Who: Reed and Lucia (Neptune and Ma'at are silent) When: Sunday, March 4, 2012 | just after midnight Where: eventually Lucia's apartment What: text message leads to phone call leads to a visit
Text to Reed when: 3/3/12 12:03 am message: hey. are you awake?
Text to Lucia when: 3/3/12 12:06 am message: yeah. cant sleep, you?
Text to Reed when: 3/3/12 12:09 am message: nope. not sleepy. how are you?
Text to Lucia when: 3/3/12 12:09 am message: kinda drunk
Text to Reed when: 3/3/12 12:11 am message: me too...not really. bad day.
Reed watched as the message appeared on his phone and thought for a minute about what to do. He’d tried several times to construct a reply, but no words would come. Finally, he just hit the call button.
“Hello?” Lucia was laying sprawled on her sofa, wine on the table. She had been thinking of Reed. “I had wine and tequila.” She said inanely as she smiled at the ceiling.
“I had a lot of whiskey. Popcorn too.” It wasn’t settling well with his stomach, but that wasn’t the reason for his calling. “Wanna talk about your bad day?”
“I forgot to eat. But the tequila is yummy.” She giggled. Oops, she forgot that she was a giggly drunk. “No. Don’t want to talk about it. Want to forget it. Matter of fact. Wanna forget the whole week. Can we do that?”
She definitely sounded drunk, but not overly upset, and Reed had missed talking to her the past few days. So much had happened to him in that time. “Yeah. Well, not the whole week. Can we keep the part where you asked me to sit at your table?” He smiled. They’d known each other less than a week, but he missed her.
“Was that this week?” She had forgotten it had been less than a week. “Okay, we keep that and viciously kill everything from then on. “Wait. The kiss. I did like the kiss. It was consensual. “ She put emphasis on consensual but didn’t say why.
Reed thought her wording and tone was odd. “Yeah.. I hope so. I mean, wasn’t it?” God, was it not? Had she not wanted him to kiss her?
It was perfect.” Lucia held in the giggle. “I think we should just pretend the world doesn’t exist for awhile and pretend it is just us.” She twisted the fringe of the pillow, closing her eyes.
That sounded great. “I like that idea.” He was quiet for a second then admitted softly, “I like you. I wish..” he started, taking a breath afterward and then actually completing his thought this time, “That it was just you and me. Things could be different. Better.” He rolled on his side and looked at Batman sleeping. The curled up ball of fur didn’t even stir when Reed pet him.
“You cannot even begin to understand how much I wish that right now.” She wasn’t going to kill the mood or cry even though she had cried for awhile earlier. “I am very good at living in my own world. We can pretend for awhile.” She turned on the sofa, to hang her feet over the side. “Tell me something about you that no one else knows.”
He smiled. This sounded more like the girl he’d met in the cafe. Though, there was something off about her, but Reed attributed that to the alcohol. Yes, always blame it on the alcohol. “That’s hard. I think my brother knows everything there is to know about me. But, there’s a lot that no one here knows. I got the nickname Rube when I was a freshman at Purdue.”
“That’s lame.” She teased lightly as she shifted to pick up the wine glass. “How is it supposed to be a super secret if other people know it?” She drained the glass and set it aside. “Like telling you that my friends in high school called me Lucy.”
He laughed lightly and looked at the half empty bottle of whiskey on the nightstand. His room was still filled with unpacked boxes. It was dark though, that way he could look out the massive windows at the city skyline. “I’m looking at what might be one of the most amazing views there is.. and I’d still rather be looking at you. Does that count as a secret no one else knows?”
Lucia smiled, a silly wide grin that changed her completely. “You made my whole day better.” She admitted as she laid back to look at the ceiling again. “I would much rather be there drinking with you. Or you here. I would even let you take apart a random appliance.” She was teasing.
Reed’s smile grew to hear that what he’d said made things better. That’s all he wanted. He just wanted to see her as he had before things changed. “I could come over..” he suggested.
“My Gran is asleep.” She said, looking around the silent living room. She wasn’t going to say no when she had been thinking about seeing him but if she had been sober she might have been wary. “How far away from 70th and Broadway are you?”
“Oh,” he said softly, thinking that was her way of telling him no. But then Lucia asked how far he was. “Like.. I don’t know.. less than a mile and a half away?” He hadn’t calculated exactly. “I’m on 7th Ave and 49th Street. Not far.”
Lucia twisted the fringe more, smoothing her hand over the pillow. Since their big argument in the afternoon, Ma’at was silent. No advice, no courage, nothing. Lucia had all the liquid courage she needed. She cursed that the bottle was across the room. “Cab? I don’t think I can walk that far. You?” She was almost expecting him to back out.
“Wait.. cab for you or me?” He wasn’t sure if she wanted to come to his place or wanted him to visit her. He was fine either way. Reed just wanted to see her.
“Come here. It’s not far and there are no moving boxes.” She laughed. “I’m psychic, I can see the boxes littering your new place.” She was only guessing but it amused her.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I haven’t unpacked. Can’t really find the motivation. I spent the night watching TV with Lori, drinking and eating popcorn.” Overall, it was a good time. Neptune took over for a bit, flirted, but Reed put a stop to that when it became awkward for him.
“I would offer to help but I am bad at that stuff. It took months to unpack here.” She was giggling again. “I don’t think your roommate likes me. I was too blunt when I said hi.” Lucia sat up and looked down at herself. “If you come, I have to change.” She realized randomly.
“Yeah, about Lori.. I kinda promised her I’d talk to you. Could you two, you know, bury the hatchet and such? I live with her, and you’re my friend. I need you to get along.” The women had rubbed each other the wrong way, and it probably had something to do with Samuel.. who Reed was trying not to think about right now, because it would only upset him and convince him that going to see Lucia was a bad idea. “You have time. I need to put on some clothes too and then get a cab.” He would have ridden his bike, but he thought better of it once he stood up. He wasn’t so sure on his feet
“I was a little snappish to her. I did apologize.” Lucia was sheepish for a moment, looking down at the floor. “I was a little annoyed that day. Cute new guy that I met was moving in with her. Made me a little grumpy.” Lucia smiled and tried to stand up. The room spun and she sat back down. “Catch a cab. I might crawl to my bedroom.” She was giggling again.
Reed grinned when she called him cute. “She’s just my roommate. Honestly, the thing she likes best about me is that I’m not trying to sleep with her.” Reed walked in a crooked line as he searched for his jeans and sweatshirt. He’d been lying in bed in his boxers and t-shirt. He put the phone on speaker while he got his clothes on. “You sure you want me coming over? I mean, if you just wanna pass out.. that’s okay.”
“I’m not sleepy. Just can’t stand up without tripping over things.” She giggled. She was going to pay for her drinking the next morning but at least it was a Sunday. “Come over. Listen to this new CD Julia bought me and we can play the truth game or something equally silly.” She rolled off the sofa and onto the floor with a hushed giggle.
The truth game? That sounded.. dangerous. But he was still going. If she wanted him to visit, he’d visit. He still regretted letting her leave the other night. So much bad shit had happened since then. He was on a downward spiral. He needed her to pick him up. “Alright, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Don’t pass out on me.”
“I will leave the door open. 17C.” She looked toward the door which seemed a million miles away. “I won’t pass out. I will be waiting.” She was going to put on a pair of pajama bottoms and tee, the sleep dress was a little too revealing.
“Alright. See you soon,” he said softly. There was a pause before he hung up. Reed left a note on the door to his room in case Lori came looking for him later and wondered where he’d gone. He made sure Batman had some food, grabbed his keys and phone, and then took off finally. It took longer than he would have liked to catch a cab, and being a Saturday night (technically Sunday morning), it took time to get through the traffic. He would have walked if he trusted his feet. But he eventually made it to her apartment and tapped softly before turning the handle. She said she was going to leave it open, but he felt weird walking into a place he’d never been without some warning. Still, he’d feel bad actually knocking since her grandma was sleeping. “Lucia?” he asked softly.
Lucia had made it to the bedroom and back. She was dressed in pale green pajama pants and a matching tank top. When he entered, she was perched on a pillow, flipping channels on the television. She grinned and motioned him in. “Hey. I see you made it without falling down.” She laughed and patted the couch. “I got you a glass if you want wine.” So she was drunk enough to purposely ignore the whole entire week and spend time with him despite what had happened with them just 3 days before. “I hid the good appliances and electronics.” She looked around the living room with a giggle. “But if the urge strikes, we can pull out some old 8 track player that my Gran insists on keeping.”
Reed smiled immediately upon seeing Lucia. She looked so cute camped out on the couch like that. He quietly shut and locked the door behind him and walked over to join her. “I’ve had an awful lot to drink already. Maybe a little later.” He might need more to drink in order to gain the courage he needed to tell her he really wasn’t okay with just being friends. If he managed to say it. That.. well.. he’d have to see how things went. “I didn’t come here to tinker with electronics. I’d just break them all anyway. I feel like my hands aren’t working properly.” He looked over at her and gave a nudge to her shoulder with his own. “Came to see you.”
“You have a way to make me smile. After a horrible week and everything going wrong. From work to lab tests to idiot deities. And still.. you make me smile.” She sort of fell sideways when he nudged her. It was more that she had wanted to lean on him anyway but when he nudged her, it gave her the reason to.
“I should stop drinking. I am going to regret this tomorrow when I wake up on the floor and head pounding.” She was giggling. “Of course, I could drink water and then drag you out to the cafe across the street and eat. That would sober both of us up.” She was rambling but fuck, she didn’t want to screw it up and she didn’t want him to leave again at the moment.
Reed wrapped his arm around her when she leaned into him. She was smiling, but she seemed upset about something. He didn’t want to prod, because things were going well right now. They were talking and relaxed. “You make me smile too,” he admitted. It was easier to be honest with the liquor in his system.
“You want me to get you some water? I’m still capable of walking.” He didn’t know about leaving the apartment though. For starters, she was wearing pajamas.
Lucia curled into his side, inhaling long and slow. It was nice. Pretending or not, she had felt a weird connection to him. It had bothered her to walk away on Wednesday and she had thought about him first when she was bored and lonely to talk to someone. “We have yet to even make it through a date. We really need to work on that.”
“It’s okay, just sit here and hold me up.” If he stood up, she was going to fall over. The room felt a bit like it was spinning. Not very good for her empty stomach but she refused to vomit on him or near him. She would control it.
“Uh..” Okay, maybe he’d not had enough liquid courage. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Does that mean we’re dating?” Because he thought the whole ‘let’s be friends’ thing was pretty clear. And he still didn’t understand where he stood given the fact that her goddess had some eternal love thing going on with another god/vessel.
Reed continued to hold her. He even rested his cheek against her hair. She smelled nice despite all the alcohol she’d consumed. Neptune agreed, but he kept his distance from the situation as he’d promised. He wasn’t going to interfere again, especially since Reed seemed to be doing something RIGHT for once.
“Actually.” Lucia put her finger up like she was going to make a big point and the dropped her hand and laughed. “I think we should be friends. Friends who go out on random dates and see what happens?” It was hard to even say that much. She was bad at getting the words out, being drunk definitely helped. “I like you.” Which she almost choked on but she got it out.
She reached out for his hand and held it in front of her, looking down at the palm. The situation with Ma’at and Thoth wasn’t going to change and now that she knew about the reunion sex, it changed so much more. She couldn’t make promises, she was already in a tangled thing with Samuel. She liked Reed and wanted to see what would happen.
Fuck. The ‘F’ word again. Friends. Friends who sometimes go on dates with the probability that it will never work out. “I like you too. A lot.” Which was what made this so hard. He couldn’t move forward, or at least didn’t think he could, but he also couldn’t seem to step back. He was stuck here.
When Lucia took his hand, he looked down at it as well. “They’re rough. And I chew my nails all the time. It’s a bad habit. Neptune scolded me for it today. He made me visit a tailor to have suits made. He doesn’t like the way I dress. Says no one will take me seriously.”
Lucia put her hand against his, looking at the size difference. Stroking the tips of her fingers along his fingers. “Tell Neptune to stop changing things about you. You are good just the way you are.” Her voice was soft and she meant it. What did it matter if he chewed his nails? She got hers done obsessively. It didn’t make a difference. His hand reflected him. He worked hard.
“I have known you a week. I can’t walk away like I can everyone else. I don’t know why. I have other male friends and none of them have ever been here to sit with me.” She closed her eyes and tried to clear her head. The room was spinning.
His pulse quickened slightly at the feel of her fingers caressing his. How could such a simple touch do that? “I don’t know.” Reed shrugged. “I think he’s trying to help me. Not all of his ideas are bad.” Talking to Lydia had turned out okay. Better than okay. Reed was going to see her mother tomorrow to talk about all this crazy god stuff.
He was here because he was a glutton for punishment. Yep. “You sounded like you needed someone. I wanted to make sure you’re okay. I care about you.”
“I’m okay.” She said after a moment of silence. “I don’t think sharing the details of my horrific day will make things better for us. At all.” She admitted that much, still holding onto his hand. She was distracted, not even paying attention to the way her thumb stroked across his skin.
“Thank you.” She felt slightly better with her eyes closed and so kept them that way. “I think I would like an official do over for this week. No swimming, just tree climbing and Italian dinner.” She laughed lightly, turning her head to look at him. She had to shift a little, leaning against him still.
Her tone concerned him, but he still didn’t want to press his luck when they were getting along. The vagueness made him think she wouldn’t talk about it anyway. He wasn’t exactly sharing the shit that had befallen him either. Perhaps he should.
“I’d like that. I wish you could have gotten to know me better before all this happened.” And maybe things would have been different. “This week has been.. terrible. Well, not all of it.” He was glad he met her. “There’s an arms dealer interested in my project. You know that guy, Wesley Cummings? He’s Hermes. The Hermes. I mentioned the railgun to him, and he sent an arms dealer to visit me. It made it all so much more real. What I’m doing. I’ve only ever thought about if I can do it, not whether I should. Now it’s all I can think about.” He sighed. It was weighing heavily on him.
It had been a stressful week but it either involved him, her Gran or Thoth. Samuel. Whatever. Lucia knew that oversharing those details would only break their tentative friendship. He seemed to dislike Ma’at. Telling him what the goddess had done would only cause issues.
“There is still a chance. Nothing has changed, only your knowledge of the events. We can still get to know each other.” She was hopeful. “I know of him. He is friends with Hayden.. Hades.” Lucia shifted more so she was facing him more. Looking up and back was not very easy. “And now that they are looking at it, you are changing your mind? Why?” She asked, squeezing his hand. “My week was bad because we got some long awaited blood tests back for Gran and they still don’t know what’s going on.” She sighed, curling into him while they talked.
Reed frowned and looked down at her hand still in his. He rubbed his thumb over her skin absently for a moment. “Everything’s changed, Lucia. You know it has.” And this couldn’t ever work. He wanted it to. Maybe he wanted it even more now that it wasn’t possible.
“Because it’s a weapon. Yeah, it’s a project.. a scientific endeavor that challenges me, and that’s why I like it.. but in the end it’s still a weapon. It’s going to kill people. Possibly good people.” He didn’t know if he could carry that sort of responsibility for the rest of his life.
“I’m sorry about your grandmother. I’ll look at the TV soon. Maybe that will at least cheer her up.” He hoped he got to meet the woman soon. She was important to Lucia. That made her important to Reed.
Lucia frowned but she knew he was right. Everything had changed. The first day had been perfect, a random encounter between two strangers who had formed an instant connection. Then reality intruded. Lucia didn’t like Neptune and Reed didn’t like Ma’at. It seemed almost impossible to overcome. Walking away felt wrong but maybe it was the only choice for them.
She nodded, her alcohol laden brain only grasping part of the implications of the weapon. She could understand the need for weapons but at the same time they carried such devastation. In this strange new world, weapons caused mass destruction and horror. It created such imbalance to the universe.
“It’s fine. Gran has been sick for a long time. I am dealing with it better than before. She had a date today and then spent the afternoon at the Senior Center. She was smiling a lot today.” Lucia linked her fingers through his. “I don’t think even you can fix that piece of junk.”
“I won’t know until I try,” he told her softly, continuing to rub his thumb over her hand. He hugged her to him as well and kissed the top of her head. “I want to do something to help. Anything.” He was a ‘doctor’ but not of the medical variety. He couldn’t do anything for her grandmother in that sense. “If you need anything else.. I mean, even money.. just ask.” Maybe her grandmother needed to see some experts. He really didn’t know, he just knew he needed to find a way to help.
“It’s alright, Reed.” She sat up a little and looked at him. “Isis and Apollo. Their vessel’s I mean are both employed at the hospital and are helping with her case.” Her illness baffled even the ancient gods of healing. It made Lucia worry that a cure was impossible. But she wasn’t going to think about it too closely. “Thank you for offering..” She could never take anyones money even if they were struggling.
“Okay,” he nearly whispered. Reed didn’t know enough about the situation to comment further, and discussing it seemed to be upsetting Lucia. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He decided to bring up another subject. “So.. Neptune met Lydia. At the antique shop? I think he likes her.” Neptune scoffed in Reed’s head. “Yeah, definitely likes her. She called him on all his bullshit. It’s why he sent you that email, well, with my help. He’s hopeless with computers.”
“I met her briefly when Ma’at went to retrieve her scales and feather.” She could barely recall the younger girl. “He likes her?” It amused her to think of Neptune actually liking anyone other than himself. “I was really shocked by the email. I wasn’t sure what to say. He said a few hurtful things to me that I can’t really forget.”
Reed frowned. “I’m sorry for how he behaved. He’s sorry too. Well, you know.. for him.” Neptune didn’t feel terrible about it, but he didn’t want Reed’s relationship soured by anything he did either. The god was going to attempt to play nice in order to keep his vessel happy. If Reed was happy, he’d let Neptune have more freedom and possibly even the toy he so desperately desired.
“It’s alright, I understand. The transition is hard. The awakening is always traumatic.” Lucia’s voice sounded sleepy, the wine catching up with her. “Gods are incredibly selfish and do things without thinking about how it could hurt others. Ma’at is the same way.” Lucia was relaxed against him, breathing deeply. “I really hate her today. Selfish bitch.” Lucia might not have said it if she was more awake but the warmth of Reed’s body was pulling her toward utter relaxation.
Reed’s frown grew. “Do you want to talk about it? All these vague references makes me think you do.. but I’m not going to pressure you to talk about something if you don’t really want to.” He just wanted her to know that she could. He’d listen. “I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”
“Let’s just say that Ma’at did something unforgivable and it will take time for me to get over it. “ She didn’t want to give details because she didn’t think Reed would appreciate it and she wasn’t sure that she wanted him to hate Ma’at so completely when she was a real part of Lucia. “I know you would listen, thank you for that. I just need to whine about it for awhile and then get over it.” She sighed. Thankfully alcohol deadened the anger.
Unforgivable was a big deal. He was worried about just how bad it was. Ma’at was probably being quiet because of it. Reed didn’t like her. Not at all. “I won’t pry. But I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that.” Whatever it was, Lucia had been good to Ma’at. The goddess should have returned the favor.
Lucia smiled, she was sleepy and comfortable. The anger at her goddess simmering in her mind but muted by the company and by the alcohol. Ma’at had done something that Lucia would not forgive her easily for. She had deceived her and hurt her. Lucia had cried but she didn’t dwell on it. She would figure out how to forgive the goddess at some point. Lucia leaned up and kissed his cheek easily and gently. “You are too nice to me, Reed. I am very glad that you came over.. I needed someone to talk to..” She turned around and laid back, her head on his leg and feet dangling over the arm of the couch. It made her point of view weird as she stared up at him.
Reed had a dreadful feeling that she was right. He was too nice. It was a surefire way to get stuck in the friend zone for eternity. “You should sleep,” he told her softly. She needed some rest. She’d had a hard day from the sound of it. He had too, but drudging it up would not make her feel better right now. He’d keep it to himself.
“Are you going to stay for awhile?” She asked, her eyes heavy. She felt comfortable with him there but didn’t want to make him if he didn’t want to.
Reed nodded. “I’ll stay as long as you want.” Yep. Too nice. He sighed and grabbed a throw pillow to prop behind his head so he could recline slightly. He didn’t mind if Lucia slept on him. He’d probably take a nap, maybe carry her to her room later.
Lucia shifted a little to give him more room to recline, her body heavy as the mental exhaustion from the day caught up with her. It would be a few moments more before she was asleep.