Crawling Back to You (Kasey)

[James Lawrence]

It had been awhile since James allowed himself to get drunk. Not buzzed, not tipsy... straight up drunk. The kind where you couldn't walk a straight line or form coherent thoughts. Normally, when James went out, he'd only have a little. Enough to loosen him up on stage (not that he needed more confidence) and flirt with every woman in proximity, moreso than usual. Tonight was a special occasion. Not really. he just felt like going out and having a good time.

According to his bleary eyes, it was 2 AM. Which meant things were winding down and people were going home. Damn shame, since he felt like he could keep going and match anyone, shot for shot. James stumbled out of one of the bars downtown, waving a hand around to hail a taxi. It took him a moment to recollect himself, and get into the back without hitting his head or falling to the ground. Another moment later, he was able to give somewhat coherent directions to his apartment complex, leaning back against the leather interior. Already, his head was throbbing. He leaned down, placing his head in his lap the entire ride home.

It felt like the car ride would never end. In reality, it had been a ten minute ride. James reached into his pocket, handing the driver a few bills with a simple nod. It was all he could muster. Another movement, and the New York native was on the sidewalk, standing there with a blank expression on his face. He reached into his pocket, fumbling for a cigarette that fell to the sidewalk. "Fuckin' hell." He slurred, bending down to pick it up.

And there came another head rush.

With a groan, James picked it up and shoved it in his leather jacket, giving up. Wasn't worth it. He just wanted to get to bed. A few more agonizing minutes and he was staring between two doors, trying to remember which one was his. Shrugging, James went for the one on the farthest corner and turned the knob, surprised to find that he had left the door unlocked. Whoops. He threw his keys and wallet on the counter, clammering loudly against the surface. Now to get to bed. James began to take off his jacket, fumbling against the sleeves like a child, all while his headache continued to grow more intense. Fuck.

[Kasey Łukaczyński]

Kasey had long since retired for the night. She had a long day of physical training, and didn't feel up for any sort of socialization. Her 'wild night' consisted of a long bubbled bath, and watching jeopardy while curled up on the couch with her dog eating Chinese food. She was in bed by 9, but stayed up blooging until 11. After she realized she had caught up on all her reading, she just gave up on the night and fell asleep.

Kasey wasn't a very heavy sleeper though. She never had been. It wasn't as if the slightest sound or movement would arise the girl, but the loud clamoring from her kitchen at... she looked at the clock... 2 am was enough for her eyes to flutter open. And she was sure she wasn't dreaming the sound when Josie, who had been asleep next to her, started to growl at the bedroom door. Sighing, and not even considering that the intruder might be dangerous in her delirious state, Kasey sat up in bed, and threw off the covers.

Getting out of bed took a little longer for Kasey than most, as she had to carefully lower herself into her wheelchair. If she fell onto the floor she'd have a hell of a time trying to get back up. As she rotated her body and let her legs fall to the side of the bed, Josie jumped off the bed and started barking at the door. "Josie!" Kasey scolded, in a harsh whisper as she reached down to lower herself into her chair. It wasn't until she heard shuffling on the other side of the door that Kasey realized that the clang in the kitchen wasn't a fallen pot or pan - there was someone out there.

Kasey grabbed her cellphone off her nightstand after she secured herself in her chair, deciding to peek out the door before calling 911 - because it would be hella embarrassing if she called the cops because a rat made its way into her apartment. She would still be freaked out, but at least her life wasn't in danger. She carefully maneuvered herself to her bedroom door, and slowly turned the handle, peeking her head through - ready to slam the door and lock it if need be.

But before she could close the door after seeing the tall figure in her kitchen, Josie ran from behind her, pushing the wheelchair out into the hallway, and running up to the intruder, barking loudly. Kasey flicked the lights on (as the switch was right by her bedroom door, positioned low so she could reach it from her chair), and grabbed the nearest object to her for self defense. This happened to be a newspaper she left on the counter. She turned and pointed it at the figure, as if it were going to actually scare him or do some sort of damage. And the first words out of her mouth upon realizing who was standing in her kitchen were "What the hell are you doing?!"

[James Lawrence]

It didn't occur to the drunk James that this looked nothing like his apartment. At this point, he just didn't care. All he wanted to do was find a surface to lay on, be a bed, couch or floor and pass out. For a long, long time.

But first, water. And some Ibuprofen. Forgetting about his struggle with the jacket, James stumbled into the kitchen, his knuckles going white from clenching the countertop as if his life depended on it. His equilibrium sure did though. Somehow, he managed to make it to the sink. Not bothering with a glass, he cupped his hand and turned it on, taking small sips, when loud barking caught James' attention. He winced, groaning as the sound penetrated through his skull. "No, stop." He whined, squinting in the general direction of where the sound was coming from. James' other hand lifted up, running through his once perfectly coifed hair. The lights came on, which only made him squint harder at the shape...s. His arm moved to cover his sensitive eyes, peeking over to see a familiar blonde perched in her wheelchair with a newspaper in hand.

"What're 'ou doin'?" James slurred, tilting his head to the side in confusion. Wasn't this his apartment? The slow thoughts moved hazily through his mind as he tried to figure out what was going on. "Fuck, the dog is loud." He tacked on as an afterthought, before stumbling. His other hand shot out, grabbing onto the smooth counter. Breathe. His head dropped, and James let out a groan.

[Kasey Łukaczyński]

Kasey stared at her neighbor for a moment, slightly dumbfounded. "Christ," she muttered, setting the newspaper aside, deciding that he was more of a danger to himself than her in his drunken state. She shushed Josie momentarily, who had since resorted to sniffing around the man's legs and growling rather than barking - mostly because she didn't want to wake up any of the other people in her building at such a ridiculous hour.

"If your going to yak, do it in the sink!" Kasey snapped watching her neighbor groan and keel over. "Or better yet, go home to your own apartment and do it there!" Kasey suggested harshly, pointing to her door, a gesture meant to show him the way out. This is what Kasey got for forgetting to lock her door, she supposed. Still didn't make his presence in her kitchen right. For god's sake she didn't even know the guy's name. He had no place in her apartment ever.

[James Lawrence]

James could honestly say that he had no intentions to hurt his neighbour, or even make a move on her in his current state of mind. He could barely form sentences from his lips, and the usual pet names that marked his sentences were dropped. Glancing down at the dog, he stood there, letting the dog growl and sniff him. He vaguely remembered the blonde warning him that her dog was a biter. "Will she bite me?" James asked, the words slowly coming out with apprehension.

Raising an index finger, he took a moment to recollect himself. Breathe in. And out. And fuck he needed a cigarette. Slowly, he lifted his head. "I won't." The drunk man promised, waving his pinky in the air.

He mumbled out a quick "Sorry." before his eyelids drooped. They snapped open, as James let go of the counter. Yeah, right. His apartment. He could make it. One step... two... woah. He stumbled, reaching out to support himself on the counter again. Needless to say, James was... a mess, with his imperfect hair and half thrown on jacket. "You... your door. Was unlock'd." He stated as if it was an important fact, or even relevant to the conversation.

[Kasey Łukaczyński]

"No... not unless I tell her to," Kasey warned about her dog Josie. The pup was well trained, but fiercely protective of Kasey. In all honesty, she probably wouldn't bite unless James attacked the girl. She was just curious, and didn't appreciate the late night visitor that scared and worried her master. So the dog was still pretty apprehensive about the neighbor's appearance.

"Yeah clearly my door was unlocked... would have gotten out of bed to fix that if I knew a drunkard would wander in at 2 am!" Kasey said, still trying to lower her heart rate. Her neighbor had honestly scared her half to death. It was nice to know there was no threat, but the fact that he was there at all was quite uncomfortable, and Kasey wished he would just find his way out. But it didn't seem like he could even tell which way was up let alone find the door. "Holy hell... how much have you had?" Kasey asked, mostly rhetorically upon noticing just how awful the man looked. He seemed to have taken some pride in his looks base on the way he dressed and held himself, at least on that first encounter they had out back. But even though his clothing was still nice, the man looked a complete wreck.

[James Lawrence]

James eyed the dog with what could be best described as a suspicious expression, but it looked more ridiculous considering his haggard state. "Well." He began to speak, pulling his eyes up from ground level to meet Kasey's. "Don't tell her... pleasee." He managed to finish his sentence, even begging his blonde neighbour not to release the tiny terror on him. That was a rare sight. One James would deny and claim not to remember.

He didn't know that he would be wandering in at two in the morning either. Even while intoxicated, James expected that he should at least remember which door was his apartment and not his neighbour's. It was a little too late for that now, though. He didn't say anything about coming into her apartment, but instead focused on trying to find the door and his way out of her place.

Running a hand through the haphazard mess of hair and gel, James tried to think back to the bar and how much he had consumed that night. He started counter, from finger to finger, before giving up. "Lost track." He answered with a slur, which came as no surprise. Too much. "'ad a little... much."

[Kasey Łukaczyński]

"Yeah you think?" Kasey asked when her neighbor admitted to having a little too much. The man was extremely disheveled and looked green in the face. His eyes seemed to lack any sort of focus as they wandered around the room aimlessly. Somehow Kasey knew the man was going to have a hard time finding his way out. "Last time I checked even slightly intoxicated individuals were usually able to find their way into their own apartment," she slightly sneered, trying to gesture to the door - a signal for the man to leave. (Seriously... get the fuck out.)

It didn't seem to have an effect though. The man seemed to make some sort of attempt to find his way out, only to walk in a circle. "Oh my god..." Kasey muttered, rolling herself to her front door and throwing it open. "Over here, dude!" she called to the intoxicated man, pointing into the bright lights of the hallway. "Sure you can find your way one door down?" she asked - not entirely convinced the answer would be a positive one. It was a shame Kasey was a good person... because otherwise she'd probably have just called the cops by now.

[James Lawrence]

A lazy grin appeared on his face, momentarily finding amusement with the situation he had put himself in. And James was sure that his neighbour would find it funny too after the initial heart attack he probably gave her. James' eyes flickered towards the door, and then towards his feet. He could make it. Taking a couple steps forward, he glanced back and noticed that his keys were still on the kitchen countertop. He would need those to get into his own apartment, provided he locked the door.

Pocketing them with a clammer, he lost his focus. What was he doing again? He stood there, a dumbfounded expression on his face before Kasey was angrily rolling by him and throwing open the door. The bright lights of the hallway hit him, causing James to recoil with a wince. He held an arm up to cover his eyes, staggering over to the front door. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." He mumbled.

It took him a couple minutes to orient himself. James turned to face Kasey, giving a slight nod and patting the top of her head. "Thanks, babe." He smirked and with that, stumbled to the front of his apartment, trying to find the right set of keys to open it up.

[Kasey Łukaczyński]

"Don't call me babe," Kasey groaned with a roll of her eyes as she ushered her neighbor out the door. The dog gave the man one last little bark as he exited. Kasey was tempted to close the door right behind the man, but as she watched him stumble across the hall and fumble with his keys, she rolled her eyes again realizing that if she didn't somehow help him out he was probably going to manage to find his way back into her kitchen.

"Hey hot shot," she called over, rolling into the hallway. "Still not your apartment, bro." She pointed to the door just one down from hers. He was on the complete opposite side of the hallway at this point, clearly with no sense of direction. "How much have you had?" Kasey asked, not quite sure she had ever experienced anyone who was this intoxicated. At least he hadn't passed out, though. Kasey would be pretty much useless in an attempt to get the man off the floor.

[James Lawrence]

The smirk only widened as she protested his use of the word babe. Even in his delirious state, James found a way to insert the pet names into a conversation. "Sorry." He slurred out, not the least bit regretful.

He figured that now that he was out of her apartment, he'd be left to his own devices. Which was fine. He had this all figured out. After fumbling with his keys, James slowly separated the one away from the rest and he was ready to go home and call it a night.

The familiar voice cut through the haze of his mind. He turned around, slowly, to face his blonde neighbour again. Hot shot. The nickname got a smirk out of the New Yorker before she finished the rest of her sentence. His face dropped, looking at the distance between her and the door he stood in front of now. Farther apart. How did....

He wasn't even going to ask. Clearly, he wasn't even in the right state of mind to navigate the apartment. James, with a hand on the wall to steady himself, began making his way back towards Kasey and hopefully, towards his apartment.

The start of a migraine began to form behind his eyes. He groaned, mumbling "I don't know." in a whiny voice. He just wanted to go home and sleep, dammit.

[Kasey Łukaczyński]

Kasey looked at the pathetic face that mumbled at her as he trudged back in her direction - looking as if he were going to try and go back into her apartment. As if somehow he'd be able to get back to his own that way, simply because his brain only seemed to grasp the concept that they were neighbors. Casey supposed, to be fair, all the doors did look the same. It wasn't like there was anything super distinguishable about any door that would lead the man to the right apartment. However now that he saw the door she was standing in... he should have realized he only needed to go one door down... not across the hall.

Kasey groaned, realizing she was going to have to do the "right thing" and make sure the guy didn't hurt himself. "God damn it," she mumbled under her breath. "Alright, stumbles, give me your keys. You're not sober enough to drive," she said - meaning that her neighbor wasn't even in the right state of mind to make his own decisions and find his own bed. "Let's get you home before you hurt yourself or give another neighbor a damn heart attack," she added, wheeling herself forward and all too easily taking the key's from the man's hands.

She then turned, and rolled literally five feet to the next door. "Look familiar?" she asked as she went through the couple of keys on the man's key ring, quickly finding the one that resembled her own and sticking it in the keyhole.

[James Lawrence]

James was half tempted to call it quits there; to give up and slump into the corner for the night. It didn't matter who found him in the hallway come morning, if anyone bothered. Fortunately for him, his neighbour cared bothered to put up with him and at least make sure he made it safely to his apartment, not hers, for the night.

Hand pressed firmly against the wall, James paused, since the world started to spin. He'd regret the night of heavy drinking come morning time. For now, he would have to deal with the effects. Kasey's voice cut through the vertigo, his eyes lifting from the ground. "I know...took the taxi home." James answered with a confused expression. Clearly, he wasn't in a good state to understand his neighbour's analogy. Before James could string together another response, she wheeled by and took the keys from his grasp.

It took him a long time to stumble forward the five feet. James almost lost his footing a couple of times, but managed with help from the wall. Pressing his head against the surface, he grumbled out a "Yeahhh." before closing his eyes. To collect himself. Almost home, where he could crash for the night.