Stellar Dome buzzed with warmth and laughter, the kind that came from excessive amounts of alcoholic drinks. Neville blinked slowly, trying to focus on the table full of empty glasses.

When had they finished that? And the bottle before it?

"Another round!" Sarah’s voice rang out, letting her hair fall in messy waves around her flushed face.

Iris snorted, her hair slightly messed up. "You can’t even sit straight, Gringer."

"Can too!" Sarah attempted to demonstrate by sitting up, only to overcorrect and nearly topple sideways. Her chair scraped against the floor with an awful screech.

Bryan caught her with one hand. "Sit down before you break something. Preferably not yourself."

"It’s getting late. We should call it a night." Grayson calmly said.

Neville squinted at Grayson across the table, albeit a little unstable. It seemed that this man had barely drunk any alcohol tonight.

"Neville?"

He jerked at the sound of his name. "Hmm?"

"I asked if you wanted me to drop you off," Grayson asked, trying to gauge whether he was still responsive or completely out of it.

"That’s—" Neville said, then paused to organize his thoughts. Words felt slippery, harder to catch than usual. "I can book a cab. It’s no trouble."

"It’s past midnight," Grayson pointed out. "And you’ve had quite a bit to drink."

Had he? Neville glanced down at his empty glass. Then, there were empty bottles on the table. Then at the other empty glasses around it. Oh. Apparently, he had.

"Our dear Hope deserves a chauffeur service," Iris declared, waving her hand dramatically. The motion made her slightly off-balance. She managed to grab the edge of the table to steady herself. "Very important employee. Very dedicated. Work too hard."

"Exactly!" Sarah chimed in, pointing at Grayson with her chopsticks. "You should take care of him, boss. You always eat his food."

"I agree with that," Bryan added with a mischievous smile.

Before Neville could ask what they were talking about, Grayson stood. "Then it’s settled. Bryan, make sure these two get home safely."

Bryan’s smile didn’t waver, still holding another bottle of alcohol to take home, "Drive carefully, sir."

Neville couldn’t quite grasp what was happening around him. It seemed that he was really drunk. The room tilted slightly as he stood, and he gripped the back of his chair for support.

"Easy." Grayson’s hand appeared at his elbow, steady and warm even through the fabric of Neville’s sleeve. "Can you walk?"

"Of course I can walk," Neville said, frowning. "I’m not that drunk."

He took a step to prove his point and immediately stumbled. Only Grayson’s firm grip kept him upright.

"Right," Grayson said dryly. "Not that drunk."

Sarah and Iris dissolved into giggles behind them. Bryan just watched with that same mischievous smile.

Neville cracked one eye open, and he seemed to be inside a car. Soon, he felt someone draping a coat over him like a blanket. He squinted his eyes and saw that it was Grayson.

"Sleep," Grayson murmured, his voice low. "I’ll wake you when we arrive."

With a pat on the head, Neville nodded and burrowed deeper into the jacket filled with Grayson’s calming pheromones and let his eyes drift shut.

The gentle hum of the engines lulled him into a pleasant haze, not quite sleep but not quite consciousness either. He was dimly aware of movement, of the city lights flickering past outside the windows, of Grayson’s presence solid and grounding in the driver’s seat beside him.

Time did funny things when you were tipsy. One moment, they were just outside Stellar Dome’s parking area, and the next, they were gliding to a stop at Maxwell Corporation’s employee dormitory.

"We’re here," Grayson said quietly.

Neville made a noise that might have been an acknowledgment. He tried moving, but moving seemed like too much of an effort. The seat was so comfortable, and Grayson’s coat was warm and comforting. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

A soft sigh came from the driver’s side. Then the click of a door opening, the rush of cool air, footsteps on pavement. Neville’s door opened, and suddenly Grayson was there, leaning in with one hand braced on the roof of the car.

"Can you walk?" he asked again, more gently this time.

"Mmm." Neville forced his eyes open. Grayson’s face was very close, silver eyes catching the moonlight. "Probably not."

Something crossed Grayson’s expression, but he was too drunk to see. "I thought as much."

Before Neville could process what was happening, strong arms slid beneath him—one under his knees, one behind his back. The world tilted as Grayson lifted him from the seat with embarrassing ease, cradling him against his chest like he weighed nothing.

"Wait—" Neville’s protest came out slurred. He seemed to be having a bit of deja vu.

He drunkenly thought, Has this ever happened before?

The ground floor of the dormitory stood deserted, only the automated cleaning bots whirring quietly in the corners. The anti-grav lift opened immediately at Grayson’s approach; it felt like he had done this a hundred times before.

As he was walking, Neville kept squirming uncomfortably from the motion against his shoulder. The jacket had slipped, and now his cheek pressed directly against Grayson’s shirt. He could feel Grayson’s steady heartbeat, feel the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric.

The lift rose smoothly.

The alcoholic drinks dulled his senses, leaving only the pleasant floaty feeling and awareness of Grayson’s really, really good pheromones. Grayson navigated it without hesitation, his footsteps muffled by the carpeted floor.

They stopped in front of his door. Grayson shifted his grip, adjusting Neville’s weight to free one hand. "Key?"

Neville patted vaguely, and the door slid open.

Grayson stepped inside and—

Froze.

Through half-lidded eyes, he watched Grayson’s gaze sweep across the interior of Neville’s house, silver eyes widening a little.

Neville had forgotten about the state of his living quarters and the equipment that he had left on the counter. Looking at how cozy and unusual the items in Neville’s house were, it was really intriguing. Unfortunately, Grayson had no time to inspect these interesting items.

Grayson’s arms tightened almost imperceptibly around him. He asked carefully as if to confirm they were in the right place.

"Is this your place?"