Drinks

I put the cup down, letting the soft thump of glass hitting wood ring throughout the near-empty bar. "That was a fun project to undertake," came out of my mouth, but my face did little to express that enjoyment.

The first girl gave a supportive smile before turning to the bartender.

"Shaken, can we get B-52's for everyone?"

He raised an eyebrow, searching for the recipe in his brain before nodding. As he prepared our shots, the girl gazed back at me.

"What made you undertake that project?"

I scratched my temple, shrugging. "A partner of mine knew the research team, and they asked us to join."

A slight blush formed on her blue face. "A 'partner?' Like, a romantic one?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," I grumbled, scowl slowly forming.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's fine."

Shaken passed the shot glasses over to us, walking away without payment. I began to regret paying for the other girl's drink. Taking the glass, I inspected it, tipping it slightly and watching the layers of liquids mix before separating once more. Shrugging, I brought it to my mouth, smelling the tiniest coffee scent.

"Hey!" The second girl put a hand on my arm, stopping me from downing the shot with a playful smile. "Wait for us!"

I rolled my eyes. "Hurry up, then."

She scoffed, eyes glinting. "You should know that ladies prefer to take it slow."

"Tell that to Twilight," I snapped back, ignoring the innuendo.

They gasped.

Catching my slip-up, I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Oh my gosh!" The yellow-colored girl put her hands over her mouth.

The other one put a hand to her chest, eyes wide. "Wow! You and Twilight?"

Discomfort growing, my frown deepened as the ache in my chest grew. Still, the alcohol sold me out, and I was the one who drank it. Inhaling slowly, I disregarded my frustration, deciding to acknowledge the gossip to get it over with. "Yeah, yeah." Picking up my whiskey, I took another sip. "We did a bunch of research together."

Beaming, the blue girl put her head on her hand, propping it against the bar counter. "Is it true that you two went through high school and your degree programs together?"

"Yeah."

"That's amazing! I couldn't imagine being lucky enough to study and then work with a significant partner. How was it being able to do research with your partner?"

Mulling her question, I stared into the glass, watching the wavy reflection in the liquid.

"Fun, I suppose."

"Luck, Dr. Whooves told me you didn't sign the contract." Closing the front door behind her, Twilight put her hands on her hips, frowning at me.

Letting my eyes wander, I soaked in her appearance. Her typical straight hair had definitely seen better days, but the faded strands only enhanced her image, in my opinion. The black frames sitting on her face resembled those from her high school days. It was almost like a part of her person; with each renewal of her prescription, she refused again and again to pick a new style. As expected, she wore a light blue turtleneck and a black skirt. Usually, she sported a lab coat on top, but considering we were in between projects, this was technically her "casual" outfit.

We had just recently submitted another research proposal that would explore how one's magical abilities were determined. Considering that every human developed abilities unique to themselves, there was the possibility of manipulating whatever force determined who got what, which would be a monumental step in magic research.

Putting the remote down, I stood up from the couch, shrugging. "I didn't wanna do it."

"What do you mean?"

Walking over, she snuggled up against me as I wrapped my arms around her. Humming contentedly, she looked up at me, lips ready for a peck. Leaning down, I provided said kiss. Still, I sighed.

"I mean what I mean: I don't wanna do another research project."

"But why?"

I shrugged again. "I'm tired of it, I guess."

Twilight combed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "What do you mean you're 'tired?'" Furrowing her brow, she pushed herself off of me, taking a step back. "This research could fundamentally change how the world understands magic!"

Taking a deep breath, I met her gaze, folding my arms. "It's exhausting, Twi. We've dedicated nearly every year of our lives to research. When's the last time we've gone on trips, travelled to new places, visited friends?"

She returned a look of confusion. "What are you talking about? It's not like we work all day, everyday." Putting a hand on my arm, she tried to give a supportive smile. "If you want to take a short vacation, you just need to ask."

"That's not the same." I began to mirror her frown. "Even when we're not at the lab or in the library, there's work. On weekdays, we get home, we cook dinner, but when I go to bed, you disappear into office. On weekends, we grab breakfast, we run errands, but when we get back, you disappear into the office. Notice a pattern?" That last question leaked through as my exasperation started to overflow. It seemed that Twilight picked up on it, and she didn't appreciate it at all.

She held a hand to her chest. "Me? Why is it my fault when you're the one always lazing about? Remember, the only reason your name came up near the front of that first paper was because they couldn't distinguish each of our contributions!" Her glare grew more intense, and it just made me more frustrated.

"Yeah, I'm the only one who takes breaks, but then you're the only one bitching and moaning about how stressed you are every hour of the day!" Hands, shaking, one shot up to her face, accusatory finger almost making contact with her nose.

Eyes widening at my hand, her face became a deep red. "If it weren't for my work, you'd be bitching and moaning about how homeless you are!" she screamed, gesticulating wildly.

"Oh, come on! If it wasn't for me, you'd be in a psychiatric ward by now!" I stared straight into her eyes, challenging her further.

Twilight slapped my hand away, anger taking over.

"Fuck you, Luck Chaser!"

Oh, so we're gonna cross that line.

"Fuck you, too, Twilight Sparkle!"

Forehead against forehead, we shook with fury, daring one or the other to scream, fight, something.

Grabbing her neck, I pulled her mouth to mine, smashing lips against lips. Her arms wrapped around my neck, kissing me back with all her might. Falling over onto the couch, we made out once more, wordlessly surrendering to passion. Ripping the clothes off one another and foregoing the bedroom, we made one connection that night, though it did little to change a bittersweet truth:

While we loved each other, our relationship could not coexist with our individual plans for the future.