Jael smiled wryly at the empty bottles, nostalgia weighing heavily on his shoulders. He hadn’t done this in years, he never imagined he would be doing it again.
Taking off his gun holsters, he got busy picking up the bottles, carefully dropping them in a trash bag so that they didn’t smash.
After cleaning up the living room, and airing it out, he settled on one of the couches to make calls.
He didn’t have to stay here but he was a little wary of how Asher would take it when he woke up. So he sat tight, putting on the television to keep himself occupied.
If Asher had been drinking all night, it was only a matter of time before he roused.
Another hour dragged by, Jael getting up to order room service on the landline. Just as the call dropped, he heard shuffling of feet, an angrily squinting Asher coming into view.
"What the fuck?" The Alpha rasped, "Did you bash me over the head with a bat?"
Jael sat down, his demeanor casual but his eyes sharp. "I didn’t have to. You fucked yourself up just fine with alcohol."
He could see the moment when the realization clicked in Asher’s eyes, his expression shuttering.
"I don’t need you playing babysitter."
Jael watched him lean heavily against the wall, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Unfortunately, I’ve got to do my job. So sit tight, I already ordered some food and painkillers."
Asher just flipped him off and retreated into the bedroom, surprisingly tame.
He hadn’t known what to expect when the Mafia King woke up but he seemed to have relaxed, his shoulders slouched.
Maybe the means wasn’t exactly a great one but he didn’t mind it every now and then, if this was the end.
Jael hated to but he had to confront Asher about what he planned to do about the Omega he bought. Clearly, leaving things as they were was a shitty plan, so he would have to try something else.
He got up to answer the knock on the door, taking the mobile tray from the maid who wore a way too skimpy uniform, ignoring her look of disappointment when he dismissed her at the door.
He made sure to lock the door after she left, rolling the tray over to the bedroom door. "Room service’s here."
"Fuck off." Asher’s muffled voice came from somewhere behind the closed door.
That was his cue to go in, flipping the light switch cruelly as he strode in, wearing a shit-eating grin.
"Fuck you," Asher switched up, hiding his face beneath a pillow.
"That’s not a part of my services," He quipped, having way too much fun with this.
He was gracious enough to switch off the lights again, Asher only coming out of hiding then, his movements cautious like a turtle.
"Don’t make me play nurse too," Jael complained, leaning against the wall.
"I don’t know, you seem to be having the time of your life role-playing." Asher grumbled but he did sit up to take some water, wrinkling his nose at the food as he took the painkillers.
"Take your time and eat, I already canceled your plans for today." Jael said to him walking out.
He dodged the perfectly aimed apple at his head, expecting the retaliation.
Asher bit back a groan as the door clicked shut, and it wasn’t from the pounding pain behind his eyelids.
The mere thought hurt, that he had drank till he was out cold. He could only remember the night before in bits and pieces, it felt like he had blacked out after the first shot because he didn’t remember how much he drank.
He knew instinctively that it was bad though, he could see it in the raw emotion that Jael had tried to hide beneath a thin veneer of humor.
He scrubbed his face with his hands, trying not to think about it. He would have to address it sooner rather than later but in this dim familiar room he had spent many nights in, he could pretend that his problems didn’t exist for a few hours.
Asher choked down some food because he knew that Jael wouldn’t let him hear the end of it he didn’t, rolling back into bed afterward to sleep off his hangover.
Jael got up from his spot on the couch to sit by an open window so that he could light a cigarette, it was well into the afternoon now, Asher still fast asleep.
He knew this because he had gone into the bedroom to retrieve the tray. Maybe what Asher needed was a vacation, he had been a Mafia King since he turned eighteen, the pressure would eventually get to anyone.
He turned to the hallway, his cigarette held between his fore and middle finger. "Have a nice nap?"
Asher looked less like a train wreck, his damp hair curling slightly around his neck. "You spent all day here?" He asked although he already knew the answer, sitting on the couch.
Asher almost got back up at the expression on Jael’s face, his rib cage feeling too tight.
"Don’t ask," He blurted out, physically recoiling from Jael’s knowing dark eyes that stripped away layers of his skin.
"I wasn’t about to," The Beta murmured, blowing out a cloud of smoke, his eyes distant. "But there has to be a change in plans."
"What?" Asher frowned slightly.
"I’m talking about the Omega you bought," Jael deadpanned, "You either fuck him or get rid of him."
Asher rubbed a hand over his face again, "Right, right."
Jael relaxed at his response, he had been expecting a rebuff. After the Omega was dealt with, he could propose the vacation... this was a little hurdle, they would get over it.
"So are we heading back to the mansion?" He half-rose to his feet.
"I’ll spend the night here," Asher rose to his feet and started for the bedroom. "You can go ahead, I’ll return tomorrow."
Words hung unspoken in the air between them but Jael didn’t say them. He didn’t say that he was worried that Asher would drink himself blackout drunk again.
Instead, he rose to his feet as the door clicked shut, starting for the exit. He was going to try and trust that Asher wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.