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alex-f-w · 3 years

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Past tipsy

Theo finds Adri drunk after their fight earlier that day, and the two have an overdue talk Spoilers for Critical Ditto, takes place around the time of 'Bide', Episodes 39 & 40. Light angst, with mentions of alcohol

Theo looks at the clock in their room. 21:15. 15 minutes late. Adri is 15 minutes late. They were meant to be here 15 minutes ago to help Theo with their research. Where are they? They can't still be bitter about the days fight, right? Theo gets up, pushing the chair they were sat on backwards as they got to their feet. They walk down the corridors of the ship towards the room Adri was inhabiting, making sarcastic comments in their head. They reach Adri's room and have their hand on the door handle, but stop. They sigh and decide to knock once. After hearing nothing in return, they open the door. "Adri, you were supposed to meet me 15 minutes-" Theo's question is cut short as they see Adri sitting at the desk with a bottle of rum in their left hand, their head in their right. Theo's eyes scan the room to see two other bottles thrown haphazardly onto the bed. Theo knows Adri has gotten drunk before but is surprised to see them drunk now, when they would have to actively seek out the rum that was stored on the ship for the sailors. "Adri?" Theo asks hesitantly, eyes sweeping over the room once more. Adri jumps at their voice and turns quickly to the door, gripping the bottle tightly. "Theo?" They slur, squinting to try and see them clearly. "Adri, why are you drinking?" Theo asks, shutting the door behind them and walks over to try and take the bottle from Adri's hand, but their grip tightens. "No," they mumble, pulling it closer to their chest. Theo raises a brow in confusion. "I thought the church frowned on alcohol?" They ask "So? I don't give a muk anymore. Terronius said this helps," Adri mumbles. "Helps what? Alcohol is very detrimental to all of our- "The pain. He said it helps with the pain," "If you're hurt you should go to-" "Oh for muk's sake Theo, the pain in my slowking damn heart," Adri says sharply. Theo falls silent. "Oh". It's the only response they can think of. Theo noticed Adri looked tired, with red puffy eyes and a hunched posture. Their hair was a mess, as if they'd tried to run their hand through it but got caught. "I'm sorry," Adri's voice cuts through the silence like a razor leaf. Theo focus back on the person in front of them. "What for?" Theo asks. "For what I did," Adri says. "Adri-" "I'm sorry for how I treated you like shinx. I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for the church. But Nautilus promised me they would help me find my father. I never got to know my parents and when they offered to help me find my father I just- I couldn't say no. I wanted to find him so badly. I don't even know why. He abandoned me as a child. But something inside me was crying out to accept Nautilus' deal," Adri slurs their words as they speak. Theo hesitates for a moment, unsure how to respond. "It's not your fault, Adri. They used you for their own goals. For that, I, and everyone else here, can forgive you," Theo says. "'For that'? What can't you forgive me for?" Adri asks, head tilted slightly to the side. "For everything before. Everything when we were both part of the church," "You can't forgive me for you pushing everyone away?" Adri asks accusingly, suddenly being fueled by liquid courage. "You drifted away first Adri. Everyone I know or trust has either betrayed me, or gotten hurt. Cainen, and you both betrayed me. Even before, you always looked down your nose at me, you never saw me as an equal," Theo says, letting their frustrations out in a moment of anger. Adri scoffs bitterly, a sad look on their face as they rise out of the chair and walks two steps so that they're face to face with Theo. "We weren't equals. You were always above me in everything except rank. I was always so jealous of you, Theo. You always knew everything. Always got the best grades. Always better then me. That's why I chose King's Rock. I wanted to for once, just once, to be better then you at something. It hurt. You were the first person I thought I could call a true friend. But then it all became a competition. I thought it was friendly at first but you proved it to be more then healthy competition. You were obsessed with winning, with being the best," Adri says, anger rising in their chest. "You were the one who made it a competition Adri," Theo reminds. "Because I wanted to for once, just once, be better then you at something. At anything. That's why I chose King's Rock as my dissertation. I was bitter and I was upset because I was losing my best friend and there was nothing I could do about it!" At that moment Adri snaps, raising their voice and yelling at Theo. It echoes around the room in the silence and shock that followed. Adri drops their head and sits on the floor, head in their hands. "You were my best friend," they whisper. Theo is unsure of what to do. They have no idea how to respond to this. Theo, in all the years they had known Adri, had never heard them snap like this. The church was always so quiet, everything said almost in a monotone, so seeing this emotional of a reaction from Adri shocks them to their core. They tentatively get onto the floor next to Adri. "You always had what I wanted, Adri. You had friends, charisma. People liked you, they'd ask you for answers to questions, ask for help. When we were together people almost acted like I was invisible next to you. You had all these friends-" Adri cuts Theo off with a teary voice. "I had you, Theo. You were my best friend. We would always share as kids, but then as we grew older you just stopped. You would never talk to anyone! To me! No one ever knew what you were thinking, or how you felt about anything," Adri says, their knees curling to their chest as they seek comfort in themself, something they'd had to get use to over the years. "I just wanted to be seen, Adri. But no one ever noticed my work or my skills. No one ever saw me at all," Theo says, a tug of frustration pulling at their emotions. "I saw you Theo. But you shut me out. You made me feel like I wasn't enough. You'd deflect everything, using wit to escape every conversation I tried to have, and you pushed everyone away," Adri says, gesturing wildly with their hands, using an amount of expression Theo had never seen in them before. "You were the one who left me, Adri," Theo's voice cracks slightly as they speak. "Because I didn't want to get hurt, Theo! I was abandoned by everyone in my life. My parents left me at the church as a child. I never had a home, I never had family. Everyone I loved left me. I didn't want to get hurt again. So I left before I could. I drifted away to protect myself," Adri says, their eyes baring into Theo's soul and provoking a sense of guilt within Theo. "I just wanted to be worth something. I wanted to be seen for what I could do. I'm tired of being brushed off like I'm nothing," Theo says, tears welling in their eyes. Adri looks at Theo, a sad look on their face, brows slightly furrowed. Their eyes shining with a deep sadness. "Your worth isn't defined by what others think about you, Theo. Why couldn't you see that? Only you can define your worth, not anyone else," Adri says. Theo doesn't reply, the thought running in their head. Adri sighs and leans back against Theo's back. Theo's eyes dart towards them for a split second, then gaze then moves to Adri's hand, resting on the plank floor by their side, fingers ever so slightly curled. Theo slowly moves their hand over to Adri's, letting it gently brush over the back and rest on top. They wrap their fingers around it gently and give it a squeeze. They had often found a comforting squeeze usually helps with emotions. But what they didn't expect was for Adri to turn their hand so it was palm up, connected to their own. Theo realised they were now essentially holding hands in the quiet of the empty cabin, with only the roar of the wind breaking the silence. Theo doesn't know how long they both stayed like that, and it almost reminded them of when they were younger, in the church reading silently sat back to back. They found comfort in it. "It's not a weakness to talk, Theo," Adri mumbles, almost seeming half asleep, fatigue washing over them. "I'm sorry. I just want someone to appreciate my skills. To appreciate me," Theo breathes shakily. Adri hums in acknowledgement. It is silent for a few moments, a calm after the storm that had broken out of the built up emotions within them both. Theo realised Adri had fallen asleep right there, the alcohol in their system making them drowsy. Curled on the floor, leaning against Theo's back, Adri Formansk had fallen asleep. They debated putting Adri on their bed, but eventually decided trying to move them would ultimately wake them. They gave in, and remained seated on the floor with Adri And that was where they would both wake the next day, receiving a very confused look from Kenny, who had come looking for Theo with Brandi, who was wearing an almost hidden smirk.

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Hope y’all enjoyed that, feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong :)

#critical ditto #criticalditto #theo critical ditto #adri critical ditto #adri formansk

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