Short piece of utter randomness.
Disclaimer: I do not own the pretties.
The power had been out in the hotel for nearly two hours now. And no matter how often Basher claimed that he'd had nothing to do with it, Linus still wasn't one hundred percent convinced. Just something about the speed of his denials, and the way Livingston was shuffling his feet and especially, especially, the way Danny and Rusty were smiling. Yeah. Something had happened.
But when the emergency lighting hadn't gone on after ten minutes he'd stumbled his way along the corridor to Danny's room, tripping over Yen on the way and getting a bruised shin for his pains. Yen kicked hard. And as soon as he got there he'd been more than a little bemused to see that everyone else had the same idea. In fact he and Yen were almost the last to arrive. Basher had been explaining to anyone who'd listen that he really, truly hadn't done anything, Frank and Reuben had been pouring drinks, the twins had been chasing each other with flashlights, Livingston had been complaining about the power cut frying his monitors, Saul had just been generally complaining, and Danny had been standing in the middle of the room with a flashlight that was clearly on the brink of death, looking amused. Then Rusty had come in behind Linus with an armful of candles, and why was he the only one who found that odd?
So that was why they were all sitting around, getting drunk by candlelight. As to how they'd fixed on playing drinking games, well, that was a little harder to explain. Though he was pretty sure it was his own fault; he'd had to open his big mouth and reminisce about dorm life.
Basher frowned thoughtfully down at his drink. "I have never . . . " He paused for a very long time.
"Get on with it." Turk snapped finally.
"I have never had a normal job." Basher said finally, glaring at Turk.
"Wait. So are we supposed to drink if we have or if we haven't?" Saul asked. For about the third time.
Linus sighed. "It's simple. If you've done the thing the person says then you take a drink. If you haven't, you don't. Everyone got that?"
There was a brief mumble of agreement and Linus sighed and drank, and tried not to think of the six months he'd spent in an incomprehensible marketing job at his dad's insistence. Apparently he had to experience the wider world. He hadn't liked it much. He looked round to see who else drank. Rusty, Saul, Reuben, Frank, the twins, Livingston and Yen.
"Just you and Bash, Danny." Rusty said cheerfully. Danny was staring at him.
"You've never done an honest days work in your life," he protested.
Rusty blinked. "Hotel?" he pointed out.
"Does that count?" Linus asked before he could stop himself.
Rusty grinned. Reuben glared. "Running a hotel is extremely difficult and complicated."
"Yeah, and Rusty's pulling jobs to keep the place open." Linus pointed out.
Danny sighed and shook his head. "I just feel as if you're abandoning me for a life of respectability."
Rusty looked serious and placed a hand on Danny's knee. "We'll always have Paris." Linus decided not to ask any questions.
"My shot." Virgil put in eagerly. "So, I have never . . . rode a horse."
Turk glared at him. "That's what you've got? That sucks."
Virgil shrugged. "I've never rode a horse, wait till it's your turn."
"Oh, I've got a good one." Turk smirked. "Just wait and see."
"Guys," Linus interrupted, "Who's drinking?"
He took a drink and looked round. Danny, Rusty, Saul and Yen all drank. Livingston hesitated.
"Does it count if you fell off?" he asked plaintively.
"Did you get back on?" Danny asked lazily.
Livingston shook his head. "It ran away. Actually, I ran away."
"Take a sip." Rusty advised.
Livingston did. "Okay, so . . . I have never sold a major landmark."
Danny, Rusty and Saul immediately drank. Linus wasn't in the slightest bit surprised. He frowned. "How are we defining landmark?" he asked.
"What you got, kid?" Rusty asked.
He shrugged. "Sold my high school." It had been a landmark in the neighbourhood at any rate.
"What's the going rate for a high school these days?" Frank asked, with a smirk.
"Never mind that, who would buy a school?" Turk said, before he could say anything.
"Some property developer." He frowned, trying to remember. "Think he was going to demolish it and build office blocks."
"The world today." Saul shook his head.
"Take a drink, Linus." Basher advised.
He had to pour himself another one. Then he looked round. "Who's next?"
"I have never had a threesome," Turk leapt in.
"Just couldn't keep it clean, could you?" Virgil said, punching his brother in the arm.
Linus shrugged. "This game always ends in sex." He could sense Danny and Rusty grinning before he'd even finished the sentence and he turned and glared at them. "Grow up."
"So. Threesome?" Turk insisted, looking round. Danny and Rusty grinned some more and Linus thought hard about hitting them.
In the end Rusty and Livingston were the only ones who drank.
"If you've done it more than once do you take more than one drink?" Livingston asked, nonchalantly.
Rusty looked slightly alarmed. Danny shook his head. "That way lies alcohol poisoning."
Yen's contribution was lengthy and accompanied by a vast range of hand gestures that somehow, no matter how hard he tried, Linus couldn't look away from.
Rusty grinned and drank. He was the only one. Livingston, eyes wide, leaned over towards him. "Weren't you embarrassed?"
"Well, we didn't exactly hang around," Danny sighed.
"That time." Rusty added.
Slightly disturbed, Linus leaned forwards and thought. "I have never kissed a guy," he said quickly and stared hard at Rusty and Danny.
He was slightly surprised when not only did they drink immediately, but so did Livingston, Basher, Frank, Yen, Turk and Saul. The latter attracted a few looks.
"What? You think I was never young?" he asked testily.
Virgil looked at Turk. "I knew it."
Reuben shook his head in disbelief. "What goes on with this group?"
Danny grinned. "I have never kissed a guy who wasn't Rusty," he said loudly.
Only Rusty and Saul drank. There was a pause.
Virgil stared at Rusty. "Dude. You're kind of a slut."
Rusty shrugged. Danny poured more drinks.
Linus looked between Saul and Rusty. "That's kind of a relief."
There was a brief but awkward silence. "Well," Rusty said eventually. "He never said he hadn't kissed me. Just that he'd done it before."
Linus blinked. "Wait you mean . . . "
"It was for a job," Saul put in firmly.
"Me too." Turk added. There was general nodding, and Linus turned to stare at Danny, who was sitting behind his drink and saying nothing.
"What?" he asked, when he noticed Linus looking, but his eyes were laughing and once again Linus reminded himself never, ever to ask.
"Your shot Rusty," he said instead.
Rusty leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Okay," he said eventually. "I have never – "
"Liar!" Danny interrupted.
"Fair point," Rusty conceded, rolling his glass against his temple. There was another long silence.
Danny looked at him seriously. "It shouldn't take this long to think of something you haven't done."
"I've lived a rich and interesting life," Rusty told him. Then he sat up straight and grinned malevolently at Danny. "I have never been to the sing-along version of 'The Sound of Music'. In costume."
Danny blinked. "Oh, that's – "
" – Oh, yes." Rusty agreed. "Drink."
Draining his glass, Danny leaned forwards and smiled sweetly. "I have never lost my clothes in a game of pool."
Rusty's eyes narrowed. "I have never fallen off a boat."
"Oh, that was your fault," Danny complained as he drank.
"I was just sitting there." Rusty answered smugly.
"There were three of them." Danny frowned.
"Just sitting there – " Rusty repeated.
" – sucking chocolate sauce off your fingers." Danny finished. "What did you think was going to happen?"
Rusty sighed. "I have never – "
Danny cut in quickly. "I have never – "
" – thrown my shoes – "
" – lost the cat – "
" – at a herd of snakes."
" – in a crowded restaurant."
"Snakes don't come in herds!" Danny protested.
"You hadn't trained it right!" Rusty answered.
"I have never been deported from Canada," Saul said. Slowly, ponderously and loudly.
Danny and Rusty both looked round and grinned. "Sorry, Saul," they said in unison.
"You got deported from Canada?" Linus asked involuntarily.
"He had a hat!" they said together, Rusty apparently seriously, Danny seemingly mockingly.
Linus blinked, but that seemed to be that and with a dramatic flourish the lights snapped back on.
"Finally," Basher sighed happily. "Thought they were never going to figure out how to fix it."
"I knew it!" Turk yelled. "You did it!"
"Shit," Yen agreed.
"What now?" Linus wondered.
Rusty grinned and rested his feet on Danny's lap. "More drinks?" he suggested.
"I've never said no," Danny smiled.
So, whatdayathink?