NOTE: The following story is set in the cartoon, "Totally Spies" starring characters, Mandy & Sam. Thus, certain things mentioned may sound confusing unless you know the gist of what that show is about.
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Keeping the window open all night wasn't one of Mandy's best ideas, but she didn't expect to pass out and have a spicy dream. The back of Mandy's head was in frame; her sleek black hair sweated out kinky waves that would've had her on edge if not for Sam.
"Where are you going? Running away from me?" she felt her mouth move at a sluggish pace, when she was as quick-witted as her notification feed when she uploads a rockin' selfie.
"You said you wanted The Rose, right?" Sam said, pausing midway in her path towards the dresser drawer.
"Yeah, but not right now!" Mandy scoffed, extending her arms out, "Hold me!"
The look on Mandy's face amused Sam, and as instructed, she returned to bed to snuggle up with her lover. That first night really was something. An event that the sleeping woman never thought would happen. They've come a long way since.
A sharp breeze tickled Mandy's cheek, which jolted her awake from the intimate memory. After waking up, grumbling over the cold, and shutting the windowpane, reality sunk in.
"3am. Of course," Mandy saw on her phone, which exuded a brightness that her eyes couldn't withstand first thing in the morning. She did notice the text message notification labeled, "Sammy 💚" right before she pressed the OFF button and slapped her phone down on the bed. What was the point in reading it anyway? It was the same thing every week:
Sorry babe, I just lost track of time. The lab needs new leadership; this guy is nuts!
Welp, my first Professor turned out to be an evil Scientist bent on world domination- no worries, we brought him to the police.
You wouldn't believe it: Ninjas came to the lab to avenge their leader! This never ends!
I swear I'll make this up to you.
Same shit. Different day.
Mandy willed herself to close her eyes and breathe instead of rolling them and letting out her famous mini tantrums. She had to remind herself that things were different. They were both adults, and Sam missing out on another date night didn't mean she was maliciously trying to hurt her. That's the high-school brain talking.
While Mandy and Sam have come a long way since they became a couple, that progress came with challenges. Things that have left Mandy feeling like a kid playing house. Sam was usually good on promises. She prided herself on being punctual, loyal, & reliable.
Mandy trusted her. But that faith was starting to wear thin.
Mandy couldn't sleep with all this stress, so she walked out the master bedroom and made her way to the end of the hall- where Nola slept. Mandy always counted on the 7-year-old to leave the door ajar; her fear of the closet monster still lingering about. Mandy checked on Nola as she slept in her twin bed. The glow-in-the-dark stars and princess lamp illuminated the room; Mandy chose to switch off the lamp to conserve energy.
A thick blanket laid over Nola, and it was decorated with 'Bratz' illustrations- just like Mandy's sheets were in what felt like so long ago. A stuffed panda bear was nestled by the child's chest. After all these years, Nola still loved the heck outta that thing. It was some cheap prize Mandy won for her at a carnival; the kid adored its sparkling green eyes and sewed-in smile. Mandy wasn't crazy about those booths; usually she was the one given prizes by one of her boy toys, but that was the first time she officially met Nola. Mandy couldn't end that day without making a good first impression.
The smile that creeped on Mandy's face went away once she returned to her thoughts on Sam missing another date night. She couldn't stop acting like this wasn't bothering her anymore; it's one thing to skip out on romance, but Sam didn't have the luxury to miss out on raising her daughter. I bet she's relieved whenever she leaves the house to do her "lab assignments..."
"That's not true! It's just a thought," Mandy quieted her mind. Her college counselor's voice echoed in her brain. She had many thoughts that were better left unspoken, this being one of them. She knew Sam wouldn't do this on purpose. She wasn't like Jake, or Kareem, or Christopher. The life of a Scientist's assistant is promised with overnight experiments and what not. This was part of the deal Mandy agreed to.
But it was easier back then, when Nola wasn't as aware of anything. If her mom was away for long, she'd get distracted with those silly cartoon shows while Mandy forced her to finish her dinner.
"I hear ya, girl. Mushy peas are not it," Mandy fought against the fussy baby night after night. Nola would cry here and there, but they were for problems that could be solved within their upscale apartment. Mandy had the money to please Nola with anything she could ever want, making her forget all about that redheaded genius. But now, it's all, "When's mommy coming home?" and "I'm not gonna do XYZ until mommy gets back!"
What was Mandy, some old shirt stuffed in the bargain bin of 'Sears'? I mean, she's been there for Nola every single day, ever since she invited the mother and daughter to live in New York. She doesn't expect anything out of Sam but to finish college, because she knew that was important to her.
Her chance at graduation was stripped away once. Mandy wasn't fond of Sam back then, but when she saw how the mighty had fallen, she couldn't help but be a girl's girl. She had to do something! Anything for Sam to get away from that asshole and get back on her feet.
She had no regrets about her choice to move Sam into her home, but Mandy still needed to tell the truth. Next time Sam walks through that door, she had to say how much she hated these new hours and how deeply she missed her. At this rate, Mandy didn't know how much longer she'd last.
It was only a couple more hours before Sam returned with her green eyes sunken into her sockets. Mandy and Nola were in the living room, each with a bowl of marshmallow cereal. "Well, aren't you up early!" the tired woman called out to the not-as-equally tired grouch.
For the sake of the child, Mandy stretched her frown right-side up to produce a passable smile, "Is 6am that early?"
"For you it is," Sam locked the door, and properly greeted Mandy with a quick kiss. She then shifted over to Nola and kissed her wild bed of strawberry blonde hair. "I think I'm gonna take a quick shower. Help get rid of these bags."
"No problem, honey."
What a cliche thing to say for the ever-creative Mandy, but if she didn't say that then she might've replied with something crueler. It was a battle between her heart and mind as to how to go about this. Continue to play nice and let Sam shower in peace or put on an episode of 'Bluey' to hypnotize the kid so she can confront the other woman one-on-one. The answer was decided once Mandy heard the shower start running in the other room; she hastily put on the cartoon, reeling in the entranced child.
Sam hadn't gotten in the shower when Mandy arrived. She had only turned it on at its highest heat and leaned over the sink with an expression that drooped somberly. Her skin seemed to pale the longer she stared at her reflection. Whatever rage Mandy felt in that moment was put on hold.
"Hey."
Sam turned, "Hey. I thought you'd stay with Nola."
"A few minutes alone won't hurt," Mandy shrugged, "Gotta be careful not to coddle the kid."
"Right," Sam returned to her reflection, pawing at the gray crescent moons decorating her eyes, "Can't wait till this is all over. This apprentice job isn't kind to my skin."
"Look at you, taking after my vanity!" the woman posed comically, a hand resting on her glowing face, like she just made contact with a paparazzi camera, "Come on, you still look great! But why is the water running?"
"I'll get in soon. Just taking my time."
That wouldn't do. Water costs a lot in this building, and even if she was being supported by her mother, Mandy didn't want to give her any reason to cut her off. She was the typical strict, tiger mom who wouldn't offer such a fancy place unless her daughter worked for it. Mandy's teenage self was hanging by a thread- especially that time when she flunked her test- so this was the best she's ever been on terms with her parental landlord. So, like a reasonable tenet, she grabbed the hem of her pajama shirt and threw it over her head- followed by her shorts.
"Mandy?" Sam broke out in a nervous giggle, "What are you doing?"
The other woman hopped into the shower, letting the water burned fiercely on her thin physique. She stood bare as could be in the walk-in shower, beckoning Sam to follow suit. "You are such a flirt!" Sam mouthed. Mandy barely heard it under the shower head, but she had assumed something to that effect was said judging by the ginger's cheeks filling with pink.
Sam and Mandy have mastered the art of intimacy in a handful of minutes, as Sam still had a few qualms about leaving Nola by herself. But the kid had done so much on her own that only Mandy had witnessed. One time, a stranger walked into the apartment after a night of drinking, thinking it was his place (Mandy forgot to lock the door after Sam left for work that morning) and sweet little Nola stomped right to him and politely yelled, "Get the Hell outta 'ere!"
After the fit of laughter that came from the "responsible" adult, Mandy never left the door unlocked again, and deleted all her episodes about some big wig mafia boss to not further influence the child.
"Hey..." Sam sighed as the other woman's soft hands lathered her breasts with rhubarb & Rose body gel. All the tension from staying up late performing experiments and guarding the lab rinsed off her body along with her clogged pores, "You don't have to do that..."
"Why shouldn't I?" the other woman kissed the back of Sam's shoulder blade, "Why can't I cater to my hardworking girlfriend after she had such a rough day?"
Sam chuckled at that comment, which then sank into a soft moan as Mandy's manicured finger flicked at a perk nipple. The pair still bickered like they did in high school, without the whole, "hating each other's guts" part.
"Why don't you sit down? I'll take care of you," Mandy whispered, really stressing the 'take care' part with her contradicting voice that was both soothing yet nasally. That proposal would've dropped anyone to their knees, so Sam agreed, and she pressed her bottom on the cool shower floor. The Scientist was cradled by her lover, her eyes closed in a moment of bliss. Mandy scrubbed all over her smooth peach skin, trailing her hand down to massage her crotch, fascinated by the way the gel foamed into millions of bubbles coating the Scientist's pelvis.
