Cas lifted his hands in a hapless shrug when Iris said he couldn’t stay away. It was true, but probably not for the reason she was imagining. While his affection for her played a major factor in his newfound obsession with Miles’ house, his father was the one pushing him into their arms every day. He wouldn’t have felt the urge to get away from Atlas if they’d been on better terms. Instead, he couldn’t even stand to be in the same building as the king. Not until something changed, at least. He wasn’t unwilling to reconcile, but it was going to take effort on both their parts in order for the relationship to heal. As long as his father continued to brush off his feelings as the result of being “brainwashed,” he was going to keep avoiding him.

[color=#b97703]“Hey, I do not,”[/color] he defended himself with an incredulous smile when she lumped him in with Miles. He was definitely expected to think he was better than everyone else because of his royal status, but only his father was that conceited. By contrast, he still wished he had been born as a regular citizen of the capital with no crown looming in his future. He also felt ill-equipped to take over as the next king after his father passed, and he certainly didn’t feel like a better fit for the job than most other people in the city.

“Speak for yourself,” Miles grinned. “I’m fucking awesome.” With that, he strode over to the chair across from the sofa and took a seat, leaving a little distance between himself and Iris. After she had told him she wasn’t interested, he planned to put more space between them, so she would see that he was true to his word about backing off and also so he could move on from his crush without torturing himself.

For Caspian, the distance was a welcomed change of pace because it meant he could sit right next to her on the sofa without making it obvious that he wanted to be in close proximity to her. He stepped over to do just that as she explained how she had been feeling lately. Settling down next to her, he offered her a sympathetic frown when she described how difficult it was to be cooped up. He wished he could offer her better accommodations, but at the moment, this was the best they could do.

[color=#b97703]“Don’t say that,”[/color] he shook his head. [color=#b97703]“Your feelings are valid. I know it must be tough not being allowed to go outside, and I’m sorry we’ve pretty much turned you into our prisoner.”[/color] He drummed his fingers on his knee. [color=#b97703]“If I think of a way to bring you outside without getting caught, I’ll let you know.”[/color]

When she asked about why he’d come back, he stiffened involuntarily. It was an innocent question, but thinking about the answer just reignited all the emotions that had been stirring around inside of him when he’d left home. [color=#b97703]“I, uh, I just needed to get out for a while,”[/color] he replied, giving her the same vague response that he’d sold to Miles. If they had been alone, he might have been willing to tell her more, especially since his fight with his father had everything to do with her, but for now, he changed the subject. [color=#b97703]“So, what were you guys watching?”[/color] he asked, gesturing to the TV that was still playing. [color=#b97703]“Anything good on?”[/color]