Work Text:
I had come to the little island of Jersey for an extended holiday to take time to write. When taking some time to go to this lovely bakery, I hadn’t planned on meeting someone there, but who else introduced themselves to me than Henry Cavill. We had a nice, lovely chat about several topics. We both kind of got our nerd on and it felt like talking to an old friend while finding out new things all at once. Henry asked why I had come all the way from the United States to Jersey, if everything I knew was back there.
“I’ve actually taken some time off from everything, so to speak. I decided to travel somewhere I had never been and give myself some serious time to write. I just needed something new.”
I glanced away form Henry as a blush creeped up my face. To distract myself I take a bite from the muffin.
Henry replies, “Oh? That sounds really exciting. What kind of writing do you do?” He continued, “I’ve always admired people who are able to express themselves through words. It’s a wonderful skill, and a great way to capture your thoughts and emotions.”
He leaned in and expressed his interest to learn more about my writing. I almost choked. Quickly, I took a sip of my tea sitting off to the side, as I tried to clear my throat.
“Uhm, I’m trying to write about a female who finds herself immersed in a world full of monsters.”
I tried to figure out how to explain that my stories have an unusual theme about them. They all end up being sensual and erotic in nature. I continued to explain to Henry that the female has had a preconceived notion about monsters that live in her world, yet she feels the need to discredit the fear that her people has had of them.
“That sounds fascinating.”
Henry leaned back in his chair. He talks about how the world is full of stereotypes and preconceptions about what people should and shouldn’t fear or hate.
“I think it’s really brave to go against those preconceptions, and even more powerful to change the way that society thinks about the world around them.” Henry looked right at me. “What inspired you to write something like that? You must have had something in mind, right? What made you want to tell a story like that?”
I stopped and thought about what he said. My stories are usually set in a fantasy genre. It’s not easy to do the stuff I write in real life. Here comes the moment of truth whether I’ll freak Henry out or not with the subject matter I write about.
“Societal norms say we shouldn’t talk about sex or how to love. To them, stories should be nice and simple, clean. I like to explore the things that challenge that.”
Henry’s assessment of the situation was spot on. He agreed with me that it was important to push the boundaries of what’s acceptable in art, and to explore difficult and complex ideas. He went on to say that a lot of people may not be comfortable with those topics, but he believed that they were important to explore and that through that exploration valuable lessons could be learned.
“Personally, I think that art should open up new ways of thinking, and that it should challenge us to reevaluate our ideas and assumptions. When done properly, art can also be incredibly liberating, freeing us form out mental confines.”
“Exactly.” I responded to Henry. “The female does fall in love with one of the monsters, but it shows another side to these beings that her people didn’t know were capable of. But some of my scenes can get a bit… detailed. For some it can be liberating, a way to look beyond the surface of certain meanings, but I have lost some friends because they think I went too far.”
I stopped again and thought how writing this story had been liberating for myself. It’s made me open myself and listen to what my mind, body and soul wanted and not to be afraid to ask for it either. Art was about expressing oneself which make some uncomfortable.
“It’s important to stick to your own beliefs and values when it comes to your artistic expression, and not be swayed by other people’s opinions. Ultimately, it’s all about freedom and liberation. If you’re freeing yourself, it’s enough.”
Henry pauses a moment before asking, “Have you published anything yet? I’d be really curious to check your work out.”
Henry looked genuinely interested. I sighed as I thought, of all the days, I left my work back at the house that I rented. I explained to him that I haven’t published anything, yet.
“I usually come here with my laptop ad manuscript, but I didn’t intend on staying at the café today. It’s back at the house on the coffee table.”
Henry nodded in understanding. “But you’ve definitely ignited my interest, so I think I’d really like to read some of your work.”
Henry thought I had quite an interesting story to tell. He also thought I had the talent for it after we had conversed for a while in the café.
“Keep going and I’m sure you’ll accomplish far more than just your goal of being an author.”
I blushed at the compliment. Before I decided to chicken out, I asked Henry if he was not busy if he would like to come back to the house and read what I have. I really didn’t want to part with his company. There was just a feeling in my gut that said to invite him back with me.
“You know, I would be happy to that. I have time on my hands now that I’m done filming for The Witcher, so I’d be more than happy to come round and read some of your work. I can even give you some feedback if you want?”
“I was going to go for a walk in the park before heading back to do more writing.”
There was a light in Henry’s eyes as he asked, “Is it alright if I tag along on your walk? I don’t want to keep you if you’ve got other plans, but I’ve really enjoyed our talk and would love to continue it.”
Inside, I was freaking out. Here is Henry Cavill and not only does he want to take a walk with me, but he’s insinuated he wants to come back to read my writing. Could this day get any better?
“You’re more than welcome to join me.” I said in an even tone.
I don’t want Henry to know how affected by him I am. Together, we gathered our trash, disposed of it quickly, then headed over to the park. After a short walk up and across the street, we took a seat on a small bench near the edge of the park. I noticed that Henry had a lazy, laid-back kind of smile on his face.
An amused expression crossed his face as he teased me, “When you show me your writing, I wanted you to know that you don’t have to worry. I won’t judge you too harshly.” He gave a wink as he let me know he wasn’t too serious. I returned the smile even though I felt apprehensive. This would be with anybody.
“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you read what I have, if you would be willing to re-enact some scenes so I know exactly how they should be written out. What do you say to that?”
There’s a mischievous twinkle to my eye as Henry replied, “You’ve got yourself a deal!”
Henry’s eyes reflected the same twinkle in my eye. Even though I felt apprehensive, this had become more and more exciting as well. This is part of stepping out of my total comfort zone and trying new things out. My thoughts were interrupted when Henry asked how I would like for my scenes to be enacted out.
“Let’s get back to the house first and you can read some of the scenes I already have. Then, I’ll let you know. The house is just on the other side of the park, so it won’t take us too long to get back.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Henry responded.
Henry stood up from the bench and held out his hand. “Ladies first, of course.”
It did not surprise me that Henry is a gentleman. I slipped my hand in his and he pulled me up slowly. Once I stood, he didn’t let go. I lead the way to the house, a permanent blush staining my cheeks. Henry continued to walk along with me, smiling to himself at the blush he caused that colored my face. When we arrived at the house, He gave my hand a pat, then released it before we walked inside. I closed the door and indicated the living room.
“Would you prefer the hard copy or the digital copy?
Henry replied that he preferred to read the physical copy because it felt more authentic. I could definitely see what he was talking about. I had him sit down on the couch.
“Now, are you sure you don’t mind me reading your work? I hope you know that I’m not trying to pressure you.”
I picked up a stack of papers as I came back over to the couch. “It’s fine. I actually need someone to read it, give me their input. Are you sure that you’re comfortable with it being explicit?”
I handed over the copy and he nodded his head yes. Anticipation began to brew as Henry read through the first several pages of my script. I saw a smile lift the edges of his lips up.
“You weren’t kidding, this is explicit. But I don’t mind. I’ve worked with some really raunchy scripts while acting before, so I think I can handle it.”
I tidied up as I waited for Henry to get past Kirria meeting her monster for the first time. Just thinking about that scene got me a little hot and bothered. I glanced over at Henry, and he had such a seriousness to his face. I guess he’s really into the story now. I walked out of the living room into the kitchen to get a beer for Henry and a glass of wine for myself. When I returned, I could see him adjust his pants as if he became a little uncomfortable in his pants. I made a small sound and walked in, giving Henry the beer.
“Thought you might be thirsty.”
Henry looked up at the mention of being thirsty. He looked thirsty, but not necessarily for a drink. He cleared his throat.
“I really am, thank you.” He looked a little flustered from what he was reading. He took the beer from my hands. “Okay, you were right. This is very explicit. How are you okay writing stuff like this? Even still, I’m curious to see what happens next in the story.” Henry turned to the next page.
I didn’t know what to say to that. I wondered if I should brush the question off and deflect or should I answer truthfully? There was curiosity that shined from Henry.
“How are you okay with all the, well, explicit stuff?” Henry chuckled. “I mean, your work is very raunchy. Do you… Do you get these ideas from somewhere else?”
I sat back down on the other end of the couch. I fidgeted taking a large gulp of wine before answering.
“Would you believe me that 90% of the raunchy stuff just comes from my imagination?”
“To be honest,” Henry said, “that’s pretty impressive. Your imagination is insane. But the real question, where did the other 10% come from?”
“I had a couple of decent teachers. Otherwise, I’ve listened to what some of my female friends have talked about and started to realize that I’d like to try it one day. Eventually, I thought about it so much that it came out in my writing.”
I looked up to see Henry intently watching me. There was almost an animalistic quality to it. His face flushed as he realized I was talking about real life, not the story.
“I have no right to ask you this, but what exactly was the stuff that you would like to try one day?” He appeared to be so serious and to keep a straight face while he asked, but he broke the tension with a small laugh. “I can’t believe I just asked you that. Sorry. But that would mean this story is a semi-autobiographical, right?”
“Only in a fantasy, monsters aren’t real to make it a biography.”
There’s an undecipherable look to Henry’s face. I scooted closer to where he sat to point at a certain spot on the page.
“Take this scene for example, when Kirria meets the monster she is destined to fall for, it’s an instant coupling. He puts his hand around her throat and as he’s taking her, he controls her breathing. Intrinsically, her body knows that it can trust him. As a reward for that trust, the monster doesn’t kill her.”
My breathing became a little heavier just by talking about it. I turned to see something reflected in Henry’s eyes again. There is a tick along his jaw that was prominent the more I describe that.
“I can understand why you would want to try that. It sounds like… quite the experience. And the fact that you can describe it so eloquently is very impressive.” Henry cleared his throat, still flustered. “But I see that this story is a little bit of a self-fulfillment, right?”
“I guess you could say that.” I broke eye contact with Henry before continuing. “She’s free to explore herself and be true to her desires.”
Henry sat the manuscript and his beer down on the table in front of the couch. An idea popped into his head as he caught my attention with a grin.
“So that scene you were talking about before, where the male monster puts his hand round your- I mean Kirria’s throat, would you let me try that?
My breathing increased as he looked down on me as he waited for my answer. This would give me the experience to see if I needed to rewrite the scene or not.
“Yes.” I said in a small voice. “For scientific purposes.” I look up at Henry. “How am I to write a great scene if I don’t experience for myself?”
Henry’s laugh is rich. It rumbles and resonates somewhere in my stomach. I like it very much.
“For scientific purposes, hmm? Well, you can consider this your ‘research’. Remember, you wanted this and it’s just for… research. Nothing else?” He adds as he scooted a little closer.
Nothing else. I’ll have to remember that. I had to keep myself from getting too attached. Henry was here to help me be a better writer. This had to come first. The tension between the two of us is not why I temporarily moved across the ocean.
He cupped my cheek, then slid it down the side of my neck. My breath stuttered. Then I held it as he slowly wrapped his hand around my throat. Henry’s grip was tight on my throat, but not hard enough to hurt me. He didn’t put pressure against my windpipe. He did apply pressure to my pulse points on both sides of my neck. I began to feel slightly lightheaded. It was a weird sensation.
My hand found its way pressed against his chest. He looked down at me, my eyes widened as I could feel his heart pounding too. I took a deep breath as the tension in the room increased each second. I wondered if he could tell that I wanted this. As that thought flitted across my mind, Henry’s grip tightened.
“How do you feel?”
I released the breath I was holding only to start to pant. I was trying to catalogue everything that I was feeling. I felt fear. The instinct that came from being in this position and having no control. I also felt excitement starting to thrum through my body. I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the experience.
Quietly, I whispered, “I like the idea of your hands around my throat like a special piece of jewelry that a person might give their lover.”
He replied, “Do you think you like it more now that you’ve experienced it? Does it make writing those scenes any easier?”
Henry looked at me intently, a smile playing on his face.
“Don’t worry, all of this is just for research, right? This is just to help make your writing better.” There’s an underlying challenge in his tone. “I do have to say, I quite like these scientific studies.”
He slowly opened his hand, letting go of my neck. As he pulled back, his fingertips brushed along my collar bone.
“Anything else we should experience for research purposes?”
It took me a minute to realize, I’ve been released. I quickly snatched my laptop up and decided to rewrite part of the choking scene with more emotions. Henry sat back and watched as my fingers flew across the keyboard. I was so engrossed I did not see him smile.
Henry’s voice took on a husky quality. “That was more than just research, you know. We both enjoyed that.”
Was he trying to get a reaction out of me? His arm stretched out behind me on the couch. A warmth suffused itself throughout my body.
“Should we try something else to help make your story better? You seem to be very into this. You must enjoy writing romantic scenes. It seems like you’re quite passionate about them. It shows through your work and hopefully, it’ll just get better.”
Henry stood up as I continued typing. I lost sight of him as he rounded the couch. I didn’t pay much attention to him, too caught up in my revisions, when he went behind the couch. There’s a flirty vibe going on. Henry leaned down with his mouth next to my ear. His breath washed across the side of my face and ghosted down my neck. Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
“Are you sure you’re not writing these scenes from experience though? Are you sure you’ve never done any of this before?
I deflected the questions by asking, “So, you enjoyed having your hand around my throat? How did that feel for you, scientific research, and all.”
“It was,” Henry paused for a moment, “exhilarating. I feel like if I kept my hand there any longer, I would’ve had you entirely under my control. It’s a good feeling, especially for someone like me.”
I was curious what he meant by someone like me, but I appreciated the honesty. I watched him walk back around and return to his seat.
“We made a deal though. This was just for research, right? No strings attached?”
It was if he was testing me. I deflated thinking of this as just research and nothing else now. This was what I asked for though, wasn’t it? Why did it seem that Henry was pushing the subject? What if he wanted it to be more and that was why he asked? Did I want it to be more, and would he take it to the next level if I said it was more than just research?
“Uhm, I could use some help with another scene. It you’re up for it.”
I thought I saw his face flush just slightly when I asked for more help.
“I’m up to the task, yeah. What is this other scene?” Henry got excited about potentially having another scientific study session.