Work Text:
"i think we'll die before marriage."
moira hangs out of the window, a joint clutched between two thin fingers. she hums absentmindedly at her lover, mercy's, concerns, choosing to ignore her statement. having the window open is useless though, because the wind blows the smoke back into the bathroom anyway. it makes the whole room stuffy and smell like weed.
in the bathtub, a little way away, mercy's breath hitches as she holds a syringe of heroin to a vein. the drug always makes her shaky, but it's like her life depends on it and she just can’t stop.
"this is gonna kill us some day, moira. we can't keep doing this." mercy sighs as the brownish liquid flows through her veins, humming happily as she feels it take effect. "you're going to kill me."
"we're going straight to hell anyway, my dear. this only speeds up the process." moira replied with a chuckle. mercy lies down in the dry bathtub and stares at the ceiling. now that she thinks about it, it’s never actually been used as a bath.
this was a routine for the two, ever since they had bought an apartment together after meeting in their genetics lab, and they had been inseparable and riding a high ever since.
~•~
moira and mercy sat in the genetics lab where they first met. they were the only ones there, seeing as it was after school hours. that morning had been like any other, both getting their fix of whatever drug they were craving, and her high encouraged moira to run a knife through something.
clearly not sober, moira stood menacingly over a white rabbit, a syringe of steroids in her nicotine stained hand. the lab was quiet, and smelled of sweat mixed with a certain sweetness of chemicals. mercy sat in the corner, watching as moira injects the bunny. it twitches for a while, then goes rigid.
moira drains the blood of the poor rabbit, dissecting it and taking out its organs. she looks for any effects the steroids may have had on the bunny, though other than stopping it’s heart it doesn’t do much. mercy sits there in silence, not being to help much because of her shaking hands. wether it be because of nerves of drugs, she can’t tell.
"why do we do this?" mercy asks under her breath, staring at the bunny’s brains from afar. "i'm scared."
"it'll all be okay. we do this because it makes us feel good." was moira’s answer, trying to convince herself more than mercy.
"i don’t even know where i am most of the time. drop out of school and run away with me, we can crash at a hotel or something and make our way down south."
"no." moira says, turning to mercy and pointing a scalpel in her vicinity. "no, we’re staying. we have our own apartment, we have a life here, you can’t leave me now. you know you need me, darling."
"i can’t do this, moira. i need you, but i don’t need the life we’re living. run away with me, please."
moira steps closer to mercy, shoving her mouth against mercy’s. when she pulls back, she looks angry.
"if you leave me now, i’ll never survive. i need you just as much as you need me, mercy."
mercy shakes her head in defeat. "i just can't stay away from you."
the blonde then looks up at moira, tears streaking her cheeks and hands still shaking. mercy gets pulled into a hug, melting into the only comfort she really knows.
"i love you."
"i know, i love you too."
moira pulls back from the hug and turns back to the rabbit. it’s only now that mercy realises that moira’s hands were dripping with blood, and it’s now trailing down her back. she ignores it, instead keeping her attention on the bunny’s lifeless eyes and white fur.
~•~
mercy’s phone is ringing. it’s 3:47am on a tuesday and mercy’s phone is ringing. the screen lights up with an all too familiar name, moira o’deorain . the blonde sighs, puts her phone on silent and goes back to sleep.
in the morning, as mercy drinks her dollar store coffee and smokes a cigarette, she listens to the voicemails moira left behind. just like always, it’s bullshit about how moira misses her and needs to see her again.
this time, instead of ignoring moira like she usually would, mercy sends her own voice memo. she tells moira about why she left, how she couldn’t handle the drugs and violence, and how moira should focus on her new relationship.
mercy knew amelie lacroix was in moira's life since before she ran away. it was most of the reason she left, actually. her heart really goes out to moira’s new plaything, but she can’t seem to care enough to warn amelie about moira. it’s not her problem anyway.
it's not like the irishwoman will ever forget mercy. her name is tattooed in moira's arm, a beautiful bright bright blue colour. pleased with that thought, mercy sucks the last bit of life put her cigarette, holding the breath like her life depends on the smoke in her lungs.
as she breaths out, there’s a rustling from mercy’s bedroom as her hookup, genji shimada gets ready for the day. she knows that sex can’t be used to cope, but at least it’s better than drugs. she actually gets stuff done now without her brain being fogged over.
genji walks into the kitchen, grabbing himself some coffee. once his coffee's finished, genji grabs his keys and walks to the door. he doesn't leave yet, the two share an awkward silence for a bit, before genji speaks up.
"you can’t keep doing this, i’m done being used as just a distraction. go find a hooker or something, but don’t call me anymore."
the silence that comes after that is deafening, and tears run down mercy’s cheeks. she isn’t really sad that genji’s leaving, she didn’t love him anyway. she’s sad that her only coping mechanism is gone. maybe he’s right though, she should find a hooker.
~•~
it’s not a hooker in the hotel bed next to her when she wakes up, but moira. strangely soft but cold hands are pressed into her skin. the radio on the nightstand is pleasant white noise as mercy thinks about how she got there.
memories of white powder lines and alcohol and bright flashing life come to mercy in a rush. she had gone home with moira after a party, then. not that you can call the hotel room where mercy was crashing ‘home’.
not caring if she wakes moira up, mercy gets out of bed and stumbles to the bathroom. she lights a cigarette and lies down in the bathtub, staring at the ceiling.
ever since genji had put a stop to their arrangement, mercy had relapsed. the lights in her hotel room were too dim to shoot heroin, but she had found other highs to ride, like her current cocaine kick.
mercy contemplates asking moira about amelie, but before she can heave herself back out of the bathtub moira walks into the bathroom.
the irishwoman lights a cigarette of her own, and mercy can see blood dripping from moira’s nose, an aftermath to last night’s activities. they sit in awkward silence for a moment, before mercy speaks up.
"you’re bleeding."
"i know."
"are you still with amelie?"
"no. she wasn't worth my time."
"does this make us bad people."
"we always have been bad people angela, and theres nothing we do to stop it."
it was silent after that, with only the noise of a leaky tap, or maybe blood dripping from moira’s nose, to keep the two company. two bad people, horribly made for each other, that’s what they were. the only thing they could do is be together, in something only they could call love.
mercy’s fingertips go numb from their place on the tubs edge. her vision goes blurry and she can feel moira join her in the bathtub. the irishwoman’s arms wrap around mercy and the latter can vaguely feel blood drip down and onto her chest.
"i need you." mercy slurs, losing consciousness.
"i need you too." was the last thing she heard.
a scream can be heard throughout the hotel as room service finds the cold bodies of moira o’deorain and mercy zeigler. the two are found clinging to each other in the bathtub, with mercy lifelessly staring at the ceiling, covered in the other woman’s blood.
as for moira, life escaped her as she was looking up at mercy, fingers forever tangled in the back of the blonde’s shirt.