#Albatross gets giddy every time someone says it back

[petitesmafia]

hc the Flags are obviously very close and love each other a lot but Albatross is particularly vocal about his affection...one of his habits is saying “love u bro!” (note: he always looks expectantly at Chuuya and Iceman to say it back. they pretend they don’t notice.)

Albatross: ‘kay I’m heading out! see u in a few days! love u my bro Chuuya: yeah safe travels Albatross, stopping at the door: I said LOVE U BRO Chuuya: yeah I heard. stay safe Albatross: SAY IT BACK Chuuya, flustered: GET GOING

Albatross: gotta dash— let’s meet tonight. love u guys Pianoman, Lippmann, Doc: love u too Chuuya: see ya Iceman: be careful Albatross: Chuuya & Iceman: Albatross, mimicking Chuuya’s voice: love u too bro~ Albatross, switching back to his own voice: ahhh thanks! bye!!! Chuuya:

[artificialqueens]

Flower Files, Part 4 (Malaska, Courtya) - Albatross

AN: Been awhile but I’m hoping to get back into posting soon!

Bonus points if you know what anime inspired chapter 7!

Chapter 7: Malaska

A perfectly sunny day, a light breeze, and a casual stroll through the botanical gardens with her girlfriend…what more could Alaska want on a Saturday afternoon?

She used to visit the garden often as a kid, both with her family and with her school. It was one of her favorite memories from childhood and now as an adult, she’s come to love the gardens even more. There was just something so relaxing about wandering through all the rows of flowers and trees, watching the birds and butterflies dart through and around you, sitting on one of the cozy little benches as the ducks and geese swam around the many man-made ponds. She could hardly believe it when Manila had told her that she’d never been to the gardens before!

She booked their tickets for the following weekend, excited to share the beauty of the gardens with someone for the very first time. And Manila’s first reaction didn’t disappoint. As soon as they stepped beyond the ivy covered entrance gate, her eyes went wide with glee and wonder.

Everywhere you turned there was an overflowing abundance of colorful plants, sculptures or wildlife. Butterflies flew haphazardly between the people, sampling all the flowers as they spread out their beautiful wings. Birds sang in the trees, picked seeds or bugs from the plants, or drank from the babbling bird baths scattered through the park. The air smelled absolutely fragrant and alive as you passed between all the clusters of different flowers.

She looked so blissfully dazed as she rushed from one display piece to the next, determined not to miss anything. Manila read through all the little placards she could find, learning about the history of the gardens, donation stories of particular plant species or sculptures, or simply how to identify the different animals and insects that also visited the garden.

Alaska hung back, letting Manila explore at her own pace, as she drank the iced tea she bought from the kiosk next to the Conservatory. She wanted to save the indoor portion of the garden for last; it was, in her opinion, the most impressive of everything the nature preserve had to offer. And Manila was fine with waiting until the end to see it, though it certainly did pique her curiosity.

In the meantime, they made a loop around the landscape, visiting the pollinator fields, the hedge maze and topiary section, even catching one of the fountain shows that played every hour. As they finally circled back to the Conservatory, Manila felt a rush of excitement as they opened the doors to the expansive greenhouse.

Alaska was right to save it for last, Manila thought to herself. 

The first step inside absolutely took her breath away; full grown trees greeted them, as did hanging clumps of flowers and vines. The middle of the floor was sunken in and flooded, curtesy of the miniature waterfall at the other end of the room being fed from an outdoor pond. Floating plants drifted with the man-made current, swirling gently to create a mesmerizing sight. Lily pads littered the surface in so many colors that Manila could hardly believe it; it was like seeing one of Monet’s paintings in real life!

Everywhere she looked, there was a new species of plant that she had never seen before; all of them so bright and eye catching. Manila insisted on visiting every section of the greenhouse that was open to the public, including the children’s garden. Alaska followed behind, snapping a few pictures here and there, sometimes of the flowers but most of her girlfriend’s infectious smile.

As she was trying to focus her phone’s camera on a clump of blue and purple hydrangeas, Alaska felt a pair of arms wrapping snuggly around her waist. A swift kiss was pressed to her cheek just before she heard Manila urging, “Follow me!”

“Okay,” Alaska laughed, taking a quick picture and shoving her phone back into her pocket, “Why though?”

“I found something that reminds me of you!” she boasted, a secretive little smile playing out on her lips.

Unfortunately, Alaska was all too familiar with this situation. Certain memories of childhood teasing that were best left forgotten began to creep in at the edges of her mind. Sighing heavily, she dragged her feet and warned, “Is it that statue? Because I’ve already heard that joke before.”

Too much, she thought bitterly. She could almost hear her classmates comparing her to the gangly, oversized statue once again. The one whose limbs looked stretched until they barely resembled a human’s. The one whose perfectly pale marble expression looked almost like an imitation of The Scream and whose creepy pose of outstretched arms reaching for the flowers surrounding her haunted several children’s nightmares. The one that utterly and completely towered over most kids that came to visit…except for Alaska, of course. It’s head was only a few inches higher than her own when her class had visited the gardens in elementary school but the similarities of skin tone, height, and awkward proportions were more than enough for her classmates to compare her to the disturbing looking fixture.

As Manila continued to drag Alaska towards what she had discovered, she twisted her head around to look at her girlfriend with a mild degree of confusion. “Statue?” she asked curiously.

“The one they put in the middle of the children’s garden?” Alaska explained. Upon seeing Manila’s blank face, she added in with a groan, “The creepy one that looks like a cousin of slenderman? ‘Flower girl’, it’s called, I think?”

Shaking her head, Manila replied, “No…just wait, it’s over here.” 

Rounding the last corner of the pathway, Manila led her on for another 3 yards before stopping in the small clearing surrounding a miniature fountain. Pointing proudly to the Birds of Paradise encircling the bubbling water fixture, Manila exclaimed, “These!”

Leaning heavily against her girlfriend, Manila laced their fingers together as she explained, “These remind me of you cause they’re so unique. There’s nothing else around here that looks like them, or are as colorful…And it kinda looks like they’re all facing the sun, the way you do. You always keep your head up and try to see the positive in everything.” Pressing a swift, gentle kiss to Alaska’s jawline, Manila concluded with, “They just make me happy to look at, like you do. That’s why I thought of you when I found them.”

A rush of warmth quickly spread through Alaska’s chest until it was concentrated right at the center of her heart. Her emotions felt like they were bubbling to surface only to get caught in her throat leaving her unable to truly express just how happy and loved she felt. Instead all she could do was pull Manila in for a proper kiss, passionate and deep, letting her actions explain everything her tongue couldn’t.

When they reluctantly broke apart, foreheads resting against one another and perfectly jubilant smiles stretching across both women’s lips, Alaska finally found the voice to speak. “You’re the sweetest, you know that?” she whispered low enough for only them alone to hear.

“Only with you,” Manila replied coyly. “You wanna go check out the rest of the greenhouse now?”

Laughing, Alaska pulled away and took another appreciative look at the flowers. “In a minute,” she said. “I wanna look at these just a little longer.”

Chapter 8: Courtya

It took almost three full days but Katya was finally unpacked. A brand new apartment, all her own, that she could enjoy for the first time in her life. From the time she started college, moved out of her parent’s house, and all the way up until this last promotion at work, she’d always lived with at least one other person. Sometimes family, sometimes a girlfriend but usually just someone she sort of got along with and could help pay rent. She never had a place that was wholly and truly her’s…until now. 

To say she was excited would be a massive understatement; it felt like a huge milestone she’d been putting off because she never felt financially secure or even just brave enough at times to try living alone. But now that time was finally here; a chance to make this space her own. A chance to turn this apartment into a home.

Arranging the move and packing up everything had been the easy part, she soon discovered. The unpacking and reorganizing…not so much. But then again, order and discipline never really was her strong suit. Often she found herself getting so sidetracked looking for  just one specific thing among all the boxes, that she’d forget to put away anything else in the meantime. It added quite a bit of time to her unpacking and usually led to a rather large mess in most of her rooms. 

But after working almost nonstop for three days straight, everything eventually found a place in her new home. All that was left was to place the flattened boxes outside with the recyclables and dispose of all the packaging supplies. Then she could relax and settle in for this new chapter of her life.

Somewhere between the move itself on Friday and the unpacking that took over the majority of her weekend, Katya managed to spare a few minutes to answer her texts. Most were congratulatory, others offered moving tips or even to come and help. But one person actually asked if they could come over for a visit; Courtney.

A rush of giddiness swept through Katya in spite of the exhaustion seeping out from every pore. She couldn’t think of a better first houseguest than Courtney…and with any luck she can recommend a good restaurant or two nearby while Katya tried to find the energy to go grocery shopping. 

Her fingers typed out her new address at a lightning quick speed and within minutes Courtney announced that she was on her way over. 

If anyone asked, Katya would deny to her last breath that a delighted little squeal emanated from her lips as she read the message. No, she would simply say that she reviewed the text calmly , set down her phone on the kitchen counter, and walked over to the bathroom to freshen up. Because after all, who, after spending a long, exhausting day running around their apartment, moving furniture to just the right spot, arranging all of their little knickknacks and collectibles perfectly on the shelves and tucking away all of the other housing essentials, wouldn’t want to take a nice, hot shower and clean up a little? Particularly if they knew that company near and dear to their heart would be coming over very soon. 

So one quick shower and a fresh pair of clothes later, Katya was back to laying on the couch and anxiously awaiting a knock on her door. Just a few minutes after her TV show flipped to the next episode, Courtney announced her presence. 

Katya sprung from the couch and opened her front door with an exuberant smile on her face. Courtney’s excitement easily matched Katya’s own as a wide grin stretched from ear to ear, brightening the world around her. 

“Congrats on the new apartment!” she commended. Somehow her smile seemed to grow as she raised the leafy parcel in her hands. “Brought you a housewarming gift.”

Courtney held out a large, vibrant plant towards Katya, earning a muffled sound of joy. Eagerly accepting the gift, Katya wrapped her hands around the pot, letting her fingers brush against Courtney’s as they carefully exchanged ownership. 

“Thanks!” Katya exclaimed, carefully examining her new plant, “You shouldn’t ha-” Wait a minute. Her smile fell into something of a pout as the excitement quickly drained from her voice. ”…this is plastic,” she said flatly.

“Uh huh,” Courtney agreed, a pleasant smile still plastered on her face. Her eyes, however, now held a teasing glint in them. “And after you prove you can take care of this little guy, I’ll buy you a real one.” Her lips curled into a smirk as she continued on with, “You know, finding a nice sunny spot to put it, rotating the pot, dusting it every now and then. Perhaps even… weekly,” she mocked in a stage-whisper.

“You fucking bitch,” Katya grinned, side stepping the door. “Come on in…By the way, you wanna get something to eat with me? I’m starving.“

[lucadina]

Enigma Girl

Rating: T

Pairing: Eren x Annie

You can also read this on FFN!

Annie Leonhart is an enigma.

Eren can never tell what's on her mind. He assumes, however, that there is a an albatross of a secret lurking behind those bright, blue eyes of hers. He catches glimpses here and there of a secret self when life brims on her usually cold features as she connects the sharp bone of her shin to his shoulder.

He'd fall to the ground, bolts of pain shooting up his back, and yet it all dissipates because of her. For when he looks up, he sees the numbing sight of an Annie who looks alive. Her skin tinged pink with heat and sweat, pupils blown wide with adrenaline— alive, full of giddy pride, irrefutably human.

Before he realises it, he chases after that Annie. And it's almost as though she's picked up on his intrigue, as she's begun avoiding him since he's made that one (failed) attempt for her mouth.

Annie keeps her distance because she knows that he can't.

Today, the sun is scorching hot and cloudless skies are heavy on the trainees' shoulders. It's hard to keep one's head up, but they all do so because anything less will incite a verbal beating from Satan's stepbrother, Keith Shadis. That, or the devil's students are driven by a formidable sense of duty that remains unshakable even in the most uncomfortable weather conditions — the latter is precisely why Eren looks forward to the next couple of hours of hand-to-hand combat training while the majority pray silently for respite.

'Find a partner!' Shadis barks. The cadets scramble to do so.

Well, most of them do.

Annie doesn't.

Amidst the jumble of a dispersing crowd, her lithe, unsuspecting frame easily slips away, unnoticed by all with the exception of Eren Yeager. He catches her from his peripheral, and has the bad sense to follow her into the forest. Considering that unlike Annie, he sticks out like a sore thumb, he strategically walks behind Shadis' field of vision as he beelines for the trees. He catches up to her by the riverside, where she's staring off into the water, her back to him.

Though he cannot see her face, he imagines it to be peaceful. For a second, he envies the river.

'Hey, Annie!' he calls out, she whips around and glares - he doesn't give a shit, 'You promised that you'd teach me that move from yesterday!'

'Go away, Yeager. You're robbing me of my alone-time.'

'Right, uh-huh— you're always alone, Annie.'

She says nothing, but places her hands on her waist and cocks her hip to the side as if to say so what?

'Come on, Annie. Would it kill you to just... give me some of this?'

'Some of what?'

'Your time.'

'What on earth do you want to do with that?' she presses her back up against a tree, folds her arms, and raises her brows at him, 'Is there something you want from me other than a good beating? Cause if it's a kiss you want, thought I made it clear last time that you're not getting one.'

'No, I just—' his jaw hangs ajar, half-formed words choking to a halt in his throat. He hadn't expected her to put him on the spot like that because frankly, he finds himself creepy for wanting to dig into her soul. Eventually, he regains some semblance of composure, albeit his voice is softer than the shaky breath he takes in to steel himself, 'We're comrades. I have fun with you. Spending time together... isn't that what friends do?'

Preposterous; it nearly gets her to crack a smile— but alright, his insistence has piqued her interest and she's willing to bite for now, 'Eren, we literally do nothing except beat the shit out of each other. We're not friends, not even close.'

'Well, that's your fault!' he fumes, 'I've tried to sit with you for dinner, just for you to stand up and leave-'

'I don't like the murderous look your bodyguard shoots me.'

'I try to talk to you outside of training-'

'I don't talk, period.'

'And when I try to take breaks during hand-to-hand combat to maybe have a conversation, you shut me down by pummelling me to the ground!' he bellows the last phrase, prompting Annie to fist the fabric of his uniform jacket and pull him down. Before he can protest, her hand is already on his mouth. She nudges his kneecap with a thigh, throwing him off-balance so that he topples backwards onto the grass on his ass. She goes limp, allowing herself to go with the motions. Then she's on top of him, palming his shoulders to lift herself up, levelling her eyes to his.

Eren squirms. Man, she's a cunt. It's fucking hot today.

'You have fun when we spar?' Annie has that look on her face again, as though she were looking at something— at someone — too stupid to exist, 'When my father taught me my moves, it was anything but fun,' she leans in, presses her lips against the junction of his jaw and ear, and he shudders involuntarily when she speaks again, 'Not a day of rest, from sunrise to sundown, every damn day— absolute obedience,' her voice drops to a whisper, 'Once... I wanted to kill him.'

'Did you?'

Annie's hands travel to the back of her his head, cold fingers entwining with his coffee locks, 'No.'

He sighs, relieved, letting out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding in, 'Then-'

'I settled for crushing his left leg.'

By the way the whole of his body tenses beneath her, she's become conscious of the dark lick she's just sent up his spine. With a wicked half-grin, she tugs at his hair lightly, tilting him as she moves her lips to the pulsating vein of his neck. His breathing turns ragged. She inhales the scent of his skin, faintly smelling of bread (it was his turn in the kitchen that morning) and holiday wood.

'What are you doing?'

'Making friends,' she smiles into his pulse.

He can feel her teeth on him.

She's all teeth, and yet he chooses to lean in.

His own hands, which have been supporting his (their) weight on the ground at his sides, begin to ache. He moves one, to the dip of her waist, up the contour of her torso, winding up with her hair-bun in its grasp. She stiffens, but says nothing. A moment passes, then he tugs hard, whipping her head back so she's forced to stare into his blazingly verdant eyes, brighter and wilder than the overgrown green of the forest around them. He is a fire no one can put out, a bursting line of flames searing her. He is unrelenting, and he won't stop until he burns with her, until he unearths the Pandora's box that she keeps under lock and key.

He feels her go taut, sees her eyes go empty— she's retreating into the labyrinth of her mind, as far away from him as possible.

In a desperate attempt to reel her back in, he asks that one burning question, 'What's your secret, Annie?'

'If I tell you, then it's not much of a secret, is it?'

'Ah-hah, so you are hiding something.'

'We all have our secrets, Yeager,' she digs her nails into his scalp, dragging out a low hiss from him, 'Mine stay buried, until I follow them straight to the grave. Maybe the day you know me— the real me — is the day you bury me.'

His heart is hammering against his chest. He lets her hair go, trails his long fingers around to caress a pale cheek, which he cups with surprising tenderness, 'What if...'

'What?'

'What if I don't want to bury you?'

Comfort is foreign to her. Nevertheless, she welcomes the warm prickle where her heart should be. He makes her want to smile again; this naive, passionate boy is making her smile. It's unbecoming of a warrior. Despite knowing all this, she tilts her face to kiss his wrist, 'You will. You'll want to.'

'You're wrong.' I'd never do that, not to you. Annie is unmoving, her lips linger on his skin in what can only be described as a display of affection - so unlike her. It fascinates him, the thrilling puzzle that is Annie Leonhart. He smirks, 'Thought you said I'd never get a kiss from you.'

'Ah...' her eyes fly to him, almost fearful, like she's just made a grave mistake, though her gaze is careful, effervescent with specks of ice foiling beneath the sweltering sunlight, 'But it's not the kiss you want, is it?'

'You don't know what I want.'

'So enlighten me.'

His heart jumps up, pounding against the constricting walls of his throat. Thankfully, he's always been a brave one; the hand he has on her cheek slides to the underside of her jaw, sloping so that she's angled to look up at him. Beneath his fingers, he feels her heart beating faster than normal, and he turns light-headed at the thought that he's done that to her.

'Eren Yeager,' she growls, defensive, fearful, 'What do you want from me?'

'I want to learn how to talk to girls,' he pauses when she fails to react, which he takes as permission to confess, 'I want to learn how to talk to you.'

Annie smiles sadly.

She's beautiful when the frost of her eyes melts to expose the truth she tries so hard to conceal; she's not a soldier. She's soft and desperate for him, which he's already surmised because he's the only person she gives the time of day to. Even so, she keeps him at arm's length— close enough to taste, not to be touched by. She is a lion, even in her cage, still a lion. He can't get too close. It's her birthright to bite.

Perhaps it is precisely since he's broken this boundary that she raises her hackles just as swiftly as she's bared her spirit.

He's burned her, singed her with the humanity she wishes for.

Annie pulls his head back with so much force, he's convinced it's an attempt to rip his hair clean off his scalp. 'We're done here,' she declares, rising to her feet while he rubs the back of his head, 'Now if there's nothing else, fuck off.'

'Annie.'

'We are not friends.'

He silently agrees. 

[artificialqueens]

The Language of Flowers, Chapter 2.5 (Multi) - Albatross

AN: Well the first Witney/Courtney-centric chapter is here and as mentioned before; they’ll have a .5 in the title to distinguish from the Shinkx-centric chapters. Trixya will start appearing in the next chapter and will be featured about equally on both sides. The next update for this particular piece should be up in about 4-5 weeks. I’ve finally gotten a start on the sequel to ‘Say My Name’ and the first half of that will be posted in two weeks. Not sure about the title yet but its going to feature a throuple, so yay for that people who’ve been asking for more throuple fics.

“Maybe it’s time for a change,” Katya suggested in a casual voice as she sipped her soda, “This could be the sign you’re looking for.”

Courtney groaned as her head fell forward into her arms and collapsed against the granite island counter top in her neighbor’s kitchen. She really did not want to deal with this right now; earlier today she had just received word from her upper management that the office would be relocating at the end of the month. 'Don’t worry,’ they assured her. She’ll still have her job…she’ll just need to commute 40 minutes to get there…provided that traffic isn’t too heavy on the way, of course. Besides, what are the chances of traffic backing up during rush hour?

What a load of bullshit…But Courtney would never say that to them; she just grinned and told them she’d think about it over the weekend before confirming that she’ll be moving along with the rest of the staff. They were very agreeable, she had to admit, they even offered a small pay increase to offset the cost of gas but still…a 40-minute minimum drive every day? Both ways? God, this day just sucks!

“I don’t know what else I can do, Kat!” she exclaimed in a beaten voice. “Our rent’s already skyrocketed and I don’t have time to find anywhere cheaper. Where else can I find a job that pays this well on such short notice?”

“You could always move in with me,” Katya said suggestively. Even before Courtney raised her head, she knew Katya was doing that stupid eyebrow wiggle that would almost always crack her up. Today however, it only did half of the job but at least it got a smile out of her.

“Hard pass,” Courtney shot back firmly. “I hear enough of you across the hall as it is. Don’t need to be sharing a bathroom and bedroom wall with you too.”

“Can’t say I don’t get good reviews,” she stated proudly. “And speaking of reviews; why don’t you give me yours tonight?”

Suspiciously, Courtney asked, “For your show or…?”

“Both,” Katya replied with a flirty wink. Courtney didn’t bother to hide her less than amused expression until Katya finally cracked in her facade and broke down laughing. “Fine, just the show,” she relented through her own amused chuckling.

“Alright,” Courtney said with a sigh, “I’ve got nothing better to do. Why not drown myself in alcohol as well?”

“Great! Besides, there’s someone I want you to meet…” Katya mentioned with a secretive smile.

Immediately a red flag went up in Courtney’s mind as she asked warningly, “You’re not trying to set me up on a blind date, are you?”

“No, this one’s mine…for now…” the younger blonde reassured her yet couldn’t resist the temptation to add in, “But if you like her, I’m willing to share.”

“No.”

“Fine, don’t say I didn’t offer,” Katya replied with a bright, yet concerning smile. “I think you’ll find her…interesting.”

“Can’t wait,” Courtney responded with a sarcastic eye roll.

***********

As Courtney has learned from plenty of experience with Katya; you should always be wary whenever she gets mysterious. If there is ever a time when she’s not gleefully telling you what she’s thinking, no matter how bizarre or off topic it seems, always proceed with caution. And tonight that’s exactly what Courtney was determined to do. She’s known for quite awhile that Katya has been a regular performer at the local burlesque shows but she had yet to see any of her recent gigs. Katya often raved how she’s changed her act up over the last few months, sometimes working with a partner and other times not, but Courtney has been leery about attending ever since a rather raunchy display she had witnessed some two years ago, courtesy of Katya dragging her there after work one day. To put it bluntly, more modesty could be seen in most porn she had watched than what had been showcased on the stage that night. Needless to say, Courtney was somewhat reluctant to experience a second round of that mentally scarring performance but the number of drinks she was planning on consuming tonight would probably be enough to block any memory from forming…so she hoped. And she was well on her way to reaching that amount by the time Katya’s number had actually started.

If you asked Courtney how Katya’s act had gone over, she could say with perfect honesty that the crowd loved it. She distinctly remembers the other patrons screaming their heads off and throwing tips to the stage, all while begging for more. If you asked her what Katya actually did during her performance, then you might get a vague or fudged answer. To her irritation, she spent the majority of her time trying to peek through the bobbing heads and flailing arms just to get a glimpse of what Katya was doing. If the silhouette reflected on the walls behind her were anything to judge by, then the blocked view might have been a blessing in disguise. Every so often Courtney was able to spot Katya between the gaps in the crowd and she had to admit, Katya looked absolutely stunning tonight. Her make up was flawless as far she could tell with the distance and her body was perfectly toned and showing just the right amount of skin in her tight leather outfit. It wasn’t too gaudy nor too conservative and Courtney would bet anything that someone else helped her pick it out. Not to say that Katya couldn’t have found it on her own but her style always tended to be more flashy and this particular outfit looked just bit out of her normal comfort zone…more subdued and mature than what Courtney remembered from the last show.

All too quickly, Katya finished her number to the roar of the crowd and Courtney was left to make her way back to the bar. Within a few minutes, the giddy blonde joined her, now changed into more comfortable every-day clothing and eager to listen to Courtney’s review. Not wanting to disappoint her friend by admitting she couldn’t even see most of the show aside from what the shadows implied, Courtney exclaimed repeatedly how much the crowd had gone wild when she took the stage and of course complimented her whole look tonight. Katya drank it up with a bright smile and ordered herself a bottle of water to re-hydrate after such an intense performance. As she slowly winded down, Courtney asked about the person she was supposed to be introduced to. Katya’s smile grew to an alarming size as she told Courtney that the woman in question was actually the one performing at the moment and pointed towards the stage. Curiously, Courtney turned away from her friend in time to see a body wrapped around a flimsy ring become suspended into the air. An audible gasp left her as watched the young woman twisting her limbs effortlessly as though she weren’t hanging several feet above the crowd and easily could come crashing to the floor with one wrong move.

Reality had a way of escaping as Courtney stood mesmerized by the performance but by the time the mystery woman descended and disappeared backstage, the ice in her glass had mostly melted and Katya’s water bottle had been replaced with a soda. “She’s something, huh?” Katya asked knowingly.

“I’ll say,” Courtney replied, thoroughly impressed by the show.

With a playful wink, Katya added in, “Should see her in bed…loves the kinky shit.”

At the moment Katya made her last comment, Courtney had the misfortune to have been taking a sip of her drink and promptly began choking as the implication registered in her mind. “You and her have already…?” she asked in disbelief as she grabbed a napkin to clean up the mess she had made.

“Yep, for the past couple of weeks,” Katya confirmed proudly. Doing her best to sound enticing, she proposed, “And there’s still room for one more…we’ll go easy on you…at first.”

Courtney couldn’t even bring herself to dignify the offer with a verbal response. She simply glared at Katya until she had the good grace to give a slightly shamefaced smile. Shaking her head in disbelief, Courtney asked aloud, “Why am I friends with you again?”

Katya’s only reaction was to let out her trademark cackle and press a soft kiss to Courtney’s cheek as a way of apology. “Save some action for me, Kat,” a voice called out teasingly.

Still in the same outfit she had just finished performing in, the young and slightly out of breath entertainer joined the two blondes at the bar and flagged down one of the servers. As they waited for her drink to be mixed, Katya introduced the two women, “Court, this is Violet. Violet, this is Courtney, my neighbor from across the hall.”

“Ah, so you’re the one I’ve heard about,” Violet mused as she took the first sip of her drink.

Shooting a wary look toward Katya, Courtney asked, “What have you heard exactly?”

Giving a dismissive wave of her hand, Violet replied nonchalantly, “Nothing bad, just that you’re joining us tonight.”

“Katya!” Courtney all but screamed at her friend. Her cheeks were a fiery red as she turned to glare the other blonde but the way she was struggling not to laugh gave Courtney reason to pause. Glancing back at Violet, she found the younger woman watching her in amusement and suddenly it clicked that they were just trying to rile her up. Rubbing her fingers along her temple, she grumbled, “This is going to be a long night, isn’t it?” and ordered another much stronger drink.

**********************

Looking back, perhaps she ought to have begun ordering fewer drinks once the night had turned into the next day. Perhaps she ought to have just stopped drinking altogether after realizing she had been bitching about her job for the last half hour. And perhaps she ought to have called it a night once she found herself eyeing up both of the younger women consideringly. But the moment she knew that she was absolutely, 100%, without a doubt in too deep was when she found herself in the back seat of an Uber making out with a certain someone who may or may not have been her neighbor. Her entire body felt overheated and on edge as she frantically clutched at the other woman’s clothes in a halfhearted attempt to remove them. A hand brushed hers away every time she began making process and when she finally pulled away to question it, she found a brunette eagerly awaiting to capture her lips herself. The last thing Courtney truly remembered was a hand carefully cradling her cheek as a tongue licked its way into her mouth with considerable practice.

Some time later, Courtney found herself waking up on a couch she vaguely recognized as Katya’s, listening to some very vocal calls of said woman’s name. If she had to guess, she’d say Violet was fully enjoying herself at the moment but hardly the same could be said for Courtney. She was very tempted to wander across the hall back to her own apartment but the instant she tried sitting up, her head began spinning and throbbing to the point where it was not worth the effort. Falling back onto the couch, she wrapped herself in a blanket Katya must have draped over her and buried her head beneath the throw pillow in a futile attempt to block out the noises drifting from the bedroom. By the time she fell asleep, Courtney felt confident she could probably give a more accurate description of what Katya had been doing to Violet than what had gone on during her performance. If she had to choose two words to describe Violet after just meeting her tonight, they would undoubtedly be 'loud’ and 'explicit’.

When Courtney awoke the second time, she found herself feeling decidedly worse and even the smell of food did nothing to improve her mood. Katya could be heard singing/screaming off key somewhere behind her as she clanged around in the kitchen. Grumbling to herself, Courtney rolled off the couch and groggily made her way to the island countertop. Seating herself parallel to Violet, who seemed to be borrowing some of Katya’s garish clothing for the time being, she slumped over the counter and held her hands out imploringly for coffee. Sliding her own mug across the empty space into the awaiting grasp, Violet greeted her with a taunting, “Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?”

Glaring at her as she took a deep swig, Courtney swallowed the much needed caffeine and asked reluctantly, “What happened last night?”

Without missing a beat, Katya brightly asked as she prepared their breakfast, “Before or after you passed out on the couch?”

“Before,” Courtney replied in a no-nonsense tone, “I heard quite enough this morning to piece together what happened after.”

Taking pity on the hungover blonde, Violet gave her a very brief and very censored version of the previous night’s events following their introduction to one another. Evidently, Courtney had drank far more than she had originally planned and some time after she met Violet, it began to take its effect. Aside from her alcohol-induced ranting about the recent ultimatum with her job, apparently Courtney also had hit on the very openly gay bartender (who promptly confiscated her keys) and nearly got into a fight after someone had spilled their drink on her shoes. The two women ushered her out of the club before anything became physical and no sooner had they entered the Uber driver’s car than Courtney decided then would be the best time to force her tongue down Katya’s throat.

Although Katya was snickering in the background at this part, Courtney had never felt more ashamed and was instantly apologizing for her actions to both women. Each brushed it off and began eating the meal that Katya had finished placing in front of them; a slightly burnt, semi-circular mystery food that ended up looking more like thick crepes than the fluffy pancakes they were probably intended to be. They tasted much better than they looked to each of the women’s secret relief…especially after you cut off the blackened edges. Downing more of the coffee, Courtney asked what happened after they arrived back at the apartment complex.

“Well, Violet and I were going to put you to bed but it seems your apartment key was also on the same ring as your car keys- you’ll need to stop back at the club later to pick those up by the way…So we brought you back to my place and got you settled in on the couch…We didn’t think you’d want to wake up in my bed to find Vi bent over with a-”

“No! Thanks!” Courtney interrupted with wide eyes, “Don’t need to hear any more about that, trust me. Heard plenty already.”

“You were right, Kat…” Violet interjected with a teasing smile, “She is cute when she gets flustered.”

Narrowing her eyes at both women, Courtney drained the final remnants within the mug and muttered, “I hate you both.”

Leaning forward to pry the cup from the older blonde’s resisting hands, Violet asked casually, “So what job is horrible enough that it drove you to drink as much as you did?”

While Violet poured a second mugful, Courtney groaned softly and replied, “It’s not the work itself that’s the problem; it’s the fact that starting next month, I’m now going to have to drive probably an hour both ways every day to get to it! If I enjoyed the position more maybe it’d be a different story but…I’m just not happy there. I miss my old job, to be honest.”

Pushing the steaming cup back in front of the Aussie, Violet proposed simply, “Then why not go back to it?”

“The pay wasn’t as good…” Courtney admitted as she took a shallow sip, “And it was barely more than part time…I was working at a clothing boutique as well to cover the missing hours.”

“Mm…if you don’t mind me asking, where was the job at?” Violet asked curiously.

“The flower shop on 34th,” Courtney stated with a hint of longing in her voice, “'Marcie’s Marvelous Arrangements’. You know, the one right across from cafe?”

Nodding, Violet answered calmly, “Uh-huh, I’m very familiar with that place…They’re one of my biggest competitors…One of my previous assistants left to go work there a few months ago…”

“Oh! Sorry,” Courtney apologized as her cheeks filled with pink.

“Don’t be. Her choice, not yours…” Violet told her kindly. “But, you know…if you’re interested…I do have a full-time position for a florist that needs filled…and I can guarantee we’ll pay you better than at Marcie’s.”

“Really?” Courtney exclaimed gleefully. Suddenly her hangover seemed much more manageable than it had five minutes ago.

“Uh-huh,” Violet drew out with a lazy smile as she side-eyed the other blonde, “It’s funny…I could have sworn that just the other day I was telling Katya what a difficult time I was having finding another florist.”

Not even daring to make eye contact with the other women, the grinning blonde choked back a laugh and replied in a strained voice, “Did you? Don’t remember. Maybe that collar was tighter than I thought last night.”

“Mh-mm,” Violet said with a knowing tone as she leant with her hand on her cheek, “Must have been…Hard to imagine you pulling off a stunt like this without blurting it out midway through. Isn’t it nice when things work out, though?”

**************

Some time after breakfast, Courtney showered and changed into some of Katya’s less flamboyant clothes before taking an Uber with Violet back to the club to pick up her keys and car. While she was there, she apologized repeatedly to the bartender (after Violet pointed out which one it was) for her behavior the previous night. He accepted with a gracious smile and informed her that she wasn’t the first and probably wouldn’t be the last any time soon. She left feeling a good deal less shameful than when she had arrived and drove Violet back to her own apartment. As she dropped her off, Violet asked her to come by the flower shop tomorrow afternoon to sign the paperwork for her job offer. She was very adamant that it be in the mid-afternoon as it would be less busy and of course, her business partner would also be there to meet her. Courtney admitted that she was rather excited to meet her future boss but the way Violet had snickered at that statement gave her cause for alarm…and as it turned out; that feeling was quite an understatement.

If she had any idea what Sharon would be like upon meeting her, she would have been far less optimistic as she walked into the shop for the first time. The older woman seemed friendly enough at first; she greeted her with a welcoming smile and asked how she could help her but before Courtney was able to get a single word out, Violet swept in beside her and announced sweetly that Courtney was about to become their newest florist.

“What?” Sharon asked venomously as a scowl worked its way across her lips.

Unaffected, Violet reiterated in a defiant tone, “You said we needed a third assistant so I went and found one.”

Courtney could hear the shop’s door opening behind her but the majority of her attention was on the sudden realization that this was all news to Sharon. The resentful look on her face deepened as she replied sarcastically, “And let me guess, this one’s name is Daisy or Lily or some shit?”

Violet’s lips curled into a smirk as she replied coolly, “Nope…it’s Courtney.”

“Right…And what’s her last name then?” Sharon scoffed as though she were waiting for unwanted punchline from the younger woman.

“'Act’,” Courtney supplied with a friendly smile. Sharon’s eyebrow arched at her voice, seemingly caught off guard by the accent. Not that this was an unusual occurrence but the icy glare that seemed to be boring deep into her soul was a little more than unsettling at the moment. She almost wanted to crawl into a pit and die as Sharon stared at her like she was some insignificant insect unworthy of her time. Her gaze barely left Courtney’s as she traded cutting remarks with Violet, who simply deflected every possible argument she could have had with considerable ease. She clearly had years of experience butting heads with Sharon and now she was an expert in providing rational counter-statements in the most annoying way she could manage.

Courtney stood awkwardly at the counter as she tried not to fidget with the sleeves of her sweater; she was unused to being argued over as though she weren’t even there. Even when she chanced a glance towards the shop’s work area, she found that the only other shop assistant was looking quite uncomfortable as well. It seemed as though she were debating if she should leave the room or not. When Sharon finally began to address her personally, Courtney did her best to remain polite and friendly. Her answers were honest regarding her past experience at 'Marcie’s’ but Sharon was not the type to be easily impressed, even though Violet pointed out that their other assistants came in with no experience whatsoever and they had worked out well. That particular comment earned a powerful glare from the older blonde.

Finally after what felt like hours of debate and interrogation, Sharon relented with a very long-suffering sigh and proceeded to print off the paperwork. With the older woman’s guidance, Courtney rushed through adding in her signatures and initials until they came to the section discussing her salary. Violet filled in the field herself and Courtney would later swear to Katya that she had never seen anyone look as pissed off as Sharon did once she saw what Violet had written.

“That’s more than what the other girls were hired at!” Sharon remarked in a fierce whisper.

“She’s worth it!” Violet argued firmly. “Trust me. You have for everything else!”

Upon hearing that final declaration, Sharon held her tongue until the forms were filled out in their entirety and she quickly paper-clipped them together to be filed that night. Courtney was glad that Violet seemed as eager to leave the shop as she was following that exchange but the smirk she sent back to her partner as they left had definitely crossed a line. Courtney could tell that Sharon was fuming before the door had even hit the frame. As the pair walked towards their cars, Violet pulled her aside and told her, “She’ll get over it, I promise. Her attitude in there has nothing to do with you or me, she’s just…going through some shit right now.”

“And you’re giving her an outlet?” Courtney asked wisely.

With a secret smile, the brunette confirmed, “If she takes it.”

“You’re a good friend,” Courtney commented sincerely.

“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone,” Violet said with a playful wink, “I have a reputation to protect.”

******************

It had been just over three weeks since she began working there and Courtney was already feeling at home. Aside from Sharon, she was welcomed into the fold with open arms and got along quite well with the other women. Ivy and Jinkx especially had taken to showing her how the shop ran, which was a good deal more relaxed than at 'Marcie’s’. Granted there was always an underlying air of professionalism but Courtney loved the fact that her coworkers genuinely got along, if you discount Sharon and Violet’s near daily arguments that is. Previously, she would only see her coworkers as mere work relationships; she never really considered them her friends, especially not the ones from the office who often were much older than her. But working at 'Pines and Needles’ made her rethink the possibility entirely. More than once she found herself wanting to go out with the girls to brunch or something but the closest she came in those first few weeks were the times when Violet would make an appearance in Katya’s apartment…or perhaps 'when Violet could be heard from Katya’s apartment’ would be more accurate.

As she worked on gathering up her courage to invite at least one of them out for a social call, the shop became slammed with a new wave of customers. There hardly seemed time in the day to talk about anything other than orders, much less if someone would like to grab a drink with her after work. Finally the rush began to die down in the late afternoon and the girls were able to resume their normal duties. Ivy was helping Violet tidy up in the front and Courtney was left to bring in the new packages that had been dropped off in the back of the building. Usually the deliveries were scheduled to arrive in the early morning so as to keep the flowers fresh and avoid the confusion of coordinating the restocking with the orders to be filled but today the wrong vases had arrived with the shipment so Violet sent them back to be corrected. It was an easy enough switch to make and there was no shortage of vases in the meantime, the only unfortunate part of the scenario was that the replacements arrived during the tail end of the lunch rush. There was hardly any time for Violet to even check that this shipment was accurate before she had to dash off and help with the next customer. The boxes were left sitting in the delivery area for most of the afternoon until a break in the onslaught finally gave Courtney a chance to bring them in.

She was used to heavy lifting, thanks to both 'Marcie’s’ and her own habit of going to the gym, but the sheer size of some of the boxes was a bit daunting for someone to carry in on their own. Taking a deep sigh, she got to work on the smallest boxes first and quickly made noticeable dent in the number. Twenty minutes later, all that was left were eight or so of the largest boxes she had saved for last in the hopes someone might come and help her. But as she took a brief glance to the front of the shop, she could see that both Violet and Ivy were assisting customers. Oh, well. Help certainly was not on its way anytime soon so she might as well get this over with. Thankfully the boxes weren’t too heavy but carrying them was a bit awkward for someone of her size. She could barely see over the top and mostly had to rely on her own memory of the shop’s layout to navigate her way safely through the storage area.

The first box made the task seem easy enough but by the time she began working on the third, her muscles were screaming at her to take a break. Part of her problem had been slowing down and allowing her body time to realize just how tired it truly was. Her fingers were aching, her feet were sore, and her back was quickly developing a sharp pain. At least she was almost finished…

Still moving at a tentative pace, Courtney proceed up the steps from the delivery area into the break room. She was just starting to turn towards the storage area when the box she was carrying became noticeably lighter. A pair of well manicured hands joined hers in balancing the load and guided her effortlessly towards storage room. As she heard the heels clicking against the tiles, Courtney felt confident that it was Violet that had come back to help. Only rarely did Ivy ever wear anything other than flats while working. Craning her neck over the top of the box, Courtney was shocked to see a swath of blonde hair instead of brunette. Was Sharon actually helping her? And why did she come back to the shop? Her shift ended hours ago and she promptly disappeared into her apartment without another word.

A multitude of questions raced through her mind but as soon as the box was on the ground, only one remained, “Who are you?”

Arching an eyebrow at the inquiry, the mystery blonde said flatly, “That’s how you thank someone for helping you?”

“What?” Courtney asked confusedly, before remembering her manners, “Oh, right, right. Thanks…but who are you?”

“Willam,” the young woman replied simply as she started to exit the room.

Following after her, Courtney asked cautiously, “You…don’t work here, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Then why are you…?”

“Violet asked me to come check on you when I came in,” Willam said offhandedly as she stopped at the fridge for a bottle of water. “Said you’ve been back here awhile. Guess she wanted to make sure you didn’t get your tiny little self killed moving those boxes.”

Feeling a her lips curl downward, Courtney replied defensively, “I’d say I managed quite well on my own, thank you.”

Taking note of the change in tone, Willam told her mildly, “Don’t take it personally, princess. It’s just an observation.”

Courtney’s eye twitched at the unwanted nickname, something Willam certainly did not miss as she studied the other blonde. Trying her best not to let this young woman annoy her any further, Courtney replied bluntly, “Well, you can tell her I’m almost done; there’s only a few boxes left.”

She was starting to march outside to bring in said boxes but the way Willam stared at her as she made her way to the door made her stop in her tracks. Somewhat irritated, Courtney snapped tiredly, “What?”

Ignoring the tone, Willam asked, “Aren’t you going to ask for help?”

“Why? I did the rest by myself,” Courtney responded as her arms crossed involuntarily.

Setting her water bottle on the counter, Willam stated in a candid voice, “Because you didn’t have a choice…Now there’s someone else here and you’re not going to utilize that? Look, princess,-”

“Stop calling me that,” Courtney interjected.

“-It doesn’t make a difference to me one way or another if you’re set on carrying all those boxes by yourself. But I’ll tell you this now; there’s nothing wrong with asking for help, especially if you need it. You don’t have to do this all on your own and no one here expects you to. They all help each other and if you’re smart, you’ll accept it. Now…what do you say?”

Running her hand sheepishly along her upper arm, Courtney had to admit she was right. She wasn’t sure why she felt so defensive about finishing the task alone. Maybe just to prove to herself that she could…Taking a thick swallow, the older blonde asked softly, “Can you help me with the last of the boxes…please?”

“That’s better,” Willam stated as she ushered Courtney outside. With the two of them working together, they managed to carry in the remaining boxes in a mere five minutes. Now that she finally had a chance to rest, Courtney collapsed into a chair and tried to will her feet to stop throbbing.

Sitting down beside the Aussie with a smug look, Willam placed a cold bottle of water in front of her and taunted lightly, “See? You don’t always have to do it the hard way, right, princess?”

Side-eyeing the dirty blonde for a moment, she accepted the bottle and tiredly told her, “Please stop calling me that…and thank you.”

“Any time…princess,” Willam replied with a smirk.

Courtney rolled her eyes yet couldn’t stop a smile from working its way across her lips. After being friends with someone like Katya for so long, Courtney learned to recognize when to just accept playful teasing as an unchanging form of communication. Though she wasn’t entirely fond of the nickname, it was starting to grow on her the more Willam said it. While relaxing for a few minutes that she had definitely earned, Courtney made polite inquiries with Willam. She learned that the young blonde was friends with both of the owners and made occasional visits to the shop. Tonight, in fact, she was going out clubbing with Sharon. This lead to a passionate discussion between the two of their favorite hot spots to visit. Courtney was surprised to learn that there was quite a bit of overlap in the clubs each frequented and even some of the employees both knew at the venues.

As they were exchanging contact information to meet up at some point, Sharon entered the break room from the shared door to her apartment. The sight of the two getting along so well caused her eyebrow to arch. As she stood beside them, she addressed Willam, “I see you’ve met our new…assistant.” The final word seemed to be struggle for her to say without sounding sarcastic.

“Mh-mm…” Willam replied with a lazy smile, “She’s cool.”

“Really? Mm.”

To Courtney’s astonishment, Sharon actually seemed intrigued by the statement. She gave the younger blonde a considering once-over and almost instantly Courtney could tell that Sharon’s opinion of her had risen. Mentally thanking Willam for whatever influence she might have had over her friend, she gave Sharon a shy smile and announced she ought to be returning back to her shift soon. Nodding her head approvingly, Sharon turned to ask Willam, “Ready to head out?”

“Yeah, my car’s down the street. Let’s go before I get another ticket.”

As they left through the back door to the delivery area, Sharon called over her shoulder, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Courtney.”

Her smile became the brightest it had ever been while working in the shop as she called out a quick goodbye to both of the women. Even though it was small; it was still progress and Courtney would gladly take anything she could get from Sharon…and she even made a new friend to boot. Things were really starting to come together for her.

***************

Over the coming days Sharon’s attitude towards both her and Violet had significantly improved to the point where she no longer seemed to resent Courtney’s presence in the shop. She still argued with Violet from time to time but it was more like friendly squabbling than anything. Courtney learned from Willam that the two had always done this for as long as they have known each other and it never really amounted to anything serious. Although Violet did have a special talent for knowing which topics would annoy Sharon the most and often used that to her advantage. There were times when Willam would visit the shop while both of them were working and they seemed to have developed a game as to who could make Sharon leave first. Courtney often found herself watching these moments with great interest and even begun keeping a mental score.

Of all the people she had met through this job, Willam was the one that fascinated Courtney the most. She was flamboyant and mouthy, down to earth yet still so untouchable until she deemed you worthy. Slowly but surely, the two were spending more and more time together and not just at the shop. In the beginning, the two would simply meet up at the club and it was there that Courtney got to experience the power Willam held over others first hand. Something about her made people pay attention to her, whether she was acting as the life of the party or just relaxing with Courtney in the booths. No one seemed to be immune to her boisterous charm once it was directed at them.

Willam was even somewhat well known at a few venues but every time she entered it was like they were all seeing her for the first time. Courtney herself was no stranger to being the center of attention and at times she had even competed a little for it but with Willam, something made her stand back with the rest of the crowd and watch her work her magic. Drinks seemed to flow endlessly for her and not just because she had a way with the bartenders. Admittedly, Courtney was a bit jealous at first, often times it’d be up to an hour before she was offered a drink from some random stranger but Willam usually found one within the first ten minutes she appeared at the bar.

And more often than not she’d repay the gesture in such a way that it left the men craving for more. One of the first nights they had gone out, Courtney was shocked to find that in the few seconds she had turned away to pick up their drinks; Willam had already been handed one and was promptly drinking it out of a stranger’s mouth. Granted it was only a single shot so there wasn’t much to drink, but the lip lock that resulted from it left the man speechless as they broke apart. He was wide-eyed and slack-jawed as she flounced away from him, sending a flirty wink back in his direction as she pulled Courtney with her towards the crowd.

Their nights out in the club often followed the same basic procedure; arrive early, drink and dance, break apart if they found someone who piqued their interest and then if everything went right, they’d following the other person home before the morning light broke. It was all a very predictable routine and one that Courtney had little interest in deviating from at this time. But about two months after their club-hopping became a regular thing, one of them broke that pattern.

It started out as a typical night; Courtney and Willam both drank until they had a good buzz going and then promptly disappeared onto the dance floor. They remained side by side for some time until Courtney turned her attention to a slightly scruffy gym rat that had caught her eye. The pair were dancing fluidly together but as Courtney worked up the courage to ask if he wanted to leave with her, his sight drifted to another man and instantly Courtney could see the change in his expression. His gaze became more attentive as he excused himself to go dance with the newfound eye-candy. Courtney wasn’t particularly bothered by the development, just slightly annoyed that she might be leaving alone tonight as no one else had really seemed like a viable option to her.

She remained on the dance floor until the end of the song then slowly worked her way through the sea of grinding bodies towards the restrooms. While in the stall, she heard the bathroom door being roughly pushed open, followed by the sharp clicking of two pairs of heels. A brief moan echoed before being quickly cut off by what Courtney could only assume was another person’s mouth. Finishing up, Courtney kept her head low as she walked past the pair of women making out against the parallel wall and made quick work of washing her hands at the sink. As she dried her hands, she chanced a glance into the mirror and found that the women still had yet to move any further from the door than when they first arrived. They were frantically feeling each other up, one of them already slipping a hand beneath the other’s tiny dress while the other moaned eagerly into her mouth. Her cheeks were burning at the unashamed display but as she turned around and got a better look at the pair of blondes groping each other, she was startled to find that she had recognized one of the girl’s outfits.

“Willam?!?” she called out in astonishment.

Almost instantly the pair broke apart and Willam’s hand retreated from beneath the other girl’s hemline. For a split second as she turned around, Courtney swore she saw a look of guilt over the dirty blonde’s face but she quickly fixed as much of neutral expression as she could manage as she stared at her shocked friend. Courtney could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to gather her thoughts. There was a twinge of some foreign feeling in the pit of her stomach but right now she didn’t have the brain power to try and figure out what it meant. The pair stared at each other in silence until Willam’s anonymous partner slipped from behind her and promptly left the room. All at once Courtney seemed to regain the ability to speak but the best she could work up was a series of simple words like, “How-What-?”

Before she could attempt to create a more coherent sentence, Willam grabbed her hand and pulled her out from the bathroom. Courtney gave up trying to speak until they were in Willam’s car with the radio playing softly to fill the dead air. Although they weren’t driving, Willam’s hands were clutched around the steering wheel in a near death-grip. Courtney couldn’t help but to notice that Willam seemed almost afraid of what her reaction would be now that they were truly alone. This was the closest Willam had ever come to showing weakness around her thus far. Taking a deep breath, Courtney asked, “You and…her…was that serious?”

Willam gave her a confused, in-what-way sort of look and immediately Courtney back-tracked to try again, “I mean, were you attracted to her…like-”

“Yeah, I was,” Willam said briskly as she focused her gaze on her shaking hands.

“Oh,” Courtney replied lamely. Try as she might, she couldn’t come up with a better response. She wish she knew what to say to make it right but everything she thought of seemed clumsy and awkward.

There was a small moment of silence before Willam gave a heavy sigh and turned to ask, “Look, I like men and I like women…Is that a problem?”

“No, no! Not at all-” Courtney began quickly.

“Good,” Willam said in a slightly relieved but still defensive tone. “Cause if it is; you are definitely working in the wrong shop.”

Distracted, Courtney continued on, “I mean, I kind of like women, too? Not that I’ve really done much with them…but I’m open to it…If I like them that is. Wait…” Courtney paused as her mind caught up to what Willam had said, “What do mean 'wrong shop’?”

The two stared at each for what felt like minutes; Courtney in innocent confusion and Willam in a stunned disbelief. Finally, Willam broke the silence as she realized Courtney genuinely didn’t have a clue as what she was referring to. “Oh my god,” she exclaimed softly. “You are unbelievable. You have no sense of gay-dar, do you?”

“I know about Violet!” she said defensively as her cheeks tinted a light pink.

“She’s not the only one, you know.”

“Who else?” Courtney asked, very much taken aback at the knowledge.

“Pretty much everyone that’s ever worked there! The shop’s not located in the center of the gayborhood for no reason!”

“What?” Courtney all but shouted at the revelation. “No way.”

Rubbing her hand over her temple, Willam gave the older blonde a pitying look and asked, “Look, you’re off on Wednesdays, right?”

As Courtney nodded, Willam told her, “Come by my apartment tomorrow around four and we’ll head over to the shop. I want to show you something…We can go to dinner afterwards.”

Courtney looked uncertain but agreed to meet her friend as she planned. A great deal of her was curious about what Willam had said and wanted to find out more. It honestly had never occurred to her to question what her coworkers’ sexualities might be. Not that she assumed anything but it wasn’t really a topic she gave much thought to prior to Willam’s statement. Now she was genuinely wondering though…

The next day Courtney spent more time than she cared to admit getting herself ready to meet up with Willam. On her days off she usually made it a point to put in as little effort as needed and just relax in her own skin but today she at least wanted to look somewhat cute. Not because of Willam, of course…although Courtney was sure that she wouldn’t be leaving her apartment looking anything less than her best…No, her coworkers would be there, she told herself. She didn’t want them to see her in her baggy, lazy day clothes with no make up…Although she had see Sharon in her flimsy night clothes already and of course she’d seen Violet in various states of undress- No! That’s enough of that. Courtney decided she will be keeping her thoughts far away from those memories, thank you very much. Although she hadn’t heard them lately (small victories), she’s still seen enough skin from both her and Katya to last a lifetime.

Upon arriving at Willam’s apartment, she was less than surprised to find the other woman dressed as though she were heading out for another night on the town. Her long, dirty blonde hair was hanging loosely in her trademark beachy curls and her makeup was blended perfectly to look messy yet still put together, a technique she’s spent years perfecting. To top it all off, she was wearing her typical stylish heels, a vaguely shiny top (probably to compensate for the lack of the usual glitter around her eyes) and a skirt so light and thin that even a gentle breeze could raise it up past her thighs. Though Courtney wanted to remain casual and comfy, she couldn’t help but to feel quite under-dressed in her own outfit; a flouncy white skirt, pink halter top, chunky heels and just enough makeup to hide any blemishes. Next to Willam, she looked rather plain and boring to her mind but there’s not much to be done about it now.

They drove together in relative silence and parked just up the street as a midway point between the shop and the cafe they’d be visiting afterwards. At Courtney’s urging, the parking meter was paid for the next few hours unlike Willam’s usual gamble of taking the spot and hoping a meter maid wouldn’t be walking by any time soon. That was just one of Willam’s habits that bugged Courtney ever so slightly; she never understood why Willam would even chance a ticket worth a minimum of $30 instead of just tossing in a few quarters for a couple of hours. Better safe than sorry to her mind but its not her call to make. At least this time, Willam listened and actually paid the meter for once.

The shop wasn’t too busy at this time of day and they easily snuck in without being noticed by the other girls, aside from Violet at the front counter. She waved at them carelessly and returned back to chatting on the phone as she flipped through her order sheets. 'Probably negotiating with another supplier,’ Courtney thought. It was hard sometimes to find reasonable prices as Courtney had learned but she always thought Violet did a wonderful job working her magic over the phone. And she was kind of looking forward to seeing what new stock would arrive in the next few days…

Willam led her with an air of determination up the steps to second level and brought her over towards the edge of the banister. Leaning against the railing, Willam reaffirmed, “So you said you knew about Violet already, right?”

“Yeah…she’s dating my neighbor. Well, they’re sleeping together…at least…they were for awhile,” Courtney said in an unsure tone. Now that she thought about, she wasn’t entirely positive what kind of relationship those two had. Violet certainly was coming over to Katya’s on a regular basis but it was hard to say if they were anything else going on with them anymore…she’d have to ask about that later.

Unconcerned with the details, Willam stated, “Good, don’t have to explain that at least…Now, take a look down at the work stations…”

Standing next to Willam, she focused her sight down into the alcove and found the other two florists enjoying the quiet reprieve between rushes. “Jinkx and Ivy? What about them?”

“Just watch for minute, princess,” the dirty blonde assured her.

Slightly miffed with the return of the nickname, Courtney did as directed and studied the two women as best as she could. Jinkx was reading as per usual ever since she found a hidden collection of books about two weeks ago and Ivy was sitting next to her, tapping away at her touch screen. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary but Willam wouldn’t have pointed it out if there wasn’t something she wanted Courtney to see. Focusing her attention even more, she found that the two women were in fact quite close to each other…enough that their shoulders would brush occasionally. It was a bit odd to her that neither of the women thought to move apart just a little bit further to prevent that from happening but that sort of thing didn’t bother everyone so to each her own she guessed. After a few minutes, Ivy gave a little yawn and slouched her way into leaning heavily against Jinkx’s side. Though the redhead didn’t make a comment on it as far Courtney could tell, it was plain to see her lips curled ever so slightly as her friend used her as a makeshift pillow while she scrolled through her phone. The two shared a brief glance towards each other after a few seconds and almost instantly a smile broke out across their faces. With Jinkx’s silent approval, Ivy nestled further into her side until she was comfortably resting her against the other’s shoulder with a content look on her face.

Courtney gasped as her mind finally began connecting the dots and she turned to Willam with a shocked expression. “Are they both…?” she asked, unable to finish her sentence.

Shrugging, Willam replied, “Not sure about Ivy, to be honest. She’s the only one I haven’t figured out yet but Jinkx definitely has an interest in women…Ivy, especially…But whatever Ivy’s orientation is, the feeling isn’t mutual.”

“Oh,” Courtney mumbled with a hint of sadness. “I feel kind of bad for Jinkx…”

“Don’t be…” Willam said in her confident, yet blunt manner, “They’re better off as friends. Jinkx’ll realize that soon enough.”

Curiously, Courtney asked, “How do you know?”

Before Willam could answer, a voice from below the balcony caught their attention. “Hey,” Sharon called out to Courtney, “Isn’t it your day off?”

“Yeah,” she replied sheepishly as she stared down at her boss.

With an amused expression, Sharon arched her eyebrow and asked, “So what are you two doing up there then?”

“Teaching Courtney about the facts of life,” Willam stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Right…” Sharon drew out with a disbelieving nod of her head. Very quickly she determined that whatever they were up to, she wanted no part of. Letting her eyes drift down the dirty blonde’s outfit, she smirked at the view and told the young woman, “Love the lace by the way.”

While Courtney’s hand immediately shot down to hold her skirt firmly against her thighs, Willam shamelessly spread her legs apart just a little bit wider as she leant against the railing to ask knowingly, “Your favorite pair, weren’t they?”

“They were,” Sharon agreed with a reminiscent glint in her eyes. “You always did look good in cerulean.”

“But you’re more into red now, huh?” Willam taunted with a smirk.

Sharon seemed taken aback by the question but quickly retaliated with, “And pink’s your new favorite, isn’t it?”

At once Willam’s expression shifted dramatically from teasing to stunned to as close to embarrassed as Courtney ever saw her. She wasn’t sure what the two women were talking about but she was certain Sharon had won that round hands down. Almost to prove her point, Willam ushered Courtney out of the shop, much like a dog with its tail between its legs, and refused to make further eye contact with anyone else as they left. The last Courtney saw of the older blonde was the look she and Violet shared of smug satisfaction, although what Violet was so proud of as she watched the exchange, Courtney could only guess.

It was about fifteen minutes into their meal before Courtney dared to broach the topic she was dying to talk about, “So…you and Sharon?”

“Uh huh,” Willam confirmed in a huff. She clearly didn’t like losing face in front of anyone and was still annoyed by the recent events in the shop.

“Are you two still…?”

“No.” Willam answered quickly. “Haven’t for a few months now…It was casual, never meant anything.”

“Ah,” Courtney said understandingly. The situation sounds similar to Katya and Violet’s.

Elaborating further, Willam added in, “She found someone she’s actually into so we just decided to make a clean break of it.”

“Oh!” Courtney exclaimed in interest, “Are they dating?”

“No…” Willam trailed off as though in thought, “It’s a little bit of a…tricky situation.”

Courtney was pondering if she should keep asking questions about her boss’ personal life without her knowledge when Willam decided to dangle the information in front of her enticingly. “Do you wanna know who it is?” she asked with a playful smirk. The older blonde was nodding her head vigorously until Willam shot down her hopes with a simple, “Then go find out…”

At once, Courtney’s face dropped and she sent a halfhearted glare to Willam for teasing her. To her surprise Willam encouraged her with, “Seriously, go find out! It shouldn’t be that hard if you pay attention. Just watch her for a little bit and once you know what to look for; it’s really obvious.”

“Alright,” Courtney agreed reluctantly. She’d humor Willam and at least try but she had serious doubts she would be able to figure out who Sharon was interested in. At least Willam seemed to have some faith in her to put the pieces together.

*********************** For the next week or so Courtney made sure to pay special attention to Sharon’s interactions with everyone that came into the shop, whether they were a customer or business relation. By the fourth day, she feared she wasn’t being as subtle about it as she had hoped. Sharon had begun giving her weird looks almost every time she glanced over and more than once she even asked the younger blonde, “What?” in increasingly suspicious tones. And Willam was certainly no help. Every time Courtney tried to weasel the information out of her, the dirty blonde just distracted her either with a quip or a taunt or just flat out laughed at her. She was very close to giving up but for every exasperated sigh, Willam just gave her some more prodding and suddenly she found herself watching Sharon again. This routine repeated itself on an almost daily basis until Courtney finally found the answer she was looking for.

One day as she was working the morning shift, she noticed Sharon at the register scanning the bar code on the back of the book. It seemed odd to her at first, as there were no customers at the time, but she brushed it aside and returned to working on the order sheet for that day. Shortly after, Sharon stepped into the alcove to cut off a strip of ribbon and promptly disappeared into the break area with both items for a good five minutes. When she returned, she was empty handed and Courtney figured she must have taken them next door to her apartment for some reason. She didn’t have a chance to give the situation much more thought before the usual morning rush swept into the building and quickly occupied everyone’s attention. Jinkx arrived to begin her shift as the crowd died down and between them, they were able to restock the shop’s floor just in time for the second wave to hit. For the next few hours, the three women were dashing back and forth to assist customers and grab a few bites of their lunch. When it all finally died down, they were absolutely beat. Courtney’s own shift would be ending once Ivy arrived so she offered to restock the work station for them as Jinkx took a much needed break.

Noticing the colored cellophane was running low, Courtney decided to bring in a few rolls from the storage room just in case they happen to run out during the night shift. As she was balancing the box in her hands, she stumbled upon a scene she never thought she’d witness. Jinkx had her arms wrapped tightly around Sharon’s midsection with the most joyful smile Courtney had ever seen from her and Sharon was actually allowing it! She even had a content smile of her own as she returned the embrace and toyed with a lock of her employee’s hair. It almost seemed entirely unreal until Courtney noticed what Jinkx was clutching in her hand; the same book and ribbon she had seen Sharon with earlier!

The longer she stood in the doorway, the more Courtney could feel the blood rising to her face. She was having an intense internal debate of whether or not she should hide in the storage room for a few minutes or continue past them like nothing was unusual until fate decided to make the decision for her. Before she could mentally prepare herself, Sharon caught her staring and almost instantly a noticeable blush graced her cheeks. The pair soon broke apart and Courtney rushed past them with her eyes glued to the ground as she mumbled an embarrassed, “Pardon me.”

For the rest of her shift, she couldn’t bring herself to look directly at either woman as she tried to process all that she had discovered. It was a huge relief when Ivy arrived early to take Courtney’s place and like a shot, Courtney sped over to Willam’s apartment. Calling the dirty blonde as she entered the elevator, she confirmed, “You’re at home, right?”

“Yeah,” the distracted voice answered, “Just painting my toenails. Got tired of looking at the old polish on them. Why?”

“Open your door,” Courtney replied as she stood impatiently outside of the apartment.

In less than 20 seconds, the door was pulled open and Courtney was met by a vaguely confused look. The expression only deepened as Courtney blurted out, “It’s Jinkx!”

There was a slight pause as the younger woman’s mind caught up with what Courtney was referring to but once she did, her eyes rolled as she muttered, “Took you long enough.”

As soon as Willam moved aside to let her in, Courtney threw herself down on the couch and excitedly began narrating the scene she had walked in on. Willam listened with an amused smile as she returned to painting her nails while Courtney enthusiastically recollected all of the other instances she had overlooked prior to this revelation. Over the coming weeks, Courtney made it a habit to stop by Willam’s apartment after work and keep her up to date on the latest gossip regarding those two. Willam wasn’t particularly interested herself but she never interrupted Courtney as she gushed over the little shared moments she occasionally found herself walking in on. The most recent development was Sharon’s encouragement of Jinkx’s newest passion; creating arrangements based on the special meaning assigned to certain flowers. There was something in the quiet and comforting way that Sharon showed her support for Jinkx’s interest that Courtney found to be utterly adorable. But even as infatuated with their relationship as she was, a part of her was frustrated that neither woman was inclined to pursue it further. She was voicing this opinion to Willam and even begun hinting that they ought to take a hand in the situation but Willam immediately shot the idea down with a firm denial.

“But they’d be so cute together! Why can’t we help that along?” Courtney argued as she curled her legs onto the couch with a glass of wine in her hand.

“Leave it alone, Courtney.” Willam stated with an unyielding, no-nonsense tone. “They need to work things out for themselves. Nothing good’ll happen if you try to push them before they’re ready.”

As tempted as she was to try and pout to get her way, this unusually serious manner from Willam gave her a moment’s pause. In the few months they had known each other, Courtney came to realize that once Willam’s mind was made up, precious little could be done to change it and being that this would involve one of her closest friends? Well, Hell was more likely to freeze over than for Willam to willingly play a role in getting the two women together. With a very reluctant huff, Courtney relented, “Fine. I won’t get involved in their relationship.”

“Thank you,” Willam replied sarcastically as she pulled back the tab on her beer can.

Though Courtney hated to admit it, she knew this topic was settled and she would have to keep her promise. She had so many ideas for how encourage the pair to admit their feelings but if Willam caught even a whiff of a plan; she would certain go off on Courtney without hesitation. Despite her teasing of the older blonde, Willam was quite protective of Sharon, as she was with any of her friends, and if someone was stepping out of line, Willam had no problem letting them know.

The two reclined on the couch in peace as some program played across the screen but a nagging sensation in the back of Courtney’s mind kept her from truly paying attention. She knew she was forgetting something but for the life of her, she had no inkling as to what. It was only when a commercial for local storage room rentals came on that she finally remembered. “Oh, yeah. Do you have anything planned for Sunday?” she asked Willam.

Thinking for moment, the dirty blonde replied, “Not that I know of. Why?”

“I need to leave my apartment for a few hours that afternoon. Do you mind if I hang out here?” Courtney asked as she gave her friend the best set of sad puppy eyes as she could muster.

“Ugh, fine. If you have to.” Willam muttered with an exaggerated groan of annoyance. “I hate having to be so nice to you.”

Rolling her eyes at the unconvincing display, Courtney cooed sweetly, “Thank you, Bill.”

Try as might to hide it, Willam’s lips curled into a pleased grin as she questioned, “Maintenance again?”

“No, Kats is just moving in. Thought it’d be nice to give her some space as she gets settled in her room,” Courtney replied back with a shrug as she returned to watching the TV.

At once, Willam’s attitude did a complete 180 and she icily asked, “Who’s 'Kats’?”

Turning back at the sharpness of the tone, Courtney responded slowly, “My neighbor, Katya…Bill, I told you about this already.”

Shocked, the younger woman demanded, “When?”

“Last week!” Courtney insisted as her own emotions began to get the better of her.

The two held each other’s gaze in a combative stare-down but Courtney had no clue as to why Willam was acting like this. She knows she mentioned it before; she was almost certain she still had the text saved in her phone from when she first told Willam. Either the other girl missed that part of the message or just didn’t read it but either way, she had no call to act so bitchy about it now. Courtney had done nothing wrong and not even Willam was going to make her feel like she had. Taking a deep breath in order to keep her voice level, she asked calmly, “Why do you have such a problem with this?”

Willam’s hand twitched ever so slightly, almost enough to make Courtney question doubt if it even happened, but to her surprise Willam’s offended demeanor quickly dissolved into one of gloomy disappointment as she asked, “Why didn’t you ask me?”

Taken aback, the blonde stumbled, “I-Would you have wanted to?”

“I don’t know!” Willam blurted out defensively as she crossed her arms and pulled her legs closer to her chest. “Maybe?”

Despite her earlier intentions, Courtney did feel a twinge of guilt for not even considering asking Willam if she would want to move in with her. Moving across the couch to Willam’s side, the older blonde explained, “It was nothing personal, honestly. She already lives across the hall so it just made sense to move in together. We’d thrown the idea around before but never gave it much thought until they raised our rent again last month. Katya was the one who introduced me to Violet, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” Willam answered dismally.

Giving her friend a soft smile, she apologized, “Really, Bill, I’m sorry I didn’t ask you. I promise that next time, you’ll be my first choice.”

Though she tried to resist it, a grin reappeared on Willam’s lips as she retorted, “I better be, bitch, or this friendship is over.”

[artificialqueens]

Something’s Been Different Lately (Witney) - Albatross

AN: Second attempt at writing in this fandom. Any constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated. Bonus points if you know the book the ending dialogue was inspired (loosely) by. Willam - male pronouns, Courtney/Shane - female pronouns, just for the sake of simplicity.

“Willam…you were quite loud last night,” Courtney said pointedly as she worked on applying her makeup for the show tonight. The man in question looked up from the mirror he had been painting in front of and glanced back at Courtney with a slightly shamed but clearly proud smile as he replied nonchalantly, “Sorry.” “Doubt it,” the blonde shot back in a huff. She felt utterly tense at addressing the situation with her best friend but it was something she had to do for her own sanity. Last night wasn’t the first time she’s overheard Willam’s liaisons; steadily they have become more frequent, particularly as they joined the same tour last month. At first she tried to ignore it but recently it had become harder and harder not to listen, particularly as Willam had started becoming quite vocal during them. The previous night had been the final straw and Courtney resolved to talk with him about it. She couldn’t stand hearing the other queen moaning and calling out other men’s names late into the night. Not as she laid in her bed next door desperately fighting the urge to cry as she did all she could to block out the noise. Turning around at the sharp comment, Willam took in the other queen’s discomfort with a vaguely furrowed brow. It seemed unusual to him that Courtney would be so irritated by this as they had all heard more than their fair share of tour mates hooking up at all hours of the night. The two stared each other down through Courtney’s mirror but as usual, she was the first break eye contact and return to her work. Silently, Willam removed himself from the chair he had been firmly seated in and joined Courtney at her own station. He waited patiently as the other queen applied the final touches to her eyebrows before wrapping an arm around the blonde’s shoulders and pulling her close. “Hey, if it bothers you that much, just bang on the wall next time and tell us to shut the fuck up,” the younger queen joked. Less than amused, Courtney stared up the dirty blonde with a stony expression on her half-painted face. Willam’s eyebrows raised slightly at the reaction and said semi-apologetically, “Or we could just ask to have rooms on different floors or something…” Courtney’s icy glare immediately cracked at the thought of being further separated from her friend. Hurriedly, she dismissed that idea and offered, “We don’t have to go that far…just…maybe keep it down a little so I can tune it out with the TV?” Willam’s smirk returned as he ruffled Courtney’s natural hair and promised, “Alright, I can work with that.” Courtney swatted his hand away with a smile and returned to completing her makeup routine. Despite the supposed air of finality on the subject; Willam wasn’t inclined to leave Courtney’s side just yet. He openly studied the older queen until he felt the urge to blurt out, “When’s the last time you got laid, anyway?” Courtney thanked the gods above that she hadn’t been applying her lip liner right at that second and froze in pure shock with the pencil hoving just millimeters away from her skin. She felt the blood rising to her cheeks as she stared at Willam through the mirror. Fighting the overwhelming desire to flee immediately from the dressing room, she asked cautiously, “Why do you ask?” “That long, huh?” Willam asked, smirk wider than ever now that he had pegged the other queen’s problem. “I don’t want to talk about it,” Courtney replied hastily as she carelessly drew on her top lip. She might be read later for the sloppiness but right now all she was focused on was making herself look decent enough so that she hide anywhere else until the show started. Before she was able to attempt the lower lip, Willam gently pulled the pencil from her hand and turned her chin up to face him. “Come on now, it’s that bad. At least not enough to willfully booger your own makeup just to escape.” Courtney sat in a stunned, embarrassed silence as Willam carefully evened out the liner on top and drew the bottom to proportion out the illusion. “There…a little overdrawn but you’re pretty again.” “Thanks,” Courtney mumbled shamefully as she turned away to find the right shade of lipstick amongst her strewn supplies. “Use this one,” Willam said as he plucked one from the pile and handed it to her. Courtney’s eyes shot to Willam’s then down to the hand extended towards her before hesitantly accepting the tube. While she ran the color over her lips, Willam pressed on with his inquiry, “I didn’t mean anything by it, Court…You just seem a little…wound up lately, I guess.” “Its been awhile…” Courtney admitted vaguely. She remembered every detail of when she last had sex; who it was with, what had happened during and after…what it made her realize…But that was none of Willam’s business and she intended to keep it that way. “Thought so,” Willam trailed off. Courtney took the reprieve from questioning to rush through the remaining steps needed to become the Courtney Act everyone expected to see that night. She was moments away from pinning in her hair and running out the door when Willam placed a gentle hand on her upper arm. It took all she had not to shiver at the contact as she listened to Willam apprehensively asking her, “Why don’t you join me tonight?” Her jaw dropped slightly as she choked out several incoherent syllables in a pathetic attempt to create a proper sentence. “And some trade I’m hooking up with after the meet and greet,” Willam added quickly before muttering to himself with an eye-roll, “He’s already seen what I look like; I bet he’d jump at the chance to fuck someone prettier.” Courtney fought the urge to grab Willam and shake him for talking down on himself. Every time she heard Willam insulting himself or giving himself a back-handed compliment, her heart broke a little. But all she could bring herself to do at the moment was anxiously bite her lip as she considered the proposal. She knew there were a million ways for this to blow up in her face but it had been so long…and she trusted that Willam had the best intentions by asking her. Seeing the internal struggle play out on his best friend’s face, Willam continued on, “Don’t feel like you have to say ‘yes’ for my sake; it’s totally up to you…You could even just watch if you want and join in on whatever you feel comfortable with. I can check with him but I don’t think he’d have a problem with it.” With a heavy sigh, Courtney took one last look at the hope in Willam’s eyes and made her decision. She nodded with a timid smile and agreed on the condition that Willam check with the man first before fully committing. The grin Willam returned to her made the inevitable heartbreak almost seem worth it. Within the hour, Willam had received confirmation of the other man’s approval and proudly announced it to Courtney…as well as half of the venue’s staff as the queens made their way to the stage for their performance. If she had to be honest with herself, Courtney had wished multiple times throughout the waiting period that the unknown trade would refuse but now she seemed stuck to at least follow her friend back to their hotel room. She tried her best to remain optimistic for what lay ahead for the remainder of the night but not even Willam’s giddy excitement could ease the growing queasiness in her stomach. **************************** Following the end of the show, the queens did a quick touch up to their faces for the meet and greet and then rushed back to the hotel once the final fan had left. Courtney had not thought to ask Willam to describe the mystery man prior to meeting him but one look around the hotel lobby and she easily picked out Willam’s target for the night. He was tall, tan and clearly hit the gym more often than most; in short, he was 100% Willam’s type. At a glance, Courtney might’ve even found him attractive not so long ago but tonight her mind was on another man she’d rather have. Willam let the two introduce themselves, seemingly learning for the first time that the man’s name was Marco, and led the way back to his room. Marco was less than subtly checking out the queens as they walked a few paces in front of him and left little doubt that he internally licking his lips at what the night held for him. Despite the easy going nature he displayed in the lobby, Courtney still felt uncomfortable and slightly out of place as he followed behind them. Willam glanced over to her friend and pulled her close to whisper excitedly in her ear, “I did good, huh? Just wait till you see his dick! He sent me a pic last night and ooh, bitch, I damn near drove myself the 6 hours it took to get here.” Courtney gave the other queen an awkward smile and remained silent. Somewhere in the back of her mind a tiny voice was screaming at her to just go back to her own room and let herself cry herself to sleep; whatever happened tonight wouldn’t be worth the pain tomorrow. But she told Willam she’d join…so she’d at least put up a good front during the night’s escapades. As they turned down the final hallway, Willam uncapped the bottle of poppers around his neck a took a deep whiff. She blinked her eyes as the familiar sensation took over her body and offered the bottle to Courtney who declined with a polite shake of her head. Brushing off the refusal, Willam asked gleefully, “Been awhile since we shared one, huh? What’s it been, 5 months?” and noticeably sped up as the room came into view. “Sounds about right…” Courtney replied vaguely as she watched her friend whip out the card key and open the door with an air of heavy practice. She knew exactly how long ago they had last spent the night together with some common trade; 5 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days…Courtney remembered all too well what had happened…The night was typical for them; show, meet and greet, then out to have a little fun at a nearby club. They had just enough to drink to make the idea of having a threesome before an early flight the next morning seem like the most brilliant plan of the century. They bickered back and forth for a good 20 minutes over who they would take to bed with them but finally they settled on a what seemed to be a happy medium; a verse top just a few years younger than them with an open mind and a beautifully toned body. It took less convincing (and alcohol) than they thought to lure him back to Willam’s room, especially considering that by that point it would be generous to say they had looked anything like the gorgeous queens that would appear in tomorrow’s Instagram photos of the show. All the same, the man eagerly allowed himself to be enveloped by the queens on either side of him. Hell, he even encouraged them to have some fun with each other as well and that was the moment Courtney pegged as the beginning of her descent into perpetual heartache. They had kissed often enough before, even had gone so far as to give one another a handjob when they got too wound up on the road. But that night when they kissed something felt…off. Courtney blamed the alcohol for a serious case of beer-goggles because even with his smeared lipstick, glittery eye shadow extending down his cheeks, and painted eyebrows half wiped off; Willam still looked amazing to her. She wanted to tear the other queen’s wig off, run her fingers through his natural curls and kiss him till there wasn’t a trace of lipstick between the two of them. But she quickly pushed the thought away and focused her sight back on their one night stand. The queens took their turn with him and he basked in the attention he received from them. Courtney had her chance first and was left utterly satisfied, at least physically. Usually when they would share for the night, as soon as one queen was finished, she’d excuse herself to clean up and often times would remain in the bathroom or at least out of sight as the other had their fun. They might switch back once or twice for a second round but once they actually began fucking, that was the cue for the other to keep their distance. That night Courtney dared to cross the line. She remained on the bed and watched as Willam laid on his back taking every inch of the nameless man and begged for more. Something in that moment broke down the wall Courtney had unknowingly built and she wanted nothing more than to be the one making Willam scream for her. Without thinking about it, she had climbed over top of Willam and kissed him. Far from being repulsed by the behavior, he pulled Courtney in closer and ran his hands over every inch of skin he could reach. Courtney broke their lip lock with a sharp gasp as she felt Willam’s hand wrapped around her and pump in time with man thrusting into him. He was coming apart beneath her as he neared his own release but instead of the previous moans of broken syllables, he seemed to have only one name stuck to his lips; hers. As he was drawn closer and closer to the edge, she marked her territory on his skin, painting his neck and chest with the remainder of her lipstick and with what would later develop into noticeable hickies the next morning. With a final cry of her name, Willam came and shuddered violently beneath her but never loosening his grip. Seeing him fall apart so completely with only her in his thoughts made her wish more than anything that she had been the one inside him. But all the wishing in the world wouldn’t change the fact that it would only ever be his hand that she felt on her member and with a final cry of his name, she released onto his hand and stomach. At some point the unknown man finished and took his leave. For the life of her, Courtney could not even remember how long it took him to cum or if he cleaned himself off before exiting. All that played through her mind was the imagery of Willam panting and moaning beneath her, cumming with her name on his lips like it was her driving him over the edge. He had passed out less than half an hour after the session ended, barely even cleaning up and getting a pair of underwear on before collapsing between the sheets. His last act was to wrap an arm around Courtney’s waist as she leaned against the headboard in disbelief over what had happened. She wanted to run back to her room and scream at the overwhelming realization of her emotions but when she looked down at the drowsy man beside her, she found she couldn’t bear to leave his side just yet. Pushing aside her growing worry for now, she slipped underneath the covers and pulled Willam closer to her. Though she would never bring it up with Willam (who’d deny it anyway) she swore she saw the corners of his mouth turn upwards into a small smile right before she fell into an exhausted slumber. When she awoke a few hours later, she disentangled herself from her sleepy friend and made the walk of shame back to her own room but not before turning out the lights Willam had left on in preparation for the inevitable hangover he’ll have the next morning. At best she would only have enough time for an hour or two more of sleep before having to get both Willam and herself checked out in order to make it to their flight on time so she decided to take the chance to work out exactly what made her act the way she had during that supposedly NSA hookup. Willam had always held a special place in her group of friends. Despite the constant teasing, he did show genuine concern for her when she needed it. Emotions were not his strong suit but the effort he made to help meant all the world to her. Besides that, he was just plain fun to be around. He could always make her laugh even on the shittiest days and despite the questionable situations they found themselves in, he never intentionally did anything to put her in danger. He was both her escape and her grounding in reality; they brought out the best and worst in each other and weren’t afraid to call each other out on their bullshit. To put it bluntly, they fit together like yin and yang. They certainly could function on their own but when brought together they offered the perfect counterbalance to each other’s personalities. Yet despite how it looked on paper, there was still the reality of their working life that made the idea of a relationship seem entirely irresponsible at best. Courtney knew this but that did nothing to alleviate her feelings and she was quite certain Willam did not return them in the any capacity. It could be argued that his jabs at her were nothing more than an adult version of the playground teasing a child did towards their crush but Courtney very much doubted it. No one was immune to his taunting once they became close enough with him; it was pretty much his default form of communicating with those he cared about. That fact alone almost made the situation more bearable; knowing she had no chance with him and thus little opportunity to fuck up what they already had provided some relief from the ever increasing anxiety that accompanied her thoughts on the situation. But although that part of the equation provided some solace, it did nothing to stop the jealousy and hurt that sprang up when she happened to overhear his frequent hookups. He was just as happy to spill the details the next day even as her responses grew increasingly more bitter. Even the morning following their mutual tryst, he ignored the pounding in his head in order to ecstatically compare notes with her of what they could both remember. “And damn, Court! You really did a number on my chest! Looks like someone attacked me with a fucking vacuum.” She knew he was exaggerating for comedy’s sake but even through the layer of makeup he had used to cover the most visible marks, she saw she had in fact left quite an impression on his skin. She tried to feel guilty about it, she truly wanted to, but again the thought of marking her territory worked its way back into her mind even though she knew it would never be true. That had been the last time she had sex but certainly not the only time she tried. Immediately following their next show, Courtney wasted little time in finding another man to spend the night with. She quickly found a willing participant and eagerly led him back to her room. He was far from her usual type and that was exactly what she had hoped for. She wanted to forget herself in himself, begged the heavens for it even, but after 10 minutes of unsuccessful foreplay it was clear that nothing was going to happen that night that’d be worth writing home about. Instead she offered oral as something of consolation prize and parted ways with him immediately after. The same results came about when she tried again next week, as well as a few days after that. No matter who she selected, each attempt ended in relative failure leading up to going nearly six months of unwilling abstinence. To say she was frustrated at this point would be an understatement. She had a slight hope that maybe tonight something would change that but given her latest track record, it seemed unlikely. Nearly the second the door had been closed, Willam crowded Marco against the bed. He seemed to appreciate the slightly aggressive manhandling Willam displayed as he sat him of the edge of the mattress and carefully pulled down the zipper. Courtney was actually quite taken aback at how forward Willam was being tonight. Usually he took his time to tease his partners before giving them what they wanted. He loved getting them riled up, pushing them to the edge and back by denying them what they wanted until they begged for the privilege of using his body. He practically got off on the thought alone of making men crave him to the point where they were willing to sacrifice their pride for just one night of pleasure with him. But tonight Willam went straight to the point and made it clear that he did not want to wait to begin that night’s activities. The boxers were barely out of the way before Willam had his lips wrapped around Marco. Courtney stood in shock as she watched Willam work his mouth in a way only he knew how. Her fingers twitched as she felt the familiar sting of envy pierce her heart like a needle. Part of her was angry, enough that she was tempted to walk out right then but another part yearned to stay. She felt compelled to watch; it would be the closest she could get to the real thing while still staying safe in the protective bubble she had created. Tonight she would allow herself to be a voyeur, simply taking in the sights while staying behind their unspoken boundary this time. As Willam focused on his own task, Courtney settled into a nearby chair and remained out of his line of sight. Marco however made it a point to watch her rather than the one currently servicing him. He gave her a small smirk and slid his fingers through Willam’s faux blonde locks. He slowly pulled away to remind the other man, “Watch the hair…” Instantly Marco turned on the charm and offered an apology. He smiled down at Willam who spun on his knees to ask Courtney, “Want a turn?” Courtney’s eyes shot from Marco then down to Willam as a light pink tinted her cheeks. She timidly shook her head and replied softly, “No, I’m fine.” Willam nodded and turned his attention back to Marco for another minute before pulling off with a loud final 'pop’. He stood up to whisper something in Marco’s ear and was met with an ardent grin. The two eagerly discarded their clothes as Willam dug through his suitcase for the lube and condoms he always seemed to keep on hand. As he returned to the bed, Marco crashed his lips to Willam’s for a brief moment before asking huskily in his ear, “How do you want it?” Courtney saw a fleeting look of hesitation pass across Willam’s face and leant forward in curiosity. Willam had never faltered in front of her before. Even when he knew something was a terrible idea, if he thought there was even the slightest chance things might work out, he’d plow right along all the way up to the moment where it blew up in his face. That stubborn optimism was one of the qualities she had found so endearing about him but tonight she wished more than ever that he would listen to his sense of reason and call it quits. But that was not Willam’s way and he flickered his eyes back to Courtney’s for a brief moment before answering, “I want to watch her…” She felt her cheeks burning and a surge of pleasure shot straight to groin. Her eyes connected with Willam’s as he positioned himself on hands and knees facing her direction while Marco slipped on the condom. As soon as the first lubed finger pressed at his entrance, his teeth caught his lower lip in anticipation of what was to come. Again, a wave of jealousy washed over Courtney but watching Willam’s face contort in pleasure as Marco prepped him was almost worth it. The soft noises of pleasure that escaped Willam were like music to her ears. If she could be the one eliciting them, she would gladly listen for the rest of her life. Marco continued to stretch him until he easily took three fingers and was nearly begging for something more. Taking the cue, Marco withdrew the digits and lined himself up with Willam’s entrance. Courtney forced down a thick swallow as Marco carefully guided himself in and drew out a satisfied moan from the man beneath him. He paused his movements until Willam adjusted to the change, then made quick work of setting a fitting pace for both of them. Through it all, Courtney never took her eyes off Willam. She felt a rush of shame develop in the pit of her stomach as she slipped a hand beneath her dress and palmed herself through the thin panties she had worn. Part of her hated the way she was getting so worked up at the sight of her best friend being fucked by another man but it was hard not to react when he was making such a show of it. With a glazed look in his eyes, Willam purposefully dropped his gaze down to Courtney’s hidden hand. In a breathless voice, he begged her to come over and like a puppy eager to please, she was out of her seat before the final syllable passed his lips. Balancing himself on one hand, he reached up to grab the front of Courtney’s dress and pull her down to his level. He brought his lips close to hers but paused once he got within an inch of touching them. He was panting heavily now with each graze over his prostate and struggled to find the right words to speak. Daring to bridge the gap, Courtney crashed her lips to his in a manner so frenzied she inwardly cringed at her own desperation. Willam made no effort to rebuke the action and kept the fabric of her dress clutched tightly in his hand. The two held the heated lip lock as long as they could until a lack of air forced them to separate in order to catch their breath. Recovering quickly, Courtney leant back in to begin again but halted as Willam released her from his grip. Clumsily, he traced his hand down to her thigh and paused at the hemline. “C-Can I-” Willam gasped between thrusts. Courtney’s eyes blew wide open as she realized what he was offering and fervently nodded her head. Willam gave a small smile and struggled with his free hand to pull the panties aside. If Courtney had been in any clearer of a head space she would have helped but at the moment she too overwhelmed at the situation to be of much use other than to simply stand there. They held each other’s gaze as Willam carefully slid himself down on her length. Even with the force of the man slamming into him, Willam made sure not to hurt Courtney. Earlier his focus had been solely on how good he could look while sucking off his partner, but with her he only cared about what gave her the most pleasure. Whatever she reacted to, he made sure to repeat it tenfold and within moments she was left an absolute mess in his hands. The mere fact that he was so concerned with making sure she enjoyed herself as well tonight left Courtney feeling weak at the knees. Throwing aside any remaining notion that this night could remain emotion-free; Courtney lightly traced her fingers along Willam’s cheek and finally allowed herself to get lost in his sinful blue eyes. She wanted to take in every detail of this moment because she knew it would not happen again. As Courtney grew closer, she whispered out a shaky warning to Willam. He slowly pulled off and gave her a few more pumps before lost it and released onto his chest. It was just as well that she had finished so quickly, neither of the other men would last much longer. As Willam came, he moaned out Courtney’s name and drew her back in for another sloppy kiss while he rode out his orgasm. Marco finished shortly after and carefully withdrew from Willam. The instant Willam felt the other man slide off the bed, he pushed himself into a kneeling position to kiss Courtney more easily. He cupped her face in his hands as though she were the most sacred object in the world and pulled her close enough to be left tilting precariously over the edge of the bed. Courtney placed a firm hand on his shoulder and used the other to balance herself as she guided them down onto the mattress. They stayed locked in that position for several moments before Willam reluctantly excused himself to clean up. As he disappeared into the bathroom, a flood of emotions washed over Courtney. Her head started throbbing as she instantly started analyzing everything that had happened since the door had closed less than hour earlier. Feeling numb, she repositioned herself at the edge of the mattress and buried her face in her hands.   Slowly she was getting lost in her own thoughts but an unexpected presence directly in front of her brought her attention back to reality. Confused, she looked up to find Marco hovering far too close for comfort. She would have thought he’d have left by now but it seems he had been watching their exchange and waited patiently for an opening. Now that Willam was out of sight, he turned his full attention to Courtney and immediately she felt small and weak under his gaze. With little regard for her personal space, he ran his fingers down her cheek and asked if she wanted her turn with him as well. She tried her best to suppress a shudder but the glint in his eyes was unsettling. Politely, she declined and prayed he would take a few steps back. Disregarding the refusal, he continued to try and persuade her with his superficial charm, “You sure? Your friend had a good time…” “N-No, really,” she stuttered while trying to lean away from him, “I was just watching tonight, that’s it.” “I bet I could change your mind if you give me a shot…I know you would make it worth my while.” It was at this point Willam decided he had overheard more than enough and swiftly reemerged from the bathroom to survey the scene. His eyes narrowed as he took in Courtney’s undeniable discomfort and shot a pointed glare in Marco’s direction. Staring down the other man, Willam slipped onto the bed behind Courtney and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He pressed a reassuring kiss to her cheek and whispered a confident, “I’ll handle this,” into her ear. With a sarcastic smile, he nuzzled against Courtney and bluntly addressed the unwanted man in front of them, “I think we’re done here, right Court?” Before either of the other two could respond, Willam pulled off his wig and and smiled sweetly at the startled man. Courtney almost wanted to laugh at the comical expression that played over his face but she was too overcome by relief that he now wasted no time in leaving. Willam arched a mocking eyebrow at the lightning speed in which Marco redressed himself and innocently asked, “Don’t you want to wash up first?” Blatantly ignoring the two queens, Marco grabbed his remaining belongings and stumbled out into the hallway. Willam rushed off the bed to lock the door after him but hesitated before slowly turning to face Courtney again. Guilt was written all over his face as sat beside Courtney and dropped his shoulders in defeat. Courtney could see the sincerity in his eyes as he softly apologized, “Court…I’m really sorry…I didn’t think he’d be-” “Willam…” Courtney interrupted, “It’s okay, I know you meant well when you asked.” Willam nervously shifted his eyes down to his lap and picked at the glue still stuck to his nails. “Really though…I wanted you to have a good time…I know there’s been something different with you.” He paused to take a deep breath and shakily reached over to place his hand over hers. He drew his gaze back to Courtney’s and firmly told her, “If you want to talk…I’m here. I won’t judge.” Courtney gave a rueful smile and replied, “I know you wouldn’t, Bill.” She leant against him taking in everything from his smell, the light dampness of his skin, the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed…even how she swore she could almost hear his heart beating faster as she buried her face in his neck. He ran his thumb over her hand and waited patiently for a signal on what more he could do. All she wanted at the moment was just to sit with him in silence while she worked up the courage to speak again. Her lip quivered as she swallowed her pride and whispered against his skin, “I really like you.” Her head began to cloud as she felt a twitch in his hand and heard the halting confusion in his voice when he responded back, “I like you too, Court.” A broken laugh escaped her as she pulled away to face him. He really doesn’t get it. Tears were beginning to sting her eyes but she wiped them away and plastered on a remorseful smile. “No, I mean I-” She cut herself off as they locked eyes and suddenly found that any remnant of confidence she once held had now escaped with a single look from him. His eyes showed genuine concern for her but also revealed how he was struggling to grasp what she was trying to confess. She felt so vulnerable and helpless around him and she hated that. Words had always come so easily to her before but he managed to take all of that away without realizing it. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she cupped his face with her free hand desperately prayed to any deity listening that he would finally understand. A voice she hardly recognized as her own cracked as she whispered, “Bill…I like you.” His eyes darted across her face and she saw the gears in his head had finally started turning. A wave of realization noticeably passed over his face and she never felt more relieved or scared as when she saw him coming to terms with what she had just told him. A deep blush rose to his cheeks as he stared at her dumbstruck. The longer he remained silent, the more she felt her resolve shrink away until there was nothing left. It was obvious he didn’t feel the same and was trying to think of a way to let her down easy. She felt so stupid for trying; she should have just kept it to herself like she had before. She bolted off the bed as tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over any second. She knew she wouldn’t be able to handle his sympathy if he saw. “Shane!” She stopped dead in her tracks as she felt her hand being engulfed by his. It felt like her heart stopped beating as she was spun around and pulled into Willam’s arms. He held her tightly as though she were the last lifeline he had before falling into the abyss. The tears finally escaped as he asked her, “You mean it?” Courtney stared at him incredulously before laughing out, “Yes!” She swore she had never seen a smile brighter than the one he gave her as he warned, “I’m really not the smartest choice, you know.” “That’s okay,” she replied as he delicately wiped her cheeks free of tears, “Neither am I.”