glow like a warning

“i don’t know what’s so surprising. i just… i want something…” real? it’s the first word that comes to mind. feels like it dismisses everything they’ve done, though. the friendship has been real, the added perks to it too. she just doesn’t envisage it going anywhere when nova seems to be on such a nomadic path as opposed to engaging with anything tangible and it just so happens that is what she wants. even if it comes as a surprise to even her. “i think i just want to find my person,” finally settles on, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. may have an abundance of friends, some she’s closer to than others, but there will always be a what if scenario playing in her mind. she needs to eradicate that. “you don’t seem like you are.” maeve is undeniably bristled; feels as though she should leave it but she can’t. “what’s the problem, nova?”

"caelum is always a lot, i don't think anyone would fault you for thinking the same. his friends don't seem to mind it but i will bet you a dollar to a donut hole that he's hit on every single one of them too." what an enigma his little brother is. can't tell if his acting out is directly related to their parents divorce or because he really just feels that disconnected to the rest of the family but that isn't aster's job to dissect. he has his own psyche to work out. "oh?" aster playfully echoes, brows quickly lifting up to his forehead and keeping that little 'o' on his mouth for a second longer. "yeah, let's uh... we should probably sober up a little. there's a buncha sodas and juices right next to the alcohol."

"he is pretty... confident, isn't he?" and confident comes in lots of different shapes and sizes, some of them more palatable than others. that's not to say there's anything wrong with it but peach definitely doesn't know how to handle someone with caelum's specific sort of confidence. she normally dismisses guys who come around acting like the next big thing. "oh, no. i was not thinking sobering up... just less fizz, maybe i should try wine..." a terrible idea, really. however, if she's ever going to spend time with cordelia or the rest of her little group then perhaps she ought to be somewhat prepared. regardless, she takes aster's hand to tug him back along to where they can grab some more food and drinks to set them up for the rest of the night. now that she feels light enough to actually enjoy it, she's actually able to do so.

-fin.

"yeah, for sure! and i've already kinda brought you here so... you know how i grew up and i'll get to know yours! even trade, if you ask me." not that this had anything to do with trading but the proper phrase to express the sentiment is lost on him for the moment. it really does sound nice to him to be able to step in her shoes for a change, since she never used to live in the place she does now with a non-mobile roof over her head. "to be fair, i think you got on just fine with caelum... he just..." aster can't even finish the sentence, giving a small disgusted shudder of his shoulders and a face that indicated he didn't want to think about it for much longer. "at least we can enjoy ourselves for the rest of the night now that the hard part is over? and then.... you and i can have some fun upstairs, if you want?"

"i guess so, yeah." it might be nice for aster to be able to step a little into her life. might help him understand where her little quirks come from. not that she things he cares much about where they came from or how they came to be, since he's only ever accepted her as she is, but it's nice getting to know someone on that deeper level. they are dating now. "he was just... a lot?" she fills in, figuring that's the most polite way to put it. she can't very well state that his advances and dismissal of her boyfriend filled her with much joy. "oh?" her eyebrows raise a little bit at aster's suggestion. "well, i am definitely down for... all of that. now i probably need to find something with less bubbles to drink, though. i can definitely feel it and i don't want to make a fool of myself in front of your family." anymore than she already has.

" not replaced, " myra corrects, giving her a small shrug. " just ... adjusted. " although she isn't really sure of what she means right now. all she knows is that right now, rowan is the only thing she can think about. her small hand shifts, tracing another absent pattern along her skin. it's a dangerous game they're playing, and myra knows it. they both do. " not forgettable at all," she insists, " but i could always use a reminder, just to be sure. " she tilts her head, honeyed hues narrowing slightly in playful challenge. her breath itches at the contact, the way their lips brush lightly makes her feel a little lightheaded, but she doesn't pull away, instead pulls the other closer. " i really want to kiss you right now. "

"adjusted..." rowan mutters, not sure that is a term that she agrees with but for the sake of the two of them to continue having a good night she will bite her tongue. she doesn't want to fall out with myra when it's just the two of them together and this is the closest they've been in a long, long time. she won't ruin it. she lets out a thoughtful little hum when myra mentions a reminder. she figures it has to be obvious enough by now that she's more than willing to give her one but in the chance that it isn't, "then why aren't you kissing me right now?"

his efforts aren't lost on them at all. can feel those blinding sparks of pleasure that hit them right in their skull, has to brace themself by closing their eyes tight. can hear the loud squelching of their cunt so clearly that it barely registers that it's their own sounds. "i– i can, i can!" since they've worked out the initial desperation from before, ripley can respond better. can offer him more than just pathetic whimpers. wants him to feel just as worked up as they do, wants to push him even if they can feel their head slip into that addictive high. "wanna be disgusting for you. josh, josh!" pants his name out higher because they can feel themself tip closer, closer.

ultimately, it's the way his teeth meets their skin that helps give ripley that little extra push. makes them keen as they arch in his hold, toes curling and walls squeezing violently around his digits because of the way the orgasm comes at them. hard and fast and undeniably delicious, so bright in their system they can see white behind their eyes. a stark reminder that even though they've had time to settle, their body rings with a sensitivity that wasn't there before. a sweetly painful reminder of what he'd done to them not long ago. that they're bound to stumble more and more despite the perceived stability in other ways. "fuck, fuck! oh my god–"

all of ripley’s words just fuel joshua’s efforts. finds himself holding them tighter, working his fingers harder. he wants to be the one to turn them into a puddle of ruin all thanks to what he can do for them. and he can do a lot. when ripley starts to tip over the edge he keeps up the hard, fast motions to let them ride their way through the high. “that’s it,” he husks into their ear, his efforts not ceasing. when he feels their cunt twitch less and their body start to relax in his hold, he slows his thrusting until is fingers are just tucked inside them, massaging back and forth once more. “how was that?” at least gives them a moment to catch their breath — he’s not an animal all of the time. though with that being said, the moment doesn’t last much longer than a minute or two. it’s not long until his fingers eventually slip out of them but they don’t move far, just trailing up their slit until he can graze over their throbbing, hard clit. he strokes two fingers over it, starting up a slow little rhythm. keeps them mostly restrained with the arm around their waist still, his own cock roused to attention beneath them.

"is that right?" there's no mistaking the cocky tilt to his smile, can't help it either. not when her words support every little fantasy he's had, reciprocates all that he can hope for. feels his heart beat thrum faster, but it's separate from the heady arousal from before. it's still there, of course, but the new slew of emotions is softer, makes his chest constrict in that aching, needy way. reminds him of the way he needs her so much, and it's only been a couple weeks since they've started this. chuckles as she leans down, lets his hands skim higher enough to squeeze at her hips. "i think whatever 'special' thing you're referring to is just you, daph." and then falls back on the bed. pulls her down with him, braces for the impact with the hold he was on her.

chuckles at the suddenness of his own actions, but loves the weight of her on him. his voice is rough and low, spoken into the column of her throat. "how many more times do i have to make you cum to have you only ever want me?" yasir's hands immediately go down to squeeze at the plushness of her bare ass. feels that selfishness, that possessiveness, grip over him, guides his words with a certain recklessness that is thrilling. "how much harder do i have to make you cum so you forget anything you did before me?£

“you know it is.” and if he doesn’t then daphne obviously needs to be a bit clearer with what she thinks about him. she still thinks it’s pretty clear that she thinks highly of him but maybe it’s not blatantly obvious since a lot of their interaction revolves around the physical nature of their relationship. she’s willing to work on it being more obvious going forward, though. she wants to say that his thinking isn’t true but she’s too distracted by settling on top of him in the bed, giggling at the sudden action. a bit of a hum slides past her lips at the murmur of his question, her hands settling at either side of his head on the bed. she groans at his question, rolls her hips down to meet his. she doesn’t know how to tell yasir that he’s all she thinks about with it out erring on the side of too much — even if that’s something he wants. “a few more, at least.” can’t put a number on it, doesn’t think he’s looking for one. “i think if i can still walk afterwards then maybe you’re not doing it right…” it’s a teasing comment more than anything else but the best that she can offer him. her hips press down again, wanting to glide the wetness gathered between her legs against his hot, hard cock. “just want you to ruin me, yas. then i’ll be all yours.”

"if i had known that you FELT this way about me malee then i wouldn't have flaunted anyone in front of you. i may seem like a cold-hearted bitch at times but i respect you massively and wouldn't want to hurt your feelings." hell, if she had known that the girl whose focus was currently directed away from her had feelings for her then maybe she would have said something about her own feelings sooner. "SO," rea began to fiddle with the ringers on her fingers, it was something she did if she was nervous and didn't have anyway of getting high to relief that feeling. "AM i -" she coughed, she had never been the nervous type but then she hadn't been in a situation of knowing that the person she liked, liked her back. "like the ONLY person you have a crush on or is there like other people as well?" she needed to know before she admitted the truth. the thought of rejection if someone else better came along weighed heavy on her mind.

"no, i know that. i just didn't want to say anything because i thought it would make things weird. i'm sure you thought the same when you had your little thing..." malee mused, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. she wasn't entirely sure that it wouldn't still be awkward but she hoped since it was (sort of, at one point in time) a mutual thing then maybe rea would let it slide and drop it. when she set up for another question it became abundantly clear that wasn't about to be the case and so malee bit down on her lower lip and braced herself for whatever it was that her friend had to ask. "um... yes? you're the only one," she explained, idly reaching to toy with a strand of her own hair. "you don't have to worry about it or anything, rea. i've been fine biting my tongue until now. we can pretend i never said anything, if you'd like." if that was even possible.

"even if it was, i wasn't going to reject the opportunity! i said i was willing to try, right? and that should include whatever you think is appropriate." a few nods and a smile is the best he can do in terms of reassurance, to show her that even if that was the intended activity, he's not going to knock it as some hippie or neanderthal activity. there's more to life than the comfort he grew up with. "i... yeah, i did. honestly, it's not the first time she's made that face but it has been awhile so i didn't think it would come up again... i'm sure she'll be fine. if you're really concerned, you can check up on her another time? reach out and just poke a little on how she's generally feeling? she might like that."

“i’m sure that you’re more than willing, babe! i just think we can strike a nice balance so it doesn’t feel too archaic.” peach supposes that might be one of the nicer things about being with aster. he seems more than willing to get behind any plans that she conjures up and that’s a nice trait to have and to be around. “uh — maybe,” she nods, figuring it’s something she can think about. she doesn’t know if her going to cordelia as an outsider will be something that she appreciates but equally it could also work in her favour. sometimes having a listening ear that doesn’t have history or judgement can be helpful. “at least our part of chatting went well, i think… maybe i’ll get on better with your older siblings.” maybe they’ll be more patient, or something like that.

that bit will just have to be a what if that remains over their heads for as long as they live, he supposes, which seems quite unfair for rowan. it was absolutely an accident that she happened to stumble upon them but if seeing the pair of them wasn't traumatizing enough then surely the burden of holding such a game-changing secret will no doubt weigh heavily upon her conscience. he's already made one deal with the devil, however, and he isn't sure that even in his good graces, he'll be able to get another. "i just mean..." well, that pointed question is about as clear-cut as it gets, right? this wasn't supposed to be anything more than a convenience hook-up, there is no 'us' to end. does that make coming to terms with it that much easier? when she's been the only lover he's had for several months now and — to an even greater extent — his friend? of course not. "right, of course," he agrees to the best of his abilities, swallowing down the proverbial bile that irritates his throat. maybe once the adrenaline of getting caught subsides, he'll have more time to internalize this and sit with his thoughts but for now, for now all andrei can do is accept the cards that are dealt. she was never his to begin with and would never be. the sex and kisses and late-night dinners just blurred the lines murkier than intended. "yes, a temporary thing. a good few months that kept us satisfied and... that's that. it's nothing more than that." and yet when he looks up at her face, he tries not to give those pleading eyes of his, tries to put on the stoic demeanor that he's typically known for. the one she's effectively changed for the better since meeting him. the urge to pull her in for a hug is great but he does the bigger thing and slides hands into his pockets, not wanting to make this an even greater deal than it already was. to hug or kiss would leave him yearning again; maybe an abrupt cut-off is the only way. "i guess i'll just have to return to saying hello to you in passing. would... would you like to go up first? i'll stick around here and see if there's anything to bring up."

a temporary thing. a temporary thing where some nights, in a drunken stupor, she’d text andrei to complain about how much she misses him. to the point where one evening he’d even come to give her that singular kiss. it feels as though there’s a lot more at stake than what either of them will acknowledge and rina understands why that decision was made. what it was supposed to be. this was never supposed to get serious to avoid it feeling so hard when it inevitably came to an end. because it was inevitable. having known that all along doesn’t make it any less of a bitter pill for her to swallow. in fact, it only makes it worse. she’s been cocky — thought this was something that would keep going until it ended on her terms. her terms that likely didn’t even exist. hearing andrei agree to whatever it was between them being nothing sets off an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. a sort of pain, a sort of suffocating pressure. how did it come to be like this? she swallows thickly and darts her eyes away from him. doesn’t want to look at him, doesn’t want him to look at her. “it’s been fun.” it’s all she can get out. something short and ultimately meaningless. it’s been more than fun. it’s been a connection that she doesn’t think either of them ever expected but it happened anyway. it happened without either of them wanting it to and that’s what makes the parting so much more difficult. “right. i’ll go.” she eyes the stairs dubiously, half waiting for someone else to come barrelling down to witness what they’ve been up to. not only will she be stuck with the painful reminder of him incredibly often. she’ll now be reminded of the fact someone knows. “see you later.” or not. she doesn’t hesitate before moving towards the stairs, knowing that if she doesn't then she might never make her way up them. about half way she turns back just to glance at andrei again just because before she continues the rest of the ascent and slips out into the party. one she decidedly no longer wants to be at.

-fin.

phoebe seems to them to be a practical person. they have been to her space, after all, and oakley has picked up on the minimalist vibes. it's why they try to keep her from coming here as much as possible. their space is a temporary thing, and what they do have are items that don't blend together. "a lamp would be good! that's all you need to, like, read or navigate in the evening. could you use some different kind of lighting, too? for your studio or something? i am...not sure at all where you dance or what that looks like for you, but lighting is important." they are rambling now, and they stop themself by stuffing the rest of their breakfast sandwich into their mouth, drowning it down with several swigs of coffee.

if phoebe didn’t know any better she’d think that oakley is rambling because they’re nervous. she knows that isn’t the case, though. likely they just have a lot to say and she is the lucky recipient of all their thoughts. she really doesn’t mind, a half smile forming on her lips at the suggestion. “lighting is important,” she agrees as a small smirk tugs on her lips. she wouldn’t want to tease them but it is amusing to listen to how they’ll go on if given the chance. in order to fill any silence for them so they don’t feel the need to go on again some more she decides to offer a casual, “how about we just see where the day takes us?”

so, you thought i was coming over here to hook-up? monica’s voice wasn’t even accusatory. just… honest. winter hated that. hated how her brain short-circuited for a full beat before she responded. which for her, was basically a stroke. "you should definitely be flattered. i don’t wear this robe for just anyone," she pointed out, her lips curved into a sly smile before breezing toward the cabinets to pretend she had something to do. she did not. her kitchen was purely for aesthetics. but she reached inside for two wine glasses as if summoning casualness out of thin air. "i mean, come on, babe. it’s tinder. i thought we were all here for a little fun and mild emotional damage," she continued, tone light and playful, pouring generously from an open bottle of cabernet, using the moment to study monica more carefully. the dress she wore was simple but flattering, clearly chosen with care. there was something refreshingly unpretentious about her that made winter simultaneously uncomfortable and intrigued. "for what it’s worth, you do look stupidly hot right now. so even if this was a hookup, i wouldn’t regret it," she admitted, offering her date the wine glass.

“only girls you talk on tinder to for what, a few hours?” monica’s eyebrows raised and her voice lost it’s sometimes rather flat tone in exchange for amusement. maybe it was a bit of a compliment; clearly she’d done something to make a good impression. or winter was desperate. she didn’t seem like the kind of person that would be, though. she was certainly beautiful enough and seemed… sure enough in herself that it was a surprise she resorted to tinder for hookups. however, whatever was convenient, monica didn’t judge. out loud. “huh — can you tell i don’t get out much, then?” too consumed by her job to go out to find someone and apparently too inept with dating apps to not think to confirm which kind of date that she was going on. maybe it would be nice, though. not what she’d had in mind but an evening off good company might scratch an itch. she took the glass and her eyebrows raised, a short laugh coming from her. “i’m glad you think so. i’m never out of leggings and work polos so believe it or not, this is effort.” it had actually been quite nice for the chance to spend an afternoon pampering herself. didn’t remember when she last had the time or energy to soak in the bathtub. she was glad she had taken that time. just in case the evening progressed the way winter originally envisaged. she sipped from the glass and let the taste sit in her mouth for a moment, mulling over how they could tackle the miscommunication. “why don’t we just… see how we get on, then? chat a bit and then…” her eyes slipped over winter, “whatever happens happens?”