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They woke up with a massive headache. God they really should have considered how big of a hangover they would get before drinking a fourth(?) of a bottle of whiskey. A third of a bottle? 3 eighths? A fourth? Fuck they don't even remember.
Although to be completely honest with themself, they don't remember much at all from last night.
Of course they remember pulling the bottle out from where they had stashed it after stealing it from Wren and Schlatt. They remember struggling to get it open before they just sucked it up and called on XD.
“You summoned me to.. open a bottle of whisky?” XD’s voice was half incredulous, half amused. They nodded though. And XD’s smile stretched a bit wider. “Well. That is an utterly stupid decision my puppet. But I shall indulge you, it'll be entertaining.” With a snap of his fingers, the bottle was open in front of them and moved a little closer of the god’s accord.
God that was embarrassing looking back on it.
They also remember how the smell made them want to change their mind. But they didn't.
They remember the first sip they had, straight from the bottle. It tasted terrible. But it already gave them a buzz.
Thank god they had the wisdom to pace themself at least a bit. They probably would have properly passed out otherwise.
Everything got really, really fuzzy and choppy after like the third sip they had. Which to be fair, they were pretty bigs ‘sips’. They don't really properly sip. They just… chug shit. It's more efficient.
They however did not chug this. Drinking probably only about some equivalent to a shot at a time. It was still way too much.
They remember the cold a bit. They think they stumbled out onto their back porch. And then…. God it was so hard to remember anything…..
Punz . Punz was there somewhere. When? They had no idea. But he was there. Probably. They think so. Or they were just hallucinating.
-
Seeing Cryptid stumble into the main house at 11am wasn't exactly on Punz’s bingo card for today. He assumed they were just going to sulk in their cabin all day from the hangover they no doubt had.
Though to be completely honest, he mostly wanted to forget about his part in last night's events. It was too fucking mushy for him.
“You should eat something before you go to interact with them, especially Wren and Schlatt.” He commented when he got the chance to walk past them. Their brow furrowed.
“Why? Since when have you-” Punz scoffed at where their sentence was going.
“I don't care about you. I'd just rather not deal with the conflict that would come with them finding out you got drunk last night.” They visibly tensed and opened their mouth to almost certainly ask how he knew, or how they would be given away. “Your breath is too fresh. It's clear you're trying to hide it. Wren would pick up on that in seconds. Here take this.” He handed them a loaf of bread. They took it, and bit into it.
Did he have that bread on him because he knew they would probably do this? Maybe.
“Oh. And don't fucking get drunk again. I am not carrying you to bed again if you do.” He added before walking away from them again.
Cryptid was light to pick up. Not worryingly so or anything. They were actually a bit on the chubbier side all things considered, but Punz was a mercenary, it wasn't going to be hard to pick up the basically passed out teen.
It just felt wrong though. Holding them to his chest had felt wrong too. He just did it for warmth so they didn't freeze to death, but still. And picking them up was a similar situation, it was purely for practical reasons, but it just felt.. off to do.
Yeah. Punz didn't want to dwell on last night. Too damn mushy.
They whined when he tried to leave them. Clutching onto his hand with all the coordination of a very drunk person
“.. I don't… wanna.. be alone..” They slurred. And he scoffed in response.
“You’ll be fine, kid.” He pulled his hand out of theirs and they whined again, like a petulant child. They grasped at air attempting to find his hand again.
“Punz… please?..” Their words were almost impossible to make out with how much they were slurred. “The bad thoughts will come back if you leave.” They continued. At least that’s what he thought they said, again, it was hard to tell.
They had looked so damn pathetic then. If he's honest they still look pathetic now as Wren approached them, asking if they were ok or something. He wasn't really in the room long enough to properly make out what she said.
He hated the fact that last night kept entering his mind so much. He hated that it had kept him up after Cryptid had fallen properly asleep and he went back home. Part of him wished that he hadn't followed the gut feeling of them having done something stupid and checked up on them.
But if he hadn't then someone would have found them dead due to freezing. And then everyone would be stressed all over again and Dream would probably have a panic attack. So in the end he did have to accept it was good he followed his gut, but he still wished he could forget the whole interaction.
They were curled up on the bench on their back porch. Their eyes stared out into nothingness. For a few seconds he thought they were dead until he saw the softs clouds of their breath in the frigid air.
Then the scent of alcohol hit him and he noticed. the bottle of whiskey -almost a third empty- next to them.
“Cryptid what the fuck are you doing?” They didn't respond or even make any movement or sound to show they heard him.
There was a time that was slightly a blur as he checked they were awake. They were, barely. But when he even slightly touched them they were just so cold. He just remembers thinking about how much he really can't let Dream’s sibling get frostbite and before he knew it they were on the couch inside, wrapped in his cloak.
He's not a touchy person. He just isn't. So he personally wasn't really touching them.
But they stuck themselves to his side. They were cold so it was understandable, that was the only reason he didn't push them away. He would have otherwise.
He didn't immediately ask why they were drunk. He didn't think he'd get an answer. But eventually he did.
“Alcohol dumbass.” He scoffed at their slurred words. Clearly even while intoxicated they were still a brat.
“Yeah that's fucking obvious. But how did you get the whiskey?” His voice was irritated. He was irritated.
“I don't fucking remember, ok? My mind is too…. fuzzy, I don't fuckin’ know.” He rolled his eyes at that. Of course they didn't know. Because them knowing would just be too easy.
“That's what happens when you drink a third of a bottle of whiskey on your first time drinking alcohol- and it better fucking be your first time.” He chided and they scoffed.
“Of course it's my first time.” That brought him some relief, even if it wasn't much.
“Well don't ever do it again, at least not till you legally can.”
It was the last time Punz found them drunk. Unfortunately though it wasn't the last time they got drunk.