“What the hell are you talking about?” Caelan demanded.
“You fucking leaving me and jumping straight into the arms of the damn Empire,” Drayce snarled at him.
Caelan dropped his head against the wall with a dull thud and stared at the ceiling.
“Wait…what are you apologizing for?” Drayce’s voice was softer and maybe even unsteady now that it wasn’t fueled with anger.
“The kiss,” Caelan replied simply.
“Oh.”
Yeah. Fucking oh.
Kicking Drayce was starting to sound really good right about now. If he wasn’t so miserable already, Caelan would have seriously considered it. The guy was driving him crazy.
“I handed myself over to the Empire because it was our only option for getting information. They wanted me. If you, Eno, or Rayne had attempted it, you would have been killed,” he explained as calmly as he could manage.
“Yeah, yeah,” Drayce muttered. “I get it. I even see the logic of it, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like it or that you didn’t scare the shit out of me.”
“I know, and I am sorry for scaring you.”
There was a noise that sort of sounded like a huff, but any attempts to say anything else were cut off by some pained noises and the flushing of the toilet. Caelan pushed to his feet as he listened to the water running for a second and Drayce spitting as he likely rinsed out his mouth.
The door opened, and a very pale Drayce stumbled out. He looked positively drained of all energy, barely more than a shambling husk. Drayce was simply one of those people who were not meant to go near water.
Caelan moved forward to help him, but Drayce waved him off as he shuffled to the narrow bed and dropped down on his side, facing the bathroom as if he were remaining prepared to make another dash to the toilet.
“Get some rest, okay? I’ll return to check on you in a few hours.”
Drayce waved a limp arm at him, motioning toward the sliver of empty bed behind him. “Stay for a while.”
Caelan couldn’t fight his grin. He paused at the foot of the bed and toed off his shoes before he very carefully peeled Drayce out of his. He climbed slowly into the bed, trying to move it as little as possible. There was barely any room for him in the single. There would have been no room if either of them had been Eno’s size, but it wasn’t like this was the first time they’d shared a bed as they stayed up talking through the night.
His shoulder braced against the wall at the head of the bed, Caelan closed his eyes and dragged in a deep breath of relief. This felt closer to normal.
“I’m sorry about kissing you like that. I shouldn’t have just done that,” Caelan murmured, his voice barely over a whisper.
He thought he saw Drayce stiffen. From this angle, he couldn’t see Drayce’s expression, but he also couldn’t move.
“Does that mean you regret it?” Drayce asked in the same low tones.
Caelan frowned, balling one of his hands into a fist at his hip. “I only regret it if it means that I’ve ruined our friendship.” He licked his lips. “Drayce, you know you’re my best friend. I don’t want to do anything that would ruin our friendship or make you feel uncomfortable around me.”
Drayce hummed happily and reached one hand behind him to clumsily pat Caelan’s knee. “I knew you loved me,” he said playfully.
Possibly more than Drayce would ever understand, but that wasn’t something they were ever going to discuss.
“Nothing’s ruined, man. You think one kiss is gonna ruin us?” Drayce snorted, but it sounded so tired.
“It felt like you were acting different in Sirelis. I…”
Drayce made a noise. “Dude, I thought you were going to die up in that storm!” His voice gained some strength and started to fade as if he’d run out of energy. “For a long time, we could barely see you, and then when we could, there was all this lightning shooting from you. Then the next thing we know, you’re falling out of the sky and we had no way of reaching you until you sort of floated toward us. You wouldn’t wake up. Man, I don’t like that fucking Kaes and his powers. They aren’t good for you.”
Caelan nearly laughed with relief. Scared. Drayce had been scared for him. Smiling to himself, Caelan reached out and lightly ran his fingers through Drayce’s sweaty hair. He moved it from his brow and gently rubbed his scalp. As he’d expected, Drayce sighed heavily, his entire body relaxing as he seemed to sink into the bed.
In some ways, Drayce was like a very large cat. When he wasn’t feeling well, he needed to have his head rubbed or his back scratched. He’d suffered a few injuries and one nasty cold since they’d become friends. During all those instances, he’d just wanted Caelan with him, rubbing his head, while they talked.