Work Text:
Manon had three rules.
Rule number one: don't snitch.
Rule number two: don't touch her bike.
Rule number three: if anyone made Dani cry, they were automatically on her list.
The list was not a fun place to be.
Everybody in their neighborhood knew this.
Manon wasn't technically a thug.
Okay, that was a lie.
She was definitely a thug.
Not in the movie-villain way. Not in the "walking around in a leather trench coat plotting crimes" way. More in the "everyone crossed the street when they saw her coming because she looked permanently annoyed" kind of way.
She had tattoos.
A lot of tattoos.
She wore oversized hoodies, expensive sneakers, silver chains, and the same expression someone might have if they'd just been informed that breathing was now illegal.
People found her intimidating.
Dani found her adorable.
Which was embarrassing, honestly.
Because Manon could be standing there looking like she'd personally fought a bear and won, and Dani would just be like:
"Aww."
And then pinch her cheek.
In public.
In front of people.
It was disrespectful.
The worst part?
Manon let her.
Every single time.
Because Dani had somehow unlocked a secret version of Manon nobody else got to see.
Everyone else got:
"What do you want?"
Dani got:
"Baby, did you eat today?"
Everyone else got:
A death stare.
Dani got:
A forehead kiss and a ride home.
Everyone else got:
Threatening energy.
Dani got:
A human weighted blanket.
The point was, Manon was soft.
Only for Dani.
And lately, Dani had not been okay.
Manon noticed it weeks before anyone else.
Because of course she did.
Dani stopped sending voice notes.
Stopped spamming her with random TikToks.
Stopped laughing as loud.
Stopped finishing meals.
Started saying things like "I'm fine."
Which was suspicious.
Nobody who was actually fine said "I'm fine" seventeen times a day.
One Tuesday evening, Manon was sprawled across the couch in their apartment scrolling through her phone.
The TV was on.
Nobody was watching it.
Their cat, Spoon, was asleep upside down.
Normal evening.
Manon checked the time.
6:48 PM.
Dani should've been home already.
She sent a text.
hi baby you ok?
No response.
Five minutes later.
???
Still nothing.
Manon frowned.
Ten more minutes.
Nothing.
Now she was pacing.
Spoon watched her with concern.
"You got something to say?" Manon asked the cat.
Spoon blinked.
"Exactly."
Then she heard the front door unlock.
Finally.
Manon looked up.
"Dani, you are literally—"
The words died in her throat.
Because Dani looked wrecked.
Not tired.
Not annoyed.
Destroyed.
Her eyes were red.
Mascara smudged.
Face blotchy.
Like she'd been crying for hours.
The second the door closed behind her, Dani dropped her bag.
And then she just—
Collapsed.
Straight into Manon's arms.
No warning.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just fell into her.
Like her body had finally decided it couldn't hold itself together anymore.
Manon's entire demeanor changed instantly.
Gone was the attitude.
Gone was the swagger.
Gone was the resting murder face.
"Dani?"
Her voice came out softer than a whisper.
Dani grabbed the front of her hoodie.
And started sobbing.
Not cute crying.
Not movie crying.
The ugly kind.
The kind that hurt.
The kind where breathing became difficult.
Manon's stomach dropped.
"Oh, baby."
Dani buried her face in her chest.
Everything she'd apparently been holding in exploded at once.
Manon wrapped both arms around her immediately.
"I got you."
Dani shook her head.
No words.
Just tears.
"I got you," Manon repeated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until Dani finally stopped trying to talk.
Because honestly?
There wasn't anything to say.
Sometimes people reached a point where words stopped working.
So Manon just held her.
The apartment stayed quiet except for Dani crying.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen.
Manon didn't let go once.
Eventually Dani's breathing started evening out.
A little.
Not much.
But enough.
"Talk to me."
Dani laughed bitterly.
Which somehow sounded worse than crying.
"I don't even know where to start."
"Start anywhere."
Dani looked exhausted.
"The internship is a disaster."
Manon nodded.
"The professor hates me."
"He doesn't."
"He literally does."
"He literally doesn't."
"He does."
"He doesn't."
"He does."
"He doesn't."
Dani stared at her.
"You don't even know who I'm talking about."
"Doesn't matter."
Dani rolled her eyes.
Which was progress.
Tiny progress.
But progress.
Manon considered it a win.
Then Dani's face crumpled again.
And the smile vanished.
"I just can't do anything right."
"No."
"Dude."
"No."
"Manon."
"No."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Dani groaned.
Manon grabbed her face gently.
"Look at me."
Dani looked up.
Eyes glassy.
Heartbreaking.
"You are the smartest person I've ever met."
"That's not true."
"It literally is."
"No."
"Baby."
"I'm failing."
"You're struggling."
"Same thing."
"Not even remotely."
Dani looked away.
Manon hated seeing her like this.
Absolutely hated it.
Because Dani was sunshine.
She was the person who complimented strangers.
The person who remembered birthdays.
The person who cried during commercials about dogs.
The person who somehow managed to see good in everybody.
Even Manon.
Especially Manon.
Seeing someone like that hurting felt wrong.
Like the universe had glitched.
Dani swallowed.
"My supervisor embarrassed me in front of everyone today."
Manon's jaw tightened.
"Oh."
"He kept pointing out mistakes."
"Oh."
"And then everyone was staring."
"Oh."
Now the temperature in the room dropped approximately thirty degrees.
Dani knew that tone.
Immediately.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"Whatever you're thinking."
"I'm not thinking anything."
"You absolutely are."
Manon looked offended.
"I am literally sitting here."
"Manon."
"I'm existing."
"Manon."
"Breathing."
"Manon."
"Thriving."
"You are plotting."
Manon scoffed.
"I don't plot."
"You absolutely plot."
"Okay maybe a little."
Dani groaned.
Despite herself, she leaned closer.
Because even stressed-out Dani automatically gravitated toward Manon.
Like a magnet.
Manon wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"You wanna know something?"
"What?"
"If your supervisor has beef with you, that's weird."
Dani blinked.
"What?"
"You're literally Dani."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means you're nice."
"Nice people can still make mistakes."
"Sure."
"I do."
"Sure."
"You literally just agreed with me."
"Okay but you're still Dani."
Dani stared.
Then, against all odds, a tiny laugh escaped.
"There it is."
"Shut up."
"There she is."
"I'm still upset."
"I know."
Another kiss landed on her forehead.
Gentle.
Automatic.
The way breathing was automatic.
Dani melted immediately.
Which annoyed her.
Because she was trying to have a breakdown.
And Manon kept making her feel safe.
Rude.
Extremely rude behavior.
A few minutes passed.
Then Dani finally admitted the thing she'd been avoiding.
"The internship isn't even the only thing."
Manon's attention sharpened.
"What else?"
Dani hesitated.
"I just feel like I'm behind."
Ah.
There it was.
The real problem.
Not the professor.
Not the internship.
Not the supervisor.
The comparison game.
The thing that wrecked almost everyone in their twenties.
Dani wiped her eyes.
"Everybody's doing amazing stuff."
Manon sighed.
"Dani."
"No seriously."
"Dani."
"They have jobs and plans and savings and—"
"Dani."
"And I'm just—"
"Dani."
"What?"
Manon held up her phone.
Dani frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"Evidence."
"What evidence?"
Manon started reading.
"'Guys I accidentally used dry shampoo instead of deodorant.'"
Dani froze.
"Oh my God."
"'Just spent fifteen minutes looking for my glasses. They were on my face.'"
"Delete that."
"'Spoon won't stop judging me.'"
"MANON."
"'I cried because a pigeon looked tired.'"
Dani covered her face.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"You saved those?"
"I save everything."
"That's actually creepy."
"My point is—"
Manon lowered her phone.
"Nobody knows what they're doing."
Dani smiled reluctantly.
"Some people do."
"Literally nobody."
"Some people."
"Fake news."
Dani laughed again.
A little stronger this time.
Manon felt her shoulders relax.
Good.
Because honestly?
She'd been scared.
Not that Dani would leave.
Not that something terrible had happened.
She was scared because watching somebody you love suffer makes you feel helpless.
And Manon hated feeling helpless.
She could solve problems.
She could confront people.
She could fight.
She could protect.
But she couldn't punch stress in the face.
Unfortunately.
She'd checked.
Legally speaking, stress was not a person.
Dumb rule.
Dani rested her head against Manon's shoulder.
"I'm tired."
"I know."
"Like really tired."
"I know."
"I don't know how to fix it."
Manon was quiet for a moment.
Then she stood up suddenly.
Dani blinked.
"What are you doing?"
"Emergency protocol."
"What emergency protocol?"
"You'll see."
Five minutes later, Dani found herself wrapped in three blankets.
Holding a giant mug of hot chocolate.
Surrounded by snacks.
Spoon sitting in her lap.
And Manon carrying every pillow in the apartment.
"This is excessive."
"No."
"It definitely is."
"No."
"There are literally seven pillows."
"We need all of them."
"For what?"
"Emotional support."
Dani stared.
Manon stared back.
Completely serious.
Dani started laughing.
A real laugh this time.
The kind that made her shoulders shake.
"You're ridiculous."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I choose to receive it as one."
They settled onto the couch.
Spoon immediately fell asleep.
Again.
The cat contributed nothing to society.
Dani admired that.
For a while they sat quietly.
The city lights glowed through the windows.
The apartment felt warm.
Safe.
The kind of safe people spent years searching for.
Then Dani spoke again.
"Can I tell you something embarrassing?"
Manon gasped dramatically.
"Always."
"I was in the bathroom at work earlier."
"Okay."
"And I just..."
Dani swallowed.
"I cried."
Manon's heart broke.
Just a little.
Because Dani looked ashamed.
Like she thought it made her weak.
"I locked myself in a stall and cried for twenty minutes."
Silence.
Then Manon reached over.
Took her hand.
"Dani."
"What?"
"That's not embarrassing."
"It feels embarrassing."
"It's not."
Dani looked down.
"I just couldn't stop."
"Okay."
"And then I got mad because I couldn't stop."
"Understandable."
"And then I cried more."
"Also understandable."
Dani groaned.
"You're supposed to tell me I'm being dramatic."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you're not."
The room went quiet again.
Sometimes comfort wasn't fixing.
Sometimes comfort was permission.
Permission to feel awful.
Permission to be tired.
Permission to not have everything together.
Dani squeezed her hand.
"Thanks."
Manon squeezed back.
"Always."
Dani smiled softly.
And for a second she saw it.
The version of Manon nobody else got.
The one hidden underneath all the attitude.
The girl who memorized her coffee order.
Who carried hair ties around because Dani always lost them.
Who pretended not to care but noticed everything.
The girl who loved so fiercely it was almost ridiculous.
Dani leaned over.
Pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Manon immediately malfunctioned.
"Oh."
Dani smirked.
"Oh?"
"Nothing."
"You turned red."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
"Fake news."
"You literally quote me."
"I learned from the best."
Hours later, things felt lighter.
Not fixed.
Just lighter.
Which was enough.
Sometimes enough was good.
They ordered takeout.
Watched terrible reality TV.
Made fun of everybody on screen.
By midnight Dani was curled against Manon again.
Sleepy.
Warm.
Less sad.
The storm had passed a little.
Not completely.
But enough to breathe.
Manon looked down.
"You okay?"
Dani thought about it.
"Not really."
"Fair."
"But better."
"I'll take it."
Another pause.
Then Dani said quietly:
"I was scared to come home."
Manon frowned.
"What?"
"I didn't want to be a burden."
The silence afterward was immediate.
Sharp.
Manon looked genuinely offended.
"Dani."
"What?"
"A burden?"
Dani shrank slightly.
"Maybe?"
Manon sat up.
"No."
"Manon—"
"No."
"Okay."
"No."
"Alright."
"You are literally the least burdensome person alive."
"That's not a word."
"It is now."
Dani laughed.
Manon pointed dramatically.
"Listen to me."
"I'm listening."
"You could call me at three in the morning and tell me you needed help hiding a body."
"What?"
"I'm just saying."
"What?"
"I'd ask questions."
"You would not."
"I'd ask one question."
"What question?"
Manon thought.
"Was it deserved?"
Dani snorted so hard she nearly dropped her drink.
"There she is."
"You're insane."
"Probably."
The smile stayed on Dani's face longer this time.
Good.
Manon loved that smile.
Loved it more than she'd ever admit out loud.
Because being vulnerable was cringe.
According to her.
Meanwhile she was literally cuddling her girlfriend under seven blankets.
Hypocrisy.
But whatever.
At around one in the morning, Dani finally looked genuinely sleepy.
Manon guided her toward the bedroom.
"Bed."
"I'm not five."
"Bed."
"I can make my own choices."
"Bed."
"Wow."
"Bed."
Dani laughed.
"You're impossible."
"And yet."
"And yet."
They climbed into bed.
Spoon immediately stole half the space.
Naturally.
Dani curled up against Manon's chest.
Eyes already closing.
The exhaustion was finally catching up.
The emotional crash afterward.
The kind that arrived once you stopped pretending to be okay.
Manon brushed her fingers through Dani's hair.
Slow.
Gentle.
Dani practically melted.
The room was dark now.
Quiet.
Just the sound of breathing.
And distant city traffic.
After a minute, Dani spoke.
Voice small.
"Hey?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for catching me."
Manon looked down.
"What?"
"Earlier."
Dani smiled sleepily.
"When I came home."
Manon's expression softened instantly.
"Oh."
Dani's eyes closed.
"You always catch me."
For a second Manon couldn't speak.
Because nobody ever talked about what it was like loving Dani.
Everyone focused on how sweet she was.
How kind.
How bright.
But they didn't understand.
They didn't understand that loving Dani felt like being trusted with something precious.
Something fragile and strong at the same time.
Something worth protecting.
So Manon just kissed the top of her head.
"I always will."
Dani hummed.
Half asleep.
"Good."
A minute later:
"Dani?"
No answer.
Already asleep.
Manon smiled.
Typical.
She stared at the ceiling.
Thinking.
About the supervisor.
About the internship.
About the stress.
About the tears.
She knew tomorrow wouldn't magically fix everything.
Life didn't work like that.
Dani would still have responsibilities.
Still have worries.
Still have bad days.
But she'd also have this.
A place to come back to.
Someone to fall apart with.
Someone who wouldn't judge.
Someone who'd stay.
And maybe that mattered more than solutions.
Maybe sometimes the most important thing wasn't fixing someone's problems.
Maybe it was making sure they didn't face them alone.
Manon looked down again.
Dani was completely asleep now.
One hand still holding onto her hoodie.
Even unconscious.
Still reaching for her.
The sight nearly ended her.
Actually ended her.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.
Everything.
"You're lucky you're cute," she whispered.
Spoon meowed from the foot of the bed.
Manon pointed.
"And you're unemployed."
The cat ignored her.
Rude.
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains.
Dani woke first.
For once.
She blinked slowly.
Still tired.
But not drowning anymore.
The difference surprised her.
The problems were still there.
The internship.
The stress.
The pressure.
All of it.
But somehow they felt smaller.
Manageable.
Like mountains instead of the end of the world.
She looked over.
Manon was asleep.
Mouth slightly open.
One arm wrapped around Dani protectively.
Looking significantly less intimidating than usual.
Dani smiled.
Because nobody would believe her if she told them.
Nobody.
They'd all think Manon was tough and scary and impossible.
And honestly?
She kind of was.
For everyone else.
For Dani?
She was home.
A few minutes later Manon woke up.
Immediately suspicious.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Dani laughed.
"Good morning to you too."
"What do you want?"
"A kiss."
"Oh."
Manon leaned forward immediately.
Dani grinned.
"There she is."
"Don't start."
"You folded so fast."
"Don't start."
"You folded instantly."
"I love you. Shut up."
Dani froze.
Manon froze.
Silence.
"Oh my God."
Because Manon hadn't meant to say it out loud.
Not like that.
Not randomly.
Not before coffee.
Dani stared.
Then smiled.
The biggest smile yet.
Warm.
Bright.
Happy.
"I love you too."
Manon buried her face in a pillow.
Immediately.
Dani started laughing.
"You literally hide after being romantic."
"Leave me alone."
"You're blushing."
"Leave me alone."
"You're adorable."
"I will fight you."
"You absolutely will not."
Manon groaned.
Because unfortunately Dani was right.
She wouldn't.
Not ever.
Instead she reached over.
Pulled Dani closer.
Held her tight.
And when Dani laughed again, bright and genuine this time, Manon decided something.
The internship could try.
Stress could try.
The world could try.
But nobody was taking that smile away without a fight.
And considering who her girlfriend was?
That was probably a very bad battle to pick.