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They really needed a bigger bathroom. Ladon might not of told him where he was going when he left that evening, but Billy knew. He couldn't say how, but he just knew. Billy already hadn't been handling knowing Ladon's plan that well in the weeks before this night - sleeplessness and lack of apatite were evidence enough of that - but this night was just the apex of stress and panic wrapped up in one big alcohol 6-pack.

Which explained why Billy was spilling his contents - or rather lack there-of - into the toilet when Ladon opened the door. The coffee table in the living room would tell the tale of cheap liquor, and not-so-cheap 'kill me now before the hangover hits' shots. And without a decent meal on his stomach before hand....well, Billy was about as bright as Ladon in that instance. Which was to say neither had been that smart. But eh, circumstances over-ruled brain power.

But there, dry-heaving in to the toilet, sweat and messy silver hair plastered to his forehead (because ******** slicking that s**t back when you're pacing around the apartment and getting drunk) was Billy, only vaguely aware that Ladon was finally home at who knows when in the morning....

"About damn time you got home," he panted breathlessly, still poised above the ceramic bowl. It was hard to tell if he was mad, drunk, or just exasperated. Probably a mix of the three.

Billy wasn't really in any position to resist. Somewhere between the delirious fog of alcohol and a headache, he could see Ladon wasn't fairing any better than he was. Well, Ladon was probably worse because at least Billy didn't have any injuries.

"Next time you run off to do stupid s**t, Just bring me the neighbor's pot stash. I'll take munchies over puking any night," he groaned.

Billy had never been the type to really drink much, and if he did, it was never any real hard stuff. But tonight he had tried to drown his nerves. In hindsight, pot probably would have been better. Then again he didn't have any experience with that, and it wasn't like they had much by way of groceries for when the hunger hit. And he was pretty sure pizza didn't deliver at 3-4AM.

Billy was still breathing heavy, exhausted, a mess of sweat... For a while he just quietly leaned on Ladon. Beneath the part of him that couldn't muster up much 'give a damn,' there was concern emerging, like little rays of sunlight through storm clouds, and it was this that at least allowed him to realize and feel releif that Ladon had come back. That he was alive. And then it was that realization that was all that mattered as he curled up against Ladon and became a sobbing, exhausted sweaty mess.

"You can't do this to me again," he choked out, "not again, you can't risk your life like that. Not for petty vengeance disguised as justice..."

They'd had that fight when He'd learned of Ladon's plan. His plea fell on deaf ears then, but perhaps now 'fight to live' would mean something. He hoped so. Thinking about how he'd die if anything were to happen to Ladon wasn't anything he wanted to ever think about again.

And he'd had time to think about it in great detail. Detail enough to realize just how much he wanted to live, not just to live, but to live with Ladon, always. To share a life together. They couldn't be so easily throwing their lives on the line. They had something to live for. They had each other to live for. Fight to protect that life. Do what has to be done to survive.

Billy didn't know that Ladon had already faced punishment for his crusade against the Dark Mirror Court. If he had, perhaps he wouldn't still tremble with quite so much fear, for he still felt that there was a chance he could still lose Ladon yet, but this time to the Negaverse.

Billy never had a lot to hold on to in life. Hell, for the vast majority of his years he'd had nothing but a carefully crafted armor of inflated ego and arrogance. He'd never really developed attachments through his life. Not to anyone or anything. But then there was Ladon. All he had, everything, his life, was all Ladon. Billy didn't need anyone or anything else, he felt. He could cast aside pride, and he did. He could render family to ashes, and he had. Without those things, he'd carried on, persevered, but without Ladon, there was nothing to live for. He'd tried once, and even then his efforts had turned to reuniting again. The only thing he couldn't do without.

Billy was a smart man - academically, technically, just on many levels, actually. Perhaps it was his inclination to psychology that had helped him realize it the most, but he'd long ago realized all this, and changed his entire battle philosophy. Now maybe Ladon saw it too. BIlly could hope, because he didn't know how strong he could be for much longer. Not when tonight had been near breaking.

Break....

"Yeah, a mess. So are you. You're not hurt, are you?" Billy began looking him over, squinting as if the alcohol and emotion-induced headache affected his vision, and touching him gently as he examined.

Even now, hurting and drunk himself, he'd tend to Ladon with care, and it didn't take him long to zero in on that hand.

"Yeah, you might not have noticed that dent in the wall, but that's where I fell in to it stumbling over here earlier," - but it is okay, the drywall broke his fall! - "So I don't think me standing is a good idea..." Normally Billy would have offered to carry Ladon to bed, but vertical wasn't working for him tonight.

With that said, he reached to open the cabinet under the sink, where some of the first aid products were kept. Looked like the various velcro braces they had would actually get some use. Billy found the right one and then got the aloe and gauze and got to work. Somehow in his half-hungover state, he could still manage this much. The brace would at least keep things still enough till tomorrow when Billy could get a hold of someone for hopefully free medical aid. He knew that the Negaverse had at least a few doctors or nurses in their ranks - at least on the civilian side of life. And they really didn't need more medical bills. They already had a house that they were supposed to go look at soon. Billy hadn't given the realtor a date to look at it yet. He hadn't known if either of them would be alive for the appointment.

"Get some sleep and we'll shower in the morn-...later." Since it was already the weeeeeeee hours of the morning. Hell, for their purposes, morning wasn't gonna come until 1PM, most likely. "I don't think the tub is big enough for the both of us."

Billy, still seated on the bathroom floor, blindly reached up on the sink counter for his toothbrush and the toothpaste, hoping that there was nothing left in him to throw up. He was spitting the toothpaste into the toilet - because he couldn't heft himself up to the sink, when Ladon began to apologize.

"I wouldn't put up with it if I didn't love you. Whether I deserve it or not, doesn't matter. I'm still here. I'll be here. No matter how hard you break me." And he was damn near broke. He had about as much fight in him as an old house cat. Of course, no one could know that. It wouldn't bode well. Appearances must be kept! But not right now. Right now, they were both a horrible mess.

Now was not the time for any secret inner germiphobe to pipe up about how poorly this bathroom floor was cleaned - 'It's the bathroom, you clean yourself innit, doesn't that make it the cleanest place in the house? Man-logic.' None the less the question regarding its cleanliness did cross his mind.

"Yeah, you can. We'll just stay here." It wasn't like Billy could really do anywhere. Unless he crawled. And while he had more energy than Ladon...too much movement might send his empty stomach reeling again.

So he laid down as best he could on the floor of their tiny bathroom. He'd likely be asleep in no time. Like food, sleep wasn't something he'd been getting a lot of lately.

Billy murmured a reply. He'd already well exceeded his capacity for speech at this juncture in his post-alcoholic adventure.

Tomorrow would bring with it Tylenol, a more coherent conversation, calling around for some free medical attention, and ordering in some food. And maybe setting up that appointment to go see that house later in the week.

Billy was...more than eager to finally get them a real home. Everything from his parent's life insurance, the home insurance, and what his father had kept in the house safe was just waiting to put a massive down payment.Billy hadn't exactly told Ladon how much there was when he finally cracked the safe, but Billy had calculated it, and knew that they could afford something decent without a huge loan. They could just flat out...pay 75-80% up front. While Billy may not have respected or even liked his father, the man had stacked away the mulah. But....a massive house house, and the first round of bills they could handle. And now Ladon had a job too, so he was confident they could handle paying on a loan, and keeping up with the bills....

It was this sort of numerical figuring that Billy had gone over for months and months. He didn't want Ladon to worry about any of it. He wanted to provide a home, and then together they'd maintain it.