“I still can’t believe I’m actually going to prom,” Crystal said.

Ashe smiled, her girlfriend leaned against her as the limo drove along, proving to be an incredibly smooth ride. She wasn’t used to seeing Crystal act so vulnerable, but Ashe was glad that her girlfriend felt safe enough to show that side of her. Ashe wanted to see more sides of her, to be someone that Crystal felt safe to open up to at all times.

“I know right,” Jason added. “Or that I’m getting to go with this cutie.”

Todd blushed as Jason pulled him closer, getting a chuckle from his sister. Ashe then found herself being subjected to a tender kiss on her cheek from the blue-haired girl beside her. Ashe fucking melted into her girlfriend’s embrace. Ashe could certainly appreciate the sentiment, as she never expected to attend prom either. That she was getting to take a date to prom at all was a minor miracle.

That the miracle was simply them taking advantage of bigoted bureaucracy, well, that somehow made it all the sweeter.

At least they would get a few hours to have the high school prom experience before Jessica dumped a bucket of ice on the whole thing then tossed a frag grenade into the room and watched the chaos unfold.

Ashe could only hope that she was being metaphorical with that. After the sewer explosion, she was a bit skittish about deploying any explosive ordinance. She was also doing her damnedest to not dwell on the events of that evening and the man she—

No, not the night for those thoughts. She had a prom to spend with her girlfriend, and a monster to ensure never hurt anyone else ever again. Dealing with Gray was very much an after part of the evening, so she tabled that line of thought for when he either pulled something, or it was time to put her plans into motion.

The limo pulled up to the convention center parking, Ashe rolled the window down so she could get a good look at things before they all stepped out. There were a few people milling about near the entrance, but not many, and no sign of any door security. That was an oversight that she was expecting, and one she was planning to take full advantage of, just as Gray no doubt was.

As they came to a stop, the doors were not unlocked. Ashe was about to make a big deal of that when Jason snorted and leaned forward.

“Alright, wait for Preston to come open the door for us, and accept his hand when offered. Ashe, he might not offer you a hand, so don’t react if he doesn’t.”

Ashe scowled at that, but nodded all the same as Jason continued.

“Sorry, but you know he’s a bigot. He’s going to take the opportunity to snub you whenever he feels it is socially acceptable.”

“I know,” Ashe said through grit teeth. “Doesn’t mean I like it.”

Crystal gave her arm a gentle, but reassuring squeeze and Ashe couldn’t help but lean in for a quick kiss. The door opened and Preston stood beside it, head slightly bowed but no hand was offered. Ashe got out, smoothing her suit in a motion she had spent hours practicing. Then, she got in her own snub by turning and offering Crystal her hand, which her date took with a wide grin as she stepped out of the limo and stood beside her.

The people outside the building were all staring, many sharing hushed whispers and others were snapping less than discreet photos of the pair. It wouldn’t take long for word to spread, especially without Crystal wearing her blonde wig that she always had on for political events with her father.

Content that they had made the splash that she intended, Ashe snaked an arm around Crystal’s waist and turned towards the door and walked out of the way so the next person could make their exit.

She wasn’t surprised to see Todd take the opportunity, but she had to suppress a barking laugh when he held out his hand and Jason accepted it with a grin so wide that it might pass as something one might see on a comic villain. Even better, Preston’s face actually twitched in response.

“Oh, that was a great burn,” Crystal muttered even as Ashe held a hand over her mouth.

Brie followed this time, not even attempting to hide her laughter as she ignored Preston’s extended, and gloved, hand. She turned on the spot and helped Jessica out instead. The entire exchange was beautiful, and stuck it to the bigot in the best of ways. Once the six of them were out of the limo, Jason offered Preston a curt nod.

“That will be all for now, thank you Preston.”

“Of course, sir,” he answered with a deeper bow.

Ashe had to admit, the man was quite skilled at not showing his own emotions. He walked with poise and grace back to the driver’s seat and the limo quickly pulled away. Jason and Todd grinned, linked their arms, and practically strutted towards the entrance. Brie was giggling at the display, and only laughed harder when Jessica smacked her.

There was a bit of concern bouncing around the back of Ashe’s mind that someone might recognize the girl and ruin their plans, but between the haircut, dye job, and expert makeup work administered by Brie, there was little risk of that happening. Ashe knew her better than most at the school and could barely recognize the missing girl.

“You know the plan,” Ashe said. “We’ve got a few hours to kill, so enjoy yourselves until then.”

Jessica grinned. “Oh, I’m going to have a blast.”

“I’ll get started on things,” Brie added. “You owe me for giving up my evening to help with this insanity.”

Ashe shook her head, a smile on her lips. “If you ever decide to date someone, I’ll cover dinner wherever the hell you want.”

“Ooh, that’s an invitation if I ever heard one,” Brie said with a grin. “Careful, I might just empty the coffers with a blank check like that.”

“Feel free,” Ashe said, already knowing she was taking a gamble following Keiko’s warning. “I trust you.”

Brie blinked, then quickly looked away. “I’m gonna get started.”

Ashe wasn’t sure what her reaction meant and she wasn’t about to pry. If Brie was going to betray her, it would devastate her. She just had to trust her people, and hope that if they were working with someone behind her back, she could win their trust in time, just as she had done with Keiko.

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Putting those thoughts aside, Ashe looped her arm with Crystal’s and looked into her date’s green eyes.

“Shall we?”

“Charmer,” Crystal said, taking the lead as they walked forward.

Ashe was feeling a bit like a silly goof as they made their way to the entrance, things feeling so much like a damn teen movie. Sure, it was going to end closer to Carrie than Girl Next Door, but that would be someone else’s problem. She was there to enjoy the evening with her date.

A few of her classmates sneered at her, but she just stood firm as she made her way up to the man at the door. At least he wasn’t anyone from the school proper, which meant she shouldn’t be dealing with half the shit she normally would have. More students on the other side had taken notice of her arrival, and whispered questions were being shared.

Ahead of her, Brie was currently speaking to the man, Jason and Todd were mingling with some of the people that Ashe knew were involved in the school’s drug trade, and Jessica was ducking down the side corridor where she could vanish into the underground tunnels that Ashe had waged a running firefight through just weeks prior.

“Yeah, bastard dumped me,” Brie said. “So if it’s all the same, I’d like to get in there, say hi to a few friends, take some photos, then find an after party and get shitfaced.”

The man chuckled, finding her on the list before waving her off, not even bothering to check her bag as she soon vanished down the same side corridor. Rachel would be waiting for them, and the first stage of the evening’s events would be set in motion.

Another couple ahead of them repeated the song and dance and were waved inside. The man finished his scribbles and waved them forward with that same bored air that he had with most of the students that she had observed.

Ashe grinned as she reached the podium. “Ashe Hamilton and Crystal Ellington.”

His finger trailed down, pausing on their names when he frowned. “Ellington? As in Theodore Ellington?”

Crystal sighed and Ashe rubbed her back in silent support. “Yes, that Ellington. He’s my father.”

He looked between her and Ashe for a moment, then nodded. “He’s a real credit to the country and I can’t wait until I can cast a vote and get a true blooded American in office. That joke we have now is going to be the death of the country.”

“I’ll pass that along,” Crystal said stiffly.

“Are we good to go inside?” Ashe interjected, ready to get her girlfriend away from the awkward racist fanboy.

The man did a double take at her, then narrowed his eyes. “Awfully soft voice you have, son. Man up, especially if you managed to get an Ellington as your date.”

“Trust me,” Crystal was quick to reply, wiggling her eyebrows as she did, “there is no need to man anything up.”

Cheeks aflame, Ashe allowed a smug Crystal to pull her along.

“Really,” Ashe hissed once they were out of earshot. “Was that a dick joke?”

Chuckling, Crystal spun to face her, arms looping around her neck as they rested on her shoulder. “It could be, if interpreted as such. It could also be taken as you being so much woman I don’t need a man.” Crystal then leaned forward and feathered a kiss on her lips, but lingered so she could whisper, “Take that however you wish, m’lady.”

Unable to stammer out a reply, Ashe only then noticed all the eyes on her. It was almost comical how she could keep her cool in a life or death firefight, but fall apart just because her girlfriend was fucking amazing and just so…

Fuck she was just perfect.

That warmth kept her filled all the way to the dance floor, the convention center set up in its basketball configuration, with the entire court set up for dancing, and a section of the seats rearranged to allow for tables full of refreshments. Music was being piped in over the loudspeakers, and was absolutely not her genre of choice, let alone the disgrace of a song playing.

“Fucking country,” Crystal muttered, getting a hum of agreement from Ashe. “I miss when it was about being an outlaw, not a bootlicker.”

“I’d listen to some Myrle if they would ever play it,” Ashe agreed. “This new shit that promotes lynchings is just a disgrace.”

Worse, her classmates were dancing right along to it, rather badly at that, not to mention all the wandering hands that she could see. The sight of it turned her stomach and she began to wonder what she could do about it. The music that was, she didn’t really care if teens fondled one another. It would be rather hypocritical of her given what her girls were willing to do for money to judge them.

Crystal glanced up and Ashe followed her gaze to the room where announcers usually resided when games were ongoing. She recalled the floorplan as she and her date both looked at one another with mischief sparking in their eyes.

“Think we can convince them to play some metal?” Crystal asked.

Ashe chuckled, already pulling her girlfriend along. “Metal would be amusing, but if we really want to have some fun, how long do you think it would take everyone to spot actual country music?”

Laughter drew the eyes of some of those dancing on the floor, but Ashe didn’t care, they had a mission to complete now. The door that led out of the arena that she knew was close to the announcer booth was locked, but on a whim, Ashe pulled out the keycard borrowed long ago and swiped it.

The door opened with a ping.

“Score one for poor security,” Ashe said with a grin.

They stepped through the door quickly, hoping to avoid too much attention as they did, Ashe checked both directions of the hall, just to be sure, then shut the door behind them. The area was usually open to the public during games and shows, so she wasn’t too worried about being caught, not that there would be much security running around at a prom.

She tried to think back to what she remembered from her last visit, as she hadn’t visited this section of the convention center, spending more time in the lower levels, but she did have a vague idea of where the security office was in relation, and the best route to get to the announcer’s booth. She was also curious if the top box for VIPs was occupied or not. It wouldn’t surprise her if someone important had rented it out.

Oh well, that wasn’t her concern for the moment. Brie, Rachel and Jessica were on that, and she would trust them to get the job done.

Ashe was about to move further down the hall when Crystal grabbed her, spun them into the wall, and pinned her there with a searing kiss. She almost protested, but her brain caught up with her an instant later and rightly said to hell with that and returned it with full passion. If someone caught them, they had a ready made excuse.

Just as Ashe’s hands began to wander, Crystal pulled back, a bit breathless, and biting her lip, but she also sported a mischievous smirk.

“Come on Ashe, we’re on a schedule here.”

Ashe could only blink as her girlfriend turned and began to saunter off, hips swaying in a way that was all too distracting. Growling in frustration, Ashe followed after, grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her down the other direction.

“Next time you try to make an exit,” Ashe said, frustration bleeding off into amusement, “make sure you know the right direction.”

Crystal had the decency to blush. “Uhh, whoops?”

“Dork.”

“Guilty as charged,” Crystal said with a giggle. “Still, you need to loosen up a bit. Not everything needs to be treated as a mission and we only get one shot at making prom memorable.”

Ashe grinned, spinning back to pull Crystal into a kiss of her own, but stopped short, nose to nose. Looking into those jade eyes, Ashe felt as though she was where she belonged, in her girlfriend’s arms.

“It already is.”

Then, she kissed the girl.