#Kat and someone from another server and my partner.. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hergan416 · 4 years ago

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For the Chocolate / Kisses prompt in the MF Discord server

Written in the YGO/One Piece Crossover universe created for Seek and Ye Shall Find.

While the main fic is rated M, the work below is rated T.

I ended up just giving up and deciding to post it. Sorry for any mistakes that still exist. Hopefully Japan is accurate enough--as a dumb white American I know nothing except what google, and a very nice person from the Yugioh mini-exchange discord server, have told me.

(I reserve the right to edit this before I add any of it to the main story).

Katakuri stood in front of the proffered address, passed from Pegasus’ hands to his own, warily. His presence no longer seemed to be jail-worthy, as he’d been released, but he was sure that it had something to do with the influence of the white haired man and the conversation they had had.

He could see into the window of the bedroom above the shop from his full height, the bright red lettering reading “Kame Game” above the shop’s door passing his chest like a t-shirt slogan. A small man sat on a bed, zoned out in front of one of the square boxes he'd learned to call TVs, a corded remote in his hands. His face screwed together closely in concentration, and his whole body moved as he pushed the buttons on the controller.

Katakuri crouched, feeling intrusive. The glass panes on the store's doorframe revealed an equally miniscule shop interior. Katakuri would never fit inside, even if he could make it past the front door. He raised a hand to knock twice on the glass, rattling the frame a bit, despite the fact he'd attempted to be gentle.

The noise attracted the attention of the shopkeeper behind the counter. The short, graying man glanced up, widening his eyes in shock. He paced slowly towards the door, pushing it open hesitantly.

“May I help you?” he asked.

“I’m looking for Yugi,” Katakuri stated, glancing down at the short man, who was still nearly half Kakauri’s stature when he bent in two like this. “Is that you?”

“Oh no,” the man chuckled fondly. “That’s my grandson. I’ll get him for you.” The man glanced up at Katakuri curiously, but made no comment as he turned back inside the store. Katakuri watched him shuffle to the back of the shop to open a door, yelling up the stairs behind it.

Momentarily, the short man from the bedroom bolted down the stairs past his grandfather, glancing out the shop door with a confused expression. As soon as he saw Katakuri, however, some understanding crossed his face.

Katakuri would normally have predicted someone to have turned away and become worried based on that look. Yugi, however, smiled widely and walked out the door to talk to him.

“Hello!” Yugi greeted, and Katakuri blinked.

“Hello,” he responded, wondering what Yugi’s gambit was, and wishing once more that using his future sight under this world’s conditions didn’t make him feel so ill.

“Jounouchi told me about meeting you,” Yugi said again, grin not leaving his face.

That made Yugi’s response even more confusing. Katakuri needed control over the conversation. To try to preemptively dispel any of Yugi’s worries, displayed or not, he asked, “Did he tell you that I’m visiting from another world?”

Yugi only shook his head excitedly. “No, just that you first appeared in the Kaiba Dome, and that you were strong. But you don’t seem dangerous.”

Not dangerous? What was wrong with him?

“What can I do for you?” Yugi asked, looking up at Katakuri patiently. He had to crane his neck, even with Katakuri bent over like this, not being much taller than his grandfather.

Either way, if Yugi wanted to get to the point of the conversation, Katakuri had no issue. “My mom likes sweets,” Katakuri started. “Before I go home, I want to bring some samples back for her, as a present.”

“Oh! That makes sense!” Yugi beamed. He couldn’t really be that gullible, could he? “I can help you find some treats to bring her. There are a lot of interesting candies in Japan.”

Katakuri nodded. “Thank you.”

Yugi smiled broadly. “I think my partner might be helpful too, if you don’t mind another tagging along?”

Katakuri blinked. “Sure?” he replied.

“Great! Ryou loves cream puffs, I don’t want to show you the best bakery in town without bringing them along. Let me call them!”

Yugi was so cheerful. Katakuri could so easily kill him, why was he so carefree? And why did Yugi say Ryou was a “them?”

Yugi had pulled a small, shiny purple device from his pocket and flipped it open, pressing a few digits on the interior keypad of the phone. While the ringing Katakuri could hear faintly was different than a den den, the familiar "clank" proceeded the voice of another human answering was reminiscent of the creatures.

"Hey Yugi! What's up?"

"Wanna get some cream puffs?" Yugi asked excitedly, not mentioning Katakuri.

"Always! What's the occasion?" came the muffled voice on the other line.

"I have a new friend that is shopping for sweets for their mom." Yugi glanced at Katakuri, as though making a mental note.

Katakuri had been struck by the turn of phrase in which he had been also called they, and had stopped listening momentarily to Ryou’s response.

"I forgot to ask," Yugi replied guilty, loudly enough to interrupt Katakuri’s thoughts. He put his hand over the phone and gestured up at Katakuri to get his attention.

"What are your pronouns?"

His what? Katakuri blinked.

"I use he/him," Yugi continued, gesturing towards himself. "Ryou uses they/them." He gestured at the electronic device. Ryou was not a she or a he, it seemed like. Intriguing. He wondered what a person like that would be like. This world was interesting.

Why did Yugi think he might be a they/them too? Was something off about his masculinity in this world? Everyone at home was quick to call him a him. Having an option now seemed...interesting. Maybe he should try it, try to be a they/them. Not have to be a brother for a minute.

But what if they found out? There had to be some classification for being a they/them, unique to this world. And not being from this world, he likely didn’t have it.

"He/him," Katakuri replied, his voice expressing doomed finality.

"He, sorry," Yugi said into the phone, repeating the information without comment as to how long it took Katakuri to answer, or the tone of his voice. Katakuri felt a pang of regret at the pronoun choice, then shoved all the feelings about the conversation away. It wasn’t fair to Yugi, or his family, or anyone.

Katakuri listened intently as the information which had seemed so important moments ago was glossed over. All that, just to be met with smiles and grins, and questions about where they should meet.

"We're in front of Kame Game right now, but we could probably start heading towards downtown and meet you there. I don't think he will fit in a taxi."

"Oh! Is this that giant guy from the news?!" Ryou sounded excited. "I thought it was just a myth. Maybe he has information about other cryptids!" Katakuri blinked. Why would he know anything about this world’s cryptids?

Yugi chuckled into the receiver. "Meet you at New Domnio Baked Goods. We should head out sooner rather than later."

Ryou assented, and the phone call ended.

"My name is Katakuri," Katakuri added, realizing he had not said so before.

"Nice to meet you. It seems like you at least knew of me, I'm Yugi," Yugi replied, holding out his hand.

As Katakuri took it, he was conscious not to squeeze at all. He doubted that anyone on earth had the constitution to withstand a proper handshake, and Yugi was even smaller than Pegasus had been.

"We should start walking," Yugi said, gesturing forward down the street. "The bakery is going to be downtown."

Katakuri nodded, standing back up to his full height with a stretch. A few moments later, he’d fallen into step behind Yugi.

As they walked, Katakuri was struck by how little dichotomy there actually was between the two of them. Yugi was obviously quite short, and trusted far too easily. But they had a similar fashion sense, all leather and belts and blacks, with outlandish hair color. Yugi walked confidently through the world, but the confidence lacked arrogance, like Seto Kaiba possessed. Further, Yugi seemed to love a challenge, already puzzling through the best route to get candies.

“We’ll stop at Lawson on the way. That way you can see some of the convenience store treats, and Lawson’s the best for those. We’ll get a Baschee, and see if there’s also a real one left at the bakery, so she can tell the difference. And I think they’ve got the sake Kit Kats in stock right now, and you’ll have to try the Banana and Rum Raisin ones, those are the ones from our region…”

Katakuri simply nodded along, content to leave the planning to Yugi. There was one thing he cared about, however. “There are donuts at the bakery, right?” he asked.

“Of course. I can make sure you get some,” Yugi smiled up at Katakuri brightly.

“What’s your budget like?” Yugi asked, face falling suddenly, as though he’d run into an unexpected roadblock.

Katakuri blinked, then pulled out the paper money Pegasus had given him in exchange for a few Berri to study. He handed it all to Yugi, not understanding the difference in the colored slips of paper. “I don’t normally pay for things, so you’ll just have to figure it out.”

Yugi’s eyes widened, ignoring Katakuri’s comment. “Oh, wow! We could even buy admission to Kaiba Land and try all the duel monsters treats there with this!” Yugi’s eyes were gleaming, looking excited. “You can get the Blue Eyes White Dragons and the Dark Magician treats anywhere, but all the other duel monsters are Kaiba Land exclusives. Marshmallon is my favorite, but the Kuribohs are good too. Oh! And there are these little heart-shaped candies that the lady dressed up like Injection Fairy Lily makes at the bake store….”

Katakuri shook his head, interrupting Yugi. “I don’t think Kaiba Land is a good idea,” he warned, frowning behind his scarf. “I don’t want to make him any angrier than he already is. Plus, my mother is even larger than me. Imagine how many sweets she’ll need just to try them. And I would like enough to taste as well.

Yugi shrugged, but nodded, taking Katakuri’s response in stride. “That makes sense, I guess,” Yugi said.

“Just buy a lot of everything,” Katakuri replied. “Lawson’s and your bakery should be plenty.”

Yugi nodded, beginning the conversation about the various Lawson’s snacks anew as they walked.

----

Soon, the pair had arrived in front of a large, brightly lit storefront, a blue banner stretching across the top of the building. Glass windows showed rows and rows of products (from food to clothing, and everything in between) stocked in neat rows inside. Katakuri, of course, could not fit.

“Can you uh…” he trailed off, and Yugi smiled up at him.

Yugi shuffled into the store, pulling items off the shelves in bulk. Katakuri watched Yugi through the glass for the nearly fifteen minutes it took Yugi to find all the items, wait in line, and check out. Yugi shuffled out, the mound of sweets stored in several plastic bags. Katakuri couldn’t wait to try them, once back in Brulee’s mirror. His mouth watered, and he had to force his stomach to stop from rumbling.

“I’ll come back soon. Did my list sound ok?”

Katakuri just nodded. He wasn’t going to tell Yugi that the list didn’t make any sense to him, and that he’d stopped listening to Yugi’s ramblings pretty soon after shutting him down about the theme park, since they were making him hungry.

Walking to the bakery was even worse. Even though he knew that he’d be acquiring donuts, the weight of all the things Yugi had bought at the convenience store was taunting Katakuri, who had yet to eat since he’d arrived in Dominio a few days ago. But, with his goal so close, and the promise of returning to Brulee to eat them so near, he knew he needed patience.

The hunger made his height even worse, however, and gravity was weighing heavily on him by the time they had arrived at the small building, simply labeled in small, white letters "New Domino Baked Goods.”

Ryou had already purchased cream puffs and was eating them outside when Yugi and Katakuri arrived. Katakuri tried not to let his mouth water, as he thought about how close he was to acquiring donuts. Yugi ran to greet Ryou, who gave Yugi a hug as he got within range. Katakuri tried to distract his hungry belly by closely examining the other person, trying to figure out what was different to make Ryou a they.

However, this seemed to be a bit of a mystery. There wasn’t anything exceptionally different about them. Ryou was just another short person, with long white hair, and a flat chest. If Katakuri had seen Ryou at home, he’d have assumed Ryou was male. But, Ryou, evidently was not.

Katakuri’s hunger and frustration with the train of thought was making him cranky. He wanted to pound down the door to the store, grab as many sweets as he could, then escape through Burlee’s mirror. Money took so long to use. He forced himself to wait, remembering his promise to Pegasus when he was let out of jail. Stupid people and their PR.

Impatient, he decided to pull out the pocket mirror and mime examining himself in it to give Brulee a heads-up that he was growing impatient. He needed to eat. Soon. She appeared in front of him and he sighed. “I just need to wait a moment for the rest of the food,” he murmured, head angled so that no cameras in the area would be the wiser to the woman he was speaking to.

Brulee nodded, grinning widely. “Please have safe donuts and a tent ready when I get into the mirror,” he requested, and she agreed again.

The shop door opened and a bell rang to signal Yugi and Ryou leaving. They handed him several paper bags, and a few boxes of treats. He didn’t even listen as Yugi tried to give him his money back, or Ryou tried to ask him questions about where he came from. Instead, he simply thrust the mirror towards Yugi until he was holding it.

“Goodbye,” he announced to Yugi’s startled face. “Thank you.”

And then Brulee’s hands reached from the mirror, gripping the sides of his leather jacket, pulling him through the small surface in a convolution of physics. Yugi and Ryou were left staring at the street where Katakuri had stood in blinking confusion. Yugi yelled at the mirror, which appeared overly-large in his hands, that he hoped his trip was safe and it was good to meet him, Katakuri was barely listening. It was time to get away from the awful, tiny, cramped world with it’s omnipresent cameras, and eat.

#katakuri #seek and ye shall find #my writing #yugi #ryou #pegasus #(mentioned only)#ygo #op #heartshipping #forgot that one

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thefifthtm · 5 years ago

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WE REACHED A BIG ONE LAST WEEK AND, HONESTLY, WORDS FAIL ME RIGHT NOW.

It took me a period of several YEARS for me to reach this milestone with my Edward Nygma/Riddler blog, so to have OVER FIVE HUNDRED of you following Five in such a short space of time is just overwhelming and, truly, I don’t know what to say - except THANK YOU!

Each and every single one of you who click that follow button, read my writing and interact with Five in your own way are loved, valued and appreciated here, BAR NONE. Spending these last few months with you all has been an absolute blessing, and as someone who is still fairly new to the Doctor Who RPC here, I just want to express how grateful I am to you all for allowing me the chance to mingle and set my own little mark. I just hope I do Fivey justice in your eyes.

With this in mind, I’m going to take a moment, as usual, to offer a few words of love and encouragement to a number of you who truly make this place what it is. If I have missed you, PLEASE, do not assume that you are being ignored. I just have so many people to thank and I’ve spent hours on this post as it is.

Under the cut, naturally!

@conn-ar - Connar! One of my longest roleplay partners! I can never do one of these without mentioning you! You have been a constant source of support throughout my roleplaying career and this blog would not exist without you. Thank you so much!

@cristinatheincredible - Another mun who wrote with my Edward and Riddler. We’ve been o each other’s dashes for years and, while we may seldom write together anymore, I always think of you whenever I think of my humble beginnings. Thank you for remaining here through all these years. Let’s get Five and Cristina together more often!

@master-koschei - Where to start? You helped me settle in and have provided me with so much while I’ve been here. This blog would be an absolute mess without you. Thank you so much for your support!

@noteveryonedies - Five’s River, and someone else that has been with me since more or less the very beginning. Five needs a strong, resilient woman to keep him in place, and River is just the ticket. Thank you for sticking by me and being just an absolute joy to write with!

@governmentofficial - Harry! A legend and my go-to for all the Doctor Who goss, and someone that has helped to make me feel so welcome in this area of the RPC. I’m still very much a newcomer but you make me feel as if I’ve been here for years. It was a pleasure and an honour to meet you at Science of the Time Lords, and I hope Mycroft is willing to keep Five in line whenever the occasion calls for it.

@baptizedbyfires - WE LOVE KAT AND JAMES! We talk every single day and James has become a crucial part of Five’s existence. Thank you both for brightening both Five’s and my own existence with your presence and awesomeness, and here’s to us being intertwined for such a long time to come!

@lefaemun - Lefae is a legend to this community and I love them. That is all. Thank you.

@therapardalis - Five would be nothing without this leading lady. He will annoy her down to the ground but he considers her a solid friend regardless, and he knows that she’ll be there for him in a crisis. Thank you so much for bringing joy and humour to Five’s life!

@the-twohearted-dalek and @koscheis-bitch - I don't need to tell you how much Five and I love you. You both bring so much crack to this part of the RPC, it just would not be the same without you here. Keep on being awesome <3

@timemilitant - #OURGENERAL. We might not write together as much as we used to but Five will always be here for his General as and when he needs him. We love you both so much!

@krazy-rp-hatter - Honestly, I wasn’t sure if Five and Rose would click together, but they HONESTLY DO, and I am LIVING for their interactions. Here’s to seeing where they go from here, and thank you for being a constant source of love and support. We love you!

@alreadybrcken - I LOVE YOUR TOMMY SO MUCH. LIKE. GENUINELY. HE IS INCREDIBLE. I’m so looking forward to him and Five travelling together, and I love the fact that we talk on Discord so much too!

@burnedpower - Nat! We ave truly bonded since the Discord server was created. Thank you for allowing me co-ownership and for introducting something that has become such an amazing part of my day-to-day life. While I’m at it, I’ll bring in everyone else who writes with me in the server: @oldshipmate, @auroradicit, @delgado-master, @drapetxmaniia, @hearsdrums, @ofnegotiatcr, @bravedstars, @timelordcurse, @drummingncise, @themanwhoforgets, @nahthekidlived, @shipwhisperer, @musecontract, @ofwanderingsouls, @sclfmastery, @rainbcwhearts, @thesidecompanion, @capaciityforpain, @itsjustkind, @deathxproof, @harknesstm, @xtimelxrd, @dxttore, @properlydeath and anyone else whom I might have missed! THANK YOU ALL FOR JUST BEING LEGENDARY AND ICONIC IN YOUR OWN RIGHTS!

Right, and now I’m going to dump the URLs of everyone else that has just been a major part of this blog, for which I am so grateful:

@thehxghlander, @soulstcne, @londonx1965, @thirtnth, @the-11-doctor @ofheroesandscholars, @mackfclls, @marblecarved, @brassandblue, @yougotaminute, @elisethetraveller, @starnamedlyra, @ccmplicatedweb, @haiilsabrina, @cosmoshearted, @sanguinibus,m @thorneinyoursidex, @brxssknuckld, @timerogued, @twelvetm, @youmoveon, @judaskisse @colpapabear, @mangledmenagerie, @mainplotters, @mtchstck, @mysticandskepticmuses, @cruciatustm, @crowleyisms, @ineffablefallen, @wellplighted, @thesunsingsforthem, @theednygma, @imperialkingpin, @imbicilite, @heartonanoose, @lilyintheashes, @aquestionthatsneverbeenposed, @magiciitself, @escapedartgeek, @sugardxdddy, @ofrxvia, @applesdrowned, @outlawiism

AND TO ALL OF YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! I LOVE YOU ALL TO THE MOON AND BACK!

#☆𝕆𝕌𝕋 𝕆𝔽 𝕋ℍ𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕊𝕄𝕆𝕊☆#follower milstone #I mean it whenever I do one of these posts #I love you all and tysm for just being here and supporting me

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thankyougotham · 6 years ago

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Here’s an article that Film Daily wrote about Nygmobblepot. If you’d like to see them write articles about other relationships, you can contact them on Twitter and make a request. They’ve been very supportive of Gotham in general, so follow them if you’re on Twitter.

“Gotham is an innovative show based on DC Comics characters and produced by Warner Bros. The Batman origin narrative helped us rapt viewers understand how our favorite heroes (Batman) and villains (The Joker, Penguin) came to be. It also cast a light on just how Gotham City became the wretched crime-filled cesspool we all know & love.

As the fandom knows, we’re so behind the mission to Save Gothamthat it hurts, but today we’ve decided to take a break from all the activism and talk about love. Here’s why we and the Gotham fandom ship hard for Nygmobblepot, and why these fantastic felons are anyone’s perfect gateway into Gotham for people on the fence about the show.”

Sample Quotes from fans:

Mr. Millicent Cordelia

Both Ed & Oswald were transformed by love. They made sacrifices for each other & always ended up back together. They deserve, and the fans deserve to see this relationship respected as a romance on a server that understands it’s the 21st century.

Merc

Honestly because they’re both idiots and they really deserve each other.

Zoe Tomorrow

They’re two individuals who’ve spent their lives mistreated and misunderstood. They are the only ones who accept one another wholeheartedly. Together they’ve learned about trust, sacrifice, forgiveness, and love. And no matter what they always find a way back to each other.

#PenguinSpinOff

Excellent chemistry between them, and a fun, fresh take on these old, iconic characters. They’re like peanut butter and jelly: fine on their own, but especially delightful together.

Rachel

For one, they “really are meant for each other”! They’ve been through so much and have hurt each other so many times but they’ve managed to overcome it. They have a strong bond, would do anything for each other, and somehow they always come back together!

𝕫𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕒

These two men grew up misunderstood and overlooked, and learned to use that to grow. they have risen together, and make an excellent team. they have both admitted to being stronger together, and their fates always become intertwined. they’re destined to be together.

Angela

While I’m not the biggest shipper of Nygmobblepot, I do care for their happiness and for the fans who do ship them. My ship is Batcat. They are best friends as kids & love each other deeply. They always want to protect each other. They are family.

LongLiveGotham #Gotham | #SaveGotham

Nygmobblepot has a long, complex history that reveals both the best and worst of these 2 characters. They have grown and learned much from the relationship. They deserve to be on a server that allows them the freedom to be a romantic couple.

Jenny i love my girlfriend

they are two men who have been abused and undermined their entire lives, but see each other as equals. they have certainly had their ups and down, but they always come back, better and stronger than ever. they understand each other more than anyone else ever has.

(not to mention how groundbreaking it would be to have two characters who have been historically heterosexual be in a romantic relationship)

Hale | 45 Days Till Neo

I’m down for anything with dear Oswald- his chaotic energy is a joy to watch, especially when it’s messing with other character such as Edward and Jim.

Scheming Minor

I am going to say something different in lieu of semantics. Technically in a sense when you get to the details they really are one of the few villain pairings portrayed in a “healthy” relationship in the Batman fandom. They progress, accept and move on; never stagnating. I included the healthy relationship chart to prove a point. Each one of those slices can be seen over the course of Riddler and Penguin’s relationship in Gotham– more so when we reach season 5. Their entire journey is about respect. Adding one more thing – Riddler has traditionally been coded as queer and flits with tentative bisexuality, meanwhile Penguin is known as a womanizer but has rare moments of ’what if’ regarding men. Gothamis one of the few Batman shows that follows through with M/M content.

kebu loves Oswald

They are both extreme individuals, but they fit together perfectly. Both are complex characters that went through life unaccepted by everyone which shaped their desire for more and their paths to becoming supervillains, so when they met it was the first time they found their equal and were accepted by someone. Their paths have been intertwined ever since, and whether they’re together or at odds, they’re always the most significant person in each other’s lives. But even though they ended up appearing together, we didn’t actually see them get “officially” together. Their story has yet to come to a close.

Riz || Professional Mr.Penn promoter

A very complex relationship that cannot be concluded in a spawn of a cut off season like it was. They have had a long journey and a perhaps even longer one before them. Their lowest and best have been shared together and they’re the one person who understand the other fully.

M/M relationships in media and tvshows especially is a rare breed. Even more is the concept of the big chance to make two comic characters and made an entirely new spin on them by being brave enough to make them queer, Oswald perhaps within the asexual spectrum at that. Ed as a tormented, abused soul who struggles with his own identiy and perhaps sexuality.

There is really so much to say, which is exactly why there need to be more to tell the rest of the story.

Vero

While Ed fights with the dichotomy within himself, he’s always felt the most whole when he’s been all-encompassed by Oswald’s world and care. Oswald found compassion and acceptance for all the parts that Ed thought were not loved. They are twin souls that deserve a longer story.There’s always been a complexity to both of them, and they understand the extremes that have made them into the people they are. There is no desire to change the other, only bring out the best in one another and a comfort shared that’s so important.

madi

I feel as though they have stories that extend beyond what Gothamwas able to show through their 5 seasons. Especially with the 5th season being half of its normal length. They mean so much to me, and so many others, and I would love to see even more of them (1/2)

(2/2) and to be able to see Gotham’s depiction of Ed’s backstory, an explanation for the whole Isabella fiasco (like how is she even possible) and a plot line where Ed saves Oswald. We haven’t had any of those since s2/early s3 and I need that in my life. I miss them so much.

Evan

Not only off the charts chemistry, but near similar backgrounds also. Both Ed & Oswald were abandoned by their parents, and had to fight the world their whole lives. Then brought them together and they’ve been unstoppable ever since.

Suzy Dakroub

Because they have the best character development and bond I’ve ever seen on a show! They both truly have no one but eachother. For villains where it’s rare to see compassion and love, these two have it for each other and it’s so wholesome and sweet.

Frothy

it’s the first LGBT representation in such a major franchise on TV! it was taken from us once, twice, but there won’t be a third. i will produce season 6 in my basement with tze and my best friend if i must

Warrior_Of_Loyalty

REPRESENTATION!!! Seriously, there’s nothing quite like it. Oswald and Edward deserve a wedding and a musical episode to go with it. Because, if Arthur’s teacher can get married on TV why not The Penguin and The Riddler!? Please!! Make it happen!

𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖌𝖚𝖎𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 ||

Because they are two characters who have been physically and emotionally abused most of their lives, and even after all of their hardships and turmoil, found love and trust and safety in one another

Azura Lynn Paulin

Because they never got to become a real couple on screen and they deserve to have that chance at happiness

MamaDev

Their chemistry, specifically between Robin Lord Taylor & Cory Michael Smith, is incredibly entertaining and heart warming to watch. It makes my whole day, of not, week better when I see them interacting on screen. FOX did not do them justice by keeping them in the closet.

Queen C

Because their story is FAR from over. Cory and Robin’s skills and chemistry shouldn’t be squandered. We had 5 years of their story buildup and got crapped on in the final episode, and I deserve my #BisexualRiddler!!!

Bandi [Gotham/Good Omens Spoilers] #SaveGotham

Nygmobblepot truly is such an interesting ship. As singular characters they are great, but together, they shine. They’re complex, damaged characters and take comfort in each other. Their journey is a long, painful one, but they deserve and compliment each other. It makes sense.

Anders

They are truly self confident with each other, anything becomes possible. They don’t need any cane.

They have each other.

Mae

they just have such strong chemistry and are so much better together than apart. their relationship constantly evolved throughout Gotham, becoming the main driving force for their individual developments too and… they were just made for each other okay

Tam Loves Kris @ Resting in Home

I see a lot of myself and my partner@MisterPenguinin the#Nygmobblepotship and I feel that their relationship is very well developed with lots of ups and downs and it’s fate that they are both meant for each other.

Kat Shade

With all of the characters that had amazing chemistry on Gotham, the main three had to be nygmobblepot, wayleska, and babitha. Nygmobblepot have been through so much together, and besides how revolutionary and amazing it would be for a show based on two previously heterosexual characters in a homosexual relationship, they simply work amazingly together.

#Gotham #nygmobblepot #Film Daily

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talltalesandbedtimestories · 5 years ago

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A View To A Winchester (Part 7)

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Summary: Julie’s starting a new life after divorce in a home with a very nice view.

A Dean X OFC story. I got this idea staring out the view of my home office window and thinking how nice it would be to have Dean Winchester to ogle. Gotten pretty cute and fluffy, with some angst. I’m a few sections ahead now in my writing so the outline of the story is taking shape and smut is on the near horizon. This has been a fun escape during stay-at-home orders. Getting to know Dean through my heroine’s eyes has been a great writing exercise and therapeutic reduction in anxiety. There should be studies done on what staring at photos and video of Dean/Jensen does to the human body. (But the SPN fandom has probably done one already; if not, it could be the next big scientific breakthrough.)

Section Word Count: 3,385

Section Content: fluff, angst, R-rated language, drinking, Spice Girls references, Dean being Dean and turning ladies to puddles

Thank you to @deanwanddamons for reading some of the story so far. Appreciate it.

~~~~~

Dean had not returned the next day. But Julie was apparently on his mind. He’d texted her that morning with an update. Another job had dropped into his lap. One too good to pass up. He wasn’t sure how long he’d be gone. But he was looking forward to seeing her when he got back.

That was on a Monday. She filled that day with decisions about what to make for her “girl power get together” scheduled for the end of the week. There was also the necessary recuperation from overdoing it with the wine. She hadn’t been that hungover in a while. Bingeing on caffeine and “The Office” helped.

By Tuesday, she’d become ancy. Staying home was not going to work. If her mind was going to run around in circles, there would need to be something else to occupy it. Rifling through options landed on a trip to a nearby state park. She’d decided on one with a bit of a challenging hike. Composed of winding hills and trails near the Brandywine River, the nature reserve filled her senses, balancing the whirlwind of emotions. She spent close to an hour sitting beside the riverbed. A turbulent spot chosen where the white water rushed over boulders and splashed into a slight descent. The river’s frantic pace cancelled out the chirping of busy birds. A gauge nearby displayed a healthy amount of rain had occurred over the past few weeks.

Even the intrusion into her personal space by a talkative, friendly dog walker didn’t bother her that much. The petite raven-haired woman, whose age was hard to pinpoint, made some chit chat while Julie trekked back to her car. Her name was Ina and she was new to Delaware. Currently, she was in search of a server job at a high-end restaurant where the tips would make it worth her time. “Any recommendations for decent food markets? Best place to order take-out, Thai being my favorite?” Ina’s chocolate lab, Cocoa, sniffed at Julie’s sneakers with abandon as questions were tossed in her general direction. Julie pet Cocoa, dodging some inquiries and rambling off information about places near her home. Cocoa got a few good scratches behind an ear before she wished Ina well settling into Pike Creek.

Wednesday ticked by even slower. Her fingers itched to text Dean. The basement had been the lucky recipient of her time and attention. A large amount of progress was made unpacking boxes, sorting out donations, and finding permanent spots in the house for decorative items. She broke down and reached out to her brother and sister-in-law, Patty, and face timed with her nephews later that night.

By Thursday, she went over her mom’s house. They ended up going to the mall and then shopping for the food Julie needed for her Friday night get together. She was reminded by her mother to feed the ladies well, with various cooking tips. Dean was also a large part of her mother’s focus. Julie feigned as much non-interest on the Winchester topic as possible. But her mother knew her well enough. She was reminded upon leaving to feed him the lasagna in the freezer soon.

Karen, Stacey, and Cat benefitted from a substantial number of Julie’s hours in the kitchen that Friday night. She’d attempted chicken parmesan, one of her mom’s signature dishes. Sauce had simmered on the stove for a couple hours - not as long as Brigida’s, but not bad. They were on the second bottle of red wine, having moved out of the dining room and into the living room. Cat, sensible and responsible as usual, was abstaining and had driven the other former college roommates over to Julie’s house.

Streaming radio played. They ended up singing along to “Holler” by The Spice Girls, sans Ginger. Julie had always been eager to take Posh’s lines, mainly because hers were few and far between. But, Karen, with her mocha colored skin, coiffed haircut, and pencil-thin skirt wrapping a pencil-thin body truly embodied the word posh. In spite of all that, Karen tapped away on her cell phone while covering Scary’s verses.

Julie had always admired Karen’s drive and dedication. She even hoped to get the divorce thing down as well as Karen. Her two teenage boys were spending the weekend at the Ex’s. She was heading up to New York by train to see her wealthy lawyer boyfriend Saturday morning. Karen made more money than “new man” did. She was a partner in a very successful law firm.

Stacey always loved Baby Spice. She had the requisite long blonde hair and blue eyes and curvy figure. She also apparently loved babies, as she had birthed three of them in her fifteen years of wedded bliss. The youngest child was two and at home with the rest of the brood that night. Her somewhat sickeningly sweet hubby was great with the kids, she gushed. “He doesn’t think he’s babysitting when he spends time with them.” She nodded and pointed at all three women in succession. Her affinity for wine had not faltered either from their college days. Stacey’s lips are already way too loose when she’s sober. Her rouge stained mouth was downright slippery at present, wet with a good Cabernet Sauvignon.

“Lucky you.” Karen quipped. “My ex went to the mat to get shared custody. Yet, every time it’s ‘his’ weekend, there has to be an argument.” Karen’s love for air quotes hasn’t gone away. She smiled over at Cat. “You should have tried harder to seduce me, Kitty Kat. Would have saved me decades of dumb dick.”

Cat, who always seemed relegated to Sporty Spice by default, pushed black rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. Her blue eyes crinkled behind the frames. “It wouldn’t have stuck, Kar.” She dipped and sipped at her soda. Sharp angles of her brown bob curtained a pale face. Stubby fingers with short nails - that she probably still bites - flicked the hair back. “Besides, I wouldn’t be happily domesticated with Sheila now. And you hate dogs. I have two, remember? Big ones.” Cat turned to Julie. “What about you, Jules?”

Julie’s eyes widened behind her own glasses. “Are you offering to try and seduce me, Cat?”

Karen and Stacey laughed. Cat blushed. “No, smartass. Are you going to get a pet to keep you company?”

Julie shook her head. “Don’t think so.” She was taking it easier on the wine than the other two, still milking her second serving. There would be no hangover repeat.

“Well, a man, then?” Karen asked.

Stacey guffawed. “It’s only been a few months. Give the woman a chance to grieve.”

“Grieve over what? A shitload of baggage she never checked on the flight.” Karen shot back.

Cat rolled her eyes. “Here they go,” she mumbled.

Julie cleared her throat. All three turned to stare in her direction. “There is… someone.”

Karen slapped her thigh. “That’s my girl!”

“Already?” Stacey’s lids blinked in rapid succession.

Cat waved a hand at Stacey to hush, looking at Julie the whole time. “Details.”

Julie began the very lengthy tale that was Dean Winchester. When she was done, she was met with mixed reactions from the trio.

“He’s been stalking you?” Karen’s brow furrowed.

“He’s a bounty hunter?” Stacey added her concern.

“What’s his name again?” Cat pulled her tablet out of the huge purse by her feet. She was a communications manager at a large non-profit and social media was her specialty.

Julie shifted in her seat. “Dean Winchester.” Defense mode shot up. “To be fair, it’s not like I was innocent in the whole stalking thing, either.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t go much beyond some Googling, right? He got downright illegal in his activity.” Karen shook her head.

“Hm.” Cat frowned. “You said he’s around our age?”

Julie nodded. “43, he said.”

Stacey wagged a sluggish finger. “Hey, we’re 40. Don’t age us all prematurely. Nature’s doing a fine job of that without any additional assistance.” Stacey’s starting to slur. May have to cut her off soon.

Cat ignored Stacey, swiping and typing. “I’m not coming up with anyone around that age with that name. Weird.”

“Why’s that weird?” Stacey asked.

“Everyone has a digital footprint. Something can be found on anyone pretty quickly. Even if it’s the smallest, inconsequential bit of data. But, to find nothing…”

Julie shrugged. “Maybe he’s good at covering his tracks.”

“Even more reason to be wary of this guy, Jules.” Karen attempted a maternal look. “He sounds like the epitome of a bad boy. Come on, a vintage muscle car? You’re a sucker for that type. We were study partners working on our Minors in Psychology together, remember? Think about it. Ten years with a man you thought was a good partner and reliable, only to have that rug ripped out from under you? I’d be searching for the exact opposite, too, faster than you could say peanut butter sundae.” No wonder she makes the big bucks. She presents a damn good argument.

“Karen’s right.” Stacey tried to sound soothing. “You’re in a very vulnerable state right now. Hormones are probably all over the place. Any guy with ill intentions could take advantage of that.”

Julie raised a brow. “If you saw this man in person, Stace… trust me, you’d be all aboard the Dean Train. Remember Gavin Teller?” Julie leaned forward for emphasis.

“Yeah?” Stacey squeaked out the question.

“Imagine Gavin having aged to perfection, like that fine wine you enjoy so much.” She pointed at Stacey’s glass. “Now, square that. You get Dean Winchester.”

“We all remember Gavin in his heyday.” Karen let out a low-key whistle. “Damn. I may have to reconsider my opening statement.” Her original career path of a prosecutor fell by the wayside midway through her college career. An enticing salary that could be earned helping clients buy and sell publicly traded companies won out.

Stacey shushed Karen. “College quarterbacks don’t turn into bounty hunters.”

Cat raised both hands in the air. “That is an opinion, not fact. And a totally ridiculous leap. Besides, Gavin Teller sells cars at his dad’s dealership now, is bald, and has a pot belly. His local TV spots are downright cringeworthy. Such a pain in the ass when his company sponsored one of our events. Wanted his cheesy grin inserted in so many media posts. How is that better than being a badass bounty hunter?”

Julie smiled at the tension and exchanged a knowing glance with Karen. They had long suspected there’d been some sexual experimentation between Cat and Stacey around college graduation. It had centered around a night of lemon drop body shots.

Stacey tilted her nose up. “He was always nice to me.”

“That’s because he liked how you looked in that cheerleading skirt, Stace. I know I did. But, really, Julie… you should be careful.” Cat repeated the other’s concern.

The doorbell chimed. Stacey gasped and Karen’s posture stiffened. Cat returned the tablet to her purse.

“Did you order more food?” Nervous laughter from the ladies followed Cat’s question.

Julie shook her head. She looked at her watch. It was not quite 7:30 pm. Seconds later her phone buzzed. She tapped at the screen to view the text.

Knock, knock

“Oh, shit.” Julie whispered.

“What?” Karen placed her wine glass atop a coaster on the coffee table. Even in high alert, the woman has good etiquette.

“It’s him.”

Stacey cupped a hand over her mouth.

“Dean Winchester?” Cat asked.

“Yeah.”

“Why’s he coming by unannounced?” Karen was in full-blown fact-finding mode.

Julie wrinkled up her nose. “I may have told him to stop by when he got back.”

“How desperate are you?” Stacey scolded.

“Stacey…” Julie sighed.

Karen raised two hands in the air with a smile on her face. “This is great.”

“Why?” Cat asked.

“So we can all get held hostage by Julie’s lady killer?” Stacey’s voice got higher with each word.

“We can vet him.”

“Vet him?” Julie groaned.

“Yep.” Julie had seen that stern nod from Karen countless times. “If he seems like a creep, you’re done with him. I’ll call in a favor to get a court order issued if need be.”

Stacey nodded. “Yeah. Between the three of us, we’ll be able to give you a decent character profile. And Cat’s not affected at all by men…”

Cat slapped both palms on her thighs.

Karen waved Julie to the door. “Hurry up and open it.”

“This is a horrible nightmare,” Julie mumbled. Her stomach was doing somersaults. What the hell will Dean think? What will the girls do?

“Your phone’s buzzing again.” Cat commented. “Anxious little bugger, isn’t he? What did you promise the man?”

Julie took a deep breath, her hand on the doorknob. The last rays of daylight sparkled through the etched glass. Maybe this is good. I may really need an objective opinion. After all, he’s probably not as irresistible as I’m making him out to be. Context.

When she opened the door, Dean greeted her with a full watt smile. “Hey there.” The two words slipped out slow. His hands held the cake box, fingers thrumming against the cardboard sides. “I was told to deliver this as soon as I got back.” His tongue darted out to the side for a quick lick of his bottom lip while he inspected her.

Damn. He was outfitted in a light grey, muscle-hugging t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Positively edible. Fuck context. She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over her lips. This will be fun.

He stepped up into the entryway, not waiting for permission to enter. His hands offered Julie the box. She was careful to grab the box from the base. He glanced over her head and spotted the company in the living room. His eyes narrowed, tilting down to look into Julie’s eyes. “Sorry. Am I interrupting?” He whispered. “I saw the car parked out front when I drove into the neighborhood… didn’t recognize it…”

Julie arched a brow. “Were you worried for my safety? Or being nosy?”

He grinned. “A little of both.”

She nodded him into the living room. “Come meet some friends.”

He nodded in return and shuffled into the living room, hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders back, a swirl of timid confidence. The ladies were all up from their seats. The tiny living room felt even smaller with the congregation and Dean’s frame occupying some of it. Julie’s slow steps gave her time to take in the reactions, hiding somewhat behind Dean’s impressive stature. In his wake, she picked apart his scent. The heady mix of leather, sweat, and grease was sharp and crazy intoxicating.

Stacey’s mouth hung open in slight disbelief. Karen fiddled with her hoop earrings and gave Dean the full top to bottom to top inspection. Cat’s eyes narrowed.

When Julie strolled up to Dean’s left, she saw his cautious smile preparing to melt the group. “Dean, these are some college friends of mine.” Julie rattled off their names in order. “Karen. Stacey. Catherine.”

Cat smiled over at Julie, appreciating the replacement of her nickname reserved only for select company.

And, then, Dean unleashed the smile that Julie was certain would topple their wall of uncertainty. He extended his hand and shook each one with the right amount of strength. “Pleasure to meet you, ladies. I didn’t think Julie had any friends.” He chuckled. “She doesn’t get many visitors.”

“And you’d know that because of all the spying you’ve been doing on our dear friend, I hear.” Karen was ready to knock him down a peg or two right out of the gate. But the look on her face betrayed the lackluster attempt at disapproval.

Dean’s eyes widened and he stared at Julie. “Have you been talking about me?”

Julie pursed her lips.

Dean shrugged, intense eyes still on Julie. “Well, if you appreciated beautiful ladies as much as I do, you’d understand.”

Stacey cleared her throat, Dean reddening her cheeks even more than the red wine had. She looked in desperate need of fanning. “Where’re you from, Dean?”

The question pulled his gaze from Julie. He smiled at Stacey again. “Kansas.”

Julie tilted her head, wondering if it was the truth.

“Long way from Kansas.” Cat added.

“Well, I’ve been all over the country.”

The three nodded in unison. Karen asked, “Have you gotten a tour of Julie’s house yet, Dean?”

Julie’s eyes zeroed in on Karen with laser focus.

Dean licked his top lip. Julie caught Stacey and Karen taking particular notice of that sexy tick of his. Not the only one at the mercy of those physical attributes, am I, Ladies? “Um, no. This is the first time I’ve been allowed entrance into Julie’s compound, actually.” He pointed to the sliding door. “I’m usually relegated to outside chores.”

“Uh-” Julie started.

“We were getting ready to take a look around,” Stacey interjected. “Jules, why don’t we get the full narrated tour with Dean, here?”

Julie could feel her cheeks blushing.

“Oh, that’s…” He laughed, protesting with a shake of his head, “that’s okay. I’ll leave you ladies to your night. I was only dropping off this cake.” He pointed to the box Julie was still holding. “Still pretty damn tasty after a week.” He grinned at her. “I snuck another slice before bringing it back.” He rubbed a hand on his thigh. “It was nice meeting all of you.”

The three nodded again in unison. As Dean turned their gazes all dropped to stare at his ass. Julie stifled a giggle and pushed the box into Stacey’s hands. She met Dean at the door. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

He bent close to her ear and whispered, “You’ll have to let me know if I passed the test later,” waited a beat, straightened his posture, then ended with, “Jules.”

The light spilling in through the front door glass lit up his eyes a crystal green. “You’ve already passed mine.” She whispered back.

“Good.” He grinned.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” she asked.

His tongue peeked out only a sliver between his lips, revving up the grin even more. “Guess that depends on you.”

“Come over around 8:00.”

He tilted his head. “Is that a request or an order?”

She ignored the question. “Make sure you eat dinner ahead of time. Cause I’m not making any.”

Surprise mixed with amusement on his face. He glanced into the living room. The ladies were seated now, talking amongst themselves, but still staring at the pair. His gaze heated her back up when it returned. “Want me fueled up for any tasks in particular?” Julie shrugged in response. “Hm. Any other commands?”

“Just don’t disappear tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Yes, Ma’am.”

She sighed. “Don’t call me Ma’am.”

His eyes narrowed. “Kind of sexy when you’re bossy.”

She laughed, blushing again.

“And when you’re blushing.” He opened the door for himself, waved a hand to the women and then mouthed “See you tomorrow night” to Julie.

As soon as the door shut, Stacey called out, “I take back everything I said earlier.”

Karen added, “If you get kidnapped, give him my address so he can swing by and grab me, too.”

Julie giggled, walking over to the group. “Seriously, what did you think?”

Stacey’s eyes bugged out. “Oh my god! He’s gorgeous and knows how to use it. That’s dangerous on a ton of levels. But I don’t think he’s a crazy psycho.” Stacey fanned herself. “My husband’s in for it when I get home.”

Karen nodded. “Oh, he’s totally trouble and you’re in for an amazing ride. But, in this case, it’s not the destination but the journey. The journey all over that fine man, of which explicit details will be mandatory. Plus, he didn’t go for the bait to inspect your house. I think an under the radar creep would have been all for that.” She pointed at Julie. “But, we still get a tour as your oldies and besties.”

“Of course.” Julie turned to Cat. “What about you?”

Cat shrugged. “He seems alright. I still think he’s got stuff to hide, though. I’m going to do some serious digging.”

Julie frowned.

“Just looking out for you,” Cat added. “But he did have a really nice ass.”

Part 8

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#dean winchester fanfiction #spn fanfic series #supernatural fanfiction #spnfanficpond #dean x ofc #dean winchester fluff #dean winchester angst #spn fanfiction

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artificialqueens · 7 years ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No.”

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

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

***********

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nope.”

“Then why are you…?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Stop calling me that,” Courtney interjected.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Really? Mm.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“She’s not the only one, you know.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Are you two still…?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shocked, the younger woman demanded, “When?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, I remember,” Willam answered dismally.

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

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

#albatross #shinkx #witney #trixya #one-sided jivy #vatya #flowershop au #fluff #angst #willam belli #jinkx monsoon #sharon needles #trixie mattel #katya zamolodchikova #courtney act #ivy winters #rpdr fanfiction #the language of flowers #lesbian au

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