“I hate people,” Piper groaned under her breath as she trudged into the living room. She needed a break. Something to hit, maybe. Or some other way to relax. But the light was already on, though if she could just make it up the staircase, it would be the first thing to go right in a long day of-

“Pipes?”

Of course not, she groused to herself. Nothing's ever easy.

“Piper, is something wrong?” Senna glanced over and sat up alarmedly, pocketing a small green box.

Fantastic timing. “I’m fine, Senn-”

Before she could finish her girlfriend's name, Senna was there in a rush of brown and green, planting her hands on Piper’s shoulders.

Why can’t she just leave me alone?

“Piper. Please.”

Stupid know-it-all. Why? Can’t you just leave me be?

She tensed, preparing to duck under Senna's arms and make her escape.

“Piper, talk to me.”

No. Why should I?

She met Senna’s eyes, which were wide with concern. Why did she always have to meddle in other peoples' affairs? Piper didn’t need anyone to help her - it never ended well, anyway.

Her girlfriend sighed. “Okay. If you really don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I'll go sit down.” She took a step back, raising her hands in defeat.

Finally! She’s leaving me alone. That’s what I wanted! Why... why do I feel worse, though?

Piper took a sharp breath. Step back. Think. Focus. Senna’s words. Why was she angry at Senna? Senna... Senna helped.

Slowly, she exhaled. “Ugh... you’re right, you’re right,” she groaned. Senna smiled, the tension draining out of her posture. “It was art stuff,” Piper began. “I was doing a commission, and the client was being way too anal about it. You know? Like, every detail was just slightly off, and he had to have them all fixed immediately. It got old. Fast.”

Senna nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

“So now I’m all worked up - I'm even mad enough that I’m snapping at you. Pitiful, isn’t it?”

Senna sighed. “No, Piper. I know how that feels.”

“Yeah... so? How does that help?”

Senna smirked. “So cuddle me.”

“I’m not going to - wait. Repeat that?”

“Our deal, remember? From the museum day.” She cleared her throat, holding up an imaginary piece of paper to read from. “You, Piper Collins, are to provide cuddles, at will, to Senna Martin, until such time as you have been released from the oath.” She grinned, dropping the tone. “So. Cuddle me.”

Did the stress get to me more than I thought? “Senna... what?”

“It’s a simple request, no? I just want to cuddle.” 

“Yeah, but…" What? "...why? Wasn't the whole deal a favor for you?”

Senna shook her head. “This isn't for me, no... but we never said I had to use it for myself. And I think that some TLC is what you need right now.”

“That’s a stupid interpretation,” Piper muttered.

“Love you too.” Senna sat back down onto the couch, and opened her arms to beckon Piper over. Piper hesitated a moment, then sank gratefully into her embrace. 

God, she'd missed this. It had only been a day since she’d been in Senna’s arms, but it felt like months. How could she have been angry at her? It seemed so impossible, now that the wave of her anger had broken. And... Well, here she was, peacefully on the shore. Senna was warm, her body firm yet soft - perfect for hugging. The object Senna had pocketed poked into Piper’s side. What was it for? A question for another time, maybe.

For now, she had a girlfriend to love.

Piper yawned, squeezing the pillow tighter.

“Uh, Pipes?” Senna chuckled, slightly nervously.

“Whaa izzit?” Piper mumbled sleepily.

“You’re, er... you’re squishing me...”

Piper blinked, looking around with bleary eyes. “... Huh?”

She was on the couch... and hugging...

Oh. Not a pillow.

She flushed, scrambling back. 

“Feeling better?” Senna giggled.

Piper sighed. “Yeah...”

“Good,” Senna sighed. “I’m glad you’re doing better. You were really out of it.”

“Yeah. Before you got to me, I was so addled I was considering some crazy things. Like finding something to punch, or going up to you and asking for you to t...” she trailed off, blushing.

“And nothing! And I wanted to do nothing else,” she hastily backpedaled. God, could I be any more obvious?

“Oh?” Senna mused. “Have something to tell me, Piper?”

“N-no. I don’t,” she stammered, turning away to try to hide her face.

“Hmm... well, it could be sex, but you wouldn’t be denying having thought about it.”

Oh god, she’s taking it as a puzzle. She’s going to know. God above, she’s going to know.

“So it’s something intimate, probably...” Senna looked at Piper, a smirk growing along with realization on the taller girl's face.

“Isn’t that my thing, Pipes?”

Well. No dodging this bullet, then.

“Shut up, Senn...” she mumbled.

“I mean, I haven’t even practiced in years - I don’t know if I’d still be that good as a hypnotist.”

“Really? Senna, didn’t you practice for years? I bet you could give a better showing than I could, under the right conditions.”

“I’m awful at it, though.”

Piper cocked her head, staring at her girlfriend. “Didn’t you say you’ve been studying it since you were ten, ‘cuz even your grade-school self was, as you put it, ‘a prescient kinky shit?’”

Senna shrank back a little, embarrassed. “Uh... yeah...” She shook her head. “Er, not that it matters, though. Since we’re. Not! Going to do that.”

“Why not?”

Senna started, her look changing to pure confusion.

Did I fuck up?

“I mean, uh, that is to say,” Piper added quickly. “I... you know, I’ve never gotten to see it from your perspective. Besides Barry, you’re the only one I’ve ever put under. And only Barry’s ever actually tranced me, and that’s hardly the same thing.”

Senna frowned, though encouragingly. She looked more thoughtful than sad or angry. “Did Barry know that hypnosis was, like... a thing for you, Pipes?”

Piper nodded. “He, uh... saw me looking at some... materials, when we were teenagers. He... got the idea. Both about girls, and... about the rest.”

Senna smirked. “And even knowing it, he let you hypnotize him?”

“Shut up. He knew it wasn’t like that, and so did I, and so do you. I just... think it’d probably be nice. To experience both sides, y’know?”

Senna frowned again. “But... I don’t think I’d be very good at it, Pipes. You know me. I’m smart, sure, but under pressure I couldn’t be creative to save my life. I wouldn't want to put you through that.”

It was surreal to see Senna - Senna, of all people - being so... unsure? Doubtful? Hell, thinking that she was bad under pressure?

“Senna, you’ll do fine.”

“But what if I do something wrong? What if I hurt you, and I-”

Piper cut her off. “Senna, do you trust me?”

Senna blinked. “Uh... yeah. Why?”

“Well, I trust that you can do this. So, believe in the me that believes in you, and all that.”

Senna groaned. “Okay, fine, you dumbass nerd. I’ll give it a try. It’s on you if I fuck up, though.”

Piper grinned. “You won’t.”

“Okay, Piper. Just... breathe in... and out... and focus on your breathing...” Senna spoke haltingly, staring holes through Piper, who was sitting patiently on the bed, eyes closed.

What am I even doing. What. Help.

“And... j-just breathe... and... Piper, stop. I can’t.”

Piper opened her eyes, looking concerned, but expectant. She thinks I can do this but I can’t! This just - just isn’t what I’m good at.

“Fine, fine,” Senna grumbled, acquiescing to the unspoken request. Piper raised an eyebrow at that. “Yeah, you win. You know I can’t say no to you. I’ll try again.” Fat lot of good it’ll do.

She took a deep breath, trying to marshal her thoughts. How did Piper usually pull this off? She was always so shy elsewhere, but when alone with Senna, it was like she’d fall into a natural rhythm, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to talk Senna’s mind into bliss. How could Senna capture that?

Despite her misgivings, though, Piper had asked. So she was going to try.

Even if she had no idea what she was doing.

“Okay. So. Just... breathe. In, and out, alright? Easy, slow, deep. You, uh... know that rhythm so well, don’t you? After all... you use it on me so often. Yeah?” No shit, she berated herself. Am I expecting her to hypnotize herself? She slapped her cheeks lightly. Get it together, genius.

“So just breathe. Sink into that rhythm...” Wait - Is rhythm the right word? That’s what I feel when I get hypnotized. Will she feel the same thing? “Into that easy pattern of breathing,” she amended. “In... and out. When you breathe in... feel that air fill your lungs... and out, let it all out.” Great. I'm really just saying words now, huh? What the hell am I doing?

Her efforts seemed to be working, improvised though they were, but Senna had absolutely no point of reference to use. No way to tell if Piper was deep in trance or not. Fuck. What was she supposed to do?

She groaned, audibly this time, and Piper gradually blinked her eyes open. “You were doing well,” she said softly.

She was? “I was? I couldn’t tell," she confessed, at Piper's encouraging nod. “Honestly, I don’t think I’m cut out for this at all.” To say the least.

“Need me to, er... give you a confidence boost, then?” Piper asked.

Senna winced. Oh, sure. You want to hypnotize me into hypnotizing you? How, exactly, do you call that “getting to experience it,” Pipes? It’s just what we normally do at that point.

“No. No, if I’m going to do this, I want to do it myself.” She stopped, then frowned, thinking. “Do it myself. Huh. That...” Yeah. Yeah, I can work with that... Maybe. Possibly.

Piper smiled slyly. “Ready to try again, then? Looks like it from over here.”

She just needed to do it to herself. Think of hypnotizing Piper as hypnotizing herself, instead. She knew what it felt like. She just had to bring Piper along.

“Yes,” she breathed, letting her voice fall into a slow rhythm. “Yes, I am. So why don’t you just breathe, Piper? Like you were doing before. Like... uh, like you’re doing now.” Oh, yeah. I’m doing juuuust great. “So... so easy. So natural.”

What would work for me?

“And as you breathe, just listen. Listen to the rhythm of the air, flowing through your body. In, and out... regular and even...

“It’s so... relaxing. That’s what it should be. Relaxing. Let your body relax as you focus entirely on your breathing... and on my voice. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes...” Piper said softly. She’s not deep. I’m not deep. Not yet.

“So why don’t you just breathe? You’re so good at it, right? You breathe, in and out, all day long, every single day. You do so, so much practice at relaxing, at letting yourself slip, growing so comfortable, letting the tension leave your body... and it’s so easy to do that with me, isn’t it? So easy to be here, to sit with me, just listening...”

“Yes...” Piper murmured.

So now, I just... “Just float along here, with me, with you... Drifting along inside your mind - and I know you’re so, so good at taking me there, too. So you know where to go. Deeper and deeper...”

A slow rhythm, synced with her breathing, on the edge of her perception. She followed it.

“Deeper... it’s so easy to relax. You’re here. With me.” I’m repeating myself, aren’t I? a small part of her groaned.

“Sleep, Piper.”

Had it worked? Piper was silent, breathing evenly. Was that what Senna looked like when she was under? She thought so...

“Can you hear me, Piper?”

“Yes,” Piper breathed.

That sounds right.

“Alright. Just keep drifting...”

And she ran into a blank. 

This was the part where she was supposed to be gone. She wasn’t supposed to think, to have ideas, not when she was this deep.

And that meant she was fucking this up.

She grimaced, forcing herself awake. It took effort, and that was time she left Piper hanging. I got her here. Hooray. What do I do now? Is she waiting for orders? Oh god, she is, isn't she. Come on, Senna! What's the first command that comes to mind?

“Uh... I want you to feel as though there’s a balloon attached to your arm.” Too vague, not definitive. I don’t want to risk confusing her. “There’s a balloon attached to your left wrist, filled with helium. It’s about the size of your head.” Er... Vague is bad, but somehow that feels worse. “Slowly, it’s raising your arm, and it’s so much easier to just let it happen.” She watched, tense, as Piper’s hand rose until it was over her head.

“And now, I’ve untied the balloon.” Do I need to explain how I did? Wouldn’t she feel it, or... Senna let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as Piper’s arm flopped back down. Oh, thank god it worked.

“And now...” she trailed off, grimacing again. I... I can’t do this. “And... wake up, Piper.”

Piper’s eyelids twitched. After a few seconds, her eyes opened, still unfocused, before slowly coming to focus on Senna with a look of concern.

“What happened?” she asked softly.

“I just... I don’t know what to do, Pipes. You’re always so good at finding things for me to do...”

Piper chuckled, quickly escalating into a cackle, and Senna bristled. So she was finding this funny?

“Senna, what do you think it’s like for me?”

“Come again?”

“You’ll be fine, Senna. Just... try things out. It’s up to you. That’s kind of the point, no? Worst case scenario, we debrief so we know what went wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time I'd need comforting after an experience in bed,” she added with a snort.

Huh. She’s still talking softly... and she seems... distracted...

“This is different.”

“Yeah. it is. But I know you, Senn. You’ll be fine, I promise. Even if you flub it, we'll call it a learning experience. So get on with it, why don’t you?” Piper punctuated her reassurance with a playful wink.

Alright. Fine. Fine! If it’s a challenge you’re putting in front of me, then I’ll defeat it or die trying. Er. Metaphorically.

Senna closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, she opened them wide, leaned in until she was inches from Piper’s startled face, and spoke one single word with all the force she could muster.

“Sleep.”

It worked. Somehow, she’d known it would. Because it would have worked on her. Piper’s eyes glazed over, and she slumped back, lying face-up on their bed.

Alright. Time to wing this.

“That’s right, Piper. You sleep so well, so easily. You were only up for a moment, right? So short, so fleeting.” Pad things out. She does that too, right? Adjectives, and all that. Keep the rhythm going. “And now, you’re back under. As if that waking moment was just a dream. As if you were just drifting along, back, down, deep... and sleep, Piper. Sleep.”

Piper’s breathing evened out. She looked the same as she had before Senna had woken her up. Good.

Well... what came next? It wasn't like she usually remembered this part. Usually, all that was left was vague impressions, the barest outlines of what had been said. She could fill them in, with effort...

Senna let her mind bounce from idea to idea, but none of them seemed good enough. She could make Piper walk like a zombie, but that was overdone. She could make her obey orders and wake her up, but that would leave her just as poorly off as she was now. She could make Piper think of her as her Mistress, but... no. Just no.

She realized with a start that she’d been thinking for nearly half a minute, leaving Piper in silence. Maybe she’d have an idea?

“Uh... Piper. What... would you like me to do to you?”

She waited, tense, as Piper’s brow furrowed.

“No,” she breathed.

Senna blinked. What’s that supposed to... she doesn’t want anything. Right. Duh. Trance works off ideation. I used to respond the same way, didn’t I? That’s how I expected trance to be, so that’s how it was. Great. So I’m on my own here. Hooray.

“Fuck,” she breathed. Then, her eyes widened in horror. What if she took that as...

“Fuu....eel your breathing, Piper,” she hastily amended, and breathed a sigh of relief as Piper just seemed to take that in stride.

“Right. Ok. That’s right, Piper. So instead of thinking about that...” Wait, wouldn’t that just make her think about it more now? Panicking, Senna looked around the room hurriedly for ideas, eyes landing on a sketch of the two of them hugging. “I want you to just feel my arms, wrapped around you. Warm, comforting... embracing you, holding you, keeping you safe and happy.” She felt a stir of pride as she saw Piper’s expression soften and slowly morph into a goofy smile.

But... come to think of it, she could have just hugged her. That was hardly an impossible experience to construct - fairly mundane, in fact. She needed to do better.

Her mind drifted to decidedly more... bedroom activities. Those weren’t really her wheelhouse, though. Sure, she’d gladly do whatever Piper wanted - up to and including Piper, and eagerly, at that - but the ideas, the desires... they just didn’t come to her.

But she wanted to do the best she could for Piper. And, despite her near segue into, er, that, it'd be fine if she was doing it deliberately. She was giving Piper the experience. And Piper did that often to her. So...

Senna took a deep breath, marshalling her thoughts. Sex, Senna. You can just say the word.

“Piper, I want you to... uh... take off your shirt.”

Piper’s pale skin turned a light pink as she obliged, revealing a bra of a similar hue. So. So far, so good. Then...

“Take off your bra, too,” Senna said, watching tensely as Piper did. This is the perfect plan! Why didn't I think of it earlier?

She grabbed her girlfriend’s chest.

Ah. I see. I didn’t plan this far.

Her face burst into flames as she realized what she’d just done. Really? What the hell did she think she was doing?

She let go of Piper as if burned, dropped her head into her hands, flopped over onto the bed, and did her best to shrivel into a vaguely Senna-sized ball of shame.

Take off my bra.

She felt a hand on her chest. Briefly, she wondered what was going on, but dismissed the thought as unimportant.

The hand was removed.

She waited.

Several moments’ waiting later, she realized something had gone wrong. A part of her shifted, filled with worry, and pushed the rest of her aside.

Piper woke up. Blinking, she took in the situation.

Senna.

“Are you okay?” she whispered, leaning in for a hug. Distantly, she noticed her shirt was off, but Senna needed comfort now.

Senna just groaned in response.

“Senn, you didn’t mess up. It's okay.”

The groaning subsided, but Senna didn’t say anything.

“Seriously. You did fine.”

No answer. Piper sighed.

“Though maybe you should leave the sex stuff to... y’know, the one who isn’t ace?” she chuckled.

That got a snort out of her. Which was better, at least.

“Come on. Talk to me, Senn.”

“What am I supposed to talk about?” she whispered.

Piper sighed. “I don’t know, Senna... What went wrong, maybe? You didn't do anything wrong,” she hastened to add, “but it might help to talk about what derailed you.”

“Could... I not go first?” Senna mumbled. “You go.”

It really shook her up, huh. “Alright. So... it was an interesting experience. I enjoyed it, for sure. You being flustered helped.” Senna groaned. “Hey, hey. I’m serious. You were trying so hard - it was adorable. But... yeah. It just didn't seem to click for me. Controlling you just feels... right, even if it’s overwhelming sometimes. Guiding you, giving you direction, y’know?”

Senna nodded. “It’s like that for me, too. I found it... overwhelming. I was panicking the whole way down, and ideas just wouldn’t come to me when I needed them to. I kept second-guessing myself, and trying to figure out the best plan, and...”

Wait, she didn’t realize... “You mean you thought that wasn't normal?” Piper blurted.

Senna stopped, and pushed out of the hug, turning to meet Piper’s eyes. “Not... normal? But you never...”

Oh boy. “Senna, I have practice. That’s all... Well, that, and by now, I’ve always got a few ideas saved up, just in case. And it helps that I’m a bit more impulsive than you, right? I can latch onto an idea without worrying so much.”

“Impulsive.”

“Yep.”

“So, it’s because you think less about it?” Senna said, grimacing. “Pipes, you’re not...”

Piper laughed, cutting her off.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re always the first to reassure me that I’m smart. And... well, I can think fast enough to keep up with you, even if I can't muscle through problems like you can. I know, you’re going to tell me that’s still impressive in itself,” she added quickly. Senna blinked, then closed her mouth, blushing a little. “But here’s the thing. All that being said - you’re still the smart one. When you do things, you always do them well.” She put her hands on her hips, grinning proudly. “I, you see, have no such limitations.”

“You... have no such limitations,” Senna repeated dryly.

“You see, it’s not creativity that matters,” Piper smirked. “The secret is that I’m a giant fucking dumbass. You just have to stop thinking about it.”

“Wasn’t that your job for today?”

Senna shoved Piper’s shoulder, but she was smiling. “Dork,” she muttered.

“You helped me. I figure it’s only fair I returned the favor, right?”

“Dork,” Senna repeated. Piper opened her mouth to respond.

And was cut off by Senna’s lips on hers.

They stayed like that for a moment before Senna, breathing heavily, broke the kiss.

“Pipes... Thanks,” she managed between breaths.

“Always. But... hey, Senna. If you’re feeling up to it...”

Senna looked at her, confused - it was such a rare expression that Piper made sure to commit it to memory. It was strange, paradoxically, to be the one in control; even if Senna was hers, there was something about her that demanded attention, demanded respect. And even Piper wasn’t immune to her charms, dom or not.

This was a rare change. And while she wouldn’t want it to be a permanent one...

“How about we do it right this time?” Piper teased.

Senna still looked lost. So Piper leaned in for another kiss.

This time, Senna understood.