By the time the adults started returning and he and Quinn could leave, it was late in the afternoon.
Lukas settled in the passenger seat in a borderline coma. He hadn’t slept in two days. Or was it three now? Four? Everything that happened since Quinn was shot was a fuzzy haze, and he wished he could wake up to find most of it had been a PTSD-fueled nightmare.
They trudged into the house together, and Quinn caught his wrist when he started to peel away towards his own room. “Hey, hungry?”
Lukas’ stomach woke up to inform them both that he hadn’t eaten in almost the same time he hadn’t slept. “Starving.”
“Grilled cheese?”
He snorted. “Sure.”
“You don’t like my grilled cheese?”
“It’s not really grilled cheese.”
Quinn narrowed his eyes. “It’s anadultgrilled cheese.”
He shook his head with a soft laugh. “Okay.”
Quinn rolled his eyes and stretched on his way to the kitchen. “Go shower, you stink.”
“Yessir,” Lukas drawled, before shuffling into his room and tossing his clothes in the general direction of the hamper. He stood under the hot spray of water for several long minutes, fighting against falling asleep on his feet. He finally scraped together enough energy to wash up, letting out a soft, pleased sigh when he pulled on clean clothes after.
When he reached the kitchen, Quinn was finishing up at the stove, his hair damp and dripping down his bare back. Loose sweats hung low on his hips.
Lukas stopped at the island where a plate with a double grilled cheese was waiting, but he hardly noticed it. He was too busy staring at Quinn’s ass and imagining following the path of water droplets with his tongue.
Quinn glanced over his shoulder, smile turning smug when he noticed Lukas’ stare. “Like what you see?” he asked with a shimmy of his hips.
“Always,” he murmured, far too tired for his filter to work properly. But the deepening twist of cinnamon in Quinn’s pleased scent more than made up for his indiscretion. He forced his eyes off Quinn’s ass and sat.
As soon as he took a bite, the entire world narrowed to the sandwich in his hands. He vaguely remembered Quinn sitting beside him, and then walking downstairs, but he was fading before he was even off his feet.
The next thing he knew, he was waking from a nightmare of being shot, mages hurling lightning at him like fucking Darth Sidious wannabes.
He rolled over and sat up with a groan, belatedly surprised he hadn’t jammed his toe against his nightstand. Then his nose started working again and he breathed deep, sinking into Quinn’s sweet-and-spice scent. “Sorry,” he murmured, scrubbing his hands against his face.
Quinn pressed closer behind him but didn’t touch. “Take your time,” he said, sounding half-asleep. “Anything I can do?”
Lukas exhaled sharply and shook his head. This was usually the point he would call it quits on sleeping and go for a run, but a glance at the clock told him he’d only been out for three hours. That might have been enough a few days ago, but he didn’t have the energy to get up, so he leaned into Quinn, letting him tuck them both back into bed.
Quinn hooked an arm and leg over Lukas and kissed his shoulder. “This okay?”
“Mmhmm.” He wrapped his fingers around Quinn’s wrist, burying his face in red hair as he drifted back to sleep.
He woke briefly when the front door opened and Caius and Max headed upstairs, immediately slipping under again when there was no sign of a threat.
His internal clock finally forced him out of bed late in the afternoon, and he hoped he’d only lost one day and not two. He stole Quinn’s bathroom for a quick shower, rolling his eyes at the special shower heads with a dozen different pressure options. Then he found an oversized pair of Quinn’s sweats that were borderline indecent on him and dragged himself upstairs.
He froze at the sight of Leon in the kitchen with Quinn. On the table were several plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes that were all but demolished, like an army had already picked over everything.
“Morning, Sleeping Beauty,” Quinn said with a grin, looking far too perky even if it wasn’t morning.
Lukas grunted and sank into a chair at the island, letting his head thunk against the cool granite. A moment later, Quinn set dishes beside him. He lifted his head as he sucked in a lungful of the hot black coffee aroma. “Bless you,” he muttered and drained half the cup. It didn’t help him want to speak yet, but it helped with the wanting to stab people for being near him.
“Pack meeting as soon as you eat,” Quinn said, moving to stand next to Lukas as Leon slipped out the back.
He caught the sound of teenagers yelling and pelting each other with snowballs before the door slid shut. He devoured the still-warm food Quinn had apparently saved for him, leaning into the fingers smoothing out his hair. “Thanks,” he murmured as he finished, then drained the rest of his coffee and went for a refill.
