"So why are you nervous?"
Ruwalk's mouth twisted. "A—ano........" -CRAP! He just had to ask that question of all questions, didn't he?! Well, let's see....... I'm falling in love with you? And I don't know how the hell you'll react?- The yellow officer avoided Alfeegi's eyes, which the white officer was using to give Ruwalk a level stare. "What's wrong?"
Normally Ruwalk would've just said nothing. But instead, he leaned forward and kissed Alfeegi, lightly, next to his mouth. The other officer's eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly. He stared, shocked, at Ruwalk, whose eyes were dark.
"I'm in love with you and I don't know what you'll say. That's what's wrong."
Alfeegi's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he breathed.
Ruwalk blinked, looked down, then away. "Oh, God," he muttered, then gave a bitter chuckle. "I'm sorry." He moved to get up and walked off. Alfeegi sat a second, stunned, and, realizing what was just happening, suddenly shot up and out of his seat. "Ruwalk!" he yelled out, but he was already gone. Grabbing a coat and cursing himself a thousand times, he ran out into the cold February day.
------------
"Hey, handsome. Buy you a drink?"
Ruwalk gave a lopsided grin. "Nah," he said to the brunette who had asked him. "How about I buy you something instead?"
"That would be nice," she said, fluttering long, make-upped eyelashes.
-It'll be easier to just get wasted and forget about it,- Ruwalk decided. –That way when I get back, I can pretend I'm so drunk I don't remember jack.- The first drink came and he tossed it back in one gulp.
The brunette raised a perfect eyebrow. "Trying to forget someone?" she asked through red lipsticked lips, pushing back curly hair.
"Yeah," Ruwalk said. "I guess." He ordered another drink.
"You know," said the brunette, leaning over, and revealing that her hair was more of a dirty blond, "I could........ help you to forget." Her red lips smiled, her tight shirt strained. Cigarette smoke was thick in the air, but Ruwalk was used to it by now—he came so often to places like this, he ought to be. He was also used to this tactic of women trying to get laid with him. A group of men playing poker in a corner suddenly burst out laughing. Ruwalk downed his second drink and ordered a third.
"How much money you got?" the bartender asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.
"Enough," Ruwalk answered.
The bartender shrugged and placed two glasses in front of the Dragon Officer. He smiled. "Thanks." Then he downed the third one, then the fourth. They kept coming.
"Well?" the dirty blonde (-Hah. Literally.- Ruwalk thought.) asked suggestively. "What do ya say? I'm stayin' at a hotel nearby. We could go back there........"
"You don't know who I am, do you?"
A red-lipped smile. "I know you're good-looking."
"Hah," Ruwalk laughed bitterly, throwing back his fifth glass. "I wish that he---"Then stopped, realizing what he was about to say.
"What?"
"Nothing!" The sixth glass was drained. Then the seventh. Eighth. Ninth. They kept coming and coming and Ruwalk didn't think to stop. Thinking logically hurt too much at this point because all he could see was his eyes and the shock and rejection again, causing fear to slip back into his heart. He couldn't take it anymore. It was easier this way.
It made him a loser, but things were so much easier this way.
By the fifteenth, he was finally beginning to feel just a bit light headed. –Damn,- he thought with distaste, –what the hell'd I order that's making me so tipsy so soon?- Angry at himself for his sudden intolerance, he ordered five more drinks of hard liquor. The bartender's and dirty blonde's eyebrows shot up—two pairs bushy, two pairs smooth and perfect, fake-looking. "Is that wise?" the bartender asked, hesitating.
Ruwalk waved his hand dismissively. "I can handle it," he muttered, carefully making sure his words didn't slur. The bartender shrugged and filled the order.
The dirty blonde, however, was picking up on the fact that Ruwalk couldn't take much more. Like a vulture, she moved in. "So," she said in a whisper, "what do you say? Come to my place afterwards?"
-What the hell,- Ruwalk thought as the sixteenth glass was placed in front of him. He barely noticed the fact that it wasn't in a tall glass anymore; it was in a shot glass. Only after drinking it did he take notice. "What?" he mumbled. "A –shot-? Ah, dammit......."
More drunken laughter broke out, this time from the pool table.
He hit the twentieth glass. Now it was obvious to anyone Ruwalk wasn't doing well. He himself was horribly aware of it, and it was pissing him off. –I can hold it –so- much better than this,- he thought angrily. –What the fuck's wrong with me?-
His stomach turned and his head throbbed. "Ah," he sighed, slumping onto the bar counter. Despite his drunkenness, he was still in his right mind enough not to start saying stupid things or give in to the dirty blonde's advances that kept on coming. His mind seemed still intact, but inside his stomach was churning and his head hurt. And he felt tears coming.
"I've gotta go," he said brokenly, and staggered out, ignoring all and any requests to "stay a bit longer."
Snow was falling gently from the sky, but Ruwalk took no notice. His senses were too dulled to notice anything, except how damned cold it was. –I forgot my coat,- he remembered, and suddenly hot tears came from his eyes. He slumped down by the side of what he presumed was another bar or shop or something and cried like a baby.
This only upset his stomach more, and before he knew it he was vomiting. "Oh God," he gasped, his throat burning. His head was spinning. –God, I look sorry,- he thought bitterly.
-I'm going to die out here.......-
And it was with that thought and a choked sob that he finally blacked out, falling over onto the cold ground as the cold flakes of snow fell around him.
--------------
Alfeegi had just made his way into town when it started snowing. He would've gotten there sooner, had it not been for the fact that he had run into Kaistern, who was returning to the castle from another foreign affair. "Kaistern," Alfeegi had said hurriedly. If anyone could help him, it would probably be the Blue Officer.
Instinctively, Kaistern froze at Alfeegi's voice and tensed to run. But the aqua-haired Officer actually looked distressed so he figured something worse than money problems had come up. "What is it?" he had asked, looking towards the overcast sky, to clouds laden with snow.
"In town," Alfeegi breathed, "is there a bar Ruwalk frequents?"
"A bar?" Kaistern asked. –Now- he was confused. "There's a few.........."
"Name them."
The Officer raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Alfeegi's face grew hot. "Yes, something happened! Ruwalk........ Ruwalk ran off. I need to find him."
"Ran off?" Kaistern sweatdropped. "That's not like him. Why? I'm guessing it wasn't random. I mean, he's been known to sneak out and go to town, but you make it sound like something happened and he left in a hurry, purposefully."
Alfeegi flinched inwardly. Ouch. Kaistern had not idea how near to the mark he was.
"Well......... Yes, I suppose so. And......... I think he may have gone out to a bar. So can you name the ones he frequents?"
"Don't you need directions?"
The White Dragon Officer held up a map. "Now –please-," he pleaded urgently, "for God's sake, or whomever's, -please- tell me the names, Kaistern!"
Kaistern had listed three bars that Ruwalk visited the most. Alfeegi took off immeadiately after having written them down on the map and circling their locations. Knowing Ruwalk, he probably would've gone somewhere to drink. He did that often. If he was stressed, or if one of –those girls- had broken up with him, he would go and drink. Usually Alfeegi could care less, especially since he always turned up the next morning. But this time it was –his- fault, not the fault of some slutty girl or whatever. And he knew Ruwalk took rejection hard. To him, Alfeegi had rejected him.
So he –had- to find him.
It worried him when the snow began to fall. Anyone and everyone else was looking up towards the sky with smiles, especially children. The softly falling, silent fluffy stuff gave no comfort. If anything, it was making him edgier, because if Ruwalk were out somewhere and the snow intensified.........
-He didn't take a coat, did he?- Now he was panicking. Now he was having worst case scenarios running through his mind and they wouldn't stop. He got into the first bar and asked had Ruwalk been there. The answer was no. Alfeegi managed a calm thank you and apology for bothering them and left, too worried to feel the stares on him.
He got into the other one, breathless. He was met with the thick smell of cigarette smoke, a smell he was bad at coping with. –God!- he thought, starting to cough. –How the hell can he stand this?-
He got up to the bar. "Excuse me," he managed between coughs. "Have you seen Ruwalk today?"
The bartender's bushy eyebrows furrowed. "You know him?" he asked.
"I work with him, yes."
The dirty blonde instantly started hitting on Alfeegi. "Oh, do you know where he is?" she pouted. "He left in such a rush."
"Then he was here?" Alfeegi gasped, which was a mistake because it drew in an overdose of second hand smoke. He coughed hysterically a few seconds before the bartender handed him water, which he drank. "So he was here," he repeated, turning to face the dirty blonde.
She nodded, curly hair bouncing. "But he just stumbled out, like........." She sighed, then called to the bartender. "How long ago would you say it was?"
"Few minutes ago," the bartender replied. "You just missed him, which could be very bad."
Laughter from the pool table. "What do you mean?"
"He drank twenty drinks," the dirty blonde said. "The last five were shot glasses though---"
"They were hard liquor," the bartender interrupted her. Then he turned to Alfeegi. "Now I know Ruwalk, and I know his alcohol tolerance. He wasn't himself tonight. He wasn't as tolerant, and not very wise. I've never known him to order hard liquor. He was always smarter than that. He seemed to be able to think when he left, but his body seemed out of sorts. I can only guess his mind was somewhat ok because he didn't wait to pass out. He just left."
"Did he say he was going anywhere?"
"He just mumbled an 'I've gotta go' and then he was gone."
"Oh my God," Alfeegi breathed.
"Why are you so bent on finding him?" asked the dirty blonde, raising a fake-looking eyebrow.
Ignoring her, the Officer got up. "Thank you," he told the bartender. "Oh......... did he pay?"
"Nope," the bartender said. "But since I know him and he was out of sorts, I wasn't exactly gonna chase 'im down."
Alfeegi placed some money on the counter. "I'll pay for him, then," he said with a smile, then turned to go.
"This is more then the drinks are worth!"
"For the water too. And the information." –Somehow I feel like Kaistern. Oh well.- He left wisthout another word, and before the bartender could speak again.
"Geez," the dirty blonde huffed, leaning onto the counter. "What's –with- those guys?"
The bartender shrugged, putting the money away. Although he –did- think he knew......... The dirty blonde pouted. "Gad, nobody tells me anything," she complained. "Hit me again, bartend," she said, throwing a bill down. "Hit me again."
A fight broke out at the pool table.
------------
Now the snow fell a bit harder as Alfeegi walked quickly through the streets. Now he was just looking for Ruwalk anywhere. And while he was grateful that someone had indeed seen him, the condition that had been described to him wasn't exactly encouraging.
It must've been that Fate favored him that day, because he heard a little girl's voice then: "Mommy, what's wrong with that man?"
"Dear, stay away from him. He's probably just a drunk and there's no telling what drunks or –any- strangers will do to you. Do you understand?"
"Yes Mommy."
They walked away, the mother promising cocoa when they got home, and Alfeegi walked carefully towards the spot, hoping beyond hope—
"Oh dear God," he breathed.
It –was- Ruwalk—but no one could've guessed. He looked terrible, and he was lying in the gutter by a building. Who would've guessed that this was Ruwalk of all people?
Alfeegi kneeled down and shook him gently. "Ruwalk," he whispered. "Ruwalk, wake up." He shook him less gently. "Ruwalk!"
"Mmm.........?" He finally stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked in surprise. "Alfeegi.........?"
The Officer nodded. "Yes," he said, voice breaking. "Come on. Let's get back to the castle."
"I feel sick," Ruwalk mumbled. "I need to throw up."
"Ok," Alfeegi said. His voice had gone soft.
"I don't need an audience," Ruwalk said.
Alfeegi looked away, even though there were others walking by. Ruwalk was probably too drunk to notice. He vomited again, and Alfeegi squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. –This is all my fault,- he thought. –All mine.- He felt tears behind his eyelids, and bit down on his lip harder.
It was Ruwalk who began to cry.
Alfeegi turned to see Ruwalk with his face in his hands, and it shocked him. He'd never seen Ruwalk cry. –Ever.- If anyone had, it would have been Lykouleon. But not Alfeegi.
"I'm sorry," Ruwalk sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok, it's ok. Just calm down."
"I can't stay awake."
"What?"
"I can't........."
Before he knew it, Ruwalk had passed out again. "Oh no," Alfeegi sighed. –I'll just have to do this myself, then.- He put Ruwalk's arm around his neck, and his own arm around the other's waist, then steadily stood up and began the way back to the Dragon Castle.
-------------
Ruwalk awoke later and was immediately aware of the fact that it wasn't cold anymore. And he was in a bed. And how disgusting his mouth felt. And that it seemed to be nighttime. Shakily, he pushed himself up. He was in his own room, so he decided he should brush his teeth. He got up and suddenly the room twirled. He fell back on his bed. Again he tried, this time falling onto the floor.
It seemed like forever, but he eventually got to the bathroom. He tried to steady himself, but soon found himself sitting on the floor brushing his teeth, standing shakily on his legs to spit into the sink. It took ten minutes before he began the long trek back to bed. This time, he crawled.
Alfeegi caught him in the middle of it. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked, standing in the doorway with a small smile on his face.
"I was brushing my teeth."
Alfeegi shook his head. "Let me help you," he said, and taking Ruwalk's arm, helped him back into bed. It embarrassed the Yellow Officer how he had to be treated—as if he were too old to function any more, or like a baby. And all of his actions today embarrassed him. "Alfeegi?" he asked timidly as the said Officer covered him back up.
"Hm?"
"I'm really sorry."
Alfeegi smiled, eyes soft. "It's ok. You did nothing wrong, Ruwalk."
"Yes I did."
Alfeegi knelt down by the bed. "No," he said, voice threatening to wobble and break, "you didn't. It was all my fault." His eyes watered.
"I reacted in the wrong way," Ruwalk said, then turned to see Alfeegi with his head on the bed. "Alfeegi?" Gently, he pulled his head up, hand on the other's chin. "Are you crying?"
It was a stupid question, since it was obvious he was. Tear marks were already on his cheeks, and they were rolling down. "What's wrong?"
"What's –wrong?!-"Alfeegi said. "What's wrong? You almost –died- because of me! Because of my stupidity!"
"That's not true."
"It is too."
"It isn't," Ruwalk said, feeling well enough to give Alfeegi a serious glare, "because I chose how I reacted. And I chose stupidly. You didn't make me go out and drink, Alfeegi," he whispered, smoothing the other's aqua hair. "It was my own foolish decision. Ok?"
Alfeegi sniffled. "But........."
"No buts," Ruwalk said firmly, placing a finger on Alfeegi's lips. He smiled smally. "If you don't feel the same way, then it's nobody's fault. Ok? You did nothing wrong."
This only caused Alfeegi to really start crying, and, to Ruwalk's surprise, he jumped up onto the bed and hugged the Yellow Officer. "But I was so stupid!" he sobbed, "And I........."
Ruwalk rubbed his back. "Shh," he soothed. "Calm down. Calm down, ok?"
Alfeegi nodded, and reigned in his tears. He lay on the bed next to Ruwalk, who was still petting his arm. He saw the dim light in those gold- brown eyes and realized his own feelings. "Ruwalk," he whispered, voice raw.
"Yeah?"
Blushing, Alfeegi gently leaned forward and kissed Ruwalk softly. Pulling back, he looked down shyly. "I......... I love you, too."
Ruwalk blinked in surprise, then smiled. "Really?"
Alfeegi nodded, then giggled. "Yes," he said, smiling. He looked up into Ruwalk's eyes. "Honestly."
".........Then can –I- kiss you?"
"Uh........."
Not waiting for an answer, Ruwalk kissed Alfeegi on the lips and held onto him. It shocked Alfeegi for a second, but he finally just gave in and kissed back.
Kaistern was about to open the door when he saw, so he closed it quickly. "Geez!" he said, sweatdropping as he walked off. "And I can't exactly say 'get a room,' can I?" He chuckled to himself. "Well, have fun, then guys." He winked towards the door, then walked off.
He got no further than five steps when a bundle of energy attacked him with a shrill screech of "KAIIIIIIIISTEERRRRRRRN!!!!!!" He yelped, and Rath giggled insanely as he and Crewger tackled the Blue Officer to the ground.
Tetheus shook his head. "Such chaos," he said, then walked off. Lykouleon stuck his head out of his office and sweatdropped.
And so all seemed right in the world.
A/N: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!- Me first Ru x Feegi fluff....... ... thing on ff.net Happy now? Is done! (did ja like?)
Ruwalk's mouth twisted. "A—ano........" -CRAP! He just had to ask that question of all questions, didn't he?! Well, let's see....... I'm falling in love with you? And I don't know how the hell you'll react?- The yellow officer avoided Alfeegi's eyes, which the white officer was using to give Ruwalk a level stare. "What's wrong?"
Normally Ruwalk would've just said nothing. But instead, he leaned forward and kissed Alfeegi, lightly, next to his mouth. The other officer's eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly. He stared, shocked, at Ruwalk, whose eyes were dark.
"I'm in love with you and I don't know what you'll say. That's what's wrong."
Alfeegi's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he breathed.
Ruwalk blinked, looked down, then away. "Oh, God," he muttered, then gave a bitter chuckle. "I'm sorry." He moved to get up and walked off. Alfeegi sat a second, stunned, and, realizing what was just happening, suddenly shot up and out of his seat. "Ruwalk!" he yelled out, but he was already gone. Grabbing a coat and cursing himself a thousand times, he ran out into the cold February day.
------------
"Hey, handsome. Buy you a drink?"
Ruwalk gave a lopsided grin. "Nah," he said to the brunette who had asked him. "How about I buy you something instead?"
"That would be nice," she said, fluttering long, make-upped eyelashes.
-It'll be easier to just get wasted and forget about it,- Ruwalk decided. –That way when I get back, I can pretend I'm so drunk I don't remember jack.- The first drink came and he tossed it back in one gulp.
The brunette raised a perfect eyebrow. "Trying to forget someone?" she asked through red lipsticked lips, pushing back curly hair.
"Yeah," Ruwalk said. "I guess." He ordered another drink.
"You know," said the brunette, leaning over, and revealing that her hair was more of a dirty blond, "I could........ help you to forget." Her red lips smiled, her tight shirt strained. Cigarette smoke was thick in the air, but Ruwalk was used to it by now—he came so often to places like this, he ought to be. He was also used to this tactic of women trying to get laid with him. A group of men playing poker in a corner suddenly burst out laughing. Ruwalk downed his second drink and ordered a third.
"How much money you got?" the bartender asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.
"Enough," Ruwalk answered.
The bartender shrugged and placed two glasses in front of the Dragon Officer. He smiled. "Thanks." Then he downed the third one, then the fourth. They kept coming.
"Well?" the dirty blonde (-Hah. Literally.- Ruwalk thought.) asked suggestively. "What do ya say? I'm stayin' at a hotel nearby. We could go back there........"
"You don't know who I am, do you?"
A red-lipped smile. "I know you're good-looking."
"Hah," Ruwalk laughed bitterly, throwing back his fifth glass. "I wish that he---"Then stopped, realizing what he was about to say.
"What?"
"Nothing!" The sixth glass was drained. Then the seventh. Eighth. Ninth. They kept coming and coming and Ruwalk didn't think to stop. Thinking logically hurt too much at this point because all he could see was his eyes and the shock and rejection again, causing fear to slip back into his heart. He couldn't take it anymore. It was easier this way.
It made him a loser, but things were so much easier this way.
By the fifteenth, he was finally beginning to feel just a bit light headed. –Damn,- he thought with distaste, –what the hell'd I order that's making me so tipsy so soon?- Angry at himself for his sudden intolerance, he ordered five more drinks of hard liquor. The bartender's and dirty blonde's eyebrows shot up—two pairs bushy, two pairs smooth and perfect, fake-looking. "Is that wise?" the bartender asked, hesitating.
Ruwalk waved his hand dismissively. "I can handle it," he muttered, carefully making sure his words didn't slur. The bartender shrugged and filled the order.
The dirty blonde, however, was picking up on the fact that Ruwalk couldn't take much more. Like a vulture, she moved in. "So," she said in a whisper, "what do you say? Come to my place afterwards?"
-What the hell,- Ruwalk thought as the sixteenth glass was placed in front of him. He barely noticed the fact that it wasn't in a tall glass anymore; it was in a shot glass. Only after drinking it did he take notice. "What?" he mumbled. "A –shot-? Ah, dammit......."
More drunken laughter broke out, this time from the pool table.
He hit the twentieth glass. Now it was obvious to anyone Ruwalk wasn't doing well. He himself was horribly aware of it, and it was pissing him off. –I can hold it –so- much better than this,- he thought angrily. –What the fuck's wrong with me?-
His stomach turned and his head throbbed. "Ah," he sighed, slumping onto the bar counter. Despite his drunkenness, he was still in his right mind enough not to start saying stupid things or give in to the dirty blonde's advances that kept on coming. His mind seemed still intact, but inside his stomach was churning and his head hurt. And he felt tears coming.
"I've gotta go," he said brokenly, and staggered out, ignoring all and any requests to "stay a bit longer."
Snow was falling gently from the sky, but Ruwalk took no notice. His senses were too dulled to notice anything, except how damned cold it was. –I forgot my coat,- he remembered, and suddenly hot tears came from his eyes. He slumped down by the side of what he presumed was another bar or shop or something and cried like a baby.
This only upset his stomach more, and before he knew it he was vomiting. "Oh God," he gasped, his throat burning. His head was spinning. –God, I look sorry,- he thought bitterly.
-I'm going to die out here.......-
And it was with that thought and a choked sob that he finally blacked out, falling over onto the cold ground as the cold flakes of snow fell around him.
--------------
Alfeegi had just made his way into town when it started snowing. He would've gotten there sooner, had it not been for the fact that he had run into Kaistern, who was returning to the castle from another foreign affair. "Kaistern," Alfeegi had said hurriedly. If anyone could help him, it would probably be the Blue Officer.
Instinctively, Kaistern froze at Alfeegi's voice and tensed to run. But the aqua-haired Officer actually looked distressed so he figured something worse than money problems had come up. "What is it?" he had asked, looking towards the overcast sky, to clouds laden with snow.
"In town," Alfeegi breathed, "is there a bar Ruwalk frequents?"
"A bar?" Kaistern asked. –Now- he was confused. "There's a few.........."
"Name them."
The Officer raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Alfeegi's face grew hot. "Yes, something happened! Ruwalk........ Ruwalk ran off. I need to find him."
"Ran off?" Kaistern sweatdropped. "That's not like him. Why? I'm guessing it wasn't random. I mean, he's been known to sneak out and go to town, but you make it sound like something happened and he left in a hurry, purposefully."
Alfeegi flinched inwardly. Ouch. Kaistern had not idea how near to the mark he was.
"Well......... Yes, I suppose so. And......... I think he may have gone out to a bar. So can you name the ones he frequents?"
"Don't you need directions?"
The White Dragon Officer held up a map. "Now –please-," he pleaded urgently, "for God's sake, or whomever's, -please- tell me the names, Kaistern!"
Kaistern had listed three bars that Ruwalk visited the most. Alfeegi took off immeadiately after having written them down on the map and circling their locations. Knowing Ruwalk, he probably would've gone somewhere to drink. He did that often. If he was stressed, or if one of –those girls- had broken up with him, he would go and drink. Usually Alfeegi could care less, especially since he always turned up the next morning. But this time it was –his- fault, not the fault of some slutty girl or whatever. And he knew Ruwalk took rejection hard. To him, Alfeegi had rejected him.
So he –had- to find him.
It worried him when the snow began to fall. Anyone and everyone else was looking up towards the sky with smiles, especially children. The softly falling, silent fluffy stuff gave no comfort. If anything, it was making him edgier, because if Ruwalk were out somewhere and the snow intensified.........
-He didn't take a coat, did he?- Now he was panicking. Now he was having worst case scenarios running through his mind and they wouldn't stop. He got into the first bar and asked had Ruwalk been there. The answer was no. Alfeegi managed a calm thank you and apology for bothering them and left, too worried to feel the stares on him.
He got into the other one, breathless. He was met with the thick smell of cigarette smoke, a smell he was bad at coping with. –God!- he thought, starting to cough. –How the hell can he stand this?-
He got up to the bar. "Excuse me," he managed between coughs. "Have you seen Ruwalk today?"
The bartender's bushy eyebrows furrowed. "You know him?" he asked.
"I work with him, yes."
The dirty blonde instantly started hitting on Alfeegi. "Oh, do you know where he is?" she pouted. "He left in such a rush."
"Then he was here?" Alfeegi gasped, which was a mistake because it drew in an overdose of second hand smoke. He coughed hysterically a few seconds before the bartender handed him water, which he drank. "So he was here," he repeated, turning to face the dirty blonde.
She nodded, curly hair bouncing. "But he just stumbled out, like........." She sighed, then called to the bartender. "How long ago would you say it was?"
"Few minutes ago," the bartender replied. "You just missed him, which could be very bad."
Laughter from the pool table. "What do you mean?"
"He drank twenty drinks," the dirty blonde said. "The last five were shot glasses though---"
"They were hard liquor," the bartender interrupted her. Then he turned to Alfeegi. "Now I know Ruwalk, and I know his alcohol tolerance. He wasn't himself tonight. He wasn't as tolerant, and not very wise. I've never known him to order hard liquor. He was always smarter than that. He seemed to be able to think when he left, but his body seemed out of sorts. I can only guess his mind was somewhat ok because he didn't wait to pass out. He just left."
"Did he say he was going anywhere?"
"He just mumbled an 'I've gotta go' and then he was gone."
"Oh my God," Alfeegi breathed.
"Why are you so bent on finding him?" asked the dirty blonde, raising a fake-looking eyebrow.
Ignoring her, the Officer got up. "Thank you," he told the bartender. "Oh......... did he pay?"
"Nope," the bartender said. "But since I know him and he was out of sorts, I wasn't exactly gonna chase 'im down."
Alfeegi placed some money on the counter. "I'll pay for him, then," he said with a smile, then turned to go.
"This is more then the drinks are worth!"
"For the water too. And the information." –Somehow I feel like Kaistern. Oh well.- He left wisthout another word, and before the bartender could speak again.
"Geez," the dirty blonde huffed, leaning onto the counter. "What's –with- those guys?"
The bartender shrugged, putting the money away. Although he –did- think he knew......... The dirty blonde pouted. "Gad, nobody tells me anything," she complained. "Hit me again, bartend," she said, throwing a bill down. "Hit me again."
A fight broke out at the pool table.
------------
Now the snow fell a bit harder as Alfeegi walked quickly through the streets. Now he was just looking for Ruwalk anywhere. And while he was grateful that someone had indeed seen him, the condition that had been described to him wasn't exactly encouraging.
It must've been that Fate favored him that day, because he heard a little girl's voice then: "Mommy, what's wrong with that man?"
"Dear, stay away from him. He's probably just a drunk and there's no telling what drunks or –any- strangers will do to you. Do you understand?"
"Yes Mommy."
They walked away, the mother promising cocoa when they got home, and Alfeegi walked carefully towards the spot, hoping beyond hope—
"Oh dear God," he breathed.
It –was- Ruwalk—but no one could've guessed. He looked terrible, and he was lying in the gutter by a building. Who would've guessed that this was Ruwalk of all people?
Alfeegi kneeled down and shook him gently. "Ruwalk," he whispered. "Ruwalk, wake up." He shook him less gently. "Ruwalk!"
"Mmm.........?" He finally stirred and opened his eyes. He blinked in surprise. "Alfeegi.........?"
The Officer nodded. "Yes," he said, voice breaking. "Come on. Let's get back to the castle."
"I feel sick," Ruwalk mumbled. "I need to throw up."
"Ok," Alfeegi said. His voice had gone soft.
"I don't need an audience," Ruwalk said.
Alfeegi looked away, even though there were others walking by. Ruwalk was probably too drunk to notice. He vomited again, and Alfeegi squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip. –This is all my fault,- he thought. –All mine.- He felt tears behind his eyelids, and bit down on his lip harder.
It was Ruwalk who began to cry.
Alfeegi turned to see Ruwalk with his face in his hands, and it shocked him. He'd never seen Ruwalk cry. –Ever.- If anyone had, it would have been Lykouleon. But not Alfeegi.
"I'm sorry," Ruwalk sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"It's ok, it's ok. Just calm down."
"I can't stay awake."
"What?"
"I can't........."
Before he knew it, Ruwalk had passed out again. "Oh no," Alfeegi sighed. –I'll just have to do this myself, then.- He put Ruwalk's arm around his neck, and his own arm around the other's waist, then steadily stood up and began the way back to the Dragon Castle.
-------------
Ruwalk awoke later and was immediately aware of the fact that it wasn't cold anymore. And he was in a bed. And how disgusting his mouth felt. And that it seemed to be nighttime. Shakily, he pushed himself up. He was in his own room, so he decided he should brush his teeth. He got up and suddenly the room twirled. He fell back on his bed. Again he tried, this time falling onto the floor.
It seemed like forever, but he eventually got to the bathroom. He tried to steady himself, but soon found himself sitting on the floor brushing his teeth, standing shakily on his legs to spit into the sink. It took ten minutes before he began the long trek back to bed. This time, he crawled.
Alfeegi caught him in the middle of it. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked, standing in the doorway with a small smile on his face.
"I was brushing my teeth."
Alfeegi shook his head. "Let me help you," he said, and taking Ruwalk's arm, helped him back into bed. It embarrassed the Yellow Officer how he had to be treated—as if he were too old to function any more, or like a baby. And all of his actions today embarrassed him. "Alfeegi?" he asked timidly as the said Officer covered him back up.
"Hm?"
"I'm really sorry."
Alfeegi smiled, eyes soft. "It's ok. You did nothing wrong, Ruwalk."
"Yes I did."
Alfeegi knelt down by the bed. "No," he said, voice threatening to wobble and break, "you didn't. It was all my fault." His eyes watered.
"I reacted in the wrong way," Ruwalk said, then turned to see Alfeegi with his head on the bed. "Alfeegi?" Gently, he pulled his head up, hand on the other's chin. "Are you crying?"
It was a stupid question, since it was obvious he was. Tear marks were already on his cheeks, and they were rolling down. "What's wrong?"
"What's –wrong?!-"Alfeegi said. "What's wrong? You almost –died- because of me! Because of my stupidity!"
"That's not true."
"It is too."
"It isn't," Ruwalk said, feeling well enough to give Alfeegi a serious glare, "because I chose how I reacted. And I chose stupidly. You didn't make me go out and drink, Alfeegi," he whispered, smoothing the other's aqua hair. "It was my own foolish decision. Ok?"
Alfeegi sniffled. "But........."
"No buts," Ruwalk said firmly, placing a finger on Alfeegi's lips. He smiled smally. "If you don't feel the same way, then it's nobody's fault. Ok? You did nothing wrong."
This only caused Alfeegi to really start crying, and, to Ruwalk's surprise, he jumped up onto the bed and hugged the Yellow Officer. "But I was so stupid!" he sobbed, "And I........."
Ruwalk rubbed his back. "Shh," he soothed. "Calm down. Calm down, ok?"
Alfeegi nodded, and reigned in his tears. He lay on the bed next to Ruwalk, who was still petting his arm. He saw the dim light in those gold- brown eyes and realized his own feelings. "Ruwalk," he whispered, voice raw.
"Yeah?"
Blushing, Alfeegi gently leaned forward and kissed Ruwalk softly. Pulling back, he looked down shyly. "I......... I love you, too."
Ruwalk blinked in surprise, then smiled. "Really?"
Alfeegi nodded, then giggled. "Yes," he said, smiling. He looked up into Ruwalk's eyes. "Honestly."
".........Then can –I- kiss you?"
"Uh........."
Not waiting for an answer, Ruwalk kissed Alfeegi on the lips and held onto him. It shocked Alfeegi for a second, but he finally just gave in and kissed back.
Kaistern was about to open the door when he saw, so he closed it quickly. "Geez!" he said, sweatdropping as he walked off. "And I can't exactly say 'get a room,' can I?" He chuckled to himself. "Well, have fun, then guys." He winked towards the door, then walked off.
He got no further than five steps when a bundle of energy attacked him with a shrill screech of "KAIIIIIIIISTEERRRRRRRN!!!!!!" He yelped, and Rath giggled insanely as he and Crewger tackled the Blue Officer to the ground.
Tetheus shook his head. "Such chaos," he said, then walked off. Lykouleon stuck his head out of his office and sweatdropped.
And so all seemed right in the world.
A/N: Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!- Me first Ru x Feegi fluff....... ... thing on ff.net Happy now? Is done! (did ja like?)