[PRP] Bedside Manner (Barth + Calder + Malodore)

[Toshihiko Two]

Professor Malcolm had said he should ask someone to spend the night.

Lilith was the obvious choice. He had err...napped with her before, although never as illicitedly as he would have liked (despite his best attempts) and asking her to spend some nights with him under the guise of needing help with his thorns would provide a good opportunity. Of course, he did actually want to work with the thorns, and if Lilith ended up in the Nurse's office he had a feeling her mood would be less than romantic.

Jericho had stayed with him for two weeks, and owed him a favor. He would feel admittedly less guilty contributing to Jericho's (probably brief) demise, but if the dragon decided to not go down without a fight and set the whole patch of thorns ablaze he didn't want to be the cause of the entire demon dorm being burnt down with it. And while he had...helped...Jericho, it was another matter to trust him with a sensitive issue.

Christof was in many ways the ideal canddiate. He could survive a little disassembling, and Barth could trust him. But while Christof had occasionally stayed over if he was up late with a project, they had never slept together in any sense of the phrase, and Barth did not quite have the courage to ask him about an impromptu slumber party. Deep down he worried Christof would refuse, and while Barth would be well within his rights to Order Christof's cooperation for the sake of the experiment, that was a series of bridges he had no interest in crossing.

The summary was thus: Lilith he would like to sleep with, and could probably trust, but didn't want to injure. Jericho he wouldn't lose sleep over injuring, and owed him a favor, but was dangerous and not, for now, trustworthy. Christof he trusted and wouldn't be injured, but also wouldn't be amenable to sleeping with him.

Claire might be able to help, but if there were any problems her decision-making processes were not the most...adept. West came briefly to mind. Mandy did too, although he worried he'd have to weather a certain amount of mocking. The subject made him feel fragile and self-conscious, and he wasn't in the mood to weather.

There was, however, one other friend who fit most of the very exacting parameters, coming up short only in the area of possibly injury. And Barth worried exceedingly about that category. Still, the person he had in mind slept over occasionally, and could be trusted with discretion and sensitivity. And of his choices, Calder was the only one who had given him his pin, which in some ways was a pledge of faith towards defense, even at personal risk.

So, with Calder's pin still clipped to his collar (where he had carefully removed and reclipped it at every new day and clothing change) Barth called the kelpie and asked if it was alright for him to come over later in the evening, without giving too many details over the phone.

He whittled down the remaining time anxiously, waiting for the sound of the door and trying to convince himself not to back out at the last moment.  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder arrived a little later than the expected time, which was strange as Calder usually showed up far earlier out of his eagerness to be wanted. In fact,he hadn't slept with Barth in some time. Hadn't even come over to his place in a few weeks or anyone else's for that matter. The only other friend he had seen in some time was Malodore, and that was to help with his dating problem. After that, Calder had remained in his dorm. No texts. No calls. No visits.

When he received the call, he had debated showing up, but only for a second. It was actually nice to have someone call him, and after a cold shower and a fresh change of clothes, Calder left. Fester had glared at him the entire time in disapproval, but he ignored his friend and arrived at the demon dorms after what felt like a walk that lasted eternity. Had the dorms always been that far?

Catching his breath, he took a break on the top of the stairs and then checked his ears a moment, plucking off a mushroom he had messed. Touching them left a residue of chalk dust he had used to disguise the green discoloration underneath, and he quickly adjusted his hair. Ugh. So much hair. It just made him feel even more hot.

"A good night's rest will fix this." And as much as he wanted to remain passed out on his floor, he didn't want to upset any of his friends.

When he didn't feel as winded or dizzy, he rose up and arrived at Barths' dorm, giving it a knock and waiting. While he was wondering what Barth wanted him for, he couldn't help but think of the soft cushions of the boil's couch. He was exhausted already.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Calder? Come in, I've been err, waiting for you. I need help with something. ...Close the door behind you, would you? Never mind, I've got it with the remote. I just need you to keep in mind that if you don't want to do it, that's perfectly alright, and you can go back to your dorm. I can work something else out, but I'd appreciate if you were err, discreet about it, and didn't- you know, if you wouldn't tell anyone else that I'd asked," Barth was babbling, and already jittery, far from his usual relaxed self.

He was perched on the edge of his large chair, tired body wired with anxiety, and barely noticed that Calder himself was similarly...out of sorts.  

[MoonKitsune]

It was a strange reversal to have Barth speaking so quickly and being wired with tense energy and having Calder, the usual bouncy sort, sluggishly move over to the relief of the couch and settled down into it, collapsing into it's plush embrace. It was a good thing he didn't have to shut the door. He already felt too warm, and slowly peeled off his jacket just to get some relief. Still, he wasn't sure if he was warm or cold. He felt chills, but felt warm. Part of him wanted a blanket while the other part wondered if he could make it over to the river and just drown himself into it's frigid waters.

While Barth rambled on, Calder focused his eyes on the boil and listened, catching every other word. "Right." He said. Something about not talking about something. Okay. He could do that, but having to go back to his dorm after just arriving? UGH! He just got here! Couldn't he take a break for an hour?

"I won't say anything." He promised, and waited, trying to keep awake. Barth needed him to be awake and alert, it was hard when all he wanted to do was slide down and rest on the cushions...or the floor.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth took a breath, forcing himself to just spit it out. It shouldn't be so hard, not after he'd already talked to Malcolm. But what if- ? No, he'd already asked Calder down. It was just a matter of calmly explaining the variables and the assignment itself.

"I need you to sleep here tonight," Barth said. "...Possibly at your own physical risk. So I'd understand if you didn't feel comfortable- but if you decided to stay, and something like that did happen, I want you to wake me up immediately. Using whatever method necessary. The situation- I went to talk to Professor Malcolm about it, and the thorns were just getting worse, usually I can control them, but lately...and he said instead of getting rid of them I should actually allow them to grow, but if I still felt worried about it he suggested having someone over to sort of...watch things."

The jumbled explanation, he knew, was far from a calm overview of the variables. But his nerves were so frayed at this point his tongue had gone from silver to copper.

"So- can you?" he asked.  

[MoonKitsune]

No matter if it was jumbled or crystal clear, the words were muffled in Calder's mind as he looked at the boil and thought of couch cushions. He could feel his body getting heavy, and he wondered if he could ask Barth for a blanket...or maybe if Calder coud take off his shirt. Would he mind? Would be find that weird? Probably, and he hadn't put any chalk on his back to hide the discolorations there. Wait. Thorns. And sleeping? He liked sleeping. What was Malcom doing about sleeping? Wasn't it against the rules for teachers to sleep with students? If that wasn't the case, Calder would have asked Alabaster ages ago. Oh no. He wanted him to sleep here.

Calder continued to let Barth's words was over him before he slowly slid to one side and rested his head against the armrest of the couch. "I don't mind sleeping here." That was the main if not only part that really got his attention. "I've been a bit tired." It looked as if Calder was going to go to sleep right then and there.

"I sleep here all the time."  

[Toshihiko Two]

"Thank you," Barth said, relieved.

"If the thorns start to bother you, or if they leave the room, wake me up. I'm...not sure what will happen. Maybe it won't be so bad. I was...I was wondering if you could stay with me for a while until this was all sorted out? Not- all the time, but nights, I'd think. I'd offer the couch, but err, sleeping separately would defeat the purpose of having a fail-safe."

"Just until it's sorted," he repeated.  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder was drifting, but listened all the same. "I don't mind thorns. Run through em in the woods, but I'll wake you." Why would they be sleeping with roses. Roses in bed. That sounded romantic. He wished he could sleep romantically like that.

"Sleeping together...we can do that. We do that all the time." He looked up at Barth, eyelids heavy. He wondered why the boil would even think they would sleep separately. "I can stay." He had no plans. In fact, he wanted to move as little as possible. Staying here wouldn't be bad at all, and if Barth wanted him to sleep over, he could possibly recover his strength without anyone noticing. No one would be the wiser.  

[Toshihiko Two]

"In the woods? You don't?" Barth asked, relief intensifying. Ran through thorns all the time. He had definitely asked the right person.

"No, I know we do, it's just the circumstances..." Barth drummed his claws on the arm of the chair.

"Because it's somewhat dangerous, and I know you don't- well, but if you're used to thorns. I'm not sure if my thorns, specifically..." Barth stopped, and started again.

"Look, thank you, really. It's been...worrying me. I haven't told anyone else, just you and Malcolm."  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder smiled, nuzzling into the armrest. "Then we really are friends." Barth had only told him. Just him. He trusted no one else, and only asked him. He felt special.

"...and that's what friend are for." He looked up at the boil again, and then at the pin, a dreamy smile lingering on the monster's face. Barth wasn't afraid or ashamed to wear his pin. He liked when people weren't ashamed to know him. To be associated with him. To want to be his friend.

"We went through dangerous things before." With the island and with Christof's home, they had been through rough times together. They didn't leave either places as heroically or elegantly as they could have, but they made it out together despite doubt and personal flaws. "...so it doesn't matter."  

[Toshihiko Two]

"It does matter," he said, for the first time paying attention to how tired Calder seemed.

"It's past my bedtime, in any case. And I've...put it off long enough."
Barth freed himself of the chair. He never worried about sleeping, but all he could think about was waking up to Calder killed, the entire campus trapped in thorns, and himself expelled. And unless he wanted to be plagued by those kinds of worries forever, he had to go through with it.

"You coming?"  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder watched Barth move to the bed and looked back on the couch he was resting on. He had to get up? What a pain. Well, he did have a purpose here, and with a sigh, the kelpie heaved himself up on his hooves and followed after. He didn't need asking twice. Bed was bed, and while Calder could sleep most anywhere, from swamp bottoms, to grassy fields, or even a cold floor, Barth's bed was very inviting. Leave it to a sloth demon to have the best furniture for sleeping.

Taking a spot, Calder took off his jacket and set it down on the nightstand and then flopped on the bed, waiting for Barth to lay down before scooting closer. No separation. That's what Barth said, and Calder did like sleeping close in a group. "It doesn't." He repeated, wanting to get in the last word, and then nuzzled into the pillows.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth, to his own surprise, did sleep.

In the morning the campus was not choked with thorns. A single vine had run up one of his bedposts, and through part of the headboard. The vine was black, and thorns menacing, but it seemed to be sleepily waiting for afternoon (which was more Barth's speed as far as waking up was concerned).

Barth turned to examine Calder, looking for scrapes or vines that had insinuated themselves near or around his friend.  

[MoonKitsune]

Calder was not hurt by any thorns of vines. He had no cuts, no scrapes, not even a p***k from the vine that remained just as heavy in sleep as Calder was. That wasn't to say there was nothing strange.

The bed was wet, but not as one would assume why. The boil, rested deep in sleep, breath strained, was damp. The chalk he used to cover his ears had gone away and left the dark green coloration like growing moss at the tips. Small mushrooms had grown overnight, dotting his fur. His skin was clammy and oozed with a green slime that discolored his white hair to a green tinge, giving him the impression of being more wood nymphet then kelpie. If Barth would touch him, he would get a residue of the secreted slime on his hands, and notice the heat wafting off of the boil. It seemed to be happening for some time in the night, as the spot where Calder was resting was saturated.  

[Toshihiko Two]

Barth, of course, recognized slime. Ooze was nothing new to him. Waking up to slime made him feel more at home.

He looked to see if Cheezbooger, instead of the vines, had been bothering Calder.

The Feslime was nowhere to be seen, but Handsome had crept into the bed at some point during the night. He lifted his head slightly as Barth stirred, giving him a single tail wag.

The pallor of Calder's skin was unusual. More unusual were the mushrooms, and the temperature. Barth felt a brief moment of unease. Was it his slime? Some other side effect of the thorns, other parts of his Fear that had grown outside his control?

"Calder?" he asked. "You alright? You've got-" he hesitated, "-mushrooms..."