sujiko progress

“Are you feeling better?”

the only response is a low hiss that ends more like a keen. shinji lowers himself slowly into a piping hot bath, scales spreading and tail unfurling as he touches the water. archer never gets tired of this part, watching in enthusiastic wonderment that leaves his partner’s face  only a little pink-tinged in return. upper body beginning to visibly relax, shinji sinks into the tub deeper, exhaling over the sound of displaced water.

“Yeah... “ he says almost dreamily, an iridescent scaled and web-fingered hand absent-mindedly rubbing at his stomach as his eyes flutter closed. shinji is on his second clutch in the time he’s been with archer, so they’re considerably more prepared this go around. “Just sore.” still, shinji smiles at archer’s ever-present concern. he likes being doted on, especially when he was uncomfortable like this. it was a welcome distraction.

it’s been almost a year to the day that shinji washed up on shore and archer brought him home to this apartment. it feels like so much has changed since then. visually, maybe not so much. aside from a few new small additions to their home and a not-so-subtle curve to shinji now and again things remained the same on the outside looking in.

the knowledge that shinji was, in fact, a fabled sea deity, however. that was a doozy.

a mythological dragon sharing a bath a life guard.

it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.


archer hums thoughtfully as he reaches over and affectionately strokes the side of shinji’s face. his heart flutters as he watches the tired, lazy smile spread once again upon contact.

“Did you miss me while you were at work, Archer?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Maybe.” shinji’s eyes open as the curve of his mouth becomes more mischievous. a little more of the bathwater is displaced as he leans forward, pressing up against archer with his arms draped over his shoulders. “Is this better?”

under the water, archer’s hands tentatively work their way down shinji’s sides from pale skin to smooth, almost slippery scales. he distinctly notes that pressed into him like this, he can feel how tightly packed shinji’s stomach is, filled to capacity with hundreds of tiny eggs. archer can’t imagine what kind of pressure it puts on his tiny frame. curiously, he rubs circles just above where shinji’s hip bones would be. at first, he can feel him shudder, but before archer can speak, he hears a purring that vibrates against his right ear.

“Mmhm. What about you?” archer is slightly embarrassed about shinji so easily realizing he’s craving affection. the least he can do is offer some relief in the form of said desired skinship. shinji’s head lies against archer’s shoulder as he purrs and nuzzles, quickly becoming putty in archer’s hands.

“M’feeling really tight.” shinji admits, voice a little distant before it comes right back. “Don’t stop, this is great.”

so he doesn’t. archer continues to gently massage his fingers where skin pulls taut and stretched. it’s really something else seeing and feeling how shinji’s body moves against his. he soaks up the physical comfort from archer after feeling miserable all day, not holding back any sounds of appreciation that want to be heard. pressing his face into his dampened hair, archer praises him without restraint. “You’re so cute. You’re beautiful.”

he thinks he may have heard something that resembled an embarrassed whine. before it can be addressed, reckless kisses are being placed up and down archer’s neck and he can feel the electric current jolt through his spine. their breathing hitched and urgent, the two of them seem to realize where this relaxing bath date is quickly leading them.

archer doesn’t remember when exactly shinji kissed past his jawline, but the sensation of his tongue filling his mouth is more than welcome. the massaging has had to stop for the most part, but archer can still manage to rub small, soothing circles with his thumbs while he holds shinji close. shinji, with his hands lovingly cupped against archer’s face takes no issue in letting the other support him completely. with glassy eyes and chest heaving, shinji’s scales and soft skin slide and rub against archer as he nuzzles and kisses his face, desperate to shower him with affection. archer can’t help but feel overwhelmed. he knows what he wants, but he’s never asked for it — never said it out loud. with shinji here, writhing against him and looking so gorgeous, though, he thinks he might go crazy. an arm wraps around shinji’s waist and another comes up to tangle fingers in his hair as archer leans in close to whisper, voice almost dying in his throat from both nerves and arousal.

“I want you to fuck me.”

there is a nano second of stiffness in shinji’s body language. not out of any kind of dismay, but rather a curiosity that makes his limbs feel light and warm. they’ve never had sex while shinji was in his natural state. it wasn’t anything that bothered him, since fooling around in a human body was always interesting and pleasurable, but this proposition is so intriguing that shinji could burst with excitement, and knowing that archer found him attractive no matter what form made his heart flutter and face and ears flush red. “Yeah... ? You’re sure about that?” shinji’s voice is husky, like he knows they’ve already both made up their minds and he just wants to hear it again.

archer presses their foreheads together, nodding and presenting shinji with the tiniest, nervous little grin. it’s kissed off his face in an instant by shinji’s greedy mouth, leaving a breathy chuckle in its wake.