incredible S

Helen Truax was riding her Elasticycle, dressed in full Elastigirl getup and sitting at a red light, when she overheard the two women in front of the lesbian bar arguing. Her instinct was to tune it out—it was rare that mere arguments required the intervention of a super—but then she heard one of the women hiss, "This is blackmail."

Helen whipped her head toward the sound. One of the women—a tall, slender, brunette with striking features, large blue eyes, and an undercut—was holding a manila envelope in one hand, making as if to hand it to the other woman, who was short and curvaceous with a bright pink crew cut. The taller woman seemed to be hesitating, and the look on her face was a mix of pained and angry.

Helen backed up the Elasticycle slightly in order to turn it, navigating it towards the two bickering women. She alighted and took off her helmet. "What's going on here?" she said in the kind of calm voice that was meant to remind people how quickly she could change that demeanor.

"Nothing," said the pink-haired woman immediately. The brunette looked at her shoes, twisting her mouth.

"An accusation of blackmail doesn't seem like nothing," said Helen blandly, and the pink-haired woman blanched.

"You're right," said the brunette sharply. "She is blackmailing me."

"Watch it," said the pink-haired woman dangerously to the brunette. "You want Elastigirl to know your dirty little secret?" she demanded, and the brunette's nostrils flared.

"Can I see that envelope?" Helen asked the brunette; if there was money in it, that was evidence. The brunette handed her the envelope.

"This is what she was demanding in exchange for her silence," said the brunette darkly.

Helen looked inside and tried not to let her eyes widen. The envelope contained a small stack of money, all in 100s. "Okay," she said, handing the envelope back to the brunette and trying not to think about what it must be like to have that kind of money. She turned to the pink-haired woman. "Hands behind your back. You're under arrest."

The pink-haired woman obeyed, but not without yelling, "That's Evelyn Deavor. Her daddy runs DevTech and doesn't want the public knowing his daughter is a big dyke."

"You're gay too, you g-ddamn hypocrite!" yelled the brunette, who must have been Evelyn. She sounded close to tears.

"Yeah, but I'm not a coward like you!" snapped the pink-haired woman as Helen used one of her arms to cuff her.

"That's enough," Helen snapped, wondering why her heart was racing at this comparatively low-key arrest.

She withdrew her hero work phone from a pocket; she couldn't transport the pink-haired woman to the local police station using just her Elasticycle, so she would have to call the local precinct. Not fifteen minutes later, the pink-haired woman was arrested and taken into custody; Evelyn answered a few of the officers' questions, looking and sounding collected but on the verge of collapse. Once the police car had peeled off, Helen hesitated before leaving. "Are you all right?" she asked Evelyn, who was visibly shaking.

"Fucking peachy," Evelyn grumbled, pushing a hand through her hair.

Later, Helen would wonder exactly what motivated her to say what came out of her mouth next. Maybe it was the knowledge that Evelyn was gay combined with her obvious need for support. Maybe it was something long suppressed, something about herself that Helen had never allowed herself to admit or even consider. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Evelyn sniffed. "Are you making fun of me?" Her voice was bitter.

"No," said Helen, and her tone was patently wounded; Evelyn looked apologetic.

"Sorry," she said. "It's been a day."

"I can't imagine," said Helen in a small voice.

Evelyn squared her shoulders. "Yeah, you can buy me a drink," she said. "Can we go to a different lesbian bar, though? This one is where Amanda—the bitch who was trying to blackmail me—found me, so it's kind of been spoiled for me."

Helen nodded. "Where would you like to go?"

Evelyn looked at Helen for a moment, like she was really seeing Helen for the first time. "Why don't we exchange numbers, and we can plan that way?"

"Sounds good," said Helen, wishing she had her civilian phone with her. She pulled out the hero work phone anyway. "Your name is…" Helen looked around to ensure that there weren't people around who could hear her. "...Evelyn Deavor?"

"Yeah. (415) 555-4078."

Helen tapped out a text to the number, including her civilian name, and sent it. Evelyn looked at her phone and nodded. "So…" Evelyn bit her lip. "I'll hear from you?"

"Definitely," said Helen emphatically.

***

The Friday following, Helen sat on a stool at the bar in an establishment called Marci's. She took out her civilian phone, whose number she had also given Evelyn, and checked it for texts; there were none. Evelyn wasn't late yet, but Helen was anxious. She wondered again if she should have texted Evelyn with a picture of herself so Evelyn could easily recognize her, but then again, Evelyn had already seen her hair, which was bright red and buzzed on the sides, leaving a strip of long hair down the center of her scalp. (She had formerly referred to this hairstyle as a "Mohawk" before she had learned that the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka people generally didn't appreciate that use of their Anglicized tribe name). She had wondered if she should put a product in her hair to make it stick up, but then she had thought of the possibility of Evelyn running her fingers through her hair and had decided to only brush it.

The thought of Evelyn's fingers running through her made her heart race slightly. She tried to ignore this.

The door to Marci's swung open and Evelyn walked in. She was wearing low black heels, black jeans, and an elegant off-white blouse. She had also chosen to wear blue eyeshadow that matched her eyes.

Helen almost fell off her stool. She suddenly felt incredibly dumpy and foolish in her blue jeans, T-shirt, and secondhand leather jacket. Evelyn noticed her, did a quick chin lift, and walked over. "Hi," said Helen, suddenly feeling shier than she had felt in years.

"Hey," said Evelyn. Her eyes swept over Helen, and she smiled almost sadly. "I'm overdressed, aren't I?"

"I think I'm underdressed," Helen managed. "You look nice." She mentally kicked herself—Evelyn looked much better than "nice"—but she wasn't sure what was appropriate to say to someone with whom she was on a first date.

Wait.

Was this a date?

"Thanks," said Evelyn, taking a seat beside Helen. "I like your hair."

Helen reflexively ran a hand through it. "Thanks." She cleared her throat. "So what can I get you?"

Evelyn gave Helen a small smile. "My dad and brother work with your agency. I know how much people in your line of work make…or don't make. I can cover us."

Helen's eyes widened. She couldn't help but appreciate Evelyn's discretion in addition to her generosity. "Really?"

"Yeah. What are you drinking?"

Helen swallowed hard. She had been planning on ordering an alcoholic drink for the sake of social convention, but she rarely drank; it was an unnecessary expense, and she already had a hard enough time supporting herself and her teenage niece Mimi. There had been many weeks when she had lived off of instant ramen and seaweed sheets so Mimi could eat properly. She had even looked at the menu to choose a relatively inexpensive drink—she vaguely remembered thinking about getting a glass of wine—but now all thoughts of what she had meant to order flew from her head. "I…uh…"

"Whatever is fine," said Evelyn, and Helen relaxed a little.

"Can I get a Shirley Temple?" she asked, and Evelyn nodded.

Evelyn waved the bartender over. "I'll take an old fashioned, and the lady with the awesome rooster comb hairdo will have a Shirley Temple." The bartender, a heavily pierced and tattooed woman with a shaved head, nodded and walked off. Evelyn looked back over at Helen, whose throat went dry; what should she say?

"Thank you," she said, her voice scratchy.

"No problem," Evelyn replied. "So…" she took a deep breath. "This is probably the part of the date where I ask what you do for a living. But I already know what you do for a living."

Helen's heart skipped a beat at Evelyn's use of the word "date."

"So maybe I should ask what you say you do for a living," said Evelyn, her small smile returning.

The corners of Helen's lips turned up. "I usually say I'm a firefighter," she said. "You?"

Evelyn's smile vanished, and Helen wondered if she had said something wrong. "I say I'm an inventor. When people ask for more details, I usually come up with…various lies, I guess." The bartender brought their drinks, and Evelyn took a substantial sip of hers. "There's a lot I can't say about…who I am." Evelyn's voice suddenly sounded distant.

Helen swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I looked up the company you work for," she hazarded. "Impressive."

Evelyn's smile reappeared for the briefest moment. "Thanks."

"Where did you go to school?" Helen asked, hoping it wasn't a silly question; maybe Evelyn was an autodidact.

"U of California - Metroville," said Evelyn, taking another drink of her old fashioned. "I majored in computer science with a minor in biology. I also took some art classes, but U of C Metroville didn't allow double-minors. I stayed there for my master's in information science, then I went to Stanford for my PhD, which was in information science with a focus in telecommunications." She looked over at Helen. "You?"

Helen blushed and looked at her hands, suddenly cowed. "I, uh. I grew up on my dad's farm in Georgia, so…well, my only degree is an associate of applied science. In sustainable agriculture."

"Ah. So I'm having a drink with a fellow scientist," said Evelyn, and Helen's cheeks glowed.

"I thought…"

"Some people say you need a PhD to be a scientist, but in their cases, I think PhD stands for 'piled high and deep,'" said Evelyn. "I mean, Einstein was a patent clerk."

Helen smiled. "Your work sounds fascinating. I wish you could tell me more about it."

Evelyn sighed. "Yeah, me too." She took another sip that was really too big to be called a sip from her cocktail; Helen suddenly remembered she had a Shirley Temple and took a drink of it. It was very sweet, but she liked it.

Helen had an idea. "Do you speak any languages besides English? I speak some Spanish and a little Cajun French. My dad's family is Cajun, and sometimes we would hire Spanish-speakers to work on our farm, and we wanted to be able to communicate with them."

"I wish the hell I spoke Spanish," said Evelyn, taking another drink of her old fashioned. It was already half gone. "It'd be so useful. I speak halfway decent Italian; Dad's family is from Firenze—er, Florence. I also went to Hebrew school as a kid, but my Hebrew is really rusty. I basically only know some prayers now."

Helen's eyebrows climbed. "Are you Jewish? I am too! My mom is Ashkenazi. I never went to Hebrew school, though."

Evelyn smiled wider than Helen had seen her smile before. "Yeah. Mom is Sephardic." She looked back down at her drink, her smile shrinking. "It was a good idea, asking if I spoke any languages besides English, but I guess we're stuck speaking that with each other." She sighed. "I feel like there's so much I have to censor…" She looked back at Helen for a moment. "You can go, if you want. This must be really disappointing for you, to be on a date with someone who can barely carry on a conversation."

Helen blinked. "I don't want to leave. I'm enjoying this."

Evelyn sniffed. "Really?"

Helen risked reaching for Evelyn, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Really."

Evelyn let out a short sigh that sounded almost pained. She placed one hand over Helen's hand that rested on her shoulder and squeezed with surprising strength. "I wish we could go somewhere private to talk." She looked back at Helen for a moment. "Not that I'd mind going somewhere private to have sex with you, but right now I just want us to be able to be ourselves."

"So why don't we?" Helen asked softly. She would have never considered going home with a man on the first date, but she believed Evelyn when she said she just wanted to be herself and wanted the same for Helen.

Evelyn looked surprised. "You'd be okay with that?"

Helen nodded. "Yeah."

Evelyn took a deep breath. "Okay. You have a niece at home, so…my place?" she asked, and Helen nodded again. Evelyn squeezed her hand again and then let go, and Helen took her hand off of Evelyn's shoulder and quickly finished her drink. Evelyn was already almost done with her drink; she finished it off in a few sips, then called the bartender over and paid. Helen noticed that she left a generous tip.

"Did you drive here?" Evelyn asked, and Helen shook her head.

"I thought I might be drinking, so I took a rideshare."

Evelyn nodded. "Same. I'll get us a ride back to my place."

Five minutes later, the car showed up to take them to Evelyn's home. Evelyn greeted the driver politely and introduced Helen. Helen was a little surprised to hear Evelyn introduce herself as Anna, but then she remembered that Evelyn had texted her saying that Anna was her middle name and the name she used in public when she was trying to conceal that she was really Evelyn Deavor. Helen reached for Evelyn's hand as the car pulled away from Marci's, but Evelyn whispered "Better wait," and Helen retracted her hand, feeling silly and abashed.

When they arrived at Evelyn's home—the penthouse in a building filled with high-end apartments—Evelyn reached for Helen's hand and squeezed it. "Sorry about the ride," she said. "I wanted to hold your hand, but can't be too careful."

"I get it," said Helen softly. "I have to be really careful about what I reveal to people so they don't figure out I'm a super. Or…I guess that's not the same. It's not like I'm going to experience discrimination for being a super."

"What about being an openly queer super?" Evelyn asked, and Helen looked down at her hands, nervously intertwining her fingers.

"Yeah, that would be…hard," said Helen haltingly, her voice quiet. "I've actually never even been on a date with a woman before this."

Evelyn nodded sympathetically. "I hadn't been with a woman since college—and we never went on dates because that was too public—when I took a chance on going to a lesbian bar and met Amanda. I told her my name was Anna, but she had seen an interview with me about DevTech not long ago and recognized me, so…when we went home together, she took pictures of us and blackmailed me."

Helen swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry. Can I hug you?"

Evelyn nodded, not making eye contact with Helen. Helen wrapped Evelyn in a tight hug and Evelyn returned it, her thin arms stronger than Helen would have expected. Helen let her eyes close; she couldn't remember the last time she had embraced someone and it had felt so good. She had had boyfriends, some of whom had been lovers, but she had never felt so safe in someone's arms before.

"Thank you." Evelyn's voice was hoarse. "And I don't think I ever properly thanked you for stopping Amanda from blackmailing me, so…thank you for that, too."

"You're welcome," said Helen, finally stepping back from their embrace. "It was the least I could do."

"Did you ask me out because you felt sorry for me?" Evelyn asked, and Helen's cheeks colored.

"I'm…I'm not sure exactly why I asked you out," Helen mumbled. "But I'm really glad I did."

"Me too," said Evelyn softly. "Even if we have to be satellites."

Helen frowned. "Satellites?"

Evelyn pressed one hand to her face. "Sorry, I was listening to this song before I left to meet you. It's about being in a queer relationship while closeted, and it uses the extended metaphor of being satellites."

"Can I hear it?" Helen asked, and Evelyn looked surprised, but she nodded.

Evelyn opened a music app on her phone and pulled up the song. She showed the screen to Helen; the song's name was "satellites* *" and the band's name was Enter Shikari. "I haven't heard of this band," said Helen.

"They're an electronicore band from England," said Evelyn. "This is from their latest album."

Helen wasn't sure what electronicore was, but she nodded. The song began playing, and the lyrics started almost immediately:

I wish I was a comet

Burning up into the night

I wish I was a comet

But I'm just a satellite

I don't like the limelight

So we don't hold hands in daylight

I still drag the closet

All my limbs, they ache inside

And surely all my family and my friends

My g-d and my ends

They cannot be wrong

So I play along

"Oh," said Helen quietly.

"Yeah. You can see why I was listening to it."

Helen listened intently to the rest of the song. It was very different from most of the music that she liked, but she enjoyed it, especially all the interesting percussion sounds the band used. "I like it," she said. "Has this band released a lot of material?"

"Yeah, this is from their sixth album, Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible," Evelyn replied. "I don't really recommend their fifth one, The Spark, though; it doesn't sound much like them. I think their best is The Mindsweep, which is their fourth. I can make you a playlist if you want."

"I'd like that," said Helen softly.

An alarm went off on Evelyn's phone. "Oh, hey—Shabbat shalom," she said to Helen with a smile. "Want to light the Shabbat candles with me?"

"I'd love to!"

Evelyn led Helen to a window in the kitchen, where two white Shabbat candles waited in candlesticks. Evelyn retrieved a butane lighter from a drawer and hovered over the candles. "Are you ready? Oh, right, you're Ashkenazi. In the Sephardic tradition, we recite the blessing before we light the candles. I know Ashkenazim light the candles first."

"I'm okay with doing it the Sephardic way," said Helen, feeling the corners of her lips turn up.

Evelyn took a breath, and Helen followed her lead, reciting the Hebrew blessing for the lighting of the Shabbat candles. She was out of practice, but she managed not to stumble. When they were finished, Evelyn lit the candles and put away the lighter. "Thank you," said Evelyn. "I've never lit Shabbat candles on a date before."

"Me neither," said Helen. She couldn't look away from Evelyn's face, the way her blue eyes reflected the candlelight. She felt her gaze drift down to Evelyn's full lips; she immediately looked away, blushing.

"Hey." Evelyn stepped closer and squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay."

"Can I kiss you?" Helen's voice was strangled.

Instead of replying verbally, Evelyn rested one hand at Helen's waist, cupping her chin with the other hand, and leaning in to kiss her deeply. Helen kissed her back hungrily, her hands finding Evelyn's silky hair. She felt as though her every nerve was a live wire as Evelyn's warm, soft lips met hers over and over. Despite her inexperience with kissing women, sharing this kiss with Evelyn felt as natural as any kiss she had received from a man.

Evelyn leaned back from their kiss and Helen made a tiny noise of protest. "Was that okay?" Evelyn asked.

"I'd say probably better than 'okay,'" said Helen hoarsely. "Can we kiss more?"

Evelyn wrapped her arms around Helen and kissed her again. Helen let her eyes drift shut as she lost herself in the sensation of Evelyn's gentle kisses. Her hands explored Evelyn's back and her sides—touching her was a need—but Helen couldn't help but want more. It was as if a dam had broken in her mind, unleashing all of her thoughts and fears about her long-repressed attraction to women. "Can I touch your breasts?" Helen asked breathlessly between kisses. "Is…is that too fast?"

"I'd like that," Evelyn whispered. She swiftly unbuttoned her blouse and unhooked her bra, and Helen felt her heart race and her mouth go dry as she gazed at Evelyn's lovely small breasts. Evelyn pulled her into another kiss, and Helen's hands shook as she carefully cradled Evelyn's breasts, loving the sensation of Evelyn's impossibly delicate skin beneath her palms and hoping she was doing it right. Evelyn moaned against Helen's mouth, and the sound made Helen quite aware of a throbbing sensation between her legs.

"Is this too much?" Evelyn gasped out. "Do you need to stop?"

"I'd much rather go to your bed than stop," Helen mumbled.

Evelyn touched her forehead to Helen's. "Are you sure?" she asked softly. "I know you've never been with a woman before…"

"I'm sure," Helen murmured. "I'm very sure."

Evelyn pecked her a kiss. "Okay. Come with me."

Evelyn took Helen's hand and led her to the bedroom, which was large and luxurious, but quite messy; the bed wasn't even made. "Should I undress?" Helen asked, and Evelyn stroked her cheek.

"You can if you want."

Helen kicked her shoes and socks off, then shucked off her jacket, T-shirt, and jeans, grunting in frustration as her trembling hands struggled to unhook her bra. Evelyn moved closer and reached to help, quickly unfastening Helen's bra and letting it fall to the floor. Finally, Helen pushed her panties down over her hips, standing naked before Evelyn, who kissed her hard. "G-ddamn, you're beautiful," Evelyn whispered.

Helen felt herself blush. "Thank you. Should…should I lie down?"

Evelyn kissed her nose. "You should do what you're comfortable with."

Helen climbed onto the bed and lay down. She watched hungrily as Evelyn unzipped her jeans and pushed them down over her beautifully curved hips, then stepped out of her heels. Evelyn climbed onto the bed and kissed Helen deeply. "What do you like?" Evelyn asked softly. "What kind of foreplay do you want? More kisses? Do you want me to kiss your neck, maybe? Or your breasts?"

"Can you touch my breasts?" Helen asked, and Evelyn smiled.

"I'd love to."

Helen moaned as she felt Evelyn's hands move to tenderly cup and knead her breasts, positioning her hands carefully to also stimulate Helen's nipples with her fingertips. "Oh…wow…" Helen breathed. She had never had her breasts played with so gently or so skillfully. "That feels really nice."

"You like that?" Evelyn asked softly.

"Oh, yes," Helen sighed.

"Okay. Let's see if you like this." Evelyn lowered her head to Helen's chest and closed her lips around one nipple, pulling it into her mouth and suckling lightly. Helen called out, the sensation going straight to the join of her legs, making her crave Evelyn's touch even more. She didn't recall ever being so aroused in her life. "Are you okay? Is that too much?" Evelyn queried, her voice kind.

"I'm okay…I just…" Helen swallowed hard. "I need you inside me."

Evelyn kissed her. "Okay. I have some toys, if you're interested."

"Toys?" Helen repeated, and Evelyn sat up. She opened the lowest drawer in her bedside table and withdrew several objects. Helen leaned up to take a look; there were three dildos in varying sizes, a vibrator, and an unfamiliar-looking toy made of ball shapes in increasing size. "Um…what's that one?" she asked, pointing at the unfamiliar-looking toy.

"That's for anal," said Evelyn, and Helen thought she could feel herself blushing. Evelyn smiled sympathetically and put that toy back. "Guess we won't be using that one."

Helen bit her lower lip. "I think…I think since this is my first time with a woman, I'd like it to be you. Just you, without a toy."

Evelyn put the toys away and leaned over to kiss Helen. "Okay. Would you rather my hands or my mouth?"

Helen trembled. "I think I want you to still be able to talk to me and kiss me, so…your hands."

"Okay." Evelyn slid her right hand up and down Helen's inner thighs; Helen moved her legs apart for her lover. "Ready?"

Helen nodded, and her mouth fell open and she cried out as she felt two of Evelyn's tightly crossed fingers move into her to the hilt. "Ohh, Evelyn…!"

Evelyn stroked her cheek. "How does that feel?" she asked softly as she began to work her fingers inside Helen, thrusting slowly and carefully.

Helen's eyelids fluttered. "So good," she moaned. "Can you kiss me?"

Evelyn leaned down and kissed Helen deeply, somehow managing to coordinate both the passionate kisses and the steady motion of her fingers. "C-can you go faster?" Helen asked breathlessly between kisses. "Just a little…ohhhh…!" Helen's head tilted back and she cried out without meaning to as Evelyn ratcheted up the pace of her thrusts. "Evelyn…!"

"Like that?" Evelyn asked. "Do you need me to do anything else?" She pushed a hand through Helen's hair.

"I like when you talk to me," Helen panted.

"Yeah?" Evelyn pecked Helen a kiss. "Do you like hearing me tell you how beautiful you are?"

"Ohhh…" Helen trembled so hard she almost thought she had already reached orgasm. "Yes, Evelyn, please!"

"You are so damn gorgeous," Evelyn soothed, stroking Helen's hair with her free hand. "And you're so hot with this hairstyle. I've been following your career, you know, since my dad and brother work with the NSA, and I've been lusting after you for a while now."

Helen whimpered. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Evelyn kissed Helen's forehead. "When I was experimenting with other women—okay, one other woman—in college, I told myself that I was just figuring things out. Seeing you on your Elasticycle on the TV made me realize that I'm definitely gay."

Helen wanted to say something about Evelyn helping her realize that she was queer as well, but words were lost to her…that is, except for one. "Evelyn…! Ohhh…!"

Helen cried out, so loudly that she might have been ashamed if she weren't so comfortable with Evelyn, as her body quaked with ecstasy, her inner walls clamping down on Evelyn's fingers. "That's right," Evelyn breathed. "Come for me, Helen."

Helen rode out the waves of her orgasm as Evelyn continued thrusting slowly, then eventually stopped. "Need me to keep going?" Evelyn asked, stroking Helen's cheek.

Helen shook her head no; if anything, she needed a break after an orgasm that intense. She wrapped her arms around Evelyn and kissed her hard. "I'm sorry…I don't usually make noise like that," said Helen after she could speak again.

"I like hearing you make noise," Evelyn replied, her voice low and husky. "Your accent comes out more when you moan. It's adorable."

Helen rested her forehead against Evelyn's. "Do you want me to pleasure you now?"

Evelyn pecked Helen another kiss. "I'd love that."

"So…what do you want me to do for you?" Helen asked a little shyly, and Evelyn lay down on her back.

"Why don't we start with the same thing I did for you?" Evelyn asked, resting a hand on Helen's cheek.

Helen nodded. She ran the back of one hand up and down Evelyn's inner thighs, the same way Evelyn had done for her, and Evelyn bit back a sound that sounded almost frustrated. "Don't tease," said Evelyn breathlessly.

"Okay." Helen bit her lower lip as she gently parted Evelyn's soft, swollen folds with two fingertips, sinking her fingers into the velvet sheath. "Oh, wow…"

"Ohh, yeah," Evelyn sighed. "Fuck, that feels good."

Helen thought she felt herself blushing. She carefully worked her fingers inside the delicious tight, soft warmth of Evelyn, thrilling at the moaning noises Evelyn made with each thrust. "Like that?" Helen asked.

"Yeah," Evelyn panted. "Just like that."

Helen continued the motion of her hand, letting her eyes rove over her new lover's beautiful body, then her face, taking in Evelyn's barely-open mouth and closed eyes. "You're so good at this," Evelyn breathed. She opened her eyes and leaned up to kiss Helen. "And now I want to see how good you are with a strap-on," she whispered.

Helen's heart had already been racing; now it kicked into overdrive. That sounded immensely fun, but… "What if I can't do it right?" Helen asked.

Evelyn kissed her. "Then we'll find something else to do. We have options."

Helen nodded. "Okay."

Evelyn got up and withdrew a harness and a smooth, dark purple dildo from the lower drawer in her night table. "Come here and I'll get you set up."

Helen did, and it wasn't easy, but between her and Evelyn, they managed to affix the harness to Helen's hips. "How does that feel?" Evelyn asked.

"I'm not used to it yet, but…it's comfortable enough. I think I can do this," said Helen, managing a smile.

Evelyn kissed her cheek. "It's okay if you don't get the hang of it right away. At first, it's going to feel kind of like trying to draw in sand with your toes. But you'll get used to it."

Helen nodded. Evelyn climbed onto the bed, and Helen was surprised when Evelyn stayed on all fours. She looked over her shoulder at Helen. "Everything okay?"

Helen clambered onto the bed, positioning herself behind Evelyn, resting a hand on the small of her back. She certainly didn't mind this view. "Are you comfortable like this?"

"Yeah, and I thought it might be easier for you."

"Thank you," Helen got out, inching closer to her lover, lining the toy up with Evelyn's slit. With the aid of one hand, she carefully guided the toy into Evelyn.

"Ohhh, fuck, yes," Evelyn called out as Helen's hips came to rest against her backside, the toy buried fully in her for the first time. Helen gently took hold of Evelyn's waist, moving her hips slowly back and forth. Evelyn was right—it did feel a little awkward and difficult at first—but she soon became accustomed to it. She gazed down hungrily at the sight of the toy disappearing into her lover.

"Like this?" Helen asked, hoping for and fairly certain she would hear a "yes."

She got an "Ohhh, yes, fuck, Helen," in response. "You're a very, very fast learner…oh, yeah, right there…harder…"

Helen gripped Evelyn's hips and complied, half hoping that she wasn't hurting Evelyn, half unbelievably aroused by the sensation of her hips impacting her lover's backside with each thrust and the sounds of pure pleasure Evelyn was making. "Is that too hard?" Helen managed.

"No…no, that feels so good…" Evelyn cried out. "Ohhh...oh, fuck, I'm so close…!"

"Do you need me to change anything?" Helen asked breathlessly.

"No…just keep fucking me like that…Helen…oh my G-d…ohhh!" Long tremors rocked Evelyn's body, and Helen slowed her thrusts, watching her lover carefully and waiting until Evelyn was still to stop.

Helen ran her hands up and down Evelyn's back. "Are you okay? Was I too rough?"

"I'm way better than okay," Evelyn panted. She turned to look over her shoulder at Helen. "I wasn't going to ask for this during our first time, but…can you get the smallest toy? I want you in my other hole."

Helen felt her cheeks turn what was surely a brilliant red. "What if I hurt you?"

"I won't die if I can't sit down properly tomorrow," said Evelyn breathlessly. "Helen, please."

It sounded almost like Evelyn was begging. Helen had never heard Evelyn beg before, and the sound made her ache between her thighs. "Okay," Helen whispered. She stretched an arm to reach the bedside table, opening the drawer and withdrawing the toy that Evelyn had requested. Evelyn scrambled around on the mattress to help Helen, and they were able to swap out the medium-sized toy for the smaller one without too much difficulty. Evelyn withdrew a bottle of lubricant from the drawer and quickly applied some to the toy before sitting up and kissing Helen hard.

"I'm ready if you are," Evelyn whispered.

"I'm ready," Helen breathed.

"Okay." Evelyn got back down on her hands and knees. Helen knelt behind her, her heart pounding as she eased the toy into Evelyn's tightest hole.

"Oh my G-d," said Helen under her breath as Evelyn moaned, a sound of undisguised pleasure and relief. "You really can take it like this."

"Oh, fuck, that feels so much better than doing this by myself," Evelyn called out as Helen began to thrust slowly. "You're the first person who's ever done this for me."

Helen couldn't help but feel honored, and she liked feeling honored almost as much as she had liked hearing Evelyn praise her earlier. "You like this?" Helen asked softly.

"Oh, yeah…yeah, I really do…" Evelyn groaned. "Just like that…!"

Helen caressed Evelyn's back as she continued the careful, measured motions of her hips. She had never even imagined having sex this way, but Evelyn was special. "Can you come from this?"

"I think so," Evelyn sighed. "Can you go a little faster?"

"Anything you want," Helen breathed. She clutched Evelyn's hips and began thrusting slightly harder, and Evelyn responded with a loud, desperate cry.

"Ohh, yes! Oh, fuck!" Evelyn gasped. Helen gave her lover's hips a gentle squeeze.

"That's not too hard?" Helen asked.

"No," Evelyn moaned. "No, that's perfect."

Helen focused intently on keeping her thrusts quick and deep and steady, loving the noises Evelyn made in response. She had never been with such a vocal partner before. Helen was just wondering if she should ask Evelyn if she needed anything changed when Evelyn called out, "Oh, Helen, I'm going to come…!"

Helen paid close attention to Evelyn's body language, trembling almost as if in erotic empathy as Evelyn's climax overtook her. "Thank you," Evelyn murmured as the contractions that shook her body subsided. "That was amazing."

"It was," Helen agreed. She was wondering how to withdraw without hurting or startling Evelyn when Evelyn saved her the trouble, collapsing onto the bed with a satisfied sigh. She lay there a moment before sitting up and turning around to kiss Helen.

"Are you satisfied, or do you want more?" Evelyn asked between kisses.

"I want more," Helen whimpered. The sensation of needing to be touched at her core was so intense it was almost painful. "Can I have your fingers again?"

"You absolutely can," said Evelyn, grinning. Helen lay down and parted her thighs to invite Evelyn inside her; Evelyn leaned over her, resting a hand on her knee. "You want me in front, right?" Evelyn asked, moving her hand to cup the join of Helen's legs.

"Actually…" Helen took a deep breath. "I'm curious about how it might feel…in…in back."

Evelyn's eyebrows lifted, but she nodded. "I'll just get some lube." She reached for the bottle of lubricant and poured some over her fingers. "Are you ready?" she soothed. "You'll have to rock your hips back a little bit…yeah, like that," she said as Helen obeyed. "Okay." Evelyn kissed Helen's right inner thigh. "I'm going to just start massaging your hole with my thumb, then I'll start pressing, and if you're ready, you should feel my thumb going inside you. I won't start pressing without telling you. Okay?"

Not trusting her voice, Helen nodded. She whimpered as, tenderly, Evelyn did exactly what she had said she was going to do, carefully massaging extremely sensitive skin with the pad of her thumb. "Oh, wow," she whimpered for the second time that night. "Evelyn…!"

"That feel good?" Evelyn asked softly.

"Oh, yes," Helen moaned. She found herself thinking that when she had had sex with men, some of whom she hadn't even loved, she hadn't fully trusted any of them. This, what Evelyn was doing with her now, was a genuine expression of trust, and she was glad she was with Evelyn for it. "It feels so good."

"Are you ready for me inside you?" Evelyn cooed, and Helen nodded.

Helen gasped as she felt Evelyn's thumb slowly enter her. The sensation was different than she expected, much more exciting. "Ohhhh my G-d…!"

Evelyn kissed her thigh again. "Are you okay?"

"Oh…yes…Evelyn…" Helen's voice trembled. She moaned as Evelyn began to move her thumb, not thrusting like she expected, but in a circular motion. She could feel her muscles embracing Evelyn's thumb, and the motion provided the most exquisite stimulation. "You're so good at this," Helen sighed.

"Yeah?" Evelyn smiled. "Thank you. Do you like this the way it is, or do you want me deeper?"

Helen thought she would have been happy with Evelyn continuing to pleasure her that way for the rest of eternity, but then again… "Deeper. Please."

"Okay. I'll need my index finger for this. I'm going to pull out slowly, and then you'll feel my index finger inside you."

"Okay," Helen breathed. She whimpered a little at the additional stimulation when Evelyn withdrew, then in protest at the empty sensation of having Evelyn not inside her at all, and then again in pleasure when Evelyn's index finger sank into her. "Ohhh, yes! Evelyn!"

Evelyn began to thrust gently, and Helen cried out as her lover's finger hit just the right spot inside her. "You like this or should I go back to the other motion?"

"I like this," Helen moaned. "I really like this."

"Can you come from this, or do you want me to go down on you?" Evelyn asked, and Helen shivered. She wasn't sure she would be able to reach orgasm from this new kind of stimulation, and she was willing to try, but the idea of Evelyn's mouth on her was exciting.

"Can you go down on me?" Helen asked, and in reply, Evelyn leaned down and covered Helen's mound with her mouth, her soft, slick tongue caressing Helen's clit. Helen cried out as pleasure jolted through her, and it seemed like barely any time before her orgasm hit, waves of ecstasy seeming to wash over her. "Evelyn…" she was barely able to say.

Evelyn sat up. "How was that?"

"Amazing," Helen breathed. "I…I think I'm satisfied."

"Okay. I'm going to pull out slowly now." Evelyn cautiously withdrew her finger, and as thoroughly satiated as Helen was, she missed its presence. Evelyn wiped her hands off using a tissue from a box on her night table, then lay down, gathering Helen into her arms.

Helen nestled her head beneath Evelyn's chin, sighing happily. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Thank you," said Evelyn lowly. "You were fantastic."

"So were you," said Helen sleepily. "Sex has never felt like that for me before."

"Me either." Evelyn trailed a hand up and down Helen's back. "And since we had sex on Shabbat, it's twice the mitzvah it would be ordinarily."

Helen chuckled, and then was quiet for a while, luxuriating in their shared closeness, before a question that she could no longer ignore made its way from her mind to her lips. "So are we…together now?"

"If you mean 'can we date now,' I will say absolutely, although we'll probably have to spend all our time together in private, if you're okay with that," Evelyn replied. It sounded like she was trying to not come off as worried; Helen wondered if Evelyn perhaps thought that she would reject a relationship that had to exist in the shadows.

"I'm okay with anything as long as I can be with you," Helen murmured.

Evelyn kissed the top of her head. "We just met, but that's a really sweet thing to say."

"You must be very special," said Helen softly.

"I don't know if I agree with that, but thank you," Evelyn sighed. She was quiet for a moment before saying, "I wish you could stay the night."

"Me too," Helen mumbled, her lips moving against the soft skin of Evelyn's upper chest. "Do you want to come home with me? My niece has super hearing, but she's old enough to be trusted if she hears us talk about…us. We can cuddle more."

Evelyn gave Helen a quick squeeze. "Okay. I still wouldn't want to drive. Shall I get us a rideshare?"

Helen leaned up and kissed her. "That'd be great."

Half an hour later, Helen walked with Evelyn to the front door of her apartment, her heart racing. Evelyn had already said that she knew how little superheroes actually made in terms of salary, but that knowledge and seeing Helen's tiny apartment were different things entirely.

"This is me," said Helen as she opened the door. "It's not much. And I can only afford it because I work part-time at Paguaro's Pizzeria, so…"

Evelyn and Helen walked into the apartment together, and Evelyn looked around, her expression neutral. "It suits you," said Evelyn, "although I'm sure that with a niece, you'd like more space."

Helen felt her tensed shoulders relax. She took Evelyn's hand and led her to the main living space, where her 14-year-old niece, Mimi, was sitting on the loveseat playing Stardew Valley on her Switch. She was wearing sound-canceling headphones, which explained why she hadn't heard Helen and Evelyn enter. A corgi was sleeping next to her, his legs tucked under his body. Helen cleared her throat. "Mimi, I'm home."

Mimi startled and pulled off her headphones. "Oh, hey, Hel—wait." Her eyes widened. "You're Evelyn Deavor!"

"Guilty as charged," said Evelyn as Helen said "Wait, how do you know who she is?"

"She was in some Popular Science interview, but a gif of her went viral recently because she was asked what hobbies she has and she answered that she still has all her first-generation Pokemon cards," said Mimi. She turned to Evelyn, an awed look on her face. "Do you? Really?"

Evelyn chuckled. "I do."

"Helen, please tell me you're dating her," Mimi gushed, and Helen and Evelyn exchanged glances. Helen blushed. "No…" Mimi's mouth hung open. "You are dating her!?" Her human ears vanished and a pair of large, fuzzy corgi ears erupted from the top of her head. Evelyn yelped in surprise and took a step backward. "Oh, sorry," said Mimi, her expression apologetic. "My ears do that sometimes."

"You're a super too," said Evelyn, and Mimi nodded. "Wait…are you…you must be Incredicorg."

Mimi grinned. "Yep!" She turned to Helen. "Seriously, Hel, you really are dating her?"

"Yes," Helen mumbled. "But you have to keep it a secret, okay, Mimi? As both a super and a civilian."

Mimi made a moue. "That sucks. Why?"

"Just trust me, okay?" said Helen. "I don't want people knowing."

"She means the public can't know I'm gay," Evelyn explained.

Mimi shrugged. "Okay, but you know my mentor is going to have questions when he finds out you're not single anymore."

Helen closed her eyes. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Incredicorg's mentor is…oh no, not that walking embodiment of toxic masculinity," sighed Evelyn. "And let me guess, he's been flirting with you?"

Helen nodded. "I was thinking about giving him a chance. Maybe he'd finally be the man I felt something for…" she squeezed Evelyn's hand. "...but I'm glad I met you."

Mimi grinned. "Awwww!"

"Mimi, Evelyn and I are going to head to my room." Helen said. "I know it's Friday night, but I want you in bed on time. Shabbat is for resting. Resting, not playing video games all night."

"Playing video games wouldn't rebuild the temple, and it's not like we stop using electricity on Shabbat," Mimi countered.

Helen sighed. "Mimi, please don't argue on this. You're a growing girl. You need your sleep."

Mimi groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Evelyn chuckled as Helen led her to her room and closed the door. "Such a teenager," Evelyn remarked.

"Tell me about it," said Helen, pulling Evelyn close to kiss her warmly. "I've never loved kissing someone so much," Helen murmured. "Either you have really nice lips or you're a great kisser, or both."

"Oh, stop," Evelyn muttered. "For the record, you're a great kisser too."

Helen leaned her forehead against Evelyn's. "You wore me out earlier. Would you like to cuddle and then get some sleep?"

"I'd love that."

Helen snuck glances at her beautiful new lover as Evelyn undressed and withdrew her pajamas—pajama pants patterned with the DevTech logo and a plain black tank top—from the overnight bag she had packed. She could hardly believe she had been lucky enough to cross paths with someone so lovely, and so smart, and so attentive…

Evelyn caught her looking. "What?"

Helen blushed darkly. "Just…looking at you."

Evelyn pulled her tank top over her head and adjusted it over her hips. "Guess I was looking at you, too. Hard not to."

Helen looked down at her sweatpants and oversized T-shirt. "Really?"

Evelyn walked over to her, resting a hand on her lower back. "Yeah, really."

Helen turned to give Evelyn a kiss. "I have to brush my teeth, but after that I want to cuddle with you," she murmured.

"Yeah…me too."

Ten minutes later, Helen and Evelyn lay close beneath the sheets of Helen's bed, Evelyn with her back pressed to Helen's chest and an arm draped over her. "Are you comfortable?" Evelyn asked, and Helen heaved a happy sigh.

"Very," she murmured, resting her hand on top of Evelyn's. "Thank you…for everything."

Evelyn kissed the top of Helen's head. "Back at you."

Helen let her eyes close, savoring their comparatively chaste but immensely comforting intimacy. She never thought that she would be comfortable enough to fall asleep in someone's arms, but despite the fact Evelyn was her first woman, despite the fact that she and Evelyn had just met, she knew she would sleep well that night. "Good night, Evelyn," Helen said sleepily.

She felt Evelyn nestle closer to her before whispering, "Night, Helen."