Gamzee leant on the bar, waiting to be served. Motherfucker wasn't in a hurry. His eyes, always sleepy looking, scanned the bar; Eridan was still with his group, who were talking about a band Gamzee had never heard of, but he didn't seem too interested. Instead, he kept throwing longing glances over to where Tavros and the ladies were sitting. When he noticed Gamzee, he excused himself and walked over, his usually arrogant gait slightly subdued, and he briefly rebounded off another customer. He muttered an apology, and slipped next to Gamzee, who gave him a friendly, if slightly spaced smile.
"You gettin' a round in, Gam?" Eridan adjusted his scarf. Gamzee had no idea why the man needed to wear a scarf indoors.
"S'ight bro, for Tav and the chicas. Why, you want one?" Eridan shook his head and raised his own half full glass.
"Uh, what's Fef drinkin'?" The drama master looked unusually flustered. Gamzee raised an eyebrow.
"Sea Breeze, bro." Eridan nodded, and mouthed the name to himself, as if taking a mental note.
The bartender finally deigned to notice Gamzee, and went about getting the drinks. Set on the bar top, Gamzee performed some hazy mental arithmetic, and decided that in the hand to glass ratio he had been found wanting. He tapped Eridan's shoulder, jarring the man out of whatever reverie he had sunk into.
"Wanna help me carry these?" Eridan looked at him, then back at the table, and then started to blush.
"Uh, I'm gonna order, but I'll watch them, ok?" He said quickly. Gamzee shrugged, and picked up Kanaya and Feferi's drinks, before hooking his little finger around the stem of Ms. Lalonde's wine glass. He smiled to himself. Good thing a brother learnt the miracle of juggling.
"Keep an eye on mine and Tavbro's, kay? I'll be right back." As he wandered back to the table, Eridan nodded absently, eyes darting back and forth between the floor and the colourful beacon that was Miss. Peixes.
Vriska was in a bad mood. A boy she had been chatting to had won himself a stiletto heel in the foot for calling her Ma'am. God, she didn't look old! Who the hell did he think he was?
She wound her way back towards the bar, where Eridan was still standing with a stupid, glazed expression. She elbowed him hard in the ribs when he didn't look at her.
"Hey! Earth to Mr. Ampora? Any sign of intelligent life?"
"What? Oh, hi, Vris." He motioned the drinks behind him. "Gamzee and Tavros are here. 'm watchin' their drinks." Vriska raised a brow.
"Looks like you're watching something altogether different to me." She punched him in the shoulder, slightly too hard to be totally friendly. "Just talk to her, for god's sake, and stop hiding by the bar. Coward." He glared at her.
"Yeah, well, it ain't that simple." Vriska scoffed, and turned her eyes on the drinks Eridan was supposedly watching. A beer, and what looked like some foul faygo concoction. A grin started to spread over her face. Wouldn't take a genius to figure out which one was Mr. Nitrams...
Gamzee placed the drinks down in front of their respective owners. The conversation had turned to favourite students, and he smiled softly to see Tavros join in, talking about a girl who had apparently written a wonderful piece of Creative Writing over the summer. He squeezed the man's shoulder, causing him to stutter slightly.
"Be right back with ours, Tavbro. Gotta serve the chica's first, manners and all that."
Vriska had set the shot glass on the table just as Gamzee arrived back, and gave him a big, honest smile. Gamzee returned it lazily.
"'sup, my mathematical-miracle. Gonna join us?" She shook her head.
"Nah, someone has to look after Eridan." Before the drama teacher could protest this, he received a swift kick in the ankle.
The smile remained as she watched Gamzee take the glasses and head towards the table. The night looked like it was going to be getting interesting. At least, it would certainly be interesting for Tavros, and she kept her eye on the pint she had quietly fortified with a double shot while Eridan had his own eyes elsewhere.
Three drinks later, and Tavros wondered blearily if he should have stopped at one. He was usually fine after three, and he had no idea why he was feeling so odd. The beer had tasted kind of strong, to his limited experience, but since Gamzee had insisted, well, offered really, to buy them, he couldn't pluck up the courage to tell him he was feeling a little woozy. Gamzee himself was chatting animatedly with Miss Peixes about...about something. The music was kind of loud, that was it. He shut his eyes for a few moments. When he opened them, Vriska was sitting on his lap.
"Hey Tavvy!" She grinned at him as he yelped in surprise. Of course, he hadn't felt her sit down. He leant back in his chair, having only just resisted the urge to shove her to the floor in his surprise. He heard Feferi laugh. Vriska jigged up and down.
"My legs are tired. Wheel me to the bathrooms!" She slung an arm over his shoulder.
"Uh... uh..." He tried to form words, but his tongue felt numb. Even through the haze of alcohol, he could feel a panic attack coming on. Even worse, he was starting to feel sick. He tried to shove her in what he hoped was a 'get off me' fashion, but she hung on, the sardonic grin close to his face.
"Get off, please..." he mumbled, and felt her fingers pull the hair on the nape of his neck.
"Come on, Tavvy, don't be so selfish!" Tavros thought he heard Miss Lalonde say "Vriska, that's enough," but everything was swimming and all he could focus on was the lifeless glass eye only inches from his own.
Sudden movement, and when he refocused he saw Gamzee standing in front of him, Vriska over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. She yelped, and Gamzee smiled down at Tavros.
"Bathrooms was it? Okay chica. Can't be havin' you all up and tiring out your legs."
As he loped away with the protesting maths teacher, Kanaya leant forward and put her hand on Tavros' own.
"I do apologise for her, she can be so... Tavros? Are you all right?" Tavros nodded and mumbled about feeling sick. Kanaya frowned, and then looked at the half empty pint glass. She picked it up, and sniffed it.
"Rose, try this." She handed the glass to Ms. Lalonde, who took a sip and pulled a face. Tavros thought he heard a discussion about how Gamzee had been ferrying drinks, leaving the men's with Eridan and Vriska while he brought their own. He saw Feferi get up and march towards the bar, where Eridan still remained. Everything was blurred, but at least the rising panic in his chest was fading.
Tavros was looking at his own fingernails when Gamzee returned. Vriska had apparently disappeared into the crowd. Rose and Kanaya murmured with him a moment, looking over at Tavros with occasional concerned glances. Gamzee nodded; the smile that usually seemed permanent was gone from his face.
Tavros looked up from his hands and into Gamzee's eyes.
"Feel like heading home, Tavbro? I gotta be up early an' all, so wanted to know if you were coming in my cab?" Tavros nodded gratefully, and made mumbled goodbyes to Rose and Kanaya as Gamzee piloted him towards the door. They passed Feferi and Eridan, who were arguing loudly.
Tavros didn't remember much about getting home, except nodding off as soon as Gamzee had secured his chair into the taxi. He woke up in his own bed, clothes still on, head pounding. He looked around panicking, but his chair was parked next to the hand rails.
As he rubbed his eyes, he heard a clunk and a muffled curse from the kitchen.
"H-hello?" he called out. There was no answer.
His bedroom door opened just as he was lowering himself into his chair, and Gamzee leant in.
"Feelin' ok, Tavbro?" Gamzee smiled lightly as he saw the English teachers eyes widen. "I stopped on your sofa, hope that's chill. Just wanted to be up and makin' sure you were ok." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm real sorry about last night. Shouldn'ta been leavin' our wicked elixirs with Vris, didn't know she was gonna be all up and fortifying them." Tavros gaped at him.
"She... spiked my drink?" He groaned and rubbed his eyes as Gamzee nodded. The taller man sighed and padded across the room.
"I made you some breakfast, bro, it's in the kitchen. I gotta be getting my abscond on, though. Gotta change." He plucked at his ICP t-shirt, and Tavros nodded wearily.
"Thanks for looking after me, Gamzee..." He smiled up at him.
"Ain't even a thing, Tavbro."
After Gamzee had gone, Tavros ate his scrambled eggs, head pounding. They were actually rather good.