It had been another successful concert, and like any night, Murdoc and 2D went to celebrate in one of the best clubs in town while Russel and Noodle went back to the hotel.
Murdoc led the singer, along with a group of women that they had picked up along the way, through the crowded club over to the bar. The bassist grins and leans against the bar, knocking on the counter to get the bartender's attention. He couldn't see her face at first, but when she turns to face him, his jaw drops in shock.
She looks to be in her late forties, short and a bit stout. She's wearing gaudy, bright red lipstick. Her black hair has streaks of gray in it, and is pulled back into a curly, messy bun. She has thick, dark, untrimmed eyebrows over her familiar brown eyes.
Everything in Murdoc's brain freezes the second he sees her.
"What can I do for you, sugar?" she smiles lightly, leaning in closer to the man across from her.
'It's not her,' he tells himself quickly, 'It can't be her.' He feels as though he can't breathe and no matter how many times he tells himself that this isn't her, he can't seem to calm down.
"Hey," she says quietly before grinning and turning to grab a bottle of whiskey from one of the shelves, "I know what you need."
With those five words, Murdoc is turning and running toward the exit quickly. He needs to get out. He can't breathe and he's racing for air.
I know what you need.
He can hear her voice in his ear and feel her breath against his neck.
Hold still, now. I know you'll like it.
Her hands are on him and he is trying to pull away, but she holds him tight and laughs as he struggles.
Come on, be good. You wouldn't want anyone to know about this, would you?
Murdoc runs out the door and into the alleyway, immediately bursting into frantic sobs and crumbling toward the ground. He's scratching hard at his arms, trying to peel away her hands because he can still feel them on him.
Don't tell anyone.
Suddenly, her hands are gone, replaced with new hands, gentler hands. They pull him close and hold him tight. He can faintly hear 2D worrying over him, telling him that it'll be alright and that he's okay. That whatever he was thinking about would be alright.
It takes some time, but when Murdoc finally calms down he finds himself in 2D's lap, face buried in the singer's shoulder. He is still breathing heavily, but most of the sobs have passed now. He holds tight to the other man as if he was a lifeline, slowly starting to feel tired as he goes limp against the taller man.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Murdoc hears his friend ask him with a gentle voice.
He replies simply by shaking his head.
It'll be our little secret.
*Gross sobbing*
