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artificialqueens · 3 years

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Galactica, Chapter 78 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Fun fact! This story is now over 300k words. Haha. Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Previously: Courtney wanted a more reciprocal relationship, and Violet got a lovely invite from Bob.

This Chapter: Courtney tries something new, Gigi attempts to share some history, and Violet and Sutan head to Bob’s show.

***

Courtney strolled along the beach, sandals in hand, breathing in the salty sea air. She was in no rush to get back since she hadn’t heard from Bianca, which meant she would likely still be working. She’d had to rush out of their spa appointment when a slew of emails had come in from her team at Marie Claire, but not before insisting that Courtney stay and enjoy herself, even instructing the concierge to add whatever services she wanted.

It was clear that she was stressed and aggravated, and even though she’d been there for the hot stone massages, Courtney felt bad that she’d missed out on everything else. But she appreciated how much effort Bianca had made to assure Courtney that she should still relax and have a good day.

So of course, it would have been better if Bianca was there, but Courtney had still managed to appreciate and even relish her day of pampering (how could she not?), now walking along feeling calm and peaceful, every inch of her skin buttery soft from being rubbed and scrubbed and moisturized.

She paused, looking out at the water, admiring the rosy golden light of the setting sun, which was absolutely perfect for a selfie session.

All things considered, Courtney felt like she’d been extremely restrained where social media was concerned for this entire vacation so far. After all, she didn’t want to seem like she was rubbing her good fortune in people’s faces. But this evening, the light was just too good to resist.

She ended up with a whole batch of pictures, a bunch of selfies and also some amazing photos of the view. She slipped her phone back into her brand new Chloe handbag, figuring that she’d worry about what to post later.

When she finally made it back to the villas where they were staying, she swiped her key card to unlock the gate and then climbed the stairs to their suite, glancing through the window to see that Bianca was clearly still working. She stripped off her clothes and then lay out on one of the lounge chairs, catching the last bit of sunshine, determined to go back to New York with a killer tan.

***

Bianca cracked her neck, trying her best to stretch, the tension that had been pounded out of her muscles by the massage therapist just that morning already returning. She took a breath and shut her laptop, finally done for now. One of the advertisers that they’d intended to feature prominently in her presentation to the board--a brand they’d worked closely with for years--had just announced a bankruptcy. The team was in utter panic, so first she had to play Mommy and calm everybody down, then she had to work with them to figure out Plan B, C and D.

Finally, her role was done and everyone could move forward.

It had been exhausting, but on the bright side, now she could truly appreciate the rest of her night. She drained the glass of coquito beside her laptop, then turned to pour a new one, immediately seeing that Courtney had returned, her clothes in a pile on one of the lounge chairs on the terrace. She must have intentionally stayed outside so that she didn’t disturb Bianca’s work. And though Bianca probably would have welcomed the distraction, she appreciated how considerate it was.

She stood up, quickly pouring a second glass and taking them both outside.

Courtney was in the hot tub, looking out at the ocean, bare skin glowing under the already bright evening moon. Her clothes, including her swimsuit, were strewn on the ground.

“Well, hey there…”

“Hiiii…” Courtney turned around, tits on full display, giggling a little as Bianca leered at her.

“Want a drink?” Bianca held out the glass, and Courtney waded over to her to take it.

“Thank you. Is everything okay at work?”

“Yeah, it’ll be fine.” Bianca sank down by the edge of the hot tub, pulling her caftan up around her thighs so that the silk didn’t get into the chlorinated water. She took a long sip of her drink, enjoying the sweetness on her tongue and the way it burned down her throat.

“Wanna come in?” Courtney asked, lashes fluttering. She set her drink down on the edge of the hot tub.

“The view’s better from up here,” Bianca told her, and Courtney laughed, paddling slightly to make herself float. She watched her through heavy-lidded eyes, eyes raking over her body, the way her nipples tightened from the cool evening breeze, the way the water glistened on her long, slender legs. The way her hair spread out in the water, illuminated from the lights in the hot tub, almost like a halo.

It had begun to rain softly, the patter sounding on the awning above them, and the sound lulled Bianca into an almost hypnotized state as she watched Courtney in the water.

Maybe she was tired...or maybe the alcohol was stronger than she thought, but either way her defenses must have been severely lowered, because before she knew it, one of her hands had made its way between her thighs, fingers stroking herself absentmindedly through her bathing suit.

Courtney noticed before she did, a naughty smile spreading across her face as she rose up out of the water and made her way towards Bianca slowly. Bianca set down her own glass next to Courtney’s, just as her palms, warm from the water, were placed on her knees, pushing them apart.

Bianca smiled, taking Courtney’s face in her hands, gazing at her for a few moments before going in for a kiss, soft and deep. She pulled her in, no longer caring about the effect of chlorine on silk, just wanting her close, wanting to feel her body, the pounding of their hearts in sync.

Courtney’s fingers were sliding up her thighs, toying with the edge of her caftan, and Bianca lifted her arms, allowing her to pull the garment up over her head and toss it aside. There was a hungry look in her eyes as she then tugged Bianca’s swimsuit down.

“Come closer,” Courtney murmured, fingers digging into her waist, pulling her towards the edge of the hot tub. Her mouth traveled down Bianca’s body, sucking wet kisses along her neck and collarbone, swirling a tongue around each of her nipples, hot and soft and wet and exactly what Bianca wanted, making her arch forward, hands now gripping the edge of the hot tub.

When she lowered herself back into the water and began to nibble up her thighs, Bianca almost told her to stop. It was on the tip of her tongue--the request to switch gears. The desire to seize control back. After all, this wasn’t what she did. The last time she’d been in this position was so long ago, she didn’t even remember it. But then, almost as if sensing this shift, Courtney looked up at her.

Her green eyes glimmered in the moonlight. Questioning.

“Is this okay?” she whispered.

And instead of saying no, instead of reaching down to turn the tables, press her up against the tile wall of the hot tub and make her moan until she lost her voice, instead of doing any of that, Bianca found herself nodding. Lifting her hips to allow Courtney to pull her bathing suit the rest of the way off, scooting closer to the edge to give her easier access. When Courtney snatched a cushion off the nearest lounge chair and placed it behind her lower back, Bianca’s thighs parted almost of their own accord.

“Tell me what you want,” Courtney said, trailing her lips so lightly up Bianca’s inner thighs that she shivered.

It had been a long time, so long, since Bianca had been touched in this way by someone else, and she found her heart racing in anticipation. Bianca buried her hands into Courtney’s wet hair to guide her gently, saying only, “Here.”

“Mmmm…” The sound against her sent a wave of pleasure down Bianca’s spine and she let out a soft gasp, unprepared for how quickly Courtney’s tongue found her clit.

She was slow, and careful, almost reverent as she swirled a tongue over her, and Bianca’s fingers tightened in her hair. Something in her always had fought this: the unraveling, the letting go. But when Courtney tilted her head up, the look in her eyes was pure love, pure devotion, and Bianca’s grip loosened a little, one hand moving to caress her cheek.

“I love you so much, B,” Courtney said, letting Bianca run a thumb over her lips before getting back to business, brushing kisses over her.

“I love you too, angel, I-oh!” Bianca gasped again as Courtney sucked on her clit, hard, arms wrapped around her quivering thighs. “Jesus christ…”

Bianca let her head drop backwards, no longer fighting the moans that rose up from her chest. The only words she could manage were urgent commands: higher, harder, then fuck, yes, tipping over with one final moan, her whole body shuddering.

For a neophyte, Courtney’s stamina was impressive, keeping at it as Bianca’s moans turned to whimpers, easing up on the pressure, tongue going soft.

“Come here,” she finally said, taking Bianca’s hands and pulling her into the warm water, making sure that her head was resting comfortably against the side of the hot tub. She kissed Bianca’s eyelids, the corner of her mouth.

“Shit.” Bianca rubbed her eyes with one hand, the other still tangled in Courtney’s hair.

“Did you like that?” Courtney asked, the self-satisfied look on her face contradicting the innocence of her words, as if she already knew the answer.

Bianca rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Yes...but you don’t have to look so smug about it.” She tried to keep a straight face, but seconds later broke out into a grin, dimples deep in her cheeks, pulling Courtney closer until she was straddling her on the bench.

Courtney laughed, pressing another kiss to her cheek before wrapping her arms tight around her neck, cuddling against her.

COURTNEY: You’re gonna be so proud of me

ADORE: Oh yah?

COURTNEY: I ate pussy

ADORE: LOL! I’m super proud and a little disgusted

ADORE: Were you any good at it?

COURTNEY: Ask B ;)

ADORE: Heard bae went downtown.

BIANCA: STAY OUT OF MY SEX LIFE ADORE

ADORE: DON’T FUCK MY FRIENDS BIANCA

BIANCA: OK FAIR POINT

ADORE: lol THANKS

BIANCA: You’re not actually mad about that, right?

ADORE: Only if she’s like...the first of many

BIANCA: UNLIKELY. I’ve seen your other friends.

ADORE: Rude

BIANCA: LOL

ADORE: So...how are things going? You having fun?

BIANCA: YUP

ADORE: You’re not gonna give me any juicy details are you?

BIANCA: NOPE

***

“Hey!” Gigi tapped her computer screen, Symone’s eyes widening on her little face. “Pay attention.”

“I am,” Symone giggled, “Promise.”

Gigi smiled, laying back down on her stomach, her blanket over her as the movie continued. Symone had texted that she missed their movie nights, and while it had been a bit of a hassle to make it work with the time difference, Gigi had jumped on the chance to watch a movie together online--even if they’d be seeing each other in person again in just a few days.

“Who’s that again?”

“Heather Duke.” Gigi watched Symone’s face, the movie so familiar to her she barely had to pay attention.

It was her suggestion that they watch Heathers, Symone agreeing instantly when she had described it as ‘Mean Girls from the 80’s.’ She supposed, though, that she should have prepared her for how much darker it was than Mean Girls, since she didn’t laugh nearly as loud as Gigi at “fuck me gently with a chain saw” and seemed visibly disturbed when the first murder occured. On screen, Shannen Doherty was praying over her friend’s coffin.

“I prayed for the death of Heather Chandler many times and I felt bad everytime I did it but I kept doing it anyway. Now I know you understood everything. Praise Jesus, Hallelujah.”

Gigi giggled, the prayer always one of her favorite parts.

“Oh my god, how can you laugh at that? You’re such a psycho, this movie is fucking bananas!” Symone exclaimed.

“It’s iconic!”

“Whatever, and that green bitch is cray.”

“‘That green bitch’ is Brenda Walsh, have some respect.”

“I don’t know any of these people, I wasn’t alive in the 80s.”

“Brenda Walsh isn’t 80’s! She’s 90’s!” Gigi hadn’t considered that there were moms who weren’t completely obsessed with pop culture, her mom telling her on more than one occasion that no daughter of hers should be unaware of the defining moments of fashion history, their relevance no less important just because it hadn’t happened on a runway. “You know, 90210, Beverly Hills 90210?”

“I'm not going to know it more because you keep repeating it.” Symone threw some of her hair over her shoulder, a smirk on her face. “I was like 3 in the 90s.”

“Oh my god,” Gigi grinned, throwing a handful of popcorn at the screen. “Me too!”

It was the Skinny Pop, and it didn’t taste as nice as real popcorn, but her mom had still bought it when Gigi asked, since going back to New York with a bunch of holiday weight wouldn’t help her get Fashion Week bookings.

“We’re the same age,” Gigi added.

“I know,” Symone smiled, running her fingers through her hair, “But you’re like, super weird.”

Gigi blushed, Symone’s tone so filled with affection it couldn’t be anything less than a compliment.

“I do like how the Heathers are all color coordinated.”

“You know,” Gigi pushed up on her elbows, an idea taking form in her head. “If I asked my mom, she’d totally make their outfits for us. We could do a photoshoot, not a fashion one, but like, for Instagram or something.”

“Oh my god yes!” Symone’s eyes widened, and Gigi felt warm delight spread in her limbs. “Can I be the yellow one?”

“Sure,” Gigi nodded, biting her lip at the thought of how good Symone would look in yellow as Heather McNamara before turning to the more important issue of the rest of the casting for their photo shoot. “I’ll be Duke, obviously, because green is my color, but we’d need someone to be Chandler.”

“And who’s-”

“The red one.” Gigi grinned, Symone so cute with how stupid she was sometimes though she’d never tell her, “and it’d be so cool if we had a Veronica.”

“You know, Naomi looks good in red, and I think Bimini could be talked into being Veronica.”

“Yes!” Gigi’s eyes widened, the entire shoot taking form in her mind, the movie forgotten for now. “You text, and I’ll go ask my mom!”

“What about the-”

Gigi didn’t hear the rest of Symone’s comment, already sprinting out the door and towards the stairs to find her mother.

***

“Violet! Hey girl!”

Violet smiled as Maxwell waved, making his way through the crowd to give her a hug.

The club was already filled with people, the drag show starting at 11. The club was rather dark, with red lights and a beautiful mosaic wall behind the bar, clutches of black painted steel chairs spread out, the dance floor open on the other side of the big open space, packed with people, thumping house music playing through the speakers.

“Bob is so psyched that you’re coming. And so are the girls,” Maxwell gestured to a table, where Blu and Kiara sat, looking dressed to impress. “Go have a seat, I’m gonna grab some shots for the group.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I don’t need-” Violet began, but Maxwell had already slipped away, leaning across the bar. She shrugged and headed towards the girls, who jumped up to say hello, kissing her cheeks, exclaiming over how cute her dress was.

Violet took a seat at the table, careful not to knock over any of the empty glasses, the surface thankfully not sticky as she put her YSL on the table.

“Well, the diva is ready, and she looks fucking fierce tonight!” said a light voice, and Violet turned to see a very pretty young man with sharp cheekbones and black hair, wearing a military jacket.

“I can’t wait to see what she looks like,” Blu squealed. “Violet, have you met Kade?”

“Um, no. Hi.”

“Definitely not, I’d have remembered you. You’re like, super gorge!” Kade grinned, his eyes gliding over Violet’s face.

“Oh, um. Thanks.” Violet couldn’t help but smile, the compliment said with complete sincerity. Kade continued looking at her, and Violet tilted her head.

“Whoops.” Kade chuckled, breaking his gaze. “Sorry, I’m so awkward, I know.” He held his hands up in front of him, before holding one out to shake. “I’m Kade. Bob’s boyfriend.”

Bob’s boyfriend? As Violet took his hand, her eyes darted unconsciously towards the bar, realizing with a mild panic that Maxwell was heading towards them with a tray of shots.

“Right. No, his other boyfriend, cutie,” Kade laughed, sitting down next to Blu. “Max, can you back me up, please?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Everything’s kosher,” Maxwell said with a grin, setting the drinks down and taking a seat.

Violet let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t know that Bob had two boyfriends, but once she thought about it some more, it made sense, Bob one of the chattiest and personable people she had ever met.

“So you’re a designer, right?” Kade asked.

“Yeah. What do you do?”

“I’m a makeup artist,” he said, holding up his hand. Violet looked closer, noticing the smudges of makeup, the dark tones standing out against his skin, the colors clearly matching Bob.

“Kade is also a fierce drag queen.” Kiara threw her hair over her shoulder. “You should check out his insta, he’s like...amaaazing,” Kiara smiled, taking a long sip of her drink, the red fuzzy sweater she was wearing somehow so chic even though it shouldn’t be.

“Oh.”

“Omigod, you’re hilarious,” Kade said, giggling, turning to Maxwell. “I love her.”

“Yeah, we like her too,” Maxwell said. “Hey, weren’t you gonna bring your man? Is he still coming?”

“Jackets,” she explained. Sutan had taken hers as soon as they arrived, as well as his own winter goat. “I’m sure he’ll be here-”

“Any minute?” Sutan grinned as he swept in, putting an arm around the back of Violet’s chair, the man apparently taking a detour for the bar as cocktails for both of them had appeared. “Hello Maxwell.” Sutan held a hand out, shaking it. “And you three are?”

Blu giggled, and Violet couldn’t hide a smile as Sutan introduced himself and shook hands, a sense of satisfaction washing over her, Kade reintroducing himself.

In honesty, she had been a bit worried about whether or not Sutan was going to come when she had invited him. It hadn’t been her intention, but so far in the relationship, he had called a lot of the shots about what parties they went to, where they would eat, about who they saw.

It wasn’t because Violet didn’t have opinions; she simply went out a lot less than he did. Club nights with Pearl and visits to whatever art exhibition or fashion event that caught her fancy were the extent of what she used to do. Being a student or under Fame’s thumb left her with very little free time on her hands.

When she had presented the idea of going to Bob’s show, Sutan had jumped on it immediately though, and he had even dressed up. His clothes for the night a tight fitting black Prada shirt, black pants and a vintage Gucci leather jacket completing the look.

“Violet!” Violet was pulled out of her thoughts as Blu put a shot with bright green liquid down in front of her, everyone else already holding one, even Sutan who had a cocktail in his other hand. “Shot!”

“Umh,” Violet picked the shot up, “I really shouldn’t-”

“Afraid you can’t keep up?” Kiara raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips.

“I can hold my liquor,” Violet smiled back, realizing that no one at the table had ever seen her truly party, that honor only bestowed upon Pearl, “but I have the crutches-”

“Girl please!” Blu laughed, “We’re sitting down and your boyfriend is here!”

Sutan raised his glass, a delighted twinkle in his eyes even as he didn’t say anything.

“Believe me,” Blu leaned forward, “Being drunk is the only way to get through Bob’s show!”

“Blu!” Maxwell swatted her arm, making the table laugh.

“I only speak the truth!” Blu grinned, sitting back down in her seat. “Now come on, Chachki. For Bob.”

“For Bob,” Violet reached her shot, clinking it with Kade before they all downed the first round, the alcohol burning and sickly sweet. She put it down with a grimace, Sutan laughing but he held her cocktail up so she could take a sip.

“So,” Violet felt Sutan’s hand sneak around the back of her chair. “Is this a 5 or a 10 dollar tip kind of show?” Sutan smiled, looking around the table. “I’m hoping the bartender will break up my bills.”

“I think Bob would die if you handed him 10,” said Maxwell, and Kade burst out laughing.

“Toootally,” he added, grinning. It was fun to see Kade and Maxwell interact. They were clearly friendly, but it didn’t seem like they were dating too, which seemed a little confusing to Violet.

“Definitely,” Kiara nodded. “He’s usually much more of a dollar queen.”

“Hey!” Maxwell gasped, faux outrage on his face, and Violet giggled.

“I’ll get a little bit of everything.” Sutan smirked, standing back up. “Anyone want another drink? Blu? You’re almost out.”

“Really?” Blu grinned, twisting a strand of her orange hair around her finger as everyone gave off their drink orders, Sutan writing it down on his phone.

***

Maxwell hated to admit that he was crushing on his coworker’s boyfriend, but it was impossible not to.

Sutan was stupidly attractive and it didn’t help that he had come back with a tray of drinks and shots--the man even considerate enough to get everyone water bottles too. He had always found Sutan interesting, Bob always teasing him with how closely he had followed his career, but there was a difference between seeing someone you admired in the style pages from Fashion Week, or even at a distance at photo shoots at work, and then having actual interactions and conversations.

Now, Sutan was sitting next to Violet, his arm once again slung around the back of her chair, his fingers toying with the curled ends of her ponytail as he listened to Kiara tell a story.

Violet’s outfit of the night was a lilac dress with balloon sleeves that sat tight in the waist and ended just above her knees, her nails painted in a French manicure with flecks of silver that matched her jewelry, her lips a pale pink.

She was objectively stunning, and they suited each other, Violet and Sutan, Sutan and Violet, fashion couple extraordinaire.

Bob had never minded that Maxwell had crushes, their relationship open from the very start, though it was rarely - if ever - Maxwell who acted on it. Thankfully, Bob had amazing taste in boyfriends, and while Maxwell didn’t want to kiss Kade, he was a good friend who he enjoyed spending time with whenever it made sense.

It would be a sour feeling, the unrequited crush on Sutan, if it wasn’t for how happy and content Violet looked, her expression relaxed in a way he only ever caught glimpses of at work.

Maxwell felt more than heard his phone vibrate, and he reached into his pocket to fish it out, a message and a picture from Bob only just ticking in. Maxwell had sent him a break a leg text about an hour ago, even though he knew Bob didn’t need it, his boyfriend magic on a stage, the limelight where Bob truly belonged, so he hadn’t expected a reply.

Maxwell smiled, his heart aching a little with how much he loved him. He tipped the screen, wanting to show Kade the picture of Bob since he was the one who had done his makeup for the night, but he was cut off as the atmosphere of the club changed.

“Yaaaas!” Kade twisted in his chair, the music changing as the lights focused on the stage. “Omigod, brace yourselves!”

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