HORNS (BoyXBoy)

Chapter 110

Chapter One Hundred and Ten

Echo was asleep by the time I got back to his room.

My fur and hair and eyebrows and eyelashes were all back to being black, although getting the dye off my body had been more of a pain than getting it on. Bash was still most likely cleaning out the tub to get rid of what I knew was probably going to be a big, permanent stain.

Still... I had a plan now, at least.

I'd focus on school. I'd avoid thinking about everything but Echo and school.

He didn't stir when I crawled into bed beside him. I could tell from his breathing that he was out cold, and since he was a heavy sleeper, only loud noises or a commotion would wake him. I felt a weird stab of guilt run through me as I studied the relaxed lines of his face.

I haven't been paying him nearly enough attention lately, I told myself silently, reaching out and brushing his soft cheek with the tips of my fingers. I've been... acting on my own and doing tons of stupid shit, and... I haven't been including him. The fact that he showed up here...

It was proof enough. He'd been left behind after Raph and Pop had taken me away to bring me here. It was almost shocking how much time I'd missed since the twelfth... four whole days, gone, as if they hadn't passed at all and the in-betweens were fever-dreams.

I leaned close to Echo and kissed his cheek, nuzzling his face with my nose. His eyelid twitched and he let out a sound of annoyance, inhaling deeply and shifting a bit. He didn't stir beyond that though, just lay still with his long hair splayed out on the pillow like strands of spilled ink. I looked at him for a long time, just drinking in the sight of his face.

It wasn't until a soft thump came from the doorway that the spell keeping me still broke. I slowly turned my head until my eyes fell across the looming silhouette standing in the open door, one hand on the frame with one foot hovering in, as if too scared to finish taking it.

My heart stuttered and my ears began to ring as my dad's glowing eyes met mine.

"Hi," he weakly greeted, uncomfortable and awkward as I felt. "I... can I come in?"

I blinked slowly, confused by the question, but nodded anyway. He hesitantly set his foot down on the carpet and then began to walk, stopping right next to the bed and looming over me. I stared at him, not because of our present situation, but because he was a mess. His clothes were rumpled and slept-in, and his beard was disheveled and unusually unkempt. His skin seemed paler than usual too, with bags under his puffy, bloodshot, brightly glowing eyes.

"You look terrible," I said without thinking, half-dazed. "When's the last time you slept?"

Pop just kept on staring, disturbed yellow irises roaming over my face and body.

Then he said in a hoarse voice, as if he suffered from smoke inhalation too and his werewolf healing abilities had stopped working, "Can I⁠—can I just⁠—"

But that seemed to be the extent of his ability to talk, because he lapsed into a broken silence.

"Can you what?" I cleared my throat, nervous at this strange behavior, and my own still-raspy voice made me wince. "I'm usually good at Jakhroth to normal English translations, but I need something more to work with."

He seemed to give up on words completely at that point, just moving jerkily in frustration. He sat down abruptly on the bed, nudging me with my knees until I shifted closer to Echo. Then he lifted the blankets, lay down, and rolled me over onto my side. I flailed my limbs for a second, but they were quickly caught and adjusted until I was tucked against my dad, back to ever-toasty front. He tucked his nose against the back of my ear and breathed a deep, jagged breath.