomni's so anxious that she's actually getting dizzy. Caine's just looking at her expectantly with those big eyes, obediently hearing her out with no idea of what she's actually about to say.

"But, um. I don't think we really touched on things of a...sexual nature?" Pomni can feel herself cringe just saying it, wishing she could hide behind her hands.

Caine twitches. Blinks several times, then shakes his head, glitching a bit.

Later, he'll let her know that he had to remind himself that there was no filter to reinforce or work around anymore. But right now, to Pomni, it just seems like he's having an adverse reaction to sex being mentioned, period.

"Are the two concepts connected in some way?" He asks meekly. "I don't know if I understand."

"Fuuuck," Pomni groans, unable to help it.

Her embarrassment and frustration are almost at a breaking point. He really is going to make her spell it out, isn't he?

Well, there's nothing else for it but to rip the bandaid off. They've done enough stalling. Pomni clenches her hands into fists, as if afraid the confession might hurt.

"I might be feeling a certain way -- sexually -- about you."

There's no way she can even attempt to make eye contact right now, so Pomni stares at her hands. Her heart is racing. But when she doesn't get any reply for several seconds, it's impossible not to look up.

Caine's so still that for a moment, she's afraid that he's shut down. Regardless of whether he's shut down or not, Caine is...frozen. Not just the kind of frozen where one doesn't move, but stuck in place, his frames halted past the point of lagging.

"Um. Caine?"

Her voice comes out timid, waving one hand in front of him. Had that declaration been enough to undo all the careful repair Kinger had done for his code? If she has to go to Kinger and tell him that this is the cause for another error, then she may as well abstract so she doesn't have to speak to anyone ever again.

But at the sound of his name, Caine seems to come back from wherever he'd been stuck processing his thoughts.

"I get it now!"" He announces, loud enough to startle her.

"What -- what do you mean?"

"I understand the reason for your erratic behavior the past several days," Caine says excitedly.

"'Erratic behavior'?" Pomni repeats with a nervous laugh. "What's been erratic about my behavior?"

He claps his hands together, brow furrowed.

"Your simulated pulse has been abnormally high. Your breathing has also been rapid. And your pupils are dilated, even now!"

Oh god, oh fuck. This is what she gets for being attracted to an AI. He's reading her for filth and all Pomni can do is sit here and take it, stammering protests under her breath as Caine keeps going.

"What's more, your face flushes and you have difficulty forming sentences -- which, if I'm understanding correctly, is often a sign of embarrassment or overwhelm."

"Oh my fucking god," says Pomni, unable to stop herself from burying her face in her hands. "Caine."

She's not turned on by this. She's not turned on by this.

He tilts his head.

"I see now that the physical proximity, the embarrassment and overwhelm, and the sexual attraction are connected, but... Are you certain this has all something to do with me?"

Now he blushes, deep, an impossible effect that hovers around his face even when he's glitching slightly.

"Yes," Pomni insists. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. I like you as a friend and I'm almost positive that I'm attracted to you."

Now her pulse is racing in her ears, the whole world narrowed down to the two of them sitting together side by side. Their legs touching -- not much but enough -- and Caine's eyes laser focused on her face. Like he couldn't tear himself away from it if he tried.

"Define almost positive," he says breathlessly.

Pomni can't help it.