waitingx2xdie

[waitingx2xdie]

There was no transparency here with Kat. In truth? The only one who was still BLIND to her actions was Kat herself. An opaque, oblique sense of UNRECOGNISABILITY of oneself. She’d never been the JEALOUS type, let alone the CONTROLLING type. At least not in relationships…Yes, she was guilty of being envious, even sabotaging at times, those who got promotions and contracts over her in the workplace. YES, she was a notorious control freak in handling said contracts and wouldn’t allow anyone but her trusted few colleagues to help her execute said contracts for fear of them FUCKING IT UP. But when it came to her relationships? Hell, Kat wouldn’t even say she HAD relationships… Typically she bounced between one-night stands and casual hookups, never staying in the same place long enough for the guy to catch feelings and become a JEALOUS PSYCHOFREAK. (Kinda like she was right now.) She’d always believed staying in one place would hurt her career. That if she gave her time to anyone beyond herself and her father, then… Then she wouldn’t ever BECOME the person she WANTED to be. So now? Now with her finally breathing, letting down her walls, letting someone else IN… She’d grown complacent. DEPENDENT. There was a comfort to the consistency of always having someone to come home to… She’d thought Nora had shared in that comfort… But, recent conflicts had reminded Kat that people weren’t just cardboard cutouts. They weren’t mere HOLLOW PUPPETS preprogrammed with individual talent and motivation. They had needs. HUMAN NEEDS. The very kind of needs Kat had numbed herself to over the year as she chased her father’s pride, love, and acceptance… And Nora’s needs weren’t being met… So she’d been seeking comfort ELSEWHERE… From another woman, who wasn’t so shit-scared of commitment that she could ACTUALLY give Nora the attention she desired… Finding out had flipped a switch in Kat Jennings. Gone was the passive, submissive, complacent, ever-cautious woman who was happy enjoying the status quo. And in her place? …Kat Jennings didn’t know anymore…

The second Nora had announced that she was heading down to the Skyline Cafe to pay Darcy a visit, something broiled and burst, like a VOLCANIC ERUPTION within Kat Jennings. She wasn’t ENTIRELY SURE what her plan was, but she’d grown weary, tired, sick, of simply ignoring her OWN NEEDS and putting off the personal touches in favor of the professional chase. And so… Kat Jennings had let her true nature take its course. A quick call into work had bought her all the time she NEEDED to, well… To do what she’d never done… To do what she should have done long, long ago… FOLLOW HER HEART. She announced, with no room to argue, that she, too, was going to head to the diner with Nora, and meet this Darcy Blake, and see for herself exactly HOW Nora & Darcy interacted. She… Hadn’t planned for EMILY to join them. And had she taken a few moments to CONSIDER the logical domino effect of her announcement, she would have known that Emily was ALWAYS going to tag along, too. Never one to be left in the dark. Or out in the cold. Kat had no complaints or qualms. For once, Emily Turner was NOT the woman Kat feared most. And as the saying went… THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY… They’d arrived at the cafe in short order, and almost immediately, Kat was NOT impressed. Brow raised, gaze turning to judge Nora the second they saw Darcy DRAPED over the count like some pin-up girl. “She always like this?” She whispered, giving Nora a little NUDGE of an elbow, before appending one last add-on. “...Hon?” Was it a good or bad thing she’d NEVER heard Nora call HER that? Because if ‘Hon’ had been a pet name given to students and everyday peers, then she had NOTHING to worry about. But, if it was a nickname SPECIFIC to Darcy… Then… Then they’d have problems. 

“I’ll take my usual. And a slice of your… A slice of cherry pie.” Ears pricked up at that. Kat was on alert tonight, analyzing every single glance and move and word that came from Nora. That little CORRECTION… “I’ll have a slice, too.” Yes, she was going to test it for herself, see how good it really was. Small smile as Nora agreed to the NO FLIRTING RULE, and she hooked her own arm around Nora’s. Nothing too EXPLICITLY ROMANTIC, because then she’d probably be breaking her own rules and PISS NORA OFF. But hopefully just enough to make Darcy UNCOMFORTABLE. With that, she let her heckles down and followed Nora & Emily to their booth, still hooked their arms together until they reached the table where--... “Hm? What are you--” And then Emily got SHOVED into the booth. “Oh…” Distant numbness. So used to Emily’s bullshit. DESENSITIZED was the word. She took her seat, sliding in and leaning over to whisper-shout to Emily. “Do you have ANY shame?” Eyes turned to Nora and she took a second to glance around the diner, spying a JUKEBOX against the wall and a small TV bracketed in the corner behind them. But that was NOTHING compared to the view right in front of her. Heart beginning to pick up its pace, she smiled across to the other. Thankful or flirtatious? BOTH? Both. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.” Legs crossed, the toe of her heel brushing affectionately along Nora’s calf. “I’m paying, by the way.”

For Emily, she had little choice BUT to be a PASSIVE OBSERVER. Identified as Nora’s baby sister, she couldn’t play things off like a JEALOUS GIRLFRIEND to random strangers. For once, she appreciated having Kat around. The call for NO FLIRTATION and the way both Darcy fixed her presentation AND Nora glared Darcy a warning that said, ‘fuck this up, and I’m ripping you a new one’ felt… NICE. …SAFE… “Yeah, sorry, once we heard she was paying you a visit, we just HAD to come and meet her new friend and find out for ourselves if your coffee and food matched your reputation.” A glance at the DOUCHEBAG CLICHES in the booth next to the one Nora had said they’d take and she turned confused, furrowed brow over to her. “Next to the greasy Jheri curl losers?” Even Darcy seemed a little CONFUSED by that particular request. “Whatever you say, mom.” Having placed her order, she matched Kat’s affection with an arm around her sister’s shoulder, just close enough to WHISPER her sweet little nothings in her ear. She SNORTED in amusement at the older woman’s reaction; PROTESTS. “Whatever you say~...” She repeated again, with a more teasing droll to her-- “Hhuurrkk!!” And then she got SHOVED into the booth, drawing the attention of the guys with an ‘ohhh’ as greasy as their hair. “Okay, okay, point made.” She brushed herself down, fixing her seat and checking her curls, just in time for Kat to… 

“Do you have ANY shame?” Roll of her eyes and she whispered back. “More than you know…” But that wouldn’t stop her from just ROLLING OVER & DYING. If she didn’t believe in the love she had for her big sister, then how was Nora ever going to gain faith and start to believe in them, too? “Good place. Bad locals.” Head turned to glance over at the counter where Darcy was not chatting to the other girl on staff. “Like I said, I can see why you come here. Glance between the two sisters. NO, she was not going to stop pushing this narrative. “We’ll see about this coffee and that pie.” Glance across to Kat and she snorted. “Good, cuz I got nothin’ on me.” SHE NEVER DID. Emily only sought financial stability and reliability for the sake of Nora. She’d been a jobless problem child, bouncing between firings at 24 years of age before Eric’s death. It had ONLY been for Nora & Tim’s sake that she’d finally dedicated herself to a single job. And she’d LOST that job in the last four months with Nora cutting her off. Started acting out, picking fights, showing up late, drunk, the usual. Was like all that MATURITY from the last four years had regressed even quicker than it had come. In case it wasn’t aware to anyone: Emily Turner did NOT, I repeat, did NOT care about herself. “So you try anything else here or do you only come for…” Nod to Darcy. “Her. Cherry pie?” Yes, she’d noticed Nora CORRECTING her little Freudian slip, too.

For Darcy… Kat wasn’t being as SUBTLE as she probably wanted to believe. Or maybe that was the entire POINT of it? Maybe she was WANTING Darcy to read the room. To feel the threat posed and implied by Kat to BACK THE FUCK DOWN & STAY OUT OF HER TERRITORY. Proven by the way she aggressively HOOKED Nora’s arm as if to leave her own MARK and tell Darcy that SHE was HERS. There was just one problem with that… Nora had already discarded the idea that she was WITH SOMEONE ELSE. Which meant Nora was FAR GAME and she wasn’t about to let THIS BITCH scare her away. Nora sending her a warning glance to tell her to BEHAVE was a warning she was going to take heed of and command she was going to OBEY, however. “Thanks, I, wasn’t expecting to see you with…” Glance over Kat & Emily. “Friends.” A heads up would have been appreciated, before she proceeded to HUMILIATE HERSELF & make herself look like an absolute WHORE in front of two women whose respect and acceptance she ABSOLUTELY was going to need if she was gonna have ANY CHANCE of pursuing anything real with the older woman. “Loud and clear, darlin’.” Yes, she’d plucked that right out of thin air. How Nora would react? She had no clue. But if ‘innocent pet names’ were the only means of them Chinese whispering real affection toward each other tonight, well… “One, uhh… two slices of cherry pie coming plus one apple pie coming RIGHT UP.”

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Feet were itching to run as her heart propelled her back toward the counter after having seated Nora and company. Cheryl was waiting and IMMEDIATELY moved to comfort her. ‘Whoa. That’s rough. And not the fun kind…’ Darcy’s eyes fluttered shut and she let out a strained exhale. “Kill me now.” Nervous swallow. ‘You need me to take this one?’ Cheryl’s brow raised and Darcy glanced across as Nora shoved Emily into the seat and sat DIRECTLY OPPOSITE her friend. How very convenient. She shook her head. “No. No. I got this. Homegirl’s got this.” Yes, she just called herself HOMEGIRL. Cheryl snorted and smiled before gesturing for her to go right ahead. …If only Darcy had seen the way Cheryl’s smile DROPPED as soon as she turned away to prepare the slices of pie. Within a few minutes, she’d cut and prepped three slices of pie and three coffees, carefully balancing the three plates on her left arm and slotting the coffees into a little tray, she headed on over with all the finesse of, well, of a woman who had been doing this job WAY TOO FUCKING LONG. “Hey!! So, Caffe macchiato with extra sweeter and creamer for Nora, Americano Grande no milk, no cream with extra sweetener for Kat, and last but not least, one caramel latte regular for Emily.” Next, she quickly divvied up the pie, notably handing Nora a BIGGER SLICE than Kat & Emily. “That’ll be 28.65. Is there anything else I can get you girls?” Hand intentionally reached to MASSAGE at Nora’s shoulder. 

‘Hey, I got a question.’ Piped-up SCOTTIE PERKINS. Darcy sent Nora a knowing glance and roll of her eyes. “What can I getcha, Scottie?” He nodded toward Cheryl. ‘Not you. I’m just wondering when Cheryl’s gon’ come serve me a slice of that cherry pie.’ Darcy let out an EXHAUSTED SIGH. “Don’t you have ANYTHING better to do?” Scottie snorted. ‘And miss this trainwreck?’ Whatever. He really WAS a LOST CAUSE. “I’ll send her over…” Words were SURRENDERING. What Scottie wanted, Scottie got. Dale’s policy. An apologetic glance over her shoulder toward Cheryl who motioned beneath Nora’s table. Darcy took a step back over to the OTHER BOOTH, notably sneaking a few inches back, eyes glancing down to peer just beneath the table where the toe of Kat’s heel was VERY CLEARLY playing along Nora’s calf. JAW LOCKED. HEART FROZE. “Are you sure you don’t want a different booth? We got a quiet one over there.” A nod toward the Jukebox. Seriously, why HAD Nora chosen THIS fucking booth? Was she TRYING to scare Darcy away? SHE DIDN’T KNOW.

THIS HADN'T BEEN HER BRIGHT IDEA ─ They could all blame Kat Jennings for the awkward weight suffocating them. She'd told her that she was going to go & see Darcy tonight. An attempt at being OPEN & HONEST, like the other had insisted she be. What Nora hadn't expected was for the brunette to go so far as to call into work, & tell them she was gonna be a couple hours late to the office, just so she could TAG ALONG & meet her new friend. Maybe she should have shot Darcy a text, telling her that plans had changed, & that her roommate & sister were coming along. Easier said than done with two girls WATCHING HER LIKE HAWKS. If they saw her messaging someone, they'd ask what she was saying. & In the nature of being transparent, Nora would have to tell them, which would just make her look MORE GUILTY & SUSPICIOUS. Like she was warning the young waitress to be on her best behavior. (which is precisely what she would have been doing) Brows shot up, lips quirking into a smile, & an amused chuckle passing them, "Careful not to choke, hon." Not a good choice of words, but there was no romantic intent behind it. As a mother & a teacher, she used pet names like that on a regular basis. "That's right. They insisted on coming along." Hazels subconsciously dropped to that lollipop as tongue clacked it against teeth. Her own swept across lips, before she offered an uncomfortable smile & turned to look at Kat & Emily. The two were introducing themselves. Well, Emily was introducing them. Kat looked tense & ready to BURST A BLOOD VESSEL. (or strangle someone) "I'll take my usual." One caffe macchiato with extra sweetener & cream. "And a slice of your..." Awkward pause, "A slice of cherry pie." She HAD TO, right? If she suddenly didn't order it, it would look worse than if she did.

COLD BLACK PITS caught her own, & heart leapt into larynx. Despite her size, Kat could be a very intimidating woman. "No flirting." She agreed, tossing a look at Darcy that told her to BEHAVE. A small nod, "Yeah, a booth sounds nice." When Nora came here on her own, she NEVER took the booth. She always chose to sit at the counter where she could easily talk to Darcy. But, a booth would be SAFE. She just needed to get through this evening & convince the others that they had nothing to worry about. "We'll take the one by the window." Next to the assholes who always harassed the staff. "You want anything, Em?"

After ordering, she turned on the heels of leather boots & raised an arm to signify that they should all take a seat at the booth. Before they could sit down, Emily had whispered something CRUDE & SUGGESTIVE into her ear. Hot breath rushing across skin, she shivered, "Y-Yeah, that's her." She didn't honestly know how to respond. The implications were GLARING. Her sister was pointing out that she had a thing for blondes... Which Emily very much WAS a blonde, & Kat very much WASN'T. "It has nothing to do with... That." She let out a sigh, giving her sister a small shove into the booth, (with a bit more force than was necessary), before taking a seat next to her. Across from Kat. "It's a nice little diner, huh?" Was she helping or hurting the situation with her attempt at small talk?

[waitingx2xdie]

"I'm not hiding anything from you." Words felt HOLLOW in the wake of the messages Kat had seen on that phone. Made her question EVERYTHING. Perhaps she had no right to be upset. That much was true. They were not together. They had shared no such intimate conversation. Rather, Kat had AVOIDED those conversations at all costs… But they were moments. And there were memories. Had those meant NOTHING? Was Kat so foolish to believe that maybe, just maybe, they’d both been happy sharing in their quiet comforts together? Had she been FOOLING HERSELF that unspoken as it may have been, these feelings did not, in fact, go BOTH WAYS? “I would have liked to know that there was someone else…” Voice was drained of energy, tainted with pain. Crackling as she choked out the words. "Go on. Check the dates." Eyes glanced down at the phone. Did she WANT to see those dates? Could she BEAR to witness those messages? “And you didn’t flirt back?” Brow raised. An olive branch. A careful compromise, concession of trust. Kat wouldn’t look at those dates, and in turn, Nora had one more chance to be UP FRONT & HONEST with her; FORTHRIGHT. Follow-up deflection had her eyes narrowing in judgmental confusion. "What does her age have to do with anything?" She shook her head. “Are you kidding me? You’re telling me you WOULDN’T be more worried about Trent if he was an 18-year-old stud?” Question for question. Counter for counter. Things were TENSE. Seems they both had a lot of lines to draw in the sand. "So what? You're saying if I came home and TOLD YOU some twenty-year-old girl was trying to get in my panties, it would suddenly be OKAY?” 

Head bowed. That much was true… The lack of communication was but a SYMPTOM; COMORBID TO THE PROBLEM AT HAND. The real issue Kat was having was the very IDEA that a twenty-year-old girl was trying to get in Nora’s panties. And Nora was INVITING that attention upon herself. ENJOYING IT. She’d never once so considered that Nora would LOOK ELSEWHERE… That she WOULDN’T BE ENOUGH. “There never should’ve BEEN a twenty-year-old…” She spat as Nora called out to her, admonishing her control, as she shoved her in front of the mirror and FORCED HER to look at the evidence painted in her reflection. “Good…” She finally relented, releasing Nora from her grasp. “No. I’m not happy. Of course, it’s bad. We…” She hesitated, catching her words and avoiding Nora’s inquisitive gaze. “We both should’ve known better…” Another compromise. Was hard for Kat to admit when she was WRONG. Because she was never wrong, but she was wrong about this… She was wrong about Nora… She was wrong to assume… To… To take this for granted… She’d grown too comfortable in the security of their shared fears and doubts. The unknown of what EXACTLY they were while in turn each knowing that something WAS INDEED HERE. Kat supposed, she was the only one who truly knew… And Nora had given up on Kat ever acting on those feelings… So she’d… Gut twisted, ached, pain, she wanted to VOMIT and her hand slipped down to brush against her abs. FUCK IT HURT. "I'm still a human, Kat! I HAVE NEEDS." 

"I'm still a human, Kat! I HAVE NEEDS."

Those had been the words that had TRULY pushed Kat over the edge… It was like a demon had taken control of her, moving like a ghost through her body, and all of a sudden she had Nora pinned and their lips CRASHED & BRUISED. She groaned out and whimpered against those pretty purple lips. Those hands returned the lust, clutching at Kat’s hips as Kat CLUTCHED To those shoulders, eyes fluttering. “Mmmhh~~” Life of its own, one hand slid to press against the hot bare flesh of Nora’s chest, just above her heart as the other tangled into her hair. TUGGING FEROCIOUSLY as she held her close and kissed her deep, tongue BEGGING for access. If Nora had NEEDS then Kat needed Nora to know that didn’t want Nora to NEED ANYONE ELSE. For every need Nora had in life, Kat needed to be the one to be the one, THE ONLY ONE, capable, necessary, wanted, to fulfill them. If their current relationship wasn’t ENOUGH, then she’d give her more than she could take… Heavy breaths, gasps, she cursed softly against those lips, nails SCRAPING  across the bare flesh, tangling up in those curls. “Fuck…” She tasted so damn sweet. Hips bucks, crashing against Nora’s own losing herself in the sharp tear of those nails shoveling into her skin as Nora sunk teeth DEEP into her bottom lip, a sharp inhale, seethed through her teeth, a hard swallow. “I wanna be the only thing you need…” She breathed out before grabbing at the tie and holding her bathrobe together. With nary a thought given to whether she might just RIP IT OPEN, she pulled and reversed their positions, grinding her OWN spine against that mantle and pulling Nora ON TOP OF HER, gripping her hips in turn…

Flash freeze, freeze frame, static as the knife DUG into her spine, severing the chords on its way through to her heart. Tunnel vision, bleary-eyed and hazy. No breath, caught in her throat, burning, suffocating, lungs aflame. Aches in her heart, her lungs, her bones, her skull. Sharp, piercing, like a drill, lobotomy, leucotomy, digging into her brain and prying out the last of her ability to cope. Everywhere and all at once, for all time. With no end in sight. “Should've known it was you." Words replayed in her brain. All the bitterness and scorn. The way she had cowered. “I’m-- I’m sorry… I… I never--... I just… I saw it as I went to grab the remote and…” She’d offered no further justification at the time. And instead just TOOK the cheap shots and scathing remarks. “That's right. I'm not dating either of you and I don't need to tell you every time some girl flirts with me." She was right. OF COURSE she was right. SHE WAS ALWAYS. RIGHT. “You’re right. You’re right, I… I don’t know what came over me…” Hard swallow, anxiety building. “You don’t owe us anything…” Finally she said something RIGHT. Something that spoke to her big sis and helped ease the storm crashing through her heart like one of those Hurricanes that would tear through Florida. “Yeah... We should all calm down... Take a break and recoup..." Now if only THAT had been what happened… Maybe Emily would still be okay…

Chill shuddered up her spine, an ice-cold grasp curling around her heart; CRUSHING IT BENEATH HER RIBCAGE. For those few seconds of complete paralytic shock, she could do nothing but watch as Kat shoved her sister up against the fireplace and shoved that tongue down her throat. Seeing her sister RESPOND WITH APLOMB only further crippled her with sheer agony. “S-Sis… K-K-Kat…” The moans drowned her out and she began to tremble, backing up against the wall, fading against it like a DYING CHAMELEON. “G-Guys…” Hard swallow, tears welling up, vision only blurring further, breath starting to pick up into a PANICKED FEVER. “Nora!” She called out again, slipping down the wall and hugging her knees to her chest, burying her face in her hand, pressing her eyeballs into her own flesh hoping to blind it away only to find her ears FIXATING IN, unable to deafen out the moans and groans of her sister’s UNQUESTIONABLE LUST. Palms plugged at her ears, and she shook. “Nora!!” Again she called out. “Nora!!” And then… Then came what happened next… In a blur of vision and unsteady movements, Emily scrambled to her feet and dashed across the room, wrapping her arms around Nora’s waist and pulling at her, yanking her away from Kat. “NORA!!” The two collapsed down on the couch where she looked up with teary eyes. SNIFFLE. SNIFFLE. Despite her sniffling, she was glaring a hole through her sister’s skull. 

"I'm not hiding anything from you." Voice rose, BREAKING under the stress of the situation. She'd never been in a love triangle before. (or was it a love square?) Being a mother & teacher had mentally prepared her for dealing with tantrums, but it hadn't prepared her for dealing with THIS . Kat might have been acting like a child, but she wasn't one. She was a grown woman struggling with confusing emotions ─ Same emotions they were BOTH struggling with. & IT BROKE HER HEART seeing her in such a state. But, what was she supposed to do? Roll over & take the verbal punches? Let Kat walk all over her because she LOVED HER . ( wait loved her? ) No. Nora REFUSED to be in that type of a relationship. If the brunette wanted to stake claim, she needed to commit. It was only FAIR . "Go on. Check the dates." If she needed proof, she had it right there in the palm of her hand. (of course, she also had proof that nora had reciprocated the flirtation) "What does her age have to do with anything?" Reflexes had her uncrossing arms to catch the phone as it was tossed in her direction, though she had no intention of actually going through the thing. Not that she 'd even know how. Kat's phone was far more advanced than her own. "So what? You're saying if I came home and TOLD YOU some twenty year old girl was trying to get in my panties, it would suddenly be OKAY? " They both knew that was a crock of shit. There was no winning here. Kat was allowed to have a boyfriend she was seeing, but Nora couldn't innocently flirt with someone. Talk about hypocritical.

" KAT! " ─ Scolding tone as the other gripped at her shoulders & turned her toward the mirror, forcing her to look at her own reflection. Skin only further ignited. Painting her as red as a tomato. She'd never been SO HUMILIATED . "Okay, okay! I get it! You've made your point!" Frustrated groan as she set Kat's phone on top of the mantle. Digits dragging through hair, head falling back, "You're right. I'm not stupid. I know she was flirting with me. Happy?" Didn't take a rocket-scientist to figure it out. Darcy had been blatantly obvious. Even aggressive. "And yeah, maybe I let her. Maybe it made me feel good. Is that such a bad thing?" This reminded her of the first, & only time she tried to date a guy after Eric passed away. Tim had shouted at her, called her names, & locked himself in his room. Insisting she NEVER loved his dad. Was it her job to remain miserable & unloved until the day she died? "I'm still a human, Kat! I HAVE NEEDS ." God. She really didn't wanna have this conversation right in front of her baby sister. Girl was having a mental breakdown...

Incredulous scoff, "Should've known it was you." Sounded more bitter than intended. She really didn't want to take this out on Emily. But, could anyone really BLAME HER? ─ She'd been in the shower a total of twenty-three minutes, & in that time her sister had managed to snoop through her private belongings & show Kat. Intentionally getting her all riled up. Couldn't she learn to keep her nose out of her business? WAS THAT SO DIFFICULT? " That's right. I'm not dating either of you and I don't need to tell you every time some girl flirts with me." As if that happened frequently. Lids fluttered & she let out a heavy sigh, fingers rubbing circles into her temple. She could feel the start of a migraine BURNING BEHIND EYES . Emily, the voice of reason? You couldn't have paid her to believe it. But, for once, her sister had a good head on her shoulders. So, Nora breathed. In & out. In & out. Trying her damnedest to calm her RAGING HEART . "Yeah... We should all calm down... Take a break and recoup..."

'I don't like the idea of ​​anyone else… Y'know… With you…'

One more deep breath in through the mouth & out through the nose. Just as she'd taught Tim for when anxiety got to be too much for him. Heavy lids lifted, concerned hazels snapping to Kat as she heard the HEARTACHE in her voice, followed by SOFT SNIFFLING . Was she crying...? Guilt hit her like a freight train, all anger washing away, replaced with concern. POOR THING was trembling. Had she been too hard on her? "Kat..." Whispered softly under her breath, she chewed at bottom lip, taking a step toward ─ THUD & CRASH . Before she could comfort the other, shoulder-blades slammed into the mantle, spine smacking oak. Pain shot through bones, but it wasn't the unwelcome kind of pain... No, it was very, VERY welcome. "Mmngh...!" Loud groan into the shorter woman's bruising mouth, hands moving to clutch at those hips, holding her in place. V of the bathrobe further opening. Exposing the top of her breasts to the room. Were her nipples showing? God, she hoped not. Her sister was still in the room. (as if her sister hadn't had her lips wrapped around one of them the other night...) Eyes shutting, she lost herself in the throes of passion. Nails digging into Kat's hips, pulling her body closer. Matching her aggression. She'd spent too many nights DREAMING of this, to let it slip through her fingers. Teeth toyed with the other's bottom lip. SINKING DEEP & RIPPING AT IT. Was a good thing emotions were so high. She didn't second-guess herself. Just did what FELT RIGHT.

[waitingx2xdie]

xnoraxcarpenterx asked: thread where kat & em meet darcy for first time

Darcy hadn’t exactly been PREPARED for Nora to walk through those glass double doors with COMPANY in tow. She’d expected the older woman, and was currently at the register, leaning over PLAYFULLY with a lollypop in her mouth, playing with it, smiling, calling out to Nora. “Well if it isn’t, Mrs Carpenter~ Here for another slice of cherry--” AND THEN SHE CHOKED ON HER LOLLY.  Cough. Cough. Fist thumping her chest. “Oh, shit, this must be the sister and roommate. Sorry about that…” DEEP. BREATHS. DARCY. She assumed the SISTER was the blonde, and so hazel eyes made a POINT of sizing up the brunette jealously, measuring up her competition. Stepping out from behind the counter, she curtsied. “So what can I get you? Ordering to go or I can lead you to a booth, or, counters right there. We have all kinds of coffee, are famous for our cherry pie AAAND our apple pie’s pretty good, too. Could I get you a menu…” Tongue anxiously fiddled with her lollypop in her mouth as she awaited their response with BAITED BREATH. In a way, she WANTED Nora’s friend and sister to like her. TO ACCEPT HER. However, seeing how they were both AT LEAST thirty made her feel a little bit like a FISH OUT OF WATER. Seriously, all this talk of what Darcy saw in Nora and why she didn’t go for people HER AGE, why the Hell was Nora wasting her time on a dumb twenty-year-old when she had friends and company her own age? She might have YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE on her side when it came to looks, but there was no shot she was gonna be able to keep up intellectually with people ten years her senior…

Kat wasn’t sure what to expect as she entered the SKYLINE CAFE. Though she pretty much DEMANDED to meet Darcy and be part of her life, if Darcy was going to be a part of Nora’s. BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, AND ALL THAT JAZZ. But to walk through those double doors to find a PRETTY YOUNG THING had her NERVOUS. Blondie was maybe 19? 20? 22 at a stretch? Benefit from the natural tightness and perkiness that Kat had to ACTIVELY WORK to maintain. She didn’t like it. How was she supposed to measure up to the GIFTS OF YOUTH? “Darcy, right?” Tone was a little COLDER than it probably should’ve been, and Nora was probably gonna kick her under the table the first chance she got. “I’ve heard about you. And your CHERRY PIES. Apparently, it’s the BEST IN NEW YORK.” Eyes glanced across to Nora. “I’d appreciate it if you keep the flirtations to a MINIMUM tonight…” The truth was, she didn’t want Nora flirting with Darcy AT ALL. But for the sake of civility, she’d let Nora read between the lines. “Whatever Nora wants. Though I’d at least like a coffee. Americano Grande, six sweeteners, no milk, no creamer.” Turn to Nora and Emily. “Anyone else?” She really was NOT comfortable being here. And she damn sure wasn’t comfortable to have waltzed in on Darcy ALREADY trying to chat up HER woman. Let alone the way she’d eyed Kat herself up like she was COMPETITION. There was no competition. There wasn’t allowed to be competition. Kat would make sure of it. “That won’t be a problem, will it?” Eyes flashed to Nora again.

 Emily just sighed, shoulders dropping, head tilting, glaring across to Darcy with a look, like, ‘Really?’ HOW DESPERATE COULD A GIRL GET? She was practically crawling over the counter to get to her big sister. Okay, so about as desperate as EMILY HERSELF, but Emily was a troubled sibling with a sister complex. Her feelings for Nora had been marinating in a cauldron of fucked up spices for like THIRTEEN YEARS STRAIGHT. What the Hell was Darcy’s excuse? “Yeah.” She spoke in exhale, trying to HIDE her DISAPPOINTMENT. “I’m the sister, Emily.” Hand reached out to shake Darcy’s and Darcy took it. “This is Kat.” Head nodded to Kat and Darcy moved to shake Kat’s hand, too. After a brief moment of hesitation, Kat took it, too. “Don’t mind her, she’s not much of a people’s person.” BUT ALSO DON’T EYE HER UP LIKE SHE’S YOUR ONLY COMPETITION HERE, THE FUCK?! Jaw screwed taut and her gaze snapped away, tongue pressing against teeth. “We’ll take a booth, thank you.” No shot was she letting Nora sit up on the counter next to THIS BITCH. And let Darcy hog ALL HER ATTENTION. However, she could see another girl working in the kitchen. God, she hoped Darcy didn’t call break, so she could sit in the booth with them… “I’ll have a caramel latte, thank you.” With that, she turned to Nora. “So, that’s Darcy, huh? I can see why you took her number… She’s a pretty little thing. Blonde, too…” Whispers in Nora’s ear. Yes, she WAS insinuating EXACTLY what it sounded like she was insinuating.

[waitingx2xdie]

@xnoraxcarpenterx asked: @ Darcy, aren't you like 20? Don't you have better options than an almost 40 suburban mom with saggy tits?

Brow furrowed, head tilted, eyes narrowing. “And who the fuck asked you?” Shake of her head, shrug of her shoulders, hands out gesturing to the other bitch. “Yes, I’m 20. No, that’s NOT relevant to my ‘options’ and what’s ‘good’ or ‘better’.” Hand reached for the knife she used to cut up that cherry pie. There was no actual THREAT here, but just the simple INSINUATION OF A THREAT. “First of all, she’s 37. Second of all, her tits are hot as hell. And third of all, she’s done more for me than every 20-year-old combined.” The only one who came CLOSE was Cheryl, and they were like sisters. Actual sisters. Not… Whatever the Hell was going on with Emily & Nora. “Hang on a sec.” She put the knife back on the bench in the kitchen and returned with paper, sticky tape, and a Sharpie. A quick scribble and she stuck the paper on the wall, appended over the ‘No shoes, no shirt, no service.’ sign, and she turned back to the other. “No shoes. No shirt. No manners. No service. You’re no longer welcome here while I’m on shift.” Head nodded toward the door. “Now get out.”

[waitingx2xdie]

Yeah… That was EXACTLY the feeling Darcy had gotten the second she entered the cafe. While she wasn’t exactly a PEOPLE PERSON, she was however good at READING PEOPLE. That kinda came naturally when surrounded by nothing but drama-mongering asshats and were best friends with a troubled & bipolar victim of harassment. “Yeah? Well, I guess I made the right decision to give you some SPECIAL TREATMENT, hmm?” Brow raised, as if asking Nora herself. “So spill. What’s got a girl like you so down on your luck?” She wasn’t sure if she’d get an answer. Nora seemed the type to AVOID her problems, or at the very least to not resolve any of her internal conflicts in favor of HERSELF. No. No, she seemed more likely to bottle up her emotions and TAKE THEM OUT ON HERSELF; Self-destructively. A snort and smile as Nora asked if she had a thing for older women. “I don’t know, maybe just you. You were a good teacher, Mrs Carpenter, a hot teacher~...” Brow waggled. “And I never got to THANK YOU… For everything you did for me back in high school. Everything you taught me…” Voice was low, tone burned with a sense of ardent lust, tongue playful with its double entendres. “Daddy issues, actually. My mom’s not around anymore. Take that as you will.” Maybe she DID have mommy issues, and she just blamed her dad for having been ABANDONED so young? He HAD driven her away, after all… “Another reason I kept making out with Fran, just to piss him off…”

HE wanted Darcy to maybe rich. He wanted EVERYTHING from Darcy, really. Wanted her to go into business, take over the family business, and inherit it. Cast aside her own ambitions and aspirations. In truth? Darcy had a feeling her father had actually wanted a SON, and when he couldn’t have that? He decided to have his CAKE and EAT IT, TOO. By pushing a life of academic brilliance onto his daughter, she could STILL inherit the business like an ideal son and THEN she could marry rich (their business wasn’t exactly worth six figures just yet, let alone seven) and pop out a son to inherit the business from HER while strengthening their social and financial status with a second revenue stream. Unfortunately for him, she would have to DISAPPOINT HER, just like she had when she was born a GIRL. Because she wasn’t going to give him both her career AND her happy ending. He’d choose one or the other, and deal. That was her choice. And until then… Well… Until then she had bought as much time in White Plains as she could. The truth as to why she worked in this SHITTY LITTLE PLACE? Cheryl. With her lack of education, there weren’t a lot of places hiring her. She only got a job from Dale because of her looks. Namely, because Scottie had a VESTED INTEREST in coming here almost exclusively to torment the poor girl. Darcy had taken the job to LOOK OUT FOR HER. There was nothing unrequited about it. They were childhood best friends. They were like SISTERS. And in ways? Darcy WISHED she was part of their family. Legally or by blood, it didn’t matter. Anything was better than living with her own father…

And so she, in unity with her best friend, would deal with every spank and cup of her ass, and douchebag pulling her into his lap, and all the cat-call and bad jokes and even worse advances, and she’d KEEP ON KEEPING ON. Because she was the only person Cheryl had left. Like right now. She’d seen it coming. Scottie couldn’t go a day without putting his GRUBBY LITTLE HANDS on them. “Total. Fucking. Creep.” Voice was bitter, exhausted. Just one day. Was that too much to ask? For just one single day? An amused half laugh and smile. “Yes. A lion. Or I don’t fucking know. A beaver? Giant mutant rat? Chpacabra? It was SOMETHING is what I’m sayin’. And it was mean.” A few seconds passed as she thought and then proffered up with a noncommittal shrug. “Maybe a coyote or a… small black bear.” Coyote was very likely… Not only were they vicious animals, but they WERE native to New York… and they carried RABIES… Which was transferable through SCRATCHES… Anxious lick of her lips and a nervous swallow before she shook it off. She’d talk to Cheryl about that LATER. For now…

“She’ll be seeing a doctor tomorrow. I’m sure… I’m sure everything’ll be fine.” SHE HOPED. Tongue pressed to gum as she smirked, eyes twinkling mischievously. “How do you THINK?” Girls WERE better, but that didn’t mean one should just settle for any old fuck. Some girls were still SELFISH LITTLE BITCHES. Other girls just DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR HANDS. And one or two… Knew exactly what they were doing with their hand. And no, that wasn’t meant sexually… “Well, you’re certainly not STRAIGHT. At least, you don’t seem so to me. BI, THEN?” Nora was NOT going to appreciate such aggressive probing, but it wasn’t like Darcy knew how CLOSETED her former teacher was. She’d been matching her flirtations BEAT FOR BEAT. Pardon her for thinking she was more COMFORTABLE with her sexuality than she was letting on. Though the way the girl JUMPED as she tucked that number into her breast pocket probably should’ve been a big clue. Darcy smiled and blushed, too, sucking lips between her teeth and lowering her head as if out of mutual courtesy, her gaze stealing a glimpse of those hard nipples poking through the fabric of her shirt. Then came the moment of truth. With her number TUCKED AWAY in Nora’s blouse, her hard nipples poking out between them, and the tension of FLIRTATIONS in the air… All that remained was…

 "No. I'm not... WITH anyone. Haven't been in four years."

IMMEDIATE sigh of relief. “Phew… And there I thought I was accidentally signing up to be a homewrecker…” Should she have even been able to JOKE about that so easily? Worried her, to be honest. “Four years? Dayum, gurl’s still got it~” Whatever IT was, Darcy had never been so interested in another woman or conversation in… Well, she’d say YEARS, but she was 19 going on 20. She hadn’t been this interested in another woman since she was seventeen. And THAT was the relationship that had gone tits up after seven months. “You’re roommate? So you’re house-sharing, now? Got room for one more?” Words were spoken with gentle amusement and teasing, but maybe somewhere deep down, Darcy would jump on such an opportunity if it ACTUALLY presented itself. “Ohhh… That makes sense…” SISTER was far more reassuring than roommate. However, it still left the relationship with said roommate in the air. At the very least, Darcy now had plausible deniability if she DID inadvertently wreck any home… And… And, well… At least now she didn’t feel like she was SIGNING UP FOR SOMETHING SHE DESERVED. Even though a part of her told her to know better… A part of her always told her to KNOW BETTER. But Darcy was a curious cat and would get burned by the flames again and again before she learned to look elsewhere for company. (LOYALTY.) “Worried sick? You’ve not been gone that long. I guess it is late out…”

Snort as Nora made light of her little BLUNDER with the cream. “Oh, shit, that obvious, huh?” She’d hoped no one WOULD notice her drinking on the job. Was a surefire way to get herself FIRED. And since it was CHERYL that Scottie wanted, Darcy was expendable in the eyes of Dale. “Maybe not, but how else you expect me to survive this HELLHOLE.” Eyes flickered up and down, scanning her again, mischief returning to both flirtatious battered eyelashes and that curling Cheshire grin. “I guess I found one way, huh?” Hand slapped the counter and she reached for a lollypop in her apron, tearing the wrapper off and slipping it between ruby lips. “That’s it then. It’s decided.” She hopped up on the counter, white stockings on display. “I’ll just have to make sure you get home safe and sound. That way they’ll have nothing to worry about, the next time you wanna come and…” Bite of her lip. “Taste my cherry pie.” Tongue PLAYED with the lollypop in her mouth, pushing it from corner to corner. With that, she plucked up the twenty and hopped back off the counter, quick to wipe it down again before FREEZING as it finally hit her…“W-Wait, keep the--... But your…” Her mind did the mental maths. 5.75 for the cherry pie. 3.80 for the Caffe macchiato… 9.55? Then she realizes how POINTLESS that math was when rounded. “That’s a 100% tip… The fuck?” No one had EVER tipped her that much. Did anyone tip anyone but STRIPPERS that much? She was BLUSHING, fidgeting, pulling down her skirt and apron, and fiddling with her fingers. Heart pounded. Thud. Thud. Thud. Racing away in her chest. “Y-Yeah, no, it’s, it’s not your fault, either. Whatever it is, it’s, totally okay. I just…” Lick her lips and she looked down nervously, at her Mary Janes. “Thanks for the tip. If THIS is what you’re giving me for the company, I can’t wait to see what your review says when you DO sample my cherry pie…” Nervous laugh. This had become VERY REAL, VERY QUICK, and a materialized gesture from Nora to her seemed to make it hit HARDER than when she tucked her number in her shirt pocket. Dear God, could her heart stop BEATING right now, it was going to KILL HER. “Sure, take your time. Uhh… But if you DO ever need to talk, you know where I am.” Awkward and telling silence followed as Darcy just kind of… STOOD THERE. Waiting for Nora to check and reply to her messages, forgetting for just a moment that she was ON SHIFT and that she had OTHER CUSTOMERS WAITING. Was the two girls that snapped her out of it. ‘Yoohoo? Earth to Darcy, we’re waiting here.’ Shit. “Shit. Two seconds.” Grabbing her notepad and pen, she moved over to the table, taking their order before returning back to the counter, ringing up the till for Nora’s order and slotting in the 20 to the register before taking out the GENEROUS 10 dollar tip, where she hesitated for me and turned back to Nora. “Are you… Sure this is alright?” she was holding Alexander Hamilton to her chest, inadvertently pushing up her breasts as she held the bill out to Nora.

HAD SHE BEEN SMILING? ─ Was it depressing that she couldn't recall the last time that had happened? It must have been that night, two weeks ago, Kat & her had been drinking wine & watching a movie on the sofa together. ( before her sister showed up banging at her door, making everything complicated again) Film had been one of her recent favorites, Runaway Bride, a lighthearted Julia Roberts romcom. Admittedly, most of the plot had been LOST ON THEM , as limbs tangled in their liquor haze. Bodies getting closer than they SHOULD HAVE . Teeth tugged at bottom lip as she recalled the taste of Kat's skin on her lips. Yeah, that had been the last time Nora had truly felt HAPPY . &, just like always, the sobriety of sunlight stole away all joy . Brunette had gone to work before she'd even woken up, leaving A COLD, EMPTY SPACE beside her. Next fourteen days had been spent dancing around what happened. Every attempt she made to bring it up was shot down. Letting out a soft sigh, lids flittered & her smile faltered, just a bit . Shift of the mug in her hand sent the foam heart twirling on the surface, " Haven't had a lot to smile about lately." She admitted. Pile up on Route 23 had put her on death's list. Taking away her son before he got a sweet-sixteen, or to go to prom... If only THAT ASSHOLE hadn't pulled her away, maybe she could have SAVED HIM . Or, maybe she would have been crushed as well. Sometimes she thought that would have been better. At least she could have gone to heaven BY HIS SIDE . Now wasn't the time to think about this. Now was the time to focus on the fact that a gorgeous blonde, half her age, had just complimented her smile.

'You see those girls?'

Glance over bony shoulder in the direction the other had nodded. A table of two attractive young ladies. Had to be around Darcy's age. Maybe they'd gone to school together? SMILE RETURNED . Accompanied by a soft chuckle, gaze drifting to the other , watching as she twirled hair around index- finger. "So, you have a thing for older women?" Nora refused to believe that the blonde simply had A THING FOR HER . She wasn't a particularly good-looking individual. Unless you were into suburban moms. "You got mommy issues?" Playful lift of a brow & a smirk. She isn't actually judging her. Her self-esteem is simply THAT LOW . She can't imagine anyone picking HER over those "hot young things."

Who was gonna tell Darcy that back in Nora's day, guys acting like THAT was commonplace? Back in high school, she'd had a waitress job at a local café. Was the summer of 1980. She'd just turned 17. & Every asshole in that joint had the nerve to catcall & put his hands on her. During her break, one had even SHOVED HIMSELF ON HER . She'd told Eric, he'd kicked his ass. No one took it seriously. When she went to the police, they'd laughed it off & said what she said just now; "Boys will be boys." ─ Those were DIFFERENT TIMES , & one of the best changes going into the late 90's & early 2000's, was that women were being empowered. People actually gave a shit about them now. They weren't just a maid to clean your house, cook you supper, & a trophy to show off to your friends. However, Nora had always TAKEN PRIDE in playing that part. & Now, she was at a loss. As she finally lifted coffee to lips, taking a sip & breaking the heart of foam, eyes trailed after the girl. HARDENING as the little jerk had the nerve to cop a feel. Jaw tightened. She had half a mind to step in & put a stop to it. How would she explain that though? A concerned maternal figure? That wasn't the reason why . No, the reason was far more... DISTURBING . There was a territorial ache in her chest. She didn't want to share Darcy's attention with anyone else. & That wasn't something she could justify. So, instead, she allowed it to take place. If things got too out of hand, or it looked like the blonde couldn't handle her own against him, she'd do something about it. "TOTAL CREEP." All she offered in response. (bitterly spat through grit teeth, mind you) Wasn't her place to get involved in the way this Dale guy ran his establishment. Odds were, she'd never come back.

Having nothing to really add to the conversation, Nora did the one thing she was exceptionally good at ; LISTENED . Sounded like Darcy had it rough working here. Made her wonder, why was she? It had to be tied to that ONLY friend of hers . Girl had already made it clear that she was interested in woman. Perhaps it was a case of young, unrequited love? STOMACH CHURNED . It had no right to upset her, still it did. "A lion? In New York?" She laughed at the absurdity. "Well, I hope your friend is gonna be okay." Soft, reassuring smile. Nora was suddenly temped to dig her phone out of her purse & warn her sister & Kat. But, they'd be okay for a couple more minutes. RIGHT?

"Didn't measure up, how?" (in the same way eric hadn't, if she had to guess) You'd think girls would be BETTER at that kind of thing, wouldn't you? "I'm not a..." LEZ . She couldn't even say the word. Blush burning across cheeks, down her throat, spreading along shoulders. "I'M NOT." ─ Couldn't she flirt with a girl without labeling herself a lesbian ? Oh god, why was she even flirting with Darcy? This was so messed up. What if this was the deciding factor? What if this was what made the Lord send her TO HELL , separating her from Tim & Eric for all of eternity? She really wasn't. CONFIDENT . Proven by the fact that she nearly spilled the cup of coffee when the other scribbled down her number & tucked it into the breast pocket of her shirt. Startled jolt at the contact. Those fingers brushing across nipple through fabric & bra. Gasp left her mouth hanging open, hazels darting down to the piece of paper now safely tucked away. ( nipple gone hard ) WAS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

'Wait… You're with someone?'

Question gave Nora GENUINE PAUSE ─ She really should have expected the other's mind to jump to that conclusion. It was only rational to assume the person at her place was someone she was in a relationship with. In fact, as a thirty-seven year old woman, it was really weird that she was living with another thirty-something year old woman, who WASN'T her significant other. Blinking a couple times, she tugged bottom lip between teeth & gnawed at it. How could she explain the situation without getting Darcy involved? First of all, "No. I'm not... WITH anyone. Haven't been in four years." That wasn't a lie. It wasn't quite the truth, either. Her & Kat had been flirting with the line between friendship & something MORE for months now. They'd yet to CROSS IT, though. "It's my..." How should she describe the brunette? Her friend? "My roommate." That's basically what she was at this point. (in all honesty, they were basically a married couple) "And my sister. I left without telling them where I was going. They'll be worried sick." She could always just text them & tell them where she was. That would only conclude in the two of them storming their asses over to her & dragging her back home. SHE WAS NEXT. They needed to keep an eye on her.

Hazels twinkled with amusement, laughter dripping off her tongue, when Darcy missed the pie & shot cream directly into her own hand. "Maybe drinking on the job wasn't the smartest call?" She watched closely as the blonde rushed to wash her hand off, dragging large leather purse close & digging through it's contents for her wallet. Plucking out a twenty, she slid it across the counter, "You can keep the change." Company had been worth A GENEROUS TIP . "It's okay. You did nothing wrong. I shouldn't have brought it up." Gaze locked on the cellphone in her purse, three missed calls and 7 unread messages. SHIT . "Sorry. One sec." It wasn't that Nora was uninterested in hearing about Darcy's crush on her, & her "relationship" with Fran, that sounded a lot more like two girls using each other for an EXPERIMENT . She just needed to let Kat & her sister know that she was alive & breathing. They cared more about her own safety than she did. Pulling out the Nokia, she opened her messages to check. This wasn't making her look BETTER was it? If anything, it was confirming Darcy's suspicions that she had someone she was dating. But, how could she explain ; Oh no, it's just that death is hunting me & my roommate, & it's my turn to go?

[waitingx2xdie]

Emily : That's my sistah!! Kat : Are you... growling? Or...? Trying to smile? It's cute, either way, I'm just curious. :)) Darcy : There's that pretty smile~

she so cute. i love her.

[waitingx2xdie]

dirty talk .

“If we weren’t at this party and these people weren’t around, I would jump you right now…”

“What would you say if I asked you to go down on me right now?”

“It might sound greedy, but I need your cock so bad right now…”

“I wish I could control myself better around you, but when I see you, all I want to do is rip your clothes off and fuck you.”

“I need to feel you inside me.”

“Nobody has ever fucked me like you do.”

“Even when you’re in a bad mood, I want to fuck you.”

“I’m going to mark you as mine tonight.”

“When we get home, I’m going to make you orgasm so hard.”

“Knowing that you can completely overpower me makes me so crazy horny.“

“What would you prefer I wear tonight, a thong or panties or nothing at all?”

“Would you discipline me if I was acting bratty?”

“If these people weren’t here, I would be on my knees with your cock in my mouth.”

“I can barely concentrate; I just keep thinking about you grabbing me and taking me.”

“I’ve got a sexy surprise for you later…”

“I wish we could just stay in bed and have sex all day long…”

“I love it when you wear tight clothes.”

“Guess what color my panties are?”

“We need to meet after work; this horniness is killing me.”

“I just want to wrap my pussy around your cock.”

“I just want to wrap my ass around your cock.”

“You look so fucking hot in the morning.”

“I wore these panties just for you.”

“I feel so horny and helpless when you dominate me.”

“Tonight is going to be a lot of fun…”

“If you play your cards right, you’ve got some pleasure/fun coming your way.”

“Stop looking at me like that, it’s making me wet.”

“Stop looking at me like that, it’s making me hard.”

“Tonight we’re going to do what I want to do. But don’t worry, it’s going to be a lot of fun!”

“I’m going to make you scream and shout tonight!”

“It’s a pity we’re not in bed right now because all I can think of is feeling your body on mine.”

[waitingx2xdie]

JEALOUS, FIERCLY PROTECTIVE & TERRITORIAL PROMPTS

feel free to edit pronouns as needed! content warning for some strong language,  threats and implied violence.

to each other:

❝  you’re mine. only mine.  ❞

❝  i’m all yours.  ❞

❝  mine.  ❞

❝  yours.  ❞

❝  we belong to each other.   ❞

❝  you belong to me.  ❞

❝  i belong to you.  only ever you.  ❞

❝  i just didn’t like the way they were looking at you.  like you weren’t mine.  ❞

❝  you know i’m yours,  right?  i only have eyes for you.  ❞

❝  no one else is ever gonna have a chance with me.  you’re it.  you’re all i want.  ❞

❝  i chose you.  and i need you to trust that my decision is final.  trust me.  ❞

❝  wait are you jealous?  ❞

❝  aw,  baby.  it’s cute when you’re jealous.  ❞

❝  i don’t like the way they keep staring at you.   ❞

❝  i don’t like how they keep staring at me.   ❞

❝  are they making you uncomfortable?  i can do something about it.  ❞

❝  no one should even get to look at you unless you want them to.  ❞

❝  stop—  it’s okay.  they’re not worth your anger.  just kiss me.  ❞

❝  stop saying i’m jealous.  i’m not—  i just.  i don’t like having to share. ❞

❝  i’m not jealous,  who said i’m jealous?  ❞

❝  well if i’m all yours then kiss me like it.  ❞

❝  show everyone who i belong to.  ❞

❝  i’m gonna remind them you’re mine.  ❞

❝  i want everyone here to see that you’re mine.  ❞

❝  i want everyone here to see that i’m yours.  ❞

❝  hey—  look at me.  why are you all upset?  ❞

❝  you can’t keep getting your feathers all ruffled when anyone else gives me attention.  ❞

❝  they don’t deserve you—  i don’t deserve you.  but at least i’m aware of it.  ❞

❝  i promise there’s no one else.  you have my heart completely.  ❞

❝  hey,  is this asshole bothering you?  ❞

❝  tell me you’re mine.  ❞

to a third party:

❝  get the fuck away from them!  ❞

❝  look at them like that again and you’ll won’t be seeing anything.  ❞

❝  don’t you dare touch them.  ❞

❝  yeah it’s time to walk the fuck away.  ❞

❝  you’re gonna lose a finger if you don’t get outta my sight right now.  ❞

❝  you heard them,  get lost.  ❞

❝  lucky for you,  i don’t wanna ruin their night.  but i see you sniffing around here again you might not be so fortunate.  ❞

❝  you wanna lose a limb?  beat it,  fucker.  ❞

❝  see,  i woulda left it alone.  but you made them fucking cry.  so now you’re gonna lose your eyes.  ❞

❝  hey,  they said ‘no.’  ❞

❝  hey asshole,  shut the fuck up or i’ll make you shut up.  ❞

❝  what did you just say to them,  you little shit?  ❞

❝  oh yeah.  now you’re all quiet.  not so bold when you’re not the toughest guy in the room,  huh?  ❞

❝  get lost.  ❞

❝  go.  ❞

❝  leave.  before my patience runs out.  ❞

❝  get the fuck outta their face.  ❞

❝  hey,  that’s enough.  ❞

actions:

[ CLAIM ]  for one muse to possessively place their hands on their shoulders or hips. 

[ HOLD ]  for one muse to slide their arm around the other in a possessive way. 

[ SHELTER ]  for one muse to lean into the other’s side or hug them to seek comfort from a crowd or individual while in public. 

[ STAKE ]  for one muse to protectively and/or possessively stand behind the other to intimidate a third party. 

[ RESCUE ]  for one muse to intervene upon seeing a third party making the other one uncomfortable. 

[ CHASE ]  for one muse to interrupt and make a third party leave the other alone out of jealousy/possessiveness. 

[ TENSION ]  for one muse to get in a fight on behalf of the other. 

[ STOP ]  for one muse to break up a fight which started because of them. 

[ MEND ]  for one muse to treat the other’s wounds they got from protecting them. 

[ SCOLD ]  for one muse to treat the other’s wounds they got from fighting over them. 

[ CARESS ]  for one muse to possessively kiss the other in public.

[ TAKE ]  for one muse to passionately kiss the other,  fueled by jealousy. 

[ TAUNT ]  for one muse to flirt with a third party to try and get the other to act possessively. 

[ REMIND ]  for our muses to have passionate sex meant to remind one party who they belong to. 

[ EMBRACE ]  for one muse to dominate the other due to possessiveness/jealousy. 

[ LINKED ]  for one muse to hold the other’s hand in public to stake claim. 

[ INTERTWINE ]  for one muse to hold the other’s hand in public in a comforting manner. 

[waitingx2xdie]

Flinch. Blink. Blink. Blink. Kat stepped back like a puppy being snapped at for the first time. And in truth? She WAS. Kat was used to pissing people off. She’d been in more arguments in more board rooms than she cared to count. And she’d come from a PARTICULARLY EXIGENT family, so even her father would yell at her over and & all perceived failings. But those people weren’t Nora. They just… They just WEREN’T. Kat had grown numb to conflicts between herself and her father, coworkers, bosses, and contractors. She had NOT grown numb to conflicts between herself and Nora. (And never would.) On top of that… Nora had NEVER gotten THIS MAD… (Well there was that time she refused to get off a work call for supper.) “No! No! I’m not saying you SOUGHT HER OUT! I just think you might be hiding how LONG you’ve been flirting with her. Or at least letting HER flirt with YOU.” Lick of her teeth and she tried to keep her gaze centered on Nora’s eyes even as her bathrobe parted, more and more, barely hanging on to that loose knot tied at the front. HARD SWALLOW. “Yeah? And I’m supposed to trust THIS BITCH? You don’t NEED to tell me every contact you add. But maybe if you make a new female friend. Whose what? 19? 20? And sending you messages about her hot cherry pie?” In a fit of anger, she reached into her pocket and tossed her her phone. “You know what? Go for it. Find a name in my contact trying to get in my panties that you DON’T know about.” Trent didn’t count. Nora had KNOWN she had a boyfriend when they first started doing this dance. And Kat was TRYING to figure out how to break up with him. Hell, he’d been ghosted since Friday last week.

“Show me where one, or any, of my coworkers, are offering me a slice of their cherry pie.” Shake of her head.  “...You’re blushing. You’re fucking blushing. Look at you!” Step forward and she angled Nora toward the mirror above the mantlepiece. “You KNOW how bad this shit sounds. That’s why you WANT me to stop. Because you KNOW she’s fucking flirting with you. I don’t care if it’s about an ACTUAL cherry pie from the diner. She CLEARLY isn’t TALKING like it’s the god-damn-diner’s pie. And you fucking know it. You’re not stupid.” And then Kat SAID something stupid. Something she’d been trying to keep close to her chest for the last four months. 'I thought we were BUILDING SOMETHING HERE, Nora…' And… And something in Nora FLIPPED… It started with a guttural, mocking laugh of condescension, followed by Nora stepping away from her and looking at her with something altogether resembling CONTEMPT. And Kat flinched again, freezing up, falling quiet… A sharp ache in her chest felt like one of those face-huggers from Alien was tryna CRAWL OUT OF IT. Her lips trembled and her lashes fluttered in repeatedly static blinks. The only movements in the rest of her body were tiny little JOLTS of pains shuddering at bony shoulders.

Kat wasn’t the only one frozen in shock. Paralytic. Emily had NEVER seen Nora and Kat like this… Usually, she was the one facing the brunt of Kat’s wrath. And Nora? Nora had always been a picture of PATIENCE. The only times Nora had snapped had been when Kat had saved her life from the chandelier. And… And that one time Kat wouldn’t get off her phone while Nora was slaving away trying to bring them together as a family… Right now, she felt something like a child watching her parents argue. An UNSETTLING ENOUGH scenario to find yourself in with your crush and the woman they’d been getting cozy with instead of you.  And now she had two new pieces of heartbreak to contend with: One. Darcy Blake was an even younger girl who was ACTIVELY FLIRTING with her big sister. …And now Kat was drawing attention to their DALLIANCE OF ROMANCE while Nora… Well… Nora all but seemed to confirm that the ONLY reason she and Kat WEREN’T together was a lack of COMMITMENT from Kat Jennings. This anger inside Nora? Was precisely because she cared TOO MUCH rather than DIDN’T CARE AT ALL… Emily swallowed hard, feeling her heart race, sinking into the couch and pulling up her knees to her chest. She chewed on her lip and watched on with every FLINCH & FREEZE from Kat in the wake of Nora’s outburst.

“Nora, it’s okay, we… We believe you… It’s okay!” She finally moved, placing herself between Kat and Nora. She’d never seen KAT like this either… Was alarming in its own way… “You’ve got nothing more to prove… We never should’ve--... It was me, okay? It was me. I saw the message first. She told me not to snoop until I shoved it in her face… I’m sorry…” Another thick gulp trying to dislodge the jam in her throat. She was so scared… “You’re right. You’re not dating us. Either of us. We have NO RIGHT to get upset at you flirting with other women… Just…” Her head hung low. How did she even talk about this? As Nora’s sister? She was just inviting Nora’s wrath upon her now, too. Maybe in some sick way, she WANTED IT? Maybe she needed to feel that same “LOVE & WAR” kind of feeling that she was sensing between Kat and Nora right now. Was that wrong? ABSOLUTELY. Sick? ABSOLUTELY. But Emily couldn’t help it… She couldn’t risk losing Nora… Not again… “We don’t need to go through your phone…” Head turned to Kat. “Do we, Kat?” She still wasn’t talking. “DO WE, KAT?!” Urgency finally snapped Kat out of it and she scrambled for the phone. “Just, please, let’s all take a breather and talk about this. Like adults, right?” Words mimicking Nora’s own. Someone had to play peacemaker. Normally it WAS Nora, but… ALAS…

“Right… Right… I…” Kat was PASTY & WHITE, looking like she’d seen a GHOST. And maybe she had, THE GHOST OF VALENTINE’S PAST… Had she really missed her chance? Had she in her obsessive need for independence pushed away, froze out, the only person she WANTED to depend on? Had she sabotaged the only love she’d ever known? “I guess I don’t get a say in what you do… Or… Who you do it with…” Thrumming pain, radiating, like fire around her heart, every muscle in her body ABLAZE; A SEARING AGONY. She was shaking. Her head dipped and she held up Nora’s phone, submissively offering it back up to Nora before freezing. “I don’t like it…” She still didn’t look up. “I don’t like the idea of anyone else… Y’know… With you…” Hard swallow. Sniffle. Was she… Was she CRYING? God, she felt like such a CHILD right now. PATHETIC. Grip TIGHTENED on the phone the moment Nora reached for it, jaw locking, teeth SINKING into the side of her gum as she trembled, abs tensing, body locking up. She wasn’t about to let this happen. She wasn’t going to just ROLL OVER AND DIE LIKE THIS… In a single moment of emotional insanity, she swept forward pushing Nora against the wall, without a single thought given to her… AHEM… DELICATE ATTIRE… And pressed her lips against Nora’s with BRUISING FORCE. Call her possessive. Call her manipulative. Call her impulsive. Call her DESPERATE. She didn’t care. She wasn’t about to let some nineteen-year-old hussy SWOOP IN and STEAL HER. In business, they’d consider this SEALING THE DEAL. -- And Kat was taking care of business…

"YES. THAT'S ALL." Emphasis on each word. Stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "You don't seriously think I what, went and sought her out, or something? What do you take me for? " ─ Nora reached for the phone again, only to have the shorter woman snatch it away. "This is ridiculous." She let out a sigh & crossed arms over her stomach, giving up on their little game of KEEP AWAY . She was way too old to deal with this immature bullshit. In her frustration, she hadn't even noticed her bathrobe falling open & exposing more skin to the room. All she had wanted to do was take a shower, ask Em to braid her hair, & get some rest before her faculty meeting. She had enough stress on her plate, she didn't need to deal with the jealousy of a woman who REFUSED to commit. Scoff, "You can trust me, Kat. And you know it." After all they ' d been through together, a past student who got her number at a diner one night, was gonna be the straw that broke the camel's back? "I wasn't aware we needed to tell each other every contact we add to our phone now. I'm sure you have friends from work I don't know about ." She at least had a boss she called regularly. (she'd say it was different) Eyes rolled to the side, nails digging into the crook of elbow through cotton. JAW TIGHT . A faint flush burning across skin .Having kat read off the texts wasn't something she'd been prepared for. This was so embarrassing .

"It's really not what it sounds like. She's talking about the cherry pie they serve at the diner." Yet, Darcy was very evidently FLIRTING with the older woman. There was no denying that. "Kat, please... You can stop reading them." But, she DIDN'T STOP . Going on about how Darcy had prepped "her pie" nice and hot, just the way Nora liked it.

'I thought we were BUILDING SOMETHING HERE, Nora…'

"Thought we were building something here?" Condescending laugh passed lips before she could swallow it. She couldn't believe how childish Kat Jennings was acting. Was like talking to her sister. Who was, UNIRONICALLY , handling this situation better than the brunette . "Of course. Soon as some other girl flirts with me, that's when YOU decide we're building "something" here. Yet, every time I try to talk to you about this "thing" we're building, you crawl back into your shell." Normally, she would have been more understanding & empathetic, but normally Kat didn't steal her phone & THREATEN HER . "She's flirting with ME ." & It had felt nice. So what? God forbid she enjoy a little attention from someone after her husband died. Did that really make her such a HORRIBLE person? ( yes, it did ) "If you need to go through my messages like some psycho girlfriend, go for it. I'm not hiding anything, Kat . She's just a friend." A friend who'd had a huge crush on her back when she taught her, "We met around the time Em came back into my life. The two of you were fighting that night, so I went out to get a breather. Ran into her. We talked about old times and exchanged numbers. That's it. Now, can you stop acting like a child and give me my phone back?"

[waitingx2xdie]

Darcy had her eyes on Nora from the MOMENT she entered the coffee shop. They didn’t get many NEW customers, in truth. They lived in the suburbs with a steady stream of regulars. Who would go out of their way to travel to WHITE PLAINS, WESTCHESTER, NEW YORK when NEW YORK CITY was an hour's drive southbound down I-87. Only tourists they got were people passing through from Maine, Vermont & Canada. And nobody on a road trip stopped for very long or took the time to CONNECT with the locals, instead using White Plains as a convenient rest stop and to grab a quick bite for the road. Perhaps she’d also, deep down, recognized Mrs Carpenter from her Freshman year? “There we go. That’s better. You should smile more often. It’s TOO TRAGIC to keep a smile THAT PRETTY from the world.” A snort and she looked down, blushing as her former teacher CALLED OUT her shameless flirtations. “You see those girls?” A nod across to former classmates. She waited for Nora to turn her attention over toward them before wiping down the counter and leaning over it with her elbow. “You see me talking to them or you?” Fingers inadvertently, subconsciously began to twirl around her hair as she smiled with just a HINT of teasing mischief behind it. “Jerks will be jerks, more like.” She let out an exhausted exhale. “Fucking douchebags.” A catcall came as if summoning the DEVIL ITSELF. ‘Hey, Darcccyyy, where’s that cherry pie, baby girl?’ A roll of her eyes and tilt of her head toward the ceiling. 

“Give me one sec…” Two quick cuts and she lazily spooned another slice of cherry pie onto a second plate, dumping it like WASTE IN THE LANDFILL. A quick walk over to Scottie and she slid it across to him. “That’ll be $5.75.” He shifted to the edge of the booth, pulling the plate over toward him where he reached out to grab a HANDFUL of her ass. ‘Just put it on my tab, bab--’ Quick SLAP and his dumb man-child friends let out dramatic ohhhhs as Darcy walked away, returning to the SANCTUARY of her former teacher. “Ugh. See what I mean? Creep… Dale would do something about it if he wasn’t our biggest customer.” Another sigh. “Those people are my only friend, my boss, and that douche over there. Ronnie is our boss's cousin, sells cigs to Scottie on the DL. He’s also a jerk.” Short PAUSE as Nora turned the topic back over to Cheryl. “Uhh… Yeah… Some kinda lion or wolf or wolverine? Scratched her up pretty bad. Told her to get checked for infection. Had a REAL bad reaction to it last night.” Eyes fluttered back to Nora, stomach warming, butterflies released like doves at a wedding, fluttering around inside her intestines, she smiled. How QUICKLY Nora chased away all that stress… “That depends. Our reputation precedes us here at the Skyline Cafe. As for MY cherry pie…” She bit her, eyes dipping, measuring up Nora SHAMELESSLY now, her clit throbbing, heart fluttering. “There’s been a few lucky girls. None of them measured up though. Why do you ask? Wanna test your own luck?” Brow WAGGLED, tongue pushing into her canine. “Didn’t take you for a lez.” AND YET. AND. YET.

"Well, after I have a taste, maybe I'll leave a review."

Speechless. Speechless. And then she smiled. And then she laughed. And turned those lusty hazel orbs back to the older woman. “Someone’s confident~...” She was playing with her hair again. (When had that happened?) “Ahh, I see~ Well, how about this…” Tongue was playfully performing tricks behind her teeth before pressing against the GAP between them and she was pulled out her notepad and pen. “You take this…” Hands scratched on her number and ripped the page out. “And the next time you want it HOT, give me a call, and I’ll be sure to have one ready for you when you drop by~....” Fingers VERY EXPRESSLY tucked the page into Nora’s BREAST POCKET, hand lingering for longer than it maybe should have. And it hesitated EVEN LONGER when Nora dropped the unexpected BOMBSHELL. “Wait…” Heart dropped out of her chest like a boulder crushing all those little butterflies as it anchored itself in free fall RIGHT in her gut. “You’re with someone?” Darcy wasn’t okay with that. She didn’t know WHAT this was, or at least, what it was GOING to become. She’d already signed up for something at least explicitly CASUAL, but… There had to be a line drawn somewhere, right? If Nora was going to sleep around casually, she PROBABLY shouldn’t have been cohabiting with someone else she was sleeping with… Unless… “You guys in an open relationship?” Heart still ACHED. Shit. Was Darcy getting herself in over her head? 

“Right. Right.” It took a few minutes for the CREAM to click and she shook her head of all the cobwebs and confusion. She had been WAY too forward. WAY. WAY. WAY. Too forward… And now… Now… Dear God… First. Cream. Game face, Darcy, game face. Hands fumbled with the can, heart racing and she initially squirted the cream back onto her own palm. “Shit!” Hushed whisper as she quickly snatched a napkin to clean her hand up and tried again, making sure the nozzle was pointed AT the plate, squirting a nice helping of cream on the cherry pie. “There we go…” A drunken sigh and she forced a smile. “One cherry pie with cream. That’ll be 5.75?” Move over to the kitchen to douse her hands in water and finish cleaning up the cream and she returned for another napkin to dry her hands. “So, where were we, Tim, right? That was his--...” She’d been TRYING to shift the conversation away from SEX, at least until she knew she wasn’t intruding on some happy home; shielding herself from inevitable HEARTBREAK. (Wait, heartbreak?) “Oh, I… I’m sorry…” Only people who wanted to suddenly drop the topic of their son only had TRAGEDY behind the reasons. Darcy had no idea WHAT. Maybe she’d lost custody? Or he emancipated himself? Or they had a fight? Or he was living with his--... Right… That was why she never had Mrs Carpenter in her Sophomore year… Her husband had died in a horrible accident and… And she needed to cut down on classes to focus on being a mom in the absence of a second parent… Darcy was getting a BAD feeling about this… Yeah, he was either in a hospital, asylum, foster care, or… Thank GOD Darcy hadn’t seen the news four months ago…

“Had?” She allowed Nora to SHIFT the conversation, besides, by this point the initial SHOCK of the potential of Nora having a main squeeze back home had passed on by. Or maybe Darcy just… Didn’t like seeing pretty girls counting tiles. (Yes, she was doing it again.) “That’s my number in your pocket. Something tells me my little crush isn’t past tense, yet.” Lick of her lips & she smiled, snorting in amusement, red creeping up her cheeks to ears. “I. Plead the fifth. Though, it IS worth noting that you’re the only one who ever caught me, sooo… Maybe subconsciously I was?” Darcy’s, uhh… relationship? With Fran wasn’t so CUT & DRY. Honestly, maybe if it HAD been, she’d still remember her full name. “Fran was… bicurious. I guess TECHNICALLY we both were, but I… I knew… I knew… I was just in denial because of my dad. You know how it is. Fran & I, we’d sneak away, and have a 'lil harmless fun. Then she got a boyfriend and that was that.” Words spoken with a simple & dull cadence. A sign of just how detached she was from the experience. Though, in a way, Darcy was aware that her LACK of heartbreak at being used as a bicurious stopgap for a straight girl only provided further evidence that her CURRENT heartbreak at the mere SUGGESTION that she was going to be Nora’s BIT ON THE SIDE was… Well… Yeah, DARCY WAS IN WAY TOO DEEP…

'Maybe I just don't like seeing pretty girls counting tiles.'

Hazels drifted back to the countertop she'd been ANXIOUSLY TAPPING AWAY AT before the blonde brought over her coffee. A subconscious smile tugged at lips. She really wasn't used to being so shamelessly flirted with. Sure, since Eric passed away, she 'd had a few conversations with guys who were clearly interested in her. & Lately, she'd been getting a lot... CLOSER to Kat Jennings. But, it wasn't like the workaholic was quick to toss compliments her way. Even when she was drunk, she still refused to acknowledge the growing attraction between them. There was something... Sort of REFRESHING about how blunt the waitress was being. Only other person who had been so in her face about wanting to have sex with she had been HER OWN SISTER. Suffice to say; That didn't have the same effect. (she couldn't say it had zero effect, though) "Is that a general rule of yours, or am I special again?" A not-so-subtle way of asking the girl if she flirted with EVERY pretty girl she met. ( why did she even care? ) ─ "Boys will be boys, I suppose." There was the taste of something BITTER on her tongue. Was she judging him, or was she jealous? A little of both, perhaps. Not that her own mind would allow her to process that information. Nora wasn't the sleep around with random people type. She didn't usually get jealous in general. Yet... Lately... The winds had been changing .

Nora's age & inexperience had never been MORE OBVIOUS . She really didn't know how to navigate this conversation. It wasn't that she wasn't ENJOYING THE COMPANY . Hell, she was enjoying it more than she should be. As a widow to a man she'd devoted her life to under the watchful eye of God nearly twenty years ago? She'd sure turned her gaze elsewhere as of late. Not only to a new man, NO . That would be sinful enough. She' d turned it to not one, but two people of the same gender. (three if she were being completely honest, which she never would be) & What was even WORSE than that? This one was young enough TO BE HER OWN CHILD . Luckily for her, the other seemed too distracted by the liquor in her system & her own RAMBLING-ONS that she hadn't called her out for how shitty she was at this whole flirting thing. (wait, was she trying to return the flirtation?) ─ "I... Have no clue who those people are." Soft chuckled, she shook her head & took another glance at the little heart. It almost felt like A WASTE to drink it now. "Did you say she got attacked by an animal?" That didn't sound good. If there was some wild, carnivorous animal prowling the streets, she really shouldn't be walking home alone... Not with DEATH looming at her doorstep. "How many critics do you have testing your cherry pie?" Were they talking about pie or that sweet spot between those creamy thighs? Wait. SWEET SPOT? What the hell had gotten into her lately... She was gonna have to say extra prayers tonight before bed . "Well, after I have a taste, maybe I'll leave a review." The implication was... GLARING . Tongue swept across lips.

"You could say that." She'd blame the pie being pushed before her for the way she'd wet her lips, not the thought of TASTING the young girl's... Oh God. Screw extra prayers. She was gonna have to go to confession & say 3 rosaries after tonight. (she wasn't even catholic, she just felt she needed it) "Usually I like it HOT ." Emphasis on the word, voice deeper than intended. "But I've got someone waiting for me back home, so we've gotta make this A QUICKIE ." Two people were waiting for her, actually. & They were going to be freaking out the whole time Nora was away. They'd probably already tried to text or call her, but she had her phone tucked away in her purse. It was HER TIME to go next so... Kat should be SAFE . "Yeah. I'll take some cream." Small smile at the poor fumbling mess of a girl. She couldn't tell if it was the alcohol in Darcy's system, or if she was blushing. Either way, it was cute. ( cute? )

Bringing up Tim was a bad idea ─ Sometimes these memories just slipped through the cracks. Was the worst when it was in public. She felt like EVERYONE was watching her. Waiting for her to BREAK . (they weren't right?) At the very least, Darcy was. Shaky breath & a forced smile as she pushed back all of her emotions, but could she really hide it? Nora had always worn her heart on her sleeve. "I'd rather not talk about it." Keeping this CASUAL was for the best. She already had enough people emotionally involved in her life. She needed someone she could go to who didn't KNOW everything. Someone she could ESCAPE from the pain with. "So, about that crush you had on me. Is that why I kept catching you making out with girls all the time? Were you trying to make me jealous?" SHE'S TEASING . (of course she is, the girl was a freshman at the time & she'd been 32) That said, it had always felt... Weirdly coincidental that almost all times she ran into Darcy outside of class, the girl was getting her smooch on with Francine Bernard. She'd just assumed she was her girlfriend. Maybe she was? A crush didn't mean you couldn't date someone.

[waitingx2xdie]

No one liked to depend on others. Unless you were Emily. And then she wanted to both DEPEND on someone and have said someone DEPEND WHOLLY AND WANTONLY upon HER. Kat would never understand the thinking behind it.  Codependency was a helluva drug, she supposed. Kat and Nora were a lot alike in that regard. Kat would never, ever allow herself to be financially dependent on another human. And Nora would never allow herself to be physically dependent on another human. In a way, the tiny means by which they each DID allow one another to help; Nora doing most of the housework, while Kat offered a comfortable sense of financial security without in turn leaving Nora any sense of OBSOLESCENCE in her own chosen career path. Now if only, she set her sister up with a girlfriend, so Kat could stop worrying 24/7 if she was going to come back home to another prison heat kinda scenario, incest edition. If Nora TRULY wanted Kat to get along with Emily, then THAT would be a good place for her to start. Then all she’d need was some Goddamn masking tape to keep her BIG MOUTH SHUT. And maybe, just maybe Kat could coexist in peace with Emily Turner. At the very least, Emily would piss her off a whole lot less…

As for Emily? She wasn’t exactly SURE what she needed to get along with Kat. In truth, she feared, she’d never be able to coexist with any other object of affection, especially not one ACTIVELY COMPETING for the attentions of her big sister. She’d gotten so used to life, just Nora & herself vs. the world. They didn’t anyone. They were exactly enough for each other. Nora. Emily. And Tim. No friends. No boyfriends. No husbands. And certainly no hookups. That had all changed with the introduction of KAT. FREAKING. JENNINGS. & HER RESTING BITCH FACE. Now, it wasn’t herself and Nora. It was herself, Nora, and Kat. Every. Single. Fucking. Day. Left her feeling like a THIRD WHEEL. Like a Queen Bee chased outta the hive… OBSOLETE. So long as Kat was here, Emily truly didn’t need to be, no matter how much she WANTED to be. Nora didn’t need her anymore… And evidently, didn’t want her either. At least, not in the way Emily wanted her to want her. Not in the way she seemingly wanted Kat… SIGH. Never in her life had Emily ever considered this, until now… But… Sometimes, lately, she found herself wishing she wasn’t Nora’s sister… Maybe then… Maybe… Just maybe…

Call of her sister’s gentle voice, drew her attention, in doing so, she also managed to ever so briefly, for one split flash in the pan kinda second, to quell that uncomfortable feeling of JEALOUSY, BETRAYAL & RAGING frothing up in the cauldron of her twisted up, confused, little heart. For but a moment. For in that moment, she was reminded, however briefly, that there were still things in life that only Emily had ever, could ever, offer Nora. & Ironically, they were the favoritisms and biases afforded to her not as Nora’s friend or prospective lover, but as her SISTER. In that millisecond of relief, Emily almost wanted to forget those stupid texts, to seize this moment, to just say YES to Nora’s question, just like old times. The benefits of being the PROBLEM CHILD: You very quickly grew accustomed to eyeshadow, eyeliner, hair dye, and cutting and styling your own hair. Nora on the other hand lived a very by-the-book life, never quite breaking from her own chains and experimenting the way Emily had. And now? Emily had become Nora’s de facto go-to whenever she needed her hair and makeup done all fancy and sexy like. But… Unfortunately for Nora…

“Answer her question, sis…” Was this how Nora saw these two FINALLY backing each other up? “Look, I do wanna do your hair, I will, but…” Hard swallow, head hung low in SHAME for snooping as she spoke. “But come on… Who’s this Darcy chick and why haven’t EITHER of us heard a single thing about her?” Brow raised, arms folded, she shook her head. “You don’t wanna know what it--...” And then her big sister’s bathrobe slipped open, exposing milky flesh, and drawing Emily’s attention down the V toward her… Where water… HARD SWALLOW and a telltale squeal as she bit the inside of her mouth. She needed to get a hold of herself. This was IMPORTANT. “Is that all? You just happened to meet and get her number the other night?” She was trying to sound DEFIANT. Trying to sound DEMANDING. But it just wasn’t her forte. Of all the people in the world who held no power over Emily Turner, including their parents… Nora might have been the ONLY bitch on the planet who could tear open Emily’s circuits like an Engineer decompiling a rocket ship. Thankfully, and Emily even stunned herself in saying this… THANKFULLY, tonight, she wasn’t alone…

“Privacy is a luxury, Nora. A luxury I afford to HONEST people who I can TRUST.” Kat batted back, holding the phone out of reach, snatching it away as quickly as Nora attempted to snatch it back. “Darcy? Who the Hell is that and why is this the first I’ve heard of her?” Robe parted and Kat’s LASCIVIOUS gaze dipped, a lick of her lips and she swallowed, stepping back to keep the phone out of reach. “What does it say? Oh, I don’t know, let’s read it together, shall we?” With a few quick taps, she was back on the message screen, having been knocked off it in the preceding phone scramble. “Will you be coming by for a slice of my cherry pie today?” Head tilted, Jesus Christ, she wanted to VOMIT just saying such vulgar words out loud. No, scratch that, it wasn’t the VULGARITY that had anything to do with it. It was the MEANING behind it… Namely who it was being directed toward. “Got it all warmed up for you. Nice and hot, just the way you like it…” Her heart sunk and her face fell with it, featureless eyes and a down-turned frown looking across to Nora for answers. “One, it was Emily that saw the message before you get on with bitching me. Two… I thought we were BUILDING SOMETHING HERE, Nora…” What the Hell was THAT supposed to mean? “And now what? You’re just flirting with some random bitch you met at the coffee shop last week? Who even are you?” HARSH WORDS, but Kat wasn’t done. She scoffed, she shook her head. “What night? What night did you two meet? When did she give you her number? Because I swear to God, Nora, if I go through this phone and find out you’re lying to me… AGAIN…” Shake of her head became one of stern WARNING.

IN HINDSIGHT ; Leaving Kat & her sister out in the living room together while she showered wasn't the brightest idea. But, what was she supposed to do? She had to be at Midwood High School tomorrow morning for a faculty meeting. & As much as she would have LOVED to neglect her responsibilities, THAT WASN'T AN OPTION . Sure, Kat had been helping out with financial responsibilities since she moved in, paying for the groceries, (though she never actually went shopping) & helping with the bills. Nora just wasn't prepared to DEPEND FULLY on another person. She hadn't even done that when Eric was alive. Turned out, that was a good call, because if she hadn't already had an education & a job after he passed away, she'd probably have been working at that diner down the street with Darcy. At the end of the day, Kat & Emily were gonna have to LEARN TO GET ALONG. At the very least, they were gonna have to learn to exist in the same space while hating each other. Because, Nora wouldn't be around the house as much starting in three days.

She couldn't babysit them anymore .

After drying off, pulling on her robe, & securing the knot around her waist, Nora reached for her toothbrush only to HESITATE, hand hanging in the air above the holder. TREMBLING . There, next to her own pink toothbrush was Tim's matching blue. She still hadn't managed to throw it out. She hadn't touched ANY of his things. Couldn't. There was a reason Emily was sleeping on the couch instead of Tim's old bed. Why Kat got the guest room & her sister didn 't? Well, that was a different conversation. Biting down on her bottom lip & FIGHTING BACK THE TEARS, she reached for her toothbrush, applied toothpaste & brushed her teeth. Last thing she needed was to let her teeth rot away. If she never had to go to another dentist appointment, she'd be a happy woman. After finishing her routine, glancing herself over in the foggy mirror to ensure she was DECENT, she left the bathroom.

"Em. Do you think you could braid my hair before my meeting tomorr ─" Before she could finish her question, a phone was being waved VIOLENTLY in her face. Not just any phone. HER PHONE . ​​& Kat was questioning her about what she could only assume before reading the messages, had to be Darcy Blake. (wasn't like anybody else messaged her besides em & kat) "Whoa." Small recoil in shock, "And what do you think you're doing going through my phone? Ever heard of a thing called privacy , Kat?" Yes, she was using that word against the other, because anytime Nora pried into her life or asked about her e-mails & the boy she was kind of seeing, Kat would get DEFENSIVE & insist on keeping some things PRIVATE . Older woman reached for the phone, V of her bathrobe opening up just a bit to expose the top of her breasts. Water was dripping from wet hair down the concave of cleavage. "Is it Darcy ? What does it say?" She couldn't read it without her glasses, but she could ASSUME it sounded inappropriate. Everything that girl said sounded inappropriate. "She works at the diner down the street. I ran into her the other night and we talked. That's all. Turns out she was one of my students back in her freshman year."

[waitingx2xdie]

Was it the irony of it all, or maybe just the desire for NOISE to help calm her scattered mind whenever she was left alone? Kat Jennings had no idea, but for some reason, she’d started listening to SURVIVOR BY DESTINY’S CHILD whenever she worked out. Had the disc in her Walkman as she ran on the treadmill, keeping her attention away from the news and her own phone. Things were really starting to PISS HER OFF at work… She’d come so close to closing a deal with a big firm but all this NOT BEING MURDERED SHIT had put her behind. She’d missed the window and the firm had gotten SOMEONE ELSE to review and close the contract: FUCKING SHARON. And now her boss was furious. As if he ever wasn’t. Shit, Kat was the very girl he said wouldn’t have made anything outta life without putting a leg up for him. Bitch sure showed HIM.

It had taken THREE MONTHS for Death to finally sabotage Kat’s professional life enough for her to lose EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH. And a few extra weeks to finally land her on the company’s shit list. So fuck it. Fuck them. Life was too short, and growing ever shorter by the day to deal with their BULLSHIT. They could give her this freaking morning to her Goddamn self so she didn’t explode and slap that dumb bitch Sharon right across her stupid face. Or worse, kick that douchebag Derek Freedman in his tiny, empty, shriveled balls. (Told you she was angry.) She had her issues with the lyrics to Survivor, turns out Beyonce wasn’t exactly GREAT with writing her own lyrics. But the spirit was what mattered. The MESSAGE. And dear God did that message reflect EVERYTHING she wanted to scream at her stupid boss right now; If only he had the slightest idea what she was going through in those scant 9 hours she wasn't at work. 

Right now, she’d kickstarted her morning with an intense treadmill workout, running five miles on a two-inch incline. She NEEDED to run the energy off before work. Well, in truth, she probably actually needed to wake Nora up in the middle of the night and talk things out with her, but Kat was NEVER going to do that. Nora deserved her rest, too. And it wasn't often she ever got to see Nora getting a peaceful night’s sleep; so exercise it was. She hadn’t heard Nora wake up or hop in the shower and was instead alerted to Nora’s presence once she’d entered the living room, coughing to announce her presence. Within a few short seconds, Kat glanced across, shut off her Walkman, and plucked out her headphones. “Hey!” Immediate smile, the very PRESENCE of Nora melting away an entire week's worth of STRESS. And then she caught sight of Nora’s bathrobe, breath catching in her throat, tongue swiping across her lips, her own gaze catching droplets of water, running from her hair down her clavicle and between… HARD SWALLOW. Clit was throbbing. “Hot shower?” Perhaps if she didn’t need to DISTRACT & PROJECT she’d have the wherewithal to catch on to the telltale signs of her fellow survivor’s, ahem, LUSTFUL INCLINATIONS. “Oh, yeah, I’m heading in at 9. Twelve-hour day. I just…” She let out a sigh. “Needed a morning to just… GET IT ALL OUT, y’know?”

She finally shut off the treadmill, hopping off it and letting out a relieved “Phewf!!” grabbing a towel to dab herself down, wiping away the sweat accumulated on her forehead and chest. “Have you heard this song? I don’t even need to understand music theory to tell you Beyonce was rushing these lyrics to fit the beat. How this peaked at #2 I have NO IDEA but I’m glad it did. Fuck Derek.” She took a breath before inhaling, catching the scent of coffee. “Mm, y’know what a coffee is EXACTLY what I need.” And a shower. But first, she’d squeeze on past Nora in the doorway, their breasts and hips and lips a little TOO CLOSE for comfort. (Or exactly close enough, depending on how you looked at it, but Nora & Kat were not those kind of gals.) “What about you? Got any meetings or anything today? Any plans?” Reaching the coffee machine she wasted NO TIME in pouring herself a coffee, taking a drink. She preferred it HOT, RICH & SWEET. No milk, no creamer, she didn’t let it cool but she DID have an unhealthy helping of sweetener. “Oh, that hits the spot…” A big stretch to relieve tension in her shoulder blades, pushing out her chest before she turned her attention back to Nora. “Where’s Emily? Don’t tell me she’s still asleep…”

@xnoraxcarpenterx

Nora walking in and getting a good eyeful of this while Kat exercises in her living room :))

[waitingx2xdie]

Lick of her teeth, a flirty little hum, chuckling at the back of her throat. “That is supposed to be for YOU to know. And ME to find out.” A waggle of her brow. She honestly didn’t know WHY she was giving the other girl special treatment right now. However, two key motivators sprang to mind: One, the woman had entered the cafe with the same GAIT AND SLUMP of your typical WITCHING HOUR customers, only it wasn’t late enough in the day for just ANYONE to be naturally walking around like a ZOMBIE needing to not only BUILD the Pyramid of Giza but also PLAN OUT AND OVERSEE SAID CONSTRUCTION. And that only meant one thing: Sexy blondie here was having herself a TERRIBLE day. Wait, sexy blondie? Yeah, yeah, that was the other motivating factor: She really DID find the woman attractive. In ways she probably SHOULDN’T have, considering the age gap, but Darcy was never one to follow the rules. She’d never admit it, but she truly did see herself as too smart to deal with the inanity and mundanity of most people her age. Cheryl was truthfully the only one she let close, and that wasn’t so much that she KEPT UP WITH HER, and more had everything to do with them being CHILDHOOD BESTIES. She afforded others attention, valued memories, and saw no reason to break civility. She had no issues with half the people in the suburbs rather she merely didn't enjoy the time she spent with them. And it was as simple as that. This woman, however? This woman had her attention… “Maybe I just don’t like seeing pretty girls counting tiles.” Eyes shifted, glancing down at the marble countertop.

A smile and a cutesy cock of her by design as the other woman professed the cafe’s promise of the BEST IN NEW YORK. “Yeah, well, you can thank our boss for THAT sign. Lord knows, Scottie Perkins should…” Eyes rolled, glancing across to the catcalling douche. “Exactly. Imagine having to hear that twice a day. I swear Dale did it on purpose…” Just like when he forced Darcy to keep the fuck away from Scottie after he’d requested Cheryl with the most transparent clear as day intentions to HARRASS her best friend. (As if Scottie ever did anything else…) “Lucky for you, I’m the only bitch on staff today, so~” She moved closer, whispering under her breath. The intention was to keep Scottie from overhearing, but there was no denying the sultry undertones the hushed breath gave to her words. “You get to taste MY cherry pie, special order.” A playful wink before she snorted and laughed out. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’m just messin’ around. Gotta have fun somehow. Dale’s golfing. Cheryl’s taking a day off because she got… Attacked by an animal? Last night. And that means I’m pulling a double shift tonight. Because Ronnie has BETTER THINGS to do than cover Cheryl’s…”

Train of thought severed CLEANLY in two as the older woman batted back with a little FLIRTATION of her own, causing Darcy’s heart to skip a beat and her clit to throb beneath her apron. “W-Well…” AHEM. Hard swallow and she took a nervous breath. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t get critics posting reviews of my cherry pie in the Examiner like we do here at the cafe.” A grateful smile and a soulful chuckle as the girl redirected the conversation back to desserts. She might have been capable of HOLDING HER OWN, but she really wasn’t as confident or cocky as she was letting on. ALCOHOL in her system was working WONDERS. No judgment intended, but openly flirting with strangers like this was more Cheryl’s forte. “One QUICK & EASY cherry pie coming right up.” She wasted no time heading back to the kitchen and bringing out a glass serving dish with the still-warm cherry pie, taking off the lid and brandishing a sharp knife. “Came out of the oven four hours ago. Should be a nice. Clean. Cut. And…” The knife slipped through like butter, cherries spilling a little, but the juices not oozing out. THE BENEFITS of letting the pie set versus serving it hot. Darcy preferred it hot and fresh, though. Enjoying the way the juices would flood into her mouth with every slice. …Okay, even her internal commentary track was getting way too carried away with these double entendres. IT WAS TIME TO STOP. 

Turning the knife, she carefully scooped up the slice and transferred it to a warm plate, sliding it across to the blonde. “Aww, but you just got here. Busy day out, I guess?” Genuine question paired with customer service: “You want any cream with--...” Or at least it would have been had the conversation not SWIFTLY passed the moment by; Butterflies starting to form and flutter in her stomach as she heard the name: LITTLE DARCY. “Oh. My. Gawd. And you haven’t aged a day!” Granted it had only been around five years, counting sophomore, junior, and senior years, plus the two years she’d spent at community college ahead of applying to Penn U. It wasn't as if she NEEDED the college degrees on her transcript, but her father wasn’t exactly going to DENY HER getting even more qualifications. SUNY’s two-year Fashion Merchandising A.A.S was somewhat of a catch-all business management course… With a CONVENIENT lean toward fashion design. Not only did it provide her with a foundation in business management, statistics, US history, writing, marketing, communication, and accounting, but it did so while allowing her to do so while expressing her own creativity. MORE IMPORTANTLY: It had bought her two more years in White Plains, New York. “Yeah, uhh…” She’d been so CAUGHT UP in herself that she hadn’t even considered censoring herself on BASIC SOCIAL ETIQUETTE. Hell, how many chances did a dumb kid get to tell her high school professor that she wanted to bone her? Most never saw their teacher again after graduation, and Darcy had long accepted that fate… Until… Until…

“H-Hey… Is it getting hot in here… Or is that just me?” 

Another voice, definitely in her head. Her OWN voice. Blink. Blink. Blink… “Yeah, sorry, I spaced out for a second. That was TOTALLY unprofessional, huh…?” Bite of her lip and she finally remembered. “Cream!” She reached for the can. “Do you want cream with that?” Chest flushed, red creeping to her cheeks. She really shouldn’t have drank tonight of all nights… Thankfully, Mrs Carpenter always knew how to help defuse an awkward situation, reassuring Darcy that she truly was, in fact, NORMAL. …Much like she’d done back in Freshman year… About her gapped teeth, and her own perceived abnormal desire to go into fashion, hair & makeup growing up, contrary to her father’s beliefs. And… And that time she’d caught her in the girl’s bathroom stall… Which time? The time she was vomiting COURTESY OF HER OWN INDEX FINGER, or maybe that time she walked in on Darcy kissing that one chick. What was her name again? Fran-something? Hardly mattered anymore. In either case, Mrs Carpenter had served as both GUARDIAN & COUNSELOR. Darcy’s father would take credit for her formative development, but it was truly thanks to the people she kept around her. Mrs Carpenter, Cheryl & her mom, her college professor… Kept her on the STRAIGHT & NARROW, whenever she teetered too close to the edge. No wonder she had a crush on Mrs Carpenter… The more she thought about it, the more she realized exactly how much of a difference this woman had made in her life, all without Darcy paying it even a second thought. Kids truly were ungrateful little shits, huh? And speaking of…

Darcy’s eyes narrowed, head tilting, confusion bleeding through. “Had? He can’t be that old, right? Tiff and Scottie would have made his life Hell if he’d started while we were there. Guessing he changed teachers Sophomore year or something, like me?” Was this a line of questioning she WANTED to go down? Tension in the air had her nervous to find out…

"And what makes me so special, huh?" Hazels drifted to that GAP-TOOTHED SMILE , & for just a moment, Nora allowed herself to let go of the suffocating anxiety that had been weighing her down for months. (years, really . ever since she lost her husband) ─ This threesome with Kat, Death, & Emily, had taken a lot outta her tonight. It felt nice to smile again. Even if it WOULDN'T LAST . Glance up & she caught the mischief dancing in those eyes, if she didn't know any better, she'd have thought that the waitress was FLIRTING WITH HER . But, why would she do something like that when there were all these attractive, young kids her own age around? She was probably just one of THOSE types of girls. Nora had entered the 80's at 18. She was no stranger to free love, drugs, & rock-n-roll. Most of her friends had gone on dates with at least three guys before graduation. (that was a lot back then) & At least half of those dates had ended steamy. Those were WILD TIMES. & They'd only gotten wilder going into the 2000's. As for her? She'd always been a woman of Christ. She'd married Eric just out of high school & she'd never once looked at another man. Or woman. (until lately) Bony fingers curled around the mug, enjoying the warmth as it spread across her palms. Reminded her that she was still ALIVE . "Yeah. Says it's the best in New York. I'd like to put that to the test." There were no sexual innuendos or implications. She was just A SUCKER for a good cherry pie.

"What's so wrong about asking ─" As if they were in some sort of sitcom, a young boy from a table over by the window starting HOOTING & HOLLERING about how he'd take some of the blonde's "cherry pie." That was when it clicked for Nora. "Oh... I see." Light flush of pink rushed to the surface of cheeks. Warming them. Had this girl assumed she'd meant... Oh God... "For the record I wasn talking about..." Awkward pause like a mother speaking to their child about sex for the first time, " THAT ." She should have stopped there, yet her mouth wouldn't cooperate. "Not that you don' t have a nice cherry pie. I'm sure it's lovely ." A word not a soul had ever used to describe what they were talking about. Look, she wasn't good at this sorta thing. If she was, she wouldn' t have two confused girls back home who had just chewed each other's heads off. "I'll just take a slice of the real cherry pie. Thank you." She dropped her gaze to the heart on the surface of her coffee as she lifted it to lips & took a sip. Her own heart was RACING IN HER CHEST .

'You want it hot and fresh, or quick and easy?'

They WERE still talking about the pie, right? The other's tone told a different story. Was she slurring? Had she been drinking on the job? It sure would explain some of her behavior. "I'll take it quick and easy." Had she really just said that? "I should be getting home soon." If she left Kat & Emily alone for too long they might KILL EACH OTHER before death had the chance. (not that either of them was next on the list) ─ "Ah! Little Darcy, is that you?" She had a lot of students over the years, the names & faces started to blend together after a while. She couldn't be expected to recognize all of them. But, now that the young girl had jogged her memory, she knew EXACTLY who she was. "You've really GROWN UP. " That sounded worse than she intended, though she did mean it physically. The Darcy she knew back then was a scrawny five foot toothpick. With messy blonde hair & that gap in her teeth had been wider. Her next words caught Nora off guard, eyes widened & her blush intensified, she blinked a few times like A LOST PUPPY, before laughing awkwardly & shaking her head. "You probably shouldn' t have." Not that she actually minded. It was a perfectly natural thing to develop crushes on your teachers. Typically not of the same sex, but... New generation. The times were changing. & She had to accept that. " It's totally normal. My son had a crush on his Biology teacher." The past tense of HAD hung in the air.

[waitingx2xdie]

@xnoraxcarpenterx

Nora walking in and getting a good eyeful of this while Kat exercises in her living room :))

[waitingx2xdie]

She shook her head, tongue licking across and pushing out her top lip in the process. “I’ll work on that.” A BITTER REBUTTAL with narrow eyes and a sarcastically nodding head. “But if you would…” She intentionally let the words hand for a moment before pointedly adding: “Pardon my fucking French, I’m a lil pissed off right now.” Seriously. Nora was REALLY expecting Kat to reel in her emotions? To silence her tongue? To not speak her damn mind? After walking in on THIS?! “Yes. Scarred for life. Not every day you walk in on someone fucking their own sister. Never mind the fact that it’s YOU she’s fucking…” Was she giving too much of her inner turmoil away? Hinting at the TRUTH in her heart? As if Kat was capable of thinking that far ahead. She’d scold herself in the morning. “I’m being dramatic? Have you seen this bitch?!” Incredulous shock as she held arms out to draw Nora’s attention to her PANIC-RIDDEN SISTER. “She fucks up ALL OF THIS and then goes on a pity-me parade and I’M the one overreacting?” A deep sigh. She knew she was being petty. Petty and bitter. But she was HURTING. What did Nora expect? A girl so unattuned to her own emotions she couldn’t even admit to a girl that she LIKED HER was now supposed to somehow handle whatever fucking insanity came with walking in on said girl sleeping with another woman? And she was supposed to handle that pain better than her initial repression with all the same oppressive mental faculties? That was some WISHFUL THINKING.

Simmering fury bubbled at the surface, Kat falling to silence, OBSERVING AS THE OBJECT OF HER TROUBLED AFFECTIONS turned her attention back to her baby sister, holding her closer and offering maternal, familial comforts. She clung. Clung to the notion of Nora’s soft defense, pulling Emily down from the edge, and throwing a feather of understanding in Kat’s corner, even in spite of Kat’s continued outburst. In Times like this, Nora’s profession as a school teacher most shined through. Patience unrivaled, negotiations unmatched. Like a hostage negotiator calmly talking down two TIGHTLY WOUND FUSES and perfectly identifying the inner strife of her subjects. She was right after all… Kat WAS just hurt. She WAS just lashing out. Even if Nora being the one to defend her left her feelings disgustingly, despicably, exposed and vulnerable. “Well, you’re half right. We certainly can’t have anyone making any stupid mistakes now, can we?” Still, she couldn’t bite her tongue. Shit, she’d even MEANT THAT, but smarting heartache had it dripping with venom. Physically INCAPABLE of maintaining a mask of civility. “You better hope she wouldn’t.” Eyes flickered, locking on Emily with all the focus of a predator on the prowl. “You. Better hope you wouldn’t either. Because if I find you did…” Dot. Dot. Dot. 

Trailing words carried all the threat she needed. And she didn’t finish that sentence because she was full of shit or even out of mercy, or some misguided sense of guilt. No. She was under NO illusion that she’d tear Emily’s teeth out if she really DID rape Nora. Even just the thought made her SICK; teeth peeling back, fists clenching. Nora meant EVERYTHING to her. She was the only thing that still meant ANYTHING AT ALL. And therein lay the only reason she’d censored herself: NORA. The girl currently juggling three separate burdens of despair. Set aside her OWN hysteria to piece together the shattering minds of the only two girls who meant anything at all to HER. Was it selfish of Kat to hope that Nora saw her pettiness, spite, and wrath, all in ironic or maybe serendipitous, spite of her best efforts to extinguish the flames of betrayal BURNING in her heart, as a ringing indictment or just how much Nora and Emily had HURT Kat tonight? The answer didn’t matter. For, in any case, it was truly the only thing Kat had left to hold onto. When Nora had pleaded her silence, it had been all Kat could bring herself to do to leave with one last parting cheap shot. But it was what Nora had wanted right? Not for Kat to VERBALLY LOW BLOW HER on her way out, but rather, for Kat to give Nora and Emily space to recollect themselves and calm down. Kat could only pray… Because she damn wasn’t capable of offering Nora anything else…

                                                           ————

Tremors shot through Emily like her bones were tectonic plates, grinding up against one another, sending aftershocks of PURE, UNLEADED ANXIETY right through her skeleton. Even as Nora swept her up into her arms and cradled her close to her heart—More than a little TOO CLOSE to the same breast and nipple Emily had just been suckling on mere minutes prior for anyone’s comfort right about now—Those reverberations had her TRAPPED; Feeling like one of those cartoon slapstick gags where the character actually gets zapped and simply convulse in place, helplessly paralyzed MID-SEIZURE. Boy, those cartoons got a lot darker when you applied real-world logic to the COMEDIC CARICATURE NATURE of their expressions of PAIN… “But she’s shouting at you…” She pouted but notably DID fall into silence for Kat’s continued verbal bitch slaps. “I dunno… She really seems to hate us now…” Perhaps a telltale sign of growing self-hatred and insecurity within Emily. She’d been the frontrunner for pushing, teasing, bullying, and mocking Kat for her, ahem, ‘INCLINATIONS’ toward Nora. Hell, where Nora excelled in the academy, Emily had learned on the streets. She prided herself on reading the people around her, but then again, she also believed she’d seen countless signs of Nora RECIPROCATING her twisted sense of sissy love and she’d been wrong about that, hadn’t she? Insofar as Nora would have her believe… Still, the point remained Emily should’ve been the first person to notice that Kat was acting like a TEXTBOOK closet lover right about now. “I wouldn’t…” Penultimate affirmation of her innocence spoken limply, all breathy and quiet, until… 

“You. Better hope you wouldn’t either. Because if I find you did…”

In a single brief respite, or perhaps a moment more akin to SEEING RED, Emily spoke with gnashing teeth. “I. DIDN’T.” Her final rebuttal left no room for doubt. If Kat pursued this, she was MORE than prepared to make this shit as VIOLENT as it NEEDED to be. Thankful, though she was, for the HUSHED SUCCOR, of her big sis. A simple hand tending through now messy blonde hair, paired with three even simpler words made her world make sense through the current whirlwind of blood-red emotion. ‘It’s okay, baby…’ She nodded, trying to correct her staggered, struggling breath… “I’m okay… I’m okay…” Sniffle. Sniffle… And just like that, Kat was gone. “I dunno… I really don’t know… Never seen her like this before… Who knew she knew so much French…?” Weak attempt at a joke, was all she could muster. In a single moment of thoughtless weakness, she nuzzled into Nora’s chest, nose brushing against her breast, eyes fluttering shut, trying to find the strength to curl those lips into a smile. Could anyone blame her? The way Nora held her close, hands through her hair, moving to scrape against the back of her neck, nails pinpricking like a tattoo pen as she painted invisible ink into her flesh. She shuddered when Nora finally pulled away, only to be mesmerized by the TRANSIENCE of Nora gazing deep into her eyes. The nod, smile, and promise came so easy in that moment of isolated serenity. “I will… I promise…”

Bed shifted as Nora stood to adjust her gown and check herself over, leaving her baby sister to do the same. A wipe of her tears, grabbing at a towel. “I’mma hit the bathroom, get cleaned up… I…” It was then she noticed, as Nora shifted her nightgown into place… Twin peaks poking through the thin material; HARDENED NIPPLES. Was that cold night air, adrenaline, or… HER CLIT THROBBED. She couldn’t breathe, so she swallowed, in hopes of dislodging the lump trapped in her throat with no luck until Nora spoke up. “‘Course I can. You’d trust me to do that for you? After…” She shrunk again, eyes drifting to the carpet. “Y-Yeah! I’ll be right behind you!” Emily grasped at Nora like a LIFELINE, following her every word and move as if GOSPEL. Motivated by fear, love, or a sense of lost desperation? No one could say. But… But a base display of obedience had made it tenfold easier for Emily to manage that CHAOS built up in her skull, pressing against the bone cage like a fire extinguisher ready to EXPLODE. With that, she fixed her tank top and shorts before retreating to the bathroom. A splash of cold water on her face was exactly what she needed to ground herself back in this reality…

                                                           ————

Kat had never felt so… So at an end… WRUNG OUT… This is why she never put her skin in the game… Relying on other people HURT. And for all her bark and icy defenses, she had never been one to survive the DEEP CUTS that humans were so fated to suffer. She had been so stupid to let herself go all soft on Nora Carpenter. And even stupider not to tell her she was… Like, seriously, in what world does a woman just keep on waiting forever for a COMMITMENTPHOBE that would NEVER make the first move? If anything, Kat should’ve been counting her goddamn lucky stars that it was EMILY feeling her up tonight. Because had it been anyone else? Maybe Nora really WOULD have let them… Stomach twisted and she took a drink. Gin burned, counterintuitive for someone NOT wanting to throw up right about now… The tick of the clock on the wall, next to the fridge, accompanied her, her only company at that. Tick. Tick. Tick. Paranoia began to set in. STUPID BITCH. She never should’ve left those two alone… Who knew WHAT they were talking about… Or getting up to, for that matter… She drowned those fears, irrational as they were, or at least irrational as she HOPED they were, in a second glass of gin on the rocks, eyes pinching shut, head shaking as she waited for the AFTERBURN to die down. FUCK. “Shit…” Glass clattered against wood, right as the door latch sounded out, and she poured herself another glass…

“Hey…”

Glance out the corner of her eye and she greeted Nora with a single pointed finger toward the chair opposite. In that brief moment of Nora taking her seat, Kat quickly swabbed her eyes clean of tears, moisture clinging to her palm. “Hey…” A hard swallow. FUCK her throat hurt. (Everything fucking hurt.) “About time one of you apologized…” She couldn’t look Nora in the eyes for fear her own were puffy, flooded, and red. “You want some?” A lift of her bottle, proffering it up to the old woman, only to slide the fresh glass across and keep the handle to herself. No, she HADN’T waited for an answer. “We’re still one short…” A quick sigh, an even quicker swig. “Probably for the best…” She screwed the tap back on. “Now I can get a real answer outta you…” Arm on table; fingers a tap, tap, tapping against the oak. For the first time, she managed to meet Nora’s eyes. “Look me in the eyes. And tell me. That you believe Emily would never, could never, do this on purpose. With intent to…” (RAPE YOU…)

                                                           ————

Turned out, her face wasn’t the ONLY THING she needed to clean while in the bathroom… And her own feelings had only grown EVER MORE CONFUSED in the wake of their midnight mistake. Not only had Emily seen signs of arousal from Nora in the form of hard nipples, peaking out through the fabric of her nightgown… But… But this…? This was DEFINITELY Nora’s juice coating her fingers right now… Startling realization had her clit throbbing and had her FROZE UP in the mirror, gazing down at her sticky fingers. It took EVERY OUNCE OF CONTROL as she lifted those fingertips to her lips, pressing them against soft flesh not to stick her tongue out and gorge on the FORBIDDEN JUICES of her very own sister. Perhaps her resilience had been born out of a stubborn need to forge a self-made testament of strength and will to prove to HERSELF that tonight had been little more than a mistake. That she truly WASN’T capable of despoiling her sister like this. And that she COULD make the conscious choices that respected, honored, her sister’s modesty, privacy, innocence, security, and sacrality. A hard swallow and she washed the juices over under the hot tap before wiping her face and hands down, taking a breath and—...

“Look me in the eyes. And tell me. That you believe Emily would never, could never, do this on purpose. With intent to…”

Her breath caught. She wanted to announce her presence. But she needed to hear Nora’s answer. In a moment of fate, she opened her mouth to speak… 

“Hey…”

"I just think there are more appropriate ways to… express yourself." They were all adults here. Nora knew that. Still, maternal instinct had her scolding Kat for her language. There were certain words she simply wouldn’t allow under her roof, NO MATTER THE COMPANY — When Tim was alive, she'd kept a swear jar in the kitchen. Every time he slipped, three bucks of allowance went in. Incentivized him to KEEP HIS MOUTH CLEAN. Maybe she should set something like that up again? Lord knows Emily & Kat could use a little "incentivizing." Canine sunk into the inside of her cheek. Biting down HARD. Was that the taste of iron her tongue? "Scarred for life?" Tone was incredulous, "Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?" Woman worked fifteen hours a day, was a chronic smoker, had death stalking her, & THIS was what was gonna push her to seek out a second therapist? Despite her clear disbelief, large hazels swirled with compassion for Kat as she rocked her sister in a warm, protective embrace. Cradling her against bosom like a child. She wasn't WITHOUT SYMPATHY for the brunette. This was a really odd situation. (putting it lightly) She wasn't really sure what to make of it. & She couldn't blame Kat for being upset, either. Even if their relationship status read : COMPLICATED. Physical & emotional attraction had been slowly developing over the past four months... They just hadn't had the courage to put a label on it. Not helped by the fact that Emily always seemed to walk in on them just as things were about to get HEATED.

"Hey..." Dainty digits dragged affectionately through matching blonde strands as she held her sister's cheek CLOSE TO HER HEART, the sound of it beating had always comforted her in the past. Though, she supposed, considering the circumstances, this was inappropriate. Young girl had just had those pretty lips of hers wrapped around her... NOT THINKING ABOUT IT. "Don't shout at her, Em..." It wouldn't help anything. Kat might have been exaggerating, but she was rightfully upset. & If she needed to take that anger out on Nora, Nora didn't mind taking the hits. Wasn't the first time she'd played the role of PUNCHING BAG, & it wouldn't be the last. "She knows I didn't do anything wrong... She's just hurt and lashing out..." Kat wasn't gonna appreciate her pointing out THE TRUTH. "We all need to take a breather and calm down before things get outta hand." Death had skipped Emily, but her sister wasn't on the same list as her & Kat. It could come back around for any of them at any moment, & the last thing they needed was to give it A HELPING HAND. "It's okay, baby..." Breathed softly into blonde strands, chin resting against her skull as she watched her "friend" closely. "She's a troubled girl but she wouldn't manipulate me like that..." Why did she sound like she was trying to convince herself?

ANGER WASN'T GOING AWAY ANYTIME SOON — Kat's voice trembled & dripped with contempt. She was fed up with Emily, & Nora honestly couldn't BLAME HER. Her sister was a handful. Had been since the day she was born, would continue to be until the day she died. & IT WASN'T FAIR that Kat had to suck it up & kick away her feelings, to give Em a chance to calm down. (wasn't fair that nora had to do so either) "Kat, please..." She pleaded.

'Just be careful not to fuck her again while I’m gone…'

"It's not like that and you —" She was cut off by the other's back as she turned & walked down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. Clacking of heels soon faded. Leaving behind a heavy, AWKWARD SILENCE hanging between the siblings. "It's okay." Pathetic attempt at a smile followed by a weak chuckle, "Not the first time she's been pissed at me. Happens all the time. She'll get over it." Suffice to say, this was a bit different than last night when Kat got annoyed with her for secretly sneaking some extra veggies into her meal. (what could she say? girl was skin & bones, she needed to eat better) "Mistakes happen..." Mistakes like this?. She stroked her fingers across the nape of the younger girl's neck, nails scratching patterns into flesh. Eventually, she pulled away and looked Emily in the eyes, "If you really wanna make it up to me, you should go out there and apologize to HER."

After the other had calmed down, Nora climbed out of the bed, adjusting her nightgown & biting her bottom lip as she glanced over herself in the mirror — Talk about A DISHEVELED MESS. Fingers combed through tangled strands. "Do you think you can braid my hair tomorrow?" She couldn't do it herself. Letting out a deep breath she prepared herself for the emotional conversation that would follow once she left the safety of her bedroom. HEART WAS HAMMERING AWAY. Was she really ready to talk about this? NO. But, she couldn't just leave Kat out there dealing with her inner turmoil alone. She wasn't that SELFISH. (she cared too much) "Fix yourself up and come on." She wasn't the only mess. Her sister still had tears on her cheeks & STICKY FINGERS. With that, she exited the room, slowly walking down the hallway toward the kitchen where she caught sight of Kat nursing a bottle of Gin, while she... WAS SHE CRYING? Did Kat Jennings cry? Huh. In that moment, she looked more vulnerable, more human, than Nora had ever witnessed. "Hey..." Soft voice announced her presence, "Sorry about all that... We're ready to talk if you are..."

[waitingx2xdie]

protective sentence starters

as requested. Feel free to change pronouns or anything else !

“Don’t you hurt a single hair on his/her/their head.”

“Hands off!”

“What do you think you’re doing to him/her/them?”

“I’ll never let you go.” / “Don’t ever let me go.”

“Don’t ever leave my sight again.”

“I got your back.”

“Where are you going? It’s not safe out there!”

“Do you trust me?”

“Be more careful next time. I don’t want to bandage you up again.”

“Hey, it’s cold outside. At least wear a jacket.”

“I’d die for you.”

“You’ll back off if you know what’s good for you.”

“Get behind me NOW.”

“Here, I have an extra weapon.”

“Duck, you idiot!”

“Go on without me.”

“Well what did you expect would happen while you’re walking alone at night? Come on, let’s get you away from that creep.”

“Hey. Pal. I’ve got a gun/knife/fist/weapon and I’m not afraid to use it.”

“You can stop hugging me now.”

“You scared the shit out of me. I’m never going to stop hugging you.”

“Quit babying me! I can protect myself.”

“I’ll always be there to save you.” / “I know you’ll always be there to save me.”

“If you even THINK about touching him/her/them, I’ll kill you.”

“[choked up] I thought I lost you.” / “[choked up] I never thought I’d see you again.”

[waitingx2xdie]

xnoraxcarpenterx asked: thread where Nora is taking a shower & Emily & Kat are uncomfortably in same room & one of them checks Nora's phone when there is a message & the message is from Darcy & Nora comes out of the shower in bathrobe & is like ???

‘And in other news, nineteen-year-old cornerback, Adam Taliaferro returned to the field today in front of a record-breaking crowd of 109,313 people, leading the Penn State Nittany Lions in his first game since sustaining what was believed to be a career-ending vertebra injury in September of LAST YEAR. Adam Taliaferro had been given only a 3% chance by doctors to ever walk again, with his return against the Miami Hurricanes being hailed as a modern-day miracle. However, this feel-good moment was not enough for Penn State to turn the tides against the Miami Hurricanes who went on to win the game 33-7.”

Emily and Kat sat in complete silence, bathed in the neon glow of the television, sharing the AWKWARD AMBIANCE with a news report about a sport NEITHER of them cared about. Though Kat supposed, it was good to hear that other people were making the most out of their second chances in life. She didn’t know who Adam Taliaferro was but wished him the best all the same. COMBROUS SILENCE was punctuated by the running shower head, and the steady pitter-patter of waterdrops crashing to the porcelain as Nora cleansed her body after a busy day prepping for the start of the school year in just three short days. Emily and Kat swapped nary a word between them. In truth? They never really did. Some days one of the two of them may have made more of an effort, and tried to bridge that gap, for Nora’s sake. But this was not one of those days. On days like this Kat would typically HIDE AWAY in her room, focus on work, and keep herself BUSY, much the opposite of Emily who would WASTE her days away watching repeats of Sex & The City. But with Nora home, came communal time, drawing both girls out of their bat caves in the name of the only thing they had in common: THEIR LOVE FOR NORA. If Kat hadn’t known any better, she’d almost believe that Nora had PLANNED her little shower break to try and force Emily & Kat to spend time together, talk alone, get to know each other -- GET ALONG TOGETHER. But not only wasn’t that Nora’s style, Kat honestly doubted Nora had any hope left of her and Emily getting along after Kat had walked in on Emily going to third base on Nora in her sleep.

“Oh my God, can we please put on something else? ANYTHING ELSE?” Kat rolled her eyes at Emily’s whining and Emily let out a sigh, moving across the sofa to reach for the remote. “Fine, I’ll do it my--...” And then Nora’s phone buzzed and… And Emily’s brow furrowed… “Huh…?” Who the FUCK was DARCY BLAKE? Kat glanced up, seeing Emily take the phone. “Whoa! Privacy! What do you think you’re--...” But it was too late and Emily had already flipped open the phone and held it out to Kat. “WHO. THE FUCK. IS DARCY BLAKE…?” Kat’s own brow furrowed to match Emily’s, and there was a dull ache in her chest, A CONCAVE CONVULSION, shuddering at her right shoulder, lips pressed to a thin straight line, cheekbone and jaw pulled taut. She felt sick as she reached out for the phone just as the shower head shut off and lo and behold…

(  sms. Mrs Carpenter~ )  Will you be coming by for a slice of my cherry pie today~? (  sms. Mrs Carpenter~ )  Got it all warmed up for you~ (  sms. Mrs Carpenter~ )  Nice and hot, just the way you like it.

Now, for those in the know, Darcy Blake was CLEARLY exaggerating, yes, flirtatious, but she really WAS talking about a slice of cherry pie while making it sound extra dirty from recent in-jokes between herself and Nora at the cafe. Unfortunately for Nora… Kat and Emily… Were NOT in the know… And as Nora stepped out of the shower in a bathrobe, two things happened... One: Emily’s jaw dropped. And two: Kat held up the phone.

“WHO THE HELL IS THIS?”