templemarker

Songs That Get Stuck In Your Head: A Discourse
by templemarker

For hac92 in femslash10. Set during series four, but no specific spoilers. Katie still doesn’t quite get what her sister sees in girls, and takes this up with Naomi. PG-13, 1k words, originally posted here.

***

“I don’t understand you,” Katie said over her second Long Island Iced Tea. Naomi didn’t know how Kaite had managed to get the bartender to serve her–it probably had something to do with her boobs–as Naomi was stuck drinking flat Coke without even the slightest hint of rum. The whole situation was fucked: no booze in a stuffy bar chatting with someone she didn’t even like most of the time. The only reason she hadn’t gone outside for a fag yet was because Katie had promised, under duress, that Emily was on her way. In the mean time, Naomi was suffering through her present situation.

“What don’t you understand, Katie?” Naomi said as dryly as she could. “I’m the same girl you’ve known for ages, apart from the bit where I’m fucking your sister.”

Katie made a face in Naomi’s direction and closed her lips around her straw; another couple centimetres of her drink disappeared. “Not that,” she complained. “I mean, I don’t understand that either, but I don’t get you. What’s so great about you? Why did Emily get all crazy over you?” She squinted a bit, looking Naomi over in the darkened room. “I guess you’re pretty, but what, can you do some clever thing with your tongue, is that it?”

Naomi stood up, pushing up her sleeves and grabbing her bag. “This is rubbish. I’m going to wait outside.”

“Oh, Naomi, wait–” Katie said, a mocking tone in her voice. “Wait, never mind. Go on in the rain, then, get yourself all wet.”

Naomi closed her eyes, breathed deep, and tried to remember the part where playing nice with Emily’s sister meant she and Emily were in better form. It was worth it. Most things made having Emily worth it. But damn it all if Katie Fitch was still the irritating twat she always had been and forever would be.

“Use you amazing boob-related powers to get me something with liquor in it,” she said shortly, sitting back down in her chair. “Otherwise I will not be responsible for the next ten minutes, when I throw you out the door and watch your mascara run down your face.”

“It’s waterproof,” Katie said smugly, but she ordered Naomi a rum and Coke anyway.

“Honestly,” Katie continued, as if the threats had made no impact whatsoever. (Of course they hadn’t.) “I’ve kissed a girl before, and it wasn’t much to write home about. We’re not the same person, me and Emily, but it can’t be that different.” She waved her straw in Naomi’s general direction, flinging drops onto Naomi’s face. Naomi grabbed a bar napkin and wiped them off, grimacing as her lipstick came off with it. She pulled the tube from her purse and was just about to re-apply when Katie’s pointy-tipped hand reached out and grabbed her blazer, yanking her nearly off her chair.

The next thing Naomi knew, almost-familiar lips covered in cherry lipgloss covered her own and Naomi was flailing for purchase on the bar. She could hear catcalls and shouts around her, and grunted a protest, finally grasping at Katie’s hand and shaking it free. Naomi jerked back, running the back of her hand across her mouth and glaring at Katie. “What the fuck was that?” she nearly shouted, anger bubbling up.

Katie’s glassy eyes stared at her, her mouth still in a slight moue. “It’s not different at all,” she said, sounding a bit disappointed. “It’s just like any other girl, your kissing.” She righted herself a bit, self-consciously smoothing her skirt and her hair and bringing her drink to her lips as if what had just occurred was nothing at all. Which, Naomi supposed, it was.

She huffed out a sound of displeasure and knocked back half her drink, making a motion for the bartender to bring her another. He was considerably more accommodating now. She hunched her shoulders a bit, resisted the impulse to see if anyone was still looking at them, and hissed out, “I am not a Katy Perry song. Do not ever do that again.”

“But I didn’t like it,” Katie said, a bit petulant. “That was the point.”

“I don’t care, you stupid bint,” Naomi said very carefully. “Go play your kissing game with someone else. I’m sure there’s a truth or dare going on somewhere in Bristol.”

The door swung open and in came Emily, only a bit wet and pushing back the hood of her waterproof mac. She smiled wide when she say Naomi and Katie sitting together, and Naomi tried to muster up something in response.

“Hello, girls,” Emily said warmly. “Did you two survive without me?”

“Barely,” Naomi muttered, and pulled Emily in for a hug. “You are much-need interference.”

“I kissed a girl, and I liked it” Katie sang, dancing a bit in her chair.

Emily winced. “On the Katy Perry kick again, are you?” she said. “Honestly, Katie, if you put that song in my head again I will murder you in your sleep.”

“I’m going to the toilet,” Katie said abruptly, sliding out of her chair and somehow landing smoothly on her very high heels. Emily just laughed and stepped in close to Naomi. She smelled like wet skin and pear body spray.

“Your sister is bonkers,” Naomi said honestly, threading an arm around Emily’s shoulders and squeezing.

“Aren’t we all?” Emily asked, and leaned up for a kiss. There was the familiar mouth, the happy sigh and the press of tongue against Naomi’s own. There was no lipgloss at all, just Emily pressing even closer and Naomi wishing it were closer still.

They reluctantly parted to whoops and cries again, and Emily just laughed. “I suppose we gave them a show, didn’t we Nay?”

“You have no idea,” Naomi said, and pulled Emily in again.