-

Ashton Ash had gotten the burger for Evie, hoping to help his friend sober up and was ready to take her home, he immediately drove out of his house late that night, not even willing to take the chance for Evie to be drunk and in danger, and even if she was safe and with friends, at least he would be able to see it with his own eyes. He parked the car nearby and followed the live location map pin to exactly where Evie laid down, not moving as she promised. "there you are, burger delivery," Ash's worries melted away seeing her alone and safe, even if it a lil out of it lying in the grass, phone falling on her face. He chuckled passing her the burger still warm in one hand as he picked up her phone for her in with the other, "cheese and pickles, as requested." He stood beside her first, looking around the park, those sex noises must be loud for Evie to run so far, "you doing okay?"

-

Grayson it had been a relaxing day for gray, a slow one at the store. was able to get it closed up by 7pm and when he got home, a sandwich got him tired and fallen into a few hours nap. thats life in your forties for you. eventually, he turned over and the light from his phone got the man groggily cleaning out the sleep from his eyes and seeing that evie had been texting. and was drunk, somewhere in carroll. gray had too much experience with this to feel comfortable leaving the woman out by herself this late. so he got up, took one of his hoodies for her, and headed out to find her at the park. he wasn’t expecting someone else to be there with her and from this distance, he wasn’t sure what was going on or if he liked that much. “heyo,” gray alerted to his presence, jogging the rest of the way to come across evie laying on the ground. and some other guy that he did a double take of, a smile coming in as he pointed towards him, “i know you! .. uhh.. hockey player, right? yeah, the la knights,” he said, totally unaware he had gotten the team name wrong — wouldn’t have cared anyway, because he had been rooting for the other team. “you two know each other?” gray asked then, surveying the scene with a keener eye, noting the food and that evie didn’t seem to be in distress. just drink. “hey,” his smile soft, he squatted next to evie to check on her, “you want to put this on? it’s cold out tonight.” he held out the hoodie.

-

Evie Evie blinked blearily up at the two figures looming over her, squinting like they kept multiplying before a crooked grin spread across her face. ❝ Ashhhh... y'came. ❞ She reached for the burger with both hands like it was the greatest treasure she'd ever seen, nearly dropping it before hugging it to her chest. ❝ I love cheeseburger... an' you pickles. You're, like... the besht. ❞ She hummed with that little happy smile she almost always had on her lips. Her attention drifted to Grayson when she heard his voice now. ❝ Gray! Hi... you found me too. Everybody's findin' me now. ❞ She giggled, then pointed lazily between the two men. ❝ An' it's Kingsss. LA Kings. No the... no t... who was it? I know 'cause Ash does the hockey thingy and we met a long time ago now. ❞ It was sweet of Grayson to bring her a sweater, as she didn't even noticed the temperature outside anymore, accepting the hoodie with clumsy hands, sliding it on her small body to then flop back into the grass. ❝ M'fine. The ground's comfy... but y'guys are way prettier than the stars right now. ❞

-

Ashton "course I did- careful," he gently spoke, making sure the burger made it to her hands without dropping. How did she get this wasted? The question was lingering in his mind. "Once you eat a lil let's get you h-" Before Ash could finish his sentence, some other voice came up, and one that was off the bat unrecognizable which made Ash tense up at the sound of it. He stood up straight up, raising an eyebrow at the familiar face but never around here in Carroll.. Evie at least seemed to know him. Ash stared him down for a second or two as it clicked, "you?"

The irk of a face and that smile had him in a small mild annoyance but nothing truly antagonistic, in all the times they've been in random cities.. he's always felt like.. a house fly, harmless but annoying. Evie was the sweetie to even help him correct his hockey team before he could as he chuckled, "yeah, hockey player, constantly judged by this one Sharks fan." He's seen him in teal before, running around San Jose. "And yeah, we're old friends." Ash said it quickly before he could have any ideas on what he walked in on, or what he himself might be planning with her. even if Evie knew him, Ashton didn't. And he wasn't going to trust another man's intentions with her. Ash squat down opposite of this Gray to continue keeping an eye of him. "And how do you know each other?" He had promised Evie he'd look after her in this town, no way he was going to let anything happen to her. His concerned gaze glanced back down to the obliviously happy dazed girl lying on the ground with these two men beside her, honestly the optics are not great from the outlook, "Evie, you wanna go home?"

-

Grayson “right, kings,” he corrected with a quiet smirk, more than aware that it might chafe the hockey player some. ash? the guy was hot, gray clocked messing with him from the moment they met and had a relatively friendly rivalry going on. “gotta stay loyal to my sharks, being a water man myself,” gray claimed with a wink in ash’s direction. did he honestly care that much about hockey? not particularly, but he had gone out to games now and then, with his nephew in tow, to keep the younger man entertained. “ah, that’s easy,” now his smile directed down onto evie with a softer expression, “i am her gargoyle, she pulled me out of the shadows at the reception and hasn’t put me back since.” now it was her he was giving the wink, because damn, he was just a terrible flirt with everyone. he liked evie, though! as a friend, definitely, and she was more than just that by now. they had their fun but — tonight wasn’t the night for that, with her blitzed out of her mind. ash and his goals aligned here, get her someplace she could sleep it off safely. “yeah evie, you should come sleep it off.. i feel like you probably texted half the town here,” gray actually looked over his shoulder from where he squatted, as if expected other men to come out of the shadows to play knight. giving that she was a dancer, he was lowkey concerned about who some of those might be.

-

Evie ❝ I… I did not text that many people… ❞ Evie mumbled, pouting as she fumbled her phone inches from her face, squinting at it for a beat before letting out a tiny gasp. ❝ …Oh. Maybe I did. Tha’s… a lotta names. ❞ She dissolved into giggles, dropping the phone onto her stomach this time. Her hazy gaze drifted between Grayson and Ashton before she pointed at them with absolutely zero coordination. ❝ M’gargoyle… m’hockey man… y’both came to me. ❞ She smiled so wide her cheeks hurt, hugging herself in the warmth of his sweater. Shaking her head she took a big ol’ bite of the burger to devour it. ❝ Mm… but Ash, brought me cheeseburger… I could just kiss y’for that… ❞ she slurred absentmindedly through a mouthful of food before blinking at Grayson. She flopped back into the grass with a content sigh. ❝ I don’ wanna go yet, we gotta eat my burger and watch the sky. ❞ her hand touched Grayson bicep to keep him near. ❝ Then house boat. ❞

-

Ashton he rolled his eye lightly, knowing the other man could care less about his hockey, even if he did care about hockey on the occasions, it wouldn't be for him. "her.. gargoyle..?" Ash mumbled in confusion mostly to himself, blinking at the unconventional way to describe your relation to someone. So during the reception, Ash was well.. busy. He hadn't noticed or met many people there. Ash sighed endearingly looking at Evie giggling to herself, with her phone, her sweater, and her burger. "of course I came, no kisses needed, you should sit up to eat.." he lightly nagged, but resigning to sitting down on the grass beside her since she didn't want to leave yet. However words caught his ears that made his sharply turn his gaze like daggers to gargoyle Gray, "house boat?" His tone darkened waiting for an explaination from either of them. No, Ashton wasn't going to let her go sleep in some other man's house while she was drunk. He pulled out a bottle of water from his bag that he got alongside the burger, twisting the cap and holding it out for Evie whenever she needed it. "Why are you even here in this town? Touristing? This is kings territory, shark man."

-

Grayson "maybe no kisses until you're feeling more up to it," gray suggested, giving a quick glance towards the hockey player. did these two have something going on too, then? well, that was fine -- evie was her own woman, could do what she wanted, of course. but didn't mean gray felt it was appropriate to happen while she was too plastered to remember come morning. "my home," he cleared the question up, not even clocking the sudden sharpness from the other because his attention was mostly on evie. grayson, too, finished lowering his bottom to the ground and sat there, knees to his chest. "just got me and my nephew on it but, it's home." for now, anyway. so long as carroll stayed good for them. gray was enjoying himself and the shop so far. "i opened a surf's shop down by the pier, so we're here for the forseeable future.. promised trist i'd give him a stable place for once so.. maybe i'll change my colors," he smirked over at ash.

-

Evie ❝ Huh…? ❞ Evie looked back and forth between Ashton and Grayson, her brows knitting together like she was trying to solve the world’s hardest riddle before giving up with a lazy smile. ❝ S’pretty goat. It floats an’ everythin’. ❞ She took the bottle of water from Ashton with a clumsy little grin. ❝ Thank yewww… ❞ she slurred, taking a sip before immediately reaching for another bite of her burger. ❝ M’not goin’ hoome tonight. Dom might still be nakey there. ❞ She loud whispered like it was a secret. She wasn’t realizing the tension between the men as she was in her own little world. ❝ Whoaaa… Trist is your nephew?? ❞ She stayed sitting up before leaning her head toward Ashton’s shoulder

-

Ashton "no kisses at all, tonight." Ash felt like if Evie isn't coherent enough to say no, he will lay down that boundary for her. Doesn't matter if they're madly in love and he's just cockblocking right now, he was her friend and he'll do what he thinks is right when she can't. He slowly let his shoulders release some of the tension as they both explain, at least his nephew is around and... it.. floats. Weirder that they're staying here, of all places. "Didn't know people stayed on boats around here," the bite in his words had simmered away though as was still being wary of this Gray guy. He murmured it's nothing to Evie's thanks, stabilizing her bottle once she was done. But he frowned her a reluctance to go home, "maybe they're asleep by now, y'know?" perhaps an understandable logical reason, but still going to this man's boat home didn't sit well with Ashton either.

Evie was still in her entire world as they waited for the food and water to help sober up a little, letting her lean onto him more comfortably, so she wouldn't choke on her burger, "think I've met your nephew before.. right? somewhere around with you," they conversed tensely, keeping Evie in the conversation could also help her not crash out to sleep. Blues turn their gaze to Gray, to meet the smirk unamusingly, "never known a sharks fan to ever become a kings, but be my guest to prove me wrong." Interesting that they were trying to find somewhere stable. Those guys hopped around more often than Ashton travelled to different cities for away games. But he took a short beat, absorbing what he was saying before the dots finally clicked, any warmth that might've built up in his voice dissolved again. "Oh. So you're that Grayson." Surf Shop Grayson. That he knew.

-

Grayson he merely gave the other man a look that said, plain as day, duh. hadn't that been what grayson said? in his eyes, surely. clearly when she was more up to it would imply she needed to sober herself first. the shop owner that that was common sense here. "you must not visit the pier very often." they weren't the only pair living on the water, that much gray had noticed. but, there weren't many, no. "dom?" his brows lifted, wondering who this person was now and why were they naked at evie's apartment. "maybe this dom ought to go back to his own place.. you shouldn't be muscled out of your apartment," he was already a bit annoyed by dom. "ah, you know trist too, do you?" gray's voice came in a murmur now, assessing evie for a moment as he wondered if they had something going on, as well. evie was having her fun, as grayson did, but potentially with his nephew? that made things.. a bit weirder for him.

"have you met every sharks fan?" he asked, faint amusement over the thought. there was something going on with this ash guy. his vibes weren't the same friendly rivals that grayson was used to. "that grayson?" his arms came to rest over his knees, staring at ashton. "something bothering you, friend?"

-

Evie Evie let out the smallest little whine, pressing her forehead dramatically against Ashton's shoulder as if the conversation itself was exhausting her. ❝ M'head's so... spinny... ❞ she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut before peeking back up at the two of them, sitting upright as she looked between the two of them. ❝ Why're y'both... doin' the scary guy stare thing? ❞ A giggle escaped her as she took another bite of her burger almost finishing it now, chewing with far too much concentration. ❝ M'ya... It's Nio... Naomi's place, he's there with her ❞ She rubbed at one eye with the sleeve of Grayson's hoodie, softly laughing about getting her own friends name almost wrong. ❝ Y'know... y'look kinda cute when y'get bein' a liiiittle grumpy. ❞ She poked as Grayson's arm, sitting upright, crossing her legs, holding her arms outwards to try and so called balance herself.

-

Ashton "I'm more of a solid water kinda guy," Ash shrugged, though it wasn't true, he loved the beach, just never really one in the higher society of life corner of carroll. "Maybe it's time to sleep soon, hm?" he gently nudged Evie as she whined, hand lightly patting her head to hopefully soothe the spinning. But she was quick to move on to look at them and focus on her burger. "We're just.. talking, don't worry Eves," he sighed, knowing at least if he stayed by her side, nothing bad would happen to her, Ash dropped more of his guard down then. He kind of knew of Dom, more of mom's circle, none of his business to really get into it, other than the fact that he definitely did not want to imagine him naked. So he let Evie explain. "I agree, maybe you should chase naked Dom out so you can sleep," he chuckled dryly, agreeing with the other man sounded strange.

"I've met enough sharks fans that have wished me an early grave," he still had jokes in him before the dawned fact soured on Ashton's impression of this man. The way he got defensive seemed guilty to him, friend had never sounded this hostile. "A little birdie told me you broke her heart, and I don't take kindly to people that break my friends' hearts." He answered as a matter of factly, as if implying or questioning if history was going to repeat itself here with Evie. Ash helped her stabilize with a hand gently to her shoulder as she sat upright properly, letting her oogle over this Gray guy for a second before asking, "Evie, if you don't want to go home, then do you wanna come stay at mine? My mom is home right now too, we got a spare room and she can lend you some clothes."

-

Grayson grayson's brows merely sank together like he didn't quite understand what either of them were on about. he was literally just sitting there, picking up on a couple of signals that the hockey player wasn't too happy with him for some reason. "i'm not grumpy right now, evie," he advised her gently, the corner of his mouth up in a small smile. she was a cute drunk, but he still didn't understand why she was out drinking herself stupid just over a naked man at her apartment.

"it's just a game, i'm not that diehard a fan," the surf's shop owner made a small gesture, to brush aside the thought. "besides, i keep the rivalry at the games, where it's all good fun." then ashton mentioned about a birdie, the reference fairly specific as there's only been one person he's theoretically broken the heart of recently. "that birdie assumed a lot of things she wasn't promised and never asked about," gray returned in an even and polite tone. "i can't control what someone else assumes." this man had only one half of the story from winnie's very biased side, so grayson wasn't too bothered to understand that's where the friction came from. he didn't even blame ash for it -- the guy was obviously just being a good friend. like he was with evie. gray gave a minor shrug, to show he was fine with the change of plans if that's what evie decided.

-

Evie Evie sat there for another moment, the cool grass beneath her hands feeling oddly comforting while the conversation around her blurred in and out. She could tell Ashton and Grayson were talking about someone, no idea who as it all just zoomed right over her head, and even through the haze of alcohol she didn't whatever weird tension was happening. Her head felt light, her cheeks warm, and every time she moved too quickly the world seemed to sway just a little before settling again, like everything was three seconds behind her. The water and burger helping soothe her stomach though as she finished the food.

❝ Oooook. ❞ she mumbled with a crooked smile, waving a hand lazily between them. A soft laugh escaped her as she planted her palms on the ground and pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled immediately, catching herself with a quiet ❝ Whoa... okay... ❞ before breaking into another giggle at her own lack of balance, flipping her long blonde hair back. Standing still for a second, she blinked until everything stopped spinning quite so much, then looked over at Grayson. ❝ I already told you I'd crash on the boat... didn't I? ❞ she asked, more to confirm it than anything else. Her eyes drifted to Ashton, her expression gentle despite the alcohol making every emotion feel a little bigger than normal. ❝ I don' wanna im..impose. ❞

-

Ashton The venom was dissolving with time, a light scoff at Grayson's logic for their rivalry, makes sense. Probably. "Fine, guess it is the off season," he lightly shrugged, grumbled without bite, "you can hate me again when September comes." If Grayson lasts long enough to stay here. Honestly the Sharks are having insane lucky and it's super unfair and incredibly terrifying with their top draft picks in the draft lottery luck. Doubt he'll wanna switch teams at what seems like an incredibly strong young team next season. He frowned at his reasoning regarding Winnie, "well, would've been nice to have had an open conversation about it then, wouldn't it?" Sounded like a player alright. Though he was curious, what his side of the story was, or what he thought it was. He seriously hoped he wasn't playing with Evie either.

Though Ash took note of the willingness from Grayson for a change of plans, Evie however did not. "Eves.." Ash was helping her stabilize herself as she got up, more afraid she was going to fall and hit her head or back. He lowered his voice mostly for her to hear only, "I'm not gonna leave you alone on a boat." with this guy or without this guy. One wrong slip and if she felt into the water, that was it. But he didn't want to push her if she didn't want to. He glanced over to Gray, concerned gaze looking through the different scenarios, "I drove here, I much rather stay with her, if she wants to go to your place."

-

Grayson “sounds like a song,” he cracked a joke, ashton’s words reminding him of that blue october band. gray only inclined his head towards the assumption he should have spelled things out for winnie, because at that moment evie hoisted to her feet. / he, too, decided to get to his feet. “sounds like your friend here would feel better if you went and hung out with him and his mother tonight, evie,” gray said. fine to let that be the end of it, so long as ashton wasn’t doing exactly what he clearly suspected him of. taking advantage of a drunk woman. “though, gonna need some insurance here that you are taking her back where you got your mother watching out, too… no offense.”

-

Evie Evie blinked up at the two of them, lips pursed in exaggerated concentration like she was trying really hard to keep up. Her gaze landed on Ashton, lingering there as she swayed a little on her feet before letting out a tiny sigh. Her bosy appretiative of him helping her keep her balance. ❝ Y'know... you're both bein' all... responsible 'n so sweet n' stuff... ❞ she mumbled with a sleepy little smile at this point in time now. ❝ M'brain can't think much t'argue... ❞ She reached out without thinking, slipping her hand onto Ashton's arm. ❝ Okay... I'll come home with y'... say hi t'your mom... n' sleep sleep sleep the night away. ❞ She giggled at herself, then leaned her weight against him with a dramatic huff. ❝ But y'have t'carry me if the ground starts movin' again... 'cause it's bein' really rude tonight. ❞

She looked over at Grayson with a crooked grin, lifting her free hand in a wobbly little wiggle of her fingers. ❝ Sorryyy, gargoyle... rain check on th'floaty house, okay? Her eyelids drooped as she rested her cheek against Ashton's shoulder again, mumbling almost to herself. Her stomach felt more full, starting to absorb the alcohol and drugs.

-

Ashton "maybe you can write it, a big summer hit," Ash scoffed back at the joke, the silence to his words for Winnie said enough in his opinion, even as Evie gets up and takes both their attention. The tension escaped him in a long exhaled breathe though, as both parties seem to agree to the idea. "Of course, no offense taken, I expect nothing less of a friend of Evie's," honestly Grayson making that request made Ashton feel the best about him so far. "Mom would love to say hi to you, and catch up in the morning after you've slept, 'kay?" He shifted his hold of her to be steadier as she leaned onto him, "I will, might as well put my summer training to good use." Ash chuckled at the request, whatever that would help her cooperate to rest safely at home. He looked over to Grayson, to answer regarding his insurance he wanted, "did you drive? if you didn't, I could send us back all to mine first, make sure she's settled in with my mom, then send you back home." That was the best insurance Ash felt like he could give a friend.

-

Grayson his eyes swept over evie and the way she continued to touch and lean in against the other man. most of her interest, in fact, was in ashton, with grayson being a secondary act that was sort of in everyone’s way. he physically took a step back. a natural instinct to distance himself from caring about that and whoever ash was to evie, whatever he meant to her. they looked quite chummy and he distinctly ignored the minor irritation at seeing it.

“that’s alright, trist is home tonight, would have had questions,” gray said with a casual shrug over evie’s apology. the flirtation going back and forth between the other two made him squint, just enough. now he was going to carry her? “i got my car, I’ll follow you guys.” as soon as he saw that ash was bringing evie back somewhere with another female presence, gray would be on his way and not think more on it. why she had texted him when she already asked someone else to show, he didn’t know. was it to make him jealous? was he jealous?

-

Evie Evie let out a soft little hum, her fuzzy brain only catching about half the conversation. They were talking about cars... moms... Trist... insurance? Why they were talking about their insurances didn't make sense to her but it all sounded important, but the words floated around her head like bubbles she couldn't quite grab. She blinked slowly toward Grayson just as he stepped back, her smile faltering for the briefest second.

❝ Don't be all... over there... ❞ she mumbled, pointing at him with absolutely no coordination before abandoning the gesture entirely. With surprising determination, she stumbled the couple of steps separating them and threw both arms around him in a clumsy, alcohol-fueled hug. ❝ M'sorry I can't come see your floaty house... ❞ she slurred into his shoulder, giving him an extra squeeze that lingered a second longer than it probably could have. ❝ Rain check... I promise... ❞ She giggled quietly before swaying on her feet, immediately deciding standing was overrated. Turning back toward Ashton, she reached both arms out toward him without a shred of shame, fingers making little grabby motions.

❝ Okaaay... carry me now please. M'legs are on strike... an' the ground's still bein' rude. ❞ A dramatic sigh escaped her throwing her head backwards, not a smart idea as it made her stumble back.

-

Ashton "That works too, I'll show you to my car first, and text my mom while you pull over," Ash nodded, taking this more of a rescue operation at this point, working together rather than against Grayson. Guess in a way it's also because he did get his way on ensuring Evie's safety the best way he knew. Not saying that it would, but if Ash simply trusted that she'd be okay and something happened to her, he'd never live with himself. This was more than okay of a compromise for Grayson to come over and see the safety conditions of his home with his mom around.

Feeling a lil bit better about Grayson, Ash lets Evie stumble over to the other man for a hug, simply making sure she didn't fall over in the process. He could only look at her and her grabby hands with an amused and endeared sigh, "okay," Ash can rarely say no to his friends' requests, even more so like this. "Okay okay okay.." he was quick to move and catch her in her mid stumble, "up we go, time to sleep, 'kay?" he mumbled before gently bringing his arms around her shoulder and under her knees to lift her up without much problem, looking back to Grayson, "my car's just parked down there, let's go."

-

Grayson the woman was coming his way so he met her halfway, just to prevent further risk of her falling. “some other time, you’ll have the grand tour— not that it’s anything special,” he promised, knowing it was an old boat in need of plenty repairs but was fine enough for both Tristan and himself.

gray naturally reached out to catch her before evie stumbled back, but ashton was quicker, saving the woman in the nick of time. she had asked for him anyway. “im parked this way, i’ll meet you over there,” gray gestured an opposite direction and headed off, with a look over his shoulder. hoping he wasn’t taking some risk in leaving her for the two minutes it would take to pull around. he found his vehicle and pulled around behind the one he saw them getting into, ready to follow.

-

Evie Evie’s head felt pleasantly light, the kind of dizzy where everything seemed just a little softer around the edges. She caught bits and pieces of the conversation still, Instead, she simply watched the two of them move around her, an absent little smile lingering on her face as the cool night air brushed against her very flushed cheeks.

She barely had time to register herself tipping backward before Ashton was there, effortlessly scooping her off the ground. A laugh bubbled out of her, instinctively curling into his hold as one hand loosely gripped the front of his shirt to steady herself, head leaning against him. The world stopped swaying quite so much when her feet weren’t on it anymore. Her gaze wandered over his shoulder until it found Grayson heading toward his own car, and she lifted her hand in a lazy little wave. ❝ …See you soon my gargoyle… ❞ she hummed out as she rested back against Ashton.