The Birds, They Sang at Break of Day [OPEN]

[midnightroads]

Who: Bash and You
When: January; the return home
Where: Bash's Cabin, Bars, Calgona Gym
Summary: Aftermath Happens.
Warnings: Alcohol use and potentially abuse, violence, volatile emotions...we're not having a good time here

1. Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring [Closed to Giles and Jeff]
One moment, Bash is a corpse. The next moment, he is breathing. He does not open his eyes, he does not gasp, he just...begins to breathe again, lying still in the bed. Or. Or perhaps he's pretending to still be asleep because he doesn't want to open his eyes and see what's around him.


2. Forget Your Perfect Offering [Bars; Hurikane, Tauva]
While Bash is a regular at Tauva for smoking, he's usually not seen indulging in the other offerings of it or any other bar. But in the first week of January or so, Bash can be found frowning over a bottle of beer or a shot of whiskey or some fruity rum cocktail more than occasionally. There may be a few other empty glasses around him, hinting he's been at it for a while. Perhaps this is someone's cue to step in and save him from himself.


3. There is a Crack in Everything [Calgona Gym]
A day comes when Bash walks into the Calgona Gym holding what appears to be a black pool cue. Shuts the door behind himself. Turns off the lights. And then a set of noises come from inside that room that are divine in the sense that they are being made by a demigod, but most people would call them unholy. The crashing of mirrors, the destruction of exercise bikes and treadmills, things being flung across the room.

Perhaps you were coming to work out and have just now realized the room is very, very occupied. Perhaps you're there when he stumbles out, panting and red in the face. Perhaps you were in the spa and heard what would likely be described as a tantrum.

(and this is before he learns a proper berserker rage. this is just him letting loose like he has never allowed himself to do before, with the powers of darkness and death and moonlight and a lot of repression...)


4. That's How the Light Gets In [Wildcard]
darkersolstice or darkersolstice#9463 to plot

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[busball]

Even though Klaus is fucked up, they can sense the weirdness of finding Bash in Hurikane with a fruity drink and other drinks around him. They've talked about this before. They aren't fully sober from when they passed out earlier that morning in Sundries and are still in the clothes they fell asleep in. So he's just here in a rumpled, entirely black outfit as he slips into the chair next to him.

"You got a headstart, huh?" He orders two drinks of his own. Once that's done, they're going to start catching up. "How much have you had?"

[midnightroads]

“Not nearly enough yet.” He can still speak straight, after all. Bash scoots his chair a little closer, though, and raises an arm in invitation. Hello, it is the time for hugs now.

“Did it get you, too, sweetheart?”

[busball]

"Didn't think I'd ever see you drinking." The words are soft, but he's not chastising him, just leaning over into the hug.

This is when they realize that being dead means that they...do not actually know what happened. Klaus is still for a long moment before shaking his head. "No. I wasn't dead. Kind of wish I had been, though." They take a long, shaky breath in. "There was so much fighting and...over the dumbest things. Everyone was arguing back and forth over what should be done and it wasn't like there was a good choice or anything, but..."

They pause, drinking the two drinks quickly because...yep. That's where they are. Gonna order two more just in case. "Nobunaga and I broke up. Is the short story. It sucks. Probably my fault, really."

[midnightroads]

“Fucking hell. What do you need, sweetheart?” Besides being held and chasing oblivion not alone, because those are just…happening now, as Bash sips his drink.

[busball]

"Better fucking drugs for one. If I could be so high I forget myself and everything around me...well, I would be." There's a shrug. "But this ship doesn't seem too keen on that, so...I don't know." They look up at him for a moment. "But this isn't...you died. Do you need anything?"

[midnightroads]

“To somehow go back in time and be able to have stopped him. Even if I still had to die to do it. I shoulda been able to. He was right in the scope of my purviews.”

Never good enough. Bash is never smart enough, strong enough, ruthless enough…

[busball]

"Guess that's zero for two on our wish lists." There's a frown. "There were fifteen people dead. Skulduggery was killed by the Captain. The rules of the game and all." There's a frown. "You did better than I would have. I don't know if that helps or not."

The let out a sigh. "Still...I'm sorry it all happened. That we were...that it was so bad."

[midnightroads]

“Rules of the game.” He lets out this high pitched, broken little laugh at those words. “Shitfuck, I know how rules go. Skulduggery…I think I need to talk to him, at some point. Not now, though. Now it is time for drinking. Another round?”

[busball]

Klaus nods. "It's been a pretty shitfuck situation. I agree." Klaus considers the question before nodding. "Yeah. Another round. Let me know if it's too much, though. My tolerance is like...a lot higher." A beat. "Unless demigod stuff means you can drink forever. Then we're fine."

[midnightroads]

“Sweetheart, I got no tolerance at all. I’m prolly going to pass out after the next one or two. But oblivion sound damn fine right now.” He fakes a smile that fades too quickly.

[busball]

“Then I’ll make sure you get somewhere safe before I go back to my regularly scheduled self loathing.” Klaus gives him a small, barely there smile themselves.

[midnightroads]

“Stay with me instead of going back to it?” Did you know Bash has the most amazing big brown puppy dog eyes?

[busball]

Oh no. Dangerous. “Fine. I’ll stay.” There’s a beat. “Can’t promise not to still self loathe without alcohol while you sleep it off, though.”

[midnightroads]

“We could go someplace. Your cabin o mine. Settle into a cuddle something.” What? Is this a bad idea?

Absolutely.

[busball]

Klaus looks at him evenly for a long moment. “I’ll sit next to your bed and hold your hand while you sleep.” They’re a little anxious about the whole thing even if the alcohol is starting to set in a little. “Can only let you make so many bad decisions on my watch.”

[midnightroads]

“I don’t even get one more?” Bash leans in slightly, his smile crooked. And his body crooked. Look, he’s going to plop his cheek on Klaus’s shoulder and just…linger. Walking back to his cabin sounds like a hellish diversion, but them coming with might be worth it…

[busball]

“No. Sorry.” They will allow it for that brief moment. Bash needs a nap. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get you to a bed.” They’re still drinking the last of their drinks. He’ll maybe slip out for some pain killers before Bash wakes up. Maybe. “Think you can walk?” Klaus can levitate if necessary, but it’ll definitely take longer.

[midnightroads]

“Through walls if I have to. Don’t ask me to try shadow-portalling right now, though, I might split myself in two.” He stands, takes a couple wobbly, weaving steps in nowhere near a straight line.

[busball]

Klaus shakes his head. “Come here.” It’s maybe not any more reasonable than like cuddling in bed, but Klaus is more than willing to scoop Bash up and levitate them both with Bash in their lap till they get to one of their rooms. “You can take a ride on levitation central.”

[midnightroads]

Bash is absolutely into being floated to bed, though Klaus scooping up his gangly ass is amusing enough to leave him in giggles. “Like fucking…magic carpet ride or some shit.”

[busball]

Klaus is fine with the giggles. God. Is he ever like this? Probably more than Bash. “Yep. Should get an appropriate outfit for it. Dressed like a rug chic or something.”

[midnightroads]

“I feel more like a doormat.” He clings like a koala to Klaus, that comment quiet and half-sighed.

[busball]

Klaus hears it and peers at him quietly for a moment. It’s a slow-going magic carpet ride, but at least neither of them have to walk. “Why’s that?”

[midnightroads]

“That shadowmonster fucking stepped on me, didn’ he?”

[busball]

Klaus looks at him for a minute. “Ehhh. I don’t know.” They aren’t really sure they’re even emotionally capable of anything even remotely insightful, but Bash would be there for him, so… “Is this just about that?”