Seven

Oliver went home that night and didn't wake up until three in the afternoon the next day. He rolled over, saw the time on the clock, and rolled back over with a huff. The moment his eyes closed again, he was back to sleep. He stayed asleep for the rest of the day.

The next morning, Oliver woke up at six with a moan and a pulsing headache. His tongue felt like sandpaper, thick and rough in his mouth. When he swallowed, it scratched his throat. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling and felt the familiar twitching of his fingers.

I need a cigarette.

The thought turned his mind into a thick fog. With half-closed eyes, he yawned before drifting amongst his small nest of blankets.

Several times, he could vaguely make out the sound of his phone ringing. He ignored each call – the majority of which were made by Rei - with a growing sense of apathy, a feeling which blossomed into pure emotionlessness when he looked at the clock and realized he'd wasted yet another day.

Rei came by at six that night. Oliver didn't answer the door. He didn't speak when she called for him, or when she told him she could hear his phone ring. When she left the hallway in a huff, Oliver felt almost relieved.

At least I don't have to deal with anyone right now.

For three hours, Oliver lay back and thought, his anger steadily rising. His mind drifted between thoughts of his sister and of the case, at times mixing the two.

I should be happy. She's not guilty of anything. But does that mean she's not in danger? He rolled onto his side. And then there's the deal with the murders. None of this makes sense.

He got up at nine for a smoke break. Nicotine had never smelled as good to him as it did in that moment.

I need to quit smoking, he thought when he ground the end into the floor. He stared out into the night, an oddly hollow feeling settling into his stomach.

Funny. All of this is funny. He closed his eyes and breathed in the chilled air, blood singing. I wanted to die and woke up practically immortal. I want to stop smoking and can't go two days without it. I thought staying away would keep Lil safe and now look... He shook his head. It's nuts is what it is.

He went back inside and slept until Rei came back at midnight.

Oliver broke out of his daze when he heard her knock on the door. The ground swayed under his feet. He waited a moment to let the world realign itself before he grabbed his cigarette case from the bedside table, pulled out a stick, and lit it with the tip of his thumb. Rei knocked again.

"Hey, open up."

He parted his lips and let out a cloud of smoke, his cigarette dangling between his fingers. Ash fell from the end, red and orange when he stared at it.

"Ginger, I'm serious."

With a glance to the ceiling and the brief shake of his head, Oliver crossed the living room, nearly tripping over his couch in the process. A curse slipped free when his shin hit the coffee table. He wasn't even five feet from the front door.

"Coming," he hissed. "Just tripping over shit, it seems."

Rei chuckled from the other side of the door. "Take your time."

If you gave me the choice, I would've just gone back to bed.

Oliver shoved the thought aside and took another drag. He exhaled just before he cracked the front door open, prompting Rei to wave a hand in front of her face. The wind swirled around them.

"Evening."

"Hey."

"You haven't shown up for work in two days." Rei wrinkled her nose. "Would it kill you to not smoke when I'm coming?"

Oliver shrugged. "I haven't smoked in two days. I was craving it." Again.

"So I noticed. But I was here before, when you were awake."

"I've been awake all day."

Rei pushed her glasses up her nose. "May I come in?"

Oliver shrugged. "You're going to come in either way, aren't you?"

Rei grinned, canines flashing. "You know me so well." She pushed herself away from the balcony and approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his chest. With what sounded like a purr, she rubbed her cheek against his shirt.

"I love how you smell," she said. "Just not when the smoke is fresh."

"Thanks." Oliver stepped back, crushing his cigarette under his foot. He heard the skin sizzle but the pain didn't register.

There goes my nicotine fix.

Rei took his hand and pulled him into the apartment. "Why didn't you call in?" she asked. "Gonzalez is pissed."

"Eh. Let him be pissed."

"He said he's going to report you if you don't show up tomorrow."

She sounded concerned, but Oliver couldn't tell for sure if she was. He inhaled, hoping to get a feel for her energy. He got no results.

"Let him," he said. He slid a hand around her shoulder and pulled her back, setting his chin on the crook of her neck. He slid off half of her coat and eased her arm out of the sleeve before grasping her cheek with the tips of his fingers. Rei shuddered and lifted her head.

"He said this isn't your first infraction, Oli. The Magistrate could get involved."

"Let them." He moved his head to her other shoulder and took her other arm out of the coat. The garment was cast aside to a random corner of the room. When he skimmed his hands over her arms, he felt the hair raise on her skin. Whether that was his doing or the cold, he wasn't quite sure.

"Oliver..." Rei grabbed his hands and turned in his grasp, coming to face him. "Oli, you could get removed from the case."

"Would that be so bad?" he asked. He scrutinized her with a tilted head and gave her face a once-over.

"And if they removed you, you wouldn't be able to see Lilith at all—"

Oliver's hands clenched into fists and he snatched himself back. "Do me a favor and not say my sister's name, alright?" he said. "It won't end well for anyone."

For the first time that he could remember, Oliver saw fear flicker through her eyes. He almost felt guilty. Almost. Then Rei nodded and the look passed.

"You need a roll in the sheets."

"I need a fucking cigarette. I need to see my sister. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to get either of those." He let her hands fall. "Instead, I'm stuck following the tracks of people I'll never find, because I'm never allowed to see them. It's like looking through one-way glass. Quite frankly, I'd love to sink my fist through it and myself with the shards. However, that breaks protocol." He stepped back and huffed, averting his gaze.

"I know how you feel."

"Yeah, I know. You had a girlfriend." Oliver didn't realize how venomous he sounded until he noticed that Rei hadn't responded. She pursed her lips and clasped her hands, a forlorn look in her eyes.

"I was going to ask her to marry me, once..."

"I know."

Rei turned away. "I don't know why I brought her up, I'm sorry." When she looked back, her red eyes flashed in the darkness. "Back to the matter at hand. Gonzalez. He won't just fire you, you know."

"And your point?"

"You'll be obliterated. You won't exist anymore."

Oliver threw his hands in the air, his anger flaring in the pit of his stomach. A wave of heat washed through him, making him almost uncomfortably warm. His breathing shifted.

"What if I don't care?" he snapped. "Is that so bad?" One hand swept just inches away from Rei's face and reached up with lightning-like reflexes to grab him.

"Maybe I do!" she yelled back before giving him a shove. "Maybe I actually care and you're too much a selfish prick to see! Maybe Sully cares too! Maybe we were worried sick for two days straight thinking you'd gone and done the same thing that got you stuck here in the first place!"

Oliver blinked and caught himself on the doorframe. His claws raked the wood and the plaster around it and left marks when he forced himself upright. When he caught Rei's eye, he could barely recognize the girl he saw. His vision turned scarlet. He shook himself.

"...That came out wrong. Dammit, I—"

I could rake my nails through her and it wouldn't do a thing. I could throw myself from the roof of this shitty complex and nothing would happen. I could hurt any of them and it wouldn't matter. None of us can die. Ever. We're stuck like this.

"Oliver... shit, I'm sorry.

He shook himself, the world moving at a sluggish pace. Ringing filled his ears.

"Ginger, hey. Say something." Rei's voice hardened. "Come on."

She reached for him but he flinched back. His world turned black around the edges.

Ah. I recognize this feeling.

Oliver turned on his heel and threw the front door open. His claws extended to their full length. The muscles and veins alone his arms rippled. He jumped onto the balcony railing, balancing the balls of his bare feet on the metal and rising from his crouch.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Rei sputtered.

"Something I've wanted to for the longest time. I'm going for a run." He looked back to her and, with what was left of his clarity, winked. Then he took a deep breath, gazed at the parking lot below, and jumped.

When he landed, the concrete cracked underneath him. Oliver broke off in a run.