Dreaming in Slow Motion
SYNOPSIS: Megan tries Manon's vape for the first time; it doesn't go the way she thought it was gonna go... but she won't complain.
CONTENT RATING: Mature?
PAIRINGS: Megan Skiendiel /Manon Bannerman /Daniela Avanzini
TAGS: Recreational drug use, Weed use, Kissing, M&M, Meizini, Danon if you squint, Polyamory, They be getting high together, and smooching a bit
they’re all just hanging out in manon’s room, no real plan, just killing time the way they always do. music’s playing from a small speaker on the desk, not too loud, just enough to fill the space and keep the silence from settling. dani’s stretched out on the bed, one arm tucked behind her head and the other already holding a blunt between her fingers, smoke curling lazily upward as she takes slow, unhurried drags. manon’s sitting beside megan on the little couch manon had on her room, close enough that their shoulders brush if either of them shifts. and megan’s half-curled into the cushions, knees pulled up and with hoodie sleeves covering her hands. the air already smells like weed, heavier now, like the night has already decided where it’s going.
it’s relaxing. familiar. the kind of moment where nothing's serious and everything feels like it could turn into a story later and megan’s confident. way too confident, honestly. she’s watching manon mess with the vape and listening to her explain things like this isn’t all very basic information. megan is barely paying attention, already convinced she knows how this is gonna go.
"ok but you have to take it slow, trust me, weed vapes are different, they’re-"
"manz, it’s not my first time getting high. we’ve done this before.”
she’d said it without even thinking, like it was obvious. she remembers the way manon paused, eyebrows lifting, mouth parting like she wanted to argue or explain more, but megan was already leaning to her side. already reaching. already deciding she knew better.
the pen looked harmless. that’s what keeps bothering her. it was just a thin white rectangle with some drawings, super light in her hand and just one button in the middle, no warning signs. it didn’t look like something that could absolutely humble her in under a minute.
in her head it was simple. same rules as always. inhale, hold, exhale. feel a little buzz and move on. she wasn’t new to this. she had used a nicotine vape before, so how different could it be? she wasn’t gonna mess it up.
"hey, just take one small drag-"
"i know how vapes work manon."
she didn’t even wait for manon to finish. muscle memory took over. she put it to her lips and inhaled through her mouth, hard, way harder than she needed to. there was that quiet crackly sound and she just kept going, lungs filling up more and more until they felt stretched and tight, like she’d gone a step too far but didn’t want to admit it. until the tiny light on the vape blinked red.
for half a second she felt proud. like, yeah. nailed it.
then manon laughed. immediately.
"oh you’re so fucked dude."
megan pulled the vape away and turned to look at her, confused and a little annoyed. manon was already shaking her head, laughing like she’d just watched someone trip in slow motion. dani was leaning back on the bed, eyes locked on megan now, fully entertained.
"i warned you though."
"you’re so dramatic," megan said, rolling her eyes. she exhaled, smoke spilling out unevenly, drifting up toward the ceiling and fading into nothing. it felt normal. fine. she was literally about to brag. "see? everything is fin-"
the burn hit halfway through the word.
at first it was just uncomfortable. a warm sting in the back of her throat. she barely reacted, already planning to power through it like she always does. she’s had worse. this was nothing.
except it wasn’t nothing.
the heat spread fast, sharper now, and her throat tightened like it was mad at her. her eyes went wide and she coughed once, quick and harsh. then again. and again. and suddenly it was like her body forgot how to stop.
she folded forward, coughing harder and louder, each one ripping out of her chest. she tried to breathe in but that only made it burn more, which made her cough again. her chest hurt. her throat felt raw and on fire. her head started buzzing.
"oh my god," she thought, panic creeping in. "oh my god i fucked up."
tears spilled out immediately, no warning, blurring the room. she could hear herself making these awful choking sounds and it was humiliating. absolutely not the image she was going for tonight.
and then she heard laughing.
manon’s laugh was loud and high pitched, not even pretending to be sorry. dani was laughing too, that wheezy kind where you have to stop and catch your breath. it echoed in the room, mixing with the music, making everything feel unreal.
are you serious? megan thought. i’m literally dying and you both are laughing at me?
she coughed again and smacked her chest like that might magically fix it. tears were running straight down her face now, hot and embarrassing. and mascara was definitely gone; she could feel it.
and of course they were laughing.
she’d walked straight into this.
"i told you." manon managed between laughs.
eventually, after what felt like forever, megan finally sucked in a real breath. it was deep and shaky, like she’d just come up from underwater. her lungs burned, throat wrecked and her eyes were red and swollen. she wiped at her face with her sleeve and looked at them.
"shut up," she croaked. "you’re evil."
manon grinned and scooted closer, her laughter fading as she started rubbing megan’s back in slow, steady circles. it was grounding in a way megan didn’t expect.
"you good?"
"no," megan said immediately. "i’m gonna kill you."
dani finally leaned forward from the bed and handed her a water bottle with a smile on her face. "drink. it helps."
megan took it with slightly shaky hands and chugged, not even caring how messy it was. the cold water helped right away, soothing her throat, calming the burn down to something manageable. she slumped back into the couch, breathing slowly.
and that’s when she noticed it.
everything felt heavier. like gravity had quietly been turned up. her limbs sank into the couch and her hoodie felt warmer, softer. sounds felt deeper, rounder. even the music felt closer, like it was inside her chest instead of coming from the speaker.
oh.
"oh."
then, after a second-
"oh shit."
she turned her head toward manon, blinking slowly. manon was already looking at her, lips pressed together, eyes way too knowing.
"don’t say it." megan warned.
manon waited a beat, smiling.
"you feelin’ it yet?"
megan groaned and smiled, letting her head fall back against the back of the couch.
"yeah," she muttered. "yeah i think i am."
manon smiled, completely satisfied.
"told you..."
megan lets out a long breath, eyes still on the ceiling. the soft warm lights look too bright, like stars she could reach if she tried hard enough. she doesn’t, though. moving feels like a commitment.
manon doesn’t move away. if anything, she shifts closer, shoulder brushing megan’s knee and her hand still warm against her back. it’s steady. patient. and megan becomes very, very aware of it. dani watches them for a second, smirks to herself and then goes back to her phone like she’s giving them privacy on purpose.
megan turns her head slowly and manon’s face comes into view, softer around the edges, her eyes are a little glassy from laughing. they’re close. closer than before and megan doesn’t remember either of them deciding that.
"you’re staring..." manon says. teasing, but gentle.
"i can’t help it," megan murmurs. her voice feels floaty and it's like it belongs to someone else. "you look... loud."
manon snorts. "that’s not a thing."
"it is right now." megan says, very serious about it.
there’s a pause but it's not awkward. charged in that slow, humming way, like the moment before a song drops. manon’s smile fades into something smaller, something thoughtful, and her thumb traces once along megan’s hoodie sleeve, barely there.
"you okay?" she asks again, softer than before.
megan nods. then, because the feeling inside her chest is too big to just sit with, she leans forward. it’s clumsy, a little off, like her depth perception is lying to her, but manon meets her halfway without hesitation.
their lips brush. just that. light. tentative. enough to make megan’s breath hitch.
they pull back a fraction, both of them smiling now. then megan closes the distance again, more sure this time.
the kiss is slow, unhurried and warm. it tastes faintly like mint and smoke and something familiar. manon’s hand slides up to cradle megan’s jaw, grounding her completely, like an anchor dropped straight into her chest.
when they finally part, megan rests her forehead against manon’s, eyes closed and grinning.
"...worth it." she whispers.
manon laughs under her breath. "yeah," she says softly. "i know."
megan’s still leaning into manon when dani suddenly appears from behind in her line of vision, way too close, grin sharp and unreadable.
"wow," dani says. "you get high and you’re already stealing kisses?"
megan barely has time to process that before dani’s hands are on her face, thumbs pressing gently into her cheeks. it’s bold and unmistakably dani. confident like she’s always known exactly what she’s doing.
"hey-" megan starts, but dani turns her head without effort, tilting her just right.
then she kisses her.
it’s quick but deliberate, lips firm and teasing, like dani’s making a point more than anything else. megan makes a soft sound she absolutely did not mean to make, her eyes fluttering shut on instinct.
when dani pulls back, she’s smiling like she just won a bet with herself.
"couldn’t let manz have all the fun." she says lightly.
megan stares at her stunned, her brain short-circuiting and she blinks once. twice.
"...is this part of the high?" she asks.
manon laughs, shaking her head. dani just taps megan’s cheek once, fondly.
"nope," dani says. "that one’s real."
hope u guys liked my silly little fic i mostly wrote while i was high as balls (weeks ago im clean now i promise) love y'all
AO3 link for the ppl that want it: Dreaming in Slow Motion - NotSaintzISwear - KATSEYE (Band) [Archive of Our Own]