Cass didn’t know what had overcome him. All he did know was that he wasn’t behaving like himself at all and he was rather embarrassed. It was made worse by the fact that he wasn’t alone in the room either.
Edgar was there, at his side, tending to him in place of Sam and the others. Cass pulled the large shirt that was covering his decency further down his thighs as he sat on the loveseat in the office, flushed.
"Are you feeling better, Cass?" Edgar asked kindly and Cass nodded, unable to speak. There was a lump of embarrassment in his chest. He just hoped that no one else had heard his outburst, or seen him walking through his chambers like this. The worst he normally did was wear a light shirt and undergarments as he went to his dressing room. He needed to change that. He needed to add a door for access from his bedchambers so that he could avoid further embarrassment.
Why the fuck were his rooms so large in the first place? Why was this acceptable for Cass anyways? This was too large of a space for one person alone to occupy!
Cass made a small noise in the back of his throat, then grew flustered that he even did that. Damn it, he was just getting more embarrassed at his behaviour as time went on. When would the others be back?
Edgar watched over Cass, noticing his strange, awkward behaviour, and just smiled. He didn’t pester him further, remaining quiet as Cass seemed to grapple with his emotions over and over. When a knock finally came to the door it was quickly pushed open before Cass or Edgar could answer. For once, Cass wasn’t upset by that.
Lucian came in, his arms full of clothes, a wide grin across his cheeks.
"I’ve brought some more clothing! These all smell of me and should be appropriate for you to wear!" He declared boldly, coming over to where Cass was sitting and draping all of the clothes along the back of the couch. Cass half expected him to start selecting an outfit for Cass to wear, and when he didn’t, Cass stared at him, confused.
"T-Thank you." Cass muttered quietly and Lucian bent, pressing a soft, if not slightly scratchy kiss against his cheek.
"Anything for you, sweetness. Now, I’m surprised the food didn’t arrive first. Sam was very quick with helping me select outfits. It took longer for me to gather them." Lucian said with a chuckle. Cass gave a small smile of his own while Edgar shifted and moved towards the clothes. He began shifting them around quietly, the sound of fabric rustling filling Cass’ ears.
"I’m sure he’s not far behind. He wouldn’t neglect such a thing." Edgar replied quietly, and it was right. There was another knock at the door and Lucian marched towards it, opening the door to find Sam not alone. The Doctor and everyone was behind it, with Byron carrying a tray of food instead of Sam. It was covered with a lid, hiding the contents from Cass’ view, but Cass felt tears begin to prick at his eyes at the sight.
Gideon tapped Byron’s shoulder lightly from behind, urging him to enter quickly while Sam and the Doctor practically moved as one. Sir Forsythe covered the rear, closing the door behind them and remaining there without much care. A guard for Cass first before he was anything else.
Byron approached Cass and Gideon was the one who took the lid off of the tray and handed what was underneath to Cass. It wasn’t anything grand. It was more like a simple muffin, but dammit if that didn’t make Cass’ eyes water as he reached shaking hands towards it. It didn’t even look like a kind of muffin that Cass would normally eat.
It looked like a fruit muffin, something like a blueberry muffin. Cass preferred carrot muffins, something he’d forgotten since he’d had them so few, but that didn’t matter. Cass wasn’t sure where this sudden hunger came from, but now that human food was in front of him his body was shaking violently.
Lucian, who was at his side, looked horrified and concerned as Cass wrapped both of his hands around the muffin and brought it closer to his face. Cass wasn’t even aware of the desperate look on his face as he brought it closer, his mouth opening, his lips trembling.
"What in the world have you done to this man?" The Doctor asked before Cass could touch his lips to the muffin. They looked absolutely horrified at Cass’ behaviour, even more so as Cass gave them a blank look.
"What?" Cass rasped and the Doctor’s jaw clenched. They glanced around, glaring at everyone in the room until their eyes fell upon Lucian.
"You weren’t here last time." They accused and Lucian gulped.
"I had some...personal issues to deal with. My apologies." Lucian then turned to Cass and gently pushed the muffin closer. "Go on, Cass. Take a bite. Sam wouldn’t dare bring food that was unsafe." Lucian’s voice dripped with affection but Cass was too blind to what was going on around him. The muffin was his focus. It smelled so good.
Cass wasn’t aware of the way Sam was covering his mouth, looking horrified. Nor the way that Gideon and Edgar looked guilty. The Doctor glared at them, but at least they didn’t seem as angry as before. It was clear, not that they were witnessing the full weight of the moment that they had no clue this was going to happen.
The Doctor let them fuss over Cass as he sunk his teeth into the muffin and moaned. He continued to quickly devour the muffin, and thankfully Byron was able to produce more. No one asked where they came from as long as they were safe for Cass, and Sam was the one who came to the side, wiping his hands in between muffins.
It was only once Cass’ hands ceased shaking and he was licking his lips that it became clear to the others that he was sane once more. Cass flushed, embarrassed at his display. He had no idea what had come over him.
When he glanced around the room, letting Sam wipe his hands, he noticed how the others looked sullen. Even Sir Forsythe seemed to be in a bad mood while the Doctor was finishing pulling everything out of their bag. Cass wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was glad that the Doctor was here to examine him.
"My apologies for the indecent display." Cass rasped, his throat dry. Sam’s eyes widened but it was Edgar who helped. He summoned water into a nearby teacup, not heating it up before he handed it over to Cass. Cass took it gratefully, sipping the water that tasted a bit like Edgar.
That was...a surprising revelation. Cass hadn’t been able to taste that kind of distinction before, nor had he noticed that something summoned by another tasted like them. Then again, Cass had been the one who had been summoning most of the water as of late. Intrigued, but knowing this was not the place, Cass turned his attention the Doctor.
Cass gave a start as he realised the Doctor who had been busy unloading their bag was now staring at Cass with an alarmingly clear gaze. Cass flushed.
"I-Is something wrong?" Cass asked, confused, and the Doctor gave a heavy sigh.
"Are you aware of what is afflicting you?" They asked and Cass winced. Gideon growled, taking a step towards the Doctor.
"How dare you-"
"Giddy, back down." Lucian growled, low, protective, and with enough force that Gideon paused. Lucian was staring at the Doctor, unblinking. "Cass is aware. Are you?" He asked, poking. He was testing the Doctor and Cass watched as their face twitched. They looked...scared. Cass couldn’t blame them.
Not only were they in a room of the heroes, but they were finding out, if they were competent enough, that one of the heroes was a demon, if not more. Cass would have fled if he was in their shoes. It was a testament to their character that they didn’t.
The Doctor eventually tsked.
"I deal with clients who can’t go to the temple for healing. What do you think?" The Doctor snapped finally, crossing their arms to glare at the dragon that was obvious to them. "Why didn’t you give me this information up front, husband?" They snarled. It was clear that the Doctor didn’t like to be caught unaware, and Cass couldn’t blame them. Cass didn’t like it either.
"We didn’t know, or weren’t fully aware of what was going on." Cass spoke softly. The Doctor’s demeanour shifted. The anger faded slightly.
"What was that, my Lord?" The Doctor asked and Cass gave a soft, bitter chuckle.
"I was unaware of my constitution the first time I asked for your help. I had more knowledge the second, but things only really came to light when you were here last. Well, a lot of things came to light before the last time you visited and now we’re just trying to keep my body in one piece." Cass couldn’t help it that he sounded amused and bitter. Why wouldn’t he?
His body was a crime or an affront against god, er, gods. Like the demons intended.
The Doctor’s expression softened further, before hardening again.
"If you are willing to share more information about yourself, would you please tell me? I can’t treat you properly if I don’t know."
"Will you keep the information safe?" Lucian growled, voice low. "No one else can know of this." Lucian warned. The Doctor seemed to snap.
"What lunatic would come to this blasted mansion if they weren’t aware they needed to be tight-lipped and discrete? Do you take me for a fool without eyes? I can see what is happening here and I have not balked or batted an eyelid, and yet you’re still questioning me like this?" Their explosion was valid in Cass’ eyes, and made him laugh. Edgar, Gideon, Lucian and the others looked towards him as he did.
He sat there, in Lucian’s baggy shirt, unaware or forgetting that Lucian had not pulled on another shirt when he’d been in his den gathering things. It was obvious where Cass had got it, sitting as he was on a loveseat in his own office covered in marks made by the others. Cass laughed harder.
"Stop pestering them, Lucian, and Gideon, don’t threaten them. That goes for you too, Edgar. They have been nothing but discreet and cautious." Cass reminded the trio and Lucian let out a rumbling sigh.
"I’m allowed to make sure, Cass." Lucian grumbled and Cass shook his head with a chuckle.
"Not right now." Cass said, raising their head to meet the Doctor’s gaze. He offered an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry. I’ve been in such poor health until now that they are rather overprotective now that they realised how dire it truly was for me." Cass admitted and the Doctor swallowed. They nodded, glancing at the others.
"Given the sudden change in your development...I can gather that it was." They agreed and Cass nodded. His hands still shook a little, the remnants of the muffins still lingering in his mouth. Cass licked his lips, chasing the taste, unaware of how the three men watched him do so. The Doctor shuddered.
Connecting the dots wasn’t going to be hard for someone like them.