are you satisfied

romy sees the violent tilt of trixie's ankle before even processing the slip. and not a second later, she was attempting to stand up again. "shit." they curse under their breath as they head toward trixie. romy knew a sudden inversion like that could've easily caused an ankle sprain, or worse, something bad enough to take trixie off the rink if she put weight on it right now. "hang on, bambi. that didn't look good." romy intercepts trixie's path and kneels down to get a better look. they reach their hands out, cupping and raising her heel. they place a thumb with precision against the hollow of her ankle bone. "does this hurt?" they raise their gaze after a moment back up to trixie, before standing up to meet her again. "not that i'm a doctor or anything yet, but i think you might need ice on your ankle, rather than under it."

trixie stiffens under their touch. partly due to nerves, partly because of the stupid, stupid things she feels for her teammate, that she often does her best to push down... and partly because yes, it does hurt. "you're right. you're not a doctor," she mutters. "you don't have to be one during practice, romy. i'm a player and you're a player. that's it." she's well aware of the complications that not treating a sprained ankle could bring, though, so she sighs and concedes, "let's get some ice on this and then bam, we're back. okay?" voice lowers. "i don't wanna be a burden." the moment the words leave her mouth, she regrets them - she doesn't wanna sound self-pitying. "you know what i mean. i don't feel sorry for myself. you deserve a good teammate, 'cause you're incredible."

trixie was reserved. at least in the sense that she kept her cards close to her chest. maybe that was part of why winnie liked her so much. she never pried, never pushed, never crossed lines that weren't hers to cross. still, something had shifted, at least on winnie's end. she'd grown unexpectedly fond of her roommates and the quiet companionship they offered. the awkward distance she'd clung to when they first moved in together had slowly worn away, replaced by something far more comfortable. " i gotchu, " she replied, already pulling out her phone and opening the app to place the order. as she scrolled through the menu, she glanced up. " how's everything going with the team this year ? " when she'd first arrived at michigan, she couldn't have cared less about hockey. she'd been far too consumed by lectures, lab reports, and maintaining the grades expected of her. but somewhere along the way that changed. now she found herself at nearly every game, especially when there was someone in particular she was there to support.

trixie blew-dry her soaking wet hair. despite how exhausted she was, she simply couldn't just go to bed without taking a bath first. it was her routine when the weather got chillier. "thanks, babe," she said. "did you order something for yourself too?" she fought a yawn, to little avail. "i'm trying to improve my stamina." she didn't have any complaints about the others; some part of her considered herself the weak link of sorts. especially with how sensitive she was to things like the coldness of the ice. "but yeah, we're all just determined and doing our best." she turned to the other girl. "you? how are things lately? your planner's been looking pretty colorful."

"  can't  wait  to  make  them  cry  !  "  sloane  chuckles  and  shakes  her  head.  noticing  trixie's  attention  wandering  around  the  room  she  squeezes  the  other's  hand  to  offer  solace  "  wait,  you're  right  we  are  missing  karaoke.  well  that's  the  nicest  thing  everyone  has  ever  said  to  me.  "  she  wipes  off  a  fake  tear  from  her  eye  "  because  your  voice  is  incredible,  "  she  giggles  "  and  i  am  an  incredible  dancer  !  "

"the thought of men in tears brings me joy, truly." trixie lets out a sigh, head dropping to lean on sloane's shoulder. "i'm not an incredible singer. i have so much, like, jaw tension and my vowel shaping sucks." not that most people notice these things. they probably just think her voice sounds cute. she's aware of the technical things, but she still can't study her way into being a great singer. musicality and rhythm, they come naturally to people. not trixie, though. "but that's true. you're an incredible dancer." she giggles. "i wish i could steal your groove like i'm ursula from the little mermaid!"

"now you're just trying to flatter me." sammy teased, a small smirk appearing on her lips as a result. she truly loved her team, more than anything in the world honestly. "okay, i'm convinced. let's take the damn thing together so that we can show off our outfits on your socials and all."

"no, it's true! you're the best captain." trixie moved closer to sammy before training the front camera on them. she gave it the brightest smile that she could. "3, 2, 1..." her thumb finally pressed the snap button. "and another? or...?"

and it’s not like she means to judge , but instantly her brow furrows in confusion . a photo of her ? ten minutes after having her head in the toilet ? “ for your social media ? ” just a photo of her doesn’t make much sense . “ or like the schools ? ‘cause i don’t think any scrolling professor wants to see me like this . ”

"o-oh!" trixie looks away, as if she's just stumbled on something incredibly private. "i'm sorry. i didn't -- i didn't realize what you were doing there. i'm... sorry?" ugh, why should she be sorry about someone else puking? stupid, she chastises herself. still, she can't resist asking, "are you alright?" she coughs, clarifying, "it's just for my personal socials. you know, making memories and all."

　“  c’mere,  ”  didn’t  even  need  trixie  to  finish  her  question, iris was privy to her cousin's moods – an unspoken understanding that existed between them both. she was quick  to  make  room,  even  quicker  put out  the  blunt.  squashed  it  like  a  pesky  little  bug  against  grout  chipped  between  rows  of  tile  …  made  a  note  to  properly  discard  it  later  (  which  she’d  no  doubt  forget  ).  regardless,  it  wasn’t  a  concern.  splayed  hands  reached  forward,  looped  around  wrists  to  guide  sleeping  beauty  in.  once  settled,  an  arm  snaked  to  drape  over  her  shoulders.  “  you  want  me  to  sing  you  a  lullaby  ?  i  can fuck  up  a  twinkle  twinkle  little  star for you.  maybe  even  remix  it,  twinkle  twinkle  little  trix.  ”  she  joked. a beat passed before,  “  you  have  a little fun  tonight, at least  ?  ”

"mmm, that's genius." trixie let out a loopy giggle, a sound she'd never allow herself to make around most other people. "twinkle twinkle little trix, shitty brain you need to fix..." she sighed. "i'm sorry. i don't wanna... like, make it all about me and my nonstop overthinking. i had fun, yeah... i think. you? please. tell me all about your night, ri." she rested her head against the cold wall. "it's gonna be my bedtime story. yay!"

❝ just me, t? you don't want to take one together for the 'gram? ❞ he smiles softly at her, wanting to make sure she was one, comfortable and two, having fun. ❝ and after... we're teaming up for beer pong. so don't let me down, alright? ❞

"of course we should." despite the fact that their relationship is utterly fake, she doesn't need to look into the front cam to know they look picture-perfect together. trixie is pretty tall for a woman, but she still has to stand on her tippy-toes a bit to try and give adonis a chaste kiss on the cheek. her thumb is on the camera button as she attempts to hold the pose. "please, you know me, don. i'm hella competitive."

she didn't fully realize how horrible what she said sounded until after she said it. truthfully, sammy doesn't think before speaking sometimes, maybe that's why some of her teammates and her can never seem to get along at times. "i guess that makes sense, i don't know i guess i just assumed you needed it for something." she chuckles. "i'm glad you're showing some team spirit though, trix, we need more people like you on the team honestly."

"thank you. and we wouldn't be half the team that we are without our dear captain," trixie said, trying to sound less dry and more enthusiastic. she did genuinely appreciate sam, though some annoyance lingered within her. "so... how about that picture, sammy? you want me to take a solo pic or shall we do a selfie together?"

confusion etches onto features, brows furrowing towards the middle of her forehead as she attempts to understand the logic. “  you want to take a picture of my shoes?   ” momentarily, she pauses, trying to think of why this may be considered a norm at parties before coming up short. “  i mean you can but i don't entirely understand why. if you're looking into a new shoe collection, i'm sure someone else has nicer shoes around here, like summer.   ” truthfully the first person that managed to come into her mind on the topic of fashion.

"it sounds cheesy, but... i think everything is interesting and beautiful in their own way. i like to document as many things as i can," trixie admits. "you know, i used to have what people call a 'photographic' memory. but when i entered my teen years, my memory became more and more abstract. still above-average, but i can't recall stuff in perfect detail anymore. i need photographic evidence for future me, that you know... i was here. you were here. with those cute little shoes of yours. so i never forget."

“wait  wait  wait,“  he  pouts  at  her,  only half serious but mostly playful.  “1987  ?  are  you  saying  i  look  old  enough  to  have  been  alive  almost  40  years  ago  ?  i  ain’t  that  much  older  than  you,  missy  !”  a  deep,  melodramatic  sigh  escapes  his  lips.  “no, but seriously now.. use facetune or something. make me look young and attractive."

"no, no!" she lets out a laugh upon realizing the potential implications of her suggestion. "i didn't mean it like that, i swear. you ARE young." time to put on nerd mode. "so, a study published in the university of cambridge's nature communications journal found that human brains don't even become 'fully' adult until you're, like, 32. your brain is still in that super youthful, highly elastic epoch where new synaptic connections are very easily formed." she assures him, "you don't need facetune. i just like how mysterious it is to set something a long time ago. you've got fluffy hair, you can pull off the '80s cosplay. my hair's so limp!"

“ i’m ordering food! ” her voice sounded through the dormitory from her space on the couch, textbooks opened and sprawled out on the coffee table, her notebook filled with meticulously written notes now ignored. she’d hit a wall, her brain reaching that point where the words on the page began to blend and blur together and winnie knew if she kept pushing, she would tip into one of those lovely mental spirals. so instead she would opt for food and company, signaling for trixie with the promise of takeout as she peeled herself away from the couch and reached for her phone. “ pizza? ” she asks before wrinkling her nose. no, they had that a few nights ago. “ or maybe thai from that place just off campus? i don’t know, my brain is mush. ” she rambles, at the point where every thought in her mind tumbles from her lips.

trixie wanted to ask, why do you need to ask me? even though they'd done this a bunch of times, she still wasn't used to the whole roommates ordering food with one another thing. almost like they were... gasp... friends. which she wouldn't mind, she was just a bit distrustful. she held her tongue, though, and instead replied, "i'd go for the thai restaurant." patting her tummy, she said, "i'm craving the moo palo. mmm." her stomach really rumbled at the thought of the delicious pork belly stew.

♡ LOLA TUNG via tiktok ( guywithamoviecamera )

a  fond  smile  plays  on  his  lips when he hears her voice.  “  hi,  trix.  “  he  nods  and  strikes  a  silly  pose  —  goofy  looking  smile,  attempting to wink even though he doesn't know how.  “  go  ahead,  cuz.  take  as  many  as  you’d  like.  can you make  me  go  viral ?  “  

"maybe." trixie lands on the occasional viral post, but she's at the mercy of the algorithm most of the time. "we need a good hook, though, so people will be curious about your photos. how about i put a filter and write something like, hm, 'this man went missing in 1987. if you look for too long, he will haunt you... stare if you're brave enough'? people love scary posts."