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“Ryan!” Steph comes barreling into Ryan’s office faster than the man can even comprehend. He drops the folder in his hands, the thick paper landing with a SPLAT on the ground. She snorts. “Jeez, butterfingers, didn’t know you got scared that easily.”
“Steph, what’re you— I’m at work , how did you even get here?” He looks astounded by her presence in the room. She waves her hands dramatically.
“You don’t need to know that,” Steph dismisses him easily. Ryan sighs, picking up the manila folder to put it on his desk. “I have a very important question.”
He sizes her up, putting his hands on his hips. Steph thinks that he looks rather stuffy in the olive green pants and khaki shirt, but at the very least he’s not wearing that ridiculous white hat that park rangers do. Ryan says, “What is it, Steph?”
“Can I borrow your truck? Just for a night later this week?” Steph asks, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans.
Ryan blinks. “You haven’t renewed your license yet.”
“That didn’t stop you from asking me to drive you home after you had three shots of the kiwi-schnapps, so…?” Steph raises her eyebrows.
Under his breath, Ryan mutters a small ‘fair point’ to himself before sitting on the desk. He raises his eyebrows slightly, as if getting ready to bargain. Oh boy, here we fuckin’ go. “If I let you borrow my truck, you have to get your license renewed within the next month.”
Is it worth it? Steph thinks of Alex’s face, the sweet smile she gets whenever Ethan rolls a nat 20 or someone gives her a hefty tip (that Alex will always try and turn away, but she’ll take it in the end). Always. Steph nods. “Yeah. I’ll get that done.”
“Wait, seriously? That easy? Wow,” Ryan laughs. “You must really need my truck. Anyway, I have two rules. One, keep it clean; two, don’t crash it or fuck it up in someway. What do you even need it for?”
“I want to do something nice for Alex, we’re celebrating four months on Saturday,” Steph replies with a casual shrug, doing her best to contain the way her heart beats just a little harder at the thought of Alex, the woman she loves more than anyone else in the world. It should be scary to think about Alex that intensely… but it’s more reassuring than it should be.
“Shit, already?” Ryan smiles widely, but it quickly turns serious. “I’m adding a third rule. No sex in the truck.”
“One, thank you, and two, how rude of you to assume we’re that vanilla, blonde Smokey Bear,” Steph retorts, smirk cocking the corner of her lip upward. She steps forward to slug Ryan lightly in the shoulder. “Appreciate it, dude. I won’t fuck up your car, promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Just tell me when you need it and I’ll drop it off near the record store, all right?” Ryan’s radio on his shoulder crackles with an order that is both heavily distorted and so full of numbers and codes that Steph immediately blocks it out in her brain. Ryan repeats the code, then says another string of them. He clicks the radio off. “Work calls. Movie night at your place tonight, right?”
“You know it. See you then.”
Steph leaves Ryan’s office, grin on her cheeks. Part one of her amazing plan, check .
~~~~~
When Steph told Alex to dress comfy and meet her at the end of Main Street, she knew to expect something conniving and possibly stupid, but this was not something she had in mind.
“Hey, hot stuff,” says Steph, leaning against the door to Ryan’s truck. Alex tilts her head to the side, hands balled up in the pockets of her black jean jacket atop a hoodie. One of the cooler nights in Haven Springs, but that doesn’t seem to bother Steph at all; she’s got a casual tee and black jeans on.
“How much did you bribe Ryan with to give you the keys to his car?” Alex asks out of sheer curiosity.
“Nothing important,” Steph replies, pushing off the car. Alex has come to expect the way Steph kisses her with vibrance every single time, enough for her to feel the gold on her fingertips when she holds Steph’s face in her hands. Steph pulls away, blue-green eyes shimmering in the light only Alex can see. “C’mon. We’ve got a bit of a drive.”
“Where are we going, and how much can I expect to pay in property damages?” Alex humors Steph anyway, clambering into the truck on the other side of the bench seat. Once Steph is buckled in, though, Alex shifts to sit closer.
“Zero dollars, because I’m not destroying any property that is federally owned by the government,” Steph remarks, pulling the gear shift into ‘drive’ and peeling off onto the road. With her free hand, she pinches Alex’s cheeks and leans over, just quick enough to kiss her on the cheek. The insinuation of something else makes Alex’s cheeks burn. “But we’re going somewhere. I made plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“Not telling,” Steph replies quickly, stretching her arm over Alex’s shoulder for the casual touch that the older woman always seems to want. Alex is more than happy to provide it, nestling into Steph’s shoulder as the woman (somehow) drives them through dark, winding roads.
Alex hums along to the tunes of the radio, despite Steph’s grumbling that the choice of music is ‘sub-par’ and ‘made for plebeians.’ The drive takes a little under twenty minutes until Steph announces that they’ve arrived. When Alex makes a move to get out, Steph keeps her seated with a firm hand on her thigh.
“Gonna stop you right there, Chen,” Steph says, winking in the light of sunset filtering through the windshield, casting her in a golden glow. “Give me a few minutes to set things up. I’ll get you when it’s ready, capiche?”
“Got it,” Alex says. Steph pecks her on the forehead and dips out of the truck.
Alex drums her fingers on her thighs as the bed of the truck shifts left and right with Steph’s weight moving about. Alex considers glances behind her to see what Steph is up to, but she’s not going to break her promise to Steph and ruin the surprise.
After a moment, Steph taps on the door and then opens it. She extends her hand out. “Your surprise awaits, m’lady.”
“Why, thank you.” Alex accepts the chivalry, allowing Steph to be the figurative knight in shining armor at this moment. For someone who is always the mystical dungeon master, Steph sure knows how to lay on the charisma. Constantly rolling a natural twenty, that one.
“Close your eyes real quick,” Steph asks. Alex does as told, letting herself be led by Steph until she’s in the perfect position. “Okay, open ‘em!”
When Alex blinks back into clarity, the smile that breaks onto her face is radiant. “Steph! Oh my god, you did all of this?”
“Happy four months, Alex,” Steph says, grabbing her hands. The way that she says Alex’s name, the letters rolling off her tongue with that husk in her voice never fails to make Alex’s heart leap out of her chest. “Something special for the both of us. I brought us a shit ton of food from that takeout place you love, plus a bottle of wine, if we’re in the mood for it.”
On the bed of the truck, Steph has spread out dozens of pillows and blankets to make a little nest, supplemented by a picnic basket with a bouquet of familiar yellow roses.
(Alex thinks back to the pure joy on Steph’s face when she gave her the rose from Eleanor’s cart on Spring Fest. Maybe it was then that Alex realized how hard she was falling for Steph.)
“Steph…” Alex trails off, unable to corral the words she wants to properly express how she feels. Steph doesn’t show it much on the surface, but Alex senses the subtle, underlying nerves, the thought of does she like this? ringing in Steph’s mind. Alex chooses simply, “I love this. I love you. Thank you.”
And just like that, the purple tendrils around Steph’s shoulders disappear away. The woman grins, adjusting the grey beanie on her head. “Then let’s get to eating— can’t let it go cold!”
Steph assists Alex onto the truck bed, organizing the pillows and tossing their shoes aside for more comfort before digging into the basket. Steph nails it on the head every time; there’s Alex’s favorite crab rangoon dish, an assortment of egg rolls, sichuan pork…
Steph loves Alex. That much is clear. Shown in the way that Steph has memorized Alex’s favorite takeout order (even though it really depends on the day), shown in the way that Steph looks at Alex as if she put the sun in the sky and the snow on the mountains, shown in the way Steph runs her thumb over the ridge of Alex’s knuckles so tenderly the touch is barely there.
How did I get so lucky? Alex thinks to herself, wiping the corner of her mouth after a particularly large bite of pork. Steph inhales a mouthful of lo mein, using the chopsticks with ease; Alex remembers having to teach Steph how to hold them properly. It had taken an hour and a lot of frustration, but Steph managed and now look at her. A total pro.
It’s a bit frightening to think about how much has happened over the course of a few months. Alex moved here, Gabe died the next day, Alex almost died taking down Typhon…
And to think Steph stuck through it all with her. The memories of Alex walking into the Black Lantern, hobbling and holding her side, are still fresh in her mind. Nightmares are often, sometimes weekly. Alex still remembers how scared Steph was when she walked in, bleeding from her skull. It was almost too overbearing to the point that Alex would have lost concentration on Jed.
Thankfully, that fear is gone now, replaced by the all-encompassing warmth of love. It’s a constant force that Alex’s mind has come to recognize. It’s unchanging. It amplifies when Steph looks at her just so.
When they’ve all but devoured the takeout, bellies full with food, Steph puts the picnic basket. The wine bottle is opened and while neither of them generally like wine all too much (Steph has a thing for craft beer, like the lesbian she is, and Alex favors fruity drinks), they still exchange a few sips here and there while watching the sun go down over the glorious Colorado mountain range.
“And so I’m in the DJ booth, doing my job, right? This cat, I swear , somehow manages to sneak in and knocks over an entire case of vinyls,” Steph says, waving her hands as she speaks. She takes the wine bottle from Alex to sip, following it with an annoyed sigh. “I love Valkyrie to death, but she can be such a little shit.”
“Did I ever tell you about how she almost cut my hand off the first day in town?” Alex asks, seeing Steph shake her head no with a look of surprise. “I was trying to get the hold list so I could get the Kings of Leon vinyl for Gabe, and your cat was right on top of it.”
“Oh my god ,” Steph breaks out into laughter. “If you didn’t lose a finger, she doesn’t hate you. That’s better than anything anyone else can say.”
“I feel very accomplished,” Alex remarks. Steph smiles at her, eyes dipping down by just a fraction. “What?”
“You’ve got a little— here.” Steph leans over in one of her classic moves that no doubt succeeds to make Alex’s heart go a little faster. Steph kisses a drop of wine in the corner of Alex’s mouth tenderly, the dark brown strands of her hair tickling Alex’s cheek in one of Steph’s favorite waiting games. Alex is content to stay like that for just a few seconds more, delighting in the way Steph’s breathing feels against her lips.
Steph’s fingers thumb the bottom of Alex’s jean jacket— not out of intent or anything of the like, but more habit. Steph, as Alex has learned, is very much a tactile person. Little signs of affection are her bread and butter; hand-holding, playing with the fingers, running her fingers through Alex’s hair… all of that is Steph’s inherent way of showing her appreciation.
It took some time getting used to, given Alex’s horrible past with her emotions and everything about that, but once she learned to let go and trust Steph… it became so much better.
“Gonna keep me waiting, Chen?”
Then there’s Steph’s love of last names. Alex will go along with it.
“Depends, Gingrich. Are you going to make a move or not?” Alex teases, purposefully brushing her hand up Steph’s front, bunching her fingers into Steph’s shirt, near the collar. Steph makes this noise— something between a rumble and a snort that turns into a husky, deep noise that sends shivers racing down her spine.
“Fine, I’ll do it myself,” Steph remarks, then seals the deal with the press of her lips on Alex’s and just like that, it’s over before Alex even has a damn chance to catch up. Steph is overpowering in a way that is subtle, the complete opposite of her otherwise bold personality. It lies rooted in the scent of her cologne, the way that she smells strongly of spices mixed with the underlying aroma of the forest.
It’s intoxicating, more so than the cheap wine.
Alex slides her fingers into Steph’s hair, tugging gently on the strands there to pull a small groan from Steph’s lips. It’s so easy to do this with Steph, to let herself be held so tightly in the way Steph does. One hand on Alex’s side, moving up towards her shoulder blade, the other other their heads and leaning against the truck. She looks damn good like this.
Alex’s hand slides against Steph’s arm and pauses. “Have you been working out?”
Steph’s eye glints. “Maybe. Ryan needs a spotter from time to time.”
“ Fuck ,” Alex whispers, leaning back to take in Steph’s arms and the subtle ripple of muscle within the skin. “You don’t even know what you do to me.”
“I have a slight feeling,” Steph replies, stroking a hand through Alex’s hair and fixing her glasses for her gently. “You’re gorgeous, Alex.”
“I could say the same for you.”
The way Steph smiles is near unbearable with how undeniably attractive it is. “I’m hotter than the fuckin’ sun, baby.”
“You really, really are,” Alex says quietly, running an idle finger down Steph’s immaculately sharp jawline. There's something admirable about the way Steph holds herself so confidently, so brazenly. It’s only amplified by the dredges of sunlight making her skin almost glow, the bright hue of her eyes boring deep into Alex’s soul. Something so vulnerable shown in Steph’s irises that can’t be said.
Alex allows herself to feel what Steph feels— warmth and joy, mixed with a little kick of arousal (Steph’s favorite thing to do is makeout; don’t ask how many times they’ve nearly been caught in the DJ booth), but above all, love. Alex doesn’t need to see the aura of it to know how deep it runs through Steph’s veins and arteries. A life force unparalleled to any other.
“What’re you thinking about?” Steph asks quietly, shifting to lay down more on the bed as the stars come out. Alex does the same, tucking a pillow behind her head. She uses the front of Steph’s shirt to clean her glasses (Steph always wears the right material for it) as she deliberates her answer.
She turns to the stars and says, “Life is so fucking strange. How did we get here?”
Steph laughs, folding her arms behind her head. The invitation to cuddle up with her is thrown out there and Alex takes it, slotting her to rest comfortably on Steph’s chest, causing the woman to move her arm and rub Alex’s back as she says, “Through a series of actions that determined our fate.”
“Isn’t that insane?”
“Well, well, well, if ain’t the consequences of my own actions,” Steph remarks, causing the two of them to start sniggering like little kids in the schoolyard, too ramped up on delicious food and maybe a few too many sips of wine. After Steph finally manages to catch her breath, she says, “I’m glad that your choices brought you here. Haven wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“ Just Haven?” Alex teases.
“Fine, you ass. I wouldn’t be the same, is that what you wanted to hear?” Steph pinches Alex’s ass, causing the younger one to yelp and press further into Steph. Steph inhales, chest rising with a shaky rhythm that makes Alex frown slightly. “God, I remember when you walked into the Lantern. I’d been trying to get to you for days, you weren’t anywhere to be found… did Ryan ever tell you that I was this close to snapping and going full on manhunt for you?”
“No, he didn’t.”
Steph swallows audibly. “Yeah, well, I was so worried that I would’ve burned down all of Haven to find you.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex says softly.
“No, baby, it wasn’t your fault, we all know who’s fault it was,” Steph replies, bitterness brittling the sharp edge of her voice. “I just— I mean to say that because it’s always been day one for me. The moment I saw you from the other side of the booth and you chose the album… I think that was it.”
Alex tilts her head to look at Steph, shifting to get a better view of her. “Aw, love at first sight for the toughie?”
“ Ugh, ” Steph groans. “I was trying to be sappy, but nevermind.”
“No, no, no!” Alex puts her hands on Steph’s cheeks. “Continue.”
“Not until I get an apology kiss,” Steph says, her voice muddled by Alex’s hand squishing her face, but Alex gets the point, leaning forward to place a smattering of kisses on Steph’s lips, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her jawline… perhaps a bit lower, just to get that breathy hitch from Steph. “ O-okay , that’s good, that’s good.”
“Just making sure I’m covering my bases,” Alex says, unable to hide the smugness in her voice as she sits up. “You know, when I was down in the mines, after I got shot, I… couldn’t stop thinking about you. Part of me wanted to just give up, let Typhon succeed, but I couldn’t have left you behind. We still have so many places to see.”
Steph sits up as well, grabbing Alex’s hand. “I was worried sick. Even more so when I saw you covered in blood. But we’re past that, everyone that was responsible has been put away for life , Alex. They can’t hurt us anymore. They just can’t.”
With a nod, Alex turns to look at Steph. “I know. And I have you to thank, for being right there with me the whole time. Backing me up when it felt like nobody else would.”
“Of course,” Steph replies, her fingers gently playing with one of Alex’s spinny rings. “I knew everyone was going to believe you though. Everybody has hated Typhon, we just dealt with it because they were always bigger than we were.” Steph snorts. “Until you came into town. Took down the corporation that felt impenetrable.”
“I do strive to do my best.” Alex adds a casual wink to that, making Steph grin. Alex feels her entire body go soft at the sight of Steph. There’s a difference to her smiles, Alex has learned. The one Steph shows to everybody else is a far cry from the one Alex gets to see whenever they’re alone. Alex loves it. Alex says, “I love you, Steph. Happy four months. Thank you for the surprise.”
“I love you too, Alex. Thank you for making me happier than I’ve ever been,” Steph murmurs, kissing Alex’s knuckles. “Now c’mon, we’ve got plenty of night left. Wanna nerd out over the stars with me?”
“You don’t even have to ask.”