bakerstreet | The soul is the secret

The soul is the secret

the soul bond meme

"I can't live without you...literally."

Wake up. Do what you have to. Work. School. Save the world. Avenge your father's death. Go back to sleep. Average day, for human, demon, sailor scout, angel, slayer, what have you. Though there's some part of you that wonders, in the back of your mind, if this is the day you'll meet your bond.

Because your world is just like ours - or how yours was, in another universe - but with one addition: the soul bond. The soul bond is a concept as old as time itself. People don't question the process, it just is. Some say that it comes from the beginning of time, where each soul was created in a pair, and throughout the lifetimes those souls are reborn into, they search for each other. This is the soul bond. Even if that's mostly faded into myth, it's generally excepted that there is only only one person for anyone. So, soulmates.

Not exactly. Soul bonds are more. They are about the joining of bodies: sexually and psychically. The bond isn't necessarily about love, though the close connection facilitates that emotion growing, and some fondness does appear in almost every case. It's bigger than love, bigger than hate, bigger than anything else; it's finding yourself in someone else, and your never wanting to lose that. Needless to say, the soul bond is the cornerstone of life and society. Marriage is reserved for the bonded, and you're expected to be searching for that other half. There's a good biological reason for that, too, as the unbonded cannot reproduce and those who have not found their bond are doomed to die extremely early in comparison to their peers and in a most painful, withering fashion. Who would want that?

In this world, sex is had with those who are not the other half of your bond, even if society considers that frivolous. For the truth is, sex with any other will never be as good as sex with your other half. When you make love to someone who isn't yours, you'll know it. It's a disappointment.

When you so much as see your bond for the first time, or at least for the first time after you've reached sexual maturity, you'll know, even if you're already "with" someone else. The signs are inescapable. You'll know it's them. You'll become hyper-focused on them, your heart will race, your muscles tighten, your brain shoot off every signal it nose...and you will become aroused beyond belief. Any arousal you've had prior pales in comparison. So go ahead, if you don't want a bond, ignore it. Try. It won't work. The more you ignore it, the more control you'll lose. Did I forget to mention? In this world, sexual drives are a little more animalistic than usual. They would have to be when the mainstay of the races is a sexual-based bond. Those who try to ward off the desire to become one with their other half can achieve mild success - until they absolutely lose themselves. It's not uncommon to see bonds going at it in the streets, unabashed and unashamed, for trying to hold off the inevitable. Sex between bonds in public, generally, is not looked down upon.

You've given in. Of course you did. But what now? The first time you have sex with your bond, it will be beyond compare. You will share memories with each other, as this is the opening of your psychic connection with them. Yes, psychic connection. How would you expect to be truly bonded otherwise? How strong this link is depends on how often you have sex. Even at baseline, though, you'll know if your bond is hurt or in trouble. Fair warning: this will pull at that animal brain, and you will go into a beserker mode to get them back with you. Similarly, you will behave in a territorial manner if you feel the bond is threatened; jealousy often results in shameless public sex, in hopes to re-establish the strength of your connection and make your bond realize that YOU'RE the other part of them, no one else. In addition, bonds don't handle separation well and each partner will be antsy and on edge. It can be done, and most pairs do because of work, duties, and life in general, but returns are usually accompanied by sometimes days-long sex sessions.

Aside from those quirks, the bonding process can be quite useful. A bond can calm you down, and sex with your bond can serve as the ultimate relaxer. Your bond is the one who can heal you, and sex boosts your strength and power. Yes, those of you looking to achieve your ultimate goal...or ultimate form. Being a bond makes you stronger. Don't resist, no matter how surly you are.

The bond is no respecter of person. Outside of sexuality such as straight or gay, types or species don't matter. You could be bonded with someone as different from you as night and day. However, no matter what the case, you'll begin to care for them in some fashion. You'll feel the need to be with each other as much as possible, both sexually and otherwise. They'll become the most important person in the world to you. Of course, this is assuming your bond is someone you can feasibly be with. Perhaps there is some truth to that reincarnation business, as sometimes, those souls are reborn into people who are never meant to be bonds - warring tribes, at-odds species, and even relatives or people with a great amount of age between them.

The bond is permanent. This is the person you were meant to be with, after all, until you die (and soul bonds usually die within years of each other). Theoretically, though, it can be broken. Mostly, this is done when one side betrays the other side somehow. As the bond is initiated through sex, it's broken in the same way. What happens next is rarely pretty. Police reports usually find the bodies of the dead bonded, cause of death specifically unknown.

Head spinning yet? It shouldn't be! This is the world you live in.

rules
- Comment with your character, preferences, what you're interested in, and what you're not interested in.
- Crosscanon tagging is expected and encouraged. Mention if you want to make some kind of canon-insertion AU with one of the characters or just have a nebulous AU.

prompts

Meeting - You see your bond in that way for the first time, and it's done. You're done. You have to have them to be complete.

Trying to Fight It - No, you're the type who rebels against this whole "soul bond" system. You're the master of your own design, and you won't give in despite the fact that you could just start masturbating right now.

Failure to Fight - The whole fighting thing didn't work out, and now you're going at each other like you'll die of thirst.

First Time - The legendary first time with soaring sensations, amazing orgasms, and the sharing of memories.

Not the Sharing Type - You're a private person and don't want your brain in someone else's. How can you reconcile this? Maybe doing the act can change your mind. Or maybe you just want relief so badly, you don't care.

Feedback - You feel all of your partners pleasure as well as their pain. If you can't come up with something kinky, I can't help you.

Dirty Thoughts - You know what's naughty? Sending mental images of what you'd like to do to your bond through your connection. It's like mental sexting - or a fun way to torture them.

Learning About Each Other - You're learning what both of you like and don't like and sharing as you go.

Jealousy - Someone tried to approach your bond and it made you a bit miffed. Now it's time for some affirmation of the connection and to make sure that you're still on their mind.

Rough Bond - Your bond is more hate than love sometimes, but it's a thin line. Besides, you still care more about them than anyone else, and god forbid someone hurt them. Besides, rough sex is fun.

Separation - You'll be apart for a while. You need one last hurrah

Reunion - You're back together. Now to make up for lost time. Not just because you want to, either.

Public - Remember how I said sex in public is accepted for bonds. Why not take advantage?

Chasing That High - You keep having sex with people, trying to find you bond.

Chasing That Low - In contrast to the above, you're trying to keep away from a bond by desensitizing yourself to sex.

Bond Party - Some young people throw "mixers" where, hopefully, you may meet your bond. Experimentation is bound to happen...even experimentation with multiple people at the same time, trying to find that one.

Can Never Be - Your bond is with someone you shouldn't have one with. They're your sworn enemy, your teacher, or your sibling. Your body and soul says yes, but your mind says no.

Strengthen - You need energy to defeat the big bad or rule the world. Go to your bond and recharge.

Comfort - A bond is often the only one who can calm their other half down, and that sometimes happens through a grounding via sex, bringing the upset party back to what really matters.

Healing - Healing wounds and healing the connection all comes down to body pressed against body. Just be careful of blood.

Long Time Bond - You've been together for some time now and you know each other like the back of your hands. You can make them come in ten seconds flat if need be, but it's more fun to drag things out, isn't it?

Ritual - You want to make your bond official in the eyes of the government. Unsurprisingly, the marriage ceremony is ritualistic sex.

Impregnation - There's no fertilization between the eggs and sperm of non-bonds, so one surefire way to make sure everything's on the up and up is to get pregnant.
Mind Games - Being psychically connected is all good until they fuck with your head.

Dependency - It's not always easy, being for, all intents and purposes, addicted to a person. You need them like you need breathing, and you'll take what you can even if you're ashamed.

Already with Someone - You love someone, but they're not your bond. Can they keep you when you meet your real bond?

I'm Not Yours, You're Not Mine - You know you're not bonds. Still you want them to stay with you and you'll do anything and try to be better.

False Bond - You thought you were bonded, you really did, until you met them

Faking It - There are benefits to faking a bond, including for safety, financial gain, and to secure alliances. Of course, you can't fake it in the bedroom.

Manipulating - You'll get what you want, even if you have to lie and pretend you're bonded to them...how you can fake that, no one knows, but it's worth a shot.

It's Not Me, It's You - Sometimes, mistakes are made. They're your bond, but you're not theirs.

Break the Bond - Because you have a death wish or a snuff kink.

My Ex-Lover is Dead - Your soul bond is gone and you're trying to fill the gap.

OR MAKE UP YOUR OWN

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He rubs the back of his neck, trying to prevent a blush from taking over his cheeks.

"So, uh - your parents forced you into this too, huh?"

He gives what he hopes isn't too awkward a smile. They're quite the sight, really, complete opposites in almost every facet imaginable. His furs and leathers are - relatively nice, for a Water Tribe prince. But Mai's robes are more intricate and fashionable by far.

"I - haven't bonded with anyone from the Tribe. They're tried. So I guess-"

Calm, he tells himself. In through the nose. Out through the mouth.

"-I guess the elders thought I was their best bet."

Mai seems to be doing her level best not to look at him again just yet. The way her heart tightens up is almost a little too much when she does, her nerves on fire even now.

"Pretty much. I'm old enough by their terms to find a soul bond anyhow."

She tempts a glance, finds him wearing an awkward enough smile and finally color finds her all too stubborn cheeks. Her ex had had his own brand of awkward smiles and she had found them cute in their own way. Tonraq's awkward smile is something altogether thoroughly different.

"It's pretty nerve-wracking though, right? Being paraded around, all their wild hopes that maybe you'll bond with this one or that one."

She doesn't mean to be blatantly honest and tries to couch the words in some amused, exasperated sarcasm. It's been a few months of exasperation though and a bond was something she had given up the thought of very early on in the search. Now however...

Tonraq nods along, chancing another step forward towards her. "Yeah. Almost like - you're not their child, just some kind of showpiece."

As he moves closer to her, the differences in their builds and heights become even more apparent. His growth spurts have ended, putting him at an even 6' 4" - and though he is not quite the human brick wall he will become later on in life, his lifestyle has put a lot more muscle on his frame than a lot of other boys his age. There are scars, too - some the furs don't quite hide, like a few on his neck just above his trapezius where an enraged polar bear-dog had knocked him down and tried to go for his jugular.

(He's never been the best at talking to girls - he was always one to skip dances and balls in favor of hunts and games. Mentally, he curses himself out for it.)

He appears to hesitate for a breath - then, with purpose, he closes the distance between them, tilting her chin up, closing his eyes, and pressing his lips to hers.

It's a gentle kiss, but a passionate one nevertheless. He does his best to send a message with it - not through words, but through feeling:

I love you.

I'm so glad I've found you.

He's not fooling her much with his gentle approach or in the short, slow way he's closing that gap. She can practically feel the inches slip away between them and she gives a low sigh when he's finally right next to her.

She didn't quite expect the next bit, of course. And it's enough to thoroughly undo the reticent woman so bent on displeasure with falling into her parent's hopes. She has to bend against the gesture with as much as he has to lean down to press his lips to her own. And she accepts the press of lips and the press of affections she can't quite hear just yet without fight.

And once the Water Tribe prince has done his best to impress his love upon her, she'll take a moment to catch her breath barely parting from his lips. She barely mutters a 'damn it' in there before she loops her arms around his neck without the least hint of guilt and presses an answering kiss against his lips of sheer heated abandon. His was gentle and passionate speaking of his love and hers burns with the answering portion of lust.

She's a Fire Nation girl after all. If she can't feel her emotions in a quick flaring blast then what can she do?

It shouldn't catch him off guard as much as it does. As it stands, his eyes shoot open in surprise before he folds to her desires, his own arms wrapping around her waist as he hums into the contact.

There is a bed on one side of the room - their elders were nothing if not thoughtful. He does his best to steer her towards it, eventually lifting her off her feet bridal-style as he carries her towards it. He nuzzles against her cheek as he does so, nipping at her lip. For his part, no words are said - and none, he thinks, are particularly needed.

One can't really blame them too much. Any sort of meetup of potential soul bonds always had the possibility of ending up like this. Bonds weren't exactly known for their lack of physical contact and the need for children led to more than a little encouragement.

Here is where Mai ought to make some sort of quip, particularly when Tonraq resorts to carrying her. A lack of words and situations with any sort of gravity to them typically annoy her after all. In the end the quip only manages to come out as an amused sound with his nuzzling, more fond than sarcastic.

They find the bed at least and she submits to it easily, toeing off her shoes as she does her level best to pull him down right along with her. And now she actually does give into that urge to quip, breathlessly with her voice ripe with amusement.

"Don't try to be too soft with me, alright? I'm not that much of a gentle maiden anymore."

She's not exactly asking for roughness but wants to make it clear to him that she's had some experience behind bedroom doors.

He nods in a manner he hopes isn't too eager. "Right, right. I'll - I'll try."

The furs and boots are the easy part - he can shrug those off onto the floor. It's the clothes themselves that give him trouble. His fingers fumble as he endeavors to undress himself, or at least take his shirt off - to his credit, he succeeds at the latter reasonably quickly.

It's not his mass that's noticeable so much as his definition, particularly in his pectorals and abdominals - they flex with untold power and grace as he moves once more to wrap his arms around her and press his lips to hers.

(There are one or two scars across his obliques from a polar leopard hunt gone wrong - but that is a story for another time.)

His hands fumble with her clothes, and he swears at himself under his breath as he tries to get this damn thing off her. He doesn't want to rip it - it looks expensive - but he just might start considering it if it takes any longer. They've both waited far too long for anything such as mere fabric to stop them.

She does give him credit for that much. It's when his fingers fumble with her clothing and he swears that she lightly brushes her nails against his now bare side. She's used to fumbling and awkwardness in bed but this time it's a whole different story of course. Her own nerves may be a little shot but she's forever one to hide as much very well.

She doesn't say a word about his fumbling efforts though, choosing instead to set her free hand about undoing things. She brushes between the two of them, finding closures and ties with the ease of someone who wears this much on a day to day basis. It's not as many thick layers at least and in the end she only has to murmur a brief, "Lean up a moment."

That's when she can find her way out of the top portion of her clothing, pants left and chest bared.

For a heartbeat, he's speechless at the sight - then he takes one breast in a callused hand and begins rubbing the nipple with his thumb, his other hand running through her hair as he touches his forehead to hers. True to his word, his touch isn't china-doll soft, but neither is it rough - it's a happy medium between the two. He keeps kissing her throughout, trying to learn what does it for her and what doesn't.

Cognitive thought is well on its way out for him, and instinct is taking over. Just as well - during another of his kisses, his hand goes from her breast to her buttocks, pulling her towards him so that there's no space left between them. He's already hard and pressing against her crotch. It's not gargantuan by any means, but he's longer and thicker than the average.

When he pulls back from his last kiss, color has flushed his cheeks and he can barely see straight from how drunk off ecstasy he is. But there's just one last question to settle.

"So- so do we take off our pants at the same time, or-"

A nervous gulp.

"-one after the other, or-"

Edited 2016-01-17 03:02 (UTC)

It's almost a relief when he takes her breast in his hand, his fingers rough against her skin. It was almost like she had been balancing on an edge that was far too easily tipped by the stroke of his thumb and the constant press of his lips.

Then he pulls her forward, pressing against her with the firm insistence. He's hard, there's little left separating him and she's trying to catch her breath with the sudden pounding of her heart in her ears. And then he asks the last question that needs settling. For a moment she actually does have to think hard on the question. It's difficult to concentrate and if she could she would be a little terrified with how fervent a bond is.

In the end her hands go for his sides - there isn't room between them after all - and find their way to his hips. She's speaking but it's a low murmur and she seems to be more about action than talking her way through this anyhow.

"Either. The sooner the better."

Basically whichever of the options gets him out of his pants quicker. She doesn't want to be impatient or hasty or rush but it's both arousing and comforting to be pressed against his skin like this.

He nods, breathless. "Okay. Okay-"

His hands go down to meet hers, and through their combined efforts the very last thing covering his skin is flung to the side of the room, leaving his cock exposed to the open air, still pressing up against her crotch. Now his hands go to her hips, fiddling with the closures of her pants.

(He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous, wasn't scared of the power the bond held over him. But at the same time - he wants more of it, all he can possibly have and then some.)

The knots do not stymie him so easily a second time, and soon he pulls the pants down and off of her, leaving nothing between the two of them. The skin-on-skin contact feels like electricity coursing through his body, and he kisses her again, one arm wrapped around her back while his free hand goes down to gently feel out her entrance and clit. When he breaks off the kiss, his breath is hot on her skin, and he presses his forehead to hers, his blue eyes staring into her gold.

"I heard. What they're expecting of you. Of us."

A beat, as he rubs her back.

"I won't make you if you don't want to. I'm not that kind of guy."

Expectations in this case are fairly loud and clear. The Fire Nation hadn't been very kind to the Water Tribes and that was putting it very mildly. Tensions still ran thick between them even as the current Firelord did his best to seek forgiveness and restitution. The idea of any Water Tribe person or Fire Nation person finding a soul bond in the other group was a far flung idea claimed completely impossible. And simply saying a pair were a soul bond was far too easy.

Mai had never stopped to think on children. She might have been young and of marriageable age but only one man had ever really moved her heart. And that man was definitely not her soul bond. It was something she only realized fully now of course, the slip of his free hand as he feels between them stealing her breath a moment. The level of devotion she had come in still awkwardly holding for that old flame she couldn't quite let fully die despite her efforts was dwarfed by what had been kindled with an ardent embrace.

Now that they're skin to skin and she can settle her thighs with a soft hold against his hips, she can bring a hand up to his cheek. She traces the line of one flushed cheek with an index finger. Both touch and look betray a tenderness that had been swallowed back, shown to only one other person in intimate moments and certainly more gentle now.

"I'm not a soft woman, Tonraq. If they wanted someone who would be a good mother figure they picked the wrong person."

Her voice is soft though despite what she says.

"This will never be about what they expect though. If you want a child then I'll do what I can to be a good mother. Because I love you and I'll love them too."

She'll love them in a clumsy and awkward way maybe but she'll love them all fiercely.

He smiles in turn, tracing a finger of his own down her cheek. It's certainly a gentler look than the one she came in with. It's - nice.

"I love you, too."

With one free hand, he positions himself at her entrance, his precum smearing over her labia.

"I don't - know what kind of father I'll be. But I'll try to be a good one. For their sake and yours."

And with that, he kisses her again, slowly pressing into her. It's slow going, at first - she's tight and he's big, but eventually, as he groans and moans through the sensations her walls give him, he's hilted inside her.

He sighs, holding her close to him as he gently rolls her over onto her back, nuzzling his cheek against her own once again. He hasn't shaved yet today, and the developing stubble prickles her smooth cheek as he exhales, establishing the beginnings of a tempo with a slow but powerful rolling of his hips.

"You feel good. -really good."

Everything stills for just a moment, her hands glancing across the plane of his back in search of something to grasp onto for a moment. He's bigger but she expected as much after he pressed against her and she can't say she hates the sensation of him slipping within her. It's more than a little intoxicating and once he hilts she can't help the shiver that runs up her back.

Her back rests against the bed a second later and her hands reach for his shoulders as he rolls his hips the first time. And then again. His cheek nudges against hers and she tries to give a little laugh. It comes out far too breathless and more of a moan than a laugh.

"You're not so bad yourself." That's an understatement, a large one and it's such a stupidly trite line anyhow in her opinion. This is how all bonds are established and deepened after all. The slow rolling tempo is stirring up not just heat or tension but that connection of theirs too.

He chuckles, equally breathlessly. "Thanks. I try."

And now he's quiet except for the occasional grunt or exhale as he slowly picks up steam, his arms wrapped around her back at her shoulder blades, his muscles like iron cables. She's tight, wet, and warm around him, and he wills himself to last by getting his breathing into a rhythm. He closes his eyes and tilts his head just so to kiss her, one hand bracing the back of her head.

He builds up to it, of course, but sooner than later he's going at it with everything he's got, hips snapping back and forth as he takes her deep, hard, and fast. His heart is pounding, and he's breathing like he's sprinting a 400, but he still manages enough self-control to kiss Mai again.

"How're you feeling?"

It's a stupid question, and he wishes there were a way to phrase it better - but it can't hurt to check if he's doing anything wrong.

How was she feeling. She has to take a moment to work up an answer because he's gone from a slow roll to a fast, deep pace that's not quite giving her the room to breath. Her hands have managed to slip from his shoulders to his upper arms, nipping against his skin just a little with her nails.

Finally she manages words around one of the heavy breathes that falls as he presses within her. "Good." It's a pitiful way to put it and in the end her legs curl around his waist so she can lift her hips a little more, emphasizing her words in physical action.

It's all too much. She ought to be asking for a different position, something to put some distance between them because him pressed against her is just doing things to her. She's never coldly logical in the bedroom but she's typically somewhat in charge. Rendering control is a disquieting idea but in this moment she can't help it.

Her heavy breathes turn to moans, her fingers bite in harder. She can't help it as her head cranes back just a little and she breathes out her next words between those moans. "I'm going to come. Keep going."

He nods at her words, panting. "Okay. I'm close."

He keeps on doing as he's doing, sweat rolling off his skin and onto the bedsheets. He's closer than he'd like to think, and can only hope she's similarly close. It feels like holding a polar bear-dog aloft with a single strand of hair - sooner or later, he's going to lose control. He exhales again, squeezing his eyes shut as he kisses her with an open mouth.

He holds it in as long as he can - which makes it all the more powerful when he finally comes, loosing spurt after spurt of his hot seed into her womb. He uses the kiss to muffle what moans he makes, and somehow he has the sense to make a minor adjustment to his hips to get deeper in her mid-orgasm.

He's riding a wave of bliss that he doesn't ever want to end - but he gets no say in the matter. At the very least, it's a gentle ride down from the top - as he ejaculates the last of his load into her, his breaths slow, along with his heartrate, until he's empty and staring into her eyes, stroking her hair as he tries to come up with something appropriate to say.

There's not that much time left for her. In the end she finally tips the edge as his mouth presses over hers and she can only breathe out any other sound against him as she comes. For a moment she's only dimly aware of his own heat and then she notes it in a pleased sound against his efforts to muffle his own moans. Her hands loosen their grip as she rides through the high and a shudder runs over her as he adjusts to press further within her.

It takes some time after for her to adjust, for the daze to drop off enough for her to take note of his gaze on hers. And when she does she gives something of an indulgent sigh before her hand slips up to the back of his neck and nudges him down enough to meet her lips in a heated, open mouthed kiss.

He doesn't have the energy to resist, and wouldn't even if he could. Their teeth knock together and their noses get in the way a time or two, but he doesn't care.

He's softening a bit, and slowly but reluctantly pulls out of her, slick with his cum and her juices as he is. When they break contact, he leans in to nuzzle once more against her cheek, teasing her with his stubble.

"I'm glad I found you."

Awkwardness is all part of romance. It wouldn't be right if noses didn't get in the way or teeth didn't knock now and then. There's a sigh from her as he pulls out, quickly followed by a slight amused sound as he nuzzles at her. She tugs just a touch at his hair in retaliation for the prickly stubble.

"I'll give you a month and see what you say then."

He chuckles, relenting as she tugs at his hair. "A month, huh? You're on."

There's still a lot to discuss - the marriage proper, where and how she'll give birth, the raising of their child, its status in the line of succession for the Northern Water Tribe chieftainship, housing arrangements - but all that can be saved for later. For now, he simply savors this moment - here, with her.

It's not so bad, as bonds go.

Edited 2016-01-18 07:27 (UTC)

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The soul is the secret

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