Even Carrick, trained from the earliest days of his mortal life to be hard and strong and without pity, could not remain unmoved. Slowly, he reached up and gently entwined his fingers with Russell's own, drawing his hands away from his face. Carrick leaned fowards and pressed the softest of kisses to Russ' forehead.
"Forget about Noctis. He doesn't matter" he said quietly. "We'll talk about that later." He cupped his lover's jaw. "You look exhausted."