Post-hangover revelations

It took Yasmine a few seconds to remember where she was when she woke up. Then she tussled with the sheets to fight her way out, stumbling around like a zombie to get to the bathroom.

Luna still kept a spare brush in the medicine cabinet, Yasmine mused, smearing it with toothpaste.

Carefully, she smoothed her hair and dabbed some cream around her puffy, red eyes. She threw on last night's sweater again, pulling at the wrinkles.

Her head was throbbing, but it was nothing some Advil couldn't fix.

When she looked less like roadkill, she finally made her way out, spotting her ex-girlfriend curled up on the sofa. Yasmine looked at her affectionately and then reached out to shake Luna awake.

"What?" Luna demanded groggily, twisting further into the blanket. There was no real reason to wake her up, except that it would amuse Yasmine.

"Luna, Luna." Yasmine sang, fighting a smile. Her girlfriend struggled with sleeping for half the night and then passed out like the dead for the last three hours 'till morning. Yasmine caught herself then. Ex-girlfriend.

"What?" Luna's eyes finally snapped open and she glared for a moment before seeing Yasmine. "Oh."

"We broke up, you know? You didn't have to give me your room." Yasmine kept her face very still. No smiling.

"You kick in your sleep, I didn't want you messing up my coffee table," Luna said, not looking at her. Luna swayed as she got up, pulling her wrinkled shirt down as she headed to the bathroom.

Yasmine realized suddenly that Luna was wearing her old Marine park shirt. "Oh hell no, girl don't do this." Yasmine murmured, shaking the thought away and straightening the blanket and pillows.

"Uh, you want breakfast?" Yasmine called out, determinedly keeping her voice casual.

Luna appeared, toothbrush still in her mouth. the raised an eyebrow. "You cook now?"

"I think I can manage eggs and tea." Yasmine stuck her tongue out. "And you know it's two minutes, right? Not, ten minutes to brush your damn teeth."

"I'm surprised you know-" The sound of a tap running. "That it's two minutes, considering you never make it to two."

"Excuse me!" Yasmine felt her face reddening. "Okay, that's a lie."

"Ha! You think it's okay because you use mouthwash like twenty times a day." Luna emerged from her room, hair still curly, unmade and ruffled. "Where are my eggs?"

"Oh forgive me, your majesty, let me start that right now." Yasmine forgot how much more relaxed Luna used to get at home. It was cute.

Before Yasmine caught feelings all over again, she reminded herself how much Luna drooled. And how she ate weird combinations of food, like kebabs and kraft cheese. "How do you want the eggs?"

"Fertile." Luna grinned when Yasmine glared at her. "Sorry, sorry, uh-normal. Omelette."

"You're such a child," Yasmine muttered loudly, cracking the eggs and whisking hard. Wet egg flew around the bowl as she watched her somehow more attractive ex roam around, fixing up the place. Wearing her damn shirt.

"Wait, now I feel bad, let me help." Luna rolled her eyes, making her way over. "You want tea?"

"Coffee," Yasmine replied, adding some butter to the frying pan. She hated Luna. Hated her stupidly brown eyes. Her stupid smile. Her crinkly-

The eggs hissed when they hit the pan and Yas started moving it around, getting lost in the ritual.

"You forgot something." Luna swooped in, throwing in garlic powder and black pepper.

"No," Yasmine whined, pretending to be grossed out. "You know I hate-"

"It's good for you." Luna insisted, fiddling with the coffee machine she'd bought back when they were a thing. "Good God, I'm not trying to send something to Mars, why's this so complicated?"

"Take over the eggs," Yasmine ordered, and they switched places, Yasmine tsking as she easily got the slightly dusty coffee machine to work. She turned, leaning against the counter, watching Luna's fluid movements as she cooked.

Luna turned to grab some plates, and Yasmine hoped she wasn't tricking herself. Was that a blush on her ex's cheeks?

"Uh, you want some toast?" Yasmine asked, trying to distract herself. From Luna's rippling muscles, her newly short hair. Her skin, that was always paler when she first woke up.

There was a click as Luna grabbed two mugs. "No-"

"You don't eat bread." Yasmine nodded, remembering. "Well I'm gonna have some."

"You'd really tempt me like that?" Luna gasped, nimbly pouring out the boiling tea and pouring the coffee into a larger mug for Yasmine. "Here, add your disgustingness." Luna pushed the mug towards Yasmine, not meeting her eyes, keeping it polite and distant.

Yasmine sighed, slightly shaking her head. They'd broken up. Maybe it was time for her to move on. "Thanks."

"Hmm." Luna cleared the table of notes, books, and dust. "Sorry about all this, I-"

"No, no. You weren't expecting me." Yasmine cleared her throat, helping move some stuff too. "God, you're so messy." It was one of the reasons they bickered.

"Ha-ha. Says the one that showed up at my house last night, drunk out of her mind." Luna said, and both of them fell silent. "You okay now?"

"Yes." Yasmine moved away to grab their plates of food.

When she turned, she saw Luna studying her. Luna said nothing, getting the hot cups.

Even now, she knew Yasmine best. Yasmine grabbed some cutlery. It was exactly where it always was, because messy as she was, Luna was a creature of habit.

They sat down, and for a few minutes there was only the quiet sound of cutlery clicking and chewing.

Yasmine looked up at Luna, sensing her old girlfriend fighting not to say something. Luna hated awkward silences, and her eyes were darting, struggling to think of something to say.

"Who paid the cab driver?" Yasmine asked, to spare her, feeling the coffee help lift her hangover.

"Oh. Um, me." Luna cleared her throat, chugging hot tea.

Yasmine calmly sipped at her coffee, resisting the urge to laugh. "Thanks, I'll pay you-"

"No, no. Don't worry about it." Luna was determinedly not looking at her, fussing with the collar of the oversized shirt she'd stolen from Yasmine.

There was a moment of panic and slow realization in Luna's eyes, and her fingers stilled on the shirt.

"Do you like the eggs?" Yasmine asked evilly. "I think I should've added some cheese."

"They're nice. I'm surprised you didn't burn them." Luna quirked an eyebrow, smiling as they both remembered that day.

"Okay, let's move-" Yasmine rolled her eyes.

"I come home and see you sitting on the kitchen floor, crying your eyes out-"

"Oh my God, stop!" Yasmine whined, covering her face with her sweater sleeves.

"-Everything's on fire, smoke coming out of the oven." Luna laughed, choking a little on her tea.

"You're the worst." Yasmine informed her, peering over her hands. "I cannot believe you didn't just dump me that day. I looked crazy."

"No. Don't be stupid, it was sweet of you to try and make me my first proper Thanksgiving dinner. The day was special anyways, we got food delivered and watched all those nice movies." Luna smiled gently, her eyes crinkling up.

"I like how you didn't deny I looked crazy." Yasmine could not look at her when she was like this.

Luna laughed. "Yeah, no, you looked insane. I was scared for my life."

Yasmine shook her head and they lapsed into a comfortable, warm silence again.

"Are we gonna talk about last night? Because you were seriously-"

"I know, that was so unfair," Yasmine said, her shoulders dropping. "Ugh, it's dumb. I got really drunk, and got into a shouting match with a date. Don't ask!" She warned when Luna opened her mouth. "Some random stranger from the internet."

"I'm glad you came here. Rather than, you know, roaming the streets or whatever. Ready to set people's ovens on fire." Luna smiled.

Yasmine never stopped feeling terrible about them breaking up. She just panicked, unready to be this close to someone.

"It's still really unfair." Yasmine exhaled slowly, really, really not wanting to hurt Luna again. "I know I really hurt your feelings. Also, I used your spare toothbrush."

"Weird segue but okay." Luna raised her eyebrows, grinning. "I forgive you for everything."

"Why?" Yasmine asked, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Because I love you, dummy. Pass me your plate." Luna got up, and Yasmine laughed wetly, handing over the plate. "Eat your stupid carbs."

"You love me." Yasmine repeated, tapping her fingers on the table.

"Before you panic and run away again. It doesn't have to mean anything." Luna said from the sink, rinsing the plates.

"I'm not panicking," Yasmine said quietly and Luna leaned against the table, sipping at the remaining tea.

Luna sipped at more tea, clearly wondering what she should do now.

Yasmine sighed. "Are you free tonight?"

Luna laughed. "Don't do that. You had one bad date with a stranger, it doesn't mean-"

"I love you too," Yasmine said before she could actually overthink it.

And watched as Luna choked, and dribbled tea onto one of her favourite sleep shirts.