Sex was never really something Karolina thought about before all of this, whether that was due to her being so far in the closet that their didn't seem to be even a sliver of light in her future, she wasn't sure.

But then there was those girls kissing at the party, and now there is Nico, and Karolina could help but think about sex with Nico.

It didn't start off that way, after her 'gay awakening', as Chase so lovingly put it, there wasn't much more than the thought of what it would be like to kiss Nico. There was that brief thought of what it would be like having Nico straddling her, shirtless and her hands under Karolina's shirt after she caught Nico and Alex together but she quickly scrubbed those thought because Nico wasn't hers to think about like that.

Karolina didn't kissed Nico that first time because she expected anything to come from it, she kissed Nico because she expected to die that night, but when Nico kissed her back, and looked up at her with those heavily lined eyes Karolina was hit with a second wind, with the will to fight.

It wasn't even the second kiss that sparked the barrage of sexual thought, it was the fifth.

The first four were tentative, unsure, and they had the urgency of getting the hell out of dodge hanging over them.

But the fifth kiss was different. They were in a rundown motel near the swamp lands in Southern Louisiana.

The man at the front desk, dressed in a fishnet tank, leered at Karolina over the desk, making her shift uncomfortably but that was a good sign, that meant he didn't know who they were.

The first thing Nico done when they got into the filthy room when check the corners for cameras, check behind the tv and make sure the mirror was one way.

"You can never be too sure," she had said. "Especially with how he was looking at you."

They had gotten changed and went to check on Molly, who had insisted on sharing with Alex (Karolina knew she was doing her and Nico a solid, preventing them from having insisting on rooming together when Alex ultimately suggested he and Nico room together), then headed back to the room.

She was worn out, and had a bit of a headache but then Nico kissed her, her hand landing on Karolina's hip as she slowly reclined her back onto the grubby bed sheets and that was fine, a little more than they had had before but bearable.

Then Nico's fingertips grazed the skin on Karolina's hipbone, making Karolina release an embarrassing little gasp.

Nico had pulled back, her forehead resting against Karolina's. "Too much?"

"No," Karolina answered. "No, it just surprised me."

It was stupid to get turned on by something so minuscule but Karolina had never been touched like that before.

It didn't go much further than that that night, they just made out in bed like teenagers do. It was nice, getting the chance to be normal during all of the stuff that was happened.

Every since that night Karolina found herself staring at Nico, her thoughts wandering to thoughts that weren't exactly PG. And every time Nico touched her, even if it was just a brush of the fingers across her wrist, or their hands accident touching, it set Karolina's nerves on fire.

It was both amazing and torture.

The night they had sex was beyond anything Karolina could have ever dreamed up.

Sure, she was massively repressed by the church and her mother but she had gotten herself off, she was a teenagers after all, but the orgasm Nico had given her? That was a feeling she never thought possible.

It happened in a beach house in Brownsville, Texas. It was a little run down, and obviously a holiday home but it was warm and had beds, so they managed to jimmy the lock and spend a few nights there.

Gert and Chase had said they were going into town the following morning and Molly (again, doing them a solid) said they should go as a group, but two should stay behind with their stuff.

Alex had suggested him and Nico, and Karolina resigned to the fact that that was happened but Nico vetoed that.

"Nah," she had shook her head, her lip upturned. "Karolina and I are staying."

Alex hadn't even thought arguing, the tone of Nico's voice had damn sure of that.

The night had been incredible.

They had fumbled their way through the whole thing, with it being Nico's first time with a girl and Karolina's first time ever, but it was sweet, full of bashful smiles and little giggles.

Karolina woke up the following morning to Nico getting out of bed.

She yawned, pushing herself up onto her elbows and just watched Nico as she pulled on a pair of underwear that Karolina recognised as her own Calvin Klein boxers and, damn, did Nico make them look infinitely better than Karolina ever could.

"That guys just left," Nico said, pulling Karolina's attention away from her body and to her face, a little cheeky grin on her lips that made Karolina flush. "Not that I mind you staring but I was thinking we could do breakfast?"

"Breakfast?"

"Yeah, we don't have a lot in. It will probably just be a stale cream cheese bagel. Again. But it's something."

"Okay, yeah."

Karolina up in bed as Nico pulled on Karolina's yellow flannel, buttoned up just enough to make sure she was just covered. The shirt grazed just above her knees and Karolina just couldn't take her eyes off of her.

"Karolina," Nico's voice cut through her daze. "You good?"

"So good," Karolina sounded almost dreamy as she spoke. "You look really good. Always, you look good always but right now?" Karolina crawled down to kneel at the bottom of the bed, her eyes not leaving Nico for a second. "Gosh, Nico, it's like you've been plucked straight from my dreams."

"Really? A pretty girl like you had dreams about lil' old me?" Nico sauntered closer to Karolina, who was all but drooling it this point.

"You are just-" Karolina shook her head in disbelief, her eyes finding Nico's when Nico cupped her cheeks. "Everything I have ever wanted."

"Really?" The softness and venerability in Nico's voice took Karolina off guard a little.

"Yeah," Karolina said in a soft, sincere voice.

"You are everything I never knew I wanted." Nico admitted, kissing Karolina's forehead. "Now, get dressed so we can eat."

Karolina quickly got dressed while Nico headed downstairs to make them breakfast.

She pulled in a pair of sweatpants that she was sure belonged to Chase and her own hoodie.

Nico was spending cream cheese on the bagels when she got there, and Karolina found herself struck again by Nico's beauty.

She wrapped her arms around Nico from behind and the girl hummed, leaning back against Karolina. "Hey," Nico sighed.

"Hey," Karolina whispered against the back of Nico's head, planting a kiss on the top of Nico's head. "Wouldn't it be nice if this was just our life? No running, no killer parents or evil alien. Just us, like this."

"We'll get there," Nico assured, turning in Karolina's arms and leaning back against the counter, popping one half of a bagel into Karolina's mouth with a playful smile. "Eventually."

Karolina smiled around the bagel, taking a bite and pulling it out of her mouth. It was a little stale but it was food.

"Lets go out and sit on the balcony, it has a great view of the ocean." Nico suggested.

"Okay,"

The settled in the edge of the rickety, wooden balcony, their legs dangling off the edge.

They silently ate their food, a feeling of relaxation washing over Karolina at the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the feeling of Nico's warmth pressing up against her side.

Karolina broke the silence.

"I never-" Karolina licked her lips unsurely, looking down at her swinging feet, her hands gripping onto the edge of the balcony. "Last night, that was something I never thought I would be able to do. With my mum and the church, I just felt like when- if- it ever happened I would have this overwhelming feeling of guilt or something."

"Do you?" Nico questioned, glancing at Karolina before returning her eyes to the ocean. "Because if you do, Karolina, we can stop. We can wait until you are more comfortable with yourself, or never do it again."

"No, I want to do it again." Karolina assured, offering Nico a playful little grin. "You can't make me feel like that then take it away."

Nico laughed, ducking her head bashfully.

"I don't feel guilty. I suppose I might have, had all of this not happened, but my mother, that church, they're a front for something evil, so their judgement is hardly great." Karolina shrugged. "I wouldn't say I'm massively comfortable with myself yet, I have sixteen years of repression to work through, but I don't hate myself anymore."

That made Nico smile, her hand finding Karolina's that resting on the wooden floor. "I'm glad." Nico said. "Because you were fantastic at what you did last night."

That made Karolina blush a hot red, the tips of her ears burning.

"I can't understand what you went through, but whatever they said to you, it can't be true. There's nothing wrong with who you are, Karolina."

"I know," Karolina hummed. "And I keep telling myself that but sometimes I just lapse back into those horrible, hateful thoughts and it's hard."

"I'm sorry," Nico kissed Karolina's shoulder. "How long have you known?"

"That I was- that I liked girls?" Karolina asked, not missing the sad look on Nico's face, probably because she couldn't say the word. Not yet. Nico nodded. "In hindsight, I think I've probably always known. I don't know, I guess I just kinda figured I was broken."

"Broken? Broken how?" Nico frowned.

"Like I just wasn't able to love. That there was something just not working in my brain that didn't allow me to fall in love. I kind of accepted that," Karolina admitted. "Until I found you that girls could love girls, then something kinda clicked. I was relieved at first, that I wasn't broken, that I could fall in love, then I realised the ramifications of loving girls. I just retreated again, I ignored it. Then there was you, and we weren't friends when I realised everything but I just knew then. I knew the reason everything was always different with you, and that scared me even further into the closet. There was just so much happening and I couldn't deal, so I didn't deal."

"That sucks, that you spent so long feeling so shitty." Nico said.

Karolina shrugged her shoulders lazily. "It was fine, I just kind of ignored it all."

"Still, it's horrible that people feel like that."

Karolina hummed, get hand moving to rest in Nico's bare thigh.

Nico lifted her head to look up at Karolina, a little smile pulling on her lips when Karolina dipped down, kissing her softly on her lips.

"I don't think I'm every going to get bored of kissing her." Karolina admitted and Nico grinned, her hand sliding up to Karolina's cheek.

"Good,"

"Alex, maybe we shouldn't..." Molly's voice rung through the house but it trailed off when the patio door slid open.

Karolina and Nico separated, both glancing at the door to see Alex standing there, looking hurt and a little confused.

"You guys- are you- what?" Alex fumbled.

"Alex," Karolina started.

"Are you kidding me?" Alex snapped, disappearing back into the house.

"Go talk to him," Karolina turned to Nico, who frowned at her.

"Why?"

"Because you guys used to date,"

"And it is over now," Nico frowned.

"To you," Karolina pointed out. "I think part of Alex thought you guys would rekindle what you had once everything settled."

"I - that's never going to happen. We're together, you're all I want."

Karolina melted at that, her face softening. "Comforting. I knew he fucked up, Nico, but you should straighten everything out, he at least deserves that."

Nico sighed, nodding her head slowly. "Okay, fine." Nico groaned as she stood, dipping down to kiss the crown of Karolina's head. "I'll just go put pants on first."

"Shame," Karolina grinned cheekily as she watched Nico retreat into the house.

She turned back to the ocean, a giddy smile on her face.

"Karolina and Nico sitting in a tree." Molly sung, making her way out onto the porch.

Karolina rolled her eyes, smiling over at Molly as she took a seat beside her.

"You look happy," Molly noted, beaming at the idea of Karolina being happy.

"I am," Karolina hummed. "How was town? You weren't gone for long."

"Yeah, it was okay, quiet."

"You weren't gone for long." She noted.

"Gert had a panic attack, she was scared they would recognise us." Molly answered. "I knew there was something happening with you two, I wanted to give you guys space so I tried to keep them out for longer but they were having none of it, Gert really wasn't holding up well."

"That's okay, Molly. Thank you for trying, though." Karolina nudged her shoulder against Molly's. "You are a real wing man."

Molly laughed, staring out at the ocean. "This place is pretty."

"Yeah," Karolina hummed. "We do have to take off soon, though."

"I know," Molly sighed. "We will find somewhere else equally cool."

"Yeah, we will."

"We got coffee, do you want some?" Molly offered.

"Yeah, that sounds nice."

Karolina followed Molly inside, ignoring Gert and Chase's knowing smirks.