Kieran stood, staring at the dark wood, trying to tell himself that he was overthinking it.Maybe Sebastian really was just a bit sick.Maybe he wasn’t avoiding Kieran on purpose.
Or,Kieran’s traitorous brain offered,he regrets last night and is about to tell you that he would prefer if you just went ahead and walked off the edge of the ship.
Kieran gulped, the lump in his throat bobbing.You won’t know until you talk to him.
Finally, before his anxiety could get the better of him, Kieran rapped twice against the door before hopping back, half convinced that the door was about to grow teeth and bite him.
There was a pause before Sebastian gruffly called, “Who is it?”
“Kieran?”
“Ah.”Sebastian cleared his throat, then said, “It’s unlocked.”
Kieran’s mouth felt like sandpaper.Justah?Nothing else?Oh, he definitely hates me.
He reached for the handle, despite the way his heart had begun to pound, and turned it.He pushed his way inside, stepping as softly as he could, as if he were sneaking in.The room was dim, the curtains having been drawn to block out the sunlight.It gavethe room an appearance of twilight.There was a stale scent in the air, as if dirty clothes had been left out.
Kieran’s eyes fell on the bed, where he discovered a tangle of blankets and sheets.It took him a moment, though, to spot Sebastian buried inside.
Just the top of his head was poking out.Everything from the eyes down was cocooned in his fluffy dark-blue comforter.His hair stuck up at an angle, and what little of his skin was visible looked waxy and beaded with sweat.At the sight of Kieran, he reached up and pulled the blanket down so the rest of his face was visible and his voice unmuffled.
“I,” he announced, looking like he was on the verge of vomiting, “am never touching wine again.”
Instantly, Kieran’s muscles all relaxed at once.Oh, thank goodness, heisjust super hungover.
“Oh no.”Kieran shut the door behind him and dropped the croissant off on the table before going to his side.“Are you okay?Do you need me to get you water?”
Sebastian nodded weakly.“Water would be great.”
While Kieran rushed to the bathroom to fill a cup with water, Sebastian groaned and pulled himself into a sitting position.He barely moved as Kieran returned with the water, gently passing it to him.
A hand emerged from the blanket cocoon and took the water, raising it to Sebastian’s lips.He barely got a few sips down before he stopped, once again looking green.
“I didn’t realize you’d had so much,” Kieran said, leaning on the bedside table.There was a hunk of wood on it, and a whittling knife beside it.If Kieran had to guess, it appeared Sebastian wascarving it into the shape of a swan.“Honestly, I thought you had less than I did.”
“I did.”Sebastian’s head hung.“It’s just that, with my curse, if I don’t drink enough blood, my body stops functioning quite as well.Apparently, I was low enough on blood that my liver decided to justgive up.”
He suddenly had the dry heaves, and Kieran took a step back.With uncanny speed, Sebastian managed to grab a bowl on his bedside table that he’d clearly filched from the kitchen.Kieran looked away politely as Sebastian bowed his head and retched.After a few more deeply unpleasant sounds, Sebastian coughed, then spit the last of what was in his mouth into the bowl.
He sniffled, then wiped his nose with the back of his head.“Kieran, I need your help.”
“Oh?S-sure.Whatever you need.”
With grim seriousness, Sebastian said, “You need to kill me.”
“Well, that seems a little dramatic for a hangover, don’t you think?”Kieran reached out, and Sebastian stared at him for a beat before he seemed to realize Kieran was offering to take the bowl.“Let me clean that up.Maybe…maybe I can catch you a loose seagull to drain.”
“Easier said than done.”Half of Sebastian’s face sank below the blankets.“I’ll…survive.Maybe.”
“That’s the spirit.”Without looking in the bowl Sebastian had thrown up in, Kieran said, “I’ll go rinse this out and…maybe see if there are some plain crackers.”
Sebastian nodded faintly, then sank back into his blanket cocoon.
Kieran turned for the door and headed toward the kitchen.Once he was out of earshot, he breathed a sigh of relief.Clearly, Sebastian didn’t hate him, so that was a win.Though he hadn’t exactly brought up last night one way or the other.Considering how hungover he was, Kieran wondered if that meant he’d been drunker than Kieran realized.He’d seemed completely lucid last night, but he had proved to be a good actor in the past.Maybe he’d faked it.
Kieran sighed as he went into the kitchen, thankfully finding it empty.He quickly rinsed out the bowl and found a pack of unsalted crackers in the pantry.He hoped they’d be mild enough for Sebastian to keep down.Maybe he could convince Ariel to let them make a supply stop soon so Sebastian could feed on something larger than an albatross.
Or,he thought,I could always offer to let him drink from me.
