As soon as Troy heard footsteps in the stairwell that led to his apartment, his body started shaking. Was it Lux? The thrill of adrenaline at being paranoid and unsure of who was at the door was not necessarily helping Troy to slow his breathing. When the door opened and he heard Lux's voice, he sighed, forcing the breath in his lungs out in a huff to try to calm his suddenly racing pulse. Would he feel safe in his apartment ever again? "In here," he called, finding his throat was still quite sore and raising his voice past the normal speaking volume was quite painful. He reached over to the bedside table for the glass of water there and took a sip, swallowing the liquid in hopes of easing his throat. His fingers went up and were met with the bandages there. Setting the glass back down, he worked at taking deep breaths. He needed to be strong, to show Lux that he was okay.
She was two steps into his room before Troy's face changed. No, before it broke. "Lux," was all he could breathe before he frowned, hard, his brow furrowing with the effort of staying calm. He was not going to cry, damn it. He could not cry in front of her, that would not help. When she knelt by his bedside, he reached for her, his right arm protesting the movements. He winced a little before he could smooth his face over, and with a frown, he reached over and wrenched the sling away so he could move his arm, injured or not. He just let her talk, his eyes on her face. When she leaned in to kiss his forehead and cheeks, Troy closed his eyes, savoring the soft contact. It was such a relief to see Lux that he was sure that this was how you knew how much you loved someone. When she asked if he needed anything, he just shook his head. "You're here now," he murmured, as if to say that that was all he needed. Looking into her face, Troy moved so he could pat the bed next to where he was laying. "Please?" The note in his voice mixed with the fact that it looked like Lux was holding back tears, too, threatened to undo him. He even moved over a little so she'd have more room to sit next to him.