A/N: Title shamelessly stolen form the Gloriana song of the same name, because the lyrics kind of inspired this fic.
Well I ain't letting you go
home with the boy who don't deserve you
Oh yeah baby don't say no
I wanna take you home with me
A pleasantly tipsy Cosima sashayed her way over to the bar set up at the side of the ballroom. The faculty ball was a first for the young grad student, and a little formal for her tastes, but she was making the best of the occasion with judicious application of alcohol and free food (she was also maybe still a little stoned from earlier in the day).
She started when a large warm hand took up residence on her lower back.
"Can I get that for you?"
Cosima shrugged amicably at the tall brunette man. She wasn't interested but she also wasn't above accepting free drinks, so she let the man pay for her drink and chatted amicably with him about her studies and listened tolerantly while he bragged about his car and a recent trip to Brazil to catalogue plant species, which was actually kind of cool. Cosima's interests tended more toward the animal side of the evolutionary tree, but plants were freakishly diverse and sometimes downright wacky. I mean, look at venus flytraps. And that giant flower that smelled like rotting meat… Rafflesia, Cosima thought. That was a downright weird plant. At some point in the conversation, Cosima lost track of how many drinks she'd had, and stopped really caring because she was enjoying the pleasant floaty feeling it gave her.
"Ah," Cosima frowned at the man as he guided her away from the bar, his hand back on her lower back.
She was trying to figure out why exactly they were leaving again and why she had agreed to that (had she agreed to that?) when a stern faced blonde appeared in their path. Damn, thought Cosima, looking up at her in awe. She was entranced by the elegant woman whose golden hair was pinned into painfully perfect curls against her scalp. She looked like she had stepped out of a silent movie, circa 1925.
"Phillip," the blond said coolly, eying the arm that was wrapped around the clearly inebriated petite grad student.
"Dr Cormier, enjoying your evening?" Philip said lightly, "We were just about to head off."
Cosima closed her eyes for a moment, the alcohol making her dozy. She opened them again to find Delphine directing a slightly concerned look at her. She smiled brightly at the beautiful woman, and was pleased when the woman briefly mirrored her before refocusing on her male companion.
"We?" Delphine echoed Philip, her tone challenging.
Cosima smiled at the accent. She took a stumbling step forward and swayed towards Delphine.
"Hi!" She addressed the Frenchwoman brightly.
"Hello," Delphine responded with a politely.
"You're French! And your hair is amazing!" She informed Delphine with a slight slur to her words, far too disinhibited to care how goofy she sounded.
The concerned look was back again, and Cosima decided she liked Delphine much better without that frowny face. Delphine looked back at Philip, and the frown returned. Cosima stepped further forward, slipping from Philip's grasp and she found herself reaching up to gently smooth the space between the blonde's eyebrows. Delphine looked down at her, startled by the unexpected invasion of her personal space, but she didn't move away.
"Turn that frown upside down," Cosima sing songed merrily.
She trailed her fingers slowly down the softness of Delphine's cheek before letting her hand drop back down at her side. Philip took her hand and gently tugged her back from Delphine and he laugh off Cosima's intoxicated behaviour.
"Well we should be going," he attempted to dismiss Delphine.
"You are not taking this girl anywhere." Delphine informed him firmly,
"Cosima is not a girl, she can make her own decisions."
"Cosima?"
Cosima swayed back towards Delphine at the sound of her name, and the gentle placement of a hand on her wrist. Cosima twisted her hand around in Delphine's until their fingers tangled together. Delphine squeezed Cosima's hand to get her attention back and asked her a question.
"Cosima, do you really want to leave with Philip?"
Cosima swished her head in a slow negative arc.
"Naaaah, I wanna stay here."
Delphine responded to this by shooting a dark look at Philip and pulled her swiftly away from him. Cosima came willing; so willingly, in fact, that she overshot and bumped solidly into Delphine's chest with cheerful 'whoops' and a giggle.
"I'd go with you though," Cosima mumbled into Delphine's collar bone. "You smell really good."
Philip gave a disappointed sigh that neither of the women paid any heed to, and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Cosima to lean against Delphine.
"Cosima?" Delphine called her again.
"Yeah?"
Cosima forced eyes open, and held her breath as Delphine cupped her cheek in one hand and looked at her searchingly. Cosima's eyelids drifted down again despite her best efforts and she leaned heavily into the support ofDelphine's hand.
"Merde," Delphine cursed under her breath. "You are completely intoxicated! Did he put something in your drink?" She asked, and continued to herself, "I should take you to the hospital."
"No. Dude that is- that's such an over-reaction. I'm just drunk," Cosima shook her head and smiled. "I swear. I'm not stupid, I watched the bartender make the drinks."
Cosima closed her eyes and frowned that last drink was hitting and she was starting to feel a lot more spaced out. She rubbed her forehead, recognising that numb feeling she got when the alcohol levels got on the high side.
"I just let him get me a few too many…"
"Cosima?" Delphine repeated, and Cosima obediently forced her eyes to widen again.
"Where do you live then? I will take you home."
"Okay," Cosima nodded and reeled off her address – slowly because her mind was moving sluggishly and the address was still kind of new to her.
"Do you live with anyone?" Delphine checked.
Cosima shook her head slowly.
"Nope. It's just me at Casa de Niehaus. The new Casa de Niehaus. Left the old one in San Francisco…" Cosima trailed off into a hum.
Delphine pursed her lips in concern.
"Do you have family nearby? Or a friend who you could stay with for the night?"
Again Cosima shook her head.
"I only moved here a couple of months ago. I don't really know anyone yet."
Delphine caught the brief look of loneliness that passed over Cosima's features, and found herself nudged towards the other course of action she had been considering. Normally she would never consider taking a drunken stranger into her home, but as she had intervened, Delphine felt responsible for the young woman. Cosima was clearly a student of the science faculty, and did not seem dangerous least. Delphine thought, with her petite frame dwarfed by a red coat she almost reminded Delphine of a child, which only reinforced her initial instinct to protect her.
She hesitated for a moment longer when they reached the street, Cosima resting against her shoulder again, head drooping sleepily, before admitting to herself the decision was already made.
"I cannot let you go home alone like this. I will take you home with me, okay?"
Cosima giggled at her.
"Why Dr Cormier, are you trying to take advantage of me too?"
Delphine huffed at her, and Cosima raised her hands.
"I kid. Joking"
Delphine rolled her eyes at her.
"You brat. I have half a mind to leave you here."
Delphine didn't mean that in the slightest, of course.
"I'm sorry, Delphy!" Cosima declared, wrapping her in a spontaneous apologetic hug, "I mean… thank-you for looking after me… you're the best!"
"Delphy?" Delphine stared incredulously down at the dark, dreadlocked head pressed beneath her chin.
Cosima didn't respond, leaning on her a little more heavily.
"D'accord," Delphine mumured and hesitantly enclosed Cosima in her own arms, glad for the warmth as it was quite chilly outside on the street.
When Delphine successfully waved down a passing taxi and bundled Cosima into the taxi, the driver raised his eyebrow at her as she buckled a drooping Cosima in.
"My friend had too much to drink," Delphine explained shortly, before giving him her address.
Cosima leaned sleepily on Delphine's shoulder, seemingly asleep until she startled Delphine by suddenly bursting out with a question.
"Are you a doctor-doctor, Doctor Cormier?"
"A what?" Delphine asked confused.
"You know," Cosima waved a hand in front of her, accidentally striking the back of the driver's seat with her gesture. "A doctor… with like… steth- stetha… like, xrays and 'Clear!' and little hammers to hit people's legs with…. Or like, a thesis doctor?"
Delphine snorted uncharacteristically at Cosima's drunken description of a medical doctor.
"I am both."
"Really?" Cosima lifted her head to stare at Delphine incredulously.
"Yes. I went to medical school, and then I went into research and earned a doctorate in immunology."
"What was your topic?"
"Ah… host-parasite relationships."
"Wow. That's hot."
Delphine snorted loudly again, despite her best attempts to contain herself.
"I have never heard that response to my thesis before. Ever."
"But it totally is. Smart is hot. And you must be like, a genius," Cosima responded, hands flying around the cab like startled birds.
Cosima squinted at her, leaning in to look at her more closely. Delphine widened her eyes at her curiously.
"What?"
"Are you even old enough to be a double doctor? You don't look old enough. What are you, like 30?"
"31. That is plenty old enough."
"Dude, I'm almost 30 and I haven't even got my first doctorate. You really are genius."
"I do not think so," Delphine shook her head humbly . "You are working on one though?"
Cosima nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, it's on epigenetty.. genny….. genetic…" She closed her eyes and frowned deeply. "Oh wow… I can't even say it. I really am smashed."
She dropped her head back onto Delphine's shoulder in acceptance of her defeat.
"I'll tell you all about it when my head stops doing the spinning thing."
"Ok," Delphine smiled at her companion.
"It's like the whole world is rocking… like those horse. The wooden ones kids have. With rockers. Is that a thing?"
"Vertigo."
"Yes. That. Thanks, Dr Dr Cormier," Cosima murmured, slowly slipping down until her head rested on Delphine's lap instead.
She was quiet again for a while, and Delphine gave in to her curiousity and stroked the dark cords of hair. They were surprisingly soft, and Delphine twisted them around her fingers, losing herself in thought. She was glad Cosima was an amusing drunk, not the belligerent or weeping kind. It really did not sound wise at all, in theory; taking home intoxicated strangers. She was glad Cosima was not giving her any reason to regret her choice.
"Are you playing with my hair?" a slurred murmur sounded from her lap.
Delphine stilled her hand guiltily.
"S'ok," Cosima mumbled, "I love when people play with my hair. S'nice. Makes me sleepy."
After a moment, Delphine continued twirling the dreads through her fingers.
"Can we do that?" Cosima mumbled again, barely coherent.
"Do what?" Delphine asked her.
"Talk about our theses. Later," Cosima explained tiredly.
"Sure."
"Good." Cosima smiled, eyes still closed. "We can geek out together. I need a good geek out."
"'Geek out'?" Delphine scrunched her face, perplexed.
"Mmmhmm…" Cosima responded, clearly drifting off to sleep.
"I'm not sure I understand what that means…" Delphine said, but the only reaction Cosima gave to this was to curl her hand up under her chin and shift to a more comfortable position.
When they reached Delphine's apartment building, Delphine had the difficult task of rousing Cosima and forcing her to walk up to the apartment while she made repeated attempts to fall asleep whilst leaning against Delphine, then the elevator wall, then again on Delphine's door while she searched her clutch for her key.
Once Delphine let them in to her home, she promised to set her up on the couch shortly. Delphine went to retrieve a pillow and blanket for her guest. While she was gone, Cosima fumbled ineffectively with the top button of her coat for a while before giving up and awkwardly attempting to pull the whole thing up over her head. Delphine, who had meanwhile returned and made up the couch watched this in amusement for a full minute before intervening.
"Here, let me…"
Delphine stepped forward and undid the buttons off Cosima's coat, unaware that Cosima was holding her breath and looking at her fingers working with a dazed expression. When she finished she took Cosima by the shoulders and turned her around to peel the red garment from her shoulders, leaving her in just the dress she wore underneath and her tights. She then sat Cosima down on the couch, and knelt down in front of her to remove her shoes.
Delphine stood and looked Cosima over with pursed lips before disappearing into her room and reappearing with a large shirt draped over her arm. Cosima's cheeks burned as she realised Delphine meant to dress her like a toddler. Drunk as she was, she still wasn't completely void of self-consciousness, and this wasn't the kind of impression she liked to make on crazy smart, crazy hot double doctors with delicious foreign accents.
"Uh, I can- " Cosima reached behind herself and unsuccessfully attempted to reach the zipper on her dress, realising that actually, no, her fine motor skills were currently not up to the task of getting out of this dress unassisted. "Okay. Can't. That's – ah. Okay. Help."
Delphine smiled affectionately at her pink cheeked guest, something that which went completely unnoticed by Cosima who was currently avoiding eye contact.
"Here," Delphine said kindly, and held the oversized sleep shirt up over Cosima's head.
Cosima gave her a confused look but helped Delphine pull the shirt down over her dress. She towered over the petite brunette, the height difference exaggerated now that Cosima had been robbed of the extra inches her heels had afforded. Delphine, quite unfairly, Cosima considered, still sported her own. Tall women didn't need heels. But Cosima wasn't really going to complain.
Delphine leaned forward and reached behind Cosima, slipping her hand up under the shirt to pull the zipper down before pulling the sleeves down over her arms beneath the shirt. Cosima gave a short squeak of surprise as Delphine's fingertips brushed over her back and unhooked her bra. Her cheeks flushed a bright red and she struggled to school her features into a pokerface as Delphine pulled her into a standing position to pull her dress the rest of the way down. She tripped over her dress trying to step out of it and awkwardly braced herself on Delphine's shoulder before jumping away apologising for her clumsiness… and tripping back over the dress and landing flat on her ass.
"Whoops," Cosima said, now looking up at a giggling Delphine. "I swear normally not this much of a klutz. It's the EtOH."
Delphine continued laughing, but offered Cosima her hands. Cosima took them and allowed herself to be pulled back to her feet and promptly guided to the relative safety of the couch.
"Stay here and try not to injure yourself while I get you some water."
Delphine made her drink four glasses, steadfastly ignoring the increasingly dozy Cosima's suggestions that she could just go to sleep and drink the water in the morning. When Delphine finally allowed her, she flopped onto the pillow with a soft thump, eyes already closed. Delphine smiled and carefully tucked the blanket around Cosima, and whispered that she would leave the hall light on for her if she needed the bathroom or Delphine during the night. Cosima 'mmhmm'ed again, and Delphine suspected she was already asleep.
"Bon nuit Cosima," Delphine spoke quietly, brushing her fingers briefly over Cosima's cheek before she left her to rest.
Cosima woke the next morning not to a raging headache, but to the smell of eggs cooking in the kitchen, and Delphine's quiet humming as she cooked. Cosima patted around until she found her glasses on the coffee table next to a neatly folded pile of her clothes from the previous night. She slipped them on and brought the world to clarity and pulled herself up on the back of the couch to peer at her host.
"Hey," Cosima greeted, looking around the apartment with a little confusion, her head a little fuzzy on the details of her travels last night.
Delphine looked up, slightly mussed morning curls bouncing as she moved her head.
"Good morning Cosima," Delphine smiled brightly at her, "How is your hangover?"
"Ah…. Surprisingly minimal," Cosima answered with raised eyebrows.
"See, I told you the water would work," Delphine said smugly. "Dehydration is the worst part."
Cosima's brain caught up then, and provided the name of the blonde omelette-maker.
"Dr Dr Cormier knows best, huh?"
Delphine grinned.
"So you remember last night then?"
"Bits and pieces. Kind of like a highlight reel. You kind of rescued me. Thank-you."
"You are welcome. Dr Townsend is a bit of a… creeper?"
"Creep," Cosima corrected with an amused expression.
"Yes, a creep. It was my pleasure to interfere with his creeping. Do you like omelettes? Would you like to stay for breakfast?"
Cosima nodded and Delphine brought a second plate to the dining table. Cosima came over to take a seat, the blanket still wrapped tightly around her. Delphine handed her a fork and told her she looked like a cocooned caterpillar. Cosima rolled her eyes at her and pulled the blanket tightly around herself as she started demolishing her omelette.
"Well if your apartment wasn't so cold, I would happily walk around in just this shirt, but your apartment is an ice box."
"I know, this place leaks heat. I turned the heating on, it should be warm soon."
"Thank god," Cosima responded before pointing her fork at her plate. "This is amazing. Is there anything you aren't good at?"
"Driving," Delphine responded immediately. "I'm a terrible driver."
"Really?"
Delphine nodded.
"I don't even have a license," she confided. "I failed the driving test. Twice. Driving makes me terribly nervous."
"Oh wow."
"Do not laugh at me."
"I'm not laughing! I'm not such a great driver either. My problem is not nerves however. Not mine anyway," Cosima told her with a cheeky grin.
Delphine quirked an eyebrow at this mysterious comment.
"I'll tell you all my driving horror stories after you tell me about your research," Cosima promised, chin propped on her fists and looking expectantly at Delphine until she began to describe her research project.