Archive of Our Own

Requested by Anonymous on Tumblr

The sound of Taylor's phone vibrating loudly on her bedside table rouses her from her peaceful slumber. Taylor is still overcome with exhaustion from the previous day so she doesn't bother to open her eyes and just ignores her phone, determined to fall back into sleep's arms.

Right as she's about to drift off, another loud buzz elicits from her phone. Taylor reluctantly opens her bleary eyes in annoyance and glares at her phone.

The only light present comes from the screen of her phone, the windows offering her room nothing but pitch black darkness- a sign that it was way too early for her to be receiving phone call at a time like this.

"Shut up..." She murmurs before shifting in her bed and closing her eyes once more. For all she cares, whoever calling can wait until dawn for a reply.

Taylor sinks deeper into her bed and hugs her comforter close to herself. Her breathing is even, her mind is completely at peace, and her phone has finally stopped buzzing. She can feel herself slowly slipping into slumberland.

Then suddenly, her phone starts vibrating once more, rudely yanking her out of sleep's grasp.

She glares at her phone, a frustrated growl escaping her throat. Left with no other choice, Taylor begrudgingly throws a careless arm out and reaches for the buzzing phone. She silently wonders exactly who in the world is being so insistent to contact her right now.

Holding her phone at arm's length, she winces at the harsh light as she tries to decipher the glowing screen.

It takes her a moment to realise that the screen is blurry, and another to realise that her vision is blurry. Once she remembers that she doesn't have her glasses on, Taylor brings her phone to her face, squinting at the bright screen illuminating in the darkness of her room.

Slowly, the words on the screen begin taking shape, morphing from shapeless black blobs to intelligible alphabets.

4 missed calls from Tree Paine.

"Shit..." A frown takes place on her lips, her eyebrows knitting. A call from her publicist at three in the morning was bad enough, but four calls? This has nothing but trouble written all over.

Scrambling out of bed, she turns the lights on and hurriedly puts on her glasses. She then proceeds to begin to scouting for her laptop, dialling her publicist's phone number as she does so.

Tree doesn't take long to answer her call. "Hello, Taylor?"

"Yeah, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Oh, thank god you answered. The media's blowing up because of one of your tweets." Tree informs.

"Wait, what?" Taylor asks, evidently bemused. Opening Google, Taylor quickly types her own name into the search bar. Her jaw drops to the ground like an anvil when she sees the headlines bearing similar titles.

Taylor Swift Subtweets Karlie Kloss

Taylor Swift: Disses Karlie Kloss

TSwift vs Klossy: Whose Side Are You On?

On This Episode of Another Kloss Feud, Special Guest: Taylor Swift

"No, no, no, no..." This has to be an illusion, a bad dream, a figment of her imagination. She refreshes the page, hoping that it's just a glitch. Instead, she's greeted with more articles reporting about the subject.

Taylor stares at her laptop screen in horror. Every single headline bearing her name was about this alleged feud. All she'd done yesterday was go to the gym, feed her cats, have a movie marathon, and post a single sentence onto Twitter. She has done absolutely nothing wrong- so why were these headlines being created? Why is this happening? This can't be-

"Taylor!"

Startled, Taylor flinches and her phone slips out of her grasp. Snatching it off her bed quickly, she stutters, "W-what? Huh? Yeah, what, I'm here."

"I said, have you seen the headlines yet? Were you even listening to me?" Tree sounds mildly annoyed at Taylor's behaviour, but she knows better than to chastise her boss.

"Yes, I saw the headlines and no, I was not listening." Taylor retaliates. She hears Tree let out a soft huff from the other end of the call, one that's undoubtedly paired with an eye roll.

Ignoring it, Taylor logs into her Twitter account and is instantly bombarded with thousands of notifications.

Plethoras of tweets are being posted each second, some directing nasty insults at her, some defending her.

Taylor scrolls through her own tweets, scanning through them. None of them possessed the potential of becoming anything that could come off as an insult.

She clicks on a link to a popular tabloid site and begins reading.

Taylor Swift vs Karlie Kloss
It seems that singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has got a bone to pick with her musical rival, Karlie Kloss. On Friday, Swift tweeted out what seemed to be a diss at Kloss, who had recently gotten into trouble with another fellow musician. Kloss, who is infamously known for her delinquent behaviour, has yet to respond. Whose side are you on in this Good Girl vs Bad Girl battle? Vote below!

Nothing makes sense to Taylor. She doesn't even know Karlie Kloss. "Tree, what the fuck is going on?"

Tree fills her in. "Apparently, Karlie Kloss had gotten into some trouble recently and somehow, your tweet about your cats have been misinterpreted as a diss towards her."

"That's impossible! It's a tweet about cats."

"And it's the media. Nothing is impossible."

Taylor is speechless, from shock and also partially from awe. Years of being under the spotlight of the public eye and she still has utterly no idea how the media manages to create headlines out of absolutely nothing. Like the creation of Earth or the existence of the extraterrestrial, it will always be one of those things that are inexplicable.

Taylor runs a hand through her disheveled hair in frustration. "So, what do we do now? Do I tweet something?"

"No. Remain silent on all social media platforms for now. I'll try to contact her management and sort things out."

Taylor doesn't really know Karlie. Well, not personally at least. She's aware of her existence and some of her songs- she's battled with her to be on the top of the charts before- but she has never actually spoken to her or kept up with her life.

Taylor vaguely remembers meeting Karlie once. It was a brief interaction at some event (was it the Met Gala? The Teen Choice Awards? A public restroom?) but Taylor doesn't remember the details.

Taylor does a quick Google search soon discovers that Karlie has been involved with countless of infamous feuds, occasional scandals and even fights with paparazzi. She was a large contrast from the image Taylor has spent years building; she was a role model, the all-American girl next door who spent her free time watching TV shows and baking, whose only so-called scandal was her dating life. Karlie Kloss, on the other hand, was the media's favourite headline. She constantly got into trouble, spent her time at parties, and never gave the public a second glance. To put it simply, they were like night and day, north and south; complete opposites.

Taylor wonders what Tree is going to do.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Di-

"STOP RINGING!" Taylor hisses at her phone, earning a glare from her cat, Meredith. But like any other inanimate object, her phone simply ignores her and continues ringing.

She'd made the mistake of logging into her Twitter app on her phone this morning and it has been blowing up with notifications ever since. Taylor has tried to log out of it but all her attempts have been futile for her phone screen has been permanently frozen for the last twenty minutes. And due to the fact that her screen is frozen, she can't even resort to shutting her phone off.

Just as she starts to seriously consider throwing her phone into a bucket of water just to stop the incessant notifications, her front door opens and Tree Paine walks in.

"I hope you have good news." Taylor says by way of greeting.

"I do, actually. I have contacted Karlie Kloss's management and they have agreed to meet up with us to discuss about the situation. The meeting will be in an hour so get dressed." Tree orders, giving Taylor's current clothing attire a pointed look.

It's eight in the morning and Taylor has no desire to get out of her cat-patterned onesie. "I don't want to change. What's wrong with a onesie?"

Tree, who is flipping through a stack of documents, turns to her and raises an eyebrow. "Are you implying that you'd prefer to have the meeting in your pyjamas? Because I doubt that the paparazzi will have any problem with getting pictures of you leaving your apartment in them."

Sending her publicist a short glare, Taylor begrudgingly leaves to change, muttering about how onesies are clearly proper clothes. 

When Karlie Kloss and her publicist finally show up for the meeting, Taylor is pleasantly surprised. Her publicist looks like what any stereotypical middle-aged man would look like but it's Karlie that surprises Taylor.

The first thing that Taylor registers is that she is tall. Like very tall. Like a giraffe or elephant. She takes a wild guess and estimates that Karlie has to be at least six feet tall. Karlie towers over Taylor like a skyscraper and she's not even wearing high heels, which is an unusual experience for her. Taylor also would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit intimidated by her.

The next thing that Taylor realises is that Karlie Kloss is an incredibly beautiful human being. She's seen handfuls of pictures online but in person, Karlie is even more stunning. Even for a person who has had her fair share of attractive lovers, Karlie is arguably the most beautiful person Taylor has ever laid eyes on. Maybe it's the fact that she's extremely tall or maybe it's because Taylor finds her translucent tank top distracting but either way, Taylor can't deny that she finds Karlie insanely attractive.

Before Taylor and Tree can both greet the pair with a handshake, Karlie walks past them and plops onto one of the office chairs present in the conference room. She then whips out her phone and taps away at it, ignoring them completely.

Her publicist frowns, his voice solemn, "I apologise for her behaviour. Karlie is... well, she's..."

Very pretty.

After some formal introductions, they all take a seat at the conference table and the two publicists begin their discussion.

Taylor usually never struggles with paying attention sharing PR meetings, especially not meetings with other parties involved. But strangely enough, she finds herself being more interested in the other girl sitting opposite her.

Karlie looks bored out of her mind. She looks like there's a million other things she'd rather do than have this meeting, like she wants nothing more than to just leave. She alternates between using her phone and playing with the nail polish on her nails throughout the meeting, only looking up from her phone occasionally to send her publicist a glare. And despite the fact that her vehement glare is undoubtedly unnerving, Taylor thinks that her green eyes are absolutely mesmerising.

A pat at her shoulder snaps her out of her thoughts. "Taylor? What do you think?"

Diverting her eyes from Karlie, Taylor turns to Tree. "Hm?"

Tree's eyes bulge slightly, and Taylor thinks she can feel them burning a hole into her forehead. Her publicist looks like she wants nothing more than to slap her silly. Taylor can't blame her. If she were in Tree's position, she'd want to slap herself too.

Tree takes a deep breath, presumably one to calm herself. "We were just discussing that maybe you and Karlie could settle this by going out together a few times and form a publicised friendship as best friends. Show the media that you two aren't feuding. What do you think?"

The other publicist (whose name Taylor has unprofessionally forgotten) inserts, "Karlie certainly needs help with her... insubordinate image. Being associated with you will help greatly. After all, you're often labelled as America's Sweetheart."

Tree adds, "And I think that this could help you shed the teen-idol image and help you rebrand. To ease you into a different demographic."

Taylor nods. "It sounds good to me."

The man smiles, "Great! So-"

Abruptly, Karlie's voice cuts him off. "I'm leaving." Everyone turns to her. She stands up and heads for the exit. She declares before shutting the door, "I'm obviously not needed here."

An awkward silence fills the air. Karlie's publicist sighs, "Once again, I apologise. May we carry on?"

The rest of the meeting consists of numbers and papers and other boring but essential information. At some point, Taylor politely excuses herself to the bathroom.

On the way back, she finds Karlie leaning against the wall of the corridor, still engrossed in her phone. Taylor supposes she should try to get acquainted with her. After all, they are going to be stuck together for a few months.

"It's nice to meet you, Karlie. I'm Taylor." She holds out her hand to shake and flashes her a warm smile, the one she reserves for meeting new people that makes them feel welcomed.

Karlie moves her sight away from her phone and briefly stares at Taylor's outstretched hand before turning back to her phone. "Well, it's not that pleasant for me. I didn't agree to any of this but my management thought it was a good idea so, here I am."

Taylor's smile falters slightly, partially affronted by the other girl's attitude but she lets it slide. She has had plenty of PR friendships and relationships where the other person's management called all the shots. She has encountered this sort of frustration before. Fortunately for Taylor, she has complete control of her team.

"Oh, uh, okay." An idea blooms in Taylor's mind. "I'll let you choose the places we visit for the outings if it makes you feel better." She supposes this is the least she can do for the other girl.

Her suggestion finally makes Karlie put down her phone. The taller girl turns to her with a raised eyebrow. She doesn't say anything and instead begins rummaging through her pockets. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, she lights one and takes a long drag. 

She blows out the smoke- thankfully away from Taylor's face- and shrugs indifferently, finally saying, "Fine by me."

Taylor stares at her with a strange fascination. She has always loathed the idea of smoking. After all, why would one want to shorten their lifespan just for some tobacco wrapped up in paper? And not only did it harm users but it also harmed others around them, which was why she thought it was a rather selfish habit to obtain.

But for some ludicrous reason, she can't help but think that Karlie looks downright... sexy.

But that doesn't mean she's going to let her smoke her life away.

"That's bad for you," Taylor points out. "You shouldn't smoke."

Karlie lets out an amused snort. "No shit, Sherlock. Thanks for the concern but I'll do what I want." She pauses shortly then adds, "I'll make sure to keep it away from you, though."

Recalcitrant and a little rude, yet considerate. Inexplicably, this just makes her even more alluring to Taylor.

For some odd reason, they end up shopping at a hardware store. Taylor doesn't know why Karlie has chosen this particular place for their publicised outing but she'd done as promised and complied to Karlie's choice anyway.

It's their first publicised outing as friends, so clusters of paparazzi have been called to get photos of their every move.

There were lots of camera flashes and yelling, but it's nothing new to Taylor; she has had plenty of experience before with contractual friendships and relationships.

They browse around the store, or rather Karlie does; Taylor is just pacing around awkwardly like a fifty year old chaperone-dad at a concert. No words have been exchanged since the day they first met (technically, Taylor had greeted Karlie politely today and returned it half-heartedly but that doesn't count) and to be frank, Taylor doesn't expect any communication to happen between them.

With nothing to do, she decides to entertain herself. For no particular reason, she grabs the end of a nearby mallet and pulls it off the shelf. Taylor soon learns that a mallet is much heavier than it looks. Her hand yields to the unexpected weight and the mallet slips out of her hand and lunges towards the ground. She braces herself for it to fall directly onto her foot.

Except the impact doesn't arrive. The mallet doesn't even get close to her knee because Karlie has caught it in midair. Because of Karlie's quick reflexes, she has essentially saved Taylor from a broken foot. She effortlessly returns the mallet to its shelf like it weighs nothing, which makes Taylor frown. Is she really that weak?

Karlie turns to her, a broad smirk plays on her lips. "Do me a favour and try not to get yourself killed while we're in here, okay, princess?" She says, sounding amused by Taylor's clumsiness.

Karlie grabs a brush, the kind typically used for painting walls, and offers it to Taylor. "I think this is safer for you." She then retracts her hand as quickly as she had outstretched it. "Actually, judging by how clumsy you are, I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to turn a paintbrush into a deadly weapon." Her voice is smug. "Just stand outside. It's a safety hazard for kids here."

Rolling her eyes, Taylor snatches the brush out of her hand and puts it away. "Your presence is a nuisance."

Karlie's demeanour remains the same despite Taylor's dig. She doesn't even turn to her and instead, continues surveying the tools when she says, "Well, you'd be surprised by just how many ladies enjoy having me around."

Oh. Ladies. Okay.

Taylor shrugs this disclosed information off. "Whatever. Why are we here anyway?"

"Because I'm going to dismantle my management's IKEA table and I lost my old tools." Karlie says it like it's a common and casual thing to do. "Since you're so on board with this publicity stunt, why don't you go have a chat with the paps and tell them what a great best friend I am? That's the image you're desperately trying to sell, right?"

Taylor turns back to the mallet and beings contemplating, weighing her options. Should she knock Karlie out with it to shut her up or should she hit her own head to put herself out of her misery?

Before she can come to a decision, Karlie is leaving the store without so much as a glance at Taylor. The shorter girl abandons the thought and scurries out after her.

The paparazzi whom have been lurking outside the store swarm around them immediately and begin clicking away at their cameras.

Despite the fact that her vision is being obscured by camera flashes, Taylor quickens her pace and tries to keep up with Karlie's long strides. For a lanky person, Karlie is agile and graceful, and Taylor thinks that makes her even more attractive.

Everything is going fine until a paparazzo in a grey beanie yells, "Hey Karlie! Karlie! How's Toni?! Are you guys back together again?! How's your broken heart?!"

Without skipping a beat, Karlie turns to the man with a scowl and flips him off. Her gesture simply adds more fuel to yelling and camera flashes.

"Karlie!" Taylor hisses lowly, shocked by her actions. "What do you think you're doing?" She demands. 

"That guy was being an ass."

"Can you try not to be so hostile?!"

Karlie shrugs noncommittally and keeps looking straight ahead. "I didn't choose to agree with this publicity stunt so I'm not going to act like I'm having the time of my life." She quickens her pace, like she wants to get away from the photographers as quickly as possible. "And I'm not going to let some guy harass me around with a camera."

Karlie is walking so quickly, Taylor practically has to sprint to keep up with her. "This isn't going to look good for either of us, Kloss. And if you don't care about your reputation, can you at least try not to drag my name along with yours?" Taylor demands.

Karlie scoffs and finally turns to Taylor. She glowers down at the shorter girl, sneering, "Considering how you didn't seem to care if I wanted in on this shit or not, I don't care either." With a flip of her hair, she turns away and keeps walking, disregarding the unintelligible yells being thrown at her.

Taylor suppresses a scowl. She can feel whatever attraction she previously had for Karlie slowly slipping away and morphing into detest.

But no, she doesn't hate Karlie. Not yet, at least. She just dislikes her with a burning passion.

"Seriously? You're going to buy two bottles of tequila out in the open when there's a horde of paparazzi surrounding us?" Taylor frowns, judgement and distaste evident in her voice.

Karlie doesn't even bother glancing at her way and instead, resumes to peruse the bottle of liquor. "I don't see what you're fussing about. Besides, they aren't for me. I'm getting them for your publicist as a gift. God knows that she needs this along with some Xanax."

Although she doesn't say it out loud, Taylor agrees. It has been three weeks since they began displaying their 'friendship' for the public eye to see and every publicised outing they've had since has been chaotic.

Throughout all the days they've gone out together, Karlie has created some kind of negative headline. Sometimes it's yelling obscenities at the paparazzi, sometimes it's looking extremely furious in candids. Overall, Karlie hasn't been accommodating and Taylor is getting frustrated.

"Do you seriously think that this," Taylor gestures to the bottles in Karlie's hands, "won't generate bad press? Do you even care?"

Karlie rolls her eyes and sighs dramatically. "Relax. We're of age and we're just buying alcohol. Well, technically I am but anyways, it's not like the paps are getting shots of us walking into a sex shop." Her infuriating smirk makes its way onto her lips. "Which, by the way, sounds like something we should definitely do. We need to get something to get rid of all that tension in you."

Taylor groans, "Oh my god, you're insufferable."

"And you're too uptight. You don't have fit in society's idea of 'perfection'. You're in your twenties, you're hot, you're single- live a little."

Taylor can feel her cheeks prickling with heat. She ducks her head down to prevent Karlie from seeing her blush. "I can't do that. I have a reputation to keep."

"Oh, of course you can't. It's practically rocket science!" Karlie says, her words dripping with pure sarcasm. There is a look contempt in her eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, you can by just not caring. Just do whatever you want without caring what the general public thinks. Use your brain; it's not that hard to figure out, princess."

Taylor hisses scornfully, "You think you're witty but nothing about you is remotely funny. Aside from your so-called career because that's a real joke." Okay, so maybe she went a little overboard with the insult but in her defence, Karlie was annoying her greatly.

"Says the person who organises ridiculous fake friendships to ensure that her 'perfect reputation' isn't tarnished." Karlie remarks.

Taylor refrains herself from kicking the taller girl in the shin only because they're being photographed and she doubts it would make a good headline. They continue walking around the store, both remaining silent.

Taylor decides to try patching things up. She takes a risk and attempts to socialise. That's how all friendships start out, right? "So... do you possess any hobbies?" Not the best conversation starter but it's better than nothing.

Karlie doesn't seem to like the idea of socialising. She furrows her brows and snaps, "Why are you asking?"

Maybe anger and hostility is transmissive because Taylor finds herself snarling, "Because I'm trying to get to know you but you're being an uncooperative asshole."

Karlie doesn't hesitate to retort right back. "Well, the only thing you need to know about me is that I hate this, I hate everything, and I hate your guts." She snipes, her words venomous.

Taylor points a threatening finger at Karlie and fumes, "Ditto!" For some damn reason, her brain thinks this is a good riposte.

Taylor blames her feeble insult on all the time she's been spending with Karlie. She doesn't know why but she just does. 

It's midnight when Taylor's doorbell rings. She scowls in annoyance when whoever is outside continues to press the doorbell like a five year old child. Once she has gotten out of bed and put on her glasses, she quickly opens her front door to reveal Karlie Kloss standing in the doorway.

"What the-"

"Took you long enough to open the door." Karlie interrupts, walking pass Taylor and into her foyer. "Anyway, this publicity stunt thing isn't going to all cheers and fun if we hate each other."

"Oh gee, I had no idea." Taylor retorts, her words dripping with sarcasm. This is certainly an unpredictable surprise. Taylor is still partially shocked by Karlie's abrupt presence. She isn't furious but she isn't exactly too pleased by it either. She sounds a little bit too inimical when she demands, "What are you doing in my house at midnight?"

Karlie throws herself onto Taylor's couch and lounges, her feet hanging off the edge. "To play Twenty Questions with you. I'll start first; which Hogwarts house are you in?"

Taylor is befuddled. Karlie came all the way to her apartment just to play Twenty Questions with her? She furrows her brows. "Get out of my house, Kloss."

Karlie appears unfazed. "You have to answer me first, Swift."

Taylor lets out groan. Go figure that she'd sign a contract with the most stubborn and irritating giraffe in the world. "Fine. I'm a Slytherin. Will you leave now?"

Karlie raises her eyebrows in surprise. "Ooh, really? Most think you're a Hufflepuff, which by the way, is my house. And no, I'm not leaving. It's my turn again. What things can't you do that you wish you could?"

Taylor drags a hand across her face and holds back a frustrated scream. She could probably try to drag Karlie out by her feet (which much difficulty) or get her security to do so but she doubts it would keep her on good terms with the taller girl.

Accepting defeat, Taylor shuts her door with an exasperated sigh. "A handstand or a cartwheel. Why are you here to play Twenty Questions?"

"To get to know you better; I thought about what you said and decided that you were right." Karlie raises her head off the couch slightly to get a better view of Taylor. "Why are you wearing pyjamas?"

"Because I was sleeping before you rudely woke me up. People tend to be asleep at midnight, you know." Taylor says wryly.

"Whoops, sorry." There's a hint of genuine guilt in Karlie's voice. "Nice jammies, though. It's your turn."

"If you're not going to leave, can you at least take off your shoes?"

Taylor expects rejection and a snide remark but Karlie takes off her sneakers without any form of hesitation. "Done," Karlie announces, placing her shoes neatly on the floor, careful to not let it touch any carpet. "What's your favourite dog breed?"

An answer comes to mind immediately. "Cats," Taylor says, taking a seat in the armchair next to the couch.

"I said dogs."

"Dogs that look like cats, then."

"You're a weird person."

Taylor shakes her head. "Correction, I'm actually just a cat person. It's two different characteristics. What three words would you describe yourself with?"

Karlie taps her chin and hums softly, taking a moment to think of an answer. "Hm... Tall, super tall, and very gay."

"That's technically five words and two of them are the same." Taylor points out.

"Whatever, it's my turn to ask." Karlie turns to her with a wicked smirk, looking like she's about to make her spill her deepest and darkest secret. "Tell me, has Taylor '100% Certified Heterosexual, Trademarked' Swift really never done anything with a girl before?"

Taylor represses the desire to snort. Most people would be in for a surprise if they had the opportunity to speak with some of her former 'gal pals'.

Karlie, just like the majority of the world, obviously doesn't suspect a thing. She is tempted to tell Karlie the truth, just so that she can catch her off guard. But Taylor is deep in the closet, so deep that she essentially could've found Narnia. So she says what she always says to questions like this.

"Nah."

"Really now? I was thinking differently, which is strange because I actually have an excellent gaydar." Karlie looks surprised. "I'm mildly upset now."

"You might wanna get it checked then," Taylor says. "Unless you don't mind asking out straight, married women with kids. And no offence but I don't think they'll say yes to you."

Karlie rolls her eyes but there's a small smile on her face. "If that's your idea of a joke, you might want to rethink your life. Anyway, it's your turn to ask again."

Taylor takes a while to come up with a good question. After some pondering, she asks, "What's up with your 'bad girl' facade?" "You're actually quite a nice person who has a problem with authority. Why is that?"

Karlie simply shrugs."I just choose to live my life the way I want to and somehow, it's seen as being 'rebellious '. I just do what I want; if I don't like something, I don't do it. If I disagree with someone's opinion, I express my own."

"Aren't you afraid of what people might think?"

Karlie shakes her head. "Those people are simply faces in crowds that don't matter. In the end, they will fade away. As long as the people I care about aren't affected by my actions, I could hardly care less about what strangers of the world think about me."

"That's admirable." Taylor says truthfully. She has never been able to be as bold as Karlie.

Throughout her entire career, the concept of having and retaining a squeaky-clean image has always been the main goal. Every move she made was strategic. She had to be flawless. She wouldn't let a swear word escape her mouth, wouldn't be seen leaving parties at questionable hours, would always leave gyms in dresses without a hair out of place. As long as she was viewed as the perfect role model, it didn't matter if there was lying, contracts or bribery behind the scenes. It had been implanted into her mind that that was the way to sell.

Karlie stares at Taylor, her green eyes are filled with a rare seriousness. "You should be able to think that way, too. You don't have to be Miss Perfect all the time, Taylor. You're human, too."

The shorter girl doesn't respond and instead plays with the hem of her pyjama sleeve. A good minute goes by before Taylor finally breaks the silence. "It's your turn to ask."

Karlie is silent, like she doesn't want to let the topic drop. She then shrugs and questions, "Would you rather slap yourself with a rotten salmon or pet a starving lion?"

They spend the next hour asking more questions and learning interesting information about each other. It turns out, Karlie learned ballet, which explains her elegance. Taylor also finds out that she enjoys coding and that Karlie has three sisters whose names also start with 'K'.

Never in Taylor's life would she have imagined that one day, she'd be playing Twenty Questions with a six feet tall giraffe who used to be a pain in her ass and having so much fun.

But she's definitely grateful that it happened.

The following two months consists of more publicised outings and for the first time, Taylor actually enjoys them. She can tell that Karlie doesn't hate them anymore either. She no longer glares at the paparazzi and simply ignores them (although Taylor had to convince Karlie to not yell at them several times). Taylor doesn't worry as much as she used to either. She no longer cares too much about every single thing she does, which is something Karlie thinks is good for her.

Tolerating each other no longer becomes a tiresome task for they actually enjoy each other's company. They go out shopping together and have fun, attend award shows together, and even occasionally go to parties together.

They also spend time together even when there isn't a camera around. It has become an unofficial ritual for them to watch a movie and sleepover every night. They even once had an impromptu duet in Taylor's kitchen one night while waiting for their cookies to bake.

They've become actual friends, something neither of them had seen coming.

Taylor even succeeds in getting Karlie to quit smoking, which she claims is her proudest achievement to date.

"You'd think that your record sales would be your greatest achievement." Karlie says drily after hearing Taylor's announcement.

Taylor waves her off. "Pfft, it's great and all but saving a life is definitely more impressive." She pulls Karlie into a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it. I feel like a proud mom." Except I don't really want to because I fancy you and that would be weird.

Karlie begins chuckling and Taylor can feel her chest vibrating against hers. "You do know that I'm not addicted or anything, right?"

Taylor pulls back from the hug with a perplexed frown. "Wait, what?"

"Yeah, I'm not addicted to smoking. I don't even do it that often, just once every few months." Karlie says in a casual tone.

"So you've been lying the whole time?" Taylor's jaw drops dramatically. "I knew you weren't to be trusted!" She places a hand over her heart and pretends to wipe away a tear.

"Now that's rich for you to say judging by how you faked a country accent for years." Karlie retorts, her mouth split into a small grin as she prepares for their regular bantering.

They end up cooking dinner and watching Friends together, snuggled close together with a blanket over them. It's one of the show's most iconic episodes but Taylor isn't paying attention.

She watches Karlie as she laughs, an absolutely beautiful grin plaster across her face. And at that moment, Taylor can't help but think her crush for Karlie is getting stronger and stronger with each passing day.

Miraculously somehow, Karlie had convinced their publicists to let them go to some rock band concert.

Taylor isn't familiar with the band or their music but she dances along to every song with Karlie anyway. After cheering loudly with the deafening crowd, she finishes her glass of whatever-alcohol-Karlie-had-smuggled-in and puts down her glass with a grimace.

"I'm thirsty," Taylor rasps, her throat hoarse from screaming.

"There's no water so this'll have to do," Karlie refills her glass and hands it over to Taylor. "Here you go."

Taylor doesn't take it and instead, says, "I'm already kind of tipsy, Karlie."

"That explains your horrible dancing skills," Karlie grins with triumph when Taylor rolls her eyes. She offers Taylor the glass again. "Here."

She stares at her and bites her lip, contemplating. Taylor is well aware that videos and pictures of them are being taken by a few of the other concert-goers. She is also well aware that her inhibitions tend to be lowered greatly when she's inebriated.

Karlie interprets her look as hesitation. "Taylor, relax. We are at a concert to have some fun and people get drunk at concerts sometimes. It's normal. I promise I'll keep you conscious." She gives the glass a little nudge. "Go on, take it."

Karlie's right, Taylor tells herself. They were out to have fun; she shouldn't have to act so restricted. Being around Karlie is a constant reminder that she doesn't have to be so uptight, that she can take a few risks. It's a reminder that Taylor can be... free. So, she takes the glass and takes a generous sip of its contents. She can afford to get a little tipsy. What can go wrong?

Karlie suddenly lets out a huge gasp, and Taylor can only hear it because of how close she's standing next to her. Karlie gapes at the shorter girl in an undoubtedly exaggerated expression. Karlie even has her hands on either side of her face, so she more or less resembles the classical painting, The Scream.

Perplexed, Taylor furrows her brows. "What?"

Karlie points to the glass in her hand, still gaping. "Taylor Swift is drinking alcohol! Oh my god, what a shocker!" Her green eyes are filled with faux shock as she continues, "Can you tell that I'm also making fun of your award show face?"

Taylor swats at the taller girl's arm and rolls her eyes. "I swear to god, you're so annoying."

Karlie takes a sip from her glass of sangria as she snarks, "You do know that that's what people say about Shake It Off, right?"

"At least it hit number one the Billboard Hot 100, unlike any of your songs."

"Actually, I have topped multiple charts." 

"Oh yeah, my mistake. Please do forgive me for not paying attention to the Top Ten Most Irrelevant chart."

"Now that's just mean." The annoying smirk that Taylor has grown to find endearing makes a reappearance on Karlie's lips. "Which is ironic..."

"Oh god..." Taylor rolls her eyes and downs the remnants of her drink. Eyeing Karlie, she asks, "Will you ever shut up?"

Karlie smirks cockily and challenges, "Why don't you make me?"

"I would but I left the duct tape in the car."

"There are other ways to shut someone up, you know."

Taylor raises an eyebrow. "Oh really? Are you suggesting a gag? Because I probably can get some cloth-"

Taylor's words are cut off by Karlie's lips abruptly pressing against hers. Before she can even fully comprehend what has happened, Karlie pulls away, her lips leaving Taylor's just as quickly as they had been there.

Taylor stares up at her, dumbfounded and speechless. Did that really just happen?

Karlie takes a sip from her glass, looking complacent. "And that," she states, "Is one of the most effective ways to shut a dummy up." She chuckles to herself, oblivious to Taylor's lack of reaction.

Taylor remains silent, still thinking about the kiss. Could it even be categorised as a kiss? It was only a quick peck but Taylor's lips are tingling. Karlie's lips had been so soft and gentle and Taylor wants to feel them again.

Over and over again.

When Taylor wakes up, she expects to be greeted by a hangover or a cat on her forehead. She did not expect to be greeted by a phone call and tabloid article links from a very panicky Tree Paine.

Karlie Kloss Makes Out with Taylor Swift

"Fuck."

Taylor Swift Gives Up on Men and Tries Out Karlie Kloss

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Kaylor Is Canon and Gets Caught Kissing! Fans on Tumblr Celebrate!

"What the fuck?" The last one makes no sense at all.

"Pictures of you and Karlie supposedly kissing surfaced from last night and the media and general public are going nuts." Tree informs, dropping the bomb.

"What?" This can't be happening. She must've heard wrong.

Tree doesn't elaborate. "Taylor, did it happen or not? This needs to be addressed. I need to give out a statement before even more rumours spread."

It happened. But Taylor can't confirm this. She isn't ready to come out yet. But honesty is the best policy, right? Taylor begins sputtering, "I-I- It happened but-"

"So, I'm confirming this? If I do, what are you both? Just close friends? Experimenting? Dating? Friends with benefits?"

"No!" Taylor's voice is frantic. Too much is happening at once and she can't think properly right now. "No, no, no, you can't confirm it! I'm not- I can't- Just- just deny it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Tell them it never happened. Deny everything."

The phone call ends. Taylor stares at the headlines on her laptop screen and that's when realisation and panic truly begins to sink in.

People saw. They saw me kiss Karlie. They saw me kissing a girl. A female. A person of the same gender. People saw it. People will find out that I've been involved with girls in the past. They're going to dig out information and I'm going to be outed. They're going to realise that I've been lying the whole time and I'm not going to be ready to face that. People are going to say mean things about me, they're going to hate me and they're not going to accept me and they're going to-

A knock on her bedroom door disrupts her from her thoughts. The door opens and Karlie pokes her head in, her hand covering her eyes.

"I hope you're wearing clothes." Karlie peaks through her fingers cautiously and smiles when she sees Taylor sitting on her bed. "Hi. I heard you speaking to someone and thought I'd check on you and make sure you weren't talking to an imaginary person."

Her smile dissipates to a frown when Taylor doesn't respond. She walks over towards the shorter girl. "What's wrong?"

Taylor is incapable of forming words, so she simply gets up and shows Karlie her laptop.

Karlie takes it and begins reading the words on the screen. Her facial expression doesn't change, like she's unfazed by the headlines. "Oh." Karlie sets the laptop down. "Is that what's wrong?"

Taylor forces herself to reply. "You're taking this very calmly."

Karlie shrugs her shoulders. "So what if people know that I kissed you? It's not a big deal."

Taylor frowns. "What do you mean? It is a big deal!" She says indignantly, her tone rising slightly.

"You didn't seem bothered by it at the time. So what if they saw it? We're just friends." Karlie's voice is sharp and her eyes are filled with a piercing look.

"Still, you can't just- just... You can't do something like that!" Taylor says through gritted teeth.

"Why not? It doesn't mean anything to you anyway. A girl kissed you, so what? Are you that freaked out by it?" Karlie demands . She hovers over her dauntingly and Taylor realises what Karlie is implying.

"I'm not!"

"Then why are you acting so bothered?!"

"Because-"

Karlie cuts her off. "Why are you acting like kissing someone of the same gender is disgusting and shameful?!"

"Because I'm afraid of people finding out!"

Karlie is taken back, obviously not expecting her sudden outburst. "... Taylor..."

She has no other choice than to confess. "I'm not... out. I lied to you that day because I wasn't ready for you to know."

Karlie's jaw drops. "Shit, Taylor, I didn't realise... If I had known-" Karlie reaches for her but Taylor backs away.

Taylor shakes her head. "Just... just go... I want to be alone for a while."

The pained expression on Karlie's face makes Taylor regret her words instantly. But before she can take them back, Karlie nods her head and exits the room. She hears the sound of her front door opening and closing, indicating Karlie's departure.

The next time they meet, there's an awkward tension in the air between them.

In all honesty, Taylor did not want to see Karlie in the first place. Ever since that night, she had wanted to hide in the comfort of her home for the rest of her life and avoid Karlie but both of their publicists had agreed that they should be seen together again, to show that they have nothing to hide. It was decided that if they were just friends and the kiss had never happened like they claimed, they wouldn't have anything to worry about.

Oh, if only life was that simple.

Their night at the concert had caused a media uproar and Taylor had never been so anxious in her entire life. Both of their publicists had denied the rumours but things hadn't died down yet. Fan blogs exploded with theories about her past relationships with male counterparts and the mysterious disappearances of her past female friends. Her life was no longer the same.

Taylor hopes that today's publicity stunt will help squash the rumours. She takes a deep breath and steps out the door of the shop she and Karlie had been visiting. Instantly, the awaiting paparazzi being clicking their cameras.

They both walk quietly side by side and try to make their way to their car while ignoring the questions being directed at them by the paparazzi.

"Karlie! Taylor! What do you have to say about those pictures?"

"Taylor! Taylor! Were you kissing Karlie?"

"Taylor! Are you a lesbian? Have you been lying about your sexuality this whole time? Taylor, are you gay?"

A lump forms in Taylor's throat. She keeps her head down and quickens her pace, doing her best to get away from them as soon as possible.

Just when Taylor thinks she can block them out, a particularly bold paparazzo extends his hand and tries grabs her wrist. Taylor flinches slightly and before her security guards can go after the man, Karlie beats them to it and pushes him hard. He stumbles backwards and his camera falls to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"Shut up and fuck off." Karlie snarls, giving his broken camera a kick.

The rest of the paparazzi begin shouting even more and the flashes intensify. This isn't worth it. Taylor grabs Karlie's arm firmly and pulls her away from the fallen man.

Once they are inside the SUV, Karlie raises the partition separating them from the driver for privacy.

Taylor finally breaks their day-long silence. "Thank you."

Karlie nods, "It's the least I can do."

They fall into silence once more.

Karlie takes a deep breath and clears her throat. "I'm sorry about that. And about our argument... and about kissing you, and for all the shit you've been getting-"

Taylor interjects, "No, I should be sorry. I'm sorry I lied to you and for overreacting."

"You shouldn't be. There's nothing wrong with not coming out. And I know all of this is my fault. I shouldn't have done it. I wasn't thinking straight."

Taylor cracks a small smile at Karlie's pun and shakes her head. "You didn't do anything wrong. You would never have kissed me if you'd known."

Karlie grimaces. "I'm still sorry... And I understand if you hate me." She doesn't meet Taylor's eyes.

"I hate sea urchins and copyright infringement. I don't hate you, Karlie."

The taller girl turns to her, surprised. "Really?"

Taylor smiles. "I mean okay, you're the bane of my existence and I used to dislike you strongly... But I don't anymore." In fact, I still have a massive crush on you.

"Even after the night at the concert?"

"Especially then. Because the way you reacted the moment you found out proves that you genuinely care." Plucking up the courage, Taylor reaches out and takes Karlie's hand. She squeezes it comfortingly. "I could never hate you."

A small smile spreads across Karlie's face. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." She gently rubs her thumb against the back of Taylor's hand and Taylor can feel her heartbeat picking up.

They fall back to the way they were before, talking enthusiastically and bantering and teasing each other as they make their way back to Taylor's apartment, their hands remaining intertwined throughout the entire journey back.

Apparently, Karlie's concept of 'making it up to you' is bringing Taylor to a celebrity-studded party. Taylor doesn't mind; she figures that after a week of mayhem, she might need to loosen up a bit.

It's the wildest party Taylor has ever been to (and arguably one of the most expensive). Different kinds of booze are being poured into glasses, the air is thick with smoke that is definitely cannabis and she's pretty certain that there are actual illegal substances and not just nachos being handed out for guests to consume.

Taylor and Karlie had steered clear away from the mysterious looking pills, only drinking several glasses of several different varieties of alcohol.

Taylor is about to make Karlie to get her another shot when they suddenly hear the sounds of a door slamming shut and shouting.

"Hold on," Karlie furrows her eyebrows and cranes her neck to get a better look at the commotion. "Shit, cops are here." Karlie actually looks worried, her usual relaxed demeanour gone.

Taylor whips her head around immediately. "They're just shutting down the party due to noise complaints, right? They're not going to do anything else, are they?"

Karlie chews her lip nervously. "Uh, considering the fact that there are drugs here and I think some people might get arrested."

Two burly police officers who could pass off as MMA fighters walk in and that's definitely not something they want to get in the way of. "Okay, time to hide then." Taylor grabs Karlie's hand and pulls her through the crowd. They quickly squeeze past the other guests who continue to dance and drink, clueless to the officers' presence at the front of the room.

It's a hotel suite large enough to hold a party with hundreds of people (that also probably costs thousands per night), so there are multiple bathrooms around. They both continue wading through the crowd until Taylor takes a turn and pulls Karlie into a secluded bathroom in the corner of the room.

Locking the door, Taylor presses an ear against the door and listens. She hears some more shouting. "I think people are getting arrested out there," she informs Karlie.

"Thank god you're a quick thinker, then." Karlie leans against the wall next to the sink and sighs in relief.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I'm hiding from the cops. This is like straight out of a movie. This is so cool." Taylor says with a wide grin, moving away from the door and standing next to Karlie.

Karlie laughs softly, "Who would've thought that you, out of all people, would know how to hide from the police."

Taylor shrugs and their shoulders brush. She looks up at the taller girl and can't help but sound a little smug, "What can I say, I guess you've been rubbing off on me."

"Sorry about this, by the way. I know you're not really into parties like this and now you're hiding in a bathroom. It's probably not the best night of your life."

"Nah, it's fine."

"Really?"

Taylor stares at Karlie, her blue eyes dark. "Yeah. For some absurd reason, I like you, Karlie Kloss." She leans in impossibly closer.

Taylor can feel Karlie's warm breath against her face, their noses almost brushing. Her face is so close to Taylor's, she can practically count every single one of her eyelashes. Karlie's scent is intoxicating, which pulls her closer and Taylor wants to drown herself in her perfume. Taylor can feel her heart pounding rapidly against her ribcage. She is painfully aware of Karlie's lips, which are only centimetres away from hers.

Looking up through her lashes, Taylor meets Karlie's eyes and feels something in her chest clench. Her green eyes are sparkling, like emeralds.

They both hold their gazes, refusing to look away. Taylor wants nothing more than to get lost in those forests of green.

The taller girl doesn't break eye contact when she whispers softly, "Well, so do I." And then her lips are on hers.

A soft sound escapes Taylor when she feels Karlie's lips pressing against hers. Her lips are soft and gentle and Taylor completely melts into the kiss.

Karlie tastes like alcohol and mint, and it's addictive. She tastes like everything Taylor has always wanted.

Ever since the short peck at the night of the concert, Taylor had been yearning to feel Karlie's lips again. But kissing Karlie doesn't satisfy the aching desire she's had for days- instead, it makes her crave for more.

Much like an addict and their fix, she wants more and more.

Taylor is addicted to the kiss, addicted to the feel of Karlie's lips on her own, to the overwhelming smell of Karlie, to the smoothness of her silky hair; and she wants- no, she needs more.

Kissing Karlie Kloss in a bathroom at a party that's currently being shut down by the police is definitely not appropriate. It's borderline indecent. But yet, for something so wrong, it feels nothing but right.

She gently tangles her fingers into Karlie's soft hair and pulls her in closer. She feels a soft hand cupping her face, determined to keep their lips intact.

The next thing she knows, she can feel Karlie's tongue gently brushing across her bottom lip. Taylor doesn't hesitate to greet it with her own.

Upon contact, Taylor feels her head begin to spin. She tightens her grip on Karlie's hair to keep herself from floating to the moon and she thinks she hears a pleased sigh escape Karlie.

Taylor doesn't want to break the kiss, but oxygen soon becomes a priority. She pulls away and Karlie immediately begins to leave a trail of kisses down Taylor's neck.

"You're gorgeous," Taylor breathes. She runs a hand down Karlie's side and rests it on her waist, eliciting a pleasant sigh from the girl. Karlie detaches her lips from her collarbone and pulls her into another kiss.

This kiss is different. Whilst their first had been gentle and cautious, this kiss is filled with an unexpected urgency.

She allows herself to get lost in the kiss, occasionally nipping Karlie's lip gently, pleased with the soft groan she gets in response. She doesn't pull away until she feels Karlie running a hand up her thigh and underneath her skirt.

Karlie breaks away, murmuring, "Is this alright?"

Taylor breathes a soft, "Yes," against her lips in affirmation before connecting their lips again.

Her skirt is hiked up and Karlie begins playing with the waistband of her underwear. It takes several seconds of urging before Karlie allows her hand to dip underneath the thin fabric. A loud gasp escapes Taylor's lips.

"Shh.." Karlie hushes against her ear. She is evidently smirking as she says, "There are cops and guests out there. Try not to be loud."

Karlie's hand moves against her with ease and Taylor has never been more grateful for wearing a skirt. She grabs onto the edge of the sink tightly and lets her head fall back as she succumbs into Karlie's manoeuvres.

Then all of a sudden, Karlie's hand is gone along with the pressure. Taylor eyes flutter open and she is even more confused when she doesn't see Karlie in front of her. It isn't until she feels a pair of soft lips brushing against the curve of her hip when she realises that Karlie is kneeling before her.

Her underwear is pulled down and Karlie rests her lips on the sensitive skin of Taylor's inner thigh, unmoving. Taylor winds a hand into her hair and tugs it pleadingly, trying to get Karlie to move. "Karlie, please..." That seems to satisfy the taller girl. She moves her lips a little to the left and Taylor is gone.

Taylor allows her head to rest against the wall. She never would've thought that this would happen ever happen to her. Had this been any other person, she would've never let it occur. But it's Karlie and she doesn't mind one bit.

She can hear the bustling and shifting of feet accompanied by loud chattering through the door and that just makes everything even more exhilarating. Maybe it's the fact that Taylor has had this crush for a while now or the fact that she's a little bit drunk and her inhibitions have flown out the window, because the sheer thought of potentially getting caught makes her ache with want.

Everything ends quickly with the bucking of hips and silent gasps. The gradual build of pressure in her lower abdomen disappears into an intense bliss that makes her thighs shake violently against Karlie's head. Her vision goes white and the softest sigh of Karlie's name escapes her lips.

Once Taylor has come down from her high, the taller girl lets go of her hips. Her legs are still trembling slightly from having to stand through Karlie's ministrations so she leans against the wall and tries not to crumble onto the ground.

Opening her heavy-lidded eyes, Taylor takes Karlie's hand and gives her a lazy kiss.

Her breathing is ragged as she says, "I really like you, Karlie..." She then adds as afterthought, "But I still kind of hate you."

Karlie lets out a soft laugh. She pulls Taylor in for another kiss and Taylor can feel her grinning against her lips. "I still kind of hate you, too."