Skyy barely had time to shut the door before Chen's voice hit him like a bullet.
"Do you have any idea how reckless that was?" Chen snapped, arms crossed, his eyes flashing with anger and relief all at once. "You could've been infected, killed, or worse—" His gaze flickered to the tree-dog, which padded in behind Skyy. Chen tensed. "And that thing—what if it's dangerous?"
Skyy sighed, rubbing his temples. "Chen—"
"Don't 'Chen' me." The man stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You don't know what you're dealing with."
Skyy met his glare. "Neither do you."
For a long moment, they stood there, tension thick in the air. Then, with a heavy sigh, Chen ran a hand through his hair and gestured toward the hallway. "Just—go to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow."
Skyy didn't argue. He trudged to his room, exhaustion pulling at his limbs. Curling up on the cot, he let the tree-dog settle against him, its warm, bark-textured body oddly comforting. Sleep came quickly.
