The Runt of the Litter

You Get Used to Leaning on People

Note: So, I took the greatest nap in the history of naps, and then I wrote this

It's a bit random, and it's not very long, and it's set post-finale. but i hope you guys like it!

thanks for the love <3 i really do appreciate you all

anna is twenty-three here!

You Get Used to Leaning on People

Glass leaned heavily against marble and struggled to steady itself there.

"How many is that?"

Anna tucked her hair behind her ear. She regretted cutting it– It was always in her face now.

Glass flattened against marble, wobbling for a moment before it settled there.

"I don't know."

Socks brushed over tile, making the softest, sweetest sound. Wood parted from wood briefly, then tapped itself back into place. More glass met marble.

"Mind if I join you?"

Anna shrugged one shoulder. "Your house."

Sam sat down across from her.

"Don't know why you got those raised chairs, man. You look like a giant."

Sam's lips tugged to one side but found no traction and so slid back to center. "Are you okay?"

Anna snorted. "Oh yeah," she bit. "Havin' a celebration out here– Can't you tell?" She took a spiteful swig of bourbon and had to stifle the urge to cough. It was so hot and sharp in her throat, tasted like fucking rubbing alcohol. But it also went straight to her blood, and that was what she needed.

"Anna..." Sam's lips turned down this time, and they had no difficulty taking root there. "I miss him too."

When that sentence wasn't immediately followed by a but, Anna exhaled the remaining heat of the bourbon she'd swallowed. "I know you do," she mumbled. Her pale green eyes, half-clouded, found Sam's face. "But I'm talkin' about him drunk. So, do me a solid– Shut up."

Glass abandoned marble in favor of Anna's lips. She drained the liquid, and her eyes watered.

Sam hadn't even filled his glass yet. "How's Kate?" he asked mildly.

"Switched her major," Anna said and burped. She reared her head back as the tangy, sharp flavor of the bourbon re-entered her mouth.

"She doesn't want to be a teacher?" Sam seemed surprised, his eyebrows finding hand-holds higher up on his forehead.

"Nope," Anna replied, still trying to exhale the sour taste from her mouth. God, she needed a cigarette. But Sam thought she'd quit smoking, and she'd wasted a lot of energy showering earlier for the sake of avoiding that argument. She wasn't about to waste the work now. "She's in nursing school now."

"What changed her mind?"

Glass slid across marble, just a couple inches. Anna didn't have the stomach for any more liquor.

"She said, uh, she wanted to be able to help people like us. People who-" she burped again, "usually can't see a doctor unless they want to get thrown in jail."

Sam smiled softly. "That sounds like Kate."

"Yeah," Anna replied. "I feel like it's kinda on me, though. I mean, Alex and I had done this rough hunt, and we crashed in her dorm for one fuckin' night. All the sudden, she's a nursing student. I think she thinks we're gonna get ourselves killed."