"Fuck, Solnyshko, what the hell was that?"
A curse spilled out of Alexei's mouth as soon as they sat in their car. Not with anger, but with worry.
His hands cupped Elijah's face as the exorcist bit his lip hard, nearly drawing blood.
"Are you alright? What did that bastard do to you?"
Elijah leaned in, resting his head on Alexei's shoulder. The feeling of nausea clawed at his throat, and the rotten stench forced his lungs to burn.
The faint trace of Alexei's cologne barely masked the scent of decay, anchoring him to reality.
"Water."
The word came out cracked, almost inaudible. If Alexei hadn't been listening so intently, he might have missed it.
"Yes," Alexei mumbled, trying to find a water bottle while keeping one arm wrapped around the exorcist.
"Here." He uncapped it and held it to the pale-faced boy's lips.
Elijah's lips were drained of color, his eyes distant and hazy. It took a while before a hint of vitality returned to his face.
"Did I do something?"
