Chapter 187: This feels too easy
"Cassian, sweetness, the wind beneath my wings, you must wake up. If you don’t, I’m going to start getting creative~" Cass woke with a cold chill running down his spine. His eyes snapped open only to find a beaming Lucian above him. Cass blinked once, twice before he bolted up.
"I’m up. I’m awake." Cass mumbled, his voice a little hoarse since it was the morning. Lucian chuckled, reaching out to smooth Cass’ hair.
"Mm. Tragic. I was just thinking about how creative I could be. Oh well. I guess I’ll save that for later." He said with a grin before he got up. "He’s awake!" He called out of the tent flaps and there was a scattered mix of responses. All quiet enough that Cass wasn’t able to hear them, which he thought was odd. The tents were thin and so he should have been able to hear them.
Unless they were scouting already.
"How long did I sleep in for?" Cass asked, his throat a little sore. He wondered if he’d snored or something. He didn’t normally wake up feeling this parched. He raised up his hand and summoned some water and Lucian watched him with warm eyes and a bright smile.
"Not too long, honestly. I was prepared to give you another warning before I began my ’awaken Cassian’ procedures." Lucian chuckled to himself while Cass felt another cold chill run down his spine. He didn’t like the sound of that. "The others have already eaten. I was waiting until you woke up. We are tentmates after all, we should at the very least do that." Lucian said with a small spark in his eyes before he scanned Cass’s body. "Do you need help getting up and getting unwrapped?" Cass nodded cautiously.
He felt like he was standing on a dock in the middle of the lake. He wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to get his footing with every word that was out of Lucian’s mouth. Damn it, things were easier for him when he was keeping his distance and making snide remarks.
Lucian marched over, bending down and grabbing Cass gently, but firmly at his elbow before he hauled him up onto his feet. Cass stumbled slightly and Lucian was delighted when Cass fell towards his chest. Cass’s face smooshed against Lucian’s pecs and Lucian let out a chuckle as Cass’ face warmed.
"Well well, looks like someone couldn’t get enough of their favourite pillow last night." Lucian murmured quietly. Cass shivered, horror filling him.
"Did I say that out loud?" Cass asked and Lucian froze, before he let out a deep, hearty laugh.
"You did just now. I was joking, but good to know that my plan has been working." Lucian’s tone was dripping pride. Cass wanted the ground to swallow him whole. Was he fucking serious? Did he really blurt that out loud? Did he think he was still asleep?
Cass wanted to push himself away from Lucian, but the man wasn’t letting him flee. Instead, calmly, he pushed Cass away from his chest, stabilizing him, and began to unwind his hands. He was careful, thorough, and when Cass’ hands were revealed after being wrapped all night in medicine, he summoned some water and shoved them carefully into the bubble.
Cass had never seen this kind of technique before, so it was fascinating to watch as Lucian gently moved the water around his fingers, washing them inside of the warm water bubble. It was such a flex, showing off how much control he had over his magic, but Lucian wasn’t treating it that way.
He moved from one hand to the next, and when both of Cass’ hands were clean, Lucian raised them to his lips, one by one and pressed a kiss there. He kept eye contact with Cass the whole time. Cass felt like he was going to explode.
This was...too much attention. Way too much attention. He didn’t know what to do with this, and it was at that moment that Cass realised he was partially undressed. More than partially. The only thing he was wearing was his undershirt that Sir Forsythe had helped him get into, which looked almost exactly like the shirts that Lucian liked to wear. That, and his pants. His shoes were off, and when he glanced around, the rest of his clothes were piled up in the corner.
Cass felt his mouth open, close, and open again. He had a vague memory of Lucian helping him undress before he fell asleep for the first time. Cass’ face then went red as he remembered that he’d woken up a second time.
Lucian was smiling, patient. Watching Cass as he went through several emotions in quiet before Cass finally decided to speak.
"Thank you for helping me yesterday." Cass murmured lowly. What he was referring to? Who knows. Genuinely, Lucian had been a good help yesterday in several aspects. Lucian’s eyes crinkled at the corner as he smiled.
"It was nothing. Anything I can do to help my bond partner. Are you going to need help getting into your clothes? Your fingers are still a little stiff, aren’t they? I can tell." Lucian said as he began to message them lightly. Cass swallowed.
If this man was planning to bulldoze through Cass’ walls through physical affection, Cass hated to realise that this was working. Whether it meant that Cass would accept anything from him, he was just...
Cass just wasn’t used to people being that interested in him. So interested in him that even after he flared up at them, told them to fuck off, that they didn’t back up with their hands raised and instead came closer, not letting him go. Cass hated to admit it, but the only people who had done so before this were his sister and her husband. That was it.
No one else had done so. And yet, Lucian was here, trying to seduce him, Fiona was kind of doing the same, and so were Lady Ava and...Vespertine. Lord Ridgewood? Cass wasn’t so sure. Actually, he was pretty sure that because Lord Blackburn hadn’t liked him beforehand that they had never been close.
Cass chuckled to himself. If Lord Ridgewood suddenly did a 180 on Cass, that would be a true enemies to lovers.
He froze at his thought. Don’t. Don’t even think that Cass. What the hell is wrong with you? Going from zero to one wasn’t enough for you, you wanted to fucking drown? You don’t even know how to kiss properly, and you haven’t even held hands with another man yet, and you’re over here joking about enemies to lovers in a novel that you know is a romance at its core?
Are you a damn idiot? Who knows who is listening in on your thoughts? Lord Blackburn certainly is, and he’s probably pissed you even suggested that!
Cass shook himself, trying to shake off the thoughts that had just consumed him, his face warm, his hands kissed and held by another man, and all of his clothes in his little bag.
"I might just need help with the buttons. I can do the rest." Cass told him before he glanced away from Lucian’s face. "Can I...get changed without you here?" Cass asked and Lucian’s grin turned devious.
"Feeling shy? After you practically crawled into my skin last night? Alright. I’ll wait outside since you’re so adorable." Cass let out a soft gasp at his words and Lucian leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek before giving his hands a squeeze and turning towards the tent flaps. "Your little side bag is in between the layers of your clothes. Hid it because I know it is precious to you. Would have hidden it better, but I wanted it nearby since it has all of your food in it." He sounded like he was severely apologetic that he hadn’t hidden it better.
Cass was confused about that for a minute until something clicked.
Lucian was a dragon. Dragons liked to hide things that were precious to them. He had been trying to do something for Cass that a dragon normally would, and honestly? Cass couldn’t say that didn’t make his heart warm. Lord Blackburn would probably appreciate it the most. He was like a dragon in that regard, hiding and tucking everything away from the others to keep it safe.
Cass nodded, giving him a soft smile.
"Thank you. It’s okay. You were probably right to keep it nearby." Cass told him and Lucian gave a nod before he stepped out fully and the tent closed behind him. Cass took a second to gather himself, center himself, before he began to go through his things and get dressed.
He needed to build up his walls again. He had to. He knew he didn’t handle the undead well. There. He said it. He didn’t like the sight of them. They were disturbing, eerie, and after the mini boss that they had just fought, who could blame him?
He was certain no one in the party would.
Knowing that, Cass tried to layer up again today. Each round, he’d get one button done, get frustrated, and would turn to the tent flaps to get Lucian’s help. He felt like a child putting on his parents clothes, but Lucian didn’t make a comment about it. Only helped as he said he would, and when Cass was fully dressed, tugged Cass to one of the pallets to sit. He waited until Cass had gathered his breakfast before he began to eat the meat that had been left for him to consume.
It had to have been cold, chilled probably, but Lucian made no comment. Cass was also surprised by the lack of others around them. Lucian didn’t speak about that right away, only speaking to Cass casually with light topics. Nothing too crazy. Just easy things to break the ice. Mostly about magic honestly, and Cass was pretty happy to discuss it.
It was...easy. Surprisingly so.
Cass was also suspicious that Lucian hadn’t really brought up what had happened last night. While Cass was more than happy to not speak of it ever again, Lucian?
He had thought that Lucian would have viewed it as some kind of victory? Maybe he was thinking too highly of himself, but Lucian did strike him as that kind of man. Any step forward would be celebrated. You know, dragon kind of behaviour.
Instead, he was warm, welcoming, trying to take care of him. If Cass allowed him to, the man would have hand fed him. Cass wasn’t about to let another man feed him, but it was...he was uneasy with how well things were going, and the lack of the others around them.
It was as they were finishing up their breakfast that Fiona and Lord Ridgewood arrived back at the camp. From their expressions, Cass could make some guesses as to where they had been. Scouting.