Costars

It almost seemed as though any time Tatiana got a bit of color from Belle's cheeks it had become of the upmost importance for her to fix her hair, brushing it with her fingers at just the right angle to obscure face. What a strange coincidence. It was silly really, she liked it when the redhead teased her a bit or elicited a snap reaction that left her blushing, the heat in her face was proof enough of that. Part of her still saw it as a stupid way to act, getting so excited over something so small. She was a adult after all. She shouldn't be acting like some rosy cheeked little kid. It was only fair though, she got almost as much enjoyment out of the little sounds Tatiana made from time to time as the other girl got from her reddened cheeks.

Turning from the windows she looked back to Tatiana, curious to see a reaction once she called for the music. Before she could even speak to the echo unit however she found herself quietly drawn to watching Tatiana from afar. Captivated by the performance she felt as though she shouldn't be staring at so dumbstruck. She had been around Kaylee long enough that the sheer feat of flexibility alone was mostly dead to her. She was fairly certain until recently Kaylee didn't actually have real bones with some of the things she could do.

Tatiana was different though. She couldn't place why. Simple elegant movements, her body drifting between positions that left Belle swallowing hard enough it was audible. Was she doing this on purpose or did she always look this beautiful while warming up? She pinched the frayed bottoms of her denim shorts, straightening them out a bit, following suit with her loose stop, trying to at least pretend she was doing something besides watching the girl.

Finally released from her trance, she was quick to half turn away, making the call to the echo to start the music. Her voice may have cracked just a bit from going dry, she cleared her throat softly as Tatiana made her way over. "I did..." She had considered just naming the playlist after Tatiana, but given it was saved on Party Hard's joint network, she didn't want Kaylee happening upon it. While unlikely, it was still possible with the long list of digital music purchases she had made to compile it. "It's... not cute." She said in a soft huff.

"I was just trying to be thoughtful." By not it was no real secret that despite Tatiana being easily pleased, Belle often times tried overly hard to impress her. It hadn't quite gotten to the point of absurdity yet, but it had only grown since the first night they connected. She liked sending her small gifts in the mail under the guise of being just a random fan of Novae. Edible arrangements, flowers, plushies, chocolates for Valentines Day... While she had to get something for both Tatiana and Valerie to keep things from getting too sketchy, the redhead's portion of the gifts seemed to be spot on to her tastes. Imagine that.

Belle's eyes fell back on the redhead as she flipped herself up onto the mats. The extra padding didn't seem to hinder her in the least. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad for her... She had a small worry she had worn herself down a bit trying to set everything up as it was. The girl in front of her was not only extremely talented, but a boundless fountain of energy. Even at the best of times she found it hard to keep up with her both physically and mentally. Still, she wasn't about to let any of that show. She had beaten her once before, twice if you really countered how quickly she could have ended her participation in their first match. Why should she be worried?

A brow raised slightly at Tatiana's boast, a corner of her lips tugging into a sharp smirk. The temptation was there to just try to pounce on the girl right then and there. Competitive my nature, making the redhead eat her words was incredibly alluring. She held herself back though, out of sportsmanship... and a slight want to see how she was intending to wear her down before she could manage to get her to the mats. "Challenge accepted." She raised her hands slowly, taking on a similiar stance the acrobat had been before. She had her hands open now however, those closed fists had been shelved for this little bout, at least for now. While her footing remained much the same, she looked more like a proper wrestler now. She threw her head to the side, tossing her long hair over one shoulder to keep it from interfering with her sight.

”It’s adorable. You’re adorable. You’re thoughtful, I like that.” Tatiana insisted, wagging a finger Belle’s way, loving her growing ability to get under the brunette’s skin at will. As much as she loved her tough side and her cute side, they were most amusing when they both came out and the former tried to suppress the latter. She was so thoughtful and caring and considerate and kind, but she was always trying to hide it, either to keep their thing in the shadows or just to keep up her whole image.

Just the image of Belle on her bed, rifling through her playlists, finding just the right songs and getting them in the right order and taking it all into account...kisses. Tatiana wanted to smother her in kisses. Maybe she would. After she’d pinned Belle down.

A much easier thing to think than to do. Tatiana kept up a smile as she danced on the mats, but on the inside, she was bit more serious about everything, had a niggling concern in the back of her head. Belle was a good wrestler, honestly better than anyone seemed to know. She was the backbone of Party Hard, the one who never seemed to get the shine she deserved. But Tatiana knew what she could do, how dangerous she could be. Even holding back, it was nothing to take lightly, more so when you considered that she couldn’t fully make use of her agility and skills. The odds weren’t in her favor.

And Tatiana could not have been more excited.

She took a moment to slide her bare feet along the mat, getting a good feel for cold sensations beneath her soles, before she moved back into her fighting stance. While she’s never taken a formal martial art, she and Valerie had studied many of them and incorporated them into their styles. Tatiana had taken a bit from karate and taekwondo, though she wasn’t sure how much of that she should bring out for this. She wanted to get some real training in, but she didn’t want to make this super serious.

Best to test the waters, then. As Belle moved into her grappling stance, Tatiana did the same, practically mirroring her. She inched closer and closer, working her way towards her foe, before she lunged forward with a big step and tried to take her in a lockup. Not that she thought she could win such a contest, since Belle was probably stronger in one arm than she was in two. But it would be a good way to how much force she was willing to exert and set the bar.

Belle had offhandedly muttered something about not being adorable under her breath, knowing better than to press it. All the careful planning, hard work, and subtle nudges to make the stars align for today hadn't been done with a serious contest in mind. Not originally anyway. She wanted to recapture the fun and excitement of their bout without the pressure to perform. Now that it was just the two of them and the confusion of how they felt about each other had been mostly cleared, it would be completely new. A light hearted display of their abilities, to learn and grow closer doing what brought them together in the first place.

Tatiana had put a spear through the idea of a playful expedition with her boasting, flicking a switch in the back of Belle's mind. She lived for competition, challenges were not only a source of excitement for her but the actual source of most of her income. Belle's channel was comprised almost entirely of content like that, it wasn't a hard part of her personality to figure out. Despite having lost their little dart bet, putting Belle in debt to Tatiana for a yet undisclosed cash in, even on their other "dates" and in texts was she always making wagers with the acrobat.

She hadn't been surprised when Tatiana rushed her, but had been when the girl willingly locked up with Belle. Her face told the story for a brief moment before it surged with a wave of confidence and a grin that too the redhead what a mistake she had made. Belle made sure the two of them were locked in nice and tight, leaning in close to Tatiana as she exerted herself fully to start to drive the girl back. She was sure getting her down would be simple now. It was hard for people to get away from her once she got her hands on them.

"Feeling really bold today huh?" She missed, rolling her shoulders to strengthen her leverage, trying to force Tatiana down to a a knee. "I thought I left more of an impression on you last time... I guess I will just have to leave yours on the mat instead." It was likely she could have tried to just scoop Tatiana up at any point, hell, even just toss her up over her head with the grip her already had. She assured of her victory already she was toying with her now, and having a fun time with it.

Oh, Tatiana was quite aware of her girlfriend’s competitive streak. Not only that, but she was counting on it. It was a reason she found the brunette so intriguing - reason #3, if she had to quantify it. Kaylee always seemed like a layabout to her. Driven in her own way, sure, but not quite the same way Belle was. The woman had this drive to her, the indomitable power that inspired Tatiana to excel. She was a wall. Never backing down, never giving up.

Tatiana wished she could adequately explain just how much it meant to her without sounding like a creep. But, for now, she’d happily show instead of tell.

Also, ‘girlfriend’. Wow, she loved using that word to describe Belle.

Sure enough, her forward charge got her exactly nowhere, before Belle responded to it with her overwhelming strength. Flashback of their match were rolling through Tatiana’s now, as she was given the perfect reminder of how much force Party Hard’s better half could bring to bear. She pushed, gave it everything she had, but she could only slow Belle down at best. She was going to the mat, lower and lower…

”Don’t...don’t count me out.” Tatiana managed a chuckle through her grunts. ”Might have a surprise for you.”

With a sudden jerk, she pulled her head forward and gave Belle a peck on the lips, never wanting to miss an opportunity for a smooch. It was the least she could do, really, considering her very next move was to jerk back, plant her feet onto Belle’s chest, and yank her arms forward in a wild attempt to send her flying with a monkey flip.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She snickered softly, it wouldn't be long before she had Tatiana on the ground just where she wanted her. "It's too late for sur-" Belle paused as the redhead planted a small peck on her lips. It brought her pushing to a sudden halt, a faint rosy hue on her cheeks. She wasn't sure why she was stopping, perhaps prolonging their struggle in hopes there was more to come.

She certainly got something else, though not what she was hoping for. As Tatiana threw herself back, she pulled Belle along with her. She winced as the acrobat's bare feet buried themselves in her chest, sending her up and over in one fluid motion to flop her flat across the blue mats with a soft muffled slap against the padding. She huffed, turning her head to look to Tatiana upside down incredulously. So that was how it was going to be, huh?

"That was dirty... And you know it." She narrowed her eyes as she blindly tugged at her top to fix it from being partially displaced. It was amazing how much the layered cushions helped to lessen the impact. Compared to an actual wrestling ring it might as well have been a bed of clouds. She slowly sat herself up, back to her opponent as she started to push herself up, for some reason not expecting Tatiana to take advantage of this or not caring if she did.

Tatiana wanted to record this.

That thought occurred to her as she sent Belle flying with the monkey flip, but she quickly dismissed it. Aside from the fact that they were going full steam and it was already kind of late for that, she knew she would be all too tempted to watch the match in her spare time, and run the risk of Valerie seeing it, and then...yeah. Not taking silly risk was the unspoken rule of their sly relationship.

Still, she would always have the memories, and the memory of her putting Belle on her back would always stick out.

Tatiana planted her hands on the mat and did a kip up, rising in an instant so she could wink down at Belle from over her shoulder. In most matches, this would’ve been the point where she came at her foe from behind with a kick and start cranking up the pressure. But she like the competitively playful bend this was taking so far. No need to get that crazy.

Instead, she dropped to her butt and slid in behind Belle, wrapping her legs around the brunette’s waist and pulling her head into a classic sleeperhold. She doubted she would have enough strength to put her to sleep, even if she really wanted to, but she could hold on like a limpet and wear her down. Besides, it gave them close contact, which opened up some interesting possibilities. ”And you...” She gave Belle’s ear a little nibble. ”...love it.”

Belle had let herself get distracted, but it wasn't just that. She had let herself fantasize. She thought about the redhead often, while they were apart as well as when they were together. She was no stranger towards getting intimate with someone. She had her fair share of partners over the years, hell, she had even been involved in some hentai matches. It was different when you actually liked the person opposite you though.

The two of them hadn't crossed any serious thresholds with each other yet, it left her always wanting more. She couldn't help but feel as though Tatiana felt similiar, but didn't want to push it as an issue. She was precious, the last thing she wanted was to misread a situation and wind up creating distance between the two. She was thankful Tatiana was not only so open, but in some cases outwardly aggressive with what she wanted. It made it easier to Belle to navigate this relationship of there's without worry of causing issues.

Before she had managed to raise herself up, she could feel the woman slipping up behind her. Those long lovely legs wrapping themselves around her. As her head was drawn back she found herself leaning into the redhead. She reached up, running her fingers along Tatiana's forerarms before she began to wiggle them down between them both to try to pry them apart.

She could feel The acrobat's breath on her, hear her sweet voice taunting her. The lips upon her ear, so soft and gentle as the girl playfully nibbled at her. Her eyelids fluttered as she reactively tilted her head, making it easier for the girl to nip at her ear. She winced almost immediately after as her repositioning only allowed her to cinch in her sleeper hold that much tighter. Her mind blanked for a moment, letting her answers for the situation wash away under the flood of perverted little desires.

"Not even... Nnnn... A little bit" She could have stayed wrapped up like this forever, well, until Tatiana eventually choked her out. The rough hold coupled with the playful affection was more than enough to entice her to stay, though even though she wanted to she knew it was best not to. If the redhead was willing to open up like this, surely there was more to be had later. Still it was hard to will herself to break free.

Her fingers retreated from Tatiana's arms, finding their way to the girls thigh's fingers splaying out over the fabric.  She breathed out as he body tensed, trying to make herself less of a ragdoll within the woman's hold. Her fingers danced down along the redhead's leg. If she was going to play dirty, Belle could too. She had been curious about something with the girl anyhow, so now was as good as time as any to experiment.

Belle slipped her hand around the sole of Tatiana's foot. Her other other fingers hooked the lip of the redhead's pants leg, tugging the cloth up her calf to expose her a bit more. She took hold of Tatiana's ankle firmly before she started wiggle her fingers over the bottoms of her feet, seeing how ticklish the girl was. She was sure to maintained her grip, if this worked she was going to have so much fun.

It seemed like Tatiana’s ruse worked better than even she anticipated, because she was able to get the jump on Belle without any real problem. She was reasonably sure that if just about anyone else on the Friction roster, in any situation, had tried to get her like this, they would’ve found themselves swiftly planted on the mat. The brunette would rise to her feet, summoning her strength to stand while they were still clinging for their lives. In one powerful move, she’d tossed them over her shoulders and slammed them on the mat like a little child.

But not her. She was special. When she pulled Belle into her grasp, she might as well have been holding her with iron chains. It had to be a silly scene to watch, to see someone small master someone so big, to see her slender form dominating those daunting muscles. It was like she melted between her arms, as if her insides turned to silly putty.

”Liar, liar.” She whispered, let the husky words flow into Belle’s earn, before giving it a few more nibbles and a long lick to go on top. That was the moment she choose to do some actual struggling, but that just spurred Tatiana to clamp down even more. ”Nuh-uh.” She hummed and buried her face into Belle’s hair, taking deep scents of it. She planted a couple of kisses on the back of her neck while she was there, too. Why not? ”Not that easy.”

That didn’t deter Belle, however, as her hands started to roam over Tatiana’s toned legs, caressing them. It felt good, just not as good as it could have, sadly. ”Kind of wished you’d told me to wear shorts, you know?” She pouted. [color=#ff3300]”I’ve got this cute pair that I’m pretty sure you...you…”[/color

No.

Oh, no.

She should’ve seen it coming when Belle grabbed her ankles, but now it was too late. The fingers were dancing over her skin, scratching the nerves of her soft, sensitive feet. Her profession required her to be more in tune with her feet than most, made them more tactile, so when Belle went at them with her sneaky fingers, well…

”Nonononon-” Tatiana went into a giggle fit and abandoned the hold in an instant, instead dedicating her every move to scrambling away from Belle in a mad attempt to get free. Her hysterical guffaws filled the room as she clawed at the mat. ”Cheater! Cheater!”

Belle kept her mouth shut, trying to muffle the sounds she knew would only urge the redhead on, lips tightening as she sucked them inward to keep from letting them slip. It didn't seem to matter however, Tatiana was having her fill of fun either way. The casual way she spoke as she was incapacitating her with minimal force was not only slightly embarrassing but oddly enough a turn on. The sweet, bubbly, playful Tatiana was her bane, and she cherished every time she exploited that fact against her.

She had wished she had been a bit more open about the plans for the day. Knowing how Tatiana's mind worked she could only imagine how beautiful she would have been when dressing for the occasion. She had left the offer for her to borrow clothes open if she really wanted to slip into something else.

"That I would...what?" She could feel the moment her fingers dragged themselves along the arch of her foot that she had struck paydirt. The sudden silence, an end to the sultry way she tugged and kissed at her. Oh, it was time for payback. As the redhead let her free in a fit of frenzied giggles, she almost lost her grip in the scramble.

Flopping only her back, she held tight as Tatiana clawed and scrambled for safety. "Yes yes yeeeees... Come here pretty lady..." She held firm onto Tatiana's ankle and foot, trying to draw her back in along the mats. It was like reeling in a particularly energetic fish really. Once she had gotten her calf close enough, she hugged it close to her chest to keep it stranded.

"Cheater? Don't recall us discussing rules here... What are they again?" Belle craned her neck to grin along the mats down the length of the redhead's body as she slipped her fingers up and down along her foot, playing the poor girl like an instrument. She had expected her to be ticklish. There was no way someone as cute as Tatiana couldn't be ticklish. That would have been a crime. Now with a trump card in hand, she had evened the odds for their spar as well as future encounters.

In hindsight, it was probably inevitable that Belle discovered how ticklish she was. They liked to touch each other too much, had too much fun fondling and caressing and cuddling. One day, the brunette would be innocently - or, perhaps not so innocently - touching her, and she’d happen upon one of her most sensitive places. The sparks would fly, and she would know exactly how ticklish Tatiana was, how she could drive her insane with the right touch in the right spot at the right time in the right way.

Yeah, she knew this was going to happen. Just not this way. The crazy little devil had her, dead to rights.

”No, no! Gah!” Tatiana helplessly flopped about, every bit as helpless as a fish out of water, desperately trying to escape Belle’s iron chain of a grip. It seemed like the harder she squirmed, the more pressure she applied, the more impossible it became to get away from her. If she wanted to get out - and she wasn’t entirely sure she did - she would have to make her let go.

”Ah! You’re evil!” Tatiana declared as she worked her away around, trying hard to force her body to do something productive. In her addled state, the best she could come up with was a novel counterattack, as she brought her foot up and tried to give Belle a few playful slaps on her face with the sole, seeing if she could get a toe in her mouth to make her back off. Not the most ingenious response, but in her defense, she was having trouble breathing, much less formulating a solid plan. ”Taste it!”