Chapter Text
“Ja’far, we need to talk.”
His quill stopping mid-scratch on the paper in front of him, Ja’far looked up and fixed his king with a questioning glance.
“About what?” he asked hesitantly, raising a single eyebrow. It was rare for Sinbad to sound so serious. This couldn’t be good.
The taller man rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the room, clearly bothered by something. Ja’far was about to get up and take him somewhere they could speak in private, when the king opened his mouth at last and spoke.
“Uh... about last night...”
The words echoed around the room just as the chattering of the other workers died down in a natural lull. All eyes instantly darted towards Ja’far, whose face had turned beet red.
“Sin!!” he hissed, trying to ignore the shocked faces of his coworkers.
“Well, a lot of things happened and I think it’s something we should discuss,” he continued, as if completely unaware of the looks they were getting, especially from the two young women in the corner who suddenly started whispering to each other and giggling madly. However, the quiet laughter stopped immediately when the quill in Ja’far’s hand snapped in half with a sharp crack, spraying ink all over his document and adding new freckles to the general’s face.
“Of course, Sin.” Ja’far agreed a little too pleasantly, rising slowly from his seat. “Why don’t we talk about this somewhere else?”
Now it was Sinbad’s turn to feel unnerved; the look on Ja’far’s face could have curdled milk. As soon as they were in Ja’far’s private office, the shorter man turned on him.
“What were you thinking?!” he snapped. “Do you have any idea what that sounded like to everyone in there? Couldn’t you have just waited until we were by ourselves to say that?”
“I know how that sounded but I’m telling you, Ja’far that was for your own good.”
“WHAT?!”
“Ja’far.”
The taller man laid a heavy hand on Ja’far’s shoulder and regarded him with an almost comically concerned expression.
“You were very drunk last night. And your behavior was... a little out of character.”
“Huh?”
“...You don’t remember, do you?”