Who: Zayne Vandriel and Fitz Killian When: Monday, December 18, 2017 Where: Street & Zayne’s Home
Christmas was a week away. Zayne’s emotions hopped between being very happy, because he did really enjoy Christmas and dreading it completely. At least now he wasn’t going to be spending it alone. He hadn’t wanted to and if he would have to, he knew he would have spent the day watching old Youtube videos of his family, which wouldn’t help his mood at all. Now Remy was coming over and they planned to drink all day. Maybe not the most healthy way of dealing with the holiday but it seemed like a plan good enough. He was also all done his Christmas shopping, planning to deliver some gifts on Christmas Eve, before retreating to his place to prepare for the holiday.
He stepped out of the cafe, a peppermint mocha in his hand. He was done work for the day and he needed to figure out what to do with himself for the rest of the day. He never quite enjoyed that feeling. Having lots of time to himself wasn’t something he was used to. As he headed down the street, he saw one of the stray cats on the island. He frowned. It looked like the kitty was hurt. He started after it, coming as close as he dared and kneeling down, he held a hand out.
“Hey sweet kitty, you okay? Want to come here?” Zayne said softly. He kept his hand out, waiting to see if the kitty would come to him.
Minutes before: Fitz- Mew was doing what he normally did, going from house to house providing morale support for Faction members and trying to listen in to guard conversations. The later was especially important after the party to try to figure out what they found or who might be taken. Even the guards liked to gossip.
Fitz-Mew was lurking around a pair of guards, one who apparently was not a cat person. He heard the guard curse him and spout a small tirade- of which is a passing memory as the next thing he knew he was flying through the air before colliding with a wall.
Disoriented and in pain he attempted to refocus and get home. Home was safe and home he could… what was? Someone was in his path. He stumbled forward, not keeping a straight line. Breathing hurt a little. Broken rib? Maybe. Felt like. He'd hit his head too, probably why the world seemed to swim a bit. He felt hands around him as he tried to walk past the person but hands were in the way. A painful yowl escaped the cat. Fuck! Ow! Pain. Sleep. No. Need to get home. But he was now off the ground.
This cat was not okay and Zayne wanted to do something for him. He just didn’t know what. He wasn’t a vet and he never had a pet growing up. The only thought he could think of was that he needed to get the kitty somewhere safe. He very carefully scooped the kitty in his arms. He spoke softly, promising the kitty that he would be safe. He very carefully carried the kitty to his home. He was glad that the kitty wasn’t trying to fight him. Still with each step, Zayne spoke softly.
He got the cat home and laid down him down on the couch. He rubbed the cat’s head and said, “You’ll be okay. You can rest here. No one is going to hurt you.”
Mew purred in the young man's arms, trying to keep calm. Fitz felt foggy and wasn't entirely aware of what was going on up until he was set down. His head cowered a little, a little sore from the wall. A pathetic meow fluttered out as he tried to focus. Come on soldier! Wake up. Where are you? He looked around. He was in a house, not his own. He wasn't alone. The boy was.. Zayne? From the coffee shop? “Mew.” The Egyptian bobtail looked at the boy. What is your sitrep? He was injured, broken rib. Possible concussion. He might be in ally territory but he couldn't stay. He had to get home or find Daryn or Remy or even Evie.
Slowly the cat got to his feet and tried to leave. Mew the cat bent slightly to jump down and the pressure to his rib cage was too much he cried in pain as he tumbled off the couch. Where a cat once was a man replaced it. He was in his thirties, brown hair, slightly malnourished but as in shape as he could be. Fitz let out a grunt of pain as he hugged his chest. For a moment pain blinded him.
“Oh, no kitty, you probably don’t want to-” Zayne started to say as the cat got up. Zayne really did know better than try to convince a cat not to do what he wanted to do. But if the kitty was hurt, he really shouldn’t be jumping around. Zayne wished there was a vet or someone he could call. He did not want this cat to get more hurt. But the cat jumped and suddenly not a cat. The stray kitty was not a kitty and was a man. Zayne jumped up. Rationally, he knew this man was still hurt and maybe kitty was his mutation but it didn’t make Zayne anymore shocked. It took him a moment to remind himself that this man was pain and he should still help him.
“I’m going to call a doctor,” Zayne said, nodding quickly and going to try and find his phone. Doctor made sense now.
“No… No… no doctor.” Fitz said through clenched teeth as he tried to slow his breathing. At the time he didn’t realize it, but he would be thankful that Zayne’s profile on the island was relatively low which meant his house hadn’t been outfitted with cameras for the government to spy on him. Fitz slowly pushed himself to sitting. “Just… need to get home.” He felt a little sleepy and drained but he knew he couldn’t stay there. It wasn’t safe for him and it wasn’t safe for Zayne. Remy would kill him if he did anything to put the life of his friends crush in jeopardy. He tried to focus on changing back, but needed to get a bit more of his energy back. “Just need a moment and I can change…”
Zayne held his phone in his hand and went back to where the man-cat was sitting. He knelt down next to him and shook his head, “You need to rest. What hurts?” Zayne had no experience with first aid and he had no idea what he could do to help him but he knew this man was in no shape to go out on his own. He really needed a doctor but he would argue that in a bit. Right now he needed to convince him to stay where he was and to rest.
“Just a broken rib I think.” Fitz said. “And I hit my head a lil.” His tone was very matter of fact, like this wasn’t the first time it’s happened. He had no ID and was sort of dressed like a homeless guy just with cleaner clothes. Clearly he was out of place. “I’ll be fine, just need to rest a moment.” He reached out and placed a hand on Zayne’s arm. “I can’t be here.” He said as his eyes listed closed a moment. Well it felt like a moment for him, it was more like thirty seconds as he fought unconsciousness. Wake up! You can’t fall asleep here!
“Just a broken rib?” Zayne repeated. Nothing here looked like a “just” and Zayne was very worried. He didn’t know who the cat-man was but he really shouldn’t be leaving. It also made him worried as to how he looked. Why did he live as a cat man? What was his story? Was he dangerous? Maybe those questions could be answered later.
“You need to stay here,” Zayne said firmly, especially when the man began to drift off. He put his hand over the other’s, “Lay down for a bit. Then when you are feeling better you can go. I promise you will be safe here.” Not that he knew what this man was needing to hide from. He just needed to convince the man to rest.
Remy said he was a good guy so maybe that was good enough. Fitz nodded, he wasn’t really going to be able to argue and escape was out until he was able to shift again. He managed to push himself off the floor at least and back to the couch. “Do you… have anything for the pain?” He asked, knowing it was probably futile. “Or some ice or heat?” He was trying to focus back on the field medicine training he’d had in basic. Everyone went through it to help treat or stabilize injuries in the field.
Zayne helped Fitz up and back on the couch. He nodded and told him to stay there. He went to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. He also grabbed a bottle of advil and a glass of water. As he poured the water, he thought of Evie for a moment. Her burn was healed while he was singing. He wondered if it would work again. Would the man-cat think it’s weird? It could help with the pain. Or just put him to sleep.
Zayne walked back to the man and offered him the ice pack and the medicine. He hesitated, “Can I get you anything else?” he paused, “Can I ask for your name? Otherwise I’m going to call you man-cat in my head…” he trailed off. Maybe he should just let the man rest.
He nodded, taking the advil and sipping the water slowly. Then, he placed the ice pack on his side, it was cool and he winced slightly as the temperature change flared the pain for a brief moment. “I’m…” A fake name! He didn’t have a code name, but his nickname was not based off his first name… he’d been using it for years and he couldn’t think clearly enough to come up with anything actually fake he could remember later. “Fitz.” He reminded himself that Remy said Zayne was a good guy. Maybe not Faction but not an enemy either.
Zayne felt terrible for him. He hoped that he hadn’t made things worse by carrying him home. He didn’t think so. At least he didn’t need a vet but he still wondered if Fitz needed a doctor. He would get to that.
“Fitz,” Zayne repeated, “I’m Zayne,” he paused, “Are you sure you don’t want me to call a doctor? Maybe they could check your side to make sure it’s not worse than it is?” He hoped he wasn’t pushing too hard. He didn’t want Fitz to get up and leave but he was worried. He had to try to do something. The thought of singing again crossed his mind. That was dangerous and stupid. There was no promise that it was him who did anything before.
Fitz half nodded half shook his head. “Zayne, cute guy from the coffee shop.” He said his eyes threatening to list close as his eyelids grew heavy. “I’ve seen you, a good guy. Nice and stuff. Good pets.” Granted Zayne hadn’t petted Mew before, he had Mr. Tumbles. “Too good to get in trouble for me.” He reached out and tapped the boys ID, of which he did not have one. “But I need…” Fitz’s eyes fluttered closed again and felt blackness taken him again- this time for a bit longer than the first.
Zayne did not expect Fitz to call him cute or to say he gave good pets. He didn’t remember petting that particular kitty but now Zayne wondered what other gifts this cat-man had. Zayne frowned as Fitz struggled to stay awake. That wasn’t good. He really should call a doctor.
“Why would I get in trouble?” Zayne asked. He wanted to also ask why did Fitz need but as he drifted off, it made Zayne worried more. He took a deep breath and said, unsure if Fitz could hear him or not, “I’m going to try something and if it doesn’t work? I’m going to call for a doctor.” He moved over to sit closer to Fitz. He took Fitz’s hand, unsure if he needed to be touching him. He wasn’t even sure if this was going to work. He started to sing, in a low voice, the first thing he could think of, which was a Christmas carol. He really hoped this worked and he wasn’t just being stupid.
A warmth filled him and seemed to wash over the pain. His head seemed to clear and the pain in his side- still there- seemed to ease a little. Fitz barely acknowledged the singing as his eyes opened again. “Shit.” He hissed under his breath, realizing he’d nodded off again. Though as he looked at Zayne things seemed less foggy. He realized the boy was holding his hand. “Wha..” He started, almost certain now he was just hallucinating things. “How long was I… out for?”
When Fitz opened his eyes again, Zayne stopped. He didn’t know if it worked. He pulled his hand back. He could have just made things worse. He felt a bit tired, which was probably all in his head.
“A few minutes?” Zayne asked, not entirely sure, “I think you should probably stay awake. I heard that it’s not good to let someone with a concussion sleep.” He wasn’t even sure if that was accurate. He was still glad that Fitz woke up.
“Not sure I had much choice.” He said with a smile, his two accentuated canines showing themselves as he let out a breathy laugh. Fitz quickly winced as a pain, not as sharp as before, shot through him at the laugh. “Oh no, bad idea. Definitely more awake now.” It was strange, he did feel a little better. “What did you give me?” He waved a hand, he didn’t want to know. “Whatever it was, it’s working.”
Zayne saw the canines and immediately thought of him as cat-man again. He took the laugh as a good sign, that he was feeling slightly better. He frowned as Fitz winced and waved him off. He was quiet for a moment then said, “Just advil but I don’t think it’s that. Can… can I try something? Now that you are awake? Tell me if it helps?” He felt bad to be experimenting with Fitz but if it also helped then that was a good thing, for both of them.
Fitz furrowed his brow. “Um… ok?”
Zayne looked down at his hands. He was pretty sure he was going to make a fool of himself. He took a deep breath and began to sing again, very softly. He picked up where he left off, another Christmas song. He just needed to concentrate on singing and hoping it would make Fitz feel better.
That warm feeling rushed over him again, and took more of the pain with it. “Wow.” Fitz tilted his head curiously at Zayne in a very cat like manner. “Neat gift.” He was definitely more alert and sore but not in any real pain anymore.
Zayne smiled, ducking his head down. So that is what his power was. He could heal people with singing, which seemed like a terribly mean prank by the universe but at least he was able to help Fitz.
“I should probably apologise. I didn’t really know if that would work,” Zayne confessed, “but I’m glad it did. You sound better.” Which now he had a lot of questions for Fitz, like why would he get in trouble? Or why was he so desperate to get away? Unless it was animal instinct to hide while in pain.
“You should still probably rest for a bit longer,” Zayne said, “Just to make sure you are feeling better,” he paused, “Can I ask you a question?” Or several.
“I do… feel better.” He still felt a little tired, but not black out so. Maybe it had something to do with his body healing really quick? Zayne had sped it along but it still probably took its toll on both of them. Fitz nodded to the suggestion of rest and then smiled slightly at the question. “You can… but I can’t promise I can answer it.” He said honestly.
“You don’t sound quite as out of it either,” Zayne said. Fitz was right. Zayne was feeling tired now. He leaned back on the couch. He wasn’t about to fall asleep though he probably would sleep hard later. Right now coffee sounded good but he wasn’t going to get up.
“Why did you say I would get in trouble?” Zayne asked, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around much, even in kitty form,” though Fitz had also said that he gave good pets so he must have. He would have remembered if he had pet a kitty before, at least on the island. Especially since there was this one stray he was trying to convince to live with him. Was Fitz that cat too? Yeah, he did have a lot of questions as to the situation.
“If you’ve seen me, it’s only as a cat.” He said, adjusting how he was sitting, putting the icepack on the table as he really didn’t need it anymore and it was cold. “There’s a few of them.” Fitz admitted. “You seeing me as… me… was a mistake. I’m sorry.” He glanced around a bit, more aware now and suddenly trying to remember if he saw any of the guards raiding the young man’s house and the odds they were being filmed. He wasn’t sure, but thankfully Zayne’s place was safe- at that point at least.
“You can become a couple different cats?” Zayne asked, making sure he understood what Fitz was saying. That seemed to make sense if Fitz was right about him giving good pets and him knowing him from the coffee shop.
Zayne shook his head slightly, “You don’t need to apologise. I guess I’m trying to understand? Why would seeing you as you be a mistake? Don’t you normally be you?” He wondered if he was touching on something too personal. He wondered if he should back off. Maybe, he thought, being human was too hard. Being himself was too hard. Zayne could understand that.
“Yea, any feline, but there’s three I frequent around here.” Which pretty much lined up with the three strays seen around town. Never together. Fitz knew he had to be careful with exactly how he explained things to Zayne. He needed to make the boy think he was actually alone and not connected with anyone else. Which meant not mentioning anyone else's name. “It’s…” He glanced at Zayne’s ID. “The government doesn’t know I’m here. I’m not registered like you and if they find out…” He was sure he didn’t need to finish that thought. “I don’t want you to get roped in because you helped me.”
“Why are you here if you don’t have to be?” Zayne asked without thinking. That was probably something he shouldn’t have asked. He wondered if he had the option to leave, if he would have by now. No, he knew the answer was yes. Except then he wouldn’t have gotten to know Remy better. Not point. If he could leave, he probably would have.
“I won’t say anything to anyone that you were here,” Zayne said, which as soon as he said it, he realised that meant he probably couldn’t talk to anyone about what he discovered today. He frowned, “If you aren’t registered, where do you stay at night?” Did Fitz stay in his kitty form and sleep that way? Tonight was probably not the best night for Fitz to do that.
“Easy to get to the island, not as easy to get off.” He said with a smirk. Of course there was a lot more to it now, but that was his secret to keep. He couldn’t blame Zayne for all his questions. Had he been in the same situation he’d probably have just as many. “As for where I stay… that’s a question I can’t really answer.” Only one other person on the entire island knew of his ‘lair’, not even Remy or Daryn knew exactly where or how to get to his home. That was on purpose. Until Evie had curiously followed her, no one knew. That way if anyone was taken and interrogated, his cover would be kept. And since only something the size of a cat could get to him it meant that no one would find him. “But I have a place.”
“Is it a safe place?” Zayne asked. He held up his hands, “I’m just asking because I’m going to be worried about you tonight and if you need a place, you are welcomed to stay here. Or food.” He felt slight better about offering food now; he had food he could offer a man but he wasn’t about to offer a cat salad.
“I guess I should stop asking questions,” he said softly, “Though I don’t really understand why you are hiding.” This was supposed to a safe place. He thought about the party and how Remy said he hadn’t been on the island long enough. Maybe that was just it; he didn’t know much about the island. Maybe it wasn’t quite the safe place. Maybe they weren’t quite as safe as he thought.
Fitz reached out and placed a hand on Zayne’s “There are some things that aren’t easy to understand.” He knew he probably should be going, though if there were cameras in the place they’d probably already be busting down the door. “My place is safe but.” He closed his eyes a moment, he was still a bit weak to change back. “I do think I need a bit more rest before I can change to leave.” Fitz squeezed the young man's hand slightly. “Did you say something about food?” He asked with a grin.
Zayne looked down at Fitz’ hands and blurted out before he could stop himself, “You are really soft.” That was weird to say, wasn’t it? He probably shouldn’t have said that. He nodded when Fitz spoke, “I’m starting to feel like there is a lot more to this island than I know about.”
Zayne was glad to hear that Fitz wasn’t about to run out the door. He smiled to him and said, “I have vegetable lasagna in the fridge? I made it last night and you can’t make lasagna for just one person so I have plenty of leftovers,” he paused, “I can even give you a kitty bag for later.”
“Not where it cou-” Fitz shook his head, the time he was spending with Evie, actually holding conversations was good, but he was still not as used to filtering things before saying them as when he was a cat he was free to think things aloud and most people couldn’t hear him. “Lasagna sounds great.” He was more a meat eater, but he took what he could get. Remy had seemed excited about getting a home cooked meal from Zayne, here he had a chance to check it out for himself.
Zayne heard where that was going to go and decided that he should probably not touch that. Uh, any of that. He laughed softly and got up, saying he’d be right back. He went the kitchen and cut Fitz a huge piece. He microwaved it and brought it to Fitz. He handed him the place and then laughed.
“I’m sorry, laughing randomly is a little crazy,” Zayne said, “but I just realised that I’m feeding a cat lasagna.” He sat down, trying to tell himself it wasn’t that funny. Except it sort of was, at least to him.
Fitz chuckled. “The irony is not lost on me. And don’t worry… I’m the last person to call someone crazy.” He took the plate, it actually smelled pretty good. It took him a moment to adjust his grip on the fork, only the second time he’d used silverware in five years. “And I’m sorry. My filters a little broken. You can think things at people all day and they don’t hear you. Talking is…” He let out a breathy laugh as he got some food onto the fork. Fitz managed to refrain from scarfing down the meal, actually taking time to blow on the food before he took a bit because it had just been reheated. It tasted as good as it smelled and seemed to hit a spot. The carbs in the pasta would definitely keep him going.
“It’s fine,” Zayne said, watching Fitz for a moment. It must be really lonely to be a cat all the time, while having a human mind. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to do it. He was much too in need to be around people. As ironic as that was; someone who ran away from people but still needed to be with people. Maybe that wasn’t the definition of irony.
“It may not be my place to say this,” Zayne said, pulling a leg up on the couch and putting his arms around it so he could rest his chin on his knee, “but if you ever need a place to not cat or to hang out, you can always come over here.”
He was already pushing his luck, his eyes glanced to the window. Now that his wits were fully coming around he was starting to evaluate the security of the situation. Fitz placed the food down on the coffee table and went to the windows, drawing the blinds. “It’s a nice offer.” He said, glancing out- thankfully the street was empty. “But the risk…” Fitz lowered his head. There was so much he couldn’t go into and what he could honestly made him sound like a crazy person.
“You’re sweet.” He returned to the couch and placed a hand on Zayne’s. “And the offer is very tempting. I mean who would want to pass up good food and good company.” Cute company- but Fitz wouldn’t do that to Remy. “Thank you for being a miracle and helping me. But I should probably go. I’m probably been here too long as it is.”
Zayned wanted to tell Fitz that there was no risk from him. He would not do anything to endanger the other man, except he knew that he wasn’t the danger. It was something else and something vague that he didn’t know. Zayne did not like being out of the loop but he also knew there was no information to be learned here.
“I would rather have you stay here, just to make sure you are okay,” Zayne said softly, “but I’m not going to push. Did you want some to take with you?” he paused, wanting to offer again to have him over whenever, “If you feel like it’s safe, you can come over. I promise your secret.” But he knew it wasn’t his promise that Fitz was worried about. It was something else.
Fitz felt bad, Zayne really did seem sweet and genuinely kind. He hadn’t been tainted or jaded by the island yet. “I know you will.” He gave the boys hand a squeeze. “It was really, really nice to meet you Zayne.” Fitz released his hand and focused, a moment later the Egyptian Manx sat on the couch in his place. It gave a small meow and nuzzled the man’s hand before dropping to the floor. He still felt like he got kicked in the gut but his head was clear and probably just bruised. Zayne really was a miracle worker. The bobtailed cat trotted to the door and pawed at it. I’m sorry. He thought, really hoping he could explain. Maybe one day Zayne would understand.