Lake and Caspian took Asher’s car with Jael happily driving the two Omegas, leaving both Alphas to fend for themselves.
Asher and Davian shared a look as Jael started the car with both their Omegas inside.
"I’m driving," The red-haired Alpha said through gritted teeth.
Davian cocked a brow, "It’s my car?" He reminded, already getting in the driver’s seat.
Asher had no choice but to sit his ass in the passenger seat, grumbling the entire time.
He quickly stopped complaining as Davian closely tailed Jael, studying Davian from the side of his eyes.
"I didn’t think you’d step down from your position." He plunged without a heads-up.
Davian glanced over at the nosy Mafia King, "Me neither. A lot of things tend to change when you’re actually given a choice."
"How is it like not being Mafia King anymore?" Asher asked lightly but underneath the layers was a hint of fragility.
"Feels like a weight off my shoulders." Davian went with honesty.
"Are you fine putting that weight on your pregnant mate?" Asher took a swing.
Davian tensed up, his voice steady as he replied. "Lake also gets to choose. He wants this."
There was no reason to share the news that he had been ready to ditch it all and live a life far from Haines but Lake was the reason they stuck around.
Asher didn’t push further, it wasn’t like he was certified to speak on what others decided to do in their relationships. In a way, he envied Davian’s unwavering trust in Lake...
The uncomfortable car ride eventually came to a stop when Jael drove into the parking lot of a supermarket, sparing them from further socialization.
Jael’s car had been more lively, soft giggles spilling into the night air as both Omegas got down.
Davian and Asher were looking forward to getting their mates’ attention when they got to the store but both Omegas simply pulled Jael along, grilling the Beta about his preferred ice cream flavor.
"What’s your favorite flavor, Jael?" Caspian dragged out, refusing to let it go despite Jael’s tries to evade the question.
"Vanilla?" The Beta replied, sounding unsure.
"That’s the most generic response," Lake complained, disappointed at the answer they got.
Inside the supermarket, Asher and Davian got to stick to their Omegas’ sides, Lake glancing over at Jael when he picked out an ice cream for himself.
"You were serious?" He asked in disbelief at the sight of the second-in-command going for vanilla.
"Yeah," Jael muttered.
He actually had picked vanilla on a whim, he didn’t care much for ice cream but he did care for company so he was satisfied either way.
Davian had to be the one to hold the massive tub of chocolate ice cream that Lake had picked out with a straight face, the Alpha silently approving the choice he made.
After ice cream shopping, they parted in the parking lot. Each Mafia House going to their respective turfs.
Caspian was all smiles in the backseat, it was just like when he had spent the day with Lake and Davian in the company of Asher. It was surprisingly pleasant.
He had gone for butterscotch and strawberry and he had picked out cookies and cream for his mate when he asked.
They holed up in the second-floor living room to eat their ice cream, the kitchen bustling as the staff readied their dinner.
For the first time, Caspian found himself thinking about how private Lake’s kitchen had been. He had never thought otherwise about the kitchen staff, they were hardworking and they genuinely cared about their Mafia King.
But after experiencing it once, he found himself picturing how it would have been if they had sneakily eaten the ice cream in the kitchen, forfeiting dinner because they had eaten too much dessert.
They wouldn’t be doing that though because the kitchen staff had worked hard on dinner so after snacking on ice cream, they made their way to the dining room.
Caspian was in the lead, distracted by his fantasies when Asher loudly cursed behind him, making him turn around.
Jael had slipped his ice-cold hands from the ice cream around Asher’s neck, looking completely unrepentant.
There was a kind of charm in the routine they had, after dinner, the staff cleared up the table while Caspian went off to take a much-needed shower.
He noticed that Asher wasn’t with him when he got to their shared room and before hearing Jael’s curses, he already knew what the Alpha was up to.
Unlike the Knight Mafia House where they had eaten a proper dinner after ice cream, Lake had sat with the entire tub of chocolate-flavored ice cream.
At first, Davian was indulgent but that quickly turned into concern.
"Lake?" He called tentatively, "I don’t think you should eat all that in one sitting..."
Lake just turned to look at him with a devious little smile, crooking a finger at him. "Come here."
Davian had already ordered dinner, it was laid out on the center table in a living room close to the kitchen, because Lake insisted on sitting on the floor.
He went over easily, unable to start eating without Lake but the Omega held fast to his ice cream.
Davian’s eyes went wide when Lake held his face with a small cold hand and closed the distance between them.
The kiss tasted like sweet chocolate and honey, and Davian couldn’t tell if it was the cold or pleasure numbing his tongue.
Lake pulled away when he was satisfied, resuming his ice cream.
Davian was dazed for a few seconds, staring blankly at Lake, his pupils expanding.
"I’ll have ice cream for dinner." The Omega decided firmly, "Eat with me," He gestured to the food laid out.
Davian knew he should push a bit more but his circuits were scrambled at the moment. Lake could tell him to have ice cream for dinner as well, and he would agree in a heartbeat.
He would just have to make breakfast extra nutritious. Davian got started on eating even as he made mental notes to keep Lake as far away as possible from ice creams.