"That service felt too long." Paloma mutters as she and her grandfather are exiting the church, along with several others and lts out a yawn. "And I almost fell asleep - again."

"Well you wouldn't be if you didn't stay out late with that boy of yours." Her grandfather scoffs. "Oh there's Mrs. McMurray and her boy, why don't we go say hello to them?"

"But I have to head to the diner soon! And I need to get something from the house!"

"Five minutes won't kill you, come on."

Paloma grimaces as she dutifully follows to approach the two other church-goers she and her grandfather had become acquainted with. While it wasn't hard to find an Irish immigrant here in the city, her grandfather seemed to have gotten along a lot better with the woman who looked around the same age as her mother or one of her younger aunts that some others they had gotten to know. She was nice, and often fond of asking her when she was going to bring her boyfriend around to the church. Little Calvin on the other hand, timid and nervous as a mouse who often just hid behind his mother to avoid looking anyone in the eye. Today though, he immediately took off running to her waving a crumpled envelope he was holding.

"You seem happy." Paloma comments as the teen reaches her. "What's this?"

"A letter from my cousin!" Calvin responds excitedly, his amber eyes glittering with excitement. "The postman dropped it off this morning before we left for church!"

"Let's see...oh it seems he's in...New Jersey! That's quite far, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but he sounds like he's having fun. Wish he stayed."

"Well maybe one of these days he'll come visit." Paloma assures him. "Abuelo! I'm taking a cab home to head to the diner!"

"What's her rush?" Calvin's mother asked. "And I thought she had no work on Sundays."

"I asked to work today, my boyfriend agreed to meet me at the diner so we could see each other. It's his birthday!"

"Oh how nice, how old is he turning? Any plans?"

"He's turning twenty-five today, we really don't have plans since he just wants to treat today like a normal day, bit I have something special planned!" Paloma says with a grin. "I made him something tasty since he doesn't seem to like cake."

"Well from what I heard, he sounds like a nice fellow, why don't you ever bring him to church?"

"He's Jewish." Paloma's grandfather responds before she could.

"¡Abuelo!"

"And you are okay with that?" The older woman asks.

"Better that than a protestant." The older man says with a shrug. "He's an upstanding lad, and has better manners than most men his age. My granddaughter has been dating him for nearly a year and has not gotten preg-"

"There is a child present!" Paloma hisses, rushing to cover his mouth. "I have to go, and stop gossiping about my love life!"

----

"She's late." Mordecai murmured before taking a sip of his tea and glanced again at the diner door.

"Well it's Sunday, some priests tend to run mass a bit longer than usual." Atlas responds as he exits the kitchen, wiping his hands with a rag. "I do hope she arrives soon, before said church-goers arrive for breakfast. "You two going on a date later?"

"No, Paloma is working today and in the evening, but tomorrow we have plans to do something."

He reaches into his waistcoat pocket to take out his watch, checking the time. Still late. Mordecai glances to the left of the watch, softly smiling to himself as he gazes at the photo tucked into it. Some time back Mitzi had taken a photo of Paloma, around Christmas if he was not mistaken, and gave it to him to keep in his watch. She was smiling at the camera, her thick hair loose and falling down her back as she was leaning against the bar counter and wearing one of those flapper dresses that was given to her. She's wearing the necklace he gifted her, a choker necklace made of dark red satin with a simple red gem hanging from it, displaying it proudly to the camera. Ever since he gave it to her, she had never taken it off afterwards, which made him happy.

Funny how months ago he said he'd never buy her something expensive like that, but Atlas had given him a big bonus at the time, so he had gone out to get her something special while she got him a pair of nice cufflinks he at one point lost after a fight in a warehouse. It had been nearly a year since they started dating, their first anniversary would be coming in the summer, yet he had no clue what to do to celebrate it. What did one do to celebrate that sort of thing? Dancing? Vacation? Probably not a wedding ring, he and Paloma had no plans to marry so soon, unlike some people.

As he was thinking, he hears the door to the diner ring and turns to see Paloam rushing in, hastily trying to remove her coat while setting a covered plate down on a table.

"Hello hello!" She yells as she manages to remove her coat, grab the plate and rush into the kitchen without greeting him.

"You forgot something, miss!" Atlas calls out. Paloma then rushes out, tying an apron around her waist.

"Umm, que fue...shit..." She mutters. Mordecai then clears his throat to get her attention. "Oh! ¡Cariñio! I am so sorry!"

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice I was here." Mordecai says before taking another sip of his drink. "And I arrived here before our meet up time, did you have any problems getting here?"

"Father Thomas wouldn't stop talking about the evils of alcohol, which had nothing to do with today's sermon." Paloma says with a shake of her head. "Oh! I almost forgot, I have something for you."

"Oh?"

"Wait one moment, I need to reheat them."

"Do you ever plan on marrying her?" Atlas asks as Paloma disappeared into the kitchen.

"No, we haven't been dating for even a year." Mordecai responds bluntly.

"So if you two make it to a year, you'd consider it?"

Mordecai blinks in surprise. "Why are you suddenly asking me this?"

The older man simply shrugs. "You both are young, times are changing and you're living dangerous lives. I've known a few associates who had sweethearts but never married, stringing them along until they get tired of their date and move onto someone else. Others, unable to marry the ones they love for whatever reason. One of these days, either or both of you may die while in this line of work, and there'd be regrets. She makes you somewhat happy, wouldn't you want to be with her for longer?"

"As much as I'd like to, I know over time our affection for each other may wear off, so no marriage. I'll probably give it thought in a few years, assuming we're still together by then."

"Well, hope that comes soon, because one day-"

"Happy birthday cariñio!" Mordecai hears Paloma say as a plate of something is placed in front of him.

"Umm...what's this?" Mordecai asks, adjusting his glasses to examine the food on the plate properly. "A...lump of cooked dough? A group of misshapen croissants?"

"They're empanadas, try one!"

"What's in it?"

Paloma grins. "You'll see."

Atlas lets out a chuckle as Mordecai grimaces but picks one off the plate and takes a hesitant bite out of it. It tasted fine, not uncooked or oily. He took another bite and this time his mouth filled with something sweet.

"Is this...frosting?" He asks, peering into the food to see something creamy inside.

"Oh that's cream, the others have other kinds of filling." Paloma responds. "I put one with strawberry jelly, another has lemon jelly, oh I even put a special sort of meat in one, I think I even have one with guava, that's my favorite kind. ¿Esta bien?"

"It's...something I didn't expect to find in a pastry." Mordecai admits, but takes another bite, chews and swallows. "But it's actually not bad, though I think the bread could be cooked a bit more."

Paloma beams in pride. "I'll take that into account next time I bake for you. Try the others, see which you like so I can bake more with that filling."

Mordecai nods, turning his attention back again to his morning newspaper as she starts to clean the counter. It had been almost a year since he and Paloma decided to actually date, their first anniversary would come some time in June, and it had been a quite eventual year for the both of them. He had gotten used to her random forms of affection, such as giving him plates or a basket of baked goods she made at home or in the diner's kitchen, her gentle hugs, and the random times she'd just scoop him up and toss him over her shoulder to carry him off somewhere. At least that was helpful when they needed to run and he was a bit disoriented from fighting.

"You know, I've been thinking." Mordecai says before taking another bite of the pastry, stopping to take a sip of his tea to wash it down. "We're not that affectionate are we?"

"I would be if you allowed me." Paloma says as she stops cleaning to walk into the kitchen and emerges a moment later with a kettle to refill his cup. "All you've allowed me to do is hold your hand, and maybe hug you for five full seconds before you make me let you go."

"Well, seeing how it's my birthday and we've been dating for almost a whole year, I'll allow you to do one thing."

Her ears are now perked forward in interest. "Oh?"

"Just for today, I'll allow you to perform one form of affection we have never done."

Okay maybe he was setting himself up for something weird to happen, but he knew Paloma and she wouldn't do anything untoward to him. He could see her trying to think about his offer, before a small smirk came to her lips.

"Oh I have something in mind, give me a few minutes." She says as she slipped back into the kitchen with the kettle.

"Welll this shall be interesting." Atlas chuckles. "I should head downstairs, there's something I need to check on."

I'm probably going to regret suggesting this. Mordecai thinks as his boss leaves and he finishes his pastry before he picks up another that feels a bit heavy. This may have been the meat filled one Paloma mentioned, and it still felt warm and smelled a bit funny.

"Alright I am back!" He hears the younger woman call out as she steps out of the kitchen. Something was different about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. Paloma stood herself next to his stool with a small smirk on her face.

"I'm starting to think I should be having second thoughts." Mordecai mutters as he set the pastry back down on the plate.

"Relax amor, I won't do anything weird." Paloma says in a teasing manner. "So, you said anything, right?"

"Yes...what are you-"

She suddenly grabbed him by the front of his vest and pulled him close. Out of habit his hand goes for his holster, only to find it missing and squeezed his eyes shut. He then feels something warm touch his snout before Paloma releases him. When he opened his eyes, she's sitting back in the stool looking quite pleased with herself.

"Goodness, you looked ready to shoot me!" She laughs.

"What...did you do?" Mordecai asks.

"I just gave you a kiss on the nose. What, expected something else?"

"I thought you were going to headbutt me."

Paloma lets out a laugh. "Cariñio, I would never! That's more of Viktor's thing, or something I'd do in a fight."

"Y-yes well, you know how I am."

"All too well." She then smirks a bit. "So, would you like another kiss that's not on the mouth?"

"I said one form of affection."

"Kissing is a form of affection, but I am asking if you'd like me to kiss you again since you didn't like me giving you a peck on the snout."

Okay the kiss on the nose felt a bit weird, but she was asking for his permission to give him another kiss. She always asked before doing anything, that's what he liked about Paloma. She learned his boundaries over their time of dating and always avoided crossing them, only asking for permission to do so.

"Fine, but not the mouth, I...I don't really think that's sanitary." Mordecai says and Paloma gets off her stool. "Wait what-"

"Come here you grumpy old sour puss." Paloma laughs as she gently grabs his face. "And hold still."

----

"You seem a bit off today, anything happen?" Atlas asks Mordecai as he was busy cleaning his gun.

"Nothing unusual, if that's what you are wondering." Mordecai responds.

"Really, nothing happened?"

"No sir. Also your wife is coming this way."

"I heard it was a certain someone's birthday, any plans?" Mitzi asks as she approaches the two.

"Nothing, just treating today like a regular old day." Mordecai responds as he finishes the cleaning to tuck the gun away.

"Really? I thought you'd take the night off and spend it with Paloma having some fun. Though it seems like you probably did that earlier."

Mordecai frowns. "What makes you think that?

"You...have a little something on your face honey." Mitzi says, trying not to laugh. "Did Paloma do that?"

"Do what?"

"This." Mitzi reaches into her purse to pull out a small compact mirror to open and show Mordecai his face. No one would have noticed, or some did and chose not to say anything.

"PALOMA!" He shouts, snapping the mirror shut. She should be upstairs, someone had brought in a new delivery of alcohol tonight and she would have been helping unload it, or somewhere in the speakeasy setting the things down. "PALOMA!"

"I'm coming! ¡Ya voy!" She yells, her voice faint. A few minutes later she arrives, a bit breathless and is removing her cap to fan her face. "Oof, it's warm down here today."

"A good sign that spring is here." Mitzi agrees.

"Come here, hold still." Mordecai says as he grabs the younger woman's face and squints. He then spots it, a faint red color that he had spotted in his reflection, no wonder she was acting so weird earlier! "You put on lipstick to kiss me!"

"You consented!" Paloma laughs. "You never said I couldn't put on lipstick!"

"This was a mistake..."

"Aw amor, you didn't mind in the slightest earlier!" Paloma says as she puts her arms around his neck. "You couldn't even feel it!"

"Red does look good on him." Mitzi snickers and Mordecai turns to glare at her.

"Don't enable that sort of behavior!" He hisses.

"What, worried she's gonna get a bit too bold and give you a good old big smooch on the lips? Maybe if you weren't so stiff and tried getting out of your comfort zone once in a while, you'd allow it."

"Come now Mitzi, don't tease him." Atlas scolds but Mordecai could see the older man trying not to laugh.

"Hey little dove! Bartender is waiting for you!" Someone yells.

"Bartender?" Mordecai asks as Paloma removes her arms from around his neck. "What are you needed for?"

"I'm gonna learn to pour and make drinks!" She responds cheerfully. "Mitzi thinks I should take up learning it in case our bartender gets killed!"

"You do realize this won't be like making tea and juice for the diner, right?"

"I know, you can give whatever I learn to make a try if you want."

"I don't drink."

Paloma blinks in surprise. "Really? I assumed you drank a bit, not as much as Viktor, but a bit."

"The only things I'll ever consume are nonalcoholic, and I don't intend to start." Mordecai responds with a shrug. "I'll drink whatever tea you make me, but not booze."

"Aw, well when you have the chance you can come watch me learn. I gotta go now, ¡adios birthday boy!" She then pulls him close to give him a quick peck on the cheek, giving him a cheeky grin before rushing off towards the bar.

"Aww, I'm so glad I got you two to get together in the first place." Mitzi cooed and Mordecai flinched. He forgot the two were there. "You got lucky to end up with such a sweet girl, and you've lasted a lot longer than expected!"

"You had expectations of our relationship not being longlasting?" He asks with a scoff.

"Well I thought you'd last maybe...a month at least. But here you two are, nearly a year together! Next thing you know, you'll be proposing to her, getting married, celebrating your anniversaries, maybe even having a little one or two - or maybe not."

"I don't intend to marry her, we haven't been together that long for me to ever consider it."

"Well if you do, better start saving up for a nice ring. Now, you best be getting to your standing spot, Asa and his wife should be showing up soon to have dinner with us."

Ah, the leader of the Marigolds. Mordecai had only met the man a small handful of times, first time was after that night he got a bad injury after taking out a rival gang who had become a problem for Atlas and Asa's businesses. As for this wife of his, he wasn't even aware there was a Mrs. Sweet in the picture, so he wasn't sure what to expect. For all he knew, she could have been as old as or older than his mother or as young as Paloma.

"Here, clean up your face." He hears Atlas whisper before a handkerchief is handed to him. "Can't have the Sweets see you with that on, as funny as it would be."

Oh he almost forgot the lipstick. Mordecai made a mental note to check Paloma's lips next time for lipstick if she tried to kiss him. He quickly wipes off his face, checking the mirror he forgot to hand back to Mitzi to see if he missed anything. Why was it so much easier to get blood off the face in comparison to lipstick?

Deciding that was a question to be answered for another day, Mordecai tucks the compact mirror and hankerchief into his suit pocket to walk over to the table his boss and his wife were sitting at. Across from them sat a man around the same age as Atlas, though a bit more broader, and a woman who looked slightly older than Mitzi with thick dark brown hair and light brown colored fur. She surprisingly wore a suit instead of the usual fancy flapper style dresses a lot of women liked to wear to parties, which seemed a bit odd.

No, why is that odd? You're dating someone who also wears men's clothes to a speakeasy. Mordecai scolds himself as he stands near the Mays, glancing about to make sure there was no suspicious activity going about.

"Been hearing some interesting things from my boys lately Atlas, they've been chattering about a new gangster who joined your crew a few months ago." Asa says as the couples are brought drinks. "And they're spooked quite well by them."

"Oh? What have they been saying?" Mitzi asks, a hint of amusement in her tone.

"That the guy took out a rival speakeasy on his own with nothing but a revolver, a shotgun and a crowbar and lwt out such horrifying screams they thought it was the ghost of some random gangster they killed years ago." Asa responds before taking a sip of his drink. "Sounds like you've obtained yourselves a terror who could put your two best men to shame."

"Oh Paloma did that? That was...what months ago?" Atlas laughs. "I remember hearing that from Mordecai, he and Viktor just waited outside the doors and came in to find her covered with blood. Poor thing had to get a whole new set of clothes because the blood wouldn't come off of the ones she wore."

"That doesn't sound like a boy's name, you got yourself a foreigner or something?"

"Asa!" The woman next to him hisses. "That's rude!"

"Forgive me dear, I've just never heard of that name before."

"I believe you must have ignored the fact that Mr. May referred to this gang member as a she." Mordecai spoke up.

"Oh so this Paloma is a woman?" Mrs. Sweet asks. "She sounds like quite the gangster, I wonder why no one ever mentioned she was a woman."

"Possibly because they're embarrassed to admit it's a single woman who has been putting fear into them."

"So...you have a woman in your gang?" Asa asks slowly with a frown. "Is that even a good idea? Some women are just...a bit too delicate for this line of work. Why don't you have her be one of your dancers or singers?"

"Darling, you're forgetting that some women are raised to do men's work, like farmers." His wife scolds. "I think it's quite interesting our friends have obtained a good gangster, better the Mays than some rival of ours."

"One of my best men brought her in, and she's proven to be a valuable member of the gang." Atlas responds and Mordecai could hear a hint of pride in his tone. "Gets the job done as efficiently as Viktor and Mordecai, and they work quite well with her too. In fact, she actually can reign them in if the occasion calls for it."

"Hmm, I'll believe it when I see it."

"Trust me, you don't want to be there when either of them blow up at each other, especially when Paloma goes at it. Quite a spitfire we got on our hands, and one everyone in the gang has grown to respect."

"Out of fear, if I may add." Mordecai adds. "And a healthy dose of it too."

"Yes that too." Atlas laughs. "Say Mordecai, why don't you take a bit of a break? One shouldn't have to work on their birthday."

"Sir, I-"

"I insist. Dance, have a drink at the bar, flirt with a certain someone!"

Mordecai let out a frustrated but defeated sigh as he nodded. There were other gangsters around to protect the Mays and Sweets, so they should be fine without him for the time being. He glances towards the bar where Paloma and Viktor were at. The older man was having a drink while the bartender in training was attempting to do that pouring trick where multiple glasses could be filled at once. Only, she was failing at it and making a bit of a mess.

"Hah, it's fine we're just using water." The bartender tries to assure Paloma as Mordecai approached while she was trying to frantically clean up the mess. "I'll clean don't worry!"Mordecai approaches. "Oh! Haven't seen you come by here before, Mordecai, right?"

"I thought you didn't drink?" Paloma asks in surprise.

"Atlas ordered me to have some time off, so here I am. Apparently I must drink, dance and flirt."

"Which you don't do, at all."

"He can try." Viktor chuckles into his drink.

"Okay, so first time drinker, what do you think your alcohol tolerance is?" The bartender asks.

"I doubt it's as high as anyone here." Mordecai responds. "What can you recommend?"

"Hmm, maybe the bunny hug cocktail, it's apparently very new. Wanna give it a try?"

"I suppose, it's my birthday and...well, I'm already being pushed to try new things, so I'll give it a try."

"Alright! Fun drink for the birthday lad, coming up!"

"Amor, are you sure?" Paloma asks softly when the bartender is out of earshot. "You don't have to."

"You all will bug me about it eventually. Besides, I'm somewhat curious to know what's so good about alcohol that we are risking our lives to sell and drink it."

"Sounds like famous last words."

----

Well, this was a mistake. Paloma was keeping an eye on Mordecai as he was rambling on about nonsense after maybe three glasses of bunny hugs, and thankfully he hadn't really done anything stupid but sit and talk and slur his words when talking about Viktor before laying his head on the counter.

"I told you to only give him just one or something weaker." She mutters to Finn, the bartender who was training her.

"Sorry, I thought he could handle it." The man apologized. "Uh, is he okay?"

"He will. You go deal with your work, I'll keep an eye on him."

"He fine." Viktor assures her when the three were left alone. "Just need sleep."

"And whatever counts as hangover cure." Paloma adds with a scoff.

"Oooooh but did...did I ever tell you offff....my favorite perssssn in the whoooole woooooooorld?" Mordecai slurs as his head suddenly snaps up. "She's uhh....she....oh I gotta wife her...make her wifeeeeee. Hehe...wife...her she...she wife..."

"Okay I think that's enough for you." Paloma says, grabbing a broom to sweep up the broken glass he had flung earlier by accident.

"Hehe...you...you look like wife...no...she not...not yet wifeyyyy." Mordecai says as he almost falls out of seat. "Shhheee....she pretty...you...you almossssst as pretty."

"No more drink for him." Viktor mutters as the younger man almost falls out of his chair again.

"I got him." Paloma says as she finishes sweeping and walks back to the bar to toss Mordecai over her shoulder. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Ya."

"Good, collect his things please and meet me in the garage."

"Noooo....wait for wifffffffffeeeeeee..." Mordecai groans.

"We'll get her, just got to tell the Mays we are leaving." Paloma then makes her way to the table where Atlas, Mitzi and their guests were eating, drinking and talking. "Sorry, we need to get him home."

"Oh my! What happened to him?" Mitzi gasps.

"Too many bunny hugs." Paloma responds. "I'm getting him home."

"Wheeeeressss wifeeeee?" Mordecai whines.

"Wait when did he get a wife?" A man Paloma had never seen before asks.

"There's no wife, he's just being silly." Paloma responds before turning to Atlas. "No more suggesting drinks to him, please."

"Huh, I wasn't expecting that. Well, get him home safe. Also tell him he has tomorrow off to get rid of the hangover." Atlas says with a nod. "And you have a good night, Paloma."

"Oh she's the Paloma we've been hearing about?" The woman beside the man asks as she stands and holds a hand out to her. "Selina Sweet, a pleasure to meet you."

"Uh...who is this?" Paloma asks Mitzi in a low voice.

"A friend of ours and her husband honey, just shake her hand it's rude to leave her hanging." The older woman whispers back.

"Sorry, Paloma Alvarez, I don't usually get to meet distinguished guests so often."

"Oh its fine, Mitzi was just telling me about how she has often has you accompany her during some social visits acting as an undercover bodyguard of sorts." Selina says as she sits down. "I've been a bit busy lately so I haven't had the chance to be on the social scene for quite some time. But it'd be nice to see you some time outside of things like this."

"It's fine, it's rare for me to be with la señora during her social outings, I often have church and days off when that happens. Today was just an exception, and a good thing too. Better get this cranky old man to bed before he throws up."

"Yeah she's definitely not American with the accent, I'm thinking...Brazilian?" The man beside Selina asks.

"Too far south señior." Paloma responds with a frown. "Try a bit farther up. Good bye."

Out of the corner of her eye as she walked off, she could see the woman she had spoken to scolding the man, but chose to ignore it. She soon managed to get upstairs where Viktor was waiting, looking slightly more annoyed than usual.

"I know, I am late. I had to tell Atlas we were leaving and got caught up in conversation." Paloma says as she opens the backdoor of one of the cars to dump Mordecai on the seat before climbing in from the other side, raising his head to lay it on her lap. "I'm so sorry cariñio, we get you home soon."

Mordecai let's out a small groan as he curls up in response. Viktor just grunts as he enters the car and turns it on.

"Is late, we take him home." He says as he starts to back out of the garage. "Put him on couch."

"Are you sure?"

"Is fine, he recover with us."

"If you say so."

----

"Uuuugh, why does my head hurt..." Paloma hears Mordecai groan from the living room as she is busy making breakfast.

"Oh good morning to you cariñio, sleep well?" She says as she heads into the living room to find him on the floor, his hair looking even more messy and disheveled than last night and blinking as he tried looking for his glasses. Paloma grabbed them off the coffee table and knelt to put them on his face. "There, good morning again."

"Where..."

"Viktor thought it'd be better to bring you here to recover, also Atlas said you have day off today to recover."

"Uggh, from what?"

"You don't know?"

"I don't recall much of what happened yesterday. Did I do something stupid?"

Hmm, it seemed like he didn't recall drinking at all. Perhaps it'd be best to spare him the details of that.

"No, you just got a bit overwhelmed and tired yesterday, you'll be fine." She assures him before standing up. "My grandfather isn't home so you can stay here for the day until you feel better. How do you like your eggs?"

"I don't-" Mordecai's face grimaced as he suddenly bolts for the bathroom upstairs and Paloma hears the sound of him retching.

"Nothing that isn't eggs it is then!" She yells.

Some time later, Mordecai returns looking more disheveled than before and plops into a chair with a groan.

"Am I ill?" He asks weakly.

"Probably, here." Paloma slid a bowl in front of him. "Try it."

She watches as he lifts his head to squint at the contents in the bowl. "What's this?"

"Rice with milk and cinnamon."

He grimaces. "Smells weird."

"It's fine, give it a try, just a taste. If you don't like it, you can have my eggs."

Mordecai grimaces again but raised his head from the table to pick up the spoon from the bowl and stick it in his mouth. He makes a face but continues to eat until all of the food was gone from the bowl.

"Wow, you actually liked it?" Paloma asks as she is finishing her breakfast.

"No, but it was fine." Mordecai admits. "What was in this anyways?"

"Rice, carnation milk and some cinnamon powder. We didn't have raisins."

"Smell good." They hear Viktor say and turn to see him at the doorway of the kitchen. "Rice milk?"

"Yeah, want some?"

"Yeh."

"So why was I not taken home again?" Mordecai asks as the older man sits down at the table.

"You unwell." Viktor responds as he is given a bowl. "Very drunk."

"Viktor!" Paloma hisses.

"I don't drink." Mordecai scoffs.

"You drunk, too many." Viktor continues, ignoring Paloma's silencing motions. "Last night."

"There is now way I would have, Paloma, tell him." Mordecai insists. "Why are you looking embarrassed?"

"Dios mio, how do I put this." Paloma groans. "You...well you decided last night to try a new drink, and you...after a few cups you were super...weird."

"Said nice things of me." Viktor adds and smirks. "Call Paloma wifey."

Mordecai blinks in surprise. "What-"

"Yes you kept calling me your wifey or wife." Paloma admits, covering her face. "And in front of the Sweets and Mays too."

For once, no snarky retort or come back from Mordecai, who sat there dumbfounded. Paloma was now starting to wonder if he had a silent stroke before he suddenly dropped his head down onto the table with a loud thud.

"Damn it Asa and Mitzi...why'd they have to put that into my head!" Mordecai groans. "Ugh, I will never talk about personal things at work again!"

"What does that have anything to do with calling me your wife?" Paloma asks.

"Boss and wife want you two married." Viktor snorts before spooning some of the rice milk into his mouth.

"B-but we have only dated for a year!"

"Some marry short time, some long time. It happens."

"Do not look into this as me wanting to marry you, I don't think we have that sort of stability in our relationship for it." Mordecai groans. "I've had enough misunderstandings because no one told you it was a joke or faux."

"Good, because I don't want marriage, or at least not right now." Paloma admits. "We should have this discussion in a few years if we're still together. Sound good."

"If we are still together."