Title: The Lion Tamer

Author: Chilombilite

Rating: T

Warning(s): F/F, unbetaed, sexy teasing

Summary: Nadine and Susana have been together long enough. It's time "Naddie" stopped beating around the bush and effing explained herself. Stop being such a closet case, Nadine.

Note(s): lizziebeam's request on my fiction meme, sorry I effed it up and made them too old. :(

The Lion Tamer

Nadine woke up suddenly, the need to pee surging to the forefront of her mind... and her nerve endings. She felt like her intestines were about to explode out her navel, and even pulling herself out of bed made her double over in pain. She made her way to the bathroom, hoping that she hadn't woken her partner. She relieved herself, truly understanding the expression, washed her hands, and happily tiptoed back to bed. As she sat down, she pulled on the boxers she'd left on the floor the night before, and felt Susie edge away from her.

She glanced over at Susie and whispered, "Suze, you awake?"

"Yeah." Her voice sounded... off. Like when her allergies started acting up or, Nadine noted, when she had been crying.

Nadine, or Naddie, as only Suze was allowed to call her, leaned over her lover and buried her face in the other girl's neck. "You ok," she murmured as she planted a soft kiss on a small freckle.

"I'll be fine," the other replied, pulling away and hugging her pillow. That was something that had always intrigued Nadine. Susana always had a normal pillow on her bed, but never rested her head on top of it, and instead, would always hug it close to her as though it were a stuffed animal. Even when Nadine was in the bed with her, Suze would hug the pillow, never the person.

Well... that was definitely a sign that something was bothering her. She'll be fine.

Nadine rolled her eyes. She spooned the redhead and took the opportunity to feel the other's body. Nope, the ging hadn't put her clothes on yet, which was a good sign. Maybe Naddie could still fix the situation, provided she somehow figured out what was wrong in the first place. Women.

"Suuuuuuze," she whined, "tell me."

Susana twisted her body to get a good look at her lover, flashing Nadine a particularly stunning view of her chest. "Naddie... I don't know if I can do this anymore." She closed her eyes, breaking into a fresh wave of tears. She wiped her eyes and ran the hand through her hair, inhaling loudly in a failing attempt to regain control of herself.

Oh no, Nadine thought a bit more panicked than usual, it's the same old thing again. The argument that had yet to fully boil over; the one that was giving her an ulcer; the one that had started souring their relationship the second they had become exclusive; the argument that, tonight, might finally end.

"We're supposed to celebrate our anniversary in a week, and you still haven't told your parents about me. And you haven't let me come out either."

Nadine bit her lip guiltily. It was, indeed, her fault that both of them were still closeted from their families. And it was her fault that they'd never properly finished this argument: Nadine was always running off at the last minute, completely unable to convey the reasons for her closet cased-ness.

"Suze... you could have told your parents about us. I haven't stopped you from that," she lied. Sure, she'd never expressly forbidden that confession, but she knew that it was a childhood fantasy to come out to both sets of parents. She'd always had this romantic idea of sitting both families down in their living room and announcing that the two were in love and all that.

But Nadine foresaw the outcome quite well. Sure, Suze's parents would accept the relationship, maybe even approve without all of that shock and angsting that might seem befitting of them. Suze was, after all, very lesbian. She was feminine, without a doubt, but she had the dyke aura nailed. Nadine's parents, on the other hand, would not be so welcoming of a daughter-in-law that was with their daughter. It just wasn't done. The one gay cousin she knew of had been cut off from all contact from the entire clan—and the Nielsons were very clan-like. So, Nadine Nielson was absolutely terrified of receiving the same treatment. And Susana's heart would break for sure. She was very family-oriented too, but their families just worked differently.

Sure enough, the rebuttal came as she bolted upright, nearly hitting Naddie. "That's bullshit! You've always made up some stupid reason for me not to tell, and you know that that's not the fucking point."

Caught.

"I know. But you don't get it..." It was finally time to tell the truth. "I'm shit-my-pants scared." The story of her long-lost cousin, Skylar, came tumbling out. As the word vomit continued, Nadine noticed Susana's eyes widening, even glistening a bit—presumably over finally breaking the fourth wall. Nadine finished her story and rubbed her arm nervously.

The ging stared for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before pulling her brunette counterpart into a bear-hug. "You're an idiot."

"I am?" Nadine bat her eyelashes innocently as she attached herself to her usual spot. Nadine's teeth, by this point had made semi-permanent indentations in Suze's left shoulder, because that was—quite simply—what she did. In the same way that lion tamers could confidently stick their hand in the giant cat's mouth without fear of being seriously injured, Suze's shoulder was constantly between Nadine's healthy set of teeth. There was no bite to it, just a dull pressure that the redhead had gotten used to.

Nothing had concretely been resolved between the two, both were aware of that, but Suze was comforted by the full disclosure. It was a step in the right direction that she could actually live with; none of those stupid excuses. There would be time, ample time to goad Nadine into finally growing a pair and agreeing to come out. But right now, Suze could tell that Nadine needed some serious emotional reassurance. To the brunette, the best way to give that would be through a more physical kind of intimacy. Not necessarily sex, but something more than indulging her need for teeth-to-skin contact.

Suze pulled her shoulder back, crossed her legs, and faced Nadine. She pulled the vulnerable girlfriend into her lap, linking those beautiful legs behind her back. Susana pressed her lips tenderly to Naddie's chest, just beneath her collarbone.

"You're still not off the hook, by the way," Suze added maliciously into Nadine's cleavage. She tongued a nipple teasingly before adding, "We'll have to tell them if you want to stay together."

Once again, the rift they had so cleverly disguised moments before, opened up before them.

Nadine's hunger and lust brought her back to herself and she muttered, "Yeah, yeah. Just fuck me already."