Caspian spent the first ten minutes opening and closing cupboards.
It was less about finding something in particular and more about familiarizing himself with the space.
Maybe it was because the death of his parents was a little fresh in his mind but Lucy’s death had hit like a wrecking ball.
It seemed a bit over the top considering that he wouldn’t exactly call them close.
But there hadn’t even been the time for that, just as she had been settling into her space in his life, she was gone.
It was strange to compare her to his mom but it felt like a bit of his mom had died again.
When he dragged Asher in here, he had no idea what he wanted to do.
He had never cooked before, his mom preferred to do that and afterward, he simply wasn’t allowed to.
He just needed... he just needed...
Imprinting on people who cooked him homely meals would only drive him crazy.
He wouldn’t be subjected to this pain again if he just made the damn sweet tea himself.
It wasn’t until he was pouring the hot water into the pitcher that held the tea bags did he realize that he was crying, his vision blurring.
Caspian looked up at Asher who was right beside him, "I hope you don’t mind salty tea," He tried to tease but it ended with a sob.
Asher quickly took the kettle from him, placing it on the counter.
Caspian went easily into Asher’s arms, it seemed like it was the only place he could cry in.
He straightened up after a few minutes, wiping his face, his nose a bright red.
"The tea is going to be ruined," He mumbled, resuming from where he stopped.
He poured the tea over ice when he was done, offering a glass to Asher.
"I hope you like it, I made it with my tears." It was easier to tease this time, the smell of tea and lemon filling the space in between them.
Caspian took a sip at the same time as Asher did, gagging and spitting almost instantaneously.
"Oh my God," He spat, hurrying to the counter to rinse out his mouth, "It’s so bad-"
Asher took a sip with a straight face, and another.
"Watching you force yourself to drink it hurts more," Caspian groaned, splashing water on his face.
"It’s not that bad," Asher said levelly.
"Your face is twitching," Caspian pointed out, a smile lifting his lips.
"Because my tongue is on fire," He continued in a level voice, "But beyond the fact that it’s literal acid, it’s not bad."
Caspian laughed this time, it was a hollow sound. "Then stop drinking it."
He had to snag the cup out of Asher’s hand to get him to stop drinking the poisonous tea, tossing out the rest of the tea for good measure.
"I’ll just have to practice till I get better," He decided resolutely.
"We might need a truckload of teabags for that," Asher quipped under his breath, wiping his tongue with a paper towel.
Caspian pretended not to hear him, cleaning up the mess he made.
"Can we see Jael now?" He asked instead, staring up at Asher with saccharine-sweet eyes.
For a Mafia King, he was quick to do whatever Caspian needed of him, even before they got this far.
Falling in love with Asher hadn’t been an option, not when he didn’t play fair.
"We should be," He agreed, concern flashing on his face.
"Too bad I already poured the tea down the drain," Caspian said lightly as they headed out of the bathroom.
"Unfortunately, it would have been a great antiseptic."
Caspian shot Asher a look, one filled with fondness. He kept setting his cooking skills up on purpose, but Asher took the bait every time so it was worth it.
Jael already had one leg off the bed when they got to what had to be his bedroom, Caspian had never been in here before.
"What do you think you’re doing?" He narrowed his eyes, quickly learning that with them he had to be strict.
His sharp tone made Jael freeze up, grief making his dark eyes liquid.
"I’ve already been patched up," He said gruffly, sitting back down for all his words.
"The doc said I could move around as much as I wanted."
Caspian let his gaze trail over the bandages covering most of his skin.
A majority of them were from getting seared by the fire but Caspian didn’t know that, and it wouldn’t have mattered even if he did.
"Like hell you are," He bustled in, propping Jael up with pillows and pulling the blankets over him.
Asher stood back and watched Caspian take up Lucy’s duties as a way to cope.
Jael stared at him like he was the sun as he strong-armed him into eating and taking the painkillers prescribed.
Maybe this was good for them both.
Caspian was a permanent part of his life, and so was Jael, so it was beneficial to him if they both got along.
"Come sit and eat too," Caspian broke into his thoughts, still at his bossy best.
Asher went easily, pulling Caspian down on him. "You need to eat as well," He spoke softly, pressing a kiss to his neck.
Jael groaned like he was getting skinned alive, "If you’re both going to be sappy, I’ll puke."
Caspian guiltily put some distance between him and Asher who had a shit-eating grin on his face.
They all ate together, their conversations consisting of thinly veiled humor, carefully stepping around the elephant in the room.
In a different universe, Lucy would be right here. She would have prepared the food by hand, and her sweet tea would be edible.
But she wasn’t so they had to do what they could to get by.
Jael was fast asleep by the time they were done eating, and it wasn’t due to exhaustion this time.
His breathing was deep, his expression relaxed.
A maid silently cleared out the dishes and before they left, Caspian turned down the lights.