Justice Hunter (talkwiththemoon) wrote in supernextdoor, @ 2012-04-26 23:47:00 |
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Current mood: | aggravated |
Entry tags: | #group scene, 10.05.11, gabe, jason, justice, naya |
Who: Justice, Naya, and Gabe (& guest appearance by Jason)
Where: Dead Until Dark (vamp bar)
When: Wednesday evening
Why: Because ladies need to bitch.
Rating: Some cussing from the 'ladies'.
Justice was still fuming when she clocked off at the end of her shift. She was aching from head to toe, and there was dust and god only knew what else in her hair. She wasn’t going to shower at work though, not if it meant stripping off in front of other cops. She’d had enough of their bullshit for one day. Jason hadn’t helped, with that goddamn jacket still smelling of sex, of the both of them, and his behavior on the roof.
Frustrated, she checked the M.E’s office as she headed out the door, hoping that Naya was finishing up for the day. Leaning round the open doorframe, she knocked her knuckles against the wood frame to get her attention.
“Hey, you busy tonight?”
Naya had suffered through a long, long day. "Only if you call finding a good repairman being busy." she said, forcing a smile as she washed up for the night. Some pipes had burst behind a wall in the master bathroom. Unfortunately she'd been at work so by the time she found out about it and could take a break long enough to go survey the damage, her bedroom floor and the bathroom were badly in disrepair and the ceiling of the downstairs wasn't much better. Needless to say, plumbers and repair men were all she could really deal with in the next few days in between working. Her mood wasn't too happy, but she could definitely use a drink.
"Please tell me you want to get me wasted and lemme stay over tonight?" she said with a little pout at her friend. By that time, she'd grabbed her coat and her keys and walked towards Justice and the smell of frustration hit her like a ton of bricks. "Wow, you smell like you've had a bad day..." she commented. "We really need a drink."
“Christ, yes.” Justice groaned, rolling her neck from side to side, trying to work out some of the kinks caused by her gritting her teeth half the afternoon.
“Booze and something deep-fried and smothered with cheese.” She was pretty sure that would help her feel at least a little better. “And if you want to cram yourself onto my tiny couch, then by all means, feel free.” She hated that she couldn’t really have people to stay over, not comfortably.
“How come you need a repairman? Something happen to your house?” Naya smelt just as frustrated as her, and it looked like they both need to vent and relax. She hadn’t thought of where to actually go, but as she pulled out her car keys, the card for the bar Emma had been a regular at fell out of her pocket.
“You know what, hold that thought. You can tell me in the car.” She grinned. “I’ve got something that’ll cheer you up. Good food, booze, and a bartender who’s totally your type.” She knew all about Naya’s obsession with the bartender at her local hangout; maybe introducing her to Gabe was a good idea. He was tall, stubbly, broad-shouldered, and had a gorgeous smile. Just Naya’s type. Hell, just her type too, but she was all over the place right now because of Jason goddamn Richards.
“C’mon.” Reaching out, she smacked Naya’s ass playfully, hurrying her out the door.
Naya laughed a little and rolled her eyes at her friend. Always eager to set her up on a date. Too bad she was hung up on Coop. It was all his fault with his tight ass and muscles and cute grin. Damn him. Damn him and that cute little dog he had behind the bar half the time. Just thinking about the man had her shuddering pleasantly.
"You're never going to give up getting me settled down, are you?" she teased as she followed Justice out to her car. She could pick hers up later so it wasn't all that big a deal to leave it now. "Maybe I like being alone." she teased, knowing well and good that was the farthest thing from the truth. While her bear might not have cared too much about settling down, the human part of her certainly did. She was moving up in years and approaching forty and she'd never really had any substantial relationship with anything more than school.
She sighed at that thought and climbed into Justice's car. "Okay, you first, what's going on with you that you're so frustrated?" she asked her. "You look pissed and upset and Grr!." she said, holding her fingers up like a claw. "Spill, Just. What's going on?" Her problems were far more important to Naya than her home's plumbing issues.
Justice wasn’t limping by now, but she was still aching. She put her seatbelt on, pulling her hair aside, over one shoulder, instead of answering. There was a massive mark on her throat, a bitemark, and the edge of another visible at the join of neck and shoulder.
“So, you know that new Detective, the lion?” It was weird, how all the lycanthropes seemed to gravitate towards one another. She and Naya had known each other for years, of course, but the newer additions tended to either circle them warily, or they ended up part of the weird, dysfunctional family.
“Yeah, so he happened.” She sighed, pulling out of her parking space, concentrating on the road rather than Naya. “The guy’s utterly fucking infuriating. One minute he’s telling me he’s not had a relationship in ten years, then he’s ripping my clothes off...” she drifted for a minute, a pleasant shiver running down her spine at the memory. “Which, ok, that part was fun. But then I show up at his crime scene and he’s glaring at me like it’s my fault I’m even there.”
Naya's eyes wandered over that bite mark and her brow arched slightly. Apparently somebody was certainly getting a hell of a lot more action than she was. She couldn't help but be a little bit jealous of her friend. "Sounds like he's a good lover and a typical man." she shrugged. Men never understood women. Even if they had extra special senses they never seemed to get just why women got so pissed off at them for being infuriating.
"Why was he glaring at you?" she questioned. "What did you say to him to get the glare?" She was trying to be neutral and see this from an outsider's perspective, but already she knew she'd be siding with Justice. Jason was a friend, in a way, a co-worker really, but Justice had been there for her through thick and thin and she'd always side with her no matter what.
“Nothing!” Justice sighed, focusing on the traffic. “I got out the car, I was helping with the crime scene. He’d already yelled at me for being late - which I wasn’t -” and yeah, that had pissed her off, too. She’d gotten there as soon as she could after her shift started.
“So then we’re searching the crime scene, and he comes over to me and asks if I’m ok.” She glanced over at her friend. “I uh, I may have been limping this morning.” There might have been a hint of a smug grin. Might. Quickly hidden, because she of all people knew how long it had been since Naya had gotten laid.
“And everyone is staring at us and doing their best to pretend like they’re not...” she sighed. “So I told him I was fine, and did he want me to check another part of the building. So then he growls at me, and goes all distant.” Justice didn’t get why Jason was angry with her - he’d been the one to come over and talk to her, the one to attract even more attention than they’d both already garnered.
“So by now, it’s all over the station that he’s the reason I’m limping,” she drawled, “and I’m the reason he’s got scratchmarks all down his neck.” She’d given as good as she got, at least. She was kind of proud of those marks.
Yes, she was definitely jealous. Why couldn't she find a guy to make her limp?! It just wasn't fair, damn it. Especially because Jason was a very nice looking man. Definitely jealous. It didn't help that the guy she'd been pining for was oblivious to her. She usually could flirt with the best of them and though she flirted, it never seemed to get the desired results. Again, Damn him.
"I think the both of you are ridiculous." she commented, shaking her head a little. "You're mad at him, he's growly at you. It's just foreplay. Don't be angry, just get laid again." It seemed like the simplest sort of reasoning and a way to solve the whole problem. "Besides, angry sex isn't so bad. Especially if not angry sex gets you marks like that. Whore." she teased, flashing a smile at her. "And the guys in the precinct are just mad because he got you first and they didn't get a chance. Lemme guess, Riggs? Do I need to punch him in his face?" she asked, holding up her fist. "I will."
Justice snorted. “Angry sex is what got us into this mess,” she explained, then told Naya a highly-edited version of what had happened the previous night. Riggs had been the reason both of them had gotten so angry and worked up, and he couldn’t just shift and go hunting the way she could. Having sex had seemed - at the time - to be the most logical solution.
“On a stretch of grass near the park,” Justice finished. “Twice. And then again in my shower when he came back to get the smell of sex off him before he went home to his kids.” She sighed, leaning her head back against the headrest.
“You know I hate Riggs,” she said at last. “But if he hadn’t started shit in that coffee shop, I’d never have gotten laid. So y’know, I should probably be thanking him.” She chuckled, imagining his face if she walked up to him and said, ‘thank you for getting me laid’.
"Maybe you should thank him." she laughed. "I'd thank him if I got laid. Then kick him in the nuts and tell him he's still an asshole." But that was just the way that Naya rolled. Riggs had rubbed her the wrong way since the day she met the bastard and he likely always would. "Sometimes I just want to pop him one for no reason. Just the sight of his face makes me annoyed." she admitted. But there were plenty of justified reasons for that.
"Also, stop talking about the hot angry hate-sex!" she sighed. "So not fair." she muttered. "I need to get laid and I need to get a hotel room so I don't have to wade through water to my bed." Which reminded her. "Yeah, my water pipes burst in the bathroom while I was at work so now the bathroom, the bedroom and the ceiling of the first floor beneath the two is horribly messed up so not only did I get to hire a plumber but now I gotta figure out a good contractor to fix the mess that won't fuck it up worse than it is. So yeah, you should feel happy. You got some dick. Meanwhile I'm flooded, homeless til it's fixed and still damn near virginal."
Justice snorted. She wasn’t a fan of Riggs either, but Naya’s vitriolic hatred of him made her laugh more than anything else. She’d pretty much vented all she needed to about Jason - now she just needed booze and carbs to make her feel better about the situation. Naya had a good point, much as she was reluctant to admit it. And far too much of a coward to call Jason, despite having his phone number.
“Wow, ok. Your day sucks way worse than mine,” she admitted, reaching across to squeeze Naya’s shoulder. “Ok, booze, and food, and then we’ll work out what we’re gonna do. You can crash on my couch if you need to; hotel might be a better option though.” Pulling in to the kerb, she sighed.
“Ok, this place is right around the corner. Me and Jason were here last night.” She grinned. “The food’s really good, beer’s cold, and the bartender is a sexy, stubbly bear. You’re gonna love him.” Not waiting for Naya’s reply, she got out the car, heading round the corner. Checking that Naya was still behind her, she headed inside Dead Until Dark, raising a hand to Gabe in greeting. The guy had been a help last night, even if they hadn’t gotten anywhere.
Naya arched a brow when she said 'bear', but it wasn't until they got to the bar that Naya realized that this guy was someone she already knew. The sexy bear was Gabe. Coop. Oh hell. "Hey, Coop." she said with a little wave at the man Justice had just greeted. She flushed a little but smiled all the same. Whispering out of the corner of her mouth to her friend, "I'm going to kill you for trying to set me up with the guy I already failed at setting myself up with." she teased. Oh this was going to be fun.
Justice was already nearly at the bar when Naya waved and greeted him.
“Wait, you know each other?” She frowned confused. “...you’re Coop?” She arched an eyebrow at Gabe, wincing as she felt Naya’s nails dig into her arm.
Gabe chuckled, already grabbing a glass and a bottle from the rail behind him, pouring Naya’s usual.
“One and the same,” he replied, winking at Naya as he set the drink down in front of her. “Gabriel Cooper. Most folks round here call me Coop.” He’d told the detectives that his name was Gabe - it seemed more appropriate than giving them his nickname, even if it was what most of the regulars knew him as.
“Why, does my reputation precede me, Officer Hunter?” He smiled at her, leaning his forearm across the taps.
“Uh...” Justice blinked. Wow, that made things awkward. She had no idea that the guy Naya had been lusting over for months was the guy she’d planned on introducing her to. Well, at least she knew she’d judged Naya’s taste right...
“Just the reputation of the bar,” she grinned. “Naya’s been trying to drag me down her for months. We both had a pretty rough day, so I figured beer and carbs were a good idea.” she sat down at the bar stool, shrugging off her coat.
Naya put on her best smile as she shrugged out of her own coat and laid it across the barstool beside her. She was going to die of embarrassment, she just knew it. She picked up her drink and took a long, long sip of it. Yeah, she'd be needing it after this conversation, surely. "Justice is an old friend of mine." Naya explained. "I work closely with her precinct, but we were born on the same reservation." Little details would explain how they knew one another surely. Now if she could just pretend that this wasn't the most awkward thing in the world. Hopefully it wouldn't be brought up that she was head over heels for the scruffy, bear of a man.
Knowing Justice, she'd probably figure out some way of making it known to the universe that she totally had the hots for Gabe. Drinking the rest of the drink from her glass, she pushed it back towards Gabe. "I think I'll need another." she told him. "And a phone book if you've got one." she added. "I need to call some hotels."
Gabe just nodded at Naya’s explanation of how they knew each other, refilling her glass as she pushed it towards him.
“Cherokee, right?” He asked, still smiling. He tried to remember details about all of his regulars; of course it helped when they were as memorable, and as pretty, as Naya. But hell, a woman like her, with a job like hers, would never be interested in someone like him.
“What can I get you, Officer Hunter?” Since her friend was on her second drink, she’d probably like one of her own.
“Oh, it’s Justice. I’m off duty.” She grinned, finding the two of them completely adorable. Well, mostly the fact that Naya looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
“Just a beer, thanks.” She picked up the menu, watching as Gabe poured her beer. And yeah, she could definitely see why Naya thought he was hot.
"Yes." Naya said to his question about her heritage. "Cherokee." She liked that he remembered even that little detail about her. Sure, he probably remembered things about all the people who came in the bar, but for a second she pretend that it was just something he remembered because it was her. Wishful thinking on her part, but whatever, it was what it was.
She glared a little at her friend when he wasn't paying attention, lifting her own menu and positioning it so it covered her face as she looked to Justice. She made a face at her behind the shade of the menu. A horrified, 'I can't believe you wanted to hook me up with HIM!' sort of look. Why couldn't the floor just open up and swallow her? It would be so easy!
Gabe placed the beer down in front of Justice, but didn’t move away. The place was still pretty quiet, and there wasn’t anyone else waiting to be served.
“So how come you need a hotel room?” He asked Naya, looking a little puzzled as to why she was hiding behind a menu. He gently pinched the top of the menu between his thumb and forefinger, pulling it down so he could see her face. “You got friends comin’ to visit?” There was a stupid little hopeful part of him that hoped it was friends; a boyfriend would be staying with her, he assumed.
Justice thanked Gabe for the beer, attempting to look innocent as Naya made a face at her. Hey, she’d been right; Gabe was exactly Naya’s type. She just hadn’t realised that it was someone she already had a crush on. She jumped on Gabe’s comment, an idea forming.
“Naya’s had a shit day - her water pipe burst, and her apartment’s flooded. I’d let her stay at mine, but I don’t have a spare bed....” She did her best innocent look, taking a sip of beer. “You don’t know anywhere she could stay, do you?”
"I just need a hotel for a few days til I can get the repair work done." she explained, flashing him a smile. Damn him for that cute little grin of his. Lifting the menu again and pretending to read over it, Naya's jaw dropped and she made a horrified glaring sort of face at her friend. Dead! she mouthed. I'm going to pluck out all your feathers and roast you on a rotisserie! she promised still silently.
Setting the menu aside, she looked up at him again. "So now you know why I need the drinks." she laughed, sipping at the substance in her glass. "It's not been a very good couple of days." That was surely saying the least.
Justice flashed Naya an utterly unrepentant grin, lifting her beer and taking a generous gulp. If Naya was going to complain about Justice getting laid, she couldn’t exactly protest when Justice tried to get her laid.
“Ah well, I can’t exactly blame you,” Gabe chuckled, folding his arms as he leaned back against the bar behind him. “I’d be crawling into that bottle by now, I’d had the kinda day it sounds like you had.” He looked down for a second, thinking. It was on the tip of his tongue to offer her his bed, but he didn’t want to sound like a creep. He looked at Dex, as if asking for help, but the useless mutt just stared at him, tail wagging slowly. He’d heard Naya’s voice, recognised it, but moving to actually greet her was far too much like hard work.
“You know,” Gabe said, deciding at last. “If you’re needing somewhere for tonight, I live upstairs.” he bit his lip. “It’s nothing special, but it’d give you time to breathe, find a hotel tomorrow? The last thing you wanna be doing is checking in after a long day and a few drinks.”
Justice kicked Naya hard, giving an infinitesimal nod towards Gabe. Say yes, she tried to telegraph to her friend, not having a menu to hide behind.
Naya managed to clench her teeth at that kick instead of crying out. Justice was damn lucky that she didn't dump her over off of that bar stool, the skinny little heifer. She'd get hers, Naya was sure. "I-I couldn't." she said, shaking her head a little. "I wouldn't want to impose on you." And now thanks to the both of them she was thinking about lying in his bed and that was not something she needed to be fantasizing about right now, damn it.
"Thank you for the offer though. I just couldn't put you out like that. I'll be fine, I won't be wasted when I leave here, you know when to cut me off. Just remember if I start dancing on the tables and the bar it's been one drink too many." she laughed. Rubbing her leg where she'd been kicked, she gave a sidelong glance at Justice. Damn that evil little wench.
“It’s not imposing, honest,” Gabe said, still smiling. “I know Dex’d be glad of the company. I’m stuck here until close, he gets lonely upstairs.” Dex lifted his head at the mention of his name, cocking his head to one side and eyeing his human hopefully. His tail thumped loudly against the floor, and he let out a little whine. Gabe looked down, and laughed. “See? Even Dex wants you to.” He gestured to the dog. “How can you say ‘no’ to that face?” He didn’t want to push, though. As lovely as the thought of having Naya in his bed was, he knew it’d be nothing more than that. Nothing more than him doing her a favor.
Justice kicked Naya again gently, as she opened her mouth to answer. Giving her a warning glare while Gabe’s attention was on the dog, Justice replied, “She’d love to. That’s very kind of you.”
Pulling out her phone on the pretence of checking it, she sent Naya a text. “JUST TAKE THE DAMN OFFER. IT’S THE CLOSEST YOU’RE GONNA GET TO HIS BED. TRY BEING NAKED WHEN HE GETS IN. THAT MIGHT WORK.” sending the text, she set her phone down on the bar. Gabe eyed her, his gaze slipping down to her neck, and the bitemark there.
“So where’s your boyfriend tonight?” He teased, beyond amused. He’d known Justice and the detective were into one another;; the tension between the two of them had been ridiculous.
She was just about to open her mouth to reject the offer again because she really didn't want to make things difficult for the man, but then Justice piped up and gave an answer for her. "I can't." she said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be fair to put you out of your own bed for me." she said. Even if she really wanted to get into his bed and just roll around in that gorgeous scent of his and...
Snap out of it Naya. she thought to herself.
Naya couldn't help but snicker at Gabe's words to Justice. Served her right. "Yeah, Justice, where's your boyfriend?" she questioned as she reached for her vibrating phone and read the text. Well played, owl, well played.
“It’s no problem,” Gabe assured Naya, pouring her another drink. “I’ve fallen asleep on that sofa plenty of times. Long as you don’t mind sharing the bed with Dex, you’re welcome to stay.” He couldn’t help but grin, though, as Naya joined in on the teasing.
“You know, if you’re trying to hide it from people,” he pointed out, gesturing to her neck, “you’re doin’ a really bad job.” He’d found her discomfort last night hilarious - now, it was even funnier. Justice just glared at the two of them.
“I hate you both,” she growled, combing her hair forward over her shoulders. “Almost much as I hate him. Stupid lion and his stupid alpha pheremones.” She glared at her pint.
Gabe winced, sharing a look with Naya, arching an eyebrow. “I take it the honeymoon period’s over, then?” He asked her.
"Well if that's how you hate people, I'd hate to be someone you liked." Naya teased, a smirk sliding over her lips. Turning her attention back to Gabe, she drew in a breath. "Okay, I'll stay. But only for the one night and I get the couch." she said. "I'm not putting you out of your bed in your own home."
Gabe shook his head. “My momma’d kill me if she knew I let a lady sleep on the couch. No way. Sheets are clean on, I promise.” He held up his hand, grinning at her. “Scout’s honor.” Not that he’d been a scout, but the point still stood. There was no way he was letting her sleep on the couch. And if part of his motivation was being able to spend tomorrow night sleeping on sheets that smelt like her...well, no one had to know that except him.
“There was no honeymoon period,” Justice grumped, responding to his earlier comment. “He’s an asshole, he’s not my boyfriend, and it’s not happening again.” Gabe wordlessly poured her a large shot of bourbon, sliding it across the bar to her.
“Too bad,” he said. “You guys looked good together.” Just because he was straight, didn’t mean he couldn’t tell when a guy was attractive, and they’d made a very attractive couple. Plus, the pheremones coming off the two of them had been ridiculous.
"She'll be singing a different tune when he's got her hooting in pleasure." she smirked, drinking the rest of her drink until it was empty and dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. "She's stubborn and he's stubborn and they're both all angsty. I swear I don't know why I'm paying for satellite television when I can just follow Justice around now." she teased. She knew that Justice was having a hard time with Jason, but the simple way she talked about him, even in anger, said that she cared for the man. Even a blind person could see that.
“I do not hoot!” Justice protested, tossing back the shot and wordlessly sliding it across the bar to Gabe. “Screech, maybe. Hoot, no. Barn owls don’t hoot.” She glared at Naya, “Just because you squeak when you’re getting laid...”
“Okaaaaay...” Gabe interrupted, clearing his throat. He didn’t really want to know what Naya sounded like in bed. That way madness lay.
“You guys wanted food, right?” He looked between them, rubbing his hands. “What can I get you?” He poured Justice another bourbon as he spoke, hoping she’d take this one a little slower.
"I don't squeak." Naya corrected. "I growl and bite and scream. And maybe squeak if it's good and I can't even muster the energy to scream." she shrugged. Whatever, it was the truth. Might as well be honest.
As for Gabe's question, she smiled and turned her attention to him again. "Cheese fries." she told him. Yeah, that sounded pretty damn delicious to her right about now. Eyes flicking to Justice, she sighed. "You'll have to take me to my car when we're done here so I can get some clothes from my place and come back here."
Gabe nearly spilt half of Justice’s drink at Naya’s words, grabbing a cloth to clean it up. “Well,” he said, forcing a teasing grin onto his face, “I’ll know not to come in if I hear any growls or screaming coming from my bedroom tonight, then.” He handed Justice her drink, grabbing a pad out of his pocket to write down their order.
“Cheese fries for you...and for the frustrated birdie?” He flashed another grin at Justice, completely impervious to the scowl she levelled at him.
“Chicken wings and fries,” she said, taking a smaller sip of the bourbon. The thought of drowning her sorrow in booze was a very tempting one, but she knew she’d have to work tomorrow, and the thought of doing it with a hangover was horrendous. Besides, watching Gabe and Naya completely fail to pick up on each other’s signals was much too entertaining. She’d seen that fumble, even if Naya hadn’t, along with the affectionate glances that she was sure Gabe had no idea he was even throwing Naya.
"Well if those sounds were going on in your bedroom, I'd hope that you were in there helping make them." Naya pointed out with a bit of a shrug. It was true. If she was making those sounds, she'd like some help in doing so. As for his fumble with the drink, she thought he just had a moment of clumsiness and paid no mind to it.
Gabe just chuckled, assuming that she was joking. He wasn’t going to hit on her, not when he’d just offered her a place to stay. That was way beyond creepy. Ripping their order off the pad, he walked to the other end of the bar, passing it through to the kitchen. He got caught by a couple of other orders, and spent the next few minutes filling drinks orders down at the opposite end to Justice and Naya.
“I can’t believe that’s Coop. The Coop,” Justice whispered to Naya, her back to Gabe. “The Coop you’ve been obsessing about for months, and yet tried to turn down the chance to sleep in his bed!” She kicked Naya’s chair. “You’d think you didn’t want to get laid...” She was doing all she could to get Gabe and Naya together - even before knowing he was her friend’s crush object, she’d thought they would make a good couple.
"I do." she sighed. "But he's obviously not interested. He's just being nice. I've flirted, I've worn tight clothes with my tits practically hanging out and put on display and he's just be nice and sweet and always a gentleman and damn it I don't know what else to do. I'm not forcing myself on him and now, thanks to you, I'm going to have to sleep in his bed and smell his unbelievably deliciousness all night and then trudge off to a hotel room tomorrow with my fuzzy little tail hanging low." she muttered. Lovely, just perfect.
Glancing down the bar, she sighed and looked at him longingly. "What else am I supposed to do to get his attention?" she questioned. "He barely knows I'm alive and he's just... beautiful." Guys like that could have their choice of girls and while she knew she was pretty, even if not a tiny little thing, she doubted that she was his type.
“Maybe it’s because you’re a customer?” Justice suggested, thinking it likely. “He probably thinks it’s inappropriate. Look at the guy, he’s practically got ‘country manners’ written all over him.” She nodded down the bar, to where he was laughing and shaking his head as a girl beckoned to him, pouting at him over the bar. He held up his hand, passing over her drink while being very careful to keep out of (grabby) hands’ reach.
Shaking his head, Gabe headed back down the bar towards Justice and Naya, blowing out a breath.
“Swear to God, if I was a girl, I’d have taken half the people in here to court for harassment by now...” he complained, setting a glass under one of the taps, pouring a pint of Guinness as another familiar face walked through the door.
“Take a seat, Johnny, I’ll bring it over,” he called out, nodding as the guy smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
“...do I have a sign on my back that says ‘please molest the bartender’?” he continued, grumpily, “or is it just written in damn neon over my head?”
"Maybe." she sighed, looking back over at Justice. "He is all country manners. I swear the man is never out of the way with me, even when I want him to be. He's just sweet and kind and all rumbly and... I'm ridiculously addicted to this man, I swear it. I don't come here for the booze, I come here for the bartender." Which was definitely the truth. She could have put the liquor down and never touched another drop so long as she got to stare at his cuteness all night.
Naya's jaw clenched a little at the bimbo down the way and it took all her self restraint to not get up and claw her ass. Bitch. But she had no claim to Gabe and she knew it. She couldn't act like a jealous girlfriend when she was barely a jealous friend.
She smiled at his words, and shook her head a little. "Oh what a hard life you lead." she teased and waited until he'd turned to retrieve the drink for the man who'd walked in. Mustering up her courage, she leaned over the bar and gave his ass a little smack. Quickly settling back into her seat, a grin slipped over her lips. "Sorry." she told him. "It's a sign. Right there on your back. I had to obey."
Gabe actually yelped as she smacked his ass, the sound lost under Justice’s peal of filthy laughter. He turned around, glaring at Naya - the expression was ruined somewhat by the fact that he was clearly trying not to laugh.
“Don’t make me bar you,” he warned, pointing a finger at her. He finished pouring the Guinness, opening the hatch in the bar to carry it round to Johnny’s table. Dex, taking advantage of the gap, slunk around to sit at Naya’s feet, leaning his head against her leg and whining pathetically, looking like he’d never had a kind word or pat in his life.
Justice, meanwhile, was sniggering into her beer. “I think you just made my day,” she said to Naya. It felt good to laugh, after the last couple of days. Which reminded her; she still hadn’t told Naya her other news.
“I really needed to laugh. Because, by the way, I’m also going to be a grandmother in about nine months or so.” She confided, smiling wryly at Naya.
Naya grinned at Gabe's reaction. It felt good to be that courageous, but again it had been a failed attempt at flirting. Sigh.
When Dex slipped around and put his head against her leg, she smiled at him. "You should put in a good word for me, pretty boy." she told him as she petted him between his ears. "He'll never like me if he doesn't know I like him. Bite him or something." she laughed.
Her laugh, however, was cut pretty short by Justice's other news. "Oh wow." she said, blinking a little. "Lucas knocked somebody up? Did you murder him? I'll be sure to fudge the report when his body rolls over the slab." she teased, knowing well and good perhaps she shouldn't have said that, but a grandmother? Before forty? What was that boy thinking?
Justice sighed, slumping forward over the bar, staring into her beer as if it held all the answers.
“Yeah, his girlfriend. Who has less backbone than a jellyfish.” She shook her head. She still had no idea what Lucas saw in Alanna. She couldn’t help but smile a little at Naya’s other questions.
“I nearly murdered him, yeah.” She sighed again. “He’s grounded for the next few weeks, until I get fed up of him moping around the house.” She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back off her face. “I’m 36, Naya. In what world is that old enough to be a fucking grandmother?”
Gabe came back just in time to hear Justice’s last couple of sentences, and winced.
“Ouch. You want another bourbon?” He headed back round to the hatch, having to squeeze between Naya and another customer to get there, placing his hand on the small of her back. “‘Scuse me, darlin’,” he murmured in her ear, doing his best not to trip over Dex as he slid past, stepping back behind the bar.
“C’mon boy, before you trip someone up.” He clicked his fingers and Dex sighed, reluctantly pulling away from the nice lady who petted him, and trotting back behind the bar.
She didn't envy her friend. "This is why I'm actually okay with not having teenage children right now." she said to her friend. While she wanted children, she was decidedly too young to be a grandmother and so was Justice for that matter. "What's he planning on doing about it?" she questioned. She knew Justice's past and hoped that Lucas was an apple closest to Justice's tree and not his father the douche canoe's side.
Naya bit her lower lip as Gabe pressed his fingers to the small of her back and whispered in her ear. Shivers ran down her spine and back up again and she was sure and certain that all the blood in her body was pooling either in her face or between her thighs. God he was so evil!
“Yes, please, more booze.” Justice pushed the shot glass towards Gabe again, liking the nice man that kept giving her hard liquor. She arched an eyebrow at her friend - she may be acting cool, but that wave of lusty hormones was fooling no one.
Gabe poured Justice another drink, gaze flicking up to Naya as he caught that scent as well. Nah, couldn’t be because of him. She’d have reacted that way if any guy had touched her. He had to keep telling himself that, because the alternative was leaning over the bar right now and pulling her into a kiss.
“I’m just gon’ go check on your food, ladies,” he explained, making a hasty retreat into the kitchen.
As he retreated again, she sighed. "See!" she said to her friend. "I smell like 'fuck me right now on this bar in front of all these people' and he's all 'gonna check your food'." she muttered, shaking her head a little. "He's not interested and he's just being polite." Which made her feel like an idiot as she crossed one leg over the other in effort to hide any scent coming off of her.
Justice snorted. “He’s interested,” she said. “Trust me. He’s just being all shy and stupid, because he’s male, and that’s what guys do.” Here was the voice of bitter, angry, and getting-slightly-drunk experience. “Look, that girl down there was actually beckoning to him over the bar, and he just laughed at her. Did he laugh at you? No.” She pointed to where Gabe had disappeared. “He looked flustered, and ran away. Because he doesn’t know how to act around you. Ergo, he likes you.” Justice nodded firmly.
Naya supposed that Justice had a point. He hadn't laughed at her, but he'd laughed at the bimbo. That was a good sign she supposed. "Okay, well maybe your lion is flustered and he doesn't know how to act around you." she commented in return. Tit for tat damn it. And it was probably true. "I think you should call the guy. Talk to him at least. Even if you don't go over there or anything, at least give him a chance to explain why he was rude or whatever to you, yeah?" she said. "If I can spend the night with this guy, you can talk to your lion."
Justice sighed. She hated when Naya was the voice of reason.
“Damnit, how did I know you were gonna use this against me?” She grumbled, looking into her half-empty glass of beer. “I don’t know what to say to him. ‘Hi, sorry I was weird at work, but I’ve had people whispering behind my back all morning?’ he’s gonna think I’m an idiot.” She looked at Naya. “And I still think he’s an idiot for coming up to me in front of people in the first place.”
Luckily for Justice, Gabe was back with their food before Naya had a chance to badger her into calling Jason straight away.
“Here we are,” he said, “cheesy fries for you, and chicken wings and fries for you.” he laid the plates down in front of them, along with some ketchup. “Now, can I get you anything else?”
Naya thought that perhaps that was exactly what Justice should tell Jason, but she didn't get the chance to say as much because there was Gabe with their food and that sexy rumble of a voice he had. "I think Justice could use some therapy." she smiled. "Know any good shrinks?"
Gabe just snorted, leaning on the bar.
“I’m a bartender, darlin’. I’m the next best thing. Plus,” he poured her another glass of rum and ice. “I have booze.” he waggled the bottle at her, then set it back down behind him, pushing the glass towards her.
“So, why’d you need therapy?” He cocked his head, looking at Justice. “Besides getting fucked six ways to sunday by asshole lions.” He grinned, teasing her. He knew damn well Jason wasn’t really an asshole; he suspected Justice knew it too.
Justice sighed, stripping the flesh off a chicken wing with her nails.
“Because he’s the first guy I’ve slept with in ten years,” she admitted, “and he’s technically my superior right now. And my idiot coworkers are even bigger assholes than him, who’re gonna make my life hell for the next few weeks at least because of this,” she gestured to her split lip, the bite on her throat.
"I guess there's going to be a lot of reaming I'll need to do." Naya said with a sigh. "I'll just start with one end of the precinct and work my way to the other. Slapping guys and growling until they get the picture. They can only get to you if you think it's wrong, and it's not wrong so stop thinking it is. So what if he's your superior, doesn't matter. You had this job way before you slept with him and honestly it's your business who you sleep with in the first place. Cuss a couple of assholes out, punch someone and you'll feel much better, trust me. And if Jason knows about all of that mess and is letting it go on under his nose, he's an asshole and you're better off without him." She wasn't sure all the things that Jason did or didn't know about the situation and honestly believed that he might be unaware of it.
"You just said guys were oblivious and they are, so tell him what's going on or else he'll never know." she shrugged. Picking up a fry, she popped it into her mouth and let out a sigh. Yeah, the rant hadn't been meant to come out, but it was already there so whatever. She wasn't going to apologize. "I love you, Justice, but you need to kick ass and take some names and worry about the repercussions later. You like him, even if you don't want to admit it. You're scared of being hurt again and you're scared he's going to use you or turn out to be like Lucas's father and you haven't given him a chance to prove he's not." Blinking a little at herself she sighed. "Maybe I should have been a bartender." she commented, smiling over at Gabe.
Gabe just stared at Naya, blinking. He nodded, corner of his mouth tugging up in a slight grin.
“Yeah, I’m definitely thinking you’re in the wrong career...” He was impressed; and it was just another reason that he liked Naya. He looked at Justice, who was still tearing her chicken wing to shreds.
“What she said. Call him, explain that you’re dealing with assholes, and you didn’t want to give them any more ammunition. If he’s the guy he seems, he’ll understand.” He grinned a little more wickedly. “And if he doesn’t, I’ll spit in his chicken wings the next time he walks in here.”
Justice couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.” She looked from Gabe to Naya. And sighed. “I should phone him, I guess.” She wiped her hands clean, picking up her beer and taking a generous gulp.
“Okay. I’m...gonna go outside and do that. You two behave while I’m gone.” She grabbed her phone and headed for the door, smacking Naya’s ass as she walked past.
Naya was pleased with herself. And she thought Jason owed her a beer after all of that. He really was a decent guy from what she knew of him and she doubted that he knew all of what was going on from Justice's side of the situation. It would be good for her to let the man in. She needed someone especially now.
She laughed a little when Justice made sure to smack her back side before leaving. "Now if only I could give myself good dating advice, we'd be set." she smiled.
Gabe chuckled, both at Justice trying to psych herself up to calling Jason, and at the ass-smack.
“Aw c’mon, don’t tell me you can’t get a date,” he teased her, clearing away a couple of empty glasses, abandoned on the bar. “If a gorgeous girl like you can’t find someone, what chance is there for cranky old sonsabitches like me?” He knew he had girls hitting on him regularly; he also knew that being a bartender was only a couple steps down from being a bouncer, or a DJ. He was the Provider of the Booze, and therefore automatically attractive.
He’d have loved to have heard her answer, but unfortunately the place was starting to get busier, and the crowd down at the other end of the bar had finished their round of drinks.
“I’ll be back, you just keep an eye out for your friend,” he said, smiling as he headed down the bar to deal with them.
Justice headed outside, taking a few steps away from the front door as she pulled Jason’s card out of her pocket. She dialled his cellphone number, pacing as she held the phone up to her ear, chewing on her fingernail. She was really hoping he was there; the little bit of Dutch courage she’d gotten from the bourbon was starting to fade in the cold evening air.
Jason was sitting in his chair, pretending to watch the football rerun and not really eating his food. It had gone cold awhile ago. Chloe would be home in about half an hour, and God only knew how the rest of the night would go since he’d screwed up his talk with Charlie. God, was he really so hard to talk to? What else wasn’t she telling him, if she couldn’t be honest with him when he asked her to be? Jesus, he needed...something. The beer he’d been nursing wasn’t doing it, but it was all he had in the house.
And now Justice as calling him. Jason refused to admit how much better that made him feel. Maybe she had just shut him down because they were working. With the trend his day was taking, he wasn’t getting his hopes up. “Hey,” he greeted awkwardly. “What’s up?” Hopefully he didn’t sound as bad as he felt right now.
“Hi,” Justice answered, looking down at her feet. “Um, not much. I uh, I went out for a drink with Naya,” she wasn’t actually sure if Jason knew the M.E. personally, or had only spoken to her in passing. Hell, she didn’t even know if he knew her first name. “We got chatting, and uh. I think I owe you an apology.” She hated this, hated that she was stammering and unsure. Phones were the bane of her life; she needed to see someone, to be able to smell them, to know how her words were coming across.
“Ask her where my report is,” he grumbled, even though he knew she was busy and stuff. He was having the worst day in years and Jason knew he shouldn’t be taking it out on Naya, but he was doing it anyway. Then Justice said that. “What?” He sounded surprised. “You haven’t done anything to me you need to apologize for.” She wasn’t apologizing for shutting him down earlier. Not when he’d been just as bad.
“I kinda have,” she insisted, wanting to get this out before she chickened out, changed her mind. “I was sort of a bitch to you on the roof. I shouldn’t have been like that.” She sighed, leaning against the wall, feet crunching against the gravel.
“I just...had a really rough morning. A bunch of idiots in the locker room when I was getting changed, and then Riggs was getting in my face before I’d even got a cup of coffee...” She grinned. “On the plus side, I did threaten to rip his balls off if he said anything about me. Pretty sure he believes me. So uh...yeah. I was in a shitty mood, and then you were on my case about being late and...” she shrugged, even knowing he couldn’t see it.
“Ergo, I was a bitch.”
So help him God, he was going to make Riggs eat pavement if he didn’t let up on her. And then Justice would be pissed at him because of some feminazi ideal of where she apparently had to put up with being disrespected to be equals or some shit he didn’t believe it. “Even your vision’s not that good,” he growled. “Way too small a target.”
He went quiet at her words and took a deep breath before replying. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset,” he said. “Not about you being late. I was scrambling people waiting for you, hence me being growly because I could only cover for so long and I didn’t want somebody else getting credit for finding it.” He shrugged, similarly, just because she couldn’t see the gesture, didn’t mean he didn’t make it. “I know you don’t want more shit. I wasn’t trying to make them be bigger assholes. But I was concerned. I am not a complete asshole, no matter what you might think.” Yeah, he wasn’t any better at this than she was.
“I don’t,” she murmured. “You’re not an asshole.” She laughed softly. “Even if I was telling Gabe - Coop - whatever the guy’s name is - that you are one.” She sighed. “We’re both kinda fucked up. It’s...yeah. It’s just hard to not assume you’re gonna be an asshole like everyone else.” She had plenty of experience with shit guys disappointing her. If Jason managed not to, he’d be the first.
“You don’t know the half of it,” he muttered when she said they were both fucked up. “Okay, I am going be a bit hurt by that. I know you’ve had a hard time with men, but please, I’ll do enough on my own to fuck things up without needing you waiting for me to do it because every other guy has been an ass to you. So please, stop expecting me to do something like that. I like you enough to take a chance of having my daughters give me the cold shoulder for whoever knows how long they think I need for being punished for needing to have a fucking life, I am not going to dump you on your ass. I am not like that.”
Justice was a little taken aback by what Jason said - but he sounded stressed, and she had a feeling his day hadn’t been any easier than hers. That was just about the only thing that stopped her snapping at him.
“I’ll try,” she said at last. “I can’t promise you any more than that, Jason. I’ve been burned too many times. But I’ll try and trust you.” He’d said last night that he didn’t blame her for not trusting men; she couldn’t suddenly change her mind, and believe every word that he said. The second half of what he’d said was just starting to sink in.
“So I guess going home last night didn’t go too well?” She asked, wondering how bad it had been. Considering his eldest had assumed he was on a date, she couldn’t imagine her taking well to her dad first of all saying he wasn’t, and then coming home looking the way he had.
Yeah, well saying everything wrong today was par for the course for him. Jason was just too tired and worried to have his filter in place. And it did hurt, he wasn’t about to lie to her about it. “Thank you,” he agreed, since he couldn’t really ask anymore of her. As for her question. “No, Chloe was disturbingly okay with it,” he admitted. “Having my teenage daughter giving me sound dating advice at midnight was a new experience I could have lived without, but it went better than I expected.” He sighed. “I tried to talk to Charlie this afternoon and completely fucked it up. She acted like I told her I don’t love her anymore or something. She shut me down and out and wouldn’t even argue with me when I tried to pick a fight with her to make her talk to me.” It was just a mess. Period.
Justice couldn’t help but snicker when she heard about the conversation with Chloe. Yeah, dating advice from your kid was awkward. Probably not quite as awkward as the conversation she’d had with Lucas this morning, but still.
“Y’know, picking a fight isn’t usually the best way to convince someone to see your point of view,” she pointed out, dryly. “Just give her time. She’s probably worried you’ll be away from home more. Also, I see your teenage dating advice and raise you talking to your son when you both know he heard you getting your brains fucked out.” At least Lucas had been focusing on Homecoming, and getting ungrounded...it would have been ten times worse if he hadn’t been trying to butter her up.
“And then him using emotional blackmail to try and get un-grounded in time for Homecoming. Yeah, that was fun.” Her day had just been superb from start to finish.
Jason let out a little snarl. “I’ve had easier chats with perps who lawyered up as soon as we sat down,” he retorted. “She wouldn’t talk to me, wouldn’t look at me, except once, to look at me like I just ripped her heart out. Then slammed every door in my face and I was desperate. I said I fucked up. Okay?” Yeah, he knew Justice wasn’t trying to ride his case, but he didn’t need the help right now. He was beating himself up enough.
He couldn’t help but snort at that. “Yeah, that’d be pretty bad,” he admitted. “I’m glad he didn’t give you too much shit. Sorry, bad day.” Jason was probably not in the best of moods to be talking to anyone, let alone the woman who clearly wasn’t sure if she wanted anything to do with him. He let out a long breath
Justice was close to hanging up the phone on him when he snarled and snapped at her. Only Naya’s words, and the promise she’d made to herself to at least try and sort things out with Jason, kept her on the phone.
“Yeah,” she replied softly, sounding a little hurt. “Bad day for both of us. Look, I’m gonna let you go. Sounds like you have a ton of stuff to deal with.” She tucked her hand into her pocket, scuffing her foot against the ground.
And this would be conversation number two he’d totally fucked up by saying the wrong thing today. Great. Jason was about ready to just stop talking to people at this rate. “I am not angry at you, Justice,” he told her heavily. “I just-” Yeah, he couldn’t even describe how he felt right now. “I’m sorry. Thanks for calling, though. Later.” Better to quit while he was behind than keep going and make it worse.
“Yeah, later,” she murmured, hanging up the phone. Funny, she’d thought speaking to him would make her feel better. Or at least make her day seem less shit. Yeah....it hadn’t really worked out that way. Roughly scrubbing her fingers through her hair, she headed back into the bar, sliding back onto her stool beside Naya.
“Double bourbon, please?” She asked Gabe, as he headed back towards them.
Gabe winced, and poured the drink, placing it down in front of her.
“It went that well, huh?” He murmured. “I’m sorry.” He’d really thought phoning Jason would’ve been a good idea. Well, he couldn’t be right every time. “Hey, remember what I said - chicken wings, spit. You just let me know.” He winked at her, trying to raise a smile.
Naya held out her hand. "Give me your phone." she said simply. "Don't even think about arguing with me, just do it. Because the other option is I search for his address via the precinct and I'm not in the mood to trudge over to his place. Phone. Now." She was tired of the pussy (and owl) footing around, damn it. They liked each other and apparently they were both oblivious, or Jason was an ass, one of the two. Either way she wanted to find out for herself.
Justice tossed back the bourbon, holding her phone out of Naya’s reach.
“No,” she argued. “He’s in a shitty mood, I’m a shitty mood, and I don’t want to make things any worse than they already are.” She shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but...yeah. He nearly bit my head off when I tried to make a joke. He’s not gonna react well if you start prying.”
Gabe folded his arms.
“Hate to say it darlin’,” he murmured, “but I’m on the scary owl’s side here.” He’d only met Jason once, but the guy had been a force to be reckoned with. “I wouldn’t wanna catch that guy on a bad day.”
Naya collected her coat and got out the money for her food and drinks and placed it on the counter. "You know, maybe he's in a bad mood because you were rude to him and pushed him away like you do to everyone that tries to help you. I wasn't going to yell at him, I was going to explain to him that you've had nothing but heartache your whole damn life and it's made you jaded and rude and bitchy but that you're worth the try if he's willing to hold on for a bit. I'm gonna get a cab to my car and then I'll stay in a hotel tonight. Thanks for the drinks and the food. Goodnight."
It was one thing to be annoyed at Justice, but it didn't help that Gabe was in agreement and made her feel like she was being a bitch. She hadn't intended to do anything negative as far as Jason was concerned and the fact that they both seemed to think so hurt her feelings. Putting on her coat, she turned and headed for the door.
“Naya...” Gabe called after her, face falling. Great. And he couldn’t exactly run after her, because he had to serve the 5 customers that were lining up, all trying to catch his attention. He growled in frustration, a low rumble that shook the empty glass in front of Justice. Jaw clenched, he headed down the bar. Goddamnit, he hoped this guy was worth all the trouble he was causing.
Justice slipped off her bar stool, running after Naya.
“Naya, please....c’mon, stop.” She grabbed hold of her friend’s arm, turning her around. “It’s not that I’m not grateful,” she explained. “I probably wouldn’t have called him at all if you hadn’t talked me into it.” She sighed, brushing her hair back behind her ears.
“But I’m tired, and so’s he, and we just ended up snapping at one another. He knows I’m sorry for being rude to him today, and he apologised for being a dick. Maybe...” she shrugged. “Maybe if I give him time to cool off, work things out, then we can go from here.” She reached out, squeezing Naya’s arm.
“But you calling him now is just gonna make him think that I’ve badmouthed him to people. And he’s not gonna take kindly to that.”
"I wasn't going to yell at him." she told her. "I wasn't even going to be mean, I was going to try and make it fit together like it's supposed to, damn it." she sighed. "This. This is exactly why I surround myself with dead people. They're so much more cooperative." She shook her head a little and tucked her own hair behind her ears, letting out a frustrated noise.
"You should go home. You should sleep. As a matter of fact you should soak in a hot tub with bubbles and smelly stuff and you should just relax and then sleep and then get up in the morning and walk into the precinct and just kiss this bastard. You like him, Justice. And if he's got any sense in the world, he likes you too. Don't mess it up because of the past. It's not fair to him, but it's also not fair to you. You're thirty-six years old, for crying out loud. You've got a grandchild on the way and you could use something that's yours for once. You light up when you talk about him even when you're angry and that's got to mean something."
She drew in a long breath and let it out slowly as she reached out to hug her friend. "I love you, but you have locked yourself away in a tower and used Lucas as your reasoning for it. He's old enough to make a baby and be a man now and you've done your job, honey. You need to start putting yourself first for once, okay?"
Justice was vaguely horrified to find herself near tears. She hugged Naya tightly, sniffling.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve you as a friend,” she mumbled into Naya’s hair, “but I’m so glad I did it.” She squeezed, tighter. Naya had always been the voice of reason in her life, the one that had pulled her out of her shell when she’d arrived in DC, pregnant and scared. Everything she had now, she owed to Naya.
“C’mon, come back and let me grab my coat. We can pick up your stuff, and the taxi can drop you back here.” She pulled back, reaching up to tug a lock of Naya’s hair affectionately.
“He likes you, hon. He looked like someone had kicked his dog when you walked away just now.” She placed both her hands on Naya’s shoulders. “Maybe you should listen to your own advice for once, hm? Stop daydreaming about Coop. Use this opportunity. The worst that happens is that he blushes, says no politely, and it’s awkward for a couple days. Best case scenario? You end up with the guy you’ve been drooling over for months.”
Naya sighed. It wasn't that easy, darn it. But it should be. Even if she wasn't so sure he looked all that bad when she walked away. Still, if she ever wanted Justice to heed her advice, she was going to have to follow it herself. "Fine. But if he doesn't try to bed me tonight, I give up." she told her with a little smirky smile. "Okay, so I won't give up, but it sounded nice."
Justice smiled, still sniffing lightly. “C’mon, you,” she said, looping her arm through Naya’s, tugging her back to the bar. “Look who I caught up with,” she said, grinning at Gabe. Gabe’s smile just about lit up the room when he looked past Justice to see Naya.
“You guys kissed and made up?” He teased, tidying away their plates. “Go get your stuff,” he said to Naya. “Come back in here when you get back, I’ll let you up the back stairs. You can take Dex with you for company.”
Her knees felt a little weak when he smiled at her like that. "Okay." she told him. "But only because I wanna cuddle with Dex. Sorry for storming away. Sometimes being as awesome as me is just difficult to deal with and I have to take a step back before I explode from the sheer magnitude of my amazingness."
Gabe chuckled.
“I’m sure Dex won’t mind. Attention whore that he is. Aren’t you?” He looked down at Dex, who lifted his head, headbutting Gabe’s leg to try and demand scritches. Sighing, Gabe looked up at Naya, obediently scritching behind Dex’s ears. “See what I mean?” He straightened, ignoring the affronted whine as his hand slipped away.
“And don’t worry about storming away.” He grinned. “What’s the saying again? Hate to see you go...love to watch you leave...” There might have been a hint of a blush in his cheeks, Gabe’s teeth catching at his lower lip as he smiled. It was as close to real flirting as he’d ever got with Naya, but something about what she’d said to Justice has resonated with him. He was tired of watching hookup after hookup, consoling singletons from behind the bar. It was about damn time that he did a little living himself.
Justice, meanwhile, was just about grinning from ear to ear. They were flirting! Real, proper flirting, like real proper grownups. “C’mon, bootylicious,” she teased Naya. “Sooner we go, sooner you can come back here and snuggle with -Dex.” There was a momentary pause before she said Dex, and Justice grinned not-so-subtly at Gabe.
Naya couldn't even think of a reply other than to smile so broadly that her cheeks ached. By the time she could regain the ability to talk, Justice was telling her it was time to go so she simply smiled again. "I'll be back." she promised as she and her friend turned to go. "See you."
Gabe just nodded, still grinning. “Yeah, see you,” he replied, ducking his head, grinning down at the bar. Hell, maybe tonight wasn’t going to be so bad after all. Blowing out a breath, trying to refocus himself on his actual job, he looked up again, smiling a little less brilliantly as someone came up to the bar.
“Yeah, what can I get you?” He asked, determinedly not watching Justice and Naya walk out the door.