Well. On the bright side, they'd found Kenspeckle. The Professor hadn't gone wandering off to get completely and hopelessly lost in the safe house, which Skulduggery hadn't been sure would be a legitimate danger or not. Kenspeckle was smart, but he'd also wake up disoriented and probably slightly dizzy - not quite in his right mind, so to speak. But at least not the Remnant's.
So he hadn't gone too far, and that was a relief. And he was doing what he could for Gabe, which was also good. And Skulduggery, on to the way to the bedroom, had wordlessly steeled himself for seeing Gabe again after the conversation they'd had the night before.
Unfortunately, that steel seemed to melt when he saw the massage taking place. And unlike most of his reactions to anything involving Gabe, Skulduggery knew perfectly well where this one was coming from.
Jealousy.
It was the same surge of irritability he'd had yesterday, when Kenspeckle was healing both Skulduggery's jaw and Gabe's muscles. The exact same surge. It hadn't dispelled before, which alarmed Skulduggery at the time because, oblivious as he was, he'd assumed anger was once again rearing its ugly head.
But no. He'd been jealous then, too. Jealous. Of Kenspeckle. How long had that capacity for jealousy existed? How long had Skulduggery simply not made the connection?
Was it anywhere near as long as Gabe had been keeping that confession to himself?
Skulduggery wasn't one to begrudge anything that helped him keep a lid on feelings like that, so when he noticed the uncomfortable look on Gabe's face and it somehow helped, he let it. He ignored what that obviously meant, and let the irritability flow away before he answered. "Awake, coherent, and being fussed over. Could you look at him in an hour or so, Professor? His knee was stabbed through with a shadow." A little more effort, and maybe it would go away completely, so Skulduggery turned his attention to Kenspeckle's accusation. "And I don't gallivant."
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So he hadn't gone too far, and that was a relief. And he was doing what he could for Gabe, which was also good. And Skulduggery, on to the way to the bedroom, had wordlessly steeled himself for seeing Gabe again after the conversation they'd had the night before.
Unfortunately, that steel seemed to melt when he saw the massage taking place. And unlike most of his reactions to anything involving Gabe, Skulduggery knew perfectly well where this one was coming from.
Jealousy.
It was the same surge of irritability he'd had yesterday, when Kenspeckle was healing both Skulduggery's jaw and Gabe's muscles. The exact same surge. It hadn't dispelled before, which alarmed Skulduggery at the time because, oblivious as he was, he'd assumed anger was once again rearing its ugly head.
But no. He'd been jealous then, too. Jealous. Of Kenspeckle. How long had that capacity for jealousy existed? How long had Skulduggery simply not made the connection?
Was it anywhere near as long as Gabe had been keeping that confession to himself?
Skulduggery wasn't one to begrudge anything that helped him keep a lid on feelings like that, so when he noticed the uncomfortable look on Gabe's face and it somehow helped, he let it. He ignored what that obviously meant, and let the irritability flow away before he answered. "Awake, coherent, and being fussed over. Could you look at him in an hour or so, Professor? His knee was stabbed through with a shadow." A little more effort, and maybe it would go away completely, so Skulduggery turned his attention to Kenspeckle's accusation. "And I don't gallivant."