Work Text:
Bennett has had a long fucking week.
It started off normal, work was the same and his.. lover? Business partner? He isn’t quite sure was acting just fine!
Then yesterday she told him to shove it and hasn’t shown up since! Just his luck right?
He sits now at the bar of his own casino, sipping a nice brandy while the roulette wheels spin and coins clink into pockets.The sound momentarily drowns out his thoughts, but nothing can be permanent when he’s got a voice in his head.
There’s nothing at first, just a dull buzz before there’s a voice he can easily recognize.
“You should really slow down there darling, if you keep drinking like this you’ll be passed out at the bar before midnight.”
He groans, tapping the bar quickly as he gestures for the bartender to come over and fill up his now empty glass. “Leave me alone.” He whispers softly as the man moves away to fill his crystal glass, tone harsh. He definitely doesn’t need him meddling in his-
“Did you get dumped again? I was beginning to like that one.”
He waves his hand as if it could clear the voice, taking the glass with an irritated half smile thrown the bartenders way. “I wouldn't say dumped- just- just stay out of it! Shouldn’t you be off getting ready to go to bed with your bed time story?” He playfully mocks him at the end, sipping from his glass as he hears a scoff.
“My books are good! nothing compared to some of the.. questionable mortal literature I’ve seen some with.”
He can’t help but huff a laugh, finger tracing the rim of his glass as he idly watches those around him, the voice going quiet as the terrible ache in his chest threatens to wrap his heart in vines.
“You really liked that one, didn’t you?”
It’s soft, almost solemn in a way that makes his own face soften from the previous irritation. He lets out a sigh, taking a sip of his drink before rolling the liquid around in the glass. “Yeah, suppose I did.”
It’s bitter, filled with the pent up frustration that comes with the let down. He really wishes he could’ve known what he did wrong, and the lounger he dwells on it the more it threatens to swallow him whole.
He can hear a sigh in his mind, echoing around before he can feel fingers dancing on his shoulder. He flinches away on instinct, brushing off invisible dust and hands.
“Perhaps dating just.. isn’t for you?”
The thought makes the vines constrict around his heart, grip tightening on the glass as he squeezes his eyes shut. “Get out.” He hisses out, words filled with venom before he can hear the voice leave entirely with a huff.
“Well, don’t call me later when you’re drunk and miserable and can’t make it up to your room.”
He waves him away again as he takes another long sip, savoring the burn as he can feel the voice fade away entirely, leaving him alone with his thoughts once again.
It’s not his fault! He just.. hasn’t found the right person yet. He will find them… eventually.
———————————————————————
This was a bad idea, this was a really bad idea.
The bartender cut him off- fuck how many drinks ago was it supposed to be before he ended up hopping the counter and taking the whole bottle to his room? He doesn’t really remember.
He sways now across the casino floor, the lights too loud and the people overwhelming as he clutches his head in a feeble attempt to make the world go quiet, stumbling towards the back as the world spins around him. He can barely keep track of his feet as he hits on another table, holding up a hand as an apology.
“I leave you for a few hours and you’ve gone and gotten yourself wasted? Gods.”
He can hear the huff of disbelief and disappointment, waving him off again as he slurs out an ‘mfine’ before hitting against something else, this time a corner table that sends him reeling as he reaches out desperately to catch himself, almost hitting the floor.
“You can barely walk! How will you- oh fine, here.”
He’s slumped over with the bottle before he can feel the phantom touch once again, this time underneath his arms as his patron helps to drag him off the casino floor, weight poured into two phantasmal hands. They keep him steady enough as they stumble towards the stairs.
He almost completely misses the first step, hearing a grunt from inside of his head.
“Oh for fucks sake-“
He can hear grumbling before he’s lifted up like a sack of potatoes, head lolling to the side as he’s carried mostly up the stairs. “You- you can do that?” He slurs out as his head spins, the only thing keeping him grounded being the thing lifting him up.
“Not usually, I suppose this is an exception, just this once.”
He huffs a scoff, chuckling a bit to himself as they make it to his floor. He’s able to fumble for his keys, the presence of his patron practically breathing down his neck as he finally pushes the door open to his small bedroom, doubling as an office as he skirts past the desk.
His patron isn’t ready when he finally collapses in the middle of the floor, bottle rolling of to the side and face planted into the wood before he can hear a sigh that sounds.. worried?
“Oh gods, you really did care for that one.”
He can hear a grimace, one that makes his nose wrinkle as he tries to weakly push himself off of the floor to give a retort.
His hands barely find purchase beneath him as he tries to push himself off, and he groans as he lifts just his head from the ground before he flops back over again. The room spins from just the action of lifting himself up, and his stomach twists in a painful way before he- oh no.
He scrambles to the bucket on the floor the best he can, dragging his limp body behind him and holding onto the bucket for dear life before he begins retching into it, stomach twisting painfully and eager to get rid of everything in it. He pants into the now full bucket, and he can hear a tsk in his mind before he’s lifted once again, this time to his knees.
“I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
It’s almost.. caring? He can’t quite tell. All he can see is purple mist before his patrons hands appear before him, one moving to cup his cheek and hold his head up while the other begins dabbing at his chin with the rag next to the bucket.
“Now you’ve gone and made a mess, alcohol, such a terrible thing at times.”
Why.. why is he..? He squints at the hands, too tired to lift himself away from his grip as they clean him up, both hands moving to cradle his face and tilt it upwards.
“Next time let’s try a healthy coping mechanism.”
“Fuck you.” He spits out towards where he believes the outline of a face to be, not quite in focus and swimming in and out of his vision. “Don’t need to be coddled.”
“Well apparently you do, considering you could barely make it back to your room all by yourself.”
The retort is snarky, hands squishing his cheeks as he swallows down another distasteful reply. His throat is dry, tongue darting out to wetten drier lips as he looks around his room. He needs- fuck he needs a drink.
“Thirsty?”
He looks up again to see a cup of water, one that he takes into his hands gratefully as he sips from it, sighing and trying to catch his breath as it coats his dry throat.
“Now what do you say?”
It’s tone is mocking, and he holds back a scoff before he mutters a ‘thank you’ under his breath, head lolling before being forced upright again.
“Now let’s get you to bed, you’ve got a long day ahead of you, remember?”
Oh god. He has a meeting with his.. aughhhhh. The meeting with his parents is tomorrow. He has to sit and talk about the numbers of the casino's earnings while suffering from what he’s sure to be a wicked hangover.
“Yes yes I know you are less than excited but you’ve got to do it. Now into bed you go.”
He groans as the hands float away to pick him up under the arms like a wet cat, one taking the cup out of his hands before he drops it before returning. The hands heave him up into his bed as he lies on the sheets practically weightless, groaning as he shifts to be somewhat comfortable while still in his clothes. He can feel the exhaustion pull at him, eyes growing heavy as the dull buzz of his present patron goes on in the background.
“Goodnight, Bennett.”
“G’night.”