Work Text:
“Hey, Tallu?” Serana put her book down on the nightstand. Tallulah stopped mixing her potion and raised an eyebrow. Serana shifted awkwardly from her position, sitting on Tallulah’s bed in the Arch Mage’s Quarters.
“So…” Serana trailed off. Her brow knit together and she pouted, trying to put the right words together.
The Khajiit woman sat down next to her. “It’s okay, take your time.”
Serana took a deep breath. “I’m just… not sure how to ask for this.”
Tallulah tilted her head, a curious gleam in her eyes now. “Ask for what?”
Serana rolled her eyes. “That’s what I’m having trouble putting into words.”
Tallulah rubbed her shoulder, and Serana leaned into the touch, resting her head on Tallulah’s shoulder. Tallulah softened - her and Serana had been… well, dating wasn’t exactly the right term, but they had been growing closer as of late. A little more intimate. And Tallulah had gotten good at telling what Serana wanted at the moment.
Tallulah smiled. “Feeling lonely?” She asked.
Serana tried to hide the faint blush that rose to her cheeks. “I… yeah. But it’s a little more than that, I think.”
Tallulah nodded. “Care to elaborate?”
“I…” Serana paused for a second. “I’m not really sure. I wanna… I wanna feel you a little bit more, but-”
“You don’t wanna take it too far yet,” Tallulah finished.
Serana sighed, nodding. “Yeah. And I’m… not exactly sure what to do next.”
Tallulah shifted her weight, facing Serana and taking both of her hands. “As long as you’re okay with it, I could take a bit of the lead. Keep it light, keep it soft.” A smile tugged at her lips. “All you gotta do is ask, Serana.”
Serana squeezed Tallulah’s hands. “I… I think I’d like that, right now.”
Tallulah purred in response, pressing their foreheads together. She intertwined her fingers with Serana’s, her tail swishing contently behind her.
“Is that okay?” She asked.
Serana smiled, closing her eyes and leaning in. “Very.”
Tallulah pulled Serana up into her lap, cupping her face with left hand and putting the other on the small of her back. Serana leaned in, their lips barely touching each other.
“Tallu?” Serana whispered. “Can I kiss you?”
Tallulah smirked, brushing a stray piece of hair out of Serana’s face. “I don’t see why not.”
Serana leaned in, pressing their lips together. Tallulah purred, pulling Serana a little bit closer. Tallulah moved her left hand to the back of Serana’s neck, running her hands through her hair.
With a wry smirk, Tallulah pulled Serana down with her, until Tallulah was flat on her back and Serana was laying on top of her. Serana let out a hoarse laugh, shaking her head.
Tallulah pressed a kiss to the corner of Serana’s mouth. “If you’d rather be upright again, I-”
“No,” Serana said, leaning down and cupping Tallulah’s face with both hands. “This is perfect.”
Tallulah let out a low purr, almost closer to a growl, and narrowed her eyes. “I mean, I could always be on top if you want,”
“Nope,” Serana quieted her with another kiss. “I like it up here.”
That was enough to actually draw a chuckle out of Tallulah. Serana wasn’t able to even contain her smile as they kissed - there was something about Tallulah that just… made her happy.
Serana let out a small gasp as Tallulah’s hands slid up her waist, pulling up a bit of her shirt as they did. Tallulah stopped suddenly.
“Sorry,” Tallulah said sheepishly. “I-”
“N-No,” Serana said. “It’s okay, that-” She felt her heart begin to flutter in her chest. “Th-That felt kinda nice.”
Tallulah blinked a few times. “Really?” She shifted upright, with Serana sitting somewhere between across from her and on top of her.
“We could always take it another half-step, if you want,” Tallulah said.
Serana thought for a second. “Well… would you mind?”
Tallulah raised an eyebrow. “Seeing you shirtless? Of course not.”
Serana playfully smacked her on the arm. “I mean you also being shirtless, dumbass.”
“I know,” Tallulah said, wrapping her arms around Serana. “And no, I wouldn’t mind. I always enjoy showing off my muscles.”
Serana felt her heart begin to beat a little faster. “Well, what’s stopping you?”
“Just a question.”
Serana nodded. “Fire away.”
Tallulah tilted her head, smirking. “Would you rather take my shirt off or watch me take it off myself?”
Serana blinked a few times, her brain short-circuiting. “Well, I… uh-”
Tallulah’s smirk grew a little wider. “I’ll save you the choice, then.” In one swift movement, she pulled her shirt off over her head. Serana always forgot how toned Tallulah was, muscle rippling just under the fur. Bandages were wrapped around her upper chest in lieu of a bra.
Serana drank in the sight of that much bare skin a little longer than she needed, before meeting Tallulah’s eyes. She was smiling - not a wry smirk, not a sarcastic grin, just a genuinely happy smile.
“What is it?” Serana asked.
“Just you,” Tallulah said. Before it got too sappy, she added, “Being so awestruck by my amazingly huge muscles.”
Serana felt heat rise to her face. “Dork.”
Tallulah purred, pressing one kiss Serana’s jawline, then another along her neck. “Too bad you got attached to me.”
Serana relished the sensation of Tallulah’s own fangs grazing her skin. “Yeah. Too bad.”
Talllulah rested her hands on Serana’s hips, gently tugging on the end of her shirt. “You still wanna do this?”
Serana nodded. “Yeah.”
Tallulah pressed their foreheads together. “Alright, then. Now let’s get you out of this pesky shirt, shall we?”
Tallulah began undoing the laces on Serana’s bodice, the two of them occasionally trading kisses. Tallulah wasn’t teasing Serana, nor were they rushing - it was simply nice and easy, casual, almost.
Serana slipped her shirt off over her head, and Tallulah ran her hands up Serana’s side. Serana shuddered, leaning in, wrapping her arms around Tallulah’s neck.
“That feel nice?” Tallulah asked.
Serana nodded, mumbling out an affirmation. She straddled Tallulah’s waist and ran one hand through her messy hair. Tallulah pulled her closer, peppering kisses along Serana’s cheeks and lips. Serana wasn’t used to this much skin-to-skin contact - she and Tallulah were pressed together now - but it was… strangely exhilarating.
Tallulah pulled back with a soft smile on her lips. “I love you.”
Serana blinked, and Tallulah seemed a bit taken aback too, as if she didn’t mean for the words to come out.
“Y-You don’t have to say it back,” Tallulah said, cupping Serana’s cheek. “I just… wanted you to know. You mean a lot to me.”
The words wouldn’t come out of Serana’s mouth, so she kissed Tallulah’s forehead instead, hoping the message would get across.
Tallulah leaned back, pulling Serana down with her, alternating between kisses and soft touches. When they were like this - alone, with no pressure and no worries - Serana felt like they were two sides of the same coin, like her and Tallulah reacted to each other’s bodies naturally, comfortably. Serana was always amazed at how her hands slid so easily into Tallulah’s, how their lips fit together perfectly.
She could even hear Tallulah’s heartbeat kick up a little bit, with each time Serana’s hands brushed along her sides, or whenever their lips met. Still, the sound was a steady anchor, just another way she could experience Tallulah.
Tallulah was soft but deliberate in her touches. Rough, calloused hands made their way up Serana’s sides, before tugging at the band of her bra. The sudden touch made Serana gasp, pulling away from their kiss.
“Heh, sorry,” Tallulah said. Then, a smirk grew on her face. “What’s wrong? Sensitive there?”
Serana rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up,”
She went in for another kiss, but Tallulah stopped her, that insufferable smirk on her face only growing. “Oh yeah? Make me.”
Serana sat up, hovering over top of Tallulah. She raised an eyebrow.
“I’m serious,” Tallulah said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Make me shut my damn mouth.”
Serana narrowed her eyes. “How, exactly?”
“Any way you can think of,” Tallulah said. “Sexually, and non-sexually too. I mean, the simplest way would be to kiss me, but you could just as easily smother me with my own pillow-”
The idea popped into Serana’s head suddenly. As Tallulah was mid-sentence, Serana leaned down and bit Tallulah’s neck, right where her pulse was. Blood trickled into Serana’s mouth. Tallulah gasped, arching her back before leaning into the touch as Serana kept her still.
“Ow, fuck-” Tallulah said, panting. “Alright, fine, fine, you win.”
Serana chuckled, leaving a trail of kisses along Tallulah’s neck and cheek, before planting a final kiss on her lips. “I thought so.”
Tallulah smiled, wiping a bit of the blood from the corner of Serana’s mouth. “Who knew you were so-”
There was a knock at Tallulah’s door.
Serana and Tallulah both froze, locking eyes and waiting.
Another knock.
Tallulah pushed herself up in a blur, throwing on a bathrobe and not even bothering to knot it, just pulling it aruond herself. She opened the front door of her chamber. Brelyna was standing there, a pile of books in her hand, and her eyes widened when she saw Tallulah. Her eyes darted between her messy hair, her robe, and the still fresh wound on her neck.
“Research,” Tallulah said. That excuse covered almost anything.
Brelyna nodded slowly. “Research with…” She glanced over Tallulah’s shoulder towards Serana, who was hurriedly trying to put her shirt back on. “Serana?”
Tallulah felt her face grow red. “... Yes.”
Brelyna sighed. “I- yknow, it’s fine. I can ask Tolfdir. Enjoy your research.” She turned on her heel and began going back down the steps. Tallulah let out a sigh of relief and then groaned. She threw off the bathrobe, flopping down her bed.
Serana sat down beside her, now fully clothed. “Well.”
Tallulah nodded. “Well,” She said, her voice hoarse. “I know it’s not the same, but-” She pointed to the bite on her neck. “Wanna finish your meal?”
Serana leaned forward. “You’re a lot more than a meal, Tallu.”
Tallulah pursed her lips. “I’m trying to restrain myself from making a joke.”
“Well now you gotta say it,” Serana said.
“Okay, okay,” Tallulah bit her lip, trying to contain her smile. “I may not be a meal, but… you can still eat me out anytime.”
“By the eight-” Serana slapped Tallulah on the shoulder. “That is such an awful joke.”
Tallulah held her hands up in defense. “I was given explicit permission to say it! It’s not my fault you were curious!”
Serana shook her head and pressed her lips to Tallulah’s neck, drinking up the excess blood. “How ‘bout you just be quiet, okay? Wasn’t the whole point of this to shut you up?”
Tallulah sighed, melting into Serana’s embrace. “Mm, yeah, pretty sure it was.”
~ ~ ~
Onmund lifted his head as Brelyna walked back down into the library. “What’s up? Weren’t able to get Tallulah?”
Brelyna pursed her lips. “I was, but-” She sighed.
Onmund’s eyes widened. “But…?”
Brelyna paced the room for a second. “I think I walked in on her and Serana having a… moment.”
Onmund gagged.
“I-” Brelyna threw her hands into the air. “There was so much information to process. I think Tallulah-” She shook her head. “Nope. Nope, I am not thinking about that. Tallulah is my friend and the Arch Mage, I do not need to think about that.”
J’zargo popped his head in. “Hello, my friends. What did I miss?”
“Please don’t ask,” Onmund and Brelyna said in unison.