Lady, You Don't Need to See

The Owl Casting Spells That We're Under

The golden morning light sifted through the cracks and bulletholes in the walls of the cabin. Birdsong stole Misty's sleep away from her. She spooned behind Cordelia, her arm wrapped protectively around her chest and nose buried into her hair. "Mm?" she grunted as she blinked her blurry, gritty eyes to the waking world. Oh, goodness, it's real. Why this surprised her, she wasn't sure. Perhaps some part of her thought it would turn out to be a dream. Be quiet. She's asleep. Cordelia snored gently. A lock of her hair stuck to the drool leaking out of the corner of her lips. Misty took the lock of hair and tucked it behind her ear. She's beautiful. Even asleep, with her hair all tousled from the wind and the weather and the sex, Cordelia was the most beautiful woman Misty had ever seen before in her life.

I love her. Misty snuggled up behind her and pressed her face against the back of Cordelia's neck, peppering light kisses on the skin, trying not to move too much and disturb her. Was it silly? Oh, definitely. But Misty was nothing if not silly with her heart. Her eyes fluttered closed. She relished in the touch of Cordelia's soft skin pressing against hers, warm and dewy. This was perfect.

What if she regrets it? Misty licked her lips at the thought. They had acted on impulse. We shouldn't have. Misty did not consider herself a first date girl. This wasn't even a first date. This was a no dates. She flushed. She was weak for Cordelia. She had compromised all of her better judgment, and she didn't regret it—as long as Cordelia didn't. Her head spun with anxiety. Had she messed up? She didn't want to jeopardize her friendship with Cordelia. Cordelia had just gotten out of a serious, long-term relationship. She was just widowed, for god's sake. Misty's toes curled into the sheets, which were tossed down at the foot of the bed to cope with the humidity. Cordelia had been married. She had been with Hank for over a decade. Hank's ashes had not yet finished burning. Was this all a mistake? Had she taken advantage of Cordelia?

Her innards twisted at the thought. She tried to settle down. I'm just overthinking. Occupying herself, she drew patterns on Cordelia's chest with her index finger and smelled her hair, which had the faint tinge of sweat attached to it. The creases beneath Cordelia's breasts leaked sweat. The swamp had awoken, and with it, the sun baked the forest floor. She's going to be thirsty when she wakes up. And Misty had no water to give her. Misty tried to wipe away the sweat from Cordelia's body, kissing her shoulder.

Cordelia turned her head, nuzzling into the pillow. "Mm... Ngh." She cooed a sweet, satisfied sound as she squirmed on the mattress, stretching out. Her back popped as she arched. She keened and chirruped like a happy cat. She's precious. Heart swelling, Misty swallowed.

Misty pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck. "Sh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She withdrew, trying to give Cordelia more space, but Cordelia caught her hand and held it there, making a short mumble of protest. Her words weren't yet intelligible. Misty smiled and hid her face in the back of Cordelia's neck.

Tangling up their fingers together, Cordelia gave her hand a squeeze. She held Misty's flat palm against her chest. The heel of her hand pressed to Cordelia's rib cage, and beneath it, her heartbeat thrummed, alive and pulsing with all of her blood and magic churned together. Misty held her breath. She would do nothing to disturb Cordelia now. This bond was precarious, tying them together, and Misty could not dream of severing it. Damp skin on skin, she closed her eyes and remembered exactly how it felt last night when Cordelia explored her body with her hands like it was a new universe.

Snuggling against the pillow, Cordelia placed Misty's hand on her face, and then she fell still again. She's still asleep. The uncharacteristically clingy behavior teased Misty. Her stomach leapt at the tenderness in the way Cordelia touched her. Was this the new normal for the two of them? Were they going to be a thing? Misty's heart quivered. She had a lot of questions, questions that only Cordelia could answer. What would the coven think? Surely it wasn't allowed. Cordelia was a teacher. But I'm not exactly a student. She knew she had a few years on the other girls, and she'd wound up at the academy trying to avoid execution, not seeking knowledge.