muses_w_remotes: 6.1. Toy Story
6.1. "What, did you take Stupid Pills this morning?"
| Toy Story
Co-written with drcampbell & pullmysteth
[Set Friday, 10th October]
“And I don’t care how horny I am, you and your willy are coming nowhere near me for a week, Lachlan Campbell!” Tara’s knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. A deep scowl was set in her fine features as she watched the road ahead. At least he wasn’t reeking of booze and pot anymore, which is more than she could say for him the evening before when her father dragged him home from Riley's singing ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams at the top of his drunken lungs.
Riley wondered if he would be too obvious if he started to hum to himself. Lachlan was in the front passenger seat, slumped right down and nursing a pretty spectacular hangover. Riley couldn’t exactly remember why he and Lachlan had a drink the night before, so he couldn’t shed any light on why his best mate had decided drinking when he shouldn’t and mixing it with weed was a good idea. He’d gotten a bit drunk himself, but must’ve stopped after one or two and slept it off because he didn’t feel too bad now. Lachlan, on the other hand, wasn’t supposed to drink at all on the strong pain meds he was on and was now more than paying for it. Riley saw Lachlan drop his head against the window but remained silent as his wife issued her punishment. The thing was, Tara was still completely in the dark about her pending surprise birthday party in New York and was under the delusion they were just dropping Riley off in New York for a therapy session, then returning to Princeton that afternoon. But Riley was just a decoy and had no therapy session. Lachlan had booked he and his wife in for two nights at The Plaza to spoil her, so they weren’t going back to Princeton at all. Still, he couldn’t protest the sex ban without giving away his whole secret. He was now facing some very fancy footwork to pull it off and there was still a high chance Tara would enforce the ban.
Tara pulled up at some traffic lights, giving her a chance to glare directly at her husband. “What were you thinking?!” she growled. “You could’ve landed yourself a one-way ticket back in to the ICU with heart failure! A coma could’ve been the lucky option! Are you purposefully trying to stress me out? I don’t need this, Campbell! Next time, picture me shoving the bottle of Scotch up your arse before you put it to your lips because that’s what’s coming if you get drunk again!”
She paused long enough to move through the lights and pull in to the left lane. She scrunched her nose up with a small grunt. “Bugger it, don’t kick!” she cried, with the briefest of glances down at her pregnant belly. “I’m not finished yelling at your daddy yet. The sooner you get used to it, the better! We don’t know how long he’s going to keep being a stupid shit for. This could continue until you graduate college.” A pointed look to Lachlan emphasised before she finally ceased her tirade.
“I only wanted one,” Lachlan finally piped up and adjusted his dark glasses over his eyes to try and drown out any light getting in the sides.
“One what? Bottle?” Tara threw back, reaching up to pull the visor down to cut some of the sun from his face. She might be pissed over his idiot moment, but she didn’t want him suffering. Lachlan didn’t answer though and the silence caught Tara’s attention more than if he’d have given some monotone answer. The were nearing a rest area, so she pulled into it. She needed a pee anyway. “Did you want to get drunk, Lachie?” she soon asked, frowning.
Lachlan sighed and turned to look at her. “Aye, I did. I wanted to get drunk. I wanted to get high. I hadnae taken my meds for three days,” he admitted. “I needed to see how it would be without them. Ten fucking months is a long time to be stuck on pain medication. I didnae want it. I got fed up.”
Riley’s mouth dropped open in the back seat, but it was nothing compared to the shock on Tara’s face. Probably a good thing she’d pulled over, though he doubted Lachlan would’ve made the confession if his wife was driving. He cleared his throat opened the car door. “I’m just going to use the bathroom,” he said and discreetly left the car so they could have their privacy. Lachlan would probably revisit it with him later in some capacity if he felt like talking about it.
Tara put her hand up to her mouth and rubbed her fingers over her lips as she watched her husband with concern. If she just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, she’d just either end up yelling or crying again.
“Aye, I know…” Lachlan murmured and pushed the sunglasses up onto his head. “I didnae want to worry you or stress you out. It was stupid. I should’ve talked to you about it first and now I wish I had.”
“Yeah, it was stupid, Lachie,” Tara told him quietly. “It’s been eating me up trying to figure out why you would put yourself at risk like that and it just made me so furious. After everything, I just couldn’t get why you do that. But I understand… now. I don’t blame you for being fed up but I really wish you’d told me about it, or even just told me you were having a rough patch.”
Lachlan turned in the seat and rested his head against it. “But that’s the thing. I’m nay going through a rough patch. I’m happy and things are going well. I didnae deal as well with work as I hoped I would, but it’s just going to take a wee bit longer.” He sighed. “I dinnae know what got into me. I just woke up on Monday and wanted to see how I would go without the medication. By the time I got to Riley’s on Wednesday, the pain was bad and Riley wasnae having the best of days, either. We were just going to have one drink, but then the dickhead in me kicked in. It felt good. The weed felt even better. I just… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I ruined-”
Tara leaned over in the seat to kiss his forehead, but it was an effort in itself with her baby bump in the way. “You didn’t ruin anything, beautiful. You had an idiot moment. We all have them. Fuck, I’m just relieved to hear you weren’t totally stupid to mix the meds with the booze and pot,” she admitted. “I can’t take another day sitting beside you in the ICU, Lachie. I can’t.”
“Dinnae worry, darlin’. I’m nay ever drinking that shite again,” Lachlan promised with a groan. “I havenae had a hangover like this since my twenty first.”
Tara’s eyebrows shot up. “Did I just hear our tried and true Scotsman call his natural dram shite?!” She whistled. “Mark this day on the calendar. Do we need to be hanging the Saltire at half mast?”
Lachlan managed a small smirk. “Aye, I think it definitely calls for grieving. And I did ruin something. I just cannae tell you what yet. I’m wanting a wee chance to try and salvage it, if I can,” he admitted.
“How am I supposed to wait when you say something like that to me? I can’t even wait for a pee these days,” Tara said, bouncing a little in her seat as she undid her seatbelt. “Which reminds me.”
Lachlan took her hand and kissed her fingers. “Let me make it worth it,” he pleaded softly. “I promise, you’ll love it.”
Tara brushed her thumb affectionately across his nose. “Only because you asked me nicely and because you do just look adorable when you’re feeling sorry for yourself.” She leaned over again and managed to steal a quick kiss. “Now I really have to get to the bathroom before your seat covers become a casualty.” She paused when she got out of the car to stoop down and see him again. “Promise me, no more stupid moments without telling me first?”
“Aye, darlin’. I promise,” Lachlan murmured. “It’s just kind of a kick in the nuts to know you really arnae invincible.”
Tara gave him a wry smile. “I don’t know want invincible. I just want my husband.” She blew him a kiss and closed the car door with a smile.
Word Count | 1,435
| Toy Story
Co-written with drcampbell & pullmysteth
[Set Friday, 10th October]
“And I don’t care how horny I am, you and your willy are coming nowhere near me for a week, Lachlan Campbell!” Tara’s knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel. A deep scowl was set in her fine features as she watched the road ahead. At least he wasn’t reeking of booze and pot anymore, which is more than she could say for him the evening before when her father dragged him home from Riley's singing ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams at the top of his drunken lungs.
Riley wondered if he would be too obvious if he started to hum to himself. Lachlan was in the front passenger seat, slumped right down and nursing a pretty spectacular hangover. Riley couldn’t exactly remember why he and Lachlan had a drink the night before, so he couldn’t shed any light on why his best mate had decided drinking when he shouldn’t and mixing it with weed was a good idea. He’d gotten a bit drunk himself, but must’ve stopped after one or two and slept it off because he didn’t feel too bad now. Lachlan, on the other hand, wasn’t supposed to drink at all on the strong pain meds he was on and was now more than paying for it. Riley saw Lachlan drop his head against the window but remained silent as his wife issued her punishment. The thing was, Tara was still completely in the dark about her pending surprise birthday party in New York and was under the delusion they were just dropping Riley off in New York for a therapy session, then returning to Princeton that afternoon. But Riley was just a decoy and had no therapy session. Lachlan had booked he and his wife in for two nights at The Plaza to spoil her, so they weren’t going back to Princeton at all. Still, he couldn’t protest the sex ban without giving away his whole secret. He was now facing some very fancy footwork to pull it off and there was still a high chance Tara would enforce the ban.
Tara pulled up at some traffic lights, giving her a chance to glare directly at her husband. “What were you thinking?!” she growled. “You could’ve landed yourself a one-way ticket back in to the ICU with heart failure! A coma could’ve been the lucky option! Are you purposefully trying to stress me out? I don’t need this, Campbell! Next time, picture me shoving the bottle of Scotch up your arse before you put it to your lips because that’s what’s coming if you get drunk again!”
She paused long enough to move through the lights and pull in to the left lane. She scrunched her nose up with a small grunt. “Bugger it, don’t kick!” she cried, with the briefest of glances down at her pregnant belly. “I’m not finished yelling at your daddy yet. The sooner you get used to it, the better! We don’t know how long he’s going to keep being a stupid shit for. This could continue until you graduate college.” A pointed look to Lachlan emphasised before she finally ceased her tirade.
“I only wanted one,” Lachlan finally piped up and adjusted his dark glasses over his eyes to try and drown out any light getting in the sides.
“One what? Bottle?” Tara threw back, reaching up to pull the visor down to cut some of the sun from his face. She might be pissed over his idiot moment, but she didn’t want him suffering. Lachlan didn’t answer though and the silence caught Tara’s attention more than if he’d have given some monotone answer. The were nearing a rest area, so she pulled into it. She needed a pee anyway. “Did you want to get drunk, Lachie?” she soon asked, frowning.
Lachlan sighed and turned to look at her. “Aye, I did. I wanted to get drunk. I wanted to get high. I hadnae taken my meds for three days,” he admitted. “I needed to see how it would be without them. Ten fucking months is a long time to be stuck on pain medication. I didnae want it. I got fed up.”
Riley’s mouth dropped open in the back seat, but it was nothing compared to the shock on Tara’s face. Probably a good thing she’d pulled over, though he doubted Lachlan would’ve made the confession if his wife was driving. He cleared his throat opened the car door. “I’m just going to use the bathroom,” he said and discreetly left the car so they could have their privacy. Lachlan would probably revisit it with him later in some capacity if he felt like talking about it.
Tara put her hand up to her mouth and rubbed her fingers over her lips as she watched her husband with concern. If she just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, she’d just either end up yelling or crying again.
“Aye, I know…” Lachlan murmured and pushed the sunglasses up onto his head. “I didnae want to worry you or stress you out. It was stupid. I should’ve talked to you about it first and now I wish I had.”
“Yeah, it was stupid, Lachie,” Tara told him quietly. “It’s been eating me up trying to figure out why you would put yourself at risk like that and it just made me so furious. After everything, I just couldn’t get why you do that. But I understand… now. I don’t blame you for being fed up but I really wish you’d told me about it, or even just told me you were having a rough patch.”
Lachlan turned in the seat and rested his head against it. “But that’s the thing. I’m nay going through a rough patch. I’m happy and things are going well. I didnae deal as well with work as I hoped I would, but it’s just going to take a wee bit longer.” He sighed. “I dinnae know what got into me. I just woke up on Monday and wanted to see how I would go without the medication. By the time I got to Riley’s on Wednesday, the pain was bad and Riley wasnae having the best of days, either. We were just going to have one drink, but then the dickhead in me kicked in. It felt good. The weed felt even better. I just… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I ruined-”
Tara leaned over in the seat to kiss his forehead, but it was an effort in itself with her baby bump in the way. “You didn’t ruin anything, beautiful. You had an idiot moment. We all have them. Fuck, I’m just relieved to hear you weren’t totally stupid to mix the meds with the booze and pot,” she admitted. “I can’t take another day sitting beside you in the ICU, Lachie. I can’t.”
“Dinnae worry, darlin’. I’m nay ever drinking that shite again,” Lachlan promised with a groan. “I havenae had a hangover like this since my twenty first.”
Tara’s eyebrows shot up. “Did I just hear our tried and true Scotsman call his natural dram shite?!” She whistled. “Mark this day on the calendar. Do we need to be hanging the Saltire at half mast?”
Lachlan managed a small smirk. “Aye, I think it definitely calls for grieving. And I did ruin something. I just cannae tell you what yet. I’m wanting a wee chance to try and salvage it, if I can,” he admitted.
“How am I supposed to wait when you say something like that to me? I can’t even wait for a pee these days,” Tara said, bouncing a little in her seat as she undid her seatbelt. “Which reminds me.”
Lachlan took her hand and kissed her fingers. “Let me make it worth it,” he pleaded softly. “I promise, you’ll love it.”
Tara brushed her thumb affectionately across his nose. “Only because you asked me nicely and because you do just look adorable when you’re feeling sorry for yourself.” She leaned over again and managed to steal a quick kiss. “Now I really have to get to the bathroom before your seat covers become a casualty.” She paused when she got out of the car to stoop down and see him again. “Promise me, no more stupid moments without telling me first?”
“Aye, darlin’. I promise,” Lachlan murmured. “It’s just kind of a kick in the nuts to know you really arnae invincible.”
Tara gave him a wry smile. “I don’t know want invincible. I just want my husband.” She blew him a kiss and closed the car door with a smile.
Word Count | 1,435