Work Text:
Rolling in at just a little past 11pm, he was surprised to see her sitting in the loungeroom by herself, some drama show playing a hair too loud on the tv in front of her. Holding a beer in her hand, 7 more empty ones accompanied it, littered across the entire coffee table.
“Having a fun night?” he asked, trying to sound up beat to not draw attention to what was in front of him,
“I mean, obviously,” slurring her words, leaning forwards as she spoke, nearly losing her balance in the process,
“It’s getting late don’t you think,” keeping up the faux-cheery tone, “I think it might be time to go to bed,”
“Nonsense,” she burped out, “there’s more in the fridge, join me,”
Accepting she was not in any state to be rationalised with, he grabbed them both another drink, tipping hers 98% out, filling it back up with water. Giving it off, he braced waiting to see if she’d notice. Replying with a thanks, the small switch had passed over her head. Talking to her about her day, trying to get a sense of why she was drinking this heavily on a work night, she didn’t say much of anything. She discussed what just seemed like an ordinary day, though for normal standards it would sound insane, it worked for the two of them.
“Trin, if everything went so well then, why the need for a drink,” rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he slid the question into their conversation,
“I don’t know, just wanted to, anyway, so then she said…” blocking his question off completely, it didn’t add up to him.
She was usually an open book around him, especially when she was drunk. She was still with it enough to lie her face off, which was a tad reassuring that she wasn’t in full alcohol poising just yet. Watching as she unconsciously scratched at her arm, the thoughts of that night a few days ago irked at him.
Everything had appeared ordinary, minus the fact she asked to sleep with him, even that though wasn’t peculiar by any sense. She kept pulling at and adjusting her sleeve, it was one of those tells about her he couldn’t unsee after he realised it. At the time, he had pushed it, asking her one too many times if he could just look to make sure it wasn’t going to get infected. Rejecting all his help besides being a living weighted blanket, he worried this was going to spiral out.
Looking at the internal loops of the spiral in front of him, she had certainly sunk deeper and faster than he had envisioned she would’ve.
“I’m glad things were ok today, really, sounds like for all things today was good, but can you please explain,” he gestured around, making her really look at the carnage before her.
Counting in her head, she didn’t like the number of drinks she had landed on.
“As I said, I don’t know, felt like it I guess, I still have free will you know,” her words garbled more as she drank down the beer flavoured water, “you don’t get to dictate what I do you know, I don’t need your help,”
Her drunk outburst was never going to phase him, rather, it was expected.
“Trin, just sit down, please, you’re going to end up on the floor,” he walked behind her carefully as she stormed off to her room.
Shutting herself inside, he continued to speak through the thin wood separating them.
“Please, I don’t want you to asphyxiate, would you please let me in,” none of the bedroom doors had locks, he knew if he needed to he could just waltz in.
But it didn’t feel right, she deserved to have a space she could lock herself away in without the risk of that being violated.
“Fuck off,” she groaned back, as he heard the distintive sound of her walking straight into her bedframe.
Stubbing what seemed to be her entire foot in the process, he could hear her hopping around in pain.
“Fine, fuck, just come in, I know you’re still standing there,” she winced out.
Creaking it open, finding her laying back in her bed, still clutching onto her foot. Turning the light on to assess for if she’s broken any toes, everything appeared fine. Tensions did always seem to settle quickly between the two of them, she couldn’t find it in her to hold any real grudges against him. He was too genuine in the way he acted for this to be some sick power play, he pushed, but she was aware of his reasons behind it, typically coming around to it being a fair question in the first case.
“Come on, lets get pjs on shall we,” her face turned an even paler colour than he thought possible.
Hurridly grabbing at her waste bin, he threw it at her just in time for the first round of vomiting this evening to commence.
“I’m sorry,” she sobbed out, lifting her head up after a full minute of heaving noises.
Letting go of the hair he was holding out of her face, his hand found its way to the usual comforting spot on her back. Reassuring her it was ok, that she had nothing to worry about, the tears didn’t seem to dry.
“I think you should take a shower, lets clean some of this off of you alright?” his hand remained on her back, using it to guide her out of the room.
Clutching onto the bin as if he life depended on it, she was sat against the toilet as he made preparations. Beginning to strip off, she didn’t care anymore if he saw her body, it wasn’t some grand secret about what parts she had or what they looked like. Though, her lack of anything on the top did surprise him as he re-entered with fresh pjs to change into afterwards, he kept his composure the best he could. Helping her in, placing her on the floor in a seated position seemed the safest, given her inability to stand upright.
Turning his head, he didn’t want to watch her, more keep an eye out in case she begun to doze off. Seeing her figure in his peripheral vision, it wasn’t sexual in anyways, it felt more care giving than relationship-esque.
Passing the towel over as she sat in a shallow puddle, he didn’t mean to notice the new cuts on her arm. As she had outstretched it, he got a full view of the new additions she had added on. Gathering why she was being so odd about it, they were noticeably smaller, thinner ones than she’d done before. None needed any medical attention past maybe a band-aid. It seemed, the embarrassment drove her into the secrecy, though that still didn’t fully answer the why of tonight. Helping her get situated on the bathmat so she could remain on the floor as she got dressed, he had to ask once more, deciding that would it.
“I am just going to ask one more time, if you don’t want to tell me, I will respect it. Why, what about tonight made you slam back a 12pack by yourself?” his attempts to keep it light-hearted did get a very small laugh in response,
“I guess, it’s just, I wanted to stop thinking about it, getting so drunk I couldn’t think straight seemed the only legal way to get it the thought of doing it out of my head,” sobering up substantially, her words came across clearly.
Proceeding to whip herself around, leaning over into the shower to throw up once again, it was evident that this wasn’t quite the end yet. Giving her small encouragements to get it all out of her system, by the time she finally collapsed back onto the floor the room was spinning. Getting her to drink some water, they sat there for a while on the tiles as she tried to regain which way was up.
He found he didn’t have an answer to her answer. It felt logical to him as well admittedly. One of the harder things about trying to help her was her rational side, she was pragmatic and thought things through typically, making it hard to argue against.
Making their way back towards the bedrooms, he gave his reasoning as to why they shouldn’t separate tonight. No caring either way seeing as she was just going to pass out anyways, she took him up without argument. Besides, warm arms wrapping around her still intoxicated self sounded peaceful.