"Fuck it. I deserve to be happy."

Who cares? Reese thought, turning on their side. I want to see where this goes. Even if it doesn't go anywhere. They pressed themself against Noa's back and closed their eyes. Fuck it. I deserve to be happy. They didn't even add Do I?

It took a while, but Reese fell asleep with a quiet mind.

---

"Yo, wake up." The voice cut through the fog of sleep like the beam from a lighthouse, jolting Reese awake. They'd always been a light sleeper, especially at houses that weren't their own. But their eyelids felt like they'd been clamped shut, and by the time they'd managed to actually pry them open Noa was gently nudging their shoulder. "Come oooon."

The first thing Reese saw upon opening their eyes was Noa's butt. She was sitting at the edge of the bed, in a thong, intentionally thrusting her butt toward their face. "Come on," she purred again, scooting further backward until she was right up against Reese's face. "We slept in."

"But I don't wanna get up," Reese mumbled, resting their forehead against Noa's posterior. They wrapped their arm around her waist and squeezed, making her giggle.

"I did not expect you to be such a sleepyhead," Noa said. "C'mon, I've gotta get ready for work."

"No work," Reese mumbled, closing their eyes. "Just sleep."

Noa snorted. "Okay, fine, if that's how you want to play it..."

Reese heard the bedsprings creak. Sensing an insidious plot was afoot they made a show of yawning and drawing the covers over their eyes, seemingly impervious to any tricks or shenanigans... that is, until they felt soft flesh slap against their forehead. The loud, exaggerated sigh that followed made them open their eyes.

Noa had leaned forward until her breasts were sliding over Reese's face. They were so heavy, so warm, so welcome against their skin that, had Reese not been such an easy mark they could have devised a way to use this against Noa, but they gave in easily. Their eyes shot open. "Oh," they muttered, rolling onto their back. If they'd had their way they would have fit a nipple into their mouth and seen where things ended up, but Noa pulled back from the bed a little, just enough for her bosom to settle in front of Reese's face but not actually touch it. They reached for it again.

"Man," Noa said, seemingly to herself. "My poor boobs are so cold. If only I had someone to warm them up for me..." She shook her head sadly. "Sorry, girls, but I don't think anyone can help you."

Reese groaned. "Noooo," they protested, reaching for her breasts in vain. "I can..." They stretched and stretched but still couldn't reach.

Noa backed away from the bed and straightened up. "Poor, poor boobs," she said, trying (and mostly succeeding) to hold back an obvious smile.

Reese pawed like a kitten, squirming in place, looking strangely fretful. "Noooo," they muttered again, sounding genuinely distraught. "I will help...!"

As Noa turned away from the bed, laughing, Reese hopped up and embraced her from behind. They squeezed her, nuzzled the nape of her neck. "Oh," Noa said, leaning her head back so it rested on Reese's shoulder, "you're up."

"Mmhmm..." Still half-awake, Reese clumsily brought their hands up over Noa's chest. They cupped her breasts and squeezed.

Noa sighed happily as she reached up and cupped Reese's cheek.

"Don't be cold, boobs," Reese muttered into Noa's back.

Noa guffawed. "God damnit," she said, laughing, "you're so cute."

"What are you talking about?" Reese asked, squeezing Noa tight against them. "I am serious."

"And sleepy, by the sounds of it."

"And sleepy."

"Huh. I assumed you'd be up at the crack of dawn or something."

"Nooooo."

She giggled. "I can see that now." She took Reese's hands in her own, brought them low so she could turn around in their arms. She faced them, looked at them with carob eyes, and said, "I have to get ready for work."

Reese grumbled. They rested their forehead against Noa's. "Dumb."

"I know." She snickered. "But I'm coming over tonight, remember?"

Reese's eyes widened. "Yes!" They kissed her forehead. "Yes. Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

"Here." She gently pulled herself away from Reese's embrace and padded over to their hanging clothes. "I checked when I got up -- they're dry. At least, enough for you to walk around in." She pulled Reese's underwear and jeans off of the chair she'd set them on.

Reese took them and slipped them on, pleased to see that they were in fact dry. Noa removed their shirt and flannel from their hangers. "Here," she said, handing them over to Reese.

Now fully clothed, Reese felt very awake. "Thank you," they said, rolling up the sleeves of their flannel shirt.

"You're very welcome," Noa replied. "Thanks for staying."

"Thanks for having me."

"In more ways than one." She clicked her tongue and winked.

Reese blushed, making Noa giggle.

"I need to get dressed and eat breakfast."

"What time is it?" Reese asked.

"10:30. I need to be at work in an hour."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I slept in." She grinned. "It's your fault, so..."

"Sorry." Reese was smiling.

"Don't worry, you'll make it up to me later." She raised an eyebrow. "Right?"

"Sure." They poked her with their foot.

"Lemme get dressed real quick." Noa picked up the jeans she'd worn the day before and pulled them on. "Hope this doesn't disgust you," she said, pulling them on over her big butt, giving Reese the same show she'd given last night -- letting them savor the way her rump caught on the band of her jeans, the way it slid heavily into place...

"Not at all."

"Absolutely disgusting," she said, tugging her jeans into place. "Just shameful."

"I am also wearing the same clothes from yesterday."

"Yeah, but technically they're clean now."

"Are they?"

"...no." Noa grabbed a bra out of her dresser and brought it to her stomach. When she turned to Reese she was blushing. "Umm... wanna say goodbye? For now, at least...?"

Reese giggled and nodded. They zoomed over to Noa and took her breasts in their hands. "Goodbye, ladies," they said, nuzzling Noa's chest. "It was very nice to meet you." They kissed her left breast, then her right, making her giggle. They manipulated one of her nipples up to their lips and, after studying Noa's face to confirm it was okay, took it into their mouth. They sucked it for a second, playing over the hard nub with their tongue, before doing the same thing to its twin. Noa sighed heavily and brought her hand to the back of Reese's head, and held them there, encouraging them to keep servicing her chest.

Reese abruptly pulled away from Noa's chest. She loosened her grip to let them free. "Oh," she muttered, "that was..." She cleared her throat. "Anyway." She pouted. "I wish we had more time..."

"Me too..." Reese took a second to calm themself down. "Umm... so you're still coming over tonight?"

Noa slipped on her bra -- it was a comfortable-looking but nondescript burgundy garment that clearly placed function over form; Reese had heard that decent bras for women with large breasts could be hard to find. "After that? Definitely." She giggled. "But, umm... yeah, I wanna spend more time with you, if that's okay." She was blushing a little. "Is this... this is cool with you, right? 'Cause we just met, and I don't want you to feel all overwhelmed or, like, think, 'This girl's taking it too fast,' 'cause I don't even know what I want, I just... I dunno, I just think you're cool. Y'know?"

Reese smiled. "I don't feel overwhelmed. Honestly, I was worried you'd think I was being too affectionate or forward or whatever." They paused. "I dunno. I guess I'm on the side of doing whatever and seeing what happens. Is that okay?"

Noa took a black t-shirt from her closet and slipped it on. The words YO LA TENGO stretched across her chest, distorted slightly by the generosity of her bust. "I am definitely happy to just do whatever. But umm..." She swallowed the remainder of the sentence and spun on her heels to face the closet once more. She removed a red flannel not entirely dissimilar from the one Reese was wearing and pulled it on.

"What's up?" Reese, still barefoot, pulled on their now-dry socks with a sense of dread. They almost sighed in relief when they felt pretty much completely dry fabric slipping over their feet.

Noa shrugged. "I dunno. I almost said a dumb thing."

"I'm okay with dumb things."

"Yeah, but... I don't know if I'm ready to say it."

"But now I'm curious!"

"Could I tell you later? I want to think about it for a while."

"That's okay." Reese brushed hair from their face. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure? Now I feel like I'm leaving you hanging."

"I said I'm okay with doing whatever, remember? This is whatever. If you don't feel like telling me that's okay."

"Okay..." She groaned. "Ugh. This is what happens when I sleep in."

"Sorry. Then again, I am making it up to you, so I guess I can't feel too bad."

Noa snorted. She grabbed a black beanie from the top of her dresser and pulled it on. "There. Now I don't have to wash my hair."

"You look cute," Reese said, admiring her.

"Yeah?"

"Really cute."

Noa smiled softly. "Thanks."

---

They ate cereal on Noa's couch, in relative silence. Time was running short.

When they finished Noa raced to the dishwasher and put the bowls and spoons inside. "Ready?" she asked, offering Reese her hand. They took it, and as they rose from the couch they took Noa in their arms and squeezed. She squeezed back, burying her face in their chest. "I wish I didn't have to work today."

"Me too."

"Who knows?" Noa asked as she pulled away and headed over to the door. "Maybe I'll meet someone cute today."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I dunno, like a hot hipster weirdo with pink hair. I dunno."

"Hipster?" Reese scoffed.

"Sorry, 'hipster-in-denial.' Maybe I'll meet one today."

"I dunno, that sounds..."

"Unlikely? I know, right?" She sighed. "Bonus points if they're, like... nonbinary and bespectacled. But... whatever." She shook her head with mock self-pity.

Reese was blushing. "Umm... well... I wish you luck, friend."

Noa burst into laughter. "What the hell was that? That was the weirdest... who says that?"

Reese shrugged. "I didn't know what to say!"

"Say something cute, you doofus!"

"Uh -- uh-- well -- umm -- who are you calling a hipster? You collect records!"

Noa gasped. "How dare you?"

"And -- and -- yeah!"

Noa snorted and covered her face. "Oh, Reese... you're just terrible at this, aren't you?"

Reese started to say something, stopped, and sighed, "...yes."

Noa pulled on a pair of sneakers. "Please promise me you will practice witty repartee while I'm at work."

"I cannot promise that, but I will do my best."

"Okay. I was gonna let you suck on my tits if you promised, but whatever."

"You were going to let me do that anyway." Reese snickered.

Noa blushed. "...shut up."

Reese was beaming as they crossed toward the door.

"Umm -- actually, would you mind doing something for me before we leave?" Noa asked.

"Sure."

"Could you, umm..." Noa made a face. "Could you check to make sure the apartment is, umm... safe?"

"Safe?"

"Like... that all the faucets are off, and the windows are locked, and I didn't leave anything on?"

"Oh -- sure."

"Thank you."

---

When Reese returned from checking all of the rooms in the apartment, Noa looked rather unhappy. "Sorry," she said, playing with her sleeve. "I, umm..."

"It's okay," Reese assured, waving their hands. "I understand." They nodded. "Everything looks good."

"Okay. Thank you," she said softly. "Umm... we should get going."

Reese slipped on their shoes, grabbed their bag of CDs, and followed Noa through the door.

---

They held hands as they walked through the parking lot.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Noa said as the pair turned onto Miller Street. It was a straight walk to Apropos. "That was totally weird of me."

"Not really," Reese replied. "Don't worry about it."

"That's the thing," she said, "I kind of... have to worry about it."

"Why?" They paused. "Umm... actually, if you're not comfortable, you don't have to."

"No, I just -- okay. Look. So, I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, okay? OCD."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So I have lots of problems with anxiety, and I've got these weird things I've gotta do or my whole day will just be totally fucked."

"Like checking the apartment?"

"Yeah. I'll get, umm, intrusive thoughts, right? And I'll be convinced I have to do something, or I won't be able to get rid of those thoughts." She chewed her lip. "Which is why it was nice to have you in the apartment."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You made things a little easier. You helped me."

They squeezed her hand. "I'm glad." They paused. "Thank you for sharing that with me."

"It's not weird?" She looked fretful.

"Not at all. I, umm, I have problems with anxiety, too. Just in a different way. So I don't think it's weird at all."

"Thank you." She squeezed their hand. "Is this okay? Holding hands?"

"Yes." They smiled at her.

"Okay." She looked forward, smiling to herself.

---

"This is where I get off," Noa said as they arrived at Apropos.

"I thought that was my house," Reese said.

Noa snorted. "See? That's the quality back-and-forth I'm looking for."

They pulled her into a hug. "Done at 7:00?"

"Done at 7:00."

"Okay. I'll pick you up then."

"Sounds good." She nuzzled their collarbone. "See you later," she said, craning her neck up toward their face. They kissed.

"See you later," Reese said as they released Noa from their embrace.

Noa stopped as she reached the bottom of the stairwell. She turned and waved, grinning, before heading inside.

Reese walked home, head in the clouds.

---

The next seven hours passed uneventfully. Reese got some work done, ate lunch, did some more work, went out for coffee, read a little, masturbated, and took a shower (actually washing their hair this time).

Throughout the day they texted back-and-forth with Noa.

"No luck yet," she texted, and for a moment Reese was confused. "So far I've had a guy with blue hair and a lady with yellow hair but no pink hair. Will report back later."

Reese snickered when they realized what she was talking about. "Godspeed," they texted back.

Later:

"Okay -- enby sighting reported. However, they were wearing a checkerboard belt and asked for a copy of the Specials' first album. Thought that was cool so I offered to order one for them to pick up in-store. They said no thanks and bought a Less Than Jake CD instead. Mission failed. I will not go home with a ska fanatic."

"Oh -- then this is a bad time to tell you about my Reel Big Fish tattoo."

"Don't even fucking joke about that."

And later:

"Yeah, this is a total bust. I thought this town was crawling with goofy weirdos. What the fuck?"

"Sorry. That sound really rough. Sorry if I'm slow to respond, by the way. I'm arranging my taxidermy collection."

"Haha. Wait... do you have one?"

"...No."

"Damn."

7:00 p.m. Finally.

"Ready?" Reese texted.

"Ready! :)"

They hopped in their car and drove over to Apropos -- it was a quick drive, as they only lived a few blocks away.

Noa appeared at the bottom of the stairwell. She waved to someone inside, shut the door, and headed up to the car. She was smiling as she climbed in. "Hey," she said, closing the door.

"Hey." Reese was smiling, too. "How was work?"

"Pretty boring, honestly. You?"

"The same, actually."

"Can I kiss you?" She blushed. "Umm -- I mean, is that still okay? Like, I don't want you to --"

Reese took her hand in theirs. They leaned forward and brought their lips to hers. When Reese sat back in their seat they smiled. They were blushing a little. "Umm... it's definitely okay."

"Good." Noa looked out the window as the car started to move. "I'm excited to see your house."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm..." She sighed. "Isn't it weird that last night, like... happened? It's just now setting in."

"Why is it weird?"

"I dunno! Just... not in a bad way or anything, just, like, I've never had, umm... a... guest over for so long. Like a whole day!"

"True..." Reese stopped at a red light."I don't think I've ever stayed so long at, umm, a host's place."

"See? Weird."

It wasn't long before they were rolling into Reese's driveway.

---

"Ignore the mess," Reese said, walking beside Noa with their arms spread, trying to block the view. "Ignore it!"

Noa rolled her eyes and peeked over Reese's shoulders. "Nooo," she said, poking their side, making them giggle.

"No!" they protested, curling around Noa's prodding. "Umm... sorry, I'm honestly actually really nervous."

"Why?"

"I don't have people over very often. Well -- not for, umm, not for long..."

"Ah, I see," Noa said, raising an eyebrow. "What you're saying is, you usually don't have people over for longer than a booty call."

"That is a very crass way to sum it up, yes."

"And accurate."

"...and accurate."

Noa giggled. "Umm -- if you're uncomfortable with me being here --"

"No, no!" Reese waved her off. "I'm really excited. I just, umm, I'm just terrible with people." They blushed. "I am a terrible host."

"Noooo." Noa stroked their chest. "So, where do you wanna do it?" She paused. "The picture, I mean."

"The picture! That's right."

Noa rolled her eyes. "Do you have a studio, or...?"

"I have a bedroom."

"That works." She blushed. "Can I see it?"

Reese took her by the hand and led her to their bedroom.

---

"Aww, it's cute!" Noa exclaimed upon entering Reese's bedroom. She stood in the middle of the room, taking it all in: the band posters, which of course she commented on ("Pinback is great but they're so sad;" "Frightened Rabbit is great but they're so sad;" "Xiu Xiu is great but they're so sad;" "Future Islands are... Jesus, Reese, what are you trying to say?"); the pile of books they'd forgotten to return to the library ("not surprised"); the black cardigan they'd left discarded on the floor by the bed ("looks comfy!"); the hardwood floor ("slippery!"); the folded up camera tripod wedged diagonally between the dresser and the wall ("interesting")... She said something about everything, and Reese listened, and Reese loved it. "I approve." She gave them a smooch, then went back to her exploration of her lover's abode.

Once her curiosity was satisfied Noa flopped onto the bed, letting her feet dangle over the side. She stared up at the ceiling. "Umm, so... about the picture..."

Reese joined Noa on the bed. "You're still okay?" They gently stroked her thigh.

"Oh, yeah!" She giggled. "But I wanted to talk about what we're gonna do..."