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"I'm just saying you should give frexting a shot. It's harmless fun, and you both could use some help with your body image. Why not join in with us?" Luna asked, shifting her gaze between Anya and Raven at the small café table. "I mean, what do you have to lose?"
"My pride." Anya shot back immediately.
"Sounds about right." Raven added with a shake of her head, unsure how the fuck 'frexting' made any goddamn sense. Like, who sent sexts to their friends? Weirdos, that's who.
"Come on, it's not like either of you are gay. What's the harm in a little harmless picture or two to get a confidence boost? It's not like either of you aren't sexy." Luna argued, drawing an immediate scoff from Raven.
"Please. Because people fall over their feet for me all the time." She remarked with a heavy dose of sarcasm, knowing she was channeling some self-deprecation there, but it wasn't far from the truth. She hadn't had a date since she was in the car wreck a little over a year ago, and the only people who ever hit on her did so when she was sitting, and tended to find excuses to leave once they noticed she had one working leg.
So sexy? Sure, Raven knew she was sexy, but others didn't, and that made it hard to feel sexy sometimes.
"Raven, your body is sculpted from marble. Two weeks ago Lexa successfully did laundry against your abs. You're sexy." Anya shot back with a hard roll of her eyes, her words flat and blunt as if there was never any questioning them. As if she was repeating facts for the twentieth time that way and was a little tired of doing so.
And alright, maybe it was really nice to hear Anya thought that about her. But Anya was as straight as they came, and the whole frexting thing seemed like it could just get really depressing for her closeted ass. Not that she couldn't come out, it's just nearly all her friends were kind of blabbermouths, and her mom and siblings were hardcore intolerant, and she needed a place to live until she was done with college in five months.
It'd be too heavy of a risk to tell anyone, especially so close to graduation. She could be patient.
"See? That! It's basically just that, but with pictures and emojis. It's seriously really liberating! Come on...give it a shot, you two." Luna asked, eyes flitting between them with growing excitement, for whatever reason.
Raven let out a sigh and shook her head in defeat. "Look, fine, I'll do it if Anya does it, but only to get you off our case about this."
Anya's sigh was more exasperated, as expected, but her friend nodded. "Whatever. I'll try it out for you if you promise not to harass me with your frexting if I don't like it."
Luna pumped her fist and let out a little cheer. "Yes! You two are going to love it. I swear!"
Raven just wasn't sure she could ever be on Luna's wavelength about it. It all seemed entirely too strange and dangerous.
Anya sat at the end of her bed, staring at Luna's text about her damned 'frexting' ridiculousness. The woman was intense and determined, so she had to give in eventually, but now that she had, Anya found herself both annoyed and anxious.
The idea was that to start off, she'd send a selfie to Luna and one other person. That would signal that Anya would be open and active, and it would ensure that someone other than just Luna would be responding to her. That way, Luna's often shallow and halfway sincere 'compliments' wouldn't be the only positivity she'd be on the receiving end of.
It was all such a sham. A ridiculous, distorted, absurd sham. Not just because 'frexting' was essentially the glaring women's equivalent to a frat boy's 'no homo', but because everything would fall flat. Anya had known exactly what people thought of her appearance as she grew up, everyone made it clear enough.
She'd heard enough insults. Her Tibetan heritage had drawn comparisons between her face and a Tibetan Sand Fox's. She had always been the gangly, harsh-looking Asian girl. She'd been told she had resting bitch face when she was seven, and it only got worse from there. She'd never been small enough, or soft enough, or curvy enough, and no matter her clothing choices, she was never deemed feminine enough. Her body was never enough.
She'd never been enough.
Frexting wasn't going to change that with a bunch of empty words and a torrent of photos with bodies that were everything she'd never be. No, Anya would take part in Luna's little game, and then call it quits shortly afterward, but long enough to where her friend wouldn't ask her to try again.
It was a sound strategy.
For now, she needed to figure out what to wear in her photo. It was supposed to be something 'risque', but truth be told, she didn't really have much in the way of, well, any of that.
However, years and years of acting experience gave her decent improvisational skills, and that had her picking through her dresser for a white tee. A few minutes of digging through her underwear drawer eventually resulted in the most 'risque' thing she owned, a pair of black American Eagle 'cheekies' with lace trim. Not exactly thrilling by any stretch of the imagination, but it was one of the few things that varied from her standard fare set.
Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of the idea, she changed into them and headed into her bathroom with her phone in hand. Ten minutes of using her spray bottle and product to dampen and style her hair, and another ten on makeup, and she was set.
Her hand rested on the knob for her shower for a full minute, perhaps longer, before she turned it on, leaving it lukewarm. With an exasperated sigh at the futility of it all, she stepped into the shower and let the spray hit her body.
Raven had been holed up in her room all evening, mostly bored out of her mind since she'd finished nearly all her pre-studying for the upcoming semester, just waiting on a few more texts to get back in stock at the library. An hour ago, she'd settled in bed for a cheesy action movie marathon, starting with 'Gone in 60 Seconds'. Nothing wrong with some Angelina Jolie and cool cars.
She was just back from getting some popcorn when she noticed her phone buzzing on her nightstand. "Probably Luna with more of those damned frexts." She muttered to herself, having been hit with four of them today, two from Luna and two from Luna's friends who were more Raven's acquaintances than anything.
She'd given them some simple emoji feedback and gone on her way each time, which was easy and brainless enough. So when Raven settled back under her covers again, shifting her computer back onto her lap, and took hold of her phone, she expected to one-hand it and get back to her movie real quick.
New text: Anya
Raven stared hard at her phone's screen at the notification, feeling sweat forming on her brow as her teeth bit into her lip. "Okay, whatever, it's probably just her asking if we're still up for lunch tomorrow. She always asks the night before, it's no big. Not. A. Thing."
Suitably relieved of tension, Raven put in her password and opened the text from Anya.
And immediately fell out of bed, along with everything else.
"H...holy SHIT!" Raven exclaimed, wide-eyed and heart racing, laptop upside down beside her and her phone strewn across the room. None of that registered, not even the pain from falling, because Anya.
Anya.
Her friend was leaning back against the tile wall of her bathroom, hips arched forward and away, giving the camera goddamn sex eyes. Wearing nothing but a wet white t-shirt and lacy black panties and goddamn it if Raven hadn't immediately gotten more soaked than Anya was in the photo after having been in the shower. Goddamn it if Raven's nipples weren't hard as diamonds after seeing Anya's poking out from under the see-through material of her top.
"Raven, honey, are you okay in there?" Her mother asked from the other side of the door, harshly bringing her back to reality.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Totally fine. Just a spider came out of nowhere, but I got it." Raven called out as she moved her shaky hands to gather her things and struggle her way back to her feet.
"Are you sure? I heard a crash." Her mom continued, at least respecting her privacy instead of barging in like she used to.
"I just knocked a few textbooks off my table trying to get it, that's all. I'm fine, mom." Raven reassured as she sat down on her desk chair, knowing her bed was not a safe place to be at the moment.
"Okay, as long as you're sure. I'm going to go to bed soon...have a good night, sweetie." Her mom called back warmly, and while it wasn't like her mom didn't love her, Raven knew it'd probably be conditional. And that made her mom's warmth register pretty differently with that knowledge.
"Night, mom!" She offered as she took hold of her phone and stared at the now dark screen, knowing what was waiting for her when she tapped in her password again. Knowing that Anya would be waiting.
Oh shit, she's probably expecting a response! Fuck! Raven thought in a sudden panic, quickly swiping in her password and opening the reply, not wanting to get distracted. There'd be plenty of time to pore over the photo soon enough.
Raven Reyes
you're such a fucking babe ...
She looked over her response, unsure if it was a little too forward. After another moment of thought, she decided it was definitely too forward. Raven shook her head and erased it, trying again.
Raven Reyes
you're seriously cu ...
Her hand was deleting the new entry before she even finished it, knowing that Anya was anything but cute in the photo. Sure, her friend was adorable as all hell in her own weirdly special sort of way, but Raven loved that about her.
But the photo she was sent? Anya was sizzling. Fitting the tone of it was important, wasn't it?
Raven Reyes
did someone turn up the heat?! wow!
Raven didn't let herself second guess this one, hitting send almost immediately. Her earlier responses to the frexts had all been easy and simple, but with Anya, it was different. She cared about her, and she knew Anya was insecure. She didn't want to hurt her, and she definitely didn't want to make anything awkward between them.
Didn't change the fact that the image would be burned into her mind for the next few months. Raven could only hope she could keep from letting it seep into her mind during self-stim. She was pretty sure there'd be no coming back from that.
Frexting was clearly dangerous as hell.
"But maybe...maybe I should give it another look..." She murmured absently as she swiped up and took another look. "Jesus fuck. She is such a babe..."
Her eyes scanned over each and every detail again and again until she could essentially imagine herself in place of the camera, standing in the warm bathroom barely a foot away from Anya. That distance falling away by the second as Anya's eyes would draw her closer, and closer, and closer, until she was pressed up against Anya's hips. Hands running ever so slowly up the woman's waist, grazing along her breasts. Her nose trailing up Anya's neck, her tongue stretching out, ready to trace a path up...
The sound of her phone receiving a new text broke Raven from her reverie, startling her almost enough to lose grip on the device again.
A message from Anya...shit, okay, I can do this... Raven mused as she scrolled down past the picture and past her message.
Anya
It's not too much?
"Oh, lady, you have no idea..." Raven mused openly as she brought up a new reply.
Raven Reyes
not at all! you look so good!
Anya
Luna said I should go shopping since I don't have anything fancy. I'm not sure it's a good idea.
Raven couldn't help but close her eyes at the sudden imagery of Anya trying on a wide variety of lingerie. It took effort, but she pushed away from her over-stimulated imagination to her last recollection of her bank account. Living at home and working nearly full time all summer, and being on scholarship all had its perks.
Raven Reyes
I will give you a gift card tomorrow at lunch and you're gonna go treat yourself. all I ask is you show me pics of your haul
Anya
Raven, you don't need to do that. Your money is your money
Raven rolled her eyes at her friend's stubborn streak, but she knew how to crack it after a few years of being close.
Raven
sophomore year you bought me how many tools when I kept losin mine? when my laptop was stolen you literally gave me yours. I think I can give you some coin to grace your pretty self in pretty things
She'd sent the message off before she realized she'd called Anya pretty, halfway wanting to take it back in fear it'd be taken badly, and halfway hoping it'd lift her friend's spirits. Anya was tremendously pretty, and it was a terrible thing that her friend didn't feel pretty. If any good could come of the frexting nonsense, Raven hoped it'd help Anya feel more secure about her beauty.
Anya
Fine. I suppose you have a point. I'm heading to bed, so I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Raven
Raven smiled at the send-off more than the victory, low-key loving whenever her friend would be all sweet like that.
She let out a sigh as she placed the phone on her nightstand and got back into bed, not feeling a movie marathon anymore. Not with Anya filling her head.
The woman was the complete package with the exception of her being straight as an arrow. She was smart, witty, secretly sweet and kind, a super babe, and entirely devoted to her people. So maybe Raven had a bit of a crush. Okay, maybe she'd been low-key in love for ages. And there was no harm in that, really.
Even if she now had a picture fueling those feelings and sending her imagination into overdrive.
Sweet dreams, indeed.
"This is ridiculous." Anya mumbled to herself as she paced in the thankfully spacious changing room, eyes occasionally darting to the items she'd picked out for testing.
It was all absurd. There was no way she'd look remotely like a woman should in the garments, but there she was, in a boutique, with Raven's money. She had half a mind to give it back if she knew Raven wouldn't just march her back there and bar the door until she bought something.
She did think my first picture was alright...she even called me pretty, but that was probably one of those things girls tell each other all the time. Probably not a big deal at all. Anya mused as a frown curled at her lips. Right. It didn't mean anything. Of course.
In all honesty, Raven's response to her picture had been the highlight of her day. The others she'd sent it to had basically just tacked on an emoji, but Raven used words. Raven kept the compliments coming as they talked. That, if nothing else, gave her a bit of a boost.
Enough for the memory of it to compel her towards the first of the group she'd set aside to put it on, figuring she may as well get it over with.
However, as she finished putting on the first set of lingerie, she realized Raven hadn't sent her a picture yet. That was, after all, what was supposed to happen.
Anya wandered over to her phone and quickly sent off a text to her friend, wanting to make sure their 'frexting adventure' wouldn't be purely one-sided.
Anya
Raven, it's come to my attention that you haven't frexted me back. If I'm going to send you numerous images of myself in a state of undress, I would at least appreciate the opportunity to have the same opportunity you have to provide support. You did promise Luna.
Content enough with the message, Anya got back to trying on her selection, quickly breezing through set after set, even if some garments were a little more of a hassle than others. Satisfied enough, she ran through the math in her head and grabbed five of the six sets, running just slightly over the cost of the egregiously expensive gift card Raven had bestowed upon her. Anya didn't feel quite right not paying at least some of her own money, all things considered.
Besides, even if only Raven enjoyed them, maybe that would be enough. She'd felt nearly sexy yesterday, for the first time in her life. Even if it was a bit selfish, she wanted to feel that again.
Anya had just returned home from the shopping trip when her phone buzzed with a notification from Raven. Curious, she opened the new message.
In hindsight, Anya wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't something that sent such an intense sensation rippling through her chest to the point that she thought she might have been shot, her phone falling to the floor from the shock.
"Mercy...the gods are testing me, surely..." Anya mumbled to herself as she caught her breath and waited for the rush of body-rocking arousal to fade. Perhaps it was that she almost always saw Raven covered in some sort of grease, or wearing clothes that hid her figure. Maybe it was that Raven had always looked at her with these kind eyes, a characteristic that wasn't present in the photo. Maybe it was the impossibility of keeping her long and deeply-held feelings in check when faced with an image that radiated sex appeal and lust and yearning.
Whatever it was, Anya hesitated to pick the phone up from the ground, unsure how to handle it. She knew she could be good with words, but she was blunt to a fault, and with something like this, a friendly sext, Anya wasn't sure she'd be able to pull a platonic response off convincingly.
Still, she had to respond. Surely, Raven was waiting.
It took thirty seconds flat to get her phone back into her hands, and another minute to calm her breathing once Raven's picture came up enough to open a new reply.
"Facts...I can focus on facts...facts are safe." Anya mumbled to herself with closed eyes before putting her focus back on the phone.
Anya
Wonderful lighting in the ...
Anya shook her head in frustration, the complete lack of appropriate and relevant facts making her situation that much more difficult. She couldn't just praise Raven on her use of her DSLR camera and the lighting. It was supposed to be about body positivity, after all.
Anya
You look stunning, Raven. Clarke's robe suits you perfectly, and leaving it open to display your abs paints an attractive picture.
The absolute confusion of how to handle complimenting Raven was overwhelming, and before she knew what was happening, she'd added a fire emoji and sent it off.
It was mortifying. She'd never sent an emoji in her life. A smiley face maybe twice.
Raven's response was swift.
Raven Reyes
omg!!did u just use an emojii?!
Anya shook her head in annoyance with herself, but then a second message rolled in, stilling her entire body.
Raven Reyes
but srsly that's actually really sweet. I just winged it and wasn't sure how it'd go. didn't want to show my legs and all
Anya was blushing hard, but she couldn't just dismiss Raven's usual self-deprecation.
Anya
Your legs, plural, are wonderful. Maybe in the future of this experiment, you will showcase them?
It hardly took a minute for Raven's reply, Anya waiting with bated breath and more anxiety than was healthy.
Raven Reyes
maybe. but nuff of that, u have a haul to hit me up with!
Anya smiled at the typical dismissal, knowing she wouldn't let Raven off the hook so easily. Still, a promise was a promise, and Anya was a woman of her word. She'd get it out of her friend eventually.
She took hold of her bags and ventured off to her bedroom where her full length mirror awaited her, hoping she wasn't about to make a complete fool of herself.
"So, remind me again...why did you need my girlfriend's fancy robe?" Lexa asked, relaxing at her kitchen table after their morning workout.
For the past hour and a half of working out, physio, and a leg massage, Lexa had been relentless in probing about the robe. She'd sneak the question into casual discussions out of the blue, and each time, Raven didn't know how to answer.
She still didn't.
"That's between me and Clarke." Raven stated before biting into her waffle, savoring the glorious maple syrup, knowing it was about all the sugar she'd be getting anytime soon.
"Two days ago, Clarke told me you called in a favour, no questions asked." Lexa noted, cocking a questioning eyebrow, and okay, maybe she could be more forthcoming, but Clarke had promised to keep it between the two of them.
Which, well, put her in a tough spot. "It's not a big deal."
Lexa made some noise of disapproval, but Raven wasn't paying attention, her focus too fixed on the sound of her phone getting a new message. Quickly, she dug into her bag and pulled out her phone, navigating to her messages and smiling when she saw it was Anya.
Anya
Can you kill Niylah for me?
Raven laughed, knowing Anya had to be supremely annoyed to send that kind of text. She wondered what Anya's director friend did this time.
"Something you care to share with the class, Reyes?" Lexa asked with a wry, knowing grin, for whatever reason. It wasn't like she was giving the phone goddamn moon eyes or whatever.
"Anya's angry at Niylah." She said as she opened up a new reply.
Raven Reyes
lady cracking the whip today? thought you weren't on her production this time around
"What else is new? I swear Niylah finds a new way to aggravate my cousin every time they get together." Lexa added with a sagely nod as she finished off her second waffle.
Anya
She was short-staffed and they're a week from wrapping up, so she asked if I could come in and help. I've been here for twenty-six hours and I swear I'm super gross.
Raven cringed, realizing that was why she hadn't heard from Anya in a while. Not that she was tremendously worried, but it wasn't normal for her friend to go all radio silence for more than six to twelve hours at a time.
"Niylah roped her into volunteering and I guess she's been a slave-driver, because Anya's been there for over a day." Raven relayed, drawing a low whistle from Lexa.
"That'd do it. Anya's too loyal and polite to quit and leave early, but it doesn't mean she doesn't hate being there." Lexa stated before taking a sip of her drink. "She need help getting away?"
Raven shrugged and opened up a new reply.
Raven Reyes
please i bet you're fresh and fine as always. but if you want, Lexa and I can give u an evac?
Anya
I can manage a few more hours. And you can say that since you're not around to smell me. I reek.
Raven Reyes
you stil smelled like lilacs after we ran that marathon freshman year. pretty sure you just smell as good as you look
Anya
Raven, I appreciate the kind words, but I was under the impression that those were for when I sent selfies
Raven Reyes
if that's what u wanna do don't let me stop u. you're my friend I don't need an excuse but I bet you still look great after a hard days work
"Raven, you need to stop staring at your phone like that, or I might start asking some pointed questions about your intentions with my cousin." Lexa said, breaking Raven's focus away from her phone, only to realize Lexa was staring at her like the woman could see into her skull and pick apart everything inside of it.
Not many people in the world intimidated her. Lexa happened to be one of the few.
"It's nothing, you know Anya's basically my best friend." Raven shot back as she slumped against her chair. "If anyone, blame Luna!"
That, at least, had Lexa rearing back a bit, even as those green eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What does Luna have to do with anything?" Lexa asked, a bit of an edge seeping into her voice. Raven knew the two weren't exactly fans of each other, and that mutual distaste always managed to make itself heard whenever the two spoke of each other.
"She's been pressuring us to do all this weird ass crap for weeks, and her newest thing was so fucking obnoxious, and she wouldn't leave us alone, so we gave in, and we laugh about it with each other. That's it." Raven said, offering up a bit of a white lie, but hopefully one Lexa would buy into.
"What's she on about this time?" Her friend asked with a roll of her eyes, a bit of an uncharacteristic display for her.
"It's called 'frexting'." Raven answered, letting out a sigh when lexa just looked at her with confusion. "You basically send each other revealing pics or near-nudes and shit, and other girls compliment you. Like I said, it's dumb, and we're humoring her for this week before we cut the cord, otherwise she'd probably hound us about it relentlessly."
Lexa let out a low chuckle, mirth shining in her eyes as she shook her head. "That...sounds like the gayest thing ever."
Raven nodded, about to agree when her phone gave an alert of a new message. Raven quickly opened it and if not for Lexa's very sturdy chair's armrests, Raven was pretty sure she would have fallen to the floor again and made a spectacle of herself because damn.
"How is that even fair? Who gave you the right?" She heard herself murmuring before she managed to cut off the stream of words from her brain to her mouth, not wanting to cast any more suspicion on herself.
Still, she could not force her eyes away from the picture of Anya reflected in a mirror, standing underneath a red exit sign, wearing nothing but the white lacy lingerie set she'd bought three days ago. Well, that and a pair of goddamn angel wings which, combined with her tousled hair, made for a very alluring image.
"I take it she just sent you one." Lexa spoke, having gotten up from her seat, slowly rounding the table towards her. Raven just managed to pull her phone against her chest to hide the evidence, but she knew by the look in Lexa's eyes that the truth was out. "Anya's been clear enough to me about being straight, but you...Raven, I never believed that about you."
"Lexa..." Raven managed to choke out with as much warning as she could muster, which wasn't really much, given the circumstances, with half her brain still deeply stuck on her friend's newest picture.
"All I'm saying is that I won't tell anyone. That's your call, no matter what your sexuality is. I know about your family...hypothetically, if anything happened, you know you could always live with us. We have room, and we'd be happy for the company." Lexa said slowly and with her signature calm, resting a hand on Raven's shoulder that dissipated her tension immediately. "I don't need to see a photo of my cousin nearly naked, thank you. I just want you to be careful. There's a difference between a straight girl doing something like this, and a girl who isn't straight. Just saying."
Raven let out a heavy exhale and nodded. Much like Anya, Lexa's word was golden; if the woman said she'd do something, or offer something, then that's how it'd be. It at least gave Raven an option if she did get outed in the near future, even if she wasn't big on the thought of burdening Lexa and Clarke for the next five months. "You won't tell anyone I'm bi?"
Lexa shook her head and smiled. "Not even Clarke. Though I know she'd be thrilled to hear it."
Raven let her hand fall to her lap, knowing she had to respond soon enough, but that she also had to address Lexa. "Like I said, this frexting shit...it's just for a week, and we're halfway through. Once it's done, it's done, and I'm not going to do anything that could jeopardize anything. Promise. I love her, but...I know it'll never happen, and I'm okay with it."
Lexa nodded, rubbed her shoulder, and then made her way back to her chair. "Good to hear. But I suppose you should respond to Anya. She never was very patient."
Raven was aware of that much, grinning as she pulled her phone back up again and quickly tapped out a reply. There truly weren't any words to describe the photo, but she'd try.
Raven Reyes
angelic. absolutely angelic
It took maybe thirty seconds for Anya to respond, leaving Raven wondering if the woman had been sitting around waiting for a response.
Anya
Very funny... A play on words, Reyes?
Raven's brow furrowed as a ripple of guilt rushed through her, not having wanted to annoy or hurt the woman she'd been low-key in love with for years now.
Raven Reyes
no, seriously. like you could remove the wings and i'd still say it. you look incredible. angelic.
Maybe it was a little too candid and heartfelt, but the last thing she wanted was for Anya to doubt herself because she chose the wrong words, or from a miscommunication.
Anya
Oh
Raven stared at the single word, unsure exactly what it meant, or how to take it. Was Anya still uncertain? Was she weirded out? Had Raven given herself away with how transparent her message had been?
Thankfully, another response came not long after, calming her paranoia.
Anya
Thank you. You make me almost believe it. But I hear Niylah calling for me, so I have to go. I'll call you later. I expect another frext from you to start evening the tally, Raven
Raven nodded to herself slowly, trying to decipher if Anya was sad or hopeful, or whatever other possibilities there could be, but at least she knew her friend would call later.
Even if Anya also expected another photo. Which, well, wasn't unwarranted, given Anya had shared a good many pictures with her, while Raven had only provided one in return. Fair was fair.
"So, uh, Lexa...I was wondering if I could borrow something?" Raven started off, unsure how willing her friend would be after her little spiel a minute or two ago.
"If you're going to ask me to borrow some lingerie, I'm going to have to give you a hard no on that." Lexa stated before taking a long sip from her orange juice.
Raven bit her lip, knowing what she'd ask for would remind Lexa of how extra she'd been when trying to work her slow seduction on Clarke a few years back.
"No, no, I was thinking...do you still have that body glitter?"
Lexa's glare had her thinking she'd maybe made a mistake, but then her friend up and left the room. As minutes passed by, Raven grew a little more concerned about how it'd all play out, if Lexa would be too embarrassed to speak to her, or if Lexa maybe treasured the stuff, since according to Clarke, it had made Lexa's breasts 'mesmerizing' the night her friend used it.
About ten minutes later, Lexa marched into the kitchen and halfway slammed the container down in front of Raven. "You never got this from me. We never had this conversation. But this will find its way back to me by the end of the week. Preferably mailed back in a box, for privacy reasons."
Raven just grinned at her luck, happy to know Lexa would go the extra mile for her. "Deal."
Anya woke to a dark room, unsure what time it was, but entirely certain she was well rested. Niylah had gotten her to put in four more hours at the set before heading home, where she'd collapsed onto her bed after taking the briefest of showers and hygiene rituals.
All she knew was that she didn't have any work until the following week, so it didn't matter if she got out of bed. With how comfy she was, there was no chance in her leaving any time soon. If only she could telekinetically move her blackout curtains to see what time of day it was.
"If it's not too late or early, maybe Clarke or Raven will bring me food." Anya murmured to herself as she reached for her nightstand and found her phone. Just the mere motion of picking it up had the time displayed: ten twenty-three.
It also showed that she had a few new messages.
"Luna, Luna, Niylah, Luna again, Caris, Fox, Luna...and three from Raven." Anya noted aloud, quickly responding to Luna's messages and frexts. It was easy enough to do on autopilot after a few days of the nonsense. Niylah had thanked her for helping, and put in a good word with her producer, which was nice. Caris and Fox had sent frexts as well, which she dispatched with quickly.
Leaving Raven's trio.
To be honest, her little photo earlier in the day had been entirely impromptu, and only possible because Niylah had basically abducted her right after a selfie the previous day, and she hadn't had time to change out of her lingerie.
Still, Raven's reaction, after clarification, had made her chest feel all warm, and had her feeling oddly giddy for the next hour. Not that she let it show, but still, she felt it. She'd felt pretty. Of course, it wasn't as good as winning an Oscar or Emmy, but it was a big moment, and she'd been taken aback when the sensation had first washed over her.
Now, resting in bed, it was easier to process, and Anya knew full well that she wanted more. Perhaps the whole frexting debacle was still utterly nonsense, but it got her in touch with Raven on another level, and it had her feeling a lot safer with her friend, and a lot more secure with herself and her feelings.
Raven was a beautiful woman. If she saw beauty in her, then maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world had been wrong. Maybe the rest of the world could go fuck itself.
Anya opened Raven's messages, a smile blooming on her lips as she read the first.
Raven Reyes
hey just hoping you got back home alright. sleep tight earth angel ;)
Anya let out an airy sigh, head flopping down onto her pillow, that warmth blooming in her chest again.
Angel.
Raven had called her angelic twice, and then doubled down on it again. And now left her a text hoping she slept well, and calling her a pet name. Maybe her face was red from blushing. Maybe her heart was pounding with a yearning she couldn't fully express. Maybe she just really wanted Raven near, even if she wouldn't be able to do anything except be near her.
Maybe that made her a sap, or a romantic, but Anya couldn't care, not when it was so easy to pretend her love for Raven was returned.
She swiped down to see the next message, sent an hour ago.
Raven Reyes
so I know I'm behind on the frexting ratio, spent all day figuring out how to make it even. if a pictures worth a thousand words, what's a video?
Anya gulped hard as she stared at the inactive video clip, unsure what would await her. Whatever it is, Raven spent all day thinking about it, so she had to watch it. For whatever reason this felt like a point of no return, but Anya dismissed that and played the video.
Immediately, she heard some familiar poppy dance song playing in the background, muffled by the distance and the constraints of her friend's phone. Raven was bopping her head along to it, her head filling up the screen as she mouthed the lyrics, her free hand rising to muss up and run through her hair.
She could see the precise moment Raven felt foolish, her friend quickly shifting into a goofy faux-seductive bit of acting, tongue tracing her lips and eyebrows waggling, and then suddenly, the picture went blurry, Raven having flopped backwards onto her bed.
Slowly, her friend's arm holding the phone extended, and extended, and Anya felt her lungs constrict and her heart leap up into her chest as Raven's very naked and mesmerizingly sparkly breasts came into view.
"Tell me...you like what you see?" Raven asked, head cocking to the side coyly as her free arm pushed her breasts closer for a moment before returning to her side, the gentle motion of the woman's tantalizingly full breasts capturing all of Anya's attention.
Raven's renewed laughter snapped Anya out of her daze, and a half second later, the video finished, Raven staring into the camera with dark eyes and full lips and hair splayed around her head like a dark halo.
"Mother of god..." Anya muttered as she replayed the video, eyes glued to her phone, taking in each and every detail, again, and again, and again.
Somewhere in either the sixth or seventh replay, she realized with a jolt that her free hand was slipped under her panties, fingers stroking up and down her folds, thumb gently rolling against her clit.
"Oh fuck, what am I doing?" Anya let out, but all her words left in a whimper as her hips bucked, eyes still focused on Raven and her fucking magical glitter-tits. It didn't help that whatever Raven had been doing before filming, it was clear she'd worked up a sweat, Anya's body working overtime to match it.
Another swipe of her clit had Raven's name spilling out breathlessly, and suddenly she was in new territory. Sure, she'd masturbated before, but it had never felt like this. It'd never felt so goddamn good, and she'd never felt so goddamn beautiful.
Maybe it was the newfound bit of positive self image she's scraped together, but she needed to remember. A few flicks of her thumb and a few seconds later, and her phone was recording.
Her duvet still mostly covered her hips and lower, but everything else was exposed, and maybe she was happy, for once, to be so visible. Maybe Raven's voice filled her head, saying she liked what she saw, calling her angelic and pretty, urging her feverish body closer to the edge, phantom sensations of her friend's hands caressing her cheek, grazing against the underside of her breasts, rolling at her nipples.
"R...Raven, fuck!" Anya cried out as her body writhed into the touch, both real and imagined, pressure building and building. Hell, it'd been building for years, but it used to be manageable, it used to be something she could contain. Now, she couldn't even begin to fathom where it began or ended.
"Mmmn, you look incredible. Angelic." She could practically hear Raven whisper, soft lips brushing at her ear, two fingers slipping inside of her. "My earth angel..."
"Please...I need...I..." Anya choked out as her body's movements grew more erratic, trying to match the inconsistent pace of the fingers inside of her.
Raven would laugh. Of course she would, and Anya could hear it filling her room. "If that's what you wanna do, don't let me stop you." Raven teased, fingers stilling inside of her, thumb hovering a half inch over her clit so that she had to work her tired hips for any kind of friction.
"I...Raven, I need you..." The words came out of her in gasps, a traitorous moan following just as another finger slipped in, giving her barely a moment to catch her breath before each digit began pumping relentlessly.
She felt lips pepper down her neck, a thumb tweaking and rolling her nipple, a palm providing the last bit of delicious friction as she felt herself come undone. "Raven!" She cried out, feeling an arm wrap around her, a nose pressing into her neck with hot puffs of air wafting against her collarbone, keeping her steady, stable, and safe as she plummeted over the edge.
As wave after wave of blissful pleasure rolled through her and faded into the æther, she could feel that presence of Raven's fade, until it was just her, half naked and sweaty on her bed, feeling as lonely and desperate as ever. Raven was never there. Raven would never be there.
"Damn it." Anya grit out, trying to contain the storm building inside of her, trying to hold back the tide of emotions behind her hardening features. It was all for naught as unbidden tears broke past her internal levees and streamed off down past her temples, casting her ceiling in a tearful blur. "Fucking fuck!" She blurted out in anger, only for her vitriol to be consumed by her grief as a sob overtook her, the last of her slurs cracking at the edge of her throat and splintering out into the hollows of her room.
Anya shook her head so hard it made her dizzy as she flung herself out of bed and to her feet. I'm not going to whine and moan, I'm not that pathetic! I just...I need to get it together! She mused to herself as she wiped at the ever-flowing tears, trying and failing to keep all her pain from making itself heard.
She was halfway to the door when her phone actually rang. At almost eleven at night.
Anya couldn't say why she thought it was a good idea to rush across the room and answer in her current state, but that's exactly where her body carried her to, answering the call before she could truly register it.
"H...hello?" She answered, cursing voice for how thick it was with emotion, how it'd cracked open before she'd even began.
There was a moment of hesitation on the other end, the faint ambient noise cluing her in that her caller was outside. "Anya?"
As much as she hated the exaggerated ways people often described visceral reactions, Anya felt her heart sink deeper and lower into herself at the sound of the clear and immediate concern in Raven's voice.
She covered the mic and took a heavy breath to try and stabilize herself, but it only led to another traitorous sob spilling out. It took all her will to steady her breathing and voice enough for a response. "Is everything okay?"
Raven's harsh, sharp laugh let her know her friend was not at all amused. "I'm not the one who sounds like they're crying."
Anya bit back a curse, fingernails cutting into her palms as she plopped down onto her bed, legs still a little shaky from earlier. "What do you want, Raven?" She asked, perhaps a little testily and with a bit more bite than was appropriate, but Anya was allowed to be mad. At Raven, no, but her anger was justified.
"Well, I was thinking about grabbing some Chinese and seeing if you wanted to come with, but fuck that, I'm on my way." Raven asserted with a huff, and Anya could hear the woman's pace hasten.
"Raven..."
"No, okay? No. You asked what I wanted? Now it's to be there with you. Unlock your door, I'll be over in ten." Raven let out firmly before ending the call, leaving Anya with panic bubbling inside of her.
Thankfully, while she couldn't always tamp down on her emotions, she could compartmentalize well, so as she wept and shook from the week's built up emotions, she stripped the bed and tossed a quick load of laundry in. Two minutes in, she went to the door and unlocked it, knowing Raven would only be angry if she had to dig in her bag for her key. Three minutes in, she stripped and tossed her garments in the laundry, grabbing a fresh set of lounging clothes before heading in to shower.
She didn't have to time it to know Raven was just about on the money about arriving around the ten minute mark, but Anya didn't rush her shower as she heard her door open and slam shut. She kept herself under the cold spray while she calmed herself and listened to Raven tromping through her home in search of her, those footsteps eventually falling silent outside of the bathroom door.
Still, she knew Raven was worried, and she didn't want her baggage to hurt her best friend. Hoping she'd been under long enough, Anya cut off the stream and toweled herself off, quickly throwing on a pair of yoga pants and an oversized tee.
When she opened the door, Raven was right there waiting, wide eyes scanning her for injuries before focusing on her face. The way Raven just completely softened did a number on her heart, and in a split second, her eyes were blurry again.
"Come on. Movie time." Raven murmured as she looped an arm around Anya's waist, her presence both stabilizing her and undoing all the hasty repairs she'd made to her defenses, her body back to its infuriating trembling by the time they made it to her living room couch.
Raven settled Anya into the corner, up against the arm rest, and curled up against her, running a comforting hand through her damp locks. "Whatever's got you messed up, it'll be alright. I mean, I'm a genius, and you're no slouch, so we can figure it out together, okay?" Her friend noted as she turned on the TV and put on Netflix, choosing one of the movies in her shortlist.
Anya nodded, even if she knew that there wasn't anything so simple to fix or figure out. She just let Raven wrap her up and tried to enjoy the closeness, tried to let it calm her, hoping that in time, she'd be back to normal and could figure out some sort of excuse for it all.
As seconds passed into minutes, and her heart settled, and the shrapnel in her throat receded, she let herself sink into her best friend's arms, letting Raven's steady heartbeat soothe her.
Raven paced in Anya's kitchen, feeling like her head was going to erupt at any minute with how hard she was working it. Ever since Anya had fallen back asleep ten to fifteen minutes earlier, she'd been combing over every detail in her memory, not just since she'd arrived, but of the entire day itself.
It'd been so long since she'd heard or seen Anya upset, but she'd never experienced a distraught Anya. And yet, as soon as Anya had answered her phone call, she knew. It was almost as if she could hear the pieces of Anya's heart falling away in the space of a single word. She honestly couldn't remember what she'd been planning, or hoping to do before then, because all she'd known was that she had to get to Anya.
The moment her friend had opened that bathroom door, and she'd seen Anya's face hard as stone, with red, puffy eyes betraying the mask of stoicism, she'd known something happened. Whatever it was, Anya wasn't talking, but that didn't mean she couldn't figure it out.
She was Raven Reyes. She could do anything.
Still, a little help wouldn't hurt. Raven pulled out her phone and selected Clarke from her speed-dial. It only took a ring and a half.
"Y'ello?" Clarke's tired voice answered a light shush following that was likely aimed at Lexa.
"Hey, sorry if I woke you but I'm dealing with a situation and I could use another brain." Raven said, words spilling out quickly as she grabbed hold of Anya's kitchen counter and anchored herself in place.
"Yeah, of course, gimme a sec." Clarke mumbled, the shuffling of bed sheets reaching Raven's ears, followed by the blonde's barefoot pitter-patter. A faint click and a light sigh later, Clarke spoke again. "Okay, I'm clear. What's up?"
Raven took a deep breath and slowly exhaled through her nose until she was calm. "Anya might have had a bit of a breakdown."
"What? Is she okay?" Clarke asked with alarm, the sound of her footsteps quickening. "Where are you?"
"I'm at her place. I...look, I'm just really confused, and I have zero answers, and she's sleeping. Like, I feel a little too unhinged to manage this on my own, because she's...she's Anya, you know?" Raven rambled, shaking her head at how indecipherable she was being. "She finished a thirty hour marathon at Niylah's set today, and I can only imagine she collapsed into sleep when she got back, but...I don't know. I know she didn't sleep at all when she was there, I could see it on her face. Can that, like, mess a person up?"
"I mean, it's certainly possible. Can you tell me what happened with her? What kind of breakdown are we talking about, can you describe it?" Clarke asked, sending Raven's mind in all sorts of directions.
Anya in her arms on the couch, crying into her neck. Anya trembling as they made their way to the living room. Anya looking like she'd been crying well before Raven had arrived, and tried to hide it in a cold shower, with how cool her friend's body had been. Those usually warm brown eyes so dull and red and defeated.
"I called her for something earlier, like...around eleven? And she answered, and it was like I'd caught her in the middle of, like..." Raven started, only to clamp down, unsure how much to share. Still, a glance out the door to the living room, spotting that dirty blonde hair peeking out over the armrest, had the words flowing freely, knowing Anya and Clarke were really close. Surely Anya wouldn't mind too much. "She was really worked up and crying, Clarke. She sounded heartbroken."
"What? Are you...that's it, I'm coming over." Clarke stated, and Raven could hear the blonde rushing around the kitchen, pulling open drawers, probably penning a note to Lexa. "What happened when you got there?"
Raven let out a sigh. "She was in the shower. A cold one. I think she was trying to hide that she'd been crying, but like, all I had to do was look her in the eye for her to completely fall apart. Like...all I want is for her to be alright, you know? And I'm really freaked out, I've never seen her like this."
"I mean...it had to be something, right? It's not a death in the family, or Lexa'd know. But it's something. Look, why don't you check around, I'll get a hold of Niylah, and you just make sure the door's unlocked. I'll bring food, since you were probably doing your usual late night food thing with her." Clarke noted quickly, and okay, yeah, that was definitely what she'd been phoning Anya about. Hell, it was like Clarke opened the floodgates by how hungry she suddenly felt.
"Sounds good. See you soon, Clarke." Raven added before ending the call, newly determined to do her best sleuthing. She just hoped it was something she could fix.
Carefully as she could, Raven returned to the living room to scan Anya again for any injuries, just in case she'd been wrong. It took a few minutes of careful maneuvering, but the woman was a deep sleeper, so there wasn't much risk of waking her.
"Not even a bruise...weird..." Raven mumbled, heading off down the hall to the bedroom, figuring that would be the next most likely place to check.
The room was as dark as she'd found it when she arrived, but she hadn't been in the mindset to care about anything but Anya's wellbeing then. Now, as she flicked on the light and cast her gaze around the space, she could tell something was up. One, her fancy lingerie was unceremoniously strewn across the floor. Two, the bed was entirely stripped down to the mattress, which was weird, since she was certain Anya had been there recently, and doing laundry wasn't usually a major priority during an emotional breakdown. Third, Anya's phone was on the floor, which was not something that happened. The woman was always so insistent on setting her phone down in familiar spaces or spaces that were safe and easily accessible.
The nightstand a foot away would have been reasonable. The floor by the nightstand, not so much.
Raven made her way over to the bed and planted herself down onto the mattress, picking the phone up from the floor. Anya's lock screen came up, drawing a sigh, knowing the woman changed her password twice a week. No way she'd bust in if she tried, not that she would; Anya deserved her privacy.
Just happy it wasn't damaged, she placed it onto the nightstand and took a deep breath, wishing she could snap her fingers and have the answers. She was mid-exhale when something stuck out in her head. It took a few lingering moments to pin it down, a peculiar scent emerging from Anya's usual lilac-heavy signature. The longer she sat there, the easier it was to single out, recognizing sweat and something else.
Sweat, she understood, Anya had finished a marathon shift with Niylah. "But...she always showers. She was begging for one mid-shift when she texted me. No way she came home and didn't shower." Raven mused openly, suddenly confused about the scent, when it was so freaking hard for Anya to smell anything less than pristine. "Maybe she worked out? No, no...she goes to the gym to work out, not..."
Like a flash, another possibility hit her, and Raven felt like she'd been run over by a bus.
It certainly made sense. The stripped bed, the scent of sweat and, now that she had her revelation, sex. The shower. The tears.
The phone still stuck out, though. No way would Anya let it fall to the floor when she could just put it somewhere safe. "Unless..."
One conclusion rose above all the others, its timeline fitting well enough for there to maybe not be a coincidence. Raven had never been much of a gambler, but she was willing to roll the dice on this one. She pulled out her phone and called Clarke, who answered almost immediately.
"Okay, so Niylah said our girl was all smiles when she left Anya's place, just ready to rest after their workout of a time together. Any luck over there?" Clarke asked, and while Raven was now almost entirely certain about what was wrong, she wasn't sure it was right to share it with Clarke before talking to Anya.
"I might have it figured out, but...I think right now, all she needs is to know we love her. And food." Raven answered, adding on that last bit to hide how much the little thread of possibility was starting to affect her, so utterly devastated that she hadn't known something so huge about her best friend. Her pride shattering in knowing she hadn't been chosen.
"Well, look at you talking about your emotions." Clarke noted with more relief than the amusement the blonde tried to stream in there. It always warmed her heart how deeply Clarke cared.
She scraped together whatever composure she could, swallowed her emotions, and focused. Anya was the one in need of aid, not her. "Not like I'm a robot or anything." Raven shot back with a manufactured grin as she got up off the bed.
"No, but you don't like talking about your feelings real often. For what it's worth, I think Anya will appreciate the support." Clarke stated before letting out a distracted hum. "Oh, hey, the food's almost ready, I'll be over soon."
"Sounds good. See you then." Raven added just before Clarke hung up, shaking her head at the blonde and her go-go-go attitude.
Despite not having a firm grasp on the why of it all, Raven had a good idea about what happened, and that was all she needed at the moment. Their friendship always came first. She carried herself over to Anya's dresser and changed into a pair of the woman's shorts and one of her old tees, leaving her clothes in the hamper for now.
Feeling a little more clear-headed, she made her way back to the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the couch. Carefully, she took hold of Anya's nearest arm, slung it down over her shoulder, and ran her hand down to knit with the woman's. Slowly, but steadily, she traced her free hand along their joined hands, brushing her thumb across Anya's knuckles over and over.
"Mmmh." The tired grunt Anya let out was a sign the woman was closer to consciousness than not, so Raven lifted their joined hands, pressing her lips to Anya's knuckles, making the hand in hers twitch. "Raven? Whuh?"
"Easy, angel, we're all good." Raven wasn't sure why those particular words slipped out, but the hardly concealed gasp provided her with more answers than she thought she'd have had before the end of the night. "Clarke's bringing food for us, I'm sure you're hungry."
"Clarke's coming?" Anya asked, voice thick with sleep, but not so much that she couldn't hear the waver there.
"Homegirl loves you and was worried." Raven answered as she turned her head to peer over her shoulder as her slightly disheveled friend. "Thought you could use some extra support for whatever's going on. Clarke's a lot better with words than I am, in case you wanted to talk, but...you know...you don't have to talk. And if you did, it doesn't have to be tonight if you're not up for that. We're with you no matter what."
Anya just stared blearily at her, those previously tense features softening by the second until the woman's lips curled into a grin. "You're right. Clarke is a lot better with words."
Raven laughed, unable to keep her relief contained over Anya bringing out her usual wit and snark. "Fuck off. You're not just a pretty face, you know what I meant with my, well, everything."
"Thank you for making my point for me, again." Anya noted with a laugh, a pretty blush adorning her cheeks. "So what's she bringing?"
"Chinese, I guess." Raven said as she got up from the floor and sat on the couch, cozying up against Anya. She was more than a little pleasantly surprised when her friend slung her arm over her shoulder, prompting Raven to join Anya's hand with her own again. It was comforting, resting up against Anya like that, and before she knew it, her head had dipped onto her friend's shoulder. "It's been such a long day."
Anya let out a quiet laugh as her head gently rested atop Raven's. "I wouldn't know. Slept through most of it."
"Niylah better have got on her knees and pledged allegiance to you for what you did for her. I hope you know a lot of people...hell, most people...wouldn't have done what you did. You're kind of incredible." Raven noted, doing her best to hide her bitterness. Maybe she was laying it on thick, but she really needed Anya to feel appreciated and noticed and wanted. She needed Anya to know that people do see her, and care for her.
"She gave me a five dollar gift certificate to Baskin Robbins." Anya stated with a level of amusement Raven would never have been able to grasp, because thirty hours of work and a bit of extra time alone for a shitty five dollar coupon that place gave away like candy? Holy fuck was Niylah a cheapskate and cruel. "But thank you, Raven. I...well..."
The front door opening put a halt to any conversation as Clarke rushed in with her arms full of take-out bags resting atop two pizza boxes. "So I got some Chinese, and then I remembered that you both like cold pizza, so I figured I'd pick something up for you to eat tomorrow, or maybe even today if you felt like it." The younger blonde blurted out, blindly kicking the door closed before marching over to the living room and putting the food on the coffee table."Meat lover's for you, Anya. And a pepperoni-pineapple for us, Raven."
"You're the patron saint of take-out, Clarke." Raven said with a grin as she gazed over the haul, even as she knew Anya would be grimacing at the thought of pineapple on pizza.
"I just wanted to treat my girls." Clarke added as she approached the couch and lightly waved her hands at Anya. "Now scooch, scooch, I want in."
Anya rolled her eyes, but moved away from the armrest enough for Clarke to squeeze in, letting Anya be sandwiched by her two friends. "Is this really necessary?" The woman groaned, as both Raven and Clarke wrapped her up in a hug.
"Sorry, we don't make the rules." Clarke said, laughing into Anya's shoulder when the women let out an annoyed huff.
"Yep, looks like you're stuck with us." Raven added, giving her and Anya's combined hands a sneaky little peck before detangling herself and leaning towards the table. "Now come on, let's eat!"
Anya wasn't sure she'd slept so much in her entire life, but there she was at quarter to seven in the morning, flat on her back in bed with Clarke curled up with her, letting out those tiny little snores that Lexa had repeatedly insisted were adorable.
Raven had left sometime after one-thirty, which was understandable, given her and Lexa's morning workout and rehab routine was rigid and mandatory. They'd eaten Clarke's take-out, and both friends had showered her with affection, and her mood returned to her usual baseline. So it made sense that Raven left.
Didn't change that Anya hadn't wanted her to, even if she hadn't put it to words.
Still, Clarke was as wonderful as always, and she truly did adore her friend. As much as she was sure she hadn't needed the sleep, Clarke had dragged them both to her bed not long after Raven left, and they'd settled in for the night. Clarke's body heat, as per usual, put her out for a good four and a quarter hours.
Raven's been with Lexa for nearly an hour by now...I wonder how she's doing? Anya mused to herself, pulling Clarke a little closer when the younger blonde let out a sleepy groan, likely beginning her slow shift into consciousness.
It didn't leave her with much time solo, especially since she had the feeling that Clarke wanted to talk. Anya strained her arm, but eventually reached her phone and took hold of it. Calmly and quetly as she could, she navigated through to her messages and, avoiding Raven's video, opened a reply, knowing she hadn't responded last night, and Raven would eventually figure out what was up.
Anya
Anyone with eyes would like what they saw, Raven ...
She hesitated, wanting to say that Raven was beautiful, but she couldn't be sure if it'd end up tipping her hand and changing everything. Emojis it is then... She decided with a sigh.
Anya
Anyone with eyes would like what they saw, Raven. :fire: :fire: By the way, make sure you keep a sample of Lexa's body glitter, it suits you.
Satisfied, or satisfied enough, Anya sent the message away and placed her phone back on her nightstand.
"Was that Raven?" Clarke voice startled her slightly, the woman's sleepy voice meeting her ears as Clarke shifted against her to get comfier.
"I was catching up on messages I'd missed from yesterday. Raven sent a few." Anya admitted, not wanting to get into details.
"Y'okay. Was it one of those...what did Lexa call it...'frexts'? I think that's what they were called." Clarke openly mused, making it clear that her friend knew much more about what was going on than she thought.
"One of them, yes." Anya answered, deciding to just leave it at that.
"You realize they're, like the weirdest thing ever, right?" Clarke asked groggily, letting out a loud yawn as she detached from Anya and sat up against the pillows, Anya following suit. She knew Clarke had her claws in, that there was little point in evading her now. "I get that Luna's the most obnoxious person in existence, but still...some real sapphic vibes with those things."
"I agree. It's why I only committed to a week. Then I'm done, and Luna likely won't bother me about it again." Anya admitted freely, earning a low hum from her bleary-eyed friend.
Clarke reached a hand down and knit her fingers with Anya's. A clear sign that something bigger was coming, a precursor to a bombshell. "Why were you crying last night, Anya?"
Honestly, she'd expecting a probing question, maybe even a prediction about the frexts, or subtle remarks about knowing her sexuality. Anya hadn't expected Clarke to just go for the gold like that.
"It's not important. It was silly. And I was overtired." She blurted out as an excuse, but even she knew it wasn't convincing.
Clarke took a deep breath and leaned against her, shoulder to shoulder. "I think I know what happened." Clarke claimed, a bit of a brazen move, but perhaps if her friend spelled it all out, maybe it'd be easier. She gave the younger blonde a nod and squeezed their joined hands. "See, Raven said you sounded heartbroken. And trust me, she knows heartbreak, she's heard it, so I know that much was true. But for as long as I've known you, you haven't dated anyone. You didn't lose any family members or friends last night, either. So I kept wondering...what could break your heart so badly that you'd break down like that?"
Anya felt her head duck, teeth sinking into her lip as memories of the previous night seeped into her mind past her periphery. It's nothing...it's nothing, I was just being silly...I was stupidly and irrationally in love, and...and I can't. I can't have that, so I don't anymore. It's dealt with. She mused to herself willing herself to believe it and chase those thoughts and feelings away.
"And then I remembered Lexa telling me about this ridiculous trend Luna roped two and Raven into. And it's so utterly sapphic, and Lexa mentioned Raven got some from you. And I don't know so much about her when it comes to selfies, but I know you, Anya. You've never felt comfortable showcasing your body, your beauty." Clarke continued, her words fueling the burn behind her eyes and the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks yet again. "Yet there you were, sending Raven a selfie in the middle of a thirty hour marathon shift, where you haven't slept or had a shower."
"Clarke, it's not..." Anya started, only for her words to fail her, unsure exactly what to argue against, what to say that would be remotely believable.
"She made you feel special. She's always made you feel special. You don't need to be nude to be naked and bared out, Anya...and you let yourself be vulnerable. And she made you feel special." Clarke asserted, and she could feel those cerulean eyes burning a hole in the side of her head. "She sent you messages last night. She sent you a picture of her own. And something changed how she made you feel. Did she...did Raven..."
Anya turned her head to face her friend, blinking away her fresh tears as best as she could, knowing exactly what words were on the tip of Clarke's tongue. "It's not her fault. It's not."
"Did she break your heart?" Clarke pushed, voice a little firmer, a little louder, even as her eyes grew softer and her free hand brushed away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"It's not her fault, she's not gay." Anya insisted, only to freeze at the insinuation she'd just made.
Immediately, Clarke's hand was wrested from hers, and both of the younger blonde's arms were around her. "It's okay to be gay, Anya. It's totally okay." Clarke spoke, running a hand through her hair. "You have to know, though, that none of this is your fault, either."
"She sent me things...and...what I did was unethical." Anya insisted, only for Clarke to lean back and give her a look that practically dared Anya to challenge her.
"Doesn't matter. I know you. You followed the script and sent compliments, even if you did stuff outside the script in private. Whatever. Before I was dating Lexa, do you think I didn't get off to pictures of her? That was like, my Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday night ritual." Clarke admitted extremely casually, only the faintest tint of pink tinting her cheeks, whereas Anya could feel her head ready to explode from how hard the second-hand mortification was hitting her. "Why don't you tell me everything...don't show me the pictures, they were meant for you, but...like, tell me what happened. Catch me up."
And so Anya did.
She started with the day Luna accosted them, through her first little photo shoot, to the lingerie haul and Raven's photo, to the shot at Niylah's set and Raven's pet names, through the rest of the week including the previous night's video. She skipped some minor details for Raven's sake, and left out her own home video of her orgasm, but it felt good to be able to talk to someone about it all, and Clarke was an absolute sponge.
By the time she finished her embarrassing tale of getting off to Raven's video, and connecting that to the eventual fallout that led Raven and Clarke to her place last night, Anya felt dehydrated and weary. It was exhausting, and had her feeling raw, but there were hints of relief, and so she clung to that.
"Okay, wow. So I've got a few plans in mind, and I'd like you to choose one of them, okay?" Clarke asked, drawing a nod as the younger blonde wiped one last tear-stained path from Anya's face. "One...I tell Luna to fuck off, and you stop frexting immediately, and never do it again. Two, business as usual until the end of the week, where you cut it off and never frext again. Fuck, I hate that word. Three..."
Anya waited for a third option, but Clarke just stared at her, taking a heavy sigh, looking entirely unsure.
"Three?" She asked, hopeful that there would be another option, knowing Clarke's crafty mind as well as she did.
"Three, you and I gather what we need from here, grab things from my place, I'll call in a favor or two, and we'll have a photo shoot that'll give Raven a really clear picture at what she's missing out on. Not a frext. Something new." Clarke stated, the entire concept of the third option terrifying her, but for whatever reason, Clarke seemed to have hope.
"Raven's straight, though." Anya noted quietly, almost as if the louder she spoke it, the more truthful the words would be.
"Outside of when she was around her family, she's never said she was, and has never said she wasn't. I think that's a risk worth taking. Worst case, you end up with some nice sexy photos to share with a future partner down the line." Clarke answered with a playful shrug, and perhaps she could see some logic in there, but it was still a bit of a reach.
However, a reach was still better than the 'never' she'd believed in last night.
Maybe it'd be worth the risk.
Raven had just gotten home from work, face down on her bed after a night of sleep deprivation and an exhaustingly physical day. She knew that she was making progress with Lexa, and she was proud of her work, but she swore that muscles she didn't even know she had were hurting. She needed a nice rest, and even though she was face down, she wasn't sure she had the energy to turn over.
It was the vibrating of her phone that had her curious, having caught Anya's message earlier about her video. The emojis had felt a little off, but aside from that, it'd had her all smiles for the entire morning, even with Anya knowing it was Lexa's body glitter. As much as yesterday was entirely deflating, she still had Anya's friendship. She could still show Anya her love.
She blindly reached around for her phone, unsure where she'd left it, an annoyed groan leaving her when she came up empty.
It took a few minutes to muster the necessary strength, but she rolled over onto her side, giving her enough of a sightline to find and grab her phone to see who messaged her.
"One from Lexa a half hour ago...huh...and...an email from Anya?" Raven mused out loud, a little confused at the turn of events. Anya preferred texting, but would occasionally call. Honestly, she didn't even know Anya had her email address. She certainly didn't have Anya's until now.
Deciding Lexa's message could wait for a moment, she went to her Gmail and opened Anya's.
Raven,
Yesterday, you saw me at my worst, but you and Clarke helped lift my spirits and reminded me that I have a lot of love in my life. Today, Clarke convinced me to try something a little different than the messages we've been sharing. Something better reflective of the parts of me only those closest to me know. She was there with me today, and I thought that you deserved to see me bare like this, given many of these shots were made with you in mind. If you care to let me know what you think, I would greatly appreciate it.
Yours,
Anya
Raven could feel her body vibrating with renewed energy. The whole thing was largely formal and distanced, just like Anya, but she could see the affection in the word choice, in the hint of vulnerability, in that final request. And she knew that 'yours' was a fairly standard sign-off, but from Anya, it felt like more.
That was dangerous for her to interpret it like that, especially given last night's events, but it didn't change the fact that her heart rate hastened when her eyes fixed on it.
Raven moved to sit up against her headboard and grabbed her laptop, deciding that whatever was waiting for her, a phone's screen would not do it justice.
It took a minute or so to boot up and get into her Gmail, but it was worth the wait when she saw the massive RAR file downloading. No way her phone would have handled it. All week, they'd been sending frexts back and forth but this seemed different, and more than just a little bit, as Anya had stated. This felt new.
Raven, gulping hard when the download was complete, was ready for new.
She extracted it to a new folder and immediately opened the first picture, not wanting to let her eyes wander and spoil the surprise. Another half second to make it a full screen slide show, and Raven could taste her anticipation, staring at a black image with white lettering spelling out Anya's name and today's date a little below it.
With another hard swallow, Raven hit the arrow key to move to the next picture and felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of Anya's head peeking through a doorway, a devious grin spread across her lips, eyes narrowed in amusement. It'd always been half the fun of pranking Linctavia, or Clarke and Lexa over the years, just seeing her all sly and giddy. She could be such a beautiful trickster.
She went to the next picture and Anya was retreating, caught looking over her shoulder mid spin, a long silky white dressing robe rippling with the motion. Those warm brown eyes dead set on the camera, eyebrow slightly cocked as if to dare her to follow.
Raven bit her lip almost hard enough for it to bleed. Oh, I definitely dare...she mused as she went to the next photo, and the next, watching Anya make her way through this ridiculous mansion of a home, watching the happiness bloom from the woman, watching the camerawork catch every motion of joy and every hint of mystery.
It was a photo that caught Anya stumbling slightly into a bedroom, all bright eyed and laughing as the knot of her robe caught on a doorhandle, that had Raven holding her breath. Cautiously, she flipped to the next, and Anya was mid-turn, hair flowing in the air and covering the sight of her face as her friend seemed to be rotating her way out of the garment. Unsure what to expect, Raven gulped, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and went to the next picture.
Raven felt herself choke; on what she wasn't sure, since she hadn't eaten in hours, but suddenly, she couldn't breathe, because Anya.
Anya was standing, one foot in front of the other, with her back turned to the camera, her head slightly turned enough for Raven to catch her profile. Maybe it was a standard sexy nude pose for a typical artsy photo set, but this was Anya. Her Anya.
Covered in decorations that had her heart feeling like it was turning to slush from how hard it was beating and melting at the same time. From the corset to the garters and stockings to the entire lack of panties, everything white and transparent and soft, Raven was feeling it. Deep in her core, she was feeling it, like she was frozen in a moment watching her bride undress.
Just the thought had Raven shutting her laptop so that she could catch a goddamn breath, because Anya was not playing fair. Hell, she was pretty sure Anya wasn't playing at all, which was even more confusing and exciting.
Whatever exhaustion she'd been feeling earlier, it was all gone, her body feeling like a livewire, arousal sparking and surging through every limb, every fiber of her being. In need of some sort of catalyst, she opened her computer up again and immediately flipped to the next image, a moan tearing its way out of her throat at the sight of Anya leaning up against the bedpost, one arm wrapped around it, the other stretched out. It was a pose she'd almost classify as beckoning until she registered that playful, devious look in Anya's eyes, and that small teasing little smirk. Definitely beckoning.
"Oh, fuck this." Raven let out, shutting her computer down and packing it and her phone up in her backpack before heading out the door en route to her car. It was late, but Anya's sleep schedule was fucked, so she was sure her friend was still awake. The courage roaring through her system, even if it was short-lived, was worth acting on.
Raven wasn't sure how fast she drove, but when she arrived at Anya's a mere six minutes later, she was pretty sure she'd beaten her previous fastest time by a solid two minutes.
It's go time...
She knew Raven had one of her rare full days today, so when a minute ticked by after she sent her email, she understood. When five passed by, she imagined Raven passed out on her bed from all the physical exertion of the day, and the utter lack of sleep from the night before. When ten minutes passed by, she set her phone side and tried to will herself to stop worrying.
It didn't work.
Her day had been a massive photo shoot; an incredibly enjoyable one, but a shoot nonetheless. Luckily, she'd had Clarke there to talk to her, goad her into a little experimenting, joke and tease with her to bring a smile to her face or a laugh bubbling out of her mouth. They'd celebrated with ice cream when they wrapped, and Clarke took some candids even then.
In short, it was a really nice day. Tiring, but fun, and uplifting. It was the first time outside of Raven's doing that she'd felt sexy and sensual, on top of actually feeling loved and worthy of all the effort Clarke and some of her friends had made for her. It was a strange sort of serene feeling in the afterglow of it all that had Anya wondering if that feeling was something people usually felt when surrounded by reassurances and sincere love and affection.
Whatever lessons she'd been told frexting would provide, a day with Clarke and some well orchestrated shenanigans did the trick just as well.
Still, hours later, alone in her home, it was hard not to worry that so much of the day's emotions wouldn't translate. That Raven wouldn't understand the visual journey she and Clarke had compiled to express all she'd felt across the past week.
Anya shook her head and went to the kitchen, needing a momentary distraction, and since she hadn't eaten in a while, some cold pizza would do the trick. She took two slices, tossed them on a plate and found herself heading to her couch before she could really process that she was in motion. Maybe it was the memory of the previous night with Raven curled up with her that had her plopping down exactly where she'd been nearly twenty hours ago.
Whatever it was, she dismissed it and focused on her delicious pizza, even if the stray hope of Raven coming over filtered in. Not just because of obvious reasons, but because there were two remaining pepperoni-pineapple slices remaining and she wanted them to stop defiling her refrigerator.
She'd just finished her slices when she heard her phone go off. Faster than she thought she was capable of, Anya darted off the couch and into her bedroom, quickly grabbing her phone and unlocking it, leaving her staring at her inbox, a notification of unread messages beside Raven's name.
Anya took a deep breath and, upon exhaling, opened the new message.
Raven Reyes
oh my god, angel! Marry Me!
The first thing that caught her eye was the fact that, for once in her life, Raven bothered to capitalize letters in her texts. The second thing her mind processed was that familiar, sweet pet name that reminded her of last night, Raven murmuring it to her as she woke.
But then the rest of the message clicked in, and Anya felt her heart sink. Same playful banter. Still not personalized to her. Still treating her effort like a frext.
With a sigh that could hardly expel the deep seated burn of resignation and heartbreak, Anya opened a new reply, blinking away her tears.
Anya
More plays on words, Raven? Do you have to play games all the time? I'm still awaiting a serious response.
She barely needed to wait thirty grueling and anxiety-inducing seconds for a response.
Raven Reyes
okay I get it I can't propose over text. and maybe that's a little fast so how about I take you out this sunday for dinner?
Anya stared at the message so intensely it felt like her eyes were about to burst a blood vessel, because she straight up did not understand. How Raven could go from making a joke about her wearing white to asking her out on a date was a stretch by any standard. Hell, Anya wasn't even sure it was entirely sincere. Raven always loved teasing her, and this seemed par for the course.
Anya
Are you seriously doing this over text message?
Almost immediately, her phone was ringing, Raven's name emblazoned as the screen lit up. Anya answered on the second ring, even if it brought about a spike in anxiety, always having loathed talking on the phone.
"Raven..." She warned, using all the willpower she could muster to remain as calm and unemotional about it all, because the moment she let her defenses crack, Anya was pretty sure she'd collapse into tears for fear of it being a joke.
"So I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner on Sunday? Maybe I pick you up at six?" Raven asked, as if they'd been mid-conversation, and while Anya loved how playfully infuriating her best friend could be, she really needed Raven to be serious for once.
She needed this to be real, not a game, not a way for her to be played with.
"Raven, you know I hate phone calls. Are you serious right now?" She more or less demanded, only to gasp when the call suddenly ended. Anya made no effort to contain the growl that reverberated through her chest and up past her throat.
A knock at her door only made things worse, recalling her neighbour in 3F wanting to sit her down for a survey some day or another. Anya swung the door open and froze at the sight of Raven Reyes, looking utterly exhausted but entirely jubilant.
Against her better judgment, she found herself grabbing Raven and shoving her up against the nearest wall. "Oh my god, I hate you so much right now. What the hell?!" Anya raged, her heart cracking at the thought of Raven approaching her like she was a game to be played, wondering if any of it was real.
"That's a problem, because I'm really in love with you and all." Raven blurted out, only to go completely red and clamp up. "Shit. Fuck. Cart before the horse, what the hell, Raven, get it together..."
While Raven talking to herself was always a little endearing, that all remained background noise as six words bounced around in her skull, faster and faster to match her heart rate.
"You what?" Anya asked, words escaping in a breath and barely audible, all the energy in her body already reserved to the process of keeping her awake and upright at the revelation.
Anya felt Raven's arms hesitantly wrap around her waist, keeping them securely within a breath of each other. "I so wanted to be more romantic, but I'm so tired, and I couldn't keep it in. I love you." Raven let out at a feverish pace, only slowing slightly as she made her confession again, following it with a deep steadying breath that seemed to do the trick as Anya's eyes focused intently on her friend's face. She saw nothing but sincerity and relief. "I've loved you for years, Anya."
Before she melted into a person-shaped puddle of adoration and happy tears, Anya reached down and lifted Raven up by her thighs, quickly carrying her past her kitchen, down the hall, and into her room, letting Raven down halfway gently onto the bed.
Raven immediately laughed, but it wasn't her usual laugh. She could hear the sheer nervousness ripple through them. "Shit, you uh, so is that a no on the date?"
"You're tired and we needed a place to talk where you can lie down." Anya stated firmly, head still buzzing from Raven's confession, but still entirely befuddled by how the woman went about it.
"I could have made the trip. You didn't have to carry me." Raven asserted, sounding a little affronted by her actions, which only Had Anya stiffly plopping down on the side of the bed.
"You didn't have to play games with me. You could have just told me." Anya shot back, wiping away the quickly building tears brimming at her eyes.
"I was kind of completely off balance and scared." Raven argued, the shreds of hurt in her voice forcing Anya's head to turn and face her.
"And I wasn't? Did you not see me last night? And then for you to treat it all like it was the same as a...a frext, or a joke, and...fuck, Raven. I love you so much, but you need to take me seriously. I'm not a joke!" Anya ranted, words just flowing out of her without any effort to form a coherent argument, but as she spoke, she could see sheer panic erupt in Raven's eyes as her features softened.
Raven sat up just enough to pull Anya down with her, Anya rolling with the motion until she was face to face with Raven, watching her eyes fill with tears and spill over.
"I...Anya, I didn't mean to...you're not a joke. You're never a joke. You're a goddamned angel, and I'd fight the world if you asked me to, I just...sometimes I need to work on expressing myself. I'm not good with words, and I default to comedy, and I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have." Raven rambled, voice so thick with emotion that Anya had to strain to understand what she was saying. "I was just really scared you'd say no if I asked you out."
Anya gaped, accepting that Raven's fear was justified, but not understanding why she felt it. "Raven, I thought you figured out why last night happened. Are you saying you asked me out while thinking I was straight?"
Raven's brow furrowed as she blinked away tears, careful dark eyes watching her with clear caution. "Uh...I figured you were bi, but you might not be into me. I decided to roll the dice. And...I thought last night was you being heartbroken about Niylah."
Anya recoiled instinctively, face scrunching at the thought of her and Niylah of all people. "How the hell did you come to that conclusion?"
Despite the baffling idea, Raven didn't even look sheepish. "Your room smelled like sweat and sex. Your lingerie was all over the floor, and your phone was on the ground. Niylah said she stuck around a little while here before heading out." Raven explained slowly, telling Anya the pieces to a supposed puzzle, but not explaining how they fit together. "I figured...you always go way more than the extra mile for her. And she's sort of pretty, but flaky in terms of rep, and I thought...I thought maybe you two went at it, maybe you were a thing, but she either broke it off or said it'd be a casual one night thing after seducing you, or something to break your heart. There needed to be something to explain how fucking sad you were last night, you know?"
"Well it wasn't that, you idiot!" Anya blurted out grabbing a nearby pillow and smacking Raven's face with it.
"Hey! I'm at least a genius idiot!" Raven argued, jaw jutting off to the side a little in trademark annoyance.
"Well apparently you had to craft some elaborate tale of secret romance and seduction, instead of looking at what was right in front of you." Anya let out with an annoyed huff, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. Against her better judgment, she opened up her home video, promptly sticking it in Raven's face as she played it.
Anya tried to keep hold of her determination and frustration as the sound of her arousal and self-pleasure reached her ears, but it was difficult, even with closed eyes. At the first cry of Raven's name, she felt herself blush, but she just tried to focus on Raven's absurd fairy tale of her and Niylah inexplicably being an item.
Anya focused as hard on Raven's absurdity, doing her best to ignore the sounds surrounding her, unsure if the gasps were from the recording or from Raven, only drawing Anya from her focus when the loud cries and sounds of pleasure quickly faded off, making Raven's "Holy fuck" that much clearer.
It was that flick of a switch, the shift from her content humming to scared and heartbroken whimpers in the recording that immediately had Anya regretting playing the video, knowing she'd stepped way over the line and potentially thrown everything away, but when she went to return the device to her table and shut down the video, Raven held her arm in place.
That action, at least, had Anya opening her eyes again, expecting to see disgust or distrust on Raven's face. Except, she didn't even see Raven's face at all, the woman already rushing forward to pull her into a hug, that pretty face burying itself in her neck.
"I...I don't understand." Raven choked out rather predictably.
"See? Idiot." Anya huffed, earning a tight squeeze from her friend.
"'kay, if I have to cut my jokes out with you, you need to cut the anger out with me, because I'm so confused, angel." Raven asked, and maybe she had a point. And maybe the pet name melted away any and all remaining defenses.
Anya took a shuddering breath and wrapped her arms tighter around Raven. "I watched your video. Before I knew it, my imagination ran wild, and...and if I didn't think too hard, it felt like you were here with me. And I could feel you touch me, and hear you talk to me, and...when it was over, you were gone. You were never here. And as far as I knew, you never would be, and then you called in the middle of that realization, and...you know the rest."
"You're saying...I did that?" Raven asked sounding halfway horrified and halfway in awe.
"It's not your fault. It's no one's, it just...whatever, I was scared." Anya mumbled, burying her face in Raven's shoulder.
"You were heartbroken, baby. But I love you. You love me. So what are we gonna do about it?" Raven asked as she pulled away, enough to stay close, but far enough to look her in the eyes. And maybe it was her this time to wipe away some of Raven's tears.
"I suppose we can have that date." Anya noted softly, allowing herself to hope after hearing Raven reaffirm her love. At her doorway, it almost didn't seem real, but there in her bed she believed it. And she felt lucky there were lying down, because her legs would not be able to support her after that.
"You suppose? You suppose?!" Raven asked with a giddy laugh. "What, like you supposed you'd record your getting off as some eventual ultimate frext, expecting good ol' hetero gal pal Raven would shoot you back a 'You go chase that O, girl! Hashtag cumming up roses'? You suppose?"
Anya gave Raven a shove, not quite appreciating her making light of the intimate video. "You're just saying this because it gave you an ego boost."
"Uh, duh. I got you off without touching you. I'm pretty much incredible." Raven teased, before pulling a slightly less willing Anya back into an embrace. "I'm kidding, though. Truth is, I'd do anything to have been there last night with you. To keep you from falling apart. To keep you happy."
Anya nodded against Raven's neck. "I know."
"And I want to take you out on that date tomorrow night. But I'm also super tired right now." Raven mumbled, flinging her active leg over Anya's hip to keep them close.
"Mmmh. I've had a long day as well." Anya murmured, quite happy that Raven just wanted to keep things simple for the moment. "So many pictures."
"Yeah. Honestly, I only made it to the one where you were, like beckoning the camera closer, but you were so beautiful. Angelic." Raven spoke, and it was all Anya could do to memorize the way that last words spilled out from the woman's lips.
At least, until she clued into what Raven had said past the sweet words. "Wait, you stopped that early? There's at least thirty more photos! You didn't even see the best ones! What the hell, Raven?"
"Guess we've got something to look at over breakfast, then." Raven shot back with a happy hum, and Anya could hear the smile in her words.
"You can finish off that heinous pizza while you're at it." Anya insisted, rolling her eyes at Raven's joyful squeal.
"You didn't toss it? I knew you loved me, baby." Raven teased, but the press of lips to Anya's cheek had her detangling herself ever so slightly from her bedmate.
Because, really, if Raven kept touching her and kissing her, she wasn't going to be able to hold back. "Raven, I love you. But you have to keep from kissing me unless you want to forgo a good night's sleep."
Raven just stared back at her, an expression of pure concentration forming across her tired features. "I can make that sacrifice."
Anya rolled her eyes yet again at the woman's determination. "And I won't let you sacrifice two consecutive nights of sleep for me." Anya noted as she leaned forward to press a chaste, lingering kiss to Raven's lips, just barely keeping herself from escalating at the feel of Raven kissing back and pulling her closer.
"Heh, so selfless, my angel." Raven murmured with a happy hum, grazing her nose slowly up Anya's before pressing a kiss to its tip.
"And to be honest, you couldn't handle me in your current state." Anya contnued with a grin that had her bedmate huffing and giving her a slight shove.
"And so modest, too." Raven laughed, their push-pull discussion culminating in Raven curling up with her again. "But fine. I'll sleep if you promise me something nice when I get back from Lexa's."
Anya smiled and pressed a kiss to Raven's temple. "What, the pineapple pizza's not enough? Fine...you can wake me with a good morning kiss."
"What kind of reward is that?" Raven asked a little hazily, following it with a loud yawn, the genius' body snuggling impossibly closer as she clearly began drifting towards sleep.
"The kind that gets you in my bed, with me invigorated and looking for ways to make the woman I'm in love with feel good after a hard workout." Anya clarified, feeling entirely satisfied when, after a moment or two of hesitation, she felt Raven's lips spread into a smile.
"I'm game for that." Raven agreed, leaving everything settled for the night. All things considered, things had gone better than expected, even if it got rocky. But then, it was them; how could it not get rocky?
"Then sweet dreams, love."
Maybe, finally, Anya's dreams would for once take a backseat to reality, what with Raven having carved out a very permanent place in her heart, and all.
And to think it all started with a ridiculous thing like frexting. Which, by the way, was sapphic as all hell, as it turned out.