Unexpected Turns

Who: Megan and Dorian
Where: Dorian's Old Apartment/Megan's New Apartment
When: Afternoon

Megan had shucked off her Henley early on in the unpacking process – the chill that had been in the air had given way to a hazy warmth – and she adjusted the strap of her tank top with one hand while the other undid the box on the table in front of her. The windows were thrown open and a fan was going. Dorian’s scent permeated everything and she was doing her best to try get rid of it. It was weird, being surrounded by boy smell, plus the mustiness of the bookstore below but there was something oddly comforting about it that she wasn’t entirely sure about.

She’d started working the bookstore the previous day. It was simple jobs really, just shelving books and dusting while Dorian went over certain things. Megan didn’t feel lonely yet and she supposed it would take a few days for that to settle in. She’d never been on her own like this before but was hoping that there was a liberation attached to it that allowed her to get reacquainted with herself and her senses. It was more comfortable than going on some spirit soul walk in the woods and miles less dangerous.

Dorian pushed his way into the apartment with another box in hand, setting it down with the one she’d just opened. “For someone who only had a room at the commune, you seem to have collected quite a bit of things.” It was nice having someone here again, even more so with the help downstairs. It gave him more time to focus on being Famine which had yielded a busy day the day before.

Megan snorted lightly and shook her head. The sun had caused her normally pale skin to freckle out and she felt like she was covered in chicken pox. “It’s really not all that much. Well, seven, eight years worth of things I guess.” She really didn’t have a massive amount of things, but she’d collected knick-knacks over the years, as well as her model planes and cars. “You’re lucky I’m not bringing my train set,” she told him, a small grin on her face.

“You have a train set?” Dorian asked, grinning a little then reaching into the box and pulling out a B-52 model. “Though I suppose that makes sense.” He smiled a little then set the model down on the table. “How are you feeling about everything?”

“Pretty massive one actually. There’s houses and trees and I hung up my airplanes over it. It’s a good hobby when you can’t sleep.” She looked around the apartment trying to figure out where she’d put her models but decided that could be something worried about later. Hanging them from the ceiling seemed like a bad idea. People would bump their heads. “And I’m good. I feel good. I’m still close to home but this is a chance for me to gain the confidence in myself that I need.” Things had changed for her over the last few weeks. She’d become a little more open, had battled down a few of the heavier demons. She still had the tendency to stare sometimes, but the conscious effort to be more engaging was becoming more natural by the day, making the previously reserved wolf a more warm and open person. Her whole face changed now when she spoke. Her eyes lit up, there was a smile on her face.

He reached out for her, resting a hand on her head like he tended to do and nodded. “Good, glad you’re good. I was hoping this would work out for you.” He did want it to work, for her to feel at home and safe. Not to mention it was good for her. He’d noticed the difference in the way she was, the way she as more open about things, easier to read. He knew it was making things easier for her.

She gave hm an exasperated look and shook her head out of his hand. “I’m not going to woof at you,” she told him. “You’re good?”

“I know you won’t but I’ve gotten used to doing it,” Dorian said with a smile. He nodded after a moment, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I am good. It’ll take getting used to you being here, but I think I can learn to like it.”

“Learn to like it?” she asked curiously and reached up to tie her hair back in a ponytail. “So you could get used to the idea of me being in charge while you run off doing god knows what, huh?” There was still a more teasing note to it even if it hurt that she didn’t know what he was up to. turning away she started unpacking some of her wrapped models. She carefully undid an old spitfire and held it out to him. “Gonna put this up on the shelf over there. Could you, Gigantor?” There was an old shelf along the upper wall that seemed to have once been used for cookbooks by another owner that was now empty and waiting for some of her things.

“That’s gonna take longer to get used to than hearing you walking around up here while I’m downstairs,” Dorian said. “I left that store once and I get hesitant leaving it again. Worried I’ll forget why it’s so important or something. It’s my corner stone.” He took the model, making a face at the nickname before turning it over then setting it on the shelf.

“You can hear that?” she asked curiously as she decided what other models she wanted to put up on the shelf. “Is that a half demon thing? or Are the floors really that thin?”

Dorian shrugged. “Mostly I’m assuming. It’s not like it’s loud downstairs. I’m guessing I’ll hear something.” He looked back at her and smiled. “I don’t mind. It’ll probably be reassuring to know someone else is here.”

“And you’ve got an alarm system for the shop. Seems like a good trade off,” she said. “How’s Caleb doing?” She remembered that he was in the hospital recovering from some bad injuries and even if he didn’t seem to care for her, she certainly had some concern over him.

“Not sure the shop is a target for theft,” Dorian pointed out with a chuckle. At mention of Caleb Dorian shrugged a little. “He’s recovering. Took a pretty big hit, should have died really, but he seems to be getting there. Thanks for asking though.”

Megan shrugged. By this point the kitchen table was littered with model planes and cars. She really needed to find a place to put all of them. Maybe she’d make one for Dorian. “Well there’s a lot of knowledge down there. Someone needs it bad enough...” It made sense to her. “Will he be coming home soon?”

He shook his head a little. “I don’t think anyone would need it that bad,” he said. “I think so. He’s recovering well enough that it’s up to him at this point. Probably any day now actually.”

Megan nodded a little bit and ripped the tape off the bottom of the box and started folding it up. Her auburn ponytail swung along her shoulders as she dropped it on the small pile that had already formed and she wiped her hands on the back of her jeans. “You have a very distinct scent,” she said as a breeze rocked through the apartment. He was ground into the floorboards of this place, it seemed, not to mention everything downstairs.

Dorian opened his mouth to respond but found he didn’t quite know what to say to that. Shaking his head for a moment he shrugged. “Bad scent? Because distinct often means bad.”

“No, it’s just in everything,” she told him. “Even if you haven’t been staying here for weeks.” She picked up a couch cushion and rolled it around in her hands before putting it back. “Like books and boy and now it’s different too. I just can’t place it.” She twitched her nose unconsciously before stretching her arms up as she turned to look at all her things spreading out around the apartment.

“Everything,” he said nodding a little and looking around. “Well I guess that makes sense. Sorry about that. I feel like I should have aired the place out more then.” He gave her a sheepish look but smiled to cover his surprised at the change in his scent. That was probably a result of his new title. It must have gone along with registering as demon and getting wings. “I’m sure it’ll smell like you before too long though.”

It was that change in scent that she noticed now. Dorian’s change of scent was easier to smell now that she had comparisons. She filed it away for later. It’s not like he’d tell her anyway and it still stung but maybe not as much as it used to. She’d learned to keep quiet about it instead of pressing. “It’s not your fault. I’m just being weird. Sorry.”

“I wouldn’t say weird. You’re just telling me what it smells like.” He watched her for a moment, then drifted closer. “You sure everything’s alright? Do you need something else?”

“Hmmm?” Megan looked over her shoulder at him and shook her head. “No, no everything’s good. Thanks for helping me settle in. I think I’ve gotten everything.” It was, really. Barring strangeness everything was fine.

He tilted his head just slightly as he watched her, not sure if he believed her but finally nodding. “Alright, but let me know if you need something else. I’m more than willing to help out.”

Megan tilted her head in the opposite direction as she looked back at him, her green eyes glinting in the light through the uncurtained windows in what could be considered amusement. “What?” she asked softly, the rest of her face that calm, unreadable mask besides her eyes.

Dorian shook his head reaching out to rest a hand on hers again. “Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re lying or not. You’re getting better at being readable, but sometimes you leave me wondering.”

That calm look still remained but the corners of her mouth curled up and she didn’t shrug his hand off. “I guess old dogs do learn tricks, huh?” she said softly. She seemed almost dangerous in that moment, like she was ready to pounce, but it was not obviously clear.

He gave her a curious look, sensing something different about her. “Should I be nervous now?” he asked.

She just kept looking calmly at him, hiding her amusement at his unsurity. Megan decided that it would be best if he decided that on his own.

He was slow when he pulled his hand away, giving her a look. “That’s not helping Meg,” he reminded her, but didn’t move away. He wasn’t afraid of her, but he was starting to wonder what she was thinking and wishing he could figure it out.

She moved fast. Not inhumanly so but she had quick reflexes and she gripped the front of his shirt, her hand pressed against his collarbone as she marched him back until his back hit the archway between the kitchen and the living room. The expression on her face didn’t change and the flash of amusement was still in her eyes. “I’ve been trying not to bother you about it,” she said. “You want to protect me and that’s very kind of you, but I think it’s clear that I don’t need the protection here.” Her voice was naturally rough and low but it almost bordered on a growl. She wasn’t angry though. Her hand still remained on his chest and she was close to him.It was... weird. She normally was not this close to him and that strange scent change pervaded her senses and she inhaled deeply, trying to pinpoint the change.

He reacted when she moved, but given that she was a werewolf she was faster and he was stuck against the wall, though his hand did close around her wrist. “Just because you don’t think you need to be protected doesn’t mean I’m going to stop,” he told her, standing up a little straighter even with her growling voice. Before he might cowered, but the confidence was there to stand up to her. This was going to go far differently than the last time she backed him into something.

He straightened and looked down at her and she was struck with how much taller than her he was but it didn’t keep her from pressing just a little bit harder against his collarbone, ignoring the hand on her wrist. It was the subtle challenge that he exuded that had her straightening as well, her shoulder muscles bunching up a little. “What’s so dangerous that you need to protect me from?” she asked in that same low voice. “I’m a wolf. Not much out there scares me.” He’d seen her rakes from the Rakashas across her back, when she was decoy to get the survivors out. The only thing that truly scared her was hunters and even then, Hunt no longer seemed to be as much of a threat as he used to be.

Dorian didn’t let go of her hand even as she hackled up like she was. “It’s not a scare you thing Meg. It’s best that that stays with me. It’s dangerous to throw it around, just because of the knowledge rather than the threat. The less know the better.”

“If it’s so dangerous to throw around, it’s dangerous for you. You’re my friend and how can I be there to help you if something happens if I don’t even know. What if you just off and disappeared one day. The place is in shambles.” Her fingers curled in his shirt and she could feel and hear his heart thrumming, the blood pulsing in his veins. “I wouldn’t even know where to start and I don’t handle my friends disappearing very well.”

That softened Dorian a little, her worried about him going missing. He kept hold of her hand on his chest but brought the other to sift through the loose hairs from her ponytail along her temple. “It’s safe for me. I have the added protection and I’m hard to get at, someone else, like you, not as much.” He gave her a little smile, trying to be reassuring. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Yeah, because I’d come after you and kick anyone’s ass who stood in my way,” she said. His sifting fingers were different from the usual head pet that he’d do and she wasn’t sure what to make of it but it felt... nice and she unconsciously tilted her head a bit to make it easier. “Beside’s your brothers anyway.” The sifting was strange and made her spine tingle. She’d never experienced that before.

“If it makes you feel better and worry less? They have my back in this.” When she tilted into his hand he didn’t really think about stopping, brushing his hand there again. They weren’t usually like this, not this close. It was something more comfortable than usual between them, but it seemed to calm her down a little, which was what he wanted.

She was watching him closely and she rose up on her toes as he brushed his hand there. She noticed the difference in dynamic and she shifted closer. “It doesn’t,” she said softly. “Not by much. It’s not me.”

“The one thing we have most in common,” he said with a small smile. Her moving closer surprised him, shocked him even, but he didn’t have anywhere to go so he stayed where he was. “It’s the best I have at the moment.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, not quite understanding what he meant by having something in common.

“The worrying. That’s what we have in common. And the brother thing is all I have to offer.” Outside of whatever was going on right now between them with her this close. He wasn’t sure what else to do, but kept up the soothing motion, hoping it helped.

It did help, but it was also distracting and nice and she shivered, her eyes closing partially and she shifted closer unconsciously. It was all on instinct. She wasn’t even thinking of what she was doing except that she was drawn in by scent and the stroking was hypnotizing.

She really was moving close, and Dorian had no idea how to handle it. Not with her shivering and her being so caught up in what he was doing. “Meg...”

Megan’s eyes snapped open and she immediately pulled back, dropping her hands and stepping back a few steps. “Sorry,” she said, her voice somewhat strangled and she pushed her hair out of her face. “I... yeah. Sorry.” She was breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dilated.

He didn’t let go of her hand as she pulled back, not too far. “Don’t apologize,” he said right away, shaking his head. “Just talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.” Dorian wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wasn’t going to let her walk away from the moment. He needed to not ruin things between them.

Her eyes flicked down to the hand on her wrist that he was still holding and she swallowed. “Wolves are tactile creatures,” she explained. “And I’m surrounded by you. It’s... it’s just intense. And you get twitchy and you’re not twitchy.” She was trying to explain the multitude of feelings she was feeling without scaring him away. “It’s...” she swallowed and looked back at the hand on her wrist. “You’re not usually like this. It’s interesting.”

“Things have changed for me and not what you’re thinking. Twitchy sort of went away. Kind of.” He shrugged a little. “If I let go are you going to be upset with me? Do you want..this?”

She looked back up at him, her eyes still wide and unsure. “You’ve changed a lot,” she said and she didn’t pull at his grip. It was interesting to see him standing there so sure, just holding her like that and shrugging. “I’m not upset with you. I just... I’ve changed too.” She didn’t know if it was a good thing between them.

“I thought it was kind of subtle actually,” Dorian said with a shrug. It was a faith in himself, in what he could do and where he was. “How have you changed?” he asked. He had an idea, he’d seen a lot of it, the way she was more in touch with her human side, trying to embrace it, but maybe she meant something else.

“The wolf,” she said after a moment. “I’m not so scared of it any more. But the wolf comes with a lot of things.” She was more human in engaging others, yes, but now she wasn’t denying her wolf as much as she had been before. It was shocking how much she’d done so. Now she was recognizing all the signs she’d ignored, why she felt more susceptible to his touch. The part of her that she’d pushed away and down. “Maybe to others your changes are subtle but I watch you. I’ve always watched you. You smell different, you stand up straighter, you smile more.”

“What things?” Dorian asked, looking at her curiously, wanting an explanation. “And Kayos wished for me to be more confident. That’s the result of that I think.” He shrugged again, not thinking it was much really, but maybe not, if she was watching maybe that was what she noticed.

“I’m surrounded by you,” she repeated. Megan didn’t look at him but at his hand spanning around her wrist and she took a half step towards him. “It’s invading my senses and you were touching me and...” She felt embarrassed but she didn’t shy away. “I’m not used to all of it. It’s... it’s a lot. You couldn’t tell?” For all as smart and knowledgeable as Dorian seemed, she wondered if he even knew half the things about things, or just a little of a lot.

“I could tell,” Dorian said, nodding a little. “It’s more because this place smells like me, and I’m here.” She’d also made a point of trying to breath in more of him, to bring out the difference in his scent. “Is it bad?” It didn’t really feel bad to him, her this close was almost nice. He was close to Kayos sometimes, but things weren’t...werne’t going there like that. Hunt had the upper hand with her, not Dorian. Though he had friends, he had his family, he was rather alone. He’d fought Megan’s comments for a while, thinking he was too old for her, but with her close, it was a reminder of how nice it was to just be near another person, even if it wasn’t sexual.

She chuckled a little and shook her head. Her cheeks were still flushed, making her freckles stand out across her nose. “No,” she assured. “It’s not bad. It.... it’s nice. It’s safe feeling.” Books and boy and Dorian, no matter how different his scent might be. Megan looked at him, almost shy, definitely unsure. She felt unsure about a lot of things all of a sudden. “Is this bad?” she asked quietly, nodding a little at how close they still were, even if she wasn’t still practically on top of him again.

He watched her flush, the way her face changed and she looked completely different. Less like the stoic wolf-girl and more like any other girl, blush about him touching her. He shook his head a little, giving her hand a slight pull towards him, letting go of her wrist to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “If it feels safe, it’s not bad.”

It was instinct to go with the natural motion and Megan closed the final step between the two of them and rested her ear against his chest. His scent invaded her so thoroughly that her head spun and she wondered if this what being a teenager felt like. She’d pushed these instincts down so far because she felt they weren’t necessary. So it had her head spinning, it had her feeling good too. “It’s not exactly what I meant,” she said softly.

It was surprising how good it felt to feel her there, her resting her head against his chest and he tightened the grip around her shoulder to keep her close to him. “What did you mean then?” he asked, head ducking the be just that much closer to her. He was never like this, never close to someone who wasn’t Kayos, but even then, those moments weren’t as often as he’d like.

She felt his chin touch on her head and she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, just giving in to what she wanted and letting herself be surrounded by it all. Every line of tension in her body eased so thoroughly and she reached up to hook a finger in his belt loop, just to hold onto him back. The height difference made it somewhat awkward. “The closeness. You’re not twitching. Unless that’s because my clothes are still on.” It shouldn’t have sounded as lurid as it did. That wasn’t her intention at all, but she was just so relaxed that her voice came out rough and low. If wolves purred, she would have.

The feel of her hand at his hip did kick his heart rate up, but he didn’t move her away, didn’t twitch under the touch. It was too nice to be held to to let it go away. He laughed a little at the comment, knowing she’d feel it more than hear it. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe I like it too.” The way she said it was something new, the way her voice sounded. He had to wonder if it was happy thing, and just how happy it meant she was.

The rumble against her ear had her smiling a little. “You like that my clothes are on?” she said in that same voice but there was a note of amusement as she deliberately misunderstood him.

Dorian rolled his eyes even if she couldn't see it where she was. “I’m not answering that or responding to it. There’s no right answer,” he told her. After a moment he gave her a slight squeeze. “The closeness, that I like.”

It got a little giggle out of her that tapered off rather quickly with a content sigh through her nose and she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I like it too. It’s been awhile since I’ve been... since I’ve been in this position.” And even then it hadn’t been like this. She’d been hugged, it was never... It was never quite like it was with Dorian.

Dorian thought about it for a moment then nodded. “Me too. Long time I think.” He’d been hugged, he’d had moments of holding on to Kayos, but not a lingering holding on to her like this. They should do this more often, though he wasn’t sure she would want that.

She was quiet then, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the contact with another rub of her cheek against him and another sigh through her nose. She could fall asleep like this. Megan was practically boneless against him, he would surely be able to feel that given how heavily she was leaning against him. Did it mean anything? She wasn’t quite sure but if it meant more non-twitchy contact, she was all for that.

Her cuddling against him was beyond tempting, just to have her there always, warm against his skin. “You sure you’re going to be alright here on your own?” he asked softly.

Her eyes opened and she looked at the apartment with her things scattered around. No sharing a bathroom, no Oz down the hallway, no Billy and Maddie and Molly. Just her and the store downstairs. Fingers tightening in his belt loop was the only sign of any nervousness she may have had. May have. “You’ll come on up and visit, yeah?” she asked quietly and realized that hey, maybe she would get lonely and maybe she should get a radio or a fucking nightlight because suddenly everything seemed so big and daunting.

Dorain let his hand trail to the back of her neck, just beneath the ponytail as he looked down at her and nodded. “Yeah of course. Whenever you want. And you can come down too.” He gave her a smile, something to give her nothing to worry about, especially when she gripped at his hip.

Another shiver went down her spine and she shifted against him to make it easier for him to stroke the back of her neck. It was like ‘Let’s find all the perfect spots to stroke on Megan!’ day, wasn’t it? It must’ve been, given all that he was doing and regaining composure she tilted her head back to look at him. “I can crash in the stacks?’ she asked. His face was still tilted down and her nose was quite close to him and suddenly everything was so close and she was hearing his heart and it was all very weird and new and she wasn’t quite sure how to react.

That she was shivering under his touch again hit him harder this time, ratcheting up his heart rate. For the briefest of moments he realized how easy it would be to lift her up, draw her in for more, something, something he’d sworn he wouldn’t do with her. But it was there and it was completely tempting, just to feel that warmth of another person again. “You’d want to sleep in the stacks instead of in your bed?” he managed, tone in his voice changing ever so slightly.

Megan sensed the changes in him, heard his heart rate notch up and she carefully extracted herself from him and this time put a proper amount of space between the two of them. This was turning into completely new territory for her and on one hand she was curious to push further but the other hand was nervous and unsure and that’s the one she was going with at present. “Well, technically it’s yours but I should probably change the sheets. First step to making it all mine,” she said with a little grin as if nothing strange had happened. I was thinking of looking for Star Wars print.”

He didn’t want her to move away. That much struck him completely when she did and it felt like a blast of cold air between them. Letting go of her, he rubbed one hand against the back of his neck, but stayed against the wall. “I guess if there’s anywhere that’s going to reek of me, that’d be the place.” He nodded, tucking his hands in his pockets more to have something to do with them than anything else. “Star Wars…cool.”

Megan shoved her own hands in her back pockets and rocked back on her bare feet, wiggling her green painted toes. She felt like she needed to say something. The space between them seemed enormous given what they’d just been doing and she was already acutely aware of the loss of his hand on her neck, The flush on her skin was abating though and for that she was grateful. “I’m not mad,” she said, feeling that it was something that needed to be said.

Dorian shrugged as best he could with his hands tucked away and nodded. “I’m not either. I mean, nothing to be upset about.” It was nice. He’d liked it and that was what mattered. Swallowing he looked around the room before looking back at her. “Do you need anything else or are you good for now? I can come back if you need anything else, but I don’t want to be in the way as you get settled, getting my smell on everything.”

That got a crinkled nose and a trace of a giggle out of her and she shook her head. “I think it’s, um, too late for that,” she said. “I don’t mind.” And after she said it, it felt like there were more to those words than just about moving things. That it encompassed more than that. Everything felt heavy all of a sudden and she breathed slowly. “I might call you in the middle of the night if I think someone’s trying to break in though. I hope you don’t mind.” The tease didn’t come out exactly how she intended but she still messed up in the delivery sometimes.

“Yeah probably so,” Dorian agreed with a smile, but he felt that same weight that came with the words, that it was something more than just the light tease, that it was the lingering traces of himself that she didn’t mind. Without thinking about it he closed the space between them again, hand finding that spot on the back of her neck, pulling her towards him so he could press the lightest of kisses against her forehead. “You know I don’t mind. Call whenever.” He broke away from her then, smiling a little and starting towards the door. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

This was exactly the sort of thing that those words had meant and her breath caught in her throat as he pulled her closer like that. It was just something completely un-Dorian like that Megan wasn’t sure how to react to it and she didn’t move when he pulled away, just tracked him across the room as he moved away from her. The wolf inside her was curious, unsure but mostly curious and she nodded in confirmation. She didn’t trust herself not to say something stupid. Like if she spoke, something would break and then she wouldn’t know what to do then. It was new. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it.