Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Victoria?”

Turning her head, Victoria saw her classmate and friend Venus looking at her with the usual patient smile. She had been spacing out just a little bit, in exactly the kind of way that baby-Vic would have been ashamed of. Returning the smile, she sat up taller. “Hey, what's up?”

Her attention was diverted momentarily by a text, then she brought her attention back to her. “I'm heading out to meet up with the girls for some drinks. I thought you might like to come along. I've been meaning to introduce you to Neptune forever, and Jupiter gets along with everybody.”

In truth, Victoria had mostly just been planning on taking a quiet weekend to catch up on some work she'd been ignoring. But she also knew that working her ass off 24/7 was just as dangerous as partying too much. A strange life, where going out for a drink was character growth. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I could go for a drink after a long week.”

Neptune really was a strange mom friend. She often did the mom friend thing, checking in with you, making sure you were taking care of yourself. But she did it with a blunt force unmatched by anyone else that Clarissa had ever met.

Case in point, Clarissa had been spending a rather long day at the university library catching up on readings for some of her classes. It was getting pretty late and there was still a lot left to be done, so she was pushing herself, perhaps a bit needlessly, to keep going right up until she had to be kicked out. She wasn't even aware that Neptune was nearby until she heard the telltale clicking of her friend texting away like a madwoman. “Hey, wanna go out drinking?”

“As much as I would adore the chance to do so, I've got a stack of reading a mile high to get done.”

Neptune sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Okay, I misspoke. We're going out for drinks with Jupiter and Venus because we have been working our asses off and we all deserve a break. You don't actually have a choice. I was just asking to be nice.”

There was really no fighting it when Neptune went and asserted herself, so Clarissa started putting her stuff away with a tired smile. “Lead on, Macduff...”

It had been kind of a no-brainer for Victoria to make friends with the strange blonde girl in her photography class with the religious background. After... well, everything at Blackwell, there was always that part of her that desperately needed to make peace with Kate. At a glance, Venus had seemed like a useful proxy for her regrets.

Granted, that only lasted for a day or so. In record time, it became clear to Victoria that the similarities were more or less superficial. For one thing, Venus actually cursed with dependable frequency. She was also more of a social creature, as evidenced by how much time she spent with her best buddies. Even if their friendship had begun with somewhat strange intentions, Victoria was grateful to have someone cool to hang out with. Things had been a little rough for her the last few years.

The good news was that they weren't meeting up at some sleazy pub near campus, but something closer to a bar and grill. As they entered, Venus motioned to a table already occupied by a girl with dirty blonde hair and a ratty military jacket. As soon as they made eye contact, her face practically lit up with a goofy grin and she waved them over. “We have a guest! She better be cool, Venus. Hey, you, are you cool?”

Victoria scoffed gently and crossed her arms. “Let's just say a few years ago I would have said yes, and these days I'm not so sure.”

That seemed to satisfy her and she reclined a little in her chair. “Nice. Same. Take a seat, I just ordered some nachos.”

Based on all the stories Neptune told her, Clarissa had a pretty good idea of what to expect when they got to their destination. So the extra person came as something of a surprise. A cute girl in a cute dress and cute heels and jesus christ she was just super freaking cute.

“Who's blondie?” True to form, her friend really didn't bother to hold back.

The one that Clarissa was pretty sure was Venus gave a nervous smile. “Oh, sorry Neptune. I mean. No. Not sorry. I swear, I'm working on it. Anyway, this is Victoria. She's in the photography program with me. I can totally vouch for her.”

Even knowing that Neptune trusted these two with her life, it was still something of a surprise to see such an immediate change in her attitude. “Venus is a good judge of character. Don't ruin this opportunity, Vic.” Finally she motioned her way. “Anyway, call me a hypocrite because I dragged someone along too. Clarissa here is good people. Looks like we accidentally have the makings of a party.”

Clarissa glanced in the direction of Victoria and gave her a small conspiratorial nod. They had just ended up in this weird 'six degrees' situation and the only thing one could really do was make the best of it. As if being the outsiders of this friendship trio made them immediate friends. Life could be a little weird like that sometimes.

Despite some initial weirdness as everyone got to know each other, things eventually settled into a rather comfortable pattern. Victoria had a beautiful but strong concoction and Venus asked for one as well after seeing it, Clarissa and Jupiter were trying a bunch of different beers, and Neptune seemed willing to drink whatever was brought her way. She found herself occasionally glancing at the other outsider, as if being a fourth and fifth wheel somehow gave them an automatic connection. Or maybe it was just the fact that the redhead was attractive in a butch sort of way, with shit-kicking boots and a worn-out flannel. Maybe Victoria was a touch thirsty of late.

It was a wonderfully normal situation that Victoria didn't even realize she'd been in desperate need of. Things had gone pretty weird in Arcadia Bay for a while there, and life after hadn't been any easier. Being surrounded by friends and getting drunk was a blessed experience.

“No, seriously, it was the worst. The absolute fucking worst. Jangly guitar songs about jesus and all these activities that pitted us against the other campers. Pretty sure there were dead bodies in the lake, but we swam in there all the same.” Neptune quickly knocked back a shot of whiskey, wincing. “They made a huge mistake putting three angry queer girls in the same bunk.”

Clarissa finished off her latest beer before standing up from the table with only a small amount of stumbling. “Time for a smoke break. Be back in a bit.”

Victoria found herself standing up as well, with an equal amount of swaying. “I could actually use one myself. Would you mind?”

The redhead just gave a noncommittal shrug and pulled on her jacket, heading for the door. Victoria did the same, following her into the crisp late-fall air of New York City. Each girl retrieved a cigarette for themselves. Victoria was fumbling for her lighter, unable to locate it in her purse when suddenly a flame appeared before her eyes from the one Clarissa was holding. “Here...” Victoria completely forgot about the fact that she needed to inhale to make sure it lit properly. So for a few seconds she just stood there with the cigarette hanging limply out of her mouth as the blush began to crawl along her cheeks. Eventually it did set in that there was a step she wasn't completing and she took a slow inhale before leaning against the brick wall and savoring the welcome rush of nicotine. “So, what's your story, Vic?”

“Oh, um. I mean, I come from a pretty wealthy west coast family. But we kinda had a falling out so now it's just me, trying my best, I guess? Hm, that's not a very good answer, is it?”

Clarissa laughed, surprisingly, a plume of smoke filling the air in front of them. “Maybe, but it's honest, so I don't mind. Funny, I'm actually west coast myself. Camena, Oregon. One of those towns you're more likely to die in than escape. So I'd say I'm doing alright for myself.”

Victoria's eyes widened a little in surprise. “Holy shit, I think I drove through there a few times. I went to art school in Arcadia Bay. That's so weird...”

If Clarissa was equally surprised, it didn't show on her face. She just laughed softly, tapping a few ashes off the end of her cigarette. “For all we know, the two of us could have come within a few hundred feet of each other, only to end up meeting on the other side of the country. It's a weird world.”

Something about that had sent a strange wave washing over her for a moment. “It really is...” Maybe it was just the fact that Clarissa was so cool, but she felt as though she could tell her almost anything without judgment. And also maybe a lot of judgment. But the alcohol and the shared moment was making her feel brave. “Can I tell you something truly weird?”

Clarissa braced herself. She refused to leave a cigarette unfinished, and that currently meant standing there while the blonde suddenly unloaded some insane conspiracy theory or whatever.

“Okay so... there was this really bizarre thing that happened at my high school. See, we had this photography teacher and... Ugh, I was such a dumb kid, and I was super into him. I was actually even starting to flirt with him. Aaaaaaaand then... it turned out that he was some kind of psycho kidnapper/murderer and I dodged a major bullet. Um, only... Okay. When the news came out about him, I had this feeling in my gut. Paralyzing terror, and the knowledge that in another world, I was in that maniac's den of horrors. Not just as some kind of after-the-fact understanding that I was playing with fire. Like... literally, there was another universe, and I could see it playing out in my mind's eye. As if it were happening to me.”

That was not at all what Clarissa had been expecting, and the sheer honesty with which Victoria spoke sent a small shiver down her spine. Not just because it was an awful story about an atrocious human being. No, it was more primal than that. More familiar. “You know, it's strange, I hadn't thought about it in a while... I went to this party on a tourist trap island off the coast of our town. It was a junior class tradition. You go out, get drunk on the beach, maybe hook up, whatever. Except it was a total disaster, there was only five of us. And all I really remember is hanging out with my friend Nona and trying to ignore how boring it was. But sometimes, it's this feeling, nothing more. Something about radios and ghosts and time travel? And I think maybe I got possessed. Nona's the only one I ever talked to about it, and she looked at me like I was nuts. Sometimes I still get nervous around lakes and shit. Stupid that I would come to college here on a goddamn island. But the feeling hits me so rarely that I guess I didn't even realize what I'd done until it was too late.” She paused for a moment, smoking down the last of her cigarette, needing the short buzz to calm her down after being too real. “So, I dunno. The world's pretty big. Sometimes shit doesn't make sense. Honestly, I've always gotten the impression that there's some shit Neptune hasn't told me about her old summer camp. Maybe weird people are just drawn to each other.”

That was about as much of a line as she was willing to cast here. For all she knew, Victoria was the token straight in this group. But even if all this became was a friendship, that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

“Well... I think that it would probably be healthy. For the two of us to... you know, hang out again. Swap stories. Share the sanity. That kind of thing. If you're down for yet another starving artist friend.”

Clarissa dropped her cigarette butt to the ground and stubbed it with the heel of her boot. “Quantum trauma bffs? I think I can get behind that.” Yeah, that's good, keep it light. You only just told someone your weirdest secret and they believed you?? Completely normal. “Come on, if we stay out here any longer, the others are gonna be totally sloshed and we'll have to play catch-up.”

Chapter Text

Once the other two had left, Jupiter glanced back and forth between her friends, eyes hardened. “Okay, which one of you cooked up this brilliant idea.” The confused look on their faces initially seemed like a cover, so she doubled her accusatory energy. “I'm serious. I'm not saying I'm mad or anything, but life has been pretty quiet lately and I'd like to keep that going. So just own up to the fact that you worked together to bring two chaos magnets to the same place.”

Finally Neptune's eyes began to narrow slightly. “Jupiter, take a goddamn breath for a second and actually tell us what the fuck you're talking about. If I plan something, I don't do it secretly, and Venus could never maintain a ruse like that for more than two seconds.”

“Are you telling me you didn't feel that? Both of them have like... stuff... in their pasts. I'm honestly worried about all five of us being in the same location.”

Venus shrugged humbly. “I mean, you're the one who knows how to feel these things out Jupiter. I legitimately had no idea.”

As quickly as it had come, the storm was gone and Jupiter sank back into her seat, knocking back the last of her beer. “Sorry guys. I guess this is just one of those 'the devil moves in mysterious ways' situations, huh? Nothing to it but to hold on tight and hope for the best.”

Eventually things returned more to normal, and Clarissa and Victoria returned from their smoke break. But Jupiter couldn't shake the thought that there was something odd about these new friendships.

“I'm still blown away. You've been in this city for years and you never once checked out Central Park? Like it's a popular place for all kinds of art nerds looking for inspiration.”

Victoria double-checked the settings on her camera with a soft sigh. “I just... I don't know, it's kind of complicated.”

Surprisingly, Clarissa actually started to chuckle softly, digging her hands into her coat pockets and strolling along one of the paved paths. “Well, you're stuck hanging out with me for the afternoon, so you might as well get on with it.

Victoria could definitely appreciate a strong personality, and Clarissa was a strange one at that. She was obviously an individual who did her own thing, but she went about it with such an easy attitude that it was hard to get a read on her sometimes. She had no way of knowing for certain how her new friend would even respond to her story. But she didn't have many other choices at the moment. “Right well... I used to be like... a majorly awful person. Catty, conceited, spiteful. And when I graduated, I figured I had everything I needed to become a successful photographer overnight. And it really only took a couple weeks for it to become painfully obvious that I wasn't the earth-shattering genius I saw myself as. Couldn't sell anything, couldn't get hosted in a gallery, even my own parents turned down my submission. We got into a whole huge fight and I haven't spoken to them since. I spent some time couch-surfing until I could get a job, find a place of my own. I... had kinda stopped taking pictures except for random shots with my phone.”

She paused her story to analyze the light in the area and get a few pictures of a statue. “So I finally got my ass in gear, decided that if my work wasn't good enough, then there was something I had missed. So I saved as best as I could, got a scholarship, and enrolled fall last year. The only reason I even got into a class with Venus is because I had some credits that carried over from Blackwell. It's been... humbling, to put it mildly.” She noticed some graffiti on the statue and went in for a closer picture. “But I look back at that arrogant little shit and think, 'thank god for those two years of hell'. Ya know?”

Clarissa nodded her head, humming softly in thought. The two continued their walk for a while in a comfortable enough silence when she suddenly cleared her throat with a surprising bit of volume. “I was uh... kind of a dingus too, back in the day. It's... jesus, it sounds so stupid, even just playing it over in my head. I was dating this guy, Michael, and he... died. And at the time, I blamed his sister Alex. Like, legitimately, I was convinced that if she had just not asked him to hang out with her that one day, he wouldn't have died. I acted like a huge buttface to her.” She shrugged her shoulders a few times, staring mostly at the ground. “I guess I could just pass it off as being a dumb kid in high school, dealing poorly with a crap situation. But sometimes I do kinda worry that I'm always gonna be that shitty person?” Just like that, she was suddenly laughing as though the both of them hadn't just unloaded some really personal stuff. “God, what a fucking friendship this is, huh? First we swap impossible secrets, and now we're disclosing how terrible we really are.”

Victoria swallowed, lowering her camera and actually focusing on her companion. As long as they were getting to know one another through intense honesty, perhaps it would be best to just keep right on going. “Well... I can't speak for you, but I remember reading that it's pretty common for queer girls to bond by immediately sharing intimate details after knowing one another five minutes.”

That earned her a much brighter laugh from Clarissa. “No, I'd say that tracks. It would make sense.”

Victoria realized that the redhead was looking particularly pretty at the moment, and like a reflex, she brought her camera up to capture the moment. Clarissa obviously hadn't been expecting that because her eyes went wide and her face went a deep shade of red. “Sorry, that's the danger of having a photographer for a friend. Get used to it.” She stuck her tongue out playfully.

“I really can believe you used to be a major brat,” Clarissa fired back, and Victoria was grateful that she didn't seem legitimately upset. That was good news. And it made her feel like maybe she could be braver.

Wandering around Central Park had been nice, but now that Clarissa was getting a better idea of who Victoria was, she had decided she wasn't quite ready for things to come to an end just yet. They were leaving the park and heading for the subway, and she figured it was time to just go for it. “So, wanna come hang at my place for a bit? Get something to eat, watch a movie, chill, all that?”

The blonde was in the process of carefully putting her camera away, and seemed momentarily shocked by the offer. Once she had managed to recover, she put on a more passive face. “Hm, I guess I could go for that. But I'm paying for food if that's the case. I refuse to mooch.”

Something about that tickled Clarissa in a particularly nice way. She laughed as she motioned for Vic to follow her, giving her a general idea of what lines they needed to take to reach her place.

It wasn't too far to go, and before long she was leading the way up several flights to her apartment. “My roommate keeps kinda weird hours, so I have no clue if you'll even get a chance to meet him. He spends like half his time at his girlfriend's place, so he's basically paying to have a secondary crash pad, but I'm not gonna complain.” She hung up her jacket and tossed her keys in a bowl before strolling into the living room, aiming to collapse on the couch and never move. “Make yourself at home.”

“Nice place~” Victoria followed her in and daintily took a seat on the other end of the couch. There was something kind of dainty about how she did damn near everything. It was attractive, and Clarissa was starting to feel maybe just a tiny bit guilty for being so attracted to someone she barely knew. More to the point, what they did know about one another painted a picture of two messy people. But that didn't change the fact that it was happening all the same.

Suddenly remembering their conversation about food, thanks to her grumbling stomach, Clarissa ducked into the kitchen and returned with a stack of menus. She set them down on the coffee table in front of Victoria before flopping back onto the couch. “This should give you a pretty good idea of the local cuisine. I'm honestly good with pretty much anything, so take your pick and we can figure out what we want.

While her guest went about sorting out their dinner plans, Clarissa turned on the tv and tried to find something agreeable to watch. She scanned a few titles on Netflix when a particularly goofy-looking anime caught her eye for a moment. She couldn't help but scoff, and was about to continue when she heard Victoria scoff as well. “Ugh, that one was so awful...”

Clarissa's attention left the screen and she glanced at her more intently. “You watched it?”

She shrugged, not even looking up from the menu in her hands. She was studying it with a surprising intensity, and Clarissa was surprised that even this little detail seemed attractive. “Mmm, I was a huge closet anime dork when I was younger. I think it was one of those things I learned to accept myself in the last few years. Everyone has something they're shamelessly into.”

“Hmm, okay then nerd. Give me a recommendation.”

Which was how Clarissa spent a marvelous evening eating Indian food and watching some ridiculous bullshit called One Punch Man.

Victoria knew she should have been satisfied with the day she'd had. She got to wander around Central Park with an attractive woman. Even better, they continued to hang out with food and anime. If she had gone home at that point, it would have felt like a very successful excursion. But for some reason, baby Victoria was rearing her ugly head, demanding more more more.

Over the course of the show, Victoria tactically moved herself closer bit by bit. Finally she was close enough that she could comfortably lay her head against Clarissa's shoulder. She held her breath, waiting to see how she would respond. Finally, her arm came up and draped across her shoulders, pulling her in just a little more. Victoria sighed happily as the move proved its success.

The final episode reached its conclusion and she said a silent prayer that something good could come from this. Clarissa glanced down at her with a wry smirk. “Well, you were right, that was really damn good. What do I owe you for the pleasure of such a wonderful day?”

That was a set-up, right? She's definitely dropping a huge hint here. I'm not crazy. I'm definitely not crazy. You can do this Victoria. Just go for it. “I have a few ideas...” she said softly before leaning up, pushing her lips against Clarissa's. The hand at her shoulder lifted slightly, fingers brushing through her hair a few times. The kiss began to deepen, and Victoria said another silent prayer of thanks to whoever was watching out for her. She shifted her position so that she was laying more on top of Clarissa, wrapping her arms around her waist.

For a while, that was all they did, laying there and kissing each other with an exploratory slowness. Clarissa's hands began to roam as well, and Victoria made sure to give little moans to reassure her that this was welcome. After an indeterminate period of time, Clarissa pulled back with a charming smile. “You know, it's getting kind of late. Might be dangerous to let you go out alone. I'm going to have to insist you crash here. I can take the couch and you can have my bed.”

Now that Victoria was feeling like less of a lost little lamb, she was definitely able to spot this as another set-up. “Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure we can comfortably share your bed.” She paused, giving her best puppy dog eyes. “If you'd like...?”

“Presumptuous, but accurate,” Clarissa cooed before capturing her lips in another kiss.