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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 22: Pick your poison

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

There were only a few things Miles felt certain about, but the scene happening a couple of seats away from him squashed one of those few paradigms.

Matt wasn't supposed to be drinking this early in the morning, yet he was. Profusely so. Two empty bottles of Whiskey sat by the part of the counter in front of the human, all small but… still enough to dignify that something was wrong with the man. Which was incredibly odd.

Like, what the heck was wrong with him? His mind scrambled to find a reason that could've driven the usually-cheerful farmer to this state of distraught. Heck, even Taffy looked concerned as well as frightened by this dark mood that had taken hold over their mutual friend. Minos sat beside the guy but… the Bull Prime hadn't spared any words about it.

It was odd, almost confusing. But it did make sense that in order to crack the human's shell, the taller man needed to take a careful approach. Still, it didn't soothe Miles' own worries on the matter. Whatever could get to someone as mentally strong as Matt, it had to be something world-ending.

And that wasn't even an overstatement considering the immense moral support the dude had given to the Cat Prime despite the crap lingering from the fallout created by the latter. It was certain to the younger man that something was wrong here, and that Matt was just hurting himself by keeping quiet over the topic.

The bartender stared cautiously as he shifted the bottles away, and replaced those with a smaller full one at the muffled voice of the human. The man looked still attentive despite the absurd amount of alcohol in his body, once again proving to be surreal when the situation demanded it. The sight was disheartening, yet there wasn't much he could do but stare and see how the situation developed from there.

…

'Actually no. I think it's time to get moving onwards'

If there was something the Cat Prime prided himself in being, it was actually being a loyal friend when the time needed him to be one. Especially when the one in need was someone that helped him stand up from the pit he had fallen into. Standing up from his chair, the young man walked up to the stool beside Matt's, silently shifting in there and expecting to be greeted at that point.

Sadly, there was no verbal response from the guy. Heck, not even a gesture over his presence being noticed. Miles blamed the alcohol for this situation, and decided to be the one to start some conversation. He coughed, a hand covering his mouth as a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"How are you holding?"

Simple, terribly general. And also incredibly awkward. Could've been better, but the Cat Prime wasn't one that aimed for quality in this kind of discussions. Especially when the individual he was speaking to was way too numb because of Whiskey.

"Hmm," The human 'replied'. It sounded like a muffled 'fine', yet Miles wasn't completely sure that this was indeed the case. Drunk people were an odd group that had to be handled carefully. Not because he considered Matt a violent drunk, as he could easily see how docile he was right now with how catatonic he looked like. The issue was that misunderstandings could happen if certain words were mistaken for others.

A single nudge at his arm ensued, with the action finally drawing the human's attention on him.

A small smile appeared on Miles' face. He had to offer some good confidence out of this predicament. Matt blinked, head tilting to the side as he realized who was now occupying the chair. As the Cat Prime prepared to poke some more to get another reaction out of him, the older man finally replied.

"I'm not brain-dead."

The comment was unexpected, and the former student flinched at the blank voice dripping from those words. Still, his smile didn't waver too much and soon Miles decided to initiate the conversation proper.

"But you look like you already have a foot in the grave," The Cat Prime pointed out jokingly. "Seriously, weren't you the one saying that drinking alcohol early in the morning was just plain dumb?"

The human displayed what Miles could describe as an attempt to a shrug. "Never said it wasn't… this is just dumb."

The rebuttal was met with a frown from the Cat Prime, the young man trying his best to decipher the confusing tone and 'logic'. If there was any in that discussion from Matt's side. At this point, he gave a quick glance around, stopping at a certain Bunny.

Taffy had taken a moment to stare at the scene. She looked to have finished serving the other tables and yet the girl wasn't approaching the situation as of now. Could it be a worry of worsening the situation since they all were unaware of what drove the human to this state of squalor? Or maybe was it something related to personal uneasiness at how to interact with the guy's drunken state?

Nevertheless, the situation continued from that brief pause. This time, Miles had to take a 'closer' approach to see through with this problematic circumstance. Another nudge, this time the attention provided to him looked far more intense than the previous one. There was some slight irritation in his features too.

"But if it's, then why are you doing it?" The inquiry was meant to get more insight over the purpose of this 'dumb' action. "I mean, can I offer you some coffee? I swear, it's addicting with how good it is-"

"It doesn't offer… what I want right now."

His tone was sluggish. It made it appear like Matt wasn't putting much effort in that conversation, as if he was reluctant to go forward after this point. It was rather clear that the human wasn't just in the mood for some words. Which was bad, as Miles wasn't feeling morally obliged to step back from his efforts now.

"I don't think alcohol can delete the past," The Cat Prime suggested with a quiet voice. "It can give you a migraine the next morning, it can make you say embarrassing things- but it's not bleach for the mind."

"Which is… saddening," The man mused with a long sigh. "But that's not… why I need it."

…

What the heck would you need alcohol for then?!

This situation was growing more unstable the more he kept poking the crazy nest that was Drunk Matt. It was just sheer madness in a nutshell, but… it would be a lie to say that the curiosity wasn't growing the more he delved in the depths of the rabbit hole he just had found. So he decided to press for more.

"Then why?"

There was no response to that,as Matt decided that he preferred gulping down another glass more than bothering with that attempt to snatch an explanation out of him. It was annoying to be ignored like this, yet there was something about the mood the human was displaying that made it difficult to keep being negative towards him.

Miles pondered further over the predicament. There was little else to do without being counter-productive. Especially now with how 'fragile' the scene looked to be. While Matt still looked harmless, he couldn't help but feel like he was currently tip-toeing in the dragon's den. He could perceive the 'heat' from the sliver of irritation coming from the human.

But where the Cat Prime found an obstacle, someone else decided to intervene and continue through this path. Minos' hand reached for the glass on the human's hand, stopping Matt from gulping down another bout of liquor. The gesture was replied with a surprised glance directed at the Bull Prime.

"You will not find peace down this path," The tall brunet commented solemnly, red eyes glinting with true concern. "You know this already. You shouldn't risk your health because of it."

From this simple response, there was a viable outcome. One that held the only way possible for this discussion to come to a close. The one where the human recognized that Minos was genuinely trying to help him, and that speaking would only do good to him. It sounded like the best possibility, considering how friendly the two were to each other.

Miles had something else to cross off from the list of certainties he had within his mind the mere moment Matt snatched his hand and glass away from that hold. Instead of calm and quiet serenity that had persisted up until now, an annoyed, incredibly angry look appeared on the human's face.

Those looking at the scene and that knew about the general stuff of the situation displayed various degrees of surprise. But it was Minos that seemed to appear the least surprised, much to the Cat Prime's growing confusion. The fact that the Bull was now sporting a nervous look, muttering about guilt over something, was enough to prove that something had soured up the previously-strong friendship. But of what exactly, Miles couldn't truly tell in that moment.

The tensions survived despite the silence, with the now-empty glass reaching back the counter as Matt increased his pace over the drinking. It just didn't seem like a simple attempt to sate some thirst, but likely a stupid effort to 'drown something within him'.

Now, there was a genuine need to worry about it. Taffy took a couple of steps towards the trio, glancing at the bartender for help, with the older Prime offering a calm nod and stopping himself from picking another bottle of Whiskey.

Once the visible one was emptied by the swift consumption from the human, instead of asking for more, Matt turned to Minos with a dull tone. There was silence, yet one could easily see how uneasy the Bull Prime looked to be at that very stare.

Miles wasn't being offered a proper sight over it because of the seat he was in. Yet he could feel that something was off about it from the way someone as strong and tall as the brunet was reacting to it.

Instead of causing further escalation, the Cat merely listened for what was going to happen now and, instead of a continuation of the silence, Matt finally spoke with a dry tone.

"Why."

…

"Why are you… keeping information about me away from me?"

The query felt heavy. Even though Miles was currently unsure about what Matt was referring to, there was a degree of weight within these words that felt absurdly burdening for anyone staring at this predicament unfolding.

The Bull Prime blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

…

"If it had been something about yourself. Something that… doesn't concern me, I would've really left you be about that," The human rationalized with a surprisingly calm tone. It felt devoid of any influence of the alcohol. "But I think you can understand that my demand wasn't hypothetical, I know you are hiding something about my situation away from me."

Was this about Matt amnesia? But why would he want to speak about it so publicly? Why so… so suddenly? And Minos knew more about it than he was letting out? What was going on?!

"It's complicated."

The deflection was easily perceived as one by everyone, especially the human. Matt didn't look amused at the response, pausing for a moment before actually giving out a rebuttal to it. But it wasn't anything about words.

There was a blur. Miles' eyes failed to keep up with the sudden movement, but he could see and listen to the aftermath as there was a noticeable crack and Minos falling on the ground as his stool gave away and broke, his hands rushing to his face and to the now-bleeding nose.

Shock swelled in the Cat Prime at the sight of someone as big as the Bull Prime being brought down with a surprise punch. The attack seemed particularly strong, and the retreating fist didn't seem damaged by the impact. Instead of pursuing that violent opening, Matt merely stood out of his seat and offered some paper money on the counter.

"This should cover for the Whiskey and the broken stool," The human muttered quickly as he stared at the owner of the place. He didn't pay any other looks at Minos, merely staring at the bartender as he mentioned this "I'm sorry for the damage. I will be going now."

There was no continuation to this speech. The human ended up walking toward the entrance with a somewhat stable pace that made it difficult for a stranger to the situation to see him as a drunken 'dumbass'. Miles was too shocked to move now, yet someone else had thought about keeping a watch over the drunken form of the man.

Taffy was now wearing her jacket over her uniform, with the bartender giving her a nod to confirm his support over this little 'break from work'. The Bunny rushed up to walk beside the annoyed human, leaving the entire bar to see a recovering Minos trying to stand up by holding onto the corner.

While the hit had left him bleeding profusely, the Bull Prime hardly seemed furious about the development. In fact, Miles could say that the big guy was more perplexed than else. Also embarrassed… and not for the fact he had been slammed down by someone fairly weaker and shorter than him. There was just a sense of despair within his expression that gave off an unpleasant sight to the careful eye of the Cat Prime.

Instead of waddling in that eerie quietness, Miles finally acted upon the situation and inquired where the First Aid Kit was. Minos looked thankful when he was provided with some bandages and medical alcohol, yet the dreading look that was now matching with the overall perplexity of his posture was enough to confirm one little thing.

Whatever had happened to Matt, it had put him in the worst of moods.

~Matt's POV~

To be fair, perhaps I should've offered a better warning before punching Minos.

Sure, I wasn't regretting finally lashing out at the guy. I knew that he was aware of what had caused my amnesia and that he was keeping the truth away from me. But maybe, I could've given him a chance to stress under some verbal pressure.

Just like I was conscious after about a couple of years of delving into the world of liquors, the Whiskey did make my patience burn up faster than usual and my 'niceness' had dried up at the fact that the situation now required me to understand what was going on with me.

I was still in shock about what I learned about earlier in the morning. My brain just couldn't digest what the doctors had said about the comatose Diana. She was… stable. For now. But the situation was going to change soon as the circumstances were only worsening from this point onward.

The medicines weren't as effective as before, which meant their effects weren't going to do anything to further slow down the deadly process. And that was going to be a problem if the woman was going to wake up from her current sleep. The chances of that possibility to happen were high, but not above the comfortable 90% I wanted those to be.

Randal was distraught, and I would've offered him some comforting words if not for the doctors limiting the presence of people within the house not related to the patient. That part of Las Lindas had been literally turned into a small hospital with the small group of medics having been assigned to Diana's case.

So yes, despite my willingness to provide assistance to the medical squad, I was forbidden from doing so because of some rules regarding this specific kind of case. Out of my temporary home, the only place I could go to spend the painfully indefinite amount of time I was forced to go through without having any contact to the farm was the small town near Las Lindas.

The bar had been the first place to hit by, but my early commitment to at least try to find some support from others drowned the very moment I decided to indulge with some alcohol. It wasn't an addiction. It's been three weeks now since I hadn't taken something even so close to simple beer, but the call had been stronger than usual.

I needed to go numb. Completely. Whiskey was the compromise that just fit well in terms of flavor and potency. It wasn't the best, but the saloon hardly had something strong enough to put me in lalaland. Then things happened, people worried. Minos is surely nursing a broken nose, and I was being yanked around by a certain Bunny Prime.

Taffy didn't seem interested in some whining from my drunk self, but I was really getting irked by the way she was pulling me around so strongly and so suddenly. I wasn't mad, just positively confused and irritated by the unexpected development. She was never the one to take this much initiative on the matter, and I was uncertain over what she was expecting to do by pulling me around town.

In the end, the trip proved to be fairly 'straightforward'. The young woman had us wander around several shops in what looked to be a lengthy shopping spree. I was baffled by the fact the quantity of stuff bought didn't match with the amount of shops that we were visiting. It was less than a dozen, yet there were some interesting ingredients and… juice boxes. The situation was tense, but not enough to warrant some questions over the matter.

Finally the madness came to an end when we arrived at a familiar spot in the park. Instead of settling ourselves by the patch of grass away from the path, we took a seat by one of the benches there. Taffy hummed, her green eyes scanning through one of the two small bags containing the product she had bought and pulled two of the juice boxes.

"Carrot-flavored?" I inquired with a hint of amusement, blinking at the huff coming from her lips.

"It's my favorite. Any problems with that?"

… "Not really, no."

Her smile returned at that, and she nodded as she glanced at me with an eased look.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" I asked again, this time moving the attention back to the main reason that saw us now sitting alone by the mostly-deserted park.

The place looked so desolated. But at least there wasn't anyone causing irritating noises as my brain was finally sobering up after three full bottles of Whiskey. Which meant sensible hearing and a mind prone to headaches at the minimal use of loud tones to address stuff.

"What you did to Minos felt so sudden and horrible," The Bunny confessed with a sigh. "But I know that you're not the kind of individual that makes use of violence without a 'good reason'. And I think he seemed legitimately guilty of something."

I nodded as we both let our tension go, slowly conceding to a closer position to each other as Taffy leaned her head to rest by my shoulder. She brought her juice box up to her lips, enjoying a little bit the beverage as I struggled a little bit getting mine prepared. In hindsight, I should've probably moderated myself with my drinking.

"You think he knows the truth about your amnesia?" The girl inquired softly, nuzzling a little as I took a quick sip from the carrot juice. "You seem fairly convinced."

"I'm sure of it. And that's what frustrates me the most," I answered with a huff. "I know Minos tries to be a good friend… but the way he's keeping me in the dark about it is…"

Taffy nodded slowly at my unfinished comment, catching on with the meaning I was trying to bring up. Still, she didn't answer quickly, letting the soothing wind further lessen up the irritation I was feeling from that escalation. I felt aggravated, because I was sure that Minos was trying to mean well.

He was a good guy that was trying his best to keep at peace with the world. Someone I trusted- no, I once trusted and now, I couldn't help but feel uneasy about every time we were once near each other. What if there was another big lie around the corner? How far did the entire uncertainty extend to?

I could only theorize at this point, and hope that the worst options would not become the truth. The new variable presented by that dark figure… put me in the worst of moods.

If Diana's conditions had left me on the edge, encountering the dangerous individual felt like I was delving into the most troublesome of circumstances. I could perceive that something was wrong about the creature. That something about it was just unpleasant within its existence.

I knew it. I could sense familiarity, merely looking at that mysterious figure. But I couldn't just give it a name, nor a reason why I knew it. But the malicious intent behind the burning orbs that were its eyes was enough to confirm that the being meant bad things.

A monster, one that was caged well away from there.

…

But then how did I end up encountering it? And why was it correlated to Diana's conditions?

Just as I thought back at the creature, I started focusing back on the very detail that made last night a sleepless one. It was the chuckling. That chuckle… I knew it from somewhere else. I knew the figure. I hated it, and it hated me in return. But where did our hatred spawned from? And why did it just feel right to keep such a bitter reaction towards the unknown being?

More blurs, this time the mere thought was enough to send sharp and intense waves of pain through my entire core. I could remember something, but I couldn't distinguish voices nor images. Everything just… burned. There was fire, but also a sense of pleasantness in that burning emotion. I felt fiery at the various of those. I felt proud at the final one.

But I couldn't get anything from mere emotions. And I was stuck with just more puzzles to solve in the meantime. I knew that I could do something for Diana. That I had the power to actually help her. I was now sure of it. The encounter with the dangerous figure had proved it.

…

I sighed, glancing to the side to try and distract myself from the migraine by interacting a little more with Taffy. Yet when I turned to address the Bunny Prime, I didn't find the familiar pink-haired young woman. Instead I was given a closeup of someone else.

I almost jumped at the sudden sight, yet I had a sliver of sureness that this was still Taffy despite the 'wrong appearance'. I could feel her now non-existing bunny ears itching a little close to my cheek and… she was distracted, offering me time to properly study this strange sight.

A Coyote Prime. The first detail that got my attention was the red mane of hair trailing down to her lower-back. The bright crimson matched well with the similar shade that her half-closed eyes had. She was wearing a dark-blue cloak that covered her body, and the frontal opening gave plenty of sight over her sleeveless gray shirt, black pants and armored boots.

I felt my chest getting squeezed just staring at this individual. I knew her… I cared for her. But I didn't know her proper name. Or why she was important.

'I'm so sorry. I should've been stronger.'

A sob, then two. A bloodied smile, a dying wish. I felt the guilt washing momentarily back on my skin. I could feel sins trying to crawl on my back. But it wasn't happening right now. It was… in the past. Far away, in a situation well-beyond what I could remember right now.

"Is something wrong?"

I blinked, hiding away my surprise as I noticed that her voice was Taffy's. I hummed nervously and I stared away before answering.

"I'm sorry for… making a scene at the pub."

She let out a relieved sigh at this. My heartbeat picked up a little more at the sound correlated to her oddly-familiar face. I saw her appearance alternate briefly back to the Bunny Prime, yet the hallucination held strong for a little more. Enough to provide me with some incredibly heavy jabs at my poor head with the strange display.

"It wasn't your fault. But you should really drink less if you want to deal with some unpleasant situation," The young woman mused. Sternness was diluted in a sweet and kind tone. "There are better ways than that 'dumb' attempt."

I blinked again, this time staring in front of me as I felt… nostalgic. Things were flashing, with the hallucinations spreading, but not persisting as the one that altered Taffy's current 'appearance'.

Maybe it was some effects from the alcohol holding well onto my mind. Logic was slipping away, but I was too tired to commit to the absurdity unfolding before me. Seriously, who would've thought that I would be sitting there and stare so happily at the nothingness.

I wondered if this mind-trick was going to last more than a couple of minutes. If perhaps a quick nap would've been needed to dispel this kind of madness. But before I had even the time to ponder over this, I felt 'Taffy' shuffling in her seat.

"Do you… want to tell me a little more about what happened?"

...I stared back at the Coyote Prime, knowing perfectly well that I was staring at the quiet but inquisitive look placed on Taffy's face… but now within this other individual. This was just insane, but I ignored the crazy alteration for the sake of not making a scene.

So I lessened my tension, stared up at the cloudy sky, and started to tell her about what had happened yesterday and earlier this morning. The tale was curt, as I offered a restrained accounting for the sake of driving away the majority of the foul thoughts over the matter.

I still faced the bitterness when Taffy started inquiring for more details about the subject. Her mood was dampened at the unpleasant notes of the topic, but her curiosity in understanding the reasons behind my plight indulged her to delve further than she genuinely wanted.

I mean, why wouldn't she be feeling sick that I was bringing up the matter of losing someone I cared for. Especially when this very circumstance had happened to her when she had lost her mother to-

…

Wait. Taffy lost her grandfather because of natural causes. So why was I thinking about… an assassination attempt to her mother? I was fairly sure that her mother, a despicable woman from the way the Bunny had mentioned her, was still healthy as far as I was aware about. And why did this thought feel so similar to… what's happening to Diana?

My head was going numb again with so many thoughts burdening my capacity to think straight. This time, it didn't feel like it was caused by the Whiskey. Before I had time to contemplate more about this, I felt Taffy squeezing at my arm and… she was back to normal. A green-eyed concerned look reached deep in my mind as she stared up at my own eyes.

"Is everything alright?" She questioned carefully, her tone soft and cautious. "You look paler than usual."

I kept quiet for a while, calming down my heartbeat and regaining some bearings over my current situation. I finally sighed and nodded.

"Just… just a small moment of stress," I half-lied, knowing that mentioning the hallucinations would do more harm than good at it. "By the way, I forgot to mention how gorgeous you look today."

The comment got a blush from the Bunny Prime, which prompted a playful punch at my arm. I chuckled at the adorable reaction from the cute woman, finally letting myself ease down at the lack of any absurd insanity unfolding at the moment.

Whatever had happened there… it kept me attentive for some time. Still, I decided to speak with Taffy for a little longer, inquiring about how her painting lessons were doing. She was more than happy to provide me with numerous 'achievements' gained through Minos' lessons, and I found myself at peace as time flew away.

Much to my surprise, I received a call from Randal mentioning how Diana had finally awakened from her comatose state. Her conditions were stable… but it would take a little more for her to actually move around as usual. I felt grateful at how the situation had unraveled, but I thanked Taffy for keeping me company in that gloomy moment.

She was elated by the thankfulness, but still chided me for diving my own head into alcohol at the first sight of something terrible happening. It was refreshing to be called a moron by someone that understood the plight I was almost going through… again.

Returning at the farm got me a hug from a weary-looking Diana, and a stern lecture about drinking alcohol so early in the morning from the fiery lady. Despite the grim prospect for her life expectancy offered by the doctors, the Cow Prime seemed to have lost little of her fiery spirit.

But while I was glad things had calmed down, my worries worsened and ended up with me calling both Mora and Alejandra over this matter. With one picking up pace in reaching the nearest airport, and the other making accommodations to arrive at Las Lindas by the early hours of tomorrow, in order to stay there for a full week.

Hopefully, the worst was indeed gone…

AN

I have to say, you tend to be quite cruel in your efforts to 'hide away' the incoming sad moments.

It's not hiding if the truth is already known.

Are you sure about that?

Kind of?

…Do you know that Paraiso opens in about two weeks? Are you ready for some fun~?

...Shit, I forgot.

I got your things packed already-

No wait-

I got the sun lotion, the swimsuits, some spare clothes. I got yourself some fun boxes too~.

Sthap!

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