InsaneJournal

Who: Liv and Dutch
What: Drinking
When: Not long after Dan moved out
Where: Random bar not The Double Tap
Rating/Warnings: Low
Status: Complete!


Lena had had a long day at work. The weekend shift was gruelling at the best of times and despite a great drinking session with a more-attractive-than-she-had-expected veterinarian, Lena’s cortisol levels had climbed rapidly after a nine-hour shift at the video-game store she worked at. So she was in need of a drink. And, as such, she’d headed to a random bar she’d never been to before and walked in. It was more packed than she’d expected and most of the stools were taken, save for one beside someone who had an aesthetic that made her stand out from the crowd.

Being British, Lena was very much of the belief that you left one stool - or seat - empty when strangers were involved but it wasn’t looking likely that she could stick to her own rule so she walked over and ordered herself a beer, tilting her head. “Hey, Hot Topic, you mind if I sit here?”

Liv’s appearance in general stood out, with her alabaster skin and platinum blonde hair. But she stood out even more now, with her black nail polish, dark make-up and clothing. All thanks to the brain she was on. But it also matched her mood.

Liv was at a bar enjoying her jalapeno margarita, heavy on the jalapeno, when she heard someone speaking to her. “Hm?” she asked looking over at the woman. “Oh go ahead. It’s as empty as my heart,” Liv went on referring to the stool beside her, free for the other woman to take.

Lena’s eyebrows lifted and she eased herself onto the stool, half tempted to just fuck it off entirely, down her drink and push someone away from the pool table but the slightly empty tone to the woman’s voice had some curious part of her settling in for what she felt might be the long haul.

“Wow, bad day?”

“Something like that,” Liv replied taking sip of her drink, slightly embarrassed by the phrase that had just come out of her mouth but there was nothing she could do about it. And then she was talking again. “This whole week has just been,” she paused waving her hand in the air. “Covered by a mist of darkness. You know?”

God what the hell was she even saying?

Lena took a sip of her beer, “Sounds like you’ve been reading too much Edgar Allen Poe,” she offered, “But I think I get it? In less poetic terms you’ve had a shit week, huh.” It was becoming a habit of hers, she was finding, asking people about their problems and sort of listening.

“Shit month,” Liv replied and with that she bit her tongue to keep herself from saying anymore nonsense. She really picked a bad time to break up with her long time, live-in boyfriend. Or she picked the wrong brain for it. Either worked. Not that she really had much choice in the brain she consumed.

“Liv, by the way.”

“Dutch,” Lena replied, holding out her hand. “Are you channelling your shitty month through demonstrative fashion or is that just an added benefit to add to your melancholy?” she asked, sipping at her beer again.

“I like to match the color of my soul,” Liv replied frown forming on her face. Man she hated the shit that came out of her mouth sometimes. But still it was better than shoplifting and getting her boyfriend - ex boyfriend?- Dan arrested. Or when she was stuck in her apartment for like a month.

“You’re the first Dutch I’ve met.” Liv commented not in a mean way, just stating a fact. The name was pretty uncommon after all.

Lena’s eyebrows, it seemed, were destined to stay somewhere around her hairline. “Right then.” Because, really, what else could one say to that? She sipped at her beer and then wet her lower lip, pushing a curl back behind her ear.

“My name’s Lena,” she offered after a moment. “But most people call me Dutch so I’m trying to just introduce myself like that. Men aren’t the most creative when coming up with nicknames.”

Now it was time for Liv to raise a brow. She was quite familiar with nicknames. Liv was short for Olivia after all and literally no one called her Olivia except her mom - who Liv hadn’t spoken to in years. But Dutch did not at all seem like a shortened version of Lena.

“Okay,” Liv said taking a sip of her extra spicy jalapeno margarita. “You are going to tell me the story behind that one.”

Lena laughed and finished off her beer in one smooth tilt of her head, putting the bottle on the bar and tapping for another, putting a crumpled bill down to cover the cost of it. Once another cold glass bottle was placed into her waiting palm, she curled her fingers around it and drew it closer.

“Bunch of guys I used to work with,” she said, “proper bloody macho bullshit guys who had no idea of just how sexist their crap was until I started calling them out on it.” She brushed her hair back behind her ear. “Not bad guys once they pulled their heads out of their arses.” She sipped at her beer and leaned her elbow on the bar. “Anyway, they started trying our different nicknames. Princess, Queenie… Duchess.”

“No offense,” Liv commented as she finished off her margarita. “But you don’t really look like a Duchess.” Though now the nickname made sense. Though she wasn’t entirely sure why the woman would want to keep it if that was how it came about.

Which led Liv to her next question. “Why do you still go by it?” she asked motioning the bartender for another drink. She had intended to just have one before going home. But well now that she as in the midst of a conversation, might as well order another drink. Besides anything to keep her from going back to that empty apartment.

“They kind of didn’t let it go,” Lena admitted. “Shortened it to Dutch after a while and that just stuck.” She lifted a shoulder, “I’ve gone by it for a stupidly long time now it feels strange to consider changing it or not answering to it.” Plus there was something about the nickname that felt right. Not that she voiced that opinion. It just felt...fitting. “But no, I agree, I definitely don’t look like a Duchess.”

She tipped her head. “What happened this week to make it so shitty?”

“Well as long as you’re okay with it,” Liv said with a shrug. She did get what it was like to go by a name for so long answering to anything else was strange. She never even introduced herself as Olivia anymore. It seemed Dutch was the same way.

The bartender brought over her drink and Liv took a long sip before answering Dutch’s question. “Boyfriend moved out,” she replied trying to sound casual about the whole thing. It wasn’t like they broke up exactly. They were just taking some time apart to figure things out. If Liv could bend her morals, or if Dan could be happy not doing jobs anymore.

Lena winced. “Shit,” she sympathised. She hadn’t ever really done the boyfriend thing before; her hookups had been anything but serious, casual all the way was, as far as she was concerned, a much better way of doing things. She sipped at her beer. “Sorry to hear that.” And she was, just because relationships didn’t work for her didn’t mean that she didn’t recognise their intrinsic value to others. “The soul comment from earlier makes a bit more sense, now.”

“It’s fine,” Liv replied a bit bitterly. She look another sip of her drink. “That’s just life.” Wasn’t much she could do about it now. And Dutch certainly didn’t walk into a bar to hear about Liv’s relationship problems.

“That is is,” Lena replied with a little nod. “And the best way to get over a broken heart is a fuckton of alcohol and casual sex.” At least, that was what she would do. “Helps you forget, for a while.”

Sex was not on the menu for Liv. Unless she ran into another zombie. Or someone else who was dead but not dead. Which wasn’t completely unlikely considering she knew two people already. But it wasn’t exactly a question you asked a random hookup. “I think I’ll just stick to the alcohol,” Liv replied emphasizing her point with another long sip.

Lena chuckled, tipping her beer towards Liv in a half-toast. “Cheers to that,” she muttered, tilting the beer and simultaneously tapping for another round for the both of them, even though Liv had only just refilled. “Next one’s on me, Liv. Just to let you know not all the world’s a raging trashfire.”

Liv raised her glass in the cheers before taking another sip. “Well clearly you aren’t,” she replied with a small smile. “Thanks for the drink.”

“Any time,” Lena said with a little grin, downing what was left of hers and running her thumb along her lower lip. “Whaddya say we finish up and head out of here, hit up something with a beat and a dance floor?” She wanted to move, and if Liv wanted to come then Lena would appreciate the company, but if not then this would likely be where they parted ways, until next time at least.

Liv wasn’t exactly in the mood for dancing. “Thanks,” Liv said with another small smile. “But I think I’m just going to stay here and drink my pain away.” Or at least attempt to. Maybe another time on a another brain. But for now? Liv just wanted to sit in her misery.

Lena nodded her head, “Fair enough.” She twirled her beer on the counter before she lifted it to her lips and downed it smoothly, with the sort of finesse only someone who’s had a lot of practise downing beers quickly held. “I hope things get better for you,” she said sincerely. “I’ll see you around, Liv.”

She slid off the stool. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Liv replied. “See you around.” And just like that Liv was alone again. Back to drinking her pain away, or at least attempting to.