Costars

Tatiana was right of course. Something like this would no doubt have come up at some point. Better now than after one or both of them had mistakenly crossed a line. At that point it would.be too late to take back. Belle didn't mind physical confrontation. She could just punch her way though that. Emotional confrontation though? She tried to avoid it like the plague. It was only of the reasons she tend to just go along with whatever Kaylee wanted from her. The blond had a way of laying on guilt overwhelmingly hard when refused that she would rather not deal with if possible.

"You're smarter than you look." It was clear from her tone she was joking pretty hard, just taking a playful jab at the redhead. As Tatiana scooter back into.her, she parted her crossed legs to make room for the girl. While her arms had been guided around the acrobat, they encompassed under their own power, holding her close. She sighed softly, content, as she pressed a small kiss to the back of Tatiana's head.

"Hey, Tat. I know we have had to keep things on the down low because of Thing One and Thing Two being at odds... But we haven't really... Been clear, about us. Where we stand on the hierarchy of... Whatever this is." Belle lightly plopped her chin on Tatiana's shoulder. "I am not really sure how this is suppose to work, because I have never been the one asking... And it sounds sorta dumb just saying it as an adult... But, will you be my girlfriend? Officially?"

She had made up her mind about this a long while ago, but the repercussions to putting it out into the world had seemed to great. Now, after having scared herself with the thought of losing her, she wanted to ground the two of them in something more solid, a foundation they could build on. She had even done a bit of shopping for an occasion like this, but she could go and get that later.

The two of them came together, with Belle enveloping Tatiana like a blanket, and she swore, she could’ve been content like this for days. Just laying here on the mat, the two of them, not a single worry or care for hours, not a soul to interrupt them. She could fell the steady drumbeat of a heart against her back, giving her a light pounding, as her body rose and fell with the ebb and flow of Belle’s stomach.

Hot kisses on her neck, hot words in her ear. What more to life was there?

She closed her eyes and started to drift off, when Belle began to speak again, taking things down her own interesting path. She said a lot of what Tatiana had been thinking for months, but never managed to get out: how much she loved this thing they had, how she wasn’t sure how to quantify it or if she even wanted to try.

She took a moment to consider, a moment filled with a few thoughts, while she raised her hand to caress the head that was nested on her shoulder. In a way, putting the title on this wouldn’t much matter. She couldn’t see what the officialness would change in any real sense But, in another way, this was the most important thing between them. It was Belle solidifying them. The closest they would come to such a thing outside of an engagement ring, and she didn’t dare think that far ahead.

Though, now that the picture was in her head, she didn’t hate the idea of them making it to the altar. Someda. Someday.

For now, though, she was more than content with what she had. ”Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.” She turned her head just enough to nuzzle against Belle’s face, letting the edge of their lips touch. Their hair was getting tangled up, the way it tended to do whenever they spent this long close together, but she didn’t mind one bit. ”I’m yours.”

She wasn't really sure where she stood with Tatiana in terms of how the girl viewed their relationship, but they seemed to have been on the same page of what they wanted from one another. She both loved and hated the fact that their relationship had become this cloak and dagger thing. There was a hint of danger to something so benign. It was somewhat fun to sneak around behind Kaylee and Valerie and be with one another like some sort of Romeo and Juliet tale where two starcrossed lovers find a way against dueling households. By the same merits though it was tiring and limiting.

In the end the title didn't really hold any value that wasn't there already realistically. For some reason though, just letting it out into the world, even if no one but the two of them knew, was a priceless thing to her though. She wasn't certain if it had to do with her insecurities or she just wanted the two of them to be certain of each other while they were in this heart to heart mode of setting boundaries.

She had no reason to think Tatiana would say no. When she did agree though, it made her heart soar. She hadn't been in very many real relationships. A few short term things that didn't pan out and one long term relationship that ended in disaster when her then boyfriend had been caught trying to cheat on her, with Kaylee of all people. It had left a sour taste in her mouth, enough to avoid that sort of connection. For so long she had started to think she had actually been the problem.

This was different in quite a few ways though... The obvious one being Tatiana was a girl, the other being Belle had found herself in the role normally reserved for the person opposite her. Trying to woo and impress the redhead at every turn. She had always liked giving gifts more than receiving them, when you could buy most things you wanted it was rare to actually receive something of real value.

All it took was one "yes" and she might as well have been a little kid again on Christmas, unboxing the thing she had been asking for. She hugged Tatiana close, nuzzling with the girl as she smiled. The awkward confusion from.moments prior had been swept away in her mind, this was want she wanted, what she needed. Belle turned her head, enough to press her lips to the redhead for a long soft kiss.

Belle's phone suddenly started vibrating on the mat next to them, a soft ping sound as a notification was received. She reluctantly pulled away with a soft sigh, reaching out to scoop up the device. "That was fast." She flicked her thumb over the screen, accepting the gate access without really thinking about it. "Food is here. We can set up downstairs to eat, we have this strange new things down there, we call it a table."

Belle could be so stoic sometimes, appearing unflappable to the average observer. So little seemed to unnerve her. She was so many things that Kaylee wasn’t - calm when she was excitable, quiet when she was loud, strong when she was weak. She was the ‘Hard’ of Party Hard, this dominant force of a woman who could crush anything that got in her way.

Because of that, though, Tatiana came to value moments like this all the more. Everyone else got the serious, iron-clad Belle, but she dropped her armor for her and only her, making moments like this possible. It was as if they hit the reset button and erased everything that had been bothering them before. Belle squeezed. Tatiana wiggled, putting up a false struggle. A kiss, so soft and yet somehow hotter than most of their tongue affairs.

Nothing else mattered. Tatiana wanted nothing beyond this moment.

Except food. She really was getting quite hungry.

Thankfully, Belle’s phone buzzed and signaled that her bodily needs wouldn’t have to go long without being sated. Tatiana rolled off her girlfriend - her ‘official’ girlfriend - sat up, and stretched out as she rose to her feet. ”Tables?” She tweaked an eyebrow. ”I’ve seen a few of those in wrestling matches. Didn’t know you were supposed to eat off them, though.”

Tatiana threw a wink Belle’s way and started to scamper off. ”Just give me a minute or so to freshen up and I’ll be right down. Don’t want to leave my sweaty smell all over the place”

Belle untangled Tatiana from her grasp, sighing softly as she watched her rise up. She snickered softly at her comments. "Oh, a wise guy. If you want to be put through it, I can oblige." She extended her leg, trying to press her foot to the girls backside to gave her a small shove. She rocked herself to sitting upright, nodding to Tatiana. "Sure, take your time. When you are good to go just wander downstairs and try not to get lost." She held up her phone, giving it a shake. "Call me if you do, I will find you. I promise."

She pushed herself up, pressing her hands to the small of her back to give it a small pop. She watched the acrobat go with a smile. She felt comfort in the fact they were now an item, official. It gave her some well needed stability to wash away the uncertainty. She left the gym shortly behind her, heading off in the opposite direction.

Before she had even gotten to the front door, the doorbell rang... And rang... And rang. The chime associated with it sounded throughout the whole house. She furrowed her brow in announce, hurrying along. She was normally a generous tipper, but they they were going to be rude about this she might reconsider. Unlocking the front door she yanked it open. "Sorry, was across the way..." Her eyes went wide as she stared at who was waiting for her.

Kaylee stood before Belle with a look of annoyance on her face that put Belle's to shame. The blond looked as good as she always tended to be, even with her arm resting in a sling. She wasn't really required to have it resting like that, but ever since her in ring injury she always seemed to wear it around Belle as a jab at the moment for letting it happen on her watch. Belle could tell the woman was being judgemental of her clothing choice today, wearing something she personally liked over something Kaylee had shoved in her wardrobe. She seemed slightly curious why the brunette looked to run down, but didn't seem to care enough to ask. She instead turned herself sideways, and pushed her way through the doorway.

"Took you long enough." She said huffing loudly, being far more dramatic than was necessary. "Leaving me out in the cold like that. I'm hurt you know." She turned to look back to Belle, sniffing softly. She was milking the sympathy card, mostly because her fans and followers had been humoring it since she had gotten injured. Amazingly, even in defeat Kaylee had managed to jump their subscriber base just playing up being a wounded little girl trying so hard to make it in the ring with big tough athletes. The blindness of some people never ceased to amaze Belle. "Can you get my stuff, it's in the trunk." The blond motioned to her arm in the sling with a knowing smirk and a cutesy wink. "Thanks~"

Belle had stepped aside when Kaylee shoved her way in, eyes flicking to the hallway before they settled back on the blond. "What are you doing home? I thought you were taping up into next week."

Kaylee narrowed her eyes, giving the brunette a half pouty half jaw clenched look. "Wow. Not even a nice to see you, or how are you feeling? You are a real piece of work, you know that?" She waved her good hand dismissively. "I wasn't feeling well, so we wrapped early. If they need more, I'll finish up next week or something. Right now, I'm just looking forward to settling back in. It's nice to be home. With all my stuff." She raised her good hand, making a little shooing gesture to Belle, less than subtle about wanting her things moved.

"Ah... yeah... you look like you're doing okay. It's why I didn't ask. Yeah, sure, I can get your stuff. No problem. You know me... always willing to help out."

"And that's why you're the best." She stepped up to belle, getting on her tippy toes to give the woman a small kiss on the cheek. Belle pulled back a bit, getting another look from her. "I'm injured, not contagious. Settle down." She rolled her eyes, turning away. "Just drop that stuff in my room, kay?" She hadn't waited for a response, walking off into the house on her way to the kitchen.

"Right. Silly me." Belle said softly, pressed up against the door frame. She was doing everything she could to not engage with Kaylee right now, she needed to get separated from her. She breathed a sigh of relief when the blond strolled off. belle hurried out to the car, fumbling with her phone. She slipped around the waiting vehicle, peering down into the open trunk with several suitcases waiting for her. "God damn it Kaylee..." She shook her head as she leaned down inside, out of view she started to text.

Belle: WHERE ARE YOU?!

This day could not get any better. Tatiana was sure of it.

She went off with a smile and a quickly blown kiss towards her ‘official’ girlfriend - wow, she liked the way that  sounded the more she heard it - and walked away with a bit more swing in her hips, trying her best to approximate something close to a sexy walk. It failed miserably in all likelihood, but she  doubted Belle would mind.

Jokes aside, getting through the manse wasn’t the easiest thing, especially for a bumpkin like her, but Tatiana made the best of it, idly skipping through the halls, coming to a couple of dead-ends, before she reached the final destination and made it to the bathroom - or one of them, anyway. Definitely not the one that she’d been to before, she was pretty sure. Nice, spacious, bigger than any private bathroom she’d ever seen. Bigger than most of the public ones, honestly.

”So much space for two women…” She mumbled to herself and went over to the sink with a shrug. The concept of Kaylee and Belle having all this room to themselves would never cease to baffle her. She had spent her entire life huddled up like sardines with her family, moving from apartments to hotel rooms to trailers, and now she was in a house that was bigger than every place she’d ever lived in. Combined. And doubled. Humbling to say the least.

She made her way to the sink and started to freshen up, getting her face wet, when she got a little rumble in her pocket. Tatiana pulled out her phone and had a quick chuckle when she saw the text, rolling her eyes.

Tatiana: @ this superhot brunette’s house...
Tatiana: I’m coming, I’m coming, chill…

Belle leaned back, eyeing the open doorway. Set set her phone down on top of some of Kaylee's luggage as she started to pull the other woman's stuff out and set it on the paved driveway to ferry in. She should have stalled Kaylee, the woman could have been going anywhere in the house and there was no telling where Tatiana was. It hadn't been too long, maybe she was still in one of the bathrooms? It was impossible to know. Shen her phone chimed she set the load she was carrying down to dip back into the trunk. Her eyes scanned over the message... which got a smirk from her. When the second message came, it snapped her out of her momentary fantasy that this wasn't potentially the darkest timeline where Kaylee found the redhead in their house.

Belle: Kaylee is home
Belle: She came back early
Belle: I don't know where she is in the house

There was only one real place on the compound she knew was safe from Kaylee's wandering, that was the guest house. The problem was to get there, one would have to walk through the garden. With half of the back side of the house being windows, it didn't seem likely she could smuggle the girl out there easily without accounting for Kaylee's whereabouts. She yanked the last of the luggage out from the car, slamming the trunk behind her. The driver leaned out the window, giving Belle a wave. Normally she would make some small talk, ask him how his family was. He was a good guy, normally on hand to pick them up for all of their appointments. Today, she just waved, letting him know it was alright to head out. "Drive safe!"

With a snap of his fingers and a finger gun gestured to her, he nodded. "All bets are off when I'm rolling solo. Take care of the princess." He slipped back into the car and rolled up the window before driving off.

Belle lifted one of the three suitcases up, and draped whatever was in the clothing bags over one arm, leaving her hand free for her phone. It would take her a few extra trips, but she needed to be able to communicate with Tatiana. She was starting to dislike that sense of danger she had been thinking about earlier. It was a different animal entirely when Kaylee wasn't asleep.

Tatiana knew it was way, way, way too soon to be thinking about things like marriage, but now that she was here, and she had the ‘official title’ in her head, it kept popping up, and she figured there was no harm in fantasizing while she waited on a reply and got ready to head down.

She was just about to come skipping down the stairs - a path that was just as likely to get her lost as any - when she got another text from Belle, one that stopped her dead in her track. Once more she took out the phone, this time with a tinge of irritation. She adored this woman, but if being ‘official’ meant having a collar around her neck, then-

”Oh.” Her face blanched, her jaw dropped, her eyes widened. ”Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrap-”

She nearly dropped the phone when she read what was on the screen. Kaylee was back. Kaylee was back. Tatiana looked about, frantic, listening for any sounds of the blond’s impending presence. The good news was that the woman wasn’t exactly the quietest little mouse, so, in theory, it wouldn’t too hard to figure out where she was. The bad news was that, while Tatiana had been here a few times, she by no means knew this place like the back of her hand. Or the front of her hand. Or whatever the saying was.

Tatiana: okay
Tatiana: where do I go? Hiding places?
Tatiana: I can fit in small spaces

Not that she wanted to, mind you, but if stuffing herself in the dryer was what she needed to do to keep this whole thing from exploding, she would do it gladly.

Belle slipped through the door, pulling the luggage up and over the one small landing step before setting it down on its wheels. She had barely started to drag it down the hall when her phone chimed... and chimed... and chimed. She paused to peer down at the phone, using her thumb to scroll through to find the new messages. There were plenty of places Tatiana could hide. The compound was massive. But she had no idea what Kaylee's plans were. The blond could literally roam anywhere in the house she wanted.

"There you are, my hero." Kaylee moved straight down the hall for Belle, ushered forth by familiar notification chimes. Belle glanced up for the girl, but she wasn't stopping. Kaylee stepped right up to belle and plucked her phone from her hand leaving the brunette speechless. "Oh, thanks. My battery is low." Belle furrowed her brow, cut off before she could even protest, her hand reaching out to take the phone back had been enough for Kaylee to play keep away and skirt out of range. "I'm not going to break it. Besides, yours is an old model anyway, we need to get you an upgrade." The blond turned on her heel to start back towards the kitchen.

"Sure Kaylee, feel free to use my phone all you want!" She called, far too loud after the blond. Kaylee turned to glance back again, questioning her BFF's sanity before ducking into the kitchen. She wasn't sure where Tatiana was, but she hoped the girl had been close enough to hear her. She hurried on her way to Kaylee's room, letting herself inside to toss the luggage up and onto the blond's lavish bed. She had never been in such a hurry to ferry bags before. No longer encumbered by her phone, she aimed to get the rest in with one trip.

Kaylee eyed the contents of the fridge in annoyance. No bottled water. There was a few sitting out on the counter, but they weren't cold. She wanted something cool, crisp, refreshing. With an annoyed sigh she shoved a few into the fridge and casually ignored the filtered jug of cold water as well as the filtered taps on the fridge itself and the sink. She didn't buy bottled water to not drink it. Who knew what was in Japanese water anyway. She wanted something that had been sealed. "Drank the last cold water and didn't even replace them, how selfish." She snorted softly, knowing full well where the water had likely gone off to.

Belle normally kept the mini fridge in the gym stocked. While it wasn't normally filled with water the brunette stole from the normal fridge, today, because of the convenience of scapegoats, it had been in her mind. She held Belle's phone close to her chest so she could use both her hands to navigate the browsers and check on their channel statistics as she made her way to one of the staircases, on her way to the gym.

Tatiana was starting to feel some of the same trepidation that Belle had been fretting over not long along, worming its way through her system as she nervously waited for a reply. What if Kaylee found her? She wouldn’t be able to just write it off as her trespassing over some stupid feud. Even if the blond bought that, it would end up with her going to jail, and she knew Belle wouldn’t let that happen. She’d have to come clean, they both would, and then...then…

She had no earthly idea what happened then. That was probably the most disturbing thing about this whole situation. It was like they had this box, and they had no idea what they’d find inside. Maybe a bomb. Maybe a bunch of snakes. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be pleasant, and while they would have to open it someday, that day didn’t need to be today. Not this way. Not like this.

...why wasn't Belle responding? Had her messages gotten through? Sometimes her phone service was iffy, so maybe-

She’d just started to type up another message when she heard Belle boisterous voice resonating through the empty halls, disturbingly close, giving her the warning that Kaylee had just snatched her phone. Three emotions passed through her brain in quick succession: relief that she hadn’t sent the message, irritation that Kaylee would be that brazen, and panic as she heard the footsteps growing close. This wasn’t that big of a deal, there were a dozen places she could’ve hid, rooms she could’ve shunted off into, a closet, somewhere Kaylee wouldn’t be all that likely to go, and...and…

Her shoes.

She’d left her shoes and socks in the gym. If Kaylee saw them would she know they didn’t belong to Belle? They were ragged, a bit worn down, not a pair that she would expect the brunette to ever have, so...crap.

Tatiana made a mad sprint back the way she came, running on soft feet, until she made it back into the gym. She snatched up her shoes and socks without even stopping her run and looked around in a frantic huff, eyeing her options. She made her decision in an instant and booked it for the storage closet where Belle had taken all the stuff out from,- nice, big, spacious, plenty of stuff to hide behind. She hoped.

Tatiana squeezed inside with all the stuff, making her way to the back as best she could.