𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 * / 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰

Being asked for advice on a tie wasn’t something she expected. Hell, the only time she ever really had any use or need for them was in the bedroom with her girlfriends. However, she looked over at the brunette beauty. Eyes glancing over, she tilted her head slightly. “Off-black,” she noted. “Sometimes appears gray, sometimes appears darker than is. Is there a certain colour you’re looking for? Or just trying to wing it?”

--

Had Genevieve been paying more attention, she’d notice that the woman she’s asked would be one of Nicola’s girls as per the intel she’s kept over the years. As it is, she’s too busy overthinking if getting Bear something as simple as a tie would disrupt the dynamic they have. “I don’t really know what I’m going for,” she says honestly. “What do you give someone that says ‘Thank you for saving my life and also making me happier than I’ve ever been in a long time?’”

–

“You can’t look this good at the time, I mean honestly you’re really taking the mick now you know that right?” He chuckled as he looked down at her as she sauntered on back to him. Bear hadn’t expected her to come and spend the day with him, helping but but he also wasn’t so sure why it had been surprising, she was more than just a pretty face she was kind too and making him soft as hell. “I don’t think I could hire you though, I think you’d be far to distracting and I’d never be able to get any work done around here…I try and keep Sals sin free remember.” The male huffed with another small laugh following. “You’ve got milkshakes you can take to table three, and I’ve got some tips I can give you later.” 

--

Bear always knows what to say to make Genevieve feel happier than she should. Granted, being complimented by someone they’re attracted to would do that to anyone but he’s spun it so that each one actually makes her feel as beautiful as he says she is. “Taking the mick,” she laughs, endeared by him to no one’s surprise. “You really do have a way with words.” Making sure to keep it professional and not jumping on him like how she wants, she could only throw the man a wink. “I’m sure we’ll find an arrangement. Keep your hands to yourself and I’ll let you put them anywhere on me when we get home tonight.”  Actually excited that she gets to help out, she waits for the milkshakes in question. “Oh? Is this a tip you can’t give me now,” she smirks. “Or will that mess up your plans of keeping Sal’s sin free?”

nicola finally looks up from her list when she heard the sound of a cereal box falling to the ground. it’s been years, more than a decade if you think about it, since she last saw the woman. she felt this slight pain in her chest, she didn’t know whether to hug her or ask how she’s doing, she probably needs to do both, and give her the very explanation she owes.

“i never forgot that.” she stands there, staying silent for a moment before she speaks once more. “it’s been a long time, genevieve.”

--

Genevieve pretends to really think about what cereal to get before settling for something her hand first grabs on to. It shouldn’t be this hard considering how she’s kept tabs on Nicola to make sure she’d stay safe -- or at least that’s what she tells herself. It’s been way too long for her to still have this affect, but she does and Genevieve should be angry at herself for being this weak. 

Straightening up, she tries to put on a smile and is surprised at herself at how genuine it still feels. “It really has.” Moving to Santa Ysabel had been about surviving and with Bear there, it made the decision that much easier. Now she’s faced with her past and she’s not too sure if that had been the smartest idea. “How have you been, Nicola?”

“thanks,” she said when gen passed the bottle to her. shane took a drink, enjoying the familiar burn of straight liquor before handing it back to her. “oh, you know, life. the ups and downs of relationships. need i say more? what about you?”

--

Genevieve turns to take a seat by the edge of the side walk, reaching up to grab the bottle. “Relationships? Been there, done that. Not worth it,” she snorts. “So is this a break up drink or it’s not that bad yet?” Hand on its neck, the alcohol gives her yet another burn. “Nightmares. They go away with a little help from this,” she shakes the liquor up at the woman before handing it back.

Genevieve’s hand close around her coffee mug, already taking her first sip once she grabs it from the counter as she ignores the morning rush of the cafe. She isn’t due at the library until the afternoon and so she has time to spare.

Looking around for an empty spot, it seems like all the seats are taken. Approaching a random woman, she coughs slightly to get her attention. “Do you mind? I really don’t want to take this to go.”

shane shrugged at genevieve’s offer, it’s not like she had anything better to do at this time of the night. “sure, why not?” 

--

Taking another swig from the bottle, Genevieve hands it over to her companion. “What’s got you down, stranger?” 

nicola has just been roaming at the grocery store, going through her list for the week since it was her turn out of them three when she heard a familiar voice speak.

“frosted flakes.” she responds, not bothering to look up to who was it who was talking.

--

Genevieve knows that voice, has dreamed about it many times over the years. The grip she has on the cereal boxes loosens and it falls from her grasp. She keeps her eyes away, bending to slowly pick them up.

“You know I don’t like Frosted Flakes,” she says once she’s managed to get her voice back. “I’ll pick something else, I guess.”

The puppies right by the window look up at her with such hopeful eyes and Genevieve’s heart just breaks. She knows she can’t bring any of them home, but she can’t help but want.

“You know I’d take you home if I could,” she pouts, tapping the glass. “But I can barely take care of myself.” Noticing that she’s not alone, she turns sheepishly at the person who might have overheard her. “Sorry, but look how cute they are.”

The mall doesn’t really provide a section for men who’s managed to save a woman’s life, but Genevieve’s sure she’ll find something.

Picking up a tie, she examines the color under the fluorescent light. “Excuse me, Miss, do you happen to know if this is navy or gray?” Holding the fabric up, she turns to the stranger within the vicinity.

HALLOWEEN EVENT PART TWO CONT.

Genevieve has to agree, his own chuckle eliciting a small smile from the woman. While it certainly isn’t the right time, she still can’t help but have fun with Bear. Maybe this is what she needed in life: someone that makes her feel safe under every occasion. 

Hand in hand, she steps in closer even if she knows that they both can take care of themselves. She’s just enjoying the proximity. “Whatever they do, I hope they don’t ruin our plans.” She tries to listen around the corner through the sounds of the screaming, but it does prove to be rather difficult. “Are you sleeping over tonight?”

There’s a coffee down at the counter and Genevieve could have sworn the barista said her name. 

Reaching out, she’s met with another hand going for the same cup. “Oh, did you order this?”

Genevieve holds up two boxes of cereal, brows furrowing as she tries to make her decision at the grocery store.

“Which do you think tastes better,” she turns to ask the person nearest her.

Bear calls her ‘ma’ like it’s something special and Genevieve lets it warm her insides. She’s still not quite sure what they have, but she’s certainly not complaining. It’s as if he took the roughest, sharpest parts of her and softened them out, leaving her malleable under his care. And she trusts him for it, too -- that’s the surprising part. She doesn’t even have the little flares of unease when she thinks about it.

Genevieve hums in response, letting her lips move up his jaw. Pulling back a little, she flashes Bear a small smile -- something only meant just for him. “Few hours of just kisses? Sign me up.” Pressing her lips against his, she gives him a couple of pecks before deepening it slightly, using her lower half to grind down against him.

“Just kisses, though?”

shane wasn’t much of a sleeper these days. in fact, she wasn’t much of anything. she was a husk of a person. was she even a person anymore? or was she just a walking body with no one left inside? sometimes she felt like she was on autopilot, trying to get through the day until finally the hollow shell of her body finally gives out too. she would look in the mirror and try to recognize the eyes staring back at her but got nothing. they were just two soulless brown eyes looking back at her, set in deep sockets. lips that spoke words that felt like they came from someone else. curly hair that she couldn’t remember the last time she did anything with more than throw up in a messy bun. high cheekbones, more exaggerated from her lifestyle. this wasn’t the face she was used to seeing. 

no, shane didn’t feel like herself anymore. the years of addiction have changed her into someone completely different. someone no one wanted for more than just a night. she wasn’t even the main character in her own life. she just drifted around with no care for herself anymore. 

sometimes when she’s really high, she thinks about the multiverse theory and how there’s a possibility for multiple timelines with multiple outcomes. she thinks about those shanes. were they happier than her? were they successful? she wonders if there was a shane who never had her heart broken by eliza, never got into drugs, and followed her dreams. or maybe there was a shane that marissa picked over delilah. where they loved each other and lived happy lives with one another. but she also wondered if there was a shane who was so much worse than she was now. if that was even possible. 

but sadly, she was stuck in this timeline where she was this sad excuse of a person. 

no, shane didn’t sleep much on her own. she had drugs for everything. uppers to wake her up, downers to numb her, sedatives to put her to sleep when her body needed it but her mind wouldn’t let her. it was a wonder that she was still alive at this point. 

the night was the perfect time for her. in a city like this, there was always people out doing something. clubs, bars, parties. someone was always looking for something. sure, her job isn’t what she expected for herself, but it did make sense. her whole life was wrapped around drugs, might as well work in it too. she’d go around town finding people in need of a sweet release. starting at the restaurants, kitchen workers were always a good place to make a few sales. the amount of cooks who loved to partake in lines of coke in between dishes was amazing. if she was lucky, she could get someone as they were finishing their meal who needed a little something extra to get through the rest of their night. then she would move on to the bars. worth a shot was a fan favorite. shane would get a few drinks while making connections for future sales. she’d eventually make her way to affinity nightlife to restock dylan’s supply of coke. a quick stop by mayhem to see if anyone was in need of some party favors. 

even after paying off richie, she wouldn’t mind staying in with him and continuing this line of work. it kind of made sense for her. she knew almost everything there was to know about the things she was selling with a lot of first hand experience. keeping a real job with her lifestyle was hard. but one where she could make a few sales in the middle of the night while doing the things she was already doing? it was perfect for her. 

walking around the city in the middle of the night should be terrifying to her, but shane loved it. the cool night air was refreshing after being locked up in her lonely apartment all day. compared to new york city, santa ysabel was almost tame. sure, there was the occasional mugging and murder, but everyone just turned a blind eye to it. not to mention the things richie was doing. but shane didn’t worry about those things. maybe it was naive of her, but she didn’t fear anything that wasn’t from her own doing. 

her leather jacket was pulled tight around her body as she walked down the sidewalk, doc matins clunking against the concrete. pulling out her pack of cigarettes, shane took out one and put it between her lips. sure, smoking was bad blah blah blah, but it was the least harmful thing that she did to herself. it was the first addiction she picked up all the way back in high school. she still remembers the first time eliza handed her one, cupping her hands around shane’s face as she lit it and shane took her first inhale of nicotine. it was all downhill from there. after that, it was a slippery slope to where she was today. 

she pushed those thoughts away, lighting the cigarette between her lips and taking a deep breath. focusing on the past never did her any good. after all, she spent ten years living in the past and now she had all of those fantasies crashing down around her after one interaction with marissa. that’s what she gets for thinking that after ten years, they could have picked up where they were like nothing happened. if she was smart, she would have moved on. marissa broke her heart. and yet shane was still holding on to that idealized love that she felt for her. marissa was just another addiction to add to shane’s list, but it was probably the hardest one to kick. 

lost in these thoughts, shane wasn’t really aware of her surroundings or where she was even headed. all she knew was that she couldn’t go back to her sad apartment just yet. which was why she didn’t notice genevieve walking towards her until they bumped shoulders. blinking a few times, she looked at the other woman, open whiskey bottle in her hand. shane had been in that state many times herself that she didn’t think anything of it. 

“hey”

--

Genevieve looks down at the bottle then back up at the woman in her state.

“You want some?”