AUTHORS NOTE: This is meant to hold me over for the painful ride I am positive season two will be. Enjoy :). This is pretty ooc because it's a college AU and I just want my babies to be happy and feel emotion. This is kinda how I think Kirsten will feel when she experiences embarrassment for the first time and learns just how terrible not having a filter on her can be.
Title: Of Alcohol and Embarrassment
By: Sasmanch
Word Count: Approx. 2800
Kirsten knew she shouldn't have let Camille drag her to that stupid party. She had been perfectly content with her plan of spending the majority of her college career cooped up in her dorm room studying. Her plan worked out perfectly for first semester, she kept her grades up and stayed up to date on all her shows. As far as she knew, that was all that really mattered.
It all changed one week after finals. Everyone was trying to cope with the stress those insipid tests had caused them. Kirsten decided to relax in the way she always did, isolate herself even more and start a new TV series while eating as much food as her stomach could hold. Her roommate, the aforementioned Camille, coped in what were considered more college-y ways, a shit ton of alcohol.
Kirsten had never quite understood the appeal of the sense inhibiting beverage, why would she drink something that would cause her to forget all the "great memories" she was supposed to have experienced after having ingested it. And to top it all off, to end up with a killer headache in the morning. She brought this point up to Camille when she found her hunched over the toilet after what Kirsten assumed to be a wild night of partying. Camille had shrugged and said, "It's easy to be yourself when your drunk, all your walls are pulled down and you let people see you for who you really are."
This sounded terrifying to Kirsten, she had spent all of her life erecting walls to protect herself, and it mildly disturbed her that they could all potentially be broken down with a drink. While the thought had perturbed her, she also found herself strangely intrigued. What would it be like to spend one night as herself, she didn't even remember who that was. She would never admit it to Camille or anyone else but that was a part of the reason she had reluctantly agreed to go to a party at some senior named Fisher's house after Camille extended an invitation to her appalled she'd never been to one before.
"You're telling me you've been in college for," she counted on her fingers, "like four months and you've never been to a party."
Kirsten had hesitantly shook her head, afraid of what was coming next.
Camille grinned wolfishly at her "Well I think we're gonna have to change that." She hopped up from the floor sobered by Kirsten's confession and yelled as she scurried into her room "Get your party clothes on Kirsten. We're gonna swipe that party v-card of yours."
Kirsten with her head bowed shuffled to her closet and looked for something to wear, already regretting confessing she still had her so called party v-card to Camille. She shuffled through the clothes and decided on a grey cardigan layered over a sky blue tank top with some black jeans and her chestnut ankle boots. She stalked over to Camille's room and immediately realized she probably wasn't dressed properly for the occasion. Camille was dressed in a gold dress so tight it looked like a second skin and so short it barely passed her bum, in addition she was wearing black stilettos so high Kirsten wondered how she was going to be able to remain on her feet all night.
She looked her up and down "Well, I don't have anything like that."
Camille smirked "I figured." She handed Kirsten a dress that if possible looked even smaller than the one Camille was wearing, "Are you sure this isn't shirt."
Camille rolled her eyes and pushed her into her room "Just put it on, you got a body girl, work it." This time Kirsten rolled her eyes pushed past the door into her room and closed it. She shrugged the dress on with some difficulty and grimaced as she noticed the length, it was actually just about the same length as Camille's but she'd never worn anything like it.
She slipped on some nude flats and walked back over to Camille "Better?" she asked. Camille nodded before she mumbled "Wait a minute," and began to rummage through her closet and handed Kirsten a much more reasonable sized heels than the ones she herself was wearing. Kirsten rolled her eyes, kicked off her flats and pulled on the shoes.
Exasperated she asked "Done?" Camille nodded just as she did before and said "One last touch," before yanking her hair out of its ponytail and commanding Kirsten to shake it out. She did so and Camille kissed her fingers like a chef in those French films and said "Magnifique. My work here is finished." With that she pulled Camille all the way to her car and they drove to the party.
Upon their arrival Camille parked and they walked into the house. It was booming with music, the lights flashed different colors and she thought to herself how the house should have a warning of potential seizures upon arrival. Once her eyes had adjusted she looked around and saw Camille being dragged away by an Indian boy named Linus she recognized from her com-sci class. Camille waved and mouthed "sorry" as she was pulled away.
Kirsten resigned herself to being alone for the rest of the night and walked over to the drink table. She grabbed a drink and hesitated a beat before gulping the whole thing down. She was a rip the bandage off kind of girl, she figured this was the best way to introduce her body to the liquor. She proved herself wrong when she started coughing viciously. She heard a muffled voice behind her above the loud music. She turned around and was met with a face full of chest.
She looked up and noticed a tall large man who looked far too old to be at a college party. She shouted over the music, "I'm sorry what?" He leaned uncomfortably close to her ear and said "What's a pretty girl like you doing standing all alone." She deadpanned "What does it look like? I'm drinking." This guy was just like all the stereotypical dicks she'd seen in every TV series ever. She walked away from him in the direction she saw Camille pulled in when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around ready to reject the big guy a second time, a biting remark on the end of her tongue. The words died on her lips when her eyes locked onto the greenest ones she'd ever seen. At least she thought they were green, the lights were still flashing ridiculously. He said something to her but she couldn't hear him over the loudness of the music. He looked ridiculously out of place in his flannel and jeans. She dragged him to a more secluded area of the room, the alcohol making her a bit more daring and waited for him to repeat myself.
He spoke just loud enough for her to hear "Are you okay? I saw that guy over there harassing you and I just wanted to make sure you were alright?" She hesitated her thoughts drifting through the daze of alcohol, wow she thought who knew I'd be such a lightweight. Green Eyes looked at her with a strange look, and she realized she must have said her thoughts aloud. "Shit, you must think I'm crazy. Anyway what I was gonna say was… Actually I don't remember." Kirsten's vision grew hazy and she realized that cup she chugged earlier probably had something a lot stronger than beer in it. The last thing she remembered was a warm feeling on her lips and saying something that sounded a lot like "Captain Big Hair."
Kirsten woke up with a pounding headache and a tongue as dry as sandpaper. Suddenly she felt something fighting its way out of her stomach. He ran to the toilet and began heaving. Camille appeared looking like she felt and held her hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl.
"People really drink to have fun," Kirsten grumbled from her position on the floor.
"Well most people think the great time they have while it's in their systems is worth it."
Kirsten responds "Yeah well they're stupid…I don't even remember anything, there's a huge hole between after I rejected some large guy who was like the legitimate personification of the stereotypical dick and when I got home."
Camille chuckled "Oh babe you don't even know the half of it. You're lucky I had my phone on, I got a call about an hour after I got to the party from a very distressed dude asking where he should drop you off."
Kirsten shrieked "What?!"
"It's not what it sounds like dear, he said you called him Captain Big Hair or something, vomited on his shoes, and then proceeded to collapse into his arms.
Kirsten wasn't an easily embarrassed person but this made even her want to curl up into a ball and die. "Well did you see what he looked like? I want to extend my gratitude to him for getting me home safely and hopefully pay for his dry cleaning bill." Camille shook her head, "Unfortunately no, he just dropped you off, so I didn't get to see his face. I spent the night with that guy who dragged me away at the beginning of the party" She wiggled her brows, then her face turned serious "By the way sorry about ditching you, I shouldn't have abandoned you at your first party." Kirsten waved her off "It's okay, they aren't really my thing anyway." Camille smiled devilishly "Don't worry, you'll come around." "Kirsten snorted "Good luck with that." Her roommate smirked before her eyebrows furrowed and she pointed at something in Kirsten's room.
She quickly washed her face, brushed her teeth, and rinsed her mouth out with Listerine and followed Camille's gaze. "Did you leave that water and aspirin for me?" Camille shook her head, I hadn't noticed it until you stopped vomiting all over the place. Kirsten rolled her eyes and walked back in her bedroom when she noticed the note. She moved the water away and read it aloud to Camille.
"You looked like you might need this. Smiley face." She frowned and muttered "who even uses smiley faces anymore."
Camille ran over to Kirsten's side and yanked the note from the blonde's hands, "It says its from Cameron," she squinted not sure if she read the next part correctly "AKA Captain Big Hair." Camille cocked her head, "Did you two know each other?" Kirsten groaned "No, drunk me probably just enjoys giving people nicknames." All of a sudden Camille sat straight up "Wait I think I might know who this is. I don't know them personally but Linus, the guy I was with last night, said he came there with a Cameron before we continued our uh... nightly activities."
Kirsten rolled her eyes when all of a sudden Camille's eyes lit up. "You said you wanted to thank The guy- Cameron, for helping you when you were drunk right. Well here's your chance. I'm gonna text Linus to give me the number." Kirsten grimaced figuring there was no way to stop Camille when she was on a mission.
Besides it's not like he could actually force her to talk to him, she didn't really want to anyway, the only reason she wondered what he looked like was so she could hide from him on campus and avoid further embarrassment. She was shocked out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. She prepared to yell at Camille to open the door when she beat her to the punch saying she had to go to the bathroom.
Kirsten head still pounding shuffled over to the door and pulled it open. She was at a loss for words when she was met with familiar green eyes and big hair. Camille. She probably texted Linus and told him to tell Cameron to come to their dorm for some reason. She was gonna kill her every way she could figure out once Cameron left, she didn't want any witnesses to the crime scene.
Her mouth dropped open in horror and she stuttered out "Cap- Captain Big Hair." Captain Big Hair or Cameron, his name was Cameron, smiled at her and all of a sudden she was very aware of the fact that in the event of her impromptu vomit sesh, she had still not changed out of her dress. God, he probably thought she was some kind of floozy. He was looking at her expectantly, oh hell, she thought, he probably just said something to me while I was over here thinking about what a piece of shit I am. She hated herself "I'm sorry what?"
"Umm my roommate Linus sent me over here to get some sugar I thought the room number seemed familiar but I didn't think I would get the luck of seeing you again."
Kirsten's cheeks grew rosy "You still remember that huh. Well I can tell you we don't have any sugar but I think your and my roommate were really just trying to get us together again."
Cameron's cheeked flushed and she realized what she had said "I don't mean like together together, but like together together." Why was she like this she thought to herself, what did she do to deserve this.
Cameron smiled at her flustered state "Well, since I am here are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, of course, just my first party that's all," she cringed internally, that definitely was not what she meant to say, she was embarrassed enough when she tolf Camille and that was her roommate for God's sake.
Cameron smiled again, if Kirsten was one of those girls who fawned over boys and spoke about how cute they were she would have thought about how adorable she found his smile, but she wasn't one of those girls so she didn't. Ok, so she totally did but nobody has to know that. "Did the aspirin and water help?"
"I didn't get to use it just yet I was involved in the um, grosser aspects of a hangover."
He nodded, "Yeah they're pretty brutal aren't they."
She nodded "That they are." She cursed herself out in her head for what she though to be the millionth time for her awkwardness. As soon as he left she was going to kill Camille for making her suffer this embarrassment.
Cameron nodded again "Well uh I guess I'll get going then, I hope you feel better."
She smiled at him and he started to walk away and for some reason she didn't want him to leave "Wait!" She yelled before she knew what she was doing.
Cameron walked back over to her door. She stammered "Um, Maybe..." She shook her head to clear her thoughts "Could I maybe buy you some coffee as a thank you for helping me with that asshole and as an apology for that shirt I just remembered I threw up all over. Oh my God I'm so sorry. I totally understand if you never want to speak to me again. Have a great day." She started to close the door. All of a sudden she felt a hand over hers stopping her from closing the door. She stood surprised by the contact "I'd love to get a coffee with you." This time it was Kirsten who smiled.
Three months later sitting in Cameron's arms on the couch in his apartment she supposed Camille dragging her to that party wasn't the worst thing to ever happen to her.
AUTHORS NOTE: I purposefully left out the kiss that happened when Kirsten was a drunk as a kind of ode to the show but I'd love to do like a fic about Cameron's feelings about the kiss or maybe one about their coffee date and him telling her everything that happened. Let me know in the reviews if you think that would be cool. Also sorry I wasn't able to fit in any nicknames yet, it didn't feel right. Will definitely do so for any companion fics I add to this. Thanks for reading. Ciao.
