lifted her head when he walked in, her tail thumping against the side of the cushion, and Xan let out a soft noise of protest.
Luca froze, confusion on the tip of his tongue, and then Xan stretched and opened his eyes.
A beat passed, a strange, silent moment between them, then Xan shot up and Ivy slid to the floor.
“You’re here,” he said.
Luca blinked. “Uh. Yes. I live here.”
Xan slapped a hand over his eyes and dragged it down his face. He looked adorably mortified, and Luca half-wondered if he’d broken in. “Sebastion called me and asked me to come take care of Ivy. He said the hospital was keeping you overnight.” His gaze fell on Luca’s arm, and his whole body softened. “Oh my god, are you okay?” He crossed the distance between them and grazed his fingers over the sling almost like he wasn’t even thinking about it.
And Luca’s heart began to beat in his throat. “I’ve had worse.”
Xan looked up with wide eyes. “Really?”
He couldn’t help his laugh. “No, not really. This was really fucking bad, and I actually need to sit down.”
“Oh my god, come here,” Xan breathed out, and then he wrapped his arm around Luca’s uninjured one like he was a ninety-year-old man and escorted him to the sofa. Part of him wanted to protest, but part of him had so desperately wanted physical comfort that he couldn’t bring himself to turn it away. “What else can I do? Do you have meds or anything?”
Luca stared down at his feet and realized he was also wearing Todd’s shoes, which were a full size too large. “Can you help me out of these? And also, yes, but Todd’s picking them up along with dinner. He’s going to drop it by in a few.”
Xan dropped to his knees and began to tug at the laces, and when he looked up, there was a faint blush in his cheeks. “So, um. Sebastion asked me to stay to help with Ivy since you were stuck overnight, but I should probably go if…”
“Stay,” Luca blurted, then swallowed thickly but couldn’t bring himself to take it back. “Could you stay?”
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable with your friend here?” Xan asked, and the vulnerable honesty in his tone was almost painful.
“Look, I love Todd. He’s been my best friend forever, but he’s a pain in the ass, and he really sucks at hugs. Sebastion won’t be home until Sunday, and frankly I’m not too proud to admit this really hurts, and I could use some comfort.”
Xan smiled very softly and pulled the shoes away before rising to his feet. “Well, I’m not exactly in a rush to get home. I was supposed to spend the weekend with my cousin apartment hunting, but…”
“Oh fuck,” Luca said, sitting forward. His arm jostled, and the pain shot up to his shoulder, but he gritted his teeth through it. “I do not want you to miss that. Xan. You need to get out of there.”
“I know,” Xan said very softly, “but she bailed on me, and Max took the car when he left town, so I’m kind of stuck.”
Luca rolled his eyes and only just managed to stop himself from swearing under his breath. “My car’s at the lab, but I can get Mason to bring it over tomorrow. If I’m feeling up for it, why don’t we go together?”
The hesitation on the younger man’s face was warring with his obvious desire to say yes. “You probably need rest.”
“What I need is to know that you’re going to get the fuck away from the asshole who thought it was okay to do this to you.” He jabbed his finger at Xan’s wrist, which was covered by a long sweater. “I’m not trying to be a dick, but this”—he wriggled his arm and ignored the pain—“is just a burn. It’s in fucking saran wrap right now—nothing’s getting inside it. I can handle a little apartment touring.”
Xan licked his lips, then nodded. “Fine. But only if you feel up for it.”
Luca sat back with a satisfied breath and didn’t tell him he would force himself through any pain to know that Xan was making plans to leave. “Thank you. I also need to change, but I can do that on my own.” He let out a startled noise when Ivy nosed her way into his lap, but she seemed to sense he was hurt because she didn’t crawl up the way she normally did. He dug his fingers