Person A dares Person B to kiss them as a joke, but is then taken by surprise when Person B does just that.
Truth or Dare is always a party game ensured to release a myriad of reactions; some more eager for it than others. This particular occasion is met with the expected response. All attendees of Nicky Nichols' annual big Summer blow out party have long exceeded their recommended alcohol consumption units; most stagger aimlessly around the premise making idle chit-chat with whoever they can come into contact with. Some sneak off to one of the many grand bedrooms to do whatever it is teenagers like to do at parties – Nicky doesn't mind however. The odd few are attempting miserably to hide their joints in a more secluded corner of the back yard, forgetting the overpowering stench of marijuana is always a give-away.
Piper Chapman doesn't appear to fit into any of the above categories by the time truth or dare arises; she is neither drunk nor sober, rather she's comfortably residing somewhere in the midst of bliss. She most certainly isn't stoned – a single encounter with a rather long lasting whitey was enough to put her off the stuff for a good while. Her attendance at the party had been something that had brought the blonde a fair bit of anxiety, word had travelled back to her of a certain 5 foot 10 raven haired alluring nineteen year old being back in town, and her attendance was nothing short of obvious. Piper had always had feelings for Alex Vause. Though their encounters always brief and slightly awkward on her behalf, there was something so frustratingly enchanting about the older woman that always drew her in like a moth to a flame.
Alex Vause hated her returns to this mundane city; everything about it screamed regret and hindrance from the moment she passed the border. The last time she was here she was met with nothing but arguments and conflicts on behalf of overly protective mother. Alex loved Diane; never doubt that for a second. However her seeming inability to comprehend that Alex had in fact become independent around the same time she was fully grasping the use of modal verbs in 3rd grade appeared to mark the spur for their recent downfalls. She was reluctant to allow Alex to go travelling around Europe with friends for summer because although she was freshly turned nineteen, according to Alex she was completely missing the fact she had the mental sophistication of a thirty year old. Yet after much persuasion and finely devised maps of her itinerary and whereabouts, Diane finally succumbed to her daughter's wishes on the basis of she funds it herself. 'Al, you're gonna be sending me grey before my time, I'm tellin' ya!' She joked whilst bringing her daughter into a warm embrace. They may argue, but the Vause duo would always be sure to have each other's backs.
Europe was everything Alex had imagined it to be; parts were expectedly underwhelming however times of a shroom induced high wandering the streets of Amsterdam hand in hand with a stranger who'd successfully seduced her with her unfamiliar foreign tongue reminded her why it was she'd embarked on this adventure in the first place. Admittedly, there were times in which Piper Chapman was at the forefront of her mind. Piper was a frustrating venture to the raven haired woman; usually one with a knack for figuring out exactly what it was that made her conquests buckle and adhere to her desires, she'd drawn continuous blanks where the blonde was concerned. 'That's your fuckin' problem Vause, you're treating the chick as a who not a what,' a drunken friend aimlessly slurred somewhere between Berlin and Prague. 'She's not some fuckin' puzzle you can piece together; she's a god damn human you know? I've seen how she looks at you in class; she goes all puppy eyed and shit! Just speak to her like a civilised person an' I'm sure that'll work wonders!' Never one to seek wisdom from her stoner friends, the drunken honesty came as a pleasant surprise. It was then Alex vowed next time the pair's paths crossed; she'd make an approach on the blonde.
Always one to religiously stick to the teachings of being fashionably late, Alex arrived to the party approximately two hours after it started. She was a little more drunk than intended, however her date Sylvie managed to keep her balanced. Somewhere in between Sylvie fetching a drink for the pair and trying to engage in legitimate conversation with a few high school friends she'd yet to see this summer, she'd found herself in the familiar Nichols' sitting room having apparently agreed to joining in a game of truth or dare.
Piper too found herself in the room. Having laid eyes on the older woman for the first time in months, she subtly tried to follow her like the lost puppy she became around her. Alex was yet to notice her, not that it mattered, according to Piper that is. Unbeknownst to the blonde, Alex attended tonight's event with every intention of speaking to her; about what, she was yet to figure out. She just knew her only goal tonight was to elicit the blonde's sweet, childlike laugh at least once.
The game progressed in a way one could assume most games of truth or dare did. For a while, things got a little out of hand with someone daring a friend to drink from the fish tank and thanks to their extreme intoxication, they eagerly accepted whilst only narrowly missing swallowing a residing exotic fish in one gulp. Someone else confessed to sleeping with a teacher last year which of course allowed for a slightly outrageous reaction to surface; Alex was included in the masses of faces that contorted into initial horror before having what could only be deemed as a look of proudness for the girl, Piper noted.
Somewhere along the line, someone swallowed half a cigarette; regardless of majority disapproval on the basis of the emergency services were the last people they wanted to arrive tonight. Eventually, Piper began to tire of the game; it was mostly uneventful on her behalf, which she was however oddly thankful for. Yet almost as though she'd jinxed herself, the bottle sat ignorantly in the middle of the floor had diverted itself in Alex's direction and decided to lay to rest with the nozzle staring blankly at her. A low audience of 'Ooooh's' could be heard as most were too intimidated by the girl to even think of challenging her to truth, let alone dare.
Leave it to Nicky Nichols however to save the day – the moment she realised where the bottle resided, that infamous shit eating grin took over her features. It was almost as though the cunning clogs of her wicked mind were thinking of something truly torturous for Alex to either endure or admit. You know those moments you wish the floor would just swallow you whole? Alex Vause was currently experiencing that feeling of a great intensity. 'Well, well, well Vause, look what we have here!' Nicky chirped as she noted the warning glance Alex was currently shooting in her direction. 'We all know you take pride in your enticing reputation so fuck truth, we're going straight to dare!' Alex's eyebrows shot up in unison at Nicky's improvised rules; admittedly she would have taken truth at this point, considering she'd clocked a bashful Piper Chapman sitting nervously on the other side of the room five minutes prior. 'Alrighty then…Vause my lover my friend…' Nicky drew her phrases out as much as she could as she watched Alex's date cling feverishly to her side, almost as if she knew she wouldn't like whatever Nicky was going to suggest. 'I dare you to go and spend seven minutes in heaven, aka seven minutes in my bedroom with the door locked…with…' The atmosphere was thick with tension by this point; Alex couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Sylvie, knowing the look of venom she was no doubt currently shooting. She couldn't bring herself to look at anyone for that matter, currently too busy wishing that Nicky wouldn't suggest some awkward guy who was yet to figure out she was gay or a girl drifting through her experimental phase, all too eager to engage in something Alex didn't want. Thinking about it, there was no one residing in the room Alex would happily spend her granted seven minutes in heaven with.
'PIPER CHAPMAN! GO FORTH AND MAKE STEAMY LESBIAN LOVE…well as much as you can in seven minutes!'
However it appeared Piper Chapman was the exception to Alex's rule, because there is no one more Alex would love to spend seven minutes locked in a room with than Piper Chapman.
The inital two minutes were shaky; both reluctant to break the silence that had grown between them. Piper had taken to sitting on the bed whilst Alex stood strong by the door she'd taken great care in locking – she knew she needed to take things slow if she had any chance with the blonde.
'So, how does this even work?' Piper finally asked, unable to deal with the awkwardness anymore.
'Beats me kid, I'm not one for needing this much moral support when I'm trying to set myself up with someone.' Alex remarked, unaware of how to deal with this situation.
'You're trying to set yourself up with me?'
An air of uneasiness spread its way through Piper; she hadn't asked to be landed in this position. She was perfectly fine with admiring Alex Vause from afar – she was fine with gently blushing whenever she tuned in to her inputs in English Lit lessons and she was content with making room for her as they passed each other in the hallway. She was perfectly fine being a wallflower in Alex Vause's life, as much as she hated to admit it. Piper wasn't bold enough to pursue a woman of such enchantment, let alone be with her.
'Well, how would you react if I was?'
'Y-you came with a date, isn't there moral codes and stuff against that? You know, it's wrong to carry on with someone else behind your partner's back.'
Alex sighed at Piper's retaliation; this wasn't how she'd planned tonight to pan out. She'd attended in the hopes of catching up with friends she'd selfishly cut out over summer, get a bit too drunk and a bit too stoned before having mediocre sex and passing out. Fuckin' Nichols.
'Who said she was my partner, Pipes?' Alex's nonchalance that accompanied the nickname made the blondes legs feel as though they were ready to buckle beneath her. 'She was just someone I came with, she's just someone who I'll maybe go home and fuck. Maybe. Whilst we're on the subject of maybes, yeah okay I admit it, maybe I am trying to set myself up with you.'
'But why? I mean, don't get me wrong Alex, I'm flattered, but why me? We've exchanged less than two dozen words the whole year, you're way out of my league,' Piper failed to articulate the latter of her sentence without allowing a gentle blush to once again dominate her features.
'Doesn't mean I don't like you kid. I mean, you were bumped up a year because you're that smart which straight away is a massive turn on for me. I like ladies with an opinion, of which I am sure you have many,' she joked. The awkwardness was slowly seeping away, in its place was a new found curiosity; the pair were both eager to continue this exploration of revelations. 'I don't even know, you're just really fucking inviting Piper – the way you glance at me when you think I'm not looking, or the way you think you're so fucking subtle when you make way for me in the corridor. Yeah we've spoken less than I'd hoped but every time we have, I've left feeling enlightened – you know? You fuckin' radiate positivity Piper, that smile of yours just strikes chords with me.' It would appear the alcohol was taking full effect and Alex was saying whatever it was that sprung to mind, not that this bothered Piper.
In a brief moment of silence, Piper glanced at the clock that showed they'd already exceeded their seven minutes by an extra two. 'Looks like they've forgotten about us,' Piper concluded as they heard another shrill of laughter from somewhere within the grand living space. It wasn't as though this bothered either of them.
Feeling brave, Piper stepped forward to situate herself in the middle of the room. It was a sort of spur to leave the ball in Alex's court. Thankfully, she recognised this, sauntering her way over to meet the blonde in the middle. 'I'm new to this stuff Pipes…the whole… I don't know…feelings bullshit; no one else sparks the reactions you do. I don't want us to jump leaps and bounds unnecessarily, but there's still three weeks of summer left and I'd like to spend at least two of them with you – getting to know you, stealing glimpses of your life, I don't know. I just know that no one else makes me feel the way being in your presence does, and I kinda like it, you know?'
In a moment of smugness, Piper let out a small laugh; partly nervous, partly relieved. 'Who'd have thought the day would come in which the great Alex Vause would be shy, god I gotta record this shit.' The blonde was met with a playful punch to the arm in which she replied with a mock expression of hurt. Alex pulled the her intro an embrace; both relishing in the sweet buzz created from a mix of alcohol and affection. Threading a dexterous finger through golden locks, Alex was sure she'd be quite content if she could stay locked like this for the rest of her days.
'Hey Pipes, truth or dare?'
Confused, Piper detached herself from the grasp of the older woman, unaware of what was being asked for her. 'What?'
'Truth or dare? It's not that hard!' Alex joked, noticing the evident daze residing in the blonde's eyes.
'Um, truth,'
'Okay….so…ever gone down on a woman before?'
Piper drew out a playful sigh because why should she expect Alex Vause's mind to be anywhere but the gutter?
'Yes, once. I was very drunk and admittedly it wasn't my best performance but I'm sure with practice, I'll improve.' She remarked, sure to catch Alex's eyes as she drew out every clause to her answer. 'Hey Alex, truth or dare?'
'Dare,'
'Kiss me.'
If there was any apprehension residing amongst the older woman's features, she did a damn good job not letting it show. Alex could have sworn she heard the blonde laugh once more, as though she didn't really expect her to. Unbeknownst to the her however, Alex had been looking for the perfect excuse all night. Gently, she detached Piper's face from the crook of her neck before bringing her hands to cup the blonde's cheeks. When their lips met, the trepidation evident in Piper instantly washed away. Their first kiss was slow; softer than how Piper had imagined Alex's preferred style, because she'd be lying if she said she hadn't imagined this moment on more than one occasion. They quickly found their rhythm whilst guiding each other to the bed. It was there Alex resigned above the blonde, straddling her now prominent hip bones. They lay like that long after the party concluded. Eventually, it was the sun rising that signified their need to break apart. Vowing to take things slow, they'd agreed through the exchange of shaky breaths and nervous fingers that they'd pursue no further tonight, for there were many more nights ahead filled with the promise of progression. Eventually laying down amongst the feather pillows and welcoming duvets, Alex arched her body to resemble that of a big spoon, signalling Piper to mirror her image besides her. The synchronised rise and fall of their chests and assurance of endless possibilities ahead eventually lulled the pair into a content sleep.