Their relationship wasn't average, it wasn't cut and dry, and above all it was beyond complicated. A psychologist would have a fucking field day trying to figure one man out and then the other. They weren't really great for each other, but they needed each other. Murdoc was intelligent and insane, either way he knew damned well that the way he treated 2D most of the time was wrong, but he really couldn't help it. Hell maybe he just didn't want to help it; he had been raised like this, the way his father had treated him, the way his brother had treated him, and always waiting for people he allowed inside to just fucking leave him; to fuck him over and say they never gave a shit in the first place. If he hurt them, if he drove them fucking insane and made them feel bad then they could leave and it wouldn't matter. He got that 2D wouldn't do that, the band had already ended once because of Murdoc attacking the slightly dumb younger man, but just as always 2D was willing to come back. They were still in this weird place, even two months after being back at Kong Studios they were in this weird place with one another. It made him feel things he couldn't express like a sane person, so like every other feeling he feared he released it in the form of senseless violence.

"You fucking idiot, if you touch anything else of mine I'll break your fucking neck." He yelled before punching the younger man in the face hard enough to knock him on his ass.

He could feel Russel looking, watching what they were doing. He knew damned well that when it got too out of hand the drummer would pull them apart and make one of them leave the room.

2D sat on the floor looking down at the ground, he wiped his bloodied nose on his arm pulling back to look at the blood now staining his forearm. This was usually how it would go, that's how it had gone back at the hotel when Murdoc had strangled him. He never fought back because he didn't see the point in it; fire with fire never solved anything. It always felt like maybe he knew more about the bassist than anybody else, without being told anything he knew so much just by looking at him. Murdoc hated it, hated him for being this way; he hated both of them for this.

Another surge of anger flowed through him resulting in a hard kick against the younger man's stomach. He sat down on top of the younger man; he took hold of the collar of his shirt pulling him towards him. 2D just looked back at him like he accepted what was going to happen, like this was just casual. Murdoc hated his eyes sometimes, hated how void they were of everything; he punched the younger man hard in the face over and over again while screaming every obscene insult and word he could come up with. It didn't take too long for Russel to intervene; he grabbed Murdoc around the waist and pulled him away from the singer who collapsed back on the floor groaning in pain.

"2D go to your room while Mr. Lunatic here calms the fuck down."

2D slowly pulled himself to his feet, he looked at Murdoc; his face was bloody, his left eye bruised, a cut across the bridge of his nose, and a bruise forming on his right cheek. He looked sad, helpless; he turned away and ran out of the room. Once he was out of ear shot Russel released the green skinned man.

"You need to cut this crap out; this is how the band broke up last time."

"We aren't gonna split up every time I get in a fucking fight with faceache."

"Look I don't know what the Hell your deal is and I don't get why the hell 'D lets you do this crap to him all of the time. You're so….You're both so damn weird and dysfunctional I honest to God believe that you'd die if you didn't have each other."

Murdoc laughed and shook his head.

"Right, like I need that pain in the arse to survive."

"Look me in the eye and tell me it isn't true."

He couldn't, he could lie about anything except for this. It'd been weird going that long without 2D around; he'd missed having somebody around to put up with his shit, to talk to him, listen to him, and actually want to be near him. He'd never needed anybody before, but now he did and it was one of the reasons he wanted to hate the scrawny little brat so badly.

"I don't have to tell you shit." He muttered as he shoved past the larger man.

He made his way out into the car lot and to 2D's room, for a second he considered knocking then realized there wasn't much reason to. He didn't give a shit about the younger man's privacy or if he wanted to see him or not.

He opened the door and entered the room to find it vacant, he went to the small connecting bathroom where he found the blue haired man standing in front of the sink looking at himself in the small mirror hanging above it.

"You alright?"

2D merely shrugged and grunted in reply.

"You should get those cuts cleaned up, y'know so they don't get infected or whatever."

The younger man continued ignoring him.

Murdoc watched as the younger man started to undress; more bruises and cuts were scattered along his stomach and his back, he really hadn't realized within the past couple of days he'd beaten the singer this badly. Fuck really what was wrong with him?

2D went over to the bath tub placing the plug in the drain then turning the water on. He continued ignoring the older man almost as if he wasn't even in the damned room at all.

The blue haired man turned off the faucets then stepped inside of the tub, he let out a small sigh leaning his head back and closing his eyes. The moment Murdoc considered just leaving the room and forgetting about apologizing was the moment that 2D opened his eyes and finally looked up at him.

"G-get in with me."

"What?"

Suddenly he felt weird, uncomfortable; there wasn't really a reason to, he'd seen his band mates naked before. It was the bad part of being in a band, there was no such thing as privacy when you were on tour. Yet right now he felt weird.

"Get in with me, please."

Murdoc looked back over his shoulder towards the bedroom almost like somebody would walk in about anytime now.

"Nobody will walk in, just do this for me."

He shut the bathroom door, locking it, then quickly undressed and got in the tub with the younger man. He remembered times before the band had started when they used to be together. Back before 2D got back with Paula, before Kong Studios; times in a small flat where they would just smoke pot and drink most of the day, play music, then shag for a bit. That had stopped when Paula came back, stopped when they no longer lived alone but with other people.

Water splashed against the bassist's face pulling him from the bitter sweet memories. He looked to see 2D just barely smiling up at him, his face still stained with blood.

"Arse" Murdoc whispered.

He reached over the side of the tub picking up a wash cloth from the floor; he dipped it into the water wetting it then moved so he was basically straddling the other man's lap. He felt that unease again; the one that made him feel things that he really didn't get, he was pretty sure that 2D was feeling it too because there seemed to be a change in his breathing, his lips parted, and his blood filled eyes looking up at him like he was in some dumb sort of daze. Murdoc ignored it and began gently wiping the blood away from his skin.

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be, I shouldn't have been messing with your stuff."

"Are you still mad at me for what happened back at the hotel?"

"A little bit, that was a long time ago though. This is kind of peaceful isn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah it's sort of nice; it makes me think of when we lived in my old flat back when we used to…"

He trailed off averting his eyes.

What was he even doing?

He dropped the wash cloth on the floor and moved away from the younger man.

"I miss that, I really miss you; I know you don't like me that much and I'm just some worthless little moron to you, but I still really like you Mudsie."

"I thought you knew me better than that."

2D moved so that he was straddling the older man's lap, he placed one hand on the back of his neck his fingers lightly going along his skin up through his wet black hair. He placed his other hand on Murdoc's chest.

"Knew what?"

Murdoc wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist hoping he wouldn't try and leave.

"I don't really know, I wish I did, but I like you. Sometimes I hate you, but other times I don't; can we just forget about this for now?"

"Yeah we can, for now; I trust you, I don't think I have many reasons to trust you. When you're like this….When….Like this you make me feel better, peaceful. Can we just keep it this way for a little while?"

"Sure luv" He whispered before kissing him gently.

He couldn't remember the last time that they had kissed; damn he had missed him and this so badly. The feeling of the blue haired man's lips against his, his fingers going through his hair, and his body pressed against him.

'I'll be your water bathing you clean, the liquid peace.'