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How did either of them make it into an Uber, much less together, and ended up back at Juicy’s apartment? No one would be able to explain. Briar was preoccupied taking off her makeup, fumbling over the wipe in her hand like it was an ancient puzzle as Juicy just watched on in amazement.
Briar’s objective got muddled the second she turned to her friend. The eyes watching her weren’t a problem, if anything she liked the attention. She tried to make a show of wiping off the rest of her makeup, though her hands didn’t cooperate as the wipe ended up in her hair.
Juicy stumbled over, unable to hold back her giggles and Briar stared at her helplessly. She removed the wipe from her hair, smoothing down Briar’s black curls as the other woman leant into the touch. A tatted arm came to rest on her shoulder, staring at Juicy with a faux seriousness that neither of them were fooled by.
“You need to know something. You’re really pretty.” At the end of the sentence, Briar broke her act to smile widely. Her face scrunched up in sheer joy, Juicy couldn’t help but laugh at how content she looked. As if world peace had been catapulted into reality just from that one sentence.
Juicy’s giggles set Briar off, soft chuckles turning into full blown cackles as Juicy raised an eyebrow. She turned away, composing herself temporarily before bursting out in another round as soon as her and Juicy made eye contact.
Something warm flowed its way through Juicy’s veins. The sheer sight of Briar in her stupor, laughing manically every time her expression shifted, it was something she wanted to remember for a lifetime.
Briar managed to get herself to a semi coherent state, turning back to Juicy with a focused expression. Her brows were still perfectly defined despite the haphazard attempt to remove her makeup. She raised one, snickering into her hand as Juicy just watched in confusion.
“That’s what you were doing. You looked like an emoji.” Briar’s laughter was too infectious for Juicy to question what the hell she meant by that. Her perfectly manicured nails came to rest on her leg, pulling their fingers to intertwine as she settled back into their comfortable silence.
Juicy didn’t know what to say, she didn’t really have to broach a single thing. Briar’s eyes bounced around the room, itching to break any lull in conversation despite the slur in her words and maniacal look in her eyes.
“Give me a kiss!” She announced rather than asked, leaning in with a pout as Juicy tried to process what she was saying. Their hands stayed intertwined.
“I bet you’re good with your tongue.” The awful acting was back in full force, Briar batted her lashes as coyly as she could muster, running her free hand across Juicy’s face in a way that was probably intended to be romantic but just ended up confusing the poor girl even more. Briar was an enigma at the best of times, only she really understood what she meant even if Juicy was usually on the same wavelength. She was nearly unintelligible while drunk, stumbling over her words and speaking more with expression than sound.
“Are you trying to flirt with me?” Juicy spoke slowly, trying desperately not to restart their back and forth giggling fit back up as Briar blinked at her slowly, like a cat trying to convey their feelings.
“Don’t ask me, you’re the one who kissed me.” A strand of hair was twirled around her finger as Briar smiled, bare cheeks flushing with a mixture of embarrassment and how warm she felt under Juicy’s gaze.
Seriously? How had she managed to leave her eyebrows and lips untouched and get every other bit of makeup off her face? Juicy wondered if that was her power, a gravitational pull of chaos that she couldn’t help but get swept up in.
“You asked me to kiss you.”
“Oh yeah!” The words sparked Briar’s memory, nodding like she’d just unlocked the secrets of the universe. Her eyes went wide as she realised something, leaning in to leave a lipstick mark on Juicy’s neck. She beckoned Juicy closer to her, wrapping her hands around her friend's waist. Her lips moved, peppering Juicy’s face with as many marks as she could manage. The red of her lipstick started to smudge around her mouth as she continued to peck at every inch of skin she could see.
“You’re my masterpiece.” As she pulled back, Briar puffed her chest out in pride.
“You’re crazy.” There was nothing but warmth in Juicy’s tone, even in both of their hardly conscious states it was obvious. The fondness was so thick, so earnest that they both felt it deep in their hearts as Juicy brought their lips together again, a slow and soft kiss that felt more intimate than anything they’d done before. Her fingers wove their way into Briar’s, squeezing her hand with a joyful hum.
By the time they made it back to Juicy’s room, Briar was watching her every move. Blank expression making it hard not to feel slightly unnerved, Her eyes pierced into her soul. She barely blinked, content to watch Juicy getting ready for bed with no attempt to make sense.
“Briar, you’re doing it again.” Juicy nudged her, laughing to herself as Briar remembered how to emote. Sometimes she’d forget, sometimes she couldn’t be bothered, it had to be a combination. Her reactions were slow and forced, a goofy grin plastered on her face.
“You’re so pretty.” Her hand moved to cup Juicy’s cheek, pulling her in for a quick peck of their lips. Every time they met, Juicy felt her stomach flip. Maybe Briar was just that good of a kisser.
“We looked so good tonight.” She swallowed the feeling,
“Yeah, we’re hot as fuck.” Briar nodded in resolute agreement, continuing her train of thought aloud.“I had a wonderful time.” She spoke the second part in a mildly offputting monotone. Whether it was the alcohol, the tiredness, or the comfort she felt with Juicy, Briar rarely masked when it was just the two of them. It led to more blunt, unhinged rambles and lack of care about making sure she expressed things right. But that was something Juicy had come to love about her.
The corners of her lips curled up as Juicy turned to face her, running a hand through Briar’s hair. It couldn’t have been longer than a minute before Briar’s breathing softened, eyes fluttering as Juicy continued the mindless act of affection. She pulled them both down, cuddling up to Briar like she always did.
The words played across her mind, ready to be forgotten in a hungover haze the next morning. This wasn’t the first time she’d thought of it, nor would it be the last.
I love you
______
There were very few times Juicy had seen Briar truly mad. She laughed in the face of people who argued with her, never took anything all that seriously and managed to push peoples buttons without them pushing hers.
This was not one of those times. Briar’s skin prickled, barely holding herself back getting into the face of the man in front of her.
He’d been flirting with, more so harassing, Juicy as Briar was at the bar getting their drinks.
“Who the fuck are you.” As she came back to the blonde’s side, Briar’s glare made her shift back slightly. Even with their height difference, any sane person would be unnerved by the sheer hatred in her eyes. The man seemed unphased, eyes wandering to Briar as she tried desperately to keep herself from dumping the drink in her hand all over him.
“That depends, is your friend here single.?”
“No. What the fuck do you want with my girlfriend?”
Juicy blinked in realisation, Briar’s words stabbing her in the stomach. A wave of nausea hit her as Briar’s eye started to twitch. Her heartbeat pounded in her head, drowning out the sound of the whispering that started to drum up around them as a few people turned around at how Briar raised her voice. She was practically growling, taking a step closer to the man who must’ve been around six foot tall compared to her 5’2 stature.
The protectiveness was something she’d noticed before. Briar was not known for her tact, quick to pick someone apart without realising they weren’t just joking around. She wasn’t an angry person, didn’t take conflict all that seriously. The second someone looked at Juicy wrong though? Briar was on their ass faster than the speed of light.
“Oh shit, that’s hot.” The man’s words only made Juicy feel even more nauseous. She wanted to tug Briar away before she got them kicked out, but her feet stayed firmly planted to the floor.
Whether it was the utter disregard for her rage, leering over Juicy like she was a piece of meat, or that comment, something pushed Briar over the edge. She lunged forward, shoving the man hard enough to make him stumble.
“Back the fuck off!” it wouldn’t be a night out with her without something going wrong. All the eyes in the bar turned to them, Juicy sent a pleading look to one of the bartenders as Briar
“What the fuck is your problem, you bitch?!” With a sudden raise in his tone, the man shoved Briar back. She stumbled back, quickly getting back in his face to shout some more.
It looked bad. Briar stood face to face with a man nearly a foot taller than her. One of the bartenders came running over but not before Briar had a second to strike back. Her fist moved in a split second, connecting with the man’s stomach hard enough for her to wince as she came back to reality. He doubled over, clutching his stomach with a wheeze as Briar turned on her foot back to Juicy’s side.
“We’re girlfriends for the night, kay?” She whispered into Juicy’s ear, pressing a soft peck to her lips as her hand cupped her cheek. How she could go from 0 to 100 back to 0 in the blink of an eye was something no one would ever understand.
“You’re actually insane.” Juicy couldn’t help but laugh at the way Briar smiled at her, batting her lashes innocently as she spoke.
“Mhm, but he had it coming.” Briar shrugged, it made complete sense to her. Maybe not to the crowd of eyes watching every move but that wasn’t really her concern.
“Can we keep our hands to ourselves tonight?” Juicy prayed silently that whatever was in Briar’s system would leave them alone to have a semi peaceful night. Though the words peaceful and Briar seldom belonged in a sentence together.
“No promises, you’re too hot for me to not want a piece.”
Before she could respond, Briar was pulled to the side by the manager. Her demeanour shifted almost instantly, face dropping as she averted her gaze.
“Was he harassing you, miss?”
Briar took a second to gather her thoughts, wondering if the manager had even seen her being the first to make contact, she shrugged it off, adrenaline starting to run out as her hand started to dully throb.
“Yeah, he was flirting with my girlfriend and wouldn’t take no for an answer.” She tried to shrug it off, the words coming out on autopilot as
“And then he pushed you?” The manager spoke with such seriousness it made Briar’s head hurt. She could only nod along before her body took over for her.
“Yeah, I got in his face a bit too much I guess.” She just shrugged, casual as ever despite everything that had happened. Juicy could see her hands shaking slightly, nearly imperceptible to the untrained eye but a nervous tic she always noticed in the black-haired woman.
“Okay, well. He’s been kicked out, you two can stay here if you don’t punch anyone else.”
Briar just nodded, brain lagging as the pain in her hand became more apparent by the minute. She shuffled back over to Juicy, tilting her head as her eyes grew watery from the pain.
“I hurt my hand. Can you kiss it better?” Briar stared at Juicy like a wounded puppy, shivering slightly as Juicy looked over the bruise quickly forming on her hand.
“Okay, as long as you let me get the drinks next time.” With that, Juicy placed a small peck on Briar’s hand, heart melting at the way her face lit up with such genuine glee.
“Thanks Juice” Briar pulled her into a side hug, the way she nuzzled into her shoulder only making Juicy’s stomach twist harder.
It burned in the back of her throat, whispering it to herself as she got home. Only when she was free from Briar did it fully hit her all at once.
“I love you…”
–-----
Juicy groaned as she looked in the mirror, inspecting what a few weeks of growth had done to her hair. She preferred it on the shorter side for a reason, less effort and faff unlike Briar who took at least an hour to do her hair whenever they went anywhere. Who was currently perched on the edge of her bed, watching her with intrigue.
They hadn’t set out to do anything specific, Briar just wanted to hang out and it was her turn to have Juicy over. She spoke up as an idea formed in her head.
“You know I could fix that for you? Save you going somewhere and spending all that money.” Briar swung her legs off the edge off the bed as she spoke, deeply enthralled by
Juicy wondered if Briar was to be trusted with high volume bleach, it was true that she had experience with hair. Hell, she’d been wearing Juicy down to let her tattoo her for the past year. But the thought had never crossed her mind.
“Have you bleached someone else’s hair before?” Juicy eyed her cautiously, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Briar. Just that she knew her too well to think she could be fully trusted with harsh chemicals.
“Yeah, sure. All the time.” She waved a hand dismissively, though the blonde saw right through her words.
“Only yourself?”
“Okay yeah pretty much, but I did it a ton when I was in high school and I never had any accidents.” Briar nodded, instantly back pedelling with a laugh. She giggled in a way that was like music to Juicy’s ears, instinctively putting her hand in front of her mouth to muffle the sound.
“You fill me with so much confidence.” The dryness of her tone only made Briar laugh harder, lurching forward as her small giggle fit turned into deeper guffaw that only made Juicy smile wider.
“It’ll save you like a hundred dollars.” Briar got herself together, shaking off her laughter as she focused on the task at hand. Juicy caved at that, if Briar did fuck it up she’d at least eat the cost of whatever it took to fix it. She nodded at that, Briar letting out a squeal of joy. She bounced her way over to Juicy, running her hands through her hair to inspect the task ahead of her.
“I should have the bleach in, Jane had me do her hair a few months ago. I hope she’s doing better. Going from ginger to pink is never the sign of a normal mental state.”
“Wait so you have done someone else? You didn’t burn her scalp off?”
“Oh shit i forgot. No I didn't, which is crazy cause she paid me in edibles.” Briar recalled the memory, snickering to herself as she remembered studying the bottle of dye like a rubix cube as the edible hit.
“You took one while doing it?” Her trust was fractured again at the thought of Briar under any influences while treating her hair. The fumes would already be a lot for her, let alone anything else added to the mix.
“After doing the bleach, I'm not insane.”
“Yes you are. What do I owe you for this?”
Briar pondered for a second, brows furrowing in concentration before lighting up with a mischievous grin.
“Gimme a kiss, with tongue.” Briar nodded resolutely, confident that that was an equivalent exchange. She was always touchy, cuddling Juicy whenever she felt like it, grabbing her hand or arm whenever she needed the contact. Their hands spent more time intertwined than not. Especially when it was just the two of them.
Juicy looked at her incredulously, there were few times Briar’s antics truly stumped her but this was one for the record books. The specification of the tongue made her stomach do a flip.
“Okay, yeah sure that’s a fair trade.”
The way Briar’s face lit up at that was going to corrode Juicy’s heart by the end of the night. Whether she meant it platonically or not would remain unanswered as Briar pulled her onto the bed, straddling her lap as she leaned in for a kiss.
Their tongues met, Briar steading herself with a hand on Juicy’s shoulder. She knew full well how emphatic of a kisser the smaller woman was, her tongue moved with a primal hunger. She tasted sweet, lipgloss rubbing off as their tongues intertwined. She felt Brar let out a small grunt, vibration reverberating off her lips at a frequency that went straight to her core. She couldn’t ignore the warmth building in her stomach, especially as they fell back onto her bed, Briar laid on top of her like a cat on the chest of their owner.
She pulled apart, gasping for air as her breath tickled Juicy’s face. Briar looked like a mess, pupils dilated as she bit her bottom lip to try in vain to subdue herself. Juicy surged forward, closing the gap as Briar’s hands started to move down,
“What about my hair?” As much as it pained her, Juicy budget Briar back to reality. She would’ve preferred to see where this was leading, but her hair was causing enough anguish to stifle whatever she wanted.
“Fuck, do we have to?” Briar seemed irked by the idea she herself had suggested a few minutes ago. Still hovering over Juicy, meer inches away from her face.
“You just said you’d do it tonight.”
Briar whined in response, getting off of Juicy with a petulant huff. She shook herself as if that would distract her from the warmth pooling inside of her at the thought of any intimacy.
“Can we come back to this after?” Juicy just nodded in response, losing the ability to speak at the thought of Briar wanting to go further. She was not going to let her forget that.
By the time she’d mixed up the bleach, Briar seemed relatively focused. Juicy stayed seated, watching Briar read over the instructions with a flourish to make sure the blonde knew she was taking it seriously.
“You know, bleach smells kinda good.” Briar couldn’t help but inhale as the smell hit her. It was potent, but a bit nostalgic. She’d stopped bleaching and dying her hair years ago, preferring the black and her natural curls over dye and straighteners. Juicy loved watching her do her whole hair routine, listening to the same rambles about the specific products and how she came to use them.
“Are bleach fumes why you’re like this?” Juicy couldn’t help but laugh a bit, Briar looking at her in faux offence before joining in her laughter.
“No baby, that's autism.” The pet name didn’t help her already bursting heart. Something about the way Briar called her baby always drove her crazy, something better left unsaid for how much the black haired woman loved the pet name.
“Well. Maybe the bleach caused it.” Briar let out a loud laugh at that, nearly dropping the bowl in the process before catching it, warily staring at the bowl like it was about to jump out of her hands.
“I think the monster caused it.” She mumbled the last part, blaming her shakiness on the caffeine and not the act of being responsible for her best friend's hair.
“That too, or the dolls. Especially the dolls.” Juicy couldn’t help but feel watched by the sheer mass of dolls on Briar’s shelves. They infested every corner of her apartment, plastic eyes watching everything they did.
Briar just hummed in agreement, finally ready to apply the bleach. She worked fast, making sure to cover every bit she could before putting the cap over Juicy’s head and setting a timer on her phone. They cuddled up on her bed as they waited for it to go down, scrolling idly on their phones to pass the time. Occasionally Briar would nudge Juicy to show her a particularly amusing meme, and Juicy would do the same every time she saw a cute cat.
The timer buzzed far too quickly for either of their liking, Briar groaned as she feigned getting up, nuzzling her head against Juicy’s shoulder.
“Please don’t burn my scalp.” With that insistence, Briar did actually get up, pulling Juicy with her by the hand. Their fingers stayed intertwined until the shower head was running warm enough to rinse. Her hands ran through Juicy’s hair as the mixture rinsed out. She couldn’t help but lean into the touch, the gentleness of Briar’s touch making her scalp tingle.
Briar lingered for longer than necessary, enjoying the feeling of Juicy’s hair in her hands. There was nothing this intimate when she did Jane’s hair, no unnecessary touches even in her baked state. Her hands just felt at peace when they were on Juicy, like something clicked about them. It made enough sense for her to not question it, content in the warmth that being around Juicy brought her.
The words stayed in her mind as Briar was falling asleep on her shoulder after applying the toner and drying her hair. Their past exploits were long forgotten as she stifled a yawn, looking at Juicy with half lidded eyes and a tired smile.
“Gnight Juice.” Briar's words were soft, laden with fatigue as she nestled her head against the blonde. Her hair had taken longer than planned, both of them getting sidetracked many times. Her phone read around 1am by the time they were done.
“I love you, Briar.” She whispered it to herself when she was sure the other woman was asleep, pulling her close as she joined her.
_____
It was a normal enough night for the two of them, Briar rambling about her next doll purchase, Juicy pacing around the room in a handstand just to feel the blood rush to her head. Suddenly something hit her, throwing herself to her feet, Juicy rushed over to Briar on her sofa to ask.
“Hey, do you have any plans for Valentine's Day next week?” Juicy blinked a few times, dizzy from how quickly she went from upside down to standing next to Briar, who hummed in acknowledgment.
“Oh god no, i haven’t even thought about dating since me and Myki broke up last year.” Briar shrugged, as if the breakup hadn’t taken her drive for a relationship out back and shot it. Their split was amicable, but it still left her dissatisfied at the idea of getting with anyone for a while.
“She seems to be doing good, She’s with Nini now right?” Juicy had held her tongue for far too long, something was off about the concept of Briar and Myki dating. They worked well as friends, but the relationship always confused her.
“Yeah, good for her honestly. I just don’t care that much? Is that wrong?” Briar shrugged, unaffected by the concept of her ex moving on so quickly. She’d gotten under someone else within a few months but she couldn’t bring herself to feel any strong way about it.
“No, focusing on yourself is a good thing.”
“To be fair, if I had a girlfriend they’d probably hate how close we are.”
Juicy tried and failed to not get affected by that, she couldn’t help but smile to herself, their bond deeper than any proposed relationship.
“Yeah, most girls don’t want their girlfriends making out or sleeping in the same bed as their best friend"
“To be fair, if I was to date someone. It probably would be you.”
“Briar, what?” Juicy couldn’t hide her shock, staring at Briar in a way that made her squirm, heat rising to her face as she processed what she’d admitted.
Briar paused to really think it through. What had she meant by that? If she was to date someone, it just made sense to be Juicy. Not that she liked her in that way, just that they were close and she wouldn’t have to stress over getting to know someone and them not knowing her quirks. That and the fact Juicy was always there for her, they’d kiss and sleep together all the time.
Then it hit her, all at once, enough to make her face drop any amusement and just stare at the ground in a mix of abject horror and shock.
Oh.
Her chest tightened as she stood up to pace around the room, Juicy watching her as neutrally as possible as she waited for Briar to pipe up with whatever revelation she’d come to. The seconds stretched by like hours, though it in reality was only two minutes. Briar opened and closed her mouth four times before she could finally get any coherent words out.
“Can I test something?”
That... Was not the response Juicy expected. She just nodded, tilting her head when Briar walked back over to her. Her hands moved with a practised ease despite the debilitating anxiety that was gnawing at her stomach, cupping Juicy’s face to pull her in for a kiss. Their lips smacked together a few times before Briar grew brazen enough to add tongue, melting into Juicy as the warmth that engulfed her body faded to an electricity that pulsed through every inch of her being.
They broke apart for breath, Briar’s gaze shaky and unfocused as she avoided Juicy’s eyes. She steadied herself with a few breaths before speaking up.
“Juice? I think I'm in love with you.” The confession came out fast, Briar's hands fidgeting with her hair as if it would take the focus off of her. Juicy grabbed her hands, stilling them as their eyes finally met.
The tears brimming in Briar’s eyes became apparent, trailing down before she had any realisation of what was happening. Her breathing grew faster, shaking slightly as reality hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Briar. I love you.” Juicy found the words finally, watching the relief flood over Briar’s face before she pulled her in for another kiss. It was a quick peck, Briar cuddling up to her and pressing a flurry of kisses across her cheeks.
She grinned so hard it hurt her mouth, unable to stop herself from kissing every inch of Juicy’s skin she could see.
“Holy shit. Does this mean I have a plan for valentines?” Juicy couldn’t help but laugh, Briar’s lips tickling her as she continued in her fervor.
“Yeah, with your girlfriend.” Briar spoke of it as more of a reality than a question, staring at Juicy expectantly with a familiarly devious glint in her eyes.
“With my girlfriend? That was quick.” Juicy beamed back at Briar, locking their lips together for the umpteenth time as Briar giggled into the kiss.
“Love you, baby.” Juicy spoke as they broke apart, grinning at her like she had just won the lottery.
“Love you too Bri.” Briar couldn’t hold back her bashful smile at the nickname, face going redder than her namesake. Juicy pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek, only making her face flush further.
Their moment was broken as Juicy’s phone buzzed with a facetime from Athena. Briar nudged her to take it, scheming at how to make Athena regret calling her.
“Hey Juicy!” Her voice filled the room, camera only showing Juicy as Briar leant her head on her shoulder just out of frame.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“You good? Your lipstick’s a mess.” Juicy only then noticed that Briar as always had messed up her lips, leaving glossy lip marks all over her face that the camera somehow didn’t fully pick up.
“Uh yeah, nothing’s happening.” The lie was weak, they both saw through it. Briar put her hand over her mouth to hold back any laughter at the poor attempt at acting.
“Ok sure. Anyway, do you have plans for Valentine's Day?”
Juicy paused, glancing down at Briar as if to ask permission to share. Before she could formulate what to say, Briar’s head poked into frame with a wicked smirk.
“Yeah, she’s got a girlfriend.” Briar’s excitement made Athena flinch, taken aback by her sudden appearance.
“Briar?? Where did you come from?” The horror on her face was priceless, Briar wriggled against Juicy in excitement.
“Oh, I've been here the whole time.Just watching.”
Athena looked unnerved, Juicy could only smile at something her older sister caught onto instantly.
“Oh god don’t tell me-” Athena began, cutting herself off with a melodramatic sigh.
“Yep! Hope you like seeing a lot of me.” Briar’s amusement only grew as Athena’s head fell into her hands, letting out a maniacal laugh that only made Juicy stare at her with such sickening heart eyes it made Athena loudly gag on the other end of the phone.
“God, I owe Jane 20 bucks.” She shook her head, though a small smile was clear on her lips.
“You bet on me having a date?” Juicy put on her best shocked voice, Briar snickering as she put a hand on her chest in mock anger before quickly falling into the same fit giggles.
“Yeah, she said she bet money on you and Briar getting together. Apparently she couldn’t shut up about you while doing her hair a few months ago.” Athena recalled it like it was the weather, just a normal activity to partake in with your friends.
Briar looked momentarily flustered at the remark before returning to her scheming about how to make Athena as miserable as possible, she leant over, pressing a kiss to Juicy’s lips in the showiest way she could muster, pulling apart dramatically before flicking her gaze back to the camera where Athena was grimacing.
“Okay, I didn't need to see all that,.I'll talk to you later, Juice.” She gagged to make her point, hanging up the call before Briar could get another word in.
At least the words were finally out there. Juicy turned to her again, finally able to speak everything she’d been holding back so long.
“I love you, Briar Blush.”