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“What are we watching this time?”
Yennefer looks up from her laptop. Triss is popping the last of their popcorn, all dressed up in fuzzy Olaf pajama pants and a lacy lavender tank top. It’s a comical sight, especially since she’s also wearing fuzzy raccoon socks, but her roommate looks so cute and cosy that Yennefer has to take a deep breath to keep from going over just to kiss her.
“Yenna?”
Yennefer blinks. “Ah, right,” she says, fumbling with her laptop. She feels her cheeks heat up, and she brings up her screen to hide it. She quickly clicks on the movie and waits for it to pull up- even with her paid account on Einthusan, the movies like to buffer sometimes. However, it seems like the gods have decided to be good to them today, since the movie pulls up with little fuss.
“We’re watching ‘Bunty Aur Babli,’ she says finally, plugging the laptop up to their TV. “Honestly, we’re running out of 2000 era movies I can actually stand- soon we’ll be down to Karan Johar films.”
“Oh?” Triss places the popcorn down on the coffee table before dragging a blanket over. “Are they bad?”
Yennefer makes a face. “Of a sorts,” she says, fiddling with the wire. “They’ve got all the glamour and glitz of Bollywood movies, but the way they treat women is… meh. Sort of like Western rom-coms?”
“Ahhhh,” Triss says, nodding sagely. “I get you. This movie doesn’t then?”
Yennefer shrugs. “It might, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but it used to be one of my favorites.”
“Must be good then,” Triss says, beaming around a mouthful of popcorn. Gods she’s so cute. “If you’re endorsing it. Come on! Play it and come back here already!”
This sort of imperiousness from any other person would raise Yennefer’s hackles, but it’s Triss, so Yennefer just laughs and follows her command before settling on her side of the couch with a handful of popcorn.
“Say,” she says, plopping a piece into her mouth. “Where’s my blanket? Hm?”
“Oh, uh-” Triss, for some reason, blushes. It’s faint, but visible even in the low light of the opening credits. “I thought we could share this time?”
Saying that, she raises the blanket in invitation. Yennefer stares at the sight, biting her lip. On one hand, that sounds heavenly- she’d be close enough to cuddle Triss and smell the sweet, honey-scented shampoo in her hair. On the other hand…
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Yennefer looks up at the disappointment in Triss’ voice. She looks a bit sad, like she’d really been looking forward to cuddling with Yennefer, and well…
Fuck it.
“Budge over,” she says, wrestling under Triss’ arm. She bites back a smile at the wide, pleased grin on Triss’ face.
“I knew you’d see my side eventually,” Triss says lightly, nudging Yennefer with her arm. “You always do.”
Yennefer goes to protest, but then Triss shushes her. “It’s starting!” she hisses, settling back onto the couch with an excited grin.
Yennefer sighs and just leans back as Amitabh Bachchan’s voice washes over them both. For a moment, it seems like she’ll be able to get sucked into the movie.
Then Triss drops her head onto Yennefer’s shoulder.
Ah fuck.
Maybe she should’ve taken a nap earlier, Yennefer thinks absently, fighting back yet another yawn as Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee swindle yet another person onscreen. Ordinarily, this is her favorite part of the movie, and she usually can’t take her eyes off of it. But now…
Triss notices when she bites back another yawn. “Sleepy?” she whispers, eyes sparkling in the TV light.
Yennefer hums. “Don’t worry about me,” she says, slurring a bit as she tries to keep her eyes open. “You keep watching.”
“Alright,” Triss says, smiling. “But we can stop if you want.”
“No, I’m-” Yennefer yawns, then ducks her head, embarrassed. “M’good.”
Triss laughs. “If you say so, Yenna.”
Somehow, she lasts longer than she thought she would. But then the filmi song hits and well…
By the first “chup chup ke” in the chorus, she’s fast asleep.
She opens her eyes and gasps.
She’s standing on a high rocky ledge, so close to the edge she can almost taste the fall. Beneath her, she sees a red rock arch, stark like vermillion powder splashed against the blue sky. By contrast, there’s snow to the right, so blindingly white she has to shield her eyes.
And that’s when she notices the sari.
Well, first she notices the silver bangles on her arm, and then she notices the sari.
It’s a deep, shimmering purple with an elegantly embroidered design at the hem. She feels the edge of her anchal- it’s silk, her preferred fabric for saris.
She furrows her brows. The sari is pretty and all, but how did she-
“Dekh na… mere sar se…”
She whips around. What the fuck?
“Asmaan ud gaya hai…”
She races forward, not even stumbling over a rock even though she’s somehow also in heels. She knows that song, but more importantly, she knows that voice.
She whirls around a bend and freezes at the sight in front of her.
“Triss?” she whispers.
Triss stands on another ledge, arms thrown out like she’s welcoming the cool wind. Her anchal, canary-yellow with green embroidery, floats in the breeze as she sings her heart out.
“Triss?” Yennefer says again, louder this time. Triss must hear her because she turns around, elegant and smooth like she’s in a dance.
Or a movie.
As Yennefer is dealing with the revelation that she’s now in a Bollywood song with her roommate, friend, and long-time crush, Triss takes the moment to come closer. Still singing, of course.
“Dekh na asmaan ke sire khul gaaye hai zameen se.” She brings a hand up to brush Yennefer’s cheek, and Yennefer stops breathing. Gods, she’s so close- what if, what if Yennefer just leaned in and-
A finger boops her nose.
“Chup chup ke, chup chup ke, chori se chori~” Triss sings, smiling mischievously. “Chup chup ke, chup chup ke re.”
“Triss-”
Triss whirls around, and Yennefer gets a whiff of her honey-scented shampoo before her anchal crashes into her face, soft and dreamy like a cloud. For a second, her world is all yellow, yellow, yellow- and then the anchal is gone, and the two of them are in a field of tulips.
Well, that’s not surprising at all.
Triss runs through the rows of tulips and spins around, arms once again outstretched. Of all the flowers in the field, all the reds and yellows and oranges, she outshines them and goddamn if that’s not the sappiest thing Yennefer has ever thought.
“Hosh mein main nahi, yeh gashi bhi nahi.”
Right. Triss is still singing.
Absently, Yennefer wonders if she should start singing too. Then she remembers that the last time she sang, Jaskier had cried. And not in a good way either. To add insult to injury, Geralt had looked her in the eye and begged her not to sing again.
If the most tune-deaf man in the world tells her not to sing, it’s probably with good reason.
At some point, Triss has started singing the chorus again. This time, she’s dancing back towards Yennefer, creeping closer like she’s trying to tiptoe towards her, which sort of makes sense in the context of the song. Y’know, with “chup chup ke” being “silently and secretly” and all that.
She stands in front of Yennefer again, and, like always, Yennefer’s mouth goes dry at the sight of her smile. It really doesn’t help that she’s in a sari, or that she’s singing in Yennefer’s mother tongue.
Then she twines her arms around Yennefer’s neck, and Yennefer’s heartbeat just stops.
“Chup chup ke, chup chup ke re,” she sings into her ear, and Yennefer shudders at the feeling of it. Her hands come up to circle Triss’ waist- the skin under her green blouse is so soft, almost like a cloud. The hair there prickles at Yennefer’s fingertips in the most delightful way and make her want to melt into Triss for more.
She blinks, and suddenly she stands amidst ruins she’s never seen before.
Also, Triss isn’t in her arms. Instead, she’s running in slow motion through hallways.
I’m getting really tired of these scene changes, she thinks, watching as Triss rounds a pillar with a laugh. Privately, she knows she’ll never get tired of seeing Triss in the scene changes.
“Tum kaho toh ruke, tum kaho toh chale.”
Triss leans back against the pillar and raises her anchal. The fabric covers the sun, softening its edges as the anchal flaps in the wind. It’s hypnotic, almost, and Yennefer can’t bear the distance between them. Unbidden, her feet move towards Triss, and suddenly she’s at her side, watching as Triss sings with a dreamy look on her face.
“Triss,” she whispers. Triss turns to look at her, that same, lovely smile on her lips. She tugs at the edge of Yennefer’s anchal, and Yennefer takes the invitation to step into her space and hug her.
One of Triss’ hands comes up to cradle the back of her head, and slowly, she pushes it down, down, down towards her neck. Yennefer sucks in a breath- she shouldn’t be, this isn’t-
Triss pushes again.
Fuck it.
Yennefer nuzzles into Triss’ neck. It’s so soft, smoother than the silk of the saris that covers them both, and she smells like honeysuckle and roses. Yennefer dares to press her lips against the thin skin at Triss’ pulse, and she shudders as she feels the song in Triss’ throat vibrating against her lips.
Triss’ hand brushes her face again, and Yennefer has to bite back a needy, pathetic whine when she pushes her back. It’s a small consolation, however, to see the loving look in Triss’ eyes as she keeps singing the chorus.
Yennefer can’t keep the giddy, undoubtedly goofy smile when a lock of hair falls into Triss’ face. She has to reach up, tugging it just once to see it bounce, before she pushes it back behind her ear. Triss laughs through the song and twines her arms around Yennefer’s neck again to pull her closer. Yennefer closes her eyes, content to wait out the rest of the song right here in Triss’ arms.
Until Triss sings the next line.
“Yennefer ki Triss aur Triss ki Yennefer,” Triss sings, not noticing or caring that Yennefer has gone stone-still in Triss’ arms. “Yennefer ki Triss hui.”
Yennefer is Triss’ and Triss is Yennefer’s.
The words hit her with a want so thick she gasps for air- it’s like a punch to the stomach, like flames against her face- a pain that burns and aches and makes her fingertips itch greedily.
She- she wants to be Triss’. She needs to be Triss’.
She pulls back. Triss is still singing the words over and over, a mockery of Yennefer’s wanting wish.
“Stop,” she begs. “Stop, stop Triss please-”
“Yennefer-”
“Triss-”
“Yennefer!”
Yennefer wakes up with a gasp.
The movie is still going, but the lights are on now. Triss kneels in front of her, worry furrowing her face.
“Yenna?” she says, rubbing Yennefer’s knee through the blanket soothingly. “You ok?”
“Yeah,” Yennefer says, still panting a bit. “I’m. I’m fine.”
Triss frowns. “You kept saying my name,” she murmurs.
Yennefer freezes. “W-well…”
The movie plays on as Yennefer wracks her brains for some sort of explanation. Finally, Triss sighs and pats her knee. “It’s alright, Yenna,” she says. “You don’t have to tell me- it just sounded like a nightmare towards the end.”
It was. Yennefer swallows.
“What are you doing down there?” she asks instead, deflecting. “That can’t be comfortable for you. Come back up here.”
Triss flushes. “Ah- well,” she says, getting to her feet, “we should um. We should probably watch the rest another time- it’s pretty late.”
“What- no!” Yennefer protests. “We can watch it now- I’m fine!”
“Yenna,” Triss says gently. “You’re tired- we can watch the rest tomorrow once you’ve gotten some sleep in you.”
Yennefer goes to protest again but gets cut off by a yawn. “Shit,” she says afterwards, making Triss giggle.
“Mhm,” Triss agrees. “Come on, up with you!” she says, turning the movie off.
Yennefer groans. “Don’t wanna get up,” she says, uncaring of how close she sounds to whining. “It’ll be cold.”
Triss tsks. “Oh you big baby,” she cooes, shutting off Yennefer’s laptop. “You know you’re not going to be able sleep on that couch, right? Not if you want to wake up in the morning without back pain.”
“Not a baby,” Yennefer grunts, drawing the blanket in closer. Fuck , it’s cold- did they not turn the heater on earlier?
Triss hums. “Yes you are,” she sing-songs, finally turning back to Yennefer. When Yennefer grunts again in protest, she just laughs. “It’s fine though- I like you anyways!”
I like you too, Yennefer adamantly does not say. Instead, she burrows into the blanket and pulls a bit over her head, smiling when she hears Triss sigh.
“Alright Yenna,” Triss says. “You asked for it.”
Before Yennefer can figure out what she means, the couch drops away beneath her, and she is airborne in someone’s very strong, very warm arms.
“Triss!” she yells- she yells, not squeaks, ok? “Triss, what the fuck are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Triss says, pulling back the blanket. Yennefer blinks as her amused face comes into view. The look in her eyes reminds her of the way she looked at Yennefer in her dream, and it just makes her want to melt. “I’m carrying you to bed, you big baby.”
Yennefer swallows. “For the last time-”
“‘-I’m not a baby,’” Triss finishes, cradling her closer. “But you are though! I’m carrying you like one, aren’t I?”
Yes, she is, and it’s turning Yennefer to goo. She knows Triss is strong- she has to be, to carry all those packets of soil for her garden shop, but she never thought she’d be strong enough to pick up Yennefer like she’s nothing more than a feather. Needless to say, it’s doing things to her.
“Here we are!” Triss chirps, gently lowering her to the bed before going to tuck her in.
Yennefer flushes. “I- I can do that!”
Triss looks at her and smiles. “I know,” she says softly. “But let me? I want to take care of you, Yenna.”
Well… if she’s offering…
Yennefer huffs and buries her face into the pillow, but she can still see Triss’ pleased grin as she gets tucked in. She really shouldn't be liking it all this much, but Triss’ hands are soft and gentle as she tucks the blankets around Yennefer and pats them down so that they lie flat.
“Alright,” Triss murmurs. “You’re all set, Yenna- let me know if you need anything, ok? Goodnight!”
Triss goes to walk away, and Yennefer panics. “Wait!”
Triss turns around. “Yenna?” she asks, concerned. “Everything ok?”
Fuck. Why is she keeping Triss from leaving? Triss is her friend, she doesn’t return her feelings like that… does she?
The memory of Triss’ disappointed eyes earlier today pops into her head.
“...It’s still cold,” Yennefer says slowly, trying to pull her idea together.
“Oh! I can get you another blanket?”
Yennefer bites her lip and raises the covers slowly. “I thought we could share?”
Triss’ eyes go wide in shock. Silence drags over the room, coating in the atmosphere in tense shades of grey as Yennefer watches Triss swallow and see her gaze flick down to the open covers. Yennefer holds back shivers as the cool air gets in, but still she keeps them raised, hoping she hasn’t made a mistake.
Triss looks at Yennefer again and licks her lips. “Yenna?” she asks, voice hoarse.
Yennefer swallows. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she says.
Triss just keeps looking at her. Just as Yennefer’s hope slips away though, she smiles, eyes bright even in the dark of her room. “Budge over,” she says playfully, slipping under the covers and cuddling up to Yennefer’s side.
Yennefer laughs and pulls her closer. “Knew you’d see my side eventually,” she says softly, giving into the long-repressed urge to kiss Triss’ hair. “You always do.”
Triss huffs and wraps her arm around Yennefer’s waist. “Stealing my lines, Yenna?” she murmurs.
Yennefer just laughs again. “You stole mine too.”
Triss nuzzles into her collarbone with a smile. “Mhm.”
I’ll tell her in the morning, Yennefer thinks as Triss finally settles. The last thing she remembers is the scent of honey as she’s pulled into sleep once more.