Chapter Text
“Knock, Emily.”
“Don’t want to.”
“Ok, then I will.”
“ No .”
She stretched the word out, almost ready to stomp her feet like a child.
“We are adult women are we not?”
“No.”
“I promise you, it’s way worse in your head right now than the reality of it.”
Emily’s shoulders dropped in resignation. Sue squeezed her hand.
“I’ll be right here the whole time, baby. I promise.”
Soothed by the endearment, Emily leaned in for a quick peck before steeling herself to knock. Jane answered right away, immediately zeroing in on their joined hands. She did not do a good job of hiding her satisfied smirk.
“Come in.”
“Happy birthday, babe.”
“Thank you, angel.”
They hugged and kissed and then it was Emily's turn. The gathering was still tentatively small by the looks of it, as Sue had insisted on being early to help.
“Hey, Vinnie.”
Vinnie made some indecipherable noise and brought her hands up to cover her nose and mouth. Eyes shining with tears, she pivoted out of the living room and up the stairs.
“Em, go after her!”
Emily huffed, setting down Jane’s presents.
“I swear to god Sue, if she tells me she’s secretly in love with you or something, I'm going to lose it .”
Before she could even start making her way to Vinnie’s room, her sister immediately clomped back down to them, nearly causing a collision. She grabbed Sue’s face between her hands and pulled her close. Everyone in the room was suddenly very invested in what direction this was going.
Vinnie emitted a long sigh.
“I cannot believe you two idiots figured it out. I knew you’d marry into this family and be my sister one day, Sue.”
“I’m standing right here Vinnie. And I didn’t ask for her hand in marriage.”
“That’s because you like to take your sweet time don’t you?” she chastised.
Completely admonished, she pressed her lips together, keeping her retort at bay. Vinnie let go, to Sue’s apparent relief, and held each of their hands instead.
“I’ve waited for this for so long, let me bask in it.”
“You’re so weird.”
“Let her have this,” Sue murmured quietly.
Sue was endlessly enthralled at the way Emily eventually made her way back to her, like some kind of homing beacon. She’d wander off to talk to someone but inevitably wound back up at Sue’s side (where she rightfully belonged). Sometimes with a fresh drink, somehow knowing her cup was empty.
Glided through a room and grazed her hand in passing. She arrived with a hand on the small of her back (a gesture that titillated her to no end, they belonged to each other now) or a head on her shoulder, subtly asking for attention.
Sue would give her whatever she wanted.
She supposed after all the time they’d just spent together, not talking , and not having to split their time and attention with other people, they were both experiencing mild withdrawals.
Emily found her in the kitchen sizing up her drink options. It was down to a cheap white wine or some fruit spritzer.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“How are you feeling? Ready to get out of here or what?”
Sue shut the fridge and leaned back against it.
“Ms. Dickinson, are you assuming you’ll be taking me home tonight?”
Emily advanced on her, reaching an arm out on the same door to steady herself, clearly holding herself back from more physical contact.
“Oh I know I am because I saw you looking at my butt earlier.”
Sue shrugged.
“It’s nice.”
She marveled at the light blush on her girlfriend’s face.
“No, really though, are you tired yet? I know you get bored of these things about as quickly as I do.”
“I do.”
“So?”
Moved by the attention and concern, Sue pulled her in by the collar connecting their lips, feeling it down to the tips of her toes. She wasn’t bored and she certainly wasn’t tired. Emily eagerly held onto her hips, kissing back with equal zeal and reverence.
Sue could have melted into the fridge in the Dickinson sibling kitchen. Could have wrapped a leg around Emily to pull her in, but she had more self preservation than that.
“Emily.”
Emily barely grunted a response out.
“Take me upstairs.”
That seemed to fluster the poet.
“Uh-”
“Please,” she murmured into the very small space between them.
Emily closed her eyes tightly and pressed their foreheads together.
“Only because you asked so politely.”
Though striving for confidence, her response was to her dismay, high and breathy.
Sue sighed and sank further into the pillow, hair fanned out, only slightly longer than it had been at the beginning of summer.
Hair that Emily had not wasted any time to run her fingers through, not tenderly nor too roughly, until it was a disheveled mess. She pulled back from her lips to watch the flush in Sue’s chest and cheeks. Sue watched her in turn with rapt attention, eyes impossibly soft, equal parts fervent and soothing, Emily wanted to get lost in it.
The woman beneath her held tightly to her forearms, silently begging. For a moment Emily was mesmerized by the way her chest heaved and strained against her own linen shirt.
“Eyes are up here, Dickinson.”
There was no real bite to it but she blushed regardless. Sue reached a hand out to caress her face, Emily turning briefly to nose into her wrist, if only to witness the little intake of breath Sue took every time at the action (learning the actions and gestures that extracted a moan, as opposed to a whine or the way placement of a kiss was the difference between and shaky exhale or a gasp was something she could not imagine ever losing its novelty).
Never breaking eye contact, Sue started to undo the buttons of her top.
Emily’s mouth felt dry when the shirt fell open.
“You-”
“It might not be as historically accurate as you requested, but I tried.”
“Yes.”
Emily sat back on her knees.
“It’s actually more comfortable than I thought.”
Sue ran her hands across the details of the corset and looked up at her through her lashes.
“Do you like it?”
The soft husk of her voice made her eyes close briefly, even then unable to erase the image of her breasts pushed up. Face completely flushed Emily nodded dumbly.
“It’s very becoming, Sue.”
Obviously pleased, she shimmied out of the rest of the shirt and leaned forward.
“I would very much like for you to take this off me, but since it’s on your list, I can keep it on for as long as you’d like.”
Emily met her halfway putting all her weight onto the younger woman so they landed on the bed. She buried her face into Sue’s neck.
“ Susan knows she is a Siren .”
“What?”
“I think you’re secretly trying to kill me.”
Some of the heat in her body dissipated at Sue’s giggle.
“Emily, have you seen-”
“Oh my god.”
“Vinnie, get the fuck out !”
Despite the scandalized look on her sister’s face, she remained firmly in the room, especially after realizing who was in the bed with her.
“Susie!”
Sue turned bright red, arms over her chest, but she laughed, offering a small wave in greeting.
‘There you are! I’ve been looking all over.”
She marched to her desk drawers and started rummaging around. Both women took it as an opportunity to hastily throw their tops back on. When she found what she was looking for, she turned back to them and sat on the end of the bed.
“Susie, I need you to look at this portfolio I'm putting together before I submit it.”
Curious now, Emily crawled over and tried to get a look for herself.
“Why, didn’t you ask me? I’m published, you know.”
Lavinia rolled her eyes.
“Your focus is mainly writing. Sue is a mathematician, a writer, she knows about art and architecture, she’s very well rounded.”
“I know things too,” Emily sulked.
“Emily, this is not the time for your jokes, this is serious. Sue and I need to confer.”
Lavinia stared pointedly at her bedroom door. Emily scoffed.
“May I remind you, you interrupted us ? We were having an intimate moment.”
“Yeah. On my bed. Now scoot.”
Still grumbling, the poet swung her legs over the bed and made for the door.
Vinnie gave Sue a once over in approval.
“Your boobs looked great in that, by the way.”
“Hey!”
Sue called after her.
“I’ll come find you when we’re done!”
They blinked lazily at each other from across the room. At that point everyone else had fallen asleep on every surface available. On couches, the hallway, a counter top, the bathroom floor. Vinnie had insisted, demanded , that it not be that kind of party, (even though she had not helped in the matter, what with a fully stocked fridge) but despite everyone’s best efforts, it was how things had shifted.
Emily from a few months ago would not have allowed herself the indulgence of an act as simple as gazing at one Susan Gilbert, her panic eventually would have set in and she’d frantically look for an out, a way to diffuse the situation before she would inevitably recognize the same look in Sue’s eyes, acknowledging what she’d been trying to suppress all along.
Sue looked happy, relaxed, if eyes a little glazed over from the late evening that was surely closer to morning now. She was soft and open.
Sue was breathtaking, distractingly so.
“Do you want any water?”
“I think I’m ok.”
Sue smiled sweetly in appreciation then frowned in concern, watching as Emily slid from the couch to the floor.
“Do you ?”
“I’m great actually.”
Sue was unconvinced but she left it alone.
“Move in with me.”
Sue’s back straightened against the table she was reclining on trying to quickly process the information. All she knew was that it was a question that required an immediate answer.
“Emily-”
“Hear me out. I know we’re still getting to know each other, again. But that’s what we wanted from the beginning. You don’t have to give me an answer right away, it’s a big deal, I get that. I’m so ready Sue, it might feel like it’s too soon-”
“It doesn’t.”
Sue was the more surprised of the two to have finally found her voice.
“Honestly Em, the scariest part of this whole thing is that I don’t have any reservations about saying yes to you.”
Emily smiled widely, stupidly, no longer feeling the late hour.
“So? Final answer?”
“Will you just come over here and kiss me?”
Eyes shining with hope, Emily made her way towards her girlfriend.