One With The Pack [Werewolf, Literate, Yaoi.]

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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Ƀ϶ŧa ŧơ Ѣ϶
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ღ

Desmond had long since made it to his room and removed the offending smelling clothing he’d been wearing. He wrapped a towel around his waist and gathered clean clothing to wear after his shower was over. He didn’t leave his room right away though. Not only did he want to avoid the commotion he’d played a part in causing, but he had to wait for Lex to finish his shower first.

The thud coming from the Alpha’s room was all the invitation he needed to take over one of the bathrooms. His bare feet padded softly on the floor as he traversed the hall. His clothes are tossed haphazardly in a pile on the counter and he slides into the shower, leaving his towel on the floor on his way.

Steam rises and fills the room as scalding water cascades down his skin, rinsing away some of the grime and lingering odours of the human world from his skin. Like Lex he dislikes the scent of human products, but it’s better than the alternative. He lets out a contented sigh, hot water massaging his tired muscles as he washes away the rest of the human stink, and much of his own scent.

Once the water shut off he instinctually shook himself, praying the shower walls with more water. Stepping out onto the cool tile of the floor he reached for his towel. Poor Ato was going to have another mess to mop up as water dripped onto the floor where he’d once again forgotten to place the bathmat.

Dressed in cotton slacks and a button-up cotton shirt that had been left open Desmond exited the bathroom, leaving behind his towel tossed somewhere on the floor. The smell of food and wine drew him to the kitchen, stomach once again reminding him just how hungry he was.

[Koozle]

"I don't need boxes wrapped in string,
Designer love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days."

- Keahi Jones -

He stared at the rows of expectant faces, and they stared back at him.

The stand-off was a little awkward. In a stark white room with dirty and slightly wet carpeting under foot, the only sounds were breathing, a few coughs, and the self-conscious creaking of chairs designed to be comfortable and failing horribly at their jobs. The room felt a little stale and forlorn without any windows to let in the light. Without any windows to gauge the time, he was fairly certain he could get trapped in an endless cycle of seconds slipping by without realizing it. There was only a single clock on the wall to his left, breaking up the monotony of white walls and streaky chalkboard with his name written on it quite nicely. It ticked serenely away, smugly secure that he needed its services. He did not trust the clock. It could have very well been lying to him. It was the sort of round, bland, industrial timepiece that would do that.

Who did that, anyway? His hand clenched on a lump of tawny cloth draped over the box set on top of the teacher's desk. It was winter, right? Sunshine was in short supply during the winter. It was like the architect had wanted to create a clog in the university's energy flow specifically to torment him. If there were just a window, the lecture room's atmosphere would be greatly improved. Actually, now that he thought about it... the lighting in the room was pretty atrocious, too. It washed out the people waiting impatiently for him to start until they looked like waxen corpses. That had to be a bad omen for future doctors.

Maybe he would lodge a formal complaint. The atmosphere from the other side of the chairs was just too foreboding. He would be happy to fix it for them, of course. The hand not on top of the box played restlessly with a small rubber toy. It was the sort of thing people bought for very young children, very stretchy and green and frog-like. He pulled it between his fingers as thoughts ran through his head, swirling around and connecting to create an intricate web of thought.

An abrupt and prompting cough brought him out of his reverie. Keahi blinked and suddenly the room reassembled in front of him, complete with politely impatient students. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a dazzling smile before he had the chance to think about it. He waved to them with the hand holding the rubber frog.

"Alright, so. Uh, as you can see, I'm Keahi Jones, and this is Alternative Medicine. So, since this is a new course for a lot of you, I guess we'll do a little look-see about the program and what you can expect."

He set the frog down and wandered away from the desk to stand in the centre of the room. His motions were smooth and easy to give the illusion he was at ease with his surroundings. It was hard to focus when his sharp ears picked up on every whisper and creak. His mind kept wanting to derail every time he heard a chair creak or a 'Oh, he's pretty cute' or 'Isn't he a bit young to be a professor?' to start a friendly rapport.

He restrained himself, but only barely. To keep himself focused, he shifted his weight from one leg to the next and stretched. Yoga was good, and even not being able to go through a set did not mean he could not enjoy the calming effects of a little exertion.

"So. So. Alright. Alternative medicine... In your professional careers, chances are good you're going to run into patients who aren't, like, really keen on some of the more modern therapies, or for whom modern medicine hasn't really done its job. In this case, it helps you as a doctor to have at least some idea about what else there is out there for them. I'm pretty experienced in this sort of thing, and though you really can't get everything in just one semester for a few hours a week, I'm gonna try and share some of what I know with you," he said, then paused. There was something else, something he was supposed to remember... Oh, right!

"As you've probably noticed, I'm not really a typical professor, so you don't have to call me 'Professor' or anything. I don't really, y'know, jive with the whole 'title and class' thing, so I'd appreciate no 'Mister' or 'Sir's, either. Just Keahi - that's key-ah-he, you know, like the fish? - is fine."

Some of the students were already tittering, though without his nose to differentiate between states, he could not tell if they were excited or having some fun at his expense. Another second of thought reminded him he did not actually care if he was the butt of the joke. He grinned lazily at the class again. He really wanted to move; stretching just wasn't cutting it any more. So Keahi began an ambling walk back to the desk. He stopped beside it rather than behind it. His fingers drummed quietly on the side of the box as he ran through his list of information that needed to be given. He had actually written notes about it, for once. Normally, he was terribly bad about writing anything down unless it was in a dream journal or something equally important. As a result, he'd been very proud of himself for taking the time to write lecture notes, and especially so for making them neat. Then, of course, he had left them on the table in the living room in his haste to get out the door and enjoy the winter sun and the soft snow. Someone bored at home could read a beautiful reflection of the purpose of alternative medicines, but he could not. He had only his botany notebook, which he'd grabbed instead of what he needed.

It was interesting to know his tomatoes were being fed a diet of specially-blended fertilizer and how many hours of sunlight they were getting, but not necessarily useful. He put the frog down on the desk, next to the box.

"We were supposed to start the semester off with acupuncture and its theories, but like, everyone just got back from winter break, right? You don't want to deal with needles the first week back, and I didn't really feel like playing with them. So I brought something else: we're going to discuss alternatives to medicine. Any guesses for the first alternative?"

Keahi pulled the cover off of the box while the students pondered over this unlikely change of events.While they were still stumped, he pulled something from the box very carefully and cradled it sitting up against his chest. It stared at the class, and the class... squealed, a rippling wave of unconscious reaction that made Keahi flinch backwards so he could lean with his hip against the desk. If he needed to hide from the next wave of sound, it seemed an excellent little den.

"Ohh-hooo, awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeee........."

Supported by the man's large hands under its feet and against its belly, a monstrous cotton ball with ears wiggled its pink nose in curiosity. Its mouth worked continually as it surveyed the room at large. It was clearly some sort of rabbit; however, its soft fur had grown to such wildly disproportionate length and fluffy volume that it appeared to have no definite shape at all under the mass. Only a rounded, T-shaped indent marked where its face was. The rest was simply amorphous fuzz.

"Meet Swiffer the therapy bunny, everyone," he said, moving his hand so the rabbit's barely visible paw appeared to wave to the assembled students. "He's an Angora rabbit, and he's one of the animals I work with in the hospital's wards. A lot of doctors make the mistake of thinking once they're done treating the patient, their jobs are finished. But like, recovery - especially, you know, long recovery - is a part of the process, too. You know how high the depression numbers can get for patients feeling lonely and uncertain after a surgery? Hospitals are scary places to be, man. They're unfamiliar, they smell weird, and you've always got people poking and prodding at you, yeah? They're total sinks for negative energy. I mean... hm." He paused, considering exactly what he meant.

"Hospitals are like the puberty of energy flow. They attract all that bad, oily stuff that cause pimples. So for a lot of patients, having a therapy animal come to visit is just the thing to cheer 'em up. Swiffer here comes from a local volunteer group called the Cuddle Club, and he works with kids in recovery. How animal therapy works is by reducing post-treatment stress. You might've heard that just petting an animal for a few minutes helps lower blood pressure, but what you might not know is that..."

As he warmed up to his topic, Keahi steadily relaxed. The rabbit in his hands had completely shattered the ice, as he had expected it to. Students who had been snickering at the start of the lecture smartened up and paid attention as he described the theory behind the practice and its use. A few even ventured to ask questions, apparently deciding a lecturer who spoke like he was fresh off the sand of California and hefting a fluffy critter was not very intimidating.

In the back of his head, the man could not help smiling to himself. Animal therapy really did work. At the start of the class, the atmosphere had been tense and uninviting. The presence of Swiffer had changed that dynamic. Though the flow of energy was still not ideal, it was vastly improved by students enjoying the quirky lecture. He did not expect them to take it seriously - even his own family did not take him seriously, so he could not hope strangers would - but he wanted them to have fun. This stuff was fun. It was interesting, to learn about a subject you had never considered. He was greatly surprised to find, when he looked over at the clock, it was time to dismiss the class.

"Uh, looks like we'll need to stop here, guys. I'll let you go. Anyone who has any questions, or wants to introduce yourself, come on down. I have a few minutes before I need to pack up and head out."

Predictability is a Weakness.

"I need someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And that's faith, and trust, and peace while we're alive."

[XSynfulMeX]

SORIN

An obnoxious ringing sound made its way through the house and reached the ears of the raven-haired male who stood in a small room that was filled with, what some would consider, an eerie red light. Glancing up from his task at the familiar sound he dipped the pair of tongs that were held in his right hand into the basin of chemicals and drew out a photograph. Once the extra chemical dripped back into the pan he hung the picture up on what looked to be a miniature clothes hanger. The maze of string above his head stretched from one side of the room to the other and held a variety of different pictures. Some of them were work related while others were for his own personal collection. Making sure the picture was hung securely so it wouldn't fall to the floor he walked to the door and flicked a switch that effectively turned off the red light. Opening the door to the room just enough to allow him to slip out and making his way down the hallway he soon found himself in his living room.

The loud ring sounded a second time and had him letting out a shout to indicate he was coming. Reaching the front door he turned the top lock, and after a click sounded, grasped hold of the metal handle. Tugging the wooden door open his dark blue eyes came to rest on a familiar face. "Hey Sorin, were you in the bat cave?" Grinning at the young delivery boy that stood on his door step with a small amount of snow melting in his hair he crossed his arms and allowed himself to casually lean against the door frame. "It's called a dark room smart a**, and yea I was. Thanks for interrupting me by the way." Sorin normally hated to be disturbed when he was in the middle of developing pictures, but the smell that assaulted his nose made this interruption well worth it. As if reading his mind the boy smiled and held up a bag which Sorin happily reached out and took. "I come barring gifts." Letting out a snort Sorin reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Gifts are usually free, your sending me spiraling into debt. Sorry for making you come out in this weather." The cold air drifting in through his open door was enough to make him shiver slightly. Handing the boy a twenty dollar bill he returned his wallet to his back pocket. "Here, keep the change as my sincere apology." Shrugging his shoulders the younger male sent him a smile. "The roads aren't to bad, and if I go swerving into a guard rail the knowledge that you got your weekly fix will make my sacrifice worth it." Watching as the boy took the offered cash with a cheery "Thanks" and started down the walkway and toward his car with a final wave,Sorin closed his door and made his way to his couch. Plopping himself down onto his couch he opened his treasured parcel and sighed in sheer pleasure. 'Food, just what I needed.' Setting the assortment of Chinese food out onto his coffee table he glanced around for his remote control and flicked on the television. Searching through the channels and finding some kind of movie that managed to grab his interest he stood from his seat and made his way to the kitchen. Returning shortly after with the required utensils and a can of soda he made himself comfortable and began eating.

The house he lived in was relatively small but big enough to suit his needs. He had first thought about renting an apartment, but immediately nixed that idea. He hated feeling confined and a boxy apartment would have been sheer torture, not to mention he liked having a yard. Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall he was surprised to see how late it had gotten. Once he got involved in one of his little projects it seemed he lost all sense of reality and what was going on around him. 'Thank God I don't have any shoots tomorrow.' The idea of being awoken from his sleep to go out into the cold early in the morning was not a pleasant one.

[Karime Blackwing]

VINCENTBARRIS

Alternative Medicine. He was glad that the University thought of it, because Vincent Barris certainly had not. And, really, why would he? His goal involved him working in a laboratory, studying genetics and diseases. Not working in a hospital, with actual patients and actual families depending on him actually doing things. Vincent (or 'Vinny' as his friends were wont to call him) was much better with theories than actions. He wanted to figure genetic defects out. It was a lot like solving a puzzle, actually. But when you finally completed it, humanity benefited from it. It was his dream job. What could be better? Still, he supposed that it was best to keep an open mind. What if he couldn't get a job as a geneticist? His fallback plan would be a career as a normal hospital doctor, and what then? What excuse would he have to give to a grieving family who'd lost their child when he failed? 'Oh, I'm sorry. You see, I really only studied to be a geneticist. This entire Doctor thing was just my fall back.' ...No. That just wouldn't work. So, on top of all his chemistry and genetics studies, he piled on everything that he needed to know to become a safe, reliable, legal doctor. So, basically, he was going to be in school until he was at least twenty-five. And among the classes that he was required to take was... Alternative Medicine. A branch whose significance had entirely slipped Vincent's mind.

Vincent had entered the classroom among those last to arrive. Not necessarily because he had anything in particular holding him behind, but he always had a certain apprehension for being among the first to arrive. Being practically alone with the professors made him feel on the spot, and very nervous. Particularly before he got to know them through their lecturing and teaching styles. Unfortunately, that usually put him in a seat right up in the front of the class, since all the back rows tended to fill up first. Alternative Medicine was no different, it seemed.

Vinny trotted in along with a few other lagging students and reluctantly took his place at the head of the class. Just to be prepared, he fished a notebook and pen out of his messenger bag to have at the ready, placing them flat on his desk. But when he looked up at their professor, something... struck him. For the life of him, he didn't know what it was, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the young man at the board. It wasn't an instant attraction, per se (not that the man was lacking by means of looks) but an odd.... pulling. Something about the faint smell about him, the way he stood and carried himself was strange. But in an alluring way. Why was that? He seemed both completely alien and oddly familiar, although Vincent was sure that he'd never seen him before. Throughout the entire awkward silence that seemed to grip the rest of the class, Vincent just stared, awestruck, trying to solve the puzzle in his head. Was it his clothes? His hair? His eyes? Something? Anything!! What was that weird sensation in his gut? He just couldn't tell. A friend of his, by the nickname of 'Ace' leaned over and quietly whispered, "Bit old to be teaching at a university level, don'cha think?" And was quite puzzled when he received no response. It bugged him so much, in fact, that he spent the remainder of the class session trying to get his friends attention... subtly.

But Vincent was transfixed. He gave the illusion that he was focused completely on what Professor... what did he call himself? Keahi? Right..... was saying. Therapy animals, cute fluffy bunnies, kids, right..... but that wasn't what was concerning him. For once, the pad that he kept for taking notes on lectures remained completely blank, his pen untouched. In fact, Vinny pretty much zoned out of the entire class session. Ace even hit him in the head with a papaer ball and he didn't flinch. Sure pissed Ace off, tho. Only the sudden rise of the student body and the dull roar of twenty spontaneous conversations that signaled the classes end snapped him out of his daze.
"Hu? What? Where's everyone going? Ace, are we not having class today?" His befuddled friend, of course, was quite put off by that point, and merely siad,
"What the hell is wrong with you today, man?" And promptly strode off, apparently in quite a huff. Vincent merely raised an eyebrow after his friend before shaking his head and standing up, collecting his things and stowing them away in his bag. But as soon as he left his seat, his feet refused to take him anywhere without dragging him straight to Professor Keahi first. He was in front of the man before he'd even thought of what to say. And that was awkward.
"Oh, uh.... Professor, I was just uhm..." Oh yes, he'd entirely zoned out of the whole 'don't call me professor or anything' bit. This whole episode was entirely unlike him. "Wondering..... have I.... do I, uhm...." He fumbled. He was freaking out! What was so wrong with him that he couldn't even talk straight! Even make sense!? "Have we met? You seem awfully familiar." Which was both true and a lie as well. He tried to grin, but wound up just twitching the corner of his mouth a little bit and staring.

[[ooc - ugh, I was finally able to crank this out. Yay pheromone-induced zone outs!]]

[!Skittles.and.FunDip!]

♥ C º т y • ђ ª я я i s º η ♥ x x r e l u c t a n t x x

Coty finished the glass of wine, staring down at it before sighing, giving a coping nod toward it. "Ah well...it'll be over before I know it."

He stepped quietly from his room, and his eyes searched the room. The first thing that crossed his mind was to find Ato. He walked himself into the kitchen, placed down the glass, and immediately exited. He felt his mouth water from the smell of the delicious food, and closed his eyes, trying not to think about the food too much. He let his senses finally lead him to Ato at the main room of the house, just after the entryway, and he approached slowly so as not to scare him.

"Hey Ato..." He got close enough to him, and raised the back of his palm to stroke down Ato's cheek. "You got my dibs tonight." He pointed his finger immediately, voice stern. "I want you to enjoy it, okay?" He knew Ato well enough to know he'd hurry up and take a small portion. Dropping the finger, he nodded assuringly, "Eat as much as you want, and as slow as you want."

He didn't think that because he was gamma that meant s**t. It didn't. Between himself, Desmond, and Keahi...Desmond was most dominant and, according to Coty, was a '******** snitch'. The way Coty saw it, things were constantly a bitchfight with Desmond. He'd gladly take a lower position to not have to deal with his s**t, but in the same breath, Coty shoved aside the things he did to associate with humans to make Desmond distrust him. And then there was Keahi. Who, despite him being smitten like the rest were with either Liam, Lex, or both for Alpha position whether they admitted it or not, he found himself getting closer to Keahi every day. He loved the things he practiced, he loved his fumbling attempts at helping, he loved his methods and mindframe, and he loved Keahi's experience. He loved his knowledge. He'd already taken Bree to one of his lectures. She'd commented on what a 'hottie' he was, only to have him bite his lip down with a blush and nod. Only because Coty had seniority in the pack, had sass in him on a constant basis, and the fact that Keahi just didn't care that much to snap at a seventeen year old was why he was above Keahi in the gamma ranks. He often thought about he and Keahi's age gap.........

Alas. He couldn't let thoughts of Keahi go too far...He'd never mated before "it" happened...and by the time "it" was overwith, the only one left to mate with was Ato...The thought made him laugh. There was someone special out there made with hips to mount Ato, Coty was sure of it, but that someone special wasn't him. He wasn't against being with Ato, but nothing'd ever been said, and he'd always seen Ato as the type that should be swept off his feet. He was so cute, he deserved it. So it was practically an invisible train of thought. It was an invisible screen door that separated the two and would stay there until one of them made a move.

Therefore, that led Coty to be second to lowest Gamma on the chain. He'd never been high enough to have a different opinion, but he was sure he'd treat Ato the same.

"And," He stared at Ato, smirking, "Don't nod your head and eat fast anyway, or I'll be mad. And don't take a smaller portion either."

That finger arose, pointing once more toward Ato.

"Got it?"

x x B i T c H • B oY x x • g a m m a •

[Rufus_Shin-Ra]

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ᾳ x ώσℓʄ x σʄ x ʈώσ x ώσяℓɗș

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Feeling the force of the impact somewhat helped to ease some of Lex's anger, but that damn smug look on Liam's face did not. It only incensed him. Not towards anger, though, but towards arousal. Liam, that b*****d, usually had that sort of affect on him, since it was much easier to get Lex in a mating mood when he was angry to start with. He didn't really want to give the other male the satisfaction of such a coupling (dinner may have been a large factor in this), so he put a lazy smile on his face, relaxing the sharp-clawed grip that was pinning the larger male's shoulders to the floor.

Still in only a towel, Lexington was straddling Liam's hips, and he deliberately shifted his weight down and rocked his own hips forward once, before leaning over and burying his muzzle against the alpha's chest. He then trailed his face upward, taking in a deep breath full of Liam's scent, pressing his nose against that alluring neck.

And then, without any warning whatsoever, he placed a sharp bite to the top of Liam's shoulder, making sure that there would be a visible mark, his fangs actually piercing shallowly into the smooth flesh.

Just as quickly as he'd made the punishing gesture, he hopped off his mate, grinning devilishly. His tail had begun wagging once again, his body loose and relaxed, lips pulled into an easy smile as his tongue peeked out to slowly drag itself over the small spot of blood on Lexington's lower lip.

"Yeah, you're right. I feel better already," he replied cheekily, tail curling up into a playful position as he spun on his heel and trotted out of the room, knowing Liam would follow.

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ღ ι'ℓℓ εᾳʈ ɤσʋя ʜεᾳяʈ σʋʈ ღ

[Koozle]

"I don't need boxes wrapped in string,
Designer love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days."

- Keahi Jones -

He was facing the desk when Vincent approached, putting Swiffer back into the travel cage. As fun as it might have been to drive with a rabbit perched in his lap, he could not help but think it was probably illegal. The last thing he really needed was to get dragged down to the police station over some silly misunderstanding again. Matt always got disproportionately annoyed when little things like that happened. Maybe he should look into calcium supplements for the beta, or a plant... Plants were good for absorbing negative energy.

He frowned at the thought. No, maybe not a plant. A fountain. Fountains had lots of feminine energy that would help balance out Matt. Like an inanimate Adeline! He was pondering the benefits of still or moving water when his ears warned him of a body approaching behind him. A last snap of his wrists covered the rabbit's travel cage, and he turned in a wave of sweet-smoky incense scent to see which brave soul had crossed the threshold between lecturers and lecturees.

He was met with a student who looked as uncomfortable and out of sorts as a person could. The young man had a very reserved look about him. Under some circumstances, he probably seemed antisocial and awkward. Even in this situation, he was fighting with his tongue to get what he wanted to say out in the open. The poor kid was so incredibly nervous, he looked ready to collapse in on himself and disappear at the drop of a hat. It practically oozed off of Vincent in thick waves, collecting in knots where the other male twisted his hands together or shifted on his feet. It traveled in little spurts wherever he cut his eyes to the side in order to break up the fact that he was staring, and snarled up on itself impossibly with every awkward swallow. It made Keahi instantly feel quite friendly toward him. His posture relaxed and opened before he even realized he was doing it. A little smile curled the corners of his lips. If he'd been in his wolf form, his tail would have been wagging. In fact, he almost gave in to the urge to shift so he could indulge that reflex.

Just in time, he caught himself and prevented what would have been a horrible choice. As satisfying as it doubtlessly would be, he knew the rules. Humans usually did not deal well with one of their own suddenly sprouting fur and turning into a canine. He settled instead for waving his hand in a close approximation of a delighted wag. In this case, he was brushing off the use of the title professor.

"Keahi's fine, man. I'm just a guest lecturer for this semester, so no need to, like, stand on ceremony," he assured Vincent with a little laugh. "What can I help you with, dude?"

'Have we met? You seem awfully familiar.'

For a brief second, Keahi was confused by this comment. Automatically, he started going through his mental Rolodex of faces. He'd always had a remarkable memory for faces, relying on keeping track of someone's physical characteristics to cover for the fact he could never detect their particular scent profile. In a short amount of time, he matched the face to a mental picture: this was someone who lived near the house on Cominko. He had seen Vincent wandering the neighbourhood from time to time while he was working on his garden.

It just went to show, everything was connected somehow. He was always trying to explain this to the pack, but the majority of them did not share his perception of an inexplicable but intended design in the world. Only Coty bothered to listen to his theories for any extended amount of time, and even then, he usually got so excited that he started describing four or five different theories at once and made a mess of it. So... maybe he was part of the problem where that was concerned. But he was certain it did not make his observations any less valid! He knew what he meant; he just had trouble getting it out. Besides, experience was the best teacher. If someone had never seen the colour red, any description of 'red' he tried to give would inevitably fall short of the sheer impact actually seeing the hue would cause. He had tried to explain that, as well, but it usually resulted in rolled eyes and an abrupt end to the conversation.

He would have reflected on that reality for a while, perhaps even try to root out the cause, but he had more pressing business standing right in front of him.

He was not very good at deceit. He never had been. It took too much effort to maintain a lie and so, for better or worse, Keahi was typically very honest. His little smile turned into a broad one, accompanied by a two-note laugh of triumph.

"Ha-ha! Hey, yeah, you're right! You live in my neighbourhood. That must be it."

He picked up his botany book and the rabbit's cage, carefully shifting his weight so the poor creature would not suddenly slip and endure a heart-stopping drop to the floor. Though the burden was awkward, he handled it easily by cradling it against his hip. His arms were easily long enough to reach around the width of the cage. When he turned his attention back to Vincent, his expression was warm and friendly. He could not help it. When someone looked as uncomfortable and out of their element as the young man did, he wanted to be nice to them. There was a very small part of him that wanted to go on the attack, but he had ignored and stamped it down so often for so long it was only the barest whisper, and easily overwhelmed. He let it be overwhelmed and did not miss it.

"Since we're both headed that way, want to catch the bus with me? It'll save me waiting all by myself."

Predictability is a Weakness.

"I need someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And that's faith, and trust, and peace while we're alive."

[oPull_the_Trigger0]

If he were anyone else, Lexington would have probably been heavy. Though, not light, it didn't bother Liam in the least when his mates body weight was pressing down against him.

But..who would really?

". . . Uh huh. I know that grin. . '' ********. He had seen this smile one too many times. It could mean two things. Either, 'I'm about to rock your world' or 'You're gonna get it'. In this situation, it could go both ways. His own black ears, with those red highlights throughout, perked straight up, flicking now and then at the playfulness of their actions.

Once Lex leaned down to nuzzle him, however, he let his ears press back some, head tilting to the side in the rare show of submission towards his Beta. Hell..if he could purr, he'd be doing it now.

A rumble was heard in his own chest, growling low in content when Lex thrust against him, goosebumps going over his arms. He was about to sweet talk his mate, about to return the affection..

Until the little p***k bit him! Yellow eyes widened and the growl became more angry than content when the pain went through his arm and shoulder. Lucky for Liam for jumping off of him because he was about to sling him off himself. "Hssssh!'' Hissing in pain, he shot daggers to his Sub, only to be met with that tail wagging and that damned grin again.

''You..are not getting away with that..'' Craning his neck, black ears flattened at the bite as he wiped a few more dots of blood that was surfacing. Lex's word caught him, snapping his head back to look at the Sub-Alpha. Of course Lex would only go out in a towel. Snarling mostly to himself, he took off after him, following him as predicted.

[Rufus_Shin-Ra]

_________________

ᾳ x ώσℓʄ x σʄ x ʈώσ x ώσяℓɗș

_________________

Now that he was clean and he'd had his revenge, Lexington felt much better than he had when he'd come home tired and reeking. Plus, he'd even managed to rub himself against Liam just a little bit, which, whether done as a distraction or not, was always a promise of fun to come later in the evening. Probably very rough fun, if Liam's trailing threat was anything to go by.

This only made the sub-alpha grin all the wider, careful to keep himself well ahead of Liam so that the man couldn't do anything untoward to him in the hallway, and he practically bounded down the stairs, his sensitive nose leading him towards dinner. The lasagna smelled absolutely delicious, which was to be expected. The alphas (or maybe it was just Lex) did not tolerate horrible cooking very well, since a good meal was important to maintaining strength and health. And sex life. Lexington preferred his meals to have plenty of protein content, and absolutely refused to eat salads and other vegetarian dishes. As far as he was concerned, those things were not food: they were decorations to make the table look more full of sustenance than it really was. They were also in no way suitable to nourish the developing bodies of the younger males.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lex passed the rest of the pack, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the thin towel tucked loose and low around his waist was the only thing preventing the rest of the house from seeing something they didn't need to, and his wagging tail (which had slowed to a lazy sway, thankfully) was making the situation particularly precarious. He didn't even have the towel on his head anymore, as that had flown off when he'd pounced on Liam, so if anything went wrong and a strong wind from a passing body caught the towel in just the right way, the alpha would be flashing everyone.

Of course, this was hardly his concern, and Lex stood tall and proud, head held high and ears perked forward as he rounded the corner into the kitchen, making a straight line for the plates. He'd gotten here first, so he'd serve himself before Liam. And serve himself, he did, taking a huge scoop of lasagna from the pan and heaping it onto his plate, drooling at the sight of the steam rolling out from the freshly-separated layers of noodles and sauce.

Oh man. This looked so tasty.

_________________

ღ ι'ℓℓ εᾳʈ ɤσʋя ʜεᾳяʈ σʋʈ ღ

[oPull_the_Trigger0]

Liam always made good with his threats. Tonight would be no exception.

Once reaching upon the last three steps, he took a small jump, knees bending just a bit to take his weight with the impact as feet hit the floor. He was in good spirits. Better than before. Granted, his mood was bad before, just with Coty's punishment and the tense air between his mate and Matthew, he could be in better ones.

That's where the food helped though. The smell was all over. His nose could pick up the faintest of herbs and the strongest of the meats. It literally made his mouth water. Swallowing down, those gold eyes followed Lex's movements, letting his sub go ahead of him. For once.

Usually, and a lot more commonly, he ate or was served first. Several times when lex tried to go ahead, he snarled at his own mate, teeth near his neck and making him step back till he got the first serving. Or snatching the plate Lex had made for himself. And sometimes, on his rare mood where he just hated everything, no one could even be in the kitchen with him when he prepared his meal. Those times usually happened when Liam needed his weekend in the woods. The next day, he would tell the others to request off work. A romp in the woods was well needed.

He had to stretch his legs. His real legs. Honestly, Liam preferred his wolf form. He preferred his body amongst trees and dirt and other animals when he slept. Preferred to run and howl with his pack mates. They did all have that at one time. However..

Shaking his head of the thoughts, black hair falling into his face, he grabbed a plate and served himself after Lex, watching as the cheese literally dripped over the spatula. "Adeline..this looks great.''

Fork in hand, he cut a bite off while walking to the head of the table. They didn't always eat at the table together. With everyone with different jobs and schools. It was more of a place to just sit to eat. Some went to the living room. Some to their rooms. Whatever.

Popping that piece into his mouth, he closed his eyes as his hunger was finally being silenced, left ear twitching in satisfaction.

[OwenewO]

Riley Jude sat on the curb along the back of the Rendez-vous wearing a baby doll tank top, daisy dukes that cradled his bulge tighter than a jockstrap, and nylons that fed a pair of knockoff Christian Louboutin boots as he inhaled deeply on the remains of a joint. He sucked between his lips, letting the smoke curb down into his lungs. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting the smoke dry against his tongue and throat. He handed the joint to the person that sat beside him, his friend and fellow go-go boy Avery Thimble.

"So let me get this straight," Avery said as he took the joint, and lifted it in front of his own two lips.

He wasn't dressed in drag.

His backstage clothes as he called them was a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a wifebeater, underneath a long overcoat. He didn't enjoy solicitations for sex outside of work as much as Riley did.

Riley let his smooth lips curl into an odd sort of smile that showed he was definitely buzzed. "You couldn't get anything straight if you tried, Avery."

Avery smacked his shoulder and gave a laugh, retreating the small bud away from his lips. "You ********...!" All the smoke escaped from his mouth, defeating most of the purpose. The brunette Avery smeared the roach against the curb beside his foot, and looked up toward two men holding hands as they shoved out from the back door of the club, and stumbled onto the smoking porch to make out.

"A queen thought you had something against her?" Avery stared at Riley, his head tilted, hands rising to his knees to rub against them.

"She called me a discriminating p***k...Said I give us tops a 'bad name' with my..." four fingertips pulled up to the sides of his chin to exaggerate quotation marks, curling at syllables, "...bad attitude."

"You? A bad attitude? Never, Riley Jude..." Avery looked him over. "So you decided to give her a big, "******** you," by dressing in bad drag and getting onstage to 'Bad Reputation'?"

Riley's lips couldn't help but curve again. He laughed softly, knuckle pressing against his nostrils. Avery raised his eyebrows and blew a sigh of what seemed to be exhaustion.

"She was being a b***h, Avery...She was angry because I wouldn't sleep with her. I told her I'm not into men that like to pose as ugly women."

Avery's eyes widened. "You called her an ugly woman?!"

"She decided to bring it back to me on the floor. So...I got onstage. Made an ugly woman out of myself...then got done and asked her if she would sleep with me."

"And that's when I came in and saw her smack you."

"Right. Because I asked her how it felt to have it happen to her."

Avery shook his head as he pulled out his flip phone. "...Oh, s**t." He pressed buttons on the phone, his expression tense.

"The wife calling?" Riley asked. Avery shoved his side with a smirk. "He's not my wife."

"But you're going to leave me," Riley said. "They all do."

Avery rolled his eyes and used Riley's shoulder as leverage to help him stand up on the gravel. "Hmm, I wonder why? Maybe it's because you never give anyone the benifit of the doubt. You shove everyone off."

"I haven't shoved you off yet." Riley stared up Avery's way. Avery simply patted Riley's cheek. "I'm going now. Please be careful going home?" Avery zipped up his overcoat and shook his head. "And for God's sake take off those clothes. I'm sure anything but Versace gives your skin a rash."

"Goodbye, Avery." Riley slightly waved, his head dipping down between his knees. His hands brushed through the black strands of hair before he stood up on those knockoffs, feeling for his keys, and his wallet in the back pocket of those daisy dukes. How they managed to fit was another story all together. Hardly managing to keep his balance, he stumbled over to his '09 Ferrari F430, opened up the door, and practically threw himself into his seat. He was just happy to safely return home for a shower, and get out of drag.

"Hey..." A voice called from outside his car.

After rolling his eyes, Riley glanced up to stare at the handsome face that stood in front of the driver door of his car.

"I overheard you were a top. You don't look like one."

Riley looked up the young man and a smirk overtook his mouth. "I'll be more than happy to show you. Get in."

The boy rounded the car and got in the passenger seat.

The engine sounded, and Riley Jude headed to his home at Cominko Boulevard.

[Karime Blackwing]

Ⱥτ๏ Ɍ๏ϻυʟυs
Omega is more like my name than my title.

Ato had stationed himself just outside of the kitchen, tail low and ears pricked, glancing about and tensely awaiting the alphas and betas to come in and take their share of the food. The idea of not eating last was exotic and exciting to Ato. Ato had always been a submissive pushover, even as a pup. He was never necessarily weaker than the others. In fact, he was bigger than most at that age. But, somehow, everyone still managed to beat him around. And Ato never found it in himself to try and fight back. It just wasn't in his nature, and that was how it was meant to be, he supposed. After all, every member of the pack was important. That was one of the only things he remembered about his mother. She always told him that, with her warm honey voice. "A pack couldn't survive with all alphas. Each would go his own way, and without teamwork, they would die. Likewise, you couldn't have a pack of all gammas, leaderless and confused. Even the lowly omega has his place, for without a member who not only possesses the bottom rank, but accepts it, sets an example both in order and nobility, and guilt the gammas into behavior, at the cost of his own pride." She was a wise, strong female. A Beta, actually. His brothers had all been like their parents, big and strong and rough.... but they were all gone now. Ato would never see or hear from any of them, ever again.

The feeling of someone behind him jolted the omega back into reality. He was so startled, in fact, that his reaction was unnecessarily strong. He jumped, spinning around to face the imagined threat, fangs bared and lips curled back, tail straight out and bristling. An oddly fierce snarl ripped through the air from Ato's lips before he realized his mistake; it was Coty. Not some phantom intruder that was trying to eat him. Ato immediately corrected himself, hunching over a little more than usual and flattening his ears, tail tucked firmly between his legs. He cast his eyes to the ground as a flustered blush spread itself firmly across his cheeks. He only felt more embarrassed when Coty gently stroked his cheek. Ato shuddered at the kind touch.
"You got my dibs tonight. I want you to enjoy it, okay? Eat as much as you want, and as slow as you want."

Ato nodded obediently at the younger male. The gamma had somehow read his mind. But at least that settled the debate in his mind.
"And don't nod your head and eat fast anyway, or I'll be mad. And don't take a smaller portion either. Got it?"
Problem was, Ato was used to small portions. He wasn't even sure what classified itself as a large portion! What if he was trying too hard to eat slow, and wound up eating fast anyways? Then he'd get in trouble! Ato's nervous twitch came back, his left ear apparently having a spazz attack. But the Omega kept his eyes on the finger being wagged at him and nodded solemnly. He'd just have to do his best. Ducking his head, he quietly assured Coty that he would do as he was told, then ducked and politely skittered off into the kitchen, there to patiently watch the alphas and betas eat.

[Rufus_Shin-Ra]

_________________

ᾳ x ώσℓʄ x σʄ x ʈώσ x ώσяℓɗș

_________________

Heh. That miniature romp really must have improved Liam's mood, as Lex was able to feed himself first without any issue. Carrying his plate of lasagna in one hand and utensils in the other, he plopped himself down into one of the many chairs at the kitchen table. This one was one of the more comfortable ones -- wooden frame, nicely padded seat and back, arm rests -- which meant that he felt comfortable enough with the integrity of its structure that he could rock it back on its two rear legs. Which he did, promptly.

Lexington was not conventional about most things, and this included eating dinner. He'd left the chair far enough back from the table that when he leaned back, the square lip of the chair came to rest comfortably and securely against the dining room wall, and the sub-alpha was then able to stick his feet (freshly clean, thankfully) on the edge of the table, thus creating something like a reclining chair and accompanying footrest. The plate of lasagna was then settled carefully into his lap, creating a plateau of Italian delight right between his abdomen and his thighs.

Unfortunately, with the way he was sitting, the towel was riding dangerously upward with the elevated slant of his legs, and if anyone dared look under the table, they would certainly get an eyeful. Currently, it was almost completely tucked up against his stomach, leaving the vast majority of the tanned skin of his thighs revealed. Luckily, the plate blocked the view from the top.

Wielding his fork with a great deal of expertise, Lexington dug into a corner of his dinner, curling the straying cheese strands around his fork and popping it into his mouth with a little moan of delight. "I have been, like, craving this all day," he remarked to no one in particular, concentrating on shoveling in another mouthful. "This is ******** delicious."

If Liam had baked this lasagna, he probably would have lept out of his chair right onto his mate and dry humped him into oblivion. Right after he was done eating, that is. However, he had no intention of doing such a thing to Adeline, so the boy was relatively safe.

"Mm. I forgot to ask... What's your shift tomorrow, Liam?"

_________________

ღ ι'ℓℓ εᾳʈ ɤσʋя ʜεᾳяʈ σʋʈ ღ

[Karime Blackwing]

Ϻɐττɦϵѡ • Ӈυɡɦϵs

Matt was less than pleased when Addy walked out and left him standing there in the kitchen. The beta frowned deeply, and wished that he had a case of strawberries to eat. Lasagna didn't sound so great anymore. He scooted out of the kitchen while the alphas were upstairs, and went around to the back door. He exited, opting to stand alone, outside in the snow, rather than sit around and let his pack see that he was unhappy with being ditched.

It was still freezing outside, and Matt knew that he couldn't stay long, lest he succumb to the cold and get himself sick again. Still, he didn't want to be inside. Not while Addy was out. So he rubbed his arms and huffed to keep himself warm, and stared out into the night, pondering small things. One day, he would leave this place and journey north, back to the land that he came from. He would reclaim what was rightfully his, and maybe then the anger in his belly would finally be quelled. The beta sighed, remembering. Those days were a long time past. Before any of this pack knew him, even Adeline. Back then, he'd had a different mate. His name was Neferti, and he was descended from a foreign pack that had migrated and integrated with his own. He'd loved Neferti more than anything. Sadly, it seemed that Neferti never felt quite the same way....

Matt's nose twitched, and from the front of the house he caught a whiff of Addy's scent. He was home. Matt felt a little bit relieved. He moved to the door to go back inside, first glancing in the window to double check. Oh, Addy was home, all right. But he wasn't looking for Matt. Instead he seemed compelled to go off and chase after a thoroughly scolded Coty.

Now, Matt was a very territorial, very possessive male. Additionally, he was almost always in a bad mood. Addy ditching him certainly hadn't helped him there. But when Addy didn't even come looking for him, it just made him madder than ever. Snarling (and secretly aware that he was throwing a tantrum) he pulled away from the window. He stared out into the falling snow for a moment, and then left. He ran awat from the house and from the neighborhood as fast as his two awkward human legs could carry him, until he reached the safety of the trees. Once there, he quickly stripped, hanging his police uniform over a branch and allowed his true form to show through. Remarkable resembling an oversized husky dog, the beta male took off into the woods. He'd come back later, when he wasn't pissed at Addy and the others anymore. He didn't feel like fighting tonight.

His large padded paws struck the packed snow rhythmically as he bounded through the trees, taking in everything. The smells of the forest and of the trees, the feeling of the cold wind blowing through his fur and past his tapered ears, and the sheer speed of his romp. He wasn't tired anymore. He wasn't even hungry. He didn't need anything in the world. He didn't need to be sought after, to be loved, or respected. In those moments of ecstasy, he hoped that his pack didn't miss him.

[Aartsengel_Zerachiel]

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Ƀ϶ŧa ŧơ Ѣ϶
_______________
ღ

Desmond was never going to get used to the way things fluctuated around the house when everyone was together. One minute everyone was content, the next there was a mini war or two followed by angsty drama, and then right after all that they were all happy and forgiving. The mood swings were almost worse than a PMSing woman. He sighed softly and shook his head, reaching for the partially opened wine bottle to pour himself a drink.

As he took a sip of his drink he noticed Coty approach Ato, followed by Ato nearly having a heart-attack. He bit back a chuckle, not wanting to further embarrass either of the boys. Coty’s little speech drew a rare, true smile to Desmond’s lips. The way he treated Ato was admirable, especially after the punishment Liam had given out. Really, the boy was wonderful, if only he could just follow the rules. Sadly he was far to smitten with the human race, and thus he and Coty would never see eye to eye, and as a result would probably never get along.

It was another story entirely when Lex walked, or more accurately jogged, into the kitchen with Liam hot on his tail. He pulled himself back to the counter, and eyebrow arched at the state of dress Lex was sporting. What was even more amazing was the fact that Liam allowed Lex to be served first.

His stomach growled once more, the smell and sight of the fresh lasagna not doing anything to help. Matt was nowhere to be seen, so he could only assume that the Beta was off on another of his runs, which left Addy to be served before he could eat. He wouldn’t wait much longer for the Sub-Beta though, repercussions be damned. His eyes remained firmly glued on the food, almost ignoring Addy who was in the kitchen with him, and inching ever closer to it, mesmerised by the aroma, the steam, and the gooey mass of Italian delight.


________________ ϔơu ƈaἦ яuἦ Ѣuŧ ḭἦ ŧh϶ ϶ἦɗ yơu’ḽḽ ơἦḽy dḭ϶ ŧḭя϶ɗ