Needle and the Damage Done 8

   Bonzo and a passed-out Jimmy were more or less waiting for me when I finally got the guts to go back to the hotel room. Avery welcome six-pack of beer was on the easy chair and with my rushed 'hi,' I twisted one out of the plastic and went straight for my suitcase as I cracked it open.
"Busy man," Bonzo snickered. "What're you looking for?"
I was bent over the side of the bed rummaging my suitcase for a doob.
"Ganja, baby," I said with dark humour. I tried to sound happy, but I was shittier than I had been before the concert.
"Here we go…" I said to myself, finding the small metal tin I kept my weed in. There were four joints inside and after pulling one out, I went in for another, then finally just took the whole tin and headed for the living room.
The whole time I'd stone-cold ignored Jimmy who was on his bed. I'd glanced over to see if he'd been shooting up. He'd been snorting apparently, which I felt better about before I reminded myself- tonight was going to be a drama-free night. No thinking of Jimmy. Before anything could slip through the cracks, whether it be thoughts of Jimmy's addiction or the few unusually sweet things he'd said to me tonight, I was going to get drunk and high and spend a good, fun night with Bonzo.
   I fell down onto the couch and let out a deep sigh. Bonzo sat right beside me; unusual unless a joint was going to be passed around.
"So Percy."
"Mmm?"  I held the joint between my lips and lit it.
"How shitty 'you feeling tonight?"
"Mighty shitty," I admitted. "How can you tell?" I took a puff and sucked air sharply through my teeth. Everyone had their toke-tactics.
"Well, the fiending after my beer and your weed was a bit of a dead giveaway."
I exhaled and nodded. "True." I hadn't smoked pot in quite a while so hit me pretty fast.
"That and recently you and Jimmy have been like a mirror."
"How so?" I ventured, giving a mental note not to get too deep into the subject.
"I mean," Bonzo continued, taking the joint as I passed it. "Whenever Jimmy feels like shit, it seems you do to. When he's happy, you're happy. Y'know." He took a toke and held it, cracking his beer. He exhaled away from me and washed it down with a swig of booze.
"And tonight Jimmy was passed out again, so I just assumed that---" He paused and gave me a completely devious look.  "You know what? Let's just forget about gack-head Jimmy over there and get shit-faced."
"Gack is meth, Bonzo."
"And the fact you picked that out means you're  not drunk. And that just won't do."
He got up and came back in the room with a 40 of Russian vodka.
"Alright, Percy. We're gonna get you so fucked you won't know up from down."
"Go get Jonesy," I blurted.
"I don't know his fucking phone number," Bonzo said shrugging and flicking his hand in the air.
"Goddamnit, I'll be right back." I got up, a bit woozy from the pot, swallowed my worry, and passed Jimmy's sleeping body to go into the hotel hall.
I looked down either side, then yelled- "JONESY! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"
Which was immediately countered with a 'shut-up' from somewhere down the hall. Then Jonesy appeared from around the corner in a little run-walk.
"What?" he laughed.
"Me and Bonzo are drinking. You want to join us?" I asked, flicking my hair over my shoulder.
"Yes, I would love to join you two sophisticated drinkers. It would be my pleasure," he joked, knowing when Bonzo and I got drunk, 'sophisticated' was the very last thing we were.
I unexpectedly did a hop back into the living room.
"Perky all of the sudden?" Bonzo grinned. Jonesy took a seat on the couch and I sat in the middle of the two.
"I don't know, I just haven't had a good night of drinking with my mates in a while, you know," I admitted. Taking out another joint, I lit it, took a puff and handed it to Jonesy.
"You're so right," Bonzo agreed, finishing up his beer to move onto the 40. "But one last thing before we start. Someone should roll little Jimmy out there to his front. Jus' in case he hurls or anything."
Jonesy sprung in. "I'll do it."
"Thanks. Don't want him dead or anything."
The thought of Jimmy dead ran comically through my mind. He wouldn't look any different than he looked now.
"Take a swig, Percy. I can see you thinking too much."
I took the 40 and took a nice, long drink. Not one of the ones where you have to suck at the end because it's glass, but one of the nice, long drinks that comes with parting your lip from the bottle so it can just keep pouring into your mouth while the air bubble floats up.
"Nice one," Bonzo said.
"Chase?" Jonesy smiled, coming back into the room with a few coolers.
"Chasing alcohol with more alcohol. You guys are really bent on getting be bent, hm?" I took a cooler from Jonesy and then another swing of vodka.
Soon everyone was settled, the cigarettes were distributed, and everyone's face was getting slightly goofier by the minute.
A half-hour later, and poor Jonesy was smashed out of his skull.
"Alright guys, let's play 'who'd you do,'" he declared, eyes shut as he leaned back on the couch.
Not one to be overtly sexual, Jonesy was a pretty hilarious drunk.
"What, like who did I do, or who would I do?" Bonzo asked in complete drunken seriousness.
"Would," Jonesy said. "I'll pick two people and you have to say who'd you do."
I snorted and shook my head. "Jonesy, you're crazy. Just think of what you'll say about this in the morning."
"Phht," he retorted. "If this night goes as planned there will be no tomorrow!"
"What?"
"I mean…" he stuttered. "I mean we won't remember tonight anyway, so why not do whatever the fuck we want?"
"Like have another drink?" Bonzo asked.
"Yes." Jonesy snatched the 40 and drank. Passed it to me. I passed it back to Bonzo.
"Alright, Janis or the chick from the 7 o'clock news," Jonesy said with a grin.
"Joplin?" I asked, laughing.
"Thought so."
"No, that wasn't my answer, I was just asking," I shot.
"Peter or---"
"Bonzo! They're supposed to be birds. Not fat old oafs."
Bonzo and I let out collective little sniggers.
"Alright, then, Jonesy. Percy or Page? Who'd you do?"
"Fuck off, Bonzo. Pagey would break in half."
"Why are you even thinking about it?"
"Holy shit, I'm waassstedddd."
Another eruption of idiotic alcohol-educed giggles.
"Oh, man, I wish Jimmy could join us," Bonzo said, his tone starting good-natured, then ending on a sour note.
"Fuck," I cursed. I'd been doing so well not thinking about him, but the thought that his drug abuse was actually getting in the way of being our friend kind of hurt like hell.
"Let's get 'im up."
"What?!"
"Jimmy. Let's wake him up. I wanna get him drunk."
"Yeah, no, Jonesy," I said with drunken valour. "I'm not letting you--"
"Let's do it." And before I had time to blink, Bonzo and Jonesy were stumbling out of the room making me feeling like a ponce, just sitting alone on the couch, my finger in the air, mouth open as I was about to protest.
"Pageeeyy," I heard from the other room. "Wake u-upp."
"Oh, fuck," I growled, getting up. I entered the next room with some trouble. "Leave him alone, guys."
"I thought you were pissed at him, Percy," Bonzo winked.
I frowned at him. "I am pissed at him. Doesn't mean you can wake him up. He fell asleep for a reason."
I found the 40 was in my fist and I took a swing.
"I really think you guys should lettim sleep."
Jonesy smiled at me, then turned to Jimmy. "No harm in being awake," he said, poking Jimmy's bare chest.
"Jonesy," I cried, swatting his arm out of the way. "Piss off!"
I got a bit caught up and shoved him. His hand hit hard down on Jimmy's chest.
"Shi---!"
Jimmy coughed and gasped, eyes shooting open, his pupils shockingly tiny.
"Fuck, Jimmy!" Bonzo shouted, obviously freaked out by Jimmy's appearance.
"Goddamnit, Jimmy, are you okay?" I cried, shoving Jonesy aside. He continued to cough and stare forward. My drunken mind surfaced.
"Oh god, I think he's gonna hack up a lung!" I yelled. I lunged forward and grabbed Jimmy's torso.
"What do I do?!"
"Heimlich!"
"Wh--fuck, prop him up!"
I crawled awkwardly onto the bed and over Jimmy's legs, holding him around his back, and propped him up on the headboard.
"Shit, guys!" he finally managed to cough out. "I was fucking sleeping…"
"I told them to let you sleep! Honsestly, I did!" I said. "But--" I stopped short as I realised Jimmy's expression. 'You're on top of me,' it said.
"Oh, sorry…." I said sheepishly, backing off of him.
But I caught something in his eyes that I liked.
They shot from me to Jonesy and Bonzo, then back.
"Fuck I need some water," he groaned, rubbing his chest as I took a seat at the end of the bed.
"I'll get it," Jonesy chimed in, undoubtedly feeling guilty.
"I gotta take a piss," Bonzo realised.
Once they were out of the room, Jimmy grinned at me. "Worked like a charm," he slyed.
I looked at him curiously.
His smile grew and I cocked an eyebrow.
Jimmy reached under his pillow and pulled out a half- empty bottle of jack.
I opened my mouth in a smile of disbelief. "Jimmy!" I laughed, feeling a little bit of our usual spark. "You're drunk?"
"Mmhm." He purred like a cat and his body chased after my drunken eyes.
"Jimmy…"
"What are you thinking about, Percy?"
My eyes slid over the deep V of his partially-open jacket.
My body swooned and I knew nothing but his question.
"Jimmy, I'm thinking about y---"
"Got your water, Jimmy!"
I looked to Jonesy, then back to Jimmy who shrugged playfully and sniffed.
"Jonesy," I blurted. "Jimmy and I need to talk." I hesitated and glanced at Jimmy's devilishly calm expression. "Tell Bonzo that. It's… it's real important."
"Oh… okay… that's a bit of a buzz kill, though, hmm Percy?"
"Jonesy," I said, giving him a look.
"I understand," he said.
The thing was I didn't even understand. I wasn't going to talk to Jimmy… I had nothing to say.
I looked at Jimmy, forgetting he could see me, really, and skimmed my intoxication.
And then it hit me.
"Shit."
I looked around for Bonzo and Jonesy.
Nope. The place was empty. Except for drunken Jimmy sprawled out in front of me getting my attention in ways that were so terribly wrong.
"So, Percy."
"Wh---"
"What did you want to talk about?" he asked coyly.
I was paralysed from my head to my toes. I could feel my heartbeat in my chest and my temples and my---
"Come on, Robert. Spit it out," he teased, knowing I didn't have anything to bloody well say.
"I can't…" I stammered.
"You can't talk?"
"No." Shit I was so so screwed. I needed to get out. Quick. I--
"Why not?"
"It's…" I groaned and laughed out of embarrassment. "It's really hard…" I practically squeaked.
"What, talking?" He asked, eyebrow cocked.
"Y-yeah." I started to get off the bed.
"Ah-ah-ah." Jimmy sat up and grabbed me. His jacket fell open and his skin stretched over his ribs as he held onto my arm. "You're not going anywhere."
He dragged me back down to my original spot and stroked my hair.
"So, talking is hard, hm?"
I looked at him in what must have looked like complete nervousness.
"Tell me," he breathed. "What else is hard?"
"Math," I blurted.
"Math?" He laughed. Yeah, that was pretty pathetic. "And what else?"
"Bricks," I coughed. "Bricks are hard."
He sniggered and pressed his lips to my cheek. "I'm losing my patience, babe."
"Jimmy…"
"Come on, Percy. Tell me."
My mind reeled like crazy. What, really? Jimmy was really nuzzling into my neck and asking me if---
"I wanna hear you say it…"
"Jimmy," I took a deep breath. "Me. I'm hard."
"What about you?"
"My cock, Jimmy," I pouted.
"There you go, Percy. Not so difficult, hmm?"
I was getting the sweats. Breathing was painful and my heart was throbbing almost as much as my erection.
I felt way too constricted inside my jeans.
His cheek was brushing mine again. Just like in the room only a few hours ago.
I was determined to not start a fight. But I needed to get away first.
That's what my brain said. My body didn't move an inch.
Jimmy shuffled so he was on his knees in front of me.
The bed sighed lightly and my eyes slid down his chest as I pretended not to be looking.
This was just plain idiotic.
Way to fuck the hell out of a friendship. We'd already gotten into so many fights. No doubt this would cause more.
"Jimmy," I whispered into his dark hair. "I can't do this…"
"Sure you can."
"No," I pulled back and our eyes connected. They were so intense that they sent shivers up my back.
His hand was held still in the air now where it had been touching my neck.
"No, I can't. This is just a bad fucking idea." I slid my legs off the side of the bed.
"It might be a bad idea, Percy, but what if you never get the chance again?"
I stopped. Stood up slowly trying to adapt to my jeans.
"What does that mean?" I asked cautiously.
"I could die tomorrow, Percy."
"So could I."
"I know." He leaned back on his elbows and stretched his legs out. A position he'd now noticed I couldn't resist.
His legs were so thin. They never touched. And I could see his ribs slide to his back and his hips sticking out so much they created a space between his stomach and the top of his pants.
I could see track marks up his right arm, and down under them I could see his elbows poking harshly into the mattress. He looked terrible.
Well, health-wise, he looked terrible.
But something about him looked so damn good at the same time.
One of his legs bent up and he raked his bangs back with bony fingers.
All I had to do was accept that I was drunk, turn around, and leave. Sure, we'd fight in the morning, but not nearly as bad as we would if this continued going down.
"Touch me, you little blonde git."
"Shit," I cursed.
   I was on him in a flash, kneeling over him, his hands drawing immediately to the backs of my things which he rubbed in circles, and I was clawing at his jacket, needing him to take it off so I could see his body which was so deliciously foreign to me that just the thought of touching it drove me up the wall.
"Calm down, Percy." The words left his lips with a little snicker and his stoned eyes looked to the side and he stripped his jacket off.
The muscles in his arms were small but bulged along with his tendons. There was no fat to cover them. Just skin, bone, and his sexy guitar-player muscles.
I ran a hand down his chest. It was bumpy with bones and his skin felt clammy and fevered.
I was shaking my head in disbelief.
"Jimmy, you're so…"
"You can say it, Percy. I don't mind."
I laughed and sat back as his hands slid onto my inner thighs.
"You're fucking hot," I shrugged.
"You're just drunk."
"No," I admitted. "Well, yeah, I'm drunk, but I… I've noticed."
"Oh yeah?" His lips were so pink and wet and-
"Yeah, I have. 'Specially when you're playing that fucking guitar of yours." I smiled, remembering. "You do the sexiest things, and you know it."
"I had no clue," he razzed, reaching out to quietly take my t-shirt off. He let out a soft sigh when it was off.
"Perfect," he breathed. "Absolutely perfect." His long fingers were pale against me as they found their way around my front.
"That's pushing the envelope a bit," I retorted.
"Not at all." He shook his head. "And besides," he added, looking up at me. "I like to push the envelope a bit."
"How so?" I grinned, leaning into his touch.
"Well," he admitted quietly. "I can get a little crazy in bed."
My heart throbbed with excitement and I moved further up him, hands delving deeper around his sides.
"Let's stop talking and get crazy then," I said.
He looked down quickly but I caught him.
"Whatcha looking at?" I snived.
"Your cock is pressed against my leg and it's driving me wild."
My eyes wouldn't stop searching his body and they drifted glassily up to his.
"I think we need to do it, Jimmy. I need to get out of these fucking pants."
With a sharp twist of the wrist he had his pants undone.

I was drunk. I was so so drunk and Jimmy's naked body over the bed drove me nuts.
He took the bottle of jack, swung it back and threw it off the bed.
He was so goddamn skinny. It sometimes scared me when he had clothes on, but now… well, he was here in front of me and I could pretty much see every bone in his body.
I tried not to worry. I had no idea how we'd be able to get 'crazy' like he said, since like all he could take was a sleep and maybe a few pounds.

I was off the bed trying to kick my pants off as I stared at him, each movement frightening me with his body's tormented beauty.
"Goddamnit, Jimmy." I climbed back on the bed. "You gotta stop that heroin, babe. You look like the walking dead."
I slid over beside him and touched his hair. It was kind of greasy, but the black strands streaking across his skin looked just fine.
"I thought you said I was hot," he reminded me.
"You are. But to be honest, I'm worried about fucking you."
He let out a sharp laugh that I'd only started to hear since he'd been doing H.
"You think you're gonna be fucking me?" he crowed.
"Wh---"
"Percy." He stroked my face and ran a thumb over my lips. "I'm going to be on top, babe."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
I digested that. I guess I should have assumed. It was just that this whole time whenever I thought of making love to Jimmy, I imagined myself on top.
Wait…
I'd thought of this before?
And wait…
We were actually going to fuck?
I looked sharply back to Jimmy. "We're gonna fuck?" I cried rather idiotically.
"Yeah, Percy. We are, babe."
His hand was quite suddenly on my cock, squeezing tight.
"You ready?