Kane mumbled a ‘thanks’ when Adrian handed him his cigarettes, his hands slow as he pulled one out and lit it. He did feel small and sad -- and pathetic and ridiculous and like he hated himself. No wonder no one he got close to took him seriously. His sister constantly rolled her eyes and derided him when he was upset, this bluntly-honest version of Adrian thought he was full of bullshit. This was why it was so much better to keep his distance, to limit who saw what. To just be a persona instead of a full person, put up the hardened soldier, stoic hunter front and just let people think that was all there was to him. Because the rest of it was rotten and broken and he’d never learned how to feel things properly. Kane leaned the seat back a bit and rolled the window down for the breeze, wondering vaguely if they would take him seriously if he blew his brains out tonight. Bailey would probably just roll her eyes. At least his death would make her rich, she wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore, because Kane was a successful hunter, just in other parts of the world. Once he’d finished his smoke, he crossed his arms over his chest and drifted into an uneasy doze while Adrian drove, not really stirring again until they were turning into the apartment complex.
Adrian was kind of glad Kane slept through the ride and by the time they got to Castle View, he was feeling a little calmer. He parked the car, turned off the engine and then turned to Kane whose breathing gave away his consciousness. "Home sweet home," he murmured and soon it would be his home too, only a couple of more days and he'd be moving his stuff in down the hall from Kane. He just hoped moving here wouldn't prove to be a mistake after tonight. He didn't really feel excited about the whole thing at the moment, another one of those emotions that got buried underneath the wild within him during times like these. It was interesting to think about it without that rush of anticipation, not exactly clearer, just different. "C'mon, let's get you inside, check out that wound on your arm."
Part of Kane wanted to just take his keys and say goodbye to Adrian in the parking lot, but at the same time he didn’t. He was addicted to the man regardless of circumstance, and now that he wasn’t spiraling so sharply, Kane had that familiar itch to cling to the limited time they had together. He just wished it hadn’t gone so sideways. In a more practical sense, he was a little concerned about the bite wound, and Adrian was his field nurse. And savior. And bodyguard. Even if parts of it hurt his pride, they were intricately linked. Kane climbed out of the SUV and ambled around to the driver’s side while Adrian did the same. Impulsively, he reached out to take his arm and pull him into a hug. Kane squeezed him tight. “I love you too, you know,” he murmured near Adrian’s ear. “Even when I’m bein’ a dumbass. If that means anything to you right now.”
"You're always a dumbass," Adrian murmured because he couldn't resist, it was too easy. Still, he wrapped his arms tightly around Kane in turn, cautious not to squeeze too hard. He couldn't help but note that Kane said when he was being a dumbass, but not when Adrian was like this, but that was probably reading too much into it. Kane wanted his Adrian back, it was kind of like wanting his boyfriend sober, Adrian supposed. He could handle that. "We will talk later," he added, pressing his face against Kane's face. "When we're both... Later." He pulled back, studied Kane's face and tried to determine if he was even out of those dark woods yet. He didn't look like he was, he looked sad and tired, there was darkness in his eyes Adrian hadn't seen in a while. All the more reason to stay for a while, patch him up and make sure he slept before Adrian left him.