...
"Hey..." You say as you enter your house, thoughts of all the work you'll have to put in to deal with a court case weighing on you.
Most of the house was streaming or asleep, so Imane and Yvonne were the only ones downstairs.
They solemnly return your gaze as you enter, and come up to wrap you in a brief hug.
"I'm so sorry..." You find yourself saying. "This could've been avoided."
"Don't be. It's not your fault. It's his," Yvonne says, holding you close.
You try to believe her, but thoughts of the many other ways you could have handled the situation flood your mind.
"So... who is he?" You ask Imane, pulling away. "You said he was... not a nobody?"
"His name is Emil. He's a content creator on Youtube. Not crazy big, but he has around a million subs. And, of course, they're all angry at you."
"Oh. Well, at least he's not some super-influential billionaire or something," you sigh. "So... what do I have to do? I've never dealt with something like this before," you groan.
"Do you have a lawyer? I'd start with that first," Poki says.
"Oh, you're right. I'll do that."
Poki cups your face and plants her lips on yours, but you feel too drained to respond to her kiss. She notices and reluctantly pulls away, letting you drag yourself up to your bed for the second night in a row.
...
Alright. Lawyer. I need one.
With a new boost of motivation, you open your computer and start researching.
Self-defense lawyer? Is that what I need? Dammit, I don't know what I'm doing!
You bury your head into your screens for nearly an hour, learning as much as you can about the process, and groaning at the costs.
You eventually drop your head to the table, resting your chin on your flat arms as you stare out the window at the sunny, warm day outside.
You hear footsteps approach, and then a gentle knock passes on the door. You frown, not recognizing the weight and pace of their knocks.
"Come in?"
The door slowly swings open, and a blonde head pops in, taking a second to look around before fully entering and closing the door behind her.
"...Brooke? What are you doing here?" You ask, noting the unusually serious expression on her face.
"I'm here to help you," she replies.
"...how?"
She takes a breath, preparing the summary of her story.
"A few years ago... I had a stalker. It was awful - they followed me around, leaked my family's addresses, a bunch of terrible stuff. So I eventually went through the legal procedures to get rid of him."
You raise your eyebrows, now realizing how she could be of assistance.
"I know a little about how these things work. It's not the same as your circumstance, of course, but... I could definitely help you somehow."
She bites her lip, unsure of how you would react.
But you smile as you see her earnest gaze, realizing that you would finally have someone to turn to.
You stand up and pull her in for a kiss, startling her and making her hands flail around uncertainly. You pull away, and she stares at you, dumbfounded.
"I... didn't... expect that..." She grins.
"Thank you. I'm glad you came."
She holds your hips and pulls you in, your bodies gently leaning onto each other as you kiss once more. She pulls away, a dreamy look in her eyes.
"We should get started. We don't have a lot of time," she says, snapping herself out of it.
...
"Alright. Almost everything is set - just a few more details to sort out. The first court date will be just to sort out lawyer logistics, and that's in two days. You know what to do."
"Right."
"Then the real court date is in a week," Brooke finishes, leaning back and placing her hands over her eyes, giving them a rest.
"Yeah... can't wait," You sarcastically let out, checking the time.
"I feel like we've been here for days," Brooke says, standing up and crawling onto your bed to relax.
"I'm pretty sure we have. You've been coming over every morning for... three days?" You say, crawling over to her.
"Have I? I... didn't even notice..." She says, yawning.
"Come on, we both know that's a lie," you reply as you crawl into her arms. "You've been really helpful... but I also don't think you should keep pushing yourself."
"Well... It's worth it if I get to spend the day with you, cutie," she remarks, booping you on the nose.
You smile and shake your head, making her snuggle you closer.
"Thank you so much for helping me," you whisper.
"Don't mention it."
"..do you want to sleep?"
"Maybe we should get some dinner first," she laughs.
"Oh... I forgot about that," you earnestly reply, getting up.
She giggles. "Of course you did. See, this is why you need me. You'd starve without me!"
You chuckle and hold her hand as you both leave and walk downstairs to heat up some leftovers.
...
You settle down in your seat, looking around nervously at the courtroom around you.
I never thought I'd be in a place like this.
"Remember what we talked about. Emphasize what he did and give every details, but be honest and don't exaggerate," your lawyer kindly says, making sure you understood every word.
You're about to nod, but your gaze instantly turns to the man entering the courtroom with a cast around his arm as he glances in your direction, then takes a seat on the opposite side, next to his lawyer.
You feel yourself heating up as you recall how much time and energy you had to put into a circumstance you didn't want to be a part of.
But your anger slowly cools as you see your friends and girlfriends enter over the next few minutes, most of them arriving in groups to sit in the back and watch.
Lily, Jaime, and Michael are the first ones to come in, wearing semi-formal attire. They give you a sympathetic wave, and their presence quickly makes you feel a little more supported.
Rae and Miyoung come in next, their gorgeous appearance contrasted by the pitying looks on their faces.
More and more people filter in, many of them the friends and family of the man you were trying hard to not think about.
The process begins after the judge enters, and the lawyers begin their statements, marking the start of the tedious process you greatly hoped would go your way.
...
Two hours later, the judge, now tired and bored, prepares his final statement.
You had remained attentive the entire time, witnessing how the body language of both lawyers changed over time. You start to feel like you could already tell what the outcome was likely to be.
"I rule the defendant... not guilty on all charges," he says, as his monotonous voice makes the result seem quite anticlimactic.
An audible tension releases from the crowd behind you.
The judge says some more words, most of which are technical jargon you don't understand. After he finishes, you turn to your lawyer, a confused look in your eyes.
He turns to you with a delighted smile and gladly explains in a whisper.
"We got exactly what we wanted! You're not guilty, and a new case will be launched against him for his actions."
"Wait, so you're telling me they can't just arrest him now?"
"No, that's not how it works. There will be another court case to address his actions."
"Another... case..." You sigh.
"I know, it's a lot. But trust me, it'll be ok. As long as we show up and do the same thing we did here today, it'll be fine."
His words do a little to console you, but the lingering feeling of knowing the man wouldn't yet be facing punishment makes you uncomfortable.
...
Michael, Lily, and Jaime offered to drive you and Brooke back home, and you happily accepted, leading to you being seated between Brooke and Jaime in the back seat.
"Wow, so you have to go back again? Well... maybe it'll be worth it if that bitch gets a good punishment out of it..." Lily says, looking back at you.
"Yeah... I'm just glad this one is over," you say, sighing contentedly as you lean back into the car seat.
"Yeah... we won't have to deal with that stress anymore," Brooke says from next to you.
"Brooke, is your house here on the left?" Michael says from the front seat.
"Yup!"
The car rolls to a stop outside Brooke's place, and she unbuckles her seatbelt, looking up curiously as you place your hand on hers.
"Hey, can I... come in with you?" You ask suggestively.
"Of course..." She says, her voice giving away a little more excitement than she intended.
You follow her out of the door, waving a quick goodbye to the other three.
...
"So... you wanted to come in with me?"
"I wanted to spend some time with you," you honestly reply, looking around her place for the first time in a while.
"I think we've done a lot of that already, ha... I mean, I'm not saying no! I just... why?"
"Well... you've done so much for me for the past few days... and I feel like I want to repay you. You know, now that we don't have the stress of a case about me on our backs."
"Hmm..." She smiles, getting excited at finally getting to take some time off with you. "I think I'd like that."
"So what you want to do? It's your day," you say, reaching out to hold her hand and bow down to kiss it.
"I... want to play video games!"
"Oh, wow... shocker!"
"HEY!" She says, pouting. "I'm not..."
You raise your eyebrows, already questioning what she was going to say next before she said it.
"....ok fine, maybe I'm a little addicted..."
You nod in agreement, laughing.
"Come on, let's go upstairs. Lucky for you, I have another computer already up there."
...
"So, is duoing in Valorant usually this bad?" You ask, finishing off a soda.
"..."
"Yeah, I thought so," you nod.
"Yeah, I guess we've had some pretty bad teammates so far," she replies.
"That's an understatement..."
"Maybe we can do something else!" She says, perking up.
"Like what?"
"Um... maybe something that isn't a video game?"
"Oh! A bold idea!" You place your hand on your chest, pretending to be taken aback.
"I swear to god, if you make that joke at me one more time, I'm gonna..." She starts, getting up close.
"You're gonna what?" You challenge, bringing your faces even closer.
Both of you fall silent as you feel each other's heat an inch away.
You glance down at her lips and hold your gaze there for a second, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist blushing.
"Dammit! Don't do that... ugh, why do you know my weakness?!?" She curses, pulling away.
"Hehe... anyway, what game were you thinking?"
"...Maybe... we can just hang out?" She hesitantly proposes.
"Sure," you easily reply, grateful to take off your headphones.
She spins around in her swivel chair, sighing as she pulls her knees up.
"Is everything ok?" You ask.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just... everything that happened with you and Imane... I can't stop thinking about it."
"It's ok now, Brooke. We're ok."
"I know, I know. It's just... the fact that someone just did that to her... in public... It makes me not want to even go outside."
You stand up and make your way behind her, wrapping your arms around her and kissing her on the cheek.
"I'm sorry you feel that way. If it ever feels too hard... call me. I'll come with you, wherever you're going. Trust me, no one will make that mistake around me ever again."
She softly smiles. "You're sweet. I might take you up on that," she says as she reaches backward, wrapping her hands around the back of your neck and caressing you.
You both stay in the comfortable silence, the peace of the moment calming both of you.
"How long do you want to stay?"
"Until you force me to go," you say, only half-joking.
"Ha, come on. You know I'll never force you to leave here."
You spin her chair around so she faces you, then reach out your hands to her.
She holds on to you as you pull her up into another kiss. She releases a little moan as you gently bite her bottom lip.
"Oh, fuck, do that again," she breathlessly groans.
You comply, letting your hands reach around to her back as your kiss deepens.
She responds by pushing you back onto the bed, putting her weight on you as she wraps her hands around your neck.
You make out until your lips are sore, then relax on her bed, alternating between idle chatter and kissing.
Eventually, the sun sets, but you both still had plenty of energy to spare.
...
"Wait! I have an idea!"
"Hmm?"
"What if we invite someone else to come over? Maybe Tina?"
You sit up on her bed, sliding yourself to the edge to dangle your legs off of it.
"You two really are best friends, huh? Seems like you like to do everything together," you observe.
"Yeah, we really are. ...but you know, we've also been becoming much better friends with someone else lately. And if you don't mind, she might like to come over too."
"Oh, do I know her?"
"You've probably heard of her. Her name's Emma. We did a cooking stream with her a while back."
"Oh! Emma Langevin! Yeah, I think I heard about her when she went viral for some reason."
"Yup, that's her! So what do you say? You want me to invite two more hot ladies over?" Brooke inquires, raising her eyebrows.
"...Well, when you say it like that, how could I ever say no?" You chuckle.
...
"They're here!" Brooke rejoices as she checks her phone.
She rushes to the door, and you follow along, ready to meet a new face.
"Oh, and, uh..." Brooke says, remembering at the last minute. "Emma's not really a... touchy person. Just wanted to let you know."
"Oh, ok. I'll keep that in mind," you nod, making sure you kept that fact at the forefront of your mind when meeting her.
"HIIIII!" Tina cries out at the sight of you two at the door. She runs in to hug you and Brooke, planting a hidden kiss on your neck before pulling away and moving further into the room, her purse swaying as she walks.
Emma walks in after her, wearing a baggy sweatshirt with black jeans and black boots. Her hair was parted down the middle with half blonde and the other half brown, and her black lipstick, septum ring, and nose piercings made you stare for a little too long.
"Something wrong?" She says, making your gaze snap back to her sharp eyes. Her off-putting demeanor and accent take you aback, and she quickly sizes you up.
"No, uh..." You hesitate, not sure how to respond.
She scowls at you, and you swallow nervously as her stance becomes even more intimidating.
"..."
"..."
"PFFT-HAA!" Brooke finally bursts out, doubling over in laughter.
Emma follows immediately afterward, her posture loosening as she reveals brilliantly pearly teeth and a charming smile.
"...wha-?" You question, looking around.
"Oh, did I scare you? Aw, poor guy..." Emma teases, walking past you and into the house.
Brooke giggles, already used to Emma's mischievous nature.
"Oh, that was... a joke..." You say, making the two of them giggle once more.
Well. She's quite the character.
...
"So, how'd you meet these two?" Emma asks as Brooke and Tina continue diving into Brooke's messy closet, trying to find a certain board game.
"I met Tina at an OTV shoot, and she introduced me to Brooke later on. How did you meet them?"
"I met 'em through Corpse. Man, that guy loves these two. Well, he adores Tina. And... well, he and Brooke get off on insulting each other, so I'm not sure what that makes them."
You chuckle, recalling the amusing times you'd seen Corpse and Brooke interact.
"Guuuuys, I don't think it's here," Tina whines, pulling her head out of the closet.
"Aw, man... Well, I guess we'll have to find something else," Brooke says, sighing.
"Why don't we just go old-school? Maybe truth or dare?" Emma casually suggests.
"Huh... sure! Wow, the last time I played that was back in college," Brooke says, reminiscing.
"Ooh, I want to! I love learning things about my friends!" Tina innocently cheers, making Emma smile and shake her head at her cuteness.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" You exclaim, moving to Brooke's bed and plopping down on the mattress.
"I'll get some drinks for us!" Brooke clasps her hands together.
"Get the good stuff!" Emma calls out to her.
...
You all go through one round, and you all choose truth, answering mildly embarrassing questions to start off the night.
"Come on, not again! Choose dare this time!"
"Fine, I'll choose dare..." You relent, making Tina cheer.
"Ooh, I'm gonna pick a really nasty one for you, mister..." Tina rubs her hands together, making Emma burst out in laughter.
"Wha-? Emma?" Tina questions.
"You're too cute, honey," she says, laughing. "Sorry, you can continue..."
"I dare you... to do 7 minutes in heaven... with Brooke!"
"..."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tina asks Brooke, taken aback. "OH! Wait, can I change it to-"
"Nope!" Brooke gladly interjects, hopping off the bed and to her closet. "Come on!"
You follow her in, and she keeps the light off. You sit down cross-legged, and she surprises you by sitting on your lap, straddling you as she wraps her arms around your neck.
"Oh! Well, looks like someone's excited..." You whisper into the pitch-black room.
"Mmhmm... a little alcohol makes me a lot more forward... but I don't think you mind..." She giggles.
You feel her lips on yours, and you gently kiss her, both of you enjoying each other's taste fused with the aroma of the sweet drinks.
"I missed you," she whispers into your ear once you finally pull away for a breath.
"Missed me? But I was with you the whole day! And... the past few days too!"
"Yeah, but those were different. I meant... I miss this. Being with you... on you. Kissing you without a care in the world. Today has been...incredible."
She leans in again, with a little more passion. You breathe her in, shivering as her fallen hair tickles your shoulder.
She gently leans forward, pushing you back onto the carpeted floor.
"Woah, I didn't realize how spacious this closet was..." You say.
"Yup... plenty of space for us to have some fun..." She seductively whispers.
"What?!? Brooke... it's only seven minutes! They're gonna open the door right after that!"
"...you think you can last seven minutes against me? Oh, you're funny..."
You laugh but sit up, not willing to risk an extremely awkward encounter. "Come on, let's just talk for a bit."
She begrudgingly sits up, making sure to grind herself on your crotch just to give you a taste of what you were missing out on.
"Brooke..."
"Hmm?"
"You naughty girl..." You tease.
"Oh, I am..." She says in a sultry tone.
...
"Alright, your turn again. Are you gonna wuss out?" Emma asks you.
"Wuss out? Choosing truth isn't wussing out!"
She rolls her eyes and grins. "Alright, then, since you're gonna be a little bitch, I won't go easy on you. You're gonna be begging to change your answer to a dare after this."
"Ha, yeah right! Bring it on!" You say, the alcohol slowly boosting your confidence.
"Who's tighter, Tina or Brooke?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
The muted sound of crickets chirping outside becomes the loudest noise in the room.
"...I... didn't know... you knew... about..." Brooke finally mumbles out, turning red.
Emma laughs, the schadenfreude bringing a wide smile to her face. "Well, a little birdie may have told me earlier..."
Brooke glares at Tina, who immediately covers her face and ducks. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT! She's scary when she wants something!"
"Come on, it was obvious! Brooke seemed way too excited about getting into a closet with him. And, not to mention, I would've found out once I saw him. I can practically smell a big dick."
"EMMA!" Brooke cries, facepalming.
"Sorry, sorry!" She giggles, crossing her legs as she tilts her head and takes another long sip of her drink. "But hey, don't forget about the question! What's your answer?"
"..."
There is no fucking way I can answer this.
"Cat got your tongue? Or maybe you'd like to try them on for size again?"
"Emma, if you don't shut up, I'm kicking you out," Brooke says, while Tina's face became indistinguishable from a tomato.
Looking around, Emma puts down her drink and relaxes.
"Alright, fine..." She reluctantly lets up. "I don't want to make anyone too uncomfortable. I'll lay off," she says.
"It's alright. Maybe we should go easier on the drinks," Brooke suggests, smiling.
"Alright. Actually, uh..." Emma starts, twirling the glass in her hand as she ponders. "Since we're not doing my last question, can I ask you a different one instead?"
You sigh. "Alright. As long as it's nothing like that one."
"It's not. I mean... it might be worse," she cryptically replies, an unfamiliar expression written on her face.
"Huh?"
"It's more... serious."
"Ok, shoot."
"Um... I know you're with a lot of girls - Tina may have spilled that too. I respect it, I won't judge. But... what do you think your future looks like? Are they just flings? I mean, I... I just don't know what your plan is..." Her soft, concerned voice clearly showed that she was a little worried about how Tina and Brooke would turn out.
You open your mouth to speak, and nothing comes out. You try to think, and your train of thought vaporizes, leaving you with nothing.
I... I knew I needed to answer this eventually... but... here? Now? I don't know!
I practically had a panic attack the last time I thought about this...
Fuck, I don't know!
"I... don't know."
The girls sit in silence, not sure how to interpret that.
"What do you think I should do?" You ask.
Brooke and Tina glance at each other, both of them pondering.
"..."
"Maybe you should just ask them," Emma suggests, your panicked state not affecting her at all.
"What do you mean?"
"Ask all of them. Every chick you're with. Ask them if they're fine with being one of many, and what they want out of a relationship. If they're willing to work with it, then great. If they're not, then boom."
"Boom?" Tina asks.
"Cut it off. There's no way it'll work, right? So you should end those," she finishes, shrugging.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense..." Brooke says.
Hmm... I feel like that's too simple... what if some girl doesn't want me to be with some other girl? Or what if they want different things from me?
You know what? This is a decent plan, which is better than anything I've come up with so far. So I'll try it anyway. I'll see what happens.
"Alright. I'll... I'll try that."
"Good."
"...thanks, Emma. Honestly, that's a question I've been putting off for a while. I'm glad I have... some direction, at the very least."
She nods in response, thinking over your words. The four of you look around, realizing how much the mood had shifted over the last few minutes.
"Maybe we should end this here," Tina suggests.
"Sure. Do you wanna watch a movie? We can curl up on the mattress," Brooke suggests.
You four relax for the rest of the evening, watching a movie underneath a blanket fort with the lights off until it reached 1 AM.
...
"I think its about time for me to go," Emma says, sitting up as the end credits play.
"Oh, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to sleep over," Brooke remarks.
"Ah, sorry, I can't tonight," Emma sighs.
"Alright. Well, thanks for coming, Emma. I really a lot of fun!"
"Me too. You're great company," you add.
"Aw, thanks, guys. I had fun too. I'll see ya around."
She gently stands up and begins to walk out.
"Hey, I can walk you to the-" Brooke starts.
"It's alright, I know the way down. Bye!"
Her body disappears behind the door, leaving the three of you alone.
"Aw, it sucks that she can't stay. But I'm down for sleeping over, Brooke!" Tina says.
Brooke turns off the movie and remains under the blanket, the peaceful silence relaxing you.
"Brooke..." You turn to her.
"Hmm?"
"You haven't asked me if I'm staying over," you observe.
"I don't need to. Because you are."
"...what?"
"I said..." She slowly says, crawling toward you on her hands and knees. "You're staying right here with me and Tina."
Her position exposes her deep cleavage, and you force yourself to tear your eyes away from it.
"You can look. They're all yours, after all..." She says, trying and absolutely succeeding in seducing you.
You let her pull down your blankets and crawl inside, resting her hands on your chest and kissing your neck.
"What'd you think of Emma?" She asks after pulling away.
"I think she's great. I've never met someone like her. She's very... herself. She doesn't hold back."
"Yup. She's amazing," Tina chimes in, crawling toward the two of you. "Just don't get any naughty ideas... she's asexual," she says.
"Naughty? Me? No way!"
The two girls roll their eyes, then cuddle up to you, giving you a familiar warmth you hadn't felt in a while.
"I'm so tired. But I need to brush my teeth," Tina whines, pulling away.
"Tina, come on... you can brush them in the morning..."
"And sleep with dirty alcohol-teeth? Yuck!"
"Tina, if you get out of bed now, I'm having him for myself tonight," Brooke taunts.
"..."
She looks at you for a rebuttal, but you simply nod in agreement, making her pout.
"..."
"Dammit, you're such a bad influence on me," she says, crawling back to both of you and gently wrapping her small arms around you.