Two Pink Lines

27

"Pop really can't deal without you for the night?" Alice questions FP for the hundredth time as he gets ready for yet another late night shift at Pop's.

He's been working late night shifts more and more lately, and while Alice understands his reasoning for it, she doesn't exactly approve.

"Honey, I told him I'd be there all week, I can't go back on that. He's counting on me."

"I'm counting on you too, I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

"That's a little dramatic, Al. Even for you."

"Well, it feels that way." She huffs. "How busy can it even be on a midnight shift? Surely Pop and the other waiter could handle it themselves."

He sighs, giving up on buttoning his shirt, in favour of turning towards her. "I don't know what you want from me, Alice. We both agreed that I'd work more night shifts so that you could take it easy for the next few months."

"No, you decided that." She points out with a flare of her nostrils.

"You agreed to it!" He argues.

"Well if I had of known you taking more shifts meant you working midnights every day, I don't think I would of. It's one thing when you work a day shift, the kids are at school so it's just me, but at night it's just them and I, you're not here to back me up. FP, Betty and Jughead will hardly even look at me, they're constantly making snarky remarks under their breath, and it's not like I can even punish them because they just throw it back in my face that we've been hiding our relationship from them."

He frowns at her words, he knows the kids haven't handled the news of their relationship well but he didn't realize just how much of a toll their disapproval had taken on Alice. "I'll talk to Jug, okay? And I'll tell him to have a chat with Betty."

She rolls her eyes. "So what? A chat is just going to magically fix things?"

"Look, I'm trying here." FP pinches the bridge of his nose, breathing in sharply to try and reign in his annoyance. "What do you want from me, Alice?" He turns back to the mirror to finish dressing himself and the action just gears Alice up more.

"I want you to be here. The whole point in telling the kids about us was so that we could stop sneaking around, you're not even here anymore so what was the point?"

He whips back around quickly, arching an eyebrow at her. "Really? Because last time I checked the whole point of telling the kids about us was so that we could also tell them about the baby. What are we gonna do now? Just tell them you're smuggling a basketball under your sweater and hope they don't notice when we bring a baby home in a few months?"

"Keep your voice down!" She hisses. He rolls his eyes, turning away from her again in order to grab his keys and wallet. "Where are you going?" She demands.

"To work." He grumbles.

"We're not done talking, FP."

"Well I'm done listening!" He barks loudly, catching Alice off guard. He sighs, instantly regretting raising his voice at her. "Al, I'm sorry. I just... I can't do this right now, I'm gonna be late."

She nods, turning her face away from him. "I get it. Go to work."

He walks over to the bed, stepping in front of her and gently turning her face towards him. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."