The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

drunk enough to care

part 2 (kinda, more like roles are reversed) of "Drunk enough to want you"
a request for a drunk Julian and Scarlett taking care of him
Setting: Legendary
A/N: there's some referencing to the Caravan collector's edition bonus content in here

     Loud music, dancing, and a little too much laughter. With Caraval, there were always parties. Especially in a palace with a large room designed for balls. Despite Scarlett's gloomy mood because of her and Julian's falling out, she still decided to attend the party. It was the break night stuck in the middle of Caraval because the empress decided she needed one night off for whatever reason, which the citizens of Valenda deemed the perfect opportunity for a fete.

      Scarlett's dress had fixed itself into a black glittering gown, with a deep v slit in the centre, showing off more of her chest than she would have liked. It was also sleeveless, but her enchanted dress had a mind of its own. She quite enjoyed the design nonetheless, and it paired nicely with rich red lipstick and silver accessories.

     She decided to dance, not caring about anything for a few moments. Her sister was God knows where, and Scarlett really had nothing to lose anymore. She wasn't living by her father's strict ideals anymore, and it felt good to be free.

     And when she got sick of dancing, Scarlett headed over to the drink table. She was just about to get a water when a certain velvety, sonorous voice caught her attention. In despite of herself, Scarlett turned as she watched a girl feeling up Julian, and him pulling away almost immediately.

     "You're not... you're not Crimson," Julian slurred, obviously drunk.

      She didn't know what to feel, whether to smile or to frown. When Julian tripped over a stool and stumbled into her, she decided on a frown.

       "But you are!" Julian's breath smelled heavily of whiskey and a hint of chocolate. Scarlett caught him in her arms before he fell over.

      "Julian," she murmured as he leaned into her, wrapping his arms around her.

      "Let's dance." He began to sway, and Scarlett played along only to lead him out of the ballroom.

      "It's really hard to be angry at you when you're drunk," she grumbled, swaying with him until they were in a corridor.

      The music began to fade, and Scarlett's heart couldn't have been more confused. It still broke for his lies, but she couldn't deny the way it fluttered when his hand rested on her lower back. Part of her wanted to yell at him for getting this drunk, but how could she yell at someone who wouldn't even take her seriously because they weren't sober?

      Scarlett should have just left him there. She should have just peeled him off of her and returned to the floor. But despite everything, she still cared about him. And she knew he would have gotten hurt if he would have stayed at the party any longer.

      Julian hiccuped. "Where are we going, Crimson?"

       "On an adventure," she exaggerated, trying to get Julian to move a little more on his own.

      "Ooh."

      In reality, she was just trying to get him to his chambers so he could fall asleep without having to worry about anyone stumbling upon him.

      "Wait, Crim..son." Julian tripped, pulling Scarlett down with him as he fell onto the ground.

       She didn't feel any pain, mostly because Julian broke her fall. He turned around so that he was leaning against the wall and she was seated on his lap.