Realistic or Modern there's nothing better

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 748

this is bad!!!!!!!!​

Utilizing Noelle's reactions as a form of guidance, Jaida made a clear attempt at stretching the unspoken but well-established boundaries that they'd kept themselves limited to during their time alone. Noelle - who was still engaged in conversation with her boyfriend and in no position to object to Jaida's sudden advances (nor did she think she would've, distraction or not) - wrapped her fingers around Jaida's wrist and effectively kept her in place while she rounded off her phone call with Andre. Her goodbye was rushed and detached and before Jaida could even think to react, the phone was being thrown onto the couch and Noelle's fingers were grasping at the sides of her face, pulling her closer in an act of pure desperation.

The spark between them that had previously threatened to roar to life began to show signs of dimming before being extinguished completely when Noelle pulled out of the kiss, grabbed her shirt, and saw herself into the bedroom. Jaida smirked when Noelle accused her of being a tease, still feeling encouraged by the reaction that she'd managed to coax out of the other woman with minimal effort, and lowered herself onto the couch where Noelle had previously sat. "I didn't hear you complain, baby." She called back, her voice carrying the illusion of innocence, and fetched the smoldering joint from the ashtray to bring to her lips.

What remained of their last night passed without event. Jaida snuggled closer, enjoying their uninterrupted company for the last time before life undoubtedly resumed to normal, and the pair spent most of the next morning gathering their things and returning the house to the state in which they'd found it. Noelle had gone noticeably quiet, though she'd put it off to being tired when Jaida had asked, and focused her attention on loading their bags into the car while Jaida used what was left of the food in the kitchen to prepare a simple breakfast that they could eat while they drove. They made one final sweep of the house, grabbing phone chargers and other miscellaneous items that had been left scattered about, and when they felt confident that they'd collected all of their things they set out on their journey home.

Jaida quickly realized that she wasn't going to have much success in coaxing anything out of Noelle and made little effort to stay awake once the fatigue of their early morning had begun to settle in her bones. She awoke a number of times, inquiring how much longer they had left to drive, and took the welcome opportunity to stretch her legs when they took a brief break at a rest stop off the side of the highway. "You want anything from the vending machine?" She dug a few dollar bills and a fistful of change from her purse, but shrugged when Noelle declined her offer and lit a cigarette instead. "Your loss." She took a few minutes deciding on what she wanted - buying two of the obscure candy bars that she remembered Noelle requesting at nearly every rest stop on their way to the cabin despite the woman's newfound disinterest toward her offer - and shoved the reap of her harvest into her purse before she met Noelle back at the car and they set out on the last leg of their long journey.

A strange energy had settled between them, becoming almost palpable when their surroundings began to grow familiar, and though Jaida had an idea of what might've been causing it, she chose not to bring it up even as they pulled into the lot in front of Dominic's apartment. "God, it's gonna feel good to lay down again..." she groaned, stretching her legs while Noelle stepped out of the car and moved around to the trunk. Jaida lingered, remembering the candy bars she'd bought and digging them out from her purse's interior and slipping them into Noelle's bag before she joined the other woman outside.

Her bag was already waiting atop the now-closed trunk and she slipped its strap over her shoulder. "You sure you're good to drive home? You can stay here a night if you need - Dom won't care." She offered, knowing the answer before Noelle even opened her mouth to decline, and nodded. "Text me when you make it to Andre's." She spread her arms, inviting Noelle in for a hug that was short-lived and waved a final goodbye before she took her bags and hauled them into the apartment complex.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 876​

Noelle did sleep that night, though lightly and often pulled out of her rest. Even during her sleep her mind would not cease the worrying that had embedded itself into her thoughts, showing her images and possible scenes in which Andre found out about her… adventures with Jaida. None of them ended well and she woke up every time, mind plagued with bouts of fear that even the slow, rhythmical breathing of the woman next to her couldn’t calm. She fell asleep afterwards every time, only to suffer the same nightmarish dreams. The alarm going off the next morning jerked her straight out of her tense dreams, and it took her a few seconds to realize where she was, and that the imminent sense of danger that she’d felt wasn’t grounded at all.

Jaida, having spent a couple weeks in her close presence, immediately sensed that Noelle wasn’t going to be much of a talker that day and despite the regular glances she caught the other woman throwing in her direction, she didn’t bring it up. They packed their bags in near silence, and Noelle started loading them into the back of the car – in case they needed something from them during the trip, they would be easier accessible than if she put them in the trunk – while Jaida disappeared into the cabin to make breakfast. Noelle only picked at it, the fear of having to face her boyfriend after what she’d done with Jaida twisting her stomach until she was nauseous with worry.

At least behind the wheel she could pass her silence off as concentration on the road, but what Noelle didn’t realize was that it left her alone with her thoughts. Sure, they had the same playlist playing through the AUX cord as on the way there, but the music did little to distract her from the gnawing thoughts in her mind. In a way, she felt irrevocably guilty about what she’d done; another part of her was simply scared of Andre’s response when he’d inevitably find out about all this. Jaida seemed less concerned, easily drifting off to sleep and only waking up for short spans of time to check up on their progress home.

The closer they got, the more Noelle’s worries took over her every thought, and by the time she pulled over in front of Dom’s apartment, a sickening pull had settled in her stomach and she could feel it churn even tighter inside of her as she pushed the car door open and stepped out. She’d started taking out Jaida’s bags, distracted and zoned out by the time Jaida joined her out, and she only managed a “hmm?” as the other woman’s question pulled her out of her haze, before it finally connected in her brain. “Oh, uh, yeah. I’m good.” The hug they shared was short and despite the familiarity of the gesture, it had Noelle pull away faster than she’d intended, and she nodded quickly. “I will.”

The drive from Dom’s apartment to Andre’s seemed to last ages; maybe it was because Noelle intentionally slowed down, dreading the moment she’d have to move through the door as if he’d be able to read it on her face the moment he laid eyes on her, or maybe it was because of the quickened way her mind was running off with all sorts of scenarios of doom that would certainly end in her being kicked out onto the street one way or another. She parked the car in the adjacent garage, and sat behind the wheel for a good ten minutes before she could finally find the energy to force herself to face him.

“Hey, baby…” Her voice threatened to waver the same way her hands seemed to have been shaking when she’d unlocked the door. From the living room, not much more than a grunt sounded and for a split second, Noelle thought he already knew – of course he already knew – until she saw the headset and the controller, and realized he’d never been playing a game so casually on the couch if he’d known. It still pulled at her stomach though, and the thought that he might pretend not to know until she brought it up shot through her head and refused to fade.

However, as the night dragged on and Andre was his casual detached self around her, acting no different from when they hadn’t spent two weeks apart, Noelle’s nerves calmed. His arm, hooked around her neck, felt heavy and she only reciprocated his kisses out of guilt – internally, she couldn’t deny how much better Jaida’s had been, but she refused to let herself think that way. “Imma go over to Dom’s tomorrow,” he muttered as she changed her clothes to go to bed, watching her from where he’d been propped at the bedpost, “ya wanna come or ya tired of Jai?” The question seemed to pull the floor out from underneath her and Noelle had to regather herself and realize that he didn’t mean that at all, only managing to stammer out that she’d come with him – thinking her not wanting to go along would give away too much – despite how she actually didn’t want to see the other woman again so soon.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 972

\​

Following a winded journey up the stairs with her overfilled bags in tow, the muscles in Jaida's thighs were aching - a result of the fatigue that had settled within them after nearly eight hours in the car - by the time she rounded the corner and zeroed in on Dominic's apartment. Only realizing that she'd made the mistake of swinging her purse over her shoulder first, which was now securely pinned by the duffel bag that she wore on the same shoulder, she opted not to put her bags down and retrieve her purse which contained her house key and instead pounded against the door with the side of her fist three times - loud enough so that Dominic or Zeke could hear without waking the neighbors. She groaned when there was no audible movement on the other side of the door and pounded again, louder this time. "Dom!" She spoke with a raised voice toward the still-closed door, but paused when she heard the hurried shuffle of footsteps coming from the other side.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! Do you know what time it is?" As quickly as the door was yanked open, Jaida was being ushered inside and it was shut again. "Tryna get me in trouble with the neighbors... Shit, girl. Can't ever make a quiet entrance, can you?"

Jaida grinned in response to Dominic's hissed words, gaze connecting with his sleep-drooped eyes as she stepped into the space - the only source of light was the warm yellow glow of a table lamp that she assumed Dom must've flicked on on his way from the bedroom to the door - and let her bags drop from her shoulders. "I missed you too..." she grinned with a mischievous twinkle in her eye and lifted herself on her toes to place a gentle kiss against his cheek, her fingers grazing carefully along the opposite side of his jaw. He tensed beneath her only to instantly relax, fallen victim to the well-practiced charm that had gotten her out of trouble plenty of times in the past. "I'll catch you in the morning." He muttered something regarding the bags that she'd left piled neatly on the living room floor when he managed to regroup and gather himself again, but Jaida was already in her room by then. She didn't change out of her clothes - they were comfortable enough as it was - and flopped face first onto the mattress, indescribably grateful to be out of the car and in her own bed as she buried her face into the pillows and let the fatigue melt off of her bones, pulling her to sleep.

Morning came and went and it was early afternoon by the time that Jaida had dragged herself out of bed. Her bags had since been relocated, something she'd only been made aware of when she nearly tripped over them on her way out of her bedroom, and she was only just freshly dressed and made up when there was a knock at the door - unexpected to her, but anticipated by Dominic based on the way that he was instantly moving to answer it. She threw a curious look over the side of the couch to see who it was, settling when she recognized Andre's voice, but immediately unsettling when she realized that Noelle might be with him. She set her gaze forward, feigning disinterest when the door clicked shut and the small group gathered in the living room. "Hey," she let her eyes move over them, lingering on Noelle longer than Andre, and moved to make room for the other woman on the couch only to be caught by surprise when she instead opted to share the recliner with her boyfriend and Jaida resumed her previous position. They weren't out of the woods yet, apparently...

The energy in the room was tense to say the least - though the men remained blissfully ignorant to the shift in dynamic between the two women - and each time that Jaida's gaze would drift to connect with Noelle's she noticed the blonde ripping hers away in a subtle game of cat and mouse that Jaida soon grew tired of participating in. Zeke had since joined her on the couch, unashamedly snuggling closer until his head was resting comfortably against her shoulder and Jaida let her fingers brush absently against his slightly overgrown beard - her arm curled so that the bend of her elbow was beneath his chin - while she listened to the ongoing conversation between Dominic and Andre with limited interest.

"Andre, Z, and I gotta step out for some, uh - work stuff," Dominic stated unconvincingly, and upon a brief glance in Noelle's direction, Jaida could see the brief flicker of panic that they contained. "We'll be back before long, but we figured the two of you could keep yourselves entertained." He shrugged, apparently unaware of the fact that they were plenty capable of being left to their own defenses without unnecessary male interference.

Noelle pulled Andre aside to tell him something - undoubtedly asking him if she could tag along - but it was too soft to hear and Jaida only watched while she lowered herself despondently onto the far end of the couch. The men gathered their coats, chattering amongst themselves near the door, and once they stepped through it a heavy silence began to fill the space. It grew denser, eliciting a sense of urgency within the brunette to find a way to break it before it became impenetrable, and she chewed thoughtfully at her lower lip before her gaze sought out Noelle's. "You can still talk to me, you know," she hesitantly extended a hand to brush a few of Noelle's braids over her shoulder. "I get it's kind of uncomfortable and all now, but it doesn't have to turn into this big awkward thing."

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 548​

Andre obviously tried to get in her pants that night – he succeeded, to some extent, as he’d gotten her on her knees – but Noelle wasn’t feeling it, which didn’t matter much to him. The gnawing feeling returned that same night as she was faced with the possibility that her boyfriend, though he’d proven himself oblivious to a large number of things in the past, might see directly through her waning front in Jaida’s presence and somehow know that they’d slept together, kissed, and that Jaida’s hand had been-

She eventually drifted off to sleep but the night was not much more satisfying than the previous one, and she woke up more tired than she’d been that evening. Still, Andre dragged her out of the house, into the car, and drove the two of them to Dom’s apartment where she’d only been the day before. With a heavy heart, Noelle followed him up to Dominic’s apartment, and watched with a quickly intensifying feeling of impending doom as Andre knocked on the door. Dom was there almost right away, and it was only a matter of moments before her gaze met Jaida’s – and Noelle immediately looked away. It was a little game of cat and mouse that continued even when they were in the living room together and Noelle opted to share a chair with her boyfriend instead of taking the only free spot next to Jaida.

She could feel Andre stir underneath her, but he failed to notice the thing going on between her and Jaida, but her whole idea of the rest of the day came crashing down as, in some twisted way of events, she was forced by the men – who were ditching them for “work stuff” – to face Jaida alone. She panicked for a moment, instead attempting to quietly coerce Andre in letting her come along since spending time with the guys was better than being alone with Jaida. But “work stuff” was work stuff and Andre didn’t want her there, obviously, so she watched with a long face and an internal bout of stress as the guys prepared to leave.

The moment the door closed behind them, the silence became almost tangible and Noelle had never felt so distant from the other woman after the weeks they’d had. Something heavy settled into her stomach and she could feel Jaida’s eyes on her, but she refused to seek out her gaze, instead opting to play dumb as she settled down on the other end of the – way too small – couch. Eventually, her gaze moved through the room, finding the confidence to meet with Jaida’s as she breathed, though the expression in the other woman’s gaze made her stomach churn even more. Jaida’s hand moved out to gently brush through her hair but Noelle pulled away and sighed.

“It’s all different now, okay? Andre’s here and-” she shrugged, gesturing vaguely, “it’s just different. It was fun, but I’m- I’m done.” Her gaze, having strayed, found Jaida’s again and she breathed in, attempting to read the expression on the other woman’s face. Some part of the knot in her stomach unraveled, but the biggest part remained, and it was then that she realized Jaida didn’t look convinced. “It was just… temporary. I got Andre, I’m just… It’s over.”

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 679

i wasn't sure where to go with this​

Noelle shied away from the touch and Jaida instantly got a sense of what the rest of the evening would entail when the woman sucked in a quiet breath and faced her for the first time since she'd arrived with Andre and hour or so prior. She lifted her eyebrows in interest when the blonde broke the news: it was over between them. It was fun while it lasted, but it was time to check back into reality. She'd heard this before from a small number of other women she'd been involved with in the past who had caved under the weight of their lust-driven curiosity and dabbled in the idea of experimenting with another woman, and had it been the first time she was hearing these familiar words being uttered, she might've believed her... but it wasn't; so she listened, experiencing a subtle sense of déjà vu while Noelle defended her romantic commitment to Andre - a commitment that become questionably flimsy when he wasn't there to keep her in check, but Jaida didn't comment on it.

"Alright." Jaida shrugged instead, bothered by the sudden coldness that Noelle had been showing her since their last days together at the cabin - not necessarily because she wanted to pursue a relationship with the woman (not that she could say she would've declined) and felt rejected, but because it had apparently stunted the friendship that they'd cultivated together - but opted not to let it show and instead became the poster child of stoicism and indifference. "If that's what you want." If the last kiss that they'd shared was any indication, she knew that it was only a matter of time before Noelle came back to her - and in some ways she was sure Noelle knew it as well - but she let the blonde have her moment; she let her feel like she was in control of the situation even if it was only for a short period of time.

Noelle seemed thrown by the calm collectedness of her reaction, but with little to add to the conversation Jaida elected not to linger on the subject for any longer than was necessary and made herself comfortable on the couch where she reached for the remote. The singular couch cushion sized space between them felt like a ravine that had been carved out to keep them apart, digging itself deeper with every passing second. It felt unnatural to have Noelle in her presence without the two of them touching - even just platonically - in some way, but Jaida respected the newly established boundaries that had been laid out and focused her attention onto the TV where some mindless action series played out before them.

It was hardly an hour since Dom and the guys had left when Jaida grew tired of the awkward silence that was still very much alive between them and she lifted herself from the couch to fetch her cellphone from its charger on the kitchen counter. "Imma order some food from the takeout place up the street - you want anything?" Noelle declined, but Jaida ordered her usual anyway and waited patiently, scrolling through her Facebook feed on her phone, for the knock at the door barely twenty minutes later. She dropped the bag straight on the coffee table, her gentle gaze seeking out Noelle's. "If you don't eat it I'm sure Zeke will." Her attention shifted at the mention of her roommate and friend and being as she was at the end of her metaphorical rope, she took the conversation wherever it carried her.

"What do you think they're doing anyway? 'Work stuff' sounds shady as fuck..." She inquired, popping a piece of her sweet and sour chicken into her mouth. "Prolly left us here so they could go out to the club and get wasted." She grinned, thinking aloud more than anything at this point in an attempt to fill the silence that was still threatening to return as Noelle wasn't exactly the most stellar of conversationalists in her current mental state.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 734​

Somehow, her sudden breakoff with Jaida that she'd so carefully worded didn’t have the effect on the other woman that Noelle had hoped for. Jaida's face pulled, and Noelle could see the sudden wall she put up that was reflected in her eyes, but she didn’t get mad, she didn’t tell Noelle not to, she didn’t try to change her mind. She just shrugged, agreed, and moved on. Noelle was, at that point, no longer sure if she even wanted to end it anymore, but the words had come out already. Part of her wanted to take it back, or to somehow nonverbally communicate to her to ask her to change Noelle’s mind, but neither of those things happened, and the knot that had loosened slightly thanks to her sudden declaration of feigned disinterest immediately tightened again. The canyon between them, carving itself deeper with every second that neither of them spoke, felt almost suffocating, but Noelle didn’t do anything about it: just sat on the couch, scrolling through her Instagram feed and actively trying not to make eye contact with Jaida.

The few times the other woman did attempt conversation, Noelle found herself shooting it down as quickly as it'd come up. Jaida ordered takeout, but Noelle couldn’t bring herself to eat – she’d never liked eating in someone else's presence, as it'd felt much too vulnerable, but this was the first time she experienced that feeling with Jaida – so she stayed where she was, fidgeting with her phone for what felt like hours as she attempted to make sense of the bubbling feeling of failure in the other woman's presence.

Jaida's thought turned out to have been right, and Andre, Zeke, and Dom dragged themselves through the front door not much later, somehow having managed to get drunk in a short amount of time. Dom instantly disappeared through a doorway, and Andre was about to slump down onto the couch next to her when Noelle raised herself up and hoisted him back on his legs by his elbow. “I should get you home.” She muttered a goodbye to Zeke, eyes only briefly connecting with Jaida's gaze as she took her drunk boyfriend by the arm and pulled him through the front door.

Noelle threw herself back into her job after that, piling up on hours to distract herself from the pulling ache that still throbbed through her, telling her she'd made a mistake that she was now forced to face. Andre visited Dom a number of time afterwards, but Noelle found it in herself to refuse when he asked if she'd come along, despite his surprise at her sudden decision. He didn't mention it, however, allowing her to stay home alone while he went out with the boys for “work business", which regularly just came down to getting drunk. As long as she didn’t have to deal with the continuous twisting in her gut, Noelle didn’t care.

She didn’t get any messages from Jaida in the time since she’d unceremoniously broken up with her, but if she had, she would've ignored them. The issue was that the message Jaida did send hit her just on a moment when she was weakest to it. Andre had been particularly careless about her for a couple days, being home rather rarely and leaving her to her own devices; so when Jaida asked her – with the explicit mention that any future meetings between them could, if Noelle wanted it to be, be limited to just platonic contact – to meet up with her, Noelle's stirring feeling that was much, much too similar to the one that had raised its head in the cabin brought her to accept. Despite that, she'd worked up a decent amount of nerves over the whole ordeal and found herself struggling not to put effort into her looks – it wasn’t a date, after all. Just two friends, hanging out.

She ended up putting effort into her appearance anyway; tucking her hair up into a loose bun and picking out an outfit that hopefully indicated that she didn't actually care – which was a lie – in hopes of showing Jaida that she was doing fine without her – which was also a lie. With a good dose of misplaced hope and desire tucked under her belt, Noelle made her way to Dom's apartment for the first time in weeks, entirely unprepared to meet up with Jaida again.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 813

pinky touching?? ooooh, scandalous.​

Two weeks had passed since Noelle had unceremoniously announced to Jaida that their lake house fling had to end and, sticking by her word, the blonde had made herself noticeably scarce in the time since. They didn't talk, didn't text, and she even went as far as to stay home when Andre would swing by the apartment to hang out with Dominic, cutting off contact abruptly and entirely - the proverbial nail in the coffin that was their relationship (and their friendship, it seemed at the time). Jaida had been disappointed the first time, hurt the second, and by the third time that Andre had rolled around without his girlfriend in tow the brunette decided that she didn't care... or so she told herself, hyper aware of the space to her right on the couch where Noelle had always sat that now remained empty.

She watched her phone, holding out hope for any sign of life in the form of contact from the other woman, but it never came, and they were verging on week three without so much as a word exchanged between them when Jaida took matters into her own hands and sent her a text. It was rather lengthy, though its tone remained light, and her thumb hovered over the "send" arrow for a number of seconds before she finally found it in herself to submit it. She chewed nervously at her lip and despite the television that was playing in front of her she found her gaze pulling back to the screen of her phone that she'd promptly discarded onto the coffee table after sending the message. She flinched when the notification tone chimed only moments later and her heart leapt into her throat, a sinking feeling settling somewhere in her stomach. If she didn't open it she couldn't be disappointed, she told herself, but her gnawing curiosity eventually won out and she snatched the phone from the table.

Noelle's response, while brief, had Jaida's lips pulling into a wide smile once she realized that the words she was reading were ones of affirmation rather than the readily anticipated rejection she'd been preparing for that had had her stomach twisting in dread. An immediate sense of relief washed over her at the prospect of things returning to normal between them and, not one to beat around the bush or involve herself in mind games, she made no effort to hide her excitement in the response that she shot back to Noelle less than a minute after receiving her text. They carried on a brief exchange after that, coming to an agreed upon time to hang out later that afternoon, and Jaida sprung up from the couch to straighten up the apartment in anticipation of the other woman's arrival, her mood now noticeably lighter.

She found herself growing strangely nervous as the hours rolled past, an uneasiness churning at her stomach at the prospect of seeing the other woman again after the sour note they'd left each other on, and her insides lurched when, finally, there was a quiet knock at the door. She hurried to answer it, shaking off some of her ungrounded nervousness, and convinced herself that all of this would smooth itself over as her fingers curled around the knob and she gave it a twist, pulling the door back to reveal a face that had become much too unfamiliar to her these days. She bit down on her lip, unable to prevent the smile that was wide enough to make her cheeks ache, and she stepped out of the way to invite Noelle inside. "Come in, come in," still grinning like a fool she gave the other woman a quick one-over as she clicked the door shut behind her. "...Girl, it's been too damn long, look at you! What you been up to?" She immediately fell back into her old habits, allowing no room for the tense silence that had plagued their last visit to settle as she followed her to the couch.

They found their way back to something that felt vaguely familiar as they filled each other in on their time spent apart. Noelle had been working more than usual, it turned out, and Jaida... well, she'd spent most of her time lounging around the apartment with Zeke and Dominic. "I've missed having you around," she admitted from the kitchen where she poured them both a drink. "It's been so quiet lately." She moved to sit down in the spot near Noelle, half turned so that she was facing her, and their fingers brushed as she offered the drink to her. The contact was brief but sent a tingle shooting up her arm and she could feel her cheeks beginning to burn as she retracted her hand. "Sorry." She offered quietly, her confidence faltering, and tried to wordlessly convey that the action hadn't been intentional.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 777​

With her heart in her throat and a fractional weakness in her knees, Noelle stepped out of the bus onto the street where Dom's apartment complex was located. She'd walked and drove past this street countless of times to visit Jaida, but in that moment it felt like something new – maybe because it was the first time in weeks, or maybe because she had a probably misplaced desire for the course of the day that hadn't been there before – yet she found herself unable to focus on her surroundings at all. Instead, her focus was on the approaching concrete building, looming over her in a way that could both be described as her doom and as her destiny.

The trek up felt both way too long and abnormally short, and as she found her way to the front door, she had to take a moment to gather herself before she found the courage to knock. She managed another deep breath, before the air stilled in her throat at the sound of footsteps, and she only let go of the breath she'd been holding when Jaida pulled the door open, immediately beckoning her in. Despite the fact that she'd unceremoniously ditched Jaida unexpectedly and almost carelessly, the other woman didn’t seem to hold a grudge and was just as – if not more – excited to see her, immediately falling back into old habits as they moved into the living room.

It took Noelle a couple minutes before she was used to being there with her again, but even the familiarity of Jaida's presence couldn’t help her shake the feeling that despite the fact that she'd ended ‘them’ or whatever they'd been at the time, there was still an atmosphere of closeness, and maybe even of need between them. Jaida didn’t mention it and Noelle wasn’t about to, so she spent her time avoiding the feeling and distracting herself: a feat that proved increasingly difficult when, at the moment Jaida returned from the kitchen and handed her a drink, their fingers brushed. A tingle immediately shot up Noelle's arm and she let out a quiet sigh that she didn’t manage to suppress, brushing off the other woman's apology as she instead focused on her drink. “Sorry. I just… I needed time to… think, I guess?” She shrugged, finding Jaida's gaze and rather than a remainder of anger about the situation – something that she was sure Andre's reaction would've been to the same news – she found soft understanding. Damn you, Jaida. It would've been easier, somehow, if the other woman had chosen to lose her temper instead and gotten mad, not wanted to see her anymore… But Jaida was too much of a fucking angel for that.

She scooted closer slowly, seeking the same physical comfort that they'd shared at the lake house, and Jaida automatically adapted to her. Her arm came down around Noelle's shoulder, allowing her to lean into the dip just next to her collarbone, and Noelle slowly lost her tension and relaxed into the familiar touch. The conversation drifted off slowly, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.

Noelle only looked up from her phone when Jaida shifted slightly behind her, almost turning towards her. She pulled away, sat up, and turned to look at the other woman, only to find her gaze instead and almost immediately was drawn in by the dark pools of her pupils. Something stirred behind it, and a familiar pounding began in Noelle's chest – this was exactly what her misplaced desire had been about, and now that she was quite literally eye to eye with it, she couldn't pull away. Instead she watched, almost entranced, as Jaida leaned closer, her voice quiet as she told Noelle to come closer, and something that had been temporarily in slumber awoke within her when Jaida's lips met her own. The gasp that passed her lips was quiet, but not silent enough that Jaida wouldn’t catch on, and she could find the tinge of desperation that echoed through the motion as she parted her lips just enough for Jaida's tongue to push between. Letting out a short hum of approval, Noelle allowed the motion to sweep her off her feet and haze her mind, before the other woman eventually broke the kiss.

Almost immediately the knowledge that she’d broken her unspoken promise impeded on her ability to enjoy what had just happened, and she found herself pulling away from Jaida. “That- I shouldn't have… I wasn't coming here… That’s not what I meant to do,” she muttered almost hastily, unable to deny her obvious enjoyment of it but trying as hard as she could anyway.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 644

just two bacons in love​

With her elbow propped against the back of the couch, Jaida listened while Noelle explained her side of the situation. Her posture was soft, her presence inviting, and her expression non-judgmental. She understood what Noelle was telling her on a level deeper than she was willing to admit; having reacted similarly in the past in the face of overwhelming mental distress she couldn't find it in herself to hold it against her or to be angry about the weeks that had passed without contact. She was just happy to have her back in her life again.

"You don't have to be sorry for that," her hand reached for Noelle's and her fingers curled around the other woman's, squeezing them gently. The motion came naturally, occurring before she could even think to second guess it, and her eyes lifted to meet with the blonde's gaze, holding it there before she was slowly retracting her touch. The familiar contact set a low flame alight within her, longing for the physical proximity that had become so natural to them, and she forbore from releasing the deeply relieved sigh that had bubbled up inside of her when Noelle eventually broke through the wall that had built itself up between them and leaned into her. Jaida pried her arm out from where it had been pinned between their bodies and brought it to curl around the other woman's shoulders, inviting her closer.

The pair fell into a comfortable silence after that, the steady increase that the rhythm of Jaida's heart had taken to filling the silence and pulsing against her eardrums in a way that was nearly deafening as she dragged the tips of her fingers against the soft skin on Noelle's bicep in a slow, lazy pattern. The need within her had begun to grow into something unbearable as the object of her affection was, quite literally, just in arm's reach while still managing to remain unattainable to her. She'd begun to grow restless, taking to adjusting her position, but paused when Noelle took notice beside her and began to pull away.

Sensing something was off, the woman's eyes found hers and the low heat that had been smoldering within her burst into something uncontrollable. She couldn't restrain herself any longer - didn't want to - and the side of her thumb gently brushed against the sharp edge of Noelle's jaw before she was coaxing her closer. Jaida melted into the kiss. A weight lifted from her shoulders and every cell in her body vibrated with approval as a sense of deep release washed over her and the pair found an easy rhythm. They moved together like waves on an ocean, naturally in tune with the other, and Jaida pushed deeper into the kiss when a quiet hum fell from her partner's lips. She allowed herself to be swept up in the sudden connection, savoring for what it was, and gently began to pull away once the initial thrill had passed. She felt heated to her core, still lost in the haze brought on by it all when she noticed Noelle having a much different reaction to the kiss that they'd shared and pulling away.

She listened quietly and her gaze dipped down to linger on Noelle's lips while the woman stumbled over her words, clearly struggling with the morality of what they'd just done, and her eyes eventually ventured back up to hold the blonde's gaze while she reached out to stroke the side of her jaw. "It's not your fault," she offered reassuringly, but her words did little to lighten the burden that had befallen her. She didn't go cold and run like Jaida had expected her to, but it wasn't long after that Noelle was making her exit and leaving the apartment in a state of quiet internal turmoil as she struggled to justify what they'd done.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 752​

Despite Jaida’s quiet, genuine reassurance that there was nothing wrong and Noelle wasn’t to blame, she found the guilt within herself building as her thoughts were immediately pulled into the direction of Andre. She’d promised him, promised herself in his favor that she wouldn’t go down this path again and yet here she was; having fallen into Jaida’s grasp again – though by her own fault this time, partially – and having made the same mistakes she’d tried so hard to avoid. It didn’t take long for the guilt to start stacking within her, overwhelming her and eventually causing her to make a swift exit out of Dom’s apartment without too many words for Jaida, already too concerned with her ability to keep this away from Andre on top of everything else.

It took her about a day and a half to start doubting her decisions. In all honesty, Andre was a good guy. He tried, and though he could try harder, there were definitely worse men to end up with. Besides, she didn’t feel like she lacked something around him – a thought she immediately shot down herself when she realized she’d obviously gone looking for whatever she missed with Andre, only to find it with someone else. But that wasn’t Andre’s fault, and he didn’t deserve the way she was treating him through this, even if he wasn’t aware of it. But all of that was silenced completely by the internal need that had reared its head when Jaida had kissed her, so softly and so carefully, as if she was made of porcelain, and Noelle found herself yearning for that again and whatever might follow.

She fought the feeling, attempting to remain in control of her own actions, but it only surged in a way that had her struggling to contain herself as every free moment of her time had her thinking about the last kiss they shared and what could’ve been had she not walked away. She needed Jaida, and that feeling was only exploding into a raging fire of desire when she had a short, interrupted dream of what could’ve happened at the cabin. It was cut off by Andre before it could go anywhere, but planted enough ideas in her mind that she thought she might go crazy if she didn’t see the other woman soon.

Still, the decision to eventually go to Dom’s place was one that she made consciously, out of the standpoint to just talk and hopefully find an outlet for her that didn’t include all the things that were circling through her mind. She’d texted Jaida to let her know she was on her way, and the brunette had responded with a confirmation worded in a way that didn’t explicitly say that she was home alone, but implied it, which had Noelle’s stomach churning within her. Calm, collected. Control yourself.

Her mantra was almost immediately out the window the moment the other woman opened the door and Noelle’s gaze met hers again. Jaida’s wasn’t as deep and dark as Noelle’s, but as the other brunette put two and two together Noelle saw a glimmer within hers and the steady growth of her pupils, and before Jaida could finish her question, Noelle was already moving in.

Their lips met, hard, and Noelle let out a stuttered moan as she finally allowed herself to have what she’d wanted for such a long time, opening the doors to release all the feelings that she’d been having ever since they went to the cabin. Jaida responded immediately, and Noelle was vaguely aware of her pushing the door closed behind her with a slam, before she managed to pin Noelle against the wall. Her hands were grasping at either side of Jaida’s jaw, attempting to pull her even closer despite the way that their bodies were already pressed together, and she reveled in the feeling of having her so close. Her lips parted in another ragged moan and allowed Jaida’s tongue to slip in, deepening the kiss and letting her take control as Jaida’s hands found Noelle’s and coaxed them away from the sides of her face. Their fingers intertwined, and Jaida pinned them on either side of Noelle’s head against the wall too, knuckles against the vertical surface. The movement took away even the last sliver of space between their bodies, and Noelle hummed approvingly into the kiss as Jaida’s chest and stomach met her own, fitting perfectly into the dips between her own curves like two jigsaw pieces.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 882

gaaaay​

Three days had passed without word from Noelle. The radio silence that had resumed between them took on a different energy this time, feeling much less indefinite and hopeless than it had previously; Jaida, confident that the blonde would come around with time, had almost been anticipating the text message that she'd received on the fourth day after their evening spent alone. She'd reached out to her to inform (not ask) her that she was on her way over and the brunette tapped out a quick response welcoming her to join her.

Jaida's stomach churned in anticipation as the moments ticked by, unsure of what to expect when the other woman eventually arrived, and she was almost verging on nervous - a sensation that wasn't brought on easily for her - when a quiet knock finally sounded from the other side of the door. Her fingers hesitated against the chilled metal of the doorknob for a split second, but she didn't make Noelle wait for long before she was pulling it open to greet her. She'd parted her lips to invite her inside but was stopped in her tracks when her own gaze became intertwined with Noelle's and the dark, almost primal look in the other woman's eyes kept her held frozen in place. She managed to find her voice after a number of seconds had gone by and she was in the midst of inquiring whether or not she wanted to come inside when the other woman sprung forward and their lips came crashing together.

Jaida managed to find the edge of the door with her hand, slamming it shut before her touch skirted down the woman's side to rest at her hip. She stepped forward, coaxing Noelle backward until her back was pressed against the wall, and melted into the kiss, losing herself in the sensations that followed. The quiet gasps and hums that fell from her partner's lips had her hips stirring as she gently guided Noelle's hands away from the sides of her face and their fingers became intertwined. She took another step forward, removing what little space had remained between them, and pressed her body flush against the other woman's as she lifted her hands and pinned the backs of them to the wall on either side of her head.

Noelle's back arched against the flat surface and her hips had just begun to push against Jaida's when the brunette broke the kiss and her lips traveled downward. Her heart was thrumming in her chest and her breath came hard as she kissed at the side of her neck and her fingers uncurled from where they'd been wrapped around Noelle's to find the hem of her shirt. She pulled at the fabric with a desperation that surprised even herself and let out a breathy moan when, upon her hands finding the woman's sides again, her fingertips came into contact with hot, bare skin. She tugged at either side of the blonde's hips, pulling their waists together, and hummed approvingly when her hand had begun to stray between them and her thumb lingered against the edge of her bra, eventually dipping beneath it.

They broke from each other long enough to make their way into the bedroom, but Noelle's fingers had found the sides of Jaida's jaw again as the brunette was dipping her down onto the mattress. She leaned into the kiss, causing the blonde's knees to bend against the edge of the bed, and positioned herself into the space between the other woman's thighs. Her hands had worked their way around Noelle's back, unclipping the clasp of her bra, and, growing impatient, they'd moved down to do the same with the button of her jeans when there was a quiet noise from the living room followed by the sound of the front door being opened and shut again. "Yo, we got dinner out here!" Dominic's voice called from the living room, the sound of footsteps following as he moved about the space. "...Jai?"

Jaida's heart leapt into her throat and, without missing a beat, she sprung toward the closet and ripped one of her shirts off of its hanger. "Put this on." She flung the piece of clothing onto the bed near Noelle and hurried to meet Dominic at the door just as the handle was beginning to turn. "Hey," she opened the door only slightly wider than a crack to allow the other woman time to cover herself and gave no reaction to the perplexed look that had engraved itself into the man's expression. "Noe stopped by and we were just taking a nap. We'll be out in a minute. Whatchu pick up for dinner?" She opened the door a little wider, resting her hip against its surface as Dominic gave a curious look inside, spotting a fully dressed Noelle before he was brushing off his suspicion. "Pizza from that place you like. Y'all are gonna have to hurry up though, Zeke is already on his third piece."

Jaida pushed the door shut behind him and turned around with a playful grin. The tips of her fingers grazed against the underside of Noelle's jaw as she gently coaxed the woman's face up and brought their lips together in a slow, soft kiss. "You wanna stay for dinner?"

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 852
noelle thats gay​

Letting out a stuttered moan at the feeling of Jaida pushing herself even closer, closing the distance between them and allowing her body to become flush with Noelle’s, the smaller blonde’s chest heaved against Jaida’s, pushing against her with every desperate breath. All the feelings that she’d kept locked up inside in favor of staying with Andre came out all at once, threatening to overwhelm and drown her as Jaida’s soft lips worked against her own. Noelle’s hips automatically bucked, seeking pressure or friction as they moved against the brunette’s, her mind barely enough in the moment to follow the other woman’s steady rhythm in their kiss. Jaida broke away soon after, her lips glancing off the corner of Noelle’s mouth and working their way to her jaw, and then down, over the skin on her neck. Before she knew it, Jaida was pulling at her shirt, guiding it upwards and pulling it off Noelle with a desperation that had Noelle’s heart pound in her chest. Jaida hummed into the kiss, hands finding bare skin on either side of Noelle’s waist, and the blonde gasped briefly as Jaida pulled her closer and her hand strayed upward.

She could barely control herself; she needed Jaida, and by the manner in which Jaida guided her to the bedroom and pushed her down onto the mattress, she knew that she wanted Noelle, too. Her hands easily found either side of the other woman’s jaw and she was guiding her down again, meeting her lips in a sloppy, unfocused kiss. Noelle arched her back, lifting it off the mattress and allowing the brunette’s hand to slip under as she found the clasp of her bra, easily pulling it off her and taking things between them even further than before. She was reeling, desperate for the other woman’s affections, and had just started to guide Jaida’s mouth down to her chest while she unbuttoned her jeans when there was a sound from the living room.

Noelle’s mind, hazed and clouded by the events of the past few minutes, was struggling to catch on as, within a split second, Jaida was off her and throwing her a shirt onto the bed next to her, before moving to the door. Hastily, but with a good dose of confusion, Noelle slipped the shirt over her head and pulled her hair out through the neck, before quickly stuffing her bra, which was still on the bed, between the sheets. She listened along with half an ear to the conversation between Dom and Jaida near the door, and waved almost gingerly at him when he glanced inside through the crack. She didn’t know him well enough to know when he was suspicious of something, but she found herself unable to care in that moment as she was still riding the high of Jaida’s advances.

“Hmm,” she hummed into the kiss, eyes slightly glazed over, but with a small frown between her eyebrows, “not the kind of dinner I had in mind.” She followed Jaida out the door anyway, plopping down on the couch next to Zeke and leaning into Jaida when the brunette found her spot next to Noelle. It was only after fifteen or so minutes that her eyes honed in on Noelle’s shirt that was still on the floor near the doors, and with a swift but nearly invisible poke in the brunette’s ribs with her elbow and a minimal, hidden gesture, managed to convey to Jaida that they weren’t out of the woods yet.

“So, uh… Dom.” She muttered, watching almost too focused as Zeke removed himself from the room temporarily and Jaida slowly inched closer to the door. “Uh, I never… uh… asked Andre, but… how’d y’all meet?” She’d heard this story about twenty-five thousand times before, but she couldn’t think of a better excuse to get Dom’s attention on her so he wouldn’t look up at Jaida trying to get the garment from the floor. She only listened to a few words every now and then, just enough to ask him another question when his story was about to run out, and watched as Jaida eventually picked the shirt off the floor and shuffled with it to the bedroom, all the while keeping it out of sight of Dom.

She eventually went home, back to Andre, without having satiated her desires, but with her own shirt in her bag, at least: only realizing when she was on the bus, nearly at Andre’s apartment complex, that she’d forgotten about her bra that was still stuck between the sheets. With a sly grin, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, and sent Jaida a quick but suggestive text that she’d left her a surprise – however unintentional it had been. The response that she got had a blush on her face, but Noelle immediately fell into it and by the time the bus rolled to a stop near the apartments, her need for Jaida had become much, much stronger than it had ever been before and she already couldn’t wait for the next time she’d see the other woman.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 644

jaida is braver than any us marine​

Dinner was about as strained as Jaida had anticipated it would be. The tension, while dampened, still lingered between them, and with the sudden additional presence of Dominic and Zeke the two women were challenged with the added task of appearing completely unbothered in the wake of their interrupted time alone; a feat that they pulled off surprisingly well despite the slight pull that Jaida still felt within her at even the slightest touch from Noelle. It was already dark outside by the time that Noelle set her sights on returning home to Andre - which didn't say much considering they were already well into the shortened days of winter - and Jaida bundled herself up in Dominic's army green parka and stuffed her hands deep into its pockets while she walked her to the bus stop. They didn't kiss goodbye, though Jaida had wanted to, and the brunette let her arm fall from where it'd been curled loosely around the woman's waist when the bus pulled up to the empty stop where they'd been waiting together. "Text me when you make it home." Her hand skirted down the length of Noelle's arm as it fell from where it'd rested against her waist and gently curled around her fingers before the woman was stepping forward to board the idling bus.

She received her text earlier than she'd anticipated, only just barely warming up on the couch from her walk back to the apartment, and she could hardly help the sly grin that had taken home on her lips when Noelle informed her of a "surprise" that she'd left her in her bed. She tapped out an equally suggestive response, implying that it was Noelle who she'd rather find under her sheets, and the pair carried on their provocative, innuendo-laden conversation until the blonde interrupted their rhythm to let her know that she'd made it home safely. They took to a sudden but not necessarily negative shift in tone, performing their respective nighttime routines on opposite sides of the city, and eventually said their goodnights before settling into their own beds - Jaida alone and Noelle with Andre, no doubt.

They maintained a fair deal of contact in the days that followed, making plans to meet again before the week was through, but by midday on Thursday, two days before their intended date, Jaida was gathering her things and preparing to head to Andre's apartment. Noelle's usual calm demeanor had made a sudden shift. She'd taken to spending most of her time ranting about Andre - telltale signs of Jaida's suspicion - and it was hardly an hour later before she was complaining of debilitating cramps and Jaida was springing to action.

She swung by the grocery store, carrying on her conversation with Noelle in the meantime without dropping any hints of her intention to stop by, and filled her basket with everything she thought she'd need... plus a little extra. All in all she wound up lugging three bags full of comfort foods - mostly of the chocolate variety and a handful of items she thought she might need should Noelle prefer something warm and freshly baked - onto the bus as she made her trek across town, earning herself a number of curious stares. Her texts became more illusive as she neared the apartment, grinning as she caught onto the slight confusion that had come through in Noelle's responses, and she finished with a simple, unexplained "Open your door..." after she'd climbed the stairs to Andre's floor and slid her phone into her back pocket, listening for the sound of footsteps inside of the apartment.

A bright, warm smile had her face lighting up as the sound of locks being unlatched was followed by the door being pulled open to reveal a perplexed-looking Noelle. "Hey, baby," she teased, lifting the grocery bags full of food. "You know I gotchu covered."

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 743​

“I swear to god, Andre, if you don’t get out of my fuckin’ sight right fuckin’ now, Imma end your fucking ass!”

The door closed with a slam, signaling her boyfriend’s hasty departure as she’d chewed him out for making a mess on the bed – the fight had been short and one-sided, because Andre knew better than to speak back up when Noelle was having cramps – and she turned pressing the palm of her head to her pounding forehead and dropped onto the couch. The heat pack that she’d discarded when she had gone into the bedroom to change (prompting the fight that she’d just scared him off with after she’d seen the pile of clothes that he’d left spread through the room, which was now hastily tucked into a closet) had turned cold, and she groaned when her fingers met the cold surface. Her abdomen felt like she was being cut open from the inside, and she couldn’t yet get herself to get up and get the painkillers from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, instead pulling out her phone and continuing her complaint to Jaida after she’d gotten distracted yelling at Andre.

When she did eventually manage to drag herself to the bathroom, she found that Andre had rummaged through it before and put the painkillers – grade A, maximum strength, horse tranquilizer type painkillers that she used for these cramps because nothing else was strong enough – on the top shelf. And Noelle was only five foot three.

With about three times as much rage directed at her boyfriend she sent him a two-page text ranting about his choices and how he didn’t care about her, before promptly bursting into tears when he left her on read. She’d just about dried her tears – her eyes still puffy and red – when the conversation with Jaida resumed and took a weird turn that left her confused, her tear-stained eyes eventually dipping up when Jaida told her to come to the door.
“Jai?” She’d pulled open the door to reveal Jaida standing there, arms full of bags with stuff, a soft, understanding expression on her face. For a split second, a feeling of panic went through Noelle – she looked like a trainwreck. Her hair was pulled up into a bun with various braids hanging out, she was clad in loose yoga pants, Jaida’s shirt, a warm sweater and fuzzy socks, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup, plus her eyes were still rimmed red and baggy. The feeling persisted for another second or two before she realized she actually didn’t care.

However, the warmth of Jaida’s gesture had something else stirring within her and before she knew it another prickling of tears started in her eyes, and she averted her gaze briefly. She couldn’t get the first sob out before a rapidly-increasing pain was spreading through her stomach and she was hunching over, letting out a pained moan as it reached its high and then gradually faded away again. “I’m sorry,” she groaned, hand pushing under her own shirt and pressing it over the soft curve of her abdomen as she vaguely gestured for Jaida to come in, “I gotta lie down.”

She was back on the couch, arm folded over her head and eyes covered by the dip of her elbow as she listened to Jaida closing the door behind her and rummaging around in the kitchen for a bit. Only when things quieted down in the apartment did she feel the brunette’s hand slowly dipping onto the sliver of skin visible between the rim of Noelle’s shirt and the line of her pants. “Do you need anything?” She groaned, nodding slowly. “Uh, medicine cabinet, top shelf. Painkillers. Can’t reach ‘em.” Jaida was back within minutes with the small bottle of pills and a glass of water, and Noelle downed three of them immediately before nestling into Jaida’s lap, the other woman’s hand finding its way onto her abdomen again, warming her.

“Where’s Andre?” Noelle hummed, face buried into Jaida’s neck as the force of her cramps throbbed through her, only managing a quiet but still angry-toned mutter. “He ran. ‘N he should stay gone if he knows what’s good.” Her face, still pushed into the side of the other woman’s neck, pulled into a pained frown and she groaned again as another cramp worked its way through her, her muscles temporarily tensing up before releasing again as it faded. “Ugh… I’m fucking dying, Jai.”

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 863

wifey material​

There was something endearing about Noelle's disheveled state; Jaida's lips twitched into a calm, understanding smile when the woman appeared to experience a sudden influx of emotions that resulted in her excusing herself to the couch. "Go, go... don't mind me," she moved through the door just as the blonde was stretching herself along the length of the couch and she rifled through the kitchen for a moment as she emptied the grocery bags into the cupboards and fridge, remaining mindful of the amount of noise that she was making. She discarded the empty bags onto the countertop for the time being and quietly moved into the living room where she knelt near the side of the couch and gently coaxed her hand over the sliver of visible skin just beneath the hem of Noelle's shirt.

"Do you need anything?" Her thumb worked calmly against the skin as she allowed the palm of her hand to cup the soft curve of the other woman's abdomen, hopeful that the warmth might be enough to subside the cramps that were racking her small frame. Her free hand moved to brush the backs of her middle and forefingers gingerly against the edge of Noelle's jaw while she listened to her mumbled instructions to bring her the painkillers from the bathroom. "You got it." She lifted herself back onto her feet and moved through the hallway into the bathroom where she rifled through the cluttered medicine cabinet until she found the bottle of painkillers in question and brought them, along with a glass of water, to Noelle on the couch. The blonde sat up, downing three of the pills in a singular gulp, and Jaida took the opportunity to claim the newly-freed space on the couch and sat down.

Noelle cozied up on her lap, face nuzzling against her neck, and Jaida's hand found the same spot on her abdomen to rest while they sat together. "Where's Andre?" Her free hand had moved up to her head where the tips of her fingers had pushed past her braids to rub absently against the woman's scalp. The motion was lazy but the repetitive back and forth movement persisted as Noelle spoke ill of her notably absent boyfriend and Jaida smiled, tickled by the annoyance that had instantly plagued her tone at the mention of Andre.

She tugged Noelle closer when she felt her wince against her, a frown wrinkling the skin between her eyebrows, and she leaned back against the couch's arm rest so they could more easily lay down together. "Do you want me to make you anything? I covered most of the bases, I think, but if you're craving anything I don't mind running out again-" she paused, nodding when Noelle politely declined her offer, and the pair settled more comfortably into the couch together. Jaida wasn't tired, but she laid still as the other woman made herself comfortable lying nearly entirely on top of her, nestled into the crook under her arm with her face buried against her neck, and she pulled the blanket off from the back of the couch to spread over them - or, more accurately, Noelle, as her feet remained uncovered.

The painkillers kicked in quicker than she'd anticipated and in some combination of the relief paired with their shared body warmth beneath the blanket, Noelle was carried into a heavy sleep. Jaida remained there, unmoving, for nearly half an hour before she gently and quietly coaxed herself out from underneath the blonde and moved into the kitchen. She worked with a quiet precision as she preheated the oven, collected the necessary ingredients, and went to work on a post-nap surprise that she was confident Noelle would enjoy.

The warm aroma of baked chocolate wafted through the apartment and had come to fill the small space just as the blonde was stirring from her sleep a little under an hour later. "Hey, baby... You sleep okay?" She glanced up from the kitchen, reaching into the cupboard for a small plate. "You weren't up to tell me what you wanted so I took some creative liberty and, uh - I don't wanna toot my own horn or anything, but I think it looks pretty damn good if I say so myself..." she moved with a careful precision as she transferred the cake from the ramekin onto the plate without breaking it and spilling its molten content and carried it gingerly into the living room. "You don't gotta eat it if you're not feeling it, but I've never met a problem that one of these couldn't solve," she grinned, placing the lava cake adorned plate onto the coffee table and moving onto the space next to Noelle.

Her arms curled themselves gently around the other woman's torso from the side and she leaned lightly into her shoulder. "How are you feeling?" She propped her chin atop the woman's shoulder, gently brushing a stray braid behind her ear, and leaned in to place a delicate kiss against the skin on her neck. She let her lips linger there for a moment, breathing in her scent, and gently nuzzled her face into the space against her neck.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 739​

Noelle shifted slightly closer, pulling further into the dip of Jaida’s neck as the brunette tugged her closer, and sighed against the warm skin that she’d pressed her face into. The cramps still throbbed through her, making an uncomfortable, painful feeling settle in her abdomen and spreading between her thighs as another debilitating cramp worked through her and she gasped quietly into Jaida’s neck when it faded. It was the same thing every month for her: the first day was the worst, leaving her practically bedridden and stoned on max strength painkillers, and the emotional anger that she felt towards Andre was a common symptom, too. Her boss had tried one time to make her work through the second through fourth days of her period, and almost immediately regretted it when Noelle had barked down a customer that’d become a bit too handsy. Ever since, she was off on the days that she felt crampy or hormonal.

She shook her head against Jaida’s neck when the brunette offered her to make her something or to go out and get her something other than the stuff that she’d brought along with her. The woman’s hand felt warm against her stomach, and despite how it had done little to alleviate the searing pain that cut through her stomach, Noelle didn’t want her to move. Jaida’s touch had always been comfortable and calming to her, and even more so now that she wanted some physical solace. She let out a quiet hum, slightly off-tune by the throbbing pain that she was still experiencing, and shook her head again, her hand coming to rest on the other side of Jaida’s neck to wordlessly imply that she wanted her to stay where she was.

The brunette eventually shifted underneath her, and Noelle snuggled into Jaida’s side as they laid on the couch together, her cramps subsiding slightly in their shared physical warmth, especially when Jaida pulled the blanket over the two of them. It only took ten or fifteen more minutes before the painkillers were finally kicking in and the pain faded into a low heat, only to be replaced with a numbness. The pills made her drowsy, always had, and Noelle’s lips parted slightly as her breathing deepened, slowed, and the relief from the cramps and Jaida’s warmth were eventually enough to pull her into a deep sleep.

She awoke what felt like hours later, but couldn’t have been more than forty-five minutes, when her phone began to vibrate against her side and she was gradually pulled from her sleep. It took her a good minute to realize what was moving against her, another moment before she understood where she was and how she got there, and she blinked sleepily as her gaze moved around the room, only to rest on Jaida’s back as she stood near the furnace. Noelle’s eyebrows pulled into a frown as she produced her phone from the mess of the blanket she’d slept under, and her expression twisted into something of distaste and annoyance when she read Andre’s four-word response to her rant, completely off topic and not once acknowledging his fault. She turned off the screen, threw the device on the opposing couch, and turned back to Jaida when the movement caught the other woman’s attention.

“Yeah, I guess.” She watched as the brunette came walking back into the living room carrying a plate, and the brownish, dark cake shaped object immediately caught her eye. “Oh, god… Chocolate.” She let Jaida put it down, figuring that if it just came out of the oven, it was still way too hot to eat, so she sat at a short distance, eyeing down the food as the brunette slid into the spot beside her and nuzzled her face into the side of Noelle’s neck. She hummed at her question, closing her eyes briefly as Jaida pressed a soft kiss against her neck, but felt that same anger flare up within her when she thought back to Andre’s half-assed response. “Like everyone needs to fuck off for a bit,” she grumbled, her shoulders tensing up until she caught sight of the expression on Jaida’s face, and she coaxed the brunette’s face back into the side of her neck from where she’d pulled away from Noelle slightly. “Not you, babe,” she muttered, losing the tautness in her shoulders and allowing herself to relax in Jaida’s arms, “you know I love you.”

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 653

this is so bad!! i lost motivation halfway thru...​

Jaida pinched her eyebrows together at the sudden rollercoaster of emotion that Noelle seemed to be experiencing in response to her simple question. She cautiously removed herself from the space between the woman's jaw and shoulder to observe the stiffness that had bore itself into her drowsy features, but displayed no hesitation when the blonde coaxed her forward again. She hummed against the soft skin on her neck, smiling into the languid kiss that she'd placed there, and nuzzled closer. "I love you too." She wrapped her arms around Noelle's petite midsection and squeezed, kissing her again before she promptly pulled away to fetch the plate from the coffee table. "I was lying when I said you didn't have to eat this," she joked, pushing the plate into her lap. "I worked my damn ass off..."

They stayed on the couch a while longer before, prompted by yet another bout of cramps, Noelle had to take another heavy dose of painkillers that left her fighting to stay awake and the pair opted to see themselves to bed. Noelle stripped herself of her sweater to reveal Jaida's borrowed shirt beneath, which Jaida amusedly pointed out, and the brunette sifted through the woman's closet for a more comfortable pair of pants before changing out of her jeans and joining her beneath the blankets. Noelle fell asleep almost immediately, snuggling into Jaida's warm embrace, and Jaida followed suit shortly after only to be awoken later that night upon Andre's inevitable return home. The man hesitated for a moment, clearly not expecting to find someone else in bed with his girlfriend, and gave a disgruntled hum when he finally agreed to sleep on the couch for the night upon Jaida's hushed insistence.

They awoke comfortably entangled the next morning. The bed and surrounding decor were unfamiliar to Jaida, but the company that she shared it with made it feel as if she'd known it for years, and Noelle calmly rested her head upon Jaida's chest while they laid awake for a short while before the blonde offered to drive her back to Dominic's apartment and the pair moved lazily about the space while they got dressed. Jaida offered a borderline insincere goodbye to Andre - she'd become aware of his growing distaste toward her and lacked the motivation or interest to earn her way back into his good graces - and collected her things before she followed Noelle through the door, down the stairs, and out into the parking lot.

Jaida's fingertips brushed gingerly against the curve of the blonde's jawline when their short drive brought them to the quiet street in front of Dom's apartment and she gently coaxed the woman's face closer to place a careful kiss against her cheek. She retracted, teeth carefully grazing her own lower lip as her gaze dipped to Noelle's, and her hand found the door handle and pushed before she could dip forward and risk being found out by Dominic or Zeke; it was unlikely that they'd be out and passing through the parking lot but the risk still sat in the back of her mind. "Bye, Noe. Love you, girl," she flashed a warm, gentle smile as she leaned into the open car door before closing it behind her. She stepped backwards a few paces, turned, and waved over her shoulder before she headed up to Dominic's apartment.

It was a week before they saw each other again. The guys had made plans to go out and Noelle hadn't displayed an ounce of hesitation in finding the spot next to Jaida on the couch as soon as she arrived at the apartment with Andre. Jaida's arm was immediately around the other woman, her head leant comfortably against her shoulder, and she listened absently while the men discussed their plans for the night, eyes following as Dominic and Zeke slipped into their jackets near the door while Andre turned to Noelle.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 615
this much gay
figured jaida would make the first move
so im leaving that up to u
also, merry christmas​

Jaida slept over that night, snuggled closely into Noelle's side and providing her with plenty of warmth. She wasn't awake to hear Andre come home or to hear the shushed, annoyed conversation between Jaida and her boyfriend, having passed out pretty much right after they'd gone to bed – her drowsiness fueled by another dose of painkillers – and had snuggled her face into the crook under Jaida's jaw and promptly passed out. They awoke the next morning, comfortably tangled, and with Noelle's cramps having subsided to a low ache that occasionally worsened, but definitely nothing like the previous day.

She dropped Jaida off at Dom's apartment later that morning, smiling her warm goodbye as the brunette exited the car, after she'd pressed a kiss to the side of Noelle's cheek. The spot heated up slightly, and a light, almost childlike blush spread over her cheekbones as she watched the brunette disappear into the building, before she pulled back onto the road.

The rest of the week that followed were largely uneventful, but Noelle was looking forward to meeting with Jaida again that Friday in a way that had something twisting lightly in her abdomen every time she thought about it. The moment she and Andre entered the space, she made herself comfortable under the crook of the other woman's arm, leaning slightly into her side and resting her head against Jaida's shoulder. Andre only shot her a confused glance before he seemed to brush it off, and after a brief catch up between the guys and a light snuggle session between Noelle and Jaida, they were getting their jackets and preparing to leave. Noelle could see him turn, his gaze connecting with hers, but she remained under the safety of Jaida's embrace even as he wordlessly gestured, with a quick jerk of his head, to come along. Only when he put it in words did she address him.

“Babe, you comin'?” Noelle shook her head, inching slightly closer to Jaida to give weight to her point and allowing the other woman to hold her almost possessively as she turned down her boyfriend in favor of spending time with Jaida – something that seemed to be well on its way to becoming a regular thing. “Nah, Imma stay here with Jai for a bit. Y'all have fun though.” Andre's gaze flicked from Noelle's eyes to Jaida's, to the arm around Noelle's shoulders and then back up to her eyes, before he shrugged, but Noelle could see a glimpse of annoyance in his eyes, but he didn't address it.

Only when the door closed behind them did Noelle finally turn to the other woman, dipping her face into the side of Jaida's neck and pressing a soft kiss against the skin there. She wanted to make a comment about Andre's jealousy, but she let it rest as she instead focused herself completely on the other woman in her presence, her lips slowly grazing against Jaida’s neck before she pulled away. She hesitated briefly, lips inching slightly forward in a split moment of desire to find Jaida's lips, but she pulled away in favor of knowing for sure that the guys wouldn't come walking in again.

She got up briefly to retrieve her phone from the kitchen counter after that, only being turned away from the other woman for a split moment as she frowned at one of its notifications, before she felt Jaida's arms curl around her midsection and she sighed quietly as the brunette pulled her close. “Hmm,” Noelle closed her eyes, pushing back slightly into Jaida’s embrace and allowing her head to tilt backwards as she found the brunette's lips in a soft, slow kiss. “What's up?”

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 660

it's something!​

Jaida's soft expression made way for a cheeky grin when she caught a flash of the vexation that had darted across Andre's face in response to his girlfriend (once more) blowing him off to spend time with the brunette. He hid his irritation well, masking it with a disinterested shrug, and cast one final glance in their direction before he moved to join his friends at the door. "Don't worry, Boo. I'll take good care of her." Jaida teased, finding a distinct pleasure in taunting the man as he squared his shoulders out and moved through the door without a word. "...He fuckin' hates me," she curled her arm a bit tighter around Noelle's shoulders, her amused grin persisting as the other woman dipped forward to place a soft kiss against her neck. She couldn't blame him, really. She had been actively prying his girlfriend out from under his hold for weeks now... but he didn't know that. For all his clueless ass knew they spent all their time together gossiping and talking about boys and shopping and makeup and whatever other trivial things he considered to be girly...

Jaida hummed, letting out a quiet, protesting noise when Noelle pulled away and she instantly found herself snapped out of her train of thought and pulled back into the present. Her eyes followed as she lifted herself from the couch and moved toward the kitchen counter and, soon after, Jaida did too. She let her arms snake their way around Noelle's midsection where they gently pulled her closer and she seamlessly dipped forward just as the other woman's head dipped back to meet her in a kiss. "I missed you," she hummed in return, one of her hands finding the side of her face.

She loosened her hold enough to allow Noelle to turn to face her and her hand instantly gravitated back to the gentle curve of the woman's cheek where she carefully tucked one of her braids behind her ear. Her gaze brushed over her features - the dark pools of her irises that seemed to be glittering with varying shades of brown, the gentle slope of her nose - and just as her eyes had dipped to trace the curve of her lips that she was itching to feel against her own her gaze bounced back up to connect with Noelle's where she found silent question written in them. "You're beautiful," she let the tips of her fingers follow the curve of the blonde's cheek until she was carefully caressing the line of her jaw with her palm while her thumb worked gently over the skin near her cheekbone.

She could only hold out for so long before she found her free hand lifting to grasp the other side of the woman's face and she coaxed her forward in a tender motion laced with desperation. A familiar heat flared up within her and she decided right then that she had no intention to extinguish or lessen its intensity before she could see it through. She wanted this... and if the ferocity in which Noelle's lips met her own was any indication, she knew that Noelle wanted it too.

[ timeskip ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ]

With the blanket pulled up to their chests and Noelle nestled into the space under her arm, Jaida turned onto her side, facing the other woman, and stretched her free arm across the length of her torso. She didn't think of Andre or of Dominic or of the consequences of what they'd just done and let her lips connect with the top of the blonde's forehead near her hairline, the flowery scent of her conditioner pervading her senses as she let her dip her face into the space below her chin. For once she was at loss for words, feeling no use for them for she couldn't possibly translate the contentedness that she felt into something that could be spoken, and simply allowed herself to revel in the presence that she shared.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 457​

Noelle’s breathing barely had a chance to slow from the labored, deep gasps that it had become; her chest rising and falling quickly as Jaida moved into the space next to her, tugging at the sheets until they came up high enough to cover their bare chests. Her eyes had fluttered closed, and they remained closed as she laid back against the pillows, her lips slightly parted as she sucked in quick, shallow breaths, slowly coming down from her high.

She hummed quietly as Jaida rolled onto her side against her, pressing her lips against the side of Noelle’s forehead before inching lower until her face was in the side of Noelle’s neck. She breathed slowly, her heart still pounding within the confines of her ribs, the rhythm visible on the skin of her chest underneath the thin sheets. Jaida’s arm was warm where it was resting over the light curve of her abdomen, and she was sure the other woman could feel her quickened, regular heartbeat from where she was pressed so tight against her. She didn’t speak, and neither did Jaida; the guilt that she’d expected to experience never showing up, instead making space for a deep sense of satisfaction.

They laid there together for what felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes, before Noelle began feeling a little more awake and more restless. She sat up, Jaida’s arm falling down into her lap, and she ran her fingers across her skin before she gently lifted it off her and inched towards the end of the bed to retrieve her underwear. She’d barely slipped into it when Jaida’s legs came down on either side of her hips, and she leaned back into the soft kisses the other woman pressed against the side of her neck, closing her eyes and reveling in the feeling – while they still could.

Her lips eventually dipped sideways and found Jaida’s, and it was languid and remained slow and soft, despite how she could still feel the aftermath of their shared experience. She pulled her hair over her other shoulder when Jaida eventually moved away, and remained seated there for a moment longer, clad in nothing but her panties – yet feeling completely at ease in the other woman’s presence. She slowly got dressed, fishing her clothes out from wherever they’d been scattered in the heat of the moment, and joined Jaida on the couch as they lazily watched tv for the next hour or so. Only when whatever program they’d been watching ended and commercials passed along did she turn slightly in her spot against Jaida’s side. “We should do this again sometime,” she muttered, feeling the brunette’s grin as she found her lips again. “Yeah?” “Hmm-hmm.”

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 694​

Pressed into Jaida's side, Noelle sat tucked safely underneath her arm. They'd made something of a nest for themselves on the couch after they'd gotten dressed and scanned absently through the channels until they agreed on something to watch. They'd caught the tail-end of a movie, one that they both recalled being better than it actually was, and Jaida felt Noelle shift against her as the picture went dark and the credits began to roll, cueing a commercial break. Jaida filtered out the voices on the television and focused on the woman in front of her, grinning against her lips as she was pulled into a quick kiss that had been preceded by a suggestive but witty comment about meeting up again sometime.

"Yeah?" She hardly pulled away, meeting Noelle's lips in another kiss and smiling against her. She withdrew her hand from where it'd been curled lazily around the woman's shoulders and let her fingers graze the curve of her cheek just above her jaw when a fumbling sound from behind the door had her stopping dead in her tracks. She broke the kiss but remained confidently placed at Noelle's side when the doorknob twisted and finally pushed open after what seemed to be a few minutes of struggling with the lock.

"Y'all are home early," or was it later than she thought it was? She didn't bother to look at the clock as Dominic stumbled through the door immediately succeeded by an equally ill-footed Zeke and Andre. "...And drunk." She watched with little concern as the men moved deeper into the space, tripping over anything from chairs to their own feet, and Andre, who was arguably the most worst off of the group, collapsed onto the empty sliver of couch at Noelle's side. Zeke was bent over examining the contents of the refrigerator and Dominic kicked his shoes off in the chair next to them while the television continued to play.

Equipped with little patience to deal with their drunken antics in the wake of her quiet evening spent with Noelle, Jaida exchanged a quick knowing glance with the other woman and nodded toward the hallway, her question embedded in her eyes. She stood first, helping Noelle up from her position half-pinned under Andre's semi-conscious frame, and let her hand find the small of the other woman's back as they started toward the hallway.

"Noe... where y'all goin'?" Andre slurred with some difficulty and Jaida rolled her eyes as Zeke pulled a six-pack from the fridge and dropped it onto the coffee table. "Bed." Jaida answered before Noelle could, her response barely registering in the minds of the three men who were more preoccupied with continuing their binge drinking in the comfort of the living room. She'd parted her lips to say more, but at the realization that it'd be in one ear and right out the other she thought it best not to bother and followed Noelle into the bedroom.

They were changing out of their clothes and into their pajamas almost instantly after the door was closed and a glimpse of mischievousness flitted across Jaida's eyes as she stepped forward to grasp gently at Noelle's wrist just as the other woman had changed out of her jeans. With Noelle wearing nothing more than a snug-fitting sleep shirt and her panties, Jaida answered the question written in the other woman's eyes with a slow, heated kiss. "You know, they're gonna be passed out in no time..." she began, her fingers meeting the sliver of skin below her shirt and above her panties. "We've got all night." She dipped in and placed a careful kiss against the side of Noelle's neck before she could speak up in protest.

She'd managed as far as getting Noelle onto the bed, their actions mirroring that of what they'd together done earlier that day, but she paused at the hastened, protesting hum against her lips that preceded Noelle breaking away from the kiss that they'd found themselves entangled in. Her fingers had only just begun to dip past the hem of her panties and she retracted her touch as her curious gaze met Noelle's. "What's wrong?"

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 581​

Noelle grinned, smirking into the kiss when Jaida moved in again and her hand moved up to trace the edge of her jaw, both guiding her closer and following the edge of her cheekbone as she slowly deepened the kiss, earning a quiet hum from Noelle. She only pulled away abruptly when there was a rumbling behind the door, followed by a key being shoved into the lock. Her chest instantly tightened, and she made the motion to sit upright, when she realized how casually Jaida had responded. Slowly, she relaxed back against the other woman’s arm, remaining tucked underneath her bicep, but the uncertainty of their situation still reigned free. Somehow, she thought Andre might know the moment he laid eyes on her; a response that never came when her boyfriend, flat-drunk and stumbling, moved into the apartment and dropped onto the couch next to her.

The moment she laid eyes on him she knew any conversation was lost on him; he seemed almost ready to pass out right away, and she didn’t stick around to find out if he’d respond. Instead she followed as Jaida straightened herself up from the couch and guided Noelle up with her, a soft hand resting in the dip of her lower back as the two of them moved into the hallway and away from the antics of the guys.

Noelle had just barely stripped out of her shirt, followed by her bra, followed by her pants and a relatively form fitting sleep shirt, when she was interrupted in moving to the bed to retrieve the loose shorts she was planning on putting on. Jaida swooped in, her hand grasping at Noelle’s wrist and pausing her in her movement of picking up the garment, and pulled her slowly towards Jaida when she shot her a puzzled, questioning look. Her brief moment of confusion was quickly sated by the heated kiss that Jaida pulled her into, one that immediately answered the rising question in her mind and made her melt against the other woman.

She allowed her to take the lead, allowed her to guide Noelle to the bed and onto it, her hands gravitating towards the dip between Noelle’s legs and eventually finding their way underneath the fabric of her underwear. Immediately, Noelle let out a protesting, quiet noise, causing Jaida to pull away from the kiss and find her gaze in question. “He’s- he’s right out there,” she started too loud, only lowered her voice to a hissy whisper when she realized she was being too obvious. “I don’t want to get caught,” she muttered, rolling sideways until Jaida pulled her arm and leg away and allowed her to move out from underneath her. “Not right now.”

It was three days later when Noelle met Jaida and the boys at the gentleman’s club she worked at. She’d had a long night with touchy customers and a spilled drink, so it felt good to spend some calm time with the other woman – even if her boyfriend was there, too. Tucked underneath Jaida’s arm – a space that she had quickly found to become hers – with a joint between her fingers, she sipped silently from the other woman’s drink. To any outsider, it was obvious that there was something between the two of them, but Andre was only staring at them with a hungry grin that Noelle was avoiding to the best of her abilities, until Jaida turned toward her with a glint in her eyes.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 643​

Clubs had never been Jaida's thing - they were loud, sticky, and the lights gave her a headache - but as she sat on one of the couches stashed away in the private lounge away from the chaos of the main floor with Noelle tucked under her arm, her disdain for their current surroundings slowly began to melt away and she became more at ease. Her hand hung comfortably where her forearm met the back of the couch and she let the tips of her fingers graze the bare skin on Noelle's shoulder while the other woman sipped gingerly from her drink with a joint expertly balanced between her fingers and the rim of the glass.

She'd been acutely aware of Andre's eyes on them from the moment Noelle had found her spot at her side but made little point to acknowledge the predatory manner in which he'd been watching them as she let her arm fall from where it'd been propped against the back of the couch to rest directly against Noelle's shoulders. He'd yet to put two and two together despite the near constant affection that they made little effort to conceal, and it was at that moment, with her arm wrapped possessively around the smaller woman, that an idea popped into her mind and she confidently angled her body to better face her.

Jaida leaned in, as if to tell her something, but continued in her motion until her lips were greeted with warm skin. Noelle's head dipped sideways out of habit but she could feel the woman gradually beginning to tense up beneath her as she recalled whose presence they shared. A satisfied grin played at the corners of her mouth as Noelle pulled away and she could see from her peripheral vision that Andre's response to the move that Jaida had made on his girlfriend had been to relax against the back of the couch. This was all just a show to him - for him, he surely must've thought - and he watched them with all the intensity his drunken gaze could muster as Jaida finished off the drink in Noelle's hand and moved in.

Noelle was hesitant, she could feel it in the tenseness that she held in her lips, but Jaida gradually coaxed it out of her as she dipped in, deepening the kiss, and cupped the side of her jaw with her palm. They broke the kiss only briefly, Noelle's lingering reluctance being met with a calm reassurance as their gazes met, and Jaida guided her onto her lap. She plucked the still-smoldering joint from her fingers and placed it blindly into the ashtray that sat on the wooden ledge behind the couch; a smile had her lips curling as she looked upon Noelle's scantily-dressed form and could hardly believe that she was real - much less that she was straddled over her lap - and eagerly guided her forward into another passionate kiss.

Noelle's knees came down on either side of her thighs and Jaida's hands gradually worked their way along her frame until her palms had come to rest against her thighs with her fingers curling underneath them. Andre and the guys had been all but forgotten to her until they were interrupted by the sound of someone awkwardly clearing their throat.

"You're on in five." A man who Jaida was too far gone to place but who was clearly familiar to Noelle lingered long enough to relay the information before he was gone again. The blonde remained in place a moment longer giving Jaida just enough time to place a delicate kiss against the curve of her jaw. "Knock 'em out, baby," she grinned, giving a playful wink, and relaxed against the back of the couch as Noelle climbed off of her, expertly avoiding the confused look that their display of affection had earned her from Dominic.

 

[alex danvers]

N!!!!!O!!!!!E!!!!!L!!!!!L!!!!!E

it's like i'm powerful with a little bit of tender
an emotional sexual bender
mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better
there's nothin' better

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 658​

For a moment, Noelle thought Jaida was leaning in to say something, but then her lips darted past Noelle’s cheek and dipped lower, nudging underneath the side of her jaw until she tilted her head away far enough for Jaida to reach the side of her neck. Immediately, her muscles tightened and she tensed up as the brunette’s lips came slowly into contact with her skin there, running a slow, lazy trail against the side of Noelle’s neck that had her excited, on one hand, but also scared of Andre’s response to it. He could piece together what they’d been doing-

She couldn’t really consider her options for long until she was automatically pulling away from the other woman, putting a little bit of distance between them as she wordlessly and gesturelessly tried to imply that they couldn’t do that kind of thing in front of her – albeit oblivious – boyfriend. She didn’t manage to convey her feelings very well, apparently, because Jaida was paying her slightly hesitant state no attention and instead moved for her drink, easily taking the glass from Noelle’s loose fingers. She could only watch as the brunette threw back the drink and put the glass back down on the table with a low clunk – Noelle only finding the time to prop the joint between her lips briefly before Jaida was taking that, too, and she was moving in again.

Her hand loosely cupped the side of Noelle’s jaw, and she guided her into a slow kiss that had Noelle melting underneath her – yet remaining vigilant for Andre’s momentary decision that he no longer liked where this was going. Her boyfriend remained quiet, however, and Jaida’s lips pried Noelle’s apart slowly, her eyes closing as she allowed herself to enjoy the moment just for a split second before Jaida was pulling away. Her hands found either way of Noelle’s hips, and slowly but undeniably confidently began to guide her into Jaida’s lap. She followed, remaining hesitant as she moved slowly on top of the other brunette, her legs finding either side of Jaida’s thighs, but the barked order from Andre that she was expecting never came and she relaxed slightly as, from the corner of her eyes, she could see her boyfriend watching them predatorily.

It was easier for Noelle to go along with Jaida’s plan, and she found it in herself to move forward slightly just as Jaida was moving in again, lips meeting in a more passionate kiss that had Noelle gasp quietly, just loud enough for Jaida to hear but muffled under the sounds from the club around them, into Jaida’s mouth. The brunette’s hands were dipping over her ass, gravitating further at first but then inching over her bare thighs and curling just under them, distracting Noelle from everything that happened around her and the approaching manager.

She pulled away when he made his presence known, but remained positioned in Jaida’s lap just for a little while longer until she was urged to get ready for her dance, and she was moving off the side of Jaida, leaning into the soft kiss that she pressed against the curve of Noelle’s jaw, and leaving the VIP lounge behind.

“Ugh, I’m dead,” she muttered, a few hours later, as the group stumbled into Dominic’s apartment and slumped down onto various surfaces. The group had stayed until her shift was over, and taken her home to Dominic’s place – Andre had offered a ride but as the most sober and most capable driver of them all, Noelle had taken that upon herself instead. Rather than driving home for the night, she agreed to spend what remained of the night at Dominic’s place. Just for a moment she considered taking a shower, but eventually decided against it and that there would be time for it tomorrow; so instead, she followed Jaida into her bedroom and passed out with her under the brunette’s blankets, cuddled tightly together.

 

[digital witness]

Jxxxx Axxxx Ixxxx Dxxxx A

when i get back, you can hold me
just promise that you'll let go of me
you know that i'll leave you lonely
nowhere to go, everywhere to be...

ｗｏｒｄxxｃｏｕｎｔ ;; 505​

Sleep came easily for Jaida, who, upon hitting the sheets, nuzzled contentedly into Noelle's side. She awoke much the same, with her arm slung heavily over the other woman's abdomen as she laid flat on her stomach with her head turned sideways against the pillow, and was pleased to find the apartment was still pleasantly quiet as she blinked against the light that had filtered through the blinds. She pressed her face into the curve of Noelle's neck and laid there for a moment longer, lingering somewhere between sleep and awake while the other woman's fingers worked calmly against her hair, but was eventually coaxed out of bed by the growling in her stomach as she moved to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Joined by Noelle shortly thereafter, the pair found themselves lounging comfortably on the couch, mugs of coffee in hand, and Jaida turned sideways with her legs pulled underneath her as she watched Noelle with tired, tender eyes. She had a natural beauty about her - an easiness that glowed even now in her bed-ruffled state - and Jaida found herself completely captivated as she let her gaze bathe in it and attempted to soak in every breathtaking detail. She wouldn't mind, she thought, to wake up like this every morning - together, with her...

A gentle scuffling of bare feet against hardwood had the brunette's gaze reluctantly pulling away from Noelle to catch Dominic, who was obviously hungover, wandering in from the hallway. "Morning," she greeted in a quiet voice but was met with little more than a nod as the man sunk into the recliner and fought back a yawn.

The three of them sat in a comfortable silence for a short while longer before Jaida finished what was left of her coffee and moved into the kitchen. She rifled through the cupboards to no avail, realizing it'd been nearly a week since any of them had been to the store, and eventually settled on a loaf of white bread as she prepared enough french toast for five. It wasn't her best effort and it certainly wasn't a breakfast that would win her any awards, but it went over well enough as she picked out the most appetizing looking slices for herself and Noelle before she let the three - by then, ravenous - men go to town on what was left over.

They were scattered about the living room, Noelle leant comfortably against Jaida's side, when the brunette announced that she was going to take a shower. Dominic mumbled out instructions on where she could find a fresh towel and Jaida watched, pleasantly distracted by the light swing of the other woman's hips as she disappeared into the hallway. She remained there a little over ten minutes longer with her legs pulled up onto the couch before she, too, was excusing herself from the room and trailing confidently after Noelle.

The hiss of the shower was still audible through the door and Jaida gave the knob a gentle twist before she was quietly slipping inside. [ Timeskip, y'all... ]