Chapter Text
“Well,” Murdoc clapped his hands, looking at the rubble that used to be the Spirit House lying on the ground, smoke and dust filling all of their lungs, “Now that that’s over.”
2D coughed, dusting himself off, “We need to find another place to live again,” he huffed.
“You’re bleeding, y’okay?” Ace asked, walking over to him.
“Got hit in th’ head, ain’t the first time,” 2D said, brushing off his worries, “Pretty sure a piece of the ceiling hit me,” he said, rubbing his head.
“‘Dee, quit, you’re smearing blood all over your hair,” Russel said, walking over with Noodle as she took out a first aid kit.
“Everyone okay?” Ace asked, “Besides the head injury on ‘Dee’s part?”
“No, I think we’re all good,” Russel looked over to Murdoc, “You good, man?”
Murdoc just nodded silently and looked at 2D, “You doin’ okay?” he demanded, “Ain’t gonna die are ya?”
2D just shook his head and looked at him, squinting slightly, “How’d ya get out?”
“Noodle helped!” Murdoc said, throwing his arm around the guitarist, “I always knew having a protege would come in handy eventually.”
Noodle mumbled something that sounded like “I’m not your protege” with a lot more cursing involved under her breath and moved away from him, going to clean the cut on 2D’s head, making him lean down to her height.
“Careful,” Ace mumbled.
Noodle rolled her eyes and continued to clean the cut.
“Where we gonna live now?” 2D asked, as if he wasn’t having a cut that could possibly need stitches cleaned on his head right now.
“Motel until we find something else,” Murdoc announced, “Our money wasn’t in there, was it?”
“It’s in a bank account, man, where it should be, not kept in your sock drawer,” Russel snorted.
“Hey, it was a good system that kept us in business for many years,” Murdoc pointed a bony green finger at him, “But fine, we’ll go to the bank, get some cash, and get a couple of motel rooms for the night,” he pointed at Ace then, “You, with me,” he gestured.
“I’m gonna go talk to him, alrigh’?” Ace asked, looking back at 2D, “Let Noodle fix up your head,” he said, kissing him on the cheek.
2D watched after Ace as he and Murdoc talked, moving far away enough from their destructed house that he couldn’t hear. He huffed when Noodle made him move his head so she could see better, looking away from them.
“What you reckon they’re talkin’ about?” 2D asked.
Noodle and Russel exchanged looks.
“Don’t worry about it, ‘Dee, just let us make sure your head is doin’ okay,” Russel told him, “I’ve been possessed before, dude, it ain’t fun.”
2D just rolled his now-dark black eyes, letting Noodle go back to work.
It wasn’t hard to find a nearby motel. They were all exhausted at this point and needed a break; curing possession from someone who is basically the devil is hard work.
“Two rooms,” the shady looking man announced, “All we got vacant.”
“We’ll share a bed,” 2D shrugged, looking at Ace, “Do it all the time anyways.”
Ace nodded in agreement, giving him a smile and putting his arm around him. He glanced over at Murdoc and the smile faltered slightly when he saw him looking at them.
“That’ll work!” Noodle told the man at the desk, speaking for all of them before looking back at the group, “Russ, you can stay with ‘Dee and Ace, I’ll stay with Murdoc,” she said, looking back and forth between Murdoc and 2D, but 2D didn’t seem to be paying attention.
It made her happy, honestly, to see 2D back to normal...even if he zoned out a lot.
Noodle paid the man in cash before turning back to her bandmates, “Okay, I think we all need to turn in for the night and get some rest. We’ll figure out what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
“Get a better hotel,” Murdoc said loudly.
Noodle had to roll her eyes.
2D rolled over in the scratchy sheets the next morning. He looked over to Russel’s bed and saw that he was gone and heard two voices talking in hushed whispers.
“How do you know anything with ‘im was even real, huh? You know he has kids, mate, he moves on fast.”
“Fuck off, Mudz, you don’t know nothin’ about ‘im.”
“I know everything about ‘im! I’ve known ‘im longer than you. I made him .”
“Christ.”
“M’not wrong.”
Silence.
“What do you think he’s gonna say when he finds out you were whisperin’ everything in my ear the whole time?”
“What?” 2D demanded, sitting up in bed.
“Well, guess we get to find out!” Murdoc clapped his hands.
Ace shoved him lightly, “Fuck off, man. ‘Dee, don’t listen to him.”
2D looked at Murdoc, dark eyes narrowed, “The hell do y’mean?”
“‘Dee-” Ace started.
2D put his hand up and looked at Murdoc, “What do you mean ?”
“Y’don’t really think Ace just up and joined the band for his bass skills, did you?” Murdoc demanded, crossing his arms, “He just up and shows up, what’d ya think, faceache?”
“I thought…” 2D trailed off, “I thought you called him from jail.”
“I did,” Murdoc said bluntly, “And what do ya think I did? Told him to take my place? Nah, mate, we had plans . He was getting me all the information he could on everyone and everything that was goin’ on...even you,” he looked him up and down, “Little more information than I’d like about you specifically though.”
2D got up quickly, grabbing his shirt and starting to put it on, fumbling with the buttons and cursing under his breath.
“‘Dee, c’mere, let me help,” Ace sighed, going to walk over.
“DON’T!” 2D snapped, pointing at him, “ Don’t touch me!” he took a shaky breath, “Get out .”
“Stu…” Ace trailed off, “It ain’t like that no more-”
“Did y’come here with the intention of spyin’ for him ?” 2D demanded, pointing a shaky finger at Murdoc.
Ace sighed, putting his hands up in surrender, “Yeah, but it ain’t like that no more, you gotta listen-”
“I don’t have to do anything except tell you to get out of my room!” 2D yelled, “Was any of it even real? D-Did ya report back to him everytime anything happened? Did ya brag the first time we had sex-”
“I wouldn’t call it bragging, I could barely get anything out of ‘im,” Murdoc mumbled.
2D lunged for Murdoc and Ace grabbed him around his waist quickly.
“‘Dee, stop!” Ace yelled.
“LET ME GO!” 2D yelled at him, trying to get to Murdoc.
“What the hell is going on?!” Noodle demanded, suddenly appearing in the doorway with Russel. They both had their arms full of fast food breakfast and coffees.
“Oh, food, good,” Murdoc said, not even phased by the fact that 2D was currently trying to claw off his face.
Russel held the bags out of his reach, “What’d you do, man?”
“He overheard me and Ace talkin’ about ‘im reporting to me,” Murdoc shrugged, “Guess he ain’t a fan of the idea.”
2D finally managed to get out of Ace’s grip and shoved him away slightly, but didn’t actually push him hard. He looked at Noodle and Russel’s unphased faces and groaned, “You knew?”
“We...suspected,” Noodle sighed, “But, look, Toochi-”
2D grabbed his coat and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
“Well, let’s eat,” Murdoc clapped his hands.