“…wakin’ up.”

Rhys groaned and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a bit slowly, a bit unevenly, and rolled his head to the side. He saw Cane talking frantically on the phone, saw several cars rush by them on the open road, and heard a second voice that seemed muffled. The concerned carpenter’s eyes widened as he shifted in his seat to look at Rhys.

“Hey, you alright? How’re you feelin’?” Cane asked as he set his phone in the holster on the dash. He pressed the speaker button to continue the conversation.

“What happened?!” Vic shouted, his voice was angry and concerned. It caused the phone speakers to crackle.

“Is he awake?” Cas asked on the other end of the line.

“Looks like it,” Cane replied. “Talk t’me, Rhys.”

“Is something wrong?” Rhys mumbled.

“You passed out.”

“I’m sorry.”

Cane sighed, “It’s alright, I just need t’know if you’re okay. What are you feelin’?”

“My head hurts. Sorry, this happens sometimes. I get these awful surges of pain and it makes me lightheaded… ow,” Rhys sobbed as he laid his head back. Tears formed in his eyes as he tried to fight back the urge to scream. A ripple of pain shot up his spine and he jerked in his seat.

“Deep breaths, d’you need some pain killers?” Cane asked.

“Maybe…”

“I'm heading out there,” Vic snarled, voice becoming distant as if he were walking away from the phone.

“Stay put, Victor! Cane, dear, get him some water and lay his seat back a bit. Roll up your jacket for his neck so he can lay down flat and not add extra stress to his head,” Cas snapped.

“Vic, everythin’ is fine. You don’t need t’run out here,” Cane said, tone a bit threatening.

“Fine,” Vic admitted defeat. “Rhys, are you alright?”

“Yes,” Rhys said softly.

Cane reached over Rhys’ body and grabbed the chair lever, lowering it down to a slight slant. He grabbed a water bottle from the cooler on the floor of the truck and handed it to Rhys who took it with shaking hands.

“Do I need t’take you back home?” Cane asked.

“No! No, I just need to let this pass,” Rhys said, voice shaky and uncertain. It was apparent he didn’t want his health to ruin the mood or the day.

Cane nodded, “Sip the water. Cas, I’m gonna let you go. Vic, calm down, he’s fine.”

“Keep us posted. Love you,” Cas said softly.

“Love you, too.”

Cane hung up the call and turned his full attention back to Rhys who lifted the water bottle to his lips. The young man furiously rubbed his eyes and tried to pull his weary mind back to the present. Cane could tell he was upset.

“How often does that happen?” Cane inquired as he wriggled out of his jacket. He rolled it up and gently set his hand underneath Rhys’ head to slide the garment underneath his skull.

“It depends, it hasn’t happened for a few weeks. It might have been the swaying of the truck and the trailer behind us, I felt a bit motion sick,” Rhys replied.

“I’ll slow down. If you need t’close your eyes and sleep for a bit ’til we get there, please do,” Cane said firmly as he turned his attention back to the dashboard.

His phone lit up, a warning from Cas popped up on the screen. ‘Vic is on his way.’ Cane sighed and went to reply when he was startled by a rapid knock on the window. Both of the men inside the truck jumped. Rhys lifted his head and gasped.

Vic stood there in the sunlight, hood over his head and hand burning as it pounded on the glass.

Cane rolled down the window and hit the door lock, “Get in the truck, now!”

Vic jumped into the back seat and pulled his hood back. He blew the smoke that billowed off his hand away and looked at the shocked face of Rhys who was flushed and wide-eyed. The vamp opened his mouth to speak but found himself tongue-tied. His hand smelled like burning meat and the skin held ripples of bright orange as the searing intensity of the morning sun peeled away the flesh.

“I thought I told you t’stay put!” Cane barked.

“He sounded scared,” Vic said pitifully, smacking his lips as his parched throat and mouth throttled his speech. He dehydrated himself from sprinting so fast and so far in such a short amount of time, and his body was screaming in rebellion at his actions.

“Vic,” Cane groaned, “You ain’t young anymore! You can’t sprint like that, especially not in the sun! You could have burned up on the side of the road!”

Rhys softly set his hand on Cane’s arm for a moment before he turned back to address Vic. He wasn’t planning on seeing him this soon after his embarrassing blunder the night before. He wanted to have the time on the road to process things, to figure out how to apologize and lessen the awkward tension that would inevitably arise between them. Seeing him there, with such concern and worry in his red-tinged eyes, left him feeling as if his worries didn’t matter. That the strange vampire who burned holes in him with his gaze was truly concerned more about his wellbeing than his childish actions. Enough to run—

“Wait... you ran all this way? That’s miles from town!” Rhys said, completely aghast.

Cane grabbed another water bottle and handed it to Vic, “And he knows how stupid it was, too. Just because he can doesn’t mean he should. It takes a lot of energy for him t’tap into those supernatural powers, a lot of blood, and the sun saps those levels even more. He could have died.”

“Why? Why did you do that?” Rhys asked.

“I was worried,” Vic replied with a soft shrug.

“Well, looks like you’re along for the ride whether you like it or not, Vic. Ain’t no way you can run back in the state you’re in,” Cane said as he shifted the car back into drive. “How’s that hand?”

“Sore, but I’ve been through worse,” Vic replied as he shakily uncapped the water bottle.

Rhys looked over his shoulder sheepishly at Vic, he felt his cheeks grow hot as he extended his arm back behind him. Vic looked at him with curiosity, but the young farmer-to-be refused to meet his gaze.

“Are you okay?” Vic asked.

“Do you… need blood?” Rhys inquired.

“Absolutely not!” Cane barked. “No one is feedin’ on anybody in my truck!”

“Cane—”

“Rhys, no! It don’t work like it does in the movies, and you just passed out.”

Vic cleared his throat, “Thank you, Rhys, but Cane is right. I’ll be fine in a bit. I’m sorry for interrupting your road trip.”

Cane set his head in his hand and placed his elbow against the window as he started moving the vehicle back onto the road again. He could feel the tension in the truck rising, feel his own anxiety swell and his chest grow tight as panic from the sudden influx of trouble that appeared in such a short amount of time settled in. He white-knuckled the steering wheel and tried to keep his composure.

“Please don’t have a panic attack, Cane,” Vic begged with a tone full of understanding.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Cane said between heavy inhales. “It’s my wolf side, that damn protective instinct is kickin' in and my adrenaline is spikin'."

“Sorry,” Rhys apologized again.

“You’re fine, everyone is fine, it’s all fine. We’ll just take it one step at a time. You,” Cane pointed to Rhys, “Try t'rest. And you, take some ibuprofen for your hand and take a nap. Your energy reserves have t’be depleted after that sprint. Let’s make sure you two are okay and we’ll figure out a game plan once we get t’the city, okay?”

Both Rhys and Vic nodded. As Rhys went to pull his hand back, Vic softly took hold of his fingers for a brief moment. They locked eyes and Rhys felt his heart race. Vic looked at him in a way he had never been looked at before. With intent, with concern and admiration. And, most importantly, with honesty. It was a look that showcased a determination to keep him safe, keep him close. One that fully, openly said ‘I see you’, and Rhys couldn’t help but smile at him.

He noticed that the trembling fingers that gripped his own were scorched, the skin was blackened and peeling a bit from the damage from the sun, and the realization that this stranger faced the most fatal of elements, for him, made him feel so confused. Why did he care so much? Why did this old, intelligent, supernatural creature seem like nothing more than a lovestruck teenager whenever they were in the same room?

Rhys couldn’t fathom the reasons, nor could he let himself believe that it was because the vamp actually cared about him. But he knew that the brief moment their hands touched helped quell the worry in Vic’s mind over his health. So, he softly gripped back before he pulled away and turned toward the open road ahead of them.

His life had truly become quite odd in the span of a single weekend.