Work Text:
“Margot! Marrrrgot! Where have you gone?” 2D calls out, wandering about Kong. She’s just finished writing a piece that she thinks Margot would like. It’s a nice little song, she thinks, and maybe it’ll put her in Margot’s favor. That’s a hard thing to get, it seems. Unless you’re Noodle. She loves him like the son she’s never had and probably never wanted, though Rochelle does most of the caretaking. Anyway, 2D’s already checked a few of the different work spaces, where they practice and record, a few of Margot’s hiding spots, and the most expected places, the kitchen and all that. Maybe she’s gone off to her Winnebago? 2D can’t fathom why, but it’s possible. So that’s her next stop. Down a couple floors on the lift, up to the camper van in the garage, that seems to have a bit of front yard deal growing around it, lawnchairs and a cooler and stuff. She goes up the couple steps to knock on the door, wondering if she’ll get a response.
“Mm? What?” Margot snaps once she undoes the locks and swings the door open a moment or two later. Inwards, fortunately, so it doesn’t knock 2D off the steps.
“Oh, er, did I come at a bad time?” 2D asks, hoping to dodge out of anything bad happening if she did.
Margot rolls her eyes, “Yes, you soggy paper towel of a woman, it’s the middle of the night! This better be good, or you’ll really deserve what you get.”
“Is it? Uh, well, I can just tell you in the morning. Yeah, I’ll do that. G’night, Mags,” 2D tries to take the easy way out, the threat of Margot’s wrath making her quite nervous, actually. She makes a move to go back down, away from the door, but she can’t make it far because Margot catches her sleeve.
“No. You woke me up. I want to hear it now.”
“Oh. Well, okay then. Er, I just- I just came to tell you that I, uh, I finished that song I was working on. That’s all,” 2D stammers, not liking the intense look she’s getting for this. So she doesn’t look, instead trying to gently tug her sleeve free from Margot’s firm grip. It’s said, so she can leave. Right?
“Better be the best bloody song there ever was,” Margot doesn’t seem very happy. She doesn’t think highly of 2D’s writing capacity, and doesn’t have much in the way of expectations for the things she makes at this point.
So 2D ends up with Margot in the studio, watching like a hawk while she puts the track she was working on back on. She isn’t wearing a shirt. Margot, that is. 2D doesn’t know how to feel about that. She is, after all, entitled to what she pleases with her body, in her place of residence, but this is also a place of work. And oddly enough, young children. 2D decides not to look. This works for the best, because she’s sure to get a clobbering for ogling the bassist.
“‘Ere! Er, ‘ere it is. This one,” 2D quickly puts the song on, hoping to have a couple minutes to calm down before she bursts into tears without anything actually happening to her. She hadn’t meant to wake Margot up, but she hadn’t realized that it had gotten so late while she was tweaking her song. It’s a sweet song, if a bit simple. Lighter than the usual things Gorillaz puts out, maybe it’ll find itself on the next album, or some kind of b-sides collection. 2D wouldn’t mind that. She’s never had a song she wrote by herself end up in such a place, because Margot was rather insistent about handling the writing. Once it’s done, 2D looks up at Margot from her seat with deep, hopeful eyes.
“That’s what you wrote?” Margot asks, expression betraying nothing.
“Yeah,” 2D affirms with a nod. She’s getting nervous.
“Well what in the bloody hell do you expect me to do with this? Do you even listen to what you’ve been singing along to?” Margot’s tone is sharp, and harsh. Something that’s nearly gotten used to the feeling is crushed in 2D.
“Er, I thought it’d be nice. To have a softer song, to lighten up from the others. Y’know?” She tries to reason, silently praying to whatever is out there that nothing else happens. Despite being very tall for a woman, and even for a man, she looks small.
“Right. Right, this is what the fans want. Piano chord dictionary? What even is that? Why would anyone care?” Margot flicks a switch as the song loads up to play again, to stop it.
“Well, it’s kinda in the name, a, uh, dictionary of piano chords. But, um, maybe not everything needs to be so, you know, serious? People like 5/4,” 2D tries to explain, before realizing that Margot is being rhetorical, and does her best to reason with the unreasonable woman.
“Oh, of course. I should have realized,” Margot’s sarcasm is thick, “It should have been obvious. But where do you think this song can go? Because if you think this is going on the next album, you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”
2D fidgets with her fingers, breaking eye contact, and hopefully a little tension. “Weren’t you talking about a b-side collection? We needed more finished songs to fill that up, right?”
“Fine. A b-side. You must be so proud. I’m going back to sleep,” Margot’s tone could be described as a snarl, and she swats at 2D’s head, rather firmly, on her way out. She realizes that 2D made a good enough point, but that doesn’t make her happy by any means.
2D is glad enough about her song going anywhere but the trash, though she does cry about it a bit. This is one of the only songs she’s gotten to show Margot, and she didn’t like it. She talks it out with Rochelle a little, who helps make her feel better about the whole situation. It’s a solid song, but Margot doesn’t want anyone else to be in charge. That’s mostly what Roch had said, combined with paraphrasing and 2D’s spotty memory. It works well enough though.
Soon, there’s a party going on. 2D likes parties, there’s always so much going on. And it’s for the band! Their self-titled album got a couple tracks up to the top of the billboard of whatever, the one that said what songs were good and popular. Noodle doesn’t stick around for long, he’s involved, but still a kid with a bedtime, who shouldn’t be around a bunch of drunks. Rochelle, ever the responsible one, handles taking Noodle up to his room before coming back to the party herself. 2D enjoys some drinks and conversation and dancing, but sees Margot doing much of the same. She’s been flirting with a lot of people, from the looks of it. Good. Maybe that’ll keep her off of 2D’s back tonight. And maybe a few more nights if she’s really lucky.
Eventually 2D’s found a fit bloke to talk to, one that’s good looking and doesn’t mind how tall she is. Some do. Anyway, talking’s been fun, flirting’s been good, and it might go further than that. Until they get interrupted by a security guard coming over.
“Excuse me, can you come with us?” He asks, looking at 2D.
“What? What for?” She asks, not quite drunk enough to go along without any question. The guard starts escorting her through the crowd anyway.
“Best you see,” the guard says vaguely. What good is that? Does he even know what’s going on?
2D isn’t exactly sure how she winds up in front of Margot's Winnebago, maybe she’s more drunk than she thought, but the security guy seems sure about this.
“Here?” She asks, double checking. Things are still rough between the two women, and she doesn’t want more trouble. The guard nods, and 2D goes up to knock.
“Come in!” Margot’s distinctive voice eagerly calls out from inside. 2D hesitates, but enters, finding Margot without a shirt again. It’s not unusual, but it’s always a bit of a surprise.
“Theeeerrre you arrre,” Margot slurs, gesturing 2D over to where she sits on the bed, “Mph... my handsome ssstranger, hope the guard was nice enough, eheheh.”
2D cautiously approaches, not used to seeing Margot like this, “Er, yeah. ‘Spose I’m ‘ere now, aren’t I?”
Margot grins, like she’s just been handed the world, once 2D comes within reach. She stretches her arms out to ensnare her, tugging her in closer, still slushing words together as she speaks.
“Awww, don’t be like that... hic- I- I invited you here. Make yourself at home. And don’t be shyyy.”
2D tenses, a warmth spreading across her face as Margot’s arms wrap around her hips, but allows herself to be guided down to the bed. She hadn’t thought Margot to be such a giggly drunk. But maybe she hasn’t spent much time thinking about it. Right now, both of their inhibitions are weakened, and it almost seems like a good idea to let Margot climb right into her lap the moment she’s seated.
“At home, huh? You’re acting kinda-” 2D only verbally protests, not complaining about the surprise of another body on her thighs, even if the sensation is a new one.
“Shh- shh. What’s yer name? I wanna know who it is I’ve been waiting so long for,” Margot interrupts, admiring 2D’s face through glassy eyes, stroking her cheeks and hair with one shaky, calloused hand, while the other is held up to her lips for a moment more before it joins its pair.
“You know that- oh, whatever. It’s Stella.”
“Stella...” Margot softly repeats, not making the connection she really should be. Maybe she’s gotten herself really drunk. There’s loads of empty bottles and stuff everywhere, but in the party raging just outside several cases of beer are already empty. Instead, she scoots closer, pressing onwards, “Stella, can I- could I kiss you? You look like you need it. Bet you’re a good kisser. Won’t you prove me right?”
2D’s eyes drift down to Margot’s lips. She’s always been a little curious, as to what’s made Margot the spectacle of so many magazine articles. It seems like a bad idea. In the same way that touching something really hot is. But, sometimes, your hand slips. And once it’s cool enough, it’s actually rather pleasant to have something that warm to hold. Something in 2D’s hazy mind finds itself saying, “Well... why not?”
Margot is forward. She beams at the acceptance and presses her dry lips against 2D’s hurriedly, like she might back out if she waits too long. 2D responds as soon as it registers, returning the quick kiss. It’s the first time she’s ever kissed a woman, she realizes as Margot takes charge. Their lips separate, and she takes 2D’s hands to put them on her waist.
“Don’t be shy…” She whispers, forcing 2D’s hands to cup around her bare sides. 2D is about to respond when her mouth is covered. By Margot’s, in another kiss. She lets herself melt into it. It’s not unpleasant.
2D has kissed plenty of men. She’s gotten used to the expectancy of just sitting there and looking pretty with whoever she’s found on a particular night taking the lead. Being touched and kissed is fun, and nice, but she hadn’t really thought about how much she’d like taking some of the control. Margot’s breath had hitched when 2D touched her ribs. She pressed in closer, the kiss growing deeper, her thighs pressing against 2D’s hips on either side. 2D felt as her lips parted, leaving her with one hazy moment to wonder if they were gonna really make out before she nipped her lower lip. 2D pulls away slightly, dazed and surprised, but not unhappy.
“Didn’t hurt you, did I?” Margot is a bit out of breath, her eyes trained down on 2D’s lips, one finger swiping over them.
2D shakes her head, “No. It’s alright.”
“Then can I keep kissing you?” Margot smiles, hand dropping.
2D nods, and it resumes. Lips and hands and surprisingly gentle teeth, 2D growing more bold as she gets better and better responses. Margot keeps pressing closer, and 2D doesn’t complain as she rolls backwards, head landing on the bed with a thump. The kiss breaks again, 2D laying on her back, Margot sitting on her hips looking down at her. Margot may have been opening her mouth to say something, or maybe she hadn’t. 2D just wants more. She reaches up and pulls Margot down with her to keep kissing, hands tangling into the thick, dark hair flowing down her back. 2D cradles the back of her head as they lay together, kissing like there’s nothing else in the world, like a party isn’t going on just outside that only one member of the band is still at.
“You’re really pretty…” 2D whispers against Margot’s lips, almost immaturely. Really pretty? That’s the best she could come up with? She tries to distract from the immediate embarrassment bubbling up in her stomach by flipping them both over. So she’s on top now, still kissing Margot. The pace begins to slow, but 2D doesn’t think much of it until she feels a wetness on her face. No, it’s on Margot’s. 2D breaks the kiss, curious and concerned. She’s crying.
“No- no, come back…” Margot reaches up, trying to pull 2D back down for another kiss, ignoring the fact that tears are spilling down her cheeks. 2D, as tempted as she is, doesn’t go along with it. She gently grips Margot’s hands to take them off her head, trying to be rational. It’s not her strong suit, but Margot’s not fit for a snog, clearly.
“I’m still here. But I wanna know why you’re crying, Margot,” she says, trying to be gentle with the other woman.
“I’m not. Just- just kiss me Stella. It’ll make it better,” Margot insists, wiping away tears as she speaks once her hands are free. Her mascara runs tracks down her tanned cheeks, the makeup dragged across her face like streaks in glass.
“I- I can’t. Why’re you crying?” 2D probes, torn between not wanting to push it and needing to know.
Margot glares up at her, but it’s not as sharp as it usually is. She seems to be more upset about something else, that isn’t 2D. But, she calms down a touch and sighs, “‘Cause nobody’s called me pretty in a while. Do you believe me?”
2D adjusts, considering. Margot is, nicely put, unconventional. But a broken nose isn’t what most people are looking for. Neither is most of her other features, from the way her stomach hangs over her jeans to her snappish attitude. 2D shakes her head, “Not really. I reckon you’re right fit, and so do plenty of other people, I bet. Is it that? Or is there somefin’ else?”
Margot lets out a surprised laugh, quickly covering her mouth. But she’s smiling a bit now.
“Got a sap, did I? Well, I’ll have you know it has been a while. Guess I’ve gotten used to the opposite. Really? Right fit?” She looks up at 2D, clearly hoping to hear it again now.
“Right fit,” 2D agrees, “But you’re not telling me everyfin’, are you?”
“Just kiss me,” Margot tries to distract 2D, running her hands down her back, trying to tempt her into forgetting about it and just going on like they were before. 2D is tempted.
“I can’t. I wanna know what’s wrong first, okay?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Forget about it,” she turns her head, her hands stilling again.
“Margot?”
“Not like you could do anything about it anyway. Not when it’s my own blasted fault, huh?”
2D speaks a bit more firmly than intended, trying to get her attention back fully, “Margot.”
She hadn’t expected Margot to flinch like that, she’d never seen it before. Tears build up in Margot’s eyes again as she reaches up to shove at 2D’s shoulders, a bit weak and wobbly, but with enough effort to make it clear.
“Get- get off of me.”
2D sits up, growing increasingly concerned. This is odd, by all accounts. Margot scoots away as soon as she’s free, starting to cry again.
“‘M sorry Mags, I didn’t mean to spook you,” she hurries to apologize, refraining from reaching out right away, “Didn’t realize this was... so important.”
“Of course it’s important, don’t you see the articles?” Margot wipes away the tears, but they just keep falling.
“Er, no. Which- which ones?” 2D has to ask. She’s actually a bit disconnected, and hadn’t really considered there’d be people talking about the band, or its specific members until now. Margot sighs deeply, a familiar sound, before her face falls even further.
“The ones that say I’m not good looking enough for what I do. That I should be prettier if I want to be in the spotlight.”
“Oh, I thought you said you don’t listen to those,” 2D isn’t much comfort, and she realizes this, so she tries to make her lap available if some physical contact will help more than her oblivious words.
“I don’t read them, that doesn’t mean I don’t see them!” Margot wails, hiding her face and her tears in her hands, “And I can’t do anything about it, they just publish whatever they want anyway!”
2D doesn’t know what to say. What can she say? She just gently rubs Margot’s back once she’s convinced into her lap while she cries. It turns out the list of things troubling her goes beyond the articles she’s seen, it’s problems she’s had her entire life. And Margot just blabbers on, unable to stop the words or the tears as she buries her face into 2D’s neck. The magazines are cruel, taking a very direct approach to what’s “in”, and how Margot isn’t it. It gets to her more than she admits. And even with that, it gets worse. 2D has no point of reference for rough treatment from family members, her parents are good, at least, and she doesn’t have any siblings. So she doesn’t know how to react when Margot tells her about what her mother and sister did to her. The insults, her nose, that concert, all those talent shows, everything just comes out into the open with Margot left unable to do anything but sob and hide her face. 2D holds her close, letting her cling until the tears slow. Once she can breathe again, 2D takes the chance to softly speak up again.
“There anyfin’ I can get you?”
Margot sniffles, trying to get herself to calm down, “Got some- some weed somewhere. Can you roll a joint?”
“Yeah. I’ll be right back.”
2D frees herself from the embrace to find the weed, figuring that’s a better way to soothe whatever else could be whirling in Margot’s head than just crying about it.
“There’s some berries in the fridge too... Could you get those?” Margot calls as 2D gets to rolling, mopping up her face with tissues.
“Course.”
Soon, 2D is back on the bed with Margot, offering up the joint and the strawberries she found, letting the other woman climb back on top of her before she accepts either. 2D finds a lighter in her pocket, making things easier for both of them. Margot’s willing to share the berries, but not the smoke. But now that she’s calmer, she can be more precise with her words, even as she gradually relaxes. She’s more specific now, explaining the woes of her life. There’s a lot. They don’t excuse anything, but it makes a bit more sense now. 2D thinks this might be the first time that Margot’s made these deep confessions. That means she’s been keeping it all in for a while. She was bullied as a child. Got called names for her bad attitude, and her broken nose, and her tan skin, and everything there could be to bully a classmate over. There was one in particular, Margot refuses to name, who called her especially cruel names, and would corner her to steal from her or to just beat her up, and all the worst things. 2D feels awful, even though there wasn’t and still isn’t anything she could do about it. So she just kisses Margot’s hair, arms wrapped around her stomach as she sits facing away in her lap. Soon, the joint is nothing but the end, and Margot leans forward to put it out in a nearby ashtray.
“Guess that’s most of it, huh? Sorry to... put it all out there like that.”
“You don’t gotta be. You needed to say it, didn’t you?” 2D sits back, still processing the full extent of everything said. It’s a lot.
When Margot settles back in, she twists about and wraps her arms around 2D, burying her face into her chest and squeezing tight. It’s a bit of an unfamiliar feeling, people don’t go hugging 2D so tightly like this often, but she hurries to return it. Margot sighs, cuddled against 2D. She’s still a mess, but much calmer and more content than she was before. Maybe even happy now. She doesn’t bother pulling away even a centimeter when she speaks up again, a solid couple minutes later.
“You’re a good listener. Better than most guys I talk to. Give me your number?”
“Don’t you already have-”
“Please.”
Margot hardly ever says please. 2D reenters her number in her phone. Margot smiles. Her eyes crinkle in the corners, a little.
“You probably gotta go now, huh?” Margot asks. But it sounds like she’d like 2D to stay longer. 2D has to take this chance either way, Margot will flip in the morning if she wakes up next to 2D.
“Yeah. But you can call me whenever,” 2D gently untangles herself from Margot, who’s grown weary from drinking and sobbing.
“I’ll call you. Don’t worry about it,” Margot watches as 2D leaves, walking across the Winnebago towards the door.
2D stops by the door, hand on the knob, turning back to say goodnight. She hadn’t heard the unsteady footsteps, Margot following her across the room, throwing her arms around her neck to pull her down to her level for one last kiss. 2D’s eyes widen in surprise, before they squeeze closed again. Margot tangles her fingers into 2D’s hair, the pretty blue locks that 2D’s gotten so many compliments on, keeping her close in this final moment of intimacy. 2D’s hands go to Margot’s waist again, clasping around the bare skin again, feeling the warmth. It’s messy. Emotional. Margot’s face is still damp with residual tears. But this is easily one of the most passionate kisses that 2D’s found herself in. Margot’s lips are dry, from the smoke, but the taste of that and the strawberries last on them. It’s not much of a bother, they’re both too distracted. Their bodies press together again, this time with a more gentle affection than before. It doesn’t go any further, quite surprisingly, but it lingers. Margot doesn’t pull away until she’s breathing funky from the sheer effort she’s put in. She breathes heavily, remaining close as she whispers against 2D’s lips.
“I’ll call you,” Margot repeats, softly.
“I’ll wait,” 2D replies, not letting go until Margot does.
2D leaves the Winne and goes up on the lift, only to find that the studio is a right mess. Bottles and cans and unrecognizable bits of things scatter the floor, complete with mystery puddles, and something she has to step over that she’s at least half sure is someone passed out. Lucky for her, the chaos stayed in the central areas of the studio, and all the really important rooms were locked beforehand. She fumbles about in her pocket for the key, which is very fortunately still there. She unlocks the door, and pushes it open, where it has remained untouched by the party. That’s good, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself if anything happened to her keyboards or movies. She locks the door again, leaving the lights off. There’s no force in the world that could make her care about comfort right now, she’s too drunk and too tired. So, when she gets to the bed, she just climbs under the covers. She’s sure to regret falling asleep in her trainers and trousers in the morning, but that’s only one of the many problems she’s sure to have. She pulls the blanket in tight, falling asleep quickly, thoroughly worn out by everything that’s happened.
Once morning comes, with the sun shining in through the window, 2D wakes again. Before she gets up, before the discomfort sets in, before the hangover really takes hold even, she thinks to check her phone. She remembers the smile she got when she agreed to give her number to someone else. It was beautiful. But there are no new messages.