~ Dex ~

I watched as my brother refilled his glass with vanilla-flavored vodka and wondered what he'd been hinting at. Could it be that he'd started negotiations about buying the rest of the building?

Why else would he need to update the menus?

As Jess had pointed out, they were up to date already.

But if negotiations were on their way, why hadn't he told me about them?

He could've done so in his office tonight before we came downstairs for our drinks. Maybe it was because Caleb and Misha had also been there. Well, mostly because of Misha. He'd had a run-in with his stepmother today, so he wasn't in the best of moods. The Bennett twins had managed to cheer him up somewhat, and Jess was adding her contribution to the cause; talking about fashion was a good way to distract the boy.

I could see why Ash hadn't wanted to discuss something that would exclude Misha thus letting the teen get lost in negative thoughts. Still, my brother hadn't even hinted at anything up until the talk about the menus, which left me puzzled.

While these musings were going through my mind, Ash returned and sat back by my side, giving no indication that he wanted to talk shop tonight. Making up my mind to speak to him in private about Nightfall, I turned my attention back to the rest of our small party.

Noah's tense expression caught my eye right away and I looked about to see if anyone else had noticed. The rest of the group was engulfed in conversation, so I was sure they hadn't. Slightly apprehensive, I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and, as casually as I could, asked:

"Everything okay?" I kept my tone low so as not to attract the attention of the rest. Noah, who'd been staring at the table, gazed up at me with those beautiful green eyes of his and a slight frown on his pink lips.

"I was thinking about the cocktail," he admitted. "Not only about a name, but also how to tweak it. I want it to be the best before we include it in the menus."

"It tastes good to me," I reassured him, smiling, and to my delight, he returned it.

"I'm glad, but I still think it needs some work."

"Well, if you need a test subject to try out different versions, just say so."

"Really?" His grin was so radiant that I couldn't help but chuckle and grin back at him.

"Really. We can stay after hours sometime and test several versions at a time," I proposed to an enthusiastic Noah.

"Mint isn't my favorite flavor, but if you need some extra taste buds, count me in," Mac butted in, and I felt irritated albeit the good nature of his offer. I chastised my selfish impulse - if one more person wanted to help Noah out, so much the better - and yet I couldn't help but lean back and put some distance between me and the large man I considered my friend and a genuinely nice guy.

"Alright, gang," Jess and her girlfriend got up. "Gracie and I are calling it a night."

"Me too," Noah stood up as well. I'd already opened my mouth to offer him a ride - even though I wasn't sure exactly where he lived - when I remembered I was supposed to have a chat with my brother.

"We can share a cab," Mac suggested, and when Noah happily agreed, another just as irrational feeling took over me: jealousy.

What was wrong with me?

"We're also going," Caleb announced, nodding toward his sibling. "It's way past Misha's bedtime even for a Friday night. Besides, somebody has to do all their homework on Saturday, because they designated Sunday for an anime marathon with the Bennetts."

Caleb's attempt to appear stern didn't fool anyone. We could all see that he was actually glad that Lena and Leon would be coming over. Noah probably didn't realize why that was, but the rest of us knew that even with our best efforts, Misha had been horribly insecure and hadn't made any real friends his age before he'd met the twins. Having not one, but two peers who shared his tastes and interests had been a Godsend for him, and with Lena being pan, out and proud, it was easier for him to talk about his own homosexuality to people other than us.

"Oh, are you dressing up again?" Jess asked as we all walked towards the exit. "You better send me pictures, if you do that; I love it when you guys cosplay!"

Misha laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry, Jess; no cosplay for this marathon. We are having a pajama day though."

"Oh, that sounds good, doesn't it, baby?" Jess wrapped her arms around Gracie's bicep.

"You'd bet!" Gracie pecked her on the lips. "Pajama Sunday it is for us too. With ice cream and everything."

"Might take a page from your book, but I'm thinking steak. Big, grilled, rosemary-covered steak." Mac rubbed his muscled stomach. "Ooh, yeah."

Out, at the back of the club, we waited for Ash who had stayed behind to turn the alarm on and then we exchanged goodbyes. Gracie and Jess hailed a cab, Mac and Noah took another - I managed not to frown while I watched them climb in - and Caleb got into his car with Misha in tow. That left Ash and me to walk alone to my vehicle.

"Aren't you going to ask what I meant with the menus?" My brother asked as I fished my keys out of my back pocket.

"I am, but I was going to wait until we were on the road."

We each got in, buckled our seatbelts, and off we were, the streets almost empty at this time of night.

"So," I began. "Are you buying the rest of the building?"

"That's the plan." Ash huffed, and I lifted an eyebrow at him.

"That's a good thing, right? You've always wanted the whole building to be Nightfall and Nightfall only."

"Yeah, and I still want that."

I waited for him to continue, but he kept silent, looking straight ahead.

"So, what's the problem?"

"What do you think?" He snorted, no mirth in the sound.

I pondered on it for just a moment and then it came to me.

"Money? The guy wants too much for his half of the building?"

"He asked for a percentage of Nightfall in exchange for the premise."

It was a good thing that there was no traffic because like an idiot, I took my eyes off the road to stare at my brother. It was only for a moment, but that was sometimes all it took for tragedy to strike.

"He what?" I asked, my tone getting louder than it ought to be, my gaze now on the street, where it should be.

"I think he's bluffing," Ash said. "I think he wants to scare me by asking for part of the club so I'd offer him a larger sum, just to keep Nightfall all to myself."

"Then things are good? You call him out on his bluff and you get the deal moving."

"Well..."

His cheeks puffed and he let out a long breath, a pout on his face.

"I might have to ask mom and dad for a loan to pay the guy," he muttered after a moment of silence.

"Ah," I exclaimed quietly. "I see."

"Do you?" His voice rose, but I knew he wasn't really angry at me; he just felt lacking. "'Cause you never asked them for money. I've done it before, first when I opened Nightfall, then that one time business was really slow, and now this... I should be able to do this on my own, Dex; it's my damn club!"

"And you're doing a great job," I stated. "You're not yet thirty and you own your own club. Sure, mom and dad might've helped you out with money, but you paid them back. Besides, they paid my college tuition, so..."

"Not the same," he murmured.

"How is it different? I'd be neck deep in student debt if it wasn't for them."

"Yeah, but..."

He didn't finish his sentence and sighed again. My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I knew what was going through his head: you are their son, and I'm not.

Even though my parents had made sure our home also turned into Ash's home once he came to live with us, and even though he considered them his real parents, instead of just the people who had adopted him, Ash got weird when it came to money and being independent. Mom and dad spending cash on me was okay; spending it on him: no. He had to do better on his own; he had to prove that he could do better on his own.

The first time I'd met him, I could tell that his own poverty not only bothered him, but had twisted itself in his psyche and the way he perceived himself. And now, over a decade later, he still needed to prove he wasn't just some poor, lower-class kid. He needed to be successful, on his own terms.

"You're their son too," I said. "And they'd love to help. I would love to help..."

"No, no, no." He lifted his hands to shut me up. "I appreciate it, Dex, but if I have to borrow, it will be less humiliating to get the money from a single place."

"There's nothing humiliating in accepting help, Ash," I said slowly, trying not to lose my cool. "Remember when we first met? Did you think little of me because I needed help?"

"Of course not, but..."

"But that was me, and this is about you, and you have some twisted double standards, bro."

Ash crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

"I just..." He clenched his jaw and I gave him the time to compose himself. I knew how difficult it was for him to admit a weakness, or something he perceived as such. Once again, as I'd done many times before, I cussed his biological parents and what they'd put him through due to their addiction. And then I wished I'd met Ash sooner, and he'd come to live with me and my parents sooner, and then I wished some more, this time that he'd been born as my biological brother.

"I just want to prove that I can handle myself." His voice was quiet but firm. "That I can handle my own business. And Nightfall is my own, Dex; it's been a dream of mine since we were kids, you know that. And I know that mom and dad love me and that they'd never treat me any differently than you. They've never had. But... I wish..."

My right hand let go of the steering wheel and squeezed his shoulder.

"I know, brother. You wished Nightfall was all you. But we're family. The good kind, that helps each other. And just think how happy it makes our parents know they've helped you make your dream come true."

For the first time since Ash got into the car, he smiled.

-----

So yeah, Ash is adopted. I don't remember if it came up in earlier chapters or not. His parents' addiction also had a bit to do with the plot later on.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Vote, comment, and until next week! ❤

PS: I've already written a one-shot extra about how Dex and Ash first met and what Dex meant about needing help back then. Anyone interested in that?