Work Text:
It was not Madeline’s first time on this bus, but it was certainly the first time she had been on when so close to midnight. The bleached posters flitting in the windows of closed shops that she was so used to disappeared when the sun went down; only shadows hung in their place. The irritating neon of the occasional passing bar was the only light, besides the blue shine of her phone from below. She glanced down at the notification that had lit up her phone, then tugged on her braided hair as an anxious comfort. Her sister wanted to know where she was. Well, wasn’t that a surprise? The “Gals Night Out” that Madeline had been promised had devolved into her sister and her friends hitting on every girl that passed by, and leaving Maddie to sip her beer alone. She huffed to herself, and sent a reply. Not that Amelia would see it before tomorrow morning, she was probably too busy making out in the bathroom. It was not a habit of Madeline to be so frustrated, but damn it, she was more than a little tipsy, and she had reason to be mad. Why did everyone treat her so differently just because she was on the quiet side? She wanted to have fun with friends. Maybe she wanted to make out in the bathrooms of dirty bars, too! Well, really, no she didn’t. She wanted to stay in and maybe read a book, to be honest to herself. But was that a crime? No! She caught herself just before she kicked the seat in front of her in righteous frustration. She let her eyes close and her breath let out, and gazed out the window. The deep navy of the city was not a comfort. Still much too long before she would be back at her apartment.
The bus had been near empty when Marianne had first boarded, but the rest of the drunkards on their way home had joined at some point in the journey. She hadn’t noticed, though. It might be the wine from earlier, but the woman sitting near the front of the bus appeared to Marianne as the prettiest angel to be missing from heaven. She thought to herself, then decided against it. This woman didn’t seem like the type to be endeared by some basic pick up line. A “tsk” escaped her lips as she watched each stop roll past. What a shame it would be to see her get off the bus without even trying to make a move! She was decided, then. As the bus leaned to a stop, she stood up and walked to the front. She held her head up higher and strode past the rest of the silent watchers. She sat down next to the woman. Good, this couldn’t be too suspicious: the bus was filling up as it passed through downtown. It would make sense for her to pretend that she had just walked on and needed a seat. It was a struggle, however, to keep her eyes to herself. Any woman must be respected to be loved: an adage someone had told her a long time ago that Marianne kept with her still. Yet this woman was so distracting: long, thin hands with bitten-off nails. The lean muscle of her legs that showed past her skirt and then was covered by tall boots. She wanted to glance up again, but modesty demanded that her head stay forwards. For now, at least. She would come up with some enchanting way to catch her attention before she left. She knew it. She grinned to herself and tried to temper her feelings - for the next two minutes, at least.
Then, to her surprise, a quiet voice asked from beside her, “I’m sorry, but do you need something?”
“I’m sorry, but do you need something?” The words had leapt from Madeline’s mouth before she could catch them. She cursed herself as the pretty lady jumped. Maddie had seen her sitting towards the back of the bus when she got on. She was hard to miss: a veritable model sitting alone at night was bound to get some looks. But what Maddie didn’t understand was why she had come up to sit next to her. Her alarmed expression confirmed her suspicions: someone from the back of the bus must have been irritating her. What a shame, a woman like this didn’t deserve such harassment. But the average drunk man was dumber than the average pig, so it was understandable why she was upset. To Madeline’s surprise, the lady’s face shifted to amusement.
“Well, I wanted to see what such a dear was doing alone by herself!” Madeline felt her face redden. This lady must be drunk. Maybe she mistook her for someone else, because why was she taking an interest in Maddie, of all people? But then her comment made no sense! She smiled, embarrassed, and looked down at her phone. What was this lady doing?
“Ah… I apologize if I was too forwards. Could I try again?” Her voice was smooth, but had a lilt that spoke of her being not-from-here. Maddie looked the woman over again. Her blonde hair had grown out to show brunette roots. Her bun had fallen loose some time ago, and the escaping strands framed her slim, tanned face. She wanted desperately to see the rest of her, but she didn’t want to offend this woman. She felt her heartbeat pulsing under her skin. Despite her initial reservations, the ends of Maddie’s lips turned up in a smile.
“... A-Alright then.”
This was not how Marianne expected this night to go, but unexpected surprises weren’t always bad. Trying to ignore her quickening pulse, she placed her hand on top of the other womans’. Marianne leaned in close and breathed softly. She let her gaze linger on the other woman’s face. Long, dominant eyelashes; wine-red lips, and the kindest eyes. She pressed a gentle kiss on the other woman’s cheek. Marianne rarely felt so nervous about impressing another woman, but something about this woman was special. She had an air of honesty and life that so many others didn’t. She smelled like cedar wood and something else - something sweet.
“Was that acceptable?” she whispered into her ear. “... yes.” The soft reponse made her feel like her stomach had turned to jelly. The other woman looked her in the eyes.
“... What is your name, my dear?”
“Madeline.” Marianne let the name roll over in her mind.
She repeated, “Madeline.”
This was not how Maddie expected this night to go, but she couldn’t find a reason to complain. She looked at the lady sitting opposite her. Maybe it was the half-drunk beer from earlier, or maybe it was this woman’s intoxicating aura. She ignored the pulls of self-doubt from the pit of her stomach, and glanced at the neon lights whizzing by outside.
“Well, my stop is coming up soon.” She let a beat pass. “Would you like to come with me?”
“My dear, I would like that very much.”