Incubus Pupa Ch. 09

Under my breath, I muttered, "Some guys, she says..."

"Quiet you." Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"But seriously, you know most guys can't handle my height."

I threw my arms up in frustration.

"Dammit, woman! How many times do I have to tell you: that is all in your head. Don't you know it's a fantasy of every red-blooded straight male to have an Amazon girlfriend? Just explain the popularity of that Snu Snu episode of Futurama to me otherwise. Go ahead, I'll wait." An impatiently tapping foot completed the bit of theater.

Her eyes rolled, but she laughed, having watched almost every episode with me back in the day. Still, I was pretty sure there would have been another pillow thrown at me if she hadn't thrown them both.

"Hornball..."

"Hell, I'd date you in a second...it's just too bad I'm off the market," I said wistfully.

Shit, this was coming off the rails. Stick to the script, dumbass! No talking about the romance between the two of you. Remember?

"Uh-huh." She deadpanned.

"Well, you have Jack anyway, right? I know you don't want to talk about the details, but that's going good?"

"Ugh, Jack." Ella deflated a bit. "No, it's not like I mind talking about us, but Jack is...Jack. I dunno."

"...kinda inconsiderate, you mean?" I finished her thought.

She glared at me.

"Well, now that you've said it, yeah, kinda inconsiderate."

I gave her a moment to continue. She did.

"Kind of a fucking prick."

My eyes widened.

"Woah, look at you! Harsh language?! This isn't the Ells I remember." I felt like we were starting to get a bit of our groove back, so I pulled out the old nickname.

She returned a sheepish glance, then it all started pouring out. About Jack. How he neglects her and ignores what she wants, always putting himself first. How consumed he is with his appearance. How abrasive and rude he could be with everyone he didn't respect -- which happened to be pretty much everyone. How they never seemed to have anything to talk about.

Naturally, none of this shocked me in the least, but I tried to act as a sympathetic friend. I listened patiently while she vented.

"It doesn't sound like he's a bad guy, per se," I died a little saying that, "he's just self-centered. And...I don't think I'm the only person that sees that.

"But the real question is: what do you want to do about it? Let's ask it this way: what attracted you to Jack in the first place?"

She gave me a sharp look, and I raised my hands, shaking my head. "Not trying to be snarky there, Ells, but it's an important question for you to figure out if you think he's worth your time. You've told me a lot of the bad parts, what are some of the good ones?"

I hated asking the woman of my dreams to tell me what, specifically, she liked about another man, but I conceded that this was essentially 'girl talk', and I needed to at least look like the neutral party.

"Well, he can be thoughtful with me, sometimes. Like when he buys me gifts or flowers for no reason. And, well...I feel weird saying this to you, but let's face it, he's pretty hot, and he's my height, so I don't have to feel like a freak around him."

Double ouch. Especially the part about his height. How could I compete with that? I knew the doctors had said that Ella might not even be done growing, so I could have challenged how long that last point would be valid, but I wasn't that cruel. Rather, I needed her to see her height as an advantage, not something she needed a guy to match to make her feel normal.

"Ok, so that's something. Right? I'm not sure I want to ask this, but have you two been...physical?"

I rushed on before she could answer, "Don't tell me if it makes you uncomfortable! I just thought, you know, if you want to talk about it... It's even been said by some that I'm a better sounding board than a concrete wall."

Ella gave me an obligatory chuffing noise to recognize my attempt at levity, but her eyes were on the coffee table. After a moment of silence, I decided to move the conservation on.

"Alright, so, about this bet-"

Before I could finish, she continued. "We've tried, a little. I don't know... I just can't. It's just not... right. I know that sounds like a bunch of bull -- which is what Jack told me, of course -- but it's true, Adam."

Suddenly, my mind was filled with images of Jack trying to get intimate with Ella.

Wait, she talked about some kind of bad experience last time we spoke. I hopped over to her couch, putting my arm around her broad shoulders as she drew into herself. She didn't pull into my embrace, but she didn't shrink from it either.

"Wanna talk about it? I assume you're referring to what happened before when I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry about that, by the way, but I'm here now. It might help."

Her bright eyes regarded me, obviously confused. Then recognition dawned.

"What, you mean what I said about 'bad stuff happening'?"

I nodded. Ella covered her mouth with a hand.

"Oh, God, you thought?... I am sooo sorry. I realize now how it came across. I mean, it wasn't a good time for me, but I was never forced if that's what you're thinking. Charley was a good guy. We just weren't meant to be, not to mention my parents disliked him."

Her brief dating experience with that freshman college student last year came back to me. I winced at the thought of yet another man that could say they knew my Ella in ways I didn't, but overall I was relieved that she was never hurt as I'd feared.

"Look, can we just forget about my crappy love life and talk about something else? Liiiike, what about this medical thing you mentioned? Can you tell me about it?"

"Truthfully? I'd prefer not. It's pretty embarrassing. I'll, uh...tell you another time."

"Okay, okay, just trying to be a good friend. But tell me this: does it have anything to do with how you've gotten so buff?"

My eyebrows shot up.

"Come on, don't deny it! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were hitting the roids pretty hard. What gives? I know you, Adam Connor, and you did not look like this a couple of months ago."

"I didn't realize you were keeping tabs on me."

She looked away. At least this didn't feel like a battle, unlike last time.

She gave me a look that told me exactly how stupid she thought that was. "Adam, you wear nothing but T-shirts most of the time. I'm kind of surprised you're not wearing one now. It's hard to miss."

A fading part of me said 'downplay', 'equivocate'; but that wasn't me anymore. Ella expected me to, but I didn't. I only shrugged, as if to say 'don't ask me', while putting my arms up on the back of the couch. I looked steadily into her hazel eyes.

The air in the room was still. Something subtle had changed, but I perceived it. Just a slight tilt of her head, but my instincts told me that I had passed some kind of subconscious test. One continuously broadcast by Ella's inner female. She knew what to look for, even if thinking Ella didn't. Regardless, it immediately flipped me into 'prospective partner' mode.

"Can... Can I see?" she said

Well now...

"See what? Just normal old Adam here." It was pretty thrilling that she wanted to see my body, but I had a vague concern about how she would react if I showed her. If she got worked up, I didn't want to go full-on incubus and bond her. The guy riding shotgun knew my intense desire to have Ella and didn't have my scruples in doing it the way I wanted it done.

"C'mon, Adam, just gimme a peek. I bet you got a nice little six-pack under there, huh?" Those flecks of green in her eyes twinkled at me.

"What, like, pull my shirt off? What would Jack think about that? Thought we were just friends..." I goaded.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. It's just a shirt. You're a guy; I'm not seeing anything you wouldn't show everyone on the beach."

Suddenly, she lunged for the hem of my shirt, jerking it upwards. With my arms on the back of the couch, I was too slow in trying to prevent it, and she got it pulled up to my pecs, revealing my cut abs and obliques. Naturally, I flexed a bit to make them pop even more. Couldn't help myself.

Ella stared, her face turning pink just a shade. Then she really surprised me when she tried to pull the shirt the rest of the way off.

What had come over her? This...didn't seem like normal Ella. Then again, maybe she had an aggressive side that I didn't know about. As awesome as it felt to have her leering at me and wanting to see more, I had to stop this before it got to the point where I couldn't help myself.

"Hey!" I fought her, pulling the outer edges of the hem down while she lifted at the center, shocked at my friend's actions. "Ella, what the hell?"

"You big baby, I've seen you strutting around school, showing off. Why so bashful all of a sudden?" she teased as we continued to struggle.

She'd moved to the floor to get better leverage, kneeling right in front of my legs. Her huge tits bludgeoned my legs repeatedly while we struggled. It was sublime, but I needed control!

"Come...on!" each word was punctuated with a jerk on my shirt. This girl was strong! "You...tease! Just...give...me...one...look."

I could have overpowered her despite her size advantage, but I let her win, putting my arms up as she slid it off the rest of the way.

"Fine!"

"Daaaaaaammn, boy! Look at you!"

Her pink face turned three shades darker as she fanned herself with a hand, wolf-whistling.

"Did...you just wolf-whistle me?" My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Ok, who are you, and what have you done with my friend?"

"Oh, gimme a break. You're hot! I dunno how you did this in such a short time, but I can certainly see why Sandy and Amy were all over you at that club."

I'd never seen Ella act like such a lech, and it worried me. Was I doing this to her without realizing it? Concerned, I checked her life pattern and worried even more when I couldn't see any changes at all. It was just the same as earlier -- nothing useful.

"Do you mind?" I held a hand out for my shirt. "I'm starting to feel like a piece of meat here." All theater, of course. 'Mental me' had a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Man, you are like a work of art or something. Jack's not nearly this cut."

Not gonna lie, that felt good to hear. A big part of me wanted to tease her and encourage this. Turn the tables on her and push for quid pro quo. Maybe even a little game of 'doctor'?

But was that me? Or was it my Fae? The one who hadn't been fed since I saw Ia a few days ago...

No, I needed to play it straight, for now. I needed her thinking of the me with the chiseled bod as the kid she grew up with, and right now I didn't believe that was the case. I still had a plan.

"Alright, alright, you've seen enough. Can I have my shirt back, please?"

"Really shouldn't...could look at that all day." I thought I heard her mumble, "Here."

Quickly pulling it back on and straightening my mussed hair, I tried to deflect.

"So, how about that game?" I said with a confident smirk on my face.

"Let's do it!" Ella grinned. "You've gotten too cocky without our regular games. To think you could beat me..." she scoffed.

"So. As I recall, you agreed to make it interesting-"

"-and I'm a woman of her word." She continued smoothly. "Name your terms, Connor."

"Okay. If I win...you have to commit to a trust exercise with me."

When she looked puzzled, I said, "What? You said you didn't trust me, remember? Losing that really bothered me.

"I want it back."

I had thought about what Ia had said -- that I needed to build trust, and figured I could go for the direct approach...and if it involved a little innocent touching, what's the harm? Now though, I wasn't sure.

She looked a little guilty, but all she said was, "Okay, deal. Now, for what I want... If I win..." she mused, tapping her lip in thought, "you and Sandy have to go on a double date with Jack and me."

Well, that was unexpected. I wasn't sure what she hoped to get out of that exchange, but why not?

"Deal."

For the next twenty minutes, we both prepared in our usual positions: her in a beanbag chair on the floor, I on the couch behind. The game was best three out of five matches, and each of us got three warm-up matches with PC-controlled players. I played well, but Ella dominated those comps. It was equally intimidating and sexy how skilled she was. Her movements were so sure and focused.

I must have missed half of her warm-up matches though; I was too busy staring at her luscious body. Seated behind her, I had a nice view without the risk of being caught. The curves of her breasts extending past the sides of her torso were magnets for my eyes.

Finally, the time came for our first match. I picked my old, fireball-flinging, tornado-uppercutting favorite, unsurprised when she picked the thick Chinese girl with the insanely toned thighs.

I'd like to say the first match was close, but it wasn't. She kicked my ass just about as fast as the character she played 'lightning kicked' mine into oblivion. It was 0-2 for the match.

"Oh man, this is just too easy. I almost feel bad. I am gonna sweep you like the floor of a salon." Ella taunted.

I said nothing.

The second round went differently. I played a character I felt was more powerful but found less familiar. Ella switched up her character in some overt attempt to give me a handicap.

Fortunately, my gambit won out, and I was able to capture the second match; 2-1.

Ella considered me, again giving me that appraising look.

"Got lucky that time, Connor."

"Uh-huh. Next match, let's go."

She stepped up her game again, obviously seeing me as more of a threat. She won the third match, 1-2, but the fourth was dragging out. She had taken me down in the first round already, putting the current match score at 0-1. If she won this round, she'd win the match, game, and the whole deal.

I conceded that the double date with her and Jack could be used for my purposes too. Frankly, though, I didn't want to go on any kind of date where Jack held Ella while I tried to downplay the passion that Sandy and I had for each other in front of Ella's appraising glares. So, I needed to win this thing.

Focusing on my movements, I was able to eke out a win for the next round with just a sliver of health left. 1-1.

"I'm thinking next Saturday for dinner." She goaded, confident as ever. "You have something besides a t-shirt and jeans ensemble to wear, right?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The next round went quickly. I don't know if she let me win, but I had switched back to my Gi-wearing favorite, and landed a couple of solid special moves right out of the gate, cementing my lead and winning the round. That was the match for me, putting the overall standing of our game at 2-2. Now it was sudden death.

"I'm sorry, what was that about sweeping me, again?"

"Whatever. You're still going down."

The next match started, and I stuck with my reliable pick. She went back to hers as well. The first round was pretty white-knuckle, but I eventually took it down. 1-0. The second round I bungled pretty badly, walking right into one of her fireballs, which she adroitly followed up with a flurry of combos, taking me down with her health bar untouched.

In the third round, I came out swinging hard, taking her all the way down to a sliver of health within the first ten seconds, but I couldn't seem to seal the deal. She blocked everything and evaded all my specials. Ella was on fire. It made me wonder if she had been toying with me till now.

It was looking like it would be death by a thousand paper cuts as she light-jabbed and kicked me with incredible precision. Just when I thought I was done, though, she made a mistake in her timing, and my slow fireball connected.

That was it, I had won. 2-1 for the match, 3-2 for the game.

"Did you do that on purpose?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"At the end there, when you mistimed your jump."

"You're suggesting that I threw the game for you?"

"Well, it just looked like-"

"-Adam," she cut me off, "This is me we're talking about. You ever known me to throw a game? Ever?"

She had a point. Ella was fiercely competitive and hated losing.

I nodded, conceding her point.

"Well, good game, Ells." I extended my hand and she stood up to shake, rising above me. Her head looked like it was only inches from the drop ceiling.

"Good game."

We shook, and I lost myself for a moment in the feel of her cool hand. Her long, graceful fingers felt sublime. I can't remember if I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb for just a second, but if I did, she didn't react.

When we separated, she flicked my forehead with her finger.

"And that's for thinking I would ever sandbag you."

"Alright, alright. I got it." I whined.

She went to sit down on the other couch.

"So? I suppose you'll be wanting to collect on your bet now?"

Shrugging, I said, "Sure, if you're good with that. It won't take long."

Nodding, she got up, towering over me once more. "So, is this gonna be one of those, 'I fall back and you catch me' deals? Or did you have something else in mind?"

Suddenly, she winced, putting a hand to her back immediately as she stumbled toward the wall, holding herself very still.

"Oh, God! Ella!" I ran to her, having seen this before, as she very slowly lowered herself to the floor. "Your back?"

She nodded.

"Here, lean on me." I put her arm around my back and supported her as she stood again. Trying to accept as much of her weight as she would give me, I helped her to the couch.

"What was I thinking, sitting in that stupid beanbag chair?" I carefully laid her down on her back, enjoying the view as parts of her bounced and swayed when she finally got horizontal.

"I hoped you'd grown out of these."

"Pshh," she said between labored breaths, "The growing is exactly the problem. It seems like I'm not done yet."

Grabbing a pillow from the other couch, I slipped it under her head when she lifted it.

"I thought you looked a bit taller. What are you now? Six-four?"

She shook her head, "Not since this spring. I'm pushing six-five now."

It was odd, how much taller she was than both of her parents. Especially unusual as a female. I had seen that before when there are very tall men on the mother's side, but I'd met a good number of her relatives at her family holiday parties, and they were all pretty average. Her Dad was tall, but not exceptionally so. Certainly, nothing that would have led to this kind of height.

"Can I get you anything to help?"

"Do you mind? I'd love a couple of Ibuprofen and a glass of water."

"You got it."

Hurrying upstairs to her parent's kitchen, I knew right where the pills were. I returned and she quickly popped both of them.

"I'm sorry Adam, this was fun, but I think that's probably it for me for the night. I guess you'll just have to collect on the bet another time." She looked genuinely disappointed, which I took as a good sign.

"It's okay, I understand. Wait... What about a different kind of trust exercise? How about I give you a back massage to help with the pain?"

Ella was already shaking her head as I was saying it.

"No way, Adam. A back massage? How would that look to Jack or Sandy?"

I chuffed a laugh, "What would Jack say about you ogling me without my shirt? Who cares what they would say. The question is: do you trust me? That's the whole point of this, right?"

The irony of extorting an exercise intended to prove that trust already existed to gain her trust wasn't lost on me, but she didn't seem to be unpacking that one, so I left it alone.

"Yeah." She conceded.