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“Dick! Hey Dick” yelled Nix waving frantically at Winters from across the bar. He swayed dangerously in his seat, a glass held so tightly in his other hand it was like his life was depending on him keeping hold of it. Dick rolled his eyes in frustration. This was obviously why Luz had texted him. Lew was in no fit state to get home by himself. He weaved his way through the crowd towards Nix’s table. Lew tried to stand up but failed miserably, wobbled and fell heavily back down onto his chair. Dick looked round at the others slumped across the table. Harry and Spiers both looked utterly wrecked, sprawled in their seats and movements sluggish. Lew had a glass in his hand and his hip flask in his pocket, which Dick wasn’t actually surprised at.
“Get yours..elf a drink, Dick. Come on, join the party” Nix slurred almost tripping over his words. He went to grab a seat next to him but missed by miles. He scrabbled for it and slipped off his own. All the guys nearby laughed and jeered, but Dick just heaved a great sigh and bent down to help him up.
“Come on Lew. Let’s get you home.”
“No, no. M’ alright, m’ fine.” Nix muttered as he came dangerously close to smacking his head off the underside of the table. He waved off Dick’s helping hand and heaved himself back onto his seat. “Hey, Luz, get ‘s another round” he yelled toward the bar. Dick stood and turned toward the man behind the counter. Luz gave him a worried glance before turning his eyes back to the glass he was filling. Winters stepped up and leaned over.
“How much has he had?” he asked Luz.
“Too much. He basically came in like that, what, about 2 hours ago” Luz replied, concern etched deeply in his usual carefree face, making the feeling in Dick’s stomach considerably worse. Dick looked at his watch. 12:30 am. Jesus, he must have been drinking all day, he thought to himself. He glanced over at the table again. Lew was taking a swig from his flask. He clumsily put the lid back on and then immediately took another drink from his glass. Spiers had put his head on the table and had promptly fallen asleep and Harry was blabbering away to anyone who would listen.
“George, I’m going to get Nix home, make sure the others get away safely, okay.” Winters told Luz. George nibbled his lip anxiously, a look that didn’t suit him at all.
“I’ve tried to get them to get a cab, but they just won’t budge.” He sighed heavily. “And I can’t take them home myself because Lou-Lou’s out of town tonight and I can’t leave Honey here alone to deal with all this” he pointed at the crowd of rowdy men behind Dick. “Also, I think you should know. Something major has happened between him and Mrs. Nix” he said, lowering his voice and leaning closer so Dick could hear him. “I don’t think he can go home to her, especially not like that. God knows what will happen”.
“Oh jeez. Okay I know, I know but just...just try and make sure nothing happens to them, alright.” He said and turned back to Nix. “Come on, Lew, it’s time to go” He took Nix’s elbow and pulled him up, grabbing his shoulder to steady him as Lew swayed ominously from the shift in gravity. “I think you’ve had enough.” He started to steer Lew through the crowd, the other man tripping slightly over his feet. Lew started shouting at Dick, trying desperately to free his arm, but Winters was having none of it. His grip tightened as they drew closer to the door, then the cold night air was slapping them in the face, flakes of snow drifting past them. Dick glanced at Nix and realised they had left his jacket inside. Swearing under his breath he loosened his hold on Nix’s elbow and turned to face him. The other man was starting to shiver quite badly, mainly from the sudden heat loss and the copious amount of alcohol replacing the warm blood in his body. Winters sighed and removed his own jacket and draped it over Nix’s shoulders, who blearily gazed at Winters as the man put his arm across his back and started to guide him down the street. Thankfully Dick’s apartment was not too far away from The Screaming Eagle, so they were quickly back inside the warmth. Getting Nix up the stairs had not been fun, Dick having to almost push him from behind to make him move. Finally they were in Winters sitting room. He flicked on the light as he entered and quickly locked the door behind him. Nix stood, teetering slightly as his eyes attempted to focus. He went to take his flask out of his pocket but Dick was at his side quick enough to snatch it from him.
“No Lew, no more. That’s enough.” He said sternly. Lew’s face was murderous. For all he had seemed slightly dopey in the bar and on their walk, he almost seemed to sober up when his precious Vat 69 was taken from his grasp.
“Give that back” he growled, eyes narrowing to follow the flasks trail as Dick hastily shoved it in his own pocket.
“I said no Nix. Now come on sit down and I’ll get you some covers” he said, turning to head for the cupboard but before he could reach it he was flying though the air and with a huge thud made contact with the carpet, chin banging against the floor. Nix clung to his waist as he tackled and fell with him, hands reaching round him, almost tearing Dick’s clothes apart in his desperate attempt to retrieve his flask. Dick rolled over, grabbed Nix and pinned him to the floor by straddling his waist. He took both of Nix’s hands and shoved them brutally to the carpet, most likely leaving a burn across his knuckles.
“God damn it Lew. What the hell was that for?” he gasped as pain shot through his jaw, his chin pulsing slightly from its attack. “Jesus, I really shouldn’t underestimate you, ever. Now are you going to behave and not try and kill me for helping you.” He glared at the man pinned beneath him, as Nix slowly started to calm down, breathing slowing down and eyes trying their best to focus on Dick’s face. He finally was able to hold Winters gaze, and as he did, Dick felt butterflies take off inside his stomach, blood gushing to his pale face as he realised how this looked. He relaxed his grip slightly and licked his suddenly dry lips. Why did this suddenly seem very...appealing?
“Ok...” Lew mumbled sheepishly. Dick let go of him and rose quickly but gently, pulling Nix up with him. Obviously, Lew’s stomach didn’t agree with all these sudden movements, for his face suddenly turned a nasty shade of green. Dick quickly shoved Lew into the bathroom and he collapsed in front of the toilet, body finally rebelling at the abuse it had taken all day. Dick hovered beside Lew’s shuddering body, hand gently rested a hand between the man’s shoulders. Once Lew felt he was ready he grasped Dick’s leg and heaved himself up, skin going a shocking shade of white. Winters took hold of him and lead him toward his bedroom, feeling that a bed was better than a couch at the moment. Lew fell face first ontop it. Dick helped him remove his shoes and got him into the bed properly, covers pulled up to below his chin. Lew was already drifting away, eyes blinking stupidly as he tried to keep them open.
“Dick...” he whispered, one hand making an attempt to find Dick’s.
“Yeah?” he said taking hold of it.
“You ...are one amazing guy, you know that... right?” Lew murmured, eyes closing as he spoke, a contented smile relaxing his face. “An ama..zing guy” Then his head fell back into the pillows, hand loosening around Winters own, breathes coming slowly and deeply. Dick looked at his best friend, a small smile catching his lips.
“Thanks Lew. So are you” he placed Nix’s hand carefully on the bed and made his way quietly through to the sitting room, his heart fluttering just a little at the thought of Nix maybe saying those words without being completely wasted, perhaps in a more....romantic scene?. Winters shook his head. No. He didn’t have those kinds of feelings for Nixon. No way. He grabbed extra covers from the cupboard and settled down on the couch, a slight war going on inside him between his heart and his head, and he drifted off with Nix’s content smile plastered firmly onto his eyes.
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Nix woke up with the sun falling on his eyes and his brain beating drums against his skull. He groaned and flopped an arm over his face, trying and failing to ease the pain. His stomach was doing ten rounds with Tyson, battered and bruised, sloshing last night’s liquids around too much for his liking. He rolled onto his side and as he did, he realised that he wasn’t at home about to get yelled at, again, by Katherine. He was at Dick’s, of course. He vaguely remembered Dick arriving at the bar and helping him out, then of him tackling Dick to the ground as he took his 69 off of him. Oh, the man had guts. He also recalled the reason why he had spent the whole day a drunken mess. The pain that ripped through his heart was almost physical. He could almost feel his most vital organ breaking into tiny pieces. Why? Why had she done this? He asked himself. Why? Tears stung his eyes and he brushed them away angrily. No he would not cry, he would not. He sat up abruptly, regretting the move instantly as the room spun. He grasped his head and groaned.
“I’ve always said, drink is man’s worst enemy.” Came a voice from the doorway. Nix raised his pounding head slowly and blinked at Dick, who held a steaming mug in his hands.
“ Yeah, well just you wait, Winters. Once a woman enters your life you’ll realise why men drink.” His voice came out raspy and he coughed harshly. Dick came over and sat lightly on the bed, trying hard not to jostle Nix too much. He handed Lew the mug, who took it gratefully. The heat was reassuring, comforting, as was the leg pressed lightly against his.
“I know I probably shouldn’t ask, but what’s happened? Luz said something had happened between you and Katherine. I mean it could only have been that to have set you off so badly yesterday, right?” Dick asked hesitantly, not wanting to be nosy, but desperate to find out what had caused his friend to go so severely off the rails. Nix lowered his gaze to the cup in his hand and took a shaky breathe.
“She’s...” he gulped past the lump that had risen in his throat. “She’s left me Dick. Taken everything with her. Everything. Even the fucking dog. I loved that dog.” He gasped as a tear rolled down his cheek. He didn’t even bother wiping it away. “ I don’t even know what I did wrong Dick. She just started shouting and screaming, yelling stuff about me being useless and unreliable and a complete shithead.” His voice shook as he finished, taking in gulps of air as he tried not to cry, but the barriers had broken, and he couldn’t stop himself. Dick placed a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down, but to no effect. His friend’s grief was so heart breaking that Dick didn’t hold back. He moved closer to Lew and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly while the man sobbed, quite embarrassingly loud, into his shoulder, leaving his t-shirt soaked. Dick just sat there and held his friend close, hate brewing towards the woman he had only met once for abandoning Nix. Eventually Nix calmed down and pulled himself together. Dick was half expecting him to pull away from his embrace, but surprisingly Lew stayed where he was, head resting comfortably on Dicks, rather wet, shoulder.
“I’m...I’m sorry Lew.” He didn’t really know what else to say, his mind starting to notice how warm and wonderful it was to sit here holding onto Nix. He shook his head and pulled away, not wanting to think of these confusing thoughts. Lew wiped his face on his sleeve and looked at Dick, that smile from last night slowly gripping the corners of his mouth again.
“It’s alright Dick. I just might need to, um, crash here for a bit, if that’s ok. Don’t think my parents will be best pleased when they hear this.” He chuckled darkly. He raised his eyes to look at Dick’s face, a sudden urge overtaking him, and he leaned forward slowly, so that his face was inches from Dicks, warm breathe smelling of mint caressing his skin. He gently placed a small kiss on Dicks lips, staying long enough to make Dick feel slightly uncomfortable, especially when the blood that hadn’t rushed to his face started to sprint down south. Dick pulled away first and turned his head slightly, mind reeling. Nix, face flushed slightly, took a sip from is mug and hissed when the still scorching heat hit the back of his throat. As he coughed and spluttered, Dick tried not to laugh, but failed dramatically. He got up and asked him if he needed a glass of water.
“No. No, I’m fine” Nix wheezed, placing his mug on the bedside table. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and slowly started to follow Winters out to the sitting room, his muddled brain still trying to figure out what on earth had possessed him to kiss the man, they both weren’t interested in that...were they? Winters hadn’t objected much though, to be honest. Oh god, perhaps he should definitely lay off the Vat 69....just for a few hours.