Mirror, Mirror

3.13 Entirely New

READ THIS COMMENT FOR CONTENT WARNING

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They made their way back to the inn quietly, hand in hand. She was giddy. She'd kissed him... and he'd kissed her back.

Despite a lifetime of training herself to have complete control over her face, Starla found herself struggling not to smile. Meanwhile, Rayvin grinned openly.

What a fool.

Most people were probably asleep, so they tried not to be loud as they went to their room, but they ran into Fox.

"Isn't it your bedtime?" Starla asked the teen.

"I don't have a bedtime," Fox said seriously. "I wanted to be the first to tell you all that the storm has stopped. You'll be able to leave tomorrow morning. My parents were going to tell you, but then you all were out late. So they went to bed. But I'm telling you. Right now. So."

Starla took Rayvin's other hand, elated. They exchanged excited smiles, and Rayvin let out a loud whoop. They would be able to make it to their destination on time after all.

"Hey, don't wake everyone up," Fox protested.

"My bad, my bad," Rayvin said. He and Starla thanked Fox, who shrugged, bid their good night, and made their way to their room.

❖

"Good night, Rayvin."

"Good night, Starla."

Things felt different as Starla lay beside Rayvin in bed. They'd slept together many times at this point. But something felt more intimate about sharing a bed, even though technically they had more space than their cramped sleeping bag. They hadn't talked about their kiss, just small talked and immediately got tucked in to sleep.

Trans or not, Rayvin was a guy. No way he was in bed with a hot girl he'd just kissed and just... fell asleep. He had to feel SOMETHING. Right?

She stared into the dark, wide awake. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She shifted slightly, and she felt her arm brush his. She heard his breathing stop for a moment, but he didn't move. So, she shifted a little closer, taking his hand. To her delight, she felt his fingers curl around hers.

Emboldened, she turned onto her side and rested her chin on his shoulder, her nose grazing his neck. This time, his breathing quickened. So, he was awake then.

He smelled nice. His hair was damp.

At first, Rayvin was still. Then, she felt him turn toward her and put an arm around her. Starla stayed still, afraid of scaring him off. Her heart slammed around in her chest. Or was that his heart?

Then, when she felt sure he wasn't going to move away from her, she slid a leg over his hip.

In the dark, his mouth found hers. And just like that, the dam broke between them. They kissed. They touched. They grinded. Starla's mind went blank. Insecurities and worries were forgotten. All she could feel and think was Rayvin, Rayvin, Rayvin and oh my god he was so gorgeous, and by the way he gasped when she touched him, she knew his hunger for her was just as desperate as hers was for him.

People always thought of Starla as a goddess, a warrior, someone who crushed people under the heel of her... well, heels. No man could overpower her and hold her down for more than a second unless she wanted him to. And after being her sparring partner for so long, she knew Rayvin knew this too.

Yet, she submitted to him easily as he crawled on top of her and trapped her body beneath his. She all but writhed weakly beneath him and wrapped her legs around his waist as he bit her neck.

Eventually, the fervent fire blazing subsided into a warm glow of slow, gentle kisses. They held each other tightly, face-to-face, heart-to-heart. Starla couldn't quite make out Rayvin's features in the dark, but she could feel him smiling when her lips touched his.