Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A 3-pointer. And the crowd goes wild!!

The commentator announced on live television as the blonde made the last shot that saved the game. In a small town like this, even a ball game was a big deal. Everyone knew everyone else and your neighbor’s joy, pride, and sorrow were felt in your own backyard.

A tight circle was formed around the blonde girl as every last one of her teammates swarmed her. Eventually, they lifted her and carried her up like a cheerleader.

“Put me down!” Raelle giggled and her heart swelled when she spotted a brunette leaning against the bleachers. On the bleachers, everyone on the winning team’s side was hugging each other and giving each other a grand time. She didn’t care for them. At that moment, it was as if everyone else in the room had evaporated and she only had eyes for the brunette.

“Hey you,” the brunette wrapped her arms around Raelle and pecked her on the cheek. This was the most amount of public affection they were able to show.

“Com’on,“ Scylla held Raelle’s hand and led her out to the hallway with a mysterious smile.

She didn’t give Scylla a chance to explain before pressing Scylla against the lockers and kissed her hard. Raelle could feel Scylla melting into the touch and whimpering and pulling their bodies impossibly close together. Then, Scylla effortlessly switched their positions and pinned Raelle to the lockers instead. She pulled back just as Raelle leaned forward to chase those sweet gorgeous lips. Then she nipped on Raelle’s bottom lip softly.

Raelle’s hands instinctively dipped lower and she teasingly squeezed Scylla’s ass.

“Hmm, hold on there cowgirl. I wanted to talk for a second.”

“About?” Raelle closed her eyes to concentrate, it was intoxicating how she could smell Scylla’s sweet perfume in front of her, taste Scylla on her lips, and feel Scylla right there with her.

“Rae, I’m serious,” Scylla whined playfully.

“So talk- you’re the one that wanted to talk. I’m all worked up for something else,” She guided Scylla’s hand right over her strong and beating heart.

“I’m going to New York for school next year!”

Raelle knitted her brows slightly. “What do you mean Scyl? Thought you were always going to New York.”

“Right, well yesterday Porter got accepted too, finally! And his dad already found us a place near NYU. You’ll visit us right? You have to.” Scylla brought her face close and hovered directly in front of Raelle’s lips.

“Uhm… You were waiting on Porter?” The mood clearly soured as Raelle thought about Scylla’s brainless deadbeat jock boyfriend who was pulling the nepotism privilege card at every stop. For a guy who boasted his toxic masculinity and athleticism all day long, he seriously couldn’t even get a sports scholarship on his own without daddy’s help.

Scylla stroked Raelle’s face. “Hey,” She murmured softly. “Us, this will never change. I love you. I always always will. Porter’s going to be too busy playing sports all day to be home. And you can live with me and figure out what you want to do-”

“You’re kidding me right now.” Raelle extracted herself fully from Scylla. “I don’t have a choice, Scyl and you know that. I have to take on Edwin’s shop - it’s not just a matter of where I can figure out what I want.”

“You’re right, I'm so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that- I just meant you’ll always have a place at mine- '' Scylla reached for Raelle’s hands.

“And what? Play your mistress?” Raelle pulled away.

“Okay, how did you think this would play out?”

Good thing there was no one else in the hallway. Raelle can imagine the entire stadium roaring in celebration and people shotgunning beers and of course, no one was in a hurry to get home.

“You tell me, Scylla.”

“Fine. I hoped we would always stay close, Raelle. One day, who knows- maybe we are allowed to get married. But until then, don’t you want to try to spend as much time together as we can?”

Raelle gulped, “I can't do this, Scylla. You want a good life and I won't be there in your closet or in the shadows waiting. Clearly, you’ve made your choice and I don't want to play your second anymore.”

“What?”

“Goodbye Scylla.” She spun on her heels and walked away, one step at a time until she reached the party again. Lost in the crowd where no one noticed the star of the game was fighting back a flood of tears.

Chapter Text

“Woah what’s that?” Josh fumbled with a box of items labeled “80s Sports Stuff”. As far as he knew, no one in the family was an avid sports fan.

“What’s what?” Alice sighed and barely looked up from her phone. A weekend with her brother was going to be something. They always annoyed the heck out of each other.

“Huh,” Josh pulled a torn-looking DVD case out from the pile. Clearly, whoever put the box together had mislabeled it. The box was full of random things like old movie tickets, train tickets, what appeared to be archaic mixtapes, cassettes, a teddy bear, and a trophy? The DVD caught Josh’s attention because there was a label stuck on it and the writing looked fresh. It read “for Scyl.”

“Okay, what is it?” For someone being the younger sibling, she found herself constantly looking out for Josh. He can be such a klutz and wore his heart on his sleeve way too much.

“Found something,” Josh continued to crouch down and popped the DVD into the DVD player. It had been years since they’ve used the DVD players in the golden age of digital streaming. He grabbed the remote nevertheless and joined his sister on the couch. “Here, it says ‘for Scyl’. You think mom made this for momma?”

“Probably? Yeah.” Alice was just as intrigued now. “I mean, this is incredibly sweet.” It felt a little odd, like they were invading someone’s privacy.

But, Raelle took Scylla out for an entire weekend to celebrate their anniversary while leaving their teenage children home. Sooooo, all bets are off.

Josh shrugged and hit play. He wasn’t going to care if his sister objected to watching the DVD. He’d made up his mind.

The machine whirled and sputtered to life.

Raelle’s face appeared on the screen.

“Gotcha! I knew you guys were going to find this tape. Sit tight and grab a snack kiddos, because this -- is how I met your mother.”

Chapter Text

The streets of New York have a pulse of its own. Day and night it was filled with bustle, and every bead of sweat honored those who hustled. In the early morning hours, food cart vendors busied themselves setting up. All-day long, couriers raced from one block to the next. And every now and in between, tourists and natives alike found themselves looking in awe at their surroundings.

On the corner of an inconspicuous block, a hand-me-down coffee shop sits and weathers all kinds of seasons. The owner formally retired not long ago. He was the son and the grandson of Italian immigrants and now that he’s retired, the first thing he did was to go back to Italy. So now the shop is entirely run by a smaller blonde girl. The owner took her in and gave her a chance when she had just arrived in New York, wide-eyed bushy-tailed, and said that she was “in-between things.” Now, she inherited it like she was his daughter. It’s like she got a second chance in life again.

Her own old man isn't here to see it because he passed. Raelle’s done marvelous things to the shop. It’s all hip and trendy now. She also wasn't afraid to get down with the dirty and fix the mechanical things. Her passion doesn't go unnoticed. The shop’s been doing better and better, attracting a heavily loyal customer base of all ages. People like the cheaper standard drinks and the new and flashy beverages. Some even remember the shop by the blonde running around the shop serving and covering the till.

The morning commuter rush subsided and the regulars have claimed their usual space at the dine-in tables. Raelle switched over to the lunch menu and sighed contently, another busy but good day. Just then the door opened. The blonde didn’t get a good look at who came in. In the corner of her eye, she could see one of her helpful employees rushing to the cash register to greet the new guest, and with that, Raelle went to the back to check on the kitchen and maybe grab a bite.

It was nearly noon when the brunette arrived. She pushed the door ajar tentatively and ventured in. She looked very out of place. The word that comes to mind was posh. It radiated in her style and demeanor. That’s okay. No one else minded. The brunette motioned for a corner table for herself and a polite server took her order. She kept her handbag on her lap while she waited. And she waited for a while. But that was okay too because she had refills on her tea all afternoon and busied herself reading or occasionally checking her phone. The server came by every now and then to check on her and other than that, she stayed and was left to be.

She waited. A couple of times the blonde almost came over to her table. So, she kept waiting. Eventually, she moved to an empty booth instead.

“Excuse me ma’am, we’re closing soon. Just letting you know, may I take your order for the last call?” Raelle came over. She’s started wiping some of the tables and paid no mind to the only guest still remaining in the store.

“Raelle.” Scylla swallowed thickly.

“Scylla,” she froze for just a second. She kept wiping. After all, the shop comes first. And it's been like that for a while now.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Raelle said finally. She was indifferent and a touch curious.

“How have you been?” Scylla said softly. Her gaze followed the blonde who was dedicated to scrubbing every last stain.

“Here and there,” the blonde half shrugged, focused on taking care of the last of the stains on that table. Then, she disappeared for a little while. Not intentionally keeping Scylla waiting. She was following a routine that she developed and kept meticulously.

Finally, Raelle came out of the double door leading to the kitchen and pantry. The sight of her emerging brought an easy smile to Scylla’s face. Raelle’s also holding two whiskey glass with ice and a bottle of something good-looking.

“From my top shelf. With ice.” They toasted and sipped.

“So, how.. Are things with you Raelle?” Scylla nursed the glass and her gaze flickered at the attractive blonde across the table.

“It’s been a long time. I’ve been lucky.. To start over I guess.” she gulped generously and poured herself another. “Edwin ended up in the emergency room three times a year after I- we graduated. The third time, he didn’t come home. I was still figuring out taking over his.. Stuff. Eventually, I decided to salvage what I could, sold everything, and tried my hand in New York. And you?” Raelle held Scylla’s gaze.

“I… well. Porter and I split. In like a few months. We fought almost every day. And he had this enormous chip on his shoulder from his dad.” Scylla stared at the table to focus on a pattern in the wood. “I moved out. He transferred school. And in a few years, I would no longer see his nor his dad’s billboard everywhere I go. No idea where they ended up. I found my footing at a venture capital firm.”

“Oh.” Raelle finished her drink and refilled another. “So what are you doing all the way here? Are you.. Hungry?”

“I.. I ate.” Scylla nodded. “I mean I tried a few pastries today. They were really delicious. Did you really make them?”

“Of course I did.” Raelle downed her drink and started to get up. “Come, it’s late. And you’re far from home-”

“Raelle. I really missed you.” Scylla’s lips trembled slightly and her voice trailed to a whisper. She knows Raelle heard her.

“Let me make you a bed. I have a room upstairs. We’ll have breakfast tomorrow. Stay the night?” Raelle didn’t give Scylla a chance to be polite. After all, they had history.

Scylla followed Raelle to the back and up the stairs. Raelle’s loft smelled lightly of lavender. Raelle washed her hands and started to pull out the futon. Whatever happened next, Scylla and Raelle spent the night sleeping in Raelle’s King-sized bed. They were exhausted and fell asleep in the same way they plunked onto the bed, spooning each other.