Story: Ataru's Choice

 

Ataru Moroboshi is a noted pervert. It's kind of what makes his relationship with Lum interesting, really. She's a beautiful alien girl who is super affectionate with him, and he states out loud that he wants nothing, zero, zip to do with her. Not one thing! Yes, he's the tsundere in the relationship, though for some reason Lum gets the honour of being thought of as an early tsundere. Nothing tsun about that dere!

The trouble he had was simple. Her snuggles were electric. Literally. When she hugged him, volts went through his body that he was pretty sure had knocked a few years off his life already. Though that was small potatoes compared to this simple truth: If he tapped that, he'd wake up with a ball and chain around his ankle. Thus, showing any kind of affection for this extremely beautiful girl was to be viewed as a death trap. To be avoided at all costs.

All the same it was a death trap he'd have a hell of a time avoiding if she actually moved for sex. Lum is very, very beautiful. She's got a model like body and goes around flying in a tiger print bikini, resisting her is like resisting the sirens of myth. To his (kinda) relief, she'd never made a play for that yet. Most likely waiting for marriage, but now...?

Now, seeing their potential daughter had awakened baby fever in her. She'd locked the door behind her, leaving the two of them trapped and alone in a karaoke room. The kind of establishment that, by reputation, was a place where young couples liked to fool around in private. Makes sense. The rooms are soundproofed so your lousy singing doesn't bother anyone else's, you can get on with stuff easily enough. In reality there are reasons it's not a great idea, but all the same!

"Lum, settle down now!" Ataru warned. He tried not to look her in the eyes. Weirdly enough, he felt like if he looked her in the eyes, he'd break on the spot. He could stare at her breasts, her fit tummy, her thighs, her butt, any of it all day long and at worst, he'd become aroused. If he looked into her eyes, he'd be fucked. Literally. "You're not thinking clearly."

"Yeah, I know!" Lum said, and off came her bra. Okay. Right. Rethinking the previous paragraph a bit here. Lum's breasts are... quite nice to look at. She crooked her finger and giggled. "Come on. I'll let you do whatever you want to me~"

The sirens were singing their beautiful song, luring sailors who should have known better towards their inevitable doom. And Ataru knew it was a trap. He knew exactly what would happen if he gave in. He knew that this was the sort of decision that could fundamentally alter the course of his life, and that there would be no going back afterwards. He knew this just as well as Odysseus did while he was strapped to the mast of his ship.

Unfortunately, knowing all that was doing absolutely nothing to make Lum's breasts less distracting.

His willpower was quite lacking even at the best of times. There was a voice in the back of his head saying 'not ready to be a parent', and looking at Ataru where he is in his current position, it turned out there was an ounce of common sense in him after all!

"N-now, Lum!" Ataru said. "I concede that Aoi, our daughter from the future, is extremely adorable, but -"

He gulped as she peeled off her boots next. It was strange, he'd seen her in less, but that was somehow incredibly erotic. 

Ataru stared. His vision tunneled, narrowing until the only things in existence were the ivory curves of Lum's breasts and the mischievous glint in her eyes. The air in the small, soundproofed room grew heavy, smelling of ozone and a sweetness that clung to the back of his throat. Every instinct he possessed-every deep-seated, perverted impulse-screamed at him to lung forward.

But the memory of the "ball and chain" played like a warning siren in his skull. He knew how this game ended. He'd be her devoted house-pet before the night was over.

"N-now, Lum!" Ataru stammered, his voice cracking. He shifted his weight, his thighs pressing against the plush, slightly sticky upholstery of the karaoke chair. "Let's not lose our heads here!"

Lum giggled, a sound like silver bells that vibrated right through his chest. She leaned in, the tips of her breasts brushing the fabric of his shirt. The heat radiating from her skin was intoxicating. She reached down, her fingers hooking into the waistband of her tiger-print bikini bottoms.

"You're so cute when you're scared, Darling," she whispered, her breath warm against his ear. "Just one little taste. I promise I won't tell anyone you actually like me."

Ataru's heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. He could feel his pulse in his fingertips. The logic of the situation was simple: resist or succumb. His willpower, usually a flimsy thing, was currently fighting a war against a goddess in a tiger bikini. Just as his hands began to wander of their own volition (as opposed to normal, where they very much wandered by his volition), the lock clicked. The door swung open with a sudden, violent cheerfulness.

"Drinks are here!" 

A middle-aged staff member, wearing a stained apron and a look of profound exhaustion, stepped into the room. He stopped dead, his eyes scanning the scene: Lum, half-naked and draped over Ataru, and Ataru, looking like a man who had just seen the face of God and was about to be devoured alive by it.

The staff member sighed wearily and let out a tired script. "Look, kids, I don't get paid enough to care who's doing what, but the management is strict," the man droned. He set the tray of drinks on the table with a loud clatter. "No hanky-panky in the rooms. You want to breed, go get a hotel. If I come back and find the clothes on the floor, you're out."

The spell broke. The erotic tension vanished, replaced by the cold, harsh reality of corporate policy. 

Lum pouted, her lower lip protruding in a way that was unfairly adorable. "Hmph! Always something with these humans!"

She reached for her bra, snapping the fabric back into place with a sharp flick of her wrist. The sight of her covering up felt like a personal tragedy to Ataru, but it was also his only window of escape.

"I'll be right back!" Ataru yelled, leaping from the chair before the staff member could even turn around. "I forgot... something! In the hallway! Very important!"

He bolted. He didn't look back, his sneakers squeaking on the linoleum as he sprinted toward the room where Shinobu was waiting. His mind was racing. He had managed to juggle both of them so far. If he could just maintain the balance, he might actually survive the night without being electrified or beaten into a coma. And maybe he actually would get laid? He slid the door to Shinobu's room open, leaning against the frame to catch his breath. 

"Sorry for the delay, Shinobu! I just had to-"

He stopped. Shinobu was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her cheeks flushed a deep, vivid crimson. Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling in a ragged rhythm. She wasn't looking at the song list anymore. She was staring at Ataru, and for the first time in years, the look in her eyes wasn't one of disgust or anger. It was hunger. The alien drink he'd brought her - the one that had made her flush earlier-was clearly doing its work. The compound was acting like a potent aphrodisiac, stripping away her inhibitions and replacing them with a primal, pulsing need.

"Ataru," she whispered, in a low and husky tone that sent a chill down his spine like little else could.

She stepped toward him, her eyes locked onto his. There was a heat in her gaze that made Ataru's skin prickle. She reached out, her hand sliding up his chest to grip the collar of his shirt, pulling him close. Normal girl, huh? There's nothing quite like it when a normal girl starts playing naughty!

"I... I can't stop thinking about it," she murmured, her lips just inches from his. "Why are you being so distant today?"

Ataru blinked. He felt a surge of triumph. This was the dream! Shinobu was practically throwing herself at him. But then, the voice of reason - or perhaps just the fear of Lum - spoke up.

"Wait, Shinobu!" Ataru said, trying to gently push her back. "We can't do this here! There are rules about this sort of thing in a karaoke place! The staff... they'll kick us out! Worse yet, they'll tell our parents!"

Shinobu pouted, her expression shifting into something dangerously sultry. She pressed her body against his, her breasts molding against his chest.

"Since when do you care about the rules, Ataru?" she breathed. "I assumed you brought me here for this very reason. You've spent years chasing every girl in the city... and now that I'm finally offering, you're suddenly a boy scout?"

She leaned in, her lips brushing against his jawline. Ataru felt his resolve crumbling. The scent of her hair, mixed with the strange, sweet aroma of the alien drink, was an intoxicating cocktail. He wondered if the risk of a ban from the establishment was worth the reward of finally winning Shinobu.

"Maybe... maybe we could go somewhere else?" he suggested, his voice trembling as the thought of his mother bearing down upon him with tremendous anger very much worked like a cold shower.

"I don't mind," she whispered, her hand sliding down to his waist. "In fact, I'd prefer it."

Before Ataru could make a move, the door slid open again.

"Excuse me! Additional drink order!"

A girl dressed in a staff uniform stepped into the room. She wore a cap pulled low over her eyes and a small, fake mustache that was peeling at one corner. Despite the disguise, the way she stood and the sharp, calculating look in her eyes were unmistakable. It was Ramu. She didn't look at Ataru; she looked straight at Shinobu, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of her mother's disheveled state.

"Miss Miyake!" Ramu exclaimed, her voice sounding strained as she tried to maintain a professional tone. "I've just received word that your... uh... drink order has been delayed! Ahem! You wouldn't mind coming with me for a moment, would you? We'd like to, uh, clarify your order. In person."

Shinobu blinked, the sudden interruption snapping her back to reality. She stepped away from Ataru, her face still flushed, but her eyes returning to their usual state of confusion.

"What? The lemonade?"

"Yes! Extremely urgent that you come with me!" Ramu urged, stepping between Ataru and Shinobu. She gave Ataru a look that could have melted steel-a mixture of horror and a desperate plea for him to get the hell out of there. "Please, follow me!"

Ramu practically shoved Shinobu out of the room, her grip on her mother's arm like a vice. As the door began to close, Ramu shot Ataru a quick, frantic thumbs-up and mouthed the words: 'Go back to Lum!'

Ataru didn't need to be told twice. He pivoted on his heel and sprinted back to the other room, his heart hammering. He had narrowly avoided a catastrophic collision of timelines. If Shinobu and Lum had met while he was in the middle of a "session" with either, he wouldn't have just been banned from the karaoke bar; he would have been erased from the planetary census.

He slid back into Lum's room, leaning against the locked door and exhaling a long, shaky breath.

"You're back, Darling!" Lum chirped.

She was no longer trying to undress. Instead, she was floating a few inches off the ground, her arms crossed, a small, knowing smile on her face. Next to her stood another girl. Ataru froze. The newcomer looked like a genetic mirror of Lum. She had the same striking features, the same model-like proportions, and the same electric aura. Her hair was a vibrant, curling purple, and she wore a modified version of Lum's tiger-print bikini, paired with a short, rebellious leather jacket.

But it was her expression that terrified him. She wasn't looking at him with Lum's affection. She was looking at him with a predatory, opportunistic gleam. It was the look of a man who had just spotted a beautiful woman in a swimsuit from across a crowded beach. It was his own look, reflected back at him from a pretty face, and when he looked closer that chin of hers looked closer to his than it did Lum's...

"Who... who is this?" Ataru asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Meet Aoi," Lum announced, her voice dripping with a mixture of pride and amusement. "Our daughter from the future. A different branch, of course, but the results are the same."

Aoi stepped forward, her hips swaying with a confidence that Ataru recognized all too well. She stopped inches from him, her eyes scanning him from head to toe.

"So this is him," Aoi said. Her voice was a perfect blend of Lum's melodic tone and Ataru's opportunistic cadence. "The legendary pervert. I have to admit, Daddy, you're much smaller in person. I expected more... presence."

Ataru recoiled. "Daddy!? Another one!? I can't handle this! My heart can't take this many daughters!"

Aoi laughed, a sharp, knowing sound. She leaned in, her hand sliding across his chest in a way that was far too familiar.

"Don't be such a baby, Daddy. I've already figured out your little game. The double-dating, the sneaking around, the desperate attempt to keep the 'childhood friend' and the 'electric princess' from meeting." She smirked, her eyes flashing. "It's classic. Bold. Completely reckless. I love it."

Lum floated closer, her expression softening. "Aoi told me everything, Darling. She's very insistent that her timeline is the one that deserves to be real - and that Ramu isn't my daughter! She's Shinobu's!"

Aoi grinned, her teeth flashing. She wrapped an arm around Ataru's neck, pulling him close. The static electricity from her skin made his hair stand on end.

"That's right," Aoi whispered into his ear. "And unlike that boring human timeline, my world is full of excitement. I'm here to make sure I get born, and I'm not letting some lemonade emergency or a shy childhood friend get in the way."

She pulled back, her gaze intensifying. In that moment he could really, actually see reflections of both of them inside her, and it made him feel... oddly protective?

"Now," Aoi said, her voice echoing her father's most determined tone. "I think it's time we stopped talking about timelines and started focusing on the biology. Right, Mom?"

Lum giggled, her eyes sparking. "I couldn't agree more, tcha!"

Ataru looked at the locked door, then at the two beautiful, powerful, and terrifyingly determined women surrounding him. He realized, with a sudden and profound sense of dread, that he was no longer the hunter. He was the prey.