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The first time he'd heard it had been at his mother's funeral, at eight-years-old, watching his father toss back a chestnut brown liquid in a glass full of ice
"Dad? Are you alright?"
"...Yeah," he sighed quietly, slowly tossing back the rest of the liquid and setting the glass down on the coffee table, slowly standing up
"I just gotta survive the night,"
The child blinked, slowly tilting his head in confusion, watching as he walked away
He stared at the glass, then at the bottle sitting next to it
....
Slowly, he reached for the bottle, his fingers wrapping around the neck-
"CONOR!!"
Freezing, he turned around quickly, so quickly in fact, that he nocked the bottle to the ground, gasping as the bottle cracked, deep brown liquid seeping out onto the rug
He gasped, slowly putting his hands over his mouth and staring up at the older girl in front of him, eyes wide with concern
"I... I'm sorry...."
"....It's ok," she sighed, rolling her eyes as she moved towards him, grabbing him by the hand and tugging him away
"Go make sure Gran doesn't come in here, she'll have a COW, I'll clean it up, and if anybody asks, I'll blame Uncle Harry,"
Conor nodded slowly, sniffling a bit he nodded and wiped at his eyes before he could possibly start crying
"...Thanks Ash,"
"Don't mention it- seriously, don't, I don't want my allowance cut just because YOU did something dumb,"
Conor nodded quickly, moving to leave, only to pause, glancing over his shoulder
"...Hey.... Ash?"
"What?"
"...What... Dad said.... he said that he had to just 'survive the night'... what did he mean?"
Aisling looked up from the rug, staring at him with a strange mixture of frustration and sympathy
"It's Mom's funeral Con, it's...... gonna be rough,"
Conor still didn't quite get it..... but he wasn't going to question her further
~+~
"Katie Killjoy, I always did love that name," Katie hummed, a hand on her hip, the world's fakest, most plastic smile pressed into her face
"But I digress, what the fuck is Lucifer's little brat doing at this shitty roach motel? You get arrested for protesting at a church or something?"
Charlie took in a deep breath, bowing up her chest just a little bit as she crossed her arms over it
"Actually, I happen to run this fine facility,"
Katie's expression dropped, just so very, very breifly, before she lit up like a Christmas tree, startling Charlie a bit as she belted out a loud racket of laughter
"Oh are you kidding me?!!? This fucking disaster-in-waiting is your idea?! Oh that is rich! Hey, when it goes belly up, can I interveiw you for a political segment? I mean last time was great! People tuned in for miles to see that shit show! Ratings were so good that clip damn near went viral!!"
"What are you doing here Killjoy?"
Charlie, who had been getting more and more tense as the moments ticked by and who could feel her face burning redder and redder the more she was forced to remember one of her more.... humiliating.... moments, quickly snapped her head up, exhaling with releif at the sight of her girlfreind
"Vaggie!!"
"Oh, the dyke is here too, why am I not surprised?"
"If you've got no reason to be here Killjoy, then you'd be best to leave," Vaggie insisted with one hand on her hip, her good eye narrowed
Katie copied her pose, her lips painted a signature fire engine red, and curled menacingly still
"Oh I have every reason to be here Cyclopes, you trash pandas have my son and there's no way I'm just going to walk away and let you convert him to your gross little 'ways',"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Vaggie asked in confusion, nose wrinkling
Katie huffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest
"Steven Kheel you neanderthal,"
"Oooh right, I keep forgetting your last name's Kheel.... wait, Steven's your son?"
"He is," Katie huffed back
"And how the hell do you forget my name? I'm on TV every night!"
"We don't watch Fox News, we only watch actual reporters," Vaggie replied swiftly
"Anyway, Steven is twenty-two, far over the age of there being any legal obligation to you," Vaggie pointed out plainly
"So we'll let him know you're here as a curtosy to him, but if he's not interested in seeing you, then that's his choice, and you'll have to leave,"
Katie rolled her eyes, making a scoffing sound in the back of her throat
"Whatever, go on then you little gremlin, get out of here and go get my son,"
"Oh, I'm not going anywhere," Vaggie smirked back
"You can go let Steven know his mother is here, right baby?"
Charlie nearly jolted, eyes wide and mouth agape
"I uh.... are you-?"
"I'm sure," Vaggie insisted sternly
Charlie looked incredibly unsure, making a face as she glanced between them, but neither seemed to be budging....
"....I'll go talk to Steven," she replied, smiling awkwardly before rushing to the elevator
She hoped they didn't kill eachother....
.....
No, what was she thinking?
There was no way Katie could take Vaggie in a fight
Stepping into the elevator and pressing the fourth floor button- the floor new residents were currently being booked on- she decided to change her line of thinking
She hoped that if Vaggie did kill Katie, she didn't get caught
There ya' go
The elevator dinged and she stepped out, glancing down the hall and making her way to the most recently booked room
Taking a breath, she nocked on the door, rocking back and forth on her feet and perking a little at the man on the other side when the door opened
"Can I help you...?"
"Steven? Hi! I'm Charlie, we didn't get a chance to meet before but I own and operate this hotel,"
"Oh..... hi,"
"Hi! Listen, so um... your mom is downstairs-"
Charlie tried not to wince as she watched Steven's expression shift into one of despair and dread turning as pale as she could imagine, and quickly continued her train of thought
"Um, I came to ask if you wanted to see her, but you can totally say 'no'! You don't have to!"
Steven's expression lightened, but he still seemed highly hesitant
"....You..... really... aren't gonna make me talk to her?"
"Ofcourse not," Charlie frowned
"That's not my place, and even if it was... I.... I get it, my mom and I aren't close anymore either," she explained gently
Steven exhaled, seeming to finally relax and leaning against the doorway
"Then, you can really tell her to like.... go away?"
"If that' what you want then I can and I will," Charlie promised insisitingly
Steven nodded, looking down, prompting Charlie to speak up again
"Is that what you want me to do?"
Another nod, much to Charlie's unspoken releif
"Cool beans," she exhaled
"I'll do that then, and you uh... just relax and um... yeah!"
And yes, she did know how little sense that made, thank you
With an awkward little wave, Charlie headed back to the elevator, stepping inside and leaning against it, closing her eyes and taking a few deep, steadying breaths
She could do this, this was fine, she was totally fine, she HAD this!
Reaching out, she pressed the elevator's "lobby" button, letting herself decompress- or try to anyway- as the elevator descended
It was fine
Deep breath....
It was fine
Inhale
It was-
Ding!
"Ha! Just try to call the police on me! See how far it gets you!"
"Oh you won't have to worry about the police, you SHOULD be worrying about ME!"
....
Evidently, nothing was fine
Charlie took about five or six deep breaths before marching forward and sliding right between Vaggie and Katie
"Sooooooo I spoke to your son, and you're going to need to leave,"
Charlie had no idea how something could simultaneously be so satisfying and so terrifying but here she stood
Katie's neck practically fucking cracked as she turned her attention to the younger woman, one eyebrow raised, eye twitching
"What did you just say?"
Charlie took a deep breath, steeling herself, jaw tense
"I said that you need to leave, and if you don't, I'll have no choice but to call the police," she replied strictly
Katie's eyes narrowed, expression turning down
"....Are you.... seriously threatening me?!"
Charlie swallowed, but remained steadfast
"I am,"
Katie was quiet for a moment, as if trying to process the information, before her fist clenched, teeth gritting
"Mark my fucking words- you WILL regret this you little bitch,"
With that, she abruptly turned on her heel and marched out, allowing Charlie to finally exhale in releif, bowing forward and bracing herself against her nees
Vaggie, sympathetic, reached out and gently rubbed her girlfreind's back, wrapping her arms tightly around her lover when Charlie stood up straight again
"I am so proud of you hun!"
"R-Really?" Charlie squeaked, practically tearing up as she eagerly returned the hug
"Ofcourse really!! Why wouldn't I be? You stood up for yourself and the hotel! And against Katie Killjoy of all people! I know how hard that was,"
Vaggie paused, exhaling as she pulled back, cupping Charlie's face in one hand and gently stroking her thumb over her partner's pale skin
"In fact..... c'mon, we're taking the rest of the night off, we've got somewhere special to take you,"
~+~
"Look, I don't know where my dad is, so you've got just as good luck finding him as me!"
Conor flinched a little as the door slammed shut.... but he certainly couldn't blame his sister....
Shifting a little, he glanced over his shoulder, biting his lip as she stormed past him
"....How much does he owe this time...?"
Aisling took a few deep breaths, her fingers curling around the edge of the sink as she glared down at the dirty dishes, her jaw tense and her eyes narrowed
"....Two months rent...."
Wincing, Conor turned towards her, bracing himself for the fallout before he even dared to ask
"....Are we..... gonna try to ask Gran to help....?"
"....No...."
"...But... Ash-"
"I said NO," Aisling insisted, spinning on her heel and glaring at her brother, who shrank back a bit in response..... before bracing himself again and plunging on
"Ash she can HELP! She's got money!"
"Yeah, she can, and yeah, she does, but she's not giving us any, she's made that REALLY fucking clear Con!"
"Hey-"
"And DON'T..... don't start about the curse words ok?! I don't FUCKING care! If Dad, and Gran, are gonna leave me here by myself to take care of you then they get what they FUCKING get!"
It was abundantly clear that Aisling had been holding that in for a wile....
Conor couldn't blame her
"...I don't get it," Conor wispered, carefully pulling his legs up and putting his head against his nees
"I know she doesn't want Dad drinking anymore but why can't she just.... write a check to the landlord or something...?"
"She thinks that's just gonna encourage him to keep screwing us over," Aisling sighed
"But SHE'S screwing us over!! What are we supposed to do!? It's not like we can move out!! We can't even get jobs! Nobody's gonna hire teenagers!"
"I know," Aisling muttered bitterly, shifting with discomfort
Conor was quiet for a moment, before taking a breath and climbing out of his chair
"I'm gonna call 'er,"
"DON'T!" Aisling shouted, hurrying towards him
"Why not?! Maybe I can help!"
"You can't!"
"Maybe I can convince her-"
"You CAN'T!"
"Talk some sense into her-"
"You CAN'T!!!"
"Why not?!"
"Because it's not just Dad she's got a problem with anymore!!"
The words seemed to practically fall out of her mouth, and they hung in the air like a banshee's scream, once released, unable to be taken back
For a moment, everything was quiet and still, before Conor slowly balled his hands up into fists
"....What do you mean?"
Aisling sighed, slowly pulling out a chair at the kitchen table and settling down in it
"....She's...... mad..... that we're not.... that we're not good enough," Aisling replied quietly
"....Good enough at what?" Conor asked in confusion, slowly copying his sister and sitting back in the chair he'd formerly occupied
"...I don't know, being alive I guess? Being.... Good Irish Catholic Children..... she's.... pissed that we don't go to church anymore... and that I wear 'short' skirts, even though they're really NOT short.... and that... we watch R rated movies and.... that I curse, that I... started dating.... that I don't have a.... fucking purity ring.... she's convinced I'm sleeping around, and I'm... I'm NOT ok? I don't... I don't think it should matter even if I was but I'm NOT... sleeping with anybody, I just.... I just go on dates.... she's... mad that we listen to rock music and Britney Spears... she saw one of the stickers on my binder and lost her SHIT....."
"...Wich sticker?" Conor frowned in confusion, earning a slight, snorting laugh from Aisling as she turned her attention more fully to him
"...The Bratz one,"
"OOoh...."
Conor thought that was an exceptionally stupid reason for his grandmother to get upset, but then people had been "criticizing" (bitching at) his sister for her near obsession with Bratz dolls for ages so he wasn't exactly surprised
"But... but why hasn't she said anything to ME about any of this shit?! I watched Jeepers Creepers and Scary Movie 2! I curse! I listen to like... Evanescence and Linkin Park!! I look at girls! I took one of your Elle magazines ya' know!"
"Yeah, Con, I do know about the Elle magazine," Aisling snorted back, but her minor moment of amusement was short lived, her expression falling again right after
Conor huffed, biting his tongue breifly before continuing
"....How long has she felt like this? 'Cause she sent me twenty bucks for my birthday just last mon-...."
....
Oh
The expression on Aisling's face...... was suddenly making him think that that wasn't... actually..........
"...She.... she sent me the card... right Ash...?"
When she refused to respond, he just....
He just crumpled a little....
"....I'm sorry Con, I didn't want you to find out like this..."
"Well.... well why haven't you said anything?!"
"Because I didn't want you to get hurt," Aisling said with an easy sigh
"I was kinda hoping that maybe things would blow over a little and they wouldn't be so bad but.... look.... I... I can't TRY to ask for money again ok? The last time I had to-.... it was just really embarrassing and.... and I promised her.... all kinds of shit that I never, EVER wanted to do and then she just went back on it anyway so...."
Conor probably should have asked how Aisling had managed to afford the groceries when she was denied money the last time, but there was something else digging at the edges of his brain instead
".....Why did she go back on it?"
Aisling quickly shook her head, looking away, suddenly tense
Conor may have been young but..... he wasn't stupid
"....Ash, what'd she want that you said no to?"
"It's nothing,"
"It's SOMETHING apparently!"
"Drop it Conor,"
"No! What did she say?!"
Because apparently, APPARENTLY, it had something to do with him
And Conor had always been the type of person who wanted to confront shit like that head on, if someone had a problem with him- no matter who they were- he was going to be the one responsible for handling that problem
But Aisling only shook her head again, eyes averted, much to his frustration
"Ash!! What did she say?!"
This time he didn't even get the curtosy of a head shake...
"Aisling Marybeth O'Malley!!"
That finally seemed to get her attention, Aisling swirving around suddenly in her chair and glaring at her younger brother
"She wanted you to stop hanging out with Dennis ok!?!?"
Conor, completely taken aback, blinked at her in confusion, balking a little and tilting his head
"...With Dennis? ....Why? What's wrong with Dennis? He gets good grades and stuff..."
Aisling took a deep, deep breath, and squeezed the back of the chair in front of her, but atleast her eyes never left Conor's
"Because.... because Dennis likes boys,"
There was a pause, breif, before Conor just..... raised the other brow
".........So?"
Aisling, apparently pleased with that response- or, as though it confirmed something she had already known- only shrugged, her expression easing into something lighter and gentler as she rose from the table
"Yeah.... that's how I feel too..... but anyway, look, I'm gonna get us the money, ok kiddo?"
"You shouldn't be calling me that, I'm only three years younger than you," Conor huffed, face a little pink as his sister laughed and walked past him, scruffing up his hair as she went
"Uh-huh, whatever," she added dismissively, before leaving the room entirely, and leaving Conor on his own
He stood in the silence for a moment, closing his eyes as consideration thrummed through his head, weighing the positives and negatives of his plan.... before breaking for the sink, bending down and opening the cabinet beneath it, searching around in the basket of cleaners before his hand landed on what he was looking for and he eagerly yanked the bottle free of it's hiding spot
He took a few breaths as he pulled the cap off, nose immediately wrinkling at the smell, but... if this stuff would help him not feel so shitty- wich is why his dad always drank it- then.... bottoms up
He took his first sip of alcohol- wiskey, he remembered it being-
....
And puked his guts up immediately after
Not to worry though, Conor wasn't just going to give up, so he took a few breaths and tried again
After all, he was feeling shitty as... well.... shit....
But he still had to somehow find a way to survive the night
~+~
"Ok am I doing this right? Silver then white?"
Stolas glanced over his shoulder, giving Blitz a quick thumb's up as he hurried towards his sewing machine, leaving the bounty hunter with the task of hot-gluing little rhinestones along the collar of a jacket
Ir was almost fucking midnight, Blitz's back hurt, his hands were sore, his eyes were blurring, he had to be out of the house by six in the fucking morning to go testify in fucking court, but he'd be damned if he let any of that stop him from helping his boyfreind goddammit!!
"Uh, by the way Stol, just... ya' know... so I know.... how many of these things do I have to put on here?"
"Well it needs to be the entire jacket collar so.... probably three or four hundred?"
Blitz went pale, slowly looking down at his work
....
He had so far glued in five
"...Thanks baby, just checkin'!!"
He wondered, if he swallowed the hot glue, would it be a quick, mostly painless death...?
Oh well, no time to ponder it, he just needed to grab a fistfull of the dumb little fake stones and start gluing
He had gotten about three more done when the ringing of his phone suddenly startled him, a screech leaving his throat as he instinctively squeezed down on the gun trigger, a shot of hot glue suddenly leaping from the nozzle and landing unproductively on the table
Blitz winced, nose wrinkling as he watched, in real time, as the son of a bitch started to harden
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit I hope Stolas doesn't care about this table cloth....."
........
But thank CHRIST it hadn't been on the jacket.....
It's nice to have a freind, it's nice to have a frei-
Right right, the phone
Hurriedly, he scooped it off of the table- relieved the glue had miraculously managed to miss it as well- and pressed the big green button, followed quickly by the speaker
"Heya Fizz, what's goin' on buddy?"
"Um.... that's a loaded question.... do you have a few minutes to talk?"
"Sure, I'm just hot-gluing ten bajillion tiny ass crystals onto a fuckin' jacket so I'll be here for the next ten or twenty years, what'cha need?"
"...Uhhh.... what?"
"Nothing, it's for Stolas, nevermind, what'cha need Fizz-Fries?"
"...Right... uh.... so Via's asleep right? Not gonna eavesdrop?"
"Nope, even better, she's at a sleepover, she'd have to be fuckin' Dolores Madrigal to eavesdrop from like, nine neighborhoods away,"
"....God I can't believe that's become your super-hearing reference,"
"Why not? Encanto is fuckin' GREAT ok? But why do you care about her eavesdropping anyway?"
Blitz paused suddenly, yanking the glue gun up and gasping with utter delight as he gave it an excited little bounce in his hand
"OOoh my god is this it? Have we finally hit the point in our newfound relationship where we get to have sexy phone calls again? Because I am fuckin' FOR IT!!"
"I-... NO!! What makes you think we're EVER gonna 'hit the point in our relationship' where that's an option again?! We're both happily in committed relationships!!"
"Yeah but my committed relationship is a four-way and I really don't think anybody would mind if we made it a five-way... or, ya' know what? Eh, six-way, go on and throw Ozzie in there too,"
"Thanks but no thanks Honeysweet," Ozzie's voice suddenly boomed over the speaker, prompting Blitz to screech, a little more than startled, and press down on the trigger again, watching in horror as a blot of glue suddenly flew onto the ceiling
....
Well it was either gonna be the gun or his bladder and frankly he was more fond of the idea of explaining this to Stolas than the other thing soooooo....
...
Oh hey it was dripping and hardening at the same time, maybe if he was lucky Stolas would never notice, or at the very least, not notice for YEARS, and Blitz wouldn't have to explain everything and could brush it off with the good ol' "I don't fucking know" excuse
....
Perfect
"....Right, ok, so, now that that's out of the way and my balls have been THOROUGHLY busted, what can I do for you Fizz?" Blitz finally repeated with a sigh, ignoring the amused chorttle of laughter that came from Ozzie as the man apparently left the room, the sound of his chuckling steadily growing more distant as the seconds ticked by
Fizz took a breath on the other end of the phone, prompting Blitz to wait with mild concern for him to continue
"Can I.... ask you for a favor?"
"Uhh.... sure?" Blitz replied slowly, returning to his rhinestone gluing
....Christ, only three-hundred-something-or-other to go....
"I need you to talk to Loona about something,"
"Sure Fizz!! Anything!!! Anything at all!! You know I'm ALWAYS happy to- wait a minute she hasn't started puberty has she? 'Cause that big ball of awkward and discomfort is gonna be Barbie's fucking job-"
"God, NO, thank CHRIST, I would one thousand percent NOT be asking YOU to have that kind of talk with her,"
"Oh thank god," Blitz sighed in utter releif, picking up another rhinestone and pausing, squinting a little
"...Wait, what does that mean-?"
"I think she's having problems at school,"
"Oh,"
Ok nothing to do with a young girl's journey to..... not a place Blitz ever, ever, EVER wanted to think of his neice ending up
Good
"What kinda problems? Like, grades?"
"Well.... a little bit grades, but more with people..."
"Is somebody bullying her?"
Because honestly, that tracked for this family
"Maybe? That's the thing, I have no clue, it's just... I went to her parent-teacher conference today, 'cause, ya' know, the girls are out of town and all,"
"Right right," Blitz nodded absently, returning to the rhinestones again
"Her teacher said that she was having some problems with grades, like, she'd get bored so she wouldn't pay attention, that sorta thing,"
"A full fuckin' mood to be honest,"
"Well yeah, it's school, ofcourse it's a mood, but she still has to graduate,"
".....Ehhhh......"
"Don't- your anti-establishment mindset isn't gonna make things any easier on that kid considering her mother,"
"Fair point, continue,"
"The grades aren't really it though, I mean, that's some of it but the bigger problem is the social aspect, her teacher said that she doesn't seem to have any freinds and like, not even in the way that you never had any freinds where you were just kinda weird and awkward but still tried to get people to like you-"
"Right...." Blitz nodded slowly, still listening as he worked
He felt a little put off by being singled out like that but truthfully he understood Fizz's point- Fizz and Barbie may not ever have had real actual freinds outside of their little trio, but they could atleast make temporary acquaintances with nearly anyone when they needed to
Blitz had been the outlier who no one ever wanted to be around, but that certainly hadn't been for a lack of trying on his part
"According to her teacher, Loona's just outright avoiding people, and avoiding speaking in class- like, ya' know, in the GOOD way, like presenting a report or answering questions,"
"So she's shy," Blitz concluded easily, reaching for another glob of rhinestones
Not because he was done with the first pile but.... well, the first pile had gotten smaller atleast...????
"No no, she's..... not shy, it's different from that, her teacher thinks she's developing anti-social traits,"
"Weeeeeeeell society is a big mess of assholes and future violent criminals so I can't say as I blame her,"
"Blitz, I'm serious, kids that aren't socialized properly grow into really poorly adjusted adults, you've seen that,"
....Yeah.... he had.....
Hell, Blitz didn't even need to look to the kinds of people he'd arrested as a cop or dealt with as a bounty hunter, he didn't even need to look outside of his own fucking relationships
Stolas had been basically raised like a purebred show dog, never allowed to run around and be a kid with his peers or like.... touch grass probably, and wile he was absolutely....... wonderfull..... Blitz definitely wouldn't consider him "well adjusted" socially
Polite as all hell sure, but Blitz had to believe that not all of Stolas's anxiety came from hormones, neurodivergency, or mental illness, and alot of that anxiety seemed to surround people...
Then there was Alastor, and although his childhood was murky at best as far as Blitz's knowledge of it went, he had more than gathered the hints that the guy had been..... isolated.....
And Blitz loved Alastor to peices, but he'd hang himself if Loona ever turned out like that poor stack of sentient trauma in a trench coat disguised as a person
"....Yeah I have," he finally agreed, sighing quietly and licking his lips
"Ok, so, what'd'ya' want me to do?"
"Can you just....try to find out what's going on with her? Is she being bullied? Is she just.... going through something we don't know about? Maybe try to encourage her to find people she can open up to more or be freinds with? I mean she's got Bee and Tex but.... that doesn't seem to be helping much...."
"No no, I totally get that," Blitz promised with a nod, taking a breath and grabbing another rhinestone
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it- you can count on me Fizz,"
~+~
Goddammit
Fuck fuck fuck.....
Taking a shaky breath, Conor bounced on the balls of his feet, teeth gritted and hands shaking as he waited outside of the apartment door, swallowing hard, his body drenched in a cold sweat
Fuck...
He felt like he might pass out from nerves....
"Con?"
Quickly, he spun around and held his breath, only slightly surprised to see Aisling standing in the hall, brows raised
"What'cha doin' here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
Conor only gave a little shrug, glancing away anxiously, wich... he knew that she knew.......
"What got you canned this time?" she asked casually as she moved towards him and the door, seemingly unbothered
Fuck his stomach hurt
"...It wasn't my fucking fault ok? That guy had it coming!"
"You smacked somebody again?" Aisling snickered, shaking her head as she stuck the key in the door and turned the nob
"He had it coming!!!"
"You know what I think Con?" she asked as she stepped into the apartment, her younger brother following close behind, like a little shadow
"I think you need to get a job helping people instead of something that's just going to keep putting you in situations where you wanna hit people, because if you keep this up, you won't have to worry about finding work again, you'll be in prison from someone finally pressing charges,"
"Helping people," Conor huffed as he shut the door behind his sister, bending down to pet the cat that she had adopted a couple of years back
"And what would that be exactly?" he asked as he watched Aisling peel off her jacket and hang it up, then reach down and take off her long pleather boots
"I dunno, be a nurse or something," she suggested with a shrug, her socked feet hitting the hardwood floor as she headed to the refrigerator
"The way I hear it, nobody wants to punch people more than nurses," Conor argued, following behind her as she grabbed a couple of orange sodas from the fridge, handing one to him, despite the look of distaste on his face
"That may be true," Aisling shrugged as she grabbed the bottle opener
"But atleast they usually restrain themselves, and they get like.... fullfillment from their jobs or whatever,"
Conor was quiet for a moment as Aisling leaned over to open his soda for him
"...Do you get fullfillment from your job?" he asked quietly, not meaning anything cruel by it- truly, he was.... curious...
"....In a way, yeah, I actually do," Aisling smiled back warmly, taking a sip of her drink and leaning against the counter
"I like the freedom of it, I like.... being able to be who I want, do what I want, people are so shitty to strippers but... as long as you don't work in a dump, it can actually be a pretty nice gig,"
Conor was quiet for a moment, not knowing how to respond, but luckily he didn't have to- his sister took that responsibility off of him
"So, how much do you need?"
Flushing scarlet, Conor looked down, fingers gliding along the neck of the bottle as Aisling stepped over towards the answering machine and took a sip of her drink
"Uhh..... a month's rent..." he replied with a wince, earning a slightly concerned look from his sister
"...How much are you spending on booze every month, baby bro?"
"Hardly any!"
"Con..." she sighed quietly, placing the soda on the counter and a hand on her hip
"It's not the booze Ash, it's just.... I uh..... I lost some cash in a poker game,"
Aisling gave him a hard look, eyes narrowing
"Gambling too now Con? Jesus....."
"Says the stripper!!"
"HEY! I started stripping to make sure I could support YOUR ass when I was barely eighteen, so don't you start!"
Conor winced, looking away and gritting his teeth
Aisling was quiet for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head
"....I'll pay your rent, but no more gambling, you got it? Christ I can barely stand the fact that you drink..."
"I can't believe you're a stripper in your early twenties and you DON'T,"
"What can I say? I'm well-adjusted," she smirked back playfully
For a moment- just a short moment- they were quiet, before Conor smiled awkwardly
"...I learned a new magic trick, wanna see?"
"'Course I do," Aisling smiled back, turning to start the answering machine
"Great, I've just gotta go get a scarf!" Conor chirped back, hurrying towards his sister's bedroom, the sound of "You have one new message" playing distantly before he rounded the corner
A scarf.... a scarf..... they lived in New York so how hard could it be to find a-?
AHA!!
Eyes landing on a simple red scarf, he eagerly scooped it up, making sure he had a few coins in his pocket so the trick would work, and hurried back out into the kitchen
"Ok, be ready to be amazed!!!"
His enthusiasm though, didn't last long, not when he saw how.....down his sister suddenly seemed
He went quiet, bracing himself as Aisling looked away from the answering machine and turned her attention fully to him
"Dad's dead,"
~+~
"Wow! This place is so cool!! Why haven't you brought me here before?"
"Oh that's.... kind of a long story... I promise I'll tell you later though,"
Charlie was a little curious..... but nodded along in easy acceptance anyway
"Do you think we can come back again sometime?"
"You haven't even tried the food yet hun," Vaggie laughed, giving her girlfreind's hand a squeeze
"I knoooooooow, but it's just such cool atmosphere!!"
And yeah, Vaggie understood that, she had always felt the same way
The "club" wasn't really a club, it was just a restaurant, technically
But there was a bar, live music, unique art and murals on the walls, it almost reminded Vaggie or a jazz club actually, and the place was niche enough that it was mostly only visited by the same types of people
....
Mostly
"It is," Vaggie confirmed
"Don't worry hun, we'll come back," she promised, leading her partner to a table with a good veiw of the stage
"Just as long as it's on Thursdays,"
Charlie raised a brow, not sure what that was being prefaced for, but she didn't get a chance to ask
"Vaggie?! Oh my god girl! It's been so long!"
Turning, Charlie set her eyes on a man around their age with a goatee and long braids pulled back into a low ponytail,his expression bright, eyes practically sparkling
"Oh, hey Corey,"
"Don't 'hey' me after all this time!" Corey teased playfully
"Where've you been?!"
"I uh, I moved," she replied a bit awkwardly
"I changed jobs and everything so it's just been.... alot,"
"Yeah, I hear that," Corey winced sympathetically
"But you've been good? Who's this? Girlfreind?" he guessed a beat later
"Yeah, actually, this is Charlie," Vaggie smiled back, instantly perking Charlie up a bit more herself, prompting her to hold her hand out politely
"Nice to meet you Charlie! I'm so glad Vaggie finally has a girlfreind!"
"Wow, way to not be subtle about my shitty romantic life," Vaggie teased back
It was fine- Charlie knew she was the first
First love, first kiss, first date....
First everything
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just happy for you! I know you were waiting for a wile to get a partner and you finally did! And you look so much happier and healthier than you used to too so the changes must be treatin' you well!"
"Yeah, they are," Vaggie smiled back warmly
Charlie wanted to ask- she wanted to know what that meant, what Vaggie's history was, but she knew this wasn't the time or place to ask, so she resisted the urge
....
Atleast for now
"Well I couldn't be happier," Corey promised
"I've got another table ahead of you, but I'll be back in a minute to get ya'll some drinks,"
"Sure, take your time," Vaggie agreed with a thumb's up as Corey stepped away, turning her attention back to Charlie, who was staring up at her with brows raised in concern
"....What?"
"Oh, nothing! I just... I think this is the first time I've met any of your old freinds, and I'm kind of.... realizing how little I actually know about your life, that's all,"
Vaggie was quiet for a moment, just a moment- before blurting out the first thing that came to mind
"I really wouldn't call Corey a freind, I mean, yeah, we've talked some, but we really are more.... acquaintances, we only know eachother like this and that's just because I used to eat here like.... once a week for over a year...."
"Wow," Charlie linked in surprise
"What.... made you stop? I mean I know you moved but we're not that far from here, hell, it's... barely any further downtown than Lizzie's...."
The question was valid.... even if Vaggie didn't particularly want to answer it
"....Remember.... how I told you that my last job ended on bad terms? And I had a bad falling out with my ex-coworkers?"
"Yeah....?"
"Well... we used to come here every week, and my coworkers still do,"
"OOooh....." Charlie winced, earning a little nod from her girlfreind
"Thursdays are the one day a week I can count on them not being here,"
Charlie kind of wanted to ask why that was, but she also figured it was really none of her business
"Oh...." she said instead
"I'm.... I'm sorry for prying Vaggie,"
Vaggie's brows pinched, head tilting to the side
"Hun, why are you sorry?"
Charlie blinked- because that was..... actually a pretty good question
"W-Well, you clearly weren't ready to talk about all this and I sorta pushed you to...."
"You didn't push me hun," Vaggie snickered lightly
"I would've just told you I didn't want to talk about it if I didn't,"
Like she had so many times before....
"Oh ok good," Charlie sighed with releif
"Soooo.... out of pure curiosity.... why is it so uncomfortable for you? I mean you don't have to tell me ofcourse! I'm just curious... 'cause you know, it's really hard for me to talk about my last break up because it all ended so badly but..."
The words "I still told you" may have been unsaid, but they were still heard loud and clear
Vaggie knew that Charlie didn't mean anything by it, she certainly didn't take it personally but.....
It was still hard....
"It's....-"
"Sorry about that guys, here are your menus!!"
Vaggie smiled up at Corey with releif, glad that she now had a good- or atleast decent- excuse not to answer her girlfreind
"Thanks," she replied briskly, clearing her throat as she started looking through the menu
"Oh huh, it's changed a little since I was here last.... do you want an appetizer hun?"
Charlie was quiet for a moment, before smiling gently at Vaggie and reaching out, looping their fingers together as she started flipping through the menu
"Yeah, an appetizer sounds good,"
It was fine- Vaggie could tell her whenever she was ready, and if she never was?
Well, that was fine too
~+~
"Why the FUCK did I let you talk me into this?"
"Oh come on, it can't be THAT bad,"
"Oho, it CAN," Conor argued with a huff, eyes rolling as he watched the air around him turn white from his breath
Fucking New York autumn nights....
"I'm sorry Con, but.... if it helps any, I'm so proud of you, for doing something important with your life,"
"Yeah well I hope the trauma is worth that," Conor snorted back, glancing up ahead and squinting, finally spotting the bar he was looking for
He had been.... well.... it was weird
He had started drinking a little less after his father died, but after starting work as a paramedic he'd been drinking a little more, so it maybe evened out? Maybe he hadn't really been drinking that much, it was just a few after work, some days he even went without and only had one, it wasn't bad
Aisling had been saying something, he quickly returned his focus to the conversation before she could realize he had zoned out
"And I've actually been thinking about a career change myself,"
"You have?" Conor asked in surprise
"Yeah, I mean.... Roy and I are planning to have kids you know? So... I know it sounds silly but.... well I was thinking about becoming like... I don't know, a therapist or something?"
"You'd be good at that," Conor smiled softly
Aisling exhaled, as if she had been holding onto that information for a wile
"Thanks.... well, I mean, it's not official or anything you know? But I figured um, maybe after the wedding I'd go to school for something like that, maybe finish my degree wile we're trying for our first,"
"Damn, the great and powerfull Aisling O'Malley, sounds like she's been bitten by the LOVEBUG, brought down from Saturn back to Earth for... a husband and kids," he laughed in disbeleif, pausing right outside the door and leaning against the side of the building
Aisling laughed on the other end of the phone, and Conor felt a bubble of joy start to form in his chest
"Yeah alright, laugh you little bitch, atleast I've got somebody in my life, you oughtta fix that you know, find a nice girl somewhere,"
"I've had nice girls," Conor shrugged, grinning slightly
"And they never stick around, I wonder why," Aisling teased playfully
"Oh I'm too much man for any woman to handle," Conor teased, earning what must have been the most ear-peircing laugh echoing over the phone that he had ever heard
"Suuuuuuure Connie, you go with that,"
Conor chuckled again, sighing softly as he heard the door open on the other end of the phone
"Oh! Roy's home!! I'll call you tommorrow ok?"
"Sure sure, love you Ash,"
"Love you too Con!! And uh, try to find somebody good for yourself ok? I... I would be in ruins without Roy and I just... I want you to find somebody too,"
"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Conor chuckled back, saying a farewell one more time before hanging up and turning to walk to the entrance of the bar, only to literally run into someone else, a quiet "oof" leaving their chest as the two of them stumbled backwards
"Shit, I'm so sorry-"
"No no, it's my fault, I wasn't paying attention-"
Conor took a step back, another white breath flittering through the freezing air as he took in the appearance of the man in front of him
The man was..... well.....Conor had always found some men attractive, but this guy....
Shit
Hair as dark as night, with a face full of scruff and eyes like a fucking cosmic blend of greens, browns, hazels, and greys, even in the darkness of the night, Conor could see it was an amazing.... amazing kalediscope of colors....
He was a good foot or so taller than Conor himself, and built like a Greek statue, in dark jeans and a leather jacket, his smile was a little crooked, eyes bright like stars, and Conor felt......
Oh
He really.... felt something.....
"Uhh.....after you?" he finally said, clearing his throat and awkwardly gesturing to the bar
"Oh!! Um, no, I was uh.... I was actually on my way somewhere else I just.... uh...."
"...Where ya' headin'?"
"A bookstore!" the man chirpped back, earning a confused look from Conor himself, brows raised
"....It's almost midnight,"
"Yeah! I'm going to a midnight release party! It's for Six Of Crows, wanna come along?"
No, actually, Conor couldn't imagine anything more fucking boring, and he had never heard of this book, whatever it was
.....
So naturally-
"I'd love to," Conor smiled back shyly, watching the stranger light up like a fucking Christmas tree
"Awesome!!" he beamed, damn near bouncing with joy
"Oh! I'm Cayden by the way," he introduced, holding his hand out towards the other man
"Conor," he replied a bit shyly
"I'm Conor,"
~+~
I'm sorry bro, there's nothing I can do :( My call time is 8
You can't be a couple of hours late...? I mean you always tell me that you don't shoot for ages after you show up....
I'll lose my role if I'm late tho, it's not like I'm fuckin' Jennifer Lawrence or something, I'm nowhere near famous enough to just do what I want ya' know
Yes, Ozzie knew that
....
But still....
Worth a try tho!! ^^; It's ok, I'll figure out something
I'm sorry!!!! >< Don't guess you could like... tell court to wait huh?
ha, no
:(
Ozzie set his phone aside, leaning back on the couch and tangling his fingers in his hair with frustration
What the fuck was he going to do....?
"Woah... you look stressed, what's going on?"
Glancing up, he only shook his head as Fizz moved to sit on the couch next to him, handing him a much deserved and very much needed bowl of ice cream
"....It's nothin',"
"Oh, well that's an obvious lie," Fizz huffed back, giving his partner a little nudge
"C'mon Oz, don't do that to me.... are you actually gonna shut me out after.... fucking everything?"
"....It's just.... my grandma has a doctor's appointment in the morning, we can't really cancel or move it 'cause she's really gotta have an iron transfusion and it already took two weeks to get this appointment, but I can't take her 'cause I've got court first thing in the morning, and all- get this- ALL seven of my sisters are outta pocket too, and none of 'em can cancel their plans either, even my mom's not available!"
"...Shit," Fizz winced
"Right,"
"...Well.... not to sound like a complete asshole.... but you do have seven sisters and a mom.... why is this your problem?"
"'Cause I was the one who originally planned to take 'er but I got my days mixed up,"
"Ah....." Fizz winced, clicking his tongue
As much as he didn't agree with it, he sort of understood how that then became Ozzie's problem primarily, he'd been there more than once with Loona....
"I mean.... I'd offer? But.... I've gotta get Loona to school.... and ya' know.... Ross and Barb are gone...."
Ozzie nodded slowly, rubbing his face with distress
"It's alright Fizzie, I don't wanna bother you anyhow,"
"Wah-.... bother me how?! Oz, if I had somebody else to take Loona, it wouldn't be a fucking problem at all!! Do you actually think I'd mind considering everything you do for me?! And besides that, we're in a relationship!! This is the sorta thing we do for eachother!"
Ozzie only gave a slight, tired, anguished smile, one that didn't even come close to reaching his eyes
"I know Fizziepop..... too bad ya' can't just carpool with somebody, but I'm sure it's too late to call Bee's mom and ask...."
"....Actually...." Fizz said slowly, an epiphany suddenly hitting as he reached for his phone
"I could call one of Bee's guardians, but as a second choice,"
Ozzie, surprised, glanced up at Fizz, brows raised as he slowly sat up a little straighter
"You got somebody else in mind first?"
"Yep, and I'm preeeeeettyyyyy sure he'll be available," Fizz smirked back
Ozzie, immediately getting the hint, sighed with releif, knowing that Fizz was right- only in the world's most dire circumstances would Blitz ever throw over the opportunity to spend time with Loona for fucking anything
"You're a fuckin' genius,"
"Eh, no, not really," Fizz shrugged back, hurriedly pressing the call button and pressing the phone to his ear
It rang once, twice, Ozzie practically holding his breath as they waited for it to pick up, and then, finally-
"Wow, two calls in one night? Look at me gettin' popular~"
Fizz exhaled, grinning happily the moment he heard Blitz's voice
"Yeah somethin' like that, listen, I.... really.... really hate to ask.... but do you think you could take Loona to school tom-?"
"Yes!"
Fizz, smirking, held his hand up towards Ozzie, trying not to giggle with amusement as his boyfreind enthusiastically high-fived him, then practically threw himself on the smaller cop, damn near nocking the bowls of ice cream out of their laps in the process
"Uh, I mean, yes, yeah, sure, ofcourse, oooouuuuut of curiosity.... uh... what exactly do you need me to do that for...? Like, I mean, is everything ok...?"
"Yeah everything's fine, it's just that Oz needs some help with his grandma and his sisters are all busy so I said I'd help if I could get somebody to take care of Loonie,"
"Oh! Well uh, glad to be of service then,"
"Yeah, me too," Fizz snorted back
"You sure you're good to do that? I mean, I know you and Stolas are busy, and you've got your own job to deal with,"
"Oh trust me Fizzie, it'll be no problem at all, mark my words, not one. single. issue."
Thank Christ.....
Fizz exhaled, a breif wave of releif cascading over him
"Thanks Blitz.... you're really saving my tail here,"
"No problem, you know you can count on me right?"
Fizz..... bit down on the urge to say that he was still a little unsure of that, that historically Blitz hadn't been the world's most reliable, he bit down the urge and responded with something considerably more positive instead
"Yeah," he exhaled
"I'm..... starting to learn that,"
~+~
"Ok, it's simple, it's easy, there's nothing else I need to plan, just.... just ask him.... just... say... 'Cayden, do you wanna come to my sister's wedding?', it's easy,"
And yet somehow, Conor wasn't at all convinced that it would be nearly as easy as he himself claimed it would be
He needed to ask Aisling for some advice- she was never short on that, that was for goddamn sure, and she'd been so happy for him when he told her that he wasn't straight, said that she'd known since he was a kid, although he still didn't know how she knew....
It didn't matter, Aisling was just like that, she knew everything, or atleast she sure as shit liked to say that she did
He approached his sister's familiar apartment building, reaching for the buzzer, only for one of her neighbors to see him coming and hold the door open for him, bringing a little smile to his lips
"Thanks Mrs. Chen!"
"No problem dear," the little old lady replied, giving him a little nod of acknowledgement as he zipped inside, only to startle a little and stumble in his steps as his phone started to vibrate
God, he was never going to get used to that was he?
Lighting up, he hurriedly answered on his way to the elevator
"Hey Cay!"
"Hey honey!! Guess who I just hung up the phone with?"
"Uhhh.... surprise me,"
"Well, remember my ex, Bella?"
"The dominatrix?" Cayden replied, stepping into the elevator and pushing the button for the third floor
"Yeah! Well we have this mutual freind who I haven't talked to in AGES and she called me up and told me that she had to cancel a trip to Orlando for this like, matchmaking get away or whatever? It's a work thing, anyway, the ticket is non-refundable, she has a hotel booked and the entire thing, and she just.... offered it to me free of charge!! Isn't that cool of her?"
"Super cool," Conor nodded as the elevator arrived with a little *ding*
"SO I said 'yes', it's in three weeks, I wanted to know if um.... well are you free? Maybe...? If not we can-"
"I should be," Conor interrupted with a grin, heart fluttering as he stepped out of the elevator and started for Aisling's apartment
"Really? Great!!! Then um, do you want me to book your flight and stuff?"
"Oh you don't have to do that baby, actually uh... I wanted to stop by after work tonight if that's ok? I've got uh... some coupons for a new pizza place and I thought we could have pizza and watch a movie or somethin'? We can figure out the trip stuff wile I'm there?"
"Sure, sounds good to me,"
"Great, listen, I just got to my sister's, I've gotta ask her somethin' real quick, I'll call ya' back after work ok?"
"Ok!! Talk to you soon!"
"You too," Conor replied, near breathless, as he hung up and pocketed his phone, practically bouncing on his feet as he rapped excitedly on Aisling's door
She would be so proud of him, finding a real relationship, how much growing he'd done in a few months that he was about to go on a fucking trip with someone, hell, he hadn't even been drinking as much lately- not even CLOSE to as much!
Maybe his life was finally turning around
....
Pursing his lips, he nocked on the door again, a little bit louder this time
Weird, it was nowhere near time for Aisling to be at work, and she had said that she was spending the day at home looking at wedding stuff....
He took a breath, nocking one more time as he grabbed his phone with his other hand, taking a look over their text history
Now that he thought about it.... she had never answered him that morning.....
Concerned, he stood on the tips of his toes and grabbed the spare key from over the door, shoving it in the lock and opening the door
"Hey Ash!! You in here?!"
The lights were off.....
Swallowing, he reached for the switch
"Ash...?"
He flipped the switch, glancing up..... and staring at the rope hanging from the ceiling, at the noose, at Aisling-
~+~
Angel couldn't sleep
It was after three in the morning, and he had been staring at the ceiling for the past.... how long now? Over an hour for sure....
He had been so fucking tired all day and all night, barely able to keep his eyes open around the last few episodes of the show, and yet it seemed like the minute Alastor finally called him out on his bullshit and insisted they try to get some sleep- the second that laptop turned off- any sleep that Angel had been trying to get ran away, like he was being fucking edged or some shit
He sighed with frustration, shifting around again, hoping that he could find a position he would actually be comfortable in
Blessedly, Alastor seemed to be in one of his "sleep like the fucking dead" phases, it didn't seem to matter how much Angel tossed and turned, Alastor didn't so much as twitch
Any other time Angel would be tempted to double check and make absolutely sure that his paramour was still alive, but at this moment, in this case, it honestly wasn't even on Angel's mind
Finally giving up, the blonde slipped out of bed, carefully sliding his phone off of the nightstand and turning it on, not even turning on the flashlight option, but instead just using the glow of the screen to help navigate his way around
He carefully grabbed his room key and car key, then his wallet, tip-toeing for the door, even if Alastor was dead asleep, there was no reason to tempt fa-
"Where are you going?"
Angel shreiked, dropping his phone and instinctively throwing his keys and wallet, not actually aiming to hit Alastor- they didn't, by the way, they landed very pitifully on the floor less than a foot away- but just-.... well.... actually.... Angel wasn't entirely sure why his reflexes had decided to do what they did
"JEEEESSSUUUUS!!! Alastor goddamn Le'Rey motherfucking DeVille you are gonna give me a motherfucking HEART ATTACK!!"
Husk jolted awake, half-snorting as he scrambled to come somewhat to
"WAH-?! What?! Wha'z'goin' on?! What happened?!"
"Al's tryin'a give me a STROKE!" Angel blurted out back
"I told ya' he was evil," Husk grumbled in response, seeming to consider the danger to be over as he shifted in bed and tried to go back to sleep
But wile the two of them were mostly brushing this under the rug, Alastor wasn't nearly so willing to let it drop
"Where were you going mon ange?"
Angel fell quiet for a moment, shifting uncomfortably and frowning tensely at his partner
"Just.... just out for a walk,"
"It's nineteen degrees outside, you'll freeze to death," Alastor argued, reaching for his glasses and slipping them on
"I'm gonna put on a coat, don't worry, I just.... I need a little air,"
"Ahh.... I understand that,"
For a moment, just a breif moment, Angel assumed that would be it, and took another step
"I'll come with you then,"
Shit
"You really don't have to do that Al, just go back to sleep,"
"Oh I can't sleep dear, I've been trying for hours, perhaps the cold air will do me some good as well,"
"...Well one of us needs to stay here with Husk,"
"No no, he's exhausted, he'll be fine for half an hour, and I think we've gotten past the danger zone, I don't suspect he'll be falling into a seizure or anything else so troubling,"
"...C'mon Al, ya' know how it goes, you can't count on anything like that, it's better safe than sorry,"
"It is," Alastor agreed as he slipped out of bed, making his way towards the blonde
"Wich is why I'm coming with you,"
....
Well shit
Any subtlety Alastor had been trying to grace Angel with was well and truly gone at this point, it seemed
"Al, ya' don't have to do that," Angel stressed quietly
"Oh, darling.... yes I do,"
Husk, seemingly starting to catch on that something was amiss, frowned deeply and shifted to sit up, face scrunching up with concern and a bit of distaste
"What the fuck is goin' on?"
"Nothing," Angel insisted quickly
"Angel is just trying to get some sort of illicit substance, that's all," Alastor explained
"Ya' don't have to say it like that! That's not it!!! I just wanted somethin' to help me sleep!! Christ, ain't you ever had insomnia before?!?"
"Often, but I don't take sleeping pills for it,"
"Well maybe ya' should!!"
Alastor sighed, reaching out and gently taking his partner's hand
"Angel, if you're having such a hard time sleeping, perhaps allow me to make you some herbal tea-"
"Tea ain't gonna help me, ok? I need somethin' that'll just nock me out!"
"Then why not allow me to help you with some light hypnosis, hm? That always works,"
"Pills work better," Angel argued with a frustrated huff
By this point, Husk was fully alert, his expression grim as he slipped out of bed himself
"Angie.... c'mon, ya' don't need to do this,"
"Oh comin' from YOU? REALLY?" Angel snapped with frustration, taking a step back, like a cornered rabbit ready to flee
Alastor couldn't quite say he blamed him......
But...
Angel took another step back, and Alastor charged forward, hurrying to catch Angel in his arms, startling a shreik out of the blonde as he tightly constricted himself around his partner
"Goddammit Al, let me go!!"
"Not a chance,"
"Fuckin'... I'm not gonna relapse!!"
"You're already trying to,"
"It's just ONE fuckin'-... I just want a fuckin' Benadryl or somethin'!!"
"And you know that you can't-"
"It's just ONE!"
"One is all it takes-"
"Let me fuckin' go Al!!"
Sighing, Alastor closed his eyes, just breifly, and squeezed his partner a little tighter
"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens, un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche,"
"Al.... I'm fine...." Angel grumbled, but it didn't stop his partner from continuing the song
"Voilà le portrait sans retouche, de l'homme auquel j'appartiens,"
Angel huffed, squirming a little, but the fight was dying fast
"Quand il me prend dans ses bras, il me parle tout bas,"
Angel started to go completely slack, eyes drooping as Alastor's grip loosened, ever so little, just enough to start gently stroking his hair
"Qu'il me parle tout bas, je vois la vie en rose..."
Angel's breathing evened out, legs collapsing under him as Alastor gently tilted his head back and checked for any signs of lingering awakeness
But there were none to be found
Crisis averted, he sighed with releif and scooped up his partner, carrying him back to bed
"...The fuck did you just do to him?" Husk cringed in utter horror
"Relax, it's just hypnosis, and it's perfectly consensual," Alastor explained, setting Angel down and gently tucking him in, before turning his attention to Husk, eyes narrowed with frustration
"This is why I was so against this little..... whatever you choose to call this wreck you two have allowed to unfold, besides the emotional toll it takes to detox someone, I had a feeling Angel would relapse, or atleast try to- you don't exactly have to be intuitive to figure that out, and this, dear, was extremely mild, I won't be surprised if you see the full collapse of his senses and and reasoning before long as the urge to use really hits,"
"And you're blaming me for this," Husk guessed
"Well ofcourse I am," Alastor huffed back easily, looking bewildered that the question had even been asked
"Is that really something you have to question? It IS your fault, Angel wouldn't be in this position if YOU had not put him in it to begin with!"
"I-"
"You made him feel so.... HORRIBLE for even THINKING about telling you 'no', he didn't feel that he had a CHOICE, he knew better-"
"Ya' know, Angel's not some perfect fuckin'-"
"No one said that he is," Alastor interrupted, taking a step closer, his shoulders back and his chest bowed, Husk shrinking a bit at the suddenly... intimidating.... aura that was starting to thrum around the slightly shorter man
"No one in this room is perfect, we are beings filled with mistakes and misgivings, but I don't care, Angel is my reason for existing, he's everything to me, and YOU are putting him at SERIOUS risk, I've let this go on for days- weeks!- because I didn't want to make Angel feel that I was being overly controlling, but this has gone on long enough- this ends- tonight,"
Husk swallowed tightly, biting down on the tip of his tongue, his stomach churning, his fingers curling and uncurling around the edges of his pockets
He glanced at Angel breifly, his heart clenching, memories he had been trying to suppress for days threatening to break through and pour in, and he.....
He knew that Alastor was right
".....I'll grab my shit and leave,"
"No," Alastor huffed quickly, placing one hand on his hip
"Angel will panic, he'll be upset-"
"Then I'll leave in the morning, call this all off,"
Alastor took a deep, steady breath, in through his nose, out through his mouth, before nodding slowly in agreement
"....I have to run an errand," he announced suddenly
"Alright," Husk agreed with a slow nod
Alastor wordlessly stepped closer, taking Husk by the wrist and tugging him towards the bed he shared with Angel
"Uhh-...?"
"This isn't my first experience with addicts," he said simply, reaching under the bed and pulling out a pair of handcuffs, giving them a quick twirl around his finger and giving Husk a simple, challenging look, as if begging him to protest
"You're gonna leave me here handcuffed? What if there's a fuckin' fire or somethin'?"
"Then just shout for Angel to wake up, he's not that deep of a sleeper," Alastor shrugged back easily, clasping one cuff around Husk's wrist before tugging him towards the opposite bed and securing the other cuff around one of the bed posts
Husk sat on the floor with a sigh, watching as Alastor snatched up his keys and wallet and headed for the door, only stopping long enough to grab his coat
".....I never wanted to hurt Angie ya' know," Husk noted after a beat, prompting Alastor to stop, albeit breifly, and turn wordlessly towards him
"...Believe it or not, I never...... I never... wanted him to get hurt,"
"And yet," Alastor breathed back, whatever sympathy he'd had clearly gone- atleast for the time being
"Try to let the poor thing sleep," was the last thing that Alastor said before disappearing from the motel room, leaving Husk alone with Angel
Alone with his memories
He sighed loudly and hung his head
It'd be fine..... it'd be fine....
He just had to survive the night.......
~+~
"Did you even hear me?"
Blinking, Conor glanced over his shoulder at the woman talking to him, just.... staring.....
"Huh?"
She huffed, shaking her head
"Shit, you should crawl out of the bottle sometime Con, it turns you into a total fucking husk,"
Conor only made a noise in the back of his throat, waving with disinterest as she stopped the car and he climbed out
Megan was a good drinking buddy, or atleast she used to be, before his drinking had gotten...... as bad as it was......
He took a breath, glancing down at his phone for a moment, at the pile of messages that he hadn't answered
Wish you were here, please call me back... :(
Cayden had sent that earlier that morning, he was in Orlando now....
Pocketing the phone again, Conor started down the street, he just.... he just needed to go by Aisling's place one last time..... just to get her wedding dress and take it back to-.....
Fuck his throat was dry
Taking a few breaths, he tried to keep himself somewhat in check as he walked, pausing and rubbing his face, he was so....... he was so.............
.....
Was he seeing things?
Squinting, he glanced up ahead, watching the figure in the bright pink coat climb up onto the railing over the river....
SHIT!!!
Suddenly breaking into a sprint, he sobered up- atleast a little- from the adrenaline, pushing himself forward
No no no no
Nobody else was gonna lose their fucking sister like this!!!
He managed to reach out just as the figure tilted forward, grabbing them by the coat and yanking them back with a yelp
The blonde screeched as they landed backwards, fighting out of (well mostly out of) Conor's grasp
"The fuck man?!?!"
...
Oh
"You're a guy?"
The blonde huffed, finally managing to pull away
"Yeah, no shit asshole! What, were ya' hopin' to grab yourself a free fuck from some chick!?"
Startled, and absolutely inebriated, Conor huffed, eyes narrowing
"The fuck is wrong with you? I just saved your life!"
"Uh, HELLO, was the SUICIDE ATTEMPT not OBVIOUS!? Ya' didn't do me any favors!!" the blonde yapped, managing to make his way to his feet- well kinda, he was stumbling alot- and glaring at Conor as though the brunette had personally peed on his foot or something
"Yeah, well, too bad, you're not killin' yourself, get over it," Conor huffed back, earning a completely confounded look from the blonde
"And why the fuck not? What's it to ya'?!"
"...Call it a personal greivance," Conor huffed back, making his way to his feet
The blonde glared at him for a moment, before huffing, grumbling something under his breath and moving towards the railing again
...
Hm
Nope
In a quick motion, Conor lurched forward again and grabbed the blonde once more, earning a shreik as he tightened his grip around the stranger and hauled him backwards, gritting his teeth a little as the stranger struggled in his hold, squirming and kicking as if he could get free that easily
If people had been hanging around at the moment, they probably would have thought Conor was a fucking monster, attempted rapist or some shit, but luckily, he really didn't care about appearances
"What the fuck!?! So what, you're just gonna babysit me the rest of my life to make sure I don't jump!?" the blonde howled as Conor finally set him down again, a hand resting tiredly on his hip
"Nope," he shrugged back, wich seemed to actually take the stranger by a bit of surprise
"I don't care about what you do with the rest of your life, I'm just gonna make sure you survive the night,"
"...Why?" the stranger asked in confusion, head tilting to the side
Conor only gave a little shrug, looking away defiantly
".............Call it a personal greivance,"
For a few moments, things between them were quiet, before the stranger finally huffed, glancing at the railing again, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Conor's attention was immediately back on him, back tensed, waiting to spring into action...
....
".....I'm goin' to Ihop, you're buyin',"
Conor snorted, eyes rolling as the blonde started walking off in another direction
"And what the fuck makes you think that?"
"Well ya' want me to stay alive for the rest of the night right? Then starvin' me ain't exactly the best way to go about that,"
Conor could have easily said "no", or even more easily just walked off and left the blonde to his own devices
....
But it wouldn't be Conor's life if he took the easy way out, now would it?
So he followed right behind, sighing heavily as a tense silence hung between them
What the fuck was he doing...?
He should go home, he shouldn't be dealing with this shit, and yet...
"I'm Angel, by the way, what do I call ya'?"
Angel....
....
There was no way that was the guy's real name, Conor probably shouldn't give out his either....
"It turns you into a total fucking husk..."
....
"Husk," he finally answered as they walked
"Just call me Husk,"