[ It's the second night when he finds the boy passed out on the ground — well, perhaps passed out isn't the right phrase. Passed out is what Clive does when he's been up too late burning the midnight oil and falls asleep at his desk, and Jill drapes a blanket over his shoulders. The boy — Dan Heng, he remembers — looks to be, if not comfortable, then at least resting on the floor. But Clive can't leave him there. The boy reminds him of Joshua, slight and quiet, with a bookish air, and something him him stirs, the brotherly need to protect, and he lifts the boy up, who is lighter than he'd really expected, and gently places him into the alcove serving as his bed in this shared room. Clive comes back the third night, and the boy is asleep on the floor again, and Clive frowns, scooping him up with less hesitation this time, putting him back in the alcove. He does't een think to mention it to anyone else, and the boy is gone the next morning before he can ask why he's continuing to sleep on the floor.
The fourth night, Clive is less careful when he picks him up — perhaps it's annoyance, perhaps he's just getting comfortable with the fact he's going to return to their room and find him there, asleep on the ground. He sets the boy on the bed when Dan Heng's hand flies out and open palm slaps him in the chest with a wet 'splat', sending Clive stumbling back into the larger area of the room, his shirt mildly soaked with water. He lets out a punched 'oof', dropping Dan Heng on the bed, his hand reaching up to his chest. The magic doesn't faze him. No, the concern in his eyes is for the boy himself, sitting there, gasping for air, eyes screwed shut, hands clamped over his ears. Clive feels guilty — he's overstepped and he knows it, has been the last three days but he couldn't just leave him there. ]
No. I should be the one apologizing to you for touching you without permission. Are you alright?
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The fourth night, Clive is less careful when he picks him up — perhaps it's annoyance, perhaps he's just getting comfortable with the fact he's going to return to their room and find him there, asleep on the ground. He sets the boy on the bed when Dan Heng's hand flies out and open palm slaps him in the chest with a wet 'splat', sending Clive stumbling back into the larger area of the room, his shirt mildly soaked with water. He lets out a punched 'oof', dropping Dan Heng on the bed, his hand reaching up to his chest. The magic doesn't faze him. No, the concern in his eyes is for the boy himself, sitting there, gasping for air, eyes screwed shut, hands clamped over his ears. Clive feels guilty — he's overstepped and he knows it, has been the last three days but he couldn't just leave him there. ]
No. I should be the one apologizing to you for touching you without permission. Are you alright?