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"Lack of boundaries," Ever offered, at the exact same time as Zeke said absolutely nothing -- and he straightened with another bright flash of grin, his eyes light in his face as they locked on Cain. After a moment, he rolled his shoulders and struggled to put his face to right. He shuffled Cain's book from one hand to the other.

"Plus, you did say to take you back to the dorms..."

Tanned thumbs rolled inward, upward, massaging at the back of Cain's neck lightly as he started to shake. It was a peculiar sort of reaction, hard to read. Everything he was doing was hard to decipher, as if he weren't even sure himself what he did or didn't want, or should, do.

If they had been alone Zeke would have pressed harder, needled and baited, tried to drag the answers out by whatever means possible. Here and now, he mostly behaved himself.

The warning just made him chuckle, hands still a steady weight on the trainee's shoulders. Now working slowly at the tense muscles he found there. "You're too high strung."

The light press of thumbs rolling at the back of neck did little to calm the shaking but it didn't hurt. The area as before was sensitive and again gained a slight soft groan if an irritated one, it wasn't meant but couldn't have been helped. Cain wasn't sure, about anything and hadn't been for awhile. Fighting , work and verbal abuse typically kept these inner problems from being face but when rare situations like this arose the Lifer was at a loss.

The touches continued and time ticked slowly by as the lit fuse crawled closer towards explosion. Luckily as Ever approached and guided him away the end of fuse was cut before Zeke got an under the belt punch. Head down Cain tensed under the guiding hand, but slowly fingers released their bite on palms to rest at his side. "You're both creepy..touching or otherwise." He corrected promptly, moving a hand up to touch a now throbbing spot at the back of his head. Fingers slid to rub the blonde hair and groped over a lump from one of the books. Great.

As they stepped out of the library and into fresh air, Ever pulled a slightly-mauled pack out of one pocket and tapped a cigarette out into his palm. Maybe he should have offered one to Zeke, too, but as his stash had been so terribly pillaged during his long infirmary stay, maybe he kind of needed it. He settled it between his lips as he shrugged at Cain, fumbling for the cheapo lighter as well.

"I'm not creepy. That's flat out slander." He sounded cheerful about it, though. "I've been told I'm dangerously non-threatening."

"Dangerously non-threatening is a good word," Zeke agreed, grinning over Cain's shoulder before the smaller man was drawing his attention down once more. The smirk returned in full. "Excuse you, I believe we pulled you out of a pie of books, offered to walk you back to the dorms, and stay with you to make sure you don't have a concussion." There was the faintest thread of feigned indignation, but it just didn't sit well on the Mist. "As I recall, you agreed to come back to one of our rooms, no force required."

Brows rose at the news that Ever had tried to proposition the smaller blonde, a vaguely thoughtful look flitting through pale eyes before he gave an amused exhale of breath. "Ever's very generous." He turned sharply, kept the books just out of Cain's grasping reach. "One of his better qualities."

"No." He corrected glaring up into the handsome smirking mans face, "you caused me to get buried in books by being distracting, you insisted yourselves upon me even when I said I was fine and on top of it all you're holding my books hostage so I have to follow you. There is nothing sympathetic, good or otherwise about it!" Cain huffed, not yet really realizing he just gave himself away in that he was distracted in watching them in the library.

This was better, at least arguing the lifer was more comfortable there might have even been the faintest smile upon tanned lips now.

Honestly thinking he had won a smug look was presented to Zeke who when saying Ever was generous gained an eye roll. Offering oneself was now considered generous huh? When the books were skillfully pulled from reach he snorted and folded his arms over his chest, turning back to glance as Ever spoke up then. Smartasses, both of them. The throw of attitude by Ever was noticed with a wider spread of the smug look and a slight tilt back of head.

"So you didn't mean the offer but instead was joking about sexual encounters with a total stranger? That's still creepy, Stringbean." Take that Ever. Cain mused to himself as they walked, kind of forgetting in the heat of wanting to be right that he didn't want to be going this far with them. " Besides flirting can affect people physically, so isn't it that same as anything physical?" Wait. "... NOT that it did me, of course." He blushed and crossed his arms over his chest turning that deep shade of red again from before and groaning in frustration."Like hell I was spying on you two. I fell asleep and you morons woke up up!" Cain protested weakly, not about to mention him lingering on them awhile before actually bringing his presence into light.

Tanned hands slapped his face and ran both palms down it in exasperation. Then a low voice mumbled through the cracks of his fingers, curiously, "you'd let someone watch you do it?" How was that not creepy?

"Mm," Ever offered, which was a thoughtful sound -- but maybe even closer to a yes than Zeke's maybe. He blew smoke over his shoulder, at least, away from Cain and, instead, back toward Zeke. His eyes were still bright as he folded his own arms across his chest, cigarette trailing light in the darkness.

"Also, I never said I didn't mean it, I just said that it's not a promise." This was pointed, to Cain, a hand rolled as he said it -- those eyes resettling on the young man in a thoughtful sort of way. "Anyway, even if I meant it, that's slutty, not creepy. Totally different animals."

It just made Zeke smile. The entire situation, was just so damn amusing. It was some of the best fun Zeke had had in a while. In a manner. The Mist didn't usually go out of his way to meet new people, and whatever tendencies he might have had before were severely lacking as of late. He kept to the people he already knew. The ones that knew him, that didn't ask questions, and that he didn't have to explain things to. It was just easier that way.

But this? He'd missed this.

Reaching around Cain, Zeke made a grab for the cigarette resting between Ever's lips, plucking it free so he could take a long drag from the thing. It appeared as if he were actually considering Cain's question, features going thoughtful, but there was no mistaking the grin that followed it. "Oh, all the way. Of course." As if that should have been obvious.

Another pull from the cig, and Zeke offered it back to Ever as he blew smoke up towards the ceiling.