Romantics
“What will it be?”
She glanced up at the serenely smiling blond waitress, abandoning her study of the wooden table pattern.
“Just a cup of-”
“Black coffee, right?” The blonde finished for her, voice matter-of-fact. Mera blinked.
“Er - yeah.”
“Coming right up.”
The blonde - who Mera pinned at about five years younger then her, if her eyes didn’t deceive her - walked away with hushed, perfectly coordinated steps, as if measuring every stride.
She only let her eyes trace the lines of the girl’s long legs for a tiny moment before forcing her mind onto safer tracks.
She propped her arm on the table by her elbow and laid her head against her palm, ready to wait.
She had learned patience a long time ago.
“Heart and soul…”
Her fingers tripped clumsily along the keys, barely keeping pace with her singing. She had never been any good with piano, despite a lesson or two in her youth, but she had worked to be decent at the left hand of Heart and Soul - if only so she could sing it with a backing track.
“I fell in love with you, heart and soul~...”
And Trix’s sunny voice suddenly joined her, a grin sparkling in her tone.
“Just like a fool would do,”
The tomboy fell into the seat next to her on the piano bench, and she couldn’t help but grin as she picked up the piano track flawlessly. Her fingers left the keys and she flashed Trixie a grateful look, who simply grinned back and sung the next line.
“Maaad-ly~ because you held me tight!”
“And stole a kiss… in the night…” Molly whispered, voice full of romanticism. Trixie didn’t try and sing that line with her.
The notes faded.
“...That is why it didn’t work out.” Trixie said suddenly, breaking the heavy silence. Molly sent her a curious glance.
“Huh?”
“You’re a romantic!” Trix cried dramatically, falling back onto the bench with a hand on her chest.
She felt fire crawl up her cheeks.
“Am not.”
“Are too.” Trix fired back, sending her a look.
“Am not.”
“Are too. Come on, you know I’ll win this.” Trixie said with a triumphant grin.
Molly sighed with resignation. The tomboy instantly picked up on her success and elbowed the lime-eyed girl, a conspiratorial glint in her eye.
“Come on, no need to be ashamed!” She chided with a smile. “I find it quite endearing, actually.”
A tiny smile tugged at Molly’s lips.
“...Thanks…”
“But the problem is, you’re a romantic, and I’m…”
She trailed off.
“Well, me.” She finished, voice oozing finality. “We’re meant to be best friends, not anything more. Because you’re looking for a lover and I’m looking for a partner.”
Molly straightened, a retort on her lips, before forcefully swallowing it.
She considered the words. Slowly, her resolve broke, and she unraveled on the bench, shoulders sagging.
“...Yeah.” She finally whispered. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“You need to learn to have fun, girl!” Trixie crowed, sitting up again and leaning against the piano. Molly winced heavily at the loud bang of the piano keys, her misophonia instantly rearing its ugly head, and Trix sent her an apologetic glance.
“Er - sorry.”
“It’s no problem.” She said quietly. “Used to it.”
“...You need to learn to have some fun.” Trixie repeated, voice a little softer this time. “Get in a relationship for the sex - and maybe the cuddles.”
“...We did have some good cuddles.” Molly admitted quietly.
“You’re quite warm.” Trixie answered with a sagely nod, which made Molly giggle.
“...But… isn’t that kinda… using someone?”
Trixie rolled her eyes and slung an arm over her shoulder.
“Molly. I swear, you’re the smartest person I know, but sometimes you’re so clueless.”
“...Sorry…”
The tomboy sighed, and jostled her slightly.
“A joke, Molly. That was a joke. Try not to take it so seriously, right?”
“Oh… uh, right… sorry…”
“Molly, I swear to god if you don’t stop apologizing I’m going to fuck you.” Trixie said, with a perfect deadpan. Molly couldn’t help but snort.
“No you won’t.”
“Bet!” The girl crowed. “I’ll go get a strap-on right now - and you know I’ve got one.”
She leered suggestively at the girl, wiggling her eyebrows.
“And you also know just how good I am with it…”
Molly leaned away with a giggle, pushing at her face. “Come on, be serious Trix…”
“Never!” The girl cried, hopping up and putting a betrayed hand against her chest. “I’m offended you would even ask such a thing, Molly!”
Molly covered her smile with a tan hand.
“Okay - we’re going out tonight, right?” Trixie said, peering at her sharply. She spent a moment to check her mental schedule, and winced.
“Er - well, I never did end up getting that paperwork done last night… you kinda… distracted me.”
Trixie’s spine loosened as she sighed, as if the strength was leaving her with the breath. Molly winced again.
“...Sorry, Trix - I’d like to, but-”
“Welp.” Trixie said suddenly. “I warned you.”
“...Huh?”
“Prepare to be fucked, Molly.” Trixie said, a predatory glint in her eyes.
“Wha - no! That doesn’t count, I was distracted!” Molly cried instantly, a grin trying to tug at her lips.
Trixie shrugged, and swept forward, grabbing her shoulders and leaning her against the piano. Her hands fumbled for purchase and found the keys, and an unholy sound left the black beast of an instrument. She winced slightly, but wasn’t able to focus on the sound with Trixie leaning close enough that she could smell the licorice gum on her breath.
“Y’know, if there was a time to get into a relationship for the sex…” Trixie whispered suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows again. If Molly had been more vulnerable, she might’ve found her breath trapped in her ribs and been unable to find a response, but with rational thought flowing freely, she simply giggled at the antics and shoved the girl firmly away.
“Won’t work on me this time, you minx.” She said triumphantly, putting a pair of proud hands on her hips.
“Well, aren’t you a good girl?” Trix purred.
She froze.
“Not fair.” She whispered, eyes wide.
“Not my fault you have a praise kink, Mol.” Trixie said with a careless shrug, though a glitter in her eyes gave her away. “So what if I just happen to compliment you - I mean, I can hardly help it with that beautiful singing voice of your’s tampering with my thoughts…”
“No - no, you can’t do that, that’s cheating!”
Trixie rolled her eyes but gave up on the flirting. She hopped out into the hall with barely a thought, giving her a parting two-finger wave and ‘seeya!’.
Molly sat there for a long moment before realizing that she was helplessly turned on, with no outlet for it.
“Your coffee.”
She glanced up at the blonde and took the steaming cup with a nod, sipping at it serenely and staring out the window.
After a long moment, though, she noticed that the waitress hadn’t left.
“...Yes?” Mera said, voice cold as ice. The blonde’s eyes darted away from her’s, and she tried to repress the sneer that rose to her lips. Unsettled by her eyes, clearly - understandable, but still annoying.
She expected the usual question to leave the girl’s lips - ‘what’s up with your eyes,’ if she was polite and perceptive, ‘what’s wrong with you,’ if she was neither of those things.
But instead, the blonde seemed to steel herself, and said,
“...I was wondering. Why do you only come in at four o’ clock in the morning?”
Mera blinked, suddenly off-guard.
“...Uh - well, I have quite a bit to do during the day.” She answered, voice quietly attentive, before gathering herself once more and sneering. “And besides, isn’t morning the normal time for coffee?”
Her voice oozed condescension. The blonde blinked, as if confused by her question.
“Yes. It is. Did you not know that?”
“I - what?”
She stumbled slightly over the words, feeling off-kilter in a conversation for the first time in three years.
“Did you not know that?” The girl repeated obediently.
Mera shook off her surprise like water and sneered at the girl, who she could see more clearly now was an absolute idiot.
“It was a rhetorical question-” She glanced at the nametag. “Phoenica.”
The girl blinked.
“Ah. Right. Of course.”
There was a pause, during which Phoenica stared blankly into nothing with what Mera decided was her thinking expression.
“Well, coffee is normally a morning beverage.” The girl said, voice serene and with the smallest touch of an accent that Mera couldn’t quite put her finger on. “But four o’ clock in the morning is not quite the normal time for any type of activity, much less going to an eatery.”
“Well, perhaps it’s your own fault for having the shop open at all hours then, hm?” Mera answered with an eye roll. Phoenica blinked again.
“...Perhaps. Then again, perhaps not.”
Mera scoffed. The blonde stared at her for a moment.
“...Scoffing is rude.” She said suddenly.
Mera stared at her, completely uncomprehending, for a long moment - before breaking out into laughter.
She wiped her eyes with a happy sigh, and was about to retort when Phoenica cut her off at the pass.
“So is laughing at people.”
Mera rolled her eyes at the idiotic twenty-something and opened her mouth to retort.
“So is rolling your eyes.” The blonde said, cutting her off yet again with a serene, seemingly impossibly imperceptive voice.
“And sneering.” The girl went on before she could even try to formulate a response again.
“You are rude.” Phoenica went on, peering at her in a clouded way that seemed to scream ‘crazy person.’ “You should apologize. It is polite to apologize when you have done something rude, after all.”
Mera let out a disbelieving breath and stared at the clearly insane person standing before her.
...And yet, despite that…
“...What if I don’t care about being polite?”
She was enjoying a conversation for the first time in years.
The blonde blinked once more - something Mera was now assuming to be a common show of surprise for the girl - and tilted her head.
“Well, then you do not care about being polite.” The girl answered, peering at her. “But everyone should be polite. If everyone was polite, the world would be a much happier place.”
“Mmmhmm.” She hummed nondescriptly, raising an eyebrow at Phoenica. “Well, forgive me if I don’t take advice from someone with a name starting with ‘P-H’.”
Phoenica blinked. “Of course I will forgive you. You should always forgive people if they ask and the offence is not too big - after all, if everyone forgave everyone for small offenses, we would never have nonsensical grudges. But I do not see why you would want my forgiveness, and I also do not see why you would not take my advice.”
She tilted her head.
“Are my suggestions not logical and moral? I see no reason not to take them into consideration, at least.”
Mera took only the smallest moment to acknowledge that she was enjoying this conversation before answering.
“Because your suggestions are pipe dreams.” She deadpanned, giving the girl a flat glare. “Sure, it would be nice if everyone was unfailingly polite - but they won’t be. And if nobody’s going to be polite, shouldn’t you return the favor?”
“If the world isn’t fair, why should you be?”
Phoenica stared at her.
“That is a logical fallacy.” She said quietly. “Chasing dreams is a worthy endeavor. And besides-”
The girl’s eyes suddenly lit up.
...Mera was struck by the fact that she was beautiful so suddenly and forcefully that she actually flinched a bit.
“‘ An eye for an eye, and the world goes blind. ’”
The tone of her voice had shifted in the same way her eyes had - suddenly deepening and opening up like pools of salty seawater.
“...Gandhi.” Mera said quietly, staring at the girl with newfound attention. “Most people only know the first half of that quote, you know.”
And the girl returned that interest in her own stare, eyes still oddly deep and brewing with some unknown purpose.
“Yes. I do know.”
They spent a moment simply staring, each blatantly studying the other for what they had missed at a first glance.
After the moment passed, Mera offered her hand to the girl.
“Mera. Salamin.” She introduced, voice clipped.
“Phoenica Fleecity the fifteenth.” The blonde answered, taking the hand and looking at her with eyes that swirled like smog. “It is nice to meet you, Mera Salamin.”
She hesitated for a long, long moment.
“...You too, Phoenica.”
The girl seemed to think for a moment.
“...Please. Call me Feenie.” She smiled a serene smile. “Phoenica, I am told, is a bit of a mouthful.”
Mera snorted.
“You can say that again.”
Phoenica - or Feenie, now, she supposed - blinked.
“Of course I can, Mera.”
Mera decided that this was either the start of a fruitful friendship, or the stupidest mistake she had ever made.