[PRP] Denial is a River in Egypt (Oliver & Horace)

[Melancholies]

Ollie gave him a look. It was pertinent, disgruntled, offended... undaunted? "Fine," he said as he dumpedal the unlit candles into Horace's arms, "After the movie then. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Was he joking? He probably was.

"Popcorn is a movie staple isn't it?" He asked as he settled down into the blankets, still grumpy, still nibbling on his cupcake (it was mostly gone). At least it was kinda cozy. "Where'd you set the alcohol down? I'm gonna need it."

He wasn't joking about that part at least.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Ooh, a double feature." He winked, feeling anxiety curl in his stomach. Oliver was joking, right? Right? Sure. Horace rolled his eyes and set out the candles in strategic places in the living room. Fishing around in his pocket, he pulled out one of those cheap, two-for-a-dollar lighters. He didn't smoke, but having portable fire came in handy sometimes. He lit each one, almost burning himself three times, but when he was done, there was a soft glow suffusing the living room - Perfect. Horace popped the dvd in and let the menu loop while he went to make popcorn.

Oh, and get the beer. "Need anything else while I'm up, Prince Oliver?" Leaning against the counter, he watched the popcorn pensively. "Also, you better save some blankets for me."

melancholies

WC: 1,136  

[Melancholies]

Ollie was starting to have second thoughts as he watched the menu loop, but whatever. He'd committed and he wasn't raised to be a goddamn quitter. "You can grab me another cupcake." He said with absolutely no fanfare. Hey, Horace had offered, so he was his fault. "You might wanna grab one too before you sit down. The cats'll prolly try to get the frosting if you eat over here on the couch." Popcorn he wasn't sure about. He rarely had popcorn here.

"I left you a blanket," He called back, the implication being one (1) blanket, "But I'll take it if you make me watch this menu loop one more time."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He was already regretting his movie choice a bit. Maybe he should have brought happier movies. Although Titanic was silly enough that it didn't really count, despite the mass death. "Yes, your highness." He brought the beers first, because Horace really only had two arms, and Oliver was no help.

"Wow, one whole blanket. I'll thief them all back, anyway." But he was right back, the popcorn steaming in the cheap paper tub. "Shove over." He wrapped himself up in the blanket and quite deliberately thwapped his knee into Oliver's. Take that, sass mouth. Then he pressed play.

"You will see, see the romance." He took a swig.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Ollie made a vague noise of protest when he was thwapped, but he shoved over nonetheless. Instead of barking back something sarcastic, he reached for one of the beers to tentatively open it. Smelled like piss. He took a sip. Tasted like piss too; but Oliver never understood the appeal of alcohol, at least not to the people who reveled in the taste rather than the intent to get shitfaced. He supposed there were worse beers, though. It was edible. It'd have to be.

He didn't complain about it, but his sips were definitely very dainty and delicate. "If you say so." He replied, eyes set on the television. There was a scratching sound from nearby, followed by Nosey crawling out from under the couch (and a space that looked entirely too inaccessible). "I entirely doubt it, but if you say so."

The Semblance of Unity

timeskip time?

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Look," he said earnestly, before smashing an empty beer can. "If they just tried, if they just gave themselves to each other, they'd be so happy!" This movie was so damn depressing. "There's a... a lesson in this, Oliver." His eyes, serious, turned from the television to stare at Oliver. He nudge him with his knee.

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[Melancholies]

If Horace was tipsy, Oliver was... not drunk, but the drinks had started to taste remarkably delicious the longer he sipped them. He had half a mind to declare all alcohol a product of magic, because how the hell did it have effects like this on the human mind? It was literally the only conclusion.

"It's just," He sounded so empty, "So sad. Why they gotta be like that?" He was drawling, just a little bit, his entire body slumped down into the couch. Horace's nudge almost went unacknowledged, but Oliver looked over after a long belated moment.

"You gotta like... accept yourself." He said before turning back to the television, "It's just so sad. I'm so sad."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oliverrr," he said, breaking into the atmosphere of the movie. On the screen, they were fighting again. Twice a year wasn't enough, hiding wasn't enough and s**t this was some kinda movie pick.
.
'You son of whoreson b***h,' Jack said on the screen, turning away from Ennis. Horace reached out and placed his hands on Oliver's face, leaning forward. For once, he didn't shock Oliver. For once.

"I wish I knew hot ta quit you," he said in tandem with Jack, mouth an exaggerated frown. Dramatic.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Oliver's eyes went crossed when Horace cupped his face. Honestly, he was way too inebriated to even consider the idea of being shocked. Instead his eyes sparkled, his cheeks tinged red, and then he whole-heartedly laughed, the sound very jolly and not-ollie-like. "You're so silly!" He wheezed, the movie fading into the background for a whole five seconds.

"You gotta be sad," He said, "They're not silly like you're silly, they're sad." His laughter melted away slowly, "But don't get too sad. I don't want you to get real sad, 'cause like, then I'd feel sad." He blinked.

"Well. Maybe." And there was the laughter again.

"But I'd feel a little bad." Even when drunk he was facetious. At least it wasn't hard to tell he was having a good time.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace grinned. "I spent too long too sad so I'm just gonna be happy forever and you'll have to deal with it, Ollie. I'll be so happy you'll go bliiiinndd." He laughed too, thumbs idly tapping on Oliver's cheeks.

Then he leaned forward until his forehead touched Oliver's. "Do you feel it," he said. "I'm transferring some happy." Then, Horace made spooky wooo noises. This was how science worked. Maybe he was drunker than he thought.

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

The expression that crossed Oliver's face was one of absolute wonder and amazement, "Oh my god," He couldn't believe what was happening. He was pretty goddamn sure Chai couldn't believe it either, wherever she was... it took a large amount of willpower not to turn away to try and find her. Instead he relied on the trust that she was around, a-ok, and probably purring up a storm.

"I think... I think..." He was concentrating so hard, "I think I feel it...! I think—" His eyes got wide—huge—absolutely enraptured with amazement, "No, no wait..." He sniffed, "I think it's just your breath. You smell like alcohol."

Realization hit him like a bible to the head, "Oh my god Horace." He swayed a little where he sat, "Your happy was the beer the whole time."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Oh my god," Horace parroted, sounding so offended. "I am happy all time! Not 'cause of beeeeer. But doe that mean you're happy?" He reached over and ruffled Oliver's hair.

"Why don't you believe me?" He paused. "Believe in the... the me who believes in you!" It had been a long, long time since Horace had watched any anime and that was an anime thing, right?

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"I don't even know what that means." He sounded exasperated for a whole two seconds before the alcohol content in his bloodstream made him giggle again. "I totally believe in me, but maybe you too. Maybe." Wasn't there a movie going on? He'd already forgotten about it completely.

"I think I'm happy though." He snorted, his own hands reaching up to rub all over his own face. He quickly found out it was impossible to scrub smiles and warmth off of his face though; the things just didn't coincide, mostly because you couldn't scrub things like that off of your face, no matter how inebriated you were. He realized this in a moment of clarity, and then it was gone in the next. "Like, I'm a lot of things." He started counting on his finger, "I'm talented, and I'm happy, and I'm Oliver..."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Believe in meeee, Ollie," he said intently. But he couldn't help but grin because Oliver was smiling too and it was just so cute. Did Oliver know?

Horace began counting on his fingers with Oliver, picking up where Oliver left off. "And you're funny, and you're cute." There, now Oliver had to know that; it was Important (with a capital I). "What am I, I wonder..."

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Oliver's entire expression practically lit up, "Oh my gosh," And suddenly he was looking slightly emotional, like the kind of absolutely distraught a small child got when their first pet rodent passed away, except it was excruciatingly painful happiness; sometimes those sort of things were the hardest burdens to bear, "I'm... I'm cute."

It took him a while to get that out.

It took him even longer to recover from it, but when he did he started to speak with gusto, "Well you're like really good at compliments so like? You're nice, and tall, you're so tall." He made a motion with his hands to indicate such height. He didn't do a very good job of it. "Ohmygosh, and you're such a good baker, you're like—" He started to laugh hysterically, which was so highly uncharacteristic that even Oliver noticed it in his drunken stupor. It only made him laugh harder. He was crying a little.

When he spoke again, it was a choked whisper because of his frantic giggling, "You're a master baker."

The Semblance of Unity