Aria watched Lauren as she sat quietly on the couch in Aria's apartment. Afraid that she would do something stupid and harm herself, Aria had taken her home with her. She'd seen people sink into a depression after a meld revealed unpleasant memories, and she was afraid that she'd lose Lauren to her memories. So far Lauren hadn't spoken since she sat down on the couch. The apartment was eerily silent, with Aria making the only noise. Finally, the asari gave up and sat down on the couch next to Lauren.
"Say something so I know you're alright."
Lauren seemed startled and looked at her. "What?"
"Are you alright?" she asked again.
Lauren looked at her hands. "I was thinking."
"About?"
Lauren shook her head. "It doesn't matter."
"It does. What was it?" Aria gently put her hand on Lauren's knee.
Lauren looked at Aria's hand on her left knee. "When I woke up...I didn't know what had happened. I didn't remember. I thought everything would get better if I did. I thought if I remebered everything, all the suffering would make sense. But it doesn't. It doesn't make sense."
"Just because you've regained your memories doesn't mean you can instantly be over them. That will take time, Lauren."
Lauren looked up at Aria. "Is it stupid of me to think that I could put this all behind me?"
Aria shook her head. "A lot of people think they can put things behind them. Sometimes it's not all that easy. Most people can get over it if they have people there to help them."
Lauren looked down at her hands. "I might be doomed then."
Aria widened her eyes in surprise. "What? You have friends here! Derimus, Liselle, Gavern - hell even Anto might help you if you asked him."
Lauren's mouth twitched into a smile. "I'd have to kiss his ass for weeks if I did ask him for help..but you're right. I'm not alone am I?"
"See? You have friends." Aria removed her hand and stood up.
"What about you, Aria?" Lauren called after her. "Am I your friend?"
Aria stopped at her kitchen counter. She turned and gave Lauren a skeptical look. "I helped you didn't I? Usually I don't do that for people who aren't considered friends."
"If I'm your friend, can I ask you something?" Lauren asked.
"Ask me what?" Aria walked to her closet, pulling out a spare set of blankets.
"Why do you live alone?"
Aria stopped, a blanket in her arms. "I prefer being alone."
She could only see one side of Lauren's face, but she could tell the human was smirking. "Liar."
Aria walked over and deposited the blanket on Lauren's lap before heading off for her bed.
"No witty comeback?" Lauren called after her.
"Go the fuck to sleep."
Aria had always been a light sleeper. It came with the territory of being not only a mother, but a criminal. The slightest noise could mean an assassin, or the soft footsteps of a small asari child. It didn't surprise her when she woke up to the sounds of someone in distress on the couch. The asari sat up and listened to the sounds of Lauren struggling in her sleep on the couch. After a minute the rustling stopped and Aria relaxed on her pillows again. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she heard the sounds start up again. But this time it was accompanied by groans.
Aria got up from her bed and walked quietly to the side of the couch, where she was greeted with the unpleasant sight of Lauren entangled in her blanket. Figuring it was the cause of her nightmares, Aria gently began to untangle the blanket from her legs. She worked silently for a few minutes before she realized that the blanket was stuck underneath Lauren's left arm. She reached for it, but was stopped when she noticed that Lauren looked unsettled. Whatever she was dreaming of was not pleasant. She abandoned the idea of getting the blanket and instead put her hand on Lauren's hand.
The human didn't stir. Aria watched the sleeping human for a second before she retracted her hand. It was wrong. It was so wrong of her to think of doing it - this wasn't her daughter. She wasn't an asari. Melding to calm a nightmare was normal for them, but Lauren might not see it that way. Aria sighed and rubbed at her forehead. She wasn't used to having to stop and think before she acted. Usually she just acted. Lauren suddenly groaned and rolled over, obviously in distress from her dream.
She'll forgive me for it. Aria put her hand on Lauren's forehead and gently began a softer, more gentle meld meant for a child. It took a few seconds before Aria managed to get her mind's attention, but Lauren reacted instantly by calming down, her breathing going slow. Aria kept herself still for a minute, trying to match her breathing to Lauren's, in order to rid the human of her nightmares. Before she could, she felt the familiar pull at her own mind. It was exactly like before, when they melded the first time. But this time it wasn't curious or investigative. It was almost...needy? No, it was something else...could it be...lust?
A warm hand settled on the side of Aria's face and she jumped, breaking the meld in the process. Aria pulled away and opened her eyes - only to be greeted by a pair of blue eyes. Lauren was awake, staring at her. She didn't retract her hand and neither did Aria. They just sat there, frozen. Lauren was lying on the couch, Aria still leaning over her. Seconds turned into minutes before Lauren put her second hand on the other side of Aria's face. Neither of them were sure who started the kiss first, but they both weren't complaining. Aria had closed her eyes and had moved her hands to keep herself from falling on top of Lauren. Her hand slipped and she landed on top of Lauren, causing the human to chuckle as the asari scrambled to sit up.
Aria stopped and looked at Lauren's face, her cheeks a dark blue. "What?"
"You're adorable when you're terrified." Lauren sat up, shoving her blanket off the couch. "Come here."
She obeyed, climbing into Lauren's lap. Lauren pressed her lips to Aria's collarbone and slipped her arms around the asari's waist. She began to methodically press kisses to the asari's neck, eliciting a satisfied moan from the asari.
The great ruler of Omega has a sensitive neck, Lauren smirked inwardly.
"Wipe that smile off your face," the asari said quietly. She then dug her fingers into Lauren's stomach and tilted her head back, allowing the human more access to her throat and neck.
"Yes ma'am."
Lauren gently dug her teeth into Aria's skin in the next few kisses, leaving small nearly-invisible marks on her neck. Aria closed her eyes and just held onto Lauren, trying to ignore the heat forming at her back and legs. She wanted to just enjoy this. Just Lauren's light kisses, gentle bites, and hands at her back. Lauren was trailing kisses down her neck and to her collarbone, at the edge of Aria's shirt. Lauren stopped suddenly and removed her hands from Aria's back, bringing them down to tug at Aria's shirt. Aria pulled her hands from Lauren's waist and helped peel her shirt off, revealing her bare stomach and breasts to Lauren. The human did the same, and soon all their clothes were lying haphardly on the floor.
Aria stared down at Lauren, who was gentle kissed Aria's jaw. "You-"
"Shh," Lauren hushed her. "Just shut up and enjoy something for once."
Aria's face got hotter. "We shouldn't stay on the couch - if someone comes in..."
Lauren wrapped her arms firmly around Aria's waist and stood up from the couch, taking the asari with her. When they reached the bed, Lauren practically dropped her on it. Aria stared up at her, slightly turned on by the human's predatory look.
"We're not getting up in the morning, are we?" Aria asked.
Lauren grinned. "Come here."
They shared a deep kiss before they crawled onto the bed together. Lauren explored the asari's skin with her hands, not really sure of where to start. She looked up at Aria, her hands trailing down the asari's stomach. Lauren put a hand on Aria's thigh, digging her fingers into the sensitive flesh there. Aria let out a soft moan and closed her eyes.
"No, I don't think we'll be getting up in the morning. Do you care?"
"No - stop talking and fuck me already."
It...was a memorable night. We would have slept longer into the afternoon if someone hadn't knocked at Aria's door...
Liselle knocked again, frowning. "Mother? Are you home?"
She heard rustling just behind the door and knocked again. The door opened, revealing her mother wrapped in a soft bathrobe. She blinked when she saw Liselle.
"What?" Aria asked.
Liselle blinked in surprise. "You told me to come by this afternoon after I talked to you last night - are you alright? You seem grumpy."
Aria glanced over her shoulder. "I'm fine - hurry and get inside. It's cold." She walked away from Liselle's sight.
Liselle walked in and noticed the blanket and pillow strewn on the floor by the couch. "Did Lauren stay with you last night?"
"You could say that."
"Did you help her remember everything?" Liselle picked up the blanket and pillow and went to return them to Aria's closet, when she noticed something on Aria's floor.
It was a shirt. Liselle knew it wasn't her mother's. It was Lauren's favorite shirt. And it was on her mother's floor.
"She remembered all of it," Aria said from the kitchen.
"Is she alright?" Liselle asked.
"She's coping. Why?"
"Because her shirt is on the floor, mother." Liselle looked up at her mother.
Aria froze in the kitchen, a spoon in her hand.
"Why is her shirt on the floor?" Liselle set the blanket down on the edge of a nearby table. She bent over and picked the garment up.
"I have no idea." Aria hastily went back to stirring her tea.
Liselle narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"
Aria opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a sleepy voice from the direction of Aria's bedroom. "It was more like what I did."
Lauren appeared at the kitchen counter, wrapped in one of Aria's bathrobes. Her hair was sticking out at every angle and there were red marks around her neck.
"Wait," Liselle looked at the two of them. "You didn't-"
Aria picked up her tea and took a sip of it. Lauren just stared at Liselle.
"Oh. My. Goddess." Liselle's eyes went wide. "The two of you..."
Lauren looked guilty. "You make it sound like the universe is ending-"
"That's because it basically is!" Liselle's stomach twisted. "You slept with my mother!"
"Technically I fucked your mother first, and then we slept." Lauren was grining.
Aria smacked the human's shoulder. "You're not helping!"
"What? Just trying to set the facts straight here."
"Neither of you are helping!"
"I'm just going to drink my tea in the living room," Aria walked out of the kitchen. "The two of you can sort this out between yourselves."
"Sort out what?! The two of you slept together!"
"Again, we fucked before we went to sleep, Liselle-"
"Shut up!"
Writing smut is not easy. I'm actually looking for a beta-reader to help out with the next few chapters. Anyone interested send me a PM! Thanks for reading!