Winter Chaos

The Fall From Grace: Xavier's Version

Xavier threw back yet another shot, rolling his eyes slightly as his newfound companion hung off his arm and giggled. The bass of the club music pleasantly vibrated through his chest, making the obnoxious woman just that much more tolerable.

"You know... I don't think Carmen would appreciate this, X."

Xavier knew who the voice belonged to without even turning around. "Nova," He replied, picking up another shot glass and downing it, "Shouldn't you be at the hospital instead of hounding little old me?"

Nova threaded her tongue across her teeth calmly. "I had an excuse for my absence from the hospital. Hospital cell service sucks and I was responsible for calling out and explaining what happened to our friends. Plus, good ol' Ma Dukes wanted me right where she could see me. Especially after hearing that her firstborn was at a party that got fucking raided. Finally convinced her to let me off house arrest when, lo and behold, I see news coverage of Latino Playboy Xavier Redd Storming Away From City Hospital. Needless to say, I decided to take a little detour to make sure the country's heartthrob didn't do anything stupid. What's your excuse, huh, X? What are you doing here?"

"No eres ciega, ní eres tonta, Nova. ¿Qué parece que estoy haciendo?" Xavier sighed, letting his eyes drift shut as he sipped his Long Island Tea leisurely.

Nova pursed her lips before running her tongue over her teeth once more, praying for patience. "Alright then..." She muttered. She forced a smile onto her face before acknowledging the woman on Xavier's arm. "Scram."

The woman gasped in offense. "Excuse me?"

"See," Nova sighed, "This is exactly what put Kori off of your whorish, alcoholic ass. You got a problem and what do you do? You run to alcohol or you run to women."

Xavier's eyes snapped open at the mention of Kori's name. "Shut up, Nova," He warned.

Nova scoffed at that. "Or what, X? Huh?" She dared, "What are you gonna do? Because, I gotta tell you, the only thing holding me back from latching on your stupid ass was sympathy. And I'm fresh out of that." She let out a cold chuckle. "You know, I was teasing her about you yesterday. Told her how obvious it was that you both wanted each other. And she, of course, denied it. Said you guys never wanted each other. And while I knew that to be false, I now know that she really is over you. And for good reason, apparently. I mean, look at you, X. She's in a coma and you're here drinking and-"

That did it.

"Shut up, Nova!" Xavier roared, "I'm drinking because she's fucking p-!" He caught himself before he could reveal such a sacred piece of information, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation. He took a breath before addressing the woman next to him. "Take a hike, Darla."

The woman recoiled at that. "It's Donna," She huffed.

"Doesn't matter if you're leaving," Xavier shrugged dismissively.

Donna pursed her lips before turning and storming away, muttering about rich assholes as she went.

Xavier shook his head, turning his attention back to the shot glasses alongside his Long Island Tea. "You've pissed me off, Nova," He sighed, "Go away."

Nova snorted at that. "You don't think your little slick comment pissed me off," She snorted, "Don't dish it if you can't take it."

Xavier rolled his eyes, reaching for another shot glass. He was about to down it when Nova took ahold of it, removing it from his grasp before a single drop could fall.

She placed the glass back on the bar with finality. "What is your problem, huh? This is embarrassing, even for you."

Xavier huffed out a cold laugh. "Embarrassing how, Nova? Media saw me leave the hospital, nothing more. And there's so many star-fuckers here, no one's paying me any attention. Even if they were, I was at a party that got shot up. I'm entitled to a drink."

"Xavier, please. This is probably your tenth. And it's not because you're rattled about being shot at." A pause. "They induced the coma, X. Kori didn't fall into one. She's gonna be fine. But, there's no guarantee that the same can be said for you if you keep this up. Liver failure is a thing, you know."

This shocked Xavier. It didn't take a genius to figure out why he was upset. Unless... 'Guess they really haven't told anyone else,' He thought to himself.

At his silence, Nova continued. "If you won't come back to the hospital with me where I can keep an eye on you, you need to go home," She told him, "Less likely chance you'll actually publicly embarrass yourself."

Xavier actually agreed. He could feel the music pounding through his chest becoming more troublesome than pleasant as time went on. It was time to go. After all, going back to the hospital was out of the question. It was only a matter of time before Kori's pregnancy was brought to the light. And his feelings weren't exactly a secret. And God, when did that happen?

He wasn't sure.

All he knew was that the resulting pity would crush him. And he wasn't that much of a glutton for punishment.

"I'll go home," He replied, standing from the bar with ease.

Though his inhibitions were lowered, Xavier had always been better than most at holding his liquor. Because of this fact, Nova had no real concerns about him getting into too much mischief.

And, yet, that didn't change the fact that the stupidest things always happened to Xavier while he was drunk. He wouldn't walk off a building or anything like that, but you could almost certainly count on him to get into a fight. And he was somehow never the one to start them. At least, not when he was drunk.

Go figure.

"I called your babysitter about 10 minutes ago when I first saw you here," Nova informed, "He should be here to take you home any minute. Not nearly enough time for someone to see your face and decide they want to punch it. Stay put, alright?"

"Cortez is my main man," Xavier dismissed, "Loves taking care of me. Like the Alfred to my Bruce Wayne."

"You cause far more trouble," Nova snorted, walking away before Xavier could retort.

Xavier waved her off dismissively, turning back to the bar. "Bartender! Fun's about to be spoiled. You got anything for a broken heart?"

"How about you grow some cojones?!" Someone from further down the bar cackled.

Xavier chuckled at that. "Looks like you were wrong, Nova," He muttered to himself, throwing back a once abandoned shot before facing the direction the comment came from, "Toma tu propio consejo, perra."

The sound of glass shattering on the floor could be faintly heard as the current song faded out into a new one.

It seemed that Nova would be wrong about two things tonight.