All That's Wrong With Us

10. The Chaos You Are

Swallowing hard, he suddenly felt the urge to apologize. Properly. Not in his usual half-assed, joking way. But instead, his voice came out small. "Are you still mad at me?"

His friend blinked, then let out a quiet, breathy chuckle. "No, buddy. I'm not mad." He leaned forward slightly, resting elbows on his knees. "I just... I need you to stop scaring me like this."

"Right, I'm sorry," he muttered, weakly. Then, realizing that probably wasn't enough, he made eyes just a little wider. More pathetic. "I really, really mean it, Ter. I promise I'll, um... think next time."

"You won't be in a fight next time." Easter narrowed his eyes.

Tilting his head slightly, North blinked at him, looking the very picture of injured innocence. "... I will think about not being in a fight next time?"

"Unbelievable."

But despite himself, his frustration was already crumbling. Because damn it, North was annoying, reckless, and absolutely incapable of self-preservation, but he was also adorable when he pulled that wide-eyed nonsense. 

With a long-suffering sigh, he again shoved the glass of water toward North. "Drink this before you pass out again, idiot." Easter was still mad, but a little less murderously so.

"Yes, sir!"

"Well, on the bright side, I think this experience will keep you away from alcohol for a while."

A slow blink followed, a frown forming. "What?" Brows furrowed, confusion deepening. "Oh, wait, where's P'Johan?"

Legs stretched out as Easter leaned back, ankles crossing lazily. "Oh, him?" A vague wave of the hand. "Had to step out for work. He'll probably be back later."

Something twisted uncomfortably in North's stomach. The feeling wasn't great. "Shit."

A brow arched at the reaction. "What?"

Hesitation lingered. Something tickled at the back of his mind, a bad feeling, a half-memory, but confirming it sounded dangerous. "Did I... throw up on him last night?"

There was no immediate reaction. Then, slowly, a smirk crept across Ter's face. "You're remembering, huh?"

Loud groan followed, hands dragging down a devastated face, as if sheer force could wipe the entire night from existence. "Not much," North's admission came out wrecked with deep regret. "But I have a feeling I should be very, very embarrassed."

"That's putting it lightly." A chuckle rumbled from across the room, a slow shake of the head.

Peeking through fingers, North dared to ask, "But seriously, why him? Why was he the one to pick me up?"

"That's also something I'd love to know."

Fantastic. That sounded totally reassuring. Suspicion deepened. "Wait... you called Ikkyu first, right?"

"Yeah."

Something wasn't adding up. Muscles protested against movement, but there was no choice, getting to the bottom of this was now a necessity. "I should call him. But where is my phone?" A slight pout formed as North glanced around, trying to spot the missing device.

Without a word, Easter reached over to the nightstand, grabbed the phone, and plopped it unceremoniously into North's hands.

"Thank you, my good friend." Fingers reached out, closing around a familiar shape, except it wasn't familiar anymore. The weight seemed wrong. The edges felt strange. A weird feeling crawled up his spine. "Why does it feel... off?"