The Hot Mess Collective, Ch 7: Cut Clean

There were days when Sayo needed more than just a change of clothes; they needed a place where their edges weren't an inconvenience to be smoothed away.

Today was definitely one of those days. The perfectly made human suit they'd taken off this morning still felt like a ghost limb. Its tight lines were a memory on skin that wanted to breathe, to change, to just be without the constant, tiring work of pretending. The close call at that awful party, the split-second where something not quite human showed during that bad kiss, had left a lasting itch, a mental irritation that no amount of quiet thinking or expensive tea could fix.

What Sayo needed was "Chrysalis & Claw." The name was a quiet secret among those who really understood how easily forms could change. It was hidden in a maze-like part of the Undercity. Its entrance was a plain door that shimmered faintly only to those who knew the special symbol to look for - a faint design that moved like heat rising. No human magic disguise could trick its protections, and no human money was taken inside.

Inside, the air was a strong, almost dizzying mix. Damp fur, ozone sharp from recent shifts, metal tang of shed scales: the air in Chrysalis & Claw was richer, wilder than any human spa's clean lemon and lavender. Underneath it all was a surprisingly soft, old flower smell that Sayo had never quite figured out but always found very calming. Soft, natural sounds filled the place - Feathers rustled. Claws clicked softly on stone. A low hum of purrs vibrated through the floor. Sometimes, a sigh, deep and full of contentment.

Beings in different states of comfort and change rested on very large, oddly shaped cushions or lay in warm pools full of minerals. A smooth, panther-like creature with eyes like melted gold was having its fur carefully brushed by a small, quick attendant with feathery feelers. In another corner, someone with shiny, reptile-like skin was having complex patterns painted on their scales with glowing dyes. It was a place where you could be open and trusting, where you could stop pretending to be human along with taking off your outer layers.

Sayo breathed deeply. The tightness in their shoulders started to loosen. This was a reset. Tail, no awkward magic to hide it, no tailored pants to uncomfortably tuck it in. Just another part. Here, the small changes in their skin based on mood or surroundings weren't a secret to hide, but a natural way of showing things. They had an appointment for a deep treatment of their tougher… skin layers, something no human skin expert could ever understand, let alone try without losing a finger. More than the balm on aching shoulders, the relief: here, true form, no secret, simply was.

Sayo was lying on a warm, dark stone slab. Gentle steam mixed with rare mosses and river clay surrounded them. The attendant, a small being with skin like smooth bark and hands that moved with amazing skill, was carefully putting a calming, rich balm on Sayo's shoulders and back. These areas often ached deeply from the constant effort of keeping a human shape. Sayo had let their magic disguise fade almost completely. Their real skin was breathing, and their senses were sharper because of the salon's special atmosphere. This was the closest they ever felt to real peace.

A familiar smell cut through the earthy scent of the treatment room. It was sharp, like winter air and ozone, with a hint of something wild and a bit animal-like. Sayo's eyes snapped open. It was a smell forever linked to a time in their life that was all sharp points, dizzying highs, and painful lows.

Through the slowly clearing steam, they saw them. Drusick.

Drusick was relaxing in a nearby alcove, seeming to wait for their own appointment. Their body was relaxed but gave off that same restless, electric energy Sayo remembered so clearly. Their hair, the color of storm clouds, was damp. Their eyes, the sharp blue of a glacier, met Sayo's across the room.

The shock was physical, like an electric current straight to Sayo's heart. Memories, unwanted and strong, rushed in: the thrill of Drusick's touch, the danger in their smile, screaming fights under a broken moon, the desperate, clinging passion that had always felt like being on the edge of a cliff. It was a lifetime ago. Sayo had been younger then, less polished, not as good at hiding their weaknesses. The pull, even now, was strong, a dark, familiar force.

Drusick's reaction was just like Sayo's. Surprise, clear and open, then a quick flash of something unreadable - pain? Regret? And then, that same magnetic knowing, the invisible string between them pulling tight.

Drusick stood up, moving with the smooth grace of a hunter, and walked towards Sayo's alcove. The attendant, sensing a change in the mood, quietly left.

"Sayo," Drusick said. Their voice was a low rumble that Sayo felt in their bones. It hadn't changed. "Fancy meeting you here. I didn't think you came to… safe places." There was a hint of the old challenge in their voice, the familiar poke.

"Drusick," Sayo replied. Their own voice was surprisingly steady, though their heart was pounding. "The universe has a twisted sense of humor, it seems. And even I need… upkeep." They kept their voice cool, a practiced defense, but their senses were screaming. Every nerve was aware of Drusick being so close.

The air crackled with unsaid history. A faint throb beneath old scars, but so did the ghost-thrill of old desires. Here, in Chrysalis & Claw, where disguises were off, where they were both closer to their true, basic selves, the fakery of polite society felt thin, almost pointless. The shared openness of the place, the unspoken understanding between shapeshifters, made them less guarded, creating a dangerous feeling of safety.

"Upkeep," Drusick repeated. A slow, knowing smile spread across their face, the one that had always promised both joy and disaster. "You always were so… careful." They stepped closer, close enough for Sayo to feel the faint, electric hum of Drusick's power. "You look… well. The same."

"And you look like you're still looking for trouble," Sayo shot back, but there was no real anger in it. The old teasing, the familiar dance, was too easy to fall back into.

Years-hidden sparks flared, a dangerous heat. It was all there - the pull, the danger, the exciting appeal of a connection that had once felt like the only real thing in Sayo's world. The years in between, the hard-won calmness, the carefully built defenses - they all seemed to fall apart in front of Drusick's steady, challenging look.

Drusick's hand reached out. Their fingers lightly brushed Sayo's arm, sending a shiver down their spine. "Some trouble is worth finding again," Drusick whispered, their icy eyes burning into Sayo's. "There's a private room upstairs. For… continued upkeep."

Sayo knew they should say no. Knew this was a path leading back to messiness, to pain, to the very parts of themself they had fought so hard to control and change. Warnings screamed. Loneliness gnawed. A need, sharp and pure. The pull of Drusick. Too much. Forgotten hunger, roaring back. A lost piece, dangerous to reclaim.

"Lead the way," Sayo heard themself say. Their voice was a breathy whisper that went against every sensible feeling they had.

The private room upstairs at Chrysalis & Claw was very different from the calm treatment rooms. It was darker, softer, and smelled of something rich and musky that hinted at wild desires. The moment the door closed behind them, trapping them in a space full of close, charged feelings, their carefully held calmness broke.

There were no gentle touches, no hesitant moves. It was instant, almost desperate, a crash caused by years of unsaid feelings and the ghost-ache of remembered passion. Drusick's hands were in Sayo's hair. Their mouth came down hard with a hunger that was both familiar and scary. Sayo met it just as fiercely. A low growl rumbled in their chest, a sound they hadn't realized they could make anymore.

It was definitely, burningly hot. No polite pretenses held back this joining. Their shapeshifter sides came through, unasked for and urgent. Sayo felt the small change in Drusick's skin under their fingertips - it got rougher, a little harder for a moment, hinting at scales or thick hide. Drusick's grip tightened. Their strength was more than human. Sayo answered the same way. Their nails grew a little longer, digging into Drusick's back, making Drusick hiss with pleasure mixed with pain. Smells got stronger - the ozone and winter air from Drusick, Sayo's own more complicated, changing scent - mixing into a strong, wild perfume.

They were shifting skin, limbs, genitals, not just into a basic shape, but into what they actually needed right now. The shapes and textures changed as needed, a fast, almost dizzying blur of sensation. The human-shaped clothing tore away, ripped into small pieces that were kicked into the corners of the room.

Fakeness stripped away. Basic need pulsed, raw, overwhelming. Beneath the heat, tension coiled. Every touch, every kiss, was heavy with the weight of their unfinished past. Old power struggles came back to life - a fight of wills shown in the arch of a back, the angle of a jaw, the strength of a look. There were moments when pleasure turned into something sharper, a memory of old hurts showing up in a too-tight grip, a possessive hold. Control was a slippery, fought-over thing, moving between them like the shapes they could both become. Sayo felt old worries flare up, the ghost of the younger, more open self Drusick had once known, even as they fought to meet Drusick's strength with their own hard-earned power.

Not gentleness driving this. It was a raw, almost fighting energy, a replaying of past strong feelings, a desperate try to burn away the years of silence and being apart with pure, strong sensation.

When it was over, they lay tangled and out of breath. The air was thick with the smell of their mixed arousal and something like burnt ozone. Sayo's body hummed with a tense, almost painful energy, but there was no feeling of real satisfaction, no emotional fix. The desperate hunger had been quieted for a moment, but the deeper ache, the one from their broken past, was still there.

They were very, painfully aware of everything that had never been fixed between them. The huge gap of unsaid words and unhealed wounds was still wide open. The heat had passed, leaving them both exposed and raw in the sudden, unsettling quiet.

Drusick moved. A quick, nervous shift in their position. The first sign of uneasiness. They looked at Sayo with a strange expression, a mix of uncertainty and regret. Their eyes were a soft blue-gray.

No warmth lingered. No whispers of love. No happy sighs. The connection, which had started up so violently, had just as quickly died out. It left behind a confusing mess of regret, leftover arousal, and a deep sense of unease. Not healing. Not making up. Repetition. A strong reminder of a pattern Sayo thought they had broken.

"Well," Drusick said. Their voice was rough, without the earlier sexy smoothness. "That was… familiar."

The word hung in the air, sharp and clear. Familiar. Not good, not bad. Just… the same. Sayo pushed themself up on an elbow. The soft fabrics of the room suddenly felt sticky, choking.

"Some things don't change, it seems," Sayo replied. Their own voice was cooler than they felt. A practiced mask of calmness slipped back on, even though it didn't fit well now.

Drusick finally turned. Their icy blue eyes met Sayo's. There was no victory in their look, no satisfaction, just a tired, almost sad recognition. "No. I guess they don't." They stood up and started to gather their scattered clothes quickly, almost dismissively. The closeness from moments before was gone, replaced by a huge gap of unsaid history. "Don't think too much about this, Sayo. It was just… scratching an old itch."

The casual meanness of it, though not a surprise, still hit like a punch. An old itch. Sayo felt a rush of anger, quickly followed by a wave of blaming themself. Undying love? Different future promised?

"Right," Sayo said, their voice tight. "Consider it scratched." They didn't move to get dressed, not yet. A strange wish: Drusick see this. Raw. Messy. The aftermath.

Drusick paused at the door, half-turned. A final, hard-to-read look was on their face. "Don't make it a habit." And then they were gone. The soft click of the door was a clear, echoing end.

Sayo stayed, alone, in the fancy, now-empty room. Chrysalis & Claw's promise: balance, calm, peace in skin. Far off. Silly now. This meeting had broken that. It left them feeling more broken apart, more intensely alive, and more deeply open and vulnerable than they had in years.

Lost part returned? Wild energy unleashed? Or old wounds, poison seeping back? Step forward? Or dangerous return?

Sayo finally stood up. Their arms and legs felt heavy, their mind a messy whirl. Clean break. Neat ties cut. Fantasy. Drusick was a part of their history, a scar that, it seemed, could still ache with an almost unbearable strength.

The meeting. Short. Deep stirring. Unfinished. Lingering. Affecting everything.

***