AN: This is the first shojo-ai I have ever done. My friend soupcan has a bit of a dare complex and wanted me to do it. I agreed partly because I really like these girls and it was a good excuse to let them star in something, and partly to prove that I'm not simply a yaoi freak who can't write about or accept any other orientations. I support all loving relationships equally, yes I do. nod nod
Characters: Keira and her friend belong to Naughty Dog, Inc. I make no profit from writing this; it's just a pleasure to be able to use these two sweeties as the main characters for once!
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She had not cried. That was the important thing. She had still not cried.
The sun beamed brightly down, strong and hot for mid-September. But despite the cheerful glow of the final days of summer, Keira felt cold inside. Shaking a lock of hair out of her face, she hitched her backpack higher and tightened her grip on the handle of her toolbox. The normally soft and silky blue- and green-tinted hair was sticky and black. Keira could not remember a time when she had felt so awful. Was college really supposed to be this difficult?
Ignoring the blatant stares of curious passers by, she approached the large fountain at the center of campus. She paused to glance into it, at her reflection, after a moment speaking softly to no one in particular. "I look like a panda."
There had been twenty seven of them at first. Twenty four boys, and three girls. The two other young women had long since dropped the course. Bullied, laughed at, and constantly henpecked, they had quietly gathered their tools and their hopes and left the department.
But not Keira. Not Keira, who laughed scornfully back when she was laughed at. Who prided herself on her natural ability to verbally castrate any obnoxious thing in pants. Who never, ever cried.
Hot tears stung and gathered at the corners of blue eyes, but she blinked them firmly away. It was not going to happen. She was not going to give in to the impulse! What would Jak think of her if she let herself cry?
Still gazing absently into the fountain, Keira sighed deeply.
Jak. Jak made it all worse. He was too far away, sounded too happy when they talked on the phone. Even if she told him, he couldn't come running to her rescue. Hours and hours away… he couldn't help her, not at all, and knowing about it would only make him angry and worried. She would not bother him with her problems when he was so happy with his own brand new and shining college life.
You could be there with him, stupid. Something inside her spoke up, needling evilly. You could be right there with him on the same campus, live on the girls' floors in the very same dorm, take the same classes he takes. But nooo, big bad Keira had to fight the system, had to try to be a stupid girl mechanic—
She viciously stomped the thoughts back into the recesses of her brain. No. She wasn't walking down that mental road again. Been there, done that, got over it, moved on. No going back. Not now.
That settled that, then. She would continue to do what she had been doing all along, and bear her troubles in relative silence. It sure would be nice to have a confidant, though…
Slowly, resignedly, Keira turned away from the gently rippling waters of the fountain and resumed the long trudge back to the all-girls dormitory. It would be a relief to put down her things, at least.
O.O.O.O.O
The dorm was cool and quiet. The long halls and corridors were mostly empty in the heat of the day, the great majority of their inhabitants off to class, part-time jobs, lunch dates, or club activities. Keira was glad. She had already been made a spectacle of during her cross-campus trek, and wanted nothing more than to drop her gear, clean herself up, and curl up in her bunk until she could face the world again.
But, of course, there was a problem with her plan.
As she paused in front of her door, key in hand, happy singing drifted through the scuffed wood. Her roommate was in.
"Oh, no…"
Keira sighed softly, letting her dirty forehead rest lightly against the door. She had thought for sure that the blonde cheerleader would be out at this time of day. Now there was no way she could clean up unnoticed and avoid explaining herself. She really did not want to get her roommate involved in this mess.
But there was nothing else for it. She couldn't even slip away to the showers and hope that the room would be vacated by the time she got back—her clothes were equally filthy, and she would need something fresh to change into once she washed. Taking a deep breath, Keira turned the knob and walked in.
The perky blonde was obviously preparing to do the dishes. The plastic tub they used for that purpose was nearly full of plates, cups, and silverware, and a tall bottle of liquid dish soap stood next to it on a chest of drawers. She was singing along to a happy pop tune on the radio as she searched the room for any missed dishes. So lost in the love song was she that it took Keira stepping in and dropping her backpack to get the other girl's attention.
"Keira!" she said in surprise, spinning around with a big grin on her face. "You're just in time to help me wash the—!" Then there was a stunned pause. The playful look turned to horror, the blonde's graceful hands shooting up to cover her open mouth.
Keira tried to smile. "Hey, Tess."
Tess was nearly speechless. Nearly. "Keira, what happened?!"
Her carefully constructed smile faltered. Self-consciously she reached up to brush nervously at her hair, thick with drying motor oil. "I, uh… had a little accident in Engine Repair 101."
"An accident?" Tess parroted, moving forward hesitantly. There was a wary glint in her eyes as she reached out to lightly touch a patch of black on her friend's cheek, and Keira knew with almost sickening certainty that the blonde already suspected.
"Yeah, I… I went under the car and…" Her eyes fell of their own accord, looking anywhere but at her roommate. "The oil pan was loose."
Tess stared silently.
"It was the beginning of class and no one would volunteer," Keira elaborated, her voice beginning to quaver. "So I finally said that I'd go first, and… as s-soon as I got my wrench and went under, it… the bolts were loose, it was so loose it fell as soon as I touched it—"
It was no good. She began to cry.
Tess swore ferociously.
No one as pretty as her should be able to cuss like that, Keira thought absently. Then she didn't have to think at all, and Tess was pulling her close without regard to the oil-streaked face pressing into her designer shirt. For some reason Keira didn't feel guilty for staining it.
"Those jerks set you up, didn't they, sweetie?" Tess crooned, petting her slowly congealing hair. Letting her cry.
The mechanic just nodded, a month and a half of silent tolerance and pretended indifference suddenly demolished by the full realization that she really wasn't overreacting. Someone agreed with her that the "pranks" were mean and over the top. Someone was concerned for her. Someone was the least little bit sympathetic. And that someone was her beautiful, energetic, friendly, and all around incredibly popular roommate.
"I hate them, Tess, I hate them so much!"
"Why doesn't your professor DO something?!"
"He c-can't. I think he feels bad for me, but h-he can't." Keira sniffled into pretty pink fabric, trying to stop crying before her eyes got all red and puffy. "You know they'll yell favoritism and pretend it was all in fun if he tries to stop them. If I'm going to make it in this department, I have to do it on my own."
"But this is ridiculous!" The frustration and helplessness was obvious in Tess's tone. "Hiding your backpack, stealing your tools, sabotaging your work, constant harassment, and no one will stand up for you? It's crazy!"
Keira didn't answer. There was nothing she could say. It was the way it was. For now she would just try to forget about it, and enjoy hugging and being hugged by her friend. The buxom blonde was soft, and warm, and smelled like powder and perfume. It was actually quite nice.
Finally Tess gently pushed her back, holding her at arms length. "Come sit down, ok? At least let me help you get your face clean."
Keira nodded, the ghost of a smile returning as she wiped absently at the tear tracks on her smudged cheeks. "Sorry I'm still so filthy. I didn't want them to see how upset I was, so I just groped my way to the sink and wiped off my eyes, nose and mouth. Then I went right back under the car."
Lifting the radio off the bar stool it had been resting on, Tess motioned her towards the seat. "You were a lot cooler than I would have been. You're a lot braver than me… That class must be a nightmare, and you hardly ever even complain about it."
"Oh, well, I don't know about that… I think I really surprised them, though. I guess they expected me to start bawling and run away, or something."
"No doubt." The blonde finally found a packet of moist wipes in the set of drawers, and carefully began to dab at her friend's streaked face. "Tell me if I'm pressing too hard, okay sweetie?"
"Okay."
Keira dutifully sat still and let her work, tears all but gone. She liked it when Tess called her sweetie. Not that the blonde didn't call everybody sweetie, because she did, but… Keira had never had a mother. Or a sister. Or even a good female friend. Someone exercising maternal instinct over her for a change felt nice.
Somewhat cheered up, she began to tap her feet against the bottom rung of the stool as the radio played on in the background. Eyes closed as Tess carefully wiped over them, she began to quietly hum along with the tune.
Life wasn't really so bad. It could always be worse. She was getting good marks in the class, with or without hostile interference. Her other classes weren't so difficult. She was still looking forward to applying for a part-time campus job. Her father would be visiting soon, for Family Weekend. And, of course, she had the nicest, sweetest, prettiest cheerleader in the world for a roommate and new friend. Life was actually alright.
Next week, she decided, I'll go back in there and show those ignorant jerks what's what! If they think they've finally managed to scare me off, they can just think again. Keira Hagai will not be defeated so easily!
As the quaint old saying went, women were like tea bags—you never knew how strong they were till they wound up in hot water. Keira would use this incident to prove her strength. In fact, the next class she had she would waltz right in with a big ol' impudent smile on her face and say a friendly good morning to each and every one of the colossal idiots. That would certainly throw them off.
Keira began to smile. Against all odds, she felt better. Tess's kindness and understanding had made all the difference in the world. The blonde had listened, shown her some much-needed support. Even though it did nothing to solve the real problem, knowing she had a shoulder to lean on and an ear to bend was incredibly nice.
Actually, it was more than just 'nice.' The two of them might have been like night and day as far as fashion sense and preference of extracurricular activities went, but Keira hoped the she and Tess could become even better friends. Maybe even best friends. Since the moment they had met Keira felt an instinctive need to be close to the other girl, a hope that Tess would like her, though she couldn't place quite why…
"I think that'll do it for your face." The blonde's doubtful announcement brought Keira floating back to the present. "You still better get in the shower right away, though. I hate to think about what will happen if that junk dries all the way in your hair."
"Yeah, really." Mentally refreshed, Keira prepared to slip down from her perch. "I hope my shampoo will be able to cut through this stuff."
Tess suddenly snapped her fingers. "I have an idea! Take the dish soap—it cuts grease like nothing! Maybe it'll help."
Keira blinked. For a moment, she felt like she was having an out of body experience. One second Tess was turning around to reach for the soap, and the next Keira was leaning forward off the stool, throwing her arms around the blonde's middle.
"You're so nice, Tess. Thank you so much."
Tess froze as Keira squeezed her tightly, as affectionate a snuggle as she had ever ambushed Jak with. Eyes closed happily, the mechanic didn't notice the bright blush that suddenly rushed to her friend's face when Keira's cheek pressed firmly against her shapely chest.
"Uh, ah—s-sure, don't mention it! That's what f-friends are for, right?"
"Right." With one last squeeze, Keira let go and stood up from the stool. She stretched mightily, ready at last to take any and all steps necessary to restore order to her life. "Guess I'll hit the showers, then. Hmm, there's not much soap left, is there? I promise to save some for the dishes."
"Oh, it… it's fine. Don't worry about it." Tess was fidgeting. Still flushed, she fiddled absently with the cap on the soap bottle.
What happened next was a perfectly natural accident, Keira would think later. It could have happened to anyone. Tess leaned forward, hot and red in the face, eyes shut tightly, lips pursed. Keira, unawares, turned her head at the last moment. And just that easily, what might have been meant as a quick, innocent, friendly, supportive, just-between-us-girls peck on the cheek became something a little bit more.
Both girls stood silently for a moment. Lip to lip, nose to nose, two sets of bright blue eyes regarded one another with varying degrees of surprise. Keira didn't quite know what to think. She certainly wasn't upset. In fact, she was just lifting her hands to hesitantly place them on the blonde's nicely rounded hips when—
Tess quickly jerked away.
"Oh. My. GOSH Keira, I'm SO sorry!!" Hands covering her burning face, the cheerleader looked mortally embarrassed. "I didn't mean to—I mean I wasn't aiming for—aaah, I'm gonna go do the dishes now!"
Keira was suitably astonished. She had never seen the other girl even come close to acting so awkwardly. And over something so small, too. "But… if I take the soap, then what will you…?"
"I'll do the laundry instead!"
"Oh, wait." Without concern or preamble Keira reached for the hem of her shirt. "In that case, these clothes I have on now are disgusting. Could you throw them in a separate load for me?"
"No! I mean, yes! I mean—I'll come back for them, just please don't get naked! Bye!" With that, Tess snatched up the dirty clothes bag—barely half full and hardly in need of washing just yet—and nearly tripped over herself getting out the door as quickly as possible.
Keira stood silently for a long while, just staring at the door. Wow. That had been unexpected. Somehow cute, but entirely unexpected.
Slowly the mechanic began to smile. She leisurely finished undressing and gathered her basket of toiletries. However, after she donned her towel and before she proceeded down the hall to the shower, she collected her oil-soaked clothing off the floor and began to fold it neatly. It wouldn't do to have the oil rub off onto the rug, after all. At the start of the semester she and Tess had paid quite a bit for that cute little circle of hand-woven cloth.
Thoughtfully placing the little pile on the dresser where Tess was sure to find it when and if she came back, Keira paused in front of the mirror. I wonder…
Had Tess acted that way maybe… possibly… perhaps… because she might really like Keira?
I've never seen her that embarrassed. It's not like her at all, Keira thought. Does she have a… crush on me or something? Pssh, no, no way! She's never even acted like she might be into girls at all, let alone me.
It didn't make any sense. Men who liked tomboy girls might find Keira attractive enough dating material. Jak certainly did, but then again Jak didn't count. They were childhood friends—he had to love her anyway. But pretty, popular, cheerleading girls finding her attractive? Not in a million years.
I don't even know if I like girls that way, she thought doubtfully. She had never really had cause to think about it before. But… she certainly hadn't been bothered by what had happened a few minutes ago…
Keira pondered for a moment, staring hard at herself in the large mirror. Then she shut her eyes, and traced gently over her lips with the tip of one finger. Pictured kissing Tess again. Okay, that was fine. She could imagine that alright.
Keira giggled crazily as she scooped up her plastic basket of shower supplies—plus one bottle of dish soap—and jammed her dainty feet into the waiting pair of flip-flops by the door. Well, hey. At least I now know it's not a total impossibility! If Tess really does like me, then… I guess we'll see. College is the time to try new things, right? Right!
With that she set out for the bathrooms, cheerfully swinging her basket as she walked. She would get clean, find some fresh clothes, and try to find Tess. Maybe the other girl would like to have lunch with her, once she had played with the washer-dryers and calmed down a little.
Keira also wanted to call Jak, too, just to chat. She was sure the green-blonde quarterback would just love to hear about the weird but somehow exciting turn her afternoon had taken, and she could ask him how he was getting along with his new roommate—oh, now what was his name?—the little redhead.
Yeah… college might not be so bad at all.
O.O.O.O.O
The End
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(2nd)AN: Mmm'kay. Now that I've flopped around outside my native elements (comedy and yaoi) like a sardine out of water and come through it with most of my faculties intact, I have to say that wasn't quite as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe that means I'm slowly but surely turning into a more versatile writer? I hope so! I also hope you guys didn't think it was too bad.
And you know, I just thought of this… in "reality" Tess would just whip out a really awesome looking gun of some kind and go postal on the sexist dopes who dared mess with her widdle Keira. They're such good friends! Kinda warms the cockles of your heart, doesn't it?