#khledenza

[the-melting-world]

Positive Tension 🍋

@the-midsummer-masquerade | Thank you for hosting and managing this event 💕

You can read all of the fics to Don't Stop Til You Get Enough | Midsummer Masquerade here

Day 3 prompts: bondage, outdoors

Khleo x Cadenza

Cadenza belongs to @arcanecadenza

Khleo is non-binary and uses she/they pronouns interchangeably.

Music: “Positive Tension” by Bloc Party

~ 820 words

.

Khlee von Heine was in the middle of dragging an unconscious masquerader out of a garden fountain when she spotted a tall, dark-haired magician pacing one of the stone-paved intersections. 

The barhand had met this magician – Cadenza – many times in fact. It was nice to see her outside of a tavern hall, and in something that revealed much more than she typically would whenever she stopped by for a drink. 

Khleo made sure the party guest was somewhere they could safely rest before making their way over to the stone path. She briefly adjusted her champagne stockings before interrupting the magician to ask if she needed any help.

Something of importance had been lost. A bundle of silk that she had left on a stone bench by accident. 

“I only stepped away for a moment,” Cadenza snapped at no one in particular. “Didn’t think it would get stolen.”

“Pirates probably. They show up at these events sometimes.” Khleo crossed their arms and scanned the area one last time. “Look, we can’t replace the silk, but I got some rope that you can borrow.”

The tension in Cadenza’s brow ebbed by a few degrees. She folded her hands behind her back and finally gave the barhand some thoughtful eye contact.

“Can I see it? I need to be sure that it’ll be a reliable replacement.”

Khleo told her that of course she could and to follow them.

The rope was located close to the outdoor bar where Khleo was stationed for the night. She and Cadenza were partly shielded by a stack of wine barrels and some hedges. Beyond was a blanket of green, illuminated by a lazy swarm of fireflies.

When Khleo showed Cadenza the rope, they weren’t surprised by the magician’s need to investigate and test its hold. Khleo suggested that they tie Cadenza’s wrists so she could make a well-informed decision. 

“Well?”

Cadenza scrutinized the bindings while Khleo absently dragged their thumbs over the parts where the magician’s skin met rope.

After a while of no response, Khleo offered, “Do you want another demonstration?” They tugged until they had Cadenza’s mouth hot against their own. “Behind your back this time?”

Cadenza took her time thinking it over while she kissed the barhand.

“Yes, I would.”

Khleo was efficient. Their chest became a steady wall of support while Cadenza assumed this new position with her back to the barhand. 

“Get on your knees for me?” Khleo asked, their voice thinning out into a calm rasp. They secured the knot before letting their hands wander under Cadenza’s sheer robe, up her ribcage, finding stiff tacks of flesh among all that was soft.

Cadenza bit back a moan, seesawing her shoulders until her robe could no longer hold on. She shivered under Khleo shallow bites, closing her eyes against the restless movement behind her as the barhand’s suspenders dropped off and the buttons of their shirt came undone.

Then Khleo reminded Cadenza of the rope.

“Don’t forget to struggle a little.”

They encouraged her, twisting her nipples just so.

Cadenza swore and bucked against the rope. She found it both delightful and frustrating that it was quite tight.

“Ah. Not too much now, Denz.”

Khleo cupped the magician’s jaw to hold her head steady for the next round. They dipped their hand past Cadenza’s waist and worked those practiced fingers of theirs, enough to stoke a small fire in the pit of her stomach.

“You have me right where you want me, don’t you?” The magician said through her teeth.

The barhand gave an innocent shrug before flexing her warmth around Cadenza and breathing calmly against her neck. “Your words, Denz. Not mine.”

The closeness of their breath was enough to make Cadenza squirm harder against her bonds. 

“That’s right.” Khleo made a satisfied sound. “See? Not going anywhere.” Then she cleared her throat and gently nudged the crease of Cadenza’s ass. “Spread your legs a bit for me. Please.”

Cadenza steadied her chin and closed her eyes as she concentrated on dropping her hips and spreading her legs some more until her snatch was hovering just above the grass. Khleo’s fingers came back into play shortly after.

“Good to know that this rope is reliable, huh?”

Cadenza turned her head, catching Khleo’s smirking mouth in a not-so-gentle kiss. 

“Yes. It is.” she agreed, her voice steady and reflective despite the fact that her hands were tied and her pussy was swollen up to Khleo’s knuckles.

The barhand worked their magic above and below Cadenza’s waist, occasionally applying warm pressure to her neck. There were sounds of glasses clinking and idle chatter from the outdoor bar, but all Cadenza could really focus on was the unhurried smacking of Khleo’s lips against her slightly damp skin. That and Khleo’s soft rasps and even subtler purrs. 

Cadenza’s gaze grew heavy, but she held on, watching the lightning bugs flicker and drift past herself and Khleo into the balmy summer twilight.

[the-melting-world]

Louder Than a Lion

~ In which a secretive barhand asks a raven-haired magician an important question...

Music: “Louder Than a Lion” by Eisley

For @arcanecadenza​

Follow up to this ficlet: 50 Kiss Prompts

~ 730 words

***

Khleo sat apart from her coworkers at the far end of the bar, waiting for Cadenza to arrive. Hefe was there, her enormous paw resting on Khleo’s thigh. Despite its weight and warmth, Khleo’s skin still prickled with goosebumps.

< You can do this, cub. >

Khleo bowed her shoulders and swung her ankles back and forth.

~ But Hefe, what if I lose my voice? ~

The lioness retracted her paw and gave Khleo’s elbow an encouraging nudge.

< Just take your time. You’ll find it again. You always do. >

Khleo could feel her coworkers watching her. They were doing a lousy job pretending to work. The three of them, Gabe, Basil and Samira were clustered too close together to be doing anything except gossiping. Their whispers spiked in energy when Cadenza entered the mostly empty tavern hall.

It wasn’t long after the raven-haired magician had taken her seat beside Khleo when the barhand pulled something small and round out of the pocket of her shorts. She called Cadenza’s attention to it. As soon as the magician’s gold-flecked eyes locked onto the small object between Khleo’s fingers, they tore their gaze away so they could concentrate on what they needed to say.

“This is for you.” 

They held up a ring. Wooden and carved in a simple, uninterrupted braid. 

“When I made you the ladder, there was a lot of wood left over and I got to thinking, what if I…” Khleo lost their train of thought as they reached for Cadenza’s left hand and smoothed the ring onto her second to last finger. 

Whatever reactions Cadenza was having in the moment went unnoticed by the barhand. She was too mesmerized by how perfectly the ring fit. How it hugged the magician’s long, graceful fingers. Khleo threaded her own through Cadenza’s, lingering on all the comfort and pleasure those fingers had brought her in the time that they had gotten to know each other. 

“Denz?” Khleo cleared her throat and blinked a few times before continuing. “Do you think you could hold onto this until I can save up for something… better? It might take me a while, but–”

The sudden sound of the stool grating against the floor overwhelmed Khleo’s senses. Before she knew it, Cadenza was on her feet, drawing herself between Khleo’s legs and gathering up her curly head between those graceful hands. Tears threatened to spill from Khleo’s eyes at the smoothness of the ring pressing into her cheek as her partner kissed her with everything she had.

After a long while, Cadenza whispered, “Yes, yes. Absolutely. Oh… Oh, Khleo.” Her freckled cheeks were shiny and wet. 

“Did you mean it, Denz?” Khleo didn’t know where she found the voice to ask more questions. “When you said you loved me that night?”

Cadenza drew back a little, the brown in her eyes magnified by all the water. She nodded with enough emphasis to make her wild midnight curls catch onto her slick cheeks.

“Yes. Of course I meant it. I meant it then and I mean it now. I love you, Khleo.” 

Relief flooded Khleo’s dark brown eyes. “I was... just making sure.” Her own constellation of freckles darkened into a red clay as she placed her hand over Cadenza’s and brought it to her lips. Kissing the braided ring, she whispered, “I love you too. And it’s my hope that one of these days... you’ll say yes to me again.”

***

Later, after Cadenza had left the bar and Khleo was back to petting Hefe, Basil came over to refill her beer. 

“So, where did the nickname ‘Denz’ come from?”

Khleo smiled mostly to herself as she continued to drag her thumb in circles at the top of Hefe’s creamy crown.

“I was making a delivery to the Palace one day when I saw her playing her violin in one of the empty rooms. I opened my mouth to speak and… Denz was the only thing that would come out.”

Basil fixed Khleo with an expectant look. “Well? Is that it?” He gently bonked the base of the pitcher against the side of their head. “That’s all that was going through your thick skull in the moment?”

Khleo finally looked up at him. 

Hefe purred against her leg.

“No, Baz.” She sighed. 

She lowered her gaze to the beer in her glass. The barhand studied and counted the little bubbles as they rose and evaporated at the surface. 

“That’s not all that was going through my mind.”

[the-melting-world]

For @arcanecadenza

Khleo x Cadenza

Excuse me but I still haven’t had enough of Cadenza taking care of Khleo. Hope you like it!

Smut Starters Prompt: Khleo to Cadenza, “Fuck me until I can’t think.”

🔞Minors Do Not Interact🔞

~Rest is under the cut~

Khleo showed up to Cadenza’s shop later than usual that evening. Their expression was somewhere outside of its typical straightforward intensity. Tonight it was darker and more distant than Cadenza was used to.

“Bad day at work?” Cadenza asked as she let Khleo inside and followed them to the room.

The barhand didn’t look back. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Cadenza allowed herself a slow breath. Tonight was going to be an interesting one. 

When they reached the bedroom, the dark haired magician sat with Khleo on the mattress and started to work her practiced hands into their shoulders.

“Tell me how I can help,” she said earnestly into the barhand’s ear, pressing concerned yet sensual kisses against their neck.

By now, Khleo would have loosened up and encouraged Cadenza to get horizontal with them. But even with the magician working her strong fingers into Khleo’s tense muscles, they were not any closer to relaxing.

Cadenza tried again. “Khleo?” She stopped massaging and turned the barhand’s head until they were facing her.

Khleo’s far away look dimmed a  little as she sighed. “I think I just need,” she leaned her forehead against Cadenza’s, “I need you, Denz. I need you to fuck me until I can’t think. Please.”

Now that Cadenza had a task, she set her mind to accomplishing it. But when she unbuttoned the top of Khleo’s shorts and slid her hand inside, she didn’t get the reaction she was hoping for.

“Denz. What are you doing?” Khleo stopped Cadenza, prying her hand out by her wrist. “I said: Fuck. Me.” She gently pushed the magician’s hand away. “Try again.”

Then Khleo turned away and slumped onto the bed, clearly still upset. Cadenza wasn’t the type to brush off such a lack of appreciation, but Khleo was obviously not her usual self. Cadenza spared them the snark and got up to frantically look for the harness and the specific strap-on that the two of them had selected together at the Red Market – something that would be pleasure for both Khleo and Cadenza while taking into consideration Khleo’s sensitivities. 

When Cadenza returned, Khleo was lying on her stomach, stripped down to just her stockings (cornflower blue this time around). She was still brooding with her head facing away from Cadenza, teasing the tasseled edges of one of the pillows while she carelessly swung her ankles back and forth.

Cadenza, ready and determined, was careful not to disturb Khleo as she climbed onto the bed and arched over their vulnerable, but still very tense body. The magician moved some of Khleo’s curls aside so she could drop kisses against freckled, buttery brown skin. Every now and then, she dipped her hips to allow the strap to graze the curve of Khleo’s backside. Cadenza saw it as a victory when she heard a faint rumbling coming from somewhere deep in the barhand’s throat.

“Spread your legs for me?” Cadenza whispered, feeling her own voice grow hoarse at the thought of Khleo opening up for her.

Soon Khleo was burying her face in the sheets, gathering and loosening them between her fists, and making short, breathy, defenseless sounds. 

“Denz. Denz.”

The dark haired magician only answered them in the form of well timed, intentional thrusts while she held on, kneading her expert fingers into the skin at Khleo’s hips. Cadenza entered a state of bliss as she felt all of that tension and nameless frustration finally begin to leave her partner’s body.

[the-melting-world]

Devil in Jersey City 🍋

Khleo x Cadenza

~ In which a secretive barhand provides a service for a raven-haired magician…

This fic was fueled by “Devil in Jersey City” by Coheed & Cambria

The Khledenza saga continues! This is a follow up to “Present Tense” | Khleo’s pronouns for this fic: she / they | Cadenza belongs to @arcanecadenza

cw: biting, lemony content ahead 🍋 (Note: there’s about 90% plot and 10% acidity in this particular fic.) 

~ 2.6k words

***

Khleo’s coworkers were giving her hell and she could not care less.

“Absolutely defunct this one,” said Gabe, who was mopping the floor. “Keeps polishing the same damn glass over and over.”

Khleo ignored him, but Samira came to her rescue anyway. “Quit it. You know Khlee gets like this whenever they’re crushing on one of the patrons.”

Basil, the best mixologist on staff, piped up from the far end of the counter. “Nuh-uh. It’s never been this bad. Or else she would have punched Gabe’s lights out by now.”

While Khleo’s coworkers continued to chatter amongst themselves, her mind was somewhere else completely.

Hands tied above her head. Bathed in absolute darkness. 

The last time Khleo was with Cadenza, she was completely at the raven-haired magician’s mercy. And it was…

Sublime.

Khleo surprised the other barhands when she suddenly sucked in a deep breath. Somewhere in the background, Samira’s sweet concern reached her. “Khlee, are you doing all right?”

“They’re fine. Just forgot to breathe again. That’s been happening a lot today.”

Khleo wanted to do something for Cadenza. But what? What could the magician possibly want?

< Not want. Need. >

Khleo shook her head and set down the glass.

~ How am I supposed to find out what she needs, Hefe? That’s personal. ~

“So I’m real curious, Khlee.” It was Gabe again. “Who is it this time?”

Apparently the conversation of Khleo’s new flame was still going strong.

Khleo finally spoke up. “Her name is Cadenza.” Once again, the three other bartenders fixed her with perplexed looks. 

“Welcome back to the land of the living. Did you have a nice time in La-La Land?”

Khleo ignored Gabe’s jab. She grunted as she hopped over the counter. “I’m going to see Cadenza right now, so someone needs to cover for me.

Samira’s hand shot into the air. “Oh, pick me! I’ll never turn down the chance to deceive the boss in the name of love.”

Khleo smiled. “Thanks, Mira. I won’t be long.”

“Take as much time as you need,” Basil called with a wave. 

Gabe snickered, “Yes, please do. Clearly you won’t be useful around here until you go do whatever you have to with this–”

Khleo threw him a warning look.

Gabe paused to roll his eyes. “This Cadenza.”

***

Khleo used the mental link she shared with Hefe to make sure that she didn’t get lost on her way to Cadenza’s shop. When the raven-haired magician opened the door, she didn’t expect the barhand to be standing there, leaning up against the doorframe and fixing her with that dark, penetrating gaze.

“Khleo,” Cadenza greeted, searching for what to say next. But the barhand beat her to it.

“You can’t sleep.”

Cadenza blinked. “Wha–”

Gentle, but assertive, Khleo helped herself inside the shop and down the corridor. 

“Right? You can’t sleep so you go walking in the streets at night. That’s how you wound up at my bar.”

Cadenza faltered as she closed the door and rushed after the barhand. “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything? You come here unannounced, don’t even properly greet me–”

Khleo started making her way up the stairs.

“And now you’re what, just going up to my room?”

Khleo paused in her ascent. “And last time we were together,” she muttered more so to herself than to Cadenza, “You mentioned having nightmares.”

Cadenza couldn’t help bristling a little at the offhanded way Khleo spoke about their time together. Cadenza herself would have been lying if she said that she hadn’t been thinking about that night and every tender moment it held. 

But here Khleo was trundling up the stairs of Cadenza’s shop muttering about all that intimacy that was shared between them without much thought or even respect, it felt. 

The magician took a steadying breath and followed the barhand. She raised her voice again when Khleo barged into her room and made her way straight to the window. 

“Khleo, would you slow down and tell me what it is you’re doing? What do you want?”

Cadenza stayed at her door with her arms crossed while Khleo engaged in her strange investigation of the window. She opened it, then shut it before standing back and studying the entire opening. 

“I just wanted to check something.” 

Cadenza pushed her brows together. “That’s not an answer.”

Khleo turned around. Cadenza wasn’t prepared for her to march in her direction, jaw set and eyes looking beyond the magician into the hallway.

“Yeah, I’ll be back later this week.” The barhand swept past Cadenza. “See you, Denz.”

Cadenza didn’t know where she found the nerve, but her hand dashed around Khleo’s arm and she pulled as hard as she could. Khleo, who wasn’t expecting to be handled so roughly, stumbled against the wall. She looked into Cadenza’s face with new eyes now that they were touching and her stubborn train of thought had been broken.

“How dare you,” Cadenza seethed, “even think I would let you back into my home after you just came in here and–”

“Hey, hey,” Khleo surrendered her hands. “I’m sorry. Denz, listen.” She carefully lifted Cadenza’s hand from her bicep and placed it over her heart. The raven-haired magician couldn’t ignore the stretches of softness interrupting the mostly flat surface of her chest. But Khleo didn’t seem to care where Cadenza’s hand had landed. She said, “Last time we were together. What you did for me was…” After a few unsuccessful attempts, Khleo gave up on words. “Look, I want to do something for you. Got it?”

Cadenza let go of a breath that had been weighing uncomfortably on her since Khleo arrived.

“Is that all? You don’t have to–”

She fell silent into Khleo’s kiss. Not that much time had passed since they’d shared one, but Cadenza shivered all the same. She moaned and nipped for more, massaging the hand that was still pressed against the barhand’s chest.

With a broken groan, Khleo pulled back and used her strong arms to guide Cadenza’s hands to her sides.

“You’ve got to just let me do my thing. Alright, Denz?”

Since the use of her hands was currently unavailable, Cadenza leaned in and fitted Khleo’s suspender strap between her teeth. Then she dragged it to the right, making sure to deliberately nuzzle her chin where her hand had been earlier before tugging it off Khleo’s shoulder.

“You could do your thing to me right now if you want.”

Cadenza waited a moment before meeting Khleo’s gaze. The barhand was definitely struggling. She had the corner of her lip tucked between her canines and tracked Cadenza with hungry brown eyes.

“I…” Khleo’s gaze flickered. She shook her head. “I can’t right now. Not until I get this done.”

Cadenza blinked in disbelief as Khleo shrugged her suspender back into place and shifted her attention elsewhere, most likely back to working out this mysterious task. Cadenza walked the barhand to the door. Khleo seemed just as lost in her thoughts when she left as she had when she arrived.

***

The barhand showed up at the musician’s shop three days later with a short wooden ladder, a chunky wheel of rope, and some other tools that Cadenza presumed would aid in installation.

Khleo made it clear that she wasn’t open to discussion or explanation until after she was finished doing what she needed to. Looking at all of the strange equipment, Cadenza already felt like she was about to burst with questions, but she held them in, determined to respect Khleo’s wishes.

By the time they made it to Cadenza’s room, the raven-haired magician was content with lying across her bed and watching Khleo tinker away at the window. Khleo being completely consumed by her task gave Cadenza the freedom to stare as long as she wanted at the barhand’s healthy thighs and defined arms. She allowed herself more fantasies of prying the suspenders off of Khleo’s shoulders and rolling her stockings (lavender ones today) down and past her knees. 

Cadenza hardly noticed that her own hand began to drift down her form when Khleo suddenly thrust open the window and helped herself outside. The barhand grunted as she swung her legs to help with her climb to the roof.

Cadenza left the bed and walked to the opening. “What are you–”

“You’re going to want to stay back for this,” Khleo said, her legs still scrambling to gain enough momentum to haul herself completely up. “I have to do a few tests.”

Cadenza backed up from the window. “What sort of tests?”

The answer was clear a few minutes later with the sound of Khleo’s body rolling over the roof tiles and the sight of her tumbling past the window. Despite how disastrous this looked from Cadenza’s perspective, the barhand knew what she was doing. She always caught herself on the ledge, muttered some indiscenerable private commentary, and then hoisted her body once more to the roof to run another test.

Eventually, Cadenza gave up on standing at the window and watching Khleo topple off the roof repeatedly. The raven-haired magician took up a book, returned to the bed and got lost in her reading.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when Khleo finally approached the bed, interrupting Cadenza’s concentration.

“I’m done. Come have a look.” Khleo didn’t wait for Cadenza to put down the book. She took it upon herself to lift it out of the other’s hands and help her to her feet in one swift motion. Khleo kept her hold on Cadenza’s hand as she led her to her window where the ladder was there waiting for them. 

Khleo walked Cadenza through the steps of opening the window and maneuvering the hooked end of the ladder to the lip of the roof. She propped it in a way so that the other end wouldn’t slide against the floor when pressure was applied. After Khleo made sure Cadenza understood how to correctly position the ladder, she guided her onto it and followed in the rear. 

Cadenza tentatively climbed towards the sharply slanted part of the roof, wondering how they would be able to cross the last stretch of incline when Khleo said, “Grab that rope there.”

Cadenza nearly missed it. The heavy spool lay just within reach, nearly blending in with the russet tiles. Cadenza took it firmly between her hands and used it as an anchor in her climb. She was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to pull herself the rest of the way onto the flatter, more secure shelf.

Spry and sure-footed, Khleo pounced on the shelf after Cadenza and took a seat beside her.

Neither spoke. Or even looked at each other. Cadenza inhaled long, deep and cleansing breaths while Khleo listened to her with a mind that was finally at peace.

When Cadenza’s hand found Khleo’s, the barhand suppressed a sigh at the contrast of fine bones and uneven skin brushing up against her own. Khleo felt her hand being lifted before it was placed palm-side against Cadenza’s cheek. Still looking out at the stacked avenues and clustered rooftops, Khleo felt the pressure of Cadenza leaning into her hand. She also felt something warm and wet, but not much of it. Khleo swept it to the side with her thumb without a thought. Then she curled her fingers around the back of Cadenza’s head and pulled until her lips met the magician’s dark, wild crown.

Together they stayed this way until Cadenza told Khleo that she wanted to go back inside. Only after they had climbed back into the bedroom did Khleo look at Cadenza’s face again. The magician was smiling. More than Khleo had ever seen before, she was sure. 

A smile like that was enough to motivate Khleo to surge forward and playfully tackle Cadenza onto the bed. To Khleo’s delight, the magician was laughing before she hit the pillows. Khleo wasn’t shy in how she secured her arms and legs around her. Nuzzling against the magician’s ear, she said, “Now that I’ve got that taken care of, I just want to hold you.”

Cadenza snickered. “Just hold me? Are you sure that’s all?”

“Hm.” Khleo gave her thighs a thoughtful squeeze and rocked her hips. “Maybe fuck you a little too.”

Cadenza moaned unexpectedly against Khleo’s neck, making the barhand chuckle. 

“But really Denz, I’m tired. So when I say just a little, I mean it.”

Laughter bubbled up in Cadenza’s voice again. “Then you just relax, let me take care of the fucking.” She untangled herself from Khleo and sat up. “If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t had my fingers inside you yet.”

Khleo sat up too. “Sounds like you’re bragging.”

Cadenza met Khleo’s gaze, challenging her with hooded, gold-flecked eyes. “Maybe I am a little.”

Khleo’s gaze turned a little darker as she absently wet her lips. “Maybe you should put your money where your mouth is.”

Cadenza didn’t hesitate to reach for one of the barhand’s suspenders and tug it towards her. 

“Maybe you should come to the edge of the bed, take this off,” she let the suspender go with a light snap, “and shut up so I can take care of you.”

The skin under Khleo’s freckles warmed up very fast at the command. Her smile dropped and for a moment, her expression became unreadable. Cadenza wasn’t sure if she had crossed a line, but she firmly held her gaze through the silence.

Finally, Khleo rolled her eyes and kissed her teeth. “Plucky today, huh?” She started shrugging out of her suspenders. “You better be glad I like you.”

Cadenza’s heart pounded steadily at the passing of the tension combined with Khleo helping herself out of her shorts and moving to the edge of the bed to let her legs dangle off. Cadenza came up so that she was behind her. She wrapped her left arm loosely around Khleo’s waist while resting her other hand on her upper thigh.

“While I’m inside you,” Cadenza whispered, “is it okay for me to bite?”

A wave of satisfaction passed over Cadenza at Khleo’s reaction. Once the barhand got a handle on her words, she leaned her head back against the magician and said, “Go ahead.”

Cadenza brought her hand up to where Khleo was already weeping onto the mattress. To Cadenza’s surprise, Khleo didn’t go completely silent when she worked two fingers inside. The magician closed her eyes as she guided and curled her fingers past slippery, tight inner walls. She thoroughly enjoyed the sounds of her partner’s uneven breaths, louder than they would be otherwise. Khleo chuckled intermittently as if she were being tickled. Though she did her best not to show it, she did in fact squirm. She hummed and whimpered much like a restless housecat. It was all quite entertaining.

Cadenza couldn’t help murmuring, “You’re incredible, Khleo.”

Another breathless chuckle. “Nah. Just incredibly ho-hnnn.” She twisted unexpectedly in response to Cadenza deftly spreading apart her walls only to sneak in another finger.

Panting slightly, Khleo said, “Hey, when are you going to stop teasing me and actually start making me come, huh?”

Cadenza playfully bristled at the jab. “Teasing you, am I?” She didn’t give the barhand a chance to respond. Cadenza picked up her rhythm and made better use of her fingers.

Khleo strained, struggling to form words. Eventually, she managed to say, “Oh – quick! Bite me.”

Cadenza, who had forgotten all about her request from before, eagerly latched onto the muscle above Khleo’s collarbone. The barhand squirmed sharply. She threw their head back with an aggravated groan, pitching higher than her usual raspy tenor.

And that was when Cadenza realized… she played right into Khleo’s trap. Clearly the barhand was already very close to coming and the taunt was just insurance to get there faster.

Later, when Cadenza was sucking Khleo’s cum off her fingers, she said, “You know, you didn’t have to goad me. I would have let you come.”

Khleo was almost done pulling up her shorts. “Right, Denz. Do I look like I was born yesterday?”

[the-melting-world]

Fairy Lights

Khleo x Cadenza

A surprise fic for @arcanecadenza based on the 50 Kiss Prompts!

49. Short and sweet kiss after meeting up for a date (*Edit was necessary because it’s Khleo we’re talking about here.)

~ 540 words

***

Khleo waited just outside the fence surrounding the beer garden with a bundle of daisies that she had picked herself. 

Cadenza was late, but only by a few minutes at this point. Khleo watched the patrons come and go. Some were families, others were couples, most were groups of friends. The sky darkened. The fairy lights stretching overhead glowed brighter.

People that Khleo had seen walk in were leaving now. The live music had stopped playing in the background. Khleo listened to the band wrapping up. 

She wasn’t supposed to be gone this long. Her boss was going to rip her a new one.

Khleo gripped the bouquet of daisies a little tighter. They started to absently pluck the petals.

Someone had turned off the fairy lights. The insects were loud and chirping like mad. The gate was locked now. 

Khleo had pulled off all the petals. They tossed the bald stems to the earth with a blank sigh. Then they closed their eyes and rested their spine against the high wooden fence.

< Come home, cub. >

Hefe went ignored as Khleo retreated into their silence.

It wasn’t long before something made itself heard even underneath the concert of crickets. It was a familiar sound. Human and private.

Khleo eased off the fence and followed the sounds to the other side of the property. They saw someone, a leftover patron, alone and upset. This patron’s hair was darker and wilder than the shadows around them.

“Denz?” Khleo came closer when they were sure it was her. “Hey, look at me.”

Cadenza gasped suddenly as she jerked her face out from the cradle of her hands. She did not expect to see Khleo mere inches away, looking up at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. Their brown irises appeared as dark and intense as they could possibly be in the absence of the fairy lights.

“Khleo,” Cadenza sniffed, “y-you’re still here? Why?”

Khleo used both hands to gently fold the magician’s curls behind her ears.

“Why else? We had a date.”

Cadenza snorted. “Not anymore. I couldn’t get out here fast enough.”

Khleo shook her head, smiling. “It doesn’t matter.” She leaned and brushed her lips against Cadenza’s nose. “You’re here now.”

Khleo knew Cadenza would shake her head and insist that this wasn’t the right way. That things didn’t happen the way they should have. Still, the barhand fed a hand around the back of Cadenza’s neck and the other about her waist. They leaned past the magician’s soft protests until they found the source. 

Cadenza’s argument was muffled by Khleo’s generous mouth and the strength behind both of her hands. Khleo used the leverage to make their hips connect with the magician’s. They deepened the kiss until they got the reaction they were looking for.

When they finally broke free from each other, Cadenza exhaled, “I’m sorry that we didn’t get to enjoy the beer garden.”

Khleo lightly nipped her chin. “Why?” They sounded genuinely curious. Before the magician could respond, Khleo said, “The beer’s not going anywhere. Neither is the garden. But it doesn’t matter because I’m not here for any of that.” 

Khleo searched Cadenza’s eyes for every last speck of gold. 

“I’m here for you, Denz.”

[the-melting-world]

🌼🍺 Khlee von Heine Masterlist

Khleo’s Bio Khleo’s Art Khleo’s Aesthetics

*The rest is under the cut!*

🌼🍺HCs / Novelizations / Fics

Khleo & Gendered Language FAQ

Kissing Headcanons

Random NSFW Facts | Khleo🍋

First Date Headcanons

Khleo’s Birthday Tag! 🍺🍰

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Catriona’s ft. Apprentice Wren

The King and I ft. OC Mathias 🍋

Gibraltar ft. OC Jacqui

Talk 🍋

Olympus

Prologue (Arcana Echoes Event)

The Empress

Strength

The Sun

🌼🍺Main Tags

khleo the barhand - everything (asks, art, fics)

door lords - posts within the Door Lords Timeline (mostly fics and interactions)

the melting world - posts in connection to the Door Lords (moodboards, etc)

🌼🍺Ship Tags

khledenza - Khleo x Cadenza @/arcanecadenza

akhleo - Khleo x Alec @/into-the-daniverse

chaos felines - Khleo x Balam @/atypicalacademic

silence is golden - Khleo x Bakri @/amuseoffire

felis fatum - Khleo x Theo @/amuseoffire

[the-melting-world]

“Stay still, don’t move your hips” + “I don’t care if it takes all night, you will submit” for Khledenza? I could see this one going either way

Thanks for sending this in! Khleo’s very grateful to Cadenza for taking care of them in the past couple of fics, but they’re ready to return to their happy place! 

Note: Khleo uses she/they pronouns interchangeably 

🔞Minors Do Not Interact🔞

~Rest is under the cut~

“Did you miss me, Denz?”

The water in the deep depression sloshed as Cadenza suddenly turned away from the paneless window. Khleo had finally arrived. She was still in her work clothes rather than a bathrobe. From the way they were trying to steady their breath, Cadenza guessed that they had rushed to get here straight from work.

“I wasn’t waiting long,” Cadenza said, hoping to cancel out any guilt Khleo may have been holding onto.

The barhand nudged their chin at the water. “Comfortable? I know how much you like taking long baths. Wasn’t sure if this place would be up to your standards, but I did my best to reserve us a spot…”

Cadenza drifted away from the window and towards the rim closest to where Khleo stood.

“This is the Palace bath, Khleo,” Cadenza said with a gentle smile. “It’s definitely up to my standards. Thank you.”

Khleo shrugged. “You like this sort of stuff. You deserve to get what you like sometimes.”

“When are you going to come in with me?” Cadenza asked, leaning back so Khleo could easily see her freckled breasts, her nipples articulating as soon as they met the cool air. 

“We can’t all just shimmy out of our clothes,” Khleo teased as they eyed the pile of gauzy fabric on the floor where Cadenza had disrobed earlier. “Give me a minute. Just relax. Play with those little soapy heads until I’m ready.”

Cadenza stopped leaning back and looked quizzically at the surface of the water. “Do you mean the bubbles?”

Khleo shrugged out of her suspenders and worked off the shorts. “Yeah, that’s the word I was looking for. Bubbles.” By now her dark brown eyes were focused and hungry. She continued to shed the layers until she was nothing but brown skin and feline strength dusted in freckles. Then they made their way to the large drum and helped themself into the bath. 

Cadenza found the barhand’s waist, pulling her close and tilting her head up to greet her with deep, lingering kisses, scented with oils and bath salts. 

“I did miss you,” Cadenza said, honest and direct.

Khleo’s hands wandered as she spoke, delivering bubbles and perfumes to Cadenza’s more sensitive areas.

“I was missing you all day.” Khleo’s throat threatened to lock up right there. “Denz, I was thinking about you... Of holding you. Hearing you.” They leaned and sighed carelessly into the magician’s mouth. “Fucking you.” 

Cadenza’s own nails dug into Khleo’s neat triceps. “I was thinking of those things too.”

The dark-haired magician braced herself for Khleo’s quick, not-so-soft bites. The barhand kept nipping her partner’s swollen lips as they steered her against the side of the drum with the shelf built in. 

“I have to hand it to you, Denz. You’re very good at keeping your noise under control.” Khleo gently nibbled at her partner’s chin. “But there are other areas that need a little more work. Turn around.”

A moan was already threatening to jump from Cadenza’s lips from the command alone. But she knew better than that. The dark-haired magician let Khleo turn and position her over the lip of the bath. She folded her arms over the warm tiles and climbed onto the shelf so that her hips were out of the water.

Khleo applied firm but steady pressure to Cadenza’s spine. They encouraged her to lean forward and arch it as much as she could, giving both of her openings a chance to spread naturally. 

“Remember to stay still,” Khleo instructed, her voice growing raspier by the second. “No moving your hips.”

Cadenza inhaled slowly. “Yes, Khleo.”

Khleo fed her middle finger into Cadenza first. She softly bit the sensitive underside of her ass while she worked in more. The barhand purred in satisfaction at Cadenza’s practiced silence. The dark-haired magician used the praise as fuel. She knew this was only the beginning and she didn’t want to give her partner a reason to stop.

But then Khleo started to replace her fingers with her mouth. And she didn’t stick to one spot. When Khleo’s tongue started circling the magician’s rim and her purrs drove vibrations against the tightness there, Cadenza struggled to keep it together. 

The magician’s eyelids fluttered. She forgot herself and gave into the beginning of a moan before biting it back, only to give into it again. This was the first time Khleo had touched her like this. How could they possibly expect her to sit still and silent through it?

“Goddamnit, Denz.”

Cadenza was cursing herself as well for breaking Khleo’s concentration by moving and making sounds. Still, the dark-haired magician tried to defend herself.

“You think this is easy?” Cadenza sank back into the water and faced Khleo, who was already pouting. “How about I play around in your ass and pussy while you try not to move or make any noise?”

Khleo’s pout dissolved. “No!” They closed the gap, taking Cadenza by the jaw. “No.” 

Then the barhand put their own jaw to work, eliciting more weak sounds out of Cadenza as they used their other hand to anchor her down so that they could climb into her lap.

“I don’t care if it takes us all night.” Khleo got comfortable, wrapping her legs around Cadenza’s middle. “We’re not stopping until this is done right. Until you submit.”

Cadenza lifted her chin, baring her teeth a little. “I am submitting to you.”

Khleo ignored her. 

“Here. I’ll give you a break.” The barhand reached back. “Open your legs. Here’s your chance to get all of that squirming and noise out of your system.”

Cadenza continued to bare her teeth at Khleo as she shifted further into the water, bringing her legs up so the peaks of her knees surfaced. Meanwhile, Khleo kept her distance, pumping her arm down and up.

“Ah!”

“Come on, Denz!” Khleo goaded. Her voice boomed in the echoing chamber. “Is that how you scream when you’re alone thinking of me?”

Cadenza panted under her weight. “N-no.”

“Sit up. Hold me. It’s easier that way.” 

Cadenza did as she was told, now having to concentrate on lifting Khleo up while the barhand continued to finger-fuck her. Khleo may have been smaller, but she was nothing but muscle. Cadenza’s sinewy arms trembled at the effort.

“Now show me how much you want me.”

Cadenza spread her legs a little further so that the barhand could work in a fourth finger. Khleo grabbed some of the magician’s hair and leveraged it to make sure she looked deep into their dark brown eyes while she gasped and moaned their name.

“K-Khleo. Gods, I... Khleo!”

The barhand maintained her focus even as she could feel herself getting lost in Cadenza’s full-bodied blush and exhausted gold-flecked gaze. 

“Don’t you dare drop me. This is what you wanted, remember?”

“Fuuuck!” Cadenza didn’t have enough time to announce how fast she was coming. Khleo’s own pussy fluttered at her partner’s determination to hold them up throughout the orgasm. Cadenza didn’t remember Khleo softly instructing her to let her go. Or turning her over to lean over the tiles again.

When the dark-haired magician came out of her daze, Khleo was walking her lips along the base of her neck. “You did good, Denz. You held me up the whole time. I didn’t expect that.... How are you feeling?”

Cadenza found her breath and closed her eyes. “I want to… keep going.”

Khleo helped Cadenza’s hips up out of the water once more. “Okay. Stay right there. Put your head down, baby.”

“Khleo.” Cadenza’s moans were so weak. Her arms shook, as did her legs.

“Hey.” She felt Khleo’s hand stroke the small of her back while the other spread her open. “You want me to eat this ass properly, don’t you?”

Cadenza shuddered. “Yes.”

“Then you already know, whatever it is you have to say,” Khleo’s teeth nipped at restless, goose-fleshed skin, “I don’t want to hear it.”