helpless (lams oneshots)

bar boy

john goes on a small rant so tw for mentions of alcohol abuse. stay safe, loves.

Bars like these were never ones John liked to visit. He usually only tagged along with his friend, Aaron, who would constantly try to flirt with some of the patrons. He had his heart set on a woman named Angelica Schuyler, a woman with a lot of money thanks to her father who was a senator.

John hadn't found anyone who he had wanted to call his own. Well, besides one man who went by the name Hercules, which John was almost positive was a nickname, but Hercules developed a liking for a Frenchman who cried a lot when he was drunk. So John usually kept to himself.

Today would be no different, he figured, and told Aaron he was going outside to smoke a cigarette. He left the bar and fumbled with a lighter for a few seconds before lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

His eyes scanned the street ahead of him, the occasional car going by. It was silent except for the hum of the motors and the faint music playing in the bar behind him, so it startled him when he felt two taps on his shoulder.

He jumped, his cigarette almost falling out of his mouth. He looked down at the man in front of him, his large sunglasses becoming John's main focus, "Is there any way you could buy me a drink?" The man asked, his voice not matching his face. It seemed too dull, then again the sunglasses over his eyes could be hiding who the man really was.

"Buy it yourself?" John suggested, stubbing the cigarette out on the wall and dropping it, "I'm... underage. Nineteen.." The man said, embarrassment evident in his voice, "Please, I can pay you." He added, desperation practically dripping from his words.

John smirked, curious about the man, "Alright, I'll buy you a drink-" The man let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you so much-"

"I'm not finished." John said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "I'll buy you a drink if you tell me why you're so desperate for one." The man seemed to hesitate for a second before giving a small nod.

John hadn't noticed the man bend down and pick up his half-smoked cigarette, he only led him inside the bar which had seemed somewhat calmer than what it was before, "I don't suggest you stick around the bar, go to the pool table and wait there. They might card you." The man just nodded and shuffled away.

John hadn't asked what the other man wanted, so he just ordered two of what he was getting and paid for them both. He made his way back to the pool table. The man sat there, John's barely-smoked cigarette between his lips. John held out the beer he got for him and sat down on the other side of the table.

He was taken aback by the cigarette in his lips, unable to identify the emotion he was feeling. Shock was the first thing to come to mind. He caught himself staring at Alex's lips and cleared his throat, looking down to the floor. Despite the chattering of the people in the bar, it felt the two were plunged into an awkward silence that seemed to only surround them.

"A deal's a deal." Alex said finally, seeming to clear the silence. John looked up from the floor, taking a drink of his beer, "I just wanted to get a beer... There's a lot going on at home, I figured it would help. That's usually what alcohol does, right? Helps you out with everything that happens..." John was not expecting such a dismal response. He assumed it would be something along the lines of my friends all do it, so I decided why not? Or I just wanted to see what it was like, just for fun.

John was unsure of what he should do. He was torn between comforting the man in front of him or staying out of his business. John sat in thought for a second and, once again, the man seemed to notice the awkward silence in the air and decided to clear it, "I'm Alexander, by the way. That was probably really depressing. I'm sorry about that, but you asked and I answered." John gave a small smile at how Alexander seemed to go off on small tangents of his own. He imagined they could start a conversation on one topic and end up on a completely different one. John gave a half-hearted chuckle, still feeling a little sad at the mention of a bad home. John had once known what it felt like to be raised in a home that had troubles. Deciding against laving another silence to fall upon them John introduced himself, "I'm John, and don't worry. You're fine. I'm just giving you a word of warning now... For a bit the alcohol may take off a bit of the edge. It may feel good now, tomorrow, a week from now, months, even years from now. I assure you one day it will all catch up with you."