Uhm right eek it's a bit long for a oneshot but as Buttons says 'the longer the better' haha
So this was born from the song 'The Beer' by Kimya Dawson, it's a genius song and I adore it. I've included several references to it (lyrics mainly) so happy hunting XD
Not sure if I fully like this really...But I said I'd get it finished for Buttons, so it's dedicated to her
Disclaimer: I own neither the Boosh nor Kimya Dawson's song, they belong to their genius owners!
This basically contains angst angst angst (everyone's fave), violence and cursing, so you've been warned.
Enjoy x
Rockbottom Moment
The unfamiliar room was hazy with the thick stench of cigarette smoke; it hung in the air like a cloud found in a thunderstorm. The smell filled his nostrils and lungs making him feel as though he were holding the rolled up cigarette himself, making him feel like he was pursing it to his lips and taking long deep deathly drags.
His eyes swam in and out of focus, his head split with a headache as though a bullet had been lodged there and left to throb and bleed into stacks and stacks of soft tissues. He blinked several times thinking his vision was foggy, as he sat up and breathed deeply he coughed and spluttered at the revolting toxic smoke, he wafted a hand trying to clear a patch of air for him to breathe properly.
"Jesus, open a window would ya?" He muttered to whoever the culprit was, he clutched at his aching head screwing up clumps of hair in his hands in the process. He heard a window slide up slowly, soon a soft trickle of fresh air started to filter into the room making it seem a whole lot brighter "What time is it?" He mumbled looking round for a clock or anything that displayed the time but there was nothing, the room he was in stunk of cigarettes and alcohol and for some reason Sunny D. On top of the smell the room was completely trashed, people lay about either asleep or unconscious. A few were rolling over or sitting up groggily mimicking his actions at gripping their heads and moaning or coughing.
"I said what time is it?" He glanced around and caught sight of his friend sprawled half on the couch and off it, he nudged him with his foot then eventually kicked him until he woke up.
"What the fuck, man?"
"I said what time is it?" He repeated in a slightly cracked and dry voice, he closed his eyes and tilted his head onto his right shoulder waiting for a reply.
"It's about half eight, afternoon." His friend muttered back after flopping down his wrist that held his watch and falling casually back to sleep.
"Cheers Leroy."
"No problem…Vince." He mumbled in a half sleeping state. Vince clambered to his feet, both the bones in his knees clicked and cracked as he did so. He stretched and yawned; he had partied into the ridiculous early hours of the morning and not stopped until nearly six am. The house had been silent with sleeping alcoholics until about eight o'clock in the evening.
Vince clumsily kicked Leroy again until his friend sat up smiling drunkenly.
"S'up?"
"Got any painkillers? I've got a blinder."
"Nah, go see the neighbour. Use her pills."
"M'kay." Vince replied barely moving his lips as he did so. He stumbled into the kitchen and leant against the fridge pulling out a box of cheap white wine, he pressed his back against the cool white of the refrigerator door letting it cool his skin through his t-shirt slightly as he uncapped the wine and took a sip.
"Best hangover cure." Leroy announced while tumbling through the kitchen door to grab at the bottle, it fizzed as it filled their mouths and ran down their throats.
"This stuff is so cheap it's got screw caps." Vince giggled as he reached for a clementine in the fruit bowl on the table, Leroy just smiled as he watched his friend peel the fruit slowly tossing the skin to floor and tried to stifle his laughter as he slipped in each segment.
Vince felt a sort of earthy taste on his tongue as he chewed and swallowed and occasionally when he sucked out the juice before eating the drained skin. By the time he reached the fourth fruit he finally noticed the mold that decorated the skins in patches of green and white, shrugging in a still drunken manner he reached for a fifth.
"Vince, you're gross my darlin'." Leroy said through grinning teeth while swigging from the wine.
"Nah, I'm rock 'n roll." He shrugged and tossed the skin toward the over-flowing bin "C'mon, let's go out. We've had beer for breakfast, and clementines for lunch so what's for dinner?"
"How 'bout pills?" Leroy offered but Vince just sighed, rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Xxx
"How's your twenty-twenty vision?" Leroy called throwing an arm around Vince as he led him into the night-club that sent pulses of music up and down the streets.
"It's fifty percent off."
"Mini dig, no return!" He called punching Vince right in his left eye making him stumble away slightly as the Mini Cooper drove off around the corner. The whole of his eye throbbed but still he laughed, he blinked away the pain and literally fell into the night-club after Leroy.
Multicoloured lights swam across the dance floor and climbed the walls, spots of neon shapes crawled over the dancers as they rocked, swayed and jiggled their hips to the sounds. The bar was lined with young men and women knocking back shots of whatever they could afford, girls danced topless in just their bras and skirts while swinging their sweat covered tops above their heads in the air. Couples stumbled into bathroom cubicles for quick loveless shags while few sat slumped at tables exhausted from drinking and dancing.
Leroy slammed a jug and several glasses down onto the table; Vince stared at the ugly concoction in the glass jug then looked up at his friend who sat down in between two petite blonde girls. He poured the drinks in shots and handed one to each member at the table.
"What's in this?"
"A pint of Jim Bean, a fifth of Peach Snaps and for your vitamin C intake, some warm Sunny D! Bottoms up!"
"Or bottom out!" Vince cheered back while tilting his glass to a toast then knocking it back down his throat where it stung, hissed and burnt his tongue.
Xxx
The dancers on the dance floor had crowded around two bodies; two men stood in the middle. Two very intoxicated men, both sweating with their fists curled menacingly, both glaring and almost snarling at each other.
As the dancers swayed and carried on their energetic dancing he swung right for his left eye, which was already throbbing from before, the knuckles connected with a crunch almost breaking his cheekbone, almost splitting the skin. A scream was heard along with choruses from men mimicking the pain Vince had just received, most of the dancers had stopped but the beats still played, they still shook the venue and vibrated the feet of the young people in the club.
He swung back with a blow to the lip making him bite down hard and crack the skin, blood poured and even dripped on Vince's knuckle, as he shook his hand slightly his nemesis straightened up grinning evilly at him.
"That all you got Noir?"
"Got plenty more." He assured the man before him, the same man who had stolen his style, his speech, his thoughts and nearly his best friend and their gigs. He swung for him with all the strength he could find, his fist smashed into his right eye sending him flying backwards, Vince's t-shirt was grabbed and almost ripped sending him toppling down onto the floor, onto his enemy "You'll pay for this shirt if you rip it!"
"I wouldn't pay a Euro for that!" The kicks and punches carried on, knees in the stomach, fists in the ribs and feet in the groin. The crowd of dancers had stopped being just that and had turned into mad thugs at a football match, some cheered on the men while few screamed and flinched as they watched the punches and kicks connect with flesh or bone.
Finally they were pulled apart, sweating and bleeding, by two bodyguards who easily dragged them from the club and tossed them outside onto the cold rain sodden pavement. Vince hit the floor on his knees scraping his hands while the man he hated rolled across the pavement narrowly missing the drop from the curb to the road.
Vince's palms shook as the blood mingled with gravel, his grazes became dirty and mucky and he could almost feel the bad germs and bacteria seeping into his blood to float freely around his body. His bottom lip quivered and stung, it felt ten times larger than it normally should and was wet with something other than rain or sweat.
Hi enemy, the man he hated so much, had struggled to his feet after Vince and without hesitating threw one last final punch at his mouth hearing a crack and seeing droplets of blood fly from his small battered lips. Unable to stand, Vince dropped back down to his knees and collapsed on the pavement touching a hand to his face, he tried to part his lips to scream 'fuck you' but blood was pouring from his mouth, soft trickles ran quickly down past his chin where they gathered and fell to the floor or onto his t-shirt. He spat at the floor leaving a small lumpy puddle of crimson behind; he ran his tongue along his teeth then spat some more. The taste of metal was strong in his mouth.
Leroy emerged quickly from the club holding a bottle of Mad Dog in his hand with the hand of a girl in the other, he crouched down and offered the drink to his friend who scowled but took it to wash away the taste of blood.
"Man, that was insane."
"Yeah and where the hell were you to help?"
"Busy, sorry mate." He slurred his words slightly as Vince shook his head and claimed the rest of the bottle "Look, uh, we're gonna head back to mine. You're welcome to come an all?" Vince took one look at the girl Leroy was holding hands with, short mini skirt, fish net stockings and just a bra with her top in her hand.
"No thanks, I'll go home." Leroy smiled then stumbled away giggling with the girl in his arms, Vince watched as they went seeing a little of himself in them. Once upon a time he would have stumbled from a club blind drunk with a different girl on his arm every time but he'd never go home, he'd always go to Leroy's but now he had to go home cut up, bruised and battered and no where near enough plastered.
Xxx
The flat was silent, warm and dry with only a faint light on at the top of the stairs, Vince shuffled in trying not to slam the door behind him and locked it with a soft click then slid across the bolt. He shook off his sodden jacket and kicked off his platform boots making him shrink instantly, he climbed the stairs clutching his bruised ribs where he'd been kicked and finally managed to tumble into the flat.
The light seemed brighter in the flat, it burnt his eyes causing them to water slightly and he could smell coffee, which was unusual. He sat on the top step by the wall still feebly holding a hand in place over his ribs as he caught up with his breathing.
A magazine was slapped down onto the coffee table and the sounds of cushions shifting on the sofa seemed to echo through the flat as Vince caught the sight of his best friend getting up to confront him, a look of pure annoyance on his face that soon turned into a sudden shudder of concern.
"What the hell happened to you?" He took several steps forward and crouched down to his height reaching out to touch his left cheekbone but Vince batted away his hand and quickly pushed himself off the wall out of the way. He stumbled to the couch and sat down heavily with Howard following him "Tell me what happened!" Vince propped his battered head up in his cupped hands and took a deep breath trying not to bite down on his already bitten lip.
"Lance Dior was at the club." Silence hung heavily in the flat as Howard perched himself on the coffee table and just watched his friend who slumped backward into the welcoming comfort of the sofa, he seemed to sink back more than usual. He avoided his gaze with his best friend as much as he could until finally he couldn't fight his pupils no more, they rested on Howard who was still watching him, scanning his own eyes over his cuts and bruises.
"You stink of alcohol, Vince." The younger man just rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, he swallowed hard tasting blood in the back of his throat "Where've you been for two days?"
"Leroy's." He replied sulkily like a child being told off by a parent.
"And what did you do?"
"He had a party then we went to a club."
"And when did you meet Lance?"
"In the club." He shrugged not wanting to speak, he ran a tongue over his teeth again and came across a warm metallic fleshy feeling at the back of his mouth. He stuck a finger in and thrust it along the bottom row of his teeth until he came across one that was missing.
"What?"
"Lost a tooth."
"You don't seem too bothered, little man."
"Not really." He dropped his head down, his tongue kept returning to the gap where one of his teeth used to be somehow hoping it would magically return but all he felt was an odd space.
"Tell me what happened."
"Can't you just leave me alone?"
"Did you even stop drinking since yesterday?" There was silence "Okay so, who started the fight?"
"He hit me first."
"Then you retaliated?" Vince nodded glumly studying the bruises forming nicely on his knuckles "Why, Vince? Surely you've got some common sense to realise if you fight back he won't stop?" he shrugged again "So what now? You just gonna be a teenager for your whole fucking life?"
"Yeah, since I'm so fucking good at it! Why not?"
"I didn't mean to-"
"Just shut the fuck up, yeah? For once I don't care what you got to say, you never take my side when I come home all drunk but this time I thought you'd care since I come home all beat up. But nah, s'just the same with you innit? You just hate the fact I get all the attention and you get no one cos you aren't anyone really are ya?" Vince leant closer to Howard each time he spoke, his words seemed to dribble and spit from his mouth "You're no one unless I'm there right by ya side and when you ain't got me you got no one!" Howard listened to every word his friend had to say, the anger bubbled deep within him, the pressure began to increase until finally his temper lashed out ordering his hand to form a fist "I make you who you are!" His fist connected again with Vince's face, he flew backwards into the cushions on the sofa and clutched his face, his hair covered his eyes as he sat gawking and slightly trembling "What the fu-"
"No, just save it." Howard stood uncurling his fists and left the room slamming the bedroom door behind him leaving Vince in the silence of the flat with weeping cuts and painful bruises and the sudden urge to vomit.
The young man stumbled into the bathroom and gripped at the porcelain sink leaving flecks of blood behind from where his hands had been grazed earlier. He stared at the mirror, his left eye was a ghastly shade of purple mixed with black, and his bottom lip had swollen and hurt so much he couldn't close it properly. Blood trickles had dried and frozen on his skin leaving crimson flakes behind which he wiped off with his wrist, he ran the cold water and washed the dirt and germs from his hands. The cuts stung but had mainly stopped bleeding. He lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it into the bath revealing freshly formed bruises over his torso, he bit his lip absent-mindedly wincing as he did so and turned away from the mirror toward the toilet.
Nausea washed up from his stomach to his throat; he lurched forward and spilled the contents into the white porcelain bowl. He felt more empty and refreshed but still felt sore and tired when he wiped his mouth and flushed the toilet. He stared at his bruised eye as he cleaned his teeth; all it reminded him of was Howard.
Xxx
The couch was cold and lumpy, he had no blankets or duvet and the light from the moon crept through the slightly parted curtains. He shivered as he clutched the sofa with his white fingers and buried his toes beneath the cushion by his feet, he tried to sleep but couldn't. The fight replayed in his mind, each punch he imagined made his skin tingle and crawl but the one that hurt the most was the punch he so rightly deserved from Howard. As it replayed in his mind like a video tape his eye pulsed, throbbed and screamed with pain and all he could hear in his head was Howard trying to be a friend, sounding concerned, trying to find out what happened and then all he saw was himself acting like a pathetic grumpy teenager.
The guilt inside killed him as he realised he had hit a rock bottom moment.