Firedance

A Tale of the Legion of Super-Heroes

by Kerithwyn Jade

Archive: Ask first, please. Warnings: Character study by way of explicit m/f sex. Children, hide your eyes. Fandom: Legion of Super-Heroes, the 30th century, pre-Zero Hour, Levitz run. Yeah, the old continuity. No knowledge of the characters required, but the briefest of metas follows the story for those interested in knowing more. Summary: A night on the town for Shrinking Violet and Sun Boy. A sequel to Dannell Lites’ “Wolf in the Fold” and an expansion of my “Violet’s Tale,” both available at the LegionFiction Archive. Disclaimer: All characters property of DC Comics. What I have done with them is mine.

There’s nothing so terrifying as preparing for a date.

Especially in my case, when the date was with Dirk Morgna, the Legion’s Sun Boy—pinup idol for millions of women—and he knew *exactly* what I wanted from him, because I had been stupid enough to tell him.

Oh, that conversation had been embarrassing enough. The whole damned thing got more humiliating, the more I thought about it. I was on the verge of calling him to cancel when I remembered why I had started all this to begin with, and put down the comm.

After I was rescued from the sens-tank I started making changes. No more Salu Digby, no more “Shrinking Violet,” thank you very much. That whole part of my life was over, and while my Legion codename stayed the same I was only Vi now, and that’s how I wanted it. I’d left “Shy Violet” in the tank along with all my hesitation and naivete. Bold, that’s how I was going to be. Brave. Fearless.

Yeah, right.

Truth is, I was scared silly. Sure, I’d started it. Put my hand down Dirk’s shirt while he was in the Rec Room playing holo-Dungeons & Dragons with Star Boy. Of course, he thought it was just Dreamy trying to throw Thom off his game until he turned around and saw me.

I never saw him so surprised, in all my life. Salu would never have done such a thing. I did it…mostly to see what would happen. I guess I was looking to prove just how different I’d become. I’d been wondering what other changes I could make…and one fact kept coming back to taunt me.

I’d never slept with Duplicate Boy—something for which I was now profoundly grateful. Even if I’d seen him more than once every couple of months, my old self was too shy and frightened to do more than play kiss-in-the-corner. But I looked around the Legion now and saw men and women, not boys and girls, despite some of our codenames. Adults in relationships, and I was still—

Still a virgin, okay? So I put my hand down Dirk’s shirt, thinking maybe the Legion’s playboy would have no qualms about changing that. Yeah, he was interested—like all the others, he was still learning who I was now. We went out and talked, but when he tried to kiss me some of that old fear rose up and I flinched.

I was mortified. He…understood, when I told him why. And then he insisted we continue our date anyway, despite my wanting nothing more than to flee back to Legion HQ and hide in my room for a couple of weeks. We ended up having a lot of fun that night, and he made me feel perfectly comfortable despite my self-consciousness. I was even sure that he was sincere when he asked me for another date, because he looked so disappointed when I refused.

“My comm’s always open, Vi,” he’d said.

But even with that I probably wouldn’t have agreed to try again, if it hadn’t been for Brin.

Timber Wolf forced me to admit a lot of things, when he cornered me in the hallway about why I “hated” him. I didn’t really, of course, and he made me understand that my aversion to him was something completely opposite: desire I couldn’t acknowledge. He could have had me right there, but he backed off and sent my thoughts in Sun Boy’s direction again.

So I dithered a bit, and then called Dirk before I could lose my nerve. His smile was as warm as summer on Winath.

“Hey, hey!” he cried happily, “Change your mind about another dinner date, beautiful?”

I had.

#############

So then we were at dinner, and he did a wonderful job of putting me at ease. Even better, I didn’t feel like I was only one of the dozens of women he’d dated. Maybe it was because we were both Legionnaires; nothing like facing death together to make two people trust each other.

I really don’t remember what we talked about, but it must have been good, because we were still at the table long after the dessert plates had been cleared. It was all very cozy, I was enjoying myself, and Dirk was…charming.

After all our years in the Legion together I was finally getting to know *him,* and that was a revelation. Things I vaguely knew already—that he was a scientist, and his wretched family history, and how he got his powers—became a lot clearer, and so did my admiration for him.

His looks are one thing. Clear blue eyes, fire-bright hair, a fine body; its no wonder his image constantly makes the rounds of newsvids and scandal rags alike. He can’t help but be aware of that, and he enjoys it more than a little. Dream Girl isn’t the only Legionnaire who’s been known to vamp for the camera.

But all that didn’t negate the fact of his dedication to the Legion, or his quick sense of humor, or his intrinsic thoughtfulness. Dirk Morgna is a lot more than his image reflects. That’s true about most people, I guess.

He took my hand, and stood. “Ready to move on?”

“Sure. Where—”

“Can’t have dinner without dancing. That sound good to you, Vi?”

“Oh, definitely!” That was another thing I’d discovered recently, too.

He took me to the City Star, the most famous club on Restaurant Row in Metropolis. The line at the door stretched around the block, but one glance by the doorkeeper at our Legion flight rings and we were in; fame has some advantages, after all.

He’s a great dancer, too. Go figure.

I didn’t want it to end. It’d been a long time—maybe never—since I felt this comfortable with someone. As the evening went on we drew closer and closer together until he was pressed against me, his body moving with mine.

So much heat. There was a time after the sens-tank when I thought I would never be warm again. I wanted his heat, craved it, pushed myself against him to feel more of it, and him. His hand was on the small of my back and we were grinding together, and if anyone tries to tell you that kind of dance isn’t public sex, that person’s either a damned liar or a fool.

Heat. Music. Sweat and the smell of him. Desire—no, let’s be honest here, pure *lust*—sweeping through me, fire in my blood. I was flushed and breathing hard and that’s when the surge of the crowd pushed us even closer, his thigh between my legs, and I was so wound up that slightest touch was all it took. Right there in the middle of the dance floor, Dirk held me up while the tremors swept my body and no one even noticed except him.

I was about to break and run, mortally embarrassed, until I saw his face. There was compassion and caring, he was shielding me from the eyes of others, and he was as turned on as I was but too polite to make the first, final move.

I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him briefly, too afraid to touch him more here. But I wanted to.

“Take me out of here, Dirk. Take me somewhere.”

Ever the gentleman. “Are you sure?”

“*Yes.*”

#############

We went…somewhere. Legion HQ was out; this was no one’s business but ours, and Legionnaires love gossip more than anything.

He found us a suite that might’ve cost two months’ of a Legionnaire’s stipend, and he did it when those kind of places are booked ahead for weeks; I don’t know how. I wasn’t paying much attention, to be honest. My head was still whirling with what had happened, and what was about to happen, and how much I wanted it to happen.

I wasn’t fooling myself. This wasn’t love—at least, no more than the kind between friends. It was about discovering who I was, and letting someone else do the same. The old Shrinking Violet hadn’t let anyone get too close, for fear that they might discover what a nonentity she—I—truly had been.

I wasn’t going to let that kind of fear run my life anymore, no matter what.

On the way up I’d clung to him, probably looking like a star-struck groupie but too keyed up to care. That was at least half nervousness, and Dirk knew it. Once in the room he found some music, not too intrusive, and took me in his arms.

“Dance with me, Vi?”

We started to move together, fitting comfortably against each other, and then finally he leaned down and lifted my chin, and kissed me.

I’d only really kissed two other men, before, not counting innocent pecks at Klordny celebration. One was Ord Quelu, of course, my “boyfriend” Duplicate Boy. The other was Tenzil Kem—yes, Tenzil, our “Matter-Eater Lad.” He took me out once when Ord missed one of our infrequent dates, to cheer me up when I was feeling sorry for myself. It was only once, because Duplicate Boy showed up just at the end. Naturally, I acted the dutiful girlfriend and assured Ord that I was still his girl, and that was that.

Ord’s kisses were hard, as if he were marking me for his own. I suppose he was. I was so naļve then that I mistook possession for passion, and I suffered my bruised lips with silent pride that this so-powerful man would want me, little Salu from Imsk, especially when I wasn’t willing to give him more.

Tenzil’s kiss was gentle and undemanding, the kiss of a friend who might have wished for more but was too considerate to ask. There was only that one, but if Ord hadn’t shown up, who knows?

Dirk’s kiss was fire.

His lips brushed over mine and I rose to meet him, wanting more, wanting to taste him. We kissed deeply and with increasing passion, his tongue teasing and making me want to feel it on me, other places. He’d transformed me; before, I might have had such thoughts, but would have shoved them down as “unseemly” or just too bold for shy Violet. Now I wanted to feel everything. Right away.

His mouth drifted down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin just enough to set my nerves aflame. He slid my tunic off my shoulders and I tried to return the favor, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt with impatient haste. He folded his (warm, so warm) hands over mine, to halt their trembling. “No hurry, Vi,” he murmured. “No hurry at all.”

He kissed me again, so sweet. His hands traced patterns on my skin, melting me wherever they touched. When his mouth trailed down to my breasts I gasped and nearly fell, the feeling was so intense. He scooped me up in his arms, stronger than I expected, and lay me on the bed. Just for a moment I shivered, a flash of uneasiness.

“All right?” His concern strengthened me, sweeping away my disquiet.

“Yes.” I reached for him but he evaded my grasp.

“Let me, first.” He stripped off his shirt and boots but left the rest of his clothes on. Gently he drew mine off, until I was lying naked in front of him. I really wanted to turn away or cover myself, but I didn’t, and I was pretty proud of that.

His eyes swept over me. “So beautiful, Violet.” His hand stroked my side, following the curves. It should have tickled, but it didn’t.

“No, you are.” He is, too. Sure, I knew he was handsome before, and so did about five billion other women. But like this, his blue eyes so bright and sincere, his body strong next to me—he was truly beautiful. I’d heard him called something else once, the name of an ancient Terran deity: Apollo, god of the sun, who shone brighter than any other.

He grinned, wickedly. “I know you are, but what am I?” I giggled and he covered my mouth with his own, and then I wasn’t laughing anymore because that fire rushed over me again, surging through me like a tide. Mixed metaphor, I know, but that’s what it was: a wave of flame, burning away my nervousness and leaving eagerness in its wake.

He sat up again and lightly caressed the sides of my face, then drew his hands down slowly over my body. Wherever he touched my skin ached for more, and he was very thorough. Then his lips began tracing the same path, eyelids to collarbone to breasts, and by then I felt as if the entire bed was about to burst into flame.

His mouth traveled lower, tongue brushing my belly, and my hips thrust toward him before I could stop myself.

“Tell me what you want, Vi!” His eyes were laughing, knowing. I blushed.

“I want…I want…please…” I couldn’t say the words, didn’t want to break the moment with crudeness. And I didn’t want to sound as inexperienced as I really was.

He moved back up and covered me with his body, lowering his mouth to my ear. “It’s okay. I’ll tell you. You want to feel my mouth on you. You want to come against my tongue.” His words alone made me shiver, and I moaned.

He smiled and began kissing his way down again. My hands flailed, stroked at his back, caught in his hair. And then his mouth…

On me. Touching me in ways I’d maybe only dreamt of, too embarrassed to allow those thoughts into the daylight. My voice grew louder until I was sure the whole damned hotel could hear me, but I didn’t care. He was slow and then he was fast and I was nearly incoherent, my vision clouded and my hands scrabbling at the sheets. The universe constricted to a fine point of pleasure and then exploded again, taking me with it.

I must’ve grayed out, because the next thing I knew he was lying next to me, holding me, and when I reached to kiss him his mouth tasted sweet.

“Ohhhh….” I meant to say something else, probably “thank you,” but I couldn’t form the words. He hugged me, grinning not with smugness—which would really have made me angry—but with delight at my pleasure. I saw more of the real Dirk Morgna in that moment than I’d known in all our years together in the Legion.

He leaned over me, smiling. “More?”

I finally found my voice. “Oh, yes.”

Then I pushed him onto his back, because I wanted to touch him. I tried to mimic what he had done for me, tracing his body with my fingers. I must’ve been clumsy but his reaction said otherwise.

He responded like everything I did was as new to him as the discovery was to me. It couldn’t have been, of course, but I think that’s just the way he is; he reflects his lover’s manner like a mirror, different for each one but always himself. With me he was confident when I needed that, and patient as well.

So when I discovered that his nipples were as sensitive as mine he gasped, and seeing his pleasure gave me the courage to go on. Feeling bold, I lay down on top of him, and felt him hard against me. I had done that, and that realization made the rest easy. Things weren’t out of my control at all. I’d been more afraid of that than all the rest of it.

Shameless as a cat I rubbed against him, enjoying the feel of him. His eyes widened, and I think I’d honestly shocked him.

“God, Violet! Let me—” he lifted me slightly and wriggled out of his pants while I laughed. I swear, all that time I’d been anxious, how ridiculous!

He rolled me over again and I let my hands drift over him, down to his rear. He really does have the finest backside in the Legion, don’t let anyone tell you different.

He smiled at me. “Little wildcat.” Before I could respond he kissed me deeply, and the taste and feel of him on me caught me up in his heat all over again. His hands wandered over me, finding all those same places where my skin craved his touch and more, besides. This time I did the same to him, and discovering his pleasure-points turned out to be nearly as exciting as what he was doing to me. Every sigh was a victory, and when he moaned I laughed with satisfaction. Who would have thought? I mean, I’d known even beforehand that he would make me feel good; but I hadn’t been at all sure I could do the same for him.

Dirk lifted his head, his blue eyes turned twilight-dark. “Are you—”

At about that point I decided that this whole “gentleman” thing had gone far enough. “I’m ready, go ahead, I want you, already!”

No more words. This time when he kissed me it was all hard desire, I could practically feel it coming off of him in waves. But even then his consideration remained. Slowly and gently he slid into me and through his care it didn’t hurt, not even a bit. I felt him tremble just a little, trying to hold back.

No, not love. But right then, it was about as close as I’d ever felt. I kissed him to let him know it was all right and pulled him closer, the heat and passion of him warming more than my body. I felt alive. And while I’d be lying if I said I was overcome with ecstasy, the intimacy of it was more than enough.

He moved on me, in me, face flushed and absolutely gorgeous. I realized suddenly that I wasn’t the only vulnerable one here, and that stunned me. Dirk spends so much of his time playing a role, that to see him like this, so open and defenseless—

He cried out and I felt the vibration go through him and into me, and I felt what he must have, before: His pleasure was like a gift, and it pleased me to think, again, that I had done this.

Silly? Maybe. But one hell of a confidence-builder, that’s for sure. Which was exactly what I needed.

We nestled together, neither feeling the need for words, and I was content.

#############

If this were a fairy tale I’d say that we lived together happily ever after; but it isn’t, and we didn’t. Dirk and I were only together for a couple of weeks, really great ones. I learned more about my body and my own responses than I’d ever imagined. Not that he didn’t enjoy “teaching” me, too!

But after a while the novelty wore off, even despite how good I felt with him. We just…stopped seeing each other, no big fanfare or even discussion. Dirk went on to date SciPol cop GiGi Cuismano, and I went on building my new persona.

Eventually I did realize who I really wanted to be with, and it’s still a miracle to me that she feels the same way. But without Dirk’s kindness, I might not have had the courage or understanding to recognize love when Ayla offered it. He taught me more than just about sex—from him I began to understand how to trust others as well as myself, neither of which have ever been easy, even now.

But I’m learning.