"Yea, I did. My curly haired smackhead is here and actually had the cash, so you've got yourself a great test subject." Edward poured whiskey into both their glasses and ignored the other questions, so it wouldn't be too obvious that he was mostly here because he had sensed that Jonathan didn't want him to be.
"Drugs never really do much for me," Barty said, shrugging his shoulders before he reached for a drink. "Makes me uneasy, mostly." He liked being in control. Obviously. "That sounds interesting though. What are the effects of it?"
"It's mostly linked to addiction and decision making. And euphoria. It makes it something people want more and then when they have it, they get that happy feeling that makes them give me money." Jonathan liked how simple the whole thing was. Once he had studied enough chemistry to understand his drugs, he had been tweaking them ever since. He only had two main interests - horses and drugs. And he knew everything about them.
"Some people, with the right combo, will lose any ability to want any other drug. Mine or nothing. Well, not nothing but not quite itching that spot." Jonathan looked at Edward and smiled slightly. "Won't work the same for you, love. It's crystal."
Then, to clarify, he turned back to Barty. "If a bloke has got ADHD, like my Ed here, it doesn't express the same way. His genes are doing all sorts of other bullshit. He's dopamine deficient. When he gets his hit, he just feels chill and maybe some addiction."
"Here I thought I already lost all ability to want anything but yours." Edward smiled, but it didn't entirely reach his eyes because he felt it was a bit of a cocktease to have a drug be discussed in such colourful terms only for it to not be for him. Bullshit. "Make a useful drug next time," he suggested, therefore, before reaching for Jon's glass and taking a sip.
Barty's lips quirked and he nodded in acknowledgement. "I understand. I'm sure you'll have a load of addicts craving your product specifically in no time." An excellent business strategy, couldn't deny that. "I see you've been doing well since I last saw you."
Gotten himself a boyfriend and a thriving business. Barty was not surprised, although he felt it was quite the commitment. Being tied to another person.
"What did I tell you when we last met? About the horse? Well, I was right. Seamus won. Every race he could get. He's a beautiful bastard. I sold him for a profit of 12000. Then I invested to get my gambling license. Now I got that sorted, I'm making my hobby a career move." Instead of just horses, he could make drugs and sell them with the money he was getting from the races. He had a way with horses, he could see a champion from miles off. Now there was a true power.
"I got a house." It was weird for Jon, weirdest thing he'd ever owned. "It's dead fucking weird, mate. I don't get how people do it, you know? But I haven't been on the road and moving since I was 21 so it doesn't seem worth having the caravan." So now here he was. Committed and situated.
"Teach a horse how to sing, there'd be a trick." Then he'd be able to tell which one would win too. Edward bent down to kiss Jon's cheek, then he turned and walked out again, assuming that they'd come over later. He really didn't want to be here for the boring race talk.
Barty watched Edward leave, then looked at Jonathan again. "He's powered, isn't he?" It was like a prickling under his skin, he could just feel it. Or perhaps it was just difficult to imagine Jonathan tying himself to someone normal. "Anyway, I'm glad things are going well for you. I have a few assets myself, maybe I should invest in your business. Where is your house?" He wondered whether he could ever bother with that. A permanent residence.
"Oh yeah, he's my little siren. He's got a hell of a gift. And he's a smart lad too." Jonathan watched him leave and yeah, he knew it, he was a lucky bastard. He pulled a hot fucker like that. He always knew playing fiddle was an asset, not a drawback. "Maybe you'll see it some time, if you're stick around the city for a bit. Like I said, dodgy the city centre and it ain't half bad. I'm out in the sticks, it's quieter and the like."
He knew how much his friend valued quiet, he doubted he would be thrilled by all the noisy shops, street preachers and loud music.
"I'll only give you my address if you actually promise to come and mean it. I know you. Mr information but never that human touch." And that was dangerous. "You gotta live in the world, mate. Or it all gets worse."
"I tried," Barty said. Then, upon hearing his own words, he frowned. After wetting his lips, he corrected himself. "I am trying."
He looked at the liquid in his glass, swirling it around with gentle motions of his hand. "All those years when I thought about how to get out, it never occurred to me that I might not find much to like out there."
He raised his eyebrows. "Beats the lab though." No doubt about that. He shrugged and looked at Jonathan. "I'm not big on people. You lot. I-- I don't know. Maybe I just work differently. I don't get right or wrong. I had a lover, a cop, he thinks I'm a monster. Not a person."
He supposed he might have a point. "Does the real world ever feel less real to you than your dreams?"
"Both feel real but in different ways. I can ground myself better these days. I know when I'm dreaming and when I'm awake." It took him years to truly master that and trust where he was but these days, it was pretty clear to him. "We all work differently, we're all people. No two are alike. Trust me, it gets easier the more you d--"
There was some crashing sounds from the bar and Jon frowned, tilting to try and look out there but there seemed to be no follow up so he assumed an idiot waiter dropped a load of glasses.
"We could try doing it together, like. Baby steps and all tha--"
There was a smash, a strange squeal and Jonathan was not amused by the second interruption. "What's going on? Fuck sake!" Oh wait. Yelling. "Sorry, mate. One sec. ED!"
What was happening was that Klaus, high off his tits, was trying to steal a bag of crisps from behind the bar in the least elegant fashion and had somehow managed to knock over a ton of glasses and fall on top of them. As always, pure chaos.
"WHAT?!" Ed knew why Jon was yelling, but he didn't have the time to deal with it right now. Currently he was trying to figure out whether Klaus was injured, how much he ought to care and also whether he should just injure him. He walked over to grab Klaus by one arm and drag him up, trying to judge where the blood was coming from.
Barty had already tensed at the first loud sound, the next one had him tightening his hands into fists. As Jon had noticed, he preferred the quiet nine times out of ten. Especially when he didn't see the sound coming. He got up and headed for the door, walking out into the public area.
When he saw the commotion, especially the blood, he handled on instinct. In his case, that meant orders. "Everyone, hold still. Be quiet."
Ed froze mid-movement, only turning his head to look at Barty. At the person he really felt Jon should have warned him about.
Yeah, it was inevitable. Barty didn't like the unpredictable and apparently Klaus was here. Being fucking unpredictable. Why did Ed let that moron stay in the bar? He should have been kicked out. Well, now Edward got to learn a lesson. That when he kept trying to push Ed away, maybe he wasn't a total jerk for doing it.
Klaus wasn't bleeding much, just his eyebrow and face from where he'd faceplanted into the glasses when he took them all down. His face was frozen in a dumb smile and he was basically hiding himself against Edward.
His head was running a thousand miles a minute, hyper and high, but there was something nice about the feeling. Familiar. Like a tingle. He involuntarily shuddered.
In the back of his mind, Barty thought about how he should really release Jon from his order, seeing how the man was his friend. But his focus was on dealing with the present situation and before he could get very far with that, he had finally properly noticed the man with the blood on his face.
"Klaus." He just said the name to himself, but it was still loud enough, especially with him being the only one in the room making any sound. He walked forward and stopped next to Klaus. His fingers found their way into the curly hair and he looked into his eyes. Unmistakably him. Unmistakably high. "You can move."
He instructed the entire room, but his eyes stayed on Klaus.
Edward stumbled, but he caught himself before falling onto the floor. Without even thinking about it, he immediately ran to stand by Jonathan, eyes wide and definitely panicked. What the fuck?
The touch was so familiar. Klaus hummed in a happy little way, turning to the side and looking right at Barty. Oh, he looked like Barty but a lot of them did when he was high. He could project hard and he loved to play pretend. "Baaaarty. My little... tiddlypot."
He snorted in amusement at his own joke, giggling as he staggered away from Barty a few steps and then just flopped onto the floor. "You're close but you're too old. Pass." He wasn't his Barty. He had better illusions before.
Jonathan put an arm around Edward protectively but he knew he had to stay calm. Barty didn't do these things on purpose and it was worse to panic than to stay in control. "You know him?" Jon gestured at Klaus. Huh. "The smackhead?" His hand raised a little, toying with the back of Edward's hair to try and keep him calm. He didn't have time to assure him, he had to keep following this or he'd lose control. "You want to talk to him somewhere? He might not be sober enough for it, mate."
"Close your eyes, Klaus. Go to sleep." Worth a try, Barty supposed, his eyes on Klaus. When Klaus seemed to be passing out - although he knew it was unlikely to last long, his influence on anyone already under the influence of something else was a lot less consistent - he turned his head to look at Jonathan. "He's from back home."
He supposed that would explain everything. In a way that Edward didn't follow at all. At least he had the good sense of lifting his hands to cover his ears. Jonathan had been right, he was a smart lad.
"Is that your drug?" He gestured to Klaus, his eyes on Jonathan still. "How long will it last?"
"The high is 30 minutes and then it peaks. Then he'll come down for 20." Jonathan explained, looking at Klaus. That idiot had powers? How? He looked at Klaus and then turned to Edward. Oh yeah. He raised his own hands and gently pried Edward's off his ears.
"My friend here is a unique sort. He says it, you do it. But as you can tell, he's usually quite careful with it." Jonathan didn't really fear Barty. If he hadn't fucked with him yet then it wasn't going to happen, honestly. "You can leave and hide out back. He ain't gonna stop you. Don't worry."
"Fuck me," was what Ed said to that, not leaving or hiding or anything like that. Partially because he kept an arm around Jonathan instead, wanting to stay close to him. And partially because he was too curious for his own good, as always.
"And that right there is why I am careful." Barty had to smirk, imagining himself saying what Edward had just said. He bent down by Klaus, trying to wrap an arm around him. "Can I take him into the backroom? I need to speak to him." He had to know what had happened. Although just looking at him was telling enough. "Drugs must keep his powers at bay."
"I can't believe he has... fuck. Yeah, backroom is all yours. If anyone is in there, send 'em out to me." It should be empty though. He moved Edward along with him as he took a step back to give Barty some space, not that he was getting anywhere fast. It seemed touching Klaus broke his sleeping 'spell' and now he was trying to find his own feet. Unhelpfully.
"I lost a shoe." Klaus noted as he struggled to get up, feeling someone pulling him up. He managed to get himself onto his feet but he had to grip Barty hard to stay up there. He tilted his head back, looking at the overhead lights like they were fairies. "Twinkle twinkle."
"What the hell kind of power does that idiot have?" Ed whispered the question and didn't really expect an answer. He just watched as Barty got Klaus somewhat upright and started walking him to the door that led to the backroom.
"Relax, Klaus. All is good." Might as well make sure he had a nice high. Barty walked back through to the backroom, trying to get Klaus to go to one of the sofas that lined the walls. He sat down next to him, mostly to hold him up. "It's me, Klaus." He supposed that wouldn't do much good right now. Whatever. "You'll recognise me later."
"Will I?" Klaus giggled as he reached out, stroking his stubbled chin and wondering if this was what Barty would look like as a big boy. He supposed so. After all, he had stubble and all now. He supposed being scraggy was a man thing. He hmmed idly as he moved his hand away, leaving trails behind him.
"You're not Barty. He told me to fuck off. And I fucked off. And he wouldn't be here. Trust me, I know these things." Good things like friends and love happened to normal, nice people. Not to wankers like him.
"You fucked off. Good boy." Fucked all the way off, from the looks of it. Barty looked at him and wondered what the odds were that he'd be stable on his feet. Non-existent, he determined. So it was fairly obvious what he'd have to do. "Close your eyes, Klaus. Sleep."
With those orders given, he looked at Jonathan. "Give me some place for him."
Edward frowned, tightening his grip on Jonathan. "Don't order him around!"
With an incline of his head, Barty acknowledged that. "Please. My apologies, force of habit. I need somewhere for him. Us."
"It's not a problem. I'm not upset." Jon insisted as he held up his hands to Ed and then looked back at Barty, trying to keep the peace. He was aware that Barty couldn't control it when stressed and as unpleasant as it was, he knew he could needle him in his sleep for revenge so - it all worked out.
"Where? In here or out there? Cause I can call you a cab, if you've got a place in the city. If not, I got a caravan..." And that was all he could off. "We ain't got any private places here, son. It's a pub."
"Privacy. I value that." Quiet and time to think and act the way he wanted to. "Call a cab. I have a place."
Oh. Wait. "Please call a cab." Barty tried a smile there and he saw some inherent humour in the way Jonathan's boyfriend glared at him while also looking scared. It was kind of entertaining.
"Get him out of here," Edward muttered under his breath with quite a bit of urgency.
"Oi! Get the man a cab!" Jon yelled at one of the barmen, who immediately went to the phone. He raised his hand, stroked Edward's hair and smiled. "Relax. Leave the room and wait for me. Won't take long now."
As he approached Barty, he held out his hand because shaking hands was something he had introduced to force Barty to interact like a human for five seconds.
"Come back soon, alright? Your taxi will be out front soon, they always come fast round here."
"I don't think your boy likes me," Barty commented, still amused by that more than anything. He shook Jonathan's hand, as he had been taught, then he bent down to pick up Klaus. "I'll have to detox him."
He wondered how difficult that would be. "Leave my dreams alone for at least a week. I'll see you when I see you."
"Good luck, it never works. He's been high since I've known him." Jon withdrew his hand and then playfully punched Barty in the side. Not hard but firm. There was a warning to it. "And you leave my boy alone, eh? First time's a laugh. Next time, less funny. After that, we have a problem."
He gestured to the exit and then walked after Edward, knowing he had work to do.
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"Drugs never really do much for me," Barty said, shrugging his shoulders before he reached for a drink. "Makes me uneasy, mostly." He liked being in control. Obviously. "That sounds interesting though. What are the effects of it?"
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"Some people, with the right combo, will lose any ability to want any other drug. Mine or nothing. Well, not nothing but not quite itching that spot." Jonathan looked at Edward and smiled slightly. "Won't work the same for you, love. It's crystal."
Then, to clarify, he turned back to Barty. "If a bloke has got ADHD, like my Ed here, it doesn't express the same way. His genes are doing all sorts of other bullshit. He's dopamine deficient. When he gets his hit, he just feels chill and maybe some addiction."
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Barty's lips quirked and he nodded in acknowledgement. "I understand. I'm sure you'll have a load of addicts craving your product specifically in no time." An excellent business strategy, couldn't deny that. "I see you've been doing well since I last saw you."
Gotten himself a boyfriend and a thriving business. Barty was not surprised, although he felt it was quite the commitment. Being tied to another person.
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"I got a house." It was weird for Jon, weirdest thing he'd ever owned. "It's dead fucking weird, mate. I don't get how people do it, you know? But I haven't been on the road and moving since I was 21 so it doesn't seem worth having the caravan." So now here he was. Committed and situated.
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Barty watched Edward leave, then looked at Jonathan again. "He's powered, isn't he?" It was like a prickling under his skin, he could just feel it. Or perhaps it was just difficult to imagine Jonathan tying himself to someone normal. "Anyway, I'm glad things are going well for you. I have a few assets myself, maybe I should invest in your business. Where is your house?" He wondered whether he could ever bother with that. A permanent residence.
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He knew how much his friend valued quiet, he doubted he would be thrilled by all the noisy shops, street preachers and loud music.
"I'll only give you my address if you actually promise to come and mean it. I know you. Mr information but never that human touch." And that was dangerous. "You gotta live in the world, mate. Or it all gets worse."
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He looked at the liquid in his glass, swirling it around with gentle motions of his hand. "All those years when I thought about how to get out, it never occurred to me that I might not find much to like out there."
He raised his eyebrows. "Beats the lab though." No doubt about that. He shrugged and looked at Jonathan. "I'm not big on people. You lot. I-- I don't know. Maybe I just work differently. I don't get right or wrong. I had a lover, a cop, he thinks I'm a monster. Not a person."
He supposed he might have a point. "Does the real world ever feel less real to you than your dreams?"
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There was some crashing sounds from the bar and Jon frowned, tilting to try and look out there but there seemed to be no follow up so he assumed an idiot waiter dropped a load of glasses.
"We could try doing it together, like. Baby steps and all tha--"
There was a smash, a strange squeal and Jonathan was not amused by the second interruption. "What's going on? Fuck sake!" Oh wait. Yelling. "Sorry, mate. One sec. ED!"
What was happening was that Klaus, high off his tits, was trying to steal a bag of crisps from behind the bar in the least elegant fashion and had somehow managed to knock over a ton of glasses and fall on top of them. As always, pure chaos.
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Barty had already tensed at the first loud sound, the next one had him tightening his hands into fists. As Jon had noticed, he preferred the quiet nine times out of ten. Especially when he didn't see the sound coming. He got up and headed for the door, walking out into the public area.
When he saw the commotion, especially the blood, he handled on instinct. In his case, that meant orders. "Everyone, hold still. Be quiet."
Ed froze mid-movement, only turning his head to look at Barty. At the person he really felt Jon should have warned him about.
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Klaus wasn't bleeding much, just his eyebrow and face from where he'd faceplanted into the glasses when he took them all down. His face was frozen in a dumb smile and he was basically hiding himself against Edward.
His head was running a thousand miles a minute, hyper and high, but there was something nice about the feeling. Familiar. Like a tingle. He involuntarily shuddered.
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"Klaus." He just said the name to himself, but it was still loud enough, especially with him being the only one in the room making any sound. He walked forward and stopped next to Klaus. His fingers found their way into the curly hair and he looked into his eyes. Unmistakably him. Unmistakably high. "You can move."
He instructed the entire room, but his eyes stayed on Klaus.
Edward stumbled, but he caught himself before falling onto the floor. Without even thinking about it, he immediately ran to stand by Jonathan, eyes wide and definitely panicked. What the fuck?
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He snorted in amusement at his own joke, giggling as he staggered away from Barty a few steps and then just flopped onto the floor. "You're close but you're too old. Pass." He wasn't his Barty. He had better illusions before.
Jonathan put an arm around Edward protectively but he knew he had to stay calm. Barty didn't do these things on purpose and it was worse to panic than to stay in control. "You know him?" Jon gestured at Klaus. Huh. "The smackhead?" His hand raised a little, toying with the back of Edward's hair to try and keep him calm. He didn't have time to assure him, he had to keep following this or he'd lose control. "You want to talk to him somewhere? He might not be sober enough for it, mate."
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He supposed that would explain everything. In a way that Edward didn't follow at all. At least he had the good sense of lifting his hands to cover his ears. Jonathan had been right, he was a smart lad.
"Is that your drug?" He gestured to Klaus, his eyes on Jonathan still. "How long will it last?"
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"My friend here is a unique sort. He says it, you do it. But as you can tell, he's usually quite careful with it." Jonathan didn't really fear Barty. If he hadn't fucked with him yet then it wasn't going to happen, honestly. "You can leave and hide out back. He ain't gonna stop you. Don't worry."
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"And that right there is why I am careful." Barty had to smirk, imagining himself saying what Edward had just said. He bent down by Klaus, trying to wrap an arm around him. "Can I take him into the backroom? I need to speak to him." He had to know what had happened. Although just looking at him was telling enough. "Drugs must keep his powers at bay."
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"I lost a shoe." Klaus noted as he struggled to get up, feeling someone pulling him up. He managed to get himself onto his feet but he had to grip Barty hard to stay up there. He tilted his head back, looking at the overhead lights like they were fairies. "Twinkle twinkle."
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"Relax, Klaus. All is good." Might as well make sure he had a nice high. Barty walked back through to the backroom, trying to get Klaus to go to one of the sofas that lined the walls. He sat down next to him, mostly to hold him up. "It's me, Klaus." He supposed that wouldn't do much good right now. Whatever. "You'll recognise me later."
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"You're not Barty. He told me to fuck off. And I fucked off. And he wouldn't be here. Trust me, I know these things." Good things like friends and love happened to normal, nice people. Not to wankers like him.
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With those orders given, he looked at Jonathan. "Give me some place for him."
Edward frowned, tightening his grip on Jonathan. "Don't order him around!"
With an incline of his head, Barty acknowledged that. "Please. My apologies, force of habit. I need somewhere for him. Us."
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"Where? In here or out there? Cause I can call you a cab, if you've got a place in the city. If not, I got a caravan..." And that was all he could off. "We ain't got any private places here, son. It's a pub."
They didn't really do VIP lounges in an Irish pub
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Oh. Wait. "Please call a cab." Barty tried a smile there and he saw some inherent humour in the way Jonathan's boyfriend glared at him while also looking scared. It was kind of entertaining.
"Get him out of here," Edward muttered under his breath with quite a bit of urgency.
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As he approached Barty, he held out his hand because shaking hands was something he had introduced to force Barty to interact like a human for five seconds.
"Come back soon, alright? Your taxi will be out front soon, they always come fast round here."
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He wondered how difficult that would be. "Leave my dreams alone for at least a week. I'll see you when I see you."
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He gestured to the exit and then walked after Edward, knowing he had work to do.