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"Monroeeee," Benson whined. "Don't make me stare at this screen any longer."
"Jesus Christ, you have no stamina."
"Don't hear Ava complaining."
"Ew." Alex covered her ears. "Ew, don't even mention her like that."
Benson reclined in his seat, chuckling. "What? You say shit like that all the time."
"She's like my sister."
"...Then that would make Audrey your sister. Now, who's the sick one?"
The two were bickering because they'd been holed up in the precinct for hours, scouring through security footage and bank statements, trying to find something—anything—that would help them in the court date next week. It was fruitless, and the detectives in the precinct were slowly being replaced by cleaners and floor waxing machines. It was time to go home.
"Drink?" Benson asked hopefully as he swung on his jacket. Before responding, Alex checked her phone, anticipating the text she'd received all week.
Back late, don't wait up. Love you x.
Sighing, she looked at Benson and shrugged. "Sure, why not. First and second rounds on you."
"How do you figure?"
"You owe me like 70 dollars from the last night out."
Benson smirked. "Oh yeah, right, sorry about that."
"I'll pay you back, I swear," Alex mimicked his voice.
"Alright, alright, not my fault I left my wallet behind."
"I mean... it sorta is." They rounded the bottom of the stairs and headed out the door, breathing in the fresh—well, fresh for the inner city—air. The sun was setting, but the air was cool, and they both instinctively knew where they were headed. The bar on the corner of the road was essentially a second staff room for cops. Police paraphernalia littered the walls. It made Alex cringe, but the drinks were cheaper and plainer than the majority of bars around LA, and that suited her just fine.
Benson didn't need to hear her order; he knew it by now. Beer followed by a shot of whiskey. He ordered double drinks for both of them and wobbled over with the tray.
"No fucking around," he grinned, placing it down, wincing as some of it sloshed over the rims.
"I'll drink to that." She raised her glass and they clinked. They both made eye contact as they drank and instantly entered a battle for who could down it first. Alex spluttered on her drink, and Benson downed his in one, slamming it on the table in victory, Alex following suit a second later.
"Dammit," she chuckled as they both suppressed burps and clutched their stomachs. "Next time, next time."
The next time was about 12 minutes later—Benson still won.
"Urgh I bet you were such a frat boy," Alex wiped her mouth as she stacked their now empty beer glasses and upturned her second shot of whiskey. She heard Audrey's voice in her ear telling her to slow down.
"It's a skill," Benson cracked his knuckles. "More?"
"Of course. No more beer though, whiskey coke."
Benson raised himself from the table, allowing Alex time to pull out her phone and reply to her girlfriend.
No worries, grabbing drinks with Benson. Miss youuu xx.
Pocketing the phone, she allowed the beer to settle in her stomach and nodded at some familiar faces at the table across the room. They gave her a quizzical look, wondering if she was alone, and she pointed at Benson, laughing off the idea even though it was perfectly realistic.
When Benson returned, they discussed work until they lost grip on sobriety. Then it devolved into gossip about the precinct, and as the drinks rolled on, Ava and Audrey.
"She's great," Benson slurred. "I just think she tries too hard sometimes."
"Mmmm, in what way?"
"Like, always tryin' to one-up me." He shrugged. "It's impossible for me to be right or to know more than her."
"Maybe she is right."
"Of course you'd back her."
"What! You've sorta described yourself there."
"No, I've described you."
"What!" Alex feigned insult, even though she knew it was a fair comment. "How dare you, Benny boyyy." She pushed a shot glass towards him. "Perfect cure for women troubles." She winked as she picked up her own, clinking their glass for what felt like the millionth time that evening.
"I miss Audrey," she sighed as she placed her glass down, blinking blearily at the bar, which had somehow doubled in patrons over the past two hours without her noticing. "I never-fucking..get toseeher."
"Need to get hit bya bus or somethin'," Benson smiled into his glass.
"For real." Alex laughed at the thought. "The mos' time I've spent with - her - this month is where ... when I shot a suspect and had - had - to sit with him - fuck it's loud in here?"
"What?"
"It's loud!" Alex pointed in the direction of nothing, signifying someone had turned up the music.
"It's 11!" Benson showed his phone. "What are you saying?"
She shook her head, then a thought crossed her mind. "Whatifi ... what if..." she leaned forward, cupping her hands to his ear so he could hear better, "what if I ended up in the ER!"
"Huh?" He was smiling but looked confused. "Why would you..."
"To see her."
"Dude, I was kidding!"
"No, it's genius!" She slammed down on the sticky wooden surface that separated them. "Nothing major. C'mon, Benny, it would be funny."
"She would kill you."
"C'monnn, I'm giving you a chance to hurt me," she hiccuped. "You gonna turn that down?"
"Well," a gleam in his eye, "could be funny."
"FUCK YEAH!" She high-fived him, their hands clumsily colliding as they laughed. "Right, so what we thinking?"
"More drinks," Benson nodded, standing. "More drinks first."
"Yes, surprise me."
"You're paying." He held out his palm. She was too drunk to care and handed him her card.
Two drinks later and they were stumbling into the alleyway, giggling at the ridiculousness of it all.
"Okay, okay," Alex steadied herself. "My left hand, just, fuck my finger up."
"This is crazy." He adjusted his glasses, leaving a smear down the lens. "Wait, hang on, let me—" He pulled them off his head, promptly dropping them on the ground, causing the glass to pop out. "SHIT."
Alex doubled over in laughter. "Yes, yes, use the anger, Benny, use it."
He picked up the remnants of his specs and pocketed them before grabbing her left index finger. "Ready?"
"Do your worst."
"Okay, 3... 2—"
Crack.
He dislocated it before he reached one.
"Holy—" Alex grabbed her own fingers, kissing her teeth as she took a step back. "You didn't reach 1."
"Knew you'd flinch!"
"Shit, that hurts." She shook the pain away instinctively, stopping when she realised it made it worse.
"You'll be fine," he shrugged, a sheen of sweat covering his whole face. Alex blinked through the pain and drunkenness. "Good luck," he chuckled.
"What! You're coming with me," she swayed.
"No way," he shook his head. "Audrey will murder me."
"Don't be a pussy," she gave him a playful shove. He batted her hand away.
"You're on your own. I'm calling Ava," he reached for his phone.
"Don't wanna know," she waved off the idea of him attempting a drunken booty call. "Tell her and you die," Alex pulled out her own phone, using herculean effort to navigate through her bleariness using just one hand. She was seeing double of the Uber app.
Alex.
Alex.
Wake up.
Alex.
She heard her name and felt something on her face. It was only when a sharp sting hit her cheek that she snapped her eyes open, bright fluorescent lights assaulting her irises and causing her to immediately clamp them shut.
"No, Alex, wake up, what the fuck," her shoulders were being shaken now. She opened them—Audrey.
"Hey," she scanned the room, taking in her surroundings. "Wh...ere?" Then it hit her. She glanced at her finger that was now red and swollen. "Oh, yeah."
"What happened?" Audrey sat down on the plastic seat next to her, rubbing her back. "You're drunk."
"Yeah," she shuffled upright, realising she was in the ER waiting room. She must have fallen asleep waiting for her turn. Even though she was still drunk, the charming allure of the plan had faded, and now she felt completely idiotic. "S-...sorry, I..."
"I just walked by and saw you. What the fuck, Alex? Why didn't you call me?"
"I... err..."
"Come on." Audrey stood up, offering her hand to Alex's non-injured one. "Let's get that iced and looked at."
Alex allowed herself to be led behind a curtain, suddenly feeling extremely guilty.
"Did you get into a fight?" Audrey sighed, scooting a small wheeled chair bedside once Alex had planted herself down. "Rest it here." Alex rested it down and watched as Audrey expertly pulled a hanging light off the wall down and angled it towards her fingers. She began feeling around. "Talk to me, Alex."
"It's... good to see you," Alex smiled, clearly taking Audrey by surprise.
Audrey rolled her eyes, momentarily stopping what she was doing to stand up and kiss her cheek. "It's good to see you too, baby, but not like this. What happened?"
"I, umm," she was so tempted to lie. But even in her drunk state, she knew the truth would catch up with her and make things ten times worse. "Okay... so..."
"What?" Audrey paused what she was doing to stare at her intently. "You can tell me."
"Ididitonpurpose," she blurted out.
Silence.
"Sorry," Alex added, averting her eyes.
"What?" Audrey finally responded.
"I... god, it sounds so s-stupid now." She covered her face with her hands, hissing as she was reminded of the dislocated finger.
"Easy," Audrey grabbed the hand and pulled it back down.
"I... wanted to see you," Alex rolled her eyes at herself this time. "That's so pathetic, sorry, I was - am - drunk, it was Benson's idea... sort of... not really, it sounded like a r-really good idea at the time."
She faced Audrey's stare, trying to read it. Confusion—definitely confusion. Then anger, or was it anger? Or seriousness? No, a smile. She was definitely smiling now.
"For fuck's sake," Audrey finally broke, covering her mouth but her eyes betrayed her chuckling. "You are such a drunk idiot."
"I know, I know," relief broke through as Alex joined in her laughter, the two of them cracking up more each time they made eye contact.
"I actually can't believe you did that," Audrey wiped a tear from her eyes, and Alex hummed as she held her cheek.
"I jus' love youuu, baby," she felt drunk again now. "C'mere."
"Alex," Audrey warned, allowing herself to be dragged up.
"Kiss me, goddammit, I'm injured," Alex reached for the back of her neck and pulled her in. Audrey let her, but showed some restraint when she tasted the liquor on her tongue.
"Alex," she mumbled against her lips, pressing down on her chest to lay her back on the bed. "You're such a state, why don't I fix your finger up and you have a little sleep, hmm?"
"Nooo, I wanna spend time with youuu."
"I'm working!"
"Yeah, on me!" She held out her hand again. "Fix meeeeee."
"I'm never letting you live this one down."
"Worth it," Alex smiled as she closed her eyes.