Cassian needed a moment to recover. Maybe a few.

Strolling through the front door of his home, he tried to act as nonchalant as any man of the house should. At least by now most should be long asleep. Though he found a single house elf who laboriously crept down the staircase with all the dirty linens, and paused at the base of the stairs. Really he wanted to peer up, because he was certain this was the window Vince mentioned. But the house elf was too encumbered to notice anyone behind her, and if he’d been there, he long blended into the shadows by now. At the sight of Cass, the elf exclaimed over finding him still awake and asked if he needed anything.

“Yes actually,” he fiddled with the cuffs of his sleeves to avoid her look. “Once you’re finished. Mind making a plate arranged with whatever dessert is left from supper?” She agreed eagerly, rattling off things he didn’t pay attention to as he nodded down at his fingertips. Filthy with dirt, clawing into the earth while Vince…

“Thank you, send it to my room,” he interjected, catching the last words of what she said. Before she could answer he swiftly dispatched to the bathroom. It was unwarranted paranoia, and the old elf wouldn’t say anything to trouble her master to anyone anyway. But he felt nervous all the same. Maybe it was these… inklings he had, aftershocks of pleasure and adrenaline. He swore he could still feel those hands on him.

At the bathroom he washed his face and hands with cold water, and tried to get a fucking grip. Easier said than done. Though he was determined to not make Vince feel bad about this all again, this was going to be much harder than he thought. This should be ripped off like a bandaid, he knew. A part of him understood that unless he stopped giving mixed signals, Vince would always want to take these little liberties. It wasn’t even fear that they could be caught that held him back. The blonde firmed up his resolve in the mirror because he knew this was his vice, and it could only lead to self destruction.

Dessert was already waiting at his room when he arrived, and maybe because he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth himself, it struck him as bloody outrageous. The blonde scoffed on sight: several fruits were arranged beautifully around a crystal glass of chocolate pudding, beside three types of cheese, and a chunk of layered vanilla cake. What the hell? Had she whipped some of this up just because he asked? This looked like he was trying too hard, but he couldn’t just let it go to waste now. Still wearing a frown, he rifled briefly through his things and found a healing salve he used often after quidditch games, and Vince’s cravat (resisting the strange urge he had to keep it, thinking only briefly how the soft silk rested on the base of his neck).

A few minutes later he found himself in front of Vince’s room. He should go in. He should make sure things are clear between them, leaving none of this ambiguous. He should still his heart, pounding ferociously in his chest. Cass did none of those things as he lingered in front of the door, unsure of what he would find on the other side. Wearily, he knocked gently on the door before he pushed it open.

“Um, I’ve come bearing gifts…” A sheepish smile accompanied his offer of the extravagant plate.

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