unholyterror | It's friend shaped

For Nexus prompt: "I didn't know you could do that!"

Jake was exhausted by the time he made it back to the bus. He had been out earlier in the night getting absolutely drunk off his feet. It happened when he met up with the tour after being away. Then he had run into Jay and Dee which lead to the next three hours of him trying to talk shop while the world was blurred and spinning. He didn't even know if anything he said made sense. Worse, he thought about the drawings that Dee had snapped up and put in his notebook.

Walking across the lot he rubbed his eyes and then cursed himself for the burning as he smudge make up into his eyes. He just wanted to throw off everything and find a place to crash. Thankfully, he actually remembered which bus was the one Niko was on. He stumbled up the stairs around the corner and instantly had a flashlight shone in his face. Then the screaming hit him, high pitched like someone had crammed every woman, from every horror movie, who had an iconic scream... right into the bus.

“What the fuck!” His head was pounding instantly from the noise and the light. Then he stumbled as someone pushed past him toward the bus stairs. He swore it was Hunter's fiance. Honestly, he had run passed so fast that Jake had barely time to register it with how much his mind was swirling from drink. He also had a burning reminder of his makeup causing his eyes to tear up and blur everything. He used his sleeve to blot at his eyes.

“What's all this screaming?” Jake was scolding since it legitimately was making his head hurt and throb right across the temples.

Blinking a few times he saw Aarne and Hunter in the back having heated words and in a tug-o-war over a broom. His mind was reeling as he tried to figure out what was happening on the bus. Lars was there too, though he wasn't shrieking as much as just flailing and saying “get it away” over and over again.

Jake stared around the bus and tried to figure it out only to have Joe shove a bottle in his hand, a bottle he certainly didn't want or need, then point up toward the top of the curtain partition between the sitting area and the bunks. Jake handed the bottle back and squinted through the tear blurred pain. There was something up there and as he walked over Lars pulled on him to stay away from it.

That was when Jake realized what it was.. a bat. A tiny little bat. It was squeaking loudly. The sound of a scared little bat. Jake shook Lars off and walked over to step up on the couch. He wavered and had to hold on. He knew he was drunk but wasn't prepared for the spinning. It took a full minute, or felt like it had, for the world to come to a stop.

Once stable he held out his hand and mimicked the forlorn squeaks. His other hand had a death grip on the curtains so he didn't pitch over on the floor. It was tentative at first but a few more squeaks and the little bat crawled into his hand. It was perfect, so tiny and cute. He slid down into the seat, before he had a chance to fall over, but it did free up his hand to give the little bat a stroke on the head before he held his hand up and let it crawl under the collar of his long coat. He could feel it moving around and then it stopped, snuggled in the crease by his neck.

"I didn't know you could do that!" He heard Niko's voice but the first thing he saw looking up was Lars's sheet white complexion and startled.. maybe scared.. look. Aarne was the only one smiling as much as Jake was, he got to hold a bat and that would make his entire life better.

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Gilly was not happy at all. He'd had something fly in his face and that something was now in fact a bat. A bloody bat in the tour bus? The screaming tart was still on edge as he was now clinging to Hunter, wide-eyed and panicked.

"Where is that fucking thing?---"

Hunter just trying to calm his fiancé down after being spooked by the bat. If anyone could tame such an animal, Jake could. Niko found it hilarious about Gilly screaming but was now more interested in the bat snuggling into Jake's neck crease. It was so cute!

"Aw, you're a real vampire now!"

Jake lifted his collar to show Gilly the little bat curled up under his collar. "I saw another one."

Jake had seen at least one other bat in the bus but, at the moment, it wasn't flying around.

"I'm always a real vampire." Jake winked at Niko before getting up, albeit holding on to everything so he could keep his balance, so he could check for any other bats still on the bus.

"Tell that tart to fucking shut up."

Niko scowled in the dim light towards Gilly, who was making a scene out of nothing. If there was a spider on the bus he'd probably scream the whole damn parking lot down. The other bus might get woken up too.

"Another one? I can't see it."

The Finn noticed how shaking and unsteady Jake was, obviously trashed after a heavy drinking episode. Niko himself having gotten drunk but was sleeping it off.

"Are you ok? I can look after you if you feel sick."

"I'm fine." Jake waved off Niko as he walked toward the back, holding on to the bunks to stay upright.

He was heading to the back and then pulled another bat out of the curtains on one of the bunks.

Gilly screamed again when Jake pulled another bat from the curtains. How many of them were there in here? The tart didn't like this at all as he ran out of the bus exit and down the stairs, nearly tripping up as he did so. Hunter just sighing and following his partner out into the cool night.

"Tart doesn't like them. How many do you reckon are in here?"

Niko now being a bit more alert, rubbing his eyes and holding onto Jake so that he didn't fall.

Jake shrugged while letting the second bat crawl up and join the first under his collar. "They live in groups of hundreds."

Not that Jake thought there were hundreds of bats in the bus. He leaned against the bunks and looked around the bus trying to listen for any others. "We need to find them before the tour moves on."

Jake was worried about them. He didn't want any of the bats taken away from their homes. They would miss their families. With how drunk he is, and still recovering from the long separation from Niko, Jake starts to cry. He's not making any noise, but he can't stop the tears either. All he can think about is the bats being like he was, all alone and isolated.

Hundreds? That made sense if they lived in flocks---or hoards? Whatever bat groups were called. Jake was really set on looking after the little bats and Niko would make sure of that.

"I can help you find them."

The Finn was still a little sleepy from being woken up but he would help Jake no matter what. Niko wasn't expecting what happened next though. Oh---oh no. Jake was crying. Fuck.

"Jake? Oh---I'm here for you. We'll find them, we will. I'm here for you."

Niko's smile dropped as he immediately clung onto the American tightly, holding him and feeling tears well up in the corners of his own eyes. It had been so long since Jake's last visit and it always opened up that endless black maw of emptiness when he had to leave.

"I don't know how many are in here." And they were little. Jake had no idea how they were going to search all the nooks and crannies of this place, especially when he was this trashed.

Jake kissed Niko's cheek but then started stumbling to look for the bats. "We have to find them." He's too drunk to think clearly, and fixated on this one task in his drunk mind. He's still crying and it hurts but he's all over the place from the drink.

"Hey, you're drunk and tired. Let me find them for you."

Niko wanted the American to sit down and focus himself because he was clearly emotional through drink and wobbling all over the place. They would find them, Niko would make sure, but Jake wasn't in the right frame of mind right now.

"How about I find them? I won't give up until they're all found."

"I need to find them." Jake repeated as he stumbled into Niko. It didn't help that he was in high heeled boots either.

He finally stopped and took Niko's hand, putting the two tiny bats in his hand. "Take them out."

Then Jake was back to walking toward the back of the bus to start searching the place. He wasn't going to stop looking no matter who asked him.

Niko just nodded and knew there was no sense in arguing with Jake because he knew he'd get no where once the man made up his mind. Instead, the Finn took the bats carefully from Jake's hands and moved to the door on the bus, opening it and letting them out into the night.

"They're free. Let's see if there are anymore."

There were some snoring noises from the back of the bus where tour members were asleep. Niko was careful not to try and wake them because that would be a shit move on his part.

Jake had worked to the back of the bus by the time Niko had returned, however, he wasn't minding the people. He was focused on the bats more than the people. He had found another one but he was also exhausting himself. The late time and huge amount of drink was getting to him. Jake was slowing down and feeling sleepy. He was only upright out of sheer stubbornness, nothing more.

"Jake? You're tired---let me help find the rest of them."

Niko didn't want to order Jake around since he'd never do that but he was worried about his vampire being so drunk and exhausted. He looked beaten and tired this was obvious just by the way he was acting.

"I don't know if there are anymore on the bus."

"When I find them." Jake brushed him off for the moment but he was feeling so exhausted.

"I don't hear any more." Jake was staying awake, mostly to try and find any other bats.

Aarne came back when he heard Niko trying to get Jake into bed. There had been moments like this with Joe.

"I'll find them." Aarne interrupted. "I won't let Tom leave until we search."

"I know but--"

Niko sighed and was too tired himself to be arguing with Jake because he knew that was pointless when the man was on a mission. The Finn listened hard but couldn't hear any tiny wings beating or any high pitched squeaking.

"Jake needs to rest."

The boy's instincts for helping his boyfriend were coming through just like before when Jake was trashed on the beach. Fuck it, he cared.

"To bed, vampire man, or I'll carry your short ass." Aarne could say that because in his heels he was one of the very few that could manage to be taller than Jake.

Jake growled at the Finn but knew he was right despite being stubborn.

"I promise to find them." Aarne sighed at the stubbornness. "You need to take Niko to bed."

Jake looked up and sighed heavily before turning around and looking for his bunk. He Was fading fast.

Niko whispered the words thank you to Aarne in his own tongue out of the earshot of Jake because he did care, even though sometimes a drunk Jake was an extra stubborn one. The growling was to be expected but at least now the man would go to bed.

"Aarne will find them."

The boy stroked Jake's back and would make sure the vampire would sleep well.

Jake grumbled but he was stumbling. Then he stared at the bunk he shared with Niko, a top one. Damned Jerry for already being in the bunk below. He turned around and stumbled toward the seating that was next to the bunk area. A couch would do well enough for right now.

Niko wished he could lift up Jake and put him into the top bunk with ease but knew that wasn't possibly because even though he was strong he wasn't that strong. If Harald or one of the other bigger men were around that might help the drunken Jake up into his bed. Ah well, the couch would have to do for tonight.

"It's ok, we can get comfy on the couch."

The Finn noticed a long, rather hairless leg sticking out of Jerry's bunk and he knew it belonged to the screaming Norwegian.

Jake fumbled a little as he yanked on the couch to lay it out on the bed. Then he laid down grabbing on to the Finn to pull him on top. He's so tired all the sudden.

Niko could tell Jake was well and truly trashed as he held onto the man, stroking his back and trying to get into a decent sleeping position with him. At least the bat problem had been dealt with thanks from the help from Aarne too.

"I'll look after you."

The Finn kissed Jake's cheek and stroked his hair.