Second fanfiction in two days! Except not many people know about Rinmaru's awesome computer novel ASCENSION, so if you don't CHECK IT OUT!
This one is a fluffy oneshot between Kole and Aida because, c'mon, he's adorable!
...x..x..x...
"Quite a party, Tillie." Aida drawled. The mug in her hand was long-since warm, but the drunken stupor she was in was nice and fresh with each sip of ale. A gold-tinted splatter of liquid sloshed over the side and onto her boot.
"Sure hope everyone is going as all-out as you." Tillie giggled, waving her mug absently. "You would think you hadn't drunk a thing in weeks."
"I feel like I h-haven't," Aida replied, steadying herself on her stool. Everything was starting to rock like a boat in her head. Staring down at her glass, she swirled the beer by rotating the cup in circles. Eh, what the hell.
In a flash the rest of the liquid gold had traveled down Aida's throat into her stomach. With a satisfying gulp, she slammed the mug down. "Give me another one, baby! Stack 'em high!"
The bar tab was on Tillie tonight. Might as well make the most of it.
"So, got your eye on anyone tonight?" Tillie winked.
Aida scanned the room. Oh, there were plenty of guys to have eyes on. That dude with the golden braid and the dark skin. The guy with the jawline of a god. The flirt with the hazel green eyes that snapped a wink her way every time she took a swig. All of them gorgeous.
But one in particular caught her eye.
He wasn't drinking or smiling; in fact, he wasn't doing much of anything. But he had a mischievous look on his lips and his head was cocked in a way that made him seem mysterious. Arms folded, he didn't look scoundrel-mysterious; he seemed more tentative-mysterious, more levelheaded. Well, then again, anyone without a mug in their hand stood out as levelheaded at this place.
His hair was an unusual red color, like chestnuts with cherry sauce. Aida, in her drunken state, assumed it would taste just as delicious. The sides of his head were shaved, but the ponytail that arched from the center of his head ran all the way down to his right shoulder. Aida wanted to tug on the braid and see how long she could climb before it would snap. Yup, she was drunk.
"One in particular." She waved her mug in a pointing motion, aimed towards the man leaning against the staircase. "That guy." Tillie titled back in her chair to get a better look, barely hanging on.
Tillie laughed. "Aida, about how many beers have you drunk tonight?"
"'Bout five, six maybe."
"That explains it. You can't belly beer like I can. That's Kole, Aida."
The name didn't ring a bell. "Kole? Never heard of him."
"Kole. Your body guard? The guy that saved you? The flute-playing Kaelik guy? Any of this ringing a bell?"
Aida gladly shook her head and cocked an eyebrow at Tillie. "What are you talking about? I've never s-seen him in my life."
The bar tender placed another mug of ale in front of them. "Can't let you girls have anymore tonight. It'll be a miracle of the kings if you can get out of here without breaking something." He shook his head, then walked off to tend to the other customers.
One keg? Oh, that wouldn't do.
Tillie and Aida stared into each others eyes. They were both hoping for one more drink. Now they had a problem. Who would get the last mug?
"Arm wrestle for it?" Tillie stuck out her arm, fingers poised.
Aida, never one to turn down a challenge, seized Tillie's palm and gripped it. "You're on!"
The moment Tillie shouted "GO!", Aida started to push. Great kings, how the hell did Tillie get so strong?! She was just a dwarf!
Tillie laughed, her arm dominating Aida's by a few inches. She had this.
Aida took a deep breath and, with the last sober strength she had, pushed Tillie with all her might. Tillie resisted, but weakened. Taking advantage of the dwarf's drunken state, Aida hooked her foot on one of the stool's legs and pulled it out from under her. Tillie, surprised, stumbled backwards, falling off her chair onto the cold cobblestone floor.
Aida flexed, grabbing the mug off the counter as onlookers cheered.
Tillie looked up at her, a blush staining her cheeks from her intoxication, then laughed. "That was dirty!" She stood, swaying a little, and snickered. "But I couldn't be prouder. You earned it." She glanced over at Kole, who had his lips tugged into a small, approving smile. His unseeing eyes stared into space, but laughter danced in them.
"Good luck with Kole. Lord knows he needs to loosen up." With a wink and a hard slap on the back, Tillie walked away, hunting for a man willing to buy her another drink.
Aida's eyes trailed from Tillie to the mystery man against the staircase, apparently named Kole. Wait, yeah, she did remember that name. She tried to reshuffle her memories and reorganize them into something she could associate with the tall Kaelik.
Nope. Nothin'.
Aida stumbled off of her stool with the gold beer in hand. With a deep breath, she walked as smoothly as she could towards him, the sweet ale splashing a little as she staggered. She tried to swing her hips, but it only made the liquid swish dangerously close to the brim of the mug.
Kole turned his head towards her. Aida sucked in a breath. His eyes were completely white.
"Enjoying yourself, Miss Aida?" His voice was laced with mockery, but his face remained professionally stagnant.
"So you know my name, do you?" Aida sidled up to him, beer in hand. Her shoulder touched the side of his chest.
"I'm your body guard, Miss Aida. Of course I know your name." Kole gave her a confused look. "You are off balance. How many drinks have you had?"
"Drinks? I haven't had a s-single drink today!" Her words weaved up and down in pitch, rolling like the hills. Her green eyes were glazed and sparkly.
"You have forgotten I can hear everything." Kole shook his head. "Would about six sound like an accurate number?"
"Why so serious, Koley?" Aida's laugh boomed. Her own voice sounded like water in her ears.
"You mean, why so sober?" Kole smirked.
Aida laughed hard, hiccuping every few seconds. "You- you're so funnyyyy!" Aida collapsed against him. The beer trickled down the front of Kole's shirt, running down his pant leg.
"Might I suggest you've had enough?" Kole lifted the mug from Aida's hands.
"Awwww, is Koley sad I got my d-drink on his clothing?" Aida cooed in a babyish voice. She traced her hand down the trail left by the foam. "It'll come off, Koley boo."
Kole blushed bright red. "Miss Aida, please-"
"AIDA! For the love of the kings, it's just AIDA!"
"Fine, fine!.. Aida, come on. We need to get you home."
"Noooooo way, mister mystery pants! You aren't going nowhere without getting a drink first."
Kole flushed. "Aida, I don't drink while on duty."
Aida snaked her arm around his bicep, hitching his breath. His blind eyes stared just inches above her own jade ones. She could have sworn he could really see.
"Then consider your job done for the night, Koley-boo. We're getting you a drink."
Before he even realized it, Kole was sat down on a flimsy stool in front of a wooden counter. Aida's mug had been placed in front of him. The smell of it alone made Kole want to hurl.
"Honestly, I'm not a big drinker, Miss A-"
"AIDA!"
"Right.. sorry."
"Listen, Koley-boo, here's what you're gonna do. The mug is in front of you, I'm next to you. Every time you take a swig, I'll give you a kiss. How's that?"
"Koley-boo" blinked. He could feel Aida's warm, uneasy presence beside him, alright, and her voice didn't have a trace of jocularity. It was a sincere challenge.
Kale felt around until he clasped the mug's handle. The glass was heavy. He raised it hesitantly to his lips and took a small sip. A scowl jumped onto his lips. It was yeasty and bitter, and the liquid was cold enough to burn the back of his throat.
"You did it!"
A warm, soft object pressed unceremoniously against his temple. His face heated. So she wasn't kidding after all.
"Was that so bad, Koley-boo?" Aida gushed, hugging her arms around his neck. Kole flinched at the intimate contact. This wasn't going to end well.
"Please don't call me that." Kole lifted the glass again.
"What? Koley-boo? You don't like your nickname?"
Kole didn't reply, only stared blindly into the cup. The bubbles tickled his nose.
"Well, what do you want me to call you?" Aida asked, resting her cheek in her palm.
"Just Kole is fine."
"Okay, Just-Kole-Is-Fine. Nice to meet you. I'm Aida."
Aida laughed sharply at her horrible joke, doubling over and resting her head on Kole's arm. Blushing, he took a larger sip.
"Ahhhh that was a good one, eh, Koley-boo?" She clasped a hand on his shoulder and shook it, jostling the liquid up into Kole's nose. He snorted and yanked his head away. The beer burned his nostrils and he felt the bubbles fizzing inside his nose.
"Ooooh my kings!"
Kole sighed. Yup, he knew this wouldn't end well.
"Aida, we should get home. This stuff stings-"
"Hold up, Koley-boo, you didn't get your kiss yet!"
Aida clasped his jaw in her hand, jerked it toward her, and crushed her lips against his. Kole's white eyes widened, then flickered shut. His hand made his way to the back of her neck, drawing her closer. All too soon, the kiss abruptly stopped.
Aida blinked, looking at the tall, red-headed man sitting next to her, his hand still cupping her head. A teasing smile alighted on her lips. "Another beer, Koley-boo?'
Kole's cheeks burned before a silly grin teased his mouth. "Yes, please."
….x..x..x...
Time flew by in seconds to Kole. With every gulp, Aida kissed him with more and more vigor. At one point she begged to rent one of the rooms upstairs so they could continue, but the still-sober part of his mind spoke for him and told her it would be best to stay here. Her disappointed frown was corrected by a chaste kiss to the lips.
Kole found himself being dragged into a room about two hours later. An eery, high-pitched sound rang through his ears. He allowed himself to be plopped onto a soft mattress.
"A-Aida..."
"I'm right here, Kole."
Her happy voice twinkled hazily. She didn't sound drunk anymore, from what he could tell. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was small and thin. It must have been hers.
"W-where are we? What happened...?"
Flashes of memory from last night flickered in his mind.
Oh, kings.
Kole's hand bolted to his chest. His shirt was only half-buckled. Oh no oh no oh no... He grabbed his pants. Still on, though the zipper was down. Relief flooded him.
"Aida, we didn't... you know...," he clutched his head and searched room for the sound of her voice.
Her giggle resounded in his ears. "Don't worry, we didn't. Zander showed up and brought us home. He had to carry me on his back to keep me from pouncing on you."
Kole shivered. Yikes.
He hung his head backwards, exhausted. His head was pounding like a battering ram. His heart slammed and he could feel his pulse in his temples. See, Kole? THAT'S why you don't drink.
"You're in your bed." Aida's soothing voice melted over him like butter. "You're going to rest now, then we'll head for Northcliff in the morning as soon as you feel better." A brief silence. "Sorry for getting you drunk."
He groaned in reply.
Aida giggled and pressed a light, tender kiss to his warm cheek. "Get some sleep. Goodnight."
"Wait!"
Aida turned to see his hungover face drooped in worry. "What's wrong?"
"Can you get me something before you leave?"
"Um... sure. What is it?"
Kole suddenly began to blush. He couldn't possibly ask for it out loud, could he? He would never hear the end of it. He sat up, swaying. "Can you just get me my bag?"
Aida blinked. "I can get what you need in it. What's in there?"
"Just the bag would be fine."
Aida rolled her eyes. "It's not like you're just going to want the bag, Kole. There's obviously something in it you want."
Kole extended a hand. When Aida took it, he jerked her forward. Their faces inches apart, he felt her breath on his nose. Aida shivered.
"Aida, I need my bag, please."
Aida nodded dumbly, then backed away and handed him the bag.
"That will be all, Miss Aida."
Miss Aida? "I thought we were over all that formality stuff."
"You charmed me, then got me drunk, Miss Aida. Formality is now a must."
"Says the man who just pulled me onto his lap like I was a stripper." Aida retorted.
Kole tried to keep his blush at bay. Not raising his eyes, his hand felt around the bag. The soft fabric grazed his finger. He closed his fist around it. Good, it was there.
"You're free to go- Aida, no!"
Aida swiped the fabric from Kole's unsuspecting grip. Kole's eyes widened and a bead of sweat formed on his brow. Oh, damn!
Silence ensued.
"Is this... a baby blanket?"
Kole remained quiet.
"Y-you... carry your... baby blanket with you?"
"It helps me sleep" was his blunt reply.
Aida stared at the wool cloth, embroidered on the edges. Kole's name was sewn into the material with red thread. It probably used to be white, but the soft blanket had brown spots on it and parts of it looked strained from washing it so many times.
"Look, it's the only thing left from my parents. They left it hanging on a tree. They probably forgot to grab it when it was drying. It's stupid and juvenile, but..." Kale's eyes trailed down to somewhere on the floor. "But it's home."
Aida lifted it to her nose and inhaled. The faint scent of pine trees welcomed her.
"Please give it back." Kole didn't hear anything. His heartbeat resonated in his chest like his ribcage was a cave, echoing back whatever sound he made.
Silence.
Kole was suddenly attacked with a hug that blew him backwards onto the bed.
"That was the cutest goddamned thing I've ever heard in my life!" Aida shrieked, wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing gleefully.
Kole hesitantly laughed, too.
"Awwww, Koley-boo has a blankey!" Aida kissed his cheek multiple times, making a weird noise as she did. Kole laughed and hugged her waist, enjoying her proximity.
"Let me sit up, Aida." He chuckled.
The silver-headed human steadied the Kaelik man. She placed the blanket back into his hands, and he sniffed it. It smelled like Aida now, too.
"Sorry I took it. I was just curious-" Aida was cut off by Kole's lips moving against hers. She melted into him, excited. He released her mouth with a "pop". His blush, induced by embarrassment and intoxication, wrinkled as he smiled.
"It's okay."
That night, they fell asleep together, side by side, him holding her against his chest. Between them them was the blanket. Thanks to the both of them, the smell of alcohol was most likely added to its mixture of scents, but Kole didn't mind. At least he had something to help him remember the first time he drank on the job.
Why did I write this? Because... who doesn't love a drunk oneshot with a blanket? Nobody!