Title: Moonlight in a Martini Glass
Chapter: 3
Story Notes: Going through some minor revisions. Please see all the chapters. Nothing to major however.

Chapter Notes: SO much bartender love. I can just imagine the show these two would put on. :)


Friday nights were the busiest nights of the week. Normal people left their normal jobs and went out to start their weekend off the right way. Knowing that Saturday they could wake up late and do it all over again. Then Sunday was there to leave them with an entire day to sleep off whatever pains the previous nights might have left them with. And become normal again. Colleges closed their doors for the two days and people only had one thing on their mind. Party! It's amazing how minds think alike at times like this.

Saying that much, it was busy at the bar called 'Safe Haven'. Even with the steady downpour of rain that washed away the dirt and god knows what else on the streets. Busy to the point were Duo knew he wasn't going to be moving much the next day, sore to the point of immobility. Luckily he had Saturday off, a day just for him and his cartoons that he treasured so dearly.

He was never alone on these nights. No... they would go through too many bartenders if they did that to a person. It was like dragging a person behind a car through the Rockies on a day so hot it made the Sahara jealous. Zechs was his bar buddy tonight, a man after his own hairstyle. Let it live and keep it long! Blond tresses fell down to his hips, making countless women jealous and their boyfriends even more so with all the eyelash batting that would go on. And the drunker people got, the more carefree attraction developed. Some of the males even followed after their counter parts on the flirting level with the tall well defined bartender.

Not that Zechs minded either way.

Between him and Duo an unstoppable team had been formed in the late hours of the night. They had worked together enough to be able put on an amazing show for the crowds that would come in. Juggling, dancing, drinking. They were masters at their own sport none could top them.

From the moment the doors were opened to the public that night the place had been packed wall-to-wall with bodies of every shape and size. Only two certain ones had yet to show their faces. But Wufei had been gone for about a week now. He had been offered a job at a local advertising agency. It was small, but getting one's foot in the door was the hardest part. It can only goes up from there. He had found an apartment to be closer to work and would be moving for that time he was absent from his nightly visits. Quatre was another matter. He had just been missing in action for about three days now. Neither hide nor pale hair of his well tailored self had been near the placed as far as the braided man knew.

"Duo!" His absent running thoughts just about lent him a broken nose. On instinct his right hand shot up to block the small Corona bottle that was trying to imprint itself on his face. In turn Zechs was quick enough from many days of hacky sack in the park with friends to catch the downward fall of the clear glass bottle with the top of his foot. Toes arched back just enough to stall the bottle and given a quick shove upwards it was right back in safe hands and away from death, which was the hard floor.

"Way to pay attention." The blond rebuked.

"Way to not warn me dude! I know you have been planning my death since I started working here and taking away your fan base, but man! Give a guy a chance to plan out his funeral first."

Yellow locks were flipped gracefully over a broadened shoulder clad in blue. "Chance is for board games Duo, not life. I've all ready hinted my evil plans enough to you anyway, you've had plenty of time to say your prayers."

The brunette gathered the money left behind as one chair was vacated and filled by a new victim. He punched up the tab on the multi coloured computer screen in the center of the long bar and closed it out, sticking the remaining tip in a deep clay jar that was over a bit, below the bar and next to the ice bin. It read 'Harley Fund' on the front. Who wouldn't want one of those bikes!

Bringing his head back up to normal level he was greeted by a shock of blond, even paler that Zech's. "Hey there stranger." A martini appeared under his nose before Duo could even move to get the ingredients. A glance over his thick braid showed his partner shrugging and giving him a 'you snooze you lose' look.

"I've served him enough. It's not like you're the only one who ever works ya know!"

"Sometimes I wonder..." the other mumbled under his breath before plastering a genuine grin on his face and turning back to his long missed friend.

But what met him was far from normal. Even with the large storm raging outside which shut off the usual shaft of pure light from the drifting moon. It wasn't dark enough to miss the stricken look that wash right though the fake smile he was offered by Quatre.

"Sorry for not stopping in sooner Duo." A loud clap of thunder made perfect cover up for a sniffle. "I've been busy. Busy at work." Long blinks of rain dripping lashes cleared slightly reddened eyes, but it didn't remove the film that dulled the normally bright aquamarine gaze.

Trying not to be totally obvious, heck he knew something was wrong but wasn't going to come straight out and demand to know what was going on, the long haired young man just cocked his head to the side and cracked open the newly retrieved Coke. Even Zech's didn't know about that part. "No problem bro. I figured you would visit when you got a chance. It's not like you're forced to come in every night." His own smiled was instantly shot to hell when he watched the Martini go bottoms up and disappear with one quick drink, no chaser needed or even wanted. That was defiantly an extreme change.

Without being asked to he quickly poured a new glass and removed the empty one, not even bothering to wash it. It just wasn't right, that glass was never empty until the blond was ready to leave. And there was no way Duo was going to let him leave until he figured out even half of what was going on in that blond head.

This time the tall glass was left untouched, at least for the moment. Long thin fingers stroked the smooth surface in anticipation, "I know. I do like coming though. If only to get my mind off of things." Soft words slowly drowned away in the madness of sound flowing through out the room.

"It's never the same without ya buddy." Duo bowed his head, making it appear that he was still working when in truth he had to hide the deep frown that was slowly making its way across his face. At the other end of the bar Zechs called out for a bit of help. A large crowd of college kids pushed forward each calling out what they were in the mood to drink. The list greatly exceeded the brain's normal range for short-term memory. He lightly tapped the cherry surface of the bar twice with his fingertips and forced away the frown with a hopefully warm smile. Sending it to the other before leaving to save the sinking blond ship.

With the two of them working they could easily serve the entire restaurant within ten minutes, tops. Neither feared breaking a bottle or two so sleek projectiles were a common occurrence behind the bar. One quick call of the need item and it would soon be air born on a one-way ticket to your designated area. Sometimes even leaving from the complete opposite end of the long bar.

On these nights, and working with Zechs it was okay, but Duo would never do these kind of stunts with any of the other bartenders that were employed there. Especially not that one new girl, Toni, what was the boss ever thinking about when he hired her. She was a walking disaster, couldn't mix a drink if her life depended on it, and would rather flirt with boys more then perform the duties her job. Hell if she weren't such a good looker there would be no business on her shifts at all. Wufei complained about her drinks on a couple of occasions. At least a decent sized crowd of guys came in just to try and score a date, ordering drinks as they did so.

When the last drink made its way from Duo's hands to that of its newfound owner the braided bartender finally went back to take over the end that Zechs had migrated too. Determined to try and figure out what was bothering that small blond friend of his. But he soon found the lonely end filled by someone completely different. No briefcase left to keep the place saved. Though Duo couldn't quite remember if it had even been brought in that night.

There was an empty 'V' shaped Martini glass, two olives still speared by the green plastic stick propped up against the side of the glass, remaining pushed back towards his side of the bar. Down near the wash bin there were several more of the same glasses to be cleaned and hung back up. That's was strange... Quatre was the only one who ever drank those disgusting things. So where had all those empty glasses come from?

A quick scan on the floor caught a glimpse of the bathroom door swinging back and forth slightly, showing that someone had just gone in. Great...

"You think you'll be okay for a sec?" Duo asked his partner, completely ignoring the order of the new guy in Quatre's seat. A quick grab at the towel dried his hands and gave Zechs enough time to survey the line up and nod his head. Taking the short cut, Duo took a nimble jump right over the top of the bar and between two shocked customers. He then made his way to the now closed two-way swinging door of the men's bathroom.

"Quatre?" He called over the music, pushing the door just enough to peer inside the small yet clean room.

No answer. Duo pushed his lean form though the small opening he had created making sure to close it all the way before venturing over to the line up of stalls.

As he might have guessed the young man was hunched up on the cool wooden floor of a vacant stall, leaning heavily on the wall next to the white toilet. A tinge of green seemed to mask over the already pale facial features. By the looks of things, that row of empty glasses all went to Quatre's stomach. Making Duo screw his face in antipathy, the other young man had not been present in the building for a great deal of time, and if he had drank 'all' of those! He vowed to give Zechs an earful, since he made just a single Martini that entire night. But only after he made sure his friend wasn't going to be dreadfully ill.

"Hey Quatre." Though it was only partially the other bartender's fault. Considering the customer did have to buy it to be served it. "You okay?"

The blond only nodded slightly, curling in on his side away from Duo's approaching form. But not soon enough for the bartender to miss the tracks left by falling tears. Damp pale locks slowly fluffing up to their normal posture after the drowning they had taken from being outside. The boy had both arms clenched tightly over his midsection; it was obvious he felt what too much alcohol did to people, especially 'that' much booze, to someone of his small stature and tolerance level. The insides of his stomach twisted painfully no matter what he did to halt it. Cramping into what seemed like a small ball. Both his arms and legs were strangely numb and heavy feeling. All in all his entire body was protesting the harsh intake of substance.

Now, Duo fathomed, the problem was to determine if he should be taking his friend straight to the hospital before alcohol poisoning set it, cause that was never a pretty thing. "So how many drinks did you have." He didn't phrase it to be a question.

A small groan emitted from the corner of the stall. Duo sighed and set one fist on his hipbone. "You know usually it's the dumb ones I find in here dude; the ones who can only find comfort in the bottom of a bottle. I know your smarter then that Quatre. But yet I find you here, like this... Half my mind is screaming at me to holler at you for being just like all the other gutter rat drunks. Then the other half is dead set on coming up with some sort of evil punishment to hand out to Zechs for actually giving all of those to you. Cause they were all 'yours' weren't they?!"

Quatre closed his blurry eyes against the soft yet unmistakable ridicule. The spinning of his environment seemed to increase ten fold with lose of a sense. Like when you've been riding roller coasters all day long and later at night when you're trying to fall asleep, your body refuses to give up that feeling of weightlessness. It actually quite strange, but at that moment it just made him want to stick his head that much farther into the toilet bowl. "I'm of legal age, and I ask him for them. He was just doing his job."

Yep the drunk ones could be so predictable. "His job 'also' implies that no one go to Detox on his shift. They teach you about these kinds of things in training. It's called the red zone... And you, my friend, appear to be dangerously passed that zone."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry has nothing to do with it Quatre!" Annoyed Duo broke in right after the weak apology. "This is not normal behavior for you and we both know that. Now if you feel up to it I'm 'going' to call you a cab tonight. There is no way in hell you are capable of driving in this weather or a clear sunny day with no cars within a million mile radius." A bit more force came out in the statement then he would have liked. But frankly he was a bit pissed and 'no' was not an answer he was going to accept. Whatever the blond was dealing with should have been dealt with in an entirely different fashion. Making his way back to the door Duo was stopped by the familiar gut wrenching sound of gagging. He spun on his heel in time to see the other throw himself at the bathroom seat, white knuckling the sides of the porcelain.

All irritation the braided bartender had at that point before quickly dissolved into fleeting remorse. The blonde kneeling there wasn't like the other morons that came in there and were eventually tossed back in the streets on their drunken asses. "Oh Quat..." Two large strides took him to the other's side, where he instantly kneeled down. Rubbing soothing circles on back of the suit coat Quatre was wearing, feeling the muscles clenched and rebelled against their owner.

It took several painstaking minutes for Quatre to get his stomach back under control, the feeling of vile sickness hadn't left his body with that episode but there was nothing left to come up, Quatre leaned weakly on his backside, his body trembling from the experience. Goosebumps spread out on every inch of his pale skin. The only bit of warmth he felt was where Duo's hands held him upright at the shoulders. If only things would stop moving around him so erratically. Then maybe he could explain. But he couldn't even concentrate on the brunette's face, in fact he seem to have sprouted two more heads at some point in the last few minutes.

Each one's mouth saying something different to him, filling Quatre's head with far too much jumbled noise. The one in the middle seemed concerned, frowning slightly. Violet eyes slightly wider then usual. The dimmed overhead lights cast an unusual reddish glow throughout the long bangs that hung on his forehead.

On the right there was still anger. Eyes narrowed. Lips set in a deep frown. A certain malicious saturating the words he spoke. The last one was just radiated disappointed, disappointment that such a normally level head guy had to resort to this when he obviously couldn't handle the after effects.

Quatre's hands went to clasp either side of his head, he refused to close his eyes again, it would only result in making him sick again.

"Come on, I'll take you home. I wouldn't trust a cab driver with you like this either." Gently the bartender urged the other to his feet. Holding him steady as his legs quivered.

Warm tears lined the blonde's lashes before spilling over and down his round cheeks. "Home..." He stumbled slightly into the bartender, but was held up by strong arms. "No... can't... Duo please!" Blue watered eyes starred pleading into violet. Small hands fisted into his black uniform and tie, desperately needing to remain.

Being close enough to the sink the long haired young man grabbed one of the small paper cups out of the wall dispenser. One hand made it a bit difficult to get water to stay in the cup but he managed it never the less. Getting the near hysterical blond to at least take a sip and get rid his mouth of the taste of bile. "You can't stay here. I have no plans to clean up after you. Just sleep it off. Then you can come back tomorrow, okay? "

The crowd filling the room had lessened a little, just enough for them to push through. The bartender made sure to give his fellow employee the nastiest look imaginable as soon as they made eye contact. He would get what was coming to him that was for sure. But for now he could just live with having to work the floor by himself. Maybe one of the drunks would give him a run for his money, maybe a whole horde of drunks! Yeah that would teach him all right.

Outside the rain continued to fall in massive torrents, instantly soaking both as soon as they left the safety of the building. Duo cursed both Zechs and the rain all the way to his beat up Mustang, which was sitting behind to tavern. Quatre hadn't said another word since they left the bathroom, but poorly hid hiccups now accompanied his tears. He allowed the other to buckled him gently into the front passenger side seat.

Duo quickly ran to the other side and got in also, slamming the door with enough force to bring a soft groan out of the blond next to him. He took a minute to ring the water out of his long braid before starting the classic black car up.

"Where do you live?"

Silence.

"Quatre..."

No answer just quieted sniffles.

"Come on Quat! I've got to know so I can take get you home."

Again he witnesses the small boy next to him slowly whither. Wrapping shaky arms tightly around his wet frame. He was almost afraid the blond was going to be sick again.

"T-take me to Cen-central Park."

"Okay..." He put the car in gear. Finally. Then a moment later "Wait, what?!" The brakes were quickly depressed, and Duo swung his head around to face the other. "You don't live at Central park Quatre!"

"Does it matter!?" Quatre snapped viciously. "You want to take me somewhere then that is as good as any. Just take me there!"

"God dammit Quat!" Duo returned the tone only one better. "Just tell me where you fucking live so I can take you home!"

"That's where I live now..."

He half opened his mouth for another round but quickly clicked his teeth painfully back together. Quatre had been completely serious when he had said that was where he lived. Now he wouldn't even meet Duo's wide-eyed gaze. Taking instead to starring at his shaking hands that rested lifelessly in his lap. More tear drops, looking much like the rain outside splattered as they hit the pale skin at the end of their journey.

"But..."

"I have no home Duo..." Each word was slightly paused between shaky crying breaths. "Nothing, I have nothing at all..." Fists clenched into tight fists. "It's all gone..."

The feeling of your insides quickly freezing up was a feeling that is hard to describe. It's not that they freeze really but everything gives off that feeling of numbness, starting at your stomach and slowly working its way outwards until even your skin tightens into goose bumps. Duo really hated that feeling. He hated feeling cold in anyway, but most of all he hated when his friends were hurt for any reason. And at that point he could care less if Quatre had been thrown out into the streets because he had been selling drugs out the back door of his house and was a wanted man by three of the biggest gangs around. Even he had resorted to that at one point, when you needed money you had to get it somewhere.

"We'll go to my house then..." The car's brakes were eased up on and he took a left out of the small parking lot. Quatre immediately began to protest, as weak as it was between uncontrollable anguish. He was rightly ignored. The bartender instead focusing between the path of his car's wipers. Damn this rain!

Four blocks thankfully wasn't a long way to go. He had been more then overjoyed when landing a job so close to home. He couldn't afford gas if it had been anywhere else. He would walk whenever the night was nice enough. Again he was thankful that he had decided to take his Mustang that night, even if it was because of the rain. But he couldn't imagine dragging a hysterical young man down the sidewalk at this time of night. That was reason enough to be mugged. Quatre was still dressed like a million bucks even if he was a broken down mess.

Stairs were another matter altogether though. And he had six sets to climb up before reaching his small apartment; old creaky steps that were a danger to your health on a normal basis. But his landlord was far too cheap to ever repair them. About halfway up the blond stumbled on one of the wooden steps that was not nailed down in the back, causing the front of it to teeter totter and threatened to send a person tumbling back down the path they had just come up. Duo swore ripely under his breath. The boy was small but the bartender wasn't exactly a body builder either. He tightened his grip around Quatre's midsection and used the railing to pull them up another step.

A hand came into his line of view, slightly tanned and spotted with calluses, reaching out to offer assistance.

"Wufei!" Gasped Duo, after looking up to see whom it was presenting the help.

Between the two of them, they managed to wrap Quatre in a protective sandwich and practically carried him the rest of the way to the sixth level.

"What happened?" The Chinese man asked once they were inside the bartender's humble home. "I was just on my way out to the bar to see you guys." Duo grabbed a couple of towels throwing one over his shoulders and gently used the other to rubbed away the cold saturation of water in the blonde's hair.

Since Quatre was not going to answer the question considering he was just barely able to sit up on his own; the alcohol surging through his blood slowly dragging him down to oblivion. Duo did instead, never taking his eyes off his patient.

"I'm not really sure. He came in tonight, got completely wasted, and broke down saying something about not having a home." Brown bangs slowly waved as he shook his head and frowned. "So I figured he could sleep it off here. That way I can have the privilege of reaming him out once he is conscious."

Wufei knelt down in front of their drunken friend, lifting one puffing eyelid and looking closely. "How many did he have?" The pale skin under his hands felt uncomfortably warm. He didn't even notice that Duo didn't answer his question. "Are you sure it is okay for him to even go to sleep like this?"

The bartender looked from one to the other. "I'll keep an eye on him. They train us for stuff like this wouldn't you believe. Intoxicated babysitting 101."

Four sets of hand worked far better then two, soon they had Quatre changed into some of Duo's extra nightclothes and tucked into the extra bed, which was really just a mattress lying on the floor, but it worked for unexpected guests. One large wastebasket was set right on the floor next to the bed just in case.

When Duo f3lt like he had everything under control he sent Wufei out to continue his way to the tavern, with instructions to make sure Zech was doing okay in his absence. And Wufei made the brunette promise to let him know what was going on as soon as he found out. After all the Chinese man now live just one floor below the bartender. Lucky surprise.

The deadbolt click shut before Duo let out the huge sigh he had been holding in for a good majority of the night now. He ran one hand through his still damp bangs and made his way back to the spare bedroom to check once again on his unfortunate friend. 'What a night.' He thought, using the towel around his neck to squeeze out the excess liquid in his poor braid.

Something had happened tonight, that was for sure. But unfortunately he would have to wait to find out just 'what'. What ever it was, it had transformed a very well mannered businessman in to the unexpected alcoholic that was now lying before him. Curled into a fetal position, sniffling in his restless passed out state.

Duo sighed, going to the hall closet to retrieve the extra strength aspirin.