Thursday November 27, 2008
Who: Declan and Rorie What: Crashing at a friend's Where: Declan's place When: In the wee hours of the morning
Declan awoke with a mild start, hearing a knock on the door. Rubbing his eyes, he turned on a light and stumbled out of bed. The dryad had been asleep for a few hours already that night, still working to get over the last vestiges of illness that wracked him. Forgetting to grab a shirt to cover his chest, he hobbled his way to the door, still half asleep. He hoped it was Garret with an emergency otherwise Dec wasn't sure it'd be worth waking up.
On the other side of his door, he found a large, nervous dog and an even more nervous - and wet - Irishman. "Rorie?" His voice came out thick with sleep. "Wha's wrong, lad?" He blinked rapidly, trying to wake himself up. "Why are ye wandering round in yer nightclothes?"
"I. . . I. . ." He stammered, trying to get himself together. It was not a good night. His boyfriend's boyfriend and him got in a fight, he hurt his hands, his best friend hated him because he wanted to get his dog, and now he didn't know where either boyfriend was and was too scared to call in case Garret needed to be quiet. Rorie was feeling horrible and knew things had to change, but right then he was tired, scared, worried, and didn't feel very good. Sniffling a bit. It was cold and he was shivering in his wet clothes, since he'd just taken off from the infirmary and walked barefoot like the dumbass he was to his house a mile away and back for his dog, who sat next to him shivering too. "C-can I stay with you to-tonight?" He asked, hugging himself and wiping at his teary eyes.
He felt like such a pain, a loser, a dead weight, just plain horrible about himself and the evening. "I don't-don't-" he stuttered out, his teeth chattering hard. "I don't have anywhere else to-to go," he sniffled again, Pete's leash hung from his wrist as he wiped at his face again.
Declan woke fully as soon as Rorie started to stammer. It was cold out and here the dryad was keeping him standing on the doorstep soaking wet and freezing. "Come in," Dec stood aside, watching Pete walk in as the leash dropped to the ground. Rather that waiting for Rorie to walk in on his own, Declan took charge, tugging him inside and starting to usher him to the bathroom. "Ye can tell me about it as soon as we get ye warmed through."
Rorie felt absolutely frigid and as soon as he was lucid he'd be getting a stern talking to for walking about barefoot when it was near freezing outside. "C'mon then lad." As soon as they were in the bathroom, Declan started to strip off the wet clothes.
Pete, free to roam about now, started to sniff around. He was house broken and knew better than to potty in the house, so he went about seeing what was what before finding a nice warm spot and laying down with and huff. Rorie on the other hand was ushered into the bathroom, probably near hypothermia because he was an idiot for wandering around in wet clothes and barefoot. He'd been in slight shock when Garret brought him in, but it wore off as he fought with Mandy. Which now he felt like an even bigger asshole and idiot getting himself nearly frozen instead of asking for help.
Stripping off the bloodied shirt and wet underwear and pants, Rorie kept shivering on the warm linoleum of the bathroom. He was starting to have a blue tinge to his skin, but so long as he warmed up he would do better. That fact that he kept sniffling as big ol' crocodile tears ran down his face didn't help either. His toes were curled up tight, almost cramping at how hard they were curled up. He'd be lucky that he didn't get pneumonia after this.
Declan gently led Rorie to the toilet, helping him to sit down and covering him with a big bathsheet. The bathroom was warm and would help to bring his temperature up while Dec drew a bath. "Is there chance of frostbite?" He wanted to know just how warm he could make the water.
"I-I d-don't think s-so," Rorie said shaking his head. He could feel all his body, though he was aching a lot. "I-I can feel m-my f-f-feet an-and f-fing-g-gers," he stuttered as he sat there with his cheet chattering loudly. The heater on in the bathroom helped with him relaxing a bit, his muscles all pulled taught and trying to keep the warmth in.
"Good." Declan turned the hot water on and the shower on full blast, closing the curtain. Rorie wouldn't be getting wet just yet, but the steam would help to warm him. Getting back to his feet, Dec moved to the cabinet, grabbing a couple more towels. "Keep that around your chest, I'll be right back." Gathering up the wet clothes, he left, moving to the dryer in the closet. The towels and a blanket were tossed in, quickly warmed and then the nightclothes had their turn to dry. Dec didn't bother to wait for those, instead going back to the bathroom with freshly warmed blankets.
Keeping the bathsheet around his chest, Rorie watched as Declan went about taking care of him. It made him feel even worse. He was always having people take care of him because it seemed he was incapable of doing so himself. Like he was this special ed kid that just didn't get it. For fuck's sakes! He went out in cold ass weather to walk to his house and back after getting in a scary as hell fight. He even went barefoot! It was a surprise he wasn't dead or in a ditch somewhere or something. The pit of his stomach dropped as he finally realized what the hell he just did. At the time he was so riled up, wasn't thinking clearly that he just did it.
Now, here he was on the brink of frostbite at probably the early morning, in Declan's apartment with his wet dog drying off next to a heater and he himself in the bathroom. Poor Declan, they never did just hang out. He was always taking care of Rorie, which made him feel even worse about this. Looking up from his self hatred party, he saw the blankets in Declan's arms.
Kicking the door closed to maintain the heat, Declan used the first towel Rorie had to dry him briskly, whisking off the moisture. The blanket was wrapped around his chest. Warming the core was the most important, so he ignored the arms and legs. Warming those meant cold blood would be flowing back to the heart, only making the problem worse.
A warmed towel was draped over Rorie's head, drying his hair since that was soaked. "Whenever ye want ta talk," he murmured softly. "I'm willing ta listen." The poor lad was probably too spaced out to pay attention. Turning his head, Declan coughed for a moment, then returned his focus.
Gasping at the sudden warmth around his torso, Rorie whimpered slightly at how hot it felt. It was only because of how cold he was. He bit his lip thought and kept the blanket wrapped tightly around his chest as he bucked up. Slowly though, the burning turned into a soothing warmth that made those tight muscles unclench. He was breathing easier and the steam helped clear up his sinuses from him crying.
He had heard Declan, but. . . He just wanted to warm up first. It probably wasn't a good idea to try and talk right then. He'd wait till he was warmer and then explain. The way it came out to Mandy was that Mal was this dangerous monster that was hunting him down and trying to kill him. It still hadn't come out right even after the initial shock had warn off. Now he just felt like a jerk for making Mal look like he was this vicious killing thing. "Warm up first," he said softly and he held onto the blanket, sucking in all the heat he could from it.
Declan nodded, rubbing Rorie's arms and legs to help the circulation. "Aye, warm up. There will be time enough later." Glancing up, he asked, "Will ye be alright for a minute here?" He didn't want to leave if he was needed. Still, Rorie was a man full grown and could handle five minutes alone. "I'm going t' fix ye a hot toddy. I'll be right back." Stepping out, Dec moved to the kitchen, putting on the kettle and pulling out a bit of honey, tea bag and Irish for the toddy. Within a few minutes, it was ready and he was back in the bathroom, pressing the mug into Rorie's cradled hands.
"Yeah," Rorie nodded. He could handle himself for five minutes. It was simple enough. Though the simplest of things seemed to be the toughest anymore. Breathing easier now, he simply let his mind shut down as he soaked up the warm steam and hot blankets. Looking up when Declan came back, Rorie reached and took the mug gratefully. Taking a big whiff of it, he sighed and let it cool a bit, blowing on it slightly. With Declan still in the room, he chewed on his lip for a moment before looking back up.
"Can. . . Can you not tell Garret about this?" He asked. "At least not about me coming over as a human popsicle." He didn't want to lie or hide things from Garret, but this. . . This could be omitted. Last thing he wanted the other to think was that he'd gone off the deep end. "It didn't work very well last night about me hiding me being helped by someone else, but I don't want him to worry too much. We've both got enough on our plates right now."
Declan crouched down near the sink as Rorie sipped, thinking about how to respond. Garret was a friend and he didn't want to lie to him, but Rorie was asking him to hold his tongue. Reaching a decision, he nodded slowly. "I willna tell him outright, but if he asks, I willna lie." That was as far as he was wiling to bend to help.
Biting his lip, Rorie would take what he could get. "Okay, thanks," he said with a soft sigh, sipping the hot beverage carefully to not burn his tongue. He didn't think Garret would really ask. Maybe. Rorie wouldn't lie, he'd just say he was at Declan's with Pete. Of course if pressed, he couldn't lie either. He couldn't do that to Garret. Not again.
Declan waited quietly, watching the color slowly start to come back to Rorie's cheeks as he warmed. He wasn't going to press for any information, since the other man knew there was an open ear waiting. Rorie had looked frightened when he'd arrived, and Declan wanted him to feel safe again.
"I think I'm ready for that bath," he said as he got about halfway through his toddy. He was waking up more, calming down as well. Rorie wanted to talk to someone and explain things and not. . . Not be told he was this screw up. Not be told these negative things and be shouted at.
Declan nodded slowly. "Do ye want me to turn the water down for ye? Stay? Leave?" He wanted to leave all the choices to Rorie, since he was the wounded party here, from what Declan could see. The dryad knew something must be wrong if Rorie had run to him and not Garret or Malakai.
"I. . . I want the water off for now, so I can just soak, but no. . . I don't want you to leave," he said softly. Being alone right then was not what he wanted exactly. It freaked him out too much because he was finally coming out of this whole entire daze of being in shock and pissed off. Too many unfamiliar noises and smells for his liking.
Nodding, Declan rose to tend to the water, turning it down, adding some cool and plugging the tub so it would fill. "Alright then, I'll stay." He checked the temperature and judged it warm enough without being scalding. "In with ye when ye're ready."
Slowly, he unwrapped himself as he stood up. Holding onto the wall for balance, Rorie put a shaking foot into the water, wincing a bit at how hot the water felt. It wasn't that the water was so hot, it was his cold feet and limbs. Easing himself into the shallow water, he shivered as the air started to feel cold compared the water that was enveloping him. Waiting a bit, he turned the water off himself using his powers when the water hit the top of his chest. For a moment, he was quiet, just soaking. Then he finally started to talk. "Me and Mal got in a fight," he said softly. "Like a physical one. That's why I'm not home right now."
Declan knew that Rorie actually taking a bath wasn't the best way to cure hypothermia, but he seemed to be warming up a bit, and he was still lucid enough to make his own decisions. The heater was on and the air was warm though cooler than the water. He'd make sure there was a warmed bathsheet waiting for Rorie when he wanted to get out.
Glancing up from the side of the tub where he sat, Dec watched and listened. A fight. That explained quite a bit, and yet not very much. "What about?"
"Max," he said softly, using the water like a blanket as he curled his legs and slipped lower into it and leaned his head against the edge. "He. . . He tried to take Max and he was going to take him back to Hades, but I started to do anything I could do to keep him from doing that. I got hurt and so did he. Now. . . Garret's either out looking for him or found him and is talking to him."
Declan frowned, listening to the conversation and trying to piece together the puzzle. "I'd thought Malakai had promised to protect Max and keep him from hell. Why would he want to change that?" HIs eyes widened and jaw dropped a bit, hearing about Garret's own little foray into the Land of Stupidity. "Why would he do something like that? Is he suicidal?" Rorie was sitting in the dryad's tub, nervous and scared by an obviously powerful being and here Garret was seeking him out? Delcan started to mutter in rapid Gaelic, cursing the foolhardiness of men and one in particular.
"Something happened. Something made him change and. . . It wasn't something that he could have stopped. . . I don't think. His back was torn to hell, but. . . We kept fighting though. Max is gone and I got Mal soaked. I. . . I think he's too weak to fight now. Garret loves him, that's why he went. If it had been me, he would have done the same," he said softly, curling a hand over th edge of the bath, moving to go lower and warm up his shoulders now.
Declan reached out a hand, stopping Rorie's descent. "Don't drop much farther in, or ye'll actually be colder when ye rise." He especially did not want the lad to dunk his head under water.
Focusing back on the conversation, Dec sighed and shook his head. "That doesna sound good. Should I call Garret and offer him backup?"
"Okay," Rorie said slipping up a bit out of the tub. "No, I think he'll be fine," he sighed softly. "I. . . I know he'll be okay. If anything, he can phase to get away if Mal turns on him. He's like a hurt dog I think, right now. Lashing out at people trying to touch his wounds and all."
Dec nodded slowly. "So then, how do ye feel about all this?" If Rorie was equating Mal to a wounded animal, albeit a dangerous one, how well was he handling the situation was the question.
"I don't know right now. . . I'm. . . I'm not okay. Someone I trusted turned on me. I don't know where Max is and I don't know if Garret's okay," he said quietly, getting teary eyed. "I'm scared and I feel shitty and like I'm doing everything wrong." His chin wibbled a bit as his eyes glossed over with tears he was fighting back
Declan reached out to grasp Rorie's hand, giving it a squeeze which sloshed water around. Still, he didn't let go, giving Rorie some sort of anchor. "One, ye said it yerself. Garret can phase through anything Mal deals him, but from what ye said, I dunna think he'll be able to fight much." He licked his lips and sighed softly, wanting to be able to say the right thing. "Max will be fine for a night. We'll search him out tomorrow if ye'd like. As for Mal," he paused and squeezed Rorie's hand again. "Let's see if we can get the story from him, and ye do as ye will."
"Okay," he said softly, nodding. Keeping a hold of Declan's hand, he laid in the water a bit longer, quietly as he rested his head against the edge of the tub. His thumb stroking Declan's hand softly. Mostly it was a soothing gesture for Rorie himself. Like petting a cat or dog. Only he dog was drying off in the living room. "Thank you," he said softly, turning his eyes up to the dryad. "For all this. Even though you're still sick yourself."
Smiling softly, Dec splashed Rorie's chest, careful not to wet his face. "What are friends for lad? I've not been gone from Eire so long that I've forgotten the hospitality. Me home is yours and ye know that." He held his hand quietly, noticing the water was cooling. "Are ye ready to get out? I can make ye another toddy. We can watch something or ye can have the bed."
"Yeah, I'm ready," Rorie nodded. He was a lot warmer than what he had been before and was ready to curl up and pass out. "I think I'm good. I wanna watch something to take my mind off of things for a bit," he said before standing up carefully standing up from the water, his skin not very pruney. Maybe he could pass out on the couch with Pete and Declan.
Standing, he helped Rorie to his feet and out of the tub, letting the man balance on his shoulder or whatever he needed. Reaching out with his free hand, Dec snagged the towel that had been resting in front of the heater so it was soft and warm. He wrapped it around the lad's shoulders and started to rub his arms to dry him. Declan wasn't trying to treat him like a child and would stop if asked, but Rorie was obviously in shock.
Rorie was out of it still. He was able to grasp things, but it felt slow and sluggish and he was jumpy as hell. Any sudden moves or sounds and he was shaking and defensive. So, he let Declan dry him off like a child, even if he wasn't aware of it. The warm towel felt wonderful as he pulled it close around him.
Declan finished drying Rorie, then guided him to sit down on the toilet seat directly in front of the heater. "Wait here a moment and I'll get ye some warm clothes." Stepping out of the room, he noticed Rorie's clothes were not dry yet. Going to his own closet, he pulled out a pair of thick flannel bottoms, a sweatshirt and a pair of woolen socks. He could manage without the underwear for a bit. Moving back to the bathroom, he held out the clothes. "Can ye manage or should I help?"
"I can manage," he said softly as took the clothes. He was warm and comfortable again, thankfully. Taking a moment he pulled the bottoms on and tying them to keep them on his slim hips. The sweatshirt was large on him, but he liked it. Like how he wore Garret's shirts sometimes just so he could feel safe and warm with his scent. It smelt like Declan though, but it would work for now. Sitting back down, he pulled on the wool socks feeling so much better. Drained, but better. "I'm good," he said to Declan, ready to go sit down and chill out.
Declan waited, turning to the side to afford Rorie a bit of privacy, but still there in case he was needed. In the meantime, he started draining the tub, watching the water swirl down the drain. When Rorie said he was ready, Dec turned back, shutting off the heater. "Alright then." He let Rorie lead the way out to the sofa. Pete had already curled up near one of the vents, sound asleep. "Make yerself at home." There were no blankets on the sofa, so Dec moved to get a clean one for Rorie to curl into.
Going over and kneeling down, Rorie gave Pete a few good scratches and pets earning a grunt and a sigh from the large beast. Getting up, he went over to the couch and wrapped the blanket Declan offered around himself. It was almost like he was just a blob of fabric on the couch. The only thing visible was the top of his head and eyes. Everything else was curled up under the blanket.
Declan chuckled softly, sitting on the opposite side of the sofa, giving Rorie plenty of room to stretch out or curl up where he chose. Picking up the remote, he turned on the TV, starting to flip through the channels. "Let me know when ye see something ye like."
Sitting down with a nice big blanket wrapped up around him, Rorie was relaxing more and more as the channels kept flipping. "Here," he said, his voice muffled by the blanket around him. It was some sitcom that didn't take a lot of brain to get. Which was perfect for right now. Let his brain just settle down and maybe he might get some sleep. It didn't take as long as he thought either. Just five minutes into it and he was already drifting off. Hell it was nearly 1:30 in the morning. It was a wonder he was still up. Slowly, his eyes closed and he fell asleep on the couch, wrapped up and in a ball.
Declan watched Rorie drift off, his head nodding as he dozed. Before the first commercial break, Rorie was out. Smiling, Dec watched the show for another ten minutes, just long enough to make certain he was fully asleep. Muting the screen, he stood, carefully shifting Rorie so he was stretched out on the sofa, still covered by the fleece blanket. A pillow was tucked under his head and Declan turned the tv off so there wasn't any glaring light to wake him. As he walked down the hall, he turned on the light to the bathroom, just in case Rorie needed it to see during the night. For himself, he went back to bed, asleep himself before his head hit the pillow.