Five Birthdays

Prompt 000: Drunk

Author's Ramblings: I think Veronica can be very sweet, but I also believe that she can be quite evil. Read and find out what I mean.

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Balthazar was sitting and leaning on the side of the sofa, looking defeated. Veronica appeared from their room, and noticed him sitting there, heart growing heavy with a little worry. He still wore the same clothes he'd left in last night, his hair was pulled back and tightly contained (something amazing in fact), his clothes askew and his gloves were missing. As a matter of fact the only things he wore on his hands were his wedding and sorcery rings. On his wrist there was a small band of neon colors, and as she neared Veronica noticed he was rubbing his face with one hand.

"Balthazar?" the man turned, quickly towards her, his eyes bloodshot and wide. It took a moment for him to realize who he was looking at and he stood, something wrapped in aluminum foil fell to the ground and he smiled.

"Yes Veronica?"

"Is everything alright?" As she spoke he burped inwardly, them grimaced.

"Fine. Perfect actually."

Veronica took quick asset of the situation, arched and eyebrow and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Are you drunk?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

There was a moment in which Balthazar frowned, looking away, and then gave her a toothy grin. "Yes, I am."

"Why are you drunk?" it was a valid question, he'd gone out last night with Dave, to train, and had not returned; Veronica wasn't the type to worry too much about Balthazar because he could take care of himself, but apparently she'd been too trusting. Not that Balthazar was the kind of man of going out and doing crazy unforgivable things, but to see him so… disheveled so early in the morning was weir, if not unnatural. He was the man to at least start the day looking presentable, by sorcery Blake standards anyway. Balthazar swallowed hard and smiled again.

"I was with Dave." From the floor, a lanky form covered with a Bob The Builder sheet lifted, what Veronica thought was the head moved and Balthazar kicked it back down; a recognizable yelp was heard and Balthazar smiled. "Why don't you go sleep love," A little hic. "I'll be there in a minute."

"Balthazar is seven in the morning, I've slept all night."

"Oh." He turned a little away, the sound of aluminum foil suddenly invading the silence they shared, and a whine following. "Wow." Was all Balthazar could produce, before rubbing his face again.

Veronica arched an eyebrow.

"Where did you go with Dave?"

"We went drinking, dancing, and all around merry making."

"Have you been carrying this drunker stupor all night long?"

"Yesssss." He answered, loosing a little his balance and holding himself against the couch.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! I'm so drunk I can't remember how to do that hangover fighter mix." From his pocket, Balthazar produced a small bottle of rum, and started to uncap it, while from the floor Dave lifted, Bob the Builder still wrapped around him, and tried to take the bottle from Balthazar. "So I'll just have a hair of a dog…"

"No… mine…" Mumbled Dave though the bite of the burrito Balthazar had dropped.

Veronica's ring took on its usual lavender glow and the bottle flew to her hands. "Enough! You two are too drunk, now stop dragging your drunk cheer and follow me to the kitchen. After we get something into your stomachs you are both going to sleep." Both sorcerers looked down, ashamed, as Veronica shook her head and moved towards the kitchen angry. Dave stood, keeping the sheet around his shoulders and Balthazar turned to him; the older man shushed Dave with his finger and reaching into his pocket pulled out another bottle. The two men started giggling, and uncapping the bottle they shared. "Balthazar and Dave!"

"Coming!" Cried Balthazar, as Dave bit the burrito again.

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Veronica had to slap the burrito off Dave's hand, and the boy just frowned and sat across from his master, who was sitting on the table and putting a kitchen towel into his shirt's neck. Without much patience Veronica heated two bowls full of Chef Boyardee and placed the bowls before each of them, murmuring in Italian. Balthazar looked into Dave's bowl, saw the lasagna and exchanged the two bowls, as Dave whined and got stuck with the boring spaghetti. "I can't believe this of you two, I thought you were off to practice."

"We did practice." Defended Balthazar, moving his spoon around the sauce and little pasta bits.

"Yeah, we started drinking after practice." A moment of silence and a wet sponge hit Dave on the face, making the boy yelp and fall sideways and to the floor while Veronica slapped Balthazar's hand down, scolding him.

"Eat, just eat! We'll talk later!"

Dave sat back up; face still wet and frowning slightly. They went through their meal in silence, as the coffee pot started brewing some much needed coffee for Veronica and the light started filtering through the windows. Veronica watched them start to loose their drunker stupor and smiled when Dave fell asleep and almost hit the spaghetti bowl. She stood, changing Dave to his five year old body and carried the boy to bed, remembering to turn him back to his twenty year old body to avoid his death through alcohol poisoning. She shook her head, covering him with his Bob the Builder sheet and left the room, the door was slightly open, just in case he might need something. Quickly she returned to the kitchen and found Balthazar digging into the open fridge, his mouth full of whipped cream.

"Balthazar!"

"Wha…?"

"Give me that!" She took the cool whip from his hand, and slapped the back of his head, making him complain that it hurt and then dragged him back to their room. "Aren't you ashamed? Dragging Dave into this ridiculous activities. Childish,childish men." She ranted, taking off his dirty coat, and finding his shirt was wet with something she could not identify.

"He asked me to take him out parting." Was all he could say on his defense.

"Why? Because he's a minor still… You should have said no…" Warned Veronica, touching the shirt, and amazed it was some sort of gel. She brought it to her nose, and sniffed it cautiously.

"Actually he's turning twenty-one today, I wanted to be the first to celebrate with him." He said softly, as if melancholic, and turned to look at Veronica, who had an eyebrow arched. "Oh, that's… Yeah…"

"Jell-O?"

Balthazar let out a whine, and smiled. "I might have visited a disco, so… I'm not sure where I got that…"

"Disco?"

"More like a sorority house party, they had this jell-o pool.." He stared at Veronica who was staring at him quite intently and smiled. "I'm digging my own grave, aren't I?" She gave a smile and nodded. "You know what? I'll explain everything just ask me when I wake up."

And with that he fell backwards on bed and gave out a loud snore. Veronica shook her head, taking a deep breath.

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Light was banned from the house. Both sorcerers had made sure all windows, doors, glass and any practical means for the light to filter into the home had been sealed shut and dark; the place was cold, allowing them to bask in the glory of silence and snuggled into their clothes and sheets. Balthazar was curled in his usual leather recliner; head covered with a thick warm throw, a scarf covering his eyes just to make sure his head did not further. Dave across from him on the small sofa was also curled and moaning from time to time against his pillow.

The sound of a vacuum cleaner echoed into the living room, making both men groan and cover their ears in pain. The sound was followed by music and Veronica's loud singing.

Why oh why had Veronica decided to clean the store and stairs today?

"Your wife is evil!"

Balthazar couldn't even answer to that, he just reached from under his throw and searched around the side of the recliner, found a bottle of something and snatched it into the warm depths of his cocoon. The sound was halted for a moment…

The hammering that followed was even louder.

"Ok, that does it."

"You are going to tell her to be quiet?"

"No, I'm going to the bathroom to throw up." And Balthazar hurried down the hallway, as Dave sat up and groaned with the pounding of his head, blood complaining because it had to go up into his hurting brain. The hammering stopped, the music still blaring, and Veronica made her way upstairs, finding Dave sitting there.

"Oh! Hello Dave!" She said, louder than really necessary, making the boy groan.

"Hi Veronica."

"Enjoying your hangover?" She said, aging louder than necessary, and walked into the kitchen.

"Ahh…" He fell back to the couch, and Balthazar returned, looking pale and with a towel covering his mouth.

"Excedrin?" He asked to Dave, who just lifted his hand, as if begging for a few coins, and Balthazar dropped the pills into the palm. Dave muffled something against the pillow, probably a grateful thank God, and drank the pills with the frozen orange juice he'd served himself a few hours ago. "You know where the bathroom is."

"For what?"

"For when you need to throw up."

"Thanks." The sound of pans and pots falling and clanging on the floor made both men rub their heads, and Balthazar just sat on his recliner and rested his head over his hand. When Veronica walked by, greeting him as loud as she had greeted Dave, Balthazar just smiled at her, nodding.

"Is she angry because we got drunk?"

"No, she's angry because we got drunk without her."

Downstairs the vacuum cleaner was started up again. After a few groans, and cuddling into their little cocoons of warmth and security, Balthazar placed a spell to stop sound from entering the living room, what had Dave sighing. "Even after all this pain; thanks for an awesome birthday."

Balthazar nodded, and gave a quiet smile. "Happy birthday, Dave."

Veronica came up the stairs at that moment, and with a simple tap on the invisible wall Balthazar had created, sound returned to the living room. "Oops! Sorry!" and she walked down the stairs again.