* 𝑺𝑳𝑶𝑾 / 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 .

“oh don’t sound so disappointed. if i remember correctly, you were having a grand time up until and after you left.” a smile appeared on his face and in that instant she snaked the bottle from. not that he would complain, he was always fine with pretty brunettes stealing his alcohol. “careful there, darling, drink any more of that and we’ll be leaving early again, together.” he smirked, it was nothing more than flirty jokes, unless she wanted a repeat – he wouldn’t be opposed. “i think the whole point was to wear as little clothes as possible, i still think you could be wearing less, cat.”

          the  straightforwardness  of  his  statement  certainly  surprised  her  ---  but  if  anyone  knew  the  rules  to  the  whole  ‘ fuck  them  and  fuck  with  them ’ ,  if  was  cat  ----  and  a  generous  swig  of  tequila  she’d  just  taken  certainly  helped .  “ don’t  get  too  cocky ,  darling , ”  she  attempted  to  mock  him ,  her  thumb  running  along  her  bottom  lip  to  fix  the  barely  smudged  lipstick  of  hers ,  “ wouldn’t  wanna  have  you  disappointed  now ,  would  we ? ”  the  mention  of  her  outfit  gave  her  an  excuse  to  eye  lucien  up  and  down ,  and  she  did  just  that  in  the  hopes  of  finding  something  to  get  a  snarky  comment  on .  “ well ,  you  see --- when  choosing  between  just  covering  myself  up  and  looking  tasteful ,  i  chose  the  latter , ”  almost  as  if  to  prove  her  point ,  the  brunette  slowly  twirled  in  her  dangerously  short  dress  before  facing  him  again  with  the  sweetest  smile  she  could  muster ,  “ unlike  you . ”

    the thing with his sister’s friends was that he wasn’t exactly close with them, sure he’d hang out with them from time to time but it was only with sienna around, so it was a rare sight to see him spending time with any of her friends on his own. surprisingly enough though cat seemed like a cool person to be around with and to be completely honest he didn’t think that he’d actually enjoy her company as much. after drinking the shot he could feel the burning satisfaction from downing it and squeezed his eyes, but he had to immediately recover though, because it was his turn to pick the next liquor the two of them would drink. his eyes searched all over the place, when suddenly he spotted a few bottles of whiskey on a table not too far away from them “ you down for whiskey? ”

          her  hazel  orbs  followed  his ,  spotting  the  prize  ----  a  bottle  of  jack ,  almost  all  the  way  full ,  that  appeared  to  have  been  forgotten  not  too  far  away  from  them ;  so ,  instead  of  giving  timothee  a  direct  answer ,  caterina  chose  to  resort  to  actions ,  which  should’ve  been  anything  but  surprising  to  anyone .  she  danced  her  way  to  the  table ,  dragging  the  taller  guy  with  her  without  giving  him  much  of  a  choice  ---  why  would  she  be  wasting  time  on  that ?  caterina  also  didn’t  see  much  of  a  point  in  wasting  her  time  on  anything  else ,  immediately  taking  the  matters  into  her  hands  and  pour  the  liquor  for  the  both  of  them .  “ since  i’m  feeling  particularly  generous ,  here’s  a  piece  of  advice , ”  she  stated ,  stopping  mid-sentence  only  to  down  the  contents  of  her  cup .  “ actions  are  more  beneficial  than. words  most  of  the  time --- especially  when  it  concerns  a  decent  drink  at  a  party . ”

this party was right up lucien’s street. any chance to get undressed to the point of borderline nudity and he was there – he’d gotten those tattoos to show off, after all. lucien was cruising off six tequila shots and a flat mango white claw some sorority girl had gifted him, and he showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. he’d opted for nothing but an old pair of calvin klein’s which he’d artistically wrapped in caution tape (something he thought was hilarious, but the aforementioned sorority girl thought was “dumb af”). unfortunately, his fellow party goers didn’t seem to share the same enthusiasm… namely the person swaying to the music next to him. “wanna do a shot?” he asked, holding up a half-empty bottle of jose cuervo, “or something a little more exciting?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

          at  that  point  in  time  caterina  has  consumed  enough  liquor  to  overstep  any  logical  limits  of  alcohol  consumption ,  therefore  the  rest  of  the  night  could  go  two  ways ;  the  first ,  more  mature  one  required  her  stopping  now  and  just  sticking  to  seltzer  and  cigarettes  which  would  leave  her  with  a  splitting  headache  the  morning  after .  the  other,  less  boring  option  was  about  going  ham  on  tequila  and  leaving  the  possibility  of  her  being  able  to  wake  up  tomorrow  morning  up  to  universe ,  karma  and  everything  else  of  that  sort .  the  decision ,  really ,  was  pretty  much  made  for  her  with  a  swing  of  a  bottle  in  front  of  her ,  which  immediately  made  a  dazzling  smile  appear  upon  her  face .  “ steady  there ,  mate --- the  last  time  you  suggested  doing  a  shot  together ,  i  ended  up  leaving  early, ” caterina  exclaimed ,  snatching  the  bottle  out  of  the  guy’s  hands  before  he  could  protest .  “ so ,  i  will  be  the  one  doing  the  shot --- thanks  for  the  booze ! ”

“yo….watch this!” the alcohol was loosening her up and the normally reclusive and isolated filmmaker was feeling a bit friendly and in the party going spirit as hadley beckoned for the other to come near her, “see that couple right there? both of them are PISS drunk and have been fighting nonstop. and i bet you…in less than a minute…one…if not both are going to fall into the pool. care to bet me on it or do you trust my awesome expertise?”

          with  a  glint  of  curiosity  present  in  her  eyes ,   caterina  scanned  the  room  in  the  hopes  of  finding  the  topic  of  her  conversation  with  hadley  ---- and  seeing  how  all  the  possible  clues  were  useless  in  this  particular  setting ,  it  took  her  a  solid  minute  to  spot  a  couple  seemingly  in  a  heated  argument  in  the  middle  of  the  so-called  dancefloor ,  exactly  like  the  brunette  said .  “ okay ,  i  agree  with  you  here ,  but --- ”  caterina  started  off ,  lazily  pointing  her  glass  at  hadley . “ what  do  you  think  they  are  arguing  about ? ”

Caterina was on her way to drunk like everyone else but she was at least not telling him to start twerking or something. “I didn’t actually plan the party.” He was just a member of the frat and usually they didn’t do the wild parties but Nash had taken his chance. “But I can get you another drink if you’d like?”

          his  dismissive  attitude  was  becoming  concerning  at  this  point  ----  and  caterina  wasn’t  normally  the  one  to  care  unless  it  was  one  of  her  sisters .  though ,  the  worst  part  of  this  situation  was  the  fact  that  lucas  didn’t  seem  interested  in  any  of  it .  “ that’s  a  valid  point ,  but  not  valid  enough . ”  cat  commented ,  tilting  her  head  to  the  side  as  she  felt  a  rush  of  determination  to  her  head .  “ let  me  rephrase  that  --  we  are  getting  another  drink  whether  you  like  it  or  not . ”

    there was never an instance when cat didn’t bring a smile onto sienna’s features. her presence alone was putting sienna at ease, allowing her to be completely and unapologetically herself. hazel hues strike up to take in the beautiful female next to sienna and a chuckle leaves her lips. “don’t give me hope!” sienna exclaimed, offering her own cup to her glossy lips to take a sip from the fiery drink, “you know i’d say yes - marrying my best friend sounds like a lifetime of fun.” sienna explained with the rise of her brows, passionate about the words that left her mouth simply because they were nothing but true. even though her sexuality wouldn’t allow her to fulfill her wifely duties when it comes down to the bed department, if cat went down on one knee and pulled out a diamond ring, sienna would say yes on the second. being legally betrothed to your best friend on it’s own sounds like something the van kirk heir would do if drunk enough and at vegas, so why shy away from it when sober when she knew full well that marriage with cat would consist of non-stop champagne drinking, parties, and unconditional love and support. “give me a second to hunt down a ring and i might propose to you myself.”

          her  obvious  look  of  complete  and  utter  adoration  might’ve  caused  someone  to  throw  up ,  she  was  sure  of  it ;  but  there  really  was  no  reason  for  caterina  to  hide  it  ----  not  after  she’d  been  so  public  about  it .  “ okay ,  now  that  i  know  you  won’t  turn  my  proposal  down ,  i’ll  come  up  with  a  more  extravagant  way  to  propose , ”  she  mused  jokingly ,   tilting  her  head  to  the  side  as  if  in  deep  thought .  the  drink  in  her  hand  enabled  her  imagination ,  and  the  picture  in  her  head  appeared  to  be  as  vivid  as  it  could  get .  knowing  sienna’s  love  for  the  aesthetical  aspect  of  things  and  just  the  general  understanding  of  how  she  deserved  nothing  but  the  absolute  best  gave  her  an  idea  of  what  she  could  do  if  she  actually  tried  to  ----- which ,  of  course ,  included  a  sea  of  fresh  lilies  and  a  russian  doll  of  tiffany  boxes  filled  with  notes  and  printed  pictures  of  the  pair  from  freshmen  year  to  the  present  moment .    her  statement ,  though ,  elicited  a  laugh  out  of  her  so  strong  that  she  almost  dropped  her  drink --- and  her  newfound  clumsiness,  coincidentally ,  made  her  laugh  even  harder .  “ baby ,  no ! ”  caterina  whined  in  protest  ,  pointing  her  drink  at  her  best  friend  to  get  her  point  across .  “ you  don’t  get  to  steal  my  idea ! ”

pia’s never been a fighter , not physically at least . she always resorted to playing diplomat and resolving things with words instead of fists . so when the ol’ lad came upon her , there was no way , whether she be completely drunk or pathetically sober , that she could be fighting against him with any sort of physical means . so she was grateful for the interruption of her friend , otherwise she might as well have been stuck in that position with a slobbering freshmen who couldn’t hand his alcohol . she raised her eyebrows at the scene that unfolded in front of her . chuckling a little as she let her friend steer her away , only sparing a quick look back to see whether the stranger was okay . pia turned her attention back to her friend , features morphing into confusion and amusement all the same , “ i never get into that kind of trouble !  this is why i wanted to stay in and play scrabble instead , i even contemplated playing scrabble against myself … but thanks for that cat , i don’t know what would’ve happened had i stayed .  but knowing me i probably would’ve recited the miranda’s rights . ” 

         her  natural  instincts  immediately  kicked  in  every  time  she  could  spot  pia  nearby .  the  brunette  just  seemed  to  be  such  a  kind-hearted ,  pure  being  that  protecting  her  from  the  surrounding  evil  almost  became  reflective ;  and  far  as  caterina  was  concerned ,  drunk  college  boys  were  the  worst  of  it  all  closely  followed  by  the  pineapple  pizza  and  tiktok .  she  also  made  sure  to  scan  pia’s  appearance  to  see  if  the  bastard  had  ruined  her  outfit ,  or  worse ,  left  a  trace  of  his  unwanted  presence  upon  her  skin  -----  much  to  his  luck ,  she  didn’t  spot  anything ,  allowing  a  sigh  of  relief  escape  her  lips .  “ scums  like  that  dude  should  never  stop  you  from  having  a  good  time --- if  anyone  deserves  to  let  loose  every  once  in  a  while ,  it’s  you . ”  she  admitted  whole-heartedly ,  making  sure  to  glare  in  the  dude’s  direction  to  make  sure  he  disappeared  out  of  her  sight  ---  because ,  god  forbid  she  put  her  boxing  training  to  use  at  a  frat  party  and  got  arrested  for  assaulting  a  person .  though ,  the  coast  was  clear ,  and  her  expression  immediately  changed .  “ there’s  nothing  to  thank  me  for --- i  just  did  what ,  hopefully ,  every  sane  person  would , ”  caterina  stated  with  a  soft  smile.  “ but  since  playing  scrabble  here  isn’t  an  option ,  what  would  you  like  to  do ? ” 

the girl blinked slightly at her friend’s response, before a sheepish smile began to creep onto her lips. “ do you really think so, cat? ” her hands came up to adjust the crop top as she spoke, clearly buoyed by cat’s affirmation. “ oh, well, i don’t really know. i was just worried i looked a bit ridiculous, i suppose. ” now that cat had put the question to her, luna found she didn’t really have a good answer to it. so often she found herself holding back for fear of what ‘ other people ’ might have to say about her — but cat never seemed to care. it was one of the reasons she looked up to the girl. ‘ a LION doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of a sheep. ’ luna had heard the phrase many times, but had never truly witnessed it personified until she met cat. 

          her  hazel  eyes  scanned  her  dress  once  more ,  spotting  just  the  right  words  to  respond  to  her  question  with .  “ of  course ,  it  even  says  so  on  your  dress  -----  the brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp , ”  caterina  said ,  carefully. moving  her  finger  along  the  quote  printed  on  her  ribcage .  she  couldn’t  stop  herself  from  admiring  the  thought  and  craftsmanship  luna  put  in  her  dress ;  the  majority  of  people  at  the  party  chose  to  go  with  something  simple  and  easy  enough  to  make  in  fifteen  minutes  ( just  like  caterina  herself  did ) ,  but  luna  involuntarily  made  sure  to  turn  heads  the  moment  she  stepped  into  the  room .  “ you  see  that  guy ?  he’s  been  looking  at  you  for  as  long  as  you’ve  been  here , ”  cat  turned  her  head  in  the  direction  of  the  said  person  in  the  hopes  of  proving  luna  just  how  stunning  she  looked .  though ,  her  next  words  only  sparked  pride  in  caterina’s  heart ,  and  if  it  was  possible ,  she  would’ve  definitely  shed  a  tear .  however ,  instead  she  opted  for  taking  the  brunette’s  hand  and  slowly  moving  deeper  into  the  crowd .  “ it  would  be  an  shame  to  waste  the  night  like  this ,  so  hopefully ,  you  won’t  mind  getting  a  drink  with  me . ”

her answer caused the musician to giggle, clapping his hands together, “okay queen, fuck us with that BDE…i’m HERE for it.” teddy was blissfully buzzed, keeping the other girl close, “okay real question though…i fucking love your glitter. can you share some of it with me? i’m in need of glitter and some kisses…” he places a pointer finger on his cheek, “this cheek…hasn’t been kissed in too long. he really needs some loving, cat.” compliments were ALWAYS his forte, getting them and giving them but he especially liked getting them, “fun fact…i don’t even work out! well…i only work out in one place and i’m not going to share those dirty details. your innocent ears can’t handle that. okay next question…are we going to dance or are we going to fucking dance?”

          the  brunette’s  poinsoned  logic  deemed  the  moment  as  appropriate  to  laugh ;  she  laughed  at  nothing  in  particular ,  really  ---  it  was  just  teddy’s  overall  presence  around  her  that  got  her  acting  and  feeling  this  way  towards  the  simplest  of  things .  so ,  following  the  guy’s  orders ,  caterina  placed  a  generous  smooch  upon  each  of  his  cheeks ,  making  sure  to  leave  just  enough  of  her  make-up .  “ well ,  i  will  absolutely  provide  both ,  your  highness , ”  she  chuckled  as  her  fingers  worked  on  blending  the  redness  slightly  higher  up  his  cheekbones .  she  had  to  admit ,  the  glitter  was  certainly  complementing  his  dazzling  smile  and  his  warm  orbs  that  were  glimmering  in  the  lights .  “ yeah ,  please  spare  me  the  details  ----  i’m  still  a  child ! ”  her  response  to  his  joke  came  out  slightly  jagged  due  to  the  fact  that  dying  from  laughter  wasn’t  actually  a  a  part  of  the  plan .  after  her  lips  placed  a  final  peck  upon  the  tip  of  his  nose ,  she  took  his  hands  in  hers ,  tugging  teddy  to  the  dancefloor .  “  come  on ,  monroe !  show  us  how  to  move ! ”  

     it was a good feeling thought, talking to his sister again, trying to bring back what he thought was going to be a never-ending beef and this was truly a thing that had to be celebrated. he was thankful for cat as well, it was because of her he decided to speak with his sister, if it wasn’t her to push him a little bit he would’ve probably ignored her, which definitely wasn’t a rational solution of their problems. as cat pulled him towards the tray of shots his mood immediately changed - now it was time to have fun, so he threw every last care away. ” of course we’ll drink something good, this is my house cat, if the good alcohol ends i know where the secret stash is. “ he laughed as he grabbed on of the shots she just offered to him “ cheers! “

          the  enthusiasm  in  his  voice  only  fueled  her  own  ----  of  course ,  she  would’ve  ended  up  partying  the  night  away  anyway ,  but  having  a  company  (  and  a  pleasant  one  at  that  )  could  only  make  it  better .  therefore ,  her  hands  were  quick  to  bring  the  shot  glass  to  her  lips ,  the  liquid  leaving  a  subtle  burn  as  it  went  down  her  throat .  she  immediately  turned  her  head  to  look  at  her  companion  once  again  only  to  throw  her  head  back  and  laugh  for  reasons  unbeknownst  to  her  ----  though ,  the  most  logical  explanation  to  her  actions  was  just  a  sense  of  excitement  and  sheer  happiness  washing  over  her  at  the  prospects  of  finally  letting  loose .  “ well ,  i  am  not  gonna  directly  ask  about  the  sacred  stash ,  but --- ”  caterina  said ,  linking  her  arm  around  his . “ it’s  your  turn  to  choose  the  poison ,  van  kirk . ”

    and while cat was busy stating facts, sienna couldn’t help but shake her head. she knew she was attractive, however, the beauty that radiated from the taller brunette herself almost made sienna want to scream. two hands shoot up to cup the other’s face and a smile tug on the corners of sienna’s mouth, “i was busy obsessing over  y o u  tonight!” the van kirk gushed, before letting her friend free of the grip of her hands and put herself to work by fixing a drink for cat as well. ‘ if your friends jump off a cliff, would you jump too? ‘ was something that sienna lived by, and her answer was always yes - so she did not expect anything less from her kappa sisters and best friends. if sienna was getting hammered tonight, so was cat - it’s her duty as a best friend. her gaze only strikes up to scan the crowd of people around them and she lets a scoff out at cat’s idea. now with a ready drink for her sister, sienna straightens her frame and hands cat the vodka-abused cosmopolitan she crafted just for her. “my next victim? let’s see..” sienna breathed out and her index finger started landing on different faces around the room, “fucked him, would repeat ; fucked him, don’t remember his name ; never will ; maybe ; not in a million years.” the brunette sighed and jerked her head in the direction of her friend, “i guess it’s just me and you tonight.”

          although  she  couldn’t  exactly  check  herself  out  in  the  mirror ,  she  definitely  felt  the  crimson  blush  making  its  appearance  on  her  cheeks  ----  not  like  she  would’ve  seen  anything  anyway ,  thanks  to  the  lighting  in  here ,  but  cat  was  almost  certain  sienna  could  feel  the  heat  raising  under  her  skin .  the  feeling ,  though  unfamiliar  by  that  point  ( because  it  isn’t  a  secret  that  caterina  trevisano  getting  shy  when  being  complemented  is  an  equivalent  to  a  heatwave  on  the  north  pole  nowadays ) ,  didn’t  seem  to  be  unsettling ;  on  the  contrary ,  it’s  giving  her  even  more  confidence ,  if  there  really  was  any  possibility  to  feel  any  more  of  it .  therefore ,  the  only  response  caterina  can  give  sienna  consists  of  a  smile  -----  dazzling ,  the  one  that  has  nothing  but  love  and  admiration  hidden  behind .  “ ugh ,  you’re  giving  me  nothing  to  work  with ! ”  she  let  out  a  fake  sigh ,  eyes  carefully  watching  the  brunette’s  every  move .  “ honestly ,  how  am  i  supposed  to  be  playing  the  role  of  your  wing  woman ? ”  her  smile ,  though ,  never  cracked ,  staying  present  up  until  her  slender  fingers  wrapped  around  a  glass  ----  it  only  grew  wider  as  she  raised  her  glass .  “ keep  talking  like  that  and  i  might  end  up  proposing  to  you  by  the  time  this  party  ends . ”