Work Text:
dorcas from the bookstore: hi! what time should i come meet you?
cute girl marlene: around 7?
cute girl marlene: in the park
dorcas from the bookstore: i know :))
dorcas from the bookstore: can’t wait to see you!
cute girl marlene: me too! :D
Marlene stood by the entrance to the park, anxiously watching each person who passed. She had arrived five minutes early, and at 6:59 had begun to wonder if Dorcas had stood her up. She checked her phone. 7:01.
“Hey,” a voice called out. Marlene looked up and there was Dorcas, her pink dreadlocks spilling out from underneath a turquoise beanie, a bright smile on her face as she waved. Marlene waved back.
“Got your skates, I see,” Marlene said, and then immediately winced. Why did she have to say the most obvious thing? This was a skating date, for god’s sake.
Dorcas smiled and held them up. “I do! And you’ve got yours?”
“Yup!” They stood there for a moment before Marlene managed to tear her eyes away from Dorcas long enough to gesture into the park. “Shall we?”
They walked down the short path to the skating rink, close enough that their hands brushed against each other. Even with both of their gloves, the tiny tough made Marlene shiver. She dared a sideways glance at Dorcas, who, it turned out, was also looking at her. They held eye contact for a moment, then their hands brushed together and Dorcas’s fingers wrapped tentatively around her own. Marlene smiled, trying to seem less delighted than she actually was at this turn of events, then laced her own fingers with Dorcas’s. She looked straight ahead towards the skating rink, taking in the snow covering the ground and the trees, and the lights strung up between the lampposts. As they drew nearer, she could hear christmas music playing over the speakers placed around the rink. Dorcas squeezed her hand, and Marlene giggled, feeling absolutely giddy.
They sat down on a bench at the edge of the ice, and their hands and elbows bumped as they tied up their skates, and Marlene looked at Dorcas and watched the first few fluffy snowflakes as they fell on her face, catching in her dark eyelashes and melting on her cheeks. Dorcas stood, wobbling slightly as she stepped onto the ice, and then held her hand out to Marlene. Marlene took it with a smile, and interlaced their fingers again, holding on tight as they both tried to get their balance. A group of children in hockey jerseys zoomed past, their parents following some distance behind.
As they skated, Marlene couldn’t take her eyes off of Dorcas. She knew that they were holding a conversation somehow or other––about Dorcas’s job at the bookstore, she was fairly certain––but her brain was on autopilot as she watched the lights dance across Dorcas’s face, lighting up the night like miniature stars.
The skating rink was a big loop, with an area in the center that was, in the summer, grassy and filled with flowers. In the winter, snow filled it and children built snowmen, and Marlene took to pointing out her favourite features of them each time they passed by.
“Look! That one’s got an orange slice as a mouth!”
“That one’s fucking enormous, it must be at least seven feet tall!”
“Awww, those two are holding hands!”
“Is that….a snow dog? It sort of looks like one. Although it might also just be a lump, it’s hard to tell.”
Dorcas laughed, and linked their arms together, and when Marlene needed a break, she sat with her and brushed the snow out of her hair. It was falling thickly, but the lights were still on and the music was still playing and even though it was getting late, there were still a few families in the park, children building snowmen and playing games, adults skating.
They stayed for almost two hours, and only left because Marlene’s lips were beginning to turn a disturbing shade of blue.
Yes, it was Dorcas who noticed, and no, Marlene didn’t think about that the whole walk home, with Dorcas at her side, watching the snow drift through the circles of light cast by the streetlamps. They reached Marlene’s apartment building, and went inside, and Dorcas hugged her from behind, and Marlene nearly dropped her keys because oh, that was unexpected.
“Do you want some hot chocolate?” she asked as she took off her coat.
“Always.”
“I even have candy canes!”
Dorcas grinned up at Marlene from where she was leaned over to untie her boots. “You’re the best.”
“Oh, I know.” Marlene winked, and Dorcas laughed. Marlene loved making Dorcas laugh. It made her want to laugh as well, so she did. “Come into the kitchen. I’ve got some cookies as well.”
“I do love cookies!” Dorcas padded down the hallway close behind Marlene, who was sure she could feel Dorcas’s every movement.
“The hot chocolate should only take a couple minutes,” Marlene said over her shoulder. “The cookies are just under that cloth there.” She pointed, and Dorcas lifted up the dishcloth and made a happy noise at what she found underneath.
“Gingerbread! I know I said this already, but you’re the best.”
Marlene hid her blush in the tin of hot chocolate mix. “How much do you want?”
“Lots!” Dorcas was suddenly right behind her, chin resting on her shoulder and arms around her waist. Marlene’s hand shook, and some hot chocolate powder spilled onto the floor. Dorcas grinned and turned her head to kiss Marlene’s neck. Marlene’s hand shook even more.
“You won’t have lots if you keep doing that,” she said.
“That’s okay.” Dorcas pressed another kiss to Marlene’s jaw, and Marlene shivered and dropped the spoon entirely. It fell on the counter, and the powder spilled everywhere, but she could clean that up later. She turned so that she was facing Dorcas, and pulled her in for a kiss.
Dorcas leaned forward, pressing Marlene against the counter, and her hands settled on Marlene’s hips as they kissed. Marlene’s arms were wrapped around Dorcas’s neck, pulling her down and towards her as she smiled against Dorcas’s lips. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” she whispered. Dorcas laughed, a puff of breath against Marlene’s mouth, and she pressed their foreheads together. Their noses, still cold from outside, brushed against each other.
“Me too,” Dorcas said softly. “Ever since you first came into the store, I just–” she laughed again, and shook her head, her face scrunched up in a smile. “I knew this would happen.”
Marlene kissed her again. “I hoped it would.”
“And it did.” Another kiss. “Lucky me.” Kiss.
“No.” Kiss. “Lucky me.”
“Sure, sure, whatever you want.” Kiss. “Now,” kiss, “I think you owe me some hot chocolate.”
Kiss. “Mmm, I think I do.” Kiss. “With a candy cane in it.” Kiss.
Dorcas nodded. “With a candy cane in it.”
Late that night, with the credits of a shitty christmas movie rolling on the TV, and the empty plate of cookies on the table, and the last of her second cup of hot chocolate already cold in the mug, Marlene drifted off to sleep with her head on Dorcas’s shoulder and wondered how in the world she would plan a better second date.