Work Text:
“So,” Kim says, folding her hands together on the tabletop, “I’ve never done this before.”
“What, eaten an egg?” Jason raises an eyebrow and saws off a piece of his own egg with his fork. Kim looks down at her own plate, two sunny side up eggs and a twig of bacon smiling back at her, and wonders how she ever thought asking her dork of a leader for help would be a good idea. She also wonders why the hell she didn’t jump ship the first twenty minutes he spent making everyone breakfast when she had a chance. Probably because of Pearl, honestly.
“No, dummy. I’ve never-” She cuts herself off, trying to make sure she wants to do this before going ahead with it. Jason would support her no matter what, of that she’s certain, but it’s everything else that frightens her. Everything she could lose. But then Kim thinks about the sly curve of that smile, the way the sunlight reflects off those soft eyes, the weight and warmth of that hand curling around her wrist, and decides that she can’t keep going like this. She needs to know, either way.
It would be worth it.
She glances toward the living room, confirming that Pearl is still absorbed in her tv show before continuing.
“There’s someone I’m interested in, Jase. But I don’t have any experience with dating girls. With- with asking a girl out. And I wanted to ask you for some advice.”
“Is this about Trini?” Jason asks immediately, spinning his fork between his fingers, and Kim crosses her arms with a huff. She’d told him she was bi a while back, but never mentioned anything about who she started falling for, and by instinct she tries to deflect.
“Why would it- who says Trini is even my type, I mean, sure she’s like the cutest- no, look, I don’t know why you brought her up,” she splutters. “I know other girls. I know lots of girls.”
Jason watches this whole event with profound pity in his eyes. “...right, so you’re trying to ask Trini out. Hey, no, I think that’s great,” he says hastily, when she groans and puts her face in her hands before picking up her bacon with her bare hand and shoving it into her mouth.
She chews violently, with absolute disregard for how she looks. Jason already knows she’s a half-rabid raccoon when she’s stressed and hungry. Strungry. “It’s not great. I have no idea what I’m doing. That’s where you come in.”
He takes a moment to finish his other egg, before making a noise of consideration. “Well, uh. The thing is. Huh, how do I say this.” He drums his fingers on the table, a slow flush starting to crawl across his cheeks. “I...might not have any experience dating girls either?”
She freezes with a piece of bacon still dangling from her lips and they stare at each other across the table silently for a second before Kim starts backpedaling. “Oh, shit, I’m so sorry- I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that- I guess I just assumed you were straight, which is shitty of me, sorry! You know, you just had that whole hometown quarterback golden boy vibe going for you, and I figured it like- okay, I should just shut up now.” God, she should’ve figured, considering the completely unsubtle way he looks at Billy like he invented sliced bread. Not that she blames him.
“No, Kim, it’s cool. Calm down before you choke to death in my kitchen.” He pushes her glass of water closer with one hand and runs the other through his hair. “It’s not like I wouldn’t date a girl, or a guy or whatever, but I’ve been pretty busy with football for the last...seven years of my life? And I guess with all that, and my family shit, I just never really got around to, uh, romance. In general.”
“Oh my god, is that why your go-to move was asking me to run away to the circus with you and your van?” she says, dissolving into a laugh.
“I definitely didn’t phrase it that way!”
“You’re such a nerd, Scott. I can’t believe I came to you for help.”
He flips her off with both hands after checking that his sister isn’t looking their way. “C’mon, let’s get to planning so you can get your girl sometime before the next century.”
--
Thirty minutes later, they reach the crushing realization that they’re both idiots.
“Crawling through someone’s window in the middle of the night to surprise them isn’t romantic, Kim. I would know.”
“Yeah, but if I do any of your ideas, Trini’s going to run in the other direction and jump off a cliff to avoid me. I’m not giving her two dozen roses before I even ask her out.” Once they’re dating, it’ll be a whole different ballgame; she’ll shower Trini with flowers or food or gifts, whatever she wants if she wants it. But right now, she’s certain it would be a recipe for disaster. Admittedly, so would climbing through Trini’s window without her knowledge, considering what happened with Rita that time.
“Why not? People like flowers, don’t they? I like flowers,” Jason says, sounding kind of lost. The distinct memory of Billy handing him a cluster of ragged wildflowers during campfire and Jason’s subsequent starstruck smile suddenly returns to her, and Kim rolls her eyes. She somehow managed to enlist the assistance of the one person more incompetent than herself.
There are dozens of carefully laid out plans scattered about the two of them, and every single one of them is a dud. Kim’s ideas are too wild and spontaneous; Jason’s are vastly too intense and/or borderline illegal. This isn’t working. She needs a professional.
to zack in black: (9:27) come to jason’s place, i need your help
(9:27) for like a...thing
(9:27) a dating thing
(9:27) jesus i can’t believe you’re my best hope
(9:28) sure bby anything 4 u
(9:28) just gonna cost u a cool $250,000
(9:28) goddamnit zack come over here and i will buy you anything you want
(9:28) i’m in crisis and the crimson wonder is useless
(9:29) wat ur telling me the boss man couldnt help u w/ matters of the ~hart~
(9:29) quelle surprise
(9:30) yeah i don’t know how i thought jason “get inside my creepy van” scott would be useful in this situation
(9:30) bad call
Zack arrives with self-created fanfare, waving magnanimously at imaginary crowds on Jason’s bedroom floor. “Yep, I have arrived, hold your applause, you hopeless bisexuals. Your man Zack is here to solve all your problems!”
“How’d you know know Jason was bi?” Kim asks at the same time that Jason tells him, “Kim thinks that breaking into someone’s house is a legitimate way to woo them.”
Zack pauses, glances at Jason, the half-empty two liter bottle of coke on the floor, the scribbled notes on the pieces of paper between them, then shoots finger guns at her. “Your man Zack needs a minute to figure all this out,” he says, waving his hand broadly at everything in the room.
By the time they finish trying to explain who has the worse ideas between the two of them, Zack has crumpled up 90% of their papers into balls and tossed them at the doorway. They litter the whole stretch of floor.
“There’s a trashcan right there,” Jason says, and Zack sighs, thumping his heels down where they’re resting in Jason’s lap.
“Recycling, bro. Anyway, none of this stuff is going to work on Trini. Playing a song outside her window? Just gonna piss her off. Sending her secret admirer notes? She’ll think it’s a prank.” He crushes that paper up too, shooting it at Jason’s doorknob. “Seriously, guys, what is this shit. You don’t live in a romcom.”
“Why do you think we called you here?” Kim asks, throwing herself flat on the floor. “We have no idea what we’re doing.”
“Well, at least you’re finally going for it. Unlike this one.” Zack jerks his thumb at Jason, who looks askance at him, offended enough to remove Zack’s legs off his own. Zack ignores this, picking up a pen and spreading out a fresh sheet of paper on Jason’s math textbook. “Let me lay this out for you, Kimmy. It’s real simple. All you’ve gotta do is-”
Before he can reveal the secrets of the universe to them, the doorbell rings, and Jason jumps to his feet, almost tripping over the ten million paper balls on his way out the door. “That’s probably Billy, let me just go let him in,” he says, scrambling out of his room with zero chill.
“Slow your roll, hot stuff, you look too desperate,” Zack yells after him, shrugging when Kim punches him in the arm.
“Where’s Trini today anyway?” she asks Zack through a yawn. The only reason she picked today to get help was because she knew the other girl was busy with something and wouldn’t be able to interrupt their brainstorming session. That doesn’t stop her from missing Trini like the pining fool she is, even though they saw each other just yesterday. But her life is literally dimmer without Trini’s light surrounding her. It sounds disgustingly sappy, but it’s true. Colors are less vibrant, sounds are dulled; it’s as if Trini amplifies all her senses.
“She said she had some errands and stuff to run. Probably some family biz,” Zack tells her, but his eyes narrow as if he’s thinking about something he hadn’t considered earlier.
Jason returns with Billy in tow, his hands hanging limply at his sides – clearly so he doesn’t do anything weird like guide Billy into the room with a proprietary hand at the small of his back. Kim doesn’t know how she didn’t realize until just now that Jason is just a brooding regency romance hero displaced too many years into the future. Throwing notes in detention is probably his version of writing long, effusive love letters, though Kim wouldn’t put it past him to start doing that too.
“Hey, guys! I didn’t know you were all gonna be here too. Is something happening today? Are we planning a surprise party? Is it for Trini?” Billy asks when he doesn’t notice her splayed out on Jason’s bed like she usually would be if she were here. He’s toting a small bag and looking uprooted; Kim’s crisis has likely disrupted some kind of standing not-date between him and Jason, and she feels a bit bad.
“Close enough!” Zack says, waving in vigorous swoops toward the empty spot on the floor next to him. “We’re helping our resident princess here land a date with everyone’s favorite crazy girl. Come sit next to me and help me explain this to them.” Billy settles in cross-legged next to Zack on top of a red cushion from Jason’s chair, his tin of colored pencils and sketchbook resting neatly beside him. Jason automatically tries to join him but is banished by a smack on his knee from Zack. “Nope, nuh-uh, hopeless people stay over there. This side is only for people who got game.”
Jason manages not to frown, but there’s still a sulkiness to the way he accepts his position next to Kim. She pats his leg.
“Kim, you’re going to ask Trini out? That’s great.”
“See, everyone says that, but I get the feeling I’m doomed.”
“Do they really need a diagram?” Billy asks as Zack starts drawing stick figures.
“Dude, I don’t know if they can figure it out without a little extra help.” He shields his drawing from Kim’s eyes when she tries to get in for a look, before passing it off to Billy, who examines it for a moment, then proceeds to carefully pull out a few of his pencils and add the finishing touches to their plan.
“I think this makes it pretty clear,” he says, laying it on the ground so everyone can see.
There’s a stick figure dressed in pink standing in front of a stick figure wearing a yellow beanie. If this weren’t obvious enough already, Billy has written in large, color-coded uppercase letters KIM and TRINI under each figure.
In a word bubble above KIM’s head is a little speech in Zack’s loopy scrawl: “Trini, I’ve really liked you for a long time and I’d like to know if you would go on a date with me.”
TRINI says in return, “Wow, I like you a lot too, Kim. I would love to go on a date with you.”
There follows an arrow that points to another picture of KIM and TRINI holding hands, with little red hearts floating between them.
It’s...so straightforward, especially for Zack, that Kim just stares at the picture blankly for a long stretch of time, trying to figure out where the trick is. There has to at least be a meme or something hidden in here somewhere. Jason seems similarly confused, squinting at the paper like it’s personally done something to wrong him.
“I told you they’d need the visual,” Zack says smugly, and Billy fiddles with his pencil case.
“Sorry, is it confusing? I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, but we can, uh, try to elaborate more. Kim, you’re going to go to Trini and-”
“No, I think I understand the picture, Billy. I just...don’t know if it’ll work? Like, is this it? No secret techniques?” It almost doesn’t seem like enough. She feels like she needs to compact all her overgrown emotions for Trini down into something poetic and beautiful that she can recite like a song. But she doesn’t know how to capture it all: that free-fall dip in her gut when Trini laughs, that searing jolt of admiration she feels when she watches Trini fight, that tug that starts underneath her ribcage when Trini rests her head on Kim’s shoulder. She’d thought for so long that she was too hollow inside to feel this way about anyone, but that’s the thing about sunshine – even an empty room can be filled with light.
“That’s it,” Zack confirms. “For a girl like Trini, you gotta just come out and say it. She needs to see that you mean it, that you’re not just fucking around. You obviously don’t have to follow this script exactly, but you’ve got to get your point across clearly. You feel me?”
“Trini’s good at finding ways to doubt herself. Don’t leave any room for misinterpretation,” Billy advises. “It can be confusing when you’re not sure if you’re both talking about the same thing.”
“Yeah, she- I know how she can be,” Kim says, a twinge of pain stinging her chest, thinking of all the ways Trini’s been hurt before. And the way Kim has fucked up her previous relationship and friendships through her own dumb mistakes. She’d never forgive herself if she did the same with Trini, even if by accident. “I just can’t see how it can be this- I mean, this seems easy, but I feel like my heart’s going to jump out of my chest before I can even try it.”
“My mom says that things that are important aren’t always going to be easy. Trini is important to you, so going through with this might be really difficult, but I guess you just have to decide if she’s worth it.”
“Of course she’s worth it,” she responds without thinking, and Billy smiles at her.
“Then you know what you have to do. I mean, not that you have to have to do it, it’s your life, but it’s an option. And like Zack said, I think it’s the best option. It’s one of his better ideas, probably.”
Kim puffs out a sigh, resting her forehead against his shoulder when he makes no sign of pulling away. He’s solid and alive under her weight. “You make it sound so simple, Billy.”
He puts a hand softly on her shoulder. “Would it help if I showed you? Maybe it’ll seem less scary that way.”
“Yo, great idea, B. Let’s roleplay this shit,” Zack says, excited.
Lifting her head, she looks over the three of them dubiously. “With you guys?”
“Ouch, what’s with that tone?” Jason says with a laugh, and she pokes him with her foot.
“I don’t think I could take it seriously. It just doesn’t feel real enough. No offense. And none of you are girls, so there’s that too.”
Zack grins at her suddenly, sharp and a little conniving. And Kim trusts him with her life, but this? This looks like trouble. But Kim’s got a bit of a taste for trouble herself, so she says nothing as he shifts so that he’s sitting next to her, off to the side. “You just watch, then. Billy, hit it.”
“Oh, okay. Kim, you ready?” When she nods, Billy gives her another small smile before turning his attention to Jason. “Jason, I know we’ve been friends for a while now, and it’s great. Like, really, really great. But lately I think I want to be more than friends with you, and I wanna know if you’d be willing to give dating a try. Or, um, dating me specifically. Not just dating as a general concept. Like, us being boyfriends, with each other. What do you think?” He sounds so sincere that the fiction blurs, and the other three are left gaping at him.
Kim’s breath has stopped dead in her lungs, Zack is legitimately biting on his hand to prevent himself from making whatever demonic noise he’s dying to screech, and Jason has been metaphysically sucker-punched into silence. Blue eyes stricken and mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, he says nothing for a minute, finally gathering the brainpower to swallow visibly and squeak out, “Um, that- that sounds great, Billy. Awesome. Let’s do it. Let’s date. Each other. Like boyfriends.” He sounds like he hasn’t drunk any water in three weeks. Kim feels an intense rush of sympathy for him. She also kinda wants to laugh herself into hysterics.
Billy’s grin is blinding, and Kim understands again just exactly why Jason is such a mess. He links his hand with Jason’s for a just a second, squeezing once before letting go and turning back to Kim. “At this point, Jason and I would be dating. See, that didn’t seem too bad, right? I think you’ve got this, Kim.”
“Yeah,” she replies, still dazed, though no more so than their intrepid leader, who stares at the floor and clenches and unclenches his hand like a broken robot. “That seemed pretty straightforward. I could...probably manage that. Once I get up the nerve.”
“If you feel extra brave, you can ask for a kiss! I always ask first, because I’m not good at reading the mood, or y’know, people in general, and an unwanted kiss is like the worst kind of surprise, even for folks who don’t mind touching. ‘Specially since we know Trini’s kind of skittish – she goes more for flight than fight, I think, but also I don’t think you want to take any chances and get punched in the face? Does that make sense?”
He cuts off his little spiel, looking expectantly at her, and she manages a flustered smile. She can barely imagine pulling off the first part of this plan; she hasn’t the faintest idea how the fuck she’ll ever manage to ask Trini for a kiss. “Yep, total sense.”
Billy nods once in approval, and Zack pouts. “You’re not gonna roleplay that part?” he asks, like the rabble-rousing interloper he is. Kim digs her nails into his thigh, but he keeps smiling serenely at Jason, whose face is flitting rapidly through a whole rainbow of emotions. A deep, otherworldly dread sinks into Kim’s stomach. Someone is getting suplexed during training tomorrow. She really wishes Trini were here to see this.
“Nah, Kim says she understands,” Billy says, and returns his attention to Jason in order to tap their knuckles gently together in an informal fist bump. It’s the kind of easy physical affection he can handle in small doses from them. “Don’t worry, Jason. We’re not going to kiss,” he says like a reassurance when he notices their leader still frozen in place, doing his mental gymnastics.
The look on Jason’s face finally settles, solidifying into the battle-ready ferocity Kim recognizes from training, before it softens into something else. A type of subtle tenderness only reserved for one person, even though the clench of his jaw still makes it look like he wants to go fight somebody. He inhales.
Kim bites down on her tongue. Oh, fuck. He’s going to do it. Zack must realize it too, because his leg stiffens under her hand in anticipation.
“What if I want us to?” Jason asks, voice carefully neutral. “What if I want to kiss you?” There isn’t a single other sound in the room right now.
Billy’s eyes widen in surprise. “Is this for Kim? Because it’s cool that you wanna help, but I think she gets-”
“No, Billy. This one’s- this is just for me. I want to kiss you because I like you a whole damn lot. And I have for a while. Is that okay?”
Even if the words are simple, there’s something very Jane Austen about his delivery, sitting here staring intently into Billy’s eyes. Kim is holding her breath again, and this time, Zack is the one crushing her fingers with his.
Billy holds his gaze for a second or two, before glancing away shyly. His fingers tangle in the tassels of his cushion as he takes a steadying breath. “It’s more than okay,” he finally says, his smile absolutely radiant, and then Jason is grinning too, and Kim knows she’s about to witness something that really should be a private moment, so she scrambles up, pulling Zack along.
“Alright, thanks for the demonstration, but Zack and I need to talk about logistics and stuff; be right back!” she shouts like a foghorn, dragging a reluctant Zack out with her. She closes the door a little too hard, wincing when it slams closed, and hopes it doesn’t disturb Pearl too much.
“Aw, Kim, c’mon!”
“No, we are not interrupting them. And whatever’s about to go down in there.” She tugs him down the hallway until they’re standing awkwardly outside the bathroom, trying to figure out long they should wait.
“I told you Billy had game,” Zack whispers after a minute of trying not to eavesdrop, and she thumps her head against his chest, attempting to muffle the giggles that she can’t contain any longer.
“I can’t believe that just happened. I thought you were here to help me, not Jason.”
“Who says I haven’t helped you?” Zack says, tugging at a lock of her hair that’s tickling his neck. “You know the drill now; you’ve even seen it in action! Now we just gotta find a time and place for your turn. Maybe after training? Ooh, or we could give you some space during the campfire.”
Kim considers that, the earthy orange glow casting sparks of light around Trini and her dark hair, her adorable, scrunchy smile when she catches the marshmallows Kim throws to her, and she gulps. That’s not going to work.
“I’ll think more on it. Meeting adjourned for today,” she sighs, and pulls out her phone. “I’m gonna tell her to come find us once she’s free.”
To her surprise, she’s missed several texts in the last ten minutes.
from to intrinity and beyond: (10:17) Hey where are you guys
(10:17) Your mom says you went out so I figure youre with the boys
(10:18) But I dont want to search every single house :[
(10:18) I wanted to ask you something so maybe we could go to the outlook together??
(10:22) Cmon pink answer your texts :<
(10:24) Princess
(10:26) K i m b e r l y
(10:27) Wtf are you losers doing that none of you can pick up your damn phones >:(
(10:28) Nvm Im just gonna go to J first since his house is closest
(10:28) You all better be there :P
Trini’s smilies always make Kim laugh; she never would’ve figured her to be the type when they first met. “Shit, I must’ve put it on silent,” she mutters, swiping to answer just as Zack gets his own phone out.
“Yeah, my pocket was buzzing nonstop; looks like she’s on her way here-”
“Oh my god,” comes a sudden yell from Jason’s room. “Holy fucking shit!”
Ah. There she is, the love of Kim’s life.
“-or not. I forget how fast we are sometimes?” Zack says.
“Jesus Chr- Trini, why didn’t you use the door?!”
“Why didn’t you lock your window?!”
“Well, excuse me for not expecting so many girls trying to crawl into my room at any given second!”
“Oh, there better not be any more girls, Scott; not with the way your hand was sliding up Billy’s shirt. Or boys, either. I’ll throw you down a mountain, I swear.”
“Tell that to Kim and yourself! Everyone else uses the door like a civilized person!”
“Guys! What’s there to yell about? Trini, can you come out of the window before you fall or someone sees us?”
“Aw, don’t worry, Billy. I can handle a little fall.”
“We should go in there, shouldn’t we?” Kim asks Zack, who shrugs.
“Or we could go make popcorn and wait to see what happens?”
“No. We have to be the responsible ones this time. I know, it sucks,” she says, when Zack makes a face. “I’ll make you popcorn afterwards.”
When they open the door, they’re greeted with the sight of Trini standing imperiously on Jason’s bed, looming down at the two boys who are now seated several feet apart. She smiles quickly at Kim before turning to glare at Zack.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this,” she says, sounding stung. She points at Billy and Jason, who are both slightly disheveled, and completely unashamed. Well, Jason looks unashamed. Billy just looks happy, twiddling with his own hands as they await Trini’s judgment.
“Trin, it literally happened like two minutes ago,” Zack defends. “They haven’t even held hands yet. I mean, as boyfriends. We’ve all held hands before. More importantly, what’s the deal with you?” He sounds amused.
Only then does Kim really take in the sight of Trini standing there, hair sleek and unbound by a hat for once, dressed in a cute rose colored top, and twirling a huge bouquet of daisies behind her back. She looks like the wild-hearted heroine of a teen dramedy, and it totally works for her. Kim’s heart does a little somersault because she’s weak, and she decides to stare at one of Jason’s many sports posters instead, hoping it’ll make the flush on her cheeks die down. Yep, football never fails to instill a strange, deadly calmness through her core.
Trini looks at her bouquet and purses her lips, posturing in a faux-nonchalant manner. “Oh, this? Yeah, don’t worry about this. There’s clearly some other important news to deal with first.” With that, she plops down on the bed, and nods at Billy. “So. There something you wanna tell me?”
“Jason and I are dating now!” he reports, and she leans her chin on her hand, smiling fondly at him.
“Yeah? That’s awesome. How’d it happen?”
“At first I was pretending to ask him out – that sounds really bad, I know – but it wasn’t fake pretend, it was like practice, right? It’s not like I didn’t mean what I was saying, it’s just that we were trying to help Kim, so I tried to pretend it was just a trial run, since we’re really here for-”
Billy stops short when he notices Jason shaking his head and making sharp X motions with his hands. His eyes flicker toward Kim’s, and it hits her then that the combination of
1. Billy’s difficulty with lying,
2. The blatantly suspicious way both Zack and Jason are trying to signal at him to stop talking,
3. The fucking plans they left out in the open
are going to spell out her demise very, very soon. Trini is already giving them all a look, eyes darting between each of them. Kim starts calculating the odds of being able to run down the stairs and away into the woods without attracting Pearl’s attention. Perhaps she could somehow dive past the rest of them and out the window Trini left open.
Billy looks desperately back at Jason, who clears his throat and says, “We were just here to help Kim with her English assignment. She...needs to write a play.” He looks pained by his own shoddy lie.
“Yes. Kim is writing a play, and we are helping her,” Billy echoes, inflection in all the wrong places. Zack is trying to use his foot to tug the cushion over their remaining plans, and Trini is starting to sit up, curiosity piqued by their weird-ass behavior, and Kim? Kim isn’t ready for the fallout, for the awkwardness and the explanations and the inevitable shame, so she takes a page out of Trini’s book.
She runs.
Unfortunately, she forgets about how damn scrappy Trini is, as well as her willingness to put the pedal to the metal at the cost of her own dignity, and only makes it four steps out of Jason’s room before Trini divebombs into her. Double unfortunately, they’re right at the top of the stairs, and gravity acts accordingly.
“Guys, seriously? Can you not?” she vaguely hears Jason yelling at them as they careen downward in a blaze of glory. It doesn’t feel very glorious, though. It feels like getting punched into a rock by a putty, and she lands in a painful heap with Trini’s head bouncing painfully into hers for a fun additional injury before they collapse into stillness.
The light patter of someone running vibrates against her skull, and she peels her eyes open to find Pearl crouched down next to them, her little face filled with concern.
“Kim, Trini, are you okay?” She does a double take when she looks at Trini. “When’d you get here?”
“Hours ago. I’m a ninja,” Trini says with a wink. Pearl looks like she wants to smile, but she continues to watch them doubtfully as Kim cracks her neck.
“Hi, Pearl. We’re great. We were just...playing some indoor football.”
“Down the stairs?” she asks with a wrinkled nose and the child equivalent to “what the fuck” written across her face. Kim nods numbly back. She can hear the boys’ footsteps coming up next to them, and the stifled noise of Zack trying not to laugh.
“I can tell you think this is a bad idea, and you’re absolutely right,” Trini tells Pearl gravely, still sitting on Kim’s back. “We’re never going to do it again.”
“I won’t tell mom and dad,” Pearl promises, and Jason comes to direct her away.
“C’mon, we’re going to let them think about their bad behavior on their own,” he says with exasperation, ruffling her hair. “Let’s go crush Zack and Billy in Kemps. You two are in timeout,” he calls back to them. Zack flashes Kim a thumbs-up before he follows the others out.
With their audience out of the room, Trini rolls off of Kim to lie on her back beside her, raising an eyebrow when Kim tries to hide her face. “What? Is it that you don’t want to see me, or you don’t want me to see you?” she asks, poking Kim’s cheek.
“I always want to see you,” Kim mumbles into the floorboards. Part of her problem is that she always ends up saying stuff like this, and now she doesn’t know how to make it clear that this is flirting, and not just hetero friendly gal pal bullshit. She props herself up on her elbows and looks down at Trini, who’s lounging with what’s definitely a fake calmness next to her. Great. Kim just made it awkward. Might as well go for broke. “Did you see the papers?” she asks, resigned.
“You mean the entire tree that you guys killed? Kind of, but I didn’t get a good look. Were you drawing comics or something? Always knew you were a secret nerd, Kimmy,” Trini teases, and Kim wants nothing more than to lean down and press a kiss to that smart mouth. Ask first, was Billy’s sound advice, and she starts trying to string the right words together before she remembers that kissing is step two. Fuck.
Okay, step one. Tell her how you feel. Be frank and concise. You can do this, Hart.
“Trini. I want to talk to you about something,” she says, like she’s about to break some bad news. Trini’s eyebrows draw together, and Kim tries to pivot, to lighten her tone without actually managing to say anything of substance. “It’s important. Because you’re important and you’re not easy- fuck, that’s not at all what I’m trying to say-”
“I brought you flowers,” Trini blurts and Kim closes her mouth.
“Um. You did?”
Trini’s eyes flit down to Kim’s lips before they return to hold her gaze again. “They’re on the boss man’s bed. I dropped them when you tried to dine and dash earlier. Hope he isn’t allergic to pollen.”
Right, the giant bouquet of daisies. That Trini brought for her. “Oh, those were really nice. So are you- I mean, personality-wise too, but you look nice today. Dressy.” Kim gestures at the form-fitting black pants and pink shirt that reveal just the slightest glimpse of skin. She feels like her soul might be leaving her body. Pink, Jesus.
“Well, I tried. You look good too. Hot as usual.” The way Trini lifts her chin reads as a clear challenge, and fuck if Kim knows what they’re doing right now, but like hell is she backing down.
She clears her throat. “Thanks. It means a lot to me, hearing that from a girl as cute as you.”
Trini snorts a bit as she laughs, which isn’t exactly the desired response, but Kim’s not going to complain about making Trini laugh. “You’re one smooth operator, Kimberly. Does that actually work on people?”
“I don’t know, you’re the only person I’ve ever wanted to try it on, so you tell me. Is it working?” Kim asks quietly, leaning in. Trini flushes nicely, but she sets her jaw, refusing to look away.
“It’s not bad, but it could be better. Your lines are a little cheesy.”
“I got them all from Zack; blame him. Anyway, you have no room to talk. You climbed through Jason’s window to bring me flowers. You call that smooth?”
Trini shrugs aggressively, then crosses her arms over her chest. “I call it romantic. Bringing flowers to the girl you like. That’s suave as fuck.”
The girl you like. The phrase hangs in the air between them with a definite weight, and Kim can feel her own pulse accelerating in pure elation. At the same time, Trini tenses up in apprehension, so Kim reaches out to rest a hand on her arm.
“And the breaking and entering?” she asks, unable to hide the joy in her voice.
“Shows her you’ve got a wild side. Some people like bad girls.” Trini’s mouth twitches, betraying a smile, and Kim laughs.
“It’s ‘cause you didn’t want to explain the bouquet to Pearl, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t want her thinking I was bringing flowers to her brother!”
“Fair. So did you have a speech prepared, or...”
“I forgot it on my way here,” Trini admits. “Something about how you make me feel like I’m flying...I dunno, it was really dumb.”
“No, it sounds sweet. Mine was just gonna be ‘hey, please date me because I like you’. The boys swore it would work.”
“Wanna give it a try and see?”
Kim bites her lip, but nods. “Yeah, let’s do it. Trini. I really like you, and I’d really like to be your girlfriend. Um, thoughts?”
“Kim,” Trini replies, trying her best to remain serious. “I’d like that too.” Her poker face breaks immediately afterwards, that beautiful smile bursting through, and Kim asks her next question without taking a moment even to breathe.
“Can I kiss you?”
Trini doesn’t answer, she just curls her hand into Kim’s hair and leans in.
--
The other four are still playing cards when Kim and Trini enter the room holding a bowl of popcorn.
Zack, eyes razor sharp like usual, hones in on their linked hands, and quickly looks them each in the eye, searching for a sign. When Trini nods and Kim grins at him, he tosses his cards down and pumps his fist in the air.
“Woohoo! Four for four, baby. Your man Zack is on fire today.”
Trini rolls her eyes, but sits down next to him, handing over the bowl. “Our man Zack should eat the popcorn my girlfriend promised him.” Kim slides in next to her, peeking at Zack’s cards while he starts inhaling popcorn.
Billy, distracted by his partner’s shenanigans, picks up on the word “girlfriend,” and also looks over at them. Kim beams at him, lifting her arm to show their conjoined hands, and he claps happily.
“Congrats, guys! It’s awesome that- hey, wait, I wanted that card, Jason!” Frazzled, he looks rapidly between his own hand and the table; meanwhile, his partner continues to play one-handed while trying to simultaneously eat.
“Sorry, Billy, but all’s fair in love and war,” Jason says with a crooked grin. The Scott siblings play in terrifying synchronicity, Pearl’s hand flying out to grab cards just as fast as Jason seems to be dropping them. Kim’s honestly a bit impressed that his concentration doesn’t falter at all, even when Billy pouts.
“Zack! We can’t lose again.”
“Don’t worry, B, we’re still in this. Your boy is going down.”
“Kim and I want in for the next round,” Trini says, scooching up so that she’s sitting between Kim’s legs. She leans back, resting her head against Kim’s chest, and Kim feels flushed with affection for her.
She’s so happy she can’t even put it into words, so she settles for watching her family patiently, soaking in everything she loves about them. Sometimes, the important things in life are difficult, like Mrs. Cranston said. But sometimes it’s those same things that make everything else easier, and there’s nothing more important to her than her team.