for one muse to help the other home while they’re drunk, feat. @acekthe & @solstaice
there’s nothing but silence lulling the empty vehicle as ej climbs onto the driver’s seat, exhaling a white puff of smoke after one last drag. after tossing the worn out cigarette, he finally starts the engine running, glancing back to the trashed figure, in complete disbelief that right before his very own eyes is the same man that usually takes charge of their operations. so this is what it took for alexander the great to come undone, five tanks of ale and an three entire boxes of nicotine. not to mention the devastating news of his wife and daughter passing, but details are scarce and as far as ej knows, the pair was nothing but a heavy burden that alex carried.
at least according to toni, that is.
but neither of them are parents to a child and nowhere close to being a spouse so what do they know?
“you shouldn’t have drank so much!” toni scolds alex as she finally slips into the backseat right next to him, rolling her eyes while tugging harshly on the seatbelt. she struggles to secure it over his broad, slumped body but after a harsh tug and a loud grunt, she manages to do so. “how are we supposed to carry him up the stairs now?”
who knew the day would come when the scolding would come in reverse, alex being dotted on like a child and toni taking charge? had the circumstances not been so dire, ej would have probably attempted to film it, something to keep in the memory bank and laugh on once the rough times has passed
“i was just partaking in the general merriness,” alex’s slurred answer came in a hushed whisper and the scoff thaty toni makes is so loud that he can practically imagine the eye roll that probably came with it.
“sit up properly,” she grunts beneath her breath, the resounding click of the seatbelt latching so audible that it prompts ej to turn the radio on. seeing as its alex’s vehicle, his spotify account instantly connects and a podcast regarding inflation predictions; count on him to be on top of that. “you’re so trashed, god.”
“i’m fine,” alex says a little too sharply and through the rear view mirror, he can see her looking away, her regal pose falling into place as she huffs out quietly. after a moment of silence, alex finally turns to her, head falling over her lithe shoulder, murmuring, “i’m sorry.” he apologizes softly. “i just… there’s just.. a lot to grasp in one day.”
she doesn’t say anything and neither does ej. alex rarely talks about his wife and kid and they’re not about to interrupt his willingness to open up emotions. but before any other word can slip free from his lips, ej hears a soft whimper until finally, a choke of sobs.
“i know.” toni doesn’t turn to look at him, her softened gaze falling instead on the dancing figures of the trees aligning the darkened street. “just let it all out.”
there’s a pang of pain in ej’s chest that he can’t explain and it gravitates when he sees alex reaching over to hold her head close to his chest. “stay with me.”
ej can tell that she’s fighting the urge to rest her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. he knows how much toni reminds him of his daughter, he knows how much he treats her like he’s one. he sees her tightly folding her hands on her lap, meeting ej’s eyes through the mirror. ej looks away, as if caught in looking at something he isn’t supposed to. she, too, averts her gaze to the floor, her cheeks flushing crimson.
instead he keeps his focus on the road, in getting him home as soon as he can. like alex, ej connects with him int he sense of needing plenty of time for self reflection and he’s sure there’s nothing alex wants more than to be in the comfort of his own sheets. he needs the time to be alone to digest everything that’s occurred. but his mind rolls back to a moment in time when alex is showing him a photograph of his beautiful daughter, his words replaying in the back of his head like a winded up tape. a broken record. “i have a daughter who reminds me too much of what i used to be, full of love and joy, kissing every person she meets because everyone is good and will do her no harm. and that terrifies me to the point where i can barely function.”
