Chapter Text
"I need a drink."
Luka sat down at the bar counter, resting her head on the cold surface, letting out an exasperated sigh. She didn't care what she put in her body right now, as long as it was alcoholic.
"Well, you're in luck. After all, that's what bars are for." A woman's voice responded, her voice smooth and husky, holding a hint of sarcasm. "What's your poison?"
"Surprise me."
When Luka heard a stout glass slide across the glazed wood counter, she finally lifted her head. In front of her was a glass of ice water.
The bartender chuckled to herself, looking smug. She picked up another glass she had set to the side and set it on the counter next to the ice water. The drink was amber brown, with a thin layer of foam lining the top. Much more along the lines of what Luka had been thinking.
"Sorry, just messing with you. Here."
Luka took a sip of the drink, a cold feeling greeting her tongue followed by a fire going down her throat. She hated the feeling, and hated the taste even more, but she knew it would take the stress away.
Today had been a less than perfect day, and this was exactly the thing she had needed. She'd never even been one for alcohol, only ever drinking on post-work excursions with her colleagues, but she knew it would take her mind off whatever was bothering her. After all, that's the reason people chose to drink anyways, right? As soon as work had finished, she Googled ' bars near me ', immediately being led here, to this little hole-in-the-wall place in Shinjuku. Clearly not many people had known this place even existed, with there only being a handful of customers and a single person working the counter.
She hadn't really even taken the time to look around her when she arrived, having bee-lined her way to the counter as soon as she saw it. Now that Luka looked around her, she noticed how cute the place was. Warm amber lights hung from the ceiling, casting a comfortable glow on the whole place. The whole room smelled of coffee and cinnamon, almost masking the undertones of beer. There was an old school record player in the far corner, playing soothing Western jazz music. It was cozy and made it incredibly easy to relax, though she figured it wouldn't be hard anyways after a few drinks.
And then there was the barkeep: a tall woman with short, silky brown hair and a spunky attitude. Her nails were painted bright red, not even slightly chipped despite the work she had been doing with her hands, which bore a couple of callouses. She was deep into cleaning the one or two glasses that had been dirtied, obviously looking for something to do during the lack of business.
She peeked over her shoulder, meeting eyes with Luka.
Shit. She caught me staring.
"Do you need something, sweetheart?" She asked, teasingly.
Luka sipped on her beer, looking away. "No, thank you." She stifled an exhale after the liquid ran down her throat.
The woman behind the counter set down the now clean glasses, picking up the tiny plates that had been used to give someone an appetizer and beginning to clean them.
"You looked in rough shape when you came in here," She knocked the crumbs off the plate into the garbage. "Are you starting to relax a little?"
Luka nodded. Admittedly it was hard to be stressed in such an atmosphere.
"How's the beer?"
"Good," She lied.
While she was starting to feel the smallest bit warm from sipping, Luka had always hated the bitter taste left behind on her tongue after each sip. And she knew that even a lightweight such as herself would have to put back a lot more to become inebriated. She loathed the thought.
As if reading her mind, the woman swiftly turned around, grabbing a few bottles and mixing the different contents in a little glass like a skilled potion-maker. Then she turned, sliding the glass across the counter. "Hopefully this is a little more up your alley."
"Huh?"
"I can tell by the look on your face that you're not enjoying that," Her words were genuine, holding no ill judgment. “No shame in that, but what's the fun in drinking something you don't like?”
Luka looked at the drink. It was clear, with the faintest tint of yellow, smelled tropical and looked rather fruity. If anything, it looked better than the beer she had been given earlier. She took a sip, surprised by the sweetness that greeted her lips. The aftertaste left behind was sour, bitter, even, but not unpleasant. She clicked her tongue.
"Better?"
Luka nodded again, nervously adjusting her glasses on her nose. “It's really good.”
The woman smiled. "Good. That's a lemon sour. Mostly soju and tonic water… it's pretty popular with new drinkers.” She seemed pleased that her customer found a drink she liked.
Luka sat there quietly for a few seconds, sipping on the sweet liquid. It was good, the taste beginning to grow on her. Was it that obvious that she wasn't big on drinking? She felt a little embarrassed at the idea her palette might seem childish to other adults.
The bartender began to turn back to her dishes, but Luka stopped her, forcing the words out despite her nervousness.
“Thank you,”
Luka noticed the corner of her lip prick up at the comment, as if finding her shyness endearing. She gave a quick nod, and turned.
Luka continued sipping on her drink, her head slowly becoming more dazed as she went. Her body felt warm, the heat from earlier having moved from her chest and spreading to the tips of her fingers and toes. When drinks like this existed, she didn't understand why people chose beer. This was so much tastier.
She soon found herself staring at the bartender, unable to look away, feeling like a seabird who had found something shiny in the sand. Something about the woman in front of her made Luka feel strange; the way she spoke to her as if she could read every thought in her mind, that subtly smug confidence of someone who had zero reservations within her own personality. She wasn't sure if her few sips of alcohol had already caught up to her, but she knew wanted to learn more about this woman before the night was over.
"Hey..." She said, leaning her arms in the countertop. "What's your name?"
The bartender looked her directly in the eyes, making her heartbeat skip. "Why do you ask? Am I just that alluring?"
Luka knocked back the rest of her small glass, obviously evading an answer. She knew her answer would have been “yes”.
The bartender let out a giggle before finally answering. "You can call me Meiko," She suavely winked at Luka. "And yours?"
"Luka," She set her glass down on the counter. "Megurine... Luka."
Meiko began to resume her chores, picking up one of the now-crumbless plates she had set aside and wiping it off with a rag.
"Well, Miss Megurine Luka, I am happy you're beginning to feel better," She said, a caring tone to her voice. "It's hard to see such a pretty woman like you looking so down."
The bartender sounded nonchalant, as she had through most of this conversation. Luka, however, felt a flush of embarrassment hit her face like a tidal wave. Her heart raced from within her chest, taken aback by the sudden flirtatious compliment.
Meiko is a bartender, she probably flirts like this with the customers all the time. Don't read into it.
Luka brought her heart rate back down, letting out a sigh. "Thank you, Meiko."
"Of course. Now, just relax for a little while and enjoy the atmosphere. Would you like another drink?"
“Yes.”
♡
A few hours and a couple of lemon sours later, Luka found herself still sitting on that cozy stool at the bar counter. How long had she been there? After her second drink, she had lost all interest in the clock and solely began to focus on that warm feeling in her heart and that sweet voice greeting her ears.
The night was flying by in a blur of amber lights and jazz. She had been chatting aimlessly with Meiko for those hours as she did her chores, talking about nothing of real meaning and just killing the night together. People came and went from the bar, and yet, it felt like it had just the two of them the whole time. Luka's head was spinning, but she felt light as a feather and more at ease than she'd felt in ages.
"You look relaxed," Meiko said, giggling. She had finished her busywork, setting down her towel and moving around the counter to sit beside the other woman. "That's probably enough alcohol for you, but you can sit here with me and sober up until you're ready to go home if you'd like."
The bar counter was now empty aside from the two of them, not many customers remaining in the small establishment. Those who were there were finishing their final drinks and packing up their things, having to return to work the next morning. It must have been later than Luka thought.
"I don't want to stop," Luka complained, sounding a bit like a whiny child. She rested her head on the countertop and turned to look Meiko from the comfy spot on her arms. "I'm having fun."
"That's good to hear, but that won't change my mind." Meiko responded comfortingly, though still deciding to slide Luka’s empty glass just out-of-reach to the other side of the bar counter.
"Awe..."
Meiko couldn't help but notice every difference between Luka and herself when she was that age. Miss Megurine Luka was on the shyer side, high-strung and clearly feeling unfulfilled, only having come here to fill the void despite not being a drinker. Meanwhile, Meiko had been the life of the party, staying up until the small hours of the night and socially drinking daily, completely satisfied with life and not caring what lie ahead. The two of them were very different kinds of people, and yet, Meiko felt a strange kindred connection between the two of them that she couldn't explain. Though she couldn't say she hadn't been enjoying the night with this strange patron. She found herself wanting to know more.
"You must have had a really tough day," She spoke again, Luka looking at her sleepily. "Would you like to talk about it? That might be better than getting into the habit of drinking every time you're sad. You don't have to, though."
Luka pouted. Just remembering the day pissed her off a little. But Meiko was right, it might feel better to get it off her chest.
"It's just... I'm a singer, you know?" She lifted her head from her arms and leaned back in her chair, her words slurring a little. "Well, trying to be one... It's just a side job right now. I had a gig today and they canceled on me at the last minute. At this rate, I'll always be stuck in this bullshit corporate world I'm living in." Luka gave a deep sigh. "I want to do something I love! Not soulless computer work."
Meiko nodded in understanding. "I see why you feel that way. It is nice doing something you love."
"Do you love your job?" Luka asked. "I hope you do! It's adorable here... so cozy."
"Of course I love it," The bartender responded, looking lovingly around the room at her establishment. It was obvious that she cared very much for it. "I'm in full belief you can make a life of anything you love to do. I used to be a singer too, you know, because back then, that's what I loved to do. And now this is what I live for."
"You were a singer!?" Luka responded with a kid-like enthusiasm, her face wide with a shock that was almost comical.
Meiko giggled, leaning on her hand. "Yeah. Me and my ex-husband used to perform together back in the day. Nothing big, mostly small jazz gigs and things like that… He does more contemporary stuff now, but I decided to settle down here."
"Ex-husband!? You were married? How old are you, anyway? You're way too casual about this! I have so many questions!" Luka couldn't stop herself from rambling at this point, making her bafflement well-known.
"One question at a time! Haven't you ever heard not to ask a woman her age? But since you insist... 36, 37 in November."
"No way!"
Meiko stifled a laugh, slightly unsure what to do with this kind of attention on her. Was it really that shocking? Meiko always thought she looked like a worn-out housewife when she looked in the mirror, from years of neglecting her sleep and skincare.
"You are so beautiful..." Luka seemed to be at the point of drunkenness to where her liquid confidence had taken over, gazing at the woman in awe. "I never would have guessed you were pushing 40."
"Hey! I have a few years until 40… 40 isn't even that old. Regardless, women are beautiful at every age.”
Luka stared at her, in a bit of a daze as the woman spoke to her. Maybe it was the soft glow of the lights that lit the room, but Meiko seemed to light up with them. Her age seemed more obvious now as she noticed details she hadn't seen before. Faint, phantom lines marked Meiko's face, casting tasteful shadows in her skin from the light above. Her eyes were just the smallest bit sunken, likely from her days up late at work. It was clear she had seen some days. But somehow age was quite pretty. She couldn't help but agree with what Meiko had said immediately.
She silently nodded her agreement.
"How about you, then? How old are you to think that I'm so ancient?" The challenge in Meiko's voice stirred something within Luka's chest.
"28... 29 in January." Luka felt a bit embarrassed now under her gaze.
The tips of Meiko's lips pursed in an amused smile. "You're not even that far behind me! Oh, sweetheart... You are still way to young to be worrying about whether you can do what you want with your life or not... Clearly you know what you want to do. Just keep doing what you're doing, and you'll get to where you want to be."
Luka looked on the verge of tears, making it clear she was the emotionally-volatile type of drunk. She leaned over to Meiko's barstool, throwing her arms around Meiko in an messy embrace.
"Thank you..." She said quietly. That seemed to have been her choice phrase of the evening.
Meiko returned the hug, supportively patting her back. "Of course. Don't waste so much of your time worrying!”
Luka held on for a little bit too long, getting lost in the warmth of Meiko's touch. She worried she might fall asleep right there.
“Okay… I'll try.”
Luka finally pulled back, returning to her own space and resting her head on the counter again. She felt surprisingly at ease now, her day's problems disappearing and renewing the hope she had before. Though she couldn't help but wonder if she'd be this happy once she sobered up.
"So now that we've talked about it..." She mumbled. "Can I have another drink?"
"You're cute. But no."
"Awe..."
Luka yawned. The jazz had become dangerously soothing to her, making her feel how she would imagine a cat felt when tempted with a basket in the sun. She found her gaze lingering on the small details of the woman's face once again as she dozed off, the sight oddly comforting. Her long eyelashes, surrounding those deep brown eyes, almost the same color as the booze she had served Luka earlier … the way her immaculately cared-for hair draped across her forehead and framed her face … the way her tinted lip gloss made her lips sparkle under the lights …
“You really are so beautiful…”
The tired office worker’s eyes finally fluttered closed, all the tension in her face disappearing as she caught a well-deserved nap.
Meiko leaned on her arms, looking over at Luka with a wistful sigh. She hadn't looked away for a single moment.
“You shouldn't say things like that… any woman's heart would be swayed by those words.”
The bartender reached over, delicately moving a stray strand of Luka’s hair out of the way as she took off her glasses and folded them nicely on the counter beside her.
“Rest well.”