The realisation that she was in love with Tegan had hit like a thunderbolt. Nyssa had been so terrified. She hadn’t told a single person yet, not even to Mel, who she normally confided in without a second thought. Possibly because she knew Mel would try to help nudge Nyssa and Tegan closer together in some way. And -while Nyssa did appreciate Mel wanting her to be happy- she wasn’t yet sure if she even wanted anything between her and Tegan to progress. Her friendship with Tegan meant to much; what if it broke when Tegan realised the extent of Nyssa’s feelings for her? Knowing Tegan, she would let Nyssa down easily, making sure not to hurt her feelings more than she had to. But the knowledge of that possibility weighed like a grey cloud in Nyssa’s mind. No, it was too much a risk.

The month of October had flown by, and it was now Halloween. The two flats had organised a themed night-out in Norwich city centre, with everyone dressing up as some sort of spooky character or costume.

Mel -who was dressed as one of the witches from “Hocus Pocus”- put down her magazine and climbed off of Nyssa’s bed.

‘I don’t see what you’re so nervous about. You already know Tegan thinks you’re gorgeous-’

‘Yes but not in a romantic way!’ Nyssa exclaimed. ‘What if I make a fool of myself?’

‘You won’t,’ Mel took Nyssa’s hands in her and squeezed gently. ‘You, Nyssa Traken, are a rational, capable and intelligent woman who can do anything you set your mind to. If you want to have a fun Halloween party with Tegan, you absolutely can do that. If you want to kiss her, you can do that too.’

‘I’m not kissing anyone,’ Nyssa mumbled, looking down at her feet. ‘Especially not Tegan. She’d… well-’

‘Enjoy it? Kiss you back?’ -Mel smiled- ‘You are too harsh on yourself, Nyssa. Now, put your hat on and we can head upstairs to the pre-drinks…’

*

Tegan stepped through the door of the kitchen, tugging a little nervously at the cape she was wearing. She looked around; Ace was currently stood next to the fridge, leaving kisses down Mel’s neck and causing a lot of giggling from the redhead. Harry and Mike were arguing about “The Godfather”. Jo was cheerfully holding hands with Liz and Sarah-Jane, both of whom were blushing bright pink. Ben and Polly were missing, presumably in one of their bedrooms. Benton was making himself a cup of tea.

Where was-

‘Tegan!’

The Australian felt her stomach flip over as Nyssa appeared in front of her. She was wearing long, black dress with a witches hat. Stripy tights and a pair of black shoes completed the look. Her hair was -unusual for her- hanging down, with several flowers braided into it.

‘Woah.’

‘You like it?’ Nyssa asked, smiling… nervously? Yes, she did look a tad nervous. ‘It’s supposed to be Magrat Garlick from Discworld. You don’t think it’s too-’

‘Hot? It is very hot, yes.’

Nyssa stared at her. Tegan blinked, realising what she’d just let slip.

‘Er… thank you,’ -Nyssa’s cheeks had turned a very pretty shade of pink. ‘I like yours. Er… let me guess… butch vampire?’

Tegan nodded, feeling her own face flush.

‘Not too on-the-nose, is it?’

‘No,’ Nyssa replied. ‘It… it looks nice on you.’

‘So you don’t think I look hot? Good grief, Nys; break my heart, why don’t you.’

‘I do think it’s hot!’

Nyssa froze, and her face bypassed pink and turned maroon.

Hmmm. Interesting reaction.

‘We-ell,’ Tegan said, slowly. ‘Given we both know what we look like without the clothes now-’

‘Ssshhh!’ Nyssa giggled, face still blushing as she waved her hands. ‘People might hear!’

‘Nyssa, I got to see you naked; of course I’m gonna mention it.’

They both giggled.

‘You know,’ Nyssa said. ‘for two friends who’ve both seen the other au naturel, we seem to be relatively well adjusted around each other.’

‘Societal expectations relating to nudity are a load of bollocks, anyway,’ Tegan shrugged. ‘And we are both girls.’

‘True,’ -Nyssa raised her cup- ‘To cheerfully seeing your friends completely naked and not being weird about it.’

Tegan laughed, and tapped her own cup against it.

They shared a smile as they drank.

*

Several hours later, they were at one of Norwich’s gay bars, on the dancefloor. Ace and Mel had disappeared into a shadowy corner somewhere, and the various other housemates had splintered off into little groups over the course of the night; Benton (who wasn’t drinking) had elected to bundle Mike and Harry into a taxi -after both of them had drunk enough to render themselves unable to walk in a straight line- and head back to the flat.

As a result, Nyssa had spent the last hour dancing with Tegan. It had been pretty fun; the music was a mix of queer jams, cheesy party hits from the 2000s, and a lot of eighties new wave and synthpop.

‘You sure you’re okay for us to stick to non-alcoholic drinks?’ Tegan yelled, over the music. Nyssa nodded, as they stepped back out onto the dancefloor. Tegan’s plaid shirt was now tied around her waist, showing off her sleeveless “short hair, don’t care” t-shirt and her rather nice biceps. 

‘After last time, probably best for me.’

“Now That I Found You” by Carly Rae Jepson began playing.

As Nyssa danced in front of Tegan, she felt strangely at peace. Yes, she was in love with the Australian, but that was okay. The feelings were sweet by themselves, even if she was not expecting anything to come of them. Tegan’s friendship meant so much to her, and -in any case- it wasn’t a bad thing to fall for your friend. If anything, it was simply a slight change to the affection and deep fondness that she had already felt towards the older girl. Yes, she’d be okay.

Tegan smiled, singing along to the words as she swung her head gently from side to side, her vampire cape swaying. She looked utterly at peace. It warmed Nyssa’s heart to see her like this.

‘You know,’ Tegan said, leaning in close as the song slowly faded out. ‘I really-’

She was cut off by a sudden blast of drums and chiming guitar chords, and Nyssa suddenly felt her heart flip over. She knew that song. No, please, no…

“My mother said when I want something, I never let it go…”

‘Nyssa?’ Tegan asked, still close to her. ‘What’s wrong?’

Nyssa’s palms had gone sweaty. She could feel heat rising in her cheeks, and the lights of the dancefloor suddenly seemed to burn. Her heart hammered painfully against her chest. Tegan was too close, too pretty, too there and it was too much-

“When I saw you, I knew it was over, I just laid down and surrendered…”

Alarm bells were now screaming in Nyssa’s brain. She needed to get out of there before she did something she would definitely regret and that Tegan definitely wouldn’t like-

“I wanna make you, I wanna make you my girl…”

‘T-toilet,’ Nyssa stammered, pulling away from Tegan and pushing her way quickly through the other dancers, all of whom now seemed to be women kissing each other.

“I wanna make you, I wanna make you my world…”

This wasn’t fair. This was not fair. She had been comfortable with the idea of one-sidedly loving Tegan; she had! But the emotions, the dancefloor, the combination of Tegan’s close proximity and that bloody song… she was ruined.

Nyssa stumbled through the door to the ladies toilets, blinking quickly. It was empty. Thank goodness.

She crossed to the sinks, and placed her hands firmly against the porcelain, taking deep, shuddering breaths. It wasn’t much cooler in here compared to the dancefloor, and she could still hear the sounds of “Perfume” by Pale Waves. Was the DJ repeating the song? That was all she needed; a musical reminder of all the hopeful feelings she had been trying to… well, she didn’t know what she was doing with them.

Nyssa took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

The sound of the music suddenly increased, as the door opened.

‘Nys, you alright?’

Bollocks! Bollocks, bollocks!

Nyssa turned, as if pulled by a force beyond her control. Tegan had come to stand next to her at the sinks, looking concerned. The Australian’s face was flushed from the dancing, and there were several beads of sweat dripping enticingly down her neck and under her t-shirt.

Oh, dear.

‘I-I’m fine,’ Nyssa said, waving her hand in what she hoped was a relaxed way. ‘Just a bit tired.’

‘So tired that you had to practically run across the dancefloor?’

She… she hadn’t moved that quickly, had she? Had she really looked that terrified?

‘R-really, I’m fine, Tegan; no need to worry-’

‘Too late for that!’ -Tegan raised a hand to Nyssa’s forehead- ‘Nyssa, you’re burning up!’

‘Just overheated!’ Nyssa squeaked, gooseflesh erupting up her neck at the sudden physical touch. ‘Really, Tegan, it’s of no concern-’

‘You were fine a minute ago!’ the Australian accepted, not moving her hand. ‘Geez, Nyssa; you were happy as a clam before that song changed over-’

‘I’m fine!’

‘Clearly you’re not!’

This was too much. Lyrics about kissing a girl on her mouth were slipping under the door from the dancefloor, Tegan was stood right up against her, and Nyssa’s self-control was starting to tear. Oh, god, no… she was happy with just being in love…

‘Tegan, please!’

‘I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s wrong!’

There was the soft sound of skin against tiles, as Nyssa shoved Tegan up against the wall, one hand pressed up against her hip and the other curling around her shoulder. Suddenly, she could feel all of Tegan’s body pressed up against her own, sending excited shivers up her spine as several very soft places became very noticeable.

Nyssa’s breathing was beleaguered and heavy, as she felt Tegan still against her. The Australian’s mouth had fallen open slightly, and Nyssa could see herself reflected in those gorgeous brown eyes barely an inch away from her own. Their noses were almost touching. Nyssa’s nostrils filled with the scent of sweat, shampoo and perfume emanating off of the Australian. The music from the dancefloor outside seemed to fade into the background, and all Nyssa could hear was the sound of Tegan’s own breathing.

‘N-Nyssa?’

Mouth open slightly, Nyssa let out a shaky breath. Her eyes dipped down to Tegan’s mouth, and those pink, soft, oh-so-kissable lips…

‘I was trying so hard…’ Nyssa whispered. ‘Oh, Tegan…’

Tears dripped down Nyssa’s cheeks.

‘Nys?’ Tegan whispered, barely audible. ‘Please… tell me, what’s wrong?’

Nyssa’s arms slackened, and she took a step back, hanging her head. She wiped her eyes with her arm.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I… I have to go back to the flat…’

She bit back a sob, turned on her heel, and headed out of the door, leaving behind a startled and dumbstruck Tegan still stood against the wall, her chest heaving with beleaguered and exhilarated breath, and her mouth still hanging open, lips confused as to what had just happened.

Or, rather, what had just not happened.

~~~~~~~~~

*evil laugh* Dun-dun-dun!

‘Er… did… did we…’

‘We slept in the same day but there were no physical shenanigans,’ Nyssa said, with a chuckle. ‘You were the perfect gentlewoman, Tegan.’

‘O-oh, right.’

‘You seem rather disappointed. I wouldn’t have thought you were the type who was after ravaging innocent young woman in their sleep.’

‘R-ravage?’ Tegan spluttered, feeling her face burn. ‘Nyssa, I’d never-’

Nyssa giggled.

‘I know. I’m just messing with you, Tegan. Your face is a pretty picture when you’re flustered.’

Pointedly ignoring that comment, Tegan awkwardly sat up and hoisted her legs over the side of the bed, quickly pulling on her jeans, socks and shoes. Luckily, she hadn’t been wearing any make-up the previous night, but she could imagine that her hair probably looked a bit messy.

Not that she cared about looking messy in front of Nyssa, of course.

Nyssa kindly handed her a glass of water and a couple of paracetamol tablets, all of which Tegan downed.

‘Sorry to impose on you like this, Nyssa,’ she said, as she stood up. ‘I think I must have gotten confused; your room is placed in the same area of the house as mine is next door.’

‘Yes, I surmised as much,’ Nyssa replied, with another smile as she pulled her dark blue dressing gown on. ‘No need to apologise. Would you like a cup of coffee?’

Tegan winced, putting a hand on her forehead.

‘I’d love one; thank you.’

The two girls headed upstairs into the kitchen. Nyssa set to work with the kettle.

‘Milk?’

‘Best not,’ Tegan said, leaning against one of the kitchen cabinets and running a hand through her hair. She watched quietly as Nyssa bustled around the cupboards, pulling out a large cup and a coffee container. The biochemistry student looked very cute in her dressing gown, with her hair still bed-ruffled and a pair of dark purple slippers on her feet.

Cuddly, Tegan thought, I bet she-

Hold it, Jovanka. Nyssa didn’t seem the type to enjoy that from someone she didn’t know properly. And, in any case, it would be weird, given they’d been sleeping in the same bed barely ten minutes before.

Not that Tegan was thinking about it at all. Definitely not.

A little while later, Nyssa handed her over the drink. Tegan took a few delicate sips.

‘Did you enjoy the party?’

‘I wasn’t expecting to,’ Nyssa replied, sipping from her own mug of tea. ‘But yes. Although late nights aren’t really my thing.’

‘Somehow I guessed.’

The two girls shared a smile.

‘You really aren’t bothered by me sharing your bed?’

‘I don’t see why not,’ Nyssa said. ‘Besides, it’s not as if I’m-’

The door to the kitchen opened. Polly, dragging Ben by the arm, walked in. Both had ruffled bedhead. They promptly froze when they saw that the kitchen was far less deserted than they had been expecting.

‘Good morning,’ Nyssa said, cheerfully.

Polly blinked.

‘Er… good morning.’

Nyssa and Tegan caught each other’s eye, and both girls started giggling.

‘Oh, stop it!’ Polly exclaimed, as both her and Ben blushed red. ‘How were we to know that you’d be in-’

‘What’s all this hubbub?’

Mel, followed by Ace, entered the kitchen.

‘Good morning, you two,’ Tegan said, with another giggle. ‘Fun night?’

‘Yeah,’ said Ace, cheeks flushing but otherwise looking quite happy. ‘You?’

‘Slept.’

‘Judging from the way of it,’ Nyssa said. ‘I think we were the only ones who did, Tegan.’

‘Where are the others, by the way?’ Mel asked.

‘I think the boys all fell asleep on Mike’s floor,’ Tegan said, with a grin. ‘Given the last few minutes, I think we’ll see them soon enough.’

She motioned towards the corridor, and Nyssa followed her out, as did everyone else (Ben and Polly still looking embarrassed).

The door to Mike’s room opened, and the young man himself, followed by Harry Sullivan, stumbled out. Benton, who was wearing his blue overalls and a bewildered expression, was stood nearby.

‘Next time,’ the older man said. ‘Maybe try sleeping in beds instead of on a rug?’

‘Shuddup…’ Mike mumbled, through eyes narrowed against the overhead lighting. ‘Too early…’

At this point, however, the door to Sarah-Jane’s room opened. Jo Grant, Liz Shaw and Sarah-Jane herself all trooped out. Several lipstick marks were emblazoned on each of their necks. The last two froze as they saw the assembled flatmates.

‘Er… morning,’ Nyssa said.

‘Morning,’ Jo replied, seemingly without embarrassment. ‘Lovely party, wasn’t it?’

Tegan let out a laugh, before taking another sip of coffee.

*

‘Nyssa, you have to choose something.’

‘I already signed up to the society for my course.’

Mel sighed. The two of them were standing in a small gap in people in the middle of the Freshers Fair; throughout the various corridors, rooms and halls around them were at least two hundred different societies, clubs, sports teams and associations.

‘That doesn’t count and you know it,’ the redhead said. ‘You have to choose at least one fun thing to do; hang on, let’s have a look at the whatchamacallit…’

Mel dove into her tote bag and pulled out the brochure for the fair.

‘Hmm, how about tennis?’

‘With my coordination? No thanks.’

‘Okay, bare with…’ -Mel continued to leaf through the pages- ‘Er… Quadball?’

‘What?’

‘It’s what used to be called Quidditch before JK Rowling got indoctrinated by the far-right.’

Nyssa made a face.

‘Definitely not. Besides, Mel, you know I’ve never been sporty.’

‘No matter, there’s loads here… ooh, Science Fiction Society! You’re still into “Professor Mysterious”, aren’t you?’

‘My AO3 account would ascertain I am.’

Mel grinned.

‘Brill; it’s stall 13, that should be over here…’

The redhead pulled Nyssa gently by the arm through the assembled crowds around them. A little while later, they emerged into a less crowded corridor and headed to the stall in question.

Nyssa duly took a flyer from the second year behind the desk. She was tall, blonde and a very white set of teeth.

‘I’m Romana,’ she said, grinning. ‘I’m the Vice-Chair this year. Great to have you; meetings are on Wednesday evenings.’

‘Thanks,’ Nyssa said, jotting her contact details down on the sign-up sheet. ‘Looking forward to it.’

Nyssa then turned to Mel, only to discover that the redhead had gotten distracted. Ace -wearing her leather jacket- was stood nearby.

Deciding that it would be best to leave her friend to flirt, Nyssa looked around the corridor.

Tegan was stood in front of another stall nearby. She was wearing a pair of dungarees over a purple t-shirt.

The stall she currently looking at a flyer for was festooned with various Pride flags. As she spotted Nyssa, the Australian waved, mouth breaking into a smile.

‘I promise I’m not stalking you,’ she said. ‘I take it Mel is indisposed with a certain housemate of mine.’

‘Promise accepted,’ Nyssa chuckled, as she stopped in front of her. ‘And you would be correct. Have you signed up for Pride Society, then?’

‘Yep,’ Tegan replied. ‘Seems right. Gotta be with my people, y’know.’

‘We’re very inclusive,’ said the girl behind the desk, who’s name-badge revealed her name to be “Leela”. ‘Everyone’s welcome.’

‘Lovely,’ Nyssa said, duly jotting her own contact details down. ‘I’ll let Mel know as well; she won’t want to miss this.’

Leela smiled and handed her two flyers.

‘Given what Ace is like with Mel, I’d imagine they’re gonna be busy for a while,’ Tegan said. ‘Fancy grabbing a coffee while we wait?’

‘Sounds good,’ Nyssa nodded. ‘Unless you want to look around the other booths?’

‘Nah; I’m all set.’

‘Lovely,’ -Nyssa smiled- ‘It’s a date, then.’

Out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn that Tegan’s cheeks had gone slightly pink. Probably just a trick of the light.

*

The café itself wasn’t as busy as Nyssa had expected, and the two girls managed to grab two seats at a table near the window.

‘Black coffee again?’

Tegan chuckled, before taking a quick sip.

‘What can I say? I like a classic. I kinda guessed you’d be a hot chocolate girl.’

‘Boring, you mean?’ Nyssa quipped.

‘Adorable and sweet, actually.’

Nyssa chuckled.

‘You’re very kind, Tegan,’ she said, before taking a pause to take a sip. ‘I take it you’ve signed up to your course’s society, as well as Pride?’

‘Yep. But also fencing, netball and rugby.’

Nyssa raised her eyebrows.

‘Good grief, no wonder you need the caffeine.’

Tegan giggled, cheeks dimpling.

‘I like to keep myself busy. What about you?’

‘Science Fiction Society.’

‘Of course, I forgot you’re a nerd,’ Tegan said, with a fond lilt to her voice.

‘I do have a penchant for “Professor Mysterious”, it has to be said.’

They shared a smile.

‘That’s the one that’s currently on sort-of-hiatus, right?’

Nyssa groaned.

‘Urgh, don’t remind me. That last episode was painful to watch.’

‘My condolences. Do you write the… wossname… fanfiction?’

‘Er… yes,’ Nyssa admitted. ‘For Terrania and Nyl, mainly.’

‘From the eighties, right?’

‘My OTP for the classic series.’

Tegan chuckled again.

‘You are such a nerd.’

‘So I’ve been told,’ Nyssa smirked. ‘But usually it’s not a compliment.’

‘Well, it should be,’ Tegan said. ‘Judging from all those books you had in the library, you’re a regular genius, Nys.’

Nyssa felt her cheeks flush slightly under the praise.

‘Well, I think you’re rather impressive yourself, Tegan. A visual artist and an athlete; those are two things I can’t do.’

‘Hey, none of that self-deprecating stuff,’ Tegan said, pointing a finger at Nyssa. ‘You’re awesome and don’t you dare forget it.’

‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’

‘Just the ones it applies to,’ Tegan said.

‘Well, thank you,’ Nyssa said. ‘It’s a lovely thing to say. If I was sexually attracted to other women, I’d be very flustered and flattered.’

Tegan blinked.

‘Well, it’s still true, regardless,’ she said, with a shrug.

As Nyssa took another sip, she couldn’t help feeling that Tegan looked slightly sad. But the expression disappeared as quickly as it had arrived on Tegan’s face, and the Australian smiled again as she raised her mug in a toast.

‘To good company,’ she said, and Nyssa smiled as their mugs tapped together.

~~~~~~~

‘Nah. Besides, you needed help getting all this lot into taxis.’

Nyssa smiled.

‘Thank you. Speaking of which, do you reckon they’re up already?’

‘Considering how many shots they all had, probably not.’

Nyssa finished her cuppa and got to her feet. Tegan followed her out of the kitchen and out into the corridor.

At which point, Jo’s door opened, revealing Sarah-Jane and Liz, both of them were hurriedly pulling out on their clothes. Their make-up was smeared and their hair looked distinctly bud-rumpled.

They both froze as they spotted Tegan and Nyssa.

‘You two really need to figure out a less busy time to leave,’ Tegan said, with a chuckle.

‘Er… we didn’t…’ Sarah-Jane mumbled. ‘Well- we just got drunk and fell asleep-’

‘Jo, Liz, you two forgot your phones in my bed…’

Jo appeared, a towel wrapped around her middle and hair wrapped up in a turban. She had clearly just gotten out of the shower.

Liz and Sarah-Jane both flushed scarlet as their phones were handed over.

‘T-thanks,’ Liz stammered, avoiding Sarah-Jane’s eyes.

‘No problem,’ Jo smiled, dimples showing and eyelashes batting. ‘You two, don’t be strangers, okay?’

She punctuated this by kissing both of them on the cheek.

Sarah-Jane and Liz both nodded, faces still burning, and quickly left. Jo waved goodbye and then headed back inside her room.

‘Wow.’

‘Like I said, Jo works fast,’ Tegan chuckled, as she led Nyssa to the front door. ‘Why is it that half of our housemates seem to be having their love stories already?’

‘Probably just probability,’ Nyssa shrugged. ‘I’m sure you’ll get your love story soon, Tegan.’

The Australian chuckled.

‘How could you possibly know that, Nys?’

‘Well…’ Nyssa mused, leaning one arm against the doorframe. ‘You’re intelligent, creative, beautiful…’

Tegan blinked.

‘You… you think I’m beautiful?’

‘Of course,’ Nyssa said, with a wide smile. ‘You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.’

‘Oh… er, thank you.’

Nyssa smiled, eyes twinkling in the sunshine.

‘My pleasure,’ she replied. ‘Well, thank you for the tea. Hopefully, my housemates don’t cause too much noise as they wake up with hangovers. See you later, Tegan.’

‘Bye.’

Nyssa flashed one last smile, turned, and headed down the steps.

Tegan closed the door, walked back to the kitchen and sat down. She took a sip of her coffee and leaned back into the seat.

Oh, dear…

*

On Sunday evening, Tegan was heading back from the campus gym. She had worked up a sweat from some cardio and weights, and was looking forward to a quiet night in. She might watch some of that rom-com the BBC had been advertising on the iPlayer.

Not that she was particularly thinking about romance, of course.

Hoisting the strap of her gym bag higher, Tegan turned a corner and promptly crashed into someone.

There was a scramble of limbs as both of them fell, and Tegan found herself lying on the grass.

Nyssa was staring down at her, the younger girls long bushy hair dangling past her shoulders and catching the evening light in a sort of halo effect. Both of her hands were planted in the grass on either side of Tegan’s torso, and one of her legs was brushing against the bare skin of Tegan’s thigh. She was wearing a summer blouse and a long skirt. 

Tegan found herself momentarily unable to speak.

‘Tegan! I’m so sorry!’ Nyssa exclaimed, blinking quickly as she climbed off of the Australian. ‘I was mentally planning one of my course assignments, and I must have lost track of my surroundings! Sorry, let me help you up…’

Tegan found a gentle hand wrapped around her own forearm, and she was pulled deftly upright. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before her voice finally reported for duty.

‘N-no worries,’ she stammered, trying not to think too much about how good Nyssa had smelled when pressed up close to her. ‘I should have been more careful. G-good thing we landed on the grass, then.’

‘I suppose,’ Nyssa said, concern slowly disappearing from her face. ‘Are you sure I haven’t hurt you?’

‘All good. Er… are you heading to the library, then?’

‘Yes. I take it you’re heading back from the gym?’

Suddenly realising that Nyssa hadn’t yet let go of her hand, Tegan felt a sudden surge of embarrassment. She was covered in sweat and probably smelled pretty disgusting.

‘Yeah, sorry; I probably got sweat on you…’

‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ Nyssa said, still smiling as she let go of Tegan’s hand. ‘I think you smell quite nice. Very… earthy.’

Tegan blinked.

‘Earthy? Really?’

Nyssa smiled again, cheeks dimpling.

‘Very much so, yes. Anyway, I best leave you to it,’ -she patted Tegan softly on her bicep and stepped around her- ‘Have a nice evening!’

‘You too…’

Tegan stared after the bushy-haired girl, blinking softly.

Ohhh dear…

*

Monday morning, and Tegan was hurrying from the end of one theory seminar about mixed media to a practical lecture on sculpture. She had briefly stopped by the café and grabbed a takeaway coffee; despite her gym session, she hadn’t slept particularly well the previous night.

Of course, that had nothing to do with a certain reoccurring dream involving Nyssa and several bouquets of flowers. Nothing whatsoever.

Tegan rounded a corner and darted across the entrance to the library.

‘Oh, hello, Tegan.’

Nyssa was just leaving through the front doors, wearing a summer skirt, fluttery blouse and a light cardigan. A rucksack -no doubt full of books- was strapped securely to her back.

‘Hey,’ Tegan said, blinking quickly. ‘Let me guess; another library run?’

Nyssa chuckled.

‘Yes; I may have discovered the science fiction section.’

‘Of course you did. Are you heading back to your flat?’

‘Yes; my lecture for this afternoon got cancelled. The professor came down with freshers flu, by the sounds of it.’

‘Rough. Well, I’m heading that way for my next lecture; walk with me?’

Nyssa nodded, and the two girls set off.

A boy on a skateboard zoomed past.

‘Sorry!’ he yelled behind him. ‘Haven’t figured out how to brake yet!’

‘Careful!’ Nyssa called after him, frowning. ‘Tegan, are you okay?’

Tegan had frozen where she stood. Nyssa was put out an arm to hold Tegan back from the path of the skateboard, and her fingers were resting gently against Tegan’s stomach; a shiver went up the Australian’s spine and she could have sworn that gooseflesh was erupting around her midriff. Could stomachs even get gooseflesh? Apparently, hers had spontaneously decided to.

‘Er… yeah, fine,’ she said, blinking quickly as Nyssa removed her hand.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!...

*

Tuesday lunchtime, in the student union cafeteria.

Nyssa happened to walk past, carrying her tray of food. As she smiled, she bumped her hip affectionately against Tegan’s. The Australian went her stomach flip over.

‘You two are getting close,’ Ace said, with an awfully knowing smile.

Tegan ignored her, and sat down, trying not to panic too much.

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks…

*

Wednesday evening. Tegan was walking back across campus, her gym bag slung over her shoulder. Fencing Society had been a lot of fun, and she was looking forward to next week’s session already. Ian and Barbara -the joint chairs for the society- were both teachers and both of them looked vaguely parental without anyone having any idea as to what their actual ages were.

She rounded one building and spotted Nyssa walking up from another path.

‘Evening,’ she said, with a wave. Nyssa smiled as she joined her. ‘Science Fiction Society go well?’

‘It was wonderful, yes. How was Fencing?’

‘Fantastic. I don’t smell, do I?’

‘Only of sweat, and that’s not a bad thing.’

Tegan chuckled.

The two headed across campus towards their flats, chatting about their respective societies and the various seniors in both. As they stopped below their flats, Nyssa turned to Tegan.

‘Well, goodnight.’

She pulled Tegan into a quick hug, smiled, and headed up the stairs to her flat.

Tegan stood for a moment, still feeling the sensation of Nyssa’s skin against her own.

Oh, crap…

*

Thursday night was Pride Society night. Tegan entered the room specified on the flyer, and spotted Nyssa waving at her from a table. Ignoring the quickening of her pulse, Tegan headed over and settled down in the seat next to her.

‘Not too late, am I?’

‘I think you’re fine,’ Nyssa replied, smiling. ‘The chair hasn’t turned up yet; apparently, her girlfriend has been “delaying” her.’

Tegan chuckled.

‘My thanks to them both, in that case.’

At this point, the door opened again, and the chair (Leela) arrived, several lipstick marks visible on her neck. She was followed by a shorter girl with dirty-blonde hair and whose lipstick was visibly smeared.

‘Sorry, all,’ Leela said, as she strode to the front of the room and turned to view the assembled society members. ‘Got a bit held up.’

‘Likely story!’

Leela frowned at the person who had spoke (a chuckling Scottish boy) but didn’t dispute the claim. Her girlfriend spotted Nyssa, waved and sat down on her other side.

The next few hours proceeded in a whirl of introductions, laughs and general merriment. Tegan lost track of who was who after a while but hoped that -within a few weeks- she’d start to actually be able to put names to faces. Nyssa sat next to her during the whole thing, and Tegan couldn’t help but feel Ace’s knowing eyes trained on them both.

Hopefully, Nyssa wouldn’t notice anything. The last thing Tegan wanted was for Nyssa to feel uncomfortable.

Eventually, the meeting ended and the room gradually began to empty. Ace linked an arm through Mel’s, shot Tegan a quick wink and promptly left. Ignoring this, Tegan waited as Nyssa slipped her cardigan over her shoulders.

‘That was lovely,’ Nyssa said, with a smile, her ace pride pin glinting on the breast pocket of her cardie. ‘I didn’t realise Romana’s girlfriend was the chair for Pride, though; they seem very opposites-attract, don’t they.’

Tegan shrugged.

‘I guess. A lot of couples are, though.’

‘I bet you’re already got your eye on someone.’

Tegan froze, halfway through putting an arm into the sleeve of her flannel shirt.

‘W-what do you mean?’

‘You seem very happy this past week,’ Nyssa said, not seeming to notice the Australian’s shock. ‘Maybe… someone in the Fencing society? Sporty women are probably your type, aren’t they.’

‘Oh… er….’ Tegan mumbled, putting her shirt on quickly and linking her thumbs into the belt-loops of her denim shorts. She avoided Nyssa’s eye. ‘I dunno, really. No-one in the society is really my type, y’know.’

‘Really?’ Nyssa said, tilting her head slightly in bewilderment as they headed out of the door. ‘Oh, well. I suppose it’s still early in the year, though.’

Tegan nodded, silently. Her mouth had suddenly gone very dry.

‘Tegan, are you alright?’

‘O-oh, I’m fine, just a bit tired, really-‘

‘Your face is all red- good grief, you’re burning up!’

Tegan was well aware of this, although this was caused by Nyssa suddenly her face on Tegan’s forehead to check her temperature.

‘J-just a bit warm from the heat inside that room!’ she stammered. ‘Anyway, how did you find the exec committee? Mike Yates looked like he was eyeing up that guy Steven all evening…’

This was really getting out of hand…

*

Friday morning. Tegan was walking across campus between seminars, hoping to grab a quick bite to eat.

On the path ahead was stood a young girl, probably no older than seven. They were looking around, eyes wide with confusion and worry.

Probably wandered away from their parent by accident, Tegan though as she hurried forward-

‘Hello, I’m Nyssa; are you okay?’

Nyssa had appeared from nearby and was now kneeling down in front of the child, grey-green eyes full of concern.

The child shook their head.

‘Your mum is Professor Brown, isn’t she? Don’t worry, there she is now…’

Nyssa pointed up the pathway, where the concerned lecturer was hurrying towards them.

As Professor Brown scooped their child into their arms, they gave a huge sigh of relief and began thanking Nyssa. The child turned in her mum’s arms, and smiled at Nyssa, who smiled back.

Tegan was still stood, frozen in place several hundred yards away, mouth numbly open and blinking slowly.

She’s good with kids… of bloody course she’s good with kids…

*

‘I’m guessing this has something to do with a certain Miss Traken?’

‘Not. Helping.’

Tegan was lying face-down on the sofa in her flat’s kitchen. Ace -who had apparently decided to be irritatingly aware of Tegan’s situation- was leaning against the counter nearby, steadily eating her way through a tube of Pringles and chuckling to herself.

 ‘Definitely about Nyssa,’ Ace said, before taking another mouthful of Pringles. She continued talking despite this. ‘I did warn you; she’s cute as a button and genuinely likes being around you. Doesn’t take a genius to spot the potential for a crush there.’

‘I don’t have a crush on Nyssa!’ Tegan groaned, into the sofa. ‘It’s just… a bit of an attraction. I can deal with it.’

‘Uh huh,’ Ace said, not sounding remotely convinced. ‘Yeah, you sure look like you’re dealing with it in a mature and sensible manner.’

Tegan turned her head and glowered at her friend.

‘Why are you being so annoying about this?’

‘Because Nyssa is a nice girl and I think you’d be cute together,’ Ace replied, through a mouthful. ‘Besides, me and Mel can then do double-dates with you two.’

‘You and Mel haven’t even been on a date yourselves yet!’

Ace shrugged.

‘We will soon. But that’s not what we’re discussing. What we’re discussing is you stopping acting like a fourteen-year-old and instead asking Nyssa on a date.’

Tegan slammed her head into the sofa, letting out another groan.

‘How is she?’

Harry Sullivan had joined them. Because apparently Tegan was drawing every short straw when it came to emotional support. Where was Jo when you needed her?

‘About the same,’ Ace replied. ‘Pringle?’

‘Please,’ -another loud bite- ‘Cheers.’

Tegan turned over and sat up.

‘I’m going out tonight,’ she said to the room at large. ‘So everyone can stop acting like I’m in a dumb teen soap-opera.’

‘Yes, going out and getting drunk on a Friday night; definitely a mature reaction to this,’ Ace said, with a roll of her eyes. ‘Or- just a thought- go next door and have a cuppa with a certain Ms Traken, get a nice mood going and pop the question.’

‘I am not asking to marry her,’ Tegan said, ignoring the flush now blossoming on her cheeks at the idea. ‘Anyway, the people from Fencing said they were doing a night out tonight, I’ll message and see if they want another person tagging along…’

*

Nyssa sat in front of her laptop, tapping her keyboard without force.

She was staring down at the half-finished chapter of her work-in-progress. She really was running into a block when it came to this one. It wasn’t as if writing a slice-of-life AU for Terrania and Nyl was anything unusual to her; she’d written tons of them over the past few years. But there was something missing…

Nyl stared at Terrania’s arms as she gave a stretch, enjoying the way the muscles strained within the thin material of her t-shirt. The Australian-

Darn, there it was again!

Nyssa deleted that last word and put her head in her hands.

This was becoming an issue.

It wasn’t as if she disliked the idea of being inspired by real life, but… had she really noticed Tegan’s arms that much? She could have sworn that she hadn’t. But then how did this keep slipping into her writing?

Nyssa felt a spasm of guilt.

Tegan was her friend. She shouldn’t think of her in that way! Yes, Tegan was beautiful, funny, intelligent and kind but… well, they were friends, it wasn’t right. Nyssa shouldn’t be perving on Tegan like that.

Maybe it was a bit of a mild attraction, after all. She’d had these before on other girls; it would disappear fairly soon. And -in any case- Nyssa wasn’t Tegan’s type. Tegan would probably be interested in someone sporty, charismatic and outdoorsy. Someone she could share her interests with.

That someone definitely wasn’t Nyssa.

Nyssa ignored the mild ache in the region of her stomach at the thought.

She dimly looked at the time and realised that with a shock that it was almost midnight. Good grief, she knew she shouldn’t have started reading that 30k one-shot earlier; she’d completely lost track of time!

Clicking “save”, Nyssa then closed the document, before shutting her laptop down for the evening. Yawning, she changed into her pyjamas and brushed her teeth, before climbing into bed and turning the lights off.

She must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing she remembered was hearing a knocking on her door.

Nyssa sat up in bed, blinking numbly in the dark.

‘Oy…’ came a slurred voice from outside. ‘N’ssa, you awake…’

What the-

Nyssa climbed out of bed, and pattered over to the door.

Sure enough, Tegan was stood outside. The Australian was leaning against the doorframe, one arm reaching up to steady herself. She was wearing a pink-and-black-patterned top and what appeared to be the shortest leather mini-skirt Nyssa had ever seen. Not that she was looking at Tegan’s rather lovely legs, of course.

Definitely not.

‘Tegan’ -Nyssa covered a yawn behind her hand, hoping that she wasn’t blushing- ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Was in the neighbourhood,’ Tegan said, airily, with a lopsided grin. Her hair was slightly askew. ‘Thought I’d pop over…’

‘In the middle of the night?’

Tegan didn’t respond to this, instead grinning again and reaching out her other hand to twirl through a strand of Nyssa’s hair. Nyssa froze where she was stood.

‘You’re so cute,’ Tegan said, grin now softening into a very gentle smile. Then her eyes widened. ‘Sorry, shouldn’t be touching… not fair on you…’

Tegan removed her hand, leaning heavily against the doorframe. Her other arm, still hanging onto the top of the frame, altered its grip, the muscles working and- darn it, Nyssa was looking again!

‘Er… do you want to come in?’ Nyssa said. ‘Tegan, you’ve been drinking, haven’t you.’

‘Maybe a li’l…’ Tegan mumbled. ‘You’re sure?’

Nyssa put an arm around Tegan’s shoulders and helped the Australian into the room. With her free hair, she turned on the bedside light and helped Tegan sit down on the bed.

Tegan awkwardly pulled her shoes off, blinking sleepily.

Nyssa popped into her shower-room and returned with a glass of water and two paracetamol tablets, all of which Tegan swallowed.

‘Better?’

Tegan nodded. She stared dimly at Nyssa, mouth again morphing into that gentle smile. Did she look at anyone else like that?

Nyssa put that thought away quickly.

‘Why did you drink so much anyway?’

Tegan shrugged.

‘Weird week… Nys, has anyone ever told you how lovely you are?...’

Nyssa stared at her. What? Where had this come from?

‘Er… not really.’

‘Shame,’ Tegan said. ‘You’re really lovely, y’know? No wonder… bloody hell…’

The Australian put her hands through her hair, looking a little out-of-sorts.

‘Oh… thank you,’ Nyssa replied, unsure of what else to say. She ignored the sudden increase in her heartrate. ‘Tegan, you’re going to ruin your make-up if you keep doing that; let me get you some remover wipes…’

A few moments later, she was gently easing the wipes over Tegan’s face, trying not to think about how close she was now sat to the older girl. Tegan smelled of strawberries, sweat and various types of vodka, although that last one was probably just the alcohol residue in her mouth.

Her mouth that was barely a few inches from Nyssa’s own-

Nyssa swallowed quickly, and finished using the wipes.

‘Okay, all sorted.’

‘Thanks…’ Tegan murmured. ‘Sleepy… d’you mind if I stay over…’

‘O-oh, not at all,’ Nyssa said, turning away to put the wipes in the bin. ‘I can get you a pair of pyjamas-’

‘No need, ‘m fine…’

There was the sound of clothing landing on the floor, and Nyssa froze, suddenly afraid to turn around. There then followed the sound of a leather skirt being unzipped.

Oh, good grief…

Nyssa slowly turned her head.

Tegan was settling down under the covers, her top and skirt lying haphazardly on the floor next to her shoes. Nyssa swallowed, before folding the discarded clothes quickly.

‘Er… Tegan, you can’t sleep like that.’

Tegan gave a groan and shuffled.

‘Y’right…’ she mumbled. ‘This underwire is cutting in…’

A few moments later, a black bra landed on the pile of clothes.

‘Tegan!’

The Australian turned around, sitting up in bed. The duvet slipped down to rest in her lap. Nyssa kept her eyes firmly set on her face. Although she couldn’t help but be aware of a lot of soft, tanned skin further down-

Not again!

‘Oh…’ Tegan said, a blush appearing on her cheeks before she quickly sank back down under the covers. ‘S’rry, Nys; didn’t mean to…’

‘L-let’s get you a pyjama top, okay?’ Nyssa stammered, turning around and rooting through her pile of freshly ironed laundry. Her face was definitely as red as Tegan’s now.

A few moments later, Tegan was pulling one over her head, looking a little embarrassed.

‘Sorry,’ she repeated, face still a little pink.

‘No matter,’ Nyssa replied. ‘Er… could you budge over a bit so I can climb in?’

Tegan did so, and Nyssa turned off the bedside light before climbing under the covers.

‘Goodnight, Tegan.’

‘Night, Nys…’ came Tegan’s voice from a couple of inches away. ‘You’re so lov’ly, thank you…’

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tegan opened one eye, and flinched as the dim autumn sunlight darted into it.

Nyssa Traken stared back at her, large grey-green eyes only a few inches from her own.

It was at this moment Tegan realised that, not only were her limbs wrapped around Nyssa and that her body was pressed up against Nyssa, but that she was also only wearing a borrowed pyjama top and a pair of knickers.

Several very soft places were pressing against her, and Tegan could have sworn that gooseflesh was erupting up Nyssa’s neck.

‘Er… good morning,’ Nyssa said, voice catching slightly. ‘T-Tegan, your- I mean, you-I mean, you’re p-pressing up against me very close-’

Tegan immediately removed her arms and legs, the force of her momentum carrying her backwards until her head knocked painfully against the wall.

‘Bollocks!’ she groaned, clutching her complaining head. ‘S-sorry, Nys, I swear I didn’t mean to-’

‘N-no matter,’ Nyssa said, sitting up in bed. Her long bushy hair trailed down over her shoulders, and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm. She looks adorably bed-rumpled. ‘Er… let me get you some paracetamol and some water…’

She climbed out of bed and hurried into the bathroom nearby. Tegan stared after her, blinking numbly and wincing considerably from her headache. There was the sound of water running, and Nyssa reappeared a few seconds later, handing the assorted items over. Tegan popped the tablets into her mouth and took a large sip of water from the glass.

As she swallowed, she noticed Nyssa’s eyes -almost against her own accord- drop down to Tegan’s chest, and the Australian had a fleeting memory from the previous night.

‘Oh, god!’ she groaned, feeling her face burn. ‘I showed you my…’

Nyssa’s cheeks pinkened and she waved a hand quickly.

‘Er, yes, you did. It’s fine; you weren’t your usual self, Tegan. It’s quite alright,’ -she took the now empty glass from Tegan and headed back into the bathroom- ‘I’m going to take my shower now, if that’s okay?’

‘Y-yeah, sure…’

As the door closed and locked behind Nyssa, Tegan planted her face into the pillow and let out a groan. Embarrassment mixed with a weird sense of elation in her stomach.

Bollocks! Nyssa had seen her topless!

In the bathroom, Nyssa stared at the mirror, trying to calm her own accelerating heartbeat.

*

Nyssa led Tegan out of the bedroom and towards the door.

‘Sorry again about… all that,’ Tegan said, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. ‘I promise you; it won’t happen again.’

‘It’s fine,’ Nyssa said, with a shrug. She hoped she still wasn’t blushing. ‘Although maybe I ought to set aside a pair of pyjamas for you to wear. Do you normally spend Friday nights in your friends’ beds, Tegan?’

The Australian let out a startled laugh, and rested her arm up against the wall. Her top rose up slightly, revealing tanned skin and a sliver of belly-button above the leather mini-skirt. Nyssa quickly darted her eyes upwards to Tegan’s face.

‘No… just you, Nyssa,’ she said, with a grin. ‘I’ll try not to drink so much if there is a next time.’

‘Thank you. Although I don’t mind; you have very beautiful breas-’

‘Nyssa!’

Tegan’s cheeks flushed scarlet.

Nyssa giggled. Hmm, interesting reaction. Well, it was true. From a purely aesthetic perspective, of course. Tegan already knew that Nyssa thought she was beautiful, so this wasn’t much of a difference, surely.

‘Am I making you flustered, Tegan?’

‘What? No, I always blush like a tomato when pretty girls compliment my chest.’

Nyssa blinked. Her heartrate had suddenly accelerated again. Strange.

‘Er… right.’

Tegan chuckled, the blush softening slightly. She looked very adorable.

‘Well, unless you want to compliment me some more, I best get going. If I head back early enough, Ace won’t notice I’ve stayed over in your bed again.’

‘People do assume these things, don’t they.’

‘That’s allo…normativity, isn’t it?’

Nyssa blinked at her.

‘Tegan, did you read up on asexuality?’

Tegan rubbed the back of her neck, the toned muscles in her arm flexing slightly.

‘Er… yeah, I did. Thought it might be helpful to understand it a bit more.’

‘Oh. Thank you, that’s very sweet of you, Tegan.’

Tegan smiled, cheeks dimpling.

‘You’re sweet, Nys. Thanks again for… well, last night. Bye; see you.’

‘Bye.’

Tegan gave a quick smile and then left through the front door. Nyssa headed upstairs to the kitchen, sat down at the table, and stared at the wall.

Oh.

Oh, no.

*

Monday evening. Nyssa was heading back with Mel from the shop, the two of them carrying several bags between them.

‘You never did give the details as to how Tegan entered up in your bed a second time.’

‘Mel!’ Nyssa exclaimed, feeling her face burn. ‘Don’t just say things like that; you know Tegan doesn’t-’

‘Doesn’t what?’ Mel replied, with a fond giggle. ‘Doesn’t fancy you? Because she does seem to home in on your bedroom whenever she’s feeling uninhibited after a few drinks.’

‘It’s not like that. Look… she was drunk, she wanted to chat, I gave her some paracetamol and water, and then she fell asleep. Platonically.’

‘Is that why you just-so-happen to blush everytime I mention her by name, then?’

‘Mention who by name?’

Oh, no.

Tegan had appeared in front of them from out of the laundrette, her sports bag slung over her shoulder. She was wearing exercise shorts and a loose exercise vest-top.

‘Oh, hello, Tegan,’ Mel said, with an infuriatingly knowing aside at Nyssa. ‘Just discussing Nyssa’s crush.’

Tegan’s eyebrows shot up.

‘Oh, do tell,’ she said, after a moment. ‘Let me guess; someone in Sci-Fi Society-’

‘I don’t have a crush!’ Nyssa said, forcefully, with an added glare at the redhead stood next to her. ‘Mel is just reading too much into things.’

‘I’m noticing a pattern here,’ Tegan replied, with a chuckle, as she adjusted the strap of her sports bra, which was sticking out underneath the vest. ‘Oh, hang on, Nys; let me help you with those…’

She duly took the majority of the bags Nyssa had been carrying, and duly started walking back with them towards their flat.

Nyssa blinked at the Australian, who apparently didn’t even notice the added weight. Tegan’s muscles barely seemed to strain. They were very nice muscles. Of course, Nyssa knew what they looked like without clothing-

No. She wasn’t thinking about that. And she also definitely wasn’t ignoring Mel’s repressed snickering from behind them.

Oh, dear. Oh, good grief…

*

Wednesday morning. Nyssa was heading down the front steps, on her way to the library.

‘Morning, Nys!’

Tegan was stood at the bottom of her own flats’ front steps, wearing a sports bra and a pair of running shorts. She was covered in sweat and her hair was messy as she stretched her arm muscles. She looked gorgeous.

‘Er, good morning, Tegan,’ Nyssa said, as she came to the bottom of the steps. ‘Had a good run?’

‘Pretty nice,’ Tegan said, now doing calf stretches to cool down. Nyssa tried and failed not to notice how well-defined her leg muscles were. ‘About four miles. You ought to come out running with me sometime.’

‘Me, running?’ Nyssa said, with a wave of her hand. The idea of looking a fool whilst doing exercise was one thing; looking that foolish in front of Tegan was another matter entirely. ‘I’m afraid I’m not really very athletic.’

‘No-one when they start,’ Tegan said, with a kind smile. ‘I think you’d be great; you’ve got a runners build, and you’d look pretty good in shorts.’

Nyssa ignored her stomach flipped over at that last remark.

‘Maybe some other time; I’ve got a day spent in the library planned.’

Tegan frowned. She put her hands on her hips, and Nyssa found her eyes momentarily dip down to Tegan’s exposed (and very toned) stomach. Which was tanned, along with the rest of her. As Nyssa knew, having -of course- seen Tegan half-naked just a few days ago-

Damn it! Stop thinking about that!

Tegan, who had apparently not noticed Nyssa’s unabashed ogling, then replied.

‘Why? We’re barely a month into the semester.’

‘I-I just want to make a good start on things.’

Tegan rolled her eyes, fondly.

‘Well, if you say so, Miss Brain-Box,’ she said. ‘I’m gonna grab a shower and then head onto campus anyway. I’ve got a discussion with a lecturer about my still-life project.’

‘Lovely.’

‘Tell you what; what say we meet at the cafeteria for lunch? I’ve heard they’ve doing Chow Mein today.’

‘Oh…’ -Was that a date? No, definitely not. Lunch in the cafeteria was not a date in the slightest– ‘Yes, I’d like that.’

Tegan grinned, pushing her hair out of her eyes and wiping her brown with one hand. Her muscles -already tanned by the summer sunshine- gleamed in the morning light.

‘Brill,’ she said, and then headed up the steps, her bum jiggling in the tight running shorts as she went. ‘See you, Nys!’

‘Bye…’

Nyssa stared after her for a second, her mind suddenly filled with what Tegan looked like without her top on. Her face turned red. She quickly turned and hurried along the path towards campus. Last week she had cheerfully hugged Tegan as a goodbye without a second thought, and now…

This was bad. This was bad.

*

Wednesday evening. Nyssa had enjoyed the session of Science Fiction Society, and was walking back through campus. She rounded a corner and-

Crash!

With a tumble of limbs, Nyssa fell forwards, tilting quickly to the side as she fell-

‘Whoa!’

She was suddenly suspended in mid-air.

‘Geez, Nys; that was close! Are you okay?’

Nyssa’s eyes widened. Tegan -who had apparently been the person she’d walked straight into- had somehow managed to hook one arm under Nyssa’s torso and the other arm under her legs. As a result, Nyssa found herself being carried bridal-style by the Australian, who was wearing her usual gym kit of vest top and shorts. There was a faint smell of perspiration, and Nyssa could feel Tegan’s heart-beat through her thin clothing.

Oh, dear.

‘I-I’m fine!’ Nyssa stammered. Was she blushing? Could Tegan tell she was blushing? ‘T-thank you, Tegan; my fault entirely…’

‘No worries,’ Tegan said, as she gently set Nyssa down on the ground with barely a grunt. How strong was she? Wait, no; that was a train of thought Nyssa definitely did not want to go down. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

Nyssa nodded, quickly.

‘I really need to watch where I’m walking,’ she said, feeling her heart continue to hammer against her chest. ‘That’s the second time I’ve bumped into you in as many weeks.’

‘Nah, it’s fine,’ Tegan said, with an airy wave of her hand. ‘I don’t mind you bumping into me, Nyssa.’

Tegan blinked, as she seemed to realise the potential connotations of what she’d just said. Then, her cheeks flushed.

‘I-I didn’t mean-’

‘It’s fine,’ Nyssa said, waving both her hands quickly. ‘Really; no offence taken.’

‘Oh. Okay. Er…’ -Tegan blinked again a few times- ‘You heading back from Sci-Fi Soc?’

‘Yes. Yourself? Fencing Soc went well?’

‘Same as ever. I did get a bit of a bollocking from Barbara for getting too drunk last weekend, though…’

As the two girls headed back towards their flats, Nyssa was glad to let Tegan talk. She didn’t think her brain was capable of conversing that much at the moment. Why on earth did Tegan have to be so… fit?

This was bad. This was so very, very bad.

*

‘Er…’ Tegan stared at the book again before looking up. She gave a smile. ‘”Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”’

Nyssa blinked at her, mouth momentarily immobile. She was aware that she was suddenly perspiring quite a lot.

It was Thursday afternoon. The two of them were sat in a corner of the library; Tegan had stopped by to chat, and Nyssa had needed a partner to go over some of Shakespeare’s sonnets with her. She was now realising just how much of a bad idea this was.

‘That’s right, isn’t it?’ Tegan added, looking down at the book. She seemed to mercifully unaware of the effect her attempts at poetic recital were having on Nyssa. ‘Yeah, summers day. Er… Nys, I think it’s your go next.’

‘R-right,’ Nyssa said, quickly, her mouth finally deigning to operate.

Oh dear…

*

An hour or so later, the two girls left the library and headed back to their flats. However, as they walked through campus, they came across a dog. More specifically, a large golden retriever, who promptly bounded up to Tegan.

The Australian’s eyes lit up as she knelt down.

‘Hello!’ she exclaimed, scratching behind the dogs ears. ‘Who’s a good dog then, eh?’

This elicited several happy “roof”s from the animal, who proceeded to lie on its back.

‘Oh, isn’t he adorable!’ Tegan said, grinning sideways at Nyssa as she gave the dog a belly rub. ‘Nys, look at this guy!’

She likes animals, Nyssa thought, as she smiled softly to herself, of course she bloody likes animals…

*

Nyl stared at Terrania, and the older woman’s biceps flexed under her thin shirt. Feeling her heartrate accelerate, Nyl reached forward and pressed her lips to that of the Australian-

Nyssa froze. Her face turned a boiling red.

She frantically deleted that last word, leant back in her chair, and put her face in her hands, letting out a long groan.

It was Friday night. Most of her housemates had already gone out for drinks, aside from Mel (who was catching up on a KDrama she liked in the next room) and Benton (who was baking peanut-butter bread in the kitchen to recompress after a busy week of work placements). Nyssa, of course, hadn’t planned anything aside from writing the next chapter of her Work-In-Progress and trying to keep her mind away from a certain pretty Australian with lovely arms.

Clearly, it wasn’t working.

Nyssa stared at her laptop screen for a few moments. Then, she hit the save button and closed the document, before turning her laptop off. She stood up and stared around her bedroom. She could turn in early for the night and read some more of Discworld, of course, but…

She looked at her watch. 7.30pm.

That was a little bit too early, even for her.

Nyssa let out another sigh.

Oh, Tegan. What a mess!

She wasn’t as if the concept of being attracted to another girl had never occurred to her, but… well, she had always assumed it would be a mild thing. Like an aesthetic attraction with a touch more blushing. But this? This was far more intense than she had ever expected. It wasn’t as if she was aromantic, although she had wondered as to whether she did fall somewhere on that spectrum too. The sheer sudden intensity of her romantic attraction to Tegan was… a lot to handle, to say the least.

Well, she had two options. She could either force the… whatever-it-was… to settle down into a quiet sort of attraction and she would be able to ignore it, keeping a friendship with Tegan but hopefully getting past the pining quickly. Or… she could let it smoulder on its own, potentially making her feelings known to Tegan and therefore possibly ruining their friendship. Because -of course- Tegan didn’t see her in the same way. Tegan had said that she thought Nyssa was pretty, and she had clearly been flustered by unintentionally going topless in front of Nyssa, but… well, it wasn’t romantic. Nyssa was almost positive of that.

Nyssa ignored the dull ache in her stomach as her mind lingered on that last point.

Damn it!

Shaking her head, Nyssa left her bedroom, and headed to Mel’s door. A quick knock, and a few seconds later, Mel appeared, wearing her yoga pants and a loose t-shirt she liked to wear when relaxing.

‘Nyssa?’ -Mel’s eyebrows rose as she took in her friends worried eyes- ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Can… can we go on a night out, please?’

Mel blinked at her.

‘We can. What’s brought this on?’

‘Nothing,’ Nyssa said, quickly. She didn’t feel up for discussing the details of her embarrassing feelings for Tegan just yet. ‘I just… want to go out and have some fun. Typical student stuff.’

‘Okay,’ Mel replied, opening the door fully and letting Nyssa step inside the room. ‘I was just finishing “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” so I’m definitely up for doing something. Norwich City Centre, maybe?’

Nyssa nodded, as Mel began to trawl through her cupboard, pulling out potential outfits. This was good. Just what she needed to take her mind off things.

*

‘Nyssa, go easy on the shots.’

Nyssa ignored Mel and downed another. It was bright blue and tasted disgusting. Perfect.

‘I’m fine,’ Nyssa said, voice only a little slurred. ‘C’mon; have one.’

‘I’ll pass, thanks,’ Mel replied, with a frown. She took a sip of lemonade. ‘I’d never thought I’d need to watch out for you getting drunk.’

‘We’re students now; gotta try this out at least once.’

‘Now I know you’ve had a few too many; when do you ever normally say “gotta”?’

Ignoring the redhead again, Nyssa took another shot. It somehow tasted even worse.

Nyssa froze. Her stomach gave a cautious yelp.

She stumbled sideways and away towards the outdoor area. A few seconds later, she was heaving over a potted plant, as the various liquids she had previously ingested made a break for freedom.

‘Oh, mate…’ -Mel’s voice came from behind her, pulling Nyssa’s long bushy hair away from her face- ‘Nyssa, you’re gonna be okay…’

Nyssa eventually ran out of alcohol in her stomach, and straightened up, wobbling slightly and wiping her mouth with a tissue Mel handed to her.

‘Sorry,’ she mumbled, blinking. ‘Well, that’s one off of the bucket list…’

‘To vomit in an outdoor area of a bar on a night out?’ Mel asked, looking concerned. ‘Nyssa, what’s gotten into you this evening?’

Nyssa shrugged, as they headed back inside the bar.

‘I swear, you’d been weird all of this week. Is this something to do with Tegan?’

‘Someone say my name?’

Nyssa froze. Sure enough, Tegan Jovanka had appeared nearby, wearing a purple tank-top emblazoned with the phrase “lesbians get it done” and a pair of denim cut-off shorts. She looked jaw-droppingly attractive.

The universe clearly hated Nyssa.

‘Hey Tegan,’ Mel said, still looking concerned. ‘Nyssa’s had a bit too much to drink; can you watch her while I grab her some water?’

‘Nyssa? Drinking?’ -Tegan’s eyes widened as she stepped closer- ‘Good grief, you’re a bit of a dark horse, aren’t you, Nys.’

Nyssa felt her face flush under the Australian’s scrutiny. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

‘I’ll watch her,’ Tegan said, aside, to Mel. ‘Didn’t expect to see you two out this evening.’

‘Nyssa wanted a night out,’ Mel said, patting her friend gently on the shoulder before heading away. ‘I’ll be back in a mo!’

Nyssa blinked, as she realised that her breath probably still smelled of vomit, and that her hair likely looked a rat’s nest. No doubt that her make-up was also a bit smeared.

‘I didn’t have you pegged as a clubber, Nys,’ Tegan said. ‘What made you want to go out this evening?’

Nyssa shrugged again. She couldn’t well say “because I think you’re too lovely and it’s making my brain turn to mush”, after all.

A few moments later, Mel reappeared and handed Nyssa a glass of water, which Nyssa took a few sips from. She was starting to feel a bit better now, given that most of the alcohol had left her system.

“New Life” by Depeche Mode started playing. Tegan gestured to the dancefloor, and the other two joined her.

As they danced, Nyssa found herself attempting to look anywhere but at Tegan, who was swaying barely a couple of feet away from her. It really wasn’t fair how pretty she looked.

‘I’m going to get another drink,’ Mel said, as the song began to fade out. ‘Do you two want anything?’

Nyssa and Tegan shook their heads. Mel headed off into the crowds, and the next song started up.

“She did it right there… out on the deck-“

‘Put her canine teeth in the side of my neck!’ Tegan sang, with a laugh as she started to dance. 

Of course they would start playing Chappell Roan when Nyssa was suddenly dancing alone with Tegan. Because the universe absolutely hated Nyssa.

Tegan kept swaying, occasionally putting her arms up in the air and causing her tank-top to shift slightly and for… things to jiggle. Nyssa swallowed, unable to do much aside from keep dancing.

The lights of the dancefloor around them blurred, and the world outside of herself and Tegan might as well have not existed. Nyssa found herself completely unable to pull her eyes away from the wonderful, kind, sweet, beautiful and amazing girl dancing in front of her. Close enough to touch, to kiss, to…

Oh, dear.

The song eventually faded out, and Nyssa numbly followed Tegan off the dancefloor, where they came across Mel, who had been stood by a pillar, nursing a lemonade and watching her two friends dance.

‘I’m going to grab a drink,’ Tegan said, grinning widely. ‘Mel; don’t let Nyssa sit out, she’s on fire this evening!’

With another quick smile in Nyssa’s direction and a pat on her shoulder, the Australian wandered over to the bar.

Nyssa stared after her, blinking softly.

‘Nyssa, you okay?’ Mel said, with a chuckle. ‘What, are you crushing on Tegan or something?’

Nyssa turned to look at her friend, eyes mixed with a strange combination of elation, terror and hope.

‘Yes,’ Nyssa said, nodding softly. ‘I think I am.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The redhead chuckled, and crossed the room, bending down so that she was at eye-level with Nyssa.

‘C’mon; let me help you choose what to wear,’ she said, brightly. ‘I promise I won’t go on about Tegan. I just notice that you enjoy spending time with her, and it’s nice to see you happy.’

Nyssa smiled. Mel was a good friend.

‘Okay,’ she said, climbing off Mel’s bed and getting to her feet. ‘What sort of thing do you think I should wear?’

Mel grinned, and grabbed her friends’ hand, pulling her out of the door and next door into Nyssa’s room.

‘How about that nice black dress you bought back in August? You can wear it with a jacket or cardigan on top if you feel uncomfortable showing your shoulders…’

*

‘Wow.’

Nyssa felt her cheeks flush slightly as she walked down the steps to stand beside Tegan, the rest of their two houses milling around them. Well, all except Benton; the older man had apologised, saying he had a job placement early the next morning and couldn’t attend.

‘Thank you; you don’t think it’s too much?’

‘Definitely not,’ Tegan grinned, dimples appearing in her cheeks. ‘You look lovely, Nyssa. Very… demure and sophisticated.’

‘Well, you look fantastic as well,’ Nyssa replied. ‘You have great taste in t-shirts, I’m discovering.’

Tegan chuckled, running a hand through her short hair. She was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the legend “That’s Ms Dyke to you”, and a pair of denim cut-off shorts. She was holding a light leather jacket in the crook of one arm. A pair of white trainers completed the look, with the laces matching the colours of the lesbian pride flag.

‘You’re too kind.’

Behind her, Nyssa could practically feel Mel’s smirk boring into the back of her head. She ignored this.

‘Is that everyone here?’ Tegan asked. A loud mumble in affirmatives responded. ‘Great; to the city centre!’

As the half-dozen students headed towards the edge of campus, Nyssa fell into step next to Tegan.

‘Are you drinking?’

The Australian made a face.

‘After what happened last time, I’m staying off the drink. While I do appreciate your kindness, I think it’s poor form to cause a strain on your hospitality twice in the same week.’

‘You could never cause a strain on me like that, Tegan,’ Nyssa replied, smiling. ‘You know that, don’t you?’

The Australian smiled. Nyssa could have sworn that she saw a flush pinken Tegan’s cheeks, but it was probably just her imagination again.

*

A short taxi-ride later, the students were in the city centre, and Nyssa found herself in a whirl of clubs, pubs, bars, dancing and listening to drunk people sing off-key. She was mightily glad that she wasn’t drinking, and that Tegan wasn’t either; after a few hours in, trying to organise their housemates from one place to another became rather like herding cats.

Drunk, giggly, stumbling, cats.

At around 1.30am, the party had found themselves in a small pub… somewhere in the city centre. The rest of the students were dancing away indoors.

Nyssa was sat in the otherwise-empty beer garden, nursing a glass of lemonade and enjoying the relative silence compared to the previous nightclubs they had been inside.

‘Hey.’

Tegan stepped out of the back door, and sat down opposite Nyssa on the picnic bench. The sounds of “This Is The One” spilled out from the dancefloor inside.

‘How is everyone doing in there?’

‘Well, Ace and Mel are getting very acquainted with each other again, and Jo appears to be acquiring lipstick marks on her neck from both Liz and Sarah-Jane.’

Nyssa chuckled.

‘Sounds about right.’

‘There’s plenty of men in there if you did want to snog anyone,’ Tegan said, scratching the edge of her chin and looking out over the pub garden. ‘I’m like ninety percent sure most of them were staring at you earlier.’

‘No thanks,’ Nyssa said, with a shrug. ‘I’m not really into kissing men.’

Tegan turned, looking confused.

‘I thought you said you weren’t attracted to women.’

‘Sexually? No. Or men, for that matter,’ Nyssa replied. ‘I’m asexual.’

Tegan blinked.

‘Oh. Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed-’

‘It’s fine. Most people aren’t really aware it’s a thing. I’m not sexually attracted to anyone.’

‘Fair enough. Er… so no kissing either?’

‘I’ve never really found kissing that interesting, to be honest. It’s nice but… I suppose most people see it as an appetiser.’

‘Well, they shouldn’t,’ Tegan said, taking sip from her glass of apple juice. ‘There’s so much more to life than… y’know…’

‘Shenanigans?’

The two girls shared a chuckle.

‘Exactly,’ Tegan said. ‘It’s just one part of life, and that part doesn’t have to be everyone’s thing.’

‘I will drink to that.’

Their glasses clicked together.

‘So…’ Tegan said, after taking a sip. ‘If it’s not too much of a personal question, when did you realise you were… y’know, asexual?’

‘About… twelve, I suppose?’ Nyssa said, frowning as she remembered. ‘All the other girls at school started talking about their crushes and I just… didn’t understand what they meant. Took me a while to realise that romantic, aesthetic and sexual crushes are different things.’

‘Must have been difficult.’

Nyssa shrugged.

‘My dad is pretty supportive. And Mel’s always been there for me.’

‘So… you and her never…’

‘Oh, good grief, no!’ Nyssa chuckled. ‘When she started realising that she liked girls, she asked to kiss me, just to see if there was a spark.’

‘Wow.’

‘It really wasn’t a “wow” moment. No spark, whatsoever,’ Nyssa added. ‘We both burst out laughing for a good five minutes afterwards. No; we’re friends, and that’s perfect for both of us the way it is.’

Tegan smiled.

‘I’m happy for you, Nys.’

There was that nickname again.

‘Thank you. What about you? When did you realise you were a lesbian?’

‘Caught a re-run of Neighbours when I was nine, saw Kylie Minogue dressed as a mechanic, fell in love.’

Nyssa giggled.

‘That’s very Australian and very cute. You have excellent taste in women, Tegan.’

Tegan smiled, softly.

‘I suppose I do.’

*

Mel opened the back door of the pub.

She spotted Nyssa and Tegan on the picnic bench, and opened her mouth, but then thought better of it.

Smiling gently to herself, she slipped back inside, closing the door quietly behind her, so as not to disturb her two friends. Why waste a nice mood?

~~~~~~~~~

Tegan spluttered, feeling her face burn. She found herself blinking quickly.

‘W-what do you-’

‘In the bathroom,’ Nyssa said, gesturing to the door nearby. ‘Do you want to get changed in the bathroom first or shall I?’

‘Oh,’ Tegan said. ‘Er… I’ll go first.’

Nyssa giggled.

‘Are you usually this embarrassed when sharing a room with another woman?’

‘No,’ Tegan mumbled, undoing her suitcase. ‘I’m putting this on just for you.’

‘You’re so kind,’ Nyssa said, cheeks dimpling adorably. ‘Smart, beautiful and funny; you’re quite the delight, Tegan Jovanka.’

Tegan ignored the spike in her heart rate as she grabbed her pyjamas and toiletries before heading into the bathroom. She quickly closed the door behind, and stared into the mirror. A very tired and nervous-looking Australian stared back at her. Of course, she could also near Nyssa humming absentmindedly to herself outside, and heard the springs of the double bed creak as the Englishwoman sat down on the edge.

The edge of the bed they would be sharing for the night.

This was bad. This was bad.

*

‘All ready?’

‘Yeah,’ Tegan said, looking up from her book. ‘You all set for… for…’

Tegan was unable to finish that sentence, as Nyssa had appeared out of the bathroom. She was wearing a long blue-grey nightgown that reflected the gentle light from the bedside lamp, and her long locks of curly hair were hanging loose around her shoulders.

Tegan’s stomach seemed to flip over. She was suddenly aware that she herself was wearing a pair of old striped pyjamas that her step-son had bought her several years previously, and that her reading glasses had slipped slightly down her nose. A small amount of mild envy arose in Tegan’s heart at the way Nyssa seemed to move with such easy confidence, and the way her nightie gently accentuated her curves.

The rest of her heart was, of course, completely overawed. The majority vote was taken, and the envy rapidly disappeared under a lake of adoration.

‘Yes,’ Nyssa replied, not seeming to notice Tegan’s unabashed staring. ‘Rather a nice bathroom, isn’t it.’

‘Y-yeah,’ Tegan stammered, as Nyssa climbed into bed to sit beside her. And it was right beside her, since the bed wasn’t exactly large. She could almost feel Nyssa’s hip against her own; they couldn’t have been more than a couple of inches apart. ‘V-very nice.’

Nyssa looked at her.

‘Tegan, why are you blushing?’

Tegan’s hands rose sharply up to her face, and she was horrified to feel that both her cheeks were boiling hot. Goodness knew what her face looked like; probably something resembling a tomato.

‘S-sorry!’ she exclaimed, unable to meet Nyssa’s eyes. ‘I just…’

 But Nyssa didn’t seem alarmed. Instead, the Englishwoman let out a giggle.

‘Oh, you’re adorable when you’re flustered,’ she said, laying a gentle hand on Tegan’s arm. ‘Was it the nightdress? I am rather pleased with this one-’

‘Stop it!’ Tegan moaned, putting her book on the bedside table and laying down on her side, facing away from Nyssa. ‘I am not adorable!’

There was another giggle from behind her as Nyssa turned off the bedside lamp. Outside, there was the soft flutter of snow, giving the room a warm, cosy atmosphere.

‘I beg to differ, Tegan.’

*

‘Can’t sleep either?’

‘No.’

It was roughly an hour later.

Tegan let out a sigh. She had been hoping that the day’s events would have tired her out, but the fact that she was sharing a bed with Nyssa had probably caused her brain to fry. She really was useless, wasn’t she. Goodness forbid she stop acting like an adolescent with a crush everytime she was around a pretty lady.

Well, Nyssa wasn’t just pretty; she was funny, smart, kind and sweet, on top of being drop-dead gorgeous and utterly mesmerising.

Not that Tegan was taking notice, of course. Definitely not.

‘Nevermind,’ Nyssa said, and Tegan heard the mattress alter slightly as Nyssa adjusted the way she was lying. ‘At least we’re inside in the warm.’

‘True,’ Tegan replied. ‘Sorry about the smell, by the way. I think that hot chocolate on the train disagreed with me.’

‘Oh, we’re both past the age where flatulence causes embarrassment,’ Nyssa chuckled. It sounded like birdsong to Tegan’s ears. ‘Thank you for kindly not mentioning my cellulite.’

‘To be honest, I didn’t even notice. That nightie sure is something.’

Nyssa’s soft giggles shook the bed.

‘Tegan, are you flirting with me?’

‘Dunno. I’m a sleep deprived lesbian lying in bed with another woman. My brain is a tad scrambled.’

‘Good point.’

There was gentle silence for a few seconds.

‘Tegan, you never did explain what you do for a living.’

‘Didn’t think it was important.’

‘Of course it’s important; how could it not be?’

‘Spoken like a true scientist. Nah, I’m not particularly career-focused nowadays. Retirement isn’t far off.’

‘Tegan….’

The Australian let out a sigh. Oh, she couldn’t say no to this woman…

‘When I was younger, I used to work as a flight attendant,’ she said. ‘I thought it would be fun, but it got grating after a while. Long hours, couldn’t put down any roots anywhere, and tons of unpleasant passengers. Eventually, I poured some wine over someone’s head when they got snarky with me.’

‘You didn’t!’

‘I did. Got fired after the plane landed at Heathrow. Ended up working in a travel agents for the next twenty-odd years. A bit more my scene, to be honest. Although living halfway across the world from my family did get lonely at times. Still does, to be honest.’

‘Is that why you’re-’

‘Yeah. I’m heading up to the Shetland Islands to catch up with some of my mum’s family.’

‘No kids or partner?’

‘Two ex-husbands,’ Tegan said, with a snort. ‘Although I do have a step-son from the second one. He lives in Spain these days.’

‘I take it both marriages happened before you came out?’

‘Oh, I came out during the second one. Could have gone worse though; he came out as gay at the same time!’

Nyssa gave a giggle.

‘That must have been a surprise for you both.’

‘Sure was. We still catch up from time to time. Him and his husband got married a couple years back; they’re a lovely couple.’

‘Sounds nice,’ Nyssa said, quietly. ‘A family…’

Tegan frowned slightly.

‘If you don’t mind me asking…what about you? Partner? Kids?’

Nyssa sighed.

‘No. It never really happened for me. It took me decades for me to figure out the whole asexual thing, so that was an added bit of difficulty aside from finding women pretty.’

‘Really?’

‘You sound surprised.’

‘Course I am. People seriously couldn’t be with you just because of that? They were clearly morons! Nyssa, you’re… wonderful.’

That last word had slipped out of Tegan’s mouth before she’d realised what she was saying, or how it would sound with the two of them in bed together, with barely a few inches of mattress inbetween them.

But Nyssa didn’t seem to think much of it. Instead, she let out a chuckle and turned on her side to face Tegan.

‘Thank you, Tegan,’ she whispered. ‘For what it’s worth, I think you’re wonderful too, even if I’ve known you for less that twelve hours.’

Tegan’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart was suddenly beating fast against her chest. She turned on her side, so that she was looking directly at Nyssa.

‘Thank you,’ she breathed. ‘Hey, You don’t have to talk about your family. I’m guessing… lots of difficult stuff?’

‘I suppose. But… well, since you told me about yours…’

‘Only if you want.’

‘I do,’ Nyssa said.

She took a long, calming breath and started to speak again.

‘My mother died when I was five years old. And then my father passed away when I was seventeen. I… I don’t really have family; neither of my parents had siblings, and both sets of grandparents had died before I was born.’

Tegan found tears already blossoming in her eyes.

‘Oh, Nyssa…’

‘Tegan, it was over half a century ago,’ Nyssa said, gently. ‘You don’t need to get upset over it.’

‘But… oh…’

Tegan froze, as Nyssa reached over and wiped the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand.

‘Better?’

Tegan nodded, breathlessly, the feeling of Nyssa’s skin still burning wonderfully against her own.

‘Er, how… how did…’

‘My father? Traffic collision,’ Nyssa said, with a sigh. ‘On the Barnet Bypass. He was trying to get home from work and… a drunk driver ended up going sideways into the car. The coroner said that dad probably didn’t feel a thing. Of course, that wasn’t really much of a comfort…’

Nyssa swallowed, and continued.

‘I lived with a family friend for a while afterwards. Doctor Smith; he was a close friend of my father. After I went to university and got my doctorate, I went into bio-chemistry.’

Tegan didn’t say anything, letting Nyssa talk.

‘I love my job,’ the Englishwoman continued. ‘My colleagues are lovely, and I enjoy living in London. But, sometimes, I wish it wasn’t so… fast. I find that, as I get older, the frantic pace is just too much.’

‘So…’ Tegan whispered, softly. ‘The Orkneys?’

‘Away from London, and all that hustle and bustle over the holidays. I wanted… some quiet.’

‘All by yourself?’

‘Yes. I booked a little lodge to stay in. I’m used to being by myself, even in London.’

‘That seems ever so lonely.’

Nyssa sighed.

‘I suppose. But, like I say, I’m used to it.’

‘You shouldn’t be used to it, Nyssa,’ she whispered. ‘You shouldn’t be.’

Without thinking, Tegan reached over and intertwined her fingers with the woman lying beside her. The Englishwoman squeezed softly.

Through the dark, Tegan could see Nyssa’s eyes widen slightly, and her mouth curve into a wonderfully soft smile.

‘You know what, Nyssa?’

‘What?’

‘I… I think you’re amazing.’

‘You’re not just saying that because we’re sleeping together?’

‘Not a chance,’ Tegan chuckled. ‘Besides, we’re both well past that stage in our lives.’

‘True,’ Nyssa replied, with a giggle. ‘Although, surprising as it may seem, I’ve never been much of a flirt.’

‘Couldn’t have fooled me.’

Tegan could have sworn that Nyssa’s face briefly flushed.

‘Now you’re just trying to flatter me.’

‘Nope,’ Tegan said, softly. ‘You’re too harsh on yourself, Nyssa. And I should know; I’m not exactly the most confident person on the planet.’

‘Really? I find that hard to believe. I… I envy you, Tegan. Confident, brave… you’re truly amazing.’

Tegan’s heart beat happily against her chest.

‘Thank you, Nyssa.’

‘Er… Tegan?’

‘Yes?’

‘Can… can you hold me, please? I… only if you want to-’

Without conscious thought, Tegan slid the few inches left inbetween them, and wrapped her arm gently around Nyssa’s waist. Her nostrils were filled with the wonderful scent of Nyssa’s hair. Oh. It was at once intoxicating and yet relaxing, as if settling into a bath at the end of a long, difficult day.

‘Goodnight, Nyssa.’

She could have sworn that Nyssa’s face crinkled into a wonderfully sweet smile, with cheeks dimpling. In the darkness of the room, it was almost impossible to tell either way. But Tegan hoped she was right. Without thinking, she nuzzled softly into Nyssa’s hair, and the younger woman seemed to relax deeper against her. The Englishwoman’s hands slipped around Tegan’s waist, resting gently on her back, and she squeezed softly.

‘Goodnight, Tegan.’

~~~~~~~

Taking care not to spill tea on her blue button down shirt and white capri trousers, Tegan carried the two mugs back into the office. Nyssa smiled at her in gratitude as she approached.

‘Good weekend?’

‘About the same,’ Nyssa said, taking her mug from Tegan. The mug had been bought while Tegan had been on holiday back to Australia, and was emblazoned with “you’re just my cup of tea”. ‘My landlord is still unsure of what to do with the cottage, though. They said they’d let me know sometime today as to their final decision.’

‘Hmmm,’ Tegan said, pursing her lips as she cupped her own mug (“lady of the manor”) between her hands.

‘You never have liked my landlord, have you?’

‘Whatever gave that impression?’

‘Oh, one or two things…’ Nyssa said, chuckling. ‘But how was your weekend? How did that date go?’

‘Urgh,’ Tegan groaned, making a face. ‘No spark whatsoever. Seriously, is it too much to ask to find one woman of a certain age in this entire city who isn’t boring as sin?’

‘Oh, Tegan…’ Nyssa sighed, sympathetically. ‘I’m sure there’s someone out there for you; you’re amazing.’

‘You might want to tell other women that,’ Tegan chuckled, setting her mug down on the coaster. ‘Nah, it’s fine; you know me, I’ve always had difficulty finding someone.’

‘I know, but I want you to be happy,’ Nyssa said, looking genuinely grieved. ‘You deserve the best.’

Tegan reached across and squeezed Nyssa’s hand.

‘Nyssa, if it means so much to you, if I’m still single at 70, we can get married.’

‘Oh, I’d be a terrible wife,’ Nyssa said, giggling. ‘And don’t make fun!’

‘You’d be the best,’ Tegan replied, with a grin. ‘C’mon, am I that predictable-’

‘Ah, Tegan! Nyssa!’

Tegan rolled her eyes and reluctantly let go of Nyssa’s hand, turning in her swivel chair as a blonde man stuck his head into the office. He was one of the professors for the sports department, but was also a) a massive dork and b) a right pain in the arse. This beige-clad twit exclusively wore Edwardian cricket gear and a cheerfully bewildered expression.

He was also notorious for being late with his paperwork. Assignments, class updates, working timesheets, you name it; the man could not keep a handle on any of them. Which made both Tegan and Nyssa’s working lives a nightmare, especially around the end of each semester. The git.

‘What is it this time, Doc?’

The man sighed, frowning as he put his hands on his hips.

‘You really are so pessimistic, Tegan.’

‘Can you blame me?’

At this, Nyssa snickered, catching eyes with Tegan.

The man sighed.

‘I can’t help it if my paperwork gets a little shoddy at times. That moron who shares an office with me keeps leaving cat badges everywhere.’

‘I’ll tell him you said that.’

‘Good; although it probably wouldn’t do much. Can you imagine being around someone who is so unbearably smug about everything?’

Tegan stared at him.

‘Vividly, yes.’

The blonde man glared at her.

‘Oh, very funny,’ he said. ‘Nyssa, your partner is a piece of work.’

‘Oh, ha ha…’

Tegan rolled her eyes. People had a weird habit of calling Nyssa that; for the life of her, Tegan couldn’t work out why. Yes, Nyssa was great, but it wasn’t like that between them. Clearly, people were just being silly. Goodness forbid two women be such good friends that they could finish each-others’ sentences.

‘Peri seems to spend half her life trying to stop those two fighting,’ Nyssa said, chuckling to herself.

‘I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,’ Tegan replied. ‘Poor love must pull her hair out at times-’

‘Heya!’

Two women had poked their heads through the door. One was blonde and seemed to have too many teeth when she smiled. The other was calmer, with a warm Sheffield accent and a cheerful grin.

‘Hello, Yaz,’ Tegan said. ‘Hello, Doc.’

The two fiancés stepped into the room. The Doctor was wearing her normal raincoat with the rainbow-striped top and slightly-too-short trousers. Yaz was, of course, wearing her standard leather jacket and jeans.

‘This one’s got some paperwork to hand in,’ said Yaz, bumping her partner on the arm affectionately with her elbow. ‘And on time, just for once.’

‘Oy!’ the Doctor said, pouting a little as she handed over the papers. ‘I’m not that bad; that one with the bow-tie never hands anything in.’

‘Pretty sure he’s in Central America on some expedition right now,’ Tegan said, chuckling. ‘ Your wedding plans going okay?’

‘Just about,’ Yaz said. ‘Your invite should be going through the post now.’

‘Wonderful!’ Nyssa said. ‘I do love a wedding, and you two are so sweet together.’

‘Oh, stop…’ the Doctor said, but with a tone that clearly didn’t mind. ‘Still can’t quite believe it, m’self.’

Yaz flushed a little, grinning as she pressed a kiss to her fiancé’s cheek.

‘Okay, lovebirds; this is a workplace, not a registry office. Off you go,’ Tegan cheeked, grinning. ‘And I’ll look out for the invite.’

Yaz and the Doctor waved, before leaving, hand in hand.

Nice couple, Tegan thought. Yaz had briefly worked alongside Tegan and Nyssa, before moving to work with the estates team. She’d met the Doctor at some random faculty party, and the two of them had been inseparable since. Tegan smiled; it was nice to see a couple so in-tune with each other.

The Australian swivelled around again, and was just opening to mention this to Nyssa, when she saw that the curly-haired woman’s brow was set, her eyes scanning an email.

‘Nys… everything okay?’

Nyssa stared down at her computer screen for another moment, before turning her seat to face Tegan.

‘Not exactly. My landlord just send through the final notification through; my tenancy is definitely not getting renewed.’

‘Oh, no!’ Tegan replied. ‘But you love that place!’

‘Yes, the cottage is lovely,’ Nyssa sighed. ‘But the landlord really can’t keep it going with just myself as a tenant. They’re going to get it marketed up for a higher price. Which I definitely cannot afford.’

‘Such a shame, Nys,’ Tegan said, placing a hand on her friends arm. ‘Do you know where you’re going to move to?’

Nyssa shook her head.

‘You know how difficult the rental market is at the moment. And it’s not as if the university is paying me a huge salary.’

‘Hang on,’ Tegan said, her brain suddenly firing on all cylinders. ‘My old roommate is moving out next month; why don’t you move in with me?’

Nyssa stared at her for a second.

‘I- oh, Tegan; that’s so thoughtful of you,’ she said, mouth widening into a huge smile. ‘That wouldn’t be imposing on you, would it?’

‘Not at all!’ Tegan replied, grinning. ‘I’d love it! And it would be great to finally room with someone I know well.’

Nyssa reached out and squeezed Tegan’s hand, smiling.

‘I do so appreciate it; you’re wonderful, Tegan.’

Tegan felt her cheeks flush. Oh, Nyssa was so sweet.

‘Oh, stop it-’

‘No,’ Nyssa said, giggling. ‘You are truly wonderful and I won’t hear anything against it-’

There was a cough from the door.

Oh, what now?…

‘Sorry to butt in,’ came a Mancunian accent, quickly followed by a man with short hair and a leather pea coat. ‘You seen that Southern prat with the pinstriped suit? Tosser shoved his paperwork onto me; said he had a date and booked it out of the office.’

‘Oh, not again,’ Nyssa said, sighing. ‘We have told him to try and coordinate his time better.’

The Northerner sighed, handing the paperwork over.

‘Sorry; I know how hard you two work.’

‘It’s fine,’ Tegan said. Unlike most of the other Doctors at the university, this one was basically a hero when it came to helping out with the admin. She found it hard to dislike him. He was just so… earnest about everything. ‘Thanks, Doctor; fantastic as always.’

‘Ta,’ he said, forehead crinkling into wrinkles as he smiled. ‘I’m off to help Martha Jones with her dissertation; see you both later.’

                                                               *

 The moving-in day arrived. It was a Saturday, at the start of a bank holiday weekend, meaning that they had three whole days to get everything moved in.

The process of actually moving everything in took all day. Nyssa had a fair amount packed, so the two women spent a good few hours driving back and forth from Traken Cottage to Tegan’s place. Mercifully, Tegan lived on the ground floor, so they didn’t need to worry about carting Nyssa’s wardrobe up several flights of stairs. It also helped that Tegan had called in a few favours from some people amongst the University staff, meaning that Dan, Ryan and Ace were helping them out.

‘Nyssa, where do you want this?’

Ace and Ryan were trying to jimmy the wardrobe through the doorway. Both of them were rather red in the face from the effort.

‘Just to the side of the bed, please,’ Nyssa said.

‘Your wish is my command, my lady,’ Ace said, winking.

Tegan rolled her eyes and swotted Ace on the arm.

‘Sorry, Tegan,’ Ace chuckled, the light of the overhead lamp glinting off her leather jacket. ‘Trust me; I’ve no intentions whatsoever on your wife.’

‘Best friend,’ Tegan and Nyssa corrected, in unison.

Ryan chuckled, grunting as he helped Ace manoeuvre the wardrobe into place.

‘This solid oak?’ he asked. ‘Did they not have Ikea back when you bought this?’

‘It was from an antique fair,’ Nyssa said. ‘Tegan insisted on splitting the cost with me.’

‘Well, your rent had just gone up,’ Tegan said, already dusting the wardrobe. ‘And it was too lovely to just leave there.’

Nyssa chuckled, nudging Tegan with her shoulder playfully, the two women grinning at each other as they applied wood polish to the oak.

Ace and Ryan both rolled their eyes.

Eventually, after a lot of heavy lifting, lots of swearing (mainly from Tegan and Ace, with a couple of minor curses from Ryan and Dan) and a few splinters off the wooden furniture, all of Nyssa’s things were unpacked, sorted and placed into her new room.

After thanking the other three for their help as they left, the two women then collapsed onto the living room sofa, with two very soothing cups of tea on the table sat on coasters in front of them.

‘Well, that was that,’ Tegan sighed, stretching out her toes on the carpet. ‘A day well spent, I think.’

‘Indeed,’ Nyssa said, reaching forward to cup her mug in her hand. ‘Thank you so much for helping me with the moving.’

‘Hey, what are best friends for?’ Tegan replied, shrugging. ‘Besides, I know how expensive those moving companies are, and I only charge in biscuits and tea.’

Nyssa chuckled, fondly, sending her mug back down on the coaster before leaning back into the sofa.

‘Ow,’ Nyssa said, adjusting where she was sat. She reached under the cushion. ‘Somethings poking into me…’

Her hand pulled out of the cushion, something grasped in her fingers. And Tegan felt her throat seize up as she realised precisely what had been stuffed underneath there.

Nyssa stared at the long silicon cylinder.

‘Tegan…’ she said, slowly. ‘What… what is this?’

Tegan’s face had, by this point, raced past red and was rapidly approaching a delicate shade of maroon that it had not achieved since she was a teenager.

‘Er… w-well…’

Nyssa’s face registered the embarrassment plastered over her friends face, and her brain seemed to put two and two together.

‘Oh.’

There was a very prolonged pause. Tegan’s palms seemed to be sweating.

However, the two of them then looked up, took one glance at each other, and both descended into fits of laughter

‘Oh, Tegan…’ Nyssa gasped, eyes watering. ‘Your face was a picture!’

‘So was yours, Nys! “Tegan, what’s this?”, as if you didn’t know what it is!’

‘Well, you don’t expect to be sitting on your friends vibr-’

‘Shhhh!’ Tegan spluttered, and the two of them descended further into laughter. ‘You can’t say stuff like that, not with that posh voice of yours!’

‘Cheek!’

Nyssa gently shoved Tegan, and the two of them landed in a heap on the sofa, both laughing their heads off.

‘Why… why do you have it, then?’

‘Oh, my cousin Donna got it for me as a joke last year for Hanukkah,’ Tegan said, her cheeks sore with laughter as the two of them sat back up. ‘I’ve never actually… y’know-’

‘I get the picture,’ Nyssa said, quickly.

‘Yeah, you do!’ Tegan cheeked, winking.

The two of them laughed again.

                                                     *

‘Korma alright?’

Nyssa nodded.

‘Delicious,’ she said, covering her hand with her mouth as she gave a small burp. ‘It’s been a long time since I had a takeaway.’

‘Really?’ Tegan replied, her mouth full of naan bread. ‘Gosh, looks like you moved in just in time; you need to have treats more often, Nys.’

‘I do!’ Nyssa said, in mock outrage. ‘I’ll have you know that I bought double-chocolate digestives last week!’

The two women chuckled, enjoying the others company. They had been close for so long that it seemed strange that they were only now living together. But it was… nice. If this evening was anything to go by, this new living arrangement was going to be a lot of fun.

After the washing up had been done, Tegan grabbed a bottle of wine and pulled Nyssa over to the sofa.

‘To celebrate a successful moving-in,’ she said, liberally filling their glasses.

‘Indeed,’ Nyssa said. ‘And thank you again!’

Their glasses clinked together.

There wasn’t a huge amount on telly that evening, so Tegan pulled out her old DVD of ‘The Wizard Of Oz’ and set it playing. It had been one of the first films that she had loved as a kid, and she had never quite found herself able to stop watching it. Whenever she was a little lonely or upset, she’d watch it and everything would feel… well, not alright, but that things could get better if she kept trying.

Sometime during the movie, the two women found themselves resting back against the sofa, Tegan’s arm around Nyssa’s shoulders.

‘Tegan…’ Nyssa said, her voice slightly slurred. ‘Are you going to bring women back here? Will I have to keep to my room?’

‘What?’ Tegan replied, surprised. ‘No; I’m a bit beyond that stage of my life. Besides, if I ever did bring home someone, I’d want them to meet you.’

‘Whatever… whatever for?’

‘So I could say to them “this is my best friend; we live together and I love her very much. If that’s a problem, there’s the door”.’

‘Oh…’ Nyssa’s face broke into a wide smile as she turned her head. ‘You love me, Tegan?...’

‘Course I bloody do,’ Tegan said, smiling. ‘Haven’t I made that clear already?’

‘Yeah, but… but you never said you loved me…’ Nyssa said, giggling. ‘Oh, but I’m not a lesbian, though…’

‘What are you then?’

‘A little tipsy,’ Nyssa giggled. ‘Yes, a rather tipsy bisexual.’

Tegan chuckled. Nyssa leaned into her side, and the Australian wrapped her arm closer around her friend. Damn, Nyssa smelled good. Was she using a new conditioner? Pomegranate, perhaps. It suited her very well.

‘Thanks for moving in, Nys,’ she said, softly. ‘You’re the best.’

‘No…you are…’ Nyssa replied, a little sleepily. ‘‘nd pretty too…’

Wow, that wine had really gone to her head, hadn’t it? Tegan let out a chuckle, eyes closing.

‘Love you too, Tegan… love you too…’

Tegan got the vague sense that a pair of lips had just pressed a kiss to her forehead. But she was probably just imagining it… after all, only Nyssa was here, and she didn’t see Tegan that way…

                                                            *

Beep, beep, beep…

Tegan startled. Sitting up numbly in bed, she turned her alarm clock off. She must have forgotten to turn the blasted thing off. Typical; now she was awake early on a Sunday.

Tegan yawned and stretched. Deciding she might as well get some food, she climbed out of bed, pulled her dressing gown around her and headed towards the kitchen. The sunlight was already filtering through the closed blinds, and outside she could hear the sound of birdcalls. Tegan set the kettle going, and started putting bread in the toaster.

‘Morning…’

Tegan turned. Nyssa had walked in, wearing an adorable velvet robe in deep purple. Her hair was slightly rumpled and her voice still had a slight husk from sleepiness.

As ever, Nyssa somehow managed to make even early-morning-starts look gorgeous. And yet Tegan found herself unable to be jealous, only contentedly thoughtful.

‘Morning, Nys,’ she said, shooting a grin at her friend. ‘Cuppa?’

‘Yes, please,’ Nyssa said, smiling as she got a bowl out of the cupboard. ‘I’ll just make myself some porridge. May I have-’

‘A spot of milk and no sugar?’ Tegan finished. The two of them shared a smile. ‘Of course you may.’

This felt… right, having Nyssa here. Like they should have been living together long before this.  A few minutes later, the two of them sat down at the small kitchen table, both focusing for a while on their respective breakfasts.

‘Everything alright, Tegan?’

‘Hmmm?’

Nyssa grinned, halfway through her bowl of Ready Brek.

‘You’re staring at me.’

Tegan blinked. Yes, she had been staring at Nyssa over her mug of tea, plate of toast ignored.

‘Sorry; you just look really pretty.’

Nyssa’s cheeks flushed.

‘Oh, stop it…’

‘I’m serious!’ Tegan exclaimed, smiling. ‘You’re gorgeous, Nys; seriously, how no-one hasn’t snatched you up yet is beyond me.’

Nyssa smiled, her face flushed prettily pink. Well, Nyssa was pretty anyway; the blush just accentuated it further.

‘I could say the same for you, Tegan.’

Tegan felt her own cheeks flush.

‘Flirt,’ she giggled, taking a bite of her half-cold toast. ‘Just because I’m living with a glamorous lady like yourself, that doesn’t mean I’m that predictable.’

Nyssa let out another giggle. It sounded like birdsong to Tegan’s ears as she quickly polished off her toast.

‘Well, I’m going to have a shower,’ Tegan said, standing up. She crossed the room and gave her mug a quick rinse under the tap before putting it in the bowl to wash up later, along with her plate. ‘Are you going to have a lie in? That wine went to your head last night, after all…’

Nyssa chuckled. The two of them had dozed off for an hour on the sofa after watching the film, and Tegan had helped Nyssa to her room; the poor woman really had no tolerance for alcohol.

‘No, I’m fine. I’ll read some of my book and hop in the shower after you’ve finished.’

‘Just a word of warning; I do sing in the shower.’

‘I’ll make a note of that if I ever decide to join you in there.’

‘Don’t tempt me with a good time; that bathroom doesn’t have a lock on it,’ Tegan said, giving a quick wink as she walked past Nyssa and out of the kitchen. She could hear the tinkle of Nyssa chuckling to herself as she walked down the corridor.

Tegan headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and began to brush her teeth. She was just about to spit the toothpaste out when a sudden memory rose from her unconsciousness.

A… kiss?

Tegan startled for a second, mouth full of minty paste. Was… was she remembering that right? Nyssa had kissed her on the forehead. Yes, that would be right, since there was no-one else in the room. It had felt… nice. Nyssa had lovely lips, after all. Not that Tegan looked at her best friends’ lips, of course. This was just a platonic observation. It was just now that Tegan knew that Nyssa’s lips felt nice, too. When she was kissing someone. On the forehead. Platonically.

What the hell am I thinking?

Feeling her cheeks flush, Tegan spat out the toothpaste, and wiped her mouth with the hand-towel, feeling rather out-of-sorts. Well, she mused, not exactly. Tegan hardly disliked the idea. But that was normal for two friends, especially best friends. Best friends did that, right? Perfectly normal platonic affection. Obviously.

Then… then why had her heartrate increased when she had first remembered it?

Tegan discarded her pyjamas and climbed into the shower. As she set to work shampooing her hair, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling that was bubbling in her stomach.

Don’t be silly, she told herself, sharply, I don’t fancy Nyssa. I’m not some adolescent with a crush! This is my best friend we’re talking about; Nys probably didn’t mean anything by it! We had both had a few glasses, after all.

Yeah. Yeah, that was it. They were two best friends who were now living together, and enjoying each others’ company more now that they were sharing a flat. Yes, Nyssa was wonderful, and funny, and smart, and sweet, and utterly gorgeous, but Tegan didn’t see her that way. Definitely not. Nyssa was her best friend, after all. Best friends didn’t look at each other like that.

Best friends didn’t think about each other in that way.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~