Brave New World
Chapter 3: Hot Wings
Clouds drifted across the sky, little more than cotton balls tossed on a lazy river. Cosima tilted her head back with closed eyes and felt warm early-evening sun caress her face. A little smile played over her lips. She couldn't help it. She was just... happy.
It wasn't a feeling she'd been particularly accustomed to since she'd come to Minnesota.
She'd gotten used to being alone - to being lonely - and she'd accepted the fact that her experimental clone status made her a target, and that meant that she needed to watch her back. She'd gotten used to a quiet life by herself, grown accustomed to nights alone in her little apartment with some pot and the internet. It was a quiet life. It was a life that left her feeling rather unfulfilled. It was only human nature to crave attention and affection from other people.
So there she was, walking through campus, on her way to meet Delphine and grinning at the air like some giddy fool. And she loved it.
Things were finally going her way. She'd started to make noticeable progress on her thesis research in the lab, the students in the class she TA'd looked at her as if she were some kind of god, and she'd said 'screw it' to the idea of self-induced isolation. She and Delphine were officially a couple. She hadn't shied away from the relationship - or her feelings - as good sense and logic, not to mention the other clones, would have told her to.
She knew that any one of the people around her could be a danger. Any of her classmates or professors could have been tracking her that very moment, plotting her demise or reporting to a superior scientist on her health and activities.
But Delphine... Delphine was genuine. She honest and curious, and the way she smiled at her, Cosima knew that there was no deception behind it. She could feel it. It was a knowledge beyond scientific explanation. Delphine was just a girl whose heart was drawn to her own.
Since the day they had met, they'd been near inseparable. That day had essentially become their first date, when the munchies overcame them and they walked to the diner down the street to get dinner together. By the time they'd gotten themselves out of the apartment and to the restaurant, it was late into the night. They both ordered milkshakes and french fries, and when they finished those, cups of coffee. They'd talked for hours, mostly about science, but also about books and television and culture. When Cosima walked Delphine home, time had brought them into the early hours of the morning. They paused at the door to the apartment complex, and Delphine told Cosima that if she were to kiss her again, she wouldn't stop her. Cosima hesitated, then, so Delphine took the initiative.
Almost every day after that for three weeks they took turns going to each other's apartments. They ordered in or brought food to share. (They tried cooking together once. The food on the stove was forgotten and burned into lumps of black when they became distracted by each other's lips.) They sprawled beside each other on the sofa or on the floor or on the bed, and they had talked endlessly about everything that they could think of.
Given her situation, it was more than Cosima dared ask for.
The sun sank lower in the sky. Cosima got back to her apartment and shed her coat as she entered. Delphine was sure to be there any minute. Cosima couldn't wait.
LIke clockwork, there was a knock at the door just as Cosima pulled a bottle of wine out and set it on the counter. She reached for a pair of glasses in the cabinet over the sink as she called over her shoulder, "It's open!"
She heard the door open and close, followed by the sound of a jacket being tossed over one of the stools off to the side of the room. A pair of arms slid around her waist from behind, and a pair of lips met her ear with a soft, shiver-inducing whisper. "Bonsoir, ma cherie."
Cosima closed her eyes and leaned back into the embrace. She turned her head and shifted to one side to see Delphine's eyes shining as the blonde smiled down at her. She reached an arm up around her neck and stood up on her toes to plant a kiss on Delphine's lips. "Mm, good evening to you, too." She turned to face her fully, and they stood with their slung around each other. "So. Dinner. I was thinking we could have some hot wings delivered from that place a couple blocks over?"
Delphine adopted a sly smirk as she bowed her head to Cosima's and husked, "Works for me. I like anything, if it's hot enough."
Cosima felt desire begin to churn low in her gut. Her voice came out short and breathy. "Well, that's good, 'cause I already called in the order, so... we have some time to kill."
Delphine lifted an eyebrow. Her fingers skirted around Cosima's waist and slipped just under the hem of her shirt. Her eyes smoldered. Her fingertips tingled. With a smirk, Delphine backed Cosima slowly into the counter behind her and trapped her there with her hips. Cosima felt a little light headed.
Cosima let her hands get lost in Delphine's aureate locks of hair and brought their lips together in a heated but gentle kiss. She worked her lips over Delphine's, capturing that slightly protruded bottom lip, then the top, then the bottom again. Her eyes fell closed, and she screwed her eyelids more tightly shut as passion grew rapidly inside her. If she were to spend the rest of her life just kissing Delphine, she was sure it would have gone down as the greatest life anyone had ever lived. A tongue traced over the pout in her lip, and her mouth fell open to let it in. It slid over hers, smooth and graceful. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck to bring their bodies closer, always closer. She could never get enough.
Her nerves hummed with the proximity. Her whole body buzzed. She could feel a strong, steady pulse radiating from her core.
She felt her own legs begin walking them in the direction of the bed. She kept their mouths connected. She wanted to tangle their lips into a knot and never untie it.
Her heart raced in her chest. Delphine's skin burned against her own. It was the best kind of heat. She wanted more of it.
Delphine's cool breath ghosted past the gates of Cosima's teeth. Her hands snaked along Cosima's spine. A whimper escaped her throat when Cosima lightly sank her teeth into it. Cosima latched her lips onto the divot where Delphine's neck met her shoulder and sucked.
Delphine's eyes rolled back in her head. "Baise-moi."
Cosima smiled against her skin. She understood enough of the romance language to know what that meant. "That's the idea."
The backs of Delphine's knees hit the bed, and her legs folded against it. Without hesitation, Cosima crawled on top of her and straddled her hips. Her mouth found Delphine's again and she inhaled sharply as the blonde's fingernails dug into her thighs. There were sure to be ten little crescent moon welts left on her flesh there. Her head fell back in pleasure when Delphine's teeth introduced themselves enthusiastically to her collarbone. And then her chest. Then the valley between her breasts. They scraped deliciously over her skin, trails pink left in their wake. Delphine trailed the tip of her nose along the skin just over Cosima's hammering heart. Her breath left trails of goosebumps. Cosima could feel the heat of her desire growing between her legs.
She pulled away quickly to yank her shirt over her head. Delphine took the opportunity to appreciate her girlfriend's physique before following suit. She reached out and splayed her hands over Cosima's toned stomach. Cosima felt her muscles contract instinctually at the touch. Her breath hitched as Delphine's hands began to travel north, ever so slowly. Agonizingly slowly.
She grabbed Delphine's hands and forced them up. She hissed when Delphine's mouth enveloped her earlobe. She could hear the subdued chuckle in the blonde's grin on her neck.
She sat up on her knees to let Delphine slide herself back further onto the bed. Her eyes shone with mirth as she lowered herself onto all fours and stalked like a cat over the sheets to hover over her lover's body. She smirked as she snapped the button of Delphine's jeans open.
"So, is this hot enough for you?"
Cosima lay sideways across the bed with her ankles crossed atop Delphine's knees. An open to-go container filled with buffalo wings sat between them. The sun had dropped below the horizon, and the apartment was dim.
Delphine, with a twinkle in her eye, leaned over on one elbow and swiped a thumb over Cosima's mouth with her free hand. When she raised an eyebrow, Delphine's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. Delphine shrugged. "You had ranch dressing on your face."
Cosima grinned as she reached for the container of ranch. She sat up, dipped a finger into the sauce, and tapped Delphine on the nose, leaving a little white dot right on the tip. With fake surprise, she exclaimed, "Oh no, it looks like you've got some ranch on your face, too."
Delphine widened her eyes in mock offendedness. As she struggled to supress the smile that was fighting for it's place among her features, she snagged the dressing out of Cosima's hand and wiped a trail along her cheek. "Mon dieux, Cosima. You should really be more careful when you're eating. You have this dressing all over yourself."
Cosima, with a short laugh, tried to splash what was left of the dressing at Delphine, but it's thick consistency meant that it covered Delphine's mouth and chin in a great gooey glob. Delphine, by then smiling like a fool, was silent for a moment before she muttered, "I can't believe you just did that."
Before Cosima knew what was happening, Delphine had launched herself on top of her and was kissing all over her face, effectively spreading the ranch over as much of Cosima's head as her own.
After several minutes, during which they giggled immensely and licked the dressing off of each other's faces, Delphine and Cosima settled beside each other. They both propped their heads up on elbows and laid on their sides. Their feet nestled overlapped with each other and Cosima traced her fingertips over the curve of Delphine's shoulder.
Delphine bit her lip as she watched Cosima's eyelids grow heavy. Her voice was wispy as she murmured, "Hey."
Cosima's espresso eyes flicked to hers in question. "Hm?"
"Cosima," she hesitated. "I..." She could feel the words forming on her tongue. She could feel them preparing to wander out of her mouth. But she knew that once they were released, they were out there for good. It was too early for those words. As true as they may have been. She shoved them down. "I'm just really happy."
Cosima smiled, and her eyes were the warmest she'd ever seen.
"Me too."
Cosima walked her familiar route across the campus quad. The sunlight made her squint a bit, but it was another beautiful day, and Cosima was glad for the persistence of the good weather. She walked with a smile on her face. She walked as if the world were a wonderful place, because to her, at the moment, it was.
She reached Delphine's apartment and knocked twice on the door before twisting the knob and striding in. She'd learned by then that Delphine very rarely locked her front door, despite the safety hazards Cosima warned her about.
She dropped her things by the door and hung her jacket on a hook just inside. Delphine's place was small, but dignified. The furniture was modern, but the little knick knacks and photos scattered around gave it a homey vibe. The kitchen was well endowed, and the open floor plan centered around a humble sitting room. It was a home that suited its owner.
Delphine met Cosima as she entered the flat as she always did, but this time rather than greeting her with a glass of wine, she held up a bottle of champagne. Cosima took in the image before her of Delphine beaming excitedly and practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Cosima's eyebrows lifted in amusement. "What's with the eager beaver? And the," she took the bottle from Delphine and glanced at it, "very expensive bubbly?"
Delphine stepped into her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. When she backed away, the wide-eyed grin was still firmly in place. She stated simply, "We're celebrating."
Delphine glided into the kitchen and retrieved a pair of tall glasses for the champagne. Cosima regarded her curiously. She could have sworn she heard Delphine humming, though she couldn't be sure. When the blonde returned and handed her one of the glasses, Cosima accepted it and posed the question that she could tell Delphine was just waiting for her to ask. "And... what is it that we're celebrating, exactly?"
Delphine poured champagne for both of them, clinked her glass with Cosima's, and downed the contents before she answered. "I met a man today."
She poured herself another glass, and Cosima nodded, trying to telepathically pull the words from her girlfriend's mouth. "Yeah, babe, I'm going to need a little more than that."
Delphine smirked. "He is a scientist man. He was the guest lecturer in the class I TA today, and I was able to speak to him after." Cosima nodded for her to continue. "He told me about his work - he studies different species and diseases that threaten them. When I told him that I was studying immunology, he told me that he's putting together a research team."
As Cosima caught on to the train that the line of conversation was following, her face brightened with pride and exhilaration for Delphine. "Wait, so, he offered you a job?"
Delphine nodded, and her hair bounced wildly. "Yes! He asked me all about my research and where I have studied; he seemed to know a lot about the programs I was in during my undergraduate years. But, long story short, he asked me if I wanted a position on his team of researchers who would be involved in developing new vaccines and studying the effects of illness on rare breeds. It is like a dream, Cosima!" She rushed in for another kiss, enthrallment ever so evident in her face.
Cosima beamed at Delphine, second-hand adrenaline coursing through her body. "That's amazing, Delphine! I'm so happy for you."
Delphine shook her head, as if she couldn't believe that what she was experiencing was real.
"Just wait until you meet him, Cosima. He's a brilliant man. I know you'll just love Dr. Leekie."