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“Do I look studious?” Lucius twists back and forth so that Pete can see her outfit to full effect. She has non- prescription glasses, and a full plaid skirt. Her cropped cardigan and low bun feel maybe a touch too much, but she wants to look the part. 

“You look like a teacher,” Pete says. She smiles. “And very pretty.” 

“Thank you.” Lucius pulls her in and kisses her on the fuzz on her head. “I’m a little nervous about the art history class I’m in this semester. I heard it has a really intense energy.” 

Pete smiles at her. “You make friends with most people, babe. Plus, you said that class is hard to get into.” 

“I know,” Lucius mumbles. She feels small in Pete’s arms in a way she cherishes. She doesn’t want to go. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Bye.” Pete lets her go and waves. 

Lucius leaves and immediately she wants to turn around. This won’t be like last semester where she spent the whole time under Professor Bonnet’s wing. She’s on her own today. 

The train to campus is full, but the city gliding past puts her in a decent mood. She wishes it wasn’t as busy so she could sketch some of the people, but her sketchbook is trapped in her messenger bag. (She wears it to the right to try and fix her left curving scholiosis.) 

The class is unfortunately in one of the brutalist style buildings. Lucius always feels like she’s being punished having to spend time in them. She takes the lift up to the fourth floor. Up here it’s deadly quiet. 

Lucius turns down towards the classroom. She passes by small bulletins with flyers for on sale museum tickets and upcoming guest lectures. 

The classroom, 4265, is scarily small. There will be no coming in late with a coffee cup in hand. Lucius is the fourth person here. She walks around to the front and tucks herself into a small desk. 

The woman closest to her is older. Lucius tries not to stare, but her profile is fucking sexy. She’s in all black and her hair is going grey in a way that’s kind of yummy. And her tits. Dear god. 

Lucius imagines wiping away drool from the corner of her mouth. 

The other two are chatting closely with each other. They look like a couple, both in their mid thirties. She’s cute, sweet seeming. Lucius could probably be friends with them. 

A minute later another woman comes in. She seems around the silver fox’s age judging by the white hair, and she has gorgeous cheekbones. She even says hi to the silver fox. They nod at each other and suddenly Lucius feels like the fifth wheel. That is, until the last student comes in with the teacher just behind her. The last is a bit younger than Silver Fox and Cheekbones, she has black locs and smudged eyeliner. 

The teacher goes around to the front, and Lucius realizes it’s Ed. As in Eddie Black, the professor that Stede is head over heels in love with. She knows the legend part, that Professor Black is widely respected for her restoration work. Rumor has it she once aided the police in identifying a forged Monet. Lucius just hadn’t pieced together that they were the same woman yet. 

“Morning,” Ed says. “I want you to look around at who you’ll be spending your time with this semester. This class is time intensive. You will be reading, you will be discussing, and most of all,” Ed slaps her hands on the table. “You will be creating art, experiencing art and the way artists lived. This is an immersive class.” 

Everyone around her nods. Lucius feels herself tensing up. What did “living the way artists lived” even mean? Being depressed? Being so poor you had to burn your own furniture? 

“Now, this semester, I will be away for a chunk of time to complete a residency with Professor Bonnet. So, I am leaving you in Iz’s capable hands.” Prof Black points down at the Silver Fox. 

She stands and turns to face them. “My name is Izzy Hands. I will be the teaching assistant for the semester. Do not expect to be able to slack in Professor Black’s absence.” 

Lucius squeezes her legs together at the absolute raw voice this woman has. Jesus. She’s the butch of Lucius’s dreams come to life. She wants to crawl into her lap and never leave. Probably bad to do with a teacher, though. 

“The Salon,” Izzy starts. The projector is pulled down and the lights are dimmed. “Paris, France. Most popular 1748 to 1890. But, of course, you all know that.” 

Mary titters behind Lucius, and Fang snorts. 

“The Salon was more than an exhibit, more than a social event. It was a cultural reckoning. A time to network. Artists labored over their works in the hopes that they might be chosen to display them.” The slide clicks over and there’s a black and white photograph of a group of men and women, in what is clearly 1920s dress. “There have been salons since, where a group of artists have formed a cohort, intent on shaping the art to come.” Lucius can see Ivan and Doug nodding out of the corner of her eye. 

“That was Dr. Black’s idea for this course: To forge each semester’s students into its own salon. For them to critique, create, and exhibit alongside each other.” Izzy flicks on the lights, and Lucius blinks a few times as her eyes adjust. 

“Now, what do we know about the impressionist movement?” 

All their hands go up. 

After two weeks of basic lectures on art history, Izzy has them meet in an art studio at the back of the building. The walls are hidden by piles of old canvases covered with sheets, and there’s a chalkboard on the left wall. The only windows are small and narrow, by the ceiling. 

Lucius realizes it isn’t an art studio, but an old classroom poorly refitted. That’s probably why she hasn’t had any classes here before.

Lucius sits down in one of the chairs near what seems to be the front of the room. There are easels set up, so maybe it’s going to be a future study class? 

Mary, Doug, and Ivan show up together, laughing and chatting. As soon as they see Lucius they settle down considerably. “Hey, Lucy,” Doug nods. 

“It’s Lucius,”  she says. It must come across bitchy, because both Ivan and Mary grimace at her. 

“You excited for today? When we get to the actual art making part, that’s where this class is better than the others,” Ivan says. “Makes me wish I’d been a part of the old salons.” 

Before Lucius can reply on that comment, Izzy shows up with Fang trailing behind her. 

“At least you all know how to be punctual,” Izzy says. She drops her attaché onto the teaching desk in the corner, and she rolls up a chair. “Let’s see, today…Mary. Go ahead.” 

Lucius watches as Mary gets up from her chair and comes to the front, where the model would usually stand. Mary starts to unbutton her shirt, and then her bra goes with it. Lucius has no issue with nudity, but usually the students don’t double as the models. 

Things get weirder when Doug stands up, and undresses too. He joins Mary, grabbing onto Mary’s bicep and tilting his head just so. Ivan’s pencil is already moving, the scratch on paper echoes in the old room. Lucius can’t imagine the radiators are turned up high enough to keep Mary and Doug warm. 

On autopilot Lucius starts to draw. It’s a class exercise? But Izzy didn’t say how long they were drawing each pose for. She glances over at Fang’s page and she’s not even drawing. She’s writing, free form it looks like. 

Lucius bites her lip. She bends over to Fang. “Did Ed run the class like this too?” she whispers. 

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Same stuff. We honestly don’t need Izzy, really,” Fang shrugs.

“Oh.” Lucius is certain her eyes are bugging out of her head. She glances over to where Izzy is leaning against an old desk in the room. Izzy is glaring at her, looks pissed even. Lucius feels the hairs on her arms stand on end. 

She goes back to drawing. Since there seems to be no time limit, she starts to refine her initial sketch and add detail. After a few minutes, Doug moves down and kisses Mary’s collarbone. Lucius watches with open mouth as their pose devolves into a slow makeout session. 

“Mary,” Izzy barks. “Doug. Time’s up.” 

Breathlessly, they both pull apart from each other. They don’t even seem abashed. Lucius watches as they sit down, still naked, comfortable as anything. Bare pussy on chair and everything. 

“Now,” Izzy says. “Let’s see what you’ve created. Ivan?” 

Ivan stands up and shows her piece. It’s dozens of sketches of Mary and Doug while they were still and then dozens more as they started to kiss. Fang stands up next and reads a section of descriptive writing that is quite impressive, but as it veers towards pure smut Lucius balks. They’re all adults, but this is weird . 

Before Fang finishes reading, Izzy holds up her hand. “I’m afraid we’re out of time. I’ll see you all Friday.” 

Lucius quickly shoves her sketchbook into her bag and throws it over her shoulder. She needs to talk to Pete. And maybe also the registrar. 

“It’s past the first week of classes. You can withdraw, but it’ll be marked down on your permanent record.”

“Yes, that’s fine. What else is available?” 

The woman turns back to her computer. After a minute she clicks her tongue. “I’m afraid the other upper level classes are full. You’d have to wait until next semester.” 

Lucius bites her lip. If she loses the credits she won’t qualify for her scholarship for this semester. “I see. I guess I’ll have to stick it out,” she says distantly. 

“Okay, have a nice day,” the woman chirps. 

Tuesday, Izzy stomps into the room. “Lucius, talk to me after class,” Izzy says coolly before she’s even turned the projector on. 

Lucius feels her gut swoop with adrenaline and fear. Inexplicably, she feels like Izzy knows she tried to drop the class? But, that would be insane. An invasion of privacy. 

Lucius scribbles down notes on Romantic period art, but she doesn’t feel like she’s absorbing anything.

“Your grade for this unit won’t be based on a paper, it’ll be based on a project. You’ll do it in pairs.” 

Lucius doesn’t have to look around. There’s five of them. She raises her hand hesitantly. “What should I do? Can we have a group of three?”

Izzy looks down at her imperiously, as if she wants to laugh at the absurdity of such a request. “You’ll have to work with me then. You can ask for my assistance in any of your work this semester.” 

“Good luck,” Fang whispers behind her. She hears several of them titter. 

“Anyway, I’ll post the rest of the assignment online. Don’t procrastinate, as you have to keep a journal on your thought process and creative ideas throughout the semester. I’ll expect you to submit it with your project at the end of this unit.” Izzy flips the lights back on and turns off the projector. “Class dismissed. Lucius?” 

Someone pats her sympathetically on the shoulder. She thinks it might be Ivan, but when she turns to look everyone has left. 

Lucius stands up and walks the three steps over to Izzy. It calms her somewhat, the way she towers over Izzy in her heels. “What’s up?”

“I heard you were thinking of dropping the class,” Izzy says. Her tone is measured, and her face calm, but Lucius can tell when she’s being sneered at. “Is there something more I can do to…support you?” 

“Um, no. I just didn’t think this class was the right fit for me. But, I reconsidered.” 

“Good.” Izzy gives her a once over that makes Lucius’s skin spark with electricity. She’s a teacher, Lucius shouldn’t even be entertaining any thought of—anyway. “You won’t pass this class without staying committed to the work. You understand?”

“Um, yeah?” Lucius awkwardly shuffles back to her bag and hoists it onto her shoulder. “So, the project. When are your office hours?”

Izzy gives her a confused look. 

“Um, when are you free to meet with me?” Lucius grips onto the strap of her bag like it’s a lifeline. Suddenly, the height difference doesn’t feel like an advantage, not with the steely presence Izzy has. 

Izzy glances over her planner. “We can meet at the cafe on Elk St, by the North entrance to the building. They make coffee that doesn’t taste like sewage. Thursday, 2 o’clock. Don’t be late, I hate that.” 

There is no room for negotiation, apparently. Lucius is just lucky she’s free at that time. “Okay, thanks. Bye, professor.” As Lucius leaves she notices Izzy’s hands are smudged black, like with charcoal. Huh. She didn’t know that was Izzy’s chosen forum. 

Lucius meets Pete for a walk every Tuesday after they both get out of class. Pete is already waiting by the big tree that’s their spot when Lucius turns the corner past the physics building. “Hi, baby,” Lucius says. “You look nice.” Lucius kisses her cheek. 

“Thanks. You got me this shirt.”

“I did.” Lucius smiles softly and takes her hand. “Are you hungry?

“No.”

“Okay. I might lead us past the iced coffee stand.”

“But it’s freezing,” Pete says. “Wouldn’t you rather have a hot coffee?”

“I don’t know, I just prefer it. I’m gay.” Lucius laughs at her self and leans into Pete’s side. “So how have your classes been?”

“They’re good. I’ve been working on this mini-structure, it’s actually for this project that’s extra credit, but-” Lucius watches the autumn leaves fall and listens attentively as her girlfriend gushes about her latest passion project. 

When she’s done, Pete squeezes Lucius’s hand. “What about you, babe? You mentioned that art history class is kinda weird?”

“Yeah. Um, it’s a lot. I told you I think the prof is super sexy.”

“Mm hmm.”

“And the weird ass figure study class thing we did.”

“Mm.”

“But now we’re starting a partner project thing, but we have an odd number. So I’m paired with Izzy for it? And she cornered me after class about how I tried to drop, and I don’t even know how she knew about that.” 

“That is weird,” Pete says. Her brows are furrowed. “I mean. Do you think it’s just new age type stuff? Or does she feel like a bully?”

“I don’t know. It’s even weirder than that. I feel like I’m imposing on an established club. Like I crashed a party, you know?”

“Maybe they just need time to warm up to you. And you to them.” Pete gets in line with Lucius for the coffee stand so they can keep holding hands. “You’re super brilliant, babe. And fun to be around. So I’m sure they’ll come around.” 

“Yeah.” Lucius takes a deep breath of the chilled air until it feels like it cleans out her lungs. “I don’t know. Is it a department thing, do you think? Like they’re just tight knit and not used to me?” Lucius pauses and smiles bright and fake for the vendor. “Hi, one medium iced caramel latte for me, and a small hot cocoa with whip cream for her. Yeah, thanks.” Lucius slides her card over. “Anyway, you know what I mean?”

“Mm, yeah. It was hard at first to get on with the guys in my year. But after a few course nights out I realized they were super nice.” The two of them take their drinks and start to walk slowly down the path past the cricket pitch. 

“Babe, baby. I love your enthusiasm, but I don’t know that it applies here. But I’m trying to stay optimistic.”

“I’m sure it’s just a new environment.” Pete kisses her on the mouth, quick and sweet. 

“Yeah.” 

Thursday Lucius has to eat three tums to keep her acid reflux at bay. Everytime she thinks about the meeting she wants to call in sick. 

She wears her cutest outfit, beret included. She arrives at the coffee shop ten minutes early and walks in feeling like a deer in the headlights. Izzy is already sitting at a table in the corner. Izzy’s hair is carefully gelled and her black trench coat still on. 

Lucius orders a small flat white; she really doesn’t need any more anxiety today. 

As she approaches the table, number stand in hand, Izzy looks up and spots her. Christ, Christ alive Izzy is so fucking hot. Her hands; Lucius wouldn’t mind sketching her worn, calloused hands. Or holding them. She’s not picky. 

Lucius sits down and knows her cheeks are flushed from the cold. “Hi, how are you?” She’s not sure whether calling her Izzy is allowed in this setting. Normally she wouldn’t mind making a fool of herself, but she can’t exactly flee the class.

“Fine. And yourself?” Izzy asks. She takes off her jacket. Underneath she has a dark black turtleneck and smart dress pants. There’s already a small black coffee by her hand. And her hands, once again, are charcoal smudged. 

“Fine,” Lucius squeaks. “So, the project. It’s a transformative creative work based on one of the art movements of the 19th century. I was looking at the naturalist movement, but really, I hate nature.” Lucius chuckles, but Izzy seems unamused. “Anyway, I wanted to go with Realism. And maybe paint you?” 

Izzy seems startled by that. She takes a minute, and Lucius winces, awaiting a dressing down. “What kind of paintings?” 

“I was thinking a portrait. Somewhere you’re comfortable. Could be your office, or-“ Lucius does not want to invite herself over. “Or, yeah, just anywhere you’re comfortable.”

“What medium?”

“Oils. Although I’d like to start with pencil before.”

Izzy looks her over, and Lucius wonders if she measures up to the assessment. The waiter sweeps past with her flat white and takes the number. 

Izzy leans forward on her forearms. “I think it could work.” She meets Lucius’s gaze, and her eyes are so intense. Lucius has had less charged stare offs with potential hookups at the club. “But, to be certain I’d need to see your portfolio.” 

“Right,” Lucius says. She’s pretty sure Izzy can hear her voice wobble. “I can bring that to you next class time?”

“Let’s be optimistic.” Izzy’s mouth tightens. “You can meet me at this address, bring your work.” Izzy takes a business card out of her pocket and a pen, scribbles down an address.

Lucius takes it and puts it in her purse. “Oh-okay. Thanks.” Lucius stares at Izzy for a second, unsure of what else to say. She desperately wants to search where the address is. 

Izzy starts to put her coat back on. “I think we’re done here.” 

Wait, what? 

Izzy walks out of the coffee shop, leaving Lucius with her coffee cup half full. 

“And then she just got up and left. Didn’t even say goodbye.” Lucius’s hands wave around as she talks. She’s got her head in Pete’s lap, and Pete is carefully stroking her hair as she vents. 

“Hmm,” Pete says.

“And guess what?”

“What?”

“The address she gave me is this weird cabin up in the hills. I’ll need to get the 50A bus there. Which, who even takes that bus?”

“Well, you do now.” 

Lucius laughs but she smacks out at Pete. “Yeah, other than me. I wonder if it’s even her place.” 

“It’d be kind of weird for her to invite you to her house alone,” Pete said. “But she’s gonna love your art, babe. You’re so talented.”

Lucius cuddles further into Pete’s thighs. “I know, but she seems like a hardass. I can see her finding any reason to hate my art. But I’ve seen Mary and Doug’s work, it’s like medium at best.”

“Medium what?”

“I dunno, medium good?” 

“Oh, true.” Pete places her finger on Lucius’s nose, then her lips. “You’re so hot, Lucy.”

Lucius sits partially up and flips over so she can look Pete in the eye. “Then do something about it.” 

Pete smiles and bends forward so she can kiss Lucius’s mouth. Lucius crawls forward so she can lay her entire body over Pete’s. They start to grind against each other, and Lucius feels content throughout her whole body. 

She’s content to make out like horny teenagers for now. There’s no rush. 

Saturday mornings Lucius is a figure study model for art classes at a senior center. She’s gotten numbers from several older men, and older women. (Okay, and she’d taken one of those older women up on their offer). 

In the end, it’s a few hours of posing, and being somehow both cold and sweaty at the same time. They pay her under the table in cash, and its a few extra bucks for when the stipend she lives on just isn’t cutting it. 

When Lucius is done she goes to the bathroom to freshen up her lip gloss and spray some deodorant on. She has to go straight from here to the address Izzy gave her. She double checks her portfolio even though she went over it with Pete three times last night. 

The stakes for this feel high. Dr. Black’s class is highly respected, and even a recommendation from her protégée Professor Hands would go a long way. Lucius can always do something else for her project, but this moment decides if Izzy will respect her as an artist or not. Fuck.

Lucius walks to the bus stop for the 50A. There’s already five people waiting at the stop. Her bus is supposed to get here in twenty minutes. Lucius watches a young girl and her mother get onto the 37. An old guy with a cane gets on the 12. The last two, teenagers, get on the 40. That one goes by the old mall. And then, it’s just Lucius. 

She gets on the bus and the only other person besides the driver is an old woman sitting in the back. Lucius sits down and gets comfortable with her headphones on. According to the map on her phone, it’s going to be a good thirty minutes before the last stop, which is a fifteen minute walk still from the house. 

Lucius gets absorbed in a podcast about debunking health fad diets, and by the end of the episode they’re pulling up to the stop. “Last one,” the driver calls to her. 

“Thank you,” she calls as she steps off onto the road. The stop consists of a small shelter, with scratchy, dirty glass. Lucius opens her maps as the bus drives away. The address is to the….she can’t tell. She turns left and walks a few steps until the map reorients. Yes, this is the right way. 

She kind of wishes she hadn’t worn her platform loafers, but she’s in it now. After a few minutes she can see a gravel path that veers off into the trees. The road is labeled Queen Anne St. 

Lucius is thankful that it’s bright currently, but she’s nervous about walking back to the bus stop in the dark. At least the road isn’t snowy or damp today. In her ears the hosts of the podcast chuckle about something, but Lucius barely pays attention as the house comes into view. 

It’s gorgeous. All dark wood with a cozy porch and a quaint front garden. Lucius carefully steps up to the dark green front door. She rings the doorbell and waits. She can hear the tinkling chime echoing through the house. 

A second later the door swings open and Izzy is staring up at her. “You’re here.” She looks at her watch pointedly. “And on time.” 

Lucius doesn’t know what she means on time . They hadn’t settled on a time. “Ha, yeah,” she smiles awkwardly. Izzy moves back to allow Lucius to enter. She takes off her coat and unwinds her scarf. “Is there somewhere I can hang this?” 

“Yes.” Izzy points to a small coat closet. Lucius opens it and there are several coats in here, of different styles. In fact, one of them is a red coat she knows she’s seen Mary wearing. What the fuck. Is Izzy sleeping with Mary? Is Mary here? 

Lucius hangs her jacket and winds her scarf around it. She closes the door with a click. 

“Let’s review in my office.” Izzy beckons her deeper into the house. As they walk down a narrow hall Lucius realizes the house is larger than it looks from the front path. They enter some kind of added wing and go through a door into a gorgeous office. It’s lined with bookshelves filled to the brim, and there’s a dark solid desk towards the back. Lucius imagines it’s very sturdy for getting bent over…which she won’t be doing! 

She sits in one of the armchairs in front of the desk, opposite Izzy. She lays her attaché on her lap. 

“So,” Izzy says. She leans back in her chair. Lucius wanted to paint Izzy somewhere she’s comfortable, and she can see now that this is the place. The classroom is Dr. Black’s domain, but this office is Izzy’s through and through. Her shoulders are strong, not hunched. The area between her brows is smoother. “Let’s see your art, then,” Izzy snaps. 

Oh, right, she’s been staring. Lucius takes out the pile of art and paintings, and she lays them across the desk. She bites back the urge to qualify, excuse and explain what Izzy is seeing. Instead she stays quiet and watches Izzy’s face. 

“These aren’t bad,” Izzy says. Lucius can tell that means Izzy likes them. Her heart soars. 

“Yeah? I’m worthy of painting the great Izzy Hands?” Lucius inwardly winces. If she could be less sarcastic just once for her own self preservation. 

Instead of getting annoyed, Izzy grins. “You might be. Let’s start with sessions every Saturday, Sunday if necessary. Does that work?” 

“Yeah. It’s just that, getting home in the dark is kind of…?” 

Izzy nods her head thoughtfully. “We have a car, I can drive you home. Or you can stay here. We have spare rooms.”

“Who is we?” Lucius blurts out. 

“This house belongs to Professor Black and I. However, we often allow students to use it as a safe space.” 

“Oh.” Lucius settles somewhat. That explains Mary’s coat being in the closet. “Okay. Would it be okay to paint you in this office?”

Izzy’s phone dings and she looks down at it. “Yes,” she says with an absentminded distance in her voice. “I have things to take care of. And,” Izzy checks the window, “it’s still light out. You may go.” 

“Okay.” Lucius stands up and quickly shuffles her art back into its case. She leaves the office and closes the door behind her. Jokes on Izzy. She knows the next bus doesn’t come for another hour, and she’s going to spend most of that hour exploring. 

Lucius slips off her shoes and carries them with two hooked fingers. Instead of turning back towards the front door she beelines for a staircase. 

The third stair creaks under her step, so Lucius keeps rushing up. Rookies make the mistake of standing still, waiting to be discovered like pheasants in the crosshairs.  She moves down the hallway, noting the amount of rooms with closed doors and ancient looking keyholes. 

It’s really starting to feel like this is a cult; either the orgy kind or the murder kind. Or both. She wouldn’t mind an orgy, although honestly not with Doug. Sorry, Doug, Lucius thinks. 

She hears a doorknob turn, and she panics. Lucius opens a door to an empty bedroom, but before she can tuck herself away she hears a, “Hello?” 

Irrevocably caught, Lucius closes the door and turns to face– oh. It’s Fang. “Hi,” Lucius says in surprise. “I was just doing a self-guided tour.” As if Fang being here makes any sense. As if Fang would have the right to throw her out for snooping. 

“Aw, yeah, Izzy mentioned you were swinging by with your portfolio today.” Fang smiles guilelessly like Lucius’s story fits perfectly with her expectations. “Are you staying over?” 

“I don’t think so. My partner is expecting me,” Lucius says. As if she’d been invited, but couldn’t possibly. This kind of lying is easy. “My bus is coming soon. Would you mind walking me?” Lucius tucks some hair behind her ear, miming shyness. 

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Fang averts her eyes and tucks her hands into her pockets with clear fluster. 

They walk down the stairs together and put on their coats in silence. Fang holds the door open for her, and they walk into the blistering cold. 

The winter sun is already starting to set with pink and orange hues mixing in the sky. “I hate how early it gets dark,” Lucius says. 

“Oh, me too. Although it makes it easier to stay inside and get my uni work done, you know?”

“Yeah.” Lucius smiles up at Fang, and delights in the beam she gets back. Of all the members of the cohort Lucius feels most at ease with her. “What kind of art do you do other than writing?” 

“Oh! I’m a sculptor.” 

“Oh, wow. I could never get behind all that…texture.” Lucius scrunches her nose up at the thought. “But, I’d love to see your work.” Lucius puts her hand on Fang’s arm. 

“Thanks. I’m excited to see your art, too. It must be amazing if Izzy’s letting you paint her.” 

“Who told you that?” Lucius is surprised Izzy brought it up. 

“Oh.” Fang looks sheepish. “Izzy told us it was your project idea. Don’t stress, she obviously brought it up because she liked the idea. And, the portfolio thing is just a formality. Ed-I mean, Professor Black made us all do that, too.” 

“I see.” The bus stop is now in sight. “What kind of art does Professor Hands do?”

“Izzy’s a charcoal artist. That’s why she wears black all the time.” They both laugh over that. 

Lucius expects Fang to leave her, but she doesn’t. She hovers half in front of Lucius, protecting her from the eyes of the forest. 

“You know, I’d love to paint you some time. Maybe the next time you’re the figure model,” Lucius says brightly. 

“Oh? Naw, I’m nothin’ much.” 

“With that bone structure? Please.” 

The bus roars down the road, and Lucius tugs Fang down to kiss her cheek. “Thank you for being such a gentlewoman,” Lucius says.

“Of course,” Fang says. She waves at Lucius as the 50A carefully turns around on the narrow road, and leaves. 

Sunday, Lucius fills Pete in on all the drama when she gets back from the bakery. “Do you think they’re a cult?”

Pete shrugs and leans back in her chair like a floppy noodle. “Probably not, babe. Dr. Black is like super awesome. I don’t think she’d lead a cult.” 

Lucius groans and puts her face in her hands. “I know it sounds far-fetched. It’s just, the vibe is so weird . Pete, babe, I feel like I’m the cute cheerleader in a horror film.” 

“But you’re not even blonde.” 

“Pete!” Lucius laughs and grabs Pete’s hand between her own. “You don’t think I could make blonde work?” 

Pete runs her free hand through Lucius’s hair, as if genuinely considering it. “Yeah, I could see it.” 

“Oh, good,” Lucius says sarcastically. 

Lucius crawls forward until her pussy is hovering an inch or so over Pete’s mouth. “We both have to leave for class,” Lucius says. She’s not really complaining. 

Pete pets her thighs. “I’ll be fast.” She smirks. “You know I’m good.”

“You are.” Lucius lowers down and sighs as her sensitive skin meets Pete’s hot mouth. Pete immediately starts lapping at and circling her clit. “Mm, babe, you’re so good at that.” Lucius rubs her hand through the fuzz on Pete’s head. “Hnnh, fuck,” Lucius gasps. 

Pete licks over her cunt, nibbles at the inside of her thigh. Lucius starts to get herself off, rubbing at her clit while Pete tongue-fucks her hole. “Yeah, don’t stop, baby. I’m close, shit, shit. Fuck.” Lucius tosses her head back and comes on Pete’s chin. 

As soon as she’s done, legs still trembling, she pulls up her tights and flips her skirt down. She shoves her hand down Pete’s trousers. “I’m serious, we have to be quick.”

Pete moans all punched out and horny. She holds onto Lucius’s wrist and bucks up into her palm. Pete’s already worked up and soaking, so it doesn’t take much. After a minute, Pete tenses and she mumbles Lucius’s name in quiet passion. 

“Okay, baby, I’ve really gotta run.” Lucius kisses Pete in the forehead and wipes her hand on the sheets. Before she walks out the door she double checks her hair in the mirror. Looks good. 

Despite being incredibly late, Lucius isn’t willing to run. So, she walks into class at ten past and awkwardly shimmies to the front row to sit down. 

Izzy doesn’t stop lecturing. She doesn’t even acknowledge Lucius’s late entrance. But, her lip is almost curled in disgust, and her hand grips the projector clicker in a tight fist. 

Lucius gets out her notebook as quietly as she can. She keeps notes in a small journal, the kind of writing thoughts. It’s mostly because she tends to draw more than she writes actual notes down. It’s also aesthetically cute. Lucius would rather die than write notes in those ugly neon notebooks with wide rule . As if. 

Lucius reaches to itch her nose during the lecture and full on winces. So maybe she should’ve washed her hands before leaving. She tries to play it off by messing with her hair before she goes back to writing notes. 

Izzy gives her a questioning look, but doesn’t press. In a class this small Izzy is perfectly comfortable pausing to give out to them over seeming distracted, checking their phones, or even looking confused. 

It’s not that Izzy is an uninteresting lecturer. It’s more that Lucius can’t help but get distracted staring at her tits, her tummy, her thighs, her stern brow. Not even sexually—at least not always. She watches the way Izzy talks with her hands: precise without flourishes. She notices her posture: straight, shoulders back. Lucius is already mapping Izzy’s body into shapes for the art project hovering over her head. 

When class is over Izzy doesn’t say anything to Lucius. She packs up her things, and she practically sprints out. 

Friday night Lucius starts to set aside the art supplies she’ll need. “She said she would drive me home if it gets too dark,” she explains to Pete. “I don’t think I’d feel comfortable staying over.” 

“Okay. Just text me if you do. It’s nice that they keep a place to stay for you guys.”

“I- I don’t know. We’re all adults, but…” Lucius trails off. “Well, I just don’t understand why the others were there? Like Fang? Why would they be there, but I wasn’t invited? Or, not that I want to be invited, I just.” Lucius stops talking. There’s no use in digging herself this bizarre hole. She’s conflicted, and right now there doesn’t seem to be any resolving it. 

“Keep your location on for me,” Pete says. “If you’re that concerned, it’s a good safety precaution.”

“You’re right.” Lucius picks a small canvas and a large sketching pad to bring with her. Tomorrow is about getting a feel for Izzy, and for nailing down a color palette. “And, this project is just a few weeks and then it’s done. It’ll be a great addition to my portfolio. I’ve been meaning to work on my portraits.” 

“You’ve done nice portraits of me ,” Pete whines.

“Yeah, but the main focus isn’t your face in those, sweetie.” 

“Oh, right.” 

Saturday morning Lucius arrives ten minutes early to work. She sets her tote bag in the corner and starts to strip down. 

“Lucy, hello darling.” The art teacher Evelyn swoops in. “I was thinking a lot of seated poses today. I’m sure your legs will thank me,” she titters. 

“You just want the ladies to stop drawing my ass, don’t you?” Lucius winks at Evelyn and they both laugh. 

“Guilty!”’

Lucius unhooks her bra and sits in the chair. The women start to flood in, and they each take their usual spot around the circle. “Alright we’ll start with thirty seconds each pose, everyone ready?” Evelyn says. 

Lucius curves her back and tilts her head to the right. Her mind is already wandering to thoughts of Izzy and the bus ride that awaits her after work. She couldn’t paint Izzy naked, right? That would be crossing a boundary. 

Lucius shifts into a new pose with her legs crossed. 

Like Izzy hasn’t already blurred the lines by inviting students to her house? The house she shares with Professor Black? 

“You look tense, love,” Rachel says. “What’s going on?” 

“And can you face me next?” Charlotte asks. 

Lucius moves when the timer goes off and faces Charlotte. “Well, you guys know I’m an artist.” 

There’s a chorus of hums of agreement. 

“And I’m starting a portrait project today, after we’re done here. And, the subject, she’s pretty sexy.” 

“Oooh,” Rachel coos. “How did you meet her?”

“Well,” Lucius bites her lip. She’s hesitant to admit that Izzy is her professor. “It’s a school project.” 

“How cute!” Lucius can’t see Rachel, but she’s sure that Rachel is beaming. “You know, I hope it works out for you. At least try and finish the portrait before you seduce her though.” 

“Seduce her?” Lucius says it with mock offense. “I would never.” 

“Like you even have to try,” Charlotte scoffs. “You’re gorgeous, dear. Is she the same age as you?”

Lucius grits her teeth into a smile. “Older.” 

“Ohhh,” Charlotte wiggles her eyebrows. “I didn’t know you were in the market for a sugar mama.” 

Lucius knows she’s blushing. “I’m not!” The idea of Izzy buying things for her, of perching in her lap while she reads. It’s a nice fantasy, but it’s ridiculous. 

The ladies sense her discomfort and they ease off. They fall into talking about their former lovers and their own neighborhood gossip. 

By the time Lucius leaves, cash in hand, her stomach is grumbling. She gets a burrito to go, she’ll have to eat it on the bus. 

The bus driver clearly recognizes her and gives her a smile. No one else is on the bus today, so Lucius sits down on the back and puts on a podcast for while she eats. 

When the bus rolls up to the stop, Lucius thanks the driver and hoists her tote onto her arm. The walk is somewhat quicker now that she knows what she’s doing. 

When she reaches the front door she rings the doorbell, same as she did last week. This time she notices the car, an old beat up sedan, parked around the side of the house. 

When Izzy opens the door,Lucius gets a wave of her scent, something rich and herbal. Izzy’s hair is still visibly damp, and she’s wearing all black as usual. “Lucius, come in.”

“Hi.” Lucius sets her tote down carefully so she can take off her coat. She doesn’t see any familiar coats in the closet today. “Do you have an easel?” 

“Yeah, we have some. I already brought one down.” Izzy shifts foot to foot as she waits for Lucius to hang her coat. Lucius doesn’t know what she has to be nervous about. She just has to sit there relatively still. 

Lucius follows Izzy back to the office and sure enough, there’s an easel and a chair setup for her. And a canvas. And paints. 

“Oh, do you want me to use these?” Lucius tentatively sits down and sets her tote by her feet. 

Izzy rounds the desk, but stays standing. “You don’t have to. We just had extras. Ed, Professor Black only paints with oils occasionally.” 

“Okay.” Lucius figures it’s free art supplies. And it gives her the ability to play around a little more. She scoots the small table with the palette around to her left side. “Can you sit for me?” 

“Oh, right.” Izzy drops into her seat. “How would you like me to pose?” 

Lucius looks up from where she’s squeezing paints into the palette. From the look on Izzy’s face, this isn’t a test. She seems to genuinely be trying to accommodate Lucius’s vision. It’s cute. 

“However you normally sit is fine.” Lucius starts sketching out Izzy. It’s liberating to be able to look and then actually start sketching. Izzy’s resting face is stern, but Lucius thinks it’ll translate well to the canvas. As she sketches the slope of Izzy’s shoulders, she sees a hint of ink on skin. “Do you have a neck tattoo?” Lucius asks. 

“It’s a sparrow.”

“Were you in the navy?” Lucius starts to paint the under layer. 

“No. I worked on a crabbing boat fresh out of high school. To save money for college.” 

Lucius nods. “I hear that pays really well. Super dangerous though, right?”

“As dangerous as any work that involves manual labor.” Izzy’s eyes harden, as if she’s daring Lucius to look down on her. 

“Sure.” Lucius adjusts her blouse where it’s started to droop and show off her cleavage. Izzy falls silent, but Lucius hates to sit and paint quietly. “Were you the TA before you taught the class this semester?” 

Izzy clears her throat. “No. I was a student early on when Edward needed a higher number on her roll. And then I was just around to help when she needed it. Since we live together.” 

“Oh. What did you do before?” 

“Last job I had was a residency at the National Museum.”

Izzy doesn’t elaborate, and Lucius almost giggles. “And? What was your residency about?” 

“Charcoal art. It was a series of local landscapes.” 

“Oh? Do you ever draw people?”

“Not generally.” Izzy looks uncomfortable so Lucius opens her mouth to change the subject. “Except for Edward,” she adds quietly. 

“I see,” Lucius murmurs. She mixes paints to try and get the silver of Izzy’s hair under the golden fluorescents of the office. 

Lucius works in quiet for what feels like an eternity. Izzy is starting to take shape, and Lucius is proud of herself. “How are you going to impartially grade my art?” Lucius asks. 

“I’ll have Edward take a look at it.” 

“Oh. Cool.” That isn’t a bad idea. Lucius realizes suddenly she really needs to pee. “Um, why don’t we take a fifteen? Where’s your bathroom?” 

“Down the hall and to the right. Past the stairs.” 

“Right, great.” Lucius walks quickly down the hall and checks her phone. Dear lord, it’s been two hours already. She has one text from Pete. It’s just a meme about engineering, but it’s clear that it’s Pete’s way of checking in with her.

Lucius: going good so far

Pete: good! :) 

When Lucius returns to the office she thinks about asking Izzy if she can play music. The office is empty. 

Lucius frowns and double checks the hallway again. Nothing. “Izzy?” Lucius calls. 

When she doesn’t hear anything, Lucius starts walking towards the front door. She checks outside first. The car is gone. Izzy didn’t leave, did she? 

Lucius wanders down one of the hallways until she reaches a door. When she opens it she finds the kitchen, but it’s empty, too. She walks through the kitchen, and into a hallway. There’s a bathroom down here, as well as a shut door. 

Lucius opens it. Inside is a huge art gallery. The tall windows that face the forest; she’s clearly in the back of the house right now. Sculptures, paintings, art supplies, hung art fill the space. Lucius walks inside and gets closer to some of the art on the wall. It’s charcoal. Dozens of charcoal landscapes and a few of Professor Black. These must be Izzy’s. 

Lucius sees one pinned up to a bulletin board over an ikea desk. It’s her. It’s unmistakably a charcoal drawing of her, and she’s at her desk taking notes. 

Lucius almost wants to take it with her, but she doesn’t want Izzy to notice it’s missing. Lucius is so absorbed she doesn’t hear the creak of footsteps coming towards her until it’s too late. 

“You like to snoop, do you?” Izzy says. 

Lucius whips around, unable to hide her guilt. “You weren’t in your office, so.”

“So you thought I might be in here,” Izzy finishes. She looks like she finds the whole thing funny. 

“Um, yes?” When Izzy doesn’t waver, Lucius uses the only weapon at her disposal. “You drew me.” 

Izzy’s eyes dart to the paper and back to Lucius. If she wasn’t sure before that the art depicted her, she was sure now. Izzy swallows visibly. 

Instead of the one million questions she should ask, Lucius says, “You like me.” God, what a juvenile way to say that. Izzy seems to agree, because she scowls. 

“You think you’re cute,” Izzy sneers. 

“And you agree,” Lucius presses. She steps closer to Izzy. “You’re a temporary teacher.” 

“That’s no excuse.” Izzy’s eyes drop to Lucius’s body. It feels like protesting for the sake of it. 

“Do you want to draw me now? I’m here,” Lucius says. Her voice is nearly a whisper. 

“Yes,” Izzy admits. 

“Get your charcoals then. I’ll meet you in the office.” Lucius squeezes past Izzy and back into the hall. It’s a gamble. Izzy could grab her, tell her to fuck off. Some part of the adrenaline surging through Lucius’s body assures her Izzy won’t. 

Lucius gets back to the office and paces between the bookshelves. She’s made worse choices. Besides, Izzy admitted Professor Black will be grading her project. It’s fine. It’s all so fine. 

Izzy appears in the doorway with paper and charcoal. Lucius smiles with false confidence. “Where do you want me?” 

Izzy’s eyes darken. She closes the door. “Wherever you’re most comfortable,” she smirks. Suddenly, Lucius gets the feeling she’s walked into the lion’s den. She wishes it didn’t send a tingle through her cunt. 

“I’m a professional figure model,” Lucius purrs. She crosses her arms and lifts her blouse off. Then she wiggles out of her culottes. “I’d hate to mess up your lines.” She turns around so Izzy can watch her unclip her bra. Lucius drapes her clothes over the chair she’d spent the afternoon painting in. 

Finally, Lucius hooks her thumbs into her panties and slides them down. She saunters around the desk and sits in Izzy’s chair. “Go on, then.”

Izzy moves the canvas off the easel. She adjusts it for standing height and lays her paper pad on it. “You’re brilliant,” Izzy says. 

“Hmm? I’m only an A cup,” Lucius teases.

“Your art,” Izzy corrects. “It’s why I didn’t want you to leave the class.” 

“You just wanted a new muse,” Lucius says. She rests her elbow on the desk, and her chin in her palm. She’s never felt particularly coquettish before, but she does right now. It’s intoxicating. 

Izzy’s charcoal scratches across the paper. Lucius feels a tingle work through her scalp, and her shoulders ease. “Are you asking to be my muse?” Izzy keeps looking at her with those fuck me eyes. 

“You’d be lucky to have me,” Lucius jokes. 

“I would,” Izzy says, voice raw with honesty. Lucius squeezes her thighs together. An unbidden thought crosses her mind. A dark one. 

How many student muses has Izzy had? 

Lucius shoves that thought out of her mind. She’s not going to get in the way of what she hopes will be mindblowing desk sex. Besides, Izzy says she’s only taught the class this one semester, and she’s not even covering the full semester. 

“Are you done with that drawing yet?” Lucius pouts. “I’m getting your chair wet.” There’s a snap, and a clump of charcoal falls to the ground. 

Izzy rubs her black stained fingers on her trousers and picks up the pad to show Lucius. “I am now, you impatient seductress.” Izzy shows her the sketch. It already has beautiful flow and energy. It’s already so clearly Lucius. 

Lucius takes a deep breath. It really is so beautiful. 

“You should know,” Izzy says. “I feel more comfortable with—when—” She seems to be struggling to voice what she wants. Lucius gets up and rounds the desk. She places her hands on Izzy’s shoulders. 

“Do you need to top? Bottom?”

“I like to use a strap when I top,” Izzy says. 

“You say that like it’s a hardship for me,” Lucius says with a hint of mirth. “Where is it then?” 

“In the desk,” Izzy admits. Her cheeks go red. 

“You dirty dog,” Lucius coos. “Ready at a moment’s notice to bend me over the desk and fuck me.” She goes back to the drawers and finds it in the bottom right one. It’s medium sized with a simple black harness folded next to it. Lucius holds it up like a prize. 

“You sure like to talk back,” Izzy growls. She takes the harness and puts it on, sliding the cock in until it’s secure. 

Lucius edges close to the desk. She wants Izzy to push her down over it. “What are you gonna do, punish me?” 

Izzy seems to go wild over these words. She collides with Lucius and slides a hand into Lucius’s hair. Izzy holds her in place, gentle but firm. “You need Mommy to punish you?” 

Lucius almost laughs. Of everything she expected Izzy to say, that didn’t even come to mind. Still, if Izzy has a mommy kink, she can indulge. “Yes, please,” Lucius says. “Fuck me, Mommy.” 

There’s a moment where they both seem too self aware of what they’re saying. Before the moment can be ruined by embarrassment or laughter, Lucius lays herself over the desk. “Please.” 

Izzy slides a finger into Lucius’s pussy. “There’s a girl. This is what you get for talking back. You’ve been driving me crazy. Flouncing in late in your little skirts, sitting in the front row.” Izzy adds another finger and then a third. Lucius is already soaking. 

“Wore it for you, Mommy,” Lucius whimpers. “Thought about sitting on your face so many times.” 

Izzy grunts and withdraws her fingers. Lucius feels the silicone head of the cock press against her hole. They haven’t even kissed. This is the filthiest hookup Lucius has ever had and it’s with her professor . She can feel herself get wetter at the thought.

Lucius moans as Izzy slides inside her. Izzy brackets her with her hands, and she can feel Izzy’s stomach against her back. “That’s right. Don’t have much to say now, do you?” Izzy slaps her on the ass and Lucius sighs happily. 

Izzy starts thrusting and it feels heavenly. Lucius can’t remember the last time she bothered with toys. “Mommy,” Lucius pleas. “Harder, please.” 

“Of course, slut,” Izzy says. She kisses Lucius’s shoulder and the pace of her thrusts increases. Lucius is rocking against the desk, and it’s making the desk inch along the floor with tiny squeaks. Her nipples are rubbing slightly against the wood and Lucius is trying desperately to arch her back to get Izzy deeper inside. 

“Please touch me,” Lucius begs. “I’m being good, I’m being so good.” 

“I suppose you are,” Izzy pants. She shifts her hips slightly and Lucius feels like her eyes are rolling back in her head. Izzy works her hand around Lucius’s hip so she can rub her fingers against Lucius’s clit. 

“Yes, yes Mommy, fuckkk,” Lucius sobs. She shakes apart on Izzy’s cock, and as she starts to thrash in ecstasy Izzy grabs her hand from behind. Izzy buries her face into Lucius’s neck as she fucks Lucius through her orgasm. 

Izzy withdraws and stands up. Lucius immediately turns around and drops to her knees. She takes the cock into her mouth and starts to suckle at it. She looks up at Izzy and feels her stomach flutter at the dizzy look on Izzy’s face. 

Lucius slurps a few times on Izzy’s dick, then pulls off with a showy pop. “Do you want me to get you off?” She lightly scratches her nails against Izzy’s thigh. 

“Yes,” Izzy says. She loosens the harness and holds it aside. Lucius dives in, burying her face in Izzy’s soaked cunt. She’s brought tougher women to their knees with her mouth. 

“Mm,” Lucius hums. She kisses Izzy’s clit and sucks on it, laps down to her hole. Izzy grabs her hair, winds into a ponytail, and uses it to hold Lucius in place so she can rut into her mouth. 

Izzy bends her right leg and half rides Lucius’s face for another minute until she gushes into Lucius’s mouth. Lucius wipes her mouth with her hand and smiles. “That was fucking hot,” she purrs. “You should sketch me again some time.” 

Izzy fully unbuckles the harness and sets it down on the desk. “Yeah?” 

Lucius stands up. “I have to finish my project,” she reminds Izzy. 

“You do. Don’t expect special treatment.” 

“No? No extra attention even?” Lucius steps into Izzy’s space and loops her arms around Izzy’s neck.

Izzy licks her lips and stares at Lucius’s mouth. “You’re a minx.” 

“You wanted me to live like the old artists,” Lucius teases. “They were all fucking each other.” 

Izzy grabs her waist. “Oh? Do you plan on fucking the rest of the class?” 

“No,” Lucius shakes her head. “Are you the jealous type, Miz Hands?” 

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Izzy drives Lucius home once they’re both cleaned up and dressed again. Izzy spends the entire ride with her hand on Lucius’s knee, and it’s absolutely dreamy. 

“Thanks for the lift,” Lucius says. She leans over and kisses Izzy on the cheek. “I’ll see you Tuesday.” 

Izzy looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. Instead, she nods. 

As Izzy speeds away, Lucius realizes she didn’t tell Izzy she had a girlfriend. Surely it would eventually come up. 

Lucius lets herself into the apartment gently, trying not to make too much noise. Pete has her big headphones on and she’s playing on her switch. Lucius waves.

“Babe!” Pete tosses down the console and her headphones. She pops up to hug Lucius. “How was it?” 

“I had sex with Izzy.”

“You what?” Pete gasps.

“I know I didn’t mention it beforehand, it was really unexpected.”

“No, I understand. Well, maybe you shouldn’t have sex with your professor. That’s kind of bad, right?” 

“I know.” Lucius winces. “But, I really like her? I don’t know what came over me.” Lucius wilts onto the couch. 

“Do you want me to make you a tea?” 

“Yes please,” Lucius says. Her eyes start welling up with tears out of nowhere. “And maybe we should’ve done some aftercare.” 

“Oh, Lucius.” The electric kettle roars to life and Pete returns to her side. Pete kneels down and holds Lucius’s hands in hers. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I painted her for a couple hours. And then I went to the art studio they had, and I saw some of Izzy’s charcoal art? And there was a drawing of me.”

“Oh?”

“And it was really good. And I don’t know, it was kind of moving? And Izzy seemed like she was interested in me actually? So I went for it.” 

“Okay.” Pete plays with Lucius’s fingers as she waits for Lucius to continue. 

“And we might do it again? It seemed like she wanted to.”

“And do you want to?”

“I do? I do.” Lucius sniffs and laughs. “This is dumb. Everything’s fine. It was great sex.”

“There’s nothing wrong with expressing your emotions. You said Professor Bonnet told you that all the time.”

“You’re right, she did.” 

Pete gets up to pour tea for both of them. They cuddle up on the couch together. “Thanks baby,” Lucius says. “How’s your animal crossing farm?” 

“Oh! I got a new villager, let me show you.” Pete scrambles for her switch, tea sloshing onto the carpet. “Oops.” 

Tuesday morning Lucius gets an email from Izzy. It’s actually an email for the entire class. 

Class cancelled today. Thursday’s class will be held at the cabin. Let me know if this poses any issues.

Izzy Hands

Lucius reads it three times. Held at the cabin? As in her home? Pete’s already left for class, so she can’t ask her. 

Also, if she was going to cancel class, why didn’t Izzy say anything this weekend? 

Lucius sits down on the couch. She supposes she has time to kill until she’s meant to meet up with Pete. Maybe she can use this as free drawing time. 

Thursday Lucius gets up early to curl her hair. She puts on her cutest bra and panty set, and a tie neck blouse with a full length skirt. She told Pete last night that she was going to be gone today. 

Lucius sneaks a spare outfit into her bag. It’s stupid. She’s not going to stay. It’s just going to be some kind of nature walk they’re doing today, certainly. Something about changing locations to inspire creativity. 

When Lucius gets to the cabin she sees another car is there. Did everyone else drive, then? She feels weirdly left out. Lucius rings the bell, and starts to say hello, when it’s Doug that answers the door. 

“Oh. Hi, Doug.”

“Hey, Lucius. Did you take the bus? Next time we’ll give you a ride,” he says warmly. “We’re just working in the art studio. Keep your coat on, Izzy says we might work outside today.” 

“Okay.” Lucius follows Doug, but he doesn’t go towards the kitchen to that room Lucius had seen. He turns down towards the office and opens one of the doors. Inside is a sunny, spotless art studio. “Oh wow.”

“Oh, hi Lucius.” Mary glides across the room, hair in a messy bun and paint on her cheek. She air kisses either side of Lucius’s face. “You look beautiful today. Your eyeliner is amazing!”

“Thanks.” Lucius feels awkward. Mary has never been this friendly towards her. She scans the room for Izzy, and sees her in the corner. She’s leaning against one of the tables, sipping at a mug of coffee. 

“Lucius,” Fang says warmly. “We wondered where you were.” Fang hugs her and squeezes tightly. 

“I take the bus, so.” 

“What? Next time we’ll drive you,” Fang says earnestly. Her hair whips over Lucius’s face as she pulls back. 

Next time? Lucius looks back at Izzy. 

“Yes, it would be good if you all traveled together in the future. Every class from now on will be held here.” 

Lucius blanches. “What?” Even if she carpools, that’s ridiculous. What about her Tuesdays with Pete? 

“Yeah, it’s so we can use this studio,” Mary says. “And the surroundings here, they really set the mood, you know?”

Lucius’s mind flashes to last weekend. They sure did set some kind of mood. Lucius puts her tote down on one of the tables. “Um. What are we working on today?” 

Izzy sets down her coffee and clears her throat. Her black dress pants are perfectly tailored, and as she walks to the center of the room Lucius really gets an eyeful. “Today, I wanted to give you in-class time to work on your projects. I want you to be inspired by each other, and do some critique.”

Lucius looks to Izzy. She’d left her canvas behind last week. When Izzy doesn’t outright acknowledge her, Lucius goes over to her. “Where’s my portrait?” 

“I set up an easel for you over here,” Izzy says. Her whole demeanor softens. It makes Lucius feel bubbly and dumb. “I hope you don’t mind I’m wearing something different.” 

“I’ll manage,” Lucius smiles. She follows Izzy over to the easel. She peeks over to see what the other pairs are working on. Fang is measuring Ivan’s face, and she has a lump of clay next to her. Doug is painting Mary in small, impressionist strokes. 

Izzy settles into position across from her. Lucius starts working on the tones of her skin, building light and shadow. She can hear everyone else chattering, but she stays quiet today. She’s focused. 

After some chunk of time, Izzy stops her. “Why don’t we take a break? There’s charcuterie in the fridge. Mary and Doug made it.” 

Everyone notices them getting up, and they follow Lucius and Izzy to the kitchen. Izzy sets out the food. 

Ivan eyes Lucius as she eats some of the cheese. “There’s coffee, tea, or wine,” she says. 

“Oh. Coffee is just fine for me.” Izzy watches her take the carafe and pour herself a cup. She heaps sugar into it, and stirs. 

“You’re going to get a heart attack that way,” Izzy says. Her mood seems much lighter today. 

“I’ll take the risk,” Lucius says back. 

They all mingle and chatter for a few minutes longer until they’re all itching to get back to work. “You’re free to go,” Izzy says to her. “But this lot will want to work through the day.”

“No, I’ll stay,” Lucius says. She still foolishly wants to wait them all out, and have some reason to spend the night. 

“Why don’t we start critiquing Lucius, since she’s furthest along?” Izzy says. 

Lucius mock glares, the nerve! “Sure, I guess I’ll go first. I wanted to paint Izzy where she was most comfortable, a realism portrait.” 

Mary, Doug, Fang, and Ivan crowd around. “I like how you’ve framed her,” Mary says. 

“The lighting seems mismatched, though,” Ivan says.

“Your darks could be darker,” Doug adds. “That might help.” 

“And the hair needs more texture work, don’t forget that,” Mary chimes in. 

Lucius nods along. She hates critique time, but she knows it’s good for her. 

Doug shows them his in progress painting of Mary. It’s lovely. She’s depicted bending over by a lily pond and dipping her fingers in the water. 

“I think her back foot there is a bit muddy,” Lucius says. “Blends too much with the ground.”

“I agree,” Izzy says. Lucius can’t help but feel proud that she pointed something out that Izzy sees too. 

“What are you doing with the sky?” Ivan asks. “Is it going to be day, night?”

Doug answers with a hint of trepidation. “Night?”

Ivan, Fang, and Izzy seem pleased by this answer and Doug relaxes. Lucius can’t say she cares either way. 

Next, Fang shows her bust of Ivan. It’s already incredible. She’s got the eyes worked out, the nose is perfect. Lucius can’t think of a thing to fix at the minute. Neither can anyone else it seems, because all they do is compliment her. 

Izzy finally has them pause. “Now, it’s up to you, but I suggest you switch or give the other person time to work,” Izzy says. She drops her voice. “And Lucius, you can take a break now, or go home.”

“You don’t want to sketch me?” Lucius simpers. “Come on, Izzy, break out your charcoals. Get your hands dirty.” 

Izzy looks like she temporarily shuts down. “Okay,” she says, more to herself than to Lucius. She quietly collects her art supplies and sits at the table across from Lucius. 

“Do you want me to do anything special?” Lucius poses a few silly ways. 

“Do whatever you want,” Izzy says gruffly. She seems disinclined to order Lucius about in this instance. 

Lucius settles on scrolling her phone. She texts Pete about the update in the class location.

Lucius: can we change our walks to Wednesdays?

Pete: I can do that! :-) 

Lucius: ok thank you bb 

She ends up scrolling through fashion blogs and looking at memes. One of them makes her laugh out loud, and she leans over to show it to Izzy. 

“I don’t have my glasses,” Izzy says. 

“Oh, the text doesn’t matter, just the visual.” Lucius holds it until Izzy rolls her eyes. Exactly as she expected, it makes her laugh more. 

“Ridiculous,” Izzy says, but the corners of her mouth are turning up. “Now hold still.”

“I think we’re all gonna head out,” Doug says.

Lucius looks over and realizes everyone else is packed up. It’s probably dark outside. “Oh, okay. I might stay a bit longer, while I have Izzy. She can drive me home.” Lucius doesn’t even check with Izzy, because she’s not planning on going home. “Let me walk you out though, I need the fresh air.” 

Lucius bounds after them, and she helps Ivan carry some canvases to the car.

 “I heard you were a professional figure model,” Ivan says. “That’s cool.”

“Oh yeah, I am.” Lucius isn’t sure where Ivan heard that. “I loved your art today, by the way. I saw a peek of it.”

“Oh. Thanks.” 

Mary wraps an arm up and around Lucius’s shoulders. “Izzy was drawing you! Absolutely wild. I thought Izzy didn’t draw anyone besides Professor Black.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Fang says. She looks pleased about it. 

Well, Lucius has never been subtle, exactly. 

“I’ll see you guys Tuesday,” Lucius says. “Maybe next time we do figure studies I can be the model.”

“Wow! What a great idea,” Mary says. 

“Yeah, it is a good idea,” Ivan says. “Glad to have you around, Lucius.” 

Everyone pats her on the back, hugs her goodbye. Lucius watches them drive off down the dark, unlit gravel road. When she walks back inside, she locks the door and toddles back to the art studio. “Izzy?” 

Izzy is bent over her drawing again, charcoal in hand. She looks up in question.

“Everyone’s gone.” 

“Yes?” Izzy tilts her head, genuinely confused. “Did you change your mind? Want to run along home?” 

“Not exactly.” Lucius folds her arms. “I was wondering if you might show me your bedroom?”

Izzy perks up. “We can do that.” 

Izzy leads her upstairs and into the bedroom. “This is it.”

“It’s nice,” Lucius says. She doesn’t care, the bed is big enough for two. “I say we eat dinner and then you pound my pussy until my legs are jelly.”

“You have a filthy mouth,” Izzy says. Lucius can hear the unspoken I like that in a woman. Lucius leaves her bag on the bed and they go back down to the kitchen to eat. 

On Tuesday Lucius texts the group chat her address. She packed a bag today, but she isn’t going to stay. For real. She has things to do tomorrow. 

When she gets into the car she ends up in the back squeezed between Fang and Ivan. It’s not a bad place to be. “How are you, Lucius?” Mary asks. 

“Good, good. Ready to nail down this portrait finally.” 

“Good! We brought a ton of food, we all have a lot of work to do too,” Mary answers. 

Fang drops her hand onto Lucius’s leg. “You’re seriously an amazing painter,” Fang says.

“Oh stop! Your sculpture,” Lucius gushes. “I could never get such a handle on it. I’m not 3D like that.” 

Ivan grabs Fang’s hand, and they hold hands on top of Lucius’s leg. Which is…kind of odd, yet sweet. 

When they get to the house it feels good to arrive together. She pretends to help carry things in with everyone. They all start setting up in the studio, and Lucius immediately gets herself a cup of coffee. 

“No bad energy today,” she tells Izzy. She drops a kiss onto her cheek before she realizes herself. Lucius looks around, but everyone else seems too busy setting up to have noticed. 

“How could I, with you in this skirt?” Izzy teases her, and she grabs Lucius’s ass. 

Lucius tosses her head back and laughs. It’s rare that Izzy flirts so brazenly and it makes her feel giddy. She temporarily forgets about the others’ possible judgment. 

Lucius gets out her paints. She feels looser, more free with her brushstrokes today. She meant to do several practice pieces, but she’s ended up laboring over one canvas the entire time. Either way she’s grown to love the excuse to paint Izzy. 

“We’re going to work for thirty minutes and then take a break to sketch,” Izzy tells her. 

“Oh? More figure study?” Lucius doesn’t expect the answer to be yes. 

“You’ll be our model today,” Izzy says.

“I usually don’t pose for free,” Lucius says faux snobbishly. 

“I’m sure I can think of a way to pay,” Izzy says heatedly. 

When it’s time, Lucius sets down her brush and stretches her arms with a sigh. “Okay, time for sketching, people.” 

Everyone cheers for her and they drag their chairs to optimal spots to see her in the center of the room. Izzy pulls out a pedestal for her to stand on. Izzy hands her a sheet. “So you can be as naked as is comfortable,” she says shyly. 

How sweet. Lucius strips down, but she does drape the sheet like she’s a Greek goddess. She arches her neck dramatically. Mary claps for her and Ivan gives a low whistle. 

“You’re too kind,” Lucius says. “How often am I switching?”

“Give us a few minutes,” Doug says. “Please.”

“How can I deny you, Doug?” Lucius laughs. It’s fun to be sketched by them, now that she’s more comfortable with them. 

The next pose she rearranges the sheet and peers over her shoulder at Izzy sexily. She realizes Izzy is drawing her too. 

“You really look like a sculpture,” Fang says from her peripheral. “Ought to put you on display.”

“What? Gonna paint me white?” Lucius quips. She winks at Izzy, who goes red. 

“Don’t you have body safe paint, Izzy?” Mary says. Lucius hears some shuffling and the sound of a cabinet opening and closing. 

Mary comes into view and hands Izzy the paint. “Could be a cool idea.” 

Izzy looks to Lucius for permission. It’s weird, but kind of interesting. She can always shower here. “Yeah, okay,” Lucius shrugs. “Go on, then.” 

“Can I photograph the progress?” Ivan asks.

“Ive! If you wanted your own pictures you should’ve said,” Lucius teases. “Yes, you can.” 

Izzy puts some of the white paint into her palms. Lucius’s stomach swoops. No brushes then? 

Izzy approaches her and starts to rub it over Lucius like sunscreen. “A muse come to life,” Izzy mutters. She’s looking at Lucius with admiration and awe in her eyes as she spreads the paint over her. 

Lucius hears the shutter of the camera. These will be damning photos, yet she hopes Ivan will get them developed. 

“You all are an artistic bunch,” Lucius says to Izzy. 

“Something like that,” Izzy says. The charcoal has mixed with some of the paint, and parts of the paint are a grey on Lucius’s body. 

“You’re avoiding the tits,” Lucius says. She drops the sheet and grabs Izzy’s hands. She places them on her breasts. “There you go.” 

Izzy squeezes lightly, and Lucius can feel herself growing warm. They’re about to tip into an orgy, surely. Lucius looks over, but no one is in the room. They’ve left, or fled in discomfort. 

“Where’d everyone go?”

“They went home,” Izzy says. “Allow me to serve you,” Izzy pauses for a second as if she’s struggling to say the next part. “Goddess.” Izzy takes her by the hand and leads her to a chair and kneels at her feet.

“Don’t you need a pillow?” Lucius asks. Izzy’s poor old knees. 

“Don’t need it,” Izzy says. With her charcoal and paint covered hands she grabs Lucius’s legs. She licks up Lucius’s pussy. “I’m here to serve you,” she reminds Lucius. 

Lucius doesn’t know what kind of roleplay they’ve stumbled into but she likes it. It makes something click in her mind. Maybe Izzy doesn’t want to top her so badly as she wants to be of use to her.

The soft sounds of licking fill the studio. Lucius loses herself to the pleasant buzz of it. Izzy isn’t trying to get her off—she’s working Lucius up.

Lucius almost wants to test the boundaries of that. She bucks lightly into Izzy’s mouth. “Feel so good, Iz,” Lucius sighs. 

She watches as Izzy squeezes her eyes shut and starts working harder . Lucius moans and holds onto the table behind her. “You’re serving me so well,” Lucius says in a way she imagines a benevolent goddess would. 

Izzy’s hands dig into the flesh of Lucius’s thighs. She hums around Lucius’s clit before running her tongue around it twice. 

“Mm, when are you gonna fuck me?” Lucius begs. 

Izzy doesn’t listen, she keeps licking Lucius out. She slurps and grinds her nose into Lucius’s cunt. She teases Lucius’s rim before she starts fucking her tongue inside Lucius. She bobs her head and closes her eyes in bliss. 

Lucius loses herself to the slow, warm pleasure. She imagines Izzy is there to serve her. “Mm, you treat me so well. So good to me. Thank you, Mommy.”

As Lucius showers the paint off by herself she thinks back on the day. Everyone had been so quick to bring out the sheet, the paint. It felt sort of planned in a way that Lucius’s mind can’t leave alone. 

When Lucius is done she walks downstairs in her towel to the kitchen. She’s so thirsty. She gets a glass of water from the sink, and sips it slowly. The landscape outside the window is dark and foreboding at this hour. Dense trees lightly shaken by wind taunt her from just beyond the small cleared backyard. 

“Never seen such a thirsty girl,” Izzy says from the doorway. 

Lucius flinches. She didn’t hear Izzy walking up. “You wore me out. What can I say?” Lucius smirks at her and finishes off the glass. “Come on, let’s go to bed. I’m tired.”

Izzy stays quiet and follows her up the stairs. Lucius drops her towel and crawls into the bed naked. “My hair is going to dry so wild. Oh, let me set an alarm. I need to get back earlyish tomorrow.” 

Izzy watches her with dark eyes, as if she’s thinking over something she doesn’t want to share. 

“What is it?” Lucius asks. 

“What?” 

“You’re looking at me like you want to eat me. You need a hand?” Lucius reaches out for Izzy’s trousers.

“No, I’m fine. You always this uppity about fuckin’ staring?” 

“Only when you do it,” Lucius teases. She pokes Izzy’s side and nuzzles down in the sheets. “I know it’s too early to sleep, just give me a second.” 

In the morning Lucius wakes up and Izzy is still asleep next to her. In fact, from the look of things outside, it’s very early. Lucius feels completely rested though. 

Quietly, she gets out of bed and puts on a shirt and one of her skirts. No point in walking around the house bare, even if they are alone. 

She throws an old sweater of Izzy’s over the top because it’s freezing cold at this hour. As she pads down the stairs she notices there’s a second car out front. Mary’s car. Izzy had said they’d left. Had they been in the house the whole time? 

Lucius’s stomach drops. Even if they’re willing to look the other way, that’s a bit awkward. She goes down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As the sink spout fills her glass she sees a pool of light coming from the old storage studio. And she can hear talking. 

Lucius shuts off the sink and starts to creep towards the room. As she gets closer she can hear Doug talking. “I mean, look at these. We wanted to get Iz out of her funk and we succeeded.” 

Lucius doesn’t know what these refers to. She doesn’t want to risk getting closer to look. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Mary says. “Moving class out here was a good choice, Fang.” 

“Oh, stop. It was a group decision,” Fang says. “She’s really quite lovely. Even if Izzy didn’t like her, I’d want to keep her. She makes a good addition to us.” Everyone is quiet for a moment. 

“Stede knew she would be,” Mary says. “She told me how talented Lucius was.” 

Lucius raises a hand to her mouth. Professor Bonnet had praised this class to no end, all semester. And for what? So Lucius could be some fill-in for Professor Black? Or even worse, some young rebound for Izzy?

Lucius had thought she was making her own decisions. She wonders now how much of that was truly her own impetus and how much was prompted by Izzy and these four. By Stede. By Professor Black. 

The buses won’t be running for another hour. It’s far too cold to wait at the stop until then, but Lucius needs out of this house. She gets away from the room and heads back upstairs. She guzzles her water down and sets the glass on the bedside table, soft enough that Izzy doesn’t wake up. 

If she quits this class she’ll lose her scholarship, plain and simple. She wouldn’t even know how to begin explaining what’s happened here tonight. Especially without revealing that she’s been sleeping with a professor. 

Lucius does the only thing she can think of. She steals a jacket from Izzy’s wardrobe and slips on a pair of her boots. They’re small and they pinch, but she doesn’t care right now. 

Lucius sneaks out the front door and scampers around the house and into the trees. She calls Pete, who should be awake and at the bakery right now. The phone rings once, twice. Then Pete picks up. 

“Pete,” Lucius says. She instantly bursts into tears. 

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I stayed over with Izzy, right?”

“Yeah?”

“When I got up everyone else was here. Mary, Doug, all of them. And I overheard them talking about, a-about,” Lucius hiccups. “They got Professor Bonnet to convince me to take this class. They know I’m sleeping with Izzy, they wanted that to happen.”

“What?” Pete sounds both shocked and angry. “That’s fucked up, babe.” 

“I know, I, it’s. I can’t quit the class Pete, I’ll lose my scholarship. Or worse, they’ll kick me for sleeping with a professor. I really didn’t think this through.” 

“Do you need me to call an Uber out for you? I don’t want you staying there if you’re unsafe. Are you safe?”

“I think so? I’m just uncomfortable. I should be pissed, it’s really fucked up.” Lucius paces between the trees. “I think I’ll be okay. I’ll get the bus home in an hour or two. I’ll see you later today for our walk, okay?”

“Okay. I love you.”

“Love you too.” Lucius hangs up and puts her phone in her back pocket. She really doesn’t want to go back inside, but her ears are already stinging with cold. 

Lucius trudges back to the front door. She lets herself in and quietly walks up to Izzy’s bedroom. When she shuts the door she realizes Izzy’s awake, lying there in the dark and staring at her. 

“Running off are you?” Izzy asks. Her voice is extra raspy with sleep. 

“Just needed to check in with Pete,” Lucius says. “She’s at the bakery this morning.” 

“Right.”

Lucius wonders if Izzy even knows her friends and students set this up. Was Izzy in on it at all? 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Lucius takes off the shoes and sits on the side of the bed by Izzy. She knows the rest of them are somewhere in the house.

“Yeah,” Izzy says hesitantly. She seems to be bracing for something. Lucius takes a second to think of what she wants to say. “Get on with it, then. I can take it.” 

“What?”

“You can break it off,” Izzy says and she looks so defeated. 

And weirdly that’s when it clicks that Izzy probably doesn’t know. Maybe she would be on Lucius’s side. “It’s not that.” Lucius puts her hand on Izzy’s knee. “The others are here. And I overheard them talking.” 

“Okay? Why the fuck are they here so early?”

“I don’t know. But they were saying they asked Professor Bonnet to recommend this class to me. To convince me to take it.” Izzy frowns at the mention of Stede. “They said they expected we’d hit it off. They set us up.”

Izzy looks furious. “And,” Lucius feels oddly nervous about bringing the next part up. “They said Professor Black knew, too.” 

Izzy looks murderous. She’s finding a new calmness in the face of Izzy’s rage. She feels like she’s not alone in this. 

“I’ll kill them,” Izzy growls. “I’ll kill Edward.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Lucius says. She leans forward and the coat rustles. “I can’t quit this class. I need the credits. I didn’t know what to do, so I came to you.” 

Izzy looks her in the eye, and she grabs onto Lucius’s hand. “Don’t leave,” Izzy says. The despair in her voice makes Lucius’s heart ache. “I’ll tell them off.”

“Izzy.” Lucius takes a deep breath and lets it out. “I won’t go. I just don’t know how I’m going to be around them now.” 

“If they give you any trouble, you tell me.”

“And go whine to you? You trying to be my sugar mama for real? Make everything better for me?” Lucius smiles and lays her head on Izzy’s chest.

“If I can,” Izzy says. Lucius can hear her heart beating so fast. 

Lucius hugs her arms around Izzy and just allows herself to feel small for once. “I don’t understand why they did that.” 

Izzy reaches up and starts stroking Lucius’s hair. “I’ve got you,” Izzy says. “I’ve got you.” 

After a few minutes Lucius sits up. She sheds the coat. “No, keep it,” Izzy says. She stands up and helps Lucius put it back on. “Let me drive you home. We can pick up breakfast on the way back.”

“Yeah? And will you eat more than a black cup of coffee?” Lucius smiles crookedly and she reaches for her bag. “But yeah, let’s get the fuck out of this house.” 

When they go outside, Mary’s car is still there. Izzy scowls at it. She opens the passenger door for Lucius. Izzy gets into the driver’s side and throws blankets over Lucius’s lap. 

Lucius reaches out to grab for Izzy’s hand. “I have a suggestion on where we can eat. If you don’t mind.” 

“Where?” Izzy turns onto the main road and speeds off. 

“Revenge Bakery. Pete works there.” 

Izzy glances over at her in surprise. “You sure?”

“About what? You two meeting? Yeah, that’s fine. I think my two women being around me would actually ease my mind a little. It’s been a fucking weird twenty-four hours.” 

Izzy shrugs. “Sure. As long as they have coffee.”

“They do.”

When they’re sitting at a table, and Izzy has coffee, Lucius texts Pete and asks if she can join them. 

Pete rushes out of the kitchen a moment later, apron covered in flour. “Lucius! And Izzy?” Pete bends down by Lucius’s ear and whisper-shouts. “Babe, does she know?” 

“Sit down, sit down. Yes, I told her. No, she didn’t know before I told her. Pete, Izzy. Izzy, Pete.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Pete says. She settles now that she knows Lucius is fine. “What’s teaching Lucius like? Is that bad to ask?”

Lucius zones out as Pete draws Izzy out of her shell. Her mind is racing. What is there to do all semester but pretend to get along with the others? And, is Professor Black going to grade her portrait of Izzy fairly? Probably not. And she’s due for another class tomorrow. 

Thursday, Lucius calls Izzy. “Can you pick me up? I don’t want to carpool with them.” 

“Of course,” Izzy says. “On my way.” And she hangs up. Quick as anything. 

Lucius thinks of her epiphany earlier this week. How Izzy seems willing to do almost anything for her.

When Lucius gets in the car, Izzy once again throws blankets over her lap. This time Izzy takes her hand of her own volition. “Can I play my music?” Lucius asks.

“You’re pushing it,” Izzy says. Lucius giggles. 

“Okay, I won’t. We’ll just drive in silence.” She sighs dramatically.

“You’ll survive.” 

When they pull up to the house, the others aren’t there yet, which is a relief. She follows Izzy inside. “I need another canvas, are there more in storage?” Lucius asks. 

“Yeah, I’ll get it for you.”

“No, that’s fine. I want to look through what you have. I’m not sure what size I want.” 

“Really, I’ll go,” Izzy insists. 

Lucius cocks her head. “What’s in there?” 

“Nothing,” Izzy says. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Lucius edges towards the room slowly. Then she takes off. She’s not running , because she doesn’t run. When she gets to the room, she gasps. 

There are dozens of charcoal sketches of her. Uncountable. Not just the ones from when she sat for Izzy. There’s ones of her sleeping, more of her in class, the ones of her as a statue. Sketches of her head thrown back in pleasure, in Izzy’s car, sipping a cup of coffee. 

Lucius walks closer towards them. Is this what it means to be an artist’s muse? She’s never drawn anyone to this degree. Not even close. 

Lucius looks over her shoulder and thinks back to weeks ago when they first hooked up. Izzy smiles wanly at her. She’s clearly pissed off about how embarrassed she is. “I told you I would get it,” Izzy says. 

“When did you make all of these?” 

“I start sketching, and it just happens.” 

“You just happened to have built a sketch shrine to me?” Lucius looks away from Izzy to stare at the dozen black and white faces behind her. “I’ll be honest,” she says to the pictures. “I don’t know what to think any more.” 

“Is this it then?” Izzy says quietly. She sounds defeated. 

Lucius doesn’t get a chance to respond, because the front door opens in the distance. They can hear raucous laughter and chatter. Lucius gives Izzy a panicked look. Before Lucius or Izzy can go anywhere, Fang appears in the hall. 

“Oh hey,” she says, oblivious. “What’s up?” 

Lucius doesn’t know what to do but go along. “I was just grabbing a canvas.” She picks one up, without looking at it, and she brushes past Izzy and Fang. 

Lucius sits down in the studio, and she starts pouring paint. She has never felt more alone. 

Friday, the next day, Lucius gets an email from Mary. 

Hey babe,

I got these developed, thought you might want them. You look so gorgeous! 

Mary 

There’s a zip folder attached. Lucius doesn’t know if she wants to look, but she has zero patience or self preservation. She clicks the folder open after it’s downloaded. There are a dozen pictures. She clicks through. 

Ivan is a brilliant photographer. Lucius does look like a goddess melting out of stone. Izzy isn’t painting her: Izzy is worshiping her. The last two photos are raunchy, but Ivan has managed to make them look tasteful with the angle. 

Izzy has her hands on Lucius’s breasts, her eyes are glowing with fondness up at Lucius. Lucius’s eyes are closed and her chin tipped up in ecstasy. 

These images are a spectacle. They’re damning. They’re so beautiful that Lucius thinks she understands what Izzy meant when she said they were going to live like artists. 

Lucius considers herself sexually free. Really, what had the others done but try to set their lonely friend up with someone they thought would be good for her? Maybe she’s been overreacting. 

Lucius texts Mary back.

Lucius: I love the pics! thanks 

Mary: no problem, isn’t Ivan incredible? We were thinking of heading to the cabin for the weekend to do some creating, you wanna come? 

Lucius stares at the text for a minute. Really, they have no motivation but kindness to invite her. They said it themselves that Izzy is out of her funk now. And they still want to hang out with Lucius, to collaborate with her. 

Lucius knows they will almost undoubtedly have illustrious careers after this because of Professor Black’s reputation. She could have that too, if she could just reach out and take it. 

Lucius: yeah, can you pick me up? 

Mary: of course! 

First she texts in sick to work. Then Lucius writes a note for Pete, who’s in class right now. ‘Headed to the cabin for portrait work, everyone will be there. Call me when you get a chance.’ 

She throws a hoodie on and packs her art supplies up. Doug texts that they’ve arrived ten minutes later. 

Today, the passenger seat is free for her. As if Doug moved for her. Lucius appreciates the space, and she gets in without complaint. “Hi,” she says. 

“Hey Lucius,” Fang pats her on the shoulder from behind her. “You look cute. Comfy.” 

“Well, this is what you get on a moment’s notice,” Lucius sasses. Everyone chuckles, and Lucius thinks that maybe she was too quick to other herself. This is comfortable. 

When they arrive at the house Izzy’s car is gone. Lucius doesn’t comment. She follows everyone into the studio, but they don’t settle. They start picking up supplies under their arms and stuffing them in bags. 

“We’re going on location,” Ivan says. Her eyes are smudged with eyeliner and she’s got her expensive camera around her neck. 

“Oh.” Lucius holds her hands out so Fang can put paper and a canvas in her hands. 

From behind Mary throws a scarf over her shoulders. “It’s cold,” Mary says. As if Lucius doesn’t know. 

“I’m really not a nature person,” Lucius says. 

“There’s a path, don’t worry,” Doug says. “It’s an easy walk.” 

Lucius follows them deeper into the house, past the storage art studio to a backdoor. She notices the white painted door has black sooty smudges. Probably from charcoal. 

She wobbles down the dirt path after them. The wind nips at her nose and ears. Lucius ends up walking between Fang and Ivan, trying to sap warmth from them. They eventually reach a small clearing that admittedly takes her breath away. The fir trees are still lush and gorgeously green this time of year. 

“I don’t know if I can paint when it’s this cold,” Lucius says. “My hands are freezing.” 

“You can pose for me,” Ivan says. “You were great in the other photos I took.”

“That’s true,” Fang says. “I want prints of some of those, Ive.” Ivan leans down and kisses Fang. Lucius had a feeling they were together, but she’d never seen them express it so plainly. 

Doug props up an easel for Mary to get to work. He hugs her from behind, and Lucius thinks that’s cute, too.

Lucius sets down the art supplies in her hands. “Where do you want me?” She stands like she imagines high fashion models do. Ivan snaps a picture. 

“Just do what feels natural for now.” 

Lucius moves through a few poses before she runs out of ideas. Seeing that Lucius is stuck, Ivan jumps in. “You can pose with Fang?”

“Sure,” Lucius says. Fang’s boots crunch on the frozen ground as she walks over to Lucius. Fang adjusts her clothes and stands next to Lucius. 

Ivan moves around and takes pictures of them. She coaches them through a few ideas, until she seems satisfied. She snaps a few landscape photos as well, for them to use as reference later.

Lucius is shivering by then. “Maybe we could go inside. I feel frostbitten.”

“Aww come on, we’re nearly done.” Fang comes up next to her and opens up her jacket. “Climb in.”

Lucius is too cold to turn it down. Fang snuggles in around her and Lucius sighs. “There we go,” Fang laughs. “Get a picture of us like this, Ivan.” Ivan lifts her camera up and snaps a photo of them. 

A few birds flap off overhead, like they were spooked by something. “Are there bears around here?” Lucius asks nervously. 

“No, no not at all,” Mary says. Her painting of the forest looks amazing already. “The most dangerous predators in these woods are humans.” 

Lucius is about to comment on how creepy that sounds, when they hear shouting coming from the house. And it’s not…directed at them. It sounds like a fight. 

It’s now that Lucius remembers that she asked Pete to call her asap, but her phone had lost reception halfway into their walk. Shit. 

“Is Professor Black here?” Ivan asks. All of them are looking back towards the house even though they can’t see it through the trees. 

“They’re the only two that fight like that,” Fang says. 

“Should we do something?” Lucius asks. 

“We’ll sneak back in,” Mary says. Her cheeks are bright red from cold, her fingers too. “We shouldn’t stay out here much longer, anyway.” 

Lucius extracts herself from Fang and picks up some of their supplies. Mary folds up the easel and Doug carefully holds her still wet painting. They start walking back. As soon as they can see the house, Lucius checks her phone again. 

She has service! And two missed calls. Lucius immediately phones her back. “Hi,” she says. 

“Are you okay?” Pete asks. She sounds rightfully worried. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. I had a change of heart, I’m here with the group. We were just painting, um, some landscape stuff. Taking pictures and everything.”

“So you’re still at the cabin?”

“I am.” Lucius is aware that she’s still surrounded by them. As much as she thinks she overreacted she doesn’t want to speak plainly in front of them. 

“Is Izzy there?” 

“Not right now. I actually need to go. I’ll text you later.”

“Okay, babe. Love you,” Pete says. “I’ll be at work until late, just to remind you. So I’ll be up.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Love you.” Lucius hangs up and everyone is staring at her. “What?”

“Who was that on the phone?” Mary asks. 

“My girlfriend?” Lucius doesn’t understand what the issue is. 

“How long have you two been together?” Fang asks. They’re all standing outside the house now. Lucius hears the sound of shattering glass inside. 

“Um, two years. Is that really important right now?” 

“Right,” Fang nods. She opens the door and they all hustle inside. There’s no hiding, because Professor Black and Izzy are at the end of the hall in the kitchen. 

“I don’t know why you’re up my ass about this,” Professor Black shouts. She sounds deeply upset. 

“Maybe because I’m tired of you doing what you think is best for me. You don’t know a damn thing about me,” Izzy spits. 

They’re all standing frozen in the hall when Professor Black paces past and notices them. “Oh, good evening. I was wondering where you’d all gone.” Her voice is suddenly so calm that it gives Lucius a sense of foreboding. 

While Lucius stays tense, everyone around her relaxes. “Hey Teach,” Mary says. “How’s Stede?”

“She’s great,” the Professor says. She seems smitten already. Lucius inwardly cheers for Stede, even if maybe Professor Black intimidates her. “And her old protege,” the Professor turns her focus to Lucius. “How are you finding the course?”

“Fine, Ma’am,” Lucius says. This whole thing is so weird. 

Izzy appears from around the corner and she seems shocked to see Lucius. Everyone starts walking towards the kitchen, sweeping Lucius along with them, but Professor Black holds up a hand. “We dropped a glass, so it’s not the best idea right now. Or, you know, why don’t you all just walk along the sides and go to the art studio? I can see you’re in the middle of your process.” 

So they obey. Lucius does her best not to look at Izzy. She holds her breath and she doesn’t release it until they get to the studio. Lucius is able to get a closer look at Mary’s painting now, mostly to distract herself. 

It depicts the moonlit clearing. She’s drawn a ghostly figure standing off in the trees. 

Professor Black does not stay in the kitchen. Lucius hears her talking lowly to Fang and Ivan. Lucius glances over and she wishes she could hear them. Lucius decides to try. 

“Sorry, just have to use the bathroom,” she says. She squeezes past them. 

“...how it’s going?” she hears Ed asking. And that’s it. So some kind of check in? Fang and Ivan are her eyes and ears while she’s away? 

Lucius doesn’t go to the bathroom. She heads for the kitchen. Izzy is sweeping the glass up. “You sure know how to pick em,” Lucius says. Stupid thing to say. 

Izzy glares at her. “Don’t start with me,” Izzy says. She tips the dustpan into the trash. “Why are you here?”

“I was invited.” Lucius suddenly feels anger welling up inside her. Sure, Izzy was someone she’d fucked a few times, but it hadn’t felt meaningless. “Is that a problem? Will you be able to control yourself?” 

Izzy jerks back like she’s been slapped. Weirdest of all she looks intrigued. Her lips part slightly and Lucius would bet her pupils are blown. 

“You freak,” Lucius says incredulously. “I mean, I don’t. What?” She laughs at herself and rubs at her temples. She doesn’t want to kinkshame but what is happening. Had that fight between the professor and Izzy been some kind of foreplay? 

“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” Izzy says. 

Lucius closes the gap between them. She’s scared. She’s confused. She twists her hands into Izzy’s shirt. “Yeah? I better be careful what I start? Rich coming from you.” She hopes Izzy can’t feel her trembling. Izzy doesn’t say anything, she keeps glaring up at Lucius. “You were ready to risk it all for me,” Lucius smirks. “You called me your goddess.” Lucius gives Izzy a jerk. Instead of rattling the smug look off of Izzy’s face, Izzy gives a breathy sigh. All the blood in Lucius’s brain drops right to her cunt. 

Lucius lets Izzy go, despite how disappointed Izzy looks. “Meet me upstairs in twenty,” she says. 

Lucius marches back to the studio. “Are you guys staying or going or what?” 

Professor Black grins. “Just on my way out, girl.” 

“My name is Lucius.”

“Goodbye, Lucius.” Professor Black maddeningly winks at her and saunters out of the room. 

“We’re going to keep working, maybe make some dinner,” Mary says. 

“Great. I’m going to spend some time by myself this evening. I need to journal,” Lucius says. “Don’t wait up.”

Everyone nods, and they don’t question her. Lucius goes straight for Izzy’s bedroom.

Izzy’s room is orderly as ever. Lucius undresses herself and pulls a chair over from the corner of the room. She finds a silk tie in the closet. 

When Izzy walks in, Lucius is ready. “Get on the chair, hands behind you.”

Izzy sits and does as she’s told. Lucius winds the tie around her wrists. Then she takes off Izzy’s trousers. She drags the harness up Izzy’s legs and secures it on Izzy’s hips. “You’re going to fuck me,” she says. “And make up for not being honest with me.” 

“Yes, I will,” Izzy says. Her face is flushed and her pupils really are wide and dark. Lucius throws her leg over Izzy’s lap. She angles the cock and slowly sinks down onto it. The stretch feels incredible, and Lucius’s lips part in a silent moan. 

“You’re supposed to treat me right. Apologize,” Lucius commands her. She grabs at the back of Izzy’s neck and holds it firmly. 

“I’m sorry,” Izzy gasps. “I’m sorry. Please let me fuck you. Please.” 

“You have to earn it, Mommy.” Lucius nips at Izzy’s ear. Izzy is still fully dressed up top, this must be torture for her. “You have to treat me better.”

“Yes, yes.” Izzy whines in the back of her throat. She grits her teeth. 

“You’re my toy, aren’t you?” Lucius kisses her forehead and circles her hips. Her hair hangs down between them like a curtain. 

“Yes,” Izzy squeaks. Her chest is heaving. 

“Your pretty tits, they want out, don’t they?” Lucius unbuttons Izzy’s shirt and yanks her bra down. Lucius fondles her as she bounces on the strap. Izzy is biting back her noises as best she can, and it’s the hottest shit ever. “Am I your muse, Mommy?” 

Izzy squirms under her, trying to buck up. She doesn’t respond so Lucius tangles both her hands in Izzy’s hair and forces her to look up. “Answer me.”

“Yes,” Izzy spits. “Yes.” 

“Good girl. There you go. Have to start being honest with me.” Lucius kisses her and reaches down to rub at her clit. She moans into Izzy’s mouth, and gushes around her cock.

When Lucius is done she stands up. She unties Izzy’s wrists. “Have fun getting yourself off tonight,” she says. She kisses Izzy on the cheek and she lays down in the bed. 

In the morning, Lucius sits in the kitchen across from Doug and munches on a tragic piece of toast. “Do they deliver this far out?” she asks. Doug is reading an actual newspaper. 

“Hmm? Oh, don’t eat that, Lucy. Fang and Mary always cook a feast.” 

“Oh.” Lucius immediately puts the toast down. “I didn’t realize.”

Doug smiles knowingly. “Well, now you do.” He returns to his paper and leaves Lucius to inspect her nails until the others arrive. 

“Who’s ready for a fry up?” Fang says. Her hair is pushed back with a bandana and she’s in track pants and a hoodie with the sleeves cut off. “I’m starving.” 

“Me too,” Lucius says.

“Oh, Lucius, you look cute first thing in the morning. The benefits of youth,” Fang coos. 

Lucius smiles despite herself and shrugs. She doesn’t know that it’s true, but she’ll take the compliment. 

Mary’s right on their heels with a grocery bag. “We went to the shops for more food. We didn’t pack near enough.” Mary kicks the door closed with her foot and sets the paper bag down on the counter. “Is there tea?”

Lucius stands up. “I can make you some.” 

“Oh, thanks doll.” Mary swats at her bum and Lucius blinks. She doesn’t mind persay, but it seems out of character for Mary. 

Lucius gets the kettle going and she leans against the counter. Izzy’s awake upstairs, but she said she had some errands to run today.

The kitchen starts to warm as they flip on the stove and Doug cranks the radiator. Lucius looks around for Ivan, as if she would’ve missed her in the small room. 

“She likes to sleep in,” Fang says, noticing Lucius’s confusion.

“Oh.” 

“You know, I was thinking we could do a full run today,” Mary says. 

“Hmm? What’s a full run?”

“A full run is where we start making art right after breakfast. Anything we can think of,” Doug says. “And we don’t stop until the sun sets.  Well, we do one thing before we get started. We run one lap around the house.”

“Why?” Lucius wrinkles her nose. 

“To give this time to kick in,” Mary holds up a small bag of pills. 

Lucius is not taking drugs and running around. “I’d prefer not to,” she says lightly. “Not much of a runner.” 

“It does wonders for the brain, gets the blood flowing. The drugs are just to elevate you,” Doug says. “It’s tame stuff, really. Dr. Black loves our work after. She says it gets to the heart of your deep creative process.” 

Lucius pours herself a generous cup of coffee. What in god’s name? 

“But, if you’re not into it,” Mary says. “There are other ecstatic methods. Ritualistic breathing and meditation, sex, fighting, you name it.” She says it conversationally as if it isn’t the wildest suggestion. 

“Will Izzy be joining us?” Lucius asks. She almost doesn’t want to know. 

“Mm, she used to,” Fang says. “She’s been opting out a lot lately, but maybe now that you’re here she’ll join again.” 

“Her preferred method?” Lucius asks.

“Mm, used to be wrestling or fucking,” Fang says. “Her and Eddie would really go at it and then they’d draw and paint like mad women.” 

“Wow.” 

Mary cracks eggs into a skillet one after another. “How many eggs do you like Lucius?”

“Two please.” 

Lucius ends up staying inside while the rest of them sprint off around the house. She can hear them giggling and shrieking as they run in the cold. She didn’t take a pill either, she doesn’t trust herself to be high out here. Plus, Izzy still isn’t back. 

When they shuffle in, Lucius can tell it’s already hitting them. Mary is holding hands tightly with Doug as she drags out the acrylic paints. She throws down a large canvas and squeezes yellow paint onto her palm. “No brushes, only the human body,” she says. 

Lucius continues adding to her portrait of Izzy. She thinks it might be one of the best things she’s ever painted. It doesn’t just look like Izzy, it feels like her. 

Lucius decides to play music. As soon as she puts on the bubbly pop she enjoys, everyone cheers. Ultimately it’s not a bad afternoon, although a little odd. By the time it gets to the evening, Lucius thinks she should probably go home to Pete. 

“Nooo,” Mary whines. “You can’t go.”

“Stay,” Fang agrees. 

“Sorry, but I want to see my girlfriend. Is Izzy back yet? She can drive me.” 

“Oh, she’s been back for ages,” Ivan says. “She just didn’t feel like joining us.” 

“Okay? Where is she now?” 

“Her office,” Ivan says. As if it’s obvious. 

Well, maybe it was. It’s not like Lucius had checked all day. Lucius heads to her office and raps on the door. No response. Lucius opens the door and Izzy is deeply absorbed in drawing. 

“Izzy?” 

Izzy’s head snaps up. “What time is it?” She looks tired. 

“It’s nearly five. I was wondering if you could drive me home?” 

Izzy rolls her shoulders back. “Course. Have you collected your things?”

“Yeah.” 

Izzy stands and shuffles her papers together and shoves them into a drawer. “Let’s leave then.” 

Lucius leads the way out to the car. “I think I finished your portrait. I’m really happy with it,” Lucius tells her. 

“Good.” Izzy tucks the blankets over Lucius’s lap and races off. 

“Seems like it’s going to rain,” Lucius says. “Or snow.”

“Hmmph.”

“What? Not interesting enough conversation for you?” Lucius grabs Izzy’s leg. “My bad.”

“You’re fine to talk,” Izzy says softly. She pauses for a minute before she says, “I like to listen.” 

“Aww,” Lucius coos. “You’re sweet, baby.” 

Izzy wrinkles her nose. “No pet names.” 

“Fine.” Lucius rolls her eyes fondly. “I missed you today.”

Izzy squirms in her seat and Lucius is certain she’s blushing. “Oh yeah?” Izzy says.

“I’m not having car sex, settle down,” Lucius says firmly. She squeezes Izzy’s leg. “Anyway, I’m excited to put this project behind me. Can’t remember the last time I worked so hard on one piece.” 

“That’s good. This class is meant to push you.” 

Lucius cuddles up that night with Pete. She leaves out some key details about the ecstatic states and whatnot. It feels like Pete would advise her not to go back, but she wants to see this through. 

Pete kisses her forehead and says, “I’m glad you had fun.” 

They fall asleep lying next to each other, calves touching.

Lucius wakes up a few hours later, middle of the night. She could’ve sworn she heard something, maybe the poor weather outside? 

She gets up to use the bathroom while she’s awake. In the bathroom she lifts the toilet lid without thinking much about it, because it takes her brain a second to catch up. There’s a black smudge on the bathroom door. 

A charcoal smudge. 

She doesn’t use charcoal and neither does Pete. Lucius breaks out in a cold sweat. As soon she’s finished she goes back to Pete. She shakes her awake. “Baby, did you do anything that would’ve smudged your hands black today?”

“What?” Pete sniffs and drags herself to sit up. “What are you talking about, babe?”

“Pete, did Izzy stop by the apartment today?”

“No? I was home most of the day. She didn’t come by. I thought she was with you.” 

“Please come look at this.” Pete stumbles after her until they reach the bathroom door. “That’s a charcoal smudge.” 

“I guess, yeah? What’s wrong with that?”

“I don’t use charcoal, Pete. I think Izzy broke into our apartment.”

Pete looks more awake now. “Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know!” 

“And all she did was go to the bathroom?”

Lucius realizes she hasn’t checked anything else. She starts pacing around the apartment looking for signs that Izzy had been through. It doesn’t take long. She upends one of the couch cushions and finds a sketch of her sleeping, Pete’s hand partially in frame. 

“What the fuck,” Lucius says. 

Pete wanders over to peer at it. “Babe, that’s how you’re dressed now.” 

“Should we call the police?” Lucius asks. She doesn’t know what to think. Would the police even believe her? She’s dating Izzy. And she’s an adult. “Or not. Oh god.”

She sits down, drawing still clenched in her hands. The sketch is quite good, which is beside the point. Lucius makes a noise of distress. “What do you want to do?” Pete asks. She’s hovering near Lucius, equally upset. “Do you think she’s dangerous?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so?” 

“We can stay with a friend of mine. If you want?”

“I’m not going to have us scared out of our own house. Who does she think she is?” Lucius tears the drawing in half. “It’s bullshit! How would she like it if I pulled her out of bed in the middle of the night?” 

“Yeah,” Pete says, echoing Lucius’s anger back to her. 

“I’m barely home, what? Six hours? Eight?” Lucius picks up her phone. “I’m calling an Uber.” 

Lucius texts Fang to ask her to open the door. Fang seems sleepy and confused, but she steps back for Lucius to enter. “Did you change your mind?” Fang whispers. “Or did you leave something?”

“Yeah, I left something. Thanks, Fang.” 

Lucius walks to the art studio as quiet as a mouse. She picks up her portrait of Izzy and then she goes to the storage room. She rips every charcoal drawing of her down. All of them. She takes them outside. 

She drags the trash can from the kitchen down the hall and outside. She takes a cigarette lighter out of her pocket and flicks the flame on. She lights one of the pieces of paper on fire and drops it in. She adds every charcoal piece. 

Next she holds the flame to the canvas. The oil paint torches in an instant. She’d only meant to burn some of it, but it’s a lost cause now. She drops the canvas into the bin. 

The fire surges and a burst of warm air washes over Lucius’s face. She holds her hands up to it. She’s no muse. She’s no rebound. 

Lucius makes sure the fire dies down before she goes back into the house. She feels wild with missed sleep and adrenaline. She walks up the stairs one at a time, savoring that for once she knows exactly what she’s doing. 

Lucius opens the door and Izzy is fast asleep. She’s only in a black tank top and a small pair of underwear. Lucius climbs onto the bed and she swings a leg over Izzy. She lays her hand over Izzy’s mouth. 

Izzy jerks awake. Lucius‘s hand muffles her momentary yelps of confusion. “You broke into my house,” Lucius whispers. “So I’m returning the favor.” 

“Mm, mmph.” Izzy squirms under her. Her eyes flick towards the door and then back to Lucius. 

“You’re going to listen to me, Izzy Hands. I’m not going to be the muse that gets you another residency. Do you understand me? I’m going to finish this class by not attending One. More. Class. And you will give me an A.”

Izzy nods furiously. 

“Good, good,” Lucius hisses, dripping with faux saccharine. 

Lucius lifts her hand off of Izzy’s mouth, when something collides with the back of her skull. 

Lucius Hands:

Female, brunette

28 years old

Missing for 16 days

Last seen getting into an uber Nov. 10