Pistachio #16, chopped nuts, malt
Author: Blossomdreams
Rating: PG
Challenge: Pistachio #16 (a shoulder to cry on)
Story Arc: Pleasant Surprise
Title: Talking it out
Toppings: Chopped Nuts (Human AU Work "Friends" Arc)
Extra: malt Summer Challenge 3: "I feel that a true best friend would share this with their true best friend."
- Chuck (Morgan)
Summary: Bernard goes to his favorite place to talk out his problems with Albert. Will Albert chew him out this time?
Word count: 1,150
Notes: I know I fell off a bit. I had a week off, but then I got sick so I couldn't write which sucked royally! I'm alright now and hoping to participate more or do all the malts I said I was gonna do. Here is more of the Human AU hope you enjoy!!
Bernard sighed as he pulled up to Pandora’s Box, a popular place among business executives. A place where he has moaned, complained, and described his escapades to Albert. Now he was going to tell him how Alene caught him off guard when he wanted to be good. He could only imagine the type of lecture he would get this time. Bernard got out of his car and walked inside.
“Hey Bernard!”
Bernard turned and smiled at Sylvia. “Hi Sylvia, how are you?”
“Good, it’s not that busy of a night so I can relax for once.” Sylvia giggled, pushing her pink hair out of her eyes. “How are you? Looks like you had a tough day.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Bernard walked over and took a seat at the bar.
Sylvia’s eyes softened in concern at the weary look on Bernard’s face. “If you’re looking for Albert he’s over there in the booths. Do you want anything to eat?”
Bernard looked up and smiled. “Okay, thanks, and a bacon cheeseburger, well done, with extra fries and whatever is on tap.”
“Sure thing,” Sylvia nodded and wrote it down on her pad. “I’m sure things will get better whatever they are.”
“Thanks, I hope so.” Bernard flashed Sylvia a smile and moved over to the booths. He caught a glimpse of a familiar head of black hair in the middle booth and walked over.
“Hey,” Bernard slid in across from Albert.
“Hey,” Albert looked up from his phone with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Alec asked me where I wanted to go for our business meeting.”
“Uh huh, Al, it’s me.” Bernard smirked.
“Alright,” Albert grinned. “We’re going out on Friday and he wanted to check with me on time.”
“Much better. That’s really sweet you know.”
“He’s much different when he doesn’t have to worry about running a company.” Albert chuckled. He tapped his phone a few more times before putting it away. “Now, enough of my escapades, tell me about yours. What happened?”
Bernard sighed, resisting the urge to wring his hands under the table. “Alright, well, I had a normal day. I did my work and talked to Alene, but I didn’t flirt with her. It was hard not to, but I did it.”
“Very good, but something tells me this is only getting started. What happened next?”
“We had to work late and you know I offer to take anyone home who might stay late in the office. I know I can order a shuttle, but it’s a garage and I doubt they would come and--”
“Yes, yes I know about the failed shuttle ideas. I thought everyone was carpooling with each other.”
“They are, but you know schedules don’t match up like we want them to.”
“Very true,”
“So, I offer to take Jade, Derek, and Alene to their cars. I dropped off Jade first, then Derek, and Alene was next. I pulled up to her car like normal and I unlocked the door. After I did that she leaned over and kissed me.” Bernard finished softly.
Albert’s eyes widened. “Wait, you didn’t kiss her. She kissed you?”
“Yeah she did,” Bernard nodded.
“What did you do?”
“…”
“You didn’t.”
“…”
“Bernard! Really?”
“I didn’t go any further than kissing okay! If I did we wouldn’t be talking right now.” Bernard hissed. He sat back against the booth and rubbed his face. “I was doing so well too. Now all I can think about is her and it’s driving me nuts.”
Albert opened his mouth, but closed it when Sylvia walked over.
“Here you go Bernard. One well done bacon cheeseburger, extra fries, and one beer on tap. Do you need anything else?” Sylvia asked.
“No, thanks Sylvia.” Bernard flashed a smile.
“Alright, let me know if you need anything. Okay?” Sylvia grinned.
“We will, thanks,” Bernard said.
“Okay, do you need anything Albert?” Sylvia asked.
“Not right now, thanks.” Albert grinned.
“Okay, I’ll be back if you do. Enjoy your food!” Sylvia smiled and walked back to the bar.
Albert eyed Bernard’s choices when Sylvia walked away. “Are you sure you should be drinking?”
“I can have one beer. That won’t hurt.”
“Half a beer won’t hurt. One beer will.”
“Al, I’m not a lightweight I can handle it.”
“Alright, one beer, but pop for the rest.”
“Fine, I’ll get drunk at home.” Bernard mumbled as he started on his burger.
“What will that accomplish?”
“It will help me forget.”
Albert sighed. He’s fighting so much with himself. He needs to calm down. “I know I told you to try and forget your feelings for Alene, but if she kissed you, then maybe things aren’t as one sided as I thought.”
Bernard looked up in surprise. “I thought you said I shouldn’t try to pursue her. I mean the points you gave made sense. She has a boyfriend, she’s my employee, and I’m going completely on feeling alone.”
“Yes, but I didn’t put Alene in the equation. Did she do anything different when you stopped flirting?”
“She started flirting with me. It wasn’t blatant, but it was there.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I’m looking at what has happened so far and it looks like Alene wants you. However, I’m not sure if this is a way for her and her boyfriend to have fun. That has happened before and you nearly got in trouble for it.”
“I got out of that fight unscathed.”
“Do you remember the scar on your back?”
“That was a cheap shot and you know it.”
Albert waved it away. “Anyway, I’m saying I don’t want to see you caught up in that again.”
“Are you gonna join the fight again?”
“If you need it, I will.”
“I haven’t done anything major, just a bit of making out. That’s it.”
“That’s good. Well, keep up what you’re doing now. If she kisses you again ask her what she wants to do. I don’t know if she’ll give you a clear answer, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Alright, I will.” Bernard placed his burger down and grinned over at Albert. “Thanks for not chewing me out this time.”
“You thought something through. I think I was too shocked to chew you out.” Albert chuckled. “No problem,”
“Thanks for coming out here too, man.”
“Anytime,”
Bernard smiled and started on his food again. “So how did the rest of your day go? How’s Alec?”
“Alec is fine and I do enjoy our time together. My day was pretty normal, well, with the exception of this one asshole.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you the message this asshole decided to leave on my machine at nine in the morning. The bastard!” Albert hissed.
Bernard laughed and sat back, listening to Albert discuss his day with vivid detail. Thanks for the help. He could always count on Albert to be the voice of reason.
Rating: PG
Challenge: Pistachio #16 (a shoulder to cry on)
Story Arc: Pleasant Surprise
Title: Talking it out
Toppings: Chopped Nuts (Human AU Work "Friends" Arc)
Extra: malt Summer Challenge 3: "I feel that a true best friend would share this with their true best friend."
- Chuck (Morgan)
Summary: Bernard goes to his favorite place to talk out his problems with Albert. Will Albert chew him out this time?
Word count: 1,150
Notes: I know I fell off a bit. I had a week off, but then I got sick so I couldn't write which sucked royally! I'm alright now and hoping to participate more or do all the malts I said I was gonna do. Here is more of the Human AU hope you enjoy!!
Bernard sighed as he pulled up to Pandora’s Box, a popular place among business executives. A place where he has moaned, complained, and described his escapades to Albert. Now he was going to tell him how Alene caught him off guard when he wanted to be good. He could only imagine the type of lecture he would get this time. Bernard got out of his car and walked inside.
“Hey Bernard!”
Bernard turned and smiled at Sylvia. “Hi Sylvia, how are you?”
“Good, it’s not that busy of a night so I can relax for once.” Sylvia giggled, pushing her pink hair out of her eyes. “How are you? Looks like you had a tough day.”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Bernard walked over and took a seat at the bar.
Sylvia’s eyes softened in concern at the weary look on Bernard’s face. “If you’re looking for Albert he’s over there in the booths. Do you want anything to eat?”
Bernard looked up and smiled. “Okay, thanks, and a bacon cheeseburger, well done, with extra fries and whatever is on tap.”
“Sure thing,” Sylvia nodded and wrote it down on her pad. “I’m sure things will get better whatever they are.”
“Thanks, I hope so.” Bernard flashed Sylvia a smile and moved over to the booths. He caught a glimpse of a familiar head of black hair in the middle booth and walked over.
“Hey,” Bernard slid in across from Albert.
“Hey,” Albert looked up from his phone with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Alec asked me where I wanted to go for our business meeting.”
“Uh huh, Al, it’s me.” Bernard smirked.
“Alright,” Albert grinned. “We’re going out on Friday and he wanted to check with me on time.”
“Much better. That’s really sweet you know.”
“He’s much different when he doesn’t have to worry about running a company.” Albert chuckled. He tapped his phone a few more times before putting it away. “Now, enough of my escapades, tell me about yours. What happened?”
Bernard sighed, resisting the urge to wring his hands under the table. “Alright, well, I had a normal day. I did my work and talked to Alene, but I didn’t flirt with her. It was hard not to, but I did it.”
“Very good, but something tells me this is only getting started. What happened next?”
“We had to work late and you know I offer to take anyone home who might stay late in the office. I know I can order a shuttle, but it’s a garage and I doubt they would come and--”
“Yes, yes I know about the failed shuttle ideas. I thought everyone was carpooling with each other.”
“They are, but you know schedules don’t match up like we want them to.”
“Very true,”
“So, I offer to take Jade, Derek, and Alene to their cars. I dropped off Jade first, then Derek, and Alene was next. I pulled up to her car like normal and I unlocked the door. After I did that she leaned over and kissed me.” Bernard finished softly.
Albert’s eyes widened. “Wait, you didn’t kiss her. She kissed you?”
“Yeah she did,” Bernard nodded.
“What did you do?”
“…”
“You didn’t.”
“…”
“Bernard! Really?”
“I didn’t go any further than kissing okay! If I did we wouldn’t be talking right now.” Bernard hissed. He sat back against the booth and rubbed his face. “I was doing so well too. Now all I can think about is her and it’s driving me nuts.”
Albert opened his mouth, but closed it when Sylvia walked over.
“Here you go Bernard. One well done bacon cheeseburger, extra fries, and one beer on tap. Do you need anything else?” Sylvia asked.
“No, thanks Sylvia.” Bernard flashed a smile.
“Alright, let me know if you need anything. Okay?” Sylvia grinned.
“We will, thanks,” Bernard said.
“Okay, do you need anything Albert?” Sylvia asked.
“Not right now, thanks.” Albert grinned.
“Okay, I’ll be back if you do. Enjoy your food!” Sylvia smiled and walked back to the bar.
Albert eyed Bernard’s choices when Sylvia walked away. “Are you sure you should be drinking?”
“I can have one beer. That won’t hurt.”
“Half a beer won’t hurt. One beer will.”
“Al, I’m not a lightweight I can handle it.”
“Alright, one beer, but pop for the rest.”
“Fine, I’ll get drunk at home.” Bernard mumbled as he started on his burger.
“What will that accomplish?”
“It will help me forget.”
Albert sighed. He’s fighting so much with himself. He needs to calm down. “I know I told you to try and forget your feelings for Alene, but if she kissed you, then maybe things aren’t as one sided as I thought.”
Bernard looked up in surprise. “I thought you said I shouldn’t try to pursue her. I mean the points you gave made sense. She has a boyfriend, she’s my employee, and I’m going completely on feeling alone.”
“Yes, but I didn’t put Alene in the equation. Did she do anything different when you stopped flirting?”
“She started flirting with me. It wasn’t blatant, but it was there.”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I’m looking at what has happened so far and it looks like Alene wants you. However, I’m not sure if this is a way for her and her boyfriend to have fun. That has happened before and you nearly got in trouble for it.”
“I got out of that fight unscathed.”
“Do you remember the scar on your back?”
“That was a cheap shot and you know it.”
Albert waved it away. “Anyway, I’m saying I don’t want to see you caught up in that again.”
“Are you gonna join the fight again?”
“If you need it, I will.”
“I haven’t done anything major, just a bit of making out. That’s it.”
“That’s good. Well, keep up what you’re doing now. If she kisses you again ask her what she wants to do. I don’t know if she’ll give you a clear answer, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
“Alright, I will.” Bernard placed his burger down and grinned over at Albert. “Thanks for not chewing me out this time.”
“You thought something through. I think I was too shocked to chew you out.” Albert chuckled. “No problem,”
“Thanks for coming out here too, man.”
“Anytime,”
Bernard smiled and started on his food again. “So how did the rest of your day go? How’s Alec?”
“Alec is fine and I do enjoy our time together. My day was pretty normal, well, with the exception of this one asshole.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll tell you the message this asshole decided to leave on my machine at nine in the morning. The bastard!” Albert hissed.
Bernard laughed and sat back, listening to Albert discuss his day with vivid detail. Thanks for the help. He could always count on Albert to be the voice of reason.