The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty One pt 3

The nightly ritual for the hopeless and the hopeful continued in the distance as the four made their way home while the sky still showed stars. At some point, K'ra had tricked Drokn into drinking water. Swallowing anything offered to him, he finished the mug, unaware, despite the bland taste.

By the time they had reached K'ra home, Drokn was returning from his buzz, swaying right and left slightly nonetheless. Once inside, K'ra led Drokn to the kitchen while Vrona and Eial started to set up their sleeping mats. In the kitchen, K'ra offered him a pitcher filled with a liquid. Smelling it, Drokn could instantly tell it was wine, the sweet smell slightly off-putting after a night of drinking.

[For Eial, if he would like], K'ra showed their notepad, and Drokn immediately felt a tinge of discomfort. In his night of drinking and self satisfaction, he, upsettingly to himself, had not thought of Eial much, or the fact that Eial would not have been able to freely enjoy himself.

Noticing the downcast, darkened eyes and fringed brows, K'ra patted Drokn on the shoulder, lifting his gaze. Then, they patted his head, as if recognizing his thoughts and assuring him that it was okay. [He would appreciate your company now], K'ra wrote down before passing him a tray with a lidded pot and two cups. K'ra pointed to the pot, then to Drokn, then waved their hand around their head, and Drokn understood that this was supposed to help with the aftermath of drinking.

He had heard of peasants drinking disgracefully and suffering the next day, and he doubted it would happen to him. He wasn't a peasant, and he surely could drink well. He would not display such distasteful, weak behavior. "I don't need this, I don't have hangovers."

[You've also not drank this much], K'ra wrote for Drokn to see with the knowledge of serving him in the past, and turning him around, K'ra pushed him towards Eial without further delay.

Eial and Vrona had set up the sleeping mat by then under the light of the oil lantern. Eial had already removed the hood of his cloak and the cloth around his eyes, letting the green with the orange tint from the lantern shine as he looked up at Drokn at his entrance. Vrona and K'ra left the two to themselves and went upstairs, letting the two younger ones settle on the mats, the pitcher and tray on the floor beside them.

Drokn hadn't realized how much he missed seeing —loved seeing— Eial's beautiful eyes until he was able to see them again under the warm glow. His heart beat faster and he felt a yearning to be closer, to touch...

But, Eial's voice distracted him and his thoughts. "What's this?" Eial asked, tapping his fingers on the pitcher and the pot, as if the sound could share what they were.

"Ah, this is for a hangover, and this is," Drokn looked at Eial, "Well, if you wanted to drink tonight, here is some wine."

Eial smiled, his lifted cheeks blushed rose, his eyes glimmering. "That's very thoughtful of you," said the elf, and despite the slight bit of tightness in his chest, Drokn didn't correct him and just looked away, his dishonesty too harsh for the eyes. "I was a little curious. I wanted to share a cup with you," Eial continued as he poured the wine into both cups, a little less in the one he offered to Drokn.

Drokn turned his gaze back and took his cup, tapping his to Eial's before taking a sip, unsure if he could actually stomach the flavor at this point.

Eial took his sip, as well— if one could call it a sip. The cup he had was not large, definitely not as large as the mugs at the tavern, but he took the whole cup in one gulp and cringed at the taste.

"Slow down," Drokn chuckled at the sight. "Wine is meant to be sipped."

Eial's lips curled up while they were still on the rim of the cup, his eyelashes lifted. "You surely were not sipping the wine at the tavern."

And Drokn spoke no further of it.

Eial reached out and grabbed Drokn's cup, dumping the rest of Drokn's wine into his own cup. "Thank you for drinking with me," the elf said and filled Drokn's cup with the hangover curing liquid.

"I was going to finish that," Drokn's pride spoke with mild ire, armed with the thought that he seemed too weak to stomach the rest of the cup.

But Eial just giggled. "Mmm," he hummed and giggled some more. "Well, I wanted yours."

Oh, how well the elf knew to talk to the demon's pride, calming its demands.

Drokn pouted in light frustration at his defeat, confused with the charming giggles of his companion that simultaneously calmed him. He also realized then that his elf was a giggling drunk. Of course he would be.

Taking a sip of his new drink, Drokn immediately sputtered. An odd salty, spicy mixture, strong on his tongue. It was only a hangover concoction, but it felt like punishment. Did all things to cure have to taste so horrendous?

Drokn was about to put down the drink when Eial clinked his cup to Drokn's. "Drink with me?" Eial requested in a kind grin, but behind that grin was obvious manipulation, attempting to convince Drokn to finish the awful drink.

Of course, he was convinced.

Giving Eial a drinking partner, Drokn consumed the wretched drink bit by bit, slowly the flavor mellowing and becoming tolerable. "Have you drank before?" asked Drokn as his empty cup was refilled by Eial.

Nodding, the elf stared into his cup. "I've tried drinking once," he said, his thumb caressing the smooth rim of the ceramic cup. "But it made me feel sad. The elves in town drank with others. And I drank alone with the stars." Eial recalled himself laying down on the cold, sharp grass of an empty field, his mind fuzzy, wetness slowly flowing down the sides of his face, leaving wet streaks. "I thought of how nice it would be to drink with my bonded mate." Eial's eyes gazed into Drokn's, conveying a grand depth of gratitude and appreciation. "How lucky I am now."

Drokn had no more thoughts on complaining about his drink and he finished his cup in one go, hoping the flavor could settle the odd mix of feelings clenching in his abdomen. He added more to his cup, himself, while filling Eial's with more wine.

They clinked their cups and drank, Eial giggling full of joy, brightening the dark room, and Drokn smiling gently at the view. Embracing the tranquility of the moment, the two chatted, and within the soft glow of the lantern illuminating Eial's cheeks, Drokn's heartbeat deepened, each beat growing the pull inside him.

"You know," Drokn started, his voice unintentionally deeper, thicker. "You said if I asked for help, you'd kiss me." He leaned in, his lips barely an inch away from Eial's ear, his voice reverberating within Eial's senses and grazing streaks of heat against the soft skin at each word. "I've asked Vrona to train me, haven't I? Where's my reward?"