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[personal profile] deadlock_diva posting in [community profile] little_box_of_horrors
(( PSL for [personal profile] realitybendstomywill ))


[ Ashe steps out onto the front porch of her small county house, taking in a deep breath of the warm, desert air. It feels so good to be free from the shackles of her illness. After two and a half weeks of pain, misery and recuperating, she wanted to go out and do something that wasn’t lying in bed or being limited to the rooms in her house. Symmetra was leaving within the next day or two and she also felt the need to express her gratitude.

Because… yanno. Ashe wasn’t a pleasant person when she was sick and she knew that all too well. Not that they hadn’t reached an understanding and gotten through that initial unpleasantness, but still.

The day before, she’d suggested that they go into town in the evening for a girl’s night out. Ashe never really had a lot of girl friends in the past and had silently always wondered what it’d be like. She assumed it was a lot different than the loud and rowdy times she had with her boys; which was fine and dandy enough, but sometimes? Getting dressed up just for the sake of it (and maybe for the sake of turning a few heads) sounded like a much better time to her. A different thrill from the bar fights, gambling and alcohol induced shenanigans.

Waiting for the other woman to finish getting ready, she drops her purse on the first step and then turns to take a seat on the porch swing, settling against the back and looking out at the quiet desert before her. She smooths out the soft fabric of the yellow dress she wore and then reaches to adjust the light brown fringe that exposed her shoulders and hung just low enough for a tasteful amount of cleavage. Her normally straight hair held soft curls that framed her face, the longer side lightly bouncing over her shoulder as the breeze blew through the porch. The belt that hugs her slim waist is the same light brown as the fringe, the buckle in the shape of a flower and adorned with turquoise stones. She’d chosen some strappy sandals instead of heels; being that she was still in the process of recovering, she hadn’t wanted to push herself too much. Plus, it was such a nice day for a light and flowy garment. Hell, it was the first time she’d worn a dress in a long while.

Leaning her head back, she closes her eyes, content to enjoy the wind on her face and the calm silence that only someone who lives out in the middle of absolute nowhere could grow accustomed to. ]

Date: 2019-04-10 02:24 am (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | a momentary lapse)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[Given their timezone difference, what happened last night actually happened today for her, and it has kept her mind quite busy. She has read those messages and replayed the recording of their video call again and again, trying to make sense of it, until Ashe's i miss you was engraved into her eyelids and her 's nice t'hear your voice all but replaced the playlist she often listens to.

When Ashe texts her, she startles so suddenly that the book she had been staring sightlessly at for the past thirty minutes falls onto the floor. She had been expecting this moment and dreading it at the same time, and she taps the messages hesitantly, daring to feel a little hopeful that maybe Ashe will pick up from where she left off and tell her she misses her again... but she doesn't, and what she says instead makes her feel both disappointed and foolish. Of course.

She doesn’t know what to say in reply: she types in a response and deletes it, until she finally makes up her mind on what to say, trying to be as subtle and neutral as possible.]


Good morning, Ashe. [Nice, Symmetra, that isn’t avoiding the subject at all. She bites her lip as she continues typing.] Do not worry about it; I didn’t mind. Are you feeling any better?

[She doesn’t even remember that most people become more honest when drunk, which clearly implies Ashe was being honest: she is far too used to women becoming friendly drunks, their words and actions making her wonder if they also like women or are simply too friendly. From the looks of it, the latter seems to apply to her friend, too.]
Edited (forgot html!) Date: 2019-04-10 02:25 am (UTC)

Date: 2019-04-10 02:20 pm (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | much to be done)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[In truth, Symmetra does have a lot to say, but she can’t allow herself to be as honest as she usually is about everything else. This is dangerous territory, and the proof of it is in their inability to text each other for a week, or in how quickly Ashe reassured her that her words didn’t mean a thing. She had a wonderful time, having dinner and then watching the stars by Ashe’s side, and everything was fine until they woke up tangled together without knowing very well how that happened.

(If she closes her eyes and thinks back to that early morning, she can still feel Ashe’s hair tickle her neck, or the scent of Ashe’s skin against her nose. She tries not to think about any of it.)

Only one thing became clear to Symmetra, however: she crossed Ashe’s boundaries and the other woman didn’t like it. That is why she is going to avoid bringing that up for as long as she possibly can, unless Ashe brings it up, somehow.]


Remember to stay hydrated.

[Yes, good answer. Keep it cool, Satya Vaswani, keep it cool. At that question, she thinks back to the moment she set foot in her apartment and how unnaturally silent and cold it seemed to her, without Ashe’s presence next to her. She gives a little sigh.]

Yes. I still feel the effects of jet lag, but my trip was uneventful, and I started working immediately upon my arrival.

[She was in no condition to work, as horribly jet lagged as she was, but it was either that or being alone with her thoughts in the silence of her own home, and she chose the former. She starts to type another message, then hesitates, only to finish writing it and pressing send.]

Our jobs have kept us quite busy lately, haven’t they?

Date: 2019-04-13 07:28 am (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | I require healing)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[It is a slight nudge toward their lack of communication, but she isn’t just pointing out Ashe’s silence: she’s placing the blame on herself, as well. She knows she should have messaged the other woman, but she thought she had pushed her too far, and that it was for the best if Ashe was given the opportunity to push her away subtly, without actively having to do so.

Much like her friend-- can she still call her that?-- Satya has thought about what happened between them a little too much. Like Ashe, she has no idea if platonic girlfriends curl up together like they did, either; in fact, she often remembers with a bitter smile, the only time in her life that she shared her personal space in such a comfortable-- and comforting-- way was when she seduced her and played with her feelings.

But Ashe is different: they didn’t know each other before, and Symmetra was all but ordered to take care of her, taking on a mission unlike anything she had ever signed up for until then. They drank a little too much, and then curled up together for warmth under the desert sky, until their bodies were pressed together so closely that she felt Ashe’s heartbeat almost as strongly as she did her own. She remembers how good it felt to wake up in Ashe’s arms, how they were all but tangled together, and how she shifted even closer and accidentally nuzzled the other woman’s neck upon waking up, letting out a happy little sigh… until she realized what had happened overnight and froze.

Without being aware of it, she pushes the thought away from her mind as fiercely as Ashe did, and tries not to think of it again. Not while they’re speaking through text message, that is.

Ashe is right: those messages don’t sound natural at all, they sound almost forced, like the normalcy they are both trying so hard to will into existence. She has no choice but to play along.]


Thank you. I have traveled many times, and the jetlag never becomes any easier to handle.

[That sounds forced, too, but what else can she say? She is biting at her lower lip as she wonders if they will ever talk as freely as she used to when Ashe starts to write another message, and when it is finally sent, Satya knows the other woman isn’t faking anything anymore.

And then everything around her seems to fade as she realizes Ashe thought she was upset with what happened between them. What? Is that why the other woman has been so quiet? She sits up so quickly that her head spins for a moment, trying to ignore the flicker of hope that blooms in her chest, and her fingers type her reply a little too fast.]


What? No. No, of course I wasn’t upset, I thou

[In her eagerness to tell Ashe that she was-- and is-- quite okay with what happened, she types so quickly that she presses ‘send’ accidentally, and then tries again.]

I thought I had overstepped your boundaries and made you uncomfortable. Are you... were you uncomfortable with what happened?

Date: 2019-04-14 05:23 pm (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | you have my thanks)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[When Ashe replies, Satya is hit by a wave of relief so strong that she feels lightheaded for a moment. So she didn’t make her new friend feel uncomfortable after all, and Ashe liked hanging out with her so much that she even goes as far as saying she had a good time. Of course the alcohol is to blame for what happened: Satya may find her friend very attractive-- because she is-- but she would never invade her personal bubble in their sleep unless something made her; as it was, that something was copious amounts of alcohol.]

I enjoyed it, as well.

[A warm little smile forms on her lips as she sees Ashe’s next message. So she would like to see her again- does this mean she really does miss her? And if that part is true, what about every other message she sent her last night? Satya will have to find a way to ask her that.]

I would like that very much, but I don’t know when I will be able to leave India again.

My invitation still stands, you know: you are welcome to visit. I meant everything I told you last night.


[She hesitates, her phone still in her hand, but then decides to go ahead with it. If Ashe was brave enough to ask her if she was upset after they woke up together, then she can be brave enough to ask this, too.]

Did you?
Edited Date: 2019-04-14 05:49 pm (UTC)

Date: 2019-04-14 10:34 pm (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | I require healing)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[The moment she presses send and asks Ashe if she also meant everything she said last night, Satya starts to regret everything, and is absolutely certain that this time she really messed up. Why did she even ask? Of course Ashe didn't mean most-- if not all-- of those things: she was drunk, and drunk people say silly things with no intention of being truthful. There's nothing else to it. She didn't mean it when she called her special, or when she called her pretty, or when she complimented her smile, or when she said it was nice to hear her voice...

She looks at her phone and realizes that her message has been read but not replied to, and after staring intensely at the screen for a full three minutes, Satya decides that she should just put it down and not make herself suffer any more than she has to. She sighs, rubbing at her eyes with her hands, and stays like that for a while, wondering what she should have done instead. Can their friendship be salvaged, or is it over? Not feeling uncomfortable with having woken up together after a night spent drinking is not the same as admitting to words that are downright affectionate. Symmetra read too much into it, as usual; she is so lonely that her mind took her to places it most definitely shouldn’t, and she really should have known better.

She glances down at the screen, frowning in concern. Five minutes have passed since she made that question and still no reply. Perhaps Ashe fell asleep, or her phone ran out of battery, or something else came up and she can’t reply right now…

Or maybe she just regrets everything she has told her and is trying to let her down gently, to give her a hint before she says I didn’t mean anything I said loud and clear.

Satya is thinking that maybe she should send her another text, something like I apologize, I shouldn’t have asked that, when the phone finally pings and she jumps, not expecting that to happen. She braces herself and grabs the phone, anticipating a rejection… and what she reads instead makes relief crash over her, strongly enough that she slumps back against the couch. And then she laughs, loud and almost with an edge of mania to it, before she finds the courage to reply.]


I’m glad.

[She bites her lip. There is something she didn’t say last night-- or this morning, to be accurate- but that she wanted to say. Something she held back because the need to ask why? was far greater and more important at the time. She hesitates before finally sending it.]

I miss you, too.

Date: 2019-04-16 01:18 am (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | you have my thanks)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[Just like what happened when she sent the message asking if Ashe had meant what she said, Satya regrets everything she has done all over again after sending her I miss you, too. She places her phone carefully next to her as if defusing a bomb-- which is a rather suitable metaphor, given that she feels as if the world itself is about to implode at any given moment-- and wonders if Ashe will even reply, because she’s taking her sweet time again and… oh, that sure is her phone pinging with a new message. Satya holds her breath and picks it up, opening the text message window immediately.

That’s good to hear, Ashe says, and Satya lets out a breathless little laugh all over again.]


We certainly did.

[This is good. This is fine, absolutely fine, and she is having no trouble whatsoever trying to make sense of what she feels at the moment. She is in perfect control of her own emotions, and she is not going to let her mind-- or her heart-- dive into chaos. She is Satya Vaswani, she is Symmetra, and she is in absolute control of what she’s feeling.

And then Ashe says she has caught herself speaking to Satya upon waking up, and she gasps quietly as she reads those words, a delirious little smile forming on her lips. Oh. That is-- oh, Gods. Does Ashe not realize how absolutely endearing-- and dangerous-- that is?

The warmth currently flooding her chest does not bode well for anyone involved.]


I see only two possible solutions for this situation. You either upgrade B.O.B.’s programming to replicate my speech patterns, or you make a voice call the next time you need to ask me something upon waking up.

Date: 2019-04-20 02:14 am (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | precisely)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[Is she going to stop feeling giddy anytime soon? Satya doesn’t think so, but that’s okay. She has plenty of reasons to feel the way she is feeling, after all: not only did her friend not feel uncomfortable with what happened the last time they were together, she also meant everything she said when she was drunk, and admitted that she has woken up wanting to talk to her-- more than once-- during the past week.

Indeed, she has plenty of reasons to feel very happy right now.

She laughs at Ashe’s next messages, imagining her asking B.O.B. how he felt about emulating her friend. But her smile quickly turns from amused to warm, and Satya looks fondly at her phone, as if she could see the other woman through it.]


I suppose you will.

[She presses the voice call button. Might as well start now, right?]

Date: 2019-04-20 04:16 pm (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | you have my thanks)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[Satya is smiling when the other woman accepts her call, but she frowns slightly when she finally gets a good look at her. Ashe looks terrible, which she supposed is only to be expected the morning after drinking as much as she did, but still… she can’t help feeling a little concerned. She gives her a little wave in return.]

Just a little light reading, [she says, picking up the massive book on modern Middle Eastern architecture that had been resting next to her on the couch. She doesn’t elaborate on the fact that she had been having trouble focusing on her book, because her mind kept drifting back to the messages they exchanged hours ago.] And you? How are you feeling?

[She doesn’t look so good. Ashe is right: Satya has seen her at her worst, but the truth is that she would rather see her like this than not see her at all. I missed seeing you, she thinks to herself, too, but doesn’t put that thought into words, not out loud.]

Date: 2019-04-20 10:06 pm (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | why do you struggle?)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
Of course it is. This is a book on modern architecture, not on the principles of hard-light engineering.

[Satya gives her a funny look. Don't be silly, Ashe; there is nothing complicated about this book for it to qualify as anything more than 'light reading'.

Her gaze softens when Ashe speaks again. Of course she would feel like hell, given all the alcohol she ingested, but... why did she drink in the first place? She frowns again, obviously concerned.]


Why did you drink so much? Is something the matter?
Edited Date: 2019-04-21 01:49 am (UTC)

Date: 2019-04-21 04:58 am (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | you have my thanks)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
[Satya shakes her head, amused. There are very few magazines that she would consider buying and reading front to back, but she does own a handful of them.]

A college textbook can be considered light reading, you realize.

[Luckily for Ashe, Satya sees no reason to doubt her words, and it seems plausible enough that someone would lose control of their alcohol intake the more they drank, so she doesn't press her for a different answer.]

You should be more careful the next time you drink, in that case. [Spoken in a neutral tone of voice; for once, she isn't judging. What a novel experience.] Although I do enjoy your company, perhaps it would be a good idea for you to rest a little longer? You clearly haven't slept as much as your body requires.

Date: 2019-04-21 09:31 pm (UTC)
realitybendstomywill: (सत्य | you have my thanks)
From: [personal profile] realitybendstomywill
Mm-hm.

[Ashe isn't the only one who intends to make these video calls a regular occurrence: Satya wonders when they will be able to do it again, and is already looking forward to it, too. Given their timezone difference, it won't be possible to talk for hours on end because one of them will always have to go to work or go to sleep, but it would be lovely to talk to her in the mornings, or in the evenings, or...

She stops herself. That would certainly be too much, and she doesn't want to come across as overbearing or-- gods forbid-- clingy. She just feels an uncomplicated kind of joy when she speaks to Ashe, that's all.

(Except feelings are never uncomplicated, not for her, and that should sound every alarm in her mind-- and in her heart-- but it doesn't.)

When Ashe turns over onto her back, Satya does the same, making herself more comfortable on her couch.]


Of course. [She smiles and waves at the other woman.] Sleep well, Ashe.

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