WHAT: Drinking post-apocalypse WHERE: An unnamed bar not too far from the apartments WHEN: Monday, February 17th, evening WARNINGS: Not really beyond the drinking and the apocalypse STATUS:Complete!
"So let me get this straight," Klaus said, looking at Allison in awe. "You've only been here a little longer than I have. Earlier today we watched the moon blow up. You're a mess…" He paused to offer her an apologetic look, but then gestured toward his throat in a slight slashing motion. "Who knows where we really are, even? And yet you've already managed to score yourself a date."
He tilted the rest of his drink back and signaled for another. They'd offered him $1000 and a place to stay if he'd register himself? Klaus hadn't asked any questions. Now he could actually afford to drink without trying to slip out unnoticed later. "I'm impressed. Way better than the apocalypse." He was grinning, eyes lit up and feeling very much grateful to still be alive, even if he'd expected to end up somewhere in the past and he was trying not to think about it.
And until this point, he'd gone through everything sober.
Allison rolled her eyes. It’s not a date, she typed, texting the message to him. It’s just...friends. Probably. Getting coffee. She read through the conversation again, taking another sip of her drink. She was perhaps a smidge too tired to be drinking. Not to mention everything else that happened before. I didn’t even mean to potentially flirt with anyone. But it had been nice to do something that felt normal. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to let him know what her power was or what she’d done, though. In case he somehow decided she wasn’t the sort of friend to have.
I’m sure you’ll have flirted with some stranger in no time. It was fine. Everything was definitely fine. And she was not sure she should keep drinking, but that didn’t mean she would stop. Do you think Ben’s around right now? I can’t tell.
"That's how it starts," Klaus replied cheerfully. He got his next drink a moment later, taking smaller sips this time. It was an extremely rare occasion where he acted with any real sense of responsibility, and even rarer when he was in better shape than one of his siblings, but he suspected that was the case right now.
His expression soured when she asked if he thought Ben was around, lifting the glass toward her to indicate he wouldn't have any idea either. It was definitely selfish, he knew that. But they'd just escaped the apocalypse somehow! Surely that called for a few drinks?
Allison shot Klaus a quick look. She wanted to say it had been forever since they’d done things, but they hadn’t even really been talking when she got together with Patrick. They’d talked about boys before and Allison had gotten used to Klaus borrowing her clothes and her make up. She idly wondered what being able to read her mind was going to do for the conversation and if it was just what she wanted him to see or everything. I’ve never had someone read my mind before. Or my thoughts? I don’t know how it works. She was curious enough to follow through. He seemed nice anyway.
She nodded at the raised drink. We can always text him since apparently that’s normal. But she wasn’t sure that she wanted to know if he was upset and she was pretty sure he’d have texted one or both of them if he was. She let her eyes close for a moment, propping her chin on her hand before she thought about it and sat up. She was eyeing her glass, trying to decide if one more drink was a good idea or a terrible idea. Klaus had another, which led her to feel like it was a good idea...but she also wasn’t sure if that was the correct plan. When the bartender asked if she wanted another, however, she just nodded her head in agreement. She would definitely regret this in the morning.
Klaus laughed, shaking his head slightly as Allison nodded hers. "Are you sure?" he asked her, slamming down his drink. It was a bit of wait til the bartender brought hers, but he'd noticed her messages were taking longer to type out, and her eyelids were drooping. As much fun as it would be to get totally plastered with his sister, that could wait for another night. When her drink arrived he stole it, and asked for their tabs.
"You'll thank me later," he promised, knowing full well that on a normal day he could handle his liquor better than her, and this was no normal day.
"I hope this mind reading date isn't tomorrow," he pointed out. He wasn't sure how he'd feel about that, but for Allison? He knew she struggled with her voice gone. More than once he thought it might have changed how things had played out if she'd been able to speak.
He took a long sip, unconcerned with whether or not he managed to finish it.
There was a look of disappointment on her face when Klaus took her drink. She was not excited about this sudden change in events when she was the one that was stopped from drinking. Even if she probably didn’t need hers. But she’d still wanted it.
Rude. It was her main response. As for when the not-a-date was, she shrugged. I don’t know when. I have to text first. And she hadn’t texted, but now she was thinking about it. She studied Klaus briefly which was when she realized how not sober she definitely was in that moment. Frowning slightly, she slid from the stool and stood up, catching herself on Klaus’ shoulder.
Mistakes had definitely been made.
Keeping Allison upright while somehow managing to pay their tabs was an act of athleticism that Klaus hadn't been aware he was capable of. He'd have told her she owed him, but he did have money here and this was nothing compared to what he had borrowed from her over the years, both of them knowing the loans had little chance of being paid back.
"Oh, you're drunk," he said, sliding off the stool himself, then letting her lean on him. "We just need to get outside for some fresh air, please don't get sick…" He was half laughing, half pleading, endlessly amused but also trying not to worry about her neck and how that might affect her now.
Once they were outside he asked, "Doing alright? Need to sit and rest for a bit?" He wondered if there were waypoints that would shorten their trip, and if traveling by means of them would end up making things worse.
Right. Walking it would be. It wasn't that far.
Allison wanted to argue, but she didn’t. She was definitely less sober than she’d thought, definitely drunk. She waved it off as they started to walk. She didn’t feel sick. She definitely didn’t want to know what it would feel like to throw up while her neck was still healing. That probably would end with a trip to a medical facility and she didn’t think that was her existence in life. Nope. No. She didn’t want to.
She nodded when he asked her, wishing she’d just suggested they drink in a room where she could just sleep because right now, that was what she was thinking about. Sleep. Sleep and coffee and mostly still sleep. She opened her mouth to say something, frowning when she remembered that she couldn’t. She was very certain that she’d not be able to type and walk at the same time.
This had been a truly terrible idea, Klaus finally realized, because the day had been completely insane before they landed here. But drinking was what he defaulted to, and he didn't think the same could be said of Allison. So he laughed, uncomfortably, as he guided her off to a place to break for a moment, uncertain if she was nodding at needing to stop or just being alright. Taking her drinking was particularly stupid because she was still healing. His eyes were wide as he looked at her, making sure she was alright. "Was that a nod that you needed to stop?" he asked. "Maybe we need a better signal… Or maybe…" He glanced toward the street. "We should just take a cab?"
Allison sat down, thankful to have a moment to get her thoughts together and maybe even be able to write a response. Not talking is hard. It was a complaint rather than a response to his questions. I’m okay. I’m fine. Walking’s just...a lot right now. Should not have drank so much.
"You can still spell," Klaus offered. "Can't be too drunk then, right?" He stood in front of her, looking down for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other before he gave into the restlessness. "If you need to stop, just elbow me. But we should go before you realize how tired you are and decide you just want to sleep there. Trust me when I say it's not as brilliant an idea as it sounds right now."
He did know, after all.
He offered her both hands, then tilted his head toward the apartment building, which could be seen down the street not even that far away. "You got this, Allison." He paused. "Sorry, I should've stopped you sooner…"
He really was good at messing up and being irresponsible.
Allison wasn’t entirely sure that she had anything right now. She stood slowly, grabbing both of Klaus’ hands and nodding. What she was nodding about, she didn’t know, but she was nodding. She wanted to be home where her bed was...or anywhere where a bed was. She gave him a small smile and kept walking because at least they would be back soon. She paused long enough to be able to type I love you, Klaus. sorry.
They were moving again, which was good, and then they stopped again. Klaus read the words on her phone's screen. "No, Allison," he said, shaking his head and drawing out her name. "This one's on me." It was a rare display of the fourth of the Hargreeves siblings taking responsibility. "I love you too," he added, words not often spoken, especially by him.
They weren't far from the apartment, or him getting her to her room, making sure she at least drank some water before passing out. He was definitely going to end up crashing on the couch, just to make sure she was alright. In many ways, the night (and day for that matter) had been full of mistakes, but he also couldn't remember the last time he and Allison had spent this much time together since they were teenagers. There was something to be said for that, or maybe nothing more needed to be said. The day had been long enough already. He was too tired to really think anymore.