Work Text:
Mim posts a mirror selfie on Instagram with the caption “Morning🤍” The lighting was soft. Sunlight spilled through sheer curtains. Her hair is a little messy in that perfectly accidental way. Her oversized white tee slipped off one shoulder. She was golden, sleepy, and glowing. She doesn’t overthink it. She never does. She snaps it, adds the caption, and posts it.
She tosses her phone onto the nightstand and rolls into her pillow, smug about how effortlessly cute she looks. She does not zoom in. She does not check the background,d and she definitely does not notice that behind her, barely blurred by the depth of field, is Apple. Fully asleep, face visible, hair everywhere, and absolutely shirtless.
Twenty minutes later, Mim’s phone begins vibrating like it’s possessed. At first, it’s funny, then it’s constant. Buzz. Buzz. Buzzbuzzbuzz. She squints at the screen. 99+ notifications.
“What?”
She opens Instagram. Her comments are unhinged.
“IS THAT APPLE?”
“WHY IS HER BACK OUT???”
“THAT’S NOT A FRIEND'S SLEEP!”
“BABE THAT IS A WHOLE WOMAN IN YOUR BED!!!!”
“SOFT LAUNCH????? HELLO???????”
Mim frowns. What are they talking about? She thinks as she scrolls. Her DMs are worse. Fan edits already. Red circles. Zoomed in screenshots. Arrows pointing aggressively at the background. Before she can process any of it, her phone buzzes again.
Engfa: So…are we soft launching or hard launching?
Mim blinks.
Mim: What are you talking about?”
Three dots appear immediately.
Charlotte: Zoom in on your own post
Mim laughs. They’re so dramatic.
She opens her own picture, pinches the screen, zooms in, and time stops. There, clear as day, is Apple’s entire face. Peacefully asleep. Her lips slightly parted, hair fanned across Mim’s pillow, and her entire bare back was exposed above the sheets. It wasn’t subtle, or blurry, and it most certainly wasn’t deniable.
Mim’s soul leaves her body. She dropped her phone as if it burned her. It hits the bed with a dull thud.
“Nope.” She says, grabbing it again.
She zooms in again to find Apple is still there. Very there. Behind her. In her bed. On the internet with 300,000 likes and counting.
“Oh my God.”
She scrambles out of bed so fast she nearly trips over the blanket. She knows she should delete, but its too late. There are already reposts, screenshots, and fan accounts tagging them both. Her phone buzzes again.
Engfa: Honestly, I respect it.”
Charlotte: Full face reveal is bold.
Mim: I DIDN’T SEE!
Engfa: Sure.
Charlotte: Sure, Mim.
From the bed, there’s a sleepy groan. Apple shifts, pulling the blanket down slightly, exposing more of her shoulder. Mim lunges and yanks it back up. Apple blinks one eye open.
“Why are you standing?”
Mim looks like she’s seen a ghost. She leans down and whisper screams.
“YOUR BACK IS ON INSTAGRAM”
Apple stares at her in dead silence. Then she finally speaks after what feels like a lifetime.
“What?”
“YOUR FACE. YOUR WHOLE FACE. And your-” she gestures wildly at Apple's shoulder ”your everything.”
Apple slowly processed this.
“You…posted me?”
“I DIDN’T MEAN TO POST YOU.”
Apple rolls onto her back, calm. Too calm.
“Am I at least cute?” she asks
Mim makes a distressed noise.
“That is not the point!”
Apple reaches for the phone. Mim hesitates, then hands it over like she's surrendering evidence. Apple squints at the screen. Scrolls, zooms, and smirks.
“Oh.”
“What?” Mim askes painked.
“You used the Valencia filter.”
“Apple.”
“You look really pretty.”
“APPLE.”
Apple scrolls through the comments. Her smirk widens.
“ ‘That’s not a friend sleep’ is my favorite.”
Mim collapses onto the edge of the bed and covers her face.
“This is a disaster.”
Apple nudges her knee with her foot under the blanket.
“Is it?”
“Yes! I was going to be subtle!”
Apple raises an eyebrow.
“You’ve been wearing my hoodie in every post for a month.”
“That’s subtle.”
“You tagged me in a heart emoji last week.”
“That was ambiguous.”
Apple laughs softly. The sound is warm, sleepy, and entirely unbothered. Mim peaks through her fingers. Apple is glowing in the morning light. Her hair messy, eyes soft, still shirtless, still in her bed, and still smiling at her like this is the most natural thing in the world.
Her phone buzzes again.
Engfa: So are we congratulating or pretending to be surprised?
Charlotte: I vote hard launch. This is too obvious.
Apple leans closer.
“So…are we soft launching or hard launching?”
Mim groans into her hands.
“I hate all of you.”
Apple presses a quick kiss to her shoulder.
“You could just leave it up.”
Mim freezes.
“What?” She asks
Apple shrugs.
“It’s cute.”
She hands the phone back.
“Let them talk.”
Mim looks at the screen again. At the comments, at the chaos, at the red circled screenshots, then at Apple, still in her bed smiling like she belongs there, and she does belong there.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Apple grins.
“So we’re hard launching?”
Mim lunges for her pillow. Apple dodges, laughing. And all around the world, the fans are absolutely losing their minds.