We Were Born Sick • Gotham Fanfiction •

XXXII: Revelations

"Love is a dangerous angel." ― Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat

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Bird stared down into her mixed drink, absentmindedly stirring the cocktail with the stirrer and trying her best not to look around the bar she'd been in for several minutes.

She'd already turned down several offers from sloppy drunk business men who were all there blowing off steam after a long day in the office, who wanted to buy her a drink.

Internally she groaned when she felt someone slide onto the stool next to her.

"I thought that was you... but you were blurry from across the room."

Hearing the familiar voice she looked to the side to see the person who'd approached her was an already intoxicated Barbara Kean.

"Hey..." Bird breathed a little surprised that the blonde wanted anything to do with her after their initial meeting.

A few moments of silence passed and Bird turned her attention back to her drink, until Barbara said, "Some town we live in, a girl can't even have a drink without being harassed." Barely able to balance her arm on the edge of the bar she rubbed her forehead and mumbled, "I'm here to forget about my problems, not pick up a new one."

"Amen." Bird breathed, clinking her glass against Barbara's before she drank down the rest of the contents.

"I... I don't think I ever thanked you for... for killing that man and saving my life." She slurred.

Bird looked around to make sure no one was listening to them, before she looked back to her with raised eyebrows and asked, "How much have you had to drink?"

"A few..." She dismissed with a wave of the hand, before she looked to Bird and asked, "Have you seen Jim recently?"

"Mhmm..."

"How does he look?" Barbara questioned and suddenly Bird would have rather went back to fighting the drunk guys off. She had a mess of her own problems and she couldn't even begin to care about someone else's.

"His hair has grown out some, I guess." Bird shrugged, as she motioned to the bartender for another drink and Barbara let out a loud laugh, jabbing a finger into Bird's sore upper arm as she said, "You're funny."

"And you're so pretty..." Barbara continued, her voice starting to crack as she continued, "And I... I love that dress, you're just so put together and I'm a mess."

Bird stared at her as tears started to flow from the blonde's blue eyes and down her cheeks.

"Oh god." Bird breathed rubbing her own forehead as she asked, "Can you please not do that, I don't like sad drunks –it's just depressing and I'm kind of going through my own stuff right now-"

"I'm sorry!" She cried, wiping her cheeks and slurring her words, "He just made me feel put together, you know? Alone I don't do well on my own, but then I met Jim and I was finally an entire person."

Desperately slapping the continuing line of tears from her cheeks, she started to choke on her breath as she sputtered, "He made me feel."

Gladly accepting the napkin Bird held out to her, Barbara added, "Only now everything hurts."

"Oh my god, you are a mess." Bird observed staring at her, and Barbara frantically nodded in agreement. Shaking her head Bird thought out loud, "It's like looking in a blonde mirror."

It took Barbara a few times of tipping her glass to her lips before she realized her glass was empty and she flagged the bartender down for a refill, Bird quickly held her hand up and shook her head back and forth signaling for the order to be cancelled.