Work Text:
i)
There’s a new girl at work.
Suletta feels her entire world freeze over when the pretty new girl with long white hair and grey eyes and lavender scented perfume and probably a mysterious backstory steps out of the elevator and gives her a look of utter annoyance.
Her eyes hold Suletta in place.
“Can you move?”
There’s a giant ball or a sock or the entire sun in Suletta’s throat and she can’t get a word out. In a move of divine coordination she backs away right into the giant potted plant and trips over it backward with an undignified squawk.
The pretty girl’s face morphs from annoyance into something that’s reserved for plastic in the ocean. The girl opens her mouth to say something and Suletta would love to hear it again but she’s already running away with her slacks caked in soil and dignity diving off the 30th floor.
She runs into the break-room, where Chuchu and Nika stare at her wide-eyed, probably having witnessed everything.
Suletta knows those looks. A betting pool just opened up somewhere and she’s probably on the ballot.
Her afternoon is spent in the restroom, wiping mud and leaves of her clothes with Chuchu and Nika is kind enough to go fetch a pair of snow pants from lost and found that Suletta’s sure belonged to a Halloween costume.
Still. The day isn’t a complete loss. When Suletta finally goes back to her desk, there’s a tetra pack of juice - tomato flavored and a little note that reads–
‘sorry about your pants. Send over the cleaning bill’
-Miorine R
Suletta, a little starstruck, mumbles the name Miorine to herself while sipping tomato juice for the rest of the day.
ii)
Suletta works three floors above Miorine’s– a fact Chuchu loudly states every time Suletta can’t muster up the courage to go down and talk to her (which is always).
Today though, Suletta’s downstairs, sitting outside a meeting room sweating bullets. Her shirt is already sweat stained and her hands clammy– she’s never been one for presentations.
The cold air from the AC vent above makes the air around her cold and stale, the whites of the windowless corridors suffocating. Her clothes feel too present on her skin and her stomach churns.
She has her eyes closed shut, trying to imagine vegetables and clouds and her favourite anime characters to calm herself down when she hears the click clack of heels that makes her nervous for a whole other reason.
She looks up and lo and behold– Miorine stares back at her. She looks as beautiful as ever, not a single crinkle in her clothes or a hair out of place– Suletta feels under-dressed and shabby just by looking at her.
Miorine looks at her, the file Suletta’s clenching with a vice-grip and the meeting room beyond. Suletta tries for a smile that she’s sure looks like a grimace and prays Miorine doesn’t notice. Miorine’s face betrays nothing. She nods (or Suletta thinks she does) and walks away without another word.
Suletta lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
Huh.
She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t feeling a little off kilter by that. But she knows Miorine’s busy and probably has a mountain load of things to do.
Suletta’s in the middle of throwing herself a little pity party when Miorine comes back and plops herself on the chair right next to hers. Suletta stares wide-eyed as Miorine opens a file she brought and starts perusing, not saying a word. She’s the sole speck of color and warmth in the otherwise, hallway of corporate horrors and Suletta basks in it.
Suletta feels herself relax, just a little. It's only them in this bubble, the periodic scratch of Miorine writing and the idle tapping of Suletta’s foot on linoleum.
When someone finally calls her in, she stands up on shaky legs. Miorine looks up at her and gives her a discreet thumbs up and a small smile before slipping a tiny note in Suletta’s hand and speed walking away.
A little dumbfounded, Suletta opens it.
'Break a leg. Text me when you finish' it says and has a phone number scrawled on it in purple ink and well– if Suletta hop skips into that meeting room and delivers one of the best presentations ever, it’s totally not because she can’t wait to get outta there.
iii)
Suletta is sitting across from Miorine, their table among a sea of others. The company is hosting a gala that would probably see no attendance if it weren’t for the open bar.
Suletta can tell Miorine is getting tired, courtesy of her ear being talked off by one of the company chairmen's son.
Suletta subtly gestures to the direction of the door. ‘Wanna leave?’
Miorine raises one eyebrow in amusement and, well, fair– Suletta is generally not a rule breaker, whether enforced or societal.
Still, the night is sultry outside, the summer nights getting warmer and warmer. They’re dressed in fancy clothes and have spent all night giving out fake smiles and pleasantries– Suletta thinks leaving now for ice cream wouldn’t be a crime.
Miorine abruptly stands up, dramatically takes a swig of her apple juice and starts walking away leaving the other members of their table stumped and disappointed that the star was leaving. Suletta huffs and shakes her head with a smile.
She catches up to her soon enough, and they walk hand-in-hand to wherever the nearest ice cream place is. Suletta feels her own chest and lungs expand, like a balloon.
She isn’t really sure what they are anymore. She knows what she’d like for them to be though. Suletta’s had the note in her wallet for three months now– chickening out with a myriad of excuses.
The cool blast of air from the store is welcome respite from the balmy air, it feels like the night itself is sticking to them.
There’s something in the air Suletta thinks. It's late into the night that the traffic lights are blinking yellow and Miorine looks ethereal under the fluorescent light of the signboard. Suletta wishes she could think moonlight but the city lights are too bright to let anything like that through.
Miorine grabs her sorbet in one hand and Suletta with the other as they take a seat outside. Miorine’s been oddly quiet, like she’s thinking really hard about something. Suletta doesn’t know what possesses her but she feels like she’s suddenly gasping for air. Her hands get jittery and her legs want to run.
An invisible timer appears above her own head and she needs Miorine to know how she feels today or the universe might blow up. She opens her eyes to find Miorine staring at her and yes– it's now or never.
She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the piece of paper that’s been sitting there like a 100kg weight. And despite every nerve in her body shaking, she manages to steadily place it in Miorine’s palm.
The earth becomes a vacuum and Suletta feels like she’s suspended from it all. Miorine reads it and looks up, a blush spreading across her face. Suletta’s own face is on fire and she hadn’t really thought about what would happen in the moment right after.
Miorine’s face morphs into a watery smile as she reaches into her own wallet and pulls something out. It's a note.
She shakily hands it over to Suletta.
Suletta smiles so wide, she’s sure her face will smile forever.
iv)
Suletta stares mournfully at their bedroom door that’s closed shut.
She can’t even remember what they were arguing about but it’s been an hour and Suletta can never be cross with Miorine for long.
She just wants to talk about it and hug her. She loves her so so much and she’s sorry.She picks up a pen and writes just that. She slips the note beneath the door and waits for her.
Barely sixty seconds pass when the door opens and Miorine buries her face in her heart, arms wrapping around her tight.
Suletta hears an “Idiot” and an “I love you” along with a ‘I’m sorry” and she holds her tight and doesn’t let go.
Suletta thinks she wants to spend the rest of her life with Miorine.
v)
Suletta’s carrying the last of the boxes in when she notices Miorine isn’t in the living room. Confused, she sets them down and looks for her in the bedroom, the closet, the bathroom before finally finding her tucked away in the balcony.
Miorine has that look, her eyebrows furrowed and her tongue sticking out– she’s carefully pouring out measured amounts of soil into a pot, their mini garden impeccable.
Suletta’s heart grows three times in size and she kisses her temple, settling beside her.
Miorine quickly pecks her cheek before going back to her dirt measuring and Suletta’s content to sit beside her and occasionally hand her a tool she needs.
The weight in her pocket is heavy, as heavy as it was when they first got to know each other. But the weight isn’t as terrifying anymore. It feels like an anchor, keeping her from being swept away.
She’s been planning for months now, elaborately and neurotically. Nothing less than perfect for her. But Suletta gets that feeling again– her hands are jittery and suddenly it has to be now.
Miorine in her overalls, her scent like earth and life–Suletta (tragically a little sweaty) sitting in their home bathed in the bright afternoon sun.
It has to be perfect but everything is already perfect when Miorine is with her.
Miorine lets out a satisfied sigh and she leans on Suletta, resting her head on Suletta’s shoulder with her eyes closed. Suletta gently takes Miorine’s hand and places a note.
Miorine opens her eyes and gives her an amused eye roll before opening the note.
Suletta’s already grinning and on her knee by the time Miorine looks at her, eyes watering.
The laugh she lets out as she barrels into Suletta and yells out ‘YES’ is something Suletta doesn’t think could ever really be captured by words.