smee you later

Starter for @oliver-smee​​

It wasn’t terribly early in the morning, but for Tina it felt like she had woken up before the birds. Still in her pyjamas, hair barely kempt, she had shuffled her way to the kitchen for a bowl of cereal to quench her hunger until James got back home. As far as she knew, they weren’t expecting any visitors.

Tina stopped dead in the kitchen door frame, mid-bite. Unblinking. Sugary milk dripping back into the bowl. There stood Oliver Smee in the hallway, looking… well… Don’t say a damn thing, Tina. She had promised James (like really, genuinely, hand-on-heart, pinky-promised) not to annoy Smee any further. The problem was Smee thought her whole existence was annoying which left her stuck in door-frame, mid-spoonful limbo. Finally, still unblinking, without breaking eye contact, she finished her bite of cereal.

-

smee was gonna smee and that was just that. one could say that oliver looked like he was having the time of his life. in hindsight, on certain recreational drugs, he indeed was. but the high wears off and hangover kicks in and all that’s left is oliver deeper in a hole he can’t get out of. 

sometimes when oliver is a complete wreck, he’ll end up at james’ house for no other reason than his inebriated self somehow remembering that james is friend and not foe. however, james lived with a foe and she was currently chowing down cereal like some sort of goblin and it was not helping his hangover. 

“will you stop staring at me and just eat your cereal, you’re like one of those creepy kids dolls” he groaned and staggered his way into the living room to crash onto a sofa. 

-

“Oliver are you….drunk?” James said carefully. He gave Oliver a good look. “Or hangover?” This wasn’t good. “What happened?” His voice was dripping with concern. And he put his arm around his friend for more support. Was this his fault? Had he lost eye of his friend due to Tina. And the twins. That wasn’t good, and it was enough to make James feel rather shitty about himself.

-

“Pfft...pfft...pfft...no” he scoffed. He was hungover and drunk. Oliver was fairly certain he’d pulled off his lie, however in reality it could’ve been more obvious. The only way it could’ve been more obvious was if Oliver was carrying a bottle of beer. “Your fucking fiancée happened, pushed me over the damn edge” he spat, voice full of distain for the girl. He could blame Tina but it was partly his fault for falling off the wagon. While he was angry at Tina, he was thankful James was there to support him at that moment in time because he was stumbling all over the place. 

His head was spinning and his skull was banging. Hangovers will do that to you, and this was his third one this week. Oliver groaned to himself, his eyes screaming behind a pair of sunglasses while he tried to consume his fourth coffee of the morning. 

“Why are you talking so loud? It’s like you’re yelling”

the call

“ Haven’t seen you in a year. “ James joked over the phone. He was in a call with well - too much a surprise the guy who stabbed him a year ago. He hadn’t said who did it to the police, had lied that he didn’t know the person and that it was a simple mugging. “All is forgiven, it was my fault for not telling you the full story. I cannot wait to see all of you again.” With that he bumped into someone only slightly, their shoulders brushed but James still felt the need to apologize. “I’m sorry I gotto go-” He said over the phone, before turning to the person. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

@happieststarters​

-

He had well and truly fallen off the wagon, and climbing back on it was proving to be more difficult than he hoped. He’d forgotten how horrific hangovers were and that vile feeling of his stomach flipping every two minutes. He simultaneously hated and was addicted to the feeling. Oliver was shuffling his way down the pavement on the way to another AA meeting he was being forced to attend when he bumped into someone. 

“N-Nah, it’s all good” he mumbled, waving his hand and not even realising who he’d bumped into. 

~

Against better judgement, Tina was walking home alone from Terence’s house, taking a familiar shortcut by Mount Olympus. While she had no intention of going into the bar, she wouldn’t have put up a protest if she happened to meet a friend along the way. Unfortunately for Tina, no such friend appeared. Instead, passing by the bar, she caught the shadow of a man, slumped and dejected, in the gutters outside.

Now, Tina wasn’t totally stupid. She would have had enough sense to ignore him if she didn’t recognise the grumble that came out of his mouth the closer she got. It was Oliver Smee, looking, frankly, terrible.

“You look like shit…” Tina muttered, more so to herself than Oliver. She had seen him festering plenty of times, sure, but for the most part Smee usually had it together. James had mentioned some of Oliver’s plight to Tina in passing but never the full extent. Not enough for her to get the full picture or develop a guilty conscience about annoying him (at least not until recently, anyway).

Tina hesitated where she stood, tipping her head to get a better look at him in the dim fluorescents and street lights. The conscience kicked in, and for once, there wasn’t a smirk to be seen anywhere on Tina’s face. Only concern. Maybe even sympathy. “A-Are you okay…?”

-

If Smee was sober or coherent at all, he would’ve run his mouth at Tina like he normally did when she rolled up somewhere and pissed him off. Now he didn’t have a leg to stand on - literally. He was on his ass and and in no position to lecture. 

He tried to bark back a ‘Fuck Off’ but it only spewed out as an incoherent yell. A garble at best. Oliver put his foot to the ground and braced his elbow on the curb, giving a feeble attempt to push himself off the ground. The heel of his show decided that he hadn’t had enough embarrassment for the day and it slipped, letting his body crash back to the ground. He was considering attempting again but with a wave of his hand, he shrugged around a little and decided he was in a comfy spot considering he was in the gutter. 

Past the point of caring, and perhaps past the point of no return. He managed to choke out a “Just peachy” and a drunken thumbs up. Everything was indeed. not peachy. His head was banging and his high was wearing off. Hid body failing to support the intrusion of substances after being clean of them for so long. “Tina, if you’re here to annoy me, just fuck off.”

@xaspiringbeamoflightx​