•❣•୨୧ " they blame the alcohol." ୨୧•❣•
♥ rymiae ! (ry x mitch x aerin ) ♥
@mitchmitmy + @ryansrave !!!! Our babies!!!! Also yeah ik what it says in the title + what I asked you both, but the story itself doesn't play into being drunk or tipsy very much at all! I hope you guys like it and forgive me my writing is usually much better...
-> also, here's a short spotify playlist for the fic!!! Also PLEASE dm or send me an ask to remind me to give you guys to songs I assign to your ocs... (Also if you both have spotify lmk we should make a shared playlist plspls!)
Aerin doesn’t think she’s ever been more exhausted in her life.
Travelling was never really an interest she had – why had she wanted this job so badly anyway? She was stuck travelling almost every week, so it was basically everything they were needed for. This time around, things had become especially intense — There had been complications in the rather peaceful alliances Clover had with the Heart kingdom. Erin had found no time for himself to enjoy the ever-growing beauty that was the Heart kingdom’s lush nature.
Even now, as wind blew against their face and pushed their hair back, they were utterly exhausted and distracted. So much so that they couldn’t even notice the waterfall forming into a staircase as it carried their boat down its length. With a heavy sigh, they turned around to face Gaja — the man escorting them back to Clover. The two of them were fairly close, seeing that he greeted and escorted them every time they visited to meet with the queen. Aerin ran her fingers through her hair and inhaled sharply before they spoke.
“Thank you, as usual.”
Their voice was unintentionally edged with nervousness. They had been keeping themselves as composed as possible after what had happened in the boardroom, but clearly, it wasn’t a long-lasting solution. Gaja noticed, but didn’t mention it as he nodded slightly.
“It’s no problem at all, ma’am. Would you like something to drink?”
Aerin shook his head. Nothing could wash away the bitter taste in his mouth.
“No thank you, Gaja. When will I be back to Clover?”
”About fifteen minutes, sir.”
”You can drop the formalities.”
”I must insist I speak this way, Mister Aerin.”
The knot in her stomach wouldn’t go away. She’s been forced to be uptight all day — and while she’s usually used to being polite, right now it just makes her more anxious. Like she can’t relax with so many people watching her. She turns back around to face the open water, finding at least temporary solace in the regularity of the waves.
The next fifteen minutes seemed to stretch on for much longer than they actually were, and Aerin struggled to find things to keep her mind busy. They kept staring down at their nails for a momentary satisfaction before returning their gaze back to the water. She really couldn’t wait to be back home. To be in her bed — surrounded by, well, some of her favorite people. But for now, she was stuck here. Away from home. As she had been for the past two weeks. She turns around again, with more swiftness this time, as they take Gaja up on his offer.
“Okay. Give me something sweet.”
”I have some of the-“
”Gaja. I’m an adult. I don’t want the damn fruit drink. Give me something sweet. A proper drink.”
The cutoff Aerin had dealt to his peer was rather abrupt — and frankly, unexpected. But the Man complied, not thinking too much. Since it was a rather fancy ship, there was also a bar located inside the deck leading to the bedding quarters. Though it regularly remained untouched, the queen made sure to keep the liquor up-to-date inside in case the occasion may arrive; just like now. As Gaja shuffled off to whip something up (Because who knew he had a degree in mixology?), Aerin returned to her usual post.
Time, this time (Haha, very funny), passed quite quickly. Aerin didn’t get the chance to brood too heavily before their friend returned with a drink in hand. It was a deep crimson red and had been poured into a short, fancy glass with an odd fruit perched on the rim. When she took it into her hands, she noticed it was cold — perhaps it had been chilled? Well, they liked it that way anyway, so it didn’t matter. Nodding swiftly, they took a sip.
Damn.
It had been a while since Aerin had the time to drink anything other than water (here and there) — let alone alcohol. It was insane to them as they realized this, because how the hell had they not? It was like someone had cast a spell to put them at ease, because her muscles completely loosened as they took a breath. Finishing the glass didn’t take too long because of this, and they quickly left to get their bags and other items before the ship docked. Luckily, due to His heavy schedule, Aerin hadn’t done any shopping this time around – and so his bags were only a bit heavier in comparison to how he had arrived. One person was enough to haul them back, so he didn’t bother Gaja about the weight either. He waved goodbye to the boy and stepped off the ship’s stairs, only to be greeted by a spatial mage who would take him to the wizard king’s office directly.
Julius wasn’t in clover at the moment, but Aerin was still expected to drop off reports first thing before he went home. And although he should be used to it by now, he still wished he could see his lover for at least a little bit. Walking into the wizard king’s office had never felt so cold and empty, and Aerin couldn’t understand why. They weren’t one to think with their heart instead of their head, so how did it matter? They were only here on official duties anyway. Still, though, the fact that there was no one even remotely present to receive her from her long, grueling time away — it hit her harder than she could ever hoped. And as she stood there, her hands trembling as they set the heavy stack of paper down on the edge of the desk, she couldn’t stop her nose from scrunching up.
“Fuck.”
It came out hushed, and it was all he could say in response to the singular tear that rolled down her cheek. It was so, so embarrassing. She’d never cry like this. in public, nonetheless. It must be the alcohol. Moving her hands away from the stack, she brought her right wrist up to wipe her cheek and nose with her sleeve. With a shaky inhale, she set off again on foot. She couldn’t stand another second alone in the room, anyway.
On the way out, she passed Marx by — who approached her to talk, but was only quickly greeted before being ushered off to other issues. It was fine, though, because Aerin didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway. He exited the building as soon as he could, making his way around the royal court and off to the residential housing located just north. These houses were offered to official clover executives, for their term of service, if they weren’t already a royal. They were independent, and functioned completely like regular houses — they just had the added comfort of being close by to their workplace, and with added access and benefits to anything one may need (Like servants, etc).
Aerin sighed again as he made it to his door, too tired and drained to even open it upon first glance. He stood there, keys in hand, as he pressed his forehead against the firm wood. He didn’t know what he needed to prepare himself for, but it was all too much at the given moment. Finally regaining the energy, he stuck his key in the lock, twisting the knob open after he had heard a ‘click’. He was hungry, and tired, and just wanted to lay in bed. As he took his shoes off and hung his cardigan up, he came to terms with the fact that he would probably be spending his time alone until his next trip. He moved aimlessly down the hall until he turned to the living room, eyes growing heavy as she clicked open the door again.
The light was already on when she entered. Odd. The room also felt … warm. She stepped in silently, looking around. When she finally made her way over to the couch, she finally saw it.
A blonde boy sleeping on the corner seat with his head swung back as another, black haired individual lay on his thighs — both equally knocked out.
Aerin subconsciously gripped the headrest tighter as she stared, a small squeak of surprise spilling out of her throat from the surprise. Her cheeks were warm as she processed, her left undereye slightly twitching. The noise caused movement between the two sleeping figures, but the raven-head woke up first.
“..mm? What’s-“
As they rose up to look around, they locked eyes with Aerin, and the grogginess completely (and evidently) washed away. A grin twisted onto their face, and the moment Aerin made her way around to face them, they pounced. Both of them were on the ground just a second later, and His smile had become so contagious that it spread onto Aerin’s face as well. Their eyes gleamed so well in the natural lighting, She couldn’t help but stare. And as they hovered over her, she couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes.
“Hey, Mitch.”
Mitch noticed immediately, their eyebrow raising in confusion as Aerin attempted to hide his own face desperately. But how would he ever succeed, with a magic knight actively fighting against him? Instead, Aerin was dealt a fatal blow —
— a kiss. Right on the lips.
Mitch’s lips were much, much softer than Aerin remembered — or maybe it was the alcohol again. Actually, that explained it. The alcohol explained her heightened emotions and ability to sense everything. No wonder she had let the sadness get to her. Mitch didn’t let go of her until it was absolutely necessary, panting as they parted from their lover. And even then, the attacks didn’t stop completely.
“I missed you-“ a kiss, “-so,” kiss, “goddamn,” kiss, “Much.” Another kiss.
“What happened?” And finally, a last kiss before they sat up, giving Aerin an opportunity to prop themselves up. A beat of silence passed before anything happened, but before he could say anything, there was some noise made; coming from the couch. Both Mitch and Aerin looked over to see the blonde boy from earlier waking up. He adjusted his glasses as he cracked his neck, looking straight at them both. He stands up and walks over quietly before sitting back down next to them both.
“Hey, you two. How long ago did Aerin get back?”
Mitch’s response was quick, “It’s only been 5-ish minutes! They’re upset about something, Ry. I can’t figure it out.”
“H-hey- I’m not-“
Well, it was hard to deny it when the tears had come back regardless. The girl couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. She really shouldn’t have been, but that didn’t matter in the moment. Her ears felt hot as she sniffed, lower lip barely trembling. Mitch and Ry shared a glance before they both turned back to her, both equally as concerned. Ry reached out his hand hesitantly to cup Aerin’s cheek, but they didn’t object in the slightest.
“What’s wrong?”
It was the same question, but both of them said it at once. Somehow, the mix of voices grounded him even more, finally able to come to terms with himself. He fidgeted for a second, but eased up pretty fast.
“Heart’s queen was so, so busy this time. And I had no time to meet with absolutely anyone beyond my actual goal. But the officials there who I was supposed to present for were so, so rude. They kept asking about our classified political plans and getting pissed when I told them that I couldn’t disclose anything beyond the actual contents of my presentation. It was like.. like everything I said was wrong before I even said it.”
They could feel their cheeks getting warmer, and their voice was also getting softer as they continued. It felt so wrong to talk about — because who was he to complain? This was his job, one that he studied hard for and got paid (royally) to do. These things came with the benefits, and usually he could handle it all.
“I’ve also just been away. And I know —“ He was choking up, “— I know Julius isn’t supposed to be here. I’d be mad at him if he had stayed back to greet me. But Walking into his office; after almost three months of travelling; just for it to be dark and empty. It— It hurt.”
And the part she couldn’t say — it was that she missed everyone here just as much as they missed her. She felt so entitled to be admitting it, but she really did. She truly, truly dreaded leaving clover sometimes. And now, he was waiting for one of these two, his lovers, to tell him how wrong he was. How he should love his job and that he can see them whenever he comes back. But they didn’t. When he met Ry’s gaze, it didn’t feel judgemental at all. He didn’t feel stupid or privileged, just heard. And he could suddenly feel arms around himself. Both Ry’s, and Mitch’s.
“We missed you too.”
Ry spoke first, pressing his lips against her shoulder.
“Yeah. Why else would we wait for you?”
Mitch tightened their hold on her, soft skin brushing against hers.
“We’re so glad you’re back, Aerin.”
That broke her. Why the hell did they both have to say it at once, anyway? Hadn’t she cried enough? Apparently not — because now she was full on bawling. Her body trembled as she sniffled, thick globs of salty tears running down either of her cheeks. Her glasses were foggy, so she could only take them off and hope to get to it later. She’d still blame it on the alcohol, even now. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that the three of them stayed there until she felt better. Until she bathed in their presence enough to make up for the weeks she hadn’t been present. And there certainly wasn’t any lack of affection, either — the kisses never stopped. The touches never ceased. And None of them would ever complain about it.
And if blaming it on the alcohol was the only way Aerin could be this way without any guilt, they’d happily blame it for the rest of their lives.
