Work Text:
Sasha Bordeaux lifted the bottle to her lips, enjoying the taste of the beer against her tongue, and the way the alcohol seemed to create real sparks within her artificial body.
Sitting alone at the bar, she felt slightly anxious —she'd lost the habit of going out after work a long time ago, not used to the idea of relaxing on a Friday night with a bottle in hand anymore. Not only that, she still couldn't believe she was now expecting company, too. Her accident had hardened her, literally and metaphorically equally. She'd lost most of her friends as she immersed herself in her work, trying to repay A.R.G.U.S. for their generosity and the surgeries she regularly required to keep her body in good condition.
She hadn't been in contact with her family since the incident either. It had been on a plane to Argentina that the crash had occurred, and although she was aware that her homeland had nothing to do with the tragedy, that her family probably deserved to hear from her, as they must have been the most worried about her well being, something invisible and powerful was preventing her from revisiting her life before her transformation, let alone from ever setting foot on an airplane again.
Alcohol truly had a way of making people think, of depressing them by recalling their mistakes, regrets, and shameful memories. Yet humans continued to drink, seeking out those negative feelings and the consequences of the substance on their already exhausted bodies. They were all masochists by nature. Sasha sighed as she brought the bottle to her lips once more.
She nearly choked when a hand slapped her shoulder, before another person's weight practically collapsed on her back, arms wrapping around her waist in a strange manner of greeting.
"Miss."
Leota Adebayo let out one of her usual adorable laughs, sitting down next to the agent.
"We're not at work anymore, Sasha. Just call me Leota."
"It's because of such behavior that no one takes us seriously."
Leota shook her head, letting out another laugh. She ordered a beer of her own, opening it easily before bringing it to her lips. She took short sips, clearly enjoying the taste and the dummy feeling of hydration alcohol tended to give. Sasha watched her profile closely the entire time, not thinking about the discomfort that might result from her stare — luckily for her, Leota didn't care in the slightest, accepting the cyborg's eccentricities with ease. Bordeaux suspected she must have been used to worse behavior, thanks to the buffons she called her close friends.
It had been natural for Sasha to leave A.R.G.U.S. before Rick Flag Sr put two and two together and learned of her betrayal, but it had still been difficult. She remained close to the organization because she still needed her monthly operations. Those upgrades cost an arm and a leg, so she had to have a steady job — she saw the ridiculous ad for 'Adebayo's Security Counseling' at the perfect moment. She was first unimpressed when she started working for Leota, as her very first employee (who had essentially become the main advertisement for the business as well), but to her surprise, several mercenaries had appeared soon enough. It helped that Adebayo brushed over their dark pasts, as many former prisoners of Belle Reve were now among their ranks.
Bordeaux still found it outrageous ; she couldn't believe she'd once been forced to work alongside Bloodsport, of all people. But despite her skepticism and her more or less subtle judgments, she couldn't help but admire Adebayo, the passion that inhabited her and her optimism that had no place in this environment, and yet allowed her to accomplish so much.
"Harcourt can't come tonight," Leota informed her.
"What a shame."
The obvious sarcasm made her boss sigh, now looking at her with disappointment, without any real venom behind it.
"You two drive me insane. You can never let go of your grudges... But anyway, I guess it's just the two of us."
Sasha felt her heart race so suddenly that she worried for a moment, questioning the functioning of her usually rather consistent system. It quickly dawned on her ; she was happy to spend time alone with Leota. A charismatic, intelligent, strong, beautiful — my God, was she beautiful — and powerful woman... Sasha had hated her time spent with Rick Flag Sr ; leaving him had proved amusingly easy, but she couldn't deny that his loyalty and vigor were qualities she found attractive. Leota possessed them, and so much more ; these realisations made Bordeaux's head spin.
The two women continued to drink together throughout the evening, Sasha smiling and laughing as she listened to Leota's complaints regarding her employees. She was slipping in mentions of her friends here and there, as Bloodsport kept reminding her of Peacemaker (a fact that had the knack of annoying them both whenever she commented on their similarities).
The subject changed once more. Leota asked a question after letting out a quiet hiccup, that Sasha noted and found adorable, as she was observing the young woman with misty eyes.
"So? What about your romantic life?"
Sasha swallowed, her tongue dry and heavy in her mouth after all the alcohol she had consumed. She took a moment to answer, not out of embarrassment, but rather simple fatigue.
"What?"
"Are you seeing someone right now?"
Sasha was still staring at her.
"Are you perhaps interested, miss?"
"It's Leota... At least outside of work hours!"
She giggled before letting out yet another hiccup. Sasha couldn't help but make the connection with Rick, the man who absolutely wanted her to drop the formalities when they were alone. Despite the similarities between the two situations, Sasha felt much more comfortable with Adebayo, noting the lightness of her words, the ease with which she had effectively dropped all professionalism outside of work hours. Flag had been manipulative, pretending to be casual while using his authority to get his way in the most subtle manner possible.
Now that she was in a safer environment, Bordeaux was even more aware of all the strange things going on at A.R.G.U.S... Far stranger than teaming up with Bloodsport or Deadshot occasionally.
"Hey, don't dodge the question!" the other woman reminded her.
"That's what you just did yourself... Leota."
The name sounded foreign on her already dry tongue. She refrained from ordering another beer, knowing full well it would only make the sensation worse in the end.
Leota sighed. She didn't stop herself from taking a few sips of her own bottle. Her hiccups stopped her in her tracks, and then her brown eyes fell on Bordeaux's slumped form.
"I have a wife, you know."
Sasha's eyes widened. She didn't bother to straighten up, preferring to focus all her attention on her employer's beautiful face, which seemed blurred after all that drinking.
"I didn't know... My apologies."
"It's okay, don't worry... We're separated. At least, I suppose."
"You suppose?"
Leota sighed dramatically this time. She imitated Sasha's behavior as she slumped, her gaze never leaving her employee's wide brown eyes. She felt pensive for a moment ; Economos and Harcourt talked about Bordeaux as if she were a robot devoid of any emotion or empathy, and as a result, she was expecting the worst when she hired her. She wasn't entirely surprised when she realized her friends were simply exaggerating, blinded by their frustration and resentment toward the bossy woman. Chris himself didn't care that she was working alongside the cyborg, after all, even though she'd tried to execute him before.
She shook her head as a way to remove herself from her quite invasive thoughts, her vision spiraling as she rested her gaze on Sasha's tired and lost face once more. The latter waited patiently for the answer to her question, her eyes unfocused and half-opened, her painted lips parted, letting a thin stream of saliva escape and roll down her cheek without her noticing.
"Keeya said we were just taking a break... but then she told me we weren't together at all anymore."
Leota finally told the whole story to Sasha, who continued to watch her distractedly, listening as closely as she could. She occasionally let out a sound to let her boss know she was still awake and could hear her well. This Keeya reminded her of the family and friends she'd left behind herself, prioritizing this work over her most important relationships. She'd paid a dear price for it, and yet she had no intention of talking to Leota about it, no desire to offer her advice, or to help her repair her relationship with her wife at all.
"People like us..."
Sasha began to speak, her voice slow and tired. Leota finally straightened up, hoping to hear the advice she desperately needed.
"...we just have to stick together. Regular people don't understand us and never will."
Adebayo looked so disappointed by that answer that Sasha immediately regretted her words, biting her lip with shame. She had been careful to keep her words polite and respectful, and yet, she still managed to dishearten her.
"Leota... Maybe you should find someone who understands you better."
She fell silent after that. She had already said enough, the alcohol turning her more honest and impulsive than usual.
The rest of the evening was quiet, the two women using a taxi to get home. Right before they arrived at their first destination and Adebayo left the car, the latter's hands were gently stroking Sasha's long hair, the cyborg's head resting wearily on her shoulder. It was an intimate position, one that crossed the line between friendship and something more. That was a scene that would forever be etched in Sasha's memory, an altercation that had nearly short-circuited her system and made her ears smoke due to her cheeks flushed by the drinks and the warm presence of her boss by her side.
Sasha Bordeaux felt selfish, wishing she could spend more time with Adebayo, to the point of eclipsing all her other employees, her friends (Harcourt, in particular), and maybe even Keeya, in the future. But for now, they would return to the purely professional relationship they entertained during the week.
This evening, rather ordinary in Leota's eyes but miraculous to Sasha, will fade into their respective memories like a drunken after-midnight experience.