Chapter Text
People observing the relationship of Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint from a distance might well think their entire marital life was a long, uninterrupted game of role-play; that Jenny never broke character as a submissive maid, nor Vastra as her mistress. That wasn't true, though. Sometimes, when no one was looking, when Strax was on leave, they dropped the pretenses, and had dinner in the kitchen, and talked frankly. About the world, about Vastra's past, about her detective work, about their relationship. It was a very conscious decision, to not let true sentiment drown in a quagmire of ritual and unspontaneous sex. Both enjoyed those moments.
The problem, though, was holding themselves to those wise principles when certain topics of conversation came up.
To begin with, they were eating tenderloin. Bad move. Jenny had a thing for Vastra's mouth, watching her chew, seeing the glinting of her sharp teeth. Nothing would change that. But Brussel sprouts, say, she could have dealt with. Not very sexy things, Brussel sprouts. Tenderloin, though? I mean, even the name…
"So… Vastra," she said. It took effort not to call her 'Ma'am', but it was a necessary exercise.
"Yes, Jenny?" said Vastra after swallowing her morsel.
It was such a casual thing, but Jenny still felt she was going to melt at how readily Vastra dropped whatever she was doing and focused her eyes on her.
"Oh, dear, darling, you are blushing ever so," she said after a moment when Jenny failed to answer, smiling just so. "Whatever is the matter?"
"Well, I just wanted to ask-" She lowered her eyes, trying very hard not to bite her lip like a schoolgirl.
This is silly, she told herself. After everything we've done together, everything we've done to each other, how on Earth am still getting embarrassed talking to Vastra? She focused her mind on some of her most adventurous nights with her Mistress; the most ingenious punishments, the most intimate forms of worship. Obviously, she regretted it at once: it was doing nothing to calm her mood.
"Well, you… eat people," she squeaked out.
"Yes, pet," said Vastra. "But only very naughty ones." A veil of concern passed over her features. "I really don't mean to do anything which could disturb you. I've been careful not to do it in your presence, or, or leave half-eaten snacks about the place, but if the very thought bothers you, I assure you it's no addiction, I could very well-"
"No, no, ma'… er, Vastra. I just wanted to ask-" She let herself grin, looking up at her beautiful wife. "Do you… enjoy it?"
"Well, yes, I do enjoy the taste," she admitted. "If I did not, I assure you there are far less cumbersome ways of disposing of a body."
"No, I mean, do you… enjoy it," she repeated, emphasising the last word. "You know?"
Vastra's scaly eyebrows arched. "Oh, I see. The thought excites you, does it?"
Jenny nodded meekly. Her breath hitched in her throat. Had she found it? Something too weird for Vastra? Something that would just make her Mistress think of her oddly forever after? But then the lizard-woman smiled.
"Is that what you want to play next?"
"If… if it's alright with you," Jenny said, as brave as she could be. She was grateful she was still sitting on the kitchen chair, her knees would have given out several sentences ago.
Vastra hummed, a reptilian purring sound. "Well, I can see how much the thought of all this has got you worked up… I suppose we could finish our human dinner at a later date. It seems I have a very different human dinner to busy myself with." She let a small length of her long tongue poke out of her lips, and licked them.
Jenny let out a small moan, just at the sight. More of a whimper really.
Vastra got up from her chair, and stalked slowly towards Jenny. As she walked, she unhooked the clasp of her dress and it clattered to the floor, a naked Vastra nimbly stepping out of it, a proud, confident, reptilian creature. Just like that, she'd gotten into character. Any human walking in on the situation would have been rightly terrified.
"Well! Miss Flint, you have been a naughty little ape, haven't you."
"I - I know, ma'am."
"You've done terrible things. I could arrest you. Have you thrown in jail, tried by your own species. Hanged. But what a waste that would be. Mh? I have something more intimate in mind for you. You should be proud. You can't escape either way; as you can see, all the doors are locked."
Jenny knew in the back of her mind that the doors weren't locked at all. In fact, the door to the kitchen wasn't even closed. But Vastra was so good at setting the scene that it was very easy to let herself believe it.
"Do you understand what's going to happen, little ape?" Vastra asked. She bent down and whispered in Jenny's ear: "I'm going to eat you alive."
She felt the tip of Vastra's tongue tickling her ear, and then - oh, and then - two dozen pin-pricks, the warmth of Vastra's mouth enclosing her ear, the teeth just grazing her skin. She whimpered again, heart pounding, until Vastra popped it out of her mouth, grinning, and drew away.
"But first, undress for me, would you?" she commanded. "I don't want to get fabric in my teeth, do I…"
Jenny sat there for a moment, unmoving.
"Go on, ape," Vastra repeated, "strip for me so I can eat you, there's a good girl."
Jenny didn't have to be told thrice. She hopped off the chair, pulled off her dress, then began unfastening the buttons of the action catsuit she always wore underneath. It was practical, the catsuit, and often came in handy during the Paternoster Gang's adventures, but it was also very hot. She got ever so sweaty under there, and it was a game in itself to never let on, to never complain. Vastra loved it, both Jenny's discomfort and the smell, the look of her bare flesh glistening with sweat, pungent with the animal smell of her.
"How delightful, you're already seasoned," Vastra commented once Jenny was done stripping completely naked. The Silurian extended a clawed finger and gently ran it down the length of Jenny's spine, careful not to pierce the skin, collecting droplets of sweat like dew on her finger. Circling her prey, she faced the kneeling Jenny as she brought the finger to her own mouth and sucked on it with over-acted ecstasy. "Mmmh. You're going to taste exquisite."
"Th-thank you, ma'am."
"You know," said Vastra, "I was going to cook you… I wasn't quite sure how. Bake you perhaps, or boil you. But now, I think I'll eat you raw. And not in one gulp, oh no. I could. I could gobble you up like a snake, digest you slowly. But I'm a patient lizard, and I've one small flaw. Give me your hand?"
Jenny raised her right hand. At first, her fingers were pinched upwards, the right pose to receive strikes from a switch; force of habit. Vastra gave the hand a mock slap, quick and functional, and she unclasped her fingers obediently.
Delicately, Vastra drew apart the fingers of Jenny's hand, bending down all but the index finger, and, with Jenny keeping it as limp as she could, placed it in her mouth. She swirled her tongue against it for a moment, then suddenly, bit down, eliciting a small yelp from Jenny. Not biting off, of course, but not just a graze; Jenny was sure her wife had drawn a little blood. She was okay with that. Very okay with that.
Vastra sucked for a moment more before popping the finger out of her mouth and smiling at Jenny, gazing into her eyes.
"I like to nibble," she said simply.
And she pulled another finger towards her mouth…