Backdated to 12/23

[fuck_it]

When he wakes up, there are still people on his floor, still drunk from the night before, and there's a notice on his door.

He's been evicted, effective today.

Chris stares at the notice for long time, standing there in his doorway with the sun and cold streaming in, still barefoot and shirtless from the night before. It's not as if he hasn't been through this a few times before. Though, something tells him that this time, it's got more to do with the fact that he hasn't paid rent since he turned up.

Turns out, the landlord's threats of chucking him out weren't just a load of wank after all.

Who knew?

He hasn't got a lot of stuff that's his own: a few shirts and some trousers, the tee-shirt from Cassie and the gold coin that was Jal's, and it doesn't take him long to pack it all up in a rubbish bag and head out. It's probably better if he does it early on, before the landlord comes by to make sure it's done personally, and before he can sort out the damage that's been done to his flat because of the party.

There are a few bottles of something leftover from the night before— and to be honest, he's a bit annoyed at the fact, fuckin' Darrow wankers— and he grabs one and starts to walk.

It's a liquid breakfast this morning, apparently.

Comments

[floozyfacade]

Olive's still worn out from the night before, but that doesn't keep Duckie from needing a walk, and she's out near the house when she spots Chris. "Hey," she says. "That was great last night. You coming to see us?" She's not sure what the big trash bag is about, but it's Chris. Whatever it is will probably get explained in due time.

[fuck_it]

He's taking a large drink from his bottle when he spots Olive and Duckie. He doesn't remember when she and Eduardo left, since he was probably off elsewhere. At some point, he'd gotten off with a girl who's name he can't remember now, and he's sure he hadn't seen the two of them after that.

"Yeah, hi," Chris says, though it's a lie. He hadn't even realized he was near their place until Olive spoke to him. He sets down his garbage bag to twist the top back onto his bottle.

"Some party, yeah?"

[floozyfacade]

Duckie hurries forward to nudge at Chris' leg, looking for attention, as Olive nods. "Yeah, that was crazy," she says. "And I thought the old parties were intense. You wanna come in? It's freezing out here." Especially if he's coming by to see them, she's not about to just leave him out here in the cold, not least when he's got some big bundle to carry.

Shaking her head, she gestures to his bag. "What is all that anyway?"

[fuck_it]

Chris reaches down to pet Duckie, setting his bottle on the ground for a moment to do so. When he stands again, he hefts his bag over his shoulder, making to follow Olive indoors.

"It's, uh... it's most of my stuff," he replies, though he wishes Olive hadn't asked the question.

[floozyfacade]

"Wait," Olive says slowly, "what?" She reaches in her pocket for her keys as she talks, heading for the townhouse just up the block a bit. Whatever's going on, it's no reason to keep him out in the cold now. "Why are you carrying all your stuff in a bag?" The cause, she's pretty sure, can't be a good thing. People don't do things like that for no reason. "Is everything okay?"

[fuck_it]

"Yeah. Yeah, it's cool," Chris lies, because Olive's got her own stuff to worry about and he doesn't want to bother her with his. He'll find somewhere else to live. They gave him a flat when he first turned up, so maybe if he goes back to that information desk or something, there'll be another one for him.

"I sort of... got kicked out of my flat. It's gonna be alright, though. I mean, there's loads of places, right?"

[floozyfacade]

Olive stops, worry crossing her expression. "Seriously?" she asks. "Jesus." She can't help wondering if they're all to blame kind of, if it was that party last night that did it. Whether that's the case or not, though, doesn't matter so much as the fact that it's happened at all. Heading up to the door, she pulls out her keys. "Chris, that's awful. Come on, come in, you can stay with us." She doesn't have to ask Eduardo to know he'll agree entirely.

[fuck_it]

Now he regrets saying anything, 'cause the last thing he wanted was for Olive to think he was asking for a place to stay. She and Wardo have got their own thing, and it'd be fuckin' weird to just get in the middle of all that.

"Thanks, but..." Chris starts, then trails off for a second, frowning down at his trainers, "There's probably like... another packet at train station for me, yeah?"

[floozyfacade]

Olive isn't sure if it works that way or not, though she certainly hopes so. She's hesitant to rely on that, but then, she doesn't much like relying on anything around here. "Yeah, maybe," she says anyway. "We can go take a look a little later. You should come in anyway, though. Have breakfast with us."

Unlocking the door, she heads inside, holding it open for him. "I mean, if it's there, it'll still be there in an hour, right?"

[fuck_it]

"Yeah, alright. Cheers," he says, and follows her in, lugging the garbage bag full of his stuff with him. It's just breakfast, and he'd do that, even if he still had a flat to go home to. He thinks he remembers that Olive does good eggs.

"You've got enough?"

[floozyfacade]

"Yeah, totally." Olive kneels down to unclip Duckie, letting the dog go off running, barking noisily. "Don't worry about it." They've got enough for three once she makes it, and even if it were cutting it close, she wouldn't care. Chris is basically family. Family gets fed.

Beckoning for him to follow her into the living room, she glances around. "Eduardo?"

[pointzerothree]

"Yeah?" calls Eduardo from upstairs, where he's been finishing getting dressed while Olive walks Duckie. There probably isn't much need when there's nowhere he has to be, one thing that is, admittedly, pretty great about weekends, but when he heads down the stairs and sees Chris standing there, he's glad he didn't just wander down in his boxers. "Hey, man, I didn't know you were coming by."

[fuck_it]

"Me neither, mate," Chris replies, because he'd started out the morning thinking breakfast was going to be the bottle he's still got in his hand. It seems weird to keep just carrying it around though, so he sets it down near the door, along with the garbage bag full of his stuff.

"Morning."

[floozyfacade]

"We've got company," Olive says, mouth twisting in an amused smile. There are moments when having a place to have company in still feels like a novelty. When she gets a chance, she thinks, she'll have to tell Eduardo what Chris told her, because she knows he'll agree with her. Until then, it's not a big deal yet. "As you've noticed. Food?"

[pointzerothree]

"Food," Eduardo says, nodding in easy agreement, shooting Olive a smile before he glances at Chris again. "You staying? I'm sure we've got plenty." Since Chris is here, unexpectedly or not, he can't see any reason why he shouldn't. Especially after a party like the one last night, some good, solid food would probably not be a bad idea at all.

[fuck_it]

"Uh, yeah," Chris says, and he runs one hand through his hair, mussing it even more than it already is. For a second, he thinks Olive's gonna tell Wardo what he's told her about his flat, but it's a relief when she doesn't.

"Don't think Olive's giving me much of a choice."

[floozyfacade]

"He has no choice," Olive agrees. "Real food for everyone!" He could probably use some after last night's party, and she's got a ridiculous appetite all on her own. Whatever happens next, she'll help him figure it out, but there's no point rushing off into the cold for answers on an empty stomach.

She heads toward the kitchen, pausing en route to kiss Eduardo briefly (admittedly more so than she would on any other morning, even if she knows it's not like Chris would care). "I've got it today. Yeesh, it's freezing out there. Can we train Duckie to walk herself?"

[pointzerothree]

"I wish," Eduardo says, huffing out a laugh. "I can't stand this weather. I swear, I'll never get used to it." If winters in Boston couldn't do the trick, he figures, nothing here could. That's one thing he actually kind of misses about the island: at least there, the season only lasted a month, though the fact of it making no sense at all made it still pretty frustrating.

Glancing at Chris, he frowns slightly. "You walked all the way over here? You must be freezing."

[fuck_it]

"D'you know how some people say there was like... another Darrow or whatever?" Chris says, "Maybe there'll be one where it's summer or something."

That'd be fuckin' ace as far as Chris is concerned. It'd mean fewer morning after the party walks home for him at least.

Whenever he's got a proper home again, that is.

[floozyfacade]

"Pretty sure that one's full up on monsters, though," Olive says. "Not really where I'd wanna buy a vacation home or anything."

Figuring it's both relatively quick and delicious, she starts pulling down the ingredients for pancakes, ready to mix them. "How long does a real winter last anyway?"