Felix squirms, his face hot from both tears and shame. "Don't treat me like a child, boar. I'm at least ten years your elder." He sniffs. "I cry at everything, even now. How embarrassing."

That's when he notices the pressure pulling him against Dimitri is no longer there. When he moves, the strings slide over his body and pool onto the sand.

"Oh, thank fuck," he says, shaking himself free. "Any more talking and I might combust."