fandomtownies | fast eddie's | early evening | saturday

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fast eddie's | early evening | saturday | december 19

Even though Alex's break week had started back on Wednesday, it still felt like it was official once the weekend started. To celebrate, he'd slept late, eaten something unhealthy for breakfast and lazed away the hours (all the while thankfully avoiding any mistletoe while Griff was in the room) until he actually realized he had something planned.

So, having already downed half his beer (he was celebrating, after all), Alex was leaning over the pool table and lining up a shot. It was easy enough but his concentration was off or the table was tilted or something and he flubbed the shot, shaking the cue ball off the side.

That just meant he ended up cursing under his breath and deciding that downing the rest of his beer was a good way to make himself feel better. He had great coping skills.

[possibly expecting someone but open place in town is open]

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"I am plenty good." Done her share of pool shark behavior. As a pretty girl, it was so easy to get away with that.

... Unfortunately, this time she wasn't getting away with it, and missed that particular shot which was annoying. Would be when he was watching that closely, wouldn't it?

"Wow, that as a bad time to sing your praises, Effy," he said, grinning widely. It was easy to talk like he was a big shit when she was doing the shooting.

"I don't know if you I can believe all that good stuff now," he said, pushing himself into a standing position. "Seems like a fallacy."

Effy rolled her eyes, and offered him the cue. Not even touching that. Just not. He could assume whatever the fuck he wanted.

"Go on then," she said. "Do your worst."

Alex smiled and took the cue, moving behind her and brushing her waist with a hand. Probably not the most expected thing to do what with the trash talking but he wasn't that normal a guy.

"You don't seem to have a lot of faith in me," he said, trying to find an easy shot. "That spread out to more than just pool?"

"Ever consider I just have a lot of confidence in myself?" she asked, leaning forward, hands on the edge of the table. "Not everything revolves around you." Even if he liked to think it did.

"I didn't doubt that," he replied, holding off on shooting for the moment. He leaned against the pool stick and eyed her steadily. "And I never said anything contrary to that. You think I haven't been paying attention to know you're confident?"

Please. He'd picked that up on the first meeting. "That wasn't the question I asked. This doubting of me you do, that spread out over other things?"

Because now he was curious.

"Only when you're up against me." Because she, like him, liked to believe she could always win anything she put her mind to. Always been one to claim there was nothing she couldn't do. About the first thing she'd said to Pandora, even.

"Most things?" Effy shook her head.

"Hmm." Alex was actually a little surprised that she didn't have more doubt in her. Most things wasn't all things so now he was a little curious about what she might doubt.

He was a masochist to the core, really. Curious and masochisitic.

"I make this shot, you tell me something you doubt," he offered, leaning over the table to line something up. "If I don't, you keep silent."

Effy nodded once, and cocked her head to watch his shot. "Let's see how you do under pressure then," she commented. Since he was always mocking her for that.

Alex just kept watching her for a moment before he turned his eyes to the ball and the shot. It was fairly easy, really, but he knew he could shank it if he tried too hard.

It was almost a game for him, to find new and interesting to try and get her to open up a little. And it was satisfying when he managed. Figured that made him interesting enough.

Without thinking about it too much longer, Alex took the shot, watching the cue ball skim off another pool ball and roll towards the pocket. For a minute, it looked like it was going to stay up before it inched over the rim and fell in.

Thank fuck. He hated talking big and crashing and burning. "Looks like I do pretty well."

Huh. "Looks like," she remarked, leaning back up and winding her way around the table and up to him. For a moment, just lingering there in front of him, still considering what to come out with. Somehow, this was one of those things that she felt needed to be said while not on the other side of the pool table.

"I don't doubt you have a scary side," she said finally, reaching up to lightly trail one finger down the centre of his chest. "What I do? That you'd actually bring it out because of me."

It was an interesting thing to come out with because there were a lot of things that she didn't say attached to what she did. He could read between the lines there.

"I wouldn't," he said honestly, quietly. "I don't think there'd be any good reason to show you that. If you know it's there, you know enough."

Honestly, she liked it that way. Their baiting arguments and one-up manship was far enough that way for her. Let him keep that side to himself.

"Good enough for you?" she asked, staying there looking up at him.

"Yeah, that was good," he said after staying quiet and letting the silence linger for a few moments. Alex opened his mouth to say something else, to actually explain why that was there but maybe there was something in the tone or her expression or something that stopped him. He closed his mouth and went with something simpler. "That was fine."

Alex backed away and tried to find another shot. The distraction of the previous moment unhinged him though and he pulled the shot, sending pool balls everywhere but into the pockets.

So much for performing under pressure.

His big words didn't always go right, did they? Hadn't realized that sort of thing was all it took to throw him right off his game.

Interesting.

"Thought you were the man with the steady hands?" she commented, slipping around towards him again.

"My hands are fine," he retorted, keeping those hands tight around the pool cue while he glanced over at her. "And I'll make up for it when it's my turn next. I'm not worrying."

"I'm sure you're not." But something had touched there, she gathered enough to know that, and Effy gestured for the cue he was gripping like his life depended on it.

"Don't think much actually worries you." Not that he'd actually admit to. Vampires, his dad... that was about the end of the list she had in her head.

"I don't like to fucking worry," he said, finally letting the pool cue go and immediately tucking his hands into his pockets. They weren't shaking but the mention of having a scary side right before mentioning his hands made Alex realize what she had touched and it was an instinctive reaction.

"Fucking hate it." And yet, he'd let himself get attached again so he knew that would come with that territory. "I try not to worry."

"It sucks," she agreed, idly turning the cue in her hands as she scouted for a good position. Been there, done that, cared, worried, and felt horrible the whole fucking time. Giving a shit about people had its rough moments. "Wise choice." Wished it was that easy to just turn off.

Effy had a pretty easy line on this one, but with her mind on him rather than the table, it was hardly the most skilled shot of her life. It only just tipped it over the edge. Next one wasn't even close, and she wrinkled her nose.

A little delayed, she asked. "It work for you?"

"It had been working." Which was an indirect way of saying it wasn't working anymore. He kept his hands in his pockets even if he knew it was his shot. Just had to keep them out of his eyesight for a few moments longer. "Getting a little more difficult each fucking day."

And yet, he kept getting himself in deeper with people. Deeper and messier. "Fuck me, right?"

"Can't always help it." Not like she'd ever intended to pick up any more of those attachments. The few she had at home had been enough for her. "One of those things."

"Yeah, I know," he said and kept trying to make himself take the damn pool cue but he was afraid his hands were actually a little shaky now. Stupid fucking deep seated fear.

"It never turns out good for me anyway," he admitted, tilting his head back enough that he was staring up at the ceiling. Hadn't they been about to jump each other the last time they'd done this? "And yet."

Oh, yeah, she'd definitely nudged at something even if it hadn't really been intentional, and Effy stepped a little closer. After a beat, she reached up to slip her free hand around his neck as a sort of encouragement to look back down.

"Also kind of don't want to go back," she continued for him. Maybe that was just her, maybe it wasn't.

Alex resisted for a half second before he realized he didn't have any reason to resist and looked back down at her, still keeping most everything hidden. She was just good at noticing things he did these days.

"I don't either," he said after a brief moment just spent looking at her. "And that's a little scary."

Effy nodded, almost imperceptibly. "It is," she agreed, a little quieter, letting her hand slip back around to the side of his neck now he was looking at her.

"But why?" Wasn't supposed to be all that terrifying, getting into all that, was it?

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