Don't get your hopes up for this one, it's below par and has only been through one rough edit. But I was determined to get this story moving again. And also season three kinda [hella] sucked, and I needed a distraction.
Disclaimer: put me in charge of the writers of oitnb and I'll fix Piper's character. Which would do everyone a huge flipping favour.
….
"Oh my gosh, you have got to smell this. It's like, thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one!"
Alex tracks her gaze back around to Piper, watching as she insistently picks up every damn product in the shop that remotely captivates her interest. "Piper, it's a bottle of bubble bath."
"A bottle of bubble bath that smells like thanksgiving and Christmas." Alex throws her a sceptical look as Piper practically shoves the bottle in her face. "Smell it yourself."
She does, albeit much more tentatively than Piper wants, as she tries to inch the bottle dangerously in range of bumping Alex's glasses. "Oh yeah," Alex quips. "I can smell the roast turkey already."
Piper's nose creases over with tiny crinkles, this annoyed why must you always be such a dick expression settling over her face. "Fuck off, Alex. Tell me what you really think."
Alex shakes her head stubbornly. "It doesn't matter what I really think. You're going to buy it anyway."
"That's not true!" Piper insists, snapping the top shut defensively. But she keeps it in her hands, cradling it almost protectively, and it never actually makes it back onto the shelf.
"Good point," Alex says. "You'll pester me to buy it for you."
"Fine. Let's leave." Piper slams the bottle back onto the shelf, tipping it backwards in the process.
"Hey, hey." Alex starts, grabbing Piper by the hips and pulling her flush against her before she can run away. "I was just fucking with you. You know I've got it."
"Yeah?" Piper asks, prying the bottle back off the shelf.
"Yeah. Under one condition."
Piper smirks, because Alex's 'conditions' never really turn out to contain a negative catch. They're more like promises, usually, if not exclusively, of a sexual nature. "And what's that?"
Fingers come up to thread hair behind her ear, breath close as Alex nudges closer. "That when we get home, the first thing we do is put it to good use."
"Specify good use for me" Piper teases, trying to shut down a smirk. "Just so I know what I'm getting into."
Alex squeezes Piper tight against her, a mischievous hand disappearing beneath her hoodie, and slithering up to grasp her breast. "I want that bubble bath all over you. I want that foam on my hands, and my hands on you. On all of you."
Piper squirms, attempting to slink her way out of Alex's arms. But Alex only tightens her grip, effectively trapping her. Piper has to remember to take a breath. "You gotta agree before I let you go."
….
They pass by a lingerie shop, and Alex immediately gets this devilish look on her face that requires no deciphering. Alex leans in and brushes Piper's hair behind her ear. "I'll buy you cute lingerie if you model it for me."
Piper breaks into a grin, trying hard to smother it before she takes Alex's hand and lets her take the lead. But the minute they enter, Piper goes timid, and hides behind Alex, squeezing her hand on impulse.
Alex isn't looking, but she seems to know, because Alex lifts up her arm and whirls Piper around, giving off this blithe laugh. Alex tucks Piper into her side, keeping her close. "You know we're gonna make out in the change rooms, right?"
"As if we ever skip that part."
They go methodically through the sections, snickering with this overly juvenile sense of almost-embarrassment as they toss away bland designs and find every sufficiently colourful or lacy set the store has to offer. Alex lifts the hangers over Piper's head, adjusting them with this look of intense scrutiny.
"Like it?" Piper asks, ducking her head to study it.
"Do you like it? You're the one who's gonna be wearing it."
"Well yeah, but you're the one who's going to be taking it off…"
Alex crooks an eyebrow, watching the way Piper flushes almost instantaneously.
Piper ends up on the floor; systematically sifting through the bottom shelves, and making Alex reach the ones at the top, and pull them all back down to her level. Eventually they cause enough of a distraction to attract the attention of the shop assistant, who swallows down a comment about the abundance of product scattered across the floor.
"Would you like me to find you a changeroom?"
"No." Alex says before Piper gets the chance to reply. "We've got it."
The shop assistance gives a wry smile, and tries another tactic. "That blue one's very popular. Is it for a special occasion?"
Piper catches this look from Alex that seems to say I'm gonna make it so fucken' special.
"Uh…you could say that."
"Well, I'm sure your boyfriend will absolutely love it."
Alex almost chokes, this scoffing laughter rising from her throat, and she has to steady herself against the wall. Piper flushes hard and fast, embarrassed that Alex has the nerve to react like that. "I'm sure he…uh…will," She stumbles her way through it, hoping Alex can hold back whatever comment she's dying to shove down the assistant's throat.
They both squeeze into the changing room, and Alex secures the lock behind her. She turns, watching with these intense, steady eyes that follow Piper as she tugs her hoodie over her head. Piper knows she's being watched, so she tries to make it as alluring as possible, but fails miserably when she gets stuck halfway through.
Alex laughs, snickering as her hands come up Piper's sides and slide the jumper over her head. "Nice one, loser." Alex teases, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
Alex unclips her bra, sliding her hands over Piper's shoulders to ease the straps away. Piper catches it, flinging it on top of her crumpled hoodie, this involuntary shiver breaking out of her as Alex runs feather-light fingertips up her spine. Piper busies herself with the first bra, fingers struggling against the strap mechanism as Alex tilts her head down to Piper's shoulder, and begins this haphazard string of maddening kisses. Piper can feel the tip of her tongue dart out, and it takes just about everything in her not to just fall back, and let Alex just take her. To hell with the fact they're in a shop. To hell with the fact they're in earshot of a dozen other wandering customers.
"Alex!" Piper says in this half-serious crater of a voice.
Alex stops, mercifully, and for a moment, flashes this devilish gleam over at Piper's reflection. Alex secures the clasp behind Piper's back, smoothing out the straps as Piper evaluates it. Her lips tug into a smile, and Alex can tell she's subconsciously pushing her chest outwards. "Yeah?" Piper directs towards the mirror.
"Yeah," Alex replies, pulling Piper back and letting her hands roam over the bra. "Fucken' hot."
They repeat the process, some hitting the no pile, with the majority tossed the other way. But every time, Alex gets a little more handsy. She's rougher as she grasps the material, torturously rubbing her thumb over the area above her nipple. Piper tries to keep herself in check, tries to not let her reaction show. But her breathing is too fast, and Alex is all too close. She won't stop running her fucking fingers along Piper's back, and she's sure Alex can feel the goosebumps that have invaded her skin.
Piper pauses as Alex unclips the bra, impulsively crossing her arms over her chest. Alex raises an eyebrow. "You gonna take that off?"
No. Piper thinks. I'm not. I'm going to stand here until my goddamn body is a little less overexcited.
But Alex is about two seconds away from asking more questions. Questions that Piper really doesn't want to answer. So she slides off the bra as fast as possible, arms raised to block out the reflection the mirror casts back at them. But Alex catches sight of her anyway, and Piper can't hide how stubbornly hard her nipples are.
The next movement is so swift Piper can barely register it – and before her vision can even catch up, Alex is abruptly turning her around and backing her up against the wall.
"Whoa, whoa," Alex starts, not bothering to hide how long her glance lingers as she looks at the space in between them. "You can't get away with that. I see how turned on you are."
Alex's hands have been wandering all over her all morning, but it's still a shock when her palms come into contact with her breasts, sliding over her nipples. Alex closes her eyes, pushing a sigh into Piper's mouth as she presses her harder against the wall.
Piper finds Alex's hips, forcing her closer as she pulls her mouth to hers. Alex runs her thumb back and forth, revelling in how fucking hard she is beneath her hands. She feels Piper lift up her leg, rubbing her ankle up Alex's calf. Alex grasps roughly at her thigh, hooking it around her own as her hands settle over Piper's hips, and with one smooth movement, lifts her off the ground, hoping to God it doesn't make too much noise. Alex pushes her back against the wall, still holding Piper against her thigh as she ducks down to her chest.
Piper yelps, loud enough for them both to go perfectly rigid. Piper bites her lip, this mortified expression wearing itself into her features. They listen out for some sign they're been overheard, but ten seconds pass, fifteen, and eventually Alex decides they're safe.
She lets her breath fall against Piper's chest, giving Piper time to develop some form of expectation that saves her from surprise, before she takes her nipple in her mouth and gently sucks at it. Piper's thigh tightens around her, shallow breaths making her chest rise and fall almost urgently.
Her teeth bite down, and Piper arches into her, this delicate squeal pushed from her lips. Alex does it again, before sucking softly at her.
There's a tentative knock at the door, accompanied by a timid version of the phrase, "Do you need any help in there?"
Alex buries her head against Piper's stomach as she drops down to her knees, slowly easing Piper back down to the ground. Piper covers her mouth in horror, fearful eyes darting to Alex for help.
"Yeah. Everything's fine. Totally fine." Alex calls out.
Piper pushes Alex away; shooting her this look of this is all your fault that makes Alex instinctually want to argue right back at her.
"There's, uh, no gentlemen allowed in the changerooms." The voice calls back.
Alex hoists herself up, handing the last bra left on a hanger and whispering for Piper to put it on. She waits barely two seconds for Piper to get her arms through before she flicks the lock around and cracks open the door. Alex rests her elbow high against the doorframe, practically cowering over the shop assistant as this smug smirk glistens off her lips. Piper shrieks, backing herself into the corner as she snatches up her hoodie and tries to cover herself with it.
"You wanna say that again?"
This flick of realisation flashes in the assistant's eyes, glancing several times between Alex and Piper. "Oh. You're…um…I mean…."
"Lesbians." Alex cuts in helpfully.
"Oh! I just thought…" She pauses, running into a dead end every time she tries to avoid saying something offensive. The assistant fights to pull her face back into neutral territory, but she accidentally meets Alex's eye, and Piper can see her start to crumble all over again. "You can't…do that in the changerooms."
Alex pulls this completely innocent look, her voice automatically switching to a higher register. "What? You can't what in the changerooms?"
Piper watches, clutching her jumper a little closer as the shop assistant scrambles to quote some argue-proof company line from the manual she clearly hasn't read. She's visibly intimidated, and honestly, Piper's not sure she blames her for that. In this wavering voice, she comes in close and whispers "you can't make out in the changerooms" to Alex.
Alex throws her this flippant expression, hand coming up to dismiss the idea. "It was just second base."
Even from her position half-concealed behind Alex, Piper can see the shop assistant blush furiously.
"Still. It's policy."
Piper wishes Alex would just let this go, partly because this is embarrassing, and also because she just wants to put her damn clothes back on. But as Alex lets more and more splinters of silence pass without replying back, Piper can tell she's thinking up something purely designed to be difficult.
"Point of inquiry," Alex starts, raising her finger to hover in the air. "Is this policy against second base specifically, or just more of a general no bases whatsoever?"
The shop assistant looks blank, nervously avoiding looking up to meet Alex's eyes. "There's no sexual activity in the changerooms."
Alex quirks an eyebrow. "Sexual activity, huh?"
"Please. I'm just doing my job."
Please be done, Piper silently prays. She tugs on the back of Alex's shirt for good measure.
"Okay," Alex sighs, clearly disappointed she didn't quite get to the part where she reduced the assistant to a shaking mess. "We'll be out in a minute."
Alex shuts the door in her face and flips the lock, turning back to Piper. Piper looks furious, and her suspicions are confirmed when Piper hurls her jumper squarely at her. "Alex! I can't believe you! How could you do that?"
Alex gently hands her hoodie back to her, biting back this amused expression she knows will cost her another blow. Piper fights to get her jumper back on, shoving it down over her stomach.
"Oh come on, don't deny total participation. This is just as much your fault as it is mine."
Piper's mouth goes agape, and she characteristically raises her hands the way she always done when she has an onslaught of justifications prepared. "This is completely your fault! God, how can I be expected to go back out there?"
"Well, to be honest, they already saw you half naked. So you're probably okay."
"I'm so humiliated." Piper huffs.
"Well, yes." Alex agrees. "But you're also really, really turned on."
"Ugh." Piper shakes her head, lightly shoving Alex out of the way. "You are such an asshole."
Piper scoops up the bras and thrusts them at Alex, turning to leave. But Alex moves in front of the door first, effectively blocking Piper from leaving. "Do you don't. Kiss me first."
Piper rolls her eyes, but this smile peaks at her lips, and she leans in anyway. Alex brings a hand up to her neck and doesn't let Piper break away until she's desperately in need of air.
"I'm not done, by the way." Alex clarifies as she slides open the lock.
"You're never done."
"Valid point."
They get to the checkout, both biting down these awkward, guilty expressions as the cashier clears her throat and picks up the scanner. She's not the only one, either. Everyone in the store seems to be throwing them looks that are notoriously un-subtle.
Piper watches as the cashier makes a point of going maddeningly slow, laying them out perfectly before finding the tags. Piper checks them off in her mind. There's the pink one, the lace one, the green one, but as that pile gets smaller and smaller, Piper gets this horrible, bone-deep realisation that one is missing. She thinks back – it was the last one she tried on, and this trickle of fear drips over her, because the more she thinks about it, the more it seems like she didn't actually take it off.
Shit.
Piper's eyes go wide, and she scrambles to swallow down this mortified confession that threatens to spill before she has the chance to stop it. Instead, she shuffles closer to Alex, and sharply whispers in her ear.
"Alex!"
"Yeah?"
"The blue one…it's…"
Alex's eyes flicker, drifting down to Piper's hoodie. Her lip tugs in this amused smirk, but she catches the pale expression Piper wears, and realises she's about two seconds away from blurting out to the cashier she's currently in the act of shoplifting.
Reactively, Alex pulls her close and kisses her cheek, smothering the words "don't say anything" against her cheek. Piper freezes, watching as Alex casually hands over several bills and waits for the change. Her tone is completely passive as she thanks the cashier and hands the bag over to Piper.
Piper goes to almost run out of the shop (as if they hadn't raised enough suspicions already), but Alex snags the back of her hoodie, forcing her from bolting from the scene. Alex really hopes there isn't a security tag attached. They both hold their breath, but get through unscathed, and Alex lets go of the back of Piper's hoodie.
It takes Piper no more than four minutes before she starts insisting they go back and return it, because "it's wrong", and "it's completely unethical", and eventually; "because shoplifting's a crime and now I'm a criminal".
Alex chooses not to point out the fact that shoplifting really should pale in comparison with dating a drug smuggler.
They drift through the mall, with Piper daring to shuffle closer than she knows is strictly safe. Eventually, Piper's fingertips search for the brush of Alex's, hiding behind the sleeve of her hoodie. She hears Alex laugh, before she weaves her hand around Piper's, and uses that to her advantage as she tugs Piper closer.
Alex catches sight of a travel store – not just any travel store, but the one she's gradually built trust in after scoping out the place with several low-key purchases.
"I gotta…" Alex doesn't even finish her sentence, easily detaching her hand from Piper's and ducking inside the store. It takes Piper a while to process what the hell just happened – how she ended up stationary, and more importantly, alone. But Alex wandered off so easily, like liquid slipping out of her grasp, without the slightest trace of hesitance, or reluctance, or anything.
Her brow furrows in confusion, because why does she need to go in there anyway? She's got a perfectly good suitcase…
Oh.
It's a drug thing.
Piper can't believe Alex has gone and done that, not today, not when she's in such close proximity.
Perhaps it's the anger, but some unstable version of courage pushes her to move towards the store, and linger around the entrance. She watches as Alex leans against the counter, spinning an easy lie about a grandmother who just loved the handy design and wanted one herself. It's easy, and borders all-too-deliberately on the flirtatious, and Piper can tell it's working. The girl laughs easily, subconsciously mirroring Alex's body language.
It's enough to make Piper's stomach turn.
When Alex finishes, she catches sight of the highly unimpressed expression Piper holds on to. Her arms are crossed over, defensively leaning against the glass. It's as obvious as she can get without opening her mouth and spilling accusations.
But Alex takes hardly more than a few seconds to take Piper in, and the minute Alex does that, Piper feels ridiculously transparent. She can tell Alex is reading her so easily, so effortlessly, that Piper knows the best she can do is hold onto her anger for as long as possible, because as soon as Alex finds a way to turn it around, that anger is going to be gently tugged away, until it turns invisible.
Alex gives Piper a weak nudge. "You okay?"
"No." Piper bites back defensively, crossing her arms a little tighter against her ribs.
Alex pushes Piper out of sight from the cashier before she slips her hands around Piper's, loosing the knot she's created. Her arms ease as Alex coaxes her, before dropping hopelessly down to her sides. Alex leans in close. "I'll explain it later, okay?"
Piper narrows her eyes, not letting Alex get away with that. "No. Just take me home."
Piper's out of her reach before Alex can even try to hold her back. Something in her chest drops. She didn't intend to fuck this up. It was meant to be the opposite – if anything, a distraction from how many nights have accumulated with Alex still tangled up with clients and how this grating sense of Piper's frustration spills over into breakfast, and makes the apartment discouragingly bitter. Alex internally kicks herself for it.
She's trailing behind Piper, hands stuffed into her pockets and scratching her nails into the material until it hurts. She's all too caught up to keep check on her surroundings that when Piper stops out of the blue, Alex narrowly avoids running into her.
"Piper? Piper!"
Piper spins around, trying to locate the source. "Skye!" Piper gives a squeal, diving into the girl's arms. "I can't believe it!"
"I haven't seen you since the graduation party! Christ, you were wasted. We even got those brownies into you."
"Oh god, that's right! I was paranoid for hours!"
"Yeah, you were out. You kept going on about some chicken or something."
"I swear it was real."
"Yeah, that's what you kept telling everybody!" The girl trails off, repeatedly glancing back at Alex. Like she's suddenly interesting. Despite the fact she's been standing there for the whole conversation.
Piper catches the weight of Skye's expectant glance, prompting herself into saying something about it. "Oh, this is the person I live with." Piper says, gesturing weakly in Alex's direction. "Alex." She tacks on.
Alex shifts her glance, trying to catch Piper's eye. Something about the words that have just left her mouth makes Alex's stomach knot around painfully. It's not what she expected. Well, Alex doesn't know what she expected, but it sure as hell wasn't this is person I live with.
"Hey Alex, nice to meet you. I'm Piper's friend from college." Alex stares at her, trying to ascertain whether she's genuine.
Alex keeps her hands deep in her pockets. "Yeah, I got that." Alex scoffs through.
She's eased back out of the conversation, free to trace the patterns of the tiles below her feet. Alex shifts her weight, waiting until Piper wraps it up, promising to call whoever the fuck that girl was.
Something makes Alex expect a shove, or a harsh insult to be hurled at her for being such an asshole about the whole situation. But Piper just storms her way back to the car, flat out ignoring Alex when she gets too far ahead, and needs her to hold up. Because she's damn fast when she's angry.
Piper slams the car door, crossing her arms and fixing her stare straight ahead before Alex even has the chance to climb in. Alex goes slower, keeping her exterior remarkably unperturbed. She inserts the key into the ignition, but then stops, shaking her head. Alex drops her hands, running them down her thighs as she dares to inch her glance close to the passenger side.
"Am I getting the silent treatment?"
"No." Piper's voice is barricaded with tight barbed defense, and she trains her gaze out the window, refusing to look at Alex.
"The monosyllabic answer treatment? Because that's so much better, Pipes."
Piper flinches at the use of the nickname, as though Alex is breaking some unspoken rule that it can't be used in this situation. "Just drive."
Alex bites her lip; gradually acclimatising to the fact she's not going to get anything out of Piper unless she coaxes it out of her. Alex takes a deep breath, and forces herself to keep her voice steady. "It's for the suitcase, isn't it?"
Piper snaps her head around, angrily fighting against the seatbelt. "Yes, it's for the fucking suitcase. Congratulations, Alex. You and that brilliant brain of yours figured it out."
"That's your title, Pipes. Not mine." Alex whispers across the console.
But Piper isn't letting go of her anger and she's not clicking in to the fact that Alex is more than a little hurt, and they can't communicate. So Piper just starts right back up again.
"You reeled me in! When you said let's get out of the house this morning, I didn't think that meant let's occupy Piper for a few hours, so I can use her for my agenda!"
Alex's voice jumps into hostile territory, out of pure selfish defence. "I don't have a fucking agenda, Piper! So there's no way what you're saying could ever be correct!"
"Fine!" Piper snaps. "Tell me you didn't plan this. Tell me, in some part of your mind, you weren't thinking about it."
"How many times do I have to shove the obvious down your throat today?"
This vague flush of hurt registers on Piper's face, but Piper pushes it back, and swallows it up with anger. "Uh-uh. No, I'm not taking that."
"What is it you want out of this, Pipes? Want me to tell you it was my plan all along? Because I'll damn well say it, if that's what you want to hear."
Piper shakes her head, sinking further into the seat. She reaches a crossroads, one direction full of anger and thick resentment, the other wanting to make this all go away. That's the thing, though. Whenever Piper does respond with anger, things unravel and disintegrate so damn quickly; it proves nearly impossible to break the fall. It takes at least a few heavy, burdened hours where things are sickeningly quiet before they even start to mend. If not days of being stuck in this awful, unstable ground where they're not quite fully forgiven. So Piper develops a habit of letting things slip. She lets them burrow themselves in corners, hide in the cracks of Alex's floorboards, and stay there as ghosts. Piper tries to ignore it, she really does; but it seems inevitable that one day, this very habit of denying problems and suffocating their very existence will precipitate a spiral they're not going to bounce back from.
Piper's voice is apprehensive and raw when she finally gathers the strength to reply. "I don't like where this is going."
It's barely a hint of her internal dialogue, but Alex seems to fill in the gaps anyway. Piper sees Alex's eyes flare, with this impatient flicker that seems to hold an overdose of dread. Piper traces back over her words, her mind clicking into the way Alex had interpreted them. Instinctually, Piper goes to take them back, because she hadn't meant them to target Alex. But the two seem inseparable, and Piper can't break them apart, no matter how much she wishes she knew how.
Alex runs her hand edgily through her hair, looking severely uncomfortable with the situation. Piper watches, some small hope she was nurturing dying when Alex doesn't offer up something that takes the fear out from under her. It's more than a little scary, because Piper has developed a dependence on Alex's careful process of pacifying her, but when it doesn't come, when Alex continues to say nothing; there's this out of place anxiety Piper can't brush off.
They're both horribly off-track. And as much as it hurts to admit, they never really intersect. Alex consistently takes these things harder, like there's this part of her that's so much more invested than Piper is, she can't help but always assume everything is about to take a serious compromise. Like Piper is going to leave. Like Piper is going to get bored. Like this is temporary.
But Piper never really reaches those dark waters. She's in this, yes. And it's not a lie. And it wasn't a lie when she said those critical words back to her after the train wreck of Berlin. But perhaps it's a little more surface. Maybe she slipped into this a little easier. When Alex is so deep she's left herself without an escape route.
On impulse, Piper shifts, carefully manoeuvring herself across the console. Alex lifts up her arm, and guides her into her lap, waiting for her to settle before she places a steady hand against Piper's back. Her legs are uncomfortably wedged against the door, but it doesn't matter, because everything just feels so much better when Alex is close. Piper feels Alex run a hand through her hair, and it takes everything in her to fortify the courage to say the next words.
"You didn't like it, did you?"
Alex pauses, this horrible feeling wedging in her throat. It's an effort to keep her voice from wavering. "Didn't like what?"
Piper plays with the threads of Alex's shirt. "The way I didn't introduce you as what we really are. Like I should have."
Piper looks up to watch Alex stamp down this onslaught of emotions she almost loses control over. And it suddenly occurs to Piper that Alex is doing the exact same thing as she is. She's swallowing down problems too.
She gets the impression this is going to become habit. This horrible, addicting habit of pretending to forget and keeping it up until the edges of what they are burn and blacken.
"I get your reasoning, Pipes. It's just…." Alex stops herself, shutting everything down as the pang of self-preservation kicks at her. "Forget it."
"Cool," Piper starts. "Should we forget about all the drug-suitcase stuff, too?"
Alex shies away from convincing Piper that wasn't her intention. Because it wasn't. It was just bad timing, and maybe just logical practicality that would save another trip. But this is all stemming from how disconnected Piper is from the cartel, and she can't seem to decide if she wants to know or not. Some days she'll crawl up with Alex as she sorts through paperwork, and ask seemingly harmless questions about what she's doing. But the other times, when Alex has to make trips to the airport or when she comes home closer to dawn that to the night, Piper pretends the whole drug thing doesn't even exist. Gets avoidant and stubborn with Alex instead, and makes being in the same vicinity a living hell.
"The cartel stuff is complicated, Pipes. It runs on rules and honour codes, and it's…it's serious, Piper. Not the kind of thing I wanna expose you to."
Piper twirls a loose thread around her finger, lightly pressing her forehead to Alex's chin. "Maybe I can handle it."
The corners of Alex's mouth upturn. "I never said you couldn't."
"Maybe we should try."
"Pipes, we're not talking about something inconsequential here. You're better off kept in the dark."
Piper gives a blunt nod against Alex's shirt, before Alex tilts Piper's chin up and kisses her. Alex feels Piper kiss back, and it feels a lot like a truce.
"I don't know what to do with you, Pipes."
….
"So I found a job." Piper divulges, twisting the phone cord around her finger.
"That's great, honey!" There's an extended silence, like the person on the other end of the receiver is considering biting their tongue. "We were wondering when you might get around to that."
Alex watches from her position at the table, eyeing the way Piper shifts her weight about awkwardly. It's been like this for the better part of ten minutes. A conversation full of awkward pauses and struggles at finding anything noteworthy to talk about.
"Dad…"
"We know you've been trying, kiddo. We're just…relieved it finally happened."
Alex can't hear what's on the other end of the phone, not from this distance. But Piper's face gives it all away. Shame, or perhaps a heavy desperation to please contorts her features. It makes Alex want to grab that phone and yell down it. Because Piper's damn proud of that job, and Alex knew how much she wanted to tell her parents.
And this is how they fucking respond.
"I know, dad. But this means I won't need as much financial support from now on, so, that's…good."
She doesn't add that her job earns her almost nothing, and Alex fully supports her the rest of the way, or that she doesn't need to pay rent anymore because…well…she's living here. It's the last little bit of her reply that catches Alex's attention, though. That's….good. It's like she's trying to prove something. Prove that she can be independent. That she can meet expectations.
Alex clicks in to the fact she hasn't really broken out of that reliance. And it explains a lot.
Piper shifts awkwardly against the counter again, and Alex can feel her unease practically radiating off her. Alex gets this strange urge to reassure her – tell her that she's doing brilliantly, that she's so fucking proud of her, and it doesn't count for shit what her parents might think or say. But she can't do that, not while Piper's still in the middle of a phone call.
Instead, Alex gets up and moves behind Piper, arms snaking around shoulders as she rests her chin against Piper's shoulder. Alex holds Piper tight against her, feeling her whole body gradually start to slacken as she sinks into Alex's touch.
"Well, with an actual job, Piper, soon you'll be able to support yourself fully. Then we'll only have Cal pestering us for access to his trust fund."
It's a different voice this time, Alex didn't know there were two on the line. It's probably her mother – Carol - Piper mentioned at some point. But to Alex, it doesn't sound like a mother. It sounds callous, like it's ready to get her children off her hands as soon as possible.
Alex squeezes back, just enough to remind Piper she's still there. It's got a strange communication that just seems to wordlessly flow through her fingertips. Alex doesn't need to tell Piper anything. Not with words. The reassurance is in her touch, in their shared warmth, and the rest just comes across in-between.
"Yes. I'll work on saving some."
"But of course, dear, we will always be here to support you if you really need it."
That's bullshit, Alex thinks. It's empty words. There's no truth in them, no heart, no empathy. It doesn't count. It's a complete negation, and it's almost cruel, almost taunting that they should be said.
Piper tenses, in a way that Alex senses she does almost automatically – as if this is a common occurrence, or at least, used to be. "I know mom."
The line goes silent, the whole call smothered. Everyone is searching for something to say, but there's nothing anyone is willing to tell. Finally, mercifully, it breaks.
"How is Polly doing?"
There's no question about how Piper is doing. No inquiry into her life, no nothing. It's just cast away, and the spotlight turns to Polly. And as far as Alex is aware, Polly's a fairly recent addition in Piper's life. There's no long history spanning back to Connecticut. It's just college, and the subsequent time after. How well can they really know her? Alex finds herself trying to estimate how many encounters Piper's parents could have reasonably had with Polly. Perhaps a few times during college – the beginning of a new semester maybe, a rare visit during term. Graduation. A holiday here and there. But that's it. Alex can't begin to fathom why Polly gets asked about, but not Piper. Their own goddamn daughter, for fuck's sake.
It must feel like such a kick in the guts, to have your parents more interested in someone they've met only a handful of times, rather than hear about you. Alex frowns, wishing this phone call would just end. Because it's absolute torture, and Alex feels like she's taking on the weight of it just as much as Piper is. But that's not in her control. She rocks Piper slightly, and it's like a promise reminding her that to Alex, Piper is always first. The way it should be. The way it deserves to be.
"Good, I guess. I don't really know."
"For heavens sake, Piper! How can you not know? You do live together."
But the thing is, you don't. In fact, you can't remember the last time you spent a night there.
Alex loses track of the conversation, letting it distantly ripple out of conscious thought. There's a surge of possessiveness that Alex feels take over her, seemingly out of nowhere, so Alex clutches Piper a little tighter. She patches back in when she hears something about finding a nice boyfriend, and her attention snaps back instantly.
"What about that boy from family dinner? He spoke so politely, Piper. And his shirt was buttoned all the way up. Not like those scruffy looking men you see on the street."
"That was Polly's boyfriend. I don't think he's exactly available."
"But even so, Piper. You know, there are girls your age getting married. You don't want to wait until all the good ones are gone."
Purposely, Alex slips her hand underneath Piper's shirt, running her fingers back and forth a few times across her stomach before inching closer to the band of her shorts. Piper gives a jolt, seizing Alex's hand and pushing it away.
"I-I'm not looking for a boyfriend."
Alex snickers, loud enough that Piper's scared it can be heard at the other end of the line. "Are you sure?" Alex whispers, manoeuvring around Piper's blockings until she can slide her hand into her underwear. Piper jumps back, and tries to slip away from Alex. But Alex just steps into her, using her hips to pin Piper to the bench. She wraps her free arm around her, using the other to slip further beneath her underwear.
Piper places the phone on her chest, firmly burying it against her sweater. "Alex! Not a good time!"
But Alex doesn't give up so easily, trying a few more times before Piper eventually chases Alex to the other side of the room, throwing various kitchen items Piper manages to get her hands on directly at Alex, until she eventually gives up.
When the phone call is over though, Alex reappears in record time, backing Piper up against the bench and teasing her about boyfriends as she tugs down Piper's pants and drops wickedly down to her knees.
There is something almost vindictive about it, like Alex is trying to prove exactly why she trumps a boyfriend, exactly why she deserves to be introduced as what she is. She drives Piper insane in the process, working her up just the way she likes, then withdrawing completely; lips glistening as she makes another comment about how useless boyfriends are.
And honestly, Piper has to agree. Especially when Alex doesn't let her come until she's admitting it. Over and over again.
….
This is probably as close to purely happy domestic Vauseman as you're going to get (which seems to be a popular demand), because without the angst to drive the plot, it always feels like filler to me. So I'll do my best to keep a balance. We will be filling in a flashback next chapter. Guess right, and I'll have it up super quick. FOR SCIENCE!
Thanks to DA15Y (aw man, you are just too cute. Hope your exams went smooth), guest, NightsLightss (I'm super duper chuffed to hear that), g4gusgrisam, TheSickenerHits(I take full responsibility), the various guests I can't keep track of (to the one asking about Piper's wrists, go back to the beginning of chap.12 [Piper slams them into the steering wheel]), nickyjg (I'll make a note to explore that), FFChik (I'm hella stoked about that, thanks man!), jadiekit (thank you!), sweetlikevanillais (I promise you more frequent updates for the next month or two), Katerina (you're so welcome babe. That's actually coming!) Impressed Guest (you sound impressed! I can't thank you enough! It's actually still a while away [sorry], but it's definitely coming), WB79 and VauseSearch. Yeah, you're all so wonderful and I appreciate every last one of you.