The important thing was to keep things simple, like Larry had advised her, and do her time with her head set on what was waiting for her outside, her goals, instead of being absorbed by the soap opera of insanity that was perpetually going on behind those walls. But it was difficult for her not to get involved in her surroundings, and besides, how else was she supposed to adapt? Of course, Larry would answer that she didn't need to adapt, which would only confirm that he knew nothing about prison. Adaptation was everything; it meant survival.

Her brain was incapable of working in a straight line anyway, however hard she tried to make it submit to her will, so she was doing the best she could with what she had. She often envisioned her mind as a TV set transmitting a myriad of channels on a loop, and all she could do was flick through them with an imaginary remote control -thought after thought, voice after voice, face after face-, quickly discarding ones, lingering on others, but feeling no different than a powerless hamster on a wheel, because they would all come back sooner or later. Unavoidably, plenty of those ever-returning thoughts had to do with a certain dark-haired woman, and not just because they were now seeing each other more often -since the brunette had struck up a kind of friendship with Nichols and Morello-, but mainly because of the recent knowledge that Alex hadn't been the one to name her - meaning that she was the asshole, not Alex. Consequently, Piper found that she couldn't reach out for her angry safeguard anymore; the barrier of resentment strategically placed between them had dissolved, and that was a problem.

Without having to remind herself of how much she despised Alex, her eyes now considered themselves licensed to do more than give the brunette a passing glance. However, she was impaired by how much of a jerk she felt. Her attempts at approaching Alex had been calamitous at best, and she had actually started to wonder if the silent spell would ever end.

It seemed like business as usual when she and Nichols went down to the laundry room with the intention of fixing one of the dryers (they were always breaking down from overuse, the old things). Alex was there, folding and stacking a bunch of clean sheets, and she and Nichols started teasing each other from the get-go, like it came completely natural to them, while Piper remained on the sidelines without opening her mouth - not that she would've dared to anyway, since Nichols's banter had turned very sexually aggressive very soon, however playful it intended to be. Clutching the instruction manuals against her chest and feeling schoolgirly and deeply uncomfortable, the blonde wished for the ground to open up beneath her feet and swallow her whole. Both Nichols's abruptness and Alex's easiness at responding could only mean that they had been spending time together, maybe more than she had imagined, and whatever that coziness meant, it only enhanced their own alienation and silence.

Whether due to a miracle or because Nichols had gone too far with her porno pantomime, Alex cut her off, directing their attention towards the broken machine, for which Piper was grateful. It turned out that she had given her thanks too soon, though, since Norma chose that moment to appear and take Nichols away, having been summoned by the all-powerful Red.

"Come on!" Nichols spat out at the mute woman as they left the laundry room, urging her on.

The blonde fidgeted with the utility belt, which Nichols had handed her before leaving. Being left alone with Alex was hardly an improvement. It meant not having to listen to their dirty jokes, but it would also entail more of that silent hostility she had been receiving lately. Great. She just needed to concentrate on the job, shut off everything, and do her best to ignore… Wait a second. As she snapped shut the heavy, tool-sprouted belt, she noticed that Alex was suddenly closer -very close, actually-, and her expression… there was something different about it. It was still playful, of course, because this was Alex and there had to be some teasing involved, but there was also a glint in her eyes, a stupid smile on her lips, and no bitterness whatsoever.

Piper just looked at her, because what else could she do, having retracted into herself for her own protection and now encountering this… this Alex, who was gazing at her so bluntly. What was going on?

"You don't look half bad in those," the brunette said, without losing eye contact.

She almost smiled back, almost, because she felt the jolt that came with surprise at the unexpected proximity and half-compliment, coupled with the warmth of familiarity. Yes, she had seen that face before, years ago, and heard that tone, linking them to many times in which Alex had both wished to ogle at her and make her flush. But that was then and this was now, and the brunette was enjoying this way too much, judging from her widening smile.

"Thanks," Piper said, grabbing the instruction manuals hurriedly and spinning around to look for the busted dryer and hide her stupid giddiness.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Alex called after her, because she couldn't stop, could she? And yet Piper wondered if it was a fitting question after all, before shaking her head and pushing the thought away.


Snapping out of her sleepwalker state, the blonde entered the laundry room, carrying the obese, net-like bag full of clothes. Alex was miraculously alone, sorting through a bunch of tangled sheets. She had rolled up the short sleeves of her white t-shirt in a clear effort to combat the inherent heat of her workplace, although there was little one could do against those monstrous, vapor-breathing machines.

"Hey," Piper said gently, so as not to startle her.

The dark-haired woman turned around, wearing her own version of that look of detached displeasure which every inmate seemed to have rehearsed to perfection. However, her expression changed upon recognizing who it was. Piper identified the warmth of old, as well as the devilish smile, forming a combination which -if one wished to be simplistic- could be Alex in a nutshell: tenderness and mischief rolled into one.

And Piper couldn't deny that she liked simple - perhaps now more than ever. Part of her knew that having slept with Alex could only complicate her life even more, but whenever that nagging thought appeared, she changed the channel at once, because the thing which had the potential of compromising her future was precisely what was simplifying her present and getting her through the day. So she'd managed to make her brain stop at that; whenever it attempted to take the thought further, Piper merely changed the channel again. And it was easy, sometimes shockingly so, because in prison the future was just like the imaginary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and moving towards it was like standing on an eternal conveyor belt with the same background images on repeat . It didn't feel like moving at all.

"Hey yourself," Alex called back, immediately dropping what she had between her hands and walking around the table to meet her. "I see you've come bearing gifts."

The blonde glanced at her dirty laundry and shrugged, but Alex apparently meant something else, for she snatched her wrist and pushed her against the metal fence which separated them from the dryers.

"Wait, what if…?" Piper began, dropping her bag and grasping on to Alex's t-shirt for balance. What if someone saw them? What if they got caught? With the other woman's taller body completely blocking her view, those were valid questions, surely. There was also the fence, which was starting to dig into her back, and yet the most baffling thing of all was Alex herself - having Alex pressed against her, with one hand cupping her cheek and the other roaming her body over her clothes.

"Alex," she hissed, once more trying to warn the woman.

"I know," said the brunette, quickly glancing over both her shoulders before bowing her head and capturing Piper's lips into a wet, searing kiss.

As her fingers closed around Alex's black hair, every thought and worry in her mind dissolved. She was only aware of their mouths opening up to each other and closing around each other, and Alex's tongue searching for hers in the heat. It ended too soon, however, with a tiny, lingering peck.

"We'll have to think of something, huh?" the brunette asked, raising one eyebrow.

With every cell in her body awakened, the only answer she could offer at the moment was a nod. Feeling dizzy, Piper picked her laundry bag from the floor, set it on the table, and turned to leave. She could sense Alex's stare and self-satisfied smile on the back of her neck as she walked away, with her knees shaking and very aware of the growing wetness between her legs.