When Spencer all but sags against him, Joel wraps both his arms around him to keep him upright, lifting one hand to palm the back of his head, his fingers stroking against his hair. It's scary sometimes, just how much he loves this man, the things he knows he'd do for him, but what's scarier still is thinking about how much Spencer is still hurting. Joel can try to help him -- and Raleigh, too -- with potions and with anise seed pillows and teas, he can put protective charms on anything and everything they need. He can warn them if and when he has premonitions, but he can't undo the damage that has already been done and he's angry with himself for not having been able to see it. When Mark had come, he'd had a premonition, a vague visual he hadn't been able to understand. When Raleigh had been taken there hadn't been anything, no warning whatsoever, and he hates this power. If he can't use it, if it doesn't come at all sometimes or is too vague to understand, then he doesn't know why he has to have it at all.
"I love you. You don't have to be sorry," he whispers, though Raleigh has already said as much, he knows it can't hurt to hear it again. What has happened to Spencer won't just go away no matter what they say, but he doesn't think either of them will stop saying it. He wants to talk to Raleigh again, wants to get her alone a little later, make sure she really knows this isn't her fault, but he also has a feeling she'll blame herself anyway. It's what he would do.
He doesn't want to let Spencer go and keeps his arm tight around his shoulders, even though the feeling in the room is losing some of the tension it had held when he'd walked in. There's still a part of him that's waiting for something else it happen, but he only holds onto Spencer, running a soothing hand over his hair and the neck and then across his shoulders as he looks between the two of them. He can tell Raleigh is in pain, he can see it in the way she's holding onto the chair, he doesn't need to look at her aura to see that.
There's still glass on the floor, but he'll clean it up later, and then he'll go upstairs with Spencer. He's not going to leave again. He doesn't want either of them to worry about it now, he can clean up, he can take care of it.
"Are you okay to walk?" he asks Raleigh, because he wants to help her, but he also doesn't want to let go of Spencer. "We should go into the kitchen and get your hand taken care of."
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"I love you. You don't have to be sorry," he whispers, though Raleigh has already said as much, he knows it can't hurt to hear it again. What has happened to Spencer won't just go away no matter what they say, but he doesn't think either of them will stop saying it. He wants to talk to Raleigh again, wants to get her alone a little later, make sure she really knows this isn't her fault, but he also has a feeling she'll blame herself anyway. It's what he would do.
He doesn't want to let Spencer go and keeps his arm tight around his shoulders, even though the feeling in the room is losing some of the tension it had held when he'd walked in. There's still a part of him that's waiting for something else it happen, but he only holds onto Spencer, running a soothing hand over his hair and the neck and then across his shoulders as he looks between the two of them. He can tell Raleigh is in pain, he can see it in the way she's holding onto the chair, he doesn't need to look at her aura to see that.
There's still glass on the floor, but he'll clean it up later, and then he'll go upstairs with Spencer. He's not going to leave again. He doesn't want either of them to worry about it now, he can clean up, he can take care of it.
"Are you okay to walk?" he asks Raleigh, because he wants to help her, but he also doesn't want to let go of Spencer. "We should go into the kitchen and get your hand taken care of."