will this pass for a bj mindy au? or should i wait for another couple that would fit this?

"So, thank you for dropping me off," I said politely while trying to add some enthusiasm into my voice. In fact I was not thankful. I really wished he did not drive me back to my apartment. I had to sit through 20 minutes of awkwardness which seemed to be more stressful than the 15 hours I had just spent in the office, he now knows where I live which I don’t like, I am somehow indebted to him because he had to get out of his usual way even if he must also be dead tired and the thing is, I know I could have gotten home safely on my own. I moved to unlock the door on the passenger seat, but the door still wouldn’t open. I looked back at him, smiling as if to say, “Hey, you are so tired that you forgot to unlock the door, hihihi,” although what I really wanted to say is, “Dude, don’t sleep on me, just let me out so we can both move on to our beds already.”

"I actually feel like I need a cup of coffere," he said with a grin.

"Oh," I said. So he thinks he is being cute. This is a generic plot device for characters to get together in TV shows. Actually, I have imagined myself in a similar situation before several times, running through different scenarios. The scenario that applies to this particular guy is to tell him that sorry, but the only edible thing in my shoebox sized apartment - which I don’t want him to see, is a pint of strawberry flavored yogurt which I am not sharing with him, so I have not an ounce of coffee at all.  “There is a coffee shop on the other side of the building; you can get a cup there." Goodness, do I have to go with him? Does he want me to pay? Seriously, my fare, if he didn’t drive me, would have been cheaper than a cup of coffee.

"That’s great. Should I go around or can I park here?”

“You can leave it here. There really is no suitable parking space on the other side, I think, besides it’s dawn and there is very little traffic. We can just cross through the lobby to the other side.”

So I finally got out of his car, the weight of my laptop and some papers I brought home weighing down my already tired shoulders. My baggages felt twice heavier with the thought that instead of being able to lay them down on my floor in the next 5 minutes, I would have to haul them to the other side of the building. I had to get him through the building, so I have to go with him.

“Let me get that,” he snatched the sling of the laptop bag off of my shoulder, while he also carried his.

I asked my doorman to look after the car outside as we passed by him. We got across the courtyard, re-entered the building and then headed to the coffee shop which staff was already turning chairs on top of tables, apparently getting ready to close down. We resumed our awkward silence through all of this.

"What do you want?" I asked him. "I'll give you a treat since you drove me home."

"I won’t say no to that,” he answered like he had been expecting that the whole time.

We tried to do some small talk while we hung around in front of the counter waiting for our drinks. I got tea in anticipation of a calming well deserved sleep. Just a few more minutes of keeping my eyes open and trying to be coherent, I thought. And then we got our drinks and he headed to the nearest table. Ok, he is planning to stay? Then why didn’t we just put down our heavy stuff earlier? Can’t he just drink and drive at the same time? Will it be okay if I just leave him here? These thoughts were running through my head while he rambled about a topic we were both pretending to be interested about. I had no choice but to take the seat opposite his. We danced along a few more topics after that and I was in a worse state. My tea made me sleepier while he was not sipping his coffee that much at all. Seemed he doesn’t need to because he is livelier now than when we were in his car earlier. I, on the other hand, was effortlessly displaying my sleepiness, which he is conveniently ignoring.

"This place feels stuffy," he told me as our recent topic reached another dead end. "And I think they are about to close up," he gestured around the café.

“Yeah, I think they close at 2 AM." Finally! I can feel my bed on my back already.

“I think we should bring this to pool side.” He suggested, already getting up and pulling at my laptop bag along.

Uhm, I don’t think so. “It’s really late, and I have to go home to my parent’s place early in the morning, which is only a few hours later, so… and if you are not sleepy anymore and can already drive, maybe you should also get some rest already.” I had to make up the going home part just to make my need to get rid of him sound urgent, since just being sleepy seem to be a not good enough reason.

“Oh,” he said, looking like a drowned puppy. It would really have made me feel guilty if I was not so annoyed with him right now.

“But you can stay there, I can tell the doorman to not shoo you away.” I still managed some pretend courtesy, and I added some glee to my voice just to lighten the atmosphere.

“No, no need. I think I should really get going.” He said walking ahead of me.

“Are you sure? If you are feeling sleepy, you can rest first.” I suggested when we exited the store and got near the courtyard.

“Hmmm?” He halted and turned to me. He looked puzzled. “Uhm, I am a bit confused here,” he struggled to say.

“About?”

“Was that an invitation to your place?” I just stared at him. What did he mean? “Coz, I thought you were making me go home already.”

“I was, if you feel like you can already.”

“Okay, I guess I misread.” He turned and walked briskly to re-enter the building.

Did he think what I am thinking right now that he thought? I don’t really want to know so I resumed my slow pace. When I got into the building, I saw him waiting near the main door which led to the outside of my apartment building towards the street where his car was parked. My laptop bag is on the floor.

“So, thanks again.” I said before leaning to pull my laptop bag up.

“Yeah,” he said dismissively.

“Drive safely.” I added. I would normally wait for my visitors to be out of my view before I turn to go, most of the time I would even walk them out, but I just did not feel like it now. Besides, he looked grumpy, I was a bit scared and just wanted to get away quickly. I heard him give a heavy sigh behind me, as if to catch my attention. I unwillingly faced him back.

“Did I totally misread this? Because I am already here, and it’s hard to get this opportunity again, given our out of town schedules and all, and it will be such a waste if we let this night pass without… taking the next step.”

I have a strong hunch that my guess on what he is saying is right. I somehow feel insulted at his insinuation, but flattered at the same time. Okay, this is weird, and if we don’t navigate this carefully, we would be a mess at work. Should I appear indignant and make him feel embarrassed? Should I make a light joke out of it as if I am just cool with it? My head is racing; I would have forgotten I am sleepy if my eyes aren’t drooping. I decided to go with impulse. “I am tired, you are tired, let’s talk about this with clearer minds.” I stepped towards him and gave him a light peck on the cheek. I think I don’t want any of this crap this dawn, but I also don’t want to completely discourage him.

His arm snaked around my waist. “I had coffee, I have energy.” His lips then chased mine.

AU2

normal text still from Saberhagen's Ariadne's Web:

But a silence had fallen over the humans gathered in the great hall. This was not quite the appearance which Alex, at least, had been expecting. The realization forced itself upon them all that the visitor was no greater in stature than humanity – there was of course no reason why he should be – and at the moment he appeared less impressive than many merely mortal men.

The shocking and ugly fact was that Dionysus was fat. Not only fat, bloated, his once-fair skin blotched red and gray. At a closer look, Alex could see that there was gray in the god’s hair and beard, and patches of both had fallen out. There were still remnants of a once considerable beauty in that face, a comeliness now all but erased by the all-too-human ravages of age and dissipation. The cloak of the Twice-Born, which he kept tightly wrapped around his massive body, was stained and frayed.

It could simply be due to the season. It is the time of harvest, when the vines are cut down and burned or left to die. Legends tell that Dionysus died along with his charge, to be reborn again in the next spring. Alex’s father, a devout follower of Dionysus (and his drunken ways) often refer to that interpretation as the ultimate sacrifice: Dionysus going through the pain of death to provide humanity of his precious blood, the wine. Death, Alex can equate with deterioration and this with the graying hair and uneven complexion, but what about the fat? “The fat would symbolize the ripe and succulent grapes, hanging heavily from the vines,” the voice of Alex’s father rang in his ears in defense of the wine god. He knew that whatever news he brings home of Dionysus’ appearance, his father would still worship him, but it would have been more exciting to report of a youthful god, whose beauty rivals that of Apollo and strenght could compete with Ares, not of a bloated apparently sedentary god who looks not much better than the old rich merchant his mother washes clothes for. Alex suddenly wished that King Minos called on to Dionysus on a spring.

AU

i sometimes find my imagination and emotions running wildly while in the middle of reading, writing or listening to something. if i can, i would pause whatever it is that triggered the fancies, and run some dialogues in my mind. these dialogues would often be lost once i resume my original activity. so what i am doing here now, is trying to capture those moments and push myself a bit to expand on those dialogues.
here is the first result, the trigger being Fred Saberhagen's Ariadne's Web which I just started. The texts in black are originally from the novel, the texts in red are from my expansion (unreviewed again so very raw and with plenty of grammatical mistakes again):

All through hours of darkness there had been a howling of the wind, and perhaps of livelier things than wind, in the chimneys and around the parapets of the sprawling palace in the elder city of Kandak. A scud of low clouds kept driving in from the empty reaches of the Great Sea, across the island kingdom of Corycus. Outside the stone walls of the palace, winter’s offensive from the northland seemed at last about to conquer the territory that had been occupied for several pleasant months by autumn. Inside the palace walls, a frightened king, driven to desperate steps in his efforts to cling to his throne, had spent the night attending to the efforts of his chief magician, a wrinkled and shriveled man named Creon.

For long hours a young soldier called Alex the Half-Nameless had watched them both, the king and Creon, as they went through the recitations of spells, and the blooy sacrifice of animals, all seemingly without producing the least result. The mess of the sacrifice had been cleared away, and king and magician, conferring rogether in low voices, had seemed on the point of abandoning the effort, when suddenly the god they had been trying to summon stood towering over them, bleary –eyed and swaying like drunk.

Dionysus had come into the tower where the callers had been tapping into his divine channels the whole afternoon. His presence brought forth the smell of wine and the woodlands, and the reinforced iron aroma of blood – definitely different from the blood spilled from the sacrificial rites in the room. Intoxication seemed to have also followed him into the small confines, and the participants in the sacrificial rites found lightness creeping to the tops of their heads.

“I had not been enjoying the merry making thrown for my honor by the Sirens of the Aegean. They captured a huge ship for my entertainment, but I had not fully returned their courtesy with a sincere enjoyment, what, by your constant calls. I hope this bother be of something interesting or enriching, otherwise, I might have to take one of you with me as a trident target to appease my hosts for my momentary leaving.”

“Oh gracious, beautiful, youthful god, the brood of Zeus preserved in his thigh from poor Semele’s womb, whose conquests and adventures no other god can claim more excitement and ecstasy, whose glorious and …”

“Enough!” Dionysus interrupted the old sage’s praises. “Your flattery is nothing but the shrieking of swine being roasted alive to my ear compared to the voices of the Sirens from whose entertainment you have snatched me away. Lay your business down and be creative in capturing my curiosity”

“My Lord,” the king stepped forward from Creon’s shadow. “An enemy’s army is coming in from the sea in a fortnight and this castle’s defense is depleted from the last invasion from the neighboring country. Being the former home of your mother, we pray for your protection and blessing to deliver us safely from this bet.”

There was no reaction from the wine-god. It might be that he was waiting for more details about the pending invasion? Or, maybe he is awaiting the promise of the benefit that would be offered to him in exchange of his protection?

“Gracious Lord, our army is weary and our weapons are mostly half torn. Our treasury has nearly run out of gold and our grain warehouses almost empty. But our folk are hard working and trust worthy, and will be in whatever form of assisstance you will require from us to defeat the enemy… and will be at your service and loyalty for the years to come to repay our debt.”

“What stops you from saying the clincher?”

“My god?” The king asks.

“You called me instead of Poseidon even when your enemies are now floating at the sea which he commands. You are very well aware that I do not harbor any fondness for your city, my mother’s soul has not encouraged me to do so in any way. You called me for one reason and one reason only, and you have not mentioned it yet.”

“We do not mean to be presumptuous,” it was Creon who answered.

“By calling me, you have already been… and I am telling you that you are only partially right. The army attacking you hails from Thebes and I … or rather my new bride… have a score to settle with its King. His first expedition out of revenge for the death of his brother, aye…” Dionysus said with his ears angled to the wind, as if the information is coming from whisphers from the sea… it probably is. “But my bride is soft and gentle and has seemed to have forgotten her vindictiveness once she was in the presence of ample food and beautiful gowns once again. I cannot decide if it will be wise to breech the topic with her at this time, although the opportunity to crush Theseus’ first excursion may not come again. I personally do not find pleasure in war, except in the beauty in the display of skill of a seasoned warrior, so unless there is no other offering for me but your people’s slavery in the coming years, I would have to wait for the opinion of my lady, which might take a while, for I find her resolve to be fickle even with small decisios, so I can imagine how long it will take for her to make up her mind with regards to a former lover for whom she had betrayed her father prior.” Dionysus stopped and then suddenly bursted to laughter. “Haha, the daughters of the air chastised me for making you privy to my personal affairs, but what harm can you do? Spread gossip about it? Use it for your personal advantage the same way you think my animosity towards Thebese can work for your favor? You are but mortals, I must remind you, and you should not think yourself to be any match to a god no matter how much you know about him. Oh, and the sirens are singing their call, the final act of entertainment had been ready for a while now, so I must go.”

“But Lord, I have additional offers to sway your decision to our favor.” The King hastened to speak as he sees Dionysus begin to dematerialize.

“You should have laid it out earlier when you still had my attention. I will lay the decision now on Ariadne’s feet. I do hope she reaches her decision before the last tower in your city falls to ashes. I do not know who you should pray to for that, but try The Fates. I hear that somehow they can interfere in this kind of business.” His last words were but a whispher.

The departure of the god seemed to have pulled away all the energy from the room and Creon and the King collapsed on their knees.
“We caught him in a bad time and still he was graceful enough to not have punished us.” Creon observed.

“Will it be possible to get into Ariadne’s graces as well, and fast?” The King asked.
“I now see that we should have pursued that path first after all. First, we need a sniff to find her. Unlike a god, she cannot be summoned.” Creon said, pushing himself up from the floor.