Another trip: Part 1 (the news breaks)
The news about Chen’s next business trip lands in the harem like a soft shockwave—quiet at first, then rippling through everyone in their own way.
Her long hair half up, robe loose at the shoulder, Kaori is the first to speak. “Wait, you too?” She pouts dramatically, crossing her arms beneath her generous cleavage. “Ashley just left us on another business trip yesterday, and now you’re vanishing like some sexy ghost in a suit? Unacceptable.”
Still, there’s affection under the teasing.
She moves to Chen and rests her forehead against theirs, sighing. “Okay, fine. But you owe me a custom photo every day. I want to see what you’re wearing, what you’re eating, and what your poor neglected nips and balls look like by Day Four.”
June immediately follows with more the audible groaning, half-dressed in cutoff shorts and a band tee, hair freshly dyed a rebellious violet.
“What the fuck? First Ashley, now you? Who’s supposed to break up my nonsense now?”
But her eyes betray her softer side. She throws a pillow at Chen, then crosses the room to hug them tight—surprisingly tight for someone who pretends to be too cool for cuddles.
“Be safe, okay? And don’t forget us when you’re out there seducing executive types with that little femboy smile.” She then murmurs into Chen’s chest, “I’ll miss you, dumbass.”
Riley, curled on the couch in an oversized hoodie and thigh-highs, looks up slowly, eyes wide behind their glasses.
“Oh…wow. That’s…sudden.” They tug their knees up, trying not to look too clingy, but their voice softens into something more vulnerable. “Are you okay? Is it something bad or just…urgent?”
“Nothing bad, sweetheart,” As Chen assures Riley, they nod before adding—barely above a whisper— “Can I send you poems while you’re gone? Even if you’re too busy to read them until later.”
Sofia gives Chen a long, thoughtful look through her glasses, a cardigan loosely hugging her voluptuous curves.
“A week or more. Mmm. I know you’ll handle it like you always do, but…”
She stands and smooths Chen’s collar, adjusting it as an excuse to hold you longer than necessary.
“Let me pack you a little care kit. Your herbal supplements, a grounding stone, condoms—which I hope you get to use a lot of—and one of those little notes you pretend not to get emotional about.” She chuckles lightly and kisses Chen’s cheek gently, “And when you come back, I want a long, slow night just for us. You’ll need it.”
The group gathers around naturally afterward. Kaori suggests they plan “a series of team-building, morale-boosting, maybe-even-pussy-eating harem events” in the absence of Chen and Ashley. Meanwhile, Riley immediately volunteers to make playlists of music and “movies,” Sofia starts setting aside space for “emotional check-ins,” and June suggests a ridiculous dare-of-the-day calendar.
Even with Chen’s bag still unpacked, the harem is already conspiring about how to welcome them home this time—“Messily, even more so than last time,” Kaori promises, with a smirk that makes Riley blush and June perk up.
But before that: a quiet moment.
Chen is surrounded by warmth, reluctant arms wrapped around their waist, fingers brushing theirs as if memorizing the shape. A chosen family, not clinging but rooted.
Someone—maybe Riley, maybe Sofia—whispers softly into Chen’s ears: “We’ll hold down the hearth. You just come back safe.”
And they will indeed. Because they know what awaits at home.