Hello readers! I am so sorry it's been so long since I lasted updated. I've been really busy lately but I still have every intention of finishing this fic. Thanks so much for reading and an extra thank you to anyone who takes the time to comment. I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Alex trudged between the tables of the Black Lantern, pushing a mop across the floor in front of her. Stopping in front of one of the tables, she moved the chairs around it to the side so she could clean underneath it. She bent down to get the mop all the way back to the wall and then straightened up, huffing to blow aside the hair that had fallen in her face. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket, smiling when she saw a notification for a text from Chelsea. She flicked open the lock screen and leaned her hip against the table as she typed out her response.
The door to the kitchen opened and Alex jumped, hurriedly shoving her phone in her pocket and grabbing the mop with both hands. She turned around with a sheepish smile as Ryan moved behind the bar with a box of cleaning supplies.
Ryan sighed and shook his head, glancing at Alex as he set the box on the counter. "Here are some supplies for all of the cleaning you're not doing."
"I am cleaning!" Alex held the mop out with one hand and gestured at it with the other. "See? Cleaning. I've got a mop and everything."
Ryan rolled his eyes and grabbed a pair of rubber gloves from the box in front of him. "I'm going to start on the kitchen and then come out here to finish up whatever you haven't done. Which looks like it'll be most of it."
Alex stuck her tongue out at Ryan as he turned and walked back into the kitchen. Once the door swung shut behind him, Alex sighed heavily and moved the chairs back around the table she had been cleaning under. She resumed pushing the mop across the floor, weaving through the tables and chairs as she half-heartedly swiped underneath them.
When she reached the area near the front door, Alex glanced at where Steph was set up at one of the tables. Steph didn't look up and Alex watched her for a few seconds, a grin slowly spreading across her face as a thought struck her. She walked over to the jukebox, shifting her weight to one hip and leaning against the mop handle as she flicked through the songs. After a moment, she selected a song, her smile growing wider as "Kiss Up and Shut Me" started playing from the speakers. She stayed in front of the jukebox for a moment, bobbing her head from side and side before she turned to look at Steph.
Steph glanced up to meet Alex's eyes, setting down her pen and resting her chin on the palm of her hand as a smile stretched across her face. "Nice song choice, Chen. You gonna make me do another cursed kiwi shot?"
Alex laughed and shook her head. "I don't think Ryan would like it if I was drinking and not cleaning. But I suppose you would be the one drinking, so maybe we could get away with it." She set the mop against the side of the jukebox and moved to sit down in the chair across from Steph. "Remind me again why you don't have to help clean for the re-opening?"
Steph leaned back in her chair and bent her arms with her hands behind her head, grinning at Alex again. "Because I've perfected the art of not committing to whatever good deed Ryan wants to do without completely shooting him down. It's a skill you'll have to develop if you wanna stay friends with him, trust me. Unless you like picking up trash in parks and weeding out invasive species in the woods every weekend."
"Ugh, no thanks." Alex pulled a face as she waved one of her hands. "I think I've got maybe, like, one good deed in me per month, max. You'll have to give me some pointers on avoiding this stuff." She reached into her pocket when her phone buzzed again, smiling at the notification before she unlocked the screen. After she typed her response, she scrolled through the last few texts that she and Chelsea had sent, a small smile hovering on her lips. "One of my friends started texting me again the other day. Chelsea, the one I met at my last group home."
Steph looked up from her notebook again. "That's cool. How's she doing?"
Alex shrugged and gestured vaguely with her free hand. "If she's texting me, that usually means she's doing okay. She doesn't really reach out when things are hard."
Steph tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at Alex. "Sounds like someone else I know."
"I…" Alex huffed and then nodded. "Okay, yeah, fine. That's fair."
Steph laughed softly, resting her forearms on the table and leaning toward Alex. "How did you two meet?"
Alex squinted as she thought for a moment. "Do you want the long or short version?"
"As much as you wanna tell me."
"Okay. Long version, then." Alex took a deep breath, shifting so she was matching Steph's position leaning over the table. "We both got placed at Helping Hands Group Home a few years ago. After CPS ran out of foster care placements for me, they started putting me in group homes. Which were just as bad as the orphanages in a lot of ways, but since I was older now, I was big enough to do some real damage when I got into fights."
Alex paused, smiling softly as she shook her head. "Which was usually a bad thing, but that's actually how Chelsea and I became friends. The first day I got to Helping Hands, I beat up the girl who had been bullying Chelsea the whole time she'd been there. We bonded over that and how much we hated living there. Being friends with her made it just a little bit more bearable."
"Well, I've heard that the best friendships are built on beating the shit out of bullies." Steph's smile faded as she reached across the table for Alex's hand. "It sucks that living there was so bad, though. You really didn't have anywhere else to go?"
Alex shrugged, looking down as she laced her fingers with Steph's. "No. I didn't have very many friends in Portland, and it was a lot to ask to crash with them as often as I needed to." She stopped and frowned as her shoulders tensed, hesitating for few seconds before she spoke again. "There was this one guy, Isaac…we hit it off really well at first, but we stopped talking after a while. I reached out to him like a year later because I had an awful day at the group home, and I just couldn't stand to be there anymore. I slept with him because I needed the distraction and I thought he'd be more likely to let me stay with him again. But after that, every time I asked to stay over, he kept asking for sex. Even when I just needed a place to sleep. I ended up just blocking him."
"Ugh, what a creep." Steph made a face as she shook her head. "I'm glad you don't have to deal with him anymore."
"Yeah, me, too." Alex let out a slow exhale, relaxing her shoulders as she gave Steph a grateful smile. "I was lucky that I still had the group home to go back when I ran out of people to mooch off of. As much as I hated Helping Hands, it did keep me off the street. And they put up with my crap for a lot longer than anywhere else I stayed."
She paused, her eyes dropping down to watch their hands again as she shifted her hand to run her thumb back and forth over Steph's knuckles. "There was a doctor who worked there, Dr. Lynn, who I actually told about my power. She didn't really believe me, though. She thought I was having "delusions" or whatever. But it made her take pity on me, and I think that was the reason she convinced them to let me stay at Helping Hands even after I caused so many problems. Which, like I said, it kept me off the street but that's also a really shitty reason to be allowed to live somewhere." Alex stopped again, frowning slightly as she tightened her grip on Steph's hand. "Pretty much everyone else there thought Dr. Lynn was playing favorites with me because the worst punishment I ever got was getting my guitar taken away. They all thought I should've been kicked out. Eventually, the people in charge didn't give my guitar back. I think just to 'prove' to everyone else that they weren't letting me get off easy."
Steph nodded as she squeezed Alex's hand. "That really sucks. But it sounds like it was kind of perfect that Gabe gave you a guitar as a gift when you got here."
"Yeah," Alex said softly. "It really was."
Steph glanced down at her notebook, then back at Alex. "Do you wanna invite Chelsea to our DnD session this weekend when Riley comes home? I could set it up for her to join in a video call."
Alex grimaced and sucked in air through her teeth. "I'm not sure I'm ready for Chelsea to find out how much of a nerd you turned me into." She let go of Steph's hand and leaned across the table to look at Steph's notebook. "Are you working on stuff for the session now?"
Steph quickly covered up the open pages with her arms. "Dude, come on. No spoilers."
Alex huffed as she sat back in her chair. "Ugh, fine. I won't peek." She turned to the side and propped her elbow on the table before resting her chin in her hand, doing her best to look disinterested.
Steph squinted as she watched Alex for a few seconds. "You're just gonna try to look when I start working again."
"No!" Alex said, laughing when Steph rolled her eyes. "I'm not, I promise."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Chen." Steph held Alex's gaze while she flipped her notebook shut. "You suck at being subtle."
"Oh, come on, let me see. Maybe I can help you come up with ideas."
"No way. It never goes well when I let other people help plan sessions. I learned my lesson when I let Gabe help me a few months ago."
"What did he do?"
"He insisted that we go into his character's brain while he was having a nightmare to fight a villain called 'Innerd Emons.'"
Alex snorted. "Wow, that's not subtle at all."
Steph raised an eyebrow at her. "Runs in the family, apparently."
Alex tried to give Steph a look of mock hurt but ended up smiling after a few seconds. "Well," she said, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her arms. "It doesn't matter what you have planned for the session. I'm just gonna handle it the same way I always do."
Steph sighed and dropped her head forward into her hands. "Do you mean flirting with every NPC until you get what you want? You do realize that's, like, one hundred percent stereotypical bard behavior?"
Alex laughed. "Is it? I just like seeing you get flustered."
"I know," Steph said, moving her hands to cover her face as color rose on her cheeks. "And you're annoyingly good at it."
"I guess my lack of subtly comes in handy sometimes." Alex smiled at Steph until she got one in return, then glanced down at Steph's notebook as their smiles faded. "What was Gabe's DnD character like?"
Steph followed Alex's gaze, looking down as her expression turned thoughtful. "He was a changeling who had a different alias almost every session. And he had some troubled past that he was trying to atone for that he never completely explained. But he was also a huge goofball."
"Ah, okay. So, just completely a self-insert. I'm really seeing that lack of subtlety now."
"Oh, for sure. But he really liked it when his character could make everyone laugh." Steph's eyebrows knit together as she thought, then looked up at Alex. "I think I still have some drawings he and Ethan did of his character somewhere. I can try to find them, if you want."
"Yeah, I'd really like that." Alex gave Steph a warm smile as she reached for Steph's hand again.
Just as Steph opened her mouth to respond, the door to the bar swung open. They both looked up to see Duckie walk inside and stop to take a deep breath with his hands on his hips.
"Hey, Duckie," Alex said, waving at him with her free hand. "We're actually closed right now. Just getting ready for the re-opening."
"Yes, yes, I heard." Duckie smiled as he moved to stand in front of their table. "I simply came to offer my services. In case there were any spirits deemed…unfit to keep around for the re-opening."
Alex laughed and got up to join Duckie as he moved behind the bar. She brought her hand up to her chin, squinting at the bottles on the shelves in front of them. "The only thing I can think of that Ryan might want to get rid of is the bedazzled kiwi schnapps."
Duckie's eyebrows shot up. "'Bedazzled kiwi schanpps'? That sounds very different from my usual."
"It's terrible, Duckie, trust me," Steph said with a grimace that made Alex laugh.
Alex waved a hand in Steph's direction before elbowing Duckie gently. "Don't listen to her, she's just a sore loser. I know you wanna try it. And the best way to do that is to play the jukebox game. It's one that Gabe made up where you ask questions to try to guess a song name."
Duckie brought a hand up to stroke his beard a few times as he thought. "I still have reservations about the 'bedazzled kiwi schnapps,' but the game sounds delightful." He turned, grabbed two shot glasses from the counter, and held them up as he turned to Alex. "Shall we?"
"You're on!" Alex said, grinning again as she grabbed the bottle of schnapps. "Steph, you in, too?"
Steph shook her head, gathering her notebook and other papers as she stood up. "Nah, I'll pass. I really need to get this done. Can I work upstairs while you get smashed from losing to Duckie?"
Alex put a hand on her chest and gave Steph a look of indignation. "You can use my desk, but I'm offended that you think I'm gonna lose."
"Alex, Duckie practically lives in this bar when it's open. He's gonna destroy you." Steph got up and kissed Alex's cheek before grabbing the last of her papers from the table. "Have fun! But try not to lose too badly," she called over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs. "I'd hate for you to get a picture on the wall of shame."
Alex stuck her tongue out at Steph, turning back to Duckie once Steph was out of sight. She took one of the shot glasses from him before moving to the jukebox. "Okay, let's do this," she said as she waved Duckie over. "I'll pick the first song and you can try to guess the name."
Two hours later, Alex leaned against the door of her apartment, frowning as she fumbled with the doorknob. After a few seconds of struggling, she managed to open the door and stumbled inside, laughing as she tripped on the threshold. She rolled as she hit the floor, flopping onto her back in a fit of giggles.
"Wow." Steph turned around in the desk chair to look at Alex splayed out on the floor. "You're very drunk."
Alex tilted her head back so she could look at Steph upside down. "You are correct! And upside down!" She grinned as she pointed at Steph.
Steph sighed and shook her head. "So, how did it go playing the jukebox game with Duckie?"
"Well, I have good news and bad news." Alex let her arm drop onto the floor as she tried and failed to make her expression more serious. "The good news is that the bedazzled kiwi schnapps is gone."
Steph got up from the desk and walked over to Alex, crouching down next to her. "And the bad news?"
"I drank most of it."
"I told you he was gonna kick your ass." Steph sighed again but couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. She stood and moved Alex's legs out of the way so she could shut the door. "How many shots did you take?"
Alex slowly sat up, blinking as she stared down at her hand. A few seconds later, she held out her hand with three fingers up. "Four." Her eyes focused on her hand again and she frowned. "Wait, that's not enough fingers."
Steph laughed as she sat down across from Alex, pulling Alex's feet into her lap so she could take off her shoes. "Did Duckie have to take any shots at all?"
"He didn't lose at all but took a shot because he wanted to know what it tasted like." Alex paused, struggling to speak around her laughter. "And he actually liked it, so he took two more shots!"
Steph's eyebrows rose. "Well, that's a twist I didn't expect."
"He actually asked Ryan to order more of it!" Alex gasped before she dissolved in laughter again.
A few seconds later, Mao-Mao walked over to them, and Alex immediately reached for him. "Hi, cutie-pie," she said, scooping him up as soon as he got close enough. She cradled him against her chest, cooing down at him as he gave her a wide-eyed stare. Gently taking one of his paws in her hand, she held it up and moved it back and forth in Steph's direction. "Steph, look, he's waving at you!"
"Wow, okay, you are very, very drunk." Steph watched Alex for a moment with mild concern. "You gonna be okay, dude?"
Alex set Mao-Mao down on the floor and reached to put a hand on either side of Steph's face, pulling her forward until they were just inches apart. "I'm great!" she said, kissing the tip of Steph's nose. "My mouth tastes like glitter, and you are soooo pretty."
Steph laughed, gently covering Alex's hands with her own and pulling them from her face. "Okay, Chen. Let's get you to bed."
Steph stood up and offered Alex her hand, pulling Alex to her feet. Alex staggered slightly, leaning heavily on Steph as they walked toward the bed. Once they reached the bed, Steph gently lowered Alex onto it, moving her so she was laying on her back with her head on the pillow. After Alex was situated, Steph straightened up and took out her phone, flicking her thumb across the screen.
Alex opened one eye to look at her. "What're you doing?"
"Getting a picture for the wall of shame," Steph said, grinning as her phone made a camera shutter sound."
"Oh, hey, look," Alex said, holding her middle finger up at Steph. "I found that finger I was missing earlier."
Steph grinned as they both started to laugh. "Too late, it's already done. And your place on the wall of shame will be set in stone when I add this picture tomorrow morning." Steph leaned down to kiss Alex's cheek before stepping back from the bed.
Alex grabbed Steph's arm, stopping her before she could move away. "Can you stay? Please?"
Steph sighed, looking down at Alex with a warm smile. "You know, with how often I stay over, maybe I should just move in with you."
Alex's face lit up as she tugged on Steph's arm. "Yes, you should! Will you?"
A look of surprise flashed across Steph's face as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "I, uh…" She took a deep breath and seemed to mentally shake herself. "I'd like to, but we can talk about it later. When you're sober." Steph tried to move away again but Alex's hold tightened on her arm. "I'll stay. I'm just gonna finish up my notes and then I'll come to bed with you."
"You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise. I'll be here as long as you want me to be."
Alex smiled up at Steph, squeezing her hand one more time before letting go. She rolled onto her side, struggling to keep her eyes open as she watched Steph sit down at the desk. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she drifted to sleep a few seconds later, her chest filled with the same warm, buzzing joy that was radiating from Steph's golden aura.
