Chapter Text
“Just fuck off, Wick!”
Luna’s head lifted when raised voices floated across the room.
“Hold on a sec,” she mumbled into the phone that was currently pressed to her ear.
Swivelling round on the creaky bar stool, she saw a slender woman standing a few feet away, squaring up to a stocky man with stubble who was glaring down at her, his chest heaving.
“Not until you give me an explanation.”
“I already TOLD you,” the woman shoved him once in the chest, “I don’t want to see you anymore. There. Explained.”
“I’m gonna have to call you back, Clarke,” Luna spoke, ending the call and sliding the phone into her pocket.
She watched as the woman moved to walk away, but the man grabbed her arm, yanking her back with a grunt.
“Not good enough,” he snarled, face inches from hers.
“Let go of me, Kyle,” she spat.
“No.”
“You—you’re hurting me! I said, let go,” she growled, trying to twist out of his grip.
“Why? So you can fuck some other guy behind my back again?”
“Fuck’s sake. For the millionth time, I never cheated on you!”
“Sure you did. I’ve seen the way you dress; always wanting attention, sleazing around like you’re something special. Well, you’re not. You really think anyone else is gonna want you now?”
He pushed his face close to hers, until they were nose-to-nose. The woman was trying to put on a brave face, her jaw jutting out defiantly; but her trembling lip gave away her fear as he leered down at her.
“You’re a fucking whore.”
“Don’t call me that,” she whispered, a tear trailing down her cheek.
He dragged a dirt-encrusted fingernail down her cheek, only stopping when his fingers were resting on her neck. Her eyes were wide with fear, chest fluttering with sharp breaths as he slowly tightened his hold on her throat.
Then Luna pushed herself up off the stool and strode over, shoving the man a few steps back before planting herself directly between him and the woman.
“What the fuck?” His eyes narrowed. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Never mind who I am,” Luna drawled, voice low. She glanced behind her at the woman, who was watching with wide eyes, before turning back to the man named Wick. “Just get the fuck out of here before you get yourself into trouble, ‘kay?”
Wick scoffed. “Yeah, right. And who’s gonna make me leave? You?”
“Nah,” Luna smirked, “But they will.”
She made a small gesture with her head and suddenly two bouncers appeared on either side of Wick, grabbing his arms. He struggled, but to no avail – they dragged him out with all the nonchalance of throwing out the garbage, his cries of protest quickly fading as he was thrown out into the street. Luna turned back to face the woman, all traces of a smile gone.
“Are you okay?”
The woman nodded, rubbing at her throat as she composed herself. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“No problem,” Luna said, taking a seat on the stool closest to them while signalling to the bartender.
The woman grabbed another stool, shuffling over until they were sitting side-by-side. “So, uh, what can I get you?”
Luna paused for a moment. “You wanna buy me a drink?”
“It’s the least I could do, after what you did for me.”
The stranger had a grateful warmth in her eyes that made Luna’s stomach flip.
“Double rum and coke.”
“You got it.”
The woman leaned over the bar to talk to the bartender. Her t-shirt rode up a little as she bent forward, and Luna couldn’t help but notice taut abs beneath her tan skin.
“Like what you see?”
Luna felt her face flush as the woman turned and caught her staring, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“Ahem, sorry.”
The woman shook her head with a smile. “So, what’s the deal with you and the security guys being best buds? You sleeping with one of them or something?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Nu uh.”
“Why not?”
Luna shrugged.
“Let me guess. They tried but you said no?”
“Actually, they’re not my type,” Luna countered, eyes locking with the stranger’s.
“Oh? So what is your type, then?”
“Women, mostly.”
Luna was pleased to see that her words had the desired effect – averting her gaze, the woman’s cheeks flushed as she began nonchalantly fiddling with her straw.
“So, uh, you work here or something?”
“I own it, actually. Used to be my parents’, before they retired.”
The stranger smiled. “That’s awesome. You must get some pretty sweet deals on drinks, huh?”
“Why don’t you come back one night this week and you can find out?”
Another smile.
“Okay, deal.”
The woman stood suddenly, finishing her drink in two gulps.
“I gotta go now, though. I wanna get my stuff back from that douchebag’s apartment before he gets home.”
Luna’s heart sank ever-so-slightly. She didn’t know this woman at all, but already there was something about her that was drawing Luna in. The stranger paused before leaving, turning back to the bar.
“What’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Luna.”
“Nice to meet you, Luna. I’m Raven. Raven Reyes.”
Raven shot Luna a wink, and then she was gone, disappearing into the murky shadows of the bar and out into the cold evening air. But only two days passed before she returned, and after a month of her dropping in every few days after work, Luna began to wonder if Raven’s constant visits to the Moon Bar were about more than just the free drinks.
***
Work kept Luna busy, though, and at first, she didn’t think much of Raven's regular visits. They were just two friends, hanging out. Sure, they saw each other at least three times a week and Raven always seemed happy to see her, but that was just how good friends were with each other, right? It wasn’t until Murphy dropped by for a visit to the bar a few weeks later when the truth became more apparent.
“Hey, Luna.”
“Murphy!”
Luna raced round to the front of the bar, throwing herself at her best friend and pulling him in for a bear hug. He held her for a few seconds before removing her arms from around his waist and placing them back by her sides.
“Okay, okay,” he said with a smile, glancing at the few patrons that were scattered across the room, “People are gonna think I’ve gone soft if you keep that up.”
“You are soft, Murph.”
“Am not.”
“I think your boyfriend would beg to differ.”
“Why would you—”
“Shall we remind ourselves what you got him for his birthday last year? A stuffed animal with a recording of your voice programmed into a button on its tummy?”
“You’re such a shit.”
“That’s what I thought. Softie.”
Murphy grinned at his friend, shoving her playfully as she led him over to the bar. He stopped for a minute to say hello to Harper and Monty, two of the bar staff, while Luna made her way round to the employee side to fix him a drink.
“So, what’s new with you? How’s business?” he asked, perching on a stool across from her.
“It’s good,” she shrugged, pulling out a tall glass from beneath the counter, “Pretty much the same as it was the last time you stopped by.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Why?”
“No reason.”
Luna cocked one eyebrow sceptically.
“It’s just that a little birdie told me that you’ve had a bit of an increase in customers lately.”
“Oh?”
“Well, more like one customer in particular.”
Luna paused, the now half-full glass hovering under the beer tap that her hand was resting on. She looked up to meet Murphy’s amused gaze, feeling her cheeks growing warmer as he raised his eyebrows knowingly.
“Who told you?”
“Ah ah ah, a gentleman never reveals his sources,” he smirked, tapping his nose three times.
“It was Clarke, wasn’t it?”
“Damn it, how’d you know?”
“Because her mouth is bigger than the Olympic Stadium and I know that you two are awful at keeping secrets from each other.”
“True.”
“So, what did she say exactly?” Luna reached over the bar, placing Murphy’s beer in front of him before leaning her elbows up on the glossy worktop.
“Nothing much. Just that she’s been to visit you a bunch of times recently and that there’s a woman who’s here a lot and you two are always together laughing and talking and stuff.”
“We are not always together,” she grumbled, lifting one arm to wipe some beer residue off her wrist. “Anyway, how would Clarke even notice that? Most of the time she’s got her tongue so far down Lexa’s throat, I’m surprised she even remembers to breathe.”
“Hit a nerve, have I?” Murphy smiled.
“No.”
“Luna...”
“What?”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’m not lying about anything.”
“Okay, so you’re a terrible truth-cover-upper.”
“That’s not even a thing, Murph.”
“Whatever. You know what I mean.”
Luna huffed as she propped her chin up on her closed fist.
“Come on, girl! I came here for some gossip. Don’t let me down.”
“When did you become such a queen?”
“Not sure. I blame Bellamy, though.”
“Me too. Speaking of Bellamy, how’s he doing with—”
“Stop changing the subject.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“No, I’m Murphy. Now tell me about this mystery woman, because I’m not leaving until you do,” he grinned, taking a long swig from his beer before setting it back down with a drawn-out “ahhhhh.”
“Fine, FINE.”
“Yessss”, Murphy crowed, inching closer on the stool.
“Well, um, her name’s Raven.”
“Raven…?”
“Reyes.”
“As in Reyes’ Auto Repair Shop?”
“The very same. Her uncle owns it.”
“Shit, what a small world.”
“I know.”
“How is it that her family owns the garage you’ve been taking your car to for years and you’ve never run into her before now?”
“She only just started working there. She’s been away at university for the last three years.”
“Studying what?”
“Mechanical engineering.”
“Makes sense.”
“She’s so smart, Murph,” Luna ducked her head, smiling shyly, “And funny, too. But not like, the stupid kind of funny. The witty kind.”
Murphy’s smile softened as Luna’s eyes lit up and her cheeks tinted pink as she continued talking.
“We have such great conversations, y’know? She likes art and literature and has an amazing taste in music, and she wants to take me to all these wonderful places and—” she paused, glancing at Murphy hesitantly.
But he simply nodded for her to carry on, patting her hand affectionately before wrapping his fingers around his glass.
“And she makes me smile, like, all the time.”
“She sounds great.”
“She really is,” Luna murmured.
“Now for a superficial question that I shouldn’t ask because it shouldn’t matter but I’m going to ask anyway because I’m curious: what does she look like?”
Luna paused to take a deep breath. Murphy braced himself, anticipating a typical Luna–word avalanche coming his way. He was right.
“Okay, oh my god, well, she’s insanely pretty,” she began, twisting a strand of hair between her finger and her thumb, “No, that’s an understatement. She’s gorgeous. Like, that movie-moment, heart-stopping, gasp-inducing kind of gorgeous. Her hair is silky and soft and it’s brown but not a boring brown, it’s like a warm chestnut brown that reminds me of autumn and playing in the leaves. And, oh, her smile. I swear, Murph, her smile could put the sun to shame – it’s that dazzling. And her eyes. Oh, my god, her eyes. Every time I look at her, I just get lost in them.”
“Damn.”
“I’m not kidding. The other week, I was so distracted while I was looking at her that I completely ignored a customer for two whole minutes until Monty poked me and I almost jumped out of my skin.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it bad,” he chortled.
“You have no idea.”
He chewed his lip for a moment. “So… it’s all well and good you telling me all of this, but does she know that you feel this way about her?”
“Oh god, not you too,” she huffed, drawing back from the bar a little.
“What?” Murphy frowned.
“I already got an earful the other day from Clarke telling me to talk to her. I don’t need it from you, as well.”
Murphy shuffled forward a little, resting his hands on the countertop. “I wasn’t trying to piss you off. I’m just saying that it’s obvious that you really like this girl and from what Clarke’s told me… it sounds like she might be interested in you too?”
Luna rolled her eyes. “You have to say that, you’re my best friend.”
“You know me, I don’t bullshit.”
“Wellllllll…”
“Oi,” Murphy chuckled, “Seriously, Lu. Just, I don’t know… ask her out or something?”
Luna fidgeted with the rag in her hands, absentmindedly wiping the same spot on the countertop that she’d cleaned five minutes ago.
“I’ll think about it.”
“That’s my girl.”
***
As it turned out, Luna didn’t have anything to worry about – not when it was two days later and Raven came swaggering into the bar with a giant grin on her face, making a beeline for the bar at which Luna was stood.
“Luna!”
Face already flushed at the sound of Raven's voice, Luna finished stacking the clean glasses then turned to the other woman, eyes twinkling.
“Hey, Raven.”
“Please tell me you’re not busy this weekend?”
“Um, no. I mean, I’m free, yes.”
“Excellent. We’re going out.”
“We—you and I?”
Raven glanced around with exaggerated confusion. “Do you see me talking to anyone else? Yes, you and I! I found a really cool thing to do and I think you’re gonna love it.”
A smile tugged at Luna's lips. “Are you going to tell me anything about it?”
“Nope.”
“So I’m going to an unknown place with a person I met at a bar, and I just have to trust that you’re not going to murder me in some dark alleyway?”
Raven tilted her head a little. “Pretty much, yeah.”
“Okay,” Luna laughed.
“I gotta go back to the garage now, but I’ll text you the details.”
“I—you don’t have my number.”
Raven arched an eyebrow. There was a dare in her eyes. “I was kinda hoping you were gonna ask me for mine.”
Luna gulped loudly.
Raven’s eyes stayed locked on hers.
A tense silence vibrated in the air.
And then…
“I, uh… well, I would really like it, actually, if… could I please have your number, Raven?”
“Finally, jeez,” Raven winked, taking Luna's phone from her outstretched hand.
Then Luna went to take her phone back and Raven stretched her fingers out further than necessary just so they could brush across Luna's hand, and everything shrunk away for a moment until it was just the two of them and Luna was sure she could feel Raven's heartbeat pulsing through her skin.
And then Raven's phone started ringing in her pocket and they jumped apart, Raven blushing and mumbling apologies while Luna began unnecessarily wiping the bar again just to give her shaking hands something to do.
Another goodbye and then Raven left, Luna collapsing on a stool and silently thanking the universe for not giving her a ton of customers that day. She didn’t think she could handle a full day’s work, not when all she could think about was Raven’s smile and Raven's eyes and Raven's touch on her skin.
She resumed pottering around behind the bar, relieved when closing time rolled around. A quick check of the bar and things seemed in order, so she locked up, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder before walking around to the back of the bar where the door to her upstairs apartment was. Her phone chimed as she was climbing the stairs. She tugged it out of her pocket, pausing to read the message.
Hey! It’s Raven. Meet me at 2pm on Saturday, outside the bar. I’ll take it from there.
Luna smiled, continuing her walk up the stairs and letting herself into her apartment before sitting on the sofa and typing back a reply.
I’ll be there. Is there a dress code for wherever we’re going?
A minute or so passed.
Just look as gorgeous as you always do.
Luna dropped her phone.
“Shit,” she breathed, stooping to retrieve it from the floor.
She remained sitting on the sofa for a few minutes, wondering how she was going to survive a whole day with Raven when she couldn’t even handle one flirty text from the woman.