[chapter_22]
Tuesday is a whirlwind of activity as Rose and Leah move back into the dorm. They wind up arriving within an hour of each other and spend the entire time bickering - Leah insisting Rose unpack properly and Rose insisting that Leah should mind her own business. Alice tries to mediate, but all she manages to accomplish is a frowning observation at the number of all-black ensembles Leah brought back from Washington, which is less than helpful.
Bella stands back and basks in it all, feeling full in her heart and unable to keep the smile off her face. She's missed this - she's missed them. It's beyond great that they've been reunited. Bella contents herself in helping where she can, letting this sense of normalcy fall back into place.
"You know what I missed?" Leah asks the room, collapsing onto one of the bean bag chairs after everything has been put away to her satisfaction. She lolls her head toward Bella lazily. "I actually missed your sleep talking."
"You did not," Bella disagrees with a smile.
Leah lifts her brows. "I did! It's like sleeping with the TV on by now. I had the hardest time falling asleep. I always do without your nonsense jabber."
Rose shakes her head as she passes by, her hands full of toiletries to be sorted into her bathroom cubby. "What are you talking about? You always complain about it."
"Fondly," Leah insists. "I complain about it fondly."
Bella moves to lay across another beanbag. She lightly kicks at Leah's foot. "You shouldn't joke. Now I'll probably keep you up all night," she says.
"Oh, please," Leah scoffs. "Like you're going to be any worse than Seth, gaming and trash-talking all night. Can I just say how much I prefer your silent gaming?"
Bella rolls her eyes.
Alice breezes back into the common room, tucking herself right by Bella's knee. Bella pets at her smooth hair, catching Leah's inquisitive eye; Bella lifts a brow; Leah widens her eyes; Bella shrugs; Leah scoffs.
"So, how was the Immersion Program?" Alice asks eagerly. "Did you have fun?"
Leah looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "It was interesting. Lots of different tribes from all over the country. I had a really interesting conversation with this one freshman from Navajo nation." Leah pauses. "I don't remember being half as doe-eyed as these freshmen."
"Leah, you've never been doe-eyed a day in your life," Bella tells her.
"…You have a point."
"What I want to know about," Rose says as she comes out of the bathroom, crossing over to sit at one of the desks. "Is this PBS thing. When do we get to see it?"
Leah makes a face. It's her stressed-face, mouth pulled back into a grimace, eyes tight. "Ugh, don't remind me. Old Quill is such a con-man, I swear."
Bella laughs and answers Rose's question. "Apparently, it's supposed to be airing sometime in October," she says. "She gets a primetime slot and everything."
"How do you know that?" Leah demands.
Bella blinks. "Obviously, I checked online. Why, are you trying to hide it?"
"Yes," Leah hisses.
"I don't get it," Alice says, tilting her head. "I thought you wanted to make documentaries? Isn't this a good thing?"
Leah groans.
"Don't mind her," Bella says, trying to muffle her humor. "Leah's always had stage fright. Actually, when she was, like, nine or ten-"
"Bella, don't," Leah warns.
Bella ignores her with a gleeful smile. "-she was part of a stage play on the res and ended up throwing up all over our friend Paul, who has not let her live it down and has held a grudge about it ever since."
"You traitor," Leah accuses.
Rose looks somewhat surprised. "That's so ironic, considering she's always filming you."
"I know, right?"
Leah makes a face. "Enough about me. Let's talk about you two. Specifically, let's talk about this fight you two had!"
Alice looks back, exchanging a weighted, somewhat guilty look with Bella, who merely pets her head again. "It was a little fight," Bella says.
"A little fight," Leah echoes in disbelief.
Rose snorts. "A little fight that had you moving out of the dorm and shacking up with your boyfriend."
"My boyfriend's brother's fiancée," Bella corrects, for what feels like the millionth time. She purses her lips, knowing that they're giving her a hard time for the humor of it, even as Alice shifts and looks down. "It's no big deal, now. We've made up and we're good. Right, Ali?"
Alice smiles somewhat meekly. "Water under the bridge, hopefully."
"It is," Bella assures her.
Rose and Leah look at each other.
"I'm letting it slide," Leah says.
Rose flips her hair over her shoulder. "We're all big girls here, so I'm glad you two could resolve this by yourselves. But," she reminds them. "We have a dorm rule. No in-fighting. So, tell us what happened so we can prevent this sort of thing in the future."
Bella bites her lip, because while she would love to talk about it - because talking about it as a group and outlining where things went wrong and figuring out how to do better is always the smartest thing to do - it's not really her place, either, because it's not her story to tell.
To Alice's credit, however, she launches into the story without skipping over any details, even the messy ones that have her ducking her head in shame. They all listen carefully, even Bella who has heard the entire thing once before. As Alice speaks, Bella can see the righteous fury that passes over Leah's face and the cold anger that straightens Rose's spine. They're silent, but obviously angered - anger, it seems, that crops up when Jasper or James are mentioned. In contrast, when Alice talks about the actual blow-up at Bella, both girls send Bella looks of varying sympathy, although Leah's is tinged with a slight resentment as she darts her eyes between Alice and Bella.
Leah's thoughts are easy to read for Bella. Her sister wants to know why she isn't holding a grudge, even though she clearly should and is definitely entitled to. If it were Leah, she would have given as good as she got.
But Bella isn't Leah and it's not in her nature. She had been hurt by the things Alice said, had questioned herself, but she hadn't ever been angry about it or anything that did - or didn't - happen immediately afterward. How could she, knowing that her friend was obviously distressed? Maybe Leah would have boiled and maybe Rose would have frozen over, but Bella has always been a cool, placid lake. Anger does not have a way of staying in her heart, because even turbulent waters eventually calm.
Alice has already been forgiven, especially now that Bella knows the entire story. If anything, Bella feels a healthy dose of remote dislike for the people who had contributed to the situation. She doesn't understand the motivations of James Denali, and neither does she understand Jasper Whitlock. What had she, as Swansong, done to anger one? What had she, as herself, done to entice the other? It had been misfortune and misunderstanding that created a perfect storm for Alice to be lost in, and that is what clutches at Bella.
She doesn't care for the surface incidents. She wants to know about the things in the shadows. But as far as Alice knows - and as far as Bella, as Swansong, can determine - James Denali was a wild card, which means Bella cannot piece together his catalyst. At most, she figures Swansong had angered him in the game, somehow. But as she has thought before, that's not a very good clue.
Jasper Whitlock, on the other hand, is a topic that Alice knows much more about, visibly torn about his entire role.
"And after that?" Rose prompts.
"Has he approached you?" Leah asks.
Alice takes a breath. "He…apologized."
This is news to Bella. She raises her brows, looking at Alice in askance. "And then…?"
"And then nothing," Alice says vaguely.
Rose makes a skeptical noise.
Alice wilts, then mumbles, "I let him text me."
"Alice!" Rose says loudly. "He doesn't deserve that!"
Alice squirms, but even she doesn't look wholly convinced. "His apology was sincere…"
Bella sighs, patting Alice on the back. Maybe Alice hasn't fully forgiven Jasper, but knowing Alice, that forgiveness isn't far off. Hopefully he can prove himself, maybe not as a potential boyfriend, but at least as a friend. People make mistakes. Alice, in particular, is a fan of second chances.
But, that isn't to say her friends will let her get hurt twice. Even without verbally saying it, Bella knows that Rose and Leah are thinking the same thing, albeit with very different plans in mind.
"Don't waste your breath, Rose," Leah says, sinking further into the bean bag. "Alice has exactly one mean bone in her body and she already used it."
"Are you sure?" Bella checks, peering at Alice in concern.
Alice, who has twisted the hem of her shirt into wrinkles, shakes her head a little helplessly. "I don't know…Maybe? I just…I really don't know."
"Did you believe what he said?" Rose asks bluntly. "Or do you think it's something he'll do again?"
Alice remains uncertain.
"It's okay to be skittish, Ali," Bella tells her. She hasn't stood in Alice's place before, she hasn't been where Alice is standing, but she can understand the way a tender heart might work.
"Bella's right," Rose says, only somewhat stiff, crossing one leg over the other. "You can feel whatever and that's fine. Totally validated. If you don't trust him, then don't feel bad about it. If you do trust him, then just be cautious."
Leah levels Rose with a look. "Nice words of wisdom."
Rose lifts her chin. "I raided my mom's self-help books this summer. Mostly to beat Royce over the head, but they had some helpful tips inside, too."
"I can tell," Leah deadpans.
Bella leans close to Alice's ear, dropping her voice so only Alice can hear her over the renewed bickering of their roommates. "Hey, Ali?"
"Yeah?"
Bella releases a slow breath. "Just…remember that forgiveness doesn't mean you're giving someone permission to hurt you again. Okay? We love you for your big heart, but that doesn't mean you have to give it away just to be nice."
"I'm not," Alice says quietly. "I don't think I am. I think he meant it."
"Well, alright then."
Alice twists around, planting her chin on Bella's knee. She smiles sweetly, still a little small and unsure, but there all the same. "Thank you, for, you know…"
Bella's lips curl upward. "We look out for each other."
And this time, Bella thinks, she'll be looking out for Alice.
[Instagram]
(One picture post.
Four faces are scrunched into the frame, each of them making exaggerated faces beneath the different colors of mud masks; one face is avocado green, another is deep coal, the third is turquoise, and the last is a blue-purple. The only other distinguishing features are four distinctly different eye colors and shapes, and the varied tones in hair color. The one with dyed violet hair is the one taking the picture.
The girls look happy.)
Posted 20 min ago
clearly_filming_this you come to me on the day of our reunion and you ask me to wear a mud mask!
#godfather #canieatthismask #roomies #pipinghottea
Comments
byanyothername: you couldn't even get my good side? I have a reputation
mathmagician: all of your sides are good sides my queen!
jbisnowhere: I wouldn't mind if a few of those masks were sent my way
clarity_is_clear: buy your own you mooch
The morning after is the first day of classes. Bella is fully prepared, her laptop charged and in its ivory carrying case, her supplies organized, her textbooks tucked away in her denim backpack. She pulls on her comfiest jeans, plain white canvas shoes, and Masen's space-dyed grey hoodie, which swallows up her hands, bunching around her wrists, and falls just above her mid-thigh. She twists her hair into a high bun, pats her cheeks with her daily moisturizer, and slicks on tinted Chapstick. And then she looks at herself and thinks, Today I am starting my junior year of college.
Time has passed so quickly. Was it really only two years ago that she was taking her very first college classes and still getting lost on campus? It seems like a lifetime - and both so much and so little has happened since then. She almost can't wrap her head around it.
All four of them are bustling around the dorm, even though Bella is the only one with the earliest class, dead-set on having breakfast together on the first day of term, just like always. Bella's stomach is growling, a caged beast. She daydreams about what the nearest dining hall will offer - she could really go for a muffin, or maybe that thing Leah does where she wraps a pancake around sausage and dips the whole thing into syrup. Or both. With eggs.
"Can we go yet?" Bella asks, standing by the door.
Leah, emerging from their room, finishes zipping up her vinyl bomber jacket. "Oh, calm down, beauty queen. The dining hall isn't going to run out of food."
"There's a first time for everything," Bella retorts. Then she pauses, backtracking over what Leah had said. "And don't call me that."
A smirk wiggles its way across Leah's face. "Why not? That's what you are."
Bella huffs. "I am not! That contest is a ridiculous-"
"Waste of bandwidth and energy," Rose recites with her as she passes by, wrestling her newly beach-blonde hair into a semblance of order.
Leah snickers. "Yeah, that."
Bella pushes her lip out. She isn't wrong, is she? She still can't believe people pay attention to such insipid things. It's always so much trouble than it's worth - or rather, it causes Bella more trouble than it's worth, because the stupid thing always puts a spotlight on her, right in the first few weeks of the fall semester when she's trying to acclimate to a new routine.
"Maybe you won't be nominated this year!" Alice says brightly, coming to stand beside Bella, looping their arms together.
Rose snorts.
"Yeah, good luck with that," Leah says facetiously, pulling open the door and locking it behind them as they leave.
Bella narrows her eyes. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing," Leah says coolly. "Maybe Alice is right and you won't be nominated. Maybe Twitter won't cancel someone today. Both things are possible."
Bella frowns, following after her sister skeptically, Alice practically skipping by her side. "You better not nominate me," Bella says, staring at Leah with narrow-eyed accusation.
Leah holds her hands up, palms out. "I didn't in the first place! I just think it's funny how annoyed you are by the whole thing," she defends, just like she always does.
Bella probably believes her. Probably. It would be easier if she wasn't so mirthful about it, but that's just Leah. She's always been like that, alternately intensely focused and wildly unpredictable, her heart always in near-enough the right place.
"It is pretty funny," Alice agrees cheekily.
Bella pinches her side. She really hopes to escape the Cardinal Trees contest this year, but she doubts she will. Maybe it's better to hope that she loses - surely that would bring less attention to her, right? Who cares about a runner-up?
By the time they reach the dining hall and Bella has loaded up a tray with the stuff of a well-rounded breakfast, their conversation has shifted several times. Leah is glad to have all afternoon courses this quarter because it means she can sleep in. Alice is excited about the design course she can take now that she passed her art prerequisite. Rose is determined to knuckle down and get work experience by the summer because there's a finance program she wants to apply for next year, but she isn't sure where to start. Bella mentions that her internship with Midnight Sun is still technically on-going, so she shouldn't be around on Fridays, and Rose wonders if they could use a helping hand from someone like her. Bella promises to ask.
And then Leah mentions the thing that Bella has been hoping everyone would miraculously forget about. "So, the baby of our group is having a birthday soon," she says casually, dark eyes lighting up gleefully when Bella's face twists in distaste. "And even though she hates her birthday, she should know that this one is a right of passage and we will be celebrating it."
"Bar crawl," Rose says immediately.
"Twenty-one things for twenty-one years!" Alice suggests brightly.
Bella sinks lower in her sink. "Or we could just go a quiet night in. That's also an option."
Leah wags her finger at Bella in admonishment. "Now, come on, sis. Don't be a spoilsport. You're the last of us to reach drinking age, so you should know we've been patiently waiting for you to have certain iconic college experiences."
"The iconic experience of vomiting our guts out?" Bella asks dryly.
"That would be the one," Leah confirms.
Bella wrinkles her nose. "I don't want to go to a bar," she says, just barely on the verge of whining. "We can do anything else, but I really don't see the point. Can't we just get lit on, like, wine coolers at the dorm?"
They all laugh at her, even Alice, and Bella feels resignation settle over her shoulders.
Well. At least she has a few weeks to get used to the idea. Honestly, the things she'll do for her friends.
Bella Swan ʘthelittlecygnet
#collegelife is accidentally going to the wrong lecture hall #ImNotTakingThisClass
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
ʘthelittlecygnet I see your #collegelife and raise you the tale of this one guy who didn't realize he wasn't taking the class until it was over #thelookonhisface
Alice Bee ʘaliceseesyou
#collegelife is being afraid of the scary TA who laughs at your questions
Rose Hale ʘbyanyothername
You're all wrong. #collegelife is attending the 8AM class of your 8PM class accidentally #thisonewins
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
ʘbyanyothername do you really think your story wins?
Rose Hale ʘbyanyothername
ʘClearlyFlimingThis he was 12 hours early how does that not win?
Seth Clearwater ʘchangethisquil
ʘthelittlecygnet ʘClearlyFlimingThis why don't you two ever tell me these things when you're home?
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
ʘchangethisquil you're too young to understand
Seth Clearwater ʘchangethisquil
I'm 16!
Bella Swan ʘthelittlecygnet
ʘchangethisquil Too young
Bella makes time on Thursday night to log onto Dawn of Warcraft. In a way, it feels like coming home to see Swansong on the screen, treading through daily quests to collect rare herbs and help a wayward NPC villager cross a river. She hasn't been able to play the last few days, which is typical for the beginning of a semester, so it's nice to squeeze in a few consecutive hours before her classes really pick up. And she has a feeling they will very soon, if only because she's taking a fifth course this quarter that's kind of like a computer lab for software engineering. She's actually looking forward to the early morning lab, especially after seeing what software engineering looks like in the real world.
Time will only tell if she'll feel the same in a few weeks, when surely the novelty of waking up so early for that one class will wear off. She isn't a morning person. Ideally, all of her classes would be in the afternoon, too. But the way her class schedule worked out, it was either take one morning class this semester, or take four morning classes in the spring. She chose the lesser of two evils.
Bella guides Swansong into finishing another daily request. She's going through her inventory, sorting through her excess, and deciding what to donate to her guild, when a private message pops up on the corner of her screen. She still hasn't changed the block on the public chat from several months ago and has found the peace of not knowing what online chatter soothing. But of course, the forum news is never too far with Janeway as a friend.
《 Janeway: so I've been hearing things
《 Janeway: ApPArenTLy there's a DOW sequel in the works
《 Janeway: how cool is that?
Bella sits back against her pillows. Janeway is right, of course, because there is a sequel to Dawn of Warcraft in the works and deciding its direction has become something of a debacle. But Bella only knows about this because of her interning at Midnight Sun. She wouldn't have known otherwise simply because Volturi hasn't released any official information - and Volturi is notorious for keeping things under wraps until things are concrete. Even Bella's speculations about the Dread Cave leading to other avenues of play on an expanded map are just that - speculations from a player searching for tell-tale clues.
She has no earthly idea where Janeway got this information. But of course, she doesn't know what Janeway does during her free time - and her gaming friend does have a mysterious ability to know all of the gossip even before it hits the official forums. Bella tries not to be too surprised.
》Swansong: where did you hear that?
《 Janeway: oh just around
《 Janeway: you can find news about anything if you know where to look
Well. Bella suspects now more than ever that Janeway has some…unscrupulous internet habits. Maybe Janeway is like Garrett, who is apparently gifted in backdoor hacking.
Still, regardless of what Janeway does or doesn't know for certain, Bella happens to possess insider knowledge that she has been trusted to keep quiet. So she plays it cool, trying to sound skeptical without confirming or denying whatever rumor Janeway has stumbled across.
》Swansong: I'll take your word for it
《 Janeway: you should
《 Janeway: I know all
Bella snorts, shaking her head at her laptop screen. In the game, Janeway's avatar has materialized next to hers and looks a little worse for the ware. A cursory glance at Janeway's HP clues Bella into the fact that Janeway had likely just barely survived a quest. Her inventory still open, Bella kindly heals Janeway and sends an extra bundle of healing herbs for Janeway to make another potion later on.
《 Janeway: thanks!
》Swansong: no problem
》Swansong: you know a lot of things, that's true, except for how to survive a dungeon
》Swansong: :)
《 Janeway: okay first
《 Janeway: rude
《 Janeway: and second, I was part of a raid that had fifty other players
《 Janeway: someone was bound to get stabbed
《 Janeway: this time it was me
》Swansong: if you would just adjust your armor…
The armor issue is one that she and Janeway have revisited over and over. Female armor in video games is, Bella thinks, one part patriarchal objectification of women and one part a disturbing need to appeal to players with sex because the game itself is not good. She's always thought it was strange because Dawn of Warcraft is an excellent game that does not need to use revealing armor on female-looking characters to cover up the fact that the game is either boring or poorly made.
Of course, there's surely an aspect of fashion sense that is going over Bella's head, given that she doesn't care all that much about it. She has eyes, so she knows that certain female armor sets are prettier than others, but Bella pays more attention to the protection they offer than how they look. Janeway is much the opposite. She plays for fun, mostly, so she doesn't care too much about the things serious gamers like Bella think about.
《 Janeway: oh whatever
《 Janeway: not all of us have husbands to give us customized armor
Bella smiles. She does like the rich jewel tones of the armor her Master Culler has given her, especially their modest cut and unrivaled protection. She sorely misses this armor when she's playing as Swanning - she always forgets what it was like before she had this much protection, so Swanning takes a few more hits than before Bella's main account got an upgrade. She has to be careful not to get lazy. Armor is good, but she shouldn't rely on it too much…
《 Janeway: how's that going btw
》Swansong: what?
《 Janeway: your marriage obviously
》Swansong: oh
》Swansong: we're dating irl
》Swansong: did I forget to tell you?
《 Janeway: what!
《 Janeway: when did that happen?
》Swansong: this summer
《 Janeway: so I gathered
《 Janeway: but WHEN?
Bella squints in thought. It's a harder question than it should be. Honestly, Bella would say that she officially started dating Masen after their first date; but, if prompted, Masen would say they started dating when they finalized their in-game marriage. They can't manage to agree, but, for Janeway, Bella opts to go with her opinion.
》Swansong: June
《 Janeway: that's
《 Janeway: that's 3 months ago
《 Janeway: way to bury the damn lede!
》Swansong: I really didn't mention it?
《 Janeway: you didn't lol
《 Janeway: but you also wouldn't
Janeway has a point. But given how many online lives Bella leads, is it any wonder she is prone to forget mentioning important life events to friends? On top of being a generally private person, she really can't be blamed for it, can she?
《 Janeway: it's fine
《 Janeway: I can't even be mad
《 Janeway: actually I'm happy bc I just won some bets with certain asshat players
》Swansong: bets?
《 Janeway: I told you you'd be making some rumors true didn't i?
Vaguely, Bella recalls teasing several weeks back during early summer. Janeway had said something about certain rumors, but Bella had put it out of her mind. She's a little irked, if not surprised, that Janeway had elected to place some sort of bet on the whole thing. She really doesn't want to know the details - she has a feeling she will be deeply mortified to know anything more about it.
《 Janeway: I took advantage of the situation
《 Janeway: so now I have new armor coming my way
《 Janeway: gold level
》Swansong: funny how things work out!
《 Janeway: right?
》Swansong: I'm so happy for you lol
《 Janeway: I'm just easy to please I guess
Bella huffs out a laugh when the next messages come through. Typical Janeway.
《 Janeway: now, about these dungeon raids
《 Janeway: how exactly does one survive them
》Swansong: I'll show you lol
Settling deeper into her pillow-laden perch and gearing up for the next hour or so of giving Janeway a tutorial on how to survive her current quest. It is, she thinks, a fine way to spend the rest of her evening.
Midnight Sunners (Group Chat)
Peter Programmer
Hey
Hey
The Intern
You're coming in today right
The Intern
Before 12
Why
Peter Programmer
Okay so here's the thing
Alistair needs HELP
Specifically
Your help
ASAP
Because he's unbearable
The CFO
He's always unbearable
Peter Programmer
More unbearable then
Call Me Chuckie
He can't use his dominant hand
I'd be grumpy too
Lame Not Liam
He just threatened to stab you
And Peter
Like 10 minutes ago
Call Me Chuckie
And I understand his frustration
The Intern
What does he need my help with?
Peter Programmer
What doesn't he need your help with!?
He won't delegate!
Lame Not Liam
Me and Chuck are working on
our own things
There's nobody to delegate to
The Intern
Okay…
But shouldn't Alistair be telling me this?
The CFO
Pete's doing you a favor
Believe it or not
The Intern
Really?
Peter Programmer
He's in a no-phone meeting
with The Boss rn
but I'm here to prepare you
Things are tense in your dept
Call Me Chuckie
Things are tense in all dept
Lame Not Liam
It's more tense for us though
We have just
So
Much
To do
The Intern
I can stay late tonight
Should I take work home
to finish during the week
Peter Programmer
Youre a genius
Yes
That's exactly what you shld do!
The CFO
Why didn't we think of that?
Call Me Chuckie
You could do prelim designs…
The Boss
No
Peter Progammer
WHAT
No?!
The CFO
I should have known
The Intern
It's no problem
Really, I could make time
The Boss
You have too many classes
Focus on school
The Intern
I can do it
The Boss
Bella
The Intern
Masen
Peter Programmer
Are we
Are we seeing a battle of wills
The CFO
Is this a fight?
Peter Programmer
Does anyone else see Mase's face
Lame Not Liam
I feel uncomfortable
The Boss
We'll talk when you get here
The Intern
Yes
We will.
The CFO
Oh shit
Peter Programmer
RIP Masen
The Boss
Peter
You don't look busy enough
Check your email
Peter Programmer
Oh god damnit
Why is it always me?
Usually, when Bella is at Midnight Sun, her first order of business is checking her desk for any new projects that have been passed to her, logging into the company communication network, and organizing the tasks she needs to complete. She likes to know what her goals are for the day.
However, the first thing Bella does when she gets to Midnight Sun is go directly to the back office, where Masen is waiting for her, leaning up against his desk with his arms folded and his ankles crossed. Under the eyes of a dozen other people who have surely seen their minor disagreement on the company group chat, Bella closes the door, locking eyes with Masen.
"I can do some work from the dorm until Alistair's cast comes off," are the first words to leave her mouth.
"You're taking five classes this quarter," Masen counters.
"I know what my time looks like," Bella returns.
"I don't want you to sacrifice your grades for this company," he says.
"And I appreciate that," she tells him plainly. "But it's also not your choice to make. If I say I can handle it, then I deserve a chance to try."
Although Masen's face remains as placid as ever, she can see the minute pinch of his lips, the tick in his jaw, the clear struggle in his eyes as he wars with the needs of his company and his desire to make sure Bella isn't inconvenienced or strained in any way. She understands where he's coming from. He's a recent graduate who also had a complicated double-major, along with a bunch of additional minor classes, so he is intimately aware with the kind of time commitment a full course load takes, especially if one wants to do well. He doesn't want to place any extra stress onto Bella, not for the sake of his company.
But at the same time - Alistair is still a few weeks away from getting that cast off and the sooner projects out of the graphic design department are completed, the sooner others can piece everything together.
"I can do it," Bella says, appealing to Masen's sense of practicality. "It's only for a little while, right? Besides, I want to be involved."
Masen breathes out through his nose. "Three project limit for take-home work," he bargains.
Bella nods. Three projects to complete during the week, plus whatever she can do on Fridays, is a reasonable compromise.
"Make sure you take home one of the tablets today," he adds, not quite reluctant. "Share the completed work to the cloud."
Bella smiles, stepping into his space, rocking onto her tip-toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Will do, Boss."
Masen's lips twitch. "Not you, too."
Bella meanders backward, a playful expression on her face as she shrugs her shoulders. "What's wrong with it? You are the boss, aren't you?"
Masen's eyes trail over her, something deliberate and heated in them, and Bella's heart trips over itself. "I'm not your boss all the time."
She bites her lip, unable to quite meet his eye, suddenly feeling very shy. "I should…" Bella trails off, reaching behind her for the doorknob.
"I'll find you for dinner," Masen promises, already circling around to his desk chair, seemingly putting the charged air around them completely out of his mind - just like that.
Bella, meanwhile, ends up stumbling over her feet when she closes the door behind her, and then looks up at a dozen faces looking at her with obvious expectation. The back office is soundproofed and there's only so much anyone can read from the body language through window-walls. Face hot, Bella valiantly lifts her chin and, trying for an un-flappable tone, says, "I won."
There are cheers around the room. Bella doesn't even feel bad about the teasing Masen will surely get later. It would serve him right for flustering her so much in the middle of the workday!
Gathering herself, Bella goes to her desk and picks up her animation tablet from the shrine of swans, before scuttling over to the graphics department to get direct instructions from Alistair, who is notably grumpy and glaring at his cast resentfully but who also gives her clear directions for what the vision is for DOW2.
Bella is intensely interested to learn that Midnight Sun is vested in representation in a way many video games are not. It's probably a gamble, what the graphics department has cooked up in their rough outlines, but Bella, as a female gamer on some kind of queer scale, can appreciate the vision. She's actually quite touched by it - and impressed.
Midnight Sun's mission statement is to revolutionize the gaming industry. She thinks that, with what the graphics department has in mind alone, that they are well on their way to doing just that.
And it all starts with Alistair saying, "Our characters shouldn't only be binary."
Bella sits down. "Do you mean…?"
Alistair nods, some of his irritation melting away. He's never been terse with her and neither have Garrett or Masen. She really doesn't understand their reputations for being prickly.
"There's more than two genders," Alistair says firmly. In his left hand, he clumsily twirls a pencil, which he has evidently been using to doodle jerky lines across his personal sketchbook. Some lines are darker than others, the pencil lead pressed into the paper, a sure sign of frustration.
"Our characters will reflect that. We want to cover everything to give players a full spectrum of options that reflect real life."
"I voted we just make all the avatars androgynous," Charles pipes in.
"And we vetoed you," Liam says tiredly, eyes not leaving his screen where he is rendering one of the early ideas. "It might have been easier, but we're Midnight Sun. Nothing we do is easy."
No truer words have been spoken by Bella's reckoning.
From there, they end up spending the next few hours brainstorming all the features they want to include, just on the avatar creation dialogue. Charles, at one point, says that the software engineers are going to be annoyed by how much data all of their ideas are going to take up, but Alistair is quick to mercilessly say that it's their job; we make things look good, they make things work. There's no hesitation after that, because now that Charles is placated, he really dives into how diverse they can make everything.
The board behind the cluster of computers dedicated to the graphics department soon becomes a collage of wild, far-fetched ideas. Bella is in charge of Googling reference images for the ideas that are being spitballed, running to and from the printer to pin up another idea. There are hairstyles, eye shapes, different noses, eyebrows, cheekbone shapes, jaw angles, neck lengths, shoulders, hands, wrists, torsos, backs, and every other part of the body - of as many distinct body shapes as possible - all the way down to the feet. Alistair is determined to start everything from scratch.
"I don't want to use stock bodies," he tells his team. "Other games use stock bodies. I want our bodies to be real."
"Then shouldn't that also mean we augment the abilities of these bodies?" Bella asks. Three sets of eyes turn to her and she sits up straighter, putting words to the thought that had popped up in her head. "I mean, larger bodies move more slowly, right? Smaller bodies are more agile and flexible, but they're also weaker. We can incorporate those specifications into how the avatars are built."
"That would definitely be expanding on how bosses are programmed," Liam admits.
"Should we also allow them to gain or lose weight?" Charles asks.
Alistair taps his pencil against his cast. "How would that work? What would cause weight changes? Specific quests?"
"Daily quests," Bella says. "Maybe your weight stays static, unless you are participating in certain daily quests. Kind of like a choose-your-own paradigm."
"The Sims 4 did something similar, but I haven't seen it done in our genre," Liam says.
"So, that means it's on the list?" Charles checks.
Alistair nods. "Pin it."
And so Bella does, squeezing this idea between dozens of others. And then she goes back to the chair she'd wheeled over from her desk and dives straight into another discussion about what they can innovate for personal avatar designs. Voice comes up, and with it a debate on what that would mean for pre-programmed speech options, or if they should even have audible speech. Liam snarkily says they can just have all the characters hum at each other, like Masen or Garrett, and it causes a great round of laughter that draws the attention of the rest of the room.
It continues from there. To Bella's delight, they start talking about the kind of armor they're going to be designing for characters. Clothing design isn't Bella's strong suit, but she certainly has ideas on what would and wouldn't be appropriate for the female-looking characters, thinking back on her dealings with Janeway.
"I have a roommate," she says at one point. "She's majoring in design and she plays DOW. She might have some ideas…"
Alistair glances at her thoughtfully. "Do you think she would be interested in coming in? We," he says, gesturing at the three professional graphic designers. "Are not exactly experts in fashion. Additional input might be useful."
"I'll ask her," Bella says, but privately she thinks Alice will jump on the chance. All the same, she does as she's directed, hunting down reference photos for the armor ideas the others are talking about, printing those out, and pinning them to the board.
So absorbed they are in discussing the grand ideas they each have, they don't realize they are the last still left in the office until Masen idles by, stopping just beside Bella's chair and peering down at their work. He makes a thoughtful noise and Liam exchanges eye rolls with Charles.
"Looks good," Masen says.
"We're making progress," Alistair agrees. "We'll start with creating character designs based on the race and classes we spoke about earlier this week."
"Give Bella three to be completed next week," Masen orders. "And then clock out. You've done enough."
Alistair pauses, looking up at Masen with mirth. "Is that your version of good job, Boss?"
"Mm."
Bella smiles and takes the assignments Alistair gives her - and the animation tablet Masen insists on her taking home - and then helps clean up the mess she'd help make in the office before she lets Masen pull her away. He leads her out of the office with a hand on the small of her back and she waves to the stragglers, who yell out their good-byes and grumble good-naturedly about the projects they have ahead of them.
Outside the office, Bella adjusts the cross-body bag she has long-since dedicated to her internship work and smiles prettily at Masen. "Where are you taking me?"
There is a tiny smile playing at the corner of Masen's mouth. "Found a place recently," he answers. "It's nearby. You'll like it."
"How do you know I'll like it?" she challenges.
Masen's arm slips around her waist, anchoring her firmly to his side as they cross the first street. "Because I know you," he says, and Bella's heart flutters at the sheer confidence he exudes.
He does know her. He knows her very well. She thinks one day he might know her better than anyone.
She hopes the same is true for her - that she will know him better than anyone, too.
The place Masen takes her to ends up being a hole-in-the-wall comic book shop that is tucked between a Mexican place and a yarn shop. There is a poster of Deadpool in the window nearest to the restaurant; Deadpool is holding a chimichanga and someone has printed out a speech bubble that says, Best Tacos In Town, and Yes, We Get A Discount For This Poster.
Inside, there are about twenty shelves lining three walls, with five other free-standing shelves squeezed into the center of the room, all of them lined and stacked with comic books, mint condition classic action figures, and Funko Pop dolls. There are also barrels and milk crates full of rolled-up posters and a glass case in the back that Bella bets is full of the first-edition treasures. Bella, who has never been to a comic book store in her life as she honestly hadn't ever had a specific interest in superheroes outside of movies, is immediately overwhelmed. She doesn't know where to start.
Well. That's not true. She does.
Bella twists around, brows raised high. "I didn't know you were into comics," she says with a faint sort of awe.
Masen tucks his hands into his pockets. "I have a small collection," he tells her. "In the loft."
This is news to Bella. Somehow, it makes Masen seem more boyish, especially the almost sheepish way he won't meet her eye. It's so cute. "You'll have to show me when we go back."
Masen cuts his gaze to her at that. "Tonight?"
Bella isn't completely out of touch. She understands his implication and she can already imagine the grief she's going to get when he leaves another hickey on her later - but all the same, she says, "Yes, tonight. Now…where do I begin?"
Masen tilts his head. "Do you like Marvel or DC? Dark Horse?"
"I liked the original Teen Titans when it was on Cartoon Network," Bella says after a beat. Raven and Starfire were her favorites, with Beast Boy coming in as a close third. She purses her lips, thinking. "But Marvel movies are better…"
"Hm. Follow me."
Bella does, trailing behind Masen with wide-eyed enthusiasm, starting at the rich colors of the comics they pass. From the back, the owner greets Masen by name and teases him for bringing his girlfriend and Masen says something back that Bella can't quite hear, because she's no longer paying attention, having stopped in front of a rack, pulled out a comic, and become quickly engrossed by the art inside.
After a while, Masen circles back around to her. "I see you found Spider-Gwen," he says, stepping up close behind her so he can look over her shoulder as she slowly flips through.
"It's incredible," she says honestly. "I've been missing out."
"Marvel has more realistic characters," Masen tells her.
"That's probably why I like it," she decides after a moment, closing the comic book and hugging it to her chest. She's definitely buying it. She should probably find the first issue, though, since she's admittedly a bit lost about the storyline. She bends closer to the shelf, hunting down the earliest issue available, and reaches for it with a sense of victory.
"Mm?"
Bella gathers the next few issues, too, just to be safe. Distractedly, she adds, "I like the realism. Did you know that's what we're going for with the DOW2 project? I'm so happy about it, really, because video games could use a better dose of realism…."
Bella trails off, holding her stack as thoughts tumble through her head. She turns, chewing on her lip as she meets Masen's patient - and amused and fond-just-for-her - eyes, his expression otherwise blank.
There's an idea that's been floating around in the back of her mind ever since she spoke up earlier. If they can render specific body shapes and code in performance parameters of those bodies, then what else can they do? What can they do that hasn't been done before? She looks to Masen, putting her thoughts into words.
"What if DOW2 has more realistic characters?"
Masen stares at her expectantly. "How do you mean?"
Bella's brow knits in deep thought. "I was thinking, earlier, at the office, that it's a great idea to expand gender options and use varied anatomy for our rendering. But…wouldn't it also be interesting if players were able to create a backstory during character design?"
She glances up, checking that Masen is paying attention, and is gratified to see an expression of solemn patience. She grows more confident because of this, finding a better way to explain the nebulous idea taking shape.
"We could allow players the option to give their avatars life events that modify their traits to make them more organic," she says. "For example, a player creates an avatar that is the sole survivor of a fire, and not only does that open the option for burns to be placed on the avatar, but it also means the player now has a character with an aversion to fire, or one part of the body that is not as flexible as others, or something."
Masen's mouth drops, just a little, and he stares at her for several too-long moments. For the first time in a while, Bella isn't able to understand what he's thinking from his microexpressions. There's simply nothing there for her to draw from and a sense of unease grips her.
"Oh, no. It's a dumb idea, isn't it?" she frets. "Forget I even brought it up! Really. I don't know what I was thinking - obviously we wouldn't be able to do something like that, and it would be a waste of time to -"
Bella is cut off rather abruptly by warm lips catching her mouth with a frantic, wildfire sort of intensity. It's a new kind of kiss, a flavor that is rich in spearmint and a thrilling flare of elation. Masen plants several quick kisses on her lips and when he pulls back, there is a new sort of expression on his face - a smile at the mouth, not wide but distinctly up-turned, and a crinkle at the corner of his eyes. Later, she will think of this expression and be able to place the awe and satisfaction and pride there, but for now, she is mostly stunned at how his handsome features transform so fluidly into something twice as attractive. It's completely unfair. She can't even think when he's looking at her like this.
"You're brilliant," he tells her, cupping her cheeks to kiss her again. "Innovative. Creative. Ingenious."
"Oh," she breathes out. "That's…So you like the idea?"
Masen's normally flinty grey-green eyes are glimmering. He takes the stack of Spider-Gwen comics from her wordlessly, pays for them at the register, and then guides her out of the store with his hand firmly curved over her hip. He's walking more quickly than usual, which she finds odd, but she is so caught up in trying to keep pace that she doesn't even realize they have returned back to Midnight Sun until Masen is ushering her up the stairs to his loft.
"Masen?" she asks, looking back at him as she climbs the stairs.
"Up," he says.
Bella frowns at him, a little confused, but does as he says, going up the stairs and then right into his loft. The door closes quickly behind him, the lock clicking and the crinkle of the comic book bag being placed down on the entry table, along with the clatter of his keys.
She hardly has time to turn around before Masen's arms are around her, one skimming up her spine to cup the back of her head, tilting her head back so he can see her clearly, the other a steel trap against his chest. She listens to him speak with wide-eyes, very belatedly realizing that Masen very much appreciates her out-of-the-box thinking.
"You asked if I like the idea," he says softly, tone intimate as his lips graze the corner of her mouth. Her hands, trapped between their chests, twitch. "Allow me to show my appreciation."
This kiss is hot and heavy, a slick slide of lips and tongue, teeth nipping at sensitive skin. Bella falls into Masen, surrendering to the passionate take of each kiss and the delicious way his mouth moves against hers. He curls his taller frame over hers and, as they kiss, they shuffle backward - and then she isn't quite sure how it happens, but Masen is suddenly beneath her as she straddles him on the couch, his neck tilted back to maintain the heat of their kiss.
Bella is very aware of her body and of his body beneath hers. They're tangled up in each other, fingers running through hair, arms wound around necks, hands on shoulders and backs and hips. He has wide hands, long fingers, and his touch is hot everywhere, even over her clothes. Bella tilts into the kiss, closing her teeth around his bottom lip and basking in the quiet groan he makes right before he licks into her mouth again. Her thighs tense and squeeze at the shiver that runs down her spine, and then her hips, seemingly of their own volition, lurch forward.
Oh.
Oh.
That's -
Masen's breath stutters, the sound almost lost beneath the volume of Bella's gasp. They part, just enough that Bella can see the red-wet shine of his mouth and the heaviness of his eyes, pupils dilated, his hair a mess, sticking up in discordant directions. Her chest is heaving as he, very deliberately, places his hand on her hip. Never once breaking eye contact, Masen guides Bella to roll her hips forward, a slow, steady grind that has her lighting up in unfamiliar, utterly enticing ways.
Masen's ears are red. He helps her roll her hips again, and this time she can feel the way his body makes a minute rut beneath hers. And that's. It isn't so much that, physically, it feels good, because her jeans and his are in the way - but all the same, heat zings up her spine at the realization that she, Bella Swan, did something that made Masen Cullen be like that. Hard beneath her, with eyes darkened by obvious desire.
Bella doesn't know what to do. She's never, ever felt like this. She feels - good. Powerful. Maybe even lusty, a shiver wracking her spine, her skin warm and sensitive everywhere. Intellectually, she knows what this is - sexual arousal, stimulated by a partner - but she never thought she would feel like this. Didn't know she was capable.
But she - well, she knows how she feels about Masen. How she thinks she feels about him. She's pretty sure. So, is it all that surprising?
Bella swallows, her mouth tender and bruised, and without Masen's guidance, she rolls her hips down once. Testing. Trying it out. Seeing how it feels. Watching the clench of his jaw, feeling the tightening spasm of his hands on her body. She likes it. It feels good. She does it again, this time a wiggling figure-eight, a little clumsy as she tries to find something that feels a little better than good. Beneath her, Masen draws in a deep breath, a heavy furrow in his brow - and then her hips roll again and something about the angle has her gasping out and repeating the motion immediately.
"Bella," he utters lowly and then draws her lips down to his again.
This time it isn't fire. It's syrup-slow and sensual, an exchange of breaths between open-mouthed kisses. She digs her fingers into his shoulders, his hair, her hips rolling down to meet his upward hitches. Then his hand, the one not branded to her hip, skims across the bottom of her rib cage and up, until his hand shapes itself around her breast. The contact has her moaning against his mouth, breaking away to draw in a heaving breath, even as he mouths at her exposed throat, teeth scraping across her collarbone - then his hand, testing the weight of her breast, his thumb tracing her nipple through her shirt and bra.
It's not even - These touches aren't daring, but even as explorations, she doesn't understand how it can all feel so good. It's like she didn't even know her body, not until she was chasing after something, not until Masen woke up nerves she didn't even know existed.
She wants -
"Please," she hears herself say, a base sort of desperation coating her breathless voice.
Masen hums against her throat, still lavishing her skin with the type of attention that leaves her marked. The hand on her hip moves across her belly and down, and then hesitates.
"Can I?" he asks, lips brushing against the hollow of her neck, his breath hot.
Bella nods, not quite understanding, but knowing enough to trust that Masen obviously knows what to do, what she needs, what can abate this -
Masen's hand squeezes into her newly unbuttoned jeans - and her heart ratchets in her chest when it dawns that Masen is touching her, skin to slick skin, the heel of his palm pressing against a place of glory that has her trembling.
He makes a low oath under his breath, his touch moving, stroking and applying pressure that has her head spinning, clutching desperately at him, gasping out versions of his name that aren't entirely coherent. He finds a rhythm that has her rolling down to meet every touch, her thighs burning as her heart gallops between her ribs, all the while he watches her, nipping at her skin, kissing at her jaw, drawing her in for another delirious kiss.
She trembles against him, panting, when it crests over her, and slumps forward, shivering as he eases her through the aftershocks. Her face feels bright red, her mind a little slow, so she isn't in any place to be consciously embarrassed by the shine of his fingers when he draws his hand out of her pants, or the curious dart of his tongue against the wetness. She can't blush any more than she already is, and now she feels strangely tired. Sated.
But, oh.
"Did you…?" she asks, not quite sure how to phrase the question.
"Not important," he tells her.
She straightens on his lap, frowning down at him. "That's not fair. I should -"
"Not about fairness," he interrupts, a faint curl on one side of his mouth. "Another time. This was good."
Bella hesitates, then nods. She's secretly a little relieved. Masen might have known what he was doing, but Bella has no idea. Rose goes on and on about how it's all instinctual and the world's oldest dance but, for Bella, sex has always been a distant whisper, like a secret she wasn't meant to hear. Now that that's changing, she finds herself floundering. She's grateful that Masen doesn't seem to be inclined to pressure her to return the favor, because she doesn't even know where to start.
Instead, she kisses him, a kiss that feels incongruously sweet compared to what had just happened between them, and lets her heart return to normal. All the while, Masen cradles her close until she bashfully requests to clean up.
He lets her up and stands as well. Bella dutifully does not look at the bulge in his pants. Instead, she pays attention to what he's saying. "Will you stay the night?"
Bella smiles warmly. She can't think of anything better - or more grounding - than sleeping in Masen's bed, surrounded by his scent and his clothes and hopefully his arms, as well, if she can convince him to share the space with her, which she successfully does after a quick rinse of a shower, an order of Chinese take-out, and viewing of Into the Spider-verse.
She sleeps that night with her head pillowed against his chest and thinks that she's never slept so well in her life.
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
We saw a walk of shame #youarentfoolingmesister
Peter C. ʘpeteypete
We also saw a walk of shame ʘClearlyFlimingThis #kidsthesedays
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
ʘpeteypete who are you
Peter C. ʘpeteypete
Your sister's boyfriend's best friend and ultimate wingman
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
How do I know you arent lying?
Peter C. ʘpeteypete
Proof enough?
(Picture Attachment: Peter is taking a selfie with
pillow tracks still on his cheek, giving a thumbs-up
to the camera with Masen glowering in the background)
Peter C. ʘpeteypete
Your turn!
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
Fine.
(Picture Attachment: Leah has clearly roped Bella into
a selfie, as Bella is looking at her wide-eyed and
obviously bewildered as the picture is taken.)
L Clearwater ʘClearlyFlimingThis
Let's take this off main. I want to know what you know.
Peter C. ʘpeteypete
Ask and ye shall receive #thisisthestartofabeautifulfriendship
A/N: Me, writing the last portion of this chapter: Well, this wasn't supposed to happen yet…But it's not like you guys are going to complain. Y'all are thirsty af lol There were one of two clues in this chapter that will piece together down the road and I am cackling about it!
Not sure what needs to be explained this chapter. Spiderman comics are self explanatory, although you should know the Spider-Gwen is an interesting take on the story we know and love and is definitely worth checking out. If you're new to comics, it's worth mentioning that while there are two main houses (DC and Marvel), there are many other comic houses that produce truly extraordinary work. Dark Horse is one of those, and they make incredibly unique comics and graphic novels - Hell Boy and The Umbrella Academy are two of the most famous comics to come out of Dark Horse.
Ah. I should clarify that Call Me Chuckie is Charles and Lame not Liam is Liam, just in case it wasn't clear. The CFO is Emmett.
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it. Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay smart.
~Rae
