33 Apocalypse Ave, Saturday afternoon

[existencemisspent]

Margo hadn’t been outside the weird nightmare house when Eliot got out. And — and he didn’t really have any other friends around here, did he. Sure there was Jon, but the last time he’d talked to Jon he’d accused him of making history worse by existing in it, so he’d probably burned the fuck out of that bridge.

So Eliot had gone home. And found that empty, too.

“Margo?!” he called, trying to ignore the echo of an unoccupied house. “Margo.” He checked her room. The bathroom. The goddamn kitchen to no avail. Finally he found himself in the living room, bellowing “MARGOOOOOOO!” to no avail.

He was alone. He’d escaped his nightmare and found himself . . . in his nightmare.

He swayed on his feet for a few moments, on the verge of hyperventilating, then swing into manic motion, grabbing bottles off the bar.

“At least this nightmare has liquor,” he muttered. And set his mind to drinking — and probably smoking and snorting, let’s be real — himself into oblivion.

[mostly for establishment purposes, but can also be open if anyone has reason to stop by.]

Comments

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon had been through...a lot today, honestly. But while he knew everyone had gotten out safely, he didn't exactly know how they were, so he was absolutely going to stop by and check with Eliot.

And bring coffee. And something the shop had assured him was a very good wine, which would hopefully be something good for Margo.

He knocked.

[existencemisspent]

“What fresh fucking hell. . . .” Eliot muttered. He staggered to the door, a glass of something dark and strong clutched in his hand. “Margo, that’d better be — oh. It’s you.”

Sorry Jon. Twice in one week.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Yes, it's...wait, what? Where's Margo?"

Jon winced as soon as he asked it, but hopefully Eliot wouldn't mind.

[existencemisspent]

“How the fuck should I know?” Eliot said, more forcefully than he’d intended. “Not here. Gone. Sick of my shit, probably.”

He stalked away from the door, taking a long sip from his glass. Leaving the door open behind him.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon hurried in after him and closed the door. "No! No, she...she was really upset when you went missing. She was right there to go in and get you! She had a hammer!" And a few axes.

[existencemisspent]

“She wasn’t there when I got out. And she’s not here now.”

Maybe she found out Eliot had just blithely walked into that place of his own accord. And finally gave up on him.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Right." Jon scowled. "I knew it! I knew you couldn't trust an eldritch being! I'm going over to that thing and I'm not giving up until it gives her back."

Giving up at what he wasn't sure, but when had that ever stopped him? He'd give it a damn good case of indigestion, if nothing else.

[existencemisspent]

“No. Wait. Come back,” Eliot muttered dryly. Into his very wet drink.

Wasn’t he just thinking he didn’t have any friends? He probably should actually try to stop Jon. He might get eaten by a house.

Like maybe Margo was.

Fuck Eliot’s entire life.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon stormed off and made his way to the hermit shack...which was just a hermit shack. Damn, that woman had already banished it? He maybe could look for it... Jon sighed and rubbed his head. Not right now, he couldn't. He'd called on the Eye more than enough today, and he was going to need...

Right. Later. Tomorrow. Right now, Eliot.

Jon stormed back to the house, a little more slowly as he tried to determine what on Earth to do for someone who was having a bad time. Which mostly consisted of wondering, "What would Martin do?"

So it might not be a surprise that when he got back, he went looking for tea.

[existencemisspent]

“For fucksake, Jon,” Eliot groused when he came back in. “Why are you here?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Because I can't find Margo." Jon set water to heat and finally found some tea. "So...so we're going to figure out how to find and threaten an eldritch fucking house!"

Damn it, Jon didn't have many friends, but Margo was one (whether she agreed or not), and this was not on.

[existencemisspent]

"Why do you care?" Eliot asked. He finished off his drink and went to go pour himself another.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Because...because she's my friend and you're my friend." So there. Hurry up, tea.

[existencemisspent]

“Oh, wake up, Jon.” Eliot’s tone was absolutely disgusted as he completely ignored the offered tea. “Margo is not your friend. She has never and will never forgive you for feeding on me when we first met. You have a temporary pass from her rage at best. Margo’s friendship is not a ‘fake it til you make it’ scenario.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I don't care." Which was mostly a lie, but he could deal with it. "She's my friend whether I'm hers or not. A-and I wouldn't let anyone...well, I wouldn't let most people...be eaten by a house anyway."

He thrust the mug in Eliot's direction. "Have some tea."

[existencemisspent]

Eliot took a pointed gulp of his booze.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"You can put gin in the tea," Jon suggested, still holding it out.

[existencemisspent]

“Oh Jon. We are so far beyond gin.”

That was fucking rye in that tumbler.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"You can put rye in tea, too. I even left you room."

[existencemisspent]

Eliot smacked at the tea. “I. Don’t. Want. It.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon was glad he'd left room in the cup, since that was the only thing saving him from another burn.

He set it down sharply on the nearest surface. "Fine. I'd appreciate it if you told me what you want. That I can give you. Which doesn't include magically bringing Margo back, or better drugs, or...or leaving you to deal with this on your own."

[existencemisspent]

“Then nothing,” Eliot said, standing up to his full height. “Being left alone is all that I want.”

Liar.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Tough." Damn, Jon was bad at this. "Um." He quickly went in for a hug. Hugs were good, right?

[existencemisspent]

“Don’t touch me!” Eliot yelled, shoving Job away.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Right! Yes! Okay, I'm...I'm sorry." Jon stepped back hurriedly. "Look, I'm bad at this, but I'm not just abandoning you, damn it! If all you need is someone to...I don't know, to make sure you don't run into walls until you're asleep, I'll do that."

Maybe...what would Margo do? Unfortunately, Jon had no clue, and if she were here to ask, this would hardly be a problem, would it?

[existencemisspent]

Bitch him out for being a brat. Or distract him with something shiny.

“What the hell makes you think you could stop me if I did walk into walls?”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Er..." Okay, good question. Jon thought about it. "Because...because generally neither drunk people nor walls move very quickly," he finally came up with. "Though I suppose if you're determined to run into them, it could be more difficult."

[existencemisspent]

“Jon,” Eliot said, starting to get a bit desperate. “Leave.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon frowned at Eliot, torn between not wanting to truly overstep and not wanting to leave him alone.

"Right, look. I'll go if you promise to call if you need something. Anything. I don't...I don't want you to feel alone."

[existencemisspent]

“Fine, whatever, I promise.” Eliot pushed Jon towards the door. “I feel very loved, now go.”

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon let himself be hurried out. "I'm going. But if you haven't surfaced by tomorrow, I'm letting Issa in."

You couldn't kick out a cat, could you?

Well, you could try.

[existencemisspent]

Eliot had no particular attachment to cats.

“Sure, fine, whatever,” he said, still pushing. “Just leave me to wallow already.”