Half Lion
We become the light we let through us.
Unknown
Here it comes, the rain bands, the storm edge, we’re running on borrowed time. We’re running out. But we got this:
Manon, taking a shower. Elide, back resting against the bathroom sink. Her eyes watching Manon’s shadowy form, passing through fogged glass. Through mist.
Today had been … holy god. Today had been the beginning of the end. A million questions, the cousins had exploded with a million thoughts and theories and … holy hell. But even in the pit of that chaos, Manon had seemed lighter. Like she’d finally unwound some of the agony her mother had settled onto her, untwisted just an inch, and maybe that was enough for Elide to ask: “Want to talk about it?”
Manon stilled, steam rising. The water pounded and pounded, pounded and pounded, wash away what we can no longer carry, forever and amen. “Today?”
“Yeah.”
“Not really.”
“Fair enough. Want me to distract you?”
Good God, I think we both need to forget. Sweet Satan, I think we need a moment where the world isn’t a rising tide of flames.
Manon leaned against the shower wall, water rushing through her palms. “El? Promise me something? If this all goes badly, if we don’t win. My grandmother, she’ll do everything she can to annihilate me. She’ll tell you the worst things about me. She’ll try to destroy us.”
Elide stood up, careful and slow, every movement measured, the way you approach a wild animal, a thing ready to bolt. Not from me. Don’t run from me. I’m right here. Walking up to the shower door, Elide laid her forehead against it, pressed her palm to glass. “Manon.” She breathed, caught in the simple weight of that name, the love of her life. “I know you. The world thinks it does. It shows me a thousand pictures of you. But I see clearly.
I choose to be with you. I’m finally free with you. She can’t take me from you.”
Manon walked up to the shower door, laid down her forehead, her palm, her heart. “El.”
“Don’t be afraid, Manon.” Elide whispered.
“I love you.”
“I know.”
Through the steam, the mist, the glass, Elide saw Manon Blackbeak smile. Then the door was sliding open and Manon was kissing her, cupping her close, never let me go. “Come on,” Elide tugged them both forward, “dry off.”
“Why bother?” Manon’s eyes roamed over her face.
“Because I like watching.”
“Yes ma’am.” Turning off the shower, Manon grabbed a towel and slowly ran it over her body, cataloguing every hitch of Elide’s breath. And you better believe Elide’s breath wasn’t steady. When Manon turned her back, drying her hair, Elide had to bite down on her teeth, bite back a hiss. Her hands shook with wanting. With – there was an achingly hunger, to run her palms over Manon’s hips, down her legs, up her thighs. To kiss down her spine then lick a path back up it. To cup Manon’s breasts and core until she came apart in Elide’s hands.
Looking over her shoulder, Manon said, “Like the view?”
“Come with me.” Taking Manon’s hand once more, Elide tugged her into their bedroom, kissing Manon, setting the pace, the tone, the heat. Slow. Deep. Whiteout.
“Baby.” Manon breathed against her mouth.
“What do you want?”
“Anything. You.”
Nudging Manon to sit on the edge of the bed, Elide stood between her legs for a long moment, carding her fingers through Manon’s hair. The other woman’s amber eyes slipped closed, soft and reverent. Pressing a kiss to Manon’s cheek, Elide sank down to her knees.
“Babe? Your ankle…” Manon looked down at her, pupils blown black, one hand reaching down to cup her jaw.
“You should be a lot more worried about my knees.”
“El!” Manon’s laugh broke off into a gasp as Elide spread her thighs open.
“You want me to stop?” She whispered, kissing a path up Manon’s skin.
“Baby.” Manon gasped, her fingers tangling deep into Elide’s hair.
“I’m going to need a yes, love.” Elide licked her way up Manon’s left thigh, soft, swirling patterns that set Manon’s hips to shifting.
“Oh, god yes.” Manon tipped her head back, wet hair cascading down, and Elide had never witnessed a sight that drove her closer to insanity.
Shifting a knee over her left shoulder, she gently kissed the closely cropped hair over Manon’s core. “Behave yourself,” she breathed right against Manon’s heat. In response, she heard Manon’s exhale, her ragged inhale. Dipping down, Elide licked through Manon’s folds, taking her sweet, patient time.
“Fuck.” Manon gasped, her chest bowing forward, hands still wrapped in Elide’s hair.
Elide just hummed, knowing the sound would break something in the back of Manon’s brain, before finally, finally moving down to lick into Manon’s entrance. At Manon’s sigh of relief, Elide smiled and tongued her deeper, slipping in as far as she could before slipping back out. Manon’s hips shifted in time to the rhythm and Elide didn’t try to stop her, lost and in love with push and pull of them.
“El,” Manon said her name softly, so softly, “Baby will you …” Knowing what Manon asked for, not needing her to finish asking for it, Elide shifted and took Manon’s clit between her lips, slipping one finger, two fingers, into her tight heat. Gripping her head close, Manon rode Elide’s fingers, letting her hips buck until her body splintered apart in pleasure. Elide eased her through it, holding on, right there in Manon’s arms.
As Manon’s fingers began to gently card through her hair, Elide looked up. “Come here,” Manon whispered, tugging Elide to stand between her hips. “You drive me insane,” Manon continued, her fingers dragging mindless patterns up Elide’s stomach. “I’m with you and I lose my mind.” Her hands cupped Elide’s breasts, and Elide shivered at the sudden warmth, the brush of thumbs over her nipples. “That’s it, baby, that’s it. I used to dream about touching you like this, and then I would try so hard to forget, because you weren’t mine to touch. It didn’t work.” Manon took a nipple into her mouth. “It never worked.”
Curling in close to Manon, Elide gasped, hands shaking, lost in the slow goddamned fire. Half-images poured through her mind, Manon dreaming about her, Manon touching herself with Elide’s name on her tongue, Manon’s body arched beneath her own.
“You’re close, aren’t you?” Manon said against her overheated skin.
“What gave it away?” Elide replied, voice not quite steady.
“How wet you are.” Manon’s hand curled between her legs, just parting Elide’s folds.
“Sweet fuck.”
“My thoughts exactly. Lay on the bed for me?” Elide knew Manon, her moods, her laughs, her terrors, her radiance. So she heard, even now, the edge of fear in Manon’s voice. I don’t want to lose you.
Looking down at Manon’s face, into those amber eyes, Elide said, “Yes.”
As Elide laid down, Manon straddled her waist, clearly thinking about something, clearly trying to find a way to say it.
“Hey, what is it?” Elide poked her lightly in the stomach.
A small smile flickered across Manon’s face as she pinned Elide’s palms to the mattress. “Do you – I want to try something.”
“I draw the line at whipped cream.”
Victory – Manon laughed, the tension in her body breaking. “On these sheets? I’d be insane. No. It’s uh, not food.” Reaching over to the bedside table, Manon pulled open a drawer and took out a black, egg-shaped vibrator. Softly, she said, “It’s just mine. I’ve never used it with anybody. But after last night, I thought, maybe you’d like it?”
“Oh sweet fuck yes!”
Score #2 – Manon laughed again, leaning down to kiss Elide deep and hungry. “I’m very curious to hear what sounds you make when I’ve got a vibrator on your clit and my fingers inside you.”
“Fucking Jesus.” Elide gasped
“Not tonight baby. I’m not into sharing.” Kneeling between Elide thighs and spreading them wide, Manon hissed. “Fuck, you’re so wet.” As she slipped one finger inside Elide’s core, she groaned, “I mean fuck. Fuck.” Elide wasn’t far behind, her entire focus narrowed to the point where Manon entered her, the line of heat. Thrusting a few times, Manon pulled out and ignored Elide’s whimper of protest.
Without turning the vibrator on, Manon nestled it against Elide’s slit, the touch of cool silicone a sweet relief. “God, you look good,” Manon murmured, staring down at Elide and finally turning the vibrator on, pressing it against her clit.
“Manon!” Elide bucked her hips up, the ache in her core thrumming through her. Pounding and pounding and pounding.
“Patience, baby.” Carefully resting herself on top of Elide’s body, Manon rocked them together, kissed her deep and filthy. Elide gasped, her legs wrapping tight around Manon’s hips. She lost herself in the rhythm of them, fucking hard against the vibrator, she might have begged for release, she didn’t know, burning in the glory.
Kissing down Elide’s body, Manon braced on one elbow and took a nipple into her mouth, licking it until Elide cried out. Then she started on the other one, teeth nipping at sensitive, sensitive skin. “Manon, Manon please.”
“Use your words.” Manon said, but her voice didn’t sound any steadier.
“Please god, fuck me. Fuck me.”
That’s was all she had to say. Sitting up, Manon shoved her loose mane of hair over one shoulder, breath ragged. “God, anything baby.” Then her fingers pushed into Elide, deep and fast, and her other hand angled the vibrator against her clit and Elide … was gone. Fucking herself onto Manon’s hand and letting herself get fucked. The orgasm built deeper and deeper in her spine, spiraling through her limbs. She tasted Manon on her tongue as she came.
As the whiteout faded, as her breath rushed back in, Elide felt Manon turn off the vibrator and lay over her once more. But her fingers stayed inside Elide, still gently thrusting, the pressure easy and familiar. Elide relaxed into it, breathing in Manon’s scent, kissing her softly. When her second orgasm came, it poured down through her body like honey.
They lay together like that, tangled, intertwined. Elide didn’t know how long they stayed there. She didn’t care. As long as they got just a little more time.