[lotus eater nightclub] love song drug song {kit, torr}

Echo had been through hell. She’d been there and back during the war and she thought it would prepare her for anything life threw at her. She had braved battle and had people die in her arms, and she had thought when she came back she would be a stronger, better person for it. And she was. She thrived under pressure, she could sew up wounds and fight off bad guys like it was no one’s business. War had strengthened her, but what she hadn’t expected was that it would break her in so many different ways too. She couldn’t deal with emotions, she couldn’t deal with people. It was like she’d forgotten how to just be.

So when she’d realized that she’d fallen head over heels for her boss, a scruffy pain-in-the-arse who had a way of getting under her skin, she panicked. For the first time in a long time she was having these warm, fluffy feelings. This bizarre desire to snuggle up in front of the fire or cook dinner in her underwear with him. It made her feel strange, but somehow also normal and almost… right. As much as she fought it, she found herself drawn to him. She felt like she sorta just belonged by his side. But she was guarded and to be anything else went against the core of her very being. So that night, when they were sitting on her couch drinking to a rough case, and she felt the heat, saw him leaning in, she made a frantic calculation and just let the feelings in. When Kit kissed her, his arms going around her waist and her fingers tangling in his hair, it was like her world stopped and that heavy burden she’d been suffocating under eased off her heart and gave her room to finally breathe him in.

And then he pulled away. She learned that nothing could snap her out of a drunken stupor, sober her up and bring her crashing back to the earth, faster than that one single word: “Fuck.” The expression of horror and regret on Kit’s face would forever be burned into her brain. He pushed her away like he’d been burned, and she was too shocked to say anything. He stuttered, saying something she couldn’t focus on, then backing away and shutting the door resoundingly behind him. Alone in her apartment, the silence was deafening. Her drunk mind was desperately trying to reconcile what had happened with his reaction and she couldn’t. She wanted to cry. She wanted to break down and sob into her pillow. Please Merlin, make her a stone. Open a black hole in her living room and suck her out of existence.  Anything but this.

But instead of crying, she finished off the last few gulps of firewhiskey in the bottle, opened her emergency gin and finished that, then went to bed. She shut it off, shut off all the emotions and forced herself into a fitful sleep. Some idiotic part of her was holding onto the hope that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. She herself was willing to chalk it up to a drunken mistake, since they were both very inebriated and he didn’t see her that way. Things would be fine, no harm done. But in the weeks that followed, things were not fine. She thought they could just joke and laugh it off, like they did with everything else, but Kit didn't feel the same. He gave Echo her own tasks far away from him, barely talked about anything other than work, and for some reason seemed determined to look her in the eyes. It was like someone had stabbed her in the stomach (and she could make that comparison cause she had been stabbed in the stomach before) and every time she tried to just make a joke or be nice he brushed it off with stiff politeness that hurt more than if he had yelled at her.

She couldn’t take being cooped up in the office with him. It was just too… awful. It got so unbearable that she decided to do something she would never consider doing were she feeling at all like her normal self. She was going to go out. With friends. Echo had met Kitty at St. Mungos and she was a lovely girl. Echo herself was not a friendly person but Kitty was so down to earth Echo couldn’t help but talk with her, and miraculously get invited to her birthday party. Kitty’s was a little older than Echo and travelled in a different circle, but Echo needed to get out of here. Maybe a night drinking and dancing and being not alone would help.

Echo stood in front of her closet, steeling herself and purposefully choosing to put some effort into the way she looked. Baggy flannels and hoodies were so comfortable but she wanted to be someone different tonight. She didn’t want to blend in or keep her head down, she wanted to feel strong and in control. The Echo she used to be and wanted to be again always pushed her limits and went outside of her comfort zone just to feel something. What was the farthest thing that what she wanted to be wearing tonight? A dress. Echo hated dresses, but she also hated herself so much right now that she saw it as punishment. Being feminine was so hard, but goddamn it, if Echo couldn’t have the man she wanted, she was gonna kick ass at something new tonight. She was about to make this dress her bitch and wear the shit out of it.

Half an hour later and she out in the cold, staring warily at the bustling building in front of her The Lotus Eater was one of those new wizard nightclubs that were popping up all over wizarding London. It was dark and loud and all modern inside, with black furniture and pink and white strobe lights making it impossible to focus on anything for more than a second before it blinked out of existence. It was apparently very popular because Echo had a beast of a time locating Kitty and her party. The other girls were already pretty drunk and very, very friendly, shrieking and hugging her when she arrived. How come no one ever liked her when they were sober? It sucked. The girls eventually drifted off onto the dance floor and Echo went to the bar to catch up with them, because she really wanted to try being a happy drunk. Forget about Kit, forget about being a mess, just have a good time.

Six shots of glowing blue gin later and she was certainly having a good time. This was why she had tried to quit drinking, because it made her feel free and bold and so in control. Dancing alone on the dance floor felt liberating, there was electricity in her veins. So when she felt someone come up behind her and a deep voice whisper something in her ear, she wasn’t afraid or angry. Instead she turned around, flashed the tall man a brilliant smile, and pulled him in to join her. “Hi. I’m Echo, and you're a very lucky man.”

A tall figure dressed in black and leather and arrogance knocked back a shot and then clapped his friend on the shoulder in a careless farewell as he walked away from the bar. Torrence Regan had come out to this new club with a couple of fellows, but honestly he wasn't really interested in their company. Especially not when there was a whole dance floor of girls, writhing in the wash of white and pink club lights. It was like a siren's call to him.

He had spent the past two days in London as opposed to the usual Dublin and the change of pace had been nice. It was relaxing to be away from work, freeing to do whatever the hell he wanted, and as an added bonus, very beneficial to his side business of selling bliss, a potion of his own invention that gave you a high that was almost better than sex. And that was saying something coming from a guy like Torr.

The bass in the music pounded in his ears and through his body, almost sounding like a second heartbeat as he made his way onto the dance floor. It was nights like these, when there were groups of women determined to have a 'girls night out' that made Torr truly appreciate the modern women. Because let's face it, he knew somewhere here that there was a girl looking for a hot, panty-dripping one night stand. A night that would make the normal witch almost embarrassed and say to her girlfriends that she 'doesn't usually do that' but all the while wanting it to happen all over again. Torr was determined to find that girl. That kind of girl was just his type.

So when he got to the middle of the floor and a blonde with a great ass and a dress that seemed to wink at it caught his eye, Torr sidled up next to her, placing his hands on her hips and whispered a hello in her ear. The thrum of the music went through him and his cobalt blue eyes shone triumphantly as she turned and gave him an answering grin. "You don't need to tell me that, Echo," Torr said smoothly as he looked her up and down. He had a feeling he was going to be really lucky tonight. But he smiled charmigly and pulled her closer as they moved to the music. "I'm Torr."

"Let me get you a drink," he told her and then tilted his head toward the bar as he took her hand in his and weaved through the crowd. He stood with one forearm on the bar as he ordered two shots and one arm still around her waist, his fingers splayed and inching as if to feel more of her. He handed her one shot glass and then took the other and met blue eyes to blue eyes. "To luck?" he suggested, his eyes glittering darkly.

"Shit!"

Kit Emberton's fist slammed down to the bar with the shot glass that once was home to an ember brown whiskey clanking against those of his friends on the bar top. He wasn't sure how many the group of three had amassed at this point in the night but to be in The Lotus Eater on a weekend, they had no other choice. The spot was swarming with what appeared to be teenagers, and even in his drunken haze, the Healer couldn't help but feel out of place. His torn up jeans and faded grey t-shirt with the logo of an old muggle band faded across his chest did little for his case.

It was a friend of a friend's birthday (naturally), and Kit had begrudgingly gone along for the ride in an attempt to escape his office. The week was longer than usual, the amount of heavy cases that walked through the door of his practice seemingly doubled, leaving him more tense than usual. It wasn't often he was so desperate for some sort of release, but the club would suffice. Perhaps a few shots and the numbness that came with the bass was all he needed.

Electric blue eyes were encompassed by the strobing lights as they scanned the crowd, in a search for something or someone he wasn't even aware of yet. Perhaps, a girl he could take home, he mused as the whiskey made it's way to his mental state. Just as a redhead near the corner had caught his attention, Kit noticed an all too familiar figure being led to the space in the bar a few people away. Almost instinctively, he moved toward Echo Heavensby.

Torrence Regan was not the kind of, for lack of a better word, man, that Kit wanted to see his young apprentice in the arms of and the protective feeling swelling in his chest was not lost on him. How they had even found each other, the wizard couldn't be sure. The wavy haired man, who's hair was pulled back in a messy bun made his way to the blonde.

"Haven't you got a patient in the morning, Heavensby?" Kit's words, although fighting to cut through the music, were spoken directly to Echo's left ear. He touched her arm delicately, only subconsciously trying to lead her away from the bar. It wasn't difficult to tell she'd had her share of drinks for the night. It was the closest the two of them had been in weeks, and Kit was acutely aware of the smell of her hair despite trying to ignore it.

Damn, I'm good.

Echo mentally said a quick thank you to Merlin as she took in the man before her. He was tall, really tall, and had a jaw like chiseled marble that she could cut herself on. He had that look, that sort of bad-boy-you-don’t-take-home-to-mom-but-do-take-to-bed that made Echo feel all sorts of happy. Dancing against him, she could tell that he was pretty built and also had that voice was rumbling though her in a very pleasant way. Torr, as that was his name, was exactly what she needed tonight. This guy didn't come with any strings attached and would probably be up to uncoiling all this tension she was feeling. He was one of those rare cases when he really was Merlin's gift to women, if not just cause he'd be gone in the morning and she could move on.

After a bit of dancing he pulled her toward the bar for another drink that Echo wasn’t going to say no to. They stood at the bar, his arm wrapped companionably around her waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He was smooth. Echo considered the fact that he probably did this all the time and couldn’t be arsed to care. That just meant he knew exactly what she wanted him to do and would do it, and really what more could she ask for on a night like this? Torr ordered their shots and handed her one, giving her another one of those devilish smirks. She clinked her glass against his and gave him one of her own smirks. “I’m feeling pretty lucky right now, I don’t know if I can handle anymore,” she replied, then threw the shot back.

She nearly choked at the familiar voice speaking just a hair’s breadth from her ear and a warm hand touching her arm. She coughed slightly, her dizzy brain slowly registering the scruffy face giving her a strange, unreadable expression. Was he really here? She wasn’t just losing it? Yeah. There was no denying it. She merely swiveled her head and gave him a raised brow. “Not ‘til morning, boss,” she said, with a convincing nod. “Besides, I have another patient to attend to right now.” She gestured at Torr. “Kit, this is Torr. Torr, this is my boss man, though I’m currently off the clock, so I don’t know why he’s so concerned with how I’m passing my time.” She hadn’t meant that last part to come out as passive-aggressive as it did, but right now Kit was not her favorite person in the world. "Handsome, isn't he?" she said, not quite sure to whom she was speaking.

Turning back to her sadly empty drink, her brows furrowed. “Maybe I should have taken that extra luck,” she muttered to herself.

"I'm sure you handle more," Torr said with a grin just before he threw the shot back and tossed the shot glass carelessly back on the counter. The liquid burned a trail of fire down his throat and yet he wanted more. He was on the edge of something, with her, with the drinks, he wasn't sure what. But he wanted all of it. "Up for more?" he asked her with a nod toward her empty shot glass, but just then another guy came up behind her and Torr couldn't be bothered to hide the annoyance in his eyes.

The guy was just as tall as Torr was, looked slightly familiar but he couldn't be bothered to try to remember his name, and the Regan took only a cursory glance at him before dismissing him. Was he trying to talk shop at a bar? Torr glanced between Echo and her boss, getting a handle on the situation fairly quickly. He gave a nod of greeting to Kit, the name tickling his memory, but Torr put more effort into pulling Echo a little closer to him, enjoying the way she fit right next to him. He looked Kit in the eye and said, "Good to see you, boss," his tone flippant on the last word, his lips curling slightly at the corners. "I'm sure you can wait until tomorrow to talk about work, right?" Torr asked. He was all smiles and civility, but there was a certain edge and coldness to his words and his underlying tone. He was set on the unspoken plan he and Echo had agreed on and he didn't care for anyone to be interrupting him.

He turned to look at Echo and grinned at her as he heard her mutter something about extra luck. "Let's order up some more then," Torr offered as he raised a hand to the bartender and ordered another round of shots. He was even kind enough to offer one to Kit before handing one to Echo. Holding his own, he said, "To leaving work at the office and letting loose for a night?" Torr looked at Kit while he said this before smirking at Echo and holding up his glass to hers.

The Healer's gaze shifted between his apprentice and her new friend who, coincidentally, had been eyeing her like a piece of meat for majority of the conversation that he could see. It was clear to Kit that Echo was drunk, far more so than he had ever seen her before and given the amount of work-nights they ended by polishing off his whiskey collection, it was a shock. He watched as she leaned into the ever-exploring hands of the man, an annoying pang of what he could only identify as protectiveness swept through his body, leaving his muscles hot and ready to move and his heartbeat heavy agaisnt his ribcage. All he was able to muster up as far as a greeting to the Regan man was an grimace and nod, both equally as unconvincing in their enthusiasm. If Kit were anything, it certainly wasn't fake.

This had to be the very last place he wanted to be and, yet, here he was, completely and utterly unable to tear himself away. The voice in the back of his head told him to let it go and allow Echo to decide who she wanted to spend her free time with, she was a grown up, after all. But, Torrence Regan, of all people? The man internally groaned, he was sure the feeling far from hidden across his features. Kit pushed the better part of his conscience out of frame and reengaged in the situation that was rapidly unfolding before him. Another shot. Great. He played along, a small smile playing over his lips as he shook his head. Surely, the Regan man hadn't the faintest idea what it was like to work a job of any great significance, but Kit bit his tongue, relishing in the burning sensation of alcohol as it reached his chest.

"So how was it the two of you met?" Now fuelled by massive amounts of liquor and his own damned inability to suppress his opinion, Kit leant an arm casually on the bar. He was well aware that he was likely ruining all her fun, but he paid no mind. "Did you get the bit where she mentioned she's nineteen yet?" He maintained the unbroken eye contact with Torr, a hint of a smile in his eye although he was far from kidding. Was he being hypocritical? Of course. Did he care? Absolutely not. It wasn't until he felt a falter from the blonde next to him that he tore his gaze away from the Regan, finally focusing on Echo, who was looking completely out of it. "Echo," Kit's voice was more stern than it had been all night, his hands on her shoulder's firm enough to prop her up but gentle enough to not startle her. It was rare that he called his apprentice by her first name, and it felt foreign as it left his lips. The Healer leaned down to her height in an attempt to get a better look at her. "You alright?" He watched carefully for her response.

Echo wasn’t sure if she was relieved or annoyed that Kit was so utterly shit at hiding his feelings. Even with her increasingly-blurred vision, she could clearly make out the way Kit’s brows furrowed in anger, and the way corners of his lips got tight, like he had a lot of things to say but was trying to keep it in. She recognized that expression, as she was learning to do with so many things about him, whether she wanted to or not. She knew how he was feeling and all it did was make her feel sick. She wanted him to like her-- that was something she’d decided very obviously that night. She wanted him to look at her the way he was looking at her now, but she couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes.

The drink in her hand was a welcome distraction, and a second later she was knocking it back. She couldn’t stay here. So Echo did what she had been trained to do in the face of an enemy she couldn’t fight, and she knew she would surely lose against Kit if he so much as said her name… And then he did. He said her name and she felt his hands on her burning skin and it was all too much. She was going to lose, so Echo made a calculated retreat, backing up against Torr. She’d just met the man but he was a much easier opponent than Kit, and he had exactly what she needed right now.

She steeled herself and looked up at Kit, forcing herself to meet his eyes. She carefully removed his hand from her shoulder, shakily pushing it back towards him. “No boss, I’m actually not.  Like you said, I have an early day tomorrow and a full schedule I want to get through tonight. ” She glanced at Torr. Echo tried to hold her expression steady, tried to make her words sharp, but to her ears they sounded shaky. Conflicted. Uncertain. Her hands threaded into the hem of her dress to keep them from trembling. “You don’t mind, as long as I come into work tomorrow-- good as new.” She reached back and grabbed Torr by the wrist, maybe harder than she needed to, and began to lead him away from the bar. “Don’t wait up for me.”

She didn’t like to flee, but Kit was bad for her health-- bad for her heart. Echo managed to find an empty space by the wall of the club and finally stopped, taking a breath. She looked up at Torr, most of the guilt melting away as her eyes ran over those dark features. “Sorry for dragging you into my messy personal business,” Echo sighed, resting her head to drop back against the wall as the music pounded in her temples. “But you don’t seem like the kind of guy who minds if I use him a bit. Stick with me tonight?”

Her hands ran over his jacket aimlessly, before stopping at his inside pocket. Two slender fingers dipped into the pocket and pulled put a little vial. She looked at it curiously, her eyes flickering to Torr before she uncorked the bottle and gave it a sniff. The corner of her mouth tugged downward as her mind spun around in circles, trying to figure out what it was. Then she looked up at at him, recapped it and folded it into her closed palm.

“Seems you were a god-send after all,” she murmured. “How much?”