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#anon from dartmouth420
artificialqueens · 8 months
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re writer check-in anon, thank you for your care <3 <3. I'm personally dealing with some ongoing mental health issues that make writing/posting quite irregular. writing fic inspired me to start writing original work too so that's a fun twist! I admit I haven't really kept up with the show since S12 (except AS7). I still love writing AUs but I worry they're so disconnected from the show and the queens that there wouldn't be much interest! much love <3 -dartmouth420
We're always here for the AUs, honey!! 💖
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artificialqueens · 2 years
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Raja forever <3 she's old af and a mean bitch but has these moments of being weird/creative/dumb/silly that I adore. I think she's incredibly sexy both in and out of drag, which is probably obvious in my writing lmao. she's great in all genres tho I mostly write smutty angsty lesbian AUs bc I'm Like That lol. I love reading other writers takes on her! her run on AS7 inspired me all over again, she's still got it XD -dartmouth420
💚
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artificialqueens · 2 years
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re descriptive writing tips anon: (totally agree w purecamp btw!!) consider all five of your POV character's senses when describing what's happening around them. weather makes a huge difference in setting a scene. specific to smut: human bodies are wonderfully beautiful and gross, don't shy away from 'imperfections' like body hair, sweat, lines, flaws, etc, it's not for everyone but I like it bc it makes a scene more visceral lol, most importantly have fun!! <3 -dartmouth420
Thank you so much, my love!! I completely agree. XOXOXO
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artificialqueens · 9 months
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🏳️‍🌈 Conflict of Interest, Chapter 1 (Raja/Yvie Oddly) - Dartmouth420 
summary: At the RuPaul Charles College of Art and Design, Yvie Oddly is an ambitious fashion major grappling with anxiety and trying to survive her senior year, and one of her professors this term is really getting on her nerves. Raja Gemini is the head of the fashion department, trying to keep the program afloat while struggling with her recent divorce, and one particular student seems determined to get under her skin. Will cynicism, bitterness, and power dynamics keep them apart or will unexpected similarities draw them closer than they ever expected? Lesbian college AU. Multichapter.
a/n: this was inspired by a request for raja/yvie from last year, I finally got around to writing it and of course it's a multichapter slow burn lol, hope the anon who wrote in is still around! beta-read by the wonderful Saiphl, thank you &lt;3 <3
content warning: eventual student/teacher relationship with a significant age gap
-
CHAPTER 1: Never meet your heroes
“Hello everyone, welcome to Advanced Fashion Studies,” announced Raja, attempting to summon some enthusiasm from her seated position at the table at the head of the studio.
Hellos and nods echoed back from the students who had taken seats in the large, familiar room. Raja taught in the college’s central fashion studio during the fall, winter, and occasionally summer term, and had for the past several years of her career. The wide, padded work table sat in the middle, and the walls were lined with tables with sewing machines on top, one station for each student in the class. Shears, rulers and other shared tools were in a cupboard at the end of the room, each neatly labelled. Rolls of basic fabrics were on the wall, a collection of dress forms in the corner, and other supplies were hidden away in cupboards.
The room was set up to be the ideal version of a working fashion studio, similar to the ones she’d been employed in before going into teaching. The design was intended to prepare the students for whatever came next after graduating from The RuPaul Charles College of Art and Design.
The bank of windows at the far end of the room backlit her, hopefully enough that the students wouldn’t notice the dark circles under her eyes.
“Anyway, before we get started let’s get attendance over with,” said Raja, tucking a loose lock of her long grey hair behind her ear and glancing down at the sheet. She recognized a few names, one or two of the students who had grabbed attention in their sophomore year had continued through the program, but during her sudden leave of absence last winter she’d lost track of the cohort currently heading into their senior year.
She much preferred teaching senior year students; they were smarter, more consistent, and took her criticism better. Well, most of the time.
She went quickly down the list, reading each name aloud and receiving a response: Jaida, Brock, Vanessa, Scarlet, Jan, Jackie, Yuhua, Jinkx, A’keria, Violet-
“And…Yvie?” 
No one responded.
But Raja recognized the name. This particular student had been making a splash at the college since she’d arrived, and Raja vaguely remembered the skinny punk with the wild creations and determined attitude. But she wasn’t in the room at the moment. Maybe she’d dropped the class.
Raja continued, putting the sheet aside. “Well, it looks like Yvie isn’t here, so let’s get started-”
The door at the far end of the room burst open.
Raja pursed her lips as Yvie strode in with total confidence, not appearing even remotely embarrassed about being late. She raised her chin to Raja across the room, her septum piercing glinting in the sun streaming in the window. Her hair was sheared short and dyed a bright green. She wore black jeans ripped at the knees, a tight-fitting crop top across her rope-like torso, a patchy messenger bag over her shoulder and a sarcastic little smirk that Raja didn’t particularly appreciate.
“Sorry I’m late,” announced Yvie without sounding sorry at all, meandering over to one of the chairs by the sewing machines and flopping down into it like her long limbs were made of rubber.
The students Raja had identified as Jaida and Scarlet glanced over her shoulders, waving at Yvie and whispering greetings.
“You must be Yvie,” said Raja, unable to keep her tone from becoming dry and unimpressed. “Thank you for joining us.”
“Oh, you’re welcome,” replied Yvie, with a shit-eating grin.
A few of the students giggled.
Raja shrugged dismissively, refusing to give Yvie another glance, and sat up straighter, keeping her gaze ahead. Normally a student being late wouldn't bother her much, but her patience was limited these days. But she couldn’t quite keep the tinge of sarcasm out of her voice. “So now that we’re all here, come take a syllabus and we’ll go through it.”
The students got up and milled around the edge of the table, Violet reaching out and snatching the first syllabus off the top of the pile with a perfectly manicured hand. Brock rolled his eyes at her, took three and passed them back to Jaida and Scarlet respectively.
Aside from Yvie’s dramatic entrance, this batch of students seemed okay, about as present and respectful as a group of twenty-one(ish)-year-olds could be.
Yvie wandered up to the small crowd and snuck through, leaning over and snatching the last syllabus from the stack with an ironic flourish. Raja resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but Yvie’s hands caught her attention; her fingers were long and deft, short nails decorated with chipped black nail polish, a few reddened hangnails showing the evidence of a bad habit.
Raja took her time to go through the syllabus. Advanced Fashion was a heavily weighted course, requiring many hours of both in-class and studio time. Taken in the fall, it finalized the technical skills required for the students to take their Open Fashion Studio course in the winter, which was largely self-directed, to construct their final collections for the graduate show in the spring.
Yvie sat slumped in the faraway chair like she didn’t give a shit, legs haphazardly splayed, flipping over the page of the syllabus and frowning at it. Without even seeming to notice, she started to pick at her nails with her opposite hand, her thumb anxiously worrying at the nail bed on her fourth finger. Hm. Raja had guessed correctly. Her right knee twinged and she adjusted her position on the stool again.
“...and that’s about it,” said Raja to the room of visibly overwhelmed students as she closed the final page of the syllabus. “As you know from your other classes, we do group critiques for every assignment. It’s one of the best ways to really interrogate your concepts.” She chuckled, gesturing at the class, who all stared at her nervously. “Don’t look so scared, my criticism is always constructive.”
A few students let out sighs of relief, while others raised their heads, accepting the challenge. Raja considered herself to be a chill, relaxed instructor; she always gave unique, relevant, and constructive feedback. She just didn’t especially care about being nice about it, and she didn’t like seeing boring work. She’d seen so much boring work over the years. Sure, her standards were high, but she was easier on the students than Bianca, for example. Yvie cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at her from across the room.
“Just don’t show me something boring,” said Raja in her most reassuring voice. “Now let’s get started with the first demo…”
She quickly directed the students to go over to the central drafting table for her first technical demonstration. Although this class was largely for the students to practice and perfect the technical skills they’d learned in the previous years, she still had a few advanced technical sewing and design concepts to teach. The students talked amongst themselves, not paying particular attention to Raja as she got up slowly, cautiously putting weight on her right knee.
The injury last winter had been a blow to both her ego and her sense of mortality. However, Raja hadn’t been able to take any more leave into the fall, given that it was her turn as department head this year. The role circulated among the faculty in the fashion department, Bianca had come off her term as planned, and with it Raja received a smaller teaching load and extra administrative and organizational responsibilities. But she outright refused to use crutches at work, so her knee would just have to speed up its healing according to her schedule.
Just a twinge of pain, it was fine, and she straightened up. No one had noticed her hesitation, except. Ugh. Raja frowned.
While the other students were chatting with each other around the central table, Yvie watched her. Her expression was indiscernible, but she'd definitely noticed her moment of caution. Raja met her eyes briefly, like a shot across the room. Yvie’s mouth twitched with what looked like scorn, and Raja offered her a petty sneer in response as she walked confidently over to join the group at the table and deliver the patterning demonstration.
-
“Ugh, that class was so long…” Yvie let out a groan as she pushed open the door at the end of the hallway and left the building, turning her face up towards the sun. It shone bright and lovely, and she tried to let its warmth soothe her feeling of annoyed embarrassment, glad to be out of the confined indoor space for the brief lunch break before her afternoon class. 
“It’s only the first day, what the hell do you have to groan about?” teased Jaida, a step behind her.
“Term literally just started,” added Scarlet, on Jaida’s other side.
Mondays were going to be brutal this term, given her work schedule; she had a closing shift on Sunday nights. She glanced back at them. “I know, but I barely got a break this summer, I was working like all the time.”
“I know, we like barely got to spend any time together…”
“You went to multiple raves, and like three music festivals,” said Jaida dryly, leading the little group over to a bench in the courtyard, near a twisted tree that grew out of the patch of dirt surrounded by stone. At least September was warm, practically summer, the sun high in the sky.
“Hey,” protested Yvie, before she laughed, shrugging. “Okay fine, we partied a little…”
“Just a little,” chuckled Jaida, sitting down primly on the bench. “Yeah, all our jobs sucked this year, those early shifts just about wrecked my sleep schedule permanently.”
Yvie joined her and Scarlet sat on her other side, so close she was practically in her lap, taking out her phone. Yvie didn’t particularly like being sat on, well, not unless Scarlet was sitting on her face. They’d had some fun this summer: she’d done a reasonable amount of MDMA, danced all night a few times, and gone out to clubs to perform and be seen. Yvie, Scarlet and Jaida (and her on-and-off-again girlfriend Crystal) had gone to one particularly good music festival and had ended up covered in paint and mud, exhilarated and high, sore from dancing all day, escaping reality for a glorious weekend.
But still, the rest of the time she’d spent working. And ruminating.
Yvie took out a cigarette and put it to her lips, digging around in her bag for her lighter.
“Do you really have to smoke?” complained Scarlet, scrunching up her nose.
“Yes,” replied Yvie dryly. “It’s an addiction.”
“But like, I thought you were trying to quit.” Scarlet slung her legs onto Yvie’s lap, and pouted. “You said you’d quit for me…”
Yvie caught Jaida raising an eyebrow in her peripheral vision as her manicured fingers typed rapidly on her phone. Yvie sighed with mild guilt that was mostly covered by familiar irritation creeping up her shoulders. She didn’t remove the unlit cigarette from her mouth, instead she rested her hand on Scarlet’s legging-clad thigh. Sure, keeping her girlfriend happy should be closer to the top of her list of priorities, but instead she was thinking about when her student loan was going to come in, the distinctly low number left in her bank account after this month’s rent, the upcoming semester’s material costs, her stupid job, her follower count, and how her phone bill was a month overdue.
As the final week of summer had passed and everyone had tried to get in one last hurrah before school started up again, Yvie had still been anxiously hustling. So she deserved a cigarette.
“Personally, I’m looking forward to Advanced Fashion,” said Jaida, changing the subject, “I think it’s going to be intense, but in a good way.”
“Me too,” agreed Scarlet, leaning forward slightly to look around Yvie. “But it's going to be a lot of work. Did you hear the prof describe how much time she’s expecting us to put in? I know it’s a triple-credit course, but Jesus.”
“Yeah, she seems like kind of a bitch,” added Yvie, taking the cigarette out of her mouth so the filter wouldn’t get soggy, and twirling it between her fingers. She wanted to get up and smoke, but Scarlet had trapped her.
Jaida and Scarlet fixed her with dual disapproving looks. “Rude.”
“Come on, everyone says she’s the worst,” kvetched Yvie, digging her heels in anyway. Raja had definitely seemed like a cold bitch sitting at the front of the room in a crisp white shirt, grey hair sitting loose on her shoulders, dramatically back-lit by the bank of windows, making everybody have to squint to even see her. “I heard she acts like she’s all chill and blasé, and then she’s really harsh in critiques. Did you hear her say ‘just don’t show me something boring?’ What a drama queen, and she was sarcastic with me when I came in.”
"I mean, you were late," commented Scarlet.
Jaida added contemplatively. “I don't know, she was gone for most of last winter, only a handful of people in our year have had her as an instructor before. Jinkx said she gives really critical feedback, but that can help you grow.”
“Or piss you off, I know my work is good, I don’t need someone who’s just going to bully me-”
Jaida smiled, glancing up from her phone as she finished typing out another rapid text. “So you just want everyone including her to pat you on the back because you got featured in i-D Magazine?”
“Ha! I sure did,” replied Yvie, with a proud smirk. Seeing her name, her face and her creations published had been such an exciting moment. She’d caught the publication’s attention on Instagram through a performance at the last remaining punk club downtown. A journalist had contacted her, asking if she’d be interested in being part of the feature, which had been called Young Americans by the British publication. It had been so exciting, a big step; and her follower count had tripled. A sense of delirious hope had lodged itself in her gut. Maybe she could really make it.
“That was so cool, it’s like you’re almost famous,” said Scarlet, tilting her head back as if to luxuriate in Yvie’s peripheral almost-fame. “And if you really don’t like Raja then just wait and take the class next semester when someone else is teaching it.”
“I can’t, I need this class to graduate on time.” The anxious feeling that Yvie had been trying to manage all summer rose up, and she kept going, needing somewhere to dump it. “I mean, she acts like she knows so much more than everyone about fashion when it’s like, okay sure, maybe you were cool twenty years ago and now you’re just some teacher. Like, chill the fuck out.”
“Why are you so annoyed with her again?” replied Jaida, frowning worriedly down at her phone like she was only half-engaged in the conversation. “She seems more relaxed than Bianca was. Bianca nearly failed us both in Intro to Pattern Drafting.”
"Well, yeah..." Yvie felt a little guilty as she compulsively rolled her cigarette back and forth between her fingers. She did feel annoyed, and disappointed, she should just let the argument go, but-
“What Jaida said,” added Scarlet disinterestedly, playing with a lock of her hair. “Like, give her a chance or whatever.”
Yvie opened her mouth to continue her rant and realized she needed her cigarette right now. “Can you let me up so I can suck on my cancer stick?”
It came out more harshly than she’d anticipated, and she immediately felt bad. Scarlet made an insulted ‘hmph’ noise and removed her legs from Yvie’s lap, scowling. Yvie stood up and took a few steps away from the bench.
“Sorry, I just…” muttered Yvie. She’d felt trapped, but didn’t know how to say it.
“Whatever.” Scarlet crossed her arms, not looking at her.
Jaida didn’t say anything, once again typing rapidly on her phone.
Yvie sighed, digging around in her pocket for her lighter, and lit the cigarette. Scarlet was only three years younger than her, but sometimes she seemed ridiculously immature. Things weren’t quite clicking between them the way they had last year.
Yvie had been doing her own thing more or less since she was fourteen and refused to stop or listen to anyone who told her what to do. But the feeling that she only had so much time left to figure things out was creeping up on her. Maybe it was because she’d started college a few years later than everyone else. She took a deep, steadying drag on her cigarette.
Despite her hopes, Raja was just going to be another barrier to get over this term.
Several years ago Yvie had been a bit lost, she’d been surfing the internet and had discovered a 1994 documentary telling the story of the alternative fashion and underground queer club scene in L.A. Raja had been featured in it, the story following her among a handful of other people in the scene. Like a switch had flipped in Yvie’s brain, she’d latched onto the footage of the young, androgynous club kid; embedded in the subculture, making totally out-there clothing, a party monster at every rave. It showed all the glory of rebellion, love and art pushing back against a capitalist hellscape. All of a sudden Yvie saw what she wanted reflected in an aesthetic and a community that had started fading from existence when she was only an infant, and had watched Raja’s transfixing appearances in the documentary over and over.
Luckily, nothing could stop Yvie from doing her own thing, so she started performing at clubs, making her own clothes, playing music with a couple of different bands, and pouring all her creative energy into whatever alternative scenes she could find, with a sharp eye on 1990s grunge and punk nostalgia. All the while slogging through a series of depressing day jobs. But with her unexpected social media popularity and degree of success, in an attempt to take seriously a future career in fashion she’d re-thought her decision not to go to college. After a bit of research, she’d discovered that the club kid from the documentary had grown up and turned out to be a fashion instructor at RCCAD. The desire to finally meet Raja had been a large part of the reason Yvie had chosen to give college a shot, move half-way across the country, and take on student debt.
But what she’d hoped to be an important, impressive, meaningful moment hadn’t happened yet. Or maybe it had already passed. Raja didn’t teach freshman or sophomore year classes, and Yvie’s attempts to introduce herself in passing had been awkward. Last year Yvie had hopefully signed up for one of her classes only to have Raja go on unexpected leave just before the first day, with Bianca as a last-minute replacement.
Three expensive years had sped past since Yvie had made her decision, and now she was twenty-four - which felt old somehow - and the energy that had always whirred under her skin manifested as a constant, nagging dialogue in the back of her mind, questioning her choices, making her doubt herself, afraid that things wouldn't work out how she’d hoped.
And now, now that she finally had her opportunity to meet and learn from Raja, she’d managed to be late for the first class, attempted to be blasé about it only to be met with hostility, and the whole situation had left her feeling embarrassed, irritable, and anxious. ‘Never meet your heroes' was good advice, it turned out.
“Who are you texting?” asked Yvie, jutting her chin at Jaida. “None of your business….”
“Is it Crystal again?” teased Yvie, a smile curling on her mouth as she flicked the ash from her cigarette. “I told you to play it cool this time.”
Jaida scrunched up her face in a way that indicated she’d been caught. Scarlet laughed and nudged her, teasing. Jaida glanced to the side, eyes going towards the side door the three of them had exited earlier and Yvie looked over her shoulder, following her gaze.
“Hey, look, speak of the devil.”
Pride Challenge Points: 5178
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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re parenting/family AUs and tags, I’ve just been tagging mine as “single parents” “kid fic” and “DILFs” lmao, i could definitely tag it better/more clearly! -dartmouth420
thank you my love!! I think a lot of people use "kid fic" and I'm prepared to wrangle the tags around that.
I also do want to recognize that the original anon asking about this said "family au" which imo doesn't necessarily mean children or parenting.
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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gahhh thank you so much puppy!!! *flails* -dartmouth420
You’re an angel. 💖
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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re raja anon lol: guess I’m gonna have to write a fic about raja writing fics about cracker & aquaria… but they find out, and after some comedic misunderstandings we get a threesome! (We respect aquarias request not to be in fics tho, just an idea that made me laugh :) - dartmouth420
Yeah, you’ll have to publish that one elsewhere. I still love you though!! 😂
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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Can we stop and appreciate Dartmouth420 for a second? Their works are phenomenal and they always leave such detailed and intricate comments. We stan. - Puppy
.
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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Everybody Knows You're High, 4/4 (Rajila) - Dartmouth420
Summary: It’s not just the weed this time, Raja’s in love, and Manila’s about to make a confession.
A/n: this is one long-ass chapter of feelings and lesbian porn lmao. this is specifically for the anon from a few weeks ago who requested manila smut, here ya go :P also thank u to V&albatross for your encouragement and for letting me play in your world lol <3
tw: weed, mild second-hand embarrassment, smut: 80% sexy, 20% disgusting, 100% dumb ;)
Manila stood in her steamy bathroom leaning against the edge of the sink, with a towel wrapped around her body, and stared at herself in the mirror.
Last night had been… a lot.
She’d just gotten out of the shower, and there were dark circles under her eyes from the late night, the stress and the hangover. The hangover wasn’t as bad as Manila thought she deserved. Chugging straight vodka from the bottle in a state of emotional turmoil had been a terrible idea.
However, a part of herself that she’d been suppressing for too long was raising its head, this time with hope. Parsing out what Raja had been trying to say last night had practically required a cryptographer, but Manila was like eighty-seven percent sure that Raja had said she liked her, and was interested in… maybe dating. Or something. It all got a little blurry after she’d kissed Raven.
Manila stuck her tongue out at herself in the mirror and left the bathroom, walking quickly down the hall in her towel to her room to get dressed. She examined one of her nicer shirts, and that corduroy mini-skirt she liked, and then decided not to get her hopes up. She pulled on a pair of dark blue sweatpants with the college’s name written across the butt. But her hand lingered over her one of her nice bras, an elegant black one with red lining, and after a brief but eventful internal wrestling match, she put it on. And covered it with a T-shirt and a hoodie.
After having breakfast, drying her hair, scrolling through her phone, cleaning the bathroom, killing time and receiving no texts from Raja, but not sending any either, Manila put her hands on her hips and sighed.
Manila had two choices. She could go across the street and actually talk to Raja about her feelings, or she could drop out of college, move to Canada, change her identity, burn her fingerprints off with acid and start again as an entirely new person.
Despite the strong temptation of option two, Manila chose option one and rushed out the door before she could psych herself out. She hurried up to to the familiar house across the street and a few doors down. Manila took a nervous breath as she knocked on Raja’s front door, immediately regretting that she hadn’t texted or something before just showing up. Maybe Raja wasn’t awake yet, or maybe she didn’t want to see her after she’d been so messy last night-
The door opened and Raja stood there. Her long black hair was wet and brushed straight like she’d just showered, and her loose, green linen shirt was damp where the ends sat on her shoulders. She looked suspiciously fresh and clean for the day after a party, but then Manila remembered that Raja had been sober the entire time.
“Hey,” said Raja, with a goofy, knowing smile.
Manila’s palms began to sweat, and her heart leapt out of her chest and prostrated itself on the floor.
“Uh- hi,” said Manila.
Raja stepped aside and Manila walked in to the living room, slipping off her shoes and glancing at the familiar couch. An empty bag of chips and a couple loose video game controllers sat abandoned on it. Usually she’d go right in and sit down, but that didn’t quite feel right today. Carmen’s voice drifted over from the kitchen, one half of a conversation she was having over the phone.
“We could talk in my room?” suggested Raja, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. Her deep brown eyes were without expectation.
“Sure,” said Manila decisively, and walked quickly to the stairs and up to Raja’s bedroom, the first door on the left.
Raja’s room always surprised Manila. The first time she’d seen it she’d expected a total stoner disaster zone, but instead it was surprisingly neat. There was a beautiful piece of blue and gold paisley fabric tacked up on the wall, some clothes piled up on the back of the chair, and several mugs on the nightstand. Books, her laptop and some weed paraphernalia were scattered on the desk, but the floor was clean and the bed was pretty much always made.
Manila sat down on the edge of the bed, and wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. Raja sat down next to her, close but not touching.
“So…” began Manila, drawing out the word and wondering what exactly she was going to say. She didn’t want to be the first to admit her feelings. Part of her still felt afraid, instinctively evasive when talking about how she felt. “You like me, apparently.”
“Yeah,” laughed Raja, amused, flipping her damp hair over her shoulder, “Yeah, I said that.”
“Mm,” acknowledged Manila, already a little flustered by how Raja had just openly admitted it, like it was that easy. Everything was so easy for her. “Are you mad at me for kissing Raven?”
“For like a minute last night, but uh, it seemed more like you were mad at me, actually.”
“Yeah, I was kind of upset-” said Manila, and hesitated. Talking openly like this was outside of her comfort zone and she felt too warm and too awkward and… she would rather all of this be a big joke, to laugh it off again and hide how she really felt behind the humour.
“I’m sorry I decided to make that joke about you missing your opportunity when I was trying to be all serious or whatever,” said Raja quickly, all in one breath, “That was really stupid. I really did mean everything I said, except for that part.”
Manila nodded, the hurt rolling back over her for a moment. The feeling of rejection had been awful. But maybe that was how Raja had felt the first couple of times Manila had rejected and mocked her for expressing interest.
“It’s okay,” said Manila, cracking a smile, “You are incredibly stupid after all.”
“But I’m still getting better grades than you,” replied Raja, raising her eyebrows and grinning.
Manila looked at her hands. Raja was next to her, but she felt simultaneously closer and farther than she’d ever been. They were steering out of familiar territory towards something Manila both hopelessly longed for and horribly feared.
“I didn’t do anything with Yara, by the way,” confessed Manila, the words spilling out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“What, really?” replied Raja, cocking her head to the side.
“Yeah I lied about that, she and Alexis love each other so much it’s gross,” said Manila, rolling her eyes. “I thought you’d been acting differently around me, so I… said that.”
“They do seem to love each other a lot,” confirmed Raja, nodding, a sneaky grin growing on her mouth, “You wanted to see if I got jealous?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t believe in jealousy,” sniffed Raja imperiously, “Love should be free.”
“You’re such a fucking hippie,” said Manila, shaking her head, amused, “And you were jealous, you were stomping around like a six-year-old having a temper tantrum.”
“Fine, maybe a little,” acquiesced Raja, with a laugh. “You were really winding me up, though!”
Manila laughed as well, following the shift of energy between them into lighter territory. She twisted her fingers in the sheets on Raja’s bed for a moment, and sat up straighter, looking at Raja carefully. Raja’s green linen shirt draped elegantly over her tall, angular frame and it suited her nicely, despite the damp shoulders from her hair. A curl of interest announced itself in Manila’s core.
“So, uh,” said Manila, regretting her decision to wear sweats and wishing she’d at least tried to look nice. Raja’s expression was open, but her shoulders were a little stiff, almost nervous. Manila wanted to ease the tension, she wanted Raja to be comfortable around her again, and get rid of this stupid distance she’d built up between them.
Manila decided she was going to be brave, and asked, “Do you still wanna make out?”
Raja blinked in shock and then grinned and gave a happy little shrug, and said, “Yeah, totally.”
Before Manila could stop herself, before she could let herself think, she leaned in. Raja did the same, and shifted closer to her on the bed, pressing their legs together. Manila hesitated for a moment, the tension between them burning hot, more intense and awful than it had ever been, before Raja brushed her lips over Manila’s and they captured one another in a soft kiss. A high-voltage thrill shot down Manila’s spine, turning to instant, uncontrollable heat between her legs.
Raja’s confidence was contagious, and Manila kissed her back, tentatively parting her lips and tasting Raja with her tongue. Raja touched Manila’s waist, her other hand going to the back of her neck and tangling up in her hair. Manila’s body was taking over completely, the thrill drowning out her every doubt.
-
Raja was very pleased with how the morning had progressed so far, as Manila broke their kiss to push her down on the bed, a look of pure, unadulterated desire in her eyes.
“Oh, hello,” purred Raja as Manila straddled her, and Raja shifted a little so that she was at a better angle, her head propped up on her pillow. Manila lifted her hoodie up over her head, and the plain T-shirt undershirt underneath hiked up so that Raja caught a glimpse of her toned stomach before Manila threw the hoodie to the floor. Raja’s breath quickened, and she fumbled at the buttons of her shirt. She was so happy that this was finally happening, that Manila wasn’t angry with her and seemed quite interested in being more than just friends. There were so many fun directions this could go-
“Hi,” breathed Manila, leaning forward and quashing Raja’s efforts to get her shirt unbuttoned. Manila kissed her again, this time taking charge in a way that Raja found very sexy indeed. Raja caressed her waist through the thin fabric of her shirt. Manila stroked Raja’s still-damp hair, her hands exploring Raja’s scalp as they made out thoroughly. The smell of Manila’s lavender conditioner filled Raja’s nose.
Manila ducked her head, going for Raja’s neck. Raja sighed, gasping when Manila introduced her teeth to her skin. Oh, this was excellent, this was lovely. Manila was so much more than Raja had expected, and pleasant excitement filled her mind. Raja’s hands drifted from Manila’s waist down her back to grip her beautiful, muscular, college-logo-emblazoned ass.
Fuck yes.
Manila laughed quietly into her neck, pausing for a breath, and rolled her hips against Raja. Raja pushed her thigh up a little to give Manila something to grind on, if she wanted to. Even the hint that Manila was truly letting her guard down and trusting Raja like this was very exciting-
Manila breathed in sharply, her face still pressed into Raja’s neck, and rolled her hips again, and Raja felt Manila’s warm body through her thick cotton sweatpants. Raja took her opportunity and lifted her head slightly, kissing Manila’s neck in return, still gripping her ass and encouraging her to grind against her thigh.
“Raja-” breathed Manila as Raja kissed what must be a sweet spot. Raja couldn’t wait to learn all her sweet spots.
Manila sat back, pulling Raja with her so they were both sitting up, Manila still straddling her lap.
“Can I…?” murmured Manila, touching the buttons on Raja’s shirt.
“Yeah, for sure.”
Manila fumbled to undo Raja’s shirt buttons and Raja kissed her neck again. Now that they were sitting up, Raja touched Manila’s lower back and guided her to keep grinding on her thigh, since they were in an excellent position for her to do so. Manila bit back a little moan, visibly distracted from her task and it sent a tingle throughout Raja’s entire body. Manila was getting so hot and bothered already, and they were still practically fully clothed.
In fact, Manila’s hips were moving quicker now, rocking against Raja’s thigh, but she finished with the buttons and pushed Raja’s shirt back down to her elbows, then blinked with surprise.
Raja wasn’t one to wear a bra unless it was absolutely required of her.
“You can touch me,” whispered Raja, kissing Manila’s ear.
Manila did, gently palming Raja’s small breasts, and continuing to roll her hips. Now Raja could really feel the heat between Manila’s legs and let out a surprised half-moan herself as Manila caught her nipple between her fingers. Manila’s expression was hazy with lust, as she bit her lip and rutted down even harder, and Raja was almost surprised that Manila was so turned on by this minimal amount of contact.
“Is it okay if I-” said Raja, and touched the front edge of Manila’s sweatpants.
Manila nodded semi-frantically, and Raja went for it, reaching past her waistband to feel how gloriously warm and wet she was, even through her underwear. Manila moaned aloud, and ground down against Raja’s fingers and Raja, absolutely thrilled, slid her fingers inside her underwear.
Manila inhaled sharply at the skin-to-skin contact, rolling her hips hard and fast and clutching Raja to her. Raja decided to go for more, gently slipping two fingers past her folds and up into her soaking wet pussy-
“Oh my god, fuck-” managed Manila.
Manila’s back arched and her hip thrusts became erratic, quick, and she let out another barely suppressed moan, burying her face in Raja’s neck, panting hot breath against her skin, clenching around Raja’s fingers with a sudden gasp-
Suddenly Manila stopped moving, she pushed herself back. She flopped backwards off of Raja’s lap onto her ass and covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide, her expression utterly surprised and embarrassed.
Raja realized what had happened.
“You are so into me,” stated Raja, unable to resist the urge to tease Manila for it, wiping her fingers unceremoniously on her sheets and laughing. “You came from just that? Really?”
“Don’t,” whined Manila, covering her face with both hands and curling up into a ball.
“We’ve barely been going for five minutes-”
“It’s just been a while for me,” complained Manila, her voice muffled behind her hands, “I’m sorry…”
Raja crawled over to her, taking her hands away from her face and kissing her.
“No need to apologize, you’ve got more where that came from, right?” asked Raja with a grin. The dull ache of Raja’s own arousal was still present between her legs.
“Yeah…”
“Great, hopefully this time I’ll get to actually take your clothes off.”
“Only if you ask nicely,” replied Manila dryly, sitting up. She looked slightly less embarrassed, pushing a few stray curls back out of her face.
Raja kissed Manila’s face again, unable to stop herself from smiling, smug. It seemed like Manila did actually like her, or was at least very, very attracted to her. Raja appreciated the vindication, and imagined the afternoon ahead. It looked like they’d be spending it here, making out and having sex, and taking a few breaks for food and weed, and that seemed most excellent.
“What do you want to do?” asked Manila. She reached out and hesitated, before running her fingers across Raja’s collarbone and then down her arm. Raja vaguely remembered her shirt, which was mostly off, open with the sleeves caught around her elbows. She took it off entirely. Raja was comfortable with her body and didn’t mind being naked, especially when it was making Manila so distracted.
“I want to…” began Raja, before shrugging, “Actually, I just want to roll a joint and share it with you, if you’re into that, and then eat you out for like forty-five minutes.”
Manila laughed and rolled her eyes, “Yeah, let’s get a little high, it won’t hurt.”
“It might even help you last longer…” teased Raja gently, not that she really cared. If Manila got off so quickly and easily, then Raja would gladly spend the entire day making her come over and over and over-
“Stop!” protested Manila, but she couldn’t help her smile.
-
Manila was so embarrassed that she’d pretty much finished immediately from the barest of contact like a desperate, touch-deprived lunatic, but luckily the feeling was fading. Raja didn’t seem to mind, despite her gentle teasing.
Manila had surprised herself more than anything. She was usually a bit… well, stiff maybe wasn’t the right word, but during hookups or sexual encounters she wanted to make sure she came off as sexy and fun, and that she did everything right. This was always particularly strong in her mind when she was with guys. But what was right was a vague and every-changing notion, a bit of a performance, kind of acting like girls did in porn except more chill, and trying to read what the other person liked and expected of her. It was difficult to relax. Certain walls always remained up.
But not today.
Today, Manila had completely melted the second her lips had touched Raja’s. Her body had taken over, unmitigated. Tasting Raja’s neck, grinding on her thigh, touching her skin and feeling her hard nipples, and Raja slipping her knowing fingers inside of her had made Manila feel so alive-
Maybe this was what it was supposed to feel like.
They had the entire afternoon ahead of them, so Manila lounged on Raja’s bed in her sweatpants while Raja got out a jar of weed and a grinder, confident and relaxed and wonderfully topless.
“Ugh, I left my rolling papers in the living room again,” sighed Raja, leaning over to give Manila a lingering kiss that sent a thrill right down her spine again, “I’ll be back.”
With that Raja got up and strolled across the room, opening her door-
“Don’t you need a shirt?” asked Manila.
“Nope.”
Manila laughed as Raja left and padded down the stairs. Her voice drifted up from the living room.
“Hey Delta.”
“Hey. So it’s a tits out kind of day?”
“Yeah, have you seen my rolling papers?”
“Over there.”
“Thanks! Did you hook up with that guy last night?”
“Yeah, and he was surprisingly good in bed-”
Manila tuned out the conversation, remembering her nice bra and wondering if she should just take her clothes off now and maybe fix her hair and find some way to recline on the bed so she’d look hot when Raja came back up-
But then Manila realized Raja didn’t care about that, and that really, she didn’t either. Manila lay back down on her side, breathing in the smell of Raja’s pillow. It smelled just like her hair, and honestly, Manila would be totally happy just to exist right here in this moment and never leave it. The voice in the back of her head chimed in, you know you still haven’t told her how you really feel-
“-yeah, she’s up in my room, I think we’re figuring it out.”
“Oh thank god! You’ve been stressing about that for ages. So that’s why you don’t have a shirt on…”
“Yeah, we might get kinda loud, so… sorry in advance.”
There was a smug evil to Raja’s voice, and Manila couldn’t help but feel smug as well. She imagined what exactly she could do to make Raja get loud…
“I was planning to go to the library anyway, bitch, I’ll send the bat signal to Carmen.”
Manila smirked at Delta’s sarcasm.
“Love you too!” sang Raja in response, and then Manila heard Raja’s footsteps on the stairs again. Her heart beat faster in anticipation. She should probably tell Raja about her stupid feelings. Raja had confessed her own, and while it was all still a bit vague, things were changing between them. Hopefully for the better.
Raja reentered the room, and flopped down on the bed next to Manila. Manila sat up and watched as Raja put a few weed buds into her little grinder and ground them up. Then she balanced a rolling paper in her palm, and carefully tipped the weed into it. Raja’s tongue darted out and wet the paper before rolling it into a cylinder, and something stirred in Manila’s core while she watched. Raja still wasn’t wearing a shirt, and Manila couldn’t help her eyes lingering. Of course this too was easy for Raja, she didn’t seem self-conscious about her body at all. Manila was always a bit in awe of Raja’s effortless confidence.
The joint was ready before Manila knew it, because when it came to weed Raja was nothing if not efficient. The sun outside broke through the clouds and streamed in through the thin curtains on Raja’s window, hitting the side of her face, and she was so beautiful that Manila’s breath hitched with disbelief. Raja brought the fresh joint to her mouth, grabbed a lighter from her bedside table and lit up, breathing in deeply with a contented sigh.
Raja passed Manila the joint with a suggestive smile, and Manila took it, putting the filter between her lips and drawing in a deep breath, the gentle smoke seeping deep into her lungs.
“I-” said Manila, passing back the joint and coughing, “I should probably tell you something.”
“Mmm, what?” replied Raja, taking another hit and leaning in, nuzzling Manila’s neck.
“Uh,” continued Manila, now very distracted by the feeling of Raja’s luxurious lips on her warm skin, the slightly smoky air and the joint that was now in her hands again. Did she even want to tell Raja she’d been idiotically in love with her for like two years? Would it ruin everything?
Manila took another pull and blew the smoke out into the air, while Raja kissed her neck and snuck her hand into her shirt, tracing her waist with delicate fingertips.
“I’ve actually,” whispered Manila, noticing with interest the way Raja had pressed herself into her side, her nipples getting pointy again, “I’ve actually been into you for a while.”
“Really?” purred Raja, without stopping what she was doing. It felt really good. Manila passed her the joint and Raja took it, turning away from her neck only momentarily to inhale the sweet smoke.
“Yeah,” said Manila quietly, desperately wanting to make it all a joke, somehow, worried her confession would completely freak Raja out. But maybe it wouldn’t. “I’ve kind of had a crush on you like since we met.”
Raja pulled back from Manila’s neck. But instead of laughing at her, or looking awkward and pushing her away, Raja’s expression was open and curious.
“No way,” said Raja, cocking her head to the side, “Even that time I got those fireworks from my dealer, and we accidentally lit that tree on fire?”
“Yeah?” replied Manila, confused. “I mean, Delta was the only one with the wherewithal to call 911, but we survived.”
“Even that time I spilled coffee all over your good white shirt?”
“Yes,” said Manila, flatly, recalling the incident. The shirt had never recovered. And the burn had hurt.
“Okay, but what about when I was too high in the grocery store a few weeks ago-“
“All of the times, Raja!” exclaimed Manila impatiently, practically squirming with the discomfort of having confessed her feelings, “Every dumb thing you did, I still liked you. So I, I don’t know, maybe that makes me the stupid one.”
“Nah, you’re like the smartest person I know, other than me,” chuckled Raja affectionately, taking another drag on the joint and exhaling the smoke slowly, so that it drifted up around her face, ethereal, “I’m learning so many cool new things about you today.”
“Well,” sputtered Manila, defensive and insecure, “I don’t know if it’s cool-“
“It totally is,” continued Raja, utterly confident, “Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“Because, you know,” shrugged Manila, taking the offered joint and hoping it would calm her down a little, “You obviously prefer casual hookups or whatever, and I couldn’t really stand being just that to you- I just didn’t want to have to say it was totally fine and chill if you didn’t like me back-” Manila paused with horrendous panic, “I mean, you do feel the same way, right?”
“Yeah, I-” said Raja, her face suddenly shifting into to an expression that normally appeared when she was trying really hard to beat Manila at Super Smash Bros, “Wait, so you thought I’d think you were too intense or something?”
Manila passed her the joint and looked away, already knowing that she was too intense, that her feelings were nothing other than a humiliating mess and always would be. Well, she thought wistfully, it had been nice while it lasted…
“Manila,” sighed Raja, and Manila looked back at her and Raja was smiling, and blowing smoke into her face, “I can’t predict like the entire future, you know with the Mars colonies and stuff, but I really like you. Maybe you like me a little more than I realized, but that’s good because I thought you weren’t into me at all. So like, it’s cool. Let’s just see where it goes?”
Manila nodded, as her heart beat faster and she felt herself blush. She supposed she’d just have to trust Raja, and herself.
“But you really fucked up with Raven when you two were dating,” stated Manila, unable to stop her doubts from surfacing.
“Well… ” said Raja, hesitating, and then she sighed, “Yeah, I did. The whole relationship thing was her idea and I went along with it because, well, I wanted things to be easy… but I should’ve found a better way to end it.” Raja paused, and took Manila’s hand, weaving their fingers together and squeezing, “I feel super differently about you, and about this. We’re friends first, right, before anything else.”
“Okay, yeah,” murmured Manila, plucking the joint, which wasn’t much more than a tiny roach, from Raja’s fingers and inhaling deeply, burning it right down to the filter. It seemed like Raja was genuinely on the path to some kind of self-awareness.
Manila reached around Raja to stub the end of the joint out in the decorative glass ashtray, and then let the smoke out through her nose with a giggle. Raja laughed along, and Manila finally began to feel the relaxed buzz under her skin. Getting high was nice, no wonder Raja did it all the time… Manila leaned in and kissed her again. Raja kissed her back, her hands going immediately to her waist again, pushing up under her shirt to touch her skin. Manila stroked Raja’s hair, and delicately held the back of her neck. Raja was already topless, but Manila was getting very interested in taking Raja’s shorts off as well…
They just had to trust one another, figured Manila, and maybe everything would be turn out alright.
-
Raja was happy and relaxed now that she’d had some weed and they were making out again. Manila had seemed stressed when she’d admitted her years-long crush, and while Raja was certainly a little surprised, more than anything she was pleased that her instincts had been right. It was making the strange new feeling in her chest glow a little brighter. But maybe that was just the weed.
“I want to take your shirt off,” murmured Raja. She’d seen Manila out running in her sports bra enough times to be real curious about what was underneath…
“Yeah, go ahead,” said Manila, moving her hand from the back of Raja’s neck down to her chest, running her thumb over her nipple in a way that sent a jolt of interest directly between Raja’s legs. She tugged Manila’s shirt up, and Manila lifted her arms and was momentarily caught with her shirt under her chin and around her elbows and Raja laughed at her and eventually they got it off.
Damn. Manila looked good, cute and toned and was wearing a suspiciously nice bra…
“You knew this was going to happen today, didn’t you?” said Raja.
“I might have suspected something,” said Manila with a smirk, sitting back on her butt as she easily tugged her sweatpants off of her legs.
“You’re so sneaky.”
“It’s my tragic flaw.”
Now that Manila was just in her underwear, the animal part of Raja’s brain kicked in. In an instant, Raja wanted to kiss Manila’s entire body, fuck her thoroughly, cuddle all night, move in and have a baby together, raise a bunch of feral kids and dogs, run a full-scale weed grow-op out in the country somewhere and just chill in the glorious California sunset until the end of time. Hmm. Raja decided that odd little fantasy was definitely just the weed talking, and took off her shorts and throwing them over the side of the bed, revealing her plain blue cotton underwear.
Now, that they were both pleasantly stoned and significantly more naked, things were starting to get interesting. Raja scooted closer to Manila, and ran her hands up her legs, letting out a weird gremlin-like giggle.
“You so don’t get to accuse me of being the horny one anymore,” chuckled Manila, taking Raja’s face in her hands and kissing her.
Raja sat back and pulled Manila into her lap, taking her time to kiss her. They explored one another, gentle and stoned. Raja stroked her way up Manila’s smooth back, her fingertips extra sensitive, and felt the band of her bra, reaching to undo it.
“Wait, don’t,” said Manila, and Raja’s hands stilled. Was something wrong? But Manila hadn’t pulled back, in fact she was pressing little kisses on Raja’s face, and kissed the shell of her ear in a way that sent a shiver throughout Raja’s entire body.
Raja dropped her hands to Manila’s hips and had a brilliant idea.
“Turn around,” suggested Raja into Manila’s ear.
“Mm, why?” replied Manila, shifting to kiss Raja’s neck.
“Because it’ll be fun…"
Manila laughed at her reasoning, and turned around so that she was sitting in Raja’s lap with her back to her. Raja immediately hugged Manila close, pressing her naked chest into her back and taking the opportunity to nip at her neck, eliciting a little yelp.
Raja ran her hand up Manila’s stomach touch her chest through her bra. Manila ’s breath hitched in response, and Raja took that as a positive sign, and reached up to ease her bra-straps off her shoulders.
“I don’t want to take my bra off,” stated Manila and Raja stopped again, trying to hide her disappointment.
“Do you not like being touched there?” asked Raja, momentarily nervous that she’d overstepped an invisible boundary, as Manila twisted in her lap to make eye contact.
“No, I like it, but,” said Manila, and hesitated.
“But?” asked Raja, in what she hoped was a gentle way, planting a little kiss on Manila’s shoulder.
“I just don’t like people looking at my tits.”
“Why not?”
Manila hunched a little, looking uncomfortable, and said, “Uh, this girl in middle school used to tell me they were a weird shape and I’ve kind of never gotten over it.”
Raja glanced down at Manila’s chest. Her breasts were contained in what was a truly nice bra and Raja found nothing weird about her body whatsoever.
“Well, fuck that bitch, she can die,” said Raja, in full seriousness.
Manila burst into laughter, “What, you’re gonna murder some girl from my seventh-grade gym class?”
“Yeah, what’s her name?”
“Jenny.”
“She sounds basic, I’ll shove her into traffic.”
“That’s very sexy of you but I’m still not taking my bra off,” chuckled Manila, blinking slowly. Her eyes were a little bloodshot, but her body was relaxed with trust again, leaning back into Raja. Raja wrapped one arm around her waist and squeezed her close. As badly as Raja wanted Manila to be fully naked, she respected her wishes.
“I went to alternative school on what was basically a gay hippie commune,” murmured Raja, gently kissing the spot behind Manila’s ear, and tracing her fingers down her stomach, “There wasn’t really bullying. We all made flower crowns, ate quinoa, studied beekeeping and Buddhist philosophy, it ruled.”
“No wonder you’re so weird…” sighed Manila, with a little gasp as Raja ghosted her fingers over the sensitive skin just above the edge of her black underwear.
“Yeah, but you like me anyway,” purred Raja, now running her fingers over the distinctly damp fabric between Manila’s legs and then kissing her neck again. Manila shuddered and let out a whine, the sudden note in her voice that reminded Raja of how easily turned on she was. “And so do most bees.”
Raja shifted a little so Manila was more comfortable in her lap, and Manila spread her legs and Raja stroked the inside of her thigh, moving slowly closer to her centre. Manila didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands, and after a moment of confusion she rested them on Raja’s arm across her waist.
“You’re like really hot, you have nothing to be insecure about,” murmured Raja in her ear, resting her head on Manila’s shoulder and wondering how she felt about praise and dirty talk.
Manila whined and arched a bit, trying to press into Raja’s hand. Then she turned her head, catching Raja’s mouth with her own in a sudden, intense kiss. Raja kissed her in return, and Manila reached back, tracing the back of Raja’s head and stroking her hair with a loose, exploratory hand.
“You’re definitely the hot one,” chuckled Manila, “But I really need you to start touching me, like right now.”
“Ask nicely,” purred Raja.
“Hmm…” hummed Manila, drawing it out, and then, her voice breathy and demanding, whispered, “Please?”
Raja’s own breath caught hearing her beg, and she immediately slipped her fingers past the waistband of Manila’s underwear, finding her clit in no time and stroking her with slow circles. Knowing how very sensitive Manila was, Raja went about her task with utmost delicacy.
Manila’s hand grasped into a fist in Raja’s hair on the back of her head and she arched her back and moaned aloud. It seemed she was lot more expressive after the weed and the conversation about their feelings. It sent electricity directly into Raja’s core, and she squeezed Manila to her with her opposite arm around her waist. Raja couldn’t help but increase her pace, Manila’s reactions were so exciting.
Raja slipped her fingers down lower, stroking experimentally over Manila’s folds to feel her utterly soaking wet pussy. Yes.
“Do you like this?” asked Raja.
“Yeah,” breathed Manila, tilting her head back to rest on her shoulder.
Raja slipped her fingers inside of her once more and Manila tried to rock her hips for more friction but Raja held her in place and began to move her fingers, agonizingly gentle, teasing and testing for the right spot that would make Manila lose her mind.
Raja found it, and Manila bit back a broken moan, her body jerking forward a little as she grasped Raja’s arm around her waist, her fingers digging in. Raja kept going, rubbing against Manila’s clit with the base of her thumb and pressing her fingers inside her, hitting the spot that made her react, again.
Manila panted and gasped, arching her back, and Raja kissed her shoulder. There was a sheen of sweat on her cleavage from the warm, sunlit room that Raja really wanted to lick, but she wasn’t in the right position to do so. Oh well. This was also very good, Manila’s wetness was dripping all over her hand as she gasped and rutted down with her hips.
“I’m- I’m getting close,” gasped Manila, digging her nails into Raja’s arm.
Raja then decided to something utterly evil.
Raja stopped, and slid her fingers out of Manila entirely.
“Wha-” panted Manila with desperate frustration as was she left on the cruellest edge, “Why are you-”
“Lie down on your back,” said Raja, letting go of her Manila’s waist, a plan forming in her mind.
“You are the worst-” complained Manila, and she shakily got out of Raja’s lap and crawled forward, giving Raja an excellent view.
“Have I ever told you that you have a fantastic ass?” commented Raja, shifting up onto stiff knees and cracking her neck in anticipation of the task ahead of her.
Manila glanced over her shoulder with a pouty, false-innocent look that set something inside of Raja on fire, and then she flopped down on her back, propping herself up on her elbows.
Manila looked so beautiful laid out like that that Raja paused for a moment just to admire her, the sheen of sweat on her chest, her messy hair, her blown-out pupils and the look of intense arousal on her face.
“Are we going to be here all day?” challenged Manila, pouting.
“Wow, someone’s a little brat,” teased Raja, leaning down and kissing Manila’s stomach.
Raja quickly hooked her fingers in Manila’s underwear and pulled them down her thighs as Manila lifted her hips to help. Then Raja lay down on her stomach between Manila’s legs and ran a finger over her wet, sensitive pussy, amazed by how turned on she still was. Raja couldn’t help but be flattered by the physical effect she had on Manila.
“When it’s my turn I’m going to make you suffer,” said Manila, but her threat was very much undermined by the broken moan that left her as she arched her back and bit her lip as Raja stroked her again.
“Ooh, I can’t wait,” smirked Raja, heady and pleased.
Raja ghosted gentle kisses around her thighs and her lower belly, and then laughed as Manila practically growled at her. But she wouldn’t make Manila wait much longer, Raja ran her tongue experimentally over her folds, the taste and sensation firing constellation-like synapses in Raja’s mind. Manila let out another whimper as Raja swirled her tongue around her clit.
Mmm, pussy.
Raja went to town, spreading Manila’s legs a little wider and adjusting the angle of her neck to stay comfortable. She built it up, keeping the rhythm on her clit with her tongue as she pressed her fingers up into the lovely wetness once more.
“This feels so good,” sighed Manila, and Raja flicked her eyes up at her expression. Manila’s cheeks had flushed pink, and she reached her hand inside her bra to play with her nipple, her eyelids fluttering momentarily with pleasure. She looked absolutely excellent, far more relaxed than Raja had ever seen her before.
Raja continued, building up her rhythm as Manila began to gasp and moan and roll her hips against Raja’s face. It felt so good to please her friend like this, the ache of Raja’s own desire still warm and insistent between her legs.
Raja hooked her fingers, finding her g-spot once again, and flicking her tongue over Manila’s clit, hard and rapid while Manila clenched her thighs and arched her back even more and moaned, pressing herself up against Raja’s face until Raja had to hold her firmly against the bed with her opposite hand. Raja steadily increased the rhythm on her clit, and Manila got louder and louder, cursing over and over, and moaning Raja’s name until Raja felt her movements get erratic, and her internal muscles clenched and-
Sudden liquid dripped out onto Raja’s hand, as Raja brought Manila through an orgasm so good it could move tectonic plates. Manila moaned pathetically, her breath heavy, clutching desperately at the sheets as she let Raja take care of her.
Someone banged on the door.
“Oh my god, Raja, this is excessive even for you-”
“Go away Carmen!”
“Sorry, Carmen,” called Manila in an unsteady, breathy whimper of a voice.
“Wait, you’ve got Manila in there? Congratulations, bitches!”
Raja laughed, and sat up, wiping her face clean on her loose shirt before flopping down next to Manila and curling in to her side. Manila propped herself up on one elbow and swallowed dryly, shaking her head, her eyes glazed over in amazed disbelief. She looked like she’d been thoroughly fucked, thought Raja with keen affection, along with immense satisfaction on her own part.
“Ugh, that was really nice, that was so good,” repeated Manila, rolling onto her side to face Raja, and Raja practically glowed with the praise, “But how do Delta and Carmen both already know about this?”
“I’m not great with secrets,” shrugged Raja, nuzzling Manila’s neck and cuddling up against her.
Manila didn’t respond, instead she cuddled back into Raja with a happy little sigh, shutting her eyes. There was nothing in Raja’s gently stoned brain but post-sex satisfaction. After a few minutes Raja sat up, tracing her finger down Manila’s body from her shoulder to her chest, then down the dip of her waist and up and rise of her hip.
“You’re a bit of a pillow princess,” teased Raja, with a smirk, “I’m not sure what I expected, but you’re such a bratty little bottom-”
“No I’m not!” protested Manila in offence, sitting up.
“Yeah, you are,” taunted Raja, with a what-can-you-do shrug.
“Bitch, I’m about to destroy you,” said Manila, stretching her arms over her head and cracking the knuckles in fingers intimidatingly. She gave Raja an evil smile that was only slightly off-set by her blissed-out expression.
Raja gulped, now regretting her choice to tease her friend. She knew Manila was competitive, but what beast had she awakened?
“Now show me where you keep your vibrators and get on your back,” ordered Manila, with a deliciously authoritative grin.
Raja’s heart leapt and the warmth between her legs, which had much been waiting for this moment all day, flared back to violent, excited life. She told Manila where the sex toys were and rolled onto her her back, pulling off her underwear and tossing them aside, so glad to be fully naked. Raja couldn’t wait to see what Manila could do.
Finally.
-
Manila selected a small purple vibrator from Raja’s extensive collection in the plastic bin under her bed, and sat back up. Raja lay out before her, stretching like a happy cat, a pleased expression on her face under her half-lidded, bloodshot eyes. Her body was beautiful, long and lithe with subtle curves. Manila couldn’t help but feel honoured that Raja was showing herself to her like this. A few days ago she’d have never thought this would happen in like, real life, outside of her fantasies.
The earth-shattering orgasm from a few minutes ago had been, uh. Phew. Manila’s body responded strongly to Raja’s presence, and she felt tired and a little faded. But the opportunity to please Raja in return was one Manila couldn’t pass up.
Plus, she kind of liked the whole bossy thing that Raja was bringing out in her.
Manila crawled on top of Raja and gently kissed her neck, holding herself barely an inch above her so that their bodies weren’t quite touching. All those abdominal workouts at the gym were proving handy. Raja’s neck tasted amazing, and she made a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a purr that Manila really really liked. Raja caressed her waist, and arched her back, pressing herself up into Manila, their skin practically tingling where it met.
“You’re so beautiful,” sighed Raja. “I’m like so lucky,”
Manila smiled to herself and then sucked down hard on the corner of Raja’s neck where it met her shoulder. Raja let out an undignified squeak and Manila bit her just a little, knowing she’d have a reddish purple hickie bloom on Raja’s light brown skin later, and Raja moaned and arched into her further, wrapping her arms around Manila’s back and holding her close.
Manila tried to make some more space between their bodies, but Raja wasn’t really letting her. But Manila managed to sneak her hand between their bodies, flicking on the vibrator, and slid it between Raja’s legs, which she spread eagerly for her with a happy sigh. Raja was incredibly uninhibited, and that only encouraged Manila, making her bolder. It was so freeing to be intimate with someone like this and not worry about judgement. Or maybe that was just the weed talking.
But Raja was moving against her, rubbing herself up against the vibrator pressed between them, tangling her hand in Manila’s hair as she kissed her neck. Manila couldn’t help but fantasize about what else they might do as she held the buzzing device against Raja, drawing her pleasure out, from lazily fucking all afternoon to maybe a few more hardcore things… hopefully involving strap-ons, she was fairly sure she’d seen something like that in Raja’s box of sex toys.
Manila shifted the vibrator to a slightly different angle and Raja whimpered into her ear. Manila moved it gently against her, and reached between them again with her opposite hand to toy with her nipple.
Raja seemed to really enjoy that, because she arched her back and moaned something incoherent, rutting against the vibrator. Manila shifted down so she could lick and suck on Raja’s opposite nipple, pinching the other one as Raja let out an exhilarated yelp, and clutched Manila close, pressing her fingers into her back and rolling her hips. Raja’s body lithe arched and her breath was heavy, and then she slowed her hips, with a final little twitch.
“Did that feel good?” asked Manila, as she stood back up on her hands and knees and clicked the vibrator off, tossing it aside. She couldn’t help but ask, she wanted the approval.
“Mmm, yes,” replied Raja, sitting up and kissing her lazily. “But I’m not done, I want more of you…”
Manila smiled, almost blushing at Raja’s raw, simple statement of desire. But then Manila had an idea, and she turned on her back, lying next to Raja, who cuddled into her instinctively. It was so cute that Raja was physically affectionate, both platonic and romantic in equal measure, just like the way she’d been with her since they’d started being friends, but now with a different energy.
“Get up and sit on my face,” ordered Manila.
Raja blinked at her, and then grinned and got up with a slight grunt, straddling Manila’s chest with her long, beautiful legs bent at the knee.
“Have you ever done this before?” asked Raja, looking down at her, her long dark hair framing her face.
Manila narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her gaze on Raja’s face and not just stare at her pussy, which was really very much in her line of vision. Instead she ran her hands up Raja’s thighs and gripped her hips, pulling her closer.
“A lady never tells.”
“Oh, so you’re a lady now?” chuckled Raja, brushing Manila’s hair back so that she didn’t kneel on it as she shuffled forward, holding herself just above Manila.
“I’ve done it a couple times, it’s not that hard, come on,” whined Manila, vaguely realizing that her vow to tease Raja and make her suffer wasn’t going very well at this rate. Somehow she’d ended up being the one begging, again. In the future, when Manila had gotten used to this and was a little more, uh, composed around Raja, Raja would be the one begging. Definitely. For sure.
But Manila had a lot more important things to focus on, as Raja carefully lowered herself onto her face and Manila tilted her head back slightly, and held Raja’s hips. For once Manila didn’t doubt herself, they were figuring all of this out after all, emotionally and physically, and had plenty of time to do so.
-
If Raja was the kind of person who felt embarrassment about sexual situations, she might’ve felt a little embarrassed sitting on Manila’s face right now, or even embarrassed by how badly Manila seemed to want her. Luckily, Raja didn’t really feel embarrassed about sex, especially when she had a little weed in her. So, she very carefully held herself in place, sitting down but not putting the entirety of her weight on Manila’s face. She really didn’t want to break her friend’s neck, and/or accidentally suffocate her, that would not be a fun way to end the afternoon.
Manila lapped gently at her folds, quickly locating her clit and swirling her soft, velvety tongue around it. Raja exhaled through her nose, pleasure mixing with the hazy sensation in her mind, her aroused body quickly shifting back into gear. Mmm, Manila was so soft…
Okay, maybe she was a little more than soft, because she holding Raja’s hips very decisively, and encouraging her to rock against her. While Raja definitely didn’t want to hurt her or put on too much pressure the temptation to move was really strong. So Raja did, just a little.
Vaguely aware that she her own bodily juices were dripping all over Manila’s face and chin, Raja leaned forward slightly try to get a grip on the wall, her palms flat out.
“Is this- are you okay?” asked Raja, the shake in her voice giving her away as a a ripple of pleasure went through her body.
Manila nodded, confidently wrapping her arm around Raja’s thigh and pressing her in even closer.
“Mmh-” managed Raja, grinding slowly against Manila’s nose and mouth as Manila flicked her tongue against the delicate, tender skin around the entrance of her pussy, before pushing her tongue up inside her.
The wall wasn’t giving Raja much support, her sweaty palms were slipping and she didn’t know what to do with her hands. But this felt so good, the precarious feeling like she was unravelling. Manila’s lidded gaze flicked up to meet hers, and Raja was sure her face must have been ridiculous, her mouth open, panting and desperate with pleasure. Manila’s gaze was mischievous. Damn it.
A moan escaped Raja, and she wondered if it was the weed that was making her hyperaware of her hands right now, as Manila slipped her tongue in and out of her, building her up, and Raja ground herself on Manila’s face, hoping she wasn’t hurting her, babbling, “This feels so good, I- oh my god, fuck, Manila-“
This only seemed to invigorate Manila further, as she sucked on her clit in a way that made Raja’s eyes roll back in her head, as she felt the slick of sweat on her back. Raja slumped forward, and her hands managed to find the low board running across the head of her bed, which she’d forgotten about until this moment. Raja gripped it with one hand to make sure she wasn’t putting all her weight on Manila, and looked down again.
Manila’s beautiful hair was all shoved up behind her head to keep it safe from Raja’s knees. Raja tangled her hand in the beautiful black curls, the texture practically alive under her extra-sensitive fingertips. Manila somehow managed to nod that that was okay, and it electrified Raja even further and the entire world could have been burning and Raja wouldn’t have noticed, gasping as the pleasure wound higher and higher and her entire body tensed and unravelled.
After a several long moments of white-hot pleasure and astral-projection into outer space, Raja blinked and shuffled off of Manila, shivering from the aftershocks. Manila blinked, and turned her head to the side, cracking her neck. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, attempting to clean up the combination of Raja’s slick juices and her own saliva that was all over half of her face.
“Is your neck okay?” said Raja, her voice weak as she slid down next to Manila to cuddle. “Also, you might need a towel.”
“Yeah, my neck is fine,” replied Manila smugly. “Did I destroy you?”
“Yeah, you really did,” sighed Raja, pressing her face into Manila’s neck and breathing in, “I knew this was going to be awesome.”
Manila laughed quietly and kissed her cheek.
“I think we should have a nap,” whispered Raja, hazy relaxation taking over her limbs, “Then a snack, and some more weed, and then we can make out again later. Do you want to stay?”
“I have that research assignment I should be working on…” replied Manila, but she didn’t make any effort to get up, instead she reached over to the other side of the bed and grabbed the end of Raja’s blanket, pulling it around them both and snuggling in, “…but a nap sounds nice too.”
Raja couldn’t help but smile, slipping her arm around Manila’s waist and holding her close as she relaxed into a a gentle doze.
They’d finally stopped joking and dancing around each other, and it felt really, really good.
-
“I’m like so happy you rescued me from the grocery store that time a few weeks ago,” sighed Raja, reflecting on how it had all began, and passing her joint to Manila, who was tangled up in her lap on the living room couch.
After the excellent sex-filled afternoon a week ago, and several more conversations about feelings and boundaries, Raja and Manila had arrived at an arrangement of casual dating. They’d both just handed in major assignments and as such, were taking a break from the endless deluge of schoolwork to chill out. The relationship so far was great, relaxed and low-pressure enough for Raja to feel comfortable, but intentional and committed enough to suit Manila’s needs. Raja hadn’t felt this way about anybody else before, and was still working out what it meant, if anything. But more importantly, they were being honest with each other, and that was very sexy, and things felt really fucking good.
“Ha,” chuckled Manila, inhaling and blowing smoke back into Raja’s face, “Anytime, Raja. You’re a ridiculous human.”
“No, you are,” said Raja affectionately, kissing her ear and then moving a little lower to gently nuzzle her neck.
“They’re disgusting,” stated Delta from their left side, with a smile at the edge of her mouth as she played Super Smash Bros with Carmen, “I knew this would happen.”
“Yeah Raja, you’re so embarrassing,” laughed Carmen from their right side, leaning forward with the controller, and competing with Delta on the screen. Manila laughed along with her, and poked Raja’s side, teasing her.
“Aren’t you gonna fight her for my honour or something?” whined Raja to Manila in complaint.
“Nope,” chuckled Manila, kissing her cheek.
“You’re right, they’re terrible,” complained Carmen to Delta, but she accepted the joint that Manila passed to her anyway, with a smile.
Something interesting stirred in Raja’s stomach at Manila’s casual threat and she cuddled her a little closer, already excited to head up to her room later.
“We should make some ground rules,” stated Delta, jabbing at the controller, “No sex on the couch, for example.”
“Yeah, we already broke that one,” said Raja, with an evil grin.
“Oh my god, the couch is communal!”
“Wait, this couch?” demanded Carmen, mildly disgusted, glancing down at the cushions she was sitting on.
“Do we have another one?”
“No…”
“Okay, let go of me,” said Manila, gently removing Raja’s hand from around her waist and leaning forward, reaching for a controller. “I’m gonna join the melee.”
Delta and Carmen finished up their round as Manila got set up, and Raja reached past Carmen’s back to the side of the couch for some chips. Mmm, salt. Raja didn’t particularly feel like playing video games today, she just wanted to keep smoking and relax, but she didn’t mind if her friends did so around her. She shuffled so that she was sitting with her legs open with Manila between them, leaning forward. Manila’s body language was focused, and her thumbs moved rapidly over the joystick and the letter buttons, her grip was confident on the plastic controller.
Without needing to ask, Raja gently took Manila’s hair out of it’s ponytail, and carded her hands through it. Manila gossiped back and forth with Carmen and Delta, letting Raja gently weave little braids into her hair while they fought and trounced one another on the screen.
An easy, affectionate feeling came over Raja, one that was both familiar and new, glowing in her chest. Raja wondered vaguely if it was just the weed talking, again.
No, Raja realized as she heard Manila laugh and smiled to herself, this feeling had nothing to do with weed.
It was love.
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artificialqueens · 3 years
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AQ author interview tag:
Pen Name: dartmouth420
Pronouns: she/her
How long have you been involved in the RPDR fandom?: oh boy i’ve been reading fics since 2016-ish but i’ve been watching the show since season 5 aired
And what got you started?: as with any new media i consume i did a cursory investigation of the fanfic just to see what people were up to… loved every minute of it (biadore pulled me in first lmao) and during a span of unemployment i decided i wanted more rajila lol and started writing
Favorite queens and/or ships to write: i generally write rajila, ravjila, rujubee, but there are many other queens i really enjoy as characters and there are some other rare-pairs i might explore down the line !
Favorite genres to to write: i mostly write lesbian AUs, angst, idiots-in-love, awkward sex scenes are my favourite thing in the world, i often dip into themes of mental illness and trauma, as well as unnecessarily dark stuff that i don’t post lol. i’ll read just about anything but i LOVE genre-specific AUs (shoutout to Veronica&Dane for galactica, MistressAQ for their star trek au <3)
Where you post: aq a little but mostly i post on a03! 
Most popular fic: Prepare to Use Force If Necessary got a fair amount of attention which really surprised me because it’s not shippy or smutty, it’s basically a very drawn-out adoption fic :)
Favorite story you’ve written so far: I don’t have a favourite, they all have aspects i like and dislike in equal measure!
Longest fic you’ve written (and word count if you want): Prepare to Use Force If Necessary is 66,963 words lmao it could use an edit down… 
Fic you were nervous to post: Nostalgia for sure, because it’s canon compliant m/m which was outside my comfort zone, and it centres around a low-key toxic friendship so i wasn’t sure how that would be met! also i challenged myself to write it as AS5 was airing so it left little time for editing (i usually sit on a fic for a while before posting)
Favorite comment you’ve ever gotten on your fic: pink-grapefruit-cafe once sent in a comment praising Nostalgia when i was posting that and it made me so happy!!! thank you!! also this one rando on a03 once commented “jesus” on my one-shot (Famous Blue Raincoat) and i don’t know what that meant but i think about it all the time lmao. hilariously on the same story i also received an excellent, resounding comment (thank you lemyanka from a03) so that was really nice too <3 i like the different reactions people have :)
Do you accept prompts?: i don’t accept prompts directly but i have certainly seen prompts posted here aq and been inspired by them!
How you choose your titles: with great frustration
Do you outline?: yes! when i commit to writing a fic i write down single lines describing loosely what’ll happen in each scene, i.e. [raja confronts manila with her suspicions, they argue then make out] it’s not always in the right order. i write random scenes and if i like a scene enough, i’ll build a story around it. for example, with PTUFIN the very first scene i wrote was manila’s nervous breakdown, and basically built the fic around it as the pivotal moment.
Number of completed fics: 6
Number of fics in progress: uhhhh 4? honestly there so many looool
Number of fics coming soon/not yet started posting: here’s what i’ve got up my sleeve right now: an art world au about navigating an open relationship, a catholic high school au, a fight club au, a canon-compliant(ish) near-future dystopian hunger games fic that’s too dark for my own good lol, a lesbian au where the main character has severe agoraphobia/ocd, low-key Marriage Story au where the main character is trying to raise her kid after recently separating from her long time partner… oh the list goes on. and i hope to finish Nostalgia sometime :)
Upcoming work that you’re most excited about: the art world open relationship au is SUCH a soap opera lmao, but it’s almost done, it’s like 50,000 words tho and reaaaaaaaal angsty/emotional/smutty
Anything else you want readers to know!!: every time i get a comment i ascend into the sky with joy, seriously. i love every single person who’s ever bothered to say anything nice to me <3 <3 <3 <3. i’ve never worked with a beta reader but i think that could be fun! also, i think about the infamous ‘rajila sex anon’ every day of my life ahahaha
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