muses_w_remotes | 9.16. The Ice Harvest quote
9.16. "It's against my religion to give out personal advice, but you should either sober up or get real drunk."
| The Ice Harvest
Co-written with notskywalker
Aiden looked at the line of shot glasses Luke was setting up across the coffee table and raised an eyebrow. “And you want to get me drunk why?” he asked suspiciously. “Is this some post-engagement groom ritual I don’t know about or are you just insane?”
Luke quickly but carefully poured the bottle of tequila to fill the six glasses, only spilling a little on the glass table top. “No, this is a ‘Spent your thirtieth birthday and New Year sober and have to make up for it’ ritual,” he corrected and eyed Aiden closely. “Speaking of…”
“Fuck,” Aiden laughed, shaking his head. “You’re as subtle as a knee in the nads.”
“Why didn’t you drink? It was your fucking thirtieth!” Luke cried and pushed one of the shots in Aiden’s direction along with the dish of lemon slices and the salt shaker.
Aiden scratched his head, still smirking. “I wasn’t drinking because Pat wasn’t. We had other plans for afterwards that I kind of wanted to be sober for. Nothing sinister, I promise. Spend my birthday pissed off my face and New Year’s Day hung over or sober and enjoying myself? If Tab was ill and couldn’t drink because of medication, would you still proceed to get pissed and let her spend the night alone or would you just kick back and enjoy yourself with her? My partner is ill. Things are just done differently now, man. No conspiracy here. I didn’t enjoy myself less not drinking.” He picked up the shot and took it with ease.
“How’s things going there, anyway? How is he doing?” Luke asked, indulging in his own first shot.
Aiden shrugged. “A little better.” He rested his head on his hand. “Not much better physically but mentally and emotionally, he’s doing well. It’s not a huge issue anymore. We just take each day and if it’s a good one, we make the most of it.”
“But?” Luke guessed. “Why can I hear a huge ‘but’ in there somewhere?”
“But I think Pat’s humouring me,” Aiden admitted and started to drum his fingers on the armrest. “Or trying to meet me half way but hiding his true feelings about it. I think he wants to live with me but doesn’t want to move to New York. It’s a daunting move for anyone in any case but trying to fight an illness and coming into a hectic environment like this? Now I’m just worried I’ve pushed him. Plus, I’m asking him to up and leave right when the baby has just been born and I know how important that little boy is to Pat. Lachlan’s like a brother to him.”
Luke watched his friend with a small helpless sigh. “Is that why all these brochures on disability aids are lying here untouched? You’re having second thoughts?” he asked softly. “Have you spoken to him about it?”
Aiden shook his head. “I haven’t had the chance. First he was in hospital, then he had those days after where he could hardly lift his head off the pillow. Then there was Christmas, the baby, then Tara took a turn for the worst. Then we’re here for New Year’s and my birthday, and he’s there while I’m here and it’s fucking crap. The situation; not everything that’s happened. It’s just been a bad time. I’m asking him to move away from his home and his family right at a time that he’s at a low with his health. But he doesn’t want me to think he doesn’t want to be with me, so he’s going along with it. There’s nothing wrong with our relationship… it’s the external logistics.”
“So, you’re concerned if you talk to him, he’s just going to tell you he’s fine and you’re worrying about nothing? That he wants to move here and it will all be fine?” Luke tried to encourage Aiden to have another drink, but it was turned down with a small shake of his head.
Aiden scrunched his nose up a little. “That’s what he will say,” he said wryly.
Luke picked up another shot glass and pressed it into Aiden’s hand. “Then what are you going to do about it?” he asked with a pointed look.
Aiden snorted and smirked at his friend. “Get drunk,” he decided and downed the shot with practiced ease.
Word Count | 723
| The Ice Harvest
Co-written with notskywalker
Aiden looked at the line of shot glasses Luke was setting up across the coffee table and raised an eyebrow. “And you want to get me drunk why?” he asked suspiciously. “Is this some post-engagement groom ritual I don’t know about or are you just insane?”
Luke quickly but carefully poured the bottle of tequila to fill the six glasses, only spilling a little on the glass table top. “No, this is a ‘Spent your thirtieth birthday and New Year sober and have to make up for it’ ritual,” he corrected and eyed Aiden closely. “Speaking of…”
“Fuck,” Aiden laughed, shaking his head. “You’re as subtle as a knee in the nads.”
“Why didn’t you drink? It was your fucking thirtieth!” Luke cried and pushed one of the shots in Aiden’s direction along with the dish of lemon slices and the salt shaker.
Aiden scratched his head, still smirking. “I wasn’t drinking because Pat wasn’t. We had other plans for afterwards that I kind of wanted to be sober for. Nothing sinister, I promise. Spend my birthday pissed off my face and New Year’s Day hung over or sober and enjoying myself? If Tab was ill and couldn’t drink because of medication, would you still proceed to get pissed and let her spend the night alone or would you just kick back and enjoy yourself with her? My partner is ill. Things are just done differently now, man. No conspiracy here. I didn’t enjoy myself less not drinking.” He picked up the shot and took it with ease.
“How’s things going there, anyway? How is he doing?” Luke asked, indulging in his own first shot.
Aiden shrugged. “A little better.” He rested his head on his hand. “Not much better physically but mentally and emotionally, he’s doing well. It’s not a huge issue anymore. We just take each day and if it’s a good one, we make the most of it.”
“But?” Luke guessed. “Why can I hear a huge ‘but’ in there somewhere?”
“But I think Pat’s humouring me,” Aiden admitted and started to drum his fingers on the armrest. “Or trying to meet me half way but hiding his true feelings about it. I think he wants to live with me but doesn’t want to move to New York. It’s a daunting move for anyone in any case but trying to fight an illness and coming into a hectic environment like this? Now I’m just worried I’ve pushed him. Plus, I’m asking him to up and leave right when the baby has just been born and I know how important that little boy is to Pat. Lachlan’s like a brother to him.”
Luke watched his friend with a small helpless sigh. “Is that why all these brochures on disability aids are lying here untouched? You’re having second thoughts?” he asked softly. “Have you spoken to him about it?”
Aiden shook his head. “I haven’t had the chance. First he was in hospital, then he had those days after where he could hardly lift his head off the pillow. Then there was Christmas, the baby, then Tara took a turn for the worst. Then we’re here for New Year’s and my birthday, and he’s there while I’m here and it’s fucking crap. The situation; not everything that’s happened. It’s just been a bad time. I’m asking him to move away from his home and his family right at a time that he’s at a low with his health. But he doesn’t want me to think he doesn’t want to be with me, so he’s going along with it. There’s nothing wrong with our relationship… it’s the external logistics.”
“So, you’re concerned if you talk to him, he’s just going to tell you he’s fine and you’re worrying about nothing? That he wants to move here and it will all be fine?” Luke tried to encourage Aiden to have another drink, but it was turned down with a small shake of his head.
Aiden scrunched his nose up a little. “That’s what he will say,” he said wryly.
Luke picked up another shot glass and pressed it into Aiden’s hand. “Then what are you going to do about it?” he asked with a pointed look.
Aiden snorted and smirked at his friend. “Get drunk,” he decided and downed the shot with practiced ease.
Word Count | 723