Black had a headache. Granted, she always had a headache. Chronic pain was a bitch. But today was one of those days where everything seemed to be exacerbating the issue. The customers sucked, and White was loud, and the new hires didn't know a cappuccino from a latte. The only thing that made it all a little more bearable was Grey. And even then, they had a way of being too friendly – asking about her, making little jokes, prompting her to open up. And Black refused to open up.

At the moment, she was hiding in Ash's office, scrubbing her face with her hands and grumbling softly. "Mendeleev literally just flirts with anything that walks in the door, Nobel vehemently refuses to smile at customers, and Lawrence keeps breaking mugs!"

Ash just nodded sagely, doing his usual cool thing. "Maddie, they are baby birds. It is normal that they make us want to vomit. But when the time comes, we will shove them from the nest. And then, they will either fly, or perish."

She removed her face from her hands and glared at him from across the small desk. "First of all, what did I tell you about calling me that? Second, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"We suffer the bullshit for now. Once we're over the hump, they will either figure it out or we can fire them." His lips curved into a slight smirk.

"You know... there's nothing wrong with just saying words, Ash. Half the time, not even I can tell what you're going on about. Whatever. I should get back out there. Pretty sure if White points a finger at Lawrence one more time, he's gonna try and snap it off." She got up and left the office, and for a moment she could swear time was slowing down. White looked like he really was about to point his finger at Lawrence yet again, and she just didn't need the chaos that would unfold. Black's hand shot out lightning fast and grabbed his wrist. "We're entering a deadzone for the next few hours, and your shifts are almost over. Why don't you and Lawrence head on home. Grey'll be here later to save me."

His eyes narrowed for a second or two, then he shrugged. "Your funeral, Black."

Somehow she managed to get the two idiots out, and for a few blissful minutes, everything in Mom's Coffee was silent and beautiful. So Black brewed herself a particularly strong pot of coffee, as bitter as possible. She knew it was the most stereotypical thing in the world, but it made her feel better, so to hell with it.

At some point, Grey finally came in, sauntering through the door with a Starbucks frappuccino. Black stared them down as they strolled around to join her behind the counter. "Uhh... why do you have Starbucks?" Black didn't normally get all that defensive about the company they worked for. Hell, she usually despised it. But Grey's lack of decorum caught her interest.

"Cuz we don't make frappuccinos here," they said offhandedly.

"We make frozen blends that are literally the same thing."

Grey offered a playful wink. "Yeah, but they're not frappuccinos." Before Black could get too riled up, they chuckled and gave her a pat on the head. "Chill, I'm just doing corporate espionage. They have this new 'Nutella Mocha' frap. I think we can rest easy. It literally just tastes like regular mocha."

Black rolled her eyes, but didn't bother to keep this ridiculous conversation rolling. "So. How was your evening? Didn't you work an insane shift yesterday?" It wasn't her best attempt at conversation, but she knew if she didn't try to control where it traveled, Grey would inevitably take it somewhere way more embarrassing.

But still, she didn't think to account for the fact that Grey could make almost anything more embarrassing. "Aww, I keep telling you, Black. If you wanna know what I get up to at night, you're more than welcome to come over and find out."

She buried her face in her hands and was about to parry when she heard the familiar sound of the chime on the door and swiftly turned to look. "Oh thank god a customer." Just as quickly, she realized that it was a pretty familiar face. The afternoon shift was slow, but still had its fair share of regulars. This one in particular was an oddity, and talked very rarely. The good news was that she also had a simple, consistent order.

"Hey there, Robin, how's our favorite mechanic doing today?" Grey said with their usual cheer. The girl smiled and waved, and they laughed softly. "The usual?" She nodded just as cheerfully and lifted up her messenger bag a little. Just like always, she'd brought a book with her to read. "No Elro, huh? Ah well, at least we have your sunny face around to brighten things up~" She continued to idly banter at Robin while they worked on her order.

This particular process always made Black feel a little sick to her stomach. She told herself it was because Robin looked a lot like her brother, and Elro made her weirdly uncomfortable. But somewhere inside, she had to wonder if there was more to it than that. But she would never dare to actually entertain that idea.

The only thing that could really put Black in a fouler mood than one of those siblings showing up was the damn lovebirds. Admittedly the femme one was usually pretty bearable. She had a sharp wit and she stuck to simple coffee with cream and sugar. It was the dirty hippie one that really rubbed Black the wrong way. Never mind her insistence on maintaining her natural scent, she always had to order some ridiculous, complex concoction. And she was so damn loud.

She was snapped out of her musing by the lilting of Grey's voice. "You know, I didn't take you for a homophobe, Black..."

"What?" She realized too late that she had kind of snapped with that response and quickly hushed back down. "You can't be serious."

"You've been eyeballing that couple since they walked in. Mina and Samba are pretty cool!"

"I'm not homophobic, you jackass. I'm gay." She muttered, definitely not wanting to say that too loudly.

"Gay people can be homophobic," they countered almost instantly. Just as suddenly, she let out a rather dramatic gasp. "Wait! You just told me something about yourself! Something I didn't know! Do it again, my heart aches to hear another secret truth~" They put their hand on their chest and mimed wilting.

Dammit, she'd been so busy defending herself, she'd let something slip. That was no good. "I seem to recall somebody saying they had 'perfect gaydar'. You didn't pick up on it?" She immediately started baring her fangs, which wasn't exactly productive. Even as a part of her demanded she stop, telling Black she ought to confess more. But she pushed that down as deep as it would go.

Of course, Grey just shrugged and let it roll off them. "Eh, no such thing as a perfect system. A glitch had to come up sooner or later. Frankly, I kind of figured you were ace or something. You don't really show much interest in anybody." Oof, that hurt. Granted, Black knew she didn't actually have any excuses here. She was constantly prickly, and the only person who even stood a chance of getting more than a smile had to badger and pester for scraps. But before she had a chance to hate on herself much further, Grey shifted gears by giving another sly smile. "But that only makes you all the more irresistible..."

So she insisted on continuing this ridiculous dance. Black really wasn't in the mood and her head was starting to pound again. "I just remembered, Ash needed me to clean up the stock room, so I'm gonna go do that. Can you man the register alone?"

"Aye aye, captain!" She didn't turn to see, but she was almost positive that Grey was offering a smart salute as Black stormed off for the room in the back. It didn't really need any organization, but it provided a good excuse to get away from all this for a while.

Black sighed and took the pack of napkins she had just picked up, and put them right back where they were a second ago. This was really getting pathetic now. She knew that, if she wanted to, she could use her chronic illness as an excuse. But she would sooner die than do that. She was a strong independent woman who didn't need no allowances for her disability.

There was a knock at the door, soft enough to almost be imperceptible. She didn't respond, but the door opened a moment later anyway. Grey leaned up against the jamb and sighed. "All quiet on the western front..." There was a pause, and then they sighed again. "Shit. I don't know why I said that. Ash just took off and there aren't any customers. Figured I'd come check on you."

They weren't speaking in weird loopy language for once, which was enough to catch Black's attention. She turned and looked to see what the occasion was. "I always seem to find some way to muddle through." It was her turn to give a small dramatic pause. "...thanks."

Grey smiled, a genuine, honest smile. "Our shifts end at the same time tonight. Come get dinner and a drink with me." Again, they spoke plainly enough that it left her feeling off-balance.

"I dunno, I was thinking I might work a few extra hours. Watch Mendeleev try unsuccessfully to seduce Nobel for the fifteenth time in a row."

Like they did earlier, Grey gasped softly, hand to their mouth. "Black! Was that a joke? Also, you didn't say no, so I'm taking that as a yes."

She leaned up against the wall, and gave the situation some legitimate consideration. Something was up here. Rarely, if ever, did Grey go all normal and serious. It was always flirtation and innuendo. Never a plain offer without some hint of 'more'. Black was intrigued. Even if that primal part of her brain said this was a trick. After all, it was the same brain that constantly stabbed itself with knives just because it could. So to hell with it. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. Dinner after work."

So. Dinner after work.

In a show of good faith, Grey took her to a quiet, out of the way thai place. The atmosphere was pleasant, and while the pain in her head never actually went away, Black was fairly certain she hadn't felt this good in ages. For a while, they enjoyed a pretty normal meal together – well, normal for the two of them. Even if they were trying to hold back on the goofiness and flirtation, Grey couldn't seem to erase it completely. Eventually their plates were emptied and they had ordered another round of drinks.

She sipped at her beer and watched Grey curiously. "So... are you ever gonna come out with it, or is the rest of the night just gonna be this little song and dance of pleasantry?"

That seemed to impress them, and they nodded their head, as if in approval. "Fair enough. Okay." They took up their own fruity concoction and drained it. "I've never really tried to be subtle about being flirtatious. I also don't really know when it's serious and when it's not. Exceeeeept... when it's you. But until today, I kind of assumed it was pointless. Just like... a fun little pipe dream, since you didn't swing that way. Except you do, or you kind of do. I know being agender makes things a little more difficult." They cleared their throat self consciously.

And Black sort of hated the unbidden thought that they were pretty adorable in that moment of earnestness. For a while, she didn't say anything, just finishing her beer in contemplative silence. And while there were a lot of things going through her mind, there was one at the forefront. "For as long as I can remember, I've been in pain. Everything and everyone makes it worse, simply by being. But sometimes, when I'm around you, I can almost ignore it for a while."

"Hm~ And is that the only nice thing you can say about me?" Ah, there was the old Grey again. You could practically hear them purring.

In spite of herself, Black started to smile. "It's the only nice thing you're getting right now."

Grey broke out in a legitimate grin, possibly from getting to see her actually smile. "Guess I've gotta stick around and see what else you've got in there." They picked up their glass and idly played with it for a moment. "I was thinking about ordering another drink, but now I'm thinking it's probably cheaper to just go back to my apartment. You coming with or what?"

They had obviously picked up on the fact that straight-shooting worked better, considering how direct that particular question was. And it did work. Black blushed, which she was fairly sure had never happened once in her life. "...sure. Let's go." She threw down a crumpled collection of bills onto the table, which probably included a tip that was way too huge. But hey, people in the service industry had to look out for each other.

Black wandered around the apartment, sipping her whiskey slowly. It was... well, it was an apartment. You couldn't afford a lot on a coffee shop paycheck. For the moment, she was mostly just poking around and checking out all the various decorations they had set up along the walls and shelves. "Holy shit, is that a signed poster from the Planet Spines?"

While she wandered around, Grey sat stationary and stretched out on their couch. "Yup. Won a radio contest, which I honestly didn't even know was a thing anymore. So I got to meet them briefly after that show back in February." They grinned briefly and started to sit up a little. "Wait, did I just learn something else about you? Oh my god, I am winning today!"

She huffed and collapsed next to them on the couch. "I'm off my game because I'm drinking. Don't get cocky..."

"I'm winning and you're losing and it's so amazing~"

"It's not fair, you tell everybody everything. We're on a completely unlevel playing field."

Surprisingly, Grey's face actually fell just a little, their gaze dropping to the floor as their posture tightened a little more. "Not everything... I talk about the present all the time. I never talk about the past."

Even knowing that she was effectively putting her hand in the fire, she meant what she said. She was drunk enough that she didn't care so much right now. So she shifted a little closer, subtly sipping at her whiskey again. "...show me yours and I'll show you mine?" It was possibly the most significant olive branch she had ever given anyone in years.

"My birth name was Gary. I guess I was kinda lazy when I picked the name 'Grey' huh?"

She had never seen them so on-edge before. Black assumed that neither of them was capable of moving outside their emotional comfort zone. But it seemed she was wrong on both accounts. "My first name is Madelyne. I started going by my surname ages ago because it was less 'girly'. The only other one who knows that is Ash, and he can't tell anyone on threat of death."

Grey chuckled softly. "Hah, same." They swirled their glass and then drank the last of their own whiskey before speaking up again. "I'll give you this one for free. Since I know about the migraines. I actually have chronic pain too... Crohn's. I don't really like spreading it around. It's embarrassing and it ruins everyone's perception that I'm impenetrable. So I just, ya know, suffer it silently."

That was a shock, despite having just been told that Grey specifically kept it a secret. They always seemed in such good spirit. It made them seem more human. And despite being told she got that one 'for free', Black still felt an urge to offer something in return. "Once in a while... when I'm really having a good day... I like to put on some music and dance while I make dinner..." She began to turn red and curl in on herself the more she admitted. "Also, I... kind of like your stupid mohawk thing..."

Grey leaned in, taking the whiskey from her with one hand, lifting the other to brush against her cheek. "Black. Kiss me."

Just because they were big and imposing didn't necessarily mean that Black was going to let herself be intimidated by Grey. She pushed in close, capturing their lips and practically climbing them like a tree until they were more or less on top of them. She kissed Grey again and again, occasionally breaking to mutter bitter nothings. "Your stupid hair... Your stupid jokes... Flirting with everyone... I hate it all..." She pulled back and grasped their face a little bit forcefully. "I love it all... And I love you..."

"Babe. Babe, come check this out. It's happening." Grey spoke in a hushed whisper, and Black was still trying to adjust to the fact that she was dating someone. To the fact that she was 'babe'.

She was going to ask for more details, but then she saw it. Robin was in her usual spot reading quietly, and Mendeleev was strolling toward her with her trademark hip wiggle. She had recently been shot down by the lovebirds and was looking for a confidence boost. But hitting on Robin seemed like barking up the exact wrong kind of tree.

"There's no way. There's absolutely no way. This is going to fail so spectacularly."

Grinning, Grey made eye contact with her. "I'll take that action."

Her eyes widened a little. "I'm sorry, you wanna bet on whether our coworker can successfully seduce a sweet little non-verbal sunflower like that? Are you nuts?" Still, it was quiet today, and this provided an injection of interest into the mundanity. "...you're on."

So the both of them watched from afar as Mendeleev closed the distance between her and her target. "Hey there, cutie. You know, you're in here all the time. I think you need to admit to yourself that you come around because you want to see me." The book dropped down into her lap, and then on the floor, as she threw up her hands in surprise, eyes wide, face beet-red. She started to shake her head, then... suddenly stopped and stared at the floor with an almost imperceptible shrug. Black and Grey could only watch in amazement as Mendeleev settled right into her lap, draping an arm casually around her shoulders. "It's okay, baby. There's no shame in an addiction this sweet..." She nuzzled into her, and once the shock began to wear off, Robin actually started to nuzzle her back, cooing lightly.

"Un-fucking-believable. That maniac actually did it. I... I concede. You win."

Grey's grin was insufferable, and Black absolutely loved it. "Someone owes me a victory kiss." They leaned in, with their grin only growing. "C'moooonnnnn~"

Black rolled her eyes, and kissed them softly on the lips. Maybe opening up wasn't so bad.