Alaska || Auston Matthews

nine

ALASKA

"Are we there yet?" Auston asks for the tenth time. I groan as I turn left down my street. 

"We're like thirty seconds away," I say, glancing at him sprawled out in the passengers' seat.

"Thank God," he says dramatically, straightening in his seat with an anxious look. I slow the car down before pulling into my driveway, parking as close to the front door as possible. As soon as I turn the car off, Auston whips his door open and stumbles out. I sprint around the front of the car and grab him before he falls over completely.

His arms drape over my shoulders as I wrap my arm around his waist in support. After a second to gather my bearings, I take a few steps towards the door, practically dragging Auston along beside me. It's like trying to carry a ginormous fish out of water. Auston was a good seven inches taller than me and significantly bulkier. To make it all easier, he couldn't walk straight and rested a bunch of his weight on me. 

I struggle for another three minutes before we reach the front door. I fish through my pocket to find my key, unlocking the door as fast as possible. I end up shoving Auston inside, following him in and then returning to my job as his crutch. 

I don't even bother taking him to the guest room because of the stairs, so I guide him straight to the couch instead. Thankfully, he follows my unspoken directions, flopping onto the couch in a heap. I tell him to stay here, even though I'm sure he isn't able to comprehend anything I have been saying.

I make the quick walk to the kitchen and grab a cup from the cabinet. I fill the cup up with water and grab an aspirin from one of the drawers by the sink before padding back into the living room, finding Auston in the same position he was in when I left. I sit down on the coffee table in front of the couch and hold the items I retrieved out to the groggy boy.

"Take this with this," I order him. He looks at me then down to the cup and pills. He looks back up to me with a confused expression. Jesus Christ.

"What is it?" he asks. I keep myself from walking away in frustration and take a deep breath.

"Aspirin and water for your head," I tell him, still holding my arms out to him. He nods and grabs the pills, sticking them in his mouth then taking a sip of the water to wash them down. He tries to hand the glass back to me, but I shake my head.

"You need to drink all of it," I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest so he can't give it back to me.

"Fine, mom," he says, emphasizing the word mom. I let out a light string of laughter at his drunken sass as he chugs the rest of his water. I nod in approval, setting the glass back down on the table. 

"When are you taking me home?" he asks me, seeming to just realize where we were.

"Not tonight, that's for sure. I am not carrying you back to the car and trying to understand your directions. You can sleep here for the night," I tell him, chuckling at the thought of having to follow any of his directions again. I reach over Auston and grab the blanket off the back of the couch, placing it over his body. I take a step back and glance at Auston who was already looking at me.

"I'm gonna head up to bed, okay?" I say, breaking the silence. He furrows his eyebrows at my declaration.

"Can you stay down here?" he asks, motioning to the big armchair next to the couch with his head. I glance at the armchair and think it over in my head. I know I'll be more comfortable in my bed, but I also didn't want to leave him alone down here. I guess I'm going to have to sacrifice my beauty sleep for the night. 

"Fine, but I have to go change real quick," I tell him, remembering that I'm still in jeans. He smirks with glimmering eyes, despite the minimal lighting.