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artificialqueens · 7 years

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Rain rain go away (Zeezee) - Bitney.

Summary: Courtney gets stood up on a date. When she decides to leave the embarrassing scene, it seems luck isn’t on her side. Drenched, she hitches a ride with an old friend she hasn’t seen since High School graduation. 2 years later, she’s still blonde, New York lights still kill the stars, and she’s still obsessed with the lips of Del Rio…

A/N: Inspiration came from the song ‘Strangers’ by Halsey/Lauren Jauregui. 20 year old lesbian fic. I hope you enjoy! - Zeezee

t“Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences.” ― Emery Allen

Courtney sat alone at Square Diner, stirring what was now sludge in the bottom of her sundae glass, staring out the window at the murky view of New York’s deserted street. She rest her cheek against her hand, letting out a pathetic sigh as she gave into the confused, shamefaced tension racking her body. There she was, watching the hours draw in the evening, beautiful but tragically alone. There weren’t many other people at the diner but a few of High Schoolers, a couple with their new born baby and an elderly man reading his paper.

She’d waited over an hour for a date that was supposed to be perfect for her. A 6ft tall, brunette rugby player from Liverpool England, 23 years old and described to be broad and brutish. “A mans man” Alaska had told her, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively. He worked at the veterinary with Alaska and Farrah and both girls had recommended him highly, sending her countless photos of him at the reception desk, usually containing cringy emojjis or crude captions. He was stunning, and Courtney figured she had nothing to lose.

Alaska organised the blind date with high hopes the two would have a happy ever after ending. That’s how Courtney Act found herself alone, with her sad melted treat and her phone buzzing continuously with apologies from Alaska.

‘He’s a wonderful guy, I promise! Sorry about tonight, he got caught up at home with an emergency apparently!’

Courtney had given up answering after a while. She’d pretty much read the same thing at least 5 times: Alaska apologising, trying to reorganise, begging her not to blame herself and repeat. It wasn’t as if Courtney had put all her eggs in one basket and was relying on this stranger to be her soul mate, but she was excited for some intellectual dinner conversation with someone she could see herself getting lucky with. She liked how sharp his jaw was in photos, or how thick his arms were, and she bought herself an adorable baby pink summer dress that feathered her frame elegantly especially for the date, she’d rather it didn’t go to waste.

Courtney had never been stood up before. She was slim, athletic, blonde, and had a light aussie accent, and eyes a person could swim in - pretty much the moment a person set sights on her, she had them putty in her hands. Courtney wasn’t big headed, but she knew what she had to offer and the luck that she had been blessed with. Advantages came with her appearance that she liked to use when appropriate. Dates would drool at her feet, and it had been that way since puberty- she figured this muscle-bound crumpet would have been as easy as cake to land. Maybe Alaska hadn’t shown him a flattering photo of her, or any photo at all! Had she forgotten to reveal Courtney’s strengths, her stunning good looks?! Did she paint a repulsive, unimaginative, cruel picture to her blind date that he had no choice but to give her the cold shoulder?

She pulled her cardigan over her shoulders a little more, frowning as a breeze hit her. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date, which wasn’t because no one was asking, she had just put them off for a while to focus on her work. She thought it was about time she put herself back on the market, but apparently it was meant to be that she’d stay alone.

Rather than pity herself any longer - which was probably an hour too long already - she stood up and threw her cardigan over her shoulder, strutting out the diner.

New York City was as alive and breathing as Courtney was. She took every step like the beginning to a waltz and let the rich excitement of a New York’s spin her in a tranquil frenzy. The contradiction of New York was what kept Courtney laughing through all the hardships - no matter what the time, she could rely on the city that never slept to lull her with a lullaby. Some people hated the constant noise, but for Courtney it kept her from being driven mad by her own incessant worries. She walked down the streets with the upmost confidence, swinging her arms at her sides and swaying to the tune stuck in her head.

It was a particularly quiet evening, suspiciously for New York, but it didn’t stop Courtney organising an orchestra in her walk. A pristine, proud faith in her beauty, that caught the eye of a few passersby and one puerile car of frat boys that couldn’t resist wolf whistling as they sped past her. She enjoyed the attention, twirling on the spot before they were out of sight and giggling with enjoyment at the ego boost. She may not be on a date with a hunky man, but walking through the city when the sun is almost settled feels just as wonderful right now.

An optimist till the bitter end, that was Courtney.

Her apartment was quite a distance from the diner, but she didn’t feel like calling a cab. The walk would do her good she figured, so she took the time to gather the passing thoughts that had been floating around her head. When should she call her mother next? Should she get to the studio an hour early tomorrow for extra practice? Had she saved up enough money for next months rent as well as this one? The small worries that felt massive when she was rushing around the place.

About 10 minutes into her walk, her phone starts to ring. She digs into her Ted Baker piggy pink handbag and fishes out her mobile.

“Hello?” She cheerfully answers, her mimi toned lips spread from cheek to cheek.

“Hay baby, it’s me!” The nails on a chalk board voice let her know, it was Alaska. “Listen, I’m sorry about what happened. I just spoke to dreamboat, and he is dying to meet you. How about we reschedule for tomorrow?”

Courtney wrinkled her nose, concealing the irritated groan that wanted to come out. It wasn’t that she wasn’t still interested in the date - she had a working pair of eyes and knew exactly what she wanted to do with her English muffin, but the tedious job of getting dressed up all over again and forcing a sickeningly sweet smile just to prove there were no hard feelings for standing her up today just seemed to tier her out at the sheer thought of it. Alaska had the best of intentions, but Courtney wasn’t sure going along with the charade was worth a chance at sex.

“I don’t know Alaska…” She was about to go on when her friend interrupted, fumbling over her words in a desperate attempt to keep Courtney interested.

She listened fondly, grinning as Alaska listed the endearing qualities of her mystery man. It seemed like he didn’t have anything wrong with him, and when she was about to give in to rescheduling, Courtney’s attention was suddenly cut off by a loud crackle from the sky. She looked up, and there it was, the clouds disguised amongst the evening shades. Grey and ready to burst. Her eyes widened as she realised she was still 20 minutes from home, with no umbrella, and not a cab in sight.

“What the hell is going on today?!”

“Hmm?” Alaska half heartedly hummed.

She began scuttling toward a velvet shelter, leading into a hotel. “Sorry, it’s about to rain. I’m walking home!”

“Call a cab?”

“Yeah, there are none around. None! How is this New York without a damn cab anywhere on the roads? Is this a sign of the apocalypse of something, where is everyone?!”

“Oh, you know, I did hear there was going to be a massive storm today.”

Courtney wished it were possible to slap someone through the phone.

“Are you far away from your place?”

“Yes! I still have another couple of blocks to go!”

All of a sudden, the heavens opened up and let loose the nerve wracking tonnes of rain, drowning the earth in misery. Courtney’s mouth fell open as she watched the rain pour down and smack the sidewalk, the sound harsh like bricks being thrown at a wall. The water bounced off the ground aggressively and she felt splashes hit her ankles. It was going to be a hellish mission to get back home with the mightiest waterfall releasing on the streets on New York City.

“I don’t know what to say-”

“Look Lasky, I’ll call you later…after I have a brisk shower!” and before her friend could answer back, Courtney hung up. This was unlike anything Courtney had ever experienced with rain. A storm, pulling the city apart with the power of 20 dozen men, focused in on the wind. Courtney felt a sudden gush rush past her legs and blow her dress up. She squealed in panic as she tried to smooth it back down.

Courtney squinted her eyes as she stared out into the distance. Everything was decorated a dirty blue blur, the rain washing out any view there might have been. Why would Alaska organise a date when she knew there was a God damn storm?! Courtney cursed, stomping her heel and sighing. It wasn’t going to let up, leaving her with two choices: to stay stranded underneath the shelter of a hotel’s entrance for however long it may take, or run home and risk pneumonia. Her new highlights would probably get ruined, and she’d have to throw out her Sophia Webster Evangeline strappy heels, but the impatience her father had passed down to her began to take charge of her instincts.

After a few minutes of watching the streets practically flood, she took a deep breath and began running, squealing every few seconds when her foot got drenched in a puddle. The rain beat her bare skin mercifully, cleaning her of any sins staining her skin. The pain was horrific, she could feel the bruises being left already. She ran as fast as she could given she was wearing heels. Courtney was in good shape, but the humid air of heavy rain was enough to wind anybody regardless of their fitness.

It didn’t seem to let up at all in the short time she’d been running. In fact, it felt like it only got harder, hammering down as if it had been sent by God himself to smite the wicked. Maybe this was Courtney’s punishment for when she’d lied to that homeless man about not having change- she didn’t believe in a higher power until this moment, where her new outfit was ruined and her hair was a soggy mess. That’ll teach her to lie on her way to window shopping for Mikimoto earrings.

Adding to the disaster of her drenched appearance and the damning weather, a loud crashing suddenly announced itself, practically splitting Courtney in half as she screamed in panic and fell over herself. She landed on her hands, muttering profanities under her breath realising she’d cut up her palm on the rough stone pathway. The sting shot through her arms all the way upward. She clenched her teeth at the pain, trying to keep herself calm. A ruined outfit, cut up hands, and her worst fear lightening. Could it get any worse? She scooted over to the doorway of a small bakery nearby and sat, nursing her wounds and trying not to panic every time the heavens irrupted with a flash of light and a terrifying roar.

She felt like a drowned rat.

“Christ almighty.” Courtney blew at the cut on her hand, clearing the dirt and wincing when a particularly painful sensation shot through her veins. She looked out at the block she was on - cobblestone pathways, classic red bricked houses, the real sense of timeless nostalgia that still read modern and fresh.

Courtney sighed, watching the rain crash down upon the streets violently. It wasn’t going to let up anytime soon, and she must have had that thought more than enough times by now. The optimist she was kept hoping it would clear up and she’d be able to flee home without anymore inconveniences. Alas, it never came. She sat on the step of the bakery for 5 minutes, with no progress on the weather wearing off.

In the distance, the first car she’d noticed on her run, pulled up on the curb in front of her. An old fashioned 1972 navy chevy nova, glistening against the bolts of rain. She glared at it for a good minute, cautious of who the driver may be, and eventually the car beeped. Long and drawn out, demanding her presence. She sprang up in shock and rushed toward the passenger side, leaning over to peer in the window.

That’s when she saw her, the all too familiar face that use to send her through the motions in High School, making her crazy whenever her name slipped off the lips of another person. Suddenly the rain slamming around her didn’t exist, and all she could fathom was the ghost before her. The same slick eyeliner, the same pointed nose, the same bulbous ruby lips-

“Long time no see, cum biscuit.”

The same crude sense of humour.

Courtney laughed, pushing back the extensive strands of soaked hair from her face and signalled to open the door. Bianca nodded, and Courtney clambered in, shivering when the difference in temperature hit her.

“You’ll freeze in that get up. Get unchanged, I’ve got spare clothes on the back seat-”

“Trying to undress me in under a minute. That’s a new record for you.”

Courtney smiled, completely smitten with her joke, but was met with nothing but a stern stare. She nodded knowingly, and kept quiet while she reached back and grabbed the clothes. Some baggy sweat pants and an oversized tee with a few stains of paint. Courtney timidly wriggled out of her clothes, her eyes on Bianca as she drove on completely focused on the road. When she was in the new clothes, she pulled out the top and raised a brow.

“Do you paint now?”

“Nah, it’s an old top my roomie Shangela borrowed. She took up art to impress some pretentious French guy she met at a bar. Now he’s out of the picture, I get back my ruined top.”

“Why keep it?”

“It’s easy to throw on. You know, if I’m ever entertaining in the car,” Bianca rolls her head on her shoulders and gives Courtney a cocky smirk, snickering, “Like old times.”

Courtney’s eyes widened and she had to look away, in fear the rouge of her blush would open too many old wounds.

Bianca had once been the most important person in Courtney’s life just a few years ago. She was the the fire in her loins, the crack of her whip, the definition of desire for Courtney Act. Back in Highschool, it all began when they were 16 in gym class. Bianca threw a dodgeball directly at Courtney’s head and hit her so hard she fell a few inches backward, straight on her bum. Bianca had apologised profusely, helping her stand and getting her a cold water bottle to put against the blow. All the while Bianca’s friends giggling with one another at the whole scene. Courtney didn’t take it to heart. She shook off the initial shook and accepted Bianca’s apologies, giggling herself. Somehow, they ended up good friends. Inseparable almost, having to be with the other like they supplied the oxygen to their lungs. Bianca would go to every football game just to see Courtney cheer, and Courtney would stay behind after school as Bianca did extra work for her textiles class. Like opposites attracting, the two girls found themselves utterly obsessed with the goings-on of one another’s life.

Then Bianca came out, and Courtney found herself in dire need of Bianca’s affections more than ever. They spent what felt like everyday round each others homes, bitching and flirting. Courtney took the risk on Bianca’s 17th birthday, when Bianca took Courtney into the kitchen to cut her a slice of the cake her mother had baked and was shocked to be kissed. Then they kissed all the time, every chance they got, without any regrets or concerns for what anyone else might think.

It seemed like a forever feeling - stars aligning and air tasting like sugar, the two teens madly in love with each other. There were no hardships, no bitter exes, no rude homophobes…it was all too perfect. Bianca would fall a thousand feet under the earth if it meant she could make Courtney sublimely happy. Hands in a frenzy for the skin to skin contact, and hair caught in mouths, and legs trembling to stay solid. They made fire look like ice compared to them caught in the heat of a moment. There was nothing to complain about; they were in love, truly, madly, deeply so.

Then High School ended. Bianca went to college with two of her friends from class, Shea and Sasha, and Courtney got an internship in a studio as a mixer. Her girlfriend was miles away Courtney couldn’t just drive for a quick visit, and then the rumours started speculating. Alaska heard Bianca had slept with some grungy wanna be singer, then their mutual friend Bob told Courtney she’d been hanging around some girl called Adore a lot, and that’s when the safety pin of Courtney’s sanity was pulled, and she ignited like a grenade. The stupendous love she’d had was suddenly dust in the wind, and her trust for Bianca broke.

Courtney stopped returning Bianca’s calls. She made excuses to stay home rather than visit her girlfriend. Eventually Bianca broke up with her out of frustration and they hadn’t spoken since. Two years since the melt down, and here she was, soaking wet in her passenger seat.

Was it fait? Was that something Courtney even believed in? She hadn’t thought about Bianca in months, and even then, she hadn’t thought anything pleasant about her since the break up.

“I um…” Courtney coughed, trying to loosen the knot in her throat. “I can walk to my place, you know. I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“You really want to get back out in that?” Bianca asked, tossing her head toward the window, a sly grin on her face at the idea of Courtney struggling any more to get home. Courtney awkwardly laughed, shaking her head.

“How did you even see me in this weather?” What she really wanted to ask was ‘What the fuck were you doing in my neighbourhood, picking up girls off the streets? Regardless if it ended up being me of all people!’

Bianca looked as sexy as she did when they were a couple, Courtney shamefully thought. She didn’t want to see Bianca as such still, but that girl had an overwhelming power over Courtney, she couldn’t control her thoughts. She alluded such ease and comfortability, tousled and uncaring, like a true college student. Her hair was dyed blonde, unkept and fallen around her chest, and the dark brown of her roots had began to peak. She wore a lazy over sized blue denim shirt, hiding the booty shorts and black tee, and oversized punk dock martian boots. Her makeup was heavy, as it always use to be, and persist, in a way only Bianca could wear it and somehow come off casual. She was the same old Bianca, from the cosy clothes to the sharpe brows, not a colour outside the lines. Courtney wanted to spend all her time looking at her, recalling the familiar awe that always smacked her round the face when Bianca looked her way.

Bianca shrugged. “I have good eye sight I guess. I was heading back to my place, and I saw a blonde in the rain. I’m not one to let a damsel stay distressed!” Bianca joked. Her smile lifted high across her face, and there were the same dimples Courtney had fallen in love with. The dents in her skin, so unimportant, seemed to have meant the whole world to Courtney at one stage of her life.

“So,” Courtney took a hair tie out from the bottom of her handbag and messily threw her hair up in a bun, “What have yo- wait, where are we going? Do you know where I live?”

“Of course I don’t, dim wit. I’m driving to mine.”

“What? No! No, no, no, I just want to go home-”

“I haven’t seen you in how fucking long, and you want to skip out on a catch up?”

“I just want to take a shower and relax.”

“You can shower at mine.”

Courtney took a deep breath, frowning. “I don’t think that’s very appropriate, Bianca. I want to go to my apartment. My address is-”

A sudden boisterous roar of thunder tore through the air, causing Courtney to screech in distress. She dug her fingers into the leather of the car seat, as a shiver sent down her spine. She hated thunder, and even more so lightening. Bianca peered over, and rolled her eyes.

“Save it. My place is like 5 minutes away. You can dry off, I’ll make you a coffee and then I’ll drive you back to your place when the storm dies down.” She took a turn, then faced Courtney. It was hard for Bianca to keep a stern, cold look when she was met with the sunny, bubbly old flame of her affections. “I promise.”

Courtney remembers exactly what it was about Bianca she first fell in love with: her undeniable charm, laced in the gravelly tone and devil’s smile. She’s met with gorgeous, sparkling brown eyes, and she can’t seem to find the will to fight her corner anymore. Despite not having thought about Bianca in months, all she wants, more than anything, is to hear about her life, and be caught in the translucent fairytale of her what-once-was.

The sound of rain trickling down glass is the sweetest serenity that could mend a broken soul. Soft pitter patters grazing rooftops, tiny droplets splashing the grass and making it shimmer under the glow of the moonlight. Rain was truly beautiful when angled correctly. New York City, where the buildings shot up high into the heavens, and the lights blinded the angels above, it was hard to have a romanticised version of rain like others experienced. By the Irish sea in the countryside, with the tears of a vengeful God, translating into a peaceful shower for mother earth. Washing the nature, bringing life to the crops, and giving that grumpy old farmer another thing to complain about. New Yorkers could never have that same wonderful simplicity; but Bianca would be damned if she didn’t try and find tranquility in the rain.

Bianca had the delightful task of ringing out Courtney’s summery dress over the kitchen sink and resting it on the radiator. She didn’t mind all that much, but when she thought about it, it seemed more perplexing of a job than it should have. Not physically, but emotionally.

Courtney immediately jumped into the shower upon arrival, so all Bianca knew so far of her ex was she still had a killer body, and she had found herself lucky in riches somehow, noting the shoes and the handbag and the jewellry. She boiled the kettle and leaned against the counter top, pondering on the possibilities that could be Courtney’s lifestyle now.

Bianca lived in a shabby, run down apartment with three other girls. There was Sasha, the two agreeing to live together in New York after collage. Sasha was dealing with her heart being stretched to the point of snapping where Shea decided to stay in Chicago, so to be in the company of a friend was at least a little relaxing on her strained love. Then there was Peppermint, an overly enthusiastic girl who waited tables in the day and performed on stage in the evening. She always came home with treats for everyone and an infectious smile. Finally, there was Naomi. A buggy, twig-like creature who was never around very often since she was usually galavanting all over America modelling, but when she was there she was quiet and well-kept, and bitchy enough for Bianca to get a kick out of her company.

That was her life. A normal, hard working life, with bills, an empty fridge more than often, and a ton of stress weighing down her shoulders. Bianca was often jumping between jobs - being hired to do hair and makeup for special events or making costumes for party shops, and just recently she’d been employed to shadow a costume designer for a Broadway design company. Looking at Courtney, she saw all the success she only hoped to have in 5 years time, accelerated in the form of a beautiful, young fighter. Maybe even a little bit of a careerist, which, was a good thing and a bad thing. Not exactly the nature of the free spirited flower child she use to know, who preached love, peace and reaching for the stars.

What were the chances of running into Courtney after two years of separation? Out of all the zany characters that inhabited New York, she had to pity the pretty blonde that just so happened to be her ex. It couldn’t have been an underwear model, or a cougar, or even a prostitute! It had to be Courtney fucking Act.

Bianca pulls out two mugs from the cupboard and pours out the coffee. She stirs both cups, adds sugar, milk, then takes a refreshing sip from hers. The warmness alights her after the bitter cold of the outside, and she can’t help but smile to herself. She moves toward the couch, resting both cups on the coffee table to throw on the ratty grey cardigan draped over the arm of the chair, and settles in for the night. The idyllic setting of a dimly-lit room and the rain drumming on the glass, Bianca let out a heavy breath that had been stuck in her lungs for far to long, rigged and knotted with tension.

The shower shuts off, the door unlocks, and eventually Courtney walks through in the same oversized tshirt she’d borrowed in the car, her girly boxer briefs with love hearts covered by the material, and a towel wrapped around her hair. Bianca finds it near to impossible to look anywhere that isn’t the svelte legs, glistening with the few beads of water sliding down her skin. Courtney’s face now fresh and pink, with just a trace of mascara caught under her eyes. She’s divine, walking toward Bianca and shyly offers her a coy smile.

“Made you a coffee.” Bianca gestures to the lonesome cup, and Courtney skittishly takes it, mumbling a thank you before sipping the drink. Bianca resists the urge to roll her eyes. How was I ever with someone like this? She thinks.

“Thank you for the lift. I don’t mean to be an imposition.”

“You’re sat on my couch in your panties. You’re already some what of an imposition, but it’s fine.”

Courtney chews on the corner of her lip, avoiding eye contact as she tucks her legs into the excess of the top. In the absence of conversation, she looks around the apartment and admires the cosy decor. Clothes thrown wherever they balance, more than often brightly coloured and fitted, shoes discarded wherever the day ended for the owner, and run down, tacky furniture. Not styled or desired by anyone, but affordable and comfy, and good enough. The decor was exactly that: good enough.

Bianca groans, putting her mug down on the table and leaning forward. The look on her face makes Courtney nervous. “Can we just address the elephant in the room?” She gruffly asks, barely waiting for the other girl to interject. “This is weird. You, being in my apartment. Me, picking you up. This is all a little too fucking coincidental if you ask me, and I’m not into it.”

Courtney blinks a couple of times before clearing her throat. “Wh-what do you mean?”

Bianca raises her brow. “Are you messing with me? You know what I mean, Courtney, don’t play dumb-”

“I’m not! I just,” She gently places her coffee mug down and repositions herself, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say, Bianca. Not many people get this kind of opportunity, to be reunited with their ex. We didn’t exactly end on good terms after all.”

“I know. You stopped talking to me, and then you became a bitch.” The statement punctured Courtney. The many shades of red pouring out like the accusations that left peoples mouths all those years ago when they dirtied Bianca’s reputation; dirtied their relationship status.

This girl in front of her, this stranger she once adored, made her angrier than anyone ever had in her whole life. To even dare insult her, after the intense admiration she once held for her- at least she stayed faithful in their relationship. There was no frolicking with other girls and completely destroying the relationship they had both cared for.

She crossed her arms and glared wickedly at her, hoping flames would burst around the scene. “You have some nerve to call me a bitch after what you did! You didn’t even come down from Chicago to break up with me! You were too busy galavanting with other girls weren’t you?!”

“Woah, what?”

“Yeah!” Courtney shouted unexpectedly, recoiling back into herself and looking around embarrassed. She hoped none of Bianca’s roommates were home. “I know you were cheating on me, Bianca. Some little floozy, I can’t even remember her name, but a bunch of people told me.” She lied - Courtney remembers the girl was called Adore, and she knew Bianca ended up very close to her, according to all the photos on her Facebook.

Bianca stayed quiet, her face completely shocked and her eyes flickering back and forth as she racked her brain for any name she might have meant. After too many silent seconds, she finally snickered, which escalated into proper laughter, and soon she was cackling. Courtney glared at the girl in fits of laughter till she couldn’t take it and shoved her.

“It’s not funny, Bianca! You cheated on me-”

“No I fucking didn’t.” Bianca tittered, sitting up. “I didn’t cheat on you. I would never cheat on you, why would I?”

Courtney opens her mouth to speak but stops herself, taking in the statement. She’s not sure how to take it, as a good thing or a bad thing given how long it took to even process at the time. The heart ache she endured, took as nothing but the truth- at the time it felt like someone had reached into her chest and poured acid over the wounds of her heart, squeezed it till it popped, and left her to survive with the damage done. At the time, love seemed like the most important thing in her life. It overpowered every other aspect of her being, warping her understanding of unity and strength, and she became accustomed to needing Bianca. No matter how many times she talked about wanting to sell albums, wanting to be a successful singer songwriter, her girlfriend would trump everything else on the table. Courtney could have died for Bianca, and it felt like she did when they were over.

Now she was older, sat in her ex’s living room, half naked, learning that what they threw away was for nothing. Childish insecurities and fiendish whispers, all acted as the fuel behind the out of control flames, setting their tender affections alight. Courtney’s mouth dried up, her chest collapsed, and the weight began to reopen the stitches on her poor, beaten heart.

“You…you’re lying?” She hoped, as peculiar as it seemed. To imagine she’d thrown away the best part of her teenage years all because of pathetic hearsay. Sitting beside Bianca, looking into her hypnotising eyes, she felt the familiar weakness that was once so pampered by her impulse to please her love. Bianca’s lips curled, and the dimples punctured more holes in her, deeper and more painful.

“I’m not lying, Court. Who even told you that?” Bianca asked, the undertone of chuckling still sewn in her voice. Courtney felt like heaving, but remained calm. She had no choice- how could she freak out after two years of no contact (especially in a situation where she wasn’t even wearing any trousers)?!

“Alaska, and Bob…even Chi Chi said she suspected something-”

“Why the flying fuck would you believe Bob and Chi Chi?! Those two have the biggest mouths around! Alaska I don’t fucking know what her damage was, but I can assure you…Never listen to Bob and Chi Chi.”

Bianca’s smile use to bring such comfort to Courtney. Now she just wanted to throw up.

“Well, what about Detox? She came to the studio when I first started working there. She told me you had your eyes on someone else?”

Bianca sighed, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. This was the conversation they should have had so long ago. 2015, pigtail, crop top obsessed Courtney. Flared jeans, brown hair Bianca, trying to contain the fireworks off entering adulthood, both separately and together.. This was a conversation that was well overdue.

“Detox is an asshole.”

“Because she told me the truth?”

“No. Because we had a huge fight when we were drunk. She visited me in Chicago and I wouldn’t let her sleep with my friend…” Bianca pinched the top of her nose before letting out a drawn out groan. “My friend Adore had just gotten out of a pretty serious relationship and she was going a little off the rails. Detox wanted to sleep with her and I called her an inflatable fuck buddy-”

“Bianca!” Courtney playfully slapped her, giggling nevertheless. Bianca faked being shocked, holding her arm as if she was in agonising pain, and then they laughed in sync.

What a sound, the harmonies of their happiness.

“If she’s gonna pump silicone in her ass and tits, I’m going to mock her for it! Anyway, she was so drunk and accused me of keeping Adore all for myself. And so, I’m guessing, as soon as she got home she decided to tell you some bullshit as pay back for me preventing her from getting laid.”

“Hmm. Sounds a little contrived if you ask me.”

“Well that’s the God’s honest truth. You know Detox has a sneaky side. She’s all bark no bite.”

Courtney pursed her lips, eyes falling to her drink. It had stopped steaming at this point. She thought about their conversation, the implications it had, and the stupidity she felt.

“So you…you never slept with Adore? Or, anyone?” Courtney timidly asked, feeling the size of a mouse the second the question left her lips.

Bianca scoffs. “Of course not! For fuck sake, Courtney, I thought the sun shined out your ass I was so in love with you! How in the name of Bob Mackie could you even believe I would dare ruin what we had?”

“I mean…you did break up with me.”

“You were ignoring me!”

“Because I thought you were cheating on me-”

“Which I wasn’t!”

They stayed stuck on one anothers gaze, before bursting into laughter. Lovely, light laughter like soft violins or flutes, floating through the air, singing along to the tunes of morning birds. Bianca rubbed her temples, being the first to stop laughing. Courtney still did the cute snort when she laughed- the one she despised, that Bianca always adored.

Honestly, Bianca did have fleeting feelings from time to time of great saudade. There was no English word to do it justice, the empty space left when they broke up, with the attempt to fill it with passing flirty gestures and sheets stained with faked moans. There was the occasional nights, when the moon was full or a star finally burnt out, that she remembered how she use to be a beatific vision when in the company of her love.

When she stopped laughing, their eyes met under a whole new context. It was strong and overwhelming, like a tornado. They felt sucked into the power of this feeling. Bianca now knew that Courtney worked at a studio, that she at least had a reasonable excuse to have been a bitch all those years ago, and she still possessed the easy-to-read hunger in the corner of her eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Bianca whispered, afraid to scare the moment.

“I’m sorry too.” Courtney whispered back, even quieter.

Bianca caught Courtney’s gaze flicker between her eyes and her lips. Usually she wore red lipstick- she cursed herself for not wearing red lipstick, it was always a winner, but it seemed the shade still had an effect on Courtney. Still staring, lustfully, her thin, pink lips slightly parted so Bianca could see the pearly sparkle of her front teeth.

God I missed those teeth.

What a strange thought? Bianca didn’t pounder on it for too long though, because soon she was reminiscing on all the things she missed; the freckle between Courtney’s collarbone; the light scar that defined when her frown lines rose; the bruise on her right knee that seemed to always return unbeknown to how it got there. Looking into Courtney’s eyes, Bianca was reminded of all the wonderful memories they shared together before the great storm-

“Shit.” She pounced from her seat, making Courtney jump, and she ran to the window. The weather had let up, and now it was only mizzling, a pathetic excuse for dampening the streets. “The storm’s stopped. Well, that’s…” she turned back to face Courtney, scratching the back of her neck. “Good.”

Courtney forced a smile. She unwrapped the towel from her hair and got up to rest it on a radiator. “Yeah, that’s great.” She combed through the wet strands of her hair, wincing as she caught a knot, before throwing it all back and looking at the other girl. “I’ll go put on my dress and uh, get out of your way-”

“Wait, Court.” Bianca interrupted, overly eager, rushing toward Courtney. They stood a few centimeters apart, not enough to lean forward and kiss, but enough to feel the wires connecting them tense. “There’s no rush. I mean,” She shrugged, “it’s been so long, you and I. We have a lot of catching up to do. Don’t you…” Bianca’s breath fell from her, the nerves rattling her bones. “Don’t you think?”

Only fools rush in, wise men recite, like a grand law. Yet, Courtney couldn’t help it. She was undeniably drawn to the magnetic force that ran through Bianca’s blood. Only fools rush in, wise men warn, but what other tragedies could fall upon Courtney when she’d already lost Bianca once? She looks into the other girls eyes, and all the anger she’d stored up from two years ago melts away beneath her feet, and she’s filled with a fizzling warmth instead, intimate and dear like how it once was.

Maybe it was stupid, but when her gut was telling her the same thing it was when she was barely 17 at Bianca’s birthday, she knew to listen. In a sudden spur of the moment, Courtney grabs Bianca by the scuff of her cardigan and kisses her, deep and passionately.

Her lips are still the same. Pillowy, smooth, and the best damn sensation a person could feel on their own. Courtney doesn’t let go of her cardigan in fear of falling through the floorboards, losing this feeling to the adrenaline. She wants this to be the kiss that repairs the scars on her heart- the kiss that transforms the apartment into the darkest corners of the galaxy, soaring through the stars trying to capture the beauty of light. She opens her mouth just enough, to seem sensual, and keeps kissing her like there was never a two year silence between them.

Bianca relaxes, and smiles against her lips. She links her arms around Courtney’s waist, and the dent of her back is so cold where her hands have been gone so long. Courtney’s lips still taste like cherries. What working girl in her fucking 20s wears flavoured lip gloss? She thinks, though never complains. It was like sleeping in a bed you haven’t been in for weeks - all too familiar, and cozy, but strangely surreal. Her tongue slips past Courtney’s lips, and she lets loose a low moan, pulling the girl into her more as if there was any space left between them. Courtney’s body melted against Bianca’s, and she was lost for power in the situation, completely surrendering to the will of Bianca’s lust.

She pulled away, for just a minute. Courtney whimpers, resting her forehead against Bianca’s, panting. The world around them has been put on mute, and the picture is but dark static. They are the only colour in the room. They exudes the importance of second chances, as their hearts beat in sync, racing to make up for lost time.

“You agree then? We have a lot of catching up to do.” Bianca said, kissing Courtney on the tip of her nose. Courtney blushed, biting her lip and letting a content sigh escape.

“Is this weird? It feels so normal but, it’s weird, isn’t it?”

“Maybe a little, but who fucking cares. I’m fine with weird if you are.”

“Oh definitely, without a doubt! I’ve always been fine with weird, from the very second you threw that dodgeball at my face…to the time you coincidentally drove through my neighbourhood and picked me up in the pouring rain.”

Bianca snickered. “I certainly know how to charm ‘em, don’t I?” She pulled one of her hands around from Courtney’s back and tickled under her chin, guiding her back to her lips. Hungry with the desire to never end, a kiss that left them breathless with such simplicity. They both smiled against the others lips.

“I don’t even know why you’re back in New York, and here we are kissing in your living room.” Courtney purred, resting her full weight on Bianca so she was forced to sit on the edge of the sofa.

“I finished college. It was a compressed course, remember. I could have stayed on but me and Sasha were done, too much to deal with.” Bianca flicked the earring dangling from Courtney’s ear, making her flinch and jerk her shoulder to hide her ear. “How about you, big spender? Where are all the expensive brands coming from?”

Courtney clicked her tongue. She was thrilled to be in Bianca’s arms- even if an hour ago this was the furthest thing from her list of known desires, but she knew not to reveal everything to fast. Once a secret is out there, it’s no longer a secret. She had to keep some parts of her life a mystery.

For now.

“Maybe I’m just so good at my job, they over pay me!”

“At an internship?”

“I’m not interning anymore, I’m the real deal! I mix records, I sit in on the production for radio stations…I, Bianca Del Rio, am a real working woman. I’m even working on an EP.”

“You are?”

“Sure am. I already have a single, so an EP is the next step. I don’t know, I just got lucky with money I suppose.” Courtney put her arms around Bianca’s neck, playing with the strands of hair that fell at her back. “That’s not important right now.” She bit her lip, eyes fallen dark and the black blown wide with lust. “We should really talk about whatever this is we’re starting.”

Bianca takes a deep breath through her nose, and lightly pushes Courtney off her. It all feels surreal, even kind of overwhelming now that she’s not swimming in Courtney’s perfume, distracted. “We did sort of jump the gun there, didn’t we?”

Courtney’s smile fades. She feels her nerves stiffen, watching the strangely despondent expression on her face, and she tries to recoil the sudden thrill of a moments ambitions, rather than let her imagination run wild like when she was a teenager. She puts her arms down by her side, and scrunches her hand in a ball, pinching her palms. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“No. No I guess not. We never exactly did things conventionally anyway, did we? I mean, remember our senior leavers do, and you wore the pin stripe suit, when all our friends thought I’d wear one-”

“Oh my God yes! And you wore the bubble gum pink dress! You were so cute.”

“And very out of my comfort zone, but I would have done anything to make you happy.” Bianca smirks, taking Courtney’s hand. “So…you and me against the world, part two?”

Courtney could count on one hand all the moments in her life she felt this ecstatic. The release party for her single, when her parents renewed their vows, and the first time her and Bianca said I love you to each other. Truly happy moments, where she was left a little breathless and dizzy, but drugged up on the thrill of that moment. She couldn’t let this slip away, no matter how unexpected.

She squeezes Bianca’s hand, cheeks practically burning at the pain of her stretched smile. “And to think I had a date tonight.”

Bianca raises her brow. “Well, that’s an interesting way to say yes, but I’ll take it.”

#bitney #zeezee #lesbian au #bianca del rio #courtney act #rpdr fanfiction

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reeltalker · 7 years

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As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and its spin-off television shows) grows, the number of actors being cast also increases exponentially. Not only do we start to see more cross-over between actors who’ve worked together before (Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, for example, have worked together almost a dozen times now), we’re starting to see a great deal of influence from other large bodies of work. Now, with Thor: Ragnarok right around the corner, we’re noticing a recurring trend – there are quite a few cast members from Peter Jackson’s imaginings of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies making an appearance in this world of superheroes! Some are fairly obvious, but digging through the two extended universes, it’s actually pretty interesting just how much crossover there is.

Richard Armitage

Thorin Oakenshield – The Hobbit Trilogy

Heinz Kruger – Captain America: The First Avenger

Armitage struck a reasonably recognizable figure as the Dwarf king Thorin in Jackson’s foray into the prequel series The Hobbit, as he should’ve. But when you strip away the medieval clothes and massive dwarf beard, you realize you’ve actually seen Armitage before – as a Nazi in the first appearance of Captain America. Heinz Kruger was the Nazi spy that used a bomb to blow up the super-soldier presentation, stole a vial of the serum (that was thankfully destroyed), and killed Dr. Erksine. Though his MCU appearance was a small one, it was pivotal in Captain America’s journey, and most of us didn’t even make the connection to the King Under the Mountain.

Sala Baker

Sauron / Orc / Uruk – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Extremis Soldier – Iron Man 3 / King – Iron Fist S1.E5

Now this was an appearance I can almost guarantee you didn’t recognize. Though the voice of the Ring throughout the series was played by different actors, Sauron’s flashback appearance in The Fellowship of the Ring was handled by Baker, who was then invited back as an orc for The Two Towers (the one who sniffed and said “Man-Flesh!”), and then as an Uruk in The Return of the King. Afterwards he played an adversary of Tony Stark as a soldier effected with Extremis, before getting a role with a name in the Netflix adaption of Iron Fist. So not only has he branched the two universes, he has played multiple roles within them.

Cate Blanchett

Galadriel – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy

Hela – Thor: Ragnarok

This Oscar winner has always brought a presence of strength and mystery to her roles, so it only makes sense that she makes a big impact on both universes. She was one of the few characters to perform in all six films in the Jackson franchises, which audiences loved because the elf queen Galadriel was both beautiful and a little terrifying. Now, in just a couple of weeks, Blanchett will step into the MCU as the first lead female villain, Hela, the goddess of death. She stands to be an adversary of Thor and Asgard, but who knows where that role will lead her as Infinity War looms ever closer?

Benedict Cumberbatch

Smaug / Necromancer – The Hobbit Trilogy

Dr. Stephen Strange / Dormammu – Doctor Strange, Thor: Ragnarok

Though Cumberbatch first drew attention for his appearance of Sherlock Holmes (a role once played by Tony Stark actor Robert Downey Jr.), it didn’t take him long to set foot in Jackson’s take on The Hobbit. Though his pivotal role was as the dragon Smaug, the foe of the dwarves, he also performed a voiceover role in the first film of the trilogy as the Necromancer who summoned the Nazgül back to “life”. He even went so far as to perform motion-capture for Smaug, though it was eventually discarded from the final cut. Then in 2016, Cumberbatch took a step into the MCU as surgeon-turned-magician Dr. Strange, wielder of the Eye of Agamotto (a coveted Infinity Stone), as well as providing the voice of his great foe Dormammu (though this is uncredited on IMDB, trivia confirms that Cumberbatch provided the voice). It has also lead to many jokes and petitions that when Tony Stark and Stephen Strange finally appear in a scene together, a Sherlock Holmes joke should be made.

Brad Dourif

Grima Wormtongue – The Two Towers, Return of the King (extended edition)

Thomas Nash – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., S1.E16

One of the favored performances of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was that of Grima Wormtongue, the twisted advisor to King Theodon that secretly worked for Saruman. He was slimy and everyone loved to hate him, especially when he got super creepy towards the king’s niece Eöwyn. That was not his only experience as a villain – he then went to ABC’s television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be hunted as the potential candidate for the Clairvoyant, a Hydra mole inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. Because Wormtongue was such an iconic look, it was hard to recognize him in regular clothes!

Martin Freeman

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War L to R: Agent 13/Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) Photo Credit: Zade Rosenthal © Marvel 2016

Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit Trilogy

Everett K. Ross – Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther

Freeman has developed a bit of a reputation as being eternally paired with Benedict Cumberbatch for projects, as the Dr. Watson to his Sherlock Holmes on Sherlock, and appearing in these two extended universes alongside Cumberbatch doesn’t help dispute the theory (even though in the MCU, the two have shared no scenes yet)! Freeman was chosen to portray Bilbo Baggins in his youth (after Ian Holm’s performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), on a journey with a group of dwarves as their burglar. Freeman stood out with his unique mannerisms and fun attitude, becoming a fan favorite even to those who were upset with the trilogy itself. In the MCU, Freeman cuts a different sort of figure – not only is he second character with the surname Ross (whether or not he’s related to Hulk opponent Thaddeus Ross has yet to be clarified in the films), but he seems to be an antagonist toward the Avengers. He appeared alongside Team Iron Man to promote the Sokovia Accords after Captain America’s group were captured with Bucky in Germany, and he seemed pretty happy to throw away the key on all of them. The magnitude of his role in Black Panther has yet to be determined.

Evangeline Lilly

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (2013) EVANGELINE LILLY

Tauriel – The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies

Hope van Dyne – Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp

As a rather athletic actress, Lilly has been taking extended universe roles as a rather badass fighter, so it makes sense that both her characters in these series’ can hold her own with warriors and superheroes. Lilly performed in one of the few female roles of the Hobbit trilogy as the female elf scout Tauriel. She eventually fell in love with one of the dwarves, but throughout the two films she appeared in, she spent a great deal of time fighting Orcs and giant spiders, proving her skills with a bow and knives. She then slipped into the role of a business woman who still knew how to throw a punch in Ant-Man as Hope van Dyne, the daughter of Hank Pym. She was a bit of an antagonist towards Scott Lang at the beginning, taking pleasure in showing him exactly how she punched, but by the end the two had gotten plenty close, and now she stands to be equal to him in a superhero suit of her own in the sequel film.

Lee Pace

Thranduil – The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five Armies

Ronan the Accuser – Guardians of the Galaxy

Pace is one of the only actors to have appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy segment of the MCU as well as the Jackson-verse, going from something between an anti-hero and antagonist to a full-blown villain. His performance as Thranduil in the Hobbit films was an interesting one, as his elven king was both a hinderance to the dwarf quest and yet he was not necessarily out to murder them like the Orcs. He was also the father of Legolas, who played a pivotal role in the Lord of the Rings series. Pace’s appearance of Ronan was far darker, however, as an alien with a vendetta against an entire planet and an Infinity Stone in his grasp. He threatened to destroy entire planets in his rage, and was only stopped by a dance-off. Sort of.

Andy Serkis

Gollum / Smeagol – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Ulysses Klaue – Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther

Serkis is the king of motion-capture performance, though he surprisingly does none in the MCU (where you would expect they’d need a bunch). One of his best performances to date is as the deformed Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as both an antagonist and protagonist, helping and hurting Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mount Doom. His creepy snarls and creeping stance was left beyond as he traversed into the MCU as weapons dealer Klaue, a former associate of Stark Enterprises that was approached by Ultron for a deal on vibranium. It has also been established that he is the only dealer to get in and out of the mysterious Wakanda on a regular basis, perhaps hinting at more screen time in the upcoming Black Panther.

Liv Tyler

Arwen – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Ross – The Incredible Hulk

Tyler’s angelic face and sweet voice provides her with a great aptitude for the love interest, and her two appearances in extended universes reflect that. In one, she is the daughter of the elf lord Elrond, linked to the future king of Gondor Aragorn. Her visions of the future help to lead him down the path to reclaiming his throne, and her elf magic also helped to save Frodo after his encounter with the Nazgül. Then she moved on to become a biologist and become romantically involved with the nuclear physicist Bruce Banner. Though The Incredible Hulk is one of the films that the MCU crowd tends to ignore (even if it’s not the worst Hulk film), Tyler’s performance was still an important one to the development of Banner and, consequently, the Hulk.

Karl Urban

Eömer – The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Skurge – Thor: Ragnarok

Karl Urban has actually branched into three extended universes (if you include the rebooted Star Trek films), but his newest “trek” is into the MCU as the Asgardian warrior Skurge. He is a character playing two sides, trying to keep Hela from destroying him alongside Asgard, but he still cuts a frightening figure, so who knows what he’s really after? This is coming after Urban’s experience as the horse lord Eömer, nephew to the king and leader of the army of Rohan. At the very least, Urban’s got experience with all of the medieval weapons that a warrior of Asgard would be working with.

Hugo Weaving

Lord Elrond – The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Unexpected Journey, The Battle of the Five Armies

Johann Schmidt / The Red Skull – Captain America: The First Avenger

Weaving is only one movie short of appearing just as many Jackson films as his costar (and according to Lord of the Rings lore, mother-in-law) Cate Blanchett. The two have, however, starred in the same amount of MCU films, both as villains no less. Weaving took the role of the elf Lord Elrond, father of Liv Tyler’s character Arwen, in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He also appeared in two films of the prequel series, The Hobbit, to continue world-building Middle Earth. He was presented as a wise and fair character, though maybe a little disheartened by everything he’d seen in the world, and more than ready to head to the undying lands. In the Marvel Universe, on the other hand, Weaving played the man who would become Captain America’s greatest foe – The Red Skull, leader of Nazi offshoot Hydra, determined to wield the power of the Tesseract himself and become a perfect being. His character was greatly unstable, but there are speculations that, because of the Tesseract’s ability to open portals into space, we may not have seen the last of him.

David Wenham

Faramir – The Two Towers, The Return of the King

Harold Meachum – Iron Fist

Another character who made a wild transition from franchise to franchise is Wenham, whose character in the MCU is extremely different from his Middle Earth appearance. In Middle Earth, Wenham appears as Faramir, the second son of the steward of Gondor who has grown up in the shadow of his brother, as he is the more bookish of the two and less of a warrior. He does have a great strength of character, however, as he is able to push out the influence of The Ring. When he appears in the MCU, however, that strength of character didn’t come with him. The series Iron Fist brings out his inner demon as Harold Meachum, the ruthless business partner of Danny Rand’s father, brought back to life by The Hand, and willing to do anything to protect what he believes is his, no matter who gets in his way. It is actually very funny how much he acts like Denethor, as though the influence of his deranged father followed him across the universes.

Mystical in Marvel: The Lord of the Rings Crossover As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and its spin-off television shows) grows, the number of actors being cast also increases exponentially.

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