2020-04-17 - Owen Spirals - Fiona, Vincent and Owen

Fiona had interrupted her Ladies night at virtual Statutes to take a call from Owen. From what could be heard from her side of the conversation in the kitchen, Owen was having a bad night. Fiona kept saying things like “I think you’re being too hard on yourself...” And “Ok slow down your breathing. I know you’re upset... it’s ok...” It seemed like it eased but it took awhile and she looked worried as she came back with her phone and handed it to Vincent “Could you just...” She gestured back at the screen and blinked at the hysterics going on with a little laugh.

Vincent was sitting on the bed, waiting on the laundry to be done while Fiona had Ladies Night at a now virtual Statutes.  The times they were a changing.  As he passed through the kitchen to put the clothes in the dryer, he heard Fiona mention L … surely not … L as in France or someplace.  Living out her new and probably weird life.  “What??”  he demanded, but then just went back to the bedroom, considering watching mindless videos.  Fiona was now talking to someone … probably Owen since .. surely HE knew L was back .. and hadn’t shared that info.  Fiona hands him the phone and he nods, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and sending her back to the bar.  He holds her phone up to his ear.  “So …. Hey, Owen…”  he begins.  “What’s new …”

The sound of ice clinking in a glass can be heard in the background and Owen’s voice sounds like it’s struggling. He laughs sardonically at Vincent and then just pines “I’m a total useless waste of space. I fuck up everything.” More ice clinking and an audible swallow follows.

Vincent blinks as Fiona’s side of the conversation becomes a lot clearer.  “No you don’t, man.  What’s going on .. seriously?  Is this about L being back?  She didn’t tell YOU, either?”  he wonders.

Owen sets the glass down with a clumsy thunk "Whoah the hard stuff hits so much faster...holy fuck man...." He sighs "L emailed me. After Shay of course. I guess you know I'm an ex....so now I'm THAT guy right. I mean they were nice about it...they're life has been even more than a shitshow than mine.....but yeah. I don't know Vincent. Why can't I meet someone and have it be good and stick? I'm cursed......I'm too much of a fuckup for anything good....." A cap scratches and unscrews and the sound of pouring is heard. He's clearly having another drink.

Vincent listens to both the words and the thunking of a glass.  “Ok, let’s start with you not drinking and talking about L.”  he suggests.  “I remember .. um .. yea .. them being plenty confusing enough without adding alcohol into the mix.”  he pauses and hopes for the best.  “Drowning your problems in alcohol won’t make them go away.  Gino taught me THAT much.”  he pauses and, whether Owen has stopped drinking or not, continues.  “First of all, what shitshow has L been in and second, am I missing something that qualifies your life to be a shitshow?  I mean .. I love you, man, but your life is the simplest of us all …  L excepted I guess.”  he never understood L and her .. his … her … their whole thing.  “I don’t know what the hell is going on, so … you have to help me out so I can help my best friend.  You know ….”

Owen starts to sniffle and then it sounds like a breathy crying session "You are my best friend......I'm just so tired and stressed and sad man...so sad. And L's shit....I mean they had a baby and she died. I mean it wasn't my baby...but I feel bad....we never even.....I mean I     woulda....woulda been better than what came after L for damned sure." The breathy crying starts up again and there's the wound of ice clinking "I'll stop after this one....feelin kinda sick...."

Vincent blinks.  “They had a ….  Wait ..  L had a baby and .. it .. died?”  he actually moves to the furthest window in the house, because he is not interested in being overheard in the kitchen.  He’ll update Fiona later.  Then he sighs.  “Listen.  I know how you got hurt by Slaine, but that’s not on you, man.  That was HER shit.”  not that either of them knows why Owen was ghosted  “It’s bound to look up from here right?  Cause you’re a fantastic, fun guy..”  he pauses and listens to the last.  “Just don’t throw up on your phone man.”  he advises.

Owen sniffs with a little laugh "I just wish Slaine had told me SOMETHING, ANYTHING. I hate you...you suck in bed.....I'm allergic to redheaded dudes...so long sucker. There was two in between I didn't mention...one was nothing...an experiment...a one off. Jane Norris in her backyard tent....we messed around one night...apparently she does that with a lot of people so it was nothing special. Then there was.....a....guy...at work..." He breaks off and the ice clinks again, twice.

Vincent smiles, but knows better than to laugh in the beginning.  Then he hears Jane Norris’s name.  “Yea .. she tried with me .. I turned her down and she started calling me names .. hell if I know.”  then he trails off.  “A guy at work?  Really?”  he had suspected that Owen could go in any direction sexually while they were still in school.  “What happened with that one?”  he asks.

The glass is slammed down "Dammit fast lane Jane indeed. What a slut.....I'm sorry I should never call any woman that. Please don't tell Fiona...." He clears his throat and then audibly exhales and inhales and pauses and says "Jack Rose? From school. Only person who had a Toy Machine deck at the ramp they put out by the side doors....." He's needlessly detailing the guy's skateboard but probably knows that Vincent won't find that relevant "Anyhow....he was my trainer at Thrifty's....cool Jack. Asshole Jack." Finally he just says it "Rapist Jack." He sniffs again "He didn't quite get the full deal done with me but ....he hurt me...." Owen unscrews the cap again and then screws it back on "I'm done drinking. I was too ashamed to tell you. I told Shay and just now Fiona. She told me about Joey Piccolo trying to hurt her. I fucking hate that guy...."

Vincent snorts.  “Don’t tell her which?  Tell her you called Fast Lane Jane a slut or tell her she grabbed my crotch and told me she wanted Italian sausage?”  he’d do neither as Fiona was no fan of sexual assaults of any kind, while Vincent was continuing his life long quest to never talk about his penis in a court of law.  Ever.  Then Owen continues with a detailed description of a skateboard that makes no sense to Vincent … until Owen continues.  He turns to his right and rests his head on the wall by the window.  “What?”  he whisper/hisses.  He quickly learns that Fiona knows, but .. still.  He sighs.  “Yea.  Piccolo just … yea.  But you .. oh god Owen, I’m so sorry.  That never should have happened.”  he blows out a breath.  “Well you’re telling me now and I wish I could have … done … something.”  He blows out a breath.  “Owen none of this reflects on YOU, man.  Seriously.  You really ARE a fantastic guy.”

Owen inhales "Thank you for saying that. I guess I'm just not having a fantastic day. I was doing really well with all this Covid stuff...you guys and Shay getting sick, work being just weird and scary....mom......" He chokes up again "I'm so afraid for my mom....." He blows out a rattling breath "It's not OK that Jane did that to you without your consent either....she assaulted you...like Joey did to Fi.....why are there so many assholes? Gawd....." He has what sounds like a weird hiccup and then coughs "Oh....oh god....i'm gonna...." The phone drops and his footfalls can be heard trying to run as he starts to wretch and then just fully pukes all over the floor a foot from the bathroom door and groans.

Vincent sighs and nods at Owens' worry.  Half a second before he says he is afraid for Collen, there is a panicked thought that Colleen might now have Covid-19 also.  So when Owen finishes the sentence, Vincent clutches his chest in relief.  He then adds.  “Or that fucktard Jack with you.”  And before he can even guess why there are so many assholes in the world, the phone is dropped.  He sighs softly and waits for Owen to get it out of his system and return.

Owen cries and whimpers at the mess and his own state. He steps over the puke and into the bathroom puking again but this time with more echo from the toilet bowl. Then he pulls down all the towels in the bathroom and lays them out over the vomit. His decision making is rather compromised and this seems like a reasonable choice. Then he wipes at his mouth and mutters "Oh oh....oh that's bad.....ugh..." A tap can be heard running but no glass is filled. Owen simply has leaned his head under it and is lapping up water like a bad cat. He exhales and the tap goes off and he stumbles back to the phone on the floor and picks it up "I threw up!" he slurs out and then burps and moans again. There's a quiet and the finally pipes up again. "Water...water rules. Vincent, do you like water? I love water...and I love you man..."

Vincent listens to the puking with a raised eyebrow.  Sounds like he didn’t make it the first time.  But eventually Owen comes back and expresses love for water and Vincent.  Chuckling, Vincent replies.  “I love you too … and water.”  he moves to the bed and sits on the edge of it.  “You feeling any better now?”  he asks.  “Done drinking, at least?”

"Oh fuck yea..." A little thump is heard and the scrambles at the phone causing some weird scuffle sounds "Come down to the floor with me....it's nice down here.....what are you doing right now?" He's asking with a tone of such wonder and innocence even though this conversation is Vincent's activity for sure.

Vincent leans back in the bed.  “Sure thing, man.”  he looks up at the ceiling.  “I was doing laundry, but I’ll just let it run through another cycle and fold it all later.  Fiona is in a Zoom session with a bunch of other women.  I guess Statutes has gone online or something.  Not a bad idea.”

Owen seems to need a moment to consider this and postulates with some difficulty "A bar...online...howdotheygetthedrinkssss? " He sits up a bit and looks around "I needs some KD man....I gonna cook it in the microwave.....is faster....." There's some scrambling and stumbling and then a frightful clatter of dishes.

Fiona tiptoes in towards Vincent and points at her phone mouthing "How is he?"

Vincent shrugs, even though no one can see it, unless Fiona is watching.  “I think it’s definitely a bring your own booze sort of thing.”  he guesses.  Then Owen mentions making KD and Vincent doesn’t flinch.  Owen could cook now … although … Owen is also drunk now.

Fiona realized Vincent was distracted by it and so had taken a bathroom break, gone to the kitchen for a bag of cheddar and sour cream potato chips and returned. This time she sat down beside him and popped open the bag, titling it towards Vincent "Put him on speaker?"

Owen could be heard ripping open the KD box and puttering around, humming a little. A dish crashed to the floor and sounded like it shattered and he muttered "Aw shit..."

Vincent blinks when Fiona comes into his field of view with potato chips.  He smiles at her and puts the phone on speaker, then lays it on their bed.  “He’s drunk and feeling a little sorry for himself.  Something about L and a baby and … his failed relationships?”  He has no idea what's going on.  “He threw up and now is making KD.”  he reaches in the bag and takes some chips.

Fiona nods and then her eyes widen. A baby? Did L leave Owen pregnant? Was it his? She didn't think they went there...but.....Fiona looks at Vincent and whispers "A baby? Who's baby?"

Owen stumbled to the boom and the dustpan and the sound of shattered plate scrapping against the floor and sweeping could be heard. and then the broom falling and smacking the floor. Followed by Owen stepping on the broom and bopping himself in the face "Motherfucker!" He howled in pain and surprise.

Fiona stifled a laugh despite her other query and then called out "Owen....you ok buddy?"

Vincent shakes his head.  “Nooo this was while she was in france.  She got drunk and slept with some guy and had the baby … and then later I guess IT died?”  he blows out a breath.  “It never got THAT far with Owen … I thought L had trust issues but … drugs and alcohol can make you the most trusting hory person on Earth.”  he hears the smashing, but Fiona asks first.

Fiona shudders at the real story as she waits for Owen to reply.

A guttural sound emerges from the phone and then he talks but it sounds like his mouth is somehow obstructed "Ooooh Feck....ma noth........M bleeding....."

Vincent arches his brows.  “Owen.”  he calls.  “How bad, Owen?”  but he doesn’t know how far from the phone Oqen is and if he can even hear them.

Fiona looks worried "Owen?! Owen is anyone else awake?" She's shouting now and then elbow bumps Vincent "Call Logan...I'm sure they're just asleep...."

Owen hears the shouting and picks up the phone "uck yer lou....." Still with his hand clearly in front of his face.

Vincent is reaching for his phone when Owen speaks, but the words are not comforting.  “Are you OK, man?”  he asks.

Fiona shakes her head and stews.

Owen's footfalls can be heard and then the yanking of many many tissues from a box "Uh....I'book kay......Gosome Queenix."

Vincent arches his brows and tries to translate.  “Got some Kleenex?  How bad are you cut?  You cut your MOUTH?  How?”

Fiona impatiently huffs at Vincent and takes his phone, finishing dialing Logan. They needed someone on the inside dammit.

Owen  coughs a little and then says, now even more muffled through tissue and hands "SSS Jss Eh  noooooeeed...."

Fiona gestures in the air like she's smacking her brother through the phone while the other one rings "Take your hand away before you talk moron!"

Vincent doesnt protest as Fiona takes his phone while he continues to listen in on hers.  “Yea .. drop your hand, Owen.”  He is getting a bit worried.

The voice of Logan Reinhardt sounds as if it is coming down the stairs.  “Kurt said he heard someone throwing …’  he begins and then.  “Jesus Christ, Owen!”

Fiona breathes a sigh of relief as Logan shows up. she clicks call off and passes it back to Vincent, hers still on speaker, listening.

Owen forgets the mess he's in and looks delighted to see his older brother "Woooogeee!" He's holding a mass of blood soaked tissue in front of his nose and mouth. There are plate shards on the floor and a broom angled dangerously for anyone to trip over. Owen smells of vomit and Kraft cheese powder which is all over his hands and part of his shirt. There's a box of spilled macaroni pasta on the counter and the microwave is wide open.

Vincent absently shakes his head as he absently takes his phone back.

Logan takes in the scene and sighs.  “How have you lived this long, Owen?”  he asks, teasing as always.  He raises his voice, seeing that the phone is lit up but not looking at the name for the spectacle of his little brother.  “Owen is alive, he’s just drunk and bleeding and making a mess.  OK, Let’s get you in the downstairs bathroom.  Kurt is cleaning up the upstairs because the stench reached into MY place.  God, it's too late at night for this shit, Owen.”  the voice seems to be heading away.