Neither Clint or Natasha made it home for over two months. Maj received phone calls, but that was the extent of her contact with them. She hated when they were away, and she hated the loneliness more. It was hard, after spending all that time with them, especially knowing that they could be doing something dangerous. They were her family, and Maj didn't know what she would do if he lost either of them. It was something she tried not to dwell on, but after the death of her parents, Maj was terrified of losing more people she cared about.
With her "guardians" gone, Maj spent a lot more of her time between Alec and Sr Margaret's. Many a nights were spent with her stumbling home, mainly chaperoned by Wade or one of the other men, and passing out next to Lucky. The golden retriever was always happy for a snuggle, and he alway got more when she was drunk. Maj was pretty sure Mrs Barnibus, the older lady who lived next door would tell Clint and Natasha about her behaviour, but she couldn't find it in her to care.
With her near daily visits, Majalia had gotten to know most of the men there. She would often draw them, or if she were really drunk, get them to sing Disney songs. That never lasted long as it was a clear sign that it was time to head home. She had never been happier than when she got Mikey, one of the most visibly scary men she'd ever seen, to sing Once Upon a December with her. Maj had even been adding to the dead pool, mostly with Wade or Weasel's money. Every so often on of the guys would let her make a bet for them, but those were far in between. It hadn't taken long before Maj learned of what went on there. While it wasn't something she cared about, the guys were all making a living, and they didn't need her opinion or approval do live their lives. It was fun for her to join in though.
Near the end of her third month alone, Maj had all but moved into Alec's. Most of the time she was at the house, but Maj mainly took the day to spend time with Lucky and take care of him. Alec's parents had returned from their trip, but they didn't mind her around. The friends continued on their movie nights, minus the alcohol, and would often spend the days walking around Manhattan trying to find the most obscure places to hang out. She had brought him to Sr Margarets once, but he hadn't liked it. Maj hadn't taken him back, but she did keep visiting the men.
A few months after her last visit, Weasel offered her a job at the bar. He offered decent pay, not that she would have complained, and she had a group of people who always took care of her. Weasel was kind enough to let her make her own hours, which basically meant that she went in at her usually time and closed out the bar. She enjoyed working there, as she was surrounded by friends. The one thing she hated was Wade causing trouble. The man loved to instigate things, and while it was amusing at times, cleaning blood off the tables and/or floors was not something Maj found fun.
Since she had signed on, Maj spent about 70% of her time at the bar. She slept most of the day, and when she was awake, she'd hang out on her couch watching random movies. That was where Alec found her two weeks later. Maj was gorging herself on popcorn and jolly ranchers. It was an interesting combination, but it suited what she wanted. The man had barged in, grabbed her arm, and pushed her into the bathroom. "What the hell, Alec?"
"We're going out. You've been working every day for the past two weeks. I want to go party and I can't do it without my awesome wing-woman."
"I have to go in. I was planning something fun for the guys."
"I already talked to your boss. He's cool with it. Now go shower while I pick something out for you." Maj huffed in annoyance but did as he said. She knew Alec had been in a slump lately. He was still worried about meeting his soulmate, something that Maj constantly told him would happen when it would. Alec never listened, but he also enjoyed sex so she knew if he found anyone tonight, she'd be ditched, not that she minded much. The sooner he found his next conquest, the sooner she could head home. "Don't forget to shave!"
"Oh, piss off!"
Twenty minutes later, Maj exited the bathroom to find a dress on her bed. The moment she saw the short bright red number, she knew she'd never hear the end of it. It was Natasha's meaning he'd gone into their room. Not a good idea. She knew the redhead would notice, and that she would probably get an earful. Still her worry for Alec overrode her care for the quiet lashing that would come when Nat came back.
The dress really was short, stopping mid thigh. There had been plenty times she raided Natasha's closet. While they weren't the exact same size, a lot of the woman's clothes fit her. It was one of the reasons she loved the woman. As she exited the room, Alec gave a wolf whistle and patted himself on the back. He also took it upon himself to feed Lucky. The pooch was happily munching away on his dinner when the friends left the apartment.
It took near an hour for the friends to reach one of their usual haunts in the city Lavo was one of the hottest clubs in town and while they didn't accept under 21s, but Sean was friends with the owner. That gave the pair special privileges… like cutting the line and always having their names on the roster. It was nice, but Maj wasn't really for the life of upscale nightclubs and whatnot, but she did enjoy the perks of being moneyed and having connections majority of the time.
The moment the two entered, they made their way to the bar and took their first shot. Maj planned to go easy tonight as she knew she'd be going home alone. New York wasn't the safest place in the world, and it was worse for women, particularly after a night out and alone. Maj had never had issues, but she rarely walked around the city in the middle of the night alone. It was an experience she hoped to avoid.
As Majalia sipped on her overly sweet drink, she watched Alec as he danced. The man had rhythm, she couldn't deny that, and it was fun to watch him. The place was packed and Maj had already warded off the few men who had shown interest. She was all good for a one night stand, but she wasn't in the mood for it. Maj wasn't a pude by any means, but she didn't feel like going to a stranger's house without Nat knowing… or being close enough to rescue her if need be. She could never tell Clint about that, but Natasha held all her secrets and basically covered for her in those times.
Ten minutes later, Alec bounced back over to her. She had been on her phone the entire time, mainly talking to Wade. The man had just told her to call if she needed an escort, but she wasn't going to. No need to have the man make an unnecessary trip. Alec had a large smile on his face, one that told Maj everything she needed to know. He had found his next conquest. With happy words, the friends exchanged their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Alec had taken much longer than Maj had thought. By the time she started to the subway, it was two in the morning. She was used to staying up late, but she would have preferred to have stayed home or been at the Marge's. Still it was silly to dwell on it any longer as she was finally making her way home. As she walked, Majalia shot both Clint and Natasha a text. She had a feeling the messages would go unanswered but she still wanted to check in. Habit, is what she told herself.
By the time she exited the station, Maj was ready to just collapse into her bed. As she walked the three blocks, Maj kept a vigilant eye. Clint's building wasn't in the best part of Brooklyn and she really didn't want to have an incident. As she walked past one of the gated alleys, one of the iron wrought gates opened and a hand grabbed her arm. Majalia let out a yelp and pulled against the person, managing to get them out from their hiding spot. It was a greasy looking man who although bent over, had a lecherous grin on his lips. He continued to pull at her, and Maj did everything to keep herself planted.
The two struggled for a while before he managed to get the upper hand As he slowly dragged her into the alley, however, a man intervened. He managed to get the man to back off and Maj backed away and watched. The whole situation brought her back to when she first met Clint. She hated that she was virtually helpless, but what else could she do. Wade had only just started teaching her things.
When the man had been warded off, her saviour approached. His movements were slow, as if not to startle her more. Honestly, Maj should have been more freaked out, but she wasn't too bad. Maybe all her time spent hearing the guys talk had diminished her already low response to danger.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah. I'm good. Thanks for that," Maj easily replied. Her eyes trailed up the man. He was dressed in track pants and a white tee, muscles bulging from the sleeves. His eyes were blue, not too dark, not too light, and his hair was a sandy blond. He had a nice facial structure as well, something that Maj would love to draw. Her eyes flitted over him as she took in all the details she could. She didn't realise she was making him uncomfortable until he cleared his throat. "Oops. Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."
"It's fine. Are you close by? If you have no objections, I'd like to walk you home." Maj nodded. It wouldn't be too bad. He couldn't be crazy. He didn't look it, but Maj knew you didn't have to look a certain way to be anything. The man held his hand out, a gesture for her to lead the way. The two walked in companionable silence for a block before he broke it. "I'm Steve, by the way."
"Majalia. Everyone calls me Maj." They exchanged the 'nice to meet you's' and fell back into silence. Twelve minutes later, they were in front of Maj's red-brick home. "This is me." She wrapped her hands around her. "Thank you." When she saw he was going to respond, Maj interrupted. "Really. Thanks. I should probably not be out this late, or called my friend but I'm a bit stubborn." She let out a nervous chuckle. "I hope you make it home safely, Steve." Maj pulled out her key, noticing his reddened cheeks from where she pulled it from. "Have a good night." With that, Maj quickly made her way inside. The moment she was in the apartment, they young woman plopped down on the couch and released a breath. Never again was she walking home alone in the middle of the night.