AN: Hi! This one is a little short, but it has a lot going on. For the drama lovers, this one's for you!

Aura woke up holding Tegan, facing the back of her head. Although she couldn't see her face, Tegan's deep, slow breathing indicated that she was still asleep. Grateful to be able to have coffee before receiving whatever Tegan's anxiety decided to report, Aura placed a soft kiss to the back of her neck and carefully slipped out of bed.

The twins overslept from the alcohol and staying up later, so they had to get ready in a rush to be able to fit in showers for everyone. They were supposed to meet at Jeremy's house by noon, leaving no time for the discussions they had been having.

Aura drove them with directions from Tegan, and they walked straight to the backyard where a couple dozen people were already hanging out. Near the fence on one side, a couple long tables were covered with assortments of food, and some coolers where under them, filled with ice and different drink options.

Everyone socialized for a while, grazing the food table occasionally, and more people showed up. Aura had previously met their parents, Jeremy, Emy, and a few of their other friends, so Tegan introduced her to some more. The day was going well. It was sunny and warm, still technically summer for a couple more days. Sara was chatting with a group of people across the yard while Tegan and Aura were talking to a few of her friends.

"Who is that?" Aura asked, doing a chin-up nod in Sara's direction.

"That's Stacy," Tegan answered once she figured out who Aura meant. "She's Rachel's best friend. She's in town for some work thing and came with Rachel and Jack...because Sara invited her," she said the last part suggestively.

"Oh really?" Aura said, tilting her head.

"Yeah, she was apparently really bitchy the first time they met, and she's hot, so of course Sara just swooned," Tegan laughed.

"She is hot," Aura agreed. "But Sara's thing for women who are bitchy to her really does make me wonder about her sometimes," she joked back.

"You and me both," Tegan chuckled. "Oh hey, do you have a hair tie?" she changed the subject, rubbing the sweat off the back of her neck. The midday sun was just a bit warmer than comfortable.

"Sure," Aura said, pulling one out of her pocket to hand to her.

Tegan put her hair in a ponytail, and Jeremy immediately noticed a secret that had been hidden all day.

"That's a pretty solid hickey, Tee," he laughed.

Tegan froze and her eyes grew wide. Aura turned to look, seeing no such mark. She quickly moved to the other side of her girlfriend and saw the bruise sitting right behind Tegan's bent ear. It was positioned just right that her ear hid if from her own sight in the mirror, and it had been covered by her hair when it was down, even tucked behind her ear. However, the ponytail put it on full display.

"Oh shit, Tee," Aura smiled without missing a beat. "My bad. I guess I really did miss you, huh?"

Tegan turned her head and locked eyes with Aura. They both knew that it hadn't been there the day before. A trace of fear ran through Tegan's eyes, but it was small enough that only Aura could see, so she took Tegan's hand and gave it a small squeeze.

"Ha, yeah. I guess so," Tegan replied, nervousness hinting in in her tone.

"Oh, come on, Tegan. Just because you're a prude when it comes to talking about sex doesn't mean anyone thinks you're a virgin," Jeremy teased her.

The sweat from Tegan's palm soaked into Aura's. As much as she wanted to put her hair back down to hide the hickey, Tegan didn't think she could without raising more suspicions, even though her friends seemed to believe Aura's claim over it. The conversation continued in another direction, and Aura pulled out her phone, sending a quick text.

"Nature calls," she said, giving Tegan a kiss on the cheek.

From her angle, Tegan saw Aura walk into the house as Sara checked her phone, following behind after a few moments. Her thoughts raced. She didn't know what Aura would be talking to Sara about in private other than the hickey. There were witnesses, so she couldn't just run off to join them. Aura had just saved their asses, but she didn't know the cost yet. She hoped against hope that things weren't about to explode.

Making sure the coast was clear, Aura shoved Sara into the bathroom, locking the door behind them. She grabbed Sara's shoulders and started inspecting her exposed skin.

"What? What's going on? What are you doing?" Sara asked, thoroughly confused.

"You gave Tegan a hickey," Aura explained, looking her in the eye. "I said it was me, but you don't have a girlfriend, so I'm seeing if you have anything visible."

Sara choked on her own saliva.

"You did what?" she whispered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ambush you," Aura kept going. "I just didn't know how we'd explain you having one, too. I wouldn't have said it was me, but Jeremy pointed it out. I'm sorry," she apologized, sure that she had offended Sara but not sure what about.

"No, no, no," Sara shook her head and took Aura's wrists away from her shoulders. "I mean, you covered for... it?" She had wanted to say 'me' or 'us', but she couldn't make either come out of her mouth.

"Yeah?" Aura furrowed her brow. "Everyone saw it when she put her hair up."

"You... you didn't have to do that," Sara said softly, not sure whether to thank or console her. She stepped back slightly, letting go of Aura's wrists to cross her arms.

"Yeah, I did." Aura was still confused. "I told you. Everyone saw it."

"No, I mean, like... Shit. We fucked up. I'm so sorry," Sara said, nearly in tears. "We fucked up, and that is something we should have to live with, not you. That's... I'm so sorry we did that to you. You're not a cover."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Aura soothed and hugged her tightly, finally understanding what she meant. "Breathe. Just breathe. You didn't do anything to me. Tegan didn't ask me to say anything."

"But... you were so scared, and we hurt you. That's what you said. You didn't want to be a cover," Sara shook her head against Aura.

"Yeah, in Tegan's heart." Aura leaned back in their embrace to meet Sara's damp eyes. "I don't want to just be a cover to Tegan. I don't give a shit what others know or think. And I was scared, but neither of you hurt me, okay?" Sara nodded a bit. "Good. Now, clean up your face. I'll wait in the hall."

Aura stepped out while Sara tried to hide the fact that she had cried. They walked back out to the party, laughing as Aura joked to cheer Sara up. Tegan saw them and breathed a small sigh of relief from their smiles. Sara wandered off to flirt with Stacy some more, while Aura came back to their group. She gave Tegan a squeeze on the hand and a kiss on the cheek, then excused herself for a smoke.

Around the other side of the house and far from any guests, Aura lit her cigarette and leaned against the wall. A smile played on her lips as she finally had a moment to find the humor in the situation since the stress of it had passed. Tegan hated hickeys, at least anywhere visible, and now she had to deal with one for a few days. It was small enough of a matter that it was actually quite hilarious.

"Hey, can I bum one?" Jeremy asked as he joined her.

"Sure," Aura offered. "Just don't make me fall in love with you, too," she quipped, knowing he knew the story of how she and Tegan had met.

"Nah," Jeremy laughed. "Tegan and I tried that in high school. Turns out gay is gay from both directions."

Aura giggled and nodded, also knowing their history. Jeremy stood a few feet in front of her while he smoked, and as their laughter died down, he bit his lip in thought.

"It was Sara, wasn't it?" he asked quietly.

"What was Sara?" Aura asked, genuinely confused. The chat had distracted her enough that she missed his meaning.

"I've known them longer than pretty much anyone but their own family," Jeremy started, taking a drag as he paused. "I know them."

"Yeah, and?" Aura furrowed her brow and slightly nodded, trying to convey further confusion, although she was well into mild panic in her head.

"Look," he sighed. "You don't have to say anything to me right now. I get it. Just let me say this to you." Aura nodded slowly, so he continued. "I love them both. They're my family. And I saw what you did, so I know you love them like I do... And that you know like I do. Probably more than I do, ha. But if I brought anything up to either of them... Let's just say I know it'd go bad, and I don't want to test how bad. So, like, if any part of this made sense to you, could you tell them that I know and love them?"

Aura raised her eyebrow and tried to look even more confused, even weirded out. She couldn't think of any potential meaning to his words other than the obvious as much as she tried to find one. He didn't wait for a response, though, keeping to his word that she didn't have to give one. He just left, taking his unfinished cigarette with him.

The rest of the party went without a hitch. Everything almost seemed entirely normal. There were no other comments about the hickey from anyone, and Jeremy acted like the confession to Aura never happened. However, Aura could not get it out of her mind.