"What time does practice end today?" Waverly asked from the median bench, flattening her gum out with her tongue to blow it into a bubble.
Nicole closed her locker and didn't answer right away, instead admiring her girlfriend in her Blue Devils Cheer uniform, loving the way her miles and miles of legs peeked out from the mini skirt and how the blue and white uniform showed off her toned arms.
"Nicole, are you listening to me?" Waverly asked. Nicole looked up and grinned a goofy grin.
"I heard you, baby. We just go till six today."
Waverly huffed, pulling her chapstick out of her cheer duffle and running it across her lips, tempting Nicole as she did.
"Cheer only goes until five. What am I going to do without you for an hour?"
"Homework?" Nicole offered. Waverly's eyes narrowed.
"Nicole, we're supposed to work on homework together after practice."
Nicole hung her head and grumbled something about how 'it would go faster if Waverly just had it done and gave her the answers.'
"Mmm, cherry," Waverly beamed as she popped her newly-chapsticked lips.
"That sounds good, can I have some?" Nicole asked.
Waverly shrugged and began to dig through her bag again in pursuit of the moisturizer.
"Sure, just lemme find it."
Nicole had another idea, however, and instead cupped Waverly's jaw and captured the head cheerleader's lips with her own, swiping the tip of her tongue across Waverly's bottom lip and sucking the cherry from the supple flesh. Waverly whimpered and reached for Nicole's cheek, seeking to deepen the kiss despite the inevitable onslaught of softball players that would soon be entering to change for practice. But the brunette decided these thoughts were not nearly as important as the softness of the curls at the nape of Nicole's neck, which she threaded her fingers through while massaging that taught muscle underneath. Nicole sighed sweetly, hooking an arm around Waverly's waist before the locker room door burst open and they jolted apart guiltily.
"Okay, Haught, get your grabby hands off my baby sister," Wynonna hollered as she walked in with her arm looped around Xavier's neck.
About two months after their first kiss under the stars, Wynonna had walked in on Waverly and Nicole, between the two of them only dressed in three socks, a sneaker, two pairs of jeans and a tank top. Needless to say, there had been some gnashing of teeth, some angry questions, and both of them received a sentence of the cold shoulder for no less than two weeks. But as summer was nearing its end, Wynonna desperately needly help with summer work and practice catches before tryouts, so she came to the two with a box of doughnuts and an apology. She ate all of the doughnuts and ended up guilting them into an apology instead, but then everything was water under the bridge. Well, sort of. She got a certain devilish kick out of interrupting their 'moments.'
"Wynonna," Nicole ground out. "We were just talking about our study session after practice. You joining?"
"And sit across from your lesbian love fest while you two make kissy faces at each other? I will pass, thank you. Come on, Haught-shit, practice starts in two."
Wynonna grabbed her helmet and catcher's gear from her locker and closed it, striding out, while the rest of the team gathered their articles. Nicole looked down at Waverly, shrugging.
"I guess I'll see you in two hours."
"Good luck, baby," Waverly encouraged as she stood up, onto her tiptoes, and kissed the corner of Nicole's mouth. "Make me proud."
"Have a good cheer practice," Nicole responded, squeezing Waverly's hip and turning on her heel to walk out to the field.
"Goddamn, Nicole, what's your damage?" Wynonna shouted from behind the home plate as Chrissy Nedley hit a home run off of Nicole's wimpy pitch and started to sprint.
"Haught, take ten!" Nedley shouted from the dugout. Nicole grumbled and jogged off while Doc stood up to take her spot.
"What's up, kid?" Nedley asked as Nicole neared him. "Haven't seen you pitch out that bad since Champ Hardy at-"
"I get it, Coach," Nicole interrupted through gritted teeth, squirming at the memory. "Sorry, just got a lot on my mind lately."
"Nicole, you're an A student and the best damn pitcher I've seen since your mom. Your organizational skills are second to none and you even got offered the lead in 'Grease.' Seems to me you got your life sorted out pretty damn well. What could possibly be going on in that head of yours?"
Nicole's heart hammered just thinking about it, but before she could answer, Wynonna's voice was shouting at her from the home plate.
"Nicole, get your Haught-ass over here."
Nicole looked at Nedley, shrugged helplessly, and walked to Wynonna, letting herself stay on the safe side of the fence so as not to be hit by stray pitches.
"Yeah, 'Nonna, what's up?"
"So what the fuck is up, scmuck?" Wynonna asked, catching a foul and pumping her fist in the air. "You call that a pitch, Henry? My Aunt Gus could throw better."
"Wynonna, your Aunt Gus played with my mom in high school," Nicole pointed out.
"Yeah, okay? Point still stands, my Aunt Gus could throw better."
Nicole rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Whatever, I'm gonna grab a gatorade."
"Wait, Nicole!" Wynonna insisted, catching another foul. "Henry, if you don't start playing softball I'm gonna have to come over there and pitch for you."
"What do you want?" Nicole asked.
"This funk you're in," Wynonna continued, throwing the ball back to Doc. "It's not about prom coming up, is it?"
Nicole's stomach dipped. That was exactly what it was about.
"I just… don't know how to ask," Nicole sighed. Chrissy Nedley finally hit a ball and started the sprint to first base. "Waverly is head cheerleader, she was homecoming queen, everyone loves her. I'm just… me."
"Listen, Nicky, not to get super gay on you, because that's Waverly's job, but you are the coolest damn chick I know. You're captain of the softball team, the state-championship-winning softball team. You're a shoe-in for valedictorian, never mind that it's probably because you're dating the top of the junior class. And, oh, wouldn't you know it? There's another thing! You happen to be dating that 'perfect' cheerleading homecoming queen. And even if you weren't all that stuff, Waverly loves you. It's enough for her, why isn't it enough for you?"
"I just wanna be worthy, I don't know," Nicole grumbled.
"Well, you are. Now stop whining and figure out how you're going to ask her."
Nicole rolled her eyes.
"Was this supposed to be a helpful conversation? Because I'm just more stressed now that you'll be breathing down my neck on top of it all."
"Grow a pair, Nicole."
Nicole grumbled and headed for the cooler to grab her gatorade, not before throwing one at Wynonna and getting fussed at by Nedley (totally worth it).
After practice, Nicole and Wynonna had showered, dressed, and met Waverly at the front of the school in Gus' pickup truck. The whole drive to the Homestead was quiet on Nicole's end, filled only with the sounds of Wynonna's incessant belching and the lull of Radiohead easing out of the speakers. Once home, Wynonna bounded down the basement stairs into her "womancave" and left the couple to their own devices.
"What is up with you?" Waverly finally asked as Nicole chewed the eraser off the tip of her pencil, trying to read the same math problem for the eighth time.
"What do you mean?" the redhead asked, though shifting and giving away that she knew exactly what Waverly meant.
"You're acting weird. Are you suddenly realizing you're not into me anymore?"
There was jest in Waverly's voice but a flicker of fear in her eyes, and Nicole surged forward to sooth any concern out of her girlfriend's mind.
"Baby, no! God, no, that's the last thing it could be. No, I'm so into you. So, so into you."
Waverly smiled, her confidence seeping back.
"Good, 'cause I'm really into you, too."
Nicole saw this as a perfect chance to change the subject and smirked devilishly.
"Well, then, wanna take a study break to show how 'in' to me you are?"
Waverly's throat dried at the innuendo, knowing she'd love nothing more than to show Nicole, both figuratively and literally, how 'into' her she was, but she knew there was a deeper problem at hand.
"Don't deflect, Nicole, you know I hate that. Now come on, what's wrong?"
Nicole shook her head and looked down, to the side, at her mathbook, anywhere Waverly's prying eyes weren't.
"I can't really tell you without ruining the surprise."
"What?" Waverly asked. "Nicole Haught, you'd better tell me what you mean. You aren't proposing, are you? I didn't think that'd come for another three years."
Nicole's jaw dropped.
"What? Waverly, no, I'm not proposing. Wait, you've planned on when I'm going to propose?"
"Aha, I knew you'd be the one to do it," Waverly giggled, booping Nicole's nose, then turning serious again. "But you totally aren't, right?"
"No, Waverly, I'm not proposing, I'm trying to figure out how to ask you to prom, what else would it be?"
Waverly raised an eyebrow, then giggled, then laughed. Nicole shifted uncomfortably.
"Nicole Haught, you're a wonder. You're my girlfriend, I just assumed we were going together. You don't need to ask me in any fancy way."
Nicole worried her bottom lip between her teeth, which Waverly caught notice of.
"I don't?"
"No, silly," the brunette purred, sliding into her girlfriend's lap and straddling her hips. "You are perfect just as you are. There's no need to stress over an unnecessary 'promposal,' that doesn't define how much you care about me."
"Thank god," Nicole huffed, pecking pink lips.
"But if you'd like me to show you some other ways that could define it, I'd be happy to," Waverly teased, leaning down to nip at Nicole's ear. Nicole relented for a brief moment, letting Waverly's soft tongue trace the shell of her ear and teeth lightly drag along an earlobe, but then spoke up.
"Baby, uh, there's another thing."
"Mhm," Waverly murmured, kissing a line down pale, taught skin.
"I have no clue what to wear."
Waverly pulled away slightly at that and smiled.
"Oh, but I do."
Nicole was nervous. Really nervous.
The school year had come and gone all too quickly, and the weather was heating up as early April took hold. Finals were coming, the Blue Devils were prepping for the end-of-year playoffs, and there was prom.
Prom.
Prom, tonight.
Tugging at the fabric at her legs, Nicole shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't that she didn't feel beautiful - she did. In fact, this was the prettiest she'd ever felt. But would it be enough for Waverly?
"Baby!" A voice called from downstairs. "Are you done in there yet?"
Nicole sighed and tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear, straightening up and swallowing one last time.
This was it.
Pushing the door open, Nicole left Wynonna's bedroom, where she'd been allocated a changing space, and walked to the stairs, taking in one last deep breath and beginning the descent.
"Babygirl, get in here, she's coming!" Wynonna, already at the foot of the stairs, hollered. Nicole blushed as she paused briefly and glared daggers at her best friend, who only shrugged.
But she didn't have enough time to be angry - there came Waverly, scurrying in from the other room, in a beautiful burgundy dress. Beautiful crystals hung in her half-up/half-down auburn hair, and her lips were lined with the most delicious shade of red Nicole had ever laid eyes on. She wanted so to kiss it right off of her girlfriend.
"Hey, Haught-shit, pick your jaw up off the ground and keep walking, we're already late," Wynonna grumbled.
As Nicole blushed sheepishly and continued her descent, Waverly's jaw couldn't help but go a little slack, as well. There she was: Nicole Haught, in a suit. Of course, Wynonna was in one, too; she couldn't resist after first seeing it on the pitcher that she went out with Dolls and Doc to buy their suits together, along with matching pocket squares. But on Nicole, that suit just looked natural. It looked right. It looked…
God, she wanted to tear it right off of her.
"Okay, okay," Wynonna said, jumping between the pair as Nicole made it to the ground floor. "We haven't even left the house yet. The night is young, grasshoppers - plenty of time to drool over each other later."
"Wynonna!" Gus shouted from the dining room. "Get in here so I can take your damn picture with these poor boys and they can stop squirming like ants under a magnifying glass!"
Wynonna groaned and shot the two a warning look before storming into the dining room, leaving the pitcher and cheerleader alone at the foot of the stairs.
"You look-" Nicole began.
"Incredible," Waverly breathed out, sliding her hands up Nicole's arms and instinctively into the hair at the nape of her neck. Nicole's eyes wanted to roll back at the sensation as she stepped closer.
"Do you like it?" Nicole asked.
"Duh, I picked it out," Waverly giggled, twisting her fingers in Nicole's short curls.
"Yeah, but you hadn't seen it on me, I was worried-"
Waverly jumped forward and sealed their lips together before Nicole could finish, sucking the taste of the pineapple lip balm Nicole had just applied off of plump lips. Bringing her hands up to cup a sharp jawline, she let her tongue flicker out just enough to warn Nicole that she was there before retreating again and pulling away, her lips chased by Nicole's.
"Baby, you look amazing," Waverly assured, pressing a kiss to a pale hand.
Nicole was dizzy, but she smiled.
"What do you say we skip the pictures and have a little pre-prom party in my car?"
Waverly smiled.
"I think that can be arranged."