Work Text:
It had been a long day at work and they were just so done with it all. Leaving at the end of the day and heading toward home was like a sigh of relief. But, it didn’t rid them of all the tension that had built up over the busy day and the busy week. But, finally it was Friday and they got to go home to the comfort of their apartment and the warm embrace of their mate and forget work for a few days. The thought of Asher’s warm and wide smile brought a smile to their own face as they made their way toward home.
A long week deserved a nice relaxing Friday night and probably a relaxed weekend too. There were leftovers in the fridge from cooking the other night as the two were trying to eat out less, but they hoped that Ash would be down to order wings and pizza. They just wanted to put on a show and eat some comfort food before curling up in his arms. If the energy presented itself, maybe some teasing would work its way into the plans too. Seeing Ash smirk or hearing him huff out a whine was just perfection. He was so damn attractive no matter what he did.
But, before even thinking of any more energetic endeavors, the most important thing was just getting home. Being able to change out of their work clothes and snuggle with Asher. They imagined walking in the door of the apartment and collapsing on top of him while he was lounging on the couch. The way he'd laugh and pull them to his side and kiss all over their face. It made them smile and sigh just thinking about it. They needed that energy tonight.
Entering the apartment, they heard Asher’s excited voice almost immediately followed by the unmistakable sounds of Destiny 2. They let out a soft sigh as they realized he must have roped David into playing with him. It made them happy to know the two were able to have some time to just be friends playing a game together. Having a separation between pack dynamics and friendship was important and they knew with everything going on that the two didn’t get as much time to just act as friends. Ash made it clear that David was his best friend and how much he missed being able to do things with him.
At the same time, they just wanted to curl up into Asher and watch some Star Trek or another of the comfort shows the two shared. They were tired and burnt out from the week. They wanted to do as they imagined and just throw their body on top of his in a heap, knowing he'd catch them and ask what was wrong and cover them in kisses. But, they also didn't want to ruin his fun. It was so rare that he succeeded in roping David into playing a game. They could be content with laying their head in his lap for an hour or two. It would only take that long before David decided they'd had enough and it was time to eat or do other real world tasks. They could last until then.
"Hey Babe! Welcome home!" They were greeted by Asher's cheerful voice and his beaming smile.
"Hey Ash," They smiled back but they knew their response lacked the same enthusiasm his voice held. Their own exhaustion showing through.
“Come here and give me a kiss?” He asked, giving them puppy eyes and that lopsided grin. They sighed and shook their head as they crossed the room toward the couch. His attention was all on them despite the game and David more than likely talking to him through his headset. They leaned in for a kiss and sighed into the feel of Asher’s soft lips on theirs.
“Tough day?” He murmured in question as they pulled away. He was always really observant, especially with them. Although they figured it probably came with being so good at his job.
“Tiring and long,” They sighed, their shoulders sagging to show just how exhausted they were.
“Well, why don’t you go get in comfy clothes and then cuddle up next to me on the couch?” He leaned in to press a kiss to their cheek and they couldn’t help the slight giggle that escaped their lips. It mingled with a sigh and sounded more tired than expected.
“Oh, and David says hi,” Ash told them with a grin, “And to take a load off.”
That made them laugh a little harder because it was undoubtedly not what David had said.
“Hey! It was close enough!” Asher responded into his headset, proving the point that David had said something else, “Do you want me to put the headset on them so you can tell them yourself?”
Another laugh slipped from their lips as they watched Asher’s expression twist.
“That’s mean! How can you just tell me they’d be a better teammate right to my face like that?!” Asher’s shit eating grin was enough to tell them that he was messing with David, but he was convincing to be sure. Even if David also knew he was full of it.
“I’m going to change,” They told Asher in a quiet voice. As funny as the banter between him and David was, they were still exhausted.
“Yeah, go get comfy, Babe!” He smiled at them again before they trudged off toward the bedroom. It took all of their energy to not just flob down on the bed and let their exhaustion take them. But, they knew their hunger would surface before they even succumbed to sleep. They peeled off their clothes from the day with a sigh of relief and pulled on their favorite pair of sleep pants. Rummaging for a shirt left them unsatisfied with what they found. It took a moment before a thought occurred to them. They wanted to steal one of Asher’s shirts. He wouldn’t mind. He liked seeing them wearing his clothes.
After going through his clothes, they decided they didn’t want one of those shirts. He was wearing their favorite shirt. They wanted that one. Throwing on one of their own or a bit, they padded back out into the living room.
“Hey, look at you all nice and cozy,” Asher smiled up at them from the couch. They returned the smile with a tired one of their own before collapsing down next to him.
“Really tough one, huh Babe?” Asher asked, worry creasing his brow.
“The whole week is catching up with me,” They sighed, their voice muffled as they pressed their hands against their face, “I just want to forget the rest of the world for a while.”
“Do you need me to log off of Destiny and just snuggle for a while?” He offered, one hand finding their arm to rub soothing circles along it.
“I don’t want you to cut things short with David because of me. You guys rarely get to play together,” They murmured.
“Hey, you’re more important than a game,” He cupped their face with a hand and turned them to look him in the eye, “And David’s threatening to kick me out of the party even though he should already know I’d do anything for my mate.”
“How much longer were you two planning on playing for?” They asked with a sigh. They’d accidentally made a bigger deal than they had meant to. Guilt curled uncomfortably in their stomach at that thought. But, Asher’s eyes were soft and concerned, there was no sign at all of annoyance. He was goofy and silly but he was more than that. He was always so full of love and made an effort to make sure they were alright.
“David said maybe an hour before he has to go do real world shit,” Asher told them, a hand gently carding through their hair, “But we can stop playing right now. No worries, Babe.”
“No, I don’t want to make you cut it short,” They groaned, “Can I just put my head in your lap while you play?”
“Of course you can, Babe,” He cooed softly with a sweet smile on his face, “I love it when you curl up with me and watch me play.”
“Mmkay,” They gave him a tired smile back before he patted his lap softly and they laid their body out across the couch. Their head rested softly in Asher’s lap and he idly ran his fingers through their hair as he waited for them to get comfortable.
“Are you comfy?” He murmured as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to their cheek. They smiled and hummed an affirmative before turning their head a little in order to place a soft kiss on his lips. He chuckled against their lips before giving them another kiss and pulling away.
“Yeah, we’re all good to keep going now,” He told David with an easy smile spreading across his face. They shifted slightly so they could watch him play. It wasn’t long before they were lulled into a state of hazy half sleep and they realized Asher was keeping his voice softer to not startle them.
“You know,” They let out a soft yawn as they shifted to look up at him instead of the TV screen, “I almost asked if I could steal your shirt.”
“My shirt?” He looked down at them with a grin shifting toward a smirk.
“Yeah, I wanted to wear your shirt,” They told him, their voice heavy with that half sleep.
“Do you still want it?” He asked, the smirk growing wider.
“‘S okay, being here is good enough,” They gave him a tired smile.
“You know I like seeing you in my clothes, Baaaabe. You could have just pulled it off me,” He was fully teasing them now and they couldn’t help the smile spreading across their own lips.
“Hmm… And you would’ve made a comment about how I was stripping you,” They rolled their eyes with a soft huff.
“Hey, it’d be the truth and you know I wouldn’t be complaining,” He wiggled his eyebrows at them and they tried to hide their smile but failed.
They were opening their mouth to answer when Asher started laughing.
“Shut up David!” He rolled his eyes, “I can flirt with my mate all I want.”
They were sure the alpha’s response was something along the lines of, “And I can easily kick you out of this party if I have to hear more of it.”
They couldn’t help but laugh at how Asher pouted at whatever it was David had said.
“You wouldn’t,” Asher was holding back a hint of a laugh, “Nah, actually I know you would. I’m sorry that my mate is just the best.”
“Don’t you go picking fights, Ash,” They murmured with a soft laugh, the back of their hand hitting his chest in a half hearted smack.
“What? I can’t defend your honor?” He asked them with a half mischievous smile.
“I’m sure David isn’t disrespecting me. Or do I have to take that headset and talk to him myself?” They asked with a roll of their eyes.
“He’s not, fine. He’s not,” Asher laughed, “Now he’s scolding me and telling me to give you the headset. He’s saying you’d be a better teammate which is just rude!”
“Hey, maybe he’s right,” They joked and stuck their tongue out at Ash when he crinkled his nose up at them. A laugh easily made its way from their lips at the expression of betrayal on his face, even if it was so obviously feigned.
“Ganging up on me, so rude!” Asher tried to sound hurt but he was struggling to hold back his laughter too much.
After a moment of laughter, they lulled back into a relative state of calm and he and David started playing again. They watched with that same idle feeling of calm. The two wolves joked a little between the typical communication needed for that game. It was more relaxing than they thought to hear the comfortable banter between their mate and his best friend.
When there was a point where they could stop for a quick moment, Asher leaned down and kissed their cheek to get their attention.
“Hey Babe, do you wanna order pizza and wings tonight? Comfort food after a tough week?” He murmured with a soft smile.
“But we have leftovers in the fridge?” They replied. They wanted wings and pizza so bad but they knew they should be good and finish the leftovers.
“That’ll be good for another day,” He brushed it off with a wave of his hand, “If you want wings and pizza, order it and I’ll get the door this time.”
“Are you sure? You hate getting the door,” Their eyes widened at the offer. He would rather turn into a wolf than answer the door for the delivery guy on any other occasion.
“Yeah, I want to make tonight easy for you, Babe,” His smile was so sweet. Only a moment later, he was rolling his eyes at something David had said in his ear.
“Thank you, Ash,” They murmured, reaching up to cup his face with a hand. He grinned at them and pressed a kiss to their hand. It only took a few minutes before they’d ordered for the both of them and relaxed back into watching Ash play the game with David. It was just about when David was ready to sign off that the food arrived and they were able to curl up on the couch and put on a show just as they’d wanted to.
“Hey Babe,” Asher called out as he walked back from the bathroom.
“Hmm?” They hummed in question as they looked over at him.
“Here,” He held out a ball of fabric toward them.
“What’s this?” They asked with a soft laugh.
“You said you wanted to steal my shirt,” He grinned and they looked up at him again to realize he was standing in front of them shirtless. Were they really so tired they hadn’t noticed?
“It’s not really stealing if you hand it to me,” They told him with a smirk.
“What? So you don’t want it?” His voice was a half-whine, “I can take it back.”
“I never said that,” They gave him a half-hearted glare before pulling off their own shirt and pulling on his. It was like being enveloped in a warm hug to be surrounded by his scent and the lingering warmth.
“Thanks Ash,” They smiled up at him, reaching out to pull him closer but unwilling to get up.
“It’s no problem, Babe. I told you, I like seeing you in my clothes,” He grinned as he easily complied with their attempts to pull him closer.
“Not just for the shirt,” They chuckled, “For everything. For trying to make my night better.”
“You don’t have to thank me! I’d do anything to make you happy and you know that,” He told them with a lopsided smile and his head tilted to the side.
“I still should and will thank you! Now, will you come and sit down and get comfy with me?” They would have tugged on his shirt if he’d been wearing one but now it was on them instead.
“Of course,” He laughed, “Anything for my mate.”
It wasn’t a second before he dropped down on the couch beside them and pulled them close. When the two were comfortable, he started up the show they wanted to watch. They sighed in contentment as they sank into their mate, their stomach full of comfort food, and a good show to block out their work week. The night turned out exactly as they needed. Asher seemed to always be exactly what they needed, they thought fondly as they gazed at him. Goofy and silly for sure, but he had a good head on his shoulders and he was more observant than anyone gave him credit for. He couldn’t cook worth a damn unless it was on a grill, but that was perfectly fine with them. They leaned in to place a sweet kiss on his lips and when they pulled away, he smiled before giving them one in return.