The Queen of the Superficial

“Tighnari, meet your new roommate.” If Tighnari had known back then what would stir within her chest, what hurricane and storm would ravage everything from the inside due to anger and misunderstanding of her own feelings. The sparks she would see before her eyes when they touched, and the spring would blossom in her soul as Cyno crossed the threshold of their now shared room… She would undoubtedly and without hesitation let her in again. Professor Faruzan carefully closed the door behind her and left in the same second, vanishing somewhere in the hallway of their dormitory. Tighnari, tearing her eyes away from her notes for a few long seconds, took an appraising look up and down at her new roommate. Black denim shorts, barely covering what should be covered for normal people, audaciously matched with tall, sturdy boots. An equally black and revealing crop top, unapologetically accentuating a small yet expressive bust. Tighnari, realizing that she was holding her gaze on the girl just a tad longer than appropriate, lifted her eyes, meeting an intrigued predatory gaze and dark eyeliner. “Nice to meet you…” “Cyno.” “Cyno,” she tasted the unfamiliar name aloud. “Well, I’m currently busy here, but you can settle down. The top bunk is mine.” Whether it sounded like a threat or a warning, the girl didn’t bother to figure it out, but she confidently nodded and tucked her hands into the pockets of her high shorts. Her entire demeanor expressed a sharp and highly eloquent rebellion, yet in response to Tighnari’s established boundaries, she only replied with a quiet and submissive: “No problem.” Tighnari’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw that Cyno had only one, well-worn backpack among her belongings. The girl leisurely entered the room, immediately kicking off her shoes and wearily tossing the long-suffering backpack onto her new bed. Without much hesitation, she hopped onto the wide windowsill and, making no sound to avoid distracting her roommate, she plugged in her headphones and started playing music. Well, at least they wouldn’t need to argue about who gets the shelf in the wardrobe. With these thoughts in mind, Tighnari returned to her notes.

***

— Two months later — Coming to this party was undeniably a foolish idea. Tighnari felt like banging her head against the wall, realizing that she had only come here because literally all her acquaintances were present. She had never had any issues with socializing, and never felt the need to prove anything to anyone before. After all, she was already quite popular within her faculty circles. But today, her sudden impulse to be among the crowd of drinking and loud students had resulted in nothing but a pounding headache and a desire to hang herself. “Damn it,” a quiet, dissatisfied whisper, which no one but Tighnari could possibly hear, drenched the neck of a bottle of wine. Her desire to leave this place grew exponentially, and Tighnari had learned to always trust her feelings. Briefly saying goodbye to her friends and forcing a somewhat insincere smile on her face, she finally stepped out into the yard, breathing in the refreshing coolness of the spring evening without the mixture of cigarette smoke and alcohol. The distant sounds of bass thumped behind her, but now they weren’t as loud and overpowering, allowing rational thoughts to regain their place in her mind. “Leaving already?” A familiar voice gently traced her spine, tempting her to turn around and, most likely, stay here a little longer. Unlike her, Cyno had always been aloof. She always kept to herself and had no desire to conform to social norms. She simply didn’t care. Actually, she didn’t care so much that it somewhat amazed Tighnari. To irk the professors with just her appearance and belly button piercing, while maintaining the highest grades in her faculty, was truly worthy of respect. Perhaps, that’s what fascinated Tighnari about her. It was this contradiction and unlikeness to what she was used to seeing within the walls of the Akademiya day after day. “I’m leaving. My head is throbbing.” “You’re kind of a sloppy drunk,” came the remark in response, followed by an obviously not the first sip of ice-cold beer. “That’s why it hurts.” “I can’t stand listening to this crap either,” she pointed her finger towards the building, where loud, droning, and utterly tasteless music kept blaring without pause. She smiled. “I understand.” Cyno patted the curb next to her, inviting Tighnari without further words. The latter didn’t resist and simply tightened her grip on the bottle of wine that turned up so well before sitting down almost close, feeling the warmth of another’s thigh against her own skin. “And why are you here? I can’t believe you came looking for friends.” “No, not exactly,” she smiled wistfully, shrugging her shoulders. “My father insisted.” “Wait a minute, your father kicked you out of the house so that you could attend a party with alcohol, partially naked students, and possibly drugs? Am I understanding this correctly?” “Yep.” “But isn’t he the dean of Spantamad, as far as I remember?” “Yep,” she nonchalantly nodded again, as if it were perfectly normal. Tighnari looked at her in astonishment, which elicited a chuckle from the other. “He’s always like this with me,” she took another sip, clearing her throat. “Cyno, you have absolutely no friends. What will you do when your cheerful old man is gone? Will you cry into your pillow every evening? No, Cyno, sweetheart, that won’t do. Come on, come on, and send me some photos as proof. Oh, what’s with the youth nowadays, in my times I banged…” Imitating her father’s way of speaking, Cyno burst into laughter, evoking a genuine smile from Tighnari. “By the way, I still don’t have the photos, and you were my last hope for today. Father will be so disappointed…” Tighnari sighed heavily. She despised taking pictures even more than attending loud and noisy gatherings, but helping out her dearest roommate and friend was necessary. Moving a little closer and peering into the lens of the another’s front camera, Tighnari genuinely tried to force something resembling a smile, but apparently, the result didn’t satisfy Cyno. “Tighnari.” “What?” “Let’s take another shot? You blinked.” Summoning all her willpower, Tighnari nodded helplessly, giving her consent for a second attempt at the photo. She forced a strained smile. Just as she thought the ordeal was finally over, her cheek was suddenly met with warm and tender wet lips. Hearing the click of the camera on Cyno’s phone, she finally recovered, giving her half-heart attack-inducing companion a questioning look. “I thought it was a good way to make you stop blinking.” As if nothing had happened, Cyno promptly sent the photo to her father, instantly receiving a dose of approval and a gif of a bouquet of roses in response. She absolutely didn’t want to think about how everything inside her had turned upside down from a simple touch of someone else’s lips. More precisely, she didn’t want to show Cyno how she was thinking. Tighnari just… just. She had to diligently deny and push her own feelings far away, making sure it won’t affect their friendship and peaceful coexistence. But the way Cyno did such things so carelessly and without any concern for what it might mean astonished with its simplicity. Yes, they were roommates, but Tighnari was not at all prepared for the trials of having half-naked Cyno around, coming out of the shower, regular and firm welcoming hugs, and hushed insinuating conversations at night. Her cheek continued to burn, the phantom touch spreading softly across her face, not allowing her to take a full breath. The smell of fruity wine mixed with the other’s inexpensive perfume, an aroma of which Tighnari could unmistakably recognize from several dozen meters away. “Hey, Nari, wanna get out of here?” At what point Cyno decided that shortening her name like that was a good idea, was hard to understand. Tighnari wasn’t particularly inclined to understand just anything at the moment. She just wanted… silence, perhaps? In her own mind, among other things. “I do. Where to?” “There’s a place you’ll like, I promise.” “What’s with the honor? Aren’t I just your patient and convenient roommate, from whom you can steal t-shirts in the morning while I’m not looking?” Cyno shrugged, looking apologetic, but it seemed to Tighnari that it was more for show. “Not just that. Let’s go. I’m getting annoyed with everyone here too, and you seemed like you wanted to go somewhere no one screams out Ed Sheeran’s greatest hits for the seventh time in a row.” Getting up from the curb and kicking an empty beer can toward the nearest bin, she extended her hand. Tighnari, not hesitating for long, grasped it like it was her last chance to survive the day.

***

“Ta-da!” Cyno, unlocking and finally ceremoniously pulling back a wooden curtain in front of Tighnari’s face, beamed with satisfaction. “This… is a garage?” “Don’t be rude, it’s my sanctuary of sanity.” “There are beer and energy drink cans everywhere,” Tighnari barely suppressed a laugh. “Although, I must admit, it all looks quite sane. In your style.” The notes of her familiar sarcasm made Cyno radiantly smile again. The kind of smile that knocked the ground from under her feet, and one that Tighnari had never seen in public. She looked around, noticing how cozy it actually was there. Cyno was never known for her sense of aesthetics; the words “grunge” or “chaos” suited her more. However, even in this chaos, Tighnari managed to discern what people usually call beauty. Cyno approached the wall, and after a minute of fumbling, a characteristic click echoed. Numerous intertwining garlands on the walls flickered with so many dim lights that the head began to spin involuntarily. A little further stood a small couch, obviously designed for two or more people. Several tall lava lamps stood directly on the floor, and the most significant element of it all was a large drum set. Sitting on the couch and holding the long-suffering wine in her hand, Tighnari placed it on the nearest box. “Do you play the drums?” “Where do you think I run off to from time to time? Or did you prefer the version our professors have about me selling weed around the corner?” “Who knows, maybe you’re out there saving the city from universal evil while I peacefully sleep in my bed, clueless?” “Pff, well, not without that, of course,” she walked right in front of her nose. “I didn’t expect you to figure me out so quickly. I couldn’t even hide behind the drums. Damn it…” With a dignified second-long pause, they finally burst into hearty laughter. “Alright, you’ve intrigued me. Now I want to see it.” “Take a comfortable seat, miss.” At such an address, a knot formed in Tighnari’s stomach again. Laying down a crumpled pack of grape-flavored cigarettes, keys, and her own shirt, which until now somehow managed to conceal how revealingly she was dressed, Cyno flexed her hands and raised her arms above her, stretching slowly. Tighnari could confidently say that she was being provoked, literally making the blood in her veins flow in the opposite direction. The naked belly with a piercing enticingly flashed at her eye level. The chest, restrained by the thin fabric of her top, rose and fell noticeably, showing something that Tighnari, as she thought, had long grown accustomed to as her roommate, knowing that Cyno never wears a bra. Cyno kicked away a skateboard that had accidentally gotten under her feet, probably still there from her childhood, and approached two turntables. Connecting her phone and selecting the right track, she immediately took her place at the drums. Catching the other’s attentive gaze, she slyly smiled and winked. Tighnari held her breath and, just to be safe, took another sip of wine. The first strike confidently reverberated through her eardrums. Surprisingly, it didn’t make Tighnari want to cover her ears or back away as far as possible; she just… watched. Listened. She listened as the steady beat of the wooden sticks on the drums evolved into something bigger and more serious. She watched as Cyno, with her legs widely spread, played the corresponding rhythm on the pedals. A droplet of sweat trickled down her tanned neck, making Tighnari focus on how fast and precisely each strike followed the other, how strong the muscles in her arms were as they created the required rhythm without a hint of trembling. Cyno seemed to have completely forgotten that she wasn’t alone there. She was swinging her head to the flowing music, completely disregarding her already unruly ash-colored hair as the strands flashed before her eyes. The beats hit the drums one after another, making it difficult to think or be aware of the fact that there was still some surrounding world around them. Hell, no. The whole world now narrowed down to her heaving chest, strong arms, the drums, and the damn garage with beautiful garlands. The final strike was particularly heavy. Cyno let out a deep exhale. Tighnari did too. Noticing an opened bottle of water nearby, she approached Cyno closely, handing her the lifesaving liquid after such an intense performance. “So, I’m the queen of the superficial, huh?” Gratefully nodding, taking a few big gulps and wiping the remaining water off her lips with the back of her hand, she looked up with interest. “It seems quite likely,” she twisted the cap and threw the bottle somewhere behind her. “What do you think?” In the depths of her ruby eyes, the most lively expression of interest glowed. Tighnari was tired of holding back her feelings; she had no desire to hide or conceal anything from Cyno, so she excitedly exhaled softly: “I’m turned on.” “Even so…” she suddenly fell silent, carefully scrutinizing what Tighnari referred to as arousal. “You know, if you want, I can play for you some other time. I enjoy your company, and…” Tighnari rolled her eyes and sighed in irritation. “And where’s all your determination and rebelliousness when they’re so needed?” “They wave goodbye together and go on vacation every time you even breathe in my direction. Sorry.” Nuzzling among the dangling lights, Cyno thoughtfully bit her lip. No, damn it, she wouldn’t miss this chance now. Skillfully maneuvering out from behind the drum set and slightly tugging her too-short top back down, she approached closely. The heady scent of heated bodies, perfume, and hints of alcohol tickled her nose, but Tighnari didn’t move from her spot. Instead, she simply stared back at her. “Alright, today they agreed to make an exception for you.” With those words, her own breath in the lungs ran out. Now Tighnari was breathing her. Hot, slightly moist lips lovingly brushed against her cheek, grazing the same spot they first touched back when she carelessly sat on the curb. The second kiss gently slid along her cheek, giving Tighnari a final chance to push away and say that it was all nonsense and a youthful mistake, that they had both had a little too much to drink and… “Will we regret this tomorrow?” Tighnari’s alluring voice tickled her consciousness, causing Cyno to restrain herself with ten chains not to lose control and pin her down on this fucking couch right now. Cyno shook her head, pushing the stray bangs off her face and giving Tighnari a chance to lose her breath for good. “Not me — definitely not.” Her hand reached out on its own, gently but insistently pressing and pulling her closer. Cyno deepened the kiss, persistently intertwining their searingly hot tongues. Tighnari breathed in her scent heavily, tasting the grapes and tobacco on her lips. Sweetness and bitterness. She wanted to touch in response. Enchantingly stretching her hand in front of her, knowing that wherever she touched, she would be burned, Tighnari trailed her fingertips along the exposed collarbone. Cyno audibly inhaled through her teeth, leaning into the delicate touches. Her mind went blank, the persistent beat of the drums continued to pound in her ears. Cyno nudged her hip, encouraging her to step back towards the couch. “Nari, can you take it off?” she barely pulled away for a split second, just to catch another quick breath. “What?” Everything. “Cardigan. Take it off.” Tighnari complied, slowly removing the soft fabric, feeling a slight shiver run through her skin as the cool air touched her. The Cyno’s lips sent a delightful shiver down her spine as the lips found her neck, warming her skin with gentle kisses and teasing her with the touch of her hair. Tighnari took a deep breath, as if she wanted to say something, but all thoughts evaporated on their own as Cyno’s tongue traced behind her ear, lightly nibbling on the sensitive lobe. The coolness receded into the second, or even the third plan. She was trembling now from the overwhelming warmth. From the hot breath on her neck, from hands wandering across her waist and ribs, from the scent of her unruly hair, from… “Come here,” Cyno whispered. Tighnari was ready. Ready for anything. Even falling into an abyss, for real. In an instant, Cyno flipped her onto the couch, positioning herself on top and pressing her down with a pleasant weight, pinning her thighs to the upholstery. The ashy hair tickled and tickled as Cyno traced a wet path of kisses down until she reached Tighnari’s belly button, impatiently pulling the top over her head. Tighnari had never been shy about her own body, but she didn’t think it was appropriate to show its contours to everyone, as Cyno seemed to enjoy doing. The appropriateness has come now. With a challenge in her eyes, Tighnari removed her light-colored jeans, leaving herself in just her underwear, and stared at Cyno, who was still breathing heavily and tenderly kissing and nibbling her rounded thighs, brushing against them with her lashes. “And what about you?” “If I take anything off, I’ll be half-naked. I don’t think your poor heart can handle that all at once.” In response to the teasing remark, Tighnari snorted disapprovingly and without further questions, slid her fingers under the edge of the short top, caressing hot skin. Just as she had wanted to do for a long time. Cyno obediently raised her arms, allowing her own breasts to be exposed. “Oh my God…” as she brought her lips closer to Cyno’s petite chest, Tighnari felt her saliva thickening rapidly, and her stomach convulsed. “A piercing here too? Don’t you have any conscience at all?” The question remained rhetorical. Well, either Cyno didn’t have enough air in her lungs to respond properly. The caresses of the other’s tongue on her sensitive nipples instantly swept away any remnants of consciousness from her mind. Tighnari lavished attention on the hot breasts, gently enclosing the dark nipple with her lips and feeling the coolness of the metal barbell. Her tongue explored all the delicate contours of the tender skin, caressing and giving pleasure that made Cyno want to scream with delight. The black eyeliner had long smeared from sweat, giving her an even wilder look. She wanted to growl, scratch, grip her waist tightly. So much, just to make her feel even a fraction of the tension that was building between her legs from the sight of disheveled Nari between her breasts. But she held herself back, she really tried, she wanted to please her and give her pleasure. A deep, loud sigh bordering on a moan caused Tighnari to reflexively squeeze her thighs together, trying to somehow quell her own growing arousal. The sensation pulled in her lower abdomen, her throat felt dry, and it was embarrassingly wet down there. Her free hand moved slowly, agonizingly slow, using only her fingers to squeeze and caress the dusky breast while the other diligently licked and sucked the other, teasing her mouth. Cyno couldn’t resist and let out a quiet moan, immediately capturing her hand and attention, shamelessly pulling her away. “My turn now.” Without even giving a chance to take in more air into her lungs, she persistently pressed on her snow-white shoulders, making her collapse onto the pillows and mercilessly spreading her knees apart. Completely not meticulous, tearing off clothes from her slender legs, diligently kissing and biting the inner part of the thigh, she immediately put her lips on the clitoris. From the contrast between the air temperature and her burning hot mouth, Tighnari was tossed up and arched in an arc. The tongue burned impudently ran over the lower lips, over all the most sensitive spots, making her squeeze her eyes in pleasure and moan. Bold hands with short nails ran over the milky thighs and buttocks. Pulling, scratching, stroking, caressing with the tongue even more strongly, more confidently, without any demand, shoving it inside. The vision started to blur, and she couldn’t control her own moans anymore. Cyno momentarily broke away just to hold her shameless gaze on her buttocks and whisper with gleaming, smeared with lube lips: “I would never have thought you also have a tattoo. And in such a place.” Tighnari raised herself on her elbows to respond properly, but, of course, she was not allowed to do so. At once two fingers, with a characteristic wet sound, shoved inside, uttering a guttural growl. “Wow.” “One more word…” she managed to focus her gaze on the light tuft, which was still right between her legs. “M-ha, Cy… M…” “Understood. Without words.” She caressed her again with her tongue. Taking in and licking, frankly torturing and, of course, not going to stop there. Together with the tongue, she now impaled her on her fingers, wetly pushing her apart, pressing, finally and irrevocably taking her out of a state of mental balance. Increasing the pace and pressing with the pads of her fingers where she knew perfectly well what would be most pleasant, Cyno, with well-balanced sweeping movements, being absolutely confident in herself, drove her into a frenzy. To the point of losing her own sanity. The rough palm of her free hand slipped up again, deliberately touching hardened nipples and stroking soft, lush breasts. She was incredibly strong and relentless, not giving her a moment to catch her breath, yet attentive and even sensual. When necessary, demanding. Confidently rising above her, and now, getting closer to Tighnari’s face, she was so close that Tighnari could feel her own scent. She wanted to capture her moans with her lips, to feel the vibration of her own name from another’s mouth. Tighnari had nothing left to do but carelessly bury her fingers in the ashy tangled hair, hardly feeling her own limbs, and tensely pull, trying to warn about approaching orgasm. Cyno felt it. How the hot, wet insides began to squeeze her fingers inexorably. How small portions of air were intermittently and greedily swallowed only by the throat. How Tighnari arched, crumpling her previously thrown shirt and squinting in response to even more active and sweeping movements. Her pungent sweet scent firmly settled in Tighnari’s lungs, becoming a personal oxygen. She saw, perfectly saw and felt, that the other one was already at her limit, and yet, looming over her, she continued to tickle her heated skin with unruly, terrifyingly beautiful, night- and wind-scented hair. Cyno kept accelerating, depravedly holding Tighnari’s knees apart and pulling wet squelching sounds out of her. “Cyno, I…” The last thing she saw before her eyes involuntarily rolled back, completely refusing to see the world before her, and the very desired name whispered from her lips — was a predatory, crazily contented smile. She shamelessly and boldly smiled at her face, knowing that she had won, that she had conquered what she wanted. That she had conquered her. A wave of cold washed over her gradually, taking away the opportunity to breathe, now completely. Wet caring fingers now just softly touched her, trying to calm the prolonged trembling in her knees. Trying to regain her usual heartbeat and at least the ability to see, she weakly opened her eyes. The satisfied smile never left Cyno’s face. On the contrary, now that smile was even closer and teasingly nuzzled her neck, kissing the remnants of excitement. “Nari, how are you?” “I… I’m good.” “Just good?” she playfully clutched her heart. “You expressed yourself much more emotionally about my drumming performance.” “I… I’m fucking good. I thought I was going to die under you.” She, now completely satisfied with the response, tenderly touched flushed cheek with her lips, pulling naked Nari closer to herself. “You look damn good on top, you know?” Tighnari lazily closed her eyes, placing her leg over the girl she promised to bite so hard that everyone around would see what they were up to today. “Then why didn’t you let me finish and please you?” “Who said that we’re finished?” she raised herself on one elbow so that the beads of her still stiffened nipples provocatively appeared right before Tighnari’s eyes, glimmering with metallic ornaments in the warm light of the garlands. “Will you do what you did with your tongue again?” Tighnari, finally giving up, shook her head. She’s impossible.