(Noodle's POV)

The young Asian sat there, holding 2D's trembling body, speechless at what he was saying. In his drunken secrets, he just told her of hidden feelings that she wasn't sure she could handle herself.

Noodle bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at the man but did not let go of him, for he continued to speak. His words were barely audible, since his speech was meshed in with slurs and hiccupping that she couldn't figure was from his crying or from the amount of drinks he'd already had in the few minutes they'd been sitting there.

"Love… Wot's love without hope you'd still be alive?"

Adjusting her eyes to the firelight, she glanced over to the shadow of Murdoc who held his head in between his legs, grumbling something she couldn't hear. His greasy black bowl cut lay askew on his head and his shoulders were slacked with his hands resting on the sides of his feet; he appeared to be muttering to himself crude and unkind things about the current party and the conversation he had with Russel.

Digressing from the grumbling man, she took her view back to 2D who began to whisper about frightening robots and whales and about Murdoc imprisoning him on the island with nowhere to go and no hope. "No hope… Could be a dream…"

Curling her lips from the bitter taste in her mouth, she bent down and pushed the hair out of Stuart's face, wiping away the small beads of sweat that grouped at his hairline.

"Stuart Pot, listen to me damn well, I'm here. This is reality. If you hadn't drunk those beers, you'd know this," Noodle frowned but wiped it off her face, softening her tone to a kindly one.

"2D-san… You're drunk. Nothing is going to hurt you. I'm sure what you've said is probably just the booze kicking in and making you say things-."

"Bu' I'm not! It's true! I love yew Noodle and I've wanted to tell yew fo' the longest time… I never meant to let it happen… I never meant to let it turn into somefink' like this… I don't want to lose you Noodle Love…"

Noodle just huffed out an irritated groan that she could only hear, tired of listening to 2D's drunken mess that only left her nervous to hear more. If Stuart was right about all he was saying, it would leave her in a less than broken down form that she didn't want to turn back to. She'd only just began to fix herself mentally after the years of damage that she was fleeing from, and the man who attempted her death was still searching for her and the band. That stress was enough and knowing Stuarts forbidden love to her was topping off her jar of issues.

Sure, she felt a few pinpricks of the same feelings when she held him the night before, when he tickled her that morning, when she saw him for the first time since El Manana, but that couldn't mean she was in love with him, right?

I hate it when men get drunk. Murdoc was drunk almost every night we were on tour for our previous albums and the results were negative impacts that ended in broken furniture, bruises on 2D or a woman that was introduced to Murdoc's room. I hated his vulgarity and all of the crap that came with his shit-faced intoxications. I didn't think I'd ever see 2D become the same…besides, by the time he wakes up with a hangover tomorrow morning, he'll have forgotten all about it, even his word on the feelings he has for me.

Noodle felt her throat tighten when she reminisced on her past with the blue-haired man. She'd come to him when she had troubles with her dreams or when she needed help with learning English. She was so young and had considered him a brother, but now with the tables turned, he'd proclaimed a much more serious secret.

Love, as she knew the word, was not something to be taken lightly. She grew with the word meaning commitment and the giving of oneself to care for another, despite their own needs. Did 2D relate the word to that…?

She saw 2D reach for another bottle of beer but she simply grabbed his hand with the one that was previously on his back, entwining her fingers with his and using her other hand to remove the bottle and put it beside her with her own untouched beer that was given to her earlier.

"Oi, give ih' back…," 2D pouted with tears picking at the edge of his eyes.

"No, Toochie. You're going to get yourself a migraine if you keep it up."

Stuart frowned, pushing his eyebrows together and wrinkling his nose, grumbling out something but in the mouthful of words, his only audible complaint she could hear was, "don't know why yew have to," 2D hiccupped, "to do thah. I'm fine. Swell…"

2D huffed out an angry grunt but hiccupped again, wincing before he bent over and propped his temple on the palm of his hand, his elbow set on his knee. His eyes traveled to her hand which tightly squeezed his own and his grimace vanished almost immediately.

"I'm glad yew like the surprise, Noods…," he said quietly.

Noodle watched his face as he massaged his temple, squinting his eyes and holding back the relentless hiccups in his closed mouth.

"The Christmas lights make everyfink bettah. And the stars are out too…," Stu looked up into the sky, squeezing her hand back and rubbing his shaky thumb over the surface of Noodle's smooth skin.

Noodle heard 2D chuckle and when she looked over, she saw him stare at Murdoc who's slouching position had relaxed enough to make him fall forward and tumble to the ground in a massive thud. The green-skinned lump grunted out quietly, not even an attempt to move into a more comfortable position until moments later when Russel's large hand reached out and picked Murdoc into his palm.

"Damn…I thought Muds could hold his liquor better, but this proves differently…," the large African American man bellowed out a laugh and he waded through the water, cupping the unconscious man and taking him away from the lighted area.

2D continued laughing at the sight of Murdoc who'd passed out, holding his ribcage and wincing slightly.

"Thah bastard's nevah done thah after drinkin'… thah wos hilarious!"

2D's manic, toothless grin shone on his face and soon he began to calm himself down, still chuckling a little when he took his sights to the Christmas lights that were strewn around the fire.

Noodle giggled a little herself when she saw him crumpled up on the ground, groaning. It was nice to see him get a taste of his own medicine, alcohol poisoning. He'd hurt everyone, and now it was his turn to hurt and whether that was mental or not, a hangover was enough to do the job.

Noodle shifted her thoughts when she realized that it was only her and 2D that were on the beach now with the fire dying down and the embers glowing orange and crimson in the ashes before them. The bonfire wasn't that large when she'd gotten there, but she'd guessed that within the time that she'd spend there, it had been almost an hour. The silence stayed that way for a few more minutes and it was obvious to them that Russel wasn't coming back to join them again.

Noodle let go of 2D's hand and took the unopened beer bottles back to the cart with the other alcohol, giving herself some time to stretch her legs out and keep herself busy in the awkward silence that clogged the air between them.

"D'yew remembah when you was littol bittey, probably the first Christmas yew spent wif the band… yew came knockin' at my door in a very large t-shirt and your little bunny slippahs sayin' 'Toochie; Santa!'"

2D sniffled, smiling at the memory.

"Yew burst into my room, wakin' me up about how Santa came and you'd get me to wake the others. I'm surprised I wasn't strangled by Muds when I woke him so early…And yew sat in my lap when you opened your gifts. They weren't special or anyfink… but yew enjoyed sticking the bows in my hair and on Russewl's big bald head. Yew didn't do it to Muds, though. Just me and Russewl; your big, life-sized Christmas presents."

Noodle stood, gaping at the blue-haired man, blinking furiously and thinking back to the first year in the band. It was hard enough as it was, remembering when she'd been on Windmill Island, but she could barely recall her first holiday with them.

Warmed by the memory, Noodle found the iron rod that sat by the fire and began to prod at the dying fire; tiny wisps of flame rising to the sky above.

"Hai."

"D'yew, d'yew remembah that time when yew saw Russewl's friend, Del, for the first time and scared the livin' shit outta yew… You came to me, cryin' your eyes out at Kong Studios and I hugged and explained to you about how he wasn't gonna hurt nobody… Precious littol Noodle…"

A smile crept onto her face and he continued on with his memories of her until his mind began to sputter out the more darker ones.

"I remembah when yew fled to the island… Yew refused to come wif us into Feel Good Inc. I wouldn't blame yah; it's hell when all you've got is confinement in a sky needle with nowhere to run and nobody to talk to… Yew disappeared thah day…"

At this point, 2D had slid down onto the ground, sitting in the fetal position and frowning at the glowing coals in the fire, his eyes glazing over and looking off into the distance.

"'Soon as I heard you left… I had no reason to stay in the band. Russ' wos gone, yew were 'dead' and Mud's was drunk as a fish wif ambitions I didn't wun' to be a part of. But he found me anyway…Shipped to this goddamn hole in the middle of god-knows where! Yew, sweet Noodle were gone! My hopes in lettin' yew know how I felt were gone, my interests in fleeing were gone, my respect for Muds gone, everything! GONE!"

"I saw thah island falling from the clouds… Fire and smoke wos all thah came from the sky other than the plummeting windmill and helicopters thah followed. I've never felt mo' useless an' empty when Muds came back wif the news."

"Yew kept coming for me when I dreamed. Every night, yew would visit me and I'd wake up, as empty as the day you'd gone. Yew terrified me. Muds terrified me when he woke me from the night terrors. He's slap me up the side of the head callin me a 'pansy' and to walk ih off. Yew can't walk thah off! I need to teach him a-."

2D shut his mouth and grimaced before he got on all fours and crawled to the nearest shoreline, his face green and he began to heave slightly.

Sighing, Noodle dropped the iron rod and ran over to 2D, pulling his body closer to the edge and seconds later, she felt his body convulse under her hand and the putrid smell of vomit rose in the air around them.

"Oh Toochie…it's going to be alright," she said in between his purges. She rubbed his back comfortingly and when he was done, he wiped his mouth and shuddered violently before he backed away slowly, swaying on his knees. Predicting what was going to happen, Noodle took his torso and felt him fall limp onto her lap.

Noodle searched his face but only heard the sound of rhythmic, rasping breaths showing he was asleep.

She pushed the blue locks of hair out from his face and brushed her fingers along his clammy cheeks, blinking away the tears that pooled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to cascade to her chin.

"I'm so sorry, Toochie…"

(Author's Note)

Sad chapter.

I tried adding one or two funny moments in here, but it ended up to be morbid and completely depressing… Sorry guys! And did Noodle not react like you'd think she should've? Well, she knew he was drunk. So… she's being defensive for her emotions.

Review please. I'd like that a lot.

I don't own Gorillaz.