no time to regret

"Get me out of here before I actually start losing my shit."

romy was sitting on the edge of a treatment table of the athletic training room, an ice pack strapped to their shoulder, lazily unlacing their skates. when bibi knocks the door open, guns blazing and venting about her day, romy looks up, eyebrows raised. the girl was practically vibrating with pure frustration. romy finishes yanking off their second skate, tossing it into their duffel bag before turning toward her. a faint, knowing smirk tugs at the corner of their mouth, completely unbothered by her temper because, honestly, they got it. slinging the bag over their good shoulder and tossing the ice pack into the trash, they reach into their pocket and jingle their keys. "i'll start the car and you can tell me about it. where we headed? food, bar ... rage room? or are you ready to go home?"

there was something about the casualness of the conversations that came in the presence of romy that always ignited a sense of excitement within their gut. “  don't flatter yourself, maybe i'd like it better if you shut up.   ” head tilts towards the other with a slight smirk tugging on features. although working as a bartender provided them with the ability to have the bickering back and forth, it was moments like these: just off a shift, body and mind exhausted but mind sharp for replies, that they lived for. “  cocky, i'd like to see you try.   ” and with that, kim is leaning forward more in their seat, reaching down to grab hold of a glass before opening the sprout to pour the chilled beer from the draught. foam top is perfected, body slowly resting back into the but now sideways, facing the other as the glass is brought up to their lips, a slow but steady chug. seconds pass, drink half finished. “  you were saying? sorry, was too focused on how delicious this is.   ” another grin. “  although i do recall the topic of sharing, and i'm sorry to disappoint, but i don't share.   ”

romy’s seen kimmy command crowded bar before, but they prefer them just like this, at the end of a shift, running on pure fumes and stubborn momentum. leaning a hip against the counter, romy's eyes narrow with intensity. "you sure you want me to shut up? because you seem to be paying very close attention." they track the choreography of kimberly pouring at the tap, humored by the performance; it's a blatant taunt, but romy is willing to yield the upper hand, their gaze tracking the rhythmic movement of kim's throat with every slow, teasing swallow. their eyes roll in playful annoyance when kim claims the conversation had completely slipped their mind, prompting romy to murmur, "unfair..." as they bridge the remaining distance until the air between them feels thick and heavy. slowly, romy reaches out, fingers sliding over kim’s hand where it's grabbing the cup, asking softly, "can i persuade you?" as they tilt their head, they graze their fingers gently along the back of the other's knuckles. kim did hold every ounce of leverage, and romy is more than ready to be happily worn down, letting their voice drop to a quiet murmur, "please, kimmy?" they give kimberly's knuckles a gentle, teasing nudge with their thumb. "i'll drive you home and you won't have to raise a finger for the rest of the night."

"mm-hmm, that's true. yes, you can't go wrong with daptone." he nodded, as if deep in thought. lowering his voice, he said, "i don't understand anything you're saying. but i wanna seem like i know stuff about music too." he let out a faint laugh. he checked the back of the vinyls, finding a record by some dudes called thee sacred souls. "is this a good one?" he sighed. "i owe you. thank you. if you ever need money or to destroy your enemies, let us know. my grandpa is very rich and powerful."

an amused laugh left romy’s lips, their smirk widening at the sudden confession. "fake it until you make it. bold strategy," romy glanced down at the record in his hands, tracking the artwork on the jacket of the record before engaging in a slow, approving nod. at the mention of rich grandpas and destroying enemies, romy lets out another faint chuckle. "good to know," romy says, tilting their head. "i'll keep the enemy destruction in my back pocket for a rainy day. should i be scared of this man?"

✦     ・    cereal  was  never  olivia's  first  choice  for  actual  breakfast,  yet  she  found  herself  in  the  recovery  bowl  loading  up  a  bowl  of  cereal  in  her  rush  before  her  morning  class.  "  does  this  actually  fill  you  up  to  last  the  morning?  "  she'd  tried  to  pick  something  that  had  more  to  it  then  just  sugar.

"probably not," romy amusedly picked up the cereal box as they approached the counter, giving it a quick glance over before reaching their hand in and eating a pinch. "terrible breakfast, but it'll be a perfect midnight snack." they set the box back down, tapping the side of it. they swallowed the bite. "i give it an hour and a half tops before your stomach starts making a scene in the middle of a lecture. take a snack," they looked around. "or ... you could wake up about 10 minutes earlier next time and have something more substantial."

romy's fingers paused on the edge of a vinyl sleeve, "hey, slacker." they murmured, looking up at savannah. "honestly, you haven't missed much. nothing new." romy flicked through a couple more records before tilting their head. "come help me find something decent." they suggested, moving to the side and continuing to flip through the sleeves. "what's been taking over your life?"

with a satisfied hum, romy finished eating the baked treat. "you're spoiling me; if you keep feeding me like this i'm never leaving your couch again." they smiled at the mention of the dog. "can't blame her for getting excited when she knows i'm her favorite guest." at the mention of a chocolate chip cheesecake, their eyebrows shot up. "if you've actually got a chocolate chip cheesecake sitting in the fridge right now, i may have to move in permanently."

Detective Amy Santiago, an unapologetic brownnoser who has seven brothers, so she’s always trying to prove how tough she is.