#jaida my darling !!!

[fuckyeah-dragrace]

also !! 4 for halldoll from the prompt list maybe?

omg my first halldoll!! idk how it’s taken me this long to write them but honestly this was super cute <3333

4. “And who is that?”

It felt good to finally get out, the warm weather not lasting much longer gave Jaida the perfect excuse to have all her friends over for a night out in her backyard. She sipped from her plastic cup and smiled seeing everyone chatting and laughing together.

Jan was talking with Jackie and Heidi about some production she’s in, Crystal was trying to do a cartwheel in the lawn with Rock cheering her on and Gigi watching for safety reasons since her girlfriend was a hazard. She frowned though, not seeing Nicky anywhere.

She was about to turn to look inside before someone jumped close to her, laughing and holding onto her tight. “Surprise!”

“Jesus!” She shouted, holding onto the blonde carefully, only getting more giggles from the girl.

“I got you.” Nicky said in a singsong voice, giggling and pecking her cheek. “You’re so easy to scare, baby.”

“I was not scared.” Jaida gave her look. “I was… taken by surprise. That’s all.”

“Sureee.” The French woman drawled, a drunken blush on her cheeks and her accent more prominent. Jaida always loved that when they’d go out, it made her so cute. “Good idea for planning this party, baby.”

“Well thank you for helping set it all up, Miss hostess.” She kissed her cheek, smiling and holding onto the shorter woman’s waist. They swayed together there for a few moments of silence, listening to the small breeze blow through the trees and their friends laughing together.

“I have to tell you something.” Nicky giggled, resting her head on Jaidas shoulder. The brunette looked down at her with a small smile. “What baby?”

“I love someone.”

“Oh really? And who is that?”

“You.” She whispered, wrapping her arms around Jaidas neck and connecting their foreheads. “I love you, ma belle.”

She smiled and held her hips, not caring that she heard someone (probably Rock) yell at them to get a room. “I love you too, Frenchie.” She gave her a small kiss, tasting the liquor on her lips and smiling to herself. “Love you so much.”

Nicky giggled again before resting her head on Jaidas shoulder, looking up at her with such adoration that it made Jaidas heart swell.

Who knew you could actually get drunk on love?

[eggcatsreads]

May Reading Wrap-Up

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Favorite Read of the Month:

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett (GR review)

Rags is a thief until he's caught by the Queensguard and forced to find an ancient fae relic for a sadistic royal sorcerer. And now he's forced on a journey to find the rest of these relics so they can save the world before it's destroyed.

Y'ALL. THIS BOOK DOES NOT GET ENOUGH LOVE AND THAT IS A CRIME. THIS CAME OUT IN 2020 AND THERE'S NOT EVEN A WHISPER OF A SEQUEL IN THE WORKS??? HELLO??? MORE PEOPLE NEED TO READ THIS SO THERE'S ENOUGH HYPE FOR THE AUTHORS TO CONTINUE THIS SERIES.

This is the queer fantasy adventure we've all wanted and it's been slept on. (Personally, I think it's the cover and the name keeping people from picking this book up.) Trust me, this book is PHENOMENAL. If you have ever read a fantasy adventure with some romantic tension in it, and thought "okay but what if it was gay?" then THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

The best way I can describe it is if Crier's War and Realm Breaker had a baby. If you haven't read both of those books (what are you doing?) I'll try to describe the vibes. It's Crier's War in that it's a queer fantasy story where the protagonists are practically fighting against society itself to correct the corruption throughout the realm, where solving this won't be an easy fix - as well as it standing in the way of the romance, where two people from different worlds try to come together anyway and overcome the obstacles. It's Realm Breaker in that it's a found family adventure story where you collect more and more characters along the way as they have to fight to save the realm before it's destroyed. It's the love of my life in that I stayed up until like 6am to finish it in one sitting.

READ THIS BOOK. PLEASE.

-----------------------

Other Five Star Reads:

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen (GR review) (series)

Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult.

If you haven't read Little Thieves yet, what are you doing? Read that, read this (the sequel), cry at the ending, and then wait with me with baited breath for Holy Terrors. While you're at it, read Margaret Owen's other book series, The Merciful Crow. She's a fantastic author.

-----------------------

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (GR review)

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena's a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn't even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena's death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena's just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.

R. F. Kuang is a PHENEMONAL writer, and in this darkly humorous memoir from the white women who stole the manuscript for her famous Asian-American author "friend" when she died, you won't be able to stop to take a breath before you realize you've finished the book in one sitting. In an impressive twist of expectations, R.F Kuang's self-insert character ISN'T the main character - she's the one who dies.

Instead, we're stuck inside June's ("Juniper Song's") head as she complains about the unfairness of political correctness and how only minority authors are getting the big breaks now, and no one supports her work because she's white. So when her friend dies unexpectedly in front of her one night, she takes the opportunity to steal her book and pass it off as her own - and it's a cultural phenomenon of a book - until her fraud comes to light. Her response to all of this will keep you on your toes until the last page.

Also R.F. Kuang has a trilogy called The Poppy War which I HIGHLY recommend reading. She's also written Babel, which while I liked, academia focused books aren't my forte. However, reading all four of these books can kind of lend some insight into Yellowface, as R.F. Kuang takes the criticisms she's faced and turns it around to mock them in this book, and there were a few moments I laughed out loud because I knew EXACTLY what book and where a certain criticism came from. It's not required, but if you were interested at all in these books, I recommend them before Yellowface, if you can.

-----------------------

The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison (series)

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers, he turned to an obscure resident of his Court, a Prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead. Thara Celehar found the truth, though it did him no good to discover it. He lost his place as a retainer of his cousin the former Empress, and made far too many enemies among the many factions vying for power in the new Court. The favor of the Emperor is a dangerous coin. Now Celehar lives in the city of Amalo, far from the Court though not exactly in exile. 

Thara Celehar my beloved. I would die for you, you sad gay wet cat of a man.

-----------------------

Rest of Books Read Under the Cut:

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison (series)

Thara Celehar continues to be a sad gay wet cat of a man, as we watch him go on his little adventures and solve crimes.

Babel by R.F. Kuang

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the gods remember, and they do not forgive.

Tbh this might have been 5 stars if the main character wasn't so vanilla that he'd see a half dragon/half man hybrid saving his life and didn't immediately want him, and instead went to hide and think about it. SIR. WHAT.

Also it's the classic enemies to lovers, one has to kill the other and the other doesn't know it, betrayal love stories we all love. Except gay. And with dragons. So better.

-----------------------

Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb

In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive. After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. 

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation's casino...and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step--an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that's intent on devouring her whole. With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old.

Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill

It's 1853 London. Frankenstein's great niece Mary Saville and her husband, Henry, are trying to follow in his scientific footsteps and become renowned paleontologists. But after finding clues to her great uncle's disappearance, Mary's luck may just change. She constructs a plan that will force the scientific community to take her and her husband seriously; no one will be able to ignore them after they learn to create life.

-----------------------

Books read so far this year: 59

How I rate books.

[jjaelly]

X-Change Project

Watch now?

Content Warning: Panic attack, Mention of no appetite

🦋🦋🦋🦋

Sat in hair and makeup, letting your makeup artist poke and pull at your face, blending the makeup into an intricate design for your performance, waiting for your hair stylist to finish with your bandmate's hair to start yours, you glance at the maknae of your group, Gabbie—stage name Fawn.

Her grey eyes are glued to her phone screen as she waits in the corner of the room for all of her members to be finished with their hair and makeup, nervous about the meeting with the other groups. Anxious for what the show is about, and what will come from it.

jjaellyNet has decided to create a new reality show for idols, and your band had been invited to be a part of it. You were skeptical at first, as were all of your members; Gabbie hated survival shows and none of you had any idea what this show would be. But your manager had decided it was a good idea for the promotion of your next comeback.

A buzz in your pocket pulls you from your nerves, as you check the notification that had come to your phone from your mother.

“Good luck tonight, darling! Your father and I are so proud of you and the girls! I love you!” the message read.

You smile at your mother's message before replying with the same enthusiasm; a sincere thank you and a promise to pass her message to your members.

“My mum says good luck to all of us tonight and that she’s proud of us,” you say, following through with your promise to your mother.

“That’s so sweet! Let her know we say thank you!” your member, Jaida—stage name Jelly— says, her smile reaching her sage green eyes.

“Close your eyes, please,” the makeup artist says, her eyeshadow brushes appearing in your line of sight. You follow her instructions and you feel your hair stylist start pulling your hair out of its ponytail. Those two make working in a team seem easy which is exactly what you need right now.

“Ahh, I’m so nervous!” Jaida, now finished with her hair and makeup, starts jumping up and down on the spot trying to fight her nerves. The hair-stylist shoots her a stern look, concerned for the neatness of the braids sat in Jaida’s hair as she bounces around.

“You’re nervous? How do you think I feel? I spent all day today looking for your belt because it was missing and the spares weren’t where I left them!” Our stylist rushes through the door with clothes bags draped over her arm, scolding Jaida.

“Wait, it was missing? I put it in the same place as usual,” Jaida’s eyebrows furrow in confusion.

“I believe you. It fell. It was in one of the million bags below the hangers,” our stylist sighs as she finally puts the bags onto the table.

“I’m sorry, Unnie. I’ll make sure I hang it properly next time,” Jaida apologizes.

“It’s okay, love,” she pats Jaida’s arm then begins looking through the hangers of the clothes bags. Once satisfied with what she is looking for, she pulls two of the bags and passes one to Jaida and holds the other out to Gabbie, “Take your outfits and get changed, it’s almost 6, you have to leave in about half an hour.”

Jaida is quick to leave with her outfit, bowing at the stylist as she passes her, and Gabbie gets up from her position on the ground in the corner, placing her phone on a table and taking her outfit to the changing room.

“I’m almost done with Sky’s makeup if you want her to get changed now as well,” the makeup artist says, pausing in her movements to talk as she applies the group leader’s eyeliner with a steady hand.

“Oh, no, if you’re almost done, it’s okay,” Our stylist smiles towards the makeup artist.

You feel a hair clip push against your head and soon your hair and makeup are also finished. Taking your hanger, you head towards the dressing room.

As you step into the dressing room, you hear uneven breathing, and crying coming from the dressing room next to the one you entered, and you immediately recognise the noise.

You are thankful that you didn’t leave your phone in the other room as you press Sky’s contact and put the phone to your ear.

She picks up quickly and questions your reason for calling.

“Jaida is panicking,” you rush out before ending the call and knocking on the stall next to yours. You call her name a few times before the door finally unlocks and you hear running coming from the hallway.

“Hey, hey, love, you’re okay. It’s okay. What’s happened? Would you like to talk about it?” Sky embraces Jaida, comforting her quietly, patting her dyed purple hair. She nods at you as if to say that it’s okay to go, and you take that as your sign to finish getting ready for the performance.

You dress in plain black high-waisted pants, with a white strappy blouse tucked into the pants, with the butterfly belt that each of your members wear.

Once you finish changing, you fold your clothes and take the hanger and bag back to the other room.

Upon your arrival to the other room, you notice Jaida dressed in a similar outfit to yours, but with a skirt, sitting back in a chair with the makeup artist hovering over her, fixing her makeup, while she apologises.

“Hey, you okay? What happened?” you ask, becoming curious about the previous situation.

“I thought I lost my necklace,” her hand instinctively reached for the blue pendant on her necklace she never took off. “It got caught on my button as I was getting changed, and the chain broke, Unnie had another chain though, so it’s okay. I’m sorry for worrying you,” she looks down, disappointed in herself.

“Hey, it’s okay. I would’ve reacted the same had I lost something as important to me as that necklace is to you,” you pat her shoulder and smile at her in the mirror.

Hearing the door open, you look towards your manager who stood beside Gabbie, “Okay, where is Sky?”

“Right here,” Sky says, walking into the room behind the manager and Gabbie.

“Right. We need to get going. You still need to have microphones put on when we get there and do introductions and performances start at 9. You should be lucky you did rehearsal earlier, cause you guys will be the last ones there. Everyone else is getting ready at the venue. We can pick something up to eat on the way because you are not performing on an empty stomach,” he says. “Make sure you have all of your stuff.”

Each of you bow at the stylist, makeup artist, and hair stylist before grabbing all of your belongings and making your way toward the elevator.

“What would you like to eat?” Your manager asks all of you. Your nerves throw away all appetite you have and you think it is the same for all of your members.

“I don’t want to ruin my outfit by getting food on it, why don’t we get something to eat afterward?” Jaida suggests. All of the members agree but your manager is skeptical.

“Are you sure?” you all make noises of affirmation as you exit the elevator and get into the waiting vehicle.

The drive is quiet and as relaxing as it can be with the four of you curious as to what is going on and nervous about performing for idols.

“Are you really not going to tell us anything?” you speak up, for the first time in the half an hour drive.

“I can’t. We’re pretty much here anyways, so you won’t have to wait too long,” Your manager smiles as you sink back into your seat.

He turns into a parking lot that is basically empty and drives straight to the entrance, putting the car in park and taking the keys out of the ignition. Each of you leave the vehicle and walk slowly behind your manager towards the entrance of the venue.

Walking up the stairs, you realize that the lights in the foyer are on, but the glass door is closed. As you reach the door, your manager reaches for the keys in his pocket and unlocks the door, holding it open for you to all go in before he does. You enter the foyer and immediately realize how cold it is. The air conditioning must be set to about 18°C.

Your manager goes to the front desk and grabs the sheet of paper sitting on it, starting to fill it out. Your members bow at the lady behind the desk, who smiles in turn.

“Okay! Go through that door,” your manager says, pointing at a door on your left, after finishing the paperwork, “and there will be someone waiting for you. Follow them.”

“Wait, what? Where are you going?” Jaida has panic written in her eyes as she says the words. Gabbie grabs her hand to try to calm her down before she gets herself worked up.

“I’m just the chauffeur today. You’ll understand later, trust me,” he pats her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. “Oh! Before I forget, come,” he waves Jaida to follow him back towards the car. Jaida glances at each of us before letting go of Gabbie’s hand and following our manager.

She returns minutes later with her beloved stuffed owl wrapped in her arms.

She takes a deep breath before walking to the door the manager earlier pointed to, where each of us were waiting for her, before opening the door.

As you enter the door, your eyes land on a young woman dressed in mostly black with platinum blond hair, who was just standing in the hall.

“Are you who is waiting for us?” You speak up quietly enough not to startle her.

“Ah, yes! You must be Nymph! My name is Aera, and I’ll be working with you throughout your time on this show!” She smiles gracefully at each of you. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll be taking you to your waiting room where I will help you get your microphones on. Have you eaten tonight?”

“No, we didn’t want to spoil our outfits, and we have been a bit too nervous to have much appetite,” you laugh awkwardly as you try to follow the conversation.

You arrive at a room that has your band name written on the door, entering quietly.

The room isn’t big, but it isn’t small. It has a white leather couch against one wall, a small glass coffee table in front of it, and along the other wall are suitcases that look familiar to you.

“Don’t question it, you’ll understand soon, I promise,” Aera says.

You each take a seat on the couch except Sky, who is the first to have her microphone put on, followed by you, then Gabbie, then Jaida.

Soon, you are instructed to leave your belongings in the waiting room and prepare for introduction. You are finally about to see what idols you are going to perform for.

Jaida sets her stuffed own on the couch, facing the suitcases, and each of your phones are left on the coffee table.

You are instructed to follow Aera in single file, so you take the front of the line, the two maknaes between yourself and Sky. You walk for a few minutes until Aera turns to you.

“Okay, on my cue, you walk through that doorway, it leads to the stage. You are the 7th band doing introductions, so there are still 2 after you. Stand in the middle of the stage area and introduce yourselves, until your band logo appears above one of the seating areas, then just go sit down and you’ll be good,” you nod at her instruction, your members mimicking your action.

You take a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves, and before you know it, Aera gives you the cue to go.

🦋🦋🦋🦋

Next Episode: Episode 01 / Series Masterlist

[transmasc-wizard]

(princeofthecactus here! hello)

ooooh, for the end of year reading asks: 4, 13 and 17 please!!!

hi!! ty for the ask!

4: Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

Yes! Kayla Ancrum, Casey McQuiston, Neil Gaiman (don't @ me i know i'm late to the party), Aiden Thomas, Emery Lee, Karen M McManus, Steven Salvatore, V.E. Schwab, and (though I'm still reading her book) Chloe Gong.

13: What were your least favorite books of the year?

I must admit I typically purge books I hated from my mind, but a look back at the extremely excessive list of stats I kept track of in word graphs (yes i'm That Guy) says they were Ingrid Lee's Dog Lost (fucking hated that. 200 pages of uselessness), My Life as a Diamond by an author i don't remember (cis woman writes about What Its Like To Be Trans), Maniac Magee by the stargirl guy (just fucking terrible on all levels), AND

THE ULTIMATE MOTHERFUCKER

THE BOOK I TECHNICALLY READ LAST YEAR BUT BRIEFLY SKIMMED A COUPLE PAGES OF THIS YEAR SO WILL COUNT ANYWAY BECAUSE I HATE IT SO MUCH

FUCKING CHRIS COLFER'S A TALE OF MAGIC

seriously. my goodreads review for that fucker (which i will not be dropping bc my goodreads account has my real email) is, like, a mile long. I could talk about how much i hate it (and his Land of Stories series) until i run out of breath and die.

17: Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

yes! Steven Salvatore's Can't Take That Away, Jasper Sanchez's The (Un)Popular Vote, Jaida Jones' Master of One, Kayla Ancrum's Darling (i don't often read thriller), and basically every contemporary I read and liked because before this year i hated most contemporaries.

ty again and have a great day/night/timezone time!

[crygimethydgoode]

Lover’s Fantasia Chapter 4 (Crystal Methyd x Gigi Goode RPDR12) New York

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32286397/chapters/80839384

Summary: February 2020 brings Crystal and Gigi to Las Vegas for the season 12 premiere, and New York City for press week. Meanwhile in Amsterdam, Crystal and Gigi are learning to trust each other again. 

but for you darling id do it all again

July 9th, 2021

Amsterdam

“You know... a year ago I would’ve killed for this with Crystal,” Gigi whispered on FaceTime with Symone.

“Oh, believe me, I know,” Symone laughed, and Gigi couldn’t help but smile.

“But it’s... it’s not what I thought it would be like. You know?” Gigi asked. Symone just cocked her head, waiting for her to continue. “The little weekends we had together were so desperate and fleeting. We felt like we had to make the most out of every minute because that’s all we had. But now we... well- it feels like we have all the time in the world here. And we’re just... taking our time. Becoming friends again. I think... trusting each other again. I don’t know. There’s no pressure. It’s just us in Amsterdam. It’s nice,” Gigi explained. “Don’t tell Hunter,” she added, and Symone started to laugh.

“Oh you know I won’t! You could tell him though. He won’t be mad,” Symone said.

“I know,” Gigi sighed. “He’d just be… I don’t wanna worry him.  I’ll tell him when there’s something to actually tell him, you know? Right now, me and Crystal are just learning to exist together.”

“Right,” Symone nodded. “Well, Rosy and I are happy for you. We’re glad you’re getting a second chance. And you know Gigi, while being with Crystal again isn’t what you imagined, that might be a good thing. Maybe this will be even better.” Symone said softly, and Gigi hated that her chest ached, hated that her stomach was fluttering. Hated that she felt hopeful again for something with Crystal. When she voiced this to Symone, she was met with a sympathetic smile.

“I can’t imagine how confused you must be. I mean- you two have a lot of history. A lot of shit you’ve gotta work through. And that’s okay. Okay?” Symone tried to stay positive, smiling sweetly.

“Okay,” Gigi whispered. “I just don’t wanna get my heart broken. Again. You know?”

“I know,” Symone said softly, and there were tears in both of their eyes. Old habits die hard. “You look out for yourself. Always put your happiness and well-being first, always. You’re too smart, too strong, too beautiful. You are Gigi Mothafuckin Goode! You’ve got this baby.”

“I’ve got this,” Gigi’s voice cracked, and she swore there were happy tears in her eyes. “I miss you,” she whispered. “Anyways. Crystal, Jaida, and I are going to a sexy leather club tonight, so I’ve gotta go. I love you, bye!” Gigi hung up and started to get ready for the night.

Apparently, Jaida had found a section in Michelle’s Amsterdam guidebook talking all about these gay bars where everyone was clad in leather and heavy piercings, and she insisted on everyone going. Michelle declined, using the time to FaceTime with her husband and daughters, who would hopefully be coming to visit soon. Gigi was hesitant to accept as well, but Crystal and Jaida were both so excited, and she didn’t wanna miss out. Besides, the guys will be sexy, Gigi will be drunk, and Crystal will be... Crystal. Why not?.

So Gigi got ready and went down to the coffeeshop to wait for Crystal and Jaida, hovering by the door. Then she felt her phone buzzing and looked down to see Jaida calling her.

“Hello?” Gigi said into the phone. She immediately had to pull it away from her ear, the pounding music was so loud.

“GIIIIIGIIIIII IM DRUNK!” Jaida screamed, and Gigi let out a small laugh.

“I can hear that,” she chuckled.

“I'M STILL GONNA COME TO THE LEATHER BAR, BUT NOT FOR ANOTHER LIKE... HOUR AND... LIKE AN HOUR AND A... NOT MORE THAN TWO HOURS! I DON'T KNOW! I’LL MEET YOU THERE, I PROMISE! I LOVE YOU!” Jaida yelled, and hung up without getting a response from Gigi.

“Okay then,” Gigi said to no one, putting her phone back in her pocket.

“What?” Crystal said, coming down the stairs. Gigi tried not to look at her for too long, admiring her mullet that had been piled into a messy bun on her head.

“Jaida is at some club, she’ll meet us in a couple hours,” Gigi explained, giving Crystal a knowing grin. “I like the hair, by the way. Very main character of you,” she couldn’t help but add, and her grin only got wider when Crystal let out a loud laugh, leading them outside.

“I want my look to scream ‘my mom sold me to be One Direction’s sex slave’, you know?” Crystal quipped as they began to walk down the bustling Amsterdam street.

“‘Ello luv, I’m Harry. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Gigi said in her best Harry Styles voice, and they laughed the rest of the way to the club, reminiscing about all the shitty One Direction fanfiction they read in 2012. And then they arrived at the club, and Gigi’s smile immediately fell from her face. “Oh,” she whispered. “This place looks...” she trailed off.

“Scary,” Crystal said, and Gigi quickly agreed. The place in Michelle’s guidebook had unfortunately closed due to COVID-19. So Crystal looked up “Leather gay Amsterdam” on Google and they just walked to the first address. But Google maps took them down three different narrow side alleys, into a side of town neither of them had been to. The street was dimly lit, and Gigi couldn’t help but feel like Harry Potter in the second movie, walking past all the dark wizards in Knockturn Alley. Weird example. It was scary. “So should we- should we go in?” Crystal asked, voice small.

“I guess,” Gigi replied, completely unsure of herself. And so they went into the bar together. Once they got through security and were inside, the first thing Gigi was able to process was the music pounding through her ears, making the floor vibrate. The second thing Gigi noticed was Crystal tightly clinging to her, and Gigi knew she was holding Crystal back just as tight.

“Are you okay?” Crystal yelled into Gigi’s ear. The music was so loud, Gigi could still hardly hear her. “Do you feel safe? We can leave if you want to,” Crystal said, and if Gigi weren’t so scared, her heart would’ve melted.

“Do you want to leave? Are you okay?” Gigi asked.

“I’m asking YOU if YOU’RE okay,” Crystal retorted, and now they were both smiling, despite the glowering man who was standing in the corner of the room with a whip.

“Well, I’m okay. Are YOU okay?” Gigi asked.

“Yes! I’m good. If you’re fine, I’m fine,” Crystal said and held out her hand. Gigi took it, putting on her bravest face. They decided to go to the bar, knowing they wouldn’t get through the night sober. Three tequila shots and two Rum and Cokes each later, Crystal and Gigi were getting less and less nervous about the club. Everyone was actually really nice, and the bartender was funny and knowledgeable about all things Amsterdam. Needless to say, Gigi was actually enjoying her night. Until some ripped, picture perfect dreamboat came up besides Crystal, immediately starting to chat her up, complimenting her hair and outfit, and- no way he just had the audacity to comment on her ass in those jeans. And Crystal was- fucking blushing. Great. Gigi sat rigid at the bar, staring directly at the wall ahead of her, refusing to look in Crystal’s direction. Gigi knew she had no claim over Crystal, knew Crystal had every right to be flirting with this guy. But it didn’t mean Gigi had to be happy about it. And then she heard the dreaded words.

“So... Can I buy you a drink?” The man asked Crystal. Gigi could feel Crystal’s eyes on her, knew that she could see the way Gigi’s shoulders had tensed up, the way Gigi was waiting with bated breath to see what Crystal would say.

“Oh uh... no thanks. I’m good with my friend here. It was nice meeting you though! Have a good night,” Crystal said kindly but firmly. The dude stalked off, but Gigi remained staring at the wall, trying to seem disinterested in everything. She could hear Crystal saying something, but pretended not to hear, instead drinking some random hard cider that the bartender put in front of them. “Gigi!” Crystal exclaimed, nudging her shoulder.

“Wha...?” Gigi said, trying to act clueless, faking a yawn. But she knew. “Did your boy toy leave?” Gigi asked nonchalantly, and Crystal was trying to hold back her laughter, and utterly failing. “Shut up,” Gigi giggled, and they were both laughing now, drinks in hand. “I’m surprised you rejected him. He was hot,” Gigi said once she was able to collect herself. Crystal gave her a funny look, slowly sipping her drink.

“Gigi... with everything going on... how could I be interested in him?” Crystal asked, and what the fuck did that mean? Maybe it meant that they were too busy in Amsterdam to worry about hooking up with random Dutch dudes. Or maybe it meant that Crystal wasn’t looking for anything like that with anyone, and she was just trying to focus on herself this summer.

Or maybe, just maybe, it meant that Crystal still wanted Gigi. Maybe Crystal wasn’t going to break her heart after all. Or maybe they were both just drunk and Gigi was reading into things too much. She never got the chance to ask that night, because right then, Jaida ran up to Crystal and Gigi, obviously plastered.

“HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY BITCHES!”

February 2020

Las Vegas

“We’re in Vegas bitches!!!” Jan screamed. Everyone cheered along with her. Finally, season 12 of Drag Race was premiering and the whole cast was reunited in Vegas. It also just so happened to be the first time Gigi saw Crystal since November.

“I’m trying to get over her, I am,” Gigi said to Hunter one day after scrolling through old pictures and videos of her and Crystal in L.A.

“You set yourself up for failure, Geege. You’re not gonna get over Crystal if you’re driving to Venice Beach with her at three in the morning.” Hunter was right. Gigi was trying to get over Crystal, but deep down, she didn’t want to. Because why would she want to? After all, Crystal was… Crystal.

“Well it’s not like I can avoid her, she’s one of my best friends and-” Gigi paused, biting the inside of her cheek. “And when I’m with her all my common sense just goes out the window,” Gigi felt Hunter’s stare but didn’t look up at him.

“When do you have to see her next?” Hunter asked.

“The premiere, in Vegas,” Gigi said, heart dropping just thinking about seeing Crystal again.

“Great. I’ll come with you,” Hunter said.

“What?”

“I’ll come with you, I will come babysit you and make sure you don’t do anything dumb like sneak out of the hotel in the middle of the night and walk the strip with Crystal,” Hunter explained. “I also just really want to go to Vegas.” Gigi was offended at first, she could take care of herself, but then she realized it truly wasn’t the worst idea.

“Okay,” Gigi agreed. And so the two boarded their plane to Vegas.

“What are you not going to do?” Hunter asked as they walked to the restaurant everyone was meeting at on the Vegas strip.

“I’m not going to do anything that could make me fall for Crystal-”

“Gigi!” Just then Widow, Heidi, and Crystal, who were also walking towards the restaurant from the opposite direction, spotted Gigi and Hunter. Everything Hunter had told Gigi on the plane ride left Gigi’s head because there was Crystal.

There was Crystal, who was running to Gigi, completely leaving Heidi and Widow in the dust. And Gigi couldn’t see anything else but Crystal, running towards her at full speed as Gigi felt her feet start running towards Crystal too. They collided, and the world was suddenly screaming in color once again.

“I missed you,” Crystal whispered, and Gigi melted into the hug. Hunter couldn’t even be mad at Gigi, he just ran up and pulled Crystal into a hug of his own before they all entered the restaurant together.

But now they were on the party bus, with all of the girls from season 12. Gigi sat between Hunter and Crystal, which sort of felt like having an angel and a devil on each shoulder. She wasn’t sure who was which.

It didn’t take long for Crystal and Gigi to slip into their old ways. Sitting together, Crystal’s shoulders and legs pressed against Gigi’s, both of them giggling messes. “Canoodling” is what Jackie had called it when she would tease them in the vans.

“Why am I not surprised?” Jackie joked, pointing a finger at Crystal and Gigi, who both were blushing. Hunter gave Gigi a subtle nudge.  

‘You’re setting yourself up for disaster’ she reminded herself.

“Crystal, why didn’t you bring Paul? We’re all dying to meet him,” Jan said. Gigi clenched her jaw, Hunter gave her a look. Crystal let out an awkward chuckle.

“Someone had to stay home and watch Tictak,” Crystal said.

“Don’t your parents live in the same town? Couldn’t they watch your cat?” Jaida said, stirring her drink.

“Uhm-”

“Alright ladies, we all know Paul is really shy, let's move on,” Widow said. Crystal let out a sigh of relief.

“I agree because I have a few more questions for you two,” Jaida continued, crossing her legs and turning to Crystal and Gigi. Gigi felt as if they were being interrogated. “We all know you had your get together in November. We all saw you two cuddling in the back of those vans, or in the Werkroom, or the green room. We just wanna know if there’s a little something going on, that’s all,” Jaida said. Gigi’s breath hitched in the back of her throat. Luckily, Hunter jumped in.

“Believe me, I was with these two in LA. The only thing they did was try not to fall while dancing,” Hunter joked. Everyone started laughing and Gigi hoped that was the end of it all.

Of course, it wasn’t.

“So you guys haven’t even like... kissed or anything?” Jan asked.

“You meddling fuckin kids,” Widow murmured under her breath. Gigi’s face was burning, could they tell? They could definitely tell.

“No?” Crystal said.

“Kiss...kiss...kiss...” Rock M. started chanting. Fuck. Dahlia, Nicky, and Aiden joined in. Of course, Brita, the loudest one there, had to start too. Suddenly everyone was chanting “kiss” like they were in high school and playing spin the bottle. Gigi looked at Crystal, ready to spill out an apology and say they didn’t have to kiss. But much to Gigi’s surprise, Crystal was laughing along with them.

She looked at Gigi and shrugged. Gigi looked back at Hunter who gave her the look he always gave right before she was about to do something dumb. He was clutching Gigi’s arm, his eyes screaming “Don’t you fucking dare,” Gigi just looked back at Crystal, a grin on her face. Gigi removed Hunter’s hand from her wrist, and grabbed Crystal by the waist.

“OH FUCK THEY’RE ACTUALLY DOING IT!” Heidi cackled. Crystal put her hand on Gigi’s face, leaned in, and kissed Gigi. It was soft, light, and utterly perfect despite being surrounded by their season 12 sisters. The kiss lasted a second too long, lingering. Lighting coursed through Gigi, who couldn’t even hear the eruption of cheers, she just fought the urge to kiss Crystal again. Crystal pulled away, giggling but blushing. Jan, Jaida, and Jackie waved their fingers together in the middle of the bus. Gigi could feel Hunter’s pointed stare but didn’t care all that much because she just kissed Crystal Elizabeth Methyd. And god, it was fucking magical and the only thing Gigi wanted to do for the rest of her life. Crystal buried her head in the crook of Gigi’s neck, face burning.

“That’s Vegas, baby!”

Amsterdam

“This is the best idea I’ve ever had!” Crystal giggled, walking through Jaida’s apartment door with all of her and Gigi’s makeup. After passing around a bottle of Dutch Gin, Crystal suddenly suggested that she and Gigi do Michelle’s makeup, each of them getting 1/2 of Michelle’s face.

“Y’all have fun, I’m gonna keep dancing!” Jaida cackled as she danced to the non-existent music. “I fuckin love this song!” Gigi just laughed, mind extremely foggy. She hadn’t drunk that much, had she? The bottle was passed so many times she lost track around her fifth swig. All Gigi knew was that Crystal was glowing. She had been staring at her all night, and really didn’t mind if Crystal noticed. Who cares? Gigi was in Amsterdam, and the only voice of reason in her life was time zones away.

“Okay! Michelle, I am going to do the classic Crystal Elizabeth Methyd face. Gigi?” Crystal prompted, a wild grin on her face.

“I’m... I’m gonna make you orange,” Gigi giggled, pouring out way too much foundation onto the back of her hand. “Shit.” Gigi just smeared it onto Michelle’s face. “Hope you don’t like that shirt too much.”

“My turn!” Crystal took her foundation stick and began to smear it all over Michelle’s face. Michelle couldn’t hold back her laughter.

“How were you two the runners up?” She laughed, causing everyone to start laughing.

“Because Ru is obsessed with me and Gigi is talented,” Crystal giggled.

“Hey! You’re both talented. My daughters came for my fucking head when I read you for your makeup,” Michelle said.

“Oh shit you're a mom, that’s right! What’s that like?” Jaida asked, now dancing with a houseplant.

“Well, it’s a pain in the ass. But I like to think my two girls turned out okay,” Michelle laughed. “No, it’s rough. You know I’m honest...”

“We know!” Jaida, Crystal, and Gigi all said.

“Shut up you bitches! As I was saying, it sucks sometimes. You try to know what’s best for them when in reality half the time you don’t know what’s best for yourself. One day everything’s fine and the next they hate you, and you don’t even know what you did wrong. And all you can do is replay your conversations in your head trying to figure out what you could’ve possibly said to strike a nerve like that. But it’s worth it, you know? I love my daughters more than anything, they truly are my world. It’s worth it,” Michelle said, and Gigi wasn’t even paying attention to what makeup she was doing on Michelle. She was watching Crystal, who was smiling softly while listening to Michelle talk about her daughters.

“And of course, my husband is the fucking best. Seriously, I could not do it without him. He’s the cool dad. Like, when the girls don’t want to talk to me they’ll go complain to him and he’ll try to explain it all to them, that I probably wasn’t trying to be a bitch. I’ll go to them, I’ll apologize, and we’ll move on. The same thing with my husband. It’s not worth it to linger on petty little fights, it’s not, because what’s the point? You’re mad at me, I’m mad at you, then we never talk about it? I hate that shit.” Gigi desperately tried not to look at Crystal, heart in her throat. “It’s a waste of time ladies, don’t stay mad at the people who matter the most. Especially when you’re supposed to be raising two teenagers with that person,” Michelle laughed. Gigi looked over at Crystal against her better judgment. Gigi had never wanted kids, ever. Mostly because she wasn't sure if she would ever find the right person to have kids with. But as Gigi watched Crystal gently blend Michelle’s makeup, being as careful as possible to not get it in her eyes, it didn’t seem like the craziest idea. Gigi added that to the list of things NOT to tell Hunter when she called him tomorrow. She focused back on doing Michelle’s makeup, which didn’t look all too bad, mostly because Gigi was drunk.

“Gigi, what the fuck are you doing to Michelle’s face?” Jaida asked. Gigi hadn’t realized, but she heavily contoured Michelle using an orange eyeshadow. Her eyes were orange, her cheeks were orange, her lips were orange- Michelle was basically completely orange.

“I-Uhm- I did the Crystal Methyd... Method, if you will and tried to be a little more abstract,” Gigi tried to defend the monstrosity that was Michelle’s makeup.

“She looks like Donald Trump!” Crystal giggled.

“Am I really drunk or does Crystal’s side actually look good?”

“Oh Jaida, I have done my makeup drunk so many times, it’s easy,” Crystal said.

“Okay, well, can y’all be done? I’m getting tired of dancing alone, this houseplant can only make me feel so much,” Jaida said. And so they all got up and danced with Jaida, sans music. And when Crystal wrapped her arms around Gigi’s neck, and Gigi held Crystal by the waist, swaying side to side, she couldn’t fight back her smile.

“What?” Crystal asked, a smile also growing on her face.

“Nothing, c’mere,” Gigi whispered, her hand finding its way into Crystal’s curls. Her phone buzzed. Hunter.

“Tell Hunter to shut up,” Crystal chuckled. So Gigi put her phone in the empty coffee pot, not sure what else to do. She returned to Crystal’s side after a moment, who was looking out Jaida’s window at the shining street below them. And Gigi knew better than to reach out and grab Crystal’s hand, but she did. And a certain line was crossed. A line Gigi was desperately trying to avoid crossing. A line that Gigi had blurred before, a line that maybe had always been blurred. There was no coming back from this, there never was, was there? Crystal squeezed Gigi’s hand.

“I don’t know if I can walk up all those stairs,” Crystal whispered.

“If...if we crawl into Jaida’s bed... maybe she’ll go crawl into ours,” Gigi suggested.

“Gigi Goode. You’re a genius.” And so they tiptoed across the living room, as if Jaida wasn’t only a few feet away, and crawled into her bed. Gigi pulled the covers over their heads, hoping Crystal couldn’t see her blushing. “Goodnight,” she murmured.

“Goodnight,” Gigi said, but neither of them made any move to go to sleep just yet.

“Gigi?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember your first night in New York? With Jan and Jackie?” Crystal asked. Gigi tried to make out her expression in the darkness.

“Yeah. Yeah, I remember,” Gigi whispered.

“Yeah, me too. I miss it.” Crystal rolled over, leaving Gigi with nothing yet everything to say. Gigi sat there for a moment, not sure if she had struck a nerve, or hurt Crystal in some way.  But then Crystal grabbed Gigi’s arm, lacing it around her waist, lines blurred.

February 2020

New York City

Hunter had suggested that Gigi fly into New York later at night.

“Why?” Rosy asked.

“Because if you fly in later, you won’t have to see Crystal-” Hunter began to explain.

“Why wouldn’t she want to see Crystal?” Symone chimed in.

“I just think it’s best that you try to see Crystal as little as possible during press week,” Hunter said.

“But... but why?” Rosy asked again. Gigi watched as Hunter grew more and more frustrated.

“Because when Gigi is with Crystal she does dumb shit like kissing her,” Hunter shot Gigi a piercing look. He still hadn’t dropped it. Gigi couldn’t really blame him though, she never did listen to Hunter.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Rosy butted in. “Please explain to me how that’s a bad thing.”

“Because Crystal has a boyfriend-”

“Okay! I’ll fly in later, it’s fine,” Gigi interrupted, desperately wanting to end the conversation. Besides, there was no reason to start another fight with Hunter after she literally kissed Crystal right in front of him.

And so Gigi arrived at the JFK airport at 10 pm and took an Uber to the hotel. She decided that Hunter was right. It was better that Gigi tried to avoid Crystal as much as possible this week, because every time she saw Crystal in person, it just made her miss her more when they inevitably had to go home.

This was for the best. This was for the best. This was for the -

“Gigiiiiiiii.”

What was that?

“Gigiiiiiiii,” A faint voice called from down the hall. Gigi heard the sound of footsteps running down the hallway.

“Crystal! Slow down!” Another voice called.

Then Gigi heard an all too familiar knock, and her heart was in her throat. And though Gigi knew Hunter would be pissed, she grinned as she ran to the door. She opened the door and there Crystal stood, eyes glossy, cheeks flushed. She was obviously drunk.

“Gigi!” Crystal jumped into Gigi’s arms, Gigi could smell the alcohol on her.

“Hi!” Gigi laughed, holding Crystal close.

“Hello! God, I missed you.”

How many times have they said that to each other now? Countless times over the phone in the dead of night, at the airport, in Vegas.

“I missed you too.”

“Crystal? CRYSTAL?!” Gigi heard someone calling. Moments later, Jan walked by.

“She’s in here, Jan!” Gigi called. Jan entered the room, her frustrated expression immediately disappearing when she saw Crystal and Gigi in their embrace.

“I turned around for one minute and she was asking the front desk what your room number was– She also had three Margaritas,” Jan said, walking into the room. Crystal finally released Gigi from her hug, and Gigi didn’t want to admit how cold she felt. Luckily, Crystal held onto Gigi’s arm, resting her head on her shoulder. “Well! It’s your first night in New York, we oughta do something,” Jan said, plopping down on one of the chairs in the hotel room.

“I could do your makeup!” Crystal giggled. And Gigi felt as all the walls she spent the past three weeks building up crumbled to the floor yet again.

“Oh my god! Jackie was coming to meet us here anyway. She got this god-awful wig yesterday, I’ll have her bring it!” Jan squealed, already whipping out her phone to text Jackie. Okay. This was happening. And Gigi couldn’t be mad about it.

“Fuck it,” she said. Crystal cheered.

“Okay! I’ll go get my stuff!” Crystal ran to the conjoined door in Gigi’s room.

“Is your room next to mine?” Gigi asked.

“Of course, where else would it be?” Crystal giggled. Gigi let out an exasperated laugh. Of course. Moments later, Crystal returned with all her makeup. All. Her. Makeup.

“Jackie is on her way!” Jan announced. Crystal sat Gigi down on the bed, they sat facing each other, legs crossed. Gigi felt her heart pounding as Crystal held Gigi’s face in her hands, smearing on the foundation. Sometimes, Gigi would catch Crystal’s eye as she was blending out her foundation, and Crystal would fight back a smile. Gigi was sober, but she felt light headed. Crystal’s hands gently tilted Gigi’s face in a thousand different directions, before letting out a frustrated sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked.

“I can’t get the right angle...” Crystal whined.

“Have her lay down,” Jan tried to offer casually, but Gigi could hear the mischief in her voice.

“Smart! Gigi lay down,” Crystal said. Without thinking, Gigi laid back on the bed. This was fine. Gigi was fine. Crystal Methyd was just inches away from Gigi’s face, leaning over her as she laid in bed. Crystal was still clearly frustrated. “One second, I’m not messing up this eyeliner.” Without any warning, Crystal kneeled on the bed before throwing a leg over Gigi’s torso, straddling her. She lost her balance in the process, so Gigi grabbed the side of her legs to steady her.

“Thanks,” Crystal blushed. Gigi couldn’t find the power to rip her hands away. God, was it only three weeks ago when they kissed on the party bus? Why did it feel so long ago? And why did Crystal keep smiling at Gigi like that? Gigi’s heart was in her throat as she held her breath. She had seen Crystal up close before, of course, but this was so different. Crystal made this funny face when she focused. Her eyes squinting, her lips pressed together tightly, brow furrowed. Gigi found herself grinning without even realizing it.

“What?” Crystal asked, a smile tugging at her lips. Gigi started giggling.

“You make a face when you’re focused, it’s cute,” Gigi admitted, chest burning. She ignored Jan’s gasp from across the room. Gigi had forgotten Jan was even there, sorry Jan.

Crystal sat up straight, placing a hand on Gigi’s chest. Dear God, please let her heart stop pounding.

“Well, you’re making a face too,” Crystal said, leaning in close to Gigi's lips.

“Oh really?” Gigi cocked an eyebrow, “what face am I making?”

“I... I don’t know how to describe it...” Crystal whispered. She was too close.

“Your eyes are shining,” Jan called. Thankfully, someone knocked on the door. Jan ran to let Jackie in.

“Jesus Christ, what did I miss?” Jackie said, seeing Crystal straddling Gigi.

“A lot,” they all responded. Crystal finished up Gigi’s makeup quickly but hesitated before climbing off.

“I have this stunning wig for you!” Jackie waved around the gigantic red wig she had brought. “Okay, done!” she said after pinning the wig. Crystal clasped her hands over Gigi’s eyes and walked her to the mirror. When Gigi saw herself in the mirror, she immediately burst out laughing. Of course, Crystal had painted her like a clown.

“Now we’re both clown queens!!!” Crystal giggled, leaning on Gigi’s shoulder. Gigi’s chest burned, and she saw Jan and Jackie whispering to each other out of the corner of her eye. “Smile Gigi!” Crystal said, snapping a picture and posting it. The four of them ended up spending the night on Gigi’s bed, laughing until 2 am. Crystal fell asleep on top of Gigi, and Jackie and Jan took that as their queue to leave. Gigi didn’t bother to wake Crystal up, just tucking her in under the covers and laying down with her. Gigi’s phone buzzed 3 times.

Hunter : I don’t even know what to say.

Rosy : HAHAHAHAH FUCK HUNTER YOU’RE DOING GREAT SWEETIE

Symone : Rosy and Hunter are fighting again. Please come home soon.

Gigi just turned off her phone and tried to sync her breathing with Crystals, wondering where the sun would find them in the morning.

Amsterdam

It was the sun cutting through Jaida’s window that ultimately woke Gigi up. She was instantly greeted with a splitting headache. What happened last night? Why was she in Jaida’s bed? Why was Crystal wrapped in her arms? Gigi saw the empty bottle of Dutch gin on the floor next to the bed. Oh. So that’s what happened last night.

Memories of the night before came flooding back. Jaida and Crystal dancing around the apartment, Crystal and Gigi doing Michelle’s makeup- god, where was Michelle? She probably went to her apartment. It was easier to walk across the hall than up another flight of stairs.

Gigi reluctantly unwrapped her arms from around Crystal and tried to ignore the sudden chills running over her body. It didn’t take long for Gigi to locate her phone which was left in an empty coffee pot. She had a few texts from Hunter but ignored them. He probably wasn’t awake anyway. Gigi desperately searched Jaida’s drawers for anything that could get rid of her awful headache.

“Who needs this many gummy vitamins?” she whispered to herself, pushing bottles to the side. Nothing.

“Gigi...” a groggy voice called. Gigi turned around to see Crystal stretching her arms out towards her. And for a moment, Gigi’s hangover disappeared. She walked back to the bed, sitting down next to Crystal. Crystal wrapped her arms around Gigi, burying her face in Gigi’s neck. And Gigi’s heart dropped, when was the last time she had done that? “Why is it so bright in here?” Crystal murmured into Gigi’s neck.

“Because we’re really hungover,” Gigi chuckled.

“Oh...oh yeah. We are, aren’t we? My head hurts,” Crystal whined. Gigi’s hand found its way into Crystal’s curls.

“I couldn’t find any ibuprofen, and I don’t know if it’s safe to drink the tap water here-”

“The drinking water in Amsterdam is like a delicacy,” Crystal told Gigi.

“How do you know that?”

“I obviously did research before I came here.”

“But you didn’t know that weed was legal?”

“I thought it was illegal in Europe...”

“Holy shit. And you didn’t sneak any-”

“I thought I could do a tolerance break or something. Shut up,” Crystal giggled. Gigi’s hand was still in her hair. Crystal’s arms were still wrapped around Gigi. And in the deep depths of Gigi’s brain, she wished they could just sit like this forever. And then Crystal was looking up at Gigi, a soft smile on her face, and Gigi couldn’t rip her eyes away. “How do you look so pretty hungover?” Crystal asked. Gigi’s heart dropped. She was just hungover, maybe she was even still a little drunk, but Gigi’s face was burning.

“Help...” a voice called.

“Shit. I forgot about Jaida,” Gigi said, immediately standing up. Thank god for Jaida.

“I’m in the bathroom!” Jaida groaned. Gigi and Crystal walked in to find Jaida laying in her bathtub. “I... I think I wanted to go swimming last night but fell asleep trying to turn on the faucet.” Gigi and Crystal both laughed despite their headaches.

“Scoot over,” Gigi said. Jaida made room for Gigi and Crystal to join her in the bathtub. Gigi couldn’t help but blush as she tangled her legs with Crystal’s. Jaida and Crystal both rested their heads on Gigi’s shoulders.

“I’m never drinking again,” Jaida whispered. Gigi scoffed.

“That’s what we said last weekend.” And they all burst out laughing, the cool tile against their backs making the hangover a little more tolerable. Gigi knew in a few minutes she would have to get up and start her day. Gigi and Crystal would have to crawl their way up to their apartments, and it would suck. Gigi would have to call Hunter and lie when he asks if she had been hanging out with Crystal. And Gigi would feel guilty, but not that guilty.

In a few minutes, they would have to get up and start their day, but for now, Gigi just sat sandwiched between Jaida and Crystal, and it was enough. The sound of the door opening snapped them all out of their trance.

“Jaida? Are you dead?” Michelle called.

“We’re in here!” Crystal said. Michelle entered the bathroom, also looking like a complete mess.

“I’m too old to sit in a fuckin tub” Michelle muttered, sitting on the toilet seat again. “We’re never drinking again,” she whispered, and Gigi, Jaida, and Crystal all started laughing.

“Stop making me laugh! It makes my head hurt worse...” Crystal laughed.

“God, Jaida, why did you even have us come to Amsterdam anyway?” Gigi joked.

“It wasn’t even her idea,” Michelle laughed.

“What?”

“Yeah, it was Widow’s idea actually,” Jaida admitted. Gigi’s jaw dropped. Of course.

New York City

The crowd erupted in cheers after Crystal finished performing “Womanizer” by Britney Spears. Gigi was sitting with Widow, who just so happened to bring her dab pen. Needless to say, Gigi was just a little bit fucked up. She and Widow had just returned to their seats after running up to the stage to give Crystal tips, and Gigi couldn’t stop smiling, and Widow could see right through her.

Granted, it wasn’t hard. Gigi could only imagine what she looked like. Starstruck. Crystal had completely entranced her yet again, and it was getting harder and harder to try to cover it up. Crystal ran back to Gigi and Widow, grinning.

“How’d I do?” She asked, trying to catch her breath.

“Absolutely amazing,” Widow said.

“You were fucking radiant, Crystal Elizabeth Methyd,” Gigi giggled, she could feel Widow watching her like she was trying to understand Gigi.

“I know! I just wanted to hear it from you guys,” Crystal said, and then “I’m gonna go to the bathroom to get out of drag, I’ll be right back!”

“Do you need help?” Gigi asked, already standing up, knees wobbling a bit. Shit, maybe Gigi was higher than she thought.

“Not so fast Miss Goode, I want to chat with you a bit,” Widow said, helping Gigi down into her seat. Widow was also crossed, she had bought her and Gigi both a few drinks along with sharing her dab pen. Widow was basically the best.

“Oh-okay,” Crystal said before skipping off to the bathroom. Gigi turned to Widow.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, stirring her drink.

“Listen, you’re not fuckin subtle. We all see how you look at Crystal. It’s cute. Jan, Jackie, and Jaida eat that shit up,” Widow started.

“I don’t-”

“Gigi. Don’t even try...” Widow trailed off.

“It’s just a crush,” Gigi whispered, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Widow. “Besides, she has Paul, so it’s kind of hopeless,” she added. Widow shifted and opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, then closed it. Gigi turned to her, pleading for her to say something, anything.

“Look-” Widow began. “Crystal has been a friend to me for many years, I’d like to say I know her pretty well. And... and I’ve met Paul, and he’s a great fucking guy. He’s funny, he’s kind, he treats Crystal well-”

“Yes, this is comforting,” Gigi deadpanned.

“Let me fucking finish,” Widow laughed. “Because Paul... Paul is just Paul. But Gigi, you are just you. ..”

“And Crystal is just... Crystal ,” Gigi breathed, words slurring. Widow nodded slowly.

“There’s something that lights up in her when she talks about you. Believe me, I sat next to that bitch on the plane, she talked more about you during that plane ride than I’ve ever heard her talk about PAUL,” Widow just shook her head while studying Gigi. “I don’t think she even knows it yet, Gigi. I don’t. But she will. She’s going to watch the show back and she’s going to realize it, believe me.” Gigi’s entire body was buzzing, she couldn’t even hear all the thoughts running through her head, the only thing she could make out was Widow’s words

But she will. But she will. But she will.

Just then, Crystal came back from the bathroom.

“Okay, so Gigi I just had the craziest idea. I checked Google maps and it’s only like a thirty minute walk to the Empire State Building!” Crystal said, grabbing Widow’s dab pen and taking a hit.

“Didn’t we literally just go there for press?” Widow asked, raising an eyebrow. Crystal just rolled her eyes, playfully glaring at Widow.

“Yeah...but it’s nighttime. And the city is like...brighter at night... and-”

“Okay, you don’t really have to defend yourself. Have fun ladies,” Widow shot Gigi a subtle wink. “You hold onto that dab pen. Be careful with it though, it’s Sativa.”

“You’re the fucking best! Is that a shot? I’m taking it,” Crystal said, downing a shot Widow had just ordered. “Here!” Crystal reached in her pocket and gave Widow some loose $1 bills. She grabbed Gigi’s hand and practically pulled her out of the bar. They were instantly greeted by the stinging cold. “It’s fine! Just a little chilly!” Crystal said, hugging herself.

“Yeah, we-we will warm up once we start walking,” Gigi said, instantly regretting leaving her jacket at the hotel. Gigi felt bad for Crystal who only had her thin-ass pink bomber jacket. They began their walk to the Empire State Building, passing Widow’s pen back and forth, hoping to breathe some warmth into them. But it only made things worse, because the higher they got, the slower they walked, and the longer they walked the colder they got. Gigi’s teeth were chattering, so were Crystal’s. They tried to have conversations, just to keep their lips warm, but nothing was helping.

“G-g-Google maps says we’re halfway there...” Crystal shivered, stopping to check her phone.

“It’s... it’s 1:30, we left the bar at one... we’ve been walking for half an hour, and we’re only halfway there,” Gigi whispered. “That means we have another half an hour to go,” Crystal just whimpered and put her head in the crook of Gigi’s neck. It was freezing, so why was Crystal’s face burning?

“I don’t think I can make it, Gigi. Can we... Can we just go back to the hotel? We can order room service or something... it’s so fucking cold,” Crystal giggled. Gigi just laughed. “What?” Crystal muttered, Gigi felt her smiling into her neck. She suddenly wasn’t as cold.

“I was really worried you were gonna make me walk all the way,” Gigi admitted. Crystal playfully nudged her, taking out her phone.

“Okay... so there’s a train station a few minutes away... and if we take the... yellow one... uptown? There’s a stop that’s right next to our hotel. Okay.” Gigi should’ve known better than to trust Crystal with directions, but she was so cold she didn’t even think to question it. They found the subway station pretty easily, and it only took them ten minutes to figure out how to buy tickets. Finally, they found themselves waiting on the platform, hands shoved deep into their pockets. “I’m sorry,” Crystal said. Gigi turned to look at Crystal, who was looking at her feet.

“Why?” Gigi asked.

“This was supposed to be a fun night... we were supposed to see all the lights and... it was supposed to be a fun night.”

If only Crystal knew. If only she knew that all the lights in the city couldn’t match the way she shone. That Gigi wouldn’t be able to rip her eyes off of Crystal for even one second if they did make it to the Empire State Building. That Gigi would much rather look at Crystal than a stupid skyline any day. If only she knew.

“Hey,” Gigi said instead, grabbing Crystal’s hand. “It was a fun night, any night with you is fun.” God, that was cheesy. Gigi realized it as soon as it left her mouth. But Crystal was grinning, and Gigi grinned right back.

The platform was pretty much empty, only a few other stragglers like Gigi and Crystal stood waiting for the subway. Suddenly, the platform started buzzing as the sound of the train slowly grew closer and closer before halting in front of them.

Crystal and Gigi were instantly greeted with a comfortable warmth that wrapped them both up. Their subway cart was empty, and Crystal refused to sit down. She tried to keep her balance, gripping onto the poles to steady herself. Crystal's eyes were red and squinted, her glasses were barely staying on her face, and her curls were wild from the wind, and she was a sight to behold. Gigi felt as her heart did somersaults.

But she will. But she will. But she will...

The subway jolted forward, and Crystal nearly fell. And for some reason, that looked really fun to Gigi. So Gigi stood up, and also nearly fell. They both erupted into giggles, and soon they were holding onto each other for support along with the poles. And then they were dancing? Or at least trying to dance despite constantly trying to trip over themselves, and Gigi didn’t even realize every time the subway stopped. When the occasional person entered their train cart, they both held back their laughter, shooting each other mischievous looks. Their faces were close, and they were both just grinning at each other as if they should’ve known better.

“Next stop, Coney Island,” the intercom said. Now, Gigi didn’t know much about New York, but she was pretty positive Coney Island was in Brooklyn.

“Umm Crystal, give me your phone,” Gigi said. Crystal, who hadn’t connected the dots, lazily handed Gigi her phone, circling the pole. Gigi checked Google Maps, they were heading in the opposite direction of the hotel. She looked at the map in their subway cart, praying that she was wrong. Of course, she wasn't.

“Crystal... Crystal I think we took the wrong train,” Gigi muttered.

“No...no we are heading uptown,” Crystal defended.

“Yeah... no. We are heading downtown. Like, way downtown. Crystal, we're in Brooklyn... that’s basically a different state. We’re going in the opposite direction of the hotel,” Gigi explained slowly. Crystal buried her face in her hands.

“Oh god, what do we do?” Fuck. Crystal was crying. But of course she was, she was crossed and she was... well, she was Crystal. Gigi grabbed Crystal’s hands.

“We’re just going to have to get off at Coney Island, and then we will... I don’t know we’ll figure it out.” And so they got off at Coney Island, and Crystal stopped crying, but she didn’t drop Gigi’s hand. Not even when they were greeted by the nipping cold.

“Wow,” Crystal exhaled, looking out on Coney Island. It was a ghost town. Absolutely nobody was there, which made sense considering it was almost March. The orange streetlights aluminized the streets, allowing only enough light to see. They crossed the street together hesitantly, not exactly sure where they were even heading. They just needed to move, they needed their blood to get pumping. Crystal was shivering, it had somehow gotten colder than before. The only fixture they could see clearly was the Wonder Wheel, so they just started walking towards that. They found a bench and tried to ignore the cold as Crystal tried to figure out what subway they had to get on.

“I’m not a big city girl, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Crystal giggled, desperately trying to shed light on their shitty situation. But Gigi wasn’t even annoyed, because she worshipped these stupid little inconveniences with Crystal.

“Let’s just get an Uber,” Gigi shivered. Crystal cupped Gigi’s hands in her own.

“C’mere,” she whispered, breathing hot air onto Gigi’s hands, then rubbing them together. It was such a random gesture, and Gigi wasn’t sure if Crystal was aware she was even doing it, but Gigi melted.

Crystal rested her head on Gigi’s shoulder as Gigi found an Uber who would be there in a few moments, and Gigi wrapped her arms around Crystal when she started to shiver.

“Hey,” Crystal whispered, burying her head in Gigi’s neck. Gigi hummed in response, eyes feeling heavy. “Nothing tonight went to plan,” Crystal giggled, wrapping her arms around Gigi’s torso.

“No... no it didn’t,” Gigi chuckled.

“But I don’t think it matters all that much,” Crystal yawned. Gigi took out Widow’s dab pen and held it out to Crystal, who accepted it, beaming up at Gigi. And there they sat miles away from their hotel, under the Wonder Wheel at Coney Island, holding onto each other for warmth. And though the bitter air was freezing, Gigi had never felt warmer as the words echoed through her head.

‘But she will. But she will. But she will’

Amsterdam

“You will never guess what I just FINESSED for us,” Crystal sang, walking out onto the balcony, holding something behind her back. She had mysteriously left fifteen minutes ago, claiming she had ‘business’ to attend to.

“What?” Gigi asked, slightly scared. Crystal just mischievously smiled at her, leaning against the balcony. “What?!” Gigi laughed, leaning forward in her seat. She watched as Crystal slowly revealed what she was hiding. Jaida’s car keys. “No FUCKING WAY!” Gigi jumped up, crossing to Crystal.

“YES FUCKING WAY!” Crystal exclaimed, and they both began to cheer, Crystal laughing as Gigi let out a loud whoop. She had missed their drives. “But you have to drive. Jaida said I’m not allowed to,” Crystal added, and Gigi burst out laughing.

“Yeah, I think that’s for the best,” she muttered, and they both dissolved into giggles.

“Let’s go!” Crystal tugged on Gigi’s arm, leading her to her apartment. She immediately started running around the room, trying to collect supplies as Gigi tried not to laugh. “Okay so I have some snacks and drinks we can bring- I hate that everywhere closes so early. And I’m bringing my blanket. Because I want to. Oh and I forgot to tell you! Michelle and I went to this vape shop and we bought a dab pen together!” Crystal tossed Gigi the dab pen, but Gigi refrained from hitting it. She cannot drive high.

“Aww it’s cute. Did you name it?” Gigi asked. She grabbed one of Crystal’s totes and started putting the snacks and drinks in. Crystal was still walking around, opening every drawer and cabinet in her apartment as she found everything they might need.

“Well. I wanted to name it fracking. But I don’t think Michelle liked that, so we decided on Madonna. Well- Michelle decided on Madonna,” Crystal answered, grinning at Gigi. And they both burst out laughing, again. The thing about Crystal Methyd is that her joy is contagious. Gigi could revel in it all day, if the universe would let her.

“Alright, do we have everything?” Gigi looked across the room. She had a tote filled with snacks and bottles of water slung over her shoulder. Crystal had another tote with phone chargers, Madonna, a flashlight, and towels? And of course, her huge white fluffy comforter was balled up in her arms.

“Yup. LET’S GO!” Crystal let out a whoop and yanked the door open. They both flew down the narrow steep stairs, feet pounding. Gigi could’ve sworn she heard Jaida yelling “What in the fuck?!” As they passed her door. And then Gigi was in the driver's seat, watching Crystal shove her blanket in the backseat, getting into the car after. “Alright. Are you ready?” Crystal asked, and they both couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m ready. Where are we going though? Like- can you get directions?” Gigi watched Crystal take out her phone, opening Google Maps.

“Okay... so I know I can’t be trusted with directions, but this doesn’t look too bad. It’s like... one road?” Crystal trailed off.

“I’m trusting you Miss Methyd,” Gigi gave her a warning look. Crystal just laughed, and started the directions.

“Don’t listen to me, listen to Siri,” she told Gigi. And so they started to drive through Amsterdam, towards their destination.

“Where are we even going?” Gigi asked, getting on the highway.

“Miss Gigi Goode, we are GOING TO THE BEACH!” Crystal cheered, and immediately started blasting “ Starships ” by Nicki Minaj. Gigi let out a groan but had to laugh.

“You’re giving me FLASHBACKS!” She yelled, but of course couldn’t hold back from scream-singing along with Crystal. A part of Gigi wished they were driving during the day. She knew the route was taking them through smaller cities in the Netherlands she still wanted to see, like Haarlem. When Gigi voiced this to Crystal, she just looked at her, confused.

“Harlem? Like New York City?” Crystal asked. Love Story (Taylor’s Version) was playing lightly through the car speakers.

“Haarlem like the Netherlands. There’s... there are other places named Harlem,” Gigi chuckled, and Crystal just shook her head, hitting her dab pen.

“Alright don’t act all smart with me, Miss College dropout,” she muttered under her breath. Gigi gasped, turning to look at Crystal in mock horror.

“Crystal you bitch!” Gigi cried, smacking her in the arm. Crystal just giggled, and Gigi knew that stupid high giggle. Suddenly, “ Sedona ” by Houndmouth started playing, and they both perked up in their seats. “Turn it up TURN IT UP!!” Gigi exclaimed, and Crystal leaned forward, cranking the volume all the way up. Gigi rolled down the windows, and the cool summer breeze wrapped around them, whipping through the car. Gigi could feel the bass of the music pounding in her body. And there was Crystal next to her, hair flying in ten different directions, screaming along to Sedona, a wide grin on her face. And Gigi’s chest burned.

After about 45 minutes of driving, Gigi could smell the ocean. She followed Siri’s directions, pulling into the beach’s parking lot. The whole place was completely empty, not a person in sight. Probably since it was 2 AM on a Monday night.

Once Gigi was parked, she and Crystal immediately jumped out of the car.  “GIVE ME MADONNA!” Gigi said as they ran towards the beach together. She took a long hit, exhaling into the night air. Crystal was ripping off her shoes, and before Gigi could think to stop her, she was in the water, up to her knees. At least she was wearing shorts.

“GIGI COME ON!!” Crystal was jumping up and down, holding out her arms for Gigi to join her. And as she jumped in midair, a wave came crashing down, knocking her into the water. Gigi gasped watching Crystal go under, but as she rose out of the water, mullet soaked covering her face, clothes clinging to her body, all Gigi could do was cackle, doubled over in the sand. “I HATE MY LIFE!” Crystal screamed, crawling towards Gigi. “GIGI I HATE MY LIFE!” Gigi couldn’t tell if she was laughing or crying or both. All she knew was that she’d never let Crystal live this down. “Why is the water so cold? It’s summer,” Crystal’s teeth were chattering, her whole body shaking.

“Poor baby,” Gigi cooed, helping Crystal up on her feet.

“Why is the water so cold?” Crystal whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Awww. Do you want some cheese?” Gigi pretended to be concerned, combing her fingers through Crystal’s mullet, trying to put it back into place.

“I’m lactose intolerant you know that,” Crystal pouted, and Gigi was fighting so hard not to laugh.

“You want some cheese with that WHINE?” Gigi exclaimed, and then Crystal was chasing her around the beach, shouting obscenities. This didn’t last long of course, they’re not very big runners. So eventually they went back to the car and carried all their supplies back to the beach.

For an hour, Crystal and Gigi laid out on the sand in the dark night air together, just talking about literally anything. Gigi talked about how much she missed Hunter, Marko, Symone, Rosy, and everyone back home. How they had helped Gigi pack for Amsterdam at the last minute, all so excited.

“Amsterdam is my fresh start. That’s what we would call it. Symone promised I would come back as a changed human,” Gigi muttered. Crystal turned on her side, facing her.

“Do you think you’ve changed? Has Amsterdam... been good for you?” Her voice was so small, and fuck Gigi was in too deep. Again.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I feel like... there’s just something in the air here. It makes it easier to breathe. I don’t know,” Gigi was laying on her back, gazing up at the stars.

“Yeah,” Crystal nodded in agreement, still facing Gigi. “I know what you mean. But a part of me feels like... maybe it’s not being in Amsterdam. That makes it easier to breathe. That makes everything better. I think it’s... I don’t know,” she trailed off, but Gigi knew exactly what she meant. She heard it loud and clear. And it terrified her.

“We should probably go,” Gigi whispered, and she was mortified to feel tears welling in her eyes.

“Gigi...” Crystal looked at her, searching. But Gigi ignored her, jumping up and brushing the sand off her body.

“Cmon,” Gigi smiled, hoping Crystal would see that Gigi was fine.

Gigi was fine. Gigi was fine. Gigi was fine.

They silently made their way back to the car. Gigi watched as Crystal put the towel down on her seat, then climbed into the passenger seat, wrapped in her blanket like a burrito. Gigi snorted, and Crystal just playfully glared at her.

“Turn on the heat,” she smiled lightly. Gigi rolled her eyes, utterly failing to hold back a smile as she turned the knob to blast the heat. Then, “ Summer Love ” by the hit world famous iconic legendary boyband One Direction flowed softly out of the speakers, and Gigi hated that her chest used to ache when she would listen to the song and think about Crystal. And how it still did.

Crystal wasn’t looking at Gigi though. She had leaned her head against the window, looking up into the night sky. Gigi glanced up through the sunroof, letting out a soft breath as she saw the stars shining bright. And then her eyes fell back to Crystal, and she was still gazing at the stars, and Gigi felt something rumbling deep in her chest. She couldn’t fight back the soft smile on her face, looking at Crystal fondly. Her eyes turned to meet Gigi’s, and she easily returned the smile. And then Gigi remembered she was driving and looked back on the road.

“What are you thinking about?” Crystal murmured, watching her. And Gigi thought, eyes still trained on the road.

Gigi figured for all the drives she’d gone on with Crystal, all the times they’d sat out on the balcony together until sunrise, Gigi had come to know the night sky by heart. Gigi knew every star, every constellation. She knew Crystal’s soft smile, gazing up at the sky. And sometimes Crystal’s head would turn, and she would look at Gigi, constellations in her eyes. And Gigi swore that the sun and the moon and all the night skies they had seen together, all of the sunrises, the sunsets driving through the mountains, were nothing compared to Crystal Methyd. But she couldn’t know that.

“Nothing,” Gigi responded. “What are you thinking about?”

“I... kinda wanna go to London?” Crystal said sheepishly. Gigi just turned to look at her, wondering what the hell is she up to?

“Like... right... now?” Gigi asked. Crystal let out a laugh, shaking her head.

“No! Like... this weekend? Just Saturday and Sunday. Jaida said we get one weekend off of our choosing. And we can’t use it too close to Pride because we’re gonna be busy,” Crystal explained, and Gigi’s chest was on fire.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.  

“Um... sure,” Gigi shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s do it. We always have fun in the city, don’t we Miss Methyd?” Gigi gave her a sly grin. And maybe she was testing the waters, seeing how far she could go. Just out of curiosity. But maybe Crystal was testing the waters too, because she responded with a wink,

“Oh yes we do. Believe me, I remember.”

New York City

“What if he’s weird?”

“Crystal-”

“I’m just saying, what Uber driver is active at three a.m. in New York City?”

“Elizabeth-”

“What’s his name anyway? Trent? Never trust anyone named Trent-”

“Methyd.”

“Shit, is that him?” Crystal asked. A Buick SUV pulled up then stopped.

“Gigi?” Trent asked, rolling down his window.

“Yup,” Gigi said, pulling open the door to the backseat. She felt Crystal hovering over her shoulder. “It’s fine, Crys.” They both slid into the back of the car, shoulders pressed together.

“Where to?” Trent asked.

“Dream Midtown Hotel, in Uptown Manhattan. Wherever that… is...” Gigi trailed off. Trent nodded before driving off. Thankfully, he didn’t ask any questions on how exactly they ended up at Coney Island. And thankfully Trent showed up when he did because after about five minutes of driving it began to pour. While driving, Trent picked up a phone call, suddenly oblivious to Crystal and Gigi. The wails of sirens harmonized with a blaring car horn. Gigi leaned into Crystal.

“I hate New York,” she said. Crystal, who was staring out the window, whipped around to face Gigi.

“Really?” Crystal asked softly. Gigi nodded. Crystal turned back to the window, propping her head upon her hand. “Must be because you live in a big city. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many lights before.”

Gigi hated New York. She did. But she loved the way the city reflected in Crystal’s eyes. Flashes of blue, red, orange, purple, green, and white flickered throughout the car. And though being driven through the city at 3 am by a sketchy man was the last thing Gigi wanted to do, Crystal made it worth it. Because Crystal made everything worth it.

“Where do you like? If not New York?” Crystal whispered, looking tired. Gigi smiled.

“Well, L.A. obviously. But Chicago.” Crystal was silent, eyes pleading for Gigi to say more. “Uhm, my friends and I on the weekends would make up these elaborate lies to tell our parents and then take the bus or train into Chicago. We were all sixteen, and there was this one drag bar that allowed us to go in and we would just spend the night watching these queens perform and...” Gigi realized Crystal was staring at her, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. “And it’s so dumb to say now... but I just fucking fell in love with Chicago,” Gigi finished.

“That’s where we’ll go next,” Crystal said simply.

“What?”

“Next time we see each other after New York, we’ll go to Chicago. I’m dying to meet Krysti anyway,” Crystal laughed. Gigi beamed.

“Seriously?” she chuckled. Crystal grabbed Gigi’s hand, giving it a quick squeeze.

“Of course.” Gigi realized how close they had gotten, their noses practically touching. Trent turned up the radio. “ New York ” by St. Vincent flowed softly through the car.

“New York isn’t New York without you love,”

Crystal hadn’t let go of her hand. She inhaled quickly as if she were about to say something, but stopped. Gigi watched as the gears in Crystal’s mind began to shift.

“Is-” Crystal started, “is it bad I’m happy Paul isn’t here?” she confessed, and then “I don’t think I could see you both in the same room, it just wouldn’t make sense to me.” Gigi’s heart skipped a beat, not sure if this was Crystal begging her to read in between the lines or if this was Gigi’s wishful thinking. Either way, she ran her thumb across Crystal’s hand.  

“Is it bad I’m also happy Paul isn’t here?” Gigi didn’t mean for it to sound like she was telling a secret, but it did. Crystal’s eyes flickered down to Gigi’s lips, only for a second, but it was enough to send chills down Gigi’s body. She mirrored Crystal, her heart pounding in sync with the sound of rain falling on the metal roof of the car. It was Crystal who finally closed the space between them. It was barely a kiss, their lips catching each other for just a moment. But god, it was electric. Lightning struck.

“Looks like it’s about to be the perfect storm,” Trent said to whoever he was talking to on the phone. Gigi and Crystal both let out awkward chuckles. It was dark, and Gigi could barely even see Crystal but she knew she was smiling, and Gigi hoped Crystal knew that she was smiling too.

The car stopped before either of them had a chance to speak, though Gigi couldn’t even fathom what she could possibly say to Crystal. They both just got out of the car, thanking Trent quickly. When they got in the elevator, Crystal pressed the button for floor six instead of their floor, floor eight. Gigi cleared her throat.

“Floor six?” Gigi asked.

“Thought I’d just say goodnight to Widow before I head to bed,” Crystal said, a hint of panic in her voice.

“Do you want to talk about- uhh-like- what just happened?” Gigi asked.

“It was just a kiss,” Crystal said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Gigi. “Just like on the party bus, right?”

“You kissed me” is what Gigi wanted to say. “You kissed me and you’re saying it was a joke, that it meant nothing, but I can’t believe you, I can’t bear to try. I saw the glimmer in your eye, the slight upturn of the corner of your mouth as we slowly filled the space between us. I felt your heart beating. I felt you.”  

“Yeah,” Gigi said instead. “Just like on the party bus.”

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Crystal whispered as the doors opened on floor six.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow, goodnight.”

“Night.” Crystal stepped out of the elevator and walked away, not looking back as Gigi desperately pressed the button to make the door closed. Gigi sunk onto the floor of the elevator, bunching her hair in her fists. No matter how hard she tried that night, she couldn’t get her lips to stop buzzing. Just wait until Hunter hears about this one.

Amsterdam

“Okay. Now don’t go around doing your British accents because people will get offended,” Michelle said.

“Or do! The British might be honored!” Jaida quipped.

“No. Your accents are terrible, they will not be honored.”

“I don’t know Michelle... I think our accents are rather good,” Crystal said in her god awful British accent.

“Yeah, I think they’re pretty on the nose,” Gigi agreed in her accent, which was only slightly less worse.

“You guys are gonna get canceled...” Michelle muttered.

“Let the 15 year olds on Twitter cancel you, they can’t even read yet,” Jaida said, and then “well, this is where y’all board!” Crystal and Gigi stood at the entrance of the train that would take them to London. Michelle pulled them both into big hugs.

“Be safe, ladies. Don’t do what I would do.” Gigi and Crystal both laughed.

“Don’t listen to her! Have fun, fuck up some crumpets for me,” Jaida laughed. Gigi looked at Jaida and Michelle, who both were looking at them with puppy dog eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Gigi asked.

“We’re just gonna miss you,” Michelle said softly.

“And we wake and baked this morning. You know weed makes me all teary eyed,” Jaida sniffled. Crystal and Gigi threw their heads back laughing in unison. Jaida pulled Gigi into a hug. “I’ll never get over it... seeing you two happy, together again,” Jaida whispered.

“Jaida...” Gigi trailed off.

“I know, I know it’s all behind you but... we were scared for a minute.” Gigi gave Jaida a final squeeze.

“We’ll see you guys in a few days!” Gigi said as she and Crystal stepped onto the train.

“Goodbye darlings!” Jaida and Michelle waved them off. Crystal and Gigi silently found their compartment and settled in next to each other.

“This is gonna be the best weekend of our life!” Crystal cheered. “Even better than Drive n’ Drag!” Gigi heard Crystal not say. They booked a train for early in the morning so they’d make it into London by afternoon.

“Are you nervous about the tunnel?” Gigi asked.

“No...” Crystal lied.

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Gigi said. She grabbed Crystal’s hand without even thinking, like she had just turned on autopilot. And Crystal, also on autopilot, rested her head on Gigi’s shoulder. And it felt like old times. It felt like home.

Just then, they entered the underwater tunnel, so Gigi turned on the playlist. “You okay?” she asked. But Crystal was asleep on Gigi’s shoulder. And all Gigi could do was think about where she was a year before. Preparing looks for Drive N’ Drag, late nights with Rosy and Symone coming up with possible scenarios that could happen, feeling so full of hope. And Gigi ignored the pit in her stomach because she was full of that same, blind hope just now.

New York City

Gigi laid awake all night, replaying the kiss over and over in her head. It was so quick, so soft, barely there. Had she imagined it? No. Because she remembered Crystal’s panicked eyes in the elevator, getting off on Widow’s floor. She remembered Crystal saying “It was just a kiss,” like it meant nothing. But she also remembered seeing Crystal’s face in the Uber, her smile illuminating the city.

Because she kissed Gigi.

But Crystal claimed it meant nothing. It was like the party bus. So what could Gigi do about it?

‘Go home and cry about it to Rosy and Symone.’

That was the only thing she could do. So Gigi forced herself to fall asleep, but even in sleep, she just saw flashes of Crystal on the subway, Crystal at the bar, Crystal getting off the elevator, Crystal in the Uber, Crystal sitting under the Coney Island wheel, Crystal in the Uber, Crystal’s face pressed into Gigi’s neck, burning hot.

 Crystal in the Uber, Crystal in the Uber, Crystal in the Uber.

Crystal kissing Gigi. Crystal kissing Gigi.  

Gigi kissing her back.

Gigi was jolted awake by her alarm, and let out a groan as she realized the van coming to bring the Queens to the airport would be there in an hour, and her room was an absolute mess. She scrambled out of bed, rushing to pack everything up. She didn’t even have a moment to think about Crystal until she was sitting next to her in the back of the van, being driven to the airport.

“Hi,” Crystal gave Gigi a tight smile, not meeting her eyes.

“Hello,” Gigi said casually.  

Please act normal. We’re about to say goodbye for who knows how long. Please act normal.

It seemed that Crystal got the message, because she immediately relaxed, and suddenly it was like nothing had even happened last night. Almost. Because they weren’t pressed up against each other, their foreheads weren’t barely touching, whispering nonsense back and forth. Crystal kept her distance.

It sort of felt like she was already back in Missouri, just out of reach.

But still, they talked with the other queens driving to the airport, and as each minute passed, Gigi became painfully aware of the fact that she didn’t know the next time she’d see Crystal. Of course, they would make plans eventually. Gigi was due to visit Crystal in Springfield, maybe for one of her viewing parties. And of course, Crystal said they would go to Chicago. But when? They would both have such crazy schedules once the show aired. But looking at Crystal laughing at something Widow said, Gigi knew they would be alright. Widow said Gigi just needed to give Crystal time. She could do that. She had waited this long, she could wait a little longer. Crystal was worth it.

The van pulled up to the airport, and Gigi followed everyone out. As the driver unloaded all the suitcases, Gigi turned to face Crystal. She was just looking at Gigi, tears in her eyes.

“Not yet, holy shit,” Gigi laughed, and Crystal had to join, shaking her head.

“Shut up,” she chuckled, punching Gigi’s shoulder lightly. They walked into the airport together, suitcases in trail. Once they made it through security, the queens all hugged each other goodbye. The next time they’d all be together was at the finale in April. Gigi wondered if things would be different with Crystal by the time they’d get to see each other at the finale. Maybe they would actually be together. Or maybe they would still be stuck in this weird limbo, unsure of what they were anymore. Only time would tell.

Gigi’s flight was boarding in fifteen minutes, and Crystal’s was boarding an hour later. So Crystal walked Gigi to her gate, and neither of them were sure what to say to the other.

What do you even say?

“I’ll uh... text you. When my flight lands,” Crystal said awkwardly, looking anywhere but Gigi.

“Okay,” Gigi said lightly. She had to say something. This was the last time they were seeing each other until... well at least until April. But so many things had happened in the three days they’d spent together...

What do you even say?

“Crystal I... I don’t know,” Gigi whispered. Crystal’s eyes met hers, and Gigi could feel her saying a million things. Gigi knew how confused she was, how scared she was. She understood. Crystal needed time. So Gigi did the one thing she knew and pulled Crystal into a tight hug. She didn’t whisper sweet nothings, she didn’t cry, she just held Crystal as tight as possible, for as long as she could. And Crystal held back just as tight, burying her face in Gigi’s neck.

Gigi didn’t know how long they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, oblivious to everyone else. And then her flight was called. “Alright,” She whispered, pulling away from Crystal. “I’ll see you soon,” she tried to smile, but it was a grimace, and fuck now Crystal’s eyes were welling with tears again, and Gigi had to go, but Crystal was standing there, gaping like a fish, trying to find the right words to say.

“Gigi...” she started, but nothing came out.

“I know,” Gigi said firmly. She pulled Crystal into another quick hug. “I will see you soon,” she smiled at Crystal, and Crystal smiled back through her tears.

“I’ll see you soon,” she whispered, and then Gigi was walking to her plane.

In the months to come, Gigi would look back on this moment, playing it over and over in her head. Because in three weeks, the whole world would be on lockdown, in the middle of a raging pandemic. Crystal, Gigi, and everyone else would be stuck at home, told not to travel, not to see their friends and family, to flatten the curve. They wouldn’t see each other at the finale, which instead was held on Zoom. Gigi wouldn’t get to visit Crystal in Springfield, getting to meet her friends and family.

No.

Instead, Gigi would lay in bed at night, wishing she had said something, anything to Crystal. Wishing that the last time they saw each other for who knows how long hadn’t been spent in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. Gigi wished she had been braver, that Crystal had known what she wanted. Gigi wished the universe hadn’t decided to come crashing down just when things were maybe finally going to happen with Crystal. But more than anything, Gigi wished she could’ve had just one more night with Crystal in New York. Gigi wished they had more time.

[missjanjie]

Like a Million Dollar Bill | Jessence

Title: Like a Million Dollar Bill Summary:  Jaida has recently come to terms with being a widow after her husband suddenly passed under totally normal and not at all suspicious circumstances. As the sole heir, she also suddenly finds herself richer than she could ever imagine. But she doesn't stay a lonely widow for long, as one night at her friend's lounge brings a woman into her life that might even be more valuable than her fortune. Word Count: ~3.2k Relationship(s): Jessence (Jan Sport/Jaida Essence Hall) Rating: E Notes: this is my submission for the black girl magic fic challenge so a note for that is the title is from the song 'million dollar bill' by whitney houston. also big thanks to @janssports for beta-ing

Read on AO3

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“That finalizes everything, Mrs. Whitham, and again, I am so sorry for your loss.” The man from the probate court shook Jaida’s hand before she got up to leave.

Jaida did her best to maintain the miserable expression she had on through the funeral. She thought about the disdain she felt when the man used her married name, how desperate she was to regain her sense of individual identity. She was free, only if she played her cards right. But this was a long time coming, to say the least. “Thank you so much, sir.” She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief before leaving the room.

Sitting on a bench in the hallway was her younger sister, Heidi. She got up and took her hand. “You good?” she asked gently, coming off as nothing more than the concerned sibling of a grieving widow. But the look in her eyes reminded Jaida that she knew. She knew it all. Someone had to, lest the burden of keeping a secret became overwhelming and came out to the wrong person.

And Jaida continued to play her role, standing upright and swallowing thickly, because she was just struggling to stay strong. “I will be,” she said with a tremor in her voice.

“Who did he appoint as the…” Heidi furrowed her brows as she wracked her brain. “What’s the word again? For the person that’s gonna transfer his funds to you?”

“Executor,” she answered. “And it’s his sister, lord help me.” She sighed. Her deceased husband’s family had never been fond of her - due both to the twenty-year gap that existed in their relationship and outright racism. The only upside to that was no one outside the family took their complaints very seriously, but that didn’t mean she was at all happy to have to deal with her. “Anyway, I’m gonna go to Shea’s lounge tonight. She’s got a new singer, should be cute. You wanna come?”

Her sister shook her head. “Naw, I gotta get my ass up early to finish packing. Gonna take some time to move into that fancy-ass mansion.” She chuckled. It might not have been the best time to be visibly excited, but she was so thrilled to get herself and her dogs out of her one bedroom, seven hundred square-foot apartment.

“Suit yourself.” Jaida shrugged as she pulled her coat on. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

------

The lounge Shea owned was chic, calm, a place Jaida would probably still frequent if it wasn’t her best friend’s pride and joy. It was the type of place where she could dress up to go to, without feeling like she had to be on her best, most reserved behavior. And after all of the day’s events, she just wanted to relax, entering the club and making a beeline to her friend.

“Hey, I’m so glad you made it!” Shea beamed, hugging her tightly. “Just wait until you see our new act. She’s fresh out of university with a fancy musical theatre degree, and the bitch can sing. It’s fucking angelic, Jaida.” She didn’t mention Jaida’s husband’s death at that moment. While she didn’t know exactly what happened, she knew how miserable Jaida had been, how there hadn’t been any love between them in god knows how long. She knew how poorly he treated her and that his death probably wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Jaida chuckled, walking with her to the bar while Shea ordered them a couple of drinks. “Damn, you really hyped her up, I’m gonna just take your word on it,” she assured, taking a sip of her drink when the bartender placed it beside her.

“Just come on, her set’s about to start,” Shea threw some money down on the counter and pulled Jaida along to one of the velvet couches so they could sit and watch.

Jan walked onto the stage, the spotlight framing her perfectly. She wore a strapless wine-red dress that just hit the ground and was tailored perfectly to her body, accentuating her curves while giving her an air of elegance one would expect from an upscale lounge singer. And her voice was as enchanting as Shea had talked it up to be and then some. There was no doubt that every patron of that lounge had their attention fixed solely on the stage.

“So, what do you think?” Shea asked once the first song had ended.

Jaida grinned, her gaze never breaking away from the singer. “I think I’m in love,” she retorted.

Her friend looked at her and let out a soft laugh. “What, are you following in your husband’s–may he rest in peace–footsteps? She’s twenty-two.”

“Bitch, I’m forty, not eighty. This is a new chapter in my life, who’s to say I can’t include a hot twenty-something in it?” Jaida scoffed.

Shea finished off her drink. “You know what? I respect that. I’ll introduce you two once she’s done,” she decided.

And true to her word, Shea took Jaida backstage once Jan’s set was over. “Wonderful job, darling,” she said as she walked in. “Jan, I’d like you to meet my dear friend, Jaida. We met when we were both in college, so, back when we were about your age.”

Jan looked at Jaida, tilting her head. “Well, how’s that possible when you’re clearly not a day over twenty-five?”

Shea rolled her eyes. “Oh lord, I’ll leave you guys to it,” she said and left the two of them alone.

Jaida chuckled. “Don’t you worry about her,” she said to Jan. “But anyway, you really were fantastic out there. That fancy college degree I keep hearing about did you well.”

Jan smiled, absentmindedly twirling her hair around her finger. “Why thank you. With all the debt it plunged me into, it better.”

The older woman clicked her tongue sympathetically. “Shit, how far in the hole are you?”

“About thirty grand.”

Jaida glanced around, then sat down beside Jan. “Listen, don’t go telling nobody, but I got you. I’m a couple days away from coming into a lot of money, like, well into seven figures.” She didn’t give a specific number because she wasn’t entirely sure how it all worked, but she could hire someone to explain it to her.

Jan’s eyes went wide and her jaw hung open. “A-Are you sure? I mean, thank you, that’s so kind. But if you don’t mind me asking… How’d you come into that kind of money?”

“Inheritance,” she replied, biting back a smirk.

“That’s just… incredible. If there’s anything I can do to thank you…”

Jaida waved her hand, brushing the suggestion off. “You don’t have to do anything. But I wouldn’t say no if you wanted to let me buy you a drink when you’re done for the night.”

Jan fluttered her eyelashes and shifted closer to her. “Of course, I was hoping this might be a little more than a random philanthropic act.”

This brought a feeling of relief to Jaida, the last thing she wanted was for Jan to feel obligated to express romantic or sexual interest in her. “I’ll see you on the other side, then,” she hummed as she got up and returned to the lounge, ready to watch Jan on stage for the rest of her shift. The only time her gaze broke was to text her driver to be on his way.

And once it ended, the two of them reconvened at the bar, with Jaida ordering them both a drink. “So, have you always been a singer?” she asked casually.

“Oh yeah, since I was four.” Jan chuckled. “At the end of the day there was just no other choice for me.”

“I like a girl that knows what she wants out of life,” Jaida mused, taking the glass once it was set down in front of her and sipping from it.

Jan smiled, lips just barely pursed around the rim of the glass. She sipped slowly, then set it down as she looked at her. “Then tell me,” she prompted, “what do you want?” She leaned ever so slightly closer, a sultry air lacing around her words.

Jaida smirked, pointedly looking her over. “Something about five-foot-four, brown eyes, voice of an angel…” she listed, voice trailing off as she spoke. “You know, something along those lines.”

Jan set her glass down once it was empty. “You better be taking that something back to your place then,” she replied simply.

“I intend on it,” she hummed. “You ever been in a Rolls Royce?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one.”

Jaida grinned, leaving cash down for the bartender before getting up. “Come, Ralph is waiting out back for us.”

Jan tilted her head as she followed. “Ralph?”

“My driver. I inherited the staff as well, but they all liked me better anyway.” She chuckled as they went outside and stepped into the car, exchanging casual greetings with the driver.

While Jan did try to keep her attention on Jaida, she was distracted by how luxurious and pristine the car was, and when they pulled up to Jaida’s house, her eyes went wide. “This is where you live?” she gasped softly.

“Not too shabby, huh?” Jaida hummed as they got out of the car. “A lot of the staff lives here, no point in having a bunch of empty rooms. And my sister’s moving in tomorrow,” she explained, leading her inside.

Jan was trying her best to listen, but taking in everything around her meant her focus was being pulled in six different directions. It reminded her of her first time in Manhattan — everything was big and shiny, but she didn’t think she could touch anything yet. The first thing her hand felt was the railing of the spiral staircase she was following Jaida up.

“And this is my room. It could do with an update, I ain’t gonna lie. But she’s comfy and spacious, can’t really complain.” Jaida hummed. She had been the one that had pushed for such a big bed, and although she was quick to adjust to sleeping in it alone, she was more than happy to bring in new company. She turned to see that Jan had taken off her shoes and thrown herself onto the bed, sprawled out on her back and giggling softly to herself. “Feel free to make yourself at home.”

“Sorry, it just looked so inviting. I couldn’t help myself,” Jan replied, sitting back up.

Jaida smiled as she toed out of her heels. “I’m not mad, you look good in my bed.” She hummed, letting her eyes rake over Jan’s body.

“I’d look even better up close,” she cooed, beckoning Jaida closer with a curl of her finger.

“You know, I think you’re right.” Jaida chuckled as she crawled onto the bed, then on top of Jan, straddling her waist as she kissed along her jawline.

Jan tilted her head back, baring her neck as Jaida’s lips traveled down it. A breathy gasp slipped out when Jaida began littering her neck with hickies until she finally moved up to kiss her properly.

Jaida kissed her hard, deeply. It was the first kiss in years that made her feel so alive, that made her keep going back for more because the taste of her lips became instantly addictive. Her fingers tangled in Jan’s hair, pulling her head closer while her free hand unzipped the younger woman’s dress.

Jan wiggled out of her dress, not wanting to have to break away from Jaida to take it off properly. Her hand wandered across Jaida’s back until she felt the metal of the zipper under her thumb, then unzipped the dress in a swift movement.

When they did have to come up for air, Jaida took another look at the girl beneath her. “You always wear lingerie like this under your work clothes?” she teased, her finger tracing along the outline of Jan’s lacy, strapless bra.

“It helps me stay in the zone. You know, the soft, sultry lounge singer.” She hummed, walking her fingers up Jaida’s arm. “And it seems to have worked,” she added, her fingers stopping on Jaida’s bra strap and playfully tugging it down.

“Guess you got me there,” Jaida murmured, pressing another kiss to her lips as she unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. Her hands glided forward, cupping Jan’s breasts with her thumbs massaging her nipples at a teasingly slow pace, smirking when it elicited a soft moan. She trailed her lips back down Jan’s neck, to her collarbone, then between her breasts.

Jan’s back arched up, body already yearning for more touch, and whimpering softly when she felt Jaida’s tongue swirling around her nipple. Her thighs instinctively parted as soon as Jaida pulled her panties down, but she was past the point of feeling any sort of embarrassment - she knew what she wanted and was ready for it.

And who was Jaida to do anything but give right in? After finally undressing herself, she nudged Jan’s thighs apart with her hand, then gently traced her finger along her folds. She eased one finger in first, curling and pumping it slowly, her eyes trained on Jan’s face, watching her get more and more worked up. “That’s it, good girl,” she murmured as she worked in a second finger and built up her pace. She looked down with amusement when she saw how Jan was thrusting her hips forward, as if she was trying to fuck herself on her fingers. “And so eager,” she teased.

“Just love the way you make me feel, Mommy,” Jan purred in a way that sent chills up Jaida’s spine.

Jaida smirked and leaned over to kiss her. “Cute,” she murmured before moving down between Jan’s legs and, before Jan could offer any response, she replaced her fingers with her tongue, thrusting it and swirling it around.

“F-Fuck!” Jan gasped out sharply, hips pushing up again. Her hands gripped the comforter beneath her, knuckles turning white from the tightness of her hold.

And Jaida was only encouraged by that. Her tongue moved steadily and swiftly while her thumb rubbed at her clit. Her free hand kept her balanced by gripping onto Jan’s thigh, which helped keep Jan in place as well.

Jan was trembling and moaning, her body was red hot and she could feel her pulse racing. Her eyes squeezed shut and her hips bucked up despite Jaida’s grip. “A-Ah, fuck!” she nearly yelled as her orgasm hit.

It was only after Jaida was certain Jan was fully spent that she came up for air. “That good, baby?” she cooed, running her hands up and down Jan’s body.

Jan felt like her soul had left her body, feeling completely numb and utterly spent in the best possible way. “So good,” she breathed out. Once she regained the ability to remember how to move, she sat up. “Let me take care of you,” she whispered, and was already pushing Jaida onto the bed before she could get an answer.

Not that Jaida would’ve ever dreamed of objecting. She laid back with her legs propped apart to give her room, and tried her best to watch her, but the second she felt Jan’s tongue against her pussy and easing its way in, her eyes fluttered shut and her body shuddered in pleasure. She supposed it didn’t surprise her that Jan was talented any way she used her mouth, but god, that girl was an overachiever.

And Jan was nothing if not eager to please. She didn’t let up for a second, not until Jaida came as hard as she had, and even after that, she lingered for a moment, just in case. Then she moved back up Jaida’s body and kissed her sweetly.

Jaida hummed contently and wrapped her arms around Jan. “That was so good, baby,” she praised gently, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before shifting so they could be under the covers. “Think you’re about ready to call it a night?”

Jan nodded, letting out a soft yawn. “God, I’m gonna sleep so well tonight,” she murmured as she nestled herself against Jaida.

“I sure hope so,” she retorted lightly as her eyes closed.

------

The housekeeper let Heidi in that morning, and Heidi didn’t think much of it. She knew her sister had never been a morning person, and they never did set a time for her to come over. Considering she didn’t need to bring any furniture, the transition to moving in was easily handled by herself, with some help from the security guard - she could only go up and down that long staircase so many times with arms full of luggage.

Once she was more or less settled in, Heidi went back downstairs to go into the kitchen with the intent of raiding Jaida’s fridge for some breakfast. What she didn’t expect to see was a white girl in one of her sister’s silk robes leaning against the counter and drinking coffee. “Now who in the fresh hell are you?”

Jan was unphased by this. “I’m Jan,” she answered. “You must be Heidi, Jaida’s told me so much about you.”

“Well she ain’t tell me shit about you, so my question remains unanswered,” she said bluntly.

“Right, that makes sense, since we just met last night,” Jan mused. “Anyway, I know you’re just moving in and stuff, I’ll go let Jaida know you’re here.” She finished her coffee and put the empty mug in the sink before going back upstairs, happy to see that Jaida was a little more awake than when she’d left. “Your sister’s here, by the way,” she said as she sat cross-legged on the bed.

Jaida sat upright. “This early? Damn. Well, I better make myself decent and go talk to her,” she said, getting out of bed and throwing on a t-shirt and sweatpants. “I won’t be long, boo.” She kissed her cheek before she made her way downstairs.

“You got some ‘splaining to do,” Heidi said as soon as Jaida came into her line of vision. “Now, who was that pretty little thing wanderin’ around here in next to nothing?”

“Jan’s the new singer at Shea’s lounge. Listen, I know it was fast but… I don’t know how to explain it, there’s something special about her. We had this connection that I just know is more than intimate.”

Heidi stared at her blankly. “Do you hear yourself right now? It hasn’t even been a month since the funeral and you’ve got a co-ed up in your room.”

Jaida sighed. “Look, I’m not planning on flaunting her out and about yet, but I’m not gonna deny myself just because the dirt on his grave is still fresh.” She chewed her lip. “This is the first time I’ve been happy in years, Heidi. I need you to let me have this.”

Her sister was quiet for a moment. “You really think this girl’s gonna make you that happy?”

“I do.”

“Then I won’t stop you.” Heidi gave in without any more resistance. “Just don’t go mixing any of that white powder into her drink, she seems real nice.”

Jaida rolled her eyes, then quickly glanced around to make sure they were alone. “Don’t you worry, arsenic milkshakes are off the menu.”

[imalwaysaslutfordrag]

57 with j trio 👀👀👀

Hi, my darling. I hope this was what you wanted! If not, feel free to shoot me in the head or send in another prompt. Luv u <3

Heart eyes when the other talks, sings, dances, argues, does literally anything especially things which others make fun of them for or find annoying.

It was day who the hell even knew anymore of quarantine when Jan called for a family meeting in the living room.

Jaida sat with her feet propped up on the coffee table, practically reclined on the couch with her arm around Jackie, who sat beside her with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her body, and her favorite fuzzy socks on. 

Jan smiled at her girlfriends. They looked adorable. They always did, but today especially.

Jan went to open her mouth to speak but she was cut off by Jaida. 

“Listen, if you're pissed about the hair in the shower, I just wanna say...”Jaida paused, “it’s Jackie’s so you should be mad at her.” 

“Hey!” Jackie cried, trying and failing to turn in her blanket cocoon to glare at Jaida.

“That’s not what I was going to say, but thanks for bringing it up,” Jan smiled politely and went to speak but was again cut off, this time by Jackie.

“If this is about the ants in the kitchen, I sprayed the whole thing this morning and wiped down the counters and also I meant to tell you guys not to go near the corner of the front door because I left a puddle of the ant spray there because I think that’s where they’re coming from.”

“So that’s what that was.” Jaida wondered aloud. “I thought you just spilled somethin again.”

Jan shook her head. “That wasn’t what I was going to say either. I wanted to-”

Jackie cut her off again. “If it’s about the possum in the vent I was-”

“Guys! I just missed you!” Jan exclaimed. 

“Wait, what possum?” Jaida asked.

“Aww, Janny,” Jackie cooed. 

“I missed you, and so...” Jan attempted to build up some dramatic tension, but Jaida cut in. 

“Hold up, I know that tone. What you tryin to make us do?”

Jan sighed. “I just thought it would be nice to play a few board games. Maybe do a puzzle or something together.” Jackie and Jaida didn’t look convinced. “After all,” Jan pouted, “I haven’t seen you guys together for like a week.”

Jackie rolled her eyes, but conceded, standing up with the blanket still wrapped firmly around her person. “Fine, we can do a puzzle or two.”

“We can do one puzzle,” Jaida emphasized. “Then I gotta get back to work.”

“Oh, c’mon J,” Jackie squeezed her hand. “We can do a board game too.”

Jaida shook her head firmly, “One puzzle.”

They did do one puzzle. 

And then one more puzzle. And then a board game. And a round of cards. Then they ordered Chinese food. And played one more board game as they ate. Then they all piled on the couch together and Jaida lamented about not getting any work done. 

“You didn’t really want to do anything today, don’t lie,” Jackie said, face pressed to Jaida’s chest.

Jaida had both girls under her arms, pressed close to each of her respective sides. 

“I’m not lying! I need to do stuff but you two are fuckin’ crazy” Jaida insisted.

But Jan noticed a fond smile in place on her lips when she thought they weren’t looking.

“You act like you didn’t enjoy spending the day with the hottest girls in New York City,” Jan joked.

Jaida faked getting excited and sitting up a bit, jostling her girlfriends. “When do they get here?”

Jan and Jackie both swatted at Jaida playfully until she threw her hands up in surrender. 

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” She chuckled. “You know I love you both,” Jaida said, much quieter this time. 

Jan swore her smile could have lit up the sky. 

Jaida was slow to warm up as a person. When Jan had approached her with the idea to bring Jackie into their relationship she had been hesitant. Jaida loved Jan. That in and of itself that had been a long process. Getting Jaida to open up to her had taken a while. Jaida had walls up. 

She was lucky that Jan had always loved climbing. 

Jaida also loved Jackie. 

Jackie had always been there. Lingering just out of reach of the two of them and their relationship. Until one day, she showed up on their doorstep... and just never left. 

It took a while to adjust. They had to order a bigger bed for a start. The routines that Jadia and Jan had built needed to change.

It had taken a lot of communication and time. 

It still did. 

Jackie learned to climb the walls as well as Jan, and sometimes she was even faster on the uptake. 

But at the end of the day, they had each other. And while it had taken a lot of work, and always would, Jan wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We love you too, baby,” Jan said softly, pressing a quick kiss to Jaida’s cheek.

“Mhmm,” Jackie hummed, tracing a heart over Jaida’s stomach.

The three of them sat in silence for an immeasurable amount of time, just basking in each other’s presence. Jackie traced patterns on Jaida’s shirt while Jan peppered kisses along any skin she could reach without moving her head too much.

It was peaceful.

Until Jaida broke the spell, “No, but seriously what’s up with the possum?” 

[writethehousedown]

In My Head, We Belong (Crystal/Gigi) Chapter Five -- Zyan

a/n: we finally enter to the fluff stage! hope you like it, I tried my best to showcase all the girls as best as possible. :) as always, you can find me at @chachkisalpaca

“Do you think Widow will like these?” Gigi wonders, holding up potted daisies. Jackie turns to look at her and hums a little.

“Probably, she used to have daisies in her garden,” Jackie comments, taking a flowerpot full of roses. “Do you think it’ll be too cliché to buy roses?” She inquires and Gigi shrugs.

Widow’s given them the weekend free, since she had to fly back to Kansas for her niece’s first birthday party, but before she left, she left the girls with the chore of picking out flowers to give the restaurant a more spring-like look.

Conveniently, there’s a fair in the park with tons of flowers of all kinds. So they decided to go together and kill two birds with one stone. Gigi is surprised at how, so far, they’ve actually focused on what they came to do, and Heidi and Silky have yet to run off on their own like feral children.

It’s nice. They rarely get to be all together at once, and they sure have one hell of a time when they’re together. Yuhua’s loud nature finally comes in-handy, when one of the girls wander off out of their sight, and though Blair’s allergies wouldn’t be called useful per se, they cheer and take notes whenever they come across a plant that doesn’t trigger Blair’s sneezes.

Then there’s Dusty and Crystal going around, looking for the weirdest plants they can find, saying that if Widow asks what were they on when they picked them, they’ll excuse themselves by saying it gives the restaurant an extravagant touch. Jackie is so amused by their rehearsed speeches that she can’t bring herself to scold them.

“G, what do you think of this one?” Crystal asks in an excited tone, picking up a pot full of yellow flowers that Gigi can’t recognize.

“They’re pretty, but what are they?” She wonders, looking for some sort of tag. She finds it hidden among the flowers; the tag reads ‘Daffodils’. “What do you think they mean?” Gigi jerks her head up to look at Crystal and she shrugs.

“I’m not really sure, does it matter though? They’re pretty, and would make Widow not so angry with Dusty and me after looking at our other suggestions.” Crystal snickers, and Gigi can’t help but chuckle, curious as to what have these two bought.

Crystal puts the potted flowers back to where she found them, and they keep on walking, trying to catch up with the others.

“My mom had a garden and she was really meticulous with all the flowers she planted. Like, she’d search for hours in her gardening encyclopedias the meaning of every flower before planting it. I can’t remember precisely what she said about the importance of the meanings, but it was important to her,” Gigi tells her, trying to inspect every flower that comes in her vision range as best as she can.

“Huh, I dunno if Widow’s like that, or if she’d care about it,” she merely replies, looking in amazement at all the variety of flowers.

Gigi steals glances at Crystal’s face out of the corner of her eye, trying to look interested in the plants. Gigi is sort of amazed at how, in a place full of beauty and flowers in bloom, she can’t pull her gaze away from Crystal.

There is however something that can make her stop staring at Crystal for more than five seconds, and that is Jan arranging a flower crown on Jaida’s hair with such care it makes Gigi coo.

“Can you believe these two?” Gigi inquires, pointing at the pair. Crystal looks in their direction and can’t help but laugh at the sight of a completely flustered Jaida. “They’re so sweet it’s disgusting,” she says, and Crystal snickers, turning to look her with a toothy smile.

“Maybe so, but they’re so cute! If a girl gifted me one of those crowns I’d probably die,” she assures her with a giggle. Gigi makes the mental note of asking Jan where she got the crown for Jaida.

They keep exploring the fair, and at some point Jan and Jaida get lost in the crowd, but Yuhua doesn’t bother calling for them, fearing she might interrupt something important.

Gigi tags along with Dusty and Crystal on their quest to find weird looking plants, and things are cool, until they catch up with Jackie and she’s talking with one of the florists, looking rather nervous, and they were all ready to poke fun at her, until Crystal notices something.

It’s the girl that John was on a date with.

Crystal isn’t mad, of course not; it’s been two weeks since John ditched her and one since he brought her to the restaurant, but she has no hard feelings against her. If anything, she wonders how she ever agreed on going out with him, and plans on asking her so.

“Hi Jackie,” Crystal says, catching Jackie and the woman’s attention. Jackie’s face gets as red as a tomato, and Gigi and Dusty get ready for a possible shit show.

“Hey guys. I— I’ve been looking for you, but I got distracted talking with Nicole.” She points at the blonde standing next to her -  hair tied up in a high pony and wearing a pink apron covered in mud. It’s safe to say she looks nothing like the femme fatale they remember, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less stunning.

She laughs light heartedly and waves at them.

“Oh, please, just call me Nicky,” she says with a wink, and right away they all notice her accent. “Sorry I kept your friend, guess I couldn’t help it.” Nicky grins at Jackie and now Crystal is confused.

“Hey, um, I know we don’t know each other, but aren’t you going out with a dude named John? ‘Cause, like, he dumped me for you, but you’re pretty and seem so nice, how did you ever give him the time of the day?” Crystal inquires with a genuine concern that makes Dusty and Gigi gasp a little and they have to clasp their hands over their mouths to keep themselves from falling in a fit of laughter. Jackie is even redder than before, completely embarrassed, as she covers her face in her hands.

Nicky blinks repeatedly until she process Crystal’s questions, and her face contorts into a disgusted expression when she realizes who she’s talking about.

“Oh, darling, no. We just met through a common friend and he asked me out; I couldn’t make it past the first date, because he kept talking about his job and shutting me down when I tried to talk about my flower shop, or just straight up ignored me and acted like he was interested.” Nicky folds her arms with a frown, and Crystal takes a step forward, gasping a little.

“No way! I also met him because of a friend. But, like, I accepted to go out on a second date with him because he looked genuinely interested when I talked to him about my paintings, though now that you say it I’m starting to doubt about it.”

Crystal and Nicky soon hit it off by complaining about John and talking about their hobbies. Dusty and Gigi have to drag Jackie away, because the brunette can’t believe Crystal has ruined her attempt of flirting with Nicky.

They poke fun at Jackie about it as they try to find the others. They spot them sitting by one of the many tables set in a zone full of junk food, laughing loudly and showing the rest the plants they acquired.

“Where have y’all been?” Yuhua asks as they’re dragging some chairs near the table. “We ended up getting a shit ton of flowers, because Jackie wasn’t around, like I’m not even kidding. I have no clue how Widow will water these many plants.”

Jackie laughs loudly as she sits between Heidi and Blair, rolling her eyes a little.

“Y’all weren’t lying when you said I’m ninety nine percent of the impulse control in the staff,” Jackie says with a playful grin.

“You’re like our mom, and Widow is the cool aunt that everyone likes,” Brianna pipes up, and through the laughs the entire group agrees. Jackie shrugs, she’ll take it.

“Hey, by the way, where’s Crystal?” Heidi wonders, looking around.

Dusty replies before Gigi even opens her mouth.

“She’s stealing Jackie’s girl as we speak,” she exclaims and the girls let out a collective screech, while Jackie’s cheeks go back to being red.

“She’s— I barely know her!”

“But she could’ve been your girl, hadn’t Crystal interrupted you!” Dusty is quick to reply again and the laughs only get louder and louder.

Gigi laughs too because what the hell, it’s funny and the way Jackie looks as if she wants to just get up and leave only makes it funnier. But there’s also a sting of unjustified jealousy in her chest when she thinks of Crystal flirting with Nicky.

Crystal joins them five minutes later and Gigi notices how she’s trying to bite back a wide smile.

Then, she remembers she has something to do, so Gigi pulls out her phone and sends a text to Jan as discreetly as she can.

*

“Have you seen Crystal?” Gigi asks Blair, who merely shrugs.

“I think she was near the—” Blair is interrupted by a sneeze; Gigi says ‘bless you’ while Blair pulls out a tissue from her pocket. “Near the bonsai ladies,” she finishes with a sniffle. Gigi chuckles a little and thanks her, telling her to go ahead, that she’ll catch up with them later.

She turns around, trying to remember where were the bonsais and once she remembers, she can’t help but feel her stomach twitch. It was next to Nicky.

Gigi takes a deep breath. ‘It’s fine, Crystal knows nothing about flower meanings any way.’ She speeds up her pace and soon spots Crystal’s strawberry blonde hair in the crowd.

She smiles a little as she approaches them, trying to not let the nerves get to her. She can do this, she got it.

“Hey, Crys, I’ve been looking for you,” Gigi says when she’s near enough. Crystal jumps a little, slowly turning to see her as she hides something behind her back. Gigi squints slightly.

“That’s weird, I was going to look for you too,” she comments sheepishly, glancing at Nicky, who looks completely amused.

“Oh, Gigi, your crown is done, here,” Nicky says, reaching for a Red Chrysanthemums crown. Crystal cocks a brow as Gigi receives it, her face getting as red as the crown she’s holding, and Nicky looks back and forth between them.

“I’m, uh, this isn’t how I planned to do this,” Gigi begins to say, holding out the crown to Crystal. “This is for you, and, I— I thought it’d go well with your hair, I guess. But, um, they also have a nice meaning—” Gigi bites her tongue. Shit, she wasn’t supposed to bring up the meanings.

Crystal has a soft smile, but Gigi panics slightly when she doesn’t take it; her heart gives a thud when Crystal holds up a Sunflower crown.

“I got this for you,” she says, while her cheeks get a slight rosy tone. “I didn’t notice that these go well with your hair too, though.” Crystal laughs a little and Gigi giggles nervously.

They exchange crowns and say goodbye to Nicky before going to find the others, submerged in a silence that’s not really awkward, but none of them know what to say. So they silently slip their hands together in the crowded areas, with the excuse of not wanting to lose each other.

Back in her stall, Nicky wonders how long it will take for them to notice that Red Chrysanthemums literally mean I love you while Sunflowers mean friendship.

[zwritestuff]

Do you have any ships that aren't as popular as crygi, branjie or trixya but are still pretty neat? (i personally like violax/ violet x max).

i actually don’t ship trixya hehe i do!!! here’s a list off the top of my head (also, violax is amazing!! my long gone sister, grey darling, used to write pearlax/violax/viopearlax and she was great at it):

brooke/yvie

vixen/blair

dusty/blair

jan/jaida (literally if you wanna win my heart write me some jessence. i love them so much.)

ariel/plastique

yvie/scarlet (yes i know they were popular last season but people quickly lost interest in them)

kameron/asia

cracker/kameron

fame/katya

[fuckyeah-dragrace]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRGUeLev/

im so sorry, this is right up there with vodka or tequila imo

[earlyspringtranscendence]

ok so my girl needed some book recs and my ass was like oh i’ll know what i’ll do i’ll type up all 150+ books i’ve read in the last 3 1/2 years and obvi now im gonna like. post them here so that y’all can enjoy this too (plus i dont have a goodreads so) 

this is a little bit edited to avoid repetitions and/or books i don’t wanna talk about but this is fairly accurate of what ive read since 2016 till now!! faves have asterisks, also the links stopped working halfway thru 2016 so uh my bad

2016:

the foxhole court, the raven king and the kings men by nora sakavic* the secret history by donna tartt aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire saenz su1c1de notes by michael thomas ford (the title is the regular word but i’ve spent so much time on this that i’m not gonna get my post eaten for a Bad Word)  chaos walking trilogy by patrick ness  six of crows & crooked kingdom by leigh bardugo  ill give you the sun by jandy nelson city of bones, city of ashes, city of glass & city of fallen angels by cassandra clare the darkest minds, never fade and in the afterlight by alexandra bracken the raven king by maggie stiefvater sharp objects by gillian flynn gone girl by gillian flynn everything leads to you by nina lacour the night circus by erin morgenstern miss peregrines home for peculiar children by Ransom riggs Battle royale by Koushun Takami the unbecoming of mara dyer by michelle hodkin american gods by neil gaiman* shadow and bone, siege and storm and ruin and rising by leigh bardugo the rest of us just live here by patrick ness on the other side by carrie hope fletcher a monster calls by patrick ness we are the ants by shaun david hutchinson  simon vs the homo sapiens agenda by becky albertalli proxy and guardian by alex london kill your boss by shane kuhn the curious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon more than this by patrick ness (reread) two boys kissing by david levithan a darker shade of magic and a gathering of shadows by ve schwab forgive me leonard peacock by matthew quick good omens by neil gaiman and terry pratchet my heart and other black holes by jasmine warga the miseducation of cameron post by emily danforth the sky is everywhere by jandy nelson   the darkest part of the forest by holly black a collection of sappho poems you by caroline kepnes

2017

all the bright places by jennifer niven the regulars by georgia clark the ocean at the end of the lane by neil gaiman coraline by neil gaiman crush by richard siken the magician’s nephew by cs lewis blankets by craig thompson room by emma donoghue red dragon*, silence of the lambs, hannibal and hannibal rising by thomas harris hidden bodies by caroline kepnes* the girl on the train by paula hawkins vicious by ve schwab 13 reasons why by jay asher dare me by megan abott* turn of mind by alice laplante the lightning thief by rick riordan if i was your girl by meredith russo* the dead house by dawn kurtagich release by patrick ness*  norse mythology by neil gaiman caraval by stephanie garber the upside of unrequited by becky albertalli dark places by gillian flynn unearthly & hallowed by cynthia hand fangirl by rainbow rowell the hunger games trilogy by suzanne colins the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy by douglas adams avi cantor has 6 months to live by sacha lamb the gentlemans guide to vice and virtue by mackenzi lee beautiful music for ugly children by kirstin cronn mills the hate u give by angie thomas warcross by marie lu every exquisite thing by matthew quick peter darling by austin chant***** the goldfinch by donna tartt wild beauty by anne-marie mclemore seconds by bryan lee o'malley call me by your name by andré aciman

2018

spring’s awakening by frank wedekind translated by Framin ziegler, and then again translated and adapted by anya reiss  de profundis by oscar wilde spellbook of the lost and found by maria fowley the rook by daniel o'malley interview with the vampire by anne rice fight club by chuck palanhuik maurice by em forster*  picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde pacific rim by alex irvine ill be gone in the dark by michelle mcnamara*  all the light we cannot see by anthony doer the summer that melted everything by tiffany mcdaniel edinburgh by alexander chee***********!!!!** very good book hp 1 waiting for godot by samuel becket the art of being normal by lisa williamsen flowers for algernon by daniel keyes autoboyography by christina lauren the woman in the window by aj finn the lava in my bones by barry webster and the ocean was our sky by patrick ness mio my son by astrid lindgren a lite too bright by samuel miller autobiography of red by anne carson the crash of hennington by patrick ness****** sadie by courtney summers war of the foxes by richard siken sea prayer by khaled hosseini three dark crowns, one dark throne, two dark reigns and the oracle queen by kendare blake*

2019 (so far)

rooftoppers by katherine rundell at the edge of the universe by shaun david hutchinson warbreaker by brandon sanderson slaughterhouse 5 by kurt vonnegut skyward by brandon sanderson* the crane wife by patrick ness the magicians trilogy by lev grossman* marie by marc de bel (dutch book) neverworld wake by marisha pessl the original mistborn trilogy by brandon sanderson red, white and royal blue by casey mcquiston havemercy & shadow magic by jaida jones and danielle bennet my lovely wife by samantha downing a midsummer night’s dream by shakespeare the silence of murder by dandi daley mackall cloud atlas by david mitchell le petit prince by antoine de saint-exupery (french book) the binding by bridget collins* the sun is also a star by nicola yoon (i read it in french but it’s in english originally) you wouldn’t have known about me by calvin gimplevich hp 1 but in french

[greaseonmymouth]

@musingsofaretiredunicorn replied to your post: @musingsofaretiredunicorn replied to your post “I...

Ooh I’m not familiar with the source material but I read the excerpts and I’m v intrigued!

caius and al are POV characters in the second book in the series! they appear in the first book though as minor characters.

you should DEFINITELY read the books though! they’re usually advertised as “gay magicians and metal dragons!” which is accurate (there are, indeed, gay magicians and metal dragons) but they’re more than that. if you like mannerpunk (politics&talking more than action, though there is also action) and queer characters (there are...so many) and an epic-esque plot with a fanfic feel to it (i mean, the first book has an entire slow burn arc between a gay farmer boy who just wants to read novels and bang hot men and a gay magician with a history of bad choices in men?? will they fall in love?? (yes) will they agonise over it??? (yes) will they eventually end up in a mutually respectful and loving healthy relationship?? (yes) etc. etc. in the second book we have a classic prince and loyal servant mutual pining storyline AND also caius and al being...caius and al, and in the third book we have a trans lady spy (and the desert prince who sweeps her off her feet) and in the fourth book we have gay disaster college student toverre (lmao all these queer characters are disasters one way or another. you can tell this series was written by millennials. by the way, the authors are married to each other.) and my all time darlings anastasia (the esarina) and antoinette (the esar’s mistress and OBVIOUSLY also anastasia’s bff and gf (these two are the number one f/f ship in this fandom for good reason gosh i love them so much)) and and and ON IT GOES.) then you should...definitely read these books

it’s a four book series by jaida jones and danielle bennett, and the books are, in order: havemercy, shadow magic, dragon soul, and steelhands.

here’s the goodreads link to the series

here’s a link to the ebooks on kobo

[alicemoonwonderland]

The Thief’s Jewel - Part Twelve

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11]

The Epilogue!

Fandom: The Hobbit Pairing: Nori x Jaida (Orignal Fem!Character) Rating: NSFW for later chapters

Tagged: @atlerion (Let me know if you want to be tagged)

Nori groaned lightly as he entered his home, stretching his arms in the air. Grumbling to himself about demanding King’s and idiotic dwarrows. But no sooner than the moment he slid out of his boots, his wife was upon him. Cupping his face in her hands and kissing him deeply, causing him to squeak with surprise.

“Hello, my wonderful husband.” Jaida murmured to him as she pulled away, tugging him by his shirt.

He got the most ridiculous goofy grin on his face as he followed her obediently. “My darling wife.” He purred. “Where are we going?”

She led him upstairs into the bedroom, and started to undo his coat. “Well. It’s the end of the work week, and you were running late, so I figured you’d like a warm bath.” She said softly, slipping his shirt off after she tossed the coat aside. “Dinner is almost finished. So it should be done by the time you’re ready.”

He was in pure bliss, letting her undress him and guide him to the bathroom, the bath already drawn for him. He carefully climbed into the tub. Another noise of surprise when she pulled a chair up behind him. Massaging his head as she started to take out his braids.

“What’s for supper?” He asked curiously, his eyes drifting closed.

“Shepard’s Pie.” She said cheerfully, brushing out his hair once it was all loose.

It was official, he had the loveliest wife in all of Arda. Not that he didn’t already know that.

He hummed softly. Eyes snapping opened when he heard her stand up, looking over his shoulder at her. “Is Mettalise home?”

She was getting older now, and spent more time building her own life it seemed. Then again, being a prestigious jewelry maker took time and effort. He was proud of her on every level.

“She should be shortly. Just in time for dinner. Now, enjoy your bath, let me set the table okay?” She leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss.

He made happy rumbling noises, managing a small nod as he watched her leave with a dreamy look.

What had he done to deserve a dwarrowdam such as her? Nothing. But here they were, almost ninety years after their wedding, and he was still falling for her, each and every day. And she him.

Life was perfect.

He took a quick bath, washing the dirt and grime from the day off his skin. Putting his hair back up and changing into a simple tunic and pants. Then made his way downstairs. The smells from the kitchen already overwhelming him.

“Mahal Jaida.” He drooled as he entered the kitchen. Shepard’s Pie, his favorite. Rolls and mashed potatoes. Amongst so many other things, he had a hard time taking it in. Walking towards her with an adoring look. “I’m sorry, Amrâlimê, you caught me by surprise I didn’t ask. How are you feeling today?” He asked softly, placing his hand on her growing belly.

She placed her hand over his and looked down. “This one is a boy. I just know it. He’s too lively.” She said hopeful.

He chuckled and kissed her cheek, bending down and whispering to the baby for a moment before he stood and moved to take his seat at the table. “Well. After six girls, maybe you’ll get lucky this time.” He didn’t care regardless. “Wait. Where are they all?” It was ridiculously quiet in his home.

“Split between your brothers and their godfather.”

“Mahal it’s like they aren’t even my children at all!” He grumbled, but there was a wide smiled on his face. Only growing when he heard the front door open. “Mettalise? Is that my precious flower?”

The girl grew up to be the spitting image of her mother, just with the red hair of her father. She peeked her head into the kitchen. “Yes Adad, it’s me.”

“Well don’t just stand there. Come here. I want to hear about your day. Mahal I lo-“

He visibly stopped, freezing and his eyes going wide. His eyebrows furrowing when she stepped into the room. With a young dwarrow.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!?!”

“It’s a dwarrow honey.”

“YES I KNOW IT’S A DWARROW DEAR BUT WHY IS HE HOLDING MY PRECIOUS LITTLE GIRL’S HAND. BY MAHAL WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!?!” He shouted, starting to pat himself down. “Give me a knife! Where are my knives?!” He paused, then turned in his seat to look at his wife. “Dammit woman you tricked me!”

“Well of course I did. Had to get your militia from you.” Jaida drawled amused. Stepping to her daughter and kissing her cheek. Then placed her hand on the boy’s shoulder, coaxing him into the room and to a seat at the table. Thankful she was raised by the toughest warrior in Middle Earth and then married a thief who taught her everything else.

Nori’s nostrils flared as he glared at the younger dwarrow. But he stood suddenly, slamming his hands on the table and storming from the room. Stomping obnoxiously as he went. The front door being heard opened, then closed a few moments later. Then he came back all but unnoticed. Calm and collected as he took his seat again, crossing his arms.

Mettalise swallowed lightly. Placing her hands in her lap as she looked up. “Adad this is-“

She let out a small shriek when their front door went flying past the kitchen. Even louder boots coming towards them.

Nori sneered. “Pa! Sooooooooooo good to see you! This is so unexpected!”

“Amad!” Mettalise whined, looking pleading to her mother as a grey bearded Dwalin walked in.

“No.” He said simply, barely glancing at the young dwarrow.

Jaida sighed so deeply, praying to Mahal for strength.  “Adad!”

“I said, no.”

Her strength was short lived as the pair of grown men started to shout at and interrogate the poor dwarrow. Questions and comments flying between the two like it was rehearsed. One speaking and the other picking right up. Back and forth and back again. Everyone trying to shout over everyone else.

“Amad! ADAD!”

“GET AWAY FROM MY LITTLE GIRL OR SO HELP ME-“

“NO NO SO HELP ME! BOY I’LL BREATHE THE FEAR OF MORDOR ITSELF STRAIGHT INTO YOUR BLOODSTREAM!”

“ENOUGH!” Jaida screamed, silencing everyone with the look in her eyes. She let out a huff, grabbing Dwalin’s arm and leading him to a seat at the table. Then dusted her hands on her skirt. “Now. I’m going to tell you all a story. One you would do well to remember Nori.” She smacked the back of her husband’s head as she moved to sit beside him. “It is the story of a thief, and how he got his most precious treasure.”

[artificialqueens]

Pretty Please (Crystal x Gigi) - Katy

A/N: hi everyone, I used to post on here back in the day but this is my first fic this year. This is written about a real life experience I actually had, where I told the girl sitting next to me in maths class (who I had a huge crush on) that I just didn't feel well, and was not in fact having the worst panic attack of my life, and when she helped me leave the room to go the the medical room, i proceeded to faint down an entire flight of stairs :). And no, we did not get together. So here's what I wish had actually happened lmao. If you enjoyed please leave me a comment or like, I really enjoyed writing this so I may be persuaded to do more ;)

Gigi inhaled, a short shaky breath that rattled her lungs and left her nauseous. She knew she was panicking, the familiar feeling that settled between her ribs, constricting her airflow with each quiver of her hand, but letting the others know that she was panicking, was not an option.

She sat in the corner of the Untucked lounge, heels off and headphones in, the Katy Perry track on repeat. She knows she fucked up the challenge, and she wasn’t proud of it, her limited political knowledge finally catching up to her. Her teeth chattered as she tried to mime the words, preparing herself for what she knew would be her first time in the bottom two, but her brain and her mouth wouldn’t connect and she let out an audible whimper.

Jackie and Widow were just steps away from her, but both were in a completely different state of mind, with Jackie pinning her hijab to her dress, and Widow immersed in her final rehearsal of the lipsync song, strong actions and emotive faces. She prayed Jaida or Heidi didn’t hear her, because as much as she loved them, there was only one person she wanted.

Crystal was sat on the sofa; legs crossed and smile bright as she laughed animatedly at Heidi, arms flailing. She wasn’t looking at Gigi, and Gigi couldn’t work out whether that was a blessing or a curse.

Talking about feelings was not Gigi’s strong point, nor expressing vulnerability, making her and Crystal the perfect pair. They balanced each other out, the calm to the storm. And right now, Gigi was certain that a hurricane was coming.

Her eyes were wide and glassy, staring at the back of Crystal’s blue wig, frozen with fear. All of the blood plummets to the soles of her feet, and she puts her head between her knees to try and curb the overwhelming dizziness surrounding her. She can’t remember what happened next, the edges of her memories hazy with anxiety, but then Crystal is there.

Crystal is here.

She knelt down beside Gigi, quickly discarding her heels and blazer over the back of the sofa. There’s a hand on the small of Gigi’s back, and she flinches, before quickly calming as Crystal hooks a finger under her chin, and raises her head to meet her gaze. Gigi hears mumblings of ‘sweetheart, look at me’ and ‘what’s going on, babe?’ before she realises she’s being scooped up by Crystal and taken outside, blowing a thankful kiss at Jackie, who’s moved to hold the door open for Crystal so she can get her out. Out of the hot, overwhelming room that Crystal knew she had to remove Gigi from, as soon as she glanced over and saw her, curled into herself and breathing unsteadily.

She’s placed on the ground outside the smoking area, Crystal supporting her weight as she gently helps Gigi place her head back between her legs, almost being able to see the stars swirling around in Gigi’s head. There’s a supportive hand on her shoulder, and as soon as she hears the mumble of ‘feel sick, Crys’, there’s a cool palm immediately on her forehead. Gigi already knew that she didn’t have a fever, but the harsh reality she’d have to face of telling Crystal what was actually going on, was enough to stress herself into a high body temperature, and soon Crystal’s pulling her hand away, sighing softly.

The high pitched whimper Gigi makes is enough to stop Crystal’s heart beating. It’s fragile, it’s vulnerable, and it’s so not Gigi.

Then there’s sobs.

Huge, gut-wrenching sobs that make Gigi’s hands shake more so than they were, her chest heaving in ragged breaths as she tries to calm herself down, stop making a fool of herself in front of her crush. There’s a long, drawn out ‘baby’ releasing itself from Crystal’s throat, and before she can stop herself, she’s reaching over and cradling Gigi in her lap, stroking her wig away from her face, shushing her gently. She’s rocking the taller girl back and forth, praying she’s not making her dizziness any worse, humming under her breath.

Time passes, but Gigi’s sobs are getting louder and sadder, and Crystal’s worried she’s about to start hyperventilating any second.

She doesn’t have a huge amount of experience comforting others, as the so lovingly named ‘cry baby’ of the group, it’s normally her being comforted by Gigi or Jackie. Everything Crystal wants when she’s upset, she’s trying with Gigi, from rubbing her back to running her hands through her wig, but she can’t get her to calm down and she’s beginning to run out of ideas.

She tries once more. Crystal starts slowly, taking both of her hands and cupping Gigi’s face, raising her head from its place on Crystal’s chest. The change of position makes Gigi’s head spin, and she’s falling weightlessly back against Crystal’s body before she’s even registered what was happening. Gigi blinks her eyes up at Crystal, who’s leaning closer and closer to her face, and then she felt it.

Lips against hers. MAC on Anastasia. Cherry red on cherry red.

She can’t fucking breathe.

She runs.

She’s nauseous and lightheaded and still not breathing properly, but that’s all out of the window as Gigi desperately tries to process her feelings. She wants this. Why was she running from it? She reaches the staircase inside leading to the lounge, drapes herself over the bannister in a futile attempt to stay upright. Crystal’s running behind her, calling Gigi’s name, telling her to stop, she’s going to hurt herself.

Crystal sees Gigi leaning heavily on the staircase, heart in her throat as she desperately tries to reach her before the inevitable happens.

Thud.

Crystal’s screams echo through to the Untucked lounge, and Jackie runs out just in time to grab onto the arm of Gigi’s coat, as Crystal dives in and clamps her hands around Gigi’s waist, catching her just inches away from hitting the floor. Gigi’s as pale as a ghost, sweat glistening on her forehead and upper lip, heart thumping against Crystal, who’s precariously balanced on a single step, Gigi in her arms.

Crystal feels outside of her body. Jackie’s crouched next to her, prying Gigi’s upper half away from Crystal and into her arms, fearing from the look on Crystal’s face, that she would be the next to drop. Then Jackie’s moving, laying Gigi carefully onto the floor, unlacing her corset, sliding off her wig. Gigi’s completely out of it, but letting out soft, regular breaths for the first time that evening. The sound of Jackie’s heels clicking against the floor as she’s running out of the room, and returning with a fan and a bottle of water breaks Crystal out of her trance and she’s standing, moving to sit by Gigi’s head.

Crystal’s crying, her tears dripping down into Gigi’s hair as Jackie hands her a tissue, reminds her to breathe, tells her one casualty is enough.

She hasn’t had time to process everything that’s just happened, and honestly was feeling close to an anxiety attack herself, but she looked down and saw Gigi’s eyes beginning to flutter. Jackie takes Gigi’s hand, strokes over her knuckles with her painted thumb, asks if Gigi can hear her. Her eyes flutter twice more before she’s awake. Confused and disorientated, Gigi pushes herself up into a sitting position, before a rushed ‘No, Gee, you need to lay back down’ is heard and there’s Jackie’s hand on her chest, easing her back onto the floor, and Crystal’s hand tangles in her hair.

Gigi can’t see Crystal, too busy trying to get her eyes to concentrate on Jackie. Sweet, caring Jackie who’s grabbed her a blanket from set, draped it over her the second she saw her teeth clicking together.

Gigi’s mind was hazy, and she had no clear recollection of what had happened for her to be lying on the dirty floor next to the staircase, before she remembers.

Crystal.

‘Jacks’, Gigi mumbles. ‘Where’s Crystal?’

Jackie and Crystal lock eyes before Jackie’s nodding, squeezing Gigi’s knee and walking back into Untucked, and Crystal’s scooting into Gigi’s vision line. ‘Gigi, I’m here, you’re okay’.

Their eyes meet and Crystal sees Gigi let out a huge breath, her eyes beginning to glisten, so she takes her hand in both of hers and rubs the tension out of it. ‘You’re okay’, Crystal promises again.

‘What happened?’

‘You passed out, darling. You were having an anxiety attack and you tried to run, but this is as far as you got.’

‘I wasn’t having a panic attack, I felt sick.’

‘Gee, don’t lie to me.’

Crystal looks up and Gigi’s in tears, again. Crystal gently scoops her up from the floor, positions her in a somewhat upright position in her lap, and combs her hand through Gigi’s hair.

‘Why was I running?’

‘Because I kissed you.’

They lock eyes, the tension sitting heavy between their chests. Crystal heaves in a huge breath, about to spew everything she feels about Gigi out in one sentence before Gigi beat her to it.

Lips against lips.

They sit, limbs intertwined and lips together, until they hear the dreaded announcement of ‘5 minutes to go, ladies.’

‘You sure you’re gonna be okay if you have to lipsync Gigi? You won’t be in the bottom two, but just in case you are. We can tell production if you’re still feeling lightheaded,’ Crystal reassures.

‘I am still feeling dizzy.’

‘Oh, baby, okay, let’s go and tell the crew,’ Crystal starts, before Gigi cuts her off.

‘No, babe, I’m kidding. I just want you to carry me back into the room.’

Crystal chuckles before standing up, pulling Gigi into her chest like a goddamn koala, leaving a huge red lipstick kiss on her forehead.

‘Don’t ever, ever, scare me like that again.’

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 33 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Heya darlings! Hope you’re still with us! Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: The Galactica crew headed back to New York.

This Chapter: Violet receives a pleasant surprise, Jinkx meets her crush, and Fame makes a decision.

***

Courtney hurried down the block towards the subway stop in the rain, dodging other pedestrians, her phone pressed to her ear.

“Courtneyyyy, didn’t you miss me?” Adore whined. She was trying to convince Courtney to come to brunch at her new girlfriend’s apartment, which honestly sounded kind of nice--after all, Courtney liked Pearl a lot, and she was thrilled for Adore that she’d succeeded in snagging her dream girl. Unfortunately, brunch just wasn’t in the cards on that particular day.

“Yes, but I have to work, I’m sorry.”

“But it’s Sunday, come oooon!”

“You don’t get it, Adore,” Courtney sighed. “Violet’s been gone all week and I need things to be perfect when she walks in.”

“But you don’t even like Violet!” Adore countered.

“I never said that!” Courtney exclaimed defensively. And it was true. Yes, sometimes she complained about the way Violet talked to her and ordered her around. And yes, she was often frustrated by her own seeming inability to ever truly please her, but when it really came down to it, she did respect her coworker. “It’s not that I dislike her, she’s just a little difficult sometimes. But I want her to see how hard I’ve been working-”

“I don’t know why you’re working so hard to please her when you could please me by coming to brunch,” Adore pouted.

“I’m sorry, Dore, but knowing Violet, she could very well be coming in today, so I have to get everything together ASAP.”

“Ugh, fine! I hate your job!” Adore exclaimed, finally hanging up.

As Courtney descended the stairs into the subway station, she did her very best not to think, ‘Me too!’

***

“Here you go.”

“Thank you darling.” Fame smiled as she took the coffee cup Patrick handed her. It was early noon, the sun high in the sky.

“You’re welcome.” Patrick grinned, and Fame looped her arm in his, Charles by their side, the dog waiting patiently for his humans.

They were on their way to Carl Schurz Park, the entirety of it fenced in, and they even had a part of the park reserved for bigger dogs, which was a real concern when you owned a Great Dane.

“Come on boy,” Fame pulled the leash, and Charles woofed with excitement, Fame unable to keep in a laugh at his enthusiasm.

***

It was nearing 6 am on Monday morning, and as usual, Violet was the only person in the building besides the doorman.

She had spent Sunday in bed, her mattress on the floor nothing like the Parisian king sized bed, jetlag hitting her like a freight train. Though Violet still felt heavy and slightly nauseous, she had managed to get to the gym before work, the familiar routine wonderfully comforting.

Violet took the elevator to the 25th floor, making her way past reception. Violet had expected the office to be dark, but it seemed like Courtney had left the light on over the weekend, an extremely hypocritical mistake from someone who loved to lecture other people about waste and the environment.

Violet swiped her keycard, the little beep allowing her into Fame's outer office. She put her hand on the glass door, taking one last, final, deep breath, preparing herself for an absolute catastrophe as she opened the door, but instead of scattered papers, forgotten cups of coffee and chaos, Violet saw Courtney sitting at her desk, the office perfectly clean.

Courtney looked up from her computer with a smile and a cheerful, “Good morning!”

“Courtney?" Violet closed the door behind her. Courtney was wearing a light blue sweater, her blonde hair styled in big wavy curls, sparkling silver stars in her ears.  

“How was Paris?”

"Paris c’est Paris.” Violet looked around, wondering if Courtney had just shoved everything underneath the desks or inside the closet when she had heard her approach. But instead, she spotted the table, where rows of neatly labeled folders were lined up, along with Miss Fame’s phone sheet, schedule for the day, as well as a week overview.

“I don’t understand…”

Little flags marked all the places where they required Fame’s approval. Looking for the catch, Violet pulled open a drawer in the file cabinet beside Courtney’s desk, and instead of the crammed-full mess of papers she expected, saw newly color-coded file folders in perfectly organized rows.

“You're here early?"

“Yeah,” Courtney chuckled. “I guess I got used to coming in at the crack of dawn while you were away. It’s so much easier to get things done before everyone gets here.”

"Yes." Violet walked over to her desk, still genuinely surprised at how tidy everything was. "It is." She put her bag on the table, unbuttoning her jacket. "I had expected-" Violet cut herself short. "It's nice that I don't have to start the day cleaning up."

Violet turned on her computer, the knowledge that she'd actually get to the emails she had largely ignored while in Paris more than she had hoped for.

She used the time while her computer was starting up to turn on the kettle, shocked to find the little kitchenette as immaculately clean as the office; every item on the shelf in perfect order, labels facing out. She went back into the bullpen to look through paperwork, sure that she’d find something amiss.

“I tried to organize everything to make it easier for you,” Courtney said, gesturing to the folders. “There’s all the notes and reference photos from the shows for the meeting later, press requests, event invitations, and Miss Fame’s upcoming schedule. I thought she might want a light week so everything in purple is tentative.”

"Thank you Courtney, this is very... adequate work."

The last time Violet and Courtney had talked on the phone, Violet had told Courtney to get her head out of her ass, and somehow, after months, it seemed like it had finally happened.

Courtney was actually doing her job, and doing it right. Violet was pleased, but she couldn’t help be a tiny bit suspicious of the sudden improvement. She supposed, though, that it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“I'm glad you decided to use your time wisely while I was away.”

“I tried,” Courtney said earnestly.

“Keep it up,” Violet said, turning back to her computer. “You should cover this morning's meeting with Jaida.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Violet nodded, noting down on her schedule that maybe, just maybe, Courtney was finally ready to cover meetings on her own.

***

“You gonna eat your bread?” Jinkx asked, gesturing to Bianca’s plate.

“Help yourself,” Bianca laughed, pushing the plate towards her friend with a slight shake of the head. They were sitting at one of their favorite cafés, having an early lunch now that Bianca was back from Paris. “You’re like Adore, always trying to eat from my plate.”

“You love it,” Jinkx giggled, mouth full of crusty sourdough. Bianca would probably deny it to her last breath, but the truth of the matter was that she loved taking care of everyone around her.

“It’s just crazy that I have so many of you damn kids. Me, the least maternal person on the planet.”

“You’re very maternal,” Jinkx argued. “Just like...hmmm, in more of a dad way?”

“Whatever. Finish your broccolini.”

“See?” Jinkx grinned triumphantly.

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you were supposed to tell me about the meeting you had with that producer. What happened?”

“Oh! Omigod, it was so great. We talked about how I’ve been slowly taking bigger and bigger roles, kind of working up to another lead...”

“Yes?” Bianca leaned forward, clearly intrigued, exactly what Jinkx wanted.

“And he thinks that it’s time for a revival of-holy shit…”

Jinkx stopped mid sentence, mouth agape, eyes glazed.

“What? Into the Woods? My Fair Lady? Gypsy?!”

“Ivy Winters…”

“I don’t know that show, is it British?”

“No,” Jinkx groaned, jutting her chin in the direction of the hostess stand, where Ivy was standing, looking absolutely radiant in a maroon wrap dress--Jinkx had always been told growing up that redheads shouldn’t wear any shade of red, but Ivy was proving that rule completely false. She was just stunning.  

“Oh…” Bianca glanced over, head cocking slightly. “Isn’t that Raja’s assistant?”

“Yeah, I guess. Awkward, huh?” Jinkx shook her head. “But omigod, she’s so cute, and okay we’ve never spoken, exactly, but I can tell she’s just the sweetest, kindest-”

“Ivy!” Bianca waved to the girl, catching her eye. “Ivy Winters!”

“What are you doing?” Jinkx hissed through gritted teeth.

“You said you’d never spoken.” Bianca smirked, her hand still in the air. “I’m fixing that.” She beckoned Ivy over, flashing a big smile. “Hi! How are you?”

“I’m...fine, Ms. Del Rio, thank you. Just picking up lunch for Raja.” Ivy looked slightly puzzled as to why she’d been summoned. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Yeah, I realized that I forgot to return Raja’s call this morning. Was it time sensitive?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Ivy smiled, adorable as ever, the little gap between her teeth on full display.

“Great, great. Tell her I’ll call as soon as I’m back in the office,” Bianca said, then smoothly transitioned to, “Ivy, you know Jinkx Monsoon, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t think we’ve officially met.” Ivy met Jinkx’s eyes, extending a delicate hand towards her. “You’re Alaska’s friend, right?”

“Yes! Yes, I am. Nice to meet you. Ivy, was it?” Jinkx shook her hand, smiling madly. She knew she probably looked like a loon, but she couldn’t help herself, something about Ivy just made her feel so absolutely wonderful.

“Yeah.”

“Such a pretty name. It really suits you,” Jinkx said, then realized she was holding the girl’s hand far too long and dropped it, stammering out, “I, I...I love your bag. It’s really...uh, very beautiful.”

“You think? I do some quilting in my spare time.” Ivy tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, blushing slightly. The bag in question really was remarkable--quilted velvet embroidered with an intricate botanical design.

“You made that?!” Jinkx exclaimed. “Oh my god, what talent! Bianca, did you see?”

Bianca nodded, hiding an amused expression behind her water glass.  

“Yeah, it’s just a little hobby, I-oh!” Ivy turned to the waiter, who was approaching with a takeout bag.

“Order for Gemini, here you go,” he said.

“Thank you.” She took the bag gratefully and then turned back to Jinkx. “Um...nice to meet you, Ms. Monsoon-”

“No, no, please! That’s my mother! Ha ha! Um, call me Jinkx!”

“Of course, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry! Um, it was very nice meeting you. Officially, you know. Ha ha. Very lovely.”

“Yes,” Ivy smiled again, taking a step backwards, then said, “And I’ll be sure to get your message to Raja, Ms. Del Rio.”

“Thanks, Ivy!” Bianca waved as she exited, waiting until she was out the door before turning back to Jinkx and exhaling. “Wow…I just realized I’ve never seen you flirt sober before.”

“Was it terrible?”

“Excruciating,” Bianca reported with a light cackle.

Jinkx whimpered, letting her head drop onto the table. She knew that Bianca was right--things used to be so easy, but these days? She was so awkward. Not that she regretted her sobriety, exactly, but….

“Sorry, red. Yikes.”

“I mean, I know my skin is better and my kidneys are healthy again, and I can like, hold a job and all that...but go-od…”

Bianca laughed, reaching across the table to pat her lovingly on the back.

“You’ll be alright. So tell me...what’s the show?”

Jinkx perked up immediately, brown eyes sparkling as she said. “Well...I almost don’t want to say, because obviously it’s not official yet and if it doesn’t happen that would just be awful, but-”

“Tell me!”

“Evita.” As Jinkx delivered the news, she was now smiling so much that her cheeks started to hurt. Her dream role, since she was a kid. And it was almost maybe hers.

“Hell yeah, bitch!” Bianca gave her a high five. “Back on top!”

“High flying, adored,” Jinkx said drily, and Bianca cackled loudly.

***

Courtney shifted on the hard cafeteria seat, avoiding Violet’s eyes as they ate their lunch.

She’d been helping Violet put together the packets for the afternoon meeting, and when they finished early, Violet surprised Courtney by asking if she wanted to go down to lunch together while Fame was out.

It was great to have done decent enough work that Violet didn’t snap at her all morning, but at the same time, the kindness from her coworker made Courtney feel even guiltier than she already did.

Neither Violet nor Fame had noticed anything amiss in Fame’s office--which was a relief. Courtney had fully expected to get interrogated over a paperweight moving 2 inches to the left or some other thing that she’d neglected to fix after the Willam disaster.

And now, as she sat with Violet, both of them quickly eating their salads, the guilt continued to eat away at her.

“The collection was absolutely wonderful, I unfortunately didn’t get to see it on the runway, but Miss was asked backstage, and I was allowed to come as well, so-”

Violet was actually talking, sharing about the shows and the clothes she had seen.

“I think you’d genuinely enjoy what they’re doing with silk-”

Courtney didn’t care about fashion as deeply as Violet did, but it was nice to hear her be enthusiastic, and it was the small smile Violet gave her when she accidentally caught her gaze that broke her.

It made her feel just awful, unworthy of trust or kindness.

“Violet,” Courtney burst out, interrupting her coworker, “I have to tell you something!”

Violet paused, surprise clear on her face.

“Something… Something bad happened last week.”

“Is everything okay?" Violet sounded genuinely concerned, and Courtney felt even worse.

“I’m...you know that guy I was dating?" Courtney asked, chewing nervously on her lip, throat feeling dry and scratchy. How was she supposed to explain this?

"Oh?” Violet looked confused. “So it’s not work related?”

“In a way, but, also not-”

“So it’s a romantic situation?"

"I mean...I guess? But it’s more that he- You know-"

“Courtney.” Violet heaved a sigh, cutting her off with a wave of the hand. "I appreciate that you want to share, but I don’t think I have anything worth saying about your love life.”

“Well-” Courtney stopped, suddenly realizing how foolish it would be to unburden herself this way. Instead, she should probably just count her lucky stars that nobody knew, that she still had a job and an income and a way to stay in the country, and shut her damn mouth. The guilt sucked, but she could live with it--she had to. “Right. Right. Sorry.”

“It’s your own business,” Violet tilted her head slightly. “You don’t need anyone’s-” Violet was cut off as her phone vibrated, the screen lighting up. “Oh shit.”

“Miss?”

“Miss.”

***

Raja drummed her fingers on the table. Fame had moved the meeting up 45 minutes, and Raja could clearly feel that she hadn’t had anything to eat since that morning. Normally, she would be fine, food not really that important, but today the moved meeting felt especially insulting since she knew that her favorite lunch was getting cold on Ivy’s desk.

“And then we have-“ Fame paused, Raja realizing that she hadn’t actually paid attention to what she was saying. “Urgh.” Fame groaned, and everyone sat up, Raja clearly sensing how they were all ready to jump in. “Where’s-“ Fame shuffled her papers, her lip between her teeth. “Courtney?!” Fame snapped her fingers, not looking up.

“Yes Miss?” Courtney pushed out from the wall, stepping up to the table, Raja not even realizing that she was the assistant who had been present.

“Packets, please.”

“Right away.” Courtney smiled, and Raja turned in her chair to watch her grab a stack of folders. She had never noticed Courtney much, her own personal assessment that the assistant would barely last the first month, but as she watched Courtney hand everything out, she almost looked put together.

“Here.” Courtney gave Fame the last packet, the blonde taking it without even sparing a glance in Courtney’s direction.

“If everyone could turn to page 5 please,” Fame flipped through, another sound coming from her. “Courtney,” Fame held out her hand, “I need-”

“Of course.” Courtney said, cutting her off as she handed Fame one of her favorite pens.

“A pen….” Fame looked up, her blue eyes focusing on Courtney. “Huh.”

Raja quickly held up her papers, hiding a smile. It was so rare to see Fame be surprised, and while Courtney was only doing her job, it seemed like it was time for Raja to actually pay proper attention to her.

“Anything else?” Courtney tilted her head, a smile on her lips.

“No.” Fame clicked the pen, putting it to her papers. “That’s all.”

***

“You’re humming.”

Violet looked up from her computer, her mouth falling open. “Oh…” She could feel herself blush, light heat rising in her cheeks. “Sorry.” Violet hadn’t realised she had been humming, but so far, she had had a very pleasant Thursday morning.

“No, no,” Courtney shook her head, “It was nice. What were you singing?” Violet considered for a second if it would be worth responding, but she had gotten more used to Courtney, the blonde no longer as mindlessly chattery or overly bubbly. “I didn’t recognize it.”

“It’s Tchaikovsky.”

“Gesundheit.”

Violet rolled her eyes, not dignifying Courtney’s obvious tease with a response, when the phone rang in Fame’s signature tone.

Violet reached out, getting the phone only seconds before Courtney, and Violet raised a brow in surprise. Before Paris, Courtney had been avoiding Fame’s calls like the plague, but it seemed like something had finally changed.

“Hello?” Violet bit her lip as she noted down Fame’s rapidfire morning instructions, the rustles on the phone clearly telling her that Fame was putting her coat on at home. Violet was cut off as Fame hung up, the paper in front of her filled with instructions.

Violet looked up, ready to pass the instructions on to Courtney, which was when she noticed that Courtney had already printed the phone sheet, and that she was pinning the day's schedule without being told that she had to do it.

“Courtney.”

“Yes?” Courtney spun around. She was wearing appropriately muted colors, everything for once looking cohesive.

“If you sweep the office,” Violet reached under her desk, reaching into her bag. “I’ll get the coffee.”

“You?” Courtney sounded genuinely confused, her fingers already closed around the fabric of her jacket, and while Violet didn’t want to acknowledge it, she was pretty sure she was feeling proud. “You never get the coffee.”

“I do,” Violet stood up, her purse in hand, “when I know that I can leave the office. You stay here, where it’s warm.”

***

“Yeeeees! High five!”

Pearl smiled brightly, reaching over to high five Adore. When she’d called earlier suggesting that they spend the day together, Pearl had been expecting something entirely different. She was a Del Rio, after all, and Bianca was notorious for her enjoying all the finest luxuries life had to offer. But unlike her sister, Adore seemed to have endearingly low-rent taste. She’d shown up at Pearl’s door with a case of PBR, armfuls of snacks from the corner Bodega, and a request to play video games.

The two of them had been vegging out for hours, first playing Grand Theft Auto, then Streetfighter, now onto RockBand, only leaving the sofa to pee and answer the door for the pizza guy, Trixie and Katya accepting Adore’s bribe of extra cheese and garlic knots with no complaints at all.

“You are rocking the mic, girl!” Pearl said, “Although I guess that’s to be expected from an actual real-life rock star.”

Adore smiled, clearly pleased at Pearl’s praise.

“Thanks, baby. You’re not too bad on the guitar either. Maybe you should join us at our next gig.”

Pearl laughed and took a swig of her beer, flipping through the song choices.  

“I think my rock career needs to stay strictly virtual,” she said, nudging Adore gently with her foot. “But you do have to tell me about your next gig. I can’t wait to see you perform.”

“Yeah?” Adore’s eyes lit up happily.

“Yeah bitch, it’s not every day you can say you’re fucking the lead singer!”

Adore giggled, lashes fluttering as she pulled Pearl in for a sticky kiss, her mouth tasting like the sweet and sour gummy worms she’d been eating.

“Uhh...do you wanna-”

“Yes! Living on a Prayer!” Adore laughed, looking at the TV screen. “You’re going down, Liaison!”

“That’s exactly what I was about to suggest,” Pearl said with a sly grin.

“Well shit, I’m not gonna say no to that!” Adore threw down her mic and let Pearl grab her hand and pull her into the bedroom.

***

“Is this all of it?”

“Yes Miss.”

Fame swallowed a sigh. She knew that the budget was important, knew her meetings with Jaida were a necessary evil, but that didn’t stop her from being bored to tears whenever a set of numbers was in front of her. They had been slightly more bearable when Patrick had been overseeing the finances, watching her husband yap away about budget cuts at least somewhat interesting as long as his sleeves had been rolled up.

“Violet-” Fame saw Violet pause at the door, her fingers gripping the doorframe. “Stay for a moment please.”

“Yes Miss.” Violet turned around, “Open or closed?”

“Open doors are fine.” Fame had to hide a smile, Violet so wonderfully obedient, the clever little mouse asking without words if she was in trouble or not. “Come sit.”

Violet walked over, the sound of her heels disappearing in Fame’s white carpet. Violet sat down, her black skirt taking up most of the white velvet chair, quickly tugging her feet under the chair. “What can I do for you Miss?”

“What do you think of Courtney’s recent performance?”

“Me?” Violet sounded genuinely surprised, and Fame waited for a second, just to watch Violet squirm, the other woman obviously uncomfortable, and oh how she’d miss it.

“Is there anyone else in here?”

“No, no of course-” Violet was smoothing down her skirt, her hand gliding over the fabric, her brown eyes wide. “No.”

“So?” Fame raised a brow.

“Courtney is…” Violet took a moment, her lip between her perfectly white teeth. “Adequate.”

Fame bit down on a grin, Violet’s sense of humor so wonderfully dry.

“She’s exceeding expectations.”

“Good.” Fame leaned back in her chair, not noticing how Violet was tugging at her skirt over and over again.

“Is there-”

“I want you to proceed with the paperwork for your promotion.”

“Oh?” Violet sat up straight, quickly putting her notebook in her lap. “Should I-”

“Trixie will have to wait until Courtney is fully trained, of course.”

“Fully?” Violet hesitated, and Fame loved how obvious it was that she wanted to ask, the look in her eyes desperate as she was searching for a way to say what she needed without sounding stupid. “How much longer will that-”

“Violet, don’t be silly.” Fame smirked, “It’ll be when she lives up to your satisfaction of course.”

Violet’s eyes widened. “So, that means, if she’s-”

“Adequate?” Fame so enjoyed using Violet’s own words against her. “That’s all.”

[artificialqueens]

Shower Thoughts (Nicky x Jaida) - Moonshot

A/N: Nicky and Jaida love wilding on IG live and I love them for it! So why not writing them as seniors in an high school AU setting? This is my first time writing Jaida so I hope I did her justice with this fic. I’m also working on the follow up for my other fic that will be out relatively soon as well. Enjoy the ride x - moonshot

Summary: Everyone at their school would argue that Jaida and Gigi, as the captains of the basketball and cheerleading team respectively, were destined to fall in love. However, the plump pair of lips on Jaida’s neck belonging to a particular French blonde cheerleader told a different story. Also, she was pretty sure Gigi was busy making out with the resident quirky art girl.

-

Everyone at their school would argue that Jaida and Gigi, as the captains of the basketball and cheerleading team respectively, were destined to fall in love.

The older girl often thought about it. While she couldn’t really disagree with that statement - she did love the bitch after all - the arm wrapped around her waist, and the plump pair of lips on her neck belonging to a particular French blonde told a different story. Also, she was pretty sure Gigi was busy making out with the resident quirky art girl.

The warm stream of water coming to the shower hugged their bodies, relaxing the tired bodies from hours of practice.

Jaida threw her head back, giving more access to the sore muscles of her neck and shoulders to Nicky’s mouth. The captain let out a groan as the lips reached a delicate spot.

“Someone is tense…” The French girl chuckled, wrapping both arms around the older girl’s waist and resting the side of her face on the smooth strong back.

“Girl, you tell me? Coach made us practice so many free shots that I feel my damn arms are gonna fall off” Jaida complained as she bathed in the relaxing spray of water.

“Aw, mon pauvre, pauvre chou,” Nicky placed a soft kiss on the nape of the dark-skinned girl.

“Why do you keep calling me cabbage? I googled that French shit up, you can’t fool me!” She replied with a fake offended tone, turning around to face the foreign girl.

“Well, if your ass kept looking at that google search, you’d seen that it also means my darling, salope! Didn’t you learn anything from our tutoring lessons, uh?” The blonde cheerleader teased, bringing her hands to rest lazily around Jaida’s neck.

“I don’t know, girl, our lessons always took an interesting turn. I might have not learned shit about French but I sure have learned how to please a French,” she talked back, not even trying to fight the smirk on her face.

“Fuck you!”

“I’m trying here, babe!”

They both laughed as they leaned in for a kiss, letting the water run in between their naked bodies. Nicky moaned as Jaida brought their bodies even closer together, their breasts rubbing against each other as the kiss got more intense. The French girl tangled her fingers in between the natural curly locks the brunette sported, arching her back as Jaida’s hands grabbed a handful of her behind. While she was trying to wrap her legs around the toned body, the basketball captain quickly spun them around, resulting in the younger girl hitting the shower wall rather gracelessly.

“Ouch, bitch!”

“Quit it, girl! I’m trying not to have your ass on the floor! You should thank me,”

“I’ll thank you when hell free-Ah!” The blonde couldn’t finish her sentence as Jaida playfully bit down right where her shoulder and neck met. The brunette felt Nicky’s fingernails dug on the skin of her back as she kept her mouth hovering over the tan skin. The cheerleader let out a sigh, tensing her muscles as Jaida’s hands started to roam over her slim physique, kneading the soft breasts. The dark-skinned beauty continued to alternate gentle bites and sucks all over Nicky’s neck.

“Don’t you dare leave a hickey on my neck,” she warned, her voice barely above a whisper over the loud sound of the shower. Jaida smirked, sucking harder as payback, Nicky gasped, “Bitch!”

“Chile, girl. You can always cover it up with some concealer later, and it’s not like you ain’t liking it when I leave marks on you, uh?” she replied in her ear.

“Touché, chéri, but you’re paying for my next bottle of concealer, and I want the Dior special edition one!” she whined, pouting.

“Who knew you’d be an expensive bitch to please?” Jaida joked but mentally reminding herself to check her usual go-to makeup store after class the next day.

“I only go for the best” Nicky replied, quirking an eyebrow to complete her smug look.

“And that’s why you went after the essence of beauty, uh, Frenchie?”

Nicky leaned in, whispering, “Precisely,” as she smiled, tasting once again the familiar grape-flavored chapstick she had grown to love.

They both got lost in the kiss, not noticing the door of the gymnasium’s shower room had been opened until a very familiar voice - especially to the blonde cheerleader - started singing.

“Tell me something girrrrrrrl~”

Both girls froze at the sound, visibly surprised to hear someone else. They were sure they were the last two students left, but the fact that Jan, the ball of sunshine of the glee club as well as the soccer team, had just proved them wrong.

Just as Nicky was about to say something, Jaida brought a finger over the blonde girl’s lips, gesturing her to stay quiet. The French girl furrowed her brows, mouthing a “What are you doing?”, to which the older girl just smiled, resuming her movements over the cheerleader’s body.

“Mérde,” Nicky breathed out, biting her lower lip to avoid being heard by the unaware blonde outside the shower cubicle.

The taller girl’s hands groped the round breasts, causing the French girl to hiss in pleasure.

“Hello? Everything alright?” Jan has interrupted her singing after hearing a weird sound coming from one of the showers.

Nicky could feel her heart race at the thought of being caught, and Jaida’s hand traveling down her toned stomach wasn’t really helping her.

“Uh, yeah, Jan, it’s just me, chéri. I just turned on the water and it was too hot!” The cheerleader spoke up, trying to distract the younger blonde enough to not have her realize what was going on.

“It ain’t the only thing that’s hot” Jaida whispered jokingly to herself as her hand reached the trimmed hair above Nicky’s core. She dipped her slender fingers down, letting the water run down over the soaked folds. Jaida couldn’t help but tease the younger girl, “keep talking to her so that she goes away and I can hear your pretty French ass scream for me, girl”.

“Oh, hi, Nicky! I just had to grab a jersey I forgot, do you want me to wait up for you? Jackie finished her Lacrosse practice so you can catch a ride with us,” the soccer player asked caringly, Nicky could make out that she was just outside the stall. She tried to focus to give an answer but Jaida’s talented digits were really distracting.

“Don’t leave her hanging, babe,” the basketball captain whispered, tasting the waters as she slipped a finger inside the tight opening, she could feel how tense the blonde girl was, “Chile, and she won’t find out”.

A shiver ran Nicky’s back as Jaida filled her up and softly kissed the tan skin of her neck. She nodded slightly, trying to keep her composure.

“Uhm, no, love, I’m going to be fine, I have a ride home already” she managed to let out as Jaida started to move her finger inside, her thumb lazily drawing circles over the blonde girl’s bundle of nerves, “Also, d-don’t worry, Coach left me the keys to lock up after I’m done so you can leave, ah!”

She quickly quieted as she accidentally let out a moan when the brunette added a second digit, stretching her core, “Putain”. How she wished she could wipe that smirk off of Jaida’s face right then and there.

“Did you say something?”

“Just that my muscles are so sore from all the practice, you know, with all the competitions coming up, we can’t catch a break” Nicky would have shot a nasty side-eye to the older girl if she wasn’t so goddamn good with her fingers.

“You tell me! I’m sure my legs will fall off by the end of the month” Jan laughed, seemingly not having any suspicions about what was happening behind the shower door thanks to the sound of the water jet, much to the cheerleader’s relief, “well, in that case, I’m gonna go and find Jackie. See you tomorrow in Maths class!”

The younger blonde didn’t wait for a reply as both girls in the shower heard the fast footsteps go towards the locker room door. They held their breaths as they made sure Jan wasn’t coming back after closing the door behind her.

Nicky let out a sigh of relief, before turning her attention to the brunette, “Bitch! We almost got caught, I’m going to gag you next time we have sex!”

“Wow, now we into that BDSM shit, uh?” Jaida commented back, unable to contain a laugh, earning a slap on the shoulder as a reply.

“Now, you finish what you started before I-” Jaida shut her up with a kiss, smiling in the kiss as she fastened her movements, arching her fingers just as she knew it would drive the blonde girl crazy.

Without anyone in the room with them now, Nicky moaned loudly, gripping tighter onto, feeling her legs growing weaker by the second.

“Ah, fuck, I’m close, k-keep going”.

Jaida didn’t need to be told twice as she latched her mouth to the sensitive pulse point on the younger girl’s neck, prompting a few other curse words in French by the latter.

The cheerleader felt the familiar sensation build up in her lower belly as her legs trembled, only standing up thanks to Jaida’s strong arms around her body.

“C’mon, babe, let it out. Be as loud as you want,” the brunette whispered in Nicky’s ear before biting the tender lobe.

The French girl came with a loud high pitched moan, her release running down her legs as it mixed with the running water washing off her body. Her legs completely gave out on her as she tightened her arms firmly around Jaida’s neck, kissing her passionately.

“That was hot” Nicky managed to say after recovering from her intense orgasm, “Mérde! I think I might be into this almost get caught shit, now!” she whined.

“Of course, you would girl”.

That was a moment of pause before they both erupted in a contagious laugh. Just as they were about to continue the discussion, the water suddenly turned cold. Nicky quickly shut it off, not wanting to get sick from the sudden temperature change, “I think that’s our cue to get the fuck out of here”

“Lead the way, girl,” Jaida said before Nicky took her hand, dragging her out of the steamy cubicle and trying to get all dressed up without too many kissing breaks.

About an hour later, Jaida pulled her car up on the familiar driveway of the rather fancy suburban apartment complex Nicky lived in. Her mother really went all out to provide a place to support the studies abroad of their firstborn daughter. The brunette really wished she could meet her soon.

The younger girl unfastened the seatbelt and was starting to collect her things when the dark-skinned beauty spoke up, “You know, girl, prom is coming up next month and I was doing some thinking, you know…”

Nicky had turned her full attention to her by that point, softly smiling at how nervous the usually chill captain was, “Yes?”

“I mean, I know we ain’t really official or any of that bullshit but I thought maybe we could go together, as, like, a couple, you know?” Jaida shrugged her shoulders, trying to brush off the nerves. They had been sneaking around for months at that point, she couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt so anxious to officially ask the blonde girl out.

“Are you asking me to prom?” The French girl asked to make sure she had heard right. She had to admit that they never really discussed the official label of their relationship, but she knew they both really liked each other.

“Bitch, you really want me to spell it out?” The older girl couldn’t even be mad as the smile on Nicky’s face made it very difficult.

“Yeah, mon chou, say it again or I might think you’re fucking with me” she chuckled, leaning forward with a smirk on her face.

“Girl, I just finished fucking with you an hour ago, I ain’t got time for that shit again,” she chuckled, “so, Nicolette Doll, will you go to-”

She couldn’t finish her sentence that Nicky sealed her lips with a kiss, bringing one of her hands on the nape of Jaida’s neck for support. They stood there, neither of them deepening the kiss, but rather keeping it soft and gentle.

Nicky was the first of the two to break the kiss, straightening her back as she interlaced her fingers with Jaida’s, holding her hand.

“I’d like that very much” the brunette could get lost in her piercing blue eyes, especially with the way they sparkled when Nicky smiled, “But now, we got a lot of shit to get ready. I’ve seen so many of your American movies about prom. We need dresses, a pre-prom plan, a post-prom plan… maybe we could go on a double date with Gigi and Crystal? Oh, wait! We could also invite Jan and Jackie? I definitely have to ask Gigi what they are wearing so that we can all match and…”

Jaida tuned out from the conversation, finding it adorable how Nicky was so excited about prom. While she wasn’t really sure all those teen movies the French girl had watched were an accurate depiction of school dances, she couldn’t wait to spend a fun night out with her girlfriend.

Girlfriend… yeah, she liked how that sounded. She was definitely going to call Nicky her girlfriend more often.