#alcohol usage

To make it to a modicum of vulnerability, he needs to be at your house. Not his, you've never been to his place of residence, but Aventurine treats an invite to yours like a stay at a palace. Dolled up in his finest silk and gold, bearing gifts of fancy wine and fancier snacks. He barely drinks any, but the movie that's been playing is investing enough to draw your mind away from the tells of the Stoneheart, and onto the screen.

“I don't think you're hydrated enough to cry like this,” Aventurine muses. His free arm pats the back of your head, holding you close as tears soak into his coat- he grumbles about the sleeve getting deformed as you sob from the tragic twist in the last act. Eventually, the sobs of the movie turn into just sobs, before there's a pitiful, pathetic hit against his other shoulder.

“I hate you…” It's admitted in tiny, muffled mumble as your face buries into Aventurine, soaking in his warmth, “Automated message… I thought you…”

Died. Gods, if only; Aventurine pats your head, keeping you uncomfortably pressed to his shoulder, “I know, honey. I know,” his own tone hurts his heart, gentle and soft, like a mother shushing her child (like a sister, holding a goddess’ blessed), “But I'm here. Alive and well.”

There's a melancholy to his tone, alive and well is never a good thing to Aventurine. But that hint of sadness is drowned out with yet another sob; A push onto his lap gets him to fold, bringing you closer until your head is tucked under his chin. Aventurine swears his skin feels like fire, contact is pins and needles against him, but his hand brushes up and down your side like a lover's would.

He's quiet, you're quiet- you quiet down, eventually. “...I'm sorry, honey,” words barely whispered, they hardly exist. His heart feels like it's being wrenched out, or squeezed, or something. It hurts in a way that feels disgusting and gentle, apologies make him ache. His hand digs into your waist, there's a quiet whimper and Aventurine feels like he wants to stab you. His lips find their way to your head, forehead, nose, cheek, neck. Guilt makes him stop there; but you follow up on that offer from the elevator and plant a messy little kiss against the skin of his neck- the side that isn't seared.

“You're terrible at this,” Aventurine laughs- wheezes? Huffs? A half assed attempt to hide his fragility, humor coats most wounds but not the cracks he’s displaying tonight. You proclaim hatred once more, Aventurine tilts his head up, every artist needs a canvas. He stops you the minute your hand tugs against his collar, shaking his head, “Ah ah, you've got to be conscious to go further.”

A pout and a grumble, and all of the sudden your lips find his. Aventurine thinks he might just die, but the torment doesn't last as you break off to pass out on his shoulder. He feels sick; his hands knead against your skin, squeezing and releasing as his mind races. He could kill you, purge this soft fluff from his system with a blaze. Cut you off, run away, he could kiss someone else in front of you- maybe that would scare you off.

“______! What brings you here this lovely evening, my dear?” He said warmly.

“I keep hearing your name wherever I go. I can't stop thinking of you so I needed to come see you.” You whined, stopping in front of him.

“Ah, can’t get me out of your mind, so you’ve come to see me to mend your eager heart hmm~?” He teased.

“Precisely.” You nodded.

You slipped the bottle of sake out of his hands while he gazed at you and poured yourself a cup before you returned it to his hand. Holding it carefully, you then sat yourself down in his lap with a dramatic sigh. He chuckled, amused by your simple dilemma. He did not mind the poaching of his alcohol simply because it was you, and watched lovingly as you took a sip and relaxed.

“How sweet. My little flower needs me~” He hummed.

“I do.” You mumbled, leaning back into him. “You have too many names. I cannot escape the news of you, therefore you will not leave my mind.”

“I’ve taken on many roles in life. I cannot help those names.” He offered as he sipped from the bottle of sake.

“It’s just too many though. I always hear of Kyoshiro, Ushimitsu Kozo, and Denjiro everywhere I go.” You whined, drinking a little faster. “The problem is I don’t like any of those names. They all sound so… wrong to me.”

“Oh? Not even my true name can bring you pleasant thoughts?” He questioned, sounding almost a little offended.

You smirked, amused by his mild offence. He was right in your hands, and you knew it well.

“No… None of them sound as good as… my love.”. You purred. “That name suits you much better. I like the way it rolls off my tongue more~”

You felt his heart skip a beat behind you. A throaty chuckle then escaped him while he snaked an arm around your waist, holding you against him tenderly. He was very much satisfied with your answer, and you could tell by the way his thumb gently stroked the fabric of your kimono.

“Y’know, you’re right. I like the sound of that much better.” He hummed.

“Told you~”

By now both of you had finished your drinks, Denjiro setting down his bottle while you still held onto your empty cup. You still wanted to drink more, so you attempted to wiggle out of his lap and reach for a new bottle. He held tight to you though and would not allow you to leave his lap, causing you to whine in protest when you couldn’t get ahold of a fresh bottle of sake.

“Denjiro! I want another drink~!” You complained, submitting to his embrace and resting back against him.

“Sorry, what’s my name~?” He teased.

You sighed when you realized what he wanted, laughing a little.

“My love, let me quench my thirst.” You requested again with a slight lilt in your tone.

“Only after a kiss.” He then bargained.

When you nodded, he took your cup out of your hands and put it down on the ground. Once you were completely unoccupied, he leaned down and pulled you close, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss: an activity you were pleased to indulge in. His kisses always made you melt, and this one was no different. Your heart was stolen by the alcohol flavoured kiss you took pleasure in, holding onto him with your freed up hands until you finally parted for a breath of air and a sip of sake.

“Can I have some more to drink now, my love?” You requested once again, still hovering quite close to his face.

“I’m starting to wonder who the real alcoholic is here.” He chuckled, sitting back upright while he reached over for a new bottle.

“You, napping Kyoshiro.” You teased.

“God, I really do have too many names, don’t I?” He sighed as he refilled your cup once more.

“You do. But to me, you’ll always be my love. No matter what you go by, you’re someone special.” You said sweetly.

“Just as you’ll always be my beautiful flower.” He agreed.

Once inside it didn’t take you long to locate your friends. They were a loud bunch as is, and they only got louder once they spotted you, waving at you excitedly. You then sat among your assortment of friends, instinctively seating yourself next to Spinner out of habit with friendly greetings going around. 

“Glad to see you made it!” Spinner greeted you, sipping on a glass of water. “Where’s Kite? I thought for sure you’d convince him to come.”

“Nah, it’s not his scene so I didn’t wanna pressure him.” You explained. “Besides, I think I needed a little girl’s night out anyway~”

Spinner grinned as the bartender made his way over to you, everyone already listing off their next orders as they gathered closer around you. 

“Girls night it is then!” She said cheerfully.

Just like that your evening kicked off with fervour amongst all of you, downing drinks and talking about drama until everyone knew everybody’s business. Spinner was the only one to not drink, mainly to attend to the inevitable drunken mess you were becoming. Admittedly as the night went on you started to babble about your life with Kite, gushing about him every once in a while when asked or simply just because. You even sent off a few drunk texts to him, the messages usually consisting of something you loved about him or simply saying that you missed him. Eventually you had put back enough drinks that you had to force yourself to stop using your phone and secure it in your bag for Kite’s sake. Your urge to text and call him got stronger with every bottle and you didn’t want to blow up his phone. So you asked your friends to smack your hands if you ever reached for your phone and the purpose wasn’t for calling a cab. 

Needless to say your hands were swatted many times throughout the night until it was confirmed that you were calling a cab. The drinks definitely got to you by the time midnight rolled around and Spin was laughing her ass off, having never seen you so intoxicated before. It differed greatly from how put together you usually were, so she took on the task of guiding you to your cab once it arrived, wishing you well and asking you to tell Kite she said hi. After many hugs and slurred goodbyes you were finally on your way home, Spin being the one to close the cab door for you as you were whisked away on the road home. 

As you sat drunk and dumb in the back of the cab, you texted Kite to let him know you’d be home in thirty minutes with at least several misspelled words before you leaned back against the seat to try and stop the world from spinning. While the time passed, your mind couldn’t help but to constantly think about him, and in your drunken state, your heart began to swell. Simply thinking of him brought a wide smile to your face as you held back a few tears, eager to see him and give him all the love that had suddenly swelled up within you.

Soon the driver had pulled up to the drop off point and you exited the car, slurring a thank you to him before you made your way back to Kite’s home. Despite the dramatic sway in your step you still managed to make it to his door that he thankfully left unlocked, letting yourself inside after fumbling with the handle for a moment. Once inside you saw him standing in the kitchen looking back at you, a glass of wine in one hand with a warm and welcoming smile on his face. 

“Glad to see you’ve made it home, love.” He spoke. 

That was all it took. The combination of his soft welcoming eyes and his warm soothing voice made your heart melt completely. Overwhelmed with love and appreciation, you dropped all your things and began to cry on the spot, hot tears rolling down your cheeks and gentle whimpers falling from your lips. This of course concerned Kite and he immediately put his glass down to rush over to you. 

“_______ what’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden?” He asked, his hands resting on your shoulders. 

“W-what’s wrong is I just don’t get it. You’re just so p-perfect. You… You’re hic so hot and respectful!! H-how can you be both hot and respectful oh my god. J-just thinking about you makes me w-weak.” You slurred through your tears.

Kite couldn’t help it. He began to burst with laughter as he pulled you against his chest, squeezing you lovingly as he continued to laugh. 

“‘S not funny!” You whined, face buried in his rumbling chest. 

“I’m sorry love, but it kind of is.” He chuckled, moving to look you in your watery eyes. “You stood before me and burst into tears simply because you love me so much. It’s funny, but it’s also endearing. I don’t think I could ever ask for a more loyal partner than you.”

Kite then brought his hands up to your face and wiped away your tears with his thumbs before he bent down and captured your lips in a sweet kiss. If it were possible you would’ve combusted on the spot, that swell in your heart from earlier flowing forth in a burst of passion as you kissed him back, clinging to his neck and shoulders like your life depended on it. All the energy that kept you standing went into the kiss, so you ended up falling into him and needed his support to stay upright. You were too lost in the feeling of his lips to bother, and he was happy to have his arms back around your waist anyway. 

When you finally parted you hung from him like loose clothing, staring up at him with a dumb drunken smile. It was contagious, and his grip on you only tightened as he held you close. 

“You’ve definitely had a lot to drink. I can still taste the vodka on your lips.” He chuckled.

“One of my friends said she could out drink me. I had to prove her wrong. Spin has pics for proof.” You slurred with a giggle.

“Of course.” He laughed. “Speaking of Spin, you sent off quite a few drunk texts tonight. They all had incredible comedic timing.”

“How so?” You asked. 

“Well, around ten, Spin texted me ‘your gf won’t shut up about you. It’s cute’ and not even five minutes later you texted me saying ‘I literally can’t shut up about you’ with several heart emojis and multiple misspelled words.” He elaborated.

“”Oh. Y-yeah I did do that.” You giggled. “Everyone wanted to know how you were doing and I couldn’t help myself.”

“You’re hilariously adorable, love.” He sighed. “My only problem is that I hoped you would have saved some room for this wine I bought. It was a surprise, so it’s understandable that you didn’t hold off considering you didn’t know.”

“Yeah! How could I have known! I still wanna try!” You whined. 

“You’re too drunk, love.” He scolded softly.

“Pleeeease? Just o-one sip.” You begged, going limp and forcing him to hold all of your weight.

He sighed with a smile, hoisting you upright once more. “Alright. One sip.”

That got you to stand up straight again. “Yes! Thank you~”

Pleased, you marched out of his grasp and into the kitchen where his glass sat on the counter, still swaying a little with every step you took. Kite followed closely behind you in case you fell, as you were still visibly intoxicated. Carefully you took  a sip from his glass and tasted the wine, finding it to be quite exceptional in terms of flavour. Finding the bottle nearby you recognized it as a prestigious brand, immediately impressed by the choice. 

“Ooo, this is nice. We should have this with a romantic dinner sometime soon.” You suggested as you set the glass back down as carefully as you could.

“Or any dinner. If it’s done with you, it’ll always be romantic.” He said smoothly. 

You giggled bashfully once more in your drunken state with the intent to say more, but fatigue began to take over your body and you stumbled forwards into him. Of course he caught you and held you tight against his chest once more, letting out a little sigh. 

“I think it’s time you went to bed. Come.” He suggested, already guiding you to his room. 

“Mmm, yeah.” You mumbled into his chest, dragging yourself alongside him. 

Once you successfully made it into his room you threw yourself down onto his bed with a groan, slowly pushing off your clothes with a bit of effort. As you struggled with your clothing Kite brought you a t-shirt and handed it to you once you wrestled your outfit off, offering you a loving smile despite the mess you had become. Once you slipped the loose tee on you threw yourself down into the pillows this time without bothering to cover yourself, groaning as the waterworks started up again. 

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this hun. I’m a hic drunken fool.” You mumbled.

“Yes, but you’re a drunken fool in love. I don’t mind looking after you _______. You’ll still be my beautiful girlfriend no matter what.” He reassured you, putting a hand on your back. 

Your weak crying soon turned to a chuckle, turning your head over to look at him.

“See, so damn respectful. You’re literally so amazing.” You sighed, wiping away your few tears. “I should get to see you drunk sometime. You saw me wasted, so it’s only fair.”

“I never consume enough to end up in your state, but maybe one day I’ll have more than a few glasses of wine in one night.” He chuckled, still rubbing your back.

“Then I can take care of you.” You grinned. 

This made him snort in amusement before he leaned down to kiss your forehead.

“Get under the covers, love. I’m going to clean up and I’ll be right back.” He spoke sweetly. 

You nodded and obeyed, shimmying under the blankets as he left to put away the wine and change into something more appropriate for sleeping. You practically burritoed yourself into the blankets, so by the time he came back he had to fight you for entry, eliciting a stream of playful giggles from you until he finally gained entry. He then trapped you in his embrace as the little spoon, nuzzling into your neck to simply hear more of your delightful laughter as he gently kissed your flushed skin. He adored you so much that he too couldn’t stop his chuckles, completely won over by you as if it was your first date. 

“I’ll never understand how one can be so perfect. The love you have for me is incredible. How could I ask for any more from you…” He mumbled. 

“It’s because you’re you. No drug could ever change how I feel about you. Only enhance, because nothing is better than being with you.” You spoke softly and genuinely.

You swore you heard his breathing waver a little, almost as if he were about to cry. With his hands squeezing you tightly, he admittedly let out a lot of emotion just like you did tonight. The comfort he felt with you allowed a level of vulnerability he never thought he’d be free to express, but you weren’t fully aware of it yet. The liquor had fully caught up with you by now, and you couldn’t stop it from taking you; passing out within seconds of hearing his unsteady breaths. You’d find out another day just how much he truly loved you, much like how he found out about how deeply you loved him tonight.