Chapter 103: Between a dragon and a...dragon?
Carried, once more, but instead of being carried by the damn secret princess this time, he was carried by the secret dragon. Cass was questioning his reality once more.
He wondered, briefly, how quickly his condition would get to the others. Would they even care? He wasn’t so sure. He had no idea what had happened in the mansion while he’d been out of commission, and Sam, his little lackey, was too worried and flustered about his condition to give him anything to work with.
He knew this from the way that the man was looking around, nervously twisting his hands, and how deep the circles under his eyes were. He had probably been worried sick outside his door when Cass himself hadn’t emerged. This was probably also his worst fear come to life.
Cass, clearly injured, and he couldn’t do anything to help or stop it.
In contrast, the dragon who carried him seemed...rather collected, excited even. He opened his mouth a few times on the way to his study, before closing it. After the third time, Cass scoffed.
"Out with already or a bird is going to fly into your mouth." Cass muttered and Byron’s face flushed. Sam, who hadn’t noticed Byron’s odd behaviour because he was too busy being absorbed in his own, glanced towards them. Byron cleared his throat.
"I just wanted to thank you for the teacher, my Lord. They...they said I was advancing quite quickly. I just wanted to let you know my progress." Byron said, his lips twitching. He was obviously happy, and surprisingly, Cass could feel a small bubble of pride welling up inside of him.
"Well done Byron. I’m glad to hear that." Byron beamed, seeming to not mind that he was getting praise from a man who had heavily injured himself.
"Thank you, my Lord." He replied shyly, even though he was the one who had wanted to bring this all up. Sam beamed beside him, his own worries temporarily forgotten since Byron had spoken.
"You should have heard the teacher, my Lord! They were simply excited. It seems that Byron might have a knack for languages!" Sam praised, and Byron flushed more.
"They were just being kind." Byron muttered, and Sam rolled his eyes.
"Our Lord would never hire someone who would lavish on praise so easily. Just accept the compliment, Byron!" Sam protested, and Cass was interested to watch their dynamic. Byron was clearly going to be pushed around by Sam, but from the sparkle in those dark eyes, he didn’t seem to mind at all.
"Sam is right." Cass said, agreeing with his favourite henchman. Sam lit up. "I do not hire people who sing my praises, nor someone who would lie. I especially wouldn’t do something so cruel to you. I shall speak to this teacher myself when I am better, but make no mistake. If the teacher has said what Sam implies, and what you have said yourself, I am sure that they are correct." Byron turned his head away from them, clearly flustered, but also happy.
Sam chuckled beside them, before rushing to open the study doors as they approached.
All three of them halted, checking to see if anything strange happened while they were absent from the space.
"It appears, my Lord," Byron said after a deep, long sniff. "That they did attempt to enter while you were ill." Cass let out a grumble, clearly displeased. He was even more displeased when Byron didn’t put him in his chair, and instead headed for the loveseat by the window. It was then that Cass realised it was late afternoon.
Ah. Around the time that Sam would drop off food. It made a little more sense now.
"Those scoundrels. When are you dealing with them, my Lord?" Sam growled, angry, spitting like a little fluffed up kitten. Cass snorted at the imagery in his own mind.
"Not quite yet, Sam, so harden yourself. No doubt they don’t know what Byron is, or else they wouldn’t have acted so boldly. We are lucky we have someone like him around. Who knows how long this has been going on?" Cass sighed. "Why didn’t you put me in my chair?" Cass asked, and Byron froze, before turning to look at Sam.
Sam was the one who approached, ringing his hands, but his eyes held a strength to them that Cass appreciated, when not directed at him.
"You are not well, my Lord. Therefore, you should be resting somewhere soft, and warm. The chair, while your usual spot is not what I would consider...those things." It was a ruse. Cass knew it was a ruse, which was why he wanted to be there. He could hide his hands behind the desk. Here, out in the open, he couldn’t do that.
He didn’t want to have to explain that to him, or Byron, so he just turned his gaze towards them. Sam winced, taking the brunt of the look.
"My Lord, all blame should be with me. Byron is just-he’s just doing as I told him to do." Byron cast Sam a look, clearly upset that he stood up for him, but Sam wasn’t going to have it.
"That’s not-don’t believe him, my Lord! I am capable of making my own choices!" Byron protested, attempting to step in front of Sam. The two began to bicker, and Cass really just wanted them to stop.
His head pulsed, likely due to the influx of memories, and the fact that he’d only had his own voice to hear for the last five days. His throat had stopped throbbing, but he still sounded terrible, and he was already tired. He just wanted to be seen, and then go back to bed, but actually rest. Maybe eat.
"Enough." Cass rasped, and they both shut their mouths. "What’s done is done. Sam, go do what I asked of you, and Byron, wait outside. I just want to be alone until the Doctor arrives." Cass ordered, and both behaved as if he had hit them.
They wilted, dramatic as all hell, shared a look and bowed towards him.
"Of course, my Lord." Sam said, following after Byron and closing the door behind him.
Cass sighed, feeling a little bit like an asshole, but what else could he do? They could have their lovers spat somewhere else. Unlike with Lady Ava and Lady Fiona, it wasn’t as funny to him. It didn’t feel as...fake, he guessed?
Not that he thought their feelings for each other were. He wasn’t them. He didn’t fucking know.
Cass’ head throbbed, and he leaned back, his hands relaxing at his sides as he did so. He hadn’t sat in the loveseat since he’d imagined his sister here, but now that he had, he would admit it was nice.
It was nice of Sam to be so concerned for him, even if he didn’t want it. He would never tell Sam this.
Cass could feel sleep calling for him, and once more, he fell unconscious. It was a deep slumber, even if short. When Cass awoke next, he felt slightly better, but the noises outside were oddly similar to how he most recently awoke.
"L-Lord Draken! You can’t go in there! Lord Blackburn is in there resting!" Byron’s voice was loud, probably intentionally to let Cass know who was on his way. Cass yawned, his mind awake, but his body slow to respond.
Somehow, he felt like the nap had rejuvenated him more than he thought, and he found that he could move his arms again without the weakness that he had felt when he’d first woken up. He assumed that was due to the healing tonic, and once more, he wondered what the hell it was made out of.
Loud banging could be heard on the door, and absently, Cass glanced towards it.
"Cassian! You better let me in! You have a lot of explaining to do!" Draken roared and Cass stared at the door for a long, long moment, before he let out a soul weary sigh.
He supposed he did. He didn’t think his feelings directed towards Draken outside of the intense moments he’d projected towards him to distract him had made it to him, but he couldn’t be sure. He was sure the intense feelings would have confused the other man, since he’d been hitting on him so easily and readily only a few days before.
Of course, that wasn’t Cass. All of the flirting had been on Draken’s side, he had just been on the receiving end of it.
He would answer him though, since he knew better. Keeping a dragon from something they were curious about was practically a death sentence, especially for a dragon like Draken.
"Let him in, Byron." Cass called, wincing at how it felt like his voice had scraped its nails down a chalkboard. The door was flung open, a flustered Byron holding one side, while Draken, in his usual pirate-esque garb sauntered in.
He appeared to stare towards Cass’ desk, expecting him there. When he furrowed his brows in confusion, his nostrils flared and suddenly his orange gaze hit Cass. Cass wondered why he had thought it was yellow when he first arrived.
It was so obviously like, orange orange. Bright as the fucking sun. Especially when they scanned him, horror filling said gaze. He then turned towards Byron, his face grim.
"What the fuck happened? You were supposed to be able to protect him!" Draken roared, and Byron tensed. It was clear that Byron couldn’t stand up to Draken. There was such a power difference between the two.
If Byron had maybe another...100 years? He might be able to hold a candle to Draken, but he was barely two weeks out of whatever puberty procedure Draken had helped him with. He was a baby in dragon years.
Draken seemed about ready to charge him, when Cass coughed. Draken froze.
"There is nothing Byron could have done." Cass rasped, and Draken turned his orange gaze towards him, clearly in pain at the sight of him. "No doubt you came to ask me some questions you were curious about. What are they, so that you can leave quickly. I have a visitor coming." Draken’s expression darkened.
"A visitor? While you are like this? Who the fuck is it, Cassian, because I-" Draken cut off, slamming his lips closed. He pursed them and took a deep breath, before he exhaled. Cass really didn’t want to answer Draken’s question.
He had a feeling that as soon as he knew it was a Doctor, he was never going to leave. Call it intuition? Call it suspicion. Cass just had a feeling.
"Ask your questions, Draken, or get out. I’m too tired to play with you right now." Cass said, leaning his head back against the couch. Draken watched him, his expression lost as he took in the sallow white skin and the deep, deep circles. The fact that Cass wasn’t moving his hands wasn’t lost on him, and when he noticed how swollen they were, he rubbed his chest.
"That answers some of it." Draken mumbled. Byron gave him a confused look, while Cass’ lips turned up slightly.
"Are you able to feel the pain?" Cass asked softly, and Draken stared at him, unblinking.
"I was able to feel a lot of things, actually." He glanced at Byron. "Go wait outside. Far enough away you can’t hear us." Draken ordered. Byron turned to Cass, confirming if that was okay and Draken let out a rumble. Cass thought that it was displeasure, until he realised that Draken was smiling.
He was happy that Byron had checked in with Cass first, and Byron flushed.
"It’s alright, Byron. I had a feeling we’d have a conversation. I had just hoped it was tomorrow, instead of today." Cass muttered, and Draken cast him a dubious look.
"After what I’ve felt, did you honestly think I’d wait this long after feeling you come to consciousness?" Draken barked, before taking another deep breath. "I should not yell at you. It is not you I am..." Draken trailed off, taking several deep breaths over and over to calm himself. Byron cast a doubtful look towards the other dragon, but Cass waved him on.
It should be fine. Sam would be done cleaning up, and then he would barge in.
Hopefully on time this round.