The Cheesy Movie Thing

[00:09:58]

[00:09:57]

Aria crouched at the ship's edge, her calloused fingers gripping the railing.

"We're out of time. Abandon ship?" 

Luca's eyes darted to the lyre beside him. 

Play. Do something. 

Lucas gripped the lyre, Don't fail me now. He plucked a string—

The lyre yanked itself out of his hands.

"What the—?!"

The instrument floated midair, strings vibrating on their own. 

A melody spilled out—slow, haunting, nothing like Lucas's clumsy plucking. 

Pink light pulsed from the lyre, washing over the deck.

[Cupid's Lyre Activated!]

[Auto-Play Mode.]

[Effect: Forces Target to Dance!]

Aria stiffened. "Lucas, what did you—?"

Her legs moved on their own. 

Aria gasped as her hips jerked forward. The lyre's magic forced her body to move in ways that made her breasts bounce heavily under the thin tank top.

"Lucas, stop this!" she growled, even as the system arched her back to thrust her chest outward.

Lucas's body jerked too—his feet slid into position, one hand grabbing Aria's waist, the other clutching her hand.

"I'm not controlling this!" he yelped.

The lyre's music swelled. 

Aria's body pressed against his, her glare icy enough to freeze the ocean. 

"Turn. It. Off."

"I can't! It's on auto-play!"

[00:07:22]

Suddenly, Lucas's back straightened like a puppet on strings. His hand slid around her waist, fingers sinking into the soft indentation between her hipbone and ribcage.

Her body arched backward over his arm, breasts jutting upward against her tank top. Lucas could see every curve from this angle.

"What's happening?!" Aria growled, but her body followed his lead effortlessly.

"I think… the ship's system is controlling us!" Lucas said.

His voice was panicked, but his movements were pure confidence—spins, twists, even a—

A lift.

Lucas' hands gripped the undersides of her thighs, fingers digging into soft flesh as he hoisted her up.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, forcing her crotch against his stomach. The position shoved her chest against his face – 

Lucas' face burned. This wasn't him – he'd never been this intimate with a girl before.

Focus on the timer. Not how her breasts are two inches from your face. Not how soft her hips feel.

But damn, she smells good...

"S——Stop this!!!"

"I can't!"

Even through her cargo pants, he could feel the heat radiating from her body. She weighed nothing, yet her full breasts pressed against his chest with every ragged breath, threatening to spill out of the tank top's stretched neckline.

"Let me down!"

He put her down. 

[Affection +3 (Current: 3/100)]

Aria scowled with shock. Her boots glided across the deck as if oiled.

Lucas' cheeks burned, but his feet never missed a beat.

"Just… trust the system!"

"Trust?! You kidnapped me with a dance!"

[Affection -2 (Current: 1/100)]

The Mist's tendrils lashed the ship's stern.

The timer flashed:

[00:06:17]

The Lyre kept playing, and Lucas suddenly spun Aria outward, then reeled her back.

"Sorry!"

The dip brought their faces inches apart.

As he lowered her, her back arched so deeply that her shirt rode up, exposing a strip of smooth stomach. Lucas' knee pressed higher between her thighs - accidental, maybe, but her breath hitched in response.

"Stop doing that!" she snapped.

"I'm not! The ship's making me!"

[Affection +1 (Current: 2/100)]

This isn't me. Lucas thought. He'd never do something like this, nor be able to it it so smoothly.

But when the affection raises up... maybe she's not hating it?

The thought made his face burn.

The music slowed. Lucas's hand cupped hers gently. No more jerky motions. Now it was a waltz—graceful, steady.

Aria's hips swayed against his. The lyre's magic forced her into exaggerated movements that made her assets jiggle temptingly. She hated how the magic made her body betray her, rolling her hips like some beachside dancer.

But strangely, she felt that she was actually beginning to enjoy this. 

"Why are you… good at this?" she muttered.

"I'm not! I failed prom!"

[Affection +2 (Current: 4/100)]

The lyre's glow intensified. Pink light wrapped around them like ribbons. 

The Mist roared behind them—closer, louder. But the music drowned it out.

Lucas guided Aria into a spin, the motion made her tank top twist upward. His fingers brushed bare skin—a hot, smooth strip above her waistband.

Aria's breath hitched.

The contact shouldn't feel good, not with some stranger's hands on her, but the lyre's magic buzzed through her nerves like champagne bubbles.

[Affection +5 (Current: 9/100)]

"Did you just…?"

"Shut up."

The timer blinked:

[00:04:45]

The dance turned daring.

Lucas slid Aria between his legs, caught her mid-fall, then hoisted her onto his shoulder. She gasped, gripping his shirt for balance.

"Put. Me. Down."

"Can't!"

[Affection +3 (Current: 12/100)]

The music swelled—a sweeping, desperate tune that made the deck tremble. 

Lucas's body moved on its own, his hands firm around Aria's waist as he spun her away, then pulled her back. 

His heart pounded, but his feet never faltered. The lyre's magic had taken over completely, sharpening his movements into something bold, fluid.

Aria's scowl softened for a split second as he dipped her low, her ponytail brushing the deck. 

"Stop… smirking," she hissed, though her cheeks flushed pink.

"Not smirking," Lucas lied.

The system's control had unlocked a strange calm in him. Fake it 'til the Mist kills us, he thought, but his body acted like this was just another Tuesday.

The Black Mist roared behind them, close enough now that its shadows lashed the ship's stern.

The timer blinked crimson:

[00:03:17]

Aria's boots scraped the deck as she tried resisting, but the lyre's melody yanked her into step. Lucas's palm pressed against hers, warm and steady.

"Stop… leading so hard," she muttered, her voice less venom than before.

"You're welcome to take over," he said, surprising himself.

She glared. "Maybe I will."

[Affection +2 (Current: 14/100)]

Aria grabbed his shoulder, pushing him into a reverse lead. Lucas stumbled but recovered, his back straightening as the lyre's magic corrected his posture. 

For the first time, Aria smiled. Letting her body lead felt natural. Her hips swayed in a rhythm that made Lucas stumble.

As she pushed Lucas into a spin, her backside brushed against his hips. She felt something hard press against her –