InsaneJournal

WHO Arthur & Ariadne
WHAT Discussing their relationship
WHEN Recently
WHERE Ariadne's Apartment
WARNINGS discussion of the AU MV & starting a bdsm relationship
STATUS closed | complete gdoc


Ariadne thought things were going pretty well with Arthur. They’d had fun at the fair and then settled into a bit of a rhythm for themselves, where they had dinner together on the nights she didn’t have class, usually eating once at both of their apartments and going out once. Sometimes, the other would stay over depending on the mood of things, and maybe once a month, they’d use the PASIV to explore the dream world.

She was content, but there was a part of her that yearned for more. Sometimes, Ariadne dreamed about her time in that alternate reality, and they weren’t nightmares. She was curious about it, curious to see if that was how it would turn out if they tried something like that. Or would they be on more even footing? Would it be something Arthur even enjoyed? Ariadne knew she needed to ask, so she did.

They were having dinner at her apartment tonight, a simple chicken and potatoes dish she’d found online. “Do you remember that alternate universe from earlier this year?”

***

Arthur was never meant to remember it but he did. He’d accessed the alternate reality via the PASIV, when he tried to reach Ariadne through the use of the PASIV after she’d fallen into a coma. He’s found himself not so much in a Dream, but in an alternate reality. A place so dark and depraved that he’d been a vampire, and Ariadne had been his pet. More than that, she’d been his servant, his slave, his toy when it came down to it. He tried not to think about that world, or the reality of that version of himself. He would never be so...heartless as the vampire Arthur had been, but there were certain aspects he would possibly be interested in exploring if he were willing to admit it to himself.

He shifted awkwardly, and put his fork down rather than take a bite. He reached for his drink, took a sip. “I remember,” he said after a moment. His tone was even, calm. He wondered where Ariadne was going with this subject, why she had even brought it up. “Why? It wasn’t real.” Why bring it up now, that was the real question he was asking. It seemed out of the blue, after several months without mentioning it at all.

***

She realized belatedly that she probably could have done a better job of setting up the conversation when she heard his tone of voice. Even and calm were his default, but the way he'd shifted told her this wasn't a conversation he'd ever expected. Ariadne hadn't really been expecting to have it, either, but she hoped it would at least put some of her thoughts to rest.

"It wasn't real for us," she agreed. "It's not the path we're on, but I-" Ariadne paused for a moment to find the right words to explain it. She had to get this right or else she'd lose right from the start. "I've been thinking about it, a lot more than I thought I would be. It was terrifying at first, finding myself there, in that position." She did her best to keep her tone even and steady as she tried to lay more of the groundwork for her reasoning.

"But." That word had some weight to it. "I've been thinking about what that kind of relationship could mean for us. On this path."

***

He was reasonably sure she wasn’t referring to him as a vampire. That was never going to happen. He couldn’t say he’d end his unlife if it did happen (because it was certainly within the realm of possibility in Madison Valley where vampires might not be the norm, but there was certainly a precedent for them to exist), but he couldn’t say that he wouldn’t either. He had no aspirations to be a vampire, or any such creature. The other prevailing aspect of their lives in that alternate reality was their own personal relationship. It had been decidedly one sided, with Arthur in a very dominant role, with Ariadne as his loyal subordinate. If she was referring to that, and he was reasonably certain she was, well, that was one of the aspects Arthur could see happening, if he allowed it. Certainly not in the same context as it had been in that dark, desolate world. But here, as Ariadne said, on their current path...well, there wasn’t so much darkness and misery all around them. Here, in their real version of Madison Valley, things were quite different.

And yet...there was a certain appeal to it all. The thoughts in his head were only half formed, because he hadn’t allowed himself to embrace them before now. And now, with Ariadne broaching the subject, there were too many thoughts careening through his mind to focus on any one of them for any length of time. It was a lot to take in, a lot to process, and a lot to consider.

“Is that something you really want?” he asked her. For him to take a dominant role in their currently fairly equal relationship. It was new, unfamiliar territory. Arthur wasn’t even entirely sure what to think of it himself. But he was intrigued enough, interested enough, to hear her out.

***

Ariadne wasn't sure what was going on in his head, but she was content to let him have as much time as he needed to think it over. She just continued to eat her dinner until he asked her if it was something she really wanted. It was something she wanted to try, she knew that much with certainty. Partly because she thought he might feel more comfortable if he were in charge, as it were, but she had enjoyed the connection, as twisted as it had been in that alternate world.

"It's something I want to try, to see if it works for us," she answered honestly. "I'm not unhappy with how things are, and I don't want it to be exactly like how it was there, but I've done some reading and there's something intriguing about giving up control like that." Ariadne sat up a bit straighter and reached across the table to cover his hand with her's. "I trust you. I have from the beginning." That much hadn't changed and she didn't see it changing anytime soon, either.

"Is it- Would you be interested in trying as well?"

***

He was quiet for a long moment, during which Pinto moved to settle at Arthur’s feet. He wasn’t sure what that meant, if anything, but he felt it was significant, as if the dog was on board with things. Something like that. It seemed silly, but that was what he found himself thinking. And if the dog was on board, why shouldn’t he be on board as well?

He put his foot out to give Pinto a little attention, such as it was, though his focus was centered on Ariadne. She seemed entirely sincere in wanting to try this new lifestyle. Her trust in him was somewhat intoxicating, given all the ramifications of what they were discussing. To give him near complete control, that was a huge thing. He knew it wasn’t absolute. In a healthy D/s relationship, the subordinate had quite a lot of power and control. It was just cleverly masked, and relied heavily on the other’s ability to listen to and process unspoken cues.

After a moment, he nodded. “As long as you continue to go to your classes. We start small. And either of us can call it off at any time.”

***

Despite Pinto moving, Ariadne didn't look away from him as she waited for his answer. This was something big and she was allowing herself to be a little bit excited about it because it felt like change was coming. She wasn't sure that she would want to jump right into something as extreme as what their alternate universe selves had ended up as, but baby steps would certainly allow them to stop were they felt comfortable.

She nodded easily, a bright smile gracing her features. Ariadne wouldn't have dreamed of giving up her classes, but they could find a way to make things work between them. There were a lot of practical things they would need to discuss, like rules and limits, safe words and the like. "Yes, of course," she agreed. It felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders, which only served to prove to her that this was something that mattered. It would be worth pursuing, no matter how it ended, because at least she could say they tried.

"I agree with starting small," she began, "when we're in your bedroom, for now?" Then they could certainly expand it to being in one of their apartments for a set period of time, or whenever they were in one of their apartments, to longer periods of time if that was something they enjoyed. "In my research, I found a...well, it's a form of sorts. A spreadsheet that has a number of kinks that we could go through to see what interests each other?" There had been some things on that list she'd never heard of before, but it was certainly a starting point.

***

Arthur nodded. His mind was one that tended to calculate, to analyse and assess before he made any sudden or rash decisions. But this, huge as it was, felt like a natural progression. And it wasn’t like making a huge purchase or committing to a project with a deadline. This was open ended, which brought with it a whole other set of considerations, but it was something that could be altered if necessary, or stopped entirely if needed. And it was something he was going to do with Ariadne, which in itself made it feel safer.

“I think the first step would be to look over this list, and omit whatever things one or both of us has no interest in.” Because there would undoubtedly be a few of those things. Arthur had the memories of his alternate self, and there were things that vampire version of him did that he had no interest in ever doing. He wanted to eliminate those things, a few things, before they even considered starting.

“But yes. I agree to starting with time spent in the bedroom.” Which meant simply walking out of the bedroom put an end to it, which gave him a clear out if he should need it.

***

Ariadne understood them both well enough to know that if one of them turned around in a few hours, days, weeks, or months, and said it wasn't working, they would put a stop to it. She had her fears that they might discover things about themselves that could make them incompatible in a relationship, but she trusted that they would work through it and that they would do their best to not let that happen and still maintain happiness for themselves.

“I’ll email you the file after dinner,” she replied. “We can fill them out separately and then discuss and see how this will work.” Ariadne didn’t want to influence his answers anymore than she wanted her answers influenced by him. The initial assessment was best done separately and then they could come to their agreements.

“I didn’t mean to spring this on you,” Ariadne added before she took another bite of her dinner. “I’ve been thinking about it for some time now. I’m glad that you’re open to exploring it.” It meant a lot to her that he was accepting the trust she had in him. She reached across the table to put her hand over his and gave him a reassuring smile. “Thank you.”

***

He turned his hand and cupped hers in his, giving it a light squeeze. “It’s only because I trust you.” If he didn’t, there’s no way he’d go for this in any capacity. It was a bit daunting, he had to admit that, but he trusted her and obviously she trusted him. They would work through the hard parts together, he was certain. That was what mattered, because without that faith in each other, there was no point in going ahead with it.

He would, for Ariadne’s sake, keep an open mind. She seemed to really want to try this, he knew she did because she likely wouldn’t have brought it up to him if she weren’t committed to trying it. He would give her the support and freedom needed to give it a go. And maybe, just maybe, he’d like it too.

He knew it was possible. He needed to do a lot of soul searching or whatever, but his initial response was to give it a try. He had the mindset that he wasn’t going to regret it.

“You didn’t spring it on me. You brought it up, we’re discussing it. It’s not like you expect to dive head first into it without planning and strategy.” Which wouldn’t fly with Arthur. He was too analytical, he needed time to work through the initial stages. She knew that.

***

There was no way they'd be able to do this without trusting each other completely, but it was still nice to hear. Ariadne returned the squeeze briefly to reiterate that for him. She did make a face at the idea of just diving in head first. That would've been a sure fire way to end up miserable right off the bat and she vastly preferred to be set up for success instead.

"That is fair. I can't imagine just diving in head first to something like this. That seems like a recipe for disaster." Ariadne didn't like to fail in anything and she knew Arthur was of the same mindset. It was one of the reasons they fit so well together.

After another moment she withdrew her hand and they went back to dinner. The rest of it would come later.

***