Chapter Text
Addison wakes to a sound she would best liken to a chainsaw. Or maybe a gunshot. She startles, scrambling into a defensive position on the other side of the couch, scorching fists raised in front of her. On the other side of the couch, head tilted back, freely snoring, sits Meredith. Addison chuckles, extinguishing her hands and relaxing momentarily, only to realise that sunlight is peeking through her windows. She looks to the clock on the wall, sighing in relief at the realisation that she actually woke up before her alarm.
She reaches out a hand, gently shaking Meredith's shoulder.
"Meredith."
She continues to snore.
"Meredith, wake up."
More snoring.
"Meredith!"
The snoring ceases, suddenly cut off.
Slowly, Meredith blinks awake. She smirks, "Hey."
"Hey."
"Did we fall asleep?"
"Yeah - it's tomorrow. Come on, we have work."
Meredith picks up her phone, tapping the screen and squinting at the displayed time. "Yeah... in two hours."
Addison rolls her eyes. "Well, I have a doctor's appointment in one, so come on." She says, standing up and reaching down a hand.
Meredith takes it, rising off the couch. "So what I'm hearing is we have time-"
"I would burn off that cast."
"I'd let you."
A beat. They stare at each other. Meredith swallows - Addison watches the way her throat bobs.
"Fifteen minutes. No hands."
"Deal."
Meredith pushes her back onto the couch. Addison runs her tongue over her bottom lip as Meredith climbs on top of her, straddling Addison's lap. Meredith's left arm loops around her shoulders, fingertips tickling the back of her neck before Meredith pulls her in for a kiss. Addison moans, hands moving to cup her face as she grins against Meredith's (admittedly a bit chapped) lips. Addison cracks an eye open. Pale, wintery irises stare back at her; a blue that burns with the sharpness of ice cracking under Addison's feet. Meredith winks - for that split second, Addison feels that she is dying of thirst.
Addison pulls them apart, a wet smacking of lips echoing in her ears. Spit drips from Meredith's bottom lip.
Meredith grins, a playful glint in her eyes. "Was was that for?"
"No hands, remember?"
Meredith scoffs, "Seriously?"
"Oh, I am dead serious."
"Really? Prove it, then."
Addison laughs, gently shoving Meredith off of her lap. Meredith stands with a petulant sigh. Addison hooks her fingers around the collar of her shirt, slowly pulling it upwards over her head. Meredith gives a low whistle.
"I'm not a pornstar or anything, relax." Addison mutters.
"You fuck like one."
Addison lifts the rest of her shirt over her head, folding it into a long strip. "Do I need to put a gag on you?"
"Don't threaten me with a good time."
Addison rolls her eyes, standing to face Meredith. A small part of her revels in the fact Meredith has to look up at her now.
"Turn around." Addison commands.
"Why?"
"Because otherwise I'm not gonna have sex with you."
Meredith rolls her eyes, turning so her back faces Addison.
"Hands behind your back."
"What, are you planning to tie me up? Kinky." Meredith teases (she obeys).
Addison wraps the shirt around Meredith's wrists. "Says the masochist."
"At least I don't like being spanked."
Addison ties the shirt into a knot, keeping Meredith's wrists bound together. "How's that?"
Meredith tests it, nodding, "I can get out if I want to." She says, turning to face Addison (or more accurately, Addison's breasts).
"Eyes are up here."
"I'd rather look at your nipples."
Addison laughs, "Pervert." She ribs, pulling Meredith back on top of her as she falls back onto the couch.
The agreed-upon fifteen minutes quickly morph into twenty, then twenty-five. Addison nearly combusts after thirty minutes, prompting Meredith to lean back from her kneeling position on the floor (which she has been in since minute six), smirking with bright red lips as a shining layer of... Addison drips down her chin.
Meredith grins, "How are we feeling?"
Addison pants, eyes flicking up at the wall clock with a groan. "Like I need to go see my therapist in half an hour." She breathes, still trying to catch her breath as she slowly rises from the couch with trembling legs, stepping over her discarded panties and bending over to undo the knot binding Meredith's wrists together.
"I'm sorry about this - I would do you but I need to-"
Meredith shrugs, "Don't worry about it. I had my fun watching you squirm."
Addison laughs, "Okay, well... I'm going to rinse all of..." She gestures between her legs. "That off and then I need to go - would you mind feeding Milo while I'm in the bathroom? There's wet food in the pantry."
Meredith's gaze - previously playful - softens into something more tender. She smiles, "Yeah, sure."
Addison nods graciously before walking into the bathroom. "Thank you!" She exclaims over her shoulder.
Addison gets out of the shower five minutes later, quickly lighting and extinguishing herself as she moves to exit the bathroom; Meredith stands outside the door, Addison's work clothes bundled in her arms.
"I took a guess." Meredith says, handing Addison a fresh pair of panties.
Addison chuckles, jumping into them. "Thanks."
Addison dresses herself in silence, Meredith buttoning her shirt for her before Addison is running out the door, her purse in one hand and a piece of toast in the other.
"The spare key's under the mat. Lock the door with it when you leave and give it back to me at work?"
"No problem."
Addison would generally compare sitting in the waiting room of the Bayside Wellness Group office to pulling teeth. She sits on a deceptively uncomfortable leather couch, one pantyhose-clad leg crossed over another as she stares impassively at the coffee table covered in magazines in front of her (her first appointment she was on one of the covers - well, Red Rocket was). Her left hand loosely plays with part of her hair, clumsily twirling the red strand over and over again until it tangles around her finger. Her right hand brushes against her breast pocket, where the folded worksheet rests inside. Her purse lays at her feet. The waiting is always the worst part. Sitting still, sitting in silence, hoping something happens. Her foot taps in the air incessantly, ceiling light reflecting off the black leather of her shoe, the thin red heel stabbing into the empty space next to her.
She sees one of the other doctors - the pediatrician, presumably - walk through the glass doors with a child in his arms. The receptionist trails behind them.
He looks to the waiting mother. "Here he is, all good!" He announces, adjusting his hold on the boy to whisper in his ear (she can just barely hear what he says - has her hearing gotten worse?).
"Next time you want to hide your vegetables, feed them to the dog. But you can't shove them up your nose - your nose is off limits as a hiding place. Okay?"
The boy nods, the doctor nods with him. Addison laughs. The receptionist looks to her with a raised eyebrow - Addison gives him a shy, tight smile before looking down, playing with the end of the compression sleeve under her shirt ("Normal people can't hear whispering from across the waiting room, Addison." She breathes, kicking herself internally).
She hears Dr Turner's footsteps quickly approaching the waiting room, the slapping of sandals against the hardwood floors pulling her attention (Addison had become familiar with the way she walked after their third appointment: the way Dr Turner traipsed through the room, seemingly relaxed and casual but in actuality very tightly wound - her brother walks the same way).
"Addison? You can come on back, now."
Addison smiled - tight, artificial - before picking up her purse and rising out of her chair. She takes a step forward, anxious to get away from the receptionist with his blonde bowl cut and scrutinising gaze.
She doesn't realise that she's walked into the coffee table until she's on the floor.
Her ears are ringing. Addison groans, pushing herself off the ground shakily (tears are pricking in the corners of her eyes, she blinks furiously, desperate not to show weakness).
"Sorry! I'm okay!"
Dr Turner nods, pressing her lips together. She says something.
Addison cannot hear what Dr Turner says over the ringing in her ears.
"I'm fine! Really. Let's just-" Addison gestures towards Dr Turner's office with her head (her own voice is muffled too, like she's underwater).
Dr Turner nods, leading Addison into her office. Dr Turner opens the door, gesturing for Addison to enter - she does, the sound of the ceiling fan dulling her tinnitus. With a sigh escaping smiling lips, Addison sits on the couch.
Dr Turner shuts the door behind her. "So how did you go with that homework I gave you last week?"
Addison reaches into her pocket, fishing out the folded worksheet "I did it." She announces proudly, handing it to Dr Turner.
Dr Turner begins to unfold the paper.
"It helps that I had the dream again. Made it easier." Addison jokes.
Dr Turner looks from the worksheet unfolded in her hands to Addison, concern etched into her eyes. Addison looks down at her shoes, fingers moving to twirl her hair again.
"This is really good work, Addison. We could start talking about possible changes to the nightmare today if you like - unless there's something else you want to talk about?"
Her hair gets tangled between her fingers. Addison sighs, extracting her hand and running her fingers through her scalp to undo the knot. "I, um... I got suspended. Because of the bar fight. Today's my first day back."
Dr Turner remains silent.
"We were all going to get suspended initially but I told Richard that - um - that they were just defending me? Which they were. Because I started it."
"Did you feel guilty about the idea of them taking the fall for you? Is that why you told him?"
Addison shrugs, defeated. "I just... didn't want to lie."
She's so sick of lying.
Dr Turner sighs, "Addison, are you sure that was the right course of action? You're not worried about your job security?"
Addison swallows, "I... hadn't thought about it like that."
In her defence, this is technically her first "real" job.
Dr Turner nods, lips pressed together into a thin line. "Okay... What did you do while you were suspended?"
"Well, my boss said it was his way of making me practice self-care."
"And did you? Practice self-care?"
Addison shrugs, "I took a bath,"
While drinking directly from a bottle of wine and making a drunken booty call.
"Talked to my brother,"
Lying throughout the entire phone call.
"Had dinner with a friend,"
After getting into a fight and then proceeding to cry into Teddy's arms.
"Found a new coffee place,"
Moments before being held at gunpoint.
"And a food truck I like."
After jumping off a twelve-storey building.
Dr Turner softens, "It sounds like you had a good week, then." She says.
Baby blue eyes flash into her mind. Addison smiles, "I guess so, yeah."
Two bright orange dots on the fogged glass of Richard's door greet her. Addison squints, closing one eye only to see a dot disappear.
"Damn it." She whispers, pushing her glasses up to the top of her hand, gently massaging her temples with her fingers.
She takes a deep breath, holding it until her lungs feel like they're liable to burst, letting the breath go. She takes her compact mirror out of her skirt (Cotton: Extremely flammable! her brain reminds her), opening it in front of her face, brows furrowing when she sees her eyes. An unmistakable orange glow dances around the edges of her irises, threatening to engulf (and seriously clashing with) the usual green of her eyes. Her pupils are clear - blown and surrounded by familiar hazel.
She blinks furiously. "Come on, Addie - you're fine." Addison breathes.
She knocks twice, gingerly turning the knob and sticking her head in the doorway. Richard sits alone at his desk. He looks up at her smiles.
"Addison."
"Hey... First day back so I just - um - wanted to say hi."
He smiles, "Come in, have a seat."
She gulps, crossing the threshold. "Sure." She titters, anxiously pushing the door closed behind her.
She uses too much force. A loud crash shoots through Addison's eardrums; she cranes her neck behind her and cringes. The wooden frame has been cracked in half, the glass has shattered into small squares resting in a pile on the floor.
"Oh my God, Richard, I'm so sorry I'll pa-"
"Addison, breathe. Do you realise how many doors we've broken in this office this year alone? It's nearly a rite of passage."
Addison chuckles - breathy, nervous. "Right." She squeaks, carefully walking over to the chair in front of Richard's desk and sitting in it.
Her eyes wander around him, not daring to look at the man himself. Instead, her gaze settles on a picture frame on the desk, tilted to face the corner. She squints at the blurry image, lowering her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose and blinking when the photo comes into focus. In the foreground stand two people: Richard - with pride in his eyes, a fuller head of hair and less grey in his beard - and a girl in a long, green and black gown. Her dirty blonde hair is matted, blue eyes still wet with tears and bloodshot. She's smiling in the photo, Richard's arm held protectively around her shoulders. Despite the joy, Addison can't help but notice the pain in the girl's eyes - Meredith's eyes.
Richard clears his throat. "My goddaughter - she graduated from Dartmouth."
Addison looks back at him, smiling politely. "You must be proud of her."
He blinks, gaze softening. "I am. She's like a daughter to me..."
A loaded, long, uncomfortable pause.
"You are, too, you know."
Addison sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Richard..."
"It's true! It feels like just yesterday I met you: angry and scared and-"
"Well in case you haven't noticed, Richard, I'm not exactly twenty-four anymore! Or blonde!"
She's still angry, though - and she still has a bit of a deathwish.
He frowns, leaning back in his chair as his demeanour deflates.
"How was your time off?"
She shrugs, "Okay - managed to actually clean up my apartment."
He nods, "Whats your favourite colour?"
"Excuse me?"
"You said that you lie awake at night because you don't know what your favourite colour is and you don't feel like a real person; so, what's your favourite colour?"
"..."
"Addie?"
"...Blue."
He nods, "Huh."
"What?"
"I just..." He shrugs, "I thought it would be red."
"...Me too."
Teddy's head peeks out of the cubicle walls as Addison approaches her desk. Teddy leans back in her chair as Addison rounds the corner, setting her purse down in the corner of the desk and pulling out her own chair.
"You're back!" Teddy beams.
Addison smiles sheepishly. "That I am." She says, sinking into her chair with a gentle sigh.
Teddy points to the corner of Addison's desk opposite to her purse. "You have a gift?"
Addison turns her head. "I do?"
In the corner of the cubicle, glinting faintly in the overhead lights, sits a bottle of whiskey, a folded note next to it. A grin creeps onto Addison's lips as she takes the note, unfolding it carefully with both hands. A key falls out onto Addison's lap - her spare apartment key. She laughs, hastily depositing it in her purse before looking back to read the note.
Welcome back!
Congrats on not getting fired (and thanks for making sure none of us did :))
-G Team
She rolls her eyes, lips in a face-splitting grin as she tucks the note into her breast pocket. Addison hears footsteps begin to approach her - an irregular rhythm of weighted, assertive strides - Jackson's. She turns in her chair. He stands before her, cape draped behind his shoulders, nervously tapping a small card in one hand with a pen in another.
Addison raises an eyebrow, giving him a simper. "Morning."
Jackson smiles, a slight anxiety in his eyes. "Hey, welcome back."
"Thanks."
"I see you saw the whiskey." He gestures to the bottle.
"I did - thank you, by the way."
"Oh, it was Phantom's idea - Glacier wrote the card. We all chipped in to buy it."
Addison nods, "Well, thank you."
"Yeah, sure."
A beat. Jackson keeps tapping the pen against the card.
Addison smirks, "Do you think I'm going to bite your head off or something?"
"Oh, no! I'm sorry it's just..." He looks around quickly before crouching slightly, lowering his voice to a whisper as he speaks, "It's Virtue's birthday today. We're gonna surprise her in the break room at lunch with cake and stuff, it's just... really hard to surprise her, is all. Would you mind writing something in the card?"
Addison smiles, "Of course not, give it here."
He hands the card over, she swivels in her chair to place it on the desk. She clicks a pen, carefully writing in the corner of the card with a steady concentration and unsteady hands. She hands the card back to Jackson after taking far too long to write.
He nods graciously. "Thanks, Addison."
"No problem."
Jackson begins to walk away, before Richard's voice stops him in his tracks.
"Golden Guy, great! I was just looking for you!"
Jackson stills straightening his posture to face Richard.
"You needed me, Chief?"
"Could you get the others into the conference room? We need to talk before shift starts."
Jackson nods, hiding the card for April behind his back. "No problem."
"Great."
Jackson strides away. Richard turns the corner to where Addison and Teddy are seated.
"Are you two coming?" Richard asks, tapping his fingers against the cubicle walls expectantly.
Addison and Teddy exchange a glance.
"Yeah."
"Just give us a sec?"
Richard nods, "We'll be waiting." He asserts, turning around and walking away.
Teddy clicks her tongue. "It's coming up, right? You excited?"
"What's coming up?"
"Your birthday? You're gonna be what, thirty-eight?"
Addison raises an eyebrow. "Teddy, my birthday's in October."
Teddy's brows furrow. "Addie - it's October first."
Humiliation settles itself into her spine. Surely it can't be, right? She taps the screen of her phone, shame coiling in her gut when she sees the date: October first. "Oh! I - um... right..."
Teddy's gaze softens. "Do you wanna-"
"Ted, please. No, okay? I'm fine."
Teddy sighs, "Let's see what Richard wants."
"Yeah."
The others are seated around the conference table when they arrive, Richard standing expectantly at the head of the table. He nods towards the two empty chairs on opposite sides of the table: one next to Meredith, the other next to Cristina. Teddy sits in the one next to Cristina. Addison sighs, pressing her lips together as she pulls out the chair next to Meredith (trying very hard to ignore the way Meredith is currently staring at her neck).
Richard clears his throat. "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. As I'm sure all of you know by know-" He shoots a glance over to Addison, "A few days ago, a residential building collapsed. A lot of people were injured. Even more were killed. Families have been displaced and torn apart. Two of our very own were on the scene-" He gestures towards the table. Meredith sinks back into her seat, Jackson straightens at the attention.
"Grey Ghost has made a fantastic suggestion that I agree with: that we should work to aid the people who have been affected by this tragedy."
Jackson raises a brow. "Saving their lives wasn't enough?"
"We didn't save enough." Meredith snaps.
A beat. All eyes are on Meredith.
"What?"
Richard clears his throat. "As I was saying, I've been thinking about it and I think the best course of action would be a fundraiser. I propose-"
"What if we did a firefighter calendar?" Izzie blurts.
Everyone turns in their chairs to look at her. Izzie shrinks.
"I'm sorry! I just totally interrupted you! It was a stupid idea anyway let's just-"
Richard holds up a hand. "No, Brightburn, I wasn't going to say that. I'm actually a little curious on what you meant by that, exactly."
Izzie gulps, "Oh! Uh - well, the fire department had one last year to raise money for a line-of-duty funeral and those things aren't exactly cheap so I just thought... that it'd be a good way to fundraise? Everybody loves superheroes, right?"
"Sex sells." Alex chimes.
Richard nods, "...Well, we certainly do have a... good-looking collection of young people in this room-"
"Please never say those words again, I think I just vomited in my own mouth a little." Addison mutters.
Nods and sounds of agreement all around the room.
Richard sighs, "Well, I don't see why we can't have a..." He gesticulates in Izzie's direction, "Pinup calendar featuring the men and women of SDN."
Lexie raises her hand. "Not that I'm against the idea of this but... why are you asking us about this? I know Grey suggested the fundraiser but isn't this more of a 'whole office' conversation? Or a 'best team in the branch' conversation?"
Richard blinks, "But... you are the best team in the branch."
"What?"
"Huh?"
"Come again?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"Have none of you people even so much as glanced at the leaderboards the last two months?"
Everyone pauses, looks to each other, and shakes their head, general sounds of agreement echoing through the room.
Richard rolls his eyes. "Well, like it or not, you're more or less the faces of the branch right now. With that comes conversations like these."
A beat. Addison drums her fingers against the table. "So, would we be doing the calendar, then? And civilians would see it?"
Richard shrugs, "It would be a fundraising event, so no use restricting purchases. Who's in the calendar seems like something you can all work out amongst yourselves... Assuming you would all be willing to do it?"
"Yeah."
"Sure."
"It's for a good cause."
"I'm okay with it."
"Been meaning to show off my abs, anyway."
General sounds of agreement are made amongst the rest of the group. Addison bites her lip. Meredith notices.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, you know. It's okay." Meredith whispers over the others' chatter.
"No, it's fine, I just... I doubt burnt toast is gonna really sell well."
"...Addison, are you fucking blind? Like, genuinely - have you looked in a mirror like, ever?"
Addison chuckles, "Flattery will get you nowhere."
"Flattery implies I'm being insincere. I'm not."
Addison gives her a small smile. She reaches under the table to squeeze Meredith's thigh gently.
Richard clears his throat. "Well, with that, I will leave you all to start your shift. Think about it, will you?"
Everyone nods, getting up to leave the conference room.
Addison and the team have developed a rhythm. She's sure of it. She feels it in the way confidence has settled in her bones when she sends them out on calls. She hears it in the banter they exchange when things get slow. Trust. New, but strong. They have her back, she has theirs.
She has to remind herself of this when she walks into the bathroom after their first shift, only to see Izzie and Lexie bickering as Izzie has their arms held under the sink.
"It hurts!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry - but that's how you know it's working!"
Addison blinks, rubbing her eyes before taking in the scene before her: Lexie's right sleeve has been rolled up to her bicep, revealing a bright pink, angry looking patch of skin on the back of her forearm. Izzie's jacket has been discarded to the side of the sink, revealing an eclectic collection of small scars (mostly burns - far less severe than Addison's) all over her bare arms. Izzie's left fingers and palm are a similar - albeit lighter - shade of pink.
Addison clears her throat, Izzie and Lexie's heads snap over to her.
"It's not what it looks like!" Lexie sputters.
Addison raises an eyebrow.
"Okay, it's exactly what it looks like." Izzie laments.
Addison nods, "How long have you been holding it under the water?"
Lexie shrugs, Izzie checks her phone.
"Fifteen minutes?"
Addison sighs, "Stay here, keep doing that - I'll get the burn kit."
Lexie stares at her with a slight pout as Addison finishes her dressing.
"It's rude to stare."
Lexie pales, "Oh, no! I'm sorry, I just... you look tired, is all."
Addison scoffs, a playful smirk on her lips. "Wow, thanks."
Izzie shrugs, "She's right - no offence but you kinda look like shit right now."
Addison turns her head to face the mirror, cataloguing the loose, frantic bun she pulled her hair into mid-shift without thinking (In her defence, Meredith was in the middle of a car chase - Addison had better things to worry about at that moment), the small coffee stain on her shirt collar (she missed her mouth while sending George out on a safety patrol - it was humiliating) and the smudged, caked concealer that has been slightly wiped away under her eyes, purple shining underneath.
Addison purses her lips. "Well, I had a week off of your insanity and I've been thrown back into the deep end - it's like herding stray cats with you people."
Izzie cackles, Lexie nods sheepishly.
Lexie thanks her in earnest before scurrying out of the bathroom ("I'm supposed to get April's cake!"). Izzie gathers her jacket in her good hand.
"Are you gonna be okay with your hand like that?" Addison asks.
Izzie shrugs, "I should be alright - never stopped me before."
Addison grimaces, "That's... almost exactly what I used to say. And then it did stop me."
Izzie nods intently, leaning against the sink. "What do you suggest, then? It's not too deep, you took care of it - thanks, by the way, this is a way better topical than what I've been using."
Addison sighs, "How did you manage that, anyway? I sent you two to deal with a building fire."
Izzie looks down at her shoes. "I might have maybe been... trying to show off? Just a little!"
"Brightburn." Addison scolds.
"Izzie's fine."
"We're at work - codenames at work."
"I - yeah, fair."
Addison fiddles with her glasses before finally taking her hair out of the bun, smoothing it down with heated fingers. "Okay, crash course in the Red Rocket school of superheroics: don't show off - and if you're going to, be careful. You can control fire at a distance - keep it at a distance. Trust me, you burn yourself so much less when you stop opening yourself up to stupid mistakes."
Izzie nods emphatically. "Right."
"And don't skimp out on burn care, seriously. I learnt that the hard way. The goal is for you to keep your fine motor function even after you retire."
"I mean - you can't really compare that with your circumstances, can you? You got injured."
Addison clenches her jaw, desperately trying to steel her expression. The masks slips - if only for a split second. "Well, it still helps to be careful. Burn for longer, not brighter... which I realise sounds ironic given, well, you know."
Izzie laughs, "No, you're right - it's good advice. Thanks, Addison."
Addison simply nods, giving Izzie a tight-lipped smile.
Izzie leaves the bathroom and Addison lets out a groan, quickly turning back to the mirror and hastily trying to fix up her appearance. She's thankful she had the sense to keep her concealer on her person today (she should've known better than to think the botch job she did at a red light on the way to Dr Turner's office would cut it), frantically fishing it out of her pocket and unscrewing the cap. She's dabbing it under her right eye when the door to the bathroom opens again - she startles, only to realise it's just Meredith, then she relaxes.
"Where was the boxing match?" She quips.
"Right here." Addison points to her forehead, "I swear you guys are gonna give me grey hairs."
Meredith chuckles. She leans against the sink at Addison's left, inching her eyes closer to the side of Addison's face, breath tickling your neck.
"You know you are greying, right?"
Addison caps the concealer, setting it down next to the sink with a scoff. She makes eye contact with Meredith in the mirror. "What? I am not!"
Meredith sweeps some of Addison's hair behind her ear, gently wrapping a loose strand around her finger and holding it up to the mirror.
A strand of grey hair, originating from her temple.
Meredith smirks in the mirror. "See? You're greying."
Addison groans, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Meredith shrugs, "Just face it, you're getting old."
"I'm thirty-seven."
Meredith tuts, a cheeky grin etched into her face. "So, so old. You're basically a cougar, you know."
Addison scoffs, "What, I'm preying on you?"
"It's okay, I like older women."
Addison rolls her eyes. "This is your fault. I have to deal with you almost getting stabbed every two weeks. It's stressful."
The sound of a toilet flushing pulls them out of their conversation. The two of them exchange nervous glances.
Cristina leaves the stall, approaching the sink to Addison's right and washing her hands in silence. She shakes her hands when she finishes, looking briefly to Addison and Meredith.
"Cristina-" Meredith starts.
Cristina raises a finger to shush her. "I saw nothing. I heard nothing. I am Helen Keller. I was never here." She declares, reaching for the paper towels, drying her hands in more silence and promptly leaving the bathroom.
A blush sprouts slightly, breaking up Meredith's usual deathly pale complexion. She pulls her hood down, running her hands through her hair as she checks the remaining stalls. Addison finally finishes re-applying her concealer.
Meredith finishes checking the furthest stall, only to find it empty. "Oh, thank God."
Addison rolls her eyes. "Bathrooms are for shitting in after your first coffee, amateur wound care and re-doing your concealer. Not for..." She gestures vaguely between the two of them, "Whatever this is."
Meredith tilts her head from side to side. "True - we haven't done it in here."
"That's because it's impractical. And disgusting."
"I mean - a lot of what we do could be classified as those."
Addison laughs, "Okay, I'm leaving now - isn't there a surprise party we need to be at?"
Meredith smacks her forehead lightly. "Oh! Right! I'm supposed to get balloons!"
"Then go get the balloons?"
Meredith cringes, "I need to pee first."
Addison snorts, "Okay, now I'm leaving. Don't fall in or anything." She jokes, opening the door and walking out.
The break room is crowded when Addison finally walks in. George and Izzie are at the back, George standing on a chair in the effort to hang up a "Happy Birthday!" Sign being held up by Izzie. Meredith and Cristina are across from the vending machine, Cristina handling the helium tank ("Don't go anywhere near this Addison, I don't wanna explode." "Wow, thank you for the vote of confidence.") and handing the balloons off to Meredith and Teddy, who tie them together in bundles. Lexie sits in the centre table with the cake, head in her hands as Alex delicately tries to fix smudged icing with a spoon.
"I don't know what's worse, you dropping the cake or that time Bambi fell down the stairs." Alex ribs.
George huffs, "That was one time!"
"Yeah, one hilarious time." Meredith quips, tying off a bright pink balloon.
George groans.
Then, silence. Everyone in the room (sans Addison) freezes, whipping their heads to look at the closed door.
Addison raises an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
Alex shushes her. "They're coming - can't you hear them?" He whispers softly.
Addison shakes her head.
The door opens, Addison turns her head. April stands frozen, hand on the doorknob, eyes wide. Jackson stands behind her, grimacing and rubbing the back of his neck.
Lexie is the first to speak. "Surprise! Well, you're kind of early for the surprise but - you know - surprise!"
An eclectic murmuring of "Surprise!" Rings out through the break room.
April beams, "You guys really went through all this trouble?"
Izzie shrugs, "Of course we did. You're our friend."
Alex holds up his spoon. "The cake is... a little wonky, sorry. I dropped it."
"No you didn't, I dropped it." Lexie says.
"Dude, I was covering for you."
April laughs, "Thanks, guys."
Jackson cuts the cake, carefully handing a corner piece to April, who accepts it graciously. Their fingers brush during the handoff, Jackson smiling sheepishly. Everyone else takes a piece one by one, Addison taking the last piece at April's insistence ("Are you sure? It's your birthday cake, you're entitled to a second piece." "Don't be silly! Take it!"). Addison nibbles on the cake shyly, careful not to smudge icing on her upper lip. Meredith sits at the table across from her, Izzie and Teddy between them. She tunes out the conversation the others are having, eyes focused on stormy, mask-framed eyes across from her. Meredith gives a small smile. Addison smiles back.
A rapid change in colour on the TV in the corner of the room (and Addison's peripheral vision) drew her attention - she tilts her head only to see herself on the screen.
"Hey, can somebody unmute that, please?"
Alex clicks a button on the remote. The news achor's voice fills the room.
"-And just last night, there were reports of an unidentified super flying through Uptown Seattle - whole body on fire. Are they friend, or foe? Because at the moment, all they are is an unknown."
Addison watches the footage of herself taken from the ground - she looks erratic, manic even. She flies through the air in loops, jets through the air in sudden bursts of speed and soars off into the clouds nowhere to be seen. She sighs, head falling into her hands.
"Fuck." She breathes.