[Image ID: a woman lying on her stomach on a bed, with an updo and wearing heels, holding a camera up to her face, colorized in green and with the text “personal problem” over it. End ID.]
An MC/Zoey/Poppy/Lexi canon divergence fic. Requested by @hizzieluthor. Rated E; minors DNI. (Community label is not working for me or I’d have flagged it, sorry!)
It's official. Zoey hates Bea.
"Zoey, I'm really sorry..." It's pitiful even before Zoey completely ignores her, face placidly neutral except for how her gaze skips over Bea like she's not even there, how she doesn't so much as react when Bea says anything, whether it's an I'm sorry, an attempt at normalcy, a plea.
Basically, it's been the same angsty scene since that nightmarish bacchanalia. Bea talks to Zoey. Zoey acts like Bea doesn't exist. Rinse, repeat, stab the knife deeper into Bea's heart...fuck payback. She just wants Zoey back.
(This chapter’s too long to host on Tumblr at more than 19k, so read chapter 11 on AO3 here, or the full fic from the beginning here.)
[Image ID: an image of a woman lying on her stomach on a bed, with an updo and wearing heels, holding a camera up to her face, colorized in green and with the text personal problem | mc/lexi/zoey/poppy / ch. 8/22 over it. End ID.] (Photo Credit: Vesper Lynd from Casino Royale 1967.)
A Lexi x MC cheating AU, requested by @hizzieluthor. Chapter 3/22. Read the chapter on AO3 here, or the full fic here. Rated E; minors DNI.
After an hour with a vibrator and some very vivid fantasies, Bea's worked out almost all the tension from a day spent around two of the hottest women at Belvoire, equally unattainable, both attained. Three, if you count Zoey, who greets her in the morning with a knowing smirk.
"So how'd your meeting go with Kingsley? I didn't think I'd see you until tonight."
"We got interrupted," Bea groans, sitting on one of their barstools, elbows on the table like her parents always told her not to do, head in her hands. "But she promised we could talk about it! Since I had to deal with Lexi."
"Right, such a difficult thing, to make out with a hot professor you can't get in trouble for kissing because she's not at this school," Zoey says with a little shake of her head. "Honestly."
"Oh, no, not that! God, okay, so--" Bea starts to recount her time in Ina's office, flirting with her and kissing her for like a second before the Dean fully walked in and interrupted to ask if Ina would spare her for Lexi? Like, what the fuck. Zoey gasps at all the right places in the story, especially when Bea talks about flirting with Lexi, too. "And then we made out, and guess what?"
"Dean interrupted again?"
"No! Ina called me."
Zoey's laugh is half-disbelieving, half-impressed. "Your life is completely wild, what the fuck, you've been here for less than two months! God, so did you let it go to voicemail?"
Bea knows this next part crosses the line from fun, gossipy drama to probably morally wrong, but it's Zoey, what's she gonna do, not tell her? "So I actually...picked up?"
Zoey's mouth drops completely open, and she stares at Bea like she's just said she stole the Mona Lisa. "You what?"
"No, I know, thinking back it's really dumb and honestly, kind of mean? No, not kind of. It's mean. But it seemed like a good idea? And it was really hot."
Zoey fans herself. Bea can't tell if she's joking or not. "It does sound hot. But are you, like, flirting with Lexi to get under the professor's skin or? Are you interested in her too?"
"Physically, sure," Bea says with a snort. "But as a person? No, she sucks. Ina..." She starts to smile, sees Zoey's expression soften in response. "She feels...real, you know? Like, completely outside of all this drama with the rankings and the T and Poppy."
"And also she's hot."
"So hot, oh my God."
"Okay," Zoey says. "Can I give you some possibly harsh advice?"
Bea pauses. She'll definitely deserve it, but she's not sure she wants to hear it here, in the early morning space where everything still feels light and easy and consequence-free. But it's Zoey, so. "Sure."
"If you want Ina as a partner, as more than a hookup, then you should probably stop messing with Lexi. Or with anyone--don't think I didn't see the kiss with Carter--"
"--that was mostly to mess with Poppy--"
"--and Lexi's mostly--yeah, some weird mindgame, or whatever, I don't always get you. But Ina doesn't know, right?"
"No," Bea says in a voice that comes out quieter than she meant it to.
"If you want this to work, if you really want a relationship and you're not just chasing her because she's a hot professor, you've gotta actually commit to her. And to the fact that you'll have to hide your relationship, and the fact that you'll have to be very, very careful to avoid it getting toxic. Honestly? I...nah, that's too harsh."
Bea tries to grin, keep everything funny. "What? You're on a roll, don't stop on my account."
Zoey looks at her for a long moment. Bea wants to duck away but she holds her ground. "I don't think you should date Ina. If you want to, I'll support you, because you're my best friend and I love you."
"Wow, gay," Bea mutters.
"I am literally talking you through two inadvisable relationships with two older women you shouldn't date that you seem keen on dating anyway, so glass houses. But I think you should think long and hard before you do."
Bea valiantly holds herself back from making a 'long and hard' joke and nods. "I see what you're saying. I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but I get where you're coming from, at least." After a long moment, where she can feel Zoey judging her, she adds, "Okay, I see what you mean about Lexi, I'll...stop. I mean, I won't be nice to her, but I'll stop--you know."
"Good!" Zoey says with a grin. "Then you should probably check your phone, because Kingsley's been blowing it up."
Bea glances at it, and sure enough, she has three new texts from Ina Kingsley.
Bea, I'm free whenever you are today.
We should discuss some things.
There are also some quizzes to grade. I'll be in my office for a few hours before my office hours begin.
The texts are drier than Bea after any amount of time talking to Michael, but after being interrupted by the actual literal Dean and Lexi planning on staying on campus, she gets that she wants to be careful. Besides, that's what Zoey was telling her. She has to get used to hiding some things if she wants Ina.
And she does. She really, really does.
Sounds good, Professor. I'll see you soon.
--
Bea doesn't dress up in her nicest outfit, but she is wearing her nicest non-lingerie underwear underneath it when she knocks on the door to Professor Kingsley's office. She pulls it open right away, dark circles under her eyes like she hasn't slept. She pulls Bea right in, locks the door behind her--ooh, finally a breach of propriety--and says, "I'm so sorry about Lexi."
"What?" Bea says, having completely forgotten about anyone other than the woman in front of her. "Oh, right. It's really okay, I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Ina asks, hand on Bea's face all of a sudden, when did that happen, holy shit? "I don't...it'll be a little risky, if I fight to keep you--" Ooh. "--as my TA instead of hers--" Slightly less enthusiastic ooh. "--but I will, if you want me to. I don't--like seeing you with her. I know you kissing her was the kiss cam, and avoiding suspicion of any anything untoward with me, but...I hated it."
"Were you jealous?" Bea asks, hands twitching as she resists the urge to hold Ina's hand on her face even longer.
"Yes," Ina admits, quickly and easily. Bea could swoon. "Yes, I was jealous. I think...had she not been there, or if I could've stayed on our date instead of having to leave for the call from the Dean, I wouldn't have been able to say that. But Bea, I don't want anyone else to have you. And I--I understand I can't ask that of you. It's your life, and you would have to hide--"
Bea puts an arm around the back of Ina's neck to pull her in for a kiss, and Ina just fucking goes for it, pinning Bea to the door with her whole body, pressed together in as many points as possible. The kiss is deep and passionate and perfect, and it's only the fact that they're right against the door that prompts Bea to bite back a moan.
After a couple minutes of this, Ina pulls back, but only to rest her forehead against Bea's. Bea smiles up at her. Ina, miraculously, smiles back, no sign of wanting to cut and run at all.
The moment only lasts a second, though, and then Ina clears her throat, pulls back a little. "We should...talk about this."
"What's there to talk about?" Bea says. "I get that we have to keep things secret, I get that it's risky, but I want this and you want this, so what's the issue?"
Ina clears her throat, looking at Bea with so much emotion that it's almost uncomfortable. "I don't...Bea, if you want me--"
"--I do--"
"--then you'll still want me after you think through the consequences."
Bea groans, pushes Ina back until the professor's back hits her own desk. "Ina. I have thought this through. I have. And I'm all in. The question is, have you?" (She has thought it through. That's what that conversation with Zoey earlier was about.)
"Of course I have," Ina says, more a hiss than calm, casual discussion. "Bea, I've thought of nothing but you since the speakeasy. How could I not? Our conversation, you on top of me--" She clears her throat, face flushed. "But you don't want--"
"Hey, how about you let me tell you what I want? I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions."
Ina looks at Bea's face, and Bea tries to keep it nice and not angry about being pushed away again. She seems to come to a decision, and she presses a quick, chaste kiss to Bea's lips. Bea grins at her. "If you're sure, Bea."
"I am," Bea says. "No one else I'd want to be with but you. Promise."
Ina's eyes go a little darker at that, and Bea could tell Lexi to fuck off a thousand times without any flirtation whatsoever and it'd be worth it for the look on Ina's face. "Good."
"Good," Bea repeats, and kisses her one more time. This one's sweeter, less let's-fuck-on-this-desk-right-now and more I-really-really-really-really-really-really-like-you. "I want nothing more than to stay right here, right now."
"...but?" Ina asks. Bea's disappointment at having to leave is mostly soothed by Ina reading her well enough to understand what she's getting at.
"But I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to meet up with Lexi to TA," Bea grumbles.
"The one good thing about that wretched woman being interested in me is at least it means I know she'll leave you alone," Ina says, and lets her go.
Bea laughs, a little awkwardly, but Ina doesn't seem to pick up on it. "Right. Uh, before I go, though, we are--right? We're us?"
Ina nods. "If you want to be. And you were very insistent about the fact that you do."
"I do!" Bea says, smiling dopily at her. "Okay, good, I just wanted to be sure. I'll see you later?"
"I'll text you," Ina says. "I do actually have all these quizzes to grade."
Bea hates to leave her with that glum expression, so she kisses her and says, "I'll make it up to you later."
Then it's heading back over to Lexi's office, glancing at herself in the windows to make sure she isn't so obviously mussed up. She's certain that Lexi wouldn't expose her and Ina's relationship, if only because it would sabotage her chances of dating Ina.
It's not stupid to flex, just a little, right?
She knocks on Lexi's office door, hears the other woman call a disinterested, "Come in," and opens it. Lexi's at her desk, looking at something on her computer that she slams shut as Bea walks in. "Hughes. I've plenty of work for you to do to keep you away from Ina." Bea smirks at her, and Lexi's expression goes stony. "What, are you looking for a repeat performance of yesterday? I'm not exactly interested in bending you over and punishing you for your insolence right now."
Uh, damn. Bea blinks a couple times, shakes her head as if to physically clear the images of that. "No. Just letting you know that, uh, I win. So sorry, but you were barely even competition."
"You--" Lexi's eyes flash, and Bea thinks for a second that Lexi might throw something at her. Instead, Lexi sits back, and says, "Alright."
"See, I--alright?"
"Yes," Lexi says, voice weirdly calm. "I've still got work for you to do. And I have business to attend to."
"Leave her alone, she's not--"
"My business doesn't involve Ina at all, Hughes," Lexi says with an eyeroll. "But you need to go through and put all this--" She taps a stack of papers on the desk with a single finger. "Into a spreadsheet. Okay?"
"I...okay?" Bea says, too confused to put up a fight right now. Lexi passes her without a sideways glance and leaves the office.
That...wasn't what Bea was expecting. She texts Ina a quick working on some busywork, she's already left and Zoey a girl i have SO much news but don't worry i took your advice about Lexi and posts a picture of herself in a nice office to her Insta, then gets to work. The whole time, she's left thinking about what Lexi has up her sleeves, because there's no way she's actually that calm about losing Ina to her.
Not that she's going to get Ina back. Not that she's going to get Bea back; she's happy with Ina. She is.
