Chapter 414: [R18?] A Nible

Alexia was frozen for a long time, the door still half-open behind her. She couldn’t stop staring at the woman, it had been way too long since she’d seen her in the flesh.

"Are You planning on standing there," Victoria said, not even bothering to look up, "or are you actually going to come and sit down?"

Alexia shut the door with a little nervous laugh and walked over to take the seat opposite her.

"You’re still always early, huh?" Alex joked as she sat.

"Only for the things that actually matter," Victoria replied with a small, calm smile.

The coffee shop was basically empty at this hour. The waiters were just humming along in the background, doing their thing. Victoria had picked this spot on purpose, she wanted a place far away from nosy people and listening ears.

And this place? One of her territories. Perfect setting.

"Order whatever you want," Victoria said, waving the waiter over. "Put it on my tab."

Alexia raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Seriously? I’m the one who asked to meet you, and you’re paying for me?" She leaned in, a mischievous look on her face. "Now I actually want to order the most expensive shit on the menu, just because I can."

"Go for it," Victoria said.

Alexia blinked, kind of caught off guard.

"Wait, that was supposed to be a joke."

"Maybe, but take this as a reward," Victoria said, "or rather, a thank you gift. You’re the one who suggested the coffee, but I’ve been craving this for a while."

Alexia became quiet for a second. Something about Victoria’s tone threw her off, but she quickly recovered and decided to change the subject.

"So," Alexia said, stirring her coffee absentmindedly, "how’s it going with your new team of monsters?" She gave a little smile. "I saw your last match. Glad to see you waited until you beat us before recruiting a roster that scary."

"We’re getting by," Victoria answered with a tiny shrug.

"Getting by?" Alexia repeated, sounding totally incredulous. She set her cup down on the table with a loud noise. "Are you kidding me? You’ve literally changed the face of the Underground these last few months. I hear your name everywhere, like, seriously, everywhere. The clinics you paid for in the Slums, that program for homeless people, even the deal with the poor kids getting decent equipment, school and all the shits." She shook her head. "You’re literally saving lives. Like, for real."

Victoria looked away, her fingers tightening around her cup for a moment.

"I know, I’ve been dealing with praises enough for missing my days as the cold boss. That’s not really what I want to talk about right now."

They both laughed, and that old, familiar vibe came back, that connection they had years ago that hadn’t totally died out despite the time and distance.

"Why not?" Alexia pushed. "You should be proud of that."

"Because, my dear, you’re the one who interests me right now," Victoria said. She put her cup down and stared straight into Alexia’s eyes. "So, how’s it going for you? With your team."

Alexia shrugged, her smile fading a bit.

"We’re... well, we’re getting by. The team is okay. I’m getting playing time." She paused for a bit, looking for her words. "It’s just... not exactly where I thought I’d be at this stage, you know?"

Victoria nodded slowly, taking a sip of coffee.

"Alexia," she said, putting her cup down. "About what I told you the last time. Did you give it a thought? I really want you to join Blacklist."

Alexia let out a sigh.

"This again?"

Victoria just waited, being patient.

"You already know the answer," Alexia continued, putting her cup back. "I signed a contract with this team when I was at rock bottom. Nobody else wanted me back then. They gave me a second chance when it wasn’t even convenient for them. I’m not gonna screw them over now just because a better offer came along." She crossed her arms. "Honor is the most important thing a person can have, in my opinion. And you’re not the one to tell me otherwise."

Victoria smiled. That was certainly a perfect comeback, considering the story of their demise.

"You’re right."

She took another sip before speaking again, more serious this time.

"But I really want you to join Blacklist," Victoria said. "Really, Alexia. Not just as some extra player on the roster."

Alexia shrugged, trying to act like she didn’t care.

"I probably don’t even fit in a team like yours anyway. You guys are playing in a completely different league."

"I don’t believe a word of that," Victoria shot back immediately.

"It’s true, though."

"No," Victoria said, leaning forward a bit. "Listen. There are monsters on the field, Alexia. Real monsters who have to stay exactly that: monstrous. To keep destroying everything in their path every match. But for them to do that, they need a real royal guard around them. Players who can cover their blind spots, set the stage, and let them be exactly what they’re supposed to be without worrying about anything else."

Alexia stayed quiet, listening closely.

"And even further out," Victoria continued, "you need sentinels. People who can see the danger coming before anyone else, preparing the attack before the threat is even visible to others."

She looked Alexia dead in the eyes, no filter.

"Dahlia is my sentinel in the office. I recruited you, back then, to be exactly that on the field."

Alexia didn’t say anything for a long time. Her fingers tightened around her cup, and her expression became complicated.

Honestly, she was happy that Victoria had made it, that she’d done it all on her own. But somewhere deep down, a little bit of jealousy wouldn’t go away. It was that feeling of being one of the "broken toys" in the set, while someone like Nash turned out to be the golden boy that nobody saw coming.

She felt that for a while, seeing Blacklist reaching the top of the league while she was there, one among many in the 3rd ranked team of the South conference.

And now... She had an opportunity to rise again?

"Why me?" she finally asked, her voice lower. "Like, honestly. You have everything with Blacklist now. Why come back for a player from a second-rate team?"

"Because you’ve never been a second-rate player," Victoria answered without hesitation. "You just never got the spotlight you deserved. It’s not the same thing."

Alexia looked down at her cup, a small, shaky smile appearing on her lips.

"I’ll think about it," she finally said.

"That’s all I’m asking," Victoria replied, sounding satisfied.

They talked for a long time after that, about many things, unrelated to sport, how was life, people, stuffs like that, until Victoria finally offered to drive Alexia home. The evening had slipped away, and neither of them had even noticed.

In the car, a comfortable silence settled between them for a while. It took about half an hour before the car finally pulled up in front of Alexia’s apartment building.

Alexia hopped out of the car, but before leaving, she leaned over toward the driver’s side window to say goodbye. She looked a bit unsure of herself, biting her lip for a second.

"By the way," Alexia said, sounding kind of hesitant, "Nash... he doesn’t give you too much of a hard time, does he?"

Victoria let out a little laugh, shaking her head.

"It’s actually the opposite. He’s always had my back and helped me out, even when I was being too stubborn to realize it," Victoria replied.

Alexia smiled, looking a bit relieved that things weren’t as before. She crossed her arms on the edge of the window, leaning in a bit more.

"Well, just make sure you keep things spicy and touch him a lot. That’s what motivates guys like him," Alexia advised. She gave a heavy wink, her voice getting more suggestive. "Guys like that usually think their talent is a magic key that opens every door in bed, and they usually end up trying to fuck the hottest woman in the room."

Victoria just nodded, not really surprised by the comment.

"Oh, Nash and I got past that stage a long time ago," Victoria said. She reached for the ignition and started the engine. "Right now, we’re actually trying to make a baby."

Alexia blinked. She nodded once, then quickly shook her head, her eyes widening.

"What the FUCK?!" she yelled.

Victoria’s car peeled away around the corner, leaving Alexia standing there alone in front of her place. She felt a bit lightheaded, honestly, still trying to process the news Victoria had just dropped on her.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, it was already dark at the mansion.

Nash was sprawled out on his bed, arms tucked behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn’t really seeing the paint, though. His mind was looping through tomorrow’s game.

He was thinking about Colossus’s defense, the gaps he’d already spotted in Seth’s game, and the little adjustments he’d need to make if the set changed mid-match. His body was totally relaxed, but his brain was running a marathon.

Then, there was a soft knock at the door.

Nash sat up fast, surprised that anyone would even bother him this late. Everyone should be asleep by now, even Lina and Amara were determined to let him rest the night before such an important game. He got up and opened the door.

Aiko was standing there in the hallway. She had her arms crossed tight over her chest, which basically just pushed up her small tits. The surprise vanished from Nash’s face immediately. He grinned.

"Well, well," he teased, leaning against the doorframe. "Look who decided to come knock on my door."

Aiko gave him a look, half annoyed, half amused.

"Are you actually going to let me in, or are you just going to keep yapping about me being here?"

"Depends." He stepped aside to let her in. "Did you bring snacks?"

"I brought myself," she shot back, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. "That should be more than enough."

Nash shut the door behind her. Aiko walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, her shoulders all tense. It was the exact same vibe Rei had earlier.

"It’s about the match, isn’t it?" Nash asked.

"Absolutely not!" she snapped. It was too fast. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, her classic "I’m lying" pose. "I just... wanted to see you. Is that illegal or something?"

"Right. Since it’s not about the match, we should probably just hit the hay. Fast-forward to tomorrow."

Aiko jumped up, startled.

"No! I mean—" Now she was deep red, all the way to her ears. "Okay, fine. Maybe I’m a tiny bit worried. Just a little bit."

Nash sat down next to her, but he gave her some space.

"The last time we played them," she said, her voice getting quieter, "it was the worst experience of my life. I’ve always seen myself as your rival, you know?" She pouted a little. "I still am, by the way."

"Course you are," he replied.

"You’re not even being sincere!" She shoved his shoulder, but he didn’t even budge. "You have that voice. Like you’re just saying it to make me feel better."

"I’m being completely sincere, Aiko."

"Whatever," she sighed, giving up. "Yeah. I really want to be your rival. That’s why it hurt so fucking much when that arrogant prick ridiculed me in front of everyone." She clenched her fists in her lap. "I want my revenge. I..." She hesitated for a second. "Do you think it’s too early for me? To play against them?"

Nash took a deep breath, getting himself ready. He was about to drop the exact same piece of advice on her that he’d already given to Rei. He figured if it worked once, it would work again.

"Look, I get how you’re feeling," Nash said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Everyone always gives me that same bullshit speech, you know? Like, ’you gotta face your fears’ or ’don’t ever run away.’"

He let out a short laugh, sounding like someone who had seen too much shit in his life.

"But me? I’m just a street rat," he continued, shrugging his shoulders. "My only real technique is—"

"Oi, baka. I’m not scared," Aiko cut him off.

Nash stopped talking. He raised one eyebrow.

"Okay."

"Like, really not." She crossed her arms again, pressing her breasts against her sports bra. "I just have a lot of stuff on my mind."

"Like what?"

"Like everything!" Her hands started moving as she talked. "The match. The defense patterns. How Seth... Nah, not using this prick’s name. How this prick is going to mess up my rhythm. If my throw even go in. If the whole city watches me get humiliated again. If—"

"So you’re not scared," Nash said, his grin getting wider. "You just have a brain that’s spinning at a thousand miles an hour."

"That is totally not fear!"

"Sure it is, mama."

"Don’t call me that. Baka papa!"

He laughed softly.

"You’re gonna pull an all-nighter, aren’t you?"

"No." Then she whispered, "...maybe a little."

"Your brain is going to explode before the game even starts."

"Stop smiling like that." She shoved his shoulder again. Her palm hit his solid muscle and stayed there for a second too long. "It’s not funny."

"It’s a little bit funny."

"Baka papa... is this how you comfort me? Baka!"

"You always use the same insult. No creativity, mama."

She glared at him, but she couldn’t think of anything better to say.

Nash watched her. He could tell she was wound way too tight to get any sleep. An idea popped into his head, the kind of ’Nash idea’.

"I’ve got something that could help you clear your head."

Aiko looked suspicious.

"Like what?"

"Just trust me."

A few minutes later, Nash was standing in the middle of the room, completely naked. The bedroom light hit him like spotlights in an arena.

Aiko stood facing him, just as naked. At first, she’d crossed her arms over her tits, but then she forced them down. A deep blush ran from her cheeks, down her throat, and across her chest.

Her pale skin looked bright against his darker tone.

"How exactly is this supposed to help me," she muttered, her eyes sliding down to his cock and then back up, "just standing here naked in front of you?"

"It’s simple. Everything is just so stupid and embarrassing right now that your brain doesn’t even have room to think about the Colossus," Nash said.

Aiko didn’t answer right away. Her eyes drifted down his body, checking him out, then she looked away quickly, only to glance back again a second later. She couldn’t help it.

"Bed," Nash commanded. "You’re not just gonna stand there all night overthinking this."

He sat down first and then leaned back against the pillows, leaving one arm open for her. Aiko hesitated for a second, then she climbed onto the bed. She moved one knee past his hip, then the other. She didn’t fully straddle him, that would be too much, too obvious, so instead, she just stretched out on top of him. They were chest to chest, her stomach pressed against his, and her legs slid between his open thighs, with one leg hooking over his hip.

The position did the rest of the work for them.

Her small tits were flattened right against his pecs. When she settled in, her nipples dragged across his skin. And his cock? It was already rock hard. There was only one place for it to go: jammed right in her seam, the thick shaft wedged tight between her closed thighs.

As she shifted, the head of his dick poked out right above her ass. Every time she breathed, it moved against her. It was pure heat. She was already wet just from lying on top of him, and they both knew it.

Nash’s hand landed on her bare back. His palm pressed against her shoulder blades, then slid down, following her spine all the way to the small of her back. He couldn’t reach her face without lifting her up, and he didn’t want to do that. He kept his hand right there, his thumb rubbing the little dip just above her ass.

Aiko wanted to protest, to say something, but a small laugh escaped her instead. Her hips shifted, trying to find a spot where his cock wasn’t rubbing directly against her clit. But there was no such spot. Her thigh slid higher on his leg. Her twintails spilled over his shoulder and across the pillow.

"This method is completely dumb," she muttered, though the tension in her voice was already fading.

"It works, though," he replied.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she pressed closer because, on top of him, there was nowhere else to go. One of her arms slid under his neck, and the other wrapped around his ribs. Every little movement just mashed her tits further into him. He could feel her heart beating fast against his chest.

He used his other hand to squeeze the hard muscle of the thigh hooked over him. Then, he slid it under, between their bodies, because that was the only way to reach her cunt without rolling her off. Two fingers dragged along her from behind, sliding over the slick lips that were already kissing the side of his cock. He didn’t go inside; he just coated his fingers in her wetness.

Aiko’s breath hitched against his collarbone. Her hips twitched. That little movement rubbed her clit right down the vein on top of his shaft.

"That’s not sleeping," she whispered.

"That’s keeping your head right here," he said, speaking into her hair. She smelled like soap and warmth. "You feel that?"

"Obviously I feel that, baka papa. It’s crushed between my legs," she snapped.

"Then stop moving on it like you don’t," he teased.

She froze for a second. Then she did it again, a short, rolling grind that only worked because she was on top. Her pelvis ground down, her ass lifted just a bit, and his cock slid right through the mess she’d already made. A wet, squelching sound echoed between their stomachs. She bit his shoulder to keep from moaning.

Nash let out a low laugh so it wouldn’t carry. The hand on her back slid down to her ass and stayed there, holding her firmly against him. His other hand kept teasing, fingertips brushing both sides of her clit, never giving her a full circle, just smearing her own wetness up toward the base of his cock.

"You came in here so wound up you couldn’t sit still," he said. "Now you’re leaking all over me and calling me papa. Progress."

"It’s just hot in here," she lied.

"Sure it is."

She couldn’t get a full stroke on him from this angle. She had to snake her hand down between their bodies, her wrist bent awkwardly, until her fingers found the head of his cock, which was jammed up toward her navel. She couldn’t wrap her hand around it, so she just rubbed the underside with two fingers, using the pre-cum that was smearing her stomach.

"Aiko," he warned.

"What," she breathed.

"You keep that up and this stops being a ’calm-down method,’" he said.

She rubbed harder on purpose.

"So? We already—"

"Tonight we sleep." His fingers dipped, just the tips, into her. He felt how tight she was around nothing, then he pulled back. If he pushed in, this would turn into actual sex, and he was refusing that for now. He wiped those fingers on the inside of her thigh and put his hand back on her ass.

"You were ready to go two minutes after you got naked. That’s the point. Your head is full of me instead of them. That’s enough. We can sleep."

Aiko became still. She let out a frustrated sound and buried her face in his neck. Her thighs clamped around his shaft and she rubbed one more time, short, very tight, the only move the position allowed.

"You’re doing this on purpose," she grumbled.

"Yeah."

"Baka."

"Mama."

She pinched his side, but it was weak. Her hand stayed trapped between them, not stroking, just holding his heat against her belly while his cock stayed hard and wet between her legs.

They talked after that. Just light stuff, without mentioning the Colossus. Her body slowly unclenched. The grinding became smaller and unconscious, just the way a body moves when it breathes while lying on another person.

"By the way," she said, sounding suddenly annoyed, "I still don’t get how I’m not pregnant. I don’t even take the pill."

Nash let out a little snicker, rubbing his chin as he looked at her. He knew exactly what the fuck was going on, but he wasn’t about to give it away.

"I’ll take the task seriously," he said, and she could feel him smiling against her hair. "Very seriously."

Aiko turned bright red. She rubbed against him without meaning to, his cock sliding through the wetness between her thighs, and then she hid her face in his chest.

"B-baka," she mumbled into his skin.

She ended up falling asleep like that, right on top of him. Her breathing slowed down until it was even. Her small tits were mashed against his pecs. One thigh was still hooked over his hip. His cock was still hard, still trapped, and cooling down against her.

Nash stayed awake for a while, just staring up at the ceiling. He could feel her hot skin pressed right up against him, and honestly, it felt fucking amazing.

He lay there for a bit, enjoying the way her body felt crushed against his, probably thinking about how good the sex would have been, before he finally stopped fighting it and drifted off to sleep.