Chapter Text
Talk about your famous love affairs.
Romeo and Juliet had theirs.
I just found someone, and someone found me;
We’re not really famous, but who cares?
1926
Bianca twirled a lock of her bobbed hair around one finger, leaning both elbows against the bar as she nursed her gin and tonic between her gloved hands. She felt the loud jazz surging through her body, rocking her to her core like a second pulse; the tiny dance floor packed with couples lindy-hopping and charlestonning this way and that. A haze of lilac smoke hung three feet below the ceiling in a cloud - the smell of tobacco and cheap liquor familiar and cathartic to her despite the total unfamiliarity of the setting. The tiny speakeasy felt so unfathomably alive for being full of the dead.
She sipped her drink through a black plastic straw, leaving a scarlet rim of lipstick around it. Loathe as she was to admit it, Adore in all her protesting had kind of been... right ? It was damn lonely, not knowing anybody. But who really cared? She was twenty-one again; full of vitality and booze - the gin in hand her fourth of the night - doing exactly what she wanted without anybody in her ear to complain about her doing it. She had limited time here, and she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to use it.
She toyed with the draping crepe silk of one sleeve of her pleated Delphos gown - the garment floor-length and stunning, exactly the sort of thing she’d have died for back in the day. She’d been in and out of about five different styles of flapper getup since arriving, but they all had this costume party quality to them that she hadn’t cared for, and with this at her disposal, she’d have been a fool not to make use of it. However, class and taste had been two memos that everyone else had missed; rouged knees and rolled stockings on the legs of almost every woman in the place, Marcel waves and jewelled headbands. She’d indulged in the two latter trends; her own hair finger-curled and slicked-back, an ostentatious hunk of art deco diamante resting on her forehead. She felt like a million dollars.
“First night?” Bianca turned her head to the woman who’d seemingly materialised by her side; a tiny, coquettish little blonde in pale-pink fringe with a feather in her hair. She had a smile on her face and a martini glass in one hand. Bianca gave a small laugh at her choice of conversation starter.
“What makes you think that?”
“What, besides you standing here, alone, like a fucking gooseberry when there’s so much fun to be had with everyone else? Hmm, let me think…” She placed one red lacquered nail on her chin, bobbing her head to one side. Bianca scoffed, her eyes rolling as she took another drink; the other’s energy somehow infectious, lightening her mood by two or three shades with absolute ease.
“Shut up,” Bianca said through a chuckle, throwing a light, poorly-aimed skiff at the other’s hand, just skimming the top of her arm.
“I’m Courtney.” She pulled up a bar stool, sitting down only to drain her glass of its contents in one swallow and raise a hand to grab the bartender’s attention for another.
“Bianca. Bianca Del Rio.” The brunette perched by her side on another stool, swinging her high-heeled feet. “This sure as shit isn’t your decade, is it, Miss Courtney?”
She shook her head, airy and grinning. “Nope, and it isn’t anybody else here’s either.” She shrugged. “We’re all just arseholes who read
Gatsby
in high school and thought it would be fun. Weren’t wrong.”
“Speak for your damn self - I made it through high school without doing a single page of the assigned reading - I just like the fashion here.” Bianca shrugged.
“Wow, you’ve got to be the first person I’ve ever met who’s smug because she’s
not
read
The Great Gatsby
. That’s impressive.” Bianca raised a kohled eyebrow, Courtney descending into a fit of giggles. “God, this is amazing. You almost kind of forget that you’re breaking the law by getting pissed, don’t you?”
“Does it matter? I think enforcement of prohibition in the actual 1920s was a bit lax.” She said with a breathy laugh, exhaling through her nose; the warmth of the other body next to her far from unwelcome. Courtney’s brow was slicked with a fine mist of sweat from dancing, her painted nails chipped and a single curl having broken free from her updo, cascading down into her face. She had this sweet, almost childlike quality to her that was like some sort of mask for the true underlying sex appeal. This girl was hot, and she knew all about it. Bianca finished her drink, continuing. “I don’t think they have police or whatever here anyway - seems like a waste of time.”
“Oh, hoity-toity, Little Miss ‘I’ve been here for two hours and yet somehow still know everything’.” Courtney jibed, lightly digging a pointed elbow into Bianca’s ribs, the other woman folding her arms, sticking her bottom lip out. “I’m only teasing, sweetie. Don’t sulk, it doesn’t suit you.”
“Rude.”
“Well, would it make a difference if I told you that I think you’re incredibly pretty, and that I’m short a dance partner?” She cocked her head to one side, twirling that one stray curl around her little finger with a playful grin on her face. Fuck. Bianca couldn’t help but think she was utterly delicious. She’d fooled around with girls in her college days, and her interest in them had never exactly declined even after she got married. Sure, choosing to settle with Justin had been utilitarian as much as anything else - her being with a man was much easier to explain to her parents, after all - but caution could go to the wind now. What was the worst that could happen?
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were flirting with me.”
“That may have something to do with the fact that I am, silly.” Courtney draped one arm around Bianca’s waist, her fingers tapping on B’s hip along to the music. “What, you straight or something?”
“No,” she said pointedly, unashamed of admitting it when her actions right now had no reporcussions - hell, they couldn’t kill her. They couldn’t even hurt her. “I have got two left feet, though. And I’m not drunk enough not to care about that.”
“Let me fix that,” Courtney smirked, waving down the barman again - soon enough, Bianca had another full glass resting in front of her. She laughed. “Hmm, this is great fun, isn’t it? Living in a decade with no morals, in a world with no consequences? Seems like heaven.”
“It’s as close as some of us are ever gonna get.” Bianca muttered, fishing the grapefruit slice out of her glass and nibbling on it.
“So, you’re just a part-timer, then?”
She nodded. “You?”
“Oh, no way. I died years ago.” She shrugged, talking about it casual as can be as she stirred her mint julep. “One second I’m at a party, happy as you like - someone was passing pills around, and I was too drunk to say no. Next thing I know, I’m in an ambulance. Then I wake up here. Well, not
here
.” She shrugged, curling one lip in a sort of blase fashion. “Still in San Junipero, just a different time. Overdose - turns out that pure MDMA isn’t the best thing for you.” She gave a small laugh. “I mean, they
did
teach you not to take
candy
from strangers when you were little - you’d think my stupid arse would probably have figured that the same goes for drugs.”
“Idiot.” Bianca scoffed a little.
“Idiot who just bought you a drink.” Courtney reminded her, her hand on Bianca’s shoulder. “So, what brings you here?”
“Car accident.” Bianca turned away at this, staring at the opposite wall. Accident was perhaps euphemising it a little, but it was all she was willing to admit to. “I’m currently comatose and quadriplegic, on five hours a week whilst they figure out what to do with me.” She scowled a little, her tone flat. “You’d think that four and a half years would be enough time to do said figuring out, but hey.”
“Well, you’re here now.” Courtney smiled, stroking Bianca’s hair back behind one ear, toying with her earring. “Your jewelry is gorgeous. Very classy. I like it.”
“Thank you.” She felt a light blush rising to her cheeks. “You’re very sweet.”
“And you’re hot.” Courtney gave a flirtatious little smirk, taking another drink. Bianca remained silent, biting her lip and staring at the bar before Courtney grabbed her hand, pulling to her feet. Bianca stumbled a little, startled - her tipsiness catching up on her as she stood; Courtney grabbing her around the waist to steady her. Bianca feel against her, the two laughing. “Come on, you’ve gone all mopey on me. Lighten up - let’s go dance!”
“Courtney-”
“It’ll be fun - don’t worry about it!” She grinned; so at ease and comfortable in the presence of Bianca, in spite of having met her all of about ten minutes ago, that it was just gorgeous. She had that same sort of ease that most would expect around a lifelong friend, her presence warm and comforting. Some bullshit about kismet, or guardian angels sprung to Bianca’s mind, before she pushed it away with a small laugh. Utter bullshit. This was all computer-generated for fuck’s sake, and she didn’t even believe in that crap in the real world. What she had here was just a charming, slightly inebriated blonde with a lot of confidence who’d inexplicably taken a liking to her. Nothing more. “We can do that whole ‘getting to know each other’ crap later.”
“Later?” Bianca raised an eyebrow.
“Well, let’s just say that that dress looks lovely on you, sweetheart, but I think it would look even better in a ball on my bedroom floor.”
More than a few sharp learning curves had come for Bianca in the last few hours; the one that stuck out in her mind was how unamenable lingerie circa 1926 was to casual sexual encounters.
They arrived back in Courtney’s little apartment in a stumbling mess of hands and kisses - they’d kissed one another fervently, Courtney pressed up against the closed door to her room, one hand slipping down the zip of Bianca’s dress. Bianca had left her any preexisteing nerves about how she felt for this beautiful Aphrodite on the dancefloor back at the speakeasy. The black silk eventually fell into a pool at her feet, and the two gave up denying what they had come for. Courtney’s dress had been pulled off and discarded in the corner of the room in one swift movement as she pushed Bianca down onto the bed, the brunette landing on her back. Courtney, nude save for stockings and a suspender belt, placed one knee between Bianca’s thighs, climbing atop her and pinning her arms above her head; dipping her head to kiss her more ferociously, barely giving the other woman enough room to breathe.
Bianca lifted her hips to grind against Courtney’s thigh, letting slip the tiniest of moans as Courtney unfastened her bra, hands light and deft as they stroked down the now-bare flesh of her back. Her head dipped down to Bianca’s nipple, lips touching and sucking at her flesh. Bianca felt her body twitch, muscles trembling and mouth emitting a small murmur that sounded almost like Courtney’s name. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt pleasure of this sort - her arms still pinned down by Courtney's hand, the woman’s fingers now toying with her other nipple. Courtney’s breath was heavy and her jaw hanging half-open, eyes hooded and bright as she looked up through her dishevelled hair to Bianca’s face. It was just bliss.
Courtney’s hands then moved down to Bianca’s waist, slowly working the high-waisted bodice and garter belt down her hips; her hands kneaded into her asscheeks as she went. Bianca shuddered, now that her hands were free they shifted to Courtney’s bare breasts, making the other woman whine, a blissful smile on her face. She kicked her underwear off as it reached her knees, stockings coming off with everything else in a silky tangle. Courtney bobbed her head down , one hand on each of Bianca’s thighs; spreading them apart to kiss softly up the insides of Bianca’s legs. The brunette moaned and sighed, her breath fast and heavy with anticipation. Just as those pink-stained rosebud lips reached the top of her thigh - Bianca so overwhelmed by her lust and desire that she felt she could explode - Courtney continued her progression up towards Bianca’s stomach, a disgruntled murmur coming from the other woman.
“Fuck you.” She breathed, one hand now on the back of Courtney’s head. Bianca noticed in that moment that she was still wearing her black opera gloves, an enormous ring on her middle finger. Courtney glanced up from Bianca’s stomach, leaving the last of her lipstick in a kiss mark an inch below her navel, a wicked smirk on her face.
“Can I help you?”
“If you’re fucking me, fuck me.” She breathed, her hand buried in Courtney’s hair. The blonde laughed against her tanned skin; wordless and unprotesting, bringing her head back down to between Bianca’s legs.
Her lips gently made first contact with Bianca’s clit, barely touching her and yet the action was enough to make her melt. It was as though literally nothing else mattered - and despite the fact that the night was probably mostly full of vegetables and departed OAPs getting their kicks now that they were back in their younger years - a weird sort of CG mass sex dream - it felt as though she and this perfect stranger who’d been dead for years were the only two people in that world that existed at all.
Courtney’s tongue swirled lightly around Bianca’s clit, the other woman having to resist full-out fucking the blonde’s face as one hand gripped Courtney’s hair and the other the cream silk sheets. This girl was a master with her mouth in both the talking and banging senses, her head now bobbing down to tongue the skin around Bianca’s opening. She wrapped her legs around Courtney’s back, virtually constricting her head with her thighs as her back arched; dying for skin-on-skin contact with the other, gasping with each touch and movement.
Her affection had grown more deliberate and harsh now that she had Bianca dripping wet and putty in her hands; lips focused in on her clitoris, licking and nibbling and sucking in exactly the right places, her tongue pressing down harder with each movement, even as Bianca tugged her hair and bucked against her face. One of Courtney’s hands rested on Bianca’s hip, holding her steady as the other traced delicate circles around her vagina. Deft fingers brushed against damp skin as one slipped inside; Bianca whimpered, her back arching to an S as more incoherent words left her lips. Courtney muttered something in return against her clit, the vibrations making her shake as a second finger joined the first in her, Courtney moving them in and out with slow, steady rhythm; keeping time with Bianca’s thrusts.
“God, you taste amazing…” Courtney brought her head up for a moment, Bianca pushing her back down as the first wave of an oncoming orgasm washed over her; the grip of her legs around Courtney’s slim form growing tighter and her moans louder. Courtney hooked her fingers - continuing to stroke with her tongue and murmur and hum, pushing Bianca right to the brink and holding her there for a second or two until the climax came in a sudden, overwhelming rush. She cried out at this, her muscles in spasm and gorgeous electric fireworks going off behind her closed eyes. Her every attempt at remaining quiet had been thrown to the wind as Courtney dug her nails into the flesh of her hip, slowing her movements as Bianca’s body went limp and her grip loosened, legs unfolding behind her back - breath heavy and eyes half-shut. Courtney pulled out of her, bringing her head up and laying it down on Bianca’s chest, the brunette giving a sound that would have been a laugh had she not been so utterly breathless. Courtney stroked Bianca’s stray hair away from her face, one hand resting atop her breast.
“How’d you like that, B? Can I call you B?”
“Sure…” She said, her voice a breathy, husky whisper. “God, that was incredible. You’re incredible…” She placed one hand on Courtney’s waist, stroking her thigh. “I can give you something in return, if you like.” Courtney’s eyelids flickered, giving a small nod and a murmured ‘yes’ by way of replying.
Courtney’s first orgasm came as a breathy, strained whimper as Bianca’s hand worked masterfully over her clit, pressing glancingly into her core just to pull her over the brink - clearly doing a far better job of remaining quiet than Bianca had tried to. The second had been louder, more pleading and desperate as those painted red nails raked scratches the colour to match deep down Bianca’s back, from her shoulder-blades down to the base of her spine. She’d barely given her time to catch her breath; hand not even withdrawing from her sodden underwear, still stroking teasingly at her clit. Bianca had had two fingers buried deep within her for that one, pumping steadily and pressing against her g-spot.
She came once again as Bianca licked her clean, a gasping whisper - breathless, virtually everything she had drawn out of her by Bianca’s touches. Her hair was a mess now, the strains that had broken free from the twisted updo reaching the centre of her back in dishevelled platinum-blonde strains, the feathered headpiece having come mostly unattached, hanging down jauntily over one of her eyes. Makeup smeared, lipstick gone - left mostly between Bianca’s thighs - and mascara feathering out around her eyes with her perspiration. Bianca pulled her into a gentle embrace as she came back up to her level, wrapping one leg around both of Courtney’s as the blonde panted.
“Fucking hell…” She laughed breathlessly, swiping her stray hair away from her face. “You’re a damn pro.” Bianca shrugged her shoulders, a smug little smile on her face. “Given that I thought you were a total hetero when I first tried to pick you up, you certainly know how to treat a lady.”
“Practice makes perfect.” Bianca gave a smirk - full aware that she hadn’t had any practice of any sort since the nineties at the absolute latest. But then again, the amount of it she’d managed to fit in during her sorority days (the sheer volume of beersexual bicurious bitches she’d processed back then was almost embarrassing) probably made up for this three times over.
“Well, what do you say you let me practice on you a little more?” Courtney raised an eyebrow. Bianca pretended to ponder for a moment, before smiling; her laugh a low growl in the back of her throat.
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly be opposed to it…”
Bianca perched on the edge of the bed in the silk robe she’d borrowed from the blonde, black cigarette holder held between her plush lips as she took a long drag, extinguishing the match she’d lit it with in her free hand. She placed the matching guilded silver cigarette case and matchbook back in her handbag before laying back, smoke rolling from her lips. Courtney lay on her side, her robe hanging open as she sipped her neat whiskey, watching the white cloud spill from the other woman’s lips and dissipate into the air.
“That’s sexy as hell, but it’s a fucking disgusting habit.” She curled her lip, laying her head down on Bianca’s lap and cuddling into her as she inhaled the smoke again, flicking the ash into the cut glass tray on the nightstand. Their pleasure exploits had gone on for near enough to two hours, pulling one another to heaven and back until they were both utterly spent. They chose to end the night as they’d start it, in a room full of smoke with full glasses and idle conversation. Bianca took a drink of her own whiskey, stroking Courtney’s hair.
“I know it is. I quit when I was in my twenties, but it’s not exactly gonna kill me now, is it?”
“Sound logic.” Courtney gave a small nod. “So, how does it work? Y’know, you not actually being fully dead and all?”
“Well, it works the same as it does with you - I just come and go. It’s not difficult to understand.” Bianca shrugged, placing the cigarette holder between her lips again. It was almost simply because it was befitting of the time period; true, she did feel like a pure pin-up girl, stretched-out and sexy, lounging around like an overfed housecat with this beautiful starlet resting in her lap and the miasma of tobacco smoke hanging in a haze, turning an almost sepia colour in the warm light. It was long dark outside, the moon bright and stars glimmering. It all seemed so eerily real; odd to think that it was just simulated.
“No, like...Well, do you know what’s going on with you in the real world?”
“Kind of. For instance, I know for a fact that there’s someone else in the room with me, because I can hear them whining.” Bianca rolled her eyes; full-aware that it was Adore weeping over her as per, but unwilling to mention her offspring to this perfect stranger, afraid it would hurt her chances even though Dorey in the real world was older than either of them were in San Junipero, and completely unable to have any bearing on their relationship. Well, besides...No. Didn’t bear thinking about. Bianca couldn’t be bothered with the angst in that moment.
The whole thing was incredibly fucking ironic - she hadn’t given two shits when she’d been properly alive, and now all she ever seemed to do was whinge about how sorry she was for it all. Who knew that a botched half-attempt at suicide would be what it took to get her daughter to take notice of her again?
“Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you...y’know, would you stay here? I know it’s only been one night, and it’s a big move and shit. Because I know that would involve you...well, dying. But…” She trailed off, unsure of what to say. Bianca pursed her lips.
“Out of my hands I’m afraid. Kinda part of the deal with being a vegetable; people don’t ask you about jack shit.” She gave a small shrug, trying to keep the conversation light. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, I’m the first person that I know who’s died.” Courtney said, breezy and casual just as she always was when she talked about her mortality, or rather lack thereof. “And forever gets pretty fucking lonely without anyone to talk to. I quite like you.” She admitted, coy and avoiding Bianca’s gaze. “It would be nice to properly have someone around that I can talk to and stuff, y’know?”
“Well, I’ve been as I am for half a decade now, and I can’t see anyone changing that any time soon.” That was some comfort - she was full aware that Adore would never have the heart to unplug her, which had felt like torture for a significant spell because she had nothing to do but lie paralyzed and listen to her bullshitting about how much she missed her, but now that had changed. Now she had something to do besides daydreaming to amuse herself, even if it was only for a few hours a week. “We’ll see each other again.”
“I hope so…” Courtney pulled her arms tighter around Bianca’s waist. “Do you mind me asking how old you are?”
“A lady never reveals her age,” Bianca turned her nose up, smirking as Courtney grumbled in protest. “Okay, fine. I’m twenty-one. I think my actual body is fifty-something these days? Maybe sixty? It’s hard to keep track.”
“You fuck damn good for an old lady.” Courtney smirked, giggling as Bianca skiffed her upside the head. “I’m twenty. But I died when I was twenty-five.”
“Fuck…” Bianca murmured. That was fucking young - that was how old Adore had been when she’d last seen her. Ouch.
“Oh, don’t go all weepy on me. I know it’s tragic and all that shit, but look how much fun I’m having here. Who cares?”
“Your parents, probably.”
“Shut up,” Courtney reached up to silence her with a kiss, draping her arm around her shoulders. “Y’know, I think I really do quite like you, Bianca.” Bianca kissed her back, her lips parting delicately and tongue poking out just enough to taste the other woman; her scent perfume-sweet and musky with sweat.
“Y’know, I think I could say the same, Courtney.”
They fell asleep together, in one another’s arms - tired-out and blissfully happy, full of liquor and dreams of what the future could hold for them now that they’d met. Who’d have thought that Bianca would have found amour like this after five years as a sentient corpse - not her, that was for fucking certain.
Courtney woke up next to rumpled sheets and an empty space, the Fortuny gown gone from the corner of the room, and the handbag contents that Bianca had littered across her nightstand vanished, as though she’d never been there at all.
Cause I love my baby and my baby loves me
Don't know nobody as happy as we!
I'm only twenty and she's twenty one,
We never worry, we're just having fun!