A Merfoxie's Day Out

Mira couldn’t help but shiver. She sat by the edge of the boat, staring at the calm seawater and taking deep breaths. Her girlfriend, Lily, approached from behind and laid her soft hands on the Braixen’s exposed shoulders.

“You ready, hun~? You’re running a bit late…” Lily reminded her. “Although, if you wanna call it off, I’m sure Jackie would understand—”

“I-I’m good!” Mira immediately replied; she loved the whole idea of this too much to postpone it any further. “Just, y’know, working up the courage to go in already, haha…”

This wasn’t any ordinary dive, of course. It was a date! Not with Lily, granted, though the Floatzel did approve of the idea the instant it was brought up. No, it was a date with Jackie, the flirty Milotic that had charmed Mira so effectively the last time she visited Alola. And Mira did promise she’d be back, so of course this had to happen eventually… give or take a few delays.

Thwap, thwap, thwap…

Mira wasn’t exactly dolled up for the occasion, but she did bring something very important: her mermaid tail. And the same nervousness making her shiver was also making her thwap that tail noisily against the boat. This, and the cute shell bra, and the big satchel packed to the limit with reviver seeds, were all the things she’d need. Everything else would be up to Jackie, Tina and Emmie… And she might end up needing every single one of those seeds.

“…O-Okay, I promise I’m ready this time,” Mira assured her partner. “Just… Gotta breathe slower…”

“Hmm~?” Uh oh. Mira knew that tone of voice so well. Lily got closer, and quieter. “Thinking about… How this might be the last taste of air you get ‘til tomorrow morning~?”

“Sh-Shush!!” Mira hid her face with her ear tufts, but she couldn’t hide her smile or her growing blush.

“Awh, you totally are, sweetie! Heeheehee…” The Floatzel rubbed her foxie girlfriend’s shoulders vigorously, planting a surprise kiss on her neck. “You go have your fun, and we’ll have our own date after you get back, how’s that sound?”

“…I’d love that…” Mira spoke softly.

Lily smirked, then kissed her lover right in the mouth this time. “Mhm… Right, then. I trust Jackie will bring you back here in one piece. Take a deep, deep breath… And I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you, hun~!”

“Love you too…!” Mira kept it brief, though she did go for one more kiss for good measure. Right afterwards, she leaned a bit closer to the edge, her chest puffing up, in and out, as she took today’s last morsels of fresh air.

Then, with a slow and deep inhale that puffed her chest up to the limit, she held it in, gave Lily a warm-hearted glance, and slipped into the water with a noisy splash.

A frothing cloud of bubbles followed her on the way down for a second before fizzling back up to the surface, as if the concept of air itself was seeing her off for the day. The warm sunlight cast down along her wavy fur and her shiny Milotic-style mermaid tail, rays of light that caressed her figure less and less as the Braixen went on with her dive to the seafloor.

Even with a full breath of air in her lungs, she needed little effort to descend thanks to that lovely tail, swaying it so efficiently now that she’d had plenty of time to practice with it (and try to outspeed Lily with it, which was almost doable). Once she’d gotten deep enough, she didn’t even have to put any effort into swimming; she could just let go and sink into the depths, allowing her to focus on her breathhold, at most just keeping an eye out for any air pockets nearby while she waits for—

“OH MY GOSHHH~ Mira, there you areeee~!!” That eager, girly voice was unmistakable (and inescapable). A certain Primarina swam towards Mira at full speed, not even waiting for her to reach the bottom before going for a big squeezehug. …Was she waiting around for Mira to arrive, or something?

“Grhmmphgblbl… Mhm…!” Despite having some much-needed air squished out of her, Mira sure seemed happy to see Tina again, displaying a big bubbly smile for her and holding her friend’s fin.

“Oh, I was SO pumped and SO ready to join in when I heard Jackie wanted to bring ya along on a date, heeheehee~! And down over to the town, too?! You must’ve felt hella brave, hun! Gosh!” Tina couldn’t stop gushing. She even jostled Mira a bit as she went on, her big, pastel-pink tail swishing back and forth and even brushing up against the foxie’s.

Another familiar voice popped up nearby, just as Tina was starting to bring Mira along for the long swim to town. “Wahoo, it’s the foxie gal!! Hiya, Miraaaa~!” Emmie squeaked from behind them both, soon swimming up and hugging Mira tight, though not enough to squish her air out at least. The silly Dewgong smiled brightly, and she couldn’t contain her excitement knowing what kind of day they all had ahead of them. “Oh, Jackie’s been so eager to meetcha again already! She kept huffin’ and puffin’ about it like a hydrothermal vent!!” Emmie mimicked said huffing for a few moments… Very cute, admittedly. “She’s waiting for us downtown, so let’s not waste any more time, awright??”

Mira agreed, and not just because her chest was already starting to get warm and restless. “M-Mhmph!” She nodded and let Tina lead the way, signaling for her to speed up the pace a little. Now that she could get the hang of mer-swimming a bit better, Mira had no issue following along, though she did wish she was just a tiny bit better at carrying a conversation underwater.

One thing did have to be made very clear, though, regardless of any communication nitpicks. Mira waved her paw at Tina and pointed to her satchel, reminding her of her (previously agreed) task.

The Primarina was more than happy to oblige. “Aw, don’tcha worry about a thing, darling!” She scoffed, waving a fin around. “We’ll keep an eye on you and give you a reviver seed when you need it. Buuuut, hear me out~…” Tina loomed closer, lightly rubbing Mira’s chest. “We do wanna make sure these things last. So, you might spend a teensy bit more time breathing water than you were probs expecting. And that’s totes fine! You got nothin’ to worry about while we’re here, sugar!!”

“Except for falling down a hole when we’re not looking!” …Emmie wasn’t helping, but she wasn’t lying, either.

“…M-Mrmph…” Mira remembered how long this swim to town would be, and hoped her air could at least last until she met up with Jackie…

A Milotic patiently waited by the edge of town, staring idly at the sparse uphill road. She knew exactly where the girls would pop up; her long, thick serpentine body thumped against the soft, sandy ground, and her pretty tail covered the blush that had already formed on her face, just thinking about some of the things she had planned for today.

“Ooh… There you are…!” Jackie whispered, seeing three very familiar figures coming up over the hills of coral and sand. Flanked by the cheerful Tina and the silly Emmie, there she was indeed… Mira looked as cute and precious as she did last time they met, even wearing the same Milotic-style tail! Even more curiously, Mira still seemed to be bubbling and heaving on the way here, having managed to hold onto some last precious morsels of fresh air, give or take a few pauses to hold back a coughing fit that could empty her out…

That wouldn’t last very long.

“Oh, Miiiiraaaaa~!!” Jackie swam on over to the girls swiftly, and she wasted no time coiling around her lover and giving her an affectionate squeeze.

“Ghahhhgblblbpbl— M-M-Mmmph~…” Whatever air remained in Mira’s aching lungs was immediately forced out of her like a squeaky toy. Although she didn’t know it yet, she was gonna be airless for the next several hours… There was no time for this idea to even cross her mind, though, as Jackie followed this up with an immediate, deep kiss. It made Mira shiver, moreso when she felt the Milotic’s tail tickling playfully under her chin, mid-smooch.

Tina couldn’t help but coo at this. “Awwwh~ You must’ve missed her so much, Jackie darling! Just careful not to squish her too hard, haha!”

“Girl moment, girl moment!!” Emmie cheered loudly, clapping her fins together with her trademark toothy smile on display.

By the time Jackie had finally pulled away from the kiss, Mira felt she had reached her limit. She clenched her teeth and shook her head, but soon enough she calmed herself down, knowing this part was bound to happen sooner or later; might as well get it out of the way now. After forcing out the few tiny bubbles that were still stuck in her throat, she relaxed as much as she could, and let her body draw in a noisy inhale.

“Grrrgrulp— M-MMPH! Hrgulp… Ghuh…!” All things considered, she handled it a lot better this time around. After a few seconds of fruitless wiggling in Jackie’s mighty embrace, the Braixen refocused her energy on letting those gurgly breaths flow through her, nice and easy. She didn’t feel tired or anything yet either, as she knew she had to stay as calm and chill as possible to make these reviver seeds last.

Jackie loosened her grip around the foxie, though not before nuzzling Mira’s whole body and planting a kiss or two against her fluffy chest. “There you go, darling~. The hard part’s done. Let’s bring you over to town and get the day started, shall we, mm-hmm~?”

Still getting her bearings, but certainly aware enough to stay upright, Mira slid her paw alongside Jackie’s body and kissed her cheek. She couldn’t speak much, for obvious reasons, but she could at least show a very cute and clumsy thumbs up before swimming alongside the girls. Her tail swayed gracefully, with just a bit of an airless shudder to it, and with such gusto that she might even be mistaken for a real mermaid…

And as they finally made their way through the busy streets and plazas and cozy little corners of Marama, letting Mira listen to their chitchat about life in the depths, they sure fooled plenty of folks. Though even then, it seemed easy to tell Mira wasn’t from ‘round these parts.

“Welcome to Marama, cutie!!” A curious waterbreather called from behind the girls before going on their merry way, out of sight.

Mira, all blue in the face already, barely reacted enough to smile and nod in their direction.

“Ooh, new face in town?” A Lanturn passed right by Mira with a cheeky smirk and waved happily. “Jackie, take her to the ferris wheel already, haha!”

Mira felt a bit of her usual flustered self coming through, even after several minutes of being waterlogged…

She wasn’t fooling everyone, though. Right as they rounded a corner in the main plaza and approached the movie theater, an old Mareanie caught a glimpse of this odd merfoxie — and chuckled. “Ah, the youth never cease to surprise me, geh heh heh…” She muttered, very much aware of what was going on, before moving along…

The theater itself was a bit packed today, but Jackie had gotten some real good seats ahead of time, a bit close and right in the middle. She also, of course, remembered to get two seats for Jackie, as a Milotic her size would appreciate the extra wiggle room. (Plus, it means more room to coil Mira up.)

The girls shuffled on over to their seats, carrying an unreasonable amount of snacks with them, though with Mira in such a shaky waterlogged state it was probably smart not to hand her anything until they were seated.

“STARFISH WAAAARS~!!” Emmie was so pumped, almost enough to drop her popcorn and chocolate bars. She’d seen this movie eight times already, but there’s never a bad time for a ninth viewing! And it’s extra fun having a friend around who’ll see it for the first time…

Tina giggled, helping Emmie shimmy along while also tugging a very exhausted Mira over to her seat. “Don’tcha worry, Mira, we’ll keep an eye on ya!”

“Oh, I know I will~” Jackie immediately laid her head against Mira’s shoulder, getting to the flirty stuff before the movie had even started.

“…Mmph… H-heheh…” An amused gurgle snuck out of the foxie’s mouth, and her false tail shivered. She was pretty much down for the count, rolling her eyes up and feeling her handpaws curl and stretch on their own, their tips displaying a subtle shade of blue.

“…Psst, Jackie!!” Tina quietly reminded the Milotic while the lights dimmed and the previews began. “Seed, seed!”

“Oops, right, I got it…!” There was only one way for Jackie to do this, honestly. She popped the satchel’s button loose with her mouth and scooped up a reviver seed against her tongue, then delivered it to Mira with a soft kiss…

“…Mrmmmmph~. Mrmph?!”

It took a bit for the Braixen to realize just how loud she had moaned, the mix of renewed vigor and affectionate smooching doing a number on her brain. Scattered giggles and woos surrounded the room, overriding the foxie’s blue blush and turning it deep, deep red.

Jackie covered her face with her tail, and her eyes quickly darted to the big screen, embarrassed but quite happy…

As the movie began proper, though, it also began to dawn on Mira just how many seeds she’d have to go through just to sit through this. Was this really a prudent way to spend her time, given how long it took to save these up?? Well… Judging by the way Jackie’s body had coiled around her about ten minutes in, the answer was probably yes. The occasional kisses on her fluffy cheeks, both to show her love and to check how awake she was at any given time, also helped remind her: this was so freaking worth it. She could see herself breathing water for months if there were enough seeds for it, but for now a day’s worth of them would be nice enough, no matter how much those flooded lungs ached or how much seawater forced itself in through her nostrils.

One other thing came to mind, though, as this silly movie went on and on: it looked very, very familiar. In fact, if it wasn’t for the all-waterbreather cast, the aquatic setting, and the irresponsible amount of aquapuns, it would’ve seemed exactly like that other movie with sci-fi ships and laser swords! What gives?! Oh well… (It was, she later admitted, even better than the original.)

And sure, this viewing was mostly a smooth one, but it did have its hiccups. It was around the middle of the movie’s runtime, in a very dialogue-heavy yet exciting sequence, that the gals got a little too distracted.

“Wow, wow wow!!” Emmie had seen this so many times but she still couldn’t help being giddy over it. “Isn’t Bloop Seawalker so cute— EEP! P-Psst, Jackie, Jackie!!” She waved in a hurry to the Milotic, unwittingly sending a finful of popcorn flying her way.

“Mm? O-Oh! Mira, you there??” Jackie loosened her grip on the merfoxie a bit, right on time to see a very limp Braixen who nonetheless gulped and twitched enough to show she had some fight in her, still. This must’ve been the sixth or seventh seed now, and Jackie forced it into her mouth fast, waking Mira enough for her eyes to open wide and catch the climax of this tense scene.

Whether it was due to the woozyness or the amusement at seeing a well-known scene with aquatic elements all over, Mira let out a gurgly little chuckle.

It, once again, made a few folks in the room chuckle as well. Hey, nothing beats a fun time at the theater, even when it’s noisy…

“Bwuh… Snrk… H-Heh, hehe…”

Mira felt herself fading in and out of consciousness, swimming along rows and rows of cute and fancy outfits on display for every shape and size. She had found something real lovely for her tastes: a soft-pink ruffle bikini that fluttered so cutely as she waved it around the seawater. She had even found one with some extra wiggle room on the bottom for trans ladies like her! Oh, the Thoughts it gave her were making her ecstatic, alright…

She could already picture it, swimming along the seafloor with Lily or Jackie (or even both!) with this pretty little two-piece on, feeling the currents brush along her exposed fluffy body, getting poked and teased and ogled by them both, maybe even having her girlfriends playfully tug at the strings and… And…

When Tina and Emmie finally caught up to Mira in this maze of a shopping mall, they found her lying on the floor, letting out muffled, gay little laughs in-between noisy, gurgling gasps and hearty tail-thumping against the tile flooring. She was clearly air-starved and delirious, though not yet to the point of passing out or going limp, so…

“Heehee, cute!! Can I lay down with ya too, Mira??” Emmie asked, genuinely.

Tina stopped the Dewgong before she could try it, though, with a nervous chuckle. “Um, let’s not draw too much attention here, girlies. C’mon Mira, up you go~!”

She lifted the water-drunk merfoxie and put her upright with little effort; keeping her upright was the real challenge, as Mira’s head kept either drooping down or tilting to the side. No doubt, anyone who saw her in this state would assume she was just absolutely wasted—

“Uhh, is your friend okay…?” A concerned yet kind Azumarill employee approached the group, eyeing Mira’s… weird expression. And her panting. And her deep-blue blush.

“Oh, she’s fiiiine!” Tina immediately assured her. “She’s just—”

“Sleepy!” “High as balls!”

…Tina and Emmie gave very different answers.

The Azumarill laughed awkwardly and minded her own business, though she did helpfully point Mira to the nearest changing stall to check the sizing — not that the foxie was awake enough to listen to her brief sales pitch… Emmie chipped in for the fancy bikini on the spot, then nudged Mira along to go get changed.

It didn’t go as smoothly as that, though.

Looming nearby and approaching like a devious creature hunting for a snack, Jackie set her sights on the silly, shaky Braixen from above, peeping over the stall and wagging her pretty tail as she saw Mira try out her new fit. She carried something rather luxurious on her mouth, and helpfully lowered it into the stall, right behind Mira. The foxie wouldn’t notice anything amiss at first, partly due to her seeing stars and feeling everything spin from the airlessness within her… But the sight of it woke her up a bit.

“Grgrlp— Mhmm—?!” Mira couldn’t help but be captivated by it, even if the thought of wearing it made her so flustered she almost fainted on the spot. A stunning, shiny, tight and impossibly sparkly one-piece swimsuit. It was light-blue, a shade as intense and silky as the shallow waters of Alola at noon… And as she (shakily) tilted it against the little light atop the stall, she saw its glittery yet smooth texture up close, and it left her so, so dazzled. She smiled at her dear Jackie and mouthed a gurgly “thank you” for the… suggestion. A real saucy suggestion.

It occurred to Mira, though, that she wouldn’t get to flaunt either of these cute (if unsubtle) fits until Jackie brought her over to her place. Not that she’d get in trouble or anything, being seen without her mermaid tail, but… It’d shatter the illusion a bit, y’know? A big part of the fun today is going along with this bit for as long as she can — and seeing who else plays along! …Not that her brain is processing all this anyway, as Mira is suddenly very busy flopping against the stall’s door with a dizzy grin…

“Oop, I got her this time, I got her!” Jackie slid around the stall and helped an increasingly limp Mira out of it, sitting her down as she dug through the big satchel of seeds. The merfoxie was waterbreathing loudly, pumping such noisy lungfuls of water in and out that folks passing by could hear her. Not that they’d think anything was amiss, though; this cute mermaid from out of town was probably just catching her breath after a long day of shopping and sightseeing! Obviously!

“Mmmmmwah…” Jackie relished this mouth-to-mouth seed delivery, as she’s been tending to do.

“Ghhhhrglp…!” As soon as Mira instinctively swallowed it down, she puffed her chest up, full of heavy liquid, and gripped the Milotic’s body tight. She’d always wake up thinking the next breath would have fresh air, only to be met with brisk seawater… Every single time.

Jackie’s face hovered inches away from Mira’s. “You’re doing so good today, my foxie~”, she quietly praised her girlfriend. “Must be tiring, though, oh my. Once we’re done here, I can think of a few things that might keep you a little more… active. Hee hee hee.”

Tina gasped. “Ooooh, Jackie-dear, I know what’s on your miiiiind~!”

“Wahoo!! Fun girl times ahead!!” Emmie squeaked with joy. But what did they all mean by this? What could be so fun and “active” that everyone’s getting all eager about it?!

“FLAWLESS VICTORY!”

The screen flashed brightly with those words, enough to jolt Mira awake for a little longer. She happened to be extremely good at Moray Kombat II, so much that not even being endlessly waterlogged could dampen her instincts.

“Wooooow, not bad, foxie!” Emmie, admittedly, wasn’t the best at fighting games, but she couldn’t even touch Mira’s character! And Mira can barely keep her head up without bonking it against the cabinet!!

The merfoxie, though, hadn’t had her fill yet. She signaled to Emmie to “run it back”, wanting to see how well she could play while on the verge of being claimed by the sea for the… 24th time? 25th? Who’s keeping track??

“G… Gheh heh…” Mira even had enough energy in her for a cheeky little drowny gremlin laugh, albeit one immediately followed by a deep shudder, and it almost made her fall off her tiny seat. Even as she started to hyperventilate for a while, with a trembling grip on the joystick and an unfocused look on her face, she somehow still had enough muscle memory to bring some nasty combos to Emmie. …The Dewgong, for her part, couldn’t stop giggling about it.

As this goofy sea-drunken display went on and on, though, someone was keeping her eyes locked entirely on the merfoxie. Jackie had curled up right next to Mira, coiled and comfy, and let her mind wander for a while. Her tail swayed, slowly and rhythmically, while she rested her cheek against her long body. Her rosy cheeks, fluttering eyelashes and soft sighs gave away her current mood quite a bit…

Somehow, even at a silly moment like this, she was smitten.

“I know where we’re going next.” Jackie interrupted suddenly. They hadn’t even taken their pizza break yet, and she was already planning ahead. She showed a devilish little smile. “You seen that ferris wheel at the top of the town?”

Despite being on the verge of unconsciousness yet again, Mira’s big, fluffy ears perked up.

Jackie chuckled, leaning her head closer to the woozy Braixen. “Mm-hmm~. I wanted to take you there last time, but I guess Lily was worried about you running out of seeds. This time, though, you have plenty, and she gave me her blessing, sooooo~”

“YAAAAY!! I won a round! It’s Emmie time!!!” The Dewgong yelled cheerfully, jostling Mira and making her ragdoll a little. Maybe this train of thought distracted the merfoxie a little too much…

Mira felt Jackie starting to nuzzle against her chest. No way she was gonna be focused enough to even remember which buttons to press now. “Mhm… Just the two of us,” the Milotic whispered, “at sunset. You like the sound of that, my dear foxie~?”

“Mnmmmh…” Mira let out a muffled whimper and nodded, her mermaid tail thumping against the floor. She was distracted enough at this point to let her paws wander, pulling them away from the controls to hug Jackie’s snout and rub her all over…

Right before she passed out and slumped to the side against Jackie’s body, Mira caught a blurry glimpse of Emmie doing flips and squeezing Tina, happy to have won a proper match. Y’know what? Good for her!!

The sunset was nearly at its peak intensity by the time the two lovers made their way to the ferris wheel. A bright, comforting glow spread its warmth above the surface; far away as it may be, it still reached the town well enough to coat everything in a subtle shade of orange, a brief companion for the intense blues and greens that usually dominated the depths.

Even Mira could feel that subtle warmth. The faint, distant rays of sunlight tickled her face. The merfoxie had just taken her reviver seed, swimming and gliding along the water just fine despite the cutesy, droopy-eyed look she was giving off. Jackie swam and slid right next to her, coiling up around the Braixen and dragging her along when she inevitably felt too weak to keep swimming — it was entirely too much effort, and she’d rather save her energy for the ride ahead.

“Good evening, ladies,” the polite, bespectacled Vaporeon at the stall greeted them; Jackie nodded, and Mira slumped forward with a half-smile. “First two spins are on the house, P100 for any extra ones. Lovely view this evening, huh? Ripe for romance, even~?” She teased the couple. Even this total stranger could tell what they had going on…

Jackie paid for… several spins, and went along without an issue, squishing Mira along like a stuffed toy she had just won at the local carnival. The cabins were spacious enough that even someone with Jackie’s proportions could fit inside with ease, so there’d be plenty of room for her to snuggle up with her dear Mira inside it. As soon as they climbed inside one, with Mira’s head flopping against Jackie’s thick scaly body, the cabin was sealed — with plenty of privacy — and the slow ascent began.

Neither of them said much at first (though Mira had a good excuse for it, gargling water for hours and hours now). They simply laid there together, enjoying the dreamy, ethereal view of the dim sunset above and the colorful city lights below. Jackie purred and shifted her coiled body around Mira, letting her rest and relax like she was laying on a really, really big and long bean bag chair. Mira sure sounded like she appreciated the comfort, letting out a gurgly sigh and stretching her tail (before taking more noisy gulps and hiccups involuntarily).

They were halfway up the ride when Jackie broke the silence. “Been a nice day for you, sweetheart~?” The Milotic whispered into Mira’s ear, who answered with an eager nod and a shudder. “Mm-hmm, thought so~. I was looking forward to this alllll week long.” Jackie coiled a little tighter around her merfoxie, smooth scales rubbing up against Mira’s sides. “It’s not often that the stars align like this, y’know, darling. All the seeds you gotta bring along, all the dough we gotta save for everything, checking if all the places we wanna check out will be open and stuff…”

Mira needed as much strength as she could muster just to pay attention and nod her pretty little head along to everything Jackie was saying to her. She’d hate to miss out on anything, but the mighty pull of the ocean towards the comforting realm of unconsciousness was just so strong… She’d occasionally shake her head and blink hard, with tiny, loose bubbles breaking free from her fluffy fur. She did, though, have enough spare energy left to keep a gentle grip on her necklace, with a cute photo of a certain Floatzel nestled inside it…

Jackie rubbed her cheek against Mira’s own. “Mhm… Would’ve been nice to have Lily tag along too, huh?” She said in a warm, quiet tone. “Maybe next time we can get something organized together, just the three of us, heehee.” The mere thought of it powered Mira through some intense heaves and shudders that would’ve otherwise knocked her out cold. She weakly slid a paw along Jackie’s body and laid back, closing her eyes for just a bit. Maybe a minute or two. Or three.

The two had done a couple of spins around the ferris wheel — with a few kiss-delivered reviver seeds along the ride — by the time the sun lowered out of view, its faint glimmer replaced entirely by the moody night lights of the town below. Had they been a little closer to the surface, they might’ve seen the vast, star-covered sky by now. Mira kept her tired gaze fixated on Jackie, a trance-like state interrupted every now and then by waterlogged sighs, gasps and gulps.

Jackie tugged her a little closer.

“…It’s a bit tough, y’know?” She spoke, with an unusual hint of vulnerability, staring down at the city’s own mini-constellation of lights. “If you were a waterbreather, or if I was an airbreather, we could do this sort of thing alllll the time. But, well… That’s how things gotta be, so…” She trailed off, now staring at nothing in particular, like she was the one in need of air.

“Gh— Hmmph…” Mira pulled herself up a bit, just enough to reach Jackie’s face and give her an affectionate kiss. That noisy tail-thumping from the foxie had become real familiar for Jackie by now, a sign that Mira was having the time of her life down here. As the kiss went on, though, it was also a non-verbal way of expressing her love, and of saying, “That’s fine by me.”

Jackie let the kiss go on for as long as Mira could hold it. Soft lips pressed together, small paws brushing against the Milotic’s cheeks, and airless struggles suppressed past what Mira would’ve considered her limit. The foxie eventually strained herself a little too much, and went real limp as she flopped onto the soft, cushioned floor. Jackie, of course, knew the routine well enough by now, and slid a seed into her own mouth for some direct delivery, but the kiss itself was real tender this time around, even more than usual.

She waited until Mira was fully awake to keep talking.

“It’s… It’s so worth it, though,” Jackie assured her with a kind smile, looming above the recovering foxie still laying on the floor. “So, so worth it. W-We can… We will make it work.” She laid a deep kiss, so thorough it kept Mira pinned down. “Hmph… That’s what love is all about, darling, ain’t it~? Heehee…”

Mira was full-on panting once the deep kiss was done, and even the deep-blue blush that constantly blanketed her face for the past several hours was facing stiff competition from a flustered, red blush. A cute, if brief mix of purple covered her cheeks right then.

There was hardly much else for either of them to say at this point. They had plenty more spins around the ferris wheel to go, and no one was gonna peep inside until the ride was over. Although neither of them told anyone what went on inside that cabin afterwards, it wasn’t hard for Tina, Emmie or Lily to guess it had gotten quite heated, judging by the embarrassed, messy look on both of them once they had finally scurried out of there — and the wide smiles they had a lot of trouble covering up on the way to Jackie’s place.

Mira held onto her sweetheart tight the whole way there.

Although the night was basically over, with a good night’s sleep being the only thing officially left on the schedule, the girls had still found enough time for hijinks, somehow. They all snuck away into Jackie’s room, quite big even by Milotic standards and lit up by low, blue lights, to gather the all-important piles of treasure and goodies they had brought home. Said pile, of course, was mostly snacks.

“I call dibs on the Ships Ahoy!!” Emmie squealed mere instants before scarfing down stacks of ship-shaped chocolate chip cookies, leaving a cloud of crumbs in her wake, an awe-inspiring scene of destruction.

Tina tried not to stare too hard; she had her own goodies to devour, after all. “If any of y’all gals want cupcakes, you better say it now or I’ll leave no evidence behind, hehehe!” The cupcakes themselves were impossibly sweet, so much that even a sweet-tooth like Mira felt herself wobble after just one bite. Granted, it might’ve been the airlessness doing that more than anything, but—

“Omph, Mphiiiiraaaaaph~.” The foxie knew what Jackie was about to offer (…with a mouthful of it, apparently). Without even turning around, she laid back and rested against Jackie’s body, then saw her lean in for a kiss… holding half a Blub-Tart in her mouth. Mira had no complaints, other than the taste of seawater sloshing down her gullet. She had drunk entirely too much of it by this point, though the gals were always kind enough to share big sips of their freshwater drinks, too. Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen!

And Mira had to admit: for soggy, soft snacks with oddly familiar ingredients… They were pretty tasty. They scarfed those suckers down in no time, soon enough that the late-night sleepiness didn’t wait.

…Something occurred to Mira, though, stirring her from a woozy bout of hiccups. How was she supposed to sleep? Was someone gonna stay up and subconsciously make her swallow reviver seeds every ten minutes for eight hours? Were there even enough of them left at this point for such a plan to even work?? The half-awake foxie rummaged through her satchel, a handful of seeds slipping between her digits as she tried to count them—

“Shh, shh. Nah, we got you, sweetheart.” Jackie knew this was bothering the foxie. She brushed Mira’s cheek with her tail, and leaned real close. The foxie expected a kiss, even sleepily puckering up for it while she still had the coordination for it, but was instead met by a rather… refreshing feeling.

As Jackie blew an affectionate kiss at her, Mira saw a faint blue ring envelop and course through her weary body, and she felt a slight sense of relief… So much so that the next gurgly breaths she took barely bothered her enough to cause any involuntary shudders or gasps. Her eyes widened as soon as she realized what something like this could be used for… although, as she would soon find out, it could only keep her from fully drowning, not from passing out — or falling asleep.

The Milotic saw the rest of the girls were just gawking at the cute little moment, and let out a giggle. “Well, don’t leave me hanging, girls! Let’s help Mira get a good night’s sleep~! Just a few more of these, alright?”

Tina stretched and readied herself, wiping cupcake frosting off her lips. “Heehee, these are easy-peasy! Been doin’ Aqua Rings since I was a little Popplio! Watch how a real pro girlie does it!!” Her own Aqua Rings were frequent and had such a delicate, yet consistent shape, no doubt perfected after years of practice. Every one of them washed over the soon-to-be-sleepy foxie like a brisk ocean wave on a hot, sunny day…

“Ooh ooh, I’ll help!! I know that move! The funny water ringy move!!” Emmie was ecstatic to pitch in too, and although hers were a little sloppier, she made so many of them that she ended up doing most of the work keeping Mira freshened up and soothed.

The foxie was more than thankful. “Mhmmph… Geh heh.” She forced out a muffled noise and a chuckle before slumping her head forward against Jackie’s body, resting in a very silly-looking position, but certainly calm enough to avoid even the slightest heave or verbal complaint. Any such unwilling noises were quickly replaced by slow, deep, thorough breaths, conking out with her mouth left open and as still as she’d ever been.

Jackie wrapped her serpentine body around Mira tightly, hugging her nice and close like a beloved plushie. She laid a few more kisses on her cheek for good measure before curling up to get ready for some shuteye, too, proud of all the fun, wacky stuff they got to do together on a long, lovely day…

…Something popped into Tina’s devious little brain just then.

She gave Emmie a grin and a playful glare. Emmie didn’t know what was on her mind, though, until the Primarina spoke.

“Heyyyy, Emmie… You know all that lipstick and stuff we bought today?” Tina went on.

Emmie nodded happily. “Yeah, yeah! Lotsa cute colors and, uh, flavors, even! You wanna try some out, yeah?!” She clapped her fins plenty.

Tina glared towards Mira this time, so peaceful, so sleepy… So totally unable to do anything for the next eight hours. “Hmmmm~ And the makeup and mascara and everything, too. Whaddaya say us three help Mira get all dolled up for a bit? She’ll be nice and, eeheehee, presentable when Lily brings her back to her home…!”

Jackie certainly wouldn’t say no to such a plan. She ogled the sleepy-drowny foxie all over, and would have no trouble keeping her still while all that was going on. “Oh, I bet. We’ll make my darling look sooooo gorgeous… And, hmm…”

This time, Jackie was the one who found herself having a stray thought rocket through her mind. As the other girls took turns prettying Mira up — they picked some lovely shades of teal for her — the Milotic beckoned to Tina. “Psst, be a dear and pass me the red lipstick.”

“Oh?” Tina was curious, and she did just that, helping Jackie apply it effortlessly. “Gotcha, gotcha. Betcha really liked it, huh?”

“…I think Mira’ll like it even more.” Jackie eyed her sleeping beauty very, very thoroughly. There were some spots on the merfoxie that were ideal targets for the flirty Milotic, and she was readying her lips to land these precise hits…

But it’s hardly the limit of what could be done here, right?

“You two pick a color, too,” Jackie asked them, cradling the foxie with a big smirk. “Just wanna be sure we leave a mark… Heeheehee~.”

“…Oh my.”

“WAHOO!!”

Lily had waited patiently that morning, though she was surprised to see Emmie arrive earlier than scheduled. The Dewgong, of course, had been asked not to spoil anything about what they did yesterday, but she hinted at it enough that Lily could put two and two together.

“Awwww, oh my gosh… A ferris wheel date?” The Floatzel cooed and squished her cheeks with her paws. “That’s so Mira-coded… I remember the first time we visited a ferris wheel. Oh, it got real saucy in there real fast,” she cackled, “even though Naia and Riley were there too, ahaha!”

“Wowie!! Y’all had an audience, huh? Hehehe!” Emmie was real tickled by it, though she was mostly curious about how Mira looked without her mermaid tail…

She soon felt the water below her stir, very slightly. “OOH, OOH!” After a swift peek under the water, her suspicions were confirmed. “Here they come!! Tina and Jackie and Mira finally caught up to me, hehe!” Emmie clapped and moved to the side a bit, giving Lily a perfect view for the sight of Mira swimming out of the water and grasping at the back of the boat with all the strength she could muster…

“Hrk, ghhhrglp, GASP—!” As expected, even with the benefit of several doses of Aqua Ring, Mira would need plenty of time to purge her lungs and breathe her first taste of air in nearly twenty hours.

“I gotcha, breathe, breathe, in and out… Gosh, you were down there a while!” Lily stated the obvious. Even with this much effort needed to become an airbreather again, the Floatzel was really getting the urge to come along with Mira next time… She laid a gentle paw on her girlfriend’s shoulder and rubbed it along her back.

“We’ll catch ya next time, Mira-dear~!! You go have fun in the airbreather world now!! Mwah mwah, kisses~!” Tina bid her adieu with a bright smile and hearty waves of her fins, saying hi and bye to Lily as well before artfully diving back into the water.

“…Keep taking good care of her,” Jackie said softly to Mira, giving her a bit of a puppy-eyed look, “and we’ll do the same. Let’s catch up sometime, Lily. And you…” Once Mira had caught her breath enough, Jackie leaned out of the water just enough to lay a loving, deep kiss on her mouth. “Mmh… You go along with your girlfriend and rest up for next time, hmm~? Take care, my foxie…!”

Jackie slid under the surface right away too, catching up to the other gals with an absolutely delighted expression and a precious blush. She fanned her face with her tail, and swooned…

Up above, Lily already knew there were a billion questions to be asked, but it might be good to avoid overwhelming the soaked, tired merfoxie right away. Instead, she helped her sit back up and enjoy the feeling of the water on her big tail for a little longer, before asking… “So, what were y’all doing all day yesterday, huh, darling? Gimme the deets, hm hm…”

Mira turned around and squeaked out: “Oh, um… A… A-A lot, actually.”

Lily’s eyes widened and her jaw swung open, though she quickly followed this with a laughing fit and a big blush. “Pffffthahaha— Ohhhh, so it— heehee~ — it was THAT kinda night, huh?? Daaaamn, Mira!!”

“H-Huh? Whuh?”

Red, light green, pastel blue.

The Braixen’s fur, although wet and dripping, had some telltale marks on nearly every square inch of her exposed body, her tail, her paws, and even her face and lips. Not only that, she was so dolled up the sheer beauty on sight took Lily aback, though not without its long bout of amused giggles.

She was covered in lipstick kiss marks.