Chapter 1
The sunlight, pouring in through the large glass windows, and dancing along the polished wooden floorboards was the first thing Helen noticed when she walked through the door of her girlfriend’s room. It reminded her of a golden fire in one of her brother’s canvas paintings.
She took a few long strides until she was in the middle of the room, and spun around slowly, taking in the unfamiliar space.
It was so very… Aline; the messy bed, the tidy desk, the glimmering wall of weapons; her prized blades carefully placed on a mantle, the dozens of papers strewn about the floor and the loveseat placed against the only bare wall of the room, the sparse bookshelf. It felt safe, and familiar somehow… just like the pretty girl still standing in the doorway.
“Well? You’re not just going to stand there, observing me observe your room, now are you?” Helen said over her shoulder as she made her way to the Aline’s desk.
“Not all afternoon”, she replied softly, “No”. She stayed where she was and watched Helen run her fingers over the table, the back of the sturdy chair, the rim of the pen holder. Her fingers… They were so long... And strong... And-
“Take your time, babe”, Helen said, looking up with a smirk dancing on her lips, effectively snapping the other girl out of her daze.
Aline huffed, then finally made her way to Helen and, almost hesitantly, took her hands in her own, thumbs automatically moving to glide over pale knuckles. Helen only quirked an eyebrow, still smirking. She just wanted to kiss that annoying expression off of her face, and so she did. Helen reciprocated readily, and tried to untangle her fingers so she could slip them around Aline’s waist. But Aline held fast, and moved Helen towards the empty wall, still kissing her hard.
When they finally got to the wall, Aline slipped her hands out of Helen’s fingers, and looped them around her thighs instead, pulling them up around her own waist. She felt Helen gasp into her mouth and deepen the kiss.
She felt breathless. She hadn’t thought she’d get this far… Not that they hadn’t made out before. They had. Many times. But it’d always been Helen who initiated before. She felt triumphant, and her triumph only soared as she pulled away to look at her girlfriend. Helen had a dazed, surprised expression on her face. She’d surprised Helen!. Her beautiful blue-green eyes were shining, as were her lips. Her chest was rising and falling softly, the movement stirring her pale gold locks so prettily. Aline thought her heart would just about burst out of her throat with the way it hurt when she looked at Helen. Her girlfriend was just so goddamned beautiful...
“Well done Aline!” Helen said at last, letting out a shaky laugh Aline’s heart couldn’t help but stutter at. “You’ve kissed me and pinned me to your wall. Now what?”
The proud expression Aline wore faltered and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but only a weak, baffled groan came out. Helen almost felt sorry for her.
“Come here you!” She laughed, and tightened her legs around Aline’s waist. She then grabbed her by the collar of her loose white shirt and pulled her close, just brushing her lips across Aline’s, before moving to kiss her along her jaw. She kissed behind her ear, then slipped one of her hands into her hair and tugged her head back, exposing her long, slender neck. Aline gasped sharply as Helen kissed down her throat, murmuring soft words of endearment as she went. She buried her face in the crook of the neck and started to suck. She heard Aline moan as she marked her warm brown skin. It was the best sound in the world, and she was glad she was the one who brought it out.
Aline’s long fingers had slipped from Helen’s thighs to her waist by then, her thumbs moving over the small strip of bare skin above her waistband. Slowly, but this time surely, she snaked her left hand up under Helen’s top, earning a groan and a light nip to her skin. It felt good, so Aline kept going. She ran her hand over Helen's smooth stomach, her defined waist, the strong muscles of her back, until it was tangled in the fabric of her tight top. Then she pulled her arm out, grabbed the hem with both hands, and pulled upwards, forcing Helen’s lips to leave her neck.
Helen’s heart started to beat just a little faster as Aline pulled her top off completely, but she wasn’t uncomfortable just yet. And she definitely didn’t want this to stop. So she just smiled at Aline, as the girl tried to kiss her, and grasped the buttons of her shirt.
“Uh-uh. You too Alie!”
She started to slip the buttons out of their loops, one-by-one, making sure her finger tips JUST brushed Aline’s skin, knowing it would drive her mad. Sure enough, her breath hitched every time it happened, and her body shifted to get a little closer each time. Once the buttons were all undone, Helen started to push the shirt off her shoulders, kissing the bared shoulder as she did. Aline groaned and snaked her hands around Helen, one on the back of her neck, tangled in her hair, and the other wound around her waist, drawing her closer. And then they were kissing again.
Helen’s tongue slipped into her mouth, expertly exploring it. It shocked Aline every single time how good she was at kissing. Helen could bring Aline to her knees with just her mouth if she wanted to. Aline tried to engage more, running her own tongue along Helen’s bottom lip, nipping at it with her teeth, sucking. She pulled her closer, hands roaming along her long, lean body, moaning hard into her mouth when Helen’s fingers brushed against her nipples. She finally found a spot on her hip that, when she squeezed, made Helen gasp and pull away a little, before promptly kissing her back even harder.
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Helen felt her heart stutter even before she fully grasped that Aline’s hand was now on the buttons of her jeans. She hurriedly grabbed the hand, and looked up into her soft eyes, which were now asking a silent question.
Aline was a little surprised that Helen stopped her, but immediately pulled away and let her drop her legs from around her waist. She reached her hand up to caress Helen’s cheek and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you not want to?”
When Helen didn’t answer, she quickly added, “Not that that’s a problem. We can do this whenever you’re ready. It’s okay. I love you-”. She gasped then and her hand flew from Helen’s cheek to clamp across her own mouth.
The most beautiful pink blush crept up her face and neck, and Helen felt the urge to laugh and kiss her all over. She managed not to do anything rash, and replied in a surprisingly steady voice, “You love me?”, hopefully not betraying any of the joyful anticipation she really felt.
“I- uh… yeah? Yes.”
“Well Aline, I think I just might... feel the same way about you”, she said, trying to be witty and eloquent and failing miserably.
Before Aline could even begin to react, however, she surged on, “And yes. I do want to. I do want to be with you… Every way you want me to be with you, just not... Right now”. She couldn’t even meet Aline’s eyes now.
“Hey..”, Said Aline, her voice impossibly soft as she stepped closer, her hands moving to cup Helen’s cheeks, “Hey. I love you. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Just being around you makes me feel like I’m finally home. I don’t need anything more.”
Helen nodded and smiled a little, a bashful glint in her eyes. Then she spoke.
“It’s because it’s light outside”.
“What?” Aline asked, honestly confused.
“I don’t want to have sex right now because it’s light outside”.
“Oh. Okay...um… Explain? Please?”
“It makes me uncomfortable. Exposed. Like I’m out in the open. I know I know… I’m part fae! I should be okay with being ‘out in the open’! I’m just… not. I don’t like it and it makes me feel like I’m being watched… or judged. So there you have it. THIS is the shit you’ve signed up for. No morning sex for the rest of your life.”
It was Aline’s turn to laugh now. “Oh? And what makes you think I intend on staying monogamous all my life, Love?”, she teased, giggling a little. (That was weird. Aline did NOT giggle)
“Love? Is that what you intend on calling me now?” Helen said with exaggeratedly raised eyebrows.
“Oh shut up! And so what if it is?”
“Nothing. I like it..”, Helen replied, blushing just a little.
Next thing she knew, Aline’s arms were lifting her up again, and her legs locked around her waist without a thought spared toward the action. Her arms slipped easily around the smooth neck, as she gazed into those beloved brown eyes, and she smiled. A big, real smile this time.
“Helen? I love you so fucking much.” Aline whispered, before her mouth slammed into hers. Helen had kissed so many people before. They’d left her breathless. Aline was the only one who also left her full.