AvNeil OS : Of Drinks and Cuddles

"Beer is good," Avni says earnestly, looking down at her empty glass " I've never had beer."

They're at a dive bar in the middle of the city having a drink after visiting Neela aunty and Neil has taken it upon himself to see exactly what happens when you get Avni drunk.

"Oh my god, you're gonna kill her," Ali says. "She has no tolerance." Neil glares at him, because this is not part of the plan. Ali shrugs and tries to look reproachful, but it's been such a long time since they've fought about something so dumb, he can barely remember how to do it. The effect is somewhere between perplexed and queasy.

Avni cuts into the staring contest like she's completely unaware of it, which is actually probably the case. "Incorrect," she says, in his usual faintly uncomprehending way. "I'm fairly sure I have a high tolerance."

"Dude," Ali says, looking like he's interested against his will. "Does that mean you're gonna get hammered on beer?"

"Yes," Avni says musingly. "I can. Beer is good."

"You think that's nice?" Neil says happily, "Wait 'til you meet Jack Daniels." This is an awesome idea. Ali never waxes poetic about beer, only search engine capabilities and card catalogs and stuff. Avni is awesome.

"Does Jack Daniels like beer too?" Avni asks.

"Seriously?" Ali says. "I am so not taking care of your drunk asses."

Yeah, Avni is awesome. Neil grins winningly and punches Ali in the arm. Ali tries really hard to look pissed off but ends up snickering into his grilled cheese sandwich.

So, Neil basically hasn't seen alcohol as anything other than self-medication in like, years. But Avni makes this unbelievably adorable face when she takes a shot, with her nose wrinkled up and her eyes all wide and shocked. Neil doesn't exactly have the made-for-tv movie experience of having his first drink behind the high school bleachers or something, but watching Avni like this, he can almost imagine it.

It's strange to think about it this way, something he found so early and Avni is experiencing so late. Together they almost make a normal person. Okay, maybe that's pushing it, but it's still a nice thought, the way Avni makes him feel young again, but also old, because for once he's taking care of Avni and it's something he can totally do.

Avni spills a shot, and the whiskey splashes over her fingertips and drips down toward her wrist. Neil really, really wants to lick it, so okay, maybe getting shitfaced around someone who looks all pretty even before Neil gets tipsy is sort of a bad idea, but if so, Neil really doesn't want to hear about it. Too late now, might as well enjoy it.

After his fifth shot, things are starting to get fuzzy. Ali's got the car keys safely stowed away, and Avni is wearing a big, crazy grin and babbling on about how beer is so good and Jack is too. "You are good too," she tells Neil. "You give me beer and Jack and you call me on your cell phone. I like when you call me."

This time Ali doesn't even try to hide his snicker, but Neil doesn't care. "That's real nice," he drawls, and he's way more pleased than he wants to admit.

"Oh god," Ali says. "If you guys are gonna be all cute I need curly fries." He leans down the bar and gestures for the bartender.

"I like curly fries," Avni says hopefully.

"Goddamnit," Ali says. "Make it a double order."

"Can there be more beer?" Avni asks, and Neil waves an arm expansively and says, "Get this girl a beer!"

Avni is a really fast learner, so it doesn't take her long to figure out that the extra spirally curly fries are way better than the moderately wavy ones, and then she's stealing them all out from under Ali's nose. "Neil, this is for you," she says magnanimously, and hands him half of a perfectly curled fry. "It's because you're awesome," Avni adds sweetly, and Neil absolutely doesn't blush.

That's pretty much the point where Ali cuts them off and shoves them into the car. Neil collapses onto the backseat because, whoa, that was more beer than he'd realized, and Avni doesn't even pretend to want to sit up front because she's awesomely unsubtle. They end up sprawled across the seats, thighs pressed close. Ali is trying really hard to pretend he's annoyed at them, but he keeps looking at them in the rearview mirror and failing to wipe the sappy grin off his face.

"There isn't beer in the car," Avni says mournfully, and she's totally got his arm around Neil's shoulders as she strokes the back of Neil's neck. She is completely without game, but Neil will never, ever call her on it because he secretly finds it really endearing. However, this is not a statement of happy or awesomeness, which may lead to a neck-stroking ceasefire, and that's just not okay. Fortunately, Neil has a solution.

"There's a six-pack in the minifridge!" he says brightly, and stretches his leg out so they're touching even more.

"Um, I'm gonna get my own room," Ali says, and turns up the stereo in a gesture of finality. It's like he thinks Neil's going to argue or something, which, no.

Back at home, Ali actually does get his own room, after depositing them somewhere in the vicinity of Neil's bed and grabbing his overnight bag.

"Bye Ali," Neil says warmly, walking him to the door, and Ali smiles and says, "Hey, you deserve this, okay? Have fun."

"Thanks Mom," Neil says, but he lets Ali hug him anyway, and somehow avoids the accompanying halfhearted punch in the direction of his gut.

After Ali's gone, things have the potential to get awkward, except Avni is all stretched out on Neil's bed, looking drunk and happy and, as usual, curious. She's holding out an open beer in Neil's direction. In that moment, Neil just decides not to think about awkwardness, because let's face it, Avni is the most awkward person on the planet, and there's no way she'll ever call Neil on his social graces. So, Neil strides across the room, takes the beer, and sprawls out beside Avni on the bed.

"You do things for me," Avni says, waving her own beer around as if to illustrate his point. She makes a little surprised noise when her shaken up beer overflows with foam, and Neil just grabs it and sucks the foam off the top, half giddy with the feeling that it's okay to do this, with Avni. It's all for himself, he's doing it just because he wants to, not because the world depends upon it or whatever, and the realization makes Neil feel all free and unfettered, like he can do absolutely anything.

"Yeah," he says, once he has passed the beer back. "Sometimes I like to do things for you."

"There was no one like you," Avni says, and in that instant she's on his side, staring over at Neil. "Nobody's like you. I want to touch your face," she adds, and Neil chokes for a second, but then says okay, reaching back to put his beer on the bedside table.

Avni's fingers trace over his brow in a slow, gentle path, and Neil rolls over onto his side to better accommodate her. "How'm I different?" he asks. It comes out soft, but Avni is close enough to hear him.

"You're nice," she says. "You laugh at me, but I like it because it makes you look less sad. You don't care about my obligations." Her look goes considering, and her hand stills, draped over Neil's jaw, big and solid. "You are for me," she says. "I'm sad when you're sad. I want you to be happy. No one's ever let me be that way before."

Her eyes are bright, luminous in the motel lamplight. She looks remarkably open, drunk but not so drunk that she doesn't know what she's saying. Neil looks back at her, just long enough for Avni to see how big this all feels, how vast and new and wonderful. Then he closes his eyes, shudders into the sensation of Avni's touch, and murmurs, "So beer is pretty awesome, but making out is awesome too, and you've never done that before, either."

Real subtle, Neil.

"Neil," Avni says seriously. "It would be an honor to make out with you."

Really, Neil thinks, as he leans over and kisses Avni, he's the one who's honored. Avni knows everything about him. She knows the history of the ways in which Neil's been broken, and yet she's here making reverent noises and parting her lips into Neil's deepening kiss. The thought sends shivers coursing through him, and with it, the knowledge that Avni will never judge him, never hate him or leave him, or have to stay behind as Neil drives off to do his duty. Best of all, Avni is strong, and there's no way Neil can lead her into more danger than she's already in, so there's the usual guilt gone before it can even start.

It's almost frightening that Neil can actually have this, something that makes him so happy, but he can, so he shifts closer, slipping into the bracket of Avni's arms and pressing up against her.Avni obviously loves him, and maybe that should be a scary thought but it isn't at all. It's just nice, just makes him feel warm and full and happy.

"Hey," he says, murmuring against Avni's lips. "There's lots of other stuff for us to try, but maybe we could wait? This is what I want right now."

It feels really lame, but Avni doesn't look anything short of adoring. "Yes Neil," she says solemnly. "Tonight we will cuddle."

"Oh my god," Neil says. "You can never say that word again. Especially not to Ali." He's sort of belying his point by the way he's shifting closer, but whatever, he has at least some pride.

Avni looks confused. "But that is what we're doing, Neil." She looks adorable, head cocked and expression inquisitive, and jesus, Neil really can't say no to this girl,ever.

"Okay Avni," he says, "But only because I'm awesome."

"Awesome," Avni echoes happily, tangling her legs up with Neil's and wrapping close around him, and it really, really is.