"'S not morning," Dain mumbled back in the loose, slow tone of the very drugged. "'S gotta be dinnertime."

"Are you hungry?"

He groaned and burrowed his face up against my arm. "I feel like puke," Dain said, the words muffled. "I hate drugs."

"You're not hurting, though, right?" I asked, a little worried.

Dain shook his head, more-or-less just shoving his face alternately against my arm and my boob. "Everything is all floaty and away," he said with a complaining whine, turning his head to rest on my shoulder again, his mouth near my neck. "Feels like all my pieces are places."

"They are definitely places," I said, trying not to laugh at him as he wiggled his whole body into a more comfortable position and went completely limp again. "Is the plan to lie on top of me until you feel less like puke?"

"Y'r 'n charge," he slurred, apparently falling back asleep. "You tell me."

"Are you aware that you're intensely cute when drugged?" I asked him in my slo-mo voice.

With a rude noise, Dain clonked me on the head with the knuckles of his free hand, harder than I thought he meant to. "'M th'Beast of Phazikai," he said, sounding disgruntled. "Rrr. Scary."

"Terrifying," I said solemnly. "Fear has been stricken into my heart."

"Good," he grumbled, a heartbeat before passing out again.

I stayed there, gradually being squashed by Dain and increasingly having to pee, for almost two hours before I absolutely had to get up. Gently, I stroked the side of his neck, using the soft touch to draw him a bit towards wakefulness. "Dain," I said softly, as he started breathing less like someone deep in sleep. "Uppy-uppy time, honey."

"Don't treat me like that," he said, heavy with sleep and with an edge of anger to it. "I'm not your pet."

Hurt filtered through me, a tingling pain radiating out from my throat that made my chest go tight. I closed my eyes, pushing it back, reminding myself that Dain was injured and doped up on heavy narcotics, and probably in not-insignificant pain since he was due for his next dose in not that long. "I didn't mean to be patronizing," I said, speaking slowly and trying to keep my hurt feelings out of my voice. "I'm enjoying taking care of you, and that you're okay being vulnerable around me. I was trying to be sweet. That's all."

Dain cringed down, his wing-arms tightening on me. "Oh," he said, in a small voice. "I didn't know that."

"It's okay," I said soothingly, stroking his hair. "I'll stop using cutesy words and endearments and stuff if you don't like it."