what_the_shock | A bar on the mainland

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Miguel had looked around, found a pub with good food and plenty of beer, and called a taxi to get them there. The bar even had $1 drafts on Monday.

They might regret that after these two started drinking.

[Expecting one, and NFB for distance!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

puppy_fair

"At that point I might as well still be sleeping downstairs in the puppy playpen," Zack pointed out, smiling crookedly.

From:

what_the_shock

Miguel laughed. "No, see, first you tire them out, then you all sleep."

From:

puppy_fair

"Oohhhhh," Zack smiled crookedly as he reached for the next drink. "Okay, that's the order that goes in, huh? And here I've been doing the puppy thing wrong this entire time."

From:

what_the_shock

"Dork." Miguel lobbed a napkin at him. "Go sleep in the puppy pen, then."

From:

puppy_fair

"You can't tell me you're not jealous," Zack teased, smiling.

From:

what_the_shock

Miguel laughed. "I absolutely can tell you I'm not jealous. Don't get me wrong, puppies are fine, but I'm kind of partial to a bed when I can get one."

He flagged down the increasingly worried bartender for another round.

From:

puppy_fair

"To each his own, then," Zack replied. "I think my priorities are sound."

Puppies. Never the wrong choice, Miguel.

From:

what_the_shock

"Perfectly sound, just until you need to get some actual sleep," Miguel pointed out. "Which I think gets us right back to where we started."

From:

puppy_fair

"To that place where I'm probably never sleeping again?" Zack smiled wryly. "I'll figure it out, man. I promise. Worst case scenario, Girl will make sure I rest."

From:

what_the_shock

"Good for her," Miguel said, nodding. "Seriously, sleep is a good thing. Doing without's fine when you have to, but miss too much and your brain goes to mush."

He paused for a drink and a bite of the nachos. "You're safe on the island; you get that, right?"

From:

puppy_fair

Zack kind of froze up at that, his drink partway to his mouth.

...

"I mean," he said, slowly, "I guess so... It's why I'm there. Instead of my own world. You know...?"

From:

what_the_shock

"Yeah?" Miguel nudged him. "So why can't you sleep?"

From:

puppy_fair

Zack looked at Miguel quietly for a few moments.

And then just kind of turned his attention back toward the beer.

Sat in silence another few moments more.

"Not all nightmares go away just because you've got puppies or you're safe."

From:

what_the_shock

"The nightmares I get," Miguel said solemnly. "Is that all it is?"

From:

puppy_fair

Zack fidgeted for a moment. And then shrugged.

"I don't really know, man. There's a lot right now. I'm just one guy."

From:

what_the_shock

"Yeah. But you're one guy with friends, okay? You don't have to do it all alone." He clinked his latest glass against Zack's.

From:

puppy_fair

Clink.

Zack took a mouthful as he mulled that over.

And then he nodded a little.

"I... I guess I don't."

From:

what_the_shock

"Damn right."

Miguel bumped his shoulder against Zack's. "Whatever you need I can give you, I'm here, okay?"

From:

puppy_fair

"Thanks, man," Zack replied, and at that, he smiled, just a bit. "This? Just being out and acting normal for a while? This is a good start."

From:

what_the_shock

Miguel snickered. "Well, sort of normal. I think we're breaking the bartender's brain. But I can absolutely do this whenever you want. Or take you out with the team to beat up some megalomaniac. Or help distract the puppies."

From:

puppy_fair

Zack considered those options for... maybe three seconds.

"All of the above," he decided, breaking into a little grin and polishing off another glass. "The puppies won't even know what happened, if there's two of us taking point to distract them."