TITLE: Drug of Choice
AUTHOR: Spy Elf
E-MAIL: ChibiChyna@aol.com
RATING: pg-13
SUMMARY: CM Punk wants to help Raven. Raven accepts.
DISCLAIMER: Don't own
the people or the fued. My only profit is reader response.
Chapter 4
A/N: Uh, my angsty!musi are demanding time now. And as much as I love a happy ending, this shot doesn't really have one. Fair warning. And Sandman is here. Yep, who else could you find in a bar? This shot is a little shorter than the rest. Musi in pain, must go enjoy ice cream.
The show: On 9/24/03, for those of you who didn't see it: Raven, Punk and Julio challenged The New Church to a dog collar match. Much fun. Julio got the pin. Yay! They won. But were soon all attacked and the three of them hung from the second story of the building by the New Church with the dog collar chains. It was unfun. Yep, hung Punk and Julio right in front of Raven. Can you say angst?
Punk coughed again and leaned against the bathroom wall. "Why did we let him drive the car and have us take a cab to the hotel again? I think the lack of oxygen to my brain made me stop thinking."
"Not much of a change then." Julio smirked as he handed Punk a cloth to wash the blood off his face with. "He needed to blow off some steam."
"I could think of some other things that would…"
"Hey," Julio cut him off. "You can keep those pervy comments to yourself. Do you always have your mind in the gutter?"
Punk smiled and tossed the cloth back. "Hey you didn't seem to mind last night when I was sharing all those pervy comments. As a matter of fact, I think you wanted more."
"Yeah, well." Julio flushed. "Now isn't the time. Raven was pissed and wanted us to leave in case he ran into The New Church or Douglass and something happened. I'm confident that he could take all of them at this point. He was so pissed."
"But I don't like him being off alone like this." Punk frowned. "I mean, something could happen to him. And after looking around and realizing that all of us were hanging," Punk trailed off. "I just want everyone close to me for a bit ok? Is that such a crime?"
Julio sat beside Punk in the floor and pulled the blond into his embrace. "No. It isn't. I'd really like it if we were all together too. But that isn't the way he is. So we will sit here and hold each other until Raven comes back."
***~~~***
"Well well, look what is back in the scene."
Raven's head snapped around as Sandman slid onto the bar stool next to him. "Now is not the time." He growled at his newfound companion. Then coughed.
"Throat trouble?" Sandman smiled. "Getting strung up will do that to you."
"Shut up or die." Raven glared and motioned to the bartender for another shot, another drink, anything the man brought so long as it was alcohol. So long as it erased the images of Julio and Punk struggling at the end of those chains…. He winced and downed the shot and pulled a beer closer. A chaser to help the pure shot burn all the way down.
Sandman leaned closer. "Or how about option C. I buy you another round and you tell me all about it."
"Tell you what?" was the snarling reply.
Sandman handed Raven another bottle. "Well you have been scarce around the bar scene for a while now. Figured you might be trying to quit again. When will you ever learn? That little bratty StraightEdge partner, "
Raven reached for Sandman's shoulder and missed, pulled back and succeeded in yanking him forward. "Don't you call him a brat, you asshole. Punk is worth ten of guys like us."
"So that's why you're drinking." Sandman nods and ignores Raven's clenched fist in his shirt. "You want him."
"What?" Raven responded, shocked. He released his grip on the other man. "That isn't why I'm here."
"So," Sandman smiled. "You aren't denying the accusation?"
Raven glared.
Sandman laughed. "In love with your partner. Fucking him most likely. And probably Julio as well. Well you can't be in a fight with them. You seemed pretty tight tonight, fighting the New Church together. Until you got strung up that is. That must be why you are drinking huh? Hurt much?" Sandman started as pain filled Raven's glare. "Holy shit. That is the reason." He leaned back and pushed another bottle towards Raven. "You love the both of them and they got hurt tonight."
Raven dropped his head to the table, but kept a tight grip on his bottle. "My how perceptive. Your amazing psychic powers mystify me once again. Tell me, oh great seer, just what the hell else I should be doing if I can't get the image of them swinging out of my mind." He looked up and turned away from Sandman, taking another drink.
"Oh man. I had no idea." Sandman spoke softly. "I know we have had our problems in the past, but I'm happy you found someone, someones as the case may be. But don't let things like this get you down man. Julio and Punk know what they are getting into."
Raven laughed bitterly. "What like nearly getting killed? Sure, that seems like something one has to know before being involved with me. It is now." He snickered, the drink obviously getting to him.
Sandman glanced at him with concern. "Raven how long have you been here?"
"Sent the kiddies home and came right over after the show." He took another drink. "I can still see it…" he shuddered and reached for Sandman's nearly full bottle.
The clock on the wall read one a.m. That meant that Raven had been there for about three hours. And Sandman could see that three hours of alcohol could affect Raven to this point. But, Sandman thought to himself. He was here now. He wouldn't let Raven leave under his own powers. But for a while, he could let him drink. And forget.
Within two more hours Raven was babbling. At first it was about how Punk and Julio were just casualties in the hate Mitchell and Douglass had for himself. That Raven didn't like having casualties. Then he moved on to describing how he was going to take out the New Church all by himself and beat Vampiro till he couldn't stand anymore. After a few more he was telling Sandman all about how vain Julio could be and that Punk could pout like a four-year-old. Then he passed out.
"Finally." Sandman sighed. He then grabbed his wallet and picked Raven's, paying for the massive amount of alcohol taken to purge the image, anger, and fear from Raven. "You are going to have one hell of a hangover come tomorrow. I'd hate to be you." He smiled. "I know you are going to hate me for this when you wake up, but it is for your own good." Sandman grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number he found in Raven's wallet.
***~~~***
"He isn't coming back is he?" Punk asked from the circle of Julio's arms. At four in the morning they had lain in the bed, not sleeping. Now an hour later, Punk voiced his fear.
And Julio could no longer lie and make things better. "I don't know Punk." He pulled Punk closer, holding and being held. "But we won't lose this easy. He has to be back on Wednesday and we will be right there. He can't get rid of us."
Punk nodded. "I agree. I can get hung every night so long as it means I've stopped them from focusing all on him. I can take whatever those bastards dish out."
"Right." Julio agreed.
They stayed in silence for a few more moments only to have it broken by Julio's cell phone ringing. They hesitated, and then scrambled to reach it. "Raven?" Julio answered it. He frowned as Punk tried to hear the other speaker to no avail. "Then where is he?" Julio asked and then he closed his eyes and his face fell. "Thanks. We will be right there." He hung up.
Punk pounced at the silence. "Who was that? It is about Raven? Where is he? Is he ok?"
Julio sat down and reached for his shoes. "That was Sandman. We have to go get Raven."
Punk started to pull on his shirt. "Why? Where is he?" The younger boy was beginning to shake with fear and worry.
"He's at a bar a few minutes away from here." Julio stood, face marked with sorrow. "And he's passed out fucking drunk."