Title: Like a Book
Fandom: Homestuck
Rating: G
Pairing: Rose3Kanaya
Warnings: Femslash
Wordcount: 696
Her breath hitched in her throat. It was a small sound. Tiny, minute, and on any other day, completely innocuous. But not now, not here. Maybe not ever again.
She closes her eyes and sucks in a deep breath, as if she is trying to fill her lungs with sweet, perfect air. As if she is trying to take the atmosphere of the room inside herself. To bottle this moment up in her chest and keep it there, seal it up by pursing her thin, cracked, pink lips and keep her jaw clenched and tight and sweet Jesus she couldn't handle it anymore.
She wants to exhale slowly, to make the release of the dead air something beautiful and graceful and perfect - but she can't. No, her mouth betrays her mind and opens faster than she wants and it all comes out in a massive rush, alive with sound and movement. And then it's over. Like the beginning of a universe, or maybe even its end. She has no idea.
Her sudden gasp earns her a simple, slow turn of the head from her companion. Her thin, black eyebrows raise ever so slightly (gracefully, she was always so graceful it was almost painful). Her amber eyes fix on the other's flushed face with nothing more than quiet, calm interest.
"Pardon, Rose?" she says, the two words flawlessly delivered from her black lips. It is the shortest sentence that she has ever said within the time that Rose has gotten to know her.
She is flustered. For once, words fail her. She gulps and looks away and nervously clenches her hand. "N-nothing, Kanaya, it's nothing."
She's not fooled by the facade. Of course not. Instead, Kanaya rises and walks over (slowly, carefully, and so gracefully). She places a hand on Rose's shoulder, lets the smooth, cool gray of her carapace clash ever so slightly with the soft heat of Rose's pale flesh. "Rose," is all she has to say, in that slightly sterner-than-usual tone that tells the human that she means business.
Rose doesn't - can't - answer. Her body is shaking and her words are all a jumbled mess that she is unwilling - afraid - to let escape her mouth. She holds - clutches - the fabric of her black dress, plays with the innocent pink sash, and she fixes her violet gaze on Kanaya's yellow eyes. She attempts - fails - to look stoic, unaffected.
Kanaya snickers. She lifts her hand to the back of Rose's neck and rests it there. She lets her fingers roam throughout the human girl's soft, short, blonde hair, and revels in the minute, almost-suppressed shudder. Almost, but not quite. Kanaya could read people like books, one of the many things that the two shared in common. Bonded over, even. And she read Rose's words, and her movements, and her expressions, and her everything, as though it was her favorite novel. Sans plot, sans dialogue, sans character and conflict and climax. Sans everything that made it a novel except for beautiful, sweet language.
The female troll let her other hand slide around Rose's thin waist, let her hand rest on her hip. She pulled the girl close, so close that their noses were touching. She felt Rose become flustered beneath her touch, felt her stiffen and shudder and panic. She saw her become flushed.
She wasn't the only one.
Kanaya closed her eyes and tilted her head ever so slightly. The troll pursed her jet-black lips and kissed her. No hesitation, no regrets. Just kissed her.
Rose's eyes widened in utter shock. Her clenched fists came flying open, her sweaty palms begging for air. Once again, her breath hitched in her throat. She lifted her shaky hands to Kanaya's forearms and gripped them tightly. And then, she let her eyes close, and let her lips purse into an awkward kiss.
Soon after they parted, and Rose let all of her words tumble out of her mouth. Awkward and nonsensical as they were, she let every one free. Kanaya just smiled.