Chapter Text
Leah's POV
At 28, Leah was still figuring out what counted as "fashionably late."
She had been on the fence about attending this happy hour event, what with homework and some maybe-possibly-intentionally missed calls sitting on her phone. You are literally a giant woman who can turn into a giant wolf, get it together. She ran her hands through her as she approached the bar.
She glanced around until she locked eyes with a friendly waiter, who told her that her graduate program's happy hour was on the second floor. She took a deliberate inhale-exhale before climbing the steps. Her enhanced hearing notified her that several people were already making small talk around the food and drinks.
"Oh! Leah, over here!" A younger woman leaned forward in her chair and waved. Leah instantly relaxed and even waved. As she looked around, she spotted her roommate, a nice but reserved woman who was chatting with two other students in their program around a small standing table.
The younger woman from early was sitting at a larger table, the other students from her program greeted Leah with a mix of smiles, waves, and a hug from one of the guys closest to her. While Leah wasn't someone who really did hugs, it was nice to be greeted so warmly by a friendly face. She had already met Logan and most of the other people from her program during Accepted Students Day and had even begun to develop friendships with those she saw periodically in some classes.
"This place is huge! Did you guys get this entire floor just for our program?" Leah ended her question with a laugh, taking a menu passed down to her. Leah noticed that the students seemed to migrate to and from the different social circles spaced around the room. She figured that she'd end up meeting everyone if she just waited for them to come to her. And what better place to station herself then in front of food?
Logan laughed and shook his head. "No, that's just sort of how they do things here. They let the grad students have their own floor for off campus events, and we keep coming back. I was just telling Nina that I'm shocked she got a booking so last minute. We always have to compete with the other schools in the area for the best happy hour spots."
Nina-the younger woman from earlier-shimmied her shoulders and grinned, her eyes so dark that they sparkled until the lights. "What can I say? If there is one thing we take seriously as the student association, it's our chances to eat and drink at discounted prices." The others at the table laughed and easy conversation flowed. Leah glanced down at the menu and, with another inhale-exhale, scanned the drink menu.
"Got a specific one on your mind? Let me know when you're ready to order. A couple of us are ready for another round." Leah looked up at Logan with a humorous scoff. A quick glance around the table's surface showed that everyone must already have two, if not three, drinks in them. When did they get here? I'm only half an hour late.
"Got any recommendations? Looks like you guys got a good head start on me." Leah wasn't much of a drinker, since her accelerated metabolism killed the chance of even getting tipsy.
A brunette laughed as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "That's what I said when I got here. Apparently, Logan, Nina, and Kyle are seasoned veterans when it comes to this place." Leah glanced at Logan and Nina who were loudly laughing and cheers'ing each other in response. They both moved their glasses to point at Kyle, who was sitting a little away. He gave a little laugh and lifted his glass with them. Kyle was a quieter guy, which eased Leah. It felt good to know that she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb if she decided to just people-watch for most of this get together.
"I'm Amy, by the way. I don't think we met?" the brunette introduced herself with a gracious smile and a head tilt. Leah shook her head, trying to remember if she had seen her during her first semester at the school.
Nina's jerked her head back and forth, looking at Leah and Amy a little bug-eyed. "Wait, do you two not have Parker and Burns together? I thought all the first-years were in the core classes this semester." When Amy shook her head, Logan grimaced and proceeded to tell everyone about his terrible experiences in the classes. Kyle interjected with some advice for the first years. Leah found the whole venting session a little over the top, but entertaining. Was the long list of required class readings a little excessive? Maybe, but that came with the territory that was higher learning.
Sometimes she forgot how nice it was to hang out with people whose worries didn't have supernatural origins.
As the evening went on and the table became more and more crowded with food, drinks,and people, Leah found it easier to weave herself into the different conversations. She didn't even realize that it was a little after 8 pm until her phone rang, the screen shining with the name Emily. Was this missed call number 3 or 4 now? One inhale-exhale later, Leah sent a quick I'll call you back in five minutes and gave a small sad smile to the table. After she paid at the bar, Nina bumped her shoulder good naturedly and walked with her.
"I'm glad you came out tonight! Let me know when you're free on Sunday. I've been testing out this new pasta recipe and I think it would go well with our next horror movie." Nina was all smiles when she looked up at Leah. Even though Leah was pretty used to Nina at this point, she was still shocked by all the energy that came from such a little person. Wait, was she little? Being 5'11" sometimes distorted what Leah considered short.
"Pasta? I don't know. The last thing I need is for you to freak out and get sauce all over your shirt...again." Leah laughed when Nina lightly slapped her.
"Haha, very funny, Leah. Don't come crying to me when it turns out delicious and I don't share it with you." They both laughed and walked down to the first level. Nina gave a quick Have a good night! to the staff as they stepped out into the cooling evening. Ever since Nina got her own place, Leah has been spending at least half her free time living in her coach.
"Hey…what are your plans for winter break?" The gears in Leah's head turned as she waited for Nina's answer. Emily's missed calls suddenly seemed to add 10 pounds to her phone. The smaller woman cocked her head to the side as she looked up at Leah, blank-faced.
"Nothing really, maybe just going to visit my parents. Or chill in my apartment. Everyone else is going to be out of town so I'm in between those options." Nina looked up at Leah as if she was looking right through her. It was disarming, and something Leah noticed about her when they first met several months ago. Then, Nina smiled.
"Why do you ask?" One inhale-exhale later.
"How do you feel about a trip to my side of the country?"
Nina's POV
Sunday came simultaneous too soon and not soon enough.
Nina looked back at Leah slack jawed and wide-eyed in response to her proposition. Once she realized that Leah was serious, notjust serious but also looking increasingly nervous. Nina gave a surprised Oh wow! Let me think about it and get back to you on Sunday.
Well. It was Sunday. It was Sunday and she had thought about it.
Nina drained the pasta and added it to the creamy shrimp sauce. Upon tasting it, she added some additional seasoning, though purposefully leaving the red pepper flakes out for individual seasoning. She didn't want to Leah thinking that she was trying to kill her to get out of seeing her family.
"Gosh…" Nina slowly sat down after she set the table. Since meeting Leah in April, she had learned bits and pieces about Leah's life in the northwest. It was all vague at best and frustrating at worse. Part of her wanted to extend an alternative option to Leah.
Stay here with me. We can make food and watch horror movies. We can even watch the occasional holiday movie—for balance! We can explore the city because it's so nice this time of year and I couldn't see it last year because of what was going on with my dad but-
But Leah had asked. And Leah never asked for favors.
Nina rushed to the door when she heard the knock, her chair squeaking as it abruptly scratched the floor. She opened the door to see Leah with a 6 pack of cider in one hand and a bottle of wine in another.
"Wonderful! How did you know my love language was food?" Leah laughed in response as she put the drinks down near the bowls of pasta.
"I thought it was quality time."
"Yes, quality time with food." Leah rolled her eyes as she took off her shoes. Nina laughed as she put the wine and ciders in the fridge, sans the two ciders she left out for their food.
"I think your front desk guy is starting to think I have a drinking problem. I keep entering your apartment with armfuls of alcohol."
Nina sat down by her plate, which was at least 50% smaller than Leah's. Is that why she's so tall, is it because of the food? I wish I had known that when I was still growing. "You're fine. We have some undergrads who live in the building. They put us to shame, what with the booze wagons they bring in through the lobby."
Leah sat down and sighed. "So, did you think about it?"
Nina got clammy. "Yeah, uh, actually I wanted to ask you about that." She adjusted her chair to better her posture.
"Just curious…why did you ask me to go with you? I'm mean, I'm flattered! Especially since I was sincere when I said that I wanted to see your hometown. It just seems…I don't know…you looked like there was something wrong when we last talked. Did something happen back at home?"
Leah slumped a little in her seat and looked down with a stormy look. Nina looked away to take a big bite out of the pasta. Better to not stare so she can have some semblance of space.
"Yeah actually…My cousin called me because they're having some issues on the Rez. Remember when I told you that I used to work with the council for a while after high school? They need that sort of help. They usually have enough guys to cover everything, but most of them have families and other jobs. Since I'll be done with classes for a few weeks, they asked if I could help while I'm there."
Nina blinked. The idea of people in their twenties who are married with kids never ceases to shock me.
Leah continued, "Honestly, the reason I invited you is because I think it'll ground me. Sometimes when I go back…I get stuck in this bad place in my mind. I know you." She looked up. "I trust you. I think having you around will keep me from getting into a funk, like I usually do when I'm around certain people."
Nina had a guess on who some of those people were. An Emily, who was married to a Sam. Maybe a Paul and….a John? Leah always stressed that none of them were bad people, probably were never actually bad. Just bad for her to be around. Nina always patiently listened whenever Leah unloaded about her life before grad school. It made sense. After all, once you've been alive for long enough, you get a few bumps and bruises.
"Okay, thanks for telling me. That means a lot, actually. I didn't realize I had that effect on you." Nina laughed a little in her last sentence, hoping that it would ease some of the tension in Leah's shoulders.
Nina took a big gulp of the hard cider before continuing. "Okay, I'll go. But you got to promise me a few things." Leah perked up immediately, her relief so strong that Nina felt a little guilty with immediately imposing some guidelines.
"If you know I'm about to talk to someone who is…difficult…please give me a heads up. Or even intercede on the conversation. You have my full permission to step in if you think I'm about to get in trouble or make a fool of myself." Nina internally cringed. She knew she was making it sound like Leah was taking her to the slaughterhouse, but she had seen some of Leah's family photos—those guys were huge! They were even taller than Leah! The last thing Nina wanted was to get on the wrong side of a guy that big.
"Second, please check with your mom and brother if it's alright that I'm visiting. I do not want to impose on your family." Leah laughed at that and shook her head.
"My mom loves you, and Seth doesn't have a hostile bone in his body. They'll be happy to have you. Really Nina, I think you'll be fine." Nina brightened up at Leah's praise, then slowly exhaled.
"Alright well, we better get the plane tickets as soon as possible. Also, how much should I pack?"
Leah put her right hand up. "I'll buy your plane tickets. It's the least I can do for asking you on such short notice. As for clothes, it's probably going to be as cold as you're used to in New York. Just pack for a New York Christmas." Nina did a series of short little nods as Leah spoke.
Nina exhaled, then grabbed her pasta plate. "Let's move to the coach, I'm ready for some spooks!" She made a mental note to get some souvenirs for Logan and Kyle, and to keep them updated. This was shaping up to be an interesting winter break.
A/N: For returning readers, you may have noticed that I merged chapters 1+2. That was to get to La Push ASAP. As much as I love LeahxNina, I want to get into the meat of the story. For new readers: most of the story will be from Nina's POV, with Leah (and Embry!) taking the reigns as the plot heats up.