A/N: Long one, sorry folks. But I thought you might like a little explanation, and I need to give credit where it's due. Feel free to skip down to the actual start of the chapter.
This project started last December, when WordKrush and I ended up beginning a rapport. I praised her ability to write amazing plot, she praised my awesome smut, and we joked about working on a collaboration of plot and smut. Then I asked her for a smut request while I worked through some brief writer's block on Cowboys, Horses, and Girls, and she requested Benezia and Aethyta. What I ended up writing (the smut section of this chapter) had so much potential for something better than just a sexy one-shot, that we decided to go for it, and drafted out an entire piece.
Then I started school, and I let it languish on my hard drive. Then WordKrush started Leviathan: Oracle (which you should go check out. Go, I can wait) and her life got super busy, and I started my Dragon Age fic, Forbidden Magic, all while this poor thing gathered dust. Then Diablo Kades encouraged me to post From The Other Side Of Things, and, well, I got bit by the bug, telling me to finish my old projects. So. Here I am, beginning posting this.
Posts won't be quick, as I'm still working on the last half of this, and I want it to be as close as I can get it as it has the potential to be, but I feel pretty secure in posting the first couple of chapters in the coming weeks. The draft of this whole thing is collaboratively written with WordKrush, the first chapter so amazing because of her. After that, it's all me, with Diablo Kades beta-ing for me as usual. But I cannot emphasize enough how much better this project is because of WordKrush's finessing of the drafting process. And she even titled it, after a Heart album, which has hard rock on one side and ballads on the other - sound like an asari couple we know?
Lastly, I have not forgotten Forbidden Magic. I actually have the next chapter ready to go, just needs to be beta'd. This will be written in conjunction with that one. :)
So. Without further ado...
Chapter 1
The house was quiet. The birds outside chirped with the sunrise. Steam rolled off the mug of tea, held in two slim blue hands. The smells of the early morning came to the owner of those hands, the glass of the windows having been removed centuries before in favor of kinetic barriers. The smell of the tea mingled with the fresh scents of the earth and flowers outside, making the woman smile as she leaned against the windowsill.
Her reverie was broken by a grumble from the hallway. Her smile widened, and she turned, leaning back against the sill as she took a first, tentative sip of her tea. She breathed it in as she sipped, taking one last quiet moment for herself before the day began in earnest. Not that she minded the day beginning. It just usually started with a storm cloud entering the living space in rumpled clothing.
"Really, Aethyta, putting clothing on is not that awful." More grumbling answered her, making her smile even more widely as she took another sip of her tea. As she put the mug down, the source of the grumbling stomped into the room.
Aethyta wore an extremely rumpled pair of loose trousers and a scowl, but nothing else, her large, heavy breasts seeming to sag with her mood. "You're lucky I put this much on, Nezzy," she grumped, walking directly up to her and sinking her forehead onto her shoulder. "Why are we up this early again?"
"I didn't make you get up so early. You were the one who insisted upon being there with me." She cupped Aethyta's cheek for a moment, adding, "For which I am eternally grateful." She removed her hand from Aethyta's cheek and reached around her bondmate with both hands, softly scratching her nails from her shoulders to the small of her back. Aethyta let out a pleased sound, relaxing into the embrace. They stood holding each other for several minutes before Aethyta finally pulled back.
"Well," she gruffed, kissing Benezia on the cheek and walking to the kitchen. "If I'm going to be a father, I'd like to do it right." The sound of Aethyta's rummaging in the cupboards accompanied the gravelly tone of her voice. "I'm a mother – I know what it's like. But fuck, woman. You couldn't do this a little later in the day?"
Benezia smiled again, picking her tea back up and finishing it, not saying anything. She knew her bondmate well enough to know that she was simply not a morning person, possibly from so many years spent tending bar. And perhaps from her youth spent stripping.
Her smile faltered a little as she thought of the events that had led Aethyta from her life as a dancer to her life as a huntress. Aethyta's parents had done each other in, leaving the poor, lost woman utterly alone in the galaxy. That tragedy, coupled with her krogan-inherited temper, had landed her training as a huntress for the temple as she looked for answers – after sleeping her way through her fellow dancers, that is.
She had met Aethyta in this role. Her heart fluttered to think of the meeting, so passionate, so forbidden. As they got ready to go, to receive their christening in the temple for the child she now carried, she couldn't help but get slightly caught up in the memories; mostly pleasant, slightly bittersweet...
Benezia was drunk. That was the only way she could explain why she was quietly climbing the stairs to her room, another asari - with wandering hands - in tow. The woman had been the only entertaining part of an otherwise tedious evening, which was perhaps why she was leading her to bed. Or perhaps it was her luscious curves, showed off by a dress that no respectable young priestess-initiate like herself would wear. The woman was not another priestess, and it was doubtful she was a diplomat. She was too rough around the edges, too loud and more than a bit coarse. What she lacked in social grace, however, she more than made up for with a cocky self-assuredness that had drawn more than a few lingering gazes during the course of the evening. Though petite by asari standards, the size and force of her personality made her seem larger than life, and Benezia had found herself helplessly pulled in by her charisma.
Or maybe it was the dress. Goddess. Benezia couldn't quite recall if she'd learned why the other asari was at the function at all. She'd been far too busy being charmed by her gruff voice, her scandalous dress, and her intoxicating aroma as she leaned in to make some crude joke about the older asari matrons who were walking by.
At one point, as she was pulling away, Benezia had taken a risk, turning to face Aethyta and gently brushing her lips against the other woman's cheek. It was an innocent enough gesture, but Benezia hoped Aethyta would take it for how it was meant – as a question, a subtle request for more.
Benezia smirked at the memory. Aethyta had leaned in, placing her mouth so tantalizingly close that Benezia could feel her lips curve in a knowing grin against her neck. "Well damn, girl, I was beginning to think you weren't interested." The gruff whisper and the warm flush of Aethyta's breath against her skin had sent shivers travelling up Benezia's spine.
She had threaded her arm through Aethyta's and led her to a balcony outside, away from prying eyes, and pressed their bodies together. Aethyta had moaned as she wrapped her arms around Benezia's waist, pulling her even closer. That first kiss had been delicious. Their tongues had danced around each other, both their lips full and soft, alcohol on both their breaths. It was not the "dueling tongues" so often described in erotic literature – not that Benezia ever read that kind of thing, of course – but rather a firm exploration of each other's mouths.
Benezia had pulled away abruptly and turned, leading Aethyta away from the insufferable event, full of her sisters from the temple and academics from the University of Serrice nearby. Compared to the formal crowd barely visible through the marbled glass of the balcony window, Aethyta was a breath of fresh air. She wasn't afraid to say what she thought, and her ideas and attitude were vastly different from any asari maiden Benezia had ever met (Asari maidens didn't generally have a lot of opinions, being so busy trying to dance or kill things in merc bands, so she supposed it wasn't that hard to do). Aethyta was a heady blend of fascinating and sexy and Benezia wanted more. So she had made the bold move that would allow her to take it, leading her off to her bed.
Now, ten minutes later, they had circled the estate, somehow managed to climb the stairs, and stumbled through the arched hallway to her room. It had taken longer than it should have, as Aethyta proved that she could not keep her hands to herself. She would stop Benezia's progress every few feet to turn her around and kiss her, their lips erupting in fire whenever they met. When she did not halt their progress, she slowed it down by running her hands over Benezia's curves, trying to define them within the flowing dress that hung from Benezia's shoulders.
When they finally made it through the doorway, Aethyta pushed the door closed with her foot, scrabbling for the lock with one hand. As the lock slid home with an audible click, the game was on. Aethyta grabbed the fabric of Benezia's dress, pulling her in by her hips. Benezia let out a slight yelp, most of it swallowed by Aethyta's mouth as their lips crushed together. Benezia felt hands move up her sides, tickling her ribs through the fabric of her dress before finding the fastenings at the back. She could feel the other woman smiling into their kiss in her triumph at this discovery. Benezia, determined not to be outdone, found the exposed skin of Aethyta's hips, back, and shoulders, caressing every spot of skin she could find, trying to find Aethyta's weaknesses so she could exploit them. She'd never been a demanding lover, requiring only a meld and whatever her partner needed in order to enjoy herself, but something about this woman awoke something primal within her. She needed this woman inside her, both physically and mentally.
Aethyta smoothly slid Benezia's zipper down, peeling the dress off her torso as their tongues continued their dance. Neither vied for domination of the other's mouth, no excessive force was used; they simply could not taste enough of each other. As the dress came away from Benezia's skin, however, Aethyta released her mouth to press the soft fullness of her lips against Benezia's cheek and trail hot kisses down her throat, across her collar bone, and down onto her chest.
"Now these I have been dying to get my hands on," growled the gruff woman, her dark blue skin almost lost in the dark room. She took both of Benezia's large breasts in hand, letting the weight of each rest against her palms.
Benezia found it was awe-inspiring to be with someone who knew her body so well without needing to actually be familiar with her; Aethyta knew what felt good because, as another asari, it felt good for her, too.
Aethyta's fingers kneaded the flesh of both breasts a moment, then reigned in the pressure, delicately stroking with her right hand while her left hand snaked around to settle in the small of Benezia's back, then down to cup her ass under her dress, squeezing and kneading it almost roughly. Benezia tried to complain, tried to huff and stamp her foot and demand more contact than the one breast and her backside, but Aethyta silenced her protests before they began with a hungry kiss. The contrast of the feather-light touches of her fingers, stroking her breast but avoiding her rapidly hardening nipple, and the forcefulness of the kiss and the hand kneading her ass sent flutters directly from the three points of contact into Benezia's core. She was already getting very wet; she could feel it, pooling between her legs, threatening to spill onto her underclothes.
Aethyta's attention shifted, now focused on slithering her left hand back so she could tease both breasts, trailing kisses across Benezia's collarbone and back up onto her throat, sometimes nipping, sometimes sucking. Every time Benezia let out a noise, be it whimper or moan, Aethyta voiced her pleasure, sometimes growling, sometimes almost purring, always with a cocky smile that Benezia could feel against her skin.
Benezia was frustrated that her dress was still hanging from her hips. She removed her hands from Aethyta's exposed skin, her lips now caught, and reached for her own dress, wanting the offending garment removed fully. She had enough presence of mind to not shred it off with her biotics. Under normal circumstances, she liked the dress; these were not normal circumstances, however. Instead, she tugged at it, trying desperately to wiggle her hips out even as she arched her back to try to get firmer contact on her aching breasts.
Aethyta tsked as she moved her kisses from the hollow of Benezia's throat up onto her jawline. "Some priestess. Isn't patience one of Athame's virtues?"
Benezia lifted her chin and spoke in her most imperious voice. "I have waited long enough; now kindly finish what you started." She tried very hard not to sound like a child, hoping she sounded every bit as commanding and powerful as she didn't feel.
"Oh, I always finish what I start," Aethyta growled. Removing her hands from Benezia's aching breasts and stepping back so that no part of their skin was touching, she clutched Benezia's dress in both hands. Sliding her fingertips under the waistband of her undergarments, she yanked down roughly and both garments fell free to pool around her feet.
Now naked, Benezia's chest heaved, her hands almost, but not quite, shaking at her sides. She had been undressed before, but no lover had ever made her feel so laid bare and vulnerable. She was not accustomed to losing control, to having her power so thoroughly and easily stripped away. Under Aethyta's hungry gaze, she felt all her refinement slip away.
Aethyta's manner, the growl to her voice, the way she handled Benezia so surely and roughly, robbed the young priestess-to-be of her last shred of poise. With her clothes went her need to command Aethyta, to demand what she wanted from her. Instead, she needed the woman to handle her so, to take what she wanted from her, to chip away at the haughty exterior Benezia had cultivated for her duties as a T'Soni and a priestess of Athame. She longed to pull the woman to her, feel her skin against her own, caress the erogenous zone she knew she'd find buried in the other asari's crest. Goddess, she was ready to beg, but she was so powerless, so helplessly enthralled, all she could do was stand there and let Aethyta take in the sight of her. The simple submission of that act alone was enough to coat her inner thighs with wetness. Just when she thought she could stand the separation no longer, the other asari pounced.
Benezia found herself forced back onto the bed, Aethyta's warm body hovering above her. In one swift move the dark-skinned woman's dress was gone, and then a warm, naked body pressed hers into the bed. Desperate to touch, she raked her nails down every part of Aethyta that she could reach, her own skin on fire where they touched. Aethyta moaned, Benezia moaned, and then two fingers found their way inside of Benezia, so very easily, as Aethyta's mouth finally, finally closed around an achingly stiff nipple. Benezia's back arched as she gasped with pleasure, her nails digging into Aethyta's shoulders.
Her pace was slow, long, pulling all the way out before pushing all the way in. She explored Benezia with her fingers, finding all the right buttons to push, her mouth kissing and sucking on every inch of skin she could reach.
After what felt like an eternity, Aethyta pulled back, still buried deep inside of Benezia, who was becoming delirious with the need to Join, but unwilling to take charge of the situation. "You like losing control like this, don't you? When was the last time you removed that stick from your ass long enough to fucking enjoy yourself?"
"I… I…" Benezia couldn't make a reply, too focused on Aethyta's fingers inside of her.
Aethyta shifted them, pushing forward and up, making Benezia practically squeal. "I bet no one else has ever gotten you to make that noise before. I don't peg you for someone who let's your partner take control like this. You're not generally this type of woman." Her voice was that signature gruff, gravelly voice that just dripped sex.
Aethyta's hand stilled. Benezia's eyes shot open, seeking the answer to why the other woman would think of stopping now. She found Aethyta's smirk, and understood. Aethyta's questions weren't actually rhetorical.
The woman wanted an answer.
"Yes," she said, after searching Aethyta's eyes for another moment. She squirmed, feeling the other woman inside of her. "I have never… needed someone like this." She wasn't sure how to articulate what she meant, that she needed the other asari to strip away the more than a century's worth of manners, poise, politeness. She needed her control to be taken away, to lose herself in the other asari. Instead of trying to articulate it, she reached out her hand to cup Aethyta's cheek, letting her eyes swirl black as she initiated a very shallow meld. It was only deep enough to communicate her feelings, the need, the lust, the ache between her legs and in her mind for Aethyta to be as deeply buried as possible, in both places.
Aethyta responded by immediately thrusting forward, both with her hand and her mind, deepening their meld to a full Joining, enveloping Benezia's mind in her own even as Benezia accepted Aethyta inside of her core.
Benezia gasped, the pleasure so exquisite it was almost unbearable. She'd never been with someone whose mental presence was so commanding, so powerful. She'd never been with someone who had such control over where they went within her mind. She didn't have to be so careful about what was shown, about what was laid bare; Aethyta knew how not to look where she wasn't explicitly invited. And yet it was the only time so far in her life that she wanted the other to see everything, wanted to be completely vulnerable, have that commanding presence fill her up, hold her, make her sob in ecstasy. It was like a drug.
Aethyta could see and feel all of it. The thoughts of vulnerability and submission, the willingness of her partner, the arousal of them both, caused Aethyta to deepen the meld even further, into that dangerous place where a child could be conceived if they were not careful. All sense of "I" disappeared, replaced by need and shared pleasure. They writhed together on the bed, gasping, cursing, and clawing at each other, their minds tangled until there was only raw pleasure, dizzying in its scope. Never before had either of them had such a climax as this, prodding each other physically, enveloped in each other mentally, all emotions, all memories, all experiences laid bare for the other to revel in.
As they came back, oh so slowly, to themselves, finally able to separate "you" from "me," they both experienced a twinge of regret, neither able to identify who it originated with. Benezia lay on her back, legs spread, Aethyta's hips nestled between them. Aethyta's fingers were still buried inside her as far as they would go, thumb resting gently on her clitoris. They lay together cheek to cheek, panting to the same inaudible beat. Their meld was still shallow, neither willing to completely separate from the other. Benezia pushed slightly on Aethyta's shoulders, urging her face up. Black, shining eyes met, and Benezia stroked Aethyta's cheek lovingly, smiling into her beautiful face. She wanted to share everything she was with this stunning creature. She communicated without words, showing her a childhood of rules and restrictions, an absent father and a distant mother who was difficult to please.
In turn, she was shown Aethyta's explosive parents, her father and mother creating and rearing her in passion, then killing each other in rage. Tears were shared, caresses exchanged, loving kisses and tender strokes. Before long, they were making love, fondness and affection flaring to life as their meld deepened once more. Their pace was less fevered, less about the destination and more about the journey, though no less intense, and ended with them collapsing in each other's arms after they both shuddered and cried out their release.
Hours later, as Aethyta lay curled around her and sleeping softly, Benezia rolled over in her arms and quietly studied her face, desperately trying to quell the panic flaring in her chest. What in the world was she going to do?