Event Six.

[awashmods]

If you see this hairy creature Your first choice should always be to run Otherwise you had better hope You have silver bullets in a gun.

he full moon hangs brightly over the Town, hovering so low that it almost feels as though you could reach out and touch it. It should be comforting. But as the howl of wolves fills the air, it's anything but. There are werewolves on the prowl, and their target is very clear -- the Town won't be able to last without your help. Welcome to Awash's sixth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Comments

[passio]

[ it does feel nice. dextera isn’t used to the water being warm—and, only vaguely, he recalls the feeling of taking a shower, rather than ever bathing. perhaps, as a child, it was too difficult for the two of them to bathe like this…

but it doesn’t matter. dextera knocks again, and he lets the light, meaningless conversation continue like that for a little while.

eventually, the water starts to cool off, and it feels a little weird to sit in it anymore, so he carefully stands. it’s true that he does feel better, and his body even feels like it’s been eased for sitting in that hot water for so long. he’s dripping everywhere, and there is a towel in the room, but for some reason he goes to the door first.

he knocks, gently, and then opens it just enough so he can see guren’s face. ]

Finished.

[swordfucker]

[Guren blinks when the door shifts, standing up just in time to not lose his balance from leaning against it. He turns to look at that face peeking through the door, and he can see that he's dripping, wet hair, skin—]

So go dry off with some towels. [He's looking away, pointedly, from that crack in the door!!]

You're probably making a mess. I'll help you clean up when you're dressed.

[passio]

…

[ dextera nods, then, watching guren not look at him for just a moment, and then he lets the door close again gently.

towel first… he dries himself off, being tender around his scar. it doesn’t physically hurt anymore, the wound long closed, but it’s too stark to just pretend it isn’t there. then he pulls his clothes back on, making sure to purify them one more time before he wears them.

his hair is still wet, so he lets the towel rest over his head when he peeks out of the bathroom a second time. ]

[swordfucker]

[This time, Guren is prepared, catching Dextera by the towel over his head and ruffling his hair with it immediately.]

Gotcha. [Forget cleaning the bathroom, they can do that tomorrow. For now, he slips that towel back behind his head and over his shoulders, instead, looking proud of himself at Dextera's fluffed hair.]

Looking sharp.

[passio]

Ah…!

[ he’s surprised, but not annoyed, when guren catches him like that. he should have expected that guren would mess around with him—!

regardless, guren said that he’s looking sharp, and that’s a pretty nice compliment even if all he did was take a bath. he does feel cleaner, less sticky with the cold sweat of fear, and getting through the night seems a little more possible now. ]

…it felt nice.

[swordfucker]

Didn’t I tell you it would?

[ Abandoning the towel, he moves a hand to run fingers through Dextera’s hair, slicking it back... just to watch it fall back into its part. But it’s sort of like combing through it. ]

Next time, you can use some shampoo, too. You’ll like how your hair feels after it.

[passio]

[ there’s no way dextera’s hair will ever stay in place unless guren glues it there. even wet, it just flops back over, but the feeling of fingers in his hair is… pleasant. he wants guren to keep touching him like that, but that is certainly an impossible thing to ask for. ]

Yours. [ a statement, not a question. ] I like the smell.

[swordfucker]

[ As much as he wants to continue himself, his hand stops and pulls back to himself, touching at his own hair. Still soft... it’s important. ]

Yours can smell the same. [ So it’ll be nice, right? ] You can really tell?

[ He knows he was given weirdly feminine shampoo but also he doesn’t care, but... ]

[passio]

[ dextera nods, but then, he pays close attention to most things that guren does. he would be absolutely remiss not to notice his shampoo as well, and he likes the scent because it reminds him of guren. ]

Fresh.

[ an assurance, as he steps out of the bathroom. half of the house is down, so no one is going to be using that for a little while. it’s fine to put cleaning it off until tomorrow. ]

Am I OK?

[ he didn’t use soap because he couldn’t, but he pulls up his sleeve—obviously asking guren to sniff his skin here, hoping that the BARN SMELL he insinuated is gone now. ]

[swordfucker]

[For a second, Guren looks caught off guard. Immediately, he wants to snap back with "I am not smelling you", but isn't he the one who started all of this? And the longer he thinks about it...

He touches Dextera's arm to keep it steady and ducks as he pulls it to him, a little too much like a kiss. But he just sniffs, really. Just a little.]

... [And then he's dropping his arm like he wasn't just overly gentle with him.]

Yep. No more of that bird smell clinging to you.

[passio]

[ guren is extremely welcome for the favor dextera did by offering him the arm without the parasite, even if he doesn’t realize that dextera was so gracious. ]

…

[ guren is so gentle, when he touches dextera like that. he feels guren’s breath, briefly, on the sensitive underside of his arm, and goosebumps raise along his skin just in time for guren to drop it. ]

Birds like it.

[swordfucker]

Birds like you.

[He corrects him with a smile that he hides as he walks past him, gesturing for him to follow. Back to the bird pit.]

It'll be back on you in no time. I probably smell like them too, already.

[passio]

Heh heh.

[ the birds are quiet enough in the bird pit. the chocobos take up the majority of the space, and the chickens have decided to sleep around them, all of them now settled after the time it took dextera to bathe. ]

…

[ he sighs, relieved, to see that they’re all just fine and perfectly unaware of the danger outside. ]

Safe. [ he says this, and immediately sits down to tuck himself against one of the chocobos. guren, come with him!! ]

[swordfucker]

[Guren walks over, shutting the door to the room for even more protection, leaving his sword still leaning nearby. But he stops a few inches short of Dextera and the pile, still standing and staring down at them.]

You almost look too comfortable. Maybe my bed wasn't all that special, after all.

[Maybe Dextera is more comfortable here, surrounded by birds...]

[passio]

[ dextera is an animal, so it would make sense that he’s comfortable surrounded by them, honestly.

even so, when guren suggests that dextera is unappreciative of the bed, dextera’s eyes widen and he’s quick to hold his hands up defensively. ]

Ah—!

[ it’s not like that!!! ]

I liked your bed. Loved it.

[swordfucker]

[Okay, that's too much. He laughs, he can't help it, and sits on the ground near Dextera. He's not against the pile, not leaning against anything or anyone, not close enough to... But he's here.]

Oh, you loved it? [He can't help it... Dextera is so easy to tease. Only he can do this.] I couldn't tell.

[passio]

[ dextera will invite guren into the pile properly once he’s not flustered over being teased. leave him alone!! ]

I loved it. [ he says it again, more confident. ] Warm.

[ it’s even warmer sleeping next to a big fluffy bird, true, but there’s no substitute for a mattress and another human being. that kind of warmth can’t be replicated. ]

[swordfucker]

Haha.

[Guren can't help but laugh again, leaning back just... on the floor, on his back. "Enough to want to do it again?" he wants to ask, but instead he stares up at the ceiling, letting his small smile fade away.

Remember, don't get too lost in this. Don't get too distracted. Mahiru is a lot more quiet now, thanks to his drugs, but that doesn't mean he can forget.]

Good. I'm glad you loved it. I slept pretty well, too.

[passio]

[ dextera misses the way guren’s smile fades, in lieu of trying to settle himself down. back against the chocobo’s feathers, surrounded by chickens… and tomorrow morning, as always, damian will come by so dextera can make sure he’s unhurt. ]

…

[ dextera nudges guren with his foot. ]

Pillow?

[swordfucker]

[He looks over at the nudge, visibly hesitating as he considers. He'd like to, of course...]

You don't have to worry about me. [He's...fine...!!! And hetero] You've got enough pillows for the both of us, and I don't think they care for me.

[passio]

They do.

[ dextera doesn’t know that for a fact, but he’s convinced that there’s no one in the world who could dislike guren. he would be wrong to think that, but he’s convinced nevertheless!!

he gestures for guren to join him. ]

[swordfucker]

[Guren stares at the gesture for a little too long before he finally gives in. He can't say no and have Dextera thinking something is wrong, in the end, so he scoots over, but tries not to get too close.

It's a little hard, with this set up. They're pretty close, anyway.]

Happy?

[passio]

[ dextera is happy, but he’s not oblivious to the fact that guren is trying to keep a distance despite everything. is it because dextera pushed him away earlier? he’s not sure. ]

…

[ he nods, forcing himself to relax back against the soft, warm feathers of the chocobo. ]

Thank you.

[ not just for coming to cuddle with the birds, but for coming to check on him at all—he felt himself getting too close to doing things he doesn’t want to do, and guren’s interruption has distracted him. ]

[swordfucker]

You mean for shoving my way into your house?

[He smirks a little when he says it, pleased with himself. He leans back and relaxes himself, his fingers already itching to hold Dextera's hand. It reaches to pet the chocobo he's leaning against, instead.]

That's what friends are for, I'm pretty sure. At least, mine always did that.

[passio]

[ dextera breathes out a laugh despite himself. he didn’t like it when guren first pushed himself in, but now, he’s really glad that it happened. as he should have expected, being alone isn’t good for him. ]

Next time. I’ll do that.

[ he pets the chocobo, too, close enough to guren’s hand that he could touch guren with his pinky, if he stretched for it. he doesn’t. ]