Oh god.
Oh god.
Oh god.
I...I couldn't really see anything through the stars flashing by my eyes. Not that the ceiling would be particularly interesting, but it might've been something to focus on past the pleasure coursing through my body.
I hadn't expected this, to be certain.
-
I rubbed at my temples. The headache was back, and with a vengeance. I wasn't finished, but surely I could afford a short break? It wasn't like the paperwork would be running away from me, after all.
I leaned back in the plush leather chair, sighing as the chair fell with me. One of the few luxuries I allowed myself, the chair was one of my greatest decisions ever. Stuffed to the brim with what felt like angel feathers, set on the smoothest swivel I'd ever experienced and the ability to lean back until I was nearly flat. Altogether, I would happily murder someone to keep this chair. A moment's direction had the lights turned down to their lowest setting, until I could only see the dimmest outline of the insect tanks and the door. Starlight shined through the window behind me, not quite bright enough to bother my headache.
The city was a wreck, no two ways about it. After the incident with Coil, and my... Very final solution to the problem, I had risen to the position of, of, something.
The mayor had left the city with his family, the police department was gutted, the Protectorate was busy working as replacements for the police, and most of the elected officials were either in a different city or rotting in a gutter somewhere.
Coil had been working to fix it, but his version of 'fix it' was rising in power in the Protectorate while using the Undersiders as temporary lords until he could afford to pull in the resources from the PRT to fix the city and place himself in a position of power, from both the legal side and as a criminal mastermind.
Eventually, the city would return to its previous condition, and would likely end up even better. But it would be the work of months, perhaps years, to pull that off, and people were dying in the streets now.
I couldn't let that stand. When I pushed for more resources, he gave them to me grudgingly. When I organized the Undersiders into an actual council, rather than seperate rulers, he found excuses to disrupt meetings. When I built homes for my people, give them safety and comfort, only to find them burned to ground in the middle of the night?
That was the last straw. Coil had to go.
It made me feel much better to learn that he was planning for my death. It didn't mean much in the end, when I pointed a revolver at his forehead and stared into his eyes while I pulled the trigger, but it helped.
It was a difficult few days after Calvert's death. Lisa had taken full control of his resources and had almost tripled them in a week, but people were more complicated. Mercenaries, armed with dangerous futuristic weapons were suddenly out of a job. There was a... Monster in Coil's basement that sounded scarily like a human girl when it burned in tinker-tech nuclear fire. The Travelers had fought to the last man to prevent it, and Brian had lost an arm and a eye. Regent wouldn't ever leave his wheelchair, and Aisha...
You don't ever recover from watching another human being die. At least when Coil had met his end at my hand, I knew he was a horrible person who would torture me to death, given half a chance.
Genesis couldn't even move her wheelchair on her own. Some kind of bone-wasting disease, according to Lisa. Either way, Aisha made horrible jokes about wheelchairs and comparisons to Regent's new ride made her boyfriend laugh, but no matter how untouched she acted, I would always remember the sight of her crying into her brother's good shoulder after the fight. Brian didn't even hesitate with half of his body and face melted away to hug her as best he was able.
Our relationship hadn't ever resumed, after that. I was suddenly the leader of the Undersiders and the de-factor ruler of a city, and he was struggling to learn how to use his left side for everything. We didn't have the time.
So here I was, living out of a chair on the second floor of a pseudo-orphanage, directing the lives of tens of thousands. Buying supplies and equipment, reading reports on the various states of Lisa's investments and estimated costs for city repairs, overseeing the operations of teenage superhumans who were suddenly given command over multiple city blocks. Talks with the heroes, subtly trying to help Parian reconnect with the rest of the city rather than walling herself and her family into a nigh-unbreachable fortress made of string and Fletchette's power.
I hadn't been outside in two days, and the most entertainment I'd had recently was when Regent rolled his way into my office and forcibly walked me to a bed.
There was a lot of uncomfortable questions, and I had a moment of panic when I realized that Alec had subtly felt out all of the Undersider's reflexes for as long as we'd been with him until he knew our bodies as well as his own... But he hadn't used them for anything I didn't approve of beyond my forcible rest.
Of course, there was a level of trust that had been violated that could probably never be regained, but he had shrugged and declared that it was worth it.
...I wouldn't call myself touched by the sentiment, but I understood what he meant. Taking care of teammates was important, especially when they couldn't, or wouldn't, take care of themselves.
I may not trust him with my secrets, but I would never hesitate on the battlefield.
Since then, I've dialed my workday back, and gotten more rest. What were previously migraines had become headaches.
There was a commotion downstairs. Probably the children heading to bed. In a few more minutes, one of my assistants would be up here, scolding me in whispers and handing me pills before sending me off to bed like a child.
The noise, however, refused to die down. In fact, it became somewhat louder, only this time it came from the window.
Confused, I began sweeping the area with my bugs. Accepting the small tinge of pain that came with focusing during a headache, I located the children and my assistants. They were moving outside in a somewhat orderly manner, but there were the kids who liked to run ahead and those who trailed behind the rest. Not a forced relocation, and one the kids sounded like they were eager for, given all the excitement. What was happening?
One figure broke off from the rest, and made it's way back into the house. Meanwhile the kids were loading into vans- how had those come so close without alerting me?- fighting over who got to sit with who. My assistants were in amongst the horde, breaking up altercations and separating the children. Neither had crushed their alarm boxes, so they at least thought that, whatever this was, it was safe.
The lone figure had reached my door. Further examination told me that they were smaller than me with short, loose hair, and either male or under-developed female. No costume, either. Nowadays, the people I knew personally were scarce, and those that knew about this office could be counted on two hands. None of them fit the description.
I readied some of the more dangerous bugs in their tanks, and positioned a beetle near the switch to open the lids. This didn't seem like an attack, but I could never be too careful.
The figure slowly turned the handle, and gently began to open it. They paused when the door was only half open, still obscured from my eyes. Then they-she-laughed.
"Feel free to let your army stand down, Miss Paranoid." Even before she was finished, I knew who it was.
Lisa finished opening the door, nowhere near as slowly as she started. Walking into the room, I finally knew why I hadn't known who was approaching. Tattletale never came to my office without her costume on. Casual clothes only appeared when she dragged me out for ice cream or a walk in the park or some kind of non-cape activity.
Lisa paused halfway to my desk, her features still partially obscured by the low lighting, and just looked at me.
"...You're thinking something uncomplimentary. I can tell." That forced a small laugh out of me. Lisa crossed the remainder of the distance, and walked around the desk to settle against the edge, facing me.
"Just because I keep fun and business properly separate does not mean I can't visit." She tells me with an air of mock-offense, before the frown breaks into another smile at my next laugh.
There's a minute of silence. I close my eyes again and revel in the quiet. Lisa, unlike some, can realize when I want some peace.
"So, I hear you've been working hard." The moment is broken, and the small smile I was wearing fades into a frown. Of course she's here about that. She should already know that Regent intervened and I've backed off on my work hours, so why is she pestering me about it?
"First of all, it takes more than a sentence for someone to be bothering you about anything. Secondly, while you've gotten better, you still aren't good. You're in the dark because of a headache. Normal workdays don't end in headaches."
Like she's one to talk. She has headaches daily, no matter how much I insist that I don't need her power on all the time. Besides, my workdays aren't exactly about normal things. Lisa sighs in exasperation, and rises from her position.
"That's completely different, and you know it. I can't stop the headaches that come with my power, while you're overworking your brain until you can't keep up and it turns into pain. Even if you aren't doing a 'normal' nine-to-five job doesn't mean you need to end every day in agony." She's slowly pacing around me, coming to a stop between my head and the window.
Even though she says it's different, it really isn't. She has headaches from overworking her power, just like she's claiming that my headaches are from regular overwork. They have the same cause, even if the vector is different. She can't ask me to dial it back when she won't do the same.
"I guess that just means that I'll have to slow it down as well. That way, neither of us will have to deal with migraines." Her hands descend to my head, and begin gently rubbing at... Oh. That's nice. That's a very nice feeling, and I can feel the throbbing disappearing with every gentle touch.
Of course, that doesn't stop me from realizing that she was likely aiming for this result from the beginning. I played into her hands; not anything different from the usual. When she starts to speak again, I can practically hear the smirk.
"It's nice that you're so resigned to it. It makes everything easier. Speaking of relaxing, would you come with me on a little trip tomorrow? The boardwalk is almost completely repaired, and for the time being, all of the shops and attractions are free, courtesy of yours truly. People need something to enjoy these days."
Smartass. Still, that sounds like a nice afternoon. It's been a long time since I could just watch a movie and relax, and the theater down at the boardwalk is rather nice. It'll only feed the rumor mill, but I can't particularly find it in myself to care at the moment.
"Ah? And what kind of rumors are these?" Lisa's voice sounds like it's coming from far away, barely penetrating the haze of comfort surrounding me. Still, I devote some thought to answering the question.
I'm pretty sure it started with Aisha or Regent. My assistants haven't exactly been helping with the situation, as Lisa almost always sees me to my door after our outings. Somewhere along the way, just about everyone who knows both my and Tattletale's civilian identities have come to the conclusion that we're dating.
The wonderful massage stops for a moment, before resuming their work. This time, there's something decidedly odd about Lisa's voice when she asks the next question.
"What, exactly, has led them to believe that we're dating?"
All of the trips together. Ice-cream, parks, walks, people seem to think they're dates. I don't exactly have the same experiences with the rest of the Undersiders, so others tend to assume it's something more.
Just don't acknowledge it, and they'll have to quit eventually. It's what I've been doing.
The rubbing stops once more, and this time it doesn't start up again. I can almost feel the frown Lisa has as she looks at me. Then a small laugh makes it's way out of her mouth.
"Sometimes, even though you're very smart, you can be incredibly dense."
Lisa moved quickly, swinging around from the back of the chair to the front. Before I really register her change I position, there's a soft weight in my lap and warm hands on my cheeks.
I open my eyes to see Lisa's face all of a foot away from mine.
For a moment I'm dumbstruck, and all I can really register is her features. In the moonlight, her pale skin almost glows, highlighting the light dusting of freckles. Her eyes are crinkled in a smile, the light green highlighted by the short golden threads falling about her head and tickling my skin. My eyes, of course, choose to lock on her lips. There isn't any lipstick on them today, so they look almost washed-out in the lighting. Involuntarily, my mind flashes to certain thoughts I've had.
Not long after Brian had his injury and we drifted apart, Lisa began to spend more time with me. More non-business time, to be precise. Before, everything had been about justifying the eventual betrayal I was planning, then the Endbringer happened and my focus fell upon Coil. When she approached me with a plan to subdue him, I had little choice but to agree, and every meeting thereafter was an excuse for more coordinating and planning.
After Coil was gone, however, and things began to approach a stable point, Lisa would often drag me outside my workroom to see the sun. As the only person who I had regular, non-work related contact with besides my father, well...
I had realized that I liked girls in sixth grade, when Clemence Bordue had spent a year at our school. High-class, as such things went, and certainly out-of-place in the rougher area of the Bay our school was located in, she attracted a following of boys immediately. She as quiet and self-contained, and didn't make friends with anyone, but even without showing the slightest spark of interest her soft, elegant features had a group of admirers writing love poems and pining over her at every moment.
It was a big shock when I found myself admiring her as well.
I hadn't exactly been the most popular of girls, only part of the 'in-crowd' because of my friendship with Emma, but even I heard the hurtful comments and slurs against gays. I kept away from Clemence, never mentioned my attraction to anyone, and watched her go from afar with sad eyes at the end of the year.
Darrel Rand in my seventh grade class had at least assured me I could have a publicly acceptable partner. Muscles on men looked just as nice as soft features on a woman, I found.
Still, with Lisa my only companion, it didn't really surprise me when I started really noticing exactly how good she looked in her costume, and how nice her smile was, rather than the passive admiration I had before.
I kept silent about it, even if Lisa must've noticed. She didn't mention anything, so I assumed she would be happy to let my feelings die a quiet death and keep our friendship.
With her on my lap, late at night, only inches away from me, I couldn't help it. I wondered exactly what those lips would taste like, what her skin would feel like if I ran my hands along it. Mixed with the lust and wonder was shame- there was no way Lisa was missing this, with the up-front view she had.
When I was finally able to tear my eyes from Lisa's mouth to her eyes, she looked amused. It hurt a little, to know that she found my feelings funny, but-
"You are such an idiot, Taylor."
And then her mouth was on mine and I didn't have to imagine the sensation anymore. I hadn't had much experience with kissing, since Brian was my only previous partner, and we never progressed much past light kisses that made my lips tingle and little bit of soft touching.
This was very different.
There wasn't any hesitation on Lisa's part. When her skin made contact and I gasped in surprise, she took the opportunity to insert her tongue into my mouth. For a moment, I could only sit there in shock, while Lisa explored. Then I started participating.
She tasted like pears, I decided. She probably had some before she arrived. This train of thought was completely obliterated by the part of my mind focused on exploring Lisa. Hesitantly at first, then with a bit more confidence, I stroked with my own tongue. I had heard this sort of kiss referred to as a 'battle,' a struggle between flesh, but it wasn't like that at all. Gentle touches, soft probing, enjoying the feeling of having someone else so very, very close to you...
It ended far sooner than I would've liked, even if my lungs disagreed. When I opened my eyes once more, Lisa had leaned back, breathing heavily. Her now-wet lips glimmered, and I found myself reaching up to pull her back down for more.
It was even better the second time, now that I knew what to do. Without needing to completely concentrate on the kiss, I found my hands wandering, trailing down from Lisa's shoulders to her sides, to her hips. I pulled the shirt up slowly, reaching underneath, caressing the skin. Sliding back upwards, my thumbs rubbing against her ribs, nails gently scratching. I could feel Lisa gasp into my mouth. When I finally hit the edge of a bra, she was shivering. When I teasingly started trailing my fingers back down, Lisa pulled away with a growl, a string of salvia falling against my shirt. In two seconds she had her shirt off, and in another her bra was following it to the floor. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a small vial, popped the lid and brought up to her nose. A single sniff-was that some kind of brownish-green powder?-and it was capped, and set much more gently onto the desk behind her.
Then she was once more pressed against me, hands pulling my head into hers.
Without the bra in the way, I was more than happy to bring my hands up. Lisa was barely an A-cup, not even a handful. That just made it easier to access all of her chest at the same time. Thumbs brushed against her nipples, and she made yet another pleased noise into my mouth. Rubbing in circles, before transitioning to gentle plucks had Lisa making all sorts of sounds, and before long I could feel her grinding against me, her groin pressing into my stomach. My shirt had ridden upwards, and even through the tight jeans Lisa was wearing I thought I could feel dampness.
Sliding one hand away from the teasing of her breasts, I dipped down to unhook the button and open the zipper. Pushing my hand in, reaching between the soft cloth of her underwear and her flesh, my fingers glided over soft, downy hair to reach the source of the liquid. Trailing two fingers up and down Lisa actually had to back away from my lips to pant, before she pulled herself into me and started to nibble at my neck, licking before biting, then kissing the red mark.
I rewarded her with my hand. The fingers drew back, before pushing in, drawing a high-pitched squeak from Lisa. Pressing forward, deep as I could reach, until my fingers had disappears entirely into her. Scissoring and stroking, massaging her walls even as I ground my palm into her clit, it sent Lisa into a fit, her hands moving to clench hard enough around my arms to leave bruises. She let out a wail until she muffled it in my chest, pressing her face into the cloth. My other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into my hand. She was clenching and shivering around my fingers, instinctively attempting to ride them with her hips, almost at her limit.
Within moments, she was biting down on my shirt, groaning into the fabric, tensing hard enough to nearly hurt. Then all of the energy left her in an audible whoosh, as she breathed deeply. I gently pulled out, prompting shivers from Lisa. I brought it up to my face, and examined the liquid on my hand. Tentatively, I brought it up to my mouth and gave it lick, testing the taste. It wasn't bad, certainly, but it wasn't good either. It had a distinctive taste, and that was it. Pulling the rest of my fingers into my mouth, I sucked them clean. Spit was easier to clean, after all.
It was only when Lisa's grip on my hips tightened that I realized I had a spectator. A glance down showed that Lisa was hyper-focused on my mouth, wrapped around my fingers. When I realized exactly what my little show was doing to her, I couldn't help the grin. Slightly parting my lips, I made it clear to her that I was licking myself clean, the tip of my tongue darting out occasionally. Lisa bit her lip, barely even blinking until I pulled out my fingers with a wet pop.
For a moment, Lisa continued to focus on my lips, before she traced a path up to my eyes. We stared at one another, before the familiar smirk came to her lips.
She slithered backwards, sliding down my body until her knees hit the floor. With quick, efficient movements, she unzipped my pants. Was she going to...?
My pants and my underwear hit the floor at the same time. Immediately, Lisa dove down.
She was extremely eager, licking a wide swathe with the flat of her tongue before teasing me with the tip, tracing paths, before returning to my clit and sucking on it. Her hands rose up and rested on my thighs, thumbs reaching in to pull the folds of my slit apart, allowing her to reach even deeper with her tongue. It dove in and out of me, never resting, tingling and scratching and sending waves of fiery pleasure up my spine.
Throughout it all, Lisa's eyes remained on my face. Even when the pleasure forced all of the muscles in me to clench, when my vision would black out for a few moments, when I could focus once more I found her watching me. When I approached my climax, the tension in me ratcheting higher and higher, when my breath was coming out in short, heavy bursts, her eyes were locked on me. My hands clenched around the armrests hard enough to hurt, my body demanded I throw back my head in ecstasy, but I kept my gaze on her.
The world seemed to explode around green orbs.
-
Lisa made her way back up the chair. She ended up curled on my lap, her head resting in the crook of my neck.
For a moment, we just lay there, catching our breath and enjoying the afterglow.
"Just so you know, my power's disabled for another... Fuck, I don't know, it's about three hours total so it should be a while longer."
That brought up a whole slew of questions. And for once, I would have to verbalize them.
"How? Why?"
Lisa chuckled.
"Of course. You finally have to talk to me, and you do it in one-word sentences. Let's just say that someone needed to fall out of love, I pointed out that love was just a series of chemical reactions and therefore something that could be trained into- or out- of a person with the right tools, and she now owes me a favor or two."
"As for why, well, you know how my power is on all the time. You also have heard me complain about things I didn't want to know, like that time Aisha and Alec tried out-"
"No." Lisa outright giggles at that. She might've found it funny, but I did not need to know anything about Regent's sex life, let alone my former boyfriend's sisters.
"Anyway, it works that way during sex too. I get too hot to repress my power, it gives me too much info, I cool down enough to control it, and if I try to continue the whole cycle starts again. I thought I'd end up masturbating alone for the rest of my life. Oh, and it turns out that while I usually can't scan myself, a toy counts as something else- and the sounds and movements it makes are things I can scan. I know more about my vagina than I ever wanted to."
That's nice, but she shouldn't try to change the subject. She knew what else I was asking.
...
...oh yeah.
"Don't try to change the subject." Lisa's smile fades, and she sighs heavily.
"Why did I jump you?" Her smile returns, but this time it's bitter.
"I told you you were dense, and I meant it. Those were dates. I was trying to get you to ask me out yourself, so that I could..."
Lisa hesitates. Usually she isn't so reticent with information. Whatever she has to say... She visibly steels herself, then expels all the information in a rush.
"I wanted you to ask me out so I could refuse! I wanted you to make the first step, because how can I just say 'hey, I can't actually have proper sex with you, but I want you to be my exclusive girlfriend anyway?!' I mean, I could give you some orgasms and maybe fake my own, but I know all about how doing that ruins relationships! I've seen it happen! Maybe if I told you why, and you decided you were okay with it I could have you, but I can't ask you to do that myself!"
Lisa is nearly choking out the last few words, and I can definitely see tears. She shoves her head back into the crook of my neck, where I can feel the wetness against my skin.
"Because I couldn't ask you to do it, I had to trick you into asking instead so I could turn you down and hurt you. I was afraid to be selfish, so I went and did something even more selfish! I got the suppressant today, the new buildings between our territories were finally open, the kids would be moving out of your house and into a real orphanage, I just, I- I did it on impulse! You were here, and I knew you liked me, and I was happy, and you're so casual when I read you! Even Brian freaks out and leaves when I show him just how close to mind-reading I can get, but you just let me do it! You don't even care- you trust me so much, and, and I tried to hurt you..."
Lisa's outright sobbing at this point, while I'm trying to process the information.
When it finally comes through into a whole, I don't even hesitate. I've already been hugging her. I just squeeze her tightly and tell her.
"It's okay. I understand why you tried to do it, and even though I don't like how you did it, I can forgive you for it."
That's how it works with Lisa. She'll see right through anything I try to hide from her, so direct and to-the-point is the only way to be completely honest. She knows that, so she doesn't get offended when I say something that sounds bad, or have to try and puzzle out what I mean and strain her power.
This time, though, the truth just makes her cry even harder.
I can't do anything about that, so I settle down for a wait.
-
A while later, Lisa's cried herself out. She's still awake, but now she only sniffs every once in a while.
I'm still holding her, when she starts to stir. She pulls back slightly, staring intently at my face.
"...You really are okay with it?"
I don't even have to answer, this time. I can see the smile break out on her face, and I enjoy the feeling of trust and incredible closeness that comes from knowing a mind-reader and being able to let them know, well, everything.
"I'm not a mind reader. We've been over this, Taylor." She can't help the snort of amusement, though, so I think this round is my win anyway.
"We'll see about that. Just you wait until tomorrow. I'll pick out the worst, sappiest movie available and force you to watch it with me. Then I'll explain all the horrible details behind the set, and how the director was fucking two actors at the same time."
Now I can't suppress the laugh. She'll do it, too.
I'm looking forward to it.