smutember 2022 » 6 » only one bed
story: sylène series + RPG storyverse (idk if canon, but at least canon-adjacent)
genre: is it smut? no! is it a prelude to smut? i can't say, who knows with these two? is it latently kinky but nothing actually happens? BINGO
rating: 18+
characters: sylène & fool_with_dreams cýliane
challenge: smutember 2022
CN: mostly touch-averse character tolerating touch while unsure how to feel about it (also thinking about her experiences with/feelings towards touch); D/s-ish power dynamics with hints of humiliation & degradation I guess; very brief mention of war
author's note: we love an ace bodyguard with kinky needs secretly pining for her emotionally unavailable demon protectee, don't we? idk man, i have zero practice writing these two, i don’t know as much about cýliane as i probably should, and i have no clue what i'm doing with this ship, but soph suggested them and twitter voted for them so here they are, enjoy <3
only one bed
cýliane’s words are still echoing in your head.
don’t be silly, she said, come here and keep me company for the night. there’s room for both of us. a devilish smile danced on her lips. unless you like it better when i let you sleep on the floor like a dog while i take the entire comfortable bed for myself?
you hate that she sees right through you; that she knows exactly how to push your buttons and does it whenever she pleases, seemingly for no other purpose than her entertainment.
she was right - you would definitely get a strange kind of pleasure from restricting yourself to the basic necessities so she can have all the luxury to herself. you do like it when she gives you orders and rules to follow. you do enjoy being treated like an obedient pet.
but you have been repressing that kind of desire for so long it became second nature an eternity ago, and you can’t help but feel embarrassed every time she throws in a remark like that, clearly pointing out what you’re not even willing to admit to yourself, let alone to another person. (in fact, you can already feel your cheeks turn red at the mere thought that crossed your mind.)
of course, after that conversation, sleeping on the floor - like you had intended when you found out there was only one bed in the tavern room you rented for the night - was not an option anymore. it would have come close to a confession, and while your rational mind is well aware of the fact that you’re damn near indestructible, your feeble heart is really not sure how you’re supposed to survive making yourself that vulnerable.
being in the same bed as her is barely any better, though.
you’re staring at the door, trying to tune out the background noise from the tavern downstairs. cýliane’s arm is wrapped around your waist, her face buried between your shoulder blades, the steady rhythm of her breath warming your skin through the thin fabric of your blouse. you haven’t dared to move since she snuggled up to you in her sleep, and you definitely can’t fall asleep like this, so you’re probably looking at another night spent chasing your thoughts down an endless spiral while waiting for the day to break and rescue you from your own restlessness.
you’re not sure how much time has passed when cýliane suddenly lets out a small sound. it’s the soft kind of sigh one breathes after waking from a pleasant dream.
her voice cuts through the fog of your thoughts, brings you back to the present in an instant: »you’re awake.« she sounds a bit sleepy, and vaguely amused for some reason.
»i am«, you confirm.
you wait for her to say something, but she takes her time, shifting behind you, stretching her limbs out, until finally, she repositions herself and settles down again, arm wrapped around you again, lips now hovering over your neck - your bare neck instead of your clothed shoulders. you do your best to stay still, to stay patient.
(you haven’t been to a battlefield in so long that you sometimes forget, but deep down, you’re still a good soldier, always awaiting command, you couldn’t deny it if you tried-)
»you don't mind, do you?« every word is a breeze brushing over your flushed skin, making the fine neck hairs stand on end. »sharing a bed with me. being this close.« the way she says it, it doesn’t sound like she’s genuinely checking in, more like she’s playing with you. teasing.
you’re used to being uncomfortable with touch, with closeness, with intimacy, but with her, it’s for such different reasons that you can’t even begin to unravel what the hell it means and whether it’s truly still uncomfortable or something else entirely.
when it’s cýliane touching you, it’s not annoying, it’s not disgusting, it’s not inherently unpleasant; it just makes you nervous. it’s still overwhelming, still confusing, still makes your stomach turn, but you don’t flinch, you don’t push her away, and you let the lingering feeling of her touch fade away naturally instead of scrubbing it off until your skin feels raw.
»i'm …« yours, you think, i’m yours, remember? i’m here to serve you. it doesn’t matter if i mind. use me however you see fit. you swallow hard, suddenly unable to focus. did you actually just think that? and did your brain really have to phrase it like that, all ambiguous and strange? »i’m here to make sure you’re safe«, you finally manage to say after sorting out those tangled thoughts, »and apparently, i’m also supposed to keep you company. i’d be doing a piss poor job of that if i didn’t even let you near me.«
cýliane clicks her tongue. »dutiful as always.« she stays silent for a long moment, except for a small yawn that escapes her lips. »i’m curious«, she says then, her voice lowered, »what’s keeping you awake, sylène?«
you’re not usually a bad liar, but your heart skips a beat when she asks you that, and your answer comes just a little too fast. »nothing unusual. just feeling restless, that’s all.«
»is it the physical sensations, maybe?«, she keeps on probing. suddenly, her fingers wander along your ribcage, over your side, your shoulder, your arm. »or is it the implications of sleeping in the same bed? the thought that i might want more than just company?«
you’re clenching your jaw, and your cheeks feel terribly hot. »it’s … not like that.«
cýliane smiles against the crook of your neck, and her hand comes to rest lightly against your collarbone, fingertips barely grazing your neck. »is it because you can’t stop thinking about what you want?«
and there she goes again.
gazing right into your soul without even trying.
you hate, hate, hate that she’s right, again, and the worst part is that it doesn’t matter what you say, that you don’t even have to say anything; she still knows, she always knows somehow.
you breathe in deep and bite your lip to stop it from trembling. »if i say maybe, will you leave this alone? at least for now? we should get some rest instead of talking about such … nonsense.«
you’re pretty sure she’s just pretending to ponder, and when she finally does say something, it’s: »i’ll consider it.«
but if your maybe is good enough for her, her i’ll consider it will work just fine for you. it has to.
cýliane finally lets go of you and turns around. it’s a bit easier to breathe like this, it’s much less overwhelming, but it’s also much colder, almost feels empty somehow-
before you know what you’re doing, you turn around, too, and you don’t put your arms around her or anything like that, but you do move a little bit closer so your bodies are touching at a few points.
you can’t see her face, of course, but you’re absolutely sure she’s smiling that devilish smile again right now.
genre: is it smut? no! is it a prelude to smut? i can't say, who knows with these two? is it latently kinky but nothing actually happens? BINGO
rating: 18+
characters: sylène & fool_with_dreams cýliane
challenge: smutember 2022
CN: mostly touch-averse character tolerating touch while unsure how to feel about it (also thinking about her experiences with/feelings towards touch); D/s-ish power dynamics with hints of humiliation & degradation I guess; very brief mention of war
author's note: we love an ace bodyguard with kinky needs secretly pining for her emotionally unavailable demon protectee, don't we? idk man, i have zero practice writing these two, i don’t know as much about cýliane as i probably should, and i have no clue what i'm doing with this ship, but soph suggested them and twitter voted for them so here they are, enjoy <3
only one bed
cýliane’s words are still echoing in your head.
don’t be silly, she said, come here and keep me company for the night. there’s room for both of us. a devilish smile danced on her lips. unless you like it better when i let you sleep on the floor like a dog while i take the entire comfortable bed for myself?
you hate that she sees right through you; that she knows exactly how to push your buttons and does it whenever she pleases, seemingly for no other purpose than her entertainment.
she was right - you would definitely get a strange kind of pleasure from restricting yourself to the basic necessities so she can have all the luxury to herself. you do like it when she gives you orders and rules to follow. you do enjoy being treated like an obedient pet.
but you have been repressing that kind of desire for so long it became second nature an eternity ago, and you can’t help but feel embarrassed every time she throws in a remark like that, clearly pointing out what you’re not even willing to admit to yourself, let alone to another person. (in fact, you can already feel your cheeks turn red at the mere thought that crossed your mind.)
of course, after that conversation, sleeping on the floor - like you had intended when you found out there was only one bed in the tavern room you rented for the night - was not an option anymore. it would have come close to a confession, and while your rational mind is well aware of the fact that you’re damn near indestructible, your feeble heart is really not sure how you’re supposed to survive making yourself that vulnerable.
being in the same bed as her is barely any better, though.
you’re staring at the door, trying to tune out the background noise from the tavern downstairs. cýliane’s arm is wrapped around your waist, her face buried between your shoulder blades, the steady rhythm of her breath warming your skin through the thin fabric of your blouse. you haven’t dared to move since she snuggled up to you in her sleep, and you definitely can’t fall asleep like this, so you’re probably looking at another night spent chasing your thoughts down an endless spiral while waiting for the day to break and rescue you from your own restlessness.
you’re not sure how much time has passed when cýliane suddenly lets out a small sound. it’s the soft kind of sigh one breathes after waking from a pleasant dream.
her voice cuts through the fog of your thoughts, brings you back to the present in an instant: »you’re awake.« she sounds a bit sleepy, and vaguely amused for some reason.
»i am«, you confirm.
you wait for her to say something, but she takes her time, shifting behind you, stretching her limbs out, until finally, she repositions herself and settles down again, arm wrapped around you again, lips now hovering over your neck - your bare neck instead of your clothed shoulders. you do your best to stay still, to stay patient.
(you haven’t been to a battlefield in so long that you sometimes forget, but deep down, you’re still a good soldier, always awaiting command, you couldn’t deny it if you tried-)
»you don't mind, do you?« every word is a breeze brushing over your flushed skin, making the fine neck hairs stand on end. »sharing a bed with me. being this close.« the way she says it, it doesn’t sound like she’s genuinely checking in, more like she’s playing with you. teasing.
you’re used to being uncomfortable with touch, with closeness, with intimacy, but with her, it’s for such different reasons that you can’t even begin to unravel what the hell it means and whether it’s truly still uncomfortable or something else entirely.
when it’s cýliane touching you, it’s not annoying, it’s not disgusting, it’s not inherently unpleasant; it just makes you nervous. it’s still overwhelming, still confusing, still makes your stomach turn, but you don’t flinch, you don’t push her away, and you let the lingering feeling of her touch fade away naturally instead of scrubbing it off until your skin feels raw.
»i'm …« yours, you think, i’m yours, remember? i’m here to serve you. it doesn’t matter if i mind. use me however you see fit. you swallow hard, suddenly unable to focus. did you actually just think that? and did your brain really have to phrase it like that, all ambiguous and strange? »i’m here to make sure you’re safe«, you finally manage to say after sorting out those tangled thoughts, »and apparently, i’m also supposed to keep you company. i’d be doing a piss poor job of that if i didn’t even let you near me.«
cýliane clicks her tongue. »dutiful as always.« she stays silent for a long moment, except for a small yawn that escapes her lips. »i’m curious«, she says then, her voice lowered, »what’s keeping you awake, sylène?«
you’re not usually a bad liar, but your heart skips a beat when she asks you that, and your answer comes just a little too fast. »nothing unusual. just feeling restless, that’s all.«
»is it the physical sensations, maybe?«, she keeps on probing. suddenly, her fingers wander along your ribcage, over your side, your shoulder, your arm. »or is it the implications of sleeping in the same bed? the thought that i might want more than just company?«
you’re clenching your jaw, and your cheeks feel terribly hot. »it’s … not like that.«
cýliane smiles against the crook of your neck, and her hand comes to rest lightly against your collarbone, fingertips barely grazing your neck. »is it because you can’t stop thinking about what you want?«
and there she goes again.
gazing right into your soul without even trying.
you hate, hate, hate that she’s right, again, and the worst part is that it doesn’t matter what you say, that you don’t even have to say anything; she still knows, she always knows somehow.
you breathe in deep and bite your lip to stop it from trembling. »if i say maybe, will you leave this alone? at least for now? we should get some rest instead of talking about such … nonsense.«
you’re pretty sure she’s just pretending to ponder, and when she finally does say something, it’s: »i’ll consider it.«
but if your maybe is good enough for her, her i’ll consider it will work just fine for you. it has to.
cýliane finally lets go of you and turns around. it’s a bit easier to breathe like this, it’s much less overwhelming, but it’s also much colder, almost feels empty somehow-
before you know what you’re doing, you turn around, too, and you don’t put your arms around her or anything like that, but you do move a little bit closer so your bodies are touching at a few points.
you can’t see her face, of course, but you’re absolutely sure she’s smiling that devilish smile again right now.