"Your favorite drunk is back." Who: Maria DeLuca and Michael Guerin What: Catching up When: Late June Where: The Wild Pony Ratings/Warnings: Low/none Status: Complete
Michael hadn’t gone to The Wild Pony for a few months now, and hadn’t seen Maria. He was a shit friend and he knew it. There is no excuse for getting so wrapped up in his own life that he didn’t make time for Maria. She was probably the closest thing he had to a best friend - if you didn’t count Max and Isobel, who really he wasn’t sure if they were friends half the time or he was just a pawn for the two of them. So yeah they didn’t count. Maria was the closest thing he had to a best friend, that he also occasionally slept with.
He made his was from the garage to The Wild Pony, not bothering to shower. Maria had seen him covered in grease plenty of times, he doubted she cared. And really now that he knew he needed to go see her, he just wanted to be there already. Not waste his time showering off the day.
He made his way right up to the bar, small smirk on his face as he waved Maria over. “You’re a sight for sore eyes,” he said lightly with a grin on his face.
Maria had wondered what became of Michael. He’d been a staple in her bar for years, and she rather keenly felt his absence. Not that she missed him or anything, but she had wondered where he’d gone to. Sure, she could have called him, but he could have called her too, and as far as Maria was concerned, if he disappeared out of her life then that was his problem and she didn’t need to go chasing after him like some moonstruck teenager.
The band, some garage rock band made up of teenagers who could do with some improving, though at least they were trying their best, was playing when Michael walked in, but other than raising an sceptical eyebrow, she didn’t react when he sat down. She started, and finished pouring a pint for one of her regulars who hadn’t asked for a new drink yet but probably would soon, and then made her way back to Michael. “I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked.
Michael inwardly grimaced. Yeah he deserved that. He may have been dealing with a lot of shit lately. People from his past showing up and leaving him again, dreams about being a fucking alien, waking up with a cross burned onto his skin - but that was no excuse. He knew Maria had her own struggles, was dealing with shit too. He had just been a bad friend.
Even though Michael felt bad for his disappearing act and he knew full well Maria deserved a real apology, he decided to go along with her bit. “Michael,” he replied as though he was reintroducing himself. “Guerin,” he went on. “Shit friend.”
Maria almost smiled, taking his statement for the poor excuse for an apology that it was, and got to pouring his usual drink. “So, are you going to tell me what’s been keeping you away all this time?”
Michael got that almost smile on Maria’s face, causing a grin of his own. This was what he liked about Maria, well one of the things he liked about her - she wasn’t one to hold grudges. “Ran into someone from high school and they ended up taking a lot of my time. But I’m done with that now.” And that was all he was going to say on the subject. He picked up his drink taking a sip. “How have you been?”
Maria wondered a little about this friend from high school, and if she knew them, but decided the chances were probably high that she didn’t. She and Michael had only gone to the same high school for a short period of time, so chances were pretty high it was someone from one of his other high schools.
“Same old, same old,” Maria said, getting a dishrag so she could wipe down the bar. “Another night, another drunk.”
“Only now,” Michael replied grinning slightly. “Your favorite drunk is back.” Though he was sure there was more going on with Maria than that. He bit his tongue though, keeping himself from asking about her mom. He knew how tough it all was for Maria, but he never brought it up himself. Just waited for Maria to want to talk about it.
Maria looked around, a feigned look of surprise on her face. “Oh?” she said. “Where? I don’t see him.” She tried to hid the smile that threatened to curl her lips.
“You cheating on me with another drunk, DeLuca?” Michael teased right back, feigning to be hurt. “Who is he?” he went on smirk on his face. “I’ll kick his ass.”
“It’s not cheating if you get ghosted,” Maria said, raising an eyebrow and then turning her back to Guerin so that she could organize her liquor shelf, glancing at him in the mirror behind the bottles.
Michael smirked at the mirror, he knew what Maria is looking at. “Fair,” he replied. He did deserve that and probably worse. He couldn’t be mad at Maria for giving him a hard time. “So how can I get back in your good graces?” he questioned, brow raised. “I gotta reclaim my spot as favorite.”
Maria turned back towards Michael, her hands resting on the counter behind her as she leaned back against it. “Well, for starters, you could pay your bar tab.”
“Yeah,” Michael replied with a sheepish grin. “I don’t have that kind of money on me right now.” Or ever. Who even knew how much he owed Maria at this point. “How about you just bring your car into the shop? I can service it for free.”
Maria really should have known better, though she still had hope. It wasn’t like she had a whole lot of money to keep letting Michael drink for free; between the costs of the bar and her mother’s care, money was tighter than she’d like to admit. Tighter than she’d ever really admit to anyone. But somehow she’d make it work.
She didn’t let the disappointment stay on her face for longer than a fraction of a second. “That would imply that my car actually needed work, Guerin,” she said, a bit of a smirk on her face.
Even if it was brief Michael still caught the disappointment. His stomach twisted, feeling the guilt. He really shouldn’t take advantage of Maria’s friendship like he was. He didn’t exactly know all her money troubles, but he knew she had to pay for the home her mom was in. Not that he asked details. That was her business. Michael just let Maria tell him whatever she felt like sharing.
But then she was back to joking and Michael wasn’t about to push. “When’s the last time you got it serviced?” he shot back easily. He couldn’t remember the last time she had brought it in and he sure as hell hoped she wasn’t seeing another mechanic. That was almost as bad as her having a new favorite drunk. “But I’ll tell you what,” he added pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “I can at least pay for tonight’s drinks.”
Maria gasped and grasped her chest above her heart. “What? Michael Guerin, actually paying for his drinks?” she asked, feigned shock on her face. “Has Armageddon finally come?”
Michael rolled his eyes, smirk on his face. “Calm down, DeLuca. You want me to take it back?” he joked eyes lighting up just a bit. In a way they hadn’t in a few weeks. Man he really shouldn’t have stopped coming to Wild Pony.
“You do, and I’m banning you for life,” Maria warned him. It wasn’t the first time she’d banned him for life, and it probably wouldn’t be the last time either. Michael had a habit of not actually listening to her when she did it.
Michael just grinned at the comment. It definitely wasn’t the first time Maria had tried to ban him. But he always came back and she always let him. “Your empty threats don’t scare me, DeLuca,” Michael shot back. “You know you’d miss me too much.”
Maria snorted. “Miss what? The fights and the peeling you off of the bar at the end of the night?” she asked, and she rested her arms on the side of the bar, leaning toward Michael. “In your dreams, maybe.”
“Someone has to keep you on your toes,” Michael replied grinning. “Besides,” he went on leaning in closer to Maria. “I haven’t gotten in a fight in months. I’m reformed now.”
Maria snorted. “I’ll believe that when I see it, Guerin.” She leaned away from him, still smirking lightly.
“I guess I’m just going to have to come around more,” like he used to. Before the dreams and his life became a shit show. But he wanted his old life back. The life he had before everything. “Prove it to you.”
“Lucky me,” Maria said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, though she wasn’t quite able to suppress the smile that statement elicited.