Overwatch: Jinxed

Chapter 28: Just a Little Longer

The day was quiet.

Jamie was still sleeping, snoring his head off. Isabell had waited all night, making sure he didn't choke on his own tongue during the night, until the sunlight had streamed through the curtains and she couldn't keep her eyes open. She'd fallen asleep in the small armchair, curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees.

She woke up at about midday and - almost zombie-like - staggered into the cafeteria and started hoeing into whatever food she could lay her hands on. She was about halfway through when more people started filing into the room.

McCree looked dead. His eyes were sunken and hollow and he was barely walking straight. Mercy was scolding him for drinking so much, but he didn't appear to hear. There was still permanent marker on his face, giving him distorted glasses and eye shadow. Hung over so badly his own headache had woken him up from sleep and Mercy still refused to heal him.

"Maybe you'll learn your lesson this time," she scolded, adding potatoes and garlic relish to her tray. McCree didn't even seem to see what he was piling onto his plate, he was so out of it.

Winston walked in soon after Mercy made McCree sit down opposite Isabell and start eating. She raised an eyebrow and Mercy rolled her eyes as the scientist grumpily walked in. He wasn't as bad as McCree - Isabell was surprised McCree wasn't dead, the amount that he'd been drinking - but he held one hand to his head as he slumped in a chair, rubbing his temples as he attempted to eat a banana.

"Bad decisions," he groaned. "Bad life decisions."

"Absolutely," Mercy snapped. "You should never consume as much alcohol as you did - your immune system and especially your liver are suffering for it. How do you expect to continue to be a scientist if your brain cells are all dead?"

Winston took the lid off a jar of peanut butter and spat it towards the general direction of the bin in answer.

"And look at how you're eating!" Mercy ranted. "You need a healthy body to have a healthy mind and you are doing yourself no favors!"

Winston ignored her and started scooping out peanut butter.

"We are going into the lion's den tomorrow," she continued, "Into the base of operations of our enemy with three of the most dangerous people in the world out to kill us, and you look like you've been hit by a venom mine!"

Lucio skated in, about to deliver some epic line, before he tripped over his own skates and landed with a crash next to Isabell, sending chairs spinning away with a groan. Mercy threw up her hands. "I rest my case!"

Lucio seemed better than the rest of them - just a little hung over, the mother of all headaches and a little bit unbalanced. Isabell helped him to his feet and he slumped in the chair next to her without offering a reply.

Eventually, Tracer and Mei walked in, both dead-eyed and unresponsive, just milling around while they waited for their hangovers to end. Isabell was almost finished her pizza when Genji came in, easily the best there (other than Mercy and Isabell). Because of his dual nature, alcohol didn't have a lasting effect on his body and only made him drunk the moment, so he was fresh as a daisy when he sat down to start on his fried rice.

"Where are Torb and Reinhardt?" Isabell asked through a mouthful of noodles.

"After last night?" Lucio raised an eyebrow and then winced, his headache probably reacting to it. "I'm surprised that Torb hasn't committed suicide yet."

Isabell thought of the belly dancing and stifled a laugh.

"Besides," Tracer drawled, "Rein is all about honor and glory. When Jamie beat him at arm wrestling it broke his little knight's heart. He'll be alright for tomorrow."