Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Seraphina
After Vasiah left me wrapped in blankets and aching in ways I didn’t want to admit, I sat with my phone clutched in my hand. My chest was still tight, but not from panic this time. From… needing. Wanting. Hoping.
And I knew there was something else I had to do before I lost my nerve.
I scrolled to Josephina’s name and hit call. She picked up on the second ring, her voice warm and teasing. “Well, well. Twice in one week? What did I do to deserve this honor?”
I smiled faintly, though my stomach was in knots. “Jo, I need to tell you something. Something… important.”
Her tone softened instantly. “Okay. You’ve got me. What’s going on, Sera?”
I chewed my lip. My throat felt dry. “You already know I’m lesbian. But there’s… more. A part of me I’ve never told you about. A part that’s hard to explain.”
“Try me,” she said gently.
I took a shaky breath. “I’m… a Little. Or… a Middle… Maybe both?”
There was silence for a moment, and my heart hammered. Then Josephina asked, calm but curious, “What does that mean for you?”
“It means… sometimes I feel younger inside. Not all the time. But I crave safety and structure, and… I like cuddles and stuffies and bubble baths. I like… rules, sometimes. Being cared for.” My voice dropped.
“And it ties into intimacy, too. I want a partner who understands that side of me. Who can be firm, but gentle. Who lets me be small without making me feel broken.”
Josephina hummed thoughtfully. “So… you’re saying it’s both comfort and… kink?”
I blushed hard. “Yeah. Exactly. Both.”
There was another pause, and then she surprised me by laughing softly. “You know what? I get it.”
I blinked. “You… do?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ve got my own needs, Sera.
Different, but not so far off. I like being taken care of in certain ways too.
Maybe not the same as you, but I understand craving safety.
And honestly? It doesn’t make you weird.
It makes you human. Hell, I’m jealous that you’ve gotten to a point where it makes sense for you.
I’m still figuring stuff like this out.”
Whoa. Maybe little miss perfect wasn’t so perfect?
Tears stung my eyes. “You don’t think I’m broken?”
“Of course not,” she said firmly. “If anything, I’m proud of you for telling me. That takes guts.”
I sniffled, hugging my stuffy tighter. “Thanks, Jo. I was so scared you’d… I don’t know. Think less of me. Disown me.”
“Never,” she promised. Then her voice softened even more. “Are you planning to tell Mom and Dad?”
I froze. “Not yet. I don’t think I can. They already want me to marry a nice man. I don’t know if I can handle them knowing this too.”
“That’s fair,” Josephina said gently. “But when you’re ready, I’ll go with you. You don’t have to face them alone. You know, they don’t need to know about the Little part, right? It’s not like they tell you about their boring ass vanilla sex life.”
I snorted in response.
“Seriously, sis. I think the extent of what they need to know is that you don’t want a nice boy, but a big bad dominant woman.
Well, I guess we could leave the bad part out.
Other than that, it’s your world, Sera. Don’t let them stop you from living in it.
Even if they don’t like it. It’s not like they can put you back where you came from. ”
Cue another snort. “Jo…”
“Be you, Seraphina. Wholeheartedly.”
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks, but this time they were warm and grateful. “You mean it?”
“Of course. You’re my sister. I love you.”
“I love you too, Jo.”
We’d been talking for almost half an hour, the nerves melting into comfort, just talking, laughing a little, letting the heaviness ease, when Josephina’s voice shifted—light, but with an edge of curiosity.
“So,” she said, “this all sounds like a lot of big steps for you. But I have to ask—what sparked it? You don’t usually just… spill your secrets out of nowhere.”
My stomach flipped. My mind immediately conjured Daddy’s steady eyes, her hand rubbing circles on my back until I drifted to sleep. The memory of her lips on mine earlier made me press my stuffy tighter to my chest.
“There’s someone,” I admitted softly.
Josephina made a low humming sound. “Someone… special?”
I hesitated. “She’s… my Dominant. Sort of. Not officially. But she’s been guiding me. She’s the reason I feel safe enough to even say these things out loud. She doesn’t let me hide, Jo. But she doesn’t shame me either.”
Josephina whistled under her breath. “Wow. Sounds like she’s already important.”
“She is,” I whispered, throat tight. “But it’s complicated. I don’t know if I can trust her all the way yet. She says she’ll show up for me, but I’m scared to believe it. And still…” I trailed off, heat rising in my cheeks. “I want her. Not just as a Dominant. As… more.”
Josephina’s voice softened into that older—by a whole ten minutes—sister mix of gentle teasing and fierce protectiveness. “So, you’ve got a crush on your Mistress.”
“Don’t call it that,” I muttered, hiding my face even though she couldn’t see me. “It makes it sound like I’m some lovesick kid.”
“Well,” she teased lightly, “you are a Little, aren’t you?”
“Jo,” I groaned, embarrassed.
Her laugh bubbled through the line, then quieted. “Hey. Seriously? I think it’s beautiful. You deserve someone who sees you—all of you. If this Mistress does that, maybe she’s worth the risk.”
Her words hit me square in the chest. My eyes burned again, but this time with a different kind of ache. “You really think so?”
“I do. But only if she proves herself. You don’t settle for halfway, Sera. You let her earn you. Don’t be afraid to take things slowly.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy but warm. Finally, I whispered, “Thanks, Jo. I… needed to hear that.”
“Anytime. And when it comes time to tell the parents, I’ll be right there with you. But for now? You hold on to the people who make you feel safe.”
I smiled through my tears. “Goodnight, Jo.”
“Goodnight, baby sis. Sweet dreams.”
I’d just hung up with Josephina, the warmth from our conversation still radiating through me, when I felt the familiar eyes watching me.
“Hey, Daddy.” I knew I was beaming as I looked up at her.
“Hey, little one,” Daddy’s voice whispered, gentle and steady.
She leaned in the doorway, eyes scanning me with that careful, protective focus that made my chest tighten in ways I couldn’t quite name.
She was quite striking. Especially with her hair down, dreadlocks framing her beautiful face, and her casual attire.
No matter what she wore, she was always all business.
“I thought I’d check on you before bed,” she said. “You okay?”
I nodded, words failing me for a moment. The lump in my throat made me swallow hard. “Yeah… I’m… I’m good.”
Her smile softened, and she crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed. Without a word, she reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “I’m glad you talked to her,” she murmured, her hand lingering lightly on my cheek. “You did really well tonight. How’d it go?”
I felt my shoulders relax against her, the tension of the day finally uncoiling.
“Thanks… It was amazing actually. She listened and encouraged me to continue my journey. She admitted that she’s got some exploring to do in the same areas, but for the most part, it was amazing.
” I pushed my head beneath her chin and waited for my reward.
Daddy didn’t disappoint. She kissed the top of my forehead and rested the side of her face there. I snuggled in even closer and melted in her arms. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“For the most part?”
Darn, she’d caught that.
“I have to tell my parents. She thinks it needs to be censored to be need-to-know information. That maybe the Little dynamic is too much personal intel. I agree to some extent, I just don’t want there to be questions if I call you Daddy in front of them.”
“You want me to meet your family?” she asked.
Was I moving too fast?
“I mean, eventually. If we continue and determine that we want this for the long haul. Yes, meeting my parents and my sister is important to me.”
“Then it’s important to me as well.”
Fireworks started around my heart, exploded into my throat, and made my eyes water from the smoke show.
“Now, it’s time to get tucked in. Sleep well, little one.”
I nodded, curling under the blanket she’d straightened, and felt her hand linger for just a heartbeat longer before she slipped quietly to the door. I heard the soft click as she closed it behind her, and I let out a deep breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Safe. Seen. Cared for.
I was beginning to feel like I could finally let go.
“Good night, Daddy,” I whispered to the empty room, and with that, I drifted into sleep, a small, contented smile on my face.
But Daddy wasn’t here, and the emptiness of the bed beside me made it ache.
I curled deeper under the blanket, hugging my stuffed bear close, and found myself wishing she was—just as she had been earlier, rubbing my head, steady and warm.
I missed her, missed the way her presence seemed to smooth out all the edges of the day.
I wanted to feel that again, wanted to drift off knowing she was right there beside me.
“Good night, Daddy,” I whispered again softly to the empty room, my voice barely more than a breath. The words felt heavier in the quiet, weighted with longing and the knowledge that she wasn’t next to me.
I closed my eyes, imagining her leaning in, the steady pressure of her hand on my shoulder, the warmth of her body beside mine. I let the memory carry me until sleep claimed me, a small, wistful smile tugging at my lips.