Nicky stares at herself in the bathroom mirror of the restaurant, wiping her mouth after she swilled it out with water. Detoxing was always horrific. Her head pounds and sweat prickles at her forehead.
Standing in the doorway unnoticed, Red watches the girl. Tears aren't falling and she doesn't look upset, she just looks pissed at the world. As she tentatively opens the door, waiting for that all too familiar creak, Red hopes she's not a part of that world she seems to despise. Right on cue, the door squeaks, signalling Red's entrance, and Nicky jumps.
Red doesn't say anything for a moment, and waits for Nicky to say something. "Shit," she mutters, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I'll be out in a minute," she mutters slightly louder, a tremor evident in her hand as she waves it in the air dismissively. "Then we can go. Okay?" There's an edge of irritation in her tone, and she closes her eyes.
Red walks closer, satisfied she's not going to make everything worse, and leans on the sink as Nicky looks up. "I have nowhere to be." Red says simply. "Stay here as long as you want." She knows those shakes, that film of sweat that had formed on Nicky's brow. She hates that she's feeling so unwell. More accurately, she fucking hates drugs.
Nicky juts her chin out, looking up at Red. "Seriously? You wanna spend all day in a filthy public restroom?"
Red quirks an eyebrow. "I clean this bathroom myself! There is no filth." She says with power. "I've spent all day here thousands of times. Maybe not just in this bathroom, but in this restaurant. You think I have staff?" She laughs. "Get with the programme, little girl. The question is: do you want to stay here for a whole day?"
Nicky shakes her head minutely, peeking up through mascara coated lashes. "Not really," she admitted. I don't really wanna spend the day with you, either, she adds silently.
"Okay, then." Red says amicably. She worried that if she pushed the issue further, she would push the girl away to a further distance than she kept between them already. "Where do you want to go?"
"Where do I want to go?" Nicky laughs, but it's bitter, and she almost chokes on the chuckle that escapes. She wants to be in a filthy apartment somewhere, where a fug of smoke made it hard to see the person in front of you. Which is generally good, because they're probably as fucked up as she is. Instead of admitting that, Nicky leaned on the sink and turned to Red, nodding in acknowledgement. "Where do you wanna go?"
Red smiles sadly, but loops an arm through Nicky's. "Let's go home, hmm? I'll get Dmitri to fix us some lunch to take home and we can sit, and talk."
Nicky regards Red warily, but manages to hold her weight well. "Talk about what?"
"Anything. Easy pay, right?" Red teases her, pushing open the door to the bathroom.
Nicky raises an eyebrow, reaching out and pushing the door as Red struggles to do it with one good arm. "I've had easier," she says cuttingly, feeling the first stabbings of a headache poking at her temples.
"Oh?" Red says, glancing back at Nicky as she walks to the counter where Dmitri serves customers unaided. "You'll have to tell me about that one." She turns to her husband and points at a couple of things behind the glass. "Can you put them in a paper bag? Nicky is going to take me home to relax for a bit." She gestures to her leg. "My knees are aching."
"Of course, love." Dmitri smiles at Nicky as he bags up the food. He conceals a frown as he looks at the girl, sweaty and ashen, as she leans against a table to simply stay upright. She looks like death warmed up, and he brings the bag to her, brushing his hand against her back gently. "Here you go," he says softly.
She flinches at the contact, screwing her eyes shut, and the nods in acknowledgment swiftly. "Thanks," she murmurs. "It's a nice place you've got here," she says, with effort, and loud enough for Red to hear. The married couple exchange a smile.
"Mhm," Dmitri says, replenishing the stock in the display case in the counter. "It's not much, but it's ours."
Nicky smiles weakly. Ours; she wonders what that's like, to have something between you and someone else that was so special that you could call it that so freely. With one last glance to Dmitri, she decides it must be nice.
"Come on," Red says softly from the chair she had sat on, as if sensing Nicky's inner turmoil. She rises slowly. "Let's go home."
Shaking hands shove the key into the lock when they arrive at Red's apartment. The door opens and with stumbling feet and fumbling hands, Nicky helps Red in and sits her down into a comfy looking threadbare armchair.
"Sit," Red says, as Nicky places the paper bag down onto the counter and begins to make a drink for the both of them. "That can wait. You look exhausted."
Nicky nods, but Red can see the cogs of doubt turning in her mind. A cat rubs against her legs, shedding white fur all over her black tights. She looks down at the cat with a smile and scratches the animal's head gently.
"Just sit. I'm not testing you," Red insists, a hint of a smile coloring her features as she watches Nicky run her fingers down the cat's spine.
Nicky sits on the couch, quickly joined by the white cat. Green eyes stare back at her reproachfully, and she laughs softly as the cat sits herself down on her lap. "Hey kitty. Who are you?" Nicky asks, her voice surprisingly soft.
"Oh, that's just Luna," Red replies. Her response seems to interrupt Nicky's unconscious stream of thought, and she instantly clams up as she nods. "She was a kitten who wandered into the restaurant one day. Vey skinny. I don't know where her mother was. Shaking with fear, poor little girl." She trails off. The comparison to Nicky was undeniable, and she knew she was beginning to garner a reputation for taking in strays.
"Why'd you keep her?" Nicky says. Her fingernails scratch behind the cat's ears and she smiles when she hears purring.
Red shrugs. "She's useful. She catches mice very well, and keeps my feet warm in the winter." At least, that's what she'd told Dmitri when he came home one day to a tiny kitten curled up on his chair. Truthfully, the tiny thing had been mewing for days for her mother, and Red couldn't stand it anymore. Tiny and bony, Red fed the kitten and nursed her back to health - and now the cat trusted her with her life, because she had saved it all those years ago.
"She's sweet," Nicky says, feeling her licking her fingers as she tickled the cat's neck.
"I can't do shit with sweet." Red says, one eyebrow raised. "But it did come in handy when Dmitri saw her. You can't throw a cutie out."
Nicky manages a smile, throwing an amused look to Red. "I guess not."
"Well," Red says, glancing at the clock on the wall reluctantly. "I guess your time's up."
Nicky looks at the clock too. "I guess so," she says flatly, and Red isn't sure whether she's happy or sad, she only knows that the shakes hadn't stopped since this morning, and that Nicky had been swaying on her feet all day.
"Dmitri gets home soon," Red says. "He can help you get home if you're not feeling good." She thinks back to her throwing up in the restaurant, and wants to yell 'stay here, stay with me' but knows pushing the wild girl will only end in her leaving sooner.
"Mm." Nicky says. She traces the stitching in the couch, not looking up or making a move to get up. She shakes her head and the curls bounce around her shoulders. Her hair looks like it needs a proper wash, and she looks like she needs a full night's sleep.
"Where do you live?" Red asks after a beat.
"Oh," Nicky says softly. She doesn't look up. "I, um...I don't. Not at the moment, anyway," she says quickly. "I'm still trying to figure it all out."
"I see," Red says quietly. "Well, where would you stay tonight?" She was pressing for information, and whilst she would have usually been happy to play the long game, this time was different. "Do you have anywhere?"
Her eyes remain glued to the floor. "I'll find somewhere." Her jaw was set and she began to get up. "I'll see you tomorrow. Honestly," Nicky continued, noticing the concern on Red's face for the first time. "I'll find somewhere."
Red didn't doubt it, but she did doubt that it would be safe, or appropriate, or warm enough to not shiver as you slept. She watches Nicky as she turns away, and can't help herself. Young girls shouldn't not know where they're sleeping, and Red wouldn't sleep not knowing if she was safe. "Wait."
Nicky's hand hovers over the doorknob, but she doesn't say anything.
"Stay here tonight."
Red unfolds sheets from a set of drawers, draping them over the old, sagging in the middle couch. She gently places a pillow down on the end, sizing up Nicky. She's thankful that the girl isn't tall, for her boys' friends hadn't been able to sleep on a couch for years now, their feet long hanging off the edge.
"You can sleep here tonight." Red says, moving out of the way and letting Nicky perch tentatively on the edge of the couch. She watches Red warily, stiffly sitting up straight. "It's not ideal, but just until you find somewhere you can stay…"
Nicky nods, kicking her boots off and tucking her legs under her. She looks beat, and Red resists the urge to tuck her hair behind her ears.
"Those don't look very comfortable." Red says after a moment, her eyes scanning Nicky's denim skirt and chunky knit sweater.
"It's fine." Nicky says. "I don't really ever wear pajamas."
"Well, you'll be wearing those clothes again tomorrow before you can get some more of your things from home." Red points out. Nicky scoffs at the word home but lets Red continue. "I think I have something more suitable to sleep in. Give me a minute," she says.
Nicky watches warily as she opens the door to her bedroom. She didn't particularly want to wear pajamas that looked like she was the grandma in Little Red Riding Hood, but she was grateful of whatever she would offer.
After a few minutes, Red emerges from her bedroom. A pair of pajamas is clutched under her arm protectively, and she hands them over to Nicky carefully. Nicky strokes them with a finger. They were not what she was expecting, and she looks up to Red in surprise.
Green and blue plaid pants and a fleecy top with a unicorn on the front, nothing like she'd expected from Red and definitely not her size. It was confusing, but Nicky smiles, a cheeky grin beaming up at Red.
Red reciprocates the smile. "They're not my style either. But they're warm and about your size, and much better than that skirt."
"Thanks," Nicky says, running her hands along the pajamas. She looks up at Red and really means it. "Thank you, Red."
Red's eyes snap open as she hears the door opening. There's no talking, only the sounds of Dmitri stumbling around in the dark, so she assumes Nicky's fallen asleep already.
She snaps on the lamp that sits on her bedside table next to her, and sits up a little in bed as Dmitri opens the door.
"Galina." His voice cuts through the silence. He pulls his tie off and sits down gently on the end of her bed, mindful of his wife's bad back. "I thought she was supposed to be looking after you."
"She is." Red insists. "If she wasn't here, I'd be at work. She gives me something to focus on," Red whispers. She's conscious of Nicky hearing their conversation and feeling uncomfortable. "And she does help me. I can't carry shopping. My right arm and knees are useless at the moment."
"Mhm." Dmitri says. He pulls on a pajama top and pants, and then slides into bed next to Red. "I know you mean well, Galina, but please….these things never end well. You always get too attached."
"You know you love having Luna around now." Red says, her lips quirking into a smirk.
Dmitri sighs. "You know I'm not talking about Luna." He sits up on his pillows. "You don't remember last time? You don't remember how you tried so hard and everything fell apart anyway?"
He can't bear to say anything else. She was destroyed when everything fell apart….when everything she had tried, failed.
Red stiffens, and doesn't look him in the eye. "This time is different," she says firmly. A shaky exhale tells Dmitri that his wife still thinks of last time often. Still sees the events playing back when she closes her eyes, when she sits in the empty apartment all alone. "This time I'll do better. I'm not going to let her down."
"Galina," Dmitri sighs, his voice earnest. "That wasn't your fault."
Red's voice lowers to a whisper, so low that Dmitri can't even hear. She shakes her head. "I can't let her down...not this time."
Hiya lovelies!
The last time I updated this was December 22nd, so I thought it was due an update... ;)
Please tell me what you thought and what you wanna see.
Be happy!
- Star xo