Garret J. Foss (cant_touchthis) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-10-04 14:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | garret, malakai |
Saturday August 16th 2008
Who: Mal and Garret
What: Seeking comfort
Where: Mal's apartment
When: Late night
Rating: PG (for once)
Garret was in zombie mode. Seeing him, the person in charge that night stared at him a minute as he tried to sign back on for rounds, then told him to get out or risk being fired. So Garret left, but he wasn't going to go home because he'd promised Rorie he would be on campus for the night. He wasn't sure where to go. He could have gone to see Lloyd, but... if Lloyd was with Alex, he didn't want to ruin their night together. He could have gone to see Cherry but he didn't want to talk about how he felt, or have her just know how he felt and force him to admit to it. He just wanted to lay down, not think. Not contemplate anything.
So he went to Malakai. Mal wouldn't ask unless he felt it necessary, and even if he did Garret wouldn't answer and Mal at least had enough sense not to push, not right away. He didn't knock on the door, he just walked through it. There was a light on, but Mal wasn't immediately visible. Maybe he wasn't home. Stepping out of his shoes, Garret headed right for the bathroom, again phasing through the partially opened door. He turned on the shower, water hot enough to scald, and stripped out of his uniform. The blood had soaked through to his underwear, left dark red stains on his skin. Leaving the clothes in the sink, he stepped into the shower, not really thinking about how strange it was that he had just walked uninvited into Mal's apartment and got into his shower. Standing under the spray, Garret placed both his hands on the shower wall, letting the mist roll down his back, over his hair, running in rivlets over the muscles on his arms. And breathed.
Malakai had shifted out of his human facade, wanting to fully relax on the full and enjoy it. He'd been lounging on the mattress in his bedroom, a book between his front paws in Greek, turning the pages with his tail. Ears twitching, he heard a slight hum as someone came into his apartment. Lifting his nose, he caught wind of scent. Blood, fear, shock. All three of those were generally expected together. But it was all layed over musk, sandalwood and that unique scent that was Garret. Cocking his head, he pondered the situation, not worried that the man was in his apartment.
He heard the hum again, clothes hit the floor and then water run. A shower. Moments later, the blood was less noticable. Garret smelled like he needed time to himself, so Malakai returned his attention to the book while he waited. He was patient.
---
It could easily have been half an hour, three days, a minute, that Garret was in the shower. He didn't know. He just knew it was time to get out because his skin was numb and red and it suddenly dawned on him that he was in Mal's apartment, and the guy might be wondering what he was doing in there. Turning off the water, Garret stepped out, grabbing the towel hanging and drying off, the steam in the room thick and choking. Wrapping the cloth around his waist, he stepped out of the bathroom, using the door this time so the steam could escape. Still no sign of Malakai in the living room, which meant he was in the bedroom. Garret was only half suprised to see a large black hound laying on the bed with a book.
Hair dripping, Garret sat on the edge of the bed, reaching up to stroke down Mal's back. "Finn got grabbed by some men tonight," he said softly, explaining. "Rez called me. They were in Boston, and Finn got nabbed. Rez is a lycan, by the way. The idiots went out right before the full moon. To a city. So.. I went, I found them, I... shot Rez with a tranquilizer dart in the chest and had to carry Finn into my car. I think every bone in his body was broken. My interior's a wreck. Rez got dog smell in the back seat." He was still running his hand over Mal's smooth fur, an idle gesture.
"I dunno why I'm telling you this. I'm babbling. Hi, by the way. I'm staying here tonight."
---
Malakai heard the shower shut off and idly calculated the time. Twenty three minutes and eighteen seconds. Considering Garret generally took fast showers, he definitely needed the space, and Mal was glad he gave it to him. Turning the page with the tip of his tail, he kept reading, only stopping when Garret entered the room and sat beside him. Turning his snout, he listened quietly. Mal knew Rez was a were. He'd run with the lycans often enough that he was familiar with most of them. Not to mention, it was ridiculously easy to get into the school's files and read up on students.
Finn getting picked up made sense of the blood and the fear covering the pathfinder. Mal deliberately lowered his body temperature to a more normal level as Garret pet him. He didn't want to burn the human, after all. Staying silent, Mal decided to rest his jaw against Garret's leg, just in case he wanted to talk more.
---
Garret didn't want to talk more, but he didn't want to sit in silence, either. And what conversation was Mal going to be as a dog? Although it was nice to not have Malakai and his smug smartassery for a change. "You're a lot more pleasant to talk to when you're not talking," he said with a half smile, scratching between the hound's ears.
With a small sigh, he laid down on the bed, rolling onto his side to face Mal, tucking the pillow under his head. "I hope you don't mind my being here. I promised Rorie I'd stay on campus tonight. He's in the infirmary with his brother." The silence was deafening, especially in his own head. It was just images, horrifying images, Rez's teeth and his pocket knife through someone's throat and Finn's half lucid, desperate gaze. Garret closed his eyes for half a second before opening them again, blinking the scenes in his head away.
---
Malakai grinned and even arched his head into the scratching. He was a hound and definitely appreciated all the petting and scratching that came with the territory. His body hadn't often been appreciated for what it was, so being in a school like this was nice. "I thought I'd be nice and listen for once instead of talking, but I can go back to that, too." His voice was deeper and the accent thick, but Mal was trying to speak with a dog's jaw and tongue. He'd had practice, but it was demonic languages were easier to twist his tongue around than English.
"You've had a rough night. You know you can crash here whenever." Garret may have been a sometime lover, but the hound did consider him a friend. One of the few he'd had over the centuries. It was an honor Mal would never tell Garret. After all, he didn't want the human's head swelling or anything.
---
Regardless of how many times Garret heard Mal talk as a dog, or seen it, it never ceased to weird him out. It was like seeing a real life cartoon. He shook his head slightly, trying to figure out the logistics of how a dog's vocal chords would make sounds for speech. It must've taken a lot of practice.
"Thanks." He scratched under Mal's chin, sighing sleepily. "It was a rough night. I killed some guy." Rolling onto his back, Garret stared up at the ceiling, the towel around him falling open a bit, revealing a dangerous amount of skin.
---
Mal grinned, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, at the confused expression on Garret's face. Had he forgotten already that he could talk? Hell, his race had been genetically engineered. Being able to communicate with the demons was helpful and, at times, necessary to deliver reports. Still, it was probably odd for someone not from a warmer climate.
An ear twitched as Garret admitted to murder. For Malakai, it was nothing new. He knew precisely how many had died by his hands, claws and fangs. He could even tell you the number by the method. But Garret wasn't that type of person. Hearing him admit something like that, the night must have been a difficult one, indeed.
Comforting was something Malakai was not good at. It was awkward and so....human. Still, for a friend, he wanted to try. "Anything I can do to help?"
---
There was something Mal could do. There was a lot he could do. Alcohol was always good, though Garret wasn't really in the drinking mood. There was pot, not that he wanted to do that either. He didn't really want anything except not to feel so... on edge. "No," he sighed, turning away from Mal. He didn't know why he had come here for comfort. Malakai had never been comforting or tender, he was indifferent and cool and callous. Mal was almost inhuman, strong and fearless and-
And that was why. Because Garret felt edgy, scared, shaken. And Malakai was safe. "Yeah," he said softly. "Just... lay with me. Hold me. Just be you."
---
Mal watched the expressions cross Garret's face and catalogued them. Fear, confusion, hurt, mild resentment and a few others before it settled into resignation as well as a verbal request. Shifting on the bed, Mal stayed as he was since that's what was asked of him and rested his head on Garret's shoulder. The rest of his body fit awkwardly against the man's back, his tail draped over Garret's legs and idly moving around. Gradually, Mal warmed himself. Garret was pretty much naked after all, and the room was cool. A heat source wouldn't be turned away, he thought.
---
It was weird, spooning with a dog. But not unepxected. Actually, Mal was warm, and his fur was soft. Turning his head slightly, he looked over his shoulder at Malakai, at his hound face, and remembered how cose Rez's teeth had been to him, how unnerving it had been. If he hadn't had the tranq gun, Garret would probably be dead.
Tensing, he moved slightly away, shuddering. Those teeth would haunt his dreams forever. "Can you... shift form?" He hated asking because this was Mal's apartment and he preferred to be a hound, but Garret didn't think he could stay here thinking about teeth ripping him apart. He shivered again.
---
Mal frowned, moving back to give space as Garret pulled away. He'd never seemed awkward around a dog as big as a bear before. What changed? Taking a moment, Mal went through what he'd heard and smelled and managed to put the pieces together. Nodding, his voice came out gruff, "Sure. Give me a minute."
Standing, he jumped to the end of the bed and landed on the floor. No sense in scorching the blankets when it could be avoided. Focusing on the human projection of himself, Malakai felt the bones breaking, joints shifting and fur receding as his face flattened and he changed to his alter-ego. Staying in the crouch for a moment, Mal waited for the last few tingles to leave his skin before standing, completely naked. Concern for Garret's frame of mind and not modesty had him moving to the dresser to find a pair of underwear and pants.
---
Part of Garret wanted to watch Malakai shift. Morbid curiosity wanted to see the transformation, but actuality wanted nothing to do with animal hybrids tonight. So instead of watching, he curled up slightly and shut his eyes tight, ignoring the noises Mal's body was making. Bones were snapping easily as pretzels, the heat radiating from Mal hissing in the air. It was grotesque... but some other time he'd ask Mal to do it again.
Pulling the blankets over himself, Garret wasn't really concerned with Mal's modesty, or his own, but the thought was appreciated anyway. Once the noises faded, Garret looked down the bed at Mal, watched him move to his dresser. Cute butt. He smiled just faintly, admiring the form getting dressed.
---
Mal could feel the eyes on his backside and liked that this body was toned and sculpted. He'd seen another hellhound shift, a cousin, and the guy was balding with a beer belly. At least he managed to blend in when needed. Malakai took advantage of his good looks.
Grabbing a pair of navy blue boxers, he slipped into them, then found a pair of pajama pants. Not much, but at least they were comfortable. Once dressed, he turned back towards the bed and climbed up behind Garret on top of the covers. An arm went around Garret's chest and he pulled the man back into his chest, his body still warm. "Better?"
---
As soon as Mal's arm was around him, it felt like all the neuroses plaguing Garret ran for cover. He sighed deeply, breathing in the familiar scent of the man behind him. "Yes," he mumbled, stroking the back of Mal's arm with his fingernails. "Thanks. It's nothing personal, I just... have seen too much horror with teeth and fur tonight." Not that he ever thought Mal would hurt him, but still. Now he could relax, and not let himself think about what had happened.
"Tell me about your night. It must've been better than mine."
---
Mal felt Garret relax, the muscles easing, and finally the scent of fear and paranoia started to dissipate. "It's alright. I get it." Most people couldn't stand to see someone's throat ripped out, or gut someone. Mal had been born into it, so it was perfectly natural to him. Garret hadn't, so of course it would bother him.
Malakai shifted his foot, ending up kicking his book off the bed. Oh well. "Quieter, that's for sure. I went out earlier tonight for a quick run with some of the other lycans, making sure everyone was alright, then I came back in. Looked over lesson plans for next week and who's signed up for my classes. Then picked up Inferno and started reading. I find it funny the way Dante describes Hell. One of the best comedies I've read."
---
"Sounds heavenly," he purred, wishing his own night had been so quiet. Malakai was such a weirdo in his own little way. Although, since Garret didn't know anything about Hell, maybe the book was a comedy. Anything Garret ever saw poking fun at Connecticut was, well, pretty much true. "You're such a queer little man," Garret chuckled, wriggling closer to Mal's bare chest. "But I like you despite it. Maybe I like you because of it."
Turning his head to look back over his shoulder, Garret smiled up at Mal, pulling the muscled arm tighter around him. "You're very comfroting, despite yourself," he informed him, meaning it as a genuine compliment. "You make me feel safe. Everything's so fucked up tonight. I'm kind of glad Rorie's worrying about his brother... I don't think I have it in me to be his hero tonight. Feels like I'm always saving him from something." Sighing a little, he shifted slightly, turning closer to Malakai to let hie forehead rest on the other man's chin. "Anyway. Thanks for not being complicated."
---
"Little?" Mal feigned insult, tugging Garret closer. No sense rocking his hips forward since he wouldn't feel it through the comforter. "And here I'd thought we'd already established I'm far from little." Grumbling a bit, he managed to stay quiet enough to listen to the rest of what was said.
How the hell was he being comforting? Sure, it was an innate hound sense to want to please the Master, console and comfort. But that was demons, and Lord Hades himself. Garret was neither and human, which made comforting him weird. So how the hell was Mal being successful? Despite the confused look on his face, his voice was even, "Well, you're welcome." There was a soft question at the end of the statement, though it could be ignored. Humans were so complicated.
---
Disregarding The Beast, Malakai was smaller than Garret. Therefore Garret could call him "little" and not be completely wrong. Although Garret hadn't meant it literally, more a term of endearment. It was small wonder that Malakai didn't catch it. It was also no wonder that Mal didn't understand how he was being helpful. He hadn't been given a direct order by someone in authority over him, and he didn't really do improv with emotions well. The fact that he was here at all, just laying here and not asking a billion probing questions, was a lot more than Garret had hoped for.
Turning in Mal's arms to face him, Garret nuzzled against the man's chest, closing his eyes. "I could get used to this," he purred, slipping an arm around the man's waist. "Fuck you're warm. I think I'm tired. I talk a lot when I'm tired. And stressed. And drunk. I think I just talk a lot. You can tell me to shut up if you want. You smell incredible, did you know that?"
---
Malakai shifted a bit to settle on his back, giving Garret something to curl into if he wanted. He'd managed to figured out most of what had happened, at least the major details. Knowing it was traumatic meant there was no reason to push for answers. He could get them just as easily in the morning.
"Are you cold?" Just like being wet, Malakai couldn't stand being cold. Feeling friendly - apparently that was the mood of the evening for him - he warmed up a few degrees more, happy to share his body heat. "Better?" The hellhound chuckled softly as Garret talked. "I like you when you ramble. Fewer defenses to work through."
---
Garret had gotten used to sleeping with a heated blanket. It came with dating a fire demon for so many years. In fact, being with Rorie was a little odd because he was always chilly, and Garret was the heat source. Though it made him feel very strong, like a protector. But tonight he had no problem being taken care of, being protected. It didn't happen often.
"Yeah, I know you like when I ramble. Dunno why. Dunno why you find me interesting. Maybe I'm a case study, you know? Something for you to study." He paused, wrinkling his brow. "Why aren't you under the blankets?"
---
Mal shook his head, his hair shifting over the pillow. "No, not a case study. That's for the school's psychologists and I'm not one of those." Turning his head to the side, Mal considered his answer. Why wasn't he under the blankets. "Because I thought you wanted the space. Apparently not." Disengaging himself - and avoiding Garret's question - Mal shifted the blanket from under his body, sliding under the covers. He shivered slightly at the temperature and worked to warm it up, settling back down so Garret could lean in again.
---
Like a magnetic force was pulling him, Garret attached himself back to Mal the moment he was able, entangling his legs with the other man's. He had not noticed before how warm the hellhound was. Well, he had, but he had never noticed how comforting it was. Like being wrapped in a security blanket. Malakai was warm, and strong, and impervious to emotion... it made Garret feel like not even nightmare could get him tonight. He really could've used someone like this growing up.
"Better," he mumbled against the hound's skin, palm of the arm tucked beneath him resting flat on Mal's chest, the other hand caressing his lower back. "Much better." He lay there a moment in the quiet, testing his theory on closing his eyes while tucked in the hellhound's arms. So far, so good. So naturally he had to ruin his own calm.
"I don't think I had to kill the guy," he said softly, breath tickling the hair on Mal's chest. "I did because Rez had been fighting him, and I thought... can't let him be turned, but... I dunno if Rez bit him. I'm not sure. He's probably killed a lot of people, and he would probably kill Finn if I let him live, but..." Garret shrugged. "I didn't even get to use a gun, it wasn't that impersonal. I had to slit his throat. With my boyscout knife." He chuckled, though there was little humor in it. "I don't think that's what they intended it to be used for."
---
Mal lay there while Garret stayed quiet. It was almost startling how loud the silence was compared to the rambling of before. Of course, Malakai should've known it wouldn't take very long before it started back up. With one hand protectively around Garret's shoulders and the other pillowing his head, Mal kept his gaze on the ceiling, letting his mind process what was said and analyze the best way to help. He couldn't think of many options.
"Since neither Rez nor Finn were in any condition to tell you if the guy was bitten, you made a judgement call. If you start second-guessing yourself, you'll lose the ability to act quickly in a crisis." Mal kept his voice fairly even, and low, trying to be reassuring. "You did what you had to do and you saved two students lives. Students that were in danger and you have promised to protect." There was always the possibility of one of the mob guys having a gun and shooting both Rez and Finn. As it was, Garret just took two bad guys off the street.
---
A great think about Mal was that he thought rationally, didn't let emotion gunk up the mental workings. Garret had done what he did for a reason, and he knew there had been a reason, but human guilt and self doubt and appreciation for life had gotten in the way. Taking someone's life was one of the worst offenses, but this man was going to be taking lives anyway unless he was stopped. So really, Garret had done the world a favor.
"Thank you," he said softly. He didn't elaborate, didn't explain. It didn't matter, and Malakai wouldn't understand the reason anyway. As far as he could tell, all he was doing was relaying the facts to Garret as they were. He probably didn't see the weight of what he'd said.
---
Mal didn't think like a human because he wasn't one. No matter how often he walked around on two legs, talked like one or acted like one, on the inside his mind worked differently. Things were clear-cut black and white. All those human emotions just made things difficult. If he started to think like a human, it would get in the way of orders. And a hound that didn't follow orders was a dead hound. Malakai liked his head attached, thank you very much.
"You're welcome." Malakai had been around humans long enough that he could guess what Garret was thinking. He wouldn't truly understand it, but he could figure it out. So knowing and making sense of what he said would serve no point and only waste time. Garret seemed to feel better which was the point. Stretching lightly, Mal worked out some of the kinks that always plagued his body when he shifted. Damned joints always felt weird for the first thirty minutes or so until he got used to them again. It was unnatural to be positioned this way.
---
Garret's body needed sleep. His brain needed sleep. He needed to take a break from what had happened, just pass out for a few hours and let his subconscious mind sort it out. The thought came to him, as he drifted closer to slumber, that maybe he should get his phone from the bathroom so he could hear it if it rang, if Rorie needed him. And maybe he should set an alarm to wake himself up, just in case he overslept, he didn't want to take over Mal's apartment. He went to move, to roll out of bed and get his phone, but... well it was warm under these covers, and Mal was so comfortable, and he smelled delicious. Like masculinity and smoke. Campfire smoke, not cigarette. Garret hummed deeply, relaxing against Mal. "Love you," he mumbled softly. This had been exactly what he'd been looking for coming here, and he was suprised Mal had been so accomodating.
---
Mal could hear Garret's heartbeat slow along with his breathing, his body preparing to fall to sleep. Giving his shoulders a light squeeze, he stayed still, waiting until Garret nodded off. The 'love you' was unexpected, making the hellhound frown. Maybe he'd meant to say thank you again and his tongue just tripped up. It happened to people. As he laid quietly, Mal made a list of things to do. First he'd need to double the crepe batter that was in the fridge resting. If Garret was staying the night, Mal wanted to make sure there was enough to feed them both come morning. Check the doors, pick the book up off the floor, clean up the bathroom of Garret's things and wash them, shut off the lights. There was no sense in letting the blood stain the clothes, and Garret didn't need a reminder of what had happened.