As dawn approached, Felix closed the cover of the book he'd spent the entire night reading. Face flushed, he carefully set it down, acting as if it would bite him if mishandled.
Rubbing his face, Felix sighed deeply. "Well… That was… informative," he muttered. Slowly getting to his feet, Felix left the room to find himself a cup of tea.
As the water boiled, soft footsteps alerted Felix to Dray's presence right before the man turned the corner.
"Oh!" Dray gasped in surprise, jerking to a stop. "Good morning. I didn't think you'd be up yet."
Felix felt his face heat up as he looked at his old friend. "G-Good morning. I, uh, didn't sleep."
Concerned, Dray moved closer, placing his hand on Felix's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"
Felix nodded weakly, clearing his throat while averting his eyes. "Yeah, I was just reading."
Dray stared at him for a moment, a mischievous grin slowly spreading across his face. "Oh? What were you reading? Was it good?"
Felix's face turned even redder as he stuttered. "W-w-well… um… i-it w-was… t-the, uh…"
Dray's soft laugh seemed to echo through the room. "It was the book Nathan lent you, wasn't it?"
Felix weakly nodded.
Dray laughed a little harder. "Well, did you at least learn something?" He couldn't hide the gleam in his eyes while teasing his oldest friend.
"It was… interesting," Felix finally said. "I, uh, honestly didn't know bonds could be between different species. Or, uh… you know… same… sexes…" Felix whispered the last bit.
Dray studied the merman across from him. "Is that a problem?"
Felix was quick to shake his head. "NO! No, not at all! It's just…" He sighed as he trailed off.
Dray approached him, concern in his eyes as he grasped his hands tightly. "What's wrong, Lex? Tell me. Please."
Felix took several deep breaths as he tried to calm his suddenly pounding heart. "I'm just questioning myself. Things I've felt growing up and what the temple taught me." He bowed his head, staring at the floor as shame flooded through him.
Dray nodded slowly, squeezing Felix's hands as he processed what Felix said. "Well, if you have any questions or want to talk to someone, I'll always be here for you. I'm sure Nathan and Griffin would be more than happy to talk with you too."
Felix peered up through his lashes at the vampire in front of him. "Thanks," he whispered.
Behind him, the teapot started whistling, surprising both of them. With a shy grin, Felix pulled his hands back as he turned to grab the teapot. "Would you like some tea?" He asked Dray.
Dray leaned against the counter, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Sure." He continued to watch Felix as the man grabbed mugs for them and got their tea brewing.
The silence continued until Felix handed Dray the steaming mug. "I'm going to try to get some sleep," he whispered.
Dray nodded slowly. "Okay. Good night."
Felix nodded back as he took his tea and headed up to his room.