It was an unexpectedly tender kiss, and Kane blinked at him for a second, not expecting the thanks either, if he was being honest. Not that he needed it -- he would’ve cleaned up any of Adrian’s messes anytime -- but it was nice to hear anyway. His brow furrowed as emotion crowded his throat all over again, and he lifted his free hand to brush fingers along Adrian’s jaw. “You’re welcome,” he murmured, studying his eyes. There always seemed to be something missing in them when the wendigo was in control, but Kane knew that might be a certain amount of projecting on his part. Even if the wendigo was just playing nice at the moment, it felt good. “You know I would go through this kinda shit a million times if it meant you never got hurt. By the wendigo, by me ... by anyone.” It was hard to say, given their spotty past, but Kane would put himself in danger every time if it meant keeping Adrian safe. Until they were sure he could snap into this superhero-mode at will, Kane didn’t want him in the line of fire. Kane kept touching his face and leaned in to bump their noses together. “I love you, no matter what.”
Adrian knew he'd be melting into it right now if he had access to his feelings but it was what it was. It still felt nice and it was interesting to note that he had felt upset in his own way about Kane wanting the other version of him back so hearing this felt good. "You play yourself up so tough," he said affectionately. "But you're really just a sap in thick armor." He smiled again and turned his head to sneak a kiss on Kane's fingers before turning his attention back to his wound. "I love you too, you know. Even like this. In my own way." Probably not a healthy way, but at least he knew those feelings were there - even when they were obscured. He liked to think of them still being there, just neatly tucked away and kept safe. Even at his wildest he'd fought his instincts for love, for family, now Kane was part of that thread that kept him tethered to his humanity. "I shouldn't have grabbed you," he murmured as finally put the bandages on Kane's wound. "It was shitty. You were just... freaking me out."
Kane relinquished his arm again for Adrian to work on, still gripping his beer bottle with the other hand. He didn’t yearn to drink himself unconscious quite so much anymore, so maybe it was good that Adrian had come inside instead of just leaving. He was kind of curious to ask in what way Adrian loved him when he was like this, but Kane wasn’t absolutely sure he wanted to know the answer. He obviously meant something significant to Adrian to break through that unemotional layer, and that was nice to have proof of. What he said wasn’t exactly an apology, but it served the same purpose in Kane’s mind, and he took another thick swallow of beer before he answered. “M’sorry about that,” he murmured back. “I just ... don’t do well with an audience sometimes. Too used to processing shit on my own.” He’d let his emotions get the better of him and reacted too much in a way he hadn’t wanted Adrian to see ... he needed to get better at restraint.
"Don't be sorry," Adrian chided him gently and he had a feeling that when Kane said 'process' he really meant 'bury'. Adrian couldn't really say shit as someone who'd stomped his own issues down into the ground and then celebrated the numbness that came with this current state of being. They were both a fucking mess and that was probably one of the big reasons they were so drawn to each other. He didn't exactly have any great insight into what Kane was going through but he still had some ideas and once the bite wound was all patched up, he reached over to grab his hand. "You had a really shitty night and I didn't know how to handle it." He gave Kane another grin, this one faint and lopsided. "You know if you'd died I would have made a deal with the devil to bring you back, right?"