A reversal of the roles in  'A Night to Remember'

Pairing(s): Tessa Brennan x Kaden Gray

Warning(s): Mention of alcohol

Word Count: 1772

Snow fell softly atop New York City, a late February flurry that Tessa ultimately didn't mind. The daughter of Poseidon had settled into her comfiest clothes—an oversized sweater, leggings, and fuzzy socks—and deemed the night without her boyfriend a movie night for one.

While she would have preferred settling into the couch with takeout and a list of movies with her boyfriend, Kaden, he was out with the guys. They were initiating phase one of Mark's 22nd birthday, which apparently consisted of a night without their girlfriends.

In instances such as these, Kaden was normally called upon to be the designated driver. However, he wasn't a novice to the effects of being drunk. The son of Venus had been buzzed a few times before, and while Tessa could be worse, her boyfriend was truly amusing to see under the influence.

Tessa poked at the takeout box before her, pinching at the contents with her chopsticks. Light blared from the buddy cop movie she'd played on the TV, and she leant back amongst the cushions of the sofa. The night was peaceful, and given the constant frazzle she found herself during her teen years, she valued the silence and serenity that came with the snowfall.

However, when there was a knock at the door, she found herself puzzled. Tessa knit her eyebrows, setting down her food and hopping off of the couch. Kaden had a key, so why was he knocking?

Her answer came once she swung open the door, finding her boyfriend flanked by Mark and Reese.

"Tessa!" Kaden lit up at seeing her, his emerald green eyes glossy with the alcohol in his system. "Have I ever told you that you're the prettiest woman in the world?"

Tessa blinked, biting back a laugh at her boyfriend. She met the gazes of Reese and Mark, who looked eager to get Kaden off of their hands. "How many drinks did he have?"

Reese shrugged. "I want to say three, but I have no idea in all honesty. He's not unconscious so that's something."

Tessa inhaled, drawing upon strength. She glanced back at Kaden, who was slumped against the doorway. The son of Venus wore a sleepy smile, and he pointed to Tessa as he turned back to his friends.

"That's my wife," He slurred, sighing in content.

Tessa felt her cheeks burn, but she only ushered Kaden inside. "Come on, lover boy, let's get you to bed." As soon as her boyfriend trudged into the threshold, Tessa turned back to Reese and Mark, calling a quick 'thank you' them before shutting the door.

Kaden kicked off his shoes, pacing into the living room. He shrugged off his leather jacket, and flopped back onto the couch. "Tessa?" He asked.

Tessa followed, sitting on the arm of the sofa with an amused look on her face. "Yes, Kade?" She asked, a laugh laced in her voice.

"Do you love me?" He asked, his soft lips puffed out in a slight pout. He blinked up at her, resting a hand on her leg.

Tessa smiled, covering his hand with her own. "Yes, I do."

Kaden beamed at that. "Yay!"

Tessa laughed, getting up from the couch and walking over to their kitchen. "How do you feel?"

As Tessa prepared a tall glass of water for her silly boyfriend, she snuck glances at him as he took a few bites of the Chinese food on the coffee table. "I feel great." He replied.

Tessa nodded, walking back and handing him the water. "I'm sure you do." She laughed.

Kaden gingerly plucked the glass of water from her grasp, taking a few gentle sips. He set it down on the table, and the next thing Tessa knew, his arms were around her waist and he was leaning his head on his shoulder.

"Tessa?" Kaden mumbled, sighing softly.

The daughter of Poseidon smiled, wrapping an arm around him and playing with his hair. "Yes, Kaden?"

"Can we take a nap together?" Kaden continued, his grip around Tessa tightening as if he didn't want to let go.

Tessa nodded with a smile, remembering that Kaden often turned into the equivalent of a teddy bear when he was either sick or drunk. In this case, it was the latter. "Let's go."

"No," Kaden whined, squeezing her to him. "Here."

Tessa pursed her lips. "Don't you want to change first?"

Kaden shook his head. With that, he leant back against Tessa, and the daughter of Poseidon had no choice but to humor her boyfriend. Even if she did love being in his embrace, she had a feeling that this would be a very interesting experience.

~~

To Kaden, taking a nap consisted of everything but taking a nap. From his position next to Tessa, he proceeded to talk about nonsense, covering just about everything from his take on the formation of Olympus to Mark's birthday party. His words slurred together every now and again, and he'd sigh and cuddle back up to Tessa when he had nothing left to say.

"Kaden?" Tessa whispered, weaving her hand gently through his hair to soothe him.

"Hmm?" Kaden hummed, his eyes shut.

"You're cute when you're drunk," Tessa pecked the top of his head, a soft smile on his lips.

Kaden snuggled back up to her, and Tessa felt her heart pounding from the cute and cuddliness that was her boyfriend in this state. "I'm cute all the time. Right?"

Tessa made a considerate face. "More than cute."

Kaden laughed slowly. "Works for me."

The two of them remained in that position for at least a half hour, and as Kaden drifted in and out of his alcohol-induced insanity, Tessa listened intently. She found herself watching the snow fall outside their windows, clumps of white glitter falling from the sky. The sight was so peaceful, so mundane, that she found herself appreciating just how normal their lives had become.

She and Kaden had survived the impossible, with countless wars and battles. They'd seen casualties, from complete strangers to close friends, and endured what no typical teenager would ever hope to endure.

And yet, here they were. In that moment, Tessa and Kaden weren't two children of the gods, whose fates were intertwined long before they were born. No, now they were just two halves of a whole, a boy and a girl who had fallen in love with one another and wanted nothing more than to see the other happy. They were a happy couple, taking care of one another when the instance called for it, with the glare of a muted TV flickering to the beat of the snowfall against the glass.

Tessa was shaken from her thoughts when Kaden slouched up from his spot against Tessa. He blinked blearily, looking to Tessa with foggy emerald eyes.

"You were right," He yawned. "We should go to bed."

Tessa smiled, swinging her legs off of the sofa and standing up. "Come on, lover boy."

Kaden staggered to his feet, slumping against Tessa for support. Together, they made it to their bedroom, and Tessa waited until Kaden had finished preparing for bed and was beneath the covers before getting ready herself. By the time that she'd joined her boyfriend beneath the covers, Kaden was sound asleep.

Tessa smiled, perching her head upon her hand as she ran a gentle stroke of her finger down Kaden's cheek. "Sweet dreams, my love." She whispered.

Kaden smiled in his sleep, leaning into Tessa's touch. And if it was possible, Tessa fell in love with him all over again in that moment.

~~

Tessa had planned on waking up early to make sure that Kaden was alright when he got up, but that didn't seem to be the case. Her boyfriend was nowhere in sight, but judging from the muffled groans coming from the other rooms in their apartment, Tessa had a pretty good guess as to where he was.

She wrapped a robe around herself, padding out of their bedroom. And there he was, leaning against the island in the kitchen with one hand on his phone and the other gripping a mug of coffee. Kaden's face was taught with distress, and with each scroll of his phone, he downed another sip of coffee.

Tessa smirked, walking towards him. "Feeling better?"

Kaden looked up tiredly. "If by better, you mean 'like I got trampled by a troupe of Irish-dancers' then yes, I feel better."

Tessa laughed under her breath, reaching into a cabinet and digging out the Advil. Kaden stopped her however, a groan leaving his lips.

"I already took one, but thank you," He interjected. "Although leaving it out might be a good idea considering the fact I have one hell of a hangover."

Tessa arched an eyebrow. She shook her head slightly, taking the mug of coffee from Kaden's grasp and setting it down. He pouted and reached for it, but Tessa dodged his moves. She replaced it with a bottle of ice water, dropping it into his hands.

"This will help," Tessa reached up and ruffled his already tousled chestnut hair. "Trust me."

Kaden huffed a breath at the loss of his coffee, but took a swig of the water regardless. "Was I that bad last night?"

Tessa shook her head. "How much of it do you remember?"

Kaden made a face. "Everything gets fuzzy after I got home, so whatever I did during then, I am sorry for it."

Tessa laughed, leaning up and pecking his cheek. "Don't apologize, you were fine. Adorable, in fact."

At that, Kaden smiled. He set down his water bottle and pulled Tessa to him, hugging her tightly. Tessa sighed in content, shutting her eyes.

"At least I have the world's most amazing girlfriend to take care of me in such a time of crisis." Kaden laughed, but he kissed the top of her head.

Tessa pulled away, a grin on her face. "Don't you forget it."

Kaden roared in laughter, but it crumbled as his hangover hit him again. "Too loud." He winced.

His laughter was replaced with Tessa's, and together, the two made it to the living room. They settled themselves on the couch, flipping through the channels and networks on TV. Tessa couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of it all, and even if Kaden's memories of the past evening had been foggy, she knew one thing for sure: she'd do it all over again just to remind herself that they'd made it, and that the craziness of one part of their lives would only strengthen the life of bliss that was to come.