AN: Carrying Torches takes place during the events of Burning Coals, specifically during the period of time between the two sparring matches depicted in Chapter 13. This oneshot is not required to enjoy the main story, although reading Burning Coals in necessary to understand the context of this oneshot.
/
Yang Xiao Long could not bring herself to fall asleep, though the house was shrouded in night, dark and silent. As much as she wanted to drift off to sleep, she couldn't stop herself from replaying that day's sparring match over and over in her head.
It had been the same as all the others: Yang had thrown some punches, Neo had danced around them gracefully, and Yang had wound up flat on her back. Except...except this time, Neo had been on top of her, her hands pinning Yang's shoulders to the ground and her knees planted on Yang's torso.
And, for some unfathomable reason, Yang had felt a tightening in her throat, and a warm knot form in her chest that quickly blossomed up to her face and down to her stomach. It wasn't fear, or any sort of discomfort...it certainly wasn't from the sensation of being defeated, she had unfortunately grown quite used to that.
For half a second, she and Neo had stared into each other's eyes, painfully aware of the physical contact, before Neo had stood and offered Yang a hand up.
Yang pushed back the covers as she felt herself suddenly grow hot. Suddenly, she realized that being pinned to the ground by Neo...hadn't been altogether unpleasant. She wouldn't exactly call it enjoyable...or at least, she wouldn't admit it...
Yang felt the warmth in her body begin to pool low in her stomach, then down between her legs. She shifted her hips and felt a tingle run through her.
Yang reached up with her good hand to cover her eyes.
"What is wrong with me?" she asked herself aloud. Even whispered, the words cut through the silence uncomfortably. Yang removed her hand and looked around; obviously no one had heard her, but she still felt the strong urge to avoid breaking the silence any further.
Yang stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't lie to herself anymore. She was attracted to Neo. And for some reason, the idea of being pinned to the ground by her - the physical contact, the idea of Neo's firm grip keeping her arm in place...
Yang shifted her legs and felt a distinctly wet sensation between them. She bit her lip and lightly ran her hand down her body towards her waist.
Well, I'm not going to get any sleep like this.
With a breathy, almost-resigned sigh, she slipped her good hand underneath her t-shirt.
/
Neopolitan tossed and turned in bed. For days now, she had been slowly realizing just how much she was attracted to Yang.
Neo had always considered Yang beautiful, even before the two had started working together. Once they had, and Neo had come to understand just what a wonderful caring person Yang was, that had blossomed into full-on attraction. Watching Yang work out for the past week or so certainly hadn't done anything except for fan those flames. Watching those muscles shift as she lifted heavy weights above her head...
This was more than just watching her and admiring her beauty or her form, though...when she had pinned Yang to the ground and grabbed onto her shoulders during their daily sparring match, a shudder had run through her. She wanted to feel those muscles completely, Yang's shoulders and back, her abs, her legs.
Oh, those abs...
Neo wanted to feel them shift under her touch, she wanted to feel Yang shiver and make those strong limbs go limp...
Neo felt a warm knot form in the pit of her stomach. It slowly spread out, through her chest, up to her face, and especially down between her legs. She pressed the heel of her hand against the crotch of her pajama pants and felt dampness seeping through them. She whimpered and rolled over onto her stomach.
/
Yang ran her fingers lightly up her stomach, tracing the grooves of her abs, shutting her eyes and imagining it was Neo's gentle touch instead. Neo…
The more time Yang spent with her, the more she got to know the gentle and caring soul underneath all the trauma. Yang liked to imagine she would be gentle...as long as Yang wanted her to.
Yang's hand moved up to her breasts, grabbing one and lightly squeezing it, sending a jolt through her. She let out a sharp exhale of breath and held it tightly, the calloused palm of her hand rubbing against her nipple.
Yang wanted Neo to pin her down and kiss her hungrily one moment, only to whisper sweet nothings in her ear the next. While some part of her was shocked by that, at the moment Yang was willing to give herself over to her fantasies. She wanted Neo, and at this point she was done being self-conscious about it.
Yang grabbed her hardened nipple between two fingers and twisted it. She gasped, a sharp sound, and immediately her eyes snapped open. She removed her hand from her shirt and clapped it over her mouth.
She still felt the tension building in the pit of her stomach, but she knew she had to find a way to keep herself quiet. She grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up, exposing her stomach and breasts to the cool air. She shuddered and stuffed the collar of her shirt in her mouth, biting down hard on it.
A thrill went through her as she suddenly imagined Neo, sitting above her, tying a gag across her mouth. Yang shivered and ran her hand down her breasts again, pausing to rub a finger over her hardened nipple, before drawing her fingernails down her abs, imagining Neo's nails in place of her own. She let out a low whine, muffled through her makeshift gag.
Yang reached the waistband of her sleeping pants and roughly pulled them off, wriggling her hips and sliding them down her legs.
/
Neo pressed two fingers against her folds through her pajama bottoms. The friction and pressure sent an arc of pleasure through her, and she gasped and pressed her free hand to her mouth. She quickly grabbed her pillow and shoved her face into it, continuing to move her fingers slowly back and forth, teasing herself through her pants.
Images flitted through her head, of Yang sprawled out on the covers underneath her, the brawler's perfect breasts thrust upwards. Neo imagined what it would be like to play with them, feel them give way under her grasp. Neo wondered what her nipples were like. She liked to think they were large and pink, and she imagined taking one between her teeth, suckling at it, and wondered what kind of sounds Yang would make.
Neo's hips bucked, and she gasped and let out a muffled gasp into her pillow.
She wanted to please Yang more than anything. The blonde was so compassionate, so caring and sweet. She had taken Neo into her home when she had nothing, and with every day Neo found herself drawn to Yang more and more, wanting to bask herself in the warmth of Yang's compassion. All she could hope for was that one day she could share her affection with Yang in the most intimate way possible.
Neo frowned and shifted around in bed. The oversized t-shirt she usually slept in was too restrictive, and quickly becoming too hot, so she pulled it off, then laid back down again partially on her right side, face pressed into the pillow, left hand grasping one of her breasts tightly and right hand toying with her waistband.
Letting out a satisfactory sigh into her pillow, she slipped her right hand into her pants.
/
Yang slid her index finger along her lips, shuddering as even that light contact sent a small wave of pleasure through her. She was already slick with arousal, and as she probed between her folds, she bit down harder on the cloth stuffed in her mouth.
She imagined Neo, her quick, small hands dancing across Yang's body, toying with her nipples, grabbing her wrist, dipping between her legs to-
Yang let out a stifled moan as she plunged her finger deep inside of herself. Her folds were wet and warm, and her finger easily slid between them. She began working her finger in and out, not caring to take her time. She wanted to satisfy herself as quickly as possible, to rid her mind of the images of Neo, kneeling between her legs, a smirk on her face as she-
Yang's breathing, already shallow and ragged, gave way to uneven gasps.
Yang hadn't realized just how much she wanted Neo. To kiss her, feel her slender, athletic body pressed against her own, feel her soft skin...
Yang drew her finger out long enough to spread her lips, drawing back the hood that covered her clit. She caught a ragged sob in her throat as she brushed her thumb across it. Yang wasn't going to tease herself; she wanted release as quickly as possible. Rubbing her thumb in circles around her clit, she used her index and middle fingers to play with her folds, spreading them, running her fingers up and down her slit, slipping them inside herself briefly.
Her fingers were soaked with her arousal. Yang could hear herself panting, though the occasional moan or muttered word was stifled by her collar, now damp with saliva.
She wished so badly that it were Neo plunging her fingers into Yang's slit, peppering kisses and love bites down her neck and across her breasts, easily manipulating Yang...
That feeling grew, an emptiness inside her that begged to be filled, a burning hunger that flared up in her and filled her loins. She barely managed to fight down a scream as her hips bucked off the bed, her toes curling into the sheets.
/
Neo squeezed her left breast, rubbing her thumb over her nipple, letting out a tiny whimper into the pillow. Despite her damaged voice, she still couldn't help herself from vocalizing her pleasure. High-pitched whimpers, directed into the fluffy pillow, were teased out of her as she played with herself. Her fingers were quick, nimble, spreading her lips and stroking her outer folds.
Neo wondered what it would be like to use those same fingers on Yang, and wondered again what kind of noises she would make...
A high-pitched whine tore its way from Neo's throat as she plunged two fingers deep inside herself, working them in and out. She was wet enough already that they slid in and out easily, and she pushed them in almost to the knuckle before drawing them out again. With each thrust of her fingers another jolt of pleasure went through her, building, just as she raised her hips off the bed and pressed her face deeper into the pillow to quell her high-pitched whines.
She wanted to please Yang, she wanted to make her feel so good, anything for that perfect girl...the thought filled her head as she fingered herself, feeling the wetness of her arousal trickle down her thighs and hand, soaking her pajamas. Her left hand twisted her nipple, tugging on the pink bud and sending a shock through Neo as a contrast to the pleasure coursing through her.
She'd never felt this way about anyone before, never felt this overwhelming desire for someone...nor had she wanted to be close to someone emotionally this much before. She'd never found someone that she enjoyed being with as much as Yang.
Yang...Yang...
Neo wanted to enjoy the blonde's body, the curves, the muscles. She wanted to grab handfuls of that gorgeous golden mane and pull Yang into a kiss...
Yang...
She was vaguely aware of her own voice, ragged and harsh, muffled by the pillow, perhaps she was moaning the name of the girl she wanted so badly.
Yang...
/
Neo...
Yang circled her thumb more and more insistently around her clit, each stroke ading more to the tension inside her, like a string being drawn tighter and tighter. Every muscle in her core was clenched, her thighs tightened, she raised her hips higher off the bed. Every brush of her thumb across the sensitive bud, every little movement, added to her pleasure, and as it did it fed her fantasies.
She imagined Neo simply pushing her to the ground and kissing her, hand insistent on removing her clothes, her touch demanding even. That was what Yang wanted, to be so irresistible to Neo that she couldn't help herself.
Neo, you can do anything you want, just take me!
Yang meant it - she would give herself to Neo completely if the girl just asked it of her. How could she not? Neo cared so much about her. She'd helped Yang when no one else could. Yang would give herself to Neo because she trusted her.
And I'd enjoy every minute of it...
Her hand was working on its own, furiously working over her clit now, while her teeth ground down on the cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her body was acting on its own, totally given over to seeking pleasure, while her mind was absorbed by fantasies.
Those fantasies became more frenetic, appearing and disappearing like the white spots behind her eyelids as she screwed them shut tighter and tighter. Lips, teeth, fingers, soft skin...Neo's breasts, her legs, her ass, her pretty face twisted in pleasure. Yang could do that to her, she could please Neo any way she wanted. She could use her fingers, her tongue...
Oh, to dive between Neo's perfect legs! Especially if she grabbed a handful of Yang's hair and pushed her face down between them...
Neo, please.
Yang let out a short, sharp cry, that while stifled by the cloth in her mouth still cut through the haze of pleasure. Absurdly, some part of Yang's mind wondered how long it had been since she'd done this, how long since she'd had release…
The building pressure, Yang could feel, was reaching its height. Her legs were beginning to go numb, shaky, starting from her toes and spreading upwards. Her thighs were beginning to feel tingly, it felt as if every muscle in her body was tensing up, singing from the strain. Yang's hips were lifted clear off the bed as her hand worked furiously between her legs.
Neo, Neo baby, please, more!
She wanted to scream that, she wanted Neo to wrest those words from her throat with her actions, but instead she sobbed into the makeshift gag, in place of gasps that ordinarily would have borne the weight of her pent-up lust.
She knew that she was so close, so close…
/
Neo plunged her fingers as deeply inside of herself as she could. Burying them up to her knuckles, she spread them as far as she could. At the sensation, Neo let out a muffled cry of pleasure. Her left hand gripped her breast tightly, fingers twisting the tiny pink nipple, while she lifted her hips off the bed, raising herself up on her knees while keeping her face planted in her pillow.
Yang…
She moved her left to the be to support herself, gripping the sheets tightly. She imagined how she must have looked, ass is the air, two fingers deep inside herself, arousal soaking her inner thighs. If she removed her pants she would be completely exposed. Between high-pitched, husky moans, she gasped for breath.
She wanted Yang to be there, to share in Neo's pleasure. Neo imagined Yang, kissing her passionately as she plunged her fingers between Neo's folds, just as Neo crooked her fingers and continued to work them back and forth.
Her legs grew shaky, her grip on the blankets more and more insistent. She began moving her hips in time with her hand motions, try to add to the force. Her back arched, she draw her face away from the pillow long enough to draw in a long, shuddering breath. Her cries were becoming louder and sharper with every thrust.
Yang! Yang!
The thought of Yang filled her head, Yang's body, the things Neo wanted to do to it, the things she wanted Yang to do to her, swirling around until she could think of nothing else.
Yang!
/
Yang's fingers worked furiously across her clit, no finesse, only a desperate need to bring herself to climax. Nothing else mattered except her body, every muscle straining as she pushed herself closer to the brink.
Neo, Neo, I'm so close...
And then, all at once, she was over the edge, plunging from her heights down into a cascade of bliss.
Everything went limp, every muscle in her body relaxed as the tension suddenly went out of them, replaced by waves of pleasure. A throaty whine tore from her throat, she didn't have time to worry if it was too loud, she didn't care. Her hips, raised off the bed, slammed back down again, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly, her core consumed by the warmth that spread out suddenly like a blossoming flame. All of her senses were dulled, the only thing she was aware of was her own body, singing with pleasure.
/
Neo thrust her fingers inside of herself as deeply as they could go, crooking them just right-
Her throat tightened, suddenly it was so difficult to breathe through the pillow, she tilted her head to the side to gasp for air, and as the cool air kissed her cheek...it slipped out.
"Y-Yang…"
Her whispery moan cut through the stillness like a blade, but Neo didn't care.
I don't care, let Yang hear, let her know how much I want her...
The thought sent her spiraling, before she knew it she was there, she could feel herself clenching around her fingers, the pulsing grip that meant she was there, followed by the rush that filled her body. If her eyes were open she would be seeing stars, but as it is they were tightly shut, all she could see behind her eyelids was Yang.
She moaned into the pillow, crying with pleasure as every hair in her body stood on end, as the blood rushed through her and her toes curled and the squeezing around her fingers continued.
She sobbed into the pillow, fingers moving on their own, and with every movement they drew out another jolt of pleasure.
/
Yang came back to herself slowly. She had the distinct sensation of emerging from a warm bath, as she felt the cool night air kiss her skin. As she curled and uncurled her toes, reached up to pull her collar out of her mouth and gasped for air, and shifted her legs, she felt little waves of pleasure lap against her consciousness and subside, like a receding tide.
She pulled her shorts back up, heedless of the wetness between her legs, and pulled her shirt down over her breasts. She brushed a lock of hair, plastered to her forehead with sweat, back out of her face. Then, for a moment, she lay in bed, heartbeat slowing.
Neo...she couldn't lie to herself anymore, Yang wanted her, wanted to kiss her and make love to her and just to spend time with her. To be happy.
Once she had thought that Neo's past...the terrible, terrible things she had done...would prevent Yang from developing feelings for her. But now it appeared she had developed feelings in spite of that, and somehow that made Yang feel worse.
But then…she remembered that there was good in Neo. That was the part of her that Yang loved, the sweet and caring side, who went out of her way to pick Yang up on a bad day, who spent hours talking with her just because she enjoyed it. Yang felt her heart skip a beat as she thought of the day she could finally want Neo without fear of guilt.
She didn't know when that day would come, or how, but she wanted it. She wanted it so badly.
Yang sighed and pulled the blankets over her. This wasn't a time for deep ruminations. She was tired, and her mind was still shrouded in a post-orgasmic haze. Right now, she wanted sleep.
And as she shut her eyes and waited for sleep to take her, she thought of Neo, and her sweet and gentle face, her slender body curled against Yang's, and both of them falling asleep together.
/
Everything was warm and gentle. Neo smiled happily and rolled over, drawing her fingers out of her pajama pants. They were damp with her arousal, so she licked them clean, savoring her own sweet taste. What did Yang taste like? Was it the same? Neo had no way of guessing.
She sighed and wiped her hand clean on her shirt, then slipped it over her head and straightened it out. The soft fabric sent a tingle through her as it made contact with her nipples. She felt like she was doing everything in a delightful haze, every movement bringing some new sensation.
Neo flopped back onto the bed, resting her head on the pillow that had contained her moans of pleasure. She wrapped the comforter around her tightly and thought of Yang, the blonde wrapping her in a warm hug and kissing her softly.
The thought, while comforting, sent a pang of sadness through Neo. Yang wasn't there, it was only Neo, her blankets and pillows, and her own hand. It would be nothing compared to the real thing, the warmth of another body, the sensations of Yang's skin against hers, the act of sharing her pleasure with another person. It was a shadow on the wall compared to what Neo could only fantasize about.
"Yang..." Neo whispered into the night, voice thick with longing. One day, maybe, she could fulfill her fantasies, maybe one day Yang would feel the same way about her and they could be happy…
But Neo knew that however much she may have wanted that, there was still a barrier between them. The things Neo had done were unforgivable to someone as good and pure as Yang. And while that pureness may have been exactly why Neo was so infatuated with the blonde, it also meant that whenever she looked at Neo there was a hint of distrust, standing as a barrier between them.
Neo pushed away the guilt and rolled over in bed. Maybe there was some way she could make things right, but at the moment all she wanted was to sleep, and think of Yang's warm and gentle embrace.