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The first time she got drunk was 3 months ago. Cordelia had vowed to you that she would never ever touch a drop of alcohol, as her years of childhood trauma from Fiona had stolen her innocence & turned her into a fragile, broken woman for so many years. Well, until she met (Y/N), the love of her life.
It was not just her childhood that had created this repulsive fear of drinking though, it was the Supremacy. Fiona’s various addictions had made her a horrible Supreme; constantly hurling abuse at the girls, neglecting the Coven altogether, & even killing some of them. Cordelia had always been the opposite of Fiona & she was desperate the be the best Supreme the Coven had, as her girls were her absolute world. But the stress of the Supremacy unlocked a dark side to Cordelia. She neglected her care for herself, as she spent every waking hour thinking about her girls & caring for them at the Coven. She was exhausted, spent of energy & she needed release.
Being with Cordelia for years, & knowing her inside out meant that you were the first to notice her drinking, & you were extremely concerned. You confronted her one evening when you were snuggled in your shared bed with the Supreme, saying “Sweetheart, your breath smells like whisky, have you started drinking?”. But she quickly extinguished your verbal concern after saying that she just has a glass every now & again when she is feeling on edge. It didn’t stop this tiny voice in the back of your subconscious telling you that she was lying to you for the first time in your two-year relationship.
Clearly, three months later, this was not irrational suspicion, as you carried a drunken, agitated Cordelia up the Coven’s winding staircase to your bedroom once again. This was now a nightly occurrence in which the Supreme would run off to a bar in the afternoon when you had disappeared to complete some chores, check on the girls or even if you had slipped away to the bathroom for 5 minutes. You were watching her practically 24/7 & the exhaustion was evident on your features to anyone, except your beloved Cordelia. You had become more of a Supreme figure to the Coven in these past months as Cordelia was too incapacitated to function, & this plus your extreme concern for Cordelia’s growing alcoholism was keeping you up all hours of the days & nights. You couldn’t remember the last time you slept or had a full meal & the girls always asked you if you were feeling alright, as dark circles & a pale sheen were a permanent feature on your once rosy, cheerful face.
This change escaped Cordelia however, as she was pushing you away. Your sweet, gentle Cordelia was now an agitated, aggressive drunk & it broke your heart. You didn’t pay attention to her constant anger towards you though, as you stayed loyal & caring to your girlfriend & watched her to ensure she wasn’t drinking, even in the night, but she still managed to do so.
- - - - -
You woke up to the sound of your alarm at 7:30 in time to prepare to cover Cordelia’s lesson in the greenhouse, a frequent occurrence as Cordelia was too hungover to form a proper sentence, let alone teach young witches. Cordelia let out an angry yell at your for worsening her splitting headache with your alarm, so you apologised & soothed her with an unreturned kiss to her forehead. Affection escaped Cordelia’s priorities these days, not that she had any priorities other than her whisky bottle in the last few months. You slipped quietly out of the bed & were hit with the almost permanent dizzy haze of exhaustion which had manifested in your bones every day from your constant worry. You pushed it aside & stumbled around the room getting ready, whilst encouraging a glaring Cordelia to at least come downstairs.
The dizziness didn’t subside today, even as you taught Cordelia’s class with Zoe. You were now seeing spots every few minutes & occasionally your legs were giving out. Zoe watched your translucent pallor with increasing concern, & the girls were asking if you were alright more than usual as you weakly stumbled over to help them with their potions. Now the greenhouse seemed to be spinning, the sun beams like disco lights flashing around your tired mind, when the black spots appeared with a vengeance, multiplying fast & your knees completely gave out, as you came crashing the floor, completely missing Zoe’s fast-moving outstretched arms attempting to catch your now unconscious body. Your head hit the concrete floor of the greenhouse with an audible smack as the girls gasped & rushed towards you. A blood pool slowly oozed from your head as Zoe summoned Cordelia & called for an ambulance.
- - - - -
Irritation filled an achy Cordelia as she heard Zoe calling for her. She didn’t understand how you couldn’t just control her class without some disturbance. She transmuted to the greenhouse with some difficultly due to her banging head pains & already drunken state, landing instead on the path outside. Zoe quickly rushed towards her, wearing an anxious yet angry expression & opened her mouth to speak, instead being interrupted by Cordelia’s aggressive tone. “What is the meaning of this? Where is (Y/n)? I swear she is incapable of doing anything for anyone!” Zoe’s face turned bright red with unadulterated rage as she yelled at the Supreme: “Come into the greenhouse & look at what YOU have caused, Cordelia Goode!”. Cordelia was shocked by this uncharacteristic outburst by mild Zoe & this only increased as she followed approaching paramedics into the greenhouse.
The sight sobered her immediately as she rushed towards her love, who was bleeding from a large head wound & drifting in & out of consciousness. The paramedics informed her that (y/n) most probably had a concussion due to collapsing from exhaustion & dehydration, & that you were to stay on absolute bed rest for at least three days.
As they left, Cordelia transmuted you both to your bedroom & sat anxiously by your side, kissing your limp, bony hand. She had not realised you had gotten this thin & pale, so decided she would use her Sight to find out the cause of the complete neglect of your wellbeing. Cordelia gulped in realisation as clear memories from the last three months hit her; you watching her as she slept, you coaxing bottles of whisky from her hand in the middle of classes with the girls & even you dragging her up the stairs every night to care for her when she couldn’t function herself. Tears that were streaming down Cordelia’s face now erupted into a full-on sob as she accepted to fact that she had caused you to collapse. She kissed all over your face & stroked your cold cheek, crying & willing you to wake up.
Your eyes fluttered slightly as sunken eyes slowly emerged from the heavy eyelids. “Cordelia?” you asked groggily. “Are you ok love?” Cordelia sobbed in response, overwhelmingly upset from your show of concern towards her & blatant disregard for the fact that you had been unconscious for hours. “Am I okay?? You just passed out & it’s all my fault! I can’t believe I’ve been so selfish over the past months & I’ve been so awful to you. I think I need help (y/n).” You soothed her & shushed her sobs & apologies with your gentle tone, saying “Oh my love, I’m so proud of you & we can do this together. My love for you knows no bounds.”
And you both fell asleep in each other’s arms for the first time in months, surrounded by love in the air, once more.