DT Serum, Primary Testing In Progress

Ashton sighed, disappointed, and hiccuped again. "Only in dreams and fairy tales then?"

"Yep," Tramp said sadly.  "And for the whole same gendering love?  Ha!  That's just lust, baby.  Not love."  Tramp finished his bottle, staring at the ceiling.  "There is no love.  No real love."

Ashton's head snapped to Tramp when he started talking about same gender love, and felt disappointed for some reason at his deduction. After a few moments, Ashton quietly set the emptied beer bottle down and left. He needed to think and process things.

Tramp lay nestled up to Bobo, barely conscious and mumbling drunkenly about love.

Ashton eventually found his way home and went upstairs. He felt sleepy now, and thought maybe rest would help clear his head.

Lex arrived home sometime later after showing Echo to the three pawnshops he'd arranged interviews with.  All three looked promising, so now it was up to her.

Ashton was snoozing on his own bed, cuddling a pillow. He was fast asleep, the alcohol having lulled him into it.

Lex said his hellos to Layla, stealing some batter, then headed upstairs.  He frowned when he found Ashton passed out and nudged him.  "Ashton?"

Layla giggled. She had indeed set some batter aside for Lex. Layla took a fresh pan of bronies out of the oven, and poured the next batch to bake.

Ashton groggily woke. "Mmm?" He asked, still half asleep.

"Ashton... have you been... drinking?" Lex asked in confusion.  Ashton drink?

Ashton tried to think. "I, uh, had a beer." He admitted. Ashton couldn't lie to Lex. Even if he did, Lex would see right through him.

Lex looked him up and down.  "A beer?  Dude, you are a lightweight."  He left for a second, soon returning with a bucket he set next to Ashton's bed.  Just in case.  "You realize you're laying on your cat?"  Muffled mews came from under Ashton's twisted hoodie.

Ashton's eyes widened and he adjusted himself so Night could get out, and checked the kitten over to make sure he wasn't hurt. "Never drank before today." He told Lex.

Night mewed indignantly at Ashton, ruffled, but unharmed.
"Well, now we know you're a lightweight and probably shouldn't drink," Lex smirked at him.

"Lex..." Ashton protested. "But it's one more precious thing I can actually consume without instantly getting sick." He tried to pet his kitten.

"Instantly, and you're a foot away from the actual cat," Lex pointed out.  "Alchohal isn't that precious, dude.  You're going to be throwing it up pretty soon.  Everyone does."

Ashton groaned and let his face fall into the pillow. He knew he should listen to Lex, but his brain felt fuzzy at the moment.

Lex shook his head and patted Ashton's back.  "Maybe we'll talk about this later.  I'll get you some water."  He stood and headed downstairs.

About a minute after Lex left, Ashton felt his stomach roil and put the bucket to good use. He groaned a little as his head started to hurt a little.

"Mew?" Night questions, patting the back of Ashton's head.  "Mew?"
Lex returned in time to see it and handed him the glass of water.  "Here.  Rinse and spit."

Ashton barely nodded and did as Lex instructed. He rinsed his mouth and spit the water into the bucket a couple of times before slowly sipping it. "You've drank before?" He asked Lex.

"Sure, back when I was trying everything under the sun to forget or dull the pain," Lex said.  "Not proud of it, and if I'd kept it up, it would have slowed me enough someone else would have killed me."

"Did it help?" Ashton asked quietly.

"Offered temporary relief from a lot of stuff," Lex admitted, "then I'd wake up vomiting and end up with a worse migraine than I started with and be sick as a dog the whole day.  Not worth it as far as I'm concerned.  Maybe a sip for the taste, but I never much cared for the taste."

Ashton nodded slightly but otherwise didn't move or say anything.