Prompt 014 - Fill

Title: Late Night Drink
Author: Dysfunctional Muses
Fandom: Crow Universe
Characters: Ivan, Tabby, Rick, Calvin, Solomon
Prompt: Table 5 - 014: Fill
Word Count: 1344
Rating: G
Summary: The Nephilim share a drink.
Warnings: Drunkeness.
Disclaimer: There is nothing to disclaim. This is all mine.

A bottle filled with a clear liquid rested on the wrought-iron table next to a glass jug dripping with condensation. A hand placed a glass on the table, lifted the pitcher, and sloshed water into the glass and over the tabletop.

“Hey, careful there. Maybe Ivan should pour for you,” Rick said, sipping from his tumbler.

“I can pour my own damn drink,” Calvin slurred as he set the pitcher down.

“Ivan’s got his hands full anyway!” Tabby chirped from her position sprawled over Ivan’s lap.

“I wouldn’t mind.” Ivan made a half-hearted attempt at dislodging the Khatronian.

“Ahh, lookit ‘im,” Tabby said, pointing at Ivan’s face. “He’s all red!”

“Just the alcohol,” Ivan muttered and succeeded at pouring Tabby to the flagstones. The four of them were sitting on a patio overlooking the Klein mansion’s spacious acreage, where they’d been relaxing since the party at Iolaphos had wrapped up and they’d gone off their shifts.

Calvin watched blearily as Ivan poured the bottle’s contents into his glass, the liquor mixing with the water and turning a milky white. “S’weird. Weird stuff. My head feels full of ... of... what’s that black candy from Earth?”

“Licorice,” Rick said, smirking.

“You’ve probably had enough.” Ivan eyed Calvin as he set the bottle down.

“Not had enough ‘til I get that sight outta my mind.” Calvin noisily gulped from his glass and winced. “Ugh. Why Daegal of all people?”

“Coulda been worse!” Tabby pulled herself back onto the bench next to Ivan. “Coulda been...” she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “Solly-man.”

Calvin gave her a bleary look of horror and Rick pointed two fingers at her, derringer-like. “Don’t call him that.”

“Heehee, sorry.” Tabby grinned and proceeded to refill her own glass.

“I dunno,” Calvin muttered. “Might not be so bad with uncle. Sorta... stayin’ in the family, y’know?”

“Staying in the family? What, you’d share her with your brother?” Tabby gestured at Rick.

The violinist smirked. “Technically we’re not brothers. Besides, women aren’t my preference.”

Tabby stared at Rick for a moment as if trying to decide what to do with the new information, but decided to chug the contents of her glass instead.

Rick narrowed his eyes at the Khatronian. “Speaking of having too much, aren’t you and Ivan about ready to pass out? You were sharing a bottle of vodka when we came out here.”

“She drank most of it,” Ivan said, pointing at the giggling Khatronian who was again refilling her glass.

“Hey, Calvin. I’ll race ya.” Tabby held up her tumbler.

“Don’t,” Rick warned.

“You’re on.” Calvin held up his glass in salute, then the two began guzzling their drinks. Rick rolled his eyes.

Two glasses slapped down on the table and Calvin slumped back in his chair. “You got the light... from the console to keep you... lifting you up... they shine like... little angels.” He made half-hearted grabs at something invisible.

“Ooookay, when he starts quoting classic sci-fi shows, it’s time to quit.” Rick stood and reached down to Calvin to get an arm around his shoulders. “Do you remember what you were drinking about?”

Calvin screwed up his face as Rick pulled him into a more-or-less standing position. “Obviously... to see catgirls fall over.” He pointed at Tabby, who’d fallen over into Ivan’s lap and was now snoring.

“Good. Time to go in, then.”

“Aww....”

“You’ll be all right out here?” Rick asked Ivan.

“Yeah.” He waved at Tabby. “This is the quietest she’s been all night. Think I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.”

Rick smirked and he and Calvin disappeared into the mansion. Ivan leaned back against the bench, gazing out to the horizon. The sky was lightening, the eastern edge growing rosy. After the bustle of the evening, the pre-dawn morning was soothingly calm. Absently he scratched Tabby behind one ear and she made a sleepy noise that might have been a purr. Ivan tilted his head back, enjoying the breeze as he allowed his mind to sink into the haze left by the alcohol.

A door further down the patio opened and closed, and Ivan roused himself reluctantly. He opened his eyes, then straightened his head when he saw Solomon walking across the flagstones. The mafia boss glanced at him for a moment, dropped his eyes to Tabby, then met Ivan’s gaze again before turning away. Ivan carefully lifted Tabby and slid out from under her, resting her gently on the bench. He stood and walked over to join Solomon at the edge of the patio overlooking the pool and garden.

“Sir,” Ivan greeted cautiously.

“Ivan.” Solomon’s voice was at its usual cool level. “Is our little thief asleep?”

“Yeah, the sleep of the dead drunk.”

“Good.” The older man brushed his fingers over the reed-like thalla flowers. “I have a request of you. Do you think you would be able to calculate the trajectory of the bullet that struck me?”

Ivan rubbed his stubbly chin. “Possibly. I could get a rough angle from the difference in entry wounds from you and Tabby, but I’d need to get some of the surveillance feeds of the plaza to get more detailed ballistics.”

“What about the file that the Homeguard undoubtedly have created regarding the incident?”

“It would certainly help,” Ivan said. “But how? Could Ishan pick up a copy?”

“I doubt Ishan could get access to the entire file--he’s not highly enough placed in the department.” Solomon turned to look back at the bench. “But we do know someone who excels at getting her hands on things that don’t belong to her.”

Ivan also turned to look. “Tabby? You think she could pull it off?”

“She’d better. As soon as she’s sober, I want her to start working on getting the files.” Solomon offered Ivan a grim smile. “About time she started earning her pay, yes?”

Ivan shifted on his feet slightly. “Sure. I’ll let her know when she wakes up.” Solomon nodded and turned to go back inside. Ivan took a deep breath and said, “Sir, about this evening....”

Solomon paused, his body stiffening noticeably. “Yes?”

Ivan’s courage flagged, but it was too late to back out now. “Would... you like to talk about it?”

Solomon hesitated for such a long moment that Ivan thought he would never reply, but finally he sighed deeply. “There’s really nothing to talk about. I had simply forgotten how zealous youth can be.” He turned to offer the younger man a wan smile and Ivan was shocked to see how old Solomon suddenly appeared. “After all, I’m one of the ‘bad guys,’ am I not?”

“Not to those who know you,” Ivan said loyally.

The smile softened a little, becoming a bit more genuine. “Thank you, Ivan. Get Tabby inside before she catches a cold and get some rest yourself. We have busy days ahead of us.”

“Yes sir.” Ivan watched Solomon enter the mansion before stepping back over to the bench. He wasn’t wholly surprised to see Tabby’s eyes open and gazing at the sky above. “You heard?”

She nodded slightly. “Yeah, I heard. Not going to be easy.”

“This from the woman who decided to rob the headquarters of the Nephilim?”

Tabby smiled faintly. “I got caught, remember?”

“I remember. My life’s not been the same since.” He offered a arm to her. “Here, I’ll help you inside.”

“You’ll have to carry me. My balance is shot. Something in that last bottle did it to me.”

Ivan raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but tucked his arms under her back and knees anyway. He lifted her with a grunt and began making his way to the back door.

“You know,” Tabby murmured as she rested her head on Ivan’s shoulder, “under that scary exterior, there’s a very troubled and lonely soul in that man.”

“Solomon?” At her nod, Ivan shrugged slightly. “I guess that’s not surprising, considering where he is and how he got there.”

Tabby didn’t reply, and Ivan glanced down to see that she had fallen asleep again.