this is her kingdom, an inheritance that you can’t deny

[justsookie]

Sunday nights aren't usually the busiest of the week, but for some reason or other, Semele's must have hit the tipping point after which only more and more people still filtered in through its doors. Even after a full night's sleep, Sookie's feeling the effects of running around serving twice as many people as she's accustomed to in a given evening, and it takes several cups of coffee to get her going once she's up. She's on her third when she decides to stumble over to Lafayette's apartment, wanting company but unsure who else is free at this hour.

Jason's hours are a lot more normal now that he's working for the police.

"Lafayette," she calls out once she's at the door, a large cup of coffee in one hand intended for him. Suddenly, she realizes that knocking isn't all that easy with both of her hands filled, so she briefly stacks one cup on top of the other before rapping her knuckles smartly on his door. "Open up, it's Sookie. You can feel free to bitch at me later, but please let me in."

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[justsookie]

Nursing the cup of coffee in her hands, Sookie lets her nose linger over the opening, warming away the chill at the tip from having ventured outdoors so early in the morning. It's comforting to see that her words don't trigger some sort of instant reaction from Lafayette; she'd half-expected him to balk at the idea after finally finding a relatively peaceful place to live. Closing her eyes, she leans back against his pillows, taking another slow sip from the coffee, sweet to her tongue.

"I didn't say that you had to help," Sookie says, shaking her head. "It's not like I've got any plan of my own. I just didn't want to get used to this place too quickly if I've still got it in my head to go back. I know Jason's practically knee-deep in this place already, and I'm glad he's happy and I don't want to take that from him, but there's so much still back in Bon Temps and I figured you were the only one I could really talk to about it. The only person who might be kinda objective."

[voodooqueer]

"I'm not gonna not help yo' ass, woman," Lafayette says with a tart look over his coffee before finishing it off. He doesn't give her the attitude because she deserves it, simply because he's still not comfortable, entirely, bringing up what he's capable of with Sookie. It's only caused both of them shit, to be honest.

"But you know you can talk to me 'bout anythin' that's botherin' you. Can't promise to be objective, but if that's how you think of me, hell, I take that compliment. I can always use more of those."

[justsookie]

"I didn't say you weren't going to help me, I just said that you had the option not to. I'm trying not to take you for granted, Lafayette," Sookie says in protest before setting her own cup of coffee aside and tugging at the sheets until they're up to her shoulders. "Even though I know I kinda do already."

Wiggling her toes, Sookie takes a deep breath, and while she wants to do everything she can to make her motivations seem more respectable, they boil down to something plain and simple: a desire for human interaction. Making up for the friends and family she left behind.

"It's just, I've already met wonderful people here, you know? Like this one guy I had a late dinner with, who was cute, and British, and I wanted to stay there talkin' all night, but then I get home and think, well, if I'm trying to leave real quick, why build up these friendships at all? I should put more attention towards figuring out how this place works."

[voodooqueer]

Lafayette gives her a wry, warning look at the revelation that she's met a dude, because Sookie and dudes, that don't always turn out clean, emotionally. But he reaches a hand out to pat her knee, wrapping it over it on top of the blankets.

"You can't go around thinking like that, girlfriend," he says. "You can't view people or relationships based on how long you gonna know someone, or that eventually you got to leave them behind. Everybody leave everybody else behind eventually, believe me. That just the way 'alive' works. But time ain't like money. You can't save it up and be spendthrift about it. The only time you got is this very moment, you know what I'm sayin'?"

[justsookie]

"I don't know. Wouldn't you develop somethin' of a complex if someone started dating you, then turned right around and pointed out that they're gonna put their all towards trying to make their way back to a place you probably can't get to?" Sookie says, wrinkling her nose. As much as she appreciates the principle, the idea of seizing the moment feels more or less like a platitude to her these days. Maybe she shouldn't view relationships as having an expiration date, but there are plenty of reasons to avoid dating at all in the first place, and it just feels like Sookie has one right in her hands.

A moment of doubt, however, has her staring down at the sheets, lips thinning. It's one thing to land on a sensible conclusion, and another to live by it.

"Oh," she adds, glancing up. "There's a guy here who shares Warlow's face and accent, by the way, but it's not him. His name is Chuck. Not the guy I had dinner with, mind, just thought you should know lest you scream in his face like I did when I met him."

[voodooqueer]

"Bitch," Lafayette says, giving her a moment's worth of wide-eyed incredulity. "I ain't said nothing about dating. All's I said was that you can't avoid getting close to people 'cause you know you gonna move on eventually. That's just cynical, and cynical is tired, and tired i some bitch shit I don't need to hear. You too young for that."

He shakes his head. "Thanks for the tip about Warlow-Face, though. I keep that in mind. Still gonna scream when I meet him, though. Better safe than sorry."

[justsookie]

"Well, I'm saying something about dating, 'cause if I spend more time with him and it turns out that I like him, I"m going to want to date him. You know what everyone says, that Sookie Stackhouse can't keep her precious fairy snatch to herself," Sookie says, maybe toning down the language a little bit from where Pam left it, but not by much. "Really though, it's not even like I want to be attached. I'm just... preparing for the most complicated scenario, let's say."

With a sigh, Sookie pulls away the corner of the sheets and waves for Lafayette to join her. Because it's getting cold. "Now, tell me what you've been up to. I'm sure there are things you've been doing that I haven't been updated on while I flutter about worryin' about my own business."

[voodooqueer]

Lafayette gives a roll of his eyes. If Sookie were actually being a skank about it, he'd be the first fucking one to say so, but she really ain't. So he takes her invitation, throwing himself into the space beside her and pulling up close to slide an arm beneath her bed, laying on his side. "For once in my goddamn life after all these years," Lafayette says, "Ain't a damn thing up wif' me, and I want to keep it that way for a little while longer, so don't fuckin' jinx it, lady."

[justsookie]

Sighing in comfort as Lafayette sneaks an arm behind her, Sookie turns onto her side, burying her face against Lafayette's chest and breathing in the slight cologne remaining on his shirt. The weariness always seems to come out in Lafayette's voice now, in a way that she never remembers it doing when she'd just started at Merlotte's.

Sometimes Sookie feels like she's the one most responsible for it.

"You know what, you're right," she say softly, blinking more easily where her cheek is still pressed against his chest. "Things are finally calmer now that we're here and away from Bon Temps. I should learn to be happy with that instead of lookin' a gift horse in the mouth."

[voodooqueer]

"Sook," Lafayette groans, shifting a little beneath her only to get comfortable. Her head is warm over his heart, and he won't resist the urge to run a hand through her hair. He's proud of his kinky 'do, and gay as a fuckin' clutch purse at the Oscars, but there's something to be said for Sookie's long hair. Sure as hell nice to touch.

"Don't be feelin' guilty for bein' the way you is, now. How about you just do you, sweetheart, and I do me. We work it out, and we got yo' idiot brother out there doin' his Jason thang too."

[justsookie]

"I like you a hell of a lot more than I like me these days," confesses Sookie, though the tension has already started to ease away from her shoulders as she leans against Lafayette, breathing in deeply the scent of the cologne that he's wearing, something spicy and a little reminiscent of the incense he used to have burning in his room. "But I guess I'm selfishly glad for that. Better to be surrounded by the best people. I just have to hope that you don't get too tired of me anytime soon."

She drums her fingers on his chest, laughing lightly when his fingers thread through her hair. "You think you could be happy here, Lafayette? Like... really happy?"

[voodooqueer]

"Ain't sure I should answer that," Lafayette murmurs, frowning slightly as he concentrates on the drum of Sookie's fingers. It's about as honest as he can get without being a little too honest. He doesn't wnt to talk about his shit right now, and that includes talking about his shit where he still ain't quite over Jesus. How, outside of a moment, he isn't sure he'll ever be happy like that again, ever. Isn't sure he'll ever be able to get rid of whatever stains all that aftermath left on him.

He's done for now. Darrow's better than being pigeonholed back in the same town, the same house, where so much of it happened.

"Right now, I happy enough. You okay wif' dat answer? 'Cause you better be."

[justsookie]

It's not the answer that Sookie hoped for, but it's as good as she imagines it'll get for now. It might be as good of an answer as either of them can ever get, honestly, and Sookie doesn't feel like pressing too much on issues that she doesn't understand. She hasn't lost someone in the same way as Lafayette, someone beloved and someone with the potential of being a soulmate and partner. Exhaling, Sookie turns on her side and buries her face against Lafayette's shoulder.

"I like that answer," she replies honestly, nodding subtly against Lafayette's warmth. "I think it's the same one I'd give if you asked me. We should go out today. Out to the park, or to the countryside. Actually, the latter sounds kinda good after we've spent so many days thinkin' about work."