Au Revoir - Countryhumans TNO

14. Wait

"You may delay, but time will not." — Benjamin Franklin

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WRRF's eyes snapped open. His head resting on his office table... his entire body suddenly jolted up from pain. He realized he had drinked himself to sleep. He groaned from the pain of suddenly sobering up. "Urgh..." He grabbed his head, pulling himself up from the table. WRRF clutched his head, rubbing his temples as the pain throbbed behind his eyes. The effects of the alcohol were wearing off, leaving him with a headache and a foggy memory of the previous night. "Damnit.." he muttered under his breath, cursing his own weakness for letting himself drown in the bottle once again.

He stood up, looking at the clock... He had been out cold for a almost a entire day. He tried remembering what was it that made him drink so much, but... his own memory suppressed his own experiences and emotions. He tried remembering. He remembered... talking with Ukhta, arguing with him, asking him for one more drink and...

...And.

"Ah.." He breath out, his own breathing becoming uneasy. He figured It was just, one night, no? He took a deep, shaky breath, trying to steady himself. "Ah..." he mumbled, a sigh escaping his lips. But he quickly tried to downplay it in his mind. He shook his head, No. No.. It was one simple mistake. A single regret of not telling her. He wasn't quite going to let it dictate his life. He grabbed his coat and cap... He needed air. Now. Quickly opening the door to his office. He needed to go outside. Now.

He stood outside, awkwardly letting the breeze hit his face. It seemed to calm down the nauseating feeling a little but... he still lingered onto the night from before.  It clung to him like a stubborn shadow, refusing to be ignored. He leaned his head back against the cold wall, closing his eyes for a moment. The wind whispered through the trees, a soft song of Siberia that offered no comfort. His thoughts remained tangled, a messy web of emotions and regrets. He ran his hand through his hair. He didn't even have the strength to tell himself that it will be okay. But for one, he had undying amount of work before him. And on top of that, his own personal feelings. "Get it together...." he muttered to himself, more so in resignation.

"Get what together, exactly?" WRRF jumped from the sudden voice. He snapped his head to see- "Relax." Komi gestured him to calm down. "It's just me." Komi reassured. WRRF breath a sigh of relief... For a second, he thought it was someone else. "Ah, Komi... you scared me there for a moment." WRRF expressed. "What brings you here?" WRRF asked Komi. Komi smiled, amused by WRRF's reaction. "Ah, sorry about that. Didn't mean to startle you." He leaned casually against the wall, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Just thought I'd catch you while I had the chance. Gotta say, you look a bit rough around the edges. Rough night?" Komi observed, still casual and almost jokingly. WRRF groaned roughly, before chuckling. "Ah... just work, y'know? A lot." WRRF only told him half the truth. Komi smirked, not at buying WRRF's response. "Ah, I see. Just drowning in work, huh?" He scratched his chin. "Or is there something else bothering you, Chief? You look a bit... agitated."

WRRF scoffed. "Yeah, agitated." WRRF groaned. "Not in the time for your snark, not right now." Komi raised his brow. "Fair enough, but I do need you for something." Komi explained. "See, I had a conversation with Ukhta last night and well.. looks like you got a lot on your table." Komi replied, leaning back. WRRF suddenly snapped his head at Komi, focusing on Komi. "I-" He turned to face Komi fully. "What did he tell you." He demanded to know. Komi met WRRF's gaze, his smirk fading into a slight frown at the serious tone. "Easy there, Chief. No need to bite my head off." He raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Just a casual conversation, that's all. Ukhta mentioned you've been under a lot of stress lately." He paused, studying WRRF's face. "And... something about a certain French girl." WRRF bit his tongue down. "Is that so?" He spoke through his muffled and suppressed rage. "what... what did he say?" He asked, trying to not seethe out in anger.