Costars

Every inch she had gained on her pacified partner has been a victory in her head. Simply laying herself down across the acrobat would have been enough to just turn down the lights and hold her. There would be plenty of time for that though, after their match. She was a bit surprised when she felt Tatiana's body bumping her, rubbing against her leg. She had left it there was a firm presence mostly, the addition the redhead added to the mix wasn't as all unwanted... It even helped her plans.

It was hard to stay in the moment with that question, one that threatened to pull it all out from under her. The thing was, this was where she was going. She had been so careful to avoid pushing too hard or too fast with Tatiana. Despite all the desires she knew was there on her part, what she knew of the redhead's experiences with intimacy was something she had always avoided asking. She knew how she looked up to her in some ways, she so much as told her on a few occasions. Pressuring her into something she wasn't ready for was one of her biggest fears, as it could have shattered this... Whatever this thing they had, was.

She cut her fun and games short a bit, revealing her true intention for her up close and personal prowl as she tried her best to continue in spite of that question. She peered sidelong at Tatiana from having finished another of her kisses. "One..." she hoped that was enough of an answer, for the time being.

It wasn't a question she really wanted to answer out loud. That was one of the perks with her past flings. One night stands didn't get hung up on the details. There was no feelings to hash out, just one and done. It was fun. Move on. Hell, half the time thanks to the alcohol involved only a piece of the evening tended to remain. She hadn't ever really felt regret, nobody was getting hurt or doing something they didn't want to... At least she assumed. They could have an awkward talk about boundaries after she had finished pinning the redhead.

Tatiana had to ask, but that hardly meant she was happy about it. She didn’t like to press Belle about her past relationships, but given her…prowess when it came to hentai matches, it was safe to say she had far more experience in the sexual arena. More than her, not that you had to try particularly hard to beat zero.

The thing was,Tatiana knew in her heart of hearts that, if Belle pushed her, she would’ve gone all the way. The brunette had a magic hold on her, could’ve gotten her to do just about anything with the right look and the right words. She knew that. They both did. The woman could turn her into a melting mess with her stare.

Some would’ve abused that and taken advantage of her. Not Belle. Never Belle. She didn't’ just want her, she cared for her, in a way she’d never experienced outside of her own family, and sometimes not even then. Tatiana trusted her, and that trust was rewarded when she read her mind and stopped, just shy of the crucial point.

She smiled, a warm, loving smile, as Belle counted. She didn’t bother struggling, no point to it. In fact, she did the complete opposite. [color=#ff3300]”Two.”[/color[

Tatiana lifted her head up, turned it to the side, and gave Belle a kiss on her cheek as a silent ‘thank you’.

Tatiana had a way of subverting Belle's expectations. When they had first met, while bubbly and energetic, the girl had been hesitant and somewhat timid to speak to her. She recalled the stammering, the surprise in her eyes when she had offered to shake hands. She looked back on all of that fairly frequently with fondness. The girl was more forward than she expected, more talented than she expected, more amiable than she expected, more susceptible than she expected, more, more, more, more. It put Belle's own biases and stood them on their head, but so far in their secret little relationship, it had all been good.

She loved seeing a side of Tatiana that broke her down past her cutesy exterior, seeing that intensity she showed in the ring or her playful side she she showed in private. She just didn't know how to verbalize it. It was far easier to speak in personal things like this with alcohol running through her veins to drive a knife through the heart of her inhibitions.

When she had made the pin known, she had expected one of the girl's cute little noises, perhaps a fruitless struggle with more cries of being a cheater. What she got instead was a soft solemn moment of acceptance, and a kiss. She sighed softly, content in the moment. If she didn't count the final number, could they stay like this for awhile longer? She lifted her head to peer down at Tatiana. There was something on the tip of her tongue she wanted to say to the girl. Let her knew how much she meant to her. Would that be too much, too fast? They had only seen each other a handful of times, even with the near daily texted conversations. She wanted things to be meaningful with Tatiana. Where words failed her in the moment, she let her smile shine instead.

"Three." Belle gave the redhead's hand a small squeeze as she lowered herself down, pressing her lips to Tatiana's. Her eyes drifted shut as her head bobbed slightly, nudging a bit closer in small gentle pushes into the kiss. Far more innocent than some they had shared, a lovely parting gift for victor and defeated. She didn't overstay her welcome though and would pull back before too long. "...Again?" She inquired quietly, not ready for them to quit just yet. "Wrestling, I mean..." She gave a small shake of her head, having to clarify her meaning. Two out of three falls.... three out of five? Best out of seven? Where would it end? She didn't bother putting a number on it, they were adults after all. They could stop whenever they wanted.

The two of them hadn’t known each other for too long, but already, Tatiana was having a hard time imagining a life without Belle. Who would satisfy her stringent cuddling needs? Who would she text when Valerie was acting silly and she needed to speak with someone sane? Aside from her sister, she was the only person she knew in Tokyo, her best friend by default. That would’ve been a sad statement, if Belle hadn’t done such an excellent job of making up for the lack.

For a moment - a moment that was certainly longer than one second - the two of them stared at each other, with Tatiana looking Belle’s endless pools. She swore, the brunette had the most wondrous blue eyes, so bright they could glow in the dark, like gemstones set in the midst of her face. Beautiful, haunting, mesmerizing.

She sighed into Belle’s mouth as their lips met again, letting her breath flow down her lover’s throat. The kiss was soft and tender, sweet and pleasant, the kind of light touch that somehow left her tingling more than its hot and wild counterparts. When they pulled away, a single strand of saliva linked them, but she was quick to slurp it up.

”Again.” She rubbed their noses together. ”And again and again and again.”

Of all the things, why was it the little nose rubbing that made her blush harder than the kiss they had just shared, she would never know. Eskimo kisses... that was what they were called, right? She knew the longer she stayed here like this the harder it would be to finally get up. As much as she would love to roll around in the mats and just make out with the lovely redhead all afternoon, she did have a genuine want to spar with her. The two had a lot to learn from one another.

Belle slowly lifted herself off of Tatiana, wiggling her fingers down along the length of the girl's arms to get a few more tickles in before she moved to rise completely. She stepped back, planting her feet for Tatiana to use to help her rise while her hands reached out to offer to help her up. "You are really looking forward to getting pinned again, huh?" She gave the girl a wry smirk as she hoisted her to her feet again.

She may have pulled her a bit harder than needed, so the girl would "accidently" fall into her arms where she could play the role of hero and give her a light embrace. Before it could turn into anything else, she would step back and brush Tatiana off as if she had somehow needed a dusting. "When you're ready." She slowly backed away, holding up her arms.

---

The two girls had been at it for awhile. While it started off serious, with ample trades, like the first time it broke down to the point of holds for the sake of being close and tickle aided escapes which Tatiana had been quick to make a formal ruling banning them from the rest of their sparring for the afternoon. After the stoppage, which had Belle playing dumb to actually trying to tickle her to begin with and Tatiana defending her case as if they were in a legal proceedings. The impassioned way she spoke on the topic moved Belle to concede, though she made it very clear the ban only applied to THIS spar before they continued.

Once they had hit a stride, the intimate holds became less and less, and the more competitive side seemed to raise their personal bar. The two women found themselves pushing one another, with Tatiana's quick thinking, reflexes and mobility getting the better of Belle for a good long while. She even managed to squeeze a submission out of her after playing possum.

Ultimately, things ended very similiar to their first real match in the ring. Eventually Belle managed to get ahold of the girl and would ultimately have sealed her fate. She knew she would be sore in the morning, but it would be worth it. In terms of training, she was certain she could use a lot of what she saw today in the ring. For now though, she was spent. Having rolled off to Tatiana after the most recent pinfalls she sprayed herself out as if intending to make a snow angel on the mat, panting softly.

Even with the central ac, the large open room felt so hot... Though it was likely just her. She had worked up a healthy sweat, not just in exerting herself, but trying to just keep up with Tatiana. She was almost certain if they did this again, the acrobat would have her number for sure. She adapted far better than Belle, that was something she would have to work on.

"You alive Slinky?" She turned her head slightly to peer across the mats to Tatiana. Despite how open her too was already, she hooked her fingers into the collar, giving it a few times to help fan herself as she lay on the ground.

Tatiana was, in fact, looking forward to getting pinned again, which was a good thing, because that was precisely what happened and kept happening as the evening went. While she learned to do better holding her own in straight up competition with the bruising brunette, it was still not unlike trying to stop a raging rhino. The best she could hope for was to slow her down, but no matter how much she did, Belle just kept coming.

The woman was tireless, which drove Tatiana to be tireless. The two of them brought the best out of each other, iron sharpening iron and all that. When it was all over they laid side by side, sweaty and panting, trying to catch their breath while their sweat glistened all over the mats.

She couldn’t think of a better way to end her night.

Tatiana ran a hand over her face, keeping the droplets from seeping into her eye, then chuckled at Belle’s question. ”Very much alive.” She lifted her legs up and stretched them out, kicking them out like she was cycling with an invisible bike, before she just let them flop back to the floor.

She opened her mouth again, ready to throw a quip Belle’s way, when she was interrupted by her own stomach. A low, gurgling  came out of it, making the mat tremble beneath. ”Oh, right, I’m supposed to eat food every few hours. Kind of forgot.” She snickered and slapped her forehead, before rolling her head toward Belle. ”Do you mind if I raid your fridge?”

"Good... I don't know if I could manage digging a hole in the garden to throw you in otherwise." Belle snickered softly, lifting her head a bit to eye Tatiana pedaling the air with a raised brow before dropping it back to the mat. She reached up, combing back hair from her face, the way it was starting to cling was becoming annoying.

"Oh, right, I have some food plans for us. Just need to call in the delivery. Should be maybe fifteen, twenty ish minutes? If that is too much I should have some trail mix and protein bars in the cabinet next to the minifridge to tide you over." She extended an arm, waving it in the general direction of the fridge. " If you make the journey, can you grab me a water? ...Please?"

The fridge itself had a few items, though mostly drinks. Bottled water, orange juice, cranberry juice, some sort of Japanese off brand vegetable juice that looks like it might be similiar to v8, it even had a bottle of wine laying near the back... Though it was nearly empty. In the bottom drawer was also some sting cheese. The cabinets bordering the fridge contained mostly disposable cups and plates, but also we're home to some picking foods. The mentioned trail mix of nuts and berries hand packed in what one would assume was portion sizes in little half sandwich baggies, a few different bags of nuts and dried fruit likely used to compile those with small plastic clips on them, and a wholesale box of protein bars with the top having been cut off for easy access.

While Tatiana tended to her end of things, Belle had begun to lazily roll herself to the edge of the mats, reaching out to pay for her phone. It was almost as sad as it was humourous as she strained to pick it up while staying on the ground rather than just going to get it like a normal person. Her persistence payed off eventually after spending more effort than needed to retrieve it. With a flop onto her back she prodded at the phone, pulling up a browser to set up the food delivery.

And Belle was on the ball, as always. If there was one thing that Tatiana admired about her - besides her fun personality, her caring demeanor, her amazing body, the way her hair felt when she ran her hands through it, and numerous other things - it was the woman’s penchant for having things planned out and always knowing what the next step would be. She always seemed ready, like few things could catch her off guard. Maybe it just came with the territory, constantly having her life involved in some kind of business?

Tatiana kicked her legs forward, tried to roll up to her feet...and failed, immediately flopping down flat on her butt. The second time was more of a success, though, and she was able to stand up, albeit with a wobble. She rubbed her back, hissing when she felt a nagging kink in her spine. Bearhug Town was a nice place to visit, but she wasn’t sure she could survive an extended stay.

”Well, I was going to leave you there and let you stay thirsty, but since you said ‘please’...”

She gave Belle a teasing kick to her shins as she passed, making her way over to the minifridge with a weary and worn strut. It only took her a few moments to get what she needed: two bottles of water, two protein bars, in case Belle wanted one two. With all she needed in hand, she came back, placed them down on the mat next to her, then dropped down to lay on her side, perpendicular to the brunette.

Tatiana scooted in and laid her head on Belle’s stomach to use it as a pillow, giving her something soft to lay on as she looked up her way with a light, satisfied smile.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tatiana's legs shoot up, though the dull thwap of her falling back to the mats was a surprise that stole her attention away from her phone. She sputtered, trying ever so hard not to outright laugh, it seemed their spar had taken a bit out of the girls usual grace. It was good to know she wasn't on her game all the time at least. Glancing back to her phone she missed softly to herself. "The American judge rates that landing a 1.8, unbelievable."

"See? Told you I was thoughtful. I always say please." That was a bold face lie. It was a bad habit in most cases to leave out her please and thank yous. It came with the territory of always having people around you doing stuff for you. It was their job after all. She would never get anything done if she was always hung up on that sort of thing. She finalized the prearranged order before she verified it just in time to get kicked in her she.

"Hey!" She shot Tataina an incredulous look as she bucked her backside to try to flop closer to sing her own foot at the girl, but she was already too far away. She raised a fist, dramatically shaking it as if swearing vengeance on the girl before letting it drop back to the mats. With a soft sigh she closed her eyes and just took in the moment with a faint smile on her face. This had been fun, hanging out with Tatiana always tended to be. Trying out new things at the bar, making dumb bets, making fun of snotty teenagers in movies... It didn't seem to much matter what they were doing. Maybe it was because the girl was fresh, new... She hoped that wasn't the only reason.

Her eyes blinked open as she felt Tatiana lay her head on her bare abdomen, lifting her head to be greeted with a smile. She found herself grinning back for some reason. She shook her head, letting it plop back to the mat. "Thanks." She reached out for the bottled water, cracking the top. "My heroine. Even if evil did win today... bwa ha ha." She delivered the laugh in a very dry monotone, a staple of her comedic delivery. "Pop quiz hotshot. One super power, what would it be?"

Up and down, up and down, up and down. Tatiana found herself quickly growing accustomed to the rhythmic rise of Belle’s bare belly, the feel of her abs expanding and contracting beneath the back of her head. She’d often joke about she made an excellent pillow, but it wasn’t really an exaggeration. She just had this amazing body, and it always felt good to rub against her, to lay on her, to press against her.

She loved it. So much so that Tatiana couldn’t help but wonder how big of a factor that body was in their relationship, if she would’ve wanted Belle so bad if she was out of shape and not famous and didn’t have so much stuff to woo her with. She wanted to say that it was the personality that mattered most, but there would always be a doubt…

Before she could think too deeply about it, Belle asked her a question that made her perk up, thankfully gave her something less serious to ponder for a second. ”Superpower?” Tatiana was honestly never that big into comics, save for an occasional thing for Wonder Woman, so, at first, she felt like she wasn’t the best to answer this...but then the answer came to her, like a light bulb switched on in her head.

”I want to fly.” She spoke - no, whispered, taking on a reverent toned as she stared at the ceiling. ”I remember when I was a little girl, I always wanted to fly. Just take off and soar, above the trees, the city, everything. Like a bird, you know? Once, when I was five, I think. Maybe six. I made these wings out of paper and leaped off the bed, thinking I would take off, and I crashed into the ceiling fan and brought it down with me. Mom had to rush me to the hospital…”

She stopped the story there, realizing she was getting a little too quiet, a little too down, taking this to a place that she didn’t want to go with Belle. This was happy time, with happy Tatiana. No need to ruin it by bringing up her old issues.

”Silly story.” She waved it off and shifted about, turning on the mat to face Belle in full. ”What about you? And you can’t say super-strength, you have that already.”