“Get up, Jacques.”

Something like a guttural growl rang out followed by a moan of pain. “Ugh! No.”

Adrian opened his eyes, a headache at once seizing him as he looked two bunks over to see Andre trying to lift the pillow from Jacques’s head.

“Come on.”

“Andre, it’s fine,” Jacques groaned. “We can just leave later. I don’t care.”

“Look who’s dragging whose ass out of bed,” Zuri teased. “It’s your fault you both drank so much.”

Adrian and Jacques had stayed up most of the night talking in the bar, ordering up another few rounds together, neither going to bed until early morning. He’d been surprised to find the normally disagreeable leader easy and actually enjoyable to talk to. Obviously, that was not the case this morning.

“Just leave me alone and stop talking so loud—woah, hey!”

Andre seized him around the middle and lifted him off the bed. Jacques’s legs kicked out in complaint as he did. “Sorry,” the large man said, though he didn’t sound in any way apologetic, “but we need to get water before our trip and it’s always better to go early.” He set him feet first on the ground.

As soon as he was standing, Jacques hit his brother roughly on the shoulder. “I was going to get up in a second, you bitch.”

Andre folded his arms. “Uh huh. Sure, you were.”

Adrian sat up, not wanting to get the same treatment but immediately leaned forward, holding his head in his hands and groaning.

“Oh, Ian!” Zuri called, and he winced at the sound. “I wanted to show you the thing I was working on last night.”

“Oh, uh, I thought we had to leave.” His voice was hoarse.

“I was thinking I could show you real quick during breakfast, yeah?”

He didn’t look up while he nodded. “Sure. Sounds good.”

After getting dressed, Adrian walked with Zuri down to breakfast. Filling his stomach, he felt much better, intently listening to the inventor as they showed him the little device they’d been tinkering with the night before.

“It’s another drill?” Adrian asked, taking it from them to examine it.

“That’s right! But this one can tap into underground aquifers. I just have to connect a hose to it and have something to catch the water in and boom, we can get free water during our journey.”

“How do you know where to find underground water?”

They grinned, pulling out a large, folded sheet of paper. “I’ve been mapping them out throughout our journeys here and there, and there’s a few I’ve marked that we can always tap into.” The sheet contained a complex set of what looked like squiggly pathways over a rough sketch of Venwick.

“Woah, really?” He beamed at it. “Zuri, this is amazing!”

They rubbed the back of their head. “Thanks. We’ll be stopping by two locations where we can tap into it on our way to Mermortiva. It’ll save us some money.”

“How clever.” He looked back down at the drill device. “This little thing is so small. How do you get it to reach all the way down to an aquifer?”

“It extends. It’s really compact so I can carry it around more easily. I’d show you what that looks like extended, but I don’t want to accidentally drill a hole in the tavern floor.” They laughed sheepishly. “I’ve been kicked out of more bars than I care to admit in similar ways.”

“Yeah, please don’t,” Jacques cut in, still holding his head as he ate. He was obviously still suffering considerably from his hangover. “We have a good thing going with Alphy.”

Andre was looking out the bar windows, squinting at the daylight. “Only a few hours ‘til noon and then getting water will be a nightmare.”

Jacques sighed. “I know Andre. I know. Just let me finish this and we’ll head out.”

🗲🗲🗲

After leaving the tavern, they tacked up two donkeys they’d rented as well as Tulipe who was happy to see Adrian. She didn’t like to be touched by the others, often nipping them, so Adrian was left with the task of tacking her up, which he didn’t mind at all.

“Hey Sweetie,” he cooed in a whisper the same way Boden always did as the donkey nuzzled his chest with a velvety nose. “I brought you something.” He offered a pear he’d kept from breakfast, a smile creeping over his face as Tulipe gently took it from him, snorting in approval as he stroked her neck.

“Who knew you were such a softie,” Jacques’s voice sounded next to him, and he jumped slightly. He looked over to see the smaller man eyeing him with arms folded, the sun glinting off the many piercings in his left ear. He seemed mostly over his headache now.

Adrian exhaled quickly. “Boden told me to take care of her, so I am.”

“Boden?”

“My mentor you’re all going to meet.”

“Oh right, in New Minoka. He gave you this donkey? That’s a very generous gift.”

“He let me borrow it, and yes, he’s a generous man.” Adrian synched the girth around Tulipe, checking that everything was securely on her back.

“He wealthy, or something?”

He snorted. “Not at all. I wouldn’t really call him well off. He works hard to get by. He gives when he can to others.” He patted Tulipe on the rump before turning back to the smaller man. “She’s all ready to go.”

“He’s pretty important to you, huh?”

He nodded, then looked down shyly. “He’s like a father figure.”

Jacques seemed to catch on to the significance of that statement, his expression understanding. “Can’t wait to meet him.” Adrian blinked back in response as the man was turning from him. “Well, let’s go then.”

They made their way through the tight, busy streets, Jacques heading the team with one of the donkeys on a lead rope. They had strapped small barrels to two of the donkey’s backs to hold water, and Adrian only hoped this water run went smoother than his first one with Boden.

As they walked, he spotted a nearby stand selling maroon-colored fruits and his eyes widened. “Oh, are pomegranates in season right now?”

The others glanced over at him.

“Yeah, I guess they are,” Jacques replied plainly, though he considered the blond’s excited face with slight interest.

“You like pomegranates?” Zuri asked, wrinkling their nose. “That devil fruit tastes like sour dirt to me.”

“Sour dirt,” Andre agreed.

“It’s my favorite,” Adrian said, looking over at the cart dreamily. “Maybe we can grab some later.”

“You’d be the only one eating it,” Zuri said. “Jacques doesn’t like them either.”

Adrian blinked at his teammates. “Wait, really? None of you like them?”

They all shook their heads.

“Oh.” He tried not to sound too disappointed. There was silence for a moment, and he sadly watched the cart disappear from sight.

Soon, they were ducking under a large, covered area where countless others were standing at the stalls set up everywhere run by water guards.

“Are you good at haggling?” Jacques asked as Adrian came up next to him with Tulipe in tow.

That was the second time he’d been asked that question. “Not really. Why?”

“Just asking. We could use any help we can get here. Prices are at an all-time high right now.”

He frowned. “Hopefully that will change soon.” He hoped Antoine had received his message and was working on some kind of solution to the water laws.

Jacques snorted. “You’re mid-Elderian alright. It’s been like this for decades, Sweetheart. Even before the water laws, it’s always been an issue. The laws just fucked everything up further.”

Adrian let out a sigh. “Yeah. It’s a big mess, isn’t it?”

“You have no idea.”

Jacques walked up to a stall, a casual air about him now. “Hey, Simone. What have you got for us?”

The man behind the stall gave a sideways smile at their approach. “I don’t think you’ll be happy with what I have to say, Jacques.”

“Oh?” he said calmly, maintaining his easy posture. “And why’s that?”

“Prices doubled again. Someone took out Riusseau’s entire fucking water supply, so the whole market has gone to shit again. Here’s the amount today.”

Zuri gave their donkey to Andre as they peeked over Jacques’s shoulder at the slip of paper Simone was holding. “Holy shit!” they exclaimed. “Are you serious right now?”

“Dead serious,” Simone replied.

“Anything we can do for a possible discount?” Jacques asked, barely reacting to the apparently ludicrous number.

“I’d wait a week and come back. Though, if I were you, I’d stay low ‘cause Riusseau is out for blood right now. Has his guards out and about to find whoever stole from him. He’s in one of those moods where he’ll take out anyone who looks at him funny.”

Adrian saw the other three silently communicating through different facial expressions. They were probably all thinking the same thing he was, which was that staying a week would be extremely risky with Riusseau looking for them. Leaving today would be the best option.

Adrian took notice of the pressure in his boot, realizing his moment to use what was in there might be at hand. He exhaled shakily, wishing he had more time to think and talk this through with the others.

Jacques exchanged a glance with his team one last time before biting his lip. “We can’t wait a week. We were needing to leave town today.”

“Then you’ll have to pay today’s price. Things are tight right now and I’ll lose my position if I give discounts at this time.”

“I understand. Well, thanks but—”

“We’ll pay it,” the blond interrupted, placing a hand on Jacques’s shoulder.

“We what?” The smaller man finally broke character, turning to face his companion angrily. “Did you even look at the amount?”

He blinked as the paper was lifted to his face. It was a truly ludicrous amount, but nothing he couldn’t comfortably pay. “I’ve got it covered,” he said softly, pulling off his boot and very discreetly only taking out one of four bags of gold he owned. The other three were tucked away with his things on Tulipe’s back. Tugging the boot back on, he looked through the money in the way he’d been taught by Boden so as not to draw attention to it, hiding it from sight as he did.

Jacques watched him in perplexity and what looked like agitation as his eyebrows furrowed together. “What do you mean, you have it covered? How could you possibly have enough? Look, we can just come back later—”

“Trust me.” He gave him a reassuring smile which seemed to aggravate Jacques further.

“Yeah, I literally trust nothing about this.”

He slipped the bag of coins where they belonged back into his boot, feeling it slide down to his ankle, then placed the correct amount on the counter. When he took his hand away, Zuri gasped.

“Fuck, you have gold coins on you?” They said too loudly, and eyes looked over as Andre hit their arm roughly.

Adrian snatched up the slip Simone held out as well as the correct amount of change, then took a bewildered Jacques roughly by the arm, turning him away. “Okay, time to go.”

“What are you—” Whatever the leader’s question was, he caught on to the stares around them, and cut himself off. “Alright guys, let’s go.”

They swiftly took their donkeys past all the stalls to an area with massive barrels of water and guards waiting to take slips. None of them dared speak another word as their barrels were filled, though Jacques had never once stopped glaring at the blond furiously.

They were swiftly on their way out and it wasn’t until they were back out on the street that any of them spoke again.

“What the actual fuck, Ian,” Jacques hissed. “You had that kind of dough and you held out on us?”

“I didn’t want to use it unless it was absolutely necessary,” he replied in an equally hushed tone.

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“Oh, and yesterday when we all risked our lives? You didn’t deem that necessary?”

“How much do you even have?” Zuri asked from behind them. “And who the hell carries around gold coins like that?”

“I wouldn’t be able to carry all of it around if it wasn’t in gold,” he responded quietly.

“You have that much?”

“That’s not even the point,” Jacques said angrily. “I mean, maybe it is, I don’t know,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, “but I can’t get over the fact that I had fucking stitches over my eye yesterday so that we could scrounge up some cash for your journey, and this whole time you had plenty of cash. What the hell is wrong with you?” His voice raised into a shout and for a moment Adrian saw a flash of green illuminate his eyes. Had he imagined it? He blinked several times, then glanced to the side.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said.

“Sorry? Sorry doesn’t bring back all those lives we took yesterday.”

Adrian’s chest heaved at that. “Look,” he took a step closer, “I just met you all a few days ago. I didn’t trust you. I still kind of don’t.” Jacques’s expression hardened as the blond slowed to a stop in the middle of the street, the others following suit. His face reddened slightly in anger as he continued. “I can’t just flash around to everyone I meet what I have with me. How could I have known you wouldn’t just take the money when I was asleep and leave me for dead? You still could for all I know. Even with the immunity from Carnadine, I don’t know, maybe you’d go for the money instead. I put myself at huge risk revealing that and you know what, this way we can leave town earlier. I did this so we’d be safe from Riusseau. Shouldn’t you be at least a little grateful for that?”

Jacques considered him as Zuri and Andre looked between them anxiously. Blue eyes searched brown, and the anger seemed to peter out of the other as he let out a sigh.

“Let’s keep walking,” Jacques said calmly. “We’re causing a scene.”

Adrian blinked, then ushered Tulipe forward, exhaling. His heart was pounding in his chest.

Had he been too hasty in paying? What did his team think of him now? The amount of money he’d brought with him was nothing compared to what waited in Nebrasia. Even with knowing just a fraction of his wealth, they were already looking at him differently.

If they knew who he really was, the things he’d given up while they lived off odd job to odd job, wouldn’t they hate him? He should have just let Jacques take the lead and they would have waited a week to get water.

He couldn’t make eye contact as he came up, walking alongside the smaller man again. Andre and Zuri walked behind them, Andre pulling one of the donkeys now.

“We’re not going to rob you,” Jacques said evenly, “and it does keep us out of harm’s way to leave today.”

“Yeah,” Zuri chimed in, “we are super grateful, Ian. Who knew you were secretly some kind of rich man?”

Jacques glared at them then looked back at him. “I guess I understand why you didn’t tell us, but holy fuck, it would have helped to know this yesterday.”

“I know, I know.” Adrian finally met his eyes again, his own anger dispersed. “I wanted to tell you guys, believe me. You’ve seen how I react to gore. I didn’t want to take such a risky job yesterday either. I just...”

“You couldn’t trust us,” he finished. “No, I get it.” There was a pause, and his understanding tone was more shocking to Adrian than anything else. “So then, who are you? Some sort of wealthy man’s son?”

“Uh, something like that.” He thought about his past conversation with Boden. “Son of a craftsman.”

He gave him a strange look. “That’s some rich ass craftsman. I forget sometimes just how wealthy mid-Elderian actually is.”

He rubbed the back of his head thinking, you have no idea.

“Well, we don’t have to worry about doing any odd jobs anymore during our trip,” Zuri said, laughing at the prospect. “It’ll be nice to take a bit of a break from the hustle, right Jacques?”

“It’s his money, Zuri,” he said sternly. “Ian never said he’d spend any more on us.”

“Hey, it’s really not a big deal,” Adrian cut in. “You can use whatever you need.”

“Are you sure, Buddy?” Andre asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged. “It’s not like I’m using it right now.”

“Wow, okay, you’re increasingly the coolest person I’ve ever met,” Zuri said. “I understand you don’t quite trust us yet, but I would lay my life down for you, Sir.”

“Zuri, enough,” Jacques spat, that uncanny look of jealousy in his face. “So he was born into money. Big deal. It’s not like he earned it.”

“Jacques!”

“No, he’s right,” Adrian interjected. “I didn’t earn it, but I’m happy to share.”

Zuri beamed at him, whispering, “So cool!”

Jacques rolled his eyes, unbridled rage most likely boiling under the surface. “Whatever. Let’s stock up on food at the market.”

The inventor clapped a hand over Adrian’s back. “And Blondie’s gonna treat us, right?”

He couldn’t help the small grin appearing on his face. “Sure. Whatever you want.”

“Uh, no,” Jacques said coldly. “Until we break down that money into lesser coins, we really shouldn’t use it. Draws too much attention.”

“Aww, fine. Let’s stop by a banker then, yeah?”

The smaller man folded his arms. “Hmpf. How about you go with Blondie, and we’ll meet you at the market.”

“Sounds good! Oh shit, Jacques, can you please get honey nut pastries since we have the cash right now?”

He breathed out. “I swear, you’re the greediest person I know.” They made a truly pathetic face then and he let out a guttural sigh. “Yes. I will. Fuck’s sake...”

“Thank you, thank you!” They wrapped arms around him despite Jacques’s protests.

“Get going, before I change my mind.”

“Sure thing, Boss!” They broke from the hug, taking Adrian by the arm and turning him away from the other two. “We’ll meet at our regular spot, yeah?”

Jacques nodded, turning away.

“Well,” they said, looking at Adrian with an almost feral grin, “Let’s get the dough!”

By the time they had traded just a quarter of one of Adrian’s bags for smaller change, Zuri was telling him it was time to go.

“Just this amount will set us up for months,” they said cheerily as they both made their way to the market that was only a block or so away. “We won’t even have to be stingy about it either. I’m so glad we met you, Ian.”

“What, because of my money?” he asked good naturedly.

They gasped dramatically. “Not just the money.” He laughed and they joined in. “In all honesty, I think you’re really good for our team.” They gave him a big cheesy smile that reminded him so much of his brother, Antoine. “You just fit right in with us, it’s crazy.”

He smiled back. “Thanks. I really like all you guys too.”

They snorted. “Even Jacques?”

He let out a quick exhale. “Yeah. He has his moments, but you’re right, he’s a pretty great leader and he can be really considerate when he wants to. Fun to talk to even.”

They raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” They looked like they wanted to press for more information but then spotted Andre and Jacques buying figs from a fruit stand. “Oh, there they are! Looks like they’re still shopping. Should we spook them?”

“Oh, I’m good.”

Zuri tried to discreetly sneak around while Adrian walked normally behind them, pulling Tulipe along. When the inventor grabbed both of the unsuspecting man’s shoulders with each hand, only Jacques jumped.

“Zuri!” He whipped around, face filled with rage. “I’ll fucking kill you.” He went to swipe at them, but they moved out of his reach, shrieking with laughter.

Adrian walked up contently. “Got everything we need? Do you need help getting anything else?”

Jacques brushed off the front of his shirt, standing up straighter, a scowl on his face. “We’re fine, Sweetheart. We’re just about ready to hit the road.”

“I got the goods,” Zuri said, patting a spot on the front of their shirt, their pants, and their back pockets.

“Yeah, okay, don’t lose any of it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“We’ve got everything, Jacques,” Andre said, tying the sack of figs he’d just purchased onto the back of one of the donkeys.

Jacques was holding onto the other donkey as he nodded. “Let’s head out.”

🗲🗲🗲

The sky was beginning to darken when Jacques determined they should set up camp.

Adrian had to admit doing this task with three other people was so much easier than doing it on his own. The company was nice too, and after finally being able to exhale about the secret money issue, he felt almost at home with them, working side by side to set up tents and sleeping mats.

“At this pace, we’ll reach New Minoka in about two and a half days,” Jacques said as he stood on one side of a tent, steadying it as Adrian secured the poles and stakes. “Let’s make the food last ‘til then. I’m looking at you, Zuri.”

The brown-haired inventor looked up from their honey nut pastry, wide-eyed. They swallowed. “Hey, I already finished building the fire and set up the other two tents with everything inside too. I deserve my little snack.”

He sighed, and Andre shooed them away from the rest of the pastries. “You’re going to ruin your dinner,” he said gruffly, a small apron tied around his waist. “No more until after we eat.”

They frowned but didn’t argue. Adrian planted the last stake and Jacques let go of the tent.

“There’s your tent for you, Sweetheart,” he said. “Let’s get your things...” He walked past the blond to grab Tulipe’s reins to lead her over then immediately regretted it when the animal bit his hand. “Shit!” He pulled his arm back in pain. “You fucking—Forgot you don’t like anyone but him.”

Adrian rushed over, taking her reins, keeping her from going in for another chomp. “Sorry, about her,” he breathed out, steadying her. At his approach, the donkey tossed her head then rubbed affectionately against him with her nose. “Guess she’s a bit temperamental,” he added sheepishly.

Jacques gave him an annoyed expression. “Yeah, just a bit.”

Adrian looked down at the bruised teeth marks on bronze flesh. “Is your hand okay?” He reached out with his own to brush past the injured one.

“Pfft! I’m fine.” He snatched his hand back, hiding it behind his back.

Adrian rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry… again.”

A tinge of rouge had filled Jacques’s cheeks as he turned from him in a huff. “Whatever. Don’t worry about it.”

Adrian watched him leave then looked back at Tulipe, leaning close to her ear. “Why are you so mean?” he whispered, and she responded by giving a loving nudge of his shoulder.

As soon as all Adrian’s things were set up in the tent, Andre called everyone over to eat. The blond came and sat down on the blanket that’d been laid out on the ground. The others sat as well while Andre placed a bowl full of meat stuffed pastries in the middle.

Adrian blinked down at the food, eyes wide. “Oh, Andre, this looks amazing. You made this just for camping?”

The large man grinned. “When you have me cooking, you’ll only get the best no matter where we are.”

“It’s true,” Zuri said, reaching for a pastry. “His food is always great, though don’t ever try helping him cook. He’ll breathe down your neck the whole time making sure you’re doing it right.”

Andre put his hands on his hips. “There’s an art to this, you know. You can’t just throw the ingredients together without any care or precision.”

They were about to say something sassy in response, but as soon as they bit into that pastry they were humming in delight. “Oh, wow...”

Adrian looked back at the bowl, reaching for his own, his stomach growling. He gazed at the thin, crispy pastry enveloping delectable insides before taking a bite. Spinach, cheese, meat, and other little subtle flavors he couldn’t quite put his finger on, hit him with a wave of delight. He had the whole thing in his mouth in a matter of seconds.

“How is it?” Andre asked, leering over him.

Adrian nodded, his mouth full as he expressed through gestures and humming sounds his satisfaction. He hadn’t even noticed Jacques quietly sitting on his left, munching on his own pastry until the smaller man let out his own sigh of pleasure.

“You really nailed the spices this time,” he said between bites. “We don’t deserve your cooking, Andre.”

“No, you don’t, but luckily I am a generous man.”

Zuri laughed. “You’re so dramatic about food, I swear.”

“Oh, Ian, that reminds me,” Jacques said, standing and walking over to one of the donkeys as they all watched him curiously.

Grabbing something, he came back, then placed a cool, round object into Adrian’s hand.

“We picked this up earlier in town. I thought you’d like—”

“No way!” Adrian interrupted whatever he was going to say, staring at the pomegranate in his hands. “I love these!”

“Yeah, we know.” A grin played at the corners of his mouth as he watched the enthralled blond pull out a small knife and slice open the red fruit. “You made a whole scene when you saw that cart passing by.”

“Well, thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

“Jacques, that’s so sweet of you,” Zuri said, looking between them with a giddy smile.

He frowned. “It was a collective decision. Andre and I—”

“Nah,” Andre interjected, “this was all you, Jacques.”

He glared back at him, face flushing. He looked back at the blond to see that Adrian had ripped out a side of the pomegranate and was now picking the seeds out, slipping them daintily one by one into his mouth. Adrian couldn’t help but grin as he savored the taste.

“Why do you have to eat it so damn elegantly?” Jacques asked angrily, and Adrian blinked up to see the smaller man watching him eat.

“Huh?”

“You’re so rude, Jacques,” Zuri said, smacking his arm with their hand. “Let the man enjoy his pomegranate.”

“Whatever.” Jacques grabbed another pastry, stuffing it into his mouth grumpily, the rouge still in his cheeks.

They ate the rest of the pastries then began putting everything away. Adrian was put on dish duty, and he was once again silently thanking Boden, since before meeting the older man, he’d never washed a dish in his life.

He barely noticed Jacques slide next to him with a clean dish rag. “I’ll help dry,” was all he said as he took the wet things from Adrian’s hand.

“Where did Andre learn how to cook?” Adrian asked after a while, using the water sparingly on the dish the way he’d been taught.

Jacques shrugged, taking the bowl once it was clean. “He’s always liked making food. Taught himself I suppose, though he did learn some things here and there from our parents.”

He grabbed a cup before asking, “Do you cook at all?”

“Me?” He laughed. “No. I just burn things. I shouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen.”

Adrian gave a small grin. “That bad, huh?”

“I overcooked some onions once and the whole pan caught fire.”

Now it was Adrian’s turn to laugh; the rare, genuine sound ringing out. “Yeah, I can only cook basic stuff. I ruined one of Boden’s cooking spoons once. He wasn’t too happy about it.”

“So, then I take it, you’re just as bad at cooking?” A gentle smile was over his face, and Adrian blinked at it, then grinned in return, realizing he could get used to this softer side of Jacques.

“I don’t burn things anymore. Avril says I make really good mixed bulgar for what it’s worth, and the few other things I’ve cooked haven’t been too bad either.”

“Avril?”

“Oh, forgive me. That’s Boden’s wife. She taught me how to cook.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t know how to before?”

Adrian blinked, trying not to bite his lip and look away in the way he always did when he had let something slip, but his suddenly rigid posture and silence clued Jacques in anyway.

“That’s lucky, I guess, that you grew up without having to make any meals. Did you have maids or something?”

“Uh… yes.”

He looked him over. “Why the fuck would you give up that kind of life to go somewhere like Elden Town? I mean, I know why, but that’s quite the life to leave behind. I’m assuming you’ll go back after you finish your quest, right?”

“Yes, of course… well, yes, I really must.”

“Do you not want to?” Adrian hesitated then shook his head. “Are you serious? Well, then how about you claim I’m some sort of long-lost cousin of yours and that I’ll be taking your place.”

Adrian chuckled, imagining a furious Jacques trying to figure out Nebrasian court life. “I don’t think you’d particularly like it there. It’s all very formal.”

“Formal?” He shook his head, grinning. “Yeah, maybe I wouldn’t survive that lifestyle. It explains a lot though, like why you’re such a—” He cut himself off, eyes widening before quickly looking away.

“Such a...” Adrian repeated, searching Jacques’s face.

“Uh, nothing,” he mumbled.

He frowned. “No, say it.”

Brown eyes met blue again for a moment then Jacques exhaled quickly. “You just say and do everything so properly. Even the way you stand is infuriating.”

“The way I stand?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Like you know you’re hot shit or something.”

Adrian turned in a circle, examining his own posture self-consciously. “What do you mean? I just stand normally.”

Jacques rolled his eyes. “You look and act like a damn prince.” Adrian paled slightly. Observing the reaction, Jacques said quickly, “It’s not bad, necessarily. Just feels like you think you’re better than us.”

His jaw dropped. “Wh-what? No!” He took a step closer, still holding a dish in his hand. “I don’t think that at all. If anything, I’m the helpless child in the group that’s trying to catch up. To be honest, I don’t think very highly of myself.”

His companion searched his face curiously. “Really? Could have fooled me. You’re so confident all the time though.”

He snorted. “Not really. You’re the confident one.”

Jacques threw his head back in a laugh. “You think I’m confident? I’m loud, but that’s about it.”

“That’s not true.” Jacques halted his own task, gripping the drying rag in his hand as he looked at him. “You always know what needs to be done. Your team looks up to you, you know. They’d never tell you that directly, but they do.”

Jacques blinked in surprise. “Did they say that?”

He nodded. “You should give yourself more credit.”

Brown eyes searched his face, and before Jacques could respond, Zuri approached them, hands on their hips.

“Are you guys going to finish the dishes? We were wanting to go to bed already.”

The two men looked down at their unfinished work.

Jacques snatched the cup out of Adrian’s hand, drying it quickly. “Yeah, yeah. We’re coming. You go to bed late anyway, Zuri. Why are you so worried?”

They folded their arms. “This isn’t for me. It’s for Andre.”

He made a face. “Whatever. We’re almost done.”

“What were you guys talking about?” they asked curiously, placing a hand on Adrian’s shoulder. “I’ve never heard you make Ian laugh like that before.”

Jacques glared at them while the blond just snorted. “We were just talking about the food and Jacques’s terrible cooking skills.”

He gasped. “You’d throw me under the carriage just like that?”

“Everyone knows you’re shit at cooking, Jacques,” Zuri said, grinning. “There’s a reason Andre keeps you far, far away while food is being made.”

“Tsk! I make up for it with my good looks.” He dried the last of the dishes, throwing the rag down then turning to Adrian. “Don’t worry about putting away the drying dishes. Zuri will get to them whenever they decide to sleep tonight. You’re good to hit the sack.”

“Alright.” He dried his hands on his apron then loosened the knot at the back. “Well, goodnight.”

“Night,” the other two said in unison as the blond turned from them after setting the apron down.

“Oh, Ian.” A gentle hand grabbed his arm, and he turned back curiously.

“Yeah?”

Jacques retracted the hand quickly. “Uh, thanks, for what you said earlier.” He gave Adrian what looked like an almost meek expression, taking the blond by surprise.

“Oh, of course,” Adrian said, giving a small smile. “I meant it too.” He gave him a playful hit on the shoulder the way his brother Antoine always did.

The result was not quite what he expected. The man looked positively flustered, his ears tinged red as he frowned, looking away.

“Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow,” he mumbled, walking away.

Adrian blinked after him then shrugged, writing the reaction off as just regular Jacques behavior.