Chapter 34: Confession

"Oh, Daniel~"

Dripping with adoration in her voice, Marianne's kiss and curves causes said artist's mind to go blank. For a few seconds, his hands react, traveling down her side and squeezing the exposed cheeks.

She hums smoothly into his mouth in response.

There's seemingly no difference between what Daniel feels from a normal human girl as opposed to this fusion. That said, how she presses against him, holding her kisses with long, deliberate intervals reminds him of Mary when they were together. Even now, he can still hear her moans as if reliving the days of the past.

But this is the present. If Mary and Anne had truly fused into this woman, what does that imply about his ex?

For the sake of his artist friend, he can't let himself be led into Marianne's pace without knowing for sure. He grunts, steeling his mind and pushing her back while gripping her shoulders.

The fusion gasps while her son pants, his cock pulsing painfully within his pants.

"L-love, what's wrong?" Marianne asks, a little hurt.

Still gathering his breath, Daniel stares at the fusion who reflects worry and need. Where does this love come from? Anne is obvious, but Mary...

Where is Mary in all of this?

"Please," Daniel begins, his face creasing with difficulty. "I need to understand. What happened to you?"

Marianne's lips curl. Of course, he'd be worried about the circumstances, but before she can explain, the boiling of the pot alerts her.

"Oh no!"

Pulling away from Daniel, Marianne steps to the stove. Like the mood, she dials the burner to low heat and takes a large spoon to stir for a bit. Upon finding that the vegetables still need some time to cook, she relaxes a bit and takes a whiff of the smell that rises with the steam. As a result, tears brim in her eyes.

Daniel panics. "W-what's wrong?!"

The fusion sniffs. "It...smells so good! To be able to taste my own cooking after all this time! Oh, I can't wait!"

The artist's shoulders slump in response before shaking his head. 'Anne's definitely in there alright.'

"Now then," Marianne begins, wiping her tears and clapping her hands. "Sorry. I got a little ahead of myself, but you don't need to worry!"

She places a hand on her chest with a tilt of her chin. "To put it simply, Anne and Mary have joined, thus I exist! I share their feelings and memories."

'That's not simple at all!' Daniel cries in his mind as his face stiffens.

"C-could you elaborate?"

Marianne hums, twisting her lips to the side. "Well, it's easier to show."

She lifts her hand for the artist, who watches as it shakes. Then, with a jerk, he sees her "skin" rip from the backside! Except, what lies underneath is just the darker-tone skin that can only belong to Mary.

The detached slime skin returns to Anne's tone, but upon wrapping back, it changes to a lightly brown mix.

Marianne shivers, finding the feeling of splitting, even a part of her, unpleasant. Despite that, she clears her throat. "S-see? We're fine...I'm fine. With this, you don't have to pick between us!"

Daniel stumbles back, somehow understanding, but he's more stunned by how his slime mother discovered something new again. He wants to cry out, wondering why surprises always have to await him regarding her. Although he has other questions, Marianne's words make him pause.

"What do you mean by 'pick'?"

Marianne blushes. With a light smile, her gaze lowers. "Mary still loves you, Daniel. She's regretted breaking up for some time now."

Daniel feels the air in his lung pulled away. He places a hand on his head, trying to collect his thoughts on this revelation.

Seeing her son's reaction, the fusion bite her lips. "I know this is sudden! Do you...feel the same? Even a little bit after all this time?"

"Wait, hold on!" Daniel urges, holding his other hand out. "S-she still loves me?"

Marianne nods, finding her son's disbelief amusing. She'd rather have this than see possible disdain. "Yes, she wanted the best for you. It's natural for Anne as well, and so, I do too. Is that okay?"

Okay? Daniel's not sure. He's had a suspicion and only started thinking about his and Mary's relationship — especially how things have changed for them. Before letting such thoughts get to him, he shakes himself. Even if Marianne might represent Mary's feelings, he can't just take her word so easily.

"This is no good. I need to talk with Mary and Anne...separately"

Marianne widens her eyes. With a rushed gasp, she leans forward, placing her hands on his chest. "W-wait! Do you not trust me, love?"

"I just want to confirm from them directly and to see that they're okay. Please, for my own sanity."

The fusion backs away, then crosses her arms tightly. This causes her breasts to slip out from the side of the apron.

In response, Daniel gulps, trying not to stare so much. His attention thankfully reverts back to the fusion's face as he sees tears collecting again.

He gasps. "W-whoa, whoa! Why are you crying this time?"

Marianne tries to remain strong as she maintains her voice. "I'm sorry, love. I understand your concern, I really do, but...I'm scared."

"W-what?"

Her tears flow down her cheek, causing Daniel guilt as she continues, "I'm afraid you'll reject Mary...and therefore, me. I really did think that I could maybe be in your life like we had been before. Is that wrong? Ha...Or maybe that's just the influence of Anne on me. Am I...delusional?"

"Wait!" Daniel steps forward, placing his hands back on her shoulders. "I'm...not sure what to think. It's all so sudden but...I can't just accept this without knowing Mary's feelings."

"So...there's a chance?"

Daniel frowns. "I'm...not sure. We've been separated for five years now. I thought we...were done, especially since I was the one to..."

He stops himself, then removes his hands. "Listen, if Anne is a part of you, then you should remember how I didn't want to hide yourself for me. I wouldn't want this for Mary either! Isn't that what you're doing?"

That reminder seems to have struck the fusion. Pulling away from her son's comfort, she gasps and grabs her head. Her pupils' contract, shaking wildly.

"Y-you're right! But I...Oh, I knew this wouldn't work out! Y-you have Anne...me? I...We...Nggh!"

Splick!

The artist stumbles back as the separation commences without warning. Although Daniel should be relieved, the sight is a little unnerving as he watches their two heads pull away with a synchronized groan. He can see Anne changing her head back to her usual appearance while Mary is revealed underneath, grunting with tears streaming down her cheek.

Their torso expands as they continue to shake off each other. It doesn't take long for both heads to part completely, becoming conjoined from shoulders down. As they do, both inhale in as if waking from a dream.

"Holy shit," Daniel whispers.

When the split seems finished, his shock diminishes and in-place, he tries to hide his amusement. It's strange to see the two as conjoined girls but it's impressive how Anne can look so seamless against Mary, even though she's just a layer over the artist.

Breaking out of his stupor, he steadies them, returning to their shoulders as they wobble. "Mary, Anne? Are you two okay?"

Mary lifts her eyelids slowly, then opens them up more as she sees her former boyfriend. She holds her breath, riled by emotions that make her want to sob. Not willing to do that in front of her him, her head darts away.

On the other hand, Anne groans and opens her sight to Daniel. Immediately, her lips quiver with guilt.

"Daniel...mama is sorry. I just...I'm not sure what came over us. We thought you'd be happy!"

Hearing her voice sends him great relief. He breathes out. "I...don't know if I should be happy or not. I'm just glad that you two can separate."

Now focusing on his fellow artist, he calls out to her softly, "Mary."

The female artist stares up at the ceiling for a moment, then clears her throat. She pulls her arm closest to her side to wipe away her tears before facing him.

She chuckles weakly. "Love, I'm...sorry you had to experience that. It must've been awkward. Look, this was um...an experiment that went way, way too far! You can just forget about Marianne, okay? It won't happen again."

Anne's pupils shrink, glancing at her friend. "Mary...w-why are you saying-"

"Anne, it's okay!" Mary cuts with a firmer voice. Despite that, tears flow from her ducts again. In a shaky voice, she nods her head to herself. "Yes, we...both have our lives to live and...I just haven't found the right person, that's all."

Daniel's heart aches seeing Mary confirm her remaining feelings. The front she's putting out is so bad, but he can't blame her for trying.

He remains silent for a moment before lifting his lips. "Mary, do you remember when we met?"

The artist shivers and looks away again. "Oh god, don't bring that up...please."

"We met in one of our classes and you were sitting beside me. We had a male model posing and everyone was supposed to draw a full figure on their canvas."

"S-stop."

"What did you draw?"

"N-no, I was just-"

"Abs. Just his toned abs. While everyone was drawing the full figure, I stared in shock at how focused you were drawing abs."

Mary cups her mouth, trying hard not to spit out.

"I suddenly thought: Did I hear the instructor wrong? I started again, also drawing his abs. Soon after, we talked for the first time, sharing our observations about the depth. Then, only you asked the model to flex more. Everyone was so confused!"

"Pffft!"

Daniel's gaze softens. "By the end of it, the teacher was impressed, but we both failed that project. Why? Because the guy's name was mentioned to be Abe and you weren't paying attention and thought the teacher wanted us to draw abs."

Mary finally breaks down in laughter, her head dropping while Anne cups her mouth, giggling.

Daniel lowers his gaze but quickly raises it once he sees their combined chest jiggling around. Coughing, he continues, "So we hit it off after that. I was so mad at myself for following you, but also found it hilarious. When I think back, I should've checked what other people were doing, but I was focused on my canvas and you."

Mary recovers, wiping her tears again. "Love, for the record, you were invested in his abs just as I was."

Daniel hums. "Well, I'll admit he had a pretty decent set compared to the other models. Of course, that's coming from a guy who doesn't work out."

"Hehe, really now?"

"Mary, the point is, I was only focused on you, back in college and after. We agreed that was the problem for our art journey, especially when our artistic interests don't align. However, outside of our profession, I've never met anyone so strange, interesting, and beautiful to be with."

Mary's heart beats at the praise, but the light in her eyes slowly fades. "Did our work have to get in the way of our relationship? I've asked myself that many times."

Daniel rubs his neck, also bitter as he looks back. "I've been questioning that too. Art is my life, so I'm not sure how it can't get in the way. Yet now, I've been painting for so many clients and I've gotten my artwork to be seen by thousands of people. It's the same for you to an even greater degree! We're not the post-college kids struggling to be recognized anymore."

"Then, is it possible things would be different for us now? Obviously, you have Anne, so...it's really pointless to ask, but-"

"No, it's not!" Anne shouts, furrowing her brows at Mary, who flinches. "I really like you, Mary! As his mother, it pains me to see that you split up, despite how happy you were back then. Why can't we share him?"

The suggestion throws the female artist off. "S-share!? A-anne, th-that wouldn't work out!"

"Why wouldn't it?" Anne narrows her eyes. "I felt it. You were perfectly content to remain as Marianne. There's no difference in that regard!"

Mary's face shuts tightly as she grunts. "Look, neither of us were in the right state of mind. I just..."

She glances at Daniel, who seems just as conflicted as she is. Sighing, she rubs Anne's arm. "I still care for you, Daniel, but I've always hesitated because I wasn't sure how you'd feel. I also worried we'd end up in the same cycle of our work being impacted."

Daniel's face creases. "I can see that. The issue was that we were trying to build our business together. We wanted to actively paint alongside each other."

"I still want to paint with you! Compared to before, desiring acknowledgement by another isn't as strong as it used to be. I may complain sometimes, but...well, I guess dealing with many clients can make you numb. However, I don't know if it'll be the same for us because, I'd naturally want you to look at my paintings."

'Who wouldn't?' Daniel thinks, feeling the same. He admires Mary for her talent that he simply can't compete with. That naturally left him feeling...frustrated.

Yet, Mary has shown her work to him even after they split, either for feedback or for fun. In time, there was no comparison to be made. Instead, he only felt reminiscent of their time together and continued admiration.

So, the question is: Would it work out a second time as they've matured?

He already has Anne, yet his slime mother seemingly has no qualms over adding a third. Except, such wide relationship would be impossible...right?

"Daniel."

Anne's firm voice disrupts his thoughts as she abruptly glares at him. "Do you know what mama wants?"

The artist gulps. "M-mary?"

"Yes, but more specifically," she begins, then growls with her eyes shut, "I want to see my son marry! I want a daughter-in-law! How sad is it that my son only wants to be with his dear mother?"

Daniel flushes red. "W-what do you mean?! Y-you pushed this relationship to where it is!"

Anne harrumphs. "Naturally because mama wants you to be happy! But mama can't keep you to herself!"

Mary looks away, equally flushed. "O-okay, I think that's enough, Anne. Let's separate for real this time."

The slime hesitates before resignedly lowering her gaze. "If that's what you want, but even if you two don't get back together, can we still combine for a little while longer so I can taste our stew?"

Mary drops her head and chuckles dryly. "Yes, we can. It'd be a waste of our effort otherwise."

Composing herself, she returns her aim at Daniel with a small bitter smile. "Daniel, thank you. Being able to at least talk about this has helped. I want to...continue being friends, just as we've been."

However, Daniel's face strains, unable to easily conclude like Mary. It's still apparent that his friend is struggling to keep herself together; however, he can't dismiss her words and regrets.

'I must be insane to be considering this, but...'

But his life is already crazy with a slime girl as his mother. So if there's a second chance to start again, it may as well be now when there's not much normal in his life to be had.

With that in mind, he breathes in. "Mary, do you want to try again?"