𝕾𝖞𝖓𝖔𝖕𝖘𝖎𝖘: Rue is a secret agent. Her spy work beats going to federal prison, so she gets it done. She's not supposed to fall in love with her assignments either, but Lexi Howard, East Highland's local heiress at threat of danger from the Jacobs clan sees Rue isn't known for her professionalism.

𝕻𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌: Rue x Lexi

𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌: mentions of homophobia, conversion therapy

𝖆/𝖓: hi babes! I'm officially back. Thank you for 2k reads. Expect a lot more fics now that Euphoria s2 is out <3

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The Howard bunker built from under the family's mansion sent a chill up Lexi's spine, literally. No wonder the place was only a last resort. It was cold and smelled clean—too clean. The maid had sprayed the room with some antiseptic cleaning concoction, almost as if the room had never been lived in. Lexi suffocated under the sterile atmosphere.

Just to add on to her troubles, the scent of smoke pooled into the air. Lexi's head pounded. Rue Bennett, her assigned guardian for now, lit a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke in the air.

So much for a protector, poisoning her own lungs and making Lexi breathe in her secondhand smoke. Not to mention, Lexi knew Rue was only doing this to avoid going to jail for copious counts of shoplifting.

Rue had felt Lexi's eyes boring onto her skin without even looking up from her seat.

"You don't have to be exactly who people tell you to be, y'know."

Lexi simply nodded, keeping her head down and feigning a small smile in response, fixated on the nervous tapping of her own fingers on her lap as she sat at the table of the mini bar. Deep down, anyone could be watching.

Lexi learned that quickly after the Jacobs family, a rival to the Howard's within their high society, had blackmailed Lexi and sent a firm reminder. Her mother had been kidnapped, with a ransom note asking for Lexi's family's entire fortune at her disposal.

The authorities would go look for her mother, but Rue's job was to keep Lexi safe in the meantime. Lexi had fitted herself in a sequin red maxi dress, trying on her excess of clothes around the time Rue and the police had barged in and alerted the both of them to head for the bunker.

The Jacobs net worth reached into the billions, much more than the multi million dollar business Lexi had grown up in. Nate Jacobs didn't just want money—he wanted power.

The last remanent of the note read as an evil, anxiety inducing spell in her mind. If Nate Jacobs was a witch, he was a damn good one.

"Or pretend you haven't read this. I'm sure your dear mother would love to be disappointed, figuring out her precious daughter isn't looking for a prince."

He knew.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she said, abruptly. "If it's no trouble, I'd like to have a drink. Pour me some wine from the cellar."

"Sure thing, princess."

Rue walked over to the center of the room, putting out the cigarette in a heart shaped ashtray. Rue brought it herself, and despite Lexi's reluctance, she had to admit it was a cute little trinket. But she'd look ridiculous agreeing with the girl who stood for everything Lexi was against.

Swiftly, Rue took a glass from the minibar, pouring glasses from the wine cellar in the back of the bar for both of them. She came back, setting both glasses on the table and slowly sliding Lexi's glass over to her with her index finger.

Lexi warily snatched the cup from the table and folded her arms. The cops might've forgiven Rue, but Lexi had a premonition a sleek black suit and shiny badge couldn't automatically change a person.

"I don't know how they do things in whatever borough you're from, but-"

"C'mon Lexi, you have to get used to this."

"I don't need you, Bennett. I can take care of myself."

"Sure. Because you come from a family known for making such good choices."

That would've shut Lexi right up if she wasn't so damn prideful at the moment. Who was Rue to judge her family? East Highland's lowly shoplifter who managed to weasel her way out of jail time?

"You're one to talk, thief."

"I'm at least trying to turn my life around, Lexi. That was in the past."

Lexi thought back to Cassie, who'd left the Howard world of wealth and prowess years ago. Cassie was the elephant shaped hole filling even greater space in the Howard castle. She couldn't take the heat, exploded, and dipped.

Lexi knew that. Rue knew it. Everyone did.

Cassie left the mansion and was somewhere using her celebrity to her advantage, living some life with much less strict rules than what she and Lexi adhered to their entire lives.

The words written on the wall. The words of the Howard decree, which Rue got up from her seat and nosily looked at, and promptly cackled aloud.

"Thou shall not steal—too late. Thou shall not greedily feast. Ok, you Howards have enough money to feed several impoverished villages...so..." and then she fell silent.

Rue read the last Howard commandment, turning back to Lexi and furrowing a brow.

"Woman shall not lie with woman, or man with man."

Lexi pursed her lips shut, holding her head down, swishing her drink in the glass. Rue interrupted her reading and turned to her.

"You're not—you don't hate gay people, do you?"

"I've never really thought about it, Bennett." She sipped her drink. Then a hard swallow. Her throat felt like it was going to close.

"What do you mean you never thought about it? You're family just...hates gay people when they've done nothing to you? It's not even in some bible scripture, your family just hates them for no reason. So much they wrote a bullshit paper posted like cute decor about it. You don't see a problem with that? Being forced to hate someone you've never gotten the chance to know?"

"That's just how my mother feels, Bennett. I don't choose how—how she reacts to that stuff."

Rue finished the rest of her drink, wiping her lips with her fingers. She stifled a cold chuckle and reached for another cigarette. She took a lighter from her pocket (white of course, such a cliche, Lexi thought,) and lit it.

"You're a real piece of work, Howard," she strolled back to the table, her arms folded and hands laid down. "Can't believe I'm saving your homophobic ass."

Silence, much like the scent of smoke and cleaning solution, filled the room. Lexi sat with her hands balled in fists, not from anger at Rue but at herself. Rue's head was turned the other way, so she luckily couldn't see Lexi attempting to blink her tears away. She couldn't die knowing Nate would probably reveal the truth about her anyway. She'd rather die than have anyone find out the real her. Worse of all, Rue was right.

She didn't deserve to be saved.

"God," Lexi sniffled, prompting a startled Rue to turn back around. Rue's mouth opened slightly agape, unsure of what to make of the situation. She hadn't meant to make Lexi cry.

"The worst thing is—you're right, you shouldn't save me—"

"Lexi, that's not what I, fuck—"

"Hold on. Did you know my mother runs a conversion therapy? That she takes all the kids their rich parents think are defected and that's how she's gotten so rich? Kidnapping them and abusing them? I don't even know why she believes in God. I don't even believe in God but that's besides the point. I let her do all those things, that awful shit. Because I'm weak."

Lexi's tears increased, running down her face and blotting her eyes red. Her hands, still balled up in fists, were hitting herself in the face.

Rue went quickly to put out her second cigarette in the ashtray, then walked back to Lexi.  Her eyes hardened, looking sternly at the girl collapsing into pieces in front of her.

"Hey, hey, Lexi," Rue whispered in a hushed tone, grabbing Lexi's wrists and binding her from any further harm. "You're not weak."

"Yes, I am. I'm awful."

"You're not awful, Lexi. What's awful is beating yourself up and hurting yourself over your mother's mistakes. You can't control her, but you can control who you want to be. You care, so, no you aren't a bad person."

"I have a tough time believing you, Bennett. But thank you."

Rue loosened her grasp on Lexi, positioning her hands to draw little circles with her thumbs on the back of Lexi's hands. Lexi didn't pull away. It felt safe.

"Bennett?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I know who I want to be."

Lexi wrapped her hands around Rue and pulled her in close by the neck, her lips crashing into the other girl's. Rue blinked in surprise for a moment, but kissed her back.

"You...I thought you hated me," Rue said, smiling as they pulled apart.

"I don't you, Rue. I hated how you make me question the person I was hiding. But I want to be open with you, if we ever get out of here. If you'll let me."

Rue pulled the girl in for a kiss this time, one much hunger and more chaste than the first. Lexi put her tongue in her mouth, which Rue could admit was pretty hot. Rue wanted her too, and she always would. When they both pulled apart to gasp for air, Rue spoke again.

"Of course, princess."

She pecked a small kiss at her nose. And then a dozen more attacking Lexi on her face and neck, only for them to make out once again. Rue tasted like smoke, but Lexi supposed the scent was intoxicating.

It reminded her of Rue, of freedom. Of the ability to be herself. And Rue would happily make sure the girl in front of her was loved and cherished. She'd make sure of it.

"Of course."