Chapter Text
November rolls around sooner than expected. Things have been going well, all things considered. Regina and Janis sleep over at each other’s places more nights than not, Janis has bonded with Toad by way of cat treats, and everything is okay. For once, between the two, everything is okay.
Except for now. Regina’s sleeping over at Janis and Damian’s place, a decision they made last week when Regina offered to help Damian cook for their Friendsgiving celebration.
She’s put off, however, when she wakes up in the middle of the night to find Janis no longer in bed. She was here when Regina fell asleep, where is she now?
Regina’s worries are eased a little when she sees Janis’ water bottle still on her nightstand and a dark outline of her hoodie still sitting on her desk chair, but the artist is still nowhere to be found.
Too curious to fall back asleep, Regina gets out of bed and walks out of the room, finding the lights in the kitchen to be on and Janis huddled over her laptop. What the hell?
“Jay, it’s late,” Regina runs a hand through her hair as she approaches her girlfriend, whose confusion at seeing Regina is evident all over her face.
“I didn’t wake you up, did I?” Janis asks as Regina takes in the rest of the kitchen. The oven is on, a mixing bowl is on the counter, and dishes are piled neatly in the sink.
“No, you didn’t, babe,” Regina walks up behind her and wraps her arms around Janis’ shoulders, “What’re you doing out here?”
“Baking cookies for tomorrow,” Janis gently takes one of Regina’s hands and kisses the back of it, “Go back to bed, G. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“You’re okay?” Regina asks, remembering vividly how when they were friends in their senior year, Janis would have bouts of bad sleeping, mostly when she was stressed out. It’s probably about time for that to occur, but Regina doesn’t know if Janis doesn’t tell her.
Janis tilts her head back so her eyes can meet Regina’s, “I’m okay. Go back to sleep, babe. You gotta be up early to help Damian.”
Regina hums, unconvinced, “Wake me up if you need anything?”
“Of course,” Janis tugs Regina down to her level and kisses her sweetly, “I love you.”
Regina smiles against her girlfriend’s lips, “I love you, too.”
-
When she wakes up the next morning, Janis is half on top of her with her head tucked under Regina’s chin and arm and leg wrapped tightly around Regina. It’s a reassuring spot to be in, and Regina kisses the top of her head before reaching over Janis and grabbing her phone.
Gretchen and Karen flew in late last night, so Regina didn’t get a chance to see them, but there’s a text in the group chat made for Friendsgiving showing them at their hotel’s breakfast. That’s probably due to Gretchen waking up early and not Karen, but it’s good to see that they’re awake already.
Cady, who’s probably flying right now, has a two-hour old selfie in the chat of her in the airport. Regina wonders if Aaron’s just not with her in that moment or didn’t want to be in the picture. Truly, he’s never been a guy for photos, so Regina wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter.
Regina checks the time, remembering suddenly that Janis is supposed to be the one picking Cady up from the airport and seeing that she only has an hour and a half before Cady’s flight lands. Regina nudges her girlfriend, rolling her eyes when Janis just grunts.
“Janis, babe,” Regina shifts underneath her, trying to disturb Janis just enough to get her to wake up, “You have to leave in half an hour, wake up.”
“No, I don’t,” Janis whines against Regina, holding on to her a little tighter, “Cady’s flight doesn’t arrive until 11.”
“Baby,” Regina moves her head so that she can look Janis in her eyes, as half-asleep as they may be, “It’s 9:30. It’s gonna take you an hour to get there. Get up.”
“Oh what the fuck?” Janis mumbles, grabbing Regina’s phone and checking the time. She buries her face back in Regina’s neck, “I don’t wanna.”
“Mm, I know,” Regina kisses her forehead, “You made a promise, though, Jay. C’mon, I have to get up and help Damian out anyway.”
Janis groans, but detaches herself from Regina. Regina takes that opportunity to get out of bed, waiting a second to see if Janis follows before tugging at one of her hands, “Come on.”
“You’re so mean,” Janis whines dramatically, sitting up and burying her face in her hands, “I’m tired.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have been up at 2am baking, then,” Regina retorts, grabbing clothes for the day out of her bag, “What was that about, anyway? You’ve never baked around me.”
Janis hums, watching unabashedly as Regina changes into a fresh shirt and pair of pants, “I was spending a bunch of money in college on pre-baked stuff, but my mom kept yelling at me about that, especially when I moved into an apartment, so one of my friends in California sat with me - for I shit you not - six hours, teaching me how to make frostings and boxed cake mixes and cookies. And then I got good at it, so now I bake for fun occasions or when I’m bored.”
“Mm, that’s cute,” Regina grabs socks out of her bag before sitting down on the bed next to Janis, “If I leave this room, I won’t come back to find you asleep, right?”
“Well, we could’ve done something that would’ve woken me up better but you ran from bed,” Janis pouts dramatically.
“You overslept, babe,” Regina kisses her cheek, “Get ready. My keys are in the outside pocket of my bag.”
“You’re lucky you’re pretty,” Janis kisses her quickly, “Go on, leave me, all on my lonesome… forgotten and alone…”
“You are ridiculous,” Regina kisses her again and a little longer for good measure, “Your patience will be rewarded, Jay, I promise.”
Janis grins and Regina puts her socks on, knowing she’s won for now.
“Get ready,” Regina squeezes her hand and stands up again, “Do you want coffee, by the way?”
“Please,” Janis smiles at her, “You’re the best.”
Regina smiles, “I try.”
-
Regina finds Janis’ cookies in the kitchen behind a couple of bags of varying Goldfish.
There’s two types in the container, one with chocolate chunks in it and the other plain. Regina nabs one of the plain ones and hides the container again, however not getting anything past Damian, who’s watching her with a knowing look on his face.
“Why does she hide these?” Regina asks, taking a bite and grabbing a paper towel to put the rest of the cookie on, “They’re really good.”
“I think she tries to trick herself into forgetting they’re up there,” Damian responds, still working on some kind of sauce over the stove.
“That’s smart,” Regina hums, conscious of the fact that , “So… I hope you don’t mind my asking, but when are you going to…” she flashes her hand at Damian, hoping he gets the message.
“Oh my…” Damian rolls his eyes, “You’re lucky he’s not home right now. And no, we’re waiting. Why, are you thinking of marriage with Janis already? Because that would check out.”
Regina ducks her head, feeling her face on fire at the comment. So what if she’d been thinking about wifing Janis up? She knows it’s only been two months but they’ve known each other practically their entire lives. Besides, she’s not going to act on it for a couple of years anyway.
“I bet you already have a ring,” Damian tsks, “Wait, have you told the girls yet? I haven’t heard anyone talking about it, but I don’t talk to them often enough to bring it up…”
“No, we haven’t told them,” Regina runs a hand through her hair, “Janis and I have a bet going. We think that Karen’s going to figure it out first and that Cady’s going to be the most shocked.”
“That’s barely a bet,” Damian rolls his eyes, “I think Gretchen might get it first, though. Is Janis picking them up or are they coming?”
“Gretch and Karen are taking the subway. Said they wanted the New York experience or something,” Regina waves it off, “Jay should be back soon with Cady, though.”
“Not soon enough,” Damian sighs, “What do you wanna watch?”
After agreeing on Glee - they binged it when they were both single in the city, Damian’s first real watch through and Regina’s third -, they get really working on dinner. Regina works more on appetizers while Damian handles the bulk of the dinner prep and gets the turkey in the oven. That was a debate for two whole weeks between him and Janis - Janis insisting that turkey is nasty and they should do something else while Damian insisted on tradition - but Damian ended up winning on virtue of him being the one cooking it.
Regina’s not too inclined either way, but she is admittedly excited for the aesthetic of a Thanksgiving dinner. Besides, she stashed chicken nuggets in the freezer for Janis if she really hates the turkey that much.
She and Damian are jamming to one of the glee covers when Janis comes back with Cady in tow, “We got one!”
One? Regina furrows her eyebrows, she should have Aaron and Cady. That thought is lost, though, when she notices that Ben’s close behind them, Regina supposes they ran into him on the way up, and holding Cady’s bag for her.
As much as Regina wants to lean in and kiss Janis, she holds back for a minute and greets Cady instead, hugging her tightly, having mutterings back and forth about how it’s been so long and how they missed each other. Maybe Regina sheds a tear, but she wouldn’t ever admit that.
“Where’s Aaron?” Regina asks when they finally part.
She watches as Janis and Cady exchange a look and her stomach sinks. She knows that look.
“Oh, Cady…” Regina squeezes her hand, “When did you guys break up?”
“A couple of weeks ago. We wanted different things. He wanted to stay in Illinois and I want to travel. There was more to it than that, but…” Cady shrugs, eyes glassy but not letting her resolve crumble, “Once I finish my degree, I’m moving. So, that’s good news, even if it means I’m single.”
“I’m sorry, babe,” Regina pulls her into a tight hug, “We’re glad you came anyway, hopefully we’ll get your mind off of everything.”
“Yeah, of course,” Cady squeezes her a little tighter, “So, um, catch me up, you mentioned that you were seeing someone? Is that still going on or..?”
“Um,” Regina stares for a second, not really sure how to answer that without losing them makeshift bet, “I figure I’ll update you all at the same time, so, when Karen and Gretchen get here, we’ll pick that back up.”
“That’s a great idea,” Janis chimes in, steering Cady to the kitchen, “Cads, you remember Damian, right?”
Regina rolls her eyes at her girlfriend’s obvious sarcasm and lowers the volume on the TV as Damian and Cady catch up.
She’s scrolling through her phone when it buzzes with a text from Janis.
jay 🤩
i swear to fuck we gotta tell them as soon as k and g get here
jay 🤩
i want my kisses now pls
gina 🫶
patience is a virtue <3
jay 🤩
oh fuck u
gina 🫶
you wish
She looks up from her phone, smiling when she sees Janis stick her tongue out at her and shove her phone in her pocket. She’d love to kiss the expression off of her girlfriend’s face, but she holds back. She’s strong, she can wait.
By the time Karen and Gretchen arrive, Regina’s set out appetizers for everyone to snack on and had Janis grab her ass without anyone catching her twice, which Regina counts as a win.
Karen and Gretchen are all smiles and bearing M&M embossed treats from Times Square. Regina vaguely remembers Karen saying she wanted to go there, and thanks her graciously when Karen presents her with a bag of M&Ms in the colors of the lesbian flag.
She’s pretty sure that Karen and Gretchen don’t separate from each other for more than a second in the entire greeting, constantly tugging each other by their hands and showing off their wedding rings to Ben and Janis.
Regina vividly remembers their wedding - an impromptu trip to Vegas following the gang’s graduation. Regina was nervous because she wasn’t sure if Janis was going to come, and a bit bummed when she never showed up but Damian and Cady did. It was just the five of them and Aaron in a stinky chapel in Vegas, but it was a really good night.
(And maybe, if the night after was the one where she got drunk enough to one, write a note of apologies to Janis, two, sing karaoke with Damian videoing it as a cruel reminder, and three, swear off drinking forever, that’s between her and god.)
“You guys are fucking glowing,” Regina comments, hugging them both tightly, “Marriage looks good on you.”
“Thank you,” Gretchen grins, “I forgot how cold it is here. We’re so used to the California heat these days.”
“Sounds like my worst nightmare,” Damian comments, “Are you guys enjoying the city?”
“So much!” Karen grins, “The M&M store is insane, I didn’t realize it’s three floors. And everything is so bright here. It’s magical.”
“It really is,” Janis agrees, sliding in next to Regina and grabbing chips from the bowl in front of her, “What time did you guys get in last night?”
“Ugh, at like midnight,” Gretchen sighs, “At least it wasn’t too turbulent. How was the move, Janis?”
“Tiring, but rewarding,” Janis says, “It’s fun living here, though, no complaints so far. The winter might lose me, though.”
“I still don’t understand why you don’t like snow,” Regina comments.
“Wait, when did you two start talking again?” Gretchen asks, eyebrows raised, “Last I heard, you hadn’t seen each other since… you know.”
“We ran into each other when we went to see Wicked a couple of months ago,” Janis answers quickly, “G convinced me that I should have her around again.”
“To put it lightly,” Regina rolls her eyes playfully, staring for a second at Janis’ lips as she adds something else on before she snaps herself out of it. Maybe she has less chill than she thought.
Topic change, Regina decides, “What have you guys been up to?”
“I’m working as a fashion consultant,” Karen grins proudly, “and Gretch just got a real job offer at a PR firm that she was interning at, she’s starting in… two weeks, right?”
“Yeah,” Gretchen nods, “I’m excited. I know he doesn’t mind and he has enough to spend, but I’m happy to not be living off of my dad anymore. Though, he’s insisting on paying for our real wedding.”
“What, he’s pissed he missed out on Vegas?” Regina asks.
“He didn’t miss out on a lot,” Damian chimes in, adding when Gretchen gives him a look, “I had fun! It just wasn’t a place for parents, you know what I mean? We got so drunk after, too.”
“What a time,” Cady hums, “wait, Janis, why couldn’t you make it?”
“I was moving at the time,” Janis shrugs, leaning into Regina a little before standing up straight again, “Gotta be honest, two moves in two years is insane. I don’t really wanna do this shit again.”
“Yeah, that’s brutal,” Regina agrees, “Speaking of relationships, by the way…”
“Oh yeah,” Janis grins up at Regina, and then at their friends, “We’re dating.”
“Oh my god?” Gretchen exclaims, “Really? Since when?”
Karen grins, “I had a feeling…”
“Are you serious?” Cady looks the most shocked of them all and Regina squeezes Janis’ hand, hoping she gets the message that they were right.
“It’s been a little over a month,” Janis says, squeezing Regina’s hand back, “We were planning this at the time, so we figured it’d be nicer to tell you in person.”
“Oh, wow, guys,” Gretchen takes them both into a tight hug, “I’m so happy for you. Karen and I were talking on the way here about how we were hoping you two were friends again, this is wonderful news. Oh my god, wait, Damian, you knew?”
“I did,” Damian grins proudly, “I was sworn to secrecy by these two, or I would’ve told you, Gretchen.”
“Congrats, guys,” Cady says, a small smile on her face. Regina feels a little bad, admittedly, knowing what’s going on with her and Aaron, but she appreciates the sentiment.
Karen hugs her next, whispering, “I thought there was something going on.”
Regina laughs, “Of course. I never doubted you for a second, babe.”
“Oh, I didn’t think you two were together yet,” Karen replies, “but I thought something was going on.”
Regina shrugs, “Had to keep you on your toes somehow.”
Karen laughs. Regina thinks she’s never felt safer than with this group of people right now.
-
Later that night, they’re sprawled on the floor and couch, talking about everything and nothing. Regina ended up on the couch with Janis practically in her lap, the two of them snacking on a couple of Janis’ cookies. Regina doesn’t ever want to move, finding this spot maybe the closest to heaven she’s felt in a while, and holds Janis’ waist a little tighter as they reminisce over old college stories.
She didn’t ever think she’d be here. High school feels like a lifetime ago, even if it only was five years ago. To be in New York City, surrounded by her friends after having eaten a lovely dinner and still enjoy their company, especially with Janis as her girlfriend, is something that Regina never would’ve counted on for herself.
It’s kind of magical.
Regina presses a kiss to Janis’ shoulder as Damian and Gretchen argue over a Broadway musical that she wasn’t paying attention to the name of, and smiles against her skin when Janis’ hand lands on her knee.
Maybe it’s early, but Regina knows in her gut that she’s going to marry this girl.
And she cannot wait for that day.