We Met At The Bar

Chapter Four: Sloppy

Drunk Alex was a sloppy, sloppy boy.
Jack watched in sheer entertainment as Alex sang along to the True Blood theme song every single time it came on, knowing full well that Alex wouldn't remember the episodes at all.
Then Alex had noticed Jack's guitar.
"You have a guitar?!" He asked in an overly excited voice.
Jack nodded, "I have a few. I like to play. You have one?" He asked with a smile on his face.

Alex shook his head, "Nah. Fuckface stole mine way before he even dumped me and threw it away after he broke it because I pissed him off. Then he hit me." He slurred a bit, "Can I play yours?" He asked enthusiastically, "I know like. A million songs." He grinned.

Jack got concerned at first about Alex telling him what his ex had done, but for now he laughed at the rest of Alex's statement, got up and grabbed his acoustic, a pick and handed them both to Alex.
"Go for it." He hoped Alex could actually play, or his neighbors might be pissed. Although he didn't quite care if they were. 
Alex set it up pretty well, apart from fumbling here and there and dropping the pick into the guitar. He turned it upside down and vigorously shook it until the pick fell out.
Jack shook his head, trying really hard to not laugh.
Alex picked it up off the floor, "Okay, ready now!" He grinned again. 
"What are you gonna play?" Jack asked, still trying to hold in his laughter.
Alex shrugged and thought about it, "Oh! I know Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus."
This surprised Jack, "I really actually love that song. Show me."
Alex nodded, checked the guitar to make sure it sounded right to him, and it did.
So he went for it. He even sang the high pitched parts that were meant to be the girl's voice perfectly.

Jack was no longer about to crack up, he was there about to kiss the boy. He wouldn't really, but he could. Alex could fucking sing.
Alex finished playing and handed Jack his guitar back, "See? Told ya." He grinned. He was full of smiles.
Jack smiled back at him as he put his guitar back and dropped the pick in a little box nearby, "That was actually really good. Do you sing a lot?" He asked, sitting back down.
Alex grabbed the nearly empty bottle and took another drink before setting it down and pushing it away. He was gonna throw up. Not yet, but he could feel it.
"I sing all the time, allllll day everyday." He slurred some more.
His eyes looked hazy and he wobbled a little, even as he sat.

Alex looked at the TV some more, "LOOK! SOOKIE'S TITS!" He yelled excitedly. He didn't even like tits. He was nowhere near straight. 
Jack damn near fell off the couch laughing, "Alex! Holy shit. Yeah, you see a lot of tits in this show." 
"I know but hers are like perfect! If I was a girl," He blinked a few times, then let out a little belch which came up as more of an acid burp. He swallowed it back down after making a face and an 'ugh' sound, "Anyway, if I was a girl, I would want her tits." Alex shrugged.

Jack raised his eyebrow at Alex, "Do you need to go to bed?" He asked.
Alex nodded, "Probably, but I think I have to go be sick first. I think that maybe it's time to throw up. I see fucking stars Jack." He was rambling now.
Jack nodded, "Okay...I can show you to the bathroom if you want." He started to get up, but Alex pulled him back down.
"Jack, have you ever wondered what the fucks out there. Like, my dad is dead now, and my brother is dead, but what if they're not dead? What if they're like, stars in the sky now? What if one day, since they'd obviously be new stars, not the twinkly ones up there right now, but what if we could see them one day? What if when we die, we turn into stars?" He looked at Jack wide eyed. He was a conspiracy theorist, and he was into anything having to do with space and science, so this moment was when that tidbit about him was coming out. 

Jack stared at him for a moment, "I mean...Yeah, I guess anything is possible right?" He looked at Alex who now looked completely zoned out. 
He pulled Alex up. Alex wobbled and gagged.
Jack lead him to the bathroom and helped Alex sit down in front of the toilet.
"Get it all out dude." He said softly, sitting on the edge of the tub, holding Alex up, since Alex was officially flopping over. He didn't have much control over his body anymore.
Jack held Alex under the arms, keeping his head near the toilet bowl. He was beginning to feel like dead weight.
"Come on, throw up Alex. I can't let you pass out until you throw up. I don't need you drowning in your own barf tonight." He urged.
Alex retched a little before waterfalling a great amount of alcohol into the toilet. It didn't help at all that the only thing he'd eaten that day was the breakfast that Jack had bought for him. 
Jack nodded, "Get it all out." He said softly, supporting all of Alex's weight.
Alex threw up again and cried as he did so, "I'm so sorry! I-" Vomit "Drank a-all of your stuff and now I'm ruining your bathroom and I just needed a friend and you're s-so nice to-" Vomit "Me!" He wailed out, gagging again as he did so.

Jack smirked a little but nodded, "I know, I know. It's okay. You're my friend too, Alex. It's okay. Remember when I came over to your place last night?" He asked, trying to find anything of comfort for this poor kid.
Alex nodded before he retched again, "Yeah" He managed to get out.
Jack held him up a little more, "I told you I was lonely when I came over. See? So don't worry about coming over, Alex. I want you here. It's totally okay."
Alex sniffled a little, gagged again but didn't throw up that time. He tried to just lean back a little, but he essentially dead fished it and Jack had to catch him, "You don't even know me" He mumbled, half awake at this point. He was trying to stay conscious though.
Jack shrugged, "You don't really know me either, but that's how friendship works, right? You meet someone, you click with them over little things, then you get to know the bigger things. So let's start there." He held Alex up a little better, sliding down onto the floor. He laid Alex's head down on his lap, with one hand holding Alex's head up, and using his other hand to flush the toilet.

"You're so pretty." Alex said, looking at Jack.
Jack made a face, but smiled back at him, "You're pretty too." He meant it.
Alex smiled, "I'm gross and puke-y. I am not pretty, Jacky boy. Also, I don't even know your last name! Did you know that?" He looked astonished at himself.
Jack laughed, "It's Barakat, and yes you are pretty. Even all puke-y. Let's take care of that." 
Alex groaned, "I can't move" He mumbled.
Jack lifted him up a little more, "Lucky for you, I carry drunk people out of my workplace all the time." He managed to get Alex up enough to sit him on the toilet. He grabbed his bottle of mouthwash and poured some in there, "Don't drink this okay? Swish it and spit it out." 
Alex nodded, "Don't drink it. Got it."
Jack tipped the cap into Alex's mouth. 
Alex just sat there.
"Swish it Alex." 
Alex made a face. It was burning his tongue.
"Swish it Alex." Jack reminded him again.
Alex looked at him. How the fuck did he swish it again?
Jack rolled his eyes and shook Alex's head a little for him. 
That would have to be good enough.
He held the little cup back out. 
Alex dribbled the mouthwash out.
"That tastes gross." He said, wiping his chin.

Jack rolled his eyes, "It's not supposed to be a refreshing breath mint. It did help though, you don't smell as puke-y anymore. You wanna sleep on the couch or with me?" He asked the second bit because quite frankly, either way, he was going to watch Alex tonight to at least make sure he didn't throw up again and aspirate on it.
Alex giggled a little, "Take me to your bed" He laughed some more.
Jack gave him another look, "You are a sloppy drunk, jesus christ." 
He helped Alex up again, "Hold onto me. You gotta walk a little here, put some effort in." 
Alex tried. It was a mess, but he tried. 
Jack huffed a little once he got Alex to his room. He laid Alex down on his stomach on one side of the bed, pulled Alex's shoes off, then put his trash can near Alex's head in case he had to throw up again.
He kicked his own shoes off and took his jacket and jeans off. He would offer Alex some comfortable clothes, but when he glanced back at Alex, he was already snoring, one arm dangling off the bed, one leg halfway off. Plus, Alex was in no state to get dressed anyway. He doubted Alex could even find a way to take his own jacket off.

Jack turned the heater on a little higher and settled for his sweatpants and a t shirt.
He crawled into bed next to Alex and adjusted the blankets to cover them both. He reached over and pulled Alex a little further onto the bed. He didn't need Alex falling off and hurting himself.

A fun, very odd night indeed. Morning was sure to be a blast for Alex.
Jack chuckled to himself at the thought of a very, very hungover Alex in the morning.
He thought about how Alex called him pretty. He wondered if he'd meant that. Obviously, they were still getting to know each other, but he did think Alex was pretty too. He was mostly sober, he'd only had two beers the entire night, so he knew that he meant it when he said it back to that caramel haired boy. 

Morning sure was hell when Alex finally woke up.
Jack had been up hours before Alex was. He'd made a large pot of coffee, had a bottle of ibuprofen out and ready to go, and the orange juice. He was positive that orange juice always helped a hangover. That was his go to.
He heard Alex groan.
He went in there and smiled at him, "Good morning." He said, trying to not laugh at how confused Alex looked.
Alex looked down at himself, "My clothes are still on. That's a plus." He muttered, squinting his eyes, "s'too bright." He mumbled.
Jack shook his head, "No, you're just insanely hungover." He went to his closet and grabbed Alex a new hoodie to wear, he'd just wipe Alex's leather jacket off. His pants were fine, but his hoodie and jacket got a little puked on.

Alex looked down at himself and made a face, "Oh god." 
Jack laughed a little, trying to be quiet, "You were fun. But yes, your clothes did indeed stay on." He tossed a new hoodie to Alex.
Alex took his jacket off, then pulled his hoodie off.
Jack took his jacket and old hoodie, "I'm gonna wash your hoodie for you, and I'm gonna clean your jacket off. Come out when you're ready." He smiled and went back out to the front.
Alex groaned, put on Jack's hoodie and went out to the front.
He looked at what was laid out. Ibuprofen. Orange juice. Coffee.
This kid put way too damn much effort into him.

He sat down at the table and waited for Jack to come back, he wasn't just going to help himself.
Jack came back after a moment, "You know, I put all that out for you, right?" He asked.
Alex shrugged, "I thought you might have, but you're too nice to me as it is." 
Jack shook his head, grabbed Alex some orange juice and ibuprofen. He sat them down in front of him, "Take." He went back to the coffee pot, grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee.
"You like creamer or anything?" He asked.
Alex took the ibuprofen and drank down the juice, "Milk and like two sugars, but I'll take black if you don't wanna do all that."
Jack smiled a bit to himself, poured milk and put two big spoonfuls of sugar into Alex's coffee. He stirred it up and brought it to him.
"Breakfast?" He asked.
Alex stared at him like he was nuts, "Seriously?" 
Jack glared a little, "Alex. Why can you not accept someone wanting to be friends with you? Friends care about each other, right? So if I was super shitfaced and then extremely hungover, you'd hold me up right? You'd make sure I got into bed safely, right? And then you'd try to help me out in the morning. Am I wrong?" He asked.
Alex bit his lip, then looked back up at Jack, "No...I guess you're not wrong. I'd do all that for you too." He shrugged.
Jack nodded, "That's what I thought. So. Breakfast? I have eggs, toast, jelly, Eggo waffles, cereal...Literally I probably have anything you could think of."
Alex looked over at him again, "What are you having?" He asked.
Jack thought it over. Cereal was his favorite. Then Eggos.
"I think I'm gonna have cocoa puffs."
Alex smiled a little at that, "I'll have some too please."

Jack ruffled Alex's hair and went to make their bowls of cereal.

Ohhhh, how Jack was really starting to enjoy this sloppy mess of a boy.