#after Katya's been making posts about her every day just pining for her

[homicidalbrunette]

It's giving I'm Baby/yes you sure are energy

[thatsamericano]

I've been calling your stepbro fic "Life with Savino" in my head like that old show "Life with Derek" where almost everyone shipped Derek and Casey tho most fics I saw back when I was into the show had them dating secretly before they became step siblings. Seeing your posts brings back good memories and I really like seeing how Alfred's and Savino's family members eventually figure out they're in love

LOL, thanks! I've heard a little bit about that show and there are some similarities in the fact that FrUKSpa announce their relationship and that they're all going to live together when Alfred and Savino are 16. Alfred and Savino become stepbros as teens (and knew each other for a substantially long time before that to develop feelings), so they can't just be like "yay, new stepbro!" (and even the platonic Matthew and Feliciano duo I've contrasted Romerica with in this fic see each other more as friends thrown together by circumstance, since they're 16 and 14 respectively). There's also some parts of the fic where I talk about Tolys, his stepbrother Eduard, and their shared half-brother Raivis. Their situation is completely different than the main one in the fic, since Tolys's mom married Eduard's dad when they were four, and then they had Raivis a year later. They grew up thinking of each other as brothers despite the technical titles, which is different from this guy cannot be my brother because I'm in love with him and had strong feelings I hadn't dealt with yet before our parents randomly decided to basically get poly married.

Matthew and Feliciano figured out what was going on before shortly after they all started living together (long before the actual Romerica relationship started), because they know their brothers well and since Alfred in particular was obvious as hell about his feelings. I show Matthew figuring it out the day Savino and his family move in, and Feliciano seems to just be psychic about them from Alfred's POV (since I imagine his realizations were more focused on Savino's side of things). Once they started a relationship, Matthew and Feliciano figured it out the same exact day. FrUK at this point have strong reason to believe something is going on (especially Arthur), but they're construing it more as unrelated teens in the same house doing NSFT things instead of a full-fledged relationship with actual romantic feelings. They've brought their suspicions up to their partner Antonio, but right now he doesn't believe them and comes up with alternative explanations for every suspicious thing he sees. (For comedy purposes, he might be the last to figure anything out, and it only happens when he is told or something so obvious happens that even he can't brush it off.) Marcello, who's only nine, has just figured it out, and I'm working through a plot line where he blackmails them into getting him a Vespa (that Savino will let him take many rides on) because he holds resentment towards Alfred for hurting his feelings in the Christmas card incident and is pissed off when he learns the reason why (and like FrUK, he's misconstruing it as a sex thing and not a "they're in love" thing). So far, a couple people in Savino's extended family have figured it out and think it's cute and approve of the relationship (Chiara, who is trying to protect Alfred from being too dumb and obvious, and Nonno Vargas, who keeps getting reminded of him and his late wife every time he sees them being cute together and is trying to decide when/if to talk to Alfred about the fact he's in love with Nonno Vargas's grandson). Some of the background extended family members have varying opinions (an aunt Patrizia thinking it's kind of weird and an uncle Nicodemo and his wife who mentioned something Alfred said about Savino they thought was funny and cute), but all they have are vague thoughts about them, and they're not the focus.

You didn't ask about friends, but all of their closer friends know what's going on and are okay with it because they understand how it happened and all the pining that went on before they officially got together. Kiku walked in on them making out in the library which was very awkward for him but only because he walked in on his friends, not the stepbrother thing. He knew Alfred liked Savino months before the stepbrother thing, and he feels a little guilty because he said something he thought was true at the time that delayed them being together (basically, without using that label, that Alfred is aroace and just doesn't like people in a boyfriend/girlfriend way). They decided to tell Tolys, who made it clear he was okay with Alfred's feelings months ago and had known for a while but just didn't say anything to him. Since he has a stepbrother he sees as just a brother, Alfred was worried he'd react badly but he didn't since he knew all the circumstances. Savino's ex-girlfriend Emma realized when he needed her help on an extremely detailed art project based on Romerica's first kiss (but he made it two girls in part to disguise what it was). She put the pieces together about why Savino claimed to have unresolved feelings for someone else when they broke up after their brief relationship (this was true, but at the time she thought he was just trying to make her feel better about breaking up with her boyfriend because she only likes girls). Alfred recently told his brother's girlfriend Katya who has been with Matthew for so long that she's become Alfred's friend too. She knew Alfred liked Savino for just as long as he himself knew, and she's been very worried about all the pining, Alfred running away from home and endangering himself, and then more recently Alfred acting like he has a secret that makes him happy but is extremely scared will be taken away from him. She's worried about their families reactions but is very supportive and happy for them finally being together.

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 21 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Hello darlings! So, this chapter marks us getting through 10% of the story. Yay? Yay! We are so grateful for people who are following along and giving feedback. Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Fashion Week began with no major crisis in sight (well, except for Courtney’s pink hair).  

This Chapter: Someone gets fired, someone gets lucky, and the Galactica collection gets presented to the world.

***

Willam took a deep breath before knocking decisively on Detox’s door. To say that he was not excited about being summoned to an unplanned meeting with his boss would be a huge understatement. But here he was.

“Come in!”

Detox was on the phone when Willam entered. He gestured for him to sit, receiver still pressed to his ear. Willam obeyed, rolling his eyes internally. That was such an amateur power move. Oh, look at me, Mr. Big Bad Editor, I’m so busy and important.

Willam’s eyes drifted towards the window. OK! Magazine was on the 10th floor of their midtown building: not the best view, not the worst. Everything about this place was middling to Willam. Including Detox, who was now finishing up his oh so important phone call. In his ugly green sport coat.

Detox hung up the phone, then leveled his gaze directly at Willam.

“I assume you know why you’re here.”

“‘Cause I’m getting a raise?” Willam asked hopefully.

Detox trained his eyes on the ceiling for a brief moment before saying, “No. What did I tell you about Galactica and Miss Fame last week?”

“You said that there was no story and that I should drop it, but-”

“So why the fuck do I hear rumors that you’re still nosing around?”

Rhea. That fucking bitch.

“Because! I know you’re wrong!” Willam exclaimed. “You know that in all the years Galactica has been in business, there is not one tiny shred of bad press? Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

“Will-”

“I know she’s your friend, okay? And I don’t know what you’re trying to hide, but I will find it.”

“Great,” Detox said. “Find it for someone else.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re fired, Willam. Clear out your desk by the end of the day.”

Willam opened his mouth, then stood up in a huff.

“You know, when you hired me, you said that you wanted tenacious reporters who would challenge you.”

“I did,” Detox said, his tone bored as he opened a folder and began to scan through it. “I guess I changed my mind.”

“Fuck you, Detox!” Willam spat, storming from the office and slamming the door behind him. He strode down the hall to his own office, righteous anger rising as he went. There was a story, a good one, Willam was sure of it. And when he found it, he would make Detox eat his fucking words.

***

DETOX: Hey, I know you’re busy right now, but just wanted to give you a heads-up. I had to fire a reporter today who’s been poking around Galactica looking for dirt. (A futile effort, I know, but still annoying.) His name is Willam Belli.

FAME: Thank you darling. Don’t worry, my staff knows better than to talk to reporters without approval.

DETOX: Good girl. See you Thursday.

FAME: XO

***

“Hey baby.” Katya smiled, crawling on top of Trixie’s lap. He had come home from the second day of Fashion Week, practically collapsing into the bed the second he had opened the door. Katya had taken one look at Trixie, grabbed the phone, ordered pizzas from Trixie’s favorite place and found their collection of Disney films before Trixie had even kicked off his pants.

“Ouch, careful!” Trixie laughed, trying to move so he could shift Katya’s weight, taking the pressure off his stomach, but it only held him down. The two of them had watched Beauty and the Beast and then The Little Mermaid and now they were just lounging around, half-naked and lazily kissing.

“My big, strong designer man.” Katya leaned down to kiss Trixie’s cheek before pulling away slowly, her hand trailing down his face, gently caressing it.

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” Trixie smiled, his eyes filled with love as he looked up at Katya.

“Even after you’ve spent the day looking at models?” Katya’s tone was teasing, but Trixie could see the insecurity in her eyes, which broke his heart.

“The most beautiful woman in all of the world.”

Katya leaned down again, kissing Trixie, her hands buried in his hair as she started to slowly rut against him.

Trixie moaned, letting Katya take complete control of their movements, letting her grab his hands and hold them above his head.

“Let me see you, baby…” he whined, but Katyas simply smiled, biting Trixie’s lip.

“Say it again.”

“I want to see you, please, let me see you.”

Katya laughed and straightened her back, Trixie keeping his hands above his head without her having to tell him. She pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall to the floor.

“Please- Katya.” Trixie felt like he was about to vibrate out of his skin, he wanted her so badly, wanted to be inside her.

“Sssh, ssh.” Katya smiled. She felt powerful, so beautiful, she felt like she could do anything as she looked into Trixie’s eyes, saw the love in them as she guided Trixie inside of her, took him all the way in before she leaned forward again, crashing their lips together.

Trixie moaned, drowning in the scent and feel of Katya. She rode him and he dug his hands into her hips and grabbed her perfect tits. Trixie felt pleasure crash over him and he finished with a roar, Katya slapping her hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

She sank down on his chest, giggling uncontrollably, panting with the aftermath of her own silent orgasm.

“Ssh, ssh baby, ssh, Pearl is home, ssh.” Katya’s laugh sounded like the sweetest music in Trixie’s ears. He felt drunk on happiness, sleepy and completely at peace with the world.

“I love you so fucking much” he groaned.

Katya gave him a wet, messy, final kiss. “I love you too.”

***

Pearl stood outside, leaning on the side of the building, a cigarette hanging from her mouth as she scrolled through her phone.

There was a light rain, more like a gentle mist, collecting in her hair and on the outside of her leather jacket, even as she clung to the side of the building, a narrow eave above her head offering little. Adore watched her, her own hair protected by a big fur hood, trying to stop her stomach from doing flips.

She’d known Pearl casually for a while now, and known of her even longer. She knew all the stories, was well aware of her reputation as a player and a heartbreaker, but Adore didn’t care about any of that. Especially when Pearl looked up, catching her eye as she strolled through the courtyard, the smile she flashed at her making her insides twist with excitement.

Pearl was fucking hot, and even though Adore felt like a basic bitch for pining after her, she couldn’t control herself. She wanted her. Wanted to taste her filthy smoker breath, wanted Pearl’s face buried in her pussy.

“Hey, Adore,” Pearl said as she approached.

“Hi Pearl,” Adore replied with a smile. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m waiting for Max, Max Malanaphy.”

“Really? That’s dope.”

“You know him?” Pearl asked, head cocked.

“Not at all.”

Pearl laughed, which made Adore blush, lowering her eyes demurely.

“Do you want a cigarette?” asked Pearl, and Adore nodded, relieved for the distraction.

“Yeah, sure, hit me.”

Adore took one of the cigarettes from Pearl, placing it between her lips, patting her pockets to look for a lighter, but Pearl was already one step ahead.

“Let me get that for you.”

Adore could practically feel her stomach do backflips as she leaned in, Pearl’s hands so close to her face as she protected the flame from the wind. Adore knew it was dumb, knew it was embarrassing, but what was she gonna do? The heart wanted what it wanted.

***

Willam paced around the courtyard at Bryant Park, trying to look inconspicuous and casual, waiting for Courtney to arrive at the tent where Galactica would be showing that afternoon. He wore his press badge from last year, hoping that she wouldn’t notice the difference.

After fuming and pouting about being fired for almost a day, Willam had gotten down to business. He found Courtney’s social media accounts on every platform, following her and doing a deep dive into her posts going back several years.

He learned everything about her: her aspirations in life, the names of her family, her favorite foods and music and books, her college major, and who her friends were.

Random things that could be meaningless found grave importance, stored away for future use: that she was a vegetarian who frequented the kind of music festivals where basic white girls wore flower crowns, that her brother was a mildly successful Sydney-based drag queen, that her longest relationship in college had been with an insufferable-looking football player (he made a point to butch it up a bit today, as much as he could) and that she apparently had some kind of psychotic habit of eating kiwis whole, skin and all.

He felt prepared, armed with a bouquet of her favorite pink roses.

Luckily, the pink hair made it easy to spot her out of the corner of his eye, and as she climbed the steps towards the tent, he beelined straight for her, a big smile on his face.

“Hey there, I was hoping to find you here!” he exclaimed, holding out the roses.

She looked shocked and predictably delighted.

“Hi! What’s all this for?”

“Well, I know you’re probably having a stressful week, and didn’t want you to forget about me.” He winked at her, careful not to seem too soft or feminine. She liked cocky assholes, after all.

“That would be a bit tough,” she laughed, twirling her hair, inhaling the scent of the roses.

“I love the new hair, by the way. You look like a pop star.“ Willam knew that it was cheap to use her own hopes and dreams against her, but he was a little proud of himself regardless.

“Really?!” she asked, face lighting up with joy.

“Totally,” Willam said. God, she was putty in his hands.

“Um...are you coming to the show?” she asked, gesturing to the tent.

“No...unfortunately, I have to cover Naeem Khan. Maybe we could hook up later?”

“Oh,” Courtney bit her lip. “Well, I have the afterparty...I’d try to get you in, but only have one extra ticket and I promised it to my friend Tati. She’s a model, so it’s really important to her, and-”

“Loyalty is very important,” Willam said with a grin, and she gave a relieved sigh. He knew that showing up at a Galactica party would be risky--Detox would probably be there, after all, so better to stay away and work her from behind the scenes. It also probably helped for him not to seem too terribly eager. “But when am I gonna see you again?”

“Maybe Saturday?”

Excellent. Right into his trap.

“Um, sure. I was actually planning to catch this show in Brooklyn. There’s a band I love playing this little club in Williamsburg.”

“What band?”  

“You’ve probably never heard of them,” Willam said, chuckling softly before carefully saying the name of the weird Icelandic band that he’s been practicing in the mirror all morning. “Sólseturstríðsmenn--they’re this kind of-”

“I love them!” Courtney squealed, eyes wide. “Omigod, my and my best friend saw them at a festival a few years ago, I had no idea they were in New York!”

“Yeah? You should come.”

“That sounds amazing!” She glanced towards the tent, clearly anxious about work.  

“I know you probably have more important things to do than talk to me right now,” Willam said, hanging his head with false modesty. “I’m sorry to be hounding you at work, I just...I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

He was going too far and he knew it. But her face softened. Compliments were obviously the ticket.

“I, um...I’ll message you later, okay?” she asked, and he nodded.

As she turned to leave, he exclaimed, “Wait!”

“Yes?” She turned back toward him, her expression one of total naive innocence, and it almost made him feel guilty. Almost.

“I just...needed to see your face one last time.”

She giggled, then leaned forward to kiss him. Uh oh. This was escalating way too fast. After a slight, momentary panic, he took hold of her shoulders and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. Pulling away, he tried to assess if that had been the right move. She was smiling, her green eyes soft and dreamy. Perfect.

“See you Saturday.”

***

“Done!” Alaska smiled at the model she had just finished painting, and raised her hand, flagging down Fame who was walking around the backstage area of their Bryant Park tent.

“Yes?���

It was Thursday at Fashion week, and Galactica was one of the last shows to happen that day, which meant that everyone was trying their best to get it all together and end the day with a bang worthy of their brand.

“Approved?” Alaska had just finished with the first model, her hair and makeup all done. While a lot of other department heads would probably have left the actual makeup application to someone beneath them, Alaska loved creating, and never passed up on a chance to use her skills. Not to mention the fact that with their staffing nightmare, she wanted to make sure that she was as hands-on as possible.

Fame scrutinized the model carefully, then nodded.

“Looks good.” Fame said, then huffed slightly, fanning herself. “Violet!”

Alaska couldn’t help smiling to herself when Violet immediately appeared at Fame’s side as if by magic, Courtney on her heels, both of them looking like they belonged in Page Six, though they were in vastly different styles.

“Yes, Miss?”

“Can you please explain to me why it’s hotter than the surface of the sun in this tent? I’m sweltering.”

Courtney opened her mouth to reply, but Fame held up a hand.

“Don’t answer.” Fame flicked her wrist, clearly dismissing them. “Just fix it!”

“Yes Miss!” Violet exclaimed, then scurried off, pulling Courtney with her.

Fame’s attention was already gone, but Alaska continued to watch as Courtney leaned in, doing a very bad attempt at whispering.

“Maybe we should have told her to just take off her cape-”

The blonde was cut off with a squeal, as Violet pinched her, and Alaska shook her head, not envying them in the least.

***

“Trixie!”

Trixie felt his blood freeze as he heard Blu wailing from the other side of the tent, the noise cutting through everything, the entire room stopping for one, long, dreadful moment.

“Here!”

Trixie ran, Blu’s eyes filled with tears, the young designer standing beside a model who looked just as pale, her dress ripped.

“It all happened so fast-” Blu pointed to her busted zipper and torn seam, the fabric still caught in the model's heel.

“Shit!” Trixie exclaimed, surveying the damage to the dress, his hands touching the models hip.

“I-”

Trixie looked up, meeting the gaze of the young girl. She looked like she wanted to die, her expression filled with absolute mortification, and Trixie tightened his grip slightly.

“You’re okay.” Trixie held her gaze. “We’re fixing this, and you’re okay. Okay?”

The model nodded, and Trixie did as well.

“Gia!”

The designer was already at his side, the woman one of their fastest sewers when no one from tailoring was available. Trixie was grateful for her efficiency. He’d learned early on with her that she held up better than most under pressure, and boy had she been under pressure many times in this job.

“Blu, help her if needed, but Gia has this one.”

“Yes!” Gia wasted no time, moving the model a few feet before she grabbed her kit and got to work.

Trixie left her side, fairly confident that she had the situation under control but making a mental note to check back in a few minutes.

He resumed his final checks, walking around and examining every garment on every girl, making sure that there were no loose threads or unfinished seams showing, checking the styling carefully, giving out last minute instructions to his team.

He’d just finished speaking to Alexis when he looked up and noticed Violet gazing at the commotion wistfully.

Trixie smiled to himself; Fame had informed him over a month ago of her plan to move Violet to design, and after taking a look at her spectacular portfolio, he was 100% in favor of it.

Seeing how longingly she looked at them scrambling to get everything done for the show simply confirmed to him that design was where she was meant to be.

***

Fame took a deep breath, watching the models on the backstage monitors. No matter how many times they did this, she always had butterflies as if it was her first time. But objectively , she had to admit that she was more than satisfied with this collection.

Beside her, Raja let out a soft chuckle.

“What?”

“Well, it’s just...when you said you wanted to redo the whole collection, I thought you were nuts,” Raja said.

“I know.”

“But...I have to admit, this is a spectacular show.” Raja slipped an arm around her shoulders.

“I know.” Fame grinned wryly up at her, and Raja laughed, laying a kiss on her forehead.

Fame sighed happily, smoothing down her skirt, getting ready to step out onto the runway. Kim scurried over to her to touch up their makeup, making sure that they were as flawless and dewy-fresh as they’d been this morning.

After they were both powdered and fluffed and declared finished, Fame took Raja’s hand and walked with her to the head of the runway, waiting for their cue. She exchanged a happy glance with Raja before they stepped onto the runway. They’d done it again.

[artificialqueens]

Flowers in Bloom, Part 1 - Daisy (Shinkx) - Albatross

AN: The sequel to ‘The Language of Flowers’ - This will feature the Shinkx and Trixya dates that follow immediately where their last chapters left off.

So this didn’t end up being as long as I thought it was going to be at first but that’s alright. I’m trying to learn not set imaginary pressures or deadlines on myself and just enjoy the process of writing. Not sure when the Trixya date will be posted, I haven’t started it yet but I’ve got a lot planned. The next piece to be posted is very likely to be Biadore (because that seemed to be the overwhelming want from the little mini poll on AQ) and then Trixya. I’m also torn between starting on the magical girl AU right away or jumping into Rajalaskam. Might just start both and see which one is finished first. Quick little side note for the chapter names - the flower that I pick as the title is going to be how I feel best describes the date. In this case the Daisy represents innocence and simplicity.

In a matter of seconds, Sharon had followed Jinkx beyond the shop’s door and stepped onto the sidewalk beside her. In the short amount of time it took her to lock up the building for the night, Jinkx found herself suddenly slapped with the reality that she was about to go on a date with her boss. Her heart began racing in her chest as an overwhelming smile threatened to break out across her lips. She just couldn’t believe this was really about to happen!

In a strange way she was glad it was all decided so suddenly; if there had been any lapse of time between her subtle confession and the date itself she was sure she would have gone into a full-blown panic mode. As for right now the immense joy coupled with a heavy dose of shock was the perfect thing to keep her from freaking out entirely. The only thing she hoped for right now was that her expression didn’t betray just how nervous she actually was beneath her relatively composed exterior. However, the smile Sharon shot towards her once she was finished securing the shop threatened to override that thought completely.

As they walked down the moderately busy street, Jinkx found herself toying with the hem of her sleeves. It offered a small bit of distraction but she longed to be able to clasp onto Sharon’s hand. She probably would have tried had the blonde not already shoved them into her pockets. To anyone else she probably would have looked like the picture of perfect composure but Jinkx noticed all of the little tics that betrayed her true feelings; the slightly higher pitch of her voice, the twiddling of her fingers with the items in her pockets, and of course her struggle to maintain eye contact between the frequent breaks to watch where they were going.

Their conversation remained idle but natural as Sharon led the way to the restaurant she had in mind. To both women’s surprise neither fell into the old classic of discussing work as a safety net. Although shortly after arriving at the cafe that was intended for their date, they were reminded all too quickly of the night’s earlier activities. Jinkx hadn’t noticed the issue at first, she was more concerned with trying to dodge the miscellaneous clusters of patrons loitering outside the cafe’s entrance, but Sharon’s less than quiet call of “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” soon caught her attention.

Following the blonde’s line of sight, Jinkx quickly spotted the problem; it seemed that Katya and Trixie had also decided to take their impromptu date here as well. They had been seated at a raised table out in the enclosed patio section and were eagerly chatting away about some random topic Jinkx couldn’t quite make out.

Sharon’s face as she took in the scene was a study of indecisiveness. She didn’t want to risk being exposed to Katya’s unique talent of effortlessly annoying her, especially in front of Jinkx when she could easily lose her cool…but even more so, she didn’t want to delay her date with the redhead any longer. She’d spent so much time simply pining after her from afar, she just couldn’t handle pushing it off for another night now that it was finally within her reach!

Bracing herself, Sharon began to push herself towards the hostess’s stand to request a table but Jinkx catching her arm stopped her dead in her tracks. Sharon’s heart stalled for a moment until she saw the reassuring smile resting upon Jinkx’s lips.

“I know another place we can go,” she offered politely, “If you don’t mind walking a little further.”

Very much relieved, Sharon replied that it wasn’t a problem in the slightest all while making a mental note to herself that’d she probably walk the length of the city just to keep her date with Jinkx tonight. Thankfully the substitute cafe Jinkx had in mind was only an extra ten minutes away. It was a bit more quiet than the bustling restaurant they had just left but there was still a moderate flow of foot traffic coming into the shop. Given that the weather outside was still pleasantly warm, it seems the majority of the customers decided to take their orders to go or at the very least enjoy them at the open air tables and benches. This particular cafe seemed to specialize with coffee and smoothies rather than prepared food, which probably helped to account for the transient stream of customers.

Once inside the first thing Sharon noticed was that it was rather homey instead of strictly a place for business. There was a relaxed atmosphere that seemed to contradict just how busy the shop actually was. The decor was a bit odd to her mind; a lot of the space had been filled with various knickknacks that anywhere else would have probably been very out of place. Before Sharon could truly take in the sights around her, Jinkx was already guiding them towards the small line at the counter. A number of the people waiting for their drinks seemed to be part of one group in particular and as soon as their orders were filled they took their leave and the majority of the shop’s background noise as well. Sharon had just begun to let out a sigh of relief at the newfound peace when she heard a delighted squeal emanating from behind the register.

“Jinkx!” the brunette exclaimed in excitement. “I haven’t seen you all week! Where have you been?”

“Sorry, we got really busy at the shop. We…kinda messed something up and spent the last couple of days fixing everything,” Jinkx admitted with a sheepish grin and quick glance towards the blonde.

Amused, the brunette inquired, “Oh? And just what have you been getting up to? Not starting any trouble at your new job, were you?”

Placing a comforting hand in the small of the redhead’s back, Sharon replied with a proud smile, “No, she’s been an amazing worker and she’s definitely learned her lesson with all that went on this week.”

The barista cocked her head to the side as she sized up the blonde in vague confusion. The realization that they hadn’t yet met dawned on Jinkx and with a polite interruption she introduced the pair to one another, “Sharon, this is Dela, my old coworker and Dela, this is Sharon…my new boss.”

Scanning her eyes around the shop with a new appreciation for the atmosphere, Sharon mused, “So this is where you used to work? I’ve driven by a few times but never stopped in. If I knew this was where I’d find you I’d have wandered in here sooner.”

At the statement made by the older blonde, Dela’s lips curled into something of a teasing smirk and immediately she began nosily asking, “You’re the one Jinkx asked me to order those coffee beans for? Glad to see you’ve got good taste…”

Darting her eyes back to Jinkx, she threw a quick wink and added in, “Both of you.”

Almost immediately Jinkx felt herself taking a heavy swallow in a pointless attempt to will away the growing blush on her cheeks. To her utter relief, Dela didn’t feel the need to make any further comments on the subject and fell back into her usual customer service mode to brightly ask the redhead, “Your usual?”

“Please,” Jinkx replied with a grateful smile.

Turning towards the blonde, she inquired, “And for you?”

Sharon’s eyes raked over the menu hung up behind the counter before ultimately settling on a large cup of the house brew. Dela gave an approving nod of her head and turned to make the drinks but was quickly stopped by both of the women. Each wanted to pay for the order but the brunette assured them, “It’s on me…”

Jinkx was in the midst of a very appreciative word of thanks to her friend until she heard Dela add in, “So long as Jinkx tells every little detail of how your date goes!”

Eyes narrowing at the proposal, the redhead quickly shot back, “I’d rather pay for the drinks then!”

Smiling away, Dela refused any form of payment and informed her huffy friend, “No choice, I already closed the sale in the register. You’ll have to tell me everything later!”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Jinkx muttered, “I hate you so much.”

A final proud grin was shot her way before Dela spun around to continue her work. Jinkx honestly couldn’t believe just how persistent Dela was being…It’s not like she wouldn’t have told her a quick version of it afterwards…She probably just wants something extra to talk about when she compares notes with Ivy….Jinkx really wouldn’t put it past her not to provide real-time updates to their mutual friend anyway. Oh, well. She can’t stop it so she might as well just resign herself to the fact that Ivy was likely to know the majority of her date before Jinkx gets a chance to tell her on her own…

In a matter of minutes, Sharon and Jinkx’s drinks handed back to them in cute little To-Go cups with their names scribbled along the sides in some of Dela’s best handwriting. Jinkx for one couldn’t wait to take the first sip. She hadn’t had a chance to stop in for her regular pick-me-up since Sunday thanks in large part to the fiasco with Katya and Trixie. Her overly sweetened latte would be a welcomed treat after successfully cleaning up the mess that she and the other assistants helped to create.

Almost as if she were walking on air, she led Sharon towards her favorite table in the back of the shop and sat down to enjoy the first very satisfying taste of her drink. Dela was one of the few employees here that she trusted make her coffee exactly right. Try as she might, Jinkx couldn’t hold back the soft sigh of pleasure that escaped from her lips after the nearly too hot drink finished washing across her tongue. Very much intrigued, Sharon asked, “Mind if I try some?”

Jinkx faltered for a moment before sliding her cup across what little empty space remained between them. With a noticeable amount of hesitation in her voice, she warned, “You can but I don’t think you’ll-”

The face Sharon made as soon as the drink passed her lips was truly a sight. Her eyes went wide with disbelief and something akin to fear that someone would willingly drink something as sugary as what she had just tasted. If she hadn’t seen Dela preparing it herself, she would have sworn that no coffee at all had been used while making that drink. Quickly pushing the cup back in front of Jinkx and washing away the after-taste with her own coffee, Sharon commented shakily, “That was very…sweet.”

Jinkx gave her an apologetic grin and took a long sip of her latte in order not to have to say anything more for the time being. Swallowing away the lingering taste of caramel and sugar, Sharon further questioned her, “I’m a bit surprised though…I thought you always took it black?”

The redhead felt a light blush returning to her cheeks and finally admitted in a sheepish voice, “Actually, I only started doing that because of you…I’ve never seen you add anything to yours so I didn’t either as long as you were around…”

Sharon’s eyes widened and just vaguely it looked like a hint of pink was rising to her face. Deciding it was now or never, Jinkx continued on as she toyed with a lock of stray hair, “I just kinda wanted to impress you, I guess. You always made it look so cool and sophisticated…adding my usual amount of sugar and creamer just felt…childish sometimes.”

With the final confession, Sharon’s shocked expression immediately softened and her hand came to rest on Jinkx’s drawn in shoulder. Scooting their chairs closer until their legs were almost touching, the blonde assured her, “Jinkx, never worry about impressing me. You’ve done that already…you still do actually.”

The pair shared a fond smile before the intimacy of the situation became too much and each broke away with an embarrassed smile. They drank in further silence for another minute or so before a new topic was cautiously proposed by the older woman. It felt like the hours slipped by unnoticed as countless customers came and left the shop while the two remained close and cozy in their hidden corner. Around half an hour before the cafe was due to close, Jinkx asked with more than a fair amount of trepidation, “So this…us, I mean. What do we do at the shop?”

Her gaze was curious but also concerned and fearful. She didn’t want this to be a one time thing but it was also a bit of unfamiliar territory to be potentially dating her boss. She didn’t want anything to mess up her personal or business life but if she would have to pick now, she wasn’t sure which she would chose to pursue. Luckily, Sharon had no intention of forcing her to make that choice. Enclosing her hand around one of Jinkx’s fiddling ones, she consoled her employee in a simple but gentle voice, “We’ll do the same thing we’ve been doing; we remain professional with each other while at work.”

“And then after work?” Jinkx questioned in a meek yet hopeful tone.

Smirking just a tad, the blonde gave a comforting squeeze of her hand and stated confidently, “After work…we’ll be anything but.”

Jinkx felt a smile of previously unknown size growing across her lips as she beamed up at her boss. Her heart felt like it would soon flutter out of her chest but she could hardly care about that. Everything felt like a dream at this point and no part of her wanted to wake up any time soon.

She was almost finished with her drink when Sharon placed her empty cup next Jinkx’s. Leaving their hands resting on the table, Sharon worked her phone out her pocket and opened the camera app. She jutted her head towards the pair of cups with a silent request for permission to take a picture yet left the option open for Jinkx to refuse. Vaguely wondering who she’d send the image to before ultimately deciding that she didn’t care, Jinkx nodded her head with a gleeful grin settled on her lips. She found that she wanted everyone to know; both at the shop and the rest of the world.

Crossing the last few inches of space that remained between their bodies, Jinkx let her head fall onto Sharon’s shoulder as the blonde snapped a quick picture. Just at the very edge of the image, Jinkx could see their interlocking fingers making a small cameo while the cups with their names scrawled up the side took up the majority of the screen. With one click, Sharon forwarded the picture off to probably every employee at the shop.

Following the subtle announcement of their relationship to their coworkers, the pair quickly drank what little remained in their cups and bid Dela a short ‘Goodbye’ and word of thanks as they exited the cafe. The walk back to the flower shop was quiet and peaceful, yet over all too quickly to both of the women’s displeasure. Pausing outside the door to Sharon’s apartment, Jinkx stood on her tip toes to press a soft kiss to Sharon’s cheek as she whispered sincerely, “I had a really good time tonight.”

Before the redhead even had a chance to try and disentangle her hand from Sharon’s, the older woman carefully pulled her in closer and offered up hopefully, “Well the night’s not over yet…want to come inside for another cup?…I still have have those coffee beans you gave me…”

Jinkx’s face lit up and without a second thought, she dare to place a brief peck to Sharon’s lips and replied, “I’d love to.”

[artificialqueens]

TROIKA (Trixie/Alaska feat. Katya) Prologue/9- Spoky

A/N: In the end, it’s just RPF. @veronicasanders & @fryshook, cheers comrades.

Summary: You can’t choose who you fall in love with and sometimes it’s inconvenient; it’s challenging, cumbersome, difficult and pushes you in directions you previously thought impossible. This is a story about negotiating love when everything you thought you knew about family, relationships and sex proves to be insufficient.

TROIKA

“What happens if you fall in love with an individual, but that individual is more passive? He’s a bottom. And you’re also more passive. You’re a bottom. What you need to do is, break up . ‘Cause you know what you want, and you know how you want it, and you know that he’s not going to do it how you want it.”

- Willam Belli, 2013, 00:56-01:20

May, 2017

“Thank you,” Katya said as he stepped into the silver space.

“Not at all. Which floor?”

Katya glanced up from his mobile phone and smiled at the middle-aged woman who’d held the elevator, seeing him approaching.

“Top, thanks,” he said and smirked at his inner dialogue. Top, thanks. Not that many guys fought him on that one, not in West Hollywood anyway. Well, they hadn’t really fought him on it in Boston, either.  

The woman nodded in response, pressed the button and sighed heavily as she leaned against the elevator wall, closing her eyes.

“Rough day?” Katya asked as he stuffed the mobile back into his pocket. The woman looked worn out, carrying three bags of groceries and a backpack that belonged to a Spiderman-fan.

“You could says so,” she said and chuckled through her nose.

Bing.

The elevator stopped at the second floor and a young, blonde girl jumped in through the slowly retreating doors.

“HA! Made it!” she announced victoriously, slightly out of breath and pointed at the woman with her index finger. She couldn’t have been older than six. Her hair was tied up to a messy ponytail that swung from side to side as she twirled around in the small space in her bright yellow glitter jellies. As she turned, she noticed Katya in the corner and got embarrassed. Shyly, she retreated next to the woman, who Katya guessed had to be the mother.

“Yes, to the second floor,” the woman said. “I thought you were supposed to beat me to the top?”

The elevator doors started to close slowly and the girl grabbed the spiderman backpack, throwing it sassily over her shoulder.

“No. I meant second,” she said and studied Katya discreetly through the mirror. The woman rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, clearly used to the child’s antics. “That’s a girl’s bracelet,” the girl said then, eyeing Katya’s wrist carefully as the elevator twitched to move again.

Katya glanced down at his wrist and chuckled. Trixie had forgotten the pink, plastic trinket into his car almost a month ago and he hadn’t had the chance to return it before today. He’d grabbed the thing from the backseat of his car before making his way to the apartment complex and decided to wear it, rather than stuff it into his backpack, thinking that the chances of him forgetting to return it were smaller that way. He fondled the jewellery affectionately, adjusting the lock against his pulse point and smiled at the girl.

“Yes, I guess it is,” he agreed.

“But you’re a boy,” the child said immediately, squinting her eyes as if trying to identify whether her gendering was accurate or not.

“Ethan,” the woman said emphatically and looked down at the child scoldingly.

The child, Ethan, pursed his lips together and crossed his arms across his chest, covering the flower print of his light purple t-shirt. He never stopped staring, though.

“I’m sorry,” the woman apologised Katya. “They’re very interested in gender.”

“No, it’s alright,” Katya grinned, looking at Ethan and feeling a tiny bit jealous of their freedom and confidence. He wished he’d grown up in a similarly progressive time, in a society where a third pronoun was a possibility, but things had been a little different thirty years ago. “You’re right, I am a boy,” Katya said to Ethan, “- but sometimes, I’m also a woman,” he added cryptically, as if letting Ethan into a secret.

Ethan looked at Katya skeptically at first but as the elevator binged for a sign that they’d reached their destination, they huffed as if coming to a conclusion.

“Yeah, I get that,” they said, nodding compassionately to Katya before storming out, their hands spread wide as if flying, their lips pushed forward to make convincing airplane sounds.

Katya turned to look at the woman, who was now staring at him openly.

“Thank you,” she said seriously. “They don’t get to meet a lot of adults like them.”

“No, thank you ,” Katya praised as they stepped to the hallway, hoping that the woman knew what he meant. Thank you for providing a safe space for a child like me, thank you for letting them be what they are, and most importantly, thank you for not being ashamed of them.

Katya nodded his goodbye as they parted ways and could still hear distant, cheerful airplane sounds echoing in the hallway as he paused behind Alaska’s door. Meeting Ethan had left him slightly unsettled and while he was excited for his meeting with Trixie and Alaska, somehow he felt unbalanced, as if something wasn’t quite right. He shook his head and knocked, determined that the feeling was fleeting, nothing that a cigarette couldn’t sort out. Luckily, it took Alaska just a moment to answer his summons.

“Hey girl!” Alaska greeted as he opened the front door and let Katya into the apartment.

Katya pulled the other man into a brief greeting hug, took notice of how good he smelled and took another exaggerated whiff as he squeezed the man closer.

“You smell divine! Just hold me as I dry hump your leg, would you?”

“You’re confusing me with Willam, again,” Alaska snorted, barely hiding his amusement as he slithered out of Katya’s arms. “But I’ll take a hello?” he added with a flirtatious tone and cocked his eyebrows suggestively at Katya over his shoulder as he led him further into the organised chaos he called home.

“Hello,” Katya drawled and grinned widely, eyeing around in Alaska’s apartment.

Unlike Delta Work’s notorious label as a messy queen, Alaska’s similar reputation had nothing to do with his behaviour on social media. The apartment was clean, but there was clutter on most surfaces: jewelry, makeup, photos, art, drag queen merchandise, post-it notes, postcards – some of which he’d clearly received through the post whilst others sat tightly in the protection of their plastic sleeves. Katya dropped his backpack on the couch, next to the embroidered pillow that read STUN in pine green, and turned to Alaska.

“Seriously though, dire nicotine deficiency, it’s either a cigarette or a panic attack. Choose wisely.”

Alaska chuckled and placed the mug Katya hadn’t noticed him holding on the coffee table.

“You know where the balco-”

Alaska’s sentence was cut short by a knock at the door.

“That’s Brian,” Alaska noted and turned to walk back to the front door, leaving Katya hovering next to the sofa, baffled. He couldn’t recall a single instance of Alaska referring to Trixie as Brian, not one, and yet, the name had rolled through Alaska’s lips with complete ease. The two must’ve gotten close while working on their project. The thought caused a tiny sting of jealousy in Katya’s lower abdomen, but he quickly buried it underneath other unimportant feelings and thoughts. After all, he was here now, they’d invited him over to talk about the project, there was no reason to feel left out. He took couple of steps to his right, for a better view of the hallway and the front door.

Katya followed with interest and slight confusion as Alaska opened the door with a rushed “Katya is here” instead of a “Hello” and let Trixie into the apartment. The pair nodded to each other but no hugs or verbal greetings were exchanged between them. It was odd, but Katya didn’t have time to analyse the interaction further as Trixie noticed him in the living room and rushed over.

“I thought you’d decided against transitioning, Mr. Dolezal,” Trixie mocked as he pulled Katya into a firm hug, sending him into round of giggles.

“Yes yes, against genital snippety-snappety,” Katya agreed enthusiastically, “but look at this skin!”

“Very Pocahontas,” Trixie nodded in approval. “I hope its spray tho’. I’ve put my money on lung cancer, not every fricking subtype of melanoma.”

Katya screamed and flung his fists in the air excitedly. He hadn’t seen Trixie in over three weeks and while they hadn’t stopped texting, being in the actual presence of his best friend felt somehow soothing. Katya’s socially constructed reality felt little more balanced, interesting and manageable in a close proximity to Tracy Martel. He still wanted his cigarette, though.

“Thanks for the reminder. I need a smoke break,” Katya announced, glancing at Alaska briefly for permission to use his balcony. “It’s the least I can do for Tracy’s retirement fund.”

“I’ll be sure to bring that up when they ask for a character reference.”

* *

Katya closed the balcony door behind him and took a seat at the rattan bench next to Trixie. The sun was starting to set, discreetly painting the sky with hues of orange over the still dominant baby blue. It was hot, though. One of the hottest days yet and Katya pulled at the collar of his t-shirt to stretch it out. The leg of his shorts was rubbing uncomfortably against his damp thigh and he felt momentarily jealous of Alaska, who didn’t seem too bothered by the heat in his white tank top and jeans.

“Kim never sweats,” Trixie chuckled. “It’s so weird. Once we were in New Orleans and I swear you could’ve cooked eggs on the sidewalk and this guy is just there, chilling, while the rest of us are on the verge of dehydration, smelling like rotten cabbage.”

“You trying to tell me something?” Katya asked, cocking his eyebrows as he lit his cigarette. The first inhale worked as a lasso that pulled most of Katya’s disoriented thoughts into a some type of, if not organised, then at least contained pile.

“I’m used to your rank,” Trixie brushed him off, spreading his legs wider as he slid slightly lower on the bench to get more comfortable. Katya couldn’t not to notice how his shorts got tighter at the crotch, trapping his dick into a very evident bulge.

“It’s genetic,” Alaska said, catching Katya’s attention.

Alaska was leaning to the balcony rail, his hands crossed over his chest loosely. The pose reminded Katya of Ethan in the elevator. The look that Alaska was giving him, though, Katya couldn’t place. It was curious and simultaneously somehow judgemental, criticising? Alaska glanced quickly at Trixie’s crotch and back to Katya, giving him a discreet but teasing smile. Katya just grinned, not even slightly embarrassed that he’d been caught appreciating Trixie’s current posture.

“Genetic?” Trixie asked, turning to look at Alaska.

“Yeah, like, I read somewhere that the Koreans have like, less sweat glands or something, so they don’t smell like the rest of us.”

“You’re kidding,” Katya snorted.

“No no, I’m not. Google it.”

“I’ll add it to the list of things to google the next time I’m having an existential crisis and need to make sure the world is actually relatively real,” Katya said through laughter before taking a long drag of his cigarette and inhaling deeply. He blew the smoke slowly up towards the ceiling and from the corner of his eye studied Alaska, who was smoking his cigarette in shallower breaths. Alaska’s style reminded Katya of the type you saw in some European movies where less than half of the smoke was inhaled after the initial drag while the rest was released in an extravagant puff. It was somehow sexier, maybe little extra, very drag. In conclusion, suited Alaska perfectly. “So, you guys wanna tell me about this project of yours?”

The relaxed atmosphere on the balcony shifted after the question. Trixie corrected his position to sit more straightforward while Alaska started to absentmindedly massage his shoulder. Katya glanced to Trixie whose gaze was directed at Alaska under his slightly wrinkled brows. He was rubbing his right index and middle finger against his thumb in small circles, a sign of which Katya recognised as Trixie’s subconscious habit while nervous. The pair was looking at each other in silence and Katya frowned. They had invited him over to talk about the project, but didn’t want to talk about it?

“I think I want a beer,” Alaska said suddenly and Trixie was quick to jump on the train.

“I think there are couple of Stellas in the fridge.”

The speed in which Trixie stood up and stepped towards the door made it obvious that he was trying to escape the situation. Katya was getting more confused by the second.

“It’s fine, I’ll get them,” Alaska drawled, stumped his half smoked cigarette into the ashtray and wiggled his way around Trixie to get to the balcony door.

There were two things that struck to Katya as the two competed in what seemed to be a race out of Katya’s uncomfortable presence and questions. One, Trixie seemed curiously knowledgeable about the alcohol contents of Alaska’s refrigerator and two, the ease in which Alaska opened the rainbow striped jar placed on the windowsill next to the balcony door told of a well internalised habit. Almost subconsciously Alaska had pushed aside the ceramic lid with his pinkie, grabbed one of the white balls between his index and middle finger like a Go stone and popped the thing into his mouth before leaving the balcony, not once even glancing at the jar itself as he had been staring at Trixie.

As Alaska disappeared inside, Trixie was left hovering in between the balcony door and his earlier seat and Katya couldn’t recall a time he’d ever witnessed Trixie quite as tense. Possibly in Australia when they’d almost gotten arrested? The Barbie was shifting his weight from left to right and was clearly at loss on what to do next. Trixie’s discomfort felt alien to Katya. He’d thought they were beyond these type of encounters but apparently, he’d been wrong.

“What’s in the jar?” Katya asked, hoping for the mundane question to break the strained charge.

“Mints,” Trixie answered instantly, still staring after Alaska, “I would think,” he rushed to add as a hasty afterthought whilst turning to Katya, as if suddenly realising that he wasn’t supposed to know. “I would think mints.”

Katya looked up to Trixie, puzzled. He could think of two reasons why one might want a mint after a cigarette, neither of which made very much sense in the given situation, so he dismissed the oddity as one of Alaska’s quirks. Something was bugging him, though. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it as the trepidity Trixie practically radiated made him feel ill at ease, blurring his thoughts.

When Trixie had called him two days ago to arrange the meeting, explaining that he had something he wanted to talk about, something new and exciting and slightly out of his comfort zone, something that involved Alaska, Katya had gotten excited. Whatever the two had planned  was bound to be hilarious, but also professionally executed, and Katya was here – H. E. R. E. Here. – for it. It had been months since Trixie had first mentioned that he was working on something with Alaska and absolutely refused to spill any of the details. Katya had tried probing Alaska for some information as well, but the man had acted like Helen Keller without a pencil. He felt a little honoured that they’d finally decided to include him, whatever the project was, but the awkwardness and secrecy was driving him slightly mad.

“Come on man, he’ll get them,” Katya said and pulled Trixie back onto the sofa from his shorts leg.

Trixie complied with ease and took a deep breath.

“Fuck man,” Trixie swore quietly and brushed his palm against his knees. “I’m just trying not to fuck this up.”

“What exactly is there to fuck up?” Katya asked, but knew that he wouldn’t get a straight answer.

When Trixie didn’t reply at all, however, or even recognise that Katya had said anything, Katya started to think that maybe, just maybe, it would’ve been more productive to stay at home tonight. He could’ve watched the latest season of Game of Thrones instead, as it seemed like Alaska and Trixie were not going to get anywhere. He leaned his elbows against his knees and thought about Ethan. The confidence of the kid intrigued him.

“I met this kid today,” Katya said not quite certain why he was telling the story.

“Kid?”

“Yeah,” Katya nodded. “Curious little thing. I thought they were a girl at first but then the name was Ethan, so I think non-binary.”

“He introduced himself to you?”

“They,” Katya emphasised, throwing Trixie a judgmental look with cocked eyebrows. Trixie lifted his hands up in mock surrender and pursed his lips. “No, the mom called them that. Or like, I assume she was the mother.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

Katya turned his gaze to the yard where a group of young teenagers were fighting over a inflatable dolphin. They weren’t being incredibly loud, or maybe they were just too far for him to hear, but the flirtatious play he could see them engaging in was disturbingly heteronormative. They boys would steal the toy and take it into the pool, into which the girls couldn’t possibly enter because of their hair or makeup, possibly both. So they would guile one of the boys to help them to steal the toy back, and so it went, back and forth, like a very peculiar mating dance. Ethan would probably have to pick a side eventually.

“They were – was?” Katya asked Trixie who just shrugged, clueless. “Were,” Katya decided. “They were wearing these yellow glitter jellies-”

“-that you wanted?”

Katya laughed out loud before singsonging: “Yes, God! And like this purple tee and I- I think I was kinda jealous of their confidence.”

Trixie hummed and nodded as a sign that Katya should go on, that he was listening.

“I don’t know, man,” Katya said and grinned. “Like, meeting them was just like…” Katya paused to look for a word.

“Nice?” Alaska suggested and drew Katya’s attention up from the young, lekking teenagers.

“Yeah,” Katya grinned, meeting Alaska’s eyes. “Nice.”

Trixie grabbed the green Stella Artois Alaska was holding out for him and took a sip.

“I’ve got some weed, if you’d like?” Alaska asked Katya, once again leaning against the balcony rail. Katya chuckled through his nose and shook his head as he lit a second cigarette.

“Nah man, I’m good.”

* *

Katya threw a used napkin on the empty pizza box and leaned his elbows against the dinner table as he lifted his gaze up to Trixie and Alaska on the other side. Trixie was munching on the last slice of pizza, paying clearly no attention on Alaska, who was talking vividly about something Katya hadn’t heard a word of since, well, since the beginning really. He assumed it was something to do with drag, purely based on the excited glimmer in Alaska’s eyes, but he wasn’t really listening. Instead, he fixated on the incredible ease in which Trixie reached over Alaska to grab his beer, to wash down the pieces of pizza he was currently chewing. Trixie had finished his own bottle ages ago and now failed to return the stolen bottle back to Alaska, placing it instead next to his empty one. The exchange reminded Katya of his father who was in a habit of stealing his mother’s red wine on occasion, if she didn’t finish it quickly enough.

“So, spill,” Katya interrupted Alaska without apologies. “And for the record, I know that both of you are capable of coming up with ideas worthy of the Vienna Academy of Art rejecting young Adolf, but I’m open for anything consensual and unanimous,” Katya said sternly as he leaned further into his elbows. He was determined to get to the bottom of this damn project the other two had been avoiding for the past two hours.

Trixie and Alaska exchanged yet another uncertain look between them, as if once more confirming with each other that Katya was to be let into the secret. Katya wanted to roll his eyes but restrained. No idea, however tentative, could be that fragile. Had they fucking met him? Truthfully speaking, he felt like he should’ve been slightly offended that they kept going back and forth with their decision to include him.

“Look,” Katya sighed. “I get the impression that this thing of yours might be a little out there, even for me. But listen, we still have Bob the Politician as the current fucking reigning. As long as it’s not another United Airlines joke, or a rerun of the RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 76 skit, because both of those were badly executed, mama, and I’m talking some serious BFA offensive to be edgy bullshit, I think we should break some PC boundaries – or bones, if it comes to that.”

Trixie blinked at Katya’s words and Alaska bit her lip to prevent a laugh.

“God I hope we don’t break any bones,” Alaska muttered quietly and Trixie threw a disapproving look at him, trying hard to hide his amusement.

Katya watched, intrigued, as Trixie swallowed the final pieces of the pizza, wiped his mouth to the back of his palm and faced Katya with a rather un-Trixie-like seriousness.

“There’s no project per se.”

Katya’s enthusiasm was taken down a notch.

“No?” he asked, now completely confused. “Don’t tell me, you’ve collectively decided to stop the music industry and retire to Baan Souy at Pattaya?”

He reached over the table to offer a hand in solace to Trixie. “I know you want to support your singer-songwriter sister here,” he said solemnly and glanced briefly to Alaska, “- but it’s not your time yet, you still have some good years in you.”

Alaska chuckled lightly as Trixie pressed the feet of her palms into his eye sockets and leaned his elbows to the table, groaning loudly.

“I could-” Alaska started but was immediately cut off.

“No,” Trixie said firmly and sat back up. “I’m doing this. I need to do this.”

Alaska nodded and successfully avoided Katya’s questioning eyes.

“Katya,” Trixie said seriously, too seriously, and Katya had to grin. There was bound to be a joke, it would just take some time for Trixie to crack.

“We’re not retiring. We’re dating.”

Katya was looking at Trixie straight into the eyes and had to admire the raw talent in which he embodied the character. Trixie’s words came across completely sincere, as if he was entirely convinced of his own words, with no trace of the practiced script whatsoever. It was Meryl Streep level artistry. Katya glanced at Alaska, who was still avoiding his gaze and thus he turned back to Trixie, who was now pursing his lips together like he always did when expecting an unfavourable reaction or bad news from his manager.

“You’re kidding,” Katya said and realised that now she too sounded serious, too serious. He rewinded back the previous two hours: the odd non-greeting when Trixie had arrived, the avoidance of the project as a topic of discussion, Trixie’s familiarity with Alaska’s refrigerator’s alcohol contents, the stolen bottle of Stella Artois, even the mints in the clay rainbow jar on the balcony made suddenly sense; Trixie had always hated kissing people who tasted or smelled like cigarettes. Trixie and Alaska in a romantic relationship made about as much sense as the Trump Presidency; just because it seemed too absurd to be true didn’t mean it wasn’t real.

“I wish I was, because your face is a fucking picture right now,” Trixie snorted, but his voice didn’t quite reach the lighthearted tone he was clearly aiming for.

Trixie was nervous, Katya realised. He was apprehensive of Katya’s reaction and was waiting for his reply, possibly even his approval? Holy Mary and Jesus’ twelve Apostles in alphabetical order, they were not joking. Trixie Mattel, Katya’s co-patient from RuPaul’s seventh group therapy session, was, if her word was to be trusted – like, who knew, she could’ve been on any kind of drug possible! Katya swallowed the idea. Trixie Mattel was the least likely of them to be high in this situation and currently, according to her words, dating Katya’s all time favourite drag superstar from RuPaul’s best friend race.

Katya turned to look at Alaska who was now looking at him calculatingly, as if trying to figure out what was going on in his head. What was going on in his head? Katya didn’t even know himself. He was shocked, and confused, and a little disappointed that Trixie hadn’t told him earlier. How long had this been going on? He figured he should probably also feel happy for the pair, but he was too busy feeling shocked and confused to be able to branch out.

He turned his eyes back to Trixie, who looked slightly worried. What was he expecting Katya to say? Surely there was nothing he could say that would somehow affect the situation? Was Trixie expecting him to be upset? Why? Just because Alaska was Katya’s favourite, and admittedly hot as fuck, that didn’t mean that Katya would be upset. Hell, even if the game at Hey Queen had been just a joke, Katya had picked Tatianna over Alaska to kai kai with! It had been Trixie himself who had picked Alaska, not Katya, and… A small lightbulb lit in Katya’s head, very similarly to the scenes one might see in the 1990’s cartoons. Trixie had picked Alaska… The self-proclaimed high femme with a rainbow collection of “BOTTOM”-labelled baseball caps had been chosen by the country cowboy for a mutually satisfying coupling. Now, it certainly wasn’t the politest, or even the most relevant question. But it certainly was the first one Katya’s brain jumped to and before he could prevent himself, he had blurted it out:

“But, who tops?”

Trixie groaned in frustration and hid his face to his arms against the table.

“Funny you should ask,” Alaska drawled slowly as he reached to gently massage Trixie’s neck, an amused grin decorating his lips. “We were kinda hoping that you would.”

___________

A/N2: Thoughts?