Page 63 of Bloom in Darkness

"Any chest pain? Trouble breathing? Feel like you're going to pass out?"

"No." He swallows before continuing. "Just hot. And cold. My skin feels weird."

I nod. "Small sips of water. Nothing else until we get home. Bryn, keep him upright if he gets sleepy."

Bryn's arms tighten around him. "He's not leaving my lap."

"Keep him upright if he starts drifting," I repeat, and Bryn gives me one short nod before Astra tucks his face back into his throat. I face forward and turn the car toward home while Bryn keeps one hand spread over Astra's back.

Bryn

Astra is not shaking as hard by the time I carry him upstairs, but every few minutes another tremor runs through his legs or shoulders. His back is still too hot under my palm. Then he shivers and presses closer with his face tucked against my neck, leaving me with one arm under his thighs and the other around his back because I’m not putting him down yet.

Caelan follows us into the bedroom with Astra's bag over one shoulder and his phone in his hand. Caelan’s scent is sharp enough that I can smell it over Astra, and he is already unlocking the screen before I sit down.

"I'm calling Talia," he says as I sit on the edge of the bed with Astra still against my chest. "I want to know what happens if he used too much of this concentration."

Caelan is already unlocking his phone when I catch his wrist. “Sit down. Astra needs you here first.”

He starts to argue, but Astra lifts his head from my shoulder. “Caelan?”

The phone goes onto the nightstand immediately, and Caelan sits on my other side and reaches for Astra. Astra catches his wrist and pulls his hand to his cheek, and Caelan bends to kiss his forehead.

"Tell us what feels worst," Caelan says. Astra keeps his eyes closed for a few seconds.

"My skin. My back. I'm too hot, but if you move the blanket I get cold."

Caelan waits until Astra opens his eyes again. "Any nausea?"

"A little. Mostly floaty." Astra shifts against my chest, then grabs a fistful of my shirt and shuts his eyes. "Okay. Don't move me again yet."

Caelan looks at me. "Let's get him out of the club clothes."

"Can we get this off you?" I ask, touching the edge of the costume. Astra nods and loosens his grip around my neck. Caelan unfastens it while I keep him against my chest, and when the fabric comes away from his hips, the underwear underneath is soaked through. Slick is wet down both inner thighs.

Astra looks down and his face goes red beneath the flush already covering his cheeks. "Jesus."

"Don't worry about that right now," Caelan says, already reaching into the dresser for something clean.

"My body is embarrassing," Astra mutters, staring down at his thighs. I run my hand over his back while Caelan tosses me a pair of soft shorts.

We clean him up with a warm cloth, careful not to scrub skin that already feels too sensitive, then leave him in the loose shorts with nothing underneath. More slick gathers around his hole almost immediately once he settles back over my lap.

Astra smells so sweet I can taste it when I breathe. My cock twitches before I can stop the reaction, and my scent sharpens. I ignore both and keep rubbing his lower back while Caelan wraps two cooling packs in towels.

"Neck first," Caelan says. "Tell me if it's too cold."

Astra nods. The pack touches the back of his neck and he shudders so hard his knees draw up. Then Astra melts back against my chest with a long breath. "No. That’s good. Keep that."

Caelan leaves it there and settles the second wrapped pack against the outside of Astra's thigh. I work my thumb into the cramped muscle beside his spine until Astra makes a low sound and lets his forehead drop to my shoulder.

Once Astra stops shivering long enough to answer without his teeth chattering, Caelan picks up his phone and calls Talia. He gives her the concentration printed on the Bloom jar, what Astra remembers using, and the symptoms we have seen since the club. The call lasts a few minutes, with Caelan answering more questions than he asks before he puts the phone facedown on the nightstand and comes back to sit beside us.

For the next half hour, we keep him where he is and deal with one thing at a time. I hold the water bottle while he takes a few sips, then move my hands down to his calves when the muscles start jumping under my palms. Caelan trades the pack at Astra's neck for a fresh one when it warms and rubs slow circles over the outside of his thigh until the shivering eases.

I rub my jaw over Astra's temple while Caelan kisses his other cheek. The sourness in Astra's scent fades a little. Astra turns his face toward Caelan, and Caelan kisses him again. Then Astra looks at me until I cup the back of his neck and kiss him too.

His mouth stays against mine for a few seconds before he pulls back. "Can I ask something weird?"