Sera's hand moved faster around Judas's member, water making the glide smooth and effortless. Her other arm stayed wrapped around his waist, holding him upright, keeping him from collapsing as his legs shook.
"You're big… and very tense," she murmured, her breath hot against his ear. "When's the last time you let yourself feel good? When's the last time someone took care of you like this?"
"It wasn't… like this with Amelia," he gasped out, "It's a first for me."
"Oh?" Her hand twisted slightly at the tip, and he nearly lost his mind. "Poor thing. No wonder you're wound up so tight."
Her hand worked him with steady rhythm, occasionally changing pace, adjusting pressure, learning what made him gasp.
The guilt was fading, drowning under waves of sensation. His mind was too tired to fight, his body too desperate for release.
"Sera, I'm close—!"
"I know." Her voice was almost tender. "Let go, Judas. You've earned it."
Her hand moved faster, grip tightening just slightly, and Judas felt the pleasure in his groin about to explode.
Then, Judas's whole body went rigid, a strangled sound tearing from his throat as pleasure crashed through him and causing the room to spin.
Sera's hand kept stroking, drawing out every drop until he was left trembling and gasping against the tile wall.
"There we go," she murmured, finally releasing him. She rinsed her hand under the spray, utterly unbothered. "Feel better?"
"I..."
"Good." She turned him around gently, supporting his weight as his legs threatened to give out entirely. "Now let's finish getting you clean."
She worked quickly now, rinsing away the last traces of blood and soap with efficient care. When she was satisfied, she reached around him to turn off the water.
"Can you stand?" Sera asked.
Judas's face burned crimson as he kept his eyes fixed on the shower tiles. "Barely."
She stepped out first, water running down her body in rivulets that followed every impossible curve.
She grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her torso. It barely contained her, the fabric straining across her chest, leaving her thighs and most of her legs exposed.
Judas's legs shook as he stepped over the tub edge. Sera was there immediately, balancing him with one hand on his arm.
She handed him a towel, and he wrapped it around his waist with trembling hands.
"Bedroom," she instructed. "You need to lie down before you collapse."
"R-right." Sera supported most of his weight, her smaller frame somehow managing to keep his larger one upright through sheer determination.
He collapsed onto the mattress face-first, every muscle screaming in relief.
Consciousness started to slip away, pulling him down into darkness.
But then there was warmth beside him. The mattress dipped as Sera sat on the edge of the bed.
He heard fabric rustle. Forced his heavy eyes open just enough to see her pulling on clothes: a fresh purple hoodie, fresh jeans. She'd manifested them from wherever Guides kept their things.
Part of him was disappointed. A larger part was too exhausted to care.
She moved behind him, gently easing the back of Judas's head against her breasts. She brought one hand to his shaggy black hair and ran her fingers through the strands gently.
"Thank you," Judas mumbled, "for... everything. Even the... you know."
"The handjob?" Sera's voice carried that familiar teasing sound he'd grown used to. "You can say it, Judas. Don't ever filter yourself around me, because I'll know instantly." She smirked, pinching his cheek with her free hand. "I like honest Judas the most."
Despite everything, he laughed weakly. "You're insufferable."
"And you still care about me~" Her fingers continued tracing his scalp. "The face you made when you came was absolutely precious. Filing that away for teasing purposes."
"Please don't."
"Too late. Mental screenshot acquired."
His cheeks burned hot. "A-anyway. Thanks Sera."
"You don't need to thank me," Sera said, her voice softening slightly.
"I do." He forced his heavy eyes open wider, turning his head just enough to look at her. "You always stay, even when I'm at my ugliest. It's been a short time, but I can't really imagine navigating life without you anymore."
Her mouth tightening at the corners, eyes darkening.
"Of course I stayed," she said softly. "Where else would I go?"
"Everyone leaves." The words slipped out before he could stop them. "Everyone always leaves."
Sera's hand stilled in his hair.
The exhaustion made him loose-lipped, his words spilling out like water from a cracked dam.
"My mom had nine boyfriends between the time I was seven and sixteen," he whispered. "Nine different guys she fell in love with, moved in, prioritized over everything else."
His voice wavered.
"Marcus is the first one I remember clearly. Construction worker. Mean drunk. Broke my arm when I was eight and told my mom I fell off my bike. She believed him over me."
Sera's fingers curled against his scalp, but she didn't interrupt.
"Then there was Tommy. Seemed nice at first, but he'd steal my birthday money and pawn whatever toys I had. My mom never noticed."
He sighed again, balling his hands into fists.
"Derek taught me to play poker, was actually decent to me. I thought maybe he'd stay. Then my mom dumped him for a richer guy."
What the hell am I doing? She never asked me for my backstory. Why can't I stop myself? Judas's hands clenched in the sheets.
"There were more. I stopped learning their names. They were all the same. Just temporary distractions until my mom got bored or they left first. And every single time, I became invisible. She'd miss my school events, forget my birthday, spend grocery money trying to impress whatever guy she was with that month."
The room suddenly felt too small as her body pressed against his.
"Then when I was sixteen, her boyfriend Carl gave her an ultimatum. Him or me." Judas's voice dropped to barely a whisper.
"She chose him. Sat me down and told me I'd understand someday. That she deserved to be happy. That I was almost an adult anyway."
Sera bit her lip but said nothing.
"She kicked me out and gave me her old car as a... severance package, I guess. 1998 Honda Civic. Like that made up for throwing away her own kid."
Judas sighed with a wry smile. "I lived in that car for four months slaving away at a gas station to… purchase this place. Now student loans are taking care of the rest, for now."
His eyes burned, but he was too tired for tears.
"That car's still parked outside," he continued. "It runs fine. I could drive it. But every time I even think about getting behind that wheel, I'm sixteen again, sleeping in the back seat, wondering if my mom ever loved me at all."
The words hung in the air.
"So, I walk everywhere," Judas whispered. "Because walking means I don't have to sit in that car and remember."
The air grew heavy.
Then Sera's arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him against her chest. Her embrace was fierce and desperate.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said, and her voice shook with emotion he'd never heard from her before. "You're not dead weight. You're not a burden. You're not something to be discarded when someone finds a better option."
Her fingers moved through his hair again, gentler this time.
"You're my Player," she continued, voice steadying with conviction. "My person. And I'm not leaving. Not for a better assignment. Not because you become inconvenient. Not until you're dead, and even then, I'm going to be pissed about it."
Judas exhaled sharply, words caught in his throat.
"When I was created," Sera said quietly, "I waited in the Void for two years. Watching other Guides get assigned, wondering if I was defective."
Her arms tightened around him.
"Then you pulled that lever, and I felt our bond form, and for the first time I had a purpose." She pressed her forehead against the back of his head.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"So I'm keeping you too. That's how this works. We keep each other. Forever."
The walls in his mind crumbled in an instant. Sera, the same teasing guide, was the very same girl that accepted even the ugliest sides of him now.
He didn't plan what happened next or think it through. His body moved before his mind could catch up.
His hand lifted, shaking with effort. Found her face behind him, had to twist slightly to reach. Fingers brushed against her cheek, warm and intimate.
Sera's mouth opened slightly, but she didn't move a muscle.
With the last of his strength, Judas turned his head, cupped her cheek, and gently pulled her down toward him.
Their lips met, soft and brief.
Sera made a small sound in the back of her throat. Her free hand came up to rest against his chest, fingers curling against the damp skin. For one perfect, impossible moment, she kissed him back.
Then she pulled away, breathing hard, her ocean-blue eyes wide with surprise and something that looked like wonder.
"Judas," she whispered.
But he was already gone, consciousness finally claiming him completely, his hand slipping from her cheek as exhaustion dragged him under.
The last thing he felt was her fingers returning to his hair, gentle and steady.
The last thing he heard was her voice, barely audible:
"Sleep well, you impossible fool."
She smiled at Judas, and a faint purple glow surrounded her hands.
[SUCCUBUS'S HEALING - ACTIVATED]
She guided the light over Judas's body, as it seeped into every pore, lightening the bruises, repairing muscle, and easing her unconscious gambler deeper into rest.
[SERA - AFFECTION (SHARP INCREASE) 65%]