The more you love, the more you suffer [TW]

6.5~ Friday nights.

Hey every1 This chapter is mostly just Karl, Alex, and Nick bonding at the bar, no plot whatsoever except learning about Alex's leg, skip to the end for a sum of it!

Also trigger warning for abuse!

Nick
Karl and I head to a close by bar in my car, since Karl didn't own his own car, whilst Alex drove his own to it, us two followed him. Alex found a parking space for himself and hopped out of his Ford Ranger. Luckily there was a park a few spaces behind him. He waved at us to follow him down the road, he waited for us, so we both jogged up to him.

"Alright! Friday night! Let's get to it!" Alex yelled as he thrusted his fists into the air. "Hell yeah! Let's do it!" I yell after him copying what he did. Karl giggled and put his hands in the air with his two. The three of us laughed like we were 14 again. Alex ran up to a run-down looking building with its roof rusted. He held open the door and bowed slightly as we walked in. Once I was inside I held it open for him to walk in.

Alex had clearly been here before maybe quite often. "Ayyy! Guys! Quackity is here!" Yelled a bartender laughing to himself. Quackity? "Ayyyy! Amigos!" He yelled back to them. Yup. Definitely been he often. He turned around to us seeing us very confused. "Ah. One time I got extremely drunk and started quacking soooo."

Karl giggled next to making me to begin laughing too. The bartender saw us two next to Alex and said "Menu then Quakity?" He nodded and walked over to a table with a small sign having the number 2 on it. Booth 2 I guess then. The bartender came over and gave Karl and I menus of delicious sounding cocktails and other alcoholic drinks.

Alex had sat on one side of the booth while us two sat on the other side. Alex spread his arms up and over the seats above his head. We were still a bit stiff with having drinks with our boss, clearly he had sensed it. "Come on guys promise it's nothing work related! I just want to get to know you guys." He said sincerely to us both, leaning forward over the table closer to us.

"As long as the drinks are free man, I don't care what we talk about!" I aid trying to make Karl a bit less uncomfortable and to lighten the mood between us three. We all giggled about my joke. And looked back down at the menu. Karl had found a nice martini called a 'Gingerbread man-tini' that had vodka and gingerbread liqueur in it. I decided to stick with a beer. The same bartender walked back up to our table.

"So what do you guys want?" He said to us smiling. "1 gingerbread man-tini, 1 beer and 5 shots of straight vodka." Alex answered for us since only he knew what he wanted. The guy smiled then walked back to the bar. We looked at with a 'really?' Look. "What? I like drinking so I get drunk." He replied as he wriggled under our gaze.

"How often do you come here, Alex?" Karl asked leaning over the table closer to him. "Most Fridays, usually come alone though. Nice to have you guys here." He replied heartfelt that we came with him. We both grin at him, happy that we came too.

The bartender came back over to our booth handing us our drinks, and Alex's shots. He downed the first three and left the other two for later. Karl sipped on his martini seeing if it was worth ordering. He snapped his head up "This is delicious!" He said in complete delight at Alex and I. I chuckle a bit and so did Alex.

We drank some more and Alex had finished his shots. "You Karl? I've actually wanted to start working with you for a while." I say to him as I look over at him, "Really? I don't really get assigned to things. I have memory problems sometimes, mix stuff up, forget cases and stuff." Alex looks a bit guilty that he doesn't let him do much in the field. "It's fine, Alex. I don't mind not being in the field." Karl says trying to reassure him.

We all a but tipsy so I asked Alex "If you don't mind me asking Alex. What happened to your leg? What's the story behind it?" He sort of stared at me in shock. He sighed and started fiddling with a shot glass on the table.

"Don't at all pity me, but ah... I used to date this jerk of a guy, real dickish to everyone. One day he got really fucking drunk, and uh... He beat me, uhm to the ground. And just fractured my legs multiple times. Doctors said the couldn't do very much. Most of it healed except a few fractures. Doesn't hurt anymore but uh yeah." We stared at him in disbelief. He kinda teared up but quickly smudged them away with his hands.

"Look even you said no pity. I am truly sorry that you went through that." I said as I saw Karl cover his mouth and also slightly tear up. I let Karl lean on my shoulder as I held onto his waist, comforting him. "I'm sorry for making you cry, Karl! But I'm fine!" Alex says to him reaching across the table holding onto his hand. Karl sniffs and his sobs start to fade away. I pat his head as he leans back up off of my shoulder. "Anywaaays once you guys have drunk your drinks I'll be heading off." Alex says trying to change the subject before it gets too awkward for all of them.

I finish of my beer and wait for Karl to finish his martini but he has been taking small sips of it. "Are you alright Karl?" He turned to me, nodded and smiled then drunk most of his martini.

We all stand up as Alex goes to pay for our drinks. Karl and I begin walking out when Alex walks out with us.

Karl gets dropped off by me instead of Alex since he has had a bit much to drink.

Frankly today, I don't want to go to sleep tonight.

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For the sum on Alex's leg is that he dated an abuse jerk and they fractured his leg in multiple different places.

Next chapter is back on track with the plot hehe.

Paragraph 17 "I don't want to go to sleep tonight." is from the song 'Marlboro nights' by Lonely god!

Date- 12-1-22
Words- 1036