Exposure Therapy (L,M)

“That was… certainly interesting.” Maeve said quietly.

“You can say you didn’t like it. There’s no one here you need to be diplomatic for.”

“It’s not that I didn’t like it. I enjoyed playing skeeball with you, and there was something nostalgic about Wario Kart. It was the space that was strange. I’ve had some of my younger clients mention the game those creatures were from before, but I don’t understand the appeal.”

The two women had just left Lizzy Lasagna’s from the first part of their second date. The older woman had asked her crush to the date after the initial discovery of Genet’s identity the day before. It’d been too late in the day to do something extended yesterday, but they’d gone to dinner together and tried to plan what to do once they had a full afternoon.

“Is that the appeal of FNaL, or horror in general?” Luna asked.

“Both, I suppose.”

“Do you like rollercoasters?”

“Not particularly, though I can’t remember the last time I’ve been on one.”

There goes that analogy. Luna decided to try it anyway. “Do you know why other people like them?”

“The adrenaline and loss of control?” Maeve guessed

“You’re close.” Luna compromised. “It’s the adrenaline, yes, but more than the loss of control it's the tension. I love rollercoasters, and good ones aren’t just fast. They always have at least one moment that’s agonizingly slow. You’re creeping up the track, inching closer to the point that the ride is going to make you feel like your heart’s flown out of your chest. Sometimes they’ll keep you on the precipice, letting the tension build until you can’t take it anymore and they finally throw you down the ride.

“I don’t love horror as much as Felicia does, but it’s the same way. Good horror is about flirting with the dread and the danger that you’ve built up in your mind, it being confronted, and then the drop in tension afterwards before you get a clue that maybe the monster isn’t done yet and it slowly ramps back up.”

“For as much as you said it's not your thing, you certainly painted a visual there.” Maeve pointed out.

“Part of being a lawyer is offering a narrative to invest in.” Luna shrugged.

“And I think you’re good at it.” The doctor complimented.

“I’ve had some practice.” The Latina hedged.

“So why the robots, why the arcade?”

“Do you remember ShowBiz Pizza Palace from when you were a kid, the place that used to hold pizza parties and had that rat mascot? And before you say anything about our age gap again, I’m positive they were around for both our childhoods.”

Maeve tried to recall what she knew about the defunct chain. “I remember their signs? By the time I came to America and could speak English well enough to have made friends, I was past the age for somewhere like that.”

Luna was reminded once again just how different their backgrounds were. “Oh. The important thing is that it's something that a lot of people remember from when they were kids. It was universal but a little weird and so it was easy for the guy that made it to play into for a monster story.” I should see if Genet can prepare something.

“I see. I still don’t think I could ever enjoy that, but I appreciate the explanation. One of my other clients is enamored with the series and he might appreciate me being able to bring it up as a cool-down exercise.”

“Maeve, you’re working again.”

“I don’t think I am.” The therapist frowned.

“Then why did you talk about your client?”

“I wanted you to feel appreciated.”

“And I did, when you complimented my storytelling. But while I can help with stuff if you need, I’m not part of your job. I like you and I want this to be something fun, not something useful. If you want to compliment me you can tell me I’m smart, or I’m funny, or that you like my eyes, or even that my butt looks nice in my dress. You asked me to help you take your mind off of everything with Hazel and Hel and the others, so do it with me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I was pretty aggressive just now.”

“I do like your eyes, by the way. They’re very expressive.”

“Thank you.”

Maeve took a deep breath. “Remember last time, when you helped me circumvent Cuddle Therapist? Could you do that again?”

“Yeah.” Luna agreed. “Look down.”

Maeve looked down. They were holding hands, and presumably had been for some time. “How long have we…” She trailed off.

“Since the creepy puppet back at the arcade tried to give you a doll. You tried to grab my ass a couple times, and as much as I was tempted I thought you’d want to do that knowingly so I just adjusted you a little.”

I... I don't remember doing any of that.

Over the course of their conversation they’d arrived back at the Arrow. As Luna closed the bronze door, she leaned in to whisper to her date. “If you have any plans to touch me, I certainly won’t stop you this time.”

Maeve turned scarlet, struggling to respond.

“Too much? I hoped after the way we said goodbye last time it’d be alright.”

“I- no. I wouldn’t know what to do. I told you before that I’ve never been with a woman before this.”

Luna offered a faint smile. “That’s ok. I’ve been a lot of people’s first. But more seriously, am I pushing too hard?”

“Maybe for now. I’m sorry, it just felt sudden.”

“Sure.” Luna backed off and stepped towards the bedroom. Her date followed her. “We talked last night about another movie marathon, can we do my pick first?”

“If you’d like.” Maeve agreed. “You wanted to show me that lawyer movie? You said her name was Em Hard?”

“I do. Ditz De Jure’s a great coming of age movie, it’s about the same age as the last one I wanted to show you. But since you had those horror questions, I had another idea…” The lawyer squatted down next to the television and began looking through a few DVDs that Genet had left there for them.

Maeve hesitantly sat down on the bed. “You wanted to show me a horror movie? I appreciate the thought, but I’m not sure I’d enjoy something especially violent.”

“Which is why I thought we’d go for something older and more suspense focused.” Luna agreed. She held up a DVD case with a giant whale on the cover, about to swallow a boat. “You ever seen Orca?”

“No. I’ve seen a few of his other movies like Cretaceous Park or Montana Jones, but I suppose I never got around to Orca.”

“It’s not really that scary compared to modern stuff, but it’s great for showing the tension and suspense I was talking about earlier. Just don’t mention to Dick that I showed you this unless you want to hear a rant about civic responsibility. He likes it, he just gets weird about it.”

“Noted.”

Luna popped in the disc, and a moment later laid down on the bed against her silver-haired date. Pulling the therapist’s hands down to her own hips, she asked: “Is this too much?”

“No. This is nice.” Maeve sighed as the movie started.

***

They finished Orca, and Luna had been right. The whale had barely been on screen, and it had much less blood than Maeve had worried about. I’m glad I trusted her.

They’d started Maeve’s choice, Pride and Prejudice, after dinner. They’d adjusted to an even more intimate position when they came back to the bedroom, both women sinking slightly lower on the pillows.

Her own feelings were complicated as they held onto each other. It felt nice. Of course it felt nice to feel the caress on her hips and chest, to be invited to intimacy. While Luna was more audacious than she could ever imagine herself being, the younger woman was still putting effort into being respectful. She obviously wanted more, but when she’d been unconsciously offered it, she’d stayed kind and courteous.

But she still wanted more. Will she eventually get tired of waiting? I don’t think she’d push harder than she did at the door, but… what if she became bored? Would she try to meet her needs with Richard, more than she already was? Would she approach Helena or Hazel, asking to be included in their developing relationship? Maeve felt unconfident in herself and her own ability to advance the relationship physically, especially after so much time choosing to isolate herself.

It was the one thing she wasn’t confident about giving advice on. She’d counseled nearly everyone here since arriving on the show, even Genet and Ata to a degree. She was comfortable and steady, and as much as she longed for connection and intimacy it was unbalancing and would **** her to adjust her life in ways that she couldn’t foresee.

She realized that she hadn’t been paying attention to one of her favorite movies when she heard a faint change in Luna’s breath. It was the first thing she’d noticed in minutes as she was caught in her own introspection.

“Are you alright?” She asked.

“I’m- I’m fine.” Luna said. Which was obviously a lie. A kind one, but a lie nonetheless.

What is she trying to hide? She concentrated on the Latina beside her, trying to see if she could see any of what was missing without pressing further. And with that focus, she saw what she needed to.

Intimate Insights let her see visions swimming together like a current of water down a river. Flickers of scenes competed for her attention, each one debaucherous. They were more varied than she’d expected. There were scenes of Luna being dominated by Richard, Hazel, Helena, Ava, and even Ata. But there were also images of the young woman taking control of Richard, Stella, and Genet.

And Maeve saw herself everywhere. As the fantasies flooded her she saw herself in every position, taking every role. Doing everything she ever could’ve imagined, and some things that she couldn’t have before. Her fantasies are more vivid than I expected. Can I handle something like this?

She brushed back some of Luna’s dark hair, listening as her breathing changed again as it did before. She tried to sift through the fantasies she was seeing, looking for something she was comfortable with attempting.

“Why don’t you sit over on the foot of the bed?” She tried to casually suggest.

“Hm?”

“I’ll pause it while you’re getting ready.” She traced a nail down to the edge of Luna’s dress, peeling back the hem just a smidge.

“I didn’t think you wanted that after what happened earlier.”

“I’m figuring out what I want.” Maeve countered. What she wanted was to keep exploring her time with Luna slowly. But she’d eventually need to push herself. This was as good a time as any.

Luna nodded, doing as she was told as she moved to the edge of the bed. She listened, not fully knowing what to expect as the screen paused. A whisper came in her ear as she'd done at the door. “You’re going to close your eyes.” And so again, she did what she was told.

She felt hands gently spread her legs. Her dress was pushed up so the hem could sit at her waist.

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Luna asked.

“It’s nothing. I just expected… that I’d need to remove your underwear.”

Luna Lopez, +1 BP (Bottomless) (Caretakers)

“I don’t usually bring any to dates.”

“I see.”

The Latina felt small kisses spread in circles along her inner thigh, edging closer to her sex.

On the floor, Maeve was trying to keep her eyes open. She had picked a gentle fantasy to try recreating, hoping the most mild thing she could find would be easy enough for her. She kissed lightly, listening again as Luna’s breath caught with each success. The laps she was taking turned into a holding pattern so she could psyche herself up for what needed to come next.

I can’t do this forever.

So Maeve stopped kissing in those little laps and parted the dark folds in between. She scooped with her tongue deep into Luna’s folds, not letting up as her date grew louder and clasped her thighs around her head. She kept going, trying to hum as she’d seen herself doing in the vision.

Luna’s movements grew more frantic as Maeve continued. She quivered and trembled, using her thighs to forbid the silver haired woman from trying to leave if she tried. But she wouldn’t try. The therapist still hadn’t closed her eyes once to make sure she didn’t lose hold of the fantasy she’d plucked from the obscene river of lust inside who she hoped could be her girlfriend soon.

She felt Luna twitch in her mouth, felt her crest to release. But she still kept going, liking away at her new lover’s sex until their thighs spread apart again and she was released.

Maeve Petrov, +1 BP (Oral) (Caretakers)

Holy Shit. Luna thought as she tried to catch her breath enough to form words. “Between what you told me about how long it’s been for you and your nerves earlier, I thought you’d need a lot longer.”

There was a long pause, and when Maeve replied it sounded like she was trying to catch her breath as well. “I- I’m glad you enjoyed it. I had an idea I was looking to try.”

“Well whatever your idea was, it was a good one. Did you want to switch? I can get on the floor for you, and return the favor.”

“No!” Maeve said, much faster and with more emotion than Luna was used to. The lawyer felt hands on either side of her torso, and had the urge to open her eyes. She found her date staring back at her with eyes of pure light, bright enough that it felt like they were shining into her very soul. “This was just for you.”