As Vic had been reminded time and time again, being a bit of a grouch and being a good person weren’t necessarily mutually-exclusive qualities. The man sitting before him, with his aloof remarks and his ‘I’m much better than everyone here’ stare, perhaps would have disagreed, but it was still what Vic believed, and good luck getting this stubborn idiot to change any of his beliefs!
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”Ha… Why do I have a feeling that you probably think most names are lame?” There was a chuckle, but sure enough, he decided to play along, his lilac eyes meeting those of the stranger and holding his gaze for a few long seconds. ”Hmmm… Mm… Bet it’s something that sounds all fancy!” He grinned, once again reaching for his drink.
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”Whatever it is though, I doubt it can be worse than mine, so don’t feel too bad.” There was a reason why he had always chosen to go by ’Vic’, after all. And, while he definitely wouldn’t have usually called the name his beloved parents gave him lame, maybe those drinks were beginning to get to him just a tiny bit.

+ claude anderson

He watched the bartender (Brian, apparently) as the man approached, refilling the glass only for it to be downed in a few seconds and having to be refilled once more. Technically, it wasn’t the man’s job to tell anyone to stop drinking, Vic knew as much. Hell, he’d usually benefit much more if they did not, but… was it really okay to let this go on? He was beginning to lose track of the amount of glasses the other had downed, and that was never a good sign…
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Of course, Vic himself could have said something too, but in this state, it felt like if he did Nameless Stranger over here was more likely to get annoyed and drink even more. Maybe it was better to just keep an eye on him... for now.
[break][break]
”Ha! Isn’t it kind of obvious?” It probably wasn’t given the other’s state. He could have even forgotten his name already and it wouldn’t have surprised Vic in the least. ”It’s Victor. Lame, huh?” He smirked, swirling the liquid in his glass before drinking some of it.
[break][break]
Gaze met that of the stranger once again. This time, a faint smile accompanying it. ”Your turn.”
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+ claude anderson

Mr. and Mrs. Wexler were a successful couple who had always wished that same success upon their children. For this reason, they had given each and every one of them names that represented this wish, starting off with their firstborn. Victor.
[break][break]
So, really, it wasn’t that Vic thought the meaning of his name was lame, the problem was that it had always reminded him of everything his parents expected of him. But it wasn’t as if he would tell Claude all this.
[break][break]
”Huh, so it really does sound fancy…” He laughs, taking note of how difficult it now was for the other to get out every word. Really, how much had he drank since he got here?! ”Is that really what it means though? Damn... At least it’s kind of cute!”
[break][break]
It was a simple comment, but one he meant, grinning at the other man.

[break][break]

+ claude anderson

Claude was drunk. Obviously. It didn’t take a genius to figure that one out, and if the stupid amount of drinking he had been doing just a moment ago hadn’t tipped Vic off, the actions that followed surely would have…
[break][break]
A hand was placed on his arm. Which... okay, admittedly, wasn’t all that weird to Vic, even if it seemed out of place coming from a man who had barely told him anything about himself after they had been talking for a while. But then there was a chuckle, and those words that were far from being subtle – laced with the scent of alcohol.
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”Oh…” To be fair, it wasn’t as if he would have been against it under different circumstances. Claude was a good looking guy, that much would have been hard to deny, and he had really been enjoying himself talking to him so far. The problem was that now Claude was drunk, and none of those thoughts crossed Vic’s mind. Instead, he couldn’t help but worry for the guy.
[break][break]
Thinking, he bit his lower lip for a short second, then gently placing a hand on the other’s in order to get him to let go of his arm. ”Claude.” His words were quiet, calm, soft. ”You’re drunk... How about you go home and get some rest? I can call you a cab,” he smiled, hoping the other would agree but suspecting it wouldn’t be as easy as that.

[break][break]

+ claude anderson

”You’re so boring.”
[break][break]
Vic sighed, but honestly, he’d rather be called boring by the other man than have him insist on that they should “get out of here” and “go sleep in his bed” while being this drunk. Claude was struggling to even get up from his seat, so even though he had been the one who had declared drinks were on him long before getting this drunk, the pinkette still felt obligated to reach for his card, passing it to the bartender once the other had already turned around.
[break][break]
With the payment issue out of the way (and yes, he had made sure to tip poor Brian, who apparently had to deal with all of this way too frequently), he caught up with Claude just as he stumbled to the door, putting an arm around him to steady him so he wouldn’t lose his balance. ”Come on, at least let me help you so you don’t fall,” he smiled, ever-friendly and helpful despite it all.
[break][break]
He used his free hand to open the door, walking out into the cold of the night. Although, admittedly, it wasn’t all that bad when having someone by his side. Even if that someone happened to be stupidly drunk and one stumbling step away from falling face-first onto the ground. Hopefully, it wouldn’t get to that.

[break][break]

+ claude anderson

”Ah… well… I’d like to think you’d do the same for me if I was in your place,” he explained, chuckling at the other’s gesture even though he was well aware Claude was likely the kind of person who wouldn’t even think of doing something like that.
[break][break]
It didn’t matter anyway, since it was not the actual reason why Vic was doing all that. He just wanted to make sure the man got home safe and sound, always being one who was willing to help those who looked like they needed a hand. Also... he just remembered how much it sucked to get that drunk, even if the last time he had done as much he had been around twenty-two and dealing with a bad breakup.
[break][break]
The man’s house was nice. Much nicer than Vic’s own barely-furnished apartment, that’s for sure. But, the pinkette barely paid this any mind, instead being more preoccupied with making sure his inebriated companion didn’t fall...
[break][break]
”Stay the night, it’s dark outside.”
[break][break]
This was different from before, and while Vic wanted to protest and say he’d go back to his hotel, he also knew the other had a point. It was late, and dark, and he was beginning to grow really tired after this long night. ”Hmm… Alright, but I’ll sleep on the couch... Do you need any help getting to your room?” In his experience, houses like this one always had something like fancy stairs that were a drunk man’s tripping hazard.


[break][break]

+ claude anderson

Obviously, Vic wasn’t going to sneak a peek, but he did raise a brow at the other man’s actions, shaking his head and blaming it all on how stupidly drunk he happened to be.
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Left all on his own, it was then when he finally bothered noticing what the house actually looked like...
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It was huge, and as he walked to the living room, the pink-haired man wondered why someone who lived in a house like this would spend his nights drinking at a place like that bar. Did Claude really live all on his own in this huge house? If that was the case, Vic couldn’t help but think that that sounded like a very lonely life...
[break][break]
The younger man returned; heading straight for the kitchen as if he had forgotten there was someone else there. But, Vic followed, for a second worrying that maybe Claude had suddenly decided to keep on drinking for whatever Arceus-forsaken reason.
[break][break]
”Should you really be making coffee this late?” was what he found himself asking instead, leaning against the doorframe. Normally, he wouldn’t have said anything at all, but this was getting unhealthier by the second. Claude needed to rest, and having coffee in the middle of the night while drunk wasn’t going to do him any real favours in that regard.



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+ claude anderson