“How’s that feel, babe?”

Paige locked eyes with her girlfriend and faked a smile. “S-So good!”

Chris grinned and squeezed a little harder. “Yeah? Cute girl likes getting her tits groped?”

“Mhm!” Paige did her best to modulate her groan of discomfort into a moan. She did not, in fact, enjoy having her tits groped. She also didn’t enjoy having them bit, or pinched, or any of the other things Chris liked to do.

Really, she didn’t much enjoy sex at all. She had never quite understood what the appeal was, and thinking about it too hard always made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t like she didn’t feel attraction, far from it. But it never seemed to manifest the same way for her as it did for everyone else in her life.

Things started to make a little more sense when she started figuring out her gender situation. Once she stopped thinking of herself as a guy, she stopped feeling the pressure to conform to a guy’s idea of sexual interest. And when she started feeling comfortable and happy with her body, she thought she might be able to enjoy sex the way others did.

Then she met Chris. Paige still didn’t know how she managed to score a girl like that. She was shy, mousy, still didn’t quite know how to dress herself. But Chris was cool. Chris was hot. She was athletic, stylish, and had a voice that made Paige melt every time she whispered in her ear. Dating her – being hers – felt like a dream come true.

And Paige was absolutely terrified of waking up.

Chris rolled off of Paige’s hips and laid beside her in bed. She was out of breath, grinning madly, her deep blue eyes sparkling with joy and desire. “God damn, doll. You can take a lot of punishment.”

“I try,” Paige sighed. She knew Chris didn’t mean it that way, but it was hard not to have a sense of irony about it. It did feel like a punishment, like a curse from some cruel god.

Because, despite years on hormones, despite feeling so much happier with herself and her body, she still didn’t like having sex. She didn’t feel any pleasure at all from it. Most of the time, it was just painful and uncomfortable. She loved what came before and after – cuddling up in bed with Chris, making out with her, sharing in their exhaustion after a long round of lovemaking. But once Chris started getting in the mood, it all started to fall apart.

Chris knew Paige was asexual. Or at least, she sort-of knew. Paige had downplayed it by a lot when they started dating, and she hadn’t corrected any of those statements as the relationship dragged on. She hadn’t lied, necessarily; she did genuinely want to explore new things, and she did think she would be more open to sex now that she was transitioning. And Chris had tried to ease into things and not jump straight in to some of the rougher stuff.

But Paige knew Chris liked having sex with her. And if she didn’t go along with her girlfriend’s demands, Paige knew she’d be cast aside. She didn’t deserve Chris in the first place.

“Whew!” Chris panted as she finally rolled off of Paige. “God. I’m beat. You holding up okay?”

“Yeah,” Paige sighed. “Just kinda tired.”

“Can’t blame you. We’ve been going for like… two hours now?” Chris shifted to her side and held Paige close. “Mmm. You smell good.”

“No I don’t,” Paige chuckled. “I’m all sweaty and gross.”

“Yeah, but I like that,” Chris smiled. She nuzzled the back of Paige’s neck and purred.

Paige rolled her eyes. She didn’t think she would ever understand what Chris was getting out of this. She had no idea what was supposed to be appealing about someone being out of breath and drenched in sweat. She just felt overwhelmed and overheated. Then again, it wasn’t like Chris would understand the things that did make Paige excited...

She felt Chris’s hand reaching around her hips, down between her legs. “What’re you doing?” Paige asked warily.

“You’re still pent up, right?” Chris replied. “Let me take care of you, doll.”

“I-I’m not–” Paige gasped as she felt Chris’s fingers brush against her penis.

“It’s alright,” Chris giggled. “I know you haven’t actually gotten to cum when we have fun together. I’m happy to oblige.”

“Chris!” Paige whimpered. Her girlfriend started to tease her shaft, her thumb putting a little pressure on the tip as her other fingers slid down. Paige could feel something cold and wet on Chris’s hand, probably spit. It didn’t exactly make her less grossed-out by the whole thing.

Nor did it help much with the pain. Paige knew that estrogen would make her skin feel more sensitive, but when it came to her genitals, that manifested in a decidedly unwanted way. It hurt when she tried to touch herself, especially when she wasn’t already hard. She’d taken to rubbing through a pair of shorts to help dull the sensation a little, and even then she had to be very careful.

Chris, though well-meaning, was definitely not being careful. She was quickening her pace now, making Paige squirm and groan and wince with each pump of her hand. She had often teased Paige about her self-professed prowess at handjobs, and maybe she would’ve enjoyed it more before her body started changing. But right now, it was just too much.

Paige wanted to just grin and bear it. Wait for Chris to get bored, spin some line about how hard it is to get a trans girl to cum, and move on. But she knew, deep down, that it would only make things worse. Chris would keep pushing the envelope, Paige would keep eroding her own boundaries, and eventually she’d end up breaking down or getting hurt and everything would fall apart.

So, she thought, it was better to rip off the band-aid now.

“Stop,” she said firmly, placing her hand on Chris’s.

“Huh?” Chris blinked. “Paige, everything alright?”

“No, not really.” Paige sat up and turned to face Chris. “The truth is, I’m still just not enjoying this. I like you, I really, really do, but I can’t keep doing this. I don’t want it. And… and you deserve someone who does. Who can give you what you need.”

“Wait, w-wait…” Chris stared up at her girlfriend with wide, uncomprehending eyes. “Are you breaking up with me?”

Paige winced. “I-I don’t want to put it like that. I don’t want to stop seeing you. But our whole relationship is built on sex, and if we don’t have that then… what’s left?”

“Babe, I’m not seeing you just to have sex. Do you really think that?”

“Well, it’s all you seem to want, and–”

“Oh, god, Paige.” Chris hugged her tightly. “I never meant to pressure you or anything like that. I only kept offering because I thought you wanted it.”

“Wait, what?” Paige furrowed her brow. “I thought you wanted it.”

“I wanted you, doll. I wanted to make you happy.”

“But… why me? I don’t understand, I’m not special or anything.”

“You don’t have to be.” Chris brushed the hair out of Paige’s face and smiled. “All I know is, you’re cute, and you’re funny, and I like being around you. We could be watching paint dry and I’d still have a good time. So, if you don’t want to have sex, we don’t have to have sex.”

Paige smiled back. “Thank you. A-And, sorry, for not bringing this up earlier. I was just… scared, I guess. Of making you upset, or driving you away. You’re, like, way too cool for me.”

“Oh, come on,” Chris laughed.

“I’m serious! You’ve got this whole, like, punk alt goth thing going on, and you look amazing doing it, and you know all these cool bands and movies and–”

“Okay, let’s cool it on the ego inflating, alright?” Chris interjected.

“Sorry,” Paige said quietly. “I just… like you. A lot.”

“And I like you a lot.” Chris kissed Paige on the cheek and giggled. “Although, I am curious. You said you like how I look, right? So is that just an aesthetic appreciation, or…?”

“Kinda? I know I’m attracted to you, and it’s more than just thinking you’re pretty. It just doesn’t mean sex. Does that make sense?”

“I think so. But, if it’s not sex, is it something else?”

“What else would it be?”

“Maybe…” Chris’s lips curled into a smile. “Something kinda kinky?”

“Wh-What?” Paige sputtered. “Where did that come from?”

“I’ve dabbled in that kinda thing before. Enough to know that getting spanked or tied up can be fun for its own sake, and that there’s a lot of ace people into that kinda thing.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“You’re a bad liar, babe,” Chris giggled. “I can see your cheeks getting all red. C’mon. If you had me all to yourself, what would you want to do to me?”

“N-Nothing,” Paige insisted.

“If you’re worried I’ll think I’ll get turned off, I promise I won’t. I’m happy to try pretty much anything once.”

Paige sighed. “...You promise you won’t think it’s weird?”

“I promise,” Chris nodded.

“Okay.” Paige took a deep breath. “I… want to hypnotize you.”

Chris blinked. “...Pardon?”

“Ugh, I knew you’d think it’s weird!” Paige groaned, hiding her head in her hands.

“No, I don’t, I’m just… confused?” Chris scratched her head. “You mean like, a guy in a top hat with a pocket watch making you think you’re a chicken? That kind of hypnosis?”

“I don’t like the chicken thing, but like… god, I’ve never actually tried to explain this to someone face-to-face before…”

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I was just trying to open up and help you feel comfortable.”

“But you did ask, so… alright.” Paige straightened her glasses and readjusted her posture. “For me, it’s about the act of surrendering yourself. Putting your mind in the hands of someone else and trusting them completely. And just, letting go of everything else. All your thoughts and worries and cares, swept away by a sweet voice and a gentle hand…”

She trailed off. “O-Or, um. Something like that.”

Chris chuckled. “Don’t be embarrassed! You were doing a good job. Thank you for sharing that with me, I’m glad you feel safe to do that.”

“Yeah,” Paige smiled sheepishly. “I dunno, I-I worry that it sounded… kinda stupid, or corny, or whatever.”

“I thought it sounded romantic, actually.”

“Really?”

“Although, it, ah… kinda sounds like you’d rather I be the one hypnotizing you.”

Paige’s cheeks went red. “W-Well, um. I mean. Yes, that would be really… r-really good. But, I-I know you don’t know anything about that, so I can’t really ask for–”

“I’m happy to learn,” Chris interjected. “If you want me to. But maybe it might be good for me to experience it from the other side first, y’know? So I know what to expect?”

Paige stared at her. Her lips slowly curled into a goofy, lopsided smile. “Okay! Alright, yeah! Let’s do it!”

Chris giggled. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her girlfriend so excited about something. Her energy was infectious.

They quickly got set up for the scene. Chris laid back on her bed, while her girlfriend sat on the edge. Once Paige had calmed down enough to string together a coherent sentence, she started Chris off with some slow, deep breaths. She watched her girlfriend patiently, staring at her chest as it rose and fell.

“Now that we’ve got that steady rhythm going,” she continued, her voice starting to drop a little lower, “I want you to focus your eyes on something. It can be anything, a stain on the ceiling, a corner where the walls meet, maybe one of those posters you’ve put up.”

Chris’s eyes landed on the latter. “True Stories,” 1986. David Byrne wearing a big cowboy hat and reading a newspaper. She focused her gaze on the “T” in the title. “Got it.”

“Good,” Paige smiled. “Keep your eyes on that spot for me. Don’t let them wander off. Just focus.”

Chris smiled. She wasn’t sure if she should be feeling anything yet, but she was starting to get awfully relaxed from this.

“Now, you’re going to start feeling your eyelids getting heavier and heavier,” Paige said softly. “You might not notice it at first. But every time you blink, that weight will increase just a little bit. And that weight will build and build and build, every blink making them heavier and heavier…” She smiled. “You’re starting to feel it now, aren’t you?”

“Uh…” Chris blinked. She was feeling it. The more Paige kept talking, the more she had to struggle to keep her eyes open. It was so… simple. Was this really hypnosis? Did Paige expect it to happen so quickly?

“Don’t speak, Chris,” Paige chuckled. “You need your strength. Because you need to keep staring at that spot, remember?”

Right, the spot. Chris tried to open her eyes again. She could see the poster still, and that big letter T. That’s what she had to focus on.

“And the more you try to focus, the more energy you’ll need to keep your eyes open. You’re drawing strength away from the rest of your body and pouring it all into those pretty blue eyes of yours. Starting in your face, letting it go a little bit slack...”

Chris felt her lips part.

“Then into your neck, and your shoulders…”

Her shoulders sank further into her sheets. Her head started to loll to the side. She tried to tilt her head back, to keep her eyes centered on the poster, but her muscles wouldn’t listen to her. She moved her eyes instead, looking out of the corner at the same spot Paige asked her to.

“And now you’re pulling energy from your chest,” Paige continued, softly brushing her fingers against Chris’s skin. “Your torso, your arms, your hands. Each one of them just starts to go limp as you send all that strength up into your eyes.”

She held Chris’s hand tightly. Chris tried to reciprocate, but all she could manage was a slight twitch of her fingers.

“Then it’s your legs. Thighs, and calves, and feet, and toes…” Paige smiled. “I wonder, do you draw the energy from one toe at a time? Or all at once?”

Chris made a small noise in the back of her throat. Paige had asked her a question, but she also said not to talk. And it was so hard for her to make her mouth move, now that it was so relaxed. She felt a little bead of drool collecting at the corner of her lips, but she couldn’t even wipe it away.

“Oh, dear,” Paige cooed in mock concern. “I think you’ve used up all your strength, Chris. And still, those eyes of yours keep getting heavier and heavier, don’t they?”

It was true. Chris had been able to keep up for a little while, but now she could barely open them anymore. The poster was nothing more than an indistinct blur in her vision.

Paige leaned in close, whispering in Chris’s ear. “And now that weight is pulling down on your thoughts. You’re starting to feel them grow fainter and fainter, further and further away. You might still notice them, little flickers here and there, but they slip through your fingers like sand. Just falling and falling, down, down, down…”

Chris whined. She felt her girlfriend’s breath, hot against her skin. She felt her mind growing quiet, her thoughts slipping away, sinking into the sand.

“And when I snap my fingers, and tell you to sleep,” Paige grinned, “you’re going to let those big, heavy eyes of yours close for good. You’ll let go of the last of your strength, and your thoughts. You’ll be fully, totally, hypnotized for me.”

She purred, squeezing Chris’s hand even tighter. “All the way down now. In three, two… one.”

Snap!

And Chris was gone.

Her body was still there. Her heart was still beating, her lungs were still drawing breath. But her mind was quiet and empty, her thoughts snuffed out as easily as a candle’s flame. She looked, to an outside observer, like she could’ve been asleep.

But she wasn’t sleeping. She was hypnotized. She was under Paige’s control, helpless to resist, utterly spellbound by her girlfriend’s words. Paige let out a caged breath and stared at her work. She knew she was attracted to Chris, even if it wasn’t in a sexual way. She loved Chris’s tattoos, her piercings, the way she always wore tank tops that showed off her arms. It was never quite clear to Paige where the line was between wanting to look at someone and wanting to do something physical with them. Being around Chris made her heart flutter and her cheeks flush; wasn’t that enough?

Seeing her like this, though, was starting to clarify some of those questions in Paige’s head. Because Paige was feeling something she hadn’t felt before. It was one thing to read about someone being hypnotized, or see a video or a picture of someone deep in trance. It was quite another to hold someone mindlessly enthralled in one’s arms, and something else still to be the one responsible for putting her in that state. Somehow, impossibly, Paige had tamed the untameable force of personality that had chosen to be her girlfriend. She wasn’t sure if what she was feeling was arousal, but she knew she was enjoying it. She felt powerful. She felt strong. She felt cool.

The problem was, Paige had absolutely no idea what to do next.

“Um.” She inhaled sharply, suddenly very aware of how hot the room was and how sweaty her palms were. She hastily wiped them off on the bedsheets, her mind racing to try and figure out a next step. Suddenly, the confident hypnotist she had appeared to be just moments ago was nowhere to be seen. She was just Paige, the nervous trans girl who barely knew how to talk about her kinks, let alone explore them. “Chris, c-can you hear me?”

Chris gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod.

“I-I’m gonna, um, bring you back up now. Going up from three to– no, from one to three. Uh.” Paige winced at her nervousness. She was fucking this up. She held Chris’s hand tightly. “Um… o-one. Feeling your mind start to, uh, rise up to the surface. Two, more a-aware of your surroundings, and… three! W-Wake up, please!”

Chris opened her eyes and gasped. She looked at Paige, her face completely unreadable. Paige’s breathing was ragged and panicked. The lack of answer was even worse than an outright rejection. It let her mind run wild, imagining what was going through Chris’s head. She probably hated Paige. She must have. She subjected her to her gross kinks and made her uncomfortable. Why had Paige ever thought this was a good idea? She must have been out of her mind.

“Paige?” Chris asked.

“Y-Yeah?” Paige gulped.

“That was the hottest shit I’ve ever done,” Chris grinned.

Paige froze. “R-Really?”

“God, just…” Chris sat up, giggling to herself. “Just your voice, y’know? The teasing and… you slipped into that dominant tone so easily. Like, where did that even come from?”

“I dunno!” Paige let out a nervous giggle. “I-I just kinda went into the zone I guess. I wasn’t really thinking about it too hard.”

“I thought that was my job,” Chris smirked.

Paige smiled back. “Yeah, I guess so.” She paused, feeling some of her nervousness returning. “And, uh. Did you like actually, um, g-going under?”

Chris thought for a moment. “I think so. It felt kinda abrupt, honestly? Like you had me down there, and then brought me back right away.”

“That’s true…”

“You panicked, didn’t you?”

“Um…” Paige’s cheeks turned red. “Maybe a little.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. I was nervous too when I first started topping. It’s scary, you know? You’ve got a lot of responsibility to make sure your partner is doing okay and having a good time. Plus, you’re sharing this new kink with me on top of that.”

“Yeah, y-you’re right.”

“Which also means,” Chris added, “I wanna go again.”

“Oh!” Paige exclaimed. “Like right now?”

“Mhm! And I wanna stay down for longer, kinda luxuriate in that feeling a bit. And, maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“If there’s something else you’d like to try with me. Some, like… suggestions? I think that’s what you call them?”

“Right, yeah. Um, what did you have in mind?”

Chris shrugged. “You’re the expert, doll. I’m sure you’ve got some ideas.”

“I wouldn’t call myself an ‘expert,’ but…” Paige hummed. “Y’know, you’re always calling me ‘doll.’ What’s that about?”

“I dunno, I just think it’s cute. Plus it’s like a reference. Y’know, ‘protect the dolls?’”

“Hm, yeah.” Paige scratched her chin. “But now I’m wondering. How would you feel about being a doll for me?”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Uh… what does that mean?”

“Like, when you’re hypnotized, I start to pose you a little. Play with your body a bit.” Paige froze. “N-Not that we’d have, um, sex or anything. Just, uh, j-just the posing.”

“Ah.” Chris smiled. “Sure, we can try that.”

Paige sighed and smiled back. “Thank you.”

“But, just so you know.” Chris pointed at her chest. “If you wanna touch me here, feel free.”

“Oh, uh, that’s… I-I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to. I’m just leaving that on the table, should you so desire.”

“Um, thanks?”

“My pleasure.” Chris leaned her head back and sighed. “I’m ready when you are, babe.”

“Okay.” Paige took a deep breath and held up her hand. “Three, two, one… sleep.” Snap!

Chris blinked. “Uh… think you still gotta try a little harder than that, Paige.”

Paige’s cheeks flushed. “Ah, r-right. I just, um… did that do, like, anything?”

“A little. There was a... tug, kinda?”

“Yeah? So when I…” Snap! “You feel a tug?”

“Uh…” Chris blinked again, a few more times. “Yes?”

Snap! “And what direction is it pulling you in?” Paige grinned.

“I…” Chris’s eyelids were fluttering now, her face starting to go slack. “D-Down?”

“Good. That’s exactly right. Every time I–” Snap! “It pulls you down.” Snap! “Bit by bit.” Snap! “Tug by tug.” Snap! “Until your mind just gives up, and you…” Snap! “Sleep.”

Chris whimpered softly as her body went limp and her eyes finally slipped shut. She looked just as peaceful and empty-headed as before. Paige smiled at her handiwork. She figured that Chris was still a little bit fuzzy and suggestible after her first time down. That, or she was just that susceptible to hypnosis. Maybe it was a little bit of both.

Either way, Paige knew what she had to do next. “That’s right,” she cooed. “Back down into trance. Slipping under so easily, so effortlessly. No thoughts, no worries, no concerns. Feeling so wonderfully peaceful and empty-headed for me.”

She picked Chris’s hand up and gently stroked it. “When you’re feeling so very hypnotized like this, it’s hard to move your body like you can when you’re awake. Moving your hand, or your arm, requires thought. And you’re not thinking right now, Chris. You’re just… stuck.

“But your body can still be moved, even if you can’t move it yourself.” Paige lifted Chris’s hand higher, pulling it back and forth. “I can move you quite easily. And because your mind is stuck, your body also gets stuck. When I let go of your hand, it just stays there.” She pulled her hand away and giggled as Chris stayed in the same pose she was left in, her hand hanging in midair. “Just like that. It’s so easy. It’s almost like playing with a doll.”

Chris whimpered again. Paige noticed her face twitch slightly, the corners of her lip curling upward almost imperceptibly.

“Oh?” Paige smiled. “Is my doll enjoying her playtime?”

She ran her finger along Chris’s jaw, feeling the softness of her skin and the subtle peach fuzz on her face. Then she pulled down slightly, making her girlfriend’s lips open into an “O” shape. “And my doll doesn’t just respond when I move her. She also listens when I give her a command. Like, when I say, ‘open your eyes…’”

The doll’s eyes fluttered open. Her gaze was pointed upward at the ceiling, but it was clear that she wasn’t really looking at anything in particular. Her eyes lacked the warmth and wit that Chris usually wore so proudly. They were vacant, glassy, slightly dilated. Combined with her open lips, she really did look like a well-crafted doll.

But, Paige had to admit, her expression conjured to mind something a little different from a delicate porcelain figure. It was quite a bit more lewd than she had expected, though she didn’t entirely dislike it. In fact, it reminded her of something Chris had offered earlier.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand over Chris’s breast and gaze a firm squeeze. She half-expected it to elicit some sort of reaction from her hypnotized partner, but she remained still and quiet.

Paige tapped her chin. Chris liked being posed, and she liked being called a doll, and she had offered to let Paige feel her up. But that last bit didn’t seem to be exciting her as much. Was she missing something? Paige held Chris’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze while she tried to think of what to do next.

Of course, Chris didn’t return the gesture. She was still hypnotized. She was still a doll. But that gave Paige another idea. She placed Chris’s hand over her own breast and whispered, “Squeeze.”

Chris obeyed. This one got another whimper out of her; in fact, it was much closer to an outright moan. Her face twitched and lost its vapid, plastic expression. Her eyes slipped shut, the corners of her mouth shifting into a dreamy smile.

“Oh you really liked that, didn’t you?” Paige grinned. “Funny. I don’t know of many dolls that play with themselves. But, then again, it’s still really me who’s playing with you, isn’t it? Because I can just say ‘release…’”

Chris’s hand opened and let go.

“And you stop. Because your hand and your body only move because I say so. Because your mind is stuck. Because right now, you can’t think.” Paige giggled softly. “Say it. ‘I can’t think.’”

“I… can’t think,” Chris murmured. Her voice was slurred and fuzzy, like she was talking in her sleep.

“Again.”

“I can’t think.”

“Again, and squeeze.”

“I– ah!” Chris gasped as her hand betrayed her again. “C-Can’t think…”

“That’s right,” Paige purred. “Good doll. And release.”

She pet Chris softly as the doll slowly began to calm down. Paige knew she could probably take things further. She felt amazing, and Chris was obviously enjoying it too. But she was worried about pushing the boundaries too much, too quickly. She was still inexperienced, and Chris was completely new to all of this. Neither of them knew what their limits were; better to be safe than sorry.

Eventually, Paige brought Chris back out of trance again. She took her time, going slowly to ease her subject into it. Finally, Chris opened her eyes again and looked Paige in the eye. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “You are so good at this.”

Paige laughed nervously. “I don’t know what I’m doing! I-I’m really just winging it, honest.”

“Then you’re a natural.” Chris sat up and ran a hand through her hair. A bashful, embarrassed smile crept across her face. “I go down easy, don’t I?”

“Well, I haven’t done this with anyone else, so I don’t exactly have a frame of reference, but…” Paige shrugged. “Yeah, I’d probably say so.”

Chris chuckled. “Fair, fair.” She leaned over and rested her head on Paige’s shoulder. “That was really good though. Thank you, doll.”

“Now who are you calling doll, hm?”

“Ah, right. Force of habit, I guess.”

“Maybe I’ll have to fix that some time.”

Chris tensed up. “Um… that is a joke, right?”

Paige winced. “Y-Yes, sorry. I would never actually do anything like that.”

“I know. I trust you.”

“...Thank you.” Paige went quiet for a moment. “Uh, w-we should probably do some aftercare, I think?”

Chris nodded. “Snuggles?”

“Snuggles.” Paige laid down next to Chris and wrapped her arms around her. The pair were quiet for a while, facing each other, their heartbeats and their breathing gradually slowing as the energy of the scene faded from their systems.

Chris was the one to break the silence. “Thank you, Paige.”

“No, thank you,” Paige smiled. “For, um, indulging me.”

“I mean, thank you for sharing this with me. I know it’s scary to talk about intimacy and kinks and everything. I’m proud of you for opening up about it.”

“Oh…” Paige blushed. “I-I mean, it wasn’t that hard…”

“Don’t downplay this. Accept my praise, you dummy.”

“Okay, okay. I accept it. Thank you.”

“Good.” Chris gave Paige a kiss on the forehead and purred.

“A-And I’m sorry about the, um. ‘Fixing you’ joke,” Paige added. “That was a bit over the line, I think.”

“It wasn’t ‘over the line,’ it was just… I dunno. I guess I don’t like that word, ‘fixed.’”

“Because there’s nothing to fix.”

“Exactly,” Chris smiled. “I’m a perfect angel that’s never done anything wrong in her entire life.”

“You’re my angel,” Paige giggled, hugging her tighter.

Chris hugged her back. “Don’t you mean your doll?”

“You can be both. You contain multitudes.”

“I guess so. Unless you decide to turn my brain off, that is.”

“That’s right,” Paige replied. “And let me ask you...”

Chris gasped as she heard a sharp snap in her ear and felt her mind start to cloud over. As her eyes slipped shut, she saw her hypnotist with a wide smile and a loving, adoring gaze.

“How’s that feel, doll?”