Date Night: Sarahi

"Oro, dear," Tuli's gentle voice broke into his dreams, "That hurts."

Oro blinked his eyes open, releasing the squeeze he'd been putting on one of her breasts. "Sorry," he muttered. She answered with a good-natured chuckle, reaching back to pat his hip before sitting up.

"That dream again?" Nayeli asked from the kitchenette, where she and Sarahi were just finishing preparing breakfast for everyone, "I'm sorry for sneaking away, but you were sleeping so hard and I wanted to help Sarahi."

Their husband shook his head. "‘S fine," he promised with a yawn, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "It hasn't been nearly so frequent since the witch's curse was lifted. Just still happens sometimes. Sorry, Tuli."

"It's quite alright, dear," the Lioness promised, standing up and stretching, then massaging her abused breast. "I'd actually encourage it, except your grip is like a vice."

"I'll encourage it even with a grip like a vice," Kitt flashed a sly grin from the couch, patting her own small breasts. "Help yourself."

The Rabbit rolled his eyes, hauled himself up, and headed straight for the table without bothering to dress. He immediately dug into the pancakes, bacon, and eggs his wives had made. After that he invaded Kylan's shower, finally pulled on fresh clothes, and reclined against Sarahi on the balcony, the pair watching the morning light play across the water.

"So what's on today's agenda, Mr. Party Planner?" the Sha'khari giggled as Nayeli joined them with a kiss.

Oro answered by pulling a folded brochure from his pocket...

The cultural center was clear across the island, tucked in the heart of the only real city. They listened as locals spun traditional tales of the sea while weaving tribal clothing from fragrant native leaves. They tried their hands at climbing coconut trees, which Kitt made look laughably easy even to the professional instructor. Nayeli and Tuli earned heartfelt cheers as they learned a traditional dance in grass skirts, before Diya and Kylan drew fawning sighs doing the same. They drank sweet fresh fruit-juice, sampled spicy local recipes, and laughed until their sides hurt when Oro donned a carved war-mask with an absurdly long tongue and brandished a wooden spear at the sky. Sarahi, spinning the same spear through graceful arcs like a dance, earned an appreciative whistle even from the local historian.

The day topped off in a luau, blending everything they'd learned that day into one vibrant feast and show, with the addition of some fire-dancing which they had — understandably — not been allowed to try. The whole family agreed it was a wonderful, memorable day.

Oro took Sarahi's hand as the group exited the center into the warm evening air. "You guys can see more sights if you want," he told the others with a wave. "I'm taking Sarahi from here. We'll meet you back at the hotel later."

Sarahi's ears perked as she leaned into his side and Nayeli blew them both a little kiss with a knowing smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday," Oro apologized, voice low and sincere as they put some distance between themselves and the crowded bus stop.

But the Sha'khari shook her head and kissed his cheek. "I wasn't mad. I guessed what you were up to as soon as you left, and Nayeli confirmed it over breakfast. So...is this my turn?" she asked hopefully. "Where are we going?"

Oro nodded, taking her hand more gently. "Somewhere I think you'll enjoy, since we don't have a great one back home." Checking the directions he'd jotted down on a little note, Oro led her a couple of blocks further into the city. They window-shopped along glowing storefronts, soaking in the city lights, until Oro turned them toward a narrow door squeezed between two swimwear shops.

Sarahi arched a dubious brow as she followed him up the stairs, the walls pulsing with a heavy beat. The door at the top opened onto a huge, colorfully lit arcade that swallowed the entire floor — far larger than any of the ones in Three-Peaks. The Sha'khari's eyes lit up at all the games. And the laser-tag arena.

They burned through the budget he'd set for this little outing faster than she'd like to admit, but that was hardly unexpected. They played plenty of competitive games, and racing games, and gimmicky little skill-games. Oro suffered through a miserable round of laser tag, ears pinned flat against his skull under the relentless bombardment of the bass. Sarahi actually felt a pang of guilt for absolutely trouncing him at that. They tried virtual bow-hunting, which turned out to be a more even contest than either of them expected.

"Oo, I've been dying to try one of these ever since I started at the dojo!" Sarahi laughed, trotting up to the punching-bag strength tester.

Oro rolled his eyes with a smirk, leaning against a nearby machine. "You know these are rigged, right? Kids and girls get the high scores, while us guys are made to look like chumps."

"Ha!" the Sha'khari laughed as her punch drove the bag up into the measuring plate, lighting the meter almost to the very top. Cheers and claps erupted from passing gamers, and she flashed him a superior grin. "You're just jealous you can't top that."

"Oh, like Hell I can't," he grinned right back, taking the bait and stepping up to the plate as the bag lowered again. The small crowd taunted him playfully. Sarahi motioned for him to have his go, half pitying the guys jeering him. She was having fun, and he was humoring her, knowing full well that he could still sling her to the ground or hoist her over his head almost on a whim. She wouldn't even try to deny it.

The whole corner of the arcade fell dead silent the instant his fist connected. The bag ripped clean off its anchor, slammed into the meter, and shattered the machine's facade in a spray of plastic and sparks. The whole thing buzzed for a second, then went dark. Oro and Sarahi looked just as slack-jawed as everyone else in the crowd.

"Fuck," the Rabbit hissed. He snatched her hand and bolted for the exit before any staff could react. "Sorry," he panted once they emerged back onto the street, ears still ringing though his throat was relieved he didn't have to shout anymore. "Didn't mean to cut that short short."

Sarahi was laughing too hard to care. "We were down to our last quarter anyway," she gasped, shaking her head as she pulled him into a tight hug. "You've gotten way stronger. That was amazing! And I had a blast!" She followed the praise with a firm kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, honey-bunny."

He turned her head to claim a kiss on her lips instead, and Sarahi melted into him. Then they hastily put a little more distance between themselves and the arcade, just in case anyone had ratted them out and given a description of the pair that busted that machine. Both of them were, for better or worse, easy to pick out of a crowd. Once reasonably certain they weren't going to be chased down for what had happened, they meandered back toward the bus stop at a leisurely pace...

"Oooh man, that was great," Sarahi moaned quietly on the bus, careful to keep her voice low enough that the driver and handful of other passengers sitting at the front wouldn't hear. Leaning her shoulder against Oro, she put her lips to his ears and begged in a whisper, "Can we do it again? Like, at home? I know we don't have anything like that place around, but we could make do with...some other places."

Her husband chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulders and hugging her to him. It was late. The sun had long since set, and the starry sky blurred into the sparkling sea where the two met. The bus was quiet except for the hum of the engine, practically underneath their feet. For half a moment, Sarahi was tempted to fall asleep right there...and thought Oro might have beaten her to it. "Hey," he said softly in her ear, gently confirming he was still very awake, "I know I tell you (probably more often than I should) that you are second to none except Nayeli to me. That's still true, and I want to keep it clear — because what I'm about to say is gonna sound a little two-faced...but you know, if love were merit-based instead of...whatever the fuck the rule is...you would be far-and-away my first love. I'm kind of sorry it didn't work out that way, for your sake. I love you."

Sarahi blinked in the dark. She pulled back just far enough to give him a suspicious look, then nestled against his side again, lips brushing his ear. "Honey-bunny," she whispered softly, "I will give you a whole new set of scars if you start second-guessing yourself now. You love her. I love her. You love me. I love you. First or second, top or bottom...none of that matters anymore. It hasn't for a long time. I know you'll probably always blame yourself for what happened — even if we don't — but I want you to stop regretting it. Okay? I love you, too." She nipped his earlobe gently. "Now stop trying to sweet-talk and just fucking kiss me."

She cooed softly into his throat as his lips sealed against hers. They did their best to keep the kiss unbroken all the way back to the hotel. The moment they slipped through the door, Sarahi cooed again at the sight of Nayeli spooned tight against Tuli's back, like Oro was usually snug against hers, and the rest of the family still flushed faintly from the night's activities. "Welcome home," the young Lioness murmured without opening her eyes.

They each pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, then slid under the blanket behind her. Sarahi wrapped both arms around her husband and wife, possessive and content, and held them that way until morning sunlight finally coaxed them awake.