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 Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:54 pm
Several days after singing to Jove, Ren found himself taking a walk across the campus towards the ghost dorms. His little brother had been spending a lot of time with his other friends, while Ren had spent it with the others, but now it had been a bit and he was worried again - as usual. Even when he was with Jove, or LW, or Gabrian, or Alessa, there was no stopping the worry or the anxiety that rose each time he saw their faces. He was still not back to his normal self - was not even close to it - and sometimes he felt like he never would be. He could not sleep like he once had, and had long since stopped even trying. Most nights he was up late into the early morning, and then he slept for perhaps two or three hours at most before getting up, restless and upset.
His bare feet padding softly across the dew damp grass (lately he simply could not be bothered putting on shoes), Ren's tail flicked behind him, dragging on the ground. He carried nothing with him - Rhys had tried to follow him, but Ren had sent him back to the room with promises of bringing back carrots for him - and he was not even dressed, clad only in a pair of grey pajama bottoms and a black, short-sleeved teeshirt with white writing scrawled messily across the front. It was becoming more and more of a habit for him to simply roll out of bed and leave in whatever he was wearing; a habit that had Gabrian both exasperated and attempting to get him to wear real clothes.
Once he had reached Jove's room, he did not bother knocking. Instead, Ren quietly pushed open the door and slipped inside, shutting it behind him. As usual, the blue room was dim, the mushrooms Jove kept under his bed glowing mutely. There was a small lump on the bed - a Jove shaped one - and Ren crossed the room towards it. He pulled back the covers, slipped in, and wrapped an arm around Jove's waist, snuggling against the other boil's back.
"Afternoon," he said sleepily, his eyes fluttering a bit.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:14 pm
Jove had been slowly recovering his energy, although most of his time between classes was spent curled up somewhere, staring at the walls, tracing patterns on the ground with his fingers, or just staring up at the ceiling, treetops, clouds, or whatever happened to be above him. Today it was the foremost option, once again his blank gaze focused dully on his bedroom wall. His nimble mind seemed to slow to a crawl if he was not trained on homework or lectures, and he wasn't thinking much of anything when he heard the telltale sounds of Ren padding into his room. No shoes, as was becoming the norm lately.
Jove turned his head to regard his brother with a greeting sort of glance, but showed no signs of wanting to do anything else. He hadn't really wanted to do anything else. Going walking was getting easier, but there was nothing he wanted to see outside. Eating... well, he hadn't done any of that since returning home. Bathing was okay for him to pass up, as he didn't exactly go all smelly and gross like living students who neglected their hygiene, and real sleep was elusive.
So when Ren looked like he was ready to settle in on that tiny bed for a sleeping spell, Jove's head just rolled back to it's earlier position, staring at the wall.
It looked like he had been up earlier in the day before flopping back into bed. Instead of his white nightshirt he wore a plain white t-shirt, with his black pants, and even white socks on his feet. His boots lay next to the bed, one fallen over, spaced just enough to appear Jove had simply walked out of them rather than stopping to pull them off.
Clearly both boils were in need of a change in routine.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:41 pm
The greeting Ren got was only a mere glance over the puppy's shoulder before Jove rolled back over, his eyes hollow as he stared at the wall. Ren lifted his head, peering over at him, his eyebrows drawing together in slight bemusement. One glance a bit further over the side of the bed, and he saw the pair of boots beside it, as if Jove had hardly waited to step out of them before he climbed into bed.
Pressing a quick brotherly kiss to the back of Jove's neck, Ren sat up, brushing his fingers over the puppy's forehead, pushing back some of the hair that had fallen across his eyes.
"Freckles..?" he said softly, pulling his knees towards him to kneel beside the boil. "Freckles, are you all right?"
A dumb question - neither of them were all right, and wouldn't be for a long time. Ren sighed softly, slipping from the bed. He had to do something; that dead look in Jove's eyes was almost eerie, haunting, and it made Ren feel ill at ease.
Walking around to the other side, Jove's side, Ren pulled the blanket back. He slipped his hands underneath the puppy's skinny body and in one swift movement, hoisted him up into his arms, carrying so that Jove was sitting on Ren's forearms, the smaller boil's arms around Ren's neck. Ren's right hand smarted a bit, but he ignored it.
"Let's go," he said, and carried Jove out of his room.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:54 pm
Jove gave a weak nod, still facing the wall. Of course he was all right... Er, considering the circumstances.
His bruises were starting to fade back ever so slightly, the mark on his cheek more easily hidden by his bangs, and the broken flesh along his ribs healing over so he had no longer any worries about bleeding on things. His arm was still painful and hard to use, but his hip seemed healed enough that the limp didn't hurt him any. He would look less bedraggled though once his damaged ear perked up properly, for the time being it was still pretty sad looking.
He watched dumbly as Ren moved around, but his eyes went wide with surprise as he was hoisted up into his friend's arms without a word. He wrapped his good arm around the gryphon's neck, the sore one bereft of sling was safely trapped between his body and Ren's chest.
"Where are we going?" his expression seemed to ask, the surprise and slight curiosity peeking out through the layers of apathy he was cocooned in. Usually Ren wasn't so spontaneous these days, he was also a victim to the events that went on during that trip, worn ragged by memories and lack of sleep.
The change was infectious. Jove's good ear perked up a decent amount, and he sat up a bit straighter in Ren's grasp instead of slumping forward like a sleepy child or sack of ghostly potatoes. He even turned his head to glance at where they were going.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:25 pm
Carrying Jove across the campus got Ren quite a bit of odd looks, all ranging from confusion to curiosity to amusement. Not that Ren really cared; he just kept his grip around the other boil tight, careful not to drop him.
"We're going to my room," he answered Jove, catching the questioning look on the other boil's face. "You need a change of scenery."
Not that Ren didn't - he still ached all over, from his head to his mind to his heart, but right now Jove's happiness was more important than his own. He rubbed his left hand down Jove's back, giving him a halfhearted hug, and made his way towards the monster dorms. Using his foot to kick open the door, Ren pushed his way inside, took the stairs to the second level, and then walked towards the second door on the right, into his room. He did not stop at the bed, however, and went straight on into the bathroom, where he set Jove down on the edge of the wide bathtub. He reached around the boil, turning on the hot water, and poured a generous dollop of soap into it before returning his attentions back to his little brother.
"Bath time," Ren said simply, fingers moving to tug at the hem of Jove's shirt, indicating he should take it off.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 2:44 pm
The pup would have realized where they were going by the time they took the path to the monster dorms, but he didn't anticipate Ren not dropping him on the bed. Usually that's what he was carried around for, snuggles and comfort, like a living, moving security blanket. But if Ren didn't want cuddles in his own bed, where there was more room to spread out, what did he...
Oh. Jove looked down at the water pouring into the tub, already foaming merrily as the water level rose. A bubble bath?
The little ghost frowned, his brows furrowing with concern. He didn't really feel like taking a bath, and he felt even less like taking off his clothing. Not when his bruises still hadn't healed, he didn't want to see that sad, sickly hurting expression on his brother's face when he saw them. No, he would rather just go pretend to sleep.
But it was too hard to refuse his brother. When Ren said it was bath time, it was bath time. And Jove would rather not be thrown over the gryphon's shoulder and hauled back, so after one quick glance towards the door, he began pulling off his clothes... Slowly. Socks first. One at a time...
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:02 pm
It was obvious that Jove wasn't exactly thrilled about the bath, but he wasn't upset over it either. He was looking rather apprehensively towards the door, and Ren craned his neck to look at it; it was still open, so he pushed it shut with his foot. "There," he said gently. "It's closed. No one to look in on you, okay?"
While Jove was slowly (very slowly) pulling off his socks, Ren bent over the bathtub, sticking a hand inside the rapidly rising water to test the warmth. His fear of water still stood, but not in small, enclosed places like a bathtub. For some reason, taking a bath did not bother him; it was only when he was near rivers or pools, large and deep expanses of water, that he began to hyperventilate.
Once the bath was filled entirely to the top, Ren straightened. He raised an index finger to Jove, signaling one second, and disappeared into the main room. He returned a few moments later, shutting the door, wearing shorts this time, and in one smooth movement he had pulled his shirt from his head, tossing it haphazardly to the floor. If Jove had been looking, he would have seen the scars on his brother's back, clearly visible, deeply engraved in jagged cris-crosses across Ren's shoulder blades and down his spine. But Ren pushed himself upright after a moment, shaking water from his hand, and then he stepped into the expansive tub, sinking down into the bubbles and hot water. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the side, exhaling slowly. He did not know if it would make his little brother feel better, taking a bath, but at least it would soothe them both, a little bit.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:52 pm
With his escape route now firmly blocked by Ren's good intentions, Jove had no choice but to finish pulling off his socks and resign himself to a bath. He tossed his socks in a pile next to the tub, and ever so slowly slipped his shirt off. It was definitely getting less painful with time.
He held the shirt clutched self-consciously to his chest for a minute as Ren left the room, and watched the older boil return and slip into the bath ahead of him. Jove did notice the marks, lighter coloured against the copious freckles, and almost didn't think anything of it until he realized unhealing marks weren't normal for living things. That worried him. But Ren didn't seem inclined to mention it, and he had more pressing issues facing him that very moment.
Jove held onto the shirt a bit longer before dropping it to the ground as well, and his little ears drooped nervously as he slipped out of his pants. Ren wouldn't make him take it ALL off, would he? For a minute the pup fidgeted, the blue tinges in his bruises matching the dark colour of his boxer shorts, his tail firmly tucked against the back of his scrawny legs.
He had never actually bathed WITH Ren, despite taking advantage of the spacious bathtub on more than one occasion, so he simply stood there and waited for directions.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:11 pm
Ren opened his eyes after a moment when he realized that Jove wasn't getting in with him. The puppy was still standing beside the tub, holding his shirt against his bare chest, dotted with pale freckles, the purplish blue bruise stark against his light skin. He dropped it after a moment, however, but still didn't move, shifting from one foot to the other and looking supremely anxious.
He's probably nervous, Ren thought with a faint smile. He sat up, and, leaning over the side of the tub (and dripping water all over the tile floor in the process), slid a towel from the rack above the toilet. One flick of his wrist and he had tossed the towel around Jove's hips, tugging the boil towards him, where he tied the towel securely over the puppy's skinny body.
"Don't worry," he said gently. "You don't have to get completely undressed."
Finished with fastening the towel, Ren laid back again, head against the side of the tub. The water was thick with bubbles; he could not even see his own hand beneath the surface. It was warm and deep and it soothed Ren's aching body. He slid an encouraging gaze towards his little brother and then lifted his hand, holding it out to Jove.
"Come on," he said. "It's nice, I promise. It'll make you feel better."
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:21 pm
Now that he was 'clothed' more comfortably, Jove chewed on his lower lip for a second before carefully stepping into the warm water, taking Ren's hand with his good arm for balance. It did feel nice, instantly heating his cold little body as he got both feet wet. He wiggled his toes. There wasn't much that could warm him as quickly as a hot bath, even snuggling with someone else depended on how fast he could absorb their body heat and sometimes his feet never warmed up.
He relaxed slightly, taking back his hand and using his good arm to cradle his injured one more comfortably against his body. His tail gave a slight wag. Yes this was-
The pup's thought was interrupted as one foot slipped out from under him, and he landed right on Ren with a splash that sent water sloshing out of the tub and foamy bubbles floating up into the air.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:39 pm
Ren's fingers gripped Jove's elbow, keeping the other boil steady as he stepped cautiously into the tub. The water lapped gently at his leg, and Ren saw Jove's tail give a small wag. This is good, Ren thought, giving him an encouraging nod. He's relaxing. He's okay. He's -
...falling.
Splash!
Ren got a mouthful of bathwater. Sputtering, he spit out soap, shaking his head and whipping wet hair against his forehead. Water had cascaded over the side of the tub, drenching the small throw rug Ren had put down when he had moved in. And suddenly had a wet, slippery little boil scrambling against his chest. Ren's hands had shot out automatically in an attempt to catch Jove, but seeing as how A.) They were both soaked in seconds, and B.) They were in a bathtub, which made it a bit more difficult to maneuver around in it, he found himself with a younger boil in his lap. It was a good thing that the bathtub was quite large, otherwise the water level would have lowered quite a bit more than it had already.
Ren blinked. He pushed sopping hair away from his face and looked down at Jove. For a second he just stared, slightly confused and quite surprised, but after a moment a laugh - a real laugh - escaped his lips. Small, quiet, barely audible, but a laugh nonetheless.
"Very nice," he said, and hugged Jove from behind, squeezing his little brother tightly. "Classy entrance you had there, Freckles."
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:53 pm
There was a brief moment of panic when Jove realized he no longer had any footing, and then he was wet and freaked out, struggling quite vigourously against Ren like he was afraid he was about to drown. In the bathtub. Even though he could inhale water all he liked and not be affected in the slightest.
But when he finally realized how silly it was, and stilled his efforts to correct the situation, both himself and Ren were soaked.
The look he shot over his shoulder was sheepish, his cheeks glowed, and both ears hung flat along with his normally fluffy hair. At Ren's comment the sheepish look became a slight scowl. He hadn't meant to slip!
He huffed slightly in Ren's arms, and then pulled away from them to hide his embarrassment. It was a bath, not a bed, and he should at least be washing instead of snuggling. The pup leaned forward and splashed water on his head, rubbing his hair and ears forward in a very dog-like fashion. He had forgotten how nice it was to feel so warm all over, almost right up to his shoulders were surrounded in hot water and it was delightful.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:19 pm
Jove had struggled at first, flailing with small, skinny arms and legs. He accidentally caught Ren in the chest once, which didn't particularly hurt, but it did knock the wind out of him for a moment and he winced involuntarily before they both settled down, Jove curled up in Ren's lap. The puppy's cheeks were a glowing teal white, showing his embarrassment, but Ren did not really feel bad. Instead he just hugged Jove tightly, then nipped affectionately at his ear before letting go, the puppy moving to dunk his head underwater.
"See?" Ren said, feeling relaxed. "It's nice."
The water soothed him, despite all of its negative connotations (it was a good thing it was not a river or a lake or a pool or any sort of "outdoor" water), and Ren felt the ache in his chest begin to dissipate just a tiny bit. He reached around, picking up the bottle of shampoo, and, without warning, dunked a generous dollop onto Jove's head.
"Hold still," Ren instructed him carefully. "I don't want this to get into your eyes." Then he set it down and began scrubbing, his fingers working through the kinks in Jove's hair to get out the tangles. He was careful around the puppy's injured ear, gently rubbing around it, and soon Jove's head was white with shampoo. Ren did not know if Jove felt the same about people playing with his hair as he did - one of his greatest weaknesses was just that - but at the very least it felt nice to have your hair scrubbed thoroughly, your head massaged with care.
"Rinse time." Ren strained to reach for the cup sitting on the sink and filled it with bathwater, dumping it over Jove's head.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:35 pm
Jove almost turned around when he felt the shampoo fall on his head, right at that sensitive spot where his hair parted, but he heeded Ren's caution and stared straight forward. Instead he tried to look up slightly, as though he would be able to see what it was that way.
At first he was curious, but then when Ren started to massage the shampoo through his hair, especially right there around his ears... Oh, that felt so good. The pup let out a little noise, something between a relaxed sigh and a pleasured whine. It felt so good that his eyes fell half closed, and he sank down in the water until his jaw touched the bubbles. Even his ears drooped to the side as he leaned back into the rubbing so his one good ear could get more attention. Oh, that ear...
Even with the warning it came as a surprise when the cup of water was dumped over his head. His eyes snapped open and he turned around, the hopeful look in his eyes and slight blush on his face practically saying "Is it repeat time now?"
If he had seen that look for himself, he would have crawled under his bed and not come out for a month, it was that needy.
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:21 pm
Obviously Jove was just as sensitive with his hair and around his ears as Ren was. Perhaps it was an animal thing, but Ren had always had a weakness for it. The only person who knew this was Gabrian, of course. Gabrian who had accidentally stumbled across Ren's dirty little secret - the fact that he purred when his hair was played with or his ears petted - when he had been hitting on him.
Of course, Gabrian had not been serious - in fact the whole thing was a great big practical joke that had been the recipient of many laughs and teasing later on, but the nix had basically sacrificed himself in order to prevent Ren's secret from being found out (thus solidifying their "relationship" in Calder's eyes, apparently). And Ren knew LW had a thing for having her head scratched, so it was only natural that Jove, being a puppy, would feel the same way.
Which he did, if the blush on his face was any indication, that look in his eyes that begged for more. It made Ren pause, his finger stilling on Jove's head, but after a second he leaned down, kissing his little brother's forehead. "You're cute," he said affectionately, ruffling his already wet and messy hair, and then dumped a generous helping of conditioner on Jove's head.
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