I've been beat up, I've been thrown Out

[variaboss]

Who: Xanxus and YOU
What: after "mysteriously disappearing" guess who's suddenly back
When: 3 December
Where: Pride HQ and around town
Warnings: sighs Xanxus should be his own warning. Mentions of violence, physical injury/torture, branding, drug use, alcohol use, swearing, will add as needed.


I - Pride HQ
They finally let him out of the damn infirmary. Honestly, he probably should have stayed there a few more days, but Xanxus being Xanxus totally ingratiated himself to the nurses by hitting on them and thus, he had been shoved out the door to stop him from harassing them more. No big deal right?

Well, it should be because he's sort of limping his way from the infirmary back to the elevator in not but a hospital gown. But he's not embarrassed at all. No. He looks damn proud of himself, like he isn't wearing more cuts and bruises and stitches than any one person should have. He might even be whistling a little as he goes.

II - Chez Carnie
Shithole sweet shithole. It's sort of nice to get back to this place that he calls home. He doesn't really expect anyone there waiting for him. No...that's not these people. He has a fragment of that memory but he still can't put a face on the owner of those arms in that memory. Besides, he's not falling through this door. He's just going to walk right in as if he hadn't been gone. He's heading straight to his room. He needs his leathers if he's ever going to feel normal again.

III. Some bar in town
Should someone as heavily injured as Xanxus even be walking to some nightclub? Does it matter? Because what does a man want with his first night of freedom after unwilling captivity? Hit the clubs of course. Chicks dig bruises and scars and he can spin a hell of a lie if he wants to. Besides, he's itching for some alcohol that isn't monitored by the label. It's a pretty good chance that he'll be found sitting rather gingerly at the bar nursing a bottle of tequila. He ignores all the questions that might come his way with a "Buy me another drink and maybe I'll tell you."

IV. Wild card
Anything else you want to do, go for it!

Comments

II

[stylistic_disloyalty]

Oh there's somebody up. There has been for quite a few days. If they came back to get another one of them, Luci would split them from navel to sternum one at a time and tie their innards to the refrigerator handles.

Xanxus comes through the door and Luci is sitting in a chair right in front, surrounded by her phone, dishes, an ashtray and her lighter, and a can of hairspray.

Even in the dark, she looks like shit.

[variaboss]

There's a person in a chair. He doesn't let the sudden worry that it's his little playmates, waiting to drag him back to the Love Dungeon. But it's Luci. It's just Luci. Sitting in the dark. In a chair. Facing the front door. Looking like shit on top of that all.

He just limps his way right to her. "Shit. You look like hell, Luci. When's the last time you've slept. Fuck. Get your ass up out of that chair and let's get you cleaned up." Like he's not the one that looks like he had been ran over by a train.

[stylistic_disloyalty]

She looks like hell, yes, but it hasn't affected her ability to jump up and grab Xanxus by the front of his paper hospital gown. Her nails go through it and into her palm, she's so pissed off.

"The fuck are you saying-- 'you look like hell'? I could say the same goddamn thing but it'd actually fucking mean something, asshole!" She removes her hand from the gown, barely containing her anger. "You just had to do it-- you had to fucking go and piss them off, YOU IDIOT."

And she, the only person proven to be able to stop him, wasn't paying attention. She was off boinking everybody.

[variaboss]

She's on her feet and in his face. She grabs him and for a moment, he nearly sways. He has to lock his knees to keep it from happening. He's trying to put a strong face on this, but he's having issues with standing. "That's exactly what I'm saying. You look like hell, Luci. Shit. You're a mess." he might be trying to distract her from the fact that he's even worse.

He reaches up. His wrists are bruised terribly and there are cigarette burn marks in his flesh. There's also deep cuts where he had struggled against the zipties now stitched together. He reaches so he can grab her by the shoulder. It's partly to keep himself upright and partly because she'd grabbed him earlier.

"Of course I did. You think it's enough. It's never enough. Those fucks deserved it. They deserved it and so much more." He totally held grudges. "And if they hadn't fucking cheated, I wouldn't be like this right now." There's anger there. Deep and seething. Those fuckers had done...something...to him to get him in that position in the first place.

III

[yellowcopycat]

Ryouta is coming up from the dance floor to get a drink from the bar when he finds Xanxus at the bar. Several emotions go through him at once. Relief that Xanxus is alive, anger that he hadn't contacted Ryouta at all, and then lastly, and most powerfully, worry. It's obvious that Xanxus is hurt.

"Xanxus?" he walks over and slides into the seat next to him. "Um, hey?"

What the hell? Was he in a fight? Those bruises look bad.

[variaboss]

More than just hurt. The asshole should still be in the hospital honestly. Not sitting here drinking. But he's never done anything he was supposed to. So here he is, stitches and bandages and bruises and all. He's having problems even picking up his glass, like someone tried to break his fingers at some point.

He notes the sudden addition of blond a stool over and slowly smiles. It doesn't reach his eyes though. He's putting on a good front because he has a reputation to protect even now. "If it isn't Ryouta. Burning up the dance floor, hmm, mi tesoro." He waves towards the tender and fights a wince. "Hey, Sal, bring my friend here whatever he wants, okay."

[yellowcopycat]

"Xanxus," he said softly. There were a million things he wanted to say. But first he needed something to drink. "Electric Lemonade please," he said. "And a Gatorade. Blue one please!" He smiled at the bartender and passed him a few bucks as tip. The Gatorade was handed to him first and he drank it down. Dancing was extremely physical, and he needed those carbohydrates! Xanxus was right, he had been tearing up the dance floor. He passed the bar tender the empty bottle when given his other drink.

"Xan," he began, turning his attention back to Xanxus. "Luci told me that Predator had you. Is that true?" His eyes were wide and worried. "Because of setting their shit on fire?"

[variaboss]

He shifted a little to the side to make more room for the blond. He fights a wince when he does. It's annoying as hell, how much he hurts, but he can't let it be seen. If he shows weakness now, then he's letting them win. He can't let them win. He has to be strong. And that means laughing it off and forcing himself forward even if he's falling apart.

Xanxus watches the bob of Ryouta's Adams Apple while he drinks his Gatorade. In a way, he wishes he wasn't so injured. He would love to take the younger man out onto that dance floor and show these people how it's done. But as it is, he's barely holding his glass without dropping it.

"Did she?" he puts the glass down before he turns to look at Ryouta fully. He is definitely going to have more scars on his face once the stitches come out. "It's not untrue. I lit their trailer on fire." He didn't sound sorry for that at all. Like being beaten this badly was worth it. "And then I got to spend some quality time with them. It was a great vacation. Real kinky." So long as he makes jokes about it, he can pretend that it wasn't as shitty as it was.

I, because I am trash.

[scalpedsociety]

Guess who happens to be on the floor the elevator goes to in Pride HQ? It's the babe from the Music Festival. She's just getting back from a sound-check until she sees Xanxus and immediately rushes to him. Yes she's kept up with the rumors... he's looks awful. But she doesn't want to impose too much.

"Xanxus, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

[variaboss]

Oh, it's that hot chick from the Festival. What was her name again? Well, there were so many hot chicks there and he does have massive head trauma so she'll have to forgive him if he doesn't automatically call her by name.

"Yeah. Since the Festival right? Been busy with your music career I'd bet. No time to visit that hot bassist you met backstage. I'm wounded." More than "wounded". He's barely keeping himself upright. It's just sheer willpower and stubbornness at this point.

[scalpedsociety]

It would be fine to Tamara, the man looks like he's been put through hell.

Still, she's playful, sliding her finger around his jawline. "That and you didn't answer your phone, you left a girl hanging. I was starting to wonder if you didn't like me."

That and worrying about what happened to you.

[variaboss]

He tries not to wince at the touch. His face is still tender. He's probably got more than just a black eye. His jaw is probably cracked if not broken. But he's a singer, even if just background and he would rather die than have his jaw wired shut. He'll just deal with the pain. By deal with it, he means chemical help back in the Carnival's penthouse. But that means getting himself to that place. It's almost too much. Too far.

"Oh? My phone? Well, I hadn't given you a special ringtone yet so I didn't know it was you. I don't answer calls I don't know." It's the truth but it was also because he hadn't had access to his phone. Sort of hard to talk on the phone when you're getting beaten within an inch of his life.

"I still owe you a song, don't I? And a good time? You mind taking a rain check? 'Rehab' was a bitch."

I

[sharktrash]

Did he ask them to hold his dick for him while he pees? Because if not, he's still got room to improve.

Anyway, while Squalo doesn't by any means like the guy, he's a fellow Pride trash with relatively similar interests. So yes, he's heard about the disappearance and was even a little unsettled by it (for half an hour until he forgot). Which means, he does actually pause and come closer when he spots him limping back into the HQ, eyebrows rising until they hide behind his bangs. Well that looks shitty.

"Finally found something your own size?" Despite the words, he doesn't sound mocking, though. Rather, slightly surprised someone managed to did a number on him.

[variaboss]

Of course he did. That was like the second thing he asked for. Right after two pretty candy stripers to do a stip tease for him and to give him a sponge bath complete with happy ending. Too bad the nurses weren't charmed by his roguish good looks.

He pauses halfway into the building. He sort of lazily leans against the wall. He tries to make it look lazy but really, it's sort of to keep him upright. Only thinking keeping him from the floor is the fact that he'd been moving.

He raises a split eyebrow (three stitches). "You should know already that there's no one my size." Yes, that's supposed to be a I have a big dick joke. "Cheating fucks don't count."

[sharktrash]

A+. Clearly they have a lot in common.

It's sort of hard not to notice that he's barely standing, but with unexpected consideration, Squalo keeps his mouth shut about that part.

"Clearly it's the bite that makes the difference," he retorts, canting his head slightly to the side. He casually walks a bit closer, hands in pockets, but he'll leave a few meters between them. Getting into a fight with someone this beat up would be just lame and he'd rather not give him incentive. "You look like shit. Finally matching what's on the inside, huh." What the fuck happened to you everyone was worried.

[variaboss]

That might be why they get along so terribly. Because they are so similar. Something about people being too much alike getting on your nerves. But honestly, it's sexy nurses and he couldn't help it.

He appreciates the not pointing out he's using the wall as a prop. He also appreciates that this asshole isn't being that bad. There isn't any shouting or mom jokes. He just doesn't have it in him to keep upright and do the rest of it right now.

"Sad thing for you though. Even looking like crap, I still look hotter than you. Sucks to be you, you ugly fuck." Terrible things that I'm not about to talk about standing here with my ass hanging out for all to see. "But you can regret that and do me a favor and press the elevator button for me."

[worthlesspride]

"Hey, your back door's open," Tooru calls as he sees him across the lobby. It's not really, not that he can see anyways, but he's a troll. But then he notices the cuts and bruises.

"They hell? they let you out like that?"

[variaboss]

It probably is actually open. He is sort of still in that paper hospital gown. Mostly because he doesn't give a fuck and because he's planning on getting his leathers on once he's upstairs.

He stops halfway through the lobby to look at Tooru. "Those bitches are no fun and wouldn't hold my dick while I peed. Plus they sucked at sponge baths with happy endings so I decided it was time to go." In other words, he had been kicked out for being a pig.

[worthlesspride]

"Having seen your dick at the Fest, I don't blame them." Yes, Tooru had been one of the people who had seen the dick off between him and the 'puppy shark' and was happy that Xanxus' had been (much) bigger than the other asshole.

He walked over to him, and then sucked in some air. Holy fuck this guy was in bad shape.

"Ah, glad to know that Pride Medical staff is the bottom of the barrel. I had thought as much." He walked around, trying to decide whether or not he should try to convince the man to go to the hospital, a real one, when he finds, yes, the back door is open, and there's a mother fucking brand on his ass.

"That's..." Predator's symbol, he didn't say. He got the impression it wouldn't be smart to say. He wasn't sure if he was more afraid of upsetting Xanxus, or of discovering the fact one of Pride's bands was bunch of sick sadists. "Should I come up with a false tip to give to the police?" He asked lightly. He wondered if the police could actually get into Pride HQ.

III

[gunslingerqueen]

"Talk about nostalgia."

Nariko yanks the bottle of tequila from him, and if he wasn't in such a pathetic state she might have been genuinely worried about how he might react. Her outfit suggests that, at some point, she'd been dancing and having a good time, so it's reasonable to think that she saw him from the corner of her eye, and only in that moment realized that she hadn't seen him for days. Which, y'know, they were at least ... Friends? So it wasn't like they'd talk all the goddamn time but it had just rung oddly to her, maybe, an instinct that wouldn't be suffocated.

"Why are you here?" Because they can tackle the origin story, right now she wants an explanation for this truly ridiculous level of addiction.

[variaboss]

She does something that is punishable by death in some third world nations...and some first world ones. She took Xanxus' alcohol away. Just took it. Right out of his hands. And he couldn't stop her. Mostly because he couldn't react fast enough with bandages and sutures and enough painkiller in his system to drop a horse. (Just not enough for him).

He hadn't expected anyone to be here, but there was Nariko. And it was pretty nostalgic. Last time they had been together, she had been the one getting utterly trashed with him not to far behind. Well, this time he had a head start.

He still glowers a little at her. Yeah, they're...friends or whatever. They bang sometimes too. But that doesn't excuse her taking his alcohol away. "Isn't that the question. Why are we here? Where are we going? What will happen when we get there? Philosophers have been debating that question for years and haven't found the answer yet. So don't expect me to know until I've had a few. So give it back, Nariko..." Turning towards her makes him fight a wince however.

[gunslingerqueen]

"Stop being a little shit."

She doesn't expect the harshness in her own tone, or how quickly her eyes threaten to well with tears, and the only reason they don't is because she viciously bites at the inside of her own cheek. She's fucking exhausted by all of this, it was bad enough to have been tricked by Predator, it was worse to see Krieg in the hospital, and now Xanxus, too. All of it was threatening to snap her in a way that had been previously unheard of. Considering all that, she's not in the mood to baby him, good sex or not.

"What happened?" She doesn't really care why he's here because that's easy - he's a fucking idiot who decided to indulge in his vices rather than deal with anything outside of barely surviving it.

III

[traumatizing]

It's not like he and Xanxus are friends or anything, but Terry talks enough to the likes of Yuffie and Luci to note something's been off recently. And seeing him here, it occurs to him that he hasn't seen the guy since the festival.

Terry slips into a seat next to him at the bar, with his old drink and a quiet, "you look like shit." Because that's the way to start a pleasant conversation.

[variaboss]

Terry. He's seen the guy around. He's sort of an almost Carnie with how much he sometimes hangs around Yuffie and Luci. He would have nodded in acknowledgement if it didn't hurt so damn much. It's taking all he is to raise and lower that glass to his mouth. "And yet I still manage to look hot. What can I say. Some people got it, some people don't." He laughs but stops immediately, wincing. "I feel like shit, Terry. But I got my painkiller right here."

[traumatizing]

He laughs - half amusement and half sympathy - and he cocks his head at Xanxus, thinking. Part of him half considers just taking the drink away and dragging the guy home by the ear, but that seems like a Bad Idea for a myriad of different reasons, so maybe he just... Won't do that.

"The hell happened to you anyway?" He asks, considerately keeping his voice down just in case anyone fancies trying to listen in.