Ninth Hell Campfire, Friday Afternoon

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

Griff was almost thankful for the steady throb of his hangover as it helped him not try to think or remember because that would start the groaning again and his head already was in danger of exploding. At least that was how it felt.

He was sprawled out in the shade next to the dead campfire, far from the stench of last night's clothes, clutching an unopened six-pack of water to his chest.

"I need to be magic," he muttered, wincing as his fingers dully smashed at the plastic encasing the bottles and keeping him from the only thing he knew could help him just then.

[Open like an unlit campfire!]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Hey, roomie," Alex said, wandering over with a smug smile on his face, sunglasses covering his eyes. He was definitely feeling the effects of last night, pleasant as they were. "Look like you got run over by a bus."

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

Ooh, yay! Karev, just the person he needed. Griff was quite certain he really did live in hell.

"Wish I had," Griff groused back, dumping the pack of bottles unceremoniously to the ground as he'd given up. "'Might feel better."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Drink too much?" Alex asked, flopping down beside Griff and helping himself to one of the waters. Lucky for him, his fingers still worked and he uncapped one easily. "That doesn't look like the good kind of exhaustion."

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

Griff glared at his ability to wrangle a bottle from the plastic so easily. "Rough night," he explained, yearning to snatch that bottle from Karev. He could...but he needed not to jump right now so Griff stuck with the glaring.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, me too." Probably not in the same way as Griff was thinking. "But, hey, I like it rough sometimes."

If Griff had been confused as to what Alex was alluding to, he probably wasn't now. With a grin, he downed half the water bottle.

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

"Great," Griff groaned, not wanting to know details, thanks. "'M happy for you." Ugh, his mouth still tasted like vomit even after he'd stumbled to the bath and scrubbed for as long as he could stand.

"Wanna pass me a water?" And open it? And hold it to my mouth?

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"What's the magic word?" Alex asked pleasantly. He was used to hangovers and headaches and things like that. Also, he wondered if Griff would react like Effy did with this whole game.

Well, he hoped not EXACTLY like Effy because Alex didn't really want to sleep with Griff.

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

"Fuck off?" Griff assumed Karev's idea of magic lay in swear words and he was tired and desperate to make the throbbing stop that he'd go with what he knew.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Not quite but I'll take it," he said and opened a bottle of water for Griff before handing it over. "Don't dribble, I'm not wiping your chin."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Usually, Fiona waited a day or two after a questionable parting to seek Griff out. She'd consider how things went, put time and effort into trying to do the right thing because she cared about him more than she was even entirely comfortable with, considering her feelings on certain matters.

That was on days that he hadn't thrown up on her and then jumped away to leave her with the mess, however.

Bizarrely enough, she was actually more annoyed with the second than with the first, since the first at least had been involuntary. Not quite sure if he'd jump again, she made sure to very carefully come up behind him before speaking.

"Griffin O'Connor."

Most times, one could forget that Fiona's mother was Death herself. This wasn't one of those times.

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

Oh, how he wanted to jump when he'd realized she was there. Instead of getting up off the ground, he considered pretending he was asleep but gave up that option quickly as she could just kick him until he stirred.

"That's me," he said, lifting his hand off his eyes, and squinting up at her. "You're pissed, right?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She walked around to sit next to him, calm and collected and still kind of glaring but she was being good! Nothing had been sliced since last night! She was rather proud of herself, actually.

"I'm..." you know how alcohol works, Fiona "not pleased. At all.

"Yesterday, I would have screamed at you if I hadn't been cleaning up the mess. Today, I'm just annoyed."

A moment's pause and then--

"If you drink water while you're drinking, you don't get a hangover. The effects are largely caused by dehydration due to the ethanol."

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

He stared up at her, not sure how he was meant to reply to that.

"...I'll remember that, then." No he wouldn't, the fun part was how he'd no longer cared to do the smart thing like drink water. Not that the current state of his head and stomach were going to let him think it would be a good idea ever again.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She quirked her lips and rolled her eyes at him.

"I can't believe you just skipped off and left me to deal with the mess."

Fiona huffed out a breath and reached out to touch his arm.

"You all right this morning?"

Yes, Griff, she was still worried about you even with the irritation.

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

He visibly winced, not at all proud of how he'd behaved. "I...am sorry." Explanations of embarrassment and horror that he was going to vomit on her again were more like excuses in his mind and it did feel right to go there.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"You'd better be," but she seemed to have accepted it.

"You all right this morning?" she repeated.

[youcantfollow.livejournal.com]

"Still sorry," he repeated. There were many things to be sorry about after all. "I'll live. It's just getting to the part where I don't want to add unfortunately to that bit."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Don't drink the water too fast, but keep a steady flow if you can. Want me to get a straw or something?"

Yeah yeah, she'd dealt with vomit before. At least his hadn't had little multicolored bits.

...children's birthday parties were, in fact, the bane of Fiona's existence for that very reason.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"What, no greeting for me?" Alex asked, looking amused at her stormy approach.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She gave Karev a very tired sigh.

"Good morning, Alex.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Don't sound so excited," he said dryly, taking another one of Griff's water bottles. "Contain your enthusiasm, I'm still a little hungover."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I hadn't noticed," she continued in the same vein.

Then she rubbed at her eyes.

"How have you been?"

She could try this again. Maybe. Why not?

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

He looked amused at her attempts at civil conversation. Must have gotten up on the right side of the bed.

"I've been good," he answered mildly. "Didn't wake up in my own bed this morning so even better."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Effy?"

She listened to the radio broadcasts, after all.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Not last night," he said with a shake of his head. He carefully didn't think about why she was the first choice out of Fiona's mouth. Process, bury, save it for another day. "We're not attached at the hip or anything."