[Raivis & Arthur] Floor 4 - An alternative to sleeping pills

[Raivis Galante]

What time was it?

Raivis turned over on his side, the dim red glow of the numbers on his alarm clock read seven to two. There was no way that he’d only been trying to sleep for three hours. Surely it must have been closer to five or six. In a fit of frustration he threw the covers over his head and grumbled into his sheets.

A few more minutes and he was ready to cry out in frustration and thrash around in his bed but the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in the room kept him firmly planted to the mattress, the bitter feelings left to stew inside him. He hated it when he got like this. Whenever he was worried or stressed about something it always affected how he slept, and he worried a lot. He wriggled over to the side of the bed and let his fingers brush against the floor. from under the bed he carefully pulled out a small bottle of whiskey. It was empty, and it had been empty for a few nights now but he still brought it to his lips and tilted his head back as if something had magically appeared inside. All that was left was the faint taste of the liquid that it once held. In retrospect he probably should have taken more from his parents liquor cabinet before he left, it wasn’t like they could have done anything about it now that he was here but part of his still grew anxious knowing that he was effectively stealing. Even if his parents bought him everything, that didn’t mean that everything they bought was his.

After another half an hour of tossing about in his bed Raivis knew that it was no good. If he was going to be awake all night he’d rather be somewhere where he didn’t have to worry about waking his roommate. Silently he crawled out of bed, still wearing his socks but not bothering with shoes or slippers. The dull click of the door closing was the only sound he made as he snuck out of the room. As soon as he was out in the hall he felt much less confined. With a stretch and a yawn Raivis plodded down the corridor, wondering where he could waste away a couple of hours before he returned.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur, honestly, had no idea what he was doing. After an entire night of craving a cigarette - for he was on the last five left from the packet Ivan had gifted him for his, well, 'service', already and was trying desperately to save them - Arthur had had enough of attempting to distract himself.

He was usually good at finding ways to preoccupy himself; usually books were a good, useful, port of call. But it was impossible to read up when his mind was going in loop-de-loops, helices of need. Why did he ever start smoking again? He knew how dangerous a habit it was. He had quit once. He had done it well. He was screwed again, wasn't he? - and now, he could not even buy replacements. He would not do that with Ivan again. He had no idea what Ivan wanted for payment next time.

Instead, Arthur had just left his room - intending to walk around the school for a bit. Performing actions seemed to be much more productive in stopping him from wanting something than through the power of thought. That deceptive inner trigger of his. Thinking too much without adequate distraction only brought him back to the things he should not want. Damn this. It was his own fault for being weak. Too easily tempted by non-sexual lust. If he were a deadly sin, he was certain he would be greed.

Hearing a click from further down the corridor, Arthur looked up; interests piqued. His brows fell into a cowl, and he waited to see who it was. The stairs and elevator were right next to his room, after all, so they'd have to cross by him if they were leaving. When a boy - was he even old enough for this school? - appeared, Arthur blinked. "...Hello?" He whispered.

((Deceptively long introductory posts <3. Don't worry about doing too much for the next one - my fingers are kind of hurting so I want to lay off the typing a little xDD)).

[Raivis Galante]

No sooner had he closed the door, Raivis heard someone from down the corridor. He flinched, trying his best not to yelp. It was only quiet, he didn’t know why he was so scared. Slowly he turned round. It was probably just another student, no reason to be afraid. But he looked intimidating with his messy hair and large eyebrows and seemingly permanent scowl and Raivis couldn’t help but be nervous.

What if he was just one of those types who looked from trouble? He’d told himself at the very least he’d stop getting into fights, if only because he didn’t know how many more beatings he could take. Swallowing the lump in his throat he straightened up and didn’t do anything to hide the shaking as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“I-I’m just going to the bathroom...” he whispered back. I was a lie but he didn’t want any trouble. At least the stalls had locks on the doors so he had somewhere to hide if he needed to escape. Gathering what little courage he had he walked towards the stairwell. He didn’t even know if the bathroom was that way or not, he was still getting used to the school layout but the sooner he got away the better.

[Arthur Kirkland]

He was such a small, timid thing. Arthur felt for him. It must be hard surrounded by much bigger students. Especially when the school mixed years - after all, Arthur was bunking with a student that was in the year above. He frowned, wondering why he was walking about at this time. Could he not sleep?

It was tempting him to make a joke about the littler student not being able to sleep because he needed his milk or a goodnight story - but that would just be distasteful.

"...We have en-suite bathrooms..." The English boy murmured, frowning questionably. After all, this was a very rich school - and sharing between too many would be difficult. What was the real reason for this student rushing about? "Erm. Excuse me, but, I'm assuming you just can't sleep? Me neither."

Too much thought about smoking. Damn it.

[Raivis Galante]

As the other student pointed out the glaring flaw in his cover, Raivis couldn't help but mentally kick himself. He wasn't the best when it came to quick thinking, normally he'd just say the first thing that came into his head which had given him a reputation for being blunt or brutally honest. It was one of the many character flaws he figured he should try and correct while he was here.

The more the student spoke though, the less threatening he appeared. Hesitantly Raivis walked over to him. He was still quite a bit taller than him but he tried not to let the anxiety show through. It was hard to make eye contact in the lighting conditions but he wasn't being challenged so it probably wasn't needed.
"Yeah... I can't sleep. I just get that sometimes." he finally admitted with a small shrug. There was no point in hiding it now. When he had a bit of time to think about it, if they broke into a fight out here they'd surely wake everyone up. As long as they stayed within the corridor he was safe.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"Don't look so worried, I don't bite," Arthur told the other student merrily. Ah, t'was not the first time he had frightened people. He knew his scowl and features tended to be more severe than soft - it was a curse of his own, he supposed - which often gave him a little bit of an intimidating vibe. Probably did not help with the smaller and obviously younger student.

"Is it the beds? Truth be told, this one is a lot more squishy and comfortable than home. Takes a bit of getting used to. Or is it something else...?" Arthur asked, trying to strike conversation. This was perfect. Having someone to talk to would definitely reduce his cravings - right?

Rubbing his eyes to prevent the gathering of sleep, the English boy indicated to the lift. They were not doing much good out here, lots of other students surrounding them. "Fancy a walk? I was going to just go spend some time venturing in the grounds. Would be marvellous to have some legitimate company, other than me and my mind."

[Raivis Galante]

Raivis simply shook his head. The beds were... well they weren't as nice as his own back home but they weren't bad. It was less to do with how they felt and more to do with the fact that a number of people had slept on it before you. It wasn't your own, it was just there and because of that it always felt a little foreign.
"The beds are fine. It just... happens. Sometimes I just can't sleep."

It was the only way he could describe it. He'd never thought about it too much. Sure it happened more when he was stressed or fretting over things but sometimes it happened when he was perfectly content with the world. It was one of those things that saw just a little unpredictable. At the offer to go outside Raivis anxiously glanced back to his dorm. Was he going somewhere quieter to pick a fight or...? No, no, no he was just being paranoid again!

For a moment he just stopped and thought about it. Maybe it would just be safer to go back inside and lay there until the morning but the boredom would drive him up the wall. Even if this student did want to pick a fight, there was still something inside him aching to go along with it. As much as he hated fighting, maybe he would wear himself out or get knocked unconscious. There was a certain masochism in his decision but he nodded along.
"Sure, okay..." he murmured. Over and over he told himself there was nothing to worry about. Doing something would be better than doing nothing.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"If you can't sleep, there's always a reason... e-er... I just realised. I don't know your name," he declared, with a slightly bitter laugh. "I'm Arthur, by the way. Arthur Kirkland."

Arthur could not help but be curious about his accompaniment. He must have been, what exactly, about thirteen - he would guess? To have such a young student and a small person in such a place must have been terrifying. Especially with students from different years mixed all together. He sincerely hoped that the upper-year students were not giving him trouble.

That's how it starts, you see. You get bullied. Two reactions occur; either you sink, taking their words and trying not to do anything about it. All your efforts to reduce the occurrence being invisible, like asking politely for help, or going to counselling. Or you swim - or fight, more accurately. Retaliate, stand up for yourself, get into more trouble. Then come the drinks. Then come the smoking, and the drugs. Just to try fit in. It seemed like people related more to those that were doped and arrogant, than those with real heart.

Arthur should know. That was exactly what happened to him. Hooliganism, vandalism, hate against the system. It was a miracle that he had managed to claw himself out of that awful web. It hadn't been easy, but here he was.

He moved into the elevator, right next to his room - thankfully it was at the top already, waiting for them - and pressed the button for the bottom. "How old are you, by the way? Can't decide on a figure."

[Raivis Galante]

"My name's Raivis Galante," he stated, with a hint of despair in his voice. His last name was always the butt of many a joke back home. Since it was an Italian name his parents had never gendered it like most Latvian last names. People used to tease him over the fact that he had a girls name and Raivis had promised himself that when he was old enough he'd get it changed to something completely different. Sure he could just change the ending to make it more gender appropriate but it had too many bitter memories attached to it.

He shuffled into the lift, there was always a certain awkwardness when people asked his age.
"I'm fifteen..." he mumbled, just waiting for the overly surprised reply of how he looked so young. He didn't understand why he was still so short or why his voice was still stuck in this awkward limbo of not quite breaking but still being scratchy and clearly that of a teenage boy. Keeping his head down he made sure not to look at Arthur and instead just fidgeted with the cuffs on his pajamas.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"You're only the year below?" Arthur asked. His response was rather unexpected. To think that such a small kid was so much older than he thought... realising something, Arthur gave an awkward smile and looked somewhat pitifully at his fellow student.

"...Sorry, you must get that a lot." He said empathetically. The other was probably exhausted because of it by now. No wonder he was nervous - being much smaller than the other boys must be hard. "It'll be fine. You'll probably have a sudden growth spurt when you get to, oh, I don't know, eighteen. Shoot straight up!"

[Raivis Galante]

Raivis scowled at his response. It wasn't as bad as some people who had acted as if it were an amazing revelation or straight up called him a liar. He still hated it though, and he didn't need his pity either. Coupled with the fact he couldn't get to sleep it felt like everything was just pissing him off.

"Heh, I guess..." he trailed off with a sarcastic laugh. three years felt like too long to wait when it had already happened to most boys his age.
"So which year are you in?" he asked, wondering if he could get a sly jab in about Arthur's age in somewhere.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur could tell he either struck a nerve, or Raivis was a lot more snappish and reserved than he first thought he would be. He waited as the lift started to travel downwards, and hoped that the teachers were all asleep at this time. Which was unlikely, because they were respectable adults and were 'allowed' to.

"As I said, I'm the year above. Sixteen," Arthur told him, and gave a slight smile to commemorate his words. As the lift dinged open, he cautiously peered around and stepped out - not wanting to be caught. The school had a curfew, of course. You had to be in the dorm block before eleven. Nine for the youngest years.

Glancing back at Raivis, he gestured that the other person should come towards him quickly, so they could escape the building. The sliding double doors just in front of them. "...let's go..." he whispered back to him.

[Raivis Galante]

Right, right, he really wasn't paying attention. Then again, he really shouldn't be trying to find ways to provoke people. He had to remind himself again and again that he was going to stop getting into fights, and picking fights that he would not win was not a good idea either. Not that he could find anything to say about Arthur anyway, he looked about his age, maybe even a little older. The only thing he could think to insult were his eyebrows and even then that would be totally unprovoked.

As the lift doors open the cool air started to creep over his skin and the trembling started again, this time form the sudden drop in temperature. It probably would have been a good idea to get his slippers but it was too late now. As Arthur gestured he cantered over to his side, hunched over partly for warmth, partly for cover. He waited attentively for the signal to go.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur sneaked out into the middle of the front area, and glanced down the corridors either side of the entrance to check that the coast was clear. When he discovered that it was, the Briton sped across and out of the automatically opening doors. Turning back, Arthur gestured for Raivis to come along.

Once they were out of the front, they were not home-free yet. If any teacher decided to look out the window, they would be busted. He walked at a faster pace, not out-rightly running in case they made extra noise. After a few minutes, they were out of sight of the others - having successfully fled. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, Raivis..." Arthur looked at him as they walked now on the same path as the way to school. God, he really wanted to light up. "What's the real reason you're up?"

[Raivis Galante]

Keeping low he pattered after Arthur. He made sure to focus only on the boy, knowing that if he took the time to check if anyone was watching he'd surely stray away from him. The ground outside was slightly damp and the moisture soaked through his socks. It really was cold and he wondered if he was shaking too much again. People would ask if he was okay and he didn't know what to tell them, it was just involentary.

When Arthur breathed a sigh of relief he felt himself relax too. He still shook but not as violently. Maybe he was still scared, they were sneaking round as if they'd done something wrong. Maybe they had. Raivis often forgot about the curfew. At the mention of his name his attention was drawn back.
"I told you, it just happens!" he hissed, suddenly getting extremely defensive. He'd told him time and time again that there was no reason for his sleeplessness, and he was pretty sure there was no reason himself. It was just borderline insomnia, that's all it was. He's almost certain but he's been wrong before.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur sniggered, shaking his head. To be honest, it was beginning to become a little bit fun to toy with this kid. If he wanted to, he could probably drive him up the bend. Barmy. But he was not that type of person. If Raivis was angry, he did not want to upset him further. Truth be told, somewhere Arthur had a heart.

"Sorry, sorry," Arthur smiled weakly. "I thought for a moment that you might have come out here to commit some sort of objective. Like go see your secret girlfriend or something sweet like that. I would have said I was behind you."

He looked out into the dark gardens next to them as they travelled to effectively nowhere. Where were they heading? Instead of asking Raivis, he decided himself. He came off of the pathway, and headed into the section filled with pretty flower beds and colourful flowers; their majesty limited in the darkness.

"You know, when I couldn't sleep when I was a kid, my brother used to give me a shot of brandy in my bed time milk. I used to get a lot of nightmares back then... Always thought I could see something that other people couldn't. Something that terrified me."

[Raivis Galante]

Without thinking much about it he just followed Arthur where ever he went. He was so used to following behind people. With the comment about a secret girlfriend Raivis just blushed and shook his head. No girl had ever wanted to go out with him, the other boys were much better in their eyes. He'd resigned the kind of romance he wanted to experience purely to fiction.

At the sight of the flowers his eyes widened a little, even in the dark they looked pretty and Raivis had no idea that the grounds would be like this. A part of him wanted to take a few clipping and put them in a vase in his room. But he had no shears, no vase, it was probably against school rules anyway and no doubt his roommate would tease him about it.

"It's probably the milk rather than the brandy. I've never had any nightmares after drinking..." He didn't realise what he'd said until he'd said it and frantically his mind tried to come up with a cover. "Y-y'know, it's like how they always say cheese gives you strange dreams! M-maybe it's just all dairy!"

There was no way that didn't sound suspicious.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"Oh, no. I meant that my brothers gave me the milk and brandy to stop me from having the awful nightmares. Sent me straight to sleep. Godsend," Arthur commented, looking up at the other boy. He glanced down at the flowers, wanting to pick a few and have them decorate his room - rather unaware that the other boy was thinking of roughly the same thing.

"...nightmares after drinking... so, you drink?" Arthur looked over at him, seeing the tremblingly nervous boy. Raivis really did not seem like the type. But, that said, he was fifteen. Arthur had been drinking since twelve, because of his brother's bad fraternal care. He frowned, taking a second to consider what he could do for the younger student.

"You know, if you drink, I could do something for you. We don't have any milk, obviously, but I do have some alcohol... maybe it'll make you sleep better?" Arthur only had a lick of alcohol left, though. He would have to depend on Ivan for more. But at least then he might be able to get more cigarettes. The consequences, though... was that worth it? Ivan would want to use him again...

[Raivis Galante]

Well damn. He'd just blurted out something he could have easily just kept a secret. It felt like things were only going to get worse from there and he didn't care how long it would be until morning, he just wanted to go back up to his room. Mostly just so he could huddle underneath the covers, it was awfully cold.

"N-no! I don't drink! I've never had a drop of alcohol in my life!" If the sudden outburst wasn't enough to give him away then the shaking and the alarm in his voice surely would. He took a more aggressive stance but when the other boy didn't seem to follow he faltered slightly. Raivis had only just met Arthur, he didn't know if he could trust him but now he was craving alcohol more than ever. Avoiding eye contact he went quiet again.

"What kind do you have...?"

[Arthur Kirkland]

He does not drink, apparently. Yet, he confessed to never having nightmares after drinking. Arthur smelt a lie. Looking at the other, he noticed that he was intentionally avoiding eye contact. There's a guilty sod if he had never seen one before.

When he finally admitted in the space of five words, Arthur gave a light smile. There we go. No point lying now, right? He licked his lips and considered it. "I have vodka right now, and that's it. If... a-ah. I might be able to figure out a deal with my supplier to get another load in." He thought though. If he was going to give the alcohol away, he would be paying Ivan without getting anything himself in return. That was dangerous.

Unless...

He turned to Raivis, a little bit of sparkle in his eye, having realised something. What if.... "I'll give you what you need for tonight. But in the future, you'll have to pay me. ...Alcohol doesn't just appear. I'll do it for reduced prices, though. Cheaper than on supermarket shelves."

[Raivis Galante]

Raivis shifted uncomfortably. It felt like he was doing something illegal. Well, he was doing something illegal. He was far too young to be drinking at all and to be purchasing from another student couldn't be good either.

But spending too many sleepless nights during the term would not be good either. It's not like he would use the allowance his parents were giving him for anything useful anyway. Reluctantly he nodded, still looking away. He didn't want to make eye contact, it only made him more aware of the situation he was in.

"How much?" he asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly. He'd rather not have vodka but he should be lucky he was getting alcohol at all. Maybe if he got on his good side, he could make specific requests but for now he didn't want to cause a stir, especially not with Arthur.

[Arthur Kirkland]

The Briton paused for a moment, trying to consider what he could get away with. If he asked Ivan to get him the alcohol - and cigarettes for him - then he would be likely to have to pay him again. It was with a heavy heart that Arthur thought about it. He did not want to just throw himself away again... n-not unless he was rewarded with at least something. Hence his need for payment.

"...It'll have to be about $10 a bottle. I think. I can't quite convert the prices right. Difficult not using the sterling. Er... yes, fine, $10 sounds good enough for a regular bottle," he appraised his accompaniment. He really had a market for this alcohol, didn't he? "It's pretty cheap. Oh, and I guess you'd be able to make requests - long as you don't expect it instantly. You want anything specific?"

[Raivis Galante]

Raivis still wasn't quite used to American currency and in reality he hadn't a clue of that was good or bad or what. But alcohol was alcohol and he couldn't think of any other conceivable way he would get it.
"Alright, I'll pay" he finally answered with a vague look of relief on his face. "I really like beer, especially if it's strong and uh... have you ever heard of Riga Black Balsam? I don't know how easy it is to get here."

While he wasn't fond of straight vodka he didn't mind other vodka based drinks. He looked to Arthur hopefully, knowing this boy would probably be his lifeline throughout the year.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur took a moment to consider what Raivis was asking for. Riga Black Balsam? If it was rare, it might be a little bit more expensive and difficult. In that case, perhaps he could drive up the prices? Hatch a hard deal - it sounded like he had an inelastic demand right here from the little Latvian. So, $15? $20 even?

He licked his lips thoughtfully, before looking at the other person. He was so small and young. Probably came from a rich family rather than got the scholarship like he had. He could afford the prices. But... somehow, Arthur could not do it. He did not want to stress out the other's life by taking too much money from him. That would just be... indecent.

"Riga Black Balsam?" Arthur asked, and gave a nod. "It shouldn't be too hard. I'm certain my supplier could have it imported. If not, I'll get you some good beer, alright?" He looked at the smaller warmly, knowing he was unaware of how Arthur had decided not to ruin his future life and steal his money away. Story of his life; hidden compassion. "Don't worry, I won't make it more expensive just because it's hard to get."

[Raivis Galante]

A small smile crept onto Raivis' face. Despite his initial worry about him Arthur seemed to be a pretty nice guy. It didn't seem like it was a con and if he was going out of his way to find him the drinks he wanted he can't be all bad.

"Thank-you," he murmured, wringing his hands together for warmth. The dull cloud cover offered little view of the stars and the sky seemed to hand down on them. He was eager to get the vodka off him tonight but it would be rude to ask.

Then again, with his motor mouth Raivis had little time to debate the situation before the words began to form in his throat.
"S-so how much can you give me for tonight?"

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