Just asking [CAELAN]

Caelan was avoiding eye contact with him, again. This was becoming some sort of habit with him lately and even though Devan hadn't mentioned it before, it was starting to get on his nerves. Caelan had changed, the atmosphere between them had been a bit awkward, if not distant since that thing that happened with the vampire on their last hunt. He didn't want to revisit that conversation, after Devan had already put it to rest in his mind. However, he could only wonder if Caelan had been scared so much that he'd thought that they weren't going to make it alive. Perhaps that was why he seemed so tense.

Devan didn't want to keep reassuring Caelan, after he'd already told him that he was sorry and he wouldn't let it happen again. He was certain that his friend knew how he felt, and Devan was never insincere, especially not about something like that. So he kept his mouth shut about it, and tried to distract the boy with other things, like conversation about school or their parents, in an attempt to cheer Caelan up. Though deep down he couldn't help but feel like none of what he was doing was really working.

Even though Caelan didn't turn to look at him, when he finally gave in a little and said that he could help a smile spread across his features. He sat up in bed and even though it still hurt his midsection like no other, he toughed through it and pushed himself up to stand. While he walked over to drag his suitcase from the foot of his bed he looked up and watched as Caelan through away things carelessly into the trash, and ducked under his bed once again. Devan had seen him do this several times already, and being human he couldn't help his curiosity.

"What is it that you keep hiding under there? Trying to keep stuff from me?" Devan smirked jokingly, not realizing just how accurate an assumption that may have been. "You know, if you have some sort of secret you can tell me. It's not like I know anyone at this school yet, and I wouldn't tell anyway." He was confident in himself to know that he wouldn't tattle. When it came to matters between them, it would stay between them. After all, Devan hadn't even told their parents the full story of what happened during their last hunt.

The sound of ripping paper, and more things being thrown away. This shouldn't have worried him, but it did very much so. Caelan was acting erratic in Devan's eyes and he didn't know what was wrong with him. However, Caelan being as stubborn as he was, wasn't about to tell Devan a thing. It annoyed him slightly that his best friend couldn't tell him what was what, though even he didn't want to push too hard knowing that it would just create more tension.

When Caelan looked over at him Devan felt his heart sink like as if he'd just gotten one of those stern looks from his parents, and quickly fumbled with the suit case in front of him so he'd look like he was actually doing something other than just staring at Cael this whole time. "Y-yea of course I am. Tch." He replied, but he had just opened the suitcase and had obviously not even began putting his things away. Devan lifted his bag onto his bed, with some effort, as he stifled the pain and managed to merely set his jaw in response, before letting it go leaning against the edge of his mattress. It wasn't even that heavy but he knew he shouldn't have tried to pick it up afterwards.

He ran his hand over his stomach, feeling over where it hurt the most while his back was turned to his friend -until he heard him speak that is. Devan glanced over his shoulder, forcing his shoulders, and expression to relax. He was about to ask Caelan what he needed until the boy dismissed himself with a quick 'nevermind'. Devan made another note at how weird Cael was acting, frowning slightly as he turned his cheek once more and stared down into his open suitcase.

He still chose not to pry. His hand fell from his side, while he reached out carefully and grabbed a handful of his shirts. None of them were folded well, and as he opened his dresser drawer and stuffed them inside haphazardly they were even less neat than they'd been while inside of his luggage. "I wonder when the headmaster is gonna let me patrol at night. You just got here too. I'd be bored as hell if I had to walk around the school at night by myself." He said, sitting on the edge of his bed once more, feeling 'exhausted' already.

He'd left his dresser drawer open, and since Caelan was making it a habit of not looking at him he figured he could get away with being even more lazy than usual. Devan reached into his suitcase, balled up a couple of shirts in his hand, and tossed them into the open dresser drawer as if it were a basket ball hoop. This served as his form of entertainment while Caelan was distracted. Though as he picked up a rolled pair of jeans, this time he missed and the unfolded on the floor. However, the sound that emitted wasn't just the sound of fabric clunking to the floor.

"What the hell." Devan scoffed, not thinking much of it as he peeked around and saw that there were a handful of pictures that had sprawled out on the floor from the jeans. He didn't ever remember putting anything inside of his clothes before. He stood up slowly, and walked over to the mess. "Were you hiding stuff in my clothes too? Jeez Caelan what sort of secret are you keeping that requires it to be hidden so well?" He chuckled, kneeling down to pick up one of the pictures that had fallen.

Devan stood up with the picture in his hand, looking it over a bit confused. He was completely ignoring Caelan, even as the boy rushed over to pick up the rest. "I don't remember taking this." He said, frowning as he thought hard. The picture looked like it was taken during the summer. Last summer? It wasn't anything of suspect. It was just a picture of the two of them with Devan's face smooshed against Cael's. It was a bit funny actually, but for some reason he just couldn't place the scene from the picture in his memory.

Devan smiled as he looked down at it, amused by the expression on Caelan's features in the image, and the obvious redness in his cheeks. Though as he lifted his eyes to the real Caelan, he was suddenly so different. "Why are you shouting? Calm down." He said, words faintly laced with hinted laughter. "How could these have been yours when they were stuffed in myyy jeans?" His remark was insinuating his disbelief, all while faintly teasing the boy.

Noticing that Caelan had taken the other pictures in his hand, Devan raised an eye brow and held the picture in his hand tighter, paranoid that Cael would still try to take it from him. "These aren't yours they're mine. Why should I give them to you huh?" He took a step back waited for the boy to retaliate. "Let me see the rest. I don't remember when these were taken." He wondered if perhaps by looking at the others it might spark a memory. He could be forgetful at times, and over the most random things.

Devan chuckled, amused by Caelan's reaction, and not yet seeing the sincerity in his words. "Hmmm." He hummed to himself as he leaned back as Caelan moved towards him again. He was far taller than the boy before him, and it didn't take much effort to keep him off, regardless of the fact that he was still injured. He knew that Cae wouldn't cheap shot him in his ribs where it would hurt. "If you can reach it I'll give it back."

Raising the picture in his right hand, he held it just out of Caelan's reach, wondering if he'd actually try. Though as he continued to yell again, and Devan realized that he was getting more and more angry he froze. After his last outburst, Devan was left blinking and taken aback. What had he done wrong? "Hey!..wait!" He called out, hoping to stop the boy from running away any further but he'd been ignored.

After Caelan left he mentally kicked himself for pushing him too far. He hadn't meant for him to get that mad. "I was just kidding.." Devan muttered to himself, now left in the quiet of his room. He brought the picture down to his features, looking it over once more. He was still unsure of when it was when it was taking. Caelan had been so attached and angry over it though that it must have meant something to him. Huffing an exasperated sigh, he glared at the picture and tossed it onto his bed.

"Stupid picture." He was in trouble with his best friend because of it, and the only way he knew how to make up for it at the moment was to clean up. It was the least he could do, even if he absolutely, positively detested the idea. Caelan might not be so angry if he came back and their room was somewhat clean. It took him around thirty minutes to officially give up. He shoved most of his clothes into his dresser, but the rest that he couldn't fit properly he simply tossed back into his suitcase and kicked it under his bed.

After leaving their room in search of Caelan, he had an idea of where he might be, but still wasn't entirely sure. The first place he had to check, was most definitely the pool. Casually he walked to the main building, then to the floor where the pool resided. The school was a lot bigger than he thought it'd be, and he nearly got lost a few times just trying to find the place, but after stealing another campus map from the front desk he'd managed to find it soon enough. Quietly walking inside the locker room, he peeked around for signs of his friend before heading to the entrance to the pool. The sounds of trickling water were present, but he wasn't sure it was Caelan until he walked out and around to the side of the pool.

A small smile appeared in his features as he watched the boy for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest and thought through his words before speaking. "I knew you'd be here. The pool is pretty nice huh? I thought it'd be a decent incentive to get you to come."

Caelan still seemed mad, that was made obvious. Devan knew he had to apologize, regardless of how rare it may be for him to do such a thing. In this case, he knew he had done wrong by his friend, and he had to make up for it. "Look, I'm sorry about the picture. I didn't know it was so important to you." It might not have mattered that he was just joking around before, but the least he could so was to let Cael know that he hadn't been trying to get on his nerves.

Devan unfolded his arms carefully, lifting his right hand to rub anxiously at the back of his neck. He didn't like this tension between them. It was awkward, and it wasn't just from this recent argument. Caelan had been acting so distant and quiet all week. Devan didn't know what to do about it other than to wade it out and let it pass. He assumed Cae had his reasons to act the way he did. It wasn't his right to bother the boy about it.

"You can have the picture if you want."

"When did you get so sentimental?" He smirked, trying to keep the atmosphere light still. Though truthfully he didn't remember Caelan being this attached to any physical object. It was odd, but he didn't want to question it too much, afraid that he'd just offend the boy again and cause them to get into another fight. If it was just important to Cael, than he'd let it go. "Okay." Devan replied simply, nodding once before taking his eyes off of him and setting them to the tiled floor.

If those pictures were so important to Caelan, than why were they in his stuff. It still didn't make sense to him. He frowned slightly trying to think about how those things could have gotten in his jeans and why. They were just pictures, so why did they even need to be hidden. Were they taken somewhere they could have gotten in trouble? The background, from what he'd seen, didn't look suspicious. Being unable to ask Caelan about it, he considered these things to himself. Only until he heard his friend pull himself from the pool did he finally return his eyes to the boy.

Devan took a couple steps back, giving Caelan his space. His lips parted, tempted to ask the swimmer if he needed any help, as he could tell by the way he moved that he was struggling and having difficulty. When Caelan rested against the tiled floor Devan could see that his chest and parts of his upper body were still bruised from their hunt a few days ago. "I wouldn't dig through your stuff.." To invade his privacy like that just seemed too..intrusive and nosy. Sure Devan was curious what was wrong with his friend, but that didn't mean he was willing to go that far just to find out.

"Are you okay? You seem...exhausted."