Shacles

Trinity's cheeks remained burning hot, even as she made the shower she was taking as cold as she could bear. She wasn't sure if Radiance ordering her to take a shower counted as a kindness or not. On the one hand, after the trials of the day and the rough treatment she had just received, she was grateful for the opportunity to wash off all of her accumulated dirt, grime, sweat and other stickiness. On the other hand, though, the bathroom of Radiance's safehouse didn't have a door. The superhero could still see her naked. And without any privacy, Trinity wasn't going to have the chance to touch herself and work off some of the miserable frustration Radiance had inflicted on her.

The memory of what had happened was as firmly seared into her head as it possibly could have been, and still, the captured supervillain had trouble convincing herself this wasn't all some kind of deeply twisted, horrifying wet dream. The knowledge that she'd never fantasize about a self-righteous prig like Radiance - no matter how hot her muscles were - was just about the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

But what the hell was she supposed to do when this was her reality?

A superhero had swooped in to interrupt her heist, kidnapped her, taken her to a safehouse, and then spanked her ass until it was bright red, all as some kind of weird, perverse punishment. Trinity's ass was still stinging from the beating, and she was sure it wouldn't be long until she was sporting some mean-looking bruises. But that wasn't the point. Trinity had taken some licks before. She could deal. The real problem was the fact that she'd been intensely, disgracefully turned on by the whole experience.

The only saving grace Trinity could look to was the fact that she'd, just barely, managed to hold herself back from very, very audibly cumming all over Radiance's lap. If that had happened, Trinity's heart might have stopped from shame alone, but by a stroke of good fortune, Radiance had relented just in time, and had mistaken the wetness on her thighs for sweat. Thanks to her denied orgasm, though, Trinity's pussy was aching just as much as her butt. The only thing harder to handle was the pressing, alarming question of why she'd been so turned on by being spanked.

Trinity could only think of one answer to that, and it was the golden, mind-controlling chain Radiance could manifest with her powers. She wasn't sure how it worked just yet, since as far as anybody knew, all it did was compel obedience, not pleasure. But clearly it had been doing more than that to the captured supervillain, and Trinity was going to figure out how to deal with the wretched thing if she wanted to get out of this in one piece - physically or mentally.

She was a little offended, though, that Radiance hadn't seen fit to keep her shackled as she showered. The superhero didn't seem to be keeping much of an eye on her either, and that was doubly insulting. Firstly, it seemed like Radiance didn't really respect Trinity's ability to make some kind of miraculous escape. And secondly, well... Trinity knew she didn't have the same kind of Olympic-standard body as Radiance, but she fancied herself good to look at. And Radiance was a dyke, famously. Surely her tits were worth a peak.

Not that she wanted Radiance to think she was hot, of course. It was just the principle of the thing.

After a few more minutes spent washing herself under aggressively cold water in Radiance's spartan bathroom, Trinity got out of the shower and started drying herself with the nearest towel, trying to ignore how strongly her captor's scent was clinging to it. As soon as she was no longer dripping, she put her pants and t-shirt back on. Free of Radiance's mind control, she could at least do that much, and it made her feel better right away. Trinity hated feeling exposed.

"So, what now?" Trinity asked as she stepped out of the bathroom, drying her hair and trying to sound as confident and carefree as she could. "The rack? Do I get pelted with tomatoes? Any more totally fucked up and barbaric punishments you wanna-"

She looked up, and her lips froze at what she saw.

Radiance had just finished getting changed.

This, for Trinity, was earth-shattering. Epochal. Apocalyptic.

She'd only ever seen Radiance one way before. As far as she knew, so had everyone else. Whether she was in the flesh or on TV, she always looked just the same, in that obnoxiously-heroic white and gold costume of hers.

And now, here she was, standing there in jeans, Doc Martens, a tank top and a leather jacket. Like it was nothing.

The image simply didn't fit. There was something unthinkable about it. It felt silly, now that Trinity thought about it this way, but it was kind of like seeing your middle school teacher out at the mall. Just like your middle school teacher, Radiance wasn't supposed to be a person. She was a demigoddess. An ideal. She lived, ate and slept in her costume, mask and all. It was impossible to imagine Radiance any other way.

Casual clothes really did make her look unrecognizably different. Like this, she could have been anyone. Well, not anymore, maybe. She was still upwards of six feet tall, and muscular enough to turn every lesbian head in Future City. But still, no-one would have taken her for Radiance. It was the mask, most of all. The absence of a simple domino mask revealed all kinds of tiny lines and wrinkles around her eyes. They made her look so much less mythical. So much more human.

But she was still the superheroine who had taken Trinity captive and humiliated her. Trinity wasn't about to forget that anytime soon.

"What?" Radiance asked ruefully, once she caught Trinity staring. "Do I really look that weird out of my costume?"

"It's not that," Trinity lied, averting her gaze. "Just surprised you'd show me your face."

"I think I've been pretty clear about the fact you're not going to just walk out of this like nothing happened," Radiance told her, voice even. "By the time we're through, you're not going to be telling anyone any of my secrets."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Trinity retorted sarcastically, snorting. But she couldn't stop a chill running down her spine. Radiance had already gone much further than she ever would have guessed. Her bruised ass was proof of that.

"Speaking of which," Radiance continued smoothly, as if Trinity hadn't said anything. "That's long enough, I think."

She held up her hand, and with a flash of golden light, a long, coiled chain appeared, wrapped around her palm. She offered it towards Trinity, who winced reflexively.

"Is that really necessary?"

"What, because I was born yesterday? Yes. It's necessary." Radiance rolled her eyes.

Trinity sighed and slumped, extended her arms out to her sighs. "Fine. Go ahead. Not like I can stop you."

Radiance smirked. "What? Not going to kneel so I can collar you, like I made you do before?"

At that, Trinity snapped, just a little. "Oh, go fuck yourself! I know you've decided I'm the scum of the Earth or something, don't I still get to keep a tiny scrap of dignity? Just a little?"

"You don't deserve it. Not after what you did." But then the smirk fell from Radiance's face, and to Trinity's surprise, the superheroine looked away. "But. Fine."

With her eyes cast slightly aside, she stepped towards Trinity and carefully fastened her magical collar around the villain's neck. Trinity shivered when she felt Radiance's fingertips graze her skin, and shuddered when the end of Radiance's golden chain melted into itself, forming an unbreakable loop around her neck.

"S-so," Trinity asked as Radiance stepped back. "What's with the casual getup?"

"What?" Radiance asked, raising an eyebrow. "Can't a superheroine get dressed down, once in a while?"

Trinity crossed her arms, unimpressed. "No."

"I guess not." Radiance laughed. "Well, I was thinking: clearly, you need a different form of punishment."

Trinity's mood curdled even further at the prospect of further torment. Especially if it made her react anything like how the spanking had. "Oh."

"It seems like you and your pride don't care much about pain. Or about how you look in front of me." That wasn't exactly true, but Trinity wasn't about to tell Radiance. "So I was thinking something a little more public might prove more effective."

Fuck. Trinity's stomach was tying itself into knots. She wasn't a huge fan of being the center of attention in public. Usually, her power was good for avoiding that. "Please don't tell me I was right about the tomato-pelting."

That got a genuine giggle out of the statuesque superhero. "Not quite. I had something less messy in mind."

"Then what?"

The absurdity of Radiance's answer should have made her laugh, but instead, the hero's sinister smile sent a chill down her spine. "Put your jacket on. We're going on a date."

***

Twenty minutes, the pair of them were stood outside a lesbian bar, and Trinity was staring at Radiance with a deeply suspicious look on her face. She couldn't believe they were outside, let alone going out for a good time. Especially with Radiance dressed the way she was. There had to be some kind of trick. But for the life of her, she couldn't yet see it.

"So," Radiance said patiently. "One more time. What are the rules? Tell me."

Instantly, Trinity was hit with that now-familiar, gnawing, shivering compulsion to obey. The fact that Radiance's chain was out of sight didn't make it feel like any less of a violation. Radiance had made her slip it underneath her jacket, so that it ran from the collar down the back of her neck and out one of her sleeves, and into Radiance's waiting hand. It was a cute idea, almost. Trinity would have been a big fan of it, for anyone but her. If the two of them held hands - as Radiance had rudely insisted on - the chain disappeared up the sleeve of her own jacket, and was all but invisible as anything more than a slightly gaudy item of gold jewelry around Trinity's neck.

Trinity bristled at the very thought. Gold didn't suit her one bit. Too gaudy.

"One," she began tiredly, holding up fingers as she counted off. "No using my powers. Two, no trying to run. Three, no violence. Four, no yelling, screaming, or being generally obnoxious. Five, no telling anyone who we are, or what's going on. And six, follow your lead."

"Good!" Radiance said brightly, like she was praising a pet puppy. "I'm glad you remember."

Radiance had issued each one of those rules as commands before they left her safehouse. Trinity had already tried to break each and every one of them on the walk over. It wasn't happening.

"It's bullshit, if you ask me," Trinity grumbled mutinously, as Radiance led her inside. "I mean, 'no being obnoxious?' What kind of rule is that? It's so open to interpretation. Dumb as hell."

"You're just pissed it works," Radiance replied, distracted, as she started looking for a place to sit.

The dyke bar was dark and fairly dingy, but nonetheless impressively spacious. Outside, there had been little but a name and a sign advertising the intended clientele, and inside, there was none of the downtown glitz and glamour Trinity had been expecting from a place Radiance would take her to. Despite the small storefront, the bar extended back a long way into the building, and there were only a few women there, in small groups of two or three, or even drinking alone. Begrudgingly, Trinity admitted to herself that it was her kind of place. This was exactly the kind of bar she headed to, whenever she was looking to unwind, and maybe hook up with a girl. She felt at home there - or at least she would have done, if not for the damn chain around her neck.

"Here," Radiance said, gesturing to a couple of stools at the bar.

Trinity perched on one next to Radiance without quarrel, forced to stay on Radiance's left side by the heroine's enchanted collar and leash. She was still inspecting their surroundings, searching for any possible route to a quick escape, when the butch-looking bartender approached them.

"Hey," she said, nodding to Radiance. "The usual?"

Radiance just nodded, while Trinity's eyebrows shot into the stratosphere. The usual? Was Radiance actually a regular here?

"And for your, uh, friend?"

Trinity was about to ask for as many fingers of whiskey as the bar had to hand, when Radiance answered for her: "She doesn't drink."

The villain flashed her captor another mutinous look, but with the collar's compulsion itching at the back of her neck, she had little choice but to follow Radiance's lead. She nodded.

"Sure." The barkeeper headed off to grab Radiance's drink, and Trinity rounded on Radiance with urgent curiosity.

"This?" she spluttered. "This dive is Future City's greatest superhero's favorite haunt? Fuck, what a scoop! You really come here often?"

Radiance seemed distinctly irked by the question. "Yes. I know you don't care about other people, Shimmer, but they need to relax too. Me included."

"Jeez, I was just asking," Trinity sulked. A few long, awkward, silent moments passed. Then: "So, uh, I'm not really seeing the 'punishment' part of this whole deal."

"You will," Radiance told her grimly, as the bartender returned with her drink - a tall beer.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trinity pressed in hushed tones. "C'mon. This is a bar. I mean, seriously, what could even-"

"Woah!" came a loud, brash, feminine voice from across the room. "Now, isn't this a surprise? I never thought I'd see the day. This is usually where you come to find girls, not the place you bring one."

Trinity turned her head sharply. At one of the tables, some distance away, a group of three women were looking and waving in their direction. As unbelievable as it was, they clearly recognized Radiance, who raised her beer and nodded in their direction to acknowledge them.

"Friends of yours?" Trinity asked incredulously, as they rose from their seats and headed towards the pair.

"I wouldn't go that far," Radiance replied. "They're the punishment."

Trinity frowned. She didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"Going soft, Violet?" teased one of the women, a tall redhead in a punk jacket. "Finally got yourself a steady thing going?"

Violet? Trinity's eyes went wide. "Not my real name, idiot," Radiance hissed to her quietly.

"Never thought I'd see the day," commented one of the other women, laughing. "She must really be something special."

Trinity blinked when she realized they were talking about her.

"Oh, um, no," Trinity said quickly, blushing furiously. "We're not-"

"Special?" Radiance said to her friends coolly, interrupting the villain. "I wouldn't go that far. But she was fun, and really eager to stick around. You know the type."

As the rest of the group laughed, Trinity's cheeks burned so hot she could have sworn steam was about to come venting out of her ears. She couldn't believe Radiance was trying this. It was childish. Pathetic. And totally, totally humiliating. Trinity opened her mouth indignantly, ready to chew Radiance out.

And then discovered she couldn't say a word.

It took a moment for the penny to drop. It was that fucking rule again. Follow my lead. She had to go along with this. She didn't have a choice.

"Isn't that right, babe?" Radiance said to her, smirking knowingly.

Trinity nodded miserably, before any sound or word of agreement could force its way past her lips.

Radiance's friends - or her bar buddies, or whatever they were - all seemed to mistake her silence and flushed cheeks for pleased embarrassment, rather than humiliated fury. One of them, the punk-looking redhead, reached over to clap her on the back.

"You're a lucky one," she laughed. "The name's Ruby, by the way. You know, she never usually bothers with the same girl twice," she added, indicating Radiance. "She's a real playboy."

Now, it was Radiance's turn to look uncomfortable. Eager to even the score, Trinity looked over at her and arched an eyebrow. "Is that right?" she asked. "Babe?"

Infuriatingly, Radiance seemed to have no trouble salvaging her composure. She reached out to Trinity and brushed the back of her hand along her cheek in a devastating caress. "Don't worry your pretty head about it," she told her sweetly.

That was the end of Trinity's fun.

Once again, the other women mistook Trinity's reaction. They seemed to think she was squirming, flustered, rather than shaking with impotent, petulant rage.

"So, what makes this one so special?" asked one of the other women, peering at Trinity intently. "Did we finally find your type, Vi?"

"You're welcome to see for yourself, Daisy," Radiance replied. "She's a real good time, after all. What kind of buddy would I be if I didn't share?"

The other women all wolf-whistled appreciatively, as Trinity flashed Radiance an outraged, incredulous glare. Radiance ignored it.

"I didn't realize it was that kind of party," Daisy - a blonde with arched cheekbones, wearing a long sundress - quipped. "But who am I to refuse an invitation?"

Shivers ran down Trinity's spine when Daisy licked her lips, and rested a hand on Trinity's shoulder.

Suddenly, the other two women were staring at Trinity hungrily too. Trinity's stomach was doing loops. This was Radiance's idea of punishment? Bringing her to a quiet bar to hang out with a bunch of horny lesbians? That could have passed for a fun Friday night, most weeks. Only... only Trinity wasn't used to being the party favor. She was used to being the one orchestrating the fun. She bristled at the way these girls looked at her, but she couldn't say a thing. Radiance's golden chain was keeping her just as silenced as if she'd had a gag in her mouth. No, worse. If she'd been gagged, she could have at least whined and growled and shook her head. Instead, she could only sit there, meekly and uselessly, and let it all happen.

Just like being spanked, it was infuriating and humiliating in equal measure.

And just like being spanked, it was making her wildly, wildly turned on.

Trinity just couldn't help it. Her body was responding against her wishes. The searing heat in her cheeks was, slowly but surely, spreading throughout her body, and she found herself hyperaware of the delicate sensation of Daisy's long fingernails resting on her shoulder. Each the pretty, looming femme squeezed or relaxed her grip a little, Trinity found herself shivering.

No. Not like this. Not again. Trinity tried as hard as she could to fend off the arousal, to snap herself out of this strange mood. But it was no use. She couldn't think, not with all these undeniably-attractive women salivating over her like a piece of meat. If she could only have a moment to collect herself... but the fallen supervillain knew that wish was just as futile as it had been when she was bent over Radiance's lap. It wasn't going to happen. The superhero had made it very, very clear that she wasn't in the mood to show mercy.

"She's pretty," one of the other women said thoughtfully. "Seems shy, though. Not the kind of girl you'd find cruising around here. Where did you pick this one up?" She looked at Radiance.

"That's a long story, Casey."

"Maybe she likes the shy types," put in Ruby, smirking. "That what really gets you going, Vi?"

Radiance shrugged, smiling knowingly. "Who knows? Though, trust me, she's not as shy as she looks. Not where it counts, at least."

That comment, accompanied by a wink, brought forth another chorus of raucous laughter. Trinity clasped her hands together, flushed and breathless, trying to shrink further into her seat. It was too much. They were looking at her. Laughing at her. She felt like some kind of prized pet, being shown off and expected to do tricks. And the worst part was that she would, if Radiance told her to. She didn't have a choice. Trinity, despite her choice of occupation, had never much liked being the star of the show. One virtue of her power was that it made it effortless to step out of the spotlight, if she so chose. She could make people ignore her, or forget all about her. But now, there was no escape.