Work Text:
Ember looked at the mirror in the bathroom, she never knew why she looked at her body so intensely. There was no substance to her body—at least not anymore.
The gender dysphoria had been eating up Ember for months before she decided to get chest feminisation surgery. Her dress, bra and underwear hung on the back of the bathroom door while she looked at her naked body.
It wasn't that Ember didn't like her body. Plainly, she didn't.
Too many scars. Too much of anything.
Ember shrugged it off and got into the warm shower, letting the water drip over her body, the scars semi-hissing at the warm water that hit them.
She reached for the shampoo inside the niche that is built into the shower wall, Ember squeezed some into her hand before she started massaging into her dyed dark blue hair—letting the soap wash away any lingering thoughts.
She turned the shower off before stepping out, drying her hair off with her blue towel before putting on her black panties, then strapped the back of her bra, using the clips letting it support her breasts and then slipped the black cocktail dress over her curves.
Ember's phone then buzzed suddenly as she glanced at it.
Kylie: Are you ready yet? I'm about to leave to pick you up.
Ember: I just got out of the shower. Give me like 5 minutes
Kylie: 🙄
Kylie: Fine, okay. Text me when you are ready, tho!
Ember: Will do!
Ember carried her phone to her bedroom, placing it on the bed, moving her fingers through her hair as she straightened using her straightener that was connected to a powerpoint.
She felt her curves at the side, feeling like there was something missing—there wasn't, but it still felt that way.
Ember finished straightening their hair before spraying it with some product, letting it settle for a second before tying her hair in a tall ponytail. She then reached for her purse, then her phone, sending a message off to her sister.
Within seconds, a reply came back.
Kylie: Yeah, Malia and I are on our way.
Ember: See ya soon! 🧡
Ember walked from his bedroom to the living room, where she started to pace. She fiddled with her chrome silver nails, waiting for Kylie to pull up. Nerves like this were pretty much normal to Ember—especially due to her hormones and just her generalised anxiety (that she had yet to combat with)—but that's another problem.
But now being invited to a houseparty hosted by one of Kylie's friends and a bunch of her friends would be there.
So it was definitely Ember's worst nightmare but she had to put on a brave face for Kylie.
A honk from down below in the driveway sounded and she knew that Kylie was here, Ember locked the front door and walked down to the driveway, opening the car door and sat in the back, while Kylie was in the driver's seat, Malia was in the passenger seat—holding Kylie's hand.
Their relationship had been so turbulent, especially because of media coverage and the attention the two got with doing the Descendants movie duology.
Ember's thoughts were interrupted when Kylie coughed. "Ready?"
"W-what, yeah?" Ember answered, her voice slightly off as she once again was staring away into space—like she usually did. She looped her belt over the black dress before Kylie drove off.
"Which ones of your friends are hosting this party again? You never completely told me," Ember mused.
"Oh! Yeah, that's Kiara. She has a mansion in Silver Lake," Malis spoke first before Kylie then spoke.
"Yeah, you'll love her, Em!"
"Oh I'm sure." she answered back, giving off a semi-fake smile. It wasn't like Ember fully disliked parties. It just took a lot of social battery and energy for her to muster to talk to people…. and especially celebrities, who Kylie had been surrounded by for years.
The drive from Ember's house in Torrance to Kiara's mansion was about half an hour, and the music was quiet before Malia turned her head.
"So? How's work, Ember?"
"Oh! It's been okay—definitely busier than what I imagined. After I finished Wicked Wonderland, I've been doing freelance work and personal projects, here and there!"
"Oh! Wow, you've been busy then," Malia noted.
"I told you, baby. My sister is always busy," Kylie joked.
"Not always!" Ember teased back, "But Ky. You're always busy, don't try to laugh."
Kylie laughed back as they pulled into Kiara's mansion. Ember could only just stare in awe only slightly. The house was huge and so elegant compared to her own or even Kylie's.
Her eyes halted for a second, looking at the mansion through the car's window, "Jeez! This is like… huge. What the fuck!!"
"Yeah. When I saw it for the first time I was shocked," Kylie said as she parked the car, opening her front door, Malia getting out second, Ember unbuckled her seatbelt, where she started to walk behind the couple who were holding their hands.
Kylie reached the top of the driveway and knocked on the door, a girl with wavy and curly brown hair opened the door with excitement.
So. That's Kiara. Good to know.
"Omg! Kylie, Malia!" Kiara shrieked. "You made it! And you bought a guest. Now, my my," she smirked, making Ember's neck heat up slightly, dizziness almost hit for a moment.
"Who is this beautiful babe?"
Kylie smiled softly. "This is my sister, Ember."
Ember looked up, finally realising that her name had been mentioned.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Kiara asked.
"Nope! Not at all!" Ember replied, almost a bit too quickly.
"Wait, yeah I do! You were the unit photographer on set!" Kiara smiled.
"O-oh! Yeah, um—right, that was me." Ember said. "Kylie did not tell us you two were siblings!"
Ember smiled softly, "It's something she likes to keep a secret," she nudged her older sister.
"Well! Come inside! The rest have been waiting for you!" Kiara smiled, moving aside to let Kylia and Ember inside.
Going to parties because of her sister wasn't something new to Ember—but this time, it was different. She had worked with these people.
Did it feel weird? Maybe invasive in a way.
Wait, no. I don't work with them anymore, so it's not weird. God, why is my brain like this?
Kylie grabbed a hold of Ember's wrist, "You look so tense right now, Em."
"Yeah. Sorry. I feel like a buzzkill."
"Trust me, babe." Kylie smiled, "You're not," she led Ember to the bar. "Remind your drink of choice, again?"
"Vodka and pineapple juice." Ember said as the bartender made the drink, sliding it over to the blue-haired girl, grabbing a hold of it and taking a swig from it.
Kylie grabbed her drink, with Ember following her to the couches where Malia and the rest of her friends were, Kiara was talking to the other cast members—Ember hated how she remembered about them.
Because she was supposed to be hiding in the shadows. In secret. Basically invisible. When she finally looked up, she saw Brendon looking at her, Kylie from the couch smirking back.
And in that moment, Ember wanted to crawl into a never-ending hole and die.
Brendon was talking to Alexandro when his eyes slightly darted to a girl, she had blue-hair and tied up in a high ponytail.
He'd definitely seen her before. But where?
Alexandro interrupted his thinking, tapping him on the shoulder. "Dude! It's the photographer from the set, and Kiara may have let it slip that Ember was Kylie's sister.
That intrigued Brendon even more, though he wouldn't fully admit it.
Oh. So that's where she's from!
"I think I'll talk to her first,"
Brendon laughed, swigging back his beer. "How do you know she's your type, dude?"
"Trust. She just is."
Brendon was watching her, it was only by accident. But he still was—but her head finally looked up at him.
Their eyes locked into each other's. Blue and hazel, both at the same time.
"I think she's my type, bro." Brendon said confidently.
"You sound so confident about that."
"I mean, it's the second time she's looked at me tonight, so I'm allowed to assume things," Brendon took a swig of his beer, the warm alcohol against his lips.
"Not fair! You just can't assume things!" Alexandro bit back.
"Totes can," Brendon teased slightly as he watched Ember from his corner of the couch. Kylie with Malia got up and dragged Ember to the dance floor on the other side of the room, near the bar.
She made a quiet squeal as Kylie grabbed her hand. "W-where are we going?"
"Dancing, of course, duh!" Kylie smiled. "You've been looking so sad and tense all night. We're here to have fun!"
As they arrived on the floor, a pop song started to play from the speakers. Ember started to dance with her sister and her girlfriend, her curves swaying side to side—the semi-seductive dancing catching Brendon's eye and making him feel all type flustered and warm inside.
This feeling was new. Nothing like this had happened before, but he liked it.
As Ember danced, she felt a slight tug for her hair, it was Kylie undoing her tied updo ponytail and letting her blue hair pool down her hair.
Kylie let out a small giggle, as Ember watched Brendon's eyes widen in some sort of emotion. She couldn't exactly tell but that was the tricky thing about this Canadian guy.
When the song turned into a more seductive song, Malia was grinding against Kylie, Ember could only roll her eyes in annoyance. Within minutes, she could swear she felt a body behind her.
The closeness wasn't that subtle, she could feel the muscles rippling through the shirt he was wearing, the alcohol on his breath—it was definitely beer and the strong-scented cologne.
So, it either had to be Alexandro or Brendon, those were the only two boys here tonight. Ember quickly thought about it—it wasn't Alexandro, he was slightly taller and more buff, so it had to be…
Ember finally turned around and came face to face with Brendon. He was there. Tall, muscles toning and slightly flexing under the dress shirt he wore. And his cologne.
God. I think I'm going to pass out.
"You seemed so alone, dancing here, so I'd thought I'd join you." Brendon whispered softly.
"I-I mean," Ember's voice shattered slightly. She didn't mean for it to break so easily, it just did, but she ignored it and kept dancing, her hair now more wavy and officially spilling down her back, giving Brendon a view that he all wanted.
Brendon could only stare in the way a man could with his eyes softening at her dancing and the curve, he tugged at her wrist, almost pulling her closer towards him. His cologne warped itself around her.
It smelt sweet but also strong at the same time—very similar to Brendon in a way. His eyes were more or less stunned as she danced—he could not look away.
He was entranced by her.
Brendon waited until she had finished dancing and the song was over before he looked at her, grabbing her hand as they walked over to a quieter corner of the mansion; he'd noticed that she had been particularly quiet—around basically everything tonight.
The black-haired Canadian just wanted her to smile at least once tonight—then he'd know he did a good job at something, for once. Brendon sat against the window first, dragging her slowly down.
"You don't really like parties, do you?"
Ember did not say anything at first because it was like this man had seen completely right through her, she brushed her hair aside before she spoke. "I mean? It's not that I don't like them, they can just be a lot sometimes. And celeb parties are like a lot ...."
Brendon gave her a slight smile, "Yeah, yeah. I get it. And I feel like being Kylie's sister would be a lot too, right?"
She sighed back, "Not even that. It's just I've never really had any good experiences with parties in general."
Brendon looked at her, "Then, why come at all?"
She fiddled with her fingers as Ember tried to string up an answer. She couldn't exactly tell him that parties brought back memories pre-transition, because only Kylie and Malia knew that she was trans—it was something she had kept pretty hidden for years.
Only because the film industry had all these expectations and discrimination against gender diversity was still very prevalent.
Ember's brain decided to work with her lips so she could say a response to his question, "Kylie invited me, I just couldn't say no."
Brendon smirked, the back of Ember's neck heating from the sheer flirtyness that he had. "I mean, you could've."
Ember softly smiled. "True, true. But, then. We wouldn't have met, true," she finished before moving slightly closer towards him, their fingers almost touching. But in a sudden gesture of intimacy, Brendon grabbed her soft hands and kissed them.
His lips felt…she couldn't really describe how they felt. Because they didn't really have a taste.
She could more or less smell the alcohol on his breath—not that she didn't mind.
They gave each other a look. Both didn't know what type of look it was—intimate, dazed. Maybe a mix of both?
But in the quick second, Brendon closed his lips around her lips, Ember gave a slight hitch and squeak from her throat, his lips now felt addictive, alcoholic—from the beer he had before.
She was dazed. He was drunk.
Maybe just the perfect combo.