Hospitality 

Maya knocked on the apartment door, the sharp sound echoing down the empty hall. Next to her, James shifted nervously. “It’s always so quiet once everyone goes home for the summer...” he murmured, eyes questing over the line of doors he knew were empty. 

“You said the same exact thing last year, babe,” Maya smirked as she tousled his short brown hair. “But unlike last year, there actually is someone else here early, so we don’t have it all to ourselves,” she reminded him, gesturing to the door in front of them. “We might even have cause to be, of all things, discreet at night.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, as if the joke wasn’t obvious. There was a twinkle in those blue eyes, though, so he couldn’t call it all bad. 

He shifted the plate of cookies he was carrying to just one hand, letting him wrap his now free arm around Maya’s shoulders and pull her close, resting his chin on her head. “Maybe we should see just how loud we can get before they come knocking.”

“I’d take that as a challenge, but I don’t think the neighbors would appreciate that,” she chided, shoving out of the hug playfully. James reluctantly let her go, and grabbed the cookies in both hands again. But given the topic, he couldn't help but let his eyes wander up and down her body, long legs on display in her comfy lounge shorts, and her ass hinted at through what the shorts didn’t show. His eyes trailed up along the pastel blue to her shirt, the same color, and up to where it stretched around her chest. Even from the back, the shirt was pulled taut, and he could just imagine the other side. She put a lot more care into her outfit than he did. He just wore whatever was at the top of his dresser, in this case blue basketball shorts and a gray t-shirt.

“You know, you don’t have to settle for eye-fucking me,” she teased, and he started, noticing she’d been smirking at him while he was lost in... well. Her. He flushed.

He didn’t deserve her, and he knew it. But somehow, freshman year of college, they’d met and hit it off, and it just rolled on from there. Three years. Luckily they’d gotten this off-campus apartment sophomore year, or they’d both have gone crazy cooped up in his tiny dorm room. Having separate rooms, for many reasons, obviously wasn’t an option. He’d never gotten a clear answer for why she’d liked him. Sure, she joked about him being funny and having a big dick (it wasn’t that big, was it?), and that that made up for his personality, but he knew she didn’t mean that.

He huffed, remembering the first time she’d said that, right after their third time. That same twinkle in her eye, the one she had whenever she was fucking with someone. Especially him. In the present, Maya turned back with a curious look at the sound.

“I’ll tell you later,” he chuckled. He didn’t have time to say anything more before their knocks were answered by the door swinging open.  

He was met with bright green eyes, framed by straight black hair and blinking from behind a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. She looked vaguely Japanese - an exchange student? That might be why she was moving in early, but there could be lots of reasons for that. He was struck by her height - he usually had to look downwards to meet people’s eyes, but she was as tall as he was. A bit taller, even, with how she was leaning against the doorframe. She met his eyes steadily, smirking a bit in a way he couldn’t quite parse.His girlfriend saved him from the staredown, thankfully. “Hi! I’m Maya, and this is James! We’re your neighbors over in 417, and wanted to welcome you to 418! Here’s some cookies, as a housewarming gift. And by the by, where do you get your clothes? Because damn, girl.”

Socially acceptable reason to look at more of her given, James glanced over her outfit. Her skirt looked almost like it was lace, white woven patterns contrasting the dark fabric nicely. Her v-neck shirt also looked nice, but he quickly returned his gaze to her eyes on account of that being a lot of cleavage and his girlfriend being right there.

Maya stepped to the side, and James dutifully presented the plate of freshly baked cookies. The girl smiled back at them. “Well, I’m Aiko. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Probably not an exchange student, then, if her Californian accent was any indication. “I can share where I shop later, if you want? But please, please, come in. You can meet my roommates, and we can all enjoy your cookies with some tea. In room 418.” She got odd looks from them at the addition, and giggled, waving it off. “Comp sci thing. Don’t worry about it.” She turned in place, walking assuredly into her apartment, before looking back at them. “Well? Are you going to come in?” she smirked. “Oh, and good guests take their shoes off, so if you’d be dears...” 

James met Maya’s eyes, and he gave her the most innocent smile he could manage. “Well, we wouldn’t want to be poor neighbors, now would we?” he prompted. Maya flipped him off with smiling eyes, then led the way inside. She kicked off her flip-flops, placing them next to the three pairs already resting by the door. James shook his head and followed, closing the door behind him and taking off his shoes as well before stepping out of the tiled entryway and onto soft carpet.

He looked around, noting the furniture was a lot higher quality than the IKEA assemblies most of their neighbors - including them - had. He couldn’t tell if it was just higher quality assembly, or whether they’d gotten it carried up the stairs, but either way, it made the room look a bit less... college student.. The living room had two couches in an L-shape, facing an expensive TV and sound system. Two girls - presumably, the other pairs of shoes - were bending down to place a coffee table in front of the couches. Yoga mats lay pushed off to the side, with some very good headphones lying on them. And next to the sound system... VR headsets? He nodded, impressed, but quickly averted his eyes as he got an eyeful of cleavage when the girls stood up. The matching crop tops and spandex shorts left little to the imagination, and they’re not wearing bras I’m just going to look over here now.

Maya saved him from that embarrassment, thankfully. She had definitely noticed where his gaze had been, but she didn’t look mad, just slightly surprised. “Oh, I’m so sorry we interrupted your workout! If now is a bad time, we can come back later?”

“Oh no, it's perfectly fine!” one of the girls chimed in, voice having a faint accent to it.

“We were just about done, anyways,” the other continued, voice almost the same as the first girl.

“I’m Sakura, though my friends call me Saki for short,” said the one on Maya’s left.

“I’m Mikan, though my friends call me Miki for short,” said the other.

“Twins,” Aiko explained. “You’ll get used to hearing double.” And, yep. They sure were twins. Same straight brown hair done up in ponytails, same brown eyes, same height, just taller than Maya. What he had thought was just similar outfits seemed to be identical as well, down to the  thin black chokers each of them was wearing. Clearly, they were leaning into it. He placed the plate on the table they’d just moved, then let himself fall back into the couch. With nowhere else to look that was not distinctly dangerous, a smile formed as he watched his girlfriend’s head swing back and forth, looking somewhat bewildered by the finishing-each-other's'-sentences routine. They sounded like they were continuing their yoga routine, something he had no intention of checking, thank you. He liked his girlfriend not mad at him, thanks.

It was rare to see her on the back foot in a conversation, but then again, it was also rare to see the twins from the Shining all grown up, so it made sense. But it was still a sight to see her nodding along, barely giving more than a yes of agreement here or there. Should he rescue her?... nah. She could handle it.

He heard an amused noise, and looked to the side to see Aiko with a tray and teapot. There were five teacups, and what looked like a dedicated honey jar. She placed them down next to the cookies, then sat next to him with an insincerely apologetic smile. “They’re always so excited to meet new people,” she chuckled, pouring out tea into the cups. 

“So you’ve known them for a while now?” he replied, glancing back and forth from Aiko to the animated conversation happening on just the other side of the table. 

“Oh, for years now. We were good friends in highschool and became really close freshman year. We just had to move in with each other after that, and now we’re here. They’ve really appreciated having more space than a dorm room to do their workout routine. You’d never be able to tell, but those two were actually really shy, up until last year. They just needed a bit of help to find their confidence.”

“Well, I’d say they’ve found it, then. I’m not sure I’ve heard dead air since they introduced themselves.” He reached out for a cookie before turning back to face her. “Honestly, I’m damn well impressed. You helped them, right? What was your magic bullet, then? Self help videos? Sessions with the school counselors? And there’s always the good old standby of getting them laid.”

Aiko let out a laugh as she shook her head. “Not quite! It’s actually the yoga they've been doing. The whole body-mind connection thing. Feeling good about how they looked and felt did wonders for them.” She grabbed a cookie herself, giving it a bite. Her eyes lit up a little. “Ooh. Chocolate chip and toffee?”

James popped the rest of his own cookie into his mouth, nodding while he finished chewing. “Maya baked them herself. It’s actually part of why we chose to live off-campus, even if it’s more expensive. The shared kitchens in the dorms were just awful. I’m sure you know, and understand when I say I don’t think they even deserve the word ‘kitchen.’” She nodded, a pinched look on her face at the memory. “I love cooking, but I could hardly make anything decent for our date nights there, and I swear, I was the only person on our floor who would even bother to clean up after they were done.” 

“You’re funny, can cook, and actually clean. What, next you’ll tell me you’re double majoring in pre-med and comp-sci? Trying to sound good to someone’s parents?” she teased.

“Hell no. Math is the bane of my existence, and calculus can fuck right off. I’m just a comms major. Maya’s the smart one, looking to go to law school. I’ll be lucky just to be able to keep up with her.” 

“Oh, Maya is the lucky one to have you, I think. Here, some tea? It’s best before it cools off too much.” Aiko offered James a cup, steam wafting off its surface. It smelled fruity, but he couldn’t distinguish more than that offhand.

“It’s a special herbal blend I make myself,” she said, answering the unasked question. “Though I’ve added dried cherry and orange to the mix to give it a bit of a sweeter taste.” She smirked at that, which made him assume there was an inside joke he wasn’t getting, but it seemed all in good fun. “Be a good guest and give it a try? It’s very calming.” 

James took the cup, blowing on it for a moment before raising it to his lips. He took a tentative sip, and satisfied he wasn’t about to burn his tongue off in front of his new neighbors, took a mouthful, the tea warm and fruity on his tongue. He blinked, surprised at just how vibrant the flavor was, before taking another sip. “This is really good, Aiko. You make it yourself? Like... wow. We’ll need to come over more often for your tea alone!” he half-joked, taking yet another sip.

Aiko smiled at that as she bit into another cookie. “Keep being a good guest, and you can have as much tea as you want.” 

James smiled back, letting the warmth of the tea suffuse his entire body. He looked over to Maya and the twins, still engaged in their conversation. One of them - Sakura, he thought? - was refilling Maya’s tea cup. The twins certainly looked happy, rattling on one after the other. He wasn’t sure if Maya had even had a chance to get a word in between them. No sooner had one finished speaking then the other was carrying right along. 

He found his eyes flicking between them, back and forth between the speakers, before a touch on his arm made him realize Aiko was talking to him. 

She’d moved closer, right next to him on the couch with her leg touching his own. Shaking his head to clear the fog out, he tried to remember what she’d just said, but came up blank. “I’m.. I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I seem to have missed what you just said.”

Aiko’s smirk grew ever-more mischievous. “I said be a good guest and have some more tea.”

James glanced down at his cup. It was empty. A moment later, and Aiko was refilling it for him, hints of fruit wafting up to his nose. “Be sure to drink it while it’s warm. You want to be a good guest, and those don’t waste food, do they?”

James blinked, halfway through his cup before he registered she had asked a question, and nodded belatedly.

“And good guests listen to the host. Finish your drink.”

Another blink, and he was staring into the bottom of the empty cup, and noticed the floral pattern of petals on branches at the bottom. Was he feeling warm? Warmer than the tea should make him, at least? With a blush, he realized it was more than just heat. He was getting turned on. That wasn’t very polite of him, was it? He shifted in his seat, trying to hide his growing erection under crossed legs.

But he couldn't. Aiko’s hand drifted to his leg and pushed down, idly running up and down his inner thigh as she did so, and he just continued to stare mutely.

“Be a good guest, and just close your eyes and relax.”

The words were a resonant purr, sounds echoing through his head. Of course he wanted to be a good guest. There was no need to be rude, after all. He let out a breath and closed his eyes, letting his weight sink into the couch. The touches on his leg felt so nice, soothing and something more, and relaxing sounded like a good idea.

“Good guests follow the rules. No shoes in the apartment. You followed that rule. No shirts in the apartment. Be a good guest and follow the rules.”

That... made sense. Slowly, languidly, he slipped his shirt off without opening his eyes, and let it drop to the side of the couch. It wasn’t polite to wear socks if people said you shouldn’t, and shirts were the same... right? No. Something about that thought felt... off. Mustering himself, James opened his eyes. 

And blinked again. Maya’s top was off, leaving her only in her bra. Why was she... following the rules. She was supposed to, right? But...

The twins were straddling her legs, one on each thigh, as they whispered words in her ears. Still echoing between each other, one after the other. That didn’t feel right. Why were they-

“Good guests sink into the feelings.”

His thoughts were thrown back into a sea of sticky syrup. That moment of struggle, of dissonance, stretched and softened and diffused.

Slowly he turned to face Aiko, who looked amused. “You... I... there’s... you put something... in the tea...”

Just stringing together those words was a trial, leaving him with barely the strength to keep his eyes open. He tried to rise from the couch, to do something, but Aiko’s hand shifted from rubbing his thigh to between his legs. He groaned, legs giving out as reality slowly bled out of everything but where her hand touched him.

“Aren’t you the clever one? I did, yes. I was just being a good host. Good guests don’t need to worry about that, do they?” 

James opened his mouth to protest, though he wasn’t sure what he’d say, but she sped up, tightening her grip around his cock as she stroked him through the thin material of his shorts. His thoughts, held together by spit and hope as they were, didn’t last at all against that pleasure. A moan reached his ears, and he twitched, before he realized it was his own. She released him then, and his hips strained to follow her retreating hand.

“Good guests just need to relax.” 

Soft hands pulled at the top of his shorts and hooked his underwear, pulling both down before he even registered the motion. His gaze was drawn to his cock, hard and pulsing with arousal and need. And it disappeared moments later, lost inside a soft hand’s movements and pleasurable contact. In the corner of his eyes, a blur of motion as she tossed his shorts aside.

“Good guests get taken care of.”

And he was taken care of. But that blur caught his attention, and almost without his conscious control, his eyes tracked the motion. There was another blur behind there, and he strained, trying to resolve his blurry vision.

“Good guests don’t need to think.”

Maya was fully topless. He could tell that before he’d made out any other details. And... Sakura and Mikan’s hands were on her chest, pinching her in tandem with their speaking. Maya’s mouth was open, moaning, as she kept looking back and forth between them languidly, her eyes glassy. She looked... drugged. That thought sparked, and his eyes widened as it lit a protective fire. Still sluggish, he began to prop himself up from where he’d sunk into the cushions, standing up into a hand on his chest which pushed him back down and his legs gave out, and he crumpled down, back into the couch, into the cushions, any strength he’d mustered gone.

“Good guests focus on the host..”

Belatedly, he realized Aiko had straddled him, legs bracketing his thigh as she kept up a rhythm of lazy strokes. His eyes trailed over her, noting that she’d stripped off her clothes, curves on full display, and his eyes seemed drawn to her pert, pink nipples, pebbly with arousal. Smooth skin brushed against him, and a line of something wet was dragging itself on his leg. He heard a yelp of bliss from off to the side, one that was oh-so-familiar, and his head began to turn to his girlfriend again. He saw two bodies lowering another onto a yoga mat, each naked, both grinding on the other’s thighs after they laid her down, but his gaze was wrenched away by a hand on his chin, back into an emerald sea.

“Good guests need to focus on the <i>host</i>, isn’t that right?”

He found himself nodding in agreement as her hand tilted his head up and down for him, and he mumbled something indistinct, that even he couldn’t tell if it was affirmative or not. But he was rewarded for it, so it had to be affirmative, a flurry of strokes before Aiko returned to the long, slow touches from before. His eyes were magnetized, drawn in by her gravity, lost in the green, and he only vaguely recognized her hand moving from his chin to somewhere behind her in his peripheral vision. None of that was as important as her laughter, making her eyes crinkle as he stared.

“Good guests get to feel good.”

The stroking was faster, and he felt good. Her hand was in his vision again, finger tinted pinker than before, and something cool and sweet was pressed to and through his lips. 

“Good guests need to obey. Suck.”

He sucked. It was sweet, like the tea, orange and cherry masking something he couldn’t quite place. But it didn’t matter. He swallowed obediently, feeling warmth spread from the cool syrup, sexual and comforting and blissful all at once

Her hand sped up, and a moan was stifled by a finger.

“Good guests don’t need to think. Good guests just need to listen. Good guests need to obey. And you are being a very good guest for me, aren't you, James?”

Yes. He was. He tried to say something, to agree, to obey, and she clearly liked it as her hand sped up for a moment, and those eyes crinkled again in a way he couldn’t look away from. She withdrew her finger with a wet pop, eyes narrowing in satisfaction, and he felt softness press against his chest, against his cheek for a moment before pulling away and whispering “good guest” and he was a good guest, and felt so good, swimming in sensation as wave after wave of pleasure washed over and through him. He knew Aiko was saying something to him, and the words were heard, but not registered, not before the waves of pleasure crushed his thoughts to sand and dust. He was a good guest and he was obeying, and feeling good, and that was all that mattered, his focus lost, his eyes only open to be lost in the emerald depths. 

Warmth ran against his cock, teasing, the wetness there for a moment as it rubbed against him and gone again. The eyes hid amusement poorly. 

“Good guests only cum when they are told.” 

Eager to obey, the words ran through him, but how could he obey by doing nothing? But he would, he knew, he would, and that too washed away under bliss as she lowered herself onto his cock. 

He could feel himself twitching and throbbing inside her, even stillness bringing more pleasure than motion had before, held on the edge of an orgasm that wouldn’t come. Movement started, and white fire filled his vision when it did, fading back into emerald as she kept moving. His eyes tracked up and down, never leaving hers, never leaving the green.

“Good guests get to feel good.” Oh, he did. And he continued to, as she rolled her hips in a way that tore a gasp from his throat. “And you’re feeling so very good now, aren’t you, James? That just means you are being a very. Good. Guest.” The words were a hammer blow to crumbling stone, held up and together only by the need to be just as good as she said, to only cum when he was told. 

He could not describe the next minute, not in metaphor or in moan. It was a haze of bliss, transcendent, beyond words, as he let himself be a guest so very, very good, who didn’t cum until he was told, who felt good, so very, very good.

His eyes slipped shut for a moment, then snapped back, drinking in the green, unwilling to spend time not lost in her eyes, a guest to her domain, who obeyed and felt good and didn’t cum until he was told and he hadn’t been told, so he would just keep feeling good, and good, and good. He spilled over the edge only to collect himself again before he fell, over and over and over again, the only constants being emerald and good.

A brush of heat at his ear, and sound. “Your moans are adorable, James, but I want to hear you scream.”

And his voice obliged, for it could do nothing else. He felt impact and motion and barely comprehended them as sensation, even as they began to speed up and drive his torturous rapture further than its already impossible heights. Moans filled his ears, and emerald his eyes. 

A word blazed across his soul, spoken with a deep, guttural moan - “Cum.” And he was nothing if not a good guest, who felt good, and so would cum when told, and he was told, and thought fuzzed and broke apart and crashed together for forever and no time at all as he came, self and mind and body lost to the intensity of a good guest’s orgasm. 

Slowly, those pieces began to reassemble, as the movement slowed, and the emerald seas were closed, turned away, and he stared after them. Thought began to form, becoming memory, becoming awareness of Aiko breathing heavily, head against his chest. Distantly, he heard someone else moaning, someone he knew, another good guest, and voices murmuring to her. But she was a good guest, so she was feeling good, and that was fine.

That logic satisfied him for a moment, until his brain put voice to memory, and he remembered. Maya. He had to... protect her, right? From? He shifted, and Aiko’s eyes opened, emerald sweeping over him again, washing out even that faint confusion.

“Aiko...” he murmured, though he didn’t know if there was more to that thought. There wasn’t, not when her finger met his lips and silenced anything else he wouldn’t have said.

“Good guests just need to listen and obey the rules. Sleep now for me, James. Sleep and obey.”

Thought crumbled and fractured and powdered and dripped, down into syrup, down into emerald, down into nothing and darkness and everything, and his eyes slipped shut.

“And I have so many rules to teach you.”