Vodka Misadventure (Part 2 of 2) (Patreon)

Here's the continuation to the first part of the story! 😄 Hope you guys enjoy this month's side story 🥰

Link to the first part here! 

* * * * *

It’s far from your first time stepping foot in his office. You’ve spent a lot of time with Ash here when you were both younger, hanging out with each other while Uncle Luka worked on some stuff on his desk. It’s certainly a spacious office with a plush carpet and sleek and elegant furniture. There is no window in the room, but it doesn’t feel suffocating at all.

In one corner of the room, there is a full set of sofas, armchairs, and a low and wide coffee table made out of black marble. It’s where you often spent time with Ash and also where your Uncle would receive guests. You know your uncle always makes sure to lock his office whenever he’s not using it and the fact that you’re both in here right now without him even knowing makes you nervous a bit as if you’ve done a crime.

“We have tunnels?” you say in awe.

“Cool, right? Uncle Luka showed this one to me, like a few days ago. He said he’ll give us a thorough tour soon. Said it’ll be useful for us to know, in case of… Well, never mind that. I still have one more thing to show you!” Ash gushes.

They set down the pizza box on the coffee table before moving towards Uncle Luka’s big desk and you trail after them gingerly. As you pass the desk, you take a peek at the scattered papers on the surface. Your eyes glaze over the blocks of text and columns and rows filled with numbers and stuff; you can glean nothing from them.

You turn your attention back to Ash who’s bending down opening and closing the lower cabinets until they seem to find what they’re looking for. “Ta-da! Behold, Uncle Luka’s secret stash!” They reveal what looks to be a mini fridge stocked with some luxurious-looking bottles of clear-colored liquid.

“Are those water bottles or something?” you ask as you inspect them closer.

“What? No! They are vodka,” Ash tells you. “Do you wanna try some, Sasha?”

“Um… I don’t know, Ash. Alcohols are for adults. Also, these seem expensive…” you mutter in contemplation. You’d be lying if you say that you aren’t curious and interested in trying out vodka; you’ve seen your dad and your uncle drink it.

“C’mon! Surely, Uncle Luka won’t mind if we try just a little bit. We won’t even drink half the bottle.” Ash nudges you gently, waggling their eyebrows mischievously.

“If you say so…” you sigh, but inside, you are a bit excited.

“Go ahead! Your choice.” Ash grins.

You scan the bottles, but almost immediately, your eyes snap to the bottle that seems to sparkle from what seem like literal diamonds studding it. Grasping it in your hands, you show it to Ash.

“Nice choice! We’ll use these to drink it,” they say, taking out the tray with shot glasses on it. The two of you walk together to the sofas and coffee table where your pizza is waiting.

The two of you settle down on the plush leather sofa, sitting side by side. You open the box and grab another slice. Munching and savoring the delicious pepperoni pizza, you watch as Ash opens the bottle before pouring the contents into two of those little shot glasses and setting one down in front of you.

Dropping the half-eaten pizza in the box, you bring the shot glass up to your face. You take a whiff and your nose scrunches involuntarily. It smells like… alcohol. You don’t know what you expected it to be.

Ash seems to hold their breath as they down the whole glass in a gulp. Their face crumples as they gasp and groan. Is it that bad? You’re not as brave as Ash and instead of drinking the whole shot, you decide to try a small sip first. You gag. It’s so bitter and… strong? It tastes like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. How does your uncle even find this enjoyable?

“Ugh… I don’t think I can drink the rest of this, Ash,” you whimper, setting the shot glass down on the table and pushing it away from you. Quickly grabbing your half-eaten pizza slice, you quickly take a huge bite, stuffing your mouth to hopefully wash away the unpleasant taste of the vodka from your tongue.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take it,” Ash mutters weakly, pulling your shot glass in front of them before taking a slice of pizza for themself too, and munching on it quietly.

“Are you sure, Ash? You didn’t seem like you were enjoying it,” you ask worriedly.

Ash nods quietly. “Well, I gotta admit that the first shot was kinda rough. But maybe a second one would not be as bad.” Finishing the pizza in their hand, they grab your shot glass and swiftly chug it down before slamming the glass down on the coffee table.

For the next half an hour, the two of you finish the whole pizza box and discuss what to do for this Summer holiday. You notice Ash’s cheeks start to get flushed and over time, their talk starts to get more and more incoherent and chaotic.

“Ash, are you okay? You don’t look too good.” You frown and reach out your clean hand to their forehead. It feels hot, but also, Ash is a pyrokinetic, so you’re not sure whether this heat is normal or not.

Their green eyes are wide open as they stare at you. “Have I told you about how beautiful your grey eyes are?”

“U—Um…” you stammer, feeling shy all of a sudden.

They take your hand in theirs and shake their head sadly. “I’m not okay, Sasha… And I can see that you’re not too…I know you try to bury it deep inside, but I can still see the sadness in your eyes,” they say quietly, their words slurring against each other.

“Ash—” you start but they cut you off.

“I know you’re still hurting and grieving about your dad and my mom—and I do too, and Uncle Luka, and even your grandpa and grandma. I’ve also heard them talking about how you’re still in danger as long as the killer is still out there.”

“Uncle Luka says we’ll be safe here,” you reassure them.

“I know… But as long as that bastard lives, you won’t ever truly be safe,” they growl, holding onto your hand even tighter. “I promise… I promise I’ll hunt them down and kill them… for my mom, your dad, Uncle Luka, and most importantly… for you, Sasha. You don’t know how important you are to me…” they whisper the last part before letting go of your hand to pour themself another shot and drink it down before you can even tell him that it might not be a good idea.

You don’t know what to say to those concerning promises, and also the genuine and vulnerable statements they just said to you. But, it seems Ash is not even expecting your response since they lean in even closer and you hold your breath as your heart beats faster. What?

Instead, they immediately go limp and slump down on your shoulder. You instinctively bring your hand to their back and rub it comfortingly.

“Ugh… I don’t feel too good, Sasha. It feels like I’m burning… from the inside. At least that’s how I think being burned would feel like…” they groan into your shoulder.

“Let me get some water for us,” you tell them, maneuvering their body from your shoulder and setting their torso gently on the plush sofa. “Wait for me, okay? And please, don’t drink more of the vodka,” you sigh before standing up and swiftly making your way back through the secret entrance and exit the library.

You pass by Boris and you tell him that you just need to grab some water to drink. He just shrugs and lets you pass by with no further questions. You walk back towards the private living area in a hurry, passing by Ivan—who also lets you pass as you tell him the same reasoning.

Stepping into the kitchen, you notice Sebastian is there. “Ah! Young master, I heard you ordered some pizza earlier this afternoon. My sincerest apologies—”

You quickly cut him off since you don’t really have time to have a conversation right now; you need to get back to Ash as soon as possible. “It’s okay, Sebastian. We were craving some pizza anyway,” you reassure him.

Wasting no time, you stride toward the cabinet where the glasses and mugs are held and open it, grabbing two big mugs. You saunter over to the fridge, filling them one by one using the built-in water dispenser; you even make sure to add extra ice cubes to make the water even colder.

“Do you want some tea or hot chocolate, perhaps?” Sebastian offers.

“No need. Thank you, Sebastian!” you call out as you march your way toward the door, cutting off further questions. Making your way back to Uncle Luka’s office, you try to act calm and unruffled outside so as not to draw any suspicion. But inside, you’re anxious and full of worry.

“Ash?” you call out as you step foot on the plush carpet. “I’m here—Ash!” You jog towards Ash’s prone body on the sofa. Setting down the mugs, you gently shake their shoulder. “Ash. Wake up,” you say softly. They don’t even budge a bit or make a sound. You shake even harder and call them out louder, but still, no reactions at all. Your heart hammers hard against your rib cage as you feel the panic mounting. It usually doesn’t even take this much effort to wake them up in the morning.

For a second, you consider splashing them with the icy water, but you’re worried about the sudden temperature shock and the water getting into their nose or something. Also, it just sounds kinda cruel. In the end, you decide to ask for an adult’s help and the nearest one is Boris. You run out to where Boris is still standing guard.

“Boris! Boris! Please, you gotta help me!” you call out to him, grabbing his suit sleeve and pulling on it to drag him to where Ash currently is.

He immediately straightens up, muscles tensing and face serious. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“It’s Ash! They are not responsive,” you say, leading him through the library and the secret tunnel, and into the office.

“What the hell…” you hear Boris mutter before he quickly strides over to where Ash is lying down. He sees the opened bottle of vodka and the empty shot glasses. “Ah, fuck! I thought you two said that you were not going to do anything funny!” he groans.

Turning back to Ash, he crouches by the sofa and gently turns them around so now they’re facing up. He checks Ash’s pulse. “Well, they’re still breathing alright,” he mutters quietly before bringing his palm to Ash’s cheek and slapping it gently. “Hey, kid. Wake up. Wake up.” But Ash is still unresponsive.

“This is not normal! It usually takes far less than that to wake them up! What should we do?” you ask worriedly.

“They’re probably fine. But, let me ask my brother,” he says before bringing the walkie-talkie closer to his face and starts speaking in Russian, asking his brother to come here.

A few minutes later, Ivan comes in from the library tunnel and when he lays his eyes on the situation, he sighs loudly. “I know I shouldn’t have let you two out of the private quarters,” he growls quietly, stomping to where you all are gathered around an unconscious Ash.

“Ivan! It seems Ash might have drank a little too much. I think they’re passed out cold. It’s normal, right? Nothing to worry about?” Boris asks, chuckling nervously.

Ivan steps closer and inspects the bottle. His eyes widen a bit as he read the labels. “You idiot! This is a very strong vodka and this is their very first time drinking! This is no laughing matter!” Ivan hisses heatedly.

That makes Boris panic. “Oh God, what should we do?!” he asks, tugging at his short hair anxiously.

You feel like crying right now. You don’t want anything bad to happen to Ash… You already lost so many people. Blinking hard, you try to get rid of the welling tears.

“We should report this now before we get into more trouble. Call Master Luka,” Ivan snaps at his brother.

“What?! Me?! You’re the first one to let them even step foot outside of the private wing!” Boris complains, a hint of fear leaking into his voice.

“Guys! Please! It’s not time to argue! Ash is still unresponsive!” You cry out, voice wavering.

Ivan sighs as he pulls out his phone and brings it to his ear. He straightens up automatically as he starts explaining what’s going on. He cringes as you hear Uncle Luka barking something at him through the phone. After apologizing one more time, he hangs up the phone. “Okay, your uncle is coming here right now,” he says.

Not even five minutes pass and Uncle Luka appears in the middle of the room with a whoosh. He’s scowling and you can practically picture the brewing thunderstorm surrounding him as he strides up to where you’re seated, next to Ash.

He points at the twins. “You two, contact Dr. Gibbs and pick him up right now,” he says sternly. The twins immediately bow down before rushing out of the room.

You jump down from the sofa and run up to hug him. You feel his tense body deflates as he returns your hug with one hand before ushering you back to the sofa. He sits between you and Ash and you tell him everything as he smooths Ash’s hair away from their face.

After you finish your confession, he picks up the vodka bottle, staring at it wistfully for a few seconds before bringing it to his mouth and taking a swig. “I’ve been saving this up for quite a while now. I’m not really sure what I’ve been saving this up for, honestly…” he says quietly.

“I’m sorry, Uncle Luka. I shouldn’t have agreed to Ash’s plan… But I know they came up with this idea because they thought I needed the distraction…” You catch Uncle Luka turning to look at you, a frown gracing his handsome face and his blue eyes are filled with a mix of concern and sadness; you look away and down at your lap.

“Also… Please don’t get mad at Ivan and Boris… It’s not really their fault,” you continue.

Your uncle pats your head fondly. “You’re such a kind kid, aren’t you, Sasha?”

He stands up and goes towards the secret entrances. You hear him closing the door to the library before coming back into the office and closes the one here too. Reaching into his pants’ pocket, he pulls out a set of keys and unlocks the door to his office.

The two of you wait for a few more minutes before a knock resounds and Uncle Luka tells them to come in. An old man in his fifties steps in, Boris and Ivan trailing behind him. It’s Dr. Gibbs is the family doctor who has been treating you and Ash ever since Uncle Luka took you in.

“So… What did young Flynn do this time?” he asks amusedly, walking towards the sofa.

“They drank, I think it’s three shots, right, Sasha?” Uncle Luka asks you and you nod. Your uncle continues, “Three goddamn shots of this very strong vodka. This is their first time drinking too. And they have been out cold on this sofa for more than half an hour now.”

Dr. Gibbs crouches by Ash’s side and starts taking out his medical equipment and checking on Ash. “Ah… So, you fear they might have gotten alcohol poisoning?”

“Yes,” Uncle Luka sighs, crossing his arms as he watches intently. You stand beside him, fidgeting in place nervously, praying that it’s nothing serious.

After a few minutes, Dr. Gibbs stands up and starts packing his equipment inside his bag. “Well, good news: I’m pretty sure they’re okay, just blacked out. They should be fine when they wake up. Bad news: they’ll have one hell of a massive headache and their very first hangover tomorrow morning,” he chuckles. “But, if you think they are still unwell the next day, please don’t hesitate to give me a call.”

“Thank you, Dr. Gibbs,” Uncle Luka says, relief coloring his voice. “Boris, Ivan, please escort Dr. Gibbs back to his house.”

You also thank Dr. Gibbs and wave him goodbye, which makes Dr. Gibbs smiles brightly as he says his goodbye as well. When they have left the room, your uncle brings the opened bottle of vodka back in the fridge and starts tidying up the papers on top of his desk, stuffing them into the drawers before locking it.

You decide to also help clean up the pizza box and all the glasses and mugs. You are about to try juggling the empty pizza box and the mugs in your two hands when Uncle Luka lays his hand on your shoulder.

“Just leave them there, Sasha. I’ll have Sebastian clean them up now. Let’s just get you two to your room for now,” he says, bending down and heaving Ash up in his two arms.

You rush to the door and hold it open for Uncle Luka. As you walk back to the living quarters, the guards you pass along the way quickly straighten up and salute Uncle Luka, some of their confusion is apparent on their faces but they don’t comment anything.

As soon as you step into the foyer, Sebastian saunters over. He looks shocked at the sight of Uncle Luka carrying a passed-out Ash and you can see him about to open his mouth to say something. But your uncle cuts him off.

“Sebastian, I need you to clean up my office a bit. It’s unlocked. I’ll lock it when I get back,” he tells Sebastian, who quickly snaps his mouth shut and excuses himself.

You trail behind Uncle Luka as he walks toward your bedroom. Going in before him, you pull out the pull-out mattress that is built into your bed. He sets down Ash on it gently before turning to you.

“Sasha, I know this is too early for you to turn in right now… But I need you to stay here for the rest of the night and keep watch over Ash, alright? They might wake up either in the middle of the night or in the next few hours confused and feeling under the weather. If you think something is wrong, call me right away, okay?”

You nod. “Got it! Are you going back to uh… your meeting?” you ask him, pouting a bit.

He glances away, blue eyes filled with guilt. “Yeah. I’m sorry, Sasha, but it’s not supposed to take much longer and I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can. I’ll check up on Ash again then,” he says before patting your head.

“Okay… Bye, Uncle Luka! Take care, please,” you wave at him as he walks toward your door. He says his bye to you before clicking the door shut quietly.

Well, it seems like you’ll have to entertain yourself with what you have in your room for the rest of the night.

* * * * *

A few hours later…

Ash POV

The first thing you hear is someone humming. It sounds familiar but as soon as you try to rack your brain or even just think, you’re immediately met with a really bad headache. The throbbing pulses through your head and you can hear your own heart beating in your ears. “Urgh…” you moan as a sudden wave of nausea hits you before you can even recover from the headache.

Suddenly, the humming stops and you hear quiet footsteps before you feel the bed you’re sleeping on dip a bit.

“Ash? Are you awake?” the voice asks. The voice is so familiar and it fills you with warmth and a feeling of ease.

You crack your eyes open with effort and met face-to-face with Sasha’s pretty face. It’s enough to drag you almost fully out of the sleepy haze. “Sasha? What happened?”

“You don’t remember? You just drank three shots of Uncle Luka’s strong vodka! You passed out cold not long after that and we couldn’t wake you up. Uncle Luka had to bring Dr. Gibbs here to check on you!” Sasha vents, voice laced with worry. “Are you okay?”

Suddenly, everything comes back to you. Oh my God… You remember saying a bunch of things to Sasha in your drunken monologue. What did you say exactly? Oh, no…

“I’m okay, now… I think. Just have a massive headache and feel nauseous,” you groan, getting up to sit on the bed. “Also… Can I ask what I said when I was drunk? I can’t really recall it.”

“Umm… You said something about hunting down the killer to avenge my dad and your mom and to keep me safe,” Sasha says softly, not meeting your eyes. Okay, that’s not as embarrassing as you feared, although, it is something personal. “Also… you said my eyes are pretty.” Ah, there it is…

You groan and throw yourself back onto the bed below you, covering your heating-up face under your arms. You gotta be careful not to get drunk in front of Sasha in the future… To save yourself from further shame.

“Ash…” Sasha says softly. You lift one of your arms a bit to take a peek at them; they look kinda sad. Are they still thinking about their dad? You want to console them so badly, but right now, you feel dangerously close to puking… And you don’t want to accidentally puke on Sasha.

“Please… Don’t do anything stupid again in the future, okay? Even for me or… or my safety. I also want you to be safe, and I don’t want to lose another person in my life again. Ever. So, please, promise me?” Sasha pleads.

You don’t think you have the heart to tell them the truth, that you can’t really promise that and that you really meant what you told them before in your drunken state. You’ll do anything to keep them safe, even if you might have to sacrifice your own life to achieve it. Instead, you tell them, “Okay… I promise.” No harm in a little white lie, right? Especially if it can make Sasha less worried.

Sasha beams at you and you feel your heart skip a beat and your stomach fluttering—and not from the nausea, mind you. Sasha’s smile is so bright that for a while, you actually feel better and the headache starts to subside.

The moment is broken when Sasha continues, “Also, I’m pretty sure we’ll get a thorough talking-to from Uncle Luka tomorrow morning. So, brace yourself for that.” You just groan in response.