THE FOLLOWING TEXT CONTAINS: SEXUAL THEMES & ACTS. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED (RATING 18+)
HEARTTHROB
27. INT. FRANKIE’S PLACE — NIGHT
Boy, JD is sure having a strong sense of deja-vu here as FRANKIE shoves them up against her apartment door nuzzling her snoot up against JD’s and nibbling at the fur on their neck. JD squirms gasping against her as they tangle their claws through her clothes.
CUT TO: THE LAST TIME.
FRANKIE pins orc-JD against her door with a smirk and licks her lips. She says something cheeky and they give her an amused look. She yanks them into a kiss and JD wraps their arms around her. There’s a bit of a blur to the scene. Probably because the two were absolutely wasted.
CUT: FRANKIE is pushed up against the door.
CUT: Her hand scrambling to tap the card against the keypad.
CUT: The two of them falling over and making out in the entrance of her apartment until she kicks the door shut with her foot.
SFX: SLAM!
CUT TO: …ANYWAY…
JD would like to think it was a lot messier that time and that this time is different. Well, it’s only really different in that JD is the one pinned up to the door while FRANKIE fumbles for her key. She taps the card against the keypad and JD goes stumbling backward when the door latch swings it open against their weight.
At least they didn’t fall over this time. Probably because they aren’t really drunk like they were last time.
FRANKIE giggles and rushes into them kissing them and dragging her tongue along their snout. As she presses her body up against their’s, JD grabs her shoulders and tries to stifle a ripple making its way up their metaphorical spine.
JD
N-nice place.
They cast a sweeping glance around the space, just like they remember it bold, lots of gold, lots of popping reds and pinks against black. It’s chic. Loud. Just like she is. Honestly it looks expensive, all of it. She must be pretty good at her job…JD is taking in details, movie props and posters, trying to smother their nerves because that liquid courage isn’t there to help them keep it together–wait is that a bar?
FRANKIE tugs their jacket off and pushes them back into some sort of couch. She climbs into their lap, distracting them, straddling their hips. She smiles with that half-lidded gaze of hers that sucks them in deep, and smoothly pulls her own jacket off to reveal a low-cut tank top, raising an eyebrow.
JD stares and they know they shouldn’t make it so obvious she’s got them wrapped around her finger like this–funnily enough that metaphor could be made legitimate if she knew they were a shifter–
–A thought hits them like a starship collision: oh she’s going to find our they’re a shifter if the two of them get to the actual fucking around stage. JD’s nerves start to kick in… Because if she finds out they’re a shifter they’re going to have to explain…
Everything.
Well… They’ll definitely have to explain how many times the two have coincidentally run into one another. Can you call four times… Coincidental? Can they explain to her that they weren’t stalking her like some sort of creep…
Except for this last time… Where they were kind of hoping she’d be at that bar. And kind of knew she had at least been there before… Because their job is doing recon and they have a really good memory for details.
Especially the details involving people they’re interested when trying not to drown in the pit of their own lonely–
FRANKIE grinds her hips into JD’s as she licks the top of their snout, nibbling playfully into their cheek and neck. Planting kisses… Pinning their hands to the back of the couch.
JD
Hey–Frankie?
FRANKIE doesn’t hear them as she pushes herself in closer, flush against them and JD shivers to cover up the ripple trailing through their skin. They gasp, laughing nervously.
JD
Frankie just… Holdonasec–
She pulls back, putting on a smooth smirk as she scratches the underside of their chin, her opposite hand playing with the pads in JD’s palms.
FRANKIE
(flirty)
Mmm? Having second thoughts?
She snickers and takes JD’s face in her hands, presses her fingertips through their fur, trailing that pressure up to JD’s ears. Ah–okay this got real personal, right? JD doesn’t remember any gnoll doing anything like this before. FRANKIE rubs their ears between her fingers, watching their reaction.
Their reaction which is…wrong. FRANKIE falters and JD can feel their stomach sink to their toes… They really should have figured out what all these gnoll nuances were before they went stalking after her.
But FRANKIE recovers, still. She plays along, feeling them out, fingers pressing nice circular motions into JD’s ears. It’s… Not terrible but their reaction still isn’t right. Shit.
FRANKIE
Promise I don’t bite… Hard.
She pulls her hands back and JD almost regrets making things awkward. Maybe they should tell her, now, that they’re a shift–
FRANKIE takes the zipper of their pants and starts slowly unzipping it, lower and lower. JD can feel their form rippling, fluffing up their fur as they clear their throat and take her hand.
JD
Frankie I just have to tell you–I…I…
But JD hesitates, falters…no, what if she’s upset by this? What if she never wants to see them again. Well, they’d probably go back to work. Go back to their apartment. They’d probably…just go back to being alone…
Maybe they can just avoid telling her… Forever… Just start a new life as a gnoll.
FRANKIE
You’re not nervous are you?
Oh… Great she can tell.
FRANKIE stops, eying them, amused. That shit-eating little smirk crosses her face, almost like she’s surprised they would be… Maybe she does know…does she remember that night with the orc?
FRANKIE
Y’know there’s nothin’ you got that I haven’t seen before, right?
She smirks. Okay–no–right–wait…do they actually know what gnolls have down there? Oh man, they are really fucking this up.
JD focuses, recovers, regroups. It’s fine. One mess at a time. They just have to rip off the band-aid and tell her. Its inevitable. They can take this hit, maybe it wont be so bad.
They laugh and it’s more forced than they hoped it would sound.
JD
No–course I’m not nervous.
FRANKIE
Okay good.
Hm. Wrong band-aid.
She shoves a hand down their pants and the motion catches JD so off-guard, the anticipation, nerves and shock breaks them apart…
And no amount of fur was going to cover it up that time. Not even if the motion was momentary, maybe a few seconds in time before the seams fit themselves back together like nothing happened.
Especially not since they yelped in the middle of it all.
And FRANKIE clocks all of it, pulling her hand free, worried look on her face.
FRANKIE
What was that?
JD covers their mouth and stares down at her, shaking their head.
Great.
FRANKIE narrows her eyes. JD just stares back in horrified silence that she seems to read as embarrassment with their fur fluffed like it is. She raises her eyebrows playfully, setting a hand on their thigh next to hers, pressing in with a purpose, sliding it up, slowly, watching them.
FRANKIE
(whispers)
You’re not keeping some big secret from me, are you, JD?
JD’s eyes flick between her fingers climbing up and her look.
JD
(nervous)
Like what?
JD reaches to grab her arm but she’s faster, shoving her hand in their pants again…but with greater intent this time. Although they anticipated the motion, FRANKIE’s hand is deft, exploring with a purpose.
JD resists the ripple, trembling, but it happens anyway. Their body breaks apart into visible seams one more time.
FRANKIE gasps, shock, awe, JD isn’t sure, they wish for a second they could disappear into the black pit yawning up at them from the pipeworks down by the old billboard–
FRANKIE
JD!!
FRANKIE stares, processing, looking them over.
JD
(panicked)
Wh-what? What?! Shit–
FRANKIE
You’re a…
JD
I’m a shape shifter yeah! Yep! I am!
FRANKIE falls dead silent.
JD immediately flicks their gaze away, anywhere, everywhere. Their heart races hard in their chest, filling the thick silence between the two of them… Should they say something? Why isn’t she saying anything? Frankly, it’s freaking them out.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Okay they have to fill the silence with something. Words start coming out because if they don’t start talking they’re going to puke something else up instead. And that would be even worse, if this can get any worse.
JD
It’s not like I was trying to keep this a secret from you, it just happened and we just–
SFX: WHAP.
FRANKIE hits them with the nearest pillow off her couch, throwing JD off their panic and into completely baffled.
FRANKIE
(loud)
You’re a shifter?? Wh–of course you’re a shifter!!
She hits them with the pillow again.
JD
You knew? ACK–
FRANKIE brings the pillow down again and again. JD throws their arms up trying to stop her onslaught.
FRANKIE
You fuckin’ asshole! I thought I was going crazy! Fuckin’ GODS!! It all makes sense now!!
JD tries to gauge her expression because it kind of sounds like she’s giving them shit…but not entirely angry about it–Wait is she laughing?
But laughing doesn’t always come in just amusement it also comes in incredulous and angry–okay–quick! They’ve got to do some damage control–they scramble to apologise.
JD
Sorry! I wasn’t trying to be a creep!! It just…kept happening–We just kept meeting—
Wait–oh… That’s not going to fix things…JD freezes at their realisation that their outside voice blurted some secret kept by their inside voice–wait is she still laughing?
Well, she was laughing before they dropped that bomb, giggling behind that pillow. But this new information sure got her to stop hitting them with that pillow.
FRANKIE stares at them as JD struggles to process what emotions she’s got on display, here.
FRANKIE
(shock)
We kept meeting??
FRANKIE’s mouth hangs open for a second before it spreads into a grin on her face but it’s definitely–maybe??–incredulous. She grips the collar of their shirt and pulls them in close.
FRANKIE
What do you mean we kept meeting?? How many times have we met?!
She’s loud now, loud in a way they can’t tell if she thinks this is funny or if she’s about to throttle them right here.
JD searches her face for a moment, and unsure what else to do or think they look down at their hand and start counting on their fingers: the run in the first time when TANGO and FOXTROT were hiring, the lashunta at JAKOBIE’S, the orc that left her high and dry… The WHIRLPOOL WASH…
FRANKIE’s cry, snaps JD out of their internal thoughts and counting. If they could sweat they would be.
FRANKIE
FOUR??
JD
W-well the last one was at the Whirlpool and you know the first time was way back when I bumped into you…as the gnoll…
FRANKIE stares at them, waiting for them to continue but JD’s not entirely sure they want to talk about the other two instances because that would mean talking about work…
And would also mean revealing that they totally left her high and dry after a drunk night out.
FRANKIE
And the two in-between?
JD grins nervously, FRANKIE–still playing hard to read–eyes them. She lets go and crosses her arms. This is quite possibly the worst way to come out as a shifter but…still salvageable, probably.
JD
D-does it really matter?
FRANKIE
Yeah. I wanna know if my hunches are right especially now that I know there were two other times!
JD
Okay… Right. W-well…
Alright start with the easy one.
JD
Well there was that time at–
FRANKIE puts a finger to their lips and in her dangerous, holding-a-gun voice she says:
FRANKIE
Show me.
JD hesitates, longer than they want to with her finger still to their lips. Oh boy, well. They suppose they can appreciate her theatre about it all. Maybe that’s a good sign.
They hope. Here goes nothing.
JD takes a moment and beneath FRANKIE their shape starts to shift, pulling apart into ribbons, flipping them over, tucking the fur away before they knit back together.
FRANKIE fluffs up at the feeling…admittedly it’s extremely weird trying to shape-shift with someone still sitting on them like this.
They shut their eyes and focus, settle into their lashunta look. Like this, they’ve got green skin, dark eyes, long dark hair, untied currently. They nervously flick their gaze up to meet FRANKIE’s.
FRANKIE lets out the breath she’s been holding onto, stares into them, eyes glittering. Is she…? She seems enamoured, dazzled even. JD’s having a hard time keeping up with all of this overthink.
They jolt in surprise as FRANKIE grabs their shoulders and yanks them into a kiss.
JD’s heart beats loud, deafening in the moment before it slows…relaxing into that kiss, looping their arms around FRANKIE. It takes JD a moment to remember that they were panicking just a few minutes ago, even if it is melting away with this kiss. They pull back, staring into her.
JD
(whispers)
I’m starting to get really mixed signals. Do you like this?
FRANKIE
(awe)
Ah, your voice.
JD
(nervous)
Mm. I can change that, too, yeah.
FRANKIE twirls a finger through the long hair of their lashunta look, eying them.
FRANKIE
Mhmm. I like this one. The hair suits you.
JD
Good to know.
FRANKIE
This was… Back at Jakobie’s right? That was ages ago.
JD
Mm. Sharp memory. Yeah.
FRANKIE
I remember because you brushed me off that night.
JD
I had to, I was working.
FRANKIE’s face breaks into a wild grin, her voice dropping into an excited but hushed whisper.
FRANKIE
What were you doing at Jakobie’s for work?
JD
(serious)
Well. If I told you, then I’d have to kill you.
FRANKIE looks thoughtful as she keeps twirling her claw through the strands of their hair. The motion’s nice, it relaxes JD even more. The quiet, thoughtful lilt to FRANKIE’s voice helps too, now that she’s not beating them up…
Or yelling at them.
JD almost feels silly they were worried in the first place… Maybe she’ll just forget about the orc…
FRANKIE
Mmm. I don’t think so.
JD
You don’t think I could?
FRANKIE
You probably could but I don’t think you would.
JD
Wouldn’t I…?
FRANKIE
You’re evading my question, stranger.
JD looks at her, amused before they sigh it away.
JD
Look, um. I think if we keep…running into each other…I’ve got to set up a rule…and it’s no work talk.
FRANKIE narrows her eyes at them, suspiciously. She starts to complain but this time JD puts their finger to her lips.
JD
We’re both…burying bodies. I can’t tell you who for, I’m sure you don’t want to tell me who for either.
FRANKIE hesitates but they make a fair point. She takes their hand and pulls it away from her lips.
FRANKIE
Fine, no work talk.
JD holds up a pinky and FRANKIE looks at their finger and then at JD, rolling her eyes.
FRANKIE
Really?
JD
Mhmm.
She wraps her pinky around JD’s.
JD
(dead serious)
No work talk, and you can’t ask me what “JD” stands for.
They shake her pinky, locking that promise in for life before she can argue otherwise and FRANKIE gasps, incredulously.
FRANKIE
C’mon that’s no fair.
JD raises an eyebrow and she relents with a scoff. They move to let go of her pinky but she holds them fast and eyes them.
FRANKIE
Fine, but you still have to show me the other face I’ve met.
Hm… Okay so she didn’t forget about the last shift despite their stalling. Fine.
The two of them tug on one another’s pinkies. JD sighs.
JD
Fine. You were gonna make me do it anyways, I wager.
FRANKIE
Oh it’s a wager now? What are we wagering?
JD
Mm. We’re wagering: if you can guess what that last face you met was, you get to see it and if you can’t guess…I keep that secret and carry it to my grave and you can’t be upset at me.
FRANKIE looks at them and her eyes flash with excitement.
FRANKIE
There’s a lot of rules with you, JD. That wager benefits you more than me, so, no.
JD
No?
FRANKIE
Nope.
JD
You don’t even want to try guess what the last one is, at least?
FRANKIE
Quit stalling!
She pulls her pinky free and looks them over one last time as the lashunta.
FRANKIE
Wait–
She grabs their shirt and kisses them again. Mentally noted: she really likes this face.
JD chuckles into the kiss. They break it but don’t move back too far.
JD
(whispers)
Look who’s stalling.
FRANKIE snickers kisses them one last time before she stops with a sheepish little smile.
FRANKIE
(whispers back)
Listen, the lashunta totally brushed me off so I’m just laying a claim.
She flicks their chin.
FRANKIE
Now shift.
JD grins warily.
JD
Okay, okay…remember, don’t be mad.
JD starts to shift their shape, FRANKIE watching them closely.
FRANKIE
(amused)
I never made that promise.
JD watches her face change expression along with their shift as they turn into the orc. As they settle into the new shape, FRANKIE’s eyes widen.
JD’s pretty sure they called themself–
FRANKIE
Oh, Jack it’s been so long!
JD chuckles as FRANKIE reaches back for something. They only come to the realisation they’re about to be accosted by pillows again only when one of them connects with their face.
JD
Ack!! FRANKIE!
JD laughs, trying to protect themself as FRANKIE cries:
FRANKIE
JACK you son of a BITCH you just LEFT ME?? Couldn’t even stick around for breakfast??
JD
I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I had to split! It was urgent!
FRANKIE
(between laughs)
You!! NOT EVEN A NOTE!! You little SHIT! I’ve got STICKIES for that!
FRANKIE keeps smashing the pillow against them until it slips out of her hands and then she grabs JD and and musses up their hair in a headlock. They squirm and squirm but gods she’s stronger than she looks.
JD
It was for work I swear!
FRANKIE
Fool me ONCE shame on you, fool me TWICE and I kill ya!!
The two fall off the couch in a fit of giggles and snickers, FRANKIE landing on top of JD. She stops attacking them, the two of them breathing heavy against one another as their laughing settles down.
JD looks into FRANKIE, falling into her, deeper. They don’t know what it is… Something about her. They just want her to like them…to want them. She fills up that dark emptiness and makes them forget it even existed in the first place.
Maybe they also just like that she gives them a hard time.
They drag their fingers through the soft fur of her arms, up to her shoulders, wondering for a moment what it’s like to stay the same all the time.
FRANKIE
(whispers)
Getting real serious, there, stranger.
JD is pulled out of their reverie, locking eyes with her.
JD
The fact that I’m…a shifter…it doesn’t bother you?
FRANKIE watches them, her chin in her hands, propped against JD’s chest, she muses long enough it starts making them nervous again.
FRANKIE
No–well–you’re still kind of a freak for stalking me like that. Kinda hot though.
JD
I wasn’t stalking it was all coincidenta–wait you think that’s hot? That’s fucked up.
FRANKIE
Four times can’t be coincidental. Maybe three.
JD
I swear it was–
FRANKIE
You can’t say I’m fucked up for thinking it’s hot when you’re obsessed with me, Jack.
JD sticks their tongue out at her.
JD
I wasn’t stalking.
FRANKIE
Yeah, yeah. Put this guy away, I could punch your lights out lookin’ at this face for too long.
JD
Mmm I dunno, I think you liked him… A lot.
FRANKIE
Yeah, before he broke my fuckin’ heart.
JD
Ah, right. Hang on I’ll put him away then.
JD makes the shift back into their lashunta.
FRANKIE
Ohh… What’s your name, hot stuff?
JD
(snickers)
They call me Joan.
FRANKIE raises her eyebrows.
FRANKIE
I’ll say.
JD
Did I really break your heart with the orc?
FRANKIE settles back down against them and sighs.
FRANKIE
Moment of weakness? Yeah. You did. I thought you were real cute and you really did just sneak out of here without saying anything. Especially after how weird shit got the night before.
JD frowns.
JD
Weird? Mm…sorry there’s… No easy way to come out as a shifter. Still trying to figure out how not to fuck it up.
FRANKIE
Nah, you passed out before you got all…
FRANKIE wiggles her fingers.
FRANKIE
Shifty.
JD’s stomach sinks to their toes. Okay if that wasn’t the weird part, they definitely don’t remember what else might have been clocked as weird.
JD
Okay, well, I’m afraid to ask, what happened… Do I want to know what happened?
FRANKIE
You don’t remember?
JD
(whispers)
I… Think I drank a bit more than I usually do.
FRANKIE
It was only a couple of drinks.
FRANKIE smiles, all amused, stifling some giggles. JD can feel their form rippling again, worrying about how weird they got as the orc. Feeling betrayed by that face, too, no more orcs from now on.
FRANKIE
You’re one son of a lightweight, stranger.
JD
Mm… So I’ve come to realise.
FRANKIE zips her lips.
FRANKIE
Secret’s safe with me.
JD
You going to tell me what happened, or?
FRANKIE
Safe. With me.
FRANKIE pats their face, devious little smirk that time.
FRANKIE
Don’t you even worry about it.
JD’s frown turns into a scowl, looking up at her.
FRANKIE
Wow, Joan, you need to look at me like that more often.
FRANKIE bites her lip, trailing a hand through JD’s hair.
JD’s scowl wavers, a small smile twitching at the corners of their lips.
JD
I’m considering whether or not I’m going to make you tell me what happened.
FRANKIE
(shudders)
Ooh, Joan. Make me.
JD grins and ruffles her hair, squirming beneath her.
JD
Where’s that pillow you were beating me up with.
FRANKIE starts giggling like mad and pins them to the floor, pushing them into another kiss. JD stops pushing at her, letting FRANKIE press into them, relaxing the tension against her. Instead they wrap their arms around her, burying themself in her, deeper and deeper.
The two of them get lost in one another pressing into each other more and more urgently, hands grabbing fistfuls of hair and clothes.
CUT TO: A COUPLE HOURS LATER…EARLY MORNING
JD
Was my gnoll really that bad?
JD looks over at FRANKIE, the dawn lights of ABSALOM STATION break through the windows of FRANKIE’s room, casting a dull glow throughout. The two have wound up in FRANKIE’s bed, maybe missing a few articles of clothing, the fluffy duvet covers most of them both.
JD is snuggled up into FRANKIE, still wearing their lashunta look, their hair a bit more of a mess than it was earlier. FRANKIE’s face looks a little more sleepy as she tries to fix it for them, stroking her fingers through JD’s hair pressing her fingers into their scalp…admittedly it’s making it exceedingly difficult for JD to keep their eyes open.
FRANKIE
Not bad… Just not right. Dunno if I ever met a gnoll that didn’t like their ears mussed with.
JD
Really?
JD cracks one eye open, peering up at FRANKIE, they shift up a little higher, taking her ears in their fingers as her hands stop stroking through their hair.
FRANKIE
(warning)
Hey now.
JD watches her melt in their fingers as they experiment with pressure and motion. FRANKIE bites her lip and shuts her eyes.
JD
Mm, you’re right, look at that.
FRANKIE
Shut up.
JD snickers and as they watch her sink into their touch, curling her arms around JD a little more.
They can feel how warm she is around them and find that it’s…well–it’s very much welcome.
JD
What’s… This feel like?
FRANKIE
Real nice.
JD
Mm… Well I gathered that much.
FRANKIE lazily opens her eyes, watching them a moment, all amused before she reaches up to brush a finger along their jawline, their cheek and watches their skin ripple in the aftermath, caught off guard by the softness of her gesture.
FRANKIE
A little bit like that, I think.
JD
Ah–
JD’s hands slow, moving instead to drag through her hair.
JD
(quieter)
Intimate, then.
FRANKIE
Can be…usually is, yeah. Less intimate, but similar is a good scratch behind the ears.
JD chuckles quietly, reaching to oblige, watching FRANKIE’s ears flick as they give her a good scratch behind them, her fur fluffs up with the gesture.
JD
What about that chin-scratch?
FRANKIE
Eh, that depends. You get that as a kid, wow, parent’s real proud of ya. Do it with a partner mmm… Kinda flirty.
JD
So, my gnoll was pretty terrible.
FRANKIE
No–your gnoll is cute! You just seemed nervous.
JD
I was.
FRANKIE giggles.
JD
I didn’t realise a lot of the um… Closer stuff gets…really touchy.
FRANKIE
How come you default to that one then? Seems like you use it a lot.
JD
Well, it’s the one you recognised me for.
FRANKIE
Mm, could have come back as Joan.
JD
You like her, huh.
FRANKIE
Mhmm. Hot. I like her, the smell feels like it fits better.
JD
The smell?
FRANKIE
Yeah. I dunno if most gnolls fuck with that chemically, e-cig stuff. Clocked you early for being totally weird.
JD
Ah.
FRANKIE eyes them all amused, she leans in to sniff JD’s hair.
JD
My smell really fits the lashunta better?
FRANKIE
I know, like, one lashunta and she smells…well better than this but close.
JD
Ouch.
FRANKIE snickers.
FRANKIE
Yeah, even if you try and uh…spritz a little cologne…well it can distract from your smell but uh… Get close enough and I’d still know it’s you.
JD
Really?
FRANKIE
Yeah.
JD
Guess I’m doomed to smell terrible.
FRANKIE
Never said terrible.
JD
Worse than your lashunta, friend.
FRANKIE nudges them.
FRANKIE
Not what I meant.
JD’s turn to chuckle that time.
JD
Mhmm. Just teasing.
FRANKIE
Yeah, yeah.
JD
So you guessed I was a shifter by smell?
FRANKIE looks at them and then looks away, rolling her eyes.
FRANKIE
I didn’t really guess but I was starting to get a bit suspicious…that something was going on…especially after Jack. His smell was familiar–but I couldn’t place it. Also…Your voice. But you can change that. So–wait how come… At the Whirlpool…
JD
Mm… It was this voice you heard.
FRANKIE
Joan’s, yeah.
JD
Mhmm. I uh…was using this face when I was doing my laundry and got caught in the middle of your gig… You really took me by surprise showing up. I just forgot to change it.
FRANKIE listens, amused little smile crossing her face.
FRANKIE
Bet you could throw a bunch of folks for a loop like that. Smell or not, you’re ah…dangerous sort.
JD
You think?
FRANKIE
Mhmm…my boss’s always hiring, just tossin’ that out there.
JD
You mentioned, yeah.
FRANKIE
I mean it.
JD
Mm. You promised, no work talk.
FRANKIE
Yeah, yeah. Just offering in case you want to change your mind.
JD chuckles.
FRANKIE
So, not to be an ass, but you don’t strike me as a reptoid and I’ve only ever heard of those guys being the shifting type.
JD
You’re so sure about that?
FRANKIE
Mhmm. Haven’t seen you default to anything reptilian.
JD
Don’t know if that’s necessarily how that works.
FRANKIE
Okay, well are you a reptoid, then?
JD
(amused)
No.
FRANKIE scoffs.
FRANKIE
See. I’m right. What are you then?
JD
Endiffian.
FRANKIE pauses, thinking on it, eying them.
FRANKIE
Never met one of you before. First time.
JD
How is it?
FRANKIE
Mm.
FRANKIE shrugs feigning ambivalence.
JD
Ah, lasting impression, I see.
FRANKIE
Oh well, impression you nailed. Dunno if I’ll ever forget how you stalked me through your many faces, for months–thank you very much.
JD
Not stalking.
FRANKIE
Mhmm, right, coincidences.
JD chuckles quietly before the two fall into silence with one another. It’s comfortable this time. JD watches the artificial sun rise through FRANKIE’s window, making the room brighter and brighter. They’ve officially spent the night with her. They can’t believe how fast the time flew by, especially since the two of them didn’t catch a wink. They spent most of the night talking…among other things.
Getting to know each other.
FRANKIE watches them, and after a moment they can feel her eyes on them, she’s hesitating. Like she’s got a question she’s not sure she should ask.
A small nervous smile crosses JD’s face.
JD
What?
FRANKIE
Well…shifters, I mean…they change, right? You don’t um…relax in an alternate shape. You’ve got like um…like…a…
JD
Birth-face?
FRANKIE
Yeah! Wait–birth-face? Really?
JD shrugs, covering up their nerves again with amusement. They probably should have anticipated the question she’s about to ask a little bit sooner, but now they’re watching the potential wreck happen in slow motion.
JD
(wary)
Mhmm.
FRANKIE
You eh, ever show anyone… What you look like?
There it is, JD trails their fingers through her fur, trying to figure out what to say. They shake their head.
FRANKIE
Not ever?
JD
(quiet)
Just one other person knows what I look like…and they raised me.
FRANKIE looks maybe a bit disappointed but catches herself with a wry grin.
FRANKIE
You ever consider it?
JD
Show someone?
FRANKIE
Yeah.
JD takes deep breath, thinking on it. She holds them to it, waiting.
JD
I guess…if I got to know ‘em, well enough.
JD looks up into her, watching their small nervous smile take shape on FRANKIE’s face this time.
FRANKIE
You eh… Wanna know me…?
FRANKIE’s ear betray her nerves, bending backwards, hanging on their answer. They’re brought back to the WHIRLPOOL WASH, to the streets after they dropped ROD’s dead bod down the chute.
The way she kept trying to hold onto them. Her ears bent back, trying not to seem too hopeful. Embarrassed, even.
They remember the weight on their shoulders, pulling them back into their phones filled with nothing, with no-one.
JD looks into her, her hopefulness, her wariness. They can’t do that to her again. They can’t live with themself just walking away from this. Not now. They can make it work, others have made relationships work. Just…look at TANGO and FOXTROT.
JD takes a deep breath, and without thinking any more on it, they nod.
It takes FRANKIE a moment to let that sink in, having braced for the worst. An excited grin goes wild on her face. She grabs JD’s cheeks and gives them a squeeze between both her hands and kisses them eagerly, urgently, more and more and more.
Drowning them in everything they refused to ever have before.