#pigen

15: Did you spike the eggnog again?

18: Merry Christmas Motherfuckers!

— — —

“Believe it or not, I’ve never had eggnog,” Siyanda frowned, studying the drink with mild curiosity.

“It’s great,” Thalia promised. “When I first tried it I liked it so much I drank nearly a gallon.”

“And vomited because of it,” James reminded, giving Thalia a pointed look as if to say ‘don’t repeat the incident.’

But across the way, Piper was watching the group of young adults as they eyed the eggnog wearily. She was so invested in her observations that she didn’t notice Gen sidle up next to her. “Why are you looking so intently at the eggnog?”

“No reason,” Piper mumbled into her own glass of the beverage attempting to hide a smirk.

“You didn’t,” Gen frowned, picking up on the little twinkle in Piper’s eyes. “Piper Stark! Did you spike the eggnog again?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Piper shrugged, barely stifling a laugh.

“That’s so uncool. I’m gonna tell them,” Gen decided, only to be caught by the back of her shirt by Piper.

“No, no, let the fun ensue,” Piper smiled. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We live with a bunch of super powered people, do you really want to tempt fate?” Gen asked, arching a brow.

“Yes.”

“You’re insufferable,” Gen huffed, but rather than tell the others of Piper’s scheme she was called to assist in the kitchen. “You’re lucky I’m needed or I’d snitch.”

“Well, I can’t believe I’m dating a snitch,” Piper feigned offense as Gen pushed her way through the throng of people.

But of course, as fate would have it, the spiked eggnog did in fact lead to a handful of problems. Because no one liked a passed out asgardian King in the middle of the floor with a cat asleep atop him, one Tony Stark now shirtless, James having a serious conversation with his cup, and Siyanda looking like she’d just woken from a forty year nap.

Only, if that wasn’t enough, the icing on the cake cake cake from one Nathaniel Barton who was standing on the table reading a bible aloud for all to hear about the birth of Jesus Christ. Gen had half a mind to kill Piper until she noticed that the genius of a girl had actually forgotten she’d spiked the eggnog. And after downing a few cups of her own was thoroughly tipsy. Resulting in an elated, “Merry Christmas motherfuckers!”

Marquess:

Amazing where a relationship can start…

Piper had just finished sharing the news with Siyanda on Drew’s recovery and cancelled the call when she noticed James bolting down the hallway. Part of her wanted to ask what the issue was but she thought better of it. There was no telling what that man was up to half the time and she’d rather not know.

“So,” Gen sighed, entering Piper’s work shop and sliding onto a stool, “I was thinking we get Thalia out of this place for a while. She’s been cooped up and Si said we had to help make life less miserable for her.”

“Alright,” Piper snorted, “what’s the plan?”

“Just an evening out on the city. Walking around, maybe eating lunch, whatever we think of,” Gen proposed, tapping her knuckles on the table top.

“You realize the media hawks will be on us like flies on a pile of dog shit, right?” Piper arched a brow.

“That’s why I enlisted the help of someone who knows how to fly under the radar,” Gen grinned.

And that’s how Piper ended up with Fox raiding her closet. She wasn’t sure what the ex-criminal had in mind but she figured Gen was right, Fox knew how to lay low on the streets.

“Put this on,” Fox called, tossing a shirt over her shoulder, “wear this hat, these shoes, and no sunglasses because that’s suspicious.”

“Alright,” Piper nodded, studying the outfit. She expected it to be super plain, boring, and something no one wanted to look at, but it wasn’t. It was just the right level of casual so that Piper wasn’t sticking out like a sore thumb because her clothes were drab, and not nearly as high end as some of her other public wear. “I owe you.”

“Pay me in this,” Fox turned about, holding up one of Piper’s old leather jackets.

“Okay, I hate that things anyways,” Piper snorted.

“Great,” Fox decided, already slipping the jacket on. “Good luck on your day of fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Piper sighed, waving her off so she could change. After managing to swap clothes in a reasonable amount of time, Piper hunted down Thalia and Gen.

“Looks like you’re ready,” Gen grinned, clasping her hands together.

“So, where is it we’re going?” Thalia asked, her eyes holding an intense curiosity.

“That’s the fun of our adventure dear friend,” Piper mused, slinging an arm around Thalia’s shoulders, “we have absolutely no idea.”

“Oh, okay.” Thalia nodded, “so it’s like Sage when she has to go shopping.”

“Yes,” Gen snorted, “like that.”

“Now, lets go,” Piper sighed, tugging Thalia towards the lift that would take them down to the parking garage. “It’s time for some fresh air...or as fresh as you can get in New York.”

— — —

The streets were full of cars honking angrily at one another, taxi drivers shouting over the noise to their passengers, sidewalks crammed full of people, and interesting smells culminating in little pockets. It was exactly the kind of thing that made New York...New York.

“Sometimes I forget how loud it is,” Thalia remarked, matching Piper’s pace.

“Yeah, me too,” Piper nodded, “but you get used to it.”

“Gen said you talked to Si,” Thalia glanced hopefully at the young Stark.

“I did.”

“How is she?”

“She’s good. Just, grappling with some family issues,” Piper pursed her lips. She wasn’t sure how much Si wanted Thalia to know so she kept it vague.

“Family is difficult,” Thalia sighed in understanding.

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Gen rolled her eyes.

“That reminds me,” Piper frowned, “have you talked to your parents recently?”

“No,” Gen shook her head, “it’s fine. They’re probably too wrapped up in work anyways. I find your parents much more charming.”

“Glad you like them because they can be annoying at times,” Piper grinned, taking Gen’s hand in her own. “What about you, Thals? Spending time with your mom?”

“As much as I can,” Thalia beamed, and Piper knew she’d hit a rather pleasant topic for the Asgardian. “She was telling me all about Asgard. What it looked like, all of the people, it’s history, and how my father was as a kid. My uncle too!”

“Didn’t your uncle stab your dad?” Gen asked, recalling an odd story she’d heard from Piper.

“On more than one occasion,” Thalia nodded, seeming almost proud. “It’s an odd relationship.”

“No kidding,” Gen laughed.

“My mother also told me about the Valkyries. Apparently there was more than one a long time ago. I wish I’d have gotten to see them. They sound fierce and well trained,” Thalia went on talking excitedly about all of the new things she’d learned, and it occurred to Piper that most people didn’t bother to ask her much about them. It’s why she always bubbled up when someone did and rambled on until she was forced to breath again.

“Sounds legit,” Piper noted, “but I think you’d have less fun there. Sounds like a lot of rules.”

“There’s rules here,” Thalia countered, “it’s called the law.”

Gen laughed loudly and had to stop walking lest she fall over. “Piper doesn’t know what the law is.”

“I do too!”

“You like to break it?” Thalia questioned her friend with genuine concern.

“Oh yeah,” Gen nodded, throwing her girlfriend right under the bus.

“You do not help my reputation at all,” Piper frowned. “And no, I don’t break the law unless I have to.”

“Oh thank goodness,” Thalia sighed. “I would have had to talk with mister Stark.”

“Didn’t think you’d care that much,” Piper noted, shifting awkwardly as Gen slowly collected herself.

“You’re my friends. Of course I would care,” Thalia insisted. “Now, I was promised lunch. Is there any place you prefer?”

“Actually,” Piper frowned, “I don’t eat out here much. I usually just order delivery.”

“That is why you have me,” Gen reminded, “I was once a casual city goer myself. So, follow me kids.”

Thalia shrugged, and drew up beside Gen leaving Piper to shake her head in amusement. She really did have an odd little group of friends and family. Sure, they had their ups and downs but she wouldn’t trade any of them for anything.

Jogging to catch up to them, Piper and Thalia followed Gen for about half a mile before coming to a small restaurant. Once there, getting seated was easy, and soon they had hot meals sitting in front of them ready to be devoured.

“French fries were an option?” Thalia asked, eyeing Piper’s plate.

“Tell you what, I’ll trade you my fries for half of your toast. It looks good,” Piper decided. Thalia didn’t hesitate to take her up on the deal.

“This reminds me of my elementary school cafeteria days,” Gen mused.

“I don’t know what elementary school cafeteria days are,” Thalia shrugged, “but it sounds like a trade system of sorts.”

“More or less,” Piper laughed. “But, you were mildly homeschooled, Gen’s talking about public schools where all sorts of kids go. Sort of like when we tried out high school. Remember that?”

“Unfortunately,” Thalia mumbled, taking a sip of water as Piper struggled not to laugh. None of them had liked their brief stint in high school. It was too complicated, too dramatic, and not conducive to their line of work.

“The only good thing about it was this one,” Piper said, patting Gen on head like she was best dog in the world. “Made me less inclined to jump out the window.”

After another bit of laughter the trio finished their meals with nothing more than short flashes of conversation before heading back out onto the streets. From there they stumbled upon a rather impressive street performer and took to dancing. It was rather stupid dancing, but they all enjoyed it to say the least. A few bystanders even joined in and the street performer made a few extra tips, and and extra generous one from Piper.

As the evening passed she found herself more relaxed than ever before. It took her a moment to realize that it was because of one key factor: there were no cameras. No one was prying into her life and stripping it away for the public to see. She was living in the moment, enjoying herself, and truly able to appreciate the people she was lucky enough to have in her life.

It was this pleasant realization that gave her the confidence to steal a chaste kiss from Gen without having to worry about it being in the tabloids.

“We should do this more,” Piper decided, “it’s kind of fun.”

“Can I come next time too?” Thalia asked hopefully, “unless you want to be alone. Like a date. Those are nice and fun too.”

“You can come,” Gen shrugged, “it’s actually nicer having another person around.”

“Really?” Thalia asked.

“Yeah,” Gen nodded, “besides you spend a lot of time in the lab anyways helping Si and us out. You’re kind of part of the squad now.”

“I’ve never been in a squad,” Thalia thought aloud.

“First time for everything,” Piper smiled, setting a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Now, we should probably start heading back before it gets too dark. And maybe you can call Si up and talk to her? I think she said she was free around ten.”

“Great. Let’s go.” Thalia set off at a brisk pace before Piper had finished talking.

“She’s so cute,” Gen chuckled, “do you get that excited over me?”