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The pointed non-looks from their suitemates made Kara smirk, but she hid it for Alex’s sake. Alex preferred not to think about the thin walls of their dorm room – which, Kara knew, was true of several other young women in their suite of rooms as well. Tonight, however, the sight of the blonde leading the redhead by the hand didn’t presage fireworks. Tonight was for soft voices and new experiences.
She knew by the beat of her girlfriend’s pulse that she was looking forward to this, too. Alex had settled her concerns about hypnosis, and she proved it as soon as Kara locked their door behind them by stripping off her shirt. Kara decided that this wasn’t the right occasion to stand by and watch, though, and joined Alex in undressing to her briefs. They climbed up to their beds, which they’d raised to top-bunk height to fit desks underneath, and which they’d pushed together for extra intimacy, and lay facing each other. Kara smiled into Alex’s eyes, taking in the loveliness of her features, and brushed stray red hair behind her ear. “Do you want to try now?”
“Yes.” Alex gave her a look of good-natured impatience. “Just like we’ve been talking about for days, Kara.”
“Alright, Alex, just like we talked about. Lay on your back.” Alex made herself comfortable, and Kara cuddled against her side. “I’m going to just touch you for a little like always, and then I’ll start-”
“I know, Kara,” Alex muttered.
“I know you know, babe. Just relax.” Kara reached out and rested her hand below the House of El charm hanging from Alex’s black velvet choker. “I’m going to say a lot of what I’m doing as I do it, so just relax and let my words be. Let everything be. Let yourself, and your body, just be.”
She began their nightly ritual of touch. In the second month of Kara’s life on Earth, Alex had offered her body to Kara for practice in controlling her strength. Born from Alex’s earnest desire to see her new sister grow comfortable with her powers, the secret, silent intimacy of touch filled them with reverent trust for each other. Without words, yet with perfect understanding, they continued long after Kara became comfortable touching, hugging, and holding hands; it meant too much, and it felt too good. The game shifted from touching safely to touching for touch’s sake. Every night, Kara lay beside Alex, soothed the day’s cares from the girl she adored and admired, and raised endless lines of goosebumps on her arms, her torso, her back, and the outsides of her thighs. Every night, Alex sighed for Kara in the soft stillness of moonlight. She admitted once that she couldn’t fall asleep without it anymore. Neither could Kara. Now, as she made the faint hair on her girlfriend’s forearm stand on end, Alex whispered, “I’m so glad you graduated early.”
“Me, too.” Kara smiled to herself. “You were never going to kiss me in Mom’s house.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Never.” Kara stretched forwards and touched her lips to Alex’s cheek. “Alex, I want you to start taking nice, even breaths for me.” Alex took a long, soft breath in through her nose. “Good, just like that… smooth, comfortable breaths… good, keep breathing just like that. Open your lovely brown eyes, Alex, and turn your head to look at me.”
Alex did. “Should I lay on my side?”
“Whichever way you’ll be most comfortable.”
“I’ve always been a side sleeper,” Alex said as she twisted to face Kara. “Besides, facing each other feels more… intimate.”
“Yeah.” Kara smiled again. “If you get pressure points, just roll onto your back.” She shifted herself a few inches towards the head of their combined bed. When Alex tilted her head to keep eye contact, Kara touched a finger to the front of her chin and tilted it back down, so that Alex had to lift her eyes towards her brow. “Keep your head relaxed on your pillow, Alex. Focus on my eyes, and relax everything else.” Kara drew out the word ‘everything’, adopting a soothing, flowing rhythm of speech. “Tonight is about focused relaxation. I’m going to guide you, Alex, guide you into the deepest, safest, most serene relaxation you’ve ever felt. All you need to do is follow me.”
“So is this basically guided meditation?”
“It’s deeper, Alex.” Kara smiled a gentle smile. “It’s deeper, and as you keep your mind focused on my eyes, I want you to start breathing a little deeper. With every breath in, I want you to imagine sinking into your body. Breathe in, sink into yourself… and out. Breathe in, sink in a little more… and out. Good, that’s it, Alex. Keep breathing, keep sinking deeper into your body, keep focusing on my eyes. In a moment, when you breathe out, I want you to imagine a wave of relaxation washing from your head all the way out through your feet. You breathe in, you sink in, and now that breath out sends a wave of relaxation through your whole body.” As she watched Alex relax into the bed, the redhead’s eyes slipped from looking up at her. “Focus on my eyes,” Kara murmured. “Focus your mind completely on my eyes while the rest of your body relaxes deeper, ever deeper.”
Alex lifted her eyes to Kara’s once more. “’s hard,” she mumbled. “Heavy.”
“You can do it, Alex. You are doing. It’s what your mind needs. Your mind needs to focus in order to relax. Focus on my eyes, Alex, and with every breath that draws your body into deeper relaxation, feel your mind sink deeper into my eyes. Sink in, Alex, sink into my eyes, focus on them and feel them absorb all your attention. I want you to imagine that every time you breathe out, my eyes draw more and more of your thoughts to them. Breathe out, sink deeper, let my eyes just hold all your thoughts, draw them in, and draw them out of your mind. I want you to feel yourself growing calmer, going deeper, and letting my eyes have everything in your mind. Breathe out your thoughts through my eyes, Alex. Breathe out… deeper into relaxation, deeper into my eyes… breathe out until it’s all gone, until there’s nothing left but my eyes… nothing left at all…” Alex’s eyelids drooped and slid closed. “All gone?” At Alex’s gentle nod, Kara filled with warm affection. “You did so good, Alex. Let your eyes relax. With every breath out, sink deeper into your trance, and-”
Alex’s forehead tensed. “Kara…?”
Kara kept her voice smooth and calm. “Alex?”
The redhead’s brow relaxed. She murmured, softly but clearly, “Needed t’ know if I could get out.”
“You always can, Alex, whenever you want. You’re safe. Breathe and feel the safety in your mind, the safety in my voice. Breathe and feel that safety embrace you as your mind goes deeper into peace, into rest, into safety. Are you safe, Alex?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so glad, Alex. In a moment, I’m going to lift up your hand a few inches and then drop it, and because you’re completely safe, your muscles will stay completely relaxed. Do you understand?” Alex made a small but clear nod of her head. “Okay.” Kara took Alex’s hand in her own and raised it off the bed. It stayed limp, and flopped to the bed when she let go. The sight made Kara’s heart glow. “That’s it, Alex; you’re hypnotized. How does it feel?”
“Floaty,” Alex mumbled. “Content.”
“Is it a feeling you like?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Would you like me to touch you some more now?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Kara reached out her fingers and caressed Alex’s arm. “Relax, feel at peace, and feel the soft pleasure of my touch on your skin.” Alex’s only response was a near-inaudible sigh, but it made Kara smile wide. “How does that feel, Alex?”
“Love it.”
“I’m so thankful I can give you this, Alex. I love you, and I love seeing you like this.” She massaged Alex’s side with her hand. “You look so peaceful, like you’re asleep, yet we can still talk a little.”
“’s nice,” Alex mumbled in agreement.
“So nice, Alex.” From her position on her side, Kara worked her lower arm into a comfortable arrangement for stroking Alex’s hair. “For me, the best part might be the trust you’re showing in me. You let me take you to such a vulnerable place, and it makes me feel incredibly valued and loved.”
“I love you.” Before Kara caught her breath to reply, Alex added, “Need you.”
“I love you, too, Alex. Being with you like this… may I hold you?” Alex nodded and lifted her arm towards Kara. “Thank you.” Kara snuggled into Alex, cheek-to-cheek and breast-to-breast, and wrapped an arm and a leg around her girlfriend’s body. “Alex, seeing you like this, wearing my family’s crest around your neck and utterly surrendered into my care, is the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.” Her hand caressed endlessly over Alex’s bare back. “I’m so happy to just lay here with you, helping you relax, making you feel good, keeping you safe…”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and we can do this whenever you want.” Kara let herself melt against Alex, holding her close, content to rest and breathe together for a time. There were, however, a few other things Alex had wanted to do. “Alex, would you like to try the sensations we talked about?” Alex gave another little nod. “Okay. I’m going to chill my finger, and it’s going to feel pleasantly ice-cold everywhere I touch you. Do you understand, Alex?”
“Yes.”
“How is it going to feel when I touch you?”
“Cold.”
“Good, that’s right. Here it comes.” She pulled back so she could caress along the underside of Alex’s jaw. At the touch of her warm, un-chilled fingertip, Alex drew in a soft gasp and arched her neck. “How did that feel, Alex?”
“Cold. Good.”
“Did you hear me use my freeze-breath?”
Alex’s forehead crinkled ever so slightly. “No.”
“That’s because I didn’t use it, Alex. I didn’t chill my finger. I suggested that it would feel cold, and you were open to it, so that’s what you felt.” Alex’s brows knit further, and then she seemed to come back into her body. “You come awake feeling refreshed,” Kara said, faster than she would’ve liked, and held Alex’s hand.
Alex’s eyes slid open, and she took a deep breath. “Holy shit,” she murmured.
“How are you?”
“I’m… wow.” Alex felt her neck where Kara had touched her, and then turned Kara’s hand in hers. “You used this finger, right?”
“Yep.”
“It felt exactly as if you’d chilled it.”
“Mmhmm. I probably could’ve used a pencil eraser and it still would’ve worked.”
Alex stared at her for another three seconds, and then sank back into the mattress. “Do it again.”
“Tell me what you’re feeling, first.”
“I’m feeling like I’ve never been more yours, Kara, and so relaxed. Come on, you said we’d also try heat, and feathers, and fur…”
Kara smiled wide. “You’re so into this, it’s seriously adorable.”
“Can you adore me after you re-hypnotize me?”
“Yes, and I was earlier, too. Relax, Alex-”
“Quit taking it slow, Kara.”
Kara gave her a doting look. “You have to relax before I can take you anywhere.”
Alex tinged pink and looked chastened. “Right, sorry. Also, thank you, Kara. I’d love to do this every night with you”
Even as she filled with love, Kara couldn’t help teasing her favorite woman in the galaxy. “I’m glad you’re so deeply enjoying-”
“Now you’re just-”
“Hush, babe.” Kara leaned over and kissed her. “Relax your mind, relax your body, and relax your impatience. Let my voice take you where you want to go. Breathe gentle, even breaths, and relax.”
“Kiss me while I’m under,” Alex murmured.
“I’ll kiss you all you want, Alex, all you want, once you relax. You’re safe, the bed is soft and comfortable, and I’m here with you. Here to take you deeper… deeper into relaxation… deeper into contentment…” Kara smiled from the warmth overflowing her heart. “Deeper into my eyes.”