Archive of Our Own

Prison, aka "school"

It was Monday, the day they all dreaded.

Another hellish week of school, homework, and having to share the same building with some of the worst parasites known to human existence.

All of them couldn't wait to get out of there. Bullies, jocks, egos. The week was intense, and for all the wrong reasons. 

Each one of them counted down the hours, minutes, and seconds until Friday. But for Kat, she was constantly hyperfixated on one thing, and one thing only...

Swann Holloway.

Kat drew the beratement of teachers and students for constantly daydreaming and not paying attention. But she did not give a fuck. She was counting down the hours of each school day like a prison sentence... because that's what it felt like to her. Bricks and mortar caged her in the hellhole she called school. 

Monday was a slog, Tuesday was the same, Wednesday was the same, Thursday was the same, but Friday? 

On Friday's her eyes were not glued to textbooks or school work. They were instead glued to the clock as she watched it tick ever closer to freedom. And as soon as the bell rang, she darted out of the classroom and marched with purpose towards Swann, Nora, and Autumn.

Now she was free. They were all free.

They walked and walked as they gossiped about the day's events. Kat used every opportunity when Nora and Autumn were not paying attention to hold Swann's hand. Swann's face was all red as Kat swung their hands back and forth. 

Autumn looked back at them as they began to lag behind. And just in the nick of time, Kat released Swann's hand from her grasp.

"Guys, come on. You gotta keep up; if we don't hurry up, Nora will kill us. She's been yapping in my ear constantly about ice cream and frozen slushies."

"Are we there yet?!" an exasperated Nora asked the group. 

"We're nearly there, Nora. We're so close!" Swann replied in an upbeat spirit. 

Nora, on the other hand, was antsy and in a rush. The cravings for ice cream caused her to pick up the pace, and she began walking. Power walking.

"What's with her? Like, I know how much we all love Fridays, but that... I mean, dude, look at her go. She's like one of those Olympic athletes!" Kat exclaimed, excitedly pointing at Nora as she pulled away from the group.

"She's just... hangry," Autumn replied.

"H...hangry? You mean angry, right?" a bemused Swann queried Autumn. 

"Hungry and angry. I don't know. I'm just exhausted, to be honest."

Four heads nodded in unison. It was Friday, and they were free... but the long, exhausting week of constant school took its toll on them. They wearily made their way towards the Yooper Scooper, trailing Nora. 

The Yooper Scooper

It was another sun-soaked day in Velvet Cove. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the distant horizons were bathed in the golden rays of the evening sunshine. It was times like these that Swann liked to remind herself of the freedom that nature provides. To take herself away from the dumb reality of high school, and to a place where time felt like it stood still. 

They dumped their bags behind the Yooper Scooper and headed to the table. It was finally time to cool down with a delicious ice cream, courtesy of Autumn. 

"So, the usual, guys?" she asked.

"I need sustenance!" Nora wildly exclaimed. 

"Take your time, Autumn. I'll happily wait. It's just fun to hang out with you guys again," said Swann with a smile on her face.

"See? I appreciate your patience, Swann... unlike little bossy boots over here!"

Nora was too lazy to flip Autumn off, so she made a half-assed attempt to do so before conceding defeat against the heat and humidity. Her hunger remained unsatisfied, and she was beginning to worry that the heat would simply melt the ice cream before she could devour it like a savage animal. 

"Nice to see you selling ice cream instead of frozen slushies all the time, Autumn!" Kat teased Autumn. 

"You do realise I'm giving these to you for free, right? I just hope none of you are snitches..."

The Yooper Scooper had indeed expanded its inventory to include ice cream. And Autumn had indeed been secretly giving it to them for free, as much as she knew she could lose her job. But her loyal friends would never snitch on her, right?

"Snitches get stitches," Kat said. 

They would indeed, according to the girls. Either that... or a date with the Abyss...

A sudden, rhythmic banging on the picnic table wakes the others right up. Nora saw Autumn with the ice cream and began banging the table in excitement. Naturally, the others soon followed and joined in. Autumn playfully shook her head, and before she had a chance to carefully hand over the ice cream, Nora snatched them from her hands and began devouring hers. 

It was already gone. Swann and Kat didn't even have a chance to lick theirs before Nora gobbled hers up. 

"Dude... that was a world record! Like holy shit, I've never seen someone eat an ice cream that quick!" said Kat.

"Oh my god, Nora, I blinked and you finished!" a flabbergasted Swann said to Nora.

"That's what she said..." 

It was an opening, and Nora took it, as the group laughed and rolled their eyes at her. And before long, they had finished their ice creams and were on to a refreshing, cool, frozen slushie. 

Swann was deliberately sipping hers gently, in order to maximise the time she could stare into Kat's beautiful eyes before suspicions arose. Unfortunately for Kat, she too was deep in la-la land with Swann, which caused her to snigger, alerting the others. 

"You guys good?" Autumn asked them. 

"Um... uh, yeah! We're good. We just um... we were just thinking about something we uh... we saw at school, right, Kat?"

Kat was barely paying attention as Swann asked her that question. Quick as a flash, she instinctively looked at Swann and put her thumbs up, before dying of embarrassment on the inside...

"Uh-huh. Right, ok. What were you two gossiping about?" Detective Nora said, putting them on the spot. 

Thankfully, for Kat, her guardian angel swooped in to save the day.

"Oh, you know... all those posters about that dance. Gosh, what was it? It had like this really cool name!"

"The Sadie Hawkins dance posters we've been seeing plastered all over the school walls? We kind of can't go, unfortunately..." Nora chimed in.

"Wait... why not?" a puzzled Kat asked her. 

"Because, traditionally, a girl asks a boy to a Sadie Hawkins dance."

It was another school event that was going to pass them by. It sounded cool on paper, but in reality, they only had each other. No boys allowed. Swann and Kat thought it sounded cool and wanted to go, but they were unaware of the tradition surrounding it.

Now, they didn't know what to do. Secretly, they had been hanging out together in Kat's room, and vice versa. Unbeknownst to Nora and Autumn, they grew closer together. Every moment they had, sparks would fly. Each of them thought that they were made for each other. They felt a connection not from this world. They-

"Crap. The sun's beginning to set. We should probably head back..." Swann said, with a dejected look on her face. 

"Ugh, I wish we could stay out all night, but fine. At least we got the weekend together at Fawn's Rest!" Nora replied. 

And as Nora and Autumn bid farewell to Swann and Kat, the day seemed over...

Until Autumn and Nora were out of sight.

The playground

Suddenly, Kat grabbed Swann's hand and guided her through the broken fence and to the playground. Swann's watch beeped as the clock struck the hour mark, reminding her to head home. But that could wait. 

They were alone, at last. Kat stepped onto the swings, offering her hand to help Swann up to the vacant swing beside her. They sat down and looked at each other... Swann wanted to kiss her so badly. But Kat put her finger on Swann's lips and said:

"I know, Swann. We should totally be kissing right now. But trust me, I want our first kiss to be special."

"Oh-... ok. I get it. Sorry..."

Kat held her hand as she gently swung back and forth on the swing. They couldn't shake the thought of the Sadie Hawkins dance out of their minds. Why should they be excluded from the dance? Unless it was for dancing skill, in which case Swann would fail miserably... 

"Hey, so um... about the dance..."

"What about it?" Swann replied. 

The sheepish look on Kat's face gave it away. Swann began fidgeting with her fingers; she was both excited and anxious about it.

"You know, I kind of want to go. I know it's not tradition, but... fuck it. I wanna go. I know it's a stupid dance where every single clique is there, but... as long as I am with you, I can bear it. Plus, we get to dance!"

To Swann, that sounded so enticing. But she was also so, so anxious about it. What would people think if they saw two girls dancing? How would she look in a dress? How on earth could she learn to dance in a week?

Now she felt she was stuck in a state of quandary. She really didn't want to let Kat down, but she was self-conscious and cared what other people thought. 

"I uh... I'd love that, Kat. I really would, but um... I'm not really the dancing type, if you understand?"

An idea sprang to Kat's mind. Why not teach Swann herself? She always wanted to dance, but Corey and Dylan's non-stop interruptions made it impossible for her to have a moment to herself, where she could truly be free and lost in the moment. And she wanted no one but Swann to join her. Even if it was a goofy, unchoreographed mess of a dance. It had to be Swann.

"Let me teach you!"

Swann turned to Kat and said:

"You... teach me? Kat, that's so adorable, but... I don't know how to dance. Like do I just... crap. What do I do?"

Kat hopped off the swing and beckoned Swann over to her. She stood over by the merry-go-round, illuminated by the bright glow of the street lights ahead and the purple glow of Velvet Cove. 

Swann stood there awkwardly, twiddling her fingers together as she waited for Kat to take the lead and do something, anything. 

"So like... oh! Just follow my lead and let me guide you. Like, it's gonna feel so awkward at first, but trust me, it'll be so worth it once we perfect it."

Feeling like she had nothing to lose, Swann prepared herself to be carried away by Kat. But she felt like something was missing. Something to set the scene, to feel truly in the moment. 

A song.

"Shouldn't... we um... have a song?"

"Oh, yeah... uh... well, we don't have the boombox, but here, you can use my CD player! It's got all these cool songs on it. I'm in the middle of putting together a sick playlist, just for you."

Kat attached the CD player to Swann's jeans before putting the headphones over her ears. Once again, she was lost in Swann's eyes and was so tempted to kiss her right then and there, but she had to restrain herself. 

"So, all you gotta do is press the play button, and follow my lead. Got it?"

"Got it," Swann nervously replied. 

As she pressed play and the song began, Kat held out her hand. She was brought in closer as Kat began to lead the dance. It was another chance to lock lips for the first time, but again, Kat had to show great restraint. 

She pulled Swann in close, giving her an enchanting look as they locked eyes, before she twirled away, causing Swann to twirl away as well... which caused her to almost fall over.

"You good, Swann? There are a few more of those twirls. Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall," Kat said as she winked at Swann, causing her to blush.

Swann paused the CD player, taking off the headphones and resting them around her neck, before replying to Kat:

"All good. Sorry, I don't have the best balance."

It didn't matter to Kat. She didn't care if they fell over a hundred times or fluffed a move. She was prepared to be so patient with her soulmate, no matter what. Because to her, this dance was going to be special. Her plan was coming together, and they had a week to prepare. 

They started again as Kat repeated the sequence preceding the twirl. And this time, Swann prepared herself to twirl and not stumble. Kat was in a world of her own as she danced. Swann was trying her best to be in sync, but remembered this was a practice run, and if they were going to go to the dance, they would have the weekend to prepare... after Nora and Autumn had left Fawn's Rest. 

Before long, Swann started to get into the rhythm of the dance. And before they had a chance to practice again, Swann's watch beeped as another hour passed. Now the sun was almost set, and the nightlife began to awake. 

Sadly, for them, it was time to head home. 

The next day, at Fawn's Rest

It was yet another sun-soaked, humid day in Velvet Cove. The girls had the luxury of their own private beach to cool off from the sun. They gossiped, drank, and ate their way through the day. And before they knew it, the sun was beginning to set. 

Autumn and Nora had just left Fawn's Rest. Now they had another evening to practice their dance. This time, however, the boombox was there, and they could finally listen to the song together. 

"So, like... what's this song called? It's cool!" Swann asked Kat.

"Friday I'm In Love by The Cure. It's kind of fitting for us, isn't it?"

"Um, sure! I thought you liked all that Riot Grrrl stuff, though?" Swann enquired.

"I do. But this song... it spoke to me. I just... felt something, you know?"

Swann wasn't the biggest musical aficionado, but she wanted to open her eyes. Kat was so passionate about her music and the playlists she had made for Swann. The music allowed her to convey her thoughts and feelings about her and Swann, as well as the wider world of Velvet Cove. Music was an escape, a chance for her to block the white noise of family life and not have to listen to Corey's nonchalant tirades. 

But why was she so invested in this dance? That question had been on Swann's mind since yesterday evening. It kept her up at night, wondering not just that, but Kat's hesitancy to kiss and wanting it to be special.

Her first love was Kat, and her final love would be Kat, no matter what. She was all giddy and excited to be with someone who finally understood her. Maybe all of this was a part of something... bigger?

"Hey, Swann. Have you been practicing? We've only got today and tomorrow before... ugh... school. BLEUGH." Kat said as she pretended to vomit, much to the amusement of Swann.

"I... I tried to, but I'm so scared of my mom walking into my room and seeing me dance. She's always asking me to run an errand or do something. It's so annoying..."

"I totally get that. God, my parents are annoying, too. And then you add in Corey... fuck. Anyways, fuck him. Let's just focus on us."

This time, they both could listen to the music. And this time, Swann was prepared for the twirls. 

Lost again in the moment, Swann began to understand Kat's dance routine. It took her a few tries and a little encouragement from Kat to get in sync with Kat. And once they were in tandem with each other, it only continued to improve. Swann allowed herself to be carried away to another realm as they twirled and held each other, getting so close to each other and then being so far.

And as the song finished, the final twirl brought them into each other's arms. The temptation to kiss was almost too much. Swann was yearning for that first kiss, as was Kat... but she had to show restraint, again. 

They stood there awkwardly, as their hearts were racing and the butterflies were flying around their stomachs. The summer heat finally caught up to them after their dancing... 

As soon as they headed to their own private beach, Kat immediately headed to the lake and faceplanted into the cool, blue water. Swann, laughing at Kat, was content to just sit on the chair next to the cooler box and stare off into the horizon. 

"Swann, you gotta take a dip. At least cool off in here, with me? There's no sharks in here, pro-"

Rapid splashing and feigned screams for help made Swann leap out of her chair to rescue Kat. 

"Oh my god, Kat?! Are you ok?!" she screamed as she ran towards her.

Of course she was ok. It was all an act. She rose from the water and took a bow in front of Swann, proud of her performance. 

"Ta-da! That was impressive, right? I should totally take drama classes. And the look on your face... priceless!"

"Jeez-o, Kat. My heart was racing, I genuinely thought you were in trouble!" Swann replied as sweat dripped down her forehead. 

Swann bent down to splash water on her face, before playfully splashing Kat's face. 

"Woah! You just declared war, Swann Holloway. Prepare to be outsplashed!"

The evening flew by as they splashed each other, laughing and smiling before realising their clothes were now soaked, and they would have to somehow dry them off before their parents realised. But that was a problem for their future selves... and as the sun started to disappear and the stars started to come out, they were already on their way home.

Their time together was flying by, and the dance was soon upon them. Kat was super confident, while Swann was an anxious mess. Oh, and she also failed to tell her mom who her date to the dance was...

Swann Holloway's house, the day of the Sadie Hawkins dance

Lying on her bed, petting Fluffbutt, Swann was the most anxious person in the world. She had spent all week trying to practice, to some success, but was constantly on edge about being interrupted. Now her worries turned to the dance.

What if they all laughed at her? What if they were just mean and heckled them both? What if she stumbled and fell over? 

But those fears were put to rest when she realised Kat had left a letter for her, only to be opened on the day of the dance. Her hands were trembling as she opened up the letter...

Dear Swann,

So, the big day is here. Not our wedding, you adorable nerdy mess... the dance! 

I hope you've been practicing. If your answer is "ugh, I wish, but my stupid parents/idiot babysitter Corey was always around and harassed me", then I get it.

I know you're a bundle of nerves right now. So am I. All these questions in your head, all these scenarios you wish you could avoid thinking about...

But Swann, it's our night. We're gonna announce ourselves to the world in the most badass way possible! 

It's time to let you in on a little secret: I've kind of been planning this for a while now... with Nora and Autumn. Surprise! I couldn't wait to tell them about us. They knew, Swann. And being the best of friends they are, they wanted to help. 

All four of us are going together. And don't you worry about all those dumb boys trying to bring you down... I'll kick them in the junk so hard!

Swann, I love you... like SO much. Together, we'll be unstoppable. Swann and Kat vs the world would be such a cool movie title. 

Anyways, I'm beginning to ramble again. What was I... oh, yeah. 

Tonight is our night. All my worries go away when I'm with you. I know you're nervous and self-conscious, but know this: I think you're so pretty and beautiful. You're perfect the way you are. 

Let's put on a show tonight.

See you soon!

Love, Kat.

Swann held the note close to her heart as she refused to let go of it. Of course, Kat would do something as wholesome and adorable as that. Now she had a pep in her step. The worries had subsided, and she truly felt safe with Kat.

Suddenly, she heard knocking... but not on her bedroom door. It was downstairs. She got up and looked out the window... to see Kat.

She looked stunning. But Swann forgot to tell her mom about who her date was to the dance...

"Crap!"

Before she had a chance to race downstairs and answer the door, it was already open. Swann's mother was surprised to see Kat, as well as her choice of attire... a dashing black suit. 

"Hi, Kat. I wasn't expecting to see you here. Did Swann not have the courage to ask a boy to the dance?"

"Oh, um... did Swann not tell you?" Kat nervously replied. 

Swann's mom took a look at Kat, then at Swann, who was out of breath having run from her room down the stairs. It finally clicked.

"Swann, Kat's your date? I thought the whole point of the Sadie Hawkins dance was to-"

Before she had a chance to finish that sentence, Swann cut her off, hoping to avoid another argument... especially in front of her date.

"Please, mom, just let me enjoy tonight without any drama?"

"Fine, fine. At least let me get a picture of you two together."

Reluctantly, Swann agreed. As her mom rushed down the hallway to collect the camera, Kat and Swann finally had a brief moment to themselves. They took a long look at each other, admiring one another's beautiful outfits.

It was everything Kat wanted. It was everything Swann wanted. 

Swann's mom came running back and ushered them into the living room, then instructed Swann to put her hand around Kat's waist. Kat gave her a reassuring nod, and quick as a flash, the picture was taken. 

"This will look great! I wasn't expecting you two together, but you do make an adorable couple."

"Thanks, mom. Um, can we go now?"

As soon as her mom nodded, Swann grabbed what she needed to and headed outside towards the car. Autumn's mom was kind enough to give them all a lift to and from the venue.

Nora and Kat naturally chose black suits, and as soon as they got to the car, they began to compliment each other endlessly. Autumn chose a beautiful, purple and blue dress. 

But who was Nora going with? And Autumn? She took the opportunity to ask them.

"Guys, you all look amazing! But Nora, Autumn, who are you guys going with?"

Autumn and Nora looked at each other, smiling, before looking back at Kat. They didn't need to answer; that telling look was all Swann needed to deduce what was going on. 

"Oh my god, you guys. That's so cool you're going together!" she said.

"Swann, tell us how rad we look in these suits! I look so hot!" an excited Nora shouted. 

"Yeah, you both look so incredible!" Swann replied.

As much as Swann wanted to just stand outside the car and continuously compliment each of the girls forever, it was time to head to the dance. Every one of them had a beaming smile on their face, for they were about to rock the world.

Outside the main doors, 15 minutes before the dance

"Ok. We have a little bit of time before the dance. How are we feeling?" Autumn asked the girls, being the kind, caring soul she was. 

"You know me. I wanna get on that dance floor and bust some moves! Oh my god, let's do the worm!" Nora replied, trying to coax Autumn into doing that.

Sadly, for her, Autumn did not want to do the worm in front of so many people, much to the disappointment of Nora. 

Kat was firmly holding Swann's hand, reassuring her at every opportunity. After the tiring, crappy week they all had, they were there to not give a fuck and just dance. Who cares what other people think? As long as they had each other, they were unstoppable. And together, they knew about something no other person in the world knew about... 

Swann was busy gazing at the sky, daydreaming, while the others took the opportunity to quickly huddle and discuss something else they had been planning. As soon as Swann came back to earth and looked back at the girls, they all stood there, smiling in unison. 

"Gosh, I wish I had my camcorder for tonight. But it would probably get broken..."

"It's so cute that you wanna document everything we do together, Swann, but for tonight? We don't need to hide behind a camcorder. We just need each other," Kat said. 

"Has anyone told you guys that you should just... kiss? Come on! Put on a show!" Nora replied, hoping to see some girl-on-girl action. 

Autumn quickly nudged her to shut up, remembering the other plan they had for tonight. Nora agreed to curb her enthusiasm and focus on their grand plan.

What they had been planning in secret, away from Swann, was sure to surprise her. Swann was just hoping to get through tonight with her dignity intact, and not draw the collective embarrassment of her fellow students...

Well, the moment had come. It was almost time for the first dance, and the loud voice of a teacher instructing the students to the dance floor signalled the girls to take a deep breath and head on inside.

Tonight had to be perfect. For Kat.

Together, they strutted through the doors. Kat held Swann's hand, and Nora held Autumn's. They felt like they owned the place. And coming up was the dance of a lifetime. 

And for Kat and Swann, it was going to be their first, proper dance... in front of everyone. 

No pressure, right?

Dressed up to the eyes, it's a wonderful surprise to see your shoes and your spirits rise

It was a full house. So many people made such an effort to glam themselves up. The rich kids wore the ridiculously expensive dresses, and the jocks were too busy chatting every girl up. Swann, Kat, Nora, and Autumn entered the room, where it was time for everyone but Swann to enact Kat's grand plan.

She told Kat and Autumn that she and Nora would be right back. And as they departed, it gave Swann the opportunity to catch up with Autumn.

"Autumn, you look so beautiful! I really love your dress, it's so you." 

"Aw, thanks! I like it too. You should have seen Nora when I tried it on for the first time. She was all googly-eyed!"

"Oh, I bet. I'm glad you two are dancing together. So... do you have a dance planned?" Swann asked. 

Autumn didn't have a dance planned. She explained that she would just let Nora lead and see where it went from there. 

"God, I'm so nervous and so excited for my dance with Kat. She's been making me practice all week..."

"Yeah, she told Nora and I all about it. Sorry... she's just like Nora; she was way too excited."

Swann chuckled. Of course, Kat would tell them. Kat wouldn't be the sort of person to withhold something, right?

They could have chatted for so much longer, but they were interrupted by the DJ, who had an announcement to make...

"Swann Holloway! That's Swann Holloway."

Uh oh... was she in trouble? Did she forget something? What was going on?!

The spotlight was on her, literally. The strong beam of light illuminated where she stood as everyone began to circle around the dance floor. There was a gap in front of her... and someone was standing in the centre of the dance floor.

It was Kat.

Swann was frozen. She was unsure of what to do, before Nora and Autumn stood by her side and revealed it all...

"Surprise, Swann! Go dance with her. She's been planning this for a while now. Sorry, not sorry that we didn't tell you!" Autumn said, as both she and Nora held out their arms for Swann to hold. 

They guided her towards the centre where Kat was waiting. Everyone was looking at her, for she and Kat were the centre of attention. 

The lights turned to the centre of the dance floor, illuminating both Swann and Kat. The music slowly faded away because Kat had something to say.

"I know this is all cheesy, but... I said I wanted this to be special. We've got the whole dance floor to ourselves for this song, and I'd love to dance to it... with you."

"Oh my god, Kat. Of course we can. I feel like I'm gonna cry. This is just... I-... I have no words." Swann replied, trying to hold back the tears. 

"I love you so much, Swann Holloway... my soulmate."

"Kat... I... I love you so much, too."

And with a nod to the DJ by Kat, the song they had been practicing their dancing to came on... Friday I'm In Love.

Kat held out her hand as the song began, and Swann gracefully accepted. She felt... almost superhuman, because they stayed in rhythm throughout. This was truly magical, by a truly magical person. Kat had exceeded all expectations. Swann was head over heels about her, and she couldn't let go of her, ever. Whatever the future had in store for them, she felt ready to take it on, with Kat by her side. Forever.

And as everyone looked on, the lights changed colour... to orange, and pink as they centered on Swann and Kat.

As they danced and twirled, their eyes and hearts firmly in love with each other, the first verse of the song was fast arriving. And with one final twirl of each other, they arrived in each other's arms...

...and for the first time, they kissed.