#detective branjie

[kero-ppi]

Branjie Fan Theory

Brooke Lynn Hytes as won season 11 and this is how I know!!!

Lets collect the data.

• Brooke has been doing extreamly well

• Brooke is dating Vanessa Vanjie

• Vanessa said on Twitter to get married at drag con 😭😭😱

• In Iggy Azalea new video 'Started' Iggy kills her husband for money

• In this video VANESSA APEARS AND SAYS " HELP ME KILL MINES"

Now why would Vanessa want to kill her dear husband Brooke Lynn Hytes?

Because Brooke Won RuPauls Drag Race!!!

😱😱😱😱😱

Beware guys, we need to keep Brooke safe!!!

[tumble4rpdr]

Am I the only one wondering why Brooke calls Vanessa the detective? I get that Brooke is twinkle toes because he does ballet (on pointe shoes) and Vanjie always makes fun of his feet (and I’m sure there are a few other reasons) but just where did the detective come from? I will say that I’m happy to finally understand their consistent use of the 🕵🏼‍♂️ emoji though.

[imalwaysaslutfordrag]

WIP List

AN: Rather than a six sentence sunday, I wanted to provide a list of my current WIPs in the hopes that yall would tell me what ur most interested in seeing. I’m going to focus on getting like they do in vegas finished, and the last chapter of TNH out, but afterwards, I would like input on what you guys are most interested in seeing so I can start working on that. 

Thanks yall <3

Fics I haven’t started on:

Branjie HS AU: Multichap. Lesbian AU. Slow burn. Angst. Fluff.

S: Brooke is a nerd, Vanessa is a popular cheerleader. In a quintessential high school movie from the 2000s, Vanessa’s friends make her the deal that if she can get the shy nerdy kid to fall in love with her, she can be the cheer team captain.

Dream AU: (oneshot or multichap I haven’t decided) Lesbian AU. College AU.

Crystal has always had an active imagination. And that fact isn’t limited in her dreams. For as long as she can remember, as soon as she falls asleep, she is taken to the same dreamworld. Over the years, she has gotten to know the residents of this world and has even befriended some of them. One night, as she’s trapsing through the forest, she comes across a mysterious stranger who turns out to be the queen.

Jankie Neighbors AU: Oneshot. Lesbian AU. Enemies? to friends to lovers. Fluff.

S: Jackie moves into her grandmother’s old house after she passes. Her grandmother was a gardener, Jackie is not. But the girl in the house next door is. Cue Jackie attempting to best Jan in a plant war that only one of them realizes is a plant war. 

Methydoll Soulmate AU: Oneshot. Lesbian AU. Fluff. Angst.

I haven’t figured out the logistics quite yet, but the tentative summary is: In a world where you get reincarnated until you end up with your soulmate, Nicky and Crystal meet several times, but the timing is never quite right.

Fics I have started on but have nothing published:

Jankie Detective AU: (with background methydoll because I can’t resist) Multichap. Lesbian AU. Enemeies with benifits kinda. Slow burn ish?

S: Jan is an FBI agent working to dismantle New York City’s oldest mafia network. One night she goes out to a bar and sleeps with a random woman. When Jan walks into work the next day she finds out that the woman she slet with, Jackie, is her new partner on the case. Jackie is arrogant and cocky and Jan loves to hate that about her.

Criminal AU: (Branjie) (In the same universe as Detective AU) Slow burn. Enemies to lovers.  

S: V is a world renowned art theif. Brooke is tasked with taking her down. But just as Brooke is starting to make some head on capturing V, a new, much more dangerous criminal comes on to the scene. Forcing B and V to work together to bring the new criminal to justice.

Heavy Is The Head: (GoodeDoll) Royal AU. Lesbian AU. Enemies to Lovers

S: Gigi is a princess that is due to be wed any day now. At a yearly tournament where suitors fight to win her affection, the winning knight throws the kindgom into a frenzy when she reveals herself to be a girl. Gigi doesn’t want to marry anyone, let alone a cocky solider who is more interested in leading her father’s army than in Gigi. 

Whiskey Girls: (Branjie) Bartender/Celeb AU. Lesbian AU. Set around 1968

S: Brooke is a famous drummer in a band. Vanessa owns a bar. They meet in the summer of 68′ and fall in love with the background of the Mississippi Delta.

Fics I have started on and have stuff published:

Blue Neighborhood: (Multi Ship with all S12 queens) HS AU. Fluff. Angst. Coming of age. 

S: This series is based on Troye Sivan's Blue Neighborhood album. All of the season 12 girls grew up in the same neighborhood and each song off the album is representative of a different situation they are in.

like they do in vegas: (Vanique) 

S: Vanessa is a Casino Girl just trying to get by. Monique is a mysterious rich stranger. They meet in the city of sin. What could possibly go wrong?

To New Hytes No one cares or remembers this one lol. I’m working on the last chapter and it is hurting my heart, but I’ll have it out by next month!

[blhates]

Same here with Kamjie. I am trying so hard to get with the program but as hot as they are 🔥 I just cannot get them anywhere near levels of Branjie in my mind (nothing ever will, I literally flail at any interaction lol). I feel like if it was anything actually legit, legit with Kam V would of been so fucking obvious with it. Although I'll eat my words if I'm wrong

Branjie has us hooked and stuck in this clown car 🚗 🤡

I'm still skeptical about how legit it is. But I know if it were substantial the absolute detectives here would sniff it out sooner than you could finish saying vegas revue

[sohytes]

UM THE BRANJIE OCEANS 8 AU?! Write that PLEASE

gonna be real: wanted to write a little summary of what i had in mind and actually ended up writing a whole ass multi-chaptered concept so it's probably gonna happen and i dont want to spoiler it, so here's the light version:

Vanessa is a high class thief, we talking Ocean's 8 all in one little bitch, she owns a night club and she's the most important criminal of the city, everybody is at her feet, but she has a very weak spot for the ladies and would never dare to hurt one.

Brooke is a detective, FBI, something, we talking lesbian Jim Gordon from Gotham. High morals, seemingly the only incorruptible one left.

I'm just saying but from the stuff I've written it sounds great and I'm very excited 🤗 let me know if you would like to read it

[theartificialdane]

Wait B is staying at jasons at the moment?

I love being Branjie central, but I think you guys are forgetting that I’m on Europe time and therefor always horribly behind on any and all news, haha.

Detective anons 🕵🏼‍♂️ have noticed that in the video of Brooke catwalking her Emmy look, it seems like he’s outside Jasons apartments.

But there are also the Follow Me Around videos, that were filmed in 2018, where you see that Brooke and Vanjie are staying together at Jasons if you watch Mayhems Follow me!

[purecamp]

fic masterlist!

a collection of every rpdr i have ever written! contains much shalaska, some shillam, some witney, and dribs and drabs of branjie and taywhora

Oneshots

Sharon fucking Needles - sharon drunk texts alaska, who tells her to get her shit together if she wants to get back together. so that’s what she does.

Conflicted - (au) aaron’s conflicted because he has a secret: he’s a drag queen. little does he know, his boyfriend justin is conflicted too, for the same reason: he’s also a drag queen. one night in a bar, they find out the other’s secret.

Dead Girls Never Say No - after listening to the lyrics written about her in alaska’s bitch track ‘The T’, sharon is understandably upset. fame hardened alaska to the point where she feels like an emotionless dead girl, but as the song goes, dead girls never say no.

Would You Be So Kind - justin feels funny, and he feels funny because he’s in love. aaron feels funny, and he also feels funny because he’s in love. based off the dodie clark song

Vera Amoris - (au) alaska’s a brand new witch in town, who doesn’t know the other witches yet. after getting tricked by the evil phi phi to drink a potion she shouldn’t drink, jinkx rushes her to the town potion master, sharon, for help.

Soulmate - justin believes that in life, you have more than one soulmate, but each of your soulmates stay with you forever. so it still hurts when your first soulmate dies too young.

Weird - (au) alaska finds out her asshole boyfriend is cheating on her, and promptly breaks up with him. however, she’s left with a problem: she has no money, her phone is dead and broken, and she’s lost. a hooker by the name of sharon needles comes to the rescue, which in alaska’s eyes is frankly? a little weird.

Two Hearts and a Home - pure fluff and romance ensues in early december, when justin enlists the help of his lazy boyfriend aaron to put up the christmas tree.

Say Cheese! - sharon won’t smile for a picture. alaska is determined that, anyway she can, she will get the bitch to fucking smile.

Ferris Wheel - it’s not shalaska it’s witney. willam has a date perfectly planned out for courtney, but she ruins it by insisting they go on the fair down at the beach. willam totally isn’t afraid of heights, the ferris wheel doesn’t bother her at all.

Did You Miss Me Enough To Drink Or Did You Drink Enough To Miss Me? - sharon drinks far too much and sometimes can’t stop saying what’s on her mind. alaska doesn’t know if she misses her enough to drink, or if she simply drank enough to miss her. she never finds out.

Lost and Found - (au) it’s been five weeks since alaska went missing from her college, which she attended with girlfriend sharon and best friend jinkx. then, out on a walk at one in the morning, sharon finds her.

Turn Off The Lights - every time alaska calls, sharon answers. she swears she’s going to give her up, but she never does. she’s taking every chance she’s got, like the man she knows she’s not. based off the song by panic! at the disco.

Sensible - after falling for shea during the filming of drag race, sasha isn’t sure she’s made a particularly sensible decision, and a little fight ensues.

Mine And Yours - (au) stealing each other’s clothes goes from a fun little game to all-out war. alaska, naturally, intends on winning.

Hush Little Baby - (au) new parent alaska is left at home with her baby girl whilst her wife sharon goes out to work. the problem? alaska is convinced the sniffles and sneezes are something much worse than they actually are.

A-B-C-D-E-F-G - (au) alaska goes to her friend willam’s house for what she thinks is a halloween party. to her surprise, the “party” is more of a seance to chat with a guest who turns out to have more than a little bit of affection for one of the players.

Finding You - witney, in which the infamous willam and courtney fight is explored, and perhaps the root of it all is jealousy?

Piano Wire - (au) collab with @laskathunderfun - a dark sided piece based off of sharon’s song “piano wire” in which aaron is a murderer

Weather Girl - (au) alaska, a brand new weather girl, is a small fish in a big pond of tv news. sharon is the host.

As Long As You’re Mine - (au) inspired by wicked. sharon is always the bad one next to hilarious and well loved katya. for the first time, sharon does something that makes her feel as wicked as they say she is.

She Calls Me Your Highness - (au) the princess willam has a complicated relationship with young serving maid sharon.

What Do You Know About Love? - (au) sharon and willam are boarding school students and best friends who disagree, fundamentally, on their idea of what love is. eventually, they come to an understanding.

My Frankenstein - (au) mad scientist sharon is working on bringing her second creation to life while her first, alaska, watches. halloween fun and my first ever smut! 

The Land Of The Midnight Sun - (au) sharon wants to escape from the world and live where no one will ever find her again. she meets another lost soul who helps her to do so, and she and alaska reflect on how the world got so dark just for loving girls.

(Less Than) A Thousand Miles - (au) with the world in lockdown, alaska begins working from home, and makes a new friend over zoom who begins to brighten her world again.

Strangers - (au) sharon isn’t gay, even if she does hook up with this girl all the time, drunk or sober. she’s not. she swears.

Things That Were - (au) it’s christmas, and brooke reflects on everything that went wrong with vanessa during the awkward transition between xmas and new year.

Someone I Genuinely Love (au) - uni students tayce and a’whora attend lawrence’s house party, when an argument breaks out between a’whora and tia. even the bitch needs some love sometimes.

Multi-chapters

Sharon and Phi Phi’s Bitch Of A Bucket List (discontinued) - the zombie apocalypse has finally happened, and everyone has different priorities. phi phi wants to survive. sharon wants to find alaska. the three of them stumble across their friend’s survival base and try to live their lives. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

Party (complete) - jinkx’s halloween party goes wrong, leading sharon and alaska down a confusing road of drugs, admitting feelings, and hiding. just when things are going okay, it all goes drastically wrong. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13

Just The Two Of Us (in progress) - (au) hogwarts student alaska gets together with long-time crush and close friend, sharon, in the same year that the triwizard tournament begins. but her slytherin girlfriend harbours a dark past and the triwizard tournament may only be an obstacle in overcoming that. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14

Mean Queens (complete, collab with @thewritingnymph) - (au) mean girls crossover in which newbie russian, katya, joins a new school and befriends adore and ginger, who have spent most of their school lives being bulled by the three ‘mean queens’ who run the school. sharon, violet and alaska are life-ruiners. the three of them hatch a plan to take the mean queens down once and for all. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21

In Sickness and In Health (in progress) - (au) princess sharon is sick, and the king lets out a desperate appeal to save her: whoever will venture out to find the witch who can do it will recieve riches beyond their belief. however, the princess is inches from death and alaska isn’t sure she can get through it without sharon dying, the witch refusing, or even falling in love. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

Bosom Buddies (in progress, collab with @thewritingnymph) - (au) based on the song bosom buddies, two new york-dwelling theatre sisters, alaska and jinkx, get a little more than they bargained for when the circus comes to town, bringing eccentric performers such as ivy winters and sharon needles into the mix. 1 - 2 - 3

Withstanding The Test Of Time (in progress) - (au) intern journalist hates many things, including her job, her coworkers, and the oppression from the government forcing you to marry your soulmate a month after your timer ticks down to zero. luckily, sharon has two years left. and then - she doesn’t. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

Means Queens Ever After (collab with @thewritingnymph) - (au) the mean queens didnt die immediately after prom so here’s the rest of their lives lol. Girls Gone Camping - A Triple A Christmas - Violet’s Fashion Show - Some Things Never Change

Here I Go Again - (au) a mamma mia au in which trixie is getting married and decides to invite her three potential dads, much to her mom sharon’s chagrin. Prologue - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - Epilogue Part 1 - Epilogue Part 2

(I Can Still Recall) Our Last Summer - (au) prequel to here i go again, following the life of young sharon as she meets three strangers who will change her life forever. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

Case Closed - (au) inspired by b99, alaska is the best detective in the NYPD, of course. nothing will change that, not even the arrival of the stupidly named detective needles and her charm. 1 - 2

The Needles Family Values (discontinued) - (au, collab with aqcitrus) addams family inspired fic following the return of alaska’s unusual sister, katya, and the hijinks of the creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky household. 1 - 2

[tumble4rpdr]

Now Brooke brought back the orange heart

Why are they doing this to us?

[imalwaysaslutfordrag]

I got tagged by the adorable @aqmarion <3

Post the doc titles in your WIP folder, have your followers send asks about titles that intrigue them, and answer with a description or a line from the project.

Bro, I have too many WIPs lol

Oneshots

Couples for Cash (Branjie)

Every Sinner Loves a Saint (Sashea)

Femme dom Jan (Jankie)

Immortals sitting in a coffee shop and talking about lost love

Mischeif and Mistletoe (Branjie)

Thymes A’ Changing (Branjie)

The Sun Never Sets in Aruba (Branjie)

Angel Methydoll

Catch in the Dark (Methydoll)

No One Bruises Me (Bob/Cracker)

The Long Con (Branjie)

hold me while you wait (for someone right) (Branjie)

Just a Little Bit of Life (Witney)

Gigi is cute poolboy and Crystal is hot mom (Crygi)

Chaptered

Criminal AU (Branjie)

Detective AU (Jankie)

Heavy is the Head (GoodeDoll)

In My Dying Days (Branjie)

The Stoplight (Branjie)

Whiskey Girls (Branjie)

BN (S12)

[Redacted Series]

[Redacted Series] (Branjie)

Never Tasted Heaven (Methydoll)

A Marriage Most Foul (Bob/Cracker)

Fake Psychic Trixya

I’m tagging: @missjanjie @plastiquetiaras @pink-grapefruit-cafe @freykitten @phrynewrites @veronicasanders @artificialortega

[imalwaysaslutfordrag]

What if... hear me out... since they already both take place in the same universe in my head... what if I combine the Jankie Detective AU and the Branjie Criminal AU? Like one chapter jankie, next chapter focuses on branjie?

Or should they stay separate? Idk. Just a thought.

[imalwaysaslutfordrag]

Hello friends! Update time!

We got two more BN fics left and my goal is to have them done by thanksgiving, so look forward to that.

I’m going to do my best to finish planning out Detective AU/Criminal AU (still not sure if I want to combine them) so I can have it ready to go by early 2021.

Whiskey Girls and HS AU Branjie are gonna be relatively short in terms of word count, so hopefully I can get them done in late December. (I promise I haven’t forgotten about them)

I have two other projects that I’m also hoping to have ready for 2021, but we’ll just see how it goes.

For those of you who don’t know, I started writing for a different fandom, which is why updates are a little more spread out than usual. But hopefully it’ll be better once school is done.

Love y’all.

Stay safe.

[artificialqueens]

Cruising for a bruising, Part 6 (Branjie) - Q-Tip & TheDane

Authors note: Thank you to everyone for your comments, support, understanding and enthusiasm. Q-Tip and I are so happy with the love for this story, and we can’t wait to share this (hopefully) second to last chapter with you guys!

“It’s a real fucking tragedy, that’s what it is. Like some greek irony bullshit.”

-

“Bitch! Open up!” Vanjie hammered on the door, her curled fist meeting the wood over and over again. “I know you’re in there!”

Vanjie knew she was causing a racket, but she couldn’t find it within herself to care. The hotel floor was only her and her sisters anyway, so if any of them had a problem with her making noise, they could suck on it and choke. Vanjie had already knocked down Silky and A’keria’s doors before she remembered they had talked about karaoke. She kicked the door, almost ready to scream in rage. Ariel wasn’t responding, and she was running out of options fast.

“Ariel open the fucking door! Ain’t no way in fucking hell you in there getting dick!”

Vanjie knew she couldn’t go to her own room. Their room. It was the first place Brooke would look for her. Her first and only instinct had been to throw her bag into their room and slam the door behind her, her phone already vibrating like a widow’s favourite sex toy as Brooke was calling her over and over again. Vanjie knew she had made a mistake, but she couldn’t see him right now, her blood still boiling with something even worse going on beneath the surface, tears already pushing to spill from her eyes.

“The stupid motherfucker is going to turn the corner at any moment!”

Vanjie couldn’t see Brooke right now, she just couldn’t, but as long as she was dressed as Vanjie, there was no way she could leave the protected area of their hallway, the idea of her fans seeing her like this forcing her throat to close up.

“Ariel, please.” Vanjie whispered, leaning her head against the door. There was nowhere to run but one of her sisters’ rooms, and she cursed the cruise for forcing this on her. If she had been in L.A she could disappear, go to some straight club and toss down drink after drink, but here everyone knew who she was, and there was no way she would let any of her fans see her like a crazed madman, running from who the public knew to be the love of her life.

Vanjie heard footsteps, her hand gripping the doorknob for one last desperate shake, not yet ready to accept her destiny of blowing up in Brooke’s face once more, when she heard the voice of an angel.

“.. Are you okay?”

Nina fucking West had just come down the hallway, a washed out Winnie the Pooh tank sliding off her shoulder, pyjamas pants on, boy hair out, a half-eaten burger in hand, and she had never looked more perfect to Vanjie. Nina lowered the burger slowly, her eyes watching Vanjie like she was an animal in the zoo, a dollop of ketchup dripping onto the carpet.

“Are you destroying cruise property?”

“I ain’t destroying no fucking proper-”

Vanjie was cut off when the door opened, Ariel poking her head out. She was wearing a zebra print eye mask pushed into her hair, her chest on full display in an open bright pink and turquoise robe.

“Can youse fuckknobs carry your drama to your rooms so us actual beauty queens can get our beauty sleep?” Ariel groaned, leaning against the doorframe, barely hiding a yawn.

“Oh, so this is how you treat refugees, sis?” Vanjie threw her arms out, Ariel’s detached boredom only refueling the fire in her belly. “You better be fucking lucky baby Jesus didn’t plan to get born in your room, huh!?”

“Well you’re neither a baby, nor Jesus last time I checked.”

“You absolute BITCH-”

“Shit!”

Vanjie felt Nina knock the air of her as she was grabbed, the other queen physically restraining Vanjie and picking her up, carrying her away as Vanjie left behind a string of curses so crude even Captain Haddock would blush.

/

Brooke had known, should have known, that Vanjie was smart enough to get rid of her phone, but he had called anyway, over and over again, his heart in his throat as he swiped the card for their room, his worst suspicions confirmed when the room turned out to be pitch black, the outline of Vanjie’s gym bag visible on their bed.

“FUCK!”

Brooke knew no one could hear him, but he yelled anyway, Vanjie’s giant iPhone X clutched in his grip. Brooke pressed the phone, the screen lighting up and he could see his 37 missed calls, his phone bill without a doubt reaching astronomical heights. The background was a picture of them, Brooke holding Vanjie, both of them smiling brightly into the lens, Vanjie’s eyes sparkling with love.

“Shit Jose…”

He had rushed as soon as he could, but they had held him back. Brooke’s hand was throbbing, the bar staff refusing to let him leave until a paramedic had looked at him. He had wanted to protest, had wanted to run after his boyfriend right away, but the staff did have a point, so he had to put on his best behavior, grin and bear it as pieces of glass was fished out of his skin, his left hand ruined. It didn’t help one bit to have Justin there, pelting him with questions about his “psycho” boyfriend.

“Where are you?”

/

“You think you can talk to me like that?! Well I’ll let you meet my real good friends! They’re called Lefty and Righty and you bet they’ll be remodeling your fucking face you son of a cocksucker!”

Getting the door unlocked with a cursing and squrming Vanjie over her shoulder, the Latino wiggling like a fish, was a challenge, but Nina had never been anything but resourceful. Vanjie’s bark was a lot bigger than her bite, and Nina could feel the other queen growing heavier and heavier. A sigh of pure relief left her as she managed to get inside, Nina kicking the door shut behind her before she dumped Vanjie down on the bed, the other queen growing completely quiet, a mix of shock and disbelief on Vanjie’s face.

“So. That was intense.”

They stared at each other, Nina’s blue eyes meeting Vanjie’s brown, neither saying anything. Vanjie tried to get up, but Nina pushed her right back down, a firm hand on her shoulder pushing her back onto the bed.

“What the fuck-”

Vanjie made another attempt, but the same thing happened again, Nina’s palm pushing Vanjie down.

“Take a seat.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“I’m not.” The whole thing played out once more, Nina using both hands this time. “But you really need to calm down.”

Having both of Nina’s hands on her shoulders was surprisingly comforting, the heavy weight of Nina’s palms centering and grounding in a way Vanjie hadn’t expected. Her breath was calming down, her heart beat returning to normal. The room was surprisingly cozy and somehow quintessentially Nina, even though it was a hotel room. There were extra pillows on the bed, all of Nina’s stuff neatly unpacked and put away, something neither Vanjie nor Brooke ever bothered to do since they were always on the go, but here, the room almost felt lived in. The ketchup stain on Nina’s shirt caught Vanjie’s attention, the red mark almost making it look like Pooh had been beheaded, the entire thing actually very morbid if you thought about it.

“Feeling better?”

“… No.”

The word caught in Vanjie’s throat, her voice as shaky as she suddenly realised how she felt. It had been sneaking up on her, hiding just under the surface, but Vanjie had pushed it down and then pushed it down even deeper, pouring gallons and gallons of rage on top of it. She wasn’t angry, had never been if she was honest. Instead, she was sad, the sadness so deep it felt embedded in her bones, the hurt from what had happened so sharp she could cut herself on it. Tears welled up in Vanjie’s eyes, Nina’s presence making it impossible to hide.

“I think you should take a shower, get out of drag. Then, if you want, we can talk after.” Nina’s voice was infinitely soft, the wrinkles around her eyes reminding Vanjie of those on her mother’s otherwise youthful face. “What do you say to that?”

“Okay.”

/

“Hey, anyone in there?!”

Brooke was knocking on the fourth door of the night. Both Silky and A’keria had been a bust, so he had started working his way from left to right. Raja had responded right away but she hadn’t left her room all night and was high on top of it, so Brooke had left the moment he had gotten the chance.

“Kameron!”

Brooke sighed, giving it one last knock before he walked to the next. Brooke wasn’t much of a detective, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Vanjie was still in drag, their room way too clean for Vanjie to have de-dragged, not a single trace of anyone entering in there except for the bag that looked like it had been thrown. The thought was the only thing that kept Brooke sane, panic bubbling under his skin. If Vanjie was still in drag, it meant she still had to be on their floor. There was no way Vanjie would ever risk a fan seeing her this upset. She cared about her image and her fans way too much, her love for them so genuine Brooke was almost surprised by it at times, Vanjie never leaving a meet and greet or a performance until she was sure everyone had gotten what they came for, even if she was tired to the very bone.

Brooke moved to the next door, his fist almost connecting with the wood, when it was pulled open, Ariel standing right in front of him, looking more pissed than Brooke could ever remember seeing her before.

“What?!”

Brooke knew he should probably ask, inquire as to why his sister and friend appeared to be having a terrible night, but he couldn’t concentrate on anything but one all-important question. Not with his own personal night of hell taking place.

“Have you seen Jose?”

Ariel crossed his arms. “Why?”

“I have to talk to him.”

Ariel looked at him, and Brooke felt like he was being scrutinised, Ariel staring as if she was unveiling his soul, taking a peek at his innermost self.

“She left with Nina.” Ariel sighed, standing up. “I think they’re in her room.”

Brooke hugged Ariel, the other queen losing her breath as Brooke almost crushed every bone in her body.

“Thank you.” Brooke smiled. “Thank you thank you thank you.”

Brooke released Ariel, taking off in a run, the only thing on his brain one simple sentence.

/I’m coming baby./

/

Nina had the opening scene of Lilo and Stitch playing, the movie one of Nina’s favorites, when Vanjie returned from the shower. Nina had just thrown the first and the best from his dresser at Vanjie, which had turned out to be a Minnie Mouse shirt. Vanjie looked like a child, the fabric reaching his knees, his arms tucked behind his back, even his expression matching the outfit since Vanjie looked like a ten-year-old boy that knew he was in trouble.

Nina held a plate forward, presenting Vanjie with the pizza she’d ordered while Vanjie was showering.

“No burger?” he asked, approaching the bed like an animal with its guard up.

“Lost my lust for it,” Nina didn’t mention how she had dropped it in the hallway when she was trying to keep Vanjie from knocking out Ariel’s fake teeth, not thinking it appropriate for the situation she was trying to defuse. “Want a slice?”

“Mmh,” Vanjie hummed, grabbing a slice and sitting tentatively on the edge of the bed.

It was rather strange. One minute Nina had seen Vanjie out in the hall, about to tear down any and all walls around him, and the next Vanjie was a wounded baby bird in a severely oversized shirt and pyjama shorts that barely stayed up, seemingly afraid of her. Nina gulped down the last bite of her slice, licking her fingers.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Vanjie asked, his voice is infinitely small. Although confused, Nina could feel her heart ache. If Vanjie was here, with her, instead of being with Brooke, something had to be seriously seriously wrong.

“Are you undeserving of someone being nice to you?”

“Right now I am, that’s for fucking sure.” Vanjie half scoffed, half laughed. “When Brock finds my ass, it’ll be even worse. It’s a real fucking tragedy, that’s what it is. Like some greek irony bullshit.”

“You’re hiding from Brooke?” Nina had noticed that she hasn’t seen Vanjie use her phone. The electronic device usually never more than inches away from Vanjie’s hand.

“Why else would I be breaking into Ariel’s room? Just to hang out?” Vanjie laughed, short and crude. “Ain’t nothing good in her room but her collection of highlighters. That shit is intense.”

Nina smiled. “Here.” She had once said on her podcast that dating Vanjie would never be boring, and she hadn’t been proven wrong yet.  “Have some more water.”

Vajie took the bottle, tentatively taking a sip. “I ain’t ready to see his face and hear his mouth tell me how I done fucked up.” Vanjie looked at the pizza, taking another slice with a deep sign. “At least I won’t have to lie about being okay with pineapple on pizza if he breaks up with me.”

Nina wants to be surprised, she really does. But most of all, she’s just confused. “Brooke adores the ground you walk on.”

“Sure bitch.”

“He doe-” A knock on the door interrupts them both, Nina holding her breath as she realised that it had to be Brooke, but Vanjie simply looked at her, almost challenging her to prove that she was right.

/

“.. Are you bleeding?”

Brooke looked at his hand, Nina’s concern so genuine he was surprised for a minute. The white bandage was indeed turning red, his excessive knocking cause the wounds to bleed. Brooke honestly couldn’t find it in himself to care.  “Only a little.”

Nina had opened the door after two knocks, Brooke’s stomach falling in disappointment when he hadn’t come face to face with Vanjie. Nina looked almost strange, the expression on her face one Brooke couldn’t remember he had ever seen before.

Brooke’s skin was itching to know how his boyfriend was doing. He couldn’t hear any noise from the room besides the TV, no obvious signs of a battle meeting his eyes from what he could see behind Nina. No knocked over lamps or coffee machines, no cracked TV screens or broken chairs. It was quiet. Suspiciously quiet.

“Is he still mad?”

Brooke was used to Vanjie’s moods, his partner’s ADHD showing up so differently from Brooke’s own. Vanjie often exploded in fireworks that fizzled away as quickly as they appeared. He felt everything, his feelings magnified and sometimes to the extreme, but sorrow and happiness shining so bright that it was sometimes all consuming.

It wasn’t unusual for Vanjie to go off in fits of rage if he was even slightly provoked, their washing machine at home already replaced once after Vanjie had kicked it for changing the color of his favorite hoodie, not recognizing his own fault until after the machine had broken. The whole thing at the bar had been just as explosive, Vanjie firing off and Brooke’s brain had honestly shut down, the entire thing happening so fast he had barely had time to react, everything afterwards a desperate chase to find Vanjie and make sure he was okay.

“Come check for yourself.”

Nina stepped aside, and Brooke walked in, his heart clenching in relief when he saw him on the bed. Nina had obviously gotten to him, all traces of Vanjie washed off as Jose sat on the bed, hair still wet, in an oversized Minnie Mouse shirt and a half eaten pizza between them.

“Love the new look.”

Brooke watched Vanjie’s face, hoping his joke, however bad, would lighten the mood a little. Nina snorted in the background, and Brooke could just imaging the wry smile on her face.

“So.. That whole thing was..” Brooke ran a hand through his hair. He felt incredibly awkward, Vanjie’s brown eyes watching him like a hawk. Brooke had never been one to investigate after fights, had never cared about anyone enough to make up after a fight. “It was kinda crazy, huh?”

“You don’t seem mad.”

“You lost it. It’s okay.”

Vanjie bit his lip, his eyes finding the number that was still written on Brooke’s arm.

“I know how it looks.” Brooke sighed, pulling down on his sleeve, his injured hand aching. “But I promise nothing happened.”

“It looked like something happened.”

“He lives in New Jersey, and I’m in New York in November. We both wanted to watch Balanchine-”

“Bless you.”

Brooke rolled his eyes. “I didn’t sneeze, it’s a ballet. They’re doing La Sou-”

“I know you didn’t sneeze, I’m not fucking stupid.”

“Well you’re acting like it.”

Brooke realised instantly that he had said the wrong thing, his drunken brain getting the best of him, Vanjie shooting up like a lightning bolt.

“What did you just call me?!”

Brooke looked up. He had to, since Vanjie was standing on the bed, the tiny Puerto Rican taller than himself for once, Nina gasping in the background, and Brooke knew he had to act fast.

“We both know you overreacted.” Brooke reached out for the first time, trying to grab Vanjie’s hips to steady his clearly still angry and tipsy boyfriend. “Jose, can we please just call it a night? Please?”

“Overreacted? Overreacted!” Vanjie shoved Brooke’s hands away, his voice growing even louder. “How ‘bout you look real fucking close, cause you ‘bout to win an Oscar for underreacting! I might have thrown a drink and I might be fucking stupid, but at least I ain’t no fucking eyefucker!

Brooke groaned, his own rage growing. He knew he should be sensible, that he should pull back towards sanity, but he just couldn’t help it. Tequila was one powerful foe. “I haven’t eyefucked anyone!”

“Don’t you lie, I was there when y’all was talking about that fucking book!”

“My hand was /literally/ in your shirt!” Brooke wanted to tear out his hair, his frustration so rich he had completely forgotten Nina was even in the room. “I introduced you as my boyfriend. What more do you want?!”

“For you to realise what that word means and be fucking loyal!”

“Everyone knows I belong to you!” Brooke grapped Vanjie’s shirt, his fist cluthing the fabric, his voice low with venom as he spat. “Should I wear a fucking collar? Would that make you happy?”

Brooke pulled at Vanjie, their faces so close Brooke could feel each breath “Property of Jose Cancel, or is that not recognisable enough for you? Should it be Vanessa Vanjie fucking Mateo instead?!”

It briefly crossed Brooke’s mind that this wasn’t right, that this wasn’t how all those relationship courses on youtube had taught him to deal with an argument, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

If you asked, Brooke wouldn’t be able to tell who moved first, but suddenly they were kissing, Vanjie’s hands in Brooke’s hair, teeth, lips, tongues all crashing together in a thunder of emotion, rage and lust, a battle for dominance that screamed to the sky, neither of them even noticing the door slamming behind them, Nina making a run for it at the first chance she got.

[artificialqueens]

game of survival, chapter twelve: epilogue (branjie) - holtzmanns

AN: If you’ve stuck around to the last chapter of this fic, kudos to you. This is the first multichapter fic that I’ve written and actually finished, and it’s been so much fun. I’ve enjoyed writing it so much, as well as the response to it - if you’ve ever left a review, please know that I’m so grateful for it. This fic is quite literally my first-born child and while I had the outline for it completely planned out before writing it, it took on a life of its own and it’s been such a fun journey. I’m going to miss writing it and miss these versions of Brooke and Vanessa so, so much. Thank you so much for reading. Enjoy the epilogue.

“Congresswoman, mind if I steal you away for a minute for some questions?”

Vanessa turns to whom she presumes is the next reporter waiting to speak to her. “Of course, hello-”

Oh. Not a reporter.

“Hi.” Brooke’s smile is mischievous with a hand on the small of Vanessa’s back, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her lips.

Vanessa can’t help but grin up at her fiancée, ignoring the camera flashes and the questions that are being yelled at them from just a few feet away. “Hi, baby.”

“Have I mentioned how proud I am of you tonight? Because I’m fucking proud of you.” The way Brooke is beaming down at her makes Vanessa truly believe that she means it.

“Mmm, you may have mentioned it once or twice. Maybe a couple times when the final poll numbers were announced.” She’s so lucky to have had Brooke with her the entire run, both literally and figuratively.

“Winner of the Democratic primary. I had no doubt that you could do it.”

“Is this your way of telling me ‘I told you so’?”

Brooke gasps in mock offence. “Not at all. Okay, maybe a little. I’m glad you went for it now, though. Waiting for another election cycle was smart.”

Vanessa nods. “It would have been a lot tougher on the both of us if I ran four years ago.”

It’s true. Four years ago they had been dating for a year, Vanessa a newly elected congresswoman. It had been a busy time even without considering the fact that it was right before an election year. The congressman who’d ordered the hit on Vanessa had been convicted after a long, seemingly never ending trial. Vanessa had testified, holding enough information back to be as truthful as possible.

Vanessa had also lobbied in congress for Shuga Cain’s release, citing improper police investigation procedures, and secured it. It was something that she’d had long discussions with Brooke about - the woman hadn’t done the crime, and while her family was shadier than a maple tree in the springtime, she didn’t deserve life in prison. Cain’s acquittal was enough to get her family off of Brooke’s back - with no one after her head, she was free.

Not that it had been that easy.

Vanessa had been the first one to go to therapy. The nightmares, the flashbacks, the worries of not only her own death but that of Brooke had piled upon her shoulders brick by brick, torn down the foundations of her resolve which she had to work, really work, to build back up.

Brooke had been harder to convince. Vanessa had known that it would be a difficult battle, a long one, because Brooke was (and still is) used to taking care of herself. Pushing down anything that bothered her, compartmentalizing because she felt as if she had no other choice. Pushing Vanessa away in the process.

A small part of Brooke’s reasoning was that she would never fully be able to be honest with a therapist. Not with her history, her past, her job. But Vanessa had still wanted her to try, to frame it in the context of her detective career.

The many fights, many long discussions before Brooke agreed to try, then stay in therapy had been exhausting for Vanessa, with Brooke no doubt feeling the same. Though even she had admitted one night when they were curled up under the covers and limbs tangled that she was glad for the push, no matter how annoying Vanessa had been about it (Brooke’s choice of words, not hers, thank you very much).

It was something that Brooke had to get used to, Vanessa had noticed, learning to channel her vigilance into her new job.

A job that Brooke’s now held for the last four years - Vanessa’s primary bodyguard, part of her larger security team. After all, the hiring managers had loved Brooke (“You’re good at keeping the bitch from dying,” had been Silky’s glowing review) and her references had checked out (a lot of begging from Vanessa).

A conflict of interest, sure, but who else would Vanessa even have by her side, protecting her? The last few years have been mercifully free of bullets, of hits on her life - something that they’re both thankful for, though it doesn’t stop Brooke from being extra alert, extra careful while she’s on the job.

Not to mention Brooke’s outfits while she’s working. Vanessa knows she has a thing for Brooke in her leather jacket, but Brooke in a fucking suit? She’s pulled her fiancée into too many empty hallways and rooms to count for rushed makeouts, teasing and promises of later. No one’s ever said that she has good self control.

“Happy anniversary, by the way.” Vanessa keeps her voice low, but she wants to scream it from the rooftops. Five years. Five entire fucking years.

“Wrong. Our anniversary was three days ago, and you know it.” Brooke raises an eyebrow. “I happen to remember you greatly enjoying the night we had.”

“Our anniversary is not based on the first time we had sex. It’s based on us talking about being together, when you were in the hospital.” Vanessa pouts. “Celebrating the first time we boned isn’t romantic. But that talk we had felt so right, it fits. It feels official.”

“But we became so much more close to each other after the night we first had sex. Both literally and figuratively.” Brooke winks at her and Vanessa can’t suppress a groan.

“Must we do this every year?”

“It’s part of the fun. Plus, I know how much you secretly love celebrating two anniversaries and the chance to get doubly spoiled.”

“Maybe so.” Vanessa can’t deny it, it is fun. Brooke is too good to her - and with Brooke’s arm around her waist, she thinks for the millionth time that night about how fucking lucky she is.

“I have to go give my speech soon.” Vanessa says it with a mixture of both excitement and regret, because having Brooke on her arm is her favourite feeling in the world, but-

She’s just won the primary . The fucking Democratic primary. And she has an excuse to gloat about it.

“Told you it was smart to memorize it last night.” Brooke’s eyes are sparkling with pride, happiness. It makes Vanessa want to twirl her around, ignoring the fact that she’d have to stand on a chair to be tall enough to do so.

“I just wanted to be sure I was going to win before getting ahead of myself, y’know?” Vanessa has a habit of getting her hopes too high sometimes, and has had to reel it in the last few years in politics. She’s learned to keep her expectations realistic now, and gets to be pleasantly surprised when things work out just the way she wants them to.

“And now you’ve done it, and it’s time to celebrate.” Brooke leans down to kiss her, pulling back for a second before leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I have a surprise for you tonight.”

“Yeah?” Vanessa looks up at the smirk on Brooke’s face, the one that she’s trying to keep from spreading.

“Yeah.” Brooke grabs Vanessa’s hands then, brings them to her hips and oh.

Garters underneath Brooke’s dress, and who knows what else other lingerie that’s peeking out and is that an outline of lace?

“Are you trying to kill me before my speech? Is that what you want to do?” Vanessa mutters it into Brooke’s ear, doesn’t even need to look at her to know how satisfied she is.

“Maybe. You’ll have to wait to find out what else is waiting for you tonight, though.” Brooke’s fingers rake up her sides, keeping it relatively PG because they are in public, after all.

Still. Doesn’t stop Vanessa from wanting to take Brooke into the nearby supply closet and having her way. She’s only human.

“I’m going to go before you leave my brain unable to function, you minx.” Vanessa pulls away as Brooke lets her hand travel a little too far down on her backside which the cameras better not have caught, no ma’am.

“Alright, Madame President.” Brooke’s smile is wicked.

Vanessa swats at her, because Brooke loves to tease her like this way too much. “Hush, we ain’t even close to that at all yet, don’t be putting juju into the universe that may not even happen.”

“Maybe I just really want to be your First Lady.”

“And a beautiful one you will make. Hypothetically, if it happens. But we ain’t saying nothing yet.” Vanessa pictures Brooke on her arm the way she is now, except in the White House, on Presidential visits…she can’t get ahead of herself just yet. No matter what the election year will hold.

“In all seriousness, though, so damn proud of you, Ness. Now go knock them dead while I grab another glass of white and cheer the loudest out of everyone.” Brooke lifts her empty glass and Vanessa snorts because of course she’s gotten through two already.

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.” There’s no hesitation in Brooke’s response, and it makes Vanessa’s heart calm down, relax, before she has to give one of the most exciting speeches of her life.

She has to go find A’keria, smooth over last minute details before she speaks. They have more battles ahead, more races to win in the future, but it doesn’t matter.

With her friends and colleagues and family and Brooke by her side, she’s already won.

[artificialqueens]

Double rainbows are an opportunity to obtain two pots of gold (Branjie)- dexx-ss

a/n: Hi, hello, how are ya? So I was getting a new tattoo today and I wrote this fluffy nonsense and I hope y'all like it <3 ALSO, the title has literally nothing to do with the fic… I just couldn’t think of anything else XD Let me know what y'all think but be kind-xx

“So this is not dumb?” Brooke asks trying to figure out what Nina is thinking by looking at her face.

“Brock this is the cheesiest, cutest, most romantic thing you probably have done in your dumb miserable life,” Nina smiled placing a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder “it’s very José.”.

Brooke couldn’t help but smile at that.

–

It’s been few years since season 11 aired and Brooke and Vanessa have been together and broken up too many times to count on one’s hands. But in the end, they realized they can’t be without each other. And although secretly hooking up and messing with everyone’s heads is fun and all- it still took a lot out of them. So they decided to be together officially and made some ground rules.

–

For Brock, it meant that he had to give up some of his freedom and some of that flirting with strangers(some not all).

For José, it meant he had to give up getting easily jealous sometimes (not all the time) and frat house parties(all of them).

And so far these rules have been working out quite well.

–

Brooke has never been a fan of marriage. Not really. He has always believed that marriage is like the last lifeline. Meaning the only reason people get married is the fact that things are going so badly that you have nothing else left to do to save their relationship. He knew that in some cases it wasn’t true but he also knew that in most cases it was.

They have even talked about that with José. Well talking is not the right word. It was more of yelling and then some very passionate makeup sex later. Brock didn’t care for marriage but José wanted a big white wedding.

–

“So he has no idea it’s coming?” Nina asked while Brooke went to fill their wine glasses. “Well hopefully not,” B said now a kinda concerned look on his face. Brooke had told a few people about it already. Not how he’s going to do it but more of just that he is going to do it. He even went a few decades back and called Josés mom to ask permission.

“Our little firecracker has melted all the ice apparently,” Nina said with a laugh. Brooke just rolled his eyes.

–

Brock even talked to Silky and A’keria about it. Well not willingly. Silky and Brooke were both getting ready for a show and A’keria was randomly chilling with them. At some point, Silky asked if Brooke had some painkillers and B did so he told Silky to look for them from his bag. What he forgot was that Silky is quite nosey and that he bought the ring that day.

“Brooke, is you and Vanjie okay,” Silky asked. “Mhm, why?” Brooke looked at A’keria who was as puzzled as himself. Then Silky took out the ring that was in his bag “wasn’t that supposed to be the last lifeline?”, “Okay, first of all, you shouldn’t go through other peoples stuff,” Brooke said grabbing his bag and the ring back “secondly it’s not like that.”. A’keria raised a questioning brow “You are seriously not thinking about going through with that?”. Brooke didn’t answer to that. He just continued doing his makeup because it didn’t matter what he said A’keria had an opinion about that. (It was always a valid point A’keria gave but sometimes Brooke didn’t wanna hear it because he knew how right he was.). “You are so dumb,” A’keria laughed “like really dumb. That’s probably why Vanjie loves you so much.”.

–

“So it’s happening tonight?” Andrew giggled with excitement. “Well if ya don’t move that cute butt of yours faster and leave then it won’t!” Brook said waving Nina from the front door. As Ninas uber drove off Brooke quickly got back inside and started setting everything up. It had to look really casual.

–

At some point the door swung open “Honey, I’m home!” Vanjie yelled as he stepped inside. He looked around and heard some humming from the kitchen. José made his way there and the sight of Brooke trying to cook warmed his heart. They don’t usually cook, they order something from uber eats or just go out. “So if I eat this” Vanjie said with a smug making his way to his boyfriend “will I have terrible diarrhea?”. Brock jumped a little when José started speaking because he was so in his element and didn’t even realize his boyfriend had gotten home.  He took a towel and playfully slapped Vanjies ass with it “Fuck you,” he said meeting his boyfriend for a kiss.

Vanessa went to take a shower because he still had a full face of makeup on and Brock was really tempted to go with him. But he didn’t. Instead, he set up their plates and waited on a couch trying to pick a movie for them to watch while eating.

The movie watching and eating went great. First, they ate and Vanessa made few comments about how he is going to end up in a hospital with food poisoning. Then they put their plates down and José put his head on Brocks’ lap as they continued to watch the movie. But B couldn’t focus and he was shaking his leg so much when Vanessa tried to talk it sounded like he was driving on a very bumpy road. “Hoe, could- you- stop- that?”, “Sorry,” Brooke said stopping his leg but his boyfriend was already pausing the movie. “What’s up with you?” Vanessa said. Brooke tried to look anywhere but into Josés eyes. He wasn’t particularly chickening out but he was thinking maybe its too soon. But when V cupped his face and made their eyes meet all the doubts were gone. There was no question about it. He loved him. So. Much. So, he kissed him. And promised to be back in a second.

Brooke ran to the bedroom and came back with a book. José just gave him a puzzled look. Brock gave that book to José. “A notebook? Thanks?” Vanessa finally says but Brooke just rolls his eyes. “Open it you dummy,” so he does. He opens the damn notebook.

And

it’s

filled

with

Post-its.

Immediately José’s eyes go blurry from the tears that are coming up. They aren’t just post it. Every post-it has a little scribble. Of a good memory. Or a quote.  One even has the eyes and the detective emoji. It’s so dumb. But so sweet.

“Bitch,” V finally says something after five minutes of looking at the notebook “I can’t use it when it’s all full.”. Brock just laughs at that “Look at the back,”. José does as told. Behind the notebook was written: I’ve never been good at vocally expressing my feelings. So I’m gonna write them down instead.

I woke up today and decided:

I will never love anyone as much as I love you.

I love every part of you. Your smile. Your eyes. The way you get all excited when the cats come onto your lap instead of mine. (José laughs at that part, tears falling) I love how you get angry with me and how you try to make up before going to bed- Because you should never go to bed angry… I love all that’s beautiful about you and all your flaws.

And after thinking all that I realized that I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.

When José looked back at Brock he was holding out a ring. “So umm,” before he could ask anything V was kissing him. “Is that a yes?” Brock said with a smile on his face.

“You didn’t even ask,”

“José Cancel, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?” Brock said with a really bad Brittish accent.

“Yes,” Jose answered pulling the ring from Brock and putting it on his finger.

[artificialqueens]

as the stars align 3/? (branjie) - rujubees

A/N: hollywood enemies to lovers au; 3.4k - also on ao3

After the intervention, Vanessa knew that she would have dial down the intensity of her feud with Brooke in order to stay on good terms with the rest of the production team. Her dislike towards her hadn’t thawed much, but she was desperate to prove otherwise to the rest of her peers and avoid any movements that could be construed as negativity towards Brooke.

Vanessa admittedly had less motivation to engage in catfights and screaming matches with her co-star, but the idea of having to be nice to her was still a pain in her ass. She still found herself competing with Brooke, wanting to get a one-up on her in every possible circumstance. As perfect and composed as Brooke Lynn seemed be at all times, Vanessa knew that she wasn’t unbreakable, as she had already rendered her speechless with a simple one-liner about the kiss that they had coming up on Friday.

So, she decided to challenge her at a game she knew Brooke couldn’t win. She started to replace cruel jibes with exaggerated compliments, substituted icy scowls for the sweetest smiles. Vanessa was known in the industry for her charm and charisma and she knew that she could pull this off.

It started on Tuesday morning, the day after Michelle had scolded them so forcefully, as Vanessa entered the hair and makeup trailer with two Starbucks orders in hand a few minutes before she was required to arrive by. She smiled when she saw that Brooke was already there; despite her first day blunder, she was frequently the more early of the two when it came to arriving for work.

Vanessa strutted over to where Yvie and Shuga were already attending to her, the three of them deep in conversation.

“Hey Brooky Poo!” Vanessa called loudly, Brooke’s eyes going wide at the jarring and no doubt confusing interruption.

“Brooky Poo?” Brooke asked, irked at the nickname. Vanessa ignored her as if she had used it a thousand times before.

“I got you this,” she said with a grin, passing her the cup of coffee. “Just how you like it, I promise.”

Brooke winced as she took a sip, the hot liquid seeming to scald her tongue. Vanessa struggled to hide her annoyance; she hadn’t actually intended to burn Brooke, but it wasn’t her fault that her co-star was such a dumb blonde.

“Oops! Sorry ‘bout that boo,” Vanessa hummed.

“Is it poisoned?” Yvie deadpanned.

“Now why would I do that to my new BFF?” Vanessa asked innocently, maintaining her corny smile the entire time, fully aware that it was probably starting to come off as creepy if it hadn’t been already.

Brooke’s face was a weird mix mash of emotions; confusion, irritation and maybe even a little bit of amusement, Vanessa detected. Feeling accomplished, she went to sit down in her seat, Aquaria and Kameron not yet present, and decided to seize the opportunity to involve herself in the gossip that the other three women had been discussing.

“So, what’s the tea bitch?” Vanessa asked at no-one in particular. Yvie and Shuga exchanged looks with each other, and then with Brooke, as if they didn’t know how to proceed with this new turn of events. Brooke simply shrugged back.

“Well, we were just talking about how Miss Yvie here has a new girlfriend,” Shuga revealed.

“Aw! Good for you, sis! Who is she?” Vanessa asked delightedly. She was genuinely happy for Yvie — even though the makeup artist was firmly in Brooke’s camp, she and Vanessa had always been good-natured towards each other. As far as Vanessa was concerned, whatever game she had going on with Brooke stayed firmly between the two of them.

“It’s Scarlet,” Yvie said, a shy smile on her face, and it only took a few seconds for Vanessa to put two and two together.

“You mean — Scarlet Envy? As in our co-star who plays Brooke’s sister, Scarlet Envy?!”

Yvie nodded her head excitedly. Vanessa couldn’t believe she had been so absorbed in her own dramas that she failed to notice a whole ass relationship forming under her very nose.

“That’s the one, honey. I can’t believe y’all found love on a movie set, it’s so romantic,” Shuga gushed.

“God bless As The Stars Align, bringing unlikely duos together since… well, since whenever you two started fuckin’. First Scarlet and Yvie, now Brooke and I, isn’t that right girl?” Vanessa teased after deciding that too many seconds had passed without her killing Brooke with kindness.

“Don’t tell your boyfriend that,” Brooke retorted with a snort. Vanessa swore that she could see her blushing anyway.

“I never told you about him,” Vanessa pointed out lightly, making an effort to keep all accusations out of her voice. The implication of what she was saying was clear.

“I — I must’ve found out from someone else,” Brooke claimed, avoiding her eyes, redness continuing to rise in her cheeks.

“If you say so,” Vanessa relented, though she fixed her with a look that let her know she didn’t buy it one bit. It wasn’t such an unrealistic story, really, but Brooke’s reactions gave her away like Vanessa knew they would.

Aquaria and Kameron came bustling in a moment later, extra hair and makeup products in tow. After Brooke and Vanessa had had their little talking to yesterday, Vanessa had caught up with the two girls outside, the three of them starting to form a close relationship due to the level of proximity that they were sharing each day. After spending the majority of the meeting looking, frankly, disinterested in Michelle’s attempts to get Brooke and Vanessa to reconcile, Kameron had even indulged Vanessa that, as a bystander, their whole situation was more entertaining than it was aggravating. Vanessa could believe it; set life was definitely not as glamorous as she had anticipated prior to becoming an actor, and her back and forth with Brooke had certainly provided a little exhilaration to her days, or at the very least something to keep her preoccupied in the most mundane of moments.

It wouldn’t be like before, but Vanessa still wanted to give their audience a show. And being like this with Brooke was just too damn easy, Vanessa couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Vanessa chose to spoke up just as their hair and makeup was almost finished, knowing that most conversation topics would be exhausted and her shit stirring would go down a treat.

“So, are you looking forward to our little scene on Friday, B?” Vanessa asked, pouting her lips and batting her eyelids at Brooke.

“Why would I be?” Brooke enquired in such a monotone voice, it sounded more like a statement than a question.

“Why wouldn’t you be is the question you should be asking,” Vanessa replied confidently.

“Damn, you’re arrogant,” Brooke spat with an incredulous laugh. Vanessa’s jaw dropped in mock-offence and shock.

“Uh-uh, careful, remember what Michelle said. Play nice, kids. Listen to Nana,” Shuga reprimanded.

“I’m sorry,” Brooke began with the least apologetic voice and most fake smile Vanessa thought she had ever heard and seen. “You’re… confident.”

“Not for no reason, boo. Maybe I’ll stop by your dressing room tomorrow and show you a little preview,” Vanessa suggested with a wink.

“I — Vanessa, what the fuck,” Brooke hissed. Vanessa only gave her a coy look in return.

Brooke eyed up the hair stylists and makeup artists that were still in the room, looking fully engrossed in the scene before them.

“You’re dismissed,” Brooke declared, waving her hand at them, the four of them giving content final looks at their work before happily following Brooke’s order.

“But my mug ain’t done,” Vanessa pouted dramatically, though by the time she started complaining, Aquaria was gone.

“Ugh, you look fine.”

“Oh, I look fine, do I?” Vanessa responded flirtatiously.

“Stop it. You know what I meant,” Brooke looked away.

“Your words, bitch. Damn, what’s wrong with you?” Vanessa questioned. She was surprised to find how frustrating this whole nice-act was becoming for her. It just wasn’t as fun messing with Brooke when it was completely one sided.

“Why are you doing this?” Brooke pleaded. “We don’t like each other. You said it yourself yesterday.”

“I’m just fucking with you,” Vanessa said, feeling a little deflated. “We gotta be nice to each other now, remember?”

“So? We can be polite to each other on set, or in public, I can do that. But that doesn’t mean I wanna talk to you anymore than I have to.”

Vanessa recoiled at her harsh words, for once at a loss for what to say herself. Throughout all these weeks of rehearsing and shooting, Brooke had been her main focus. She didn’t even know what staying out of Brooke’s hair would begin to look like.

“I can see they don’t call you the ice queen for nothing,” Vanessa gave a quiet, humourless chuckle. She stared into her lap for a couple of minutes, but when she was greeted with nothing but silence in response, she wished she could take her words back.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Vanessa said, the apology directed at Brooke tasting strange on her tongue.

“It’s okay,” Brooke said, much to Vanessa’s surprise. “How could I be mad? You’re not wrong.” She had a softness in her eyes that Vanessa didn’t think she had seen before.

“Keep talking in that tone, mami, and I might be fooled into thinking you don’t actually hate me.” The nickname had slipped out completely against Vanessa’s will, and she said a silent prayer that Brooke wouldn’t pick up on it, or at least, would brush past it like nothing happened if she did.

“Uh,” Brooke stuttered, smiling gently. She seemed nervous, whether it was at Vanessa’s awkward use of ‘mami’ or something else, Vanessa didn’t know, but for once she wasn’t gonna question it. It was nice, getting to see this side of Brooke.

“I’m sorry too, I guess,” Brooke continued, in a voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ll leave you alone,” Vanessa reassured her, wanting to get out of this goddamn trailer before she could make an idiot of herself any further. She thought if she said anything else, she was bound to ruin the tentative understanding that seemed to be bubbling between them.

“Oh. Okay.”

“See you on set, Blondie,” Vanessa said, hurrying out the door and wondering how it was possible to feel so differently about someone after such a short amount of time.

—

After Michelle and co’s intervention on Monday, Brooke had done some thinking. A lot of thinking. More specifically, she had thought about her dynamic with Vanessa.

Some people called Brooke an ice queen, some people called her a diva, some called her both, and some people called her other things entirely, some of which were a lot nicer to hear than others. But if there was one thing everyone agreed on, it was that Brooke Lynn Hytes was damn good at her job. She worked hard, and she always gave it her all when it came to acting.

Those closest to Brooke also knew that sure, she had experienced some of the highest highs possible when it came to her career — but she had also endured the lowest lows that the industry had to offer. Brooke had had friendships with female co-stars and peers break down due to the press comparing them so viciously. She’d been disrespected, degraded and patronised by male authorities, even accepted their treatment in order to make it as far as she could. She still continued to have days where she doubted whether getting to do what she loved was worth the constant public scrutiny and criticism.

Brooke was an over-thinker, and the more she thought about how she and Vanessa had been acting towards each other, the worse she felt. The possibility that she might be compromising her performance for the best role she’d had in years made her mad. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of tireless contributors on production other than herself and Vanessa, and the fact that she had made their jobs more difficult with her behaviour made her feel sick. And then there was Vanessa. As she reflected on their relationship, she realised that although she found the other woman intolerable, their feud was pretty unsubstantiated. If anything, when she looked at the facts, it seemed like Brooke had started it purposefully — first by being unreceptive to Vanessa at their first meeting, and then by refusing to justify her lateness on the first day of set. Almost as if she wanted her co-star to hate her.

She knew she wasn’t entirely to blame for the escalation of her dispute with Vanessa. But she was five years older than her, and her amount of Hollywood experience was most likely double that. She should’ve known better; she knew it was petty and childish to make an enemy of someone who would need friends and allies if she wanted longevity in this industry, even if she didn’t know that herself yet.

However, Vanessa was intolerable none the less. She was opinionated and explosive and the loudest person Brooke had ever met. She never kept her thoughts to herself and, ironically, couldn’t seem to hide how she was feeling, despite being an actress. Brooke was so sure that she’d never manage to pretend to feel any other way about Brooke than what she was actually feeling, which seemed to vary from vague dislike to unadulterated loathing depending on her mood. She was a loose cannon.

But Vanessa was also unpredictable, Brooke had learnt. She’d envisioned many arguments that could ensue following the intervention. In her mind, if Vanessa was feeling mellow that day, the insults she would send Brooke’s way would be replaced by a sullen demeanour and thinly-veiled distaste. Each and every one of these scenarios ended in Brooke refusing to give into her worst impulses and being the bigger person, something that she was so sure she would need to do.

So, when Vanessa came in on Tuesday morning, all smiles and Starbucks drinks, Brooke thought that maybe she had her wrong all along.

Vanessa being nice to her was a complete facade, that was the entire point — Brooke knew this. Or at least, that was how it began. She appeared to enjoy watching Brooke stutter and blush. But after they had both gotten over the shock of interacting in a way that wasn’t fighting, Vanessa seemed disappointed that Brooke wasn’t humouring her, wasn’t bantering back like she usually would before.

And then she’d looked like a kicked puppy when Brooke told her she didn’t want to talk to her — sadness was an emotion she’d never seen on Vanessa, and she instantly regretted being the one to make her feel that way. She’d called her an ice queen, and apologised right after. And then called her mami, something which stirred something up in Brooke that she didn’t wanna think about. She had probably done too much thinking about Vanessa already.

—

Brooke was sat at her trailer dressing table in the middle of her Thursday lunch break when she heard a knock at the door.

“It’s unlocked,” Brooke called out.

She guessed it would be Yvie, here to check her makeup before the afternoon shoots, or maybe an assistant to call her to set early. She didn’t expect it to be Vanessa with another goddamn coffee cup, but she was starting to realise that maybe she should stop having any expectations whatsoever when it came to Vanessa.

“What are you doing here?” Brooke asked, trying to keep her tone genuine with no hint of bite to it.

“I’m a woman of my word,” Vanessa shrugged.

“You don’t have to keep getting these for me, you know,” Brooke said, eyeing her suspiciously, still none the wiser to the reason for Vanessa’s visit but accepting the coffee anyway.

“Look, don’t freak out— ”

“I’m pretty sure that prefacing your sentence with ‘don’t freak out’ only ever results in that person freaking the fuck out,” Brooke cut her off, anxiety beginning to creep in.

“Bitch, calm down, if it were that serious, they wouldn’t have picked me to try and soften the blow,” Vanessa reassured her. Brooke gave a half smile in agreement.

“Okay, then what?”

“Well, as you know, we have a pretty big scene coming up tomorrow…” Vanessa let out slowly.

“A few people may have mentioned it,” Brooke said, her heart beginning to race as she began to get a clue about where Vanessa was going with this.

“I’m just gonna say it… I think we should practice,” Vanessa declared. Her voice had dropped an octave and she was inching closer towards Brooke in a way that was very much not like the mechanical and stiff rehearsals that Brooke was used to when it came to more intimate scenes.

“Practice what?” Brooke began, feigning obliviousness, “the lines?” She reached desperately across her table for the script before shoving them into Vanessa’s hands, which were now no longer out of reach.

“Not the lines,” Vanessa rejected, “the kiss, you can say it, Brooke, don’t be shy.”

“I don’t know if that will be necessary.” Brooke sounded so unconvincing she didn’t even believe herself, and her eyes betrayed her as they dropped down to Vanessa’s plump lips that looked softer than any lips had the right to be.

“I mean…” Vanessa drawled, climbing up onto Brooke’s lap, and Brooke hated how much she didn’t hate it, told herself that the things Vanessa was making her body feel were just a normal reaction to stimulus, it didn’t mean anything.

“Our chemistry’s been kinda chaotic and… unconventional lately,” Vanessa continued, bringing her lips to Brooke’s ears, tugging on the black silk robe that Brooke was inconveniently wearing. “It’s gonna piss you off real bad when you realise that kissin’ me is so much better than hatin’ me, mami, so better get it all out here than in front of those nosey asses.”

Brooke didn’t think Vanessa would actually go through with it; she was no doubt just fucking with her again and expecting her to pussy out at the last second, but Brooke didn’t even care. Whatever stupid game Vanessa was playing was working, Brooke was only human after all, and Vanessa was hot as hell. She was about to say fuck it, call her bluff, maybe pin her against her trailer wall when —

A series of loud knocks made them both stop dead in their tracks; Brooke appreciated the time to pull herself together, expecting Vanessa to backtrack as soon as her actions caught up with her brain, but instead she merely pulled back and gave her a look that said this isn’t over.

“Yeah, this is a really bad idea,” Brooke concluded, knocking Vanessa off of her as she got up to get her door.  

Yvie and Scarlet came bounding in, hand in hand, and Brooke had never been one for relationships but even she had to admit that the whole film set love story thing they had going on was pretty cute.

“Well well well, what have we here?” Scarlet queried with a grin, Yvie raising her eyebrows as she pushed her face into Scarlet’s neck.

Brooke was about to give some half-assed explanation, but Vanessa got there first.

“Nothing,” she said, her eyes glued to the floor. She seemed bothered, so different from her normal sassy self, but Brooke had no clue what she had done to change her mood from a moment ago so drastically.

“I’m gonna go,” Vanessa started to leave.

“No! Stay! I wanna know what it’s like to hang out with three movie stars at once,” Yvie protested.

“I, uh — Kameron needs to fix my hair,” Vanessa insisted, though Brooke was pretty sure it was a lie because to her, Vanessa’s chocolate curls looked as annoyingly flawless as they always did.

“Vanessa— ” Brooke called as the other woman reached for the door, then turned back around at the sound of her name. Brooke’s brain tried to formulate a way to check in on her without sounding like she cared too much, because caring was definitely not something she was supposed to feel towards Vanessa.

“I’ll see you on set,” Brooke said.