Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious. Just borrowing its characters and hoping to do them justice. :)

A/N: This is my first fanfic, so any criticism/feedback would be appreciated! To me it felt a little rushed, and it's kind of emotionally bipolar, but for my first try, I'm satisfied. Thanks for reading!

We were sitting on the couch in my living room, as we had nearly every Friday night for three months now. Jade had put on another one of her gory movies. She sat, entranced by the horrors unfolding before her, while I buried my face in her shoulder hoping that I wouldn't have to listen to the—

Riiiiiip.

Jade laughed, finding the sound of tearing flesh positively hilarious.

"How can you stand to watch this stuff?" I mumbled into her shoulder.

"How can you not? The Scissoring is a classic. It's got blood, guts, and violent murders…" she leaned towards me, eyes wide, "starting with the pretty girl".

"Whatever, you're a creep."

"…says the girl who stares at my tits like it's her job."

I turned from her, cheeks burning red. I did not. Well, maybe a little, but I didn't think it was that obvious.

Jade had returned her attention to the movie, while I still sat mentally fumbling for some witty retort. In a battle of verbal wit, Jade had me—and the rest of Hollywood Arts—beat. Still, I couldn't let her off so easy. As she noticed my silence and smirked in my direction, a plan formed itself in my mind. I would never match her ability to make me squirm, but she had a few weak spots and I knew just where to attack.

"Can't keep your eyes off me, can you Vega?" Apparently, I'd been staring. It was the perfect time to act. I drew closer, lowering my voice to a husky whisper.

"You make it so hard for me not to." She raised an eyebrow in surprise before quickly assuming her usual emotionless expression. Slowly, and with as much conviction as I could muster, I moved towards her, lifting a leg to straddle her lap. Failing to suppress a grin, Jade raised her hands to my hips and pulled me towards her. Her mouth collided roughly against mine, lips growing soft as my fingers tangled in her hair.

"I don't know where this stunning libido came from, but I definitely like it." she paused to mumble against my cheek. Bringing my lips to her ear I exhaled,

"Baby, I'm just getting started." I lowered my mouth to kiss her pulse point, playfully nipping at her collar bone in the process. She arched her back against me, groaning. Upon hearing herself respond so reflexively, Jade regained her senses. In classic Jade-fashion, she decided to take control, pushing me off of her lap and taking my old position, so that I was now the one being straddled. Fingers slowly stroking the nape of my neck, she bent to leave a trail of kisses from my ear to the slope of my breast. Her tongue, hot and wet against my skin, dragged upward until it found my mouth, skillfully sliding along the bottom lip to gain entry. Like a serpent, her tongue swam in my mouth, aimlessly wrapping itself around mine, over and over again. I inhaled sharply as I felt two cool hands slip under the hem of my shirt and travel up the flat plane of my stomach.

This was going too far; I was supposed to be the one in control. Without it, my whole plan was ruined and I—oh my God. Jade's hands had found their way under my bra and I couldn't think about anything other than how goddamn good that felt. No, no. I had to focus. Pulling myself out of my Jade-induced stupor, I grabbed her arms and withdrew them from my shirt. Jade froze, green eyes revealing her confusion. That gave me the perfect opportunity to shove her backwards until she was horizontal on the couch. I deftly clambered on top of her, not even giving her a chance to question me. Still, she paused, collecting herself. I could see the cogs in her brain turning as her lips twitched upward into her signature smirk.

"Look, Tori, I know you've been single forever, but I never expected you to be this horny." Jade commented off-handedly. She was trying to play it cool, but her body, tense beneath my own, gave her away. Dipping my head so close to her face our noses almost touched, I began my speech—the final part of my plan before I went in for the kill.

"You know, Jade…you've always insulted me, mocked me, done everything in your power to hurt me...and I figured that most of the time, you didn't really mean it. Now that we're in a relationship, I know you don't mean it. Still, it seems like you always win—you always have the last word, and I'm sick of it. Someone needs to punish you." At this, Jade's eyebrow quirked, a devilish grin spreading across her face.

"Just how do you plan to punish me, Vega?"

"Well…" My lips momentarily touched down onto hers, but before I could pull away, she fully captured my lips with her own. A grunt issued from her throat as she threw herself into the kiss. Seizing the opportunity to exact my revenge, I dug my fingers into her sides, just below the ribcage. Immediately, her body seized up, laughter escaping her.

"Tori, what are you—Tori, stop—I, I can't!" She tried to wrench herself from my grasp, but I held firm and continued tickling her. "I'm gonna get you!" she yelled in faux anger.

"Yeah, good luck! Maybe when I finally stop tickling you!" I responded playfully. At that moment, the doorbell rang. "Well West, it seems you've been saved by the bell." Still attempting to regain her breath, she rolled her eyes, a small smile playing at the edge of her lips.

"Shut up and open the door. It's probably the pizza guy." Untangling my limbs from hers, I stood and made my way to the door, making sure to sway my hips as I went. I heard a low whistle and turned to see Jade staring at my…assets. "What? If you're going to torture me, I should at least be allowed to show my appreciation."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you 'show your appreciation' later, but for now, I'm not done torturing you." I teased as I opened the door, revealing a delivery boy about my age. He was handsome: clear blue eyes, perfectly-mussed blonde hair, and shining white teeth. When he smiled, a dimple appeared on his left cheek that I'm sure made all the girls swoon. He was the perfect opportunity to torture Jade some more.

After reading off our order, he handed me the bill, smiling flirtatiously. I returned the look, making sure to giggle and rest my hand on his arm as I handed him the money owed. He turned to leave, paused, and turned back around to speak.

"Look, I don't do this often…or ever, really…but here's my number." he said, placing a hastily-scrawled phone number in my hand. Caught up in making Jade jealous, I hadn't noticed Jade herself come up behind me.

"She doesn't want your number, you scruffy beach boy wannabe." she spat, placing an arm protectively around my waist. "Now get out of here, before I take back the money she tipped you." As he ran away, tail tucked between his legs, Jade narrowed her gaze at me. "What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" I asked, batting my eyes innocently.

"Don't give me that shit, Vega. You're a fucking flirt and you know it. Even before we started dating, you flirted with me. I thought it meant you liked me, but you seem to be flirting with every damn surfer boy you see these days." She took a shaky breath and stomped back to the couch, avoiding eye contact. "Get the plates for the pizza." was all she said. Well. I hadn't meant to actually upset her.

Following her instruction, I grabbed some plates and carried the pizza back to the couch. I set everything down on the table before snuggling up next to her. She leaned away from me, stating in a barely audible whisper, "I don't want to be near you right now." Ugh. So much for distracting her with a little more physical love.

I reached out, caressing her cheek in the palm of my hand. She flinched, but let me keep my hand there.

"I'm sorry I upset you. I was just having a little fun trying to make you jealous."

"It worked." she stated blankly, still avoiding my gaze.

"Jade, look at me. Please." At this, her eyes glanced up to meet mine. I paused, just taking a minute to really look into those gorgeous green eyes of hers. I could see the confusion there. The playfulness. The sarcasm. The hesitation: all the factors that made up our relationship. Most of all I could see the hurt I had just caused. "Jade, you and I both know I had no interest in that guy. You know I was only messing with you. What's the real reason you're acting this way?" She looked back down into her lap, took a shaky breath, and paused for what felt like an eternity before finally speaking.

"It's—it's just, seeing you with that guy…or anyone else, really, always reminds me that you could do so much better than me." I tried to protest, but she cut me off with a wave of her hand. "No, Tori. Hear me out. Other people might not be better than me, but they're better for you than I am. Does that make sense?" I nodded, understanding, but the desire to disagree still burned inside of me. "Like you said earlier, I've been nothing but mean to you ever since you came to Hollywood Arts. I've done everything in my power to make your life harder, and you're still nice to me. I always wondered why, but now that we're dating, the question haunts me. Why are you dating me when you could be with someone so much nicer, someone who treats you better? You deserve someone better…" she trailed off, her speech coming to a close.

I honestly had no idea she felt that way. My heart ached just looking at her, confused and alone, not knowing how much I cared. Hooking one arm under her legs and one around her waist, I pulled her into my lap without much resistance.

"Maybe I could 'do better', but I don't want to." I whispered into her ear. "When you asked me out three months ago, I didn't say yes just because I wanted to go on a date or because I wanted someone to pass the time with. I said yes because I wanted you. I still want you. I want you to tease me, and to make things difficult for me. You say I deserve someone nicer, but everything you've done to me has made me a better person. You didn't let me saunter into Hollywood Arts and take the leads, throw a prome, or do anything without a fight. You made me work harder than I ever have before. You kept my ego in check. You've given me a tough skin and ability to take criticism that will be invaluable to me as I move forward in the entertainment industry. For every terrible thing you've said or done, I can only thank you."

Jade looked up at me, eyes wide with disbelief. Before she could speak, I added, "And for the record, your gankiness is one of my favorite things about you: not just because it makes me stronger, but also because I know it's all an act." I finished, smiling. She smiled back, crushing me in a giant hug as she mumbled playfully against my cheek,

"I always knew you'd be my ruin, Vega." Curious and amused, I asked,

"What do you mean?" as we pulled apart.

"Just that from the first moment I saw you, I knew you'd ruin 'Jade West'. At first I thought you'd knock me into obscurity by stealing all my roles and getting every solo, but as I got to know you, I realized you had other goals. You were the first person at Hollywood Arts other than Beck who cared enough to try and get to know me, the real me, not the bitter, sarcastic Jade everyone else sees. I hated that you were trying to expose me, but I also liked you for it. The fact that I liked you freaked me out even more, so I went out of my way to ensure that you'd never see the other side of me. So much for that..." she ended, grinning.

"Good thing I can keep a secret." I winked as I stood, walking over to a shelf stacked with DVDs. "And now that your movie is over, what do you say I pick out another and we eat this pizza before it gets cold?"

"As long as the movie you pick isn't The Notebook, that sounds perfect." she replied.

"The Notebook it is." I laughed as I put the disc into the player and moved back to the couch, leaning back into the plush red material. The movie started and we sat in comfortable silence, munching on our pizza. When the pizza had been consumed, Jade started up her usual sarcastic commentary. Feigning annoyance, I shot her a few dirty looks. She took the opportunity to mock me in her Tori voice.

"Aw does pretty little Tori not like it when I interrupt her sappy and ridiculous movie?"

"I don't talk like that!" I shouted before quietly adding, "Don't make me tickle you again." Jade shut her mouth so quick it was comical, and I burst out laughing.

"Whatever, Tori." Her tone was affectionate, and soon she snuggled up against me, resting her head in the crook of my neck. We sat like that for a long time, watching the turbulent love story of Noah and Allie play out onscreen. Jade's breathing slowed, and I figured she'd fallen asleep. I had to pee, but I didn't want to wake her. Gingerly I removed her arms from around my waist, and laid her head on the couch as I stood. I took one step, shrieking in surprise when she grabbed me by the hips and pulled me back onto the couch.

"Fooled you!" she chuckled as I squirmed in her grasp.

"Jade, let me go! I have to pee!"

"Fine", she said, relinquishing her hold, "but hurry back. I'm feeling a little handsy," she stated with a smirk.

"Maybe I'll take my time just to torture you."

Jade scoffed before quickly replying, "As if you could wait to get physical!"

"Don't be so sure. I'm seriously considering dragging this out." I said as I walked around to the back of the couch. Looking up at me as I turned to face her, Jade pouted.

"Awww c'mon, Tori. You know you love me." I paused to consider the deeper meaning behind her words. After all we'd been through together, and especially after the past three months of seeing the real Jade—not the ice queen from school, but the Jade who brought me flowers to cheer me up on a rainy day, the Jade who loved to cuddle, the Jade who just wanted to be loved in return—I realized she was right.

"I do." As the gravity of my statement sunk in, her brows scrunched together in confusion.

"What?"

"You're right. I do love you." Testing the feeling of the words on my lips, I stared into her eyes and repeated myself. "I love you."

Now Jade will never admit to this, but I swear that, for a fraction of a second, her eyes shimmered with tears. Blinking them away, she gazed at me, the most sincere smile I've ever seen spreading across her lips. She giggled briefly, then locked her eyes on mine, suddenly serious.

"Good. Because I love you, too." Exhaling, she returned to her usual self, shouting, "Now go to the bathroom, so when you come back I can prove it to you!" I ran up the stairs to the bathroom smiling, imagining a content and eager Jade waiting for me.

I've never peed faster in my life.