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With only two days of leave to look forward to, Jane and Tavish had decided spending the whole night getting hammered at a local bar was the best use of their time. It was a change from their usual trips, when they had four days to a week to spend traveling around the country. But even with only two days, they'd still rather meet up somewhere than mope around their respective bases.
Tavish didn't have much of a plan when he drove into town that afternoon, Jane sitting beside him and watching the scenery fly by. They were both on the lookout for a bar, one not too fancy for rough mercenary folk such as themselves, but not so seedy that it might just be a front for something illegal.
“How bout that one?” Jane piped up suddenly, pointing to a hole in the wall simply named “Roy’s”.
Tavish shrugged, “Seems as good as any.”
They parked a little ways down the street and then made their way over to the building. The door squeaked when they entered, the bar’s age fitting in with the rest of the buildings on the block. On the inside though it at least looked relatively clean. It was dimly lit, a light bulb burnt out here and there. Several beat up wooden tables lined the wall, looking only slightly more ragged than the bar counter itself. A jukebox sat in the corner, quietly playing some slow jazz.
There were a few other patrons in the bar, but it was mostly empty. Tavish and Jane took their seats right in the middle as usual. Tavish always liked being as close to the source of the alcohol as possible.
“Ey! Two beers here.” Tavish called to the man behind the counter, who just rolled his eyes. Tavish figured he shouldn't expect great service from such a dive.
Despite the bartender acting a little pissy, their drinks were on the counter almost immediately. Tavish blamed the lack of customers for leaving the man without any other distractions.
“To the start of a great weekend!” Jane said, lifting his bottle and interrupting his thoughts. Tavish grinned, tapping the neck’s of their bottles together.
“Aye, It’s been too long.”
The two mercenaries smiled at each other and took a swig of their respective drinks. Beer always felt so light to Tavish, almost like drinking water. But they had a whole night ahead of them to switch to hard liquor and get wasted, so he didn’t really mind it for now.
They chatted through the evening, mostly about some of their best kills, or the drama going on at their respective bases. Apparently Blu’s scout was getting even more obnoxious than usual, causing a lot of fights between him and the other Mercs.
More and more people filed in as evening turned into night, and the bar ended up surprisingly crowded for a place Tavish believed best described as a ‘shithole’. But hey, if it was this popular, there must be something the place had going for it.
A bunch of young 20-somethings were one of the groups to arrive around ten, they were particularly loud and boisterous, and as time went on Tavish could tell it was getting on Jane’s nerves.
“Just ignore them, they’re stupid kids.”
“They’re disrespectful is what they are!” Jane fired back, alcohol only adding to his hot-headedness, he was currently on his fifth beer. “There’s nothing that boy could say that’s worth shouting about!”
“They’re just having fun Jane,” Tavish drolled, rolling his eyes, “do you even remember what that’s like?”
Jane just grumbled something, going back to stewing silently. Every so often one of them would yell again, and Tavish could see Jane gripping his bottle even harder.
The final straw was when one of the boys went over to the jukebox, putting in a quarter in the machine and turning on a loud rock song. Jane slammed his fists down on the bar and stood up before Tavish could even try to stop him.
“Turn off that garbage you maggot scum!” Jane yelled, immediately ruining any chance of a peaceful resolution.
“Excuse me?” said the young man that had turned on the music, looking completely befuddled by Jane’s sudden appearance.
“You heard me sister, turn off that unamerican garbage of I’ll make you turn it off!”
“Fuck that old man!” The kid scoffed, raising an eyebrow, “No one else gives a shit, why do you care?”
“I care because I am a patriot! A goddamn American-” Jane was cut off by a hand grabbing his collar and yanking him backwards. It was Tavish.
“God Jane stop making such a fuss! It’s just music!”
“Just music? This hippy garbage? Why that communist son of a bitch-” Tavish dragged Jane away, and rolled his eyes as the kid flipped them off before returning to his table.
“Why do you always have to make a scene?!” Tavish hissed, shoving Jane back onto his seat.
Jane gritted his teeth, angrily swiping up his drink and taking a long swig.
“Because fuck those kids that’s why! You Scots are too willing to just lay down and not stand up for anything. I’m an American, and we stand up for what is good and proper!”
“It’s got nothing to do with being Scottish!” Tavish yelled, lowering his voice after more people started to look at them, “It’s got to do with making a choice to ignore shite that doesn’t matter when you just want to have a drink with a friend.” Tavish didn’t mind the times he and Jane had gotten in fights for proper things, like bartenders trying to cut him off, but fighting some 20 year old over his taste in music was not a good enough reason to end up with a black eye.
Jane still looked pissed off, but seemed to be content to complain quietly instead of running back into the fight. That was enough of a victory for Tavish.
They’d gone through another pair of beers and Tavish was on his first glass of whiskey when something suddenly dawned on him.
“Ah shit… I forgot to call me mum and tell her I’m not coming home this weekend.”
“Really?” Jane said, raising an eyebrow, “No wonder she calls you a bad son.”
“Fuck you.” Tavish spat jokingly, “But seriously… I have to call her. I’m going to see if they have a payphone in the back. Don’t get in any fights while I’m gone ok?”
“No promises,” Jane chuckled, but Tavish didn’t have the time to wait for a better response.
He ended up finding a payphone between the men’s and women’s bathrooms, and shoved in some change before dialing the number of his mansion.
His mother was pissed, screaming at Tavish before he could get a word out.
“Yes… Yes I know what time it is…. I’m…. yes…. I’m sorry… No… No… Mum i’m on a trip, mum… Mum… Yes I know…”
The conversation was mostly one sided, end ended up lasting 15 minutes despite Tavish saying not more than 30 seconds worth himself. He returned to the bar feeling much more tired than when he left, and much to his disappoinment to see Jane fighting with that kid again.
At least it looked like the kid might have started it this time, as the two were still by Jane and his spot by the bar.
“What’s going on here lads?” Tavish said, stepping between the two pissed off looking men.
“This one is starting shit with me! He walked right up here and thought he could insult me right to my face!” Jane was glaring over Tavish’s shoulder at the young guy.
“Like you weren’t glaring at me from across the room! And I ain’t said anything that isn’t true, asshole!”
Jane was about to attack, but Tavish grabbed his shoulders and shoved Jane back onto his barstool.
“Jane! Not worth it!” He hissed, then turned towards the boy.
“Look, why don’t we all just go back to our drinks and forget about this?”
The kid just scoffed, “I don’t forget when someone insults me to my face, you wanna fight too?”
“What? No!” Truth be told Tavish really felt this kid could use a good hit to set him straight, but Tavish was too tired to run from the police, and he still just wanted to relax this weekend. “Seriously, I’m sorry for whatever my friend here did, but let’s just forget about this all right?”
The kid looked back and forth between Tavish and Jane, then narrowed his eyes, backing away and returning to his friends, who were all giggling amongst themselves.
Tavish sighed and took his seat again. At this point he’d really rather just leave, but he knew Jane would take that as a ‘defeat’ which was absolutely unacceptable. Speaking of Jane, he was already saying something.
“-I’m serious! He was all up in my space all of the sudden, when I told him to back off he just started cursing at me! When you came back I was-”
“Alright alright it’s fine, It wasn’t your fault,” Tavish sighed again, rubbing his face with his hands and leaning heavily on the bar.
“You all right?”
Tavish was taken aback by the sudden concern, and looked over at Jane, who’d gone from looking angry to having his mouth pressed in a thin line. Jane wasn’t really known for his empathy.
“Yeah I’m fine, just tired,” Tavish said.
Jane nodded, then went back to drinking.
Tavish ordered himself another whisky, and got busy trying to get drunk as quickly as possible.
He was on his second glass when he noticed Jane was strangely quiet. He's almost finished his current beer, but his eyes were glazed over as he stared off into space. Maybe that kid had gotten to him more than Tavish thought.
“You know that kid’s an idiot Jane. I've not been stopping you from fighting him because I think you aren't right. It's just a waste of your time.”
Jane turned to him slowly, eyes still not quite focused.
“No, no…. I know. I'm just… I'm fine.” he slurred. Gravity pulled Jane a bit to the left, before he grabbed the bar again to stabilize himself.
It seemed strange to Tavish that Jane seemed to get so drunk so suddenly. It usually to a lot more for the soldier to start slurring his words, his ability to yell was usually one of the last things to go.
“You sure you’re alright?” he asked again, slower this time.
“Yeah yeah…. I just… I need to use the restroom.” Jane slid out of his chair, and Tavish watched him stumble his way to the back hallway.
From across the room he heard some laughter, and sure enough it was that group of college kids. They were gesturing at where Jane had been moments ago, leaning close and whispering something amongst themselves. More laughter erupted from the group.
“Shit.”
It had all suddenly clicked together in Tavish’s mind. He got up from the chair, and followed Jane’s footsteps to the men’s bathroom.
It was completely empty, except for the single stall at the back which was currently occupied. Tavish walked over, grimacing at the filthy looking door before knocking twice.
“Jane? How you doing?”
There was a silence, then the sound of someone spitting into the toilet bowl.
“Mm fine…” Jane murmured, sounding quite the opposite.
“Are you sure?” Tavish asked again, “No nausea or dizziness?”
“I can hold my liquor!” Jane yelled, followed by some coughing and more spitting.
“No, no… I know you can drink Jane,” Tavishs rolled his eyes. “But I think that kid drugged you, put something in your drink when he came up to pick a fight.” Jane was still quiet. “I saw it on the news, it’s getting really common with kids his age.”
“F-fucker.” He heard Jane hiss.
“Yeah I know, open the door we’re going to go to a hotel.” Tavish listened to Jane’s unsteady footsteps and he shuffled around back to the door, unlocking it so Tavish could push it open.
Jane looked like shit, he’d become extremely pale in the minute since he’d last seen Jane, and his eyes were glazed over like he wasn’t really looking at Tavish.
“Come on, I’m going to warn the bartender on the way out.” He put a hand on Jane’s back to guide him, but he seemed even less coordinated than before. Instead, he readjusted their positions so he had Jane’s arm over his shoulders and his own around Jane’s waist. That seemed to keep him mostly upright on their way back to the bar.
He waved down the bartender urgently, awkwardly pulling out his wallet with his free hand and slamming as wad of cash on the bar.
“We’re going, this is for the bill. And that guy over there? He’s drugging people. I suggest you deal with it.”
The Bartender looked a bit taken aback, “How can you be sure he’s drugging people?”
“Because he did it to my friend you daft prick!” Tavish yelled,” Now I suggest you do something before he drugs some poor girl for more than just a prank.”
The bartender swallowed nervously, but nodded.
Tavish shook his head. He really hoped the man would do something, but he couldn’t stick around to find out when he had to get Jane somewhere he could rest up.
They walked out to the car, Tavish shoving Jane into the passenger’s seat before pulling out of the parking spot and driving down the street. He kept his eye open for a hotel, something cheap but not completely run down. It didn’t take long to find something decent, an inexpensive chain hotel was what he ended up choosing. Tavish decided to leave Jane in the car while he checked in, He was looking pretty pale, and Tavish didn’t want to have to answer any questions about his friend.
“I’ll be right back,” He patted Jane’s shoulder and exited the car. It only took a few minutes for him to get the keys, then he came back to get Jane.
It took some effort to get Jane out of the car. His strength seemed to be leaving him quickly now, and seemed imperative to get him up to the room as quickly as possible.
“Tavish…” Jane murmured as he was hauled into the elevator.
“What is it?”
“I… I think I’m going to be sick.”
Well, great.
“We’re almost at the room Jane, hold on.” Tavish mashed the button for their floor, and the elevator ascended at an almost painfully slow pace. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a bunch of soldier vomit soaking into his clothes.
Finally the elevator door creaked open, and Demo dragged the barely conscious soldier down the hall. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and jammed them in the lock, jiggling them violently before the door fell open and the two of them stumbled inside.
“Bathroom is this way,” tavish said, dragging the soldier inside without even taking the time to examine the rest of their room.
Jane collapsed onto the floor when Tavish's grip on him loosened. He lifted the toilet seat and hugged the bowl. His breathing was labored, and Tavish felt a pang of sympathy in his gut. Jane leaned back for a moment to pull off his helmet, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he took a shuddering breath while running his hand through his damp hair.
“How are you feeling?” Tavish asked awkwardly, knowing full well what the answer would be.
Jane spat a glob of saliva in the toilet, then swallowed thickly. His whole body had a slight shake to it, but it was the most prominent in his hands.
“N… Not great.” Jane said slowly, swallowing heavily again.
Tavish wasn't sure what exactly Jane had been drugged with, or how much, but he figured it was best for Jane to get it out regardless.
Sure enough, after another minute passed Jane let out a wet gagging sound, and then began to expel the contents of his stomach.
Tavish looked away, it really wasn't something he wanted to watch. Instead, he grabbed one of the glasses set beside the sink and poured Jane a glass of water, knowing he's need it soon enough.
It only lasted a few minutes before Jane was dry heaving, as there was nothing left to bring up. Tavish flushed the toilet and grabbed a handful of tissues, handing them to the soldier.
He wiped his mouth shakily, then dropped the tissues into the bowl.
Jane looked exhausted. His face was pale, but his eyes were red and shiny. Dark bags were already forming beneath his eyes. Jane let go of the toilet bowl and slumped against the side of the tub.
“Water,” Tavish said, holding put the glass to Jane. “Drink slowly.”
He watched Jane reach out, fingers quivering as he tried to grab the glass. There was no strength left in him, and he just ended up bumping the glass and causing some of the water to spill on the floor.
“Sorry…” he murmured, and Tavish felt pity wash over him once again.
“Ach, don't be sorry. It’s all right.” Tavish said, crouching down next to Jane. He put one hand on the back of Jane’s neck, and held the glass to his lips with the other. He let Jane’s shaking hands tilt the glass back at his own pace.
Jane was strangely compliant, Tavish realized with a jolt. It was really disturbing seeing him so apologetic, so willing to do what Tavish said.
He doubted that kid at the bar intended to use the drug on Jane for anything other than a stupid prank, but he didn't like thinking about what might have happened if someone else had come across Jane in his current condition.
Once Jane had drained the water Tavish put the glass back next to the sink, and grabbed under Jane’s arms.
“Let's get you to bed, ok?”
Jane made a low grunt, not doing much to support his own weight as Tavish heaved him upwards. He managed to get Jane's arm over his shoulder and drag him back out of the bathroom.
The hotel room was plain, consisting of two double beds, two chairs, and a table. But it would work for the purpose of letting Jane sleep off the drugs.
Tavish let Jane drop onto the bed like a sack of potatoes. He was a lot of dead weight, and Tavish took a minute to catch his breath.
“Tavish…” Jane groaned suddenly, “What… what's happening?” the confusion on his face was evident, and Tavish found himself seeing similarities between Jane and a small child.
“That idiot drugged you, remember?” Tavish hovered over Jane, but he just stared up at him with glassy eyes.
Tavish sighed, this whole situation was a bit odd. He couldn't wait for Jane to sober up and be back to his usual self.
Seeing as Jane was about as mobile as a beached whale, Tavish got to work stripping off his day clothes. He'd have to go grab their bags from the car sometime, but he wasn't going to leave Jane alone in his current condition.
With the man down to his underwear, Tavish tucked the shivering Jane under the covers.
“Cold?” Tavish asked, but Jane just continued staring at him dully. “Ach, I’ll go ask the front desk for some more blankets.”
He turned to leave, but as he did so, a small sound could be heard from Jane.
“You say something lad?” Tavish asked, coming back to hunch over the side of the bed.
“Stay…” Jane murmured, looking at him sadly. “I… I need… you.”
The Demoman’s heart thudded in his chest, his face heating up instantly.
“J-Jane…. Ah fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair, his whole stomach was twisting in on itself. “Fine… I’ll stay.”
A few tears appeared in Jane’s eye, and Tavish’s stomach flip-flopped again.
Even through his haze of embarrassment, Tavish had the genius idea of giving Jane one of the blankets off his bed. As he draped the other blanket over Jane, he realized the man was now out cold.
Demo sighed, he was glad the drugs hadn't taken over before he'd gotten Jane in bed.
He stood awkwardly in the room, suddenly not sure of himself. He didn’t want to sleep, he was worried that the kid might have given Jane too large a dose of whatever was currently coursing through his veins. He wanted to stay up, just to make sure Jane kept breathing. Not to mention the pounding of his heart against his ribs likely wouldn’t let him sleep anyway.
After spending a good ten minutes pacing back and forth, he grabbed one of the beat up lounge chairs from in front of the window and parked it beside Jane’s bed. As he sat down, all the broken springs sank under him, and the cracked vinyl tugged at his shirt. However, he was tired enough for it to feel like sitting on a cloud, and Tavish let out a sigh of relief, leaning back and stretching out his stiff legs.
As he took the time to relax, he found his mind wandering back to what Jane said. I need you. It made his heart flutter just thinking about it again. But it didn’t mean anything right? Jane was drugged, drunk, completely out of it. He probably had no idea what he was saying. Jane was extremely independant, he relied on no one, he didn’t need Tavish.
But thinking about that made him feel strangely disappointed.
He eyed Jane cautiously. Still breathing, still shivering. He wasn't really sure what to do about Jane’s apparent cold.
He leaned forward to touch his forehead, Jane was a little feverish, and his whole face was damp with sweat.
“Janey…” he said quietly, wishing to somehow express his sympathy.
He ended up wetting a washcloth to mop the sweat off his face. Jane’s face was taut, his eyebrows slightly furrowed even in his sleep. It felt good to be doing something, even if it likely brought little relief to the poor soldier.
The night wore on, Tavish occasionally getting up to rinse out the washcloth or to wipe Jane’s face, but otherwise he sat half-awake in the chair. Thoughts swirling around Jane’s words, and his own strange reaction to them.
By the time the sun rose the next morning, Jane’s sweating and shaking had stopped. Tavish finally felt himself relax.
It was a few hours later when Jane finally stirred, eyes blinking open before snapping shut again.
“Sweet lady liberty… it’s bright.” He groaned, voice hoarse, rolling over and pulling the sheets over his head.
“Good morning Jane,” Tavish said tiredly, stifling a yawn, “Good to see you’re all right.”
Jane grumbled something, and Tavish decided to leave him be for a moment. He went to the bathroom, relieving himself before pouring Jane a glass of water from the sink just like last night. Back in the main room, Jane hadn’t moved. Tavish sat next to him on the bed.
“Come out, I brought water.”
Slowly, Jane shifted beneath the covers. After a minute, his head poked out and he squinted at Tavish. It was almost cute, if the entire situation hadn’t been caused by drugs.
“Ugh… Tavish what the hell happened to me last night?” Jane grunted, sitting against the headboard and taking the glass from Tavish.
“You were drugged, remember?” He asked slowly, watching for Jane’s reaction.
“Oh… Right.” Tavish watched Jane blink, eyes wandering as he tried to regain his memories. “That fucking kid…”
“Hey don’t worry about it,” Tavish said, squeezing Jane’s shoulder. “How… How much do you remember?”
Tavish felt nervous, what if Jane remembered what he said? What if he didn’t? What if he regretted it, what if he was embarrassed? What if?
“I remember throwing up,” Jane said with a grimace. “We were… in the hotel bathroom right?” Jane looked around the room for the first time, taking it in. “You got me water.. But, I don’t remember leaving the bathroom.”
“Ah…” Tavish said under his breath.
“Why? Did something happen?” Jane was still squinting like the dim morning light was too bright.
“What? No! Nothing…” He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “I just got you to bed is all.”
“Oh.” Jane muttered, taking a sip of the water.
There was an awkward silence between them, Jane drinking the water as Tavish wrung his hands together.
“You took off my clothes..”
Tavish choked.
“W-what?!”
Jane looked at him incredulously.
“Well if you didn’t take them off then where the hell are they?” Jane scoffed, gesturing to his bare chest.
“Oh… Well yeah.” Tavish felt like an idiot, his nerves were getting the better of him. “I got you in bed, got you some extra blankets, you looked pretty cold. You were sweating a lot too, so I just made sure to clean you off a bit. Just now and then…”
“Were you up all night?” Jane asked, his eyes widening, more than a squint for the first time that morning.
“Well of course!” Tavish nearly yelled, shocked that Jane didn’t think it was obvious. “ I didn’t know if you’d been overdosed, you could have stopped breathing any minute. I wasn’t just going to go to sleep and see if you were alive when I woke up!”
Jane looked taken aback. He spun the glass in his hands nervously, and if Tavish didn’t know any better, he’d say the soldier’s cheeks were a little pink.
“I… Didn’t mean to imply you don’t care,” Jane said slowly, avoiding eye contact. “I just didn’t realize it was that serious.”
Tavish felt guilty now, “Well it wasn’t serious, you’re fine now. It’s just that it could have been.”
They lapsed into silence again.
“I’m… sorry for all this.” Jane said, quieter than he was used to.
“No no, There’s nothing to be sorry for. It wasn’t your fault.” Tavish tried to reassure him.
“No... I mean I never should have fought with that kid, you were right, it was stupid.” Jane looked particularly dejected, staring down at his empty water glass. Tavish felt that horrible twisting in his stomach once again.
“Jane look…” he turned to face Jane, and grabbed his shoulder so Jane would look at him as well. “If that kid had come up to you and beat you to a bloody pulp, then yes, I’d be calling you a daft piece of shite right now.” Jane just stared at him expectantly. “But that kid played dirty Jane, he wasn’t a good person. The fact that he even had those drugs on him is proof enough of that alright? This wasn’t your fault, I don’t blame you.”
He watched Jane bite his lip, shifting in place.
“Thank you.”
“Huh?” Tavish hadn’t expected that, he wasn’t the type to thank. As far as Tavish knew, Jane didn’t think owed anyone anything, except maybe George Washington and God himself.
“I said thanks maggot!” Jane yelled, making Tavish jump. “For… For taking…. For watching out for me.” His volume lowered and lowered until it was just a whisper.
Tavish felt his heart swell, and couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Sure Jane wasn’t looking him in the eye, but it was so heartening to hear Jane’s thanks.
“You’re welcome Jane, that’s what friends are for right?”
Jane smiled now too, “Right.”
They sat together a while longer, not talking, but without the awkward mood of the previous silence.
“So, I should probably go grab our clothes so we can go out for breakfast,” Tavish suggested, “the weekend isn’t over yet.”
Jane nodded violently, as if he were trying to shake some thoughts out of his head.
“A wonderful idea! We must find the most patriotic American diner to fulfill the duty of breakfast!”
“Well, I suppose it’s more brunch by this point,” Tavish said as he looked at the time.
“There is no such thing as brunch!” Jane said, wagging a finger at Tavish. “There is breakfast, then there is lunch, none of this in-between hippy nonsense. And if we are eating pancakes, then it is breakfast.”
“You want pancakes?” Tavish asked with a laugh.
“I want pancakes.” Jane replied, nodding to himself.
Tavish smiled brightly, putting a hand on the top of Jane’s head and giving him a hearty tousle. This was the Jane he knew, it was a relief to see him back to himself. Tavish wouldn’t have him any other way.
“Alright, pancakes it is. Now get off your lazy arse and get showered, I’ll grab our bags and then we can go out for breakfast.”
Jane smiled at him, eyes bright and full of life, the complete opposite of last night. He was ok, he was safe now. But if Jane had meant what he said, if he did need Tavish, even if only a little bit...
Then Tavish would make sure he was there.