Anything to See You Smile

"Hey- Oli? Oli are you alright?" Andy frowned in concern as he awaited a reply from his friend who sounded oddly lethargic.

"...y-yeah...yeah I...Andy I'm...where's the....keys?"

"Are you drunk?"

"No!!! I mean..what was..what was your question...?" Dread shot through Andy's veins as he realised what was happening.

"Oli, did you have a relapse?" He whined quietly and Andy quickly scrambled out of Sebastian's hold and yanked his shoes on.

"I'm coming home. Do not go anywhere. Ok?... Oli!!"

"Yeah..." Andy hung up and pulled on his jacket, not even certain Oli had understood his instructions.

"What's going on?"

"I'm sorry- I'm sorry I need to- he's in trouble I-" Sebastian pulled Andy to a stop and hugged him tightly.

"Calm down. You won't be able to help him if you're panicking."

"He's relapsed. I don't know how bad it is- I've gotta go. I'm sorry!!!" He ran out at that point and across the city, pushing past people and even jumping over boxes and rubbish bags - and at one point a dog - to try and get to his best friend as quickly as possible.

"Oli?!" He screamed unevenly - his lungs bursting and legs and sides painful from running so quickly all the way there.

"Oli??" He checked everywhere. Nowhere.

"Shit!!!" He called his phone and there was no answer. He sunk into the back of the couch, ready to win in despair..when he remembered.

"I think he's gonna kill me. I need help, Andy. I can't call the police - I'll be done for possession!! I've taken stuff too-"

"I'll be right there."

Andy tried to shake the feeling of unease from his mind as painful, old memories swept in. The last time he'd made the journey to Oli's dealer's home had been both terrifying and painful. Oli had almost died that day. That was the turning point - when he'd admitted he had a real problem and agreed to go to rehab.

Andy fought away fear as he pushed the gun - that they'd both sworn they'd never use - into his waistband and pulled his jacket over it before setting off at an equally fast as before.

When he neared the building he moved to a fast walk and stared down the people hanging around outside - ignoring the verbal abuse he was handed out. He sprinted up the stairs to apartment 11C and thumped on the door loudly.
"Shay! Open the door!"

"Open the fucking door Shay! I know Oli's in there!!!" The door opened and Andy shoved past the half naked man in front of him, opening doors and finding Oli on the floor of his bathroom.

"You're scum. I thought I asked you not to let him in ever again!"

"I said I'd only do that if I could have you, sweetheart." Andy gritted his teeth at the hand that slapped his ass as its owner strolled past him casually.

"Oli, Oli wake up. Can you hear me..?" He pulled the thin man's eyes open and they were dull but flickered with recognition and Andy breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did he take?"

"The usual."

"How much?!" The dealer shrugged and Andy fought back his anger with more difficulty than anything he'd had to do in his life, attempting to pull Oli upwards. The Yorkshireman was like dead weight and Andy cursed himself for not asking Sebastian or someone else to come with him to help.

"Need help with that?" The tall druggie asked groggily, pulling a lazy puff of foul-smelling smoke from his cigarette.

"I don't need anything from you."

"No need to be like that...I was just trying to be helpful."

"You were just trying to be a sleaze as usual, Shay! Now just move." He tilted his head slightly, eyes boring into Andy's body in a way that made his skin crawl. Slow, unhurried...he thought he could do whatever he wanted.

"I said...move."

"Look, sweet cheeks. Oli didn't come here...he interrupted me making a deal. He looked upset...I asked and he came back with me. Very reluctantly." Andy shook his head angrily.

"That doesn't make it better. Move."

"What's the hurry?"

"What's your problem?! Get out my way. Now."

"Or...what?" Andy refused to look intimidated by the casually threatening tone that his tone took on. Andy placed Oli against the wall gently and leant back, waiting for Shay to stop eyeing him hungrily.

"I should ask you the same thing."

"C'mon Andy..you know how good I've been for the past few years...Ive never laid a finger on you."

"What do you want, a medal? Just let me take him home."

"But I just love it when you get all fired up.." He hissed, stalking closer to Andy slowly.

"Stay away from me." Andy pulled his gun then and the dealer laughed loudly.

"You're gonna shoot me now?"

"If you touch me I will." Shay inhaled around the tight roll of white paper deeply.

"He's a lucky guy." Andy swallowed as tendrils of smoke curled out of his nose.

"What?"

"If it was anyone else, you'd tell them to go to hell. But you'd actually risk rape to save him."

"You couldn't rape me if you tried."

"Sure? Is that why you had to bring a gun to make yourself feel safe?" Andy gritted his teeth angrily and Shay chuckled, stepping closer until Andy was backed up against the wall.

"Take your pathetic boyfriend and run little lamb...run." Andy flinched involuntarily at the sight of the man's stubble, lip ring and sharp incisors moving as he grinned sadistically. He wormed away from the dealer and grabbed Oli, moving as quickly as he could down the stairs, terrified.

He'd called a cab on the way and the man was waiting for him when he arrived.
"Woah, is he alright..?"

"He's fine. Please just take us-"

"I'm not having him being sick in my taxi-"

"He won't be. Trust me. Look, I'll pay you double!! Please just take us to the address I told you!" The man shrugged and opened the door for him. He tried to calm his pulse as the cab drove away from the run-down block of flats, Shay was watching them pull away from his window.

He checked Oli's pulse and tried to wake him up again. They got home quickly and Andy paid the driver before lugging his slumped body to the elevator
He forced Oli to eat some chocolate as he was coming around to help wake him up. Then was the wait.

Oli fell asleep as he was coming to, and after an hour he snuggled up to Andy from where his head was on his lap. Andy looked down at his best friend sadly and shoved him up off his lap. Oli awoke with a start and dread immediately crossed his face.

"I.....h-how long have I been out for?"

"Asleep or high? Asleep..round an hour. High? Fuck knows." Oli looked down at his hands in shame.

"How could you do it, Oli?" The tattooed man was motionless and silent Andy paced around angrily, trying to choose the right words to say.

"No answer? You should fucking know all the answers by now!!" Oli flinched.

"Years, Oli! Years of addiction, of trips to Shay's apartment. Trips to the hospital. Trips to your parents house to try and explain to them why you abuse yourself so much when I don't even know the answers myself!!" Oli began to cry silently, tears splashing down onto his hands.

"You've been clean for almost two years now! All that hard work, the rehab...all to fucking waste! And you have nothing to say....?" Oli's shoulders shook with his tears as he tried to suppress them.

"The last time we did this you almost died, Oli!! Do you have any idea what it would've done to me if I'd've gotten there too late to save you??" Oli was picking at his nails, he pulled at one of his thumbnails until he dragged it right back to the raw nail bed and the cuticle began to bleed.

"I would've had to tell your parents, your band mates, all our friends that you'd fucked up yet again-"

"I know I screwed up!!!" Oli snapped, shouting back at him at last. His sobs weren't silent anymore and Andy cried himself at the deep, shuddering, involuntary breaths that were ripped from Oli's lungs. He sat back on the couch with his head in his hands.

"I'd keep yelling but...I know you're saying it all to yourself in your head..so there's probably no point. Just another fucking waste of breath." Andy said robotically, quietly, before turning to leave.

"Andy I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you I just- I didn't want to hurt you I can't hurt you I-"

"Then don't keep hurting yourself." He hissed before walking out and leaving the addict alone.