Chapter Text
Dreams of suffocation, of heavy weights pressing inexorably on her chest, of trying to breathe but her finding her lungs filling with water pulled Camila from her sleep. Not with a shout, nor the rush of too-fast blood through her ears. Her breathing hadn't even skipped a beat.
She kept her eyes closed and her limbs loose. A solid decade and a half filled with suffocation dreams had inured Camila to their horror. Instead, she pushed at the plush mass weighing her down.
She could handle the solid weight of a head on her chest—that was comfortable even in its discomfort. A tangible reminder that Luz or Eda, more Eda than Luz for almost a decade now, was close. That they loved her enough to seek her presence even in the depths of sleep, snuggling in so close that they had almost merged into one being.
But she could not handle this new trend of a heavy mass draped over her entire body. The weighted blanket kick Luz had started? It had to end, at least in Eda's nest. Eda eschewed covers at the best of times and, even if she managed to fall asleep with the blasted thing pressing her down, she kicked it off and into a tangled lump by morning. Usually on top of Camila. It was not worth how cute Eda looked all burritoed in the evening—and definitely not worth how the stupid thing kept most of Eda's skin from touching hers. It was bad enough they were forced to wear pyjamas to bed now—and that Eda favoured long skirts and sweatshirts, of which she insisted there was no correlation between her heavy clothes and her aversion to blankets.
No matter how hard Camila shoved, the weighted blanket didn't move. Which wasn't right, it was only twenty pounds. It was also too warm, too plush—it felt like her entire arm was buried in a mass of fur and feathers—and it was rumbling. Audibly. And she could feel it, the vibrations running down her arm, deep and calming.
Like a cat, purring.
A giant cat, on top of her, which would explain the heavy musk of wild animal permeating the room and almost drowning out Eda's scent.
Almost, but not quite. The smell of Eda's shampoo and the sharp ozone of her magic was stronger than ever. Apart from her twitching fingers, Camila stilled. That wasn't a cat sitting on her chest. The room wasn't dark because it was the small hours before dawn; it was dark because all she could see was fur and feathers.
"Eda?" She got a mouthful of fluff for her effort.
The rumbling purr stuttered before starting again, louder to go with the owl beast pressing its body closer to her.
Oh god, oh fuck. This was Eda's biggest fear, something Camila had been convinced would never come to pass. Especially not now when Eda had struck up an accord with the owl beast and the ability to turn into some sort of harpy. Which, according to Luz, was very badass and intimidating.
It may have been Eda's biggest fear, but it had never been one of Camila's. Even now, faced with the reality that her friend—girlfriend—fiancée really did turn into a monster as big as her car, Camila was calm. How could she be scared when she was this warm and her entire body was humming in sync with Eda?
She carded her fingers through the owl beast's fluff and smiled when it leaned into her touch, the purrs intensifying. "You like that, huh?" Feathers stuck to her lips and she resisted the urge to try and spit them out. "If you let me up, it'll be easier for me to pet you."
She had no idea if the owl beast could understand her. From how Luz and King talked, it was a mindless monster. But, to an extent, it had remembered them and King had been able to boss it around at least a little. Even if it didn't understand her words, with any luck it could understand her tone. Some earth animals did and this wasn't an animal, this was Eda. Somewhere under all that fluff.
Camila kept her touches slow and even as the owl beast shifted, lifting its body off of Camila to squish against the edge of the nest and give her enough room to breathe. And sit up, which she did. She blinked up at the owl beast before her, pale in the grey predawn light.
"Hello you," she murmured. "You're a big one, aren't you? No wonder you were all snuggled up on top of me, there's hardly enough room for the both of us in this nest even if I didn't favour the middle."
Though it wasn't so much that she favoured the middle of the nest than that Eda did and Eda, even if she was bundled up in the stupid weighted blanket, wanted Camila close. The owl beast shared her sentiments—it filled in all the space Camila gave as she eased herself to sit against the wall of the nest.
It settled its head on the edge of the nest beside Camila, a great sigh heaving past those jagged teeth. Camila took the hint and ran her fingers through its hair. Eda's hair, even if the texture was odd. It was impossible to deny that Eda and the owl beast were one in the same with her face so close to Camila's. That was Eda's nose, even if the teeth were too large and her eyes were solid black masses.
"You're very sweet," Camila told Eda and smiled as Eda's face crinkled in pleasure. "Very large, but very sweet, and that's not too different from how you normally are, huh?"
She rubbed that spot along the back of Eda's ear that always made her purr—and then blush a deep red—and was delighted when it held true for this form too. Eda bumped her forehead against Camila's and nuzzled her nose into Camila's hairline, her purr rumbling through the entire nest.
"You like that, huh?" Camila ran her hands further down Eda's neck, easier now that Eda had practically crawled into her lap. She was surrounded by fur and feathers again, the sound of snuffling filling her ears as Eda sniffed at her hair and her face and the crook of her neck. "You're not nearly as scary as you all insisted."
But she was that scary and Camila's heart pounded in her chest as Eda's sniffing turned into little licks at her neck and shoulder. Little licks relative to the size of her tongue—which, wow, that was. Something to contemplate. But not right now. Sweet and affectionate Eda might be in this moment, she was still part wild animal. They were speaking two different languages and it would be all too easy for Camila to misstep and for the owl beast—Eda—both, whichever, to take offence.
And Eda would never be able to live with herself if she so much as scratched Camila.
Not that Camila could do anything to stop Eda. She was completely in her lap now, her licking no longer hesitant but full of purpose, hot and wet against the side of Camila's neck. It should have been gross, but it was anything but. Camila couldn't help but gasp and Eda rumbled her approval and—oh.
Oh.
Christ, her hand was so big, it wrapped halfway around Camila's torso as she held her close. Her other hand was digging into the twisted branches that made up her nest, only inches away from Camila. Her breath was hot against the damp skin of Camila's neck. All sensations that were so familiar, especially now when she breathed in and didn't smell wild animal at all, just Eda.
"Fuck," she breathed. "You have to stop. You know you have to stop, you won't be happy about this once you lose most of those feathers."
Eda stilled, her rumbling slowing and she chirruped softly into Camila's ear.
"Yeah, that's it." Camila ran a soothing hand through Eda's mass of hair. "That's a good girl—oh, you still like being called a good girl, even like this, huh? If you want to be a real good girl, you could turn back. Let me talk to you before everything gets carried away."
Slowly, and with a mournful whine, Eda eased herself off of Camila to sit before her, both her hands tucked between her feet. Beautiful, in a terrifying way, broad wings snug against a barrel chested body and Eda's face staring at her. A little confused, a little put out, but willing to indulge her.
Camila lifted herself up onto her knees, raising herself until she was level with the dark stone in Eda's chest. Eda's head bowed down in response until her forehead was pressed against Camila's, her hot, shallow breaths washing over Camila's face, her eyes wide and dark and longing.
"You really are her, aren't you?" Camila couldn't help but run her fingers through Eda's hair again and again. "Mostly her, a little of something else, but mostly Eda." She closed her eyes and pressed closer to Eda. "Please, let me talk to you."
One of Eda's hands, so very large, the long nails undeniably talons now, lifted and curled around Camila's shoulder. She took one last snuff at Camila's hairline, one last little lick with the tip of her tongue along Camila's cheek, and then she sucked in a deep breath.
All the languid relaxation and power contained in that body stiffened at once, Eda's hand spasmodically gripping Camila too tightly before vanishing as Eda threw herself across the nest.
"Wh-what?" Eda stuttered. She was looking from her hands to Camila and back to her hands again, her eyes once again gold and silver. The rest of her was still massive, huge and fluffy even if she looked pitifully small as she tried to wedge herself into the wall of her nest. "Oh no, oh no."
"Hey, it's okay."
Eda trembled as Camila crawled across the mess of tattered bedding, her eyes too wide and her face too pale. She didn't run, though the window was open and the morning breeze chilled the air, but she did shy away from Camila's touch.
Camila didn't let her, instead crawling closer and closer until half her body was enveloped in Eda's feathers. She could feel Eda's heart thumping, fast and birdlike, beneath her ear.
"I'm fine, we're both fine." She carded her fingers through Eda's feathers, bringing order to the disordered mass. "You didn't hurt me."
"Are you sure?" She could feel every shift of Eda's muscles, could feel how her biceps were flexing with the desire to pat Camila down and see for herself. But, apart from how her head dipped down to sniff at Camila's hairline, she placidly sat before Camila.
"Very sure. This was all you did, I promise. Sniff at me and cuddle." God, she was so warm like this. Eda was always a furnace, a lanky hot water bottle, but now? With all the feathers and five times the mass? Camila couldn't help but sink deeper into her and wish fervently that Eda would bring those great arms around and pull her close.
Instead, Eda froze partway through an inhale and lifted her head, her movements stiff. "Oh."
Camila burrowed one hand through Eda's fur until it was wrapped around the back of her neck. She tugged, gentle, and Eda refused to take the hint. "You can keep smelling me."
"It's weird," Eda grumbled, though she swayed a fraction into Camila before pulling herself away.
"I don't see how it's any different from how you normally shove your face into my hair when I get home from work."
"It just is."
Great, and now she'd stop doing that. Which would suck—the way she unfailingly wrapped herself around Camila every evening like they hadn't seen each other in years was the highlight of Camila's day. Second only to waking in her arms every morning with no urgency to fuck or melancholy about the minutes slipping by.
Scratch that, Camila missed the lack of morning amorousness. Desperately.
"Well, I like it." Camila let mulishness edge into her voice. "So you should indulge me."
"Should I?" Her voice was flat, no hint of returning Camila's flirting.
"Yes." Camila gave up on subtlety and tugged at the back of Eda's neck. Long days of holding down panicked dogs half her size made it an easy enough matter to bring Eda's head down into the crook of her neck. Eda couldn't help but breathe deeply. Probably couldn't help the low rumbling beginnings of a purr either. "See, better."
"Fuck." She sagged against Camila, heavy and intoxicatingly warm. Then she sniffed again, loud and obnoxious. "Why do I smell myself on you?"
"Why wouldn't you? Didn't you say that the nest smells like the both of us now?"
"Yes, but." Her cold nose pressed into Camila's neck. "Oh, gross, did it lick you?"
"How could you possibly be surprised by that?" Camila's heart thumped in her chest when Eda finally touched her, even if it was only to rub off her own saliva. "You're constantly licking at me. Which you should keep doing."
Eda's hand stilled. Camila suppressed a shiver. Her hand was so large, her thumb resting at the hollow of Camila's throat, her palm cupping Camila's shoulder and her fingers long on Camila's back.
"How many of the things I do are because of the owl beast, not me?"
"Is there really a difference?" Camila brushed a kiss over the back of Eda's hand, then wrapped it in her own as Eda went to pull away. "You were still you, just. Different." She brought Eda's hand up and pressed a series of kisses into her palm. "And who is to say that the reason you were licking me five minutes ago isn't that you always like to lick at me?"
"I." Eda pulled her hand from Camila's grip and Camila let her. But only because Eda's eyes were watering and she used that hand to cup Camila's cheek. "Fuck, I don't know. I've been like this for my entire adult life. And some of my childhood as well."
"Then there's no point worrying about it, is there? This is just who you are—and I love who you are."
The words still had the power to make warmth bloom inside her, illicit and titillating in their newness and danger. Even with Eda's ring and necklace and the knowledge that Eda was her fiancée. That Eda, flushed and with a soppy smile, was as affected by Camila's words took an edge of the embarrassment off.
"I love you too," she said, uncharacteristically shy. "Though I don't know how you can say those words when I look like this."
"Oh, Eda." She placed her hand over Eda's, her fingers sliding into the gap between two of Eda's, much larger than her own. "I would have run to you and said them just as I had when you opened that portal, even if you had been stuck in this form."
"Titan, if I had been." Her eyes drifted closed. "That would have put an even bigger damper on our sex life."
Camila sucked in a sharp breath of air and tried not to squirm. But the change in her breathing was enough and Eda's brows furrowed together. Her eyes still closed, she sniffed again. Deeper this time, and her face pressed into Camila. Not just Camila's face and neck, but her chest and her stomach and, fuck, both of Eda's hands were on her now, holding her in place for Eda's perusal. One at her shoulder and upper back, the other wrapped around her waist, her thumb near Camila's belly button and her talons resting at the swell of her ass.
Fuck, that had no right to be such a turn on.
But it was, her core ached, pounding and swollen and clinging to her thin shorts. She had worn an extra small pair last night, worn from years and tight against her ass. It had been a blatant request for Eda's touch, and one she had indulged, but the single rushed orgasm had only taken the edge off.
"You're turned on." Eda's voice was a low rumble. "I'm turned on."
"Um, yup."
Fuck, if Eda would move her hand down a few inches. God, her hand would be big enough to cover an entire ass cheek and then some. She'd be able to curl the tips of her fingers between Camila's thighs and, well, maybe that wasn't the brightest idea since her nails were more like talons, but Camila could be careful as she ground down on Eda.
"How long have I been turned on for?"
"Awhile."
She wasn't going to move, was she? She was going to keep her hands in very PG locations. Camila whimpered as she strained upwards, trying to force Eda's hands lower, but Eda moved with her, keeping them at Camila's waist.
"Camila," she growled. "I'm serious."
"I know you're serious, you're using my full name." God, fuck, her growl rumbled out her chest so deep that Camila could feel it. It was always hot, but now, like this? So much larger and fuller? "You didn't touch me, not really. You wanted to, but I said you couldn't until we talked about this."
"I'm not having sex with you when I'm like this."
Well, fuck, wasn't that a bucket of ice water to her ardour? Camila stopped squirming and tried to slow her racing heart. Her body craved Eda's touch.
"Okay, that's fine." And, fuck, that came out a little bit too melancholy. Camila grit her teeth and tried again, this time with less unintentional manipulation. "That's why I said we had to talk first. I didn't know what you'd be okay with."
"But you're okay with this." It wasn't a question—but why would it be one? There was fresh slick sticking between Camila's thighs.
"Um."
"How are you okay with this? I'm not even remotely human."
Camila couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. "You were never once remotely human. Why wouldn't I be okay with this? You're still you. I'm talking to you right now, it's your voice and your face and your hands on me. I'll admit that it was odd when you weren't quite you, but—"
"I was the owl beast," Eda growled. "It is like two people are inside my body. This isn't a curse so much as a spell that forced a whole-ass animal into my body and it wants out. You think that I woke you up this morning, but I did not. I was asleep up until the owl beast decided to let me take control—which, apparently, was so that I could fuck you."
"You were still you." Camila bit on her lip, hard. Not helping. "But we can debate the metaphysical aspects of your curse some other time. And obviously you're not okay with sex when you're like this, and that's fine, I promise it's fine."
"Of course I'm not okay with sex like this." Eda's shoulders hunched up about her ears. "I know we started with an open relationship that wasn't even a relationship and we haven't exactly discussed that aspect yet, but I don't want to share you. With anyone."
Camila laughed. "Even yourself? No, no, sorry, that was a bad joke, stop giving me that look. I'm fine with that. More than fine with that. And it goes both ways, but you already know that."
"How could I possibly already know that?" Eda looked especially owlish with her head cocked and her brows furrowed.
"My unending and blatantly obvious jealousy every time you slept with a man?" She cocked her head right back. "You can't possibly tell me that you didn't notice how out of control my jealousy would get."
"You were jealous?"
"Jesus fucking Christ." Camila scrubbed at her face. "Eda, I was jealous of all the men you slept with since, practically, day one. In hindsight, I should have known from that that the friends with benefits thing would never work."
"Oh." Fuck, she sounded as pleased as punch. Her chest was even swelling and her feathers had fluffed out as she preened. "I didn't know. But I'm glad you did not have that foresight then since there's no way I would have been willing to have a proper relationship with anyone back then."
"I wouldn't have been either."
"So not an open relationship?" Eda's voice rose on the last word and she coughed.
"Absolutely not an open relationship. It's just me and you, Eda, now and until the end of time."
"Good." She was growling again. And then she growled again, for no reason at all, but her eyes were hot on Camila's face. "You're attracted to that."
"Yes, I'm so unusual, being attracted to possessiveness and strength." Camila forced an eye roll. "You've found out my most shameful kinks."
But Eda didn't laugh. Instead, her jagged teeth were biting into her lower lip and her hands were flexing on Camila's body. "I'm going to turn back now. I think. Hopefully."
Camila gave her a smile. "It's your body."
And maybe she would be more amenable to the idea of sex when she returned to normal. Even Camila had to admit that it would be easier if she didn't have to worry about Eda's sharp teeth and claws.
The transformation happened too quick for Camila's eyes to process. One moment, Eda had been towering over her with the body of a giant and the next she was towering over her with the body of a rangy not-quite-fifty year old. Her hands were still on Camila, even if they were a fraction of the size, and her eyes were soft and fond as she smiled at Camila.
"Hey." There was still a small crease between Eda's brows.
"Would it upset you if I kissed you?" Camila asked.
Eda's smile turned lopsided and her hands, which were still large even if they weren't the size of dinner plates, drew Camila closer. "Of course it wouldn't."
"Good." Camila stretched up to meet Eda and kissed her with all her pent up hunger. "Good morning," she said when they parted. Not that they parted particularly far—their breath still mingled and Camila could see every fleck of gold and silver in Eda's eyes.
Eda kissed her, then pressed a trail of kisses down her neck, opposite of where she had slobbered. "You know, I'm still turned on."
"Is that surprising?" Camila cradled Eda's head to her neck. "I don't know about you, but I fell asleep horny."
"It shouldn't be this hard to to have sex." Eda's tongue darted out and tasted Camila's neck, just a little, and a knot of anxiety unravelled inside Camila's chest. "Not now that we live with each other."
Camila hummed. "But now we also live with three demons and a human fifty percent of the time."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but we actually had it pretty good back when it was just me and you on your weeks without Luz."
"All that angst over not seeing each other and, yet."
"And yet now we hardly have time for more than a quickie in the evenings." Eda heaved out a great sigh. "Will you end your moratorium on morning sex?"
"Eda, in what part of this conversation did you ever think that I was going to uphold that ban?"
"Good point," Eda said and her hands finally, finally slid down Camila's back and cupped her ass. They sighed in unison and Eda's head grew heavy where it rested on Camila's shoulder. "Have I told you recently how amazing your ass is?"
"Not recently." Her own hands were creeping down Eda's back. "But I'm not holding that against you. Not with how half of our conversations take place in front of teenagers. What did you do with King back when you'd stay over at mine?"
"I'd get Hooty to watch him, of course. Why?"
"Because." Camila's hands closed around Eda's butt and she squeezed. "It's not as if my house has vanished into the ether. I'm still paying a mortgage on the fucking thing even if I haven't spent a single night there in weeks."
"Good point." Eda kissed her way up Camila's jaw. "I knew I wanted to marry you for a reason."
"Is it because I'm just that kissable?"
Eda wrinkled her nose at her. "No, because you're a smart one. And kissable, but mostly because of all those thoughts you've got up there."
She went in for a kiss that Camila was already reaching for, but their lips had hardly brushed when the entire house shook from the force of an explosion that made their ears ring.
"What the fuck was that?" Eda pulled herself to her full height, her eyes narrowed and focused out the window past Camila's head. Her eyes went black—but not the solid back of the owl beast. There were twin rings of gold in the darkness of her eyes. "Stay here."
Camila could hardly hear her over Hooty's screeching, but she didn't need to hear Eda to know what she was saying. She clamped a hand around Eda's wrist and squeezed, hard, letting her blunt nails dig into Eda's skin. "No way."
"I can't protect you if—"
"If, what? Which is more likely, an attack or one of our kids having a misadventure with magic? And which of the two of us is more equipped for handling injuries?"
"Fine." Eda blinked and her eyes returned to normal. "But stay behind me. It could still be an attack—I do have enemies."
"Yes, yes." Camila rolled her eyes.
She did not stay behind Eda as they ran down the stairs, silent with their bare feet on hardwood. And she was not the least bit surprised to find Luz on her ass in the kitchen, hair blown back and one eyebrow singed off as something viscous bubbled on the stove.
She grinned up at them, full of bluster. "Uh, hey moms?"
"Oh no," Eda said. "You do not get to play cute with the moms card. That's not going to make me less angry with you."
She was so full of shit. She couldn't even hide the pleased affection in her voice. She certainly couldn't hide the way her back muscles had all relaxed in one go, not with how Camila had her hand spread between her shoulder blades.
Camila took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. It wasn't sex, but it was something lovely and warming in its own right. Standing here, in Eda's kitchen, with their kids all filing in one by one. Camila let her hand fall from Eda's back, but only so she could wrap her arms around Eda's waist and press her forehead to where her palm had rested.
She breathed in, deep, smelling nothing but Eda despite the noxious potion fumes rising from the stove. "Te amo, Eda."