milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Liam is in the bar again. If he's any better rested than yesterday, it's not immediately obvious.

"Liam, mate. You look like crap."

Richard has still not mastered this tact thing.

Liam blinks at him. "Oh - hey, Richard. Yeah..."

"Do you want me to get you a room key? You need to sleep."

"I... yeah. House is too quiet. Too empty. Makes me paranoid..." Yeah, he's not too coherent right now. Sleep deprivation's a bitch.

He grabs a key from Bar.

"Right. I'm taking you up to Charlie's room. Have you had any supper yet?"

He steers Liam up the steps.

Liam doesn't object to the steering. "I... think so? Did Charlie go, then?"

"Aye, he and Bartleby left this afternoon. Hopefully for only a few days."

He unlocks the door and lets Liam in.

"Do you want me to send up any food or drink?"

Liam's already got his sights set on the bed. Sleeeep...

"Um. Something that it doesn't matter if I don't eat it for a while? Thanks."

He nods and guides Liam to the bed.

"I'll have Jeremy send something up a bit later. Rest well."

Liam nods and manages to stay awake long enough to get his shoes off before he collapses thankfully onto the bed. He's asleep in under a minute.

There's a David. Watching Liam out of the corner of his eye.

Liam doesn't look too good.

So David goes over and plonks himself down, arms crossed, legs crossed at the ankles.

"So, what's the matter then?"

Liam apparently zoned out for a bit there. He looks up with a start.

"David! Hey. Same old."

"And have you slept at all since we last spoke?" he asks with a quizzical eyebrow.

"Little bit?" he hazards. He's not admitting that he can't actually remember when he and David last spoke.

Neither's David. But that just makes it more worrying that he's only slept "a little bit" since then.

The eyebrow's still raised, though.

"Is your father still on your case?"

"Yeah", Liam answers sourly. "He's persistent, I'll give him that."

"Wanker," he says quietly. "How's your other half and Megan doing?"

"They're okay. Safe. Megan thinks it's just a big fun holiday, of course."

"Probably better for her that way."

He sighs.

"Did Charlie tell you he was going back to his island?"

Liam nods tiredly. "Yeah, he said. Is he still around, or 's he gone already?"

"I think he's gone; there's no music, and I can't see him."

Anyone can notice the wistfulness in his voice.

Liam's tired, but not that tired. He notices.

"He told me he'll be back in a few days if all goes to plan", he offers quietly.

"I know," he replies.

But he still sighs.

"I hope he's okay."

Liam nods. "He's a tough one, is Charlie. He'll be fine."

"Scrappy wee thing," he says with a smile. "I know he will be. Bartleby'll die before he lets anything happen to him."

It's the first kind words many people will hear him say about Bartleby.

"Oh, he went too? That's good. Charlie was worried about not being able to get back..."

"He's always been worried..."

He sighs.

"When he got the Landlord's letter, it ripped him apart."

Liam tilts his head. "About... not being able to come back here if he tried to bypass the island?"

"About not being able to come back at all."

He nods.

"And... if he went home, never being able to see any of us - here or there - ever again."

Liam nods quietly.

"He... explained that, yeah."

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