Collab: Evie, Dex, Carter
(VengefulPeanut, JJ, Kage)
Stirring from the long sleep Evie had spent most of the day lavishly enjoying, pale sapphire eyes fluttered open before clenching together once more. A long, drawn-out groan rumbled from her throat as she looked around.
"Bloody hell, I've gone blind," she whispered to herself.
"Note to self... too much sleep - just as bad as not enough." By the time she awakened, it was nearing noon. Hearing rumbling on the floor below and muffled male voices, one she knew was Dex, she rolled herself out of bed. Getting at least semi-presentable, she shuffled downstairs in her pyjamas to see Dex and Carter up to something in the kitchen.
"Not cheating on me now, are you?" she teased, a yawn escaping her.
Dex glanced over at her, smiling.
"I value my life too much to do something so foolish." Turning to pick up something off the counter, he held up the prize to Evie, tilting the bottle of liquid back and forth.
"Look what we found this morning."
Carter, who had been loitering on the counter with his legs idly swinging back and forth, hopped off and popped a head over Dex's shoulder. Pure impishness glimmered in his eyes.
"How about it, honty? You and pretty eyes down for a little fun~," he cooed. It was a comment that caused Evie to glow a red the likes of a dying sun before his actual intent was fully understood.
"O-oh! Y-yeah, I'm in," Evie smiled.
"A chance to drink is rare enough that I can be a bit silly for tonight."
"Oh, babe," Carter sighed in mock disappointment. He slid around Dex to stand before Evie, a hand on his cocked out hip. He arched a single eyebrow at the woman.
"We're not talking silly. We leaving that behind for the basic bitches." He licked his finger and tapped at the empty space before him, imitating a sizzling noise.
"We about to get sloppy fabulous, okay?"
"Nope, not me, I'm out this time." Dexter held out the bottle to Evie.
"I'll babysit."
Evie took the bottle but kept her gaze on him for a moment, ignoring Carter's pouting and Japanese mutterings in the background. She should have probably told him about the fight with Otto and she should have told him about the news regarding DC but the way he smiled at her made her feel like being selfish for one night. They'd dealt with enough severity and angsty subjects in the past few days.
"Oh, come on, Dex!" she protested, mimicking Carter's pouting and giving Dex a 'can we keep the puppy' look. The Japanese-American joined in the pleading, though his expression admittedly wasn't as knee-buckling as Evie's. Which was fine. He knew the ruggedness and goatee didn't help at times, but that never stopped him from trying.
"Yeah, Dex, listen to your boo thang!" he said. He shimmied his shoulders.
"Loosen up a little. All this tension recently is fucking with the vibe. Plus, never good for acne."
"Ah, ganging up on me, that's not fair," Dex mumbled.
"Last time…" He let the sentence drop there, meeting Evie's gaze pointedly. Having had to resist punching Jesse in the throat merely a week ago was not something he relished, and definitely not something he wanted to repeat.
"Fine, you can babysit. At least do a shot with me, though," Evie badgered, suddenly feeling as if she were back in university. It was quite surreal. Still, she refused to let Dex duck out of the affair completely. All the while, Carter had stepped out of the spotlight to watch their little moment transpire, the curiosity literally spilling out of him. My, my, he thought, Somebody come spike my tea because I feel like there's plenty to sip~.
Dex held up a finger, looking between the pair.
"One."
"Of course! One," Evie grinned.
"Shall we begin?"
"You JUST woke up." Dex protested.
"And what better time to start?" She looked to Carter, mouth falling open for a second before she pursed her lips.
"Erm... sorry, I don't think I got your name. Or... I forgot it. Either way, sorry."
Carter made a show to gape and gasp dramatically, though none of it was genuine. He then broke face to scrutinize an imaginary watch on his wrist before cutting a look at Evie.
"To answer your first question, sweety, a better time would've been earlier. And secondly," he grinned, wide and beaming with 'no fucks to give',
"You can call me Carter. Boss Bitch. Queen. Car Car. Whichever rolls off the tongue better." He literally rolled his tongue at that last statement, sending Dex a wink.
"It's… barely noon." Dex groaned, rifling fingers through his hair.
"You two are perfect for each other." Dex turned back around, opening a cabinet and pulling out three glasses.
"Alright let's get this over with."
Wearing a beaming grin on her face, Evie measured out the alcohol into the three glasses presented before them.
"You know what they say, it's 5 o'clock somewhere in the world," she hummed, visibly flinching as a thought struck her.
"Actually, it's past 5 o'clock in England, so we all have an excuse now." Her fingers wrapped around the glass closest to her, holding it up as the others mimicked the motion.
Carter shrugged.
"Good enough, I'll take any reason to drink early." He then bumped hips with Evie. It was both to be playful and to offer his own minimal sign of support. He wasn't quite sure what bothered her, but the comment got to her somehow. He wouldn't openly say anything about it though. He then squinted at Dex, another grin working its way onto his visage.
"Ten bucks says we can get pretty eyes to down at least five more shots in the next hour."
Dexter rolled his eyes, lifting the glass in a half-hearted cheer before tilting his head back and downing the liquor in one gulp.
"One." He repeated. Setting his glass on the counter, Dex retreated to the couch, flopping down with a groan and his eyes on the door.
"More... for us then," Evie said, grimacing mid-sentence from the strength of the alcohol. A small groan left her lips.
"Fuck, I miss mixers."
Carter was next to down his shot. His features also twisted but it didn't last long; it melted into excitement. He actually bounced a little in place.
"Ooooh, this is the good shit!" he sang. However, he grew curious of Evie's comment.
"You used to hit up the mixers, babe? Oh, I bet you used to strut in fucking the game up, didn't you?"
"Well, I'd say I was-" she cut herself off before giving him a curious look.
"Wait, what are mixers here? I've not just accidentally confessed to doing a very different kind of vodka and coke, have I?"
Carter shook his head, amusement clear on his face. He started pouring both of them another shot.
"Mixers are a little different here, but I get what you mean, hon. I've seen a few here and there," he said. Without waiting for a response, he tossed back a second shot. An actual shiver raced down his back--God, he missed alcohol so much. Well, the effects of it, anyways.
"Not joining for a cheeky little tipple, Dex?" Evie asked, holding her glass and pivoting to look to the couch.
"You're a bad influence." He accused, tossing her an amused look.
"No thanks, you two carry on."
"Ba o shirake saseru hito…" Carter whispered under his breath.
"Well, looks like my influence isn't bad enough," she chirped, slinging the alcohol back and audibly squealing as she did a small jog on the spot. As the bite of the alcohol faded off, her eyes widened back on the bottle again.
"What is this stuff?"
Carter's comment in Japanese was met with a bemused glance but Dex didn't comment.
"Gin." he called in reply to Evie.
"The good kind."
"I've only ever been used to Morrison's own brand so... joys of being a student, right?" she said, looking over the bottle thoughtfully.
"I declare, another shot!" Re-filling her glass, she held the bottle out towards Carter, giving him a somewhat sweet yet forceful look. He met the look head on with a smile of his own, and quickly poured and held up another shot, clanging his glass against hers.
"Morrison, meet Hendrick," Carter giggled.
"On the count of three," she said, holding the rim of the glass to her lips.
"One... two... three!"
* * *
Some time had passed as the bottle in Evie's ever-drunkenly swaying hand became emptier and emptier... and...
"Last... *hiccup*... last shhhot," Evie slurred, closing one eye in a futile effort to focus on what little remained of the alcohol. It didn't help that Carter was somewhat weighing her down from behind, his hands on her shoulders and giving her an encouraging shake. Some slurred cheers were tossed in the mix, but they were far from comprehensible at this point.
"Yaaaaaas Queeeen~," he drawled, his face a healthy shade of pink.
"E-empty that mu…*hic* that mutha fucka!"
From his spot on the couch, Dexter raised his bottle of water with an encouraging cheer. They'd manage to coax another two or three shots into him but he remained largely in control of his sobriety. The same could not be said for the other two.
"Go on, kill it already."
"Okay, okay..." Evie mumbled, squinting at the two glasses on the counter... or were there four. She blinked rapidly once more before a timid burp escaped her mouth.
"Oops... hehe... you should, you should do it," she continued, holding the bottle to Carter.
He blew a raspberry through his lips and shrugged, looking at the bottle as if it was an amateur booty-call.
"Oh ho--...honty, please!" He tried to snatch at the offered bottle, but missed once or twice and fondled air. Once he finally got a hold of it, he mimicked Evie and eyeballed the contents.
"This...this shiiiiiat right here! Is, is baby's play. Babies play this like um…" his face pinched,
"babies!" He pointed at Evie and Dex.
"You--you guys are my babes!" he declared, a raucous roar of laughter from Evie being the immediate response. Dexter smirked, shaking his head in amusement.
"That's just... daft," Evie chuckled, wiping a renegade tear from her face.
"B-but... important... important matters have to be attended to! With the utmost haste!" Her index finger tapped the rim of her shot glass impatiently. That seemed to accomplish the impossible and snap Carter back to focus, no matter how shortly it may last.
"Right! Right! Hastes an-and ut...utters and shit!" A beat passed before he giggled, his words actually catching up with his swimming head. However, he seemed decently devoted to downing the last bit with Evie. He poured out the rest in their shot glasses, some sloshing over the edges.
"Woooopsies," he laughed.
"Spillage is lickage. Golden rule," Evie said firmly, pointing to the drops that got away.
Carter squinted at Evie in confusion.
"Whaaaa…" he mumbled, gaze switching between her and whatever she was pointing at. Two seconds of (barely) thinking. Then three more. When it clicked, his eyebrows shot up and a grin curled at his lips. He tried to wave sassily at her, though it was quite clumsy.
"Oh! Oh, oh, oh, honnnnnty! I-*hic*! I know how to lick like a pro!" Another pause.
"...Wait. Lick where?"
Clearing his throat, Dexter stood and put his hands on either of Carter's shoulders, steering him towards the couch.
"No counter licking," he said, fighting a smile.
"Evie Summers, you are a deviant."
"That's Aoibheann Summers to you, mister!" she said, jabbing a finger at him accusingly before a hiccup made her recoil backwards.
"Oh big bloody bugger, I'm hammered."
"I wanna get hammered~," Carter sang from the couch before flopping onto his back again.
"You are hammered!" Evie interjected immediately.
"Not like... baggy pants and weird dancing hammered... drunk hammered!" She giggled a little bit.
"You know... MC Hammer."
"I don't think that's what he meant." Dex moved one of Carter's legs and plopped back down.
"I don't get it," Evie sighed, slouching forward.
Carter sat up, looking at the woman with a mixture of pity and offense.
"Ba…*hic*...babe! What about-wha...what about railed?" He eyed her curiously while slumping into Dex's side. It wasn't exactly a snuggle but damn, that muscular physique sure felt nice.
"Like... like piping on a balcon- Oh!" she exclaimed, before her face twisted a little bit.
"Oh." She raised from the chair, a little stumble the interval in her slurring.
"Well, that's too bad because this one is mine!" she said, walking over to Dex and practically springing herself onto his lap... well, falling ungracefully onto his lap. He wrapped one arm around her middle, leaning back to allow her more room.
"But that's okay because we'll find you a... a... chum," she continued, reaching to ruffle Carter's hair with her hand. 'Reaching' being the optimal term; it wasn't entirely successful since he dipped away to save his luscious locks from the drunken assault.
"Nuuuuu, not the bangs, babe," he whined. Despite the protest, he couldn't erase the smile from his face. The idea of a chum of his own didn't sound too bad. It had been a while since he found himself a good fuck buddy. He eventually gave in with an eye roll and resigned himself to whatever Evie's hand felt like doing--he'd fuss about it later.
"A chum sounds...like, like...um...really good!" His bottom lip poked out into a pout.
"He-he gotta be pwetty though."
"How does rugged mountain man, looks like he'd eat a deer raw and kicking, sound?" she asked, her drunken, mischievous side seeing an opportunity to enact some sort of revenge on Otto for the argument. Dex, who'd been taking a swig of his water, promptly choked on it.
Carter perked up at the mention of this, Dex's little freak out barely fazing him. He just resorted to patting the man on the back with his attention still on Evie.
"O. M. G. Guuuuuurl, do-...don't even try to front! You talking abou...about Otto's ole sugar daddy looking ass!" He pretended to contemplate the option for a moment, his eyes flying to the ceiling.
"...Nah," he said, nose scrunching up,
"That's uh, that's a one-night stand, honty." He suddenly looked at Evie with wide eyes.
"His beard thouuuuugh! Woo!" He fanned himself.
"Be reeeeal good to hold onto!"
"Alright, requesting change of subject." Dex interjected.
"No," Evie replied defiantly, tapping Dex's nose with her index finger. Her eyes fixed back to Carter.
"Make sure to compliment his gray hairs, too." At that, Dex put a hand over her mouth.
"Stop, I can't take anymore." He let his head drop back against the couch with an exasperated, dramatic sigh.
Carter flipped his hair out of his eyes.
"If I had a dime for everytime a man told me that…" he mumbled under his breath.
"I'd be swim...swimming in coins, biatches! Can I get a yas, gurl!" He held his hand up at Evie for a high-five.
"Efsh gurf!" Evie replied from beneath the hand clasped over her mouth, meeting Carter's high five. The slapping of their hands together was loud and a bit off trajectory, but they got the job done.
"Still though," Carter sighed. He joined Dex and slumped back into the couch too.
"I...I needs a boy tooooooy!" His noodle arms flopped up in a weird drunken tantrum, though it was brief. He looked at Evie again.
"Baaaabe. How...how you do it? Wha-where you finds a cutie li...like pretty eyes?" Carter gently poked Dex in the ribs, emphasizing his point. Evie's eyes, peeking over the top of the hand that had been suppressing her talking, looked to Dex.
"Cam I peak mow?" she asked, still muffled.
"Only if you promise not to bring Otto up in such a way again," he said gravely, removing his hand.
"Well, it's Carter who wants to bring Otto up..." she smirked.
Carter shrugged innocently and batted his eyelashes.
"Sky high club~." His smile widened a tad.
"Pers-personal invite only."
"Come *hiccup* come on, then," Evie blinked, slowly, looking to Dex.
"How did I get Pretty Eyes?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with being put on the spot.
"Well, uh… I guess… hard times just draw people together." In truth, the hotel incident had been the catalyst but he wasn't about to bring that up with Evie present.
Carter stared at Dex, clearly miffed.
"But...that's wha-...what I've been doing," he said.
Dexter shrugged.
"It'll happen when it happens." The Japanese-American just grumbled in response. Hard times, he said...Well, Carter had plenty of 'hard times' with other men, but they never lasted. Of course, somewhere deep in the confines of his mind, he knew that the fault fell on him and his inability to forget about Walter.
He blinked, realizing that his brain was straying to a forbidden topic. He needed more alcohol. A distraction. Something.
"Who's up for ring of fire?" Evie asked.
"Or.. or... Never Have I ever?"
Carter instantly pounced the opportunity and swung both arms up.
"Meeee!"
