004

[worksmart]

I thought I saw this woman in the square today. Someone I knew. Obviously it's most likely to be coincidence; not like I haven't run into enough wacky versions of former patients since I got here. Some of them more than once. It's almost certainly not Her.

I'd just really like to find out for sure. Tonight.

I managed to dig a picture off the

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[as_damaged]

[She was pleased with him, rather to her own surprise. She'd been down this road and knew that under other circumstances, his obedience had a limit; in her own mind she'd given him as many chances as she dared, when he'd said he wanted more. It didn't even bother her that he had feelings for her, but she couldn't stand to let him say it; because it demanded a response she did not intend to make.]

[For a moment she merely stood looking down at him, a little uncertain of how to proceed but aware that the decision was hers to make. This wasn't her scene, not by a long shot; though she understood a little of the appeal right now. She was rarely certain what she wanted from him, except that for safety's sake she usually rejected whatever was offered out of hand. As much control as she claimed, she didn't think she could manage that right now. She drew the pause out, making him wait. Starting small. Cameron was practiced, after all, in refusing him any satisfaction, except on her own terms.]

Do not try to make this into anything more than it is.

[A cryptic comment, maybe. Not that his agreement meant anything past midnight; but she wanted the assurance. This is a curse, this does not mean anything. She shifted her weight, spine straight and chin lifted, waiting for an answer. Wondering if she could stomach the surgical restraints he'd been so keen on.]

[worksmart]

[He hadn't been lying when he said that the scene wasn't his, either. He'd dipped toes in the water because he'd been curious, and because the woman he'd been dating put up a convincing case for what might be gained from it, but he'd never waded in far enough to get carried away. Definitely not to the extent that he could be today. Yes, he'd always harbour a need for approval that made him both give and take a little more than he should in all manner of relationships, personal and professional, and maybe he'd always have an appreciation for assertive women. That was as far as it went.]

[Today, right now, he was willing and eager to go just as far as she asked. Tomorrow wasn't a flicker of a concern: surely the clearest possible sign that he wasn't anywhere near thinking like himself. He shook his head, curtly, biting down on one corner of his lip to keep from asking what it was.]

It's whatever you want it to be. Just that, I promise.

[Obedience. An exercise in saying what someone wants to hear.]

[as_damaged]

[An agreed-upon lie would do; it was the closest she could come to keeping herself safe. They wouldn't be able to ignore this, or pretend it hadn't happened, but she could at least claim she'd been clear in her aims, even if she couldn't stop herself. Though it didn't do much to guide her in how to proceed; Cameron was more accustomed to manipulation through deprivation than domination. Another long moment passed, before she nodded slightly.]

Your tie.

[An outstretched hand clarified the request. Restraints seemed too much like work; like dealing with a patient, which inspired sympathy. This was strange enough as it was, without adding that element of surreality. But restraint was a basic means of control, right? It seemed like a good start. She spared the door another glance, but made no move to lock it.]

[worksmart]

[Waiting killed him. Particularly as this situation had no guarantees, just one small, elusive, nearly unbelievable hint of promise. He'd have whimpered if she'd made him hold out much longer. Almost did anyway as he nodded and reached to unclip, unknot and slip the tie out from under the crisp collar of his shirt. As usual the shirt itself looked better without the clashing stripe of garish colour matched against it. Money couldn't buy taste.]

Hands together, he held out the tie flat across both palms, daring to make eye contact. Swiped his tongue anxiously across dry lips and looked for where he left his voice.]

Are... Are you going to..?

[as_damaged]

[Cameron didn't answer, not trusting that her voice wouldn't quaver. She took the tie from him without looking at it, neither breaking their gaze nor betraying any intention, and ran it through her hands thoughtfully, sleek fabric loosely looped around her palm.]

[A certain awkwardness seemed unavoidable; she rested her right knee on the bed, alongside his leg, and grasped his wrists. More gently, perhaps, than he might have liked; she pushed his arms back, leaning in press together them behind him. Nearly in his lap, but not quite; too close, left shoulder resting on his right as she shifted to the side, putting all her weight on the bent knee, looping the tie around his wrists. She pulled it taut, effective if not artful; bound his hands together. Fairly tightly-- though the knot would likely give if he really worked at it.]

[She drew back a little, but didn't move away or take her weight off the mattress, watching his reaction. Not seeking approval, but intent on understanding this.]

[worksmart]

[Chase's breath caught and held as she pressed closer, a shaky exhalation marking the twist of fabric around his wrists. He tested her handiwork, pulling at the bonds but not too hard. They were taking fragile steps, here. Under the dizzying want of the curse was a dim awareness that anything pushed too hard might break. The pretense, her patience, these knots.]

[He craned toward her as she pulled away, eyes dark in the shadows cast between them. He could remember this uncertainty from the last time they'd gotten this close, but she'd been so demanding and he'd forgotten everything as she pulled him down. This time she was here on his demands; ironic, considering what they were.]

Cameron, please. [There was even a trace of force to the way he begged. Need begat urgency.] I won't do anything you don't want. Just tell me what you do want. Please.

[as_damaged]

[Easier begged than done; right now she only wanted all of this, him, and wanted not to want it. There was little he could do to reconcile warring desires. Cameron caught his collar with one hand and pressed him back; he would wait, if she wanted him to wait. This was unfamiliar; slow and deliberate and agonizing, where she'd generally left him no time for second-guessing or second thoughts. She met his gaze as he begged, thrilling at the tenuous sense of power.]

[But she was merciful; she leaned in as she'd refused to do earlier, moving her other leg onto the bed so she straddled his hips, fingers slipping from the fabric of his collar to the top button, fiddling with it in the narrow space between their bodies. Her other hand had come to rest on his upper arm, dictating the distance she held, preserving their precarious balance.]

[But words were always the problem between them; she caught his mouth with her own instead of answering. Considered biting his lip; but that would just be vindictive. And she didn't want to leave any marks of this mistake.]

[worksmart]

Please [he'd whispered as he fingers curled at his collar, the pulse racing so fast and hard at his throat he was sure she must have felt it through the cotton. And] Please [He murmured into her mouth as she parted his lips with her own, although what he had left to beg for was a mystery in that second.]

[He couldn't reach for her, so focused on all the small places where the contact he wanted wasn't denied. The hold of her thighs around him, and the sudden give when he brought his hips up to meet hers in an instinctive response. The hand on his arm, as if the splay of her fingers could hold him when all this obeisance gave way. Her lips. The shiver that coursed through him as he traced the seam of them with his tongue.]

[Some time later... ♥]

[as_damaged]

[The first thing she became aware of, as the curse passed, was that she was exhausted, shoulders slumping forward slightly against his chest. Cameron took a deep breath, disoriented by the rush of rationality, drawing the situation into clarity. Her cheek rested in the curve of his neck; she pulled away suddenly, startled, shifting her weight to the palms of her hands, resting on the exam bed on either side of his chest.]

[Chase's shirt had been shrugged back in stages, sleeves bunched and tangled around his wrists, and she wondered suddenly-- with no small share of guilt-- if there was any feeling left in his fingertips. At some point they'd ended up stretching out along the length of the bed; not that that offered much more comfort than sitting on its edge. Cameron had been intentionally slow, and he was hampered by bound wrists, and so she remained fully dressed (give or take a few buttons), on hands and knees, just out of reach.]

[Taking fast, shallow breaths, she slid off the side of the bed, the straight line of her lips betraying her discomfort through their tension. Her cheeks felt hot, and she tried not to stare at him supine on the bed, wondering whether it would be worse to make him wrestle himself into a sitting position, or to call attention to his bound wrists by giving him a hand. She chose the latter, slipping a hand beneath Chase's shoulder to help pull him up.]

You all right?

[Stupid question, but what should she say? Likely his worst injury was to his pride.]

[Some time later... ♥]

[worksmart]

[The moment didn't pass with a rigid snap, one second into the next, although Chase felt something shift as midnight ticked through into morning. Not so much a gust of cold air across the slow-built heat between them as a difference in warmth. As she settled heavy against his chest he moved to wrap an arm round her and found himself for a second confused as to why his body couldn't comply. Just a second. Soon enough the ache in his shoulders coupled with lack of sensation from the elbow down had given him the necessary clue.]

[Even then, there was a burst of regret as she pulled away. Chase bit his lip to keep from protesting, following her movements with wide eyes as she distanced herself. When he spared a glance for his own condition, he couldn't blame her. Wouldn't have been surprised if she'd got up and left.]

[He certainly didn't expect her help. Flinching from her hand on his shoulder, he forced himself to take the support, twisting his legs sideways to find enough leverage to sit up. Any pleasure in catching her blushing had to be undone by the burn in his own cheeks, not to mention other, equally evident places. Oh, god.]

I'd be better if you could untie me. Unless you feel like doing up my pants.

[Might as well call attention to it rather than put up with the humiliation of things going unsaid. It was, after all, only one of the elephants in the room.]

[Some time later... ♥]

[as_damaged]

[That almost got a laugh out of her; did win a small, half-panicked smile as she turned away from him. Not to avoid looking at him-- though that was a plus-- but to give her full attention to the tangle of cloth behind him. She was embarrassed; but, truth be told, a little exhilarated. For now, at least-- as long as she didn't have to talk about it...]

[She managed to get the sides of the shirt straightened out, though they were hopelessly wrinkled. She slid the sleeves back up his arms and over one shoulder, her other hand lingering for just a moment on bare skin before the other sleeve followed suit. As incredibly strange, as embarrassing as that had been-- things with Chase had never sucked, after all, to borrow his colloquialism. Part of her regretted stopping. But her willpower had returned with her rationality, and she couldn't trust Chase (especially in the wake of a curse) not to mistake something physical for something meaningful.]

If I did I'd still have to do both... I'm not sure you could get out of this.

[There was a grim amusement in her tone as she picked at the knots, pulled tighter in their exertions, loose ends tangled through the loops. Cameron was glad he couldn't see her at this angle; cheeks still flushed, lips parted slightly as she exhaled slowly, trying to even out her breathing. She wished she could be unaffected by his presence, his closeness; the heat of his skin and the scent of his hair. That the curse's effects had passed as suddenly as its compulsions. The knot gave. She managed to slip it over his hands, untangling the rest as it came loose. She stepped back into his view, the tie resting on her palm (consciously or not, sitting almost as it had before she'd bound him,) held out so that he could take it back.]

[Frankly, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep a straight face if he ever wore it again.]

[Some time later... ♥]

[worksmart]

You might still have to; not sure I can move my fingers. Where did you learn to tie knots like that, anyway? Girl scouts?

[For all her care in half-dressing him again, Chase had already shaken the shirt back off and draped it over his lap to preserve what little remained that he might call modesty. He rubbed numb palms over aching forearms, waiting for the inevitable tiny agonies of pins and needles to herald the return of a decent blood supply.]

[He looked ruefully at the offered tie, making no move to take it from her.]

You could just have tied me to the bed and gone home.

[He was grateful that she hadn't. And he knew he shouldn't be.]

[Some time later... ♥]

[as_damaged]

[She rolled her eyes at that; as far as she was concerned, untying him was where her responsibilities ended. Besides, his circulation would be back soon enough. He could wait a few minutes.]

Just talented, I guess.

[And she'd thought she was being gentle, as far as that went. Well, add that to her list of previously undiscovered skills, along with fighting off monsters, assaulting coworkers, and publicly shaming herself. Cameron shrugged a little and shifted, crossing her arms across her chest, the tie folded between her fingers. She shook her head at that last statement.]

I really couldn't have.

[Even if I'd wanted to, came the nagging thought, which she ignored. The fact that she was standing here now, that midnight had made a difference, proved that she'd been cursed after all; of course, it only made the fact that she hadn't been sure all the more distressing.]

[Some time later... ♥]

[worksmart]

[Chase worked his thumb across his right palm, flexing each digit individually. The slight rope burn on one side of his wrist was starting to throb as sensation caught up with it.]

House would have. Wilson might have, why couldn't you?

[The question was casual enough, just a statement of fact. House would have taken photographs before ditching him for the evening, and while Wilson might have been more sympathetic, Chase doubted that equated to jumping up on the table and acting as a distraction. He was fairly, thankfully, sure it didn't. But she had.]

[Which meant...]

[He looked up at her, surprise and curiousity mingling in place as realisation dawned. She couldn't have left him? Really. For all that he should have been the humble party, Chase couldn't help the faint trace of a smile the thought brought to his lips.]

So what's your kink?

[Some time later... ♥]

[as_damaged]

[She wasn't certain whether she was more irked by the surprise on his face, or the smile threatening to materialize on his lips. The first implied that it was a shock that she could be prey to something of this sort-- as though she were purely prudish by nature. Boring. She hated being written off so easily-- Chase had done it before, and it had played no small part in her recklessness with him.]

[The smile, on the other hand, suggested... either he was having a laugh at her expense (which was possible, though he was the one who'd begged,) or... he liked the possibility. Well, better to let him dwell on that, than to let him imagine she'd have stayed if she wasn't cursed. Nevertheless her eyes did widen at the question, just for a moment-- though no blush for him this time. There was a time when she'd have been offended-- might simply have turned on her heel and left-- but Cameron would like to think she's grown a thicker skin, over the years.]

[She managed a little smirk instead.]

If you can't tell, I'm not going to.

[Some time later... ♥]

[worksmart]

That's... not fair.

[On the contrary, both Chase's surprise and amusement had been at the idea that something deep in Cameron's psyche had an imperative desire to spend time with him. For all the times she'd shot him down over something as innocent as going for drinks, last year had at least confirmed that she found him attractive (as well as the only immoral bastard she knew who might still sleep with her in that state). He'd all but given up making the requests under the assumption that there was something in his personality she found intolerable when in combination with hers.]

[All but given up.]

[Now here was the old fact reiterated. When Cameron lost control, she came back to him. While that could be a compliment or a condemnation, it was at least something worth dwelling on. He narrowed his eyes, nudging his wrists together to remind her of shared experiences.]

I let you tie me up, the least you can do is tell me why you wanted to. Do you get off on bondage? No, you'd have gone for the restraints. So what. Hospitals? Illicit workplace liasons?

[Him?]