Between a Rock and a Hard Place
THE GIRL STUMBLES slightly as she bumps into the pool table, her body can feel the tiredness from the drinks beginning to take its toll on her, she grunts turning the table and giving it the finger as she stumbles around.
"Is she okay?" Rooster asks in concern at his friend's inebriated state as she laughs to herself looking at the green-covered top.
"Nope, about to fall off earth." Red Wing remarks. Rooster crossed his arms shaking his head.
"Should we do something?" Phoenix asks, she looks between the taller man and the pilot in concern for their friend. "Probably." He says.
"Does she usually get this drunk?" Red Wing asks Rooster, he shakes his head watching Brandy grip her head, he knew she held her liquor well only tonight seemed off to him watching her stumble around.
"Not always," Rooster says, Brandy groans sitting down finally stopping herself as she can feel herself spinning. "Did she drive here?" He asked
"No Ajax gave us a ride here, she said she was tired and didn't wanna ride back on her bike." Red Wing informs the man, he nods his head looking between her and her leader, she sighs walking over to her friend.
"Hey." She greets her, Brandy grins meeting her blue eyes. "Hi." She says in a sing songy voice making the woman smirk sitting down next to her.
"How many drinks have you had?" Shayla wonders, Brandy points to the three bottles across from her and the two shot glasses, her eyes widening looking between her and the drinks. She giggles tipsy.
"I'm not drunk I swear, I'm a little bit but not too much." The woman swears to her friend, her lips form a thin line as she nods her head.
"Well I dont know about you but I think we should go." Redwing suggests, Brandy groaned. "It's only ten." She argues.
"We have training in the morning." Shayla reminds her, she groans leaning her head back and nodding her head.
"God I'm gonna have such a headache." She grumbled. Redwing shrugged.
"Not if you leave now." Shayla nods, and she sighs holding up her hand for her to take and lift her up, she knew she could walk but she didn't wanna walk. "Please."
"Fine." She concedes grabbing her hand as the brunette grins in delight as she is pulled up by the small woman, she stumbles slightly before leaning herself against shoulders.
"Ow, ow that's my hair," Shayla says.
"Sorry." She apologizes as she leads her through the now-dying bar with a few late-night patrons and Penny who watches the two women leave her bar. Shayla steps into the parking lot looking for her car before she remembers that they had carpooled to the bar.
"Shit!" She exclaims under her breath. " I'll call an Uber." She says pulling out her phone.
"You guys need a ride?" A voice asks, she whips her head to see someone standing in the doorway to the bar looking at the both of them, Brandy grins giving a small wave to the man.
"Yeah, Ajax left us and I dont think she is qualified to be behind the wheel of a car right now." She says earning a scoff from the girl on her shoulders.
"Ugh, I'll let you know I have driven while tipsy." Brandy slurs. He raised a brow.
"Don't repeat that." She orders pointing at both pilots. "Okay." He chuckles lightly.
"If you could assist me, that would be fantastic, Bobby," she said. He looked surprised at the use of his name by her and nodded.
"Yeah, I got it." He gets next to the brunette taking her other arm and letting it drape around his shoulder while her friend holds the other one as they lead her to his Camry, Brandy groans feeling her head move slowly over and over again.
"Do you got her?" Bob asks the black hair girl. "Yeah, she's okay." She confirms. "Im fucking fantastic." She grumbles.
"Watch your head." he leans down opening his backseat door and the both of them lower her onto the leather seats, she sighs heavily as she lets herself lean back against the seats of the car.
"You alright back there?" Red Wing asks her, she gives her thumbs up letting her head hit the window moaning quietly as her forehead fogs up the glass.
"Super." She grumbled.
She grips the sides of her head as he closes the door, the pounding in her head made her regret her decision of drinking only she was thankful that she was able to handle her hangovers well so that when she was training no one would suspect.
⍧⍧⍧
The neon lights of the San Diego night illuminated her face as they passed along the way back to her apartment, she was thankful that it was only Bob and Redwing seeing her like this. She hated seeing herself in a position of weakness and she knew well why she had drank too much during the night, it was punishment.
Punishment for her argument and maybe even herself, it made sense that she would try to self sabotage herself when she needed to be on her A game. Brandy could hear the soft sounds of their conversations over some quiet rock music, she wasn't used to being taken home drunk usually it was her taking someone else home, she didn't mind it.
"Fuck me," Brandy grumbles against the window. Bob looked in the mirror looking down at her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, she shook her head. "Ask me when the room stops spinning." She remarks running her fingers through her hair, she groans lightly and looks up at the rearview mirror, he glances at her before she looks back out her window.
"It's not the first time I have drank too much," Brandy informs them, The car finally comes to a stop, and her eyes glance out the window seeing the familiar white brick building.
She groans as the both of them close their car doors, the slamming making her grip the side of her head. Her side door opens making her look up meetings his eyes, she extends her hand which he takes gently pulling her up and supporting her as she leans into his shoulder.
"You good Brand?" Red Wing asks as she gets to her friend's side, she nods her head giving her a thumbs up, she reaches into her back pocket pulling out her lanyard her key jingling as next to her taser.
"Which one is your's?" He asks her, and she groans. "Unlucky number 13." She says pointing at at the stairs.
"Fucking stairs," Brandy grumbled into his shoulder.
"Why couldn't I have gotten a place without stairs, I hate walking." She says, leaning further into Bob, he grunts softly trying to steady her by her shoulders
"I know, I know, come on." He agrees as he ushers her to the steps.
She looked him up and down, she hadn't noticed before how well his glasses fit on his face. Bringing out his features. Red Wing hooks her arm under hers as the both of them lead the inebriated woman up the white steps, Brandy groans softly with each step, every movement was an adventure in discomfort.
"Almost there, I got you." Red Wing reassures her, she can hear her grumbles and mumbles of each walk before they finally stand in front of her door.
"You got her?" She asks him. He nods his head. Brandy brings her other arm around wrapping it around his neck holding onto him.
"Did you see my taser?" She whispered. He nods his head. "I did." She grins pointing at the lanyard.
"That's what she said." She giggled at his reaction and her remark, he kept a thin smile finding her demeanor amusing though it was all coming from her being tipsy. Red Wing opens the door, taking her arm and leading her inside with his help.
"I have AC!" She exclaims letting go of the both of them extending her arms and spinning around with a grin looking at the two of them.
Her expression quickly changes from a grin to shock as she grips her mouth for a moment, she mouths a curse before bolting right into her bathroom, the two of them in concern rush after her as the sounds of gagging noises hit their ear.
Bob turns away out of respect and not wanting to have the same thing happen to him. He didn't want to see her in that position, it was a moment of weakness and he shouldn't be seeing.
Redwing gently grabs the back of her hair holding it away from her mouth as she empties the contents of her stomach.
She sighed heavily closing her eyes as she leaned on the lid. In concern, she stands up walking up to Bob who glances between both women.
"We can't leave her, not like this." She says gesturing to the brunette who lay with her eyes closed.
"Yeah, I know." He nods his head in agreement, he looks to Brandy who breathes softly as she tries to catch her breath.
"One of us should stay, till she is sober," Shayla says softly, Brandy moans irritated, grips her head against the lid, and he grimaces sighing.
"I'll stay." He tells her, she furrows her brows unsure if he is serious. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I know situations like this," Bob reassures her, she shakes her head looking between her friend and her crewmate.
"No, I meant." She hesitates with her mouth agape. "It's just no offense but I have left my friend once in the care of a man this way and it didn't end well. " She recalled.
"Oh .uh." He stammers at the confession, she shakes her head stopping him from saying more looking him straight in the eyes.
"i won't do that." He promised, she stepped up. "Bob, Can I trust you?" She asks him.
"Yes." He nods his head. Shayla inhaled deeply, glancing between the drunk women and him.
"You swear, you will only watch after her and not do anything else?" She demands with a serious tone looking him dead in his eyes, he gulps taking a deep breath.
"I swear." The man promises, "Good." she nods her head.
"If she passes out put her back in her bed or if she doesn't wanna move just grab a pillow for her," Shayla tells him, and he nods his head.
She takes one last look at her friend with a sympathetic look. She licks her lips handing him her key as she pulls out her cell phone.
"Will you be okay?" Bob wonders. "Yeah I will uber, I have a can of pepper spray if someone will try anything." She says.
his eyes widen looking at her short belt loop seeing she was right, Shayla sighs looking back a Brandy smiling softly.
"Good luck." She says. Closing the apartment door, he locks it before walking into the bathroom.
He sits on the tile floor near the brunette, she groans with her mouth open against the white lid. She opens her eyes looking at the man, she sighs shaking her head.
"You dont have to do this," Brandy reassures him, he furrows his brows wondering why she wouldn't want someone with her, well he does but he doesn't.
"Why?" Bob asks her, she shakes her head. "Because I can handle myself." She mumbles into her arm.
"I can believe it." He says. She scoffed. "Then why are you here, Bob?" She asks him lifting her head, he sighs bringing his knees to his chest.
"Because it's the right thing to do." He answers. "I'm not gonna let you choke on your vomit or hurt yourself," Bob explains to her.
She chuckles lightly as she reaches for the toilet handle flushing down its contents, she groans crawling over to him, and leaning her back against the wall.
"So you're trying to be a hero?" Brandy inquired to him, he shrugged his shoulder. "You can say that." He agreed.
"I also don't like seeing the people like in trouble." He added, she shook her head.
"Is that another reason you became a pilot?" She asked her voice solemn looking him in his blue eyes which looked back at her blue ones, she made sure to keep her distance knowing her breath probably stinks.
"Save lives, be the big hero?" Brandy wondered. "Not exactly, isn't that the reason you're here?" His voice was soft and warm, and her lips formed a thin line looking down at her vans.
"I dont know," Brandy answers, Shaking her head.
"Truth is I'm scared." She admits to him, he knits his brow. "Of what?" He speaks softly.
"Ending up like Monica." She confesses, her blue eyes glinting with tears. His brow furrowed, her body tensing at the mention of the name.
"Who's Monica?"Bob asks her she sighs heavily rubbing her eyes. Her legs slid on the floor, sitting up against the wall.
"My mom," Brandy says, biting her lip.
"I.uh..she left me and my sister to take of our siblings all on our own," Brandy tells him. Her nose scrunched up, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, she shook her head. "Not your fault she fucked our lives up." She grumbled.
"I can't even do this training right without thinking I'm gonna end up abandoning them." Brandy sniffled wiping her eyes.
"Chasing a dream all because I wanted to prove a point." her breath shook. He shivered with goosebumps, her vulnerability affecting him.
"Truth is I'm very scared, and I know what I signed up for I know, I will not be the poster child for bad parenting." The woman admits with a heavy sigh as silence comes over her,
"I'm sorry." She apologizes, and she wipes her face. "It's okay," Bob reassured.
"No, it's not, I shouldn't be dropping this on you." Brandy inhaled, shaking her head." You're too nice, don't need my problems." She mumbled.
"Hey, just because I'm nice doesn't mean I can't listen." He smiles softly. Brandy's cheeks grew red, looking away. She reached her hand over, lacing her fingers through his, glancing back at him.
"You're too nice to me, Bob."The woman mutters out loud in the quiet bathroom. He squeezed her hand
His ears sounded with his heartbeat over the buzzing of the light fixture. Brandy sighed content as she let herself drift off asleep. Bob gives her a few minutes to fully sleep before he gently lifts her by her arms leading her to her bed and laying her on the unmade mattress on her side for her safety remembering his training,
He can hear her groan softly against her pillow. He unties her shoes removing them out of kindness and leaving her in her clothes knowing that would be crossing a line.He looks to her white couch laying himself down and listening to her quiet snores staying up in case she needed him.
A/N I KNOW HE DOES THE BARE MINIMUM BUT IT IS SO HOT!!!! Anyways two updates a girl is so tired and she is ready for her somewhat beauty sleep, anyways I appreciate comments and I hope you all will have a great day/ night.