I'm With the Band (Ink)

[Troy Wexler]

It had been a few weeks since Troy had joined the Wrackspurts, and he was starting to get used to the guys. Nigel might have been his rival for Eddie, but he was really a great guy. Funny, sardonic, very creative, and fiercely loyal. If he wasn't still in love with Eddie, Troy might have fallen for Nigel himself. In a way, he was actually glad that Eddie had found a great guy like Nigel, and he knew that the right thing to do would be to stay out of it and let Eddie be happy.

But he also felt that there was something too tentative, too distant about their relationship. It was very far from the deep, intense love he and Eddie had once shared. Of course, Eddie had been hurt--by Troy--and that was why he was most likely holding back... but maybe Eddie also sensed, deep down, that they weren't right for each other.

He was making a lot of assumptions, but he couldn't help it... it was the only way he could justify it to himself. Because he knew perfectly well that if he tried to get Eddie back it would be a purely selfish move on his part.

But he still was in a somewhat precarious position in the band. Nigel knew about his past relationship with Eddie--even if he didn't know all of it. And if Troy made any wrong moves, Eddie could easily spill the beans about his illness, and he'd likely be out on his ear, leaving him without a job and without a chance at Eddie. He needed an ally in the band... someone who knew the truth about his condition. Nigel was clearly out, and he found Tobias to be rather standoffish. Which meant that his best ally was Ink. Luckily, he got along great with the drummer, and had been hanging out with him a lot during the last few weeks. Ink never seemed to get tired. Troy didn't quite have as much energy as the drummer did, but he was doing his best to pretend he did.

Tonight they were supposed to meet at Enchanted for another night of drinking and partying, which always inevitably ended with Ink going home with a couple of girls and Troy going home to an empty apartment and a massive hangover. If he was lucky, sometimes he found a guy to go home with, but it didn't happen often.

He leaned against the bar and looked around, sipping a club soda. He always liked to pretend he was starting early when he was meeting Ink.... he didn't actually start drinking until Ink showed up.

[Robert "Ink" Atwell]

Ink should have spent more nights in. His liver might thank him if he did, but then, what was the point of being a famous rockstar if you didn’t live some kind of crazy lifestyle? He loved the live fast, never sleep, party all the time life, and even though they’d been in London for a few weeks, he wasn’t getting bored or slowing down at all. 

In fact, he was on his way to meet Troy, their bassist. The man had become a friend of Ink’s, at least in his opinion, and seemed less likely to roll his eyes at Ink than the other two band members. He never felt like they only tolerated him, but he did feel like his personality and lifestyle were something of a novelty to them. He didn’t get that vibe from Troy, and he liked that someone was willing to spend some nights out. 

He slipped past the line, now that the bouncers knew both who he was and his face since he came around so often, and spotted his band mate easily enough. 

“Oy, Wexler.” He pulled up next to the man, immediately flagging down the bartender. “Going to make me catch up to you, I see. Where’ve you been all day?”

[Troy Wexler]

Troy grinned, nodding to his drink. "Yeah, sorry. I started early." He was glad the trick worked. By making it appear that he had been drinking longer than Ink had, he was able to get away with having only a few drinks--just enough to get mildly drunk. "No worries, though... I'm barely buzzed."

In some ways, Ink reminded Troy of himself during one of his manic phases. Maybe he wasn't quite as destructive as Troy could get at times, but the similarities were there nonetheless. It required a little more energy to hang out with Ink, and sometimes, when he knew he was going to meet him later, Troy found himself skipping his medication, just to be able to keep up with the drummer. He knew he shouldn't, but really, what could it hurt to just skip a dose or two here and there? It dragged him down, made him sleepy, and he didn't need that. Not if he wanted to prove he could keep up.

"I actually slept till noon," he admitted. "Guess I'm not as young as I used to be..." He shrugged. "What have you been up to?"

[Robert "Ink" Atwell]

Ink laughed at the admission, shrugging. "Slept til noon, too, mate, and I refuse to accept that I might be aging. It just means you had a decent night."

Maybe he should have hated the reputation that he had, but Ink was not lacking in self confidence. He loved the life he was living, and he intended to enjoy every minute of it. He knew it was almost stereotypical in a live fast, die young sort of way, but if that was what it was, he'd be happy with that, too.

But he couldn't deny that he was glad for Troy's joining the band. As fun as the lifestyle was, sometimes it was good to have someone to enjoy it with. And not like the random bird he'd take home, but someone who understood. Someone on his side of things.

Once he had his drink in hand, he raised it to 'cheers' Troy, then knocked back a shot. "So what's the plan tonight, Wexler? This can't be our last stop."