[TW: IMPLIED ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT. See the author's thoughts for details.]
Go home.
As if he'd left Noel with any other option. The entire front of his vest is dark with wine, the silver fabric undoubtedly stained beyond repair, and the shirt beneath it is wet and sticking to his skin. At least the first public bathroom he found, several floors down from the lounge, is empty, sparing him any more humiliation. Noel scrubs the wine from his face a little harder than necessary before looking up at his reflection in the wide, gold framed mirror.
"Go home," he mocks to himself, water dripping off his chin, locks of hair plastered to his cheeks. "Go back to your sad, lonely one bedroom apartment and think about how much everyone hates you." A rueful smile twists his mouth. "If only he knew that home is the nicest penthouse apartment in the city, and that at least one person thinks fucking me is worth the effort." The thought of Beckett's dismay at discovering that his friend and the most powerful esper in the country is using his worthless older brother as his exclusive guide is enough to lift Noel's spirits ever so slightly, and he snags a paper towel to dab his face dry.
It's just as well, he figures, pushing his way through the heavy bathroom door. He was about to leave anyway. Midnight has come and gone and the truly scandalous hours of the party have only just begun, so he'd better get out while he can.
The bathroom door is recessed into the wall, surrounded by a shallow alcove, and before Noel can set foot into the hallway proper, a familiar voice freezes him in his tracks.
"—answer is still no, Gen."
First, Noel despairs at being forced to eavesdrop on Jade and Genevieve again. But then he frowns to himself, because Jade sounds…odd.
"Just let me help you upstairs." The female voice Noel now recognizes as Genevieve Quinn is soft and gentle, a far cry from the abrasiveness in the stairwell a few days ago. "You can barely walk."
"Don't."
"I've never known you to drink like this, Jade. Is everything alright?"
So that's why Jade sounds off. His usually crisp words are clumsy and his smooth cadence is warped. But that's a bit odd in itself. Espers usually have to work very hard to get drunk; their superhuman metabolisms make it difficult. "It's none of your business," he says, words slurring into each other. "I'm not drunk—I didn't even—"
"I know you don't believe me, Jade, but I really am just concerned for you," Genevieve interrupts, speaking slowly, as though to a child. "You shouldn't stay any longer. You know it's hard for you to control your powers when you're drunk."
"I'm fine. Leave me alone."
"Just come upstairs with me," she entreats doggedly. "I've already checked into a room. You can rest there while I—"
A sharp, cold laugh cuts her off. Noel clenches his fists at his sides. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Quinn." Jade's tone drops, so low Noel can barely make it out, and even hitched and unsteady, it's enough to chill the pit of Noel's stomach. "You need to give up, for your own good, because I am never going to fuck you."
"What if you didn't have a choice?" Genevieve spits back poisonously, all pretense gone in an instant. "You think I can't touch you, Ransom? I can get you blacklisted at every other agency in the world, and once I track down your secret little whore, you'll have no choice but to come crawling back to me—" she cuts off on a pained gasp.
"What makes you think you can say shit like that to me?" Jade growls. "Are you really so confident that I won't rip your throat out?"
"Jade—"
"I wouldn't let you guide me again if you were the last guide on earth, no matter what little tricks you use to—goddamn it—" Jade trails off into a string of mumbled curses, and Noel hears rustling.
"See? I told you you're too drunk," Genevieve says, all the artificial honey back like it never left. "I don't want to argue with you, Jade. I'll help you upstairs and we can talk like adults."
Jade doesn't respond and Noel snaps out of his shock, panic urging him into the hallway before he can even formulate a proper plan.
The opulent corridor is empty aside from Genevieve, looking unreal in a tight red minidress, and Jade, currently half-buckled against her, clutching his head. Genevieve starts at Noel's sudden appearance and her grip on Jade's arms tightens. "What are you—"
"Uh, Guide Quinn," Noel says, racking his brain for an excuse as he hurries toward them. "My—brother was asking for you."
She squints at him in distrust, angling her body as though to hide Jade's much larger frame from view. "What?"
"My brother," Noel repeats, coming to a stop, slightly out of breath from the pounding of his heart. "Beckett Arden? You—uh…you know him, right?"
"Of course I know him," she snaps.
"He was asking for you. In the rooftop lounge."
"Why?"
Noel shrugs, hoping he looks unbothered. "Dunno. But he sounded pretty pissed."
Genevieve grimaces, no doubt familiar with Beckett's infamous temper. "Why did he send you?" she presses skeptically.
"He didn't send me, I just happened to overhear him." Noel rubs the back of his neck. "If I was you, I probably wouldn't wait until he actually sent someone to find me. You know how he is."
She bites her lip, eyes darting between Noel, Jade, and the end of the hall. "Damn it," she mutters. Turning, she pushes Jade down onto one of the cushioned benches lining the walls, and he goes without resistance, still holding his head. "I'll be right back," she says sweetly, stroking a hand through Jade's mussed hair. Noel's ears pop from how hard he grits his teeth. "Don't wander off, alright? You're too drunk. It's not safe."
When Jade doesn't respond, she seems to take it as confirmation that he can't or won't leave and turns a disdainful look on Noel. "What are you waiting for? Take me to him."
"Oh—" Noel scrambles for an excuse. "Actually, I've—gotta clean up!" He gestures to his stained vest. "Yeah, I spilled my drink all over myself and my shirt is soaked. But, uh—you can't miss the lounge—it's the last stop on the main elevator." With a self-deprecating laugh, Noel turns and marches stiffly back to the bathroom, ducking inside and pressing his ear to the door.
After a moment, he hears what sounds like a frustrated whine, followed by the rhythmic thuds of angry high heels making their way past him.
Once he's sure she's gone, he slips out the door again.
"Jade," he whispers, hurrying over to his slumped figure. "Are you alright?" He places a hand hesitantly on Jade's shoulder and Jade jerks, lifting his head. His tan skin is flushed dark and his eyes are dilated to sucking black pools, leaving only a corona of blazing blue iris. His gaze seems to slide right off Noel, unable to focus, but he reaches out and snags a handful of Noel's wet shirt. "Wow, you really are plastered," Noel observes under his breath.
"Why're you wet?" Jade asks hoarsely.
"I'll tell you later. We should go before someone—"
Jade hisses in a pained breath, his other hand clawing at his scalp. "My head—fuck—"
"Wait—don't—" Noel half kneels in front of him, grabbing his wrist in a futile attempt to pull his hand out of his hair. Noel has never seen an inebriated esper before; his father appreciates expensive spirits and drank a lot while Noel was growing up, but even an entire bottle wasn't enough to truly affect him. So he's not sure if Jade's reaction is normal, but it seems pretty extreme. "You're going to hurt yourself," he says, even though he knows Jade probably isn't listening. "And we need to go, before she comes back—"
Mind racing, Noel grabs one of Jade's tree trunk arms and tugs. To his surprise, Jade rises. He nearly tips over, but Noel manages to steady him in time, and he sways on his feet, shaking his head as though trying to clear water from his ears. Noel wraps Jade's arm around his shoulders for stability and pulls him down the hall toward the elevators. Jade stumbles, but manages to stay mostly upright, letting Noel guide him. The scent of Jade's cologne hits Noel's nose from their proximity, fresh and forest-y, like the woods after a storm, but despite Jade's obvious intoxication, he can't smell much booze at all. He detects a hint of something malty and bitter, but it's not very strong, barely enough to even linger on Jade's labored breaths.
For a moment, Noel considers taking him to the car and going home, but they'd have to get all the way out of the hotel and either wait for a valet on the front drive or pick up the keys and find their way through the hotel's massive parking garage. Noel's not even sure Jade can stay awake that long. So that only leaves one option.