Afterglow || Foxxay AU

20: What a Shame She's Fucked in the Head

Hey, babes. Sorry it's been a while since I've posted a chapter. Writer's block is a bitch, I've been sick, and I have to move across the country by the end of the month. Updates will be sparse until I'm done moving. I'll try my hardest to post but there won't be a schedule. In the meantime, I'm working on one shots still, so send me your ideas in the comments, DMs, or on my Twitter.

This chapter is a short one, mostly a filler, but I wanted to post it before another week of not posting went by again.

—

Misty had taken her nightmare medication as a precautionary that night, meaning she slept for nearly twelve hours straight. When she woke, she groggily made her way down to the living room. A small smile fixed its way onto her lips when she saw Cordelia sitting on the forest green, velvet loveseat. She was clad in a sweater and some leggings, had her glasses perched on the edge of her nose with a book in her hands.

Misty padded across the living room and sat down next to her lover. She curled into Cordelia's side, when the woman's arm wrapped around her. Cordelia placed a kiss atop her head.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," Misty murmured into the crook of Cordelia's neck. She kissed the soft skin there.

The older woman placed her bookmark in her book before setting it on the side table. Her hand on Misty's side slid down to rest on her hip, gently gripping her. She turned to grasp Misty's chin between her forefinger and thumb. "Hey, I want to talk to you."

Misty felt her heartbeat increase as her mouth ran dry. She gave a hesitant nod.

"What happened last night, doll?" Cordelia's voice was gentle as ever. Her eyes soft and loving. "I've never seen you like that before."

Blue hues shifted down as she sucked in a deep breath. Everything in her wanted to pull away from Cordelia's embrace, but she stayed. Her eyes closed for a moment. "I have PTSD and other stuff..." she sighed. "Malory was my first friend I made when I moved to New Orleans. I'm originally from Lafayette, and as ya know already know I come from a religious family."

Cordelia was quiet as she listened. Her hands caressed Misty's cheek and hip.

"When I turned eighteen I left. There was a tornado that night, and I took my dad's truck... I didn't know how to drive, so I got caught in the mud on my way out of town. I read in the papers a few days later—his truck was found in a tree but there was no trace of a body. I thought..." she swallowed thickly. "I thought I was in the clear. So, I moved here, got the first job I could, and I met Malory when I was working at the Starbucks near campus. We moved in together three months later. She's taught me how to be kinda normal. I-I didn't even know being gay was an option because they made it seem so... sinful." Misty was quiet for a moment. A smile tugged at her lips when Cordelia pulled her into her lap. She rested her head on the woman's shoulder. "The first place we lived, I got a letter from my ma... she was asked me to come back home. I don't know how they found out where I was. I don't have social media. Mal's next semester we moved to where we are now. I haven't gotten anything since. So... my safe place is gonna go away again..." she felt her chest ache with fear. "I know it's a while a-away," her voice cracked. "But my brain is like what's the point? Leave now, do what I have to do to be without her... I know it ain't logical. A year gives me time to plan... but there's that part of my head who doesn't listen to logic."

Cordelia placed a kiss on Misty's forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips. "Hey, I get it. You don't have to be scared to tell me these things... you've got a safe space with me, too now, you know that? You're my doll, my baby, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She kissed Misty's cheek.