bakerstreet | Sunday Gen Texts

"Who says anyone is really here?" he smirked, kissing her on the lips before pulling back and taking her hand.

The only solution was, paradoxically, to go somewhere even more crowded. Anyone could hide on the dance floor. Ben weaved through the sea of swirling colors until he found a spot where they could dance as much against each other as they could apart. Kylo may have been high as a kite, but somehow, even his grinding was poetry in motion.

Elia didn't really have much time to ponder the question, and probably couldn't give it any sort of meaningful thought, anyway, so wrapped up in the kiss as she was. It ended far too soon for her liking, and they were off again, down the winding staircase and back to the dance floor.

And while she would have preferred a nice quiet place to hide away into continue the kiss, she had to admit that this was good, too, the driving beat setting the rhythm that they moved in, coming together and falling apart like the ebb and flow of the ocean, and maybe it was some combination of adrenaline and the acid, but her heart has never beat quite so hard, she had never felt so a part of anything in her life.

Maybe she could get used to this.

Kylo wasn't as romantic or forward unless he was blitzed out of his mind. In reality, he was far shier than his brightly colored wardrobe gave him credit for. He was awkward and insecure. It was no wonder that he let Hux use him for his twisted fantasies the way he did.

But on the dance floor, he was alive. Time stood still and he was on top of the world. He wasn't just somebody. He was everybody.

It was extremely late, or perhaps extremely early, when the dance floor finally started to thin out. Time, for many of the partygoers, had started back up again and they had lives to return to. The truly hard-core ones showed no signs of stopping, though. Just when it looked like he was about to actually drop dead on his feet, the pills kicked in and he found his sixth or seventh wind.

She knew. She knew the difference very well, both through text, and in person, and especially now. And while it was the shier version that she ultimately really liked, this was ... just another side of him, one that only came out with a little chemical assistance. She'd never try to change him - that was none of her business - but sometimes she worried. (Lots of times, she worried.)

Her self-consciousness mostly dissipated, which allowed her to get lost in the music, even though she fought the haze surrounding her, just so that she could watch as he moved to the rhythm, gracefully and confidently.

Despite whatever effects she was feeling from the acid, the longer the night went on, the more exhausted she began to feel. And soon, she was swaying on her feet as she desperately tried to stay upright. "I have to - ", she called, getting closer so that she could be heard over the pounding beat. "Have to sit. Gonna faint."

Kylo leaned in when she did, still grinding to the beat. He only stopped when he heard her say she was about to faint..

"Oh, no no. Not here." His hands fluttered, motioning her in the direction of the patio again. "You pass out, paramedics come, police follow and the whole night's a bust!"

Needless to say, he had more than a few questionable substances coursing through his bloodstream. He wasn't going to be passing any drug tests tonight. Or for the next couple of days, really.

It was too hot and too stuffy and she'd been dancing much longer than her body should have kept standing, and for as much as she wanted to continue - and stars did she want to continue, she just ... couldn't. Not without a break. Not without some rest. Probably not without a lot of water.

"I won't - ", she muttered, stumbling as she turned, facing the stairs that led up to the patio. "I'm good. I'm fine."

Maybe she was protesting a bit too much, and it wasn't as though anyone else noticed her distress, but the last thing that Elia wanted was to make a big scene. Being on the patio would help. It had to. She didn't want to put an end to the night just yet.

The better question was probably how Kylo could. His energy at this point, just like his extroversion, was solely chemical-induced as well. When that finally did wear off, exhaustion and dehydration would team up with withdrawal and make for a pretty heavy drop. Kylo had become somewhat of an expert on postponing that for as long as humanly possible.

As they passed the bar, Phasma had that look on her face and glasses of water at the ready.

It was all well and good for Elia, but Kylo requested one of his familiar alcoholic energy drinks. Phasma just shook her head. "Don't make me carry you home over my shoulder again, Ren."

"Pfft. Sun's not even up yet!" he protested with a sloppy grin.

"Give it an hour. When it does, I'm cutting you off."

Clearly, he was more used to the rigors and exhaustion of spending an entire night on the dance floor. Not to mention, he was far more accustomed to the chemicals and their effects than Elia was, so maybe her pitiful tolerance could be understood and accepted just this once.

'Cause ... who knew if she'd have the chance to do this again? If he'd invite her out again, if she'd proven to be an acceptable party partner. Of course, there were other things to worry about at the moment, such as trying not to guzzle her water down as quickly as possible once the cool glass was pressed into her hand.

Thankfully, once they got upstairs and past the bar, it wasn't too far to the patio itself, and the gloriously abandoned bench, which she plopped down on unceremoniously.

Rest. Thank goodness for that.

The patio had cleared out. The sun really would rise in about an hour, so there were far less people still sticking around.

Kylo's tolerance probably wasn't something to be celebrated, much less tolerated. As she was gulping water, he was more concerned with keeping his own buzz going.

He joined her on the bench, but not by sitting. Instead, he drunkenly climbed on it, laughing as he took in the brisk morning air. He could hear the faint beat of the music coming from inside and he was still moving to it.

"What's the matter, Blue? Got a case of the mornings?"

His words barely slurred, but his body was shaking. It was past the breaking point too, but Kylo always held it together. Somehow.

At least, until he absolutely couldn't.

Thank goodness for small miracles. They had the patio to themselves - and in the cool air, it was far easier to take a breath. Perhaps best of all, there was no audience to watch their every move, or to hear their every word.

It was truly amazing, his tolerance, even if it was chemically-induced. And Elia was smart enough to know that the after-effects would not be quite so enjoyable. Not that it was any of her business, not that he'd even appreciate it, but that made her worry, too.

Panting after downing most of her water in one go, Elia couldn't exactly talk for a moment, but she could watch the proceedings with one raised eyebrow, more than a little bit concerned about his general well-being, although she was sure that he'd tell her that he was just fine.

"Something like that", she murmured, still slightly shaky, but feeling a bit steadier than she'd felt on the dance floor. "You could have stayed out there if you wanted. I don't want to take you away from your fun ... "

Although, by the looks of it, he needed more than just a ten minute break, too.

He'd say he was fine, whether it was true or not. He said it to his parents before he left for good. He said it to Hux when he had a scalpel under his ribs. He said it every time a rave wound down, but usually it was to Phasma. Or one of the bouncers. Whoever had the pleasure of finding him when what was bound to happen finally happened.

One moment, he was on the back of the bench, balancing next to her shoulders and still dancing like there was no tomorrow.

The next moment, he was falling in her lap, eyes rolling back into his head.

Sometimes, no matter how untrue, the easiest thing to say was 'I'm fine'. Elia understood that very well, even though she couldn't say that she's shared the same experiences as Kylo, but she knew all too well saying it just to keep the peace, or to attempt to normalize things that maybe shouldn't be normalized, or to ... try to trick herself into believing that she was, indeed, okay.

In this particular situation, though, it was clear that she was far more okay than he was, especially once the dancing suddenly came to an end, and he was in her lap, and she was freaking out because what the fuck was she even supposed to do?

"Oh, my God", she gasped, scrambling to hold on tight enough to make sure that he didn't fall to the ground. "Oh, my God."

A moment later, and she slid out from underneath him, sure that she had to find help otherwise something very bad was going to happen. The bar wasn't that far away, surely Phasma would know what to do? "Hang on, okay? I'm gonna go get help."

Pulling together what little strength remained in her body, Elia rushed to the bar, nearly hysterical in her attempt to get some assistance. "It's Kylo - ", she managed, on the verge of tears. "Think he might've OD'ed. Help, help, you've gotta help me - "

Phasma fought the urge to roll her eyes at anything involving Kylo Ren. The young man had a long history of playing craps with his life and never totally going bankrupt. But the woman's panic was genuine, and it was more than enough to stir concern in the callous bartender.

"Easy, Blue." She wasn't sure of Elia's real name, but that's what Kylo had been calling her. "What happened?"

She grabbed a towel and shoveled a couple handfuls of ice in it before following her back to the patio. The fact that it was almost dawn helped. There wasn't much of a crowd to fight through.

She felt for a pulse, relieved that there was indeed one. She'd sadly been around enough of these parties to know what an overdose looked like. This wasn't a true overdose, but it wasn't exactly good. She had the ice on him, but it was like a drop of water in the desert. "Damn, he's burning up. Got a phone on you? Call for an ambulance. I don't think I'm gonna be able to bring him around."

It probably wasn't the first time that something like this had happened - and not only to Kylo, but to others who were experimenting with drugs and drinks as well. And, sadly, it probably wouldn't be the last time, either.

Elia was practically panicking, only holding herself together so that she can ensure that he'd be okay. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts, but as they made their way back to the patio, she explained as much as she knew. They'd been dancing, he'd taken ... something, and stars only know what else he'd taken and had to drink before her arrival. Who knew what was wreaking havoc in his system.

But he was breathing still - that was a good sign. Having to call an ambulance wasn't, and it would probably cause mass panic, but Elia wasn't about to hesitate if his life was in the balance. "I - yeah, okay, I will."

And so she did, explaining the same things she'd just explained to Phasma. Stay with him, they said, we're on the way.

Party's over.

It was entirely plausible that by this time of the night/morning, even Kylo could tell what was in his system. The alcohol and caffeine alone was a bad mix of substances. Add into that what was sold as ecstasy (It might have been. Or it might have been adulterated and mixed with something else. You never know for sure) and at least one small tab of acid.

Essentially, take away the body's mechanism for regulating temperature, dance until you're dehydrated and replenish that with something that dehydrates you more (and coincidentally makes the high from the pills less effective, making you take more of them). It was why Phasma grabbed ice of all things - his body was dangerously overheated.

Phasma sighed as she gathered him up in her arms. She was a strong woman and like most of the ravers here, Kylo was too light for his own good.

"Let's at least get him out front. Less of a mess I have to deal with later."

Party was definitely over. Well, for Kylo.

She didn't know how she'd be able to properly explain any of this to the paramedics when they arrived. Of course, this probably wasn't the first time they'd dealt with a situation like this, so they probably knew much better than her what might be the cause, and how to help.

All of this - everything - it was so new to Elia that it was honestly a mystery. At least she was here, at least she could help, in some small way. That was ... something. It was going to be hell explaining to her parents why she hadn't been home all night, and why she'd spent the early morning in the emergency room, but ... she wasn't gonna leave Kylo to himself.

She couldn't.

By the time they pushed through what was left of the crowd to get outside, the ambulance was pulling up. And although Elia wasn't family, she was the only one that had some semblance of what was going on, and she was allowed on board, too, answering questions as they came. No, she didn't know what he'd taken. No, she didn't know how much he'd drank. But he'd probably been doing both for hours, and he was probably dehydrated and exhausted on top of it all. She'd really just wanted to spend a little time with her friend. And maybe to make out. And ... see what happened next.

This was not part of those plans at all.

His vitals were holding steady, and the paramedics' role was supportive at best. But his temperature had to drop before it did irreparable damage to his organs.

Once in the ER, Kylo was stripped, surrounded by ice packs and given intravenous fluids. If Elia had been interested in seeing Kylo naked, she had her chance between the edges of the curtain. Once they had things going in the right direction, he was permitted at least a fraction of modesty with a thin blanket.

By the time Elia was allowed in the actual critical care room, Kylo was starting to come to. The room, for obvious reasons, was still cold. An electrical fan was pointed at Kylo, finishing what the ice started.

"... DJ... Turn the music back on..." He mumbled, still not fully aware of where he was or what happened.

Some good news, some not so good news, and Elia's worry held at a steady, terrifying level.

At least she was able to go with him. At least she was able to stay and watch over him - at least once the doctors had finished with him. (And no, she hadn't peeked when they'd been undressing him, preparing for the ice. It didn't seem right to ... take advantage of the situation like that.)

The chair next to the bed was uncomfortable in an ungodly sort of way, but Elia gladly gritted her teeth and dealt with it, watching the steady rise and fall of Kylo's chest, grateful that nothing worse had come to pass. The room was freezing, and her dress was too thin, and it wasn't long before she was shivering, but she was adamant upon staying.

When he spoke, there was no helping the way she cracked a tiny smile. "Party's over, babe."

It didn't take too long for Kylo to hear beeping in place of dubstep and see sterile white instead of neon splashing over black. He felt the IVs in his arm, and stared down at them curiously. As soon as he was coherent enougn to put the pieces together, he understood where he was, even if he had absolutely no memory of how he got there this time.

"Damn..."

Once again, Kylo had been lucky.

He overdid it, clearly. But he'd been lucky. That lithe body in the hospital bed, dotted with pinpricks and littered with scars, all but proclaimed he'd been lucky before. Kylo Ren was a compulsive gambler where his life was concerned. He'd push his luck again and again until one day, it might very well run out.

At least he was awake. At least he'd live to see another day - or, more likely, another party. And Elia was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do to her parents now that her absence is bound to have been noticed, but honestly? Nothing mattered more than ensuring that he was going to be okay.

Relatively speaking.

It was impossible not to notice the other scars, but it wasn't her place to ask, and this certainly wasn't the time. Instead - "You really scared me", she began, sighing an shaking her head slowly. "Is it alright if I hug you now?"

He laughed off her fear, sporting a lopsided grin on a still-partially sedated face. "If we did anything more than that tonight, Blue, I think the hospital people would get cranky."

Never mind that tonight was now tomorrow. At least Kylo was still Kylo. He awkwardly pushed himself up, shifting the bags of melting ice that were still under the covers. If she could work her way around the IV lines and the bed rail, a hug was there.

Once he was stable enough to be released, he knew the hospital would let him go. This, sadly, wasn't his first rodeo.

Since his parents had long given up trying to reign him in, they'd probably call his Uncle Luke to fetch him. The hippie would give him some gentle warning to be more careful next time and he'd wave off the concern in favor of whatever mind-altering substance Luke had laying around at the time.

If he was with Hux, he could expect exasperated eye-rolling, followed by foreplay violent enough to leave a good-sized scar. That twisted on-again-off-again boyfriend of his always did get turned on by hospitals.

But Elia? He didn't know what she'd do. Hug him and go home, he suspected. Pretend that this last part didn't happen and wouldn't happen again.

"I already told you, I'm not really into the whole voyeurism thing. Although they've probably seen worse."

He could laugh it off all he wanted - she still felt it! She'd never been involved in anything quite like the night she'd experienced with him. "I don't think you're in any condition to do anything else", she grumbled, careful as she tried to navigate bed rail, IV lines, and the ubiquitous bags of ice. Nothing was going to stop her from getting that hug.

(And maybe a fleeting press of her lips to the corner of his, but she'll never tell.)

But instead of leaving, once all was said and done, she sighed and sat back down in what she felt was probably the most uncomfortable chair in the world, in the coldest room she'd ever had the misfortune of being trapped in, just ... waiting.

For ... someone to come in and kick her out, since she wasn't family? For the discharge notice to come, leaving Kylo as free as the wind to find where to go next? She wasn't sure. She just knew that she couldn't just leave so unceremoniously.

What next, she wanted to ask, although she wasn't certain that he'd have an answer. They'd find out, she supposed, when it happened.

"I've done worse." He winked. He couldn't quite think of anything at the moment, but the assertion was there, for what it was worth.

Unfortunately, there really wasn't much he could do while the nurses made their rounds, checking his vitals, his temperature and a toxicology test or two. Meanwhile, everything that he'd taken to stay awake was slowly but surely leaving his system. The all-nighter he pulled was catching up to him. Probably to Elia too.

But just before he actually fell asleep...

"All right, Ben. We couldn't get a hold of..."

"Ren." He growled in the middle of a yawn. "It's Kylo Ren."

"We couldn't get a hold of your parents." The nurse continued, paying no attention to the minor outburst. "Your uncle is on his way to pick you up."

"Whatever..., he rolled his eyes.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Ben."

"Kylo. Ren."

"You should consider yourself lucky. You're not as invincible as you think you are. You fry your brain, you're not coming back from it."

Elia could only imagine. She didn't particularly want to, but after tonight's antics, she was certain that this was really just the tip of the iceberg. And that saddened her, but it was his life, she couldn't say otherwise.

She was scared, though, scared that if he wasn't a little more careful ... she'd lose her friend. And that was the very last thing that she wanted. Unfortunately, with so many interruptions by the nurses, she couldn't exactly begin that conversation. It'd have to wait for another time, another opportunity.

She was exhausted, but remained steadfast in her decision to stay by his side for as long as possible. Honestly? She was amazed that she hadn't been kicked out already, it wasn't like she was family, or anything.

Quiet as she listened to the nurse, Elia nodded her agreement. Kylo really did need to be more careful, or the next time he overdid things could be his last. And Elia knew that after tonight, she probably wouldn't have many chances to be around to help again.

It probably wasn't her place to say a damn word of agreement, but she did offer her hand. In the moment, it was all she could think to do.

"Yeah, whatever." Kylo shrugged the nurse off, albeit to her back. But then, there was Elia's hand outstretched toward him. It took him a moment to notice it, and another long stretch of moments to actually take it.

This wasn't a nightclub. He wasn't high (anymore). He didn't know what to say or do. So he just held it for a few minutes.

"... You need a lift home?" He finally asked. His tone suggested that his Uncle was too big a pushover to say no.

Sunday Gen Texts

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