His mouth twitches slightly.
Almost a smile.
Almost.
“I’m good,” he mutters.
Yeah.
I’ve heard that before.
I lean back slightly, not letting it go—but not pushing yet either.
Because I know that look.
I know exactly how far he’s going to take this.
And arguing now won’t change it.
We are all like that.
Across from him, Lucas shakes his head under his breath.
“He’s worse than usual,” he mutters.
“He almost died,” Miles adds.
Clay cracks one eye open at that.
“Didn’t,” he says.
“Close enough,” Miles shoots back.
Silence settles for a second.
Not tense.
Not sharp.
Just… tired.
That deep kind of exhaustion that comes after everything finally stops.
“They’re safe,” Lucas says quietly.
The words hang in the air.
Heavy.
Important.
Clay’s eyes close again.
His head tilts back slightly.
“Good,” he says.
Just that.
