Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I’m gonna kill you Madeline Ashton!”

Two women violently shuffled past a body lying on the bottom of the stairs, seeming unfazed by the gory sight. Instead, they were much more focused on each other.

“Oh, you bitch!” Helen exclaimed as sharp manicured nails ripped through hair extensions. “I know you’ve always wanted to fight me like this since high school!” Helen continued to dish insults at the blonde woman who seemed to only be interested in dragging her bruised body across the floor. “OW!! LET GO!! JESUS!” Madeline screamed when Helen had turned around and grabbed her ear, twisting and pulling hard.

“Just shut up and let me take a break! How do you still have any stamina left?” the redhead grunted in frustration as she shoved the other woman away from her, stumbling backwards a bit.

Madeline took a moment to flip her somehow still gorgeous blonde hair over her shoulder while Helen wiped blood off her busted lip using her thumb. The redhead rolled her eyes as the other plopped down on the sofa, kicked up her feet and laying back while staring at Helen who was looking at her dumbfounded.

“The fuck do you want?” Madeline asked roughly when Helen crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight onto her slightly less painful leg. The blonde couldn’t help but trace the curve of her collarbone as her eyes continued to dip down the hem of that fiery red top. Sometimes (though she would never admit it) Madeline would lay awake at night thinking about what it may be like if she had Helen’s body. She wasn’t as curvy or plump in all the places that her own body was, but somehow she always was the first to catch the attention of boys. Keeping them concentrated on her instead of Madeline however was a completely different story.

“My eyes are up here, you perv.” Helen snapped at Madeline, dragging her out of her daydreams and back into the reality of her staring at her fuming best friend. She sneered and turned on her heels to walk away from the sofa where Madeleine was sinking into the plush cushions. “I’m not a lesbian, I’m married for heaven’s sake.” She scoffed under her breath, though she was still loud enough for Helen to hear.

“Yeah, you married my ex-fiance! Did you forget? Are you really that dumb?”

“It’s not my fault he went for me! He’s who you should be mad at!”

“I can’t be mad at him if he's already dead! And all because YOU pushed him!”

“I did not!”

“Liar!”

“Whore!”

Madeline sat up on the sofa as Helen walked closer to her, another fight beginning to start up.

“Really? Are you kidding me, Mad? You call me a whore meanwhile you seduced him and got hitched while I was sitting in a psych ward for years! You’re more insane than I was. And after all this you still have the gall to say you didn't kill him when he's lying right there!”
“You’re an insufferable bitch.” Madeline said standing up and walking towards Helen while pointing a perfectly manicured finger at her. “Do you genuinely think you two would have had a ‘perfect life’ if you got married? No, he would've seen some woman 20 years younger at some bar and you would have come running and crying to me saying he left you.”

Once a new screaming match had run its course, both women eventually resorted back to their hands to slap at each other until the two fell to the ground, leaving Helen tightly pinned under Madeline. She had attempted to break free from Madeline’s grip, but was unsuccessful, leaving her struggling on the ground with her hands stuck behind her head. The redhead’s hair splayed onto the ground below and framed her face perfectly. The roaring fireplace crackling seemed to be the only sound besides Helen’s labored breathing due to her attempt to free herself. Jesus, did Madeline actually find her best friend… attractive? No, of course not, it was just the adrenaline speaking up in the heat of the moment.

“This is all your fault, Mad!” The blue eyed woman’s gaze met the woman under her as tears welled along her waterline. With a grunt, Helen was finally able to break away from Madeline’s grip when she had seemed to be momentarily distracted. Immediately after realizing she’d begun to cry, Helen quickly sate up and flushed bright red, pushing Madeline out of the way and attempting to hide her face from her. She sat faced away from the blonde woman as her shoulders shake and she held her face in her pristine hands. God, how Madeline loved those stupidly perfect hands. At first Madeline sat in the same position, stunned at the sudden change in emotions, but she eventually came to her senses.

“Hel…” Madeline said softly coming up behind her and resting her palms on the redhead’s shoulders. She moved to sit in front of her, slowly grabbing her wrists and bringing them away from Helen’s face. Her fiery red hair was tangled from their fight and Madeline moved her face down to level herself with Helen’s as her hands release her shoulders. One gripped her friend’s hand and the other pushed hair out of her eyes. She didn’t look up, but instead squeezed Madeline’s hand tightly.

“Hey, hey, talk to me Hel. Why are you sitting in a pile in the living room crying, hm?”

“I…” Helen hesitated for a few moments before attempting to choke out an explanation.

“What are we gonna do, Mad?” She said looking up and meeting Madeline’s gaze. “Earnest is dead at the bottom of the stairs. I can’t go to jail because you pushed him.”

“I didn't push him, Hel.”

“Yes, you did. Don’t lie.” Helen’s voice was still shaky, but she put more emphasis on her words as she accused the woman in front of her.

“No, I did not.” Madeline said firmly. “I did not push him, despite how bad I wanted to… He was drunk off his ass and stumbled at the top of the stairs. He was probably planning to push me anyway.” The blonde sighs heavily.

Helen is silent for a moment before lifting her head and sniffling as she scans the room. It's an absolute mess with plants knocked over, glasses shattered, and couches looking thoroughly ran through (literally). She groans as she sees Earnest at the bottom of the stairs, lying in the same position as when she first saw him.

“What now?”

Madeline, who had also joined in her friend’s assessment of the living area, inhales deeply through her nose before exhaling harshly in annoyance.

“Ugh. I’ll figure it out.”

Helen sniffled and wiped tears from her eyes before smiling at Madeline. The blonde’s blue gaze stared back at Helen, and she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Nothing too unusual for them, as physical affection was their love language, but something about that small peck felt different. Different enough for Madeline’s skin to burn when Helen’s lips left her skin, and her stomach fluttered.