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They braced on his chest and ground on Cassidy Darling like he was a sex toy. Which, from the volume of his exclamations and the lust in his eyes, was working great for Cassidy as well.
When they fucked like this, it made River feel liquid, like their body flowed into Cassidy’s. Their pleasure was honey thick and slow, and they never wanted it to end. But too soon, their body reached the top of its climb and tumbled down into a clenching, muscular orgasm that wrung them out until all they could do was cling to Cassidy as he roared out his own pleasure.
Cassidy’s tenderness after sex was disarming and left River feeling shy and trembly in the best ways. This morning, though, he seemed to gaze deeper into River’s eyes; his kisses were softer; his hands more seeking.
"Thanks for taking me to the party with you," he said, eyes bright. "I liked meeting your friends."
River stretched luxuriantly, so sated and comfortable that, left to their own devices, they’d fall right back asleep.
"I’m glad you came," they said into Cassidy’s soft, comfy chest. "They all loved you."
Their pillow disappeared.
"Wait, what, they did? Did they tell you that? What did they say? Who said it?"
River said an internal goodbye to the three more hours of sleep they’d have preferred and dragged themself up.
"Yes, they all told me. They think you’re great."
Cassidy was practically vibrating in place, so River took pity on him and repeated everything everyone had said to the best of their memory. Cassidy smiled, relaxing again.
"Thank god. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that last night!"
"Gotta keep you on your toes," River said.
But the truth was that it had never occurred to them that things would go any other way, and they’d assumed it had been clear how much everyone adored him.
"So, can I show you your Christmas present now?" Cassidy asked excitedly.
"Sure."
River teetered out of bed, awaiting further instructions.
"Okay." Cassidy guided them to the bedroom window and stood behind them. His bare chest was warm at their back and he smelled like sex.
He pulled the curtains aside and River blinked at the sudden brightness of the snow. As their eyes adjusted, though, they began to see something strange.
"What am I looking at?" they asked, but before Cassidy could answer, their brain and eyes agreed that they were seeing huge, green— "Cats!"
The tops of the evergreen bushes and trees around the shelter had been shaped into rounded cat heads and bodies with pointed ears on top. They were of all sizes and shapes, depending on the evergreen, but together they formed a feline army, standing in protection of the shelter and everyone inside it.
It was like a dream or a video game come to life and River couldn’t look away.
"Holy shit, how?"
"Bram did it. Do you like?"
River felt like they had fallen asleep some weeks ago in the real world—a world that had not, historically, been terribly kind to them—and woken up in a fantasy where things were soft and warm and comfortable; where there were kisses and hugs and pleasure and care and, well, huge evergreen cats. It was magic that could all be traced back to the arrival of Cassidy Darling in their life.
"They’re in front of the windows downstairs too, so you can see them from the front desk," Cassidy murmured into their neck.
River pulled on clothes and raced down the stairs to stand before the huge windows. From the ground level, their size was even more impressive. One cat had a paw raised, like it was waving to them, or about to swipe at the building. A row of bushes formed the body of a sleeping cat. And all around the parking lot were cats of different sizes and shapes.
"Damn," Cassidy said, "Bram did an amazing job."
River turned to thank Cassidy, then suddenly there were tears streaming down their face.
"What’s wrong, baby?" Cassidy asked.
"This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," they said. "When Rye gave me this job and this apartment, that was the most generous and amazing moment of my life. Cuz I didn’t think I could ever … But this is …"
They dissolved into tears.
"I wanted you to be able to look out any window in your home and work and see something that might make you smile," Cassidy said, stroking their hair as they cried. "I love your smile."
Once, their friend Tracey had told River that they had a first level smile that was for everyone and a second level smile that was only for friends. River thought they might have reached a third level of smile they’d never known they were capable of: a natural, automatic smile that they didn’t try and control. It hadn’t come out before Cassidy, but they could feel it now.
It felt like a flame kindled in their heart that leaked into their face. It felt like joy and hope and trust. It felt like the kind of smile that grew out of a substrate so strong it could support the heavy fruit of big feelings.
